The Fumblerooski Podcast - Pushing On -Ep 349 The Fumblerooski Podcast

Episode Date: March 29, 2025

Will the league have enough votes to ban the “tush push” play? Which team is the most logical fit for DE prospect Abdul Carter? Adam Wright and CJ Medeiros debate these topics and more!

There is momentum building for the tush push play to be banned from the NFL and Abdul Carter, a top prospect in the 2025 NFL draft, only meeting with four teams. I'm Adam Wright. This is the Fumbaruski Podcast. It may not have always showed it in the staff sheet, but you can see him making throws when he needs to make the throws. Back to back games where he has three touchdowns. Someone's got to get that six or seven spot.

He's an elite wide receiver as a rookie. Truly a lose lose scenario for both sides. Welcome to the Fumbarusky podcast by Power 88 and Secret Weapon Consulting. I'm Adam Wright with CJ Medeiros. Yeah, in recent weeks I have moved behind the scenes to be our executive producer, but in times like this when we're short-handed, I do need to move in and take on some old roles. But we have a little bit to talk about today and certainly we will get to, I mean, it's not news necessarily yet, but the fact that there's just momentum

building that the tushbush could actually get banned, that's certainly noteworthy. But first I wanted to talk about top NFL draft prospect, defensive end Abdul Carter out of Penn State. He has top 30 visits with only the top four picks in the draft per Albert Breer. Now, I believe he's going to be in the top four. I think that's one of the worst kept secrets in this entire NFL draft. He's going top four. But he's really betting on himself here, and it shows his confidence and it shows what he knows as well. And I think it's does anybody actually see this guy falling out of the top four? So the top four picks, the Tennessee Titans, they're number one. They still technically need a defensive end. The Cleveland Browns, Adam Schefter recently said he strongly believes

that Abdul-Kard is going to be selected by them. The Giants are probably the least likely team. Just because of what they have on their on their defensive line. But the only glimmer of hope that I see for them drafting them and it is there there's a case to be made. They recently declined cave on to be those 50 year option the first round pick from a few years back. That is a little bit of an indication that potentially, potentially, Abdul Carter gets selected by them. Now, I don't think they will. I think for the Giants, it'll either be Shador Sanders or it'll be Travis Hunter.

But the possibility is there. And then there's the New England Patriots, a team that their front office, as well as Mike Vrabel has been supporting for the past year. but the possibility is there. And then there's the New England Patriots, a team that their front office, as well as Mike Vrabel has been constantly preaching that last year they've been going too hard. They went too hard on position of need and they've been very focused on best player available

in this draft, which I think is a very good, that's a very good idea for this kind of draft because it's a very thin draft. There's not there's not much blue chip talent. When you're picking top four, you want to make sure that you get the best player available. So I like I like that approach. If Abdul Carter falls to the Patriots, I think he will end up being taken. I could be wrong, but I think that's they could also be saying best player available and then they're going to try to sell the shit that, Oh, well, we think Will

Campbell is the best player available or Tedrow McMillan. So who knows? But if Carter is there at four, it's hard for a play for it's hard for a head coach like like variable to sit there to sit still and say we're not taking this guy i don't see that happening if they if the new england patriots take abdul carter then i think hands down they have the best defensive line in all of football hands down like you look at that is a star studded line right there And you can look at the linebackers too, like all over. You have on the interior, Milton Williams, you have Christian Barmore, right?

You still have Keon White, you have Harold Landry who you brought in. And then add Abdul Carter to that mix. Holy crap, that would be amazing. So I just don't, I don't think the Patriots would be able to resist, which is why I just think. I think it's hard to see Carter falling out of the top four. If he does though.

