Welcome into Bucks Insider, coming to you from the Bucks Studio, presented by Ticketmaster Casey Phillips here with Scott Smith and Bree Dix.
And we have plenty to get to today.
Just when you think it is the dead time of year, no such thing. And so we've got signings we talked about a little bit last week.
We're going to dive more into.
We got a new one, We've got the owners meetings coming up with potential rule changes, so plenty to dive into. Let's start with the signing we had not gotten to address yet from last week, and that.
Is Sua Opeta is resigned and returned.
Bucks fans may be like, wait, who, because unfortunately for him, he didn't get a chance to play last year because he came off that ACL But I do feel like this is a great signing for the potential of the depth of the offensive line.
Yeah, Jason Light just keeps bringing them back, Jason Light and company. This is a lot like the resigning of Bryce Hall. You know, he got hurt in the first game, had played about eleven snaps, but the Bucks resigned him. Because both these guys obviously have recovered or are close to finishing recovery from their injuries, and if they liked them a year ago, you know there's they like them still,
Sue Opeta. What he brings is a valuable experience to the interior line and depth because if you look at it, I know they like Elijahklin a lot, last year six round draft pick, but he didn't really get to play because firstly, nobody got hurt, which is great, not yet void, but everybody Klein and everybody else of the Bucks having their current depth chart behind the really good three starters, has virtually no experience, so it's nice to have that
veteran there. He stepped in for six games with the Eagles in two thousand and three, and that's a really good offensive line, stepped in for some good players when they were hurt and kept everything strong. So I think he's a perfect addition to this line. Even though it's very strong upfront, it does need.
Some teps well, considering this significant injury to Opeta but also Bryce Hall, I think that just goes to shown as a testament to what they saw during that small, simple size that they did get to see them, that they were able to bring them back yep.
And I think that it's been a theme we've talked about a bit this off season, is that last year when a backup was called upon, they were very green. They had not played a lot, either for us or anybody. They were, especially on defense. But it was it was a common theme, and now we've seen that by resigning guys like Sue Opeda and even Anthony Walker that we'll talk about as well.
But now if again knocking on the way.
We never want injuries, but if they do happen, you're not feeling necessarily like you're having to call upon someone who doesn't have as much experience. My one little fun fact I have about Sue Opeda, you know, I love to have a fun fact. He had the highest number of bench reps his year at the combine of any position of any player, thirty nine. And he beat the next best guy by five reps. So it wasn't even just like one more. He crushed the field his year.
That's impressive.
Yeah, So obviously, great strength, great strength.
We got that going course was from interior alignment in particular.
Big deal.
So all right, so let's move on to a couple of these guys that we did mention last week that they had re signed. But now, of course they've had their press conferences, we've gotten to hear a little bit more from them. So let's start with wide receiver Sterling Sheppard. This is a guy who had seemed like he played a lot in the league, been very successful, ended up on the practice squad a little bit, but then got
called upon to do some pretty major things. So tell us a little bit about why you think they wanted to bring him back and the value he has brought to this offense.
Well, like you said, originally when they signed him last year on the one year deal, started on the practice squad, and then they activated him in Week five, and he played a significant role following the injury to Chris Godwin, kind of emerged as that number three guy, and I think you saw just kind of his impact on third downs over.
The middle of the field.
But also he has that familiarity with Baker Mayfield going back to their days at Oklahoma, and I think you're just going to get to see that chemistry that they have kind of continue to grow.
And I loved in.
His presser he talked a lot about the way that Mike Evans, the way that Chris god With, the way that Tristan works.
They all attack the game of football.
Has kind of reignited his love for the game and motivates him and makes him want to go that much more hard.
Yeah, think about it. I mean, he admitted he was kind of on the road to retirement last offseason after that time with the eighth Giants, and I think it was largely because after a real nice start to his career, he really lost a lot of time for about three or four straight years with injuries, and so you can understand why a player has been struggling to get through the season might decide, Okay, this is the time to hang him up. I've had a good career. But he
comes here. He did have some injury issues before the season started, and like you said, began the season on practice squad, but he pretty quickly grew into an important role and by the end of the season he was healthy and he didn't have any He didn't play seventeen games because he started on the practice squad, but he didn't miss any time due to injuries, and I think that kind of reinvigorated him, like I've still got football
left to him. He said, it was like the most football he's played in a long time.
