Secret Weapons For Every NFC Team

Gregg Rosenthal is joined by Patrick Claybon and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic to give you the secret weapon for every NFC team. The crew goes through the NFC East (03:17), followed by the NFC North (14:45), NFC South (28:11), and NFC West (39:10). 

Note: time codes approximate. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Walk up to NFL daily where school is out for summer,
but the NFL is not. We're here in the Chris
Westling podcast, Judie. My name is Greg Rosenthal. This is
Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic and Patrick Claybahn of NFL Network.
A man, you know, we're counting down my face built
for television, not podcasting.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Yeah, just no, Greg's gassing me up unnecessarily. Well he's
just he's got my favorite fit on right. Oh yeah,
I love that jacket and it kills every time.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
It's it's very old and I almost got rid of
it because getting a little faded and whatnot. But yes,
this is the reason why you need to subscribe to
the YouTube channel. The last time I asked for people
to subscribe and leave reviews on iTunes and Spotify. What
the people did it, so thank you people for doing that.
I noticed it, and yes I referred to schools out.
My kids are out of school. That was Wasn't that

(00:57):
like the best day of the year. There's nothing in
adult life I feel like that can replace the feeling
of being a child on the last day of school.

Speaker 3 (01:05):
That's at least how I went through. I don't know
if you were the same Jordan.

Speaker 4 (01:07):
I grew up in Phoenix, so walking out of the
school at any time felt like getting hit with a
wall of the sun. So that's pretty much my core
memory of all of those times. But yeah, then it
was like swim team and taking my radio Flyer wagon
to the library and filling it up with books because
it was too hot to go outside, so you got
to sit in and read all the time.

Speaker 2 (01:28):
I recently discovered a TikTok trend of people who were
accelerated students. They were the gifted children, yea, who grow
up and realized that, you know, it was unfair to
place these expectations on them.

Speaker 5 (01:42):
I was not one of them.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
Some of us didn't have to wait to be adults
to be told that they were failures because I was.
And so, yeah, not being in school was great for me.
And the only thing that comes close as an adult
is finishing my taxes. Whenever I finished my taxes and
tax season is done, that feels like the last day
of school.

Speaker 3 (02:03):
That is a good feeling to do this, that is
a good feeling. I'm with you.

Speaker 4 (02:07):
I'm just kidding whoever's listening.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
And look, I think I think you could be a
great student, be and be pumped that the school year
is ending. Certainly my daughter would fall into that cardgory
great student, but I mean she could not be more
excited because the thing you kind of forget about kids
is those kids work hard. Imagine us having to go
to work at like eight in the morning, being told

(02:29):
what to do and shuttled around for like seven straight
hours for what a lot of people is like intense
concentration where they're putting on this whole other like I'm
not gonna say personality, but you gotta focus, you gotta behave,
you gotta do the whole thing. You gotta like it's
a lot. So then to the relief of that is amazing.
We are not going to have that same relief at
the end of this show, but we are going to

(02:50):
feel like we accomplished something because we did the AFC
Secret Weapons a week and a half ago, maybe more,
and I was it's just been bothering me. It's like
we got to close circle. We can't just leave that
open ended. The people need to know who are the
NFC secret weapons. So we're going to put two minutes
on the clock. We got Chris Babona here on the
producer ones and twos for this episode, So big, big

(03:13):
spot for Chris and well we will start in the
NFC East with Patrick Claybah and the Dallas Cowboys.

Speaker 2 (03:20):
The Dallas Cowboys frequently the target of constant consternation and
that is the secret weapon oh chaos and the star itself,
not just the glorious facility in Frisco, but the star
on the helmet and all the attention it provides interest,
constant contract dispute, discussion on and on a lot of it,
as we note on this show, unnecessary and counterproductive. But

(03:43):
I think it is the perfect spot for George Pickens.
And it's something that I mentioned last week on the
show about the camp success and his relationship on the
field wise with Dak Prescott in the way that it
looks right now, but this is the perfect situation where
somebody being energetic, bombastic, impossible to take your eye off
of in Pittsburgh fundamentally looks different when your vision is

(04:07):
diverted in so many different places as it is in Dallas,
including by ownership itself, that I think it honestly makes
a perfect landing spot for a very very talented player.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
You're saying they are built different. Yes, I am, they
kind of are. It goes along with one of my
pet theories from the previous decade when I always said
the Cowboys are never good in the off season, where
they're gassed up the whole off season, they start reading
their own clippings, they're over, they end up like believing
like their own hype, and then they disappoint. It was
this back and forth thing. Now Mike McCarthy helped change

(04:41):
that a little bit. But I do like the Cowboys
a little bit more coming off a bad season.

Speaker 4 (04:46):
I am not as young as I used to be,
but sometimes I still come across terms that I need
some explanation for.

Speaker 6 (04:53):
Fancam is one of these things where, and I.

Speaker 4 (04:56):
Might still get this wrong, but if you're a concert
or something and you put an isolated camera with your
phone or whatever on like one person in the band,
and you basically just follow them around with your phone
and create like reels and it's all over.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
Patrick is making a skeptical look. That's not my interpretation?

Speaker 3 (05:14):
Is that?

Speaker 6 (05:15):
Is that right?

Speaker 2 (05:15):
My interpretation of a fancam, which would be probably a
couple of years old, and I don't know if things
have changed.

Speaker 5 (05:21):
Would be like an edit, yes, of a particular person.

Speaker 1 (05:24):
It just would be like thirty seconds of Carlos Alcarez
doing cool things in life and on the tennis cart.

Speaker 3 (05:30):
And that's sort of their fans.

Speaker 6 (05:31):
I feel like we're all saying, sort we're all in.

Speaker 5 (05:33):
The bill, there is one person.

Speaker 4 (05:35):
You're the but George Pickens needs one, okay. And I
love this for him because he is so perfect for this.
He plays football like a WWE figure. I love how
entertaining he is. He is, He's electric and regardless. Like
I just think he's perfect for this spotlight.

Speaker 1 (05:52):
I absolutely agree, and he's going to make them even
more box office than they already were.

Speaker 3 (05:57):
With Dak Prescott coming back.

Speaker 1 (05:59):
I'm going to go with the New York Giants, and
my secret weapon for them is going to be their
offensive line. I thought it got overlooked last year that
when Andrew Thomas was out there, and that's a big,
big piece here, and he's got to get back healthy.
He's working his way, he's starting to do more things
on the field, and he's coming back from that injury.

(06:22):
When he was on the field, they had the first
capable New York Giants offensive line in about six years.
They weren't amazing, but the difference between one of the
worst in the league to averaged or slightly better than
average is solid, and they have a lot of is
a huge difference, and they have a lot of continuity
with John Runyon, a third year player in John Michael Schmidz.
That's maybe a question mark area at center. Jermaine Illuminor

(06:45):
was solid enough at right tackle. And I just think
with an okay enough offensive line, you can let what's
a pretty good skill position group, not great at quarterback,
but the running backs and the tight end and the
wide receivers are pretty good. They can be supported by
that offensive line.

