New OT rules; Lamar's contract complications; Belichick's gamble

only in the postseason. We're gonna dig into all of it with my good pal friend of the program and of course our NFL media colleague here, Mike g rd Michael, Hello, rhet, how are your sir. I'm wonderful, Um, watched your great work on NFL Now all this week and excited to chat about some of these things that we saw go down. I mean, like the NFL League Meeting is like a treasure trove of headlines and news worthy items that come from just about every single owner GM head coach. I mean,

the head coach photo has become a news item. Like that's the kind of stuff we're dealing with here, Um. But look, I think that one of the biggest things, you know, in addition to the NFL forming a new committee to review diversity and hiring practices in the NFL, and some other amendments to the Rooney Rule that we've been talking about and keeping that rolling and trying to keep fortifying it was the amendment to the overtime rule, which, as I mentioned, now guarantees each team a possession um

only in the postseason. Everything that you saw last year about overtime in the regular season will remain in the regular season, but in the postseason we will, I guess no longer have what happened in the Chiefs Bills game right where you know you had Josh Allen guide the Bills down through another touchdown past the Gabriel Davis in the final minute of the fourth quarter, and then with thirteen seconds left, the Chiefs got themselves into field goal

range Harrison, Butker kicks the field goal. We go to ot, Chiefs win the toss, score in the first possession, game over, and everybody's like, uh, you know what we were robbed of, Josh Allen, Let me ask you this to kick kick start this conversation here, Mike, the way that both defenses were playing late in that game. Chiefs go down and score first possession of overtime, kick it to the Bills. Bills go down and score first possession of overtime. It's tied.

Chiefs get the ball again, score again, game over, same result. Yeah, I think so, and I mean so so. I I understand why people wanted to see this continue and wanted you know, you got caught up in the moment, you want Josh Allen to get the ball the way it was going. But I just go back to the original thing, and I understand the coin toss. Hold them to a field goal, at least with the original rules that were in place, hold new field goal. You get the ball back,

your defense has to make a stop there. And to your point, now, these defenses are pretty tired by that point and haven't been exposed in that game in particular, like there's no question that both teams, in my mind, we're gonna go down and score touchdown. So then it's gonna be Kansas City's ball. To your point, with you know, like go thirty yards kick a field goal, games over and that's that. So I didn't see the need really

to change it. And I know Siciliano had a point on NFL Now yesterday about I think it's fifty of the teams that won the coin toss have won the game, which is not a stark number. I know, it's a lot different in in the playoffs, where it's like ten and two. I think, if you won the coin toss, time, yeah. But but to me, just make a stop. Just that's part of football. You gotta make a stop. And now

we're kind of extending it out. I think the other thing here, and I guess I understand now why they're not gonna do it in regular season is you're just adding more playing time. Which we talk about players safety all the time, and you can say whether they're really into player's safety or not. But now you're adding that element where the game is dragging on longer. We've added another game in the regular season, and now you're just exposing these guys are just a little bit more over

the course of a very long season. And that's a good point too, because that's probably the biggest um, the biggest red flag on a potential Well let's just let him play another ten minutes. Let's just play the whole ten minutes and see what happens. Well, because you know we could be tied again at ten minutes, and then what play another ten, you know, and we're into you know, seven overtimes here at some point, so like we get

I I understand that part of it too. Um. But Brandon Bean GM of the Buffalo Bills, who you know, has done a phenomenal job rebuilding that franchise and building them into a consistent winner and a dominant force now in the a f C East, which is certainly saying something considering the Patriot's reign of success in that division.

Said he first thought of the rule chains actually when the Patriots played the Chiefs back in surely, you know, seeing Josh Allen not get a possession in his quarterback in overtime, you know, this past year certainly played a big role. So I don't know our Bills fans happy today. I mean they're happy for a lot of reasons, but are they happy about that about overtime? I mean, I guess, yeah, you get your guy to have the a ball one more time, so you get to see that part of it.

