2023 Making The Leap Candidates

They Around the NFL podcast, Dan, Greg, all the guys, theyo from across America. Welcome to Around the NFL. My name is Dan hansis got two heroes here, Greg Rosenthal, and you know who it is. It's Mark Sessler.

Hey boys, Hey, Now I also have a live studio audience. I'm taping in the garage a La Dan and his old place, and my son Walker is sitting on the couch. So we got to keep the swearest to a minimum today.

Okay, well you do, Greg, he can't hear what we're saying.

It's true. That's a great point. It's a great point. Mark.

I am in Texas, and I have to tell you something. Texas is a beautiful place. Texas features people like my wife and her family who welcomed this yankee into their lives, and very sweet, good people and in general a very friendly place to visit. But I don't know how these people do what they do, which is live here. Let me read to you. I'm about sixty miles northwest of Austin, Texas, which is you know, Centralish Texas. Here's the five day forecast and it's been like this since I got here

What have you been? Have you do? You spend most of your time in this situation.

I'm wearing a bathing suit bottom right now. There's a pool outside that I will be spending much time, and I'm drinking an iced tea. There's air conditioning that I've been living in. It's it's not it's not great.

It doesn't sell that bad.

Well, that part of it is nice. It could be worse, and it is for a lot of other people. So I'm not complaining. Oh yes, I am complaining. It's too damn hot here.

I like a little weather pop at the start of every show. I think we should introduce that every day every time.

Well, Greg, you jerk, It's a little different when it's one hundred and six degrees.

I'm just saying, no, I surely do listen to some podcasts that start with like, oh it's really hot that you know, this spring like every time, so I'm more making for it.

All. This is extreme weather, this is this is newsworthy weather for a podcast, I thought, But maybe it doesn't reach your standards. And I'm sorry.

I was just having a little fun. No, I'll be. I'll be in similar weather in Tokyo next week.

I's a drink. I gotta say.

It's like ninety five degrees and humid there, so let's go.

How about you, Mark? How are you?

I'm fine.

I'm in you know, a section of Hollywood where it's very temperate. I think it's probably like seventy seven degrees, some clouds, some sun I.

Could tell you. I could tell this would be an issue for you if you were down here, Mark, because you know who's not taking the trip to Texas. LEVI and that jacket, which is remador image in so many positive ways, simply couldn't wear it down here. And you need to innovate once again. So maybe you're more fortunate than anyone right now.

Well, No, I mean I I do.

I did spend that one year in Arizona, where weatherwise it was essentially compared nightly on the news to the Iraq War.

So I do understand what you're going through.

So this is yes, our summer of remote shows and and mini camps are now over? Is it over yet?

Oh?

Yeah? Yeah?

Is over?

Over?

Is off off?

Yes, the off season over and we hope now everyone cross our fair league is on their best behavior between now and mini camp. And you know, one series, I would say Boys, perhaps the most enduring series and the history of around the NFL when you look at it as a component, not just as the podcast, which we've done what like sixteen hundred episodes are so now over the last ten plus years, but also as writers on

Are you suggesting that one of us in particular is taking it lately? And who is that person?

Which of the three is on your radar, it's probably not yourself. So which of the two.

I'm taking it very lightly for starters, but I'm referring to the actual players themselves. Oh, I hope out when the word gets to them. I hope they understand the honor that's been bestowed upon them, and I hope the pressure doesn't break them. You know that what was the old RG three, that summer of ridiculous quotes going into his second year, no pressure, no diamonds.

Well, and also the third yeah from a flip side, because you know, there were years where this went through different versions on NFL dot com. But I remember one summer where the three of us and Wes put out forty candidates, and I mean some of the ones that I totally got wrong.

I've been dragged for those for years since.

I mean, so it's like it's important for us to hit, you know, three home runs each, but you never know.

Like when you might be proven correct, because that four game stretch of Gino Smith back in twenty fourteen or twenty fifteen that made me right of making the leap about of it finally cashed in in twenty twenty two, seven years later.

Well, you also picked Chase Daniels. So, I mean it was just all a little bit of a bit.

He was like number thirty nine. I was having all the fun there.

I think the uh, I think that and Mark, I know this will bring back some harrowing memories. But how many articles we wrote about RG three after his reconstructive knee surgery and his endless rehab that summer and then he you know, he bottomed out the rest of his

Yeah, these athlete phrases. We just were enduring these phrases at this point.

And I still don't know what that means.

I think he does maybe or did.

That was on Wes's radar in a huge way. He would get sick of the bumper stickers. I would love to hear Wes's thoughts on our burgeoning broadcast career. He's doing a nice job over there at ESPN.

Is he doing a nice job?

Yeah? I think you feel like he's a rising he's a rising guy, gets a lot of attention. I don't know if he, you know, breaks up those phrases as much anymore.

All Right, before we do any of that, though, let's get to the news.

Snap the hell comes his first pass over the middle.

Fife Terry McLaurin, the dead fuck touchdown touchdown, Washington. Sam Holl's first career pass.

Is a sixteen yard touchdown to Terry McLaurin. Hey, what a start to a career for the fifth round pick. Sam hal who uh for the Washington Commanders last year

Yeah, and Ron Rivera says they'll enter training camp as the starter, so they're not messing around with this whole, like let's make them battle for it just for the show of it. Like let's say they're doing with Bryce Young in Carolina for now though he's already the first team and we know samow as a second year player. But I've found that a little surprising after giving to Kobe Brissett seven and a half million dollars guaranteed, which is more than any other backup got this offseason, they're

Yeah, I just think if you're this coaching staff and Ron Rivera, for the good things that he's done and is consistent and steady as he's been for Washington through a really rocky tenure, they've never found a quarterback that done a terrible job at that. So if I'm Ron Rivera, how do you want to this? If this is your last chance? No matter what Jacoby Brissett does, and he played much better than people expected a year ago.

