Halford & Brough in the Morning - It's The Summer Of McIntosh

Episode Date: August 6, 2024

In hour one, guest hosts Jamie Dodd & Israel Fehr look back at a busy weekend at sports (3:000, they talk a memorable last few days for Canada at the Olympics (6:00), plus they discuss the latest off-season NFL moves with SBNation's JP Acosta (27:15). This podcast is produced by Andy Cole and Greg Balloch. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da a once-in-a-generation talent. She's going to be, in my opinion, the best Olympian this country has ever seen. And he does. Ball game over. Yankees win 4-3. What's your reaction to seeing Blue Jays walk Aaron three times intentionally? It sucks. They were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked. Good morning! It is Halford and Brough here on Sportsnet 650.

But there is no Halford, there is no Brough. I'm Jamie Dodd, filling in and with me, my guy, the newly engaged Israel Fair Izzy. Congratulations, what's going on? Thanks, Jamie. Yeah, good to be here. It's officially summer. We are doing a week of Halford and Brough. Yes, that's right. We're back. Our regular August stint on the show gets going right now. Of course, also with us, keeping us in check, keeping us on track, are the dogs. Hey, dog. What's going on, man?

Not much. Oh, you're throwing me off. You're not saying good morning. Oh, my God. What do I do, laddie? Not much is going on, Jamie. I am here and having a good time. You've been out of the routine so long. I'm glad to hear that.

You panic. The look of panic in A-Dog's eyes there. How do I answer? What's going on? We fear change. Laddie. Hello. How are you guys doing?

You're waiting very patiently. Oh, he gets a normal one patiently Waiting for me to address you He gets a normal one Well I was expecting him to jump in And he's like staring at me Waiting for me to say his name So there you go I didn't want you to throw something weird at me

Like you threw at Ada Something weird like What's going on? You just have to understand When Halford has been doing this for so long He says the same god damn thing Every morning Yeah

It's just programmed into our brains It's like a Pavlovian dog thing If we don't hear it The little click doesn't happen and then all hell breaks loose so it's it's it's not you it's us i typically listen to the first like by podcast don't get up at six but i'll listen to the first segment of the show kind of as part of my prep just to see what you guys are talking about and stuff during the course of the season and you're right halvard has it like dialed to the word how he starts the show the first like four minutes of the show and you're right halford has it like dialed to the word how he starts the show the first like four minutes of the show yeah no change no variation he knows exactly what he is

saying so i'm sorry i threw you guys a curveball that's fine wasn't the uh it wasn't the the classic halford uh experience to start the show now never do that again all right uh halford is brought to you by the delari family of honda dealers experience the delari difference today visit your nearest delari honda dealer today uh the first hour of the show do we have a first hour sponsor maybe not let's see i'm already off i'm off my game here no we don't anyways uh we are coming to you live from the kintec studio kintec canada's favorite orthotics provider powered by thousands of five-star Google reviews. Soar feet, what are you waiting for?

And of course, 650-650 is the Dunbar-Lumber text line. Big, big show today. Lots to get into, of course, with the Summer Olympics still going on, but also some news elsewhere in the world of sports. JP Acosta from SB Nation will join us at 6.30. He covers the NFL. We'll talk a little training camp, preseason action, of course, developments in the Brandon Ayuk trade story

as well. So we'll get into that with J.P. At 7 o'clock, our pal Gemma Carsten-Smith from the Canadian Press. Normally she's covering the Canucks, the Lions, the Whitecaps. She's over in Paris covering the Olympics right now. So we'll talk to Gemma about that experience. At 7.30 from Sportsnet, Arash Madani joins us.

Arash also covering the Olympics in Paris. And I know today in particular, he's locked in on Canada versus France in men's basketball, the quarterfinals, which gets going just as our show goes off the air. So we'll preview that with Arash. And at 8 o'clock, Bola Combo, BC Lions linebacker, joins the show. And the Lions scuffling just a little bit. Tough results in their most recent game.

So we'll look ahead to what's next for the Lions with Bo at 8 o'clock. Now, here is a Halford classic. The guest list in reverse order. Thank you. Can't start the show until we've done it frontwards and backwards here on Halford and broth eight o'clock bowl of combo BC lions linebacker seven 30 or Ash Madani sports net a seven o'clock Gemma, Karsten Smith from the Canadian press and six 30 JP Acosta from SB nation.

Before we do any of that, let's get into what happened. Hey, did you guys see the game last night no no what happened i missed all the action because i was we know how busy your life can be what happened you missed that what happened what happened is brought to you by the bc construction safety alliance making safety simpler by giving construction companies the best in tools, resources, and safety training. Visit bccsa.ca

and Izzy, we've done this show together at this time of year for a bunch of years in a row now. Very nice change of pace to have, really, one of the biggest sporting events, if not the biggest sporting event in the world going on right now because we got a lot to get into from the Olympics.