But you know, I don't know that again it really necessarily solves everything, right, And it's funny that you mentioned the Chiefs thing, because the Patriots Chief's game, there was big outcry after that because Mahomes had been on fire in the second half of that game, and you're like, well,

now you took the ball out of his hands. But their proposal didn't go anywhere in the aftermath of that, so it took a few more years to to get something punched through where at least both teams get the ball. I mean, we'll see how it plays out. I mean, I don't hate it. I just I still am of the mind of just just make a stop, hold them

to three, not seven, and give your guy a chance. Okay, let's talk about the other big news where the item surrounding the Buffalo Bills that comes out of the annual league meeting, which was the announcement from the Pagoula Sports and Entertainment Group of an agreement on a new one point four billion dollars stadium, thirty year lease. Groundbreaking set for next spring and would tentatively be set to open and be ready to play in two thousand and twenty six.

Will still be an open air stadium and will still be there in Orchard Park. I think we all knew that a new stadium was desperately needed there in the Buffalo area, and now they got it. It seems like a pretty good deal. It certainly doesn't to me. The big thing about it, read is the thirty year lease, right because the Bills have been one of those teams every few years you get rumblings, well, if we don't get this or you know, we we can't improve the

infrastructure here, maybe we think about going somewhere else. I mean, I think it was just a couple of years ago where that sort of was floating around the NFL about potentially yeah, about potentially moving. And now I think obviously with a thirty year lease, I'm assuming that's ironclad and they locked in pretty good and that that's great because that's a terrific region. They love their football team. But let me just say this, Red, I am gonna miss

the old stadium. I think that there are very few places in the National Football League that are as unique as that stadium is. They give such a great home field advantage by the way it's built. It's sort of into the ground and you've been there, you know what it's like. I've told people this before, and I've been down every stadium except for the New Los Angeles one, in the New Vegas one, and the loudest place that

I've ever been is in Buffalo. Those people when their team is winning, particularly considering the ribbalry of the Patriots when they're beating the Patriots, is is. It's incredible. And I remember a game, I think it was they intercepted Brady four times. Ryan Fitzpatrick was the quarterback and to quote out Michael's that's when um sound had feel. It hits you in the chest and it absolutely just went right through your body. It gave me goose bumps. It

was just one of those things. Um. I think that's as unique a stadium as there is in the National Football League. And I know that there will be better amenities and bigger locker rooms and all these things that that the modern NFL and the modern LEAD wants, but there's something about that place that's very, very special, and I'll be curious to see if they can replicate the advantage they had in that stadium with the fans being right on top of you, and um, it really is

something there. Yeah. So, like you're covering Patriots there, Bills beat the Patriots and you walk into the smallest and most like egregiously outdated visitors locker room with a like despondent group of players that are, you know, devastated, and you're trying to step over them literally too and try to like you're hiding in someone's locker to talk to someone next to the in the locker. I mean that I will not miss. No, I'm not high Mark Stadium

for sure, but I don't know. Maybe they could just bring that back and just be like, hey, it was one of its part of the nostalgia of Mortal Ralph. Yeah, I mean, think about think about how some of these away locker rooms are anyway, right, they're not trying to make you're not getting the creature covert something. We're not making this spacious. We're gonna put you top. We want you to hate each other by the time you're done

in our locker room. You know, they expanded that locker room about five years ago and they made a second room, which is about just as small as the first room. But now they're there two rooms offense, defense. You know, I got you. Yeah, that's nice. So on the bills though, um, Josh Allen obviously catalyst for that team, face of that franchise. But then they go and sign a Super Bowl MVP and a guy who could become just the second player ever to get a third ring with three different teams

in von Miller, what does this do for this team? Like, does this more so than the overtime change? Does this allow them to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs and finally make that move, you know, into real

Super Bowl contention here? Well for starters, I mean that's an issue that as they've built this team and done such a terrific job as you mentioned Brandon Bean and this five year bill with Sean McDermott and how they've done it, the thing that they have lacked pretty much this entire time is that guy screw him and off the edge that's capable of changing a game. And Von Miller is that guy. So from from that vantage point, I think it's made all the sense in the world.

