The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd Podcast - Ramsey to Dolphins, Bears/Panthers #1 Pick Deal, Rodgers Decision Time w/ John Middlekauff

Episode Date: March 13, 2023

Colin and 3 and Out podcast Host John Middlekauff discuss the latest NFL news, including the Rams dealing Jalen Ramsey to the Dolphins, if Tom Brady could end up in Miami, if Aaron Rodgers to the Jets is a lock, or if he could still return to the Packers, why the Giants paying Daniel Jones franchise QB money makes no sense, why Lamar Jackson needs to hire an agent, which team feels like the clear winner of the Panthers trading up to secure the Bears #1 pick, concerns about the top Draft QB’s, if top pass rushing prospect Jalen Carter (Georgia) is worth the risk after being charged with reckless driving in connection with a car accident death of a teammate.  Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates, and check out FanDuel for the best wagering and daily fantasy action! #Herd #Volume #3andOutSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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but I was keeping my antenna up for all the NFL news. So John Middlough, the former NFL scout, got the three and out podcast at the volume. We're going to talk about the Bears move with the Panthers. I cannot believe the Bears not only got the picks, but DJ Moore at Wide Receiver. I cannot believe that. He is a really, he's a number one. So the Bears now have a legitimate receiving core and don't have to pay a lot of attention to that with all their extra draft picks.

We're going to talk about obviously the Lamar Jackson situation, Aaron Rogers potentially to the Jets, the Rams giving away Jalen Ramsey and what appears to be a cash dump right before free agency. That leads me to believe the Rams are eyeing somebody in free agency. A lot of stuff going on. John Middlethoff, as always, full of insight. Let's go to it.

Here with my main man, Colin Coward, right as free agency. Let's face it. I mean, it really kind of starts at the combine when they're not supposed to tamper. All the deals are done. But over the next three or four days, the madness is, I mean,

it's already started with the couple trays that happened over the weekend. But I think it's time to buckle up here, Colin. Yeah, the Jalen Ramsey move, a third and basically a bust tied in from the dolphins who just doesn't play much, is that's not nearly, I'm not sure why they were so impatient.

and it feels like a salary dump. They're trying to clear something up to make a big move in free agency. That's what it felt like to me. Now, I don't think Jalen Ramsey's ever been a guy you build a culture around at Florida State, Jacksonville or L.A. He's just really talented. Yeah. But I think the guys that you build a culture around like Aaron Donald are Cooper Cup are harder

to get rid of. Talent comes and goes. And so I think Jaylon's really talented. He had a very good last game with the Rams and interception. You know, I'm not sure if it was the best place for the dolphins to spend money. They already have a corner of people like, but their secondaries, not very strong. They're all in. Yeah.

But for the Rams, it just felt like they're starting over. You know, they've got four sevens, four fives. They now have a second, two, thirds. They don't have a first or a fourth yet. So they got 12 draft picks. They're kind of rebuilding this puppy. Before we dive into my theory on the dolphins and why I think this might be leading to something, one thing on McVeigh is, you know, the knock on Gruden over his tenure as coaching was very impatient.

You know, changes on you fast. LeBron has some of that. You know, he loves a guy that he starts playing with him, then he sours on him. And like, I don't have the theory that they're going to tank because McVeigh almost jumped off a bridge last year losing a little bit. he's not going to coach a season and suck. And he's too good to ever probably get the top two or three picks, especially next year with the with the quarterbacks. But, you know, he loved Matt Stafford two years ago.

They traded for him. Then they extend him. Now he's banged up and it feels like, oh, they might trade him or that they would definitely listen to it. Well, so he was good enough to give all this money to. And a year later, things get weird. I'm a Sean McVeigh guy, but it does feel he's got a little gruden in him that he'll change on you fast once he thinks you're not as good.

good as he maybe thought six months previously. So I was told a month ago, and I've set it on the air at Fox, I was told a month ago that the Rams were going to go heavy this offseason to the offense. McVeigh would come back if there was a commitment to, I'm an offensive coach, the leagues pivoted to that, give me guys. So who do they get rid of? Bobby Wagner, Jalen Ramsey, Floyd. They've moved off defensive guys.

