NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Bunkercast XXXI: 1000th Show & Unsolved Mysteries

Episode Date: April 28, 2020

It's the 1,000th episode of the Around the NFL podcast!!! A bunker filled with heroes - Dan Hanzus, Marc Sessler, Chris Wesseling and Gregg Rosenthal bring you the latest news in the NFL including a new QB in New Orleans, and how Packers Coach Matt LaFleur handled the draft. The heroes take you through unsolved mysteries in the NFL to close the show.Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comNFL 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. Everybody, everybody has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and we could still help through the NFL draftathon charity. Donations can be made through Wednesday night so you can get involved and make a difference for more information, resources and details on how to support nonprofits providing relief for those significantly. impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic visit nfl.com slash relief let's get to the show the around the NFL podcast doesn't know which day of the week it is welcome to another edition of the around the NFL podcast my name is Dan Hansis and I'm joined in a city filled with heroes still in bunkers we're up to 31 folks Mark Sessler Chris Wesley

Greg Roosevelt, what's up, boys? Hey, Dan. Well, I should say, this is the 31st bunker cast, but according to one tabulation, this is the 1,000th around the NFL podcast episode. Hey now. How about that? Well, we are blowing it out, as you can see it.

When you think a thousandth episode, this is what it looks like. You know, I turned 40 in the bunker, and it's only fitting that I'm not. another milestone hits now where we're in the state. Mark, did you ever think we'd get to 1,000 episodes? Well, I mean, at various points, I thought different things. Not when we started, but just because that seemed like no shows last that long. I mean, how many podcasts in our own media house have come and gone?

We've outlived them. Shots fired. Yeah, when we got to about 600 or so, I thought, well, unless one of us was assassinated or taken out, we're going to do it and you know we've had some run-ins on that front too but we're gonna we're pushing on plenty of people have been assassinated in a crazy person right now so I don't well famously you've talked a lot about

getting um a fast assassinated by a female that you always specify that one the fleet of comes up I'd say it comes up more often now so that is a bit of a concern oh I definitely want that to happen well we made it that's not changed we made it and we had Mark along for the whole ride and Ricky Hollywood

you've been with us for I'd estimate in the range of what 200 shows or so now so you are you must be at this point you might be the how you have to be the leader now for the producer that's produced the most episodes

I think so that makes sense yeah no doubt I don't think it's like close and you know we love having the great Ricky Hollywood with us what a gang

what a team yep best you know Greg here's the question yeah Will we do 1,500 episodes together? Yeah. 2000, Wes.

Yes. 2,500, Mark Sessler. Absolutely. I mean, what else do we have to do at this point? 3,000, old Zeus, or no. All right. Well, we'll see. It's been a great ride, though, boys.

That might put you at 50 years old, Dan. It took us what? This is six years. So, no, longer than that. Seven, right? 2013 to 20. Seven plus, yeah. So that's, yeah, that would be 21 years.

Yeah, well, we started in July. So we're coming up on, yeah, it'll be seven years in July. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. Yep, seven years. I mean, let's be real here. We are the demographic people are searching for right now. So, I mean, another seven years feels like an easy, yes. Well, now that I've aged out of my 30s, now it's just a bunch of 40-something white.

pros. So we are getting to the point like Oliver from Brady Bunch or the little ginger boy from different strokes and even listen to my pop culture references where we need to bring in someone younger, someone who looks different than us just to keep the show fresh. So that's something to think about. Maybe that's Erica. Maybe that's what Erica's role ultimately is to give us that flavor. And maybe we need more to keep thriving. Or they just replace us in mass, you know, like with four, you know, late 20s, you know, people. Oh, yeah, that could happen as well. It's a perilous reality.

That is funny, me setting that up with you guys as if we might have the ultimate decision how long this goes. We will not. I mean, if you can wipe out the Chicago Bulls and I finally dove into that series, and it's amazing, as you've all mentioned, I mean, if you can wipe those guys out,

four white guys on a podcast feels killable. And you know what? There's, I don't think there's a, Jerry Krauss type figure upstairs in our company right now, but it's only a matter of time before a Kraus rolls in and we might roll out.

I feel like we survived a couple crowses over the year. Oh, we have. We've survived sub-crowses. Yes. Anyway, yes. So if this is indeed 1,000 and if it's not, it's got to be close,

but according to one thing we saw it is, great to be around. And we got so many people reached out to us and said they've been a listener since the first show. So we've gotten many, many listeners that have said they re-listen to shows. They play the ATN podcast roulette,

where they just pick a show from a random year and re-listen. So we are so happy to have you guys along for the ride with us. But now we spin forward today's show. Took a nice Monday off after the draft. That was nice. But now it's back to work. and we are going to, now the draft is in the rearview mirror, teams might think they've found solutions,

that they've solved all their issues. But the reality of the situation is that there are unsolved mysteries connected to the NFL in the post-draft landscape. I would, if I could, if we have the technology, reanimate what was his name what was the host Robert Stack

put him on the show oh yeah I'd also like him to take a deep lengthy look into where the two Patriots ball boys are at this point no one's heard from them in years

and I believe they're not above ground great up idea reboot baby but before that let's get caught up on some news 1,000 baby Kansas man and Greg at home Wes is on the telephone, Sessler in his motel room, podcast happening over Zoom,

Ricky's still behind the glass, heroes can't stop kicking ass, world outside is burning down, least is not the Cleveland Browns, they'll never stop the podcast, nor the tracks keep turning, while the world is burning. Ah, beautiful, beautiful composition about the show from an Irish listener, Mark Sessler, his name. Hugh O'Connor, number one, I think we all thought that was an amazing job. I reached out to him just to get the videos for our show and stuff. And, I mean, he also couldn't be a nicer guy who is a longtime listener. And I think the lyrics, I had a few friends listening to that.

