NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Mailbag: Rookie Sleepers, Next Steps for Justin Herbert, 49ers Super Bowl Window, and More!

Episode Date: July 15, 2026

Gregg Rosenthal, Jourdan Rodrigue, and Patrick Claybon open up the NFL Daily mailbag and answer listener questions, including which rookie sleepers they’re most excited to watch, whether Justin Herbert can become a top ten quarterback, if the 49ers Super Bowl window is closing, who they like in the World Cup, and much more!NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Welcome to NFL Daily, where we never get tired of ranking things. I'm Greg Roosevelt here in the Chris Wesleyan podcast studio with my friend, Jordan Rodrigue and Patrick Claibon. Little known fact for the listeners. This is the crew of the first ever NFL Daily right here. There it is.

Symmetry. OG crew. And you even almost hit Patrick in the face just now. Yes. That would have been on me. Just like season two and just like season one. My arms are flying around. And yes, there's not a lot of news going on in the NFL, which is good.

It's the, as I mentioned on Monday show, everyone checked that out. We talked about the teams most likely to climb the summit for the first time ever as champions. I mentioned now we were nine days away from a full team or teams, two teams showing up for training game. We are now eight days away as we are taping this. But it's the last quiet week. And yes, the only thing really making news, Patrick, are rankings, off-season rankings. And we're not doing that today. We're doing a mailback, but I saw this tweet from you on Blue Sky,

going to rank the top 10 off-season rankings based on a survey of people who rank things, which is someone who's ranked a lot of things here. That's it. I almost take it as a shot. It's not a shot. I'm going to utilize the resources available to me, which is a few people who do rankings list. Okay. And I'm going to have them rank the varied rankings list that we've seen.

some of them which have inspired controversy or controversy. I need some time to think about this, but I actually would like to do that. I was going to say, I love that he's assuming that he will be asked to do this. Of course. Who else would be? No, because it's only going to be the top 10, so I get to give love. You don't have to give any problems. I would like to.

You're lighting up just at the thought of another ranking project. We don't have many left. And yes, this is a mail bag. we're going to start getting into our preseason content looking ahead. We're going to have Aaron shots on the show coming up soon and his projections. It's really starting to dive in. We're going to get into the training camp battles. But for now, we asked for the help of our great listeners.

Let's get to the mailback. Let's get to as many questions as we can before Patrick gets back to his regular job. The daily host of NFL Insiders on NFL Network. Saw him at the gym last night while I was trying to burn off that jet lag, you know. Greg, climbs mountain two days later, goes back to Jim. Yeah, he can't be stopped. Machine, he's a machine. I just knew I was going to be up until 5 a.m.

and I was like, okay, I'm going to do this at like 9. Charlie Miz on IG. Shout out to the Instagram responses. Really good stuff there. Ask, listening every day, big fan. That helps you get on the show, by the way, give us a little bit of love. Three rookies that people aren't talking about enough this season. Why don't we start with Jordan here?

but we'll all get a turn. Yeah, I love this exercise. I love this question. This is a really fun little dive into all the beat writer reports and all of the draft analysis and all of my personal favorites from the draft and seeing how they're doing. I want to talk about Logan Jones,

who's the center trying to compete with Garrett Bradbury for the starting center job with the Chicago Bears right now. Apparently had a really, really good spring, no pads. So we'll kind of hedge that for a minute. but drawing really good reviews from Ben Johnson. But worth pointing out, like the Patriots, you know, traded a Super Bowl starter for a reason. Yeah.

Like, that's a guy that you could beat out. Yeah. I mean, you look at, I mean, started really sliding in Minnesota, too. I mean, it's really been a little bit of a rough go of it for him. And the fact that they're talking about this rookie as a potential guy who's going to come in and start. I don't think Ben Johnson is afraid to play young players. You saw this with Ozzie Tripilo, who came in and is a reserve role at first. but then really look like he could make some waves at the tackle spot.

The other player I want to talk about who I don't think people are talking about enough. Another lineman, because I don't think people are talking about linemen enough in general, may be fair when they're coming in as rookies. Jake Slaughter, the left guard, A, one of the coolest names you can have. If A, you play football, B, you're an offensive lineman for the Chargers, not only because he's slotting in to start immediately at left guard, but also it is really, really, really, really important. that this guy not only plays well but stays healthy because the two tackles are coming back from the injuries that ended their season last season.

And also, there's very little depth behind him. And third, I'm not giving you guys any. No, go for it. And third, Jacob Rodriguez, the linebacker for the dolphins. This is, I was informed, Luke Keeckley's favorite prospect this year. When he says something about a linebacker, I tend to listen. Especially like an undersized, fast, quote unquote, instinctive linebacker. backer. Yeah, he's, I mean, he's got some good size to him, actually. And, and I went back and I watched

this tape at Texas Tech. And I just think, I mean, this kid really hits, hits hard and was drawing Lance Erlein, comped him to potentially Carson Swessinger, who had a great rookie season. I don't think the dolphins are going to be talked about much this season. And I think there's going to be some really good young players from that. He loves the dolphins. You got a lot right. You got a lot of chips on the I will be proven right about the dolphins over the long term. Maybe not this season, but over the long term. Jake Slaughter, too, you know, there's a lot of people's favorite center in the draft and then they're moving positions that's raised some eyebrows.

But he's one of the more high leverage guys. And I picked a couple of those. Max Ionachar, who's probably going to start at left tackle for the Steelers. And he's a high ceiling, you know, prospect that people really love. Then again, like a lot of top 10 picks at tackle have struggled in their rookie seasons. If he hits, that offensive line could be great. But if he struggles, like a lot of rookie tackles, that could really hurt, you know, a playoff contending team.

Denzel Boston in Cleveland rounds offseason, got a lot of notice that's like, yeah, Concepcion's good. They're going to use him. But Denzel Boston kind of as profiling as potentially their wide receiver won as a rookie. So that's pretty rare. I mean, you never know, but he's got a chance. It's pretty rare for a rookie to maybe be the best receiver on the team. And then one of my draft loves DJ Allen for them.

the Colts who I think can step in and make a big difference, the linebacker who's going to immediately step in and start for them. Yeah, I'm mainly just focused on the guys that are going to be on contenders, like as much as I think there could be more, Caden Proctor discussion. Shout out to Jordan's chosen franchise of the Miami

Dolphins. But Blake Miller is expected to come in and kind of be a guy on a team that's had a lot of veterans produce on, you know, Blake Miller drafted by the Detroit Lions in that spot where they've had the injuries and issues and retirements. at tackle where they need him.

And they're a team that wants to contend. And then Ruben Bain, so much discussion about Ruben Bain before and during the draft about arm length. And it feels like, you know, and I can say this as one of the people with the microphones that's on TV five days a week now because Patrick says yes to everything. Is like, where has the Ruben Bain hype and discussion gone? It'll be right here. Would you say it's shorter than expected? Ah, there it is. Also, you know Patrick's been on TV.

when he starts going third person early in the show. I went third person. You're feeling yourself. That's good. No, I think that's a good thing. You're the face of NFL network right now. Stop it.

