Hi there, Mike Shope here from Warming Buffalo Combine Week 3
cones 40 times. Teams trying to evaluate
prospects by asking them things like what they like on a salad,
late night information trading at whatever that steakhouse is
in Indianapolis. So saddle up, Monday, noon,
Eastern Time. Not much to play with yet from
the combat, but there is a little bit who's going to throw,
who's not that's starting to leak out, and we might get more
information as we go through the show.
We'll also look at what's happening in the first round of
big board drafts. What, if anything, doesn't make
sense? What kind of draft slots we like
more than others? At this point?
There's a lot of speculation around.
Or there's new, perhaps speculation around Matthew
Stafford and what's going to happen with him, with our
heroes. Pat Perain is back.
Davis Maddock. Both have dogs named Murphy.
Oddly, I might show up. My dog is named Margo.
Before you ask, this is Pip Chasing February 24th, 2025.
ADP chasing is for when you watch ship chasing, you go these
guys are just football guys and the targets for outrun leagues.
That's going to be really nice actually back in if it's Austin
A. Stare into our crystal ball.
close your eyes. You know all your entries are
going to lose. Anyway.
Yeah, that's fair. This is a Dusvan show.
It's. Anti cabal.
It's anti the best ball thought leader.
I'm obviously lying to some degree because like, I have a
lot of both of these guys. It's the most disgusting thing
you. Can make but man, oh what
happened here. It's not me this time.
OK, There he is. There he is.
Davis, did you leave and come back?
I had to reset real quick my. Head OK.
It was not. Because I had, I had the
outlines up and these are the wrong outlines, but I had the
OK, these are the right out. I was like, I got the I remember
to get the outlines up before we came back.
I'm crushing it, right? Now you're doing great.
Gone. That was me.
That was. Me.
That was me, not you. That was.
Me. Not me this time either.
If if team asked you the college prospect this week, what you
like on a salad, are you better off saying you know, sprouts,
broccoli, light dressing if any? Or do you just go like I'd never
eat 1 Al Michael style? But what's the?
Correct answer is fried chicken I.
Feel like that? I feel like that'll crack up a
football guy. You know.
Fried chicken is the best thing to put on a salad, rather
clearly. Or anything else you know now
show how important is it to you a year a year removed that Keon
Coleman's really funny is that is that still it was never.
Important to me. It was never important to me.
It's one of so many Bills, things that are important to
fans that are completely unimportant to me.
Like who Josh Allen's girlfriend is.
I couldn't care less. Like, I just, I want to.
I want Matt to. Elevate his draft stock.
He was like in there cracking up the room.
Yeah. I don't know if he goes second
round if he wasn't. I want Matt Harmon to think Keon
Coleman is worth it, not Michael Che.
Like I never watch. You know.
Yeah, that's a fair. I want it to make sense on the
field. Otherwise I don't care.
You. That's fair.
Non derogatory. That's fair.
It's it's early for that, but we're off and rolling out for
sure anyway. For me, I would just be honest,
feel like that's the right answer to any question.
So croutons, whatnot. I mean, come fried fried chicken
is the honest and and yeah, I mean, I order a salad about the
regular here with fried chicken on it and it's awesome.
Interesting. Well.
Croutons, come on. Croutons, come on, we're already
metal day. Three.
That's a day three answer. Right.
No, but but a really good salad. A really good salad that when
you leave it and you ate it, it's got to have croutons on it.
Oh my God, croutons. Won't keep.
They won't keep. Yeah, Phil.
Yes, you want, you need that crunch, Pat.
Yeah, what? What am I going to do about
stale bread? Oh my God.
Seasoned stale bread. This is stale.
Bread Elite, Take Corinne. I think sure, like if you're
getting a Caesar, it should probably have croutons.
But if you're asking me like odd thing in a salad, that must be
in all my salads. I'm not picking croutons, man.
You know, I'm going to, I'm going to live a little.
I'm a little little, put some fried chicken in there.
Salad topping draft Coming to an ADP chasing or WGR show near
you? Red Peppers.
Davis, come on. But go with me here, Red
Peppers. If you're if you're going with
with more of a salad thing, I would say sunflower seeds are
also excellent. You can get kale kale Caesar
with sunflower seeds. You don't even need croutons in.
That I I do both brother. So like maybe once a month I go
to Whole Foods and do like the build a salad cost like $27.00.
It's one it's literally one of the most outrageous things on
earth, but you have to you got to get you got to get the
croutons. You got to get they have really
good grilled. Crouton too, yeah.
But you also have the sunflower seeds.
Since the mandate came from a pie.
Since the mandate came from a pie to make the show longer,
there's a little bit more room to talk salad toppings.
Rusty says fried chicken salad. Hold the lettuce, tomatoes,
cucumbers and veggies. Rusty gets it.
That is the correct way to eat a salad.
And BBQ sauce. If you told me a Caesar was
going to have anchovies or croutons, I'm taking the
anchovies. Sure, sure.
OK, all right, so so you we're already how can croutons be the
must have if if I just talked you into.
I just, I don't have salads that often because I don't like to
make them at home because the the kits you get, the dressing
is too high fat. But if you're going to have a
salad like this is the, I guess maybe this is where the wires
are crossed. Salad is not a healthy food
really in general. It's like the salads that most
people eat is very high in fat, very low in protein.
So I'm thinking of this as like a treat.
So I'm like. Not mine, Davis.
I want crush on. Anchovies are the anchovies are
like the first tight end in drafts to try to get us back on
the road here. Like if you go to a nice
restaurant, that Caesar salad, you, you can assume it's going
to have an anchovy paste. My wife is a vegetarian.
She's not getting the, the Caesar salad at a nice
restaurant at a lot of places. You know, they, they, they might
even ask you, but they're not going to worry about it.
So that's kind of like, you know what, in a draft, that would be
a sneaky pick. You know, maybe somebody else in
the room forgot about it. Yeah, it's a guy like this
metaphor a lot. A bad dressing is very Jake
Ferguson where it's like, sure, it's on, it's on the salad, it's
there, but it's not really doing.
It's not really doing not. Doing anything?
No, that's right. That's right.
Anyway, yeah. Francis enjoys that salad is bad
for you. Hot take.
It's just like, what is, What does Francis think salad is?
Does he think that that's. Vegetables, right?
It's it's vegetables. Right.
So vegetables coated in monounsaturated fats.
It's like I'm not. It's shouldn't be on me to tell
you this, Francis. Davis, should you?
Just do this. This is a conversation I've been
waiting to have with you. So a year ago at this time, I
started on a weight loss thing and I lost 30 lbs in seven
weeks. And it was with a, a program
called Awaken 180I do ads for them, Full disclosure.
And, you know, I'm sort of learning like, what do I have to
cut out? What can I get away with?
What's and one thing they told me was eat all the salad you
want, eat all the lettuce, you know, fresh mushrooms, eat all
the, there's no calories in it, right?
Like it's just sort of like free You're, you're filling yourself
up without, you know, eating. Because it's fiber.
It's fiber. It's it's smashes the
vegetables. But I I'm totally with that in
my current thing, I don't track fruit at all in my SO like if I
eat a banana like I had an apple before this, I didn't put it in
my macro tracker. It's like 150 calories, but
there's. A lot, dude, I would I would
just be buying. I would bring bringing in like
suitcases of berries and this be.
Like I'm going to track. These so, but the berries are
like bananas even too apples even maybe too like they're a
little bit too rich in that on that program anyway.
So I wasn't eating very much fruit.
But you know lettuce, Pete, OK. Pete is a health conscious guy
here and he's telling there's there's.
So there's a clear miscommunication happening here.
It is not the concept of salad that is bad.
It's the salad that people eat that they think is healthy for
them and they they slop ranch dressing on it.
You're OK. I can picture the salad it's
got. It's like it's it's some romaine
lettuce, like a carrot, couple cherry tomatoes, ranch dressing.
You, you're literally seeing it in your mind and people are
like, that's a healthy snack. And it's like, no, it's not.
Worse iceberg make it worse. Actually, just go watch like
you're going to get the big the big wedge, you know, you get a
fast food salad. It's just a big clump of
lettuce, is it? The most good salad if your
lettuce doesn't have a color is that does that mean it's
healthier or not? Yeah, darker the better.
Water. If you if you, if you're doing,
you know, good lettuce, spinach, kale, whatever, some vegetables,
some grilled chicken breast, apple cider vinegar and like
olive oil dressing with like salt and pepper.
Delicious. That sounds good.
Healthy, really good. Can I throw an egg?
Can I throw a little? Of course, of course you could
throw it in. But but people are the, it's,
it's these are not all one thing.
You know, the salad that you get from McDonald's as someone or,
or the, you know, the classic is the salad you get from the pizza
place. That's like half a ledge of
Wettis. Yeah, yeah.
They don't even like stop it, don't just.
Give you oh, that's what I'm saying.
You just pick it up like this and stuff it in that little
plastic box A. 100% that cherry tomato.
That with a cherry tomato, some string cheese and and and and
ranch dressing is not a health. Food, the toy and the Happy Meal
is more nutritious. It's better for you than the
best. We don't want here.
What is the answer? What is the answer?
If the if the team, if the Minnesota Vikings ask you, you
know what you like to eat at restaurants.
Are you going just like full carnivore or you're just like,
Oh well, you know, I care about my body.
Honestly, it depends on how much ball, you know, because if you
don't know ball, I think you want to get into the discussion
that we just had that took up your whole interview.
You know, they left a good impression.
You know, we kind of came to a consensus there at the end on
sale. We had some other questions for
you like we're out of time about.
Which plays your team was running?
There's so much fun. You can have with our system,
but we ran out of time. Yeah, those interviews, I mean,
they're all just abjectly hilarious and meaningless, are
they not? Is there anything you want to
know? Don't have you guys read up on
like how the interview, this is a job interview as much as it is
or anything else like a prospect, how it's just actually
counterproductive because why? Isn't it all just four times
Like why aren't you just like being like, OK, we wanted this
like what do you prefer? Like what's your if we ran this
if you saw this defensive coverage pre snap and you're in
this you you know, we had planned, you know, ahead of time
called this play. What are you assuming?
If it's an option route, you know you're going to be doing or
whatever. Da, da, da.
Yeah. Just like these guys, knowledge
of ball, you know? Exactly.
If you had 15 minutes with, it doesn't have to be a
quarterback, it would vary by position.
But if you had 15 minutes with a, with one of these quarterback
prospects, if you had 15 minutes with Jackson Dart, you're not
asking about food, I hope. I mean, if that comes out, it's
all about your. System and what?
It's like, it's like these bullshit, like personality
questions, you know, they're trying to, they're trying to be
like, what's what's the scheme, What's the chemistry going to
be? Is he going to get along with
the coach? Do we like you know?
That type. Of is he a leader?
Yeah, Yeah. We should talk about the
quarterbacks though, because let's do it.
We got 2 updates that are meaningful, 1 I think you guys
probably haven't even seen yet. It just happened.
Shadur is not going to throw. He's going to wait to throw
until the Colorado pro day. You know who else isn't going to
throw? Can't worry.
Really not going. To throw and crane, you're doing
the windhorst. I'm doing the reverse windhorst
on you. Shadur's not going to throw
because he doesn't have to. Shadur is not going to throw
because I I think. That's.
That's my reading. So I was listening to Bruegler
the other day and he was like, he's not like Shadur's not a
lock for the top 10. I think he's he's not.
When you Bryce Young didn't throw and he's and the team
still traded up for one, that's a different situation.
Now also it's the same situation because Bryce Young doesn't have
a super strong arm and neither does does Shadour.
But if a guy like that's a guy that doesn't need to throw,
Shadour kind of needs to throw. Like if he wants to go #1 he
needs to throw. If he wants to go #3 he might
need to throw. Like it.
This is a dude who's like, I don't need to throw to go first
round, sure. To go like top 15, probably top
20 anyway, sure. I.
