NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Veteran Cut Candidates

Episode Date: July 23, 2019

A room filled with heroes - Dan Hanzus, Chris Wesseling, Marc Sessler, and Gregg Rosenthal bring you all of the news around the NFL including Tyreek Hill suspension status (6:32), Zeke's holdout (17:56) and Drew Lock's chances as a NFL QB. (24:30). Gregg goes over his sub-banger "Veteran Cut Candidates (33:25) and the heroes give their one big thought to close the show.Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comNFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. The Around the NFL podcast is hosted by a bunch of old gazers. Welcome to another edition of the Around the NFL podcast presented by Sirius XM. My name is Dan Hanzas, and I'm joined in the studio filled with heroes, Mark Sessler, Chris Wesleying, and Greg Rosenthal. What is up, boys? Hey, Dan. I've never in the course of our working together ever been a part this long.

I haven't seen Greg since the Media Summit in June. No, we've never gone a month without seeing each other. For like normal humans that wouldn't see that outrageous. Once you become an adult, it's like if you see your friend once a month, it's like, that's a pretty good friend. But for us, I was getting the vapors. I didn't like it. How was your trip back east?

The final trip before now with training camps. now upon us. It was beautiful. Little Red Sox game, Boston for three days, a vineyard for three days, you know, what piece that? Did you get any, obviously it must have been nostalgia filled, but the pings of maybe I will return home. Maybe I will live out my years on the vineyard with the rest of my family. No, because... Decisively, no. Well, I never visit the place I grew up. I mean, I grew up three and a half hours from Martha's Vineyard, if you include, like, that you have to take the boat. And then I always stay in Boston with my buddies. And I didn't really, I don't really know Boston. So I never go home home. But yes or no, your heart is in the vineyard, yes or no.

No. No. Didn't you say your mom listens to this show? Yeah, but that's, they are my heart. They are my, they are my, they know. I would never, who would want to live? I don't want to live there. It's too cold. Were you about to say who would want to live on Martha's Vineyard? I feel like a lot of people. Okay. That's fair. It is a beautiful. It is an amazing, it is a great place with my brother's also there so yeah so we're all back together here we're at stage five here at the NFL media complex if it sounds a little bit different which I imagine it might don't complain don't send Ricky a bunch of tweets oh you're not getting the sound right right Ricky that ain't right it's not her fault we're trying to get back up to our studio we're not there yet

hopefully by Wednesday and again as I mentioned on Thursday show we'll have Mina kimes of ESPN on on the show on Wednesday Greg you will be not be here you're going to be on the road I'm going to Ravens camp for a few days. Where is that? Owens Mills, Maryland. You're trying to revitalize the Ravens Nest? I mean, you can call me up from there if you guys want. Yeah, see what's going on.

I don't know. But, yeah, just for two days, but I'll be back for Friday's show. Did they get a look at your making a leap on Lamar Jackson piece? Is that why you've been invited out there to? I think that was the NFL, you know, our boss's idea behind it, yes. What about the idea that perhaps at this point, your love of Lamar Jackson's so out of control that you're traveling across the country. A restraining order may be the best idea for Eric Acosta and company.

I mean, tough but fair question. I'm not a threat. I couldn't catch him. Okay. So, yes, Mena's here on Wednesday to talk about her Baker Mayfield piece. Greg will be back on Friday. Back to three shows and much to get to today as camps continue to roll out throughout the country.

It's a very exciting time in the calendar, hope season. back in business. On today's show, we're going to go through some, you know, as camps open, there's always high-profile veteran names that you, for years and years, maybe they populated your fantasy teams, maybe they've been number one jersey sellers where you support your favorite squad. But all the season, all of a sudden, maybe they're going to be out of work, veteran cut candidates. Greg, you wrote a bang on this. So we're going to follow your lead, then. So what's the word for, like, the sub-banger? Sub-banger, I think, is what we've It's a sub-banger.

In, like, February when you make these lists, it's pretty juicy. Now it's just like, if you don't make the team by now, something's gone wrong. I mean, there's a big running back name on this list. That's fair. We'll get into that. Mezzanine-level banger. We'll get into that. We'll end the show with one big thought about what's going on in the NFL as Camps Open.

But before we do that, it's time now for what we are hearing. Presented by Sirius XM. Let's do some news, Ricky. Hey, you're Rick fucking Dalton. Don't you forget it. Ah, yes. If you don't know what that is, that's right there. That's who, Mark.

That is Brad Pitt talking to Leo DiCaprio and Once Upon a Time on Holiday. So three of us are going to see on Thursday night. Opening night. But in a bit of breaking news on the personal front... Let's hear it. Inside the building, you know you like to create power rankings of people that you simply like the most. Some are at the bottom of the list.

A young woman in the building has shot to the absolute top of my list. Received a text last night from Miss Tara Deeker, who had invited me. She's connected. For this evening to the media premiere up at the Arklight in Hollywood of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. So my Sunday night was going fine, and suddenly it became the Sunday night of Sunday nights. And in mere hours, we are leaving to go see it. How exciting, and big job by Tara Deeger, who is a long-time friend of the show. This is, where do you put Once Upon a Time in Hollywood?