They thought the lyrics just from wire to wire were perfect. Let's play that whole song in full at the end of today's show. Hugh O'Connor, shout out. You are, to me, better than Billy Joel. but that's not a high bar. The old Zeus or person. All right, let's get into the news. What?

We got Billy Joel fans in the house? I mean, I think there's respect that should be paid to the catalog he's produced over the years. I would ask him that a little bit. Come on. I know Greg feels way differently and despises Billy Joel's music. I heard a lot of it. It's too much of it. It's just one of those guys your parents always played that you got absolutely sick of.

So it's not really Billy Joel's fault. It's Tom and Debbie Rosenthal's fault. He's of a time and place. I don't think his music translates to the 21st century. You just buried him worse than I did. He thought he was safe with you and you shot an arrow through him. I respect what he put out in the 80s. It was great at the time.

I love the band Europe, but they don't really translate anymore. I think it explains why younger guys like Greg and Dan who maybe were too young to listen to some of his best stuff early on. and heard it second or third hand. Interesting. I did love we didn't start the fire when I was nine. I thought that was the greatest composition by anyone ever. And then Hugh O'Connor topped it 30 years later.

All right, let's get into it. James Winston has a job, or it looks like it's heading that way. This is not official yet, correct? He has not signed officially, which makes you wonder a little bit what's going on. Yeah, it's interesting. Yahoo Sports, as Charles Robinson reports that New Orleans is finalizing a one-year deal with Winston, the former buck coming off a 5,109-yard season, 30-plus touchdowns, 30 interceptions. And immediately eyebrows raised the idea that Winston would stay in the division,

go to the Saints, back up Drew Breeze. He enters the mix with Tassum Hill, who is supposed to be, and maybe still is the heir apparent to Breeze. So it just leads to a lot of unsolved mysteries in its own right. Greg, your thoughts when you heard the news that Winston may be, and quite possibly is headed to the Saints. I wasn't shocked because I did this hashtag a rare setup into your own comment with a big

wait, what did uh... You made your Greg sound effect that you often make. Oh, I got it. I wasn't going to say anything, but then Mark reacted to it and I couldn't help myself, but go ahead. Sorry. I did this Saints Twitter podcast, which is you knew. Our boy, Dat Boy Wolf, as a podcast.

I'm into my buddy, Adam. And they were saying they were hearing this was going to happen before the draft. So they got sources on the inside. And they ended up being proven right. And it makes all the sense in the world of your James Winston. And it makes sense if you're the Saints, too. I think you get a chance to get James Winston in the building for a year, probably Drew Breez's last year. We haven't heard any financial terms.

The James Winston deal was reported on before the Taysom Hill extension came out. and the money that was involved in that extension came out. So part of me does wonder, is this deal for absolute sure? Did Winston know about that before he came to terms? But either way, he should do the deal because if he can somehow impress Sean Payton or if he can end up getting in the lineup and being his backup like Teddy Bridgewater,

what better place to possibly learn? Because James Winston still has a lot to learn. But he also has a lot of talent. A guy that throws for 5,000 yards can do things in the NFL And, like, there's no better place to learn other than under Drew Breeze and Sean Payton. So along with this, Taysam Hill gets a new contract, including $16 million up front, guaranteed. Yeah. And I think you have to make common sense out of that.

To me, the words and actions of Sean Payton over the last few years, it's obvious that he values Taysam Hill extremely high in two ways. one as option A in the succession plan to Drew Brees and two, for the versatility and mismatch issues he gives at several different positions, tight end, wide receiver, running back, special teams. He values that versatility more than he values Taysam Hill as a backup quarterback. But it's weird to say that the guy you see

as your option A for succession is not your backup quarterback. and I think people have had a hard time, I guess, reconciling those two ideas. I just see it all about 2020 because, you know, this Drew Brees window is about to close and they want to use Taysam Hill in all the ways you mentioned, Chris. And at the same time, you know, not have to limit Taysam Hill if he, they've talked about a ballooning, blossoming role for him where he gets hurt and suddenly you don't have a backup in the Saints are in super hot water.

me alone, and I understand all the issues that come along with James Winston on the field. I like James Winston better than Teddy Bridgewater as a backup quarterback any day of the week. And the salary cap issue for the Saints or the situation is they have less than $4 million available. So that makes sense too that you're not signing Winston and all of a sudden you have the highest paid backup in the league on your roster or something. Winston obviously is trying to reset his value. But, Greg, you said it makes all the sense in the world for Winston. I guess that's right. But it also makes me think that you only take this job if you have no other options to be a starting quarterback in 2020.

And when you look at the landscape of the league, I guess that's true. So he's thinking, so what should I do if I'm not, if I'm not going to have a chance to start? I might as well go somewhere that could reset my career and maybe kind of change everything. And whoever's given them the help with the decision making, I think is doing a nice job. I mean, he knew he didn't have any chance to start two weeks ago. So that doesn't surprise me that those jobs are gone. So it's just figuring out which team, which actually shows you some interest. We don't know if many teams or any other than the Saints have shown any interest would be the best spot to be a backup.

And I mean, Winston has had some games against the Saints. I mean, he has put over 30 points on the Saints. and some comeback victories pretty often. I have to go check the record, but I think he entered this year 500 against Drew Brees in the Saints. The Bucks have gotten the better end of that, and a lot of it is because the Saints' defense can't figure out a way to stop this guy. So he's 25 years old.