That's, that's insanity. You're a face that's on NFL network. Yes. I do have a face. And we still have the branding. And Caleb Downs. For all of the,

like, it's like overwrought and cowboys, this. And it's like, okay, so this guy is really good. And he's going to come in and fix this defense.

It's just assumed. To the extent that, like, I haven't felt any conversation. There's more conversation about the coordinator than the guy that's going to be on the field playing. We'll be exciting to see him. We might be going up to Cowboys training camp. Maybe we'll see him in person. All right. Our next question is from cheese.

Tony, we actually got a couple of questions about Jordan Love and his rankings. And so I decided to put them in. This one's representing it. What is it about Jordan Love? Number 72 in the NFL's Top 100 left off the ESPN top 10 quarterbacks list, which is kind of a compilation of a compilation of a game. executives from around the league, anonymous executives. He didn't make their top 10.

Is there a Packers tax on Jordan Love because they, quote, did it again? I don't think that's the reason why. I definitely know. If anything, the Packers get more attention than most. We had them ninth when we drafted quarterback. So to me, I think it's a solid top nine in that he's in it, for what it's worth. But we're not, it's no crime that he's like outside. of like the top 10 here.

I do think for whatever reason, he has the reputation of a guy who makes a lot of big mistakes and yet that reputation just was not poured out on the field last year. And people are a year behind catching up to the development that he had specifically in 25.

I do note though that the question was about these other two rankings, not yours. I thought you had him put fairly in your name. Right. But my point is sort of like, oh, they left him off the top 10 QBs. It was like we had them ninth.

And I think that was like the perfect spot for him. He could have been eighth. It could have been nine. Like, you know what I mean. It's like two more spots. It's not a big deal. I mean, I think, I do think it's a big deal when you think about like leaving him out of a discussion of who is in the top third of quarterbacks in the NFL because I absolutely

think that Jordan Love is in the discussion of the top third of quarterbacks in the NFL. I have maybe a more logical take and I also have a galaxy brain take. Okay. Okay. Galaxy. Okay. Galaxy. Okay.

Okay. Let me see if I could walk the line here. No, my galaxy brain take is I think that overall, when a team underperforms relative to expectation, not only is the quarterback punished, but sometimes the quarterback is also punished for the coach, right? They're not grading coaches, right? They're not saying who are the top 10 coaches in the NFL right now.

They're asking about quarterbacks. Well, if the quarterback is the extension of the head coach and offensive play caller here, sometimes, I would just say, the intrinsic or subconscious bias when you are asking anonymous people to say things and not worrying about putting their name on them, then you as a evaluator or as a rival or a competitor of said team, that's watching them underperform relative to expectation, maybe are going to project a little bit, and maybe the quarterback gets punished a little bit more than for the entire team's shortcomings, and that does include the defense.

in this case. My more logical take is I just think people have a tendency to firefly toward big mistakes and they crave a succession of it factor moments. Now, I think as someone who watched every single snap of Jordan Love, especially last season, like, I do think he has enough big moments. There are mistakes too. There are some, there is some streakiness. And sometimes the throwing angles don't necessarily look like, how could he possibly make that throw work and then it works, right? So I think that if you are just looking at him just a very smaller sample size, or if you're not necessarily looking at

everything down to down, snap to snap, and the totality of what he is playing with and all of the circumstances of the game and the team, then, yeah, I think that anyone is going to be knocked down a little bit more. I think that Jordan Love is a top 10 quarterback. I think he should be in the top

10 on any list because I think he is in the top third of quarterback. So you have him over Caleb and Jared Kauff. In the NFL. Well, you have to tell who's, like, for instance, on the ESPN list, you know, it doesn't seem too objectionable like Herbert and May and Dak are ahead of them. No, of course not. Okay. So then it's Goff and Caleb on that specific list that you would bump out.

I'm going to put him over Caleb for now because, and maybe even Goff, because I just think that the high, the ceilings are that much, are so high with him. Those would be the two ideas. And I don't know if they put the Honorable Amendment mentions in order, but they had Darnold and Daniels next. Yeah, I'm with the logical view. Jordan in terms of the way that people evaluate things. A lot of it comes down to the apparent talent that we can see on the field. It would be much more punitive for Jordan Love to go in to a game in, you know, in the playoffs in Denver and have the turnovers that Josh Allen had.

But because he's Josh Allen and we can see him do all these other things that are clear to people who might have never seen anybody play football where it's like, okay, well, there's these problems. but I can see that. When Jordan Love does things, he either makes them look so easy or lackadaisical. There's all the fadeaway passes. He gets punished for that. And also, a lot of these off-season polls are just analysis of recency bias itself.

Like, that's how Lamar ends up at 69. And to be completely fair to the folks who administrate the top 100, it's not people getting every single player in the NFL, locking them in the room, and saying, okay, rank these players relative to one another, one through 100. They get a list of 10. They put dames down and the math calculates however. I think it's 20 and they do it during the season. They do it during the season and they also don't get ballots from everybody.

And that's, again, with a lot of respect for the effort they're trying to do here, that's a tough thing to do is get everybody to something at one time during a football season. But yeah, to your point, Patrick, I do think that, like, I think the NFL 100 is entertaining. I don't know that we're like we should be thinking about people's legacy relative to where. Most of the time you can kind of tell what time of the season that it's administered, which I found is I think it's like October November. It's like Lamar Jackson just didn't happen to be playing football at that point. So that's why.

And if I had access to NFL executives anonymously, I may ask them about how they feel about certain metrics or systems that we use to evaluate quarterbacks and then use that to assemble some sort of model where if I'm the ranker, I'm not passing the buck onto these unknown names and faces that, you know, to be perfectly honest, I'm sitting next of two friends who were affiliated with the league. Like, it could be anybody. And then just put all the data out there and show us how you're ranking these quarterbacks. Well, there's a lot of-

There's a lot of analytics talk right now in the NBA, you know. These executives not too worried about the numbers. Because the numbers would tell you, Jordan Love was like two NEPA last year. Was right behind the two MVP candidates, probably the best statistical quarterback in the league. All right. I like this one from Joe Burt on Blue Sky. Falcons? Why the Falcons?

Will the Falcons? If the Falcons? Who Falcons? And my answer is no, the Falcons. My answer is yes, the Falcons. Because of my affinity with the people of Georgia and specifically Atlanta. It's a franchise that's been through a lot, that's seen a lot and experienced a lot. Why the Falcons?

