April 16, 2020 • 57 mins
Dave Dameshek is joined by Geoff Schwartz, Ross Tucker and Eddie Spaghetti via video chat for a brand new DDFP! Geoff and Ross start off the show by telling some stories about them playing tight end and returning kicks for a few plays in their NFL careers (6:58). Next, they predict the Patriots and Buccaneers records for 2020 (23:43) and debate if the Panthers giving Christian McCaffrey a contract extension was a good idea (27:37). They round out the show by saying who each team in the AFC North and East would take if they had the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft (37:31).
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
D FO The Dave Damaschick Football Program, available on the
Apple Podcasts and at NFL dot com slash d DFP.
Now here's your host. I love football fans, fotball is well.
Wherever your hold up here, not in Studio sixty six,
(00:25):
but in football Baby's bedroom. All is well. Welcome to
the Dave Damaschick Football Program. And we are joined today
for one of my favorite annual drills. It's our fourth
annual Who would every team in the NFL Draft if
they had the first overall pick? And we have some
other important items to discuss it? And who better to
(00:48):
do this ranging podcast with and two of my very
favorite guys, two members O g S of the Food Block,
tackling all the most important food issues. They also like
to talk about football. First of all, I think the
first first member of the Food Block, all the way
(01:09):
from the Keystone State Capitol, the host of the Ross
Tucker Football podcast. Also name them all? I you name
them all? Look now working with our guy Nick Costas
as well. That's that. That's exciting stuff. Two great fellas there.
It's Ross Tucker. What's happening, Pali? What's the poop check? Yeah?
(01:29):
If you like Uh, if you like betting, it's the
even Money Podcast. You like fantasy, it's the Fantasy Football Podcast.
If you like just living awesome, being awesome, and having
awesome existence, it is the Ross Tucker Football Podcast. Good
to see you, Good to be back with you, very
fired up about this draft and trying to sneak in
(01:52):
a vital snack slash kind of lunch. Uh. Probably I'm
gonna have two of them. After you intro Jeff during
your unnecessary introduction for Schwartz and then his reply to you,
I might be able to take down two of these
during that time. Well, we we do know that your
(02:13):
mouth has been used to do a lot of talking
about how much food you can stuff into it, and
then you've disappointed us on the other side. I refer,
of course to anyone who might recall the great doughnut
munchkin challenge of what was that sen when you said
I could eat a hundred of those things and you
ate four of them. Just I can doesn't mean I
(02:37):
want to. First of all, I had just had lunch,
so I had no incentive. You need to learn how
to incentivize. You might say it was for pride. I
have no pride. I don't. I don't need to do
it for pride. I'm trying to look this morning, Jeff,
(02:57):
this will blow you away after sixty minutes on the
stepper and the bike this morning. Tote Wow, tote. So
I am four pounds away from being exactly one hundred
pounds less than I was on my wedding day, which
is three seven Wow. That is crazy. I am fascinated
(03:22):
by the undulating weights of offensive lineman. Let's say hello
to another offensive lineman here. He is the host on
the Athletic of Jeff Schwartz is smarter than you. It's
Jeff Schwortz. What's happening, Fella Schwartz's brother. That's what I'm
gonna start calling from now. That's the proper that's the
proper deduction for people who don't know and Mitchell Schwartz's brother.
I lean into that very much on Twitter, which I
(03:44):
know you love, you love a lot like Butch's fandom.
I am never gonna be someone who loses a hundred
pounds after they're done playing because I was. I'm smaller
now that I was in college, so like most people
have to gain weight. I entered college my freshman year
at three five. So I'm not gonna be a guy
(04:04):
like Ross who stuffs his face and loses weight. I'm
the guy that sets his face and continues to gain it.
It just stays exactly the same, which is I think
we're markable in its of itself. Wait a minute, three
fifty five as a as an eighteen year old freshman,
and that's and that, by the way, is but only
lifting for two months in my entire life before I
(04:26):
went to college, I did not lift in high school
at all. I played three sports in high school. I
cut oft basketball my senior year. UM I was a
late bloomer of football. It was three the first daid Oregon.
Here's a fun question. If we went to camp and
there was an available position that the two guys were
(04:47):
brought in to compete four and their names were Ross
Tucker and Jeff Shore. Two would win the starting gig.
That's a fun question, isn't it, Eddie Spaghetti for we're
playing right gardner like long snapper. I don't know what
that's supposed to me. I mean I would I used
to walk snaps. I would win both those competitions. He
would win. Jeff would win any offensive line position. I
(05:11):
am right now, like I don't just I'm not even
a blocking tight end anymore. I'm like a move tight end.
I'm like, I'm like a pass catching tight end. Jimmy Graham,
who never ran faster than a five forty in my
entire life. Jordan read part two. That's what that's what
(05:33):
this though, this is a good question for you as well.
Damnit check any position, which one would you want to be,
just based on what those dudes look like. For me,
it was always tight end, and I know from my wife. Now,
my wife complains that I'm losing too much weight, but
(05:57):
she likes tight ends. To there, you would be like,
it's six, broad shoulders, little waste they have like abs,
They're like two fifty five to sixty and look awesome
but still shredded. To me, it's tight end and it's easy. Now.
Some people say safeties and people say quarterback. They'd rather
(06:20):
be like a six four to ten. No, you gotta
have some muscle. You gotta know that you can beat
somebody up and and walk into the room and be like,
what's up, Yeah, what's up, what's up? What's up. You
gotta be able to do that. You gotta for me,
it's right end. So I am right now six four
and a half to one. Actually after breakfast in launch
(06:42):
by two forty five. Now I am like, I'm a
tight end. I just don't quite look the way the
NFL tight end look the valid proportioned. You got the
miss that's the question, friend, Do you got the mits
to make the plays? Yes? In fact, my rookie year,
I went in the tight end two games Jeff against
(07:06):
the Arizona Cardinals on the goal line and we scored
a touchdown and I had like a pancake block on
like John Engelberger or something like at d end. And
then we're playing the Eagles, my hometown team, huge game
Washington Redskins late in the year. They literally designed a
(07:28):
play for me to probably catch the ball as the
old line eligible on the left tight end. I get
a release off the line crossing route. No more, he's there.
The Eagles blitzed off the edge and Tony Banks got
sacked rather than throwing me the ball. Just so you know,
(07:51):
if I scored a touchdown against the Eagles, that would
have been a bigger deal for me than having my children.
I mean, where I went for the rest of my
life you don't understand, like where I'm from, Like everybody
dying are an Eagles fans forever. They would be like, dude,
remember when he's going to touchdown at Egles against Yeah,
(08:13):
I know I should have. And even the film meetings
the next day, r O line coach ChIL Pennry was like,
we gotta pop out here and we're gonna block the
edge because Tony was gonna throw it the tuck. I
was like, I can't, like now, flip guy, what if
I dropped it? Like hold meeague and I dropped it?
(08:35):
I would never live it down. See I've often thought
of this. So, Jeff, you're in l A, so you
don't really have this situation. Check Europe Steelers guy. Like,
as cool as it would have been to play for
the Eagles and have that Eagles helmet behind me with
the game balls, what if like I started for the
Eagles in the Super Bowl against the Patriots and had
(08:56):
a bad holding call like on the game when a
touchdown pass like Devin's the opposite, you can't. I can
never go home again. I have to rutting Pennsylvania. Ever,
first of all, this is fascinating stuff. One I never
understand the competitive spirit of I would love to score
a touchdown against my boyhood favorite team. Why would I
(09:16):
want to inflict pain on on the team that has
filled my heart with joy? One? Two that what you
touch on is one of the most remarkable aspects of
athletes who perform in the clutch, the fear of screwing up.
Everybody's like, we made it to the super Bowl, all right,
(09:36):
this is the dream. It's like, how don't you got
Aren't you consumed over the next two weeks by the
fear of, like what if I go down in history
as the guy who blew it? You know that I
would be plagued by that for two weeks. I wouldn't
sleep a wink. Were all that we we all were
all confident. We never think about now. It's easy for
Ross to talk about afterwards, but I'm sure that we
(09:58):
were up to you thought about the greatest thing my
life is catching his football. Now he's joking about maybe
dropping it, but I guarantee that entire week you think
about dropping the football, what would happen? I mean, maybe
I was a way to motivate himself to catch it.
I went out for one pass or two in my career.
It wasn't as pretty as that. I'll tell you that.
I remember, just like slowly. It was like in Seattle,
slowly meandering off the line I supposed to you know,
(10:20):
he's supposed to get in the way of someone. I
didn't do it properly. I ran like a corner round
wasn't open. No one threw it to me. I just
was glad to go back. I have a kick return
of my career for sixteen yards. What oh yes, and
I've never to do the video of that before Spaghetti.
