NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Around the NFC in 48 Minutes

Episode Date: March 22, 2024

In a room full of heroes - Dan Hanzus, Gregg Rosenthal, Marc Sessler and Patrick Claybon give you a team-by-team break down of what the NFC looks like since the start of free agency. The guys start with the NFC East (11:12), followed by the NFC North (26:49), the NFC South (40:42), and wrap things up with the NFC West (01:00:01). Note: time codes approximate. NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. The Around the NFL podcast is going around the NFC in 48 minutes. 414 from the Chris Wessling podcast studio. It's Around the NFL. Dan Hans is here. Got heroes. Greg Rosenthal. What did you tap the table for?

I just was excited. It's like the show starting. No. When you make eye contact, Can you tap the table? Of course I'm going to think you're trying to tell me something. I was just like... Tough start.

Get going. You're the tough start. You're the tough start. Mark Sessler and Patrick Claibon. What up, Pat? You're the tough start. It's an incredible response. You know what else is incredible?

What's that? You know what else is an incredible response? I don't know. Patrick? I don't know. We have... No. Music submissions to share.

Before we get into the national football conference, which we'll do at three-minute bursts with Eric Roberts manning the dart gun, the trank gun. By the way, Andrew Siciliano in stable condition at Cedar Sinai. Took one too many dart shots. It seemed like it didn't affect him. You guys kind of set up Andrew a little bit. And you could say that.

How did we set him up? It was a little unfair. If you didn't understand the rules, that just showed, you know, an ignorance of the process. It almost felt like, and Patrick as someone that's just watching from the outside on that episode, it almost was like he was targeted at a points, like he was being led into a trap. Yeah, I don't feel like he was targeted, more so as you guys placed him in front, in the line of fire, to take dart after dart, and Eric is relentless, and, you know, that's just how it goes.

That is true. You know, you could see Eric, even though he doesn't have any military. background couldn't you see eric doing some damage like in the middle east in 2006 murdering people no i mean i mean yeah he's he's he's taking out the enemy if he had to like i could see ark doing that i will say that i am very um rules driven okay but i am also very bad at like first person shooter games so i might just be like firing a lot i'm loading a clip might not hit anybody yeah or you might hit somebody yeah i'm just happy i was getting disturbing and start to the show. Patrick, murdering people? How about serving your country? Patrick?

Okay. You could put whatever scare quotes you want. Where's your pin? Put on your pin. I support troops. He's done it. He's covered. He's safe. Let's listen to a Patrick Claibon introduction song. Wow. Patsy Cleveland, Patrick Cleaver, Patrick Cleaver, Patsy Cleveland, how can you go out of the top? Momentum's not real? Is that what he said? I think that was the opening lyric, as I recall. That was from Colby Knight. Like that.

I think on our I am client now because you know the bots are coming for us there's some they actually translate some of the lyrics but there was as you would imagine a lot of the content here is connected to momentum that was no exception let's listen to another one this run from Matthew Quick okay

he's from Alabama His beard is hairy as a llama It's Patrick Kaleigh Bonn Pretty Very pretty Okay Nice, a shorter one

Very nice voice Anything Patrick is so damn handsome That anything that even approximates Ugliness Like he's as hairy as a llama It doesn't, to me That line didn't ring true Because his beard is immaculately groomed

Anybody takes the time to pin lyrics about me I'm going to appreciate no matter what i understand i've never felt like a llama but hey you know that's wonderful uh matthew uh let's check out uh this one kind of blew me way alex badura it's like a radio head type song for you okay Claibor Claibor Patrick Leibon

You are the main Momentum What a guy What a stud that's tough to top I mean I love just as having my own positive affirmations I mean this is an ego stroke

having your own songs no doubt about it and I thought Alex nailed everything obviously the momentum thing was a little off but everything else I could not quibble with any of it including Patrick being a stud that would be my pick I also just did an incredible self-experiment to see how far

I could go into the episode without saying a sing word, and I think I cross five and a half minutes, which would be a record. You were missed. You were missed. Now that you're in the episode. I've been told the episode is 48 minutes long, so I think the window begins at some point here. But I think that third song is, it captures the essence.

I love that. I want to hear that more. They were all great. Well, let's listen to one more. This is from Sam Gaffigan. Okay. Probably not a real person. Who's that man who's coming on? Patrick Laybub. Who's that man who's rarely wrong?

Patrick Laybon He announces with class and ferocity That he denounces mass times velocity Who's that man who's coming on Patrick Laybond For Dan That was a formula for momentum That's definitely my favorite lyric

That was good I feel like sometimes we mix it up with Colleen's too Like we have the main one But then we throw in some others I would like to hear that again but I still think number three. Yeah, I think Alex. You should crap.

All tremendous. Thank you to everyone. They're all really good. A mixed CD and give that to your significant other. If she's ever wondering how great, you know, you are. Like it's sort of a hype tape, hype CD for you. I can see the look on her face. You do have to play these.

If I ask for Lauren, you have to play them. Just as Mark says, just a reminder. Yeah. You realize, like, I know we're busy. We've got kids. Right. We've known each other for so long now. and sometimes just a reminder

and your wife's a wonderful woman but like she's married to Patrick Claibor and here are some songs as a reminder let's make a clear like you did it you got Claibod I don't think she forgets I think we all do in our marriages sometimes what we have

you know and these songs will serve as a reminder and you didn't have to like this is how you frame it okay you're like God this was so stupid I did the podcast today it's ridiculous but like they played these like songs about me

and it was dumb, it was dumb. And then see if she takes the cheat. Okay. She probably will. Like, what do you mean songs about you? What does that mean? Also, make sure that... And then you just like lay it out and then watch her fall in love with you all over. Yeah, come in hard self-deprecating.

Oh, yes. You know, you find it absurd. Yeah. You almost want to share the joke with her. But then she starts to feel something different. Just mega imposter syndrome because, which I do have, like, the fact that people sat on their computer. and got their instruments out and made songs for me. But, like, hey, right. I would go to the other route.

I would turn off all the lights in the house right before dinner. And then maybe get a strobe thing going and then blast it. And then the lights come on and you walk into the dinner table as these songs. They're playing. That's like a huge answer. That's like the arena rock way to do it. If anyone, and those are all excellent. And thank you again, everybody.

If anyone wants to make one that's just for Patrick to use at home. If you know what I'm saying. I like that. That when you not, don't throw up. The arena lights. Yes, Colleen, light a couple candles, get a babysitter, and then play something. Patrick would take that as well.

A babysitter at home while they're at home. No, get them out of the house. Yeah, okay. Take them to the bounce house or one of those ridiculous places. Here, son, let's bounce here until my ACL explodes. It's like, okay, great party. My Achilles is gone. Some of those places are falling into disrepair, going.

You start bouncing a couple of ways, and it's like, Like, this could go horribly wrong. Not to mention, have you ever gone to one of those bounce houses and not had the entire house ill within 48 hours of going? Yeah, plus it's a ripe, fertile ground for, like, concussions. We're like two children out of control, bang heads. And then it's like, you know, you're dealing with that. A child of concussions, no fun.

I feel like we might be risking losing sponsors, but this is an important message to get out. Enough with the bounce houses. Wow. What sponsor? Get back to the bowling hour. all right let's get into it without further ado Patrick that that you got to be feeling good now yeah I'm rifle of confidence all right with that said yeah time to go around the

end was that the dean scream that was the dean scream it's back showing our age damn listen we had ross perot come up we fast forward 12 years get a little dean screen what's next you never know we're topical It's like the back to a little Charlie Schre. Aaron Rogers doing contrial myths. I don't know. All right. Let's get into it. Start with in the NFC.

In the east, we'll go east to west, just like we did with Andrew Siciliano. And again, Andrew is in critical, but stable condition. You could send flowers or whatever you wish. Just don't send darts.

No door, no more darts. The doctors were amazed that something like that could happen in a controlled environment within the NFL's. building and I believe there will be hell of a pay. Like the Otani situation and we're like, oh yeah, we'll blame it on the interpreter. We need to figure out a plan

post haste on where to say, is it Eric? Does Eric take the fall? Eric is pressing the natural guy. He's pressing the trigger. Right, but you could argue that we put him in that. We put the gun in his hand. He did say he follows orders. Who clip that off before he deletes it. All right, let's get to it. NFC East, Patrick Claibon, the Dallas Cowboys.