Don't even know, but maybe he's already, maybe he and his agent
and his his dad have already had conversations with the spot
where he wants to go and he's like, I don't care.
Maybe he doesn't want to be. I think Occam's razors is he has
a kind of a weak arm because he's not being cocked up as a as
a, you know, it's not like he's the clear cut.
He's not even the QB one in the class.
Like how can you not need to throw if Cam Ward's ahead of you
on like every bore? That's not going to change, is
why, like, yeah, Tennessee is going with Carter.
Certainly not going to change if he doesn't do stuff like throw.
What like what is the? What is trying to make it?
Change. Risk reward of that like 11 is
defense, 2 is ward like that's I think.
If you have a, if you have the confidence in your arm, then the
risk reward is strongly in your favor because you could maybe
flip Cam ward and go with #1. I want well.
If you have a crappy arm, then the risk reward is in.
Because who, who wouldn't want to go to Cleveland, right?
If you're a quarterback prospect, who wouldn't want that
to flip that and go to Cleveland?
I mean, I don't care about that if I'm Sanders.
It's actually going to Cleveland or New York if you're a
quarterback. Actually, right now, weirdly is
not that bad because you go to Cleveland, you have Ninjoku, you
have Judy. It's like the basis of like not
the worst passing game. And Tillman, Tillman was kind of
like not that bad. You get to go to New York,
you're like, I'm just going to throw crossers to Malik
Neighbors for the next 4 years. He's going to make me rich.
So either of those spots, I think you're fine.
And what this is? This would be my wind horse Pat
to reverse to reverse. Reverse or horseman?
The two teams who desperately need a quarterback are picking
at 2:00 and 3:00. You dare them play chicken with
them to take Travis Hunter, play chicken with the New York Giants
to take Travis Hunter and run back another year of.
Who would even Well, I think I think you're you're if you're
chador, the scenario that I would be worried about would be
you go you reverse when horsing me.
I'm just trying to fit in, you know, I'm trying to get along.
Go ahead. I, I, I have the point you guys
need to be making, but you, you guys keep talking for a while.
I'll tell you that what you're what you're missing.
All right, let me, let me, let me just say that if you're
chador it, it's pretty realistic that the Titans go ahead and
take Abdul Carter, who's the guy who should go number one in this
class. He he plays edge, he's an elite
edge prospect and it's like he's going to have a huge impact, not
a quarterback level impact, but given like the certainty of him
versus the certainty of the quarterbacks, I would take Abdul
Carter. Then you go to number 2, the
Browns don't want to be investing a ton at quarterback
right now and the roster is not like ready to compete with a
quarterback or even that great of A and it's not terrible to
your point with the weapons, but like it's it's kind of
deteriorating. It's a deteriorating roster
with, you know, Garrett demanding a trade and all that.
They could easily take care of quarterback with like Kirk
Cousins or something, you know, work out something where the the
Falcons are covering most of his salary and they send some some
pick to get him off the roster, right?
Cousins. Cousins is coming to Cleveland.
Now the answer is, is he coming to Cleveland as a bridge?
Is he Andy Dalton with Justin Fields or is he coming on his
own? I don't think it's the Browns.
You can have Watson eating up the salary.
They're eating right. Spend this number two overall
pick on a quarterback and have like Cousins as a bridge like
it. At what point is like one of
these guys you're like, well, Shadora, we're moving you to
cornerback because. We don't have any.
So the the insider, the insider chatter is that Watson's
contract becomes obviously the worst cut of all time.
But cut a bowl after this season?
After this. Season that it's it's as bad as
it possibly could be. It's it's New Orleans St. level
cap detonation, but it is conceivably you can field 53
players on your roster after cutting him.
After after the year. Yeah.
Right, right. But it's just I could see, I
could see them ease like if it's pretty easy for me to be in the
brown shoes and go, you know what, we could really use a face
of the franchise that isn't Deshaun Watson.
Let's take Travis Hunter. Let's take Travis Hunter and
bridge. Kirk's a bridge, but he's a
bridge to after we cut Deshaun next, you know, into 2026.
He gets us through 2025 and you don't need.
Three, Pat, you don't need Cousins for that.
There are 10 veteran quarterbacks that sure cost
anything. You could go with it and you
would. They already did Tyrod Taylor
when Mayfield was there, but he's perfect.
You know somebody like that or Jones, you know that's.
Well, you want to do Jameis Jameis, right?
He's right there. Yeah, that's right.
If you want a vet you can just take Tyler Shock in the second
round and then. You've got your, you've got your
veteran. Leader.
We will get to the I've got takes on Tyler Shock this.
Is going to be your own way. This is all to say this is the
longest longest walk ever. But Cam Ward could be available
to the Giants at 3. So if your if your goal is
Shadoris is like oh just go to the Giants, whatever who cares?
Well, Cam Ward might go to the Giants.
You know, like it's not as simple as that.
Like you have to, you have to be trying to like keep your draft
stock as high as possible. If you want to go in the top
three or top even, you know, OK, do you want to go to the Raiders
at six? Because you might be going to
the Raiders at six. The quarterback The Week 12025
quarterback of the New York Giants will be Matthew Stafford.
That's the buzz. That's the buzz right now.
So his wife's brother was hired by Brian Dabel, who was in
Buffalo with him. If you guys remember the I'm
sure you do Tyler Dunn's, you know, magnum opus on McDermott a
couple of years ago. One big it wasn't the thing with
911, but the 11 big element of that was how the receivers, the
players all got together to celebrate.
Chad Hall, who was the receivers coach for that team.
Gabe Davis had come off the four touchdown playoff game and they
loved him. And what Tyler wrote in part was
just like that. McDermott resented that.
And so he goes. He's not the Giants receivers
coach. I did a quick search on this
this morning when I saw was it Peter Schrager talking about
Stafford? And like Chad Hall received,
he's not the Giant, he's the assistant quarterback coach for
Dabel and Joe Shane, who was the assistant GM in Buffalo with the
Giants. And I don't know, like they
might not know yet who they like of the rookies, but it's New
York and they've been nowhere forever.
Doesn't it work, Stafford? Wouldn't they do it Dabol?
Like sort of on the on the Cliff with the Giants?
What they do, Dabol would. Dabol would definitely.
Do it? Depends.
Probably aligned with asking. Prices, I think like so Stafford
wants a new deal. That's why this is even on the
table. Stafford wants a new deal.
Rams don't want to give a new deal to a guy who's what, 37?
So but then it's it comes out with like, well, what are the
Rams looking for in a trade? They want like a first.
So like, what are you giving up to get Stafford if you're giving
up like a second and it's 2O? Change it's 2O3. 2O3 OK.
I mean, I don't it's probably like where the Giants are and
like what? Like as far as team building,
that's bad because the Giants aren't going to like they're not
going to like win the Super Bowl with Stafford.
It's it's like you might as well build for the future.
As far as Joe Shane and Brian Dabel trying to trying to save
their jobs, that's like a reasonable enough move.
But the Rams, I believe management would endorse that.
I really think so. Like the way the Giants.
Make that though, because. The.
Record's crazy for the Rams. Like the they're, they're in the
wilderness now at quarterback in a in probably the worst year I
can remember to be in the wilderness at quarterback.
Bad quarterback class. Until they get until they get
Jackson Dart and he's just. Going next?
I thought you're going to say Tyler Shuck.
Oh well, I mean, Tyler Shuck is basically Matthew Stafford's
age. They're they're peers.
It's the same workout. Darnold would be funny for the
Rams, having just beaten him twice, but I don't know.
We don't. Give that deal to Darnold, but
yeah. As well.
Someone's going to give it. To him, he's younger.
Pepper Tony as Pepper Tony mentions any chatter about
Stafford, we are contractually obligated to mention his wife,
who seems to be the precipitous here Zach brings up the real
question, which is that Kelly Stafford is is dyed in the wool
the the rumor is basically that like they're they're she's tired
of woke of. This is a misconception of of
New York though. New York is not.
Whoa. New York is like the richest
people in the world live in New York.
They could live on the. I don't mean how far there's
some of the richest people in the world living in the metal.
Yeah, there's. I mean, I mean her brother.
North Jersey, There are very conservative pockets of North
Jersey. She'd be right at home there.
Her brother is the assistant quarterback coach.
Her brother is the assistant quarterback coach of the team.
And you know, we did mention, and this is also where we
mentioned that Joe Burrow is older than Darnold.
OK, go on. Oh yeah.
That's why the Rams do it, because he's 10 years, He's 10
years younger than Stafford. That's why they do it.
Yeah, there's some, there's some rich Democrats in New York for
sure. But.
Column column limousine Column colum Limousine liberals.
But if Kelly signs. Off on it, Let.
Me let me mention here. Money's never that woke.
I live in New York. By the way, money tends not to
be that woke. I live in New York.
Tends to be about money. North, You live in upstate New
York. I live on the western border of
New York, but they tell me that this is New York, so I live in
New York. They.
Tell me. Bills fans get very upset when
it's the the subject of New York football teams comes up.
Josh Allen, one of my first favorite things about him was
when he was on a press conference with Jets media and
like, imagine if you had been drafted by a New York team.
He's like I was. It's pretty good.
Got him. Got him.
Josh Allen zapped his ass. He was.
I think ultimately this could all be just the, the Rams end up
giving him more money, like a two year deal with a shit ton of
money. Like what what's what's the
realistic number, $48 million a year for two years for Stafford?
Because the let's be honest, dude, McVeigh does.
McVeigh does not want to start Jackson Dart.
He really doesn't. I well, why, why are we here
then? Like at the beginning of this
it's. Probably negotiating.
It's probably a negotiating tactic.
They're just like, like Stafford's asking for more than
they want to give them and they're like a little bit
worried about like maybe he's asking for more years than they
want to give them. Or, you know, it's like, let's
see if someone will overpay and then we'll figure it out.
Like they're actually, you know, Mcveigh's not getting fired
after like a, a losing season, you know, like, I don't know,
maybe they, they, they're the worst team in the, in the
league. And then they get like Arch
Manning or something, you know? They we'll do this with you.
Giants can. They come out next year.
I don't know. We'll do this with you giants,
but you got to take cup too. Step 4 Stafford.
Stafford probably would love that.
Stafford doesn't want to break. He doesn't want to break up the
breakfast. Club.
Maybe the Giants would love it. Cup is maybe kind of a good fit
with neighbors. He just like he he's the the
motion guy or whatever. And and say what you will,
defensive players will still Pat Crane and Sam Sherman won't
respect them, but defensive players will still respect
Cooper Hill. I could see it.
Yeah, me too. Well, anyway, you're you're
right to throw shade or just caution to that Cam Ward Browns
idea as bereft historically, currently the Browns and the
Giants cold weather, just such a history of losing.
They both have the right coaches.
I think for a quarterback prospect, you would like that
about them. You're not going to like a, you
know, a Mike Vrabel team or something where like it's just
going to be run and stop the run.
Like you could like Day Bowl and Stefanski both for what they can
offer you. The Browns could do something
with Ward or they do start someone else and they go to Pat
Mahomes route where like we're not really trying to win this
year. We're to develop you or take
your time. This is the one thing we've
always done wrong as Cleveland, You know, Mayfield just guys
throw them right in. Just sort of take a deep breath
and be patient and you know, tank basically.
That's that to me, that's the you're lying to yourself as as a
as Browns management. If you think that's going to fly
with the fan base, you're going to tell them we have Deshaun
Watson. We just get the the first fully
guaranteed quarterback contract just blew a gigantic hole in the
side of the franchise. He's not going to play a single
snap for us for the rest of his career.
We also just spent the number two overall pick on a
quarterback. You're not going to see him
though. You're not going to see him and
our plan is to lose a bunch of games, so.
We're I'd be fine with it. I'd be fine with it and I'm
trading Garrett, dude, Pat, the Patriots, just.
