Cooper Kupp Injury, Coaches Reveal All

The Around the NFL podcast is ready for a week of Swifties from the Chris Westling podcast studio. It's Around the NFL. I am Dan Hansis. I have heroes here, Mark Sessler, Greg Rosenthal, Taylor Swift. Six sold out shows at Sofi Stadium right across the sidewalk. It's probably gonna get a lot of little messy around here in terms of traffic flow. The city of England had never quite figured this out, and now they're building an arena up

They're out there already. The Swifties are out there. They're buying merch. I wouldn't say they'll come as strong so far as as the BTS Army, but they're out there.

I love.

Someone suggested to our friend Burgo is young, young single man, he should just like go prowl. That would be a good place to meet people. You know, teenagers, right, a lot of women in their thirty Yeah.

That's true. She does spend. She is swift. What love I love about swift talk. I love monoculture that doesn't really exist anymore for the most part. But Taylor Swift represents whatever's left of the monoculture. This is Bruce Springsteen in nineteen eighty five. To have an artist this big, this dominant, at the top of her craft creatively and also commercially, it's her imperial period and I love it. I'm looking forward to the show. And nobody won. The

Well, I know something there feels very suspicious, and I you know, I know that there was an investigation at hand about that. I like the Springsteen parallel that you've drawn. I drove in today and that you are there already, people already lining up for merch like it's very busy. There's a lot of foot traffic. But the BTS crowd if I'm not if I know you went to the show, Greg, but like ill oh, I thought you did. I recall

Am I wrong about that?

Well, you you're the cat guy. I look at your laptop.

You tell us there there there were there were some, I mean, there was a lot of them, wild like the.

Costplace stuff going on.

I think that's that's absent with the tailor Swift incorrect.

Actually, this is the errors tour and people are going to the shows dressed in various different different tailor eras, going to see a lot anyway.

You're going, so you can give us a first hand report.

Boots on the ground, Taylor Swift, Imperial Period. I got some developing news right off the bat. We've got a lot to get to. But this is important.

This you say that right before something that's not important. That's the key.

Can you tell me this isn't important? How long have we wondered about Tom Pellisero and the nickname we crafted and whether he's aware of it? How long from the minute that we crafted it. We don't have a relationship with him. Plus there's no way for us to know.

Yeah. I did say hello to him at the content summit. You guys weren't there. That hello was about the extent of it, and he did not ask about you guys.

Well that's nice.

Well, according to some recent developments, he's a fan, maybe just shy. This is Colleen Wolf at Steelers Camp. It was it was Colleen left Baldy Center and yes, the insider Tom Pelsero, Right, Tom.

I don't know if this is news to you because you usually bring us the news.

But the Around the NFL podcast, they have.

A nickname for you.

It's called the Pell Raiser, And I just wanted your reaction if this is in fact.

How long has this been going on?

Wait some time?

Because I'm a regular viewer of that program, I should know that.

The viewer of the podcast or whatever.

Around the NFL is.

I think it's a ten out of ten nicknames.

I like it.

Okay, good, So we got the stamp of approval?

Did we that? I don't know we did.

I mean, also, Baldy's he's got our back. He's a friend of the show. He's stirring the pod a little bits.

I love that man.

Well, it's good to know he's he's part of our growing subscribers on YouTube. He's more of a guy who watches us. Clearly he likes He was the one sending those emails tweets over the weekends like hey where's the YouTube? The whispers It took a couple extra days. Just things happen sometimes going up on the YouTube. Pell Razor didn't get his around.

The end I mean Greg over under on how many minutes he's watched of our show on YouTube. I'm gonna put it at seven minutes, and by mistake if he did, by mistake, I don't, I don't.

It's a zero. I would say total. That's total podcasts that he's ever listened to, and YouTube's over under. I think one minute.

It was unclear to him that we were a podcast to begin So, like you know, I think there's some some murky.

Could he have listened to the Ian rappaport one where he was on the hot seat, It would have been possible. But even then, I say, now.

Tom Racer, if you're listening or watching, I believe you.

No, you don't, I do. Oh, I do too.

No, it's too late, It's too late, and there will be hell to pay, hell to pay. It's this news.

How many five year olds would it take to tackle Derek Cannon? I don't even know if they could, how many kids would die in the process, I would imagine.

I don't know.

Do I need to give you a numbers Jesus Christ, Mike brand.

Like a legitimate number thirty five? We want to try it, test it out. Sure, as long as you're one of the five year olds.

A lot of unpacked there. Mike Rabel, coach of the Tennessee Titans, asked, not too far off from the questions that drive me crazy with our mail bag, how many five year olds would it take to tackle Burly Titans star running back Derrick Henry. He mentioned the death of children potentially, and then settled on what was the number?

Thirty thirty five?

Thirty five.

I don't he's unaware of the child gangs that are that are lurking through Europe and parts of them.

I feel like that's low. I feel like I'm taking the the under he could he could trash thirty easy.

Well, it's more, there's not gonna be a five year old or group of five year olds that bring down Derrick Henry, but they could trip him up just by their bodies being at his feet.

You're also asking them to, you know, operate in concert, which is tough for five year olds, Like they'd have to have a real plan. Can they come up with that on their own or do they have a coach?

Well, Henry's got that dog in him, but does the dog stay barking when you see like a night You know, some kids crying on the floor. It's part of his metal.