The Dallas Cowboys having turnover yet again. Now Tyrant Smith is going to be protecting Aaron Rogers. We see Tony Pollard going elsewhere, playing with Tajay Spears in Nashville. And my question about the Dallas Cowboys last year was Mike McCarthy taking over the play calling duties. And is it a Mike McCarthy or a Kellyn Moore issue or what was going on with the Dallas Cowboys offense? I have no more concerns about the offense. and I'm looking at the defense with Dan Quinn out for the second year in a row

Dallas has bargain shopped in free agency. They made those late trades for Brandon Cooks as well as Stefan Gilmore last year. Can the Dallas Cowboys bargain hunt their way to a Super Bowl if they're allegedly quote unquote all in? They're going to have

to and for all these teams it's an incomplete grade but some teams more than others. I counted up nine players that have had significant roles on the team that either have signed elsewhere, most of them or a couple others are just unsigned. And to this point, they haven't brought in anyone new that's going to have a significant role except for Eric Kendricks, who's kind of at the end of his run as a difference

making player, a role player at this point. So they need like three offensive linemen. They certainly need a running back. They need some defensive tackles. Cornerback looks a little thin. I don't know if they'd bring back Stefan Gilmore. So they have a lot to do. But you know what? I actually think their personnel department deserves a little bit of credit here to give them some faith that over the last few years, like, they always have a good roster. So like the Ravens, I kind of am in a wait in C mode with the Cowboys. I mean, I think losing Dan Quinn matters a lot. He clicked running that defense. I got him a job. Well, sure, till then. But now, like, Mike's, if you're Mike Zimmer, you've seen a number of faces leave your defense and it's going to be a bit of a different scheme.

I mean, Michael Gallup is visiting with the Ravens. It's like, I guess for me, it's kind of a tired conversation. The Cowboys just bring me exhaustion at this point, but like, you did have your owner slash GM kind of announce, we are going to do everything we can to maximize our roster and it's been the quietest of every team out there. It's been the quietest, weirdest,

free agency period. Not like a single real notable edition so far. I think in some ways, and there are different levels to this, you know, phrase, but the window closed. DAC is crazy expensive. CD's about to be insanely expensive. Parsons. Forget

about it, going to be the highest paid player in the league. They might end up being in a situation where they highest paid, highest paid players in the league on each side of the ball. And that is very hard now to build a championship roster around it. So since they couldn't get it going and get it done when these guys were younger, now it's going to be so tough. And yeah, you're right. They have to absolutely nail the draft.

They have won 12 games three straight years. So I don't think the window is closing. I get it, but that's incredible. At this point, it doesn't matter anymore. The problem is they've always had a really good. offensive line for the most part and right now that looks like a weakness which is weird up next

the New York Giants the G-men the G-men timeout time out oh boy wow early timeout the G-man The G-men.

The G-men. The G-men. G-men. The G-men. The G-men. The G-men. The G-men. The G-men.

The G-men. The G-men. the G-men. All right, time it. I'm going to spin positive. I'm sick of it. Rosenthal, he's throwing dirt all over the Giants, his own personal issues coming through.

I'm going to combat that. While everyone was burying the Giants and doing their annual springtime slurpage of Howie Roseman and the Eagles. I thought the Giants made easily the most impactful move in the division with this Brian Burns trade and then subsequent signing.

Their defensive line has Burns a rising, a star who has a next level potential even. You have Dexter Lawrence. I mean, another superstar. And Kavon Tibado, who's personal interactions aside,

had a big second year. and looks like a guy that is hitting as a first-round draft pick. Now they're all together, and if they stay healthy, I know there's issues other places. And I know everybody wants to focus on the Saquan left thing. But that is a game-wrecking defensive line, and it could lift the entire defense and win games. Yeah, I think that is a team strength that matters a lot inside of this division.

Brian Burns was a coup d'etat. I also think Germain Illuminaur along the offensive. line is a versatile guy who adds, they need to add bodies there. My one thing with them is you're into year three of this regime and we know that Daniel Jones is not part of this team after this season. And in fact, it's like, I don't, he feels to me like on strange soil already. I don't care about the Drewlock signing. You are sitting there high up in the draft.

Do you pass on someone like J.J. McCarthy who would have pieces around him. I don't mind that they moved on from Sequeon, but it's like, I would look at quarterback. I just would. to match up with a solid defensive front. I just think considering the decisions that they have made at the quarterback position and how that set them up, that if they're not sold on a quarterback and you get to have your mark on the pick and the way that the franchise goes in the next year,

they have an opportunity to either make that defense a line that Dan was talking about even more of a strength. They could come in and add a wide receiver in these top because considering where they're picking, the quarterbacks are going to go early. A very, very good football player is going to be available. they can make the rest of the team better. And I think if you add, like, a Romo Dunzei to this group with Darius Slayton and J. E. Le Hyatt, you get a good group for some quarterback, whether it's Daniel Jones or

somebody they get later this year. But I just think if you're reaching for a quarterback, if you're trying to solve this problem, then you're, you're exacerbating. Right. I'm surprised that there's been so much quarterback talk because, like, taking the fourth quarterback when you have the six pick seems like a disaster. In a draft that has three number one wide receivers, Malik Neighbors might still be there at number three.

and they need to find their guys. I look at this and I look at some other GMs like Ryan Poles in Chicago that are entering year three and I can see his guys. Who are Joe Shane's guys? Their guys are Gettelman's guys. They're best players. I saw, I heard that.

Eat it. And Jones gets a second year. People can say all this thing about the quarterback. He's going to get the second year on this contract. And we'll see what happens after that. Okay. Up next, Gregi, the Eagles. Fun off season so far for the Eagles.

They've signed three or four of the top 30 or 40 free agents available with Bryce Huff. I like Chauncey Gardner Johnson coming back. Saquan's going to be a great fit. They just keep adding little pieces. And yet I still look at it and it's like, does Vic Fangio have what he needs? Does Vic Fangio still have the magic touch too? For a couple like mixed years, do they still have... Everyone hated him last year.

Right. Mixed as maybe being kind. Like, do they still have the best roster? in the NFL because I look at the two lines and there's maybe some questions but they've planned ahead with Tyler Steen, Cam Juergens on the offensive line. Hassan Reddick is still there. They're probably going to trade him. But I look at a lot of depth on both of the lines. I look at a fantasy football spectacular on offense. The secondary has some question marks, but maybe that's what the draft is for. Is this still the best roster in the league? Because I believe. I don't know if it's the best

roster. I cannot think of too many examples of a quality team. like this with a lot of high profile parts where you're going on to the third straight year on both sides of the ball with a different coordinator. I mean, that affects things especially on offense. It does on defense. I want to see what happens

with Reddick. I think Reddick, I think when you're Howie Roseman, I just expect him to create three or four notable moves before we get into the summer. It's like they're not done yet. And one of those moves seemed like an admission, right? The way that they handled CJ's departure, like they were lost in the secondary

and maybe you can make the case that that reason for that coordinator change was because they were bad. We saw the Eagles lose a coordinator because they were good and you know how much confidence do you have when you saw things fall off at the end of the season? I think I still have it because Jalen was hurt.

AJ was hurt. Not only were the decisions and the play calling kind of questionable down the stretch but the players were hurt. I just don't know that Kellyn Moore really excites me And I wonder how many very talented quarterbacks are going to be saddled with Kellan Moore

and have disappointing results. And supposedly his offense, it's no longer Nick Siriani's offense. And that's deserve it after what happened down the stretch. And, you know, you don't have Kelsey in the building. You don't have Cox in the building. And we were talking about that. And we were talking about the improvement index, Gregi.

They were 27th in that in terms of, you know, the roster losses and their draft standing. So there is a way to look at this roster and say it depreciated in some ways as well. I think it is important to remember losing Jason Kelsey is a massive loss. Now, I look at the rest of their losses. Fletcher Cox certainly was valuable to them, but I think they've replaced them and prepared. Everyone else leaving the team, I can live with that. Well, they lost, I know this is like hard to assess, but they lost like locker room leadership on a team that was in total chaos by the end of last season.