Tried this the the Bears tried this.
It doesn't work. You can't roll out.
You can't do it. It's just a way to get yourself.
You just lose a ton of credibility with the with the
fans. Don't do this.
Don't do don't worry. Joe Flacco will hold the hold
down the the team all year. You don't have to worry.
You you don't. You're not going to get to see
the shiny new toy that you're so excited about.
You just won't see him and you know 6 losses later you'll
you'll be fine with that. They won't be working if.
He's if he's undeniable, if he's undeniable, the Browns, what are
they? They they're they're they're
already flat on the floor. Browns fair like there's nothing
to worry about there. They'll be back.
If no. Ward is undeniable then you
know. This is this is a this is a
let's all get fired plan. Let's all get fired.
Let's let's draft the quarterback number two overall
and not play him is just people hate it.
They hate. It that that you you can't do if
you take the quarterback, you play them there, there's no
yeah, you can have the bridge. Every game you don't play him is
just like you. Just your approval rating goes
down. It's like let's tank our
approval rating with the fan base it it's like directly
correlated. People the one the one area
where I think you're right is that the coaches are probably
doomed. Like what happened with New
England, like they they took their time with me.
He got on the field. I'm not saying Ward has to never
get on the field, but like he's not your plan and you can figure
out how to sell that. You don't really doesn't really
matter. Like if teams, you know, fans
know what you're doing. So I'm a Cleveland Browns fan.
I've waited my whole life. I can wait one more year and it
makes sense. I'm like, let me hear.
I'll consult. Human brain, let me introduce
you to the human. Brain, they're not gonna do it.
Careful. When when it's the middle, when
it's the middle of the season and they're and they haven't won
a game and they're having to watch terrible football and
they've already given up. We how much, how many resources
have we spent on a quarterback? And we're and we're what have we
seen for it? What have we?
You're right. We've you're expect.
All this money on the Sean Watson, we spent the number two
pick on a quarterback and we're getting Joe Flacco.
Don't make it Joe Flacco, but still, Yeah, right.
It makes so much more sense to take a rookie who not everybody
really, he's not like sort of a generational prospect or
anything like that. Makes much more sense to sell
off, you know, your veterans, Miles, Garrett, whatever.
Put him on the field on a terrible team and have fans talk
about how they're ruining the next guy that they spent the two
overall, that makes so much more sense.
No, I don't. Think that doesn't make?
Sense either I think they should take.
Travis Hunter. I mean they should take.
Travis Hunter fine, that's interesting.
Fine. Maybe they maybe that's better,
maybe that's better and then they get their quarterback next
year you. Shouldn't take Cam Ward.
You're not in position to take Cam Ward.
It's too much. It's too much capital to spend
on a quarterback you're not. Ready for a guy to They're going
to. Take I don't hate that.
They're not going to take Hunter.
Kim Ward is is far from a sure thing and these guys like, I
don't know, you're you're hanging on by a thread.
I I think you're your path is get.
You know, you're right, Joe, but it doesn't have to be cousins.
There's, you know, a few different options, but you get
in, you know, a cheaper veteran and you just try to put like a
solid product out on the field and get people excited about
Travis Hunter and the future. And maybe you do trade Garrett
and you've got extra pieces next year and you're like, look,
we've got a good coach. You know, we got a good defense.
We, we got we, we now finally have assets and you'll probably
have a top five pick again next year and then you figure it out
from from that point. Give the fans some credit.
I'm in Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrows division.
I'm in Pat Mahomes and Josh Allen's universe.
They're all under 30. What, am I supposed to go for it
this year? No, like I've got it.
I've got it. Five years here to figure it out
with the rookie. I I think not drafting a
quarterback is fine for Cleveland for, you know, picking
or trading down or something like that.
You know, if they get a get a Garrett moved on, they'll have
another pick or two to, to play with and you could build it up.
I think that that's fine. But if I'm a fan, I am, I have
0% expectation that they're going to do anything this year.
And if I feel that way, the the worse they are, the better.
And I don't want to ruin. Fans are not understanding this
at all. Fans are like.
We have Garrett, we have we traded for Judy Tillman was
exciting and joke who's 30. This will probably be the last
year Nick Chubb can even like walk.
So we should we should try and win.
Chubb's a free agent, by the way.
I doubt he's there. Yep.
It's. A well and Joku would be a trade
candidate for me too. Yeah, I just, I just think
basically, no, I cannot really ever recall any fan base ever in
my life being like, it's sick that my team wants to win four
games in football. In basketball, you can sell it,
right? Basically any basketball team,
you can sell it. But no NFL team like the Browns
tried to do this before. Remember when they they
basically salary dumped Osweiler?
There were the fans hated that. They they hated what?
What was the GM's Andrew, Not Andrew?
Barry, he's a great move by the way, too.
They they got picks for taking on a stupid contract.
Yeah, they hated. Hated that Brown's team.
They hated the the idiot coach they like.
They hired an idiot coach specifically to lose more games
and they hated I again for him for getting.
Hugh Jackson, I think, was Hugh Jackson.
The kitchen, Slater. Yes, these people were like they
were, they were revolting in the streets because they.
Hated. It's a long time ago.
It's the same people that root for other sports.
It's the same people. I mean, here's the thing.
Yeah, I don't think we have. I mean, I, I watched the
Patriots discourse very closely because I wanted them to start
Drake May and I was kind of betting on this narrative
playing out and it did play out. Is is it like what fans want is
they they're OK with losing games.
They're very OK with losing games, but they want you to like
lose games the way they want you to look like you're going to win
games. But then at the end they just
like take the score and change it to a.
Loss the the Justin Fields season where he was awesome and
then threw a back breaking pick at the end of every game.
Bears fans were like ecstatic. They were like this is the
greatest thing of all time. Fields playing well and then
finding a way to snatch victory. From the that's what they want.
But if you look. In those people were thinking
about the future, those fans, the same fans you talking about.
That it has to, you have to go out there and like put a good
product out on the field, be well coached, everything's going
great, you're moving the ball effectively and then somehow you
lose every game like that people are OK with, but unfortunately
what actually happens is you go out and you look like a mess
because you're a disintegrating franchise that hasn't got any
kind of plan and people hate watching they're look, why am I
rooting for this? Why is this my team?
Doesn't matter. I mean, if you own a team, would
you turn all about that? It doesn't matter.
They don't. They don't.
They don't take it well, They freak out.
I'm not in New England, I'm in Buffalo.
And for 25 years, my entire career, it's been mostly talking
about this, which is like, what will losing feel like?
The Sabres have not been to the playoffs in 14 years.
I gotta tell hockey. You don't have to teach me about
what fans. Team did this.
Your team did what I'm talking about.
They did well. Josh Allen.
They played Josh Allen as a rookie.
Sit down for a minute. Josh Allen, Oh, he's a
developmental guy. We don't need to play him.
He plays. He plays the whole season, Mike.
He played the whole. Season.
He played the whole season because Nathan Peterman won the
the competition in the preseason.
And what, you're not going to tell me how this went?
I was here. He started telling me Nathan
Peterman, would he, Nathan Peterman would have stayed ahead
of Allen if if he doesn't, what he got hurt in game one or?
Something. No, he did not get hurt.
OK? They went to Baltimore in the
opener. He was the Allen was on the
team. Peterman won the competition,
started the opener. They got down maybe 40 to
nothing at halftime and did not have a first down.
And they put Allen in and I've never known what their like plan
was for when to play Allen. But he did not go right in.
And you know, he went in kind of in an emergency and he stayed
in. So that's.
My point, that's my point, is that these rookies, if you draft
a rookie in like the top 10, they're plaguing whatever the
plan is. Whoever wins the quarterback
competition, it doesn't matter. Don't trick yourself as the
coaching staff to thinking like Nathan Peterman will start most
of the season and we'll and we'll be fine.
Like we'll just develop this guy behind the scenes.
Like no, you won't. You will play that guy, you.
Won't play him. I think the Bears example is an
interesting one to learn from. Would the Bears have been better
off this year not playing Caleb Williams?
Like nobody was saying they shouldn't play Caleb Williams.
Nobody but he played and it went about as badly as it could have.
Coaching change, right? Like that's one thing I'm saying
about a situation like Cleveland is there would be a coaching
change probably at the end of it.
But if I own the team, I don't care about that.
I care more about sort of the I don't even care about the
perception because fans are going to show up and support me
anyway no matter what they do or say.
I just, I don't know, it's like it's a thing.
It's like reality versus a theoretical thing or like, yeah,
I mean, theoretically, if we all had like, you know, if we like
we were put in charge of the Bears for the rest of our lives,
we would draft Kayla Williams and develop them behind a
veteran. But I just don't think that
that's the way like these coaching Staffs are like with
the. I wouldn't have sat Kayla
Williams. I wouldn't have sat him.
He was a much better prospect. I would say you guys might
disagree, but a much better prospect than Ward.
And so yeah, yeah, no, I agree. And they had Keenan Allen or
Doonese and the other guy like they had, they called it the
best supporting cast any rookie quarterback has ever fallen
into. Call.
The call is coming from inside the house.
So horrendous. Horrendous.
I love drafting with Doonese right now, by the way.
I love that so much. I.
Did he's a good pick? He's a good pick.
Caleb Ben Johnson, Keenan Allen goes come on, it's O Doonese or
Tet in these drafts. Davis, your rankings like sort
of right side by side or Doomsday or Tet?
I mean, it's just like I think you, you coin flip that one
based. On I think I'm Ted there.
That's really good. I don't have I don't have a hard
the the thing for the big board that would lean you, it's so
like if you have Garrett Wilson and you don't know who to stack
him with before that, I would maybe lean Rome because you know
who to stack him with. But if you have you, you took
Jefferson, you took Ladd and you took so you take I don't know
who's who's wide receiver 60 and I can't even think JSN.
So you've got you've got three, you've got 3 quarterbacks you
can take. But if you started running back
lad Garrett Wilson, well, maybe you'd do Rome so that you can
set up another quarterback. McBride in there.
McBride sure, back to the rookie quarterbacks.
So Ward not to throw, Sanders not to throw Davis, Dart,
Millro, Riley Leonard reportedly will throw Tyler Shug.
Here's a guy he should be the next guy to change his name once
he get into the league to show because you could pronounce it
that way, like change it to show be the show.
But he's Tyler Shug coming out, isn't it?
I've heard it. I've heard.
It shocked. Shocked.
It's shocked. OK.
Well, we could we'll we'll expect that to change.
I'd bet on that. But Greg Cosell is definitely
shocked. But for now, but it was also
Liggett and there's also H that's.
True went to the pro and they changed their.
Names we talked about this. Yeah, leave all that baggage
behind. We're going to come by a
different name and E Tyler Show or actually someone else anyway,
Greg Cosell is into him. Davis over under quarterbacks
picked in round one. I've got.
I've got the line at 3 I think. You take 3 'cause I think it'd
be set at 2 1/2, so you you'd probably take the over.
Yeah, Corinne, you and I, you and I disagree on this one.
I, I think it's like almost a certainty that Jackson Dart ends
up in the first round and I think higher than he's currently
going in the mocks. Like his most common spot now is
being drafted at the Steelers slot, whether the Steelers trade
out or take him there. So I think we don't.
Where I disagree is that I think I think Jackson Dart's not a
very good best ball pick because there's some real downside for
best ball. One of the scenarios would be he
goes to the Seahawks in the first round.
Totally reasonable move by the Seahawks, but he's not going to
start all year. Maybe he starts at the end of
the year, but you're going to lose a bunch of starts and, you
know, at a spot where you have like 3 quarterbacks and.
Like the Super high? Upside type of archetype.
So you're just. No, that's definitely true.
The reason why I like taking Dart right now, it's twofold.