Because they're a football team in a great place with great people. If the Falcons, that's generally the question. And I don't have an exceeding. I think if it was a multiple choice question, the answer actually would be why the Falcons. The next question, what NFL player would be the best sumo wrestler? I think, you know, I framed this question as that I just, you know, I had the picture of me on Fuji. So there were a lot of Japanese themed questions. I went and checked the average sumo wrestler is about 350 pounds.

But there's some that are much bigger. And there are some, like, slightly skinnier guys that you're like, how are they going to do it? And they don't usually do that well. But they're up there. Anyone stand out to you, Jordan? Well, I'm thinking more like quickness and leverage, right? So I'm thinking interior offensive linemen. I think that's the typical, you know, big guys play position.

Big guys are sumor wrestling. But I'm more thinking of, like, power, speed to power, foot. work. I'm going to go Miles Garrett here. Because, I mean, you try stopping that sort of leverage attack. If Jason Kelsey was still playing, I would probably say that particular, you know, size and height combination

and that fast- He's too small, I think, Kelsey. I just, I mean, he was too small as whole career, Greg. Yeah. Oh. I think Garrett is a great choice because if you get Garrett into the Sumo program, you know, they all live together, they eat a certain type of food.

You can even go there and kind of sample. like what the sumos. Like he would have to transform his body in a way, actually that I think most Western ideals of beauty would say would be a downgrade. Like he would need to add a little more. But he absolutely could. He would have the frame and the athleticism, which the sumos have would still be there. That made me think of, you know, more like how they are now.

I thought more, yeah, offensive linemen like a Milata you would think would be. But I also thought, like, who are the best run stoppers? think that would because it's basically who cannot get moved. Thinking of short people. Huna Ford. Eric Brown, I think would be an interesting choice. Like the most, I mean, I don't know. I'm no sumo expert, but I did go last year with Andrews Siciliano and I do watch it now.

I think not being able to be moved is like the number one thing you can have. Well, it's just the dimensions of the playing surfaces are so different. And I think being able to have that explosive long speed is a place where we prioritized somebody like Miles Garrett or maybe that's not necessarily the advantage because by the time you turn that corner for Miles Garrett, you're 16 feet outside of the playing surface for sumo wrestlers. I did delve into the numbers because the average weight for champions in this year's events in Tokyo and Osaka was under 310 pounds. Really? And Mason Graham has a storied. Oh, wow.

High school wrestling history, it was an early enrollee at Michigan. And I think financially the way things play out, it's not beneficial for, for guys to have that sustained dual sport career once they get into college. But Lorenzo Neal, shout out to Lorenzo O'Neill, finished seventh in the NCAA's his senior year, in a 275-pound weight class. So I think there are some positions stylistically as the game has changed. Maybe we've left behind some people who would have been able to play very well. This makes me think now, I had no idea.

This is breaking news to me that under 310 is now the sort of going rate for champion. Well, I mean, that's just. Anyway, it begs the question, is sumo wrestling getting moneyballed? You know? I wonder. I don't know enough. You know, we got a few of the Yakazunas right now, you know, that are at the higher level. You got to win a certain amount of tournaments to get there.

They're big boys. I would guess they're well over 310. I think Quinn Miners would be a good one. Get that belly going. Quentin Nelson. I just think, yeah, explosive guard. play for some reason. It stuck out to me.

Are we going to see Justin Herbert turn into a top 10 quarterback this year? This is from AJJ 46 on Blue Sky. I'm only mentioning this one because it sort of was such a sly dig that I had to like approve

it. And I was like, is this a dig? And then I noticed there was a winking emoji from AJJ 46. So I see what you're doing there. Are we, you know, I don't know if she's a Herbert hater, but she is a Clay Bonbon. Yeah.

I went and checked out her profile. Just see, because I was seeing like, oh, is this a Raiders fan or something? I think it was an Eagles fan. She is a great, great listener, super nice,

and we appreciate, she listens to the show, she gives us feedback, and that is hilarious because I do think she's, I think it's a dig at the commentary. You know, I think it's a dig at the conversation

that often happens around. And it attaches on to the Justin Herbert if memes, where, you know, it's, you know, fans and supporters of other quarterbacks, and then they say, like, the if man comes up and there's all these graphics and associated, but I think, like, in terms of the outcomes, he has a successful

year into turning it back to, like, peak Brandon Staley time where the Chargers were on top of the world. There were all these... There was a peak Brandon Staley time at one point, and they're making all these fourth down conversions, and everything is going well. Like, they could have a...

Like, to go from a Greg Roman offense to something that is within the tree, I think, is such a leap forward in terms of football ideology that, you know, things are going to be better. Maybe the if memes will go. I thought Herbert was great last year. I thought it was a great season. I really think the two seasons under Harbaugh have been great.

And then the worst games he's played have been in the playoffs, which is a pretty significant thing to consider. Like, he was legit bad in those playoff games. But other than that, he was certainly a top 10 quarterback. But I like what you did there, AJJ. How concerned are you with Washington's offense right now? This is from the Outback QB podcast on. Instagram. I feel like we haven't talked a lot about Washington's offense, and so I thought

it would be a good time to do that. We get to see David Blow in his first time calling plays with the quarterback that we thought could be the future of the NFL. I think it's quiet because we just have no idea and no expectations after Dan Quinn kind of seemingly cleans house everywhere. What are the outcome? I see like the commanders fans are mad with the Daniels rankings after this. To me, that's just about injuries. Like, can he stay on the field? And he, he won in a very unique offense in his rookie year that his second year he wasn't as effective in. But I think the offense as a whole, it's a fair question. Like, they like their offensive line. We'll see. I mean, you have Larry Me Tonsle, you have CEM Cosby, you have talented players. But it's a new

offense. If you're just ranking, if we were doing another, you know, ranking of like skill position talent and you're not counting quarterback. Like, you're just counting running back. So, you're just counting running backs. wide receivers tight ends. I think it's a pretty bottom group. It's got to be bottom eight. McLoran has your one. You have no clue who your number two is. It could be Dame Brown. It could be the rookie Antonio Williams.

Your running backs are Rashad White and Jokorri Kroski Merritt. We like Bill, but you know, Chigo Conquo is solid at tight end and John Bates. But it's a lot of questions. I think it's a fair question to ask that this team in general to me is a mystery box. Yeah, I do. Actually, I could buy that their offensive line

might would take a step forward, right? in terms, they just were, they were so banged up and, and Cosmy's been banged up. And so getting some stability back, I think will be fine. Obviously, you know, Jaden Daniels coming back healthy does a lot just to give you a threat against a defense. But then it's like outside of McLaren and like seven slot receivers, who is he throwing to? How are they going to affect defenses in a way that really does have depth and dimension? That's obviously David Blow, new offensive coordinator's problem to sort out. And then they're going to ask a lot like they always do,

it seems like to me, from their tight ends. And I've been a Chig O'Conquo fan. Even though he took a step back in production, I've been a fan of his. You could have a big year. It could be a big year for him. But it's also like, okay, so are you going to just continue to roll out the same things that Cliff Kingsbury was doing with John Bates and then Zach Ertz?

