NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - NBA vs NFL Free Agency; Mailbag

Episode Date: July 10, 2019

A conference room filled with two heroes- Dan Hanzus and Chris Wesseling bring you all of the latest news around the NFL including Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliot not facing suspension (10:28), Dolphins DT Kendrick Norton losing an arm in a car crash (12:11) and Gronk and Brady working out together (16:40). Would you ever lick ice cream to impress someone? (24:40) The heroes close out the show with a very important softball update with the two most important players on the team and THE mailbag. (30:25)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. The Around the NFL podcast is waiting for an old friend. Welcome to another edition of the Around the NFL podcast. My name is Dan Hansis and I am joined in a conference room filled with A Hero. To my left. The man beat cancer. had the love of the bangles beat out of him, Chris Wessling. What's up, boy?

Hey, dude. Boy, boy. A couple things that are unique. We've done so many episodes now. And yet, here we are doing something, West, that we've never done before. There's never been a Hansis Wessling? Maybe a Thursday night recap or something? I don't count that.

Okay. I mean, a straight pod where it was just us, too. I've definitely done tandem shows or two-handers to use Ricky some industry parlance Yeah A lot of people wondering about the two-handers A lot of people

With Greg and with Mark And I've done all sorts of other combinations With more than two people But never before Just Wes and I And this is exciting That surprises me I haven't been tracking

But I know I've done with just Greg and just Mark Right Full shows Yeah No with just the two of us Like just in previous, you know, 2014, the dark days before anybody was listening to us and you get away with just one like a half an hour and two people. You call them the dark days.

That sounds joyful. Well, yeah. I meant before electricity. The other exciting slash unique thing is we've been kicked out of the podcast studio due to some construction upstairs. So we're doing this from a conference room on a level one right near Ricky Hollywood's desk, in fact, the conference room that is called Beast, quake with a large image of Marshawn Lynch's famous run in the 2013 playoffs no 12 11 it was the

beginning of that Seattle run I want to say 10 actually it was see yes the saints were the defending Super Bowl champions in the 20 they had won 20 2009 season they were defending their title got knocked off in January 11 with beast quake Ricky got to be a goose bumps moment for you to be sitting in this conference room so close where you do all your work every day? Yeah, you know, I was really, really excited yesterday when I set this up when there was a miscommunication.

So sort of the first day jitters are out. What was the miscommunication? Yeah. Well, I was texting you and you were on a flight and I was like, hey, like one o'clock, you're not going to make it if you're just taking off. Like, how about I push it to three? You're like, yeah, that would give me a lot more time

to get my life together. And I was like, okay, great. I was already late for the show when you were texting me that? Yeah, well, I was like, I'll push the show. time zone was the whole thing going on i know and then even you west in the text the three of us you were like oh just the two of us today and i'm like ha ha yeah like whatever and then i get to the room you know get my first day jitters out set up all this equipment oh no and uh oh no it's okay

it's okay that now i feel terribly but i didn't know you had actually done work in yeah no i had i do put some work into this once in a while well my apologies um i owe you a beer for that yes you do so three of us here in a conference Are we sure this conference room has not been booked by any shadowy league figures who might mosey on in here and, you know, waste everybody's time with a meeting about nothing at some point in the next hour? Very well could happen. Okay. Well, if the podcast ends abruptly, you'll know. I think the third floor is empty.

Coming up on today's show, mailbag. It's a mailbag show because it's just Wes and I and Ricky's here, of course, as well. No glass. You're not behind the glass. So it's like you're part of the show as well. How fun is that? It's super cool. We'll just hit the mailbag and connect with the listeners.

I just got back from, yes, the Jersey Shore, a week with the family, full-time grind for the old Zooser. You know, every day at the beach, Wes. And when you're a young dad, every day at the beach is like one of those tough mudder endurance races. It's like go in the water with me for. an hour and a half now run around in the sand for 20 minutes now dig like a seven foot hole that I'll

you know the kid loses interested almost immediately after you've dug the entire hole out it's it's constant work and then it was chased yesterday by a flight where Jack and Harrison were just losing their crap the entire time during the flight we were hated on the flight

I missed the part where you read a book peacefully and drank it did not happen and so I just want to let you know, Wes, and you, of course, are in the middle of your four maize in a funeral stretch here, where you're going to get engaged one may, married the next, kid one the may after that, and then kid two of the May after that. Let's keep the funeral part out of it. And you're in a coffin, a few decades later, hopefully several decades later.

I just want to say, remember in Billy Madison when the little chubby kid says to Adam Sandler's character, he can't wait to go to high school, and he got to cherish him. Stay here as long as you can. Yes, I didn't remember that. I'm sure what you did. What did you do while I was in the throes of grind work? Lakeish and I went up to Napa and hung out with MJ Acosta and her boyfriend. Oh, come on.

That sounds like the greatest trip ever. Went to Oracle Park, the most beautiful baseball park in the country. Caught a Cardinals Giants game. It was a nice little weekend. I resent you. Cherish it, Wes. I feel like I've been cherishing it for 25 years. Living to the hilt.

What'd you do, Ricky? I haven't checked your Instagram. You haven't? No, I actually was just chatting with West. It was really, really nice. I was back in New Hampshire, Lake Life, up with my parents' lake house. Palatial estate, Temposi Manor. Yeah, hung out with some friends, but mostly just, you know, relaxed on the boat.

I've missed that. Being from the Midwest, like, your summers means something. In California, like the whole year is your summer. Oh, that's interesting. Meet anybody, Ricky? No. No. No.

getting any fights of family members no it was really uneventful got into a couple of stuff i got sprayed by a skunk you did yeah what did you do legitimately my flight was at six in the morning friday night that night we went out with friends in boston and i was just going to go to the airport when we were done drinking at four in the morning sure as one does right and i had my my my you know my beautiful beautiful puppy thor with me so he was at my friend's apartment so around two 30 flights in a couple hours go home to let Thor out and I think I thought it was a cat because my reaction was very very slow and I like let Thor sort of like run on the leash like after this skunk but I was like it took me really a really long time and then my friends had to give me and Thor like a hydrogen peroxide baking soda whatever bath at like 3.30 in the morning in Boston oh my God yeah so you'd been drinking all night and And then you get sprayed by a skunk. Yeah.