Kid smart Decided to stop talking there That wasn't about the team Wasn't about the team Who was the dark fired? I was just complimenting mark It missed Dan, I think. Playing the game for Dan's builder.

I mean, that's, are we allowed to talk? I thought we weren't allowed to talk at all. Yeah, I thought that was a conceit. I thought Andrew wasn't allowed to talk. It's a completely lawless. All right, let me. Let me, I'm not going to call time out. Now we're making new rules.

It's a circus. I'm throwing the challenge flag. We can talk, but it can't be about the teams. Well, what's the point? Challenge flag. It's a circus. It's almost like, you know, what makes the podcast better? We can talk.

It just can't be about that topic. You know what I mean? Like, in that case, I was giving Mark kudos. Hey, like nine years in, let's just make some new rules. Well, I appreciate the compliment. I think if you're Eric, it's like the rules of this game seems to change every five or six minutes. I think more darts makes the podcast. If now, if I would have said a point,

if I would have followed up on the point Mark made, dart into hell, out of bounds. Put me in Hades with a dart. Gotcha. All right. With that said, more darts. Mark, the Washington commanders.

They're going to keep that name? I would love to see them change that name. None of us have ever bought into that. I don't hate what they did in free agency at all. Because I started there early. Look, I've done that two days in a row. Too bad. I think Doran's arms.

strong following Dan Quinn, Frankie Louvo, we've all talked about him, Bobby Wagner, Jeremy Chin. It's like, there's some veteran, like, identity on this team, and I think that was needed. And, like, I know, of course, that, you know, you move on from your quarterback. They absolutely are taking one at number two. Daniel Jeremiah has them taking Drake May. I mean, I see the Drake May, like, assessments are all over the map. Like, I mean, like, Chris Sims has them in a tier below Bo Nix and Michael Pennix Jr. It's like, I don't know who's going to number two.

I don't know what the commanders think. But I have one question is I think this like addition to the team kind of flew under the radar a little bit. Like you've got a new quarterback and a lot of new pieces on offense. Like do we trust like is Cliff Kingsbury someone we trust at this point to helm a rookie's like opening salve into the NFL? It's like I that to me is a big question mark. I don't know why we would have reason to say that we do. I have I just haven't necessarily seen it. This is a man that found a way to have a losing record with Patrick Mahomes.

And then he comes over to USC and Caleb gets worse, right? There was a serious regression in the quarterback that's going to go number one overall. And so now the cliff move signaled to people that, oh, is Washington going to try to get the number one overall pick? And there hasn't been any sort of move towards that yet. And I'm just wondering what position we're putting a rookie quarterback in if it's a rookie, if they go another direction. I'm just very confused about the team and this is a franchise we thought we were going to get more clarity from

and it feels like we've actually gotten left. And if ever was not a quarterback, they have Marcus Marriota. I don't think they're letting the media know at all what they're interested in so there's sort of a vacuum in people just speculate which actually is a good sign that's different than what was happening in Washington in the past. I don't think anyone's going to know

whether it's Jane Daniels or Drake Me until drafting, which is fun and I think is a sign of a they're getting better. I like the approach. They brought in so many players. 14 new players have come in from other organizations. Eight have gone. I think that's the way to do it with a team like this.

Just hope you hit on seven or eight role players. And some of the moves, like Louvo, like Armstrong, I think I've been among the best in free agency. Yeah. A lot of their moves haven't blown me away, but it's like, okay, he seems useful. He seems useful. That could work.

The Marriota thing blows my mind that he keeps getting a job. But otherwise, I thought, like, they've been effective and using free agency to overhaul the roster and you have a new head coach and it did any team need more of a kind of like a reset this year than Washington. Now, will it work? We'll see. Are they a lot

better? We'll see. But at least they're trying. And then if you hit on the quarterback, who knows? Who knows? So I give them a solid B for their offseason so far. I'd agree. I hope they take Jayden Daniels. That's where I'm waiting. All right. We're just getting going.

so under the old rules I'd take a dart right now I don't know there are no rules like we've established that am I allowed to talk or just you I don't even know

I feel like some people think the dart is a part of that music sound effect because it's so common it's true how's your ammo doing you you fire off

so many darts that I start to wonder like where who's your unlimited ember never ends one of the scariest things was

Eric saying I'm good at taking orders like we he could be a killing machine as like an assassin what was the uh bill hater show barry roberts sleeper cell spin off all right let's take a break and we'll get to the nfc north hey this matt jones now 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 what was that oh

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 to 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. All right, we are back. Let's get to the NFC North. Let's get right into it with the Chicago Bears.

I'll start this one off. They have improved their roster. There is no doubt about that. Love the Keenan Allen move. DeAndre Swift. Cool. Kevin Bayard. Okay.

Gerald Everett. Nice addition to the tight end room. And now everything, all attention obviously turns to the number one overall pick. Everyone knows where they're going to go with this. Barring some type of absurdity, Caleb Williams becomes that guy. So I, speaking of off-season,

where I give a solid B so far. I like what the bears have done. I'd even bump them, Claibon, to a B plus because the first job you have to do when you bring in a pick of this ilk, a number one overall pick is don't surround them with trash. They're trying to set up infrastructure to let the kid hit the ground running,

a la C.J. Stroud. Let's see if it works. Yeah, and they have a very good example from Chicago of what not to do with a quarterback that goes in the first round and how to surround him and how to provide him with the opportunity to be successful.

So you think they take the lessons of they learn from the Justin Fields experience? And I'm looking at Keenan Allen as still A1. Like Keenan Allen, of course, there's injuries. Everybody in the league is going to deal with injuries at some point. But the way that his game is structured, he can contribute three, four, I still think maybe six years down the road. And then you change DJ more and the way the defenses can focus on him. It's all set up there.

What's the schedule like for K. and how are they going to facilitate him to be successful? I'm going to have to see it. I love also that they got Keenan Allen for a four and because their cap situation was what it was they could absorb that salary versus him going being cut at some point and they

were able to make that trade. Keenan Allen DJ Moore. It's part A of two parts because the second part is the draft obviously. We know it's Caleb Williams number one barring a stunner but then they've got the number nine pick too and it's like do you just go like maybe Roba like do you get the best wide receiver possible and

suddenly you've got a stacked offense. I think Gerald Everett matters too. Right. They could be at a spot where those top three receivers are off the board and then the value doesn't seem like it's there. So they take a tackle there. That's where this draft is really deep. Or they take the top defensive player on the board.

I think Ryan Poles has done the thing, which in the thing is by year three of being there, I want to have some stamp on my team. I want to have evidence that my time here has been worthy. And I think he has. He's built up a deal. defense that has an identity. Iberflus made it happen a year ago, but they're still very thin on the, like they could use another tackle, certainly. They could use another receiver. Keenan Allen's

on a one year deal and they have no third receiver, no fourth receiver, no nothing. So that they could look for another one. I mean, feels like a great time to have two top 10 picks. So they, right. It just, there's reason for hope. And yes, the, the fields thing turned into kind of the fiasco, uh, with the way the trade ended up playing up. But it's all in the past now. And you move forward as an organization and maybe brighter days are ahead. For once, the bears are worth some hype. Mm-hmm.

Deserved it. So I'm watching, we're on a freaking monitor. I stopped talking before it hit zero. Pass the deadline away. And as someone who's the tee-up of the segment, I had put a bow on it, then you came in. Well, that's because I saw the four, three, two, one. I thought I'd get one last shot.

I'm not worried about my field goal percentage. Like those guys in the NBA who hold it that extra half second before they throw it. Can you keep shooting him? Give it to me. I think it was still in the hands. You got to go off the clock. It was on the fingertip. You got a stronger dart for Greg?

I think it's a sharpshooters prerogative. Detroit Lions, Mark Sessler. I like some of the very lion-y type things that they did. Like DJ Reader, really good football player to add to the defensive line. Kevin Zitler can still play and like he is sort of a nasty, beefy human to add to their offensive line. The thing with the lions, like last couple years, it's like their defense has kind of let them down. And I know they were better last year than the year before. I do wonder if they could

pull. I know they went and got Carlton Davis. They re-signed Emmanuel Mosley. Amic Robertson's there as well. But they have 26 million in cap space. And there is this behind door number two option. They were listed as one of six teams that had a potential interest in Legerius Sneed. He can play all over the place as a cornerback. Is it so crazy for a team that's on the precipice of Super Bowl, their window is right open. Go get a difference-making cornerback who can also, I think if you use them correctly, he is a total quarterback nuisance

as a blitzer. It would add a whole element to a lion's secondary that look completely different. Like, do you just go for it? They are also aware and made a statement about Cameron Sutton, their cornerback, who they brought in for a lot of money last year, who was being investigated.