Speaker 2 (06:58):
Yeah, it has to be a cohesive unit and everything
everything works together, and it uplifts the entire roster, and so.

Speaker 4 (07:07):
Yeah, I think it makes you even more eager to
play the rookie quarterback Jackson Dart. I think it makes
you more eager if you're Brian Dable knowing that, okay,
this is the time we have the healthy line. And
also by the way they've been going against who I
think will quietly, maybe not so quietly, be one of
the best defensive lines in the NFL this upcoming season.

(07:29):
Regardless of whatever happens on offense, they'll have been practicing
against them.

Speaker 5 (07:33):
Have you seen the training camp.

Speaker 4 (07:34):
Yes, they look amazing. I know, I know it's OTA's
I know, I know, but like, oh my god, they
look incredible in terms of just all of the different
looping and stunts and games that they can play. And
there's so many different skill sets and that helps your
offensive line get better and it makes your quarterback better
as long as you don't kill his confidence, it makes
your quarterback better.

Speaker 1 (07:51):
Well, that's the issue is Russell Wilson was not protected amazingly,
I would say in Pittsburgh. But it wasn't like league
worst either to make offensive lines look worse, and he
will be the Week one starting quarterback.

Speaker 3 (08:05):
I don't think that's.

Speaker 4 (08:06):
No, I know it's not. I just thought, man, if
someone said that to me, my heart would break. If
someone said that about me is like a description, my
heart would break. You know, Jordan, we we think she
makes offensive lines like we just.

Speaker 3 (08:18):
Hold on to the ball.

Speaker 1 (08:19):
Even at his best, I think he that was just
and he was a great player, but I just think
he makes it harder on offensive lines and other quarterback.

Speaker 2 (08:28):
The biggest a weapon in his arsenal is the deep ball,
and it's it's gonna take. It's gonna take a little
bit longer, and half a half a step means a lot.
So you know, Russ, that's what happens.

Speaker 3 (08:38):
Thank you for landing that plane and making my comment
not sound asrue. Jordan, you are up with the Eagles?

Speaker 4 (08:43):
Well, gang, we all know what the real secret weapon
of the Philadelphia Eagles is?

Speaker 5 (08:50):
There is hey, Now.

Speaker 4 (08:53):
Okay, in all seriousness, how do you come up with
a secret weapon for a team whose weapons are all
so plentiful and so obvious?

Speaker 6 (09:02):
So I've sort of gone with the theme here.

Speaker 4 (09:04):
Next guy's up dot dot dot out of nowhere, dot
dot dot again. Tyler Steen is starting at right guard.
He was a front runner last season before a combination
of injuries and Mackai Becton's emergence kind of took over,
and so now this might finally be his time. Stoutland
University rolls through yet another developmental player who might be

(09:26):
a core player for them. Terras Marshall reportedly has also
been super impressive the spring.

Speaker 6 (09:31):
They do need like a.

Speaker 4 (09:32):
Three at four ish at receiver right now. They have
obviously a stacked one and two, but at three and
a four, and he popped at times in Carolina, especially
for his explosive playability, but obviously they were a mess
when he was there, and at quarterback had all kinds
of issues. So these are two players where I think
we're going to be saying once again the main secret
weapon of the Philadelphia Eagles is how did they do it?

Speaker 3 (09:54):
Again?

Speaker 1 (09:54):
Ooh, that's testing because they have struggled at that spot.
For what it's worth, they've brought in a lot of
Terras Marshall like players, guys that were maybe drafted high
on other teams. John Dotson is one of them who
has that number three spot, and they haven't usually like
panned out, like you still have to be a good
NFL player. Just sprinkling how he sauce on you isn't

(10:17):
going to work, but maybe it will.

Speaker 5 (10:18):
It definitely has on the offsite one.

Speaker 6 (10:19):
He certainly has the traits too.

Speaker 4 (10:22):
I think he has the traits, and they have the
like the infrastructure around that position group and then also
that offense in general to set a player who's kind
of flashed the traits but never quite caught on in
his previous stop for a lot of different reasons, a
lot of them environmental as well.

Speaker 6 (10:37):
Has the traits to really step forward.

Speaker 4 (10:39):
And I do think too it's Stoutland University, but it's
also just the Eagles University in general of late, and that.

Speaker 2 (10:45):
Would be it would be another feather in the cap
for that that era of the Panthers m if Terris
Marshall is able to be successful where it's like we
all start looking back at you know, looking back at
that rule and what once was, like hey, what was
what was actually going on there is We've got multiple
quarterbacks signing huge extensions and guys being successful.

Speaker 1 (11:05):
It's Jonathan Mingo would be a big case if he
could succeed in Dallas. You're not hearing a lot of
Mingo pop in the fact, I think your guy George
Pickens is kind of replacing him. I like that they
have a lot of young players that need to step up.
Stein is a perfect example. Moro Ojamo is a guy

(11:25):
who might be leading that group and snaps. Certainly, Jordan
Davis has been there, but he's going to be a
guy that really matters. Like Nolan Smith has to kind
of take what he did in the playoffs and make
it translate. So it's a sneaky like young team for
a team that just won the Super Bowl.

Speaker 4 (11:40):
And it sounds like John Campbell is going to be
ready in August, so that's still late. Obviously that's not
totally ideal, But the fact that he has so much
potential and is such a fit with mcfangio in this system,
I think there's a lot of a bright potential there.

Speaker 2 (11:52):
Terres Marshall also feels like a departure at least in
the in the Aj DeVante era. Physically at that number
three spot, it feels like something different.

Speaker 1 (12:01):
They do have that huge draft pick from a year ago,
Johnny Wilson, who's a departure from almost any wide receiver
in the history of the NFL. He's like six foot
nine Ania Smith. Also, they'd say, you know it's looking
okay in the off season, all right, Washington, you're up.

Speaker 5 (12:16):
The Washington Commander's secret weapon.

Speaker 2 (12:18):
And again when the change was so significant and there
was the glaring Rookie of the Year Heisman Trophy winner,
you have to go off the books, but then not
collectively examining the team and the coaching staff. The secret
weapon of the commanders is almost Adam Peters and the
forty nine ers had so much success, almost dan Quinn
had so much success, almost in the greatest comeback in

(12:41):
Super Bowl history, right, and then you go down Cliff
Kingsbury Brian Johnson as the assistant head coach and offensive courter,
almost had that success in Philadelphia, had to lose his job.
The team goes and wins the Super Bowl without him,
and collectively, this group of individuals who almost had so
much success come together, recognize the places where there were

(13:03):
shortcomings and maybe things didn't necessarily line up, and they
have the biggest franchise turnaround that we've seen ever. In
my opinion, I haven't going back to the who is
this guy Kurt Warner on the cover rams like this
was a laughing stop, like fundamentally top to bottom franchise,
and this group of almost came back and did something

(13:26):
real that has made me a believer.