We have to get we have to contact Pro Football
Reference and make sure they update both the Tucker and
schwartz Is ages to have a tight end and kick
(10:43):
return or label. I have one kickoff return for sixteen yards.
And then in college of a three yard rush, Dennifition
pitched me the ball by accident. He thought I was
a running back. It's on YouTube. Name is isn't the
only QB who needed to get contact lenses. So he
Dennis wearing the wrong way on his three fifty pie
(11:06):
five pounds. You running behind him all that's I'll give him.
So I didn't fumble. I got three yards, so it
obviously worked out for the best. Is there anything, by
the way, more enjoyable in the sport of football. My
two favorite things these days are, Number one, any time
an offensive lineman or defensive lineman somehow has the ball
(11:30):
and is running it. I love that. Of course. A
close second is any time a holder, punter or kicker
has like a fake or it's a bad snap and
they try to do something athletic and Damna checks out there,
(11:52):
like don't realize You don't realize how much of a
difference there is between regular people all and NFL players.
Until the holder or the punter like starts to run,
I think he's gonna get the first down of throwing
and they look at their low motion, a tidal wave
(12:15):
of studs come and wipe them off the face of
the earth. And by the way, putters and kickers are
in good shape, and they're like decent athletes like you
were looking in worse check like you would look it
would be holorious. What the hell? What I didn't divn't
sign up to get attacked? Today, I will say that
(12:37):
I never understand that that that the vast majority of
teams and I get that. I get the ease with
which practice schedules and stuff work that you need the
qbs focusing on throwing the ball and otherwise. But why
don't teams use their third string guy? I don't know
if the rule would be if you put your third
(13:01):
string QB. I think it's at quarterback, you could still
use him as your kick holder's your placeholder. Why wouldn't
you have a quarterback back there so you can run
more fakes and in case, like you say, disaster happens,
the putter ain't equipped to do that. Unless it's Johnny Hecker.
He can get up and throw it, but no other
punter can do that stuff. Why does every team just
(13:21):
set on, well, let's have the punter do that. It's
a dumb idea. There's less practice time now, I think
I get it. So there's no there's no time to
do say letter, you've been a practice that just sit
in the corner. The putter takers just do their own thing.
That even wear cleats half the time and on their
pads on. There's in the corner of the practice field
just doing a thousand times a day doing these reps.
(13:41):
I get, I mean, I get the practical limitations of
practice time, but it's offset by what Tucker just hit on,
which is that those are actual professional grade athletes, not
some And by the way, I will say it for
the millionth time, Spaghetti and long time listeners will get
sick of what will be hired of hearing this for
the million in the first time. But Tucker, do you
(14:03):
really think I know the easy answers? No, of course,
Dave couldn't do this. I think if I could hand
pick the offensive line and my skill position, Guys, if
you gave me the ball of my own forty, I
could produce points. If you put me against the worst defense.
I'm under center against the NFL's worst defense, and I
(14:25):
get to pick ten superstars around me. I could lead
a drive because it would be mostly handoffs and then
one play action passed, one play action pass wouldn't be dead.
Why would I die? You couldn't even get out of
the out of your stance quick enough. Why couldn't I
Why would what do you think you? Guys? Act like
it's go ahead, Tucker? Okay? First of all, from the shotgun. Okay,
(14:50):
Because if you were under center, even if it's a
running play, okay, and this is the truth, Dave, if
you called a running play and you were under center,
you would get stepped on a hundred out of a
hundred times, either the left guard or the right guard
(15:10):
as they are exploding off the football to make a
block to the left or the right. You wouldn't get
out of there in time. David car over by the
David car Gryce Jonestrew, and I Taylor have all three
independent of each other, in this same conversation, said the
exact same thing. I think you guys are all egomaniacs
(15:33):
who think, wow, no, what Why would I I get
crushed by the snap? Not for goodness, I can move
my My second last year in the NFL, I had
to learn how to snap because with a bunch of
guys hurt, I've never done it before. And Eli Manning
like the pressure he put on my butt to like
as I snapped the ball, Dave, if he'd shoot you
(15:54):
up in the air like it was shocking to me
how much pressure he like needed down on his hand
to catch the ball. He would run you be. You
couldn't even you couldn't even do anything. The center would
just rock you out of there. If that listen, If
what he lies into is up to him, it's a
free country. And I support all lifestyle, So I'm not
here to judge Center. Whatever he wanted to do, the
(16:15):
center would like like the force I had to move
to snap the ball, It would knock you over all right.
And I think you guys, I think you guys are
impressed with yourself. That's what I think. You brought this
up every time I've ever been on the show. I
love it because I think it's interesting to expose you
guys to regular people. You guys think you're better than us,
(16:35):
and and I don't. I for one, I am here
to push back on it. Hey, one thing I want
to talk about before we begin this little exercise and
and seeing who every team, because I think I think
it's an interesting um drill because it identifies who the
best players available are and and who would who can
(16:56):
transcend scheme and all that sort of thing. Before all that, though,
from a outer perspective, where do you guys come down?
Not to go serious, too serious here, but this idea
about we need the games back, and if it's in
front of an empty stadium, and maybe that's how it
has to be and people have to get comfortable with that.
It seems to ignore the critical detail of the fact
(17:17):
that the players have to sign off on doing this.
Everybody is very cavalier about the most essential part of
the football games being the football players being willing to
go out there and doing that because there ain't gonna
be six ft in between you guys. I think it's
a good point, Dave. I think you know when I
read people talk about, well, is the risk worth the reward? Right,
(17:42):
depending on who we're talking about. You know, I know
where you're going, and I agree with what you're saying.
Please know, I'm just saying there are plenty of guys
that have a chance to make seven dollars this year
that if they don't play this year, they will probably
never make that money, and they would play right now
(18:04):
even if you told them they would get coronavirus. No problem,
let's do it now. There are other guys that I've
seen guys in baseball, like Mike Trout and Ryan Zimmerman
who are like, no, I'm not doing that. Well, yeah,
I mean they made over a hundred million dollars. Zimmerman
is having a bait like that's a different situation, and
so maybe there are NFL players that would feel that
(18:27):
way as well. The thing is, though, those guys have
made a lot of money, but they're also scheduled to
make a lot of money. I mean, ultimately, the NFL
is gonna have to give them the choice that they're
gonna have to expand rosters and if guys don't feel comfortable,
if they end up doing this quarantine ville or sequestered
(18:48):
whatever it is in hotels, some guys will, I guess,
have the opportunity to opt out. You have to offer
them that. I don't think very many will, but there
might be a few that think I've already made a
lot of money. Um, i already won a super Bowl.
Maybe maybe Jeff's brother is like, you know what, I
don't need I don't need this that bad. I don't
(19:09):
want to get the virus. I don't know. Maybe I
maybe I'm the guy that nine year old that dies
from it. I'm not taking that chance. Go get somebody
else to play. Right back over the Chiefs. I've had
a great career already. I'll set this year out. He
has to get back some of the signing bonus. I
think if he does that, he's there's no money. I
think they would have to have to give the guys
the So there you're quarantine, you know, for the whole season. Yeah,
(19:35):
guys do that. Here's what I I think could happen.
We're seeing now that Major Baseball is doing an abody testing,
I believe, for their players and their employees, so seeing
if they can you know, they can figure out, hey,
have guys had it before and can you have it again?
That's part of the research that that's happening right now,
before they get to the vaccine being readily available. If
(19:56):
they if doctors in Major League Baseball have figured out
that you have had it and you cannot get it again,
and there's more widespread testing available to players, EI, there's
a situation where you can have as many NFL players
that have passed the antibody test as you would like
to play, and then they could be around their families
and they can continue life. And obviously you're not gonna
(20:17):
have fans in the stadium probably this season. It's gonna
be weird, but you get used to it and we'll
be glad to watch football again. But I think that's
that is the most likely scenario in my opinion, is
that by the time training camp rolls around August one,
we have more testing with antibody testing, we understand at
least a little bit more about if you can have
the virus a second time or not, and then we
(20:38):
get a full season just no fits. I I've I
do not believe the season will be delayed. I just
think the NFL, there's too much money involved, there's too
many other things happening around the country that NFL will
be back in some form by September tenth, which is
the first game of the season. I I agree with
with what you guys are saying, Precie Slee. I think
(21:01):
will adjust the our experience. You know, people, you know,
if we're in anything close to the circumstance that we're
collectively in now come September, obviously people are not going
to bog Oh. I can't watch football without without a
without a live audience in the crest. You'll get over
(21:22):
that part of it. Um. But like I said, yeah,
I'm with I'm with Tucker. I just think it's interesting
and that you know, in different states are gonna have
different standards. You know, things can change quite a bit.