I mean, five year olds are very cute. Also, the idea that is he going to.

That's not the skill, tru That's not the trait that we're looking for here. Though, cute doesn't stop Derek.

I'm just saying, well, that's will that stop or slow him down at least this idea that do I really want to injure these five year olds? Or am I going to go into a more of a soft rush up the middle? Yeah, you have to plan his on his you know, theoretical humanity. The answer is twenty six. By the way, are they male or female? It's a collection, Mark, don't be exclusionary. I've talked to you off Mike about that, and now we have to do it.

I'm I'm including football doesn't mean they're capting.

I'm hoping with both genders and many others.

Let's get to the news, starting with Cooper Cup. Not great news for the Rams, who will be without their star wide receiver for multiple weeks. It appears, according to Adam Schefter, a few weeks Cup could be out with the hamstring injury suffered in practice on Tuesday. Cup missed a lot of last season with a high ankle sprain. Had one of the great seasons in the history of the sport, Triple Crown winner in the Super Bowl season of twenty twenty one, which feels so long ago now.

Not ideal man, he is sneaky old. He's like been in the league barely longer than Lamar, for instance, in about four years older than him. He had some injuries early in his career. Remember he missed about half his second season. He had some games where he was like in and out in twenty twenty. It might be one of those areas also, right, and it might be one of those stories that's that's nothing. But I'm I'm just worried because this whole idea that they're spending training camp

Van Jefferson has battled knee issues this offseason.

Two.

Yeah, this is a weird team.

Like I think there win total sits at about like six point five if you wanted to take the over under on that, and I kind of think I'm taking the under.

M In other news, let's get back to I was trying to think of a name like Hackett Gate or Peyton Gate, but how about Hackett job.

I like that better. I guess let's get off the gate thing. Yeah, Hackett job twenty three. We've been tracking the story closely.

Jets offensive coordinator and former Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett attacked in an interview in USA Today by now Broncos coach Sean Payton. We had heard from Sala, we had heard from Rogers, Aaron Rodgers. We had heard from other Jets players. We had heard from Peyton himself stepping back and trying to hide from the controversy. Finally, let's hear from Nathaniel Hackett, who spoke to the media on Tuesday.

I've been involved in this business my whole life, forty three years, and as a coach, you know, as a coach's kid. You know, we live in a glasshouse. We know that we all live in different rooms. We all got a key for it, and it's one of those things that there's a code, there's a way things are done in that house.

Also commenting on his surprise that this controversy, he thought it would pop up at some point, maybe not in this form, but it wouldn't be for a few more weeks.

It's unfortunate that that had to happen, that the comments that were made, but hey, they did, I'll tell you it was probably more surprised that they happened. Now was definitely expecting him in Week five, So I'm almost thankful that we got that, you know, out of the way. We all understand where certain people feel and think.

Week five jets Bronco's bad news for Nate. It's gonna come up again in October, but maybe it will be not as hot as story, or maybe it will be hotter. I don't know. There is the latest and maybe the final dispatch on this particular gem of the offseason.

Well it won't be the final, I mean.

Also, Sean Payton claimed that he was gonna call up Nathaniel Hackett and apologize man de mand person to person, and Hackett said that's not happened yet. He doesn't expect it to.

I don't know.

In the end, I think Sean Payton, like, I think there was a strategy behind all this, and I've stood by the fact that I think, well, I think your theory theory is on point, but I think it was in defense of Russell Wilson.

But it comes out looking poorly here.

And I thought that if anything, Hackett just kind of owned it, and like, who's more disappointed about what happened with the Denver Broncos than Nathaniel Hackett. Like he's also under a lot of pressure because I think there's some suspicion around, uh, you know, being not attached Aaron Rodgers.

The ship sinks right away. Now you're with him again.

But the Jets schedule out of the gate is really rough, So I'm interested to see where they where that team is in week five by the time they played the Broncos.

I saw this Hard Knock Sad. I don't know if you've seen it yet, Dan, you get the Hard Knocks podcast, and it said the most compelling team in the NFL, and that's the New York Jets. And then we're just adding, we're just adding fuel to the fire. It's great, and you're right that it's coming back up uh in week five. But I think Mark at the key point here was like Sean Payton just showed his ass. I don't care

Yeah, so what are you going to say to him?

Well?

Sorry, why does she sorry? Why this about this other person?

Well, just like I look, obviously he believed it, but uh, are you going to see you right?

Are you going to say, I don't actually I believe what I said about you?

You say, like I shouldn't have said.

That I got carried away? You know, there was a way he showed. Sean Payton showed so much of his ass that they had to blur out the bottom of his butt crag. It got so it was so full. If you ain't got no haters, you ain't popping true too too? All right? That Hacket job twenty three? And yes, the Hard Knocks podcast with me and Colleen Wolf will

What a lineup?

A recap episode one. It's gonna be great.

Will there?

Do you think that Greg and or Mark will appear at some point?

Would you like to be on the program?

I would want to be on any program, but especially this one.

Because this, I say, now you sound like Sean Payton, nobody I would like. Yeah, But like so, I've had my issues, my ups and downs with Hard Knocks, right, not this time?

You're all in? All right?

This is what I've been waiting for.

If you are all in on the program when I'm not asking for but now I'm asking for it.

If you're all in, yeah, because that's shows for people that.