Speaker 6 (13:28):
Yeah, let's freaking go. Some would put NFL films music
behind that. The whole time, my jaw.

Speaker 4 (13:35):
Is like hanging on to the floor because I'm sitting
there and I'm like, this is a column, this is
a column, this is a documentary narration Cook Patrick Cook,
Like this is I want.

Speaker 1 (13:44):
To run through a Walt, I didn't even want to
talk anymore. That kind of like, no, tell me, you know,
like be a jerk and make a joke or something,
you know, make a joke.

Speaker 3 (13:53):
She's absolutely right.

Speaker 1 (13:54):
Ah, would you say all this almost helped make them
try harder last year?

Speaker 5 (14:01):
Yes? Well no, honestly because I would like this.

Speaker 2 (14:04):
No, I really would use it as a point to
support my agenda right where it's like, oh, you know,
these folks can't do this and can't do that, Like
the circumstances are what actually change for a lot of people.
And even if you don't necessarily have that success, as
long as you get opportunity, you're in a position to
have success. And I think this team proves it.

Speaker 3 (14:23):
I was just using his words, but in a joking way.
I don't believe that.

Speaker 1 (14:27):
I think you're onto something too, because when you're saying
almost like they are all extremely successful and have been
successful for a reason, it's not like the forty nine
ers weren't successful. It's not like all the people you
mentioned haven't reached the level of success and then coming
together like.

Speaker 5 (14:43):
Those cliff teams.

Speaker 2 (14:44):
We talk about the fall off all the time, but
what about all the starts.

Speaker 1 (14:47):
Hey, now, let's talk about the Chicago Bears. It was
hard for me to come up with the secret weapon
because I feel like nothing about this team is secret.
They're just they're on Front Street. They're one of America's teams.
I think that are just going to get in the
year twenty twenty five. But you know who has been
hiding in the weeds this offseason. Dennis Allen. Dennis Allen

(15:07):
for a good reason, the very bodyman of the Peter principle.

Speaker 3 (15:13):
You know who.

Speaker 1 (15:13):
Dennis Allen is a great assistant coach, one of the
better coordinators in a long time. And you know what
his specialty is more than anything, alien people. Now, that's
the Peter Principal thing. Not so good in the big chair.
He's been very good as a coordinator. He consistently makes
a difference with his guys in the secondary. I think

(15:36):
he is ultimately a defensive backfield coach and no matter what,
even even as a head coach with the Saints, he
made that group work. And I think him inheriting this
incredibly talented secondary is a little bit of a secret sauce.
Not that Matt Eberflus wasn't great, but he's going to
be able to bring out some new qualities. Tyreek Stevenson,

(15:57):
I think is a very up and down player who
can can be better. And you look at the rest
of the group with Jalen Johnson and Kyler Gordon. Then
you have Buyered and Brisker at safety. It's a nice
group that I think Dennis Allen can maximize.

Speaker 4 (16:08):
Yeah, it's a nice group. It's a group that's ready to,
I guess, sustain sort of this high level of play
that they have been playing at, even despite potentially at
times chaotic and dysfunctional years and backslides and questions on offense.
I really like when a really good coordinator gets another
shot at being a really good coordinator.

Speaker 6 (16:28):
Post fail usually failed headcuak.

Speaker 3 (16:31):
Like Dennis Allen with the Saints.

Speaker 4 (16:33):
Yes, and we're gonna get to Maddie Eberflus again.

Speaker 6 (16:36):
And in Dallas. I think he's gonna be great there.
But it's interesting.

Speaker 4 (16:39):
I think that this was one of my favorite secondaries
to watch the beginning, especially the beginning of the season
last year before Decwmbrisker got hurt and Kyler Gordon is
one of the best players right now, one of the
best young players in the league. And I just think
that this is so this has so much potential.

Speaker 3 (16:54):
You know what I forgot? Jonathan Owens is on this team.

Speaker 1 (16:56):
Yeah, mister Simone Biles, he always pops up for like
a fun handful of plays, just as like your sixth
or seventh defensive back.

Speaker 5 (17:04):
Yeah, he makes plays.

Speaker 2 (17:05):
And again I have fun at Dennis Allen's expense, but
like that, collectively, what has gone wrong in the Dennis
Allen era of New Orleans couldn't have been done alone, right,
there were multiple.

Speaker 6 (17:15):
Hands your failure?

Speaker 5 (17:16):
Who multiple hands in that?

Speaker 2 (17:18):
And yeah, sometimes you take responsibility away from somebody they
can focus on the things they're actually good.

Speaker 1 (17:23):
He's the anti Shody. Shody got to be better as
a head coach than he was as a coordinator. Dennis
Allen has proven he's better as a coordinator.

Speaker 4 (17:30):
This is a hot take, Sorry about this to put
this in everyone's brains, But for some reason, he really
reminds me of Edward Norton, Like he looks like ed
Norton to me, I can't explain it.

Speaker 5 (17:42):
Is there a particular Ed Norton character or Ed Norton himself.

Speaker 4 (17:45):
Young Ed Norton before the soap Like just he kind
of just the way. I don't know, it's like something
about the face structure. I have no idea, I have
no clues a little bit.

Speaker 1 (17:58):
But if I'm at Norton, I'm thrilled with this comp Detroit.
Dear up, Jordan.

Speaker 3 (18:03):
I mean, this is one of our great actors here
and sticking them with Jim.

Speaker 6 (18:06):
But I'm an advisor. I just want to see something, okay.

Speaker 4 (18:09):
Tate Ratledge is the secret weapon again a team that
has so many weapons that are so obvious. One of
the most important things that they're going to have to
be able to do is get this offensive line up
to speed despite a couple of personnel losses. Tate Ratledge
is really important. For this reason, the Lions are going
to decide between Taylor Ratlige and Graham Glasgow as their

(18:30):
future center even beyond this year because Frank of Frank
Reragno's in retirement this spring. Glasgow might have an early
edge because he's more experienced, and Jared Goff might still
need some help at the line of scrimmage. Who wouldn't
want someone taking the burden of pressure off of the
quarterback's plate and letting that quarterback just sling it around.
But Ratledge was an awesome pickup who will immediately compete

(18:51):
at the guard spot and potentially could win the long
term starting job at Center if the developmental process continues
to stay how it has been in and he's smart.
He's a multi year starter from Georgia. He can be
mean as hell according to scouting reports, but also his
teammates love him and love rallying around him. Who does
that sound like the recently retired Frank Reig noow.

Speaker 2 (19:14):
I do worry for his sake in terms of the
competition at the position if all of the attrition in
Detroit leads them to try to go with something familiar
and try to have less change and a guy that
Jared has at least played with, yeah a little bit
versus like you look around the coaching staff and now
the roster and you start to see that those number

(19:34):
of departures kind of add up.

