NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Superstar Club and Al Bubba Baker - Sack King

Episode Date: July 14, 2021

A room filled with heroes - Dan Hanzus, Gregg Rosenthal and Patrick Claybon bring you all of the latest news around the NFL starting with Dan's experience watching the England/Italy game in a bar with a listener. (Sorry, England. Sad face). Frank Clark has a felony charge (11:00), seven teams are now above 85% covid vaccination status (14:40), and the Washington Football Team WILL change their name (16:55). Michael Strahan's sack record is now NOT official? What? Pro Football Reference started counting sack totals from before the rule was made in 1982.. making Al Bubba Baker the leader. We've got him on the line (21:10)! Dan's Superstar Club list is being released and the heroes debate who deserves to be there...and maybe who doesn't (42:36). Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comNFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hey, everybody. Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the 6th, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else.

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Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. The Around the NFL podcast. Can't do any TikTok dances. Welcome to another edition of the Around the NFL podcast. My name is Dan Hansen. I come to you from a virtual room filled with some heroes.

Greg Rosenthal, Arms, Chris Cross. Looks like he's ready for a confrontation. And the great Patrick Claibon pitch hitting for Mark Sessler under the weather. The 10-day summer I-L, I call it. How's everybody done? Yeah, we send our thoughts out to Mark who's not feeling well. He'll be back, you know, next week at some point. We are back on the network.

next week. That's kind of like our hard deadline. These are some in-between weeks where we're inching our way back into the flow, but not quite a full schedule. Next week, I feel like, is when we strap ourselves into the chair for about seven months. Claibon's been there, though. Claibon's in a suit and tie right now, and it's going to be on NFL Network. He hasn't really left the chair. Yeah, it's the same chair.

I mean, I occasionally go sit in a different chair, but yeah, I hope Mark's doing all right. I know it's, uh, you know, there's, I just, I just hope Mark's doing all right. Yeah. Um, yeah, we'll, uh, we'll get Mark back with us. Hopefully next time we all get together. And, um, yes, you know, we have taken a little bit more time off this summer and, uh, it's for a good reason and we feel good about it. And we appreciate you. The listeners not giving us too much shite about it, uh, because I know sometimes that can happen, um,

with listeners becoming wary of the podcasters not working as hard. We're still working as hard, but we're just getting a little bit of a blow in what's been a tumultuous last 18 months. And on that note, I've been looking for someone, and I really wish Mark was here for this, but I was looking for someone that could perfectly encapsulate how we're feeling this time of year as we look ahead to another season of NFL football. And we found it on Twitter in my spirit animal. Alec Baldwin, take it away, Alan.

I try to take the summer off with my family, try not to work so we can go out and go to the beach and have a good time. Because work is sometimes long, hours, crazy schedules, and so forth. So we try to have the summer be more available. And during that time, I don't spend a little. a lot of time, you know, dogging every news story. I only do the deep dive on something I think is interesting. I love, I love me some, uh,

Alck Baldwin. He's, he is the most ridiculous person on earth right now, in my opinion. Um, and I like to spend this summer with my family. That's, those are my thoughts. Yeah.

I mean, shout out to Alec Baldwin for having a family, uh, that he likes to, he likes to spend time with. I do think, right, it's applicable to, you know, guys who work really hard on a football podcast to take some time off away from a thing and caring about a game. I don't know how it applies to an actor, like recognizing things that are happening on the planet. But yeah, you know.

The best part of that dispatch was after he does that long run up, explaining why he's staying off social media while he's on social media, he then says, but I do want to to talk about this big story on cobalt that's out there right now and i'm sure you might know about that because in the world of alec baldwin everyone that's watching alec baldwin has the same taste in new york times think pieces and reporting as alec baldwin it's a perfect cycle of baldwin and i'm here for it i just want to say it has been a crazy um last 18 months but we're not you know even if next year is a pretty smooth 12 months We're not going back to the old schedule.

We're not suddenly going to keep cranking through. This summer, a little bit of a break is something we're going to keep going. But this year especially. And here's the good news. If you are getting a little restless at this point, we've got a show for you today, obviously. Next week, we're back to two shows a week and the network show returns. And then once we get to training camp, it's full go. and there are no reverse gears in this tank.

It's three shows a week leading up to the season, four shows a week once week one kicks off and we have the Thursday night football minipod. So we have you covered. Thank you for standing with us. A big show coming up today, the superstar club. Claibon, you come in to pinch hit. Like, Shohei Otane, the biggest of all spots,

and you just walk into, the Superstar Club episode of the Round the NFL podcast. Pinch yourself, buddy. Yeah, I'm just going to try to bring a fair amount of analysis and perhaps criticism of the club and its entrance and the decision that goes in

to both of those things. Because it's an institution, Dan. It is something that should be criticized, that should be held high as one of the preeminent offseason pieces that dot com has to offer. checks on the mail, Patrick. Yes, that's coming up, and I think I've been doing it for like five years now.

So it is something of a tradition on the site, and I look forward to asking you guys how you feel about my decisions this year. And yes, I do want that constructive criticism. It might even lead to a copy change. You know, I'm not. You haven't filed yet. I have filed the rough copy to Ali Banpari and the original. content gang but doesn't mean that can't be changes if i'm very wrong about something but before we get to that let's get caught up on the news it's the teenager bukayo saka one of the youngest

players ever to play in the european championship he's got to score here to keep england alive and he doesn't know are champions of europe They do it in a shootout. They did it the halfway behind after two minutes. And then after penalties and England are foiled again. Oh, trats. Italy defeated England an extra time to claim the Euro 2020 final, even though it's 2021. They lost on penalty kicks three to two, crushing loss for England.

Um, I watched the match because I get in, I get into these like big time things, especially, um, with England involved. Um, and I went to a local bar and it was so packed to the gills, boys, uh, that I was being denied entrance. And that's when a, uh, hero, an honorary hero, uh, tapped me on the shoulder. He was a man named Corey from San Diego, a Chargers fan and a huge fan of our show. And he invited me to sit at his table. And he was a man. He was a man named Corey. He was a man. He was a man. He was a man. And he invited me to sit at his table. He was filled with England native people from England on his wife's side. So Corey and his lovely wife had me at their table and watched the match. And it was just a bummer how it ended. But it was exciting. And soccer is good. I must say, soccer is good. It cleared the bar.

Congratulations to football for clearing the hands as bar. I mean, some UK listeners might, you know, take issue with you playing that moment. It'd be like me, you know. playing the Grand Slam from Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS, you know, Red Sox Yankees, like right in the middle of like a totally different show. But what those UK people don't understand is it's not all about you. We got Italian listeners too. And there was a great moment for those Italian listeners.

So it's too bad. That was a tough one. That was a tough one. Even if you had nothing at stake, that was a tough one for my entire family to watch. You had nothing at stake whatsoever. And it's just like whichever team was going to lose that, that's true. at all. Yeah, it's the nature of PKs, right? That it makes it like that. And it's something that I always say with regards to all, sometimes the ball just doesn't go in, right? And we try to ascribe all these other things to like, oh, sometimes it just, it doesn't go in. And that's one of the things about sports. That's not rubbing it in, Greg. This is the news portion of the show. That was huge news. And, you know, I, when they when they got past. It felt like a knife in the chest to some people were trying to get over it, I'm sure.