Long weekend, so three days' worth of stuff to talk about here in Paris. And we got to start with, to me, what has been – and look, there's been a lot going on for Canada at these games, both good and bad in some respects. But right now, and I think pending what happens with the men's basketball team, the biggest story of these games for Canada is clearly Summer McIntosh, who wrapped up her Olympics over the weekend. Couldn't quite get a medal in the relay race with her team, but finishes with three gold medals and a bronze. First Canadian athlete ever to win three gold medals at one game.

And she's only 17 years old and i think we're going to remember this performance from summer macintosh at paris 2024 for an awfully long time oh no doubt no doubt and the moment for me was on her third gold where she was a ways back yeah and the ability to bridge that gap and win the race, it was incredible. She clearly was getting a lot of attention, not just in Canada. I think we do as a country, as a sports nation, a good job of recognizing accomplishments at the games, but this goes beyond that. You know, this is on the level of Andre de Grasse in 2016 at the games in Tokyo,

or Penny Oleksiak as well in the pool in Rio. She's elevated herself in the pool and in the first week of the games to being one of the major stories outside of this country as well. That's the thing. And this is not just a Canadian story that we're hyping up because we're in Canada and we're feeling the patriotism and we're proud of a Canadian athlete.

This is a big story beyond our borders as well. And I can attest to that. I was on vacation last week. I was in the United States, which meant I was watching a ton of Olympics, but forced to watch the American, the NBC coverage and forced. They do a good job, obviously. But I think if you've ever watched American Olympics coverage, you know how dialed in on the American athletes it is. Right. And of course, look, every country is going to focus a little more or a lot more

on their own athletes. The CBC does it. There's nothing wrong with that. But I think in the US, they take it to another level. And can you know they probably have athletes in nearly every event they have they have the stock to do it right we would run out maybe a little quicker than the u.s does but they do they push it yeah and to the extent where you are like in gymnastics you rarely see somebody other than simone biles or her teammates in the performances, right? Because they are so focused on what they're doing. It really struck me because NBC gave summer McIntosh, the full star treatment, right?

Like not just hyping her accomplishments and focusing in on her on the, at the event, but actually doing like a profile on her where they're interviewing her mom, who's a former Olympian and really putting her in the spotlight in a way that is exceptionally rare for them to do with non-american athletes and i think that speaks to what you're saying right this is not just an oppressive accomplishment you know for a canadian or something like that this is legitimately one of the big performances at these games and you know you start to look ahead and i don't want to um you know i know simone biles said like stop asking people what's next when they just won olympic gold i don't want

to pretend like this isn't a big deal she's already had an incredible incredible career and these are amazing accomplishments but you start to think about it and you know she's 17 years old you mentioned some of the great canadian uh olympians of recent years penny alexiak and andre degrasse i mean i think summer's got a chance to put herself into the category of some of the best Olympians, notwithstanding country of the last 25 years or so, right? Like if she keeps this type of performance up, she's got at least two more games, assuming she stays healthy. You know, she could be in there with the likes of Katie Ledecky, Simone Biles, like the true,

true greats of the olympic games uh over the last 25 years or so yeah i've been thinking about that this weekend where i the hundred the men's hundred was on on sunday and it was still it was an amazing race and there were a lot of storylines but because for three olympic cycles it was usain bolt yeah and he elevated to an iconic olympic status michael phelps obviously the same those guys occupy rarefied air i think the biles and ledecky are probably right there too biles certainly i think ledecky is too really but yeah those are those are kind of the big four that I think of. I think maybe less excitement or attention because her strength is the long distance races in the pool. So it's kind of the NASCAR of the pool world.

It's just a lot of back and forth. The NASCAR of the pool world. It's true. Yeah. But Summer McIntosh is there. And yeah, there have been to do it at multiple games is i think the the difference maker yes the deciding factor because i go back to when i was younger and you remember like i have very vivid vivid memories of simon whitfield winning the

triathlon in sydney but it's not like you know he goes on and dominates that event for a number of them like that's bolt's thing was and now there's an asterisk but it was nine finals nine golds he ends up losing one uh the one of the relay golds because one of his teammates tested positive for peds but individually he still has the six and six and even like andre degrassi has the one gold but prior to not qualifying for the final the the men's 100 meter final on the weekend his record was six olympic finals six medals and those are the kinds of things over a larger body of work and with summer mcintosh i think yeah the the sky does appear to be the limit here and that's look again i don't want to take anything away from what she's already accomplished by kind

of forecasting what she could do down the road because you win three golds at one games that's absolutely phenomenal as i said first person in our country's history to do it but yeah this is what the start of a kind of pantheon olympic career looks like now as you said the question is can you go repeat that dominance or even build on it at subsequent games? But she's 17 and she's already putting up this performance. She has a chance to be truly a legendary Olympic athlete when all is said and done.

