NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Bruce Arians Steps Down; Baldy on the Big Stuff

Episode Date: March 31, 2022

A room filled with some heroes - Dan Hanzus and Gregg Rosenthal bring you all of the latest news in the NFL including Todd Bowles becoming the new head coach of the Bucs with Bruce Arians stepping away, the new overtime rule changes and Bobby Wagner heading to the Rams. Brian “Baldy” Baldinger stops by to go over all the “BIG STUFF” happening in the league.NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hey, everybody. Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the 6th, 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 Sunday. 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. The Around the NFL podcast is 100% USDA credited me. From the Chris Wesleying podcast studio. right not really it's around the NFL i'm dan hansis just got a hero here a lone wolf greg rosal not the lone wolf uh that that's an accurate money drop because the the two biggest meat eaters on the podcast really the three biggest including erika who puts down

some steak uh you know we're here and the one that does not eating meat is Not here. That's all I'm saying. Puts down some steak, I feel like. That was nice. We were there. We were there. St. Elmo's.

Yeah, you think I'm not going to eat my $65 a piece of meat? Absolutely. And the only reason it really comes to mind is because you berated the rest of the table like for who didn't finish their steak. Well, I just can't. You're just, I guess you're just little. You're just little men. Yes, no Mark Sessler who gave us a text.

early this morning that he was under the weather and that's a shame and he hopes to be back for the TV show tomorrow. I do worry about Mark. You know, he's a very close person to us.

In fact, why don't we give him a call? Why don't we just check in on Mark and see? And I know Greg what you're thinking. You're saying, oh, what are you doing? You're going to check to see if he's actually sick?

Like one of those things? But I wouldn't put that out there. But maybe you would just check in on him so you how he's doing. This is a surprise. and it could go in a lot of directions. So I'm excited. Ricky, you got his number?

I wouldn't be so bold as doing this plan. This is a Dan plan, to be clear. Thank you for calling NFL expert and podcast extraordinaire Mark Sessler. Please hold and enjoy these snazzy tunes. Thank you for holding. Mark will be with you soon. Weird. what up biotch hey mark what's up buddy you got a second let's do this uh really sorry to uh

hear you're under the weather uh hope it's a a quick thing and you're back on your feet soon thank you for saying that oh yeah no no problem i know you must be upset to be missing our discussion on bruce aryans and todd bowls and tampa anything you want to share there this is a huge story indeed indeed just want to let you know me and greg are holding it down today but you're missed and can't wait until you're back. Well, you nailed it, Dan. I think we just stay right there with that. Greg, do you have anything you want to chime in with?

Yeah, just want to know how you're feeling, Mark. Greg, an excellent point by you and a great article on the site. Thanks. I didn't know you've been reading. I really appreciate that. All right, man, we won't keep you any longer. I'm annoyed now. Gotcha, got you.

Later. Check you later, Brock. There you go. He sounded maybe a little under the weather, but also that's the same old. Mark. He sounded good, actually. That encouraged me because I'm worried about, I was worried about the broadcast and just how he's feeling.

That just sounded like Mark being Mark. Yeah. We did indirectly, I want to call it a threat by any means last week, that we are continuing to call data from his voice to build a Mark AI bot, and then he misses a show the next week. It's almost like that didn't scare him straight. So just know that we have powers, and maybe he'll learn that everyone's represents. placeable in the future. Maybe he's in a better place right now.

He did tweet 17 hours ago as we're taping this. It was his last tweet that he was desiring to live in hillside worlds where an entire day is staged around watching a dense karate epic from a lush couch with white wine and takeout meals, which does sound nice. Sounds nice. Sounds like something Jason Zumaltz should have gotten out. I talked up this morning and he did say that he really wasn't feeling well. He really was like, I really don't feel good. Of course. We didn't say that he's not.

No, I know, I know. What are you insinuating? I just want to put that out on the record that he was sick this morning, for sure. You spoke with him? I texted. Yeah, he sounded better just now than earlier. This morning, it was text only. Okay.

A lot of show to get to today. It's just the two of us with Ricky. So we're going to have to soldier on Mark, Greg. Luckily, we have a guest coming in, a friend, a colleague. Brian Baldinger, one of the best in the business. And I liked your idea for how we're going to dig in with Baldi. Baldi on the big stuff. Baldi on the big stuff.

It's been a while. I could hear Baldi talk about anything, the small stuff, the medium stuff. But I would like to get sort of his take on this side, the seismic movement that we saw in the end. So many big moves. Free agency going wild. The trade tsunami has been just leveling the NFL in a lot of ways. So we're going to get to all that. the big stuff with baldy but before that let's do some news i have the job now and i kind of love the title's

pretty good we'll figure out what the hell it means soon but we're going to get to bruce ariens in just a second that is bruce erins from his goodbye i'm no longer a head coach press conference and i was probably pushed out of the job by my quarterback um but uh he's right that is the goal that we should all have both you and i gregg everyone listening at home everyone behind the glass you want to get that brass ring, sure, but what you really want is the senior consultant gig, which means you don't really work, but you get an office and you get a nice, steady paycheck to do nothing at all. John Elway has that role now in Denver.

He used to be the GM in a much more important role, but he has that role now. That would be nice. I don't know. They used to have those sort of roles actually at the NFL. Do you remember about seven, eight years ago? There were certain, like, relatives of people who would just get. get in office and they would never show up. And there were, you know, a certain level of management that, it wasn't at the top.

It was sort of middle top. And they weren't really around. It felt like legacy jobs. I feel like they've gotten rid of those jobs, though. I don't, listen. And you could speak specifically to our company if you wish to continue down that road. But I will say this, those jobs still exist. Oh.

It's a major aspect of corporate America. I'm sure it is. And I like that Arians, when he made that joke here, was sort of admitting. like oh yeah this is not a real thing I don't think anyone I don't think anyone really sees him as a front office guy who's going to be grinding and even Tom Brady

and his Instagram message to Bruce Aaron seemed like it had been written a long time before it happened because I mean he really was it was well written and long for to have right after Arians retired he he noted how much more time

Aryans would have with his family so I don't think it's going to be a heavy duty We know that matters to Tom Brady. Yeah, so Bruce Ariens reported on Sunday and then the press conference today, Bruce Ariens retiring. He'll join the front office in limited capacity. 69 years old said it had nothing to do with his health. He's had health issues through the years. This is more just about where he is in his life a year after winning a Super Bowl.

Tom Brady comes out of retirement. He leaves in like a, listen, we talked about it on the network. there's a there's some red strings you could take out here and pretty easily piece this together the season ends for the bucks uh brady retires there are reports connecting bruce aryan's level of work ethic not connecting with how tom brady likes to do things and in general some budding of heads brady's retirement last 40 days he comes out of retirement and then after a perfectly acceptable amount of gap time i believe it's about three weeks Ariens disappears from the picture. Here's Ariens speaking on that.