But in California they're already saying, oh, it's overly optimistic
in this calendar year. So I think there will be
kind of like Baseball talked about a centralized location for
(21:45):
the games because you can't really be bouncing around the
country and all those sorts of um considerations. But I
also the Tucker's point, I wonder if it will be
something akin to what we've seen in you know, when
there are strikes and sports and guys like that, just
where we just saw in the XFL or the A
A F or whatever. If they're gonna be like, I'll
(22:05):
do it, and like, Okay, Aaron Rodgers is gonna sit
this one out, So get get that Temple QB in
there in his place, you know, something like that. Tim
Boyle was the backup last year for the Packers. Tim
Boyle that that opener for the Packer, Dude, it would
be like, from a storyline standpoint, I almost hope a
couple of guys do say I'm not playing because that
(22:27):
would be I mean, can you imagine they would get
a lot of flak for it, and it would be
unbelievable opportunities for some of these other guys. Yeah, I
I really do think that, um, it's gonna kind of
come down to that and write entire franchises can be corrupted.
I'll tell you one guy who's i mean, the face
of the league. Now you heard he just moved from
(22:49):
Foxboro down to the Tampa St. Pete area, That guy
at forty three with his kids. And is he gonna
be like, oh, yeah, I'm I'm going out there like
you know, you think he will, Yeah, TV off his
bunnies path, He's going out there play. You're saying he
definitely will play? Yes, yes, yes, yes, I don't know.
(23:11):
I'm I'm I'm original point, Tucker. I think like some
guys will be like, I don't have to do you.
And honestly, I can see a guy like Drew Brees
maybe saying that, you know, with all his kids and
always like but Brady is in a different category. If
you said to Brady there's a fifty fifty chance you'll die,
he'd be like, Okay, I'm playing. I'm gonna win the
(23:32):
super Bowl. Like he's just a total psychopath. He would play, Okay,
a couple of things quickly. Then let's squeeze these in.
Um one. How many games do the Buccaneers win this season?
I start with you Schwartz's it's oh yeah, the over
I think at least ten. Put it like that, I
(23:53):
know ten ten at least ten games, and Patriots under
that number. Uh yeah, don't have a quarterback yet. How
do you determine what the Patriots are gonna do there?
Are they allow Jared Stidham? Yes, under under because they
didn't really add any talents so far in offense or defense,
and they haven't made a lot of adjustments and they
don't have a quarterback. And they draft someone or get
Andy Dalton, I'll feel differently for them, but I can't
(24:15):
trust any quarterback they have right now on the roster.
I trust that if Andy Dalton is their quarterback, they
will win ten games. That's why, That's what I think,
right So right, Okay, Tucker uh bucks win tenor eleven,
and I wonder said that they would win the division
except for the whole coronavirus thing because Brady is so
(24:39):
particular with his receivers and not being able to work
with them in O T A S and minicamp, and
this summer is gonna that's gonna be a factor because
he really he needs them to be where he wants
them to be. But they'll still win tenor eleven and
make the playoffs. And then as for the Patriots, that's
(25:01):
a great point about Brady, which is what I had
always heard about him. And he didn't want to participate
at this age in the O T A S. So
how is he ever going to develop that chemistry whether
he lands in Tampa or in Las Vegas or with
the Chargers or otherwise. And while now I guess he's
looking to disprove that anyway, go ahead. Yeah, and then
for the Patriots, I think they win less. The thing
(25:22):
I say is, and I wasn't in New England very long, right,
I was there an old five and oh six, so
they traded me to Cleveland. The thing I tell people's like,
so when you have some quarterbacks in the NFL, like
a Drew Bledsoe for example, you think you're gonna win.
If you have another quarterback like a Charlie Fry or
JP lost minutes late in the game, you hope that
(25:45):
maybe they can do it. You can win. When you
have Brady, you know you're gonna win. You don't like
you know you're gonna win. And that immediately gets transferred
over to the Buccaneers. So they're down by two touchdowns
fourth quarter. They look over, we've got time, Brady. We're
gonna win, and the Patriots immediately lose that. So no
(26:06):
matter what Matthew Slater and Denvin mccordy and those guys say,
when it's the fourth quarter in their downten and they
look over at Jared Stidham, they don't know. They don't
know if he's got it or not. They don't know
if they're gonna win. And I think just that confidence
oozes throughout the whole team, both sides of the ball,
(26:28):
and guys plow it's I don't know if it's conscious
check or subconscious, but it is real. I know it's
funny in the opposite, I insist is true, even though
the guys I've asked of deny it. I say, you
have at some point in a big game look across
to the other sideline be like, oh my god, it's
Belichick and Brady, how are we gonna win this? And
(26:49):
they're always like, Nope, never crosses my mind. No, I'm
a competitor. Reggie Wayne, notably a great champion himself, does
concede that that happened to him and other men of
the Colts. I appreciate that I played the only one
time in that sort of game, and we had just
the Giants had gone ahead in the fourth quarter. It
was up to Bray to drive them down for a
(27:09):
game we touched on, which he did. Of course. I
remember that game, and I didn't think to myself like,
oh my god, there's Belichick. But it's like, oh, geez,
our defense is not very good. We're gonna lose. Really,
I'm not sure I took into account it was Tom
Bradyer Belichick. There you go. I guess you're not as woke. Um,
you're like Dennis Dixon. Basically, Sorry, Um, one other thing
(27:34):
and then we'll get to this draft. Here is because
Tucker has been the guy leading the charge for the
Christian McCaffrey contract was a good idea, if not for
football reasons, then for pr reasons. Before you have your
safe Tucker. My pushback on that is, and I get
completely in a year in which Cam is gone and
(27:55):
Greg Olsen's gone, and Luke kikle He has gone, you
need somebody to serve as the face of the franchise.
And it serves a good sends a good message to
the rest of the locker room that look will take
care of guys and and so on, except until the
next guy says like, yeah, I need to get paid
to and they're like, well, we can't pay everybody what
they want, right, isn't that the isn't that logical pushback
(28:18):
to what you're saying, No, because not everyone is Christian McCaffrey.
I mean, he is the best player on the team.
He's not only the face of the franchise, he's the
only recognizable face of the franchise. They have the coronavirus,
they want people to renew their season tickets, and in
(28:40):
August when they have training camp, Christian McCaffrey not being
there would be a disaster from a business standpoint, And
the last thing that Matt Rule wants is to have
to answer to the media every day about his player
not being there. And also get in front of the
(29:03):
team for the first time, by the way, because there's
virtual off season first time meeting guys. Here's what we
want in a Carolina Panther. We want tough, we want physical,
we want good character guys, and those guys are gonna
be rewarded. Meanwhile, the exact guy he's talking about is
not there and he's not being rewarded. So listen, every
(29:26):
argument that you guys can make about you shouldn't pay
running backs too much money. I get it. I totally understand.
I totally appreciate that. All I'm saying is, what would
you do in August when he's not showing up? What? What?
(29:49):
What would have been here? And by the way, he
impacts the passing game more than any of these running backs.
And I know Leve Bell and David Johnson Girley, we're
good in the pasting. They weren't McCaffrey in the passing game,
but he in that beside. It's easy to say I
would never give him that myne own area of money
until you know already because he told you that he's
(30:11):
not showing up until he gets the money. And you're
the owner or you're the head coach and you're in
that position, you guys, tell me, Jeff, what would you
have done? I want to draft him in the first
round to start with. That would be my first thing
I would have done, so that wouldnt even be an
issue for my team. Um. The thing about it is
that David Tepper, the new owner, is preaching analytical approach
(30:34):
to building his team right. He has talked about this NonStop.
It's one of the reasons why Ron Rivera has gone,
and what he done this offseason He signed an off
the ball linebacker, Shack Thompson in in in mid December
after Ron Rivera left, and he signed a running back,
like two positions that no one analytically would ever pay
off the ball linebacker and running back. And so it's
(30:55):
just going against everything that they have preached. If you
are making a decision based off of emotion, right, if
you're making a roster decision based off emotion, which is
what Bill O'Brien has done now for for two years,
you're not building your team the right way. The best
general manage in this league make decisions with no emotion, right,
They wield and deal with players. I understand. Ross your
(31:17):
your your point. It's a great point that training camp Spartanburg.
