NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Aaron Rodgers & 2021 Training Camp Starts

Episode Date: July 26, 2021

A room filled with heroes - Dan Hanzus, Marc Sessler and Gregg Rosenthal bring you all of the latest news in the NFL starting with Aaron Rodgers returning to the Packers (8:37), Deshaun Watson showing up to camp (17:01), and Chandler Jones requesting a trade (26:07). Coach Frank Reich has tested positive for Covid-19 (37:29) and we close the show with some speed round news with 8 o'clock delight (45:08). Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comNFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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podcast. My name's Dan Hansis. I come to you from a virtual room filled with some heroes. Greg Rosenthal, Mark Zessler. All right. I mean, I know what that's about. It's about showing off the thigh in 2021. It's, you know, it's a little trend. Like, I got some new shorts. They were kind of like a little long, little, you know, Adam Sandler, old school basketball baggy style. I was like, this isn't the way it is anymore. You want to be showing off those upper upper thighs that meet. Yes. Someone is asking for you to do that for them, Greg? Or this is something that you're choosing to do, right?

Clearly not my, clearly not Emeka who's buying the shorts, but I want to show it off. See the cut there? It's a shorter cut. That's in, though. Mike was very phallic looking while you were showing your shorts. A little bit of a problem. Yeah. If you're watching this on YouTube, which you should for that, for that moment alone.

We apologize. No, the shorts are shorter now. That's where society is going. And I did like that reference, Greg, because Adam Sandler dresses like a ridiculous person, especially when he plays basketball. But I envy it. It does remind me we all, or at least I, I dress like that

when I was playing middle school basketball in 1995, too. That's fun to look like that. It is, what, 26 years later, but no. All right, here we are. Here we are at the, the precipice of a brand new football season. We've been inching in this direction. We, you know, returned to two podcasts a week last week.

We had the network show last week. That all went well. And now we're back with a full week of shows once again. And this time, training camp is upon us. I mean, we've already had a couple teams report. And the NFL network is pumped up about this. Because starting Saturday, NFL training camp coverage starts on the network. back together Saturday.

It's called all 32 teams on the field and we're going to have reporters all over the place and they're not sending us anywhere. Not anywhere at all. It shows how deep the roster is that they are literally at every single camp for Saturday. So they actually got all the teams to agree to this, not only that they're practicing

because all the teams report on Tuesday and they start kind of doing the little padless practices early in the week. Everyone promises pads, Saturday, real practice. is all 32 teams, who needs to watch water polo when you can see some good old tackling. But that means they have enough, quote unquote, talent at the NFL network to populate 32 different locations and still nary a call to us. I know, Greg, you seem very upbeat about this, but I would view it as somewhat ominous

that we weren't even, it wasn't even a suggestion that we'd be included in the coverage. I'll take my last couple weekends with the family or go to the beach or with you guys. So whatever we're going to do with it, I'll take it. they're giving it to me. I do wonder about that. I mean, I feel like when we do go to these league events, whether it's the owner's meetings or you go to the Super Bowl and we're at Radio Row and we get the chance to interview people.

We just made news a couple weeks ago, as you recall, with an interview. Our Baker. Yeah. With Baker. And it's like Bubba Baker. And it's like, you know, get us out there. Put me in, coach. Hey, well, we're working.

That's fine. We got a job. We're plenty of busy. We've had some good updates on the network show for the season that we'll let our listeners hear about later. Yes. I'll take it. I mean, I do like that there's no excuse this year, Dan, because you always point out that year the Lions showed up late. You know, some people thought it was because their preseason game was the latest.

But now they got everyone to come in on the exact same day. start practice you know everyone's coming in Tuesday that's not in the Hall of Fame game officially that's because the ATN podcast started snitching on these teams and I want you to go back in the archives and find one team that we called out for showing up to Camp late and then tell me if they hoisted the Lombardi come February I mean show me when the lines you know last one a playoff game please it's because they don't report on time all right enough of that malarkey big show coming up today it's a big news show as we predict last week. The trickle began

last week and now it's a full on waterfall of news around the NFL and it's going to continue. So that's kind of exciting for us. We waited through the offseason, did the grinding, and now we get to talk about some real football news. So

without further ado, Sizzler, you want to get into it? We have no choice but to. I mean, there's like 88 news items, so proceed. All right, hit the news, Ricky. The Mark Sessler Freedom Tour, 21, is over. Look at the freedom disappearing. Mark, that is a tough stitch for you. And I really want to know who's screaming there.

You have two young sons, so it's not them. Is it Simone or is it someone else? It was a female. I'll need to do more investigation on that. it threw me as well. But it is over. It is. Here we go.

We're diving in. See you come up for air come February. Ricky already trying to get on us before we started about her 30th birthday falling right before the Super Bowl this year as if we're going to start rallying around that date and start planning something. Not my problem. Families, kids, a full football season, unrest at the company. I'm going to do my best to be at the event.

but it seemed like she wanted us to organize it. No, I mean, attendance is all you could really ask of us. I mean, I do, I understand that like, especially women when they, you know, maybe some guys, but it's, no, I'm just saying that this isn't, this is not, you know, it's not in an accusation. It's just an observation. I'm going to, how much. Well, no, when women get into their 30s, it's like their birthdays become not a day, but it's like not even a week, but multiple weeks of celebrations and parties where it's like, slow down just a little bit. Now, with this one, Erica, it's special. I'm happy for you.

We will do our best to be there. Ricky? This is just ridiculous because I'm just saying my 30th birthday, it's a very big birthday, happens to be, you know, the Thursday, Friday before Super Bowl Sunday. It's perfect. So I'm just putting it on your radar now. We will be going to Mexico or, you know, I'm thinking Cancun, maybe the weekend after. And just putting it on your radar now.