I'm very excited to see this movie. If you're not aware of it, it's a Quentin Tarantino film, his ninth, centering on the late 60s, Hollywood. There's a little bit of Manson murders juice to it. And of course, it stars DiCaprio and Pitt. What else could you ask for? And a host of other huge stars, is this the most of the most of, excited mark you've ever been to see a movie in my current adulthood because I

think as a kid some things would just freak you out Star Wars I'm sure it's probably a next thing for you this this is the one where all the elements are there and a lot of times you get excited for a movie and they ultimately vastly disappoint that's happened to me over and over and I know nothing about what's going to happen in this they said the imagination scales off the charts and that it's his Tarrantino's masterpiece so I think if you already like Tarantino he's at the top of his trade so I am very very very excited. This one is checking all the boxes at a time when you are most interested in

movies. I think so, too. Then I'll just simply leave Los Angeles as of tomorrow morning after seeing it. Let's get to the news, yes. The NFL will start here with news around Tyree Kill that broke on Friday, but we didn't get a chance to talk about it, so we will now. The NFL announced Friday it could not conclude that Chief's wide receiver Tyree Kill violated the league's personal conduct policy. Therefore, he will not be suspended. He'll can attend Chiefs training camp, which opens on Friday. The League released a long statement on the matter. I'll read a couple of parts of it. Based on the evidence presently available, the NFL cannot conclude that Mr. Hill violated the personal conduct policy. If further information becomes

available through law enforcement, the pending court proceeding, or other sources, we will promptly consider it and take all appropriate steps at that time. Hill, for what it's worth, also released a statement. The last few months have been very difficult for me, especially as a father. The false allegations originally reported in March were highly publicized and involved the care of my son. I am grateful for so many things and grateful for so many people who have supported me during this challenging time I fully respect and accept the NFL's decision.

And I bet you do Tyree Kill because, Wes, this was not the outcome that many of us saw coming. There was an idea that you wouldn't see him at all, that he would miss a great chunk of the season, perhaps a month of the season. Instead, he doesn't miss any of the season unless things change from where they are now. What were your thoughts when you heard about this? Well, there's some similarities to deflategate in that the original reporting threw off the story. It turns out that he was never really a candidate for the broken arm on his child. There was no evidence. The NFL could not get the case files open because of Kansas law and the woman would not, Crystal Espinall, would not cooperate.

I think for me, I don't want to see a guy railroaded if there's no evidence he did anything wrong. On the other hand, I was absolutely gobsmacked that he was not only not suspended for, you need to be terrified of Me Too, B-word threat, but that the NFL and the team, their statements didn't even discuss that threat, that this wasn't even, to me, the precedent is there from Roger Goodell with Big Ben to say

there doesn't need to be a conviction to be a suspension. There's precedent from Jimmy Smith that if you're threatening your significant other, you can be suspended from that if people's lives are in danger, if people's health is in jeopardy. And to me, this met those challenges. This is a guy on his second chance. And when you make that level of threat, to me it's just chilling. And I can't see rooting for this player if i'm a chiefs fan and if i'm the chiefs themselves i cannot see extending a guy who was making this threat with his history right that that's one of the most surprised there's a lot of surprising aspects to this but the fact that we're already hearing talk about whether he could be extended or whether he would be a trade can i guess we have to wait and let it

play out to see uh but in you know ian rappboard our guy has mentioned that he that they would be interested in getting something done long-term, which it's one thing to not find enough evidence because the law didn't find enough evidence. And we're very quick to criticize the NFL, and a lot of that is well-founded. But it's also, I think, okay to admit that it's exceedingly complicated, that when the law runs into a brick wall, like, why do we think the, like, if anything, the fact that the NFL is investing so much, money in investigating is, I don't know, almost overconfident that you're going to do a better job than the law.

And this is a case where if you want to go back and you want to go look at all the details, the text messages that they've put out the entire 11-minute call or conversation that was recorded between him, there's a lot there. And I too, Wes, am surprised that the verbal threat would not be enough. that it wasn't even explained or acknowledged why that wasn't enough. I got caught up on that, too, because there is precedent, as you mentioned, to hand out punishment from the NFL, no matter what happened in the legal side of the case, and at best, there's a lot of hazy stuff happening here, but the chiefs also could have stood up and done something

to respond to this. I think that it's another situation because it's, you look at how these cases have been handled over the course of the last decade or so under Goodell. There's a lot of confusion. How do you, if you have kids who know about this case, explain why this player is playing? How do you explain that to a lot of different people? I mean, it's confusing to me from that angle. But I do think that you can't just automatically punish him if the case went the way it did too. It put the NFL in a weird spot. We've all worked connected to the NFL for a while now. And Mark, when you and I came here in 2010, how the NFL handled domestic violence is very different. And everything changed with the Ray Rice incident in the tape, and the league got a lot stronger and a lot better in how they handled these things. That's what surprised me so much about what's happened here

is that if the same situation unfolds a year after Ray Rice, and one was that, 2013, around there? 2013, I believe it was. I don't think there's any way Tyreek Hill doesn't get a beefy suspension. But it's almost as if now things have gone back a little bit now the other way. That's just the way it came off to me, and it's because of what you guys are saying, the idea that there was not only the tape that had the threat,

the verbal threat, which no one is saying didn't happen, there was also the past domestic violence incident involving Hill and this woman, how is that enough for any games? And my last thought on it is the NFL just from, you know, how you want to be seen. I'm surprised that they didn't hand down any discipline because if you would have given him two games, four games, eight games, there's going to be no outcry,

but by giving him no games, it really does open you up to a waterfall of criticisms and I'm really surprised I'm going to play that. I think well not that they're looking for a result but that would have been a more comfortable answer for them to reach but I the thing that struck me right away because we know so little about these cases is

like it's amazing to go back and listen to our podcast and listen to every single television show that covered this case talk about as if his career was over. That's how we talked about that his career was over. That there's this rush to have like opinions

right off the bat and we're guilty of it too but but everyone is i'm not just singling ourselves out that like in that moment the the information that in the quote quote like analysis or hot takes that everyone was having that week was just all based on just total guesswork and like and now we have the information and we can talk about it a little more and it's still we don't we have more i we at least know what the NFL is going to do incorrect information out of the gate I think some of the hot takes were where we thought the case was going and it shifted. Right. But like the point is no one knew anything and everyone is sort of like assuming that, okay, his career, well, he's definitely done with the chiefs. Let's move on and talk about whether any team will ever happen or it'll definitely be suspended for the year.

