Locked On Bengals - Daily Podcast On The Cincinnati Bengals - NFL SQUAD: Tush Push DEBATE Leads NFL Annual Meeting

Episode Date: April 3, 2025

In this week's NFL Squad, the crew discusses the Tush Push debate at the NFL Annual Meeting, which NFL teams improved their stock the most this offseason, and their bold predictions for the 2025 NFL Draft.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year.FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The tush push, the secret weapon, or the unfair advantage. That's something that coaches are complaining about at the NFL annual meeting. We'll debate it here on today's episode, NFL squad. You are talking ball with the NFL squad, sponsored by game time. From the chiefs to the bills, falcons to the 49ers, and everyone else around the NFL, it's the local experts of the Locked-on podcast network, bringing you scoops, breakdowns, and the most comprehensive preview of the upcoming weekend for hard-hitting football. with our harder hitting takes.

Buckle up, it's the NFL squad. Then we have a seat for you. No hurt feelings allowed. Squad up, you're part of the NFL squad. What's happening, everyone. Welcome into another NFL squad episode here on the Lockdown Podcast Network where you know it is your team every day for all your favorite sports coverage, especially on the NFL side.

We got a lot to break down today as we debate the NFL annual meeting. Some of the rule changes. Some things have been tabled. You'll get that widespread discussion here on today's show. But first, I want to say thanks to our friends over there at game time for bringing all the action to the forefront here for our NFL squad show. Make sure you use promo code locked on NFL for $20 off your first purchase. We have a jam-pack panel here today, folks. As always, I'm Cody Oracle hosts this for you here.

Joining us today, our panel, Ross Jackson of Locked on Saints. He does everything here for all of us. Kevin Ostriker of Locked-on Ravens and Mike Debate of Locked on Patriots here. And look, fun week that we have. We got to see all the head coaches sit around at tables with reporters. We got to see Mark Koboli go viral as one of those art-imitating sports memes. It's a good time right now because now it sets the stage for the NFL draft here in a few weeks. But grab your favorite beverage, your favorite snack, whatever may be, kickback, relax and enjoy the NFL conversation.

We're going to bring forth your way here. NFL annual meeting. Always a hot topic. Every year the committee gets together and I say, you know what? What is going on in the NFL? What can we change? What can we tweak in the game?

And the biggest talking point coming out of this week, the tush push, which I'm very curious for all of your thoughts because that was a subject that got tabled. There was one thing that they were looking to ban the tush push, which I personally think they shouldn't touch it. Ross Jackson, let's hear from me. Where are you going with this?

Leave it in the game. if you want it if you can't stop it that's not their fault it's not their fault like we're going to do this for everything that we can't stop oh i'm so mad patrick mahomes keeps throwing passes because while he's laid out horizontally are we going to ban horizontal throws like what are we doing stop it if you got a problem with it figure out a way to defend it if you can't figure out a way to defend it show me the injury data that says that it's a risk everything like that and then if you can't show me the injury data then what are we doing here that's ridiculous that's what a lot of people were saying they're like hey like injury data i'm like no one no one has gotten hurt

that I have seen visibly from this. No. Because you're cutting, you're getting low. People are like, oh, their spines. We have yet to see any player carted off the field due to the tush push yet. So they're going to table this for May. Yeah. If we're going to do this whole like, oh, we've got to get it out before somebody gets hurt,

then stop playing the game. Like, what do you mean? Like, I don't know. That's such a stupid precedent. I'm going to just say what it is. It's a stupid precedent to set. I love that. Kevin Ostrach, I want to ask you, like, we don't see this from the Ravens,

But, you know, imagine a tush push with Lamar Jackson or Derek Henry. That would almost be impossible to stop. The reason why Philadelphia, they're so successful at it. Dave, the biggest offensive line in the NFL. They're physical. And they got a quarterback who could squat 500 pounds. I got a running back who could squat 500 pounds. It works for them because they have the pieces to do it.