And you kind of try to get washed out. But I'm sure the person sitting next to you on the plane is probably smelling some combination of booze. Yeah. The skunk. I mean, I was legitimately. Cleaning fluid. Drunk trying to like check in at the flight, too. It was a really bad sight.

What a debacle. Yeah. Terrible. Total catastrophe. Yeah. All right. Well, you're here with us. I don't smell anything now.

I smell great. I smell like everything is under control. Let's get to it Starting with the news People pay People pay People pay People pay

Ah yes Team USA Oh yeah Back to back I did watch that I watched Watch it with Keith Hans As my dad

Who's you know I would estimate He's watched Maybe four soccer matches His entire life Did he enjoy it He was way plug

He was a patriotic man, so he was pumped up. I only know slightly more than my dad about soccer, so I imagine the... Hold on time. Did you tell me once you were a goalkeeper? I was. I was quite good, actually, in my younger years. But I never really learned the... I never fell in love with the sport.

Gotcha. So it was kind of fun watching with my dad. But that was nice. Back to back. It's great. You know, the dominance on the world stage. And you said, Wes, you made the point we talked about, we were talking about the women's soccer and how it's a fairly new sport.

The first World Cup was in 1991. So maybe eventually other countries will catch up to the U.S. So we're just going to savor this as long as we can. Yeah, I mean, if you look at it kind of like the dream team, like in 1992, we were ahead of everyone. I don't know that women's soccer players were naturally ahead of everyone, but they've dominated it. You expect as the sport evolves it will be more egalitarian.

Who's your favorite, Ricky? I like Kelly O'Hara Alex Morgan's a little overrated Rose Lebeau Yeah She's from Cincinnati Rapino is You know making some waves

Yeah she's like the biggest star in sports right now Yeah Nice job by her Mm-hmm All right By the way Greg is in Japan Colleen

Checked in with Colleen She's in Tel Aviv Tel Aviv Does anybody know where Mark is? He's Taking a break Wasn't he out before the July 4th week? Well, that was a family vacation.

I think this is like a personal retreat for him. Does he hear this week? Last week, I mean? I don't think he was here. But I don't, I can't verify that. I think he, you know, he said he has told us on numerous occasions when he leaves any job. When it's time to leave, that's why he keeps his desk so sparse. He can be out within seconds and no one will know he's gone.

It's possible that has happened here. It is. He made it seem like this is like his personal retreat, so he'll be ready to face the next eight-month gauntlet of the season. All right. Good for him. I just hope he comes back. Come back, Mark. He's not listening. Let's get to the news. Ezekiel Elliott will not face a suspension for his most recent off-field incident. Mike Garifolo reported Elliot met last week with Commissioner Goodell regarding an incident in Las Vegas in which the running back nudged a security officer after the meeting Elliot issued an apology for his actions promising to make better decisions in the future I just think you know we don't

need to dwell on this we're kind of catching up so we were out last week except for the of course Wheel of Destiny episode which people really seem to enjoy yes they do people like the Wheel of Destiny but I'm just curious I feel like if you remember if you're a student of recent Cowboys history

last time they had a true star running back in their midst DeMarco Murray They maxed out what they could do in terms of team control, used him at an outrageous workload level of workload, and then said goodbye. Due to the structure of the way the CBA is, I wonder if the Cowboys, how crazy they are really, about extending a player in Elliott who is undeniably talented but continues to have these little issues off the field. as a running back and knowing how that position gets paid or not paid, would you be surprised if the Cowboys did not extend Elliott long term?

I would be shocked because their whole team is built around him, not just the offense, but the way they play and the way the defense works with the offense, hand and glove. It's all built on Ezekiel Elliott being the best all-around running back in the game and the best offensive weapon on their roster. All right, let's move on. The Dolphins have a defensive tackle, Kendrick, who suffered just a horrendous fate last week.

He suffered a – he was in a car accident that led to the amputation of his left arm. This occurred on Friday last week in Florida. He's 22 years old. His car – it was a Ford F-250 crashed into a concrete barrier. He lost the arm. And the NFL stepped in with some help Tuesday morning. morning informing Norton that all of his medical bills will be covered under the leagues and the Miami Dolphins insurance policy that came from the player's agent.

Also, Norton posted an Instagram message on Monday with a thumbs up. He is in stable condition. His NFL career, obviously over. Now it's about getting well and moving on to the next phase of his life. obviously stunning and very sad, but thank God he's alive. Sad story for a guy who was a late round pick last year, was on the practice squad, and with a team as sparse as the Dolphins, would have had a chance to make the roster. So you feel bad about a loss of his career, and obviously, you know, his health issues going forward.

And, you know, talking to MJ Acosta and her boyfriend about this, they spent a lot of time in Miami. She spent most of her life there. She was not surprised about where the accident happened. it's got to be one of the most dangerous areas in the country. Really? It happened very early in the morning. Again, Norton's stable. There's a hope that eventually he'll be able to get a prosthetic arm,

but that's where Norton's at right now. In other health news and not, you know, great news, former Patriots linebacker, Teddy Brusky. Brewski. Teddy Bruske posted in Instagram on Monday. he's doing, quote, much better after suffering a stroke last week. Bruske suffered a stroke on July 4th, felt several, you know, symptoms of a stroke, which is the use of his left arm.

He couldn't use it. He realized he was slurring his speech. His wife also noticed that the left side of his face was drooping when he turned her. They called 911, got immediate assistance, and Bruske, 46 years old, seems to be doing much better now. Of course, Bruske suffered a stroke in 2005 as well when he was a member of the Patriots.

