Bunkercast XXXIII: Don Shula Passes & London Games Update

long time. Although apparently it's a thing that people are like driving down to, you know, San Diego County to take over their beaches. Yeah, that's something that's going on right now. And Huntington's Beach, Range County West. I saw Lakisha. You know, your wife's the best because she she embraces life in a way that I'm not used to seeing, like whether it was your engagement or the walk up to your wedding or the post wedding celebration. Now with the baby upon us here in May, you guys went

to the uh what do they call it? The wild bloom the Antelope Valley poppy seeds, But I don't there may be it may be branded as some wild bloom. I don't. I don't know about that. Yeah, well you you were the you were the photographer for a a h final what do they called Trin Lester photo shoot. Yeah.

One of your fellow Jets fans, Matt Swicky, who used to work at the network Man good Man, sent me Um a few places suggestions to go to Um because he he does a lot of photography and and his wife is also pregnant, so they did a similar shoot Keisha. As you guys know, Um not only a very joyous person but places a very high UM priority on photographs

and pictures, and Um, she's good at him. Like I thought, the photos were great and it was mostly just because she had set it up in the right locale with the right dress at the right time. Extremely taful is how I would put it. And don't cheat yourself. West, you're the man hitting the button. Ultimately, the super bloom is what it's known as well. I think, Um, I do love photography. I would say in that case, thank you to uh Apple and iPhone for doing most of

the magic. I think West hit that button about nine months ago. Everybody else doing that? Guy, Okay, Mark uh doing great? Yeah? Mark, you your weekend is okay, I wouldn't call it that. I mean it. No, you know, it's gotten, it's gotten rough. Now we're the only thing that I that I take jolly in my entire weekend is the Michael Jordan documentary that only has two weeks left. Yeah, yeah,

it's uh long gone with the days. Remember Daniel and I used to we were mad men, were very in a madman and that would be Sunday nights also and like you would have a a like a very vivacious um active we again with friends and kids and family, and then you know, Madmen would cap it off. Now you're just kind of doing with the Jordan doc It's like two days of house bound um shores and life and then an expansion into the Jordan Dock, which, um, I'm finally caught up on the field is a wonderful

piece of work. Good Greg, you're okay, I'm good. Yeah, I enjoyed the weekend. That there's some at least the cynical take from Greg about during this entire pandemic, I don't know, you like have feelings, I don't have. I mean, if we do not, the anxiety about the world around us is ever present. And like reading that is depressing. But the idea of staying home all day, um, mostly with my family and going out and stuff like there is a high level of attraction for me, Like that

is sneaky what I've always just wanted to do. So I don't mind the excuse a missing component there because Mark and I can easily say the same thing because we love our wives and children as well. It is still a lot the confined space, the the fact that you can't actually go anywhere, you can't take the kids anywhere. Um, And as much as I love being with everyone, I still it kind of gets to you after a while.

And I'm just I'm happy for you Greg that you apparently do not have the issue that many other people do. No of course, of course it's not like like all easy, but just on balance, I guess like that level of stress I prefer over overmost any and you can you can mix it up like we got we got some in and out drive through. They didn't get out of the car this weekend. But you know that that was like a big adventure, uh, you know, with a lot of biking and stuff. But I don't know, I don't

need to an excuse to read more. It feels well, I think, like to Greg's point, I mean, one thing that's not happening is like, wait, how do you read? How are you reading? Where are the children doing this? Ellis is a good um minder of Walker on some level, my daughter, so it's almost like she's a babysitter. Uh. They play their games, you know, they when they have

their team time or podcast listening time or whatever. We might have a disconnect might be Mark, and I'm sorry to cut you off there that Mark and I have two boys. There's a boy's rampunctus, boundless energy, and that just probably creates a totally different dynamic. I mean our our you know, our doctor that has known Luke and Colton since they were born um has described them in quotes as active, which is I think a code word for a lot of other things. And you know, Greg,

I appreciate what you're saying. And I feel like we've all given prop store family here and there. But for me, I have a theory with family, my family, which is sometimes keep them wanting more um and you know, when you're in each other's face. Seven, I'm doing a nice job of parenting for the first six and a half hours. But then you know, then there's there comes a breaking point for me and that's just the way that I'm made.

But I you know, I'm not Father of the Year material, but um, I need a little I need a little break sometimes to read galvanize. That's not happening here, um on seven lockdown home scenario. So you're you're the old car and the stick routine is Yeah, that's a great parenting buck by Mark Seth Sessor like leave any more. It's not a bad strategy depending on your you know, psychological makeup. All right, we've got a lot to get to. We're gonna check in on the Rosenthal Westling top one

on one free agency list. They're still believe or not. Nineteen guys from that original list that are unaccounted for don't have a team right now. But before that, we do some news, including the passing one of the all times of one of the all time greats in our league. Thing that really is one of my coaching philosophies is, uh, somehow, some way get the winning edge in the ballgame. That is the voice of the great Don Shula, who passed

