The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz - The Big Suey: Running Backs Matter

Episode Date: July 25, 2023

The crew discusses the Le Batard vs Stephen A beef. Plus, Stugotz breaks news on Quarterback with the next 3 storylines for next season. Also, Saquon Barkley got a deal just above his franchise tag but will it move the market for RB's getting paid.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to Giraffe King's Network. Welcome to the big suite! Presented by Giraffe King. Why are you listening to this show? The podcast that seems very similar to the other Dan Levitard podcast. I'm sorry, I'm not going to apologize for that. In fact, the only difference seems to be this imaging. I have been tempted in restaurants just walking past tables

to grab somebody's fries that if they're just there. That hasn't happened to you guys. I've done it. And now, here's the marching man to nowhere, that face and the habitual liar. I also don't think it's hypocritical as Stephen A. goes at Dan for being good at television and growing habitual liar. I also don't think it's hypocritical, as Stephen A. goes at Dan for being good at television and growing within that,

to say, well, you participated in this migration. That was stemmed from necessity as the industry was evolving. Dan did different things. Now, you can probably see these on Dan actively participating in the grandfather of the day television, BTI, the whole construct is, this person says this, this person says that,

and what Dan's doing is just thinking that he approaches it differently than some of the screening talking heads that you see on television, but that I think you can have a go at Dan. He absolutely participated in this. Yeah, look, it's hard to not talk about this with some amount of sincerity for me

because I also resemble all of these criticisms. I still do PTI. I love the fact and abhor the fact that PTI was the thing because it engineered sports debate television, the thing that actually infected cable news. Like cable news before PTI did not have a rundown, did not have clocks, did not have topik bars in that way, did not have topic bars in that way, did not have conflict as theater in that way.

And so, so too with Stephen A. Let me Google one, Hannity and Cone started. Look it up. Because I think they're like right there. But nothing anticipated short attention span theater. The way that PTI did blending it, infusing it with debate. And so for me, yes, there is a Steph Curry aspect to this where it's like Steph Curry, unimpeachably,

green light, when it comes to shooting whatever three he wants, right? Tony, Mike, Steve, and A, you can debate whoever, whenever, as soon as you walk into the gym. But all of these kids who are breaking their parents windshields by breaking threes because you want to be those guys, that's the problem. That's the issue with the imitation. I think one of the problems is first off, sports debate goes back to sports radio, like Mike in the mad dog. And journalists always look down at sports radio hosts like they were better than we were,

okay? And so no one wanted to be a journalist and then have to cave into being some form of Mike in the mad dog and Mike injected himself into the story by the way, no one asked him. I mean, Frances said, nobody asked you, but they were the first ones to do it, okay? They debated everything. And then guys like Dan and Steven A, who probably said to themselves at some point, I'll never do what they do. Well, they're everything. And then guys like Dan and Steven A, who probably said to themselves at some point, I'll never do what they do. Well, they're doing something close to what it is they do,

to what radio hosts do. And it's okay. You can scream as loud as you want about a topic. But when Steven A reports something, it doesn't matter, I'm still gonna believe him. It doesn't ruin his credibility in my eyes. Your credibility has not been ruined in my eyes, nor has Dan's or anyone else's. I have. But they have all become sports radio hosts debating every single little topic.

And at some point in their lives, they swore to themselves, I'm never going to do what Stugots does. Well, I got news for you. You're all a bunch of Stugots. Every one of you. Why? Congratulations. And welcome to the club. One big difference that hit me as I was listening to stugots do that with his fingers waving is that I am not stugots in so far as the tips of my fingers are not browned by cigarettes. Yeah. Yeah. It's a good point. Yeah. I think that another funny part of this air quotes beef between Stephen A. and Dan is they're both actively participating in their, in their chosen paths, too much to actually truly pay attention to

what the other person does. It's not like Dan is sitting through, is sitting down and watching the entirety of first take. He only sees when there are gesticulations and physical aspects to take that turn is attention. It's a good boy. What we were on ESPN radio, we would pod up the most extreme portions of first take. And for Stephen A, a guy that probably passively, I don't think Stephen A listens to our show. First of all, passively, maybe experience highly questionable.