Police in Florida, I've been searching for him about two weeks after an arrest warrants for a domestic violence case. So that, and and they release the statement, they're aware of it. And that's another thing at that position that I think is a concern. I was thinking, too, they could be a spot for Justin Simmons, who's a free agent at safety. They could certainly need another safety.

These signings, Marcus Stavenport was another one, like Zaitler was a one-year deal. These are all very much like, let's add a little sprinkled to get over the top on some high-risk, high-reward one-year deals. I think the departure of Jonah Jackson was something that really meant something, but then Kevin Zeitler comes over and you feel solid about that. I just, in terms of the Jared Gough discussion, feel so much better about Jared Gough than maybe, maybe, and Ben Johnson.

I think he might get a contract this off-season. Yeah, why, why not? It's, there's, the negatives there are vastly outweighed by thinking about Jemir Gibbs coming back his second season, knowing how to operate in the offense and more J-Mo as well in the outside. I'm more jammo awesome more jamo this year jamo uh yeah the defense has been the focus reader davenport Robertson carlton davis the third okay davis was a big time move now let's see if that takes the defense from back end of the 32 if they finished 24th in the league and yards per play allowed last year to the middle or even a little bit higher and that could be the difference for

this team to get over the hump in the nFC exciting times indeed I always am a little worried though about the time. I mean, they've, whoever enters the year where it's like, oh, we just need a little more. And I think Dan Campbell said it in the block room. Like, there's no guarantee we ever get back there. And the NFC, I think, is going to look better this year. As much as I like Jared Gough, he's still not one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Like, that division is a nightmare. It'll be tough. Thorny. Indeed. technically I was seconding his point.

I thought you were that. That was an ad on. I'll take it. See, that just shows, again, magnanimous. I didn't say, nice job, Mark. I was actually agreeing with the point,

which is over the deadline of the class. I wasn't going to say anything because I didn't know. I'm trying to go dart free today. I'm like our last guest. We'll see. We'll see. Up next,

the Packers with Greg Rosenthal. I struggled in this exercise thinking like what is the big need for the. Packers. Have they, have they refreshed their roster that fast that like they can do anything on draft day? Certainly they could use a safety, but they did just add day Rear McKinney to big time money was one of my favorite moves in free agency. Left tackle, I think could be one. And they've had such a good history of finding values. But you look at this roster and all, it's just goody

picks sprinkled up and down the draft. I mean, up and down the roster. I guess cornerback would be the spot. You have, you brought Keisha Nixon back, the returner, but Dyer Alexander is still around. People didn't necessarily expect that. Eric Stokes. Like, they could get better there. And yet, I look at this roster and like, a lot of homegrown talent. It's a, there's a lot to like. And Josh Jacobs and A.J. Dillon, to me, is a fun combination at running back. I don't like Josh Jacobs versus where they were a year ago at running back. But that's my own personal bias. I think Xavier McKinney was one of the best signings. And it's a little bit anti- Packers to go out and spend that money the way they did.

But they have sprinkled. They're able to do that because they've sprinkled in so many good draft picks. And really so much of it is like everything that happened last year post-Daron Rogers is everything he was asking for before. And I think one of the bigger issues was the defensive coordinator situation was becoming a lightning rod all over the place.

Jeff Halfley is, you know, comes in with a better situation in the secondary. I'm very interested to see how he performs because he's basically one of the rare guys that like left a head coaching job in college flat out because he was tired of what college football operates. Josh Jacobs is the only player that's going to start on offense that isn't a Packers draft

pick from the last five years. Yeah. And that luxury allows them to kind of do whatever. And I think that tackle spot is the place to fill. And if, say, a J.C. Latham is off the board at 25, then I think the Packers are a solid trade down candidate to try to get. Because if you're a believer in this whole, well, you can get a receiver anywhere. The Packers hit on almost every single one of them in the past couple of years.

so that Goody can do whatever and Jordan Love gives you the opportunity to just kind of take a shot. Love is huge, obviously. I saw a meme floating around one of my favorite movies ever, Goodwill Hunting when Will goes after this SARS guard character and he goes

talking about math for him, but it's for the Packers and picking quarterbacks. Do you know how easy this is for me? Do you have any fucking idea how easy this is? This is a joke and I'm sorry you can't do this. I really am because I wouldn't have to sit here and watch you fumble around and fuck it up. That's

basically the Packers to 24 other teams in the league that cannot find quarterbacks. They've found three in a row. My one point is you don't have Joe Barry to kick around anymore. They got him out of the building mark. Yeah. You like Goodwill Hunting? I love it. I also love when he's

goes after the man with the ponytail early on the iconic line. How about them apples? Yeah. That guy is an annoying academic. He gets an under... Great actor. Great casting. Yes. He looks like a central casting. intellectual oath. I feel like you were baited into that one.

Not at all. Stop it. I was not watching the clock. Stinky Davis. All right. Next, Patrick, the Vikings. So the Minnesota Vikings go out and make a trade. They trade a future second round pick as well as late round pick.

And they're number 42 to move up. It makes me feel like they will take a shot. to try, at least try, Questi sending out some feelers and offers to get a quarterback move up in the draft in 2024. My question about the Vikings, the huge departure of Kirk Cousins, how long does Sam Darnold fend off

whoever the Vikings draft at quarterback in 2020? Is it, doesn't it depend on how big this swing is for the Vikings? Or does it not matter if they take any quarterback in the first round, Sam's kind of basically just a seat former. and take

Jade Daniels or Drake May, I feel like it's less of a leash. I actually think they still would tend to lean towards starting Darnold to start the season, but it'd be less of a lease. If it's a guy in the second round, like I'm not totally convinced

that they're going to take a quarterback in the first round just because we all think. I think that's the natural inclination once they got that second pick is that they were arming themselves to march up the board, but maybe they have a whole different plan that they're about to unfurl.

Or maybe they like Michael Pennix and are going to take them at 20. or something like that and see what happens at 11. They've sneakily had the most transition of almost any team in the NFL over the last two years. I counted 11 players that are out the door that had significant roles that have signed with other teams already this year. And they've had 14 players come in. And I like it. I've liked Questi's process.

I like the players that they've brought in for the most part, Aaron Jones, certainly Jonathan Grinard, Cashman, Van Ginkle. Like, it's a fun group of players they brought in. but it is really a different roster than it was two years ago. It's a lot of transition. Questi openly talked about churning the roster of the process

and they found a way without going into the darkness during all that. I do find it interesting because Daniel Jeremiah typically does not include trades before his final mock draft and he went out of this way to do because they added that second pick.

He has them moving up to number four trading with the Cardinals to get J.G. McCarthy and I think it comes down to if you're Kevin O'Connell, do you have a guy that you fall in love with and that kind of greases the skids for a trade-up. There's a lot of McCarthy, Viking, Spoke. And I get all that, and the focus is on the offense. They've done a great job building up the offense.

The line's good. Addison was a good pick. And I look at this defense. It's the opposite of the Packers. Like, they have almost no homegrown day one or two. They literally don't have a day one or two guy that was drafted on their team that's starting for their defense. Other than Harrison Smith has been there 13 years.

Like, they have no premier homegrown talent on a defense. It's a tough way to live. kind of to me i'm curious what their plan is was the darnald move strictly a move like here's our backup plan if the draft doesn't go our way or they see darnald as a depreciated asset then they can with a cheap qb build up the roster quickly around him and take a swing i guess we'll find out that's the nfc north we take a break and we hit the south 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 to NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. All right, we're back. Mark, do you want to give a Bayside? Want to give a Bayside a try? Do it. Sure. Well, no, he has to say.

I'm not allowing to know here. I had no chance I didn't know. All right. Hit it, Eric. Let's try that again. Did you understand the assignment? I do not have any idea what you're asking. How the Dan comes back from the break with the Bayside thing.

