Bunkercast XIII: The GrayBeards 2020

What's up with hey? Dan? Happy Monday. I get the feeling talking to Dan and others that maybe for some this weekend was not exactly a a waltz through Rose Gardens centered in Los Angeles the weekend for me, the weekend for me was fine enough. But today, because it's a two income household, as it must be in Los Angeles for many of us, um Emily had a very booked morning for work. I had a very book morning for work. We have two little monsters going crazy. The

center does not hold. Don't you understand COVID nineteen. You can't do this to us? And once again we're just getting started. I mean, I think if you're gonna I'm already looking forward to the final Bunker Cast. As much fun as this is, like, imagine like the party feeling when we realize it's gonna be like the last one. It's gonna be like inmates, like ready to get out of jail. Because I'm putting the over under. It's gotta be into May at the very least. Right who might

be conservative? I mean based on you know where you're where, you're reading updates, you know, Uh, today's show gonna be fun. We are going to introduce to you the listener a little sneak preview, actually because the piece on NFL dot com won't go live until tomorrow morning. But the two thousand and twenty Gray Beards a roster comprised entirely of

NFL veterans not currently attached to a team. Um, I roll out the sixth and of that roster, and I'm going to essentially go through it position by position, and you, gentlemen and Ricky are feel free to chime in with any thoughts on it, positive and negative. I'm excited about this year's team, this squad, it these are the glory days for Gray Beards. I don't want to give too

many spoiler alerts, but this roster is it's competitive. It's the one team that COVID nineteen is helping apparently, coronavirus has been good for the Gray Beards. The longstanding The longstanding goal of the Gray Beards is to feel the competitive team, best case scenario A five team. This is the first time I ever did this exercise, and honestly feel like, you know, a bounce of the ball one way, a holding call or p I call goes your favor. We could we could sneak in the back door of

the A C playoffs. Well, there's a couple of position groups that pop off the page. I mean, I don't really recall that in the past. It like there were some people legitimately with gray hair on their faces and probably having waves sports goodbye. You know when you did this exercise at different times. There's there the pass rush, some other areas. We'll get into it. Yeah, you couldn't. You couldn't get a quarterback to stand behind last year's offensive line on that team. But this year we've got

a sentry out there. Unbelievable and a little tradition. I'd like to start this year at the Gray Beards. At the end of the show, I'm gonna unveil the theme song of the Gray Beards, So stay stayed. At the end of today's show, including you, Greg, you can't leave, all right, Um, you want to get into it, please, all right, let me pull up my copy I sent to you, gentlemen, as West was alluding to, um, the rough copy that went over to Phil Specter just moments ago,

the gray beards. Um. What I try to do here is build out close to a full roster, so you're gonna have uh backups at many positions. I don't do backups for certain positions like do you really want me deep diving on backup offensive lineman? Do you really want to know what my swing lineman is. I'm not gonna go that route. So, but I have five starting offensive lineman, actually five offensive lineman. I don't think that's that bad.

And uh, but for some of the other more fun position groups quote unquote fun, um, I have backups and and and um. And let's stag in here because yes, as I said, I'm feeling really good about this team. I want complete honesty where you think the team needs to be improved, maybe a player that I missed. Again, this is a exercise where it's not live on the website yet, and until it goes live on the website, I can make roster changes, and just just so everyone knows, um,

once a gray beard, always a gray beard. So for instance Cam Newton and we'll get to the quarterback room in a second, Cam Newton obviously gray beard if he signs with the Denver Broncos, and hey, Denver Broncos, beef up that quarterback room. Um before on Wednesday, say, it doesn't matter he was on the gray Beards. He was a free agent Tuesday morning when this went live. That's

the only thing you really need to know. This isn't like the top one on one list that you and I created where we have to pull players from the one oh one rankings when they get signed by someone. This is a evergreen exercise, absolutely, and it's always better that way, isn't it. I would think? So, you know, based on our work together, I trust your work solo, and it does. It does happen every year, Greg, without fail. I know you're you're a man with an eye on