You guys have families. You can't just, you know, drop and leave. So, you know, letting you, you old men plan because you guys need the time. Well, you made us very aware. Thank you. I mentioned before the show, this is the difference between Ricky's generation and ours. Or me and Greg, Mark is more of the boomer. No, it's not accurate.

But on my 30th birthday, it was the middle of a recession, and I was deeply unemployed, and I sat in a bar in Bay Ridge, New York, in Brooklyn, called The Wicked Monk, and had a pint. a beer, and I was trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do, as New York was rejecting me over and over again. And I was like, what am I going to do? And it was shortly after that that I dug out an old business card out of my wallet of an old friend who was working out in California at the NFL, and the rest was history. So 30, Ricky, is a time of introspection, but I want to just say to you, Ricky, you're doing

very well where you are in your life. Congratulations. Thank you. And you were doing well then, too. You know, it all led to here. Well, I had Emily with me, my beautiful wife, and that was a major part. Find someone and don't let go. Let's get to the news.

Well, according to you, when I was 30, I was watching the Statue of Liberty being built on Ellis Island. I'm not that much older than you. Anyways. You were part of the Americans that were lobbying with the French about how to ship the statue over. All right, here we go. Aaron Rogers.

Oh, my God. All right, here we go. This is we're at. This tweet from Ian Rappell. report shortly before 1 p.m. Eastern time today. Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers has indicated to people close to him that he does plan to play for Green Bay this season, sources say. That is the expectation. Many factors at play in tweets, but with GM Brian Guttecanst saying he is, quote, hopeful for a positive outcome that out of a shareholders press conference meeting thing that went down today. There is a

glimmer of optimism. And Mark, it feels like, and there are a lot of, there are unhappy people in the building in Green Bay, that if you just get the big guy back where he needs to be, everything else will fall into place for the Packers. Yeah, I mean, I guess for us and anyone tracking this for tirelessly for months, it's sort of like, why did, why, what did you just drag us through this absurdity? But, you know, it was an interesting couple of days, too, before these tweets came out today. There was the last dance co-tweet by Devante Adams and Aaron Rogers

which I think people were like, what does that mean? Wait, but why did people say what did that mean? I thought that was a very clear response and I and granted I wouldn't have like you know bet my house on it but it seemed to be like I'm coming back dummies like that was it. We're going to do the last dance. If you're familiar with the

last dance. I would suggest that. I think it was a pretty strong suggestion. I saw like you know pro football talk was like, why are they sending out these things that are big mysteries? And they were just feeling dumb because they, they sent out a whole post that said how Vegas like took down the bets and it was a stupid thing to talk about. You know, somehow a rumor got started like late last week that like that he wasn't coming back and they took it down in Vegas. And it was stupid to aggregate that. You know, it was stupid to talk about that. That meant nothing. And, and Rogers like immediately responded. Right. I like, I like Greg, you know, as he

He gets farther away from his PFT days and his blogging days at NFL.com. He's the aggregation police. And he will tell you whether or not you have been successful in your attempts. By the way, and it's true about the last dance. And people should remember this because everybody watched that miniseries last year in the middle of the pandemic. And I read the book as well, which was highly recommended by Chris Wesleying himself and go look up Chris Wesleyan's book sports book recommendations. I will retweet it if you want to see. some of them. But the story of the Bulls and that Jordan era was the toxic relationship between

Jordan and his GM. And it was Jerry Krause with the Bulls was so ugly and is so rooted in ego on both sides and money, of course, that Jordan made it official that they were going to be breaking up. This was his last season there. Phil Jackson, the coach at the time also. He was walking away after that season. And it was very well known, hence the last dance, that this was it. So this is what Tavante Adams and Aaron Rogers potentially see is their last season in Green Bay. And frankly, it makes

sense, right, Mark? Because you do have Jordan Love there. You do have an aging quarterback. You have a lot of bad blood. Make this the last go around and see if you can get it done. And because you're also attached to a very talented team that's 126 regular season games over the last two years. I think the

system is good for Aaron Rogers. Like, what is the other option? Because I think unless a trade becomes less and less, of a possibility at this point this late in the year. So are you going to sit out the season? I think that you, yeah, you go for it one more time. You were minutes away from making the Super Bowl. Yeah, go ahead.

I don't know. I'm just to say, I think if you're Aaron Rogers, like your cue rating tumbles if you walk away from football. I mean, you have a lot to prove. I mean, this is a player that's won one Super Bowl. When you love playing football if you're Aaron Rogers, ultimately. It's like, what are you really out here on earth to do? You know you only have a couple more years.

You want to, it's not like he's not competitive. You can just look at his results and know how much he wants to do it. And he did his best to get something out of this whole mess and he made it clear where he's at. I suspect that he will get something official from the Packers in exchange for showing up. And whether that's a little bit of money, but more likely some combination of money and more importantly, a guarantee that he can be a free agent after this season. I don't know how they do that exactly, like the structure of their contract or they just tell them that, whatever it is.

I think he's going to, it's going to be his last dance in a way that it's not going to be for that's not going to be Devante Adams' choice to be his last dance. I don't think. Like, Devante Adams, they have the franchise tag for him next year. That's nice. It's probably going to be Rogers and Adams together one last time. But like Scottie Pippen, I, you know, I don't know if it's going to be up to Devante Adams, whether it's his last hand. I do think if nothing else, why we wasted all this time, Mark,

and we, you know, we did in terms of the media, he's going to get that. Like he's going to get something where it's like Tom Brady basically knew he had his freedom in his last season in New England if you wanted it. And this will just be a little more public. I think the one thing with Rogers that still is out there along with any money side is that the Packers are run differently than other teams and he is displeased with how they're run. And he looks at what Tom Brady's experienced over the last year and how much say he has in Tampa and how much pull he had last year and bringing certain players there that Rogers doesn't have that. Is that what this is about? I think that is absolutely part of the reason. I thought this was just about his feelings

at its, at its core, the Jordan loved draft pick was such an egregious lack of respect showed to him that it poisoned the relationship with a famously touchy superstar athlete. I didn't, I haven't heard it being about, why don't I have more power in this organization in terms of personnel? But maybe I miss that. I mean, there are, there are, like, reports out there along those lines that he is, you know, I'm not happy with the way the organization has treated him. And it's not that different than sort of what happened to Brett Farve down the stretch to some degree.