Your your most renounzal players not there. But I will
say this, if the Panthers want to be good, their
most recognizable player and the best player better be Teddy Bridgewater.
If they're not, that's that's how they're gonna win. I understand,
But again I go back to you're talking philosophical right,
(31:40):
you are David Temper or Marty Hernie or Matt Rule.
Training camps are open, America's back, it's August. Christian McCaffrey
doesn't show up. What do you do then, because it's
easy to say all this stuff, do you just find
the big Jesus out of them? Oh? Just like because
(32:02):
guess what, guess what, he's not going to show up.
Let me let me see get the Sun Bowl. The
first college player ever to do that. He knows that
he has. You buy the shorthairs because new coach facing
(32:23):
the franchise best player, he knows that you need him.
So you can say all this stuff about running backs
and platitudes, but you're not You're not going to that
first game without Christian McCaffrey. You can let me just
thank you. Thinks. First of all, you're Matt Rule. So
you can point to the fan base. First of all,
(32:44):
you say, look it was a complete rebuilded Baylor. I
had one down season and then look a look at
how we rose like the phoenix. That's what I intend
to do here. We don't need a bridge player. We
hope McCaffrey shows up, but McCaffrey basically serves as a bridge.
You're in between airs now you are have to basically
rebuild the team one and two. The the thing about
(33:10):
the cop to leve Bell you say about as a
pass catcher, how about the contract hold out? He was
beloved in Pittsburgh and then he wasn't because he didn't
show up to play. It's the team holds all the
cards in terms of pr team. The team is like, well,
we want to play. He's as he's trying to hold
out on his deal, like, well, that's not right to do.
(33:32):
And the fans would agree with that in a situation
that this love bells a moron who literally lost ten
million dollars and would have made fourteen a half million
dollars to play that year. I I don't know you
can compare those he's losing money too, Like I don't
it's the same. It's they're losing different amount of money, obviously,
But I just think that making a decision based off
(33:52):
of how many fansill show to training camp is like
a poor way to run a business, especially when you've
said he's at the opposite to this. No, it's it's
not It's not how many fans will show up a
training camp. It's how many fans will buy their tickets
for that year, And it's the culture that the head
coach is trying to establish and the message he's trying
to send. The last thing he wants is for the
(34:15):
whole focus of training camp. Every second of every day,
every player gets asked, what do you think about no
Christian McCaffrey here, and those guys they're gonna they're gonna.
They can try to be they can try to play
the company line, but they're gonna be like, yeah, we
need him. He's our best player. I'll try to stay
out of that, but he's the leader, he's everything. Makes
(34:36):
me think of Mormon Dale, though, in front of the
Hickory crowd in the old gymnasium and Wosiers saying, Hey,
Jimmy Chitwood, isn't here, these guys standing here, this is
your team. They have sacrificed. This is your team. I
think that is the message, and I think it's a
winning message that has been played at nauseum by head
(34:57):
coaches and gms in every sport. Oh the guy didn't
show up. He's holding out, he's trying to renegotiate his deal.
He's already got a deal, he has his money here.
I think that you end up winning that pr battle
against the against the guy. Yeah, I mean I disagree,
and I think if you guys were in that situation,
(35:17):
you ultimately would pay McCaffrey. Now, that doesn't mean I
feel that way about every running back, by the way,
all these other guys, Alvin Kamara, Aaron Jones, Joe Mixon,
Dalvin Cook, they're in very different situations. Like Number one,
they're not the best player on the team. Number two,
(35:39):
they're not the faces of the franchise. Number three, they
don't have a new coach who's trying to establish a
culture and doesn't want a distraction. Christian McCaffrey just messed
this up for all those guys because they all think
that they're gonna get that money, and they're gonna have
their agents try to get their money, and they don't
have nearly the same leverage that mccaff he he was
(36:02):
in a truly unique situation for all the reasons I
mentioned those other guys. Not only are they not getting
sixteen million a year, they're not even getting close to it.
It's gonna be a major wake up call for those guys.
Oh man. I just the Panthers preached this whole rebuild
thing and they just kind of did a half rebuild,
(36:25):
but not really the right way. And it's just to me.
I've always thought that wins were the reason why fans
showed up in the end. If you win a football games,
fanals show. We saw last year the Panthers didn't win.
McCaffrey had a historic season and no one showed up
and their offense was in the league last year. Like,
it's just to me, it's all about winning. And if
you're the Panthers, you you have to sell Bridgewater. I
(36:45):
know it's tough because you don't have an offseason, but
you gotta sell him as the face of your franchis
or if you have to quarterback at seven, which is
probably unlikely. Yeah, saw him as the face of your franchise.
Christian McCaffrey is great and all, and I think he's
super talented, but you're not winning games with him being
the four, the the the main component of your offense.
It's been showing. I've I've led outside of North Carolina
(37:07):
and SEC Country. I've led the Cam Newton fan club
for many years, but so I'm biased, but I think
you're still better off with number one under center than
you are going to Christian McCaffrey. I would rather have
my QBB the face of the franchise. But all right,
time is short. I don't want to hold you guys
up too long, Ednie Spaghetti, if you would give us
(37:28):
a team. Because there is no draft order, we're just
seeing who every team would take. But let's start with
the a f C. North. Since the Bungles do have
the first overall, the Bengals, I should say, have the
first overall pick. Who Jeff Schwartz should they take? Oh,
they gotta take Joe Burrow obviously. I mean they have
to take the best quarterback in in the in the league. Yeah.
I'm not wasting much time on this. We all know
(37:50):
the reasons Burrow. Cleveland Browns and their fancy new old
uniforms um they have left tackle in the worst way.
I would take Andrew Amus from Georgia, who is the
most ready in my opinion, to play left tackle day one,
especially with McKay. Beckton has more upside and might be
better overall than Thomas. But if you're looking for a
guy to play literally right now, what you need Andrew
(38:12):
Thomas Tucker. I disagree. I think the Browns should take
Chase Young with the number one overall pick, pair him
opposite Garrett, destroy people, and then train your second round
pick for Trent Williams or signed Jason Peters for one
year for eight million dollars to hold it down draft
(38:34):
to get in the third round and developed. But if
the Browns had the number one pick, I think they
should take Chase Young. Boy, that would be devastating. Actually,
you know what the Skins are not are gonna be
not too far off of that with the ability to
heat up the QB. The Baltimore Ravens Tucker oh Um,
(38:56):
Chase Young, you know that they I mean they've got
done on the franchise tag. There's some talk about them
maybe trading him. I I maintain the line is the
second most important position after quarterback in the sport. You
get a guy like Chase Young, that that's the guy
(39:16):
to me be Chase Young at number one for the Ravens.
I agree. I always talk about that. It's and I
always say it's unsexy to point it out, but line
of scrimmage, that is the recurring theme. Specifically the ability
in the second half to get to the QB is
that those teams keep getting to the Super Bowl. Obviously,
you need to study QB if you want to be
(39:37):
a perennial contender. But the other factor to getting and
winning the Super Bowl is is that ability shorts that
we're gonna keep saying the same players over and overall,
go somewhere else. Um, I'll go Jerry Judy here at
wide receiver, just adding more weapons to the pass. Again,
we've seen now that when it comes down to the
playoff time where there needs to be a more efficient
(39:58):
passing to have not had. That's they don't have a
player like him. They can kind of run intermediate routes
Brown obvious, you can run the ball deep. They need
someone kind of in the middle there to help him out. Um,
I think Young is the better player of the two,
But I go with Judie here. It's fun too, by
the way that the Ravens bugaboo for Rozzie Newsome, who's
(40:19):
who's probably I think everybody would say is the best
GM of the last twenty years or so, could never
land on a wide receiver, and now his replacement seems
to have an act for doing that. Witness the couple
of receivers that they found in the draft. Um. Pittsburgh
Steelers Tucker Pittsburgh Steels, if they had the number one
(40:40):
overall pick in the NFL Draft, should select Joe Burrow,
quarterback from L s U. Listen, Ben's amazing, but last
time I checked, he's a two eight pound lumber gap Pennsylvania.
I'm never thought he was a guy that could play
(41:01):
into his forties. There's a lot of uncertainty just how
well he'll come back from this elbow injury. Hey, maybe
you're wrong. Maybe Ben comes back and he's great. In
that case, you have an Aaron Rodgers Brett Farve situation
or a Philip Rivers Drew Brees situation. You can manage it.
But the Pittsburgh Dealers number one pick in this draft
(41:22):
would be Joe Burrow from L s U. I agree
with that, but I'll give you I'll give you another one,
Jeddrick Wills to play right tackle. It feels like that's
a spot they need to improve on. I would say
interior D line, but then they have enough guys there.
