More Training Camp Whispers & Cowboys Hard Knocks Recap

don't know how I got Mrkin out of mirth. It's not that far off. It's but American is according to Google search, and artificial covering of hair for the nether regions. It's used a lot in show business production and for certain scenes. And uh and that's what I thought the bit was. So we are flying here on a Wednesday hump day. You know that's not true, Dan, No, he Dan keeps his you know, right by the desk. That was a real lot peek behind the Hollywood curtains right there, Dan,

for like a real stage hand. This is this is your wife. Being in the BIS really paid off everywhere you go in my house. You open up any draw you will find a market that is just that's just what when you live in Los Angeles and you have a spouse that works in the entertainment business, merkins are literally everywhere you look. Dan, I was at your house last night for Emily's birthday, and actually I was playing with the boys and I was like, oh, let's get

a board game. And we opened up the drawer and I was like, oh my god, what is that. And you're four year old was like, oh, that's daddy's merkin. And I was like, okay, it's normal to them. Greg and I obviously not invited to Emily's birthdays. A birthday. My gift to my wife for her birth day, for her twenty ninth birthday, we'll call it that. Um was Erica came by for a visit, came by the babysit. I gotta find out where you ate some some dinner down there. We went to Mercado. What a place, great

Mexican restaurant. All right, we're in the weeds right off the bat Big Show Wednesday show that I mentioned, It's hump Day, merking Day, and hump Day, the rare Merkan hump Day and we have a new guest that's coming on a little bit later, um, a new member of the NFL Network family, Cameron Wolf, who is a reporter for US and he does a lot of work down in Miami with the Dolphins, which is good because the Dolphins are an interesting team at this moment in time.

He also has been over in Panthers camp. So we're gonna have Cam on. I don't know if it's Cam acceptable, We're gonna yeah. I mean, I've heard him referred to as Cam like on another and also another Sea Wolf with the same spelling of the last name, Colleen is Colleen is a class act all the way. But you you have to wonder if it annoys her just a little bit. I call her celebrating it, like she was saying that it added to the Sea Wolves that she

apparently knows other Sea Wolves. Maybe not totally honest, Be totally markcause I know your answer, Greg, you be totally honest. If a Gary Rosenthal started working at NFL Network, would you be not mad or even annoyed, but just a little bit like, Oh, I wish he had a different name if it was Gary. I want all the Gary's I can in my life, so I would be g I do like being confused for Ken Rosenthal occasionally on on Twitter. You know another domin diminutive man in sports

media who's done very well. You know, baseball man. You're basically Ken without the bow tie. That's how I always That's how I know which one is which, without the without bank account, I think maybe the airtime to bank account. Yeah, coming on out today's show, I mentioned cam Wolfe. Also, yep, it's back. I gotta tell you our editor Ali, we had a phone call the other day. I said, listen, load management, ever you here of it. He had me write a Hard Knocks preview. He had me drop an

entire Power rankings column. Uh. And last night I'm up until one o'clock in the morning writing the Hard Knocks recap the premier of Dallas Cowboys UM season sixteenth season of Hard Knocks, and I quite enjoyed the episode. I'd like to hear how much an annoyed Mark. So that's gonna come up a little later in the show. I'll save it Mark eight. Sorry Boux do not um. But before that, we love doing it. Greg. You know, this time of year, it's a great way to info dump

and share some of our own analysis. It was time for some training camp. Mm hmm, let's go. Let's get it going. What are you hearing? Greg here to the ground. Where should I start? Let's let's go with the Ravens camp.

I feel like the Ravens are quietly having an annoying camp for them and uh, you know, started with lamar Um and it's continuing with a variety of injuries now, Rashad Bateman with a week to week injury that initially downplayed, and John Harbaugh, you know, confirmed on Wednesday that he might not be ready for the start of the season, so that that is more than a week to week injury. He made sure to say it was gonna be a while. And you just like look at all the different little pieces.

It's the Ravens. They'll be better in November than they were in September, but it might be a team you want to catch early. Uh, Like their offensive line. Zeitler has been out for most of camp. To Miles Boykin, the receiver who was a starter last year might not make the team right now. I just feel like there's a lot going on there. And Bateman was one of those rookie receivers that they needed to come in and make a big impact because as you mentioned last week, Dan,

like Marcus Brown, has not practiced at all. He's had a hamstring injury too, So you're basically counting on Sammy Watkins and that's it. That's the thing. You have a Lamar who's deep into his scientific um research on COVID. He's been down for the count again, it's just been kind of a little bit slop. Ronnie Stanley there, you know, arguably their best player along with Lamar, Uh hasn't you know,

he's just coming back to practice. People forget you know, one of the highest paid left tackles in the league. I think he might be number one Uh and hasn't really practiced either because he's coming off that serious surgery that knocked him out of last season. So it's just like,

there's a lot, there's a lot there. I I really do think sometimes it's about when you play the team, and the Ravens more than any team, them and the Patriots I think have a tendency to look a lot better at the end of the season they do early. And you know what, It's funny because doing the power rankings and I wrote it over two days leading up

to going up today. It does it is good in terms of an exercise keeping things in perspective, because I did think about all this with the Ravens the way you just laid it out, Um, But it wasn't enough for me to drop him out of the top five. I still say, Okay, it's been a little bumpy, But am I gonna say all of a sudden the Ravens are taking on water. No, it's just a little bit of a hiccup in their season preparation. Anything calling it

annoying is um. It has been just there's been a little a little bit, little bits of annoyances, which is not typical for the Ravens. But Jimmy Smith is another guy that's out a couple of weeks who they're neither counting on to play snaps. It's it's just it's a lot of them stacking up. All right, how boy, you Mark,

give us a whisper. I've been focusing on rams camp a little bit where you know, I know when they lost cam Akers, Um, the thought was I thought cam Akers was someone that could lead be a top three rusher in the league, if not have a chance to lead the league in rushing with the way that all sense might look. But they lose them obviously, And you know the problem was, you have Darryl Henderson. I really

liked Darryl Henderson. Body has had um durability issues. But Jordan Rodrigue from the Athletic two weeks in a row with her you know, risers and followers at camp has listed all three of the running backs Darrell Henderson, Xavier Jones, and Jake Funk as guys who have um. They both wrote they they all rotated in his first team and second team snaps. No one's taking the starting job away from Dale Henderson. But even just today, Sean McVeigh listed Xavier Jones as someone who is going to have a

big role in the offense. Jake Funk is sort of this analytics darling. I let. I mean, I like the name, but actually I've had people reach out and see like this guy is gonna grow on you with the more you watch him. And but he sounds like a little bit more of a special teams dabbler who will get some snaps at running back. But it just sounds like um A. Obviously, this will drive fantasy heads um to drink probably, but it will be a total committee scenario.

But if you go back and look at what Darryl Henderson did in a couple or ear least weeks last season where they lean on him as the number one guy, he was electric against the Eagles and the Bills, And I just think they're talking about him being explosive, um looking healthy, which is key for him. That wasn't the case earlier in the off season. So I think they're

gonna be okay on this front. They just need that depth because, yeah, as you said, the other players behind him, there's really no one with any type of pedigree, and Henderson has had injury issues and he wasn't really the the guy at Memphis even a college. So it's like, if he goes down or if he is not as good as they want him to be, you might find

yourself getting into a little bit of an issue. I don't I still wouldn't be surprised that there's a veteran that shows up that everyone knows, uh and it won't be Todd Gurley, but I could see someone else popping into view here. Um. If I think they if they lost someone right now, I think they're like he's basically shim m mmcveigh has said, we're riding with these guys. I mean, if there's some sort of hiccup, yes, funk.