First being I think it's fairly certain he goes first round like
I would. I would make it like if you let
me bet it at -110. Right now I bet, I bet -110 so
I'm Dart or I'm 3. On Dart either.
Either. Or right, but wouldn't you
rather him go the early? 2nd to like, you know, the
Raiders or the Giants or you know, whoever doesn't take a
quarterback in the first round to figure out in, in, in that,
in that. Conception like, like the Will
Levis thing. Here's the thing, though.
Yeah, the Will Levis. I, I think that's not the way.
I think the Bonex Michael Pennix thing kind of changed how these.
I think we're seeing evidence of the changed NFL meta where the
Falcons were basically like, dude, we just got to take him
here. We're not, we're not digging
around. We're not trying to wait.
We're not. We're just, we're not another
team could trade back up or just we're done, we're done digging
around. Rusty also points out a big
thing with quarterbacks is there is a huge incentive in taking a
quarterback over another position in round one because
the fifth year option for quarterbacks is big.
Because if they end up being awesome, you can get a cheaper
year that's a cheaper 5th year you.
Can get it and and. Yeah.
So there's also. This is one of.
The many ways the Giants screwed up the Daniel Jones situation,
but they declined the with your option, right That was their
year to kind of figure out what do we have when this guy 100%
and then they then they declined a franchise tag him and then
they committed to him after that one year So yeah, I think you
know even if you even if the guy's not awesome, it at least
gives you more time to figure out if you're going to extend
him I think with. With Jackson I.
I agree with your point that, you know, maybe teams are just
like, look, this, this this guy's our guy.
But you do have two land mines in the first round, first being
the Seahawks, but the second is the Saints.
You know, you want to talk about like a, a team that would be
kind of this year's Falcons of like, oh, man, I did not see
them going ahead and taking a quarterback.
But you get the new coach, right, Callum?
Moore's going to have you know this year.
'S a throwaway year. You can cut Derek Carr after the
season, you can't cut him before the season.
It doesn't make any sense dead cap wise, but you know, I was
listening to Conor Rogers talk about Dart.
He's a pretty big fan of Dart, but he was like, I'm a fan of
him in the sense of like you developed this guy.
He's a legit kind of developmental quarterback where
he's like, and I and I've I've gotten my quarterback write ups
like 95% done now. I was struck by like he was sort
of a system quarterback in college, but not like the system
is a different, like a really different system than in the
pros. Like he's not a great thrower to
the middle of the field. He's he's not like a plug and
play like system game manager in the NFLI think he's going to not
that he can't do it, but like you think he's going to have to
like well, so I. Would push back on that a little
bit because the system that he was in at Ole Miss is now the
most dominant, not dominant. In terms of results.
Dominant in terms of nomenclature route concept in
the NFL, which is the Lane Kiffin RPI mean not that Lane
Kiffin originated it, but Lane Kiffin is the is is just part of
the the tree, which is like that's what every team runs
basically what he's doing what. I mean, is like, he's really,
he's got a good deep ball, he's a good scrambler, but he's not a
great thrower to the middle of the field.
So if you plug him into like the systems that protect these
quarterbacks with flaws, it's, you know, like I like JJ
McCarthy's fit a lot better than Jackson darts.
It's like you're going to throw him into one of these West Coast
Shanahan tree offenses. And like, yeah, he'll be he'll
be good enough at the RPO stuff. But like, can he?
Don't forget the Rams. Yeah, the Rams, I mean, that's
another example. Like is he going to, is he going
to deliver the ball on time to guys and, and so they can get
yak like all these systems are built around getting yak and.
Dart is more kind of like a. Playmaker.
He's, he's like a runaround playmaker, you know, with, you
know, I think so. I think there's a difference
here in opinion, which is like sometimes guys do that in
college because that is what is required of them.
You know, my read based on watching him and also like he
completed, I think like he led all of college football in
completion percentage and like some some of these like pretty
good, as you noted, pretty good big time throw rate as well.
Basically, Corinne, just let me, I'll just I'll just summarize it
this way. I think he can have a Bo Nixian
level impact on whatever team decides to start up in year 1.
I actually think worse runner the Knicks, but a better
thrower, a better reader of the game the Knicks was and Knicks
obviously got there. Like actually Bonex is kind of
incredible. He like got a lot better in
season, which you don't see like Caleb Williams got worse as the
season went on and Bonex got better.
You you could actually like see it.
With Bonex, like he is better now, like he's he had gotten,
yeah, you're right. I had a great offensive line,
which is probably a big part of that, but.
He Chader LED in completion percentage.
Dart led the SEC in completion percentage.
Not, not all of college football, by the way.
Talking about the Browns earlier, just I'll, I'll correct
one thing. There's their second round pick
is the two O 1. Those were ties.
The the thing about the draft order, there can always be
trades, of course, but who are the quarter?
But who are the teams that might do this?
Like Bo Nicks, Denver sort of forced that and they got away
with it. But it's 123 Tennessee,
Cleveland, Giants, it's the Raiders and The Jets 6-7.
Are we talking about this guy as a top seven pick?
Probably not. After that, nobody is looking
for a starting quarterback unless, you know, you talk about
maybe Pittsburgh at 21. I mean, I'm telling you, I
think, I think some of. These teams like from last year,
we would not have talked about the Falcons, but I think some of
these teams, they could fall in love and be like.
So I I do think the Saints, the Saints and the Seahawks are like
strong candidates. If he goes, if he.
Goes to the Saints. I think I'm winning anyways,
'cause he's starting eight games, including he is starting
eight. He's starting.
Eight games. They're not going to.
Yeah, He he's taking the job from Carr.
By the way, I I kind of like Dart.
I'm not out on dart at. All I just think that his like
one of his the comps for me was was Daniel Jones.
He's kind of Daniel Jonesy with signed me up for that.
Frankly, got a better deep ball. You know, but it's not.
I don't think he's. Going to like sit back.
In the pocket and be like picking, picking apart the
defense, you know, he's like, it's more, it's a bit more like
depending on his mobility. It's, yeah, it's his athleticism
and his ability to like really throw downfield the the nutted.
Scenario is, is obviously The Jets.
The Jets say, you know what, we're taking him at 7:00.
We're having him toss it to Garrett Wilson.
We're throwing a bunch of check downs to, to to Breece.
Yeah. Also, as Neighborhood points
out, Jackson Dart, insanely handsome guy.
Don't know if that helps, but I think he's probably done.
So the good face. And the good name, This is the
guy who's not going to need to change the pronunciation of his
name in the NFL. The good face and the good name.
That's a good kind. Jackson.
Jackson with an. X Dart.
Yeah, dude. And he also he, he.
Runs a little and he runs hard. He'll put his shoulder down.
He'll, he'll come up and do this.
You know, he's got he's got the right energy for a guy to go
first rounds when and and he was one of the he.
Was like the reverse Millroe like everyone at the the Senior
Bowl was like Jill Millroe asked Don't want him.
And everyone at the Senior Bowl was like Jackson Dart, man, I
don't know. Well, the the thing I.
Push back on there is it not everyone?
Jackson Dart is really polarizing.
Some people think he sucks but but he has people who think this
dude is awesome. So what about Milro at this
point like you? You'd bet -110 on dart in the
first round. What would you bet on Milro to
not go in the first round? Yeah, he's, he's not going a lot
of money. Really.
You're that sure? I had a bet goes.
First round. I have a bet on.
Him not going the top 16, that's nice.
That's a bulldog bet, Pat. Oh, he just took the other end
of that. Did you did you have to lay
anything I like you know, he he's a smart.
Guy, he knows a lot and he's like every year, one of these
guys, no one's talking. Maybe it's Tyler Shuck, somebody
that we're not talking about. They fall in love.
It's what happened with Nixon Pennix.
Remember Ben Solak last year like a week before the draft?
I think a lot of him like there's no way.
These are first round picks, Bam, both of them.
I'm not even in the, you know, both top half of the first
round. So did that go well?
It definitely went well for Denver.
So could somebody I just, I mean, I think my point is who is
the team it it went way better for?
The Falcons than they could have had any reason to expect because
they should have been up Schitt's Creek without a paddle.
And Cousins was just so bad that basically like, they just
immediately bailed themselves out, you know?
Yeah, it's. And this kind of goes.
To the earlier conversation a little bit with about, you know,
what happens when you you know, when you draft a quarterback
high, they think they do tend to play.
If you have that bailout option and the guy ahead of him is not
doing what you expect, even if you just spent an insane amount
of money, you're going to go to the bailout option.
These guys are in self preservation mode.
They're not going to be able to handle, you know, putting a bad
product out on the field. So, yeah, I mean, I think that
backs up your point, Davis, about if Dart goes to the Saints
or if he goes to the Seahawks. Like now the pressure is really,
really on those veterans to like, play really strongly and
have the team play well, too. And the minute they lose, like
two or three games in a row, we're probably seeing the
rookie. Yeah.
I think it's kind. Of bad, I think Dart would.
Be better off if he could get like a year.
The Patrick Mahomes plan would actually be pretty good for Dart
in my mind. But what What's best for Kellen
Moore? What does he want here?
Does does he want dart of work? He takes this job.
He, he, it's a thing. He moves.
Every year. And you know, this is maybe
because he's just, what was he trying to move?
Next year, too. That's funny.
What? What?
Is best for him? Is it to make Derek Carr work,
or is it to kind of blow it up? The worst thing in the world is
to make. Derek Carr look good because
then you have to deal with Derek Carr in 2026.
And then it's like if you don't make him look good again, now
it's on you, then you're out. Yeah.
So. Well.
Yeah, I think. You, I think you.
Want what you probably want? Is.
To. Just tank, just like play.
Just play a bunch of Spencer Rattler.
Just just just go for if you're going to, if you're going to do
that, just bring. Dart in and just be like, well,
let's see what you got. But I have to spend money.
I have to spend. Capital on dart.
Like, why? Why wouldn't I build through the
trenches, you know, and just trying to make this team better.
This roster sucks and it's getting worse so bad.
Yeah, they should. Drain down 5.
Times. Yeah, they should.
Do you know who makes more money?
Than crystal lobby this year. On the Saints, no one I'm.
Sure. Or just Carl Michael.
Michael Thomas, Michael. Thomas says more more against
the Academy. Here's 11 state.
Of the year well, so. You, you're making.
You're making. Not Jamal Williams.
Michael. Thomas, not Jamal.
Williams either. Does he?
Also make more money what what you're actually doing.
Is you're actually making the point that they are going to try
and make Derek Carr work because they just refuse?
To do this. They refuse to eat the shit for
whatever reason. This ownership group, you're
right, you're right. They.
Just absolutely refuse to just be.
Like, you know what? We are going to be so dreadfully
bad. So bad we are going to be
Spencer Rattler throwing to Marquez Valdez Gantling.
Except not at the end of the season.
That's the plan from Week 1. Garbage bags over the heads, are
you? Guys old.
You remember that? Oh, yeah.
Where? Where did that go?
What happened to garbage bags over the heads?
Where did that go? I've seen, I've seen the paper
bags. Is that not paper bags?
Paper bags, yeah. No, I've saw that A.
Bunch I saw that a bunch this. Year, we don't see that anymore.
Or doing just in Buffalo, Mike? Really, that's the whole thing.
It's all around. Yeah, yeah, Jets fans and.
And Browns fans, Jets fans, Jets.
The stadiums are, too. Nice, yeah, but.
All right, Yeah, that was the Saints originated that the
aunts. And did they?
I. Didn't know that was the Saints.
Oh yeah. That was that was the first I.
Think I believe the Saints St. aunts fans or the they write
aunts. The aunts, yes, it's pretty
good. Paper bags have been banned.
I've. I've seen them.
Come on.
Did you know that Joe Theisman was?
Thiesman in college, no. Wow, that's a bigger name.
That's a big one. We're on to a new thing.
Here of guys. Changing the pronunciation of
their names. Changed his name to win the.