But to me, I dig deeper with this, and I say, you know what, I was reporting it around the time of the combine that there were some agents of prominent defensive players that had reached out to the Bills, not vice versa. They had reached out to the Bills and said,

my guys interested in your franchise and your team. And to me, Buffalo has become a destination, and it's part of the build right and putting this team together that has now been in the playoffs four of five years and has given the Chiefs a run for their money in each of the last two. But it's Josh right that that people look at that guy and say, Josh

Allen is the dude, he's the guy. He can run, he can throw, he leads, his teammates love him, like I want to be on that guy's side because when I look at that guy, I think they're gonna be multiple Super Bowl titles Ian Buffalo. And you know, there are some people, especially where I'm located in New England, and say he just took the money. He took the money. Well, in reality, it's a two year deal. They can get out of it after two years, certainly free for no

no cost. So three years and fifty one million dollars for someone who um is playing still at a high level, and maybe that third year you don't get the sort of production you want from him. But I think they got to feel pretty good about what they're gonna get from him in year one and year two. And I think it just it singles to everybody if you didn't already know that we're someone to be reckoned with. We

are now and we're attracting people. Took Buffalo to play for the Mafia to play with with with Josh Allen and um, I don't know, you know, I know there's a lot that's happened here in the off season and there's still plenty more to go. But to me, they're they're the best team in the a f C right now. Yeah, especially if they keep those primary core pieces together, right. You know, obviously it's not just Josh Allen, but it's

his number one targets. How do you think Brandon Bean was taking to a Little brothers recruitment of big brother to come down to Dallas talking about Trevon Diggs is twitter recruitment of his brother, Yeah, prahas probably didn't go over that great, um. And I think the interesting thing with Diggs is that now he's criminally underpaid, right because of what happened to the receiver market, uh in the

last two years really, but certainly this offseason. Um. And it's been something that has been brought up a number of times to being about you know, do you feel the need to get an extension done with Diggs and I think obviously they would love to. As he said, you know, it's got to be something that works for both sides. So I guess no. Steph can be pretty private about this stuff, but I guess we'll have to

see where his head is at. But certainly to this point he has loved playing in Buffalo and and love playing with Josh so um. But that's certainly something we I think we definitely read half to keep an eye on moving forward. You know, will there be talks, what all those talks look like and can they get close enough to to convince him to stay or does he does he have that longing to go play with his brother? I mean, that's not's not you know, I wouldn't be shocking.

I know the mccordis they eventually united. That's something that they wanted to do at some point they did it. We'll see if the Digs just want to do that as well. Yeah, but certainly a huge piece of a now back to back run as a f C East champions.

That a distinction usually reserved for the New England Patriots, who have now not won a playoff game in three years, as we were made aware of by their owner Robert Kraft down at the annual league meeting this week, and we will get into that and the Patriots pursuit of regaining that a f C S crown, as well as

some interesting moves but not unfamiliar along that Patriots coaching staff. Next, all right, back here with you on NFL Inside Report, talking about the a f C East a little bit with Mike Gardi certainly covered this division for a long time, knows the Patriots inside and out. We were just talking about the Bills and as the Patriots now trying to get back to the top of the division, they're doing

so in some unique ways. UM. They've lost a bunch of coaches and executives so over the course of the last few years price of success right, most recently Josh McDaniels leaving UM to become the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, though are back after unsuccessful runs as head coaches outside of New England. But what we do have now is the lack of title, which again is nothing new in New England. Uh No d C, no offensive coordinator. Still not totally

sure who's calling plays right on either side. What do you what do you make of all this shake up here by Belichick? Uh, this to this, to me read is a um, it's a gamble because you you transition from Brady, you know, you had the one year with Cam Newton as the sort of the filler, and then you've reset essentially with Mac Jones. And he had a promising rookie year. And now we always talk about in

