The Around the NFL podcast. That's a great point. Mark from the Chris Wesley podcast studio. It's Around the NFL. That's the voice of God, Jason get a going away party for Jason's moving east but remaining with our program through the miracle of technology. Did I say I'm Dan Henses, I am Mark Sessler here. Also I'm Lakisha.
Westling and this is the beautiful intelligent funny force today.
Colleen what Ways?
And gentlemen, everybody?
Was that from the podcast I did with Lakeisha?
We weren't able to post it because your.
Guess is as good as mine, but it sounds like you're onto something because.
What what a what an folded?
Yeah, a good time, Randy behind the glass, I can connect the dots on that dug that out of the archives and I was like, I've never heard that in my life, but I love it me too. Actually, I want to hear it again.
I'm Lakisha Westland and this is the beautiful intelligent funny Colleen what way is a gentlemen, everybody?
Oh my god, there's something to be said for echo effect. Has it ever not stepped up in a big spot?
I think in that big spot it certainly added to the sound clip.
I'll tell you that it always enhances my opinion.
It always adds to the clip.
Look, there is some humanoid stuff creeping in the.
I don't know why I left the last episode. I was wandering around my place being like, what did I just what did I? What do I think I accomplished over the last hour and a half?
Yes, fellow human Dan, I also on that bit humorous. That's not who I wish to be, so and I typically are.
That's why I don't know. I think it's I'm.
Wondering if you're an alien has taken over in your Where's mark?
Yeah, I'm not sure something is ocurring.
Wow, you were out last week for that second show.
It's not because of anything.
And then these last two shows there's been a couple like alieny type things. Yeah, I'm just a little red string in this thing a little bit. I think it's fair to dig into. I can't have no you know deep Ranch.
That story about the alien that landed in the eye.
And big glassy eyes were staring back at him and he was like calling nine one one.
I was I'm terrified right.
Now, we're red string in this thing. Yep. Figure of suspicion. And you better not.
If you are, especially myself though, because I don't, I can't connect the Jats.
Mark better be safe if indeed, all right, it's it's June. It's a June podcast madness and all this is madness. I walked in. The NFL network is currently playing the Dan Reno Fake Spike game, Week thirteen, nineteen ninety four, a game that I attended with my father, my uncle, my cousin, and that's when I lost my innocence as a football fan. The Jets had a seventeen nothing lead and Marino throws four touchdown passes in the second half, including the fake spike. We've talked about this.
We have because there's an incredible little nugget to it. Was that, you know, a year before Bill Belichick, the Browns coach mercilessly cut Bernie Coozar in city at the City of Cleveland, wanted to find Belichick and set his hair out fire. He winds up with the Cowboys and winds up with the Dolphins as a backup. And it was Bernie Coozar who was always described as cerebral and heaty, which meant he wasn't very athletic, but he came up and basically advised Marino and the Dolphins to run that
fake spike. So, of all the people to take your innocence, you were victimized.
That's a tough that's.
Bernie's Bernie is cool with me, So I'm not going to be down on Bernie.
Yeah, well he was.
He was.
He would have done the same for the Jets. Had to be on the Jets, so the final go ahead.
How do you feel about it now, Dan, Well.
Once, once your innocence is lost as a sports fan, you're never the same again. So I still think about it. I could still from the lows where we were sitting, I could see the last boomer of size and desperation pass heaved through the back of the end zone and actually threw the uprights as time ran out. I could picture fans walking through the parking lot at Old Giants Stadium tearing up there. Johnny Mitchell free poster we got before the game. Johnny Mitchell didn't do anything wrong in
fac Johnny Mitchell. I they got a touchdown of the game, just ripping it up in anger because we had once again been tricked by the Jets.
I think the fan base collectively lost its its innocence, perhaps on.
That long before that.
Okay, yeah, but I'm so sorry for your loss.
Yeah yeah, Connie, how are you? How's the summer of Connie going?
Great?
It is, it's going fantastic. I've been outside a lot. I have a tan for the first time.
There's a lot going on with Connie. She's got like a platinum blonde look.
A distinctive change. It's a pleasant one.
The Game of Thrones, lady, thank.
You, Denaris Targarian, Emily Clark, Amelia Clark, right, Billy Clark.
Also new glasses. We clocked that as well. Yeah, a Lisa Lobe vibe.
Yeah, it's got a little bit of a cat I going.
The real ones know that Lisa Lobe reference in a big spot. So it's happy. We're happy to have you as always gone.
It's great to be back and be in the same room with you, guys.
I don't know if we've ever had Connie on the show in studio in June before, so I feel sure you have feels like a blessing. Just feels it.
But we'll make it feel new.
We'll need to fact check that tons up.
You came up.
But I think she's done a June show, and I believe.
Probably Greg is not here today. As you've probably noticed, he will be back. He What if Greg.
Just had not spoken this entire episode yet, that would have been a typical.
I think everyone was able to deduce that he wasn't here based on the past. We will have and I said, coming up today, even the name, I think is kind of like interesting.
I'm excited about this.
Who am I? I love it.
Some mysteries evolved.
Who am I? I'll just leave it there for now, but for some news. Dude.
So I was passed out and I woke up to nothing but text messages, phone calls.
I had no idea what was going on.
Now.
I got dressed, I came out.
I look down and I smell like a smoky smell, and I'm like, damn, dude, So.
It's crazy, Uh, Colleen, what are you people?
