February 26, 2025 • 25 mins
Matthew Stafford and the Rams are at odds over his contract situation and there may be a trade to the NY Giants. Then he magically runs into Tom Brady (minority owner for the Las Vegas Raiders), into Matthew Stafford and they talk. NFL insider Ian Rappaport and Jordan Schultz are in a fight over the details.
The NFL team report cards came out. Which teams are the highest graded and reacting to it. George Wrighster tells what he’s been doing the last few days with no Unafraid Show
#tombrady #matthewstafford #nfl #nflnews #nflreportcard #unafraidshow #georgewrighster
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Oh, we got drama today.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
We were gonna talk about Matthew Stafford maybe going to
the Giants, but now we got to talk about Matthew
Stafford and Tom Brady embroiled in some drama, Buddy, and
then Jordan Schultz and Ian Rappaport going at it about it.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Oh yet you want to see this and.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
The NFLPA they came out there with their report cards
for the teams. Some teams still out here failing man,
And I gotta tell you what I've been doing the
last few days and what you guys are gonna be
getting here on the Unafraid Show. And we got to
talk about that and so much more. Make sure that
you like, subscribe, get notifications, and tell a friend about
(00:46):
the show.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Let's get to it.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
So the Matthew Stafford drama is so originally it was
we were going to talk about Matthew Stafford going to
the Giants everything else, and then talk about that as
it related to the NFLPA survey. So Matthew Stafford is
in a situation He's with the Rams, but the Rams
may be ready to move on from him. And part
(01:25):
of it is because the dude's thirty seven years old.
He wants a new contract that's going to be commensurate
with the upper level quarterbacks in the league, because he's like,
I'm better than all these dudes way up here. I
should be paid like it. So I'm not mad at that.
But the Rams are also like, uh, Cooper Cup you
can as you can look for a trade and Matthew
Stafford if we can't find a deal, you can get
(01:46):
your butt up out of here too. And the whole
Super Bowl, you know, FM picks thing. It worked right,
but they haven't been great since, but they haven't been
terrible either now. So the move to move on from
Jared Garf send him to Detroit that obviously worked. They're
reset and the roster and Stafford don't want to be
a part of the rebuilt. But he also wants that
(02:09):
Brad as well, because you know, with the Lions beginning
of his career, he knew and he was a part
of losing a lot. So now here's the drama. So
tweet comes in today and this one is from Jordan Schultz.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
I'm gonna put it up. Jordan Schultz puts up a.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Tweet that says sources minority owner for the Raiders, Tom
Brady recently hosted Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford at his home
in Montana, where they spend time together and went skiing.
Brady has been actively trying to convince Stafford to join
the Raiders.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Okay, when you see that tweet.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
You're like, oh oh to me, that says uh oh
because Tom Brady got no business because he's the Raiders
minority owner, hosting a free agent and hanging out talking
shop with him up there in Montana. Come on, now, man,
so and then you had Ian Rappaport, who's a big
(03:12):
time NFL insider. He came out and then said, no, no, no,
no no. Both of these dudes just so happened to
be in Montana at the same time skiing, and they
just ran into each other. All right, all right, all right,
fam let me tell you how this works. I mean,
(03:35):
I don't actually, I don't even have to tell you guys.
You guys got some damn common sense. What do you
think The chances are Tom Brady just so happens to
be at his ranch in Montana and Matthew Stafford just
so happens to be out there at the same place
the same time, just so happened to run into each other,
you know, on the on the ski lift at the lodge.
(03:58):
And I'm a person travel a lot, so yes, I
run into people all the time.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Coincidence has happened, But this sort of.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Coincidence just when it just so happens that Matthew Stafford
is looking for a new team, might be looking for
a new contract. The Raiders need a quarterback. Come on,
man and Tom Brady. Remember here's the other thing. This
is the same man that went and met with the
Dolphins owner on his yacht. And do you know how
(04:26):
we know this because Brian Floores when he exposed this,
billed all the beans about Tom Brady and that he
was trying to get him the back door everything there,
and Brian Flores said, no, I'm not doing it. And
the owner what happened. He ends up getting fired everything else.
So Tom Brady is not above this back door action.
(04:48):
So then you're like, why is Ian Rappaport going so
hard about cleaning this up? And now mind you don
yee tom Brady's agent according to Ian Rapperport, And I'm
gonna put this tweet up here too the way y'all
can see it.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
So then you have Ian Rapperport put up. Oh.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford, like many other high profile athletes,
both own houses in the same SKEI community, and Tom
Pellicero says that he reached out to comment about the
internet rumor that Tom Brady hosted Matthew Stafford on a
recruiting visit in Montana. Brady's longtime agent Don Yee told me, quote,
(05:30):
I know the reporters sometimes make mistakes in their haste,
but the story's inaccurate.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
What did you expect the dude to say?
