Welcome to NFL Daily, where we don't need no stinking open to night. We're always open. It's in the title. I'm Greg Rosenthal here in the Chris Wesley podcast studio for the first and last time this week, for the last time in this season, and I'm sitting next to Patrick Claybond and joining us from New Orleans is Nick Shook. I will see you there tomorrow. I'm about to go get on a plane.
How are you doing, Nick, I'm preparing the roll to roll off the red carpet for you. Greg. You know we're gonna get people doing. We're gonna be a jazz band. You're gonna make you feel like you might have experienced back in your college days. You know we're gonna welcome you back to New Orleans.
I can't wait to be there.
And right before we started, Patrick asked the question everyone's wondering, which is, how's the weight room at the hotel that we're sure.
It's It's in a well. This is an older building that I'm staying in, very typical of New Orleans, and it's in a room. When I walked in, I looked around and I thought, I think they signed the declaration of independence in here. What they have fashioned it into a weight room pretty well. But you know, as Patrick mentioned before we started the show, weights only go up to fifty at hotel gyms. There's only so much you
could do. I need a little more resistance. So we're getting a lot of shoulder workouts in this week.
It's champagne problems.
You know, when you've grinded Grek, when you've put in the work like Shook has, you know, a fifties not getting done. So he's having to do like weird hand grips. He's having to put the twenties on top of the fifties to try to do something, and he's making all.
The just multiple fifties or something. I don't know.
I mean, we start stacking dumb.
I don't live in this world where you guys are just like, oh, the weights aren't heavy enough for us.
Well, we're men.
You want to prioritize, right, you would like to overload the muscle. You don't want to prioritize fatigue and do it a whole bunch of reps.
It's all about mechanical tension, you know.
It's just no, I don't know.
I'm just looking on Google right now.
I don't know, but I do hope to to get some workouts in New Orleans.
That would be great.
But if it doesn't happen, it would be an homage to my previous life in New Orleans, where I definitely wasn't doing any workout there.
There was like there's like a couple of.
Days of when I thought I was gonna maybe be on what the equivalent with the practice squad of the tennis team would be, and it's like, nope, let's uh, let's focus on what's important in New Orleans, and that's drinking and eating and football. I was going to a lot of those Saints games back in the day with Aaron Brooks Mike McCarthy as the the OC back then. M Yeah, squad, they were okay, they were like an eight and eight team, which for them, they were. They
were happy about it. Shout out to uh, what was his name, Jim Haslett? Yeah, that e man. I always have so much admiration for that dude. How he handled the Kirtrina season one of the more underrated coaching performances.
Of all time.
And they did not win many games, and that I hate that. You always has to be tied to winning games of that man that man handled the situation like a boss, and everyone in and around that city and team appreciated it. In a tough situation. We're going to talk about more fun stuff than this, though. We're going to talk about some news. Okay, We're going to talk about what Nick Schuck has already learned at Opening night in New Orleans. He's already been to the Eagles press
conferences there on Tuesday. They don't mess around. We're gonna get Patrick Claibond's Super Bowl pick. This is hot, oh early.
It's very.
But yeah, let's and we're gonna talk about our friend that this that this podcast is named after at the at the end on an important week, thinking about Chris Westling.
But let's start with the Cooper Cup news.
I'm taking the train to downtown Los Angeles because I made the mistake of driving to a Lakers game two weeks ago that Patrick rightly told me to take the train to and I regretted it, and so no, you right, I should have taken the trade. So to last night, I was going to the Great Mina Chimes benefit show and Jordan Rodrigue was there with me, and it was a lot of fun. Thank you to the listeners that
came by afterwards and that were NFL Daily listeners. And we see as we're getting down there that Cooper Cup he hasn't asked for a trade like Miles Garrett Patrick. The Rams have told him in no uncertain terms they are seeking to trade him immediately. And there were some interesting lines in the Cup statement, but what stuck out to me was that he did not agree with this decision, but that he believes he has a lot of great football ahead of him and that is what he's going to seek out doing.
Yeah, injuries kind of plagued the past couple of years, but it makes sense from his standpoint where he wins the Triple Crown. He has a walk off touchdown that I feel like he might have been dealing with a brain injury at the time, and when he scored that touchdown in the Super Bowl, he gets a mega deal that he deserves. And so for his standpoint, with the time remaining on this, on this deal, there's no need
to be anywhere else. He could play with the football team that drafted him, in a place that he loves, that he spent the formative years of his adulthood able to celebrate a championship with the problem for the Rams is looking at this number with a base of twelve five, you know, four million dollar pro ration, seven and a half million dollar roster bonus, where they're going to have to work this thing even if they want somebody else
to trade for Cooper Cup. But as far as the production in the past couple of years, it just makes sense for Los Angeles to do this.
It's a bummer though.
It's a bummer that it doesn't sound like he had any choice in the matter. I saw some speculation from Florida Pro Football talk like maybe they'll try to get him to take a pay cut of it if they wanted him, I think to take a pay cut. That that would have been the first route that they did, and he made it clear through his statement they did not. Do you think Cup has any trade value?
Shook?