away today at the age of ninety. The NFL's all time winning is coachty seven wins with the Baltimore Colts and then with the Miami Dolphins, were he had most of his victories, including, of course, the undefeated nineteen seventy two season. The Dolphins issued a statement saying that Sula died peacefully at home. Uh one of the great figures in the twentieth century of the NFL, and uh No said to be the patriarch of the Miami Dolphins for fifty years. According to the Dolphins, let's welcome in a

good friend of the show, the great Handsome Hank. He's known as on the Dave Damna Check Football program. We call him Henry Hodgson, Vice President of International for NFL Media. Hank, you are also a die hard Miami Dolphins fan. Uh just thought we all thought it would be a great idea to bring you in to talk about the great Don Shula, who passed away at the age of ninety. Thanks. Friends, Hi,

how are you guys? Body and get to see you all. Henry, you look you look like you're coming back from vacation or something. Yeah, that's not the case. I just heard you. I was to take your listeners behind the curtain. I was allowed to listen in to the first part of the show and I heard three of you talking about how life with two children is so hard. I have three kids in the back in the background here, you

guys told you did tell me at the time. It was at the time I hadn't necessarily counted on a nine months quarantine. Um. And if I had done, I would have made very different decisions in my life. Um. But but yeah, things are things that you know, you guys are are amateurs. Well, I'm I'm playing professional fathering. This is this is a great conversation piece for the end of your appearance. I did tee you up on the death of Don Shula. I'm sorry, yeah, look, I

mean it's it's it's tragic. It's really sad. Don Shula was a great coach um and um, I think a great man as well. If you listened to people who played for him, coached with him, fans who who have had a chance to meet him. Media that's had a chance to meet him, Um, well you've met him several times. I've met him two or three times in my life, actually,

I think one time with Mark Sessler. But the first time I met him I aged eleven, the Miami Dolphins played the San Francisco forty Niners in London in the game, UM, and I ran away from home and was desperate to meet my heroes and got to shake Don Shula's hand as he walked off the practice field at Crystal Palace in London where they were where they were practicing, and

that was pretty cool for me. Then in two thousand and I think it's probably thirteen or fourteen, I think almost the very first show of A Football Life, which was a network series which I just got up on YouTube today if you want anybody wants to watch that exactly. I think there's a big Schuyler marathon taking place on

npon Network tonight. But he came into the studio and they did a show afterwards that that kind of recapped it, and I got a chance to sit with him then, and I told him when I was eleven, I'd run away from home to to to go and meet him, and he asked for my mother's phone number so he could apologize to her on his behalf. So it was that's what he said. He's a nice he's a nice man.

He's a nice man. UM. And then the last time I think I met it was with Mark Sessla before on a Super Bowl Sunday when the Panthers were playing against the Broncos and uh and his son was coaching. Obviously he was offensive coordinative for for the Panthers and Mark and I got a chance to go and say good morning to him on Super Bowl Sunday morning. So well, one little note on that, because I wouldn't have gone and done it on my own. And I was standing

with you, Henry. It was at that time when we're all about to leave for to get on the buses to go to the exactly, and you know, I thought, well, I don't want to bother him because he had a few people around him, and you were and I love, I loved your attitude because in general, I feel like when you see someone and you have that one chance in life, go for it. But you know, he was in a wheelchair, I believe, and he was just um, you know it, family around them, but you said, let's

go do it. And I'll never forget this about Don Shula because it was that a period where I think a lot of younger people don't really have an idea of who Don Hula is. The same way. We didn't maybe know George Hallis when we were just getting into football, and so you're not seeing the vibrant, younger version. But when we went up and said hi to him, you know, I just thought I'd be a handshake and you're on your way. He held your hand and he said you know each of us, and he was like, so where

are you from, Mark, and and are you married? And do you have kids? And how are how are things for you? And I thought, well, wait, Don Shula is extending this meet and greet that most people would want over in two seconds. So, um, I think there's another side to Don Shule that I learned about that day. Yeah, that's true. And then there's everything else about him. Right. He was a coach that obviously one more games than any any coach in NFL history, but he did it

in in many different ways. You know. He did it with the with the Baltimore Colts and took them to a Super Bowl. He went to the Miami Dolphins as their second ever head coach after they've had a short coaching spell with with another guy, and then coached them to five different Super Bowls and in entirely different ways.

You had the seventy two and seventy three, you know, winning seasons, that perfect season that everyone knows about with with Larry Zncer and and Jim Kick and Bob Greasy, and then you know, two decades later he was taking a Da Marino led team which was, you know, at the time, something that no one had ever seen before, playing offense in a way that that you hadn't been invented up until that point, and doing the same thing.

