The Ryen Russillo Podcast - Workplace Analogies, Plus Trent Dilfer on 2020 QB Prospects | The Ryen Russillo Podcast

Episode Date: April 21, 2020

Russillo examines similarities and differences between the average work environment and that of the pro athlete (1:40) before he is joined by Super Bowl champion Trent Dilfer to discuss some 2020 NFL ...draft prospects, including Tua Tagovailoa, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, Jalen Hurts, and more (21:10). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 happy draft week i hope everybody's doing great i'm in a good mood today i'm gonna try to uh put you in a good mood if you're not there already i'm gonna try to get you there today's episode of the ryan rosillo podcast on the ringer podcast network is brought to you by state farm just like sports the game of life is unpredictable talk to a State Farm agent and get a teammate who can help you navigate the unexpected. Hmm, the unexpected. I don't think anybody thought a couple months ago, hey, is the NFL going to do their entire draft online?
Starting point is 00:00:37 Didn't think that, did you? Well, they are, and we're going to get to that in today's Open. Get a teammate who can help you navigate the unexpected. Talk to a State Farm agent today. The plan for today, Trent Dilfer. Trent Dilfer is going to join us. What did he actually say about Tua being better
Starting point is 00:00:53 than Dan Marino? Tua against Joe Burrow. Hey, are there any negatives with Tua? Because Trent's not only working with Tua, but he's raving about him. And there was this quote about him saying he's better than Dan Marino. People lost their minds. And then the best part about the media machine is that it's like,
Starting point is 00:01:09 hey, well, this quote exists, so therefore it had to have been said. So now we're going to do segments off of the thing. And then it's unbelievable how this stuff all snowballs. And I don't really blame that many people because you're sitting there trying to put together a million different segments. And you go, hey, what did he say? And I can't tell you the number of times I've done radio segments where I did the whole thing based on a piece of information. And then somebody would hit me up later and be like, Hey, did you actually look at that entire
Starting point is 00:01:33 thing? So I tried to do that more and more as I got a little bit older, but boy, it takes longer. Right. And if there's one thing we don't like, it's when things take long, but here's something we do like this week's open is about the workplace environment. Because when we think about athletes, we still sometimes think about ourselves. And I think we do that with everything. Politicians, famous people. I still feel like actors and actresses get a pass on everything. No one cares if they make a ton of money. No one cares if they're really in a movie that bombs and just move on to the next one. Like if you miss a shot or you fumble in a massive game that hangs around forever. If you're in a just bomb of a movie that next summer you might be in something good and no one really cares about the worst movie. So I'm not saying, hey, the point of today's riff is let's criticize actors and actresses more.
Starting point is 00:02:21 I'm just saying in the grand scheme of things, the public figures, the way we look at them and the way we are critical of them. A lot of times what we're really doing is we're saying I would have done this differently, but sometimes we'd like to be reminded that the great thing, the special thing is a lot like what we're dealing with. So with the draft coming up and the fact that it's going to be online, there are all these stories already, especially with the dry run, having a problem with the number one overall pick with Cincinnati Bengals.
Starting point is 00:03:06 Now, I'm not even going to turn this into a straw man because I just think that more people are even keeled about this going, okay, yes, they had some problems, but I'd imagine that this is still going to probably go okay. Maybe there'll be a couple glitches. I don't want to marry myself to a take that 32 picks are going to go seamlessly when it's all these teams trying to do it remotely over video conferencing with their own staff separate in a way that they've never been before. I'm not going to marry myself to that, but my overall sense is that anyone making a huge deal about this is probably making a mistake, but I think that's what we like to do. I think sometimes we like to go, ah, look at these guys. My office sucks too. This is going to be hilarious.
Starting point is 00:03:27 Now to Adam Schefter's credit, he went on and was like, look, this isn't like auto draft. Okay. This isn't where all of a sudden you're just going to be missing your pick. And then the next team gets your pick and you're sitting there being like, no hit,
Starting point is 00:03:38 hit. No, you know what I mean? Like it's not going to work that way. You're not going to have some scenario. We're sitting there with the chiefs going, wait a minute. They got chase young NCD lamb. You go, yep. Internet, man. I mean? Like, it's not going to work that way. You're not going to have some scenario where we're sitting there with the chiefs going, wait a minute, they got Chase Young, NCD lamb.
Starting point is 00:03:46 And you go, yep. Internet, man. I mean, granted, all of you have had these problems. Probably most of you, not all of you, but most of you had these problems probably with some kind of video conferencing where you're sitting there and you're looking at somebody else from work and you're going, no, no, no, no. The, I can hear you. No, there's a, it's the bottom right button.
Starting point is 00:04:08 No, that's video. Okay, can you wave if you can hear me? We get that, right? We've all done those things. And that's probably going to happen to a couple of those teams, but it doesn't mean they're going to miss out on the pick. So there's a bit of angst that you're thinking, my team always sucks at this.
Starting point is 00:04:22 My GM is always terrible. And I know what's going to happen here. We're going to be like the Vikings 15 years ago where it's like uh who are we supposed to take I don't know and the Vikings just missed out on a couple picks because they hadn't taken their pick yet I don't think you have to really worry about that stuff yes there could be something to make fun of and we do do that right we like to kind of make fun of the thing that's more important than anything that we do because it helps us feel like, hey, this is kind of the challenge that I face at my job. And that leads us to our own sensibilities, right? Our sensibilities would be, well, I would act this way if I were in this situation. Well, you don't know that. Have you ever asked your parents or somebody even older about work advice?
Starting point is 00:05:02 Like when you ever talk about your current work situation and you explain it to a parent or someone older and they're like oh you know i always say you know manufacturing that's job stability and you're like what you know like i had i remember my dad was like well no matter what just get a truck because if it goes real bad, you can haul garbage. And I was like, yeah, okay. You know, I'm like, I get it. No, fair, fair point. But I'm aiming a little higher than garbage hauling, just side guy with like signs, magnet signs on his truck. I did buy a truck, but it's because I like trucks.
Starting point is 00:05:40 So I did this thing where I wanted to look at it and go, okay, you know, this whole philosophy of what we're doing with a front office and say, you know, I kind of like deep down that these guys are going to have some problems at the workplace where the NFL guy does something or the NBA guy does something and you say, well, I never fly at my place. No shit. Okay. No kidding. It's almost always the wrong thing to do. And it's very rarely can you sit there and say, well, I understand what this pro athlete is going through because at my insurance place, I'm running an Edward Jones down here in Tallahassee, and I get what Jimmy Butler's going through. It just doesn't work. So I wanted to try to find some things where actually, yes, there are similarities across all workplaces
Starting point is 00:06:41 that also relate to the pro athlete, and then things where it's like, no, you actually can't do this. So let's start with this. Everybody loves to pitch. Now, some of you are really good about this. Most of us aren't. I used to complain too much when I was younger. I felt justified. Yes, I'll admit now I still feel like I'm justified, but I also knew at a certain point, hey, do you want to complain the rest of your life or do you want to just move on and stop complaining and that's actually what i did but we are usually real quick to look at somebody else's situation at work and go wait a minute why does this person get to do this i mean where are
Starting point is 00:07:15 they parking i mean when the parking space started things started happening at espn we started finding out like a couple of people have parking spaces and trust me i wasn't in that tier but there are some people being like wait a minute this person has a space i don't know people have parking spaces. And trust me, I wasn't in that tier. But there are some people being like, wait a minute, this person has a space? I don't know. People are getting spaces now? Well, if that person has a space, what's their show pulling? They even getting a one? They're not even pulling a one, I don't think.
