Changing of the Guard in the AFC

I stopped getting on millennials a long time ago. I think, Yeah. I used to tell them to read a book quite often, you know what, right around the time, a book once in a while, Millennials, right around the time you met a woman who was known as the paramore. But now she has a name. It's Lakisha and uh West, this ramp up to the wedding has been outrageous. Uh this weekend Lakisha and it's all on the Graham and and there was there was girls by the pool. There was

a poll involved. If you want to take a break from following Matt Mark Patrick Brady on Instagram, you could also follow Lakisha Jackson Lakisa Jackson zero and I would say do not ever stop following Mark Patrick Brady. In fact, if you're not following him on Instagram, please do it. We've noticed that like a hundred fifty of you plus have now unfollowed him after following him. That's that's rude. Get back on. But West, your wedding now, it's it's coming now, it's about a month and a half out.

Just it's next month. You're getting married and and your wife to be has been very busy. Our bachelor party with West, of course, is coming up in just about three weeks. How are you feeling? Where's your emotions? A little overwhere where's the pea scale right now? Peace scale, I would say is about three. Okay, that's a good place. Like I'm totally confident about the wedding and who I'm marrying and major life decision the most important. It's more

of like you just there's so much planning involved. And I had in my mind because I'm older, like I'm nobody gets married for the first time at forty five. This is ridiculous. So I had it in my mind and everything would be casual, you know, I'm past that like fairy tale stage of the wedding. Yeah, but are open. Casual is not happened. Like, what you are slowly learning is that you control nothing at all at this Yes,

it's a bit of a cliche. You realize as the wedding is coming together that you're just along for the ride. Well it's I feel like so I know I don't have any control, but I'm also expected to contribute a lot. That's tough. Spot. Yeah, and uh, ricky Hollywood behind the glass? Where is the westling Cam? Hashtag west Cam? We had it in front of Greg and I on Friday Show. It's gone and I really miss it. I have to say, yeah, sorry, Um,

it was a great addition to the show. It was, but we got a fit Mark in there too, So apologies outplogies, welcome back Mark. How you doing I'm fine, I mean feel free to I'm fine if you want to cut me to the shot also for the betterment of this new development. But I'm doing fine. No, no, I welcome your return. So we do not need a Westka alright, alright, so hanging their West. You're almost to the finish line. We've all been there. You're looking good though,

you're feeling good. Look good, feel good, feel You'll play good, good, alright, Uh, big show coming up today. A f C is an interesting place right now, really interesting. Um, you all know about Rob Gronkowski retiring, but the defending a f C champion, the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots, Well they are not looking that rear view mirror or the side view mirror because objects greg are closer than they appear. We're gonna

talk about that. Why don't change the way they make those mirrors at this point so they don't have that doesn't have to be true because of Steven Spielberg. He needed that for the movie Jurassic Park and he paid off big mirror. He paid paid them off of that. Uh. And also we're gonna do uh news. Yeah, so we're gonna talk about what's going on in the a f C, which is getting more and more competitive by the day. Uh, And a lot of news to get to, including Mark

on that. Well, it's you know, you can never say it's not a Indian barrel ground because it will always be built upon an Indian barrel ground. But the Browns facility in Barrea? Is that correct? My pronouncing correctly? But that's could be you know, Jed and I could just be from where you're from. These are happy yes, these are happy days in Barria. Uh. And a big press conference today, So we're gonna start right there. Let's do

some news. Ricky, I just started screaming, just like just yelling like you would have thought I was on the on the field on game day. I think the thing we kept saying was this can't be real. Um, just a bunch of boys having the time of their lives. That was Baker and Mayfield reacting when asked, UH where he was. What happened when he found out Baker Odell Beckham Jr. Was coming to the Cleveland Browns big pressor

uh in Cleveland. They had first Freddie Kitchens, Uh, the head coach, spoke on his own wearing the Cleveland Cleveland Indians hat. And for all the aw shucks and Freddy Kitchens, Freddy knows what he's doing to he's putting that cap on. It's another reminder, Hey, I'm here to coach ball, talk ball, and be one of you. Like he gets it. He started the presser, you know, wishing them good luck on their home opener, which is like a veteran coach move.

So Freddie does his thing and then they trot out the four big stars of the Browns, Miles Garrett, who did not have a lot to do or say in this press conference, uh, Jarvis Landry, who was the BFF of course of Odell Beckham, and then Baker Mayfield, and

they had about a twenty thirty minute pressor the introduction. Uh. Your initial takeaways, um Mark from the press conference, Well, I mean, I I appreciated that Baker Mayfield and the rest sort of talked about it being a bit of a surreal moment, because that's what I've been saying the whole time, and even now. It just seemed weird because the Browns, I think have probably led the league in hopeful press conferences that have led to literally nothing but

utter disaster. And this occurred on April Fool's Day number one, which I found a little um anti poetic, But uh, I do think finally, I think they were sitting up there looking at each other like, how has this come together? How has this happened? And Baker Mayfield's quote, um totally

encapsulates that it's still it's still one. There was one moment though, because I love Baker Mayfield had some edge to him with the reporters to He's like, where there was no one here last year, Now you're all here. It's like, okay, well you're I don't know what's going on there. But he basically at one point when they're starting to peg Odell Beckham with who are you the person should we be concerned about? Odell Beckham the experience, and Baker Mayfield said, he's here today. He didn't have

to be. It's voluntary. He's part of this team. He cares very much. So I think they're all glued together because Odell and Baker were hanging out long before this happened, and he's legit best friends with Landry, and people are trying to cook up will these two get along? Well, they're legit best I mean you can tell that they are lifelong friends whose goals have been linked since high school. So I think that the soup can work together. Um

it's it was a very strange sight. I I was taken by you know, Jarvis Landry saying how he cried when he found out Odell was coming, Odell Beckham saying that joining Landry specifically is maybe the greatest blessing he's ever had in his entire life, and that he and Landry are close enough that he hated being apart from him, that he didn't feel like he could be there for him as a friend enough by face timing every day.