They missed the first six weeks of that season, then returned to play eight months later. So this is obviously something, an existing medical condition that Bruske is going to have to watch for the rest of his life. Scary stuff. Yeah, I didn't realize

that it had been over a decade since his initial stroke. And I remember at the time, everybody being very concerned, you know, I think it bodes well that he's been able to recover so well from the first one. So let's hope he does the same after this one.

Ricky, you, listen, I should know that. He had a great career. Huge. Huge. I got hung up on it because I don't watch a lot of the ESPN NFL shows. I only watch, he's an analyst there now. I only watch NFL network because that's the only place to come for NFL news. And his name, B-R-U-S-C-H-I, I tripped on it.

Yeah, I don't. So maybe like, cut me some slack, bro. That's sort of like my first real football memory. Was Teddy Brucey's stroke? Oh, really? Whoa. How old were you in 2005? I probably was 14, 13.

Well, yeah. Is this just one of those stories you'd tell to remind us how much younger you are than us? Yes. No, I remember being like he missed the first part of the season. I remember Patriots fans, my friends and classes and stuff, being really upset about it. And then I remember being really upset that he was like coming back. Like, I was really worried because I wasn't really sure. I didn't know who he was.

but all this kind of stuff. And then all of a sudden he was back. And I was like, that's way too soon. And I remember sort of the pressure of watching his first game back. And I was in 2005. Because in the millennium, 2000, I was in second grade. Who could forget the millennium? What will happen with those stoplights?

They'll shut off. Moving on. More Patriots news. Rob Grunkowski, he was on the Rich Eisen Show last week, said he's going to be times when he was. he misses playing but guess what he's also happy right now he's also down 18 pounds from 268 to 250 but that didn't stop him from getting in a little workout with an old friend named tom brady gronka caught passes from brady during a private workout um monday at ucla

both my sons were born the ucala medical center how about that pretty cool patriots a little bit more likable maybe maybe jack and harrison are pats fans you shut your mouth scorpion woman uh anyway the tight end he just happened to be in l a charity basketball game the sbys this week west i know you'll be devouring the espies and watching it repeatedly um so he got the workout in and i just got to be honest with you um this again this just feeds right into the obvious takeaway that there's no way in hell this guy is not playing for the patriots in december i i put a sandwich on it if anybody wants to take me on it this is happy Gronk is still having catch with the old quarterback.

He's going to get the itch by August. He'll be playing by December. Who doubts it? I'm taking you up on that sandwich. Mark it down, Nick Fortier. The weight loss is way more telling to me than catching passes with Tom Brady. He could put that on six weeks. Why would he drop it if he's just going to put it back on?

He's just having a good time. I think. I saw Joe Thomas do this. Yeah, but Thomas's different situation. Gronk, he's having fun. He's cutting loose. But he's going to start getting worked. Remember, this guy is 30 years old.

He's going. Put it on the board. I got a sandwich coming. You know, who's not coming back, Glover Quinn. The former Lion's safety is retiring after 10 seasons, 33 years old. He's walking away. He always set a goal of playing 10 years. He played it, and he's done.

Fourth round pick back in 09 by the Texans. But he really became a standout when he got to Detroit. He was the top free agent signing in 2013. became a stalwart in that secondary pro bowl bid second team all pro in 2014 led the NFL in interceptions an underrated player kevin patra along suffering lions fan who does obviously great work writing up the news for nfl dot com wrote frankly he was one of the most underrated players during his six years in detroit and should have garnered more accolades including 2017 all pro and pro bowl snubs after what was arguably his best season west

shaking his head, no, nodding his head, preach, Kevin Patcher. Absolutely. He made my 2017 all-pro team, and then the wheels kind of fell off last year. He lost his speed. But this guy is the NFC's version of Devin McCordia, a cornerback who came in and converted to safety and then played at a Pro Bowl level for the bulk of his Lions career, and if he played in New England, he would have made more Proble's.

Troupe Alert. Got a Trouble Alert. Troplanet, Troopanet, Troopanet. Patrick Mahomes is coming off a record-setting MVP season, but guess what? He a fatty. That according to Patrick Mahomes, who said this off-season is all about shedding that, quote, baby fat. Last year after training camp, he was 12% body fat. His goal is to be in the single digits.

Here's what he said. I'm going to try to get as low as I possibly can while still being healthy. still having the body to be able to take a full season. Remember the same Patrick Mahomes tossed for 5,097 yards, 50 touchdowns, won the MVP trophy in his first year, first full year as an NFL starter. You know, I would say just come back exactly the same. I wouldn't change a thing. Keep scarfing down those cheeseburgers, you corpulent quarterback.

Back in the 70s when quarterbacks first started to get. Corpulent, I don't get anything more. It's great. It's awesome. What's that mean? Ruben-esque. Heavy set. Zoftic.

Back of the 70s when John Madden was announcing and quarterbacks first started to get into weightlifting, he thought that the main benefit was in release time, that you were more willing to stand in and take a hit because you were more able to withstand the hit. Right. I don't think Pat Mahomes needed any help on this. Standing in and taking hit or release time.

Corpulent adjective. Parentheses of a person, end parentheses. he's fat. One of my favorite Chekisms, Dave Damashek, is saying someone, an overweight person, is of generous carriage.

Moves well for a man of his carriage. I've heard that from Chek toward me before. Moving on, ooh, it is time to tell you West about the NFL International Combine in 2019.

You know where it's going to be held? Deutsche. Deutsche, baby. The Deutschland will be held in Germany. The league announced Tuesday it will conduct the NFL International Combine in Germany

at a sports training facility outside. Ooh, this one got me. Thank you. You love this one. Yeah, you got it off my Spotify. Anyway, where was it? Anyway, it's the workout.

It's the same. It mirrors the NFL scouting combine in Indy. Last year it was in Australia. This year, it's in Germany. The International Combine will host up to 50 athletes selected to go through drills in front of NFL talent evaluators. This is all part of the international player pathway. program, which aims to provide international athletes the opportunity to compete at the NFL level, hone their skills, and hopefully earn a spot on an NFL roster during the 2019 season.