Yeah, that's what's crazy is you know what You often hear parents posting videos of their kids when they're just like toddlers. I saw somebody post them today and now I think actually was Andrew Hawkins and his kids like shooting at the Papa shot and he's like almost as tall as Andrew and they talk about how time flies. If you look up Cooper Cup, he's almost thirty two
years old. It feels like yesterday. He was being drafted from Eastern Washington where they have that red field, and he was this player rising up and he was the stellar athlete everything else, and yet here we are. So I think that the value that you might associate with the guy who has these accolades to his name is not quite as high because of age. Now, receiver is not a position necessarily like running back where you're going to look at age and be like he's cooked, he's toast.
But with the money that's associated, it makes for a significant undertaking for other teams that might be interested. Having said that, if he's healthy, he's still a damn good football player. He just has struggled to prove that over the last few years. So there are question marks.
It's a red flag that Sean McVay essentially doesn't want him. You know, he didn't produce at the end of this season when it.
Was like invisible in this offense down the stretch.
Five for sixty one in the Divisional round loss to the Eagles, but his previous four games combined were about the same numbers, five for like seventy something, you know, almost no production. And he's someone when I've gone to watch the Rams in person the last couple of years, just doesn't move the same way. And he feels like he gave his body to that Super Bowl season in a way that it's really never come back from. He was playing through injuries. He just was one hundred and
forty five catches. Was that entire offense? The amount of blocking like that he did. That opened up the whole offense, both him and Robert Woods. But Cooper Cup not a huge guy, and it was all around and he's just throwing his body around and he hasn't i think, physically responded.
He doesn't move the same way.
So I think to get off that number, the Rams would have to take on some of his salary. He's already owed five million dollars guaranteed. I have a hard time thinking that any team is going to trade for him unless the Rams take on some money, and it's basically like a late round pick. I don't think it's going to be a significant trade, and I think it's very possible they just wind up releasing him and he gets to be a free agent.
I think the cautionary tale for the folks who may think it's all over, Cooper Cup has taken too much of a beating over this course of time.
He has played hurt.
We saw that this year in Austin Eckler, who was clearly hurt towards the end of his time in Los Angeles and then in limited spots, looks much better playing for the Commanders this season, where I think there's still tread on Cooper cups tires. He might not get smashed into the defensive end as much, still contribute, and he was the key part of an offense that in parts
right has proliferated itself all over the NFL. Now where Cooper Cup is going to be able to come in and run successful routes at the very least for a good football team, where I think there's value there. But yeah, the Rams got to come up off some of that money to make that possible in the first place.
Let's let's not forget though, that that playoff run.
So just for a little context, he cut one hundred and forty five passes for nine and forty seven yards in the regular season, just preposterous numbers. Then in the playoffs. He added thirty three more catches, so we're up to one seventy eight for four hundred and seventy eight yards. We're almost at twenty five hundred yards. He added another six touchdowns. That's that's twenty two total touchdowns. That's right
there with the greatest wide receivers of all time. And I regretted not saying something to him other than pleasantries when I saw him down in the old NFL network locker room a couple of weeks ago that we just said. I just said, oh, hi, nice to meet you, all
that sort of thing. And I afterwards, I was like, I should have told him how how happy he made my daughter back in the day when she was at that Super Bowl and he made that that catch right into her end zone and there was like I have a picture with a tear in her eye after that.
It's like that, That's what it's all about. It's the memories.
Good luck to you, Cooper cup I don't I don't know where he goes from here. He will certainly be in the NFL this year. I don't know if a trade is going to happen. Let's just quickly circle back to the Miles Garrett trade because I want to get your take shook on what you think about it as a Browns fan. If you missed our show on Monday, obviously you probably know by now Miles Garrett has requested a trade in no uncertain terms out of Cleveland.
What do you think?
I mean, there's a few things here. One, it's been building for a long time. He's been asked, you know, about the trajectory of the franchise, and he essentially, you know, staked his position towards the end of the season, which is, look, I'm not here for a rebuild. I want to compete. Not the first time that a player said that, the first time that a player in Cleveland has said that. He is also playing for a team that as a general manager who doesn't typically honor trade requests. We could
run down the list. He honored the Baker trade, but only after the Watson thing was done. He didn't honor Kareem Hunt's trade requests. They just let him, you know, walk off into the night. They honored Amari Cooper's trade request after they'd already kind of renegotiated his deal, But it was more because they were a bad team and they you know, sent him to a team that was contending, So there's there's not really a track record of just I want to be traded and they actually do it.
There's also the contract associated and his age, and I think that at his age he's not quite going to command the money that he once did, but he's still an elite player. He's still a contender for Defensive Player of the Year this year. He won it last year.
So it's a combination of is this a leverage play for money I don't think, or is it it's the fact that he's done with them, and the way the statement reads and the vibes are around this team suggests to me that it's more about the state of the team and the Browns kind of just being a rudderless ship at this point in twenty twenty five. Now that could change, but ultimately he probably knows. He's probably looked at Nick Chubb and been like, I've been with this
guy for a long time. I've seen, you know, the ups and downs, and see the end of his career is around the corner, or you know, somewhere in the not too distant future. I don't want to find myself in the same spot. I want to actually chase things now. And I understand the frustration.
I don't think it's about the money.
And I've already feeled differently about this trait than when I talked about on Monday, and part of it is hearing just a little birdies that I don't think it's.
About the money.
I think he's just he's just made a decision that he wants, he wants better, he wants out.
Here, and you can't blame him. Yeah, Like, look at this organization, look at how they just kind of wasted the last three years. Can you blame them?
And there's not really things can change fast in the NFL, but they got to fix the quarterback situation, and it's just hard to maybe see that happening this year.