And they said they do that, and I was like, you know, I don't talk to my brother and my mom or anyone every day or anything. I mean, And it just it does give you the idea of like what it means to them to play together, and and they're how excited they are to be with someone like Baker May. Let's listen to Odell Beckham, who did not tamp down the expectations when talking about what this they meant for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League

as a whole. I think this moment is going to be more iconic than we all realize right now. You know, that's obviously that's what we want the goal to be, you know, to look back in ten years and be like, man, I remember today, April on two thousand nineteen like the start of something great, you know, and I'm just happy to be a part of that. What if instead of like when the Vikings first traded Randy Moss to the

Marcus tu Yasa Sopo, Andrew Walter Raiders. What if at that same time they traded him in the private his career to a Bengals team that just drafted Carson Palmer and had Chad Johnson and Rudy Johnson and Chris Perry and Chris Henry. That's what this seems like to me. In the prime of his career, they traded for the most talented wide receiver in the NFL on a loaded offense. That's why I can understand why he says this might

be more iconic than people realize. I think that's why they put Myles Garrett up there too, to to sort of signify like, hey, this is our new era. And Garrett fits even though he didn't get asked much on this day, he is one of the faces and the leaders and that the Browns are Now we've been we've been saying they're becoming America's team, but really it is different.

And I know it's April first, and we got a couple of hours to fill on up to the minute, but like taking a Brown's press conference live on NFL Network and like that's the big, you know, news of the day, It's that's totally did you guys gain more confidence? In Freddie Kitchens in terms of handling all these stars. I thought his press conference was as good as anything that came from the players, because he hammerd home over

and over. It's like, look at good he talked about basically and he asked the PR guy, am I allowed to talk about a player that I've coached before? And the prgus like yes, He's like, all right, I follow the rules. But he talked about Larry Fitzgerald. The good players don't mean titles at all. That they have to basically make this work. And to me, that is the major X factor that still hangs in the sky. That's basically where I am right now. I'm um excited to

see how all this place together. It's it's fun to have Beckham with a great young quarterback, to see where it all goes. I'm now I'm at the top in terms of like the gas tank is filled with the hype and everything around this Teamredy, I'm already ready to just I want to see these guys play. I want to see how they react to adversity. I don't want to see how Freddy Kitchens handles the personalities, but I know that's not how it's gonna work. There's gonna be

months and months ahead, but it just it is. Today was just another example of the level of optimism. That is, I haven't seen around UM many teams at all in the years that I've been working in NFL. Uh, So it is a little bit surreal going back to well and when we have it right, typically it doesn't. But this is so interesting that it is the Browns that is the team that is the recipient of all this UM hype. So we'll see how it plays out. Let's

move on the Raiders. No hype around the Raiders in terms of U a f C contender right now, but they are busy. They're doing their due diligence, as they say. They're holding a private workout with Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray UH one day in Dallas, and the workout UM also apparently went very well, according to rap Sheet Murray going nuts uh and uh in terms of like his ability

to throw the ball. I mean, guy is supposed to be one of the great dual threat players and and the Raiders are kicking the tires and seeing if that's a guy they want to make a play for. Uh. Interestingly, West the Raiders also sent out a tweet with Raiders great Tim Brown pointing at Kyler Murray saying, just Heisman stuff. They're both uh former Heisman Trophy winners. Uh do you put anything into that with? Of course Derek Carr and John Gruden and Mike Mayock and everyone is saying all

the right things about Derek Carr, he's our guy. But then your Twitter account is sending out the kid phenom quarterback photo from a workout for the team. Well, I never know what to put in any of these visits. That's why I don't track them very much, because they're not very predictive of who will be drafted by that team.

It just says that they're interested. And John grew And has said at the um combine Derek Carr is a franchise quarterback and our franchise quarterback, and then just at the late meetings last week he said again, Derek Carr is going to be our quarterback. I don't know how similar is that to the Giant saying Eli is going to be our quarterback. Odell Beckham. We didn't, we didn't sign Odell Beckham to trade him. Jordan's going to be

on our team next year. From John Gruden in late you know, week seventeen of December last Well, let me what would we be doing if the Jets had brought in Kyler Murray for a long workout and we're tweeting out Kyler Murray tweets from their account its draft him. If the Cardinals are already slated to well that's the issue. But talked about a Derek Carr trade of the Raiders and they move up. But they don't know, they don't know. You don't know what the what the Cardinals are necessarily

gonna do. You I do put something into it. Okay, this is their time and Greg Olsen their offensive coordinators down there, Gruden's scripts thirty minutes of of that quarterback workout. They're going to dinner, Mike Mayock and on Gruden, Like, I absolutely put something into that, because if you just signed let's say, you know, a quarterback to a long term contract, you're not doing that just you're not in

