The Fumblerooski Podcast - Gone For Good -Episode 157 The Fumblerooski Podcast

Episode Date: February 3, 2023

Tom Brady retires again, what is his legacy on the game? Will Sean Payton joining the Broncos translate to success? Does the white super bowl jersey superstition have any merit? CJ Medeiros and special guest Grant Flood tackle these questions as well as try to predict the future of the 49ers.

Here's Edelman broken up and the pass is no sign yet. Edelman comes down with a football and they're saying it's a catch. It's a catch! It's a catch! Good evening. You are listening to the Fumble Rooski podcast by Power 88 Dean Radio and Secret Weapon Consulting. I am CJ Medeiros. Adam Wright, Justin Tucker are with me today, but we do have a special guest, our good friend Grant Flood. Grant, I know you were on here a while ago, but for any new viewers we have, why don't you tell them a little bit about yourself? Well, thank you so much, CJ. Of course, as you mentioned, I'm Grant Flood.

I also have a YouTube channel, Floodster Sport Zone. I like to do a lot of play-by-play commentaries for the NFL, NHL, and MLB on there. I'm a diehard Jaguar fan. The last time I was on the Fomorowski podcast was their game before the Chiefs in the divisional round. Fortunately, the season ended there, but you know, I'm ready to talk about the Super Bowl and a lot of other great topics we have on store for us today. All right. Love it. We love the enthusiasm. So we have a lot of good topics. You know, we're going to cover Sean Payton, who came out of retirement to join Denver. We're going to talk about the Super Bowl jersey color myth. But first, let's address the elephant in the room. Tom Brady, the GOAT, some would call him.

I know I would. Seven Super Bowl championships, three MVPs, most passing yards ever, most passing touchdowns ever, and like a million other things you could say. He's retired. And according to Tom himself, retired for good. So, Grant, the floor is yours. What do you make of this is he actually gone what kind of legacy is he left and what else do you want to add to this yeah well i definitely think brady's

definitely retired for good um last offseason when he retired i kind of had the suspicion that you know he led the league in passing yards he almost almost came back and beat the Rams in the divisional round. It was clear that something was still left in the tank for Brady. Even though he had nothing more to prove at the NFL level, he knew that, hey, why not play another season, right? But this year, with the Buccaneers going 8-9, really not playing well in the wild card game against Dallas. I do agree that Brady, I think, finally admitted to himself that, all right, I've reached my pinnacle at this point.

Seven Super Bowls, 15 Pro Bowls, what else do I have to lose? You know, why continue to play if there's a potential chance that my play continuously decreases. Why not retire right now? I'm 45 years old. I have a 10-year broadcasting contract with Fox in my future. There's no need to potentially tarnish my own legacy. I've already have more Super Bowls than any other franchise has. Why not call it a career? And I think Brady's definitely making the right decision if he does stay retired here. Yeah, and as a Pats fan and Brady fan in general, I want him to stay retired. Don't risk it. You don't want to get rattled too much and become like Antonio Brown in your later years.

So, yeah, yeah, that's right, viewers. I went there. What of it? But, yeah, you don right, viewers. I went there. What of it? But yeah, but yeah, you don't want to hurt yourself anymore. So yeah, I think he made the right call. So I do want to say this. Tom Brady ends his career as a seven-time Super Bowl champion, three-time NFL MVP, five-time Super Bowl MVP, two-time Offensive Player of the Year, three-time First Team All-Pro, five-time NFL Passing Touchdowns Leader,

four-time NFL Passing Yards Leader, two-time NFL Passer Rating Leader. And on top of that, you said 15 Pro Bowls. He also holds the most quarterback wins ever at 251. He has the most career passing completions at 7,753. The most career passing touchdowns with 649. And the most career passing yards at 89,214. So there are some Peyton Manning fans, some Joe Montana fans. And as I've mentioned many times,

that group of Aaron Rogers fans, for some reason, let's say, no, my guy's the goat, but I have a question. I think I know what you're going to say, but it's Tom the goat,

because I feel like you just can't debate it anymore? I think he is undoubtedly the NFL GOAT. I don't think there's really – the only player to me that comes to mind is Jerry Rice. In terms of quarterbacks, Brady, just better postseason success than Peyton Manning. Yeah, absolutely. More postseason success than Aaron Rodgersning. Yeah, absolutely. More postseason success than Aaron Rodgers.