But if you hit on a rookie.

And it brings excitement and energy to that fan base that's been so long lost, then you have a chance to stick around because then you've done something different and unique versus just floating on through the season with which I expect kind of both of them to play. But if you hit on Howell, it's like you're part of the reason that happened.

Stick around.

I don't. Yeah, we'll see. I mean I think best case scenario, well, best case scenario is he's a star.

Well, like how he would be a good making the leap guy. I thought about him. We're just basing on nothing. You're basically on college where he was fun. You know, he runs more than you would expect in terms of running aggressively and almost looking for contact, and you're gonna have to worry about that. But that one game, it's like that one game was more intriguing to me than any game Kenny Pickett played, or any game Desmond Ridder played. So it was something he has, like big time tools.

Conig Way, thank you, Okaggie, well done. Reports surface late last week that the NFL is really struggling to find a team that wants to do hard knocks, and the four teams that are could be compelled to do it or told to do it, the Jets, Bears, and Saints. Those three teams. Three of the four teams said no. They've been vocal no. The commanders, according to Pro Football Talk Mike floya or reported on this last week, were

Yeah, I mean it's unprecedented. I think there've always been a couple teams if it was a wider net of available teams, and it's thin right now that there was always some ownership group or someone that said, like, let's go do it because we're the we're a team kind

We talked to a little birdie actually at the office on Friday, Mark who mentioned that the owner of the Jets wants to do it, but maybe there's a little disconnect there between ownership and everyone else that's on the ground floor of trying to make that team a playoff squad for the first time in over a decade. We shall see, all right. In other news we have.

They're ad an update on the temperature situation. By the way, our good friend Randy Chavez and Eric behind the glass, it translates to forty one degrees celsius right now where you're at in Texas. That's that would be higher than the hottest recorded temperature in the entire UK, which was last year forty degrees point three. Since nineteen eleven. So that's like hotter than it ever gets overseas.

And that that was a deadly heat wave that hit the UK last year. So bet that was bad. But that was excellent research from Randy and Eric Roberts. All right, So in other news report out there, Greg, you're gonna help me out with who reported it? The Bengals and Joe Mixon. Despite Mixing still being on the roster, his his place on the team remains not firm. It appears because according to a report, the Bengals will tap into quote veteran backwaters, which is kind of gross if Mixon

Yeah, it was Paul Daaner from The Athletic who's one of the best beat beat guys out there. Trust the Fat him on the podcast too, And yeah, yeah, rare sort of mid June drop. This has been hanging like Lyell Collins was another one that was hanging. Jonah Williams now looks locked in to write Tackle. It appears Lyle

Like back Yeah, it sounds hideous visually, but I guess like you've got guys.

Like Kareem Hunt sitting out there.

Yeah, insults. Honestly, when does the when do the backhanded and quite frankly front handed insults of running backs end? I mean, now we refer to the free agent pool is backwater?

Yeah, they can't get anyone to buy them a drink. It's been it's been like an outstandingly horrible off season three like.

A Bengals move by the way, Yes, I think so I could see that.

And can we and can someone Mark? Can someone give JK. Dobbins the heads up because he skipped mandatory mini camp over contract issues. He's currently the league's twenty fourth highest paid running back. I mean, he missed twenty seven games in three years before staying on the field last year. But it's not going to happen, and all you're doing is incurring fines and potentially putting yourself further down the depth chart. Not trying to be mean JK. Dobbins, but

No, And he also said that he would report to training camp because the way the CBA is set up now, the fines are outrageous.

You know.

To me, this is just like you're posturing and hoping maybe they give you give you something if you come to training camp and do not even a holding, but just a show of good faith. But he doesn't have the resume right now to ask for that. The thing about him, though, is that I still see him as like talk about him making the leap type guy because he's removed another year from the injury. He has like a five point nine yards per carry in his career in the NFL, and he was an explosive college player

Right, Like he could get a good contract. He's not gonna get it.

Now.

He must have a powerful agent, because I mean I had good contract for a running back, not right now, I just mean eventually. Because he's a good young player. He must have a good agent. Because people were banging this drama about like how well, and they were like parrotying the same sort of phrases of how he finished last year. And he did finish last year fantastic, but he missed all of twenty one and he had ninety two carries last year. There's no way he's getting a contract.

Wait Mark, did you say that you think Dobbins could be a top five running back in I do?

I think in that I think I could.

I could see that without any problem, and I think he would have been last I mean last year I was talking him up and we did it on an NFL network piece, and I got totally banged for it

But I just and this is kind of setting up our segment after the break even more beautifully. Mark Sessler believed JK. Dobbins could be one of the greatest running backs in the NFL in twenty twenty three. And it doesn't even sound like he made the cut for making the leap.

Wow.

I said top five in AFC, which is not unheard of, So what is.

The top eight? It's pretty good.

He's on my le he'd be on my long list. He was on my long list for making the leap. The Bengals have fifteen million dollars in cap space. By the way, if they cut mixin, I know where I'm circling back DoD Dalvin Cook. Maybe that's a Dalvin Cook spot.

Maybe maybe Dalvin Cook is out there saying how cool it would be to play with DeAndre Hopkins. And it's all the backwaters are combining. The wide receiver backwaters are flowing into the running back backwaters and it's very smelly.

Leonard Fournette is out there too, Leonard Fournette. I forgot about him. I was like who's a free agent right now.