That was effective to a time, but it really depended on Anthony Lynn's impact and that run game getting off the ground the way that it did back. before, you know, Bill's breakout season last year and all of that. So I just have so many questions. I just, I want to see it. I think we'll get a lot of answers really quickly from this group, but good or bad. But I just, I have, I have a lot of more so on the fence questions about pretty much every position.

High variance group. I mean, they could have, they have a high ceiling because they could have a top five to six quarterback. Yeah. And David Blow could be the next guy. He's not exactly in the tree, but he's basically part of the tree. that's the type of offense that he wants to run. I just wonder with all the, you know, because the constant Brandon Ayuk of it all this offseason,

why not Stefan Diggs? Why not just go ahead and get that done, get him in there? Wouldn't surprise me. Have yourself a solid, too. That makes sense. Here's a question. What is the most thing I'm most grateful for from my trip to Japan? And what is the best thing I ate?

The most grateful, you know, it's cliche, but it's just like the most concentrated family. time. I get to be roommates with my daughter Ellis, who is the coolest person and best writer I know. So just the way the rooms line up. And my in-laws, like me and Ellis are roommates. And it's cool that she's still cool being roommates with, you know, with her dad. But the best thing I ate, I did want to tell this story was on the very top of Mount Fuji. I got, we got there. For some reason, we got the hut at the very top, which was actually like, I guess, a little bit of a rookie move. So you got to climb the whole thing basically. Quickly, you got to get up there.

You had to almost like, you're supposed to be there by six to get your dinner or else the kitchen closes supposedly. So I literally like kind of raced at the very end to get a, you know, I was with my friend and his and his son and they were like, you should just go up there. Like you're feeling better than us. Get up there and make sure like we're good to still get there. It was fine. You could have showed up late. People were showing up at 738. It's like climbing a mountain. They just say that to like make you hurry up. But we got there and we had. And we had. hadn't pre-paid for the dinner, which was curry. And most everyone is just buying like $5 ramen.

Those are your only options. You know, there's no like, not a lot going on up there. But they do offer for $5,000, you know, $1,000 or $50,000 or whatever, some Unagi, some eel. And it's the only place on the entire mountain that took credit cards was there. Because, and I, we don't, at that point, we did not bring enough cash. And we needed to save that cash for the next day. for water, and we still did not have enough, which was a big mistake.

And I'm like, I'll get in that Unagi. I'm only going to be on that. Who knows how long I'll be there. And they were so excited. They're like, oh, the Onaghi, you made a good decision. And when they brought it out and gave it to me, it's a beautiful looking eel, you know, over rice. Everyone else is just eating their ramen or whatever. They came out and the entire kitchen crew cheered for me and said some sort of chance.

And they were like, you are the first person. to order the Onagi this year. Like, thank you and congratulations. Enjoy. And they all cheered. And there was almost like a little chant. I'm not even sure what was going out there. But I was like, I will remember this moment for the rest of my life. Oh my God. That's awesome.

That's awesome. I wonder what everyone else in the restaurant thought. They were pissed. They should have been. And it was the first day it was open. We went up on the first day it was open. That was why I was so close to what I left and everything. And I was the only person to order that day.

And I think the next morning, because we had made a mistake, we didn't pre-order like the meals. We hadn't gotten it and pre-ordered any breakfast or anything. And the guy who took my Unagi order saw me the next morning. I think he just liked me so much from ordering it. He just gave me a free breakfast. That is so, the other diners, like the sense of regret that you get when somebody walks by with like a hot plate of fajitas in a restaurant. Oh, yeah. A bad order.

Yeah. You did the absolute most of that. People climbed all of the mountain. Yeah. And then you get the applause. Next time you summit Mount Fuji, you will see your photo in the restaurant. Ordered the Eun. Ordered the eel.

And then it just be Greg's picture. I also had like the best tasting. Unagi had an actual restaurant with my father-in-law. And yeah, do it up if you ever go. Next question. Who you guys were supporting for the World Cup now? This could be out of date because. Spain is leading as we're taping this.

I apologize for taping a show in the middle of the World Cup. It's 2-0. I think that sounds like we got an upset on our hand. So let's figure Spain wins that thing. There's three teams left as we're taping. Who are you rooting for? It's coming home, Greg. Come on.

You're asking me, she want me to pick Argentina? Yeah. Well, you could pick Spain. You could pick Spain. Yeah, I mean, I'll go. So I have the two options. Let's go with the comeback here. Okay.

You could be a big enough messy fan that you just look past all the rest of it. There are plenty of those out there. Yeah. And I get it. You love greatness? No, no. I think I'm rooting for two of the three remaining teams to just have a good time. I'm so small, literally and figuratively, that even though I, like, have so many friends that are British,

there is a part of me that, like, enjoys them being like the Charlie Brown and getting the ball. pulled away at the last second. So, like, I wouldn't hate it if we just had a great final, but Spain wins. I don't have a lot emotionally at stake. And I feel bad about that. I should care about my friends. No, I think if it does come home and, you know, those that enjoy their time in the British media being rude and disrespectful and dismissive to Jude Bellingham,

we'll have to spend at least two weeks pretending like he's a decent and valuable athlete. I would be happy, though, for Ali Connolly. I mean, he's... I would be happy for Ollie Connolly. of the show, Nat Coom is my friend, Will Gabb. You know, I'll be over the moon. I am an incredibly sappy person, as you guys now know.

And I, there is something that makes my heart just swell a little bit when I hear them saying, hey, Jude, after Jude Belliam does something amazing. I love chants, you know, when they're not hideously offensive, of course. And I love that England's got songs for everything and they've got their little, you know, They're inside jokes that are bored of pain over many, many years. I don't know if I could fully commit. I think that Spain, if, you know, I had a moment when I was taking some, I took a lot of time off. It was wonderful.

And I was watching Spain play at one point. And they have this player. I'm so sorry to the fans abroad if I butcher the name, Lamin Yamal, who is young. And his footwork is insane. And I had, I drank an IPA, so I was feeling like a little slow. lower than the rest of the world in general. And I was watching some of his footwork. And I found myself, I was standing like a coach watching a team from the sideline,

five inches from my TV, staring at this guy as he was just the footwork and the quickness and the speed. And it blew my mind. And then I started laughing at myself because I recognized how ridiculous I must have looked. And now I'm sharing it with all of you. So I just, I'm having fun watching them play. I know. It's sad.

It is sad that it's ending. There was a little bit of a negative being over in Japan. Right here, like the time zone matched up so perfectly. But a lot of my mornings, I'll remember this trip of waking up and watching like the second half of a World Cup game. It's already going. It was a beautiful thing. Let's take a quick break. And we'll hit many more football questions after the break instead of football.