We are proud Philadelphians, and we have a very specific way that we talk, and when I hear it, it makes me homesick.
All right, So let's hear a little more of our friend who kind of looks exactly like my brother if he lived in Northfield. I can see that and saw it. Did they know what was happening or did it just look like well?
No, So I got all those text messages screenshots. I'm like, everybody's like, yo, where's this at? Like nobody had like a direct location. So I was like, look out my window. I see a bunch of cops. I'm like, bro, that's right by my apartment. News, So when did you figure out and realized that the freeway collapse.
I was passed out when that happened.
Just passed out when that happened.
Bra it's right outside.
Ye that my both my parents are from the northeast, northeast Philadelphia, So that is actually how my family that reminds me of home Wind does tomatoes.
I love it.
How did I not know about that news story? Also a highway collapse?
No, I didn't know about it. I mean, not tracking zero news when I'm not here. So, oh my god, Well, wherever the real mark is? Yeah? Probably is he? Probably this? Yeah? This species whatever we're talking to you right now, still learning about news and how it works exactly humans track the news from around the region and beyond, and make mental note for future conversations. All right, here is the latest UH drama out of Buffalo and it is drama. It's just like, what is it? What is this?
Yeah?
Light June drama, Light June drama with a little twist because of the you know, there's so much on pressure on Buffalo to get over the hump. You you want everyone going into the season feeling great. And yet the Stefan Diggs, he did not show up for a mandatory mini camp. We talked about it on our Tuesday show that Sean McDermott then came out and said that he was very concerned about it. And then we learned after Mark we did some discussion about what could this be?
Is this about money? Is is it something else going on behind the scenes? Here is Josh Allen as all. This was cresting. I think on Tuesday.
You know, Steph, he's my guy. I ses I love him, He's a brother of mine. You know, this does not work what we're doing here without him. You know, we we wish he was in here today and was out there on the field with us, and that's that's not the case. But I've got his back no matter what. And again I I I've got no doubt that that we will figure out what's going on and freaking love him.
I can't stress that enough. You know, there's things that I could I could do better, and you know, to help out with this process and try to get him back here and and you know, be the buffalo abilities that he's meant to be.
Later, Sean McDermott said that Diggs and the team are in a real good spot. He did apparently show up at the facility and practice a day later. So, Mark, what are your thoughts on what's going on here?
I think I would if anyone cares about this particular June drama. I I listened to that quote audio alone driving in and then if you go watch him in the eyes of Josh Allen, there is a disquiet. There's something else happening here, and I think that there are just seeds of discontent. Stephan Diggs is like top three most competitive wide receiver in the league, and like he's in a great position. This trade worked for the Vikings, it worked for the Bills, It's worked really well for
Stephan Diggs. But during Super Bowl week he had some comments. Guy turned to find like what has he said in what's he talked about? Beyond some of the tweets that I think there was a build up building frustration about the Bills offense.
On some level, I think.
We kind of forget that they went through some real peaks and valleys, not only the team emotionally for obviously what happened with DeMar Hamlet, but the offense itself and some of Josh Allen's play I thought regressed a little bit, especially like in the red zone and in the fourth quarter.
I think Diggs just wants to be that guy.
And I wonder if there's some disquiet around Ken Dorsey taking over for Brian Daboll and how that all went down. I think it needed to be worked out, It needed to be talked about. The last time we saw Diggs on the field, he was angry at Josh Allen, and right there in the eyes of Josh Allen, I thought that we saw a quarterback take some responsibility for all this because he's a great leader and there is a bit of frustration. I don't need some money thing.
Yeah, Josh Allen. It was interesting when he said there's things I could do better to get him in a better spot, meaning Stephan Diggs, which we saw Stephan Diggs kind of reached the frustration crescendo against the Bengals, and you saw that frustration over and over again. But I found McDermott saying the other day that he was very concerned after Diggs, you know, left before the team practice and then came around and said, there are a lot
of things out there that aren't accurate. He was here on Monday for his physical, reported for all meetings, had a good conversation, got to a point yesterday where we felt we all needed a break, gave him permission and he was excused. So he went from being very concerned to oh, it was an excused thing, no big deal.
So that's really telling.
It really does feel like it's all coming from Ken Dorsey and the offense.
And that's what I kind of think.
Yeah, and I think there's if we look at some broad like what the Bills are where they're at. I think last even before the DeMar Hamlin situation unfolded at the end of the regular season, that was a tough season. Had they were this team that was on this kind of meteoric rise together in the twenty twenty one season ends after a great season from Josh Allen and the offense was unstoppable times and really they felt like they
could win a Super Bowl. They get picked off in the divisional round by the Chiefs and that unforgettable ending to that game, and then twenty twenty two just felt like a slog for that team. Like Brian Dabele leaves, they're expected now to win thirteen games and they have the regular season that they need to win the division, but nothing was as easy as it was the year before.
They struggle through the first round of the playoffs, are they struggle in the playoff loss to the Bengals, and now here they are again, And maybe it's Digs looking up at a steep hill again and as a as a passionate guy, there's some frustration knowing how difficult the season was last year. I mean, it's it's interesting. I think it is a June story and this type of thing that we probably won't even think about in September unless it's deeper than we realize.
I don't know, I think it is.
I just think it's a personality thing, because I think Diggs is engaging.
He's all in.
I don't ever lack of trust about how much he wants to win and the kind of player he is. But I think there's a flip side to that where you get this where he was discontent in Minnesota after a while with that offense and how he was being used.