No, you know what it's like a fresh wide receiver where it's like a babbling stream is a bubbling stream. I always get that wrong. Going down a creek like beautiful, you could drink right out of it. Because Odell Beckham skips a year after blowing out his knee a second time and he gets like fifteen million guaranteed dollars. Meanwhile, Dalvin Cook is like on a Hall of Fame trajectory for his first five years and he's in the sewers below Gotham by that.

Yes, it's a gross territory to be but you know, there were twelve or thirteen other positions he could have chosen to pursue as an athlete before he became.

A WHOA my old boss, and he's doing fine. I mean releve know compared to other positions. They don't get they're fine, My old boss. Florio actually suggested in a piece last week that the running backs should form a committee or something a group essentially a union, and bargain separately as running backs because they're taking advantage of And you know, I love the content pro football talk is keeping fresh. But if if that doesn't scream like this

That's very loyery, and I mark even though it was it was harsh. The you made your bed, now lie in it, bitch explanation, that's fair as well.

Yeah, I'm not sure that I'm banging the table so hard on that, but I'm just saying that, you know, maybe players stop choosing to be running backs at this.

Point, goes to the gym a few times, he just starts talking tough to these players all of a sudden over here.

Times in like February, the uh.

In over in the Blotterer Stupid, we talked about how it's these guys keep on getting in trouble for gambling. Don't go to an airport with a gun. Patriots cornerback Jack Jones was arrested at Logan in Boston for attempting to bring two firearms onto a plane. And that's you know, you hear about this and it's always like huh, And then I'm reading a little more about it. Because he posted bail of fifty thousand, he's got an arraignment set. It might have even happened by now, but it's coming up.

No and John Moran lawyer made some statements today because he had a court date as we're taping on Tuesday, and she actually thanked the Patriots for not releasing them essentially, so I guess, I guess their plan is to keep him that like she was blaming on social media for portraying her client as.

A thug.

But he's someone that if he didn't play well, so you always every every time you're playing in the NFL, it matters a lot because I have a feeling if Jack Jones wasn't excellent last year when he played and he was excellent by the way. I know it was only two starts, but he was one of the highest ranked PFF cornerbacks for much of the season, and he looked, you look like a future starter, a really good player.

Well you can connect those dots. There are some dots to connect there. But I I I'm just I'm mystified to some degree that anyone over a certain age, it's not been drummed into our heads that you don't bring automatic firearms and like a bounty of weapons to an airport. It just it's not something that works out. You may you miss, you're gonna miss your flight. But beyond that, there are much more concerning pressing issues.

They do have signs now, they do have signs about the firearms in every airport, you know, right as you're going through. And I noticed that, Lax. They now have signs about the weed too, you know, whis that that's a new one. That's like, don't bring your weed in, we'll kick you off the flight. And it's very specific. LIX.

Well, I know some people not following that role.

Yeah, that's fair.

Finally, in the news Welcome Back Supplemental Draft, the NFL informed its clubs that the Supplemental Draft will return and take place on July eleventh. NFL Network inside or Ian Rappaport reported on Friday. This is the first year supplemental Draft is taken play since two thousand nineteen. That year, perdue wide receiver shout it out if you know it.

Milton Wright.

Milton Wright, he was reading off a laptop. That doesn't count. Has been confirmed to study the story, but as eligible as of now. The original supplemental Draft was held in seventy seven to serve prospects who were not eligible for the annual spring draft for various reasons. I don't care really about it, but I will say this, if this brings back the Henry Hotgson aared supplemental mock draft to NFL dot Com, that makes it a success no matter who is taken or not taken.

Well, that's the only reason I wanted to just mention. Sources close to the situation says nfl uk Hank is aware of this, He's monitoring this situation. He's starting to do deep dives. We might have to have him on the podcast. He's the best in the game when it comes to the supplemental draft, and he was all over Jalen Thompson back in twenty nineteen, who's turned into a nice player for the Cardinals, a starter as a fifth round supplemental pick.

One thing I like about the supplemental draft is it takes, on average, roughly about ten minutes, right, And like, all I'm saying is like, I get the first and second day of the NFL Draft, But what if we entered a world where that Day three of the draft took on more of a supplemental form. And we you know, it didn't need to be nine and a half hours long. I mean, this is a television product.

Right, It's basically like a group email or group text. It's like anyone want them in the third round, It's like no one answers, Oh, anyone want him in the fourth round, and then no one answers, and then then we're good.

So I texted Henry this morning, early this morning Central time here in Texas, which was before his bedtime over there in London, asking if he could send a video statement, and he no, replied me, and.

Go ahead, I do well, I'll let you finish. I want to hear it.

No, And I'm just and I'm concerned because now that Henry has this fancy job, that he's just going to be a little more buttoned up, and we won't get that statement from Henry, and we might not even get the NFL dot com right up because it's not becoming of a suit at his level. I'm concerned about that. I'm putting that on the record on the show. Hopefully he'll surprise me.

I I'm not as concerned. I also reached out to Henry like we're just two minds here. There's not much going on in late June in the NFL, and he unfortunately told me he was actually on his way to New York yesterday and he is in executive meetings all day in New York, because I was thinking maybe he could even pop on today. So that's he was probably meeting with Roger Goodell about the future of the NFL. But to your point, that's what he's busy doing.

Yeah, but I think we're forgetting about the incredible passion that Henry showed multiple years in a row to create that piece. I think he's gonna do.

It well that My concern is, like you know that a beautiful, you know, wild horse, once you put it inside you know borders, like you know the stall if you will, or you put him in between these fence posts, He's just not the same beast anymore. We'll see. I even I will say this. I texted him the unreplied text, could you send a professional video statement from your office Rogers style? And you're telling me he's actually in New

That's what a true secretariat would do, you know, a real real wild horse.