Joe Montana, you know what? I know he's undefeated in Super Bowls, but he only made four. I give Brady the credit there. I mean, Brady's undisputably the NFL quarterback goat, and I think the NFL goat in general. If you're going to come at me and say, oh, what about Jerry Rice? What about Reggie White?

I'll listen to you. But, I mean, I think Brady's still the goat. Yeah. I hear you. I do. I do. So, a lot of people says last season wasn't that good. But what they don't realize is that it wasn't good by Brady's standards,

if that makes any sense. Yeah, I'm 100% on board with you. Because all in all – oops, sorry, I didn't want to cut you off. I was going to say, all in all, he wasn't that bad. He had 4,694 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine picks. I mean, that's not Brady good, but he still – you could argue he still was a top 15 quarterback. Yeah, I thought Brady was a top 15 quarterback.

Again, it maybe didn't show in the wild card game, but definitely it showed throughout the season. I mean, the fact that he was able to rally that team from, what were they at one point, like four and seven, and able to finish with an eight and nine record. He rallied his troops, Mike Evans, 200 receiving yards in week 17 against Carolina to clinch a playoff spot. Brady just did his normal, showed up in big moments in that Monday night game against the Saints. He showed up in the final five minutes.

It all shows that Brady, the talent's still there. It's just, does he want to potentially tarnish his own legacy? And again, that's why I agree with him retiring. You know, at this point, Tampa Bay is kind of in a rough spot, especially with their coaching staff. You know, what are you going to do? Are you going to play hot potato? Are you going to listen to the 49er rumors?

Are you going to listen to the Raiders rumors? Or are you just going to call it a career? Yeah, I hear you. I do. Now, there is something else that I do feel we need to address. This isn't even Brady related. This is all about Tampa. Now, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently hold the 19th pick in the NFL draft this year.

So I just I don't think they go quarterback, you know, because the big names like Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Will Levis, they're going to be gone. They're not falling to you unless they trade up, which I don't think they would. And I believe the Bucs are squarely in cap hell. What are they, like 50 mil in the hole or something like that? Yeah, they're already set to lose Levante David. He's a pending free agent. Yeah, exactly. So here's the million-dollar question now.

Where does Tampa go from here? Because, look, Brady retires. You know, he's riding here's the million dollar question now. Where does Tampa go from here? Because look, Brady retires, you know, he's riding off into the sunset, you know, first ballot Hall of Famer, the GOAT. But look at what he leaves behind in Tampa. You thought he left a bad situation in New England when he left, you know, left that behind. Oh, Tampa is just, they're in much worse shape, especially since they don't have someone like Bill Belichick, who's a tried and true leader. You have Todd Bowles, who's an amazing defensive coordinator, but not a good head coach. So put yourself in the GM's chair.

What do you do? Do you just kind of take your lumps and try to build for the future? Do you try to squeeze anything out of this team? Like, where do you do? Do you just kind of take your lumps and try to build for the future? Do you try to squeeze anything out of this team? Like, where do you go? I love Tampa Bay. You know what? I'm happy for the three years Tom Brady brought us, happy for the three playoff appearances, the Super Bowl 55 championship,

rebuilt. Just right now, explode the team. I think that is what Tampa Bay should do. They're so slammed up against the cap. You know, you have to reach some guys like Vita Vea, Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, all these guys, they're going to be pending free agents in a couple of seasons. I think it's just time you blow it up. You know, there's some obviously pieces you can keep on that team.

But I mean, I think for the most part, I would focus on Chris Godwin and just try to get him a quarterback as soon as possible I mean definitely Godwin and Bedevea would be the two players that I would be concerned losing if I'm Tampa Bay I definitely think Levante David's gone the question is what do they do at quarterback you mentioned you know any quarterbacks that'll be available at 19 a lot of people are going to say Anthony Richardson, but I watch a lot of Florida Gator games, and I just don't think Richardson is really first-round worthy.

So I don't think Tampa Bay selects him. I think they go after a veteran, whether that's Jimmy Garoppolo, Derek Carr, Carson Wentz, Baker Mayfield. They could go after a lot of veterans who can still win Tampa Bay five or six games. But again, I do think that the coaching staff is not nearly as good as New England, so Tampa Bay is going to be put in the worst spot. At the end of the day, I do think Tampa Bay will finish with about six or seven wins next year. I really don't see them being that good.