Heisman didn't. Ended up punting in for the
Toronto Argonauts before too long, before he really made it
in the NFL, Tony Dorsett was Tony Dorsett.
Yeah, yeah.
Let's get to. The arts, The art.
Not. Let's anyone.
Think I'm, you know, moving these guys along today.
Can we all agree on that? I'm really you didn't move
along, but you let. Us go now.
I'm moving you along at 52. 30 at 5230.
Yeah, all. Right, All right, let's so.
Round one Zach did some good work for us as usual this week
with some graphics there. You see you know I'm up in the
big board at one O 2 Chase went one O 1.
Is it obviously Barkley? I mean, I'm of course it's a
portfolio thing, but you guys could tell me what to do there.
I just, I lost all my mojo, man. I.
Have no mojo left. I'm not making any stances.
I'm just taking the first round picks where they go, even though
I think it's frankly the worst ordering of the first round
since Jonathan Taylor went 101. What would you what would you
have the order? As my truth serum order.
Yeah, Jefferson, Bijon Chase, Barkley, Jefferson one.
Bijon Chase Barkley. Yeah, that's my truth.
Serum if you throw the next slide.
Frankly see chases A1 O one versus recent years.
Frankly, double truth serum. Is Barkley should be even lower
than that but I just I don't want to get cancelled so the
thing so. Barkley I you know, when we
first talked about it before the season ended and stuff, I was
like, I don't know, like Barkley one O 1.
But I will say with, you know with Barkley Davis, if we think
about like Week 1 projections roll out, Barclays can.
Be projected for like 20. 22 point. 5 underdog points or
something. Yeah.
And then like Bijan. 'S what?
Like 1920, frankly. I I.
Think there is a good? Argument.
Move that Algier rush air to. What it was at the end of the
year and you've got you've got Bijon in the same category
before we. Get you're going to need to.
See it though? Sorry.
Pat. I want to get back into that,
but we can move on from let's look at this for a minute.
These are the last five one O ones in best ball mania than the
big board right now with chase. By the way, I want to just
especially appreciate Zach for leaving McCaffrey back four
years ago in the Carolina uniform.
When Aaron Rodgers signs with the Titans, Adam Schefter will
be there with a picture of Rodgers and ACGI.
You know, Titans, no one needs that.
All right? Let's just wait until he
actually has one of those jerseys on.
We don't really need, we don't need the world to put the fake
jerseys on. I hate it.
I hate. It you know Juan Soto's a met
there. He isn't a met, right?
You don't what? Why do you need to do that?
You don't need to do that. It always looks a little weird.
It is weird. That's finally we agree.
So anyway, here here's the chase.
One O 1 these last 55 minutes. Totally.
Agree, it was a fun ride. We've got a, a, a slide on Chase
versus Jefferson if you want to do that.
And then if not, we can get right to the running backs.
I I predict Gibbs at Berkeley in the opener.
You mean they? Play each other.
That's a cool. It'd be a cool opener.
Philadelphia has options they play of.
Course, Washington, Dallas. Let's let's let's talk the
running backs first. We.
Can come back to the receivers. I want to have the the B because
I I. Kind of want like, all right.
My truth serum take is that Gibbs should probably be the
one-on-one this dude is. I'm fine with that as well.
This. Guy's the best running back.
Like he he's an incredible running back and he catches the
ball and he has an amazing offensive line and the team like
loves to run the ball. And it's like, if anything,
we'll probably get a little less creative, which is probably
decent for the running back. Like, you know, all the
offensive weapons are in place. Like there's there's total
stability here. The only thing that's like a
little uncertain is how how much David Montgomery is going to
have left. So I mean, Gibbs could just go
absolutely new. That's that's a, that's a
pretty. Big area of.
Concern though 'cause that could.
Ship like imagine a world where you you actually projected the
entire season where it's just Gibbs, Sion Vaki and Craig
Reynolds in the backfield, then Gibbs.
Like if you were told right now, oh, David Montgomery tore his
Patella tendon, you know, Gibbs is is probably the one O 1.
Yeah, I think Gibbs would be the one O 1.
Like any people would would it wouldn't be like you'd you'd
have to argue it. I think he just would become the
one O 1 become the one O one. Yeah, people.
Understand the the bowl. Case here, like we all, we've
all seen it, but I mean, like you think about like how running
backs actually turn in insane performances on a weekly basis.
Normally it's that they have access to a bunch of touchdowns
and they can catch a bunch of balls.
That's what Gibbs can do, would Barkley was able to do last year
is just like kind of destroy that to a degree by just having
this incredible breakaway ability.
But Gibbs also has incredible breakaway ability.
He's got all the things. Yeah, he's got that too.
He's got the. He's got an amazing offensive
line as well, so you're kind of layering on some additional
ways, like additional outs for him to have monster games, the
concern. Is really about.
Montgomery and now, so it's like Barclays.
Case really comes down. To from the jump, every single
week, he's going to be projected awesome every single week and
he's going to score awesome in a bunch of those games.
And as we get to the end of the season, as long as he's healthy,
as long as the offense hasn't melted down somehow, he's going
to be a really, really strong bet in the playoffs as well.
But like Gibbs is the one where if everything breaks right, he
could just he's like putting up 40 burgers.
You know that that's like right. And that, and then it it's a
question of like, how much, how much do you want to like give up
in, you know, the most likely scenarios where you are giving
up compared like Barkley's a better bet in the most likely
scenario than Gibbs. But in the scenarios where it
breaks right for Gibbs, like give me Gibbs all day.
So it's really just a kind of a question of how you balance
those two things. They also are losing.
Ben Johnson, I think that will likely did make them a little
bit less efficient. I mean, you could argue that
maybe being a little bit less efficient on a team level might
actually help Gibbs feed him a little bit more volume.
I just want to spend a second on Bijan though, because I feel
like because it, it came at the end of the year when everyone
was kind of checked out, like how many people are just like
done with fantasy football by week 15, week 16 or whatever.
The, the Bijon Robinson as engine of the offense thing.
I mean, it happened. They, they, he ended the year 28
rushes, 5 targets, 17 rushes, 5 targets, 22 rushes, 2 targets,
22 rushes, 2 targets, 22 rushes, 2 targets, 26 rushes and six
targets. That is, I mean, that's better
volume. Than Barclay.
I wonder a little bit what Atlanta wants to do with Pennex
and maybe the the Occam's razor here is that that should be
through Bijan. And then he grows and you're
right. But Barkley would be third here
for me. You know, we, we know each other
like it's the older running back number of touches Saquon Barkley
had this year, 482 Good God, including.
Play offs. Well, I mean look dude, surely
the fact. That he's another year older,
that he got 33 targets, that they have the most unstoppable
short yardage play in the history of football.
Surely none of that is going to impact Barclay's fantasy numbers
and he's just going to keep scoring these 50 yard touchdowns
and let's all just take him at one O 2 so that no one laughs or
mocks at us. He's a good pick there.
So just take him. Dale.
You're right man. Like.
I I feel like a. Younger me just.
Would put Gibbs at one O 1. You know, just he's the best,
he's the best bet to win tournaments.
We're trying to win tournaments, Gibbs.
That's that's your way of saying that's.
What I really should be doing that's well, I so I I disagree.
To to win a a shit load. Of money, Gibbs is the best bet.
I I disagree with that in only. 1 slight way which is that if.
JJ McCarthy is as. Good or a smidgen better than
Sam Darnold. And the defense is just not the
best defense in the NFL. If we could just get the
Minnesota Vikings can be the 11th best defense instead of the
best literal second best defense the the Eagles for the best
defense we could we could be looking at like.
I mean he could just duplicate what Chase did last year except
without the two for 20s interspersed in there that Chase
does. Yeah, I think Jefferson and
Chase. Are both like very strong?
Picks at at the. Top and you're saying like I
basically be able to build, I'm going to out build the teams
that take Barkley and Robinson and and you know, Gibbs will be
well, first of all, Gibbs might be gone by the time you get
Jefferson. All these guys might be gone by
the time you get Jefferson. But yeah, you're you're going to
like out build the teams and find running back points
elsewhere. Those those guys are, are really
good picks. I think to me, like there's
there's not it's not that interesting of conversation
because they're both just really good picks.
My. I guess toward Davis might have
sounded condescending. That was unfair.
That was a non derogatory unfair by me.
I I don't know what's what's the T Higgins effect on Chase if
he's gone like what is do we care?
No. Oh, I think if Higgins is gone.
It's pretty good. For Chase, it's.
Except. Except Zach Taylor's.
Such a goddamn moron that when T Higgins was out last year, Jabar
Chase had 48% of his routes were double covered and he never
moved. Zach Taylor was like sick dude.
You know what we're going to do? Mike Kasicki?
They'll never see it coming. But you talk about a.
You talk about. A change in.
Defense, Minnesota, he got to include Cincinnati, which had
the worst defense. And if they get to league
average, that's, you know, going to flip that pretty hard.
What do you think the? Yeah, I mean, bad defense.
And you got to give Zach Taylor credit, especially in this era
of the NFL, he will pass the ball like password over
expected. They're kind of our kings now.
So, you know, that makes up for like, you know, it's like how
many additional routes does Chase get and you're burning
some of those. They're not the most efficient
routes. They're not, you know, it's not
the most efficient design of the offense, but it's truly built
around the passing game, which is, you know, there's a lot of
like A.J. Brown wishes he had an offense
built around the passing game. You know, these, these elite
receivers aren't always in that spot.
One slide we have if you're. Ready is who is the wide
receiver? 3 Lamb is interesting, I mean
Nikua. We'll see what happens with
Stafford. I guess there could be some
trepidation about him pondering a change.
Collins and St. Brown, so well established.
Lamb feels in a way that I like when it comes to drafting him,
just kind of boring. We've been through that and
Brian Schottenheimer taking over feel like the instinct is to
kind of not fade him but not be super excited about him.
He's, he's old enough now where I think he's become boring and
that makes me like him. But I would not separate him
from this group if this is. A world.
Where Stafford gets traded? Why?
Is Amin Raw not the best of these?
Guys, it's I, I think it's CD. Personally, yeah.
I mean you have. The the Schottenheimer
uncertainty There you also have the Ben Johnson left uncertainty
well, CD was the. The nuts, They were the number
one scoring offense in the NFL. Was Schottenheimer calling the
plays two years ago? OK.
Prescott. Was he calling?
The plays He calling. The plays under McCarthy two
years ago, yeah. It's, it's like, it's like, it's
so funny. 'Cause I think people have done
this mental math of the Cowboys were terrible last year.
Schottenheimer was this out of left field coaching hire.
I feel like people forgot this. People think Schottenheimer is
new to the system. They were like, oh, he was out
in the wilderness. No, he's been, he's been
calling. I didn't think he's new to the
system. I didn't know he's calling
plays. Under the McCarthy so Callum
Moore left, we talked about how. They wanted to score less,
McCarthy made a comment that made us all sort of Dallas
wanted. They thought it'd be a better
team if they scored fewer points.
That was actually so that. Came out that was a comment he
made that was reported the year after Kellen Moore left.
But he had made it the year before Kellen Moore left.
So he, after Kellen Moore's first year calling plays,
McCarthy made a made a comment of like, we're basically passing
too much or scoring too many points or whatever.
And then Kellen Moore returned and they had a good offense.
And then that like came out that the following year after more
left. So McCarthy McCarthy kind of got
a bad rap there where like he and then they they were quite
effective. Are you he he wasn't calling
plays though in 2023. I, I think, I think if I
remember. Correctly, and maybe a Cowboys
fan can correct me on this, so sacrilegious or or stuff.
My memory was that it started out with McCarthy calling the
plays and then was one of those in season.
I don't, I think I'm not sure. Sean Heimer.
Ever called the play like the NBC Sports November 19th 2024
Mike McCarthy hasn't considered giving up play calling duties OK
to Brian Sean Heimer I think McCarthy called that was wrong
OK I'm. Wrong.