How do you think this looks CJ? How do I think it looks if it falls out of the top four? Well, I don't think that because it's not going to happen. I just I don't see it like who's going to I mean, the only way it happens is if the two quarterbacks, Warden Sanders, get taken the top three, then Travis Hunter and then New England would have to I said take like Ted O'Rourke, McMillan, Will Campbell. I've seen people mock them Mason Graham and Armand Membu and I even saw one that had them take Ashton Gentry aka the ultimate luxury pick but I

Just I don't see him falling out because I know the Titans have been doing I know all signs of pointing cam more But make no mistake. They've been doing their due diligence on Abdul Carter and as for the Browns Adam Schefter literally said his guts telling him and I trust Adam Schefter. I Mean for I mean ever since I mean, you know, he's been kind of weird since that whole Dwayne Haskins thing, but overall I trust Adam Schefter. So when he says, hey, I think he's going to be a Brown, he's probably going to be a Brown. For me though, the Giants are the wild card because they're, I because they're I

Thought they're gonna take Chador Sanders, but then they sign Russell Wilson and don't get me wrong This is smokescreen season, right? You really shouldn't trust anything you hear about any other team so just assuming we take these things at face value then then Then maybe they take the two-way guy there, Hunter. The only thing, the only reason why I would think that they would take the QB there, Sanders, is solely because we also heard another report, I believe also from Schefter,

where he just said nothing's changing. Like this, the signing of Russell Wilson alongside Jamis Winston really hasn't changed anything regarding what they're gonna do in the draft. So that means either A, they're gonna take Hunter all along or B, they're still gung ho for Sanders. But then there's New England. See, New England's like the last line of defense here

because if it really, if Carter does fall to them, you really think Mike Raible, a defensive-minded head coach, is going to pass up on arguably the best prospect in the entire draft? I just don't see it. Raible's a guy that has always valued pass rush, and if you saw how New England has retooled their defense, you know, like by adding guys like Harold Landry, Milton Williams, Robert Spillane, Carlton Davis, Marcus Epps, Jack Gibbons, you know, he's gone out and he has completely beefed up the defense and he would totally take Abdul Carter.

And look, if I'm a Pats fan, the term best player available scares me because every year for the past Five or six years we've heard well New England's draft board looks a little different than the rest of the leagues or how Remember when Bill Belichick tried to sell you with a straight face that Cole strange was the best player available And look and I will give at least wolf the best player available. And look, and I will give at least Wolf credit that he even admitted they were reaching

for positions of need instead of taking the best available. But now that there's a new coach and it's basically all but confirmed that Vrabel's calling all the shots, right? I mean, literally, I mean, here went on what's on a Maccabees podcast and Vrabel's the guy there. So, Rable, I think, wouldn't end to reach. And so, if Carter's there, it's like, it's a no brainer, you take him. So, even if the Titans don't, then, which I think they're going to go Cam Ward, then one of the next three teams will there.

And even if he does fall past the Browns and somehow the Giantsants then there's no reason New England's not going to take him. Yeah, so I was just going to get to which team that we believe would be the most logical fit because I think the Titans would be a fit but they definitely need a quarterback. The Browns also need one and so do the Giants. The only team that doesn't need a quarterback is the team that also that needs a wide receiver rather than an edge rusher because like if you're the Patriots you're going into this draft you're kind of set on defense. If you do nothing for the rest of the offseason on defense you're probably still going to be top 10 in defense. Their personnel is awesome. Their coaching is defensive minded on that side of the ball.

So it's really hard to look at this defense and say we really need something else. This is, Abdul Carter would be a luxury pick for the Patriots. So what's the logical fit? Because it feels like it's almost a luxury pick for every single top four team in this draft. They said I said it looks like Abdul Carter is a just go quarterback or they go Travis hunter that's actually a position of need. It's not to say that the rest of their defensive line couldn't for the browns can use some touching up.

But. It would be more impactful if they got Travis Hunter or Shador Sanders. That would be a more meaningful move. If the Browns take Abdul Carter, which I think there's a really good chance they do, then you're looking at that pick and you're saying they just were too tempted by Miles Garrett on one side and Abdul Carter on the other. Who could blame them? But it's also not a need. It's a luxury. It's like kind of, it's kind of like a couple of years ago when the Seahawks had the, I think they had the fifth overall pick in the draft and they had a lot of needs on their

interior defensive line, but they went corner when they already had Tariq Wolin. Now Wolin has fallen off just a little bit. He's not, I don't see him as a number one corner anymore. But at the time, that was looked at as a luxury pick when they went corner back. Now the kid they took ended up being their number one and Wolin's still fine. But at the time we're thinking this Seahawks team has a lot of needs and you just took the best player available which was low-key a luxury pick no I mean it is but once again best player available still best player available and like I said there's an argument to be made that Abdul Carter might not even be the

best player available but the best player in the entire draft there's no reason not to take him the only way in a scenario like this is if you know you don't take the best player in the entire draft as if it's a quarterback you know because if that let's just, if that's the case, my best player draft is a quarterback, he falls to you, then you just don't take him. That's like the only reason. Any other position you take.