Wait, the dude that has an entire block dedicated to the people getting their junk hit with a baseball is really what I'm doing is dumb. Like I understand where Stephen A is trying to defend the merit of what he's doing in the honor of what he's doing because to just lump us all into dumb is unfair. That's like me saying highly questionable is the big television and is dumb because there are a touch point O rip off because they have this viral element to one of their blocks. It's just, I think it's two people that have their best intentions in defending what they think is principle and honorable and they don't really truly have an understanding on how the sausage

got made on either end. I think for both of them, the other is usefully traitorous when it comes to the principles that they, I think I, that I think they do actually believe in. I think Stephen A is a reporter by instinct. I think Dan is too. Most people who began in newspapers are, but if they report something, are you taking it any less seriously than you used to because they're doing different shows now? I'm not. No, I'm not. Dan's a credible voice. Stephen A is a credible voice. They just happen to do different things. That's upset about this. Well, Stephen A got hurt by it or maybe use performing just to add another leg to his documentary, but he danced the one who's upset about it saying to Stephen A,

you've ruined TV. Dan was the one that kind of started it because Dan's whole approach to telling Stephen A that was super bizarre. Okay. I like you, Bruin, Devery. Yeah, I think you've ruined everything, not even looking at Seabenae in the eyes, and it was just, it got traction because Dan came off mad disrespectful. But that's just Dan being socially awkward. True. And by the way, Seabenae was cool with Dan's perspective on that, and this kind of got in the machine, and now it's two people that aren't listening to each other's full shows chiming in on what's being clipped. And it's kind of a vicious cycle on its feeding this. And to Steven A. Skreddett, I think it's feeding

it the way that he'd like it to be fed. It's, it's so perfect that two of the Titans of the industry with what we're talking about are making an issue of going at each other and debating like who's worse. The little on the nose. Journalist, when you put it like that. You stole that more. But it's like just them debate.

It's not like everybody around is like, oh, did you hear about this Stephen A. Levitar? It's just them two talking. Thank you, Chris. That's my point. Nobody cares except for the two of them. You're wrong. You're wrong.

And us, we're in the industry. You're wrong. You just make a mic in a mobile phone, doesn't care where the news comes from. You're wrong. You're wrong. I know. You're in the industry. You're wrong. You just make a mic in a mobile phone, doesn't care, where the news comes from. You're the one that literally said, Mike Francesca threw himself in the middle of this. Mike Francesca cared.

I've seen several articles written about this very beef. It has social capital, whether you like it or not. So that's July. It's, yes, that is a huge part of it. Try it out in October. Yes. So look, they've learned the secret that we've learned a long time ago doing radio in July. Let's talk about ourselves.

But that's where the content is. And Cvna is vastly more entertaining a topic at this time of the sports year than chewing on Damien Lillard's potential trade to the Miami Heat for the 17th time. Pablo, I know you love Michael Wilbond and respect the hell out of him, but we can all agree. The official day that journalism died is when he covered the Cubs in a cup of jersey, right? It was when he tucked his Cubs jersey into his pants. Yep.

You can't say that nobody said about this. People do. People do care about it. It's dumb. Well, they care about it, Mike, and this is getting to Greg's point. This is a little postmodern, right? We're talking about the thing, and the thing itself is talking about us talking about the thing. But the thing that we're talking about is how it's useful to turn ourselves into characters

that are not supposed to be three-dimensional and taken in our totality, but are to be consumed in a reality show-style context that fuels the theater of conflict. And the great checkmate from Stephen A. is now he's engaged in in debate television. Correct. Tony, really, now you're not going to do it. I fed it to Stu, Bishop to Rook 9. Hit your line, though.

I know, but I fed it to you. Run with it. I appreciate that, but I wanted you to say it, okay? So you get you get the acclaim of someone feeds the line go with that. All right, but that is your line. But even you pointed out a month. It's your it's your line. I appreciate it. That's a team player. But Greg, I want to point out that for as much as you are in this orbit, the orbit of the man who I, who's chair I'm sitting in right now, you're not, I don't consider you a debate guy. No, I mean, I'm not naturally. Like, I don't have the personality to make everything argumentative, you know, like Steven A, he's

looking for an argument. He wants to raise his voice. He comes off as as angry about the low voice first. And then right. But ultimately he comes off as angry about everything he's talking about. I don't take sports seriously. And not always. I don't think comes off as angry. No. No. And I also think that word is coded. I think he comes off passionate. I think Stephen A's highest best register is fury. Both, Fury. But always the fury of somebody who knows that the person watching him is also laughing. Like, he's in on it.