And honestly, just start the rebuild and try to compete in a few extra years. That's okay, though, because you know what? Tampa Bay, they had success with Brady. They're kind of content with that for now, right? Rebuild and try to build more success. Yeah, yeah. Look, I'm right there with you. I am.

And honestly, I don't know. I would just say that it's over for Tampa. You're right up against the cap. They probably have a fire sale. They're going to say everything must go. I expect some of their big names to be dealt away just to try to accrue picks and at least get in the green in terms of cap. So with Tampa and Tom Brady and all that wonderful stuff, I'm going to ask you one more thing before we move on. So Robert Kraft, Patriots owner, said he's going to do everything in his power to bring Tom Brady back on a one-day contract to retire in New England. Now, you could argue Brady burnt some bridges when he left in New England. There wasn't exactly some warm feelings. So I got to ask, do you think Brady actually does sign a one-day contract to retire in New England? Or what do you think? I don't think so. You know what? He didn't do it last year,

and I don't think he's going to do it again this year. You know what? He's going in the Hall of Fame. He's obviously going to be mostly remembered as a Patriot. So, you know what? If I'm Robert Kraft, I understand, obviously, where he's coming from, having arguably the greatest player in the sport ever to, you know,

retire with the team that drafted him, that won him six championships. I get all that. But at the end of the day, I really don't think it's necessary for, you know, Brady to sign a one day contract with the Patriots or nor should Robert Kraft be that upset about it. You know, I'd say just move on to the Hall of Fame ceremony in 2028. Yeah. You know something? As a Pats fan, I genuinely don't think he would. I mean, I'm not ruling it out, but if I had to place a bet, I'd say no.

I hope he does, but, you know, I'm not going to be torn up if he doesn't. That's just how it is. Oh, well. I mean, it is what it is at this point. You know, noos if it doesn't happen but it'd be nice so that's all we got for that topic but we are gonna go to a quick break but we're gonna come back and we're gonna talk about sean payton coming out of retirement and joining the denver broncos to be their next coach. So you're definitely not going to want to miss that. And don't go anywhere because this is the Fumble Rooski Podcast. Here's Edelman broken up and the pass is no sign yet.

Edelman comes down with a football and they're saying it's a catch. It's caught! It's a catch! Side-hide! Touchdown! Unbelievable! Slings it way down the field to Watkins! Sammy Watkins for the touchdown!

Welcome back to the Fumble Rooski Podcast, brought to you by Power 88 Dean Radio and Secret Weapon Consulting. I'm CJ Medeiros along with a very special guest and our good friend Grant Flood. So for those who haven't heard, former Saints head coach Sean Payton comes out of retirement to join the Denver Broncos as their next head coach but technically he was still under contract with New Orleans which means that Denver had to fork over a first roundround pick and a 2024 second-rounder to get Sean Payton and New Orleans this year's fourth-rounder, I believe. So, yeah, Broncos had to give up a pretty penny to get Sean Payton.

So, Sean, what do you make of this move of Payton going to Denver? What do you think about it for Denver, And what do you think about the trade? Yeah, well, I definitely think for New Orleans, it's a slam dunk. They traded their first-round pick to the Eagles earlier this year. So the fact that they were able to get one back is pretty promising. As for Denver, I mean, yeah, last year was a disaster, but they're still in win-now mode. I mean, they still have invested over $250 million

in keeping Russell Wilson around for another four seasons. You know, you don't want this enormous trade to go to waste. You know, great. Your top five pick belongs to Seattle. You know, it's not going ideal for the Broncos right now, but I do think Champagne coming out of retirement and willing to help out Denver, I think it's not going ideal for the Broncos right now. But I do think Sean Payton coming out of retirement and willing to help out Denver, I think it's going to help a lot. I'd expect Denver to at least win about eight or nine games next season,

depending on what they do when the draft and free agency comes around. But I do think with a more capable head coach than Sean Payton, they're going to look better. Listen, I was a Jags fan when Nathale Hackett was the offensive coordinator for our team, all right? He was very below average, and I was afraid that, you know, after Hackett did a nice job in Green Bay, you know, someone was going to bite the bullet and offer him a head coaching job.