the transaction wire at all times. In the hours that lead up to the publishing of the piece, without fail, one to two, sometimes even three players come off the board. Because are we in the third wave of free agency? Now? Where are we exactly? Wave who knows. Uh, the guys tend to fall off because again, the guys I've put on this team are quality players for the most part. So the fact that they still don't have jobs, uh, that typically doesn't last. So let's get into it. Will start,

yes with the quarterback room. And I just want to give a little perspective to people. Last year, in the same exercise last March, I think it was March two thousand nineteen, world was a lot different. So was the quarterback room of the Gray Beards because installed as the starter was Sam Bradford coming off another year where he was just wrecked by knee injury's now out of football, now getting killed by Mark Sesler on Twitter for the money that he brought into his family during his career.

Uh perhaps factual. The backup to Bradford in this exercise last year, brock Osweiler. Oh my god, brock Osweiler was the second best quarterback I could come up with. And I don't recall there being a huge pushback from you guys when we talked about it on the podcast. And then I had third string Josh McCown, classic locker room guy. He ended up playing in the playoffs. So that was the He's the only one of them that actually played last year. So here we go. Last year Bradford, Ossweiler, McCown.

This year, Cam Newton, my starter, Jamis Winston, my backup, Andy Dalton, the clipboard holder inactive on most Sundays. How does it happen? Who knows? But that is the best quarterback room that I've ever had in this exercise, and really probably better than almost any team in football. When you look at the pure level of talent across the entire depth chart, I don't know how you got them all under the cap. You know. That's one of the ways that Dan does a great job with this Gray

Beards team. But Cam Newton has been posting these, you know, Instagram videos of him like working out on the stairs. I'm by I'm usually not buying into this offseason stuff. I'm buying into the Cam Newton's gonna really train hard and got to be better than ever and you better watch out for Cam Newton on the Gray Beards. There was the classic. It happens sometimes in the off season a player puts out an Instagram at a charity function

and then everybody's like, oh, he's so skinny. He does look a little bit um streamlined this offseason, not quite as bulky. Well, let me ask you this question, was are you comfortable with my depth chart or would you rearrange it? No? I like it. I think it's you gotta have Cam number one, and then Winston's got a

little bit more potential than Dalton, so I'm fine with that. UM. I think the Winston Dalton decision really depends on the specifics of your team, and I think Dalton to me, i'd probably if I was a contender, I'd be more likely to go with him. If I was a builder, I'd be more likely to go with Winston. Think about this too, Joe Flacco Mark didn't make the cut for the Graybeards and the same exercise last year, he would

have been the starter. So even the fourth best guy in the market right now, and we know Flacco is of advanced age and and the body isn't what it used to be. UM, but he's even available if we

wanted to for this exercise. I think that you have UM benefited playing off of a healthy amount of trepidation by a lot of coaching staffs to bring in someone like Cam Newton to play back up or even Jamis Winston based on what we know about Cam Newton and the weird sort of Jekyl side of the Jekyl and Hyde, if that was the good one of the two, I've

not read that book recently. Um and where you know you get the good side of Jameis Winston, you're gonna get a head coach kind of feeling like I want to see this guy if panic sets in by week four, week five. So I just thinking in Dalton is a consistent guy you can rely on. So your quarterback room. I don't know if you have a ring of honor on this team, but I feel like they've already got a better shot that some of these jabronies playing under center in years past. This is a hot room. Isn't

Jackals the doctor? That would be the respectable one, right? I mean it to sure. I don't know what he's doing creating the hide person, but I don't. I don't know, you know, we have to revisit that one. I think, well, it's probably like an early undiagnosed bipolar split personality larrea that played out as a horn. This is this quarterback

room is better. All three of them are better than any quarterback that's available in some of these off seasons, like brock Eiswiler was the number one quarterback back in his off season, and I went back and looked at some of our lists, like there's been years where any one of these threes would have been better than any quarterback available. Pretty wild. There really is a once in a generation or more type off season when it comes to the quarterback position, and the Graybeards are reaping all