I think it's just creeping up a little bit. You're so right about.
Last season because Josh Allen battled through an injury that affected his accuracy, his confidence, I think to some degree, and that offense just came and went. And I think if you're Stephan Diggs, you're looking at the Bengals, You're looking at the Chiefs and saying, we cannot lose a step to them, and we cannot be Maybe we need to think about how we run this offense. I just think it ties back to who they are, their identity on that side of the ball.
Yeah, and Stephan Diggs, we saw videos of him dancing at practice when he was finally there when the guys were stretching, so it seems like he's in better spirits.
But the thing that sticks with me is a TNF years ago when Stepan was still on the Vikings and they won, and Kirk Cousins and Stefan Diggs both came to the desk after the game, and this was towards the end of the season, and you would think like they just won, this is going to be a happy crew, and the tension between Stefan and Kirk Cousins, I can still feel it like I could and I could see how he is such an emotional human and emotional player, and so obviously things did not sit well with him.
I don't think it's money.
Obviously, you guys talked about that on the last show, because he just got some last off season, so you look at what he's dealing with here. Von Miller talked about it, saying that he's supportive and he wants to be here and he wants to win a super Bowl.
So I think it's just all that.
Right, Maybe I'll just say it, maybe he's a bit of a pain in the ass. Maybe I think part of his personality he did get he ran himself out of Minnesota, right. I'm glad you brought that up, Connie. That was a previous style up where he was a star receiver there and made it very clear was unhappy, which Minnesota didn't trade him because they wanted to that he kind of asked his way out of town there, and then they used that first round pick they got
in returned to get Justin Jefferson and everybody won. But now Stephan Diggs is unhappy again, so we shall see what happens. All right, let's move to you know, this doesn't do it, That kind of does it for me. That's that's some drama up there in Orchard Park. Now let's talk some contract stuff. We'll start with Justin Herbert on a possible the idea of a possible hold in if he doesn't get his new contract done.
It's something I really haven't thought a whole lot about. You know, I think the most most of the offseason so far has been worried about, you know, getting my shoulder right. Make sure that I'm the best quarterback that I can be for this team. It's something you can address. You know, I'm not quite sure. I don't have any more updates for you at this time, but you know, like I've said earlier, I think I think the world of the Chargers organization.
You know, I've got is that A, is this another?
Is he visit loan? Same group that I was apparently.
Getting my shoulder right.
The shoulder thing, Yeah, you're surgery.
Okay, so we'll see. It doesn't sound like any there's much fire there.
Well, I think the hold and also he also had you know these quotes about that you want to be there if you're the quarterback, you've got Kellen Moore running and installing a new offense, it's it matters. But the holding, you can just cite any sort of malady injury wise, and you sit there and do meetings and don't do practice.
He's coming off surgery. He could do this if he wants to.
He's also not like a sassy drama queen. No, he's so laid back and he will remove himself from any drama.
And he supports the Chargers organization.
Organization, but we also know the history of that organization. Don't make this weird, hey, Chargers, don't make it weird. Please. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs have a star defender in Chris Jones. He's coming off a I believe a fifteen and a half sec season there. He was absent from case mini camp as they work toward a new contract. You know what, I think, we gotta I gotta pull out Tommy Lee Jones here. It's gonna be fun.
You know so, because Greg isn't Greg normally will send out early in the morning like the news rundown. Yeah, our ideas and we can add to it as it's a it's a working file. But so he's not here, so I thought I'd do that to try to did a great job well, but even but I will say when I came up with this rundown, I thought to myself, well, the Justin Herbert thing feels like a just wait a month's situation. The Chris Jones is sort of like, yawn, they've already said we're going to get this done at
some point. But otherwise we had one news item, so it's like, you gotta it's June.
Yeah, that works.
No, but that was good. It was good that we hit it. We let people knows something that's happening, right, but we are making it publicly known. Also, don't care, Yeah, don't fine, it's fine. Everything's fine. In other June news.
So the Bears are on the come up, at least that's what we're being told at this point, with a roster that's improving and a young quarterback that maybe people believe has a chance to really leap in Justin Fields, and perhaps now with Aaron Rodgers out of the NFC North, it is time for the Packers Bears rivalry to actually become a rivalry again, Connie. And then there's a man named Justin Jones, defensive lineman for Chicago, who had this to say about Packers fans who does not really care for it.
Uh, we went up there and we played it. We played a pretty good game, you know, but they got away from us at the end obviously, and they won.
But their fans are really so.
Yeah, I wanted to go back up there and I want to play them, and I want to beat them, and I wanted him to be there so you can see it, man, I mean, man, like just just the way they're just freaking obnoxious, just yelling and all that other stuff about things that don't even matter, Like we're not even we're not even running to play. You guys are talking about oh yeah, like what do you even telling The games even started yet? Like what do you be talking about here? Like you know, Oh, it's so
weird to me. But I'm just ready to go back out there and play. And I want to go out there, and I want to beat the hell out of them, you know, on their field, and I want to hear it. I want to hear the booze in you know that's what I look forward to.
Yes, no, no, no, I love this.
I love this so much because you can hear in his voice how annoyed he is. Imagine actually what you're getting on the unfiltered side, Like we just got him in front of a mike, in front of the media, and he's probably tempering it a little bit. I would love to care an unfiltered version of that.
I love.