So they're going to draft. They have a second and two-thirds. they're probably going to go after an offensive lineman, a wide receiver. They may go after a running back. McFay is like, listen, if I'm going to come back for this thing and have to face the Niners, you've got to get me some weapons. You've got to get me some help on the offensive side. I mean, of all the people in the Ramsey trade, they got like a third string tight end.

You know, I would have thought they would have gone to a backup edge because they don't really have an edge rusher. But, you know, listen, McVeigh had a lot of success early. people that do often get impatient. They haven't had the long road, the struggle like the rest of us, right? So, you know, I get it. You probably see that in tech. You see it in football. You probably see it in Hollywood.

When somebody hits it at 28, 32 years old, man, your standards and impatience rise. The dolphins, I think over the weekend or maybe late last week, they picked up to his fifth-year option. I thought that was nuts, you know, given his risk history. But then when they made this trade. I was like, well, I think you had mentioned last week and it's come out since, you know, the Brady buzz is not going to die. Well, what did they do? They get Vic Fangio.

They add Jalen Ramsey. They kind of had their backup plan long term, just keep Tua under contract. Tom Brady ain't coming to San Jose. It's just not happening. Right. But Miami, he's already, he's getting the taste of the life in Florida now for a couple years, the no state income tax. I think the Dolphins buzz is about to pick up and they're equipped.

I mean, now their defense was a question mark. boom, add a star corner, you know, add Vic Fangio. I mean, this team, you see that, that clip of Tyrie Kiel running, dusting those guys in the 60 meter dash. So I, I, you're the one that I think I saw a clip of you saying that the Tom Brady thing, well, people are, it's not going to die. Yeah, I mean, okay, so Tom, it's not like, you know, he's single now. So he's going to, he's not going to broadcast at Fox.

He's going to sit around for a year, just watch football. Tom's connected. And I just think, you know, people say, oh, you spend more time with your family. Kids after a while don't want to hang out with mom and dad. They want to hang out with their kids, their peers, right? So I think Brady, he'll step back. He works six months a year. I mean, you get six months with his family.

I know. And whenever you hear, you know, I'm going to go spend time with my family. It's like, you know, guys get off days, even in the season. You know, you're not at the facility all day. So I think if you have a popular player, Tebow in Denver, and they brought in Peyton Manning, you got to go big. Nobody's going to question Brady fills in for Tua or Peyton Manning for Tebow. Because Tua will have success with Mike McDaniels. Hell, he was leading in the Pro Bowl voting last year, right?

So I don't know what's going to happen with Tom Brady. I don't have it sourced. But I did have somebody I trust out of the building, not a Fox employee, say, he may play. football. So, you know, it was somebody who's smart, somebody I've trusted for years. So he obviously heard it somewhere. But I said this a year ago, and I'll say it again, I thought Aaron Rogers in Miami made sense. I really did. Again, yeah, a big star because two has got his fans, two is going to have success. Nobody's complaining about Rogers or Brady in Miami. And I think sometimes when you're a place a popular, I mean, let's face it,

last year, up until Thanksgiving, the dolphins were one of the better stories. in the league. Yeah, they really were. Speaking of not a good story last year was obviously the Aaron Rogers and the Packers who underachieved missed the playoffs. It feels inevitable that he ends up on the Jets. My overall take is one, they don't really have any other options. Jimmy Garoppel gets hurt all the time. Derrick Hart signed with the Saints. Yeah. The guy they draft the number two overall, he just stinks. He's just not any good. So as we're recording this, we don't know the parameters of the trade. Clearly they already had figured out something to even let him talk.

If they don't have to give up a first round pick, I mean, I think it's one of the easiest deals they'll ever do. Yeah, I think, you know, the Jets would be better with Aaron, but I, if I'm Aaron Rogers and I line everything up, what matters to me, coach, Matt LaFleur, offensive coach, or Robert Solid defensive coach, check Packers, offensive line, check. Packers.