He's okay with that, like that. The craftsmanship, Greg, the craftsmanship of even silence. Like my whole take on Stephen A as a performer, as a person who's really good at the jobs that I've tried to do, silence from Stephen A is potent. It's so hard to have confidence. Sipping the tea when someone is talking.

My favorite thing that he does is stretch out the neck before he gives a take. It's the best. It is the absolute best. He's performing. He's a performer. That's exactly where his performance is art with him. When I'm listening to Dan and watching Dan,

I don't get the feeling that he's a performer per se. I know. Dan is. Oh, that's his whole mess because he wasn't a performer. That's because he was damn awkward talking to Stephen A. It's kind of the magic of Dan. Like if Dan is defined by any characteristic, I think it is a fundamental unfakeable awkwardness. And it is dire to not be the performer that he sees all of his peers thriving, becoming. Right. Or a desire to be seen as that way, because the truth is he is participating in this.

The truth is he was on PTI, the granddaddy of them all, but Dan cares very much deeply that you all believe that there is more to this because their genuine Lee is and he does aspire to not be dumb, even though what we do is largely dumb, we get you in the tent and then we make you think with something thought provoking, maybe not in July. But when Dan complains about how he doesn't like television, of course, that is to you. He watches it with a sand. If he were better at it, he'd like it more.

He loves the audio medium because he's fantastic at it. Yes. It's not hard. Not a highly questionable fan. I mean, highly questionable was great producers, exceptional boy, those guys are great. It's like a training course for production. Really good. But I mean, part of Dan's appeal is that he's bad and awkward

at these things, that he's constantly sweating. It is, is it not? No, the gap. It might be the gap in. You and Ron, they're like, no, no. He knows this. The gap in confidence between Steve and A and Dan, when it comes to the theater of television,

is the Marianist trench. Like it is- Exactly. Trench. It's a big trench. One of the biggest actually. It's one of my favorite trenches. Mariano Trench.

Trench green. Trench coat. Paces, drugs. That's right. Trench coat. Paces, drugs. That's right. Trench coat, Paces, drugs. What are the other famous trenches? Anything? A amount of trenches.

Johnny, trench. Great, itter. You were saying? I'd like to retract everything I said about how my credibility may not be compromised by being here. Trench Richardson. Don LeBatard. you sure Stan is okay with this and I'm bored with this or maybe he's cursing you

on the way home. I don't know, I'm just saying. He might be a little sensitive as most fat people are. Can we leave in the back? How old? Top rope. Fat was harsh, I take that back. As most heavy people are.

Big bone. Big bone. Still gots. The people have bigger bones and other people know right Big bones. Big bones. Two gods. People have bigger bones than other people. No, right. No, it's not a thing. No. We all have different skeletons though.

Your femur's not the same size as my femur. You know what I mean? Baby. Baby. The femur's leg. Why are you guys doing baby? When everybody says baby, I feel like I have to say, it felt like it fit.

I definitely have the smallest femur. I've heard Abbey complain about it. Maybe. So about DCC Don Limita show with this two gods. Stugots cannot stop clamoring about the news that he wants to break here. Well, I've been watching this quarterback series on Netflix that it's fantastic. Told you. It's far better than Hard Guys. It is.

A season one is Patrick Behalms, Kirk Cousins, and Marcus Mariotto. So you have a great quarterback, you have kind of a middle of the pack quarterback, and you have a guy who's trying to... has a second shot at being a starting quarterback. I have found that I really like and respect all three of them, but especially Kirk Cousins. It also appears to me that this position in the league tortures Kirk Cousins the most of the three quarterbacks. Like he is working really hard.

He's tortured by it. He knows that people are critical of his game. They're not certain if he's great good. Like he's aware of all of that, but I'm excited because there's breaking news because Peyton Manning and I believe he produces the show Omaha productions has announced a second season and has announced the quarterbacks for the second season and a very excited about. No, we're having me and Tony are in a big debate. I'm a big Joe Burrow guy. I have like the top tier guys. I want Joe Burrow. He wants Josh Allen. Josh Allen is one of the guys.