All right, let's take a break and then we will nominate so making the leap candidates. That right, we are back and again. As I said at the top of the show, this is a very special honor. To quote Dick Banks in his description of the team of around the NFL being nominated, simply being nominated as of making the leap candidate is I think how Lamar Miller felt years ago when he was nominated three, four, five times, four of those by myself, all of them by you, Yeah,

I remember the hits I've learned over the years. Just remember the hits. People will remind you of the misses enough, but just hold on to those hits. Pete Pete Warner was one last year. I think that hit pretty well. I remember that that was a good one.

Do you.

I mean, I'm gonna leave this totally up to you, because this is not a hit piece on Rosenthal. But you did do an article last summer, last July with some candidates. Do you you care to see if we had any hits.

I mean, I haven't looked at it. So yeah, is that here?

We are?

All right? Is it the assignment list? Let's see, well I did I did it a little different where now they want me to do one for every team, which is like, kind of look, it's probably good for metrics, but you know, I see you're stretching. They just like it that way. It was just fine.

You did have Davis Mills last year. I'm not going to go through them all because it is a little different. You had Trevor Lawrence. That was a good one.

Dingo.

Were we okay with the Rocky you sin last year? I don't know.

You had Tua always like Rucassin. I was thinking of him this year.

There's that man again, Elijah Moore. He's going to show up on a lot of lists this year too. Yeah. I don't know what Miles Jacket is. Here a lot of names. It's hard to get it right, and it's hard. It's easy to get sucked into the off season hype machines. So we're going to try to cut through all that. Mark. I know you would be the person out of the three of us most stressed about one of your choices

I got a tongue of Biloa on it last year, by the way, So there we go. There's a win.

Bang.

That's a big victory.

Greg Well, I actually came up with like thirteen or fourteen, and I find a lot of them very juicy. But I'm going to go with a player that had one hundred and seventy one yards through the area year ago, has battled durability issues and there are question marks.

About how he can last through NFL season.

But when we've seen Kadarius Tony in that Chiefs offense and what we saw what he did down the stretch, and when you've seen Juju Smith Schuster exit stage left and all the whispers are whether or not they have a number one, he's going to be treated that way.

I think he's had a good offseason because I think there were different ways this offseason could have gone. And maybe they will add Hopkins, whereas they've been in the mix for these right wide receivers, but they haven't closed the deal and there's going to be more opportunities for Tony. I just did look through my list. He was on it last year, actually, so I don't know if that's a hit or not. He did have a nice moment in the Super Bowl, certainly, but he was on He

Yeah, a class act move by old Zeusser because I was gonna go with this one and I just wanted to make sure Mark had an opportunity canarious Tony. Yeah, it's weird, Mark, because it's like everything else is there, So I don't I don't foresee a situation where he

No, but I use those well. The super Bowl.

That certainly was like a nice cherry on top, But even throughout the playoffs, I thought they just started to use him into diferent ways and it just seemed to me like a flash forward to what Andy Reid will create with a this offseason. But you're absolutely right, because I mean, having done these making the leaps, when you pick a guy that's sort of an injury risk, you are putting yourself into a blender half the time.

Dude, dude just moves different. I've loved him since that game he had as a rookie for the Giants against the Cowboys. He just moves different. Our guy, Spice Rack, who I want to I want to get back on the show we got We got to get him back. We didn't have him on during the draft season, but he was a huge Canarius Tony guy. In terms of the way that he moves. You can just you can just see it. The only way it doesn't work is if they just spread the ball around to like five guys.

It should be noted that I believe on his last the appearance on Around the NFL Spice, Rack made predictions about his contact with various people on this program, and his prediction for me is that we would have zero contact from that point forward, and he was correct. So I would say, if you want to get him back on the program, it's up to one of you guys to do it.

I'll do it. I feel like maybe he could talk a little bit rookies in new places.

He's a big you had you had in the past, though a mysterious not fully explained to us. I don't know ted a ted or beef with him to some degree that is that is this still a remnant of.

That I I could. I wish I could tell you if that is even true. I think he made some hazy comments about our meeting in Las Vegas years ago. I remember having a good time with him, spending multiple days with him. He's a wild card, and I think to try to get inside the mind of a spice rack is to be mystified and perhaps confused.

Well, that's well said.

I'd like to be inside you feel like, you know, being alive.

Yeah, I know what he's excited about. The Cincinnati Reed's nine straight wins. A lot of players over there. All right, GREGI you're up next.

Okay, I'm gonna cheat. I just I have two guys that to me are together and I couldn't pick one between them, So I'm just gonna pick them because they fit well as a group. I know Dan doesn't like this.

No, that's that's first of all. It's not what we agreed to beforehand, and you might end up picking one of your colleagues choice.

Okay, I'll put the one. Then I have two different tandems like this where they both fit well together.

Greg, Now Dan is automatically picking forth.

Now I'm sneaking. I'm sneaking in there's no way he's picking either one of these first two. So I'll keep the big name, the bigger name guys off the shelf for now. I'm gonna go linebackers, middle linebackers. Caden Ellis for the Atlanta Falcons, who I love with that extra s on his name. I love a little extra, totally unnecessary consonant at the end of a name. It's Ellis, my daughter's name, with an extra esque it's it's forty percent Elis or something like that. And then as he's

No. In fact, you could do as many like linebackers as you want.

Greg, those were the under the radar, but they felt like they were similar, like their fifth year players actually going to a new team. So I just was pairing you thought.

About it all because again, the nomination process is sacred. How do they feel? Like how did Steve mcne Steve McNair and Peyton Mann feel when they were co MVPs. It took a little of the luster off, And I'm wondering if your two young men here are feeling the same way right by.