Weapons. Well, Brees Hall's talented, but he's off an injury. Aaron Jones, emerging star wide receiver, capable tight ends, the power back behind Aaron Jones. It's like weapons probably slight lean Green Bay, familiarity, Green Bay, ease of division and conference, check check, Green Bay, Green Bay. This idea, I don't know where the advantages are. I've got impulsive ownership, a coach, a defensive coach on the hot seat. They still have to, their offensive line had some injuries last year,

so I don't think it's a, it's not the Giants, right? The Jets have some talent and they'll get it back. It'll be healthier. But, you know, they're counting on a lot of young players, you know, and it's just Green Bay's got some familiar faces. I know everybody has already got a pencil, then it's the Jets, but I could see Aaron just saying, I'm coming back, for one more year and then I'm retiring. I'm going to Green Bay.

The one thing with the Jets is last year, you know, he loves his older players and it took a while for Watson to get going. It took a while, you know, just this team is full of young offensive weapons. So is Aaron going to show up in April? Is he going to come to OTAs? Am I paying you $60 million? Can you mesh with my guys? Can you kind of be a member here and not kind of isolate yourself? That would be something I'm sure that they have, you know, reached out. Because you can't make this trade if he's just going to show up July 28th. I'm going to start training camp, right? Yeah. And I just, I think they'd be good, Colin, though, if he is all in. I mean, he won back-to-back MVP's. This team is really talented. You're right. The head coach,

major question mark, but the head coach has nothing to do with the offense, and the offense is his guy. Now, can that guy coach the offense? It's hard to know. It's rocky with Nathaniel Hackett, but that is, you know, a driving force, his relationship with that guy. Yeah, I mean, but you're going to have a lot of firepower in Miami. Mack Jones Net has Bill O'Brien, best defensive coach in Bill O'Brien. Buffalo's still a pretty stacked roster outside of offensive line. So you don't get the Bears twice.

You know, you don't get it. It's, you know, I like Detroit, but Detroit didn't make the playoffs either. So, you know, and I, we're pinning a lot of our hopes on Ben Johnson, you know, a coordinator. I don't know. I think if I was Aaron,

I would just stick it out with Green Bay, one more year. No owner. I've got control of the place, familiarity. Christian Watson at the end of the year was really emerging as a star. With the NFL season over. All eyes in the sporting world turned everything from the NBA to college hoops to the NHL. Plenty of games to watch are even better. Plenty of games to get out of the house and actually go to.

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for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. One thing that happened last week was the Giants spending a lot of money on Daniel Jones.

And I, listen, I lived in Philly and you've been in the Northeast, the pressure in Boston in New York and Philadelphia is difficult. So having guys that can handle that, Daniel Jones has this like Alex Smith-like quality of just pretty mentally tough. But he threw 15 touchdowns last year and they gave him $82 million. Now, I get you want to retain him. And the best thing is to franchise Sekewan Barclay because you want Sekewan there, but you don't, you know, you would love to just go year to year, running backs even on the franchise tag,

$10 million. You take that all day long. I just have a hard time thinking that he was going to sniff that money on the open market. Who are they bidding against at that price point? Because in a salary cap league, your guaranteed money impacts how you build your team over a couple years. I thought it was insane. I remember having a discussion with an agent. I had left ESPN and John Skipper, who's a nice guy, but he was paying people.

seven figures and there were a handful of people and I remember talking to an agent and saying who is he bidding against these are these are like hosts they're capable but they're not like seven figure people and john was just handing out contracts if you take out two games against the worst rated defense in the league minnesota look at daniel jones numbers and you can say well he doesn't work with much Patrick mahomes with three cast-off receivers and rookie sky more had 15 touchdown passes by week five. Daniel Jones just isn't that talented. So, you know, whatever the number comes out to,

and it's always kind of fuzzy math, I think it's in the 30s somewhere, 36, 32, whatever it is. It still, at some point, is going to limit, they're going to have to hit on draft picks. You know, you're not going to be able to go out and get two or three offensive player. They have to rebuild the receiving core. They need a tight end. and they have to rebuild outside of left tackle the old line. There's a lot, and you can't depend on the draft to fill all those needs. You've got to pay for some of it.