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O. George on Instagram asks, what is your biggest head coach? What if? You could interpret this in any way you want, Patrick. Well, the biggest one I think, because I think it will go down as the best to ever do it, is what if

the Eagles never fired Andy Reed? I think the litany of things that happen after that, you know, who knows if things line up and they get these these Super Bowls, but that That's my big what if. And then recently, if we make it more recent,

if Ben Johnson had agreed to take the Colts job in 2023. Wow. Would they have drafted Anthony Richardson? Would they have taken Will Levis? Good one. You know, Sykin was able to work magic as Gardner Minshu got away with it as the season went on, but eventually couldn't get away with it any longer. It messed up their pick.

The 2024 draft class was incredible. Who would they have gotten out of that? It was, that was a big one. The Andy Reid thing is crazy because I remember covering. that at the time. And it actually did feel like it was time. I think he sort of wanted out for what, you know, now they could have nurtured that relationship in a different way. But it was one of those things. Even as it was happening, it was like, this guy's one of the greatest coaches ever. And yet I understand why this is happening. They would have had to maybe choose Andy over

Howie or the kind of the structure that was going on there. But it did feel like time. I love those. What Ifs? One that popped to me, I got a few of these. What if John Madden didn't retired. That was one of mine. Yeah. So for that books episode, I went back and read the first John Madden book, which is very readable and great. Like, it's not a surprise, but like, it was fun to read. And he just had it in his head. He almost retired the year before. He just had it in his head. I wanted to win a hundred games in my first 10 years. It's just just a big round number. That just sounded good to me. And like, I talked about it with my wife. And I was like, I want to get to 100 in year 10. No one's

ever done that, by the way, before. And so that's what he did. And then he retired. Didn't have a great final season as compared to his others, but he finished 103 and 32. He was 42 years old when he retired. I mean, I know Sean McBae came in as like a boy wonder and had a lot of success. He wasn't 103 and 32 and retiring at 42. That is outrageous. I hope he doesn't retire at 42. That was yours. Well, that was one of mine. Another of mine was like super, super niche, but I'm curious to hear what you guys think about this because you remember very much the dialogue and discussion that immediately started after this. But what if Dan Campbell didn't go for it successfully as much on Fourth Down early in his tenure and in his

head coaching tenure? Because we really started talking about that, not only because he was doing it successfully, but also because he wasn't out there saying, you know, we are looking at this specific probability every single time. Instead, he was combining a lot of information. into one decision, I wonder how all of that conversation, maybe it would have delayed until this year or whatever year, but he sort of is the face, I want to say, of restarting that modern conversation of situational football analytics, analytics in football, and as infuriating as those conversations can sometimes be, especially when you're listening to your television broadcast, other than when Greg Olson talks about it

because he's great. I think that he really inadvertently ushered in another way of the larger collective thinking about it when a lot of really smart people obviously already were. He was the perfect representative to do it. I think it was inevitable that because it was just coming, it was creeping that way all along

and he was the perfect manly guy to take it over here. I was going to say, that was my other question. I'm curious. If like someone who didn't look like he could like step on you or put you through a wall. Like, if he didn't look like that, would it have been as effective? That's,

I'm just, I think so. I think it honestly would have, because I do think, like, it's a question that I've been tired of hearing on broadcasts since the late, like,

ought. And so I think it was just a natural progression, progression, and he did it a little extra, but there were others that did an extra too. It would have happened, but he was the perfect vessel, I feel like,

to make it happen. Another one I had, and this is more of like a player thing, but it's a way we think about coaches. What if Philip Rivers didn't tear his ACL in the divisional round against the Colts, would Norv Turner be a Super Bowl winning head coach for the San Diego Chargers? I believe he would. Yeah, they were in the Patriots game with a torn ACL in the AFC. I think they would have beat the Patriots. They would have beat the Giants. The Patriots were getting

rickety by then. If you really look at their last handful of games, they were feeling the pressure, North Turner also had like a 13 and 3 season. Great offensive coordinator. this for North Turner. I'm probably a little rusty at it, but I used to do a great North Turner impression. Okay. I mean, you can't. You hated my impression.

You literally can't say that without doing it. Let's do it. Oh, I don't know. I'll take it. Yeah, that's it. It's so long. That's it. Hey, Norm.

Good to be here. Yeah, what if John Gruden wasn't found to be like a huge racist at virtually any other time in our country's history? That was actually the one time where it caught him. Yeah, yeah. What would have happened with the rest of that contract? He found the three-month time frame. But it generally works out for you.

You could be the wealthiest person in history. He's doing fine. Does your boss leaving work affect productivity? Cough Cough, Cough, Seahawks talking about the ownership change. I don't think that's going to matter at all. Yeah, no. I guess there is an outcome where they're bad owners that want to get super involved and mess it up.

And I guess that could be a problem. The previous ownership was already hands-off before Paul Allen died. And then really was hands-off. It's why I often said Pete Carroll, I thought, was the most powerful coach in the NFL, one of the most powerful people. He was essentially an acting owner. Now it's been John Schneider. But I don't think it's going to be.

No, I don't think they would have bought the team if it wasn't like a set-it-and-for-get-it-type circumstance. They can just have a, you know, financial space. to where other purchases may be able to be offset by this one. John Snyder's team, baby. Which is, yeah, and they both got extensions. They're good. Which is more likely. Kyler Murray earns a Malik-ish-Willis contract or, or better,

or he ends the season on injured reserve and or never sees top QB money or an extended starter gig, again, is from Chris Klein and Blue Sky. I tend to think the former. I think that he, at the minimum, could potentially. earned maybe the last, you know, big contract or multi-year extension of his career depending on how this season goes in Minnesota. I am curious if it starts to go very well, you know, we've seen Minnesota fumble that decision before. So I am very curious about how that would go. Obviously, the age and the injury history with Kyler are much different questions than they were necessarily

having about like Sam Donald or Daniel Jones. That was more of a talent question. With Kyler, I think we see that the ceiling can be very, very high. This is one of the situations I'm most curious about entering the season. I feel like I know it's going to look cool if everyone's healthy, but I don't know exactly what type of cool it's going to look like. Yeah, I think Murray and that team is fascinating. They have a huge variance. He has a chance, like Malik Willis, to be a number one overall free agent on my list.

If the Vikings can't get him re-signed and he is playing well. I think it's very likely that he gets a good contract again. Yeah, I am hopeful for the former. I unfortunately feel like the latter based on the circumstances where if you do get hurt and you're in Kyler Murray, you are too talented to live in that forever backup quarterback circumstance that a lot of guys are in. And there's this, well, if we bring in Kyler,

then there's all this conversation and does he make our starter feel worried in these circumstances where he, it's either like he maintains his career and he's a starting quarterback or I worry that Kyler just won't be in the league anymore like a lot of other talented guy. And that Malik Willis contract is sort of in between starter and not starter. So that makes it an easier answer. Yeah. How much longer is the 49ers contention window?