I mean, you know, Mark loves the the scrappy white running backs, like you know Christian McCaffrey was right there for him a couple of years ago. Really wasn't interesting. Laffrey was too good. He was the first round pick through he was this is a you have to be do you have to have a cool name like Zack Zenter, Uh, what's his name? Jake Funk, Toby Gerhardt, But that was really the original. I just like bringing that up. Well,

I'm not worried about their running game. By the way, they're always kind of an underrated run blocking team and that I just think it's almost undersold how many weapons they have, even without acres. The fact that Van Jefferson is out there, Deshan Jackson, I know, it's the Sean Jackson, you know, practicing without pad season. He always looks good. But if he's their number four receiver and Tyler Higbee is like their number five is the tight end, like

that is a loaded group. I'm not worried about their running game. In other whispers, it's been an annoying a little bit more than annoying. I would actually maybe flipped to switch a little bit to alarming. Training camp overall for the Cincinnati Bengals, So the last thing they need and this uncertain time around Joe Burrows he works his

way back from that catastrophic knee injury. Is dispatches from the Beat reporters saying that number five overall picked Jamar Chase has, according to Paul Denner of The Athletic, has

not shown as much separation as you'd hope in training camp. Uh. This is a player who did not He opted out of his final year of College's twenty one years old, so he's obviously rusty, and the hope here is that that's all this is that some of his struggles in camp in terms of really standing out, are all tied to his lack of play, and Cincinnati knew that was a possibility, I'm sure when they drafted him. But at the same time, this is such a big pick for them.

They took Chase because he was Joe Burrow's teammate in college and they thought they would have an explosive one to punch. They can't miss on this pick. And I'm not saying they're coming close to missing on the pick. We have no idea what's going on, but what you would like, You would like to hear things like you're hearing in Floren Park around Elijah More the Jets draft pick was like, Oh, this guy's an instant playmaker. He

might be a star in year one. You want to hear that from Chase, especially when you went wide receiver over protection for Burrow. So far not the case not hitting the panic button, but when you factor in all these other issues around Cincinnati and their offense, I'd be concerned because you have got to look at what they did in the draft as a whole, not just Chase.

They chose not to take Sewel like you said, and what they did, you know, to help their offensive line was take Jackson Carmen in the second round, which was a guy that had a lot of people split on. Was surprised he took in the second round. He has struggled so much, uh in his early snaps that he's been benched supposedly for like the fourth round pick. You know, so that already, like that plan isn't going well, and

who knows. The Bengals would argue, Okay, we took three offensive linemen like one in the second fourth and somewhere else and maybe one, you know, one of them hits and maybe the fourth is hitting. But like when you're hearing that the offensive line is struggling in Bengals camp again, and Joe Burrow is struggling too, it's just, uh, they are probably the team I'm like less excited about than I was two weeks ago. And maybe it's the rational,

but I don't care. Well, I mean, Paul Denner has been writing one sort of um, you know, fatalistic report after the next, and it started with the Burrow um scenario. And I do kind of wonder if they if they brought Burrow back a little too early, just when you hear like Tyler Board we mentioned this on our network show, Tyler Boyd saying that you could sort of see him favoring one leg um, you know, limping a little bit

like that. That just seems to me, like with you, with the injury he had, it wasn't just like a clean e c L. It was much more than that. Like that's a little tough. So I just I just I felt the same thing at what some organization. It's just a waste of my time. It's pretty rare to hear Mark swear it is a comprehensive waste of my day on the ground. By the way, you know who you know? Um, Nick's Nick Westling. You know Chris's brother,

Ricky's dying best man. Um. His wife's been at Bengals camp multiple times and has given Boots on the ground reports about burrows struggles. They're worried, really and it is. It's it's funny you mentioned Nick because I thought about Chris and um we You and I had conversations early in April when the Reds got off to a hot start starting how bitter sweet it would be if the Reds finally pulled it all together and West was around to see it, at least on this uh earthly uh plane.

I don't know, but the Cincinnati Bengals. For years, I try to say, West, come back to the Bengals, go into their loving arms. They're waiting for you to come home. We know you built the file. It was a thick I wonder where that is right now. It's somewhere somewhere in Lakisha in West's house, right Now there's that thick file that the dossier that Chris prepared, um as only Chris could with utter focus on all the reasons why he was divorcing this team. This was what fifteen years ago.

Now maybe more might bring him back in and the guy remember draft day being like and and Chris was excited about Barrol just like everybody else, like this is the guy to do it? And I just I worry that is Cincinnati on the right track here? And to your point, Mark, the same thing I went through my mind and I did write about it in the Power and says are they having the right conversations in that building right now? Um? Because it is a conversation that

should be had. Are we pushing too fast on this quarterback to have him ready for week one as opposed to when he's truly ready to compete Again, he's struggling with the mental side of things. We've heard that it's been dispatch. He's spoken about it, something to keep an eye on. Well, it's just no like, well, where is

our ground to trust in ownership in co Cheene? I mean that report or that file that Westling had was like two Warren commissions stacked on top of each other, and there was a lot of evidence for him to lean on. I don't think he was about to come back anytime soon. No, I don't think he was all right, let's go uh, let's go to Green Bay because I don't think it's been talked about enough that David baktr you know, the best left tackle in football. I think

it's trending towards not playing Week one. You know, we're protecting Aaron Rodgers. There's a chance he could go on the pup list, sounds more likely. Maybe they'll keep him off of it and hope, hope that he returns early in the season. But that's a big deal for for an offensive line that also lost their their center, Corey Lindsley to the Chargers. And yet I'm not that worried about it because they've been playing Elton Jenks Jenkins at

left tackle. He's a third year player who's played everywhere, and I'm at the point where I just think Elton Jenkins can like make all the money in the world by playing left tackle. Who else has played guards center? And then if he does it at left tackle at like a Pro Bowl level in the first three years of his career, he's sneaky been one of the best UH draft picks. Guta kunts this kind of statue. Know quietly stacked up some pretty good draft picks. His first

one is Diarrey Alexander and all Pro Jenkins. If he steps in at left tackle, no one's gonna make more money than him. Reportedly, the whispers are just that he's shutting down the Packers pass rush, that he looks totally natural out there, and that they're not as concerned about the whole left tackle situation. It was a couple of weeks ago that Matt Lafleur had a comment about the Green Bay's line, saying it was sort of as deep

as any line he'd really ever been around. That there is a lot there, a lot of um valuable moving pieces there, and they're starting a rookie at center. They're just gonna draft Josh Meyer's play him right away even though he's not like a first round pick or anything. And they sound pretty confident. La Fleur just seems confident

in general. Taking taking shots at Arthur Smith earlier today, I don't know if you saw that Smith took one back though, Well, yeah, smithe Smith smarted started it, said uh, he does. Listen, I don't think I'm sweeting and awesome. Um, you know I don't spend an hour like not Lafour does looking in the mirror before he warns out there. So you can tell what did la Fleur say in retort? Well, I'm honored that he would think of me, um, first

of all. But you know Arthur and I did share a lock for room together in Tennessee, so yeah, I might have been looking in the mirror getting my clothes right. Well he was trying to get his hair right with that just for men. Uh you know you guys, you guys know he's younger than me. Right, that's spicy. You can you could tell Matt Lafleur like prepared that, and that's Arthur Smith went back again and he was glad.