And it's like no one knows anything. And I saw it. We still don't. Like I kept thinking of the word inscrutable, which means incapable of being investigated, analyzed, or scrutinized, impenetrable. And that describes this case. right because the case files are closed and because she's not cooperating the second definition of inscrutable is not easily understood mysterious unfathomable that is domestic violence policy it is domestic violence policy outside of sports in sports and diana moscovitz who used to work

in our newsroom is now with deadspin wrote a big article in this a couple years ago which i found enlightening and it's easy the easiest thing to do is cry for a stiff punishment to banish the guy in the league. It's really easy to do that because like you said, Greg, nobody's going to argue opposite of that. Right. But, you know, there are a couple of reasons for this. Wives and girlfriends don't want to judge, they don't want to jeopardize the player's career, which would in turn jeopardize their child support. So that's one reason not to cooperate. Number two, they don't want to give a person with violence issues the biggest reason possible to get angry because you've jeopardized his career. And number three, many of these players have no community of support

system outside of the NFL, outside of football. So if you take all that, all those factors, it's going to continue to be inscrutable. We're not going to be able to figure this out, and you have to take this on a case-by-case basis. Let's move on for now, guys, and check out what else is going on in the news. Big news for the Seahawks that will start the 2019 season without a key piece of their defensive line. Geron Reed has been suspended six games for violation of the personal conduct policy for an incident from early 2017. The league announced Monday. Reed wasn't charged or arrested. He also appealed the decision, but that was denied on Friday. So it's happening. He's out. It's a big blow for the Seahawks. 26 years old,

coming off a season in which he had 10 and a half sacks and 15 tackles, started 16 games. and Mark, this is a team that traded Frank Clark in the offseason. Now they're losing one of their top young defensive linemen. This is going to be a challenge for Seattle early on. It is. I mean, here's one of the more promising young defensive linemen in the entire league, who last year only Aaron Donald had more sacks from any interior lineman in the NFL, and is a big part of a rather thin Seahawks line that now is asking guys like Ziggy Onsen,

to have a career year, and I think it's, you look at their schedule, their first six games include the Steelers, the Saints, the Rams, the Browns, and an early look Cardinals team that people are going to be trying to figure out. But I will say that this case, if I'm not mistaken reading about this, that he was linked to domestic violence accusations back in 2017, and this is tied into that, and it just makes what we just talked about even foggier to me. Right. And so I think a local... Seattle Station originally reported that the Bellevue police had responded to a domestic violence complaint at the time and that there was no charges filed and there's no more real details on that.

And so that's why I even see the people today pointing out, oh, how inconsistent the NFL is. How did this guy get 16? Well, we don't know any of the facts in this case either at all. Like, we don't know anything about this case. But I think it does point out the whole idea of like, okay, domestic violence. that's six games. It's like, no, there was never going to be a way to be consistent because every case is totally different. And it's hard to say this is a good or bad suspension when virtually no reporting has been done on anything to do with this case since it happened in 2017 other than that little basic idea. Like no one really knows. So how can you be criticizing that?

In other news, let's spend over to the NFC East where we have some holdout talk to get into, starting, of course, with Star running back, Ezekiel Elliott of the Cowboys. Rapsheet reported Monday on Good Morning Football that Zeke and his camp have not decided yet whether or not he will hold out or show up when the veterans report on Friday. This is something that we talked about last week. Elliott has two years left on his contract, and his only real leverage is to withhold services. So at this point, we don't know anything new, but it's still in the first. picture and he's not the only big-time player in the nancy east thinking hold out

trent williams of the redskins their pro bowl left tackle who had the procedure on his head the the scary uh it was a some type of tumor on his head that was removed he also wants a new contract he's upset with the team about how they handled some things connected to his health scare uh so it's a big stew mike raffalo um garifolo still after all these years yeah it'll trip you Gene Grasolo, big-time comedy star, you know, and you can't just throw in a Garifolo after I've been hearing Janine Garofalo for 20 years and expect me never to cross it up.

Which of those two are the bigger star right now? Mikey G. I am without question. Not a spaceship. Anyway, just rocketing upward. Anyway, he reported on an NFL network that Trent Williams' situation. It could take a while for him to report, if at all.

So there's no change, Greg, in that situation. with the Redskins and Williams, a lot of bad blood. You wonder how that's going to work itself out. He would be very, I don't see why they would want to trade him, but if for some reason they did, I think they could actually get quite a bit for an all-pro left tackle. The Zieg thing is a little more surprising and maybe just like who wants to go to training camp.

It's not that big of a deal, but, you know, can Zique get through like one off season without getting suspended for domestic violence or having his own incident? You know, it's almost, it's interesting to me. hit Patrick right now that you would feel like you have enough leverage that any of the off-field issues for Hill or Zeke wouldn't matter at all, or wouldn't be that big of a factor in contract off. In other NFC East News, Darren Sprouls and the Eagles agree to a one-year contract.

Sprouls who have been looking for work, he's had some injury issues as his career has gone on now and now he's looking to catch on with a Philly team where he had some great success early in his career, but it's going to be uphill climb Mark Sessler. Jordan Howard, of course, acquired from the Bears via trade by Philly this offseason. Miles Sanders, a second round draft pick, Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood, also set to return. Darren Sprouls, that's a crowded room as a 30-something running back. I mean, he gives you, if he's the same guy, special teams help, and I think that they know who Darren Sprouls is, and they trust him and want to use him

and want to see where they are by the end of training camp. I'm not sure he's a lock to make the roster. a lot, you got to look at this team and wonder who is your primary feature back if you needed to target it from a fantasy perspective. Do you need one? I'm just saying from like who do you even latch on to here. I don't think you need one from a football team angle at all. That's a fluid situation and I'm not sure you sign Darren Sproul's at this point in his

career with the idea of playing 16 games. To me it's more like carry him on and off the roster at times until the postseason and see if he's your passing down back. Mark, it's a situation I like to say they want to see if Darren can. can still play the guitar. That's what you've said it perfectly, Dan. In other news, that's spin over to the team of West TL, the Denver Broncos, who have it.

It's very close right now, between the Broncos and Colts. It is not close. What a horse race. Now, a lot of people say Colts, no-brainer. But if you listen to every. Was that a play out of words? Intentionally, Broncos Colts horse race? Yeah.