He's taking a step back. I think he'll be a starting quarterback in the league again. And it wouldn't shock me if he's a starting quarterback with the Saints because Taysam Hill, the contract is really interesting. It's basically a two-year $21 million contract. So that's a lot. It's a lot that they didn't have to give him. You know, he was a restricted free agent.

I'm sure he was upset. And this feels almost like the first ever apology contract they've ever heard for a backup. So when they're talking to him about bringing Winston in, they said, no, you've got a big role in our team. We're going to give you $20 million to prove it. And you're going to be under contract now for 2021 for, you know, it's about $10 million a year. That's sort of in between starting quarterback and backup quarterback money. I mean, it's, it's fascinated. I mean, I can't think of anything.

Never give out an apology contract. I mean, I just think that's part of it. I don't think they wouldn't give them the money if they didn't absolutely love them and have a big role for him, like West said. So it does make some sense, but I also think you don't bring in Winston unless you're at least open to the idea

that he could be a possible succession plan to Drew B's too, that at least that's in the realm of possibility. One quick question. I mean, where I get caught up a little bit is, I would imagine the Saints, After all, they've said about Taysom Hill and the comparisons they've made to Steve Young, and my belief that they do see him as a legit potential heir to Drew Breeze. If Drew Breeze were lost for three games or what happened last year,

don't you want to start Taysom Hill and see what you have? I mean, do we just plug and play James Winston at that point? It seems like an opportunity to find out in real time what happens beyond this next season. I think Sean Payton, in this Drew Breeze window, believes Tassum Hill, is too valuable to use as a backup quarterback. He's too valuable as a mismatch option on offense and all the other position and on special teams. And that's why I wonder what will happen.

At what point is he not too valuable? Like when Drew Brees retires, are you saying, okay, now we've got to get a new Taysam Hill to play all those other positions, and the original Taysam Hill becomes quarterback? It's kind of confusing. It's so weird because he has a hundred career touches. He has a hundred career touches. I mean, he has fewer career touches. than a mediocre backup quarterback entry in his second year.

So it is a totally unique, I think, unparalleled, you know, situation. It's really crazy to me. All right. In other interesting quarterback situations, let's head to Green Bay, where our old friend Bob McGinn, writing for the athletic, had this to say when breaking down the Packers' suspect draft class that included trading up to take quarterback Jordan Love in the first round. According to McGinn, he believes Matt LaFleur, the Packers coach, quote,

simply had enough of Rogers' act and wanted to change the narrative and changing the narrative and giving the Packers leverage as adding a first round quarterback with a great skill set to the room. So yes, if anybody thought when they were listening Thursday Night Show that we were being melodramatic about this pick and what it could mean to the Packers and what it's going to lead in terms of drama, No, this is going to be a huge story around this team, whether Packers fans like it or not. This is fascinating to me, the more I read about it. And I think it's important to point out Bob McGinn was not reporting there. He started that sentence with, my sense is this is what's going on.

Brian Gutakunst, the GM, had interviews with Peter King and Albert Breer, and in both interviews made it clear, this was not Plan A going into the draft. They did not prioritize finding a successor for Aaron Rogers. And what I find interesting is the original plan was to help Aaron Rogers to get an early round wide receiver for the first time in six years. Peter King in his article pointed out that since 2015, the Packers have not drafted a wide receiver in the first three rounds and have not signed any wide receiver for more than $5 million.

The original plan was to help Rogers. The fallback plan effectively undercuts him and perhaps even alienates him I wonder if they can thread that needle I mean to me it's it's a very touchy situation now was it was it the fallback plan though I mean they called the Vikings

they called all these teams in front of them to trade up they with no good information either that any team was trading up other than you know they thought maybe well they did have good information well it didn't turn out to be good but they thought it was good

they thought that the Colts were trading up right they thought apparently incorrectly, but who knows, teams lie after the draft and before the draft all the time, that the Colts were going to trade up for love. But they were calling all the teams ahead of them to move. But if Plan A was a receiver, and I guess, okay, you only like four or five receivers in this draft, but why not trade up for a receiver? Or Gutikins is quoted saying, we thought, in explaining why they didn't take receiver

a little later in the draft, he said, well, we thought this was only about a 12 receiver draft. But you could have taken one of your top five in the first round. The players they liked in the first round were off the board by about pick 24. That's what Goudicund said. And there were guys they liked in the second roundout wide receiver. They did try to trade up for those guys. But at that point, the fourth rounder they had to throw in for the Jordan Love trade would have been valuable to trade up and they didn't have that option available. I would say this. I mean, Bob McGinn is not reporting this, as you mentioned, the way he worded this. But I'm not sure there's anyone I trust more to put little droplets of background information and

intelligence and just a vibe of what's happening in Green Bay. And when I hear Matt LaFleur say Aaron Rogers is our quarterback for years to come, well, that would be frankly unusual with the way that they've set the table here because that just doesn't happen that often. Now, you've got Tom Brady and Jimmy G. in that situation. And Aaron Rogers should be looked at in the same esteem that maybe he shouldn't feel threatened at all. But it's the person of Aaron Rogers and the overall experience of Aaron Rogers that seems to have threatened Matt LaFleur to some degree. I don't know if threatened is the right word, but it's an uncomfortable relationship after we spent all of last year wondering if they could work together. And it went off without a hitch for the most part.