the top shelf quarterback game. They are saying that Derek Carr's our quarterback, but he's not one of those quarterbacks that you would just not consider taking. Like, so their their their eyes have to be open to drafting Kyler Murray or Dwayne Haskins for that, or maybe they're preparing for a year from now when the Cardinals are trading Kyler Murray and getting their third quarterback in three it's

telling to me. Ian said, they're not going to the other quarterbacks workouts or anything, so they're not necessarily like like in the second third round quarterback market. Maybe they trade up for the Cardinals, which is maybe Cardinals want all those draft picks the Raiders right exactly, but they are looking hard at Haskins and Murray like the two guys that they would think would have a chance to be better than car So the Raiders are picking number

four in the first round at least right now. The New York Giants are picking six, and a lot of talk about the Giants they'll take a quarterback this year they passed last year. Well maybe not. First of all, Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa visiting with the Giants on Tuesday, Per rap Sheet and a report out of U s n Y Ralph Acciano, a source report told Vacciano that the Giants will likely select a pass rusher with a six overall pick. The source told Vacciano, as

much as we need a young quarterback. Honestly, don't know how we can pass on one of the pass rushers at six. UM Dwayne Haskins is quarterback that's also potentially out there in that area. But uh, the Alan Kid, uh Williams Bosa. Those are three big time pass rushers

that apparently the Giants are hot on. I don't know what to put into these, like the report that they couldn't pass up a defensive end, but the idea that they would like maybe wait to the second first round pick they had seems kind of laughable because like, that's

just not how it works with orderback. If they're into Drew Lock for instance, that they've been kind of tied to maybe Daniel Jones, like someone's going to trade out earlier or or you you would take you know, you would you would take them like you if you're into a first round quarterback, you're into it. Maybe maybe they're not.

It's impossible to know right now. And it's one thing if they were in position to get the number one pass rusher, but it's possible with the way things fall that they could get the third or fourth or fifth best pass rusher. So it's like you're not even get

the best guy. I think it's starting to become so I was very anti Giants, it's now becoming so incredibly beautiful because they're digging so hard into this thing where they're going to take everything with the Giants fan would want and just say we are going to continue to push and we might even say Eli Manny into at this point that it's beautiful for like observers who don't have a horse in the race. But if you're a

Giants fan, oh, then you're setting your house. This is what thinks about being a fan, that that people can come into your organization, get caught up in their own notions and wreak havoc on your team instead of trying to build a winner. Well, and think about our Boyetti Spaghetti, who was tweeting out about having to Odell Beckham mouse pass like Odell Beckham shirts and hats. I mean that's they're leading into it so much that I might almost like, this might be what makes me start to root for

Eli Manning and the Giant. I agree, just have to run that. I remember because he did it again. Gentleman was on Good Morning Football last week and he he used some metric like saying that Eli was one of the top downfield pastors in the league last season. It's mostly just a fire up like the three guys that I do this podcast with at this point, doesn't join

every every step of it. It reminds me of when Less Snead and the Rams were going on their Case Keenum thing about he had came in and had what was it like some sort of metric where you don't get it, but case Keenum is this incredible quarterback that we can anchor our franchise on. And they trade up and get Jared Golf right and I someone pointed out in an article right at this time last year that said how the Browns were deciding between Donald and Allen

and Josh Allen. That's like you, I think that's the Oh we got some breaking was we've got a trade live on. The Browns have traded Emmanuel Ogba to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for safety Eric Murray. Manuel

Ogba Bye bye. Nice pick up by the Chiefs. A guy that a guy that that that like PFF for instance, always loves Agba because he's very much a hurry not quarterbacks hits or sack guy, but he's good against the Rodney gets some pressure like he's he's a starting NFL player and they need some of those on their day. They were trying to move him. The Browns also cut Derrick Kindrick the safety today because he started to cost too much for what he was because of some sort

of contract stipulation. But I thought they were going to go out and get Eric Berry potentially, so they still might do that. They might um Dorsey burning the phone lines with his old with his old front office group here. Eric Murray has played a lot too, So that's a guy I think that they they would not trade oba. I wouldn't think unless it's for someone that they believe is gonna get on the field for them, because I I wished it like what was. Murray has played a

lot of snaps for a horrible second. Right, I'm not saying he's great. I'm saying they they probably see him as having a role because I didn't understand that the need to get rid of it's good to have the defense end. Moving on, The Redskins organization was turned upside down by the Alex Smith leg injury UH and even more serious medical issue UM connected to one of their

best players, maybe their best player. Left tackle Trent Williams, who had been dealing with what was known as a medical scare, turned out according to Rapt it was a growth or a tumor on his head that doctors feared might be malignant, scary stuff. It was removed and there was concerns at the time that he might miss the season with the situation. While it turns out now everything should be okay and um he'll be on the field. So great news, but quite a scare there for Trent Williams.