Totally nailed it accidentally. But if you've been listening to every show this off season, or you've been hosting every show this off season, you've been hosting every show this off season, you You know, this is a love affair in full bloom. That is preposterous. I am totally on board with the cult and everything they're doing.

The Broncos thing is all relative to how the rest of the football world feels about them. I just think a lot more highly of the Broncos than everyone else. I mean, this is like the fourth or fifth show in a row that the West Broncos sort of man-crush scenario is been a theme. I got a feel, you know, it took one Vic Fongio interview on Inside Training Camp today to just make me even a bigger affair. I'm all in on the Fongio. I thought you were going to go the other way. Fasio, that he, by deciding that he was not going to let music be played at practices, that would get you angry. When he explained it, though, no, when he explained it, he seems like he's not sweating the small stuff overall.

He seems like a cool guy. Would you rather have that or, like, excessive tweets breaking down like Chip Kelly's Eagles playlist, which was a low point? I also like if you... I think it's ridiculous that he's banning music, but whatever, I'm not going to... People I'm starting to get on board with that Flacco, you know, Flacco, we've talked that he's got good hair. over the years. But what he's doing right now with his facial hair game, I find very interesting that he has a higher percentage of his entire facial area covered by hair than I think anyone. I mean, he's got it like right underneath his eyes. It's basically like the whole thing

and just his eyes. It's just hair and eyes. And I like that. I mean, I take a big thing in the, as we Like usually they kind of trim that down, but he's got it like, it's like everywhere. It looks like a mascot. I think you guys are missing the other part of it though. Maybe he's a hairy man, but that some people see that as masculine. I like that. I think there's a lot of buzz continuing to build that Joe Flacco has flown under the radar for a full decade, Backdoor Hot. Really?

Flying way under the radar, bro. Simone and I saw him in person, I would say he's... I don't know about that one. He is, like any of these quarterbacks you see in person, 10 times bigger than you realize. Oh, yeah. And excessively more masculine than I ever thought Joe Flacco was and better looking in person than I thought he was.

So I'd have to agree. Right through the back door. Anyway, that's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about Drew Locke, who maybe one day will be the man to replace Joe Flacco and will be the man to give the Broncos some true stability a quarterback in the post-Paeton Manning era. And Lord knows they need it under John Elway. He fell to the second round of April's draft, 42 overall. But speaking of Figfantio, he's not ready to, you know,

throw it out there that this kid is knocking on the door to play big time snaps for the Broncos. Let's listen in. You know, his college offense really had no carryover to pro offenses, and he was under duress a lot of times in his college. And, you know, so a lot of his plays he was running around. And I don't think he's far as long being a NFL, ready NFL quarterback as he could have been. Okay. So that's what I mean when he's got to get ready. He's not a quarterback yet. He's a hard-throwing pitcher that doesn't know how to pitch yet. You know, so faster he gets that, the better off he'll be and will be. I mean, you could say what you want about baseball, but no sport packs the analogies like baseball does. Well, it's been around

for like a thousand years. There's also an old long-held axiom in baseball circles. You develop your own hitting and trade for other people's pitching because nothing disappoints year after year like young pitchers. And, you know, Locke, what he's saying? People try to read into that as, oh, no, Locke's in the doghouse. Not at all. It's just, he's a project. The very essence of what a true project is, which you never really hear in the end of

anymore. Everybody just inserted right in the lineup, but you have Fangio keeping it real and being like, this kid's going to take time. I'm working on a piece about when rookie quarterbacks will make their first start. Does this help you? This impacted my, it helped me a little bit. And I got to say with Fangio, there was a time when when Wes and I fell in love with Dan Quinn

during that Super Bowl consecutive Super Bowl weeks, when he went on to become a head coach, we loved it because we got time to talk to him. Vic Fongio, I once sat down during the Super Bowl week at a table, one of those round tables where no one was sitting with Vic Fongio and just sort of, I have this good opportunity

to drum up some sort of a written piece here. Could not have been more agitated with me that I chose to eat up his time during this. He just rolled his eyes and he just rolled on my radar at that point, but now I see a little bit Bill Parcells in him, a little bit of Bruce Ariens. I like him. Well, I think he looks at Locke as a guy he would love to go against his defensive coordinator.

Right. Locke, and that was his scouting report from the Daniel Jeremiahs of the world going into the draft that, like, he had a long way to go. There's no big surprise. Black with the Long Lee show. I mean, John Elway can't love those comments, though. It's like the 18th quarterback John Elway has selected, this underwhelming out of the game. I mean, John Elway is a little on my rate.

He was on ITC today, too, and he was. You know, when they asked him why he had so much confidence in Flacco, bringing Flacco in, and he just thought, well, Flacco had his best years with Gary Kubiak. And, you know, we're running a lot of the same things that Gary Kubiak. I was like, well, it would have been nice to keep Gary Kubiak. I think that kind of, you know, it was not part of the plan there for Mr. L.A. I would like to know more. I'd like Seth Wickersham.

Yeah, let's get Wickersham on that. Unleashed him. That would be good. By the way, I remember that's Super Bowl 48, Mark. It was in New York, New Jersey. you sidling up next to me at the hotel bar and being like Dan Quinn, front door hot. I did not say that, but I would not say he doesn't hit,

he's not on my radar as hot or not hot. Is that the Super Bowl between that and like you guys having to stay in Jersey? Has that been like the fodder for the most stories told after the fact of this podcast? Wes and I were not in New Jersey. We were in like Northern Russia. Of any of the Super Bowl locations.

I feel like that one's laid on. It was an outpost. Injury news, as training camps roll out. Julian Edelman, of course, Tom Brady's number one target. He's going to miss the started training camp with a thumb issue. You never like to hear a wide receiver connected to a thumb issue, but this sounds like something that isn't going to be too serious, but they say he'll be out multiple weeks, according to Mike Giardy.

So something worth tracking. He had a small brace on his thumb at his youth camp over the weekend. But for now, we're hearing from Rapsheet that it was, quote, Greg, mild trauma. I mean, they've got Philip Playoff Dorset in the mix, so they're going to be fine. You're fine. You're fine. And just, I'll throw a few names out there on the active Pup list.