Yeah. Yeah.
I think back in history, Reggie White was thirty two when he went in free agency in nineteen ninety three.
He became a Green.
Wow, that's crazy, Like Miles has already hit these career milestones, over one hundred sacks, like twenty nine years old he was in I think back to the twenty seventeen draft where it's like this is a down year for quarterbacks.
One of the best.
Quarterback we've ever seen himund up being in that draft in Patrick Mahomes, I mean, Deshaun's in there. I guess he could go back change history, but ultimately, right, Miles is the number one pick. It was clear and obvious that Miles should have been the number one pick based on the information we had at the time. You go back, he's probably going number two. Maybe he's a Chicago Bear, who knows, but ultimately he does in terms of what he's done on the field. Yeah, he deserves a chance
to play for a winner. Because you look back at another guy we know, like Joe Thomas had a great career in Cleveland. The Browns ultimately failed Joe Thomas, and Miles has seen this. He's seen the whole arch as you mentioned for Nick Chubb, go do it somewhere else.
Yeah.
For a second, I'm like, how dare you say he's now going number two? Someone was better than Miles Garrett And I was like, what draft was that?
Oh yeah, fifteen, it's probably go number one.
Overall that guy.
Yeah, that guy was in his fifth Super Bowl in six years what and won an MVP before that. That dude's ridiculous. Miles Garrett's ridiculous. What a number one overall pick. Sometimes you hear a take that's so right that you realize you just have to accept, Oh, yeah, that's actually that's actually correct. And I'm gonna unfortunately give credit for this take to Daniel Jeremiah. I got it so again, I'm walking. I'm walking to this to the show Monday night,
really great downtown Los Angeles, and I'm listening. I decided he's already got a podcast up. Jeremiah moved the sticks about Miles Garrett, and he said that Garrett's doing them a favor, and he also thinks that the Browns. He didn't put words in their mouth, but he thinks the Browns will view it as him doing them a favor too, that they can say whatever they want publicly about that they have no interest in trading him.
I believe that to be true.
I also believe that maybe they knew that this could have been coming, and in a way it saves them from doing something that makes a lot of sense from their vantage point anyways, but that they almost couldn't do because of how unpopular it would be with the fan base and how difficult it was, and Miles Garrett's almost removing a level of that difficulty because the more I
thought about it, I think he's right. And then I texted around a couple of people that were not Dane Jeremiah, and they agree that it makes a.
Ton of sense.
For the Browns, I think they're gonna get a lot fro him, Chuck, I really do. I think all it takes is really two teams to I have up a price, and whether that's two first plus or whether it's a first plus, or it's a first in a pick swap, or it's a first in a player it's or it's a couple. I don't know what exactly what it's gonna be, but I think it's gonna be a lot, and I
think it should be a lot. And I think it's gonna be a lot because there's so many teams that have a ton of cap space, and obviously there's so many teams that could use Miles Garrett. I keep coming back to the good teams with cap space. That are the Lions, the Chargers, the Commanders, maybe the Packers. If they want to go against type. The Bills don't have a lot of space, maybe they they create it. But I just think this is how a market is created.
And I think more than anything shook it actually does make sense for the Browns because they could get a lot. They're also at the two pick. Maybe they will want that quarterback, maybe they won't. They could be trading back, you could. You can get a lot of picks, and maybe this isn't even their quarterback year. And by the time they're good like Garrett, he's not gonna have that value.
He won't be quite as good.
It's not a good thing to trade Miles Garrett, but it might be something where it's a win for Garrett and it's not it's not as big a loss as you would expect for the Browns and their fans. Yeah, their position to win for them either, but it's it. At least they can make the best out of it, and they can help out the guy who's given them a lot. This is what he wants, so that's not nothing that they can help him out in this spot.
Right right, Their position to play a key part, despite being one of the worst teams in football last season, to play a key part in this offseason multiple layers, because that's the number two pick. You know, they could take Penn States Abdul Carter. I think that's too high for Carter personally, but they're in position to potentially do
that and find an immediate replacement. They're also in position where they need a quarterback, where they could move a massive lever by maybe making a trade for Kirk Cousins. Maybe Miles Garrett is involved in that trade. Maybe all these moving parts all start an end in Cleveland, home of a team that went three and fourteen.
Oh man, Okay, let's talk about Cousins. He was on Good Morning Football on Tuesday morning. Let's listen to a little bit.
We were six and three, was playing well, doing a lot of good things, even if the right ankle wasn't perfect. You know, nobody's perfect in this league. We're never feeling one hundred percent. So it didn't really affect me too much. But then against the Saints, got hit pretty good in my right shoulder and elbow, and from there kind of dealing with that, you know, with something I was working through and.
Just never really could get it to where I wanted it.
And so now kind of now the season's over, the other time and the energy to say, okay, let's get the right ankle back, let's get the shoulder back, let's get the elbow back, and if we can do that, you know, feel like I got a new life ahead of me here in pro football.
Those injuries weren't completely disclosed. He hadn't maintained he was healthy at the time.
Healthy enough.
Yeah, we were watching Kirk.
It had some context.