There are obviously, you know, little parts of it that are different. But Aaron Rogers is not happy inside the Packers organization. Cry me a river, Aaron Rogers. Like, do you really think you're part of a dysfunctional, organization when you've won 26 regular season games in the last two years. I mean, we can't keep going over this. But my level of sympathy for Aaron Rogers is non-existent. And Greg, the point you made if there's going to be some type of concession made

between the Packers and Rogers to get them on the field, I could see that. I don't see it going as far as them letting him out of the contract after the year because he's just way too valuable as a trade asset to get them to the next phase of their organization if they do move on. But maybe it's a handshake agreement that we will move you in a. trade, we promise, and won't pull any of that. You're reporting to our camp because we're not trading your business that he got hit with this year. I thought the Packers have really handled this well, frankly, considering how, you know, the TNT laid in all around the organization. I feel like

they've said the right things overall to keep this from getting to a total divorce breakdown point. Yeah, I don't think there's going to be like a lot of trust, though, so it's going to have to have to be something very specific. You raise a great point as like why would they want to give up him the possible trade assets that he could get. That's complicated. I don't have a good answer for that, but I did find it interesting in that, again, PFT, and this was very interesting reporting to see this weekend that like the Broncos and other teams, it's like, were they really going to give up three firsts or whatever

it was going to be? And here were some specific numbers being thrown out of what Rogers probably wanted, which was 90 guaranteed over two years. which basically the Mahomes average, but guaranteed for about two years. And you keep hearing these things of like, well, it definitely wasn't about the money with Green Bay. And like, I get that and stuff. But I bet if they had offered him 90 guaranteed over the next two years, he would have taken it. So you can say it's not about the money, but it's partly about the money because the money could have fixed it.

And I don't think the Packers were particularly, I think what they've shown is they were not interested in fixing it in the way, however Aaron Rogers had wanted, which would be like going back to this never happening. They were not interested in that. Speaking of superstar quarterback's with uncertain futures, NFL networks Tom Pelliserra reports that Texans are willing to trade Deshawn Watson and could be seeking three first-round draft picks in exchange for the quarterback. This comes after an earlier report from Rapsheet on Monday that Watson is expected to report to Texans training camp. he has not been put on the commissioner's exempt list as of right now.

Of course, a police investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Watson remains open. 22 lawsuits against him are pending. So that is still he could end up on an exempt list, I imagine. He could be suspended. He could go to prison. We don't know what could happen here. The outcomes are all over the place. But Watson is doing his due diligence from his standpoint.

reporting, Greg, so he doesn't catch any fines from the Texans. And it also, from his standpoint, as murky as things are, it advances towards his goal of ending up on a new team. This is a step towards that. You get in the building and hopefully some things start shaking loose. Well, Dan, you smartly brought this up last week of like something's got a break. You know, when we talked about it on our TV show. And he is, by the time we've reported this, he did show up.

And... or Tom Pelliserra, I forget which one it was, you know, said, you know, he was polite, or they used that word or something. Like, he wasn't like, you know, breaking down things in the, you know, lobby. But he's made it clear through his representatives. He still wanted off the team. And it just felt like, well, this, okay, he made the first move. And that made sense from his perspective. But this was the morning that, like, that suddenly it just was put out there.

And I don't know if it's the team pushing this or it's Rotten or it's both. they're kind of on the same page here that they want him to be elsewhere that it's like okay here's what we want we want like full price for Deshawn Watson and you guys like

by the way not the last three or four months like is it been long enough that you guys forgot about that because like nothing's changed like nothing's changed and both Tom and Ian I was really surprised they like editorialized

and said like this is how much they'd want and that he that's like and it'd be worth it. And I'd be like, and I was, I'm just thinking, like, what are we deciding here? Like, think of all the, first of all, think of the, like, the women that are hearing these reports that he's worth it when you have these sexual assault cases pending. Like, what, what have we gone through the last four years here if, like, we're doing that and how people are going to see that sort

of news that we've basically ignored it? When it's, it's totally pending. Nothing has been settled. If this is all after the suspension and, or after he's, you know, he's. settled these cases, okay, then you start moving on and talking about, like, what is what is next for Deshaun Watson? But in my mind, it's like, we're putting the hay, what is the, you know, the hay in front of the barn. I don't know what it is, but it's crazy to me that we're doing, that we're talking about the cart, the horse in front of the cart.

The hay is in the barn. Right. So many. Bad. So many. It's spoken like a true farmer, Greg. I'm with you, though. I'm getting too fired up.

It's sitting in such a murky place that. like even from a pure football angle, like I don't think the Texans are in a great position to ask for what they're asking on any level. But like, how does another organization show any overt interest in trading for a player in the situation is even if you want to say, look, he signed through what, 2025, then maybe it's a really rough first year. But if you want that asset, you go get it. But I just think that from an organizational standpoint, how do you explain that to the women in your organization, to anyone, to your fan base, that we're bringing this guy in. It's the Texans problem right now, and I don't think it's quite that easy

just to dish it off onto someone else, even as good as the player is. It's just sitting in too weird of a place. You know, I think what with the reporting here, I think it all, again, goes back to everyone is kind of uncertain how to even approach this situation. And it's such a big story involving such a high level player that you, I guess you're as a football newsbreaker like Tom and Ian are, you're putting it out there that there are conversations potentially happening with teams and the Texans at this point and what the value of the trade was. But then, like, how do you combine that element of the story with the very real situation involving these very serious allegations?