Are all in.

Haven't I been pro Jets this offseason?

I'm not largely yet yeah, well like mostly yes, so yes, I want to be.

This isn't so much about the Jets. It's about Hard Knocks, the program, which doesn't have to be all sunshine and rainbows right right. If you're excited to talk about the show and watch a show that's exactly the type.

Of I'm only asking for like two or three minutes.

I'll come on, Oh really minutes even like absolutely squeeze me in, just squeeze me into.

It doesn't sound all in. I mean if I'm I am, if I'm doing like a ranking, like a power rankings of who's been in on Hard Knocks over the years, Dan's clear number one.

Yeah, I'll like on the payroll.

I'll throw Colleen in there now too, because she's involved, like with it. I'm strongly right behind them, always been a supporter.

Support of all NFL films enterprises.

We Wes was next. He had mixed feelings. He started to get a little sick of it, and then I would put rank you last.

Yeah, but that's see, don't you see the dynamic I had? I was in that spot down at the bottom. I would argue Wes and I were probably equal. But like I'm now saying, I'm enthused, there's some enthusiasm.

We're gonna take that under advisement. I'll have a conversation with Colleen. I don't know what else to say.

Colleen's gonna say no, then I don't. I've never had an issue with her but that, but it this way. Now that we've had this conversation, if you're not on the show, you'll know why. Yeah, I will, so will everyone else.

I also don't like how much Pop Quarterback got versus Hard Knocks that this was somehow the most important football show in the world. And I pushed back on that, And so now I'm ready to say I'm rededicating.

That's a little straw, Manny, your old boss Florio apparently wrote that. Well, it's not else.

It's saying it's a powerful opinion maker in the in the NFL, there's no straw here.

You might be on the payroll, still flush and blood. Anyway, good stuff. And I did talk to Samini real briefly. We got to move on, but I said, oh, you ever hear about Hackett? By the way other than the disaster of Denver. She's so fun to play for. I think Hard Knocks is gonna be interesting to see what makes what is fun mean? What is fun meaning? In the NFL? Why does he make it fun?

I think if you're HBO, it's like if Hackett was like number eight person that you're gonna cover, He's like rising up the charts.

It's a great example of stuff that happens in all careers. It's like, not everyone is meant to be the person in charge, and oh, by the way, being the person in charge might not be that fun. Anyways. I feel like Hackett found his level. It should be one down and he can be great at that all right.

In other news, bad news out of speaking of the Denver Broncos, Broncos defensive tackle Auma a Yuma Auzakari help me out, is it a Uma?

I've never heard anyone say his name auza Kari ouza Rique. Rather, this is a hard one.

You're making a tough on population.

It's a fourth round, fourth round anyway, fourth round pick.

Last year, Ayuma o Zaike was suspended in definitely last week for betting on NFL games in the twenty twenty two season, and now he is being investigated in a criminal probe involving gambling. This from the Des Moines Register

It's uh oh, it's clearly because of the criminal part of it. First of all, if you if you do the math, the amount of money he spent in the amount of bets he made. Those bets average twenty six dollars per bet. Why so, no one's getting rich off this. No one's even trying to get rich off this. But I found it very fascinating. He also was doing like player props involving the Broncos, like Broncos related ones. We're up to thirty two. I mean, you could absolutely get

I do wonder.

I think now though, there's got to be there's awareness now because we've had these suspensions that have come in bunches, but these rolling investigations, because it's like they all happened a month or two ago.

Guys getting suspended.

This happened, like I have too of it happened two years ago while he was at Iowa State. They were already investigation.

Well, but I mean the NFL's yeah, like you know, dropping the suspension. We're we're close to games, and we're close to real games. I know, we're saying when the season really starts. But it's like, will this kind of thing happen where they NFL learned something in Week three and they suspend someone and will it ever be a star player? It's all these guys who are kind of like backup, backup dudes and they're gone, and it's like cool, have a nice time.

But like Govin Ridley and Jamison Williams really makes sense.

But like I'm just saying, I'm wondering, like, will we be hit with one where the NFL has to make a really tough decision on someone caught doing something and they're a major headliner.

Good story to watch, big story to watch? Is there any good news coming out of Denver camp right now? The Broncos waved wide receiver kJ Hamler with a non football injury designation on Monday that coming after is diagnosed with a heart issue that led to his exit from Broncos camp. There is a positive spin to this that Denver, despite waving Hamler, they still see a future with him, and Peyton said that Hammler's expected to be out approximately a month as he treats the condition, and the hope

They had four wide receivers going into last season that looks so promising. Patrick, Judy, Sutton and Handler. I really like Hamdler as a rookie. Those four guys have never played and completed a full game together like that was their vision that all these guys are pretty young, varying levels. Patrick's a little older, and they played exactly one game altogether, and by the end of that game, I think it was Judy or Sutton who was hurt. And it's just now you would assume it's never gonna happen.

Yeah, we're three years in talking about Denver's offensive lineup as simply more potential than anything we've seen. I do think it's interesting that with Peyton there, Marcus Calloways there, our friend little Jordan Humphrey, I get sort of a friend of the show.

I don't know if he I don't know if he he was on the show.

Yeah, I don't know if he thought that was the greatest moment of his life, that interview.

But I don't think he's ever thought of it ever.