He was limited on the injury report for one day after those injuries was week eleven, and I think they continued adds a little bit of context. Now you have to start worrying about his body breaking down. In general, he takes more big hits than most quarterbacks that are bigger than him. And he's not like he's saying a lot of hits over yours. I mean, it's it's one of the things that's made him win make a lot of money, is that he's able to stand in there
and just get beaten. But some of those sometimes those guys don't age well. But you mentioned the Browns, Chuck, and this is kind of going around now, Kevin Stefanski. They're not gonna have a lot of money to spend here. There's not a lot of good options out there. Cousins and a rookie or cousins and someone. Are you buying Patrick? Yeah, I'm buying I mean Cleveland specifically.
Yeah, I'm definitely buying Kirk Cousins in Cleveland. They have to find a quarterback. Kirk needs to find a spot. He needs to be a starting quarterback.
Either that does.
Either that was facial smoothing on his FaceTime or zoom. He looks incredible. I didn't even see any crows feet skincare.
It's that little button that you press now on the on those computer let me, I got one now.
I think it's with the new camera or maybe it's a stream yard.
You can press a button and I pressed it one time and I was I was too pretty, So I actually un clicked it, and I was like, the camera is already such high quality. That improves how you're looking to begin with that, I did not need to Like, I pressed it and I was like, I'm too handsome.
I could go join the boy band.
I mean, he's even better looking than Ally Connolly right now. They have a striking resemblance Kirk. But yeah, with the with the facial smoothing that's going on here, and yes, this is why you've got to sign up for the YouTube.
You know you gotta subscribe.
You got to hit like just just to see this this still shot here.
I mean he's looking great.
No, that's that's incredible. So yeah, if this, if Cousins able to do internally what he has done to his face with a bring it back around with the work, because yeah, clearly he was limited. The people compare right the achilles injuries for the aging quarterbacks, Rogers had a significant head start.
Yep, Kirk in recovery from that achilles stare.
It was clear, like mid to late in the season like that was not even Kirk Cousins at a certain point. I don't think he forgot how to play football. You mentioned taking all those shots. Yeah, because we saw Kirk Cousins take getting hit as he throws. He's hitting guys and shrid but all it takes is knocking you off that peg just a little bit, and he was clearly off of it. Why not have Kirk he wants to be a starting quarterback, he's willing.
To play for His highs were higher than Rogers this year.
For what were they were? I mean there was the two games against the Buccaneers in which he threw for like almost a thousand yards and we were all like, oh my god, he's back, but there was also the fact that he couldn't move in the pocket because he was coming off the Achilles. He says he has had an ankle issue as well, so that explains a lot. But let's keep building the connection to the Browns theory here. Let me just build my entire conspiracy. Kevin Sefancy was
his offensive coordinator in Minnesota. Kevin savanciazen on a quarterback that quite fits his play calling style since Baker Mayfield and Baker played his last yeat in Cleveland hurt and we all know what happened from there. The fit is there, naturally, The familiarity is there naturally, The history together naturally there.
Let's also go beyond that into the draft. If this is a short term option, there's a quarterback out there that's already generated some attraction in Cleveland, and he rolls up the ranks at the Senior Bowl. He played football
all mess. His name's Jackson Dart. The Browns acquire Kirk Cousins in a trade that involves Miles Garrett, and somehow they draft Jackson Dart even if he rises into the first round, which would make it impossible unless they get a first round pick from a team in this year's draft, and their whole future is set in people in Cleveland are able to sleep at night.
Let's wash it over, Greg right now.
He's completely out.
Now you convinced me that it this all could happen. I think that Jackson Dart thing is just everyone just keeps telling me that he should be he should be great for a trimp pick. I need to do my own research, you know. I and Aaron Rodgers quote.
Once you've done that research significantly better than any research Aaron Rodgers has ever done on anything.
I don't know that you're going to be moved off of how you feel.
But if he's a second round pick or whatever, Cousins and a second round pick, it's fine. It's kind of a get you by type of situation. I don't mind that.
I don't know. If I don't know if what the year to invest early.
Would, would Stefanski be in trouble in the event if there's a Kirk Cousins and Jackson Dart season that they trade Miles Garrett.
It's kind of down.
Yes, here's here's the thing about like planning your future for Arch Manning or some other quarterback that's coming down the pipe, like Kevin's fancy is a good coach. There are talented players on that roster, like with with cousins in a rookie like it wouldn't shock me if they scraped their way to eight nine wins, and then you're you're not in the business for those quarterbacks anyways. But wow, you guys have convinced me this is happening. A couple
other very quick items. I thought it was interesting the Commander's team owner Josh Harris did in about face on at on the team name, and it makes sense. He's had more information. The Commanders are here to stay. We're not changing the team name. When he first took over, the idea was he was going to change the team name,
but they kind of kicked the can. He said, I will wait a year, see what at you know, and then we'll kind of And I think because they've had such good vibes and that Jade Daniels has been wearing a Commander's jersey, that okay, that's it.
They're gonna wear no uniforms. There's precedent for this. And look, don't get mad at me, Seahawks fans, but if your team had not found a ton of success in the Pete Carroll era, you would have changed uniforms by now, because so with no association with history or success, performance any of that, those are not good uniforms. But because you can associate them with making the Super Bowl twice and being good over time, Wow, they're now great uniforms.
Wow.
The same thing happens with the Commanders. They'll change their uniform, but they won't change their name because it's it's just drilled into the jade. Daniels air already.
Hops out of the ring, runs across the street to another arena, jumps in a spot to take a shot to see them.
Yeah, put that on. That was fiery. You're absolutely right. It's the same deal with the Patriots, and they will change their uniforms, and they've already started to tweak it. But those Patriots flying ELVI was a mistake the first day it happened. Never liked them, still don't like them. And at some point.