Yeah, well, let's take a listen to his press conference where he addressed what we just talked about.
I knew that I had a lot to give in the tank after leaving New York. It was just kind of the situation and not really being in the position to play as much and then wanting to go with the younger guys, which is understandable, but I knew I had a lot more to give, and as soon as I got my opportunity, I had to make the most of it. And you know, I feel like I have a little bit of ball left to play and I just want to max it out all the way. I feel like I can clean up some of the stuff
that I even did last year. It was more bald than I got to play in a long time last year, So I feel like getting that underneath me is going to help me out.
Yeah.
Very excited to have a guy like Stirling back. And again we've talked about how much they've loved to bring back these guys. They already know who they are, what they bring, that consistency, especially on offense.
Everyone is back.
Every great but one of the few new editions we've had from free agency is Anthony Walker linebacker. So Scott, tell me a little bit about what stands out to you now about him, and especially now that we've gotten to hear from him in.
The press, Cools.
I think I covered already last week. The most important note about Anthony Walker right, yes, northwest, of.
Course, most important by far.
What I liked in this press convice was and I think maybe an issue we've had in the middle of the field. We've had some issues in the middle of field of coverage last year or two. Obviously, Levante has always been good that his career, but he's just one man. I think Anthony Walker has shown throughout his career that he's a good coverage linebacker. And especially when you're playing in Tampa too. You guys know this. You got the middle linebacker has a lot of response. Yeah, and see
he he was funny because he kind of laughed. I guess these players do sometimes pay attention to like PFF grades and stuff like that. He's like that stuff's out there. You watch the film. I do not get beat down the middle behind me, and I do not get beat down the middle in front of me. So I can't
what else can you ask for? I can't claim that I would then ran and watched the film, so I will just take his word, take him his word, but that's something that would be a very nice edition to the Buck Stefens.
And you brought up Alevonte David and we found out that this is another key component.
So both Leavonte David and Anthony Walker, they're both from Miami. They've trained together in the off season, and he said in his presser that they've lobbied to be on the same team since Anthony Walker was drafted. Now the dream comes true, And I just think I loved his quote on the David just talking about.
The impact that he's had, the way that he's.
Touched so many lives in the city of Tampa, and that essentially for him, there was no better player that he would rather play alongside. So I'm excited to see the way that Todd Bowles uses Anthony Walker but also Servassi a Dennis and kind of how that ends up looking.
I think it's going to be really interesting to watch. That's definitely one of the position groups that his the potential to have the most change. But they think godness Lavante is still back, so there is some of that veteran.
Consistency, a draft pick there, but might add a draft pick there.
That's going to be a really interesting group to watch. All right, so we have a trivia question. I did end up getting a stump Scott, but we got it to last minute to add, so stay tuned for that, oh in coming weeks. I just didn't notice it in time. That dang hidden messages part of the Instagram app but got me. But we I did find it, so person who sent it to me, I appreciated it.
We will use it for now. We're going to do our regular trivia question. So, Brie, what do we got here?
Alrode. When the Buccaneers drafted punter Ja Kamarta in twenty twenty two, he was from rush Off winning a national championship.
With Georgia prior to that.
Who was the last player from a reigning Division one champion drafted by the Buccaneers.
I no, okay, I was hopeful as she started reading the question. I was hopeful the question was just gonna be.
Where did Jake win the championship? And I was gonna be like Georgia.
Yeah, no, all right, So we're gonna cover another little topic and then we'll give you the answer at the end for everyone playing along at home, We'll give you a few minutes to think about it. I wish I didn't have to keep talking, so I could think harder about it and have a chance. Okay, great, and then I'll think okay. So we have the owners meetings coming up next week, which a is always a great chance to hear from owners, general managers, coaches, people like that.
But it's also one of the big things is the rule changes that get proposed, Some get passed, some do not. And it's always funny. Some years nothing happens. Some years a lot happens, and of course last year was one of those times that there was a fairly large rule change that, especially that kickoff stuff. So tell me Scott a little bit about what are the things that are proposed, how we feel about it, how likely some of these things are to pass.