Again, No, I'm sure escaped the memory right away. But issues Marvin Mins, I guess he's going to get, you know, more meaningful snaps right away at this point.

In other injury news, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without their first round pick for a month, at least, that appears. ESPN's Adam Chefter reported that defensive tackle Elijah Cansey, the nineteenth overall pick in this year's draft, has a strained calf Joe Burrow injury, and the hope, as like with Joe Burrow and with virtually every player who has a chance, the hope is that he'll be back for Week one. Mark This is a Bucks defense that regress

And they want him to, you know, right away line up next to Videvea, and this is someone they've talked about. Is like a little Aaron Donald type player. Lances Erline compared him to John Randall, the old Vikings Havock Reeker, who was an incredible defensive player. And I think in general, like the Bucks. You know, if he comes back and he's healthy, it's like we're kind of just written off.

The Bucks.

I feel like if I look at one team just because of their quarterback situation in post Tom Brady, it's like the Bucks actually have a lot of talent on defense, and they're a team that in a soft NFC, in a winnable division, had just been counted out.

I feel like the Bucks barely exist. I cannot remember a quarterback battle getting less attention than Baker versus Trask, and it sounds like it's a real battle that Trask.

There's a four today that it's tightening up, which is not I don't think that's a good sign for bakery.

It's not good that it's a Dave Canalis the O c who was with Gino in Seattle last year, said uh, don't cut out John Walford, and he said throw him into the competition cauldron. And I said, I like that. That's nice. I think he said the competitive cauldron. I'm going to call it the competition.

Eric Roberts, producer, write that down. That is a goddamn segment if I have ever heard of the competition cauldron.

I was very excited. I was excited to see what and I was like, man, they're all going to start games. It's a good reminder of different Vitavea had a Grade three calf strain and missed like a couple of months of his rookie year and came back and in the middle of the season, I think it was week five or six, and immediately was great. But he missed a long time. They said, this is a grade one strain.

Between a Grade one and a Grade two.

Why are they withholding that information from us?

It's a good orders out there and in Tampa seems like to keep that clothes, someone needs to dig a little.

You know who? You know who's really interested their Week one Pro opponent, the Cleveland Browns. Yeah, so why give them anything?

The fact that Jake Browning is taking their first team snaps the Bengals that is in practice, tells me they can't be that worried. You needn't break. You know who really wants to know that?

Speaking of a callback to an earlier story you've done, the Desert wants to know. It's Joe Burrow playing. Yeah about those MVP odds that he was on top of the day before that injury. I'm sure he's not anymore.

Own Lozo Rique is he's texting his friends over in Cincinnati trying to get some tips. Just rubbed it in my face. I think I said it wrong. I actually just decided I went with the Lions defensive tackle Levi. He's just leaning into that habit nested up. I messed it up.

Eight o'clock to light GREGI.

O. J.

Howard remember him, first round pick, cut by a team? What team was he on? Mark, he was on the Raiders. Okay, he looked at his notes.

No, but this is a guy who has thirty five receptions over the.

Last sea By the way, I can't miss prospect out of Alba.

Yeah, I think that's it. Ken. I wanted to know. I noted Brett Meyer. This was actually a week ago. But he has a job in Denver. He is part of the kicking competition. No one gave Brett maher a job until a week ago after what happened Dan Gregor.

He missed like seven extra points.

I get it, but he hit ninety last.

Especially in the crucible of the postseason, and he's clearly his mind was all banged up. You don't want to go near a kicker like that. I got respect for the man. He had a great season otherwise, but that sticks in the minds of all Cowboys.

Running back Ronald Jone suspended two games for pets. They need to back them. Nickelodeon to air the Super Bowl. My kids will like that. And then finally, Jalen Hurd, the former third round pick who played multiple positions for the forty nine ers, has retired with the Patriots, and I just wanted to how did that make keep? You've too much so you actually abused it. I have a I have a take here though. How many careers have ended in Patriots training camp? They end? It always happens.

Football too serious.

Let me do some some big corporate corporo digging here, because that doesn't make any sense, the Nickelodeon thing. But sure enough, Nickelodeon is.

The guy they guy you need to double sorts meet.

No, no, no, I'm just strung. Why would they ever agree to do that? Nickelodeon is part of the Paramount Media Networks, which is owned by Beliefs, which is.

Yes, why do you why would they? Why would they agree to do what air the Super Bowl? Like have an alternate podcast to slice Way the R.

Do you care about children's programming?

No, I'm saying I wonder why one of the big networks would ever siphon off any of their audience. But CBS don't care because Nickelodeon, as I mentioned, is part of the paramount media networks, just Corporo. You know, talk omrations and you know, one fish eats the bigger fish, then gets eaten by the next fish. That whole thing, the evolution of the business world. It's it's a little upper level for you, but.

You know, yes, it's over my head.

That's what's happening in the news. We'll be right back. All right, here we go.

See people think we took a break there, but it's really we're laughing ause it's like eight seconds from when we were then they shoved something in, so the listener has to take a break, but we're not.

We don't take.

Really really poison. Well, you're teaching me about the corporate adult world. I'm teaching you about how this broadcast works. We don't take breaks. I'm not walking around the hallway in between our show.

Is this part of the show. Are we leaving this A?

Yeah?