Chase Young doesn't wanna fit the profile of one of
their pass rushes. You could go corner here as well,
uh In Olkuda, but um, I like Burrow. I think
(41:44):
Wills would fit a really well, right tackle there, big
physical kid. I would I mean, we now mentality with
thirty eight year old Roethlisberger. I would go for the
best running back on the board, whether you think that's
DeAndre Swift or otherwise. That's who I talked about running
back to the first round. You picked one. I'm trying
to win one season. I'm trying. I want to say
(42:06):
seven in glory, you know. Um, alright, next Devasion, Let's
go a f C East the New England Patriots. I
think this is an easy one, Tucker, you start, Yeah,
Joe Burrow. I think they like Stidham. I don't think
that they like to expend resources on quarterbacks. I think
(42:27):
that they feel like Brady sixth round, Castle seventh round,
Jimmy g second per set third. We can get guys
to win, not at number one one role, but I
mean the chance to go right from Brady to Burrow
for the next fifteen years. They would take Joe Burrow. Shorts. Yes,
I'll keep this one short. Yes, they need a quarterback
and he's just shorts. Um. I think they need the
(42:52):
offensive line help. I mean, I think it's it's going
back to where I'll just go someone that we haven't
talked about yet, just because just to make it fair, Uh,
Tristan Worse from Iowa. I think you can play tackle
or guard. Just can find a spot for him somewhere
on the offensive line, whether you want to help at
tackle or guard. I'll show another name out there we
have not talked about yet, excellent Tucker and the number
(43:13):
one pick. They would without question take Chase Young. They
have no class rush, they have nobody offside. Yeah, they
need a receiver they have they need no offensive tackle.
But again, you cant offensive tackle. Later in the draft.
You can also try to get Jason Peters or Trent Williams.
(43:34):
You cannot get a Chase Young, and they needed pass
rusher desperately. All Right, you know what I I have
to pull an audible here because Tucker and Shorts, I've
held you guys both way too long. Spaghetti. Maybe we'll
we'll pick up the rest of this early next week.
We can round this out here a little bit. Let's
finish the division though the Bills. Shorts, um, I would
(43:56):
take Biose fans won't like this. I would take Joe Burrow,
but um they obviously history and history is going to
remember this poorly. I mean, look, I build win that
division this year. Sure the easy chase obviously easy answer
for all these Okuda I would go wide receiver here.
(44:16):
I just think that that you need as many weapons
as possible for Josh Allen, continue to build them up here. Um,
if you like your Judy, you like Rigs, you like
Ceedee Lamb, any of those top guys, whoever you think
fits your offense best. Well, also Ceedee Lamb in there,
because we've talked about him yet. Tucker, you know, I
think that they would maybe take Jeffrey Okuda. They need
(44:40):
help the corner over f opposite trade Abous White. I'm
not buying Josh Norman. I think if they had the
number one pick, it would either be Chase Young or
Jeffrey Okuda. And just so that Jeff doesn't get mad
at me, I'm gonna go with a Kuda. Uh, Tucker,
bring it on home here. The Miami Dolphins Joe Burrow.
(45:03):
And by the way, if they weren't the biggest morons
in the NFL, they'd be picking him. I've never seen
the team tank and then say let's sign Ryan Fitzpatrick.
They signed the anti tanker to be the quarterback. I
mean This is the guy that's thirty eight years old
from Harvard and he like goes head first at linebackers.
(45:25):
And the Dolphins are morons. They should be getting Burrow
right now. Instead, they'll probably take two uh or Herbert,
both of which represent crazy risk. Let's go with Let's
let's end this podcast with Justin Herbert for the Dolphins.
Let's do it. I didn't know what. I don't have
to for her I'll have an organ helmet anywhere. I
(45:47):
probably get one up here. All right, George, you go,
and Tucker, you go too. But I just want to
say about Justin Herbert, and it is to a jazz
and all this. If teams really pass on to because
he is allegedly injury prone, I think that's going to
be a massive mistake to take a wild card. And
Justin Herbert, when you know too, is gonna do it
if his health holds up. In you know I, I
(46:11):
keep pointing to Frank Gore, and there are a couple
of guys and Fred Taylor who got labeled injury prone guys.
Ironically those guys have been among them ended up being
the most durable among them. I think that it matters
what kind of injury. It is, I think to uh,
by the way winds up a Charger and Tucker. The
other thing I'll say to you is that the other
(46:34):
thing I keep revisiting. Yeah, the Dolphins shouldn't have one
up in Foxboro in week seventeen, But the Patriots also
should have stopped Ryan fitz Magic and DeVante Parker from
that last minute drive if they had. You want to
talk about shaking up, I like to what if stuff?
Think about? Then the Patriots are the two seed. The
Chiefs are on the road. Yeah, the Chiefs are on
(46:56):
the road, so they have to play the Titans. I
don't necessarily think that the A goes exactly the way
it did in the title game. I think Derrick Henry
might have stunned them in Arrowhead Um in that in
that first game. But even if they survived that one
Chiefs at Foxborough, I do not assume victory there. And
one way or the other, you go to Charmed City
on what ended up being a frigid day in Baltimore.
(47:18):
If you put Patrick Mahomes out there for that one,
I don't necessarily think. I mean, the Ravens just came
up lane in in a really bad matchup with with
with Simmons and Casey on the interior there that was
their undoing. I think I think the Ravens would have
wound up in the super Bowl. All right, I gotta go,
all right, George, goodbye, Tucker. How say you to that
(47:40):
little what if? And um, I love that? You know
we could play that game Week seventeen, the Niners Seahawks game,
that's right, three inches away from the Niners. No chance
they go to the Super Bowls the Five Roads, and
they were like an inch away on multiple plays. And
then what you said is exactly right. If the Chiefs
(48:03):
didn't have a buy, I don't think the way they
were playing, they were playing that great in the playoff,
they didn't never buy. I don't think they are the
Super Bowl either. It is crazy. I feel like the
NFL has the world's greatest butterfly effect from a football standpoint,
because those little butterflies spreading their wings in Week seventeen
(48:26):
changed everything for the postseason. You know what, You're probably right, somebody,
at some point you do something with that butterfly effects
stuff as that applies. Okay, what if? Like if? And
what have you change? The f in an f L too.
If you know that, you know what, let's put a
pin in that and work on that. I think you're right.
(48:47):
I wonder who would have got I did map it
out who goes to the super Bowl from the NFC
if the Seahawks win, the Seahawks were the Seahawks, maybe
do go because then they would have gotten the They
would have been the three seed over the uh yes,
three seeds, and then that would have sent the Niners
to the six. So you would have repeated that same
(49:08):
game would have been the one, Saints the two, so
the Staints would have gotten a buy rather than losing
the Vikings at home, and so the Bikes would have
been the four. So your four or five matchup is, wait,
the Eagles win their division, Eagles the other four. What's
that say again? Eagles to the four? Seattle Eagles play
(49:29):
there five? I think that's yeah. Wow. It's it's super
fun to do. Always fun to talk to you, Tucker Man,
You're the best. TO appreciate you making all the time
for us today. We didn't even get to talk any
food stuff, but I thought it was a a fulsome
conversation just the same. It was awesome. I was eating
apples with peanut butter. And then after I put the
(49:50):
peanut butter on the apple and eat that slice, I
then pop some almonds in my mouth real quick, so
they're like peanut covered all men's kind of So I
get the residual flavor of the peanut to make the
healthy almond a little bit better. I mean, these are
the things that I get into on the Rosstucker Football
podcast and the family of podcasts that Dave damnae checking
(50:12):
and he spaghetti listened to at Ross Tucker dot com
or however you're listening to this prodt. What a shill
we gotta do? We still have to do it, you
and me and maybe we expanded the Schwartz and all
the other heavy set guys who spent their twenties leaning
up on other three pound men the food block. We
gotta we gotta get that thing going here, all food
(50:33):
related matters settled. Um. But yes, of course, you cannot
do any better if you're a football fan or a
game of life fan than tuning into all that Ross
Tucker has going. He's a mensh of o fella and
uh and deep with pig skin wisdom, and so too
is Nick Costas happy to see you guys teaming up there,
Eddie Spaghett he's a big fan of his as well. Um,
(50:55):
we'll do some more food talk down the line until then,
thanks so much our tea. My as you're someday, I
want to look as cool as that he Spaghetti does.
Right now, I am so jealous to be you only
and that unbelievable. See you guys be well pal alright, Spaghetts,
what do you think that was a good conversation? Right? Yeah?