Well, we'll start with what you were just talking about, that the new kickoff format with the players five yards apart and the landing zone and all that. That A lot of times when you have a big major rule change like that, think back when we did the you could review passer inference, you could challenge passer inference or non passer inference calls. They do that on a one year basis and if they like how it went, then they vote to do it, you know, make it permanent.
Now that nobody liked that pass and inference once, so they scraped that one. But they're happy with the how the kickoff format worked in terms of it's a safer play now. It was the most dangerous play in the game, highest number of injuries, and they're happy that they've managed to make it a less dangerous play. So they want to keep the format, but they weren't really necessarily happy
with the amount of returns. It went up from about twenty one percent of kickoffs getting returned before the new rule to about thirty two percent. So like, how can we make now that this is a safe play, we want to get more returns in the game, how do we do that? Well, going to put their proposing making the touchback on a kickoff not the thirty but now the thirty five, even.
More penalty for doing one, Like, we want you to not do this.
We don't want touchbacks. So the reason being, so the touchbock was at the thirty and the average drive start on when they did return the ball was around the twenty nine. So most teams are like, let's just give them one more yard and not risk giving up the big one, right. I don't know about you, guys. You can tell me how you feel. I don't like it. Tell me at some point, at some point, we're making this too easy for offense. Think about the Dallas game
last December. Bucks kicked off to start the game, The defense held Dallas to thirty yards, and they kicked a field goal. Yep, because they have one of these great, big laid kickers. We were already talking about how the calculus of the game has changed with the new touchback rule and how far these these kickers can reliably make field goals From that, you don't even have to have a good drive anymore to score a field goal. So
now think about starting five yards even closer. You could get like one eighteen yard pass and all of a sudden, you're kicking.
A fifty years, which we will love if we are the team doing that to win the game. Yes, I mean, that's so It's funny, is it depends on like it's You're right, it definitely is favoring the offense. But then in the league that they've clearly decided that that's their priorities, trying to create more offense.
A lot of the rule changes have been about that.
And it does make it potentially more exciting and fun to have these chances where you'd normally say at the end of the game, at least the rest of the game. I kind of agree with you on, like, all right, let's make them work a little bit here to at least get three. But how cool at the end of the game that there might be more chances to have that game tying or game winning field goal when you might otherwise not.
I'm trying to make the optimist. Scott.
Let me I agree with a love. Do you love watching field goals? Do you want a lot more field goals?
No?
But I want them if we're down by three.
Twenty seconds only applies to the Buccaneers. We're happy with.
Okay, yes, yeah, there we go. Now we've settled that.
Then another one is uh, phile, I think put this one. And they want to make the regular season overtime rules the same as post season, which now you know each team possesses the ball at least once, even if the first team scores a touchdown and till he wants to do that like that that co sign. Yeah, I mean for a while, I think the Bucks would have liked that rule last year, Yeah, because the Atlanta and Kanas City games went overtime and they never touched the ball
on overtime. So I'd be willing to bet we get. We won't guess on this one.
I've always even been the proponent of I wish we even did the college rules for overtime those I love that, So I'm like, at least this is better, you know. But yeah, I think the sudden death thing, I mean, you can always make the argument again of like defense has got to step up, but it's just it's rough when you don't even get the chance and it's.
Based on a coin flip.
It's right, That's what I think is so sad is it's it's the fact that the coin flip is so vital and imperian and you have no control over that.
And how many times have we seen that play out between the Chiefs and the Bills.
I'm sure I imagine he's the one that submitted the.
But it's just like every single time, it's like, just yeah, they they an opportunity to.
So those are probably some of the top ones. What else do we have?
They want to expand you know what they call the sky judge, where they you know, they see something upstairs and they just really quickly get it down to the officials and they get the call right. They want to expand the number of plays and occurrences that this can apply.
To, which I think is probably usually the sky dridge is quicker than like a full review. It's been working and so therefore it's like we all want the calls to be right, and we all want the game to not be delayed more than it has to be.
So that feels like a two birds ones.
I mean, I think like we've seen that it works, so just letting it work on more things is probably a good thing. You get it right, get it right quickly? Right?
Sure?
All right?
What's next?
This one? I really actually like. Detroit wants to remove the automatic first down part of the penalty for defensive holding an illegal contact. I have always felt that this was an overly punitive penalty, and it just I mean, I like to think of this in the the the eyesight of a fan, like when you're watching the game.