Well, part of having a star offensive coach, which it looks like they have, is you can get value at certain positions, and you should be able to find quarterbacks of value. Obviously, if you get to Mahomes or whatever, it makes sense even for Andy Reid to give a lot of money. But Brian Dayball's value is to get guys like Daniel Jones to overachieve. Why then pay him? because again, $82 million.

He got $10 million more than Derek Carr whose resumes aren't even close to comparable. Right. I thought the Saints got an incredible deal. I was just watching before his press conference. They got a grown-up in the room, a guy who's now coming off a rough season, so he's going to be motivated.

If he had been a free agent after the year that they had made the playoffs two years ago, he's getting well over $100 million, right? That season that he played, what he handled with all the, the adversity. And look at that division. I mean, it looks like Baker Mayfield might go to Tampa. Panthers have no quarterback. Whoever they draft probably is going to take the league by storm. I mean, that division is, I feel the Saints are a borderline like a lock playoff team next year.

Yeah. And going back. Defense is good. Yeah. Going back to Daniel Jones is when people complain about offensive lines. Justin Herbert walked into this league and behind the 32nd rated offensive line had 31 touchdown passes and was told he was starting five minutes before the game. Remember that opening game against the chief? Tons of pressure.

So you can't use, if you have great talent, you can play. Joe Burrow, year two, got to a Super Bowl or year three, got to a Super Bowl with an awful offensive line. So I don't want to hear about Daniel Jones and about offensive line. And they say, well, they don't have great weapons. You know, again, guys like Mahomes this year, castoffs,

Juju Smith-Schuster, Tastop, the Packers guy, Tastoff, Sky Moore, rookie, Tony, who was considered, you know, in New York Giants. Yeah. So, and he made it work. Great quarterbacks make it work. So I think what's happening in Chicago, although I do think Justin Fields is more of a, there's some real talent there that's non-negotiable. But I think with Daniel Jones, there's not any wow there for me, not a wow arm. He's a big guy that can move, but it's not Lamar moving. It's not Kyler.

I just don't see the wow. There's no juice to me. I think he's got a really good offensive coach. Seacon Barclay went down in the first four, five weeks. Worst case scenario. What does that offense look like? Yeah, they're in major trouble. I think sometimes you, you know, that organization falls in love with humans and, you know, he's mentally tough. He handled the tough times. But you eventually have to play the position. Like say what you want about Kirk Cousins, he can give me 35 touchdowns a year. You know, he can produce. Obviously, Jaylen's producing, you know, and that's the thing like I found pretty laughable, the reaction to the Lamar collusion. No one wants them. Last year, Deshaun Watson was given $230 million. And we all laughed at it. Like, that's the most insane contract. Only at one.

one or two guys in the league would do that. This guy wants that contract and no one will touch it. Well, we just said last year that that contract that he wants is moronic. No one would do that. Right. Good player, but under no circumstances,

if I owned a team or ran a team, I would trade for the player if I get him for a normal quarterback contract, but I can't pay him a guy who's been injured. And he doesn't guarantee me anything. He's got one playoff win. Well, yeah, I mean, you want guaranteed money.

You're not guaranteed a play Sunday. Of his last 22 games, he's missed 40%. He's missed 10. So nobody wants to say this because it feels like you're taking a shot at Lamar's mom, but he needs an agent. Agents do two things. First of all, teams are now taking shots at Lamar.

Why? Because they don't, he doesn't have an agent. You would never take a shot at a star player because he has an agent and an agent represents lots and lots of people. So you don't want to piss off an agent because then he'll steer his clients against you or away from you. when you don't have an agent, and I've had several in my career, it's a vest. It's a little bit like a protective vest, is that the agent keeps you out of the room with your boss so it doesn't get emotional.

The agent makes sure they say nice things about you. A good, powerful agent matters. He's using his mom. And reportedly now he's doing some of it. You know, he's moved her off that. It's like, dude, I got no, you know, if my mom represented me or yours did, they get emotional. were their sons. So I think when he did that, you know, I tried to tread lightly and be respectful.