Is there any rift between Brady and the coach? Brady was sitting in the front row, as I understand. No, we have a great relationship. I mean, at all the players who are, there are a few in here, every one of them's gotten cussed out, including him. So that's just part of me, you know? So there's nothing new. But we have a great relationship.

I mean, as soon as he retired, I think we text every week. Where are you at? What are you doing? When you're going to play golf? when you're getting back down this way. And so people got it right. I mean, and it couldn't be further from the truth. They ain't playing golf great.

All right. We'll get into this Brady thing first. I do want to get to the Aryan's legacy of it all. It is a great coach. And there's a lot just to give him his flowers there. But this stuff is interest. How is it not? Some of the timelines here just don't add up.

Jay Glazer reported that Aryan's start. to think about stepping back after Brady returned. But Roy Cummings, who's a Hall of Fame voter, Tampa Bay Times, has covered that team better than anyone, says Brady knew. Brady knew when he returned, either the day he returned or the day after he officially announced his return that Ariens was leaving. And I just, I believe that. We heard a sparrow. I heard a sparrow. And it was secondhand.

I'm like Dan Hansis. You've got to have multiple sources, you know. So it wasn't something I was comfortable with going publicly, but someone who was a secondhand info with someone inside the building there that said this was going to happen. Our ATN deep throat. A deep throat. He knows who he is.

Maybe he even wants a shout out. I don't know. Well, don't say because I texted him and I said, I think you have a role on the show now as our ATN deep throat. And I was thinking we could bring him on the show in the future and modulate his voice. That would be good. I don't know if he has anything beyond Bucks information.

Never know. But that's still, hey, look, they're a Super Bowl favorite. So he said this was coming. And he was absolutely right that Brady, whether he exercised an ultimatum, or whether it's just like soft power. You know what I mean? Like, everyone inside the, if we're hearing this stuff, everyone inside the building kind of knows the score.

Brady goes to London. He talks with ownership. He might not even need to say anything, but he can kind of make it clear. where he's at and then the wheels start going in motion and maybe it's for the best. Bruce Ariens didn't sound like he was as invested last year as you would want your head coach to be. And like what a better way to leave than to leave it to all your friends, Todd Bowles, Byron Leff, which he did set it up nicely. Yeah, it's set up well and Todd Bowles, who's a complete opposite personality to Bruce Ariens, which isn't good or bad.

He's just very different as a personality. we'll see how he does in this job. It is important to note this is Bowles' second chance as a head coach. He was with the Jets for four years and had one winning season and a lot of losses. But he was also with the Jets right in the smack. And I'm hoping they're starting to come out of this now. But when they were as dysfunctional as any team in the league and so terrible with their draft record and it felt like Bowles had no chance in that setup.

Now with the Bucks, he has a very good setup in place with a Hall of Fame. quarterback with perhaps the best quarterback ever leading the way and back and still motivated. So I like Bowles' chances of picking this up and continuing the winning. I think the NFC is pretty wide open, Greg. I think there's no clear, like in the AFC, you look at all these big Titans now, maybe not the actual Titans. Sorry, Grave Digger. And the NFC is wide open.

So the buck's, the window still open for him. Oh, absolutely. I think that the first over under wind totals were released. this week. And I believe the Bucks had the most in the NFC, which totally makes sense to me. They've had some transition in terms of their roster this year, but it still looks great. They're the team with Brady. The Packers were right there next to him. And Bowles is going to call plays, which I like because he's really good at that, and you would hate to lose that. They announced Casey Rogers and Larry Foote will be co-defensive

coordinators. I mean, it is an incredible staff. A lot of coaches talk about trying to do the thing in succession and all that. And even if Arian's hand was forced here, it doesn't change the fact that he's about it. Like he brought these men to Tampa from Arizona. And it's not just because they're black and he wants to promote diversity in the NFL. It's because he knows that it's almost like a market inefficiency that not enough of these great black coaches are getting hired. And so he's going to be the one to do it. And he's benefited. His last two stops have been incredibly successful. And so there's a lot of Brady fans out there

and a lot of sort of Brady wanted Ariens gone. And that was a tricky relationship. And I buy all that. But Aryans also helped Tom Brady a lot. Like this was a different offense and a different system that he put Tom Brady into. It helped make Carson Palmer

an MVP candidate late in his career, changed his whole career arc. And I think it helped Tom Brady take advantage of his big arm. Like he was not throwing these bombs, Dan, in New England. he was throwing it in Tampa. And yes, maybe it took Tom Brady and Lefich kind of putting their foot down

after the biweek in the 2020 season to fully maximize all Brady, but you can't tell me he's not a different quarterback in Arian's system and more effective, like, and more fun to watch, which is what I came up. Certainly more effective. I wonder if things had gotten a little stale in New England and the personnel was inferior, vastly inferior.

And we learned that a gradual decline, in fact, was not taking place with Brady from skill. set side. I think at the end, though, when I look at this whole situation and how it all played out, first of all, beautifully done by Tom Brady, if this is what I think it is, it felt like a perfectly orchestrated hit. And Brady ends up winning because Brady always wins. And Arians retires, quote, unquote, but he also gets the shiny press conference and he gets the owner saying, you're in our ring of honor immediately, even though you only had

two good seasons. Oh, come on. He won a Super Bowl. You go in the ring of honor if you win a season. All right. Boles very neatly elevated to head coach. It just felt like it was very pat and handled a sensitive

situation, a potentially explosive situation. If indeed the coach and the quarterback were no longer on the same page, they get their quarterback back, they get the coach out without the coach going nuts about it. They handled this well. It's true. This is how business works.

It's like the people at the top don't ever get any blood on their hands. It's just like passive aggressive stuff and everyone knows what everyone wants. One of the pieces of evidence, I think, that's strongest in terms of Brady's role in this is just listening to Bruce Ariens from earlier this month. If you heard him at the Combine, it almost felt like he was trying to score points against Tom Brady saying how much credit Blaine Gabbard deserves and that there's no chance

Brady's coming back. We have some sound that I think speaks to what I'm talking about. Do you find it odd at all that he hasn't really firmly slain? He slammed the door shut. He slammed the shut when I talk to him. I think a lot of these guys, he likes to have his name out there. I mean, that's not a guy who I think had the inside track

of what was actually going on. I do feel bad kind of like raining on his parade on his last day. Don't feel bad for Bruce. No, I don't feel too bad. Bruce is fine. Yeah, that's true. Like, I do think of the joy that he brought us just as football watchers and Wes specifically, Wes loved him some Bruce Ariens.

He loved that Cardinals team, that Bruce Ariens coach. I would say if I had to come up with a team that West loved the most in our entire run. The true team of West T.L. In the entire run of Around the NFL podcast, it was the Bruce Ariens Cardinals. And I think part of that was this bombs away. I'm not going to worry about what's going to go wrong. I'm going to go vertical. I'm going to be fun to watch.

I'm going to let my players. Trust your players. know, be who they are, and he really was a great, great quarterback whisper. That's what his book's called, and he is the dude that did that. Who else helped Peyton Manning, Ben Rathlisberger, Palmer, and Brady? No one else has a resume quite like that and just made a lot of fun football. So I appreciate that. As he retired, the Steelers are already trying to retire.