Speaker 1 (19:37):
Also, he's a rookie and a guy yeh, we're not
expecting to go in the second round. I always do
suffer a little bit of whiplash this time of year
with guys who holes were poked in Ratlets like. There
were very different opinions about his quality as a prospect.
A lot of people thought he is a Day three
type of guy. They obviously felt different. I trust their opinion,

(19:57):
but taking him before people expect late in round and
pushing him into this spot, that's not easy.

Speaker 4 (20:02):
I will say, I trust the Lions evaluation process about
their offensive linemen. I trust their coaching process with their
offensive linemen. And I'm not saying he's going to start
at center immediately, because, like Patrick said, I think there
would probably be some nerves. You want someone who's been
in the offense a little bit to actually be doing
that in the short term at least. But I think
this kid's gonna compete, really, I really do, and I

(20:23):
think that Brad Holmes knows that and identifies those traits
in him. The other secret weapon that has to be
a secret weapon, but we'll see if it is, is
if Dan Campbell can keep that knack for identifying coordinators,
because he did really well the last time he had
to replace coordinators, and those guys are both gone now
in head coaching jobs.

Speaker 1 (20:41):
Yeah, and if Ratledge, by the way, he doesn't win
the center job, he's probably starting at right guard. So
either way, he's going to be in a big spot
for a great offensive line.

Speaker 5 (20:49):
Patrick, you got the Packers.

Speaker 2 (20:51):
Well, the Green Bay Packers did something that they have
not done in forever and drafted a wide receiver in
the first round.

Speaker 5 (20:56):
But the secret weapon is Tucker Craft, layer.

Speaker 2 (20:59):
That we we've seen multiple years and a guy that
had a lot of action in designed specifically designed plays
for the tight end. You will you scheme him up
and not as much work out there in the route. Well,
that peck injury that he had last year in the
offseason kind of limited his ability to be ingratiated into
the offense. And even then there were seven touchdowns for
Tucker Craft. I think we see an explosion for Tucker Craft,

(21:22):
an opportunity the guy who had seventy targets last year
where all the attention gets devoted outside and even more
so now where I believe there's more of an opportunity
in Tucker Craft becomes the secret weapon for the Green
Bay Packers in twenty twenty five.

Speaker 1 (21:35):
Shout out to NFL Films as Greg Cosel, who I
remember coming out thought Craft was, if not the best
tight end, like the second best tight end in this class.
Thought he was a better prospect than Musgrave, who goes
earlier to the same Green Bay Packers team, and I
feel like his breakout got a little slept on nationally,
like to put up seven hundred yards as a second
year tight end, and then you don't need to be

(21:56):
a scout to just see him with the ball as
kind of magical, like he is going to have a
great career and Musgrave could be healthier this year too,
and kind of give them a nice one bee where
that's a lot to deal with.

Speaker 4 (22:07):
For defense, there have been few players because you expect
when you cover this sport in this league, you expect
everyone or most people to be like massive humans, right
and extremely athletic. There are very few people that have
rendered me sort of speechless and like, oh, you are
much larger than expected. Julius Peppers was one of those

(22:28):
people when I got to meet him for the first
time and totally was like stunned by just how you
can move like that at that size And watching Tucker
Craft warm up last season pregame, he is not a
tight end, Like you know that that position is massive
already stereotypically, but like he is not that, he's something else.
He's different, Like it is scary to see how well

(22:52):
he can move with the ball at his frame and
sometimes hard to pick up, I think on the broadcast,
but in person you're like, no, you're not actually supposed
to be able to do that at your size.

Speaker 3 (23:01):
Also named after your.

Speaker 4 (23:03):
Dog, yes, he was the what twenty two year old
Tucker Craft is named after.

Speaker 6 (23:08):
My twelve year old dog?

Speaker 1 (23:09):
Okay, maybe not. You're right about body tip. I do
feel like an impressive looking tight end in person is
maybe more impressive than any position. I always put up
Kyle Brady, former Jet and Patriots, the most impressive NFL
person I've ever seen, and.

Speaker 2 (23:22):
We're both from covering college football obviously. The first time
I saw Cam Newton, I thought, yes, yeah, it was a.

Speaker 6 (23:27):
Different another one that got me.

Speaker 2 (23:29):
Yeah, stunning standing on somebody else's legs behind him, but
it was actually one person standing standing on a pair
of likes.

Speaker 5 (23:35):
And Kelvin Benjamin. I know people will.

Speaker 2 (23:36):
Make wastressing, but it was before the bowl game against
Florida State, there was media availability and I saw Kelvin Benjamin.

Speaker 5 (23:44):
It felt like the law I've interviewed Shack multiple times.
Kelvin Benjamin is gigantic, interesting, just the colossal.

Speaker 6 (23:50):
That's a clip that's going to be clipped out.

Speaker 3 (23:52):
Kelvin bench smiles Garrett is another one though it's an.

Speaker 6 (23:55):
Obvious but yes, yeah, like stunning.

Speaker 3 (23:58):
Yeah, this should be on are naming guys.

Speaker 4 (24:01):
Naming some guys. You'd be great with that, remember some guards,
remember and some.

Speaker 1 (24:04):
Dudes naming impressive looking guys in person. But it's not weird.
Let's go to the Vikings and mine is sort of ephemeral,
but I believe in it. I think the timing of
this Vikings team, of where they are in their team
build and where their players are is going to be

(24:26):
their secret weapon. I think of Kevin O'Connor, who's thirty
four and seventeen in three years year four, of him
and Quescy coming together, and then you look at the
combination of continuity, youth and experience, and I just think
it's tough. Sometimes you don't realize your window is there
before it's gone. And they are at a really interesting
window where obviously JJ's at his peak and should stay there,

(24:49):
but Jordan nod Addison is still there and has developed
their Their young players in terms of their offensive line,
like Donovan Jackson, are being helped out by the veterans
darrisaw who should be in his peak, and you still
have Brian O'Neil, and you bring in their free agents.
You can support this young quarterback in JJ McCarthy with
a lot of players obviously on the defensive side. You

(25:10):
don't know how long Brian Flores is going to be there.
You don't know how long Harrison Smith is going.

Speaker 5 (25:14):
To be there.

Speaker 1 (25:14):
Like Cashman and Grenard, these guys who got there, they
now know the system van Ginkel like they have been there.
I just think if you look at the roster overall,
it's not too young, it's not too old, and it's
not too stale.

Speaker 3 (25:26):
It's just right. Minnesota Vikings, they're the Goldilocks team. I
really believe that, Like it's a perfect it's a perfect come.

Speaker 5 (25:34):
Suits JJ McCarthy's hair as well.

Speaker 3 (25:36):
Yeah, Goldie Lettuce, that's part of it.

Speaker 1 (25:38):
Like in theory, you would want your quarterback, I guess,
to have more experience, but I think of a one minute,
he's even in a better situation than he would have
been as a rookie because he's been there and he's
learned how in.