I mean, this is just, this is the news, Greg, and this is part of the news. It was a big sports story. And when England beat Denmark an extra time to advance to the finals, I think I had a daddy had a couple Tidos in him, and I went on Twitter, and I posted the English flag emoji. And that was a total storm. We had a lot of England fans saying that they love me for it. And then a lot of people just filled with rage. And it really gave me a lot of perspective on what's going on and where England fits in in the world of international soccer.

They seem like a team people love to watch suffer, kind of like the Cowboys in the NFL here. And it's been over 50 years since they've won a major tournament like the Euro Cup. I saw a tweet that said they were the Boston of Europe, which, you know, in terms of sports fans. And that was like, that's pretty good. That's going to stick in my head there. Yeah. And it's, I just want to say to all those people that are angry with me, people saying they're unfollowing me, not listening to the podcast anymore. First of all, count down. Pull it together. Second of all, you need to understand this. A lot of people, especially there are Irish fans getting on me because they know that I have Irish heritage. My mother's side and Ireland and England, it's a tough stitch over there. But you have to understand, like, we have a very good relationship with the English. They've always been. Everyone in that country has been exceedingly nice to us in this show. So that's why I was rooting for the team, and it's unfortunate they didn't get it done. Because I feel like Italy's had plenty of glory.

England was due, but it didn't work out. Sorry, everybody. Italian fans, let us know you're out there. You know, there's got to be a few. All right, let's get to it. We'll start with bad news for the Kansas City Chiefs. Los Angeles prosecutors on Friday charged Chief's defensive end, Frank Clark, with one felony weapons violations stemming from his arrest

on March 13th by the California Highway Patrol, the 28-year-old Clark was with another man when officers said they found two loaded firearms in the vehicle after a traffic stop. This is a big-time issue now. It's a heavy charge facing Clark, and it really does put a lot of question marks around him, and he's a key figure, Greg, for this team. he is he's due 18.5 million dollars this season he could be played on paid you know placed on a paid leave list if the commissioner wanted to do that you know he's a guy who I think if you just look at the production overall it hasn't quite been worth this huge you know deal that they got for him uh in the first place so it's hard to guess we've been so wrong over the year. years, guessing what the NFL is going to do in terms of punishment. But it would seem to be, it would seem to be obvious that some is coming. It's just a matter of how much.

And it depends on, there's so many variables, right? Because you take individual state laws into consideration, right? There were two people in the car, you know, who's bearing responsibility for which individual weapons, what was the circumstance of the traffic stop. It would seem to make sense to have one blanket NFL weapons rule, but then can you really do that? So what what position is the NFL in with regards to, you know, 50 states, you know, a world of municipalities with regards to how they handle weapons charges? And so there's you would like to have uniformity, but then you recognize that there can't be uniformity. And so like what position does the NFL actually want to take? Like we saw a previous position with regards to to marijuana enforcement, right? Where. you know, they change that and there's just, you know, we're not necessarily testing for that anymore. And so it's one of those things that's in the air. But with regards to the way it impacts the team, I guess it's that classic situation. If they would like to pay him less or like to no longer have him on the team, then ultimately they're going to make that decision

based on how he's playing. I'm not sure that this reaches that level of concern, right, than his previous incidents, right, involving violence against women or allegations of that in college. I don't think it reaches that standard. Right. He's always had that. In his background, he also, like, you know, was a total jerk to put it lightly to, like, a female reporter on Twitter six years ago. I remember that very well. So it does make you wonder about how the chiefs view them. But then you look at their depth chart and you think the NFL is a cynical place where it's a sliding scale for how these legal things play out. You only have to look at Tyree Kills' contract to know that.

And you look at their defensive end position without Frank Clark, and I would say it'd be the worst in the entire NFL. So Frank Clark, like, is vital to this team, and that makes me think he'll be on the team. That sliding scale applies to all realms of society, as unfortunate as that may be. Including the criminal legal system in America. Right. Indeed.

In other news, eight NFL teams have now exceeded the 80s, 35% threshold for player vaccinations. The NFL network reported on Tuesday. Monday was the NFL's deadline for players to get vaccinated to be cleared for full activity and avoid any restrictions when training camps open on July 27th. That same network report as of Monday, 71% of players league-wide have had at least one vaccination shot. And that's up from 65% and the June 25th report from ESPN. And what do you take out of all this data, Claybond? Yes.

I am glad that it's at 70%. I wish it were higher, right? I think nationally we're hovering at about 50%. But the access to the vaccines isn't the same as it is in the NFL. So I think we should be higher than 70%. I would assume as time goes on, we'll get closer to the threshold for everybody. But I think it's a, you know, if you would have asked me on July 13th, 2020, right? Hey, there's a vaccine and 70% of the players have it. I would be in a much,

that would have been some really good news a year ago. So I have to celebrate it, but it could be better. Even a month ago, because, you know, Tom Pelliserra, who's, you know, turned into the Woodward and Bernstein in terms of vaccination rate percentages, like, pinch me. Claybon noticed, like, like, the second it got, like, he's got like an alarm and alert every time it goes over like a new percentage it got to 69 that was a big uh that was a big deal now it's over 70 yeah people do and uh it was a month ago it was just climbing above 50 so a lot of people got the message a lot of players got the message when they released all those rules of how tough life is going to be for unvaccinated players and now suddenly eight teams are over and dan you

mentioned how in the MLB it's like three quarters of the team hit that 85% number so every team might not get there. But I would guess by the time camp starts, that number will be a lot higher even than eight teams. And when life is really difficult for the teams that don't clear the threshold, that's when you have to wonder what's going to be on in those locker rooms amongst players who are vaccinated and who are not vaccinated. It's a thorny issue. It also crosses over out of sports into real life here in our country. We'll keep an eye on it as we move forward. In other news, the Washington football team will continue to be known as the Washington football team. through the 2021 season.

But it's coming. The change is coming. If you are holding out thoughts and I don't get why people, and I know Rosenthal's on this train and Mark is on about it, oh, just keep it the Washington football team. All right, that's fine, but let's be serious. They should have a nickname like everybody else. They don't get to be something special because they had a bad name before.

You don't get a W out of that. If you're saying it's a W, that's proven my point. If you think it's so cool, that it's special. I mean, in your opinion, I don't even think it's cool. I'm saying some people think it's awesome just because I guess it's different. That's an opinion, too. But anyway, it's coming. The Washington Post says a new name and logo will be revealed in early next year.

The team's colors will remain burgundy and gold, and it will not be the Warriors. That apparently has been ruled out. And that's fine. Washington Warriors, that sounds like a made-up football team name in a bad 90s, NFL team where they NFL movie where they couldn't get the rights to the logos and likenesses. Are we 100% sure that they can't just

keep the football team? Why do you say that? Why can't especially? Maybe I misread the report. I think it's coming, Greg. Well, it said yeah, they'll announce their permanent new team name, but I think the Washington football team could be the permanent

new team name. And I think the results of this year could be a factor too. Like if I said this going into last year it's going to be tough to change if they sort of have a like a magical surprise like make the playoffs type of deal and it's like oh look what happened they did make the playoffs now if they go a step further let's say they get to the nfc championship or get to the super bowl i think i think that would help them keep it and i i think i think it could stay like why wouldn't that be an option yeah it's unanimous other than dan i think at this point

that it's not unanimous i've i've maintained it since like week three last season. It grew and it stuck. They had Ron Rivera went through his medical tribulations. Alex Smith had an incredible comeback. They made the playoffs. They had some great moments. They'll do that again. I think it's going to be tough. I think it's going to be tough. People are going to get a tough. Plus it does that whole thing on like pro football reference where for two years like the team, you know, it goes from one bad team name, then another and then another. It's like that's confusing. What is this like the 1940s? And, the Boston Braves changing their name around.