And, you know, I liked Lane Johnson. He tweeted out something. They hate us because they ain't us. And that's true. Like, what are your thoughts, obviously on this proposal? Because I think, what, there were 16 coaches that were in favor of banning this, which was John, Harbaugh, one of them? John Harbaugh, the Ravens, he said they were undecided on which way to vote,

but Harbaugh, it sounded like they were in favor of keeping it in the game. Harbaugh ended up saying that it's a football play, and while they didn't know which way they're going to vote, I mean, his brother, Jim over the Chargers said, it's a legal play, got to stop it or get good at running it yourself. Like, that's exactly what Ross you were saying. It's like, it's a part of the game. I was surprised. When I saw the number 16, I was like, that's actually a lot more than I thought was we're going to be in favor of it. But actually, I'll go to the man who is heading up Mike's team right now, Mike Frable, who actually referenced Lamar Jackson in his answer,

talk about, hey, Lamar Jackson, he's hard to stop when he has the football. Should we just ban Lamar Jackson and being able to run? Like, it's exactly what you were saying, or else about my homes and the sideways throws. Like, it's kind of what you talk about when your teams are running up the score on you. And it's like 30 to 3. And another, that team scores another touchdown. and, you know, that team that's giving up all the points gets butt hurt.

And it's like, well, if you don't want to, you know, just stop the opposing team if you don't want it to happen to you. So I don't know. I feel like they should keep it in the game. It's not illegal. There's no legal formation that's going on there. The Eagles have just found a way to use it to their advantage, which other teams have not. And I think, you know, we shouldn't be complaining about it.

The injury data, again, I'm sure, if it was an unsafe play, there's a different conversation, but I don't really see the need. I mean, Shaw McDermott mentioned the added force. thing. I don't know. I think it's ridiculous for even having the conversation. Mike DeBate, how do you feel about the push? I mean, obviously, you know, a team that your team faces twice per year, they have a variation of it, the Buffalo Bills, which I found to be interesting that Sean McDermott's complaining about it. Whereas Josh Allen's not necessarily linear forward. He's more so like attacking a gap and then diving. It's almost kind of the same

exact thing. So I really don't understand where the ground is. Are we going to now prohibit Josh Allen from doing that in games this upcoming season. Yeah, I mean, I think it goes back to Ross's point about it being a stupid precedent. I mean, Jeffrey Lorry addressed this earlier this week and said, you know, I don't remember a single play like this or a single element of the game being banned just because a team or a couple of teams are doing this well. And if you do end up banning the tush push, teams are going to find a way around it. They're going to find a way to skirt around that and they're going to find a way to do this

more effectively. So to me, I just don't think there's any reason to ban this. I think you should leave it in. It gets back to again what Ross said earlier. If you want to stop it, stop it. That's really the way it should be. I don't think you should put in rules that prohibit this from being something you see in the game. If you want to go out and take care of it, you know, learn the way to defend it.

And that's the way to prohibit it. But to limit it because of a rule or things like that, I think it does. does. It sets, it's a slippery slope when it comes to NFL rules and it'll only lead to more and more and more down the line. Could you imagine 2008 the competition committee gets together and says, you know what, Ricky Williams, he's killing us with the wildcat. We got to stop this. Like we can't. Right. Yeah, Ronnie Brown and that Dolphins team, man. Oh, right. Even, even the kickoff, right? Like the kickoff, there was legitimate injury data that said that the kickoff is dangerous. What did they do? They found a way to make it safer. And they did it successfully, by the way. I love the new kickoff. kickoff rule, everything that or well, shout out Darren Rizzie.

Shout out Darren Rizzie. Shout out to Bill Riz himself. He's super stoked that they took in the new, new kickoff rules too right now. And so like they went down a path to make it safer. And so if the if the tush push was really about injury, then that's the route that they should go is find a way to make it safer, but they can't do that because it's not unsafe. Like it's so like they didn't ban the kickoff because it was. excitedly and provably dangerous, they adjusted it.

And so why jump to banning the tush push? It doesn't make any sense. I mean, part of me is one or two. You know, what is the counter, though? Like, we have yet to see a team really find a way to stop it. I feel like Kansas City probably did the best job. They did the best job against Kansas City. Yeah.