And so I think, you know, you talk about Belichick, who's obviously right up there with him as as one of the greatest coaches of all time, and how his team's evolved every year, and and and you know, Sheila did the same thing, but he did it over us for thirty or forty year coaching career. Wes, why do you think that Shula doesn't get brought up in the way that some other guys get brought up, like a

Hollis or a Lombardi or a Belichick or a Walsh. Well, I think part of it is the era in which he coached um was not the most exciting area football era of football. They the Dolphins were the quintessential team of the seventies where they won with the running game and defense and did not want to pass. It was just let's not make mistakes, and that came from Lombardi. Sholaum pop pularized Lombardi style, really and since Lombardi, to me, it's it's Shula and Belichick are the top two UM

and you see a lot of similarities between them. I think the highest compliment you can give to a football coaches is one that was said about Bear Bryant in the South UM in the fifties and sixties. He can take his own and beat your own, and then he can turn around and take your own and beat his own. And bum Phillips said that in the NFL about Don Shula. That's that's how the quote became popular because FUM Philip said it about Shula, and I think a lot of

people think the same thing about Belichick. It's interesting to me that UM Dr Z Paul Zimmerman asked a few of the big coaches in the seventies while he was writing Thinking Man's Guide to Football, will give me one line about what you'd like to be remembered as, and Shula said, always fair, never screwed anybody, and his team traveled first class and that is there's always that sense of fairness when you talk about Don Shula, and the quote kind of morphed later in his life after all

the Belichick drama and and the scandals into Shula saying I want them to say he won within the rules. I think that's that was a high priority for Don Cholo. He he touched so much of football history. He played for Paul Brown. He was as a player, he was traded as in the biggest trade in NFL history. Two

we view Banks team. I think people forget our listeners who are young might not realize, like Don Shula was the coach of the Colts when they lost, you know, as the biggest favorite in Super Bowl history to the Jets to Joe namath in in Super Bowl three. And so John Shula entered that seventy two Super Bowl with a pretty big anvil on his shoulders. He had lost

two super Bowls. He had got blown out the year before with the Dolphins, So at that point he had lost as the biggest favorite ever, he had been blown out the year before. Uh, and then they end up

being underdogs the year that they were undefeated. I think you can argue there's an argument to be made those two team seventy two and seventy three as like a two year unit if you just want to kind of evaluate what was the best two year run of all time, that those Dolphins teams, to me would be right near the top. I think that the Cowboys in the nineties would would maybe be another one you throw in there.

And Shula was essentially pushed out of the job after the ninety five season, a nine and seven season, and he there were some you know, bad feelings about that. Shula didn't sound like he was ready to go, but the organization was ready to move on. And I think it's it's notable that they decided that Sula maybe didn't

have the edge anymore. And he was a guy that regularly took them to you know, nine, ten, eleven wins, playoffs all the time, obviously the Super Bowls, and ever since he left, it's been what almost twenty five years now, they haven't done almost anything in the league, as you know, more than anyone Henry. So I think with time Sula gets deserves even more respect for it's so hard to be consistent, not just a year after year, decade after decade,

and that's what he brought to the Dolphins. Yeah, he did. And I think around that time as well, you saw that there were three kind of great coaches in that period, Tom Landry and Chuck Noll who kind of who continued coaching, and each of those guys sort of saw their their their present perhaps not matching up to their past. But

Shula outlasted those guys. I remember just before he retired, they really made a big effort to to try and sort of stock up the team for one more run for him, and it didn't work out, but you know, he continued to I think the probably the best the best rivalry at that time was between him and Marv Levy of the Buffalo Bills, and just you know, seeing those two teams go head to head a couple of times this season and often in the playoffs as well, um, it was pretty cool to to have that chance to

then you know, understand that you're watching one of the greatest ever to do it as as the coach of your team. He also had a big impact. He was on this competition committee, which I wouldn't have remember. I you know, checked out America's Game, which is probably the best single book on football history, and the competition committee was Shula, Tex Stram, the Old Cowboys, um uh you know, executive Al Davis uh and um who am I forgetting here?

Paul Brown, And they basically set the course of a lot of the rules of everything that happened during the seventies.

When West gives a lot of credits to the NFL for being a league that's always trying to adjust and always trying to improve it, it sort of started with those guys in the seventies, and Shula was like a huge part of that, including like making like looking to make some rules that ultimately hurt him because like you know, he was known as almost like the Patriots in the early two thousands, is they were so physical that they they almost changed the rules because the league was so

worried that it was just becoming all defense uh and and he helped, you know, to to change that ultimately to that ended up partium. He also had very bad luck not to go on too much, but like after they won those two super Balls with the maybe the greatest teams of all time, three of their players left for another league. Three of their best players, you know, left for another league, and they didn't win a playoff game. For almost a decade after that, which you know, which

is it's just hard to imagine. Henry mentioned Tom Landry and Chuck Nole not just two great coaches, two icons of the nineteen seventies and sports. And there was another one, John Madden, um who was a great coach in an icon. And I remember reading Madden's book and he said out all out of all of us, Don Shula is clearly the best coach. And he has I praise for for Landry and Noel, right, and you know, and and it's it can become ponderous when every team releases like endless

