Around the NFC in 48 Minutes: Free Agency Preview

for that. And I appreciate you, guys, and I appreciate you acknowledging all the other people who are who are also rounding all the time. And Mark and I were talking about this. You guys talked about it yesterday on the pod. We're all gearing up for the thing that's that's happening already right now anyway, but it's it's it's fun to do looking forward to I have to tell you, like from a Jets angle, Dan, that I was here earlier today and talking to CLAIBONNU. He is busy, he's

doing TV. Also, I've find there's this is a skill that you have that I don't think anyway, you're constantly tweeting while on television. I think people have questions about But he was deeply embedded following someone name um crack Rock on Twitter today and walking around the newsroom. It's at crack rock cr a k r ok and you can Patrick explain what crack rocks cases. Yeah, well, we've been looking for insight into Aaron Rodgers and apparently this

is the Twitter account name crack Rock. This is no linkage whatsoever between the owner of the Jets, But Woody Johnson is having a nice lunch in Florida. Crack Rock is sitting right next to him and is tweeting details regarding the conversation. Apparently crack rock is the go to source for your Jets hat crack rocks. This is yeah, okay, well yeah, I mean in theory it spelled. His background for Twitter is crack Shack, which is a delicious fried

chicken place. Yeah, not a blue check birthday. This is more crack rock discussion than I would have shot up to. It is, Um, is there any evidence that crack rock is actually telling the truth? Well beyond crack Rock, no read what are the tweets? Why don't Patrick shit his beat. But um, I purely just thought that the crack rock is the name was funny. But now that I've been put on the spot, let me find because this has

been a very very stressful twenty four hours. Um for Jets Venza there has been gonna get carpal tunnel from just refreshing my Twitter feed. You want to be there when it happens one way or the other, and it feels like it's on the precipice of going down. Like the latest now is that it seems like everybody is down with it and it's more about making it work financially, which again they're in the red zone. This cannot get

bogged down over a few million dollars. Easy for me to say, but that can't be the reason this doesn't happen. If Rogers wants playing the Jets, and the Jets want Rodgers, they have to figure out a way. It's tricky because they don't appear to be competing against anyone else, which in theory would provide good leverage. But they also have the time of like they want to get this done sooner than later, and that they don't really have any

backup option. The operative tweet from the aforementioned crack rock is it's happening. Aaron Rodgers is going to sign with the Jets. What he left the owner's meeting to get this done. He had lunch and left in a hurry. And then somebody said, do you frequent breakers going there in May and had my wedding there? And he said, yes, I am no finer hotel in the world. And then he tweeted a picture of Woody Johnson having lunch two

tables away. That's pretty solid right there. We don't know the timing of the photo, Chicken, but that is unquestionably Woody talking to another older man who is not Aaron Rodgers though, and I don't doesn't look like a major figure in the jewel Rodgers is in California. That's not changed. That's in Florida. Yes, I don't, Yeah, familiar with before Woody got on the plane to fly to come to Malibu have this discussion. So that's where we're at. Basically

he was when the Jets met with him. Yeah, I mean, maybe we need to look in the mirror. Who needs to be breaking this story. It's just up the road. Let's do it. Let's spend the weekend just like I'll just drive up and down Malibu looking for Aaron Rodgers clues. Um. Yeah, So we will continue to track what's going on, obviously with Rogers and the Jets and everything else as free agency approaches. The legal tampering window opens up on Monday.

And you last time you heard from us, and I know we're giving you a lot for the Ears this week, but that's the drive. That's the drive to be successful and give the people what they want. We're just gonna keep giving you quote content that we hope is high in quality and entertaining. It would be wrong of us to give less. It would be very wrong to do and around the AFC in forty eight minutes and not

do the NFC. Although I think that happened once. That happened, and it could have happened this week if Aaron Rodgers, you know, the news broke twenty minutes ago. But very disrespectful to the half the league. National Football Conference, um particular NFC fans, highly disappointed you talk about all the time. Very on brand for this podcast. But we're gonna hit the NFC and all sixteen of its teams. Um, like right now, let's go, like, let's do it, Graver, let's roll.

You want that airhorn again? Oh, we got the visual clock again. What we want, what we are sensitive to is giving the AFC treatment that we wouldn't give to the other conference. So if the AFC gets the airhorn, the NFC obviously it also feels like something we could have ironed out before the show. But that's how the show, even the question itself feels superfluous. Just do it also to take somebody out with that silence realm that we had.

And don't worry, don't worry. I know, I know this man to my right, Patrick, handsome son of a gun. I'll stop it. But if you have to trike him right in a vice, you gotta do it. Hit everyone gets the same treatment. Well maybe yesterday that wasn't the case, but you got it in right your own face. Ye, just saying no, like you can talk after the timer, but if you're talking about that team, I will trank you. That's I think that's fair. I think at least make it be known in advance so we know what can

be said in what camp he said. It's good to hear Graver be a little more decisive there. Yeah, you should have seen the steely resolve in his eyes. When Dan was talking about giving people a content, Graver was like solemnly nodding, like yeah, yeah, that was very masculine, like a man holding his child as he walks down a city street, not unlike it's like fourth hour FaceTime with Jessica. That's when it really shines through. Okay, here, all right, let's start with the NFC East and the

Dallas Cowboys. They do need help. They need help in the playmaker area, and I'm curious how they go about it. Are they going to be a little more subtle about it and uh and use the draft and free agency to try to make some measured, thoughtful additions, or are they gonna do what feels like the Cowboy move, which is like I'm gonna go get that big old wide receiver, new new compkins, I'm gonna bring them into the building. Nuke on the Cowboys does feel like it's gonna happen

to me, or it makes a lot of sense. Odell on the Cowboys makes a lot of sense to me. Am I am I being too obvious here, but I kind of think the Cowboys, which I kind of see, is a good thing, not a defect they are kind of obvious and big in their ways. I think they get one of these big wide receivers to pair and replace Para CD and replace the Mark Cooper. Do you see that happening over the next week or two. I do, and yet I worry about what that'll mean for the

rest of the roster. The fact that they're letting Dalton Schultz go to free agency. They picked Tony Pollard was an interesting decision. I think you'd go either way there, but Schultz is a really good player, so that's another pair of hands that you have to replace. They're very thin in terms of their defensive tackle position. They literally don't have any of their starting linebackers off the ball ready. Anthony Brown, who was good for them and then got hurt,

Donovan Wilson, who was good for them. They're both free agents and they're in more cap trouble than most teams. They need to cut Ezekiel Elliott. I have nothing against Ezekiel Elliot, but if they try to bring him back in a restructured contract, it just feels like the Cowboys are making the same mistakes choosing emotion and bad self scouting that they've done a lot of times. Well, their cap situation last offseason. It was one of the teams where a truly reeked habit and it forced Maury Cooper

out the building. But then they are twenty million in cap space left poorly managed. Yeah, like you could you could have managed. So I don't really take the Cowboys very seriously. I think it's hilarious to me that it's twenty seven years since they last appeared in a super Bowl, and that era is an era of like we talk a lot, we don't do much. And the twenty seven years before their last super Bowl win takes them back to nineteen sixty eight, which is eight years after they

were founded. That's all that it's been as long during that Cowboys are incredible era since then, where they've done literally nothing except talk. And Jerry Jones has talked about Odell Beckham and it's the perfect thing to do. Go get Odell and try to sell us that everything's gonna be fine. Check your latter. I think literally nothing's a bit excessive. They were in contention of these past couple of seasons, They've got a lot of years are they've

been good. There are teams that have been way less successful even though they haven't gotten to those games. I think that's part of what the frustration is. It's not like this this organization has been hopeless. They keep on knocking on the door and then failing. So whatever it is internally that they struggle with is finding what is or what are those missing pieces to take them the

next level. But this year, you're right, Greg, if they do seem to have a lot of things they have to address, but those missing pieces you outline it is they are missing wide receivers. So it's not a luxury thing. They need it, all right, Safe the New York Giants, Greg Rosenthal, all right, your favorite team. They have things. You know, there's this idea that they don't have things on this Giants rafter, that everything needs to be rebuilt.