That just speaking if somebody who's going through it, those testing days can be some of the scariest days you have, just because the uncertainty. You just don't know what it will do to the rest of your life. Shane Lechler has done uh. The All Pro punter retires after eighteen season eighteen seasons. The news announced on Twitter by former Texans teammate J. J. Watt, who tweeted out a photo with Lechler who's holding a Bog's light and just chilling out and what looks like a very J. J. Watt

type setting. It must be you know what now I'm looking at the photo, it's J. J. Watt's big Man cabin remember that from hard knock the giant man cabin enjoyed that man cabin with the cornhole out back. Anyway, So Lechler ends his career UH draft in the fifth round of the two thousand NFL Draft by the Raiders. Remember Leckler and Janetkowski Sea Beast came into the league together on the Raiders and then played together for a decade and a half. He made seven Pro Bowls. Leckler

did named first team All Pro six times. He was a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame All two thousand's team. His punt average went up each of the three decades or the twenties, thirties, and forties. UH. He finally steps away though, And here's the thing. Pat McAfee, former punter who used to study uh Leckler's tape UH to learn how to punt in and the most efficient manner possible, says, this guy's the first ballot Hall of Famer. Well, not to get on Rich Eisen's corner that it was

a punters or people too? Is that the Eisen thing? Should there be more discussion about Shane Leckler. I mean that's he's put together a career that few players in his position have ever even approached. Well, I don't know if he'll I doubt he'll be first ballot. That's just to me, that's just the read. He'll definitely be considered because he was the best at his position for what

a dozen years. I think Johnny Hecker overtook him, and I think Johnny Hecker is the best best punter I've ever seen, But Shane Lecker will will be seen as the guy from that early two thousand. Also, the Raiders went from Rey guy to Shane Lechard. They have two of the best punters in history, and that's got to be the best. Betty is the only punter in the Hall of Fame. Leckler was, So that's sort of that's the Raiders version of going from Brett farved Aaron Rodgers.

They did it as the punter position, like the worst position possible. It's I think it's equal equally equally a huge feat um. I mean, Lechler was in the tuck rule game and when when you talk about McAfee, because he had it in the in the Peter King piece this morning where he came into the league as a rugby kicker and coaches thought, yes, we can make you. You got the skill set to become a kicker, but

it's gonna take some time. And he basically just like took Leckler videotape out of the library and studied it over and over and over and nobody else and became Pat McAfee. I mean, and he's he's smart. So Lechler knows it's an uphill battle to get into Canton. Not gonna get a lot of pop if he's retiring right before free agency starts or the week of the draft. So what do you do? Yeah, you wait till April. It's like the owners meetings over. Everyone's looking for some content.

I mean, we've got We've got NFL network producers now coming up to us in the hallway. Hey can you pre tape? Can you being It's like it's like where were you during the season? Now he didn't care then how they got hours to fill? They're like, do five minutes on Shane Leckler and his legacy whatever? Like Leckler, he's savvy, Uh, smart guy. Moving on Sean McVeigh. You know this guy, this guy knows how fun. It's not

just a genius and not just a young brainy genius. Uh, he's also a guy likes to kick back and have a little fun. How about this little prank on his buddy and new Cardinals coach Cliff Kingsbury told a little story spun of yarn West. So what they say on the Adam Schefter's podcast? What is it called? That used to be you know him from Adam podcast? And then at some point he was like, yo, probably like the Adam Schefter, we gotta change his name. That's not gonna work.

So I think now it's just the Adam Schefter podcast. Anyway, here is what mak Yeah, the what which one? That? What was the former name? You were correct? You know him from Adam? I believe okay, got that figured out. Anyway. Here it is uh McVeigh having some fun with his buddy, Cliff from the Adam Schefter podcast. We have a mutual friend that I put his name in my phone as Roger Goodell, and uh, I had this friend send me a text saying, I can't believe you're at dinner with

Kingsbury and Mahomes. You know better than this. This is tampering. You're both losing picks. And I showed Cliff the text and uh, the what he the he saw a ghost? I said, he better called Steve come right away, he said, I thought I was gonna lose the number one overall pick and we couldn't let it go on too long. But it was pretty good. We got him good. I I still I was talking to him about that yesterday

when I saw him. But I'm pretty proud of that one, Adam on April Fool's Day, you gotta chuckle, right, Mark, I like it. I think the best pranks, the best friends are the friends that you could that do amazing pranks. And the best pranks should totally alter your mind state. When you're the subject of it. You should be somewhere and like, like suddenly Cliff Kingsbury is freaking out. A second later, you should be somewhere very bizarre and dark

and wondering what's happening to me next? You got punked? Like candy camera type stuff. Have an example. The best prank that I was ever involved in was um I went to Miami, Ohio for one year before that, don't mind to the much to the annoyance of my parents, like mull too many and like but nothing of not many though? What's the number three plus three? But then so yeah, the three plus is four? What is the well.

The fourth wasn't like a U c L A thing after it wasn't part of the original thing, but the one continuing education basically, yes, uh, like the when I was at my Ohio, it was a one of the weirdest years of my life. But there was one night where we were all up at like two thirty in the morning in this like dorm room. It's a bunch of like hoodlum guys, and we're like, let's take this one kid who fell asleep for this big test he had.