That didn't happen. That happened once. They released the statement that Bruce Ariens retired. That's right. I forgot the Colts part of it, too. Andrew Luck. I mean, this man did touch a lot of great quarterback. It's good to be, well, I guess touched by great quarterbacks, too.

It's true. It all worked out. I like Bruce Arias. I love, he's going to be missed because the coaches and, again, Todd Bowles, he deserves a second chance. He has paid his dues. He has succeeded in that organization. But he will not be giving you any sound bites.

That is not what Todd Bowles does. I followed him with the Jets for four years. Bruce Ariens is a character, and the more characters the better. Wait, what did he say we lose, we booze? But also we win, we booze. Bowles pointed out, Bulls does not smoke, Bulls does not drink, Bowles does not swear. But I think he has the respect of everyone there. And I think you get a little bit of the personality and the offensive genius there in Byron Lefwich in terms of, you have kind of the next generation Ariens in Lefich.

And I think he takes over the offense. And I think Brady loves that because it seemed like those two dudes were a lot closer than Brady and Arian's were. I do have a quick Todd Bulls story to share from the Combine in February. Please. walking through the lobby of our hotel I turned the corner out of the elevator heading towards the bar and coming in the doors from outside

there he is Todd Bowles he's a big man by the way former NFL player of course of safety and Todd looks at me and I can tell you recognizes my face so you must watch NFL network or something you know or maybe he's a huge fan of our podcast or you never know and he's looking at me

but he doesn't know my name and he's like eventually he just goes hey man this is a big place I was like Yeah, it is, Todd, it is. He's like, you know where the front office check-in is? I was like, right there, Todd. And he was still looking to me, trying to like place the face. He's like, all right, see you later.

I said later, man. That was my Todd Bolt's story. It's good. And now he's Tom Brady's head coach. You see, it's a good story. Thank you very much. Todd Bowles was the coach when the Ryan Fitzpatrick Jets beat the Patriots in overtime. Remember when Bill Belichick won the coin toss.

in O.T. and elected to kick off. Oh, yeah. Meanwhile, Todd Bowles was just trying to figure out if you worked there or not. He was just like, can I ask this guy where the checker knows? It was wearing a name tag. All right, anyway, here we go. Let's move on here.

Speaking of our league, the NFL, they've heard. Nick Shook put it well here in the article on NFL.com. The NFL has heard your cries and adjusted accordingly in the postseason. The league's owners approved the change to overtime rules on Tuesday that will ensure both teams will receive a possession in overtime. NFL Network Insider Ian Rappaport later added that the vote in favor of the rule change was 29 to 3. This rule will only apply to the playoffs where the advantage has statistically been more skewed toward the team winning the OT coin toss.

They're 10 and 2 in such contests since the previous OT format began in 2010, then in the regular season. So always good. Speaking of Wes, he used to. to applaud that the NFL was a league that was always open to changing and evolving with its rules. And in this case, once again, they're going for it. They're trying to make this better. And I agree with it.

Yeah. I don't have a hot take either way. We don't have to have hot takes and everything. No. Sometimes you can just agree too. Yeah, but I was said on this podcast, I would have just kept it how it was, but I'm also fine with this. I got like some tweets be like, I hope you.

slam on this overtime rule. It doesn't make sense. Like, it's fine. Why would you slam it? Why do we have to slam everything? We don't. But in this case, I said, I like the time. I like the time aspect because to me, football has a time element to it.

And just like who's ahead after 10 minutes, to me makes sense. And then maybe sudden death if you wanted to do that. Because some of the issues of both teams get it once are still there. I think, like, people were just realizing this week, you know, if each team scores, then it's sudden death. You know what I mean? Yeah, but at least both quarterbacks got in the field. Sure.

So it's fine. And it doesn't happen that often either. I think there's been 11 overtime games actually since the last rule. So that's fairly often. It's more than you would have expected. It's about one a year almost. So it's not like a high leverage in that it's the biggest games of the year. And obviously you think about the Super Bowl with the Falcons and the AFC Championship,

Pat's Chiefs and Bill's Chiefs last year. So it's huge, but it's also one game a year. I'm not going to, like, go crazy here. And it feels like these big rule changes occur when something crazy happens in the previous playoffs. Remember, the pass interference rule was a direct reaction in terms of putting it over the top to the Saints getting job in the Rams playoff game.

This one, obviously, is directly connected to Bill's chiefs. And Josh Allen playing a level of quarterback that we've rarely seen, not being able to get the ball in overtime. And you know what else, Greg? Again, sometimes it's just to me a good rule. I think you need it for the regular season. But I think in the playoffs,

you give yourself that extra cushion to let the best team win that game for it. I'm fine with that. And also remember when they changed the NFL defensive holding rules because Bill Pollian was in charge with the Rules Committee and he was a big whiny baby

that Peyton Manning kept losing. Developing news. Is this from ESPN? Do they have it first? Because I credited Schaefter on different news last week, and Ian texted me. What's your deal, dude? Well, it came from Richard Sherman first.

Okay. Well, that's that we want who breaks it. Yeah. So Richard Sherman and here's a... But Jordan Rodriguez confirmed it. It's a five-year deal. Ian confirmed it. All right, let me see.

This is what the news is. Former Seahawks Pro Bowl linebacker. Bobby Wagner is signing a five-year, $50 million deal worth up to $65 million with, of course, the Rams per league sources. So Wagner stays in the NFC West. He goes to the Rams because, of course, the Rams are, if nothing else, Greg, they're predictable. And you knew, like I had connected the dots of Clowny going to Los Angeles because they like veterans that are maybe on the wrong side of 30, but still have juice to take them over the top. And the latest now is Bobby Wagner,

one of the great linebackers, perhaps the greatest linebacker in Seahawks history. And to me, this is just ultimate respect from a team that had to go against him the most. Like Sean McVeigh knows that Bobby Wagner isn't quite at his peak, but he knows preparing to go against Wagner twice a year for the last five years.

What an incredible challenge that. is what incredible intelligence Bobby Wagner has, how great he is stopping the run. And like, wow, what we could do with that guy. Because he doesn't really fit their team building process in general. In general, they don't pay any offball linebackers. You've got to save money somewhere. They just draft guys in the middle rounds. They never pay an offball linebacker.

They did it here because it's Bobby Wagner. And just because I think they feel like they know him so well after going against him twice. And I trust their track record. I know the Rams, you may have. look at that contract and given that Wagner maybe has fallen off a little bit in recent years, that's too rich, blah, blah, blah, but they, the Rams are very up front. They're a year-to-year organization. They're in it to win it.

And if- Well, we keep saying that, but they're always in it. So they're the most winning franchise. And they finally won it. Right, but they've been winning, is my point, is... Duh, winning. Since McVeigh showed up there, they're second in wins behind the Chiefs. And so they've won every year.