Yeah, this is in all right, welcome back in real time. We move on now with this is a great exercise. I'm excited about it. All across the league. Every team is in training camp, the pads are on and people fans want answers to the questions. And that's why the media is so important. They are the conduit. So with that said, let's do some head coach press conferences and let's have some fun with it. Mark, try to have

If that's not enthusiasm, I don't know what is I you know what I'm trying to say, Like, I'm not gonna do a bunch of you know, song and dance and voices. I want to I'll help you with the press conference part right.

This is an entertainment vehicle first and foremost. May I'm not saying you need to become Robert de Niro and become a method actor. When you pull a name out of this helmet, yeah, then I'm hold here's jibbon helmet. But I I would hope that you're gonna You're a very creative person. Let me set this up this way, right, Mark, you a very creative guy, and I think I believe in you that this segment will fly in large part because of your contribution.

TBD, get it, get him involved. I think that's good. I like a segment where you don't know where it's gonna go. We're just flying by the seat of our pants. I think I think that was maybe some of the anxiety you were searing from Mark. Right, that's where you're gonna get the best market the end.

There you go. I like that. You're a prep guy and I know this. This is a little bit right.

I think that should be the first coach then, right.

Because listen, am I short it's gonna go? Well, no, this segment could be terrible, but we I think until we try it so I have. I'm holding this official Giants helmet. They're very heavy.

I like this segment already. I mean, we could do it with like historical figures in the future. It could have offshoots.

Oh yeah, but George Washington, I mean.

I mean more like George Pallas or something, the.

Delaware River just chopping it up during the rev. If George Washington actually ever existed.

Hey, George, it's like, when is this rev gonna be over? It's take it forever.

Rev. Anyway, thirty two coaches in this helmet. I will pull the first name, and now the other two men in the studio will serve as the journo's that will ask questions of this coach.

Okay, okay, there's no time limit. It's just we'll see it, just see how it goes.

And I have drawn the name of it's not going to go on forever, but yours Mite.

Buffalo Bills. Sean McDermott. I am Sean McDermott. Hey, what's up everybody? The day of practice today and feel good about the progress we're making. Obviously a long way to go, but a good start. Open up for questions.

Let's be real, the Buffalo Bills have been an NFL centerpiece. What's a successful season like? Is anything less than, you know, winning the AFC something that would put you, let's on a bit of a hot seat.

It's a good question, Mark. I think what you're expecting me to say is the typical coach answer that I'm just what's in front of me right now, and we're right now. The focus on is on training camp and then week one against our opponent. I haven't checked in on who it is yet. Hosts of New York Jets on the tight.

Night Football you had you might want to get on that.

Yeah, and I will be honest with you. This is Super Bowl or bust for this team. And I don't think my job is in danger, but I would say many jobs in the organization are in peril if we fall short of the goal of this season. And I'm I'm neivous about it because I know we've been building towards this. But I feel really good about the team. I think I got the dig situation under control of That guy's a nightmare behind the scenes. Just keep it between us.

Yes, Diggs is a nightmare. Can you expound on that?

I take that back. He's a personality and a charismatic and.

Yeah, we've got a live one here. We're gonna need a one Buffalo News.

That Stephon wants to win. And that's what we love about Stephan. He's an incredible competitor, as is every other man on this roster if you're going to be part of Buffalo Country. So we're excited about Stefan and Josh and the whole gang making magic.

What does it mean, Leslie Fraser gone, you have to do the head coach thing where you're also calling plays on defense. You're not able to delegate that at this point. Do you feel ready to do all that on game day or is it like a little bit too my maybe you know, taking a little big too.

Full disclosure again, I don't know. Maybe I was hanging out with Sean Payton before the conference. I forgot to hire new DC, so we had to lift it as vacant. That's my bad. But as you know that that is where I earned my bones down there in Charlotte. And I'm feeling good about I'm feeling okay. I'm feeling strong to quite strong in terms of my confidence that the team will be competitive defensively. You need to get von Beckhn was our closer. We were never the same without him.

Yeah. Yeah, Sean, how's that right guard battle going? Cyrus Torrens coming? You know is going to be Ryan Bates second round pick.

I like what Bates is doing, but look out for Ike Bottiker because he's he's working, he's grinding. I could tell he wants it. And Kevin Jarvis is also in that room amongst the right guards, and he wants it as well. That's all. That's all I got. You.

Ever, you ever try to relax a little, I'm gonna squeeze, and like, you know, sometimes it's like you're the dad driving the you know, the kids on vacation and you're gripping that wheel so tight. You ever just want to like just ease up a little bit?

You ever?

You ever think about that?

Do I seem like I'm a tense individual? Yes?

What publication are you writing for over there?

Report? Are you aware what's happening in Western New York with professional football for the past I don't know, like fifty years and the amount of pressure I'm under to get over the hump? Do you understand what it means to be the coach of the Buffalo Bills and we keep getting back to the playoffs and we can't get over it? Do you know what I mean? I'm out of here that you gotta be careful? Can I just say unsolicited advice here? Like journal to journal? Be careful?

It got a great answer. It got a great answer. That's gonna be leading w That's what it is about. Okay, okay, okay, I can't look here we go?

Do you like putting picking out?

All right? I'm uh, I'm Arthur Smith. Interesting, Hey, you know me, I'm Arthur Smith. It's like, yes, I don't, I don't tell you. I'm like the tough guy. Maybe I'm over compensating because, like you know, Dad's the fed X boss, but I'm the tough guy. I always a lot of sarcasm.