I wonder now, honestly, I think it is a coin flip that Aaron Rogers is on the Packers roster a year from now. I just, that's the way I'd see it at this point because these things have a way to snowball and move more. rapidly than one would wish, that a Packers fan would wish. We had, the power rankings came out this week. I did a show with our producer Matt Tanton, a buddy of ours, and our left fielder slash pitcher west on the shield. And he's a big Bears fan. And he was floating the idea that he can't wait for the Aaron Rogers Revenge Tour with

Rogers in Chicago with the Bears a year from now. And he said it as like an excited bear fan. You say stop, but think about it a little bit. How are they got? They're going to trade them. to the Bears, please. That is not the team they're going to give. Listen, just keep an open mind. And when you think about

Aaron Rogers, is there anyone, any player that you've ever can name or think of that is more suited for a revenge tour where he decides that a team is out to get him and he now wants to vanquish them and teach them that they were wrong

because I'm Aaron Rogers and I'm the best. This feels destined like in the stars that Rogers will have this chapter in his career and this, I mean, you couldn't You couldn't picture a bigger, like, step toward that than what happened this week, this past week. I always say, please, because of the Bears, because, you know, they have them under contract for four more years, and he'd be very expensive to trade. Maybe he'll go to the Jets for a year.

Right, in the next two years. So you figure if they got rid of him, it's probably going to be via trade. But I thought it was interesting, David Bactiari, who was live, man, was it on their draftathon? It was, it was draftathon. Okay, so, you know, you can still donate to the draftathon because it had such good info from David Bactiari, who was on live and saying he thought it was going to fire up Aaron Rogers. He thought that this was going to put a little extra in him. And when McGinn wrote that Rogers' attitude was imperial, oh, what a great, what a choice of word,

that the Packers would gain leverage with their, quote, imperial quarterback and his passive-aggressive-aggressive style. Because he heard Goudicunds talk after the draft, too. They wanted to transition more into like a running team. And that was what the age of, you know, and that they don't want to hear any honking from Rogers. Or anything, if I'm reading the tea leaves here, about like, oh, we're going to be a running team. Okay, well, we'll get rid of you in a year if you're going to complain. Well, and to emphasize that, that it's so weird that this could have gone the way that Aaron Rogers ends up with a wide receiver and he's happy. Instead, they get the biggest running back to come out of the draft in a few years, a powerback.

And Goudicunt says his head coach wants to tie everything to the run game. even if they don't draft another quarterback, that is undercutting what Aaron Rogers thinks of his role as the quarterback. He thinks that he goes up to the line of scrimmage and decides what they're going to do. It's worth noting, you know, they drafted Brett Favre, and he started playing better than ever, and they almost made it back to the Super Bowl. That was, you know, three years more of Brett Farr.

Jimmy Garapolo, they drafted in 2014. I know it was one round later, but that's a second round pick. They won three more Super Bowls after that. Brady was around the same age. So I think there is a route here where Rogers just, you know, plays his brains out and ends up being the guy for a while. That's at least possible. Sure.

You love fresh storylines. Shum that water. Well, it's fresh, but it's not going to be fresh when we're still discussing this in late July. What about the report out there that this season, they could still hypothetically have a 16 game season that would start October 15th? What would we do in September and October? Do you remember how miserable we are every August at the end of the August at the end of the month talking about the same things over and over again? What would happen if that extended another 45 days?

I am not worried about this group filling up 45 to 50 minutes, even if we were on the dark side of planet Saturn. We'd find a way to discuss something. I'm just saying you're going to be talking about whatever you were, think of every year September 1st. Think about doing that again for another 45 days. I mean, there's times that we've taken. taking topics and forbid them from being discussed.

I think we would just have to broaden the bans on a wide variety of discussion points that have become hyper-stale. Let's hope it doesn't get to that. That's what's happening in the news. All right. Poor James, that one just kicked right out of the old news. Bye-bye, James. It was a good run, you know.

I mean, have we ever done a news item on a fullback retiring? No, it's fine. That's fine. When Rosie Nix goes out. He made the Patriots all-decade team, which will soon be announced. Wow, what competition at the fullback? Well, I'm just saying, you made it. The Patriots might come up again, Greg, so you'll get your chance.

Okay, good. If you want to wax on that one square. No, that's, it was fine. I mean, what a Bill Belichick's guy. You know, that's probably his number one favorite player he ever drafted. All right, it is time now. Yes, teams think they have solved their roster woes, but there are still unsolved mystery.

He would walk down the steps of like a city library in a long trench coat stack. And then there'd be fog rolling in. He just looked about the creepiest man there's ever been. Well, check it out on Amazon. Until you cosplayed him on our TV show earlier this year. Yes, apparently the biggest Robert Stackman. He's also excellent in a comedic role in an airplane.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Throw that out there as well. I forgot that. All right. So, this is a recurring segment on the show. It's fairly simple. We're going to take turns, pointing out something connected to a team that feels like a loose end at this stage of the calendar.

And since I mentioned the Patriots and I have them on my list, why don't I get going here with an unsolved mystery surrounding the New England Patriots? Bill Belichick had a very Bill of Belichickian draft. We know that by then. He traded out of the first round. He took a D2 safety with the first pick. And he completely, most notably, in my opinion, ignored the quarterbacks of the college game.

Which leads people to believe that Jared Sidham last year's fourth round pick and Brian Hoyer, the backup, are the guts of that QB room. Here's the unsolved mystery. Will another shoe be dropping? Or is this really what this is going to be? And knowing the people involved here,

I would not be surprised if this is how it plays out just because Belichick doesn't want to do what you think he's going to do. But, unless you and I are on the same page here, got to do better in that room. unless Jared Stinnams is the next time brave. Unsolved mysteries. I don't know.