That might be when Mark's just kind of checking out. He might not be aware of what. But then usually, naturally, you would speak next. Do you want me to say something? I'll do it. I'll see what he says. You say what he says. And then coming back out of the last break, you'll give it a shot.

I'll just, I'll just guide us. Wait, so when I initially said, do you want to try. Bayside and you just said, sure, you had no idea what I was talking. Let's play the song. I mean, because it's like like, you know, these things, I kind of am more like a, I mean, react mode during that. We would come out of these long, lengthy, enjoy breaks that we have. Okay, so here they come. Here it comes.

And then we'll try it at the last break. All right, welcome back. We now move on to the Yeah, but I thought you wanted me to do it. Yes. I'm showing you it. Next time around. And then for our last break, you're going to do it. I'll do it on my own. I'll do it on my own. own way when the time comes.

That's what we really want. Okay. There we go. Mark, the Falcons. That was a journey. Yeah, no, I feel at this point, I'm just completely lost it. See, I would, I would ask here we go. Remember the old, like, IBM, you make the call commercials? Those were fun. Like, the back when, you know, there was like, not, you know, there was a less nonsense going on so you could focus on it and like you and your dad would argue over, like, the penalty call.

I don't remember those, but yeah. It might have proceeded you're watching a little bit. I'm not sure either, but it was old school. But I want you to imagine in this world that like Terry Fontno, Falcons GM, has received a case of sunstroke after like a front office boat party at the George 8 Sparks Reservoir, which is outside of Atlanta. And he's down for the county, can't attend the draft. So you have to make the call. And you are looking at a pretty loaded Falcons offense.

Pick number eight, though, you can help Rahim Morris get a foundational defensive player picking Dallas Turner the number one edge guy out of Alabama in the draft they need that or you can look at a wide receiver room with Drake London

Darnel Mooney Rondale Moore and Kyle Pitts and you just go go get Roma Dunze and just say Kirk Cousins no matter even if your Achilles is still only at 30%

you cannot help but hit one of these players on every pass attempt that you have you make the call Greg I think I'm taking the defensive point Well, Dunezay is a unique case. Is he duplicative of Drake London? They're kind of similar in some ways.

Although you would love to have both. I don't think he'll be there. I kind of think the first six, seven picks of the draft are going to be quarterback-wide receiver. It's like an ultimate fantasy showdown. So unless they are willing to move up, I have a feeling they'll be gone. And their defense looks like one of the worst defenses in the league on paper.

It's kind of flown under the radar. You know who they've signed on defense this offseason? Nobody. Literally nobody. Their edge rushers are Arnold Ebaketti and Lorenzo Carter and the other positions are pretty thin too. Best defensive player on the board seems like it's working out well for them, I feel. Yeah, easily. And I think Dallas Turner is in a spot where the Falcons would be able to get him. And the value there, considering that while we love all of these offensive guys, not all of them are going to pan out. It's a very rare to think that every single one of them is offering the value that we think Dallas Turner might provide who's a younger guy who's got this.

the measurables off the charts, it seems like a no-brain, especially considering that Atlanta has tried, like you go back 10, 15 years, like Vic Beasley, all these guys off the edge. They've replaced the Jets as the team never having an edge rusher. Do you want to hear the freaky thing?

What's that? The freaky thing is, now Falcons say we haven't had an edge rusher since, it's also John Abraham. The Jets fans were saying that for 12 years about John Abraham. And now the Falcon years, Falcons are saying,

Same thing. Maybe he leaves like a He leaves a Hicks on these teams That's what I'm saying. How is it possible? Yeah. He's like the guy

who doesn't teach the next generation how to do things and somehow it's lasted for 15 years. The curse of Abraham. They're number one far and away on the

Improvement Index. Cousins. Because of cousins. Yeah. It was zero. It's fair. Could have gone to either of us. The best part is Greg

pointing at the zeros. Like they're zeros. The other time I said it the first time It was that one. Greg, the Panthers. Oh, the Panthers. I feel like we haven't given a lot of Panthers.

Love this off season. I like what they've done. They've decided offensive line and Deonté Johnson, like, that's the best way to help Bryce Young. I think it makes sense. They spent a lot of money for Damian Lewis and Robert Hunt. It's not my money, though, and they are definitely better. Josh Naisman, from the Packers actually is a guy who I had in my top 100.

I like a lot. And so that's all good. And then I look at the defense, and I think this was a pretty good defense. And I like a Giro Evereaux. There's a reason why other teams wanted them. And I just think, man, a lot of talent's gone out the door. Frankie Louvo, Brian Burns, Dante Jackson, Gross Matos, who was a good player. And they've brought some in, like, DJ Wanham and Josie Joel, but not big time players, Jordan Fuller.

And they're asking a lot out of a Gero Evereaux. Like the focus has only been on the offense. And now they might not be good at anything, is my point. Well, they lost key components on that side of the ball, and they're a team largely without an identity, other than the fact that they've largely failed at quarterback and up front. He was poorly protected, though, all year, and I can't think of a quarterback in the league that you don't want to get hit as many times as he was. I think Robert Hunt is a great signing. It was a six PFF's number six guard last year. He looked like it's a big loss for the Dolphins.

You needed to go do that. I just think the number one thing is Dave Canales, two years in a row, he's revived a quarterback's career. this seems more challenging than even Gino or Baker Baker Mayfield. And you can, you feel the panic around the team because the way the draft played out and then Stroud instantly became the start. So they're like, holy God, what are we going to do?

So let's redo the interior of the line. Remember, he's not a very tall quarterback. So it's very important to have some ballers up front that can really get things under control coming down. What was the old Tom Brady thing? You know, bring the pressure right at him. He doesn't like it up the middle.

So they're attacking that. Who does? They add a wide receiver, Deante Johnson, Claibon, who is very talented, certainly bumps back guys like Adam Feeleon, which is necessary into a different spot on the depth chart. So they're trying and we'll see what else they can do here. Yeah, as far as influences the perception,

CJ Straub benefited from a lot of that team that was there, at least Laramie Tunsell, was brought to benefit another quarterback, right, when the Texans were making that original run. And so the Texans had this upheaval. D'Amico comes in, but C.J. Straub was in a much better position. The team was in a much better position than the 2020.

Carolina Panthers where, yeah, Adam Thielen is your number one. And you've got rookies and guys that didn't necessarily work out elsewhere. I think there's reason to be confident. But I'm also looking at Azure Evereaux and the defense like Greg mentioned, where it seems based on Jeremy Chin's

falling off of the planet, that they have a stated belief. And this is the type of player. This is the system that we're going to operate in. And if you don't do that particular thing, then we don't want you to play on. Right. Who are their edge rushers?

and you've kind of brought them these mallers on the line, but they're like run first guys and you don't really have a running back, by the way. Hog Mollies. Save Bryce. Claybon on the Saints. Ah, the New Orleans Saints.

It should be fun. Well, it's always fun. And I think every single year there's this like tis-tisking of the Saints and saying that, well, we see, we told you the cap is real. I don't think anybody especially shout out to Kai Harley

is denying the existence of the salary cap. They're just different ways to manage the salary cap. And so the Saints do actually keep some veterans. DeMario Davis comes back. The Honey Badger comes back. They still have the talent. But last year was the best head coaching season in Dennis Allen's career. The absolute best.

Judge by wins and losses. By wins and loss. Right. Can we just get one Dennis Allen compliment without the rejoin? That wasn't a compliment. It was that the best coaching job of his career. It was just purely a statement of fact. It's damning with faint praise intentionally.

Just let it be. Just let it sit a little bit. Purely a statement of the fact. Best season Dennis Allen has ever had as a head coach of the National Football League. What's the best reason to believe the Saints will finish even better in the division in 2024 than they did in 2020. I can't because I think last year they openly sort of said, we are going to ride through this this year identity-free. I look at the Saints over the last couple of seasons.

I'm like, I don't know how it is you want to exist in this world or what life you're trying to live and what you're trying to tell your fans. Just to me, it's like a roster kind of floating, and what they've done so far this time around feels like more of the same to me. What's a roster led by a defensive coach that wants his defense to be good, and it should be good.