What do you got, well, Arthur? You know, uh, the DeAndre Hopkins signing. Do you think that will will finally get you over the hump? Post aj Brown? And also have you seen Justin Graver, the former producer of Around the NFL, putting out hype videos for Traylon Burkes? Is this wide receiver room gonna be worth the damas yere? Yeah?

I don't know if this is Jim Wyatt or something. If you're time traveling, but I'm in Atlanta. I'm me Atlanta head football coach. We're we've moved on past Tennessee I parlayed that into this job. So I don't need DeAndre Hopkins. I don't need you at my press. I'll see myself out. I'll ask, are you tempted?

I understand from ownership on down, there's this this verbal faith in Desmond Ritter. Are you tempted to bring in your old guy, Ryan Tannehill to run a similar you know, ground and pound offense that you had back in Tennessee when you were Tennessee's offensive court.

You know, I love the ground, I love the pound. I love the possibility of this team maybe being the team of the around the NFL podcast. I hear those guys are pretty big out there.

Uh. I got guy that got kicked out. We're not knowing where you're coaching, but he doesn't want that.

I got u. I got my Tannahill right here for you. His name is Taylor Heinike. That's my Tannehill. We're not gonna worry about the forward pass too much. We're gonna run the ball. We got we got Corterrell, we got Bejon, we got Algier, we got Ridder. He can run a little bit. Taylor can scamp her back there too. It's not about it's not about passing the ball in twenty twenty.

I'm sorry, did you just say, sir? Because I feel like I got my headline here. We're not worried too much about the forward pass.

No, wow, everyone ziggin, we're zagging. We're gonna be tougher than you. Is it over compensating because I didn't play football at a high level and my dad was a billionaire. I don't know, but we're gonna be tougher than you. I'm the tough guys.

You keep bringing up the your father's you know, shipping magnate history, like do you yourself, when's the what's the last FedEx package that you received?

And what was inside of it?

On ball all the time, never into it. Amazon's kind of taking a big bite out of us, but we're working with them.

Wow, all right, next Mark, it's it's that was nice. I apologize for that little mind craft.

You start here, Rocky start.

Yeah, there we go.

Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon tough one.

That was the one I was I think would be ranked thirty two out of this list. Jonathan, you're splitting your quarterback reps four weeks.

He has to say he has to step up and make his initial come Hi, guys, Jonathan Gannon, I'm very excited to be here.

First year coach. I don't know if you have ever seen him before.

You know, we've got a young roster, a lot of a lot of players here that we believe in, and we believe in developing our players, and the Arizona Cardinals are not giving up before the season starts to court.

You know, contrary to suspicious reports, what going on with your split in.

The quarterback reps? Four ways at camps there's old Bill Barcell saying, you know, if you got two quarterbacks, you got none, what do you got when you got four quarter That is as well?

Hold on.

We believe in competition here number one, And first of all, I want to talk about the leadership of Colt McCoy. Our quarterback room couldn't have a better leader. But we've got this young fifth round pick, Clayton Tune that the more I see of them, the more I think that this kid could play. So it's like, why would I automatically assign our quarterback day one here? Like we have a chance for all four of them to make some noise. David blau is a young hero. Have you seen Jeff

Are you as subscriber to the Blowhards newsletter?

I you know, I did for years subscribe to that and it was an incredible read. It was typewritten. It would arrive, you know, roughly ten or twelve days late. But I mean, what a great thing to go back and look at. That's one of the reasons he's here.

One more for coach, you, everybody one more.

You know, there are reports out there that Coach there's a a quote culture shock in Arizona. I'm curious a if you want to do any peytonizing of the former coach Cliff Kingsbury, and also if you realize you might be being set up, set up as a patsy in Arizona for one of the worst seasons in franchise history.

I do sense that the latter on some level.

But there's the headline.

Yeah, like I you know, I took the job believing that the Cardinals have a strong future with me at the Helm. I believe it will hopefully last more than seven or eight months.

Thank you for your candor, Coach. All right, here we go, Okay, here we go. I am you doing everybody, It's as you know, it's me Ron rivera coach of the Washington Whatever we are now, good day at camp today, guys working hard, grinding. If we can get one percent better every day, it will be in good shape come September. What do you got?

What is your philosophy?

I would guess centered around your utter refusal to get a functional quarterback?

WHOA, Well, thanks for the question. Uh, you know, I I tend to think that people seem to be overlooking the upside of Sam Howe. Did you know have you heard, sir that many people had him atop the draft board of QBS in two thousand and twenty two. Did you hear that?

Well, I mean, outside of the fact that yeah, you're nay, sir, nay, you did not hear that thirty two teams decided he was not needed to be picked in the first four rounds.

Good point, pro good point, Yeah, sir, decorum. I believe in Sam how kind of but that's also why I have Jake Brisket. So if Sam how is terrible, I know I can slide in Jake Brisket, and I can I'll be locked and loaded for seven wins, eight wins tops pretty good stuff. And then you know, I'm probably out of here anyway. Let's be honest, They're going to clean this whole place out. All I need to do is make sure I don't go you know, three and fourteen,

Inspiring.

Yeah, thank you.