He was like, I'm glad, you know, Matt spent like another day preparing that joke to come back at me. It does feel like if if I'm in the locker room in Tennessee and that's where they were teammates, I guess, you know, colleagues on the same staff with the Titans, Like I'm taking Arthur Smith kind of in a jab

back and forth. It feels like la Fleur is not going to be as quick, not the first like coach, because we don't know him that well that I would have predicted to come out with such a burning arrow that goes right through Matt Lafleur. I mean it was pretty nice. Jab By Smith. Yeah, I was gonna say, nothing cuts as deep as Keith Hans is casually tossing off. He looks like a bearded boy. Hey, Danny, I like this La Flow guy, But it looks like a bearded boy,

doesn't he. I wanted to talk about packers because I do feel like all we did was like, let's talking about Aaron Rodgers is psycho drama all offseason. Yeah, that's been very little focus on the football of it all. So I was like looking for some sort of good packers that ain't horfault good enough, good enough, And yeah, I refused. I don't want to go back down this road because I know it's very unpopular in the public forum to say anything critical of Aaron Rodgers and his

role in what happened over the summer. Public opinion was very much in your favor. Greg Over. Guys are hearing the you know Mark Mark and you have been hearing the chirping too much you're worried about I don't mind the chirping. It's just it's okay to be aware of what's around you as well. Greg, And I'm just saying, like, that's fine. If if everyone thinks Aaron Rodgers is a god and there's nothing he could do that is wrong and everything that the management does is wrong, that that

is what it is. But can we at least allow that Brian good Guns, the guy that at Rogers has been trying to get fired for six months, has actually done a lot to help Aaron Rodgers, whether he sees it or not in his time at the Helm, or will we at least allow that? We can't. We will not allow it. The number one and they it was like to two percent, like Greg's sound smart, Dan and Mark don't know what they're doing when I'm talking about daily things about this. You gotta turn tune these clowns out.

You gotta tune them out. No, this was weeks ago, but it was a shocking response to what I thought was a two sided conversation. You're absolutely right, by the way good icuns. Here's what he did the start. He fired Mike McCarthy will get to hard Knocks Layer later, but I think goody that you know the uh, the first decisions he's made have all been great, drafting Diane with his first pick, hiring Matt Lafleur, that's worked out great,

like back to back thirteen win seasons. You're right him though, because we decided to not keep Jake Kumero or whoever the Rogers was on about. I don't know, but no, we're wrong, Mark, Oh No, clearly, who's up, Mark, It's me.

I'm gonna go to Jacksonville. Number one. I want to talk about the Jaguars because I cannot think of a team that has been to me more blase and um passible and don't need to watch them and for years on end, But now I cannot wait to see even the preseason games to see what's going on here because it's a completely to me. I think the offense under urban Meyer has a chance to be productive right away. I mean number one, Gardner Minshew was putting a bad

position in the past couple of years. But you look at the talent on the offense right now. Starts with Trevor Lawrence. Obviously, if he is what what has becomes as advertised, everything changes. Marvin Jones D J. Chark. I know he's going through something right now. Leaviscus Nult who I think it's gonna be great. Those are solid white outs, better than some of the wide out rooms around the league.

James Robinson obviously last year rookie Travis E. T N who has been described as you know, moving all over the field and totally uncoverable as a running back, catching catching passes out of the backfield. I think they're gonna be a run heavy one of the remost run heavy teams in the league. And I kind of just can't wait to see it because it's the Urban Meyer factor too. I these things sometimes they work out, sometimes they're total disasters. If you're a college coach that figures out I don't

want to do this NFL thing. But he has said over and over this is not a four year rebuilding plan. We are here to win right now and inside that division. I'm not saying that they're a playoff team at all. There are a lot of issues and some weaknesses there, but I would not be surprised to see them go from one win to like seven or eight. I really have a feeling that they're gonna be one of the

bigger stories of the year. Well, while the as the Texas have devolved into force and the Colts having all their issues of course um, and even the Titans now adjusting to life without their play caller, Um, the AFC South really needed some juice. And yeah, I think that that's what Trevor Lawrence and Urban Meyer provide. I I totally I could see that. I mean, it really does. A lot of it goes back to Lawrence. Not to oversimplify it, but if he is as special as people say, um,

they are going to make a leap. And they lost fifteen straight games to end the last season and they went in the tank. Um, so it's gonna be hard not to be better. But how much better will be interesting to say. First season they went they became a playoff team after being a complete disaster the year before. It's not impossible. There's a lot of money in the offensive line. I don't know if it's a great offensive line.

I don't think it's great. They drafted Walker Little, who's my son's new favorite player, just like saw his name on the draft and has been asking about him. I'm like, yeah, and I and his report. They look a good uh good in Jaguars camp over there. But I do wonder about like the urban Meyer ringing some of the college

stuff to him. I'm fascinated by this thing he's been doing in practice where it's like they have this winners and losers session and like they have an announcement it's like Robinson versus Jack, and then like that, you know, they have the matchup and they declare a winner and a loser after each one, and they keep they keep track of it, and urban Meyer was like, well, this is too important. These are like people's livelihoods. I want

to keep track and like that. He's saying that the winds and losses metric as you know, as he was referring to the data will inform him in terms of like who makes the team and the depth charts and all this, and it's like it's a big raw rack college thing. Uh. Every day at Jaguars camp makes it sounds like it'd be fun camp to go to and watch, at least per listen. I'm not going to panic about

Zack Wilson. I have a different outlook on the Jets quarterback situation that I've had in the past, certainly different than Sam Sam Donald, who I was all in and on and truly believed in and it didn't work out. I don't know about Wilson. We'll see. Let's say I've always been kind of a I wouldn't say on the fence about Zach Wilson, but it just felt like a

gamble when it happened. And Um, maybe he'll turn into a superstar and be the Mormon Mahomes, but I'm fully prepared put it that way for this to go the other direction. With that in mind, Um, he has not played well in recent practices. And it started. It started with the Green and White scrimmage, which they hold every year. Well they didn't last year, But last year didn't happen, you hear me. It never happened, um where they have

twenty thou people in MetLife Stadium. And Wilson struggled mightily through that scrimmage eleven and twelve yards two picks. And then he took those struggles into practice. Um, And as the week went on, and he's been having some issues and a lot of this ties back to where they're at in the the install of the offense, which they are completing now. And once they started live play calling in the seventh practice, Wilson went from being this really

bright spot in camp to all of suddenly struggling. And my overall takeaway, and this is maybe a message to fellow Jets fans that are listening right now, is like, just chill out, don't freak out. This doesn't mean that Wilson is a bust um, but it does remind you also that this is going There's gonna be a learning

curve here. Hopefully there's more highs than lows. But the idea that Zach Wilson at twenty two years old, coming out of that program at b y U, against that level of competition, was ever gonna step right in and be a dominant force in the NFL. There's gonna be some really bad days and I'm prepared for that, and the hope is is that there will be good days as well. So once he gets more comfortable, the install is complete, he gets more into the vibe of things.