So incredible, incredible already for Summer McIntosh. And man, it's going to be exciting to see what she can do when the next Olympic Games roll around. Some other notes. Friend of the show, Ethan Katzberg of Nanaimo, wins Canada's first gold in hammer throw. Dominant performance for Ethan Katzberg. Friend of the show, Ethan Katzberg? I literally just said that.

Okay. Come on, laddie. Sorry. I just want to make it very clear, very clear that he is a friend of the show. Jamie, if I could interject for a second. He is a friend of the show. Friend of the station, really. You tuned out just long enough to miss me say friend of the show.

I perked up when you said the name. Ethan Katzberg. You're like, oh. I heard the name Ethan Katzberg. And I was like, yes. Literally introduced him as friend of the show, Ethan Katzberg. Friend of the show. Friend of the show.

We're all clear on that. He's been on the show before he actually hates all of us yeah probably he's not a friend at all anyways he's an acquaintance he knows you wouldn't call you a friend um wins canada's first golden hammer throw dominant performance winning by more than four meters he was also the youngest competitor in the field now this might shock you to know i'm not a big hammer throw expert necessarily i'm shocked but it strikes me that you would maybe there'd be maybe be an older peak for hammer throw right you got to get that like that grown man strength so the fact that he's dominating the field at 22

like is this the start of a hammer throw dynasty for ethan katzberg in canada i mean i think the sky's the limit here you tell me you can't do it again at 26, at 30? Well, that was the theme. I'm parroting the CBC broadcast, but the theme was that it was a changing of the guard. That's right. That there were no repeat medalists from the last games and that this was a younger podium. And Ethan Katzberg, there was a lot of talk about him stylistically,

physically being different than the past champions and the past olympic medalists because a lot of those guys are built like offensive linemen yeah he is a little bit taller a little bit lankier but his first two throws and his first throw was the 84 meters one and then his his second throw was 82, which still would have been enough to win the gold by a nice distance. And he was, it was impressive. And I mean, he just, I just love his look. Like he looks like a guy who would throw a hammer around. No, he looks like a guy who should just be sitting at the bar

drinking Lucky Lager, man. Like he's just got that total BC look. I saw that there was a campaign on Twitter, aka X, that Australians want to claim him just based on his look. The long hair and the mustache and the

laid back atmosphere. I mean, he definitely does have that Aussie look. But how different? I think of it as a Canadian look, though. Or like a BC look, certainly. If I was to see the guy, not hear him speak and not know where he was from the very first time I saw him, I would assume he's Australian. Either way, he looks like somebody in Whistler, where it's like, well, he could be Australian, or he could just be in Whistler.

Yes, this is true. But I don't know. I think that's a pretty Canadian look. That's what I thought when I was watching. Don't try to claim that. This guy looks very Canadian. Don't try to claim that, Australia. The Aussies, they want to claim that look. I don't to claim that. This guy looks very Canadian. Don't try to claim that, Australia. The Aussies, they want to claim that look.

I don't know about that. But as you said, you know, the typical build for these types of events, right? And I don't know if you saw the guys who won the shot put for the States, and they've won. They've been gold, silver. I think this is their third consecutive Olympics now being gold, silver, and they are just like mountains, especially the guy who wins gold. It is, as you said, built like an offensive lineman a little different for ethan kathbert who knows maybe he'll put on

maybe he'll put on some more weight and some more muscle and uh and stretch his dominance even in this field but pointing out that we could be at the start of a hammer throw dynasty for canada i should also mention uh ethan kathbert of course from nanaimo cameron rogers from richmond going for gold on the women's side today that goes goes around 11 Pacific time. So it could be double gold, not just for Canada, but for BC in the hammer throw. Hopefully weekend. But we should mention Canada's women's soccer team loses in penalty kicks to Germany in the quarterfinals. So I don't know if I would call it a storybook run. It's hard to kind of wrap your head around all the things that were happening, but truly a really impressive feat to get out of the group stage given the six point deduction. But they cannot take their chances. They lose in penalty kicks to Germany.

Yeah, it was. They were left for dead after the the six point deduction but it was a disappointing way to go the the first half they they weren't great in the second half they did create a number of chances and it they act they had a number of kind of goal scoring opportunities and they never really came close to capitalizing and then the penalties themselves were pretty poor, pretty disappointing. Whereas on the German side,

the stereotype, the cliche on the men's side has always been that the Germans are great at penalties. The German women were absolutely nails on their penalties except one that was skied, but all the ones that they scored were textbook. Whereas Canada's PKs were pretty poor. And you can't sit there and say that they deserved better. So I guess a pat on the back for not completely shutting down

after that deduction and all the controversy around the drone situation. But they did have an opportunity to go through and they just didn't take their chances. It was impressive to rally like they did after all of the controversy surrounding them right from their first match. But then you also kind of feel weird

giving them the pat on the back because it's like, well, it's not outside adversity. I mean, it's not the players doing it. It's the federation, but it's just a strange situation. I was hoping for them to go on a run, not just because they're the Canadian team and you're always hoping for them to have success. But I did think it would have been kind of fun just to put on the black hat, embrace

the villain role and be like, yeah, we cheated. What about it? We're going to go win gold again, but unfortunately not able to get it done. The Canadian women's soccer team. Some other quick ones. Noah Lyles wins the 100 meter sprint by the narrowest narrowest of margins uh so narrow i believe the guy on the nbc call got it wrong and announced the other winner which is a tough look um in the 100 meters the wild thing about that one is you saw the photo the guy who finished fourth so not remembered off the podium, nothing to show for it was like what?