They have their quarterback in say Quon Barkley, they have two tackles they're running. I'm saying they have their quarterback and say, oh, at least damn sorry, I cast the right. They have two tackles that they believe in, Andrew Thomas and Evan Neil struggled as a rookie means a top ten pick. They have a good defensive line, and the needs that they have are available in free agency. A rare team. That's true. Off ball linebacker, there's a ton of those that you can get. I think good players

for relatively cheap safety. Maybe they bring back Julian Love, maybe not. Some cornerbacks, uh, James Bradberry would work. Like. I actually think they are set up to spend this offseason at a cute few key positions that they need to fill that won't cost that much money. Maybe they get in the mix for a tight end, uh, Dalton Saltz, Mike Kasecki. Like there aren't a lot of pass catchers available, but just about everything else, I think they can. But

they are they they're pass catching. Like situation is a problem. Like you got Isaiah Hodgins, who was good last year, I thought better than we would have expected, Wandale Robinson who's young. And then like if you look at their depth chart, that's it. It goes to like Colin Johnson and someone named Khalil Pimpleton. So it's like it's not a great free agent market for wide receivers lines training camp, right,

Khalil Khalil Pimpleton. He did well. He's a giant now and I'm not sure that's who you want starting week one for you. So there's work to do. There's so much talent, young talent specifically that we can believe in.

There's there's so many pieces. But why does this team, even though they'd completely washed the Vikings out of the playoff, feels kind of Vikings This like it could go either way and they're one or two things going wrong, especially if they if they're not able to reach a deal with sa Quon, maybe sa Quon doesn't sign the tag as much as he appreciates everybody there, and then and

then what kind of situation are you in? It makes you wonder if between if picking between the quarterback and the running back on who they focus on to get the contract, if maybe they picked the wrong guy. I know that the quarterback makes things different, but as Greg said, maybe sae Quon Barkley is the quarterback of the New York Giants. Well still, but they gotta cut the next couple of days, so that'll free up a little bit of money. Yeah, that will help. Uh Again, so we're

gonna drag it into another show. We're gonna be burying Danny dimes to you. Everybody get paid except for Daniel Jones. He's not even the quarterback. It's buried him. I just think that franchise that was, uh you miss hearing me. I just think they didn't need to give him all that guaranteed money. But it's not the end of the world. He felt perfect for huge spots. Sirie on my Watch said in response to you, I'm not sure I understand.

I think she was talking to you. Listen, won't somebody please stand up for Daniel Jones who just got a huge contract to play football for the job. That's rich because everyone should get paid except for Danny. I mean, it's not my money. Give it to Daniel Jones, give it to mine. According to Graver, you were on topics, so you were shot, understandable. But Mark Mark was addressing, so he wasn't shot. He was addressing, trying to iron out just on the new house rules for how the

dart gun works. Mark. You're on the Eagles defending conference champs. I think, like the thing that happened for me with the Eagles lash years, like Nick Sirianni to me, is shaping up potentially as like a top five coach. But I think he's about to be really tested after this great season because you've got like a wild chunk of your defense potentially out the door. Javon Hargrave, James Bradbury, Chancer Gardner, Johnson, t J. Edwards. Because you're white, that's

just a couple of the million. On offense, Miles Sanders could be gone. It's you're losing a ton of people. It also lost both your coordinators. And I think it's like some teams, this seems to happen him over and over and they find a way to get it done. Like I think with Sean Decai that is a good hire. Brian Johnson was in building and has been working with

Jail and Hurts since he was four years old. So in a way like I kind of look at all this change and say, I trust Howie Roseman, I trust the Eagles about his team, that guy in the NFC. But I would say there is a lot to do suddenly in terms of like restocking the shelf and keeping things smooth or any of you concerned. I think you made a the way you set it up, it was great, Mark, because like we all believe that Nick Sriani not only deserve the jobs that turned out, but it's good at it.

And then remember we talked to Baldy during the playoffs and he's like, you know what makes this guy? What makes it work? And he said, in part he has this incredible staff around him that allows them to approach the roster and the team in a lot of different ways. This is gonna be a real test now for Sirianni, and they're gonna pay Jalen Hurts. Perhaps the roster is going to be different. This coaching staff is not going

to be the initial guys that he hand picked. I guess we'll learn a lot more about whether he's an elite coach or not in the years to come. Yeah, you can definitely see just in the way that those guys talked about Nick Sirianni when they got their respective head coaching jobs, like they really appreciated the things that he did for them and how they set up and so much of it was because of how aggressive Howie

Roseman was coming into last season. The question is now, how aggressive can you be in free agency when you've got all of your guys that came so close to winning a Super Bowl. You can't necessarily pick in place when there's that connection with the city, with these players, with the team, with guys like CJJ Hargrave going all the way down the list, like you have to pick at some point, and I think that changes the process a little bit. I think they could prioritize Gardner Johnson

or Bradberry keep one of them. They'll probably keep t J. Edwards. It's a painful year for them because I think they'll say goodbye to Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox and those are ogs. But I trust no front office in the league more, you know, to be flexible. I'm just curious like where they prioritize. I don't think they're gonna sit back and just like watch people go out the door. I think they're gonna be aggressive going after some of

the bigger names in trades in free agency. I'm not sure where history tells us With the Eagles, it'll be on the defensive line maybe to start, and maybe the offensive line if Kelsey ends up retire and we still haven't found out about that. And it may get all the way into training camp where a situation opens up like the one in New Orleans did last year, and they get a really good player right before the starting before the draft when you were gonna try to get

Alan Robinson, but the Rams outbid. Yeah, that worked out quite nicely. Time out. Whoa, I'm gonna add to the Eagles here us after the clock? Okay, well, Kim, he's the arbitrat. Timeouts are kind of you know, Nebulos, I hear you on that DAYLN Hurts under contract for the twenty three season at four point two million, obviously maybe the biggest deal in the league right now, considering what he brings to that team. M Are they going to

pay him this offseason? I like this quote because I guess you could take advantage of that for one more year and then things could start to get sticky, depending on how that year progresses. But this is a great quote from a J. Brown Listen. He was on the Raw Room podcast. Listen, I love Philly. If you do not pay this man, just ship me off wherever he fin it go. So you talk about pressure, Howie get it done? I mean they are going to pay him?

What is he talking about? I don't know, just making sure, Yeah, just put it out there. It sounded like Howie Roseman at the Combine was ready to give a contract worthy of him. I hope that their experience pay Carson Wentz after three years because they paid Wentz a year early, maybe two years early, considering he had a fifth year option. So you don't have to pay Jalen Hurts, but I think they will. Yeah, helps even up the books a little bit. Lamar Jackson should have maybe figured this out

a year plus ago versus now or the Ravens. Time in the Commanders, Patrick Clayburn, let's get it so Eric b Enemy comes in. Sam Howell going to be the starter. My question is, and I'll get to it quickly so we can have so much time to talk about the Washington Commanders. How much Sam Howell do we get if he's allowed to have his experiences, his struggles, his trials and tribulations on a team with a very good defense.