Very different. Active Pup list, reserved Pup list, totally different ball games. Active's fine. You can come off at any time. But J.J. Watt, Knee, DeAndre Hopkins, Shoulder, Sonny, Michelle, Ney, Demarius Thomas Achilles. Sonny Michelle Ney, Mark, is that on your radar a little bit? Well, it has been for a while because he's, I'm not sure what his role is going to be. with this offense. I mean, he certainly, obviously, makes the team, but I think Damian Harris,

the rookie, is someone that's going to get a big role. And all you've heard about is Sonny Michelle not participating, not being on the field, not being someone that they can count on in the offseason. And he has a long litany of knee injuries. It does not add up for a huge year to projection. Well, we thought all of that last year at this time, and worse, and then he went and carried the running game. I think that's why they have like five running backs, though. They sort of, they see value in like these under, you know, they're injury prone, but if you, as long

as you have four of them, then you can survive that. Am I alone, though, I mean, to be concerned about the status of his lower body? If I was drafted him in fantasy, yes. As like a Pats fan, I'm not too worried, because to me, James White and, you know, and Damien Harris and

even Burkhead right now is their fifth back. Like, they're all going to play, so it's fine. And finally in the news. Ladies and gentlemen, for one night only sashi ah yeah welcome welcome back frags to the show sashi brown you remember him the former brown's executive vice president who during his brief tenure there tore down the franchise built up draft picks they went one in 27 passed on wince and deshawn watson but then after he was canned all those picks led to things like

Miles Garrett and Baker Mayfield Denzel Ward and now the Browns are on the up well he got a job wondering we're just talking about where is Sashi he's working with the Wizards organization and the NBA they have some type of new program

called monumental basketball newly formed collective between the Wizards and the Mystics or the WMBA version of Washington's franchise anyway and also the Capital City Go-Go with the G-League going into the courts. I missed that. I missed that. Anyway, so Brown will be

the chief planning and operations officer. So if you were wondering if Sashi would land on his feet, he will. And depending, Mark, on how the Browns do this year and in the coming years, history will look back on him as a hero. I think that most Browns fans already would look back on Sashi Brown and say there was a lot of pain that went along with his plan, but it was successful. and to go to another sport doesn't concern me at all

because it's not like football. Didn't he come from baseball? It's in the forefront of analytics. Well, that's Paul D. Podesta, who's still with the Browns quietly behind the scenes. If Sashi turns the Washington Wizards around, then he might be as smart as all of like the Evan Silva acolytes and all that. Thank you.

Hey, he took Miles Garrett, so he gets credit for it. Oh, yeah, Garrett, okay, good. That's what's happening. In the news, oh, man, guys, they're terrible, taking care of their health. knee injury, bad back, something worse, guys are usually more comfortable, quote, rubbing some dirt on it, close quote,

than seeing a doctor, the same is true for, yes, erectile dysfunction. With Roman, you can get medical care for ED from the comfort of your home and handle everything online in a convenient, discreet manner. Just go to getRoman.com slash around and complete an online online visit. If your doctor decides that treatment would be appropriate, they'll prescribe genuine

medication that can be delivered in discrete packaging right to your door with free two-day shipping. You know, people think, because we do these ad reads, it's like, oh, he's doing the borgh read, and that's a bad thing. And he's like, oh, are you going to feel uncomfortable talking about this? Me personally, I'm not. Because as a man, I understand why this is not a laughing matter that if you were dealing with something like this gentleman, that go get help because we'll make you a lot happy if you do. There's nothing to be ashamed of. Right, Wes? What an advocate you are for this issue. I like that. I keep it real here. Just go to get roman.com slash around. Greg feels differently.

No, I was just impressed that the professionalism and maturity that you're showing. Slash around to get a free online visit and free two-day shipping, that's get Roman.com slash around for a free visit to get started. Get Roman.com slash around for a free visit to get started. Get Roman.com slash around. There is nothing to be ashamed of boys. Get it. Get it done. All right. Greg wrote us up banger, mezzanine level, up in the loge. Roe Z. Seats 14 and 15. It's like the front of the grandstand. I had to ask three times for help to find the seat. You wrote about veterans, you know, veterans that we know, name brands that could be in trouble as teams look to cut down to their final 53 man roster ahead of week one.

You want to get us going? A name that perhaps really jumps out to you or is under the radar a little bit? Well, let's start with one that's, it's not under the radar, but LaShawn McCoy is the biggest name on this list. And to me, the most interesting, because I don't think it would be a money thing. He's due $6 million, but they have 20, like cap space at this point in the year doesn't really matter that much. If a player's on the roster, the team is planning to bring them to the week one. So when Brandon Bean says he thinks Lashon McCoy can play still, I believe him. I think he showed explosion last year at the time. But he also had 3.2 yards per carry in this offense. Does he really fit? They have pretty good depth with Gore and Yeldon

and Singletary. If all three of those guys show out in camp and that they're all healthy, I think the bills at that point would just be open to tradium for what they can get. And maybe that's a fourth-round pick. Maybe that's a trade down, you know, in the draft. Maybe it's not much. But I think, I think they would get something for him because I do think he can still play. Thirty-one years old, three point two yards per carry, and I could not disagree more. His backup looked more explosive than him last year. If my general manager parted with draft pick capital for this guy, I would want him fired. Well, what I think could happen would be like a Redskin situation from last year where they signed Adrian Peterson, but they're the type of team I could see just giving up, you know,

there was an injury in training camp to a team like the Redskins who, you know, maybe it's not run by the most analytically minded team or whatever that they trade for LaShawn McCoy because they lost their week one starter and here's a guy who can give you 250 touches. He sort of need disaster to strike elsewhere. I think that would help. I can also give you six touches when you realize that he's done. Now, I don't think he was that bad luck here.