It was good last year. Can it be great? We'll see Chase Young they bring in. We didn't talk about that on the show where it's a lot of roster bonus. He's having surgery right now. Right, if he can be active. So it was a fairly low risk because of the money and, you know, a decent reward, I think, for him.

But you hope he's well. Willie Gay was a nice signing. Like, their defense should be good. I just don't buy that they're suddenly conservative. They haven't done much this offseason. And I feel like more is coming. They need a second wide receiver. They certainly needed left tackle despite having traded up for Trevor Penning a couple of years ago.

Marshawn Lattimore maybe will be part of trying to improve other spots on the roster. I don't know. I hope not because he's one of the best players on the roster. This is where I was supposed to speak. You seem agitated. We just wanted to give you a saint's time. No, no, I always, in this case, I was kind of sitting it out because I felt like the takes were strong about the saints and I don't have the same level of like heat around them. So he's going to keep passing the ball back and forth.

Go ahead. Well, if you say it's the best coaching, you were doing that with little tongue and cheek because I'm giving the judge's score. giving them a lower score. Well, I mean, just again, we've, we've done quarterback wins. There are the group of people that believe that, you know, the quarterback gets to, I feel like if we're applying that to quarterbacks, then we should definitely apply it to coaches. Well, Nate, that was his best season. Well, speaking of, hey, you got to, you mentioned that you had to get Nathan Peterman

in the building quickly. The Peterback wins. I do like Clint Kubiak. The Tampa Bay, a bucking. Me thinks the Bucks are a tad high on their own supply. Remember that Jason Light, Conner, or ambush at the Combine? Yeah, yes. This is also the same Jason Light who recently said that the Bucks free agency

was one of the greatest free agency halls ever. That was a direct quote, actually. And, you know, that meant they re-signed Mike Evans, Levanti David, got Baker under. under contract. And while I believe a wholeheartedly, the positive reinforcement of self is important. I am pounding that message home to my eldest son Jack right now, who's going through

some struggles on the baseball diamond this spring. But perspective, context, also important. Not all back to back to back division winners are created equal. By the way, they've won three in a row now. And it's important to remember that Tampa Bay won these last two division titles, despite a 500 record across those two years actually yeah 17 and 17

so the question becomes what are the bucks have to do to aspire to be more than just the champion of a bad division hmm hit some more explosiveness

on offense like they are a great test of how much continuity matters bringing back all the guys you said even bringing in Jordan Whitehead is continuity again like bringing back a guy that was there when they didn't win the division but they didn't win the Super Bowl

four years ago. So it's been a nice run. His offensive line, he's done a good job Jason Light, like all their entire offensive line is day one or two picks by Jason Light. Like, he's a sneaky good drafter, but I feel like we need to get a few more of the difference makers on the defensive side. Trading away Carlton Davis

and Todd Bowles' defense was really not holding their end of the bargain consistently last. I'm with you, Dan, in the sense that like I keep hearing the buck six saying we're running it back. Like, you finish with the same record as Dennis Allen and the Saints. And you in a bad division and you want to playoff game

against a team that had fallen off a cliff but you're running back something that probably will give you again about eight or nine wins. Yeah, it's the questions are mainly about the offense. To me, I feel confident in Todd Bowles and then that brings me back to Baker Mayfield.

I know it was a fantastic season but am I going to see Baker Mayfield in this vision of the same way I see Kirk Cousins and the same way I see Dak Prescott or Jalen Hertz? I just don't know if Baker gets them over that line where you can have that continuity when it's Tom Brady

because you're going to have an opportunity. I don't know the variance that Baker Mayfield provides is enough to get what's left of that team. And it's another year where Baker Mayfield goes through a coordinator switch. I know he's happy with Liam Cohn. It's like it's another one of these. If you're willing to go that high for Baker salary-wise, why not rework a couple more deals and make a real play for Kirk?

And then you don't. And then he ends up in your own division. and he goes to the team that has the other roster otherwise built to contend best in that division oofa time out time out

time out now it's understandable that you might have just listened to those three minutes and said tad critical there daddy rich so I have a dissenting opinion this dissenting opinion

is actually the owner of West Bromwich Albion football club and also a Bucks super fan Shilin Patel. This is breaking news. This is world exclusive. Hey there heroes longtime listener, first time agitator. I've been a lot more focused on football than football this offseason. But when I heard that the tugboat was trash in the Buc's offseason moves, I had to step in and defend my guys. The Buc's main job this offseason was to retain or extend

for all pro players. And those were Mike Evans, Antoine Winfield Jr., Levante David, and Tristan were and they're well on track to doing that. And a big reason why is because Baker is who Baker is and because he did the deal that he did. And so I think the Bucks have the right combination of players to feast on a weak division. And I'm glad that Dan's sleeping on the Bucks

and I'm glad lots of people are sleeping on the bucks because that seems to be when they do their best work. Going into the draft, they've got a couple holes, O-line, edge rush, and D-Bs. And, you know, Jason Light's been good at getting O-Line men and D-Bs in the draft. And we'll have to figure out how to get the best. edge rusher we can but i think we still have the opportunity to beat up on a weak division the panthers

are trash the saints are still figuring things out and i don't think that the falcons got so much better with the kirk cousins coming off an achilles injury to really scare us away from from you know aiming for our fourth straight division crown so go bucks and up the albion wow there you go boing boing that was a good comeback because i think i think the windfield thing the way they handle that matters. And, you know, there would have been a fair excuse for the post-Tom Brady Bucks just to disappear entirely. And Light has

navigated, I mean, you keep the good players that you have and you keep adding more, but it's like I could, there are worst fan experiences right now. Jason Light's sneaky been there for a decade now. Good job by him. Navigating all these different errors. And he really

is a good drafter. Like, he really does fill in at DB very well. They, They just need more players that are getting better. I feel like they have a lot of players like Godwin, like Evans, like Baker, frankly, who have, like, they're not going to get better. We know, like, they need to be that good

just to get out scored in aggregate by like 20 points over the last two years. So it's like, you need some younger players that are getting better. And Rashad White stepped up and... We're still talking bucks. Yeah, I like it. We got the timeout.

That's what the timeouts for. And I think you keep the guys that are going to be in your ring of honor one day, right? and in terms of like Mike Evans I feel could have gotten a better offer elsewhere. I think Baker Mayfield perhaps could have waited things out. So Saul where Kirk

went and got some more money. But Jason Light, the folks in Tampa convincing them, I think they should be celebrated for that. I just don't see where the ceiling. Like where's that surprise? It's kind of all about continuity because when I look at this Deptrap, man, they do have like these guys have all played together

for a while. Not continuity in terms of the offensive coordinator. That's a little bit of a concern because Liam Cohen is the one guy from the Sean McVeigh tree that really didn't get a bump. He got bumped off the Rams roster by Sean McVeigh. That clear-headed, concise take is

classic Shulin Patel. That's why he's running an actual sports team. Rare that you hear a team owner call another team trash, but I like that. You got to love that too. It is a different sport. I mean, and some of the press he's getting out there. Here's BBC. Shalin Patel, West Brom owner, aiming high

M-Dash. But with realism and patience. How about this from Express and Star? Shulin Patel is already giving West Brom fans something may have been craving. Craving. He was just on our show. Arrow up. That's our budge. Craving's important, as I learned on Love is Blind season 6. Do you have a money steak in this show? It's like the 14th time you brought this show. It was like Crave. When Dan, when you weren't here, Patrick and I actually did like five minutes on Love is Blind season and six, and then I told Eric to take it out

of the show. Were you there for this? Yeah, but I mean, I've not, I watched like two episodes of season one. And then afterwards, I was like, you know what, let's just take that out. It's incredible. Maybe we can put it on put it on the list if folks want to hear that five minutes. I was going to say, you could have done, it could have been a satellite pod, but isn't

that already meanest territory? There you go. I mean, the season's long over. NFL Plus, I think, would it would love. They'll take it. Yeah. Plus will take a little, love is blind. Recap. I've moved on to Blown Away and Top Chef I like that

Glass blowing competition underrated Blown away Thanks for the update All right Let's take a break And we will finish out The NFC

With the West Hey this 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 away 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 to 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. All right. We're back. The show is continuing.