You can't have a parent be your agent. Come on. Now, Charles Robinson wrote a really good article where he got a lot of unnamed people in the league, GMs and agents talking. And his point, listen, Mike McGlinchie is going to sign in a couple days. The owner just gives the GM the thumbs up. But when you're doing a contract like this, $200 plus million guarantee, that's an owner run deal.

And these agents go right to the owner. This is not, the GM and the coach ultimately aren't the final say on this one, right? Like they would be with signing a wide receiver or this is the biggest contract. That team has ever given out in the history of the league potentially. So that's coming from the owner and he has no direct path to the owner. I mean, it's just, if me and you owned a condo for 200 grand, we could figure out how to sell it on our own. If we wanted a $200 million piece of property, we'd probably get some representation to help us out on the deal, right? Right.

The amount of money that's on the line is too enormous. Like, he's at a major disadvantage and the Ravens know it. And that's why they did Don Exclusive Tag. They go, we're not even going to pay as much. And we're not worried about people bidding for your services because you don't really know what you're doing. I also think the culture is so strong that between the GM, the owner, the roster, the defense, the assistance, there's kind of a feeling in Baltimore last year. I mean, shit, they went toe to toe with the Bengals. twice at the end of the year with like third string guys and we're Cincinnati needed a miracle

touchdown to win one of those games. So I think they look at themselves and think, you know, we're really at an A level in terms of drafting and developing. If we have to go get Max Duggan in the second round or we have to go get somebody we like, we will. So, I mean, they've won a Super Bowl with Joe Flacco, Trent Delfour. They gambled on Lamar Jackson to some degree. You know, a lot of people thought he wouldn't be.

great. They've been able to find quarterbacks who others bailed on, who are different, and they've got success with all of them. So I always just sort of trust the Ravens to figure it out. Like I have a rule in life.

You don't have to always hire an expert. Hire smart people and they'll figure out complex problems. Baltimore's really good at that. Speaking of a team that's trying to find their identity, the big trade that the draft trade that happened, I guess, would that have been Friday night?

On the Panther side, this feels like it's got Dave Tepper written all over it. He's a financial wheeler and dealer. He's getting bored. He's getting tired of losing because it's a lot to give up, Colin, for, Trevor Lawrence is not in this draft. And they've even, it's been reported. They don't even know exactly who they're taking. Last time the Niners tried to do something like that, that's, I would not operate

making a trade without the player that you, know, just to figure out two or three guys. Yeah, this is one of those. You know, if Bryce Young hits, then it looks like a brilliant move. But I thought Chicago essentially solved. You know, people banged on the Chase Claypool move. But now their receiving core is DJ Moore, Cole Commet, very capable young tied in, Darnell Mooney, a solid two, and Chase Claypool.

So they don't really have to go after a wide receiver in the draft, and they've got multiple extra picks so they can attack the interior offensive. They're going to get McGlensy the right tackle from the Niners. Yeah. By, you know, they drafted some offensive linemen last year. A couple of them can play. You know, they can kind of go solve their defense so Justin Fields doesn't have to be in shootouts.

But I mean, Cole Komett, Mooney, Claypool, but DJ Moore was getting a thousand yards a season with Kyle Allen, Darnold, Baker, Mayfield. I couldn't believe. I understand giving away a first and two seconds. throwing DJ more in, by the way, so you draft a young quarterback. You just lost your best receiver for him. I didn't like that addition at up.

I would have given you a corner. I'd have given you something. I would not have given you your best. If I'm Carolina, I'm not giving you DJ Moore. They just extended him last year. So he's under contract for the foreseeable future. I thought this is,

kudos to Ryan Pace because he can do two things. One, find out if fields can play. Now he's got weapons. And if he can't, He has the Panthers pick. They're probably not going to be great. And if his team stinks, they'd have two high picks to go up and get one of these quarterbacks next year.

So they're actually getting the best of both worlds. Yeah, Ryan Poles is the kid. And I did last year, he got a corner and a safety to start. He got a receiver of Vilas Jones at Tennessee who played at USC. I could have told him he can't track the ball. He couldn't at USC. He could never track the ball. So I still don't trust this organization to draft and develop offensive players.

but I do think what happens after that trade, John, is now we have clarity. There'll be no more excuses. They're running backs are serviceable. Cole commits a very nice young tied in. Now you have a real grown-up wide receiver group. They're going to pay for a right tackle. Their offensive line last year rated 14th. It wasn't the Giants.