I've read that they like, okay, you want to find out what you have in Jared Stidham. So at that point, why does it make sense to trade a late round pick or whatever for Andy Dalton? Why do you need 16 games to see what you have in Jared Stidham? I don't think you need a whole season to experiment with a guy who was a fourth. fourth round draft pick. To me, I don't know, one month worth of games is enough to know whether you've got the right guy or not. I just don't buy that as the reason. Well, I think you've got to trust the actions at some point. I'm not saying they would be closed off to the quarterbacks. Okay, let's start with the draft pick. Like going into, you know, when they did those mocks before

the 2018 college season and they did, you know, fake mocks in September. Jared Stiddem was supposed to be a top 10 to 15 pick. So if he had come out as a junior, a lot of people thought he probably would have been late first, maybe mid-second. If he happened to have been like, let's put that at the end of it, a mid-second, late-second, maybe we feel a little differently about him, about him as like a prospect that they can believe him. They've got to watch him for a year. And I think there's no way that they would have done what they've done this off-season

unless they're just comfortable with him being their starter. I do think it's worth noting Brian Hoyler is only making a million dollars, which would make him like the lowest-paid veteran backup in the league. So they have extra room to add someone at some point. And I think they will. I don't think it's someone that necessarily is competing with Jared Stidham. And I don't think it's necessarily any dollar unless he came at an incredibly cheap price. But, I mean, Hoyer's making nothing.

And even if Stidham is the favorite to start week one, which I think he's going to be, I would expect them to add someone. I think someone will be added to that room. I just look at their actions too. I mean, one little thing on Dalton, if I'm the Bengals, and, you know, there have been messier quarterback team scenarios than Dalton and the Bengals. I'm not sure I want to move him at this point. I mean, what is the worst thing about, right?

There have been some reporting that the Bengals are open to keeping Annie Dalton, and he'd be certainly more generous to incoming quarterback than some veterans we can think of. And there's just nothing about the Patriots chasing after any of these signal callers that we keep wanting to link them with. I mean, there's just no buzz around it on any level. But that's also, they're pretty buzzproof building many times. They are, but I mean, you never know. You know, something would leak out.

If they were fascinated with Andy Dalton or Cam Newton, I just feel like we'd have a little tiny tidbit of info suggesting it. Or they did something about it. But to your point, in terms of it being a mystery, if we hit late August and no one wants Cam Newton still and he's out there for almost nothing, I mean, to me, then that changes the equation. It's different than being aggressive.

Or you get to camp and Stidham as a total adult. I mean, then maybe you make a motion. I mean, they've had him in the building. They watched them play 100 times in practice or whatever it is, and they obviously like him a lot. I kind of remember him stinking out to join against the Jets in the preseason. What if Stidham is their guy, and then he plays really poorly all through the summer? He had a solid preseason.

It wasn't, like, unbelievable. It was easily the best rookie preseason they've ever had out of a quarterback. but it was a lot of a lot of Dinkin and Duncan. I mean, Dan, if I were you, I'd just keep this tampered down. You want him playing against the Jets in the regular season. I also don't want them going three and 13 and getting Trevor Lawrence next April. So, you know, it's tough stitch.

All right, Mark, you're up. You know, for me, I'm trying to think of a coach who left on worst terms, went into the wilderness and had one of the more inconceivably hyped up PR campaign about his return than Mike McCarthy. And we're told that Mike McCarthy is a completely new human being, that by watching tape during his year away from football, he's learned so much despite the fact that he was a coach

for 25 plus years before that. And that he's a perfect fit for the Cowboys. And my question is, because it is a mystery to me, is how much has Mike McCarthy actually changed? Because there are two versions of Mike McCarthy you get. A is this one that we, we're told has completely had a come to Jesus moment and sees offensive football in a completely different way, or B, the one who basically lost that power clash with Aaron Rogers, unlike

Matt LaFleur at this point. And basically rode himself out of town on an offense that when he was last coaching, you know, was viewed as archaic, unmoving, you know, unable to change with the times the way the teams in the NFC were. So, you know, you've kept Kellyn Moore. I like that as a first move to say maybe we marry what the Cowboys do well, and we marry a little bit of what Mike McCarthy feels at home with. I want to see that. I wouldn't keep Kellan Moore unless you wanted to use some of his ingenuity. I thought that, you know, for a time last year, he roamed as the coordinator of the year material until some of the wheels fell off. You've got no end to the talent on that offense. And there are no excuses from Mike McCarthy. He's not taking over some sort of broken down.

two and 14 team with a long leash. You've got Jerry Jones adding C.D. Lamb to a totally stocked wide receiver room. I just wonder, will we get Mike McCarthy in a way we've never experienced or the same old thing? Isn't there something to be said that Mike McCarthy was viewed as the boogeyman in Green Bay? And then he gets dumped. And then they bring in a kid to be the new head coach, a bearded boy. And now that bearded boy was just behind drafting a first round. quarterback because Aaron Rogers

had become a pain in the ass and maybe he's part of the reason that offense isn't as good anymore. I'm not saying, I'm not defending McCarthy. I just find it interesting that McCarthy was viewed as the problem, capital T, capital P. And then the offense stayed kind of blah last season after he left.