Speaker 4 (25:49):
Yeah, well, the floor for this entire team is so
much higher because the way that the roster's constructed to
your point, Greg, like, even if he struggles, there's enough
help everywhere else, yes, to sort of paper over that
long enough for Kevin O'Connell to get in and do
the thing that we know that he does and has
done consistently since he became head coach and before that
when he was a coordinator, and that is reset, recalibrate

(26:11):
the quarterback at the quarterback on the right track. And
I just think that when you look at this entire RUSS,
you're on paper you think this is a make or
break year, But I don't think that's true because you
look at the ages and you look at the contracts,
and I don't think this is a make or break
year for them, or like a boom or bust situation
based on the severe veteran thisess of some of the players,
because on the other side of it, they've got the

(26:33):
quarterback on the rookie deal and so they can keep
loading up, they can keep stocking up like this and
continue to be like a hybrid young old team.

Speaker 5 (26:42):
And there's a lot of guys where we haven't fully.

Speaker 2 (26:44):
Seen the vision come true yet for them, So that's
just house money. There's the vikings that we know that
we can trust that and count on that they will
execute to a high level. And then you've you've got
like your your Dallas is right off the edge, You've
got JJ McCarthy, and and you juxtaposed that with Justin

(27:05):
Jefferson like at the top of at the top of
the game, in the top of his career right now,
where it's like, we know what we're going to get,
and anything we get from these guys, it's just money.

Speaker 1 (27:13):
I don't think I don't think you're breaking anyway, but
I've just had the experience of like doing those articles
like best rosters in the league every off season, and
they just don't stay together long. Like there was this
I thought the Falcons roster was going to be set
for a while. I thought that that Eagles roster with
Carson Wentz is going to be set for a while.
And you realized, like, in terms of a complete roster,
all the position group, it really only lasts usually like

(27:34):
one or two seasons with the coach.

Speaker 3 (27:36):
I think this is that season.

Speaker 4 (27:37):
But that's fine because they will have to reload. There
are going to be players who are who are who
age out of this roster. Frank quite frankly and overly bluntly,
but there will be and so they can still reload.
And that's the entire point is like they're in this
very cool hybrid now and then type of build.

Speaker 1 (27:54):
But now is a time where Brian Floor is there
going a super Bowl Like now, I think they are
in a in contention to represent the NFC and get there.

Speaker 3 (28:02):
Let's take a quick break. We will be back with
the NFC.

Speaker 1 (28:05):
South Back at NFL Daily. It's everyone's favorite division. It's
the NFC South.

Speaker 3 (28:18):
Who It's Jordan Rodrigue with the Atlanta Falcons.

Speaker 4 (28:21):
Yes, my secret weapon for the Falcons is that most
of you, not you guys, but most of you are
still sleeping on Mike Pennix. And yes, I mentioned this
on a previous show. I have heard the handwringing about
the dynamics in the quarterback's room and what's it going
to be like to have Kirk Cousins looking over Mike
Pennix's shoulder the entire time. And I got to tell you,

(28:42):
I don't give one fig about any of that. I
think that this is an ultra confident young man who
throws the hell out of the football who this entire
coaching staff on the offensive side, on the defensive side,
and specifically with the plan for this offense moving forward.
They are running the entire ship through what he can
do and how he can unfold the layers of this

(29:02):
passing game and run the offense and in a very
multiple way. I think that this is one of their
advantages is that if the general population is sleeping a
little bit on Mike Pennix and has a very limited
sample size, I also think other teams are going to
be sleeping on Mike Pennocks. I'd certainly have a relatively

(29:23):
limited sample size. I bet he will go through struggles,
just like any young quarterback will, but the composure and
the confidence and the amount of football that this young
man has already seen, I just think it's all uphill
overall long term for him, and I think he's going
to have a great career.

Speaker 3 (29:40):
And sneaky not as young as you know.

Speaker 1 (29:42):
Most second year quarterbacks will be twenty six this year,
which I think is an advantage for him. He's seen
more football, he's more mature. He is one of the
biggest X factors of this entire NFL season. Reminds me
a lot of Jordan Love going into his first full season,
just that the talent's all there. I think the streakiness
might be there, the upside is there, I don't I
don't know how it's going to go.

Speaker 2 (30:01):
We haven't seen the downside of the streakiness to the
extent that Jordan Love showed it. Again, Jordan Love a
much younger player.

Speaker 1 (30:09):
At the time, maybe his college career before his last season.

Speaker 4 (30:13):
Yes, but if you put together a season like that
at Washington and then carry it through into what he
showed at the NFL level, that's not two full seasons,
but that is two seasons where you're not seeing that streakiness.

Speaker 2 (30:26):
Yeah, and we go if we go back in honsight
and look at the outcomes for debor we look at
the how the outcomes for you know, his receivers. Although
mcmellan had a nice push late in the season, apparently
Michael Penix Junior was carrying that entire operation.

Speaker 6 (30:39):
Dude, it's true.

Speaker 1 (30:41):
He he makes me very excited to watch Atlanta Falcons
football games.

Speaker 3 (30:46):
Now.

Speaker 5 (30:46):
I have gotten one decision.

Speaker 1 (30:49):
With quarterbacks off of three to four games sample size
at the end of their rookie year before.

Speaker 3 (30:54):
So I just want to I just want to see
it I just want to see it again. I've been burned. Patrick.
You get the Panthers.

Speaker 2 (31:01):
I am looking at the Carolina Panthers where obviously there's
guys like Jalen Koker who would be seen as a
secret weapon, but there's so much discussion about Jalen Coker
being the secret weapon that he can't be in the
secret weapon.

Speaker 5 (31:11):
So I'm going to go back a couple of drafts.

Speaker 2 (31:12):
I'm going to go to a player who was underperforming
in Ikey Aquanu, who had a great bounce back season,
and now the Panthers are going to be in position
to sign Equanu on a deal where, based on his
recent success, is going to be a great value for them.
Probably not for for Iki Iquanu, which is rough for him,
but it puts them in a position to get that

(31:33):
position locked up in a place where a lot of
teams aren't able to do that. And we saw the
way that tackles were flying off boards and people teams
were taking chances on guys. They can get a guy
who's been proven player who's shown growth within this coaching
staff and have them for a while and figure.

Speaker 5 (31:47):
Out the rest of the roster.

Speaker 2 (31:48):
Obviously, the defensive side of the ball needs a lot
of work, but a lot of reasons to feel great
about the offense.

Speaker 1 (31:54):
It'll be interesting if they try to sign him before
this season. Think they should because he has that fifth
year option and they could be locked down. They obviously
still feel good about their right tackle Taylor Moten, one
of the more underrated tackles in the league for last
handful of years. So that's a great way to start
an offense. And their offensive line is so much improved
from a few years ago.