It wasn't 32nd. It was 14th. And they're going to upgrade it so it's going to be a reasonable offensive line. What it gives you, John, now whatever Justin Fields does, this is the truth. he has more than enough talent now. You can't say he doesn't have this, this, this. Claypool, Mooney, DJ Moore are three very nice professional wide receivers. See, and I think on the Panther side, you just wonder if TEPR gets involved on who they ultimately want to pick.

And it's not the coach and not the general manners of decision. I think Bryce Young is an elite player. He's just short, which, you know, can be real. risky. But, you know, we've seen him two years ago play the, they played Georgia twice and, you know, a month and went toe to toe with them with a defense full of 11 pros and like first round pros. Yeah. But he's just, he's just small. And, you know, Anthony Richardson, I was texting with Daniel Jeremiah because Anthony Richards, I said, what round would those guys go in when you first broke in the league guys like Anthony Richardson and Will Levis, who are just big physical guys,

but, you know, I have a long way to go. He's like, those guys would have been mid-round picks. Now both of them are going to go in the top five. So this notion that that position is so nuanced, it's so hard, you can't just draft like you can't a defensive tackle and hope he figures it out because time and time they don't. And whoever they pick has this enormous pressure. I've seen it with Trey Lance. All these picks, the whole trade, it just hangs over you forever if things don't go well. It's hard. Well, the Colts, I think, should move up to three because if somebody moves up in front of them, they're going to get the fourth quarterback and an average quarterback draft.

That would worry me. again, there's Max Duggan's going to be a second or a third round guy, and there's a lot of people that think, you know, a team like Indy could get him. I'll tell you this about, I had somebody text me on this inside the league. It's pretty interesting. So I said, you know, Will Levis's family has some Ivy League connections. He's a four-point student. He's a big, thick kid, good arm. And somebody texts me in the league and said, look how chiseled he is. He said, name the great quarterbacks that are chiseled. They don't exist. is that when you get, you ever go to the gym and see a weight lift or try to play basketball, how stiff they are? There's no fluidity to him.

No fluidity. And so this person said he is, this is a danger sign. He's jacked. He's ripped. And he comes off sometimes as a little bit stiff. He doesn't come off as fluid. And he's strong. He's a smart kid.

But the Will Leva stuff is interesting because, you know, there's so much of it you like. Ivy League family, huge arm. You know, his numbers look like Eli Manning's out of Ole Miss, a non-traditional SEC quarterback who, you know, like won 17 games in two years for a basketball school. It kind of feels Eli. But the person who texts me is just like, you know, go look up the chiseled quarterbacks.

It's like you see Aaron Rogers, Tom, Brady, Peyton Manning with a tight shirt on. They're big. They got more of a chest, but you don't see ripped guys. It's not what the, you have to be looted. That's why Pliometrics and Brady, you've got to be loose. You've got to be able to be flexible and move your feet, move your hips. And Levis is just ripped and jacked. Looking to get more out of the NBA season?

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Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all. embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Well, one story I heard years ago, remember there was a lot of pressure

when the Texans had the number one overall pick to potentially take Blake Bortles. They ended up taking Clowny. And Bill O'Brien had got Bortles on the board and just thought he was kind of a meathead. you know, nice guy or whatever, but just not, you know, Peyton, man, you weren't just going to draft the guy number one overall. And obviously he went a couple picks later and it didn't work out.

And I've heard from some people that Levis might have, again, this is all relative. I mean, he's a high level guy. Just some meathead football qualities, which works at a lot of positions, you know, like because they're, you know, in the weight room where Bryce Young, you read some of these stories, the news like a football savant. Yeah. And to me, if he was six three, there wouldn't even be a question. And that's where CJ Stroud and that game against.