Eight teams will carry an additional overseas player on their practice squads as part as the program, as part of the program. And that reminds me, Ricky, it's time to check back in. And now, another edition of Keeping Up a Bowringer. Maurice Bowringer. I don't have anything. Isn't he currently converted to tight end and trying to catch on with the Bengals? Sure. And that was another edition of Keeping Up with Bowringer.

This is how I know that handsome Hank, our friend Henry Hodchin, is doing a great job. Because VP of International here at NFL media. Did you even know there was an international combine in Australia? Hell no. Well, now this year we've got articles written. We're talking about it on a podcast. We're getting it out there. Henry's getting the news out.

Hank, yeah, Hank is one of the more powerful men behind the scenes. He's sneaky powerful. And I've said the only thing that could keep him from one day being a commissioner is that accent. You know, I think what he needs to do is throw that thing. He every, whenever Hank does it, and if you know, handsome Hank if you listen to the Dave Diamond Shack football program where he's a regular contributor if he tries to do an American accent it always comes out Texan like a twang I'd say just go to that full time he'll be have an office at the top of that Park Avenue

estate Park Avenue complex in no time she could get voice lessons from Istook our buddy Mark is took you know native Texan back in Dallas these days exactly finally in the news so nasty a young woman is seen on video licking a container of ice cream and putting it back in the store freezer. Oh, you foul. Put it back. Put it back. Oh, you foul. Put it back. Put it back. This is the newest thing. It's all over the Internet. People are licking the top of ice cream cartons, putting it back, putting it on the Internet,

and a viral challenge. People are getting thrown in jail. It's in the New York Times, actually, an article just today in the Times about a guy that tracked down, they tracked down the girl that started it in East Texas. Who had the flu? Did she? Yes. Oh, come on. And then there's this other dude, Lenise Lloyd Martin, the third, 36-year-old unemployed man.

He's been in jail for days because he licked it. It was caught on camera. He said, I bought the ice cream that I licked. I had the receipt. They said, we don't care. You didn't buy it when you licked it. You're going to a slammer and you're staying there. And you know what, Ricky?

I think that's fine. them there. I agree. That's disgusting. Come on. It's stupid, too. Crack a book once in a while, and you won't be going around doing stupid things like this. You know what? Stay out of CVS. Stay out of Rite Aid. Stay out of Stop and Shop and Vons. Stay away from our ice cream. Library. Crack a book. Also, quit trying to impress other people. Just stop. Be yourself. Yep. Just stop. What, what? What would... Nothing would cause you to do something like that except...

I knew this would get you mad. Impressing other people is the only reason to do that. Who's impressed? Who's impressed? If Dan came in and was like, guess what I did over the fourth? I licks some ice cream and put it back. I would be like, I don't want to speak to you ever again. Sophomores.

That's a bad job. It's a bad job. That's what's happening in the news. Quick softball update before we get to the mailbag. Where do we stand? Eight and two. Nice. Wes, we can never tell anyone else on the team, especially some of the...

less motivated members of our team. I won't specify who. Ricky, keep this in this conference room. But after looking at an updated, taking an updated glance at the standings, we have clinched a playoff spot. We're in the top three. We will be playing for a third consecutive title,

something that even the U.S. women's national team has never done, win three straight. That would be impressive. There's still drama left here. We have to make sure that the tournament gets played on the right day, so half our roster can show up. Right. There's some concerns about,

yeah, there's a rain make-up date that if it's not made up, we're going to be down two of our top women. So we need some things to go our way. But eight and two, two games to play before the big dance. And Erica, this has been your first season with the Shields, softball team.

Any takeaways, surprises, things you are happy about things you're disappointed by? Surprises would probably be how serious you guys take it. I sort of thought it was bit i thought you guys were like oh yeah it's half bit yeah but it's not you guys are like legit serious like i i've never seen dan like you've like sworn and like thrown your bat against the fence like when you you like were popped out once but you hit like a slammer like way out into the outfield and someone randomly caught it like it's not your fault like that's a

really you're really good so that was funny to me because i was like oh my god they're like serious it's called a slammer you hit a slammer an exclamation point yeah yeah you know so you're surprised by how serious we take it yeah but we have fun it's not oh it's so much fun but it's also like ha ha fun as long as we're like dominated i mean i'll be honest with you it's not fun to lose no no one likes no one likes to lose um another takeaway is someone lit my apartment on fire again last week yeah again but i had moved i moved now initially you'll say what listeners might be like what does that have to do the softball team uh we we speculated a few weeks back the first time that Ricky's apartment was set up

that it was possibly the girl on our team that was told that she was not starting and Erica was instead starting in right center field a day later the apartment went up we don't have any evidence corroborating that and we don't know for sure but we just thought that but now that it's happened a second time it seems almost certain

right it has to be and and they don't know that I moved apartments because I did move about like two weeks ago so the jokes on them so the jokes on whoever is moving into my new place I guess I hope this person doesn't listen to the podcast yeah

because then they're going to start putting together they might follow you home they know that I moved right yeah well let's keep again let's keep this investigation open but there is potentially West we're always putting out fires apart in that with certain women on the team

and now we might have a situation where arson is involved between two teammates outfielders What if arson and skunks were both involved I don't know Like this has been a weird stretch of time for me There was when I played in Cincinnati Our home ballpark for softball

After the game every Sunday night The whole family of skunks would come out Like right where we sit and drink beer Really? The skunks would drink beer We'd throw them hot dogs and stuff Really? Yeah

They wouldn't spray you obviously No, they never sprayed us That's some hardcore West Side Cincinnati stuff The skunks come out at night And just chill out at the baseball And they don't spray They sit there and needle each other And dare you

Just dare you All right So yeah Ricky I expect a contribution from you Before the season's out That Oh yeah

I want you to win a game at some point Oh yeah I'm gonna And I believe in you Oh yeah Let's hit the mailbag Put it out there This morning

And of course you guys Steped up as you always do The listeners So let's dig into it We'll start with a nice beefy one that we could sink our teeth into a little bit. Nick Ossick writes

given how spicy NBA free agency has been, what would you do to improve parenthetical, if anything, close parenthetical. The heat level of NFL free agency. How would you make NFL free agency more beefy?