Hopefully he's making progress heading into week one. My concern here is if he if he kind of falls into some mental funk here in addition to the physical, and he's trying to overthink the Jets don't have a plan B here, and he could potentially go into Week one uh in a not a great place mentally and preparation while and then things can snowball, and you know the New York media is gonna be all over that if

that happens. So keep an eye on the situation. Hopefully next time this week there will be reports that he's bounced back. But this has not been a good week for the number two overall pick. I mean we also live in in sane times where first round quarterbacks, because this has happened a few times, are expected to come in and look like the world savior right away. I mean, it just seems so natural that he'd go through some ups and downs. It's probably a tough offense to learn,

but the Shanahan offense is also great for quarterbacks. Um the one thing that you mentioned because this is where you kind of lose some of these guys, and I think it happened at Donald to some degree. I can think of a billion Browns quarterbacks that had happened due all around the league to where if that first season, they don't have someone that can kind of put in to give him a pause if he needs a week

just to regroup. If he's got to go in there, there's good things that can happen for seventeen games, battle tested, but also it could just shake you for for years to come. And I like, I think this Jets regime regime though you don't see that happening. If it were the past one or the past I'd be concerned. And I think that's on the quarter Like if the quarterback is gonna be a good pro, I think they can

shake that stuff off. Alex Smith Eli Manning two of the worst rookie quarterbacks I've ever seen, and took it off. I think had the careers that they were they were destined to have. I do think Zack Wilson will be supported by a much better offensive line, could be very good, pretty good weapons around him, and in a potentially good defense.

I do look at that schedule that you're right, then all the other rookie quarterbacks have you know someone they're competing with or even in Lawrence's case, I'm not that Lawrence isn't gonna play every game, but like you know a quality backup, and the Jets, you know James White or James Morgan, they might want to they might want to look into that, and they might, And they play

the Patriots in the Broncos weeks two and three. So those are two defenses that will be ready to send a lot at Zack Wilson and see how he responds. And I was saying that, you know, two months ago that it felt a little off to me that they have not built than any any security blanket behind him.

And but I think a big part of that goes back to an overall organizational above the tree tops of viewpoint to use some corpo corporal jargon, that this is the new era of the Jets and it's gonna be with the new head coach and the GM who's fully in control and this young quarterback who's picked by the people that are in the building. Um, but maybe it's better to have a little nuanced to your organizational game plan. Do you want to go around one more time? Sure?

I got a lot, Um what should I go with? I think about Patrick Robinson retiring with the Saints. Um. I don't know if this is a whisper as much as a transaction, but I think if you want to put the Saints changes on defense and perspective, they cut this guy Ken Crawley a few years ago because they were so deep at cornerback that they didn't need him anymore. He had killed them in multiple situations in the playoffs and all this stuff. Patrick Robinson at that time was

probably like their fourth or fifth quarterback. They came into this UH treating camp with Patrick Robinson starting basically on the outside, which he hadn't done and played a full season and like almost nine years. Then he retires halfway through camp. Michael Thomas isn't returning their calls on your mata is suspended. Suddenly Crawley, the guy that was like seventh on the depth chart just a year or two ago, is number two. Now they're playing their their young kid Adebo.

I think at linebacker some to who we thought he would play quarnerback. It's like, I don't know, man, there's some weird stuff going on in New Orleans and they are there. I know the way Mark talks about England, you talk about New Orleans. I love the city and I think Jamis Winston is gonna is a better player than people get him credit for it. But I'm I think the downside of this team is quite low. It's

last place total team in transition material. I mean, I you know, they've been through so much, but if they won seven games, I wouldn't be surprised, all right. I mean a starter retired in the middle of hamp at their worst position too. And it's just like things like this just weird things keep happening. I keep thinking back. I keep thinking back to that year where Sean payton um was suspended for the year and they had a

poster of Sean payton looming over all their practices. I don't know why, but I just keep thinking of that. My favorite, It's one of my favorite stupid football things of all time. It was like, listen, we got jobbed and they stole our coach from us. But we know how to straighten this out. Let's build a like a mural of like the dictator of North Korea and put it up in the practice with giant lettering that says to your jobs. Right. It was foot flag that was

hanging over everything. It's not even their monica was crazy. It really was like a North Korea thing. That's well, you can I think we could all see them. If the wheels fall off going six and eleven this year, does anybody here see them? Going to eleven and six. I think if like a million things went right, Sean Payton's old some magic out over the years that are like, I don't think you can totally take it off the table,

but it seems pretty darn unlike, very unlikely. They could have wins inflated if like, for instance, the Falcons never got started and the Panthers and Sam Donald totally crumble as a duo. They like winning from Caesar Ruiz, who was their first round pick last years now at guard. If he was good, their offensive line might be the I would probably be might pick as the number one offensive line in football. So that is something that doesn't

tend to get mentioned. And they are they could be incredible upround and they you know, since they had a huge draft class, I believe it was um. They've been you know, money in the bank as a double digit team, a true playoffs, super Bowl contender, they made deep runs of the plaoss that got ripped off on a Super Bowl bid by that Nicole Robie coleman Um play um And it makes you think, oh, they're like the Patriots, Like they've gone ten and six or eleven and five

or twelve and four. Every year for the past eighteen years, so though they year out, but no, they actually before that big draft, they went seven and nine three years in a row. So it's not like and people are talking to Sean Payton's job saving all this other stuff. It's going to the Cowboys. Like, so it's not inconceivable that the Saints could take a step back under Sean Payton. It's happened before. They feel like Patriots, except now it is seven and ten and except instead of seven and nine.

Uh Mark, alright, a little off the field, um nugget from the Chargers, who I think one of the things about the Charges that was kind of put on put on ice last year was with no fans, we don't have to worry about, you know, the optics of the Chargers having seven thousand people in their stadium and eighty thousand Raiders fans, and so now it's like, where are

we with that? And I read this little nugget this morning that the Chargers actually they according to the team, they have blown past the average season ticket sales from their final twenty years in San Diego. The number right now, um, that number average back then about forty five thousand. It is well beyond that. They say, at this point, at least you know, tangibly beyond it, and that means that you know, from a visual sense, it's not going to

be as bad as we thought. Um, this was just always on my radar because I never thought that l A should have two football teams, And had this been a total disaster, it would be a huge talking point. The NFL wants nothing to do with that, and you know, you're still probably gonna get fans from the other team, which happened to them in San Diego. But it doesn't sound like a white hot disaster, you know. I I'm glad you, brother, Sup, because I saw this last week

and I had the same initial reaction as you. I mean, they're not out of the woods yet, because first of all, this is a very fickle town. Um. I mean, the

Lakers are always gonna draw, the Dodgers always draw extremely well. Um, the King's I have a really fervent fan base, and you could point and then of course the college teams U, S, S U, C, l A. I mean, it's it is a really good sports down but you can get lost in the shuffle, and if the Charges get off to a bad start, all those people that bought season tickets, Well, what are they gonna do. They're gonna turn around and say,