They haven't had a first-round draft pick that whole time. not literally not once and to me it's they are inspiring how other teams are doing and I bet this deal when you break it down it'll be something like

two for 18 which is it's just fine I think the question with the team building of the Rams and again you can't really be critical of it because the Lombardi trophy

is in their lobby right now but will the bill eventually come due and there'll be a shipwrecked franchise for half a decade I don't think that's how it works though That's what I'm saying.

I don't know if that's how it works. If it does, if there actually is a bill to pay, if you build this way, where you keep trading all these top draft assets and keep on bringing veterans and spending all this money, is there a downside to it? Or maybe if you run your organization the right way, yes, you are showing people that you can do it this way as well. And that becomes the trend because, you know, the NFL is filled with followers up and down. I think we've seen it. I think they've impacted how teams have approached this offseason.

and they have these guys that I look at their roster that'll be there a long time. I guess that's why I don't see it ending anytime soon. The key guys, and they've been fortunate to draft some of them, that's good on them. But they've also been smart to bring some of them in, like Stafford and Alan Robinson now and now Bobby Wagner. All these guys are under control for two to three more years.

I see this current iteration of the Rams at least being very good for the next two to three. Troy Reader is a free agent, Ernest Jones. as a rookie struggled, especially against the run. So you imagine that Wagner is going to be a monster moment in the playoffs, though. What was that? The 49ers game where he might have been one of the best players. So I think they're excited about his development, him and Bobby Wagner together. Spicy.

Spicy. Good little developing news there. Let's take a break and continue on. What's up, everybody? Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Sticks, we take you inside the game from Scathinger. 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. It's 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 league year after year. Whether you're a diehard 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. 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 IHeart 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. 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. All right, we're back. Yes, we are in the era of trade everybody. Just make trades. Go crazy. Be part of the cool kids. Oh, we have our best player.

Oh, let's trade him. Trade his ass. That's cool. That's fun. So maybe now that the Seahawks have already done that, they traded. You think it's like peer pressure? That's why everyone's doing it. I think so.

I think the league is most. driven by peer pressure. There's something to that. And now because Devante Adams moves in a trade, because Tyreek Hill moves in a trade, now the assumption is, D.K. Metcalf's up for a contract. He'll be moved in a trade. And yet, Greg, you would think, no, they won't do that. He's young and he's a stud and they need to build around some players. You keep on hearing things from both Pete Carroll and John Schneider that make it feel like a trade might be likely or perhaps probable in this situation. Yeah, this is one of the more mystifying stories of this off-season.

First of all, Seahawks fans listening to them talk up a Drew Locke, Gino-Smith quarterback battle. We'll get to that at the same time that Bobby Wagner's joining their division rivals and Russell Wilson's on the Broncos and now this, that they might not be keeping D.K. It's tough off-season right now for Seahawks fans. Schneider brought this up that the money for these. wide receivers are just getting crazy. And then you hear this stuff behind the scenes and you think is an agent getting involved

looking for the next right place for him because they both Pete Carroll and John Schneider at the owner's meeting said it's their intent to bring back D.K. Matt Gaff, but like, why is that just an intent? Like that, it's a strange way to put it. And he said, well, we're having a normal offseason and it's part of the normal process and we'll look at everything. And that's weird. That's weird to me.

It's the same words they used, by the way, for Russell Wilson, that they intended to keep Russell Wilson. They said that before the owners, I mean, before at the combine, so it's very similar. There's certain buzzwords when you hear them like, oh, okay, we hope, we intend. Why would they do this, though? We plan. Keep good players. Right.

That seems to be smart, but, you know, they are looking at their roster in a different way now. Speaking of Russell Wilson, yes, he's gone for the past couple of years. It's been Gino Smith, who has backed up the QB. He got some starts when Russell Wilson suffered that finger injury. He's currently a free agent. But, well, you know what? I think it's time for another episode. I think we're due.

Hit it, Ricky. And now another edition of Sipping on Vino, checking on Gino. Yes, Pete Carroll. He's trying to figure out who his quarterback is going to be. And he's thinking to himself, let's not rule out Gino Smith, just the way that Greg Rosenthal thinks before he goes to bed every night. And I think it would be a shame if he misses this opportunity. He's invested a lot with us.

He knows our system the best. He performed well at it once he got going last year. You know, can he take off from where he finished up? You know, unfortunately, you know, the Jacksonville game was his last game. And it was almost a perfect football game for him, you know. And so we have very high hopes that he can run the system really well. And so he's not going to miss the opportunity. I can't imagine it's just too good for him.

Did you just do the, like, Bill Clinton, like, kind of a thumbs up? Like, that's great. Unreal head nod. Look at both of us. Like, do you see this? You see the perfect game. I was like, good job, Pete. I mean, analytics have suggested it's one of the great starts by any quarterback in the last 20 years.

So now we know why they traded Russell Wilson. It's what the numbers say. Pete Carroll wants Gino. Gino does need to make sure in his agent that this deal does happen because he's probably not going to have many chances to compete to start. But it's funny how Carol's just putting it out there so obviously. Just like, the opportunity he's been waiting for has finally arrived. Like, he better come in there and they're trying to probably structure a contract in a way

that if he actually is the starter, that he gets compensated better for it. But he's got to be careful here. There are other quarterbacks out there. And I don't know if he has much leverage. He's definitely not getting a chance to start anywhere else. I don't even know if he has much leverage. We talk on Gino Smith? Well, you got to at least be fair to your players.

They clearly love them. They like them. They want them back. I know. You were banging the drum on this one about how D.K. You got to admit. Oh, he couldn't stand Russell Wilson. And then D.K.

Mekhaf comes out with an Instagram post that's a love letter to his now former teammate. I'm saying Pete Carroll likes Gino. They want to sign him. Yeah, but do you trust 70-year-old Pete Cowell will be making the right decisions right now? No. I don't know. But I don't know what's going on. I do want this to happen.

It's been a weird off-season. If they trade away D.K. Metcalf to your Jets and Gino Smith is starting week one. Someone pointed out to me, too, which I guess I knew, but you kind of get so used to the stuff that you forget, that the trade offer that I pushed on Tuesday's show or Monday show about the Jets sending the 10th overall pick to Seattle,

that's the Jamal Adams' first round pick. That's perfect. So Seattle would get back the pick that they, you know, It would be maybe a tough pill for Seattle to swallow to get back the pick that was theirs already. But anyway, that was a good up. Good up of, you know what. And that was another edition of

Sipping on Vino, checking on Gino. Good up, good up. I mean, I can't wait to see him starting games again. He's officially going to outlast Rex Ryan's head coaching career, by the way. Now, if he makes it one more year, doesn't mean anything. He's one more than Rex last. as a head coach.

Well, he's also got a, you know, he's got to handle some off-the-field issues, including a suspension, I think, that could come down. He did have a DUI. He did have a DUI. Another reason why it doesn't feel like he has a lot of leverage in this. No, I just don't see the Gino Coaster has having a ton of leverage right now. In other quarterback news, Kyle Shanahan still has Trey Lance and Jimmy Grapple. We got to talk to Baldi about that.