Let's take into a town. And so we all at two thirty in the morning, turn all the lights on in every dorm room, opened every door, Guys walking up and down, taking showers like in their towels, brushing teeth, and like, dude, you wake up, your test is went, your your test is soon. He's like, So he woke up out of his bed, and his roommates like, I'm so glad I got you in time. You're gonna you

have a half an hour to get there. So he runs in the shower, takes a shower, brushes the teeth, gets dressed, and we're all acting like in our we have books and book bags and we're like flannel shirts and coats and like, hey, good to see you have a good day, and like we ushered him down to the front door, and then we just watched as he slowly in the middle of the night across the entire quad and went beyond the quad far across campus to this classroom and then ultimately told us, I think he

like knocked on the front door because it was locked, and it's like it's three in the morning, dude, your test isn't for like another five hours. He didn't figure out because it messed his mind. Stated cannot figure out when it was Ohio in the winter, so it's dark. It's like he wanted to get an early start, so he never figured it out at all. No cell phones. It was was he like suspicious when you guys all like stopped and then started singing like a show tune

and like dancing her. Well, that didn't happen until the door slammed on him. But he basically like Truman showed him. It was a highly orchestrated prank by many semi hammered people. Well done, well done, Um hey I got a red flag to share with you guys. We all know what happened two years ago with the Detroit Lions when they weren't trying to win. Yeah, they made the decision, Oh, we're not gonna rush to get to camp uh uh

for the opening of their off season program. And what happened. Yeah, start at home watch the playoffs, right, okay, Well fast forward to the president. Tim Caldway was like, hey, we went nine and seven. That looks pretty good right about now? Uh NFL one of their media dudes sent out a tweet a look at the start date of the off season program. I'll give him a name, Michael Signora. He does good work for the company. I don't know him personally,

but he does good work. Look at the start date of the off season program for all thirty two NFL teams, and I have to tell you there's only one team that's waiting all the way until April. And you may be surprised. Maybe too busy doing a victory lapse over the past interference rule change, which he was at the center of as we know. But Sean Payton and the Saints waiting all the way until to start their off season program. Greg, I know this gets you very angry

when this comes up on the show, So defend it. Defend, try to defend Sean Payton. We have teams reporting today. The Browns got straight to work today, along with a host of other teams. Three weeks from now, three weeks from tomorrow, in fact, that's when the Saints. The Saints lollygag their way into the building. You have a set number of days that you can be in the building. They will stay one week later than many of the teams that show up the week earlier. You're you're making

an assumption. I bet they're out the door at the same time. As I think how it works is those other teams will take a week off at some point that the Saints won't. They'll just go straight through. So different approaches. I got no problem with it. Doesn't that annoy your players to keep them deeper into the part of the year when you'd be on vacation with your family.

I would look at it another way. They get an extra week of vacation on the front end, and then they still get out June thirteenth, like a lot of teams, About half the league is getting out June thirteenth, half is the week before June six, and so they're just doing it all in a row, banging out in a row. So that's what the PR sides up west. Just yeah, look late July, early August, this is the time to bunker down. That's football seas April. Who cares, live your life,

forget about football for a while. So other you saying the Browns are making it, say because somebody kind of think that. I kind of like, I kind of sorry, Dan, but I like what the Saints are doing, Like don't send me home for two weeks and then bring me back. Let's get it all done in one thing, all right, Well, I don't care if I'm alone on this island. And you'll see, you'll see when the regular season standings are

complete January. So we were the only one that really the only one looking at this list that bothers me. Like the Cardinals, for instance, could have showed up this week. They have a new coach, they're gonna go next weeks that they go off, they through as well. The only one that bothers me actually is the Broncos. Because there's three teams that showed up today April one, the first

possible day. The Broncos are going tomorrow. So it's like you're like your day, you're if you're gonna be in that first week and not have much break, It's like, what was Well, maybe you guys have a longer weekend, right, they know Mondays, We know what we think about Mondays on this show, so we're trying to give it. We're giving out four day weekends, right. Yeah. Actually I think it's actually part of They literally do have four day weeks. I don't think they're in on fridaysoud by League rules

Denver four and twelve. If they're lucky, we're clearly struggling for topics here. On April one, Andrew, No we're not. Andrew Luck got married on Nicole pa in a wedding and and Prague. How about that? Pretty good? Check yourself before you reckon. Absolutely apparently this woman uh is from the Czech Republic, so Luck and this woman I can't pronounce it. Her parents are Nicole Uh. Luck and Nicole both twenty nine, met at Stanford and fell in love

and now they are married. And isn't that a great thing? Well, love is important. You know that marriage is gonna have a solid foundation, being as they are both very much into architecture. Oh s you are, and you are in July thirty one form right now, not April first form. Nailed it. That's what's happening in the news. Nice couple, they nailed it. Underrated it been there, my brother used to underrated. Wow, it's probably really highly rated, properly remazing.

It's like the best place ever. Brother used to live there, spent some time there. It's one of my goals to get the prom and you can do it, Wes, but do it before you have children. Andrew, Andrew Luck and Nicole p both athletes, and um, we'll be interesting to see the old progeny now that turns out break it down, Mark, I think I think it's um. I mean if the odds would be fine because even he comes from a NFL quarterback that if it's a child, it's a male child,

he will be successful at sports. And she's a fantastic gymnasts, so it's tremendously gifted. I mean, you can't go round here on the mats to mention. Stan As nailed it again. Greg, also July thirty one form al. Right, here we go. That's what's what's happening in the news. Uh, the changing of the guard in the a f C. That's the name of the segment. Uh, what's going on in the league right now? What's going on in the American Football Conference?