I love the concept that Green Bay's fan base, compared to literally other fan base, has a pocket of fans that don't have any idea of what's going on.
That's how he described the entire interesting.
I've never thought of the Packers fan base as like distinctly lacking knowledge.
Yeah, and I'm wondering what someone in the stands could be shouting at him. His takeaway is like, Oh, these people don't know their football. That's interesting.
Well, it's a weird stance to have.
It's a weird hit, it, I mean, it's totally you know, I believe him.
You know they're playing Week one at Soldier Field. Oh so I think you're gonna sit here more from Justin Jones, hopefully after the game.
I want to see when they're in Green Bay.
And it should also be known that that Aaron Rodgers he was referring to, went twenty four and five in his career against Chicago in the regular season, with sixty four touchdowns ten picks in a one oh nine passer.
I mean, it's like Brady against the Jets, It's like Big Ben against the Browns. It's like filling the blank against terrible trash bag operation.
The Bears haven't beaten the Packers since twenty and eighteen, and they haven't won in Green Bay since twenty fifteen. How about that? All right?
In other news, what else is happening?
Let's head to the Kicker Club. Hot Rods back Baby. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers sign rod Ree Ego Blank and Ship formerly of the Cardinals, to a deal, also formerly of the Colts. He's converted eighty three point three percent of his field goals. It's entering the league in twenty twenty. Blew out a muscle in his leg last year early in the season, leading to his release and free agency, and now he's back. Mark always got the big goggles.
Remember he has the weird He had the weird blog when he was in college or he just like was trashing his own team and stuff.
He had the wheelies that he came in on during Colt's camp Wheelies.
That's right, I love you back in the league.
He also has like a vibrant lego collection that's Instagram account where he does these like complex, massive sets and he's all into it. So I think it's like when he went, when he left football, think he was completely filled with all these other hobbies. I'm almost surprised that he ever returned.
Yeah, it's kind of good for the Kicker Club to have a couple of like rogue weirdos in there. Yeah, just to keep things everybody on their toes a little bit. He's just like on the wheelies, like hopping over.
Like an eccentric character.
Yeah, inccentric. It's good to have accent tricks. Excent tricks nailed it. Uh. And that's what's happening in the news. Let's take a break and then Who am I?
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, It's time once again for America's favorite guessing game, who am I?
Ah favors go. It is who Am I? A game that dares that are contestants to use their brain to figure out who is.
Speaking well, Mark's an alien, so he gets like this.
The game show voice for a second after it, but you seem to have gone back.
I figured an alien wouldn't know what a game show was, that's true. I didn't want to do any more reveals in that department, so he got the call there. Yeah, but if I knew one hundred percent that you were real, Mark, I wouldn't know hesitated.
But well, I think you're trying to work with the situation, right, I think you're down playing aliens.
I mean, do you believe of course?
Yeah, my dad's all one.
First time I ever met your dad, we talked about him, that's right, that's right.
A staunch believer. He wasn't like I think he's like No.
I know because from a military perspective, the government and this thing carried into the nineties and even into this century, they tried to downplay anyone that was a believer or saw something as a whack could do.
Yeah, crazy person.
Yeah, and your father is no whack.
Not a crazy person, not in that right at least.
Hardcore professional and military man and worked for years in the aerospace space technology field.
Yeah, he knew how to take apart nuclear bombs, and put them back together. Worked in a missile silo, worked at an oil refinery.
Sound like someone like floating off the rocker Like he a very straight account of what he witnessed and he would not back down from it.
Our huge audience for this game show is probably very confused about this digression. But let's let's get two things. Let's keep this organization together and go through it. We'll do two each and I could get things going here.
I would love that.
Yeah, let's just lay down some ground rules before we do this. The job here is for the two people that aren't going to be able to guess who it is, and it is the job of the person to not make it so obvious, you know, like hopefully there should be a challenge here both for the people here in the studio with the Chris Wesley podcast studio and those listening at home.
So you don't start saying like I'm the head coach of the New England Patriots.
Are you nervous about the execution of this segment?
I am always nervous about the execution.
By the two of us, especially.
No, I feel good about you. All right, here we go, let's get it going. Stop and who am I? Hey, crazy times? Crazy times?
Are you this person?
Now?
This is the first okay, oh yeah, new chapter.
I am a love of it.
New chapter.
So much stuff to do here, so many activities. It's awesome. It wasn't like this where I used to live. There was nothing to do there. It was so bored, so bored.
When we have a guess what when do we stop?
You?
Should we let us play out?
I would say, let me speak and share my thoughts and then share afterwards. But do you have a suspicion I do what I also do?
So good job?
So bored I didn't even open up the blind on some days, just laid there in the dark, nothing to do.
Depression at all.
God, looking back, I used to get a bunch of flack for doing weird stuff, but honestly, that was just to fill the hours. There wasn't anything to do, just trying to kill time. But not anymore. Now I've moved and I'm in this exciting new place and there's like so much stuff to do, and I'm thinking to myself, I didn't even have to do all that other dumb stuff. So exciting here. I'm super busy. Everyone's really nice to me and.
I'm definitely trying harder with my job, like I care now, so I think I'm gonna be better. I think my team's gonna be really good because I just gotta care more and I'm.
Really good when I care. I'll probably get bored again next year, but right now everything is fun, really cool, really cool.
Should guess who am I mine?
What I thought it was? I'm not certain at all at this point.
So really, yeah, Aaron Rodgers.