The Saints. No, no, no. I was going to say, I know the counter. The counter is don't get in third and one. True. Like, be better on second down. first one yard to go two yards ago that's always going to be tough here but you know what we're doing like it you almost treat it kind of like goal line like you're cutting you're cutting the guards so that they can push forward they're like that's that's going to be the counter you got guys doing front flips over the line of scrimmage yeah just bring for a polamalu back is what i was saying bring him out of retirement have him leap over he can time that thing up i'm i'm not opposed to it but i am a little i am a little bummed out i want your guys's thoughts on this i am bummed out as a defensive guy The Detroit Lions had one proposal not get passed where they were proposing that, you know,

a illegal contact or defensive holdings not an automatic first down necessarily. I wish that would have been passed a little bit, but I'm curious because I think a lot of people are split on it. People are saying, well, now DB is going to intentionally hold. No, they're not. Like, that's the thing. Like, people have this assumption that if you make it feasible, DBs are just going to use that to get out of something. No, I mean, how many times are we seeing guys reroute and zone coverage to get flag for a ridiculous? penalty and it ends up changing the tide of the game.

That's one thing I wish they would have cleaned up. Yeah. Yeah, I'm with you on that. And I don't think that you're going to get that from DBEs because past interference is still a spot foul. Like that's not going to change. You know me? And so keep that. But the idea of like, deep like illegal contacts is whether being an automatic first out, like that's a little steep to me.

Yeah. At the distance. Yeah. The interesting part of it to me is I think if that were passed and it was it was a conversation we could have had if it was. Does that become like a judgment call from the refs about, you know, what's clear holding and what's past interference and how that works out. I can review it now. Yeah, you have a situation where it's a key moment in the game.

And, you know, it's a 10 yard down the field play that would have gotten a first down. But instead the DB holds and it's five yards and it's all of a sudden third and five instead of a pass interference spot foul. So that would have been an interesting thing to see unfold because I think some of these things just are up to rough judgment calls and like what they see on the field. And then it can be determined. So I guess the automatic. automatic first down withholding it. I can see the other side. I wish it would have gotten past

too. Like I can see the other side of like what controversy it made more be created. Flag football coming your way here very soon at the NFL level of the next 10 years, folks. I think it's something on the horizon here. But with that said, I mean, obviously we want to hear your thoughts on some of the NFL rule proposals. What got pushed forward? The push push got pushed to May, table there where they'll revisit and then you'll find eight or nine new votes. It suddenly say, okay, hey, we don't like this play. Let's get it out of here. That's where it's inevitably heading here. Make sure you let us know your thoughts on today's NFL squad show.

Up next, we're going to discuss which teams we believe their stock rose the most here in the off season. Did your team make the cut? We'll break that down much more here on today's NFL squad episode, part of the Lockdown podcast network, your team every day. Today's NFL squad show was brought you by our friends over there at the game time app. Imagine watching your favorite team live, feeling the energy of the crowd and witnessing unforgettable moments. There's nothing like experiencing a big game. in person. I just did that recently with the Denver Nuggets. Nicola Yonkhas just dropped 60 plus points, and I was there for the action because of our good friends over there at the Game Time app.

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Last-minute tickets, lowest price, guaranteed. Back here for today's NFL squad episodes, we're taking a look at the stock report across the National Football League. Free agency, for the most part, has wrapped up. We're on to the NFL draft after the NFL annual meeting, and there are a handful of teams who stock rose and who stock fell this offseason. Did your team make the cut? joined as always by Ross Jackson and Locked-on Saints, Kevin Ostriker of Lockdown,

Ravens, and Mike DeBate of Locked on Patriots. I mean, gentlemen, outside of some of your teams here, we're going to discuss the teams that are here. But I'm starting with you, Ross, which team in the NFL, in your opinion, in this off-scene, and you feel like stock rose the most from free agency right before the draft? Well, there's a team in our presence that I think did one of the best jobs in the NFL. But I'll table that because I know we're going to be. going to come back around to it. I think I like in, if I look at the division that I cover, I kind of like what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did.