They also won six or seven more games or whatever it was. But he'd done that before. I mean, he had a great, I think the end of Grebe was not great, but he had a great run there when he had I think eight wins of 10 plus games over 11 years, maybe he got old. I get that side of it. I think there's some reason to believe that he's going to let Kellan Moore be Kellyn Moore and that he's going to be more

of kind of an executive type coach. That's what he said. I mean, Kellyn Moore is going to call the plays. And there was some talk that Garrett kind of stepped in and people wanted to blame Garrett for why the offense got a little more conservative under Kellan Moore down the stretch. Maybe McCarthy, him turning the new leaf is kind of letting Kellyn Moore fly. I would ask you this. though. So they hired Mike McCarthy to play executive role, not because of Mike McCarthy's offensive playbook or ingenuity. That is, that alone would be. That would make sense to me because I think that was his strength. His plays were not his strength. His strength, I thought, was kind of an organizational cohesion. Like he was an adult leading the room who hired good people

who kind of seemed to work well. And like, he always seemed good at that part. of the job. His play calling, he was fine. What do you think, Wes? To your point, Dan, I think we all kind of bought,

by all of us, I mean the cognizanti, we bought the storyline that McCarthy's offense had grown stale, and that's the reason why he left. That's the reason why he was pushed out. The relationship with Rogers

didn't work anymore because McCarthy's offense had grown stale. If you're reading between the lines on Bob McGinn, and if you're watching Rogers play, we talked about it, the end of last year when I was saying, look at all these plays he's passing up because he wants to make the spectacular play.

Maybe the truth is a lot closer to both of them were at fault. Maybe the offense did gross tail, but maybe it wasn't working because Aaron Rogers wouldn't work with the offense. And when you hear guys like James Jones, who played quite a few years under McCarthy, say nothing but great things about him and say, of course, the Cowboys got a great coach.

To me, maybe we should shift away from the narrative that McCarthy only left Green Bay because his offense was stale. All right. Chris Wessling, you're up. Albert Breer did a really nice job on his post-draft column looking at the quarterbacks and why they were chosen and what people liked about them. When I read the Joe Burrow piece, I mean, I don't want to sound like I'm too gaga over this guy,

but it feels like it's about to be cool. to be a Bengals fan again. And I can't remember ever thinking that. That it's going to be cool. And this guy's going to save Zach Taylor's job. That's the sense I get that. He is so beloved by his teammates and everybody in every building he's been in.

He's a natural leader. He has the mind that you want in a quarterback and the personality you want in the quarterback. If he's going to save Zach Taylor's job, to me the unsolved mystery is, Is Zach Taylor a good coach? What are we going to find out about Zach Taylor's coaching ability through Joe Burrow? Yeah, what did we learn last year?

Well, no, I had a very similar mystery about Zach Taylor. They have a OC and DC who are both with one year of experience at that role. And Zach Taylor, I mean, I get, number one, I love that they didn't fire them because I don't like these one-and-done situations when they were dealing with a lot last year. But I cannot imagine or remember a first-year coach that, you know, went and coached 16 games and came out with less of an identity. I have no concept of who Zach Taylor is or what the coaching philosophy is in Cincinnati at all. Now that could change entirely, but I'm totally with you on that being an unsolved mystery.

Now he has a chance. And not just a chance. He is set up pretty well. And I like their draft because I like the idea of, it turns out now at the time a few months ago, it felt like Bengals being Bengals. But now the idea that AJ Green is there makes a ton of sense. and it gets even more excited because he is potentially back to his old self. And now you have T. Higgins, who they took in the first pick of the second round,

another explosive receiver. So you're lined up really well at wide receiver. If this guy can play and you get the offensive lineman back that didn't even play a snap last year, there's a real chance that they become one of those teams. And it happens every once in a while. It goes from 2 and 14 to playoff contender in December. Like I would not be stunned. if they're hanging around in the AFC, especially with an extra playoff spot.

To meet quarterbacks, for the most part, make coaches, not the other way around. And Burrow, I mean, there was some negativity about his arm strength and like, oh, is he like a, you know, rich man, Alex Smith or Andy Dalton? It's like, give me a break when you look at his athleticism. The third and 17 play he makes against Texas early in the year where there's three or four clear rushers coming at him. and he moves in the pocket and makes a ridiculous throw on the move, which saves their undefeated season. They maybe don't win that game.

Like, that's the type of next level, like, quarterbacking you can't teach. And, like, Alex Smith and Andy Allen, they don't got that. This guy can make Zach Taylor, you know, look a lot better than Zach Taylor is. Well, it's been a long time now, but I remember Greg specifically liking what he heard from Zach Taylor last year coming out of all the press conferences. I think publicly he does a really good job. Still, and I even think that now when I watch them in these interviews. And we were really impressed with him in week one when they went into Seattle and almost upset the Seahawks.

And then after that, everybody got injured and they went months without winning a game. Well, I would just say this, though. You've got guys like Brian Flores, too, who were given absolutely nothing to work with. And we're coming out of that season thinking that Brian Flores is a huge asset. And I'm glad, again, I'm glad they kept Zach Taylor. It would have been unfair to remove the amount of what he went through. They led 10 games, which I think is an NFL record to only get two wins in the second half. So they weren't like a terror, you know, as two and 14 teams go.

Or did they win two or one? I can't even remember it. I think it's funny you brought up Brian Flores. To me, he's in the same boat on kind of the opposite end where you know nothing about Zach Taylor, who had a terrible roster and injuries and went two and 14. Flores was very, it was very publicly being set up that this is the worst roster, perhaps ever. And then by getting to the five wins with the strong finish, he looks like a coach that's going to be there for a decade. But now he has a big test ahead of him now, which is actually some expectations.

And going five and eleven is not going to be drawing a parade anymore. So it's tough business being a head coach in the league. And I don't think anybody's safe. That year two is going to be big for both of those guys. Greg, you're up. All right. Like Colleen Wolf sometimes, I'm not sure I totally understood this exercise because my Unolved Mystery.

Segment like 12 times. Well, I didn't know it had to be team specific, but I think this works because to me, you know, we're living in an unsolved mystery. I mean, the world. That's a good lyric. The world is a... Living in an unsolved mystery. I'm waiting for that music to come in.