I'm not gonna go see these guys. I'm not gonna spend the money and you know, pay eighty dollars to park at the new stadium and then watch them lose in the last minute. I'm gonna sell this to some insane Steelers fan and make a profit. So I don't think they're out of the woods, but it is promising. I mean, it feels like I don't know. I haven't met anybody yet. I don't have a lot of Charger fans in the Los Angeles area that I've interacted yet with, but this data tells us that they're out there. I

know one. I know one. I know one why I met at the bar when we watched the soccer friend of yeah, dad of a of one of my kids friends. I um, I think they would not which the pandemic on anyone. But if any team's sort of uh benefited find, you know, from the pandemic in any way, it was them, you know, avoiding last season that which would have been awkward. I don't think there was much build up and but then suddenly you have. Herbert is most one of the

most exciting young quarterbacks in the league. And I think we've seen had a lot of sporting events in the US, the pent up demand to just be back among people and route on live sports is different than it was before. I'm seeing this across sports, is not just the NFL, and I'm sure the NFL is going to get a little bit of a boost from that, assuming you know,

things don't get totally dark in the coming weeks. And you could see the Chargers being a team because they are a buzzier because of what happened last year where you get like the guy, the dad that moved to l A and like he was a let's say, a Dolphins fan or a Jets fan or something probably not Jets, so too loyal. They moved to l A. They reboot all their loyalties and like bring their kids in because they want their kids to watch football live, and they

all become Chargers fans. I mean it's like the Rams are, by the way, don't have the roots they claim to in this city either right now. I mean it was thirty years ago they they don't. I mean, I think they're both coming find us saying the Chargers. The Chargers were the Chargers cue rating was so low a year ago. At this time, I think it's vastly changed, and it's gonna I think you're gonna get people curious about that team if they get if they stay hot, Herbert was

a godsend. And and let's see if he continues on his trajectory. I'm gonna do a quick double banger out of the NFC East and n J Advanced media as Mike k reported that Jalen Hurts his quote heavily targeted Dallas Goddard. Of course he's a tight end on the rise, but also zach Ertz in training camp. You remember zach Ertz, the Super Bowl hero. He'll never have to buy another meal in insert city here, like he Arts is in that club. His game winning touchdown catch against the Patriots.

Um and I just thought that was interesting after an offseason of speculation that Arts would be leaving town and maybe you still will. They could still trade Arts hypothetically before the season starts. Without the fact that he's having a good camp does add a little bit more credence to the idea that, okay, he's still just thirty years old. Maybe he just banged up last year. Maybe he's still

a player. And the fact that Jalen hurts through to his tight ends a third of the time and his playing time last year, maybe it's a good idea to have to tight ends that can play the guitar and then over in Dallas and we'll get to them more

thoroughly with hard knocks. But I just want to mention here that Michael Gallop, according to the Dallas Morning News, is seeing more work in the slot, which I like because Michael Coppy it's almost like, I don't know if the Cowboys know what to do with him, and he's such a great talent, and it seems like they just say, go run deep and every once in a while, we'll throw out your way. If maybe you could carve out a more nuanced niche to him in the game plan,

I think he could be a real stud receiver. He's I think one of the more underrated UH wide outs in the NFC. They're gonna be so hard to cover because if Cooper is healthy, I can't think of a trio in the NFL that can all do everything like those three. They're all very they're all diverse, especially if Gallup is moving outside. He probably would be the one of the three that you know you you think he has mostly one trick, which is going deep down the field.

He's a great boundary guy. But the three, I mean, Ceedee Lamb can do everything. Amari Cooper can do everything. You got gallop cross training like good luck trying to come up with a defense to stop that. And by the way they did it, we saw him do it for the first month of the season before Dak Prescott went down. I mean, he was on route to an m v P type season. And if you'll allow me, just because I think it's very important given the status

of the world right now. UM Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard four nette Um, who told reporters a couple of weeks back that he wanted to learn more about the vaccine, he has now updated his stance. He said, we're almost there. So Dr Fournette is almost there in in the research and deep research the digging on the vaccine, and this podcast will keep you up to date. UM four nets research and when it's complete, the number of skyrocketed of the of the league has gotten at least

the first job. That's pretty high. I mean it was like fifty on June were almost good whispers. I was like, do I have a speed round whispers? Or did you want to throw one in there? I don't want to know. Let's go, let's go. It is Cam Wolf here, let's stock to Cam. Let's welcome him in. He is, of course the newcomer at NFL network or reporter, and hopefully the hazing hasn't been too rough. I know he did some work with rap sheet and you know rap report.

He could be real rough town of Newvies. So hopefully we'll check in on that. How is the great Cameron Wolf who has been doing a lot of work for us at the network? First of all, welcome aboard and his rap She had been cool? Or was he a jerk? To be honest, he was good, man. I can't I can't complain. I was preparing for everything they were told about. I was prepared to curryous Mike and do all kinds of rookie hazing. But he was actually pretty good. You know.

I don't know if he was just trying to trying to figure me up the first day, but you know, he just let me take lead on on the air and not tripping over me. And all types of things. So he gave me a good welcome cool man, Well, welcome aboard. And I know you're you're based in Florida and you're doing a lot of Dolphins coverage for us. You've also done some Panthers coverage. But let's start with the Miami football team. And they got the deal done

with Xavier Howard. I imagine that was a huge relief for the entire organization and it allows them to kind of move forward. What is the vibe around the team post Xavian drama? Man, I was a big weight off of everyone's shoulders, especially if you're Dolphins fan. You know Xaving Howard is the best player on the team. I don't think there's really any question. And you know they've already seen this happen two or three times over the last few years. You know, make if this actor gets traded,

every tuncil gets traded. It's like, man, we can't teet our best player every year, can we? So I think you know, early in off season he had requested to trade. He wanted this new deal, but the reality was he never truely wanted to trade. He just wanted to respect that comes with money, and you know, he didn't feel that, so I think that there is a lot of ease attention over the last three or four days with with him being sort of satisfied. I don't know if it's

fully finished. I think maybe if he has another great year, we revisit this next offseason. But at least for now, it seems like everyone's on the same page. The way Brian Flores defenses, they need man and man shut down corners, and Xavian Howard is one of the best in the league,

so I think that helps everyone the team. His teammates love them, and it's a lot easier when you don't have to tiptoe around questions about why X isn't here, you know, try to pick sides and whether you're with the team or you're with X. So that was their biggest maybe hurdle coming into camp. It seems like they've overcome it. Are you wearing like a self branded shirt? Maybe that's why I rap sheet didn't give you any of the business, Like if you come in that's a

power move, like I'm at the new company. What if your shirt say the wolf Pack, So you're you're like another Sea wolf, You're like en is you know, a regular on this show. That's another sea Wolf. Any like tension there, like what's going on between YouTube? Please? Oh no, oh no, that's that's no. No, We're we're a wolf pack. We're a family. Um you know, of course of course she's she's the she's the highest ranking sea wolf and the wolf pack. You know, I'm just a new cup.

But we wolves, we stick together, so it's gonna be it's gonna be a stronger. As you guys know, when wolf packs are together, they're stronger in pairs than they are as singles. So, um me and are you talked? You know, you guys are not gonna hear the last of this this wolf brand, and we're gonna we're gonna we're gonna hte this. They tell us about to stop the worst in their own names too. I think it's a strong it's a strong move. This is the worst podcast,

by the way. It's just like all our questions, who are Dolphins and Panthers reporter right now? Are just like do you hate this new guy you work with? You hate this new person? Are they nice to you or they mean? Mark? Give us, get us on track, give us, I do have it. I have something about the Dolphins that on our show I've raised many times as just thinking, So I just want to know how it's gonna work.