And a lot of what they did was about retaining talent, but doing it at a level that we didn't think that they would be able to. Jason Like says that it's all about the quarterback at Baker Mayfield. I think it might really be about the boat parties. But I think that it's great. I think that organization has proven to be one of the more better run organizations around the league. And I think that the bucks have done a really, really solid job here.

over the offseason, retaining talent, bringing an additional talent as well. Keeping Chris Godwin was something I'll completely admit, I did not think they were going to be able to do this season, especially with the other weapons they have and all this stuff, with the rise of Jalen McMillan and Mike Evans still being there and everything. Like maybe that's not a situation Chris Godwin wants to go to to finish out his career. Might want to go somewhere where he's the guy, but he didn't. And so I like, I'm going to give Tampa Bay a little bit of love.

That's a team I don't think that gets it in a lot of these conversations, and I think they deserve it. Should make that NFC South Squad show a little bit later on as we can build up the preem for the season. Very interesting. Ross was giving out compliments to the bucks. That's crazy. Mike, the bait,

locked on Patriots. If you had to pinpoint a team who you feel like stock rose the most in the offseason, where are you leaning at here? Yeah, I'm actually going to give you a little bit of love here, Cody. I know that we're looking at the Denver Broncos. And I know you're going to go into that in a little bit. So I don't want to take too much of that.

But I was very impressed by the moves that that they made. this offseason, and I think they've made a lot of strides to be able to move forward. You know, there are a handful of teams right now that you take a look at that have done a pretty good job. I want to give a lot of love to the Chicago Bears and what they've done to that offensive line, simply because Caleb Williams last year was running for his life. And I know all about teams that need offensive line help. And anytime you add someone like a Joe Tooney into the mix, you're adding not only such a high quality player, but a high quality guy in that locker room. And that's so important for a team that is trying to move forward and trying

to groom a young quarterback into becoming one of the more solid teams in the league. So I look at Chicago as someone that definitely move themselves forward. Now, are they going to be able to compete with the Green Bayes and the Detroit's and the Minnesota's in their division? That, I think, is still a conversation for another day. Those teams are still clearly, I think, a cut above. But if you want my opinion on a team that did the best job they could to help themselves for not just 2025, but subsequent years, I'm looking at the Chicago Bears. Well, you know, Ben Johnson has some spicy words a little bit, you know, from Lafleur over there in Green Bay, because he said one of the things when he was introduced to Chicago Bears head coach,

he's like, you know, I'd really like to beating Matt Lefleur two times a year. Is that going to happen in Chicago? Le Fleur was kind of tongue in cheek this week at the NFL annual meeting about that. I'm sure Peter Buchowski and Lauren Cox obviously have locked on bears and locked on Packers. They're going to have some fun conversations in some of the future crossover episodes there. Kevin Ostriker locked on Ravens looking at the widespread, you know, state of the NFL, which team in your opinion stock rose the most this offseason? You know, I like what the Vikings did this offseason.

I think they address their trenches a bunch of being, you bring in guys like Ryan Kelly and you also have Wolf Prize. They spent a lot of money up front, but not even just on the offensive side of the ball. You bring in Jonathan Allen, Javon Hargrave. Like they did this whole revamp of this group. They moved on from Garrett Bradbury. I think they saw what happened last season. And they said, we need to get bodies in the trenches here.