Let's move to the NFC West, the Arizona Cardinals with Greg. Wow, I love you. You did the whole thing. The Arizona Cardinals. All right. They exist. Hey, we're talking about your team. For the first time, I feel like all offseason. They have been quiet. A little surprise, year two of this regime that they aren't stirring things up a little more. Markis Brown, Rondell Moore out the door. They really don't have any wide. receivers. You get rid of DJ Humphreys at tackle. You get Jonah Williams. You have some rotational defensive lineman, but this is still a team if you were just guessing who has like a top

five pick next year. They might, them and the Panthers still have the most to work out. They need a number one wide receiver right now. It's Michael Wilson or Dorch. Like they need a ton on the defensive line. I don't know if they're putting Kyler Murray in the best position to succeed right now. Like, there's not a lot of help on this roster right now. That's my concern, too. And I, like, they have been talked about, you know, Monty Olson Ford likes to compile draft picks, that that's a target in the draft where someone could move up

to get that QB4 or Marvin Harrison, Jr. Michael Wilson is a good player. I thought he showed a lot of promise. But he seems like a good number, too. Greg Dorch is, Dorch is interesting too. And Zach Pascal's your other guy. You can't, I don't think you can afford to move out of that spot and pass up on like Marvin Harrison Jr.

I think you've got to give Kyler Murray and the rest of this offense a chance. And I feel like considering what Kyler has been through, I have more confidence this season than I did a couple of other seasons ago in terms of Kyler coming back with an opportunity

to be healthy coming into the year and seeing these other quarterback situations and the way things have kind of been a success or a disaster. There hasn't been a lot of in between. Kyler's probably that quarterback that's been the in-between where we haven't gotten what we wanted, but there's still hope

of some promise. I think we see that come to fruition. I thought he fit well in this system. Yeah. I think Michael Wilson is maybe not as solid as a one as you would like, but this year two, there is cause to be positive about. It's, it's good from a Cardinals fan perspective that you can

just kind of get things back. You got the boat out of the dock now. It's the repairs are done. And maybe we could go out on the high season and do some things because you had all the drama around Kyler with the contract, then he blows his knee out, then you're waiting for him to return. Now we can go into a new season with a fresh start. There's so much work to do on the roster, obviously, and you lose Hollywood Brown, DJ Humphreys. There's work to be done, Greg. But at least

you have Kyler starting fresh and healthy. And let's see once and for all if he is that dude. I'm confident in him. I thought he fit well in that system. I thought they coached really well on both sides of the ball. Like, Gannon was cooking up pretty creative. of game plans without a lot of talent but that lack of talent is still there so they really need to start hitting like Justin Jones they gave $20 million guaranteed that was their big move on

defense a guy that the Bears weren't exactly in love with the Rams the Rams Aaron Donaldless Rams with Patrick Claybone and it's such we've talked about the Philadelphia Eagles having to deal

with a first ballot Hall of Famer not being on the team, still playing very well. Aaron Donald was still playing exceedingly good football. And he was getting the lion's share of attention as he always would. But the contributions from Kobe Turner last year, maybe because of what Will Anderson did, kind of got slept on overall on his same team, Puka kind of stealing his shine a little bit.

They've done so well in the draft. And Sean McVeigh hasn't actually gone to the combine since 2020. And I'm wondering, are the, are the ramps proving that does anybody need to go to the Combine? The way that Les is cranking out these very, very good players later on in the draft. I'm excited to see what they do this year. That's my only question. Do coaches need to go to the Combine? I think it's funny because Sean McVeigh, like, from a cynical angle, you'd say, oh, he wants to, you know, work less.

I don't think that at all. But it's like the first kind of coach to totally goes to the Combine. Like, he doesn't want to do anything in the preseason. And these are two, like, building blocks of the NFL offseason into regular action, and he just dismisses them both. And last year was one of the best coaching jobs in the NFL, I thought. Well, he's not picking the player, certainly not on defense. I do worry a little bit that they're rolling back this idea of, like,

now it's Chris Shula as the defense court. It's like, we're just trying to be average on defense. And we're going to invest $66 million guaranteed at Guard in Jonah Jackson and Kevin Dotson, which they're going to be fun. It's a creative way that they've attacked this offseason. I like Cam Curl. They brought Bactarius Williams, but also a Keller

Witherspoon is a free. Just like no Aaron Donald and you're going cheap a little bit on defense, and it's a new defensive coordinator. Like Rahim did a nice job coaching this defense up and counting on that again might be, you know, expecting too much. I liked the way J.B. Long put it on

the show on Monday that you lose Donald and it's massive and it's incalculable and we're going to see how they move on. But he was there as a transition with your boy Kobe Turner, Gregi, and that defense getting its sea legs in real time and ending up almost almost getting to the divisional playoff. Iron Young too. I still think there was a world where they win the Super Bowl last year. It was like 1 in 20. I think there was a world. Yeah, J.B. was kind of hitting at that. If they can get by that first game, it's kind of a wide open you never know. And so I get why the way they're playing this offseason

and they're looking to kind of build in this like mock two or is it mock three now of Sean McVeigh's tenure there keep the quarterback upright and you know the sky's the limit I think on offense. They remind me a little bit of the Colts back in the day now the Colts had a couple like Hall of Famers or near

Hall of Famers on defense but it was just like invest in offense every year. Try to be a top three offense every year. Hope the defense is good enough and we'll win 10 games at worst with our offense. The Seattle Seahawks, I got this one. So I feel like for years now, the Seahawks have been parked in a cul-de-sac neighborhood. That's fine.

It's nice. The houses are not luxurious, but comfortable. The people, you know, the people maintain their yards and the neighbors get along. And it's a nice place to trick-or-tree, but also not the place you go if you're hoping to get full candy bars. you know what I'm saying and there's nothing wrong with that like as branded flowers yeah the mini

yeah the mini ones no I'm talking about the full bars the ones Connor Orr gives out right you gotta go to a different neighborhood I imagine that's where that's where they want to be

eventually okay and I think this is a pretty decent roster with you know good players on defense they have talent on offense you know replacement level quarterback

but not a bad player not a major issue it's trying to be a And that kind of set up with good coaching And we'll see how Mike McDonald is Is a recipe for nine or ten wins Maybe a one off road trip in the playoffs But is there something more to aspire to

Does this team have the ambition To try to move out of that neighborhood As Brandon Flowers of the Killers once said There's nothing wrong with working class But what if there's more out there The American Dream as it were I love change And like the Seahawks started to feel

a little stale to me under Pete Carroll as much as I like Pete Carroll. I think Mike McDonnell. I think that's part of like what the setup Carol moving on is because I think they get that, right? So what's that? I mean your all-time Hall of Fame type coaches, an indication they want to change neighborhoods. I think Mike McDonald is going to be a huge story next year.

There's something about his vibe just watching a couple of his press conferences. Like I think the Seahawks needed this and I'm not down on Gino Smith or anything, but I thought that the Sam Howell trade was intriguing because this to me is a starter in development who, if Things get a little shaky at quarterback.

Sam Howell is much more spicy to me than Drew Locke as a number two who can come in and at times look really good. I don't know. Yeah, I mean, Sam Howell takes risk. He holds on the ball way too long. But he can go out there and get buckets. There was a time last year where he was leading the NFL in passing. I don't think it's enough to dethrone Gino. But what it does is it gives you value at the backup position where all these backups are playing.

And, you know, we see a team's actual commitment and how they feel about their. starter, perhaps, considering where the backup is and how good he is, where they're not necessarily concerned about the starter psyche or whatever. We know nothing's going to ruin Gino like that. He's been through everything. But, you know,

talent-wise, on defense, I think there's some room to improve on offense, running the ball, just got to keep people healthy. But I think they can get there. I think they're on the precipice. It's just hard, especially in this division. Their biggest move was just bringing Lenny Williams back. And then... They had to.

re-signing, no offense. So they haven't gone outside that much. They have new linebackers, Tyroo Dodds, and Jerome Baker. I thought were smart. 11 core guys have left the team. Final time out. I really wasn't trying to be a jerk about Gino. I'm just, where does he fit on the, with the Dalton line?

He's definitely above it. Yeah. So I don't think it's replacement. Based on. He's not miles above it. Last year's play also or just the year that everyone remembers? I think he played really. well down the stretch last year.