Jack del Rio and company figured out how to get eleven guys on the field at the same time at some point during the middle of the season. How much time does Sam Howell get to struggle before they go with whatever veteran backup they bring in in our nation's capital. Well, I'm not like totally confidence command in Washington, d C. In the Pentagon, there are in the pure Pentagon, it's

a pure building. Um, I'm not totally convinced Howell has that job at all, just because of the way that, like Rivera has said, if a veteran comes in and beats him out, like, so be it. And I'd think, like the draft is a real option for them, Like I there, I'd know that the raven The last place the Ravens would want Lamar Jackson to go is like thirty five miles away in Washington, DC. That said, I mean,

it's like they should be a competitor for everyone. I think they're like, if you're Ron Rivera, you cannot just at this point float out Sam Howell and hope it works because Ron Rivera has not really had a quarterback this entire time. And it's all this good will because he does all this extra work around the building, but you gotta win games at some point here. Well, he looked very intriguing Sam Howe in that game. I think that matters. I wonder how Dan Snyder's situation affects how

decisions are made this offseason. Like you have an owner who is supposedly trying to sell, but there's some question whether he is and whether the NFL is trying to force him out like they would be a logical team to pursue Lamar Jackson. But if not that they do have cap space and they would be a logical team to be aggressive for a guy like Orlando Brown, let's say, or other names at the top of the market, because they're the Washington Commanders. That's like what they do. But

how does Snyder's issues like affect all this? I don't know, but I think it's a pretty good question. Yeah, especially because I asked it. You did, Yeah, okay, all right, um, yeah, yeah, it's typically around this point in the episode when the LSD hits with Greg Right, I just absolutely trying to make fun of myself. I said, I think that's a good question, and then I was like, well, that's that's ridiculous. Yeah.

I wonder, yeah, I wonder if the ownership thing is going to lead to the organization just kind of keeping their foot off the pedal this year. And that's great for OWL because that would give him an opportunity. It was reported last week by ESPN for what it's worth that Taylor Heineke is still in the mix. Potentially is the guy they bring into be the backup, which would be I think very good news for samhow he's a free agent. Yeah, yeah, it'll be Italian who they go get.

But we'll see. I mean that is he was the fifth round pick of the twenty twenty two NFL Draft. Now, I know, I understand the guy in San Francisco did very well as a light round pick, but you can really pin a season on someone that you took in the fifth round. Big chance, according to Spicetrack, first round talent there it is. Let's move to the NFC North. The Bears. You know, when you look ahead to their free agency, they need like everything, They have so much

work to do. The question I have is, like, you know, here's what they have. They have the most cap space, they have the number one pick, and they have the luxury of trading that because they have a QB that they believe in. And when you factor in the money and the picks and the potential selling that draft pick for even more picks, there's an opportunity here to have a really fast turnaround. If you do this right, you have a couple of These next couple of months are

huge for the organization. Every Bears fan knows it. Do we trust this brain trust to get this right? I think it's like a like a new millionaire move it into a mansion with no furniture because you've got the means to go get all the furniture. But like you've never done this before, and so you better have the right people around you to make sure you don't buy like that's got all matched mark speaking from experience, Well,

I definitely am not. I can promise you that. I would just say this, like like I don't think it's a great free agency group this like like do you have to go spend all this money just because you have it? I don't like when like I feel like the Dolphins have done that four or five times, but like the Bears have it, they have to do. But essentially, if you don't use this offseason draft and everything else to surround like you're a quarterback with the best, then

you've totally failed. They can do it, they will do it. But like there, for instance, the wide receivers in this that's where I start. I mean, you have you have to build everywhere. Obviously you can go. You could space it out if you want and go a little bit here, a little bit there, but go get them some weapons, build up the line if you because they do, you are they one hundred percent. Do they know Justin Fields

is their future and a star. I think he can be give him the guys, don't waste his rookie contract and be going into next offseason be like we need to get this guy some weapons. I think that's a place to be aggressive building up. Do you think that they actually do think that about him? When all the chatter early Alma was like, we've sat him down, we talked to him like, you know, here's the process we're gonna see there's a quarterback with like better that's how

you talk about Patrick Mahomes. No, but there's we've seen enough to know that there's a reasonable expectation that they should try. Right, we can't run out a roster where Equanimius Saint Brown is going to be your best receiving option. Again, I don't think anybody wants to see that. So they don't have to do like, hey, Nuke and Odell or everybody's coming to Chicago. I don't think it's necessarily that.

But give us something serviceable to where it's not glaring that there's an inadequacy on so many different parts of the roster. Right, Eberflus kind of skated on how many games they lost at a Row even though he's a defensive coach there. You've lost relentlessly. It's terrible, the worst season in their history. Right. You mentioned that that they need everything, and I guess i'd push back on you don't want to spend bad money in terms of guarantees

into like year three and four. But most teams don't do that anymore. Teams are smarter about Okay, the guarantees are going to be for two years, and so if that's the case, I'd overpay a little for a Zach Allen, who I think would fit well for a Jacoby Myers, because Jacoby Myers isn't a number one, but you need to get a two or a three, just to start filling out that group a little jaguary when they did, all right, I like that you thought about it. They'll

take I'll take out the dart. I'll let the poison course through me and be like I earned that right through the ear lobe pierced. Now he's a little bit left. Oh thanks, well, now now you got too much in the system. All right. The Detroit Lions, Greg Rosenthal lads, push forward. It's Lions time, baby. I mean, they've got a decent amount of cap space. I that I think it's the time in their development to make a couple

of big splashes, maybe just one in free agency. And they seemed to me like a strong candid to go get Javon Hargrave. They spent money on Michael Brockers didn't work out. They spent their first two picks in the Dan Campbell era on defensive tackles. One really worked a Lee McNeil, the other didn't. LEVI onwuz Rique, and I think Javon Hargrave is like a logical guy there. I order James Bradbury. They certainly could use a cornerback, but I think the Lions want to build their lines first.

That's just like who they are. And I think this is like push time, and it's time to start swimming in the deep free agent pools. Let's go. I think everyone thought this was very special. Why did not even speak? Obviously that was that was coming. Grave is very proud of himself. I literally have no remembering, no member what I was going to say at this point. This is every Detroit Lions conversation ever. I hope they bring back Jamal Williams. He's our friend, you know, they kept their

offensive coordinator. They get them for one more year. Ben Johnson, Um, I do I do worry about It makes sense to build up the defense, Right Is that offense going to be as good next year as it was in twenty two? Like? Is that sustainable? We are we confident that that's going to be the same, like major part of their attack? I don't know. Probably not, But if they're seventy five percent as good and the defense is fifty percent better, but that would be nice. I think I think they

would take that for sure. Yeah, that's a playoff team. I mean, I think everyone thought they were going to get a quarterback this offseason, not expecting golf to be to play at the level he did. Golf was forget the name. Golf played really well for them and kept the mistakes to a minimum and didn't have a thousand yards stare we've seen in the past. Do you do you trust though? Do you not go get a quarterback? Do you not? Do you just look look past that

and say we're good with golf. I just the thing about it is like year after year or you're gonna get that version of them, but you're not going to get in a reagent veteran. I think think they're talking about the sixth pick and sick in the draft. I think I think they're absolutely in the quarterback market with that.

I think it's smart though, Like you can say, do you think depending on how the board shakes out, or maybe going up and getting one of the guys like competing with the indianapolis Is and the Texans of the world, that would send a rough message to golf. But yeah, I think so. I think if they're thinking quarterback, then if they think moving from six to three gets it done, that the price would be worth it. Yeah, be huge.