Oh! Nice. Well, I think there's a couple of things here. First of all, it can't be like the NBA because of the scheming that coaches do in the NFL. You need the players to match the scheme. The players are in control. The union is in control in the NBA.

It's not in control here. And for that reason in the NBA, you have super teams, and you usually only have in the last, I don't know, five years, a couple of teams that are relevant every year. And the NFL's great strength besides the fact that it fits television so well is the parody, that every team has a chance every year, that you don't get an advantage just because you're in a major market, or because you're the glamour team, I think that that's, and honestly, look back even three or four years ago, NFL Free Agency was pretty boring,

and it has been way spicy here the last couple of years. As Greg has noted with the trade tsunamis, I think it's really been beefed up. Yeah, I think it's been better maybe in recent years, but I totally see where Nick's coming from July 1st when NBA Free Agency opened. It was the center of the sports universe, and it's a lot of fun tracking who's meeting with who, who's recruiting who, what billboard is up, who's flying somewhere and somewhere else.

The only time I could really think about that in my time here at NFL Media is when Peyton Manning was a free agent. And he really felt that you felt that energy of where is he going to go? He's meeting here. He might go here. And that was a lot of fun. I don't really, I can't recall any other scenario that came close to matching that. And I think one thing that really, feeling for what would be a change here, can make um i think the and it's something that we'll see when the cba the new cb a gets rolled out

after the 2020 season and hopefully without any work stoppage uh in between uh the franchise tag really does keep exciting young just entering their prime players tethered to the team they get drafted by a team they have no they have no choice where to go when they get drafted so then they get locked into either a four or five-year contract. Then they get the option to get franchised. That could happen twice. There's a transition tag. It's all this stuff that's designed to keep these guys from maxing out their value on the open market.

I think if you somehow were able to negotiate that out, free agency would be a lot of fun because guys, after that four-year period or five-year period could hit the market at 26. And I think that would change a lot of things as things stand now. That's not the way it is. That would be the one change I would make. but I imagine the owners would rather shut down the league for two years than give up the franchise tag, which is incredibly valuable. Yeah, to me, it's take your pick.

Do you want the free agency to be fun or do you want the season to be fun? And I don't, you know, if you allow super teams, I don't think the NFL season is going to be as fun. This offseason, though, I think was one for the books. With Antonio Brown, Levy on Bell, I mean, the O'Dell Beckham trade, I feel like nobody saw coming. So as far as, like, exciting when you just have those big players, You just mentioned trades.

You know what I mean? Those are trades. Right. That's not just like getting... That's the offseason. The off season, that's the trade tsunami that Wes was talking about. I agree with that. So, like, the off season has gotten spicier through the trade tsunami. But how do you make free agency more exciting?

Well, the NFL, those are officially trades too, signing trades. I mean, they're trades. To me, O'Dell Beckham is basically free agency. That's trading in free agency are almost the same thing in sports now. It is amazing, though, how much power. the players have in the NBA. And when you compare it to what happens in the NFL, which is very much still dominated by the owners

and the teams have the power. And it does get me nervous, Wes, about that CBA, especially with the players in the union seeing what a bonanza and how fun it is and lucrative it is over in the NBA right now for these superstar players. Yeah, new CBA should always get you nervous in any sport. Next up, let's go. to so many great questions. Justin Sullivan 84, Marcus Marriota, entering his fifth year,

speaking of rookie contracts. And every year, the same question remains, is Marietta a franchise QB? If you're John Robinson, the GM, what do you have to see from Mariotta this year to resign him to a big contract? TDs, interceptions, yards, health games played, and games one playoff appearance? What do you need to say? What do you need to see, Wes, you get us going on this one? Well, I'll throw the stats out the window because they lack context, and I don't think you can accurately judge quarterbacks by stats. But I would say what John Robinson has to see is threefold.

One, stay off the injury list while remaining a threat to run in key situations. That's number one. He hasn't been able to do that yet. Number two, make more plays outside the numbers and down the field. This guy is a very good quarterback between the numbers. his accuracy is great he just doesn't make enough plays outside the numbers

and down the field where big plays happen so that element has been missing and one thing that really caught my eye last year if you remember when Tony Romo praised Sam Darnold for having like special innate

spatial awareness yes Marioo was missing that like he stepped into pressure instead of away from it he didn't really sense pressure until it was too late his internal clock was off

and he took way too many sacks I think that's the one problem like that maybe a lot of people don't know about that has really held him back. I agree with everything you said. And I agree somewhat on the stats thing. Yes, you can't, don't use stats as a B.L. Endall. But I think if you're an elite quarterback, you're a guy that's, you're involved with like 30 touchdowns a year. You're pass a rating or I know you guys prefer the, what do you prefer to pass rating list?

I guess QBR. QBR. I mean, none of them are great. But, you know, Marioo putting up about 15 touchdown. a year that's just to me that's not a guy that's not a franchise guy and the injuries obviously play a big part in that he's missing parts of seasons every year but you know what you got to stay on the field huge year for him and right tannahill that that was a very good move i thought by them because tana hill is a guy who is waiting in the wings who i think could give that team a spark

potentially yeah i wouldn't rule it out that he could if mariotta goes down tany hill could take the the reins and never give him back wasn't there just an article saying that like you know marriota is our quarterback you don't for me it's just like you don't need to put out a statement like that if you're if you're sure of your franchise quarterback don't you think don't you think if there was a backup quarterback that your your team wouldn't have to be like just to let you guys know they're definitely still our quarterback well i think that yeah that's a good point but i also think it's more about health with him than anything and you invite that question when you trade or sign tannahill you know you could just go with a regular backup uh

Josh Alström asks, Dan, if the Knicks trade for Russell Westbrook, would it save this offseason? What a terrible offseason for the Knicks who seemed locked and loaded to have Kevin Durant and perhaps more. They even seem like they could get the number one pick. That didn't work out. But the only reason I bring this one up, it ties into the NBA we're just talking about. But also where the Knicks are now as a franchise is probably, I think, similar to probably how Browns felt, the Browns fans felt. before Baker Mayfield showed up, where everything just seems like lipstick on a pig right now. If they got Russell Westbrook, for instance, what would a 30, 31-year-old guard do for that franchise?