Denver did. It backfired horrifically. I mean, does the Rams scoring 51 points on you like scream success? It doesn't. They fired him after that game and they look better the last two weeks. And hey, they upset the Chargers week 18. I think again, with a coaching change and potentially build on that offensive line, that offense should be fine. Their defense has already graciously improved from two years ago. Justin Simmons, Pastor Tan, they're still there. Why not Denver becomes a little bit better?

Yeah, yeah, you know, I agree. I do, I do. And when you think about Sean Payton and with the Denver Broncos, I think Russell Wilson is truly the biggest winner because one, Hackett, not a good coach, didn't even make it through the season. Two, Russell Wilson obviously wasn't a huge Hackett fan, and he's like, oh, I should have played better to help him. That is a lie.

Do not believe it. That man was like that one woman in the Sound of Music spinning around on a mountain when he heard that Hackett was gone. That man partied. And Russell Wilson kind of got a little complacent, but I think Sean Payton's going to put his foot down and Russ is actually going to want to work in Denver. And the Broncos, it's not that they have a bad team.

You know, Javante Williams, their running back, is going to come back after injury. You know, he's got Greg Dolchich and Albert Oguwebunam, you know, at tight ends. You got Jerry Judy, Cortland Sutton, K.J. Hamler, Tim Patrick at wide receiver. And that defense is still pretty darn good. So all in all, they're not in a bad spot. They're really not. And the Saints literally got a first-round pick for their troubles. I mean, as far as I'm concerned, I'd argue it's a win-win trade.

Now, of course, it's a late first-rounder, but if you're the Saints, you can't complain. You went from having no firsts to having a first, late or not. So I think they're going to be fine. So when you look at Sean Payne, you look at Russ, you look at that team, the real question now is how will they do in the AFC West? Because the Chargers, they went to the playoffs. They lost to your Jags. They were a one and done.

But still, they went to the playoffs. And the Kansas City Chiefs, who are in your division, are representing the AFC in the Super Bowl. So what does Denver do to try to usurp KC and LA? Their main goal is to stay healthy for as long as possible. You know, they were already without Tim Patrick before the preseason even started towards ACL. And, you know, it just wasn't getting better from there. Jerry Judy was very inconsistent. Courtland Sutton, I think, fouled with some injuries as well.

Just got to, you know, make sure that you stay healthy. And, again, I think Denver is very capable of winning 9-10 wins and sneaking into a wild card spot. I don't see them dethroning Casey anytime soon. But I think there is a chance that, you know, they could leapfrog L.A. for second place. And, you know, just get the stench of this season off. Like, that's what they got to do.

If you make the playoffs next year, it's already a successful season. It shows that Wilson, you know, really dedicated his work towards Sean Payton, and the coaching change worked. Yes, I agree. I do. I do. So how do I put this? Before we move on, there is one more coaching, two more coaching bits and news that I want to tackle. First, Frank Reich also goes to Carolina. Now, I know I'm in the minority, but I don't hate that move. I really don't. Because I don't think Frank Reich's terrible. When he had Andrew Luck, you know, he was actually good, you know?

Was he not? I mean, but then, you know, you cycle from veteran to veteran, just one long, never-ending bridge of bridge quarterbacks, then, you know, that's kind of an issue. And I don't hate Frank Reich. So I would say Carolina, just give him a chance. I could be wrong. I probably will be wrong.

But I don't hate the move. What about you? I don't hate the move either. I mean, it baffled me a little bit because Steve Wilkes really turned around Carolina's season last year, so I was like guaranteed that Wilkins was going to get another chance. But, yeah, no, I think Frank Reich's a pretty good coach as well. I mean, we've seen in his two playoff appearances,

he's had Andrew Luck and Phillip Rivers. When you give Frank Reich, a former quarterback, a quarterback to coach, he knows what he's doing. When you get Carson Wentz, who's injured and bruised, when you have Matt Ryan, who's aging, when you have a completely raw Sam Ellinger, when you have Jacoby Brissett, who's not terrible, but he's not really starter worthy,

you're giving them a lot of below-average quarterbacks at this point in their careers. And I do agree that the Colts needed to fire Frank Reich when they did last season after that loss to the Patriots. But at the same time, it's like, yeah, he was definitely worthy of a second chance. I think Carolina, it's a smart move. He threw the first touchdown in Panthers history. He already knows a little bit of, you know, inside the organization, he already has built those connections and yeah, he has a