You know, the world is an unsolved mystery. Wake up, Ricky. Right now. Not all of a skip this music. How it relates to the NFL. The Unsolve mystery is what happened to Erica on the puck. How it relates to the NFL at least to start, I'm going to start with is I'm really interested. I know this sounds weird about this whole supplemental draft.

It's such a Greg. I know this sounds crazy, but I really think we're living in this fascinating time. College football, there's a good chance it's not going to be played in the fall because schools are going to have to be back. I mean, our California governor said, like, he did not expect anyone to. to attend any sporty events until there's some therapeutic treatment. Maybe that'll pop up. Who knows?

If there's no college football in the fall and there's not going to be much information out in the next month or two before players have to decide, are like 70 players going to come out in this supplemental draft? Is it going to be a totally different experience than any supplemental draft in history?

Because if you're at Missouri right now and you were like a borderline third round pick and you were thinking of coming out, but you thought, no, let's go back to school one more year, try to bump that up. What is the point of going back to college? Like, there might not be a college to go back to. There might not be college football to go back to,

and you could go start your NFL career and earn a living. It's going to be tricky to decide who can make it and who doesn't. But I feel like it's something, it could be this wave that's going to happen, and it's going to give us something to talk about. Maybe I'm totally wrong, but we might be doing some supplemental draft special two months from now. They've talked to them, and this has been out there that supplemental draft could be a huge option for people.

And there is, you know, when they go through the potential scenarios for college football, there's one where, you know, yes, you don't have the autumn because it's different than the pros. You don't just go play in an empty stadium. They want students in, like, back at school for this to happen. So there's a world where maybe college football, the season begins in February, they've said. Well, that's completely ridiculous with the NFL calendar. I mean, that's fine for the idea of college football. football games being played. But if you're looking at the draft versus just playing out your senior season and becoming an accountant, well, you don't play that season. You don't get hurt

two months before the draft. And it just seems completely unfeasible to me. And I think that there's got to be agents talking to certain prospects and players saying supplemental draft may be your best chance to maximize a draft pick. Handsome Hank might have to farm out his supplemental mock draft this year if that goes on. He might have to break Jeremiah back from break. I guess he's not going anywhere this year. So it's like, all right, DJ. I know someone that can do a mock draft. What are you talking about?

We're doing a supplemental draft for three weeks. Get ready. Well, what happens if there's no college season and then the 2021 NFL draft? Right. I mean, I just want the Yankees back. Good luck with that. We're living in an unsolved mystery. Are humans soon to be history?

Who's got the next line? it's so clear for all of us to see that's the next line so clear for all of us to see that we're living in an unsolved mystery we're swimming in a pool of pee now that is how you close out that's a lyric

not exactly Bob Dylan do you want to do one more speed round real quick anybody got any in the chamber I had one ready but I don't I don't need to Why don't we not even give why don't we don't even need to like dig in Let's just run some music Ricky And then everybody take turns until you run out Okay

I'll go first Where the hell is Deavian Clowny going Hmm Seattle took two Leo type guys So this is a true speed round We just I'll throw one out there I want to know who Baker-Mayfield and Sam Darnold are. I would wonder, I'd be concerned if they flop this year,

that both those teams might quietly start looking elsewhere. I want to know the day the NFL season starts and the structure of that regular season. Our Cam Newton's days as a franchise quarterback over. Have the Lions ended the curse of Barry Sanders, D'Andre Swift? I'm out. Will Kyle Shanahan let Jimmy Garoppolo throw the ball more than five yards down the field this season? How about this? Is Matt Nagy an NFL head coach or someone pretending to be an NFL head coach?

Out of the draft. You've decided that Nick Foles is where you're going this season. Good luck with that one. Eagles were cool with that once upon a time. All right. Looks like we're fresh out. Did you know that Reggie, remember when Reggie ran for 1,06 yards and then bought everybody on the team those scooters in Detroit?

Reggie Bush? Reggie Bush, our old friend. That was the last lines. 1,000-yard rusher. 2013, 1,06 yards. And the Lions have ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in rushing in every season since Barry Sanders retired after the 98 campaign.

Well, and they went into last year wanting to be a run-oriented offense and finished 30th. Wes, who led the Lions in rushing with 403 yards last year? Carry on Johnson? Correct. He still got it, folks. Don't forget about the West Hills, Scarborough heads. Remember when Reggie, like, lost seven yards on a pitch play in Buffalo and ended up negative yards for the season?

That's how his career ended, I think. Sorry. Remember when he was on our show for, like, five straight weeks, and then he disappeared, and we never saw him again? Didn't that happen to Barry Sanders? He says he drives around in Santa Monica and a golf cart all the time, but I have never once seen that golf cart. Maybe it's a different, maybe it's a nicer part of Santa Monica than I, I know.

Mark, I think Barry Sanders, I think that's where you go. I think he had a negative game in the playoffs against the Packers. Well, I thought that he crossed 2000, then got stuff for a loss and went under 2000 and then got back over 2000. I don't think so. Because he had like a, I remember it was against the Jets and it was about a 60-yard run that put him well over. But I could be wrong. Who knows? Another unsolved mystery.