Starting point is 00:07:32 My show's pulling like a two, five. Yeah, fuck that. I'm getting a space. All right? You've probably done it with something where you're like, well, that person hasn't been here as long as me. And early, early on, I remember one of my first radio jobs making 25 grand a year. And the guy that was making the most money also had his gas comped. And I'm like, what? And then one day he was like, hey, can you help me with this or something? I'm like, what?
Starting point is 00:07:55 He goes, yeah, yeah. He goes, all my gas. And he's like, I get my mileage back. I get my gas back. And then I went to one of my bosses. I go, hey, this guy makes more money than anybody else here. I'm making 25 grand. I can barely pay for anything. I'm going to the my bosses. I go, hey, this guy makes more money than anybody else here. I'm making $25,000. I can barely pay for anything. I'm going to the red. And he goes, hey, his deal is his deal. Your deal is your deal. And it actually can be something you can learn from. Now, there's times where you'll be justified in saying, I don't care what my deal is my deal.
Starting point is 00:08:17 Your deal is your deal kind of philosophy. Like, this part is wrong. But most of us, we have to kind of accept that. And with pro athletes, when you hear about somebody else making more money than you, the free agent who made more in a signing bonus than you did as the homegrown guy, this stuff is all the same. It is jealousy. It is bitterness. Sometimes it is justified, but it happens, and you complain about other guys' deals. We all want to be loved. Now, some people are very secure and never, ever need to be told
Starting point is 00:08:46 they're doing a great job. That's not always the case. If you're a manager that feels like I can never tell anyone how I'm feeling good or bad, and you're just down the middle guy all the time, I actually think that's worse than being emotional guy. Serious. I'd almost rather have somebody who's up and down so I can be like, oh, he's up today. Oh, he's down today. Then the person tries their hardest to conceal any lean which way or the other and you're like this isn't a game of poker right now we work for you so if you're somebody like most people every now and then you want to hear you're doing a good job and i do think pro athletes wanted to hear this too i know that sounds crazy hey you make all this money you're one of the greatest people in the world
Starting point is 00:09:22 at what you do even if you're not even on the high end out of 32 teams but you are a really special athlete and a lot of times when you keep hearing that positive reinforcement you want to still keep hearing it and we're talking even 10 year guys in they're like you know you could just tell me i'm doing a good job that stuff is very simple it's very human but i think everybody kind of wants it and then again there don't argue the exceptions here there are people i love the guys, I don't care what anybody says. I just show up and do my job and just make sure the check clears every two weeks. I'll do my job, you do your job, I don't need to hear from you. But I actually think more people don't work that way. And finally, I don't know that anyone wants to be at a place where they're working and they see their replacement there okay even if you're retiring
Starting point is 00:10:06 i think sometimes it hurts i remember when i first started filling in at espn people like who's this hot guy with a wicked deep voice we're fucked supposed to laugh there anyway i know that i would see situations where i'd be like wait a minute what's going on like i remember joking with will kane i'm like who's this guy with full head of hair pretty confident you do this thing where you're going and it depends again on what you do but there'll be this thing where if you have like a really special corporate job now all of a sudden somebody's son from the beach club is working in your office and you go like what am i doing signing my replacement here? And the same thing happens with NFL players.
Starting point is 00:10:50 I can't tell you how many times you talk to guys. You'd be like, well, what do you care if they drafted another safety? Like, you're in your fifth or sixth year. You're all pro, and they draft a safety in the fourth or fifth round because they like this tape and you're mad about it. It's like, yep. The wide receivers are even worse.
Starting point is 00:11:05 Like, wait a minute. you're a Pro Bowl, not a fake Pro Bowl quarterback. You're a Pro Bowl wide receiver. There's four of you that play, and you're mad that they took one in the first round? Yep. Quarterback, I can understand a little bit. But some of these positions where there's seven or eight guys
Starting point is 00:11:21 on the roster to that position, and I don't even know that insecure is the right way to describe it i actually have more understanding compassion for the guy in the corporate side of the things feeling like his replacement's coming than the nfl player who has a ton of guys in his position already but none of them again none it's not 100 but the majority 90 plus percent of athletes that i would talk to go uh yeah you know you know how many guys are watching going all right let's see who my team's taking in the first round i play defensive end i'm good i just signed here okay they just took a defensive end i'll tell you what that guy's not doing
Starting point is 00:12:02 i mean he may do a fake post. Welcome to the league, brother. And what it really means is, shit, I'm now in a rotation and I'm going to make even less next offseason. So those are the things that are the same. Let's talk about the things that are different in the workplace. You can't call your owner's son a clown. NFL athletes are doing that right now.
Starting point is 00:12:23 One guy in Jacksonville, very aggressive. Although I think it's weird. It's like you're doing things that are completely unprofessional, but then you're demanding professionalism and you're telling the next team how professional you're going to be. I get being upset about it, all right, with trade demands, which I'm going to get to in a second. But all of this stuff, not all situations are equal for us. Not
Starting point is 00:12:40 all situations are equal for the athletes. But you probably aren't going to survive by calling the owner of the business that you work for his son, a clown, his or her son, a clown. If you get into trouble, depending on your job, but if you're not in the public spotlight, you probably just hide a little bit. If work wants to keep you, they're going to keep you. If work wants to get rid of you, they're going to use an excuse to get rid of you, but you're not going to deal with anything on social media, are you? You're just going to show
Starting point is 00:13:02 up, feel like crap, sit in your cubicle, and ride it out. And be a little nicer around the office probably to everybody if you feel like, hey, I've got to build back a little equity here. If the famous person gets into trouble, specifically the athlete, they're going to deal with a lot more stuff. So that's benefit you, advantage you on that one. And sometimes, too, when you're the famous athlete, it's like, okay, what really happened?
Starting point is 00:13:22 And we're not talking about the most serious stuff out there because I'm just going to leave that one alone. When I see somebody get arrested for a suspended license, I have total sympathy on that one. I have an open mind until I know more about it because it's like, you know how easy it is actually to have a suspended license because you didn't pay a ticket and you didn't realize? But it sounds really bad. Oh, Kyle, really? Arrested? Suspended license? Suspended license.