the benefits. Moving on to running back, all right, I don't I kind of like this position group too. We got Devanta Freeman. I have him as my start right now, and I totally understand if, based on the tape he put out there with the Falcons, you want to bump him down or hell, throw him off the roster because he really did very little that team. Maybe had a had a moment here or there where it made you think maybe still got it. But at twenty eight years old,

basically starting over. Given his track record, especially in his Kyle Shanahan years, um, he's a guy that the Gray Beards are gonna take a flyer on every single time. Okay, every day of the week, twice on Sunday, okay, um and then you have behind him a really nice one to tandem that I just lifted. I pill I'm not the only person to pilfer Bill O'Brien this season. While he's gone and getting David Johnson and like praying to

the gods that he bounces back. He lets Carlos Hide and Lamar Miller, a pair of twenty nine year old cheap veterans that combined and I don't think a lot of people realize this, they combine for two thousand yards last year as a tanem okay. So we have Hide rushed over a thousand yards at almost four and a half yards to carry. You have Miller who just missed a thousand yards. So you put two guys in there

that could get it done. Lamar Miller a little bit older, but I think he still has that home run ability. And then finally, Greg, out of respect to you and your son, who looks very cool with the glasses. I like it. Um Frank Gore, welcome to the gray Beard.

That's been a long time coming, thirty seven years young, classic veteran guy, and just like Josh McCown last year, he's the guy that beat writers can pre write the piece about what a what a great locker room guy is, and then they quietly take the four day weekend with their families in August. I mean, like so much of Frank Gore's career, He's going to start out with lower expectations here on towards the bottom of the depth chart,

and he's climbing that thing. Even even DeVonta Freeman at twenty nine years old doesn't have nearly as much juice. I like Carlos Hide as the starter here, though I don't have to. I don't know she used for Freeman. I'm with Greg on this one. Running Backs are like baseball pitchers. If a baseball pitcher's arm isn't right that year, you can't you can't count on them running backs that their legs aren't right. You can't count on We have

no indication that the DeVante Freeman's legs are right. What have you done for me lately in the running back world? Carlos Hide coming off a much better season, and for the sake of your copy, Lamar Miller's yardage came two thousand eighteen. That was Duke Johnson who teamed with I Thank you very much. That's a huge catch and completely uh invalidates many of the things I said prior to

you speaking. Lamar had an A c L. I believe, by the way, it is good be the end here of um Lashawn McCoy did not make you didn't even make the gray beards, which is a slap in the face. Could be the end of his career, could be the end of Frank Gore's career. Here this offseason, I could see it and see them possibly not getting jobs. Where's Duke Johnson He's still employed? Yeah, Okay, so I'm gonna

great last year, played great in that playoff game. I'll slide out Lamar Miller and that does open up a roster spot. Then, so hey, you might Lamar Miller might still be a good candidate, maybe maybe a bounce back guy off the A C L. Yeah, that injury happened in the summer, not like in December something Walker, who do you who do you think should be starting? Hide or Freeman? How? Yeah? Good call with his parental units,

so you know there's harmony at home. Alright, I'm gonna slide him up the old depth chart, moving right along to full back all right. NFL dot Com has a page that they update periodically available free agents tracker and Roosevelt Knicks was the only fullback on that list, so he is the fullback of the Gray Beards by default. I mean, I I don't hate to pick um you did, you didn't have. It's like the man running against nobody

for city councilor alderman in eight he's gonna win. But I if I'm the person updating that page on NFL dot com, I want to take a long look in the mirror and say it's time to, you know, pump up that residu gets somewhere else that Look how far fullbacks have fallen there? You know how every time there's an opening for a kicker, there's like eight guys that the kicker circuit. You bring them all in, you try

them out. There's only one fullback on the circuit. If you need a fullback, you just bring in Rosie Knicks and there you go. Patriots swooped in and took old Danny vitally right off the free agent market. Have to have a good But what about the like illustrously overhyped. Like I'm not saying over hyped. I don't know how good he is at fullback, but I feel like Derek Watt has like eight billion articles written about him because he's playing full I can go into the Steelers. Well