This is big stuff on their roster. and he's starting to get annoyed, Gregi, it seems, with the constant questions about Jimmy G and his future. That's why we looked into training Jimmy. I mean, because we obviously believe that Trey can be a starter, and we're ready to do that. But if we can't upgrade our team in another way, we're not just going to get rid of a good quarterback

because we have other quarterbacks on the roster. I mean, quarterbacks are really hard to come by. Some teams don't have any at all when Jimmy gets to surgery, and we can't upgrade our team by getting some good picks until the surgery, until people feel good about that, I'm all right with that. I mean, we're not just getting rid of him to get rid of them. Jimmy's a good player that we all really like as a person and as a teammate.

And we're going to wait to see whatever helps the Niners in those. I like the tone of his voice. It's that like, all right, dumbasses, I'm going to explain this to you for the last time. So listen up and listen closely and write down your little notebooks, everything I say. He just lays it out. I think it's also informed by the coaches and owners party. We've been to that party, Dan. Oh, it's the night before the press availability for Kyle Shanahan.

And if you saw the, I don't know if you saw the video of this clip, but Kyle looked tired. He looked very tired and very annoyed. So you're waking up, maybe not on, you didn't get the best sleep in the world and you're mad at the world. And by the way, this also might be a story that pokes at some frisures in your organization between the GM. because supposedly the GM was saying that he got two second round picks offered for Jimmy G.

I don't believe that. But this situation, I feel like, has been bumbled a little maybe Kyle didn't get his quarterback in the last draft. Who know? You're still pumping at Mack Jones conspiracy theory. Yes, I am. Yes, until we see Trey Lance thrive or fail, we don't know how this really is getting up playing out. But, yeah, he also said he acknowledged that the shoulder surgery for Jimmy G is kind of fouled things up. And I believe that. I think if Jimmy G came out of the season healthy enough to

avoid the hospital, they probably would have pulled this trade off. And I still think he gets moved. But they were the same people. They were like, oh, putting it out there all these reports from insiders, I was like, well, I don't think the shoulder injury is going to impact his trade value at all. John Lynch, I've just kind of noted, they're a little too obvious about their like public positioning of all this stuff. And I wouldn't be shocked if Jimmy G is all. on this roster. I really wouldn't be totally stunned. Okay.

All right, maybe they're a little obvious, but they nearly won the Super Bowl a couple years ago. They had an injury wreck season, and then they came within a fourth quarter collapse of going back to the Super Bowl. Oh, yeah.

They're doing a good job of that organization. Attempting to publicly create leverage for your quarterback in a train. It's not like the biggest deal as GMs, though, either. I mean, it's not that important. All right, you want to do a little Scott Fitterer talk? I feel like he doesn't get enough, Pop.

No, pop. I've never talked about him. All right. Who is Scott Fitterer? I'm giving you a little window to respond to yourselves or whoever you're with right now. No, you're wrong. He's the general manager of the Carolina Panthers. He acknowledged this week that it would be a tough choice between grabbing one of the top blockers or playmakers in this draft and filling the quarterback spot, which obviously continues to be an issue.

This is what fitterer said according to the team's official website. This is kind of an interesting quote, Greg, so I'm going to read it in two parts. This will be interesting because the tackles will be the best players on the board, but we do need a quarterback. And at some point, you have to take a shot, especially in the top 10. You hate to force it because when you force it, you could make a mistake. Okay, so part one, it sounds like they're doomed, number one, but that wasn't my point. Now, the second part is where he, I don't know, it's just like sometimes you wonder what's going on

in Carolina and the people making the decisions. It's a unique quarterback class because there's not a clear number one, number two, number three. Like, who's the proven starter who can come in and play for you? That'll be the conversation we have for the next month, quarterback or left tackle. And we could always go past Russia because Brian Burns is coming up. I mean, his contract. I mean, we'll do the option. But if that money gets out of hand, it's better to have somebody ready to go in the hopper.

Like, what are we talking about? Yeah, that's weird. Why are we talking so much? Don't talk so much, Scott Fitterer. I think Brian Burns is like what? I think they're in a very similar situation to Atlanta in that they passed on the quarterbacks last year

they could have drafted Justin Fields they could have drafted Mac Jones supposedly Matt Ruhle love Mac Jones I mean Matt Ruhl kept telling us publicly that he loved Mac Jones Everybody loves Mac Jones They decided to take J.C. Horn instead he got hurt so that was unfortunate and now you're in this draft where it's like

We kind of do have to do something at quarterback. This is where you get into trouble. Right. Which he alludes to, but he also says you kind of have to do something here. I'd be very nervous of it. This is maybe like when we get David Ealy in here. Because as a Panthers fan,

this feels like a very dangerous moment in time because they try to get Stafford. Didn't work. Try to get Watson. Didn't work. Tried to go bring Cam back in. Didn't work. Try to get Darnold.

Didn't work. And now what? That desperation. see it's that desperation again you get baker i mean they were talking about that they think sam darnold could be better in year two but i just i man i love i i was the number one darnell supporter he could not put it together with the jets and then got a clean slate last year still couldn't do it maybe there's some quality football in him but they know they need to find another option there um all right in other news some personnel stuff saints

Malcolm Jenkins retires. He's a linchpin for them for many years. Andy Dalton heads there. That's an interesting signing there. He becomes their number two quarterback behind James Winston, most likely. And Tassum Hill now, it's over. No longer is he in this conversation as a quarterback.

He is now going to be listed as a tight end, and that's where he's going to do his work. So he's kind of doing the Tebow route, but in slow motion here. I mean, it makes sense, and he'll have the money that Sean Payton gave him and guarantees for the rest of his life. I mean, those two guys seem tight. Now he's one of the higher paid tight ends in the NFL, Tassam Hill. I love the Dalton signing. You feel like you need a backup for James Winston.

And I just find it curious that Andy Dalton is added to this team at a time when they have more kids. cap space than almost any team in the league. Like, this didn't go according to plan. Remember, remember how they were $90 million over the cap's cap? And they got rid of all of it, and they got rid of even more so that they could fit in Deshaun Watson. And they're like, we're just going to bring back all the same guys, except they didn't. They didn't bring back Tehran Armstead. He's gone.

He was great. Malcolm Jenkins, he was nearing his time, end of his time, but he was an effective player. So they're not as good as they were, and they have all this cap space. Something seems off. Maybe you bring in a Honey Badger at some point. I know they signed Marcus May, but like you could have both of those guys. Yeah, I think Dennis Allen is thinking to himself right now, man, I came so close. Now they were going to, just like the Browns are, they would take a beating for getting involved with Watson,

but he would have put them on a path toward contention. Now they're kind of stuck in the woods a little bit here. And look, here's a man, he's done things in the woods. He's wrestled alligators in the Amazon. He's climbed mountains, and now he sits in the big chair for the around the NFL podcast. Welcome back, Brian Baldinger. What's that, Balding? Hey, guys.