Ahead, if that back from Noah Lyles, it was one of the closest races, not just for first and second, but really one through four. We always talk about, you know, a tenth or a thousandth of a second, a hundredth of a second separating these athletes. But that was, again, wasn't just for the gold or the silver. It was one, two, three, four by basically nothing nothing there was almost nothing to give between them in that race yeah 979 for for first and second and the difference of 0.005 and then 981 for for bronze when you watch even the semis but certainly the heats, like the qualification rounds, there is huge separation between the first couple, the people that get automatic qualification, and the rest of the field. So I watch the heats.

I watch the semifinals where even in the 100, even in a 10-second race, the guys out front can slow down a little bit, look around. They've got it because their their starts are so good or are they they're able to build up the speed through the the middle part of the race but to have basically all eight guys in it that photo will be i think among the iconic olympic photos of recent memory because it's it just shows that that was yeah it was it was a really competitive field it was uh for lyle's right a lot of expectations for him you talk about the nbc hype machine he was certainly one of the americans that was getting a lot of attention uh he's he's a bit of like a flamboyant performer he backed it up and had his best race ever which

is what you always hear about the Olympics, trying to peak at the right time. And he delivered on that. And now he's going in the 200, which the final will be on Thursday. They ran the heats yesterday, and I believe the semis are tomorrow. So he's, I think, also the favorite in that.

But Andre de Grasse is the defending Olympic champion. Yeah, and we should point out, as you. But Andre de Grasse is the defending Olympic champion. Yeah, and we should point out, as you mentioned, Andre de Grasse misses the 100-meter final, but still alive in the 200 meters, as you said, semis tomorrow and then the finals on Thursday. For that, so we'll see if Andre de Grasse can defend his gold there. One other note, Novak Djokovic really capturing the one title in tennis that had eluded him up to this point, winning gold for the first time in his career at 9 a.m. today. It is the Canadian men's basketball team versus the home country, France, in the quarterfinal. So Canada needs to win here to advance, to have a chance

to medal at these games. And with so much hype going into it so far, this team has lived up to all of it. They go 3-0 in the group of death in the most difficult group at the tournament to win the group. Now they've got a really difficult matchup, right? You've got Victor Weminyama, 7'3", Rudy Gobert, 7'1". They're the home team. The crowd is going to be super, super into it, and it's tough because

if they lose this game, there's a part of me that's going to look at it and say, man, what are you going to do? You're the road team. You're playing against the home team. The crowd's all into it. They're a really tough matchup because of the height they have inside. Sometimes you just lose a game. But there's another part of me that's going to be crushingly disappointed that this team with all of this talent that went 3-0 in their group, that beat Spain, that looked really, really good, that looks comfortable, well-coached, all of these things, it's going to be very, very disappointing if they lose

in the quarterfinals, if they don't even have a chance to play for a medal at these games. And I think it just goes to show the depth of talent that exists on the men's side now, where there's no real easy games. From this point on, you're going to have to beat a really, really good, really, really talented team to advance. And that's what Canada has to do against France today. And what you see, I think, maybe even more in international basketball than in the NBA is very, very distinct strengths and weaknesses. So France has the big guys, as you mentioned.

They've got incredible size. That is not a strength for canada no canada has got i think strong ball movement you like their guard play you like that they can be physical you guys like brooks and dort there's going to be i mean the reason the u.s is so good even at the international level they obviously have superstars in the nba but they have probably the most all-around talent and ability whereas a lot of the other nations are big strengths big weaknesses and so this matchup is a matchup of canada having their strength i think their strength uh in terms of probably being a little bit more

comfortable with the ball, more comfortable, I think probably shooting from distance as well is one that they are going to be able to use to their advantage. Whereas the French team and the French strength with those, those two big guys in particular is going to be something that they are – they're not going to be able to like press.

Like Canada can kind of push the gas on their strength. The French are going to – the two towers there are going to be standing in their way, right? But they're not – I don't think, going to be able to use that as a way to kind of push Canada off their game. I think it's going to be, we'll talk about this more with Gemma, who was at the team's practice yesterday

in a rash as well. But I think the key, well, there's a bunch of keys, but I'm really curious to see what Lou Dort and Dylan Brooks, who have been just terrors defensively for Canada on the perimeter, can do to France's backcourt?