You've got two offensive coordinators, Eric Studsville George Godzi and you know, and I'm hearing that the offense has changed a lot. Miles Gascon had comments saying, you know, it's gonna look real different, more motion, there's more deep passing, it's more flexible. I mean, what is it gonna look like? And can you just tell me how did these two guys work together? And like who gets the blame if like the offense crumbles, and like who the fans decide

to point fingers? That just feels a little bit atypical to me. Is there a Batman and a Robin in this mix? How does it? How is it truly going to break down here? Again? Yeah, I think they're gonna thumb Russell every game so you can call plays and the winner is now I'm just guys, I'm just kidding. Um. Yeah, Now they they've defined the roles. I think I think what helps is that, you know, George Garsie coming from more of a path background, U Eric Studiensville is coming

from more run background. So although they have pass game coordinator run game coordinators. You can kind of look at it as maybe something of that help. We've seen that in the past with teams who've had hey coaches that are offensive offensive coordinator quote unquo, they'll have run gamelayers the officers coordinators. So um, I think that they'll they'll collaborate, but I think you'll see them fall a lot in their lane. You know, George will probably have the heavier

hand on the passing games. He's worked with quarterbacks in the past. He spent all of last season, the second half of last season working with two of being the guy who's directly in his here, So I'd anticipate that George Gods would have a lot more contact in the quarter room and in the passing game where Eric He's been a running back coach his whole career, so he's gonna be having a lot more impact and in the running name as with the offensive line and the protection.

So they haven't quote unquote named the play caller. I have an idea of who I believe the play caller will be, but I can't confirm that yet. So I'm just gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna good reporters just kind of let it free for now, sit on it until I can get it come from. But I know who the guy is. There's gonna be one play caller. There's not gonna be you know, a back and forth for hey. But I think that that what helps them. And we saw it last week because George Gotzi techt the positive

for COVID and he was out for a week. You have two instead of one. So in this COVID era, it probably helps you just in case something happens that another guy can step in. And also it double helps you. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, he got doubles and it helps with a little versatility, right because you know you're you're playing your game playing is the Patriots one week you want to run the ball forty times, it's probably gonna

be at Eric Scutisville game plan. You know, when you're playing Kansas City and you gotta keep up with Hatrick Mahomes, you know you're probably gonna have a Georgian Garzi led game plan. So I think that's probably how it's envisioned. Um. But to kind of jump off what you were talking about earlier, it is going to be different from what I've heard the three words I've heard have been flexibility, motion, and deep balls, which are three things that are pretty

simple to us. But if you watch the doffense offense last year, they're bare of all those things. So that's probably a good word, good way to start for them to try to get this uh get to uh in the offense in in a better situation. I'm started done doubting them, like you were there for the fish Tank season, as we dubbed it a couple of years ago, and they ended up being any more competitive than anyone thought.

I went into last season thinking they were like a bottom five roster just in terms of talent, and then if you actually look at the big free agent money that they spent, most of it went terribly. And yet somehow they show up on Sundays and they're like dynamic and there's something there that seems like it's greater than the some of their parts. You've been there for the for the Brian Flores era. I guess, just from your perspective, like,

what is that? Because I think they've really overachieved back to back years, and I have doubts about them again this year. Yet now I've been learned from the last couple of years. I'm kind of done doubting them and figuring that that they'll look a little better than they do on paper. Must be something in the fish change, to use your word, But I think that when you look at all of it, it's got to start with the head coach, you know. And I think that they've

made a good hiring Brian Flores. I think he's a guy. A lot of people were afraid when you hire these Patriot assistance, who are they gonna be? Are they gonna be copycast for Bill Belichick? And so far he's been his own guy. I think he's owned a lot of respect and I think he's maximized those teams. That year twenty nineteen UM, that first month, month and a half of that year was miserable. I'm walking in the locker room and guys are just you know, it's it's somber.

It felt like somebody in funeral walking there every someday. And there was so much turnover that I had guys asking me, you know, where where's the restroom? Where how

do I go? They just showed up on a Saturday and they gotta play playing and expect there was a lot of a lot of stuff going on, But I remember halfway through that year that was a big focus point for them when I think Ryan Fitzpatrick came in that game, and I think bran Flores earned a lot of respect and that team sort of earned respect that hey, we could be better in our talent says so on paper this year, I think they're an average team. Like you said, I think on paper, you look at him,

you know, maybe a playoff team. Maybe you know, maybe he's seven and ten aid and how do you want to kind of rank them? But I think that they have a little bit of magic in this defense and particularly how they scheme this defense up, and really it's all on to a to a plays better than he did last year, Um, which is you know, obviously it's a low bar. Then I think there's no reason why they can't push for the playoffs. One of those Walker

spots in the ANFC. Man if the if the Dolphins go in a positive direction this year and the Patriots improved, and we know what the Bills are, that's gonna be a really interesting division, especially if the Jets are also competitive at least. Um, before you go, Cam, you were also at Panthers camp and I wrote a little about this recently, and I saw you reported it on as well.

You when you take a step back and you look at the Carolina offense, Um, it's actually you don't have to squint to see it as a as a unit that can move and score points and make them potentially dangerous. What were you seeing when you were boots on the ground there. Yeah, you know, I'm a big fantasy football guy. So you start looking at the roster. If you start seeing some CHRISTI mccaffrees he helped, If he's helping top three,

top five back in the league. You know Robby Anderson, d J. Moore, both of those guys had a rousing yards last year. You know. Um, and you bring in saying Donald and he's a question great. You know he's the to quote unquote of the of this offense where we just don't know what we're gonna get. Um and their big thing for that for him is kind of what we were talking about. You guys, have you have weapons.

You don't have to be Superman. You don't have to you know, throw all these interceptions you through with the Jets. You know, a dump off isn't to the Christiancaffrey isn't check down, Charlie. It might be a touchdown, you know. So I think they're am and I don't know if they're gonna be effective or I can't sit here and tell you that that the same Donald experiment is gonna work. But I think their focus is, let's simply things for him.

Let's maybe hope that he can have a Ryan Tannehill tight turner where we put him in the system with Joe Brown. We make things, you know, from what I heard, the Jets kind of through through the book at him and said, hey, learn, learn and learn. So maybe they simplify things. Maybe they tell him to focus on Europens. They've got a good defensive front. There's no reason why they can't be the second best team in that division in my opinion. Who Mark is loving this, He's that

real corners. Very good cam again, welcome aboard. It's great to have you and the best of luck uh in your maiden voyage here with NFL Network, and I'm sure we'll be in touch down the line. We gotta get both wolves on at the same time. That's their thing, that's their thing, seems friend on their I P But that's up to them. Ultimately yeah, all right, yeah, well we'll get we'll get something together. But I appreciate what

fun there. He goes Cam Wolf actually never asked him if he's okay with Cam, but Cameron Wolf didn't seem not okay. Dan Arnold was another guy that's getting some pop a little abbreviated whisper here at the tight end that the Panthers brought in You. Yeah, but it all goes back and you gave I think Donald a negative forty seven point three mark greg and our division power ranking segments. So if Donald can't play the guitar, none of this matters. But they're hoping for the post gaze

bump basically, I mean the Tannehill post gaze bump. That's exactly right. I will say that there's been some very clunky Sam Donald to Dan Arnold tweets. It's just like the most predictable, um you know, flurry of like kind of clunky wordplay stuff going on out on Twitter. Dan Arnold is, I think an interesting player, but the the the way the tweets have come out to me because Donald and Arnold is simply in the same sentence, there