They need to have somebody that's a game-changing young talent like Baker-Mayfield in Cleveland. Maybe it would have been Zion, you know, Williamson. That didn't work out. But that is where I come down on that. Well, said, I think it's about three years past the time when you would want Russell Westbrook on a team if you're rebuilding. He was a problem for his team in the playoffs last year. Also one of the most expensive players in the league in terms of what's left on his contract. Steer clear of the Knicks.

Meanwhile, they'll probably end up getting him. Moving on, let's see. Our old friend Jim Loring asks, Wes, if you had to cook one meal for Gordon Ramsey. Do you respect Ramsey in his game? He's a little loud and obnoxious for me. A little mean just to be mean. You have someone in this realm that you do respect? Well, Anthony Bourdain would have been my first pick.

All right. Let's go. The late, Anthony Burdine. Yes, let's go back in a better world where Anthony Bourdain was still with us. If you could cook one meal for Bourdain, what would you make? So you've had, Dan, my homemade marinera, look, ragu. Stellar. So I turned that into a new dish.

I make the marinade myself homemade, and then I turned it, put it on the big green egg, threw in some cream cheese, some Eiffel Tower pasta, and smoked it on the big green egg in a cast iron skillet, and it was one of the best things. ever made. That's what I would make for him. Ricky, can you cook? I can cook really well, actually. What would you make for the late Anthony Wardane?

I would probably make him like a really tricky, hard-to-to-nail risotto. Rosotto, you can really screw up. So if I got it right, you know, big risk, big reward. You know, been our producer for a while now. At what point is there, you know, a text that goes out to me and the other fellas, hey, I'm cooking dinner. Yeah. Come on over.

Bring some wine. Have a nice night to all of us. Yeah, I do. I actually did want to have you guys over for my new housewarming little wine night and I'll cook. Let's do it. Put it on the books. I won an Iron Chef competition at UNH with my buddy. I won a flat screen TV.

What did you make for this? That was like a steak and I did a mushroom asparagus risotto. Nice. And the magic ingredient was Hickama. Hickama? Yeah. I got to look this up. It's like an apple potato almost.

I kind of like a West. Erica Tamposi. Throwdown? No. Or just like another two-hander. Like some type of reality cooking show. It would be great. Yeah.

All right. That's good. All right. Ooh, what's more likely? Let's do it. Dean Bonner asks, What's more likely? The Saints make a third straight NFC championship game or the Browns make the playoffs.

Now, I don't believe the Saints made the NFC title game two years ago. Didn't they get knocked out by the Vikings and the divisional playoffs on the Miracle in the Minneapolis? And then the Eagles beat the Vikings? Yes. That's incorrect, Dean. But let's just say, will the Saints return to the NFC title game or the Browns make the playoffs? Hmm, interesting, interesting. Well, I think the Browns have a playoff roster, and the top of the NFC is pretty loaded to me.

There are a lot of really good playoff Super Bowl contender type of teams. It's a lot harder to make the conference finals than to make the playoffs. So I think it's more likely if the Browns make the playoffs. I put it probably pretty close, but it is easier to win the nine or ten games to get to the postseason. So I would put the Browns as more likely. But as we've talked about in this podcast, and I'm on Mark's radar for it, I'm not as, you know, pumped about penciling in the Browns or 12 wins in the AFC title game as a lot of other people seem to be.

My eyes are wide open about expectations and how that could crush a team or lead to a slow start that they may or may not recover from. So I'm not as bullish on the Browns, but I think that is a very talented roster. And yes, more likely in the Saints getting back to the game again. We've got to see if Drew Breeze can still sling. We do, and I know, are the Saints really that much better than like the Eagles, Cowboys, Bears, Rams? Mark Ingram was an important guy in that locker room and on the field. He's no longer in the picture.

All right, let's move on. Dave Evans asks, Greg fails a drug test that would never happen and get suspended for the 2019 season, which member of the football cognoscenti? do you choose to replace him all right this to me was it was really i could go either way on this um mike terrico right there i feel like terrico um would be a great addition total pros pro so versatile but then i thought mm you better host than me never want that in the studio so i'm i'm going to go with little debby make her a full-time presence, the Bay Area rap star and friend of the show,

make her a 24-7 full-time member of the crew. It's amazing how much this question has changed in the last five years that now we've been told that you probably aren't going to go so far with four whites in their middle ages. Well, I'm in my 30s, but you guys are definitely in your middle-aged. You're looking down the barrel of 40. No. So I think... They call me Kid Dynamite. I would look to diversify.

And the first thing I would do is, you know, obviously check with Connie Fox and try to get her back. You got Steve Weish has been a natural on this show, Patrick Claibon, Lakeisha, you never know. A little nepotism. I like that. Hey, if she's good enough to do it, she's good enough. And now you're getting me in trouble with Colleen. I'm not counting Colleen. Colleen, of course, is a natural.

She would be the natural slide in. But she's very busy woman with her Thursday night football and Good Morning Football Duties Rising Star while we've kind of hit. that ceiling yeah that's fair i mean you almost everyone we would consider you'd have to say would you mind stepping back and joining our podcast and erika we need you behind the glass i know you're thinking with natural succession i slide in through the door um i just think where we are right now it's better that you were in the producer role at this moment okay thanks we appreciate the uh honesty moving on uh from frank signetti p i also no is Frank underscore Murietta.