statements when something like this happens. But if you go through and read what Belichick wrote about him, and how close Sula was to Belichick's dad, and like you, Henry Belichick got some of his starts in scouting by sneaking away from the college he was at to go sneak

into stadiums to watch things. I mean, I Sula to me seem is to be I don't know where we're getting the idea that he's not respected, other than the fact that I think among fans, had he won a Super Bowl or two with Marino, that might have shifted the perspective among people, maybe my age, because we certainly saw the tail end of Don Shula. But he has a hundred and twenty five more wins than Andy Reid, two hundred and three more than Pete Carroll on that

list of all time wins. Belichick is the only human being that could potentially catch him, and he's forty three behind in our lifetime. I mean, it's not just compiling either. He went fourteen seasons before he had a losing campaign. I mean, this guy was absolutely about as much as you could imagine as a coach, and someone like Belichick reveres him to the ends degreed right. And the other thing I think you can measure a coach by is

how many Hall of Famers they coach. Sula coach fifteen Hall of Famers during his career, which I think is a pretty huge number. I think only Paul Brown. I was trying to dig for this earlier, but I think Paul Brown coached eighteen. But other than that, he's he's he's way out um in front. Yeah. The fact that they did it with two franchises and so quickly kind of sets him apart from those other guys I think

of his era. I think the reason why he's maybe not viewed quite and I think he would be on the Mount Russian Arts, So I don't really maybe even buy that premise, but it's probably just you know, the over obsession with titles because of what he was two and four. I think in in championships, if you count the colts and so, you know, you make you turn that into five and one or something, and then people feel differently. But it shouldn't. It shouldn't all be about

the titles. And finally, just for a little bit of context on this, as everyone knows three seven for Shula, Belichick is a three oh four right now, He's forty three wins off if he sets the record for most wins, which I think people expect, But if he does it, he'll be in his mid seventies nearly or even beyond that potentially when he does it. So that just kind of puts it into perspective how good Hula was for you know, so long? Alright, don Jula dead at the

age of ninety, Rest in peace. Uh, Henry, We don't want to keep you on for more bad news, but we do have more been news, don't we. Uh? This coming in a very different realm. But you are, obviously, as the vice president of International v man or one of the men and women behind the scenes planning out how to spread the game and build the game and grow the game across the world. And we've got some

very bad news officially today, didn't we. Yeah, Unfortunately, we will be able to play games this year in London and Mexico. All the games UM for this NFL season will be played in the US, which is obviously sad news for our fans who I know listen a lot of them listen to you, both from the UK and Mexico. Actually, UM, but you know, the good news I guess is that we definitely were back in both of those countries in um,

if events allow, that's that's the plant. But yeah, certainly, UM, certainly upsetting for fans in those countries not to be able to see the favorite sport being played locally. I see a quote for on NFL dot com or story, UM from an individual that I'm sure you worked very closely with, Christopher Helpin. I'm just curious why you're not getting the quote in this story. I mean used to be that used to be the chief content guy on dot com before you took this VP job. I'm just

it doesn't make sense to me. It doesn't it doesn't match up. Okay, well I'll have a word with with people about that and see what we can do. It's a huge bumber though, it really is. Uh. And I imagine, Henry, I know you have the power to with a with a snap of a finger to decide whether we go back to London, but I imagine in a very different world there's that we won't be heading overseas this year either, because everything is going to be if anything happens at all,

everything is going to be very different this year. So it is uh if that is indeed our fate as well, we're really disappointed. And I know the fans overseas, uh we went. We've been lucky enough Greg the last two years to go to uh these games and the place is packed to the gills. You see U uniform people wearing jerseys from not just the teams playing the game, but it's an opportunity for these UK fans and overseas fans to kind of pledge their allegiance and wear their

own jerseys for whatever team they want. Uh. So to lose that is just another thing stripped away from not just the NFL, but like the sports calendar. It stinks, yeah, and as cool as uh, you know, the twick was Twickenham Stadium and the games at Wembley, which they're still they're still doing. I think the game that's Tottenham, which which we were at last year, kind of puts it to a different level. I mean, the crowd felt like another level. Maybe it was just the sound, just how

new the stadium. It just felt like it was like a super Bowl type atmosphere that they're going to be playing in. But this is kind of the first big change. The schedules expected to be released later this week, and I'm sure you know that this is kind of the warning. I don't expect a ton of other big changes in the schedule, at least not off the bat, but they're they're building flexibility into it in case other things need

to be changed. I mean, I know, I retroactively have probably won forty five sandwiches thanks to the coronavirus based on um now expired sandwich props. But um, I think it's a huge well, thank you, But in our relas from you know, COVID nineteen Mark Sessler, there's no bigger winner than Greg. Apparently he's having the time of life. I don't tell you, but can I keep him wanting more? Theory?