I mean Anthony Richardson with Ben Johnson, that seems like fun. Well, they kind of fit the Lamar Jackson thing for me too. But I mean, you know, they're a power team that wants to run. Lamar would fit great. But it's like, apparently no one is going to be doing that for a while. They do have two first round picks in the next couple of years twenty million dollars the Green Bay Packers, Mark Sessler, So I was looking at this like Brett Farve took his first snap for the Packers

on September thirteenth, nineteen ninety two. That is eleven thousand, one hundred and thirty four days ago. Aaron Rodgers made his first start for Green Bay on September eighth, two thousand and eight, five thousand, two hundred and ninety five days ago. This entire time, it has been quarterback, easy Street for this fan base. We know that, and that's not their fault. I'm not trying to take the fans down,

But there are thirty year old Packers fans. I mean, there are like four year old Packers fans forty five years old that have no conscious memory of anything other than golden play from that position. So this is the thing. I think, you now come to a totally beautiful child. Well you know at the point that the presumed starter.

But I'd say, barring some snooze fest Rogers returning to Green Bay after all this drama like it is, we rip into the great unknown now and it is a total void, a wilderness, a Jordan Love shaped unknown future. And I am more excited about the Green Bay then I've ever been on this show, because it's so different

than it ever was before. And I think if you're a Packers fan, you get on board with this because it's like, you know what it is, time to move on from Aaron Rodgers, even if he's better than Jordan Loved. Right now, see what you have and do it and go for it. Why have you always wanted Packers fans to not have good quarterback play? Because the number one I think they have a reason to be frustrated with

You don't know the answer to that. I guess they're not getting the full, well rounded experience of a fan if you've had those quarterbacks. I'm not saying they should. They probably can say, well, we should have won five more Super Bowls too. Fair Well, they get credited also for properly like targeting those two players, and they enjoyed the spoils of it, even if it only produced two titles, that's two more than the Jets, a lot of fun moments,

irrelevancy the whole time. I'm curious with the Roger situation if like, where is Laflora on this, Like we know it seems like Gouda Kuntz is probably ready and he's got a guy like is La Flour pissed behind the scenes that he could still have Aaron Rodgers on his team but instead now is forced to roll the dice with Jordan Love, who I understand he looked good at times last season, but overall hadn't been blown the doors

off people development wise. I think they with the franchise and including the fan base, there's just so much experience around this exact scenario, especially with Aaron going through last year. We talked to Leroy Butler on Now earlier today, Well you know, wow, it's it's an apparatus and um, and it helps us sometimes. And he said he was going

to break Jets fans hearts either way. He says he's either going to go there and it's not gonna work, or he's gonna stay in Green Bass If if Jordan's Love was ready, he said, yes, he's ready for Jordan. He said, there's not a There wasn't a third options suck or stay at the Packers, but I'd probably be great. I would have feeling is there like everybody's ready to move on and maybe like Marcus saying, you know, they need to experience, they need to see the immune system

boost of being sick for a little bit. Um, I think they've done. Um. Can we put Leroy Butler on our band list for this podcast? Just add him to the it's in the Hall of Fame, the never list. All right, let's we got the Vikings, Patrick Claybon. Let we get it. So the Vikings had an incredible offense last year. Is one of my favorite weird stats that the Vikings were bottom ten in terms of turning the ball over but still had a top ten offense. There

were number seven in total offense. Kirking Company, we're doing things that were just so many problems on the defensive side of the ball. Incomes Brian Flores. He you know, there's the typical answer when somebody's like an introductory news conference, Hey four three three four, Hey waffle, and he's like, we're gonna but it's it's three to four. So, like, my question with regards to the Vikings is how much are they going to spend in free agency to try

to make this defense capable of winning right now? I don't think it's gonna be that much, because I think their cap issues are real enough. They're certainly gonna open up room. We've heard Adam feeling it's gonna get cut. Maybe it's Harrison Smith. I think it's Quessey time. I don't know if any GM has a tougher job than

quesse Adopo Menza this offseason. You kind of they kind of remind me of the Raiders in the NFC in the sense that, like the expectations are gonna be high, but man, they have almost no areas on the team where you couldn't see them turning it over, like left tackle, Like the tackle situation looks pretty good. And other than that, like including Kirk Cousins or do you extend him out

another year because if you don't, his number is very high. Yeah, I mean they've eighteen million, they're in the red with effective cap space, so the feeling thing feels imminent other changes, So it's a tough building situation. And I go along it's Kevin O'Connell too, because Kevin O'Connell like by all accounts good first season, Like it felt different than the Zimmer Vikings teams, and a lot of tall, good looking

former quarterback so that's probably part of the deal. But like, I mean, so much went right at the end of games for them, or the way that they all these metrics that you know the falloff is coming. But on top of it, to your point, Patrick Click, it's like they actually have holes and they're missing things. I do think that Brian Flores, though, is going to show once again.

I think he's an awesome coach, and I think that defense will will obvious how they can't be worse, but you're gonna get a Brian Flores esque version and that's going to be a boost for them, and maybe the offense doesn't have to do everything at the end of games.

Better coaching, better players, you'll get better there, right that the one Dalbin Cook hasn't really been talked about on the show much, but he according to Kevin Seaford at ESPN, if he wasn't having shoulder surgery, he would be cut most likely, So that kind of tells you a little bit about maybe where he's at in his career. This appoint would also again Minnesota and the salary cap and how they're trying to give the roster a little bit

more balanced. He if he gets cut and then fails a physical, they owe him an extra two million dollars, so that's apps keeping him on the roster. Alexander Madison is backup, is a free agent who I think would be a nice pickup for some team, maybe as a guy or a starter. But yeah, A lot of starters are free agents, Dalvin, Tomlinson, Patrick Peterson, Chandon Sullivan, Garrett Bradbury. It's a lot. I think Dalvin's a must. What do they go? What do you think Dalvin's a must? Oh?

Are we gonna get slow trigger figure? It's all over there. Um, he's a must. What to bring back? Just on the defensive one. Sorry, I'm losing consciousness. Sorry, buddy, I really needed to know. I'm sorry. Wakes up in the middle of the NFCS segment. Oh yeah, there's multiple delvens. I just realized though. All right, we are going to take a break and then tackle. Yes, the NFC South, all right, we're back. Let us head to give me a little air horn, just to get some juice into the NFC

South's juice. It up the Atlanta Falcons. It doesn't. And mister Clay bun as Lamar's top stand. Please make it make sense to me that they have to if this is actually a real thing, they have to change their minds and go after Lamar Jackson. If the report is true. They didn't need to look in the mirror. Home Depot the everyone, every Home Depot employee needs to look in the mirror because Lamar Jackson on the Falcons we went

over the other day and makes so much sense. I also want to point out that Arthur Smith is entering his third season, and this is how the NFL typically works. You get like three years to make the playoffs and then the owner typically is like, well, we're gonna move on.

So understanding there should be some urgency in that building at this point, like somebody's gonna make a push here, because I just just like with Sam Howell, no disrespect, but you're gonna really in year three years turned to Desmond Rider on a math small sample size and be like, we're rolling with this kid. I think the most charitable reading is subterfuge, as if to say, hey, other teams,

we're not interested in Lamar. Please the offer sheet that you send him doesn't need to be all that because we're not going to submit one. And then March fifteenth rolls around and the folks and Flowery Branch give Lamar an offer sheet that he wants. That that's the most charitable reading. So I think that's the case. I think that could be the case for one of these teams, but again, it's a longer timeline. March fifteenth is when

this business can start. And we heard some reports, you know, agents saying, look, if we were Lamar's agent, we'd be tampering the hell out of this. It's like, okay, coach, put me in fourth quarter, a little one state, but the rules are technically they wouldn't be able to do anything until the fifteenth. I I my conspiracy theory was that they are going after Ryan. Tannehill talked about that because they need to push that. To Dan's point, it's

the third year for Arthur Smith. They have sixty two million dollars in campus space. They took all that pain from Matt Ryan a year ago. I think their candidates for some of the biggest names in free agency, liking Orlando Brown, although that actually that wouldn't make sense. Who was I thinking? Javon Hargrave could certainly make sense, like a Zach Allen. Their defense needs a lot of help.