I really don't. There were some games I thought he looked quite good. It's hard to make 3.2 yards per carry look good. It's not a good stat line, but you know, David Johnson wasn't much. better in Arizona this past year. You wonder if a guy, he's 31, so yeah, he could be in a decline and it's not going to get any better. If ever there was a guy that probably could use a change of scenery, it's Lashon McCoy,

who's gotten paid a bunch in Buffalo, but has essentially just become an obscure figure after being one of the best pure running backs off the field is a different situation but best pure running backs in the league all around talents. I would not surprise me at all if he ended up somewhere else. in a better environment or a more winning environment and was a productive player it wouldn't surprise me

and he's the type of guy if he got hurt like you could see them cutting because that's the thing they don't need the cap space but why spend $6 million if you don't if you really don't need to who else

you have another running back on this list a guy in the news Mark your boy Baker got on this guy's case a little bit a few weeks ago but we haven't heard much since Duke Johnson yeah I put a few that I thought

would be more likely to be trade candidates because there's no reason for the Browns to cut Duke Johnson. I mean, and to me, there's not much reason to trade for him to trade him because I kind of doubt another team would give them the value that he could, that Duke Johnson can give the Browns this year. They're trying to make the playoffs. He's a great complimentary back.

I mean, he's a perfect complimentary back. And if they're counting on Kareem Hunt, I'm not sure what you're going to get with him and you're not going to have him until week nine anyways. So if another team came and offered him a draft pick for Duke Johnson, then you listen to his trade requests from that. They'd say sorry. John Dorsey is the one who signed him to this extension. So why would he want to move him?

Seems like every summer there's a quarterback who's available in case your starter goes down in a preseason game. And on your list, Case Keenham is that guy? Once they drafted Dwayne Haskins, to me, he became extraneous. What does he give you? Colt McCoy wouldn't already give you. That was my thought too. The Colt McCoy and Case Keenum are essentially redundant.

And if you listen to what Jay Gruden said about Dwayne Haskins before they broke for the summer, it's not a finished product, but it is his type of quarterback, and he was gushing over him. So to me, Case Keenham feels like, it's like last year when the Cardinals went and signed a bunch of guys before getting into the draft and they got the guy they wanted, I mean, at least for one season, that you suddenly had these veterans on the roster that didn't make a lot of sense. And the Redskins have one too many quarterbacks right now. McCoy's coming off multiple surgeries. So he'd have to show that he is healthy.

But if he is, I think... This is Cole McCoy we're talking about, correct? Then Case Keatham is not a... It wasn't a bad trade for the Redskins because he's due $3.5 million. That's less than most veteran backups. Like, I could see a team, like, let's say the Seahawks, if they were really...

Well, no, they're going to see Gino Smith and they're going to see a future Super Bowl. They never get a... They never get a decent backup anyway. Like, a team that has a chance to win a Super Bowl and feels like they don't like their backup quarterback situation. Why not pay K's getting them three and a half million? You know what we need to, you know we need now?

Because the NFL is really improved in the last few years, especially the last two years with the trades. There's more trades. The tsunami is hit. How about now we kind of move it even to the next stage? Let's get midseason trades. Let's have the trade deadline means something. Because I look at this list, Duke Johnson,

perfect fodder for a midseason trade because the Browns do need them while Hunt is suspended and then he'll become you know superfluous once Hunt's back potentially Keenham's same thing they need to wait to make sure Colt McCoy's healthy

you stash him on the pup for eight weeks and then you move you could flip case now it's not that easy in football because of the scheme and playbook and all that stuff but that'd be kind of fun we've had some decent pop with the trade deadline you're right we've talked for years that we would like to see it extended another two weeks or so

because then suddenly like something happens right after the deadline where a team that was streaking is in hot water because they lose someone like four days later. You have Carlos Hyde on here. Yeah, that was like, that was a shot in the dark, but 700. Just teams, teams always get tired of Carlos Hyde faster than they're expected to. The 49ers did, the Jaguars did. He's only got 700,000 guaranteed.

They really seem so high on Damian Williams. And they're a team I could see picking up another running back that, I don't know. It just, something's up with Carlos Hyde where you watch them. You think this guy is great, but none of the teams that hire him like him. I like this, again, he goes back. He's the chiefs, by the way. I'll throw the team. Oh, my bad.

Greg will not get off the Gino Smith pedal. He writes of Paxton Lynch. The former first round pick in Denver will be battling Gino Smith for the backup job behind Russell Wilson. Gino's not going out like that. Yeah, come on. Paxton Lynch, Gino is like, I mean, what a mismatch. Well, how about on Thursday show, Mark, you mentioned how West. threw in the kicking situation in, where was it, West?

It was thinnest. Yeah, Chicago Bear's thinnest position group. Perhaps as a nod to your podcast, Mait the old Zucer. How about Greg throwing Seth the Valve in here, just as a nod to his long, forgotten, and separated friend, Mark Sessel? Well, I thought you were going to go Mason Crosby because he would immediately wind up in Chicago potentially. But, yes, Seth DeValve, I think that that was a...

He's a tight end to football thing, though. It was really just... A rounds tight end, who I have been saying for months, will wind up with the Patriots, and Greg has come around to completely agree with you. Yeah, also, there's no way Green Bay is keeping Sam Ficking over amazing guy. Have you seen Sam Ficking kick? No, I mean, I haven't.

Every time they put him in for Zerline, he blows kicks. I like when new staffs come in and they're like, hey, we don't have the same loyalty. We're going to make a statement by releasing one of your favorites, Aaron Rogers. Sorry, Mason Grasie. Yeah, that seems unlikely. I think he sleeps soundly at night.