I mean that little trip to London, um was critical to build into the year for just a little bit of uh personal space and time in a nice hotel and meeting wonderful people. Henry. I mean this probably wipes out six or seven weeks to travel for you. You were gonna go to Mexico, all you, Well, you do the thing where you go and do like, Hey, let's go to London for a week to look at the stadium to make sure that it looks good before we go a second or third time? Right? I mean, what

happens to you now? When are you? I don't know where you do you get this from? But yes, we gotta I do have to make a few tricks you out a hand. I gotta head back to uh West London and stay at a notting Hill flat so I can test the fish and chips at the stadium. Henry's definitely read the leven Wanting More Parenting buck by Mark sel Yeah. I did read it, and I decided I would really adult that pretty hard, all right, Henry? Um,

you know kind of not not the greatest circumstances. Today Don Shula dies and the International Games are wiped away. But you are, h man, that can give us great information on both those topics. And you did you hit it out? I did my best. You want to add, you know, well, I bet the book about it. Yeah. The positive is I got to see you guys. It's nice too. It's nice to see all your faces. And that's the most important thing. That's the best thing that's

come out of today. All right, Well, we miss you, Henry. I miss you guys too. I'm looking forward to when we can all be together again. In the meantime, West I'll be rounding about thirty five minutes in the dog all right, we'll see see you and disco in a little bit exactly, alright, see a buddy, see you all right. Yeah, that's a bummer, but what can you do. Everything is

different now. Don't go back to London. I mean to me, like, I know, the NFL hates the word exhibition, but in the old sense of the word, these International Games are exhibitions of football. They're a spectacle and without fans, they just they don't they don't work. Yeah, well, that's certainly fair, um, all right. In other news, Andy Dalton has a new team, but it's not the team we expected it to be last time you joined us on the Round the NFL podcast.

The Jaguars were said to be interested and that seemed like a sensible place for him, but he ends up signing a one year deal with the Dallas Cowboys to back up Dak Prescott. The team announced it on Saturday. The deal has a base value of three million, could be worth up to seven million if he hits all the incentives. Dalton, of course, played the first nine years of his career in Cincinnati, was least last week after

making a request to the team. He's thirty two years old, and Mark this is an interesting landing spot for him because on the surface, it's a it's certainly a there's a chance he just rides the pine for an entire season and then hits free agency again. But also there is some drama, obviously with Dak Prescott and his contract situation, and now you have a very capable backup behind him, Slash another option for Jarra. If he chooses to go down that route, well, I'm sure it won't be the

end of the Dak Prescott. Um. You know, drama bullets that we seem to talk about almost every show. But for me, I love the signing for Dallas. I love it for Andy Dalton. He grew up in Katie, Texas. Um. You know it's funny his offensive coordinator Kelen Moore, he squared off within two Bowl games. So there's a lot of like connective tissue here for Dalton. I think it was probably from a family angle. UM, A great thing

for him. It's like, you know, we when we try to figure out these landing spots, you look for need, and the Jacksonville Jaguars seemed to us with growed in there also the team that needed someone. Um. And also you know, maybe a great spot for Andy Dalton to pick up six or seven starts. But I would say

this about Dallas. Think of those seasons back when they had Tony Romo and he would suffer one of his like four billion classical injuries and the guy behind him was a non functional backup and the season would go totally down the gutter. So I love the fact that they went out and got someone that they say they love, Cooper Rush, but they went and got someone they can trust and Andy Dalton is immediately the best backup in

the NFL. Mhmm, Yeah, these one year contracts that he and Winston signed, it makes sense to me that if it's the most oversaturated quarterback market we've ever seen, and there's no way they're getting paid, find the best spot possible where if the starter goes down and you get placed in there, you've got the weapons to go crazy and get a big contract next year. Yeah, Texas kid that played at TCU, I mean, there's got to be part of him. It's like a dream to play for

the Cowboys. Then he's got to be again. If I do get to play, I could light it up with this team and rebuild my value. The fact that he's only making like a three million dollar base he's just wild to me. It's like Jalen Richard got more money than that this offseason. You know, Chase Daniel was getting that money more than that regularly. And so it really does show the kind of the market supply and demand just apparently has too much supply of quarterbacks. It doesn't

quite check out. But you got to think that the Jaguars weren't offering like a ton of money either, uh, And that he just chose the Cowboys because they thought, you know, that it was a better situation. Well, so the Bengals did him no favors by you know, they knew they were going to get a quarterback and they dumped Dalton after the draft. I mean, there would have been other options for Randy Dalton back in March. I wonder what those options would have been other than Chicago.

You can't blame the Bengals for trying to trade him. I don't. I'm just saying the timing probably didn't help any wasn't ultimately thrilled with it, and I was thinking about it on Friday. We're saying, oh, this makes a lot of sense. The Jaguars could be a good spot for him. But then I thought about it some more today and it didn't make too much sense on either side.