I would say one thing like looking at the roster, because Drake London, outside of some weird drops and fumbles, like a really good wide receiver. Beyond that, you have four guys on the roster, Rashaan Rashaun, Henry, Frank Darby, Josh Allie and Jared Bernhardt who combined for one catch last year. And we don't know what Kyle Pitts is at this point, to be honest, and so Ryan Tannehill can't go from a Bearcuboard Titans team to a Falcon's team with less and less, you're gonna have to use

that money. They have the number eight pick. Maybe the quarterback comes there too. By the way, let's see if Terry fontedou we haven't really heard much of Terry Fontedo the last couple of years, has just been tearing things down. Now it's time to show up. It's been a tough so far a decade for Terry's, Like they just don't seem to have a lot of pop. Maybe Fonto could just bratchhat losing all Moneys the team on his back,

right now, that's fair, that's fair outlier, all right? Moving on the Carolina Panthers with Greg Rosenthal, Well, there they are the team that I think is lying about Lamar or at least that's the most likely. And even the report about lying the hardest, like they even the report about the Panthers was like they were don't look for them too or it's not likely they're not expected to, and I think they could be a team that would wait out the market because I don't think this roster's

that bad. Like they need a few wide receivers. Who doesn't I feel like half the league needs a couple wide receivers, which is why the few ones available in free agency, and guys like DeAndre Hopkins who thinks he'll he'll go for a second round pick, like, they'll all move. But this is not a bad looking team. I'm curious to see if they cut Shack Thompson, who's been there for a long time. They don't really need to, but that would kind of be like, hey, we're the new regime.

It doesn't quite make sense to keep him. I mean, Frank Reich cannot carry over the cult situation where you go into the season with a total question mark at quarterback. There's got to be a plan here. I think there are a huge candidate to move up if they fall in love with someone. There's a bunch of teams they're gonna move up because I think the quarterback rush is gonna happen between one and five, one and six right away.

I don't think they're gonna wait on that. You gotta get a guy in between, so it'll be telling which guy or which type of guy that yet Jacobe per sect could make sense. He was with Frank Reik before. It was a fun team to watch down the stretch. The Steve Wilkes edition of the DGAF Panthers that really just didn't seem to care about you or your aspirations.

They ran all over the Lions in that game where the Lions really had a shot to get into the playoffs and they just could do nothing about the Carolina Panthers. And sorry, I think like Sam Darnold showed a lot like as Sam kind of starts to settle into that this is me. I'm a backup and I could be pretty good or I could come in and be a good, good looking starter. I think maybe there's a shot that Sam comes back. Got another that feels very suspicious to me.

What a moment, It's it's great and we're here now, bottle service fantastic. I will say, as much as I love Sam Darnald that uh, it's been what was Cam's last kind of big year, like twenty sixteen, twenty seventeen, Yeah, there was that playoff game against the Saints, where before the shoulder completely fell off, were ca Yeah, they Um, they've been in the wilderness for a little while here. And if it was if it was somebody in house, it was, if it was darn Old, if it was

Jake Brisket. Like if I'm a Panthers van and I agree with you like that, there's a reason they somehow got to seven wins despite the Baker and Darnald. Their line plays pretty good on both sides. They if they kind of get aggressive and get someone exciting at quarterback. I think, as much as I love Sam Darnald, um that perhaps that's the way to go, like make a splashing. But the seven wins is kind of annoying that it

puts them outside that premium draft pick position. And then then do we want to you know, trade up the board and give up assets. That's a decision they needs. I mean, So David Tepper, who you know has not gone, not succeeded, but gone after big names off season after offseason, suddenly sits pat with someone on the roster right now. I don't think so. Maybe he's been hurt too many times. I feel bad for him. That's the case. Lazy gunman just sort of like after the fact, takes the guy

out by the way for the listeners. He's like a grassy North smoking a joint. I totally narked on Mark there and got him shot. I don't know why. I don't know it was coming anyway. And the laziness is just like I have to line up. I gotta make sure I'm hitting the right person. I don't want to just like recklessly into the studio, back into the left. There it is okay the Saints, Mark, I mean my feeling, no,

I just like it's gonna be your Pelicans. That's just like where I was, just like my writing this out thinking about them, Like my feeling about them is that they just sort of we talked for the with Derek Carlo.

They sort of just are right now. Um. And I was trying to figure out, like why why I feel that way about them, because I really have liked the Saints in general for a long time, and I think it's part of last season, Like the most exciting thing that they produced was that that it got like the metrics community into a lather over Andy Dalton, which is

a weird thing to be like your apex of a campaign. Um, And like Dennis Allen's I thought Blue Ribbon was essentially nobody was excited about Daltons throughout it, but doing like QBA next like every week I look at like the it's like Andy Dalton just kept rocketing up the board as if he's not why a tittle? I get it, but like um on your own index, No, you mean he did? I put him lower than the metrics community more like why a titty? Hey, what was that about?

It really hash and deep into the bloodstream. It's now it's this is now becoming an intervention twy bro. But I know I know what annoys me about them, and I think it's like I don't know him personally, but it's like Dennis Allen and you mentioned this, like the Chauncey Gardner Johnson split, I think like that would not

have happened with Sean Payton in there. And it's like Dennis Allen is like this active walking advertisement for the value of Sean Payton and it's like, yes, they they I think Derek Carr will be fine if you get the best version of them and they can win this idiotic division, but it's hard to project them mean much more. Well, no, because it's like I actually am more more annoyed for

But Saints are a great fan base. Like it's like when they're fun, the league is better and they've been less fun and it's like they're taking the juice out part by part. I don't like it. They they have potentially a ton of big moves to make, Like Michael Thomas said on Twitter, he was excited about Derek Carr, but he's expected to be released. Jarvis Landry like Cameron Jordan, I think's gonna be there, But they don't have anyone

at defensive tackle. Marcus Davenport's a free agent. Like, I think they have a lot to move, is left to make. They're gonna be one of the most active teams. Is what is going on? We know Kamara is facing potential um discipline. He could be a sneaky trade kid. Is he is he definitely part of their team? Is he's safe? Cut wise? Like where are we at at Kamara? His contracts fine, so it would only be I think if

they traded him and would be complicated. I'd love to see them go get like Kareem Hunt and like just let Alvin Kamara. We'll see what happens with him. But like, don't just restock it running back? Did you think that Kareem Hunt had um? I think no. I think he can still play well. Go back to that Carolina game in Week one. He didn't looked done to me. I think his role was limited. They couldn't use a backup running back and there's a lot of options out there.

Rashad Penny's out there. How about Jeff Wilson late round draft picks Barkley, He's a franchise tagged I was gonna say Mark could been sim What if he simply refuses to play for the Giants and they end up trading him. That can happen. There could be a tag and trade. Forget that talking refusing to return to the Giants. Absolutely guy because he doesn't want to play on the because things like all seem peachy now, but then it gets ugly.

He doesn't. He wanted a long term deal, he didn't get one, and the Giants are forced to trade him and he winds up with the Saints in like week one or week two. Sourcing on this, I'm just saying it's a potential like life thread because because we were stop talking about because the potential of running backs has been artificially lowered by the existence of the franchise tag more than any other position, because turns back, he's a quarterback.