Speaker 3 (32:13):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (32:13):
Overall, I think their offensive line is a bit of
a secret weapon for them as well. Last year they
looked out standing and they have continuity coming into this
other season. Austin This next season, Austin Corbett is going
to be healthy. He's dealt with some really bad injuries
over the past couple of years. Taylor Moton, one of
my favorite people and players all time to ever cover,
is still kicking and still doing the dang thing at

(32:36):
such a high and consistent level. One of the most
slept on tackles in the league, I feel. But yeah,
I like this offensive line. I like it for Bryce Young,
who is always going to need that extra protection just
because of his size and his physical frame. This is
going to be exciting, I think, just in that perspective,
and they need Ikey to step forward because it was

(32:56):
so bad the first couple of years and they were
trying to make it work, make it work, and now
it finally looks like he's gaining confidence similar to the quarterback.

Speaker 2 (33:04):
And I did hear the camp story of Bryce as
well as J. C. Horn verbally beefing and sparring, honking.
I would like them to escalate that to Cam and
Josh Norman.

Speaker 6 (33:15):
Oh my god, that's when you know, creating.

Speaker 5 (33:17):
The picture, and then they could put both pictures up
in the facility.

Speaker 4 (33:20):
That's when they're going to go. They'll go fifteen and
one that year or fifteen and two.

Speaker 1 (33:23):
As Norman was bald. I mean, that would not be
a fight. I feel like you would win.

Speaker 6 (33:27):
And the picture, the lasting photo of that is so epic.

Speaker 4 (33:30):
It's Cam smiling as they're fighting, and he's so confident
in the fact he's like, I've got like one hundred
pounds on you.

Speaker 6 (33:39):
It's just amazing.

Speaker 1 (33:40):
I also like that offensive line made Chuba Hobbard like
a star. Yeah, and they could do it for Rico Dado,
they could do it for Trevory Dan who.

Speaker 5 (33:47):
Just stop somebody trying to sneak thirteen guys out there?

Speaker 3 (33:50):
So let's do the Saints.

Speaker 1 (33:53):
I told you that for the Bears, Dennis Allen could
be their secret weapon. And what if I told you
that the Saints' secret weapon is Dennis Allen not being there,
so like he is a secret weapon for both Just
the improved vibes and the feeling of something new is

(34:16):
enough to make some veterans who maybe weren't loving football
as much last year as they used to re engage
with the sport on an exciting level. So just removing
that vibeless atmosphere and improving it with Killen Moore him
not being there as their secret weapon, just a removal.

Speaker 4 (34:37):
I if I were going to have this section, I
would say the Saint's secret weapon is someday and somehow
trying to live up to the floor of Greg's standard
for this team and the weight of disappointment when they
let you down every single not me.

Speaker 1 (34:55):
How about the true Saints fans. I mean, this was
one of the most consistently successful team for fift you know,
fourteen years, and they just let it kind of rot.

Speaker 4 (35:03):
I just I'm not even sure you are aware of
how your voice changes when you talk about them. I
think that's their secret way. I'm probably harder I'm changing that.

Speaker 2 (35:11):
I feel bad because the last time you uplifted Dennis
Allen and made me feel bad for my collective year's
worth of Dennis Allen jokes.

Speaker 5 (35:19):
Yeah, and so I felt that I need to step in,
and it was.

Speaker 1 (35:23):
All to set up this you didn't know as a
two part joke a few days later, A little nugget
for the people.

Speaker 3 (35:29):
I do believe in it. I do believe in it.
I do believe that that defense.

Speaker 1 (35:33):
I don't know if Brandon Staley is gonna build up
his name again, but I do think there's enough good
players on this defense, including in the secondary, to.

Speaker 3 (35:43):
Be much better than they were a year.

Speaker 4 (35:44):
Another failed head coach who I think it will be
a dang good coordinator and was a dang good coordinator
despite the fact that he had all the stars in
the world, still had to install a brand new defense
through COVID. I think he will rEFInd himself in New
Orleans in that role.

Speaker 2 (35:57):
As long as because there's there's still some kind annuity
in the building. Obviously, the people that were there for
all segments, success and failure, as long as there's an
honest accounting of what went wrong and who was responsible
for it.

Speaker 4 (36:12):
And why would you say they're still a looming I agree,
but that's the off season, and I had some issues
with their off season.

Speaker 1 (36:19):
But ultimately, you look at this team, and almost every
team can do that. But if you squit hard enough
and make a best case scenario of a lot of
these different position groups, they should be a lot more
fun to watch this year.

Speaker 3 (36:28):
Let's wrap up the NFC South with your Buccaneers.

Speaker 6 (36:31):
My Buccaneers, yay Amika Buca.

Speaker 4 (36:34):
I said before the draft he was one of my
favorite receivers because of his versatility and his pro readiness,
and he kind of reminded me on both of those
phases of Chris Godwin when he was coming out and
emerging in the league. That's one reason why I love
this match with the Bucks. And now Baker Mayfield is
up here at the lectern talking about Amika Buka, the
rookie receiver who the Bucks obviously drafted this year, and

(36:54):
his versatility and that they can plug him in anywhere
and that he already has this trust developing with him
and when Baker says it, I actually don't believe that
that's an offseason trope. When you think about Baker's personality,
you think about Amika Buka's personality and just his overall
traits and his readiness, and I love this and I
think this is a secret weapon for them because he
will have to be ready to go. I think having

(37:16):
him ready to go will be a major reason why
this offense does not lose a step out of the
gate despite dealing onboarding a new OC in King Grizzard
and the Lizard Wizard, and the fact that Chris Godwin
will still need a little bit more time to get
back from last year's injury. It's a win win win
for everybody that Amika Buka is ready and he's a
secret weapon kind.

Speaker 1 (37:36):
Of looking at the offense in general, he's a great
example of I think a secret weapon for them, which
is just great depth at the skill positions that they
don't have two great receivers, they have four to five
really promising ones.

Speaker 3 (37:50):
Jalen McMillan was a really.

Speaker 6 (37:51):
Good yeah, third receiver, get about him.

Speaker 1 (37:54):
I think they feel really good about their running back position.
They've been saying they think Sean Tucker is a starting
level running back in a certainly right That's why they
were maybe willing it's keep coming to let go of
Rashad White last like in the off season, but Vershod
White still there and Bucky Iervan's still there, so they're
they're very deep at a lot of positions.

Speaker 2 (38:13):
Yeah, and it's an offense where and it does put
a lot on a mecha booka to be the secret weapon,
considering like Chris Godwin brings so much the table, especially
after the catch, and hopefully he comes back and is
able to get healthy, but there's no reason to doubt
like this particular group of players and Mike Evan's still
doing it where you feel great about the offense and

(38:34):
it makes you realize how fun this division is going
to be, despite its detractors who may carry a podcast.

Speaker 1 (38:41):
I mean, Sterling Shepard was out there making big time plays.
I'm not a detractor. In the playoffs, they are deep.
I'm not a detractor.