It's just very messy, and it has been from the start. And one thing for me, like, now you think about the Texans. If the Texans have now decided because they were earlier this offseason, not about it. They did not want to trade to Sean Watson. They knew he wanted out, but they had hoped with their new power structure in place that maybe they could convince this superstar who was 26 years old to stay home and happily ever after for everyone. If they've now resigned themselves to, we don't have a future with this guy.

Like, why are you even having him in the building? Like, what can't you say to him, listen, we won't find you, but don't come in? Like, because what is his presence in that building in terms of, David Cully, first year head coach, who's waited his whole life for this opportunity. You want to talk about distractions. I mean, that's the lowest of total. Will he stay there? I think that's a great point and a great question.

Is he going to be in that building? Is he going to be taking first team reps? Like, what are we doing here with Deshaun Watson in that building with everything that's going on? Well, if you're a starting quarterback, there are requirements for media availability. Do we want Deshawn Watson in front of a microphone talking to people? I couldn't agree more with you on that front. I mean, to me, it's just the, it was one of the most awkward, um, up of the offseason to find out that he is now back in the building working with the

quarterbacks. I was driving my car and nearly went off the road. I didn't understand how this was happening. Like maybe, and maybe this is his way and his representative, obviously this is all planned out, of pushing the Texans or the NFL to not let him in the building, to say, okay, we're not going to take away your pay, but stay away. And we'll see. Maybe that is, maybe that's how it plays out.

but this whole like okay now he's for sale this is how much he'd cost three first round picks plus and any and it should be that much for that calorie okay if you want to go to the should be then say then i say no like like first of all are you putting a like a first round pick price on like a serial sexual assault cases like does the your your picks change based on someone who is in the process of being a serial sexual assaulter i guess that's what you're kind of saying and then I would say when it is unsettled

if you do want to go there then no like you're not the same guy you don't have the same value if someone was gonna if some team was going to be bold enough whatever word you want to use to do it now when everything

it's uncertain no man like everything about you and your value has changed so I don't know I don't get it and I don't think teams would be that Stupid. And my last thought on it, and if you remember, this feels like a million years ago, but very early on, before the allegations came to light, but after he had leaked to the media

that he wanted out of Houston, I remember the Jets popping up right away in a news report that he would go to the Jets and all this, and everybody, fans like me were, you know, rubbing our hands together, all excited. Jets obviously went in a different direction now with a number two overall pick, but you hear the Eagles, you hear the Broncos, you hear the dolphins, all connected potentially, to a trade. If you're a fan of those teams and this isn't even a judgment zone, I'm just I'm wondering, I'm legitimately curious

if you want Deshawn Watson on your team or if this is a guy, all this stuff around him, you don't want him anywhere near your team. I kind of think I know the answer, even if some people won't say it out loud. But that's different people would have different answers. I think they're going to have different opinions in the fan base. It's going to be split.

But there are going to be people that would say, yes, they do. Right. I think it's a totally fair thing to ask. And I think different people in the organization and fans would feel differently about it. But here's what I think is inarguably, that there would be more consensus when everything's settled. Like there'll be a consensus of what to do next year or whenever this is settled. And in the meantime, you're bringing it on yourself.

Yep. Maybe just hit pause. Maybe just hit pause. In other news, Chandler Jones, great pass rusher. It's been great for years. And with J.J. Watt now in the building in Arizona, you have a great bookend set up there for the Cardinals to beef up their pass rush in 2021. However, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Sunday that Chandler Jones has requested a trade

from the Cardinals. Arizona, according to ESPN, does not want to move the star pass rusher. They expect him to report to camp. However, they would save a ton of money if they did trade him. 15 and a half million, so you can't rule that out. He's age 31. I believe he missed most of last season. Am I correct there? Yeah, he played five games, I think. But still a guy that a lot of teams would take a chance on, I think, to regain his form. He's not too old. Mark, your thoughts on Chandler Jones? Well, I guess it's a shame because the concept wasn't just, you know, let's get a

latter stages, J.J. Watt. It was pairing Jones and Watt together, and suddenly you look at that defense very differently. And it wasn't his best year last year, but Chandler Jones has been really consistent. And I think someone that if you're a Patriots fan, you're thinking, why did we get rid of this guy? Because he really was great in Arizona. But, you know, for me, it's like put me in carbonite and wake me up when we find out what happens. Because some of these little I don't get the reference. Well, just some of this business where it's like, you know, all the ins and outs. If he gets traded, great. Tell me what happened. Tell me where he goes. We did talk about this one back in...

Yes, I believe you brought it up. This was on your radar, Greg. It was when. It is one of these few ones, and I'd throw Xavier and Howard in there, too. I do think there's a chance that Chandler Jones has traded for a draft picked or whatever it's going to be before the season. I just, depending on how much of a stink he wants to make about it, and now we're finding out that he really does.

And it goes back to the DeAndre Hopkins contract reportedly that when they brought in Hopkins and gave Hopkins all this money without him playing a down for Arizona. When Hopkins had like three years left on his deal, Chandler Jones was like, I've been wanting this deal for a while, bro. And I think it would be easier to trade if not for that one month of play he had last year. Happened to be like maybe the worst month of his career. And it's such a small sample size, but he was not like an impact player for about four or five games and then he tore his biceps, which is not an injury you worry about long term.

but that does cloud the picture a little. I'm sure that like the Ravens or the Dolphins or some team would like be like, you want a second round pick for Jones? We'll do it today. But I don't know if the Cardinals would be down there. You definitely have 12 to 13 players on every roster who are quietly stewing over what someone in their own position room makes. I mean, this stuff has to be going on all the time.