It's like, let's get over it. Let's just stick with this. Dan, what is it? What about the name doesn't meet the qualifications for you? It's not a name. What do you mean? What about the name? You can't, you're not, the Washington football team.

Yes, the name. That's the name. I mean, that's the football team. That's ridiculous. Why? Because it's just, it's not a name. It's a placeholder. Soccer teams have names like that all the time.

And I understand why everybody's, I guess it's like cool to say, this is this is the way they should be because that's that's a hot take i guess but now it's i feel like it's been an avalanche of people saying that and i still don't understand no one has yet explained to me why that's actually cool they just say it's cool why is it something that it should be is there because it's historically what am i what am i missing that that's something special that they're the washington football team it's it's it's unique it's different it's they're the washington football team they had a legacy and a heritage that was tied to a racial slur that needed to be changed. And in that process, they came upon the Washington football team and

Alex Smith came back from a broken leg. They had all these things happen. Can we calm down about like the 2020 Washington football season being like this season will remember forever? It's that's simply not the case. I'll remember it forever. Yeah. This is an organization that has whatever the, I can fight all day about this one. Whatever the opposite of like, you know, a great tradition is, you know, I know they won some games, but, you know, going back even just a month ago, it's continued. The first ownership, you know, George Preston Marshall, to this current ownership who just, you know, got punished by the league, a lot of bad. So I do think the, you know, the Washington football team, like the name, it helps wash, you know, it's like a new beginning. Did you happen to catch the news item last week about the Washington football team?

That's what I just said. Well, that's true. That did happen. That happened when they were Washington. That was the old. That was the old. How about a new cleansing? Like at what point?

Do we cleanse every time there's a bad story in the news? So once the team name changes, then it does actually cleanse everything? I think that's what they're hoping. It's a turning of the, I don't know. It makes me sick the whole thing. All right. Speaking of pro football reference. Yeah, yeah.

God bless you, pro football reference. I've always loved you. And I love your friends over a pro baseball reference. Shout out to pro basketball reference. Pro basketball reference does great work as well. I'm sure there's a pro hockey reference and a pro this reference and a pro that reference. But for me, pro football reference is a Bible if you cover this sport or just, you know, love the sport because it has a detailed history. An incredible statistical breakdowns and all sorts of history connected to our league.

And with that in mind, did you know? that the NFL only sanctioned the SAC is an official statistic in 1982. That always seems so strange to me. 1984. I was going to make a Sessler age joke, but he's not here. I was going to say he was graduating college that year, but he's not here to get upset about it. But I said it anyway.

Anyway, 1982, which is crazy because NFL's been played for over 100 years and even crazier, the NFL. has the ability, if they so desire, to go back much further than 1982 and actually figure out the accurate statistics for SAC, which is one of the most popular stats there is. And maybe the most popular stat there is on the defensive side of the ball. So what Pro Football Reference did is they went back to 1960 and came up now with their own unofficial totals for Sacks. and guess what Michael Strayan

you don't got the record no more Mikey that bastardized record the one that you took from New York Jet Star Mark Astano when you conspired with Brett Farr who slid at your feet in a meaningless week 17 game 20 years ago

to steal the sack record well guess what for the people that are the no. That doesn't matter anymore. The sack record now belongs to the immortal. Al Baker, who his rookie season with the Detroit Lions in 1978, had 23 sacks and now joining us on the Around the NFL podcast. Nobody knew. Nobody knew. What a surprise. It's Al Baker in the biggest of all spots. Al, first of all, welcome to the Around the NFL podcast and congratulations on being the official sack champion for all time in the NFL, at least according to the people that know what the hell they're talking about. Al Baker, baby. Hey, hey, man. Thank you guys.

Thank you for having me on, man. You must have been, where were you when you found this news out? And like, what was your, what was your reaction? Are you finding this news out now? I don't know. Right. As being the unofficial sack king. Well, you know, I meditate on my patio. I live in a condo on the 10th floor and I was sitting out there. And I never checked my email. or my text until 10 for some reason today I saw a 310 number and and I thought it was a guy I'm doing a script I'm writing a script for a legal drama series that I you know during COVID one of those things we all do during COVID I was creating a script and so I thought this was the guy that I've been working with because he's in Los Angeles I opened it up and I thought okay all right and then And then for some reason, and I'm not kidding you, without any prompting tears, just started running down my eyes. And my wife was inside, I opened up the patio doors and my wife, first thing she said was,

what's wrong? And I said, nothing's wrong. And I said, come look at this. And you know, we hugged. And then I lost about an hour and a half, two hours, it just, you know, my daughter called. It was really emotional for my family, you know. I guess at 6 foot 8, you know, 290 pounds, that doesn't sound really tough,

but we were all crying like little girls. You know, somebody tells you you're the SAC leader, and what do you do? You start crying. And I guess it's because none of us have really sat around like some players and we want this and we want that. We hadn't thought about it for at least, you know,

for at least, I'm not kidding, you, 20 years. You know, it's been 20 years. If nobody says anything after 10 years, getting elected a couple of times, you know, an honorable mention to the Hall of Fame. You just assume, and you say to yourself, move on, you know. And that's what I did. I just went on with my life.

The only conversations that I would have was when people would come up to me and they would say they talk about Michael Strayhan's 22nd and a half sack. That was a problem for me, the way that went down. That was a preach for it. Because Michael had a great year. You know, and to see that, it had nothing to do with my 23. It just had to do it. Well, why does he need to do that?

You know, now it's tainted, in my opinion. And that bothered me. Did you, you know, you did it as a rookie, NFL defensive rookie of the year. How disappointing was it that sacks were not even tabulated until four years into your career? Because in addition to it costing you. some level of notoriety and maybe even the Hall of Fame. Financially, I'm sure it had an impact as well because guys that sack quarterbacks get paid in the league and it wasn't recognized the way it is now.

So you kind of miss the boat there. So in a lot of ways, I'm so happy to hear, first of all, how happy you are about it. But also, do you look back with some regret about the way this all played out with the stats, just the timing of it all? Yeah, you know what, I believe in being honest. And I think at that point at 20, think about it, 20 years old and all of a sudden, and all this is going on. I am so relieved that I didn't get the kind of money

that these guys got them because I was an idiot, like all other 20-year-old. You know, every time you think about a young man at the age of 20 or 21 in the NFL getting in trouble, that's a baby, you're a baby. And if you remember the song, you guys are too young. There was a song by David Bowie called Fame.

I am just blessed to be able to say to you guys, I survived being famous. That's the thing that I'm most proud of. I've been there. I've done that. I've seen what it does to some people. And just for an example, I saw a player maybe about five years ago, his roster bonus was more than I made in my entire 13 years.

A defense learned. Now, I don't want to mention his name because at the time he was at the peak and he deserved the new contract, but he's been heard of it. If that were me, when I was 20, I might have bought myself a rocket. Who knows? I was just that goofy. You know, you're a baby. You just got out of college.

You don't know how to help. How do you figure out who your friends are? How do you figure out, you know, when your family's calling you and asking for money? I mean, these are the real things that happen because people figure if you're rich. And I got to tell you guys, my rookie contract was $25,000 and a $25,000 bonus. It was $27, $30, $30,000, $40,000, and $40,000. That was a problem because I signed it, and the lions were not going to extend it or change it. The only thing I could do was make them trade me.