Are there many more irritating occurrences that happened in the game than when your defense is on the field, it's third and twelve, they throw the ball over to the right, it's incomplete, but there's a flag on the other side because of defensive holding, and it's an automatic first down.
Yeah, that seems just too much.
Now, there's been a lot of pushbacks since this was announced that there will be as they keep saying, unintended consequences.
Yeah, people holding on third and twelve, coaches.
Teaching him to do so. I still think it's worth that. I don't think it would make that big of a difference, but you know, it could be wrong. I don't actually expect this to pass though.
Interesting. I'm kind of with you. I think I like it all right. And then the next one, of course, is the one the Eagles.
Care they Well, it wasn't then that it was Green Bay that made this proposal to ban the push push play. I don't really have a strong feeling on this, do you guys?
Yeah, well, I kind of I liked what Todd boll said about it at the at the combine was kind of like, well, and then we find a.
Way to stop it.
They're going to keep having success with this, so why don't you just find a way to stop it instead?
And the actually you know what it's called.
That's our counter to that rule change is having vita vea. So I think that's why we're like it's fine, and other teams like no, because they don't have a veta.
It's just really specific. Yeah, and they don't even want to ban pushing from by a teammate, just can't push like immediately after the snap.
And I don't know, yeah, I would like to also ban the flying over it like we saw in the that that had got ridiculous. All right, so next what we have got a couple.
More Yeah, this is a big one. This comes up every few years whenever there's a team that finishes with a record that's noticeably better than the division winner, but they're a wild card and they have to go on the road. That's never bothered me personally, but Detroit, I think uh suggested to the seating is only based on your record, So last year, Minnesota would have been seated higher than the Rams, and the Rams would have had to go to Minnesota. To me, I guess I'm I'm not.
I don't view myself as old school a by a lot of things, But I think I am on this one. I mean sports more sports and ours in particular have divisions, and they always have and they've meant something, and if you win your division, you get a reward. That's just always the way it's been. So I don't know, I think you should still. I know that every now and then there's a division that all four teams are kind of down, and like when we played we had to go on the road to face Washington in the Super
Bowl run. They had a eight and what seven to nine record, I think, but won the division. It's gonna happen from time to time, but you don't have to overhaul the system that this sport has been forever just because that happens around it doesn't to me. It's not a change that needs.
Yeah, divisions change every year in terms of how competitive or not they are and all of it. That. Yeah, I think it's probably responding to one year that felt unfair, But overall, the parody does change enough within divisions that I don't think you have.
To do that, I agree.
And then one more there's there's rule changes and there's by law changes and resolutions. I don't remember which one.
This is sound thrilling.
It's just I didn't include all of them at this one. I thought it was kind of interesting. You know how they have the negociation period for fifty two hours or what a lot of people call legal tampering before the start of free agency. Uh you. During that time, teams are allowed to contact representative players, but not the players themselves, unless there's a player like Larremy Tunsel who is his own manor own agent. This makes this makes sense to me.
They want to allow during that time you can make one zoom call with the player himself. All right, don't I don't share a problem with that.
Sounds like just a tiny bit of tampering. So just the miniature tampering. That's so funny, I like.
All right, Well, those are the potential rule changes. So we will be at owners meetings next week as well to see. So when we do our show next week, we'll be able to update you on what did and did not pass and how we feel about it.
They listen to our analysis to make well, some of them will be just table. They won't necessarily be decided yet.
Yeah, all right, so our answer to the trivia.
What do we have? I guess that's my point is that your part. So did you come up with anything.
I started trying to and I went through a lot of draft picks in my head while you were talking, and then I realized I also needed to be able to respond to you, and so I quit and I get to well, i'd answer be willing to rule out a lot of people, but I didn't get to the answer.
I'd be willing to bet that there's some people out there who are thinking they have for sure, and it's Jameis Winston.
That was my first thought.
But then I was like, nope, no, he won They won the championship in his freshman year. Yeah, and then we drafted him after a second season, So it wasn't Jameis Winston. It was actually Mark Baron, the safety out of Alabama that we took in twenty twelve with the seventh overall pick, and him and Alabama had just won the national championship a few months prior. I like it.
That's great, that's a good answer. All right, Well that's going to do it for us on this edition of Bucks Insider. Thank you so much for being with us. We'll see you next time.