But you can interview. Yeah? Yeah. Okay. Bring a resume. I'll put together a packet. Put on a business suit. Yeah.

Frank says, the value placed on the dual threat quarterback for an NFL offense seems to be climbing and climbing. Are we watching the beginning of the end of the true pocket passer? Good question, Frank. Wes, what do you think? Well, I think the easy answer is people have been asking this question

since Randall Cunningham was, you know, a second-year player with the Eagles in the late 80s. And the answer from NFL types has always been, the pocket passer will always have a place because running quarterbacks get injured. And I think it's worth reviewing that, at least, in saying now when quarterbacks don't get hit as much, and it's a big penalty to hit them, it's almost flag football to the point where the quarterbacks are treated like punters. Is that still relevant today? that a running quarterback is still going to have to get outside the pocket and take hits. But we've seen guys like Russell Wilson, who has immaculate instincts on when to get down,

when to avoid hits. Not every quarterback's going to have those instincts. But I think some of that can be taught a little bit. So between the rule changes and teaching that, I do think we're going to see way more running quarterbacks. But I don't think the pocket quarterback will be extinct. I mean, look at the best guys in the last, you know, half decade. Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rogers.

Right. If you could sling it and you have that spatial awareness and you could show those leadership skills, there's always going to be a role for those guys. But yeah, what we've seen is if you have that dual ability, you are invaluable. All right, here's the next one coming up. Daniel Anderson, which team is this year's 2016 Raiders, seemingly from nowhere, pulling a 12 and 4? So the 2015, just to refresh my memory, 2015 Raiders went, seven and nine, so maybe they weren't quite as bad as Danny remembers. But who is the team kind of buried in their division West last year that you'd be least surprised to see make a, you know, double-digit win season type run? Not even 10, like 11 or 11 plus wins. We always have to preface this, I guess, with except the Browns. Right. I mean, would you also say except the Packers?

Let's keep the Packers out of us as well, yeah. Except the Carolina Pan. Santhers? Yeah, injured quarterback. I mean, there's no, to me, those are the three obvious ones, and I don't see a team. I mean, Jets and Bills, I love what they've done this offseason. They still have a lot of question marks to me. Jags?

Jags? Yeah, because of their defense, but I look at their offense. I'm doing some articles on deepest and thinnest position groups. And they're-brag? Well, it was assigned to me by our gracious editor, Ali, bomb party um and so you look at the jags offense and for thinnest position groups is basically their entire offense what about your boys the broncos six and ten last year i i get tired of backing them on the show because you guys are flaco or fluko that's the question i don't see a 12 and 4 out of them

i see a 10 and 6 possibly but i don't see one of those like he's going for the MVP award like derrick car was going for the MVP award that year all right so you don't you know you don't have the spine thrown out there. I threw three out there, but they were all ineligible. Yeah, here's, you know, here comes the onion hanger. All right. Bruce Ariens are the tip of big buccaneers. Bang.

Because he's still got the love of the game, Wes. You think Ariens was in the booth and he's out of the game too long, and he's no longer a quarterback whisperer, and he can't do it, and the bucks will always think, well, guess what? Five and eleven. Flip it. Eleven and five. Let's fly. Based on what, really?

Well, I just explained that Bruce Ariens is one of those coaches. west he is like that that parcels you know he's a guy with the parcels background uh he is one of those guys that could have a transformative effect on the team and what are the most important uh three positions uh for any team ownership head coach quarterback well guess what you you put the old coach out to see you brought in a great one in aryans and it's a guy can fix the quarterback that's two out of three and that ain't bad you have a lot more confidence in Byron Leftwich and James Winston than I do. Byron, all right.

Now you're not, now Ariens isn't even involved with the offense. He's not. This has been a story that he has left the offense to Leftwich, who is handling it himself, who will be calling the plays. You know what he's trying to do? Because Arons is that selfless. Trying to get his boy Leftwich a job. Absolutely.

So he's putting it out there. Who did that? Remember Mike McCarthy did that? Did it go so well? Yeah. McCarthy had to take back over. If the buck's getting a similar quagmire, Guess what?

Bruce's heading in. Then you play Carol King and it's too late, baby. All right, a few more before we get out of here. Let's see. I don't care. Fans. From Jordan Lang for the two biggest baseball fans on the pod. Thoughts on the state of the game.

And if the league put too much emphasis on home runs, a.k.a. juiced the balls. Well, this goes way beyond juice. balls. I mean, this has been in the works for a while since Moneyball came out and the move to analytics and the move away from treating players as humans and more towards assembly line pieces where emotions are out of the game. And the big thing, I think, if you look now versus even 10 years ago, the biggest difference in the game to me as umpires are so much better with the strike zone that hitters and pitchers can rely on a borderline call going exactly

how it should go, and it's made batterers so much more confident about taking borderline pitches, and now you have everybody's waiting on a walk, pitches are waiting on a strikeout, and batters want the home run, and it's boring, boring baseball. That's my opinion. Again, who knows if this can change or not. I'm sure the guys from the 1890s who were doing the Baltimore shop looked at the 1950s baseball and said, these guys don't run. All they do is sit around and hit homers.

I mean, and then it took black players, Latin players, and AstroTurf to get the game exciting again after the 50s. So, I don't know, we'll see. You never really can tell what's going to save baseball, but every generation asks when it's going to be saved. Yeah, I think overall it's good. I think it's good for the game home runs. But I will say that Justin Verlander, the Astros All-Star, who had some cutting comments this week ahead of the All-Star game about Juice Base Base. It's an effing joke. Major League Baseball is turning this game into a joke. They own Rawlings. And you've got Manfred. He's the commissioner up here saying it might be the way they center the pill. They own the effing company. If any other $40 billion company bought out a $400 million company and the product changed dramatically, it's not a guess as to what happened. He ain't wrong. And I get it. He's a pitcher. And he makes his living trying to get people out on the mound. Ironically, his career skyrocketed as this power surge has come about after his trade from the Astros

or it went into a second gear after it seemed like he had been in decline, but that's not really the point. I think that it's good, but also to your point, West, like, and I'll use my favorite team of the Yankees, an example. Last year they set the home run record for a team, and that was not a team that Yankee fans really liked. It was very home run, strikeout, walk, three outcome baseball. this year, they're having success again, but they're putting the ball and play more. They're just a more fun team to watch DJ Lemayhew and players like that are a little bit more exciting than guys that strike out 220 times. Well, this is a complex issue, and we could do an entire show on it.