So please, you know, New England, I can already hear the wheels turning. Don't try to say, oh, Will Campbell's the best, or Ashton Gentry, or Tedorow Macmillan. Just if Carter's there, you gotta take him. Then again, in all honesty, I don't see him getting past Cleveland. I really don't. As I just, because Schefter said it, I don't know if Cleveland's gonna draft a quarterback. Well, they're still financially tied to Watson because the beauty of the Giants situation is with Russell

Wilson, it's a one-year deal. James is on on a two year deal, but it's like $8 million. The Browns on the other hand have so much money wrapped up in Watson and they just traded for Superbowl champion Kenny Pickett that I just don't see them going quarterback. Maybe we'll try to develop someone in the later rounds, I guess, but that's pretty much it. Uh, yeah. I really do think Travis Hunter would be a good pick for him.

I, I, if we're going based on just, they're not going to take a quarterback this year, then they, I think they should go Travis Hunter. I think that would be the more logical fit. And they even, they said during the combine that they see him as more of a wide receiver than a corner. So it would make sense, especially with the precarious spot that they're in at wide receiver. In the secondary, they're fine. They're much better in the secondary than they are at wide receiver. I mean if Jerry Judy, as good of a season as he had, if Jerry Judy is your number one receiver then you don't have that good of an offense. Also I feel like a lot of it had to do

with James Winston throwing the ball out of his ass. He loves to force the ball to players who are who go more vertical and that's exactly what Judy does. It worked for him and maybe Judy is a decent receiver. I think he is. But at the same time, if he's your number one, I'm not very confident in your offense. If you add Travis Hunter that mix and then maybe next year you're bad enough so that you get Arch Manning, I'm pretty happy with that team. But sitting here as a Patriots fan I'll just let my bias get in the way just for a second. I don't want them to take them because I want I want I want Travis Hunter to be a patriot but I'm talking I'm not gonna let my bias get in the way because I like I like being right more than I like the Patriots and I think I do think that a better a better choice

for them would be Travis Hunter what I think will happen because again I like being right I think Abdul Carter will be selected if not him it'll be Shador Sanders. For the for the Giants also not letting my bias get in the way. I think it'll be Travis Hunter. And I think the Patriots will probably select be forced because I don't think anyone's going to want to trade up to four to take Will Campbell fourth overall. They're going to be pigeonholed into going position of need, unfortunately. Don't get me wrong. Will Campbell is a great prospect, but you just don't go a line top five. Well, it's like generational, but then again, they really do

need a tackle. But I'm just saying as a fan, if Carter and Hunter are off the board and they go Will Campbell, I can forgive that. I can. They're gonna have to. I do think Will Campbell, as much as he's been, he's gone through a lot this off season with his arm size and with his overall being, is he a generational talent? He's gone through a lot,

but he's the best tackle of this draft, I think. And also one more thing I don't understand why he gets this hate and when like every other tackle prospect in this draft also has short arms except for like Ariante, Ursari. Yeah. They all fall beneath 34 but no it's Will Campbell and you just like quarterbacks with hand size. You just can't convince me that this matters, especially when other guys like Aleric Jackson, Pene Sewell and Rashawn Slater all have sub 34 inch arms. Also, you can't make him a guard. And I said this to Adam off camera because he's just too tall.

You can't have a six six guard. Yeah. But we're also talking about, we're not just talking about 33 inch arms. We're talking about below 33. So like, yeah, Rashawn Slater had small arms, but he was also he didn't they weren't that short. They were 33 inches. The only one who the tackle who I look at for hope for Will Campbell as a tackle is

a Larric Jackson. His are also below 33 and he has slowly developed into a very, very good tackle in this league. One of the best young tackles in the game, I might add. Young tackles, I know there's others that are better than him, but I like Aleric Jackson. I wanted him in free agency and he didn't make it there because the Rams are smart and they decided to resign their young, you you know their young left tackle which also Joe No Boom is

still out there as a right tackle I would have preferred him over Morgan Moses but we won't get we won't go down that road do we think that he do we think that it's gonna come to that though do we think that it's going to come to Abdul Carter and will and Travis Hunter going top three. It very well could literally all depends on how they view shoulders Sanders I guess. Is that I again I like being right I'll give you another scenario that I see is very real. Some of it might be wishful thinking but I you another scenario that I see is very real. Some of it might be wishful thinking but I think it's all I think it's real. Cam Ward obvious number one pick I think it's another really poorly kept secret. The Titans love that kid. Abdul Carter at number two I think that's the most likely scenario.