Though five years later plus, they're still here.
Well I get it, they won a lot with them almost immediately, but I think they'll have to change it because it doesn't look I.
Mean, we're all Pavlov's dog in this instance, like Yeah, the Commanders were the Commanders.
They had the most.
Magical season that we could have possibly hoped for. So yeah, they're going to keep the name. I think they should still be the Washington football team, but I like it.
I thought it was going to go back to that.
And yeah, it once you say any name long enough, this is true for baby name, it's true for band names's true for podcast names.
You just get used to it and it's fine.
So yes, we will be going ahead and taking command for indefinitely.
Shout out to Carson Wentz.
Trying to get out to his second Super Bowl title. Carson Wentz, I mean starts to take command? What a guy like to first do it? You know, I know he wasn't playing, but take out Tom Brady and then on the other side with Patrick Mahomes against his old team, he has a chance to be a two time champ. Found out on Tuesday. I just wanted to note this
for the record. Micah Hyde is retiring. Great career underrated safety joined the Bills late this season almost as a player coach on the practice squad and always really appreciated him.
That was a.
Really big part of the Bills rise to prominence over the last seven years. Really, I might be the biggest defensive piece other than Sean McDermott as a play caller over that time. So shout out to Michael Hyde for a really good career. Let's hear from you, Shook about what's been going on in New Orleans, but let's hear about it after the book.
Back on NFL Daily. Shout out to Kobe Turner.
By the way, part of that mina show, which which is up on her podcast feed, he just belted out a rendition of House of the Rising Sun, just on stage out of nowhere.
And I know his voice is good.
He was on the mask singer and all that, but he like hearing that in person, like that place was floored, like everyone at chills, like he's a talent. Shout out to people that are talented musically. I'm jealous. And it's just like they always seem like the cool people. Shook also one of the coolest people, so cool that he was telling us between the during the break here that he once helped steer Paris Campbell to his his high
school football team. And now here's yeah Paris and Nick just two dudes who made it to.
The Super Bowl.
Yeah, you know he started. He came in as a freshm and right after I graduated from Saint Vince to Saint Mary, which everybody on the planet knows that as Lebron's school. It's also where I went to. And happened to be roaming about the final two minutes of Opening Night last night and turned a corner and there's Paris. And I haven't seen him since he was fourteen, well maybe eight seventeen, when he was, you know, at All State Starret Saint v before he went on to Ohio State.
And it was a great little reunion, a nice little moment.
Were you highly recruited coming into high school?
Absolutely not.
No, they didn't know. I just the bottom.
I was like cyo kid, No, because I was a late bluer Greg when I started high school. I was five to seven, one hundred and forty pounds.
Wow.
You put them at work.
Wow, Well I'm still there. You know it is there, it is. What have you taken from your Opening Night.
And Eagles media availability experience so far?
What's the ViBe's been like?
First of all, so if you want to compare it to the last time these two teams in the Super Bowl, just two years ago, it was all about the Kelsey brothers and the Eagles involvement. There was a lot of pomp and circumstance, but kind of a lot of distraction. Even from my perspective back then, this is not the case this time. All due respect to Mama Kelsey, but she's not coming out and giving cookies. Right This is
not that story anymore. The Eagles showed up and they looked like they were all about business to opening night last night. They walk upon the stage, they're there, they do their little interview, they go out and disperse to their podiums, and it's all business. They know what they're going to be asked about. They're not just taking it in. Darius Lay said that I'm not taking it in and having fun and trying to enjoy the moment. This is a business trip for me and I'm locked in. I'm
dialed in. My family is not coming to the hotel to hang out. I'm here to get a job done.
And a lot of them were like that. And I think it's been what they've experienced over the last year and a half that has really positioned them to have success now and get here is they know what it feels like to be at the super Bowl and lose it, to be a team that falls well short of expectations in dramatic fashion to the point you almost lose your coach by you know, via firing, and then to get back here with after kind of correcting those things and
going through that journey with so many of the same guys, and they're very much I think, mentally prepared for this week. They know how to handle it. So it's going to be a very intriguing matchup for sure.
Yeah, just looking forward to seeing just how this because I know with history we tend to think, oh, it's the same team, right, but nope, but there's a lot of guys that even younger team other than were last last time around.
We think literally the youngest defense in the league.
And instant results from all of those guys. So it's interesting where they have that dichotomy of a guy like Darius Slay there versus Quinnyon and Cooper dejan right, who are really experiencing all of this for the first time, and it's so different, it's so new unique. I don't even know if they have time to really consider it, because the game is going to be here before Sunday, but they have a bunch of people like are you
ready for this? And those guys shoo, I'm sure, Like I don't know that, Like I've never seen this before, but I've never seen a lot before.
This is this is their first NFL season for you know, Dejina and Mitchell, like they're just I don't know, like I've been working at football NonStop since my last college season ended. They always talk about the rookie wall. They are so far beyond the rookie wall at this point in the calendar that it's not even a thought, and I think that they're just kind of going with it, like they're not taking it in. They're just like, all right, it's another game to play. I thought. I think it
was Slay who said it. It was interesting to me too, is the way he described it as, Look, this is the last game of the season. Like we know it's the last game of the season. This is where we're going to try to go out on you know, a strong note and lock in and play you know, good football. And the other thing too, is like they have such an interesting blend of vets. Like you talk about Brandon Grant, you talk about Lane Johnson, you know, these guys are
in their third Super Bowl. Jalen Hurts is in his second Super Bowl. Saquan's in his first, but he's seen a lot in his career. They appreciate it, and they're not overwhelmed by it. I think it's just it was very striking to me in all these years of covering different Super Bowls where this team just feels very much like they belong here.