Give me your best Dan Snyder story. Now that he's gone, he can just man, he had this. He took me out fishing once and he climbed up into the top of the what do they call that thing that the perch. He has to add a rifle, and he was just sniping dolphins. He just like wipe them out and and he wasn't even collecting them. It wasn't like it was like he was using them to eat.

I don't know if you eat dolphins their mammal or hang them up in his parlor or anything. Just shooting, shooting the bastards, poor things. So that is a harrowing memory.

Let's get one more fro on, guys, one more all right?

I feel like I shouldn't have shared that one. Okay, go ahead?

What uh? What is a successful season for this commander's team?

I already told you, sir, eight and nine home run and if if hal stinks, then I'll put in Brisket and he'll get me those seven or eight wins?

Are you awaring it? And I forgot this? And I'm speaking here as the reporter Greg Rosenthal. I was flipping through my my phone last night and I saw a London fan of the Around the NFL podcast once wore a brisket jersey to the game, which I had forgotten about. I mean, that's damn incredible.

I watch all the time. I watched it all.

Speaking, I watched. Someone should know this. I did a bad job there as a journal I need to step up my game.

Well, this time you're gonna take on the shoes.

Of I am a Cleveland Brown's coach. Kevin Stefanski.

Kevin, you've been posting on your looks for a couple of years now, and yes you are a mezanine and TIERR clooney. I will give you that. But after the Deshaun Watson uh situation, you see, you understand you are during an immense amount of pressure to be a double digit win team or else.

Right, Yeah, I get it. Everyone's gone this year if we don't win. You know, Deshaun, there's positives and negatives, you know, the negative, all the horrible things he did, the complete year of embarrassment. We had to live through his play on the field, maybe the worst quarterback in the league. The contract, I mean, it's kind of a joke. Made us look bad, and it's just an extraordinary amount of money that's been sent out there.

Remarkable candor for these coaches.

What was I getting out?

Oh?

Yeah, the positive? No one's actually heard me speak in a year, so he's kind of taken that attention away. But I'm very aware year four, we need to win I would say ten games or also, I'm going.

Peel the onion back for us. The two journalists here in the room the whole on Watson's situation, did you want him? I mean, you knew what you knew was gonna be complex for you as a coach puts a lot of pressure on you. But the nature of it was it just foisted upon you? Or was this something that you were all on yourself?

You know, now's an awkward time to say what really happened. But no, his ownership. I am just I'm just a peon here. And uh, I don't know if Andrew Berry really wanted him. I don't know if I really want to. I'm just having to make it work, like every coach has had to try to do, uh for these Browns owners for the last thirty years. I feel for our fans, coach.

But did you hear the episode where Mark Sessler said it Bill Belichick replaced you as head coach he might come back to the fandom. How does that strike you?

I don't believe that. I mean I believe it, but I believe if I win ten or eleven games, Mark is going to be right there with us. He can pretend whatever he wants. Like some of those Browns fans out there, if I deliver a winner, they'll all be back.

Mark. You anything to say to that?

You got a great beard? Always admired it. What's setting?

Do you like?

The beard?

Trimmer?

Like?

What's setting?

Do you use? What last one?

For?

Coach? Guys?

Now? Please please three and a half on the beard, four and a half in the mustache.

I like that to be a little fuller, a little curthier mustache. All right, final presser, Mark cecler Oh that's it. They can count well more. I mean we could do another round. Oh what do you think er actually do another round?

Or maybe even one more?

I don't know.

I mean.

That's a good, good good translation. What is when the producer says that one?

Now I got the Zaddy ew.

Dallas Cowboys coach Mike.

McCarthy in the opening comments from Zad, great to be.

Here, we're here in Oxnard.

It's always it's a it's a great Cowboys tradition to travel out here to California. Uh, we have high hopes. We have high hopes. I'm not gonna shield that from anyone. Our expectations are not just the playoffs, but multiple playoff wins, super Bowl birth to bring Jerry Jones another beautiful Super Bowl trophy?

Do you worry it's all about you right now, Mike McCarthy that it seems like a lot of the focus is on you taking the play calling, your desire to have a little more fun as it could, your your desire to go deep, throw the ball deep in the league where they're really kind of taking away the deep ball. It seems like it's a lot about you this week.

I have nothing related to worry. I made the decisions that I made.

We moved on from our last play caller because I was brought here to uh revolutionize this offense.

You will you will not forget that.

I had that sabbatical year where I went away and took a look at the league in general, and they thought that I was becoming a predictable play caller. But I've I've done a lot of self work and I'm ready to show that to America and Europe and all the countries beyond come September.

Well, that famous feature you did with Tom pelisera the pell Raiser, the pell Raiser whe you showed that you got a PFF ultimate subscription. Do you keep do you keep in touch with him?

The pell Raiser obviously is one of the reasons that I got back into the league. That that feature that was included both on NFL dot Com and there was a video FEATURETTE attached to it as well, was massive for my career. And so yes, the pell Raiser and I will talk, we'll text here and there a dynamic, invigorating character.

Let's be real, coach your offense. Although it was productive, they still got rid of the OC. Now you're in charge, and there's a little bit of a lack of explosiveness in the playmaker department. A pass catcher. Let's see your tight end room includes Jake Ferguson, a former fourth round pick. A man named Luke Schoenmaker is also high up in the depth chart. And then you look at who's the big wide receiver. Splash Brandon Cooks, who looked like potentially

Let a little thin at running back too after Paul.