there's something else there too. It's a nice little meaty hook for feature writers there as well, you know J. J. Watt. No, I mean I get that, but it's you know, I think we all get it. And it's been pounded over our head repeatedly. John Kuhen waiting for the phone to ring, but the grave beards ain't calm. He's retired, right, I think when one thing, just thinking of fullbacks in the Patriots, because that is going to be a really great full

back room. Um is that. Yeah, they lost Brady, but they're getting James Devilon back in two thousand twenty according to most people, like that's the reason why they were struggling. So with Devil and back, they should be fine. All right, Wes, I want to see you up on this one because when we get to the wide receiver room, you know, there's a man at the top of the depth chart

that nearly ended our podcast last September. His name is Antonio Brown, and I know he's a jerk and he's had some issues off the field that are you know, to put it mildly uh disappointing and worrisome. But when I'm putting together a roster like this, I just couldn't do it. Was I couldn't look away. And when I look at the wide receiver group that's remaining in general, it's one of the weakest positional groups. I needed this guy. So I signed Antonio Brown, uh thirty two years old

entering week one to lead my wide receiver group. Let's start there. What do you think was well? I think you have as much integrity as Bill Belichick bat This guy, Antonio Brown, um just walks into everyone's life, throws out his poison, spews it out to everyone in life. Antonio Brown is poison, and he shows no remorse whatsoever. And to me, you separate people who show remorse versus people

who don't. And the two people I've been most angry about on this podcast have been Greg Hardy and Antonio two people who do not show remorse, will not change their behavior, and just spew their poison out wherever they can. That's fair. I'm certainly management's gonna sit down with him and see if he's at all contrite because he's now. He's now. Why would you believe him. If he says he's contrite, I get it. I get it. He is. He's been terrible, but he's human and we all deserve

second chances, where most of us do. What about seven chances? I just want to see West where he's at headspace wise, if he feels like if it feels like he's in a healthy place mentally, and whether he's willing to try to salvage his NFL career, which is on life support at this point. It's your team by all means, sign him. I do worry a little bit about you know you hear GM say, we don't just you know, bring a

collection of talent together. We build a team. And I am imagining the wide receiver room Antonio Brown, Josh Gordon, and Dez Bryant. It's just it's a lot going on. There a lot of people there that are gonna want the ball. Yeah, just a tad psychedelic. I'm not sure

what happens by week five with Josh Gordon in Antonio Brown. Uh, I kind of like with Shard Higgins in here, one of the chances anton Neal Brown and Josh Gordon are both on the team in week five, I didn't realize the game that this team has five actual opponents to play. I don't know, I'm not aware of the rest of the league that they're involved in. But in the NFL, just replace Team X with the Gray Beards. Oh, I

think they'll still be on your team. I've got some I've got some other options for you, though, Dan, two guys i'd rather have than many of these players. Ted Ginn. I think Ted Ginnon could play in the NFL at least have a little role. And Paul Richardson. Uh. I would take Paul Richardson over Dez Bryan at the at the very least. Well, I like I like, as anybody

that follows the Gray Beards knows. I like a little name brand sizzle, and maybe he can't play anymore, but get Dez in the building, let's see what he what he's got left. But I do like the gain one again is also we don't talk about special teams on the Gray Beards, but he certainly would be a presence there. That's where you are separate from Belichick, who seems slightly obsessed with one third of the game exactly boring. And

you're gonna say something Mark about um Higgins. I believe right, Well, I mean I I don't. I think he's gonna get picked up somewhere. I'd be surprised if he doesn't, just based on his age. But so he's twenty five, and when we call the gray beard, I believe if he were to grow a beard, it may not have a lot of grain at the age has no if for the reader down the road that you don't you could be nineteen and be on this thing if you had been on an NFL team. Right, he's the one. I

think he's the youngest guy too. I would guess I hadn't done this yet. I planned to do because I always do. Get the median age, which I would guess is gonna ping right around thirty one or so, which is gray beard territory in the NFL. Anyway, moving on to tight end Mr big Chest on the gray Beards, I'm sorry, wes Hey. Like I said, it's your team. I don't have to stick up for this team. I don't have to defend them. They go out there totally

independent of any of my views. And you people on Twitter, if any of you idiots start to criticize me for putting a player on a fake team in these times, you're gonna get mad at me about putting Antonio Brown on a fake team. Idiots tight end. They're already idiots, and even we had the article is not published and you're fighting with trolls in your brain. It's coming, it's coming. I've been in the game long enough to know it's coming. Delaney Walker is my starting tight end. Don't love it.