He's saying he's doing the thing. The team that you cover, you just you just fall off. I did that thing too. That's why it hurt so bad.
Why it hurt so bad when Santonio Holmes caught that pass and broke the hearts of Darnell Dockett and Carlos dans Bea and that.
Great Cardinals team.
I've never been so disappointed, And it was largely because I covered that team that week for NBC Sports dot Com and I just just fell in love with him. And now Shook Shuk's doing the same thing. Can we bring up the Darius Slay picture that Shook took on Opening Night because he seemed like he was had I don't know what this look was. It's maybe a little mischievous, a little bit like, what are you doing, bro? How would you describe it?
Shook?
That's who he is. Somebody called him out they didn't he didn't hear Sligh properly. And he goes, it's Slay, It's Slay. And then in the crowds like I said Slay and he goes, oh, I thought you said something else, like he's cracking jokes. I asked him, how long did it take you to get over that Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs last time? He said five seconds. I was like, okay, okay, yeah I have I'm a dad, I'm a husband. I had to, you know, take care of daddy duties, is what he said. So yeah, he's
a unique character for sure. But it's definitely interesting to see the different blend of personalities here and some of the guys who've been there before, and you know what it might mean for them.
I'll tell you exactly what that look is from Darius Slayer.
Is damn that that dude with the phone taking this picture as big as hell, guaranteed, I promise you, I am.
We'll talk about my picture of game. I am sure of nothing else more than that.
Wow, that's awesome.
Darius Slay been on record thinking this is going to be his last day a game. As an angle, We'll see he's speaking realistically. He's probably right, just because of finances and everything. Although the Eagles they always offer their guys pretty solid deals. I remember James Bradbury eventually came back to them because he couldn't get a better deal elsewhere. And my guess would be they will attempt to keep Darius Slay, but maybe they won't max out just because
it's tough to do for everyone. You talk to some players on Tuesdays, Shook Jordan Mylotta, Lane Johnson, Zach Bond, not in a revenge game against the Chiefs, but a revenge game against what was done to him in this city by Dennis Allen who couldn't take advantage of him. I know it's hurting Saints fans. It's really the underrated Saquon Barkley storyline that like Saints fans are watching this and be like, defensive player of the Year came in
Zach Bond, like we had this guy here any position? Yeah, any thoughts, But before we move on, just about your your conversations in person with the Eagles here on Tuesday.
Yeah, that's the old Hassan Raddick line. It wasn't playing the reposition Arizona until his last year. I think that, you know, I spending a lot of time with the offensive lineman just because it's kind of where my content was directed. But I think that, you know, the main narratives have been, you know, hey, getting over what happened last year, not the Super Bowl loss, but what happened last year and how that has made them a stronger
team has been very interesting to me. And also the transformation of their offensive line after you know, losing Jason Kelcey, sliding Cam Jurgens over to the center and creating a hole at guard, and then Makhai Beckton coming in. Sirianni had some nice things to say about Beckton as well as as well as Lane. Johnson asked him, you know, how long did it take you to get acclimated with
playing next to him? Because he's a large human and he actually noted that, like the average guard is not his size, and so when it comes to picking up stunts, it makes life easier because there's less space to move through because he's so massive. My lot is hilarious, is always you know, he's just got a nice charm about him, but it's interesting to see him in where you know, where he was in their last Super Bowl appearance versus now again more business like, so nothing like overly revelut toy.
They're very much about their business. But it is an interesting and a lot to talk about Vic Fangio too, that these guys love Vic Fangio and what they've done for this defense as well.
He's a true ball guy. And yet no one has made more money this season, I think than a pair of Eagles. In terms of upcoming free agents. Makai Beckton is going to get paid and it'd be a great story for him considering everything that went on the Jets, whether it's what the Eagles or not.
We'll see.
Milton Williams, I think, is going to be a tough, tough player for them to keep as well, because and you put on that film from the NFC Championship game, he might have been their best defensive player. And he's in a good spot because Jalen Carter soaks up those double teams. But man, to your point, Patrick, this is not the same team. I just think of how much better Nolan Smith was than he was a year ago. Jalen Carter is a better player than he was a
year ago. So it's also development the Chiefs, you know, they they've improved as well. Well, we'll talk plenty about the Chiefs. We have a big preview with some special guests. We have Greg Olsen plan to come on to our preview show to help Jordan and I and you Shook look ahead to the game. No better ball noer than him, to give us some insight you.
Should be calling the game.
I know, can we bring that up?
He has talked about it a little, so that's kind of what I want to talk about.
But I don't.
I don't think we'll focus on that before we go, because this is gonna be last time the trio is here. We did the Sunday nights together, and last time during the regular season that Patrick and I'll be in the studio here together. Although like, I don't know what you're doing next week, Patrick, but this show continues on. It's not really ending. I want your pick. I want your pick before we get out of here.
And I know you know, it was in the heat of the moment.
It was after the AFC and NFC championship games, and I was like, ah, the Eagles are going to win the Super Bowl.
Well, I've I've thought about this game.