It's a fair question, but the Dallas Cowboys don't self analyze.

We don't self scout. We just simply don't.

We simply believe that we're gonna win thirteen or fourteen games. Sometimes we don't do the work attached to that. But yeah, this is very little self doubt.

All right, there's the headline, McCarthy. Sometimes we don't do the work, got it? What is your ideal? You know, let's say you have a Thursday night game and now a couple of days off. Saturday night you're back home. What's your ideal Saturday night?

I like to take the uh, the wife sometimes the kids out for a large steak dinner, maybe go see a show, go to go to a piano bar uh, listen to some tunes, make some requests. I like to request the songs myself.

How do you get the state? Yeah, well no, I'm I like it.

I like some some blood in there. Yeah.

Yeah, wife not so much. She's she's gonna go.

She likes it well cooked, and you give her whatever she wants. You take care of it. I That's what I do. That's what a Zaddy does.

That's what Zaddy does.

Why don't you just bring back Zeke here? You know you don't have any running back? Well last one for Zaddy? I mean McCarthy.

We uh, you know there is a situation cooking in the middle of our country in Indianapolis that we're monitoring.

Hmmm. Interesting like that. That's that's a nice dog. That's a headline.

Finally broke.

Well, you're not allowed to do that though, really right what I could be under contract?

I could be referring to anything I think we there's a subtext.

All news is good news in Dallas? Where's my pr guy? Dare we do one more?

Mark?

One more? All right?

Last one?

You could do one more?

Last one?

It feels like a mistake.

People can turn it off if they wish.

Ah, everybody, It's me Forever young himself, Pete Carroll Chune my gum and loving life. Dev Hansas thinks I'm handsome and I feel like I have solidified myself once more in this organization. So I'm good.

What do you? What's it? What's your secret?

Coach? I go for a walk every morning, I drink the Blood of the Innocent, and and I I do crossword puzzles.

Did you uh this whole Geno thing like it? It was fun that it actually happened. Do you do you like, really, to be honest with you, do you really believe in it?

I don't believe in it. Oh. I was surprised, as everybody was, by the amount of success that Gino had. And you know, but you look at the splits and he did decline as I expected in the back end of the season. And that's kind of the version of Geno I expect going forward.

Now.

I understand we gave him the contract. That was good pr for us and a bit of a you know, at a boy and slap on the back for Geno. But I'm not expecting big things. I would say about an eighty five passer rating with roughly the same amount of touchdowns as in it.

Are you aware that Gino I think, finished tenth in the around the NFL Quarterback power rankings when Dan Hansis was not involved in the rankings themselves.

Well, Dan Hanss does amazing work in the power rankings.

But into the season, are.

You hearing the QB index or now?

Now we did a little rankings, little off season rankings while Dan was on vacation.

Oh I didn't. I don't listen to those episodes. I listened to the Dan episodes.

Digging in on the Geno thing. Your thoughts, let's circle back. What your thoughts on nine to eleven?

Can you?

Oh, can you clarify your nine to eleven?

Aren't they almost all?

Dan? You know what? I feel that you could check the record, just you know, jeff Yuel do some research on the football.

Guys. Please for Pete, thank you, thank you. You're going to bring in Jordan Peterson as a team speaker again. I don't know if you remember that.

Is that the guy that murdered his white No? No, no, okay, anything else, you guys, last one for Pete?

Please?

Please God, You're good? All right? Thanks guys, you had to do the last one and now we're all going down.

It's our final episode.

It's been great ride ten season and one doomed off season. No, that was fun. I enjoyed it.

I liked it.

Yeah, it's good. Now. It got us outside of comfort zone a little bit there. But I thought Mark, especially you, you shined.

It's really only about us enjoying it. I mean, it has nothing to do with anyone else.

We'll hear the listeners, let us know, let us know.

Be honest. Oh, I'm sure you will be all right. So that's our Wednesday show. We'll be back Thursday. A little bit of housekeeping. I mentioned the Hard Knocks podcast that we'll be dropping on Friday, I believe, and then every Tuesday. We're also speaking of Mike McCarthy, we're going to Cowboys camp up in Oxnard on Monday, So the Monday episode of Around the NFL will be a road show that should be fun.

Can't wait. That's that is about. I mean, we're checking drive times. It's about an hour and forty minutes from from where we live.

If you're if you're in the LA area and have never been up to ox nerd no one, no one does it like the Cowboys they got like five different radio stations. They've got like a whole like super Bowl radio row for freaking training camp. And they're a team from Dallas. That's in Los Angeles. There's one hundred people there, there's thousands of fans, doesn't matter what day it is. It's wild wild. Why are they there again? I don't know who knows? It's cooler.

I look forward to it. I've never been. I've been up toalk snuded before, but never for Cowboys. Camp be fun in this way, so it's gonna be fun. And hopefully we'll talk to a couple of players up there, maybe a coach and maybe a Zaddi drops by. Probably not, but that would be nice.

I would love to see you and Mike McCarthy encounter each other.

It would be good to just debrief him sure on some things that have been going on.

I think he'd like your viewpoint. It's very positive towards.

All right. That's it. Dan has a signing off for Quiet Stormy old boss Eric Roberts. Good job moderating pressers. That's what you gotta do. It's producer work. Hear the car