Speaker 2 (05:39):
He wasn't gonna sit up here and tell you because
that would be a first class violation. And the Miami Dolphins,
remember they lost a first round pick behind that, So
you don't think that the NFL wants to is now
going to be asking questions, Oh, hold up, Matthew, when
did this itinerary get booked?
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Brady?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
When did this itinerary get booked? Did you leave the
day after? Were you're only there a day?
Speaker 1 (06:06):
What? What's the what's the four one one?
Speaker 2 (06:11):
That's the gotcha? Gotcha here? Because I get it, I
won understand. Yes, coincidence has happened in life. Sometimes it's
the worst timing. Sometimes it's the best of timing. Sometimes
things you can look guilty as hell and you are
actually innocent. So this is where Ian Rapperport and Jordan
Schultz got into the fight. So you saw the Ian
(06:34):
Rappaport tweet, right, So here is the other part of
the Jordan Schultz tweet. Because at the top, the man says,
if you really think Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford just
happened to run into each other at a ski resort
in Montana, of all places, at the exact same time,
I got a bridge to sell you. Yes, it's not
(06:55):
like you. You were like, oh, they ran into each
other at the Whole Foods and contented. They just so
happened to be at the same ski resort at the
same time. Listen, I run into people all the time,
and you know what you do, Hey, what's up?
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Hummy? Cool? Peace? That's it.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
You don't sit down and talk. But they had something
to talk about. So I don't care what anybody says.
This would not even be news except for the fact
that it's actually news. Think about this. If Tom Brady
and matt Matthew Stafford just saw each other, it was like,
all right, cool peace. Nobody would have said anything, But
(07:35):
just the fact that they were both there, that means
that there were some talks, that there was some extensive
conversation beyond the normal pleasant trees of hey, what's something, man?
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Oh you out you out here with the fam? Oh, man,
that's cool.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
I'm out here with the family, or I'm out here
with Shorty or this or that. Whatever Tom Brady's doing,
that's the difference.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
We can't sit.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Here and and just ignore the possibilities. But you know
who really ain't gonna be ignoring it, the NFL, because
they don't want no part of this buddy. And the
team that we thought that he may be going to
that we were gonna talk about earlier was the New
York Giants, and that that might be not only Matthew
Stafford but his wife, Kelly Stafford's preferred destination. But at
(08:23):
this point in time, how do we not think that
the Giants are a mirror image of Stafford's time in Detroit?
I mean, hell, the Raiders. But Tom Brady is like
the de facto gm over at the Raiders, and he
probably thinks and maybe can't convince Matthew Stafford that the
Raiders could be a good move for him, they'll pay
him the type of money or he's gonna convince him. AA, Matthew,
(08:47):
let's structure this deal similar to something that I did
in Tampa Bay or what I did when I was
in New England. The way it's team friendly. We can
go heavy in free agency. We're gonna draft well, and
this will be a team that will be like the
Washington Commanders next year that will be a potential playoff
contender despite playing in the AFC West. Just saying, so,
(09:11):
the AFC West is murderers role right now. Murderers roll with.
The Chargers are pretty damn good right now. Obviously the
Chiefs are tough, the Broncos, so the Raiders are at
the bottom of the division right now. It's gonna be
tough to get up out of that thing. And then
look over at the NFC East that's full of heavy
(09:31):
hitters too. Commanders are on the rise. Eagle's been to
two Super Bowls in three years and are defending champions
to Dallas. Cowboys are systematically, you know, sporadically all in
or whatever the S word that he used.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
I'm just saying now when it relates to the nflp
NFLPA Survey.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Though I do wonder because we're gonna get to that
in a second, because if Matthew Stafford even cares about that,
because the Giants are in the bottom third of seven
categories and the top third of zero categories when it
comes to player satisfaction. And I get it, Matthew Stafford,
the dude has earned the right to bet on himself.
(10:17):
And if he thinks that, the answer is New York
or it's the Raiders, far being from me to stop him.
But you're also going into a situation where the head coach,
Brian Dable could not even could is on the hot seat,
and he's actually been most effective with mobile quarterbacks, namely
Josh Allen. Matthew Stafford ain't that, but he is one
(10:41):
of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
And then the Giants don't make.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Sense either, because they've had double digit losses in seven
of the last eight seasons and have not had double
digit winning season in over that run at all. Just say,
I don't even know if matt Matthew Stafford is gonna
want to go there now. The Giants, though, have ranked
twenty ninth or below in points and yards for the
(11:09):
last five seasons, so they are desperate. They let Sakuon
Barkley go he wins a championship. They had signed the
quarterback Danny Dimes that didn't work out, and now they
are in desperation mode. And the offensive line ain't even
that great.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
I'm just saying.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
And now the funny part is, believe it or not,
the Lions on the Stafford's old team, the Lions only
ranked twenty ninth or below in one of the two
categories in the five years before drafting Stafford. Just saying,
so you can actually make the objective case that the
Giants are worse than the zer to sixteen Lions were
when they drafted Matthew Stafford. So don't think that he
(11:53):
should go there. But you might try to if you're
trying to put Malik neighbors On in a high Hall
of Famer Calvin Johnson's level.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
But I don't think that that's a good idea. So
on to the next thing, the NFLPA.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
The report cards are out and you are going to
find out, if you have not seen it, who are
the best teams. Who are the teams that the players
like to play for the most. So pull this little
dou Hiki off of here, off of front off of sports,
and here's what we got. So we got Minnesota the
(12:30):
number one team. Whoever would have thought it? I did
not think it. But Minnesota a's and a plus is
all over the place. Coach, owner, food, travel, family, weight room, trainers,
every brother's team is. This is a first class organization
by vo Minnesota Vikings.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Just say it. Oh so excuse me.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Miami Dolphins were one Minnesota Vikings too, but their report
cards looked the exact same. Now the Dolphins, though they
were top ranked in the NFLPA survey two years ago.