Happens in real jobs. It happens everywhere. And for what it's worth, Jones was according to PFF, the 15th highest graded, rusher in 2019. I was going to say you said second round pick is obviously my New York Jets have not had a premier edge rusher since John Abraham, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, 2006. But I don't know, maybe a third rounder I'd give up. Maybe third.

I'm just saying he, if I'm sure, unlike a lot of these guys when this comes up, I am sure that multiple teams would give up a pick for him. I don't know if it's second or third or whatever, but I think they would give a shot, give him two or three years guaranteed money and hope for the best. In other news, Michael Thomas, the star-wide receiver of the Saints, his season was completely wrecked by an ankle injury suffered way back in week one of 2020. That ankle has continued to give him issues, and he had surgery in June, and as a result of the rehab that comes after a serious surgery to repair the ligament damage in there, he could

be missing the start of the regular season and he could potentially miss significant time in this latest from New Orleans dot footballs, Nick Underhill, said that Thomas will need six to eight weeks for the ligament to heal. And again, the surgery was in June. And then another six to eight weeks to get it in shape where he can run and cut effectively close quote, you do the math there. I'm not doing it, Greg. But if you do the math there, who knows, maybe he's coming back in October.

And is he the same guy? You worry about an injury like this. Well, this one was on your radar a little bit, Sessler, wasn't it? That the mic, there's like, spin some behind the scenes. We're not totally thrilled with Michael Thomas talk in New Orleans. You know, obviously the, like, punching the teammates. Not a great thing. You know, getting suspended for a big game by your coach.

That's probably a bad sign. Some knucklehead stuff. And then there was some, like, delaying of surgery, perhaps in this. case he had he had multiple surgeries this offseason he um he had surgery uh elsewhere in january and they and supposedly according to pft they kind of wanted him to get the ankle thing but he was told he could maybe rehab it and then he gets it in june and now he's going to miss five weeks this season and he didn't look great last year either it's it's a lot it's a lot i'm with you i think that the the michael thomas experience has probably gone off a cliff a little bit over the

last calendar year. I mean, for all the things you mentioned. But I look at the team, too, and like one thing that I think I mentioned on our TV show, Sean Payton, I think he likes challenges he wants. He's like, look at, I'm up for it. I'll take James Winston and fix him. I'll turn a, you know, a jackknife player into a starting quarterback if I need to. But there isn't a lot going on here at this wide receiver position. Like, Treyquan Smith, Deontay Harris, I like Deontay Harris, Marcus Calloway, Little Jordan Humphrey. But suddenly it's like Alan Kamara is going to be catching a ton of passes. And, you know, my guy, Adam Troutman, who I like,

I mean, he didn't really, he didn't get, he wasn't put into a role last year as a big pass catcher. He was more of a, he can do that. He did it in college, but now you're asking him to do it right away. So this offense to me is some shaky scenarios. And if you're the bucks, you're thinking, absolutely. Your quarterback is gone. Your roster's in a, in a bizarre place.

We are the Tampa Buccaneers. We're going to eat you. I totally forgot about the little... in front of Jordan Humphrey. And I think you've got to lose the Lil. No, I like it. It definitely sounds the most of any player in the NFL like a name Mark made up. I really like it.

I thought you were being condescending at first. And I was like, oh, wait a second. And then it rang the bell that he is indeed. He goes by Lil Jordan Humphrey. And the reason I say it is in entertainment. Now, I'm going to bring up an example, Lil Bow Wow. Lil Bow Wow, huge rapper, boy rapper of his time. And then he started to grow up and I think he had a conversation with Snoop or somebody and they were like, yo, bro, got to lose the Lil if you want to age into the next demographic.

So he did. And Bow Wow ended up having hit songs with the likes of Russell Wilson's wife. Wait, we don't have any issues with bow wow as a name. I mean, Balwows as a name is also questionable, I think. Wait, I mean, he goes to Snoop for the name change advice. I mean, his dad is Master P. His dad is Master P. That's true.

Go to dad. But I believe he has an association with Snoop. Snoop was part of the number. I think he was his football coach or something. Snoop was part of the crew, too. He was in no limit. It's worked for Little Wayne and another New Orleans guy. You know, Little Wayne.

He's kept it. Wait, is it? Is it Lil Wayne or Little Wayne? You know, we've never sounded. whiter, but yeah, I do love the idea of Lil Jordan Humphrey being like a key part of this offense. I mean, the names are crazy.

Treyquinsmith is like their number one ride receiver by far. Wait a second. Back to Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne is like four feet tall. He's legitimately a little man. So that I feel like you could stick. Right.

I'm just saying. Yeah, I would if I Venmo you $75 to go into your onto Twitter and change your name for one week to Lil Dan Hansis. And don't make any comment about it. Don't say anything about it to anyone. I could be like Little G.

How much? Little G works. Little 60. It kind of fits more for Greg. Little 60. Yeah, I'm a little man. I'm probably about the same height as Little Wayne. According to Wikipedia,

Lil Wayne is 5 foot 5. But you usually add a couple inches the entertainer. So he's probably 5.3. You do? I'm 5.6 of you round up, but it's more like 5.5, 3 quarters, you know, right there. Anyway, I'm just saying Jordan Huff, I'm more confident in him. And by the way, when you're six foot four.

Oh, Lord, Lorde, Lil Jordan Humphrey, six four? Well, that's, then the joke really well.

I think it works very well. Yeah, that's a problem. All right. This team could stink, right? Couldn't the saints stink? They could definitely stink.

James has got, you're going to have a good offensive line and running game in theory, but that is, it is really adding up the degree of difficulty scale, because I was already worried this defense might totally collapse, which, which has happened for the Saints defense under Dennis Allen before.

It's been a few years, but I thought the defense might be pretty bad, too. David on Yamada suspended, Marsha and Lattimore potentially suspended. You have a complete unrested quarterback. Michael Thomas is a wreck right now. The recipe is there for, I was going to say seven and nine, but let's say eight and nine. Oh, man, I mean, I think the recipe in a worst case scenario is there for like six and eleven. I mean, I could see it either way, but I was reading Football Outsiders, the Saints section. And I noticed, like, as much as we made fun of Drew Breeze, it's like, their offense did move the ball.