very strong coaching resume. Look at his successful years in Indianapolis and Philadelphia. They were great years when he has that capable quarterback. Yeah. Yeah, I agree. And one final bit of coaching news. 49ers defensive coordinator D'Amico Ryans has agreed to become the next head coach of the Houston Texans. The Texans hold the second overall pick and are eyeing the Alabama quarterback, CJ Stroud. So, I mean, wow, did I just have a brain fart? Bryce Young, CJ Stroud is the Ohio State quarterback. So, yeah. So, do you think that D'Amico Ryans can come in and revitalize this Texas team, a team who he played for when he played in the NFL?

Yeah, I definitely think he will. I mean, he was, without a question, the best defensive coordinator in the league in the second half of last season. You're going to look at, oh, he gave up 31 points in the NFC Championship game, yes, but the offense was so injury depleted, you can't really blame the defense for running out of gas there. You really can't. I mean, I look at games like Miami, games

like Tampa Bay, where he just absolutely shut down an offense. I look at Nick Bosa being in the top two for defensive player of the year voting. I look at D'Amico Ryans as he played for the Texans, and now he wants to give back to them and the fan base and try to build up that winning culture that they haven't had since at least three or four years at this point. I think Ryan's is going to do a great job in due time as the head coach of the Texans. You know what? It's great that Houston, they signed him to a six-year deal. No more of this, oh, we fired David Culley.

We hired Lovey Smith. We fired Lovey Smith. I hate that. Don't fire coaches after one year. That drives me crazy when teams- Unless it's Urban Meyer. Unless if it's Urban Meyer. I mean, yes, there are some exceptions. Urban Meyer, Nathale Hackett, they're exceptions. But I mean, poor Lovey Smith. I mean, this is a coach who went to the Super Bowl back in 2006. The guy is a defensive genius. He worked his way back up through the college ranks.

And, yeah, I know he only won three wins, but you fire him? Like, come on. Yeah, I never hated Lovie Smith as a head coach. I never hated Lovie Smith either. But I do think that now Houston, now they have that coach in mind, they have that quarterback in mind in the draft, whether they select Young or Stroud, it don't matter. They're going to have that quarterback in mind in the draft, whether they select Young or Stroud. It don't matter. They're going to have their quarterback of the future.

You continue to build through free agency. You can build a team that can potentially win five or six games next year. That's a success. Yeah, I would say so. I think D'Amico Ryan's, you know, he's young. He can get the players excited. He's relatable to those players. I think they made the right call. So that's going to do it for that segment. And when we come back, we may have ourselves a debate over the white jersey Super Bowl myth. If you haven't heard of it well we'll explain it so you're definitely not going to miss that when we come back because this is the fumble ruski podcast

here's edelman broken up in the past is no sign yet. Edelman comes down with a football and they're saying it's a catch. It's a catch! It's a catch! Sideline! Touchdown! Unbelievable!

Swings it way down the field to Watkins! Sammy Watkins for the touchdown! Good evening. Welcome back to the Fumble Rooski podcast brought to you by Power 18 Radio and Secret Weapon Consulting. I am CJ Medeiros with a good friend of the show in Grant Flood. So let's talk superstition. Conspiracy theories and superstition, a lot of people don't realize it, but they're kind of the backbone of sports.

You know, whether you believe in the Madden curse, Super Bowl hangover, or anything like that, we have ourselves another superstition for you because the jersey colors have been revealed. The Eagles will wear their colored, you know, their dark green jerseys, but the Kansas City Chiefs will wear their white jerseys. And normally you would say, why do we care? Well, I'll tell you why. Because this is the white jersey superstition. And people say this because 15 of the last 18 Super Bowl champions wore the white jerseys.

So the question on everyone's lips, does this hold any serious water or is it a superstition? Grant? Well, the funny thing is about this, right, is in the last 21 Super Bowls, only three have worn colored jerseys. Funny enough, Super Bowl 52 and Super Bowl 54, both the Eagles and Chiefs, they were wearing their green and red jerseys respectfully when they won those games.

So that's what I find interesting about that. But also, I will say that, you know, yeah, I agree with you, Mitz. They are the backbone of sports. And, you know, when the Giants upset the Vikings in the division round, everyone pointed out, hey, since 2016, the sixth seed has beaten the third seed in the playoffs. And I was like, wow, I never realized that up until now. So, you know, you have these superstitions that pop up all the time.