Remember it's he already turned out a deal for more years, so he's just sit there and take a one year. Maybe he'll push back on that's very important fair point. If he was a guy to get like a two, he's not playing another down two for twenty seven type deal, which Garafolo is hinting at that it was over a thirteen million a year. I think I think he gets his long term deal from the Giants. Not well, wait,

what's the next barrier? Play like player freedom and power is not just playing on the tag saying forget this nonsense. If you're gonna undervalue my tag a tight end or a running back. It didn't work out for the last guy. But wait, did not true the ten and all the things you're doing here is Patrick. So clearly there is a void, not just in Tampa but in the entire NFL as we all have to solemnly accept the existence of this fact that he's gone. He's not coming back.

He's firing back that you sho people on Twitter saying that it's not happening, and so this team was positioned to still contend. They were holding the things together with duct tape. They brought everybody back and it didn't work out. Now that they're hemorrhaging guys who had success, Leonard Fournette is gone, we wonder what the future is going to be like. Dam was entertaining the options of maybe Mike Evans heading to Dallas. But let's say, okay, David's hitting

free agents great to Let's say they keep everybody. Are there enough pieces remaining from the Brady era to bring in a veteran quarterback and contend in twenty twenty three? Can I ask a question, yes, when you watch the Bucks, did you feel like Brady was He wasn't no longer elevating them, but was he making them worse? Holding them back?

Because if he was more just like a middle of the road guy, which is kind of how I saw him in his final season, then I would say you should break it down because it's just a kind of a team in purgatory. But if this team still has upside, okay, let's do it. But I don't think they are. I think they it might be time. Some of these guys

are getting older. Now they're a rough spot this offseason, in particular, they're fifty two million in the red, and part of that is that they took this thirty five million dollar Tom Brady dead cap hit and so trying to keep like Jamel Dean Lavan to David's gonna go make money somewhere else. But it's like, I'm not sure it's as easy this time around, because remember, like the phenomenon with the Super Bowl winning Bucks was like no one was a free agent, everyone was returning, and that

happened almost two years in a row. And it's like they keep talking up Kyle Trask, which it just sounds like they're trying to sell us on a this is a year where we're gonna we gave you Tom Brady, now you're getting Kyle Trask. We'll see how much fun that. I hate it for Todd Bowles. Their defense was pretty mediocre last year. I had to answer your question, Battrick. I think the answer is no, I don't think they can.

I think they're in a really difficult I think they are who everyone thinks the Rams are, which is that they sold everything to have this push and now it's truly gone and it's blown up and there's not gonna be much left in the end, even though there's some decent players there. Now, I don't think it's going to add up to much, and they're gonna be gone by the next time. The Bucks are good. I think they are like that that team people think the Rams are. If I could make a case to Dan's point, Tom

and the offense did not look good. The thing about Tom is this historical world breaking level of consistency when Tom doesn't have that, considering the fact that pushing close to fifty at a certain point during the season, like it just it wasn't that Tom was necessarily bad and dragging the team down, but an inconsistent Tom Brady is just not Tom Brady. And so maybe there's aspects of the twenty twenty two Bucks that we kind of missed because things were so bad. A lot of free agents.

All Right, we gotta take a break and then we're gonna hit the NFC West. But before that, we got some breaking news rap sheet reports that Vikings Pro Bowl pass rusher as A Darius Smith, has informed the team that he wants to be released. The team has no plans to do that. The situation remains unresolved, says Rappaport. Then z Smith chimes in on Twitter himself, I just want to say thank you to skull Nation for another he ain't coming back for an amazing season and experience.

Thank you all my teammates coaches in the entire minute. Son of Vikings organization, purple heart. I really like this move by Smith, which is like, yes, there's all sorts of messiness with the organization who are like spoiling for a fight, And he's like, no, I'm gone, just like and I'm being very pleasant about it, but I gone. I guess he is. He is on track to play for all four NFC North teams in four years. And

by the way, we like Brian Flores. We were just saying he's a that's a big first step to making that defense better because it was atrocious last year. This is not a good first step toward that. Taken away one of their better defensive players. Yeah, he played well for them. This contract, I feel like has been haunted because it was the one that he signed last year after he backed out of the deal that was reported for days with Baltimore, so he wasn't happy there. He

doesn't appear to be happy. Now. Maybe it's because he played too well by the end of the season. He I mean, he was on a serious role and I'm too good. Right, He could get do great in free agency. But I think the Vikings are in a weird spot here. I wouldn't want to cut him, especially because he's throwing a going the way party walking around the Green Bay building. We're saying that no one was staying hello to him, right, I mean, it's like that moves going on here. Hey,

it's cake in the break room. I'm out because thanks for everything, all right, So there you go. Add that as a dendum to the Vikings talk. Get used to time out there, Thank you very much, productive improve We got one left. We didn't really take one. We just said developing news hit the drive and went along. So do we do? You have to use the timeout because it wasn't okay, but we but we'll finished a division.

Gist of the show is that we're giving this two and forty eight minutes, and we take timeouts if it's going to go longer. That's true, you have to make a judgment justin but it's also usually during the three minute I mean, it is nebulous can I take a retroactive timeout so we can get some breaking news regarding Zadarious? Yes, all right, cool, second time out and boom, and I'm comfortable of this. It leaves us with one and back pocket for the final quarter of the game. I got

Andy Reid to my left here. You know what happened last time he did. It's put us in a bad spots. Excited. I do have like a it's more obsessed with like clock management than everyone, So that's personal. Take them out the Packers that uh I never did? Time out? Greg, if you want to make it right now a window? Wait the time? How long are these timeouts play the way the best isn't the NBA. It's not a thirty

second time out. You can take as long as I just I just really want the Packers to spend all their resources on offense and making Jordan Love look good, just to annoy Aaron Rodgers and souls. Bring them in first round picks, bring them in, let's Jacoby Buyers, whatever, Let's just get them all in Green Bay to make that that was even. You went back a division to land that one. All right, Let's take a break and then close things out, all right, we're back. Let's move

to the NFC West, the Arizona Cardinals. Part of me just wants to spend three minutes talking Robbie Anderson has now chosen Robbie I E. Anderson. That's interesting to me, fascinating chosen by the Cardinals at this point though, because he was also cut because he did absolutely nothing for them after their mid season acquisition. So that's another, yet

another spot they need to figure out. They might be trading new cop against might It sounds like it was even that kind of I don't know what's going on with the Cardinals. It's like they've already agreed to terms on the trade that they want to make in the future. Do you see that report. I don't remember seeing that wording before. It's like, don't you want to engage with a team and then figure out the terms. Maybe they'll give you a first round pick because and they're agreed

to in invisible terms it was a second rounder. Anyway, There's a lot of work to be done here. JJ Watt, who's nobody's version of a peak JJ was still quality player. He led them in pass rushing, snaps and rushers. They got to take care of that area. You're gonna have to get new playmakers around whoever is at quarterback, and just a big, big job ahead of Jonathan Gannon and and a new brain trust there. I mean, if you're

John they had to have told Jonathan Gannon. Ray had to demand it like it's a freebe year, because there it's it is. They're in as bad a shape as any team in the NFC. The only thing I like it for him. What I would like a little bit is like it could show you not it's not gonna be Brian Dable, but maybe you can do a lot with a little and show us why you're a special hire versus like the Cliff Kings or anything. Was so toxic by the end that he disappeared to Thailand, and

I'm not sure he's ever returned. But um Gannon, like, why not come in and be like, we get it. Everything's evil here, but I can make something out of it. I worry Jonathan Gannon did not show anything as like a schematic guy that head coach like. He didn't show any thing as like a schematic genius, Like that's what you want out of your head coach, like to provide some sort of advantage. He didn't show that in Philly. His offensive coordinators Drew Pittsing who had you know, first time,

O see, not a lot of experience. We'll see. I was taken by Kelvin Beacham, who was maybe the most respected guy in that locker room. Was there a long long time saying about Kyler Murray that the one thing Kyler needs to do is to grow up, that like he thinks he can do it, and that he's very gifted, but that he's not there in terms of leadership. Hearing that from Beecham specifically resonated, Dude, Kyler Murray is gonna be freaking out by about weeks six of next season.