Can they? Because there's kind of big names or at least guys who have name recognition from playing in the NBA in France's backcourt, but they're not necessarily at the top of their game. It's not a strength of the team. So can they make it hard on them just to, you know, bring the ball up court, get into their offense? Can they force those live ball turnovers? And then you've got transition opportunities

where Wemby and Gobert aren't lurking right at the basket to squat your shot away. I think that's going to be really key. Using that defensive energy, that defensive ability that they have to force those turnovers to put France off their game. Because if you don't do that and you're just constantly half court, again, as I said, with Gobert and Wemby set up ready to defend the hoop, it's going to be really tough for Canada to score.

But, man, I am absolutely hyped for this one. Biggest Canadian men's basketball game since the last time they played France in an Olympic quarterfinals, which was way back in the year 2000. So we'll talk about that more throughout the course of the show. 650-650 is the Dunbar-Lumber text line. Never too early to get your What We Learns in. We'll do that later on in the show. Up next, we will chat with JP Acosta.

He's an NFL writer for SB Nation. So lots going on, of course, with Brandon and I. You potentially getting traded training camps in full swing as well. Get ready for the ultimate sports fan trip to Michigan from September 27th to October 1st. Experience games at the Big House, Comerica Park, and Ford Field. Contact Neil Chark at neilc at uniglobecarefree.ca for details. More coming up on Halford & brough here on sportsnet 650 it's jamie dud and israel fair filling in on the show this week.

Halford & Brough is brought to you by the Dilawri family of Honda dealers. Experience the Dilawri difference today. Visit your nearest Dilawri Honda dealer today. 6.50, 6.50 is the Dunbar Lumber text line. The Bridge Street Dunbar Lumber in Ladner has moved to Progress Way in

Tilbury's Industrial Park. More room, more product, more awesome details at DunbarLumber.com. You can get your What We Learn submissions in now to the 650-650 Dunbar Lumber text line. We'll read them at 830-hashtag-WWL. What you learned over the last, what is it, like 96 hours in sports since they haven't had a show since Friday. So lots to get into there. And of course, we'll continue to talk about the Olympics.

Look ahead to Canada and France and basketball coming up in just a couple hours here. But lots happening in the NFL as well. So right now we are joined from SB Nation covering the NFL. He is JP Acosta. JP, thanks for doing this. How are you? No problem. Thanks for having me.

I'm doing great. Yeah, it for doing this. How are you? No problem. Thanks for having me. I'm doing great. Yeah, it's our pleasure. And so we wanted to start with some of the news that broke last night, which is that Brandon Ayuk, of course, Niners wide receiver, and we've heard trade demands, lots of speculation, now reports that they have a deal or at least a framework in place with two teams, the Patriots and the Browns, and the ball is kind of in Ayuk's court to see if he likes the contractual offer

from either of those teams. So we can talk about the Niners' side of it in a second here, but from the Patriots' and the Browns' perspective, which team should be more motivated to go out and make sure they offer enough to get this deal done and get Ayuk in the fold? So it's really interesting, that question, because I feel like you can answer it for both teams in terms of win now versus development of your young talent.

So if Brandon Ayuk wants to win now, obviously the Browns are the best destination. They have the defense, they have the offensive line, they have the requisite skill talent. Brandon Ayuk can come in and instantly raise that floor and that feeling of the offense. But I think if I were Brandon Ayuk, I'm choosing New England Patriots. First of all, they can offer so much more money than the Cleveland Browns.

I believe the Patriots have 86 million in cap space going into this year and next year. That's a lot of money for them to play with. That is something that if Brandon Ayuk is motivated by the money, then that's the team I would choose. But, in terms of

on the field, a receiver core of Brandon Ayuk, Javon Baker, their rookie, Jalen Polk, their other rookie, and Pop Douglas, that's really fun. That's a great way to develop your rookie quarterback in Drake May and give him a number one target. We have seen what giving your rookie or your young quarterback a number one target can do for your quarterback.

We've seen Josh Allen get really good after adding Stephon Diggs. We have seen Nico Collins and CJ Stroud instantly develop together. That is something that Brandon and Iuke can do for Drake May. So if it were me, I'm choosing the New England Patriots. On the other side, the 49ers, a team that's been pretty dominant over the last few years, and a lot of that is that they've had a great offense and a number of weapons across positions. Losing Ayuk, who's been very productive for them the last couple of years, would be a blow, but it's not like they're losing the only guy

on their offense that can produce. What's your read on now it looks like, you know, very likely that he's not going to be with the 49ers this season. What does that do to their offense? I mean, it is so difficult to say that the Niners offense is going to implode without Brandon Ayuk because they have

so many stars. Where they need Brandon Ayuk is his ability to separate on the outside as at receiver. Deebo Samuel is great, but that is not his best trait as a receiver. We've seen that in the Super Bowl where Brandon Ayuk was consistently getting separation, but you fed Deebo Samuel 11 targets, he only caught three of them. So that's where Brandon Ayuk truly stands apart in the 49ers offense.