Obviously, does it play a factor in the game? I don't know. Probably not. But I think it's awesome that the media continues to bring up these cool topics. It really does make the game, especially for the fans, it makes it more funny, more enjoyable. It gives us other talking subjects instead of just talking about the game itself. I think it's pretty cool whenever they mention a unique stat like this. Yeah, yeah.

I agree. I do. I do. So I just, I don't know. I mean, obviously we know it doesn't hold any serious water, but I mean, you never know. But there is something I do want to say. The Chiefs, you know, wearing the white jerseys, everyone gets all crazed about that. I do think that it's worth noting that when Philly won Super Bowl 52, their opponent,

the Patriots, wore white jerseys and Eagles wore their green jerseys. So could we throw this whole myth out the window and say, oh, Philly, in this case, the proverbial myth buster? I'm just saying. I'm just saying. You know what's funny? This is the Eagles' fourth Super Bowl appearance. They have wore their green jerseys in all four appearances.

I think that's weird. 1980, 2004, 2017, and this year. I don't know what it is, but, I mean, hey, if they win next Sunday, they have a 2-2 record in the Super Bowl, so who knows? Hey, maybe those green jerseys are like a whole MythBuster type thing. You never know. Because I'm just saying, they won in 2017 with those green jerseys, so maybe this myth buster type thing you never know because i'm just saying that they won in 2017 with those green jerseys so maybe this myth just doesn't have an effect on them you know i personally just thought it was interesting well you know when developing the

script you know we see these stats and you know how the nfo creates the stuff and it's like hey what do you know that's pretty neat and uh so i i you did also point out how in the Chiefs' most recent Super Bowl win, you know, when they beat the 49ers 31-20, they were wearing their colored jerseys, and the Niners were wearing their white jerseys as well. So I don't know. Maybe that's like some reverse horseshoe luck type deal. I wouldn't know. Of course's like some reverse horseshoe luck type deal. I wouldn't know.

Of course. The world is deep and weird. And then when the Chiefs played the Bucs in Super Bowl 55, they were wearing their home jerseys and Tampa Bay won in their wife. So who knows what the case is here, right? I don't know anymore. I'm not allowed to think of things. The NFL media prohibits it.

Yeah. So this is prohibits it. Yeah. So this is kind of a shorter segment. I just want to get your thoughts on this because it's nothing too crazy, but it's just fun to think about. Yeah, absolutely. So now we are going to get to our last segment. And this, of course, is our wonderful fan segment where our good friend Grant is going to talk about the 49ers. And you're not going to want to miss his thoughts on that.

So once again, please don't go anywhere. You're not going to want to miss this. This is the Fumble Rooski Podcast. Here's Edelman broken up, and the pass is no sign yet. Edelman comes down with a football, and they're saying it's a catch. It's a catch. It's a catch! To Diggs! Skyline!

Touchdown! Unbelievable! Swings it way down the field to Watkins! Sammy Watkins for the touchdown! Touchdown! Welcome back to the Fumble Rooski podcast, brought to you by Power 88 Dean Radio and Secret Rep Consulting. I am CJ Medeiros. That right there is our good friend Grant Flood. And now we are at the guest segment.

You know, we bring on a guest, and they will talk to us about their own specialized segment. You know, you can talk about whatever's on your mind. It doesn't have to be sports. You know, I mean, it could be, or maybe, I don't know. You can talk about, I mean, these are obviously still sports. You can talk about baseball. you can talk about i mean these are obviously still sports you can talk about baseball you can talk about soccer you could talk about swimming for all i care so so yeah that's always a lot of fun so formally welcome to the guest segment of our show sponsored

by secret weapon consulting for business plans secret shoppers, bar spotting, server manager trading, and so much more, visit www.secretweaponconsulting.com. That again, www.secretweaponconsulting.com. All right. Grant, if I recall correctly, you're going to talk about the 49ers, another team that you happen to like. And what does their future hold? Well, tell us, man. Take it away. The floor is yours. Yeah, so obviously the 49ers coming off their 31-7 loss to the Eagles in the NFC Championship game. A lot is up in the air. Of course, Tameka Ryans now with the Texans. They have a vacant spot for the defensive coordinator position.