Like, he was still somehow in the top 10 in per play. Like, they picked up, they were boring to watch. They were not, he was not, like, a great quarterback. But, like, they were still, like, a borderline top 10 offense. Like, they have a long way that they could go down in terms of production. Hey, it's all on your boy, James. Yikes. What could go wrong?

I don't really like, you know, 10. Teddy, I'm rooting for Teddy. You root for players. Jamis, I think, is better than people, you know, believe that he's a better, he's a better player than he's been given credit for. But I'm not sure he's going to, like, come in and save the world. I mean, we've talked about Big Ben before and a lot of the reasons why I know you dislike Big Ben as some of the off-the-field things that happened in his life. Well, James had some unfortunate situation. And I'm not talking about the crabs.

No, you're right. There were some off-field issues. But I did dust off the old. I wrote something about James and I put him in making the leap anyways. Here I am talking both sides. Oh, come on. I did break out the old stat. I just love always checking this.

In yards per attempt, career, he's tied for fifth all time. So he's, you know, and he started 70 games. That's not in a small same. So he's ahead of Matt Ryan. He's ahead of Matthew Stafford. He's ahead of Tom Brady. So I'm just... Hasn't he already made the leap, though, Greg?

What is he leaping to? I mean, he's been like a long-time productive starter. Improving from one year to the next. You know, this is the first time I ever was just picked one per team. And it's like him or Troutman. And you stole Troutman on the TV shows. Troutman. Hey, this is Matt Jones.

I'm Drew Franklin. And this is NFL cover zero. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different. Did you see the Colts Pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game. What was that? Oh, my. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining.

And twice a week, that is exactly what you're going to get. Listen NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. What's up, everybody? Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Sticks, we take you inside the game. from scouting reports and player development to team building philosophies coaching trends in how front offices construct winning rosters every week we study the tape talk to decision makers and share the insights you won't find anywhere else is the kind of conversation that connects the dots from college football prospects to the NFL stars of tomorrow we break down the draft analyze matchups and evaluate how teams put it all together on game day plus we dig in the coaching strategies roster construction and the trends that shape the

year after year. Whether you're a die-hard fan or just love understanding the game on a deeper level, we give you the full picture. If you want insight that goes beyond the box score, this podcast is for you. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Six podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant.

And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL fantasy football podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet, we've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. We got to do it. It's that time of the show. It's that time of world history. COVID talk.

We'll start with the Indianapolis Colts. Coach Frank Reich has tested positive for COVID-19. Despite the fact that he's been vaccinated, Reich said in a statement, the following, I'm fortunate to be fully vaccinated and I'm asymptomatic. I'm feeling well and I'm looking forward to returning as soon as I'm medically cleared.

He can return to campus as soon as next Monday, according to Colt's GM Chris Ballard. So that is good news. The bad news is he tested positive for COVID, even though he got the shots. But that is popping up here and there in other COVID news. I'm just going to cycle through it. Then we can react to all of it.

Terrell Pryor, remember him? Formerer quarterback turned wide receiver. He said that he tweeted on Saturday night that he has a tryout lined up. But he was told that he can't take part in the tryout unless he's vaccinated. And he had this to say, now I'm torn between tough decision. And finally, in the news late last week, it was reported that Vikings coach Rick Denison had been let go because he would not get the COVID-19 vaccine,

which would take him out of the class group that would allow you to be in team meetings and be able to be forward front-facing with the players so he wasn't going to be a part of the team. Well, that's been reported after the fact to be a little bit premature that he's out. This from the Vikings, the Vikings continue to hold discussions with offensive line coach Rick Denison regarding protocols. At this time, coach does not have an exemption to the vaccination requirements of those protocols. We will adhere to the requirements of the protocols and of applicable law. well there's different rules you know and you mentioned it with the coaches um we should point out

you know with the players there was some clarification in that that latest memo that brought up the forfeit how you know if you are vaccinated and then you once you start testing negative again you can return to practice in the team quicker than if if you were unvaccinated these are all fact that the Patriots did let go of a coach that has not been disputed. His name is Cole Popovich, no relation to Greg, who's been there for a while and was like their, you know, a co-offensive line coach and he refused to get the vaccine. It's pretty obvious with like a player at the end of the roster that teams aren't going to mess around.

Like it doesn't surprise me with prior. And I just I just hope that like every time something like Reich pops up and it's going to keep popping up because players who have been vaccinated are going to test. positive. It's like, do we need to have a huge Twitter argument? Like, every time this happens, I, like, this is going to happen. Like, it's going to, it's going to be part of it. It just is. Yeah, I mean, Schaefter noted that 13 staffers and four players who were vaccinated have caught Corona. So it's going to be happening all year. It's something I think we just weren't really expecting a couple months ago. It's, we're not out of the woods on this. But I,

this is a little bit to me different than just the base argument of whether you should or should not be vaccinated. I mean, the NFL, the life of an NFL player and what your mission is and what your job is as a team and a group of coaches is singular. You're there to win a title. And I just think it is an overt disadvantage if you have a bunch of players or people that are refusing to do it. Because like your week, number one, coaches want consistency. They want the same thing every week. They don't want surprises. Last year, there were just daily surprises because of corona. But if you got 15 to 20 players refusing to take the vaccination, then you're asking for

muddled, you know, muddled scenarios where players are suddenly popping up with Corona. It's going to be the same thing as last year. And the cults, you know, they, this is not a Frank Reich thing because he's vaccinated. They have only 60% of their players right now that are vaccinated. It's the way, which is why you keep them out of the, you know, and for everyone who's trying to use this as a point of like, well, either way, it's, you know, they're keeping Frank right and anyone who's vaccinated and catches it out of the building to protect the unvaccinated. I mean, that's what it's about right now. It's protecting unvaccinated people and trying to

just keep them safe, whether they're in the building or not. And a little personal note here, I have a very good friend down here in Texas who works. He's a frontline medical worker. He works as a nurse and he works at a major hospital in Waco, Texas. And he said, the last few weeks, it's, it's feeling like it's back to where it was last July. And he comes to work and he works a 12-hour shift and it's an entire ER filled with people that have COVID. And he says the large majority of them, almost entirely unvaccinated people that refused to get the shot and now are ill.