This is from TMP on Blue Sky. I like this one. I just assume Shannie pieces out after Trent Williams, CMC, Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle are done. it's hard to see him stick through a rebuild. Well, first of all, I think they could contend after those three guys and Warner are done. Like, I just think he's that good a coach. But it's a fair point that it's maybe two years left at most with like kind of that core. I don't know.

Like, I don't know if he'll ever want to leave. I think he'll be like his dad where you got to kick him out. Like you got to essentially get fired. He's got a great situation. Let go or be dragged, right? As the saying goes. I think this is an interesting question because I understand where it's coming from. It is such a top heavy roster.

It's been top heavy for a long time. What I think the question is kind of missing, though, is they've been rebuilding underneath it for quite some time, even at the detriment of some of these guys that can't see the field that they've tried to draft and develop. And the best thing for them is I'm thinking of a couple of alignment they've had would be to get on the field and play. But often for better, some of these old guys just aren't done yet. and they aren't done yet and it's very productive for the team. But at some point, they will be done. And so I do think, yeah, one or two years with this particular top heavy core.

But I do think the question of him not being around for a rebuild, I think is not the right question because they've already been partially rebuilding pretty much every year for the last two, at least two off season. They need to draft better, though. They need to find their next guys. And that's why I think it's much more likely that, that John Lynch needs at some point in Fannie States. Because I just can't imagine Jed York ever wanting to fire Kyle Shanion.

I guess you never know. I mean, it was interesting. This was the first off season that we started hearing, I think, a little bit more. Like Kyle was actually asked, would you ever do broadcasting? You know what I mean?

Like when those little things start coming out, especially after the coach has already gotten paid, that's interesting to me. Like, what do you know that you're asking that question? Would you ever take a break? Because he's still a young, in terms of coaching, a young man. And so he is, what, 46 right now. So me, we're the same age.

And, yeah, he could take a year off at some point and still have a lot of good years left. Like, I guess my follow-up question to these questions is, would Kyle Shanahan rather take a year off or have Jed York walk in and say, hey, can we have a conversation about John Lynch and how you feel he's performing? because some of these wiggly John Lynch picks, we feel like Kyle may have heavily influenced those. So, like, whose picks are those really? Right, it's the same thing. It's all the same as that happened with his dad, which is also why, like, I think if John Lynch,

if he didn't want John Lynch to be there, I don't think John Lynch would be there. So I consider their relationship to be good enough, you know, if he is there. I think they have a really, really, really strong relationship. Right. And a lot of collaboration. even if we see little clips on social media about someone not seeming to know what's going on in the draft room.

And John Lynch, I think it's a really important deal set. There aren't that many coach-first organizations. So you need your GM in that situation to serve the head coach and be okay with that. And I think John Lynch does that. I think they work well together. We got a question. Will Max Crosby be traded before the season begins? This is a quick one.

That's a non-starter. I just don't think that is happening. Mary Kay Kane asked, do you like podcast? I guess this one is for me because it's the only place in your life that people listen to your opinions. Is that a shot?

You think that's a shot? I don't think it's a shot. I mean, oh, they listen. If they didn't listen, they wouldn't be in my life. Boom. Maybe an existential question. Yes. Yeah.

I mean, that's the hardest know ever, though. Yeah, like you're getting the opinions. Yeah, do you really think you could silence this man? Take the mic away and he's still going. It was a similar one. Did you miss talking about the NFL and death during your time away? That was from Ivan, MTZ on IG. I do bring up mortality sometimes within the family.

It doesn't go over like as well. I got to be careful about it. but we talk about the meaning of life and the family. You've got to pick your spots when you're talking to kids about that, but it's not not talked about. I'll say that. I'd say I learned a lot about grief this offseason, and I think that for me personally and everybody's different,

everybody carries it differently and learns to live around it, essentially, is what I've learned is really what it is. And, man, I found some real clarity in really just not pushing it aside, if that makes sense. not making myself busy to distract and not in not running away from it or avoiding it and just sort of like being there with it in the room. And I think like I'm kind of amazed by that entire experience, to be honest. Yeah, it's the universal experience. Everyone will go through it literally at some point, but you're going to go through it with someone close to them.

at some point. And it's weird because it makes you feel alive in a different way because it's just like the most human thing that can happen.

And yeah, I learned a lot from Lakeisha Wesleyan, wife of Chris whose name is on this studio because she really kind of as you're saying, like she loved talking about

Chris. She loved talking about what she was going through and it makes you feel closer. And I think that's important when it, when it comes to grief. Everyone's going to go through it.

But like you said, people go through it in different ways. Speaking of grief, what a transit. He's back. He's so back. Jonathan Gannon went through a lot of things. Oh, my God.

Oh, my God. What can Packers fans expect from Jonathan Gannon as defensive coordinator? I think, right, the issues in Arizona, a lot of them are related to the talent on the team. team. Fair. Okay, but the second part of this question I want to point out is good context from Matthew Proves on Blue Sky. I know he had success in Philly, but every

Eagles fan I know hates him and is glad he left. Well, there's a couple things that take away from that. I was going to say, where do we start? Okay. Hit me. List of people and players that every Eagle fan I know hates and is glad he left. Also, like, we

just had the Andy Root discussion. Yeah. Like, it's everybody at a certain point. We just watched the greatest home run derby I've seen in the past 15 years. The chairman was getting booed in Philadelphia while it was happening. One of two Super Bowl winning defensive coordinators in the history of the organization, Jonathan Gannon. So you wouldn't think you would be so.

I think there's only, if I was actually, I was going back and thinking about this. And I was like, of people who have left the organization, I actually cannot think of one. Maybe. And I don't remember. I don't think he was even at the court. Was he at the coordinator level? Stuyken. Maybe just quarterbacks.