Speaker 6 (38:48):
Baker believers over here.

Speaker 1 (38:51):
I did see him on Chris Simms's quarterback rankings in
a special tier of like guys with big hoses or something,
and it was him and Herb Sorry what eight and nine.

Speaker 3 (39:02):
That's a word we used to use.

Speaker 1 (39:04):
But it's not weird though for arm strength and it's
not weird at all. Arizona Cardinals, Patrick, you're up. You
can't even give you Beabona to smile with that. Nenny
forces it.

Speaker 2 (39:15):
It's a Jordan shruck back there, I do think because
the Arizona Cardinals, right stylistically, we've had talked about the
embodiment of the search bar, and I had to find
a player for the secret weapon that I was talking
about because I recognize that they've had free agents and
drafts at the position, but Zavian Collins, a player who

(39:36):
was kind of one of those kime bomb head scratchers.
A year after a kime bomb head scratcher where they
had Isaiah Simmons, didn't really know what to do with them.
So they draft the biggest middle linebacker they can possibly
find out of Tulsa and play him kind of out
of position. And Jonathan Gannon has come back in. He
played at edge and was great against the run. Obviously,
you don't want a two hundred and seventy pounds dude
out there trying to cover people, and so like, that's

(39:58):
a place where he's going to struggle. But there's so
many pieces on this franchise that were misutilized and underutilized,
and now in year three of this new regime, combined
with the rookie class, can be put in better positions
along with the free agents to give us something to
believe in in the desert.

Speaker 4 (40:14):
There's no question that the Cardinals on offense and on
defense have to take a step forward and sustain through
an entire season versus one side or the other. In
this case, last season it was the offense sort of
petering out after the midway point. I think that this
team is a really good example of when good coaching
in almost every level, especially right now on defense because

(40:37):
that was where they were so depleted, meets good drafting
and talent identification. To your point, Patrick, it's not just
about finding traits and throwing them on the field, which
was so often what the Cardinals used to do under
previous regimes, but they're actually being developed. There are players
on both sides of the ball that this coaching staff

(40:58):
is developing. I think that it is a real, very
like substance forward way to team build where they're at
right now, But none of it matters really unless they
all collectively take this next.

Speaker 1 (41:10):
Step forward, and if they picked the right guys to
come in and help them, because so many of their
starters and defense were not on the Team of Year ago,
Klais Campbell's Vin, Tomlinson, Josh Sweat, maybe Will Johnson the rookie.

Speaker 3 (41:21):
But man, they have a lot of talent.

Speaker 1 (41:22):
I am going to I don't know if overrates the
right word, but kind of wish fulfillment. Pick them to
do very well this season because I want to see
it happen. I just want to see a little bit
of a shake up. They have so many interesting players
and coaches like be a real content, make the playoffs,
win the division, stuff like that.

Speaker 2 (41:40):
It could happens, but that's a precipitous fall for somebody
in the West. It just the West is fun.

Speaker 5 (41:47):
I love the peoplest too much.

Speaker 3 (41:50):
We don't know, let's talk about the West.

Speaker 5 (41:54):
Let's do it.

Speaker 3 (41:54):
We got the Rams a team I think like the Bears.

Speaker 1 (41:58):
To me, it was harder to come up with the
the secret weapon because we obviously you put them on
Front Street with adding DeVante Adams and talking about all
the different ways that this is like a go time
year and then I looked back in the secondary and
I thought about the Cams, and I'm talking about Cam
Curl and Cam Kitchen. So Curl was a really good

(42:18):
player for Washington and came over to the Rams and
I think translated his skill set well. And Cam Kitchens
was a third round pick for the Rams a year
ago that played pretty well in his rookie season at
free safety. And I thought they were a good example
of a secret weapon. In general for the Rams, which
might much like the Kansas City Chiefs, I think they've

(42:39):
done a good job not using that many resources in
the secondary and getting good enough to good play in
the secondary. I would say the Chiefs have done it
at a higher level, but the Rams have kind of
been like the poor Man's having that sauce where it's
not huge money going to these players, and they've coached

(42:59):
them up and they've got by without spending huge, huge
resources in a spot where a lot of teams.

Speaker 4 (43:04):
Are And Cam spelled backwards is mac okay, So let
me remind you of Jalen McCullough, who is the undrafted
free agent safety who led the team in interceptions last
season at the start of the year and through most
of the season cam Kinchin's third round pick out of Miami.

Speaker 3 (43:19):
I always just say Kitchens, they're bad.

Speaker 4 (43:21):
Then ended up matching his pace. This secondary is then
at corner they really are liking what they're seeing from
Emmanuel Forbes right now in sort of this like reboosting
his confidence project that they've taken on. And you've seen
this in the past. I actually had him comped to
like a Leonard Floyd. Obviously very different players, positions, all
this stuff, but the complete loss of confidence, a complete

(43:43):
failure at the place that drafted him high, and then
regaining that confidence with good coaching, a good scheme. Over
in LA the coaching staff is sort of seeing proof
of concept with that, with Aubrey Pleasant really taking Emmanuel
Forbes under his wing. They are still thin on the outsides,
and I think that there's safeties are one of the
strong points of this team. And to your point, Greig,

(44:03):
they don't invest a lot of resources in that group.

Speaker 2 (44:06):
I think, especially with Forbes, a lot of people got
to realize that putting there's not many people on the
planet that are going to look great as a rookie
against aj Brown, right Like I understand people talk about
body types and all these other things, and you mentioned
Mac and it made me realize, what does a gearhead
say when the Rams are in cover too, that it's

(44:27):
dual overhead?

Speaker 5 (44:28):
Cam?

Speaker 1 (44:29):
Jesus Hey, Now, Jordan sold it for you. I mean
he sounded like you said something terrible at that. I
thought it was clever. Personally, it was clever. I just
you know, it just took a It was a journey
for me.

Speaker 2 (44:42):
But thank you for pointing out the end in Cam
Kinchen's name literally this day.

Speaker 5 (44:47):
Yeah, I thought I thought it was Kitchens.

Speaker 3 (44:49):
No idea, didn't say I had no idea. Uh, And
I apologize to that name.

Speaker 5 (44:53):
Sorry, Cam Seattle.

Speaker 6 (44:54):
I think it's fair.

Speaker 3 (44:55):
He does cook fough. You got the Seahawks, Jordan, Yes,
I have.

Speaker 6 (45:00):
Yeah, I think their secret weapon.