It is fair to say that this could be the last year that this 49ers core is together. And so if you want to make this run before Brock Purdy becomes really expensive, it makes sense to keep Brandon Aiyuk around. But if they do end up losing Brandon Aiyuk, I can't say it's going to be a monster blow to this 49ers offense, but it's going to be fairly significant because of his ability to get open on the outside. Yeah, and as you mentioned,

kind of a surprising time in the calendar too, I think, for this trade to now be cropping up and potentially happening and from your perspective i mean how surprised are you that the niners would consider making this deal given as you said you know the the specific elements that iuk brings to their offense that are going to be hard to replicate without him i'm a little bit surprised you know this is something that the Niners really haven't done. Whenever players hold out or whenever their star players hold out, they do everything in their power to get them deals.

Deebo Samuel held out. He got a big deal. Nick Bosa held out. They made him the highest paid edge player in the NFL. This feels really odd, and it feels like both of these guys, both IU and the Niners are ready for a potential split. I think with drafting Ricky Pierce on the first round, it kind of starts trending that way, you know, but I would do everything in my power to keep IU around for this one for this one year. If you truly are going to go all, put all your chips on the table for 2024 and try and win the Super Bowl,

which the Niners have the ability to do, you keep, you say to IU, let's go try and win the Super Bowl. Whatever happens after this year, you're good to, you can leave. But we want to try and win the Super Bowl with you. But it's fairly surprising to me how they've handled this entire situation.

Yeah, no doubt about it. Again, especially for us to be here with the preseason, you know, underway with the Hall of Fame game, getting going for all these teams on the weekend. Surprising to be here, for sure. And, you know, as I said, like we're in full swing with camps here and the preseason is really going to get into full swing as well. Kind of around the league, what's just been the most interesting story for you

that you're keeping an eye on or monitoring out of training camps so far? The most interesting story to me entering and kind of going throughout training camp is actually the Green Bay Packers. I think they have the potential to be the best offense in the NFL with the young receiver talent that they have growing and developing. But I really think that defense can be pretty fun. You know, they're

switching from two-gap defense, a very react, and it's very similar to Brandon Staley's defenses. And now they're switching to Jeff Hathaway's defensive coordinator. It's going to be more one-gap, more attacking, and I think that really fits what their defensive personnel is.

Kenny Clark is a monster as a one-gap three-tech. I think that fits Devontae Wyatt really well. It fits T.J. Slayton as a one-gap. And now you take so much less responsibility off of Preston Smith and Rashawn Gary when it comes to dropping in the coverage. Those guys are like 270, 280 pounds. You don't want those guys dropping in the coverage all the time. That's a terrible idea. So now you have this defensive coordinator in-house that'll put these guys in their best positions to succeed. And I think the defense is going to trend for some

positive regression. We talk about negative regression a lot, but I think the Packers defense is set for some positive. I think they're going to be better than what they were last year, and it's going to help that Packers team even more because I think the offense is going to be great. So I'm really excited to see what the Packers look like coming out of training camp through the first few preseason games. You mentioned the offense. Obviously, the guy after taking over the starting role last year, Jordan Love, had a really nice season.

He signed a big, big contract pretty recently. What is the ceiling for a guy like Love based on what you've seen from him so far? Man, the ceiling is extremely, extremely high. I mean, we're talking about potential best quarterback in the NFL. You know, he's 24 years old after one year starting. But the thing that stands out the most is the arm talent and confidence as a passer. We've seen all the difficult throws in the tight windows. We've seen all of the super impressive downfield throws.

It's so fun to watch Jordan Love play quarterback because of that aggression he has, that confidence he has throwing downfield, that confidence he has throwing in tight windows. And it's going to be super cool to watch him develop because you know he has those tools in the bag. He has those golf clubs in his arsenal. So now as he develops, as he grows, that's only going to get better. And plus, I think it's pretty cool watching a little bit of his mannerisms because you can tell it's kind of like the Spider-Man meme

of Peter Parker thinking and putting his hand on his chin and then Miles Morales behind him doing the same thing. That's kind of what Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love did for the last four years because you can see the mannerisms and the way that he throws, the footwork. It looks very Rodgers-y. So I'm excited to see how he grows, but there's potential for him to be easily a top five quarterback in the NFL. We're talking NFL with J.P. Acosta of SB Nation here,

Halford & Brough, Sportsnet 650. Another team that had a big breakout last year, good young quarterback that I know people are really hyped for this year, of course, the Houston Texans. And, you know, they go out, they make the digs deal. C.J. Stroud, the performance he had last year, some of the weapons they have there, the coach, all of it. It's all poised to, man, they're going to get a lot of hype. They're already getting a lot of hype. How good can the Texans be this year?