Now, that's another way to look at this.

If I had just picked one, yeah, I think I would have gone with Elis. I guess if I had Now it now it makes also you're feeling worse now, sorry, And.

Now he's in a back sewer with the running backs.

He's gonna be great. That's gonna be great.

All right, that's good, Greg. It's very important you bring that nitty gritty football guy vibe to the show. Getting the linebackers in I'm gonna get right back onto basic Boulevard and let's move to that's where I like to be real basic, and I'll do one. Maybe maybe this will hurt Greg, will make him feel good, but also he'll be like, oh, I wanted to nominate this player, so that's good. Romadre Stevenson mm hmm, New England Patriots. You never you never know how Bill is gonna gonna

I like it a lot.

I think, first of all, a good making leap candidate has given us a fair amount of proof that they can make the leap versus just something from out of the darkens. He looked great at times last year in

Plus it's just like I'll use six.

Running backs then on some random Monday night game, our fourth string guy will get thirty five carries and run for one hundred and eighty yards. So if he's if Bill's a little over some of that nonsense, and you stick with Stevenson, I think you got something.

Let me ask you, Greg, because you follow the team as closely as anyone is this one. Should this not count? Do you think Stevenson made the leap already?

Yes? But that means and I'm glad you asked, because when I do that written piece, there's different types of leaps for him to make the leap. Forget fourteen hundred yards he got that last year, actually yards from scrimmage. That's out goodnyway. He was kind of under the radar fantasy heads though, but he ended up with fourteen hundred yards from scrimmage and sixty nine catches. He has to make it to what Mark was talking about, top five running back, right. I actually think I think he could

Bring me my music back. I guess I gotta clean this up a little bit.

Why do you get the music? By the way it sounded, I thought of better because I thought of it.

You could have it. You could borrow it if you want fair dollars borrow it.

I don't claim that I agree that you thought of it.

Fourteen hundred yards a season ago with six touchdowns, five on the ground. This year he surpasses eighteen hundred and fifty total yards and fifteen total touchdowns. He becomes a true star running back, which means he'll be released a year later salary cap considerations.

I could see it when Bill talks. When Bill Belichick talks about Stevenson, you could just tell it's his guy. Like he always talks about how he doesn't make any mental errors. He did fumble a lot, but he just like understands every play and in a way that almost hasn't happened since Corey Dillon. I could see them just trusting him every single down and just going for it because he's he's not great at anything, but he makes you miss. He's a power back, he's a receiving back.

Well rounded a couple woe games that twenty nine nothing went over to true. In Week five, he went twenty five for one sixty one that absurd loss to the Raiders. The Chandler Jones game, he was nineteen for one seventy two nine yards a rush. It's there. It's there, and if you want to load him up and make him the guy, he could become a true star running back. In fact, next week, Mark, we'll be rolling out the

Yeah, you can't have it both ways. I mean, he's he's getting close to that club.

All right, You're like, you can't have it both ways. That's that's a lot to ask Superstar Club for her mind.

I want that music, by the way, I mean I understand the day.

Hey, let me wait, hang on, let me let me think internally. All right, you could have it?

All right?

Well, I'm going running back too, because I see a chance for this player who has really never done anything beyond five hundred yards on the ground in a season, always held back behind the person in front of him.

That person is gone.

Dalvin Cook is gone, and so Alexander Madison, who watching running backs whenever I've watched him, I've I've loved it and wished he were a starter earlier, had a chance somewhere else. Kevin O'Connell has been glowing about him all off season, saying that he's absolutely stepped in and showed the ownership that a three down back needs to show inside of offensive meetings. That's he's known he could do this for a long time, and this is going to

Now as someone who loaned that song out, Dan, Yeah, do you think people that use the song do we need to finish by the end of the song, and then if you keep talking after the end of the song, it's not fair, not fair use do you have to like pay extra.

Little backhanded shot the old cestog there?

Well, wait, yeah, I would.

I want to go check the tape and see if you if you did, I'm assuming you did, but I don't clearly remember that.

Let it be not to let the record state that that was I was not adding that the notation for the usage of the song. I would say, i'd write, I think it's more important to the listeners and the nominee that you get those thoughts out.

So okay, I mean I'm in trouble me with my double dippers. I'm not exactly short winded. Is that a word? You know?

Uh?

I just made it up, you know, I'm overleave for both. I thought that was well said on Madison. I'm surprised, like there's not a little more hype about him, even among Vikings fans, Like they don't seem always that excited, and I really like him. Reminds me a little bit of a Chester Taylor former Raven who got a chance to be the guy in Minnesota way back in the day when he got a chance to step up. He was a fantasy star, can do everything. And I'm with you. I'm with you on Madison.

All right, that's good, all right, Gregie, Well you're up again.

And uh well, I'm afraid you don't like this double dipping thing. Why don't I ask, do you have any wide receivers from the NFC South.

I don't. I don't.

You'd be free on lie list.

Okay, I have a wide receiver that I'm still even as we're going through this episode, trying to fight against throwing out there. But he's not in the South.

Okay, let's hit the music. All right, I'm going double dipping from the NFC South. It's the wide receivers, Chris o'lave and Drake London. This music does make me feel excited. You know, when I watched Desmond Redders tape, London just stuck out. You look at his numbers and he got overshadowed a little bit by Garrett Wilson and Olave and my god, like he gets open way better than I expected.

I don't get. I don't get the pairing thing.

But well they're both, you know, second year receivers from the South. They couldn't choose between them. I loved them both so much. It's you know, who do.

You like more?