And I was able to talk to Kelvin Beacham today NFL now because there's been so much around this, there's always the hesitation and the tiptoeing, like Kyler needs to grow up, he needs to be more mature. I was like, what's this specific thing that Kyler has done, thank you, or has not done that he can improve on it? And he just said he could spend some more time with his teammates off the like that was the first place. So it's not like top Kyler's flipping tables or something.

He's finished, he's clocking out and leaving. He wants them to do list less of that. M grow up, be a man and grow up, but like be a man. That's spend more time with your teammates. Be a man. This is the ever I've ever heard. It was really that was interesting and great reporting from Patrick's. Dan went on for a while like, I didn't know interesting that out there? You got that in the face. No, that is that was a great follow up question Patrick. But it's like be a man. We're just going into it.

Almost would call for another It's so intriguing that, all right, let's call time out, time out there. Because if he's saying, because he's now on the NFL network with the great Clay Bon, he knows he has to be careful on some level what he says. It's but journalistically the question was asked, he has to answer it to me when somebody's and that's what he said in the interview before Patrick, he said, be a man like that feels a little heavier than just hey, go get burgers with the guys.

I think it maybe it, yeah, And it's hard to base things on hard knocks, but a little that you get from that and then just witnessing he looks like a guy who's does his own thing, maybe a little aloof. I always struggle with what does aloof mean? But he kind of keeps to himself and he's not bothering anyone. But that creates an issue when you're the quarterback. I think if you watched that Hard Knocks, like and I

didn't see all of it, it got too depressing. But like the last week or two, I gave us right when I watched Kyler Murray though it it is just a different persona uh then you'd see from like a super plugged in pro athlete, like he's got a lot of other stuff going on, and like I think he is, he's he wants to drive his teammates like he'd get on them, and I kind of like his intensity. There are things I liked about him. He was hard. Yeah,

when he's on him, he's hard. Only he's like a perfect Maybe that doesn't have vive though, when you're not spending the time to make the relationship. I think if the organization is better, then you get a better Kyler. It was really in shambles. You had There was even disagreements onto who was doing the thing in Mexico. They weren't even sure who who the perpetrator was. The coaching

staff office was frankly like an embarrassment to them. I mean, these are the people in charge of Kyler Murray and so like winning is going to help everything. But I just wanted like a concrete thing because this has been two years. I think it's like, oh, well, Kyler's doing this and he's not doing that. It's like, well, what is he doing? Why is he not doing because we've talked about this so much, like can we put something concrete on it? Because at a certain point it's just like, yeah,

this guy's a little different. He's shorter than other people. Are we are we doing this just because of those things like he likes video games and we're saying like, or is there something that he's actually doing. I think his answer was good, though, spend more good, spend more time. But maybe that also means not just to the players, but spend more time like the other big time quarterbacks do. In terms of which team. I mean, I think there's

the school. He's super he's so talented, you don't move on. But like there's a global issue or a concern about the other aspects of Kyler Murray. He now, he is an incredible athlete and that's not just football. And that's why I was so excited. And Walker was excited to get the number one jersey again on his baseball team because he's the smallest guy on the team and they give it to the smallest guy and that's for Kyler Murray.

And oh, by the way, he happens to be on the A's so he's got the Kyler Murray A's uniform number one. How about that? It for the short folks, Not that he knew that he does like Kyler. He did do it for Kyle. The smallest child should get a single number. That's why the extra smalls are one. Yeah, and it goes up that way with these so is his favorite players. Kyler. Nobody likes him. He likes he

likes that he's shorter and run. I don't think he knows this year is I didn't realize that, like little leagues were organizing numbers off of Kyler Murray's non pro baseball career. Like I just thought it was like a little because they're there's a picture of Kyler in that Oakland A's number one too. Yeah, remember all the talk you would go back to baseball, Well he might, it's not that crazy. Still could happen. I guess it's a

little cassy by like mid October. All right, we're out of time out la rams Greg Roseal, Okay, I've been listening to Eleven Personnel, the podcasts on the Athletic by our friend Jordan rod Reeg. This offseas good listen, and my takeaway from Jordan's takeaway, who knows a lot more in talks to the people there, is that it's really not them blowing it up. And less Needs spoke about

this on Thursday. They're calling it a remodel. If they were blowing it up, Aaron Donald, Cooper Cup, Matthew Stafford wouldn't be there. And they're making it clear we're building around these guys still, and so I think they're looking at this as a year they might step back a little and free up a lot of cap space for twenty twenty four. In twenty twenty four is when they'll feel like they really are going back for titles. But in the meantime, they're going to be investing in players

that they think can win. Then so I think they'll be active in free and say guy like Chauncey Gardner Johnson I think would fit their scheme. I don't think they're just gonna sit back and do absolutely nothing, but they feel like they're aiming more for the middle or like the lower playoffs this year and that next year with Donald and Cup and Stafford still here, that they go after it once, so like we've done it before

and maybe we should do it again. And the ramp up to this season, team slogans would be like we grate with nine and eight. That's that feels about right. Seven would be heaven. Yeah, I think that's it. But it's not like they're not the Titans or they're not the Cardinals where they're just blowing it up. They want to get back into the Winter's show, all unveiled, shot fired behind the glass. What happened that Titans? I just immediately,

which is unfair. They were like, I hear what you're saying, Greg, but I mean I do want this is an LA thing. But like I'm driving around in my car listening to this like one sports radio station that's about all every LA team, and it's like no, like actual angst over what the Rams, what happened to them last season? Or what's going on now? I know that, Like there's certain people that are plugged in, but it's like where are

the Rams fans and all this? Like I would be a little bit annoyed with what's happened over last The last season was an absolute no show, and you keep taking people away telling us, no, we're not taking a step back. I mean, if anything, it's at least a

one year or two year surrender. I think it's a one last year everything went wrong, but like a lot of this stuff, like you went into the year with an offensive line that if you were they're good self scouters, like you would have known that offensive line was a disaster. My takeaway from less needs availability today he said that Cooper Cup, Aaron Donald and Matthew Stafford were weight bearing walls for the franchise. But there's a wall missing there,

and so what's the plan with Jalen Ramsey. It's tough for me to believe that Jalen Ramsey is to be shipped and you believe significantly that the team is going to be better because of that. Consider now that's as like as they're calling it a remodel a teardown. I'm waiting if you're getting multiple picks for Ramsey, they have a lot of holes to fill three what is it load bearing? Load bearing? Yeah, load bearing. They need to

install a beam Dartney. Also, it'd be good if like the Fourth Wall, Sean McVeigh isn't just like, I don't know if I want to be a while anymore every twelve months, that's fair Seattle Seahawks Mark Sessler, Well, I mean, look at like the Rams and Cardinals over what what's happened over the last twelve months. And I think by contrast, because you can say whatever you want if you're the Rams, like the results of the results and we'll see what happens.