Starting point is 00:13:51 Were you arrested no i got a uh like a piece of mail that was like your license is suspended and i was up at college my dad was like what the fuck is this so you know i just suspended did you know i didn't know i didn't know for a long time parking tickets there you go all right well you kind of maybe thought hey this isn't the biggest surprise i've ever run into exactly point kyle gets a suspended license. No one cares. When I see that as like a red flag and an NFL player, I go, all right, well, wait a minute. Exactly why is it suspended? It's suspended because he forgot to pay some tickets.
Starting point is 00:14:13 Not the smartest thing, but this is in turn, like, let's not turn this guy to some locker room disruptor because he forgot to pay some parking tickets. So Kyle, I would not put that as a red flag. There'd be other red flags for you, Kyle. So you get in trouble, pass. Famous guy gets in trouble, dealing with more stuff. Sometimes he has to deal with more stuff because what he did is way worse.
Starting point is 00:14:29 But here's the important one. Demanding a trade. Again, not all trade demands are created equal. There are some trade demands where you go, you know what? I kind of get that guy's point. He's been there a long time. He deserves to move on.
Starting point is 00:14:39 Maybe you're a super player empowerment person where you think a person can sign a five-year contract and ask for a trade the day after. That seems aggressive, and that hasn't happened yet. But I feel like philosophically, that's where one group is. My group, the group that I'm in is, hey, well, this one is different than this one and this one is justified and this one is ridiculous. And that's the fine print. If you were to ask for a trade demand, and yes, the very top of your industry, if you were an agent who could take clients to another agency you would have some juice if you're a big-time lawyer and you decide i want to go to another firm they're going to make me partner all that stuff yes there
Starting point is 00:15:11 are those people at the top that still have that kind of power most of us do not if i had told the espn with a couple years left on my contract i'd like to go to fox it would be like well good luck in two years because now we also think you're a jerk and we're not going to want to resign you. So you just drove your own price down because you're not even going to get an offer from us that they have to top to bring you out there. Right? That wouldn't happen. If you worked at Arby's and said, I just don't like the direction of this franchise, they'd say, leave your apron. You know, most of us can't ask for a trade demand.
Starting point is 00:15:38 So when someone asks for a trade demand, it's okay for you to go, all right, I don't like this one based on these certain circumstances, but what you can never do in these cases is go, well, that's not how I would operate. Well, no kidding, because no one cares what you're doing. And that's the biggest overall point that I want to make that we all already understand. But as soon as you start going down that road, if I wouldn't do this, or I wouldn't act that way, or I'd play for free, or I would, I can't believe this guy did this. No one cares about most of us. They don't. There's too many of us already doing everything that we already do. So when Rudy Gobert gets a COVID test and people start saying, well, how did he get a test already? Thank God Rudy Gobert got tested for coronavirus and tested positive as early in the process as he did. Cause if we didn't have
Starting point is 00:16:24 that at that time, we could have maybe had a couple more weeks of basketball games. And who knows what the numbers would be? I, again, open-minded, changing information, not always believing everything I read about all of these things. I am not a stay-inside shamer, depending on where you live. But I'm just going to not even go any deeper on that because I don't want to turn this into anything political.
Starting point is 00:16:43 What I am saying, though, is that the next time, as great as some of the services are that people provide in everyday life, chances are the industry that you're in, there aren't only 450. There aren't less than 2,000 like we have in the NFL. So the person that does the thing that is very special is going to have work options that most of us will never see. We're all stuck inside right now trying to keep calm and carry on while figuring out ways to stay healthy and connected when we're stressed and don't sleep.
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Starting point is 00:18:00 exertion goals so you can work out without losing out on your fitness goals during this self-quarantine. Make the best out of this situation. Here's what I like about it. All right, this is off script. So I can, I leave it on when I sleep and it shows what my heart rate is at. It shows me breaths per minute while I'm asleep. I can see the heart rate peaks. It tells me how much REM sleep I have. It tells me, okay, this is how much you are actually asleep for. And this is kind of what we wanted you to get to. This thing's a great excuse for trying to get a little bit more sleep
Starting point is 00:18:28 because every time I look at it, I'm always a couple hours shy. But then it tells me, okay, because this and this and this, this is kind of where your recovery is at. And then after a workout, it tells me how strenuous it was based on a strain thing. It is so cool. I love it. All right? I go on my phone.
Starting point is 00:18:43 I look at it. As soon as I wake up, I go, what was my sleep thing? Like some of the sleep numbers I was really happy about. I go, okay, great low heartbeat, breath per minute, right in that range you want it to be at. And then when I go on a bike ride now, because I'm a huge bike guy, legs are killing me all the time. But so yeah, I mean, it's just, it's fun.
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Starting point is 00:20:11 I would say that first weekend, the thing I'm most looking forward to is when there's a massive line outside saying, hey, I work with Bill Simmons. Can I cut the line?
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Starting point is 00:20:59 Miller Lite, the original light beer. While you're home, enjoy a classic available for delivery today. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces. Let's talk some draft with Trent Tilfer. Let's start with the quote or the comp heard around the NFL draft world, Trent. So what actually happened? I know I've gone back and watched it and I've watched other reaction to it,
Starting point is 00:21:21 but the Tua throws better than Dan Marino. Tua throws better than everybody. Let's just start there and we'll see where we're at well I think unless I've talked about this Les Carpenter wrote the article for the Washington Post combined two of my comments into one quote I was talking about the context of 2000 Aaron Rodgers junior year in college I was still playing and I was going up to Cal and throwing with him. And I said, he throws way better than Aaron threw it at that time. I said, in fact, I practiced against Marino for four straight years and I was with the Bucks in training camp and he throws as good as Marino throws. So that was the context of the quote.
Starting point is 00:21:57 And Les and the busyness of taking an interview in his house, running around, writes down better than Aaron Rodgers and Dan Marino. So I'd be crazy to say anybody throws it better than Dan Reno or Aaron Rodgers right now. But I won't back down from the fact that I've never seen a better ball, more potential as a thrower than Tua. I have no problem saying that. The kid is an incredible thrower in football. And we can dive deeper into all the
Starting point is 00:22:25 whys and what does that look like but i've never seen anything better than it okay so let's i can do two things here so i do want to back up first because you know i've had the pleasure of sitting next to you watching a couple games i remember watching the des catch no catch playoff game when we were in fort worth together and Rodgers made a throw towards the back of the end zone on a touchdown where you just started laughing out loud and it was so fun to be next to you and Tirico's there and you know I'm just a guy that watches I've always thought Aaron Rodgers is the best thrower of a football I've ever seen in my life um but you know when I hear people talk about Marino I don't know if it's the throw or the fact that it's out quicker than
Starting point is 00:23:04 anyone we've ever seen. So what does thrower of the football, what is the greatness of, what does that mean to you as someone who did it? Well, I think a lot of, a lot of people, it's the house spins.