It's a very thin positional group on the free agent market. Thirty six years old. We've talked about him on this pod when the Titans moved on that he was sneaky old and has been a playmaker for them, but also now has been dealing with injury issues and uh, what does he have left in the tank as a backup? The best I could do is Luke Stocker, who's a capable blocking back. He has two hands and legs and

a heart. I'd say no worries because looking at your receiver room, you could just go four wide and dominate um quarter after quarter with what you've got set up there. I'm just sad that that your see now on what really should be Jason Witten's final act should be team captain of the Graveyards. I mean, how that the Raiders

screwed that up for everyone. They totally botch it. All right, let's take a break here before we moved to the trenches at this time to get an update on the news of the NFL since we last left you Flash with Mark the Manko Sessler, Thank you, Demon a scoring update the NFL one coronavirus zero. Good afternoon, It's too twenty.

I'm Mark Sessler and this report brought to you by Joseph about a modern take on heritage men's where Joseph aboot Suits offer modern luxury, the refinement and globally inspired

American elegance. Joseph Aboud dot com optimism a bounds, NFL circles, Demon were league heavies remain hopeful that a global pandemic will not slow the dead president's churning out of pro football's mega machine, with Falcon's owner Arthur Blank telling Peter King by September, my hope is we'll be able to bring people together they're in some former fashion, in a

safe manner and play Corona time can't slowdown. Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert scheduled for a video call Monday with Las Vegas Raiders with the Las Vegas Raiders cut to Los Angeles, where Lee Harvey Oswald level Patsy Tyrod Taylor wants to win quotes turn heads as a starter for the Chargers. We all wait breathlessly for the Demon to adjust his power rankings. Just stick to the copy of Jerk. In other news, Vick Hip Derek Wolfe agrees to a one

year deal with Baltimore. The Lions, determined to underwhelm until Jesus circles back around, signed ex Packers white out Geronimo Allison. The Chiefs three signed to Marcus Robinson to a one year deal, and in baseball, the Padres option righty Gerardo Reyes to the El Paso Chihuahuas. The Redskins also added x Philly coverman Ronald Darby, which led the Jettison Quinn Dunbar now as Seahawk to call Washington an organization that

in quotes, lies and makes excuses. Dune Ares since deleted his Twitter account, leading us to wonder when the Dmon might think about Deep sixteen one or two of his online projects reports every twenty minutes. This is Mark Sessler with your sports uptake. Yes, beautifully moving on to uh, let's see a veteran unit, A savvy veteran unit led by Jason Peters. Happy to have Jason still on the board. Um at this juncture here in the fourteenth wave of

free agency. Free agency. Of course, I'm former All Pro with the Eagles, but still according to the metrics out there, Greg was getting the job done last year. Not at the same peak Jason Peters levels, but plenty good enough to get a job somewhere. This has to be one of your best looking left tackles and tackle the paring that this offensive line. I know you haven't gotten into all of it. It's about as good as as some teams out there. Let me roll through it. Ron Leary

at left guard, um whose solid Josh Klein. People are surprised the Vikings dumped him just thirty years old. He's at right guard. He might end up back with Minnesota. A K Shipley. I got him in a Q Shipley. I got him in the pivot, as insiders call it. Um. He has been a really durable player for the Cardinals. Uh. He missed one year I believe with an a C L, but has been a starter for every game every other year. He's there. Nice veteran present there and then on the

right tackle side, a bit of a reclamation project. Greg Reford. Uh to Damar Dotson thirty four years young. He had a long run with Tampa. A nice crafty technician I call him. This offensive line is is way better than like every other year, the one that the Dolphins run out there. It's better than the Jets. I would take this over the Jets right now. A little calm down there. But yeah, So it is interesting that you that that Joe Douglas is the quote unquote offensive lineman mastermind and