But like the Seattle rebuild and team building vision is the complete contrast because they were taking this so called year away and you know it could have gotten a

lot darker. They were great with nine and eight, right they were, And but also they came out of it with not just hey, we're gonna be nine and eight again, and like I think a lot's changed, Like Pete Carroll last shre at this time and previous was taking a lot of lumps in the whole Russell Wilson thing that Pete Carroll was sort of shaped as this out of touch kind of guy that like, that's your raw raw

Pete Carroll act is kind of falling short. Like there's no more footage of John Schneider wandering around topless with a championship belt around his waist. All of that was in the deep past. And but now, after moving on from Russell Wilsons usually well topless. But usually usually these quarterbacks win these power struggles, and I think we kind of viewed that might have happened with Russell Wilson. But

look who looks better than Pete Carroll. And now you've got two first two seconds, a proven QB on an affordable deal. You absolutely can take a shot at a rookie quarterback and you're put You put that rookie quarterback into a much better environment than most first round quarterbacks could Troop could want to be in. So I'd say say hello to the best rebuilding job in the NFC, and maybe the rest of the division, with all their verbalization,

could take a look at what Seattle's done. Verbalization. Well, that's what happens when you have the best draft class along with the jets in the league or you have too right, and they I mean last last year that they just hit on guys that were immediate contributors, five of them, including two starting tackles, and they have free agent money to spend two. I think they could get in the mix for some of these pass rushers defensive linemen. It maybe bring Shack Griffin back at cornerback. They need

a cornerback. Yeah, if they hit on half of the players that they hit, if they hit on a quarter of the players that they hit on in twenty twenty two, then they get huge boat boosts boost from this draft when like, when are the Seahawks ever going to be picking five again? Like in this era, it's it's not gonna happen again. And so they could go off the board there and maybe think about the future because I mean, even even if it's three years with Gino, it's still

only three years. They've got so many options they could go either way. I'm curious what where they're at with a guy that represented the previous era of the team where things weren't so Sonny Jamal Adams, who missed another full season. Ryan Neil stepped in and did very good work for them. He's a free agent now, like Jamal Adams, job saved with this team is he is, He's someone they still expect to be a major contributor because on paper, that could be seen as another big addition for this

team if he comes back and is the Jamal of old. Right, that's a great point. I think he would be difficult to get rid of because of the contracts still, because I was thinking like they could be a Jesse Bates team, and then I thought, Okay, I don't know if that makes sense to pain digs a pain. He has no guaranteed money after this season, but right now, like are, it'd be like a twenty million dollar cap hit, dead money hit. Tough, tough trade. Let's close it out with

mister Claybonne and the Niners. Let's do it yet another season derailed by quarterback injury and then subsequent quarterback injury and then subsequent quarterback injury. We know that they're going to bring in a veteran and they'll approach the Brock situation however they can. Hopefully he comes back. Hopefully he goes under the knife tomorrow and everything goes goes great

and he comes back. But my question is when do the Niners actually need to decide long term between Tray and Rock And why would they make that decision now? Why not have them both back and just go forward with both on the roster. Clearly they need more than one. I'm with you, like they're they're the super rare team that sold the entire farm for a quarterback. The quarterback essentially never produced anything for them, and they're still the best team in the division and arguably top two or

three in the NFC. It's like, I don't know why you'd need to do that unless there was this kind of fever pitch for Trey Lance out there and just don't see that, Like what, You're not going to get value for him and you I think it's fair to say, like, as much as I loved brock Purtty, like we want to see a little bit more and before we move on from Trey Lance for brock Purtty, but we also need to see a lot more. I want to see more from both of them, have them compete, and then

you make your decision. It sets up well, well is strong because one of the guys is getting reconstructive elbow surgery. But you don't need to rush brock Purty back. So if he gets the surgery tomorrow, again, let's get it done. Let's move forward, and then he's on track to be

ready maybe in September. Like you don't need to have him on the field week one, because I think that kind of gives you an opportunity to give Trey Lance a chance, and you give him September, but perhaps while you get Purty up to speed, and then if Lance is thriving as your number two overall pick, yeah, now you have a good problem because then you have a guy that played well for you last year down the stretch and this draft pick that you invested so much in.

I think it would be a mistake to to rush Purty back into the lineup just because he played so well at the end of the year that said we need We don't know what they think about Lance at this point internally in that building. I think they have other issues too that have gotten his one minute looked over. I guess they're a little thinner on the defensive line than they used to be. They used to be so

deep there. Jimmy Ward's a free agent. A couple other starting offensive lineman or free agent, including Mike McGlinchey, and yet I want to use this time to talk about our old friend, one time guest, one time Tim Kawakami, who had a report that they're not ruling out Lamar Jackson pursue and that would be the team that would blow the NFL to smithereens to go after Lamar Jackson and I it's so messy. I like it, but wow,

but I mean it's fun. It's a fun thought that they're not ruling it out because like they don't have a quarterback for sure yet, and so they're a team was trying to win a Super Bowl. You could send you know, Trey Lance back to Baltimore as part of all that, or orban I don't know, but just the fact that he thought it was worth throwing that out there. Okay, they're looking at it. I don't eat brock Purty becoming a Ravens quarterback. I like brock Purty. That would be

tough for you. That'd be a bad beat for just like a season after season of like chop Down fan interest, it's about you, well not often um that was around the NFC in forty eight minutes. Well done, and you know you do you do the math there sixteen sixteen. It's thirty two. We went around the NFL these last two episodes, so ninety six minutes. What's the name of the show. The name of the show around the NFL? Beautiful. We did it, We went it did it. Big, big

show for Patrick. You know, he was worried in the newsroom earlier this week, thought he needed a bounce back performance because he wasn't pleased with something that happened two weeks ago. A Paris should have hit Chris Rock two more times. Okay, there you go, there you go. Put that on social don't do that, Chris Rock. Yeah, well we talked a little bit about a lesson. He didn't. This story needs to go away at this point. Yeahs a Sunday night. Yeah, I'm sure Jimmy Kimmel's if Chris

Rock gets struck into it because I'm invested. You know, Mark is a big fan and I am now as well. What everything everywhere? You really want the film to win a little Oscar breakdown, there's ten My first like comment would be, that's absurd. It's like a participation award. Now, a few years ago they opened it up so that we would get more movies like Top Gun getting a Best Picture. By the way, I know it did, all right. This is it's like everyone just assumes the Top Gun sucks.

Like Top Gun, Maverick absolutely belongs to that group. I would markets for a while it was like the co favorite with everything everywhere else, but not well, I just think it's like, oh it's top Gun. It wasn't made like for you know, the nuts. Top Gun also basically saved movie theaters. Like I would argue that Tar is incredible. I love me some time. I watched taras now you see that that is a good movie. But I don't understand the last thirty minutes. It's all like a part

of it. It's it's a little crazy. Yeah, absolutely, thank you. No thing. Oh really, I'm saying the best picture. No thing. It's not fine for Best Picture. But I think they listen every every film is up for best but it was. It was brutalized by critics after Crash one in two thousand for I don't know, but the shine is still on the trophies. Speaking at trophies, why is that trophy still in the studio? Greg is done moving? What? Greg? Well, that's fair, it's time. I mean it's only been a week.

It wasn't first on my Mind's got a little trophy I have yet to set up. I think, you know, I got to set up the whole garage. I think I'm turning the camera the other way. We've really got to work on this, all right. Patrick's going to check the sub reddit. Oh no, he's grabbing the he's getting the locked trophy and he's greg Yeah, expedite this, okay, I will bring it home today. UM. All right, thank

you everybody for listening. We will be back again this week if something happens with a certain number twelve other than that, or you know, hypothetically a certain number three three eight eight, Oh sorry, that's okay. UM. Otherwise, we'll be back next week for the start of Free Agency Week. We're planning to do a show every day Monday through Thursday. UM, so get ready for that. Keep up to date, you know, just be there for us and we'll be there for you.

We love you all. Well, look at this beautiful shot you got to watch. Check out the YouTube stream. Listen to the audio while watching the YouTube. For the rest of the episode, Coming Front, I was told actually in my ear to lean back because I was in covering up to the lock truppy. So all right, thank you everybody Till Monday. You know what you gotta do. Heat the call