They don't have to really tell you.
Remember, like Mike. Tomlin with this they.
Don't really ever have to tell you who's calling the plays.
They can just, you know, whatever they want you to think
will be. Frankly, I'll say this I.
Think the Cowboys, it was just I actually kind of feel similar
about the Cowboys. How I feel about the Dolphins.
I'm like, I just I'm not taking anything from last year is real.
They're going to look different. Brandon Cooks is not going to be
the wide receiver to DAC will be healthy.
It'll just I don't know exactly what it's going to look like.
I don't know exactly how it's going to work, but they are not
going to be this awful chaotic mess.
I don't they they just have good players like DAC and CD.
That in and of itself. I don't know man.
I, I could see the, I could see the Cowboys being extremely
chaotic, like they have good players, but they have no depth.
They've got Parsons, Dak. And.
CD and it's like the the line is Zach Zach Martin just retired
you you just you just wait till Ashton Gente.
Is taking those handoffs. They're gonna.
They're gonna score. They're gonna.
Score so many points, yeah, I mean.
The Cowboys. Are such an easy mark.
I'm trying to think like who the comp is for a team where we just
kind of all decide that they're just making all the wrong
decisions and it's them from 2022.
Which, by the way, on Pro Football Reference,
Schottenheimer is listed as a consultant.
They won 12 games. They were fourth in league in
points. It's the playoff loft for the
Niners that ends when they had Ezekiel Elliott, like what did
he snap the ball or something? Whatever that play was.
So it's it's that season. But that was, you know, gold for
Lamb and for Prescott and whatever Schottenheimer really
was doing. He's listed as a consultant.
And with more there in 22, then they made that change.
He went to wherever after that, Chargers, I don't know, yes.
Chargers then. Fired.
I don't know. I mean like the thing.
Is when you think about because this year we're going to have a
bunch of teams who we expected to be like pretty good to be
absolute dog shit, right? It happens every year and so
it's always a bummer and you don't want to think like that.
You want to be thinking about what the upside is because
that's like how we're going to win tournaments.
But you it is, I think sometimes helpful to just like explore the
range of outcomes on some of these teams and you know, the.
Cowboys have some signs. Like for example, they have an
82 year old owner who just got the acting bug.
You know, that seems like. Better late than never, that.
Seems like a potential red flag. Considering he runs the entire
organization, you know, you could see this team being a bit
chaotic I would say. Were you sitting on that all
day? Have you?
Used that, yet that was well, I came.
Up I I googled his age to make sure I I got a the delivery the
delivery it was. It popped into my head a few
minutes. Ago, the acting bug is a good
way to end. That that that line.
Well done. Nico Collins thoughts in this
group? I mean, I think.
He's so I like. Aminara a lot from like I just
Aminara is both really safe. I don't think Ben Johnson
leaving really has that much of an effect on like Amanrah on
Gibbs, right? Like I think it may have an
effect a little bit on like the overall efficiency of the
offense, their ability to like win game score points, which
will have an effect on, you know, everybody to a degree.
But like, Amanrah is a target dominant wide receiver, one with
an awesome connection with his quarterback.
I don't think it's going to like change a ton.
And you know, so I think. He's fairly safe and then.
Last year he he showed a ceiling.
He's a really he's a really good young wide receiver with
stability in terms of like the players he's playing with, good
offensive line, good connection with the quarterback.
They're not going to add a lot of target competition.
They probably won't. I mean, maybe they add like a
big wide receiver 3 to take over for Tim Patrick, whatever, but
nothing's going to like shake this up.
And so if I. Was.
Ordering the back end, I would have Amanrah ahead of Nico,
ahead of Lamb, but I don't want to fade those guys.
So I've I've just kind of like I've let I'm letting the AEP
yeah kind of get won't be upset. Nico's awesome.
And so. My preference, My slight
preference to Amanara is not enough for me to to fade Nico.
How about the Nico Collins coordinator change?
There like that should be good for him, yes.
Yes, it should. I mean, I think I I think AD
honestly, I think ADP is right here.
That's it. The only thing is, is it's just
going to be very funny when the exact thing that everyone knows
is going to happen, which is that the Cowboys are going to
take Genti at 12 catapults. Genti into.
This somewhere in this range of guys, it'll it's just going to
be very funny when the the literal thing that everyone
knows, we all have a tacit understanding.
The Cowboys are taking Genti at 12 and then it's just going to
happen. And then best of all, mania is
going to open and it's like, dude, if you want Genti, you got
to take him a pick eight one O 1.
Gentsey is a Gentsey is a great. Pick right now and and like if
he doesn't go to the Cowboys he could very well go to the
Chargers. He could go to yeah, that would
be a crazy for the bears, but you could see him doing it.
The only spot where that I. Think A-Team could conceivably
do it where he would just be like, well sucks I wasted a
bunch of those big board teams. Is the 49ers.
I I agree. I think that I could.
Totally see them doing that in the kind of a plan, a succession
plan at running back is is not the the best thing, but I could
I could see, but that's just how that's just how.
Shanahan, yeah, does things. Yeah.
The Broncos is another. Absolute smash.
Oh my God. I.
I'm you might even prefer him with the Broncos to the Cowboys.
I would, yeah. The Broncos, I think.
It's my number one because their offensive line is so good.
Davis Could he make it to 20? Genti, you know I mean.
I I no. I actually think he could
because if the Cowboys pass on him, you look at the, you look
at the first round and you're like, which of these other teams
are actually going to take a running back there?
I don't think. I don't think.
You're right, I guess you'd be fading.
'Cause all. Most of these teams in between.
Have running backs, right, Arizona?
Maybe you're. Fading Arizona?
Yeah, I could. See Arizona, It's it's the same.
It's the West Coast Shanahan tree.
Petzig loves the running game. Maybe.
But Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, Arizona.
Minnesota, Minnesota. Down to 24, but not after they
signed Naji Harris making him 3 rounds more expensive.
As soon as that happens, which is what I'm betting.
I've been taking Naji man if I'm drafting.
Naji, he's a good job. You can.
You can bet on that. I mean, people are mentioning.
Potential landing spots for him the Vikings exist and that I
feel like that makes sense from all angles.
Maybe they I think what Naji has to if you're.
But this is this. Is the why Naji is?
A really good pick right now is that like he's at a price where
if he was a handcuff or a bridge running back, he's not dead.
He's not dead. At this price is fine.
It's. It's not your preference, but
it's not a problem for the way you built your team, especially
if you're drafting rookies. It's like he's going to be fine
the early part of the season, but I, I do think he's fading
like goes to Minnesota and then they draft Caleb Johnson in the
second round or something like that.
Well, they the Bills. Have their second round pick
through Houston with digs so Minnesota like oh so that's a
bad example There's well. Just just randomly.
Though, Pat, like, just they, they don't have that particular
pick. But I don't know, like,
shouldn't we, this is where we beat our heads against the wall.
Shouldn't we all know this point not to do something like that?
If you're a team like that, go lean into McCarthy and Jefferson
and get your running back on Saturday.
It'd be fine. Yeah, but.
I mean. Like the Bears.
The Bears could pretty easily do like a Naji, because if you're
Ben Johnson, you're like, well, there's no running back on this
roster. You know, that's, that's
interesting. Because of what Detroit has
been. Will they?
Yeah, and they have extra picks still from Bryce Young, right?
So they might see them. That's an interesting running
back in Round 2 for Chicago. I think it almost seems like a
loss and they they've been. Tied to Johnson, I think you
know Trayvon. Henderson would be.
Really fun there. I mean, he could go first round,
but yeah, I mean, obviously. Hampton would.
Be really fun, Yeah, Bear. Bear's running back around too,
but I mean, you could also see. Them doing something like.
They bring in Naji and like Naji, Trevion would be pretty
fun for the bears. I could.
I could definitely. See them doing that?
I could definitely see them just being like, we don't want Roshan
or DeAndre Swift really. So let's just we know they don't
want DeAndre Swift. That's.
Been proven out but he he is under contract.
Though, right? He's under contract.
Yeah, obviously they should trade for.
Khalil. Herbert, we've had two great
wide receivers from LSU. We've also now got two good ones
coming up in the back half of the first round.
How about LSU in this thing? So did you like that synergy
there? You.
You like clearly transitioned
and I I picked up where you're putting down to are we going to
are we are? We going to count?
Are we going to count Jack Bash as part of the LSU tree?
Oh, no. Let.
Me. See if we have a graphic Senior
Bowl. Really.
It's influence has really risen. No dude, I I looked this up.
Because I I actually couldn't believe it.
Jack Besh LED a team in receptions that had Brian
Thomas, Junior Malik, neighbors Trey Palmer and Keyshawn Booty
on it. Really.
His true. Freshman year, they.
Were freshmen. OK, OK.
Yeah, he was a freshman too. It's not like they weren't.
Freshmen. He was also a freshman.
Interesting happen. I.
Don't know. Why you think that is the
important? Part And then what happened?
He went to Med school. Some.
Stuff happened, Corrine. They went to the wing.
Team Yeah A. Lot of football was playing any.
Receptions 9. 49. 49 OK. All right.
I thought you were gonna. Say less than that he didn't.
He didn't lead in Dominator. Rating obviously because that
would be the part to lead with, but he did leave in in pure the
actual yards was not the. The thing he dominated?
Correct. Overrated.
Davis and I with Pete last week talked up Jacksonville a little
bit. I don't know, Pat, you have a
preference here between these two, strong preference, I mean.
I kind of prefer. I don't know it it it's tricky
because you have the better the better talent is neighbors, but
the better situation is Thomas and I think the better situation
is Thomas. Even if they like add somebody,
this isn't a particularly strong wide receiver class outside of
Ted McMillan, he's the only guy would be like, oh, that changes
things. If they add let's say like
Matthew Golden and get rid of Christian Kirk, that's probably
a net positive for Brian Thomas. Yeah, right.
Like Kirk can earn targets. He's he can earn targets.
He's not great, but he can earn targets.
Golden might suck. Like it's possible, right?
It's not we don't just don't know.
So and if he's, you know, if he's really good, mate, you
know, that could maybe even to Thomas's upside a little bit.
But we also have an offense that we we could see make huge
improvements in terms of the way it's designed with.
I like that Cohen and I think Davis we.
Talked about this last week like I said I think Kirk is there his
dead cap is pretty small 13 million why wouldn't he be there
at 29 off that in a collarbone injury yeah, I I would say it's.
Likely, maybe not, maybe not like, you know, an absolute
stone lock or anything like that.
The one that I think is is 5050 to be gone is is Ingram.
It's like you you don't you don't cut Ingram just to cut
him, but you also like you can conceivably cut him and it's
it's fine. Yep, if the Giants.
Get. Stafford Where does neighbors
go? He might.
Go he. Might just end up being like,
right? I could.
Does he flip? Justin Jefferson?
Does he flip? Justin Jefferson, Is the
question possible? Definitely possible.
I think it's, I think he. Might flip Justin Jefferson.
He at least enters that other graphic.
Like he's in there at least. I mean, and then what's the
difference at that point? But yeah, he moves up for sure.
So I mean from that perspective. If this Stafford, we've had
Thomas at like a pick ahead, like the market in the rankings,
but that's I'm going to think through the Stafford because if
Stafford goes there, like there's a lot to gain.
You know that those are like that's a meaningful move.
If you're drafting the one O 6 at at 1:11, it's pretty awesome.
Do you have? By.
The way. Do you have a draft lot you like
the most or dislike the most so far?
I like the one. I like the one.
Four, because you can. You can get.
You can get, you can. Get Jefferson you can.
Get Jefferson you. Can get you basically.
Get one of the guys you think is in a conversation for the one O
1 and then you can get one of Tyreek or Jonathan Taylor
depending on what you want. So it's you can potentially get
Trey. McBride in the third, I think
Trey McBride should be going like mid second.