And this goes to show you that satisfaction by the
players does not.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Mean that you win.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
And it also doesn't mean that everybody is fully satisfied.
Looking to rig Hill, he ain't satisfied at all, not
even a little bit.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
So that's a thing right there. And it is.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Important that teams in there that the players and their
families feel comfortable. So like, one of the areas that
a lot of teams rank very low is family experience
and how they treat the families. Like for instance, there
are some teams that keep a daycare at the facility. Right,
I'm sorry, at the stadium big that way when you
(13:46):
know moms bring the kid to the game, that can
drop them off in the family room. The way they're
not trying to run around in the stadium or babies
in the stadium. It could be cold or this or that,
and they can get three hours of uninterrupted like you know,
just a break.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Do they feed the families.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
How do they like the family area that they put
them in after There's all sorts of things when it
relates to the family. And obviously if your family ain't happy,
you ain't gonna be happy.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Now.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
The top five rounded out obviously was Miami Dolphins, Vikings, Falcons, Raiders,
and Chargers. I was actually surprised that the Chargers were
ranked so high because they have a notorious history of
how they are being judged now, but they are one
of the biggest improving teams now. The other biggest improving
(14:38):
team was the Falcons because Atlanta went from twenty fifth
to third this year, and the Chargers, who got new
facilities because they were, you know, living in a temporary
shed for a while, went from thirtieth to fifth. Chargers
were a good team this year. Atlanta was cool, while
Kirk Cousins was healthy. I'm gonna tell you, when owners
(15:02):
treat players well, they're not in a hurry to get
up out of there, especially not to go to somewhere
that they are not going to treat you well. And
one of the teams that's very interesting that you would
think would be better as the Kansas City Chiefs. Now
their players are unhappy because their owner, who they gave
(15:24):
a C minus, he had promised stadium upgrades, locker room upgrades,
but instead he spent a million dollars to upgrade his
own suite and was like, yo, I don't have time,
Like there's not time for the season, upgrade the locker
room and all that, but yeah, y'all can finish my suite.
Though that don't work for the players, but it also
(15:45):
does not necessarily mean that you're gonna win, but it
does impact free agency.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
Now.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
The surveys, though, they clearly showed that the players respond
to positive change, because the Commanders went from last under
Daniel Snyder to eleventh after Josh Harris took over his owner,
and you added a new head coach to the mix
as well in Dan Quinn. Now, I don't think that
(16:12):
they hated, they're the last coach, But I think that
they feel better, like people are generally happier when you
are winning. And the survey does also show that concerns
are being addressed across the league. And this is what
the entire point of the NFL Players Survey is, where
(16:32):
they interview all where they survey every single player in
the league. Now, because there was a forty one percent
increase in a's in all categories last year, and J. C.
Tretdord ahead of the PA said that he noted that
there were three times as many A pluses than last year,
and while D pluses and below decreased by fifty one
(16:57):
percent from last year. That means that the own and
the general managers listened like, oh yo, let's create a
better work environment and let's not be embarrassed when these
damn reports come out. So you had Arthur Blank, the
owner for the Atlanta Falcons. He actually seemed to be
one of the owners that takes the negative feedback personally
(17:18):
and he's like, no, nah, nah, y'a ain't gonna say
this about me. And actually he's one of the most
fan friendly owners in terms of what goes on at
Mercedes ban Stadium.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
When you go to Atlanta, they have the.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Cheapest drinks, the cheapest food, the cheapest everything of all
of the stadiums.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
They make it that way.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
You can eat on twenty bucks and get a you know,
a king's ransom worth of food. Because they're like, we're
already charging you for these tickets. We are going to
make it a place where families are like, yo, I
can afford to go there. Yes, these tickets are expensive,
but after that it's a layup. After that that's important
(18:00):
fan experience. And a lot of owners or a lot
of people who run the facilities, they're like, we need
that cash, homie. Now, these surveys do give us an
opportunity to call out owners directly, and the usual suspects
are taking a beating and they deserve it. And some
of the most improved survey categories for owners willingness to
(18:21):
invest in team facilities, contributions to a positive team culture,
and a commitment to building a competitive team. Now there
were three owners though, that ranked in the bottom five
of all those categories, Patriots, Robert Kraft, jets Or Robert
Woody Johnson and David temper Over with the Carolina Panthers.