And and the Patriots are the defending champions, and we know the Patriots are going to be in the mix when it comes down to it. But there's Greg, even as a pat say and there's no denying that losing Gronk's gonna hurt and maybe, uh, you know, the team could have done a little bit more at this point in the off season so far, you're a little bit nervous. No, no, no, not at all. You guys got on me for that

all last year. Well you're rooting against fo Yeah, they would they win Ninth Street and a f C championships. I mean, it's beyond time to to hand it over. What don't we do this every March we say the Patriots are fading is up for grabs And I'll take the blame here on this one. But Grons not on the team anymore. I mean, that's tangible. Their best defender, according to Greg, Trey Flowers has gone. He's gone, Tom Brady and you could get excited about the Lombardi Trophy

that's in the past. He was in decline last year doesn't bug you greg that they I mean they tried to get they went after a series of free agents and lost out. But then they're gonna get Josh Rosen probably too. So is that a good thing? Is that? I mean, hang our hats on. Josh Rosen is the future. You guys are looking for other teams, I've been looking backwards. I'm just gonna enjoy that and moving forward. They've had enough than in the past. Asking for more seems ridiculous

and selfish. Frankly, like you're going to get it. Though. If you look at which teams have been weakened the most since the end of the year, I think the Patriots are near the top of that list, and it starts with a receiving corps that might be the worst in the NFL right now. I will say this, they have one of the biggest draft halls they've had in

a long time. And not that this has been the greatest drafting team around, but if they can nail this draft, I think they're gonna it's a good tight end draft that they can maneuver up and get one of those past catching guys like I think they're gonna be. That's an important part of the you know, they have a little ways to go on their off season plan. I think that's safe to say. I do think they'll dive in on guys like a Michael Crabtree. I think they'll do.

I hope some trades like this Agma trade that the Chiefs just pulled off. There another a f C team I think was taken a little bit of a step back. So you got you still got a little time to to fill out that roster. Well you have here the division being the biggest one the acts and we're always going to start with the pets in the a f C for obvious reasons. But Pat's Ravens, Texans and Chiefs. Can you make a case that any of those teams

got better? No, I think all of them got weaker. No. I think you can make the case that they've they're the teams have been hurt the most or all the teams at the top. There's an exodus of talent on all of those teams, and the Texans have gotten players at every position they've lost. But I would suggest that

those players are worse than the guys who left. My problem with this talking about this right now is that we're talking about New England, Baltimore, you mentioned Kansas City, throw in Pittsburgh based on the star power they lost. These are the foremost consistent teams in the a f C. Show it to me before we start selling them down the river, because I'm not convinced all four of them won't make the playoffs again. I think the chief well and the Chiefs you know we can't. We are waiting

for details. But the Tyreek Hill situation hangs over this team, and so that's that's part of what their off season I think, just when you look at it ovally like, not only are they changing so much about their defense, I think the AGBA would move is good. But you're going from a bad defense. Is it gonna get better just because it's Steve Spagnola? And then you have to back up that year on offense without the same players.

I don't have Warriors. The two teams that took the other two playoff spots, the wild card spots, the Colts, Uh, you can make a case they're better. They absolutely better. They didn't lose anyone. Tell us why why you like the Colts more now than you did in January? Well? Number one, as I said, they didn't lose anyone. All

these other teams lost important players. The Colts resigned the guys they wanted to resign, starting with Mark Lowinski, one of their guards earlier in uh the off season, and then Pierre de Sira and Clayton Gathers, Adam Vinitary, and then you bring in Devin Funchius. When you look at that game they got shut out in December against Jacksonville, it was because Jacksonville's bigger, physical corners really put the clamps on the Colts wide receivers who just weren't physically

big enough. Um So I think funscise really helps there. And then on their defense, Justin Houston's gonna be one of their best players. They needed a pass rusher and edge rusher. So I think not only did they sign the guys they need to, but they brought in to two guys who could have an impact, Marcus Hunt too and Dion Kane, one of the rookies last year who was like the talk of the off season coming back from um a c L surgery. And I think they

are a no panic like that organization. I just trust right now because everyone was telling us go do something. They still have massive cap room and they just stuck Chris Ballard stuck to his plan from A to C, and they are another team with a with a massive draft coming up. Luck is kind of like the Chris Ballard of of dating, you could say, because it seems like they's been with this uh girlfriend who didn't even know about from you know, a better part of a decade.

Just played it safe. That done. There's only one other team in the n f C that had twelve wins besides the Chiefs. It was the Chargers, who tied for the division but still lost out. Uh, they're another team. They're kind of similar to me that they didn't They haven't been killed by any exodus. They added Thomas Davis, they upgraded sorry Greg backup quarterback with Tyrod Taylor over