he's picking up all these guys on the cheap. Well, I just did the same thing, and I do think it looks better right now. Recognized the names on this offensive line. Joe Douglas, who I I agree as a mastermind, has signed three or four interior lineman last I thought that that he just crafted the names out of thin air and sent it out as a press release. But they are apparently beefy men attempting to protect Sam Donald

already bought his George Phant jerseys for both of his sons. Uh. Sorry that you guys weren't tape dogging enough like Joe Douglas to know that those guys are really on the up and up. I really miss Van Rotten. You know what, West your Van Rotten. Uh, let's move to the edge defender. But anyway, that's a really kind of solid veteran offensive line and a lot better than many teams he saw

last year in the NFL. And yeah, wake up call two teams that are looking for lineman that there might be talent out there still if you're willing to pay an old guy, I'd throw this out too that you know this team, this, this Graybeards team, despite their age out on the median, are totally disobeying all COVID nineteen rule as they are together right now practicing. Uh, they're in sessions together rolling out what is going to be

an innovative offense. So leg up on the rest of the league that is, I would say overcautious COVID nineteen and there and they that'll be the end of the grave. They are there, Uh, the higher risk group at their age, all right, jadeveon Clowney, I mean that's a gift from the gods. This happens maybe once a year, once every two years, where because of some market deficiencies for the player,

he ends up still on the market. Clowney at twenty seven years old, uh is a star, or at least he has a star named brand and he is the leader of our edge group. Now we got some good, good other edge options here. Everson Griffin thirty two years old, has had big years with the Vikings. Of course, Cameron Wake, who's very old now thirty eight. But Griffin and Wake of nine combined Pro Bowls. So you know, I'm not gonna give them, uh, you know, a hundred snaps the game.

I'm gonna go send him a hunting every once in a while. I'm gonna use them smartly. And then Clay Matthews always zeus or always wants uh certain guys that I could slap on the media guide, and I'm gonna have Cam of course to represent the offense. And then I'll have a shot of Clay Matthews and his amazing flowing locks um on the defense representing the defense for the media guide. So Clay's there, and you know, he wasn't so bad last year in Los Angeles either. You're

more like an empressario in this one. You're barn storming with Clowney and and Everson Griffin. They're only good for the off season. By the time the season rules around, they're gonna be off your team. It's like Babe Ruth going to Japan in they made the cut as of today, Griffin played really well last year. I mean, that's one of the better defensive end duos in the entire NFL

that the Graybeard own. Thank you. And I don't know if the Micman hit it um, but there is a report out there that Clowney might wait until training camp to sign. Now, so uh, that market is fairly standing. Have enough time, had that Joseph Aboud copy to get through it. You know, you only have so much time, and I you know, ideal with that. When that when that report becomes factual and I have triple sources on my own, then it becomes part of the news copy

on the interior D line. I just got some hogs in here. You're doing damage, taking up space and we had we had last year. West. I remember you complimenting the gray Beards as a team that was gonna be hard to run against. I feel like that's an every year thing because these guys tend to last a little longer because they're not you know, it's flashy, but Mike Daniels. Maybe he has fallen off a little bit, but just thirty one years old. Good reclamation project projects. Same could

be said for Snacks. Harrison, who really did not play well last year, wasn't stopping the run, but that was what he was great at um and all the previous years in the league. So I'm banking on to come back there. Timmy Joern again twenty seven years old, could be a value signing. And then I got the big Estonian Marcus Hunt thirty three years the eastern block. I mean, how many six ft eight Estonians can you put on your roster? Well, I'm doing it. Yeah, Snacks is a

good get. Um, these guys, Snacks and Mike Daniels same age as lin Vell Joseph, and yet Joseph is getting paid big bucks while these guys sit around on the gray beards. Well, Daniels is barely played the last two years and and did not look like himself the uh the brief times I think, yeah, just you know, these aren't guys you're gonna be putting on the on the tickets. You've got enough defensive ends for that linebacker Nigel Bradham. I'm gonna have him in the middle. Don't ask me