Starting point is 00:23:14 Just, it sounds different. It looks different. It finishes different. Wilson started all this testing, you know, the chip ball and they can measure spin efficiency, spin rate, speed in the beginning, when leaves your hand, speed at the end. What our naked eye has told us forever is that certain
Starting point is 00:23:32 balls come off differently and certain balls finish differently. I would say I'd put those the two, Marino and Rogers are the two best I've ever seen. The ball just spins differently. It has more rotations, I guess. I mean, I'm not a geeky tech guy, so I couldn't tell you all the metrics behind it, but it just looks different. And then when a ball spins like that and you have the arm talent to go along with it, it finishes different.
Starting point is 00:23:59 It doesn't, every ball at some point starts falling apart, right? It starts falling apart at the end. A ball that has, let's use the word integrity, has more integrity to it, more power behind it, is going to finish different. I would say Marino and Rodgers are the two best ever at that. Now, where Aaron, I think, has even taken it to another level is he can do it from multiple foot platforms.
Starting point is 00:24:22 So he doesn't have to step into it. He doesn't have to have his feet right. And i think those are some of the throws that you know jaw dropping throws we've seen over time where he might be moving away from his arm uh he doesn't get to face downhill and he can still contort his body and it doesn't affect the spin on the ball doesn't finish speed on the ball doesn't finish the precision of the ball i wouldn't say marino was like that but marino did it in the pocket that way there's a lot of times his wrong foot was forward because of a pass rush he's dipping around somebody did the famous arm over stuff where he would avoid
Starting point is 00:24:54 pass rushers throw the ball um that's what i'm talking about throwing under the football now i think there's precision that goes in that joe Montana didn't have a powerful arm, but the ball spun beautifully. It finished as precise as any ball. I think Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, I wouldn't say throws the tightest ball, but he throws a powerful ball. I think a throw of the ball also has to change speeds. We find a lot of busts that they're only accurate when they throw one speed. In fact, this is another metric Wilson's starting to track, is certain guys are only accurate and can only spin it if they throw it as hard as they can. The guys that are really talented throwers can change speed. So pitching analogies to me are the best when it comes to quarterbacks. It's the guy that can paint the corner at 98 and then he
Starting point is 00:25:40 can change his grip on the ball and throw the change up at 88, but he still paints the corner. It doesn't affect his location. It's just changing speeds on the ball. On baseball, you're trying to strike a guy out, but in football, you don't want to throw a full speed to a tailback in the flat, right? A tight end who's 10 yards in front of you looking at you, you don't want to throw him fire, right?
Starting point is 00:26:01 You want to have touch is the layman's layman's term i think you want to change tempos on the ball and the great throwers can do that and the ball doesn't change it's still precise it still spins it still has integrity um your golfers talk about this i know you're not a big golf geek but i know you watch it i'm a huge golf dork um being around tons of pga tour players and when they're hitting balls to me and your eye, well, that's an eight yard draw to a back left pin. That's a beautiful shot. And I'm like, no, that ball lost a little integrity as it was going through the wind.
Starting point is 00:26:32 So they know as they hit the ball, if they hit it pure, if that ball is going to be pure through the wind, if it's maintaining its spin, if it's maintaining the look and feel that they're looking for, Throwing's no different. The great throwers of football, it's an art. I mean, it really is an art how they throw it, how they change speeds, how they locate it differently, how early they throw it. If they can be late, do they speed it up?
Starting point is 00:26:57 All those different things. And in the context of Tua, he does it all. He's like watching a PGA Tour player hit balls on the range. I can go to an NFL training camp tomorrow and pick out a lot of guys, and they're going to be good mini-tour ball strikers. They might be great quarterbacks, but they're mini-tour ball strikers. Tua is a guy, they put him on the driving range tomorrow, and it sounds, looks, feels like the best ball strikers out there?
Starting point is 00:27:25 That's a great answer. So I would tell you that watching Tua in person a couple times, if all things were equal, I think he goes one. I know you're working with him. I don't feel like I'm biased. I mean, hell, I went to five LSU games. I'm not biased. Yeah, but here I am. I went to five LSU games. I'm biased. Yeah, but like, here I am.
Starting point is 00:27:45 I went to five LSU games on my own dime this year, and I still, when LSU beat them, I go, I actually enjoyed watching. And look, I think Burrow's terrific. I'm excited about the whole thing, but I do think that there's a little bit extra there with Tua. So, all right, so you're working with him. Let's start there.
Starting point is 00:28:02 You've talked about the throwing and all that kind of stuff. Give me the full breakdown of Tua, player, guy, the whole deal, and why you think this is a franchise QB. Okay, interrupt me when I start going too long, because you know me, I'll go 18 straight minutes and everybody will tune out to your podcast. So just stop me when I start going too long. I think it starts with what I learned about him when he was 17 years old.
Starting point is 00:28:25 He has an incredible ability of making you feel more important than you really are. So put that in the context of high school football. He was at a high school in Hawaii. They were super successful. He was super successful. He comes across the Pacific, comes to California for a camp that he's never been around any of these kids. Everybody knows about him. He's Tua. He's the guy being recruited by Alabama, but he's this mystery. He's a whole left-handed Hawaiian. So all these are the four or five-star kids are showing up.
Starting point is 00:28:56 They know who they are. They've been to camps everywhere around the country together. All the coaches know him. Nobody knows Tua. Nobody knows his family. By the end of a four-hour session, he's everybody's guy. He's the guy. He's the only guy you talk about. You're not talking about anybody else. It's not just his talent. It's how he interacted with people.
Starting point is 00:29:13 It's how he connected with people. It's the jokes he makes on the side. It's the competitive little games he plays on the side. It's caring what you have to say. He's the guy, when he listens to you, he's actually listening to you. He's not just looking and nodding his head. Like I'm guilty of doing that sometimes. You know, somebody's talking to him and it's like, I'm thinking eight hours ahead. He's actually listening and cares about what you have to say. Now go to Alabama. Hawaiian goes to Tuscaloosa, right? Lane Kiffin
Starting point is 00:29:43 recruits them. Nobody really knows this kid. Jerry Judy, who's at the opening with him that summer, isn't going to go to Alabama. He's like number, Alabama's three or four on his list. Spends five days with Tua. Guess where he's going? Alabama. Najee Harris isn't committed yet.
Starting point is 00:29:59 Hangs out with Tua for a week. Where does he go? Alabama. All these kids this year outside of Najee come out together, right? Like wherever he goes, he just makes you feel more important. He's the guy he makes leader, I guess is the dumbed down word, but he's a, he's a very unique leader. He connects with people and they become, you, you feel like your family. And all the people in Alabama will tell you that. Him and Nick Saban communicate all the time still.
Starting point is 00:30:28 I mean, it's ridiculous the impact he's had on one of the greatest coaches of our lifetime, if not ever. Yeah, you can tell that Saban talks about him differently than a lot of his guys, which is always pretty revealing. I know you have more, but I guess I wanted to make it now about the football thing, though. But if you want to finish, it seems like you have a thought there to finish, so let me let you finish, and I'll follow up specifically.