But to me, so every baseball game, if you watch it all the way through, is sort of like a house of cards. Each inning is a new layer, and the tension rises every time. And then by the eighth or ninth inning, in a well-played, game, the tension releases, the house of cards come down, and that's where the glory of baseball happens. All that layering and subtleness and texture, and it's all being taken out of the game by the three true outcome stuff, and I think baseball has known this for 30 years.

They have known this as a way the game's gone, and instead of fixing the game, they've juiced the ball, moved in the fences, taken personality and distinct styles for managers away from the game, and now you're left with this kind of boring, everybody. does the same thing game that's just not that aesthetically appealing as it was and yet Wes and I

combined to watch about 155 out of 162 games this year still a beautiful game but there's always room for improvement easy with the home runs how about those London games Yankees Red Sox that wasn't fun to watch

that was basically an arena league baseball series and it was the introduction of the sport to a lot of people overseas but that was I don't even know what was going on. Did you happen to catch any of that was? I didn't see any of the game,

but it seemed like the fences were short. And the turf was fast. It was just, it was absurd. And let's move on. Adam Foxcraft, Foxcroft, Conair, the Rock or Faceoff,

the great Nick Cage trilogy of the 90s, obviously face off, a completely bonkers performance by Cage and also Travolta, who to me steals that film. right out from under Nick Cage and his prime's feet I believe it

is the rock the one that has Catherine Zeta Jones dipping beneath lasers no that was a what was that one that was a different one no that was a different one well that was not a good movie I've never seen face off

I made it about halfway through Con Air before I decided it was too ridiculous to watch but I did make it through the rock so I'm going to put that on there you go Catherine Zeta Jones under lasers Can you Google that, Erica, just so we can remember what movie that was? I think it was one of those one-word titles back in the day. Dean Bonner asks Qualis to Fantasia.

The Browns become a dominant force, but Mark Sessler becomes insufferable as a fan, or the Patriots fall hard from their lofty perch and Greg Rosenthal becomes so depressed. Entrapment. Entrapment. Oh, perfect name for a 90s movie. He is seriously considering changing careers and becoming a tennis blogger. Wait, what? What is to Fantasia?

The Browns become a dominant force, but Mark Sessler becomes an insufferable fan, or the Patriots fall hard from their lofty perch, and Greg Rosenthal becomes so depressed, he is seriously considering changing careers and becoming a tennis blogger. I think it's way more likely that Greg would take a long, hard look in the mirror, and switch professions. I just don't see Mark ever becoming an obnoxious fan. He doesn't trust his team enough to be obnoxious.

that's just not who mark is personality-wise i could see gregg who's already deeply obsessed with tennis maybe going down that road at a later point in his life but i don't think because of the patriots i don't think greg has like feelings i don't think he would be like oh my god the patriots broke me yeah uh that's right that's correct too uh all right uh two more andrew lewis asks which album would west most want to give the throwback treatment synergy the throwback podcast Of course, my podcast, I do with Bob Castro, where we look back at an album put out in the last, you know, 20, 10, 20, 30 years. Revisit it, talk about it. What about you, Wes?

Okay, so I've got sort of a top five or six here. But I want to know if you guys have done these before. I was trying to think of things that you guys have not already done. Have you done Mermaid Avenue by Billy Bragg and Wilco? We have not. That would be high up for me. Okay. Writing these down, by the way.

Neil Young, Harvest Moon. we have not done that Lauren Hill the miseducation of Lauren Hill We have not done that yet But Lakeisha Wessling Your wife

Your wife Said she wanted to do that album That could be an ideal Wes Lekeesha joint Coming into the garage This one you may have done Jeff Buckley's grace I love grace

Have not done it It's almost such a heavy album It'd be a little weird In the throwback pod format But it doesn't mean we want to do it Okay two more Johnny Cash's American recordings. Is that the covers album?

Yeah. Nice. Well, there's like a series of like four of them. But yeah. And then finally, one way off your radar, I love this album. Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise is the name of the group and the album is Blackwater Surprise. It is a blind, middle-aged African-American son of a sharecropper, one of 13 children,

who ends up in Detroit. And these early 20s white rockers hear him. singing on the sidewalk for money they stationed them as the head of their group and he's the singer he's the writer and everything is like this soul blues a little bit of rock mixture that is just incredible do you have any of those albums uh no nor uh do i have the wilco the billy brag one um grace i have um Lauren hill I have I mean you love Harvest Moon obviously who doesn't love that song great song unknown legend also on that album is a great song there you go that's it that's it for the mailbox let's close up the mailbag

good stuff not even interrupted once erika during our conference room podcast here yeah's quake so a few people walked by looked at us like we were crazy well that's their problem true they're just they're they're living in envy because they don't got the headset on right they don't have the cords and they don't have the laptops because this is a status symbol right now you know what it says important people in a conference room in a conference room all right when do we get back into the studio uh the real studio yeah we got like two weeks of this oh damn yeah all right so we'll be back on thursday thursday okay and we're going to have gregg back i believe from japan mark i don't know maybe maybe i would i would lean toward the week after

or the month after or the year after whatever the tumbleweeds taken uh all right good stuff west that was fun that was good all right this dan hansa signing off for the mailman chris wesley future throwback podcast guests can't wait and ricky hollywood get ready softball big game this week till thursday Gee, I can't wait till I go to hikes, well. Don't you say that. Don't you ever say that. Stay here. Stay as long as you can.

For the love of God, cherish it. This is an IHeart podcast.