Geno Smith. Uh, they're a team that is still a team you could imagine winning tend to twelve games again, So I think they're in They're in a good position right now. Yeah, I feel like I'm giving them an incomplete They lose Tyrelle Williams and I don't know who they replace him with. They did have some depth there and Travis Travis Benjamin hasn't really played by the last couple of years, so I'm not even sure if he'll

be on the team or not. But I think that wide receiver corps to me is a question, right, I mean, the changing of the guard. It It's an interesting thing because you think of Pittsburgh as part of that, they weren't in the playoffs. Technically. The only two teams that have made the playoffs last two years make crazy are just the Chiefs in the in the Patriots though, that is kind of that the top level, and then you

think of the Ravens and the Steelers next. But I'm with you, I don't see like when you think of Cleveland as a potential super Bowl team, for instance, it's not that they're like likely to do that. It's just looking at the top six, seven, eight a f C teams, Is it that crazy to imagine any one of those teams in the super Bowl next year? I don't think so, at least in the final eight when a playoff game,

and I think they're absolutely in that mix. And it shouldn't be surprising if any one of those teams, the Patriots, Texans or any take a big step. Remember that um that series laughed at by many as it as it should have been the every team will make the playoffs that I had to work on last year and when I wrote the coming back it, maybe I will not be part of it. But like when when I did

the Cults one, I don't care. I can't think of a team where more people came at me and just said whatever, bro, and like, I'm not even when I wrote I'm like, I have to create a reason why I believe this. You didn't predict it, you were just predicted at all. But then the fact that like it's just that what some of these teams that are in the middle of all this that we chuckle at, we have no idea what you know you could do? You take the link of that story right now, even now

it's not too late. You put it on a tweet and then uh and then you do the quote reteet thing or with the link just but like eat it. I think that would like said. And then it's like, hey, all my doubters, everyone that said I couldn't do it, I did it. This team made it. I mean I should probably in succession go through each of the teams that made the playoffs that I authored the article for. Adam Rank did the same thing other side and just drop fire and people and outright we know the CMS,

which is our content management system. How to access it? Here? You could just scrub all the teams that didn't make it app rid of the non twelve teams. Those u r l s will be dead u rls. That's how you plan in the off seat. Maybe we should take this offline, this conversation. Why are we telling everyone this plan less effective if we do it on the show? Anyway? Great, go ahead. What you were saying something when I was about to had a digg in with Mark on that

that was important? How can we um? Can we talk about the Ravens per minute? Little Ravens nest plea. So I like what they've done with Earl Thomas and mark ingram Um And yeah, I still feel like they're a worst team. They lost so much on defense. Um they lost their two best wide receivers. He end I this. I don't think it's controversial to suggest that defensive coordinators will probably cover Lamar Jackson a little bit better than

they did in his first year in the league. Now, I think they're of all the teams that like want a division and probably you would feel good about I think they have the most questions because it's the biggest overhaul that they've had defensively ever in this entire like that they did it the year after they won the Super Bowl. I believe in two thousand one. They kept their guys for like one more year than they were. They have more to overcome defensively than they've ever had.

And then you're just looking at Lamar Jackson and and that team trying to throw the ball like that. That would be the one team of all of these teams in terms of changing the guard that I would bet against if you had to pick one, like making it. That's not to say that they're in a bad situation

organization wise. It's just maybe they take a step back for a year before the young guys get a little bit better and established themselves, especially that front seven on defense, or that the Cories as good as it was, or that they couldn't overcome it. But they just have the most obstacles because they have the Steelers and the Bengals and the brown I don't think the Bengals are necessarily like out of the mix here. That's the thing. You look around the NFL, how many teams would you be

shocked if they made the playoffs. For me, it would be a list of five or less. And in the in the a f C, you know, even the Jets with the Jets be a shock. No, I think the Raiders would be. Yeah. Peter King whispered about the Jets as a potential team to play the Patriots in the first Sunday night football game. I saw that. I mean

what he wasn't pitching? That is heard. But but you know the it's funny my two takes on the AFC when you look at the divisions is and this came up in a mail bag a couple of weeks ago, my mail bag femail bag. Uh. The Houston Texans who won the an FC South last year. The Jaguars finished

last eleven and five, five and eleven. Uh. If there was one division to pick where the first and last place teams could flip flop, to me, the a f C South over all the divisions, not just the a f C is the most likely division where that could happen because that is such a competitive division. I think all of those teams you can make a case for ten or eleven wins. Uh. So I think that's gonna be a dog fight right to the end. The other

I do think this is overly optimistic. I know it always is, but I try to be realistic with the Jets in terms of what I think they'll do. I think I just have a feeling, I have a bit of a sessler that this is gonna be the first year in a long time the af C East is competitive in December. Uh that because I do think the Patriots they kind of hit there. They got to eleven wins last year, and they were lucky to get to eleven.

In some ways, I think they can be a team that even drops down a little bit more further, I'm not saying nine or eight, but a ten eleven win team, and then you open it up to an improve Bills and improved Jets team. If you can get in that neighborhood. I think that division is gonna be competitive too. I think the mean it better be by now. Tom Brady's forty two, like wake up these other teams like like well,

he hasn't really showed his age though forever. You know, I'm just so happening now and he's gonna be taking the O T A S off again a little bit. They've earned it. It's my new like they have earned the blow up season. I think Brady should get fat. I think Belichick should take it fat. It doesn't really seem like take fat, take it less. Seriously, let's have some internal squabbling. Let's not even don't even try that hard. Just what is going on. It's just blowing up. And

they wasn't last over. Now you're rooting for embarrassment. No, I'm not rooting for that. I'm if if they did that, I would say the Patriot fans should just back off and be like, you know what, they've earned it. That's not what's gonna seems like petive is not how it's gonna play. Maybe you will, and I'm not even convinced you would be that way, but you can. You can