At three. Let's say the Giants, they're sitting there. They still want a quarterback for the future. Brian Dayball is on a short leash. Their GM Joe Scone. Shane. Shane. Shane. Yeah, whatever. Shane. Also, on a short leash.

You look at that. How much job security are you going to have with Russell Wilson with this roster? You know, what's going to say job security is drafting a quarterback to sit behind Russell Wilson is. is drafting a quarterback to sit behind Russell Wilson. Joe Shane and Brian Dayball go to ownership and they say, we're going to draft a quarterback. This is going to be a process. It's gonna take a year.

That's something that says job security because they need reason to keep their jobs beyond 2025. They look at Shador Sanders, they say we need to draft this kid. We love this kid. We've been in contact with them for a long time. Travis Hunter may be a very tempting pick, but Travis Hunter isn't going to move the needle as far as being a competitive team this year. They may have him with Malik neighbors. They may have him in your secondary. He may end up being very good for you. But what's going to move the needle is a quarterback that you develop. So as much as I think it's a very, it almost I would say it's a likely scenario Travis Hunter goes three overall.

I wouldn't be I wouldn't be there just yet that it's a guarantee I think if should door Sanders is there Joe Shane maybe looking at that pick and they saying. I need reason to keep my job beyond this year. Yeah, well, a lot of coaches and GMs that are on short leashes, right? You know, when the seats getting really hot, they tend to use a young quarterback is almost like a human shield, like a real bargaining chip kind of thing where it's like, no, if you fire me, you're screwing over him. You know, and honestly, that's a really smart move. Like it depends. I mean, is he is Sanders best player available in this in the scenario you're talking about? No, but if they're smart, they'll take him because they can use him as leverage to keep their jobs if they keep sucking. Yeah. Okay. I think we've covered this.

Yeah. Okay. I think we've covered this as thoroughly as we have wanted to. We've there's a lot. This is probably the most murky draft that I have ever seen. I think we're getting a little clarity in the at the very top with Cam Warden, the Titans. I think that's going to be the number one pick. We're getting a little clarity, but the other three, this is going to be interesting, and I cannot wait to see this draft and how it irons out. It's going to be nerve-wracking, it's going to be fun to watch. I bet something unexpected is going to happen to I think something something weird might happen because if you look at also if you look at some of the the picks in this draft clear you have Cleveland you have Tennessee you have New York New England do you think all of them are going to make

the right choice something weird is going to happen I bet it's this is the murkiest draft we've covered during our time on this show existing over the last four and a half years So I I'm excited for it. You're worse than 2022. Yeah, sure. All right We're gonna move on The tush push potentially face and facing a ban at some points. That's next. This is the Fumbaruski Podcast. It may not have always showed it in the staff sheet, but you can see him making throws when he needs to make the throws.

Back to back games where he has three touchdowns. Someone's got to get that six or seven spot. He's an elite wide receiver as a rookie. Truly a lose-lose scenario for both sides. Welcome back to the Fumbaruski podcast by Power 88 and Secret Weapon Consulting. I'm Adam Wright with CJ Medeiros. Okay so there, this is getting interesting, but Diana Rusini reported yesterday as we are recording it is the 29th.

Yesterday that there is momentum building that potentially the tush push could be gone. CJ I'm yet to hear an argument for this. And I think a lot of it. Sure. I'm hearing a lot of it's an unfair play. It's a rugby play. But listen, I'm reporting it as it is. What we are seeing is a lot of teams around the league do not want this play to exist anymore. Um, and the Packers were the team with the balls to come forward and first sit in first publicly state with a rule proposal that this this play does not exist anymore. It has an eighty seven percent success rate. And. That's really the only argument I see is that it's unfair. But at the same time, who's actually performed this to perfection?