Well, London the academy will reflect that a lave. But London surprised me more. I didn't expect him, especially because of his numbers and his profile coming out of college. I think he is a little better of a fit actually for making the leap, because he kind of got overshadowed by the other rookie receivers and I think he's gonna make a big step up.

I guess it's just like it comes down to like an output thing too, because watching a lobb a, I kind of felt like he made a rookie year leap in terms of watching him.

But I get you, I get part of.

The exercises, the production could be, you know, incrementally bigger London.

I'm with you on London too.

I think there were I just remember watching Marcus Mariota for QBAN next week after week and they we're like, it's obviously a Mariota thing.

So there's a lot of that.

But London seemed to have occasionally key drops and lose the ball here and there. But you also see I think that go that's kind of go away after your rookie year in a weird quarterback situation. Although it's still a little a little strange, but there's a lot of weapons there. I mean, he's got a chance, I think, to be the lead guy there, no question.

He's still twenty one years old. He's about to turn twenty two in late July, but that to do that as a twenty one yeard. You're right, there were some big moments. He lost that Saints game with a fumble, yet he had a couple key dropped, right, you know, I can live with that with the plays that he made.

Yeah, I think with maybe a lave more than London, he's more maybe in the Madre Stevenson category, where he's already proven himself that he's going to be a big time player in the league. When you come out as a rookie playing on a mediocre team and you finished seventy two for one thy forty two and four touchdowns, I expect you to make that leap in year two like I could have. I could have went obviously Garrett Wilson, going from Zach Wilson and Joe Flacko and Mike White,

Yeah. I was hesitant on a lobby, but I think it's because I'm basic on what I hear about a lobby, which is I think there's this feeling that he's like DJ Moore, that he was a huge double right off the bat. He's going to be a good receiver forever, and I think he could he could be a superstar that he could be leading the league and receiving.

Also like a football head if you're paying attention, like all the people that love to write about the game and pound table for guys and the analytics pop in the hood. I'm sure Matt Harmon his reception perception was very kind for Chris Alave. Everyone sees it as a guy that has a chance to be true.

You called me too basic. I get it, I shout up somewhere under the radar.

Guys, No, listen, you just came off a double linebacker nomination that this is fair. That was fine. I liked it. I liked it. I'm up, all right, Shoot, this is hard because we're doing three each. I'm gonna save my.

Last is doing six each, But yeah, we'll do my last one is Actually he's by himself. I could try to I could try to find a combo, but it would be a stretch.

Oh do I want to do it? Oh God, all right, I'll do it last time at the rodeo.

You could renominate Kaden Ellis.

Last time at the rodeo. Jerry Judy, let's oh, I like it? It can we can we finally be And I think he's been on what is this his fourth year now or is his third year?

It's only his third year, right.

Yeah, I think he's was on everyone's making the leap list for the most part last.

Year year fourth season. This would be his third potential making the lead.

Isn't that crazy? He's already in year four now? And you heard the rumors music please, I mean I I should get it without without saying it just should go, just should fill the room. It goes without saying that Judy has talent, former first round pick. And we all remember when Russell Wilson joined the team and everyone thought they were going to make magic. Didn't work out. Russell Wilson's still there. Russell Wilson, by the way, remember what he was called? This hang on Detective Culties.

So you got to watch the YouTube Dan Mike exploding out of no.

This is even sadder when this inspirational music is played.

I am enjoying this.

Now. I'm holding a mic like Freddie Mercury. Remember when Russell Wilson was called a sack of potatoes at the back end of last season, which felt like a dig his build and how hard he might have been working a lot of reports at a Denver that he's down serious pounds and is light and moving moving his feet. Maybe the light turned on, knowing all of a sudden

The video of Russell Wilson proves what you're pointing to those reports. He looks tangibly different to me physically. I think he's, you know there obviously couldn't have been humbled anymore. He's got some sort of hashtag tagline out there about it being like a redemption season two. I don't remember the exact verbiage, but it's very.

Rough the grind it's about to find it.

Wasn't quite that on the nose but it was pretty much on the nose. But I mean everything there should be a little bit more controlled, a little bit better. I still trust Sean Payton. Jerry Judy to me, like from the minute he hit the league, he could do these fascinating things and then beguile you with terrible drops. I just never really had like the right quarterback situation there. So this environment feels positive compared to the horror show we witnessed a year ago.

Yeah, and you know he he was better last year. Like his numbers yards per route, ron yards per target, it was so much better than Courtland Sutton for instance, or anyone else on that team. He did have his career high in receptions and yards, didn't break a thousand yards, but he was better. I have not given up on Jerry Judy either. I'm sure he's been on my making the leap, but maybe I'll bring him back on if I need one for every team. Although I like another Bronco,

It's almost like if he doesn't this year, if Judy once again is inconsistent as their producer or struggles to stay on the field, he deserves to go in this other like category you don't want to be in. Maybe Lamar Miller's in it, like making the leap guys that repeatedly trick people into being that they were that guy

If for some reason he got to free agency, which you could actually see happening, like let's say has a similar year this year to next year, they don't want to pay, Like people will still pay Jerry Judy a ton of money. Receivers are just worth that much now

And I could see it. I could see it. But you know what, maybe if not to skew negative again. But if if he has Sean Payton and Wilson's Better and it still doesn't happen, maybe that would depress his value.

I guess.

I hope we don't find out. I hope he just lights it up.

The Wilson's Better part is a complete mystery.

Yeah, all right, it is time now for the final nomination once again, Mark, this is the floor is yours. No one could take anything from you. You're at complete ease as you nominate your final player for making the Leap twenty.

I'd like the music to be added on top of Yes, please, miss. I am picking between two George's because I really wanted to go. George karloftis of the Chiefs who I think has a real opportunity with Frank Clark gone to be. I just found am so disruptive to watch, and there's something about him that like Parkens back to an old time. But I'm going George Pickens eight hundred and one yards a year ago, fifty one catches four touchdowns.