Sometimes you forget that both Ross and Jeff played in
(51:16):
the league because they could, uh and it's not a
shot at you or anyone that hosts podcast, but they
could carry a podcast by themselves. Are telling of the
stories we're playing in the league with Rost's tight end
story and Jeff with his kick return stories, and it's like, oh, yeah,
I forgot these guys play because they're just natural, um,
you know, broadcaster entertainer type. So it was it was great,
A lot of fun. Yeah, really interesting stuff too on CMC. Yeah,
(51:38):
we we didn't really run the game, but we got
through two out of eight divisions. But yeah, we'll try
and do that early next week in advance of the draft.
Spaghetti hope all's well, um in your little space there,
and quick, real quick for those who are tracking these things,
how's the weight looking well? I think I had a card.
(51:58):
I had a couple of good workouts this week. I
will sound Sunday and I was tweeting at it with you.
We had a you know, a big Easter dinner thing
and I got two racks. I went to the whole
with like seven am, got two big racks lamb and
chopped them up and making the lamb lollipops like the ribs,
and then walked down to a local place that does
homemade breads, pasta's, um, you know, cured meats, all that
(52:21):
kind of stuff. Sauces, so we got two packs of
homemade paper deli and we made our We got Alfredo
sauce and tomato sauce and mixed at me like a
pink a pink sauce. And then as the appetizer, we
got a full loaf of sour dough like baguett with
some purshoot diparma and uh, Sunday was a feast. So
(52:42):
that that probably sent me back. But since then recording
this now Thursday, Thursday midday, I've had a pretty good week.
A workout, so I'm probably in the same right. It
probably around two twenty seven ish, I would say around
that I brought it up the other day and you
mentioned preshoot um and or it came up on Twitter.
To me, we should ask the food Block fellas as
we just ran out of time. Cold sandwich or or
(53:06):
warm sandwich if you for the rest of your life,
to the exclusion of the other, for the rest of
your life, oh cold. I rarely ever really eat hot
sand I think about it. Yeah, roast beef not hot.
I don't really I don't really order hot meat ball.
You understand you're never getting another Philly cheese steak. You're
never going to Promanates, not that I don't know you
(53:27):
have any trips planned for Pittsburgh and any permants. I've
had once in in Indianapolis, I've I mean Philly cheese
sticks I love. I don't get to Philadelphia quite enough
since moving west. Um, I don't really eat that many
hot sandwiches. Like there's a great place in Santa Monica.
Over here bas City, they do cold sandwiches like the
(53:49):
Godmother and that's all cold cuts. I like, cold cut
sandwich is the best, even like Jewish Deli sandwiches. I
I guess those are well. I guess you can get
some of those hot. So that kind of throws me
off there, but it, yeah, I wanna say with cold,
I want to say sandwiches I respected. I respect it
because it's not an easy call to make. I'm gonna
miss a nice salami sandwich which I had not eaten
(54:12):
salami for literally, I'm not exaggerating. I hadn't eaten salami
and probably thirty four or thirty five years. I mean
on pizza or sandwich. I mean I may maybe on
a plate. I saw, you know, at you know, at
the Italian Delhi, kind of lay out there watching football
with the with the fellows. Maybe I picked up with
(54:32):
some pieces of salami. But as a kid, I loved
salami sandwiches. Mo damnishek used to make me those for
my lunch, and then I give I've rediscovered them. And
you know, it's kind of like in when Harry met Sally,
when they tell those stories about love affairs that you know,
got paused and then they found each other again thirty
(54:53):
or forty years later. It's like that with me in salami.
Right now, it's on the lower level for me of
Italian meats, but it's it's fine mixed in with other stuff.
I'm not a big salami solo guy. Um. Last thing spaghetti. Um.
We can wait. We gotta get money and handsome yes
um early next week hopefully too, and we'll do the
(55:15):
rest of the draft that we started here today. But
would give us a quick so you you danced around it,
do you have a number for us? What's where? Where
the lbs right now? Up or down? I think I'm
probably up from two twenties six, like I'm probably I
(55:36):
don't have a weight. I don't think I could access
it right now, but I'm probably proper way and we'll
do a proper way. And but I do wanna I
do want to tease the fact I got on the
scale yesterday. That's as light as I've been in five
years at least probably so looking that and I also
had milk bar for dessert after my uh my easter
(55:59):
for totally forgot about that, Like we gotta Yeah, I
would say I'm fairly certain I'm up, but not by
a lot. Um All right, now, to wrap it up,
go listen to the Jeff Schwartz is smarter than you
podcast available on the Athletic which is free right now,
by the way, so you can tap into that, no
subscription required. You'll be smarter for doing it. And of
(56:21):
course the Ross Tucker uh you know, basically the family
of podcasts available to you, the signature one, the Ross
Tucker Football Podcast. Um, and go from there, muzzle touugh
to our guy Nick Costas, who's been with us um
kibbits in over the last couple of years as well.
Love that hook up for both those guys and um spaghetti.
(56:41):
We'll be back early next week because we want to
be in front of the draft here, so sure be
on the lookout for us. I don't know tuesdaysh Is
that a fair a fair fair day to circle on
the calendar Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday centwhere around there. We'll get
your earlier next week. That works, Yeah, it's not exactly
like anybody schedules that full right now anyhow, all right,
thanks so much for now football fans, and we'll talk
(57:05):
to you next week. Until then, it's been a den
slice a head
D FO The Dave Damaschick Football Program, available on the
Apple Podcasts and at NFL dot com slash d DFP.
Now here's your host. I love football fans, fotball is well.
Wherever your hold up here, not in Studio sixty six,
(00:25):
but in football Baby's bedroom. All is well. Welcome to
the Dave Damaschick Football Program. And we are joined today
for one of my favorite annual drills. It's our fourth
annual Who would every team in the NFL Draft if
they had the first overall pick? And we have some
other important items to discuss it? And who better to
(00:48):
do this ranging podcast with and two of my very
favorite guys, two members O g S of the Food Block,
tackling all the most important food issues. They also like
to talk about football. First of all, I think the
first first member of the Food Block, all the way
(01:09):
from the Keystone State Capitol, the host of the Ross
Tucker Football podcast. Also name them all? I you name
them all? Look now working with our guy Nick Costas
as well. That's that. That's exciting stuff. Two great fellas there.
It's Ross Tucker. What's happening, Pali? What's the poop check? Yeah?
(01:29):
If you like Uh, if you like betting, it's the
even Money Podcast. You like fantasy, it's the Fantasy Football Podcast.
If you like just living awesome, being awesome, and having
awesome existence, it is the Ross Tucker Football Podcast. Good
to see you, Good to be back with you, very
fired up about this draft and trying to sneak in
(01:52):
a vital snack slash kind of lunch. Uh. Probably I'm
gonna have two of them. After you intro Jeff during
your unnecessary introduction for Schwartz and then his reply to you,
I might be able to take down two of these
during that time. Well, we we do know that your
(02:13):
mouth has been used to do a lot of talking
about how much food you can stuff into it, and
then you've disappointed us on the other side. I refer,
of course to anyone who might recall the great doughnut
munchkin challenge of what was that sen when you said
I could eat a hundred of those things and you
ate four of them. Just I can doesn't mean I
(02:37):
want to. First of all, I had just had lunch,
so I had no incentive. You need to learn how
to incentivize. You might say it was for pride. I
have no pride. I don't. I don't need to do
it for pride. I'm trying to look this morning, Jeff,
(02:57):
this will blow you away after sixty minutes on the
stepper and the bike this morning. Tote Wow, tote. So
I am four pounds away from being exactly one hundred
pounds less than I was on my wedding day, which
is three seven Wow. That is crazy. I am fascinated
(03:22):
by the undulating weights of offensive lineman. Let's say hello
to another offensive lineman here. He is the host on
the Athletic of Jeff Schwartz is smarter than you. It's
Jeff Schwortz. What's happening, Fella Schwartz's brother. That's what I'm
gonna start calling from now. That's the proper that's the
proper deduction for people who don't know and Mitchell Schwartz's brother.
I lean into that very much on Twitter, which I
(03:44):
know you love, you love a lot like Butch's fandom.
I am never gonna be someone who loses a hundred
pounds after they're done playing because I was. I'm smaller
now that I was in college, so like most people
have to gain weight. I entered college my freshman year
at three five. So I'm not gonna be a guy
(04:04):
like Ross who stuffs his face and loses weight. I'm
the guy that sets his face and continues to gain it.