And the one other note that he added was, A, he's seeing it in younger people between this year and last year. And this, again, this is coming directly with someone that's on the front lines of this. When he was in the, working on those ERs in Waco last year, it was a lot of older people. And what he's seeing now is the disease is now hitting a younger demographic and he was with a younger guy that he was with him all day, the last shift he was on that it looked like he wasn't going to make it. And there's a young man who refused the vaccine, got sick, and now could die. This is a very scary thing, and it's ongoing. And I know everyone, a big part of it, even this friend of mine, is he leans in a different direction than I do politically on this and morally on some level.

But the idea of not getting the shot, it puts you at greater risk of getting sick and dying. It's just, it's there and talk to people that are on the front lines, and they'll tell you that. It doesn't matter what their political beliefs are. It just, it's the facts of the fact. so tough sitch as they say Ricky's 30th birthday is coming up as you say as you say that was a sharp right turn to

another update there hey Ricky yeah hopefully I mean hopefully like this so this Super Bowl is in LA I mean there is something about the Olympics where they're trying to you know

make it as good as possible for the athletes because it's not the athletes fault they've been training so hard and these are great moments but there is something about the fact you know i saw this like preamble during the opening ceremonies my kids are super into the olympics and the rock is like we have overcome so much we have you know withstood so much over the last year and a half and now it's time to like battle and honestly the fact that the olympics were a year delayed and there's still no one in the crowd and there's and we're still dealing with it so makes it more depressing.

Yeah. You know, it's, we're like 18 months removed from when this all started and the Olympics, for instance, are, you know, being totally impacted. And that makes it more sad. I don't know, watching it. I had the same thought that we, we thought we were kind of out of the woods and now it's all, it's all still here. And it absolutely could affect the 2021 NFL season as well, even though a couple of months

ago, we would have been like, okay, we dodged it, and then we moved forward. Well, we'll see. 8 o'clock to light time, Ricky. We'll start with the Dallas Cowboys. Trouble on both sides of the ball to Marcus Lawrence and Amari Cooper. Both expected to be out until after the second preseason game for the Cowboys. There's only three of those this year, which takes us close to the season. Mark, we worried?

Well, I mean, it was an ankle situation for Cooper. The back thing for Lawrence sounds like it was an entire off-season journey for him, but they will be ready for week one. So worried is not the word I'd use. I'm not staying up all night thinking about it. In other NFC East News, Stephen Nelson has a job. The Eagles signed the cornerback to a one-year deal worth more than $4 million. Greg, this is another one of those signings late in the process

where you look at the year and the commitment from the team and the player's ability. You're like, ah, there's some real value ads to be made at this stage of the game. Yeah, he's a capable start. Derry Slay, like, pushed for it and they got him signed. Like, I am convinced, okay, I'm back on the Eagles. bandwagon. Let's do it. Oh, you're in? Let's do it. Okay. A trade went down over the weekend. The Texans acquired wide receiver Anthony Miller from the Bears. There was also a late-round pick swap involved. Mark, Miller was in the doghouse of Matt Nagy. What does that mean to you?

Well, I think it's a good. It's a fresh start. He's never crossed 700 yards in a season. It's been a little bit of a disappointment. Never really got off the ground in Chicago. But you look at this Texans team. They have like 87 running backs and about 78 wide receivers. I mean, Nick is here just like, we're going to find someone who's who could play here. Maybe. The Bengals do business with one of their stalwarts. Sam Hubbard signs a four-year, $40 million extension. Good money for a former third round pick, Greg. Good, good contract, too. I was thinking, like, is he much different than Carl Lawson? They're kind of similar in their profiles to me. Maybe not as good a pass rusher, but a good developmental

prospect, who probably would have done better as a free agent next year. And finally, in the news, the Rams, hire Andy Benoit as assistant to head coach Sean McVey slash special projects. Benoit, we've crossed pass with Benoit, formerly of SI in New York Times, CBS Sports. He's going to be a researcher and second opinion from McVeigh, we're told. Mark, do you think this deep down is Greg Rosenthal's dream job? I do, and I think that there's probably a lot of people at NFL media who have been co-zying up hardcore to the Rams for a couple years who felt like they got kind of side-swiped here.

They'd like to have this job. But Andy Bunoi, also, very large fan of drinking milk. I don't know him at all, but I would like to get to the bottom of that. Like, apparently he used to drink. Like, Ricky said it was three gallons of milk a day, according to reports. I don't know what the Rams see. I don't know. We'll have to work on that part of it.

Maybe not as much of a milk drinker now. That's 8 o'clock delight. Greg, this is like the post-game show for 8 o'clock delight. That is true, though, be honest. Because we know, remember a couple weeks back, we had a guest on the show, I was like, oh, yeah, your buddy with the Eagles that you're friends with. And then you made a weird point that you were closer than that guy than to me and Mark. I didn't see.