(18:42):
Now Robert Kraft, the owner of the Patriots. So it
just goes to show that you can paint an unglamorous,
bare bones experience as the cost of winning as long
as you are winning. Because as long as they were winning,
nobody was complaining about it. You start losing this when
I'm telling you it impacts your move. Now you got
(19:03):
over with the Jets. Woody Johnson, dude is just too involved.
He's letting his son make decisions on free agents and
who they sign and all of that stuff. He's not
letting the football people do the football things. It's almost
like he wants to be Jerry Jones, and Jerry Jones
the word I use for him. He is well meaning,
(19:25):
but he's a tinkerer. He's got too many jobs, man,
like a Jamaican. Too many jobs. Man, I got so
many jobs. But he doesn't have that same grace that
thirty year old Super Bowls provide because Jerry's at least
gotten it done before. And then you look at the
you know, the Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Dude, this emotional.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
He is like, I'm going to make moves quickly, and
oh I don't like you.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Get him up out of here. Get his ass up
out of here.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
And then you have owners that do one of these
things well, like an owner like Michael Bidwell for the Cardinals.
He's done a good job of paying the most important
guys like Boodle Baker, James Connor, and Kyler Murray. But
the facilities are completely terrible. The food is a bad situation,
and every time you hear his name in the news,
(20:19):
he's getting sued by people that spend the most time
around him.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
That's the problem. And this is the part that makes
no sense to me.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
If you are an organization and this NFL report card
comes out and they're talking about your food and your nutritionists,
that makes no sense to me.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
The players are your product.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
They need to be well fed with quality ingredients the
way then they can go perform well because you fuel
your body with food.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
And you're giving them trash food or.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Not enough food, or the wrong kinds of food, or
making them pay for food. Come on, man, invest in
your product. Then let's look at Jimmy Haslam with the
Cleveland Browns. He's also at the bottom of two categories,
culture and team building. And when you have one player
(21:17):
that's fully guaranteed injured and wasn't even playing well at
the time. Now, yes, I will say that that can
skew the data pretty drastically when all of those things
are taking place.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
That's just the truth.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Now there are some interesting other takeaways though. There were
three teams that do not offer daycare for players families
during the home games, and ten do not even have
a family room with their stadium. Make it make sense.
They had that when I was playing in two thousand
and three. And the Bengals are the only team on
(21:52):
both of those lists, which explains the F minus they
got for treatment of families. Come on, man, there were
only four or f minuses giving out in total. The
Browns got a F minus for their locker room. They
locker room must be trash. I never been in there,
don't want to go in there. Cardinals F minus for
the locker room. And then the Bills F minus for travel.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
What are we doing? What are we doing? How are
you traveling so poorly?
Speaker 2 (22:20):
If you are the Bills, are you staying in Motel
sixes and making everybody get their own bunk up?
Speaker 1 (22:28):
And this makes no sense?
Speaker 2 (22:31):
Come on, fam you gotta be better than that. And
then last year the Commanders their locker room was given
an F minus last year because of multiple sewage leagues.
Come on, man, Come on owners, and then that jumped
to a regular old F this time. Hey the but
(22:52):
thirty seven percent of the players still did cite ongoing
plumbing issues.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Can we get that fix? Can we please get all? Right?
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Y'all go, y'all gonna learn one of these days. Now,
that might be why Washington might not sign as many
free agents, because there's a very attractive team right now.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Apparently the Patriots team plane has no Wi Fi.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Do you know how maddening it is when you get
on a flight now with no Wi Fi? Imagine on
a five hour flight, ain't a liqu of Wi Fi
on there?
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Damn shame.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
That means the ain't watching no TV, no nothing. Hey, hey, hey,
y'all sit back there and play the quiet game. And
apparently it still has as trays in the seat arms,
like we're living in the days of mad men. Come on, man,
when is the last time you saw ash trays in
(23:51):
the seats of an airplane? They won't even let you
vape on an airplane. Why were there even ass trays
to begin with? Come on, man, and the Chiefs players
said they don't even like taking their shoes off in
the team hotel because the.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Floors are too gross.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Man, Come on, man, And if I were playing at
this time, I would have filled out the survey one
hundred percent honestly, as a lot of these players did.
Because if you want something something fixed, you gotta say it.
And the play and the teams have done a good well.
The owner, the excuse me, the players Association has done
a great job of keeping it private the way they
don't know who said it, all right, lasting up here
(24:32):
on the Unafraid Show. There was no show on Monday
and Tuesday. And the reason why I was at the
University of Oregon. I was at the University of Washington
and got some great interviews coming for you. We still
got a bunch of teams still on the on the calendar.
(24:52):
Got another one next Monday, got another one next Thursday.