if I'm playing four three or three four. I don't know. That's your flexible, your versatile. Braden's like guy in the middle, the eyes and the ears of the defense, alco Ogle, Tree and Darren Lee a couple of reclamation projects as well. There thoughts about the linebacker group, uh not the strength of your team. Uh I would say that. And Uncle Tree, somebody will pay him like ten million dollars and then cut him in November. I like Darren Lee getting um

kind of the coveted former jet that Dan knows. So he's gonna make the team spot. He's got to be one of those guys every year, every year, every year, and there's gotta be something that got him picked in the first round. He's got speed, he's got agility, goes sideline and sideline. Baby. This is a totally this is off topic of the linebackers, but I just realized there's I think only eight of our top sixty free agents that West and I put on our list are still available.

And you've got two of the top two of the top three players in the entire market are on the graybeards. You've you've had, You've won the off season. It's always dangerous to win the off season cornerback. I like this group. They're obviously a little overly seasoned, uh and they're and they're not gonna be going any Pro Bowls. But in past years it's been an absolute disaster, and I don't think that's the case. This year got Prince Amukamara and

Brandon Carr on the outside. I got Logan Ryan in the slot, and then Traymont Williams, who, at thirty seven years old, is um you know to be uh not the youngest guy. But the metrics tell us in the advanced analytics tell us what is what is gentleman, call it my computer? Then whatever he calls that that he can still play the guitar in twenty nineteen, So welcome to the gray Beards for four years. I'm confused. I'm confused why Logan Ryan um is a free agent at

all right now. Maybe he's buying that PFF hype that he was like one of the best cornerbacks in the league for the first eleven or twelve weeks this season. Not sure he's at that level, but he's still he's still a good ball player. I saw something that he he wasn't taking a penny less than a ten million dollars he made last year, so that might be the hold up. Moving out to safety to Marius Randall, twenty

eight years old. Uh, verse, little guy could use him uh in a couple of different ways as a safety. He's there. Tavon Wilson, same thing. Um. Eric Reid, who had a down season in Carolina after signing that extension, still just twenty eight years old. Bounce back guy, um. And then of course Eric Berry, A little nod to you, Chris Westley, Come on, you got to give the cancer survivor another shot. Oh yeah, get Eric Berry. That's your team leader right there. Uh. And you've got a good

one two punch with Randall and Reid. I think the ro also reports out there that Barry, you know, wanted to get as healthy as possible and is doing quite well right now. So this might be just another steal where you're um operating and churning. Uh, maybe a day or two or three before most NFL operations. Well done, Thank you, Mark Special teams kicker Adam Vinetieri. I mean this is always gonna happen. An actual Gray Beer joins the Gray Beer forty seven years young, very very difficult

final season with Indianapolis. We all know that. But this guy is a legend, and he says, and I find him to be a man that wouldn't lie, even if it meant trying to extend into his marathon career. He said that his struggles last year were more related to injury issues in his lower body than age, and I'm gonna take him at his word and give him a shot. He's so much older than everyone else on your team that you've got like a Smurfs dynamic here, and he's

Papa Smurf. That's fair. And then UH punter Marquette King. I wanted to bring one guy back from the XFL, and UH King was playing for the St. Louis battle Hawks prior to the COVID nineteen uh pandemic. You know, kind of a guy that nobody seems to like. Um In the piece I wrote, he's kind of like the Dwight Howard of the NFL, where he does a lot of bits. He's he's wacky and he gets up in people's faces with his comedic stylings and no one really

likes it. But after sitting down with UH management for the Gray beards. He'll know to use more of the leg and less of the mouth. Well, this happened in the same talk where Antonio Brown and Josh Gordon and filling the blank are also in the room learning about the behavior boundaries required. You know why you turn it on Josh Gordon now that he's not a Brown. For years you just said, oh, Josh Gordon, he uh oh, he smoked marijuana once and now he's going to prison,

and he used to mock the NFL. He's not a bad person, he just has a dig don't. I wouldn't call him a bad person. I think it's fair to call him um dangerously unreliable um per at least per. I don't. Again, you're operating in a new rule system, so maybe you catch as everyone else tried to get that Josh Gordon five year comeback. Don't think so. He's really only there because there aren't a lot of options to choose from. In fact, maybe he'll be the guy