And then on top, you weren't out that show, Mark. I'll fill you in after the show. And then, you know, you have this situation pop up with the Rams, and we're right in the backyard of the Rams. Is there a part of you that this is really what we're really? really going for one. No, this is my dream job. We want to be in a front office. We want to be involved. No. More, more work for less pay is not what I'm looking at right now in my life. And I think that's what any, anything, uh, it would be with, with one of these teams. Well, that's why you got to hire, you know, an agent that can get you, you know, the guap, bro. I don't think the,

you know, I think if you go into a team, you're starting, you know, you're starting at the bottom, They bought them all over again. What am I really going to offer? That was my thought. Like if I were floating around like a team complex, like what am I actually, what skill set would I be bringing? I don't think, and this is no disrespect to Benoit and good job by him. Yes, absolutely.

He's more of a tape dog guy and research project. I think he had a relationship with McVeigh going way back writing all these articles. Who knows? He's going to do like little special homework assignments. I could if I put him. my mind to it, but they're not going to, they're not going to pay you that much for it. And you're suddenly going to be working like seven days a week for like less pay. Your, your family forget about it.

I'm not, I don't like the sound. But coaches bring their dudes and they bring in guys they like and he did form this relationship with him. So it's like you've got to start spending time with some head coaches, Greg. Then you need to prove yourself as a sight unseen. I mean, if you want to say people have been cozying up to the Rams, there's a lot more. in line ahead of me, who, you know, don't offer any sort of negative coverage to anything. If anyone was paying any attention, I would, you know, I would have said many things,

which would have eliminated my candidacy with all these teams. But they're not higher in me, that's for sure. It's 2022, same. It's 2022. Because you're Greg, you're the one most likely to get hired in this capacity on this podcast. It's 2022. And the Rams with Matt Stafford in the building go nuts. They win the Super Bowl.

And here comes big. swing in Andy Benoit into Shula's at the Combine with a huge rock on his finger. And it's not an engagement ring. It's the Rams Championship Super Bowl ring. Okay. They game out early just to get them at the Combine. You see that ring. Does that change your mind?

The idea that you could be walking around with a Super Bowl ring. I mean, in that scenario, have I won the lock of the week championship for a third straight season because I mean that maybe that's the only hardware I need or did did Apple finally give us like best new podcast again of 2022 like it's all it's all a factor in how I would feel all right I find it absurd that you took that to your house I was waiting for you guys to say something I even put it there for a Friday show and I was like I was trying to get you guys to respond Greg does have the lock trophy behind him I think that's a well-earned trophy, Greg. And I actually take it as a positive because you have in vain attempted to cancel

the lock of the week segment or challenge on our regular season shows. And now that you're showing off the hardware, I think you've maybe had a little bit of an about face. Well, I was back in the office and I saw it buried. It was just on the ground in that back area where there's just boxes and boxes. And I thought there's a chance here that no one takes this. And if someone's going to take it. I guess it should be me. But that's a good point. I'm trying to cancel the lock thing. If I win a third straight time, can I get it out? I think it's on the table. Okay. That's fair, right, Mark? Yeah, I think, I mean, it's on the table. There's more to be discussed about it. I don't think he's going to win it this season.

All right, how about this? No, the odds are against me. If you win the lock competition for, I think it would be the third straight year. I don't think you've won three in a row. No, I won two. This would be the third. If you three, Pete, we will we will put it to a vote amongst the three of us majority rules I'll take it I'll take it all right good stuff we'll be back Thursday I'll be back in L.A we'll be all back together one step closer to be reunited those

and the NFL network we are hoping to be in the studios you know once the season starts for if any listeners are curious yes that's our goal And in other housekeeping news, Ricky, jump in a second because I have seen a lot of this. There are some people, listeners that are upset, that there are some ads connected to the program right now. Just understand that that has nothing to, A, a decision that had nothing to do with us. B, the ads bring zero revenue to the talent of the Around the NFL podcast or our producer. So we see no money.

We have no control over how it's really rolled out. out, but Erica, who's excellent at her job, is on quality control to make sure it doesn't happen, pop in in an unprofessional way, try to work them as they are. This is a free podcast for you, listeners that are upset about it. And as you know, there have been some issues, unfortunate issues with downsizing at our company. And if they want to insert some ads to keep this enterprise in a good place, and I'm not saying that's why they did it, I'm just saying that's it's a business just be chill about it it has nothing to do with us selling out it's just the way things are and it's been a long time before since we've had ads on the show

so just enjoyed that era don't don't be mad that it's over be happy it happened at all and i would also say you know i wouldn't classify us as puppets but we do work for like a multi-billion dollar corporation that occasionally does seem to have some control over what what we do on a day-to-day basis so if if selling out is on the table like sign me up like where can we sell out have us read the ads you know um if that is going to help us listen we'll pull back the curtain here before before this this big deal went through there were some attempts to see hey how could we maybe make some more money if there is our ads involved with the show just shot down it was just not an option for us

it was like okay no you will do not yeah we we sent up the patriot missile we'll call scud missile went right through it and said no no no you'll continue to be good little boys and girls you will do your little show and we will do what we want with you and what are we going to do I mean they're they're missing out as anyone who listens to the jesslinick and rosenthal vanity project knows like when I have an ad to sell I sell it baby you know how you guys can help us is leave some more iTunes reviews for our show it really does help and talk about you know being the best new podcast of 2022 um the more reviews that pop in there, it populates us higher in, you know, Apple Podcasts.

So it'd be very, very helpful. FYI, we don't get paid for good reviews either. So there's just no channel to money coming our way. All right. There you go. That's the update. Thanks to everybody for listening, both today and for all the years that have passed. And all the years to come, that's the plan here.

But we don't have control over it. There's very little control. Don't you understand? That's what we're getting out of here. We're just doing our best. All right. Dan Hans is signing off for Quiet Storm, the old boss, Ricky Hollywood, who's turning 30 in a few months, so start planning. Until Thursday, he's the call.

I'm going to be able to be. Hey everybody, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Six, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else. It's everything you need to understand the why behind what happens on Sundays. Don't miss it.

Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the IHeart Radio. app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet.

We've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL, visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. This is an IHeart podcast.