And if you look at kind of the pop the hood numbers, even the PFF grades, stuff, the two years were very similar. I think he's been a little streaky within those years, but they didn't block well for him. He threw well down the field all season. He's not a perfect

quarterback, but I think he was safely above that. To me, he was in that like 10 to 12 range both years. Oh, okay. I thought when we were in London, we watched him make some, just watching him together at the same time. Gino can whip the ball down field and I honestly think he is higher

than the Dalton line. Mike McDonald did not come out screaming and shouting about he's definitely their starter. But their actions Patrick's point kind of showed like yeah they brought in a backup a backup who has a similar skill set in some ways other than the running to Gino. And a backup that can

learn from Gino I think like for every 20 seconds we spend talking about Sam Darnold then that should mean at least 20 minutes of Gino discussion Well, see. Darnold, to me, is closer to. I mean, that's not a touchy because somebody said something critical about Gino Smith. In the Greg Claibon hive.

Well, but we do send about 20 minutes talking about Gino Smith on every preview show. We've given plenty of Gino Smith conversation on the show. I think Darnold, though, would be closer to a replacement level, you know, based on his contract. Like, I guess that's what I think. We're at a different point of place. But, yeah, right now he needs to prove that it can even be that. Or Baker, even. We don't know about Darnold, but a few years ago, we were.

we're absolutely certain about Gino, right? He's fine. I got to get, you know what? I got to get Nick Shook in here. Shook's got him 18, and I think that is a nice spot. Two years, last two years combined charted passing. This is from football inside on throws 15 yards downfield. You know, Gina Smith, the number one most accurate quarterback in the league. I think what, like when he, he's got his issues, hold the ball sometimes.

He's almost too aggressive, but when he sets up to throw, the ball goes where he wants. to go about as well as any quarterback in the league, which is a great starting point. I think, like, maybe Dan, where you're coming from, because it's kind of how I feel is just like, okay, cool. So Gino Smith's your quarterback. Let's see how that. Right. Don't get it twisted. I just said they live in a nice neighborhood. Yeah, right. He's part of that. It was a replacement level. Like, even if 18 is replacement level, then like, we should be in like, I mean, to talk is. Well, you want a top five, top 10 quarter. I mean, you guys are saying, like, the fact that I could even bring up that Gino's

someone that could be replaced and they can get better at the position is no they were thought is i'm sorry like i just i fundamentally disagree with that they they certainly i think thought about it but i think he if he's in a situation with everything great around him like he's going to put up numbers like jared goff for better i think last year he played well he played well down the stretch probably saved his job he's not bad i um listen agree to disagree i agree to disagree and i respect your opinions. So you're saying you're saying you're disagree. I disagree, but I respect the hell out of you. So it was a shot at Gino. A shot at Gino in that I don't see him as highly as you doesn't mean it's a shot. It's just I don't see him in the same

at the same level. That's all. Yeah. Time in. Time in. Close it out, Mark with the Niners. They have been my pet team for years. They have to. I mean, I think they came in. There was, you know, there was reporting that their number one priority. They lose Eric Armstead and Chase Young that they wanted to make sure that they kept that defensive line humming. And Leonard Floyd, nice pickup. They trade from Lee Collins.

I trust this will just work out for the Niners on some level. I see two mysteries that kind of linger. Number one, like does Brandon Ayuk get moved before the draft? There are, they were linked. Hanging around out there. The talk, yeah. The Jaguars were linked as a team interested. The Steelers.

Maybe not, but he's in the last year of his contract. So you're already paying one of your other wideouts, a ton of money. And it's like, I don't like seeing that, that offense lose even one of those pieces because they're so overwhelming. I think the second thing for me, and I just get this feeling about the Niners, and maybe it's just like, I don't know, I feel like psychologically, or in terms of like a spiritual, like feeling inside the building, like how many more breaking points can the Kyle Shanahan experience take? Because it's like every season has been so heartbreaking. It kind reminds me of like the Saints team that had three terrible playoffs.

losses three years in a row and they've really never been the same I mean it's just like it you get so close and it's like is there a point where we just don't assume they win 14 15 games I think it's a great question from like a human standpoint because these losses aren't just any losses I mean you look at the the Super Bowl defeats the title game defeat like these are kind of feeling like the world is they're winning in overtime of the Super Bowl a couple months ago and they and they can't get over the hump and at one point yeah is that like psychologically just damage you. Offensively, they will return all of their starters.

And they're the, to my mind, the best offense in the NFL. Yeah, they could try to improve their offensive line and do some things. I don't think they'll trade Ayuk, although supposedly they were open to it. Like, I think if Jacksonville was going to give up that number 17 overall pick, they would have done it. And if I was Jacksonville, I would do that. Yeah, he's going to be, because the offense has proliferated literally across the entire NFL. And you have Brandon Ayyuk who's learned it from the person who we associate this offense with

and has gone through all those trials and tribulations. It would be a mistake to move him. But to Mark's point, like physically, I think we saw the accumulation of all those extra football games on the Kansas City Chiefs. And the 49ers played literally the same number of games, but it didn't turn out in the way that they wanted at the end. But over and over again, to deal with that, you're eventually going to get an extra season's worth of football yeah right and playing all of these games and there's such a physical team i think it does add up not to discount them but like over and over again at some point and this is the first year mark about the questions about the defense are fair now after the way they

struggled down the stretch and they've lost players and it's going to be be added a lot gross modos malik collins Leonard floyd jordan elliott kind of under the radar a lot of rotational guys on their defense corner there Yeah, we go out with a dart as we must. We just went around the NFC. We went around the NFC a day earlier. So now you have all 32 team cup. We were thinking there was a year, a few years back,

where we've missed a team, skipped a team. I mean, very, I never, ever agree when, or hardly ever agree when we're getting criticism on social media or whatever, like, oh, you hate my team, you guys, they always hate this team. but when you get your team skipped in this exercise we will take the L

but I think we're covered But especially if you're waiting like you're the fourth division And so you've waited through It's not 48 minutes It's gone 2,048 minutes And then like your team doesn't get mentioned It's like big slap in the face

I think that's only once And we started doing these around DASC NFC's pretty early on in the run of this show I would guess we've been doing it for like a lot of years Our batting average is pretty good Yeah just saying we only miss one team team out of 30.

We hit, like, you know, 800. Yeah. Get off her ass. 990. Yeah, it's probably not 990 up in here. I like to say, if you forgot about a team, I mean, probably not that big of a deal. I mean, I think it might have been the bills also, but this was during like the forget-a-bills. Probably warranted then.

I love forgetting about the team that you forgot about. I mean, you're kind of doubling down here, you guys. I guarantee you next episode, we probably spent like 20 minutes talking about the bill. We make it up to people when we do. It might have been the E.J. Manual tie ride era builds, I believe. It was a while. It was a while ago.

Eric. Second E.J. manual reference this week, by the way. Eric, now it's time to put down the gun. And I think sometimes another risk that we take. And I just did get a report that Andrew's doing great. And he's going to be really good to hear later today. Have we created a monster now? Will he be able to step out of the studio and realize that?

time in his life is over and he needs to become a civilian again i think it's fair question i i would say that if memory serves and i'm thinking of like you know erika and others that every producer that's had like the taser weapon has gone absolutely nuts with it i think it's it's a powerful it's a powerful feeling you have to have a structure in place uh for once he gets home you know a code yes and you not necessarily that eric needs a leadership but he said you know he is an order follower and so he needs that structure in place uh to work not just at home like you know we got word from kinsington palace yesterday uh that kate is working at home right work from home we can we can trust that report relatable sit yeah and so i just want eric to be able to to dart from

home safely wow yeah appreciate it guys let's go out with alice badura's um song simply titled Patrick Claiborne. We'll be back next week. Now, Gregi, you are taking a much-deserved vacation next week. I am, yeah. So enjoy that. My in-laws and my parents meeting up for the first time since their wedding 17 years ago.

I see. Where? Undisclosed location. No, Hawaii. Nice. So, and then I'll be taken off the next week. Going to the same island. Wow, look at us.

Oh, nice. so we'll see you Tuesday Patrick Leibon Until then He'd the call You are the man Momentum

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