I'm looking around for first-round picks. Yeah, Laquant Treadwell. of the Vikings, 2006 first round. You want to know how far can you take, how many paychecks can you get as a first round pick? You can usually get about two years worth of paychecks, and that's not bad because it's nice money. But by Training Camp 3,

if you've done Jack and Laquan Treadwell certainly qualifies, you are on the bubble. They thought he was going to be Michael Irvin. That's who they were comparing him to when he was drafted. If they had better wide receivers, Michael Irvin of now would be fine. He has 500 yards in three seasons. total

you have to try to be that ineffective but they don't really have any oh right this is his fourth season they don't have any good uh you're blessings it's also the guys that like didn't have the fifth round the fifth year option picked up that they're they're on borrowed time

there's a few of those on the list when jordan taylor and chab bevy are getting more like positive pressing you are you're in trouble i i put a couple patriots in here too rex burkett and demarius thomas who both have big names and i kind of can't imagine them ever cutting burke head even though he was not as good a player i would say down the stretch last season and did not have even the best super bowl i would uh forever fantasy sunk cost

i i would mention but i kind of can't imagine them cutting him uh and usually injuries have a way of working themselves out but demarius thomas is someone 31 years old coming off at torn achilles i think there's an idea in boston it's like okay like this is the next veteran that's going to come in and be a great value but he might be the next veteran that's like reggie wayne Hey, heads up. Former Patriot, great, and that's the last you hear of him. The jury was out whether he could still play before he blew the case. Right.

So, it's a tough sitch. All right, Greg, that was nice. Anything else you want to throw out there? Except banger, no, that's fine. Sitting right there in the mezzanine. It's like, Dad, should I bring my binoculars? Yeah, Dad, should I bring my glove? No, you're not going to need it, so.

I'm going to throw one more out. Tavon Austin, just because talk about a guy that. One year removed. I enjoyed that right up. Yeah, just that. one you're removed from them saying they're going to give him 15 touches a game he's probably not going to make the team that's one of those times where the entire football cognizanti everybody gets a pat on the head because everyone called that out immediately as BS everyone's

detector went off that Tavon also would never have a role in that offense and sure enough he did not all right check it out nfl.com slash rosenthal all right before we go guys one big thought as training camp rolls out. This is not a conversation piece. Although, sure, listen, it's a podcast. If you guys want to talk off it, we can. But more, remember in the sports reporters? Remember the sports? That's still a thing.

It's like a parting shot. Bob Lee. Bob Lee. I used to watch that religiously. Recently retired. Or announces retirement. One big thought, Mark, get us going. I think that the thing that I find interesting,

even from when we started here, almost a decade ago to now, eyes of Twitter and with so many more people covering football that wouldn't have otherwise and people that are analytically minded that didn't even exist 10 years ago, that it is, even though every team is making a bundle of money, which certainly leaves some teams with less, I would say, emphasis or desire to actually succeed. I love the thread that Warren Sharp and Evan Silva have been on of late, and it's in Warren Sharp's Excellent Magazine, that there are a couple teams that have simply just chosen to be left behind. And that they are, this is the season,

I think, more than any other, that will openly expose certain types of clubs. And a couple of the examples that point out, which are so true, is a team like the Bengals, which has been on my radar for a long time, still without the adequately robust scouting department. A team like the Chargers, awesome team right now, but doesn't even have an analytics department. And you've got clubs that don't still think like a third down back is relegated to late down usage when the trend now is passing to running backs on the early downs, that there are all these offenses that basically, you look at the air raid, it started as a high school offense essentially and rose its way up to become something in college and now becomes a pro offense

and that you have NFL coaches scouring high school attacks for new wrinkles and new folds. And you look at a couple teams that simply refuse to team build or refuse to operate on the field like these more modernized, flexible, weekly changing offenses. We said that about the Patriots since we've been here, that they change week to week, and they bear the results of that. And I just look at a team, for instance, like the Giants, not to always pound on them, that they're about to pay Eli Manning $45 million over this season and next. and they basically today shut down the concept of a quarterback competition after drafting a first-round quarterback. You are operating differently than the teams that are at a forefront that are ultra-creative, flexible, and use players to their strengths.

And if you're a fan of one of those teams, I think it is a better argument now. I didn't always agree with this from Wes. The ditching your team to enjoy the sport for what it is. I wouldn't do that personally. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Well, hold on. So with the Bengals, you were so irate.

with how they were run, that you came to a breakup scenario that you feel strongly about still why you went through that process. I'm not going to try to explain it for you. I have never advocated for other people to break up with their teams. The Bengals of the 90s, if you think their scouting department now is Spartan, you should have seen them in the 90s when it was all members of the Brown family,

and once in a while, an announcer for the Big East would give them a report. It was basically like the Street and Smith college football annual was their scouting department. What I'm saying is that you shouldn't necessarily chase after that, but it is acceptable because there's more coverage than ever. You're talking more about the concept that Evan and Warren have been saying about tribalism and really attaching to what they say laundry.

No matter what your team does, no matter what offense they do, no matter what the players do off the field to offend you, you're always going to stick up for that team, that team, that team. And you're saying maybe give it. It's like Chief fans treating this week as some sort of like celebration. Right. But I also think it's not just little things like, you know, players coming and going.

but how the team is run over the course of 15, 20 years, if they are distinctly choosing to not be competitive, what have you signed up for? What are you choosing to do with your autum's? It's fair to ask. It's fair to ask that question. I just always take exception to people who, like, their team goes on a losing streak,

and they're like, I'm going to pull a West and just... Well, I think that's different. That's not sticking with a team. I'm talking one that fundamentally over the course of a long period of time shows no desire to be competitive. That's fair. One big thought, Greg Rosenthal. If I had known you were going to compare it to parting shots, I would have, like, broke,

I would have written down my best, like, 35 second Lupica, you know, a little thing where you could totally see where it was going the whole time and he just ends in a smug, terrible way. Lupica takes fire. Yeah, Lovica needs to take fire. You know, Mark mentioned, you know, the air raid and Kyler Murray, who I think is just a symbol of the turnover of the young quarterbacks that like the revolution's here like we've you know you wanted the turnover i've been writing about it on qb index since i started writing that article

which was six seven years ago and i think i was always premature but now it's here like the turnovers happen like it's happened and this a big year for it kailer murray's a really like exciting crazy outlier part of it and so is lamar jackson and those are two of the guys the most excited for. But there's so many others. I mean, the MVP of the league's entering his third year. Sam Darnold has a lot of crazy athleticism and everything that you would want out of a young quarterback that you didn't necessarily see too often 30 or 40 years ago. 14, you know, if Rosen started, 14 of the starting quarterbacks are on their rookie contracts. And that doesn't even count Carson Wentz, who's already re-signed. So the league is so young at quarterback that that's, you know,

the thing I'm most excited. Some are going to go up, whether it's Watson or Mayfield or whoever it is, and some are going to go down and inevitably be disappointing. But like the turnover's happened. Brady and Rivers and Ben are all still there, but it's now weighted towards the young quarterback. So that's the normal around the league.