I mean, we saw it.

The thing is, you can't say you made the leap last year because I think a lot of it happened when Kenny Pickett got involved, they showed chemistry. I mean, I could just see these two being together for a long time. There isn't a team in the league. I trust more to develop wide receivers. But beyond that, like what we see him doing from a hand eye coordination, angle, athleticism, acrobatic catches, He's just.

Made to be an NFL start.

And I guess you have to trust that Kenny Pickett picks up where he left off.

But I do m.

I hope my comments about the you know, finishing before the song was over, and yeah, because you were on a.

Roll, you were on clipped No, I felt like I was ready to stop speaking.

Because I can I want to be I'm relieved Mark that you went with a Pittsburgh Steeler beca because I was going to, uh, if you didn't nominate either Picket or someone connected with the team, I was gonna accuse you of doing the old move that many people, the trap people fall into in this business, which is the old Remember the Contras spread gun? Maybe Yeah, it was like we have the spread remember that one, and just the bulls shot everywhere.

Yeah, it's a great weapon.

And you've you're already on record on the show saying that the Steelers are winning twelve plus games and Kenny Pickett's taking the leap, so somebody had to be in the making the leap. Conversation from Mark as a nomination and going with his potential number one ride receiver checks the box. So I'm just I'm giving you a compliment. You you're a man of your word.

Well thanks, guns down when it comes to Picket, Like I think when we talk about making the leap as a quarterback, like there's a lot of competition in real estate, Like I he can kind of just be who he was last year for the most part, and they're functional. But like do I don't see, I'm not. It's tougher for me to project Kenny Pickett making a massive like josh Allen Lake leap.

Hmmm. Pickens is a good one. I like that he's different than other receivers too, Like the analytical consensus is sort of like guys who in contested catches are a little more unreliable, Like there's only so many contested catches. You'd rather have a guy that just gets open or wins after the catch, like those are more valuable skill sets. George Pickens is a throwback in some ways to guys from the nineties where it's just like just throw it

He actually you already brought up You brought on Tua. You're making it sound like.

That Jalen Hurts, Jalen Hurts I had on there. You had Hurt, had Hurt. I mean I was banging the drune for Hurts last offseason, Auk and then like twenty six other guys.

You know.

But I'm going to go back to quarterback. And I debated this because you know, I could go for more under the radar ones and maybe this is predictable, maybe it's not. I think Mack Corgile Jones is making the Leap. I think people threw away his last season and put it all on him. At the same time, they're saying Matt Patricia is the worst offensive coordinator in the history of the league. It's the biggest mistake ever. And I hear this quarterback draft of starters where he came in

I mean.

The only place I'd push back Greg a little bit is that I feel like people were critical of Trevor Lawrence for up through the midpoint of last season because we were seeing things that were suggesting that there issues, and when it came to mac Jones, like I feel it from mid season on, it was kind of like, well, he's in a disaster situation, like this is a you know, this year is a throwaway year.

This year doesn't count.

He gets a do over.

I just like that was the language that I heard and spoke more about mac Jones, where it's like you can't blame him for what's going on that stead. I still see him as like a top fifteen, sixteen seventeen quarterbacks.

Right well, that would be I feel like, though, if you actually write him down and maybe we'll do this exercise, I guess I'd be curious if you really would have him there. I wouldn't even have him there yet because it's a it's a pretty deep crop of quarterbacks now and I get that, but I kind of look at him versus the other you know, rookie quarterback, you know, guys from that year, and I just think he's put good football on tape. And that's one thing I think

Yeah, he has done no favors last year with the way Belichick botched the offense.

He's stunk though I'm not arguing, but.

He Yeah, he did not play well. I yeah he the rookie season. Definitely. There were moments where he played really well during that year as well. But I don't know, man. I mean what you say, Kirk Cousins, he could have a Cousins like career, and that that feels a little rich to me. I'm wondering if one aspect of him, like is he likable? Does teammates like him? Does his coach like him?

I think that's a fair question.

Is this personality does it. It seems to to just walk the line between fiery, competitive guy with some swag and kind of a guy that maybe is writing what do they say, writing checks with his mouth that his body can't cash a little bit. I'm very conflicted because I see what you're saying, and would it surprise me if the Patriots end up being a competitive team and Jones bounces back? No? But is he also just like a middle of the road guy who talks too much?

That could be true.

But I would also say that like some of his fire from last season and some of his comments were just completely warranted, and he didn't come in with that out of the gate. That was as things really started to break apart, and I if anything, they went out of their way to pair him with Bill O'Brien, a play caller who knows him. They're implementing Alabama elements to the offense, like they're gonna give it a try and we'll find out.

But like just get I could see them yelling at each other back and forth too. Though they're they're both fiery. I think Dan's right that he was in last year. There might be a question of whether his teammates like and I think it was immaturity last year. He does some mature things on the field. He's still a young guy who I think hopefully learned a lot last year. You're right, Dan, If he goes another year with being a pain in the butt like his career, this is

I would just say to what you said, Mark, that he did while he was sold down the river in some ways by his coaching staff. I just fundamentally disagree with like he was okay or in the right to act out on the field, and the report about him reaching out to other coaching staffs from his past, Like, take that and compare that to Trevor Lawrence the previous year when he was an even worse situation with Urban Meyer, who wasn't even a real human being coaching that team

I guess all I'm trying to say is that, like when I first of all called him like somewhere in the low low teens, if you get the rookie version of him, I think he is around there. And I'm willing to forgive what happened last offseason and just kind of like see where we go because we might feel differently about him the leader and the person, but I guess some of that comes out and you learn about