Or I have an unsolved conundrum for you guys. All right. Hit it, Ricky. so my neighbors on one side are the happy hour neighbors they're great this older couple they're very nice on the other side was the black sheep of the neighborhood they moved out nobody ever talked to them because when they came in they just decided they weren't going to be friendly with anyone so a new neighbor moved in and this is the nicest house in the block we have the smallest house in the block the new neighbor told me he was coming from

Playa del Rey where he had the highest house with the best ocean view in all of Clio Del Rey. So the guy's got plenty of Guap, right? Mm-hmm. He's a really nice guy. We've been trying to figure out, you know, what he does, who he is. The other neighbors tell us yesterday, he's a writer

and I know his first name. So it kind of jogs something in me and I looked it up and I don't want to ruin his privacy or anything, so I'm not going to say who he is, but he's, I've read one of his books, he's written multiple bestsellers that have turned into like Block Buster movies, like you guys would know who his name is.

Now, in order to have a normal, friendly, neighborly relationship, should I ever let on that I know who he is and I've read his books, or should I just say nothing about it? So your neighbor is John Grisham. I'd say he's sub-John Grisham on the celebrity scale. But a better writer. Absolutely. You know, honesty is the best policy. Why not?

I mean, what writer doesn't like hearing that you like his book? But there's a fine line between, like, fanboying out on him. Well, you don't need to fan boy, but it's weirder. It's more of a fan boy to, like, go out of your way to not be real with him when Chris Wesleyan's one of the more, you know, most real guys I know. Yeah, you don't have a, you don't have a fanboy DNA to you really. Like, I think you're going to hand, it's about how you'd handle it versus withholding your knowledge of him.

And I think you'd handle it pretty well. I maybe wouldn't roll over there after 22 beers or something, but, you know, have the first, meeting be real nice. This is where the big green egg comes in handy for Stephen King and Chris Wesley. Brad Thor. Not Stephen King. You and Charlie Kaufman.

Is he a screenwriter or an author? He said it's been turned into movies. You and Michael Shabbin, you know, just kicking back in the old neighborhood. Of that ilk. Michael, of that ilk. I'd say a better writer than him, though. Michael.

I mean, that's a Pulitzer Prize winner there. You're saying he's better then, so that's high praise. Maybe that's my own personal bias. When I read this guy's first work, which came out like 15 years ago, I remember thinking for that genre, for like the thriller genre, the literature is fantastic. Ooh, you just dropped the breadcrumb for the audience. There you go. Also from the Northeast, but now lives in Los Angeles, obviously.

He's not going to be happy when there's seven people outside his house. Chris Westling sent us. Well, they'd have to figure out where I live first. All right. That's good. Nice little and saw mystery there. All right. All right.

Let us know who you think it is, I guess. But don't. Don't get it right. I like it. All right. That's it. We'll be back on Thursday with our, really, it's our third show of the week. The Saturday show went up late, really.

It was a Sunday show. And then I believe, gentlemen, we'll get back onto our normal off-sense. season schedule. We do Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Is that what we're doing? Yeah, I think so. Yeah, that's the plan. So that's the plan. And this was, yeah, this was indeed our 1,000th episode. Good stuff. And thank you, everybody.

And remember, a reminder for more information, resources, and details on how to support nonprofits providing relief for those significantly impacted by COVID-19 pandemic, visit nfl.com slash relief. Greg will match every dollar donated. by ATM listeners.

Nice. Nice job, Greg. He's got that Comedy Central, Gwop. That's right. Not for much longer, but there we go. Wait, is that, are you breaking something here?

Well, the, if you're going to, you know, the last episode of season two of the Jessel Lick and Rosenthal Vanity Project goes up on Wednesday.

And, yeah, you know, listeners of the show will not be surprised. You know, I don't know if there's going to be a season three at Comedy Central. Might have to go elsewhere.

We'll see. Cliffhanger. There's an unsolved mystery. Eric, you're the producer of that program. Yeah. Do you think you've produced your last episode of the J.R.V.P. podcast? Yeah, I think this is it. No, no worries. I would say very little concern that it would be the last episode.

But it might be the last with Comedy Central, yes. Oh, okay. Well, there's another unsolved mystery. And as promised, we will go out today with the great Hugh O'Connor, who, authored up. Really, let's call it a celebration of the 1,000th episode, a parody of Billy Joel. If you ever overrated Billy Joel, we didn't start the fire. His version, Hugh O'Connor's version, dedicated to the round of the NFL podcast. Take it away, Hugh. Hans is man at Greg at home. West is on the telephone. Sessler in his motel room,

podcast had been over Zoom. Ricky's still behind the glass. Heroes can't stop kicking ass. World outside is burning down. Least is not the Cleveland Browns. They'll never stop the podcast, nor the tracks keep turning while the world is burning. They'll never stop the podcast, yet despite the warning, they just keep recording. Dang it's stories, triple source, Greg is on the tennis courts. Wesner's football history marks a man of mystery.

What's more likely sandwich props, a ton to bring on Connie Fox, one of ATN's best friends, she will give us sons and nets, picking team of ATL, ah, it's Orson Wells, Colts are Wes is underdog What's your favorite type of frog

They'll never stop the podcast Nor the tracks keep turning While the world is burning They'll never stop the podcast Suser in the morning Despite all the warning Check in with the throne of sleeves Brady's gone so Greg is pleased

Mark supports the Cleveland Browns Wes has left his Midwest town Dan is hopeful for gang green Could they beat his braveard's team Spends more time in kicker club Kaya's Kaya there's the rope When the world is looking bleak These guys get fight shows a week

Killing it most every day Wilders do I have to say They'll never stop the podcast No, the tracks keep turning While the world is burning They'll never stop the podcast When the world hit zeros We still got our heroes

They'll never stop the podcast No the tracks keep turning While the world is burning They'll never stop the podcast When the world hit zeros, we've still got our heroes. Hey, everybody, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move to Six, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies

to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else. 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. This is an IHeart podcast.