Starting point is 00:30:52 So let's put that in, like, let's just call it that is makeup bucket. That's how he's made up his soul, his countenance, his presence, whatever term you want to put it in, whatever buck you want to put it in. Very, very unique, very special. I think his processing and his eyes, and we can dig deeper into this with the football part. He and Ken Wisenhut, Ken was one of the guys that came in, or really was the guy that did most of his pre-combined training for him.
Starting point is 00:31:19 I brought Ken in to do the high-level XOs because I'm 12 years out. I'm not up to speed with the NFL micro game. So we brought Ken in, and he did a lot of high-level stuff, protections, run game, coverages, blitzes, adjustments, calls, defensive combinations, blah, blah, blah, blah. To his retention, his processing, his foundation, all that is brilliant. But then his execution of like, I was a guy that's super good on the whiteboard. I mean, I could dominate the whiteboard. My struggles would come when I
Starting point is 00:31:53 didn't look the same, didn't feel the same. It wasn't as linear, right? It wasn't as rules-based as my OCD personality digested it on the board. So I really struggled from the board to between the lines at times in my career so it was actually even better when he goes between the lines because he can take all this stuff and I think he he looks at football more from a 30,000 foot treetops level he understands the micro and he gets that it's important but he's looking more of the big picture hey if they do if they move that way yeah the micro is that they have a guy in the flat, they got in the hook curl, and they're, you know, some kind of a gap pressure, we have a protection answer to he gets that. But he also understands, well, they've sacrificed something over there.
Starting point is 00:32:33 So I'll be rules based here. But my instincts take me to where they're weak. And it's amazing when we're talking to him about the football stuff, then Ken, and I would watch the film, or we'd watch with Tua. And it's exactly how he plays the game. It's like he has eyes in the back of his head, but it's because he sees, Steve Young says he sees it boundary to boundary. He doesn't see half the field. He doesn't see a third of the field. He doesn't see it in segments. He literally sees it boundary to boundary. That's where his eyes are working. That's where his attention is. He doesn't lose focus of where it's supposed to be, but he sees the bigger picture. And then his eyes, working. That's where his attention is. He doesn't lose focus of where it's supposed to be,
Starting point is 00:33:05 but he sees the bigger picture. And then his eyes, as he plays the game, and again, I always challenge people to go back to the film. Go to the sequence against LSU where Jerry Judy drops the touchdown pass in the end zone on the deep post, and it's third and nine, the next play, and he starts off to his left on a strong side-sail combination, and he's reading one-two and kind of lsu's flooded the zone at the last second he whips his eyes back and before his eyes see jerry judy on a backside dig the ball's in the air so he almost throws it blind he comes back and
Starting point is 00:33:38 in one motion throws it blind dimes it in there for a 15 yard gain moves the chains when they're down 19 or whatever they were down. Like you can see it over and over and over that he sees it faster than everybody else. That's what I'm talking about what makes him special, and then we'll talk more about the throwing and the footwork and the power and the escape and all those things. But those are really the things that stood out to me as I –
Starting point is 00:34:02 because I wanted to study him. I mean, I watched all the games this year. I've always known him. I'm a fan, but I didn't, I don't do this for a living anymore. So I don't sit there and watch every snap of every quarterback like I used to, but I figured if I was going to do this with Tua, I should at least do it for the big three. So I did it for Tua, Burrow, and Herbert, just so I knew, you know, what, what the differentiators are. Okay. Is there anything that you like with Burrow better than Tua? Yeah, I think Burrow has better instincts in the pocket as he's climbing through it.
Starting point is 00:34:33 I think Tua is more explosive. I think Burrow has a unique, unique feel for pocket conflict. Special, like almost goofy. for pocket conflict. Special. Almost goofy. How does he know that that guy was coming here and he just kind of wiggles his hips over to here and then he repositions himself to throw the ball. He's got a really, I think it's his basketball background. People forget that Burrow was a Mr. Ohio basketball player.
Starting point is 00:35:02 I think it's just that core athleticism, that core spatial awareness that Burrow has that really sets him apart. And I think he's an assassin junkie too. I think he's made football his thing where I'm going to know more football than anybody else. And I'm going to die on this sort of beam, the Tom Brady, Drew Brees,
Starting point is 00:35:23 Peyton Manning, a football IQ guy. Yeah yeah his footwork in the pocket and that's why you know brady is who he is is he's the slowest he's the slowest guy in the field but he'll take one step to his left and it doesn't matter and he knows where you're coming he just it's crazy and then it's always so like how it jumps out at you when you see a young kid and you go oh you've had clean pockets like your whole life or you get the ball out quick. And like now, yeah, these guys try to tackle you. And, you know, Burrow Burrow was always so good at that. And I do think he's got kind of that. I'm not I don't think this is a negative, but we know how like the quarterback can be the jerk sometimes. Yeah. And I think he has like these, these jerky arrogant tendencies, which is exactly what you kind of want out of a guy that,
Starting point is 00:36:11 you know, look, that's a tough position. It's funny how everybody gets mad about quarterback roles and this stuff. Yeah. Right. Like we all know, like if you grow up around some of the quarterback,
Starting point is 00:36:19 the quarterback in this town or that town, that kid was a jerk a lot of the times. And it doesn't mean like everybody should be a jerk, but sometimes you need that stuff a little bit. I know you probably wanted to go off of that. So we're just, we're just vibing back and forth here. No, I listen, I don't like, you know, I've done obviously a lot of this stuff after two is pro day workout.
Starting point is 00:36:38 And I keep getting asked the question, Burrow or Tua. I love Joe Burrow. I would say I'm as bullish on Joe Burrow as anybody out there for a lot of these reasons. I think his makeup is special. I think he does have that CEO mentality already. I don't think it's, I think you can be both. I think Tua's leadership style is more of a connecting. It's a little more loose. It's a little more laid back, but I would challenge people to go back and talk to his college teammates and talk to his college coaches. They're not going to tell you he's always fun and games. I mean, I've seen it. We did our little
Starting point is 00:37:13 quarterback Olympics on Wednesdays. That was his day off and it's me and him competing. And I used to tell him, man, this is low hanging fruit. If you don't go undefeated against the guy that throws a football, you should be embarrassed of yourself yourself and he smoked me early on but then i got him and i got him good and you know how i can talk some trash about your leg days and all this stuff so i'm needling them in the the next workout i'm dming him i'm texting him you know he has to call me champ um that's my nickname he's been forced to call me champ but now you you start seeing the edge come out in him. The more you make him compete, the more the edge comes out. And it's different.