That is correct?
Is that who you thought?
No?
Who did you think?
Well? No, so early on when you talked about I.
Was in charge of something, but it wasn't really me according to a lot of people doing I thought you might be going Eric B. Enemy, who now has like a full fledged like No, that was like two clues.
In then it went. Then I had no idea that would be really interesting to go with Eric B. Enemy to lead off this sege I love it. No, it's Aaron Rodgers who is in New York and is living up the life. Just got back from the Tonys.
He's going to games, going.
To games, going to concerts, going to summer summer. It is really it is really, I mean, now you painted a full picture. He's pattered himself after you colling. Have you met Aaron on the Thursday night football?
I've interviewed him a few times.
Yeah, if he saw you, would he go oh hi, Collegen?
I don't think so, but who knows.
No, you never know, maybe you would.
All right, So that's just the to get us going. Okay, all right, Colleen?
Great, okay.
So mine is not so much a cohesive story as it is a few clues.
So all mine is similar to Colleen.
So, okay, I've got a little bit of everything.
Yeah, okin, great, Okay, here we go.
I'm ready for the twenty twenty three season, and I'm just waiting for the right opportunity. If you're wondering, guys, I love a camouflage moment. And when I'm not on the field, I'm.
In the field.
I can give you great recommendations for a moving company, because you know what, I've done a lot of it.
How you feeling over the place?
You know?
One thing I absolutely hate though second stringers. You can't trust him. They're out to get you every single time. However, I am open to being one Uncorsionately.
I believe I think I might have Okay, okay.
Last three seasons, you know what? Not ideal?
To be honest, the last time I felt joy was twenty seventeen.
It's very clear to me who it is.
Okay, I won a super Bowl, but not really.
Oh oh doesn't like backups? Gotcha?
My last relationship ended three months ago. In the silence since then is deafening.
I'm sorry, sir, did you say I won a super Bowl? But not really? That is really it's a low blow right at the knees. Who am I? You are?
Carson Wentz?
That's right.
Wow, he's in Tampa Bay right now working with John Gruden.
And that's right.
Since three months have gone by since he was cut, he has not heard anything from any team and he's just still waiting.
Yeah, there's there are teams that make sense. Gruden's former team, the Raiders, makes sense. Jimmy Garoppolo's health is once again uncertain. Brian Hoyer is his backup. Who's really closer to a coach than a player at this point? Over in Arizona, Your boy Mark Colt McCoy right now is in line to be this Like, there are teams know they don't
want to win think games this season? What's working against Carson Wentz a little bit, is there is that's that creeping sense with Arizona for example, that they they don't want to win, so like they'll just roll with guys that they see is lesser than Carson Wentz. And then after that, like Tampa maybe would have been a spot, but they went with Baker. Like so like how many other positions? Does he even have a path to? The Raiders just make a lot of sense.
Yeah, I mean, just like I you know, the way the world works, there's going to be three problematic quarterback injuries once people start practicing. And then Carson Wentz makes a lot of sense because there aren't a lot of other options.
True kind of good backup option. I mean when you look at the other.
I think so too that are out there.
Yeah, didn't the Eagles that Super Bowl year? Connie start like ten and two and Carson Wentz was a Super Bowl.
Finger MVP candidate V And then he got hurt playing the Rams right here next door.
So my point being, and then you said he didn't even really win a Super Bowl. You had a major role in that team.
He did until he got hurt, and the Foles rose like a phoenix from the ashes and won them the Super Bowl.
Parson Wentz the next year is the starter again walking into the stadium past a statue of Nick Foles.
Yeah, I don't think that's out.
My point being, I don't think Nick's in that position if Wentz doesn't go absolutely not No, all right, Mark, you're up, all right now.
I maybe even approached this a little bit differently than uh oh yeah, so we'll just seeta. But these are just factoids. You can start to build a picture.
Okay, facnoids.
I think Dan is just hiding the plain sight is the actual alien.
I think that's that's apt. So let's just start with my playing career. I played linebacker at UC Davis. That's where I where I got going. But there was a conflict because I really wanted to become a doctor. I was a neurobiology major, and what that We did some wild stuff. Okay, during one insanely long lab sessions. There'll be these like ten hour long lab sessions. We once had to wrangle a genetically mutated rat the size of a housecat. This is absolutely true. My father simultaneously has
always been my family just deeply involved in sports. So I guess that's just been inside of me the whole time, and so during these long lab sessions, it was so serious that I just like, I don't know if I can do this with my career. I learned to love to work with athletes, with athletes with a specialty guys on offense. I've had one of the game's true stars say of me and quotes, no one brings me more joy than me what I've.
Did for this person, that's pretty nice.
Yeah.
No, and it came from a little goods and yeah, it felt really good.
They said.
That means a lot to me. I like to make the room smile. It has not always been a big bowl of cherries. My Q rating is in a bit of a troubled spot at the moment, but I think I'm back in a good place where I can do what I do well. Someone in the room, in this room, you guys, has seen me in person in at a non league event, so it's not like at the combine, but one of one of you saw me and texted your friends that you saw me, but you didn't come up and talk to me.
I don't know why.
And I think if John Elwig gets all that credit for recruiting Peyton manning Way back when then I think, I, quietly or not even quietly, like overtly, deserve a ton of.
Credit for what I just pulled off this offseason.