I guess it would make sense to Doug Moron, who needs to win games, um, but if he went to Jacksonville, he could end up just being the next Nick Foles there where the team stinks and he's the veteran quarterback that's uh seems to be going nowhere. So it's like, why isn't Minshew playing again? And then Minshew would go back in and he would just be his brand would suffer as a result. And from the Jaguars side of things, I mean, what are you trying to do? Are you

trying to go organizationally? You're trying to go eight and eight or whatever like Dalton. We know it's not I mean, I know, I know, I know Greg, I know everybody wants to win every week and all that. But from like a big picture of view point, why wouldn't you just give Minshew the reins of the team and if he's great, you have an answer. And if he stinks, you stink, and then you get a top quarterback in

the draft next year. Maybe even the big guy put it well to me that you know, the backup quarterback, he he thinks he's a top thirty roster spot. That's how he would look at it. You know that that's more valuable than about twenty rosters. And I would agree with that, like it makes sense to invest in in quarterbacks. It's a great move for the Cowboys. I mean, if Dak Prescott has an injury, he could keep he could keep them afloat and actually goes way better. Uh. Two

more notes. Cooper Rush was waived today. Um, so he's out of the picture in Dallas, and Dak Prescott has started sixty four of sixty four games since being drafted in so there is a you never know in football, of course, but he is as durable as they come. Uh, Dak So Dalton, you know, we'll see. He may he may never throw a meaningful pass for Dallas. We will see, all right, Moving on, I got a little caught up in that and forgot what we were talking about. Next

fifth year options. Oh yeah, fifth year option talk. Another daily reminder that Mitchell Trobinsky exists, another popular topic. He is of course the headliner here because the number former number two overall pick of the Chicago Bears the man that was infamously and this will go down in Chicago history as basically the uh was at the inverse of Michael Jordan dropping to the Bowls with the third pick.

They passed on both Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson and trade it up for Mitch Robinsky out of North Carolina and he doesn't even make it to a fifth year option pick up after a wolfull third season in Chicago where he regretted in almost every way possible. Trabinsky will play out his contract in Chicago this year potentially, but he has no um fifth year option, which is almost

a given for a guy you would think. Greg. One of the great surprises, UH to me anyway, was how much how much they were in on him this time last year, to think that you fast forward one year

and they wouldn't even be picking up the option. Life comes at your fast, right, I mean, even back you know, in January them talking about Rabinsky, because I think listeners should should understand when when you don't pick up the fifth year option, it is yeah, I don't know if disrespects the right word, but it's saying you don't think much of the player, I don't like. You can't play any other way because there is very little risk for this one last year of the fifth year option being

in the current rules of picking up the option. Now, starting next year, it's gonna be fully guaranteed, and then that's a totally different equation. But for this one year, the only reason it would be guaranteed is if he suffered like a big injury. So they're basically saying, we don't think there's any chance that we're gonna want to pay him, you know, over ten million dollars a year next year, and if there is whatever, we'll franchise tag him.

Like we think there's almost no chance that he's going to be a standout at the position, and the tiny chance that he gets injured, we don't even want to take that risk. Like that's how little we think of them, That's how I see it. Yeah, I think for me, I mean, if you're a Bears fan, you know, we all know a few and they they've been through a bit um. I don't know if I trust the general manager at this point, based on the backstory to this and a lot of other stuff the Bears have done.

The team has somehow completely lost any sense of identity, uh during matt Age's run, And I would say this about matt Nigi also, this is a loss from matt Age. You were brought here to coach up and develop this quarterback, and yeah, I get that the player is not ready. Mitchell Drobiski is just not an NFL starter, and we've

come to that conclusion previously. But for all the pretty words and the poetry that we heard about Mitch Drobiski and all these tedious offseason meetings with these coaches and GMS. In the end, they both couldn't get it done. And I think this, I think that when they go to the cutting room floor with some of these players on the Bears, I think it's time to go a little bit higher, think about going a little higher. Well you

you're talking about Ryan Pace, And yes it is. At the end of the day, this is this could be a you know, Babe Ruth sold to the Yankees type thing for the Bears. If Patrick Mahomes, because Gregg You've already said this is one of the greats of all time, right or something like that, he could be and and he just won a Super Bowl and he's got an m v P. Mahomes And I'm not even bringing in to Shawn Watson is also one of the great young

quarterbacks in the game. If Mahomes does end up being an all time great that you traded up for a North Carolina quarterback and who played one year, there were a lot of flat There are a lot of issues with Trabisky coming to keep hearing from Bears fans it's like, well, you know, you you you couldn't have known. Then, It's like no, actually, they were sticking their neck out a little bit on Trabisky. It's part of the reason why

it was so negatively received that Watson. A lot of people everyone had Watson higher just about and a lot of people had My Homes higher. So it's not going back and and making a change. It was kind of the draft Nicks who got super into that one year at the NFL. I mean a n see that got so high on Rabinsky that it's like, look, I mean that you you put your you put your jobs online. When you take a risk like that, it's just how it goes. Hey, stop banging the garage couch. I couldn't

hear it. And to your point on Naggi mark all right, but it's like it's kind of the damned if you do, damned if you don't, because you can't tell me that it's on him for not developing Trabisky, but then also saying that your wisky can't play well. I would say the I would say this, let's go wider, and you know, not to belieabor the point, but the entire experience of the Bears offense um I Matt Niggy came out of Andy Reid's you know tree as described as like the