Yeah. So is Daniel Jones. I think in a previous episode, I think I might have said Josh Allen, Daniel Jones. And now I think it was on mystery crag. That was your guess for the lower tier guy. Right. And the third one is my guy, Jake Owen. I mean, how about that way Aaron Rogers? Yeah. What do you get Rogers, Alan and Daniel Jones?

Second season quarterback. It's so good. I'm going to need a bad one. Yeah, there's no bad one. You need a Marriota Yeah, I want to like that Daniel Jones Daniel Jones. No, no, no, no, Daniel Jones that we need a Marriota and so we're getting you No one's coming for Daniel Jones's job part of the story that I want to see is You want Mike white? I know I want bigger may feel they have trash behind me. Yeah, trying to prove that I'm afraid I had a quarterback. I like that story.

Do they know Baker's starting though? Like he knows those three are starting. Baker isn't a battle with Kyle Trask right now. I like expectation is that he starts it. When we spoke to him in tow, he certainly expected it. I'm with Mike. Like I'd like a lower echelon quarterback. I'm not saying Kyler Murray is that guy, but he'd be interesting.

He's hurt too, so. And be like Daniel Jones is hearing this and being like, wow, people think I'm good now. No, they don't. They're like, oh, that guy does not belong. Ryan Dance was the bad one. That's the bad one. Yeah.

Everyone's pointing at Daniel Jones saying that's a bad one. That's a little unfair. I will say from a charisma standpoint, also, he might be the bad one. I'd like to see somebody like the green lizard. Now he's in Atlanta. We're trying to see if he can fight through for a starting job. I'll be a good one. You know, it would be good. Tana Hill.

It's got two Leon quarterbacks going for his job. Yeah. Or that is a good, a ropolo. Ooh. Ooh, wow. Lurking, yes. So you know how there was language and garopolo's contract that they could have just cut him without any cap penalty.

Turns out it's because it was health related and he passed his physical. But the second to me Garoppolo gets hurt. And if history is any indication, he will get hurt. Number 12 is ready. I just like how all of this quarterback obsession, all of these ideas about who's the bad one and the bad one means that you get your own Netflix special. I like to juxtapose this with what the running backs show currently is because that's literally a Zoom call.

That was what that Zoom was. We got to get a show like quarterback so we can inflate the numbers around this position. And the most recent development in the show running back that we're producing here is at Sichuan Barclay was like, I don't want to be on this show anymore. The Zoom call that you guys had where it's like all of the great running backs, where it's Christian McCaffrey and Nick Chubb and Josh Jacobs and Derek Henry. He's like, no, give me Austin Eckler. No, I'm going to just take this one year deal.

Whatever you guys are organizing, organizing collectively acting upon, I'm just going to take a one year deal that it's worth up to. And again, up to is the keyword here, up to $11 million if he hits these incentives that are 1,300 rushing yards. 11 touchdowns, 65 receptions. Other words, essentially what he did last year. Well better, just like something that he hasn't done actually in a couple of years, he has to be the best offensive player in the league to make almost a million dollars more than

what he was offered originally, which is to say, say, Quon kind of didn't get anything. He got nothing, a $2 million signing bonus. And here's the thing, they give him the ball 300 plus times and his value goes down. He might hit those numbers, but his value goes down. That's the problem with a running back position. Christian McCaffrey, by the way, has no business being on that Zoom call. He's the one running back that's been paid. It's got a $45 million contract. They had to be breaking his balls, right? They just had to.

There canry too, also got paid. So those two guys are like, yeah, we're good. We're here to help you. And they're like, uh, you got so good. Like we need the help. But I think that they do have knowledge to impart. And I'm bummed that I missed the running back discourse by a week because I was covering MLS All Star. We're just drinking with friends, whatever you want. What did you cover? You get a covered a lot of Miller lights. Spread.