And that happened. No, no, no matter how much of a defensive leader, that was the way the game was back then. And your final season in Detroit was 1982. The first year the league kept Saxes an official stat. And I just want everyone to know that you were a part of obviously the Silver Rush defense in Detroit, and you were the best pass rush in the league at that time. And your three seasons, first three seasons, you had 23, 16, and 17 and a half sacks. You led the league in 78 and 80, even if it was unofficial, just an unbelievable career.

And I just wanted to have you on the show and congratulate you on this. And just hope that maybe the NFL recognizes this, because pro football references, a widely respected entity in the league, and you get what you deserve and maybe even get a jacket out of it when it's all said and done. Oh, man, I'm awfully glad to be here and be real with you guys.

I'm real comfortable with where I am right now and like to get that song by David Bowley. Not everybody to handle fame. Absolutely. And you're in a McDonald's right now. Thank you for going the extra mile. You stopped on the way. I mean, I consider myself someone

who like pays attention to football history and stuff. So I'm really excited about this because I didn't know about your career that much. And 56 and a half sacks in your first three years is absolutely insane. Like that, I would, I'd love to go back and look to see that compared to anyone else. My guess would be you came in with a bigger sack force than anyone in the history of the NFL. Eventually, J.J. Watt, like, came in pretty strong, but he didn't do 56 sacks in his first three years. strong so I'm glad that the people know and you kept it going 131 career sacks it's it's an amazing achievement I'm glad to learn about you today yeah I was just going to congratulate

Al because I know you talked about the discrepancy and pay between now and then what the owners and players and us right are making is is because of the work that you guys put in and making the league what it is today and I'm just I'm glad that people and like Greg said I've had a chance to learn more about your career through this decision from pro football reference and just appreciating, right, that you, you sack the quarterback while they had the ball, right?

You tackled the quarterback, and that was a thing that added value. And there was nothing keeping us as a league from recognizing those stats that happened before 1982. So I'm glad that we're doing it today, and I'm just glad that you're here. And thanks, thanks for all the work you put in. I'm super.

I'm so flattered by you guys. Thank you for having me on. I'm sorry about the delay. you know and any complications but hey guys that's a part of like and that's what you pros us pros that's what we do we work through it and that's the essence of my career every year the 13 years was a different year beautiful all right Bubba well thank you very much for joining us and and best of luck to you going forward with everything whether it's your screenplay project or Bubba's boneless ribs your business over there which you could check out of Bubba's Boneless Ribs.com

Thank you, my man, and congratulations. 23, baby. Thanks, Al. Thanks, Al. There he goes. Al Baker. How about that? How about that?

How about that for a little surprise on today's round of the NFL podcast. Thanks for that surprise, Dan. Yeah, that was amazing. Now, I want to say this, too. Like, obviously, I have fun about that in the Strayhand record and all that stuff. But having Al-on was just going to be. something kind of fun playing off that. But then when he started talking about how much it meant to him, how he got choked up by it, it, A, makes a lot of sense. And B, was just really cool to have him

share that with us. And I hope, I hope other people learn a bit more about Bubba Baker because he had a really big career. 131 sacks. It's a lot more than some, some pass rushers that are in Canton. But just, yeah, those. looking at those the first three years imagine i don't know just imagine the profile of a guy who uh if he came into the league right now went broke the record his rookie year one rookie of the year and then follow that up with 16 sacks and then led the league with 17 and a half the year after that imagine that guy's profile heading into year four he'd be the biggest not you know superstar in the entire league that doesn't play quarterback it's pretty amazing and all of these

games were recorded we have video evidence of everything that took place uh There's nothing keeping us from doing that, from recognizing the guys who are integral in making the league what it is today. And him telling the story of crying with his family, it hit me too, Dan. You know, who else is going underappreciated for their contributions just because we haven't adjusted some numbers around. Yeah, I wonder what happens next now? I want to let them know. I'm at pro football reference. I'm sure hopefully they hear this reaction too because they did yeoman's work doing all the work to

to find these numbers. Absolutely. And I hope that it doesn't stop here. I hope that what pro football reference, getting the ball rolling on this, the NFL, you know, maybe there's some teamwork here, and they can really fill in the gaps on these stats.

Make it official. They can make it official. All right. Let's wrap up the news. It's going to be hard to top that. But let's wrap up the news with Ben Rafflesberger, who is entering what almost certainly is his final, season, but who knows? In the NFL, he's 39 years old. He really did not play very well down the

stretch for the Steelers in a disappointing season for Pittsburgh after that 11-0 start. And there's a lot of questions about Rathosberger. There's a lot of questions about his offensive line. Here is the latest on the quarterback, and this from Ryan Burr on Twitter. Ben Camp says, biggest concern is weight loss. He has been so driven since, the season ended. Source says has died a stricter than Brady. How about that? Rathlisberger's camp also said he's

quote, yep, here it comes, in the best shape of his life. And that Rathlisberger, this, I do believe, here's everything. Everything. This is like the second time this happened this offseason, by the way, where like a local Pittsburgh

Steelers guy was like, hey, you know, know, this is just my source talking. Ben, Ben would never put this out there himself, but he's noticing everything you're saying this summer. And just this source says, and, you know, Ben would never, you know, want to put this out here himself. But this source says that he's taking his diet more seriously than Brady. Like, how has Ben measuring that? Like, does he have a TB12 book? And he's, like, going one step beyond what the Brady method? Like, how does he know he's going one step beyond Brady. I mean, when, when people, like, throw out something like that's that big of an

exaggeration, then you just start, you start wondering what's true. What's true? One too big. It could be possible, right? If you read the TB12 diet, there's a copy in our locker room. There's some contradictions in there that it's like, wait, you can't do both of these things at the same time. So you could, I guess, conceivably, if you're going by the book, take your diet more seriously than Tom Brady. The question is, why is there a need to say that? Yeah, I love it. So you're telling me that you haven't been taking your diet seriously, and that's the reason to blame for this? Or did you have, you know, reconstructive elbow surgery at an advanced age?

I do wonder what's the purpose of these things. And he looked big, even by Big Ben standards by the end of last season. And I know this. I don't know there's millions and millions of Americans. I know this. The struggle is real with having your weight under control for a lot of people. And I think this is something that's going to be tougher, especially as he gets closer to 40,

unless he completely changes his lifestyle. But to use a Cesslerism, he is a Stone Age pony right now in the pocket and a sitting duck and we're going to bring up Big Ben a little bit later in our next segment. But he has to move better in the pocket if he's going to survive the season, especially with that line. I like it.

Just because in doing a little research and by research, I mean, just like checking Ryan Burr, this guy's his other tweets he knows ben rothusberger like going back to high school like he covered him in high school and and so i just do like the idea that ben has his closer friends in the media and he is getting the word out that 2021 is ben with a vengeance tour and that's like that's fun that's like a whether it happens or not i like it as a plot line because he is setting up this plot line as uh as someone who's you know occasionally been a bit of a heel in terms of an underdog we can all get behind, right, Greg?