And literally it was I am a huge part of why my team looks the way it does today, and just fingers crossed that this player that I got doesn't fall off a cliff and cost me a job all over again like the guy I had.
Last year got it. I was struggling there for a little bit and then it all came together.
You want to you want to go.
Yeah, that's Nathaniel hack Absolutely, that rat thing is a true story.
Yes, In fact, I pulled that from an incredible piece when he was hired by the Broncos. The first person I talked to in depth was Connor Orr, who was a Nathaniel Hackett before the thing went totally wrong. Was a figure of fascination last time see you. I think it was enjoyable, engaging, and we all knew that if I'd said, oh, I'm a hip hop instructor, we would have gone.
There right away.
But he was deep in medical lore in school and like he, Connor like wrote this whole story of all.
Hackett was his father, an offensive architect in the previous.
Yeah, I just didn't want if I went Broncos early me being Nathaniel saying that sure, I would have given away too much.
So he almost became a doctor, and then it was just too serious.
I think he's just a very sort of a renaissance man who made a life choice.
Huh. Yeah, Yeah, I think I saw him at the Las Vegas airport, that's what. Yeah, I think I think he's a hashtag girl dad. He is Scott daughter and uh, Taylor Swift was in town and half the city was at the concerts there when I was there that weekend.
So obviously a good guy and you were you went to the concert.
Obviously I would have loved to go to a concert, but I did not, But it seemed like everyone else in Las Vegas that weekend did. I didn't go up to him, though I really wanted to, but I was like, no, just leave the guy along. Yeah, live hashtag girl dad. Let him do that.
I think that's that shows that you're not that you know, you know how to handle you know, celebrity in general, your own and others.
Thank you very much. Also, that was prior to Rogers officially landing so I'm sure he just didn't. He wouldn't want anybody to be like, so, is it gonna happen? Amen, It's gonna happened.
Would you have gone up to him after Rogers landed?
No? Hashtag?
Girl?
Dad? Respect? I was going to give him his.
If he had boys? Does that change to him?
That an interesting boundary line you've created, but I respect it. I'm demanding conversation with him. If he has like a twelve year old son and a six year old it's weird? All right? Good stuff? Okay, so so far we've guessed all three, correct you, guys.
I didn't have one.
I know you know that one. I thought you guys, I didn't know the first one better job than me because for me, both of those only crystallized right at the end.
I think that's like you called it in texting, like sort of peeling an onion.
So all right, I got a tougher one for my second. Okay, here we go.
I love this game, Thank you?
Here we go? So does America.
Yeah.
I can't believe I did this. How am I going to get out of this? I feel like the kid who transferred from a great university to a less prestigious institution organization because I wanted to be closer to my girlfriend, but then she flunked out and transferred out of state. So now I'm here without the person I came here to be with, and I've been set up on a blind date with a new girl who's really pretty, like a legit smoke show on a pure, like physical carnal level.
This girl is objectively hotter than my ex.
I know who this is, but I don't know if there will.
Be any chemistry. I had chemistry with my ex. I miss her, a really really miss her, and I actually have a lot of I have some doubts, sincere doubts about this new hottie. So now school is getting ready to start again and I'm heading back to a campus that I don't feel good about. I have a full ride scholarship, you know, so that financially things are good and I'm expected to be a great student like I was last year. But all I could think about is
getting out and starting over again. It's like how Mark Sessler went through his college experience. Just you know how many times you're going to start over. I've made a huge mistake and I need some advice.
This is good.
Now I don't know who this is.
I thought I knew, and then I was like, no, it's not.
Organization was a red herring, by the way, don't Okay, so it's not. Can I file a guess, although I don't feel good about it. I want you both to guess and then I'll say if either of you are right.
Well, So for a big chunk of that, I thought the chemistry with X kind of all right, with new smoking hot show person, but like it's the chemistry may not be there. It's that's more, you know, visceral visual, Like I thought it was Josh McDaniels dealing with He thought he was going to get Tom Brady, but then he gets stuck with Jimmy g after not drafting anyone. But then you talked about him being a good student last year. I thought that Josh McDaniels sort of failed
to test. So I'm a little lost.
Yeah.
At first I was thinking DeVante Adams, but that is correct, is great?
All right, Adams's right, Church wrong, Pew Well success in Christine that it's the you know what the problem is, Like there's people listening that knew it was DeVante Adams.
Then I spent a minute explaining the wrong ad like that's just that's like when you lose on a real game show.
Turn the channel.
Yeah, DeVante, Yeah, he's just like that transfer student and you never leave, you know, get closer to your girlfriend in college. You know, I could just know it goes that melts away and all of a sudden, it's like, now what am I doing? That's kind of where he is. And I think Adams in like put some serious football guy hat.
Now.
I wonder like if he's had a lot of talks with his agent like this offseason, and he knows part of the reason he left, not the whole reason Green Bay was like to get paid like a super duper star.
Right and respect respected.
They wanted to show he could do it without Aaron Rodgers. And but getting that huge contract makes it it prohibitive for the Raiders to move on, is what we're hearing. Anyway, these things always tend to work themselves out, but right now, it's like, I don't always even if the Raiders wanted to reallocate the resource and go in a different direction
right now, they really can't. And Adams is kind of locked in there for another year of his prime which is now he's getting later into his prime, so I wonder just where his headspace is as he gets ready for a new school year. Put it that way.