That's funny. My point is similar in that when you look at training camp coming up, what do we have for actual camp battles? Rosen versus Fitzpatrick. Haskins is going to win the Washington job, right? I think they want him to. What's a battle. I couldn't, I could, I totally see him, like, replacing Keenham in week two or something crazy.

Kyler Murray is not losing out to Brett Hunley. No, no. And when you look at it, there are five quarterbacks, as Greg alluded to, entering week one at 37 years of age or older. Brady, Big Ben, Rivers, Eli, Breeze. Only Eli, and maybe Breeze have a successor in place on the roster. Then you have the teams like the Raiders, Broncos, Bengals, Titans, Buccaneers. They have established starters in place, but if things go sideways this year, that could change quickly. So my big one thought right now is this year, this summer is not going to be like a major point of excitement of who's starting where for the most part.

But that's going to change a lot and very soon. So if you're a team, for instance, like the dolphins right now who, yes, maybe Josh Rosen does. step into the lineup and prove that he's a guy to build around. I'll believe that when I see it. But the dolphins are probably thinking privately that Rosen's a flyer and we're all in on the top of the quarterback class in April. And the way we see it now, we're okay. We're not going to have a ton of competition.

Just wait because this is all going to change. And these quarterbacks getting older is going to lead to a big sea change where there's going to be a lot of established franchises looking to build at the game's most important position. Tom Brady's on a contract year, and they don't have a successor. No. It's just, it's worth putting out there, especially when Baker Mayfield keeps saying, this is the second time he said that,

that he was convinced that the Patriots were going to trade up to take him at number two. I know that's like ancient history now, but it just, they have to be thinking about their next quarterback. So they're one of those teams, absolutely. I don't remember the last draft that wasn't rife with rumors that the Patriots were going to trade up and select every quarterback in the first. Wes, close us out. this is more about a one single team and I don't want to be an active pup alarmist

but there's an a FC contender hanging by a thread right now and it's the Houston Texas if anyone I mean obviously if their quarterback goes down that's the same case with just about every team in the league that's an issue but the Andre Hopkins returning from ligaments torn off the bone in his shoulder an injury that happened in a playoff game so nobody really talked about it there wasn't as much fallout It wasn't some grotesque injury that happened on the field, and you can see it. But it flew under the radar. J.J. Watt, now on the wrong side of 30 with his major injury history.

Will Fuller coming off a torn ACL. J.J. Clowney and his uncertain future, and what that means for contract push, whether reports on time, the running backs Lamar Miller, who also nearing 30 years old and not the most explosive running back in the league. They don't have much depth behind him. If Bradley Robey is a free agent bust, if any one of these players goes down, they're done. I just don't think there's a team. You even mention an offensive line, which is suspect at best, and their quarterback's been hit as much as anyone.

It's just a team with no depth. It feels like something we hear a lot every August of his team, and then they're right in the mix. And I think they have way more. That's the counter. That's all I'm going to say. They have more injury questions this year. It's fair. Even last year, he had 16 sacks and was again, you know, an all-prudely.

pro dominant player. He was beat up a lot again last year. And you just wonder how much longer much his body will take and whether he's a guy that ultimately walks away from the game sooner than we realize. I definitely sense urgency as a big issue with that team, especially Clowny now. We seem, they seem to be willing to go year to year or less with him. So they, to me, I think they're a boomer bus team. I'm with you, Wes, on that. I just think they have a higher ceiling than perhaps other people in here. Because of what? I don't, I'm not, I'm not worried about the ceiling. I just think the floor is like easily last place in that

division. I thought about one of the worst teams in AFC if they just get an injury or two. Thought about putting Whitney merciless on that potential cuts list. I don't think anyone not many pass rushers in the NFL had a worse season than him, period. Much less one making the kind of money that he said. That is some merciless

criticism, Greg. I missed you guys. All right. So there you go. Good show. Four horsemen. together. Are you with us on Friday, Greg? Yeah. All right, good. So we'll be back to three on

Wednesday, unless we have someone sitting in Greg's chair. Mina's stepping in for me, basically. Mina will be on the show, so we're looking forward to that. And so much coming up. As I teased last week, things

going on behind the scene about around the NFL podcast. All good news. Right. I was thinking one of my big potential takeaways or thoughts going to the year. It's going to be a big year for Ricky Hollywood, Erica Tamposi. Just watch out there. I mean, she has a ship taken off to the moon.

Ships go to the moon? Do you know, it's like in-50 years ago. In sports, it's like the age 27 season is where you really hit your prime. Ricky's right in that area now where her career it's either going to stay where it is and be okay or it's going to make that leap, making the leap, Erica Tamposi.

And I'm going with Greg. I think this is just going to be wild. So not the Texans. There's no concern about the floor here. She can't talk, yeah. The name Ricky has been great branding, although confusing. I had a friend who thought Erica, Ricky, and still thought Lindsay was in the mix, too. We're all three rotating.

The Erica and Ricky were different people. I mean, I would say that person needs to be doing a little bit more homework in terms of listening to the show. Anyway, but yes, Ricky will be back with us as well on Wednesday. So the whole gang's together, and life is good. All right. This is Dan Hansa signing off for... The Quiet Storm, the mailman, the old boss, and yes, not just Ricky, Ricky Hollywood. The two words go together, beautiful.

Oh, God. Till Wednesday. This is an IHeart podcast.