I mean, no, but I think sports needs, uh, sports needs villains. I do, I do like them as a player. I do want to, you know, before we move very quickly to give a rest in peace to Alex Gibbs, the former Broncos offensive line coach, just because he, he, you know, starting those zone running schemes with the Broncos back in the 80s, truly influenced the future of the NFL in a schematic way, you know, more than a lot of like head coach. coaches, like more than some that are in the Hall of Fames or something, you can see the impact of what Alex Gibbs did, not that he was the first person ever to do zone blocking, but the way he

did it in such a way that turned the Broncos into a juggernaut. You see it, you still see it. You see it all around the league, and it's because of him. Yeah, any innovation, right, that opens up opportunity for players who don't traditionally get it, you know, the way that we evaluate linemen and look, you can definitely see a shift and it doesn't detract from the way that the other ways that people have had blocking schemes but it only adds and so anytime somebody contributes that

to a game especially this game shout out to them rest in peace rest in peace and by the way finally give it a rest to the Hillsborough River down there in Tampa I mean the Super Bowl trophy

the Lombardi trophy gets tossed by Tom Brady and almost kills somebody Now the Stanley Cup, because the Lightning won the Stanley Cup finals, good for them. They're back-to-back champs over there in the NHL. They take their big trophy out on that river, and they dent the damn thing by throwing her around and roughhousing with the most coveted trophy in the sport. I just want everybody to just, you know, don't want to be the fun police here, but let's just take it easy and with the rough housing. Let's calm down, boys.

I remember when the Stanley Cup came to Wilberham, Massachusetts, my hometown, Billy Garen of the New York, New Jersey Devils. And it was like the biggest thing that ever happened to the town of Wilberham that the Stanley Cup came home. This is a damage check always said this. And I agree with them even though I'm not a quarter or a tenth of the hockey fan that Damashik is, 100th of the hockey fan. It is, I think, the best trophy, right?

I like the Lombardi trophy. but it does not hold a candle to Lord Stanley's Cup. I'm with you. Patrick? The Patrick's got to take. No, I don't have a take. Take it down. Take it down. Take what down?

The Stanley Cup? What about the Waterford Crystal College Football? I do miss the Crystal Football. Why did they get rid of that? That was kind of speaking of unique. Branding, right? They wanted to brand this new thing that they were doing and sell it more effectively, so they changed the trophy.

Speaking of that, I and speaking of my, Irish Heritage when I was 16 back in 96 we went on a family pilgrimage to the motherland and it involved a lot of driving around on a bus and visiting castles and driving through green rolling hills under an overcast sky that was my Ireland journey as a teenager but we stopped at the factory where they made that trophy and the woman who gave us the tour said this is the Super Bowl trophy and I was like it's not the Super Bowl trophy. You're mistaken, lady.

And she said, no, you're mistaken. It's the Super Bowl trophy. And I said, I'm 16, but I'm right. And you're wrong. I didn't say that. But remember thinking myself, I didn't even know that that was the college trophy at that point. And then maybe like a year or two later, I saw it at the end of a game.

It's like, oh, she just doesn't know anything. It was an early introduction to like that facts can be debatable, you know? That you can talk to someone who just won't recognize a fact, even if it's true. I try to tell her. All right. That's what's happening in the news. All right. Without further ado, yes, the superstar club.

It's back. You can read all about it later this week on NFL.com slash hansus. It is my club that features only the best and brightest. And because it's just more fun, I focus on quarterbacks and skill players on offense. There are places on the internet where you can go and dive deep and find out who the superstar trench monsters are, who's in the secondary linebackers. And I respect all that. But just to keep things focused and have some fun, I stayed on the offensive side of the ball with skill players.

And I have 27 names this year, boys, that span. QB, running back, wide receiver, tight end. And the most important element of this, the superstar club, is it's a zero-sum game. What does that mean, Patrick, Teele? You're either in or you're out. Not quite. There's no media.

What does it mean? One goes in, one comes out. That number 27, I guess, is, you know, if someone's coming in, someone's got to get booted. Right. And then that's really tough. And I struggle with it more than you would think. Like I was up at 1.30 working on this piece yesterday, in fact.

And I was like struggling with a certain wide receiver. I reached out to Greg earlier in the day to get his thoughts on it. And I was thinking of myself, why do I, why am I so invested in this? Well, it's because it's the superstar club. And I'm the bouncer and I take it seriously. So with that said, and speaking of trophies flying through the Hillsborough River, I bet you didn't know it was the Hillsboro River Boys, did you? No.

I actually did. I thought they were in the Bay, so I appreciate that. I mean, something's weird about Tampa being like the city of champions, but that's where we are. That's where we're at. I'm in the world right now. I start with Amia Culpa, and I feel like I've been doing this for years. Tom Brady, welcome back. The first guy to ever leave the superstar club and return.

And return. I kicked out Tom. Brady in this exercise following his 2018 season. And at that time, I reasoned that while he was still an impact player, he just won the Super Bowl.

A closer study. Yes, he had just won the Super Bowl, but a closer study of his game and Greg, you always hang your hat on that playoff run, which was fine. But they did win like three to two in the Super Bowl, so let's calm down about that. They did put up a 40 burger on the Chargers and then he outguned Mahomes.

in overtime, like mid-30s. Right. Still a big-time quarterback, but his entire look at his season made me think, okay, this might be time to get out. He was 41 as a superstar, not as a top quarterback or even a star. And then the next season came around, and I felt great about it because that was his last season in New England and his numbers by his standards flatlined a little bit. They were one and done in the playoffs.

And I was like, all right, I've gotten so many things wrong with Tom Brady. This I got right. However, what has happened here is he goes to Tampa, of course, wins the Super Bowl, plays an exceedingly high level, throws 50 touchdowns over the course of the regular season and playoffs. And he is, undeniably, a pro football superstar at 43 years old. The mind boggles. Now, zero-sum game.

So Tom's back in. Out. Easy one to start. Drew Breeze, retired. I love those. Those are gimmies. And the truth of the matter is I got a wrong last year because I should have taken Drew Reeves out ahead of his last season.

I didn't do it. And that was a mistake. I like the analysis. I think it's important to have a critical window into what happened in the past. And perhaps, Dan, you were projecting a slight regression, which if we go back to the discussion at the time, that's what happened. And perhaps you could make the argument that it did happen. And then there was a shift in the other direction.

Yeah, you made the same mistake that Sean Payton did. You know, Sean Payton should have kicked Drew Brees to the curb last year and welcomed in Tom Brady. That's true. That's why Tom's throwing MF bombs. I think it was the Saints. I still think it was the Saints. Real quick, a little housekeeping, my additions and subtractions last year, I put Lamar Jackson in off his MVP season. I took out Cam Newton.

No regrets there. On either front, I put in Dak Prescott. I took out Andrew Luck, who retired, of course. Running back, I put in Dalvin Cook, took out Lev Bell, that one. Put in Derek Henry, took out Todd Gurley. That was easy. Wide receiver, I put in Tyree Kill. I took out Antonio Brown.

Feel good about that. I put in Amari Cooper, took out Juju Smith-Schuster, which was a bad job by me, putting him in in the first place. But you've got to take L sometimes in this game. That was last year. Now, next quarterback. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills, in what else needs to be? said. But I love this

stat from PFF. He was sixth in the NFL last season with a 79.1 percent adjusted completion rate. And that's a massive jump from him. He was in the bottom, he was in the 30s amongst the quarterbacks in 2019.

So in one offseason, he essentially went from this hyperathletic Haas with a scatter shot arm to a complete package. It's one of the great year-to-year leaps in recent years, so it's an easy move to put him in the superstar club, but one that I would not have predicted this time last year.