both things, both things. Yes, alright, everybody out there. You heard Mark clean it up, get that get that murkin out of there. Not the mirth all right before we go, and this is spoiler alert now to um all the UK listeners and and other international territories that haven't had access yet to the Hard Knocks premier. I did connect with Handsome Hank, our UK ambassador and all things here

at NFL Media. He said that you could Hard Knocks will be up and in your UH screens Thursday afternoon or Thursday night on the game Pass app and UM I believe Sky Sports will also be airing it on Thursday or Friday, so check that out. As for the rest of you, let's dig into it. The premier Tuesday Night, Dallas Cowboys and UM I'll start here the Cowboys. Yes, it has been a twenty five year drought, um actually

since they've been to the Super Bowl. And you could say that's gonna take some of the shine off the organization, and some ways it has, But in other ways, the Cowboys are as high profile as they've ever been. And I think it's it's just fun to have them because even if they're not successful, they're always interesting to me and they and they have star power and that's that's

important for Hard Knocks. So when the show opens, I think it was I think it was a noted it was something that was a calculated move by Hard Knocks producers. When the cold open of the show is we're in tight with Dak Prescott, one of the most recognizable figures in pro football, and he's speaking intimately about the struggles of twenty with the death of his brother and then the the horrible injuries to stain against the Giants six

months later. Um, we're often running. And that was what I took away from the premiere episode that this is just gonna be fun with all these big stars right all the way up to the top where Jerry Jones, who's gonna obviously be a big presence. All through the five weeks. There wasn't even an episode one. There wasn't the here's the underdog and that's coming because it always comes in Hard Knocks, here's the underdog, seventh round pick or the street free agent who's trying to make the team.

They said, no, this is the Cowboys, this is the star, and that's what we're gonna lean on this premiere. UM and I like that. Um. So that was an initial takeaway I had Greg, what did you think about the premiere? Yeah, it was different format. Everyone says it's always like the same thing every year. It really wasn't. It might have been COVID impacted or they made They also just consort of made a decision. There's no build up to it. It was just like, let's get on the practice field.

There's a lot of news here. Usually there isn't. Number One, Dak Prescott says he had two surgeries now, one right off the bat. No one knew that. Uh number two, we see, we see what Jay Glazer had sort of reported about that. It was this, you know, this muscle injury that's more common in baseball, which, by the way, it doesn't sound like a good thing. It's like we're we're calling the Rangers medical staff because we don't know

how to handle this. I thought it was very telling when Troy Aikman said on the Fox broadcast, like, uh yeah, I think it's probably a little more serious than people think. When everyone everyone, you know, working for our company and everywhere else immediately all they said about Dak's injuries like, oh, it's not a concern at all. Well, you saw what a concern it was like to Dak Prescott and I to me, it makes me a little concerned about what's

coming up. You saw how it important it was to him, to the coaches, to everyone like that he's on the field or not. That the fact that like him and Zeke are like best buddies and they're trying to they're like making a buddy comedy out of it, and the biggest stars are totally fine with the cameras there, and that you know that starts with Jerry Jones. I mean,

that's gonna make it I think more fine. Well, how about to that point, Mike McCarthy and one of those coaches meetings, they have this very I mean hard to understand as an outsider, but they have this GPS tracking data that it's a metric that tracks how much activity a player has in a given practice, and Dak like, where is Dak at five seventy six? And McCarthy's like, WHOA, that's way too much. And then they reeled them back, put him on a pitch count, and and das frustrated.

But then sure enough he shows up a couple of practice later with a bad arm, and market did and make me think all these things in the in the edit can make things a look like b when that's not necessarily case. But it did at least insinuate on some level that the Cowboys maybe brought him back too

fast initially and that led to the injury. By their own words, I think you're exactly right, And you know, I think the thing, the thing that is great about this show is even though we have an impression of Dak Prescott and we kind of know how rough life has been for him over the last two years. You mentioned losing his brother in the injury. Um that I just came away knowing him and feeling like I had

a whole different experience with Dak Prescott. I mean, first of all, I wanted to watch the show with my children, but um, Dak Prescott is a quarterback who drops about

seventy two F bombs in this episode. McCarthy to y, Yeah, I mean there was there was There was a lot of language, but you know what, like I kind of loved um him pushing back on not wanting to be put out of practice, like just I think he came across to me as far more determined and fiery than I imagine I think and Zeke Elliott is sort of

a wonderful foil for him because Zeke Elliott. I remember I once talked to his mom about a Mother's Day piece in their relationship and she sort of said candidly like, Zeke is a big boy like he you know, we saw he had never really wrapped a present before that He's operating in a bit of a different world than

other adults too. I thought that was really good. Um. The part that gripped me and I know, Dan, I think you maybe we're not is one over this by this was John bones fastle Um digging into the process of having a vasect to me and then having it reversed. I don't understand um personally why anyone on the planet is having that operation to begin with, But then I

want to know why it was reversed. But I thought that, you know, bones fastl is a guy that's kind of seems like UM hired by the studios to show up in Hard Knocks every couple of years and like steal the scene. And to me, I loved it. I think the kids players were fascinated by it. They think I think some could not figure out what was going on. I mean, I mean, I thought it was just striking.

All of a sudden, we cut to the scene and Bones is like talking about the surgery on his balls and he and he's and he goes into it in the players because they're a bunch of twenty three year old dudes. It's a last thing there ever thing about his best sectimies. When you get to be our age, you become you know, people that have had the procedure done, and you might get you might get some actual heat from certain people in your life to undergo such a procedure. Um,

that's a dishes decision that people need to make. But after all that, and I thought the players, some players were kind of interested in it and like kind of making sense of the players are just looking at him like he had a third elbow growing out of his forehead, and I thought that, And then just the bomb at the end, the twist, It's like, oh yeah, and then you know they had to put me under it again when when they reversed it, and it was like everyone

you know, you think of Michael Scott in the office, snip snap, snip snap, Like what happened? What's the backstory? I need to know more about because it was just I mean, my my guests would be that he wants to have children again, you know that would that would be the guess, I know, maybe a situation who who knows? Uh. The coaches though, like I don't know. I've had a very very somber and he's like, listen, this is what really happened. He mean, you guys are making it like

a big mystery. What's the story w after He's probably was controlled the first time around and then he retook control. I think there's more to the store. I would like to know why that's a big decision to get the surgery and then to reverse it. Is also I am I've always had like an image of Mike McCarthy and I was I was prety hard on him, I think towards the end of the Packers or just the way he ran the offense, and just like, is he connecting

to the this to his team? And I don't know when he started going with the mojo moment and when he started and the players seemed to like it, But when he started talking about Charlie Chuck around and Harry high school, I'm just like, this dude's corny. Let's listen to a little bit of the Mojo moment, which is the motivational employee that he's building into the camp experience.

But whatever point in practice, okay, will be a Mojoe moment when it's time traditional confidence, chrisma performance, no matter what the situation. Like a smaller mojo, Mama, come, let's the announcement, Mojo, give me the defense on the wall side offense over here. Yeah, you look like your fire. I will behave. That was another thing like McCarthy, such a dad move. You know when that Austin Power sequel

was huge. Uh, those guys were in diapers almost everybody in that room, and it's like, I don't know if that's the target audience. Uh, but I actually liked he won me back a little bit with Charlie Round and high school Harry I was gonna into that. I don't know. I do think though, Dan was a huge victory for you because, for the first time ever, I guarantee on NFL dot Com, the character Fat Bastard was put into a write up um by yourself, which I thought was marvelous.