Belichick primarily the leap between year one and two. That's what you want to see, this big jump, and that that there should be a big jump for good players. And Mac Jones is a good player. So um. He was shepherd along nicely by Josh McDaniels, who met with him after every drive, you know, the right to the bench, right with the tablet, talk things over. Um. One of the things they loved about Mac his ability to adjust on the fly, those conversations being able to translate into

the field. Well, now who's doing that with him? And there is no clarity from from Bill Belichick on that front. In fact, when he said are you gonna work with quarterbacks more? Bill Belichick, he said, yeah, I'll continue to work with him as he's done. He needs with the quarterbacks at least once a week. But then he said Matt as in Matt Patricia will do some and Joe Judge,

who's an offensive assistant, he will do some. Um, And then you know, internally, I know there are some people there that were hoping that Nick Cayley was the tight ends coach and has sort of been on this nice path that he would be the one in charge of at least the passing game, if not the offensive coordinator. So is somehow he involved in this? We don't have any answers, and as Belichick said, we don't have to call plays for a while. UM, so we're gonna be

waiting and seeing how that all plays out. But to me, it's it's massive because you can't afford to step back here. I think your owner just made it clear he doesn't want to step back. He expects them to contend this year. So, um, that's critical to me. And I think there are people around the league that are sort of scratching their heads saying, should they have done more for Mac in terms of the coaching, Should they have gotten in a real offensive coordinator?

Bill O'Brien's name that was kicked around, And I think there was some mutual interest. But there's also the relationship between Belichick and Saban and do I want to poach your guy only if you give me, you know, your your approval. So, um yeah, I think it's it's fast it and I don't I don't you know. We look oftentimes we look at the head coach, right, Well, how's

this new head coach gonna handle the situation his first job? Kenny? Well, now we're gonna be looking at these assistance and how it all breaks down, and are we seeing improvement and important players to the Patriots Because if we're not, Um, I don't know. You know, the division's gotten tougher and tougher. You're now chasing the Bills. The gap between you and the Bills is fairly sizeable based on the last two

meetings when you did not force them to punt. In fact, you have en forced the punt in ten quarters now, So um yeah, there's there's some work to do, for sure. So who do you think the leading candidate is to call plays at least offensively? Right, because we've seen you know, Steve Belichick, we've seen Gerd Mayo called plays, you know, defensively. What about it offensively? Like could it be Joe Judge. You know, I think it could be Joe Judge, or I think it could be a combination of Joe and

Nick Keyley sort of. You know, you're the passing game guy in the running up. Yeah, and again, is that is that an effective way of doing things? I mean, you look at my me this past year. At one point, they had three different guys calling plays. They had their co offensive coordinators and their quarterbacks coach. I believe they were what they wanted eight or one and seven at one point. So um, you know, it took a long time for that to sort of um serialized and be effective.

So you know, I don't think the Patriots gonn afford to be in that sort of hole. So again, I'm really curious to see how it works out. And if you're looking at you know, Joe Judges history obviously the head coach, but the offense with him as the head coach was pretty putrid over two seasons with the Giants. And you know, I threw out a stat yesterday Daniel Jones rookie year, twelve games, twenty four touchdown passes. In the next games with Joe Judge as the head coach,

he threw one touchdown passes. Now, that's not all on the coach. There's all kinds of different pieces. But if you're looking for progress, you didn't see it there in

a on a Joe Judge team with a young quarterback. Right. Uh. Then, you know, as you mentioned and as we talked about with with Robert Kraft coming out and talking about he's a fan of the New England Patriots first and like many of the fans, realizing that they have not won a playoff game now in three years after making you know, quite frankly a habit of that over the previous you know,

eighteen years if you will, seventeen um. Last year he came out and said that he was kind of critical of the way that the Patriots had drafted about this time, and then this year it's like, no, I didn't feel like we I like what we did in last year's draft. I feel like this is a tactic. He wants to be here next year in at the annual meeting talking about how they want to playoff game. Right, it worked, calling him out for the calling out the drafting better draft,