that goes in favor of Ted Gainn. I don't know, but he's so good it's like worth it may you know, like maybe it comes through for even a gamer. I don't know if he was even that good last year before he disappeared from Seattle. And that is on Marquete King philosophically, are you a comedian if nobody pays attention to your comedy? I think people have people have to wonder about, you know. The NFL dot com did a

long form on on Marquette King. Our our editor was the was the author, and um, the way his career has gone since that long form, it's a bit of a curse, a bit of a curse, a bit of a red flag, but of a lot of nifico. All right, And as promised, those are the gray Beards. And before we get to uh making predictions on their record if they were to replace a random team in the NFL, I'd like to um perform a song in honor of a proud group of men. Ricky. Once upon a time

I was a young star. It wasn't very far a god. But now everyone thinks you're done. It's not fun, no time to run. You gotta get that back while I care. Great bills, always keep the faith, great bills. We're gonna save the day. We're here to day gone tomorrow. Room. Will you watch your follow It's done me in I can't play you will see me leave the way, prays never go away, rapists never go As a workout, just watching it, I can't imagine singing it. I mean, it

was one of my favorite. Um, it's one of my favorite experiences of any like live music, is watching singer read the lyrics off of the teleprompter or whatever was going on that was there was some intensity in those eyes. Yeah,

I thought I had good energy. It's one of those kinds of songs where I thought it was over and it went on for another eighty eight five seconds, which was you know, I liked it, joined it, and I think it's I think part of what makes it more emotional is um getting older myself and you know, growing out this beard during this pandemic and they're being gray and the beard and and maybe just the times in general where we are right now that the gray beards

have never been more relatable is as underdogs and people looking just to stay alive, stay alive. Yeah, I mean this is a hard scrabbled crew, most of them, you know, scraping by on the eight hundred thousand dollar remaining year contract they have where they're still going to be paid by ex employer. So I I hear you. This is what we need to be getting behind moralistically and just you know, as we think about our children. All right, we will be back tomorrow. Check it out again. Oh no,

I do want to get it real quick. What do you guys think? What is this team's record? If you you know, everybody does these stupid predictions where they go game by game on a touch screen, what would be the record of this Gray Beards team? Will start with you, Greg, I'm giving them six wins. I don't think I've ever put you over two or three before. No, you haven't,

so that is notable, wrong, but notable. Mark. You know, this reminds me one of those like really interesting football life type squads where everyone you've got it just all veterans, and the locker room is gonna be raucous. They're gonna support each other, They're gonna surprise people. Go nine and seven. I like that, Wes. I actually, to tell the truth, I had the exact same record as Greg. I had six and ten in my head. Um, I think you might have some durability issues. Um, maybe some team speed

issues at the skill positions, and some insurrection issues. I think that there may not be many people wanting to be cohesive and listen to authority in this locker room. Wait, wait a second, we got Eric Berry in the locker rooms. We got who else do we have? I had another big Frank Gore's in the locker room. I mean, there are people that are gonna keep things number. We're giving you a lot of credit for cam And and Clowney. Those two alone, can can they win six games? They

gotta make up for some dry spots here. I don't know, I feel like you sneak into the playoffs there you go. I don't know you. This is the best team you've ever had. Yeah, there's two teams in the playoffs too, So yeah, I think this is true. And Erica went back and listened to all the episode that she wasn't involved in with the Gray Beards, just for that analysis. Bro al right, we will We will be back um

on Tuesday with another edition of the show. So we're gonna keep rolling in a short uh you know, shorter terms of time to the show. But we're gonna keep going five days a week until someone says we shouldn't do that, including you, the listeners. Feel free to tell us if you think this is too much content for you, but uh that's certainly uh in play as well. But until then, thanks for listening to the Around the NFL podcast, presented by into It quick Books, official sponsor of the NFL.

Remember to rate and review on iTunes. We're gonna check in on that soon, sailed Juser, signing off for The Quiet Storm, The Mailman, The Old Boston Rick, Hollywood, Behind the Glass Tail Tuesday s