And goalie wars, which legalize goalie wars. Golly wars are awesome. But I think it's incumbent upon the union and every time that they have a lockout, that position should be front of mind because they're the ones taking a huge pounding. They're the ones who are shorter career lifespans. They're the ones with their replacements being drafted every year in the fifth round. Their market value has been abused by the construct of the sport, and they should honestly do something. And it may be a radical notion to say this, but running back contracts should be shorter

because of the position that they play so they can capitalize on their shorter careers. Also, can they just not franchise tag sequined again next year? Yeah, that's the thing that was not included in this deal was the ability to not, the right to not get franchised again. But look, but Mike, the idea of how do you fix this? It leads us to running backs, should form a union inside of their own union, which is to say that I don't think there's a way to fix it. I just don't think that the interests of this population are going to democratically convince the interests of every other subgroup, all of whom also feel in some way, maybe outside

of quarterback, that they're also not getting the greatest deal in professional sports when it comes to job security. So they're going to sacrifice some of their leverage to get the running backs. Some help. It's going to take somebody to be decent in free market capitalism, and I don't think that's what's going to happen. You can make an argument that... From the owner's decency, you're...

Yeah, because you can make an argument that it's a second most marketable position in the league in terms of star power. You look at your first round of your fantasy draft, it's all running backs. I got double-wider, see. Boy. But depends on your own pick. If you're a snake, maybe take a chance on that. But for me, part of the issue here is simply that what is happening to running backs

is happening to all of the people in the industries you've just spent a show describing. Right? Value over replacement sports television gas bag, value over replacement newspaper columnist, value over replacement interchangeable part inside of an alcohol in a. Well, what's, what's difficult for guys like, say, quam barkley is that he very clearly has value over replacement back.

Nick Chubb, clearly he has value over replacement Kareem Hunt, who was, was he, he was a borderline all pro. So Derek Henry, Hall of Famer, who was, was he, he was a borderline all pro. So Derek Henry, Hall of Famer, these are, these are guys and, yes, I know two of these guys got paid, but Marion Barbers of the world that are these power backs that get run into the ground, that serve a purpose for their team and help their teams win. They should be able to capitalize on, on their style and their career, but I don't know how you do that. I don't know how you make somebody special. I, I believe that value is the key word here because you're right in terms of performance.

They are value bull. Josh Jacobs led the NFL in rushing, led them in total yards from scrimmage. Everybody. You can't be more valuable to your team than Austin Eckler has been to the chargers over the last three years. He's had like 18 touchdowns a season the last three years. But the nuance around the word value is that it's an economic proposition. It's what would you pay the guy who replaced him if you had to get rid of him? And they're saying, as a market, and I think it's informed by statistical truth, we can pay somebody so much less to do

something that's close to what we need them to do, even if it's not lead to legal Russia. I also think there's an interchangeable aspect to the running back position. If you have a great offensive line, like the Philadelphia Eagles do 49ers, I think any number of people could do that. And not just that, but the decline, the obvious decline, fast decline of running back. And I think Derek Henry is a great example. Two years ago, he is by consensus the greatest running back in the NFL.

Now, he's an aging running back. And how much longer is he gonna be great? He's also the outlier. Because entering the league, we're like, how much more wear and tear can he survive? And he's a Maz hall of fame career. There he's he's without precedent, someone at that size with that speed and that mileage on him. He is not, he is not the case study for when you go into labor and negotiate the case study.

He's our guys like Mary and Barbara. Yeah. And our guys like Rahim Moser. Our guys that have these really small windows I mean that bring up yeah, yeah, 40 year. Yeah, that's exactly right Yeah, and also you're a running back in a passing league I don't think that can be ignored There's huge parts of the passing game. Oh, say quon in some of them are some of them are Christian McCaffrey is not That's how McCaffrey separates himself from the rest of the running. Right. He's a

three down back and not all running backs are. Give me Jerk McKinnon for one tenth of the price of Barclay. But that's but literally what teams are doing. You know, say, Quam Barclay himself is a discount. Certainly the 49ers being astride the NFL with a rushing attack that relies on interchangeable parts is proving the point. Not every team is a Kansas City chiefs for obvious reasons.

They arguably have the greatest tie. Then never arguably the greatest quarterback ever, but look at the running backs that they've had since they decided to get away from the Jamal Charles and cream. He has the Super Bowl winners. Look who they've started at running backs. They mean Williams. They mean Zach Moss. No, but the real trouble at Greg identified it is if you have a good offensive line, the It's a big part of their offense. They brought in Swift. They brought in someone else. But even last year, I think game well had to start a game in the playoffs, had a hundred-plus

yards. Yes. When they traded McCaffrey from the Panthers, I think it was four of them who stepped in and had four consecutive hundred yard games. They're interchangeable. Well, the reality is that I find myself making appeals based on the stuff that you make appeals on. I think that's what I'm going to say.