But they also brought back Aaron Jones, which I thought was a really great fit for them last year. Now, obviously, you know that Sam Donald is no longer there and a lot does hinge on J.J. McCarthy, assuming Aaron Rogers doesn't go there, which we don't really know what the whole situation is there. But assuming Rogers doesn't go, it's going to be on J.J. McCarthy. But I thought the Jordan Mason trade was a really undervalued deal that I thought that Minnesota had really well in, to pair those two guys together. I mean, I thought that even resigning Byron Murphy, I didn't know if he was going to stay in Minnesota,

but bringing him back is really important too. So I know that there's a lot of conversation around that, NMC Northman, Mike, just talked about the bears there. It's going to be a really interesting division because I think all four teams have a chance to compete. Obviously, Detroit is that team, right? That you have to beat. But I think that all the other three teams in their own way have a shot to

surpass them. It's going to be an interesting gauntlet here. I think as the NFL draft, obviously comes up. There's a debate, and we've obviously had this discussion with a good friend, Keith Sanchez over there, locked on NFL draft about, you know, positional value. Is this year's draft top heavy or, you know, where does it fall off a little bit? There's that discussion going on right now. I feel like a lot of the teams in free agency this year went out and killed a lot of their needs with fire.

I'm curious to see how it's all going to play out, though, for, you know, a team in your division, Kevin, the Cincinnati Bengals who found a way to pay Jamar Chase T. Higgins, but T. Henderson goes on the Pat Macfee show and, you know, is very open about what has happened, express this frustration with the timeline and that there's been some dishonest communication, you know, at times from both sides. So for them, look, they're going to put up 45, 46 points a game, but they might give up 52 defense.

So we'll see how it all. You get me flashbacks. Yeah. That's where I'm at. Like, if I had to pinpoint one team, I think, is going to take a step back this season and this inside the AFC West, I'm thinking this is well. I think Kansas City, they're a little more vulnerable right now than they ever have. I'm going to wonder, I'll worry about them too. Yeah, I agree. But then again, it's always Kansas

City. Like, this can come back to bite me in the rear end when we do our AFC West Squad show later on in the season. I just feel like they're vulnerable at this point. They're able to retain some of their key in-house free agents. You still have my home. You still have Kelsey, but I think the rest of the NFL is getting better around them. And I think that window is kind of ticking here. but I'm curious for that. Rasa, your thoughts on your division, like for the Saints, I know we're going to get into that coming up here in a minute. Kevin, Mike, obviously we're going to discuss your teams here as well.

But if you had to choose one team who stock fell in the NFL, could be in your division, could be league-wide. Let's go rapid fire where you're starting off with. Atlanta Falcons, you got two quarterbacks. You've got none. That's simple. Kevin? I like your pick of the Bengals for the division,

but if I had to give another team, And I'm not sure what Houston's going to do this year. I'm not sure. Houston's the team. Offensive line-wise, trade lemit tonsil. You have brought in some pieces, but I'm not sure if they're going to be. Yeah, I'm not sure. The AFC South might be a little more wide open than we think,

despite the fact that no one seems to want to win. So we'll see what happens. The Titans are going to win that division? Oh, my gosh. Tyler Rowland will be on, you'll be on fire if that's the case here. That would be nuts. Mike, where are you headed? Yeah, I mean, I would love to say the New York Jets because obviously as a Patriots guy, you want to see, you know, the Jets fall as much as possible.

But I like the addition of Aaron Glenn as the head coach. I think he's going to bring a little bit more out of that team than we've seen in the last few years. Buffalo, I'm not going there. I'm not going to do that to my friend Joe Marino, and I'm not going to do that to that franchise because they will find a way. I am intrigued by what you had to say about Kansas City. And I understand the feeling of swelling blood in the water. but from someone that covered a team up here for almost 20 years that everyone said it was losing it. Every time they lost, every time they suffered a difficult time, you still have Andy Reid, you still have Patrick Mahomes, you still have Travis Kelsey, and you still got Steve Spagnolo on that defense.

That's a lot to overcome. And bottom line, battle tested counts for something in this league. Don't count out the defending AFC champions until they're actually gone. that team is not dead. I've seen the New England Patriots rise from the dead several times after being left on a cliff, so to speak. That's a very difficult slope to the travel. So I'd be very careful about saying Kansas City's epitaph is ready to be written.