I've done a lot of looking at next gen SATs in NFL NFL Pro. I think the Eagles are going to win the Super Bowl. Greg all Right, I think top to bottom, this is a better roster. I know they have the best football player we've seen in a very long time in Kansas City.
But this team is very good. They could absolutely lose.
They could absolutely lose, but I think that they will win the game because I think they're a better team.
Wow, you just simplified it by the way you mentioned Cam Jurgens. He said he's playing in this game. That's a big item there. And I really think, just vibes wise that Brandon Graham has a great chance to play.
Yeah, it's the sense I get to. Well, he talked about it. The tone was as if he's going to try to play.
So to my point before, it's not the same team. Yeah, they can.
They can add their best pure pass rusher, I would say, and Brandon Graham will see what he does. But Patrick's definitive and concise with his pick on game de view. I mean, you gave them an eight point win a bit off, Mike. You said they might be up a couple scores here and the Chiefs get one late to make it even look closer and make them sweat a little.
But that you you really like them. You don't think it's going to be back and forth them when he at the end, you think they might win it so U comfortably.
No, I think it works out better for them, And in fact, you know, it may lead to some conservative hurts throws, maybe he takes the sack, maybe he holds onto the ball a little too long because things. I think they'll be able to run the ball against the Chiefs. I think the Chiefs throw behind the line of scrimmage a lot, and the Eagles are very gifted and making those tackles in space where it's going to have to be fifteen magic all the way up and down the field.
And it happened last time, a ball bounced directly to Nick Bolton and they end up winning the game. I think this time this Eagles team is significantly better than that last Eagles team.
Yeh yeah, but yeah, I agree. I think that the Eagles defense and they're the blueprint that they produced in the NFC title game. Well not as drastic is going to play a factor. I think you're going to see a turnover or too that swings it in a direction where they take a two touchdown lead to the fourth quarter and like you know, Patrick kind of put out there, it ends up being like I have thirty one to
twenty six. It was like my first thought, I haven't really settled on that, but that's probably where we're headed.
And Vic Fangio as the defensive coordinator is much better than Vic Fangio as the consultant, like twenty minutes after he finishes a year with the Dolphins.
Or as the head coach of the Denver Broncos back in the day. Although those defenses they were tough to play against for Mahomes, and yet Mahomes always found a way to win literally every time. I'm growing increasingly uncomfortable with all the Eagles support because you know, that's how that's how I'm leaning. I mean, it just seems I'm just saying, it seems very widespread in the media, and you know, it makes us all feel good before the game.
And Eric behind the glass is certainly rooting for that because he's a he's a vengeful person who did hater.
Fortunately, I don't think any of us can do anything to make the Chiefs try harder. Now, I think the Chiefs will attempt to win the Super Bowl, regardless of how many people doubt them, no, disrespect them, or believe in them.
They will before we go.
While we're here in the rest Whistling Podcast studio for the last time this season, I was thinking about Chris this morning, and it's a time of year those who are close to him, I know Lakeisha of course thinks about him a lot. He died four years ago on February fifth, actually, so that that's tomorrow when we get down to New Orleans and.
His birthday, my birthday we share.
It is in a couple of weeks too, so it's a time where you reflect and it it's kind of a mind fuck because this week is when he died, so it's always it was super Bowl week, and I think about like how that week was often when when we get to this time of year and and that was tough, that was like that was the worst.
That was a nightmare.
It's the worst week of my life. And you also think about the times like during during that week I had a chance to sit with him a couple of days before before he passed and and just spoke. It's a one sided conversation at that point, and we talked about football, you know, as we always always did, and we talked about family and Lincoln and keish and his brothers and in life.
And that was really special.
And there's like no words to sort of describe all the feelings that that you're having in that moment. But I feel very grateful to to have had that with with him and to have had all the conversations that we had thinking about it just from a football perspective about football, because one of the things I take away from thinking about it now four years if in some ways I was just talking about about it with keish Uh last week and some ways it feels so long,
so much has changed. That was, you know, the tail end of the pandemic, and our lives have changed, and it feels so long. But on the other hand, you can just feel what that feeling was like and really for the next next year. It's been it's been tough, but especially right right in that aftermath. But it gets me thinking, you know, about what we are grateful for too, which is having friends to talk football with and Chris was a special guy to talk football with.
For me, is.
Almost like a football a football soulmate, you know what I mean, Just like someone that was the perfect person to talk football with. And just thinking about the Thursday nights that we always spent at the Culver Building or at his house in Westchester and watching those games, and as we're approaching this game, which a lot of people do, enjoying it with their family or their friends or whatever, just just appreciating those moments because it was obviously more
than those moments. It was about our life lives together and friends and family, but it was also about those moments.
Just just chilling what the moments that weren't special, the moments that wasn't that last week, because because I think there's a tendency and you guys can tell me if you disagree that when you lose someone important to you, that last period really sticks sticks with you and it and that makes sense and it's natural, but it's almost a shame because everything that came before it is what
what built up your your relationship. And one thing I think was really unique about Chris was he kind of had a near death experience the first time he had cancer, he went through chemo and he came out the other side and and yeah, Keisha and I talk about this a lot that the years after that where they had a you know, great year after that, and they get
engaged and they eventually get married. And of course linking comes that he had this awareness of how much to enjoy those Thursday nights watching with me, but also obviously going out with Dan and Mark, and obviously all the times he had with brothers and all the times. There were no times that he was not trying to enjoy.