Yeah, you have a rank to. Like 19 or something like that,
right? I mean, yeah, I've got him
ranked I think at 20. Four different Davis.
No, no, you probably just didn't download.
The most recent one from last Thursday or whatever I my my
Internet broke. I had him.
I had him up. Oh, go ahead.
Sorry. Well, I just had him up very
high and then I was like, I don't actually want to have 100%
of this guy. You don't need him that high.
Yeah, I'm going to. Turn.
You don't mean that That's that's.
Honestly, that's how I, like I've debated like do I want to
just put McBride where I think he should go or do I want to
like have some exposure to the other guys here?
Because I think he's just like he's like 8-9 spots too low.
I think we found the line. You take neighbors over
Jefferson. That's crazy.
And then puka neighbors flip, Puka neighbors flip.
So it sounds like the chat would have him behind Jefferson but
ahead of puka. They'd become each other if
Stafford. Goes to the Giants.
Yeah, I guess that's right. I guess that's.
Right. Yeah, I have neighbors.
Over Thomas here. Pretty easily.
I do like the Jacksonville bet, as we talked about last week.
I don't just keep saying that, but I'm going with like still
the pedigree with think about just how disadvantaged you would
be going to the Giants and look what happened.
I mean, way worse than the Jacksonville thing.
So Neighbors would be 10 at the latest for me in drafts.
How about the turn? So we got a running back graphic
here including Genti McCaffrey, HN and Derrick Henry.
Like, I know I won't be picking ever.
Don't ask me why, but do you like a how about a running back
running back start? What does that end up looking
like? Pat, sorry for asking that
question, but no, you don't need to live with that.
You get dusted. If you do that and you miss out
on Worthy and Harrison 'cause then you're into the next range
of guys. So you got to play it.
You it's, it's because then it goes, it goes what from Worthy
and Harrison to then Devonta Smith.
So it's like Devonta is a fine pick, but you also have no
stacking options then. So like I just took Devont and
then I had to take Jamo to have any chance of a stack partner.
So then you're just like early on in drafts and I'm just.
Drafting more, I, I need to like dive back in.
I was travelling a bit and so I haven't drafted as much lately
as I was early, but like early on in drafts, running back,
running back starts were extremely viable because you
could take like Tyreke Hill in the fourth round and stuff.
Marvin Harrison was like there all the time.
So it's as the wide receivers move up, this is one of the
tough things is like as as wide receivers get more expensive,
it's it's harder sometimes to take the running backs instead
cuz you're like, now where am I going to get the wide receiver
scoring? But, and it's not like that
great of last year was a great wide receiver class.
This year is not a great wide receiver class, not terrible,
but it is. I mean, getting 1 running back
early is like super viable still.
And I think you can like Dave is saying, you can pull it off.
It's just a little trickier than it used to be to go running
back. HN is tough for me.
At the turn just dude, I don't, I don't get.
A chance ADP. At all?
I don't understand, right, like Davis has mentioned.
The Bengals a few times, like as a team, as a Chase Brown guy.
But you know, Cincinnati, what we don't want to do there,
compliment him. To me, that's Miami where they
saw what 8 Chan's value was as a compliment to Mostert.
Mostert led the NFL in touchdowns 2 years ago and you
had 8 Chan who was this phenomenal, you know, explosive
play guy. Last year you got sort of oddly
the receiving volume, but none of the explosive stuff.
I, if I'm Miami, I want to go back to that, whether that's his
weight or whatever I have to do there.
And then bring in, I don't know if it's Jalen Wright, but have
somebody be the compliment to him, which makes him like low
second round for me, yeah. I mean you look at the running
back class and. Who was in it?
And it's a bunch of guys who would be awesome compliments to
Devon a Chan Like that's that's the whole class.
I mean, there's a few exceptions, but right largely
and in in position where like the dolphins might spend like a
third or fourth round pick on a guy.
That guy is, you know, very likely to be an awesome
compliment to a Chan type like a like a Damian.
Martinez. Klell Mullings in day three,
like those guys. Or you could go more expensive
and say like, could this be a Judkins team?
So let me, let me do the devil's.
Advocate thing, which is you. You actually might prefer a Chan
with this complimentary guy where he can lose.
He can lose 10 lbs and spend all offseason being quick.
Not like, oh, I'm going to get tackled 230 times and Tua stays
healthy and they figure out a little bit of something in the
offensive line and then all of a sudden he's he's.
Rookie A Chan again. Yeah, but.
I I just don't. It's not that a Chan can't pay
off, but it's weird to have to pay like we're paying locked in
volume. Prices.
Right for what's best, like our best outcome.
Is sort of like a. A return to talent bet.
It's like a bounce back talent bet, but you have to pay for all
this volume that he got last year in kind of like a weird
situation that we don't think they they will want to repeat
and that he's and it's pretty fragile to to even look like it
will repeat. You know, like there's just a
lot of guys in this draft class that would look to eat in to
Devon A Chan's early down workload, especially then we get
any comments about, well, he's such a good receiver, we're
going to keep him involved, but we want to have more of a
Thunder and lightning approach. Like if you give me a Chan at
like a early third round price post draft, post them drafting a
you know, a an early down guy or whatever, like sure, that sounds
good, but I don't know, it's just like it just seems.
What do you what do you think his price will?
Be if they take Damien Martinez in the third round.
I think he would probably be in the.
Early third round at the AT. The latest?
I would have I would have an infinite.
Amount, I mean, I think, I think I would actually maybe late
second, then maybe late 2nd. Like if he was going after.
Bucky. But I mean, we OK, so we took
Tony. Pollard, when the backfield was
to himself and he was coming off an efficient season, we took him
in the late 2nd a chance coming off a really, I mean so so
Brett's. Saying a.
Pack rain, Ney chain bear. Venus must be in retrograde.
HN had one of the least efficient rushing seasons in the
league last year. Yeah, like of all time.
Yeah, and. He gained.
He gained weight. And he basically was like, look,
I'm gonna I'm gonna change who I am.
I'm gonna be more of like the complete running back.
Let me let me try that. It didn't work.
It's like, it's like two people in an unhappy.
Relationship and HN was like sure man, I'll I'll change I'll
change, I'll change and he actually became a worse version
of himself changing into being that relationship so like.
We did it. We did the. 2nd year.
Thing he got used a bunch more as a receiver, but I I'm
thinking of a Chan as like he's he's.
More of a He's more of an Aaron. Jones, I'm thinking of him in
that archetype now. I would like to see him more as
an Aaron Jones type. Do I want to pay?
And I never paid 1-2 turn prices for Aaron Jones.
I never did that. He always wanted the 2-3 turn.
You know, that's, that's kind of where I'm at with a Chan.
I I don't think I think his the upside of like, dude, this guy,
what if he gains a little weight and takes on everything and is
still awesome as a rush? Well, he wasn't at all.
He was terrible actually as a runner.
Yeah, he wasn't. Yeah, Venus.
Not in retrograde. Until Saturday, by the way, for
those keeping score at home. And I look forward to getting
astrology pop up ads after having searched that they're
coming. They're coming.
Risers, ADP, chasing. We've got a few names here, a
couple rookies. The combine this week, we talked
about that a lot at the top. Romandre Stevenson.
Hayden, be careful. Hayden has.
Been doing this Romandre propaganda and obviously the
people who are drafting an underdog all follow Hayden winks
and all watch the football show with Josh and Hayden and he he's
just been him him and Josh actually have been doing the
romandre propaganda to which I have to say you really better
hope that they that Romandre Stevenson does not have to learn
any of these guys, anybody, anybody.
Here let me get the list. Of names he doesn't.
Have to learn. Yeah, Please, please you.
Really. Better hope I got their cards,
yeah? Is he?
Is he learning? Is he learning?
Jordan James, Is he learning any of these?
Guys goes to New England. Yeah, seriously.
That's where that's. Where his ADP falls, as long as
he avoids all those guys, it's a great, it's a great price.
I I think, I think. I would say.
He is the number one most fragile running.
Back situation like. By far, I would say, I would say
#1 of 32. Well, DeAndre Swift still gets
drafted, so I I. Would put him there Swift.
OK, here's the. Here's the argument.
You can make for Swift though. Anywhere he plays he is at least
fast. Like at least DeAndre Swift
theoretically can be a pace in space, you know gets.
There on 11 touches a. Game guy you you.
You absolutely cannot make that case with Romandre.
Romandre needs 18 touches a game, right?
And and and so. Jordan James is a worse from
Andre Stevenson. I love the Jordan James call out
as as a guy to worry about. Jordan James is a new Romandre
Stevenson drafted by the guys in charge.
That's that's what it would be, right?
Like if we think Jordan James is worse than Madre Stevenson.
Doesn't matter if a team just spent a third round pick on
Jordan James. Many, many, many, many.
Such cases of this, yeah, I, I think.
Stevenson's probably he's not terrible at this price, but it
is he moves up. Yeah, he's fine.
He's fine as he moves up. You just have to be like aware
that you might be drafting a backup down the stretch.
This this might be an I could sorry early season.
Bet I could see new. England.
Under Vrabel, with everybody knows it, everybody talks about
how lacking for weapons. They are getting into that
running back free agent pool that everybody hates and holding
up a shiny new toy to go with Stevenson.
I mean, Stevenson has always invited.
I don't know, like, remember last year we he was going to be
benched at different times and sort of he, it's not like rock
solid. So he was benched and Mayo
forgot to do it. Yeah, right, right.
But he sort. Of invited that you know, sign
Javonte Williams or somebody like that and make it even more
if he signs Javonte Williams then.
Stevenson should probably be a third round pick.
So, so Crane, I was hoping. We, I was hoping we would get
here to Javonte cause I've I've moved Javonte up quite a bit in
my rankings. I like it too.
Not because I like. Javonte I.
Actually think Javonte is is mostly toast that that he
basically just never came back from the knee injury.
But yeah, the more you think about.
This running back. Class.
And the more I think about philosophically the way some NFL
coaches are, obviously not all, but some of them are going to
prefer the devil they do know to the devil they don't know.
And they're going to say I don't need Bashel 210.
I don't. I don't need Damian Martinez.
I don't need Quinchon Judkins. I need Javonte Williams.
I'm going to sign Javonte Williams for two years.
You know what he is, Pat. He's Zach Moss.
He's Yeah, but that's Pat Mosss. It's good.
For where? He's being drafted in.
OK, You're right. You're right.
He's so cheap. It's fine.
He's he's running back 50 now if.
Javonte gets signed by the Chargers or the Bengals or
wherever, and he goes to the running back 29.
That is like a you just cross him off.
You just say, yeah, yeah, yeah. You say, hey, thanks.
For your service. Javonte, I will let someone else
take you. No, you're right.
You're right. It's it's the base.
Shell Tooting prices then Javonte's totally fine, but I
don't think. He's coming from one of the best
offensive lines in the. League, probably the second best
offensive line, right? You you'd probably have it like
Eagles, Broncos, Lions last year.
We'll always have that game where I declared.
His career over against the New Orleans Saints and he was huge,
a huge game. Thursday night, yeah, all the
free, all the free agent running backs, there are like 3 where I
think you can, as we say, tell yourself the story.
Naji is 1 and Dowdell might be one.
The other guys are older off Achilles chairs.
And then there's and then there's Javonte Williams I.
Mean. I agree with this point.
I I like drafting him too. For his price I I think you
could. I think you could tell.
Yourself a story that most NFL teams would view Javonte as the
running back 2 of this free agency class and and say we
would rather have that than spend a draft pick on.
And for whatever. Denver's line was nobody.
Else did anything either, so it's not like he got shown up by
anybody on that team. Well, he's going to get shown up
by Ashton Gente once. Once he gets there, but yeah, I
mean, I, I mean we have we have Javonte like exactly at a DPI
think he's a totally fine pick there.