By the way, by the way, New England got better this offseason, in my opinion. I like what New England is. That was a team that I had reference to about like one of our teams really took some short. I thought the Patriots did a great job this off season. and so forth. Yeah, I really do. I agree with you. The Patriots had holes to fill. They filled them. How they're going to shake out on the field is still a matter of conjecture. How are these guys going to come together? But you needed help on the defensive line. They got Milton Williams. You needed help on the opposite side of Christian Gonzalez. You went out and got Carlton Davis III. You needed help in that receiver room. You went out and got Stefan Diggs. Now, I know a lot of people are saying he's not going to be the same coming back from an ACL. Even if he's not, he's still 10 times better.

than what they had in that room last year. The only outstanding piece that the Patriots need to fill right now is left tackle. Do they look to the draft? It's looking likely. But I agree with you, Ross. I'm impressed by what New England did. They opened up the checkbook. They weren't afraid to throw caution to the win this year.

We're going to take a deeper dive here on today's NFL squad show about some of the moves made here. Why did the New Orleans Saints commit to sticking with Derek Carr? Well, Ross Jackson is going to tell us here on today's NFL squad episode. The car still runs in New Orleans. Orleans, Derek Carr, obviously sticking with the New Orleans Saints here this off season or the Saints sticking with him. But is that the long-term plan here under Kill and Moore? We'll break all that down here on today's NFL Squatcho. We'll go around the table and talk about some of the bigger storylines with each of the teams here that are represented here today.

Ross, let's start off with you. I found it a little interesting that obviously with Kellyn Moore coming on as the head coach, I think all of us were wondering, are they going to rip the Band-Aid off, commit to a rebuild and say, hey, we're going to do this the right way, but they're sticking with Derek Carr. And look, and I think if people, the everydayer has been tuning into Locked on Saints, there's a lot of interesting insight as to why they did that. Yeah, I'll tell you exactly why it is. Money, money, money, money, money.

That's what it's all about, baby. Or if you're a musical fan, money, money, money, money, money, whichever one you like. Yeah, man, it's all about the money. Like the New Orleans Saints were $60 million over the, or $50 plus million dollars over the salary cap when they got into the off season. And a big part of the mechanism to be able to get under the salary cap was restructuring Derek Carr and having $30 million saved against the salary cap immediately. And it cut their overage in more than half and allowed them to be able to go out.

They're now sitting with a near $30 million surplus. Gentlemen, when's the last time you remember the New Orleans Saints having $30 million to spend, right? So this has been a while. It's been a minute. It's been a minute. There was an old guy named Drew Breeze still in still in the building at that time. And trust me, it was early in his tenure.

It was a money move. Like it's what you got to do. And look, they could have moved on from him in other ways. They still save money and things like that. They could have talked about a pay cut. He said he wasn't willing to take a pay cut. Even if he was willing to take a pay cut, what plan did they have behind him at quarterback? And so if those other options were available that I think it goes to show you that like they want the veteran quarterback for this year as they undergo their transition, as they get into that first year of Kellyn Moore.

And it gives Kellyn Moore kind of a freebie for a year, right? that ain't his quarterback, right? That's somebody else's quarterback. And then he gets an opportunity to kind of start fresh again next year with a new guy. But 2025 is going to be all about, you know, running it back with Derrick Carr, seeing what they can get and then figuring out what they're going to do at the position moving forward after that. Although I don't, I would be surprised to see them start very openly planning for days after Derek Carr here this off season. It was kind of like what Sean Payton did with Russell Wilson when he came in essentially like, hey, I'm tied to him, you know, but you don't have as drastic of a dead cap looming over your head, you know, when it comes to Derek. cars the Broncos did and currently do with Russell Wilson. Still $32 million on the books this

year. It's off next year. And then Sean Payton is going to be cooking in free agency at that going even further. So we're excited. Ross, real quick question, kind of a pivot here. Were the salary cap issues in New Orleans, was that a Sean Payton thing or a Mickey Loomis thing? So it was a COVID thing is really what it was more than anything else. The Saints will always operate at a deficit. Like their healthy salary cap life is being $20 to $30 million over the salary cap for the upcoming year. Because why not have, why not have $300 million plus another $20 million of next year's salary cap to spend, right? Like it makes sense. And some of it works that way.