They brought Purdy out six to eight months with his injury projected to undergo Tommy John. Do they bring back Jimmy Garoppolo? Do they roll with Trey Lance as their starter? What about Christian McCaffrey? Does he get an extension soon? And I'm going to be honest with you. I think the 49ers, they're still in a great spot. And even with Purdy's injury, even with the departure of D'Amico Ryans, I still see San

Francisco, at least before free agency in the draft, I still see them as the favorites to win the NFC West next season. But this is interesting because with Purdy being injured, this is going to give Trey Lance a chance to really prove himself. Of course, he was the projected starter last season, got injured in week two. Garoppolo steered the ship before he got injured, and then Purdy went 7-0 before losing to the Eagles last week. Again, that wasn't his fault.

He got injured in the first quarter. Borey Niles had to bring out Josh Johnson, their fourth string on the depth chart. He played, you know, obviously like a fourth stringer would play, not that great. Had to bring in Christian McCaffrey as their emergency quarterback for a couple of plays. It was rough. But the 49ers defense, whether they lose D'Amico Ryans or not,

the talent is still there. You still have Nick Bosa. You still have Fred Warner. And you still have a lot of really underrated players on that defense. Alshire, Greenlaw. You're going to get Jason Barrett back from injuries. I do think that the one thing San Francisco needs to target this offseason, they can draft one.

They can sign one in free agency, they can even trade for one for all I care, but they need an established number one corner. Shadavious Ward wasn't terrible. He was very good on the Chiefs. 49ers bring him in, I believe it was a three-year deal. He played pretty good, but he was a corner two before this season. They tried him as a corner one. He wasn't fantastic.

You bring in an elite cornerback, now I think we're talking about San Francisco, their defense gets even better. And improving in the corner position is very good for them. They already have two great safeties. They just need that one corner. And they could definitely have the pieces to pull off a blockbuster. They could target cornerbacks like Jari Alexander, Xavier Howard.

It's going to cost a lot. They may have to give up someone like Brandon Ayuk. That hurts. But they get an established position they need. Also, we got to remember Debo Samuel. He came back in the playoffs. He was not 100%. He got injured and missed, I believe it was three or four weeks. He was kind of playing bad and bruised. I do expect him to have a bounce back season. And George Kittle, I think, is just going to do his typical amazing stuff at tight end. He is the number one threat on that 49ers offense, in my opinion.

I know Christian McCaffrey is lethal. I know he's a great receiving back. But Kittle, just as good as receiving, he is at blocking. And so I think Kittle, no matter who they have at quarterback, I think that they are going to be very successful on both sides of the ball. So pretty much my prediction for them next year, I do think Purdy will miss the first two to three weeks. I think Trey Lance will do a nice job in replacing Purdy during that time.

But once Purdy is fully healthy, I think the locker room is going to be ecstatic to have him back as the starter. San Francisco wins that division. At least that's my way too early prediction for them next season. Yeah, I hear you. So I'm going to put all the cards on the table right now. I'm not a Trey Lance fan. I did not like him coming out of NDSU. I did not think

he should have gone at number three, but the Niners obviously didn't listen to me. I can't say I blame him, but that's neither here nor there. So right off the bat, they said he wasn't where they wanted him to be, and over the last season, they were hesitant on him. And it's not like he's played well when he's been on the field. At best, he's been mediocre. But then Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant, comes in and only loses one game. And that, granted, that was in the playoffs, but still, he was hurt, not his fault. As far as I'm concerned, Brock Purdy's your QB1, and granted, he's not going to play next season because he literally needs Tommy John surgery, but that's something you got to communicate to Lance. If you want Lance to be good, I'd say

this is his put-up or shut-up year. I really do. You say, look, man, Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant, as a rookie, outperformed you. You should be embarrassed. You need to go out there and take back what's yours, because believe you me, if Brock Purdy was healthy right now, he would be QB1 over Lance. I truly believe it. And also, more likely than not, Jimmy G's not coming back. So if Lance doesn't, if he doesn't shape up this year, I truly believe that Purdy's going to come back and take his job again. I really do. And as far as getting a corner, that's something you and I can agree on.