Starting point is 00:37:53 They're just different styles. The analogy I've been giving, and again, I don't know if this is great or not, but Burroughs is a BMW 750. It's 12-cylinder. So the ultimate luxury car, and there's nothing you don't like about it. I think anybody in the world would take one right now if you had the kind of cheese to get one, right? But if you press the gas of that car, there's going to be a slight lag. You're not going to access all 12 cylinders right off the get go. It's going to lag a little bit, then it's going to go. And you're like, whoa, now I feel it. That's Joe Burrow. Tua is a Maserati. Tua is you barely let your big toe relax
Starting point is 00:38:32 on the gas pedal and your back in your seats. It's just a difference in horsepower. It's a different in how you tap into that juice. Tua is accessible a lot quicker than Joe Burrows. That's where I think the differentiator is. I also think a lot of us, myself included, are enamored with Joe Burrows' production over his power. I do think there is a discrepancy. I don't know if he has elite power. I don't know if he has NFL-style power.
Starting point is 00:39:05 He's going to have to play the game a certain way. Patrick Mahomes went 11 because it was undisciplined and this and this, but nobody questioned this is rare air horsepower. I need people to understand that Tua is in that same breath. This is rare air horsepower. breath like this is rare air horsepower let me give you my um just amateur analysis on on one of the things against tua and well before tua and against burrow i think tua's safety manipulation is you mentioned his eyes like he's doing stuff that i don't think a lot of NFL quarterbacks are as good as he is already with way he he looks downfield and he messes with you um I'm not saying Burrow Burrow just set the
Starting point is 00:39:52 completion percentage record for a season and he was chucking the ball down the field but and I think you probably make an anti-two argument because of the talent right watching that LSU Bama game uh Daniel Jeremiah came on my podcast and he said there's probably 25 NFL teams that would have traded their entire receiver personnel for either one of those teams' personnel on that day. That's how special that day was. I feel like there are times where I
Starting point is 00:40:16 saw Burrow, I mean, even the Oklahoma game, despite they probably could have put 100 up on the Sooners, there were some throws in there early on where I was like, uh-oh, is this a nerve thing or what's going on? Does Burrow get a lot? Did he get away with a lot of maybe intermediate 50-50 balls or even deep balls because of how special those receivers were?
Starting point is 00:40:34 Or is that something that he may be spoiled in because of who he played with at LSU? So, again, no matter how we spin this, people are going to say this is anti-Burrow, so I want to qualify it again and say it's hard to pick apart joe burrow so when you take that approach when you're watching film uh you have to be intentional to find things that may become issues okay so one i mentioned was power you don't see a ton of juice in Joe's body. It's good. He's a very
Starting point is 00:41:08 good athlete, but it's not that, again, that immediate draw on the horsepower. The other thing, and it goes along with what you're saying, is it's amazing how many open receivers Joe Burrow passed up. When you watch the tape, Joe Brady is as good as people say he is. I don't think he's this innovative genius. I think he's a gifted teacher. I don't think he's this innovative genius. I think he's a gifted teacher. I think he's a very good play caller. And I think he's a very gifted teacher. They're very detail oriented.
Starting point is 00:41:32 They had NFL detail within their offense, which I put, I give Joe credit for that because as the coordinator, you're the one that's emphasizing that type of detail. You'll see where I'm getting. They have people open all the time. And Joe Burrow many times passed them up. You see it very often where the tight end over the ball, Moss, chip releases.
Starting point is 00:41:55 He's wide open at eight. Nobody's around him. Joe's looking right at him, passes him up, goes to something else. That's why so much of his tape is off schedule. You know, what's people are falling in love with this second reaction stuff. Well, he caused a lot of that second reaction stuff. He caused a lot of it by just not throwing the hitch on time, or just not throwing the crossing route on time. We're just not throwing the first over. They run a lot of double over stuff and the first over is open. He passes up and goes the second
Starting point is 00:42:22 over. I don't know what that is. and obviously his completion percentage just broke the record so again not a criticism but a concern something that i look at and go does he see it as good as to a season because the one thing about two is he doesn't pass up open guys like you i know their offense i know their offense very good so i kind of know how they're reading three verticals. I know how they're reading smash the boundary with the cross, right? I know how they're reading an RPO inside out. I, you know, I know what the reads are supposed to be and he's going to play on schedule when the guys are there. I think that's something that hasn't been talked about enough. And then they both had great receivers. I mean, I, for as many times you can say through a 50, 50 ball up to number two or number one,
Starting point is 00:43:08 and that guy made them look great is the same thing. I can tell you that, you know, rugs ran under a post for two and then it might've been a little overthrown or Jerry Judy made a back shoulder throw on a ball that was located differently or Najee Harris made a one-handed grab in the flat because the ball might've been out in front of him a little bit but that's I mean I like both of these guys for that reason because that's what they're hopefully they'll get the NFL is they're used to playing with elite performers they're used to playing with elite route runners they're used to playing with rare air type athletes
Starting point is 00:43:38 and hopefully they get the same experience in the NFL yeah and you know what I wish we all would stop qualifying this stuff because I know what you're doing because you're already like setting yourself up to the reaction of like, Hey, this is an evaluation of kids that have never played in the NFL and nobody's a hundred. Okay. Nobody's a hundred and half of these guys bust anyway. Like that's why when five of them went in the first round and I go, you know, the crazy thing is, is two, maybe three of them stink and we can't believe they got drafted. And it seems impossible to say that prior to the draft. I think there's an interesting thing here when it comes to the narratives around quarterback evaluation, because people like I,
Starting point is 00:44:11 I was the one that was really bullish on Mark Sanchez. I, to this day, I think if he didn't go to the jets, he would have been a much better player than if he went to the jets. That's neither here nor there. But I also called the ponder Gabbert locker bus draft. Like I remember being with Merrill Hodge on NFL primetime and on the draft shows, and people said, how can you be – I said, none of these guys are first-round picks. There is not a quarterback that's going in the first round.
Starting point is 00:44:39 That is a first-round pick. In fact, I had third-round grades on some of these guys. You were all over the – the Ponder one was like i remember you going you're nice you're nice about this yeah that was the least i don't want to say impressed that was the lowest level of endorsement i've ever seen from you on a quarterback where and it wasn't because you were anti-christian because everybody knows how great of a guy he is he's a great you you were just you were like what and i i could tell right away with you i'm like and trent's really nice about this like he's a kind soul and this is out on this pick it's just an interesting thing what what people remember with quarterback i've talked to gms about it i've talked to head
Starting point is 00:45:19 coaches about it um that oh you were you were high on this guy i'm like well let's go back and here i'll send you the report. I'll email him the report. I'm like, I have a second-round grade on him. That's exactly how I talked about him. I had a first-round grade on him. That's exactly how I talked about him. It's just weird how soundbites kind of go in their own directions,
Starting point is 00:45:37 and people choose to remember what they want to remember about this stuff. I will stand on the table for burrow and to, uh, I, uh, Herbert, I have an asterisk by, I think he's a first round talent.
Starting point is 00:45:50 I think he needs to go to a very specific situation. Um, and then after that, I think it's looking at the value, uh, to your roster. It's the red shirt guys. They're got Jalen hurts.