It doesn't really work that way. I'm kind of like, I'm kind of breaking it down in a different way. But, you know, they're always going to borrow against next year. They're always going to do that. And so the thing that really backed them up was that that's the way that they were operating. And then the COVID year happened and then the salary cap went down for the first time in many, many, many, many, many, many years. And so when that happened, that's the thing that actually kind of put them in a situation.

So you could say like it's a Mickey Loomis thing in that that's how they like to operate, but it's a healthy way to operate. The only issue that really, the thing that really caused them issues was the players that kind of sunk a little bit towards the end of their career as they aged. and then the COVID year, which really backed them up so they couldn't get out of those aging contracts in time. It was tough, tough position to be in, but obviously they're finding a way to manage there. I know that COVID year, Sean Payton and Taysom Hill came to Denver, Latavius Murray, ran all over the Broncos out on there. Was that the, hold on.

Kendall Hinton? Was that the Kendall Hinton year? Yep. Wow. Wow. Which is crazy. He didn't actually, like, he didn't get the start because they came out in Wildcat with Philip Linton. to start the game and then Kendall came in and then took his lumps along the way.

What? They were talking about the coaching staff. They were trying to see if somebody for the coaching staff could go out there at one point. Like all of this stuff. Like it was crazy. Unbelievable. We would have seen a dead body in that, especially against that Saints defense that year. That would have been an ideal situation. Kevin Ostriker, obviously we've been doing these squad shows quite some time. One of the things you talked about is the Ravens finding that edge rusher. In your opinion, are you comfortable? Are you happy with the moves that your team has made hear this off season. What is the state of the Ravens right now going into the draft? Yeah, I think they've gotten better. There's not really anybody they lost. It's making me

lose sleep at night. And I think that's different from the past couple of off seasons where the Ravens have had a big laundry list of their own guys who they've either had to bring back on big deals or just not bring back at all. And they now can operate from a space where your floor is most of your team that you had last season, which found their groove offensively and defensively. Obviously, it didn't work out for them in terms of a Super Bowl. But now you've added D'Andre Hopkins and you've added guys like Chidobio Ouzier, just move for move. I think that D'Andre Hopkins is a much bigger upgrade over Nelson Aguilar than some people might think. And then Chidobio Ouzier over Brandon Stevens,

a lot of people in Baltimore are very happy with that move. So they haven't found their edge rusher yet. I mean, it's not that their pass first was bad. Von Miller still out there. You look around the rest of the vision. And, the Browns have a guy, like the guy in Miles Garrett. Steelers have the guy in T.J. Watt. The Bengals for now have the guy in Trey Hendrickson. So maybe. For Baltimore, they don't have that guy.

You know what? Maybe we just start the Trahendrickson to Baltimore, Jen and we leave it at that. I tried the Miles Garrett one. It didn't work out for me. Now we have another opportunity in division to make a deal, make something happen. The Ravens have 11 draft picks,

and I don't know about for you guys. But when I'm doing the Mach Jav Cilers every week, I get to like pick eight. And I'm like, I don't know who else to take. I don't know what position I'm going with because I've taken two DBs, two D linemen, two O linemen. I'm just like there are no more needs that I need to take. So I'm taking back up quarterbacks, four street running backs at that point. Great.

Hey, Ravens have a couple of picks that they could maybe operate with. But I think that overall, if the season started a day and really if the season started a day, because two of these teams in the division don't have quarterbacks at the Steelers and the Browns. I think the Ravens would still win it. They're still my favorite. So we'll see. Which, by the way, team that upgraded this offseason, the Cleveland Browns, because they're finally, finally taking their medicine around that terrible, awful DeShan

Watson. You know what? From Ravens perspective, I enjoyed the, I enjoy, although the one game DeShawne Watson had against balls. He came out in second half on a dislocated shoulder, went perfect from the field and beat the Ravens in Baltimore. And then it was announced that day that he had like dislocated a shoulder and he was done for the season. And I'm like, of course this happens to the way.