I think that's what I'm going to say. I think that's what I'm going to say. I think that's what I'm going to say. I think that's what I'm going to say. four men who stepped in and had four consecutive hundred yard games. They're interchangeable. Well, the reality is that I find myself making appeals based on the stuff that you make appeals on when it comes to sports media and Hollywood. You make appeals based on art. It's cool to see, say, Quan Barkley be the best player on the Giants. It's cool to watch Josh Jacobs do all that. Christian McCaffrey do, but that is not

the same as value. We're holding hearts. We're holding how interchangeable they are against them, because someone just coming in and replacing the productivity of Christian McCaffrey, if this were the quarterback position, the backup quarterback would be getting a mega deal, would be establishing a new mark for quarterbacks within his sport. So it's unfair that we just say that they're interchangeable. Quarterbacks aren't interchangeable because they can't be. Yes. Right. Running backs have a special skill.

If you look at the numbers, the metrics that they put up when they get tested, there's a reason why they're interchangeable. There's specimens. They're incredible at what they do, but they just can't do it at that rate that long. Don LeBotard. I actually thought you'd look kind of good. Still got. I have the Beards grown out a little bit. I got a little life in my face. They feel like little 10 Colorado San Francisco. Great time. You get life on your face. You got death on your face. I think you've got 40 to life on your face. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha I saw the first episode and I'm excited about the second season. It got me thinking of the worst version of the show in sports if we were creating it. Would you guys watch Left Field?

I would. I think. I'm picturing Todd Hollinsworth being the way Peyton Manning. Pat Burrell. The way Peyton Manning overlooks this, we have Todd Hollinsworth overlooking Left Field. There's just featuring Jeff Jenkins. Utility guy. How about this? Platoon infielder. Long lever. Long snapper. Oh, I'm in. Yeah, football you got me. I'm in. Yeah. Hunter. Left guard.

Yeah. Power forward. I mean, if you were stretched forward, boy forward left winger. I'd watch it. I'll heartbeat. Yeah. There's no position in noggy. That's on a backup. Who's featured left winger? Yo Han Garpin love. Okay. Yeah. And Luke Robotai. Yeah. Clearly. God. Maybe pappled the meat. What is the most boring position in sports? The Larry beret counting backups. Well, that's not a position. I would say catcher. That's boxer.

Really? Yeah. You turn back. Oh, never a pitch. Yeah. Yeah, but it's a lot of footage. Tyler Bertuzzi. Give me three catches you're interested in Roy.

Marcus Nazland, name one Roy. Jolly O'Brien. Marian Hosea played on the left, right? Current. Current. Yeah. How many of you? Jacob Staling. You guys are going back?

Get a guess you can't go back to interesting people. It's current players. You're doing Luke Robotai. Roy can name one current get your right. The platoon catcher for the Marlins. I retract my criticism. But there's there's out the out the rush. I'll be it is it's. It is an interesting position though.

I don't think that would be the least interesting position because you're dealing with all the pitchers. I think we could do where it left field, I feel like it was less interesting. I like left field. I want a reality show where these positions audition to get a reality show. Cady. Sugots would watch Cady. Cady would be good.

Is fluff featured? Stevie Williams. It's not a caddy anymore. It's racing cars somewhere in New Zealand. What? What? Look it up. Look it up. I'm great.

Thanks. Center. I don't have a calendar on center mid. Defensive midfield. Yeah. Yeah. Defensive. Right pull back.

But the idea that you are going to have to sing for your supper a bit as a position group, this is the story of running backs in the NFL right now. This is a story of all of these positions that are now trying to contemplate. Do we have to organize ourselves yet? We want. Eric does a. Why can't it just be? And I know this is going to make me sound like a jerk, but hey, running

backs, you get hit, you get hurt the most. You should be, you should be probably compensated a little less because there's a lot of work. You're making the whole thing. You're making the whole thing. Right. But the argument that Chris is making is the one that front offices actually are making, which is we don't trust you with enough guaranteed money to make you happy. And these running backs, the reasons through