Starting point is 00:46:01 I think is not a red shirt. I think he adds value to your roster. It's a up back and punts can cover kicks, I think, is not a redshirt because I think he adds value to your roster. He's an up-back and punt, can cover kicks, can play strong safety in a scout team, can be your backup quarterback, can be a four-minute quarterback, can be a red zone quarterback. I think he brings a lot of immediate value
Starting point is 00:46:15 to you. So I'd put him in a separate bucket. He's kind of a Tim Tebow, Taysom Hill combination. But these other guys are redshirt guys. I think Jake Prom has a chance, given a little bit of time, to be a good NFL starter. But I still don't know if I'd mortgage the home on that one. Yeah, I feel like people like Hertz more now that weren't watching it every single Saturday. To me, you expose yourself as somebody that didn't watch a lot of college ball
Starting point is 00:46:46 if you're going, hey, Hurts should be a first-rounder. And I know how impressive he is in his interviews. I mean, everybody loves him too. And the way he handled the whole Tua thing was incredible. To be in college and do what he did his freshman year and be a defensive stop away from winning a title, and then Tua comes in. I was so happy for Hertz to get in
Starting point is 00:47:05 when Tua got hurt in you know the other game the other Georgia game as opposed to the first one but I sorry I just I see one read and and I don't know I think that's a tough way to play quarterback in the NFL okay when I asked Trent if he's ever going to be a GM but before we do that whether you're working from home or working on your fitness, you want what you're listening to to be what you're listening to, not what your roommates or neighbors are playing. So check out the wireless earbuds from Raycon. Raycon earbuds start at about half the price of other premium wireless brands, and they sound just as amazing. Their newest model, the Everyday E25 earbuds, are their best ones yet. With six hours of playtime, seamless Bluetooth pairing, more bass, and a more compact design
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Starting point is 00:48:54 Because honestly, I don't know that you were trying to do this, but if some of the people that have been getting hired and the way the hiring works, not only in the NFL now, but in basketball, people are doing different things. I know you've been offered to work in a front office but are you ever going to be a GM it's not my ambition it's not my ambition um yeah I didn't I didn't think it was it just seems like you're starting to go there though I really I love, I don't want to talk about me very much. I love the impact of this grassroots. I could see it being in college.
Starting point is 00:49:32 I love getting them before they're pros. I think it's a very different way of looking at developments. I like the pro side and I value, I'm not minimizing it at all. I like the pro side and I value, I'm not minimizing it at all. I'm just saying, I think I'm more built for this early age development, this pre-pro development. I do think too, the GM conversation is as much about who you hire, your team is who you are. We're going to have this conversation, who's the best. And I'll just start by saying they're the best because they hire the best people. It's not always them, but it's their team. It's their team of scouts. It's how they hire their coaching staff. It's how they integrate their coaching staff to the player
Starting point is 00:50:14 evaluations, player development. It's how they tie the two things together. Do you tie your player evaluation to your player development or are they two separate buckets? Do you allow your coaches that speak into scheme fits? Or do you just draft traits? How you handle the cap? I mean, I know a lot of good personnel guys don't know anything about the cap. So you got to hire the best cap guy. So how you blend it all together, you build your team in a front office. I think that's the gift of the GM. I'll talk about John Lynch. I think John Lynch, dear friend, again, probably biased, but I think one of the greatest things
Starting point is 00:50:54 he did when he took over from Trent Baalke, who in my opinion was the best personnel guy in football. And I would still say that if he was back at GM. But what John did a great job was integrating Shanahan's staff into the evaluation of players and not just looking at what they are now, but what can they become and how do they fit our schemes and how do they fit our culture and all these different things and looking at more holistically. I think Belichick obviously does that as well because it's always bigger than just the traits of the player. So again, another long-winded deal for answer. It's not my ambition, but I do see the fun team-building aspect behind it.
Starting point is 00:51:37 Yeah, because I would just wonder if somebody would go, okay, we're still bad at this. And this is where I think the analytics crowd hurts themselves because they look at the miss rate on quarterbacks. And it's something that I've spent a lot of time on. You and I have talked about it that, you know, the 20 years, first round picks 50% lock busts. That was being nice. And the analytics crowd will be like, Oh, all these guys are idiots. And then I go, okay, maybe let's see, let's see what your work says. And then I'm like, well, you guys bust just as much as the old school evaluator. So then really what I go, okay, maybe let's see, let's see what your work says. And then I'm like, well, you guys bust just as much as the old school evaluator. So then really what I've, the only conclusion that I'm comfortable with is just that we're,
Starting point is 00:52:12 we're trying to evaluate something that's near impossible to evaluate. And it's, it's like the things that we prioritize arm strength and athleticism and all these different things. Like, yes, those are all nice, but they're're all just they're just add-ons you know it's like going to the part store and going yeah it's cool cool grill but it doesn't it doesn't necessarily mean anything the rest of the stuff doesn't work so i would just wonder considering how bad it has been historically with the first round guys and what that means to the team if somebody listens to you and goes hey why aren't we just throwing this guy some money to just bump us up from 50% to like 65%?
Starting point is 00:52:46 Because I'd have to think you'd think you would hit on 65%, 70% of first round. I'm sure you probably think it's higher, but I don't know that it's even possible. Yeah. Okay. So I'll use another golf analogy just because it's a simple one. Quarterback evaluations like buying the $2 thousand dollar set of golf clubs pxg science around their irons is just ridiculous taylor made also came out with the ball speeds different it's just different when you use these irons the ball comes off the technology is better
Starting point is 00:53:19 so that's the skill of the quarterback but i can putXGs in your hand, and I can go play with my grandma's Wilson's, and I'm going to whoop you because I'm a superior golfer to you, right? Now you put PXGs in my hand, and I'm going to begin to tap into how good they can be. And now I put them in a tour guy's hand, and it's a whole other level of bringing out the fullness of the technology. Okay. That is nurture in the NFL. The bottom line is these guys go to a lot of guys that don't know what to do with them. They're 12 handicap quarterback coaches.
Starting point is 00:53:56 They're 12 handicap quarterback developers. They're 12 handicap owners. They're 12 handicap head coaches. They sequester the talent of the quarterback because they don't know how to use it. They don't know what an inside path is. They don't know what the release point is. They don't know what rotary speed means. So it's like Chinese to them.
Starting point is 00:54:16 Oh, he's got a big arm. Remember when it was 6'4", 230 and sit in the pocket? But yet team are running RPOs. I don't want a 6'4", four 235 pound quarterback that has tons of power that might be the toughest guy in the world if i catch and protein if i'm a precision team like you got to know where it fits you got to know what to do with the talent that's the misread so i don't know if i'd evaluate anywhere better but i'd make one thing clarify as a gm and i wouldn't take the job from her otherwise we're're building our whole organization, the entire organization around
Starting point is 00:54:48 getting the most from the guy that touches the ball the most. Simple. He touches the ball the most. He talks about us the most. He does the most commercials. He is our brand. So why wouldn't we build the entire organization around making sure we get the most out of him? That doesn't mean coddle him. That doesn't mean get, in fact, you're harder on him. You demand more from him. But it better be to bring out the most in him. You do that, and I can argue that there's a lot of, well, Drew Brees doesn't have elite talent.