damn well. You'll know that the Patriots ends are gonna be furious if this team is eight and six in December, they're they're gonna expect what they've come to expect for two decades. You're right, I mean watching the coverage this offseason and some of the panic, and it is a good it's a good lesson, and that it will like whatever you're looking for out of your sports teams to fill you up in terms of happiness and contentment, and

like like it will never be enough. The Patriots are are kind of proof of that right now, like it will never fill up your happiness, it will never it'll never be enough. Where you're just like, that's good because because if you're already there, right I feel like I'm there, and maybe there's a few fans, maybe there's some out there, but I think I think the reaction is kind of obvious, that it's always just looking to the next one. It's the it's the old Parcels thing again. And that's as

a Yankees fan, I had that in the nineties. When you get to that certain level, and it's the same reason why Parcel said he quit. He said it gets to a point where the winning doesn't feel as good as the losing feels bad. And as a fan, that is a tricky spot to get to because it's you have such an amazing ride, but it does it does take a toll in terms of the enjoyment you get out of it versus how much annoyance and anger just

because you get spoiled. It's natural. Jo, I'd say, is walking around um the stadium before the Super Bowl this Rams Patriots super Bowl. That did not seem like a world weary Patriots and they were having the absolute time of their lives. They didn't seem more like the walk up to that right That's like that to me was an eye opener that there was not a tired It's like, oh, you know what, Patriots fans are tired, They're not gonna go to the Super It was New England crowd. That's

part of their family budget at this point. That's true. And so that that was not great and I'll never forgive the Rams for that. I gotta be honest with you for letting the Patriots fans invade that stadium and turn into a party. I mean, Ricky, I was happy for you because, uh, the year before that, I saw you sobbing in the concourse. So you had that moment. Not only did you get to see a Patriots win in person, it was basically a Patriots home game, yeah,

which felt completely different than the year before. I remember, it wasn't a completely Eagles fans totally. And how many fan bases would have ever let that happen. I guess is when I say that I'm annoyed with the Rams for letting that happen. Can we at least that the team was taken away from St. Louis and most people in St. Louis do not even follow that team anymore because they're very upset about its okay, but to think of Lakisha would have killed you if you didn't bring it.

But the argument was to these guys, point was that that New England's fan base wouldn't show up because they were tired. That it would be at a small RAMS crowd, a somewhat big Patriots crowd and a bunch of executive suits and their wives. Well, no it was and their husbands. It was like it was nine six raging hammered awesome pa. I actually gave them. I was like this, just think

into it and enjoy it. It was. It was an amazing Maybe that's why I mean it was an amazing feeling there partly because last season part of the topic even entering the playoffs was changing to the guard. Is these young quarterbacks and you're thinking, that's the chance that you have to like have a changing into the guard. Luck's been around for a while, but now he's back in like in full form, and now you have Baker Mayfield now you have uh lamar accident and like and

mostly Patrick mahomes it should be his conference. Um alright, good, good conversation, Ricky. How's your dog? What's going on? He's good. He just needed some antibiotics. He's having an allergic reaction, the little guy. But he's okay. What did he react to? He's like allergic to something outside which you can't pinpoint air. I don't even know he uh yeah, just you know most sports maybe yeah, costing me money at the vest. It's been an unusual spring for allergies, yeah, in LA

because it rains so much for four months. But dog's got it too. You don't think it. Organism is the same way that we are. We'll dive into that next. Than the l a allergy podcast that with this, but allergy people are suffering this much more. Well, no, I want like the weirdest allergy ever got. I was living in this farmhouse and Boulder, which I mentioned before, But at one point there there was across the street a massive cornfield like going on for as far as I

could see. And corn goes through some process in early fall. Well I don't know what it is where it emits some sort of terrible thing that if you're allergic to corn, which apparently and that I was like, you just break out and rashes from head to toe. And I was working at a Jomba juice and I had to quit because they would not let me work at a juice place with rashes all over my body. Good move by John Ba juice. Yeah, yeah, thank you to say and watch out. Erica's point is stuff is in the air

that we're not prepared for. So um, what is the name of your dug in Thor? Yes, okay, we'll get well soon, Thor. Thank you, good good, good mommy work. You know, he got out of the vet, got him to the vet. Some people just will be like, I'll wait it out. It's he was like off his like his fur though. He was so itchy. So I kind of got to the point where I was like, you know, he needed a court, his own shot and all that kind of stuff. Poor little guy. All right, good job,

all right, that's it. We'll be back Wednesday. We have the pod. I believe, I'll tease it put more pressure to make sure what happen. And Connie Fox is back in the Around the NFL podcast studio, joining us sitting in on the show. Also, of course our Twitter show, um, which I know has been the time, has been bouncing around. I believe the show will be at one thirty eastern thirty Pacific on Wednesday. Uh so check that out as well, um, and it will be the debut West of the Pocket

Square breaking it out. I I gotta raise my game, we all do. Really, this is this is a call to It's a clarion call I I. You could look at it as me trying to make a power move or something. No, but it's actually more a group thing like here, we're trying to bring us with you. Let's do it. Let's fly. How long does it take to get one that's Wednesday's like hours away? The process for me was a few weeks. The whole thing. It feels like there's a better way to get a pocket Square.

Maybe you can go to the wardrobe department and just have them set you up and maybe another option. Alright, that's it. Stan Hanson signing off for a quiet storm, the Mailman, the Old Boss, and Ricky Hollywood behind the glass Get well soon, thor deal Wednesday m hm