gots, why is Christian McCaffrey on that call? Why is Derek Henry? It's because there is some positional pride in what they are arguing on behalf of, even if they know that it is as futile as a union's job often is. They just need to make the argument because no one else is going to do it. If Sequan Barkley was a GM, he wouldn't want to pay running backs. He would say they're interchangeable. Right. For the most part. Yeah. It's just at some point it is what it is. And I don't have the way. What? Like, I think there is room to regret and lament, like Lucy, college football, to watch these guys, to spend your time watching these guys grind their bones into dust

for nothing outside of now some, you know, raising cane sponsorships. Like that is a problem that informs, I think, the lament of the professional, but it's also not something, I guess the NFL forcing college football, the NCAA to pay players would be a great start. Yeah, that's never going to happen. I think we're all just in the, the space of, well, that's just the way things are. And that's, you have to deal with it. That's life.

You're not going to get paid in college. And if you want to go on and be a running back in the NFL, you have to understand that you're not going to make that money. And it's not fun and it sucks, but it's, that's's the way it is and I wish they were like a better explanation guys are gonna stop playing running back Right, that's what we're gonna see here people are just like hey, say quan go play lineback. There's always gonna be a running You watch high school football Puppet has also the dealignment like there's always gonna be a running back and someone's always gonna step up to collect That $450,000 that's available to them and you see what fighters

fight for in mixed martial arts are far far far far like that. Someone there Leon Dricydele. Well Chris is saying is not wrong by the way, but if you're Derek Henry and you have that kind of size, you might rethink playing running back and might choose to play tight end. I don't know. You might. No, you're going to play what you're good at. You would think about it.

Alex Cologne. Huh. But they are going to at some point be like, can I play a different position? Yeah. Like if I'm in college, in a different sport, that's what Carl Crawford did. Left fielder.

Yeah. Quarterback. But Chris, your point's well taken. And I think there is a regret that we can share in the best athletes deciding to not play the most interesting position. Like, does it argue about the running back as a matter of what you watch on a football field is more interesting than any other position? The great highlights we have seen.

No, I mean, a quarterback, look, yes, throwing a, throwing a moon ball to an end zone. I think it's like a facial expression. And you like argued back as if I dismissed your running back me. That was hilarious. That was hilarious. The only thing you were like running back, it's the interesting. I made a face. You're like, yes, quarterbacks, but that was a lot.

I could read what you were thinking, Chris. And you were thinking about quarterbacks. Oh, I thought I was Dave Andrew Chuck. I regret that in this way, by the way, we'll talk to Mina, Mina Kimes, our friend, and a little bit. I regret that the nerds have won. This is the problem when you debunk the tradition and the folk ways of sports so persuasively that sports begins to actually act quite hyper rationally.

Alex Tanke. For me, the greatest example of what we're talking about, and arguably the biggest victim of it is Dalvin Cook. Freajent running back 27 years old. He would love to play for Miami. He's a Miami guy. He would love to play for the Dolphins. The Dolphins could use him.

He would be their best running back since Ricky Williams. He's out there. He's available. He's asking too much. Dolphins don't want to pay that much. And that's a microcosm of what running backs are going through. And Dalvin Cook, you know, I think he's better than say, Juan Barkley right now. He's better than some of these others who are available, but he's just out there twisting in the wind. I could see like wide receivers. They're in such a tough spot because you don't show up,

why couldn't a wide receiver play running back? In fact, you've seen it already with Cordella Patterson, like he transitioned to running back and saved his career. No, we saw what happens when who is the dude, who is the receiver? Kendall Hinton who played quarterback, right? As a worst fantasy spot, sorry, I've ever made. But like that's the clinic that you want America to see on behalf of the positional group you're advocating for as a union rep. Look what happens when you try to do this.

This is why quarterbacks are getting Netflix series. And this is why, yes, Cordero Patterson is getting away with some stuff. I really do think you're gonna see guys in college being like, if you're like the stud running back, like, yeah, I'd like to play some, they won't even become the stud running back. Cause just like, you do want me at your school?

I'm playing Slot receiver or something. I really think that they're more self-aware than this. This has been a discussion about running backs for close to 20 years. Like they know how the perception is that they're interchangeable. There's still someone volunteering to play running back or someone that their coach is telling them.

Go play running back. But the game is changed. You're not, what are you gonna do? But Mike, now they, You've been in a football lot. They used to pay him a Smith. I would love to see the top recruit tell Nick Sabin, he's not gonna play running.