The Texans can be, I think their ceiling is one of the contenders in the AFC. I think the Stephon Diggs deal is less about them wanting to throw the ball more and more about it's third and five and we need somebody to separate and get a first down against man coverage. But the reason I'm saying they can be a contender in the AFC is because that defense is going to be amazing. You go out and add Neil Hunter to a defensive rookie of the year and Will Anderson, who really, really stood out last year.

Derek Stingley Jr. is only getting better. Kamari Lasseter has had a great camp. Opposite of him, I think he might be landing that starting job as a rookie. And, you know, you add Aziz Alshair in the middle, which allows Christian Harris to kind of play a little freer, play a little bit more freely,

but that defense is going to be really, really good. And it's going to support that offense so much more in places that they didn't really, they weren't really able to do that last year. I think it kind of came together in the Browns game and in the Ravens game until it kind of fell apart. But now you have two legitimate pass rush threats. You have these fast, rangy linebackers,

and then physical corners on the outside, you are starting to see, oh, this looks kind of like San Francisco. This looks kind of like the 49ers on defense. So I'm really excited mainly for that defense, to see what that defense is going to become as we keep watching them throughout the year. CJ Stroud got lots of attention last year as a rookie who hit the ground running.

Obviously this year the attention is on caleb williams in chicago uh he's a guy that we saw in college at the high end be about as good as a college quarterback can be last season wasn't quite as smooth as maybe the the usc team wasn't quite as good but here he is in chicago uh very very high expectations uh they did make some moves to try to strengthen the offense as well. What are realistic expectations for Caleb Williams and the Bears this year? I mean, the realistic expectation for Williams and the Bears is, wow, they went, I believe, 7-10 last year without having a true, legitimate option at quarterback and offensively. So realistically, you're having a true legitimate option at quarterback and offensively.

So realistically, you're having a rookie quarterback that's going to be some struggle, but 8-9 or 9-8 is not out of the possibility. You know, I think the defense, if the defense begins the season like they ended last season, they were top five in defensive EPA per play from week 10 on. And then you're just asking Caleb Williams to be a little better when it comes to managing pressure and mitigating pressure up front.

That's something that Justin Fields really couldn't do. That's something Tyson Bajan really cannot do. So if he's able to mitigate some of that pressure that he gets up front, where the offensive line, I think, is fine. They're still growing, but it's not the best group in the NFL. And then it comes down to Shane Waldron being able to work

with these talented group of receivers that they have. Realistically, you could say if the Bears get to 9-8, that is entirely in the realm of possibility. So, JP, last year it was the Texans as kind of the breakout team that had a ton of unexpected success. But, I mean, there's always one team that really surprises us. Based on, you know, kind of what you've seen at camp so far, just what they've done over the offseason to improve,

do you have a pick for a team that could be the breakout team this year? Ooh, that is a great question. That's a great question. I am going to go with the Arizona Cardinals. And I'm going with the Cardinals because I think that offense is going to be really good, really fast. You know, Drew Petting, first year office coordinator for Arizona last year, really took off when Kyler Murray came back,

and that offense really took off when Kyler came back. I believe they were first in rushing EPA per play when Kyler came back. And so now you add on so many different names to this offense, including Marvin Harrison Jr., who if he is even an ounce of what we think he is at receiver, then this offense becomes so much more dynamic and versatile. You have Trey McBride, who is going to be a breakout player at tight end this year. They can be so versatile out of 12 and 13 personnel.

They can be physical right in the ball. And now you have James Conner and Trey Benson around. And now you kind of start to see it with this offense. They can be really, really good. My only reservation with the Cardinals is the defense. You know, B.J. Ojalary is going to be lost to a torn ACL, torn ACL in training camp. And that's a massive blow to a defense that doesn't really have

that one true pass rush threat. So if anything holds them back, I think it's the defensive line. But, man, this offense can win them a lot of games, especially in an NFC where, you know, we know some of the top teams, but after those first three, it gets really weird, you know? So Arizona can really make a run for that wild card spot in the playoffs if the offense is anything like what I think it will be. The Cardinals getting quite a bit of sleeper love right now. One team I think maybe flying under the radar in the division are the Seattle Seahawks. They got a new coach in Mike McDonald.