Thank you. I'm just I'm just saying like, at some level, like you see him at the beginning, McCarthy and Jerry Jones is tearing up and talking about coming back to football and what it means to him, and they just sort of so show McCarthy next to him, and he seems to be looking over thinking, like what the He looked to be fuddled. To me, he was like, what the hell is happening right now? And it's not like he's running the offense. Kellen Moore's running the offense, and

like he's coming up with with the mojo moment. I don't I just don't know what's happening there. Mojo moment, Ricky, can you can you bring up the mojo moment? What it means? Also? I mean, and coaches do this stuff all the time. I just was fine. It was more than Charlie that. Charlie was like, nothing else matters. We're in this for a championship. Charlie Brown, he's out of the building mojo amojo moment, according to Mike McCarthy, And

he has all the coaches yelling at also. And that was the p a guy at practice yelling it out too. So this is a major initiative for the Cowboys. Uh. This is what it said on the power point presentation. When it's time for additional confidence, charisma, and performance. This one I got a little confused. So mojo moment is established initially here that there's a time for a mojo moment, okay, and it's like when that time hits, it's time for

the mojo moment. But then the second part of this um the slate says, no matter the time, the place, the situation, kick in your mojo, which makes me think that you should be having your mojo at all times. It feels like wasted energy undercuts what the initial thought, which is when the moment calls for it, that's when you need the mojo. Anybody, No, I think it's I

think number one. Um, it's probably I guarantee he's probably run this mojo moment thing like six summers in a row in Green Bay back in like the like two thousand eight region. But um, it feels like he has. You know, there's a certain number of he maybe winning up from different angles. But on that graphic he smushed two angles together and they're almost they clash a little bit. You're you're constantly in your mojo, but then you need to know when the mojos finally needed, please finally, like

Kyle Sayingahan or Vic Fangio or Bill Bell. It's like watching this and being like, well, we're gonna kill them. Yeah. But he is also the only coach I've ever got. Aaron Rodger is over the mountain top. I don't know. I find him, even though I don't think he's I mean, he inherited Aaron Rodgers and he was the head coach. But I'm just saying I think he's an interesting figure to track just because he's been around for so long

and you get this. I'm not saying he's the leader of men that you want one, but for the cowboys, he is right now. Finally, Jerry Jones, um Mark, this had to be the low point for you. The episode his Breakfast seventy eight years old and get a shout out of this Ricky seven eight years old. And Emily was watching it with my wife and and she said, oh, she thinks it's a brioche bun with what looked to be a cheese and a sausage. And I said, no, look at the consistency of the bun. I think, first

of all, I think it's an egg in there. I think you probably have cheese. You definitely have the sausage patty, and then I think it might be like pancakes, a riddle. It's a mcgriddle, And in fact, I thought there was you could see. I thought McDonald's um packaging. But I looked up what is in a mcgriddle and this is

from their website. It is griddle cakes. That's the breadish item that it's I think it is like a sweetened pancake, UM, a folded egg, pasteurized, processed American cheese, thick cut applewood, smoked bacon. In this case, it could be sausage, clarified butter um. We see him pouring salt on top of it, but just would like to point out to Jerry Jones that it already comes packed with thirteen hundred sixty milligrams

of sodium. So the extra salt uh okay. He put so much salt on his macgriddle that they actually cut away from it when he was already like deep into the process. We have no that were watching. They were like, this is a bad example. You guys can frown upon it. I actually made me like him more too. Now I would I would open the morning. He's seventy eight years old.

He's gone. I'm gonna eat a macgriddle. Well, you guys have been up in Oxnard, right, and that like that's set up that the Cowboys staying to me is very interesting. I think you'd you get a reflection of that in training camp. It's not it's it's not fancy. It's like a huge you know, no no slack to the Renaissance brand, great great hotels, but it's pretty much the worst hotels those players are going to stay in all year for sure. It's a pretty low key, very chill scenario and everyone's

staying in it. There's no like special house. Maybe maybe Jerry Jones has someplace on the beach. I don't know about, but I'm pretty sure they're all just like staying in this little hotel complex. It's not a big deal in the middle of nowhere, and there is something to that that I like that. Very few NFL teams still keep up with that like old school nineteen fifties, sixties tradition of like we're all going to camp and we're in it together. It's cool they do that. I love it.

They're in the dorm rooms and I don't know it just said it just feels like, like you said, old school, because as as the sports world, the bikes around and stuff, everything is so much more high glossy and everything else has done at such a high level now that you kind of lose some of that innocence of what the sports sporting world was like even years ago. Gassie is not something I would attach to the Dallas Cowboys on

any level. So, I mean, there were moments it felt like a bit of a like I could almost feel West shuddering. He would not have liked. There were felt like it was like a pr video for the one Cowboys. There was a little bit of that. But I'm you know, I'm on the moment that is. And John Gonzalez tweeted this, and this is a part of Hard Knocks as well. You come out of these episodes you're like, oh Man Steave looks pretty good. Yeah, I mean they do have a ton of talent. I mean, they are they are

a fascinating teams. Gonna lose. I don't know, I'm worried about that. I'm I'm a little I'm a little more worried I think than must. Yeah he's throwing lightly now, by the way, but that will be You know sometimes that these things dovetail together nicely. When Hard knocks sinks up with an actual big NFL story a couple of years ago with Antonio Brown, that comes to mind his contentious hold out with the Raiders and the foot issues he had after going in the cryogenic cham What is

that guy was nuts? Um, but we're gonna get a good coverage of the stack thing that otherwise they would be able to shield in secrecy. Um. So there you go. This is my tenth season, by the way, at NFL dot com writing these recaps. I started two thousand twelve with the Dolphins and have done it every year since. I've only missed two episodes when Harrison was born and gret no no when Jack was born in two thousand uh fourteen, and Greg you had jumped in for those

two apps. Otherwise, every recap every year sands man sands through the hourglass, I mean, but conversely, when Greg leaves the set to go pick up a child, he's land based id by you and myself. Well, the birth of a child, I mean, got to be there with the white in the house. Mean, I think we should all be flexible, you know, with with things. We started the show a little late because the lawnmower is making a lot of noise. It's like we're beginning end of the show,

changing times. What is I don't there was no lawnmower. There's something like that. I don't remember. There's no lawnmower. We have a slide at handsas manor a pool slide. It had to be sanded down. Very loud process, very loud process, very expensive process. By the way, this home ownership thing, you gotta watch out. And but you mentioned, you mentioned you had a pool man Sandy in the slide. But he also brought a pool boy with him. Very intriguing.

Whatever happened to Gary Cooper? A pool man and a pool boy. Yes, and I'll send them your way next Mark. There won't be anything for them to do in my place. I don't know what you need them for. We'll put them to work getting weird. All right, good stuff. Hey, NFL Network program is back Friday. Hey, we got a great time time and we're right before Washington Patriots six pm Eastern. That's that's as good on a Thursday. That's as good a time as we've ever had. So it

keeps you to watch it. That's great. So we're the lead into the preseason action. That's good. That's a good time slot. Please check that out. UM. We are very excited about things that are happening over on the network side. UM and we will be back with this program UM on Monday. Barring any type of crazy news, you won't hear from us on the podcast again until Monday. But thank you to everyone for listening, thank you to Ken Wolf. UM and we will be back on Monday. Until then, He's the car s