Like who who else besides the Eagles? The Bills have introduced it and they've done really well with it, but they also have a tank in Josh Allen. And they have the Eagles have Jalen Hurts in the best offensive line in the league. It has a 0% injury rate according to ESPN analytics. So this idea that's a rugby play. People don't get hurt off of this play and also football is is just as physical. At least around as physical as rugby. So I just don't want to hear on that on that front.

On another hand, just saying that this play is unfair because they have a high success rate, well why don't you do it? CJ, your thoughts. You know what? No whole card here. Only people that want this play band are the really old football fans, like the Unks, you know, that are 70, old and in the way, shaking their canes to the TV. You know, the ones that think 4 p.m. is dinner time

and not game time, saying, it's just not a football play. That's not how the game should be played. And the other people that want it banned are just pouting, just petulant childlike Chiefs fans. That's what they are, that's what they are. It's just pouting Chiefs fans and just the Unks. That's who wants it banned.

And are these people we wanna be taking our NFL basically policy prescriptions from no No, they're not if you let look they're the minority and the thing is Why should the fans who think it's okay? And by the way, I believe over two-thirds of like the fan base or whatever thinks okay Because I saw some I saw like one like bleach reported a poll on it. Most people thought it was okay because I saw some I saw like one like bleach report to the pole on it and most people thought it was okay. So, why should we the majority opinion have to bend the knee to to like a very vocal minority? I don't care. You

are the minority opinion. Sit down and shut up. Like this is just some A tier level tantrum throwing. And like, you know, you heard like, you know, cheese fans, even some cheese players just fucking screaming about it. Sorry, I try not to curse, but it's so stupid. Just screaming about it during the Superbowl. And when the NFL released that data saying,

well, no one's gotten hurt from it. Just the like I said just the childlike meltdown that happened was insane and he had all those cheese fans saying oh Chris Jones got hurt. Cheese fans here's a bitter pill you need to swallow. Okay Chris Jones hurt himself. It's his own fault he got hurt. He was, you can make a very real argument that he was lined up off sides. I know it was kind of dicey, but he was. And on top of that, he was horizontal

to the Eagles offensive line, not vertical. He was lined up out of place and out of position and he hurt himself. I'm sorry you can't convince me otherwise. You will have better luck arguing with the wall because I refuse to change my view on this. And so they just I don't get it. Like I said when we were talking about this before, I haven't heard an actual convincing argument to get rid of it. Every single argument I've heard is just appealing to emotion. It's not fair.

It's just not a football play. Well, who the hell are you to judge? I've never heard any NFL player, like a good one, like actually worth their salt say, yeah, well, we have to get rid of it. It's always these pompous analysts, like that one douche bag that wanted to get rid of it. It's always these pompous analysts like that one douchebag that wanted to get rid of the double high safety.

Oh yeah, Mel Kuyper, you know, and it's like that, like these guys, they haven't played and like, I don't say, oh, well you haven't played. It's like, yeah, but I can respect the game. These people just, it's just, like I said, it's just, it's childish, like stop throwing tantrums over this. And like, it's just, it's such a non-issue. And of course Philly is the only team

in the league that can do it. They invented it. Like obviously they're gonna be the only team that can do it. It's just like I said, there's just no real reason for it. I mean, the only reason I could see is if, well, you know, they're getting hurt hurt but they're not So that's pretty much it

So league voting starts next week on these proposals they need 24 votes to do it. Do you think they're getting the votes? All right, let's break it down mathematically here this rule as I read would need 75% of the league You know the league owners to vote on it, which is 24 out of the 32 because you know 32 is just eight four times. Yeah, that's why I said 24. Yeah, I know I Fair enough, but but my garage is going off in the background and I didn't hear I'm sorry, but But I just I don't see 24 owners being that petty. I can see a lot of them, maybe even a small majority, like 19 to 20, but three quarters of the owners doing that,

that would just be new levels of softness. However, I'll end with this point. NFL, if you're listening, you're probably not, but imagine if you are. Don't hide the results because I'm willing to guarantee you one thing. If they vote to ban it, we will never know who voted which way.