passing. I don't remember. But I think they only just don't hate him because they, they never really paid attention to him when he was there. I mean, and he's not a hateable guy. Let me be clear. But I, I could not think, my point is I could not think of somebody that Eagles fans don't hate for leaving them is what I would say. Fair. Like even, even the great players, like, they always come back around pretty quickly. Like, they hated Shady McCoy when he left, but then they loved them pretty soon after that once they got to like look back. at the times. Gannon is a weird case, though, because

his scheme was often very vanilla, had a lot of talent in that, and they felt like they underperformed a little at times. Yeah. They end up winning the Super Bowl. It was the opposite in Arizona, which I think was the impact also of his staff

and Nick Rollis, where they were super creative, like the opposite of vanilla. But he's like not maybe great in front of a room, so he's not like that guy either, but is he a scheme wizard? And yet, if you talk to people in the Eagles organization, they loved Jonathan Gannon. I think the people that have worked with him and generally players have pretty high opinions of them. So that should count for something. He's a confusing guy. Yeah. Contains multitudes. As, as do we all. I think that this is, I think probably

somewhere in the middle of both systems that you saw, or both at least game plans that you saw. Because I do think that Jonathan Gannon is obviously not going to have, especially right away, he will have Michael Parsons eventually, but in the short term is going to be a little bit more scheme reliant like we saw in Arizona. And I think this McDuffie signing was really sort of a tell on some of what they're going to be planning on doing because you notice that when he was in Arizona and he didn't necessarily have, you know, past rushers he could always rely on and really keep the coverage complicated behind them, he would design and manufacture different types of pressures, certain odd fronts,

things like that, using linebackers, using defensive backs, using more of those hybrid players. So I think that's something that's a tell for what you might see in the short term. When Micah Parsons comes back, then you can open up and do things that might truly look a little bit more simple, honestly, but then allows the coverage to set up the way that he wants it behind that. I do know you're going to see a lot of match zone, which is fun. because I think Packers fans were really going crazy over the fact that sometimes they couldn't see their cornerbacks on the TV screen because they were playing so off in that Shell Zone that, you know, Joe Barry ran and that a lot of this, the coaches from the tree like to have because they want to limit explosives so that they can then be more aggressive with their own explosives on the other side offensively. You give up the time battle in that case.

I can go on about this for an entire show if we don't want to do that. the other thing is I think that you're going to the more the more confidence he has in the defensive backs and they've been sort of rebuilding that defensive backfield a little bit the more confidence he has the more complicated you're going to see and he's one of those coordinators that if he's confident he's going to throw heat like you're not going to see him stay within one set of rules just because that's how he always plays if he believes in in in the abilities or he thinks someone can move around. Like, he's going to throw some heat at these.

I don't think it's that talented at defense, even when Michael Parsons is there. I think they'll have to scheme it up. I just think my own, my only point was, I mean, I'm just saying if you lined them all up, I would say they'd be below average. Sure.

My only point is that when you add the best pass rusher on the planet to a defense, it's probably going to get better. No, I'm supporting what you're saying that. I think he's going to have to be creative. I think he also just suffered in Philly that he was not Jim Johnson, who's probably on the mountain. Rushmore of most beloved coordinators of all time anywhere.

Yeah. And he was not Vic Fangio. And he's not Jim Schwartz either. Like so it's just, they've had a, you know, just a high, high level of these defensive coordinators that have been there. That's not his one. They are a wealth of riches there with their, with their DCs. Will should the NFL make guardian caps mandatory question?

I'm Anya, a trans girl fan. I love y'all. Shout out to our trans listeners out there. we love y'all too. Love you guys. Tough question. I don't have an answer to this. I don't think so, but I don't know.

Yeah, I don't know either. I know there's some data that, you know, exemplifies and justifies the use, you know, as we get closer to, you know, in a goal to trying to make football safe at a certain point, it becomes like, should we be playing football at all? I think that's the question that this kind of leads us down.

but to make it mandatory, I think requires a whole bunch of other steps that we could be taking in other places. But if it actually does make football safer, then it's... So far, and I think they still need more research, but I think the idea is like it does reduce the impact of hits, period. But not necessarily just the amount of concussions.

And so it's a little imperfect in terms of the data that's out there. Let's go to Andy on IG who says, what do you think the ceiling is for Tyler Shuck this year? I thought asking ceiling is interesting, Jordan, just because to me, he's a high variance guy, which I don't know if people are thinking about him that way. Where I do think the ceiling, when it all is hitting, might be pretty damn high,

but it could be rocky. It could be big ups, big downs, because he's going to get his throws in. He's going to either make some big mistakes or make some big plays. I don't think, though, I think the system, as it continues to be constructed, I'm starting to see a little bit more of the steps and the progression that Kellan Moore wants to do with that offense. And certainly the personnel they've added, they've added a couple of more guys who will be layers within that passing game. They clearly feel like, you know, trying to mitigate some of the things that would cause him to be streaky,

whether that's pressure, giving him outlets, solidifying, or at least identifying who the personnel is going to be in the run game. I can actually see them as they are constructing this offseason and adding or subtracting in some cases, sort of leveling out where they think he might have some of those variance issues come in. Because I do think the ceiling is incredibly high. I don't have a one-to-one comp. I try to stay away from comps from like really young, really young quarterbacks.

I think those gets you into a lot of trouble. But I liked him because I thought he saw the field really well. He has the size and the arm talent of an NFL starting quarterback. And I think that, again, getting rid of some of the factors and any trademark of a good play caller and a good offensive designer is going to be trying to at least re-level or set a higher floor for some of those things that would cause the streakiness we did see from some of his college tape. And I'm also less worried about the injuries now than I was when he came out because of how good he looked when he was playing.

All right. We're getting towards the end here. Let's speed round these rest. All right. This one, oh, I don't have who it's from. But the question was, the Rams are back all in F them picks mode. But the backup situation has echoes of the Brett Rippin travesty who had to play for them in a meaningful. This has got to be a diehard Rams.

Yes. That's a pole right there. Are they really going to go with Stets and. Bennett or Simpson during a pivotal year or is there a nod and wink agreement with Jimmy G? Yeah, I agree 100%. It does have echoes of the Brett Rippin travesty because any of these situations feels like that. Wait, why do you, we've gotten so far that you can't trust the number 13 overall him picking the draft to be your backup quarterback. I should hope that number 13 overall pick can be your backup quarterback. I don't think that's crazy at all. If you can't coach up your

first round quarterback to at least feel like he can be a backup. It's like, what are we doing here? What if he's only in the first round? Because that's where you picked him. Right. I get it. But you believe in, you believe in him enough to take him there. I think, I think you can have a number 13 overall pick me your backup. Calm down. Top, Trevor. What coordinators are you the most excited for in 2026? Speed round here, Jordan. I don't know if you got any. I'll throw out. I have a bunch. Okay. Durante Jones. I threw out the defensive coordinator. Can he be the next floor is in in Washington, Declan Doyle and Baltimore. Your guy Clayton Adams, year two in Dallas.

Christian Parker, Clayton Adams, combo in Dallas. Sean Mannion now pairing with Vic Fangio in Philadelphia. I think there's some interesting potential to that. I think that's going to look more like LaFleurre tight end heavy, well, you know, 12 personnel version of that offense than necessarily like the rest of the tree, quote unquote. You know, Mike McDaniel, come on. I mean, we all were, and I want him miced up for every game.

And also Patrick Graham is now in Pittsburgh. And that dude throws heat. I am really excited to see what that looks like. Yeah. It's Mike Mack, obviously. I would like to see Declan Doyle. But congratulations to Justin Herbert and liberating himself from that. Chris in Massachusetts, writes, I have no question.