You don't think Mark's, I love it. You don't think Mark Sean Lynch could have played a different position. What do you have him as? Like a past rushing D.N. Like they, they, they, why do you really stand the development of players like they go through stages of high school and they figure out what you're good at. But the argument might not like someone's going to show up in the pros and be like, I think

I'm ghost. I think I'm strong side linebacker now. No, they, they find out what they're best at. But the argument I think, Greg, is, is, is what the parents, I played spring ball. Yes. I played spring ball in high school, but you don't think Jonathan Taylor could transition into a slot receiver. You don't think they tried Jonathan Taylor out in other positions.

If Jonathan Taylor set out to be a slot wide receiver in college to Chris's point, you don't think he could do it. He's a great. He was the best running back. Okay. That doesn't serve him well. The NFL in terms of dollars. It doesn't serve him well as a professional. Hey, I could barely make it to the pros potentially as a slot receiver, or I could be your number one fantasy draft pick. It's like catchers moving to first base. We're just, we're just asking the question. Is there another position I feel work? Because you are going to start seeing that if it's just, I can't make money

at this position. I think it's going to have to happen. You're never going to see this. No, Mike, it's going to happen earlier. It's going to happen earlier in the pipeline when these parents, yes, these parents are deciding, what am I going to, what am I going to stage mom, my child into? Correct. Guys know nothing about football culture in this country. You know, nothing. Guys want to be there for their team. They're not going to say, no, I'm not going to play running back. But if you're a seven year old, right? Right.

And your parents are saying, hey, you don't want to play that position. We're not letting you line up and running back. And then when you're a 14 year old, and then when you're a 14 year old, a coach will make you feel really bad at best when you say, no, I'm not going to be a running back. And you're not going to go anywhere. And some most people that play football want to have a career in it. At that point, we're in such a day and age where if you aren't getting the minutes you want to college, you transfer schools.

If you don't want to play that position, why aren't you just gonna go somewhere else and play what you want to play? Okay, but you're gonna go nowhere doing it. You're nothing. That's not right, because at the youth level, if you're an athlete, quote unquote, if you're an athlete, quote unquote,

if you're an athlete, you can play just about anywhere. If you're 10 years, 10 years old. Yeah, that's what they do to find out what they're good at. And then most people like that we're talking about, they're good at running back. So you decide what you're good at. Running back is longer. Long before the high school level, you decide.

I decide I'm good at quarterbacking. No, at the age of 10, the running back is usually just the biggest guy in the team. team. The best athlete tends to be the running back because they touch the ball. No, the best athlete in high school football tends to be the quarterback because they just want them to touch on the ball every play. Yes, but the Pablo's point when you're in P.W. Pop Warner football, the passing game is very, yes, not good. The way you get a triple option. Yeah, hand in the middle with the fastest kid. There are people listening to this right now

thinking that we should throw this entire segment into the trash because of how naive some of these takes are. Or you're being a know-it-all. Yeah. I know it all about this. I do know it all. I know it all. He just so excited.

Why do you know it all? I've played Little League's his life. I've played Little League football. There's a guy playing running back and it's like, hey, go play corner back too. You're acting like at age 10. And you're acting like Alabama. At this 10-year-old can only play running back.

Like, what are you talking about? You're acting like someone's gonna tell Pete Carroll, nah, I did this in popcorn. That's OCO. There's going to be a lot of kids saying, I don't want to play running back. My parents don't want me to play running back. Like, that's all we're saying. Like, there is going to be a push against this saying I don't want to play running back my parents don't want me to play running back that that's all we're saying like

there is going to be a push against this position i'm not going to play running back i'm going to play another dangerous position on this field show you yeah linebacker right yeah i was christ you see people kids might they're not like what do linebackers make a lot with you you're gonna go to the financial security

of linebacker much more than much more than running back depends much more that your past rusher if you're at least don't tell me much more let's go ahead and look at what Blake Martinez has made over his career he's actually made more money now selling Pokemon cards yeah and let's look like he's a ball he's a Blake's story

let's see what Ampley made comparably TJ Watt is making 28 million dollars he's on the leap past Russia. Okay, okay? Second most important position in the league, but he's lucky to play running back in youth league I mean that's what we're saying you guys are showing wisely you guys are down. No, boom. I'm I'm a hockey player now Paul career you