No, and I think him being able to back that up is one of the big stories of the year, because there's every reason to believe that they can and should, because almost more than any team, other than the bucks, they're all back. They're all back, and the coordinator's back, and Alan should feel good about keeping that level up. But you do think about regression and anyone that's improved that much in one year, whether they can hold it. I have no doubt, though, that he should be in the superstar club. Yeah, it's, in terms of holding it up, that's a question for everybody. That's why people leave

the superstar club in the first place. But to say, I don't think it's going to be repeatable, maybe not ever in NFL history. A guy's going to go from completing right in the high 50s of passes to the low 70s, right? It's just, it's not going to happen a lot. But we are going to see people perhaps take shots on quarterbacks, you know, that have the arm that have the ability and the mobility and maybe completion percentage, as perhaps it should, should kind of fall down on the rankings of how we evaluate guys. And to what you were saying, Greg, one thing to keep an eye on, there is a stat over on PFF turnover worthy plays. They don't necessarily turn into interceptions, but plays that could have gone either way and the quarterback, went the

quarterback's way. Alan had a somewhat high number in that department. So if some of those plays go the other way, maybe he's not quite as excellent as he was a year ago. But we'll see. Out. We just talked about him, Ben Rothelberger. There's just too much here telling me this could be a late period, Dan Marino,

situation where he's just going to not be able to. to move. He's not going to be able to throw down field and the whole thing is going to collapse. I think there's an alternate storyline here where I think the Steelers are fine on offense, but I think the days of him being a superstar, if he ever was, and that opinion is very there, but I obviously think he was. I think those days of him being an elite top performer are over. I mean, he definitely was. He was a top five quarterback for a good chunk of his career and to me doesn't need those like super bowls to be a no doubter hall of famer just for how he's been year to year and I wouldn't be surprised at all with these weapons

around him if they have a pretty good offensive season it's a nice receiving core ben just getting rid of the ball quickly he's definitely sharper than he used to be if he's in a little better shape like I could totally see him having a very capable like not top five but solid season. It's tough to project for me to see a comeback, right? When you look at, you know, the surgery, the advanced age, it, it's like we look at at Cam Newton, right? He tried to do all of those things.

He tried to change his diet. He became vegan. But at a certain point, your body goes through trauma. And as much as it funds my existence, football isn't good for you. Like, it's tough to get healthier playing football. And I just, it, I can't. see it. Yeah. I don't think I'll be writing next season Amia Coppa about Big Ben, but you never know. Finally, I have three quarterbacks entering the Superstar Club. Kyler Murray. Now, this one, a little

bit of a leap of faith, and I understand that. But I just want to say this. Last November 15th, Kyler Murray scrambled toward his own sideline near midfield and heaved up a prayer. It was answered by DeAndre Hopkins. It was quickly dubbed the Hail Murray. It got the, um, able obligatory Wikipedia entry, it was a truly special moment. And at that moment in time, the whole football world was buzzing about Kyler Murray taking this next step and being an MVP candidate and the Cardinals who were a flawed team, but we're five and three. And there was so much to be excited about.

A couple weeks later, he hurts his shoulder. He's not the same guy with his legs or his arm the rest of the way. So it's a little bit of a leap of faith. But I think this year, he's going to go nuts. And I really, I don't know about the Cardinals, because he's not. that's a tough division and you can make the argument the fact that it's such a tough division will keep Murray from reaching an elevated level of play. But I think he's an absolute stone cold MVP candidate and at the end of the season

will be seen as a top six or seven or even top five guy at his position. Fight me. It's a projection. I mean, he's not there yet, I don't think. But, you know, when you say superstar, that's more than just numbers. And he's has that factor. I mean, he's the most, you know, him and Lamar, the two best runners I've ever seen.

And he improved significantly in year two. So if he did that again, like he improved significantly as a runner. He improved significantly avoiding sacks. He was better as a passer. But is he a top 10 quarterback right now? To me, he's like on the edge of that. And so he will have to improve to live up to Daddy Zeus. Is that one of your nicknames?

No, but I like it. You know, projected Daddy Zoo. I like Daddy Zos. You were calling yourself Daddy earlier. I'm like, you're not my daddy. now. I was like, which dad are you talking about? And that's not even factoring in the nickname that's really started to build a little bit of heat down in Tybee Island, tugboat. I mean, that one's out there now, too. I didn't, I didn't know about that one. I didn't know

about that one. Yeah, I wasn't, I wasn't, you like that one though, huh? I, none of these ever have anything to do with me, Greg. It's, it's what connects with the people. That, that's what it's always been. Would you have put forth tugboat here in the circumstance if you did not like tugboat? Right. Yes, I would because I think I've literally never heard another human say the new old blue eyes other than you. So I do feel like you put that forward. Listen, the triple G or whatever you call yourself. I like how you that's fine. You like to put that out there. 60% G. Yeah, I named it. I've owned that all along. But I'm 60% that's mine. If the new old blue eyes, if tugboat, if he throws out a name all of a sudden, it's like, oh my God, this guy is ridiculous.

Listen, 60% G is pretty out there, too. And I like that nickname. But I'm just saying I own it that I'm the one throwing it out there. I just want to also say that yesterday at 3.15 p.m., Dan said it was my forever destiny dash tugboat in all caps. So he said it himself. I think it's, I think it's pretty obvious. It's okay, Dan, for you to like tugboat. Yeah.

You to push tugboat forward. I'm not pushing it. The tugboat only pulled, brother. Yeah, you're pulling it. The tugboat. See, there he is. He leads us where he wants us to go. The tugboat, Danny.

All right, let's keep going here. This one, I'm taking another L here. Carson Wentz. I did put Carson Wentz in the Superstar Club. I thought this guy was awesome. I thought he was an awesome quarterback. And he was not awesome last year. In fact, he was quite bad.

And even though I believe him to be a real bounceback candidate in Indianapolis this year. If he is in the superstar club coming up the season where he was one of the worst quarterbacks in football, that would be devastating for our establishment. There's no way to remain a good standing. So I push my chips into the center of the table with Wentz last year, still believed in them.

These things don't always work out, but I've righted it wrong, obviously. Oh, yeah. I mean, the amount of grief you're going to take from Brady when he shows up and being like, Yo, you had wents in here last year, man? With his Brady. Wentz in here over, over me last year.

Like, give me the entire corner of the club. I own it, or else I'm not coming in again for that sort of disrespect going wence over me. Perhaps it was this particular venue that Brady was mentioning in his famed. That's true. Him Effer moment. He was talking about Dan Hansen's superstar club. The final. The troubled waters.