Yeah, I mean, that's, I cannot tell you how much that set them back draft capital wise, salary cap wise positionally. Like, look, from a, it. Mentally. Yeah, from an Asian Northrop sector, but took out a competitor for the Ravens for a couple more years, although not that Cleveland has been a Ravens competitor for the majority of. Takes a lot to admit that as an organization, though. Like, hey, we messed up. It's like, it was a big swing and then I think what, Deshawn Watson posted workout pictures of him in the facility. like the day after he said that.

Sit down, Deshaun. Sit down, bro. He ain't going to be doing much moving around with that Achilles, he's re-injured there at that point. Yeah, I mean, that damaged goods at that point. The next thing in the AFC North is everybody, like Ravens fans, Bengals, Browns, everybody's hoping Aaron Rogers goes to Pittsburgh.

Because I think as much as I think, you know, Rogers has had a great on-field career. We're getting to the point now where... Right. Pass rush is going to get to them. What do you pay in for? 30 plus 40 plus, million a year for a 10 and 7 record, 9 and 8 record. It feels like that's what it could be.

I want to open up an interesting conversation here talking about Aaron Rogers. Unfortunately, for some reason, he's still on the radar of having to be talked about, which is crazy, right? It's nuts when you think about it. Is this the year? I want all your thoughts on this. Is this the year? If the Steelers do in fact sign Aaron Rogers, is this year Mike Tomlin has his first losing record?

Ooh. Mike is it? No. I think it's going to depend on whether or not the Pickens Metcalf marriage on the sideline is going to implode and how long it takes to implode. I think if that does happen, yeah, things might bet precarious in the Steel City. But if that doesn't happen, then no, I don't think there's any chance that he has his first losing season. But I don't know. I'm saying that I'm on the fence a little bit about this.

I know it sounds like I'm being wishy-washy. I'm going to say no. I'm going to say no that it doesn't have his first losing season. And I think Aaron Rogers is still too talented of a quarterback to let that happen. But boy, I'll tell you, it's going to be a fun side show if he does sign there. I'm really looking forward to watching this unfold all year long. Yeah, he ain't have losing seasons with Kenny Pickett. He ain't have a losing season with Mason Rudolph.

He ain't going to have a losing season away. Mason's back, though. We're to the point now where Steelers fans want it to be Mason Rudolph. Or Jackson Dart or Jalen Miller. They're like anybody but Aaron Rogers at this point. And now Cam Hayward's walking back his comments. Sean Elliott was saying that Rogers should be in our retirement home or something. So I don't know what that dynamic is going to look like,

especially because the wide receiver room with George Pickens and D.K. Metcalf has its chance to be its own side show. That's an opinionated room, man. Who's sticking with number 14? I didn't quite catch that. DK's number four. So Pickens is 14. Oh, I was surprised they didn't have like a celebrity boxing match or Levion on Bell to be able to get that going. I don't know.

I'd have bought that. They've had some personalities in Pittsburgh over the last time. And Mike Tomlin, I will say this. A master at it, man. He has maneuvered it perfectly. I mean, masterful. Russell Wilson's a little bit of a different one.

I think than some of the other guys he's dealt with. But I thought the way that Tomlin has handled everything throughout, I mean, hold the box. Since Big Ben has stepped away, I don't know if any other coach could have done that in the NFL. I think it's hard. Like, Belichick. No, we saw how Belichick necessarily was without Brady.

I mean, you lucked into Matt Castle one year. And Matt Castle, you know, because like, oh, my gosh, what's happening here? Then obviously sputtered out. But I can't imagine any other coach right now. McVeigh, maybe. I don't know. Yeah, maybe. It's tough.

It's tough to analyze. But Tomlin, though, like I said, I think if Rogers does sign there, I do feel like they are going to be at a point where it is, I think it does come into question, no, whether or not they have a losing season or not. I think with Cincinnati, we know that they're going to put up points there. Those guys obviously battle there. You know,

any AFC North matchup is a bloodbath. Kevin knows it. Kevin's stress levels. Yeah, probably indicate that on Sundays. Oh, yeah. So I'm very curious to see how it's all going to go.

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