That was seamless. I was starting to stutter over my words talking about the Andy Dalton signing because I saw Baldi on the other side of class. You guys are like doing real big news. Well, we were getting to the very end of it, but there was some saint. We haven't talked saints in a little while. And Baldi was trying to figure out how to get into the studio. I was.

It is confusing. I've never been invited before. This is the Chris Wesleyan podcast. studio. So welcome. No. It's an honor. It's an honor. It's great to have you, Baldy. Yeah. We're at the, you know, at the bottom of the cup of coffee where you see some of the grind in it. That's where we're on the news. The coffee grinds. Yeah, we are. The eggshells. Yes. We are the final news item because we have Baldi on the podcast. We call them sandwich props. We're different wagers. And if you win it,

you get a sandwich. You lose it. You got to pay out a sandwich. What kind of sandwiches are we talking about? Great question. It depends really where we, well, now they become hypothetical. I mean, I come from The land of hoagies. For most people, it's like non-existent, but we used to be near a deli. I bring in burritos. It's not even a sandwich, but they're very tasty. Yeah. All right.

One more break, and then we'll finish up the show. 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, and how front offices construct winning rosters. Every week, we study the tape.

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So I have wagered a sandwich against Greg that Antonio Brown will be back in the league at some point in 2022. And that was before the report connected to TMZ that Antonio Brown wants everyone to know. And I am not very happy about this in my sandwich prop here. He wants everyone to know, I will not get surgery on my ankle until someone signs me. He's like, okay. What's the point? I don't know. Like, why would you just get, like you just don't want to go through rehab if I don't get signed?

because, you know, I mean, we're starting to get into the off-season here where, you know, have to start working together with some of these people. I follow Antonio a little bit on social media. I have no idea what he's doing. It looks just very bizarre. You're a much better follow. You have a lot of, like, jumping off of cliffs in tropical locations. Yeah, I mean, you know, I like adventures.

He does too, but not necessarily safe ones or legal ones. I've seen him catch a football. He's not going to be back in the last. I feel good about this. How could a team give him a job again? Baldi, is he going to play another down in the NFL? Well, talent usually wins out, you know, but I can't see. I mean, you just can cross out certain teams right now.

It's a deep draft and wide receivers. I can't see that taking place right now. I mean, you go through the teams that are trying to rebuild, you know, the jets, I mean, the usual suspects. Yeah, bring him in. That's not going to fly. I need a leader in the locker room. You know, Detroit, you know, just go through the teams trying to rebuild.

rebuild here. That's not going to work. I almost feel bad making Baldi talk about Antonio Brown. This is the coffee grinds. We're in the grinds. Let's get the bottom. Let's get to the big stuff. What do we got? We got Bobby Wages. We got Bobby Wags. We did just talk about that a little bit. I would like to hear your thoughts. Well, you know, I was just, I was just breaking him down. It's going to do a little breakdown on Bobby.

I'm a big fan. And, you know, he has, like Seattle owned San Francisco last year. So you think about, okay, going to the Rams, their chief nemesis is the 49ers in that division. Up to the playoffs, the 49ers had pretty much had their way with him. But if you watch Bobby Wagner these games, like he went against Trey Lance and had some good plays against him. They saw it's a different offense when Trey Lance was in it. So they defended the run pretty good when he was in there.

And then, you know, first pass of the game against Jimmy Garoppolo, week 13, he intercepts it. I just think like this guy has rare, not just skills, but like rare insight and instincts for the game. that would help any team. Like, I feel like I've watched games this year where, like, I felt like he was coaching Jordan Brooks during the play. Right, right. During the play, like, you're in the wrong place. Like, you've got to see this faster.

Like, now Jordan Brooks led the league and sold the tackles last year. Like, that's Bobby Wagner's influence right there. Now he can do it with Ernest Jones. With Ernest Jones. And I do, and he's from L.A. I think it's overrated of, like, players want to play in a certain city or not, but this is an example of, like,

it sounded like he wanted to come to the Rams and he helped make it happen. And that doesn't happen too often. It doesn't, Greg. But I feel like the building of these super teams is now much more commonplace than we ever saw. And we're starting to see it. And so teams or players are kind of directing themselves towards things. I think he'd love to play for, you know, Rahim. And I think he'd love to play for McVeigh and play with AD and some of these guys right now.

Isn't like it a human thing too? You're in the middle of this Hall of Fame career. You've accomplished so much. like a new challenge and seeing what it's like in another franchise that that can reinvigorate you, just like if you're a great player like back to the clock seat. Yeah. I like that.

And it's interesting you mentioned the super team. So that is fully in the NFL now. And you could say that LeBron started it perhaps in 2010 with a decision and going to the Miami Heat. Yeah. And I wonder if when we look back at our sports century, remember when ESPN did those at the end of the 90s, we'll look back at what happened. with LeBron and see that changed sports

in a lot of ways because it does feel like these players, these star players in the NFL who have never had more leverage are now dictating the terms of how they want to handle, especially the veterans in the back end of their career when they still have good good. Well, not even on the back end. I mean, Jalen Ramsey wanted out of Jacksonville. That's true. Jaila Ramsey

got out of Jacksonville. I mean, he was he wasn't even beginning his career. You know, they went to a Super Bowl. Like he was their star player or he could line up on Antonio Brown. You took a lot of heat from this guy, Dan, I remember. Well, I thought he quit on his team a little bit. It might. Look, whatever, I mean, some players are going to do whatever they have to do to get out of the building.

And maybe some of that took place. There were certainly some attitude things that had to be adjusted. But like these players, you know, like maybe I don't know. I don't have any intel, but if Kyle Murray wants to get out of Arizona, is there a landing spot for Kyle of Murray? I don't know. But, you know, I think, I feel like players now are truly free agents. Like there was free agency since 1993. But now players feel like, especially if you're a a great player or you have potentially be a great player like you can kind of dictate your terms right now well this the sports century thing is really interesting like one that's that's somewhat optimistic even i'm glad like the environmental apocalypse hasn't ended everything before then so that's

good but we will be gone most likely so how let's say the NFL network did it did a a show about it that you know the previous century the NFL where does the around the NFL podcast get mentioned Well, we haven't even begun to write our story, Greg. All right. That's the way I spend it. I always feel like, you know, it's not inappropriate. Like John Madden passes this year, and you can't write the history of about eight different things without mentioning John Madden. Yeah.

So that's how I think you should think about around the NFL. They did a first century on the podcast group at the NFL. We're definitely front and center there. All right, sure. We'll take that. By the way, Jalen Ramsey arrived at Jaguar's training camp in 2019 and an armored truck. demanding a new contract. That was an interesting little error for him.