It just stays exactly the same, which is I think
we're markable in its of itself. Wait a minute, three
fifty five as a as an eighteen year old freshman,
and that's and that, by the way, is but only
lifting for two months in my entire life before I
(04:26):
went to college, I did not lift in high school
at all. I played three sports in high school. I
cut oft basketball my senior year. UM I was a
late bloomer of football. It was three the first daid Oregon.
Here's a fun question. If we went to camp and
there was an available position that the two guys were
(04:47):
brought in to compete four and their names were Ross
Tucker and Jeff Shore. Two would win the starting gig.
That's a fun question, isn't it, Eddie Spaghetti for we're
playing right gardner like long snapper. I don't know what
that's supposed to me. I mean I would I used
to walk snaps. I would win both those competitions. He
would win. Jeff would win any offensive line position. I
(05:11):
am right now, like I don't just I'm not even
a blocking tight end anymore. I'm like a move tight end.
I'm like, I'm like a pass catching tight end. Jimmy Graham,
who never ran faster than a five forty in my
entire life. Jordan read part two. That's what that's what
(05:33):
this though, this is a good question for you as well.
Damnit check any position, which one would you want to be,
just based on what those dudes look like. For me,
it was always tight end, and I know from my wife. Now,
my wife complains that I'm losing too much weight, but
(05:57):
she likes tight ends. To there, you would be like,
it's six, broad shoulders, little waste they have like abs,
They're like two fifty five to sixty and look awesome
but still shredded. To me, it's tight end and it's easy. Now.
Some people say safeties and people say quarterback. They'd rather
(06:20):
be like a six four to ten. No, you gotta
have some muscle. You gotta know that you can beat
somebody up and and walk into the room and be like,
what's up, Yeah, what's up, what's up? What's up. You
gotta be able to do that. You gotta for me,
it's right end. So I am right now six four
and a half to one. Actually after breakfast in launch
(06:42):
by two forty five. Now I am like, I'm a
tight end. I just don't quite look the way the
NFL tight end look the valid proportioned. You got the
miss that's the question, friend, Do you got the mits
to make the plays? Yes? In fact, my rookie year,
I went in the tight end two games Jeff against
(07:06):
the Arizona Cardinals on the goal line and we scored
a touchdown and I had like a pancake block on
like John Engelberger or something like at d end. And
then we're playing the Eagles, my hometown team, huge game
Washington Redskins late in the year. They literally designed a
(07:28):
play for me to probably catch the ball as the
old line eligible on the left tight end. I get
a release off the line crossing route. No more, he's there.
The Eagles blitzed off the edge and Tony Banks got
sacked rather than throwing me the ball. Just so you know,
(07:51):
if I scored a touchdown against the Eagles, that would
have been a bigger deal for me than having my children.
I mean, where I went for the rest of my
life you don't understand, like where I'm from, Like everybody
dying are an Eagles fans forever. They would be like, dude,
remember when he's going to touchdown at Egles against Yeah,
(08:13):
I know I should have. And even the film meetings
the next day, r O line coach ChIL Pennry was like,
we gotta pop out here and we're gonna block the
edge because Tony was gonna throw it the tuck. I
was like, I can't, like now, flip guy, what if
I dropped it? Like hold meeague and I dropped it?
(08:35):
I would never live it down. See I've often thought
of this. So, Jeff, you're in l A, so you
don't really have this situation. Check Europe Steelers guy. Like,
as cool as it would have been to play for
the Eagles and have that Eagles helmet behind me with
the game balls, what if like I started for the
Eagles in the Super Bowl against the Patriots and had
(08:56):
a bad holding call like on the game when a
touchdown pass like Devin's the opposite, you can't. I can
never go home again. I have to rutting Pennsylvania. Ever,
first of all, this is fascinating stuff. One I never
understand the competitive spirit of I would love to score
a touchdown against my boyhood favorite team. Why would I
(09:16):
want to inflict pain on on the team that has
filled my heart with joy? One? Two that what you
touch on is one of the most remarkable aspects of
athletes who perform in the clutch, the fear of screwing up.
Everybody's like, we made it to the super Bowl, all right,
(09:36):
this is the dream. It's like, how don't you got
Aren't you consumed over the next two weeks by the
fear of, like what if I go down in history
as the guy who blew it? You know that I
would be plagued by that for two weeks. I wouldn't
sleep a wink. Were all that we we all were
all confident. We never think about now. It's easy for
Ross to talk about afterwards, but I'm sure that we
(09:58):
were up to you thought about the greatest thing my
life is catching his football. Now he's joking about maybe
dropping it, but I guarantee that entire week you think
about dropping the football, what would happen? I mean, maybe
I was a way to motivate himself to catch it.
I went out for one pass or two in my career.
It wasn't as pretty as that. I'll tell you that.
I remember, just like slowly. It was like in Seattle,
slowly meandering off the line I supposed to you know,
(10:20):
he's supposed to get in the way of someone. I
didn't do it properly. I ran like a corner round
wasn't open. No one threw it to me. I just
was glad to go back. I have a kick return
of my career for sixteen yards. What oh yes, and
I've never to do the video of that before Spaghetti.
We have to get we have to contact Pro Football
Reference and make sure they update both the Tucker and
schwartz Is ages to have a tight end and kick
(10:43):
return or label. I have one kickoff return for sixteen yards.
And then in college of a three yard rush, Dennifition
pitched me the ball by accident. He thought I was
a running back. It's on YouTube. Name is isn't the
only QB who needed to get contact lenses. So he
Dennis wearing the wrong way on his three fifty pie
(11:06):
five pounds. You running behind him all that's I'll give him.
So I didn't fumble. I got three yards, so it
obviously worked out for the best. Is there anything, by
the way, more enjoyable in the sport of football. My
two favorite things these days are, Number one, any time
an offensive lineman or defensive lineman somehow has the ball
(11:30):
and is running it. I love that. Of course. A
close second is any time a holder, punter or kicker
has like a fake or it's a bad snap and
they try to do something athletic and Damna checks out there,
(11:52):
like don't realize You don't realize how much of a
difference there is between regular people all and NFL players.
Until the holder or the punter like starts to run,
I think he's gonna get the first down of throwing
and they look at their low motion, a tidal wave
(12:15):
of studs come and wipe them off the face of
the earth. And by the way, putters and kickers are
in good shape, and they're like decent athletes like you
were looking in worse check like you would look it
would be holorious. What the hell? What I didn't divn't
sign up to get attacked? Today, I will say that
(12:37):
I never understand that that that the vast majority of
teams and I get that. I get the ease with
which practice schedules and stuff work that you need the
qbs focusing on throwing the ball and otherwise. But why
don't teams use their third string guy? I don't know
if the rule would be if you put your third
(13:01):
string QB. I think it's at quarterback, you could still
use him as your kick holder's your placeholder. Why wouldn't
you have a quarterback back there so you can run
more fakes and in case, like you say, disaster happens,
the putter ain't equipped to do that. Unless it's Johnny Hecker.
He can get up and throw it, but no other
punter can do that stuff. Why does every team just
(13:21):
set on, well, let's have the punter do that. It's
a dumb idea. There's less practice time now, I think
I get it. So there's no there's no time to
do say letter, you've been a practice that just sit
in the corner. The putter takers just do their own thing.
That even wear cleats half the time and on their
pads on. There's in the corner of the practice field
just doing a thousand times a day doing these reps.
(13:41):
I get, I mean, I get the practical limitations of
practice time, but it's offset by what Tucker just hit on,
which is that those are actual professional grade athletes, not
some And by the way, I will say it for
the millionth time, Spaghetti and long time listeners will get
sick of what will be hired of hearing this for
the million in the first time. But Tucker, do you
(14:03):
really think I know the easy answers? No, of course,
Dave couldn't do this. I think if I could hand
pick the offensive line and my skill position, Guys, if
you gave me the ball of my own forty, I
could produce points. If you put me against the worst defense.
I'm under center against the NFL's worst defense, and I
(14:25):
get to pick ten superstars around me. I could lead
a drive because it would be mostly handoffs and then
one play action passed, one play action pass wouldn't be dead.