most capable, ready to be head coach guy. I just I haven't seen it yet. I don't see a huge differentiator. We talked about there being four or five coaches that really make a difference on Sundays. Matt Niggy UM, and he's had some issues put in his in his lap. I just I don't seem as one of those guys. Not close right now, well maybe not a stud of

the year he looked. I thought he provided such a huge advantage for them UM in seventeen, and that was one of the reasons I always stayed down on Drabinsky, thinking it was almost all coaching, and so I am curious to see Naggie with a different quarterback, even if it's Nick Foles all right, who will stay healthy for about three weeks and then you'll have Mitch Drabinsky and there with no option having to ride out the season planning. Here are some other notable fifth year UH declined options.

Leonard Fournett, who actually had his best season last year but still seems like a knucklehead and it wasn't exactly a glowing season statistically. UH. Let's see Garrett Bowls, Tack McKinley, UH, Corey Davis, the number five overall cross Cincinnati Corey Davis of the Titans, who is supposed to be a big time X receiver. It never happened, So, yes, it is. It's a failure of the organization. When you have a pick, you're declining a fifth year option essentially, unless there's an

injury or something. Typically it's just kind of a bad look for the management that in many cases has already been swept out by the time this decision has made. All right, that's what's happening in the news. All right, Greg and West and also Dan and Mark put together top one on one list. Um, Mark, do you remember what was the pick? What was the name that we just had a little flip. I believe in the sixties

or seventies we had Carlos Hide at UM. I believe sixty four Um switched with a different player and Greg and West, you know, but it was I thought it was involved Carlos Hide if I'm not mistaken, But it's it's you know it, Greg and West very in a in a strange series of events somehow after we left, you know, our physical list on your desk stand back when we had desks, UM put out a list identity

to our save for the two players being switched. So I think it's fair to say that they had hired higher on their list, and yet he still doesn't have a team. So there you go. Case close alright. So here here's a list of their nineteen players remaining out of the one on one. I'm just gonna like kind of rip through the list and then you guys wanna point out anybody that jumps out to Cam Newton, Jenavian Clowney.

We know both their situations. Everson Griffin, Logan, Ryan, Jason Peters, Dark Wes Denard Eli Apple, Carlos Hyde, Marcus Golden, Damar Dots and Michael Bennett, Prince of Mukamara, Clayton Gathers, Eric Reid, Terrell Suggs, Damon Harrison, Mickel Hendricks or Michael Hendricks, Tony Jefferson not or it is Michael Hendrick, Hendricks, Tony Jefferson,

and Jordan Reid. Uh those are the nineteen players, and Gregg, it jumps out to me, there are players here that you can help that will help rosters, especially there are a ton of teams out there that need I'll start here in the secondary, and I see guys like Eric Reid and Prince and Mukamar Prince of Mukamara and Eli Apple and Logan Ryan. These are guys that are kind of starter level, replacement type guys. Why aren't they signed yet? Yeah, Eli Apple had a deal with the Raiders and that

fell apart. I don't know if that was a healthy thing. He was coming off of an injury. I would expect all of those guys you just mentioned the secondary to find a team, especially Logan Ryan, who was playing at a really high level for most of last year. There is a date, and it's unclear what the date is, but it's in the next week or so when the

signings no longer count for the compensatory pick formulas. And you would think that's when some of these guys could get signed, because you're right, like those guys could start Logan right, I mean Logan right, and that he has been um mentioned as a possibility for the Jets. Like, I'd be super annoyed if one of these corners is not on the Jets. I would be legitimately annoyed if at least one of these guys isn't signed by the

big Man, Joe Douglas. Logan Ryan stands out to me, because Cam Newton Jadevian Clowney have injury factors, I think that have weighed into them not signing. Everson Griffin had um some mental issues a couple of years ago, and I think it's hurt him not being able to meet with teams. Logan Ryan doesn't have any of those issues.

I think his problem is he pretty much made it be known he's not taking a penny less than ten million dollars what he was making last year with the Titans, and maybe teams don't see him at thirty years old, a guy who a lot of people feel like is best suited to the slot as as a ten million dollar guy. Here's two by low guys that jump out to me. Damon Harrison Snacks, who really struggled last year in Detroit, but before that, and by the way, there's some bad vibes that juju going on in Detroit as

we're hearing, and he's spoken out on that. Maybe it was just a bad year for him. I think he might have been banged up to Uh, if you are a team that's getting killed in the run, maybe you take a flyer and Snacks at the stage and maybe he gets the eye of the tiger back and gets healthy. Jason Peters is the other guy. He was a top

left tackle for a long time. I know he's older, but at the very least maybe a depth guy or I feel like at this stage, maybe like West, you're saying, some of these guys still value themselves at a higher place than what teams are willing to spend. But two other guys that could be starters. I think, does Jason