call him out for not wanting a playoff game. We went a playoff game. I mean it's all gonna happen, right, Yeah, well it has a potential to happen, read if they get the jumps from players like Matt Jones that I mentioned. But also I think and you're looking at their relative

in activity and free agency. Um, they spent a time last year and some of those players, Nelson aghalor Jhono Smith in particular, did not play to the level of the contract that they were getting, uh and did not make the impact I think necessary for this team to take that next step. So to me, and this is part of you can say this a spin or this is the truth. Well, something lies in between. But this

was a two year project with this group. We spent big because there was the COVID and we had money and other teams didn't have money, and we knew we were could have as much money in year two. Hear of this bill. But Toss, this was a two year process and those guys in particular have to elevate their game and become the players that they're being paid to be in order for this team to sort of take that next step and maybe be the team that wins a playoff game. But um, I have a lot of

questions about their roster. They've lost a lot of good players or important pieces to their team and pass success. Uh and they have done a little too replace that. I mean, I guess they're big offseason acquisitions thus far. The win of it's for Mack Wilson, traded linebacker. Wilson sort of fell out of favor. M Cleveland's sort of a bit of a smaller linebacker by their standards, but

maybe more speed. And then signing you know, Jabrill Peppers yesterday as sort of a jack of all trades secondary guy. But other than that, it's been a lot of no guarantees, you know, roster filler types maybe coming and compete Mitchell at corner or somebody like that. Like that's not going to move the needle. They lost J C. Jackson, How

do you fill that whole? That's to me, that's still a massive, massive void in their in their defense, right and you know, look that there's gonna be a good player available for them where they're picking in the first round. You know, are they going to dip the Toes back into the wide receiver market in the first round after the Nakiel Harry situation still has not really worked out or resolved. Itself. Um, as you know, there was trade talk a while ago and still there. Um and so yeah,

and perhaps there's a corner there as well. Um that might. It's hard to trade a receiver who has I think he had twelve catches last year, year three? Like, what's the that? What's the value there here? I know I'll give you a seventh you know, like conditional right, exactly exactly? So, uh, he blocks well, but I don't think that's exactly what you're looking for when you draft a guy in the

first round to play wide receiver for you, no question. Um. The Baltimore Ravens made Lamar Jackson the very last pick of the first round just a few years ago now, and it seems like, you know, ever since he won the m v p UM in his second season, that we've been talking about a potential contract extension for Lamar Jackson, which again has not happened yet. This is complex. There's

been a recent lack of availability for Lamar Jackson. Although I think we all agree that when healthy and when that offense is humming, and when the rest of the offense around him is healthy, they're as good as there as an attack. Because there is in football and it's difficult to stop a game plan for in that whole thing. But he doesn't really have an agent. He's kind of negotiating himself. Eric to Costa talked about that, we know John Harba just got his new contract extension, going to

be there for the next three years. They all talk about how they love Lamar, but how complicated is this, especially after Deshaun Watson just got two million dollars fully guarantee. Well, we just heard from the owner right in Baltimore said, yeah, that that really complicates things for everybody, and they're a little bit surprised that, uh, that contract is fully guaranteed.

And I mean, he got an eighty million dollar raised from the contract he had just signed with Houston and never really got an opportunity to fulfill for for for a bunch of different reasons, obviously, um his desire not to play there, and then obviously what's happening in the court system. But to me, the interesting thing about Lamar is Lamar seems to be taking and again we're getting very little from Lamar, so we're just sort of reading with me the lines here. He seems to be taking

the kirk Cousins approach. I'm gonna maximize my value year to year, get all this guaranteed money, and then eventually, eventually we're gonna sit down at the table. If you get to this point of multiple franchise tags and say we're guaranteeing all of this, We're doing this for a long time, and yeah, we're gonna make an obscene amount of money. There was a post from Lamar about wanting to be a billionaire than a billionaire and yea, God bless you. If you can get it, go get it,