Starting point is 00:55:16 I love what Sean Payton did with him when he took that philosophy in New Orleans. Drew Brees was a really good quarterback in San Diego. I played against him my last couple of years in Seattle. In fact, we had a duel in San Diego one year. He was a significantly better player when he went to New Orleans and Sean built the entire organization
Starting point is 00:55:35 around making Drew Brees successful. It developed a hall of famer. It took a guy that I would say had excellent talent, not elite, excellent talent, and put him in rare air. Great answer. Okay, so off of that, give me your five best GMs as we go into the draft this week.
Starting point is 00:55:53 Five GMs you trust the most? Because that might be a different answer, but however you want to do it. I trust Bill the most of directing this draft. Bill O'Brien? No. I'll let you know. I trust Bill the most of saying, okay, here's where we're at.
Starting point is 00:56:16 Let's not complain. We're in a very different situation than we've been the last 20 years. But taking everything into account, here's where we're going. And here's the decisions we're going to make based on the circumstances we're under. Again, I'll use that 30,000 foot view. And by the way, we've handled COVID probably better than anybody else because knowing Bill Belichick, he was out in front of it and started having a backup plan to the backup plan of how they would do evaluations, interactions with players, how they interviewed coaches. It wouldn't surprise me if Belichick goes very conference coach specific with how he drafts because he trusts a handful of coaches out there.
Starting point is 00:57:02 And if you have a kid in the fifth round that played for Saban or a kid that played at Boise that has the same grade who do you think you're going to take if you're Bill Belichick probably the kid where he's talked to Nick he's talked to the strength coach he's talked to the principal not principal he's talked to the the uh English department head he's talked to the janitor you know I mean he knows everything about this kid and he feels safer drafting that kid because he has a connection, a deep connection with that head coach. So I trust him, number one. You know what?
Starting point is 00:57:32 That's a good answer, though, on Bill, because even though I think it's a little overstated how successful he is as an actual drafter of talent. They've missed on talent. He is middle of the pack. And also, he had a stretch there where he is middle of the pack but yes and also you know he had a stretch there where he trusted some of his guys so much that i thought he was almost blindly drafting some of these players and again i'm not saying bill belichick didn't put the work in
Starting point is 00:57:54 but there were times where like urban was talking to him about guys and it was like urban was sending all these dudes and you go what are you doing like you're drafting these gators and like a lot of them are flaming out uh and a lot is is it maybe you know a rounding up there but there were a few that were higher picks you just go are you just listening to urban on these guys or what's going on but but as i say that i also have to like stop myself from going too far down that road and go okay he's still the best roster manager and understanding like how it's all going to come together right and you're totally right because at first i'm like wait a minute why are you just assuming road and go, okay, he's still the best roster manager and understanding like how it's all going to come together. Right. And you're totally right. Cause at first when I'm like, wait a minute, why are you just assuming that Belichick would
Starting point is 00:58:29 be better prepared for this virus? But then as you explain it, you go, he's the one in the room that goes, okay, no excuses. How do we adapt to the new circumstances? And let's make sure that we're all on the same page. And instead of worrying about like when these other teams are like, oh, we could get hacked. My zoom might not work. That's the kind of stuff Belichick's like, I don want to hear it i don't want to hear it let's just get to work and we'll find a way to adapt all that stuff so i actually think that that's that's a
Starting point is 00:58:52 more detailed in-depth answer than just hey he's really good on players because he's had weird stretches where he's he's missed it positions entirely um and he's had you know a long stretch of bad drafts where you're just like wait a minute why am i talking about him as being the best but that's a that's a good way to defend it as far as like the top five and i think roster man i love what you said it's roster management to me draft day is just another day to manage your roster yeah right there's all these benchmarks around the offseason how you manage your roster and if yes who you draft is paramount, how you manage your roster. And if, yes, who you draft is paramount and how you develop that draft capital.
Starting point is 00:59:27 I'm not denying that. But it just fits into a bigger picture, right? Because you can't anticipate injuries. You can't anticipate off-field issues. And you can try to mitigate that damage. You can't anticipate. The biggest thing you can't anticipate is what they become once they make money.
Starting point is 00:59:44 You know, the famous, so you become more of what you, you become more of what you were once you get paid. So there's a lot of unknowns on draft day. So I think you have to package it into this bigger roster management deal. I think the Colts guy, Ballard, does a great job. I think you have to put John Lynch up there simply. Now, he did inherit some incredibly good players from the previous regime, Trent Baalke, that were the core defensive players. But I just have such respect for John and how he balanced that situation,
Starting point is 01:00:19 how he's let Kyle Shanahan and Mike McDaniel, two of the best minds in all of football, also have personnel saves. Also, not just make it a trait where they rank what my scouts say, it's where they fit and how they look at them in the bigger scheme of their program down the line. Here's one that nobody ever talks about. I think Stephen Jones does a fantastic job. No one is going to agree with you. What. No one is going to agree with you.
Starting point is 01:00:46 What? What? No one's going to agree with you on that. I know. I think Steven does a great job with talent evaluation. I mean, I think they've dropped now. They,
Starting point is 01:00:54 I don't know. This is where I gets, this is where it gets great. I don't know where it's a Steven stretch or Jerry stretch on some of these guys where they've stretched. But I mean, I think that they have a very talented roster that steven's been responsible for the majority of it um so i think steven does
Starting point is 01:01:11 not get enough credit uh for how he goes how he how he uh works this thing uh and then i think the team snyder and carol are are really good and one of my most embarrassing moments on tv was the 2012 draft where me, like everybody else was just slammed in that draft because they're drafting guys from, you know, the Richard Shermans of the world and the cam chancellors of the world. And you're like, we have these guys as fourth, fifth round picks and they're going early. And, but they're just, I think they're a step ahead of not just – I think they evaluate based on their situation. They don't look at it as Burrow versus Tua.
Starting point is 01:01:55 They don't look at it as Judy versus CeeDee Lamb. They look at it as, okay, who fits us the best, both culture, scheme, competitive temperament, everything we're looking for. Like we clearly define what makes our guys higher on our board. Now let's not listen to anybody else. Let's go find the guys, identify the guys that fit this the best and rank them from there. And then not use rounds necessary to determine where we get them
Starting point is 01:02:26 let's get them when we can get them so we don't lose them to somebody else i think that's a really unique way of addressing the draft hey i couldn't be happier for you let's uh keep in touch and enjoy the draft this week all right thanks brother all right everybody uh have a great week and we'll be uh checking back in with you. I don't know if it'll be before or after the draft, at least the first round, so be safe. Thank you.

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