Now, Baldi on Big Stuff, okay? We're just getting going on the Big Stuff. I'm curious, we talked Bruce Ariens earlier. We, Greg and I were mostly on the same page, but I wondered if Ariant's success, how much was contributed to his style of coaching and his aggressive nature to connecting with Big Ben in his prime,

then Carson Palmer and then Tom Brady. How much do you think, Aryan's exiting a picture could change things for the bucks? Well, I think, you know, he's built a culture there. There's a reason why Tom Brady went there, and it wasn't just Ariens. I mean, that they had been drafting really well, especially in the defensive side of the ball. They had a lot of really talented receivers already in place. And the structure for the offensive line was there, especially when they hit gold on Tristan

worse. So I think Brady kind of, these guys do their homework. But I feel like, you know, Bruce Ariens, you know, built a culture. And now we get to see Todd Bowles with a really good team. We saw him with a team that was in transition that became just an ugly mess in New York. Now we get to see him with really the pressure on him. Like, you know, he's expected to get deep into the playoffs as the head coach. Can he fulfill that?

And can he keep this team that has all of this talent and all these expectations? Can he keep him on the rails for 18 weeks? It's really crazy to think about how they played, they were quite injured and they played their worst three quarters of the season by far. I mean, they were getting crushed. And in the end, they lost by three points to the Super Bowl champs. They were right there at the end. How about the Tyreek Hill move?

There has been a lot of speculation here, the trade to the dolphins and gets this massive contract. People saying, oh, but this Tua's game isn't a good match with Tyreek's game. Are you concerned about that as someone who's stuck? He studies tape as well as anyone. Baldi on the big stuff. Big stuff. Well, I think that the pressure is on Mike McDaniel to make this work.

Good job, Greg. I'm just trying to brand this. I think the pressure really is on Mike McDaniel to make this all work. You've got all these components. You know, they're, you know, on paper. They're, you know, paper lions right now. And so he's got a factor in Tua and any sort of shortcomings you think he has. I think he's good in the short passing game.

And there's been a lot of short passes, long runs from Tyreek from Patrick Mahomes over the last five years. So I think all that can still be in place along with Jalen Wado and Gassiki and what they have there. So I think it's up to Mike McDaniel to make this work right now. What about giving up all, like as a team building process? Do you think giving up all those picks for Hill specifically? Well, they've had a lot of picks, Greg. The last two years, they were awful with their picks. You know, where there was Austin Jackson.

I mean, you know, you can give a lot of teams, a lot of pitch. picks, and they can screw it up really fast. That's what I feel like the Dolphins did. And they did. They got him for Tunsel. I mean, I would still like to have Laramie Tunsel there at left tackle. You wouldn't have. Because, like, when you make a mistake in the draft, it never goes away, right?

You overpay in free agency. That's why Taran Armstead is there. If they just stayed with Laramie Thompson, who's a great player. That's a great point. Like, you would never get to Taran Armstead. You'd have Laramie Tunsel. Before moving on from this one, though, as a former NFL guard, how many years did you play? Twelve.

Twelve years. You know, a manly man, you know, just sitting next to me. I'm intimidated. I'm intimidated. Yeah. Mike McDaniel is your head coach. Yes. Cuts a different figure, has a different vibe even when he speaks than a different

than most head coaches I've ever seen. Uh-huh. How would you respond as a player? How do you think he would go over in the offensive line room? Yeah, you know, like I've had a lot of different offensive line coaches. Like Dante Scarnacchio was my coach. now Dante was a big part of all the success they had in New England but when you listen to Dante he sounded like a physics professor to me

when he was in front of the room you know and there's going to be a lot of people that are going to say he's just an Ivy League guy you know this Eli from Yale but I think Mike you have to listen to Mike like he's like that nerd that you want to befriend okay you know like there's some nerves that are just staying on the other side of the room I don't want any part of you but then there's nerves that are like cool nerds like this is the revenge of the nerds you know that's what i feel like you get with mike right you know that's what that's the lane i was angling for as a kid that one of the cool nerds who but you're making it clear to him that we think you're a nerd as a player still yeah no look i i remember in eighth

grade i hung out with these nerds that read scientific american and they were determined to build their own laser and i thought like i was playing basketball and football and baseball this stuff in eighth grade but i thought it was cool that they wanted to build a laser. And I spent an hour every day in the library trying to research this. This would be a whole good

Baldi episode, Baldi on nerds. Well, that's a thing about Baldi. He's not Ogre. Remember Ogre for Revenge of the Nerds? Like, you are intellectually curious and you could shake hands in both aisles. Yeah. We might need you in the White House.

Well, it would be interesting to see what Kyle Shanahan is like without Mike McClain. I have hit on, wow. You've hit on something interesting there, too. as well, because your career, Baldy, ended after the 93 season. Do you think there's a big difference now in terms of a McDaniel figure how he would fit in now compared to 30 years ago?

No, I think coaches, either they can coach and get their information across or they can't. I remember Al Groh. Yeah. So Al Groh was, you know, he was ourselves. Probably the top personnel guy with the Patriots. They won't really tell us who is. Okay, but, you know, Al is, like I was in one of my brother's weddings. I'm known Al forever.

He came to a football camp of mine along Iowa one time when he was with the Jets, and he put the kids to sleep talking about some of the things he was talking about. But this is a great football mind. Like on that day in that camp, Al Groh was put these kids asleep. But maybe that speaks to his struggles. Because Belichick, I've read all the books on Belichick, but the one by Halbysham is great. The education of a coach. And Belichick was intimidated going into this NFL locker room initially.

He played at a D3 level, played set. But he said it. Got Jerry Glanville, a lot of diet coaches. Right. He found out quickly. He found out quickly from a couple big guys that he was intimidated from. If I can give them one piece of information that makes them better that day in practice, they won't care if I'm the dorkiest guy in the room because I'm helping their make money

and help them do their job well. And as long as I'm giving it. then they're not going to worry about, you know, everything else. I remember I spent an off-season in Buffalo when Marv Levy was there. And, you know, like I remember, James Lofton, used to sit in the front row. And James Lofton, part of his charm was whenever Marv would drop a word that was just way too big for the room, James would turn around and he would give like the meaning of the word, you know. And so like, because Marv could, he could speak right over your head.

He was a very bright guy, Mill Gill University, all this stuff. but like Marv was a nerd but here he has taken Buffalo to four state championship i mean Bruce Smith listened to Marv you know and you know that Jim Kelly listened to Marv he had their attention he came out of the CFL but yet he was a great NFL coach how about two big veteran quarterback changes shifts in the AFC Russell Wilson to Denver Matt Ryan to Indy how good do you feel about both those spots That's one more than the other. Baldi on the big stuff.

I think both teams are playoff teams this year. I'm a big fan of Nathaniel Hackett. When you can make Blake Bortles a, you know, AFC championship level quarterback, that's good coaching. I'm a big fan. I think him and Russell are going to be a good meeting of the minds. And I can't think of a better spot for Matt Ryan to be in than Indianapolis. Like I think it's just him and Frank Reich are going to hit the ground running and that's going to be a really good football.

What did you see from Matt Ryan on tape last year? I remember I did one segment with you of the QB Index on NFL now during the seasons where you literally ripped up the rankings because you thought they were so bad. I was pretty high on Ryan for most of the season. I thought he played well and if he got any protection whatsoever, he could still do. Baldi ripped up your rankings on live television. On live TV. He ripped him up. He thought it was too low on Mac Jones.