OK. There is upside just in.
Landing spot there is. Upside Crane, I'll make our
favorite point. For us really quick.
Hey, yeah, we're we're getting these comments.
All the patriots they have all these holes would make no sense.
Take a running back. I promise you, guys.
I promise you. Be on promise.
You know what NFL coaches view
as a whole? The running back position?
Yeah. You.
It might not matter to you.
Might not matter to me. Matters to them.
Not every coach, but you. You want.
You don't want you. Want to know who views running
back as the most important position on offense?
The former Tennessee Titans coach.
A coach of the Titan. A.J.
Brown. Yeah, traded A.J.
Brown. I, I think I mean the Patriots.
Should not spend any capital on a running back.
I agree, but like they might, they might.
They absolutely. Might so I, like Howard Gordon,
had a. Draft pick for them both that
would have me every agency is probably what they should do
they. Should probably like have a
team, they should probably add Nashi, you know, and just be
like, all right, we're we're good.
It was not that expensive, you know, something like that as
opposed to spending draft capital at the position they
got. I mean, but they got to they got
to fix the line. They just they should not draft
a running back or bring in a running back and just spend a
ton of money online. They got to fix it all.
Get a wide receiver. Yeah, Fallers, our final.
Our final graphic of the day, The Fallers, is more of a wait,
can we talk RJ Harvey real quick?
This. Yeah, please.
This Could I? I thought it was.
Going to be pretty out on. RJ Harvey, because if you watch
him, he like there's plays where he'll like run towards like a
gigantic hole and then be like and this bounce it like super
far outside and he's so fast that he can pull that off.
She's like, I don't know, man, this guy looks like or is the
NFL going to be into this kind of seems like the.
NFL is in this sounds like yes. Yeah, yeah, seems.
Like the NFL is pretty into this.
And, and, you know, I, I'm watching highlights, I'm not
like grinding the tape there. The stuff on Harvey as far as
like, can he go between the tackles?
He actually seems to be pretty positive.
I I I believe in. This guy as a as a runner.
I wonder if it's one of those things where.
That archetype of running back is actually scarce in this
class. There's way more of the other
type. There's way it's like not the
Liget class, the Mingo class. Mingo was like the only big guy
in that class and so so it. Was like Oh well if you want
that. Prototype of guy, you got to
take. Mingo you got to take.
A terrible version you got to take.
You got to take a terrible version of.
It and you got to take him a pick 33 or whatever.
So I, so I do, I do think that, that, that that's my guess.
And I think same thing with Jordan James too, by the way.
Yeah, and and and Brett's saying.
There's there's running backs that'll go rounds two and three
being undrafted. Jordan James, and he's in, He's
in. Like a Bruegler's top. 100 I, I
wasn't really into Jordan James until I saw that if you take a
running back with like any interesting college profile
whatsoever and you give him like pick 90, he is draftable in a 20
round format. That's, that's all it takes.
OK, if he if there's any anything to to Jordan James
going top 100. He is a screaming value.
We we moved him up a bunch in the last few days on on that
type of steam. But but Harvey also I.
Believe, I think he was 90. Five in in Bruegler's top 100
and and I'm not only seeing Bruegler on Harvey, it seems
like Harvey is, you know, very live to go.
Let's say by the middle of the fourth round, he'll be off the
board. He's got a pretty interesting.
Profile with that level. Of draft capital because he can
catch passes. So even if he isn't like a real
between the tackles guy and he's small, he's undersized.
I think he's like in the 190's or something, but he's as a as a
versatile back with speed. I I like him a lot at this at
this price, like I, I think he can move up like another 20
picks. I'd still be into it.
I agree. Fallers is mostly.
A quarterback list is the market sort of like regressing on how
early they want to take the top guys here.
Two of the top 3 here, Alan and Jackson listed.
Yeah, it's really, it's really it all is well and.
Kareem Hunt and Mahomes specifically.
There was this period two weeks ago before the Super Bowl where
where a bunch of people who don't know English were drafting
in these leagues and these drafts got thrown out.
But they're not in the contest where people were just taking
Eagles and Chiefs players. So all the all the Chiefs are
falling. Because all the chiefs are,
yeah, they're. Thinking they were just drafting
for the Super. Bowl.
They thought they were just drafting for the Super.
Bowl. Yeah.
Interesting. Yeah.
But.
Yeah, like, I don't know. I.
I, the elite quarterbacks are not really for me in this
contest. And that is why I don't win.
You know, it's just the, the, the two V twos are just too
difficult, man. There's no, there's no certainty
in the later rounds, but you can take Geno and you're like, well,
Geno's probably gonna be starting.
So it's just like, sure, yeah, maybe you'll need Josh Allen to
win, but I'm like, OK, I'm passing on DJ Moore to take Josh
Allen and then I'm passing on Savion Williams to take Geno
Smith. Like, I know which one of those
sides I prefer. Oh, DJ Moore, go ahead.
I'm sorry. DJ Moore was the other guy.
We were talking about the bears earlier.
I've. Keenan Allen's gone the.
Other guy? That's the other guy.
Yeah, that's the guy. Wow, how glad.
His name was Holland. Yeah.
The. The thing with the Holmes?
Is he? He's not really an elite.
Quarterback. Now as far as bad, no, he's not.
Well, I mean just by a D. Pi purely.
Mean by No, I I mean it. I mean it.
For fantasy, unless there is a market, we're we're talking A2
year trend of him being an average fantasy quarterback with
a really low floor. That's maybe even the bigger
deal is they'll they'll go on a four-game win streak where he
scored like 12 fantasy points per game, which, you know,
Lamar's just never doing that, but he's priced like that.
A. Little bit now, I mean he's he's
behind Burrow now, right. So I think there's a pretty good
argument you should. Take Goths and Baker a lot.
Prescott is still my favorite too.
Purdy, all those guys in that in that stretch, OK.
Prescott is a great great. Value.
Yes, he is, yeah. Any thoughts?
On. Fantasy Mojo tweeting about how,
having watched an FFPC stream, that whoever won the playoff
challenge didn't know who Brock Bowers was.
Yeah. What's the So Mike, your tweet
was? Gone.
I was supposed to pull it up, but it's gone now.
I I took it back because we went.
You know, we, we didn't get there, but but we're here now,
are we? Here we are.
You. Don't have to be you.
You don't have to be intelligent to win a fantasy football.
And in fact, I think you could make an argument that being
intelligent actively come on, man, holds holds you back.
Ouch. Is it an intelligence thing or
just sort? Of like, maybe we're a little
bit too obsessed. Does it make you?
Yeah. Being, being, being.
Obsessed does not help you win. Didn't play.
Season long. Didn't know who Daniels.
And. Mcconkey were until after the
season and doesn't know who Bowers is.
Won. Won pretty good prize.
Won a good prize. Also it's.
Like me in baseball right here. A great.
Lesson that. Gambling contests, are they?
They don't care about your feelings.
They don't care how smart you are.
They don't care how much you think you should win, you know?
It none of that matters. None of that matters, so to pull
back. From the brink of nihilism here,
I'll just note that there was a lot of chalk that hit this year.
So it was if if you were going to go into a a tournament not
knowing who Brock Bowers is in a tight end premium format, this
was the year. This was a good year to just
draft the names that you did know that had been in the league
longer than a year. Yeah.
Why wouldn't you just do that? Draft the players you've heard
of. Why wouldn't you just do that?
I would do that, yeah. Makes sense.
It was a good year to draft the players you've heard of.
Oh my God, yeah, this would have been an.
Unbelievable year. Oh, I I know who Joe Burrow is.
I know who Derrick Henry is. I know who Sequel Mark is.
I know who. Adam Thielen.
Is I know who Quentin Johnston? That guy probably didn't know
who Quentin Johnston was. No, he didn't.
That was Johnson. Didn't really bury you.
He's just like a fine pick to have made.
It's not fair to my son at. 15 But he did win his league
running away. He.
Knows more than that.
Guy maybe, but just not, not everybody.
OK boys, what's new this week from you combine?
We'll we'll be on later today. Or no, we're actually not
streaming that. We're I'm jumping on with the
crew where you're talking through the rankings.
We'll stream something later on this week.
Talking to the leg up rankings, generally speaking is.
Do we overreact to this week? Is maybe the the edge not
overreacting to this week or the other way around?
I think people. Overreact.
People just react like inconsistently to this week,
like for example last year Vlad Mcconkey coming in crazy
athletic who? Sorry, fundamentally.
Fundamental. No, that's.
That's a good one, fundamentally.
Changed. My perception of him, I'm like,
oh, the, I thought this guy was the lunch pail guy.
This guy's a a freak athlete. That's that's different, you
know, so, so there was a, a shift and I think that shift was
important for us. Now maybe the NFL, you know,
with like better tracking data and stuff.
It already understood who he was.
But for me, it was a opportunity for me to kind of get right on
my like my understanding of the player, I don't think.
We want to like triple. Count athleticism, you know,
like we're the running the fastest time ever moved him up
and that rightfully so. But like in most cases we're
kind of confirming stuff like, oh, this guy's going to be
really fast. Oh, he is really fast and then
that can sometimes get overrated guys being unathletic can get
overrated. You know where it's like, OK, he
he's not super athletic, but he was productive.
Like this would be the Bucky Irving thing.
Like he and we've done this with a few running backs, Bucky
Irving car and Williams where they're like once the wrass is
below like like 8I. Don't care.
Like, and the fact the fact that it's like 3 or 4, like, OK,
he's. Not athletic, you know he.
He's going to have to do it with like, you know, being a really
good football player. Oh, but he was super productive
and he looks like a really good football player.
So that's it. Doesn't like we shouldn't like
get like really over aggressively punishing guys for
being super unathletic unless there's a concern they're not
going to get drafted Now at that point then sure.
But the other thing I would say too is that at the very top, and
I see this usually a tight end, there's always a guy who's got
like a 9.99 Ras and he becomes Theo Johnson, Theo Johnson, the
Zach Koontz, the Jelani Woods. He becomes like the tight end
one for people. And it's like, no, this guy's
not good. You know, like whoever has and,
and it's especially frustrating when like Sam Laporta has like a
9.7 Ras. It's like, who cares?
He's not he's not the most athletic.
So don't get wrapped up in who the most athletic tight end is.
Look at who all the athletic tight ends are because it's
important to be athletic. But you don't have to be the
most athletic. Don't pass on Aidan Hutchinson
because he's not the most athletic.
Don't don't be that guy. Correct way to respond is to.
Read the tea. Leaves and get the.
Information from the mock drafts and everything.
What does this do to these guys? Draft capital like Isaiah Bond
right now is the what? The wide receiver, 65 or
whatever in the big board, he's going to run A42, whatever he's
gonna. And then all of a sudden it's
gonna be like, oh, Isaiah Bond might actually be a first round
pick. And I'll tell you what though,
if he runs A4. Two and it's like he's a good
he's a good day three edition you better run it like so over
and. It's like it's like, so OK, that
is so funny. If Bond runs that time and
people are like, yeah, you know, maybe a special teams
contributor. It's like, dude, try and try and
trade in the teams you have that you haven't already.
Anyways, be like, I, I'm pressing the surrender button on
Isaiah because I I like Isaiah Bond based on that movement.
But if that is the talk, if he does run this crazy time and
it's like, yeah, you know, kind of like Taekwon Thornton, it's
going to be like abort mission, abort, get off immediately
because he's expected. He's one of those guys.
Isaiah Bond is expected to be quite fast, like very, very
fast. So yeah, if you don't, if you
don't hear about him in the in the first round or early Round 2
after he runs a really fast time.
Not yet super. Over good advice.
Pat Davis, thank you. We'll see you in March.
Look forward to your content this week and enjoy the combine.
Thanks for watching and listening.
I'm Mike Shope, goodbye for now.