Georgia, if he had been playing like that, his entire career, mobile, you know, making plays behind the line of scrimmage with his legs to then throw, I think he would be kind of a no-brainer, one or two pick. But I just know the way these GMs think that just the one game sample size is hard because that's never how he played. He was just a pocket quarterback and he played with, you know, seven all pros on the outside. Also, outside of Michigan, Ohio State never plays a conference opponent with even talent. on them. Their wide receivers are significantly open. Not even close. Yeah. Right. In the SEC, as good as BAM is, LSU, Georgia, they got the same dudes. And Texas A&M now. You may not think Jimbo can coach. They got five-star dudes everywhere.

And so when you, you know, when you see a wide receiver and you're, and Bryce Young's hitting him, he's got a Georgia first round corner up against him. You see a lot of these Ohio state highlights. These guys are wide open. Now, CJ's accurate. He had a good combine. It doesn't mean a ton to me. But he throws a beautiful ball.

He throws a beautiful ball in his hand. But we've never had an Ohio State quarterback of note in professional football in the history of the NFL. And there's probably a reason is that they have so separated. And over the last several years, because of a coach, they have Brian Hartline, who maybe the best recruiting coach in the country, they're getting like only five-star guy now. That's all they get at Ohio's. It's become the best wide receiving program in the country,

Alabama and Ohio State. So you're playing up against Purdue's corners, Minnesota's corners, Illinois's corners, outside of Michigan, maybe a Penn State, Michigan State's corners. So it is harder to evaluate. I said this for years. It's like, I didn't know how good, you know,

Tua was. I'm like, these got these, you know, even in the SEC, they have like two to Devonte Smith and they have all these first round guys. I'm like, this is better than the Patriots. So, but I just think with CJ Stroud, there's a lot I like. But I, well, there's a lot of easy throws if you're a Buckeye quarterback. One other thing on the draft. I haven't heard your thoughts on this guy is an incredible talent, Jalen Carter, the defensive tackle.

But he went to the combine. Yeah. Yeah. And I think most teams would have him rank that way too. He went to the combine, had to leave, check himself into jail, postpone, come back to the combine over a couple of people that died. And he was clearly in another car right there. And no one ever knew about that until that moment.

I'm sorry, Colin. He had some other question marks. You're drafting the person as much as the player. I went to the all pro team last year. there really weren't any low character guys on the team. It is full of just Mahomes and Kelsey's and Boses and Fred Walters and just pretty locked and loaded guys. I'd have a hard time pulling the trigger when you can't trust the human being. I don't care how good a player he is.

No, I think it's a real thing. I think the sport asks so much of you physically, mentally, emotionally, that it's a test. Football is a constant test of your character, your soul. soul, your communication. It's a complicated sport. You have a real playbook. So I think football weeds out people who aren't committed. You know, Jimmy Johnson still tells me the number one thing he always looked for was just football intelligence.

Could you learn things quickly? Football, there's a reason half the league is undrafted because those guys learn quick, high character, good values, excellent teammates. they're not the most physically gifted. I mean, can you imagine if the NBA was half undrafted? I mean, hell, the NBA is mostly all top 18 picks. It's a talent league. Football's different, John. It just, it asks, it's such a pressurized one game a week,

physical, regulated level of violence, a playbook, that if you're not buttoned up, even guys who look like Baker Mayfield, who's just a little cocky, Johnny Mansell, it eats them up. And we also love it so much more than any other domestic sport. It's like soccer. It's like the English Premier League in the UK.

The pressure is so massive. You have a bad game? You don't play until Sunday. You get nothing but ripped by your local media for a week. It's not like the NBA. You got a bad Sunday game. Tuesday night in Denver, you score 40. Nobody cares.

So the Jalen Carter stuff, I think your points well. taken. If you start looking at the all pro teams, very few low character guys last or make a difference in this league. You know, this week I always thought even when I was in the NFL growing up, this week could be a little overrated because most great players never hit free agency and the ones that do get franchise tag. But now the influx of all these young, aggressive general managers, the cap has boomed. So the money, all these owners have cash. The trades are the curveball, last couple years, really probably last five or six years, that have added an element to this week in the next couple weeks that just hasn't been there, you know, before. Because the NBA and

baseball always was heavy in trades and football never truly was. A lot of draft trades, but just sweet players, plug and in play. That was never, that's become very, very in vogue. And that's, it's already happening. Jalen Ramsey, Aaron Rogers, but I wouldn't be shocked if there are three or four that we don't even know of. Last year it happened. Tyree killed, DeBonte Adams, buckle up because it's coming. John, this used to be March Madness Week. All you talked about Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday was March Madness. If Aaron Rogers tomorrow at noon says I'm a jet, it will just bury March Madness talk for three days.