They're bringing back a lot of the same players on offense that we've seen when they can perform at a high level. They can be productive. Some consistency issues over the last few years. They're not a team that people are really pegging for contention at this point, but what intrigues you most about the way that the Seahawks are set up right now? I'm so intrigued by the offense. I really do think Ryan Grubb is ready for an NFL offensive coordinator job, and you can kind of see how everybody fits in on Seattle's roster. You know, you have BK Metcalf, who's going to be

the Roma Dunze. You know, they're going to run a lot of the in-breakers, be a lot of the jump ball guy. I think Lockett fits perfectly into that Jalen Polk role, kind of being more of the guy they move around. Jack Smith and Jigba can be the slot guy, like Jalen McMillan,

be able to catch all those screen passes and turn them into positive plays. But really it comes down to if that offensive line is healthy, Geno Smith is a really good quarterback. I think it got lost last year with all the offensive line injuries, inconsistencies. Geno Smith still played high level football. And I think if Smith can get, get acclimated to that Ryan Grubb offense that incorporates a lot of NFL concepts into their college game last year,

then we're really looking at something special offensively. Defensively, I have a little, I have some questions. I have some questions about where they're at, especially a linebacker. But, man, if that offense is going to be even a little bit of what I think they can be, they can win a lot of games with an offense that's going to put up a lot of points. JP, thanks for doing this. Really appreciate it, man.

No problem. Thank you for having me. Thanks, JP. That is JP Acosta covering the thanks for doing this. Really appreciate it, man. No problem. Thank you for having me. Thanks, J.P. That is J.P. Acosta covering the NFL for SB Nation. A believer, at least, in the Seahawks offense. Also hyping the Arizona Cardinals up. You nervous, Izzy? You're, of course, a big Seahawks fan.

Are they coming for the Hawks in NFC West? I've seen a lot of Cardinals hype lately. And the Rams last year were the team, right? They were completely dead and buried. They trade Jalen Ramsey. It's all over. And then they had a pretty good year and beat the Seahawks were better than Seattle ultimately at the end of the season. The Cardinals are now getting hype. I think the expectation is that the Rams have at least moved their floor up with seattle i mean yeah you look at this team you still have to really like their weapons on offense

dk metcalf tyler lockett jackson smith and jigba last year toward the end of the season running back yeah some of the reports from about kenneth walker out of training camp. And yeah, it's early and it's hard to parse the training camp details as to what that's going to translate to the season. But people are saying that he could be the best running back in the league this year. I love this time of year in the NFL, right? Where it's like, you know, beat writers who are standing on the sideline and it's like, this receiver caught four of seven targets. And people are like, oh no, what's he doing out there?

It's like, guys, guys, it's training camp. Come on. But obviously, Kenneth Walker is going to be the best running back in the league. Come on. The best running back in the league based on what he's doing at training camp. How do you feel about the transition from the Pete Carroll era to the Mike McDonald era? Are you excited? I think for me, it's actually less about Carrollol to mcdonald than it is i'm excited

for the offense with ryan grubb right to see what that looks like with a really new offensive philosophy yeah i'm with that i actually really enjoyed watching the huskies last year that was something that i'm not the biggest college football fan in the world i as in i don't watch it all the time but last year i went out of my way to watch a lot of huskies games because it was a good story they played a lot of close games and their their offense was was dynamic but overall i've been i've been pleased with the the transition to mike mcdonald that was the candidate that if they were going to move on from pete carroll and i think once you go through all of the history there it probably was time yeah he was the guy that i was most intrigued by at the top

end of the coaching candidates and i think that look this is an opportunity in a league where you know you see it with rookie quarterbacks or you see it we talk about the houston texans right jp mentioned it with damico ryans and and the the difference on defense there with a couple of schemes and you get some difference makers and all of a sudden you go from being a team that's terrible a team that can barely win any games to really raising your floor with the defense the Seahawks took a lot of chances with the way that Pete Carroll wanted to build his defense obviously on the high end that's Super Bowl level that's among the best defenses we've ever seen but it became clear over the years that that wasn't going to work anymore and mike mcdonald that's where he's going to start his legacy in seattle's what's this defense going to look like there has been some turnover there uh they obviously spend

you know a first round pick on someone on the defensive line to strengthen that because that had been four years and I would say that the latter half of the Pete Carroll era identified as probably the team's biggest weakness well that's where he can come in hey you know you're the head coach now you take on these additional responsibilities but there is an expectation that you can maybe get the defense to continue to take steps to get better I don't think the expectation for the Seahawks is that they're going to have a championship caliber defense next season, but they do have some really good pieces.

So can that go from being a bottom half defense to a team that's somewhere in the middle, you know, 12, 14, 16, that would make a big difference because we do know that when that Seahawks offense is rolling and those guys are healthy and Gino Smith is on his game, that they should be able to put up points. It's Hoffman and Brough here, Sportsnet 650, Jamie Dodd, Israel Thayer filling in. We're going to get into the Olympics big time in the next hour. Gemma Karsten Smith first and then Arash Madani, who are both in Paris covering the games. We'll talk about the men's basketball quarterfinal coming up and lots more,

all of the big Canadian stories with our next couple of guests. Get your What We Learns in now, 650-650 to the Dunbar Lumber text line. We will read them at 8.30. No prize today. You're just playing for the love of the game. So hit us up with what you've learned

over the last few days in sports. 650-650. The roar is back at BC Place for the BC Lions 70th season. Get your tickets now at bclions.com. Gemma Karsten-Smith live from Paris next year on Sportsnet 650.