Doug Bowden Trouble the Waters. I like it. The updated QB membership, Alan, Brady, Lamar, Mahomes, Kyler, Dak, Rogers, Ryan, Deshaun, Russell Wilson. I have a little close calls category. Matt Ryan, I did think very hard about whether it's time to say goodbye, one of the great pocket passers of his generation, but also not been quite the same guy since Kyle Shanahan left. But I just felt it was not the right time with Arthur Smith and this Kyle Pitts character entering the fray to bail on the guy. so he's getting one more year. Running back. Nick Chubbs in. Mark Sessler, I'll give him credit. He said next year, you will have Nick Chubb in the Superstar Club, and now he is in the Superstar Club. Great PFF stat leads the NFL over the past two seasons

with 124 broken tackles on 488 carries. He's a truck machine, but he's not just a lumbering bruiser. He has a bunch of home run plays, too. He's a badass. And out, and this one is controversial, boys. this one I really debated as well. Zekele Elliott, he gone. And I tried not to succumb to recency bias on this

because as bad as his 2020 was, and it was bad. He wasn't explosive. He was putting the ball on the carpet. He was a mess. He's still just 25. He's still in a really good offense, even if the line isn't what it used to be. He clearly, if he shows up in great shape like we're hearing,

is a candidate to have. a big bounceback season, but you can't ignore that he hasn't quite been the same guy the last couple of years. So I did throw it to, I just said, let the people decide. I put it up there on Twitter late last night. Simple question, is Ezekiel Elliott a superstar? And guess what? Almost 4,300 votes cast so far. And 75.6% of the people say no. So that's where I went. The people decided. Do you guys agree with the people? Well, I, you know, if it's him versus Chubb, then then you made the right choice. I guess I got to look at the whole list because I do think this one statistically could

come back to haunt you. You know, he's been in the league, what, five years? In three of those years, he went over 1,750 yards from scrimmage. And I kind of would put him over that this year again. I think, I struggle to this. I see that for sure. It's going to get one more, one more big year and this smells like the year the offensive line still looks great the passing game is great he's going to be ready to go and i think he there's a decent chance he'll be more explosive and look a little better and and just rack up numbers because he's going to get the ball 350 times and be a nice little fantasy you know this is the time to buy in i think on fantasy his value is at a low yeah you do have a buy low opportunity i think with zeke but if we're talking about

the superstar club one thing that i'm seeing it's a trend where Dan is concerned about projecting into the next year. And those are the areas where I think we end up regretting inclusion into the superstar club. Well, then Kyler could be a problem. He could be another after year two mistake like Juju or something. Could be. But in terms of if we're just looking at Chubb versus Zeeke, like anybody can can grant superstardom based on the past.

But what this club seeks to do, in my opinion, as somebody who values it greatly, is provide an accurate depiction of the value that this player adds to the sport. And currently, Nick Chubb doesn't get the love that he should. And we have rectified that in the Superstar Club. And Zieg did not perform well last year. So I think it's easy. Perfectly said, Claibon. I mean, this is why Claibon gets the prime Friday night DJ sets at the club.

It's a second job. It pays well. You can hang out with the players. That is a good question. He just respects the club so much. If Claibon, and that I do like, I like the idea, but I don't quite see it. If Claibon were working at a high-end elite, let's say nightclub, whether it's West Hollywood, let's just stick it in West Hollywood.

What would be his position at said club? General manager, I think. I think he would just run the place for you, you know. I don't know. Well, you're the owner, though. Yeah. I don't know. I'm putting you in a kind of a no-level.

fun job though claybone i'm sorry it's okay i don't mind being a man of the people uh what's the club where's where's claibon working it's one oak if you're gonna be at a club you got to be at one oak is is that the the trendy fashionable establishment club oh okay that's like you'll see beber you'll see chris brant like one oak there's l.a and i think Vegas one too can you get in that rickie where are you at on the social ladder i have gotten in once but it it's took a lot of work. What did it take? Let me guess it.

It wasn't worth it. No, it wasn't. Yeah. Let's see how those things go. All right. So there you go. The updated running back membership is Sequin Barclay, which I did give a little thought on. It's been a tough situation with him, and that knee injury return table is murky,

but I'm not going to do anything rash there. Barkley, Chub, Dalvin Cook, Derek Henry, Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffrey. I had a little bit of a dilemma over Aaron Jones, but ultimately I think it was similar probably to the one faced by the Packers before they gave that man his bag. He's really good, but, you know, is he great? I don't know. Wait, he's not in the club, right?

He's not in. Right, no, I think that is, I have a feeling that is the most solid, inarguably group on the list. I think you did well, bringing Chubbin. Thanks. All right, wide receiver. We have two wide receivers in, and this was tough. So I put in A.J. Brown, for starters,

made a second round pick who was a star after year one and then took his game up a couple notches in year two. So now he's entering year three. He's a yak monster. He's fearless over the middle. He's just a perfect guy you want on your team and Ryan Tannell's in love with him. And now you put Julio Jones up, line him up opposite of him.

And I just think that Brown is setting himself up to produce at a level that few of his. his peers can match in year three. I just love the guy. So I put him in. Are you guys okay with A.J. Brown? Yep. Absolutely.

He gets knocked out. But yeah, that makes sense. I took out. Odell. Hmm. I mean, he continues Beckham to be a buzzy summertime pick here. And as a guy that could deliver a big season reminiscent of the giant states. But in truth, I just don't think his game matches his name.

and it's been a while since we saw that peak superstar type production. It's been a little bit messy here in Cleveland with Baker and then he blows out his knee. But even before he blew out the knee last year, outside of one game where he exploded and showed that potential he's always had, he just hasn't been the same guy since 2016. Do I think he could have a monster season here? Yes, it's certainly within the range of outcomes. but is it also more likely, in my opinion, that his best days are behind him, almost 29 years old, I think that might be it. I think, Ken, have we set a, what's your standard regarding, can when lose membership in the Superstar Club due to injury specifically?

There is, you don't get, yeah, you don't get any cookies for that. It's an unfortunate aspect of the game, and if you suffer a devastating lower body injury, it needs to be taken into, a consideration. It's tough because like Brady, he is just like unquestionably a superstar in, no matter how long, how many injuries he gets.

And he's still so young that you think like all that talent that he hasn't gone anywhere. It's on a relative scale. It's pretty young. I'm just saying he's turning 29 this season. He should have good years left. So it's dangerous.

This is a dangerous one. It's very dangerous. And especially knowing some of the other wide receivers that are still in the club. And there was so much promise there, right? You mentioned the breakout week four against the Cowboys. I lose track of when that was, but it was an explosion, right? And even on the play where, you know, Baker underthrows him, it gets picked off, he's being

Odell, he's being extremely athletic, he's trying to make a tackle, and he blows his crew shit, right? It's there, right? Odell was there at some point, but do we know the capacity to which this, this guy is this otherworldly athlete who's able to do those things. Can he still do that now? And is he in the right place to do that even if he has that ability still? And wide receivers deeper with like, you know, there's so many different guys that

was like, hey, that's a top 10 receiver. But you look around the league and it is deeper than it's ever been in terms of great wideouts. So Odell will have to bring back some 2016-17 Odell to get to that level. It's a better field than it was back then. That's fair. That's fair. All right. Up next, Stefan Diggs, and what else needs to be said, obviously, he was a total monster. And in that offense that is unchanged with Brian Dayball there, it's just going to continue.

I think him, along with Devante Adams, I don't have two wide receivers that are more, you know, lock it in. Put money in the bank that this guy with good health is going to have a monster year. I trust him over just about anybody in the league. And I had to take out somebody. This one was real tough. I move Mike Evans out of the Superstar Close. What do you guys think about that? Because I'm a struggle with that one.

Well, is that it for receivers getting kicked out? You got Amari Cooper in there. Right. The updated membership is Devante, A.J. Brown, Cooper, Stefan Diggs, Tyree killed, DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones, Michael Thomas. And that's it. No more changes. Yeah, I would, receivers where I have some bones to pick.

I'd get Cooper out of there. I probably would have kept Odell in. I might put Alan Robinson in there, too. I don't know who I would have to take it. Maybe then I take out Evans at that point. Cooper's a great player, you know, but I think you can be a great player and not a superstar. Like, I get that, oh, his route running this and that. And the other, like, to me, he is not, he is, we've, I've seen enough that I feel like I know he is, he is not that level, Stefan Diggs, Devante Adams, or even maybe a peak Mike Evans.