I thought it was good theater. No, I appreciate it. Yeah, but you understood, too, that that was going to hurt him. No, I love it. And I like that. I loved it. Well, I took it as a sign of respect. It is a sign of respect.

Yeah, that's how I would take it as well. Like, I'm paying enough attention to look at his list. Right. Like, some people probably were just dismiss it. The two things you were mad about was Mac Jones was too low and Rogers was too low. He didn't. He was too low. You were right.

You were respected your list enough to rip it in half. You know he was going to win the MVP. I just meant it was good theater. it was good promotion for my content. No, I think Matt Ryan, to answer your question, I thought Matt Ryan looked like Matt Ryan and me without a lot of help around him. Right.

Like I remember week one, they played the Eagles week one, I think. And, you know, they're down on the four-yard line and Kyle Pitts isn't on the field. And I was trashing like Arthur Smith. Because like, how can you have this generational talent, not on the field, when that's exactly what he's supposed to thrive in? Like put him in the red zone. Don't let him go jump 40 inches to go get the ball against the eagle, whatever it was.

And so I didn't feel like, you know, there was a lot of help there. And, you know, the good thing about Matt is he never complains. He's the ultimate professional. But he's going to be on a good football team. And when he was good, he was good last year. There were some games he was sensational. We were at the London game. We were on the field.

I know that was against the Jets, but he was taking a lot of pressure. And you could just see how well he could navigate the pocket. Yeah, navigate the pocket. And he, everything was into a tiny window and he nailed it. Yeah, Matt, Matt, Matt's, I mean, like, I was there doing the Falcon preseason games when he got signed in 2008 with Mike Smith, and they turned that thing around. But, like, you know, they didn't give him the job. He earned the job during training camp, and they had a plan.

And then he hit the field running in 2008. He's the MVP of the league in 2015. I think he's had a great career. But unfortunately, he has played in Atlanta where there's not a lot of attention. You could, the local Friday night high school game gets more attention than a lot of the Falcon games did, unfortunately. But in Indianapolis, where Peyton put football on the map, he's going to get a lot of attention and he's going to have a chance to do what they thought Carson Wentz was supposed

to do. All right. Two more quick ones. The year two QBs, Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Mack Jones, Justin Fields, Trey Lance, who are you highest on entering year two and who are you worried about? I think I'm high on Zach Wilson. I think Joe Douglas is doing good job. If Mackay Beckton can get into shape, like just get off of the Domino's pizza, you know, like

whatever he's doing at midnight with Domino's. Like, if he can get him off that train, like, and Mackay can play left tackle the way he did for motion. Is that what you're hearing is the issue? Well, it has been. He looks like 10 pounds of stuff and five pounds of stuff, you know, like last year. Like, if he's in shape and Mackay can play, like this is going to be a good offense line. They're going to be a good offense.

The guy I would be worried about is just Trey Lambs, you know, because I think there's so much expectations that the 49ers are still a deep playoff team. And we'll find out if Garoppolo plays, doesn't play, get straight, or whatever. But, you know, it looks like they're ready to turn things over to him. And he just hasn't played a lot of football. And so how's that going to translate? And can he, in big games, make five or six great throws to win those games? I love it's just like a spin the wheel of Baldi.

You give him any topic and he's got some good story, whether it's Matt Ryan's rookie season doing the preseason. I brought up Mac Jones to you in the newsroom, and you mentioned the conversation, we can take this out if you don't want it to be public. It's not live that you said, you noticed how he was zoning out a lot on the sidelines, and he told you he was practicing meditation. That's breaking news. Well, I don't know if it's breaking news, but I'm curious. I'm a deep meditating. Like, I'm a yoga. I'm a yoga. So we meditate. But, you know, like, that's kind of the look that we have when we're just in a namest day. But I've never seen a player just go into a like a meditative state during a game I thought yeah he almost looked

like he was just zoning out and not listening to McDaniels like I'll never forget well sometimes like McDaniels sitting there right next one but I'll never forget this one sequence why I think he left the cowboys yeah like you remember that game against owls right sure great so he throws a pick six Trayvon digs takes it to the house the cowboys take the lead he comes back onto the field after his meditation and throws a 75-yard touchdown pass on the next play take the leave right back like that's an example of just you know tabula racer just you know cleaning the slate and that's what you can do in that spot and how about that that is a glowing endorsement of mac jones by baldy and yet greggie he said it was zach wilson that he's most excited i'm not worried we had our

mac johns we're both you know very high ceiling uh and finally because baldy could talk anything and he probably knows both these men personally so perhaps he can give us some insight the slap will smith Chris Rock, your take. We want your unvarnished take on what went down. Was it the 93rd Academy Awards? I think it was a 93rd. Like, unfortunately, for the next 93 years, we're going to have to see or hear.

So it's going to live in infamy. And that's unfortunate for Will Smith. I felt bad for Chris Rock. He's making a joke. He's a comedian. That's what he does. I thought it was misplaced temper by Will Smith. and do you know either men personally

I don't no I don't I mean Will Smith is you know he's the fresh prince of Bel Air he's a Philadelphia you know he's one of our own Born and raised yes so That's Baldi on the biggest of stuff The only thing Baldi got wrong here It is the 94th It's a 94th

It's not the 93rd but otherwise you've said it all Baldi you're a busy man We always love having you on the show And the first time in the Chris Wesleying podcast video Thank you my man I appreciate man thanks All right we're done Yeah that was perfect Perfect. He rolled in and we're ending in the show.

Anything we need to add, Ricky, before we say goodbye? No, you guys crushed it. Absolutely crushed it. Did we? Yeah. It's fine. Do you always say that to them? I don't actually.

I really don't. Like, do they ever not crush it? Yeah, oh, a hundred times. And what do you say when they don't? I just say, oh. You would like come in like Chris Rock and just slap them or what? Yeah, I actually did. I actually do.

I thought Greg was a little presumptive with some of that. We're going to be part of the sports century of NFL media stuff. Right. It kind of came out of nowhere. He brought it back again. It was a joke. You know, I know you don't like to think about your mortality, but hey, we got to all face our maker at some point.

Listen, I live life like Baldi. Listen, you're only on the marble for a few spins. I mean, if I could jump in a shark cage right now, I would. Me and Paul, yeah. But I'm going to go do a Bobby Wagner breakdown right now. There he goes. Thank you, Pauli. We'll be back on Friday, of course,

with the around the NFL broadcast on NFL network. So make sure you check that out. And Mark, by the way, he promised. via text that he would be back for the television show. Yeah, there's a cell. All right, that's it. Thank you to everybody for listening. Thank you to Baldi.

Dan Hansa signing off for the old boss, Ricky Hollywood, Randy Chavez, the Gravee Digger. Baldi's funny. He's the call. Hey, Hey, everybody, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move to Six, we take you inside the

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