Peters want to leave the Eagles? To me, He's never said anything about it that I know of, but I've I've had the sense that that relationship has gone on so long that he might not want to play for anyone else, and he's waiting for them to kind of extend an olive branch and bring him back. I don't know. I kind of feel that way about Everson Griffin going back to Minnesota. I mean, he's on the record saying he'd do it um in a weird offseason where maybe you know you you can go back to a team

that would welcome you, they would need him. The scheme is known, you know everything around you don't have to move. I mean, some of these guys might wind up in familiar spots because of something, because of what we're dealing with right now. Yeah, the pandemic almost takes off the urge for these teams to sign these guys quick because they're not gonna they don't They're not gonna have him on the field anytime soon. Any He's Griffin is the

guy who stands up to me. I mean, obviously Clowney and and Cam can make an impact, but Griffin played really well last year. I mean, Griffin was probably more valuable, as valuable as Clowney was in two thousand and nineteen. I know he's older and so that that changes the equation,

but he's been about a steady of pass rusher. If the Vikings can add him back, or the Browns, who just seemed to get thrown around for whatever reason, that probably because they are interested in Clowney and Griffin, if they could add one, like to me, that would change the way either of those teams look. They already looked pretty good. I'll throw one more out there. There's someone on this list that's in the back end of your top one, a one that has done something that Jadeveon

Clowney has never done in six seasons. The guy that wanted twenty million a year is have ten sacks in a sixteen game campaign. That is Marcus Golden coming off with ten sack year. That seems like a guy that should be off the market. Teams are always desperate for somebody who can get to the quarterback. Ten sacks. It doesn't mean you're a stud, but it means that you you know what you're doing. You're a tactician at the

very least. And Genevian Clowney, you come back to me, you know, the only ten sacks in your whole career, you have been down. You have been, you know, quietly a little down on Clowney or suspicious of the Clowney hype for a long time. And I hear you because my version of Mitch Robinsky for you that when Bill O'Brien is being assassinated for that trade to Seattle, people

are viewing him as Lawrence Town. How about when I was being dressed down as being like, you know, stopped stop with your takes, telling you that Mitchell Robinsky wasn't good three years ago. You know, Oh, calm down, Mitchell Robinsky will be fine. Please. And it's just like Mark doesn't Mark, you stop with your football opinion over there. You don't know what, but I really not me. Let's

circle back Robisky thing real quick. Then. I think our our viewpoint on that was that none of us thought he was like a stutter or anything, but he had he had progressively like kind of been growing or trendy. How dare you talk about Mitchell trobisky that you're talking about playoff game, which I'm talking about well before the playoff game, Like, come on, anyway, Marcus Golden deserves a home. This is the end for he seems like a guy who's gonna join halfway through the season and like win

another Super Bowl or some nonsense. I'm done with him. I was showing my kids. We have like clips from

our Michael Bennet, Yeah, like interesting somewhere else. I was showing kids these clips of the Ravens locker room after they won the nine are Super Bowl with the blackout, because they were very into the concept of why the energy went out in the middle of the Super Bowl and you know, we're having this nice time watching Ray Lewis celebrate and then t Sizzle walks into the room and drops like six f bombs and the seventh deconds. Somebody all right. We're gonna thanks a lot sugs, the

gift that keeps on giving to the Ones family. Please, I feel you. Man came out of nowhere, all right, anything else, that's it. Check it out. We were gone. We'll be back on Wednesday. Oh, we should make an announcement here. Uh we're to start okay, so we have a show can up on Wednesday and audio show uh going forward effective this week at least, we're going to have a Our show is back on NFL network. Uh. It will be the Around the NFL Show on NFL Network.

It will be the lead in show to Total Access, the flagship program on NFL Network. Very excited for it. So it's coming. Check it out this Friday. So you're this week, you're gonna get podcast today obviously podcast Wednesday, TV show Friday, three pm Pacific, six pm Eastern, NFL Network. The Around the NFL Show is back and we're excited about that. We'll be planning a neet all week working title Partial Access No Accident. Uh. Um, so that's it. Yeah,

I think this. We're excited about it. Check it out. This Dan handsOn signing off for Guide Storm, The Mailman, The Old Boss Rick Hollywood silent show for Ricky Hollywood in her apartment. Rick you there, I'm here just forgot how to podcast over the weekend. It's like, just just get out, get out of Monday. It's a tough monday. Um, Hi, how are you? Hi? Did you have a nice weekend? I did? Yes, I did. I've been really yeah. Yeah, yeah,

I can't. Yeah, I don't know. IX version of Mitch Robiski is my version of like Greg being like, I don't understand why anybody would have any issues being at home with her children head, but you're trying to make the makeup and experience. I don't. There are no problems in my house. It's like, good, I'm add you're in the minority. That's all. I'm happy for you, though, sounded um all right, anybody else have anything to say? No, alright,

let us let us end the show mercifully. Dan Ads is signing off for Goldstorn, The Mailman, The Old Boston Rack, Hollywood and her Apartment until Wednesday, m