Okay, well, we can obviously infer that Jeffrey Lorry voted to keep it, duh. But out, you know, the Eagles owner and outside of that, that's pretty much it, you know, like we don't know and I promise you, like I said, we're, if it gets banned, the NFL is going to deliberately uh just keep that under wraps who voted which way. So if it does get banned NFL, don't keep it under wraps. If it does get banned, we deserve to know. And all I'm going to say is if they do vote to ban it,

we need a list of who voted to get rid of it. And they need to be held accountable. Especially because I bet you 10 bucks at the chiefs owners going like I said, just going to be pouting like the rest of his team and fans and just say no. That's like the ultimate temper tantrum if he does. Well, I mean, if they get the votes to get rid of it, then it doesn't sound like they're going to end up looking at this and saying,

we need to hold them accountable. They're gonna end up getting rid of the tush push. So I just- I know, but I'm just talking about the fans, right? Look, cause most fans don't wanna get rid of it. I mean, it's really just not a big deal. And I just think the NFL or just like the media at least, like the social media sphere,

like we need, like the owners who need to vote against that need to be held accountable, hold their feet to the fire, make them answer questions and say why and don't use the usual appeal to emotion fallacy of it's just not a football play. There's no reason to want to get rid of it. I don't think that's the real reason. I think that's another excuse. I think the real reason is the 87% completion rate, the success rate.

Okay, so it's the, yes. It's just not fair. Yes, exactly. I'm not, the argument is, I'm not using this as a good argument. I'm using this as, they're gonna sit here and they're gonna say, all opposing teams are gonna sit here and say,

one of the teams that we face maybe once or twice a year. They have this play that has an 87% completion rate. It's their bread and butter and we have a chance to vote that away. I think they might they it's going to be hard to resist for them. And it's it's all out of jealousy. It's all out of just getting a competitive edge. They may not eat they may think it is a fair play But if they can't figure out how to how to stop it and they have a chance to vote against it to just get rid of it They might do it Yeah, yeah, it's still stupid though and once again if it gets if they get rid of it

then we needed to then the NFL should at least have the common courtesy of Revealing who voted yes, and who voted no and then Then it's time for the fans to hold them accountable Yeah, well, I mean the the most that they'll do is just continue to just chant against them and Shout things on the internet and then it'll eventually settle down because they you can only shout so much before there's nothing that happens and then they just go quiet again.

Yeah, probably. But like, look, this is I'm not using that as an argument. I'm not saying it's a it's a good thing to ban the tushbush. I'm just saying League owners are going to be looking at that. the the wins against the Eagles or the Bills who also used it. That's what they're going to get. That's how they get 24 votes. And you may get most of the NFC's votes out of that, just by that, because the Eagles just won the Super Bowl. They've been to two and three years.

They probably would have won, they probably would have made it to a third if they didn't get their head stuck so far up their ass, they could see out their mouths But that's what they're gonna look at because the Eagles have been the class of the NFC for the past few years In the same way that remember the Patriots were held as the they were the held as the scapegoat for spy gate Mm-hmm. They made it illegal after they made the spy gate that whole thing from going from an illegal angle after It happened

Yeah, let's get go to the patriots because the patriots were the best team in the league Yeah, it happens all the good teams. So yeah Yeah, so um Yeah, so we'll see we'll see what ends up happening Um, it'll be interesting to monitor over the next week if it gets banned and that's huge news So, yeah, so we'll see. We'll see what ends up happening. It'll be interesting to monitor over the next week. If it gets banned, then that's huge news right before the draft.

So we'll have plenty of stuff to talk about. Other than that, I think that's all we have for today. I don't know if you had anything else. I know, yeah, I don't have anything else either besides, I guess, John Harbaugh got extended for some time. And Justin Tucker is still on the team. No cuts for him.

That's interesting. Yeah. All right. Well, that'll do it for us tonight. Thank you for tuning in. Make sure you tune in on Tuesdays at 730 PM Easternm Eastern Standard Time and Fridays at 5 we have all our episodes available on Spotify Spreaker Apple podcasts I heart radio Google podcasts and so much more follow our YouTube channel Check out our Instagram at fumble Ruski underscore podcasts to keep up with our podcasts and the latest coverage on the NFL

Otherwise, we'll see you next week over and out