And he actually had a little saying and in typical West fashion, a little Excel spreadsheet which was called Enjoy every Sandwich, And he was trying to keep track of every sandwich that he had during that period and to find the perfect sandwich. He wanted to make the perfect sandwich. He wanted to eat all the perfect sandwiches. He wanted to categorize them by different types of sandwiches because he was just a Rankings type of dude. He wanted to
put them in different cuisines, different regions. Him and Keish drove from Cincinnati to Nashville and just hit up as many great sandwich spots along the way so he could document to all and and that for him was enjoy every sandwich he kept. He had that at the top of the spreadsheet. I gotta I gotta dig this up. I got to go find some of those those sandwiches. And uh, that's what I want to think about too. During these weeks, You're going to think about the tough
the tough times. But like that to me, as I'm heading down to New Orleans, one of my favorite places in the world, and going to see a lot of my favorite people in the world that I'm really grateful to be around, and you two of the are obviously included in that is that I'm going to enjoy the hell out of every sandwich. I'm not going to waste the meal down there in New Orleans. I'm not going to waste a great football conversation that I could have
with the people that are close to me. And I'm going to think about Chris and and I'm gonna we're going to do the best to honor him.
Yeah, people will always say that nobody tells you that you're in the good old days. Yeah, but but during that that post, first bout all, Chris was well aware that he was in he was in the good old days and to be to be out of the you know, at the house at that point once they had moved and having the barbecues like and seeing that, you know, because people talk about cooking with love like it's it's
going in there. He's got love for the people in his life, and love for the food, and just love for the fact that we all get to do this together. And too, because I'm so glad you pointed out, like you see the snapshots right towards the end, but it's it's the build up, it's the totality of all that and and kind of soaking in those moments while they happen that that makes you appreciate them more.
And since then, right like Lincoln Sage were born.
Within a couple of weeks of each other, and seeing them both grow up to this point, since then, you know, having seen cancer take more folks out of our lives that we experienced football with, like Larry Campbell, you know, you you realize that this is not this is not like a workplace situation. These are the people that you get to experience life with and it brings a.
Joy to football itself.
Because we got to have the opportunity to be around these people in this time, and so four years.
And feels like it feels like ours.
It also feels like four years, and I'm just glad that I had those years of Chris.
You're right great that it feels like it was a long time ago because of what was going on. It's also somewhat coincidental. I walked into a deli today next to the hotel, and that's immediately what I thought of as I looked at the menu was enjoy every sandwich.
I've never been here, but I thought about Wes, and I thought about that saying, and about trying to maximize every experience, whether it's just out of random deli, or whether it's the years that I spent out with you guys, the times that we had, the gatherings at his old apartment along the beach in Marina del Rey, watching him with the big green egg smoking up, or I still look aw.
It'll say too much about those those got a little uh squarely at certain points.
I still look back at the video I had to him dressing them up, or the time that we were together and somebody was in one of those dinosaur costumes and he's got his arm around and hugging it. You know, we're having a good time. And you know, every time we do a Super Bowl it's for me, you know, working remotely, it's the time to get together with everybody, the people that we form these bonds with through work,
who are more than just colleagues, their family. And every time there's there's always that feeling that someone's missing that person as west and yet at the same time that that is a constant reminder because this can become routine from year to year, even as things change and everything else. But you could stand at a press conference and it's a reminder to enjoy all this, savor all of this.
As you said, Yeah, and the difficult part about losing somebody is that they're no longer there and that your time with them has run out. But all the lessons that you've gained from that person and the value that you had that you have in the time that you shared together, I think still informs you as you move forward. And I wish he was here. I miss him all
the time, just like you guys too. And he was a special person and deserving of much more than just having a podcast studio named after h I'll tell you.
That, you know what, and he he got much more.
That's what he would tell you, and that he we you go back and forth from anger of that he was all the things that he was robbed of, but he would have said, the loves of his life, you know, Lakeisha and Lincoln, What a gift.
That they were.
And yeah, just I wanted to talk about him today obviously with the anniversary of his death tomorrow and everything, and we're here in the studio because there is something too. There is something too these anniversaries, I realize, and part of it is he's not going to be forgotten from us. But it feels good to talk about him, Like I think that's the you you want to honor him the best way.
I think that's one of them.
It is to talk about him, to remember him, to not just let the day go by, to honor him with with everything you're doing. And he's obviously inside of all of us, and and that's part of it. And on these days to remember him and yeah, yeah, remember fucking badass times and you remember the pain as well, and that's all it's all wrapped up. And and football is a big part of it. Was a big part of my life with him, my relationship. It's about me going back to uh, going back to Rhade World, back
back in like six oh seven. So appreciate everyone that that is with us here listening to to NFL Daily and listen to us talk about Chris here on this February day. The next time you'll hear us, we'll be on February fifth. It'll be down there in New Orleans. I'll see a Nick uh in just a little bit. And thank you Patrick for yeoman's work all season long and that and that Eagles pick that it's not even going to be close.
We're not stopping that after the confetti falls and we all just pretend like we're we're back.
We're podcasting maybe all the way through.
We really, we really are.
We gotta we gotta talk about what exactly the schedule is, but it's not going away for long, and it's it's gotta be daily. And yeah, look when we're when we're already talking about a new Kirk Cousins landing spot and the week before the Super Bowl, you know football is back