I don't think Amari Cooper is quite, quite there. Yeah, it's, it's the question of what level. do we take production into what makes a superstar, right? Because there's that, you know, he plays in Dallas, right? Amari's the number one receiver on a loaded roster. But you could say the same argument for the Super Bowl champion and Mike Evans. But it is zero sum. He's never top 1,200 yards.

I mean, he's been in the league. It's horrible to be picking on such a great player. And there are reasons for all of this. But he's been in the league for seven years. and he hasn't topped 1,200 yards. It's like, I don't know, did DJ more top 1,200 yards last year? He might have. You're making me think the copy might have to shift on this one.

I struggle with that. Yeah, playing without DAC for most of the last season, he still went for 92 for 11, 14. He's great. He's great at football, but this is an exclusive club. Okay, and just so you know, I did struggle with this because we are enjoying an incredible boom at this position. You could have make a case for you mentioned,

Alan Robinson, Calvin Ridley, I thought about, Justin Jefferson, coming off that rookie year, DJ Metcalf. These are a lot of guys. And it makes you think, do I need to relax the zero-sum rule and put more wide receivers in? I don't know. I can't decide. It's hard. There's a real case for D.K., I think, as well. Yeah.

I wouldn't have fought you with D.K. Should I relax? Should I make an exemption because of the sea change? wide receiver no you basically stuck with you better have picked the right number of guys at that position the first year because you're stuck with it forever yeah yeah I would all right fair enough uh finally tight end I haven't even written about tight end in recent years because it's just not enough guys um which is kind of weird because there's so many hyper athletic playmakers coming out of the college game every year you would think there would be

more guys, there'd be like a Kyle Pitts coming into the league every year. And in some ways there is. There's always some tight end people are over the moon about, although Pitts, of course, a level of hype that we haven't seen really ever in my memory at tight end. But anyway, Darren Waller is a superstar for me now. He's set career highs across the board. And I know he's not the all-around player that Travis Kelsey or George Kittle is, but I think there's just something to be said for a guy that plays tight end and can line up on the outside and beat cornerbacks down the down the field and make plays over the middle and be the security blanket that he was for Derek Carr. He was, if you look at his last five games last season,

uncoverable. And he's a really nice success story, a guy that overcame personal problems and addiction to become, to me, a superstar at tight end. So it's a three-man field. I took out gronk. No disrespect to gronk, but came out of retirement last season. He was very good, especially for somebody who hadn't played football in almost two years. But he's certainly not the game plan shredding force of nature. He was in his younger years before all the injuries caught up to him. But there you go. It's a three-man crew, Kelsey Kittle Waller. You had to make that move. And that's even as someone who thinks Gronks 2020 was a little underrated. I mean, he ended up playing more snaps than almost any tight in the league coming

off that back and you count the playoffs. I think he was number two in snaps. Like he was on the field. He helped them. But he's, he's not Darren Waller. I mean, in terms of a difference maker right now, no way. Yeah, it's those three and everybody else. It's clear and obvious, including Gras. And it's funny, like, you know how easy it is to get sucked up by things this time of year? It's like, should I just get fun, get cute and put Kyle Pitts in and just ride the wave and just hope everyone that knows more than me about the college game is right that this guy is a, you know, put him in Canton in 20 years type talent. But no, the Superstar Club, everything is earned.

So go fill up the water cooler, kid. I mean, because your clientele is not just the, I don't know, is the public ever allowed into the Superstar Club, I guess not. Your clientele are the superstars. I think you would have some upset superstars, you know, Justin Jefferson or, some of these young players who aren't in and they're like, what, you just gave it to a rookie and we can't even get in.

Or the ones that have really had to earn their spots are Nick Chubbs, like what, you just give this guy a free pass. So you might have some upset superstars. Yeah, I won't do that. That's a good call. That's a good point. I didn't really consider it that way,

but you're absolutely true. So the only thing, and thank you, boys for this, the only thing that I'm really hung up on, I kind of think, and I'm leaning towards Jefferson, but Ridley, Robinson, and Metcalfe all makes sense too. Maybe putting one of those dudes in and taking out Cooper. Who would you, if I gave you those four players, Jefferson, Calvin Ridley, Alan Robinson, and DJ Metcalf,

who would get in over Amari? I can only give, I can't take anybody else out. It just wouldn't make any sense. It would defeat the entire exercise. I only have room for one. That is tough. What do you go, Clayvon? It's really hard.

I would make the D.K. argument. He meets the extra. qualities of a superstar, and he's got all the production, the plays, the splash, the ability. I think I'm with Claibon. I think of those three, it's D.K. I think Robinson has the best resume and deserves it, but D.K.'s got that Jeunisequois, and he is a superstar. And Jefferson deserves it too, but at least D.K.'s, you know, been in the league an extra

year there and made that leap. I think D.K. would be my pick. The irony with Alan Robinson is. is the very reason what makes the case for him being a superstar that he does it without good quarterback play, ultimately is keeping him out because you imagine there's a better version of him potentially if he ever has a real quarterback. And maybe now he does with Justin Fields. But he kind of lives in this like football purgatory because of the Bears middling ways in recent years. So I really struggle. I want to kind of give him some type of honor for putting up with all this

madness and nonsense in Chicago and maybe you throw him in the superstar club and maybe he sees it just like Al Baker saw that and he sits on his porch at his condo and looks out at the sea and a tear goes down his cheek maybe I don't know I can't say whether or not that would happen but ultimately yes okay if you guys both say Metcalfe he's going in Cooper's coming out I'm going to adjust the copy he's got the sizzle I mean the superstar club is not all about production either Jefferson's got a lot of sizzle great personality DK's got the sizzle I'm sorry Alan Robinson fans all right there you go that's it the 2021 superstar club also a superstar Al Bubba Baker how about that

joining us surprise appearance you should have seen Greg's face oh my goodness I was very very surprised it was awesome thank you I don't know whether they call him Al or Bubba, I got to be completely honest. And this really does play into the whole conversation. I mean, if the sack was a stat that was kept back then, everyone knows. He's a household name. And I would know whether he goes by Al or Bubba. But he predates me.

That season was a couple years before I was born, you guys as well. So I'm glad that he's getting some pop out of this. And hopefully, if the football cognizanti, I will say this. Ricky, jump in a second. It's a football cognoscenti is paying attention to our podcast. There's some news in that little interview. And maybe Ricky, you could tell her own NFL desk about that. And Al can get some pop off this pod.

That would be nice, too. Yeah, I think this is going to be great for him. He was so sweet. Hard guy not to root for. Right. Super nice, dude. Okay, good stuff. Patrick, you are, well, you said it all.

Start there. second of all you came in on short notice you're wearing a tie which means you have real work to do right after this so we thank you so much from pinch hitting and uh you're the man thank you bud oh thanks dan thanks patrick get well soon mark get well soon mark sessler uh our schedule we're off the rest of the week we'll be back nearly full tilt tilt starting next week we'll have a show monday we'll have a show thursday and then the network shows back friday so hang tight thank you for riding with us all these years and we're going to keep riding going forward like bubba baker riding right through an offensive line and destroying everything

in his past until monday heat the call I'm going to be able to be. Hey everybody, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Six, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else. It's everything you need to understand the why behind what happens on Sundays.

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