Yeah, and that regime can't just say this was the move of the last regime. They went and got him, and it's their job to make it work out. And you're in a chaotic situation, especially if Jimmy G is not If he's just Jimmy G, you're gonna have problems to send degree if he's not healthy.
Jimmy G is the Smoke Show by the way. Yeah, Derek Carr is the girl who flunked out.
And that's what's threw me because I was thinking, we're talking Jimmy G is the Smoke Show individual. But I've already described why I had this wrong, so I don't need to do it again.
I'm a little worried about the summer of DeVante, like definitely different from last very different.
Wow. I mean the whole hook around DeVante Adams last summer was that like, no one who's having a better center's.
Friends right together? Yeah bummer? All right, Okay, that one was.
Good, but we are now we're four for four, by the way, which is both good and bad. But it's actually good that we have some wrong answers in the mix too. Colleen, you're up, Okay, here we go.
So I've never met a camera that doesn't love me. I grew up, guys, kind of being a little bit of a ham. I also played hockey at home in Wisconsin, spent some time delivering pizzas. I feel like it makes me more of a man of the people. Sure, if you're wondering, my hobbies include winning.
Awards and working out. Yea, those things I live for, I breathe for.
I have a big season of just like chilling coming my way, unless I decide not to do that. My last team, well, it's an abject disaster, and the team before that has been a wasteland for years. I'm joining Bob and Andre in a very exclusive club.
Bob and Andre.
My mom, Connie, this is true, probably doesn't have her own summer of Connie, but she must be proud of all of her athletic kids.
Sure, very athletic.
Yeah it is.
My first name is Justin Yeah.
Yep, well you I had it at Wisconsin hockey player.
I should have put that lower.
I interviewed him once during Super Bowl week when he was had just played his first season, and I knew about the pizza delivery thing, and so we talked about that at length.
All Right, it's like you guys follow the league or something.
If the audience is unaware, it is justin James Watt.
Yeah, that's right.
Is there talking about what potentially coming out of retirement? Is there? Well?
So I thought that the fact that he doesn't want to sign the one day contract with the Texans to enter their ring of honor, which is just two people, Bob McNair and Andre John, that.
Was a good one. Yeah, didn't throw me up at it. Also was like I wonder what the hell she's talking.
About exactly, But you can't really have a ring when you only have two people. So now he's going to enter this like triangle I guess of honor. But he does not want to sign the one day contract And it's interesting that he doesn't want to sign it because I guess signing it makes it a little more complicated if he does want to come out.
Of Isn't that just a piece of paper that's exactly filing of the actual paper over the league? Isn't that where because.
He hasn't filed any of his retirement paper.
Well yet or should he? Yeah? Why would anybody?
Like I'd wait a while?
Yeah, yeah, see where where take your time? You've played football since you were ten years old, and you've decided to shut it down. You don't know or what if the.
Chiefs come calling or something.
It's like, you're not going to go play for an absolute and enfranchise, but maybe a Super Bowl contender.
I'm starting to feel a little without any anything to back this up, I'm starting to feel a sandwich prop. Oh JJ Watt signs with a contender and it's like a it's I kind of love that. Yeah. No, he doesn't have to go through summer OTA's training camp, even the beginning of the season where he gets dinged up like he just stays in shape, shows up around Halloween maybe a little after, and all of a sudden, Yeah, he's on the He's playing an Arrowhead at the end of January for a chance to go to this.
A great idea.
He's never won, that's true, seems like a guy that would be like I always wanted to win one.
Most guys go to like Pittsburgh and play with TJ.
Watt, But I just always thought, you know, it's it's a one day contract, just a piece of paper, which is what he said. But if he did sign it and then retired after the fact, he would be on the Texans reserve list, and then he would need to act.
Yeah, we don't want let's know, that's messy to release. Let's in general, if you're J. J. Watts, steer clear of the Cardinals and Texans. Yeah, give him some space. You could always come back to either organization and time. I'd let this marinate of him him. Where's justin Herbert from?
I mean I always think Oregon just because he played there, but I think he's from California, somewhere.
Like Organization, Orange County.
And Eugene, Oregon. Does anyone my neighbor is from Oregon? I am going to tee him up on that word and just see what. I'm gonna see what he says. I say, Oregon, it's a big NHL. Should I call my neighbor see the answer? Yeah? Do it?
I love this.
What's uh? What's the neighbor's name?
Nate? He's a really good guy.
Don't even tell me he's on the show.
I should I should tell him?
Yo?
Uh? Nate? I am right now in the podcast studio, and you're on right now because you're from Oregon. Correct correct? A famous quarterback Justin Herbert, as you know. He he was in the doing the media earlier this week and he said a word that we bumped up against. And we're wondering if all people from Oregon say this word this way? Can I text you the word and then have you pronounce it? Okay, here it comes.
I got the suspense.
All right, you're here by the way with Mark Sessler and Colleen Well, okay, here it comes.
I hope you type this correctly.
Everybody happy, June?
Yes, good, all right?
I just sent you the word organization.
Okay, all right, okay, so outlier, yeah, outlier.
Justin Herbert said organization. And we didn't know if that was an Oregon thing.
Like was it territorial?
Are his parents Canadian?
What is there?
Is there?
Weird organ stuff? We were just going over some weird Philadelphia stuff earlier show today.
A lot of weird phillies.
You get, Oh interesting? All right, I owe you a beer for this. I'll see it slicing plant later, all right, guys, all right, later there he goes my neighbor Nate, So that was an outlier. Yeah, is there any Canadian blood?