The week after that, got two. Y'all gonna see what
it is because Unafraid Show is blowing up and it
is thanks to you, guys.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
I promise you.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
We will make sure that you like share, subscribe because
twenty twenty five you're gonna get stuff here that you
do not get anywhere else, we're gonna keep it a buck.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Peace Out, Catch you guys tomorrow.
Oh, we got drama today.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
We were gonna talk about Matthew Stafford maybe going to
the Giants, but now we got to talk about Matthew
Stafford and Tom Brady embroiled in some drama, Buddy, and
then Jordan Schultz and Ian Rappaport going at it about it.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Oh yet you want to see this and.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
The NFLPA they came out there with their report cards
for the teams. Some teams still out here failing man,
And I gotta tell you what I've been doing the
last few days and what you guys are gonna be
getting here on the Unafraid Show. And we got to
talk about that and so much more. Make sure that
you like, subscribe, get notifications, and tell a friend about
(00:46):
the show.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Let's get to it.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
So the Matthew Stafford drama is so originally it was
we were going to talk about Matthew Stafford going to
the Giants everything else, and then talk about that as
it related to the NFLPA survey. So Matthew Stafford is
in a situation He's with the Rams, but the Rams
may be ready to move on from him. And part
(01:25):
of it is because the dude's thirty seven years old.
He wants a new contract that's going to be commensurate
with the upper level quarterbacks in the league, because he's like,
I'm better than all these dudes way up here. I
should be paid like it. So I'm not mad at that.
But the Rams are also like, uh, Cooper Cup you
can as you can look for a trade and Matthew
Stafford if we can't find a deal, you can get
(01:46):
your butt up out of here too. And the whole
Super Bowl, you know, FM picks thing. It worked right,
but they haven't been great since, but they haven't been
terrible either now. So the move to move on from
Jared Garf send him to Detroit that obviously worked. They're
reset and the roster and Stafford don't want to be
a part of the rebuilt. But he also wants that
(02:09):
Brad as well, because you know, with the Lions beginning
of his career, he knew and he was a part
of losing a lot. So now here's the drama. So
tweet comes in today and this one is from Jordan Schultz.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
I'm gonna put it up. Jordan Schultz puts up a.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Tweet that says sources minority owner for the Raiders, Tom
Brady recently hosted Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford at his home
in Montana, where they spend time together and went skiing.
Brady has been actively trying to convince Stafford to join
the Raiders.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Okay, when you see that tweet.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
You're like, oh oh to me, that says uh oh
because Tom Brady got no business because he's the Raiders
minority owner, hosting a free agent and hanging out talking
shop with him up there in Montana. Come on, now, man,
so and then you had Ian Rappaport, who's a big
(03:12):
time NFL insider. He came out and then said, no, no, no,
no no. Both of these dudes just so happened to
be in Montana at the same time skiing, and they
just ran into each other. All right, all right, all right,
fam let me tell you how this works. I mean,
(03:35):
I don't actually, I don't even have to tell you guys.
You guys got some damn common sense. What do you
think The chances are Tom Brady just so happens to
be at his ranch in Montana and Matthew Stafford just
so happens to be out there at the same place
the same time, just so happened to run into each other,
you know, on the on the ski lift at the lodge.
(03:58):
And I'm a person travel a lot, so yes, I
run into people all the time.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Coincidence has happened, But this sort of.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Coincidence just when it just so happens that Matthew Stafford
is looking for a new team, might be looking for
a new contract. The Raiders need a quarterback. Come on,
man and Tom Brady. Remember here's the other thing. This
is the same man that went and met with the
Dolphins owner on his yacht. And do you know how
(04:26):
we know this because Brian Floores when he exposed this,
billed all the beans about Tom Brady and that he
was trying to get him the back door everything there,
and Brian Flores said, no, I'm not doing it. And
the owner what happened. He ends up getting fired everything else.
So Tom Brady is not above this back door action.
(04:48):
So then you're like, why is Ian Rappaport going so
hard about cleaning this up? And now mind you don
yee tom Brady's agent according to Ian Rapperport, And I'm
gonna put this tweet up here too the way y'all
can see it.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
So then you have Ian Rapperport put up. Oh.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford, like many other high profile athletes,
both own houses in the same SKEI community, and Tom
Pellicero says that he reached out to comment about the
internet rumor that Tom Brady hosted Matthew Stafford on a
recruiting visit in Montana. Brady's longtime agent Don Yee told me, quote,
(05:30):
I know the reporters sometimes make mistakes in their haste,
but the story's inaccurate.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
What did you expect the dude to say?
Speaker 2 (05:39):
He wasn't gonna sit up here and tell you because
that would be a first class violation. And the Miami Dolphins,
remember they lost a first round pick behind that, So
you don't think that the NFL wants to is now
going to be asking questions, Oh, hold up, Matthew, when
did this itinerary get booked?
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Brady?
Speaker 2 (06:01):
When did this itinerary get booked? Did you leave the
day after? Were you're only there a day?
Speaker 1 (06:06):
What? What's the what's the four one one?