I do think their biggest need is in the secondary. But they don't have a first-round pick. So I don't know where they're going to get that. I would imagine you go corner in the second round because there should be some good ones like Garrett Williams from Syracuse, Travius Hodges Tomlinson from TCU. Maybe if he lasts that long, Eli Ricks from Alabama. There's rumors he could fall. Keely Ringo from Georgia. He's spot is like an early day two kind of guy if you want to trade up for him

so yeah it's like the niners don't have options but i would say right now maybe you grab yourself like a cheap veteran see i don't know who's going to be on the qb market i mean do you have any ideas because Because I think if you trade Derek Carr, but you don't want a long-term solution for a short-term problem. Right. I do know that James Bradbury, he's a pending free agent. Yeah. I know he's pretty up there in age,

but he had a really good bounce back year with Philly this year. So maybe he's someone San Francisco looks at, and it's perfect short-term option. Yeah, I hear you. So you look at unrestricted free agents this year. These are some good, maybe if you need a stop gap guy,

cause I'm going to assume that you're got, you got your guy in Purdy. I think Purdy's the guy. I do. I do. So there's going to be some interesting quarterbacks on the market if you need like a stopgap guy, you know, like a bridge. Think of guys like Andy Dalton, Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater,

Baker Mayfield, Taylor Heineke. You have options. You do. Or perhaps you would consider a corner, like you said, is what they need, right? So not only is James Bradbury a free agent, there's also guys like Jonathan Jones, Anthony Brown, Marcus Peters, and Bradley Robey. So you definitely have a shot to grab someone good. Or if you want to waste money, you can go after Eli Apple. All jokes aside, if Eli Apple actually focused more on his game than talking trash.

That would have been another good segment I wish we had on here. Just a whole Eli Apple and Stefan Diggs Twitter war. Oh, my God. He's – you know what? Now let's just not mention Eli Apple. You don't want to give him anything. Yeah. So, in your knowledge of the Niners, there is one more thing,

one small thing I'd like to bring up. Your star right tackle, Mike McGlinchey, is a pending free agent. Yes or no, do you think they bring him back? Well, I think they're going to bring back Mike McGlinchey on a franchise tag, or he tests the market and signs for San Francisco if he doesn't like any of his other options. I would expect him to be back next season. Yeah. Franchise tag's a heck of a thing.

Personally, I don't like it, but that's just me. Because there's one little gripe I have. However, you're just like, oh, look at all these cool free agents. It's going to be an awesome free agent class. Then they all get tagged. That's what I want to learn about lamar jackson right now you know yeah i know i'm like exactly do not buy into the lamar jackson hype he's getting tagged although i think it'd be funny if lamar went to tampa because that would make our good our co-host who's not here justin tucker angry and that'd be funny alas i don't think it's gonna happen so we're gonna wrap up do you have any other points you'd like to make before we wrap up i don't know i just want to say that if the philadelphia eagles

do win the super bowl one of my all-time favorite quarterbacks, Gardner Minshew, wins a ring. I thought he said, hey, he's sitting behind Hurts right now. What if Jalen Hurts gets hurt, Minshew steps in and wins the Super Bowl? I would go insane. I would be so happy for the guy. I mean, I don't want Hurts

to get hurt. If he does, you'd be in good hands, I guess, with Minshew. Yeah, one of the top backups in the, with Minshew. He's high. One of the top backups in the league, Minshew. He's another guy that a lot of teams could target this offseason. You never know. I'm rooting for the Eagles so I could see Gardner Minshew get his ring, of course.

I was around, of course, when he was the quarterback for us in 2019-2020. I wish he was Trevor's backup, but you know what? Whatever. We traded him to Philly. You know, he's got a few starts under his belt. And I still think, especially in that Cowboys game on New Year's Eve,

he looked very impressive. So I do think, you know, he's definitely going to get a contract offer this off season, but yeah, rooting for Minshew in the Superbowl and Hassan Redick. He's another one that has not won a ring that I wouldn't mind seeing win one. Yep, I hear you. So, is that everything? Yeah, I guess so.

Just rooting for Minshew. Hey, I hear you, man. I can't say I blame you. So, that'll do it for us tonight. Thanks for listening to us. We have new episodes out on Tuesdays and Fridays at 7.30 p.m. Eastern Time. And be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel. We also have all our episodes available on Spotify, Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts, and so much more. Be sure to follow our Instagram at Fumble Rooski underscore podcast to keep up with our podcast and the latest coverage on the NFL.

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