And I'm trying to find I'm not sure. I haven't come across anything yet.
All right, Uh, well, who's up?
I believe I am?
Yeah, the last one, Yeah, and last one and there we go. That's two percent energy. So I'm gonna read this off my phone.
All right.
I was born about forty minutes from your Chris Wesleyan podcast studio here in West Covina, Californias. That seem about how long you're out in the ten. I was a first round pick, obviously. One strange fact about me. When I was in high school, you have to pick an elective. Yeah, all in your core classes. My friend and I we picked typing because, uh this it had the like this is a quote from when someone said about why we picked up. My friend basically had all the good looking
girls in it. We were the only two guys in this typing class. He bowed out. I took typing two, like two point zero or the next.
Levels of second level.
Well, if he stuck with it, he was the only guy in the cl I was the only guy in the class. But then my competitive nature took over because I was raised in a well no, this is high school.
I was raised in a well university.
I was raised as an adult, basically from age six or seven on, to be extremely competitive, and so in this typing class, I didn't care who was in the class. I started to take it very seriously, and I wound up winning the state typing title by typing ninety more than ninety words a minute without a mistake. I mean absence.
That's remarkable.
Yes, from an early time, you knew that that that I was competitive.
That means he's probably you have to have a level of I think intellectual brain power and coordination.
Yeah.
I think that's exactly what I was feeling when I was winning that title. So my pro career got off to a rocky start in my third season, and the team I came to was literally worse than the college team I left. It was and for a number of years, but by the third season we started to sing. But I got injured and the backup came in and won the final five games of the season propelled us to
the playoffs. And my coach, who was a very fiery, very fiery individual with a lot of opinions and also was essentially our general manager replaced me in the playoff he didn't have. He put the backup in the playoff game and they won, and so it was a huge pivotal win for a franchise in search of itself. And the next week we got our doors blown off and one of the one of the biggest wipeouts our franchise
has ever experienced in a playoff game. And then the coach stuck me back in there in that game for me to be on the losing side of at the end. So I basically almost wanted to trade this coach. Also, when I was draft it drafted another player at my position, also in the first round.
Technically it was in the supplemental draft.
And so the first season plus I kept going back and forth being told I'm not even sure in the starter of this team. Finally they traded that guy and I became the dug in starter, and I went on.
To have a celebrated career.
And I would let you know that like it's you may be thinking this is a player from the past, I'm still in your world all the time. My coach, that fiery coach is in television. My star wide receiver was in television, My my full back was in television. My star running back tried television but kind of flamed out.
I did not. I'm there with you every single week I would.
I'd say that I'm widely considered to be manly good looking, and if you if you knew the position I played, you'd be like, that's what that that's what that position should look like.
That's that. They always said that.
And so I'm in the Hall of Fame.
I spend football Sundays and Mondays with my best friend and Joe. I had a ranch next to Pat summer All. I believe I still do. I'm not sure before Pat summer All passed away. Okay, that's all I'm gonna tell you for now. I can provide more facts, but.
I mean, I was completely in the dark. What do you got, Colleen, No, I don't.
I'm meandering through this maze right now.
Yeah, well, you mentioned I hang out with my friend Joe. So is Troy Aikman. Yeah, Troigman's an expert typer. Yeah ninety.
When I went and did this like research, I was like starting to go down massive wormholes because like, there's a lot of stuff out Troyigman that people don't.
Know I'm trying to think.
What.
Yeah, so much of that stuff was just like, so, Jimmy Johnson, they drafted Troy Aikman first overall in nineteen eighty nine, and a couple months later, Jimmy Johnson drafts Steve Walsh, his Miami quarterback, in the supplemental draft, and so the first couple of years of Aikman's up and down, like, is Steve Walsh the guy that Jimmy Johnson really wants is then they traded Steve Walsh and then Steve Berline was this guy that like that, Doug basically dragged the
Cowboys into the playoffs and they wouldn't start Jimmie Johnson wouldn't start Akman when they beat the Bears, and what was a very pivotal It's like this Cowboys team is starting to take shape. But after that, they lost to Detroit the next it's the last time Detroit won a playoff game. They blew the Dallas absolute lights out, and Troy that's right kind.
Of because it was a lot of this happened twenty five years ago, like a quarter so well, I know, so I was like, I go slowly lead you there. It was cool because he is still highly relevant for football thing.
I feel like I see more of him than anyone.
So that was well done.
If you didn't mention the buck thing, I would have never put it together. Well, that was like the last clue because it was just like, Okay, here's what he is.
Good work, great stuff.
That's so we did get them all, but we really some of them. We really needed that last little good.
Stuff makes for a good game show.
I think good seg, good seg? Who am? I will be back? Maybe? Maybe not.
We have the listeners do one one time maybe and then have.
That's a lot of pressure on the listeners, you know, and.
Then the producer will have answers. So if it's Randy, he'll know, and then we guess maybe next June.
Put that in the ideas file. Colleen does it again? Colleen, you've said it all.
Thank you.
Where you go next? What happens next?
What happens next? Are you leaving us great questions?
I'm here for all of June, and then I'm going to Hawaii July, anywhere else, just up to San Francisco and then a little Maui and then I'm back here in July, ready to rock and ready for training care.
We are living vicariously through you county. Absolutely all right, good stuff. Everybody enjoy their weekend. Greg will be back on Monday. Until then, you know what we've got to do. Pay the call.