Speaker 2 (06:11):
That's the gotcha? Gotcha here? Because I get it, I
won understand. Yes, coincidence has happened in life. Sometimes it's
the worst timing. Sometimes it's the best of timing. Sometimes
things you can look guilty as hell and you are
actually innocent. So this is where Ian Rapperport and Jordan
Schultz got into the fight. So you saw the Ian
(06:34):
Rappaport tweet, right, So here is the other part of
the Jordan Schultz tweet. Because at the top, the man says,
if you really think Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford just
happened to run into each other at a ski resort
in Montana, of all places, at the exact same time,
I got a bridge to sell you. Yes, it's not
(06:55):
like you. You were like, oh, they ran into each
other at the Whole Foods and contented. They just so
happened to be at the same ski resort at the
same time. Listen, I run into people all the time,
and you know what you do, Hey, what's up?
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Hummy? Cool? Peace? That's it.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
You don't sit down and talk. But they had something
to talk about. So I don't care what anybody says.
This would not even be news except for the fact
that it's actually news. Think about this. If Tom Brady
and matt Matthew Stafford just saw each other, it was like,
all right, cool peace. Nobody would have said anything, But
(07:35):
just the fact that they were both there, that means
that there were some talks, that there was some extensive
conversation beyond the normal pleasant trees of hey, what's something, man?
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Oh you out you out here with the fam? Oh, man,
that's cool.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
I'm out here with the family, or I'm out here
with Shorty or this or that. Whatever Tom Brady's doing,
that's the difference.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
We can't sit.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Here and and just ignore the possibilities. But you know
who really ain't gonna be ignoring it, the NFL, because
they don't want no part of this buddy. And the
team that we thought that he may be going to
that we were gonna talk about earlier was the New
York Giants, and that that might be not only Matthew
Stafford but his wife, Kelly Stafford's preferred destination. But at
(08:23):
this point in time, how do we not think that
the Giants are a mirror image of Stafford's time in Detroit?
I mean, hell, the Raiders. But Tom Brady is like
the de facto gm over at the Raiders, and he
probably thinks and maybe can't convince Matthew Stafford that the
Raiders could be a good move for him, they'll pay
him the type of money or he's gonna convince him. AA, Matthew,
(08:47):
let's structure this deal similar to something that I did
in Tampa Bay or what I did when I was
in New England. The way it's team friendly. We can
go heavy in free agency. We're gonna draft well, and
this will be a team that will be like the
Washington Commanders next year that will be a potential playoff
contender despite playing in the AFC West. Just saying, so,
(09:11):
the AFC West is murderers role right now. Murderers roll with.
The Chargers are pretty damn good right now. Obviously the
Chiefs are tough, the Broncos, so the Raiders are at
the bottom of the division right now. It's gonna be
tough to get up out of that thing. And then
look over at the NFC East that's full of heavy
(09:31):
hitters too. Commanders are on the rise. Eagle's been to
two Super Bowls in three years and are defending champions
to Dallas. Cowboys are systematically, you know, sporadically all in
or whatever the S word that he used.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
I'm just saying now when it relates to the nflp
NFLPA Survey.
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Though I do wonder because we're gonna get to that
in a second, because if Matthew Stafford even cares about that,
because the Giants are in the bottom third of seven
categories and the top third of zero categories when it
comes to player satisfaction. And I get it, Matthew Stafford,
the dude has earned the right to bet on himself.
(10:17):
And if he thinks that, the answer is New York
or it's the Raiders, far being from me to stop him.
But you're also going into a situation where the head coach,
Brian Dable could not even could is on the hot seat,
and he's actually been most effective with mobile quarterbacks, namely
Josh Allen. Matthew Stafford ain't that, but he is one
(10:41):
of the better quarterbacks in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
And then the Giants don't make.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Sense either, because they've had double digit losses in seven
of the last eight seasons and have not had double
digit winning season in over that run at all. Just say,
I don't even know if matt Matthew Stafford is gonna
want to go there now. The Giants, though, have ranked
twenty ninth or below in points and yards for the
(11:09):
last five seasons, so they are desperate. They let Sakuon
Barkley go he wins a championship. They had signed the
quarterback Danny Dimes that didn't work out, and now they
are in desperation mode. And the offensive line ain't even
that great.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
I'm just saying.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
And now the funny part is, believe it or not,
the Lions on the Stafford's old team, the Lions only
ranked twenty ninth or below in one of the two
categories in the five years before drafting Stafford. Just saying,
so you can actually make the objective case that the
Giants are worse than the zer to sixteen Lions were
when they drafted Matthew Stafford. So don't think that he
(11:53):
should go there. But you might try to if you're
trying to put Malik neighbors On in a high Hall
of Famer Calvin Johnson's level.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
But I don't think that that's a good idea. So
on to the next thing, the NFLPA.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
The report cards are out and you are going to
find out, if you have not seen it, who are
the best teams. Who are the teams that the players
like to play for the most. So pull this little
dou Hiki off of here, off of front off of sports,
and here's what we got. So we got Minnesota the
(12:30):
number one team. Whoever would have thought it? I did
not think it. But Minnesota a's and a plus is
all over the place. Coach, owner, food, travel, family, weight room, trainers,
every brother's team is. This is a first class organization
by vo Minnesota Vikings.