Bus, no, but Belichick was so sick of him. I think he'd be an ex patriot if the right situation had landed for them this offseason, but it didn't, And I do I think he was immature too, because he was trying to list like he was too aggressive at first, and he kept making big mistakes and then he pulled it in too much and was just trying to avoid mistakes. And if you watch the last four or five games of the season according to PFF, I think he had counting it up now ten eleven big time throws or

Okay, my last one in our final nominee, and again, congratulations all the nominees and good luck in the upcoming season. I thought, maybe I'll go with a defender. You know, got Greg Russeau and Buffalo seems like a guy who could do something I think a lot of people are expecting. Maybe I'll go Homer and go with a jet and Elijah Vera Tucker definitely somebody I think who could be an All Pro guard if they just leave him be

I love this because I think of everyone that we've named like the ceiling. If it works, he is the ceiling. Like he becomes a transcendent player. And I think what's lost little bit from last season was we saw the power on the ground, the total disruption, the way that he would just completely baffle defenses. I think he grew as a passer down the stretch, and it just makes me think a little bit of where we were a

Was a true star quarterback in Chicago?

And so I think the ceiling here, like I said, is just the highest of any player we've talked about.

Yeah, he plays quarterback in said a different way. He holds on to the ball forever, and I feel like you've got to improve that a little bit. Like his time to throw was higher than any quarterback in the league. Deshaun Watson was close, and you're trying to, like Survey, you're trying to make plays. He's such a naturally talented thrower. When he sets up and aims it, it goes where

Yeah, and he can't give him a total pass and I mean his QB record if that matters at all, and I don't think it does for him because, like I said, they didn't set him up well. But he's lost twenty of twenty five starts so far, so he's been around a lot of losing also, And just looking at his Pro Football Reference page, I don't know if you guys know this. He finished in the top ten

Talk about Henry Hodgson now has been putting.

Henry Watson, vice president of the UK. I'm challenging Henry at this point. It feels like a full on challenge and one of those things where he might be mad at me. But I want to see that that great Henry spirit come out with his official statement on the supplemental Draft and let's get back to that.

I like that.

Yeah, he's a great friend of mine, one of my closest friends. So I hope he understands this is not a needling. But it's it's a challenge as friends need to do sometimes to each other.

I've done some research on this MVP vote here. Yeah, Justin Fields was one of eight men who received one fifth place vote, so we added you could vote one through five. Now that's kind of fun. I like, oh wow, And so they all tied for ninth, also receiving one fifth place vote. And yeah, I'm sure there was a Chicago person that did it that was stupid. I mean, in what world was he even a top five quarterback?

Kell a problem with the rest of those. Maybe Henry Hill I.

Actually think was on. I think I did a ballot for something, and I think he might have been fifth on mine. I don't think that's crazy. Gina Smith had one. That's a little silly, but I like it. Tua got one, and Danny Kellington from Buffalo, who I believe was the e M. T the medical personnel who helped save DeMar Hamlin's life, got one.

I mean, and that's that's incredible. What what that man did?

Uh?

And it's way more important than football. But in no world should he have gotten an MVP vote. Let the record state it's a little.

Odd and justin fields, they were all a little weird. Trevor Lawrence actually got a fourth and a fifth.

I'm surprise this is that run by the way for fields when it was just like what is happening here? Starting in a blowout loss of the Cowboys where he went seventeen of twenty three with two touchdowns and then went eight for sixty on the ground with a score, and it was like, wow, he filled up that box score. Then the following week he threw three touchdown passes and then rushed fifteen times for one hundred and seventy eight

Yep, because you all have a team that had the worst record a year ago in a shaky NFC, they could contend for a wild card, Coach of the Year, assistant Coach of the year, comeback Players of the year, filling the blank MVP candidate.

You can see it.

The funny thing is when he was coming out, like anyone that mentioned his running ability, it was essentially was like, well, that's just not who he is, Like he's he's a deep ball thrower. And I look at and it's funny thinking back, like people were slammed. It's like, well he didn't show that. You're you're kind of stereotyping because he's an athletic, you know, young black quarterback. And it's true. And now I look at c J. Stroud too, and CJ.

All right, there you go. Good stuff. We'll be back on Thursday with another and hopefully I'll still be alive. It's very warm here. Did I mention that Greg the tent here?

I think it was. I think it was a little slice of life people. You know, they don't just listen to us for the football takes. It's like what's happened in their lives, their relationships. That's the podcast.

You know. I don't like to go willy nilly and bring up weather, but when it gets to this level, when we are in a heat emergency, I'm just happy that power didn't go out. And if it goes out before Thursday, it will be a classic Rosenthal Sessler joint and I will listen to that if I'm still alive.

This feels like a setup where you could text us out of nowhere. Well, the power did go out, guys, I'm shackled here. There's no way to technologically, I can't really do this from a tech angle.

I hate to.

Well, that's only something I do.

But like, yeah, let's write out the Sessler handbook right there, Dan, It's not.

As transparent Mark. Mark drops a little breadcrumbs when he's about to miss the show of possible things that was That was preture.

All the lights are flickering weird.

It's like, yeah, I just got a little bit of a little cough is popping up. We'll see how I feel in two days.

I to you did have a right but this complicates if that was a breadcrumb my power situation compliment, that complicates your situation of an out out clause here for later in the week. So just something we're all gonna have to track together.

We'll track it.

Yeah, suddenly it's a it's a Greg and Walker duo power joint on Thursday.

That'd be good. All right, let's go. Thank you everybody for listening. Wherever you are, Stay cool, stay safe until next time. He the call