I just want you to know, I'm glad you got to get vacation. And we get another season of NFL daily. Let's go Patriots. I mean, thank you, Chris. Greg wrote that to himself. Is this the year we're going to finally experience joy as a Chargers fan? This is from Stephen Haglin on. on Twitter, I believe it was,

who's part of the Guiltiest podcast. Friend of the show. And I actually do know the answer to this, Stephen. You are going to experience some joy this year until horrible pain. That's a little bit of a step forward. Do we think that Chargers fans simply know the true experience of what it is to be human?

They're going to find out. I think they are feeling good this week because I saw Max Crosby on some podcasts say when he was asked, who are the fans that like annoy you the most, that you hate the most that are the top, that like they're the worst. And he said Chargers fans, which actually is a feather in his cap. He's like, they're vicious. They come at me. They, they're the worst.

Like, they're small but mighty in a way. And I was like, this is actually the best hub that the Chargers fans have gotten. They're thrilled with this feedback. Yeah. It's incredible. Incredible. Houston Stresson's asked, could you see the Texans have a historically great defense? Okay.

I was ready for this because I'm going to answer this in the style of Houston Stressens, a great follow on social media. Of the choices between Blessin or Stresson, I'm going to pick Blessin. There it is. I think they got a chance. I think defense is more unpredictable, so it's harder. But if any defense has a chance. This one.

This one. And they've kind of built up in a way, like the bears when they were coming into that 86. They've kind of built up a couple years of like, oh, we're really getting to know this group and we know that they're great. I think you kind of need that. Like the Ravens back in the day, it was like a slow build and then it went nuclear. D.A. Rosenthal, unrelated. Says on a Japanese fiction kick, can you recommend some? Quickly. Convenience storewoman by Sayaka Marada for sure. I mean, that's the one that. got got me going. And then each one of her books is successfully, like successfully, successfully, uh, successively rather, like more crazy. Just the craziest books ever. I love all of her stuff. Uh, a thousand cranes, um, by Yasunori Kawabata, who won the Nobel Peace Prize.

That's like a, that's as Japanese as you get. Short, it's perfect. Pale view of the hills. Uh, that's actually a British writer, British Japanese, Kasu Ishiguro. Uh, but that's about post-war Japan. That's a good one. And then the Kawakami's, Haromi and Mieko. No relation, but they're both great. Heaven by Mieko, Kaakami's awesome. Ten Loves of Nishino is probably my favorite by Hiromi. How many books total did you read on your vacation?

Six or seven, I would say. He's a machine. Oh, it was. We are an hour in. Is that how we want to finish the show? I mean, I see a question here. Okay, Patrick is going to choose one final question. I don't even know what it is.

I went through. Well, it's one that you went past. No, it might not have been on purpose. There was no name attached to it. How has AI changed football? Oh, yeah, though. Have you found it useful for running any analysis that aren't available elsewhere? The answer is made it unquestionably worse, and it needs to die immediately.

That's the death that I'd like to celebrate. Has not helped. I don't know if it's changed anything. Not in my personal life, but yeah, I don't. Not that I know of it. I think it's a travesty. I don't try to say this as like in an arrogant way or whatever, but I am a football reporter as a writer as well.

And I am terrified of it. I think it is making people able to think less critically. I think people are in danger of not understanding the validity to what sometimes they see, particularly if AI, you know, chum is being pumped out over and across social media. I think that it is a really scary thing for the profession of journalism in general. And on the other side of it, I do understand when, for example, NFL organizations or franchises use it to shorten tasks that would otherwise take. take days and days and days logging medical information from the scouting combine for example

organizing and ranking information yeah i mean and that's like i want to say that's like computers like there's a big golf between i want to say yeah using machine learning and this yes wreck that's been churned out by chatbots yes and over and over and so and so for that reason i am terrified of it and i think it's healthy to to feel that way as and and also i understand that this is a tool that a lot of the world around us and certainly NFL teams are exploring. And I think that the problem that I just get really icked out by is like when it crosses into the things that you're supposed to be doing that make us innately human. I am supposed to be speaking to you to understand your life perspective and what makes you who you are and how you put a game plan together and why

this core memory from your, you know, third game of your high school football season has now evolved over 30 years to become a play that you call in the divisional round. Like I, I need to understand that on an emotional human, human level and dig into that myself in order to actually share that in a way that reflects the entirety and the, and the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, I am terrified of it. I think it's a travesty in a lot of ways. I also do understand the tool, the tool elements of it. Yeah. And that's an aspect. I didn't even consider. I didn't really expect myself to go that long. Sorry, but yeah. No, you're good. Because we do this to try to bridge a gap and communicate the lives of these players and coaches and the people who are part of this game

to other people where we may eventually get in a situation where you're trying to correspond with a player or a coach. And they're using some chat bot that's really just the assemblance of all Reddit posts in history to respond to. And so like what are we even doing? Well, that's the main thing is it's just not an accurate search function. I came across a real example of that this year. I did. It was I was just like perturbed by it.

I would always assume and I've, this I have talked about with my son and stuff like most of it's wrong because it's just combining a ton of sources in a way that's right. Like it's wrong more often than not. Maybe that'll change at some point, but I have my doubts. Go to the original source. And if you don't mind, the example I'm talking about is maybe even more insidious than that because I think there's a lot of really awesome data out there and we're learning more about it every day. And I think being able to package that data in ways that are digestible for like my human

brain is super, super helpful. But I'm starting to notice that it is the parameters of the goalposts around packages of data are being queried into AI bots or AI, you know, queries, whether it's like quad or whatever, into goalpost moving, the way that humans would do it to come up with erroneous comps or comps that are not one-to-one or like what we would call moving the goalpost in an argument. I'm starting to notice this happening in NFL buildings. And that is scary to me. If you're going to query, you need to do it in a way that is as comprehensive to your question and the data points that you're looking for as possible, not saying, oh, I'm going to comp this person from this year to this year with all these other people in totality.

And that's how to make an argument. Making everyone dumber. Not good. Great way to show. End the show. Sorry. Sorry. That's my bad.

I'm so sorry. I did want to hear your Hall of Fame opinions, Greg. I do. I didn't have them. That'll be a whole episode. So there was a Hall of Fame question, and then I thought, I want to do a segment, or at least part of an episode, more about the upcoming Hall of Fame. Not the upcoming class, but who should be in? So, yeah, circle back to the space.

We got a lot of shows you want to get in. After you got put on timeout, Bill's going to be very excited to be a part of the procedure. We will be back later this week, as I mentioned, one more show this week before next week. Yes, the final week, this is it, before teams show up. for training camp. I know the Seahawks rookies are showing up on Friday. I don't count the whole rookie showing up for a week as it. So this is the last week with only three shows and then we start cranking them up next week. We'll have one more show for you later in the week. In the meantime, thank you to the original crew, Jordan Roderig and Patrick Claibon. We'll see you next time.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human.