Speaker 1 (12:51):
Just say it. Oh so excuse me.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Miami Dolphins were one Minnesota Vikings too, but their report
cards looked the exact same. Now the Dolphins, though they
were top ranked in the NFLPA survey two years ago.
And this goes to show you that satisfaction by the
players does not.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Mean that you win.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
And it also doesn't mean that everybody is fully satisfied.
Looking to rig Hill, he ain't satisfied at all, not
even a little bit.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
So that's a thing right there. And it is.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Important that teams in there that the players and their
families feel comfortable. So like, one of the areas that
a lot of teams rank very low is family experience
and how they treat the families. Like for instance, there
are some teams that keep a daycare at the facility. Right,
I'm sorry, at the stadium big that way when you
(13:46):
know moms bring the kid to the game, that can
drop them off in the family room. The way they're
not trying to run around in the stadium or babies
in the stadium. It could be cold or this or that,
and they can get three hours of uninterrupted like you know,
just a break.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Do they feed the families.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
How do they like the family area that they put
them in after There's all sorts of things when it
relates to the family. And obviously if your family ain't happy,
you ain't gonna be happy.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Now.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
The top five rounded out obviously was Miami Dolphins, Vikings, Falcons, Raiders,
and Chargers. I was actually surprised that the Chargers were
ranked so high because they have a notorious history of
how they are being judged now, but they are one
of the biggest improving teams now. The other biggest improving
(14:38):
team was the Falcons because Atlanta went from twenty fifth
to third this year, and the Chargers, who got new
facilities because they were, you know, living in a temporary
shed for a while, went from thirtieth to fifth. Chargers
were a good team this year. Atlanta was cool, while
Kirk Cousins was healthy. I'm gonna tell you, when owners
(15:02):
treat players well, they're not in a hurry to get
up out of there, especially not to go to somewhere
that they are not going to treat you well. And
one of the teams that's very interesting that you would
think would be better as the Kansas City Chiefs. Now
their players are unhappy because their owner, who they gave
(15:24):
a C minus, he had promised stadium upgrades, locker room upgrades,
but instead he spent a million dollars to upgrade his
own suite and was like, yo, I don't have time,
Like there's not time for the season, upgrade the locker
room and all that, but yeah, y'all can finish my suite.
Though that don't work for the players, but it also
(15:45):
does not necessarily mean that you're gonna win, but it
does impact free agency.
Speaker 1 (15:51):
Now.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
The surveys, though, they clearly showed that the players respond
to positive change, because the Commanders went from last under
Daniel Snyder to eleventh after Josh Harris took over his owner,
and you added a new head coach to the mix
as well in Dan Quinn. Now, I don't think that
(16:12):
they hated, they're the last coach, But I think that
they feel better, like people are generally happier when you
are winning. And the survey does also show that concerns
are being addressed across the league. And this is what
the entire point of the NFL Players Survey is, where
(16:32):
they interview all where they survey every single player in
the league. Now, because there was a forty one percent
increase in a's in all categories last year, and J. C.
Tretdord ahead of the PA said that he noted that
there were three times as many A pluses than last year,
and while D pluses and below decreased by fifty one
(16:57):
percent from last year. That means that the own and
the general managers listened like, oh yo, let's create a
better work environment and let's not be embarrassed when these
damn reports come out. So you had Arthur Blank, the
owner for the Atlanta Falcons. He actually seemed to be
one of the owners that takes the negative feedback personally
(17:18):
and he's like, no, nah, nah, y'a ain't gonna say
this about me. And actually he's one of the most
fan friendly owners in terms of what goes on at
Mercedes ban Stadium.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
When you go to Atlanta, they have the.
Speaker 2 (17:33):
Cheapest drinks, the cheapest food, the cheapest everything of all
of the stadiums.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
They make it that way.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
You can eat on twenty bucks and get a you know,
a king's ransom worth of food. Because they're like, we're
already charging you for these tickets. We are going to
make it a place where families are like, yo, I
can afford to go there. Yes, these tickets are expensive,
but after that it's a layup. After that that's important
(18:00):
fan experience. And a lot of owners or a lot
of people who run the facilities, they're like, we need
that cash, homie. Now, these surveys do give us an
opportunity to call out owners directly, and the usual suspects
are taking a beating and they deserve it. And some
of the most improved survey categories for owners willingness to
(18:21):
invest in team facilities, contributions to a positive team culture,
and a commitment to building a competitive team. Now there
were three owners though, that ranked in the bottom five
of all those categories, Patriots, Robert Kraft, jets Or Robert
Woody Johnson and David temper Over with the Carolina Panthers.