my friend. Right, um, but it does make you wonder about, you know, his approach here and his sort of unwillingness at this point to sit down at the table. It does seem like he wants this to play out year after year until he maximizes every single dollar that he feels like he's worth, and that, you know, puts Baltimore

in a bit of a bind as well. Right, I'm and I know the CAP's going to explode, so you know, maybe, and I know the cap can be manipulated in the variety of really but you know, well, we'll see how they feel about that getting further and further down the road, and obviously, by betting on himself. He's also putting himself at risk not signing a long term deal. You know, tomorrow you could break your leg. Tomorrow you could tear up your knee, and then, you know, are you the

same player? Is that money still there for you? Um? But he's at this point appears clearly willing to bet on himself, apparently Lamar tweeting at you today, Mike by saying that stop trying to read my mind about my my contract? Hey, Lamar, but why don't you just why don't you just tell us what you want? Right? Why don't you just tell me with movies? Like? Um? I he did say this week, I love my Ravens. I don't know who, who the hell is putting out false

narratives out that I'm having thoughts about leaving? Stop trying to read my mind. I don't know. I mean, surely there are false narratives everywhere about just about everything these days, especially on social media. But the narrative is still very mysterious. Like you would feel like he's earned a contract. You feel like the Ravens at this point, the way that they have geared their personnel and their offense around him.

UM would like to give him one. John Harpo says that he's really just not interested in it right now. And as you mentioned that that kind of does bring back some of those Kirk Cousins thoughts, who played on two straight franchise tags with Washington then got his free agent, who was an unrestricted free agent, got a fully guaranteed deal. Um. So, but for me, I mean, like, if i'm Lamar, I'm like, the starting point is two hund thirty million dollars fully guaranteed.

I'm an m v P. Shaun Watson was not an m v P. Look what he's dealing with right now, and look what he got. So no question, there's no question. That's that's the very that's probably and I'm probably chewing a little bit higher than that. Yeah, you know, oh yeah, that's a minimum playoffs. I want an m v like, that's sounds and sound. You know, I'm still in my prime, you know, I'm still developing. So um but like you know, to his you know, the the false narratos, I haven't

actually heard anything about him wanting to leave. Yeah, I think it's just pretty clear that he is slow playing this thing. And hey, Lamar, if you want to clear things up, why don't you just tell everybody what you want? That's that's really what it comes down to you. You can you can absolutely quell all the speculation. You can stop that by just saying this is my thought, this

is my process, and this is what I want to do. Yeah, and like, for goodness sakes, like, can we not just keep a quarterback on the team that drafted him for once? I mean, my gosh, this song season, My head is still spinning as as fast as this quarterback carousel was. Uh, Mike g already they're sitting a straight with a ton of the news. I mean, like and then Mike lastly

here and I'm just gonna leave everybody on this. Like, as we were talking about the Patriots getting back to the playoffs, you think about the continuity the Ravens have, the Buffalo Bills. Think about the quarterbacks that are now in the a f C. As the gauntlet was thrown down on the Patriots to win a playoff game. Okay, Mahomes, Russell Wilson now in the a f C. Justin Herbert Derek Carr, that's all in the a f C West. I mean, like that whole division could make the playoffs.

Like in its entirety, which would leave you know, very few spots available for other teams to find their way into the postseason. Then you got the a f C North, you know, with Burrow, with Lamar Jackson Um, and we'll see what happens now with Cleveland DeShawn. It is an absolute, uh treacherous path to get to the playoffs and to win a playoff game in the a f C. Just food for thought. Uh. As we wrap up here with Mike grit Thanks buddy. Thanks all right, that's gonna do

it for this episode of NFL Inside Report. Thanks so much for being with this reminder to download, rate, and review our show and the I Heart Radio app on Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcast We appreciate you guys being along for the ride. For our producers Thomas Warren, Tim Paracca, and Harrison Sandford. I'm your host, Brett Lewis. We'll catch you next time. NFL Inside Report is the production of the NFL and partnership with I

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