So one of the things the NFL always done is they realize it's a television show and they treat it like it. They have manipulated their schedule. they've gone after college basketball, they've gone after the NBA. I've been saying this for years. If I ran the NBA, I would start the season on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving. So you can't compete with Thanksgiving weekend. The college football that weekend is unbelievable. The NFL is unbelievable.

So Monday, guys like me, every talk show, NFL, then Monday night football, Tuesday, NFL. Wednesday is a just, everybody's kind of exhausted from Thursday. Smart move, yeah. For everybody's exhausted from like four days. of heavy football. Wednesday, start the NBA season, cut 12 games out of it. And I think that would be manipulating the schedule. That's essentially what the NFL's been doing my entire sports casting career, figuring out these little holes. Free agency now is right smack dab. Because as you said earlier, these guys are all, they're all on the phone tonight. Yeah. And I think it starts tomorrow.

You're legally allowed to get on the phone. So Aaron Rogers, clearly, the Jets are offering Green Bay something. You know the deal is not only in the works. The structure is probably there because Green Bay had to allow the Jets to talk to him. So the Jets and the Packers, they've got the deal. The deal's done. They're just waiting for Aaron to make up his mind. And it behooves him to figure this out sooner than later because then the Jets can do other things.

You know, yeah, I'd expect him to be a jet. Honestly, it could happen break tomorrow morning on your show, right? week, probably before Wednesday, that we get some finality there. Who do you like a NCAA tournament? Well, you know, I try to watch the good teams. I've watched Gonzaga, UCLA, Kansas. I watched Texas a couple of times. I've seen Duke.

I think Duke's playing really good. So I've seen Duke play five times, but it's all four of the five were at home. You know, I think Kansas, Bill Self out of the hospital. Kansas, I saw CBS was picking up. a lot of upsets. Like Mark Kett in the final four, I'm like, all right, I would go with heavy favorites. This is a year without a great team. And so what's going to happen?

Take the veteran coaches. Take Mark Few. Take Bill Self. Take the veteran coaches. Because there's not a huge gap in talent. And so I'll lean on coaching. I think UCLA's coach is really good. But I didn't see all year long.

I watched Duke a couple of weeks ago and I was like, okay, they got it kind of cinched up. It looks pretty tight. But I think if you told me Kansas, Duke, that kind of level team won it. I do think all year long we heard that Gonzaga, it was kind of an off year.

I don't know. I watched them win their conference championship. I watched them play. Pete St. Mary's by about 50. And St. Mary's is good. I watched it. I was like, I don't know. They got a dominant player in Timmy.

It's like I think it'll be mostly favorites winning. I'm trying to think of an upset. Tennessee plays Louisiana. Everybody told me that Louisiana is going to win that game. That's what all the CBS experts said. You know, the Big Ten's got to be pretty fired up. UCLA hoops is rolling and USC's got Lincoln Riley and they're treading up. I mean, it couldn't have gotten much better timing for that conference.

Listen, if Oregon and Washington go to the Big Ten, Now they'll only get half of financial share, which would still beat the Pact 12. But if they go, you know, I feel bad for the conference. I really do. I feel it's good. I love PAC. I think Oregon State's got one of the best young coaches in the sport. Utah's excellent.

I like what Jedfish is doing at Arizona. It'll just bum me out. It really will. Make sure to check out the Dramon Green show. I brought Dremon Green into the volume because one of the more. entertaining voices in sports, unique perspective, understands behind the rope. Also chops up with guests like Gary Payton, Zach Levine, Tracy McGrady. Make sure download the Draymond Green Show wherever you get your podcast, only on the volume podcast network.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human.