(18:42):
Now Robert Kraft, the owner of the Patriots. So it
just goes to show that you can paint an unglamorous,
bare bones experience as the cost of winning as long
as you are winning. Because as long as they were winning,
nobody was complaining about it. You start losing this when
I'm telling you it impacts your move. Now you got
(19:03):
over with the Jets. Woody Johnson, dude is just too involved.
He's letting his son make decisions on free agents and
who they sign and all of that stuff. He's not
letting the football people do the football things. It's almost
like he wants to be Jerry Jones, and Jerry Jones
the word I use for him. He is well meaning,
(19:25):
but he's a tinkerer. He's got too many jobs, man,
like a Jamaican. Too many jobs. Man, I got so
many jobs. But he doesn't have that same grace that
thirty year old Super Bowls provide because Jerry's at least
gotten it done before. And then you look at the
you know, the Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Dude, this emotional.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
He is like, I'm going to make moves quickly, and
oh I don't like you.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Get him up out of here. Get his ass up
out of here.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
And then you have owners that do one of these
things well, like an owner like Michael Bidwell for the Cardinals.
He's done a good job of paying the most important
guys like Boodle Baker, James Connor, and Kyler Murray. But
the facilities are completely terrible. The food is a bad situation,
and every time you hear his name in the news,
(20:19):
he's getting sued by people that spend the most time
around him.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
That's the problem. And this is the part that makes
no sense to me.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
If you are an organization and this NFL report card
comes out and they're talking about your food and your nutritionists,
that makes no sense to me.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
The players are your product.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
They need to be well fed with quality ingredients the
way then they can go perform well because you fuel
your body with food.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
And you're giving them trash food or.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Not enough food, or the wrong kinds of food, or
making them pay for food. Come on, man, invest in
your product. Then let's look at Jimmy Haslam with the
Cleveland Browns. He's also at the bottom of two categories,
culture and team building. And when you have one player
(21:17):
that's fully guaranteed injured and wasn't even playing well at
the time. Now, yes, I will say that that can
skew the data pretty drastically when all of those things
are taking place.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
That's just the truth.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Now there are some interesting other takeaways though. There were
three teams that do not offer daycare for players families
during the home games, and ten do not even have
a family room with their stadium. Make it make sense.
They had that when I was playing in two thousand
and three. And the Bengals are the only team on
(21:52):
both of those lists, which explains the F minus they
got for treatment of families. Come on, man, there were
only four or f minuses giving out in total. The
Browns got a F minus for their locker room. They
locker room must be trash. I never been in there,
don't want to go in there. Cardinals F minus for
the locker room. And then the Bills F minus for travel.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
What are we doing? What are we doing? How are
you traveling so poorly?
Speaker 2 (22:20):
If you are the Bills, are you staying in Motel
sixes and making everybody get their own bunk up?
Speaker 1 (22:28):
And this makes no sense?
Speaker 2 (22:31):
Come on, fam you gotta be better than that. And
then last year the Commanders their locker room was given
an F minus last year because of multiple sewage leagues.
Come on, man, Come on owners, and then that jumped
to a regular old F this time. Hey the but
(22:52):
thirty seven percent of the players still did cite ongoing
plumbing issues.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Can we get that fix? Can we please get all? Right?
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Y'all go, y'all gonna learn one of these days. Now,
that might be why Washington might not sign as many
free agents, because there's a very attractive team right now.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
Apparently the Patriots team plane has no Wi Fi.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Do you know how maddening it is when you get
on a flight now with no Wi Fi? Imagine on
a five hour flight, ain't a liqu of Wi Fi
on there?
Speaker 1 (23:30):
Damn shame.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
That means the ain't watching no TV, no nothing. Hey, hey, hey,
y'all sit back there and play the quiet game. And
apparently it still has as trays in the seat arms,
like we're living in the days of mad men. Come on, man,
when is the last time you saw ash trays in
(23:51):
the seats of an airplane? They won't even let you
vape on an airplane. Why were there even ass trays
to begin with? Come on, man, and the Chiefs players
said they don't even like taking their shoes off in
the team hotel because the.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Floors are too gross.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
Man, Come on, man, And if I were playing at
this time, I would have filled out the survey one
hundred percent honestly, as a lot of these players did.
Because if you want something something fixed, you gotta say it.
And the play and the teams have done a good well.
The owner, the excuse me, the players Association has done
a great job of keeping it private the way they
don't know who said it, all right, lasting up here
(24:32):
on the Unafraid Show. There was no show on Monday
and Tuesday. And the reason why I was at the
University of Oregon. I was at the University of Washington
and got some great interviews coming for you. We still
got a bunch of teams still on the on the calendar.
(24:52):
Got another one next Monday, got another one next Thursday.
The week after that, got two. Y'all gonna see what
it is because Unafraid Show is blowing up and it
is thanks to you, guys.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
I promise you.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
We will make sure that you like share, subscribe because
twenty twenty five you're gonna get stuff here that you
do not get anywhere else, we're gonna keep it a buck.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Peace Out, Catch you guys tomorrow.
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