Speaker 4 (45:01):
And again it's really kind of hard to figure out
it's not really a secret. But the second year of
this defense under Mike McDonald and defensive coordinator On Dirdey,
adjusting some personnel up front and at inside linebacker really
last season really helped with one of their biggest issues,
and that was their run defense early on. Once that
came along, they finished eleventh in points allowed, eighth in

(45:22):
defensive EPA and in the back third of the season
they were truly a formidable group. And I love what
this secondary can do. They've got Spoon, Rieg Wohlan, Julian Love,
and Kobe Bryant as the safety pairing, and then now
they're adding nick Em and Warri And I think that
nick Em and Worry in tandem with Ernest Jones, who
isn't necessarily going to be your side to side cover

(45:44):
linebacker all the time, but is so great blitzing and
is so great against the run that allows and Nick
M and Warriy to kind of move up and back
to and fro the line of scrimmage, being that second
hybrid linebacker who can help against the run but also
can cover the middle of the field. This defense is
so much fun front to back, and I really think
that's going to be their secret slash not so secret

(46:06):
weapon this year.

Speaker 3 (46:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (46:08):
I think the history of Mike McDonald informs us so much.
We shouldn't just expect a total copy of what happened
in Baltimore.

Speaker 3 (46:16):
But in Baltimore there were some early struggles.

Speaker 1 (46:19):
They finished out that first year strong, the roster looked
good going into the second year, and they were lights out,
you know, maybe the best in league, certainly one of them.

Speaker 3 (46:26):
His second year there.

Speaker 1 (46:28):
The way they finished last year makes you believe that
he could do that again because Patrick, I think personnel
the floor should be top ten personnel. I do think
him and the coach at like they could be top five,
top three. Like the players are there and the coaches there.

Speaker 2 (46:44):
And normally they were willing to make those changes within
that first season, and we saw that and so many
times people in teams of franchises wait to the offseason
to do that. But I think the staff is very
introspective and it's ability to self evaluate, and so they
saw where things were working, like the coaching staff on
the roster position group by position group and made those

(47:06):
changes where they went ahead and did that and now
they can focus on the next thing, which is a
reason to believe.

Speaker 3 (47:12):
Ye shout out like to Rodd's and who's like a
good player. It got rid of him in the middle
of the season and obviously that worked out great with
Ernest Jones coming in.

Speaker 4 (47:19):
Yeah, absolutely sign an extension this offseason. The whispers at
a camp out a mini camp are saying that they
might blitz Spoon a little bit more, which I think
is great. He was incredibly impactful when he did get
those opportunities. And they have enough defensive backs now to
keep these rotations going and keep the continuity there while
still moving people in at the quarterback and taking them

(47:39):
away from the defensive backfield.

Speaker 3 (47:40):
Am I remembering wrong?

Speaker 1 (47:42):
Or did he essentially end Tommy DeVito mania by doing
such a thing?

Speaker 3 (47:46):
Devin Witherspoon just blitzeing his face off? Or was that
Daniel Jones might have been Tomy Devitovido?

Speaker 4 (47:54):
Yeah, one of the mailed experiments in New York.

Speaker 1 (47:58):
Yes, I think it was Devin with us that our
favorite meme that Monday night game for some reason, by
whether it would just sticks in my head?

Speaker 3 (48:06):
All right, forty nine ers, wrap it up.

Speaker 2 (48:08):
The secret weapon for the San Francisco forty nine ers
is a new shortened approach by Jake Moody, who.

Speaker 5 (48:15):
Was coming back.

Speaker 3 (48:16):
This is secret. It's great.

Speaker 2 (48:18):
He was coming off of an ankle injury last year
that was also maybe came back a little bit too early.
Is seventy two percent on his field goal percentage for
a team that lost by an average of three point
four points and so ultimately, like we know, the margins
are very slim, especially for that forty nine ers team
last year dealing with the injuries and they've got all
the departures. But if Jake Moody can make eighty five

(48:40):
percent of his kicks, the circumstances look a little bit
different in this West. That's a jumble where we think
everybody can do better than Maybe they're ultimately going.

Speaker 3 (48:49):
Well, what if I toy Road?

Speaker 1 (48:50):
Yeah, I love that, But he's got to go win
that job because it's a little under the radar. They
brought in Greg Joseph recently, who's had his moments in
the end, I guess, And we got a full blown
kicking competition at forty nine ers camp.

Speaker 6 (49:05):
Get ready, wooh secret weapons.

Speaker 2 (49:08):
The unique thing about kicking competitions is they don't just
end in training camp. Somebody missing a few kicks during
the series, and the kicking competitions last forever.

Speaker 3 (49:16):
Maybe that's a secret weapon for the forty nine ers.

Speaker 1 (49:20):
Isn't training camp just more fun to cover if there's
a kicking competition.

Speaker 4 (49:25):
Those are stats you should be tracking. Those are stats
you should be charting throughout the course of training camp.
One time I was covering Graham Ganot who was always
very honest and like very relatable talking with media. He
was in a kicking competition and at the time actually
with Harrison Butker, who they then cut and he had
a kick that went wildly to the right of the goalpost.

Speaker 5 (49:48):
And I have.

Speaker 4 (49:52):
And I happened to make a note of a make
a mention of that in my practice report, and he
marched up to me on the sideline and said that
wasn't a shank and then showed me what it actually looks. Oh,
to shank, I appreciated the teaching mode.

Speaker 5 (50:06):
Put you on shot to Gham Graham Gano.

Speaker 1 (50:08):
Shout out to the group of individuals I was walking
behind on Canal Street last February in New Orleans, all
wearing Bucker jerseys. Don't know if that was his family
or just big fans, but either way, it was like
seven seven Bucker T shirts and jerseys.

Speaker 6 (50:30):
I think that the different approach to.

Speaker 4 (50:33):
His kick that Jake Rudy is taking really brings home
a truth that some of us have to learn at times.

Speaker 6 (50:42):
And it's not the size of your leg but.

Speaker 5 (50:44):
The way that you use it. Yeah, thank you for
ignoring my take, and also technique is important.

Speaker 2 (50:49):
Yeah, I think people look at a kicker or miss
and they're like, Ah, this guy's in his head. You know,
I'm an expert. I've watched six episodes of Doctor Fild,
so I know what human brains do.

Speaker 4 (50:57):
And this guy, his brain is bad him to become
a great kicker because I have a great nickname for
if he has a fan base, the mood swings.

Speaker 6 (51:07):
O like that leg swing, you know, mood.

Speaker 5 (51:10):
I like that.

Speaker 1 (51:10):
I can imagine that if he was a buccaneer, just
being in the corner as one of those little fan
groups that they do. It's like fifteen different fan groups.
Look forty nine ers fans. You also have a healthy
Nick Boson Christian McCaffrey on the field, which it's the
off season, but that always feels good. That is a
little dose of optimism for you on this Monday. Wow,

(51:34):
it's gonna be a big week. I can't wait for
this next episode. I am going to be listening to
it immediately. It is the first NFL Daily which I
will not take part Patrick Clavon.

Speaker 5 (51:48):
Hosting because single handedly been carrying the show.

Speaker 1 (51:52):
Oh that's not true, it's true, but really looking forward
to that. So it's going to be Patrick in the studio.
Next time will be When's day football is back.