Why would I die? You couldn't even get out of
the out of your stance quick enough. Why couldn't I
Why would what do you think you? Guys? Act like
it's go ahead, Tucker? Okay? First of all, from the shotgun. Okay,
(14:50):
Because if you were under center, even if it's a
running play, okay, and this is the truth, Dave, if
you called a running play and you were under center,
you would get stepped on a hundred out of a
hundred times, either the left guard or the right guard
(15:10):
as they are exploding off the football to make a
block to the left or the right. You wouldn't get
out of there in time. David car over by the
David car Gryce Jonestrew, and I Taylor have all three
independent of each other, in this same conversation, said the
exact same thing. I think you guys are all egomaniacs
(15:33):
who think, wow, no, what Why would I I get
crushed by the snap? Not for goodness, I can move
my My second last year in the NFL, I had
to learn how to snap because with a bunch of
guys hurt, I've never done it before. And Eli Manning
like the pressure he put on my butt to like
as I snapped the ball, Dave, if he'd shoot you
(15:54):
up in the air like it was shocking to me
how much pressure he like needed down on his hand
to catch the ball. He would run you be. You
couldn't even you couldn't even do anything. The center would
just rock you out of there. If that listen, If
what he lies into is up to him, it's a
free country. And I support all lifestyle, So I'm not
here to judge Center. Whatever he wanted to do, the
(16:15):
center would like like the force I had to move
to snap the ball, It would knock you over all right.
And I think you guys, I think you guys are
impressed with yourself. That's what I think. You brought this
up every time I've ever been on the show. I
love it because I think it's interesting to expose you
guys to regular people. You guys think you're better than us,
(16:35):
and and I don't. I for one, I am here
to push back on it. Hey, one thing I want
to talk about before we begin this little exercise and
and seeing who every team, because I think I think
it's an interesting um drill because it identifies who the
best players available are and and who would who can
(16:56):
transcend scheme and all that sort of thing. Before all that, though,
from a outer perspective, where do you guys come down?
Not to go serious, too serious here, but this idea
about we need the games back, and if it's in
front of an empty stadium, and maybe that's how it
has to be and people have to get comfortable with that.
It seems to ignore the critical detail of the fact
(17:17):
that the players have to sign off on doing this.
Everybody is very cavalier about the most essential part of
the football games being the football players being willing to
go out there and doing that because there ain't gonna
be six ft in between you guys. I think it's
a good point, Dave. I think you know when I
read people talk about, well, is the risk worth the reward? Right,
(17:42):
depending on who we're talking about. You know, I know
where you're going, and I agree with what you're saying.
Please know, I'm just saying there are plenty of guys
that have a chance to make seven dollars this year
that if they don't play this year, they will probably
never make that money, and they would play right now
(18:04):
even if you told them they would get coronavirus. No problem,
let's do it now. There are other guys that I've
seen guys in baseball, like Mike Trout and Ryan Zimmerman
who are like, no, I'm not doing that. Well, yeah,
I mean they made over a hundred million dollars. Zimmerman
is having a bait like that's a different situation, and
so maybe there are NFL players that would feel that
(18:27):
way as well. The thing is, though, those guys have
made a lot of money, but they're also scheduled to
make a lot of money. I mean, ultimately, the NFL
is gonna have to give them the choice that they're
gonna have to expand rosters and if guys don't feel comfortable,
if they end up doing this quarantine ville or sequestered
(18:48):
whatever it is in hotels, some guys will, I guess,
have the opportunity to opt out. You have to offer
them that. I don't think very many will, but there
might be a few that think I've already made a
lot of money. Um, i already won a super Bowl.
Maybe maybe Jeff's brother is like, you know what, I
don't need I don't need this that bad. I don't
(19:09):
want to get the virus. I don't know. Maybe I
maybe I'm the guy that nine year old that dies
from it. I'm not taking that chance. Go get somebody
else to play. Right back over the Chiefs. I've had
a great career already. I'll set this year out. He
has to get back some of the signing bonus. I
think if he does that, he's there's no money. I
think they would have to have to give the guys
the So there you're quarantine, you know, for the whole season. Yeah,
(19:35):
guys do that. Here's what I I think could happen.
We're seeing now that Major Baseball is doing an abody testing,
I believe, for their players and their employees, so seeing
if they can you know, they can figure out, hey,
have guys had it before and can you have it again?
That's part of the research that that's happening right now,
before they get to the vaccine being readily available. If
(19:56):
they if doctors in Major League Baseball have figured out
that you have had it and you cannot get it again,
and there's more widespread testing available to players, EI, there's
a situation where you can have as many NFL players
that have passed the antibody test as you would like
to play, and then they could be around their families
and they can continue life. And obviously you're not gonna
(20:17):
have fans in the stadium probably this season. It's gonna
be weird, but you get used to it and we'll
be glad to watch football again. But I think that's
that is the most likely scenario in my opinion, is
that by the time training camp rolls around August one,
we have more testing with antibody testing, we understand at
least a little bit more about if you can have
the virus a second time or not, and then we
(20:38):
get a full season just no fits. I I've I
do not believe the season will be delayed. I just
think the NFL, there's too much money involved, there's too
many other things happening around the country that NFL will
be back in some form by September tenth, which is
the first game of the season. I I agree with
with what you guys are saying, Precie Slee. I think
(21:01):
will adjust the our experience. You know, people, you know,
if we're in anything close to the circumstance that we're
collectively in now come September, obviously people are not going
to bog Oh. I can't watch football without without a
without a live audience in the crest. You'll get over
(21:22):
that part of it. Um. But like I said, yeah,
I'm with I'm with Tucker. I just think it's interesting
and that you know, in different states are gonna have
different standards. You know, things can change quite a bit.
But in California they're already saying, oh, it's overly optimistic
in this calendar year. So I think there will be
kind of like Baseball talked about a centralized location for
(21:45):
the games because you can't really be bouncing around the
country and all those sorts of um considerations. But I
also the Tucker's point, I wonder if it will be
something akin to what we've seen in you know, when
there are strikes and sports and guys like that, just
where we just saw in the XFL or the A
A F or whatever. If they're gonna be like, I'll
(22:05):
do it, and like, Okay, Aaron Rodgers is gonna sit
this one out, So get get that Temple QB in
there in his place, you know, something like that. Tim
Boyle was the backup last year for the Packers. Tim
Boyle that that opener for the Packer, Dude, it would
be like, from a storyline standpoint, I almost hope a
couple of guys do say I'm not playing because that
(22:27):
would be I mean, can you imagine they would get
a lot of flak for it, and it would be
unbelievable opportunities for some of these other guys. Yeah, I
I really do think that, um, it's gonna kind of
come down to that and write entire franchises can be corrupted.
I'll tell you one guy who's i mean, the face
of the league. Now you heard he just moved from
(22:49):
Foxboro down to the Tampa St. Pete area, That guy
at forty three with his kids. And is he gonna
be like, oh, yeah, I'm I'm going out there like
you know, you think he will, Yeah, TV off his
bunnies path, He's going out there play. You're saying he
definitely will play? Yes, yes, yes, yes, I don't know.
(23:11):
I'm I'm I'm original point, Tucker. I think like some
guys will be like, I don't have to do you.
And honestly, I can see a guy like Drew Brees
maybe saying that, you know, with all his kids and
always like but Brady is in a different category. If
you said to Brady there's a fifty fifty chance you'll die,
he'd be like, Okay, I'm playing. I'm gonna win the
(23:32):
super Bowl. Like he's just a total psychopath. He would play, Okay,
a couple of things quickly. Then let's squeeze these in.
Um one. How many games do the Buccaneers win this season?
I start with you Schwartz's it's oh yeah, the over
I think at least ten. Put it like that, I
(23:53):
know ten ten at least ten games, and Patriots under
that number. Uh yeah, don't have a quarterback yet. How
do you determine what the Patriots are gonna do there?
Are they allow Jared Stidham? Yes, under under because they
didn't really add any talents so far in offense or defense,
and they haven't made a lot of adjustments and they
don't have a quarterback. And they draft someone or get
Andy Dalton, I'll feel differently for them, but I can't
(24:15):
trust any quarterback they have right now on the roster.
I trust that if Andy Dalton is their quarterback, they
will win ten games. That's why, That's what I think,
right So right, Okay, Tucker uh bucks win tenor eleven,
and I wonder said that they would win the division
except for the whole coronavirus thing because Brady is so
(24:39):
particular with his receivers and not being able to work
with them in O T A S and minicamp, and
this summer is gonna that's gonna be a factor because
he really he needs them to be where he wants
them to be. But they'll still win tenor eleven and
make the playoffs. And then as for the Patriots, that's
(25:01):
a great point about Brady, which is what I had
always heard about him. And he didn't want to participate
at this age in the O T A S. So
how is he ever going to develop that chemistry whether
he lands in Tampa or in Las Vegas or with
the Chargers or otherwise. And while now I guess he's
looking to disprove that anyway, go ahead. Yeah, and then
for the Patriots, I think they win less. The thing
(25:22):
I say is, and I wasn't in New England very long, right,
I was there an old five and oh six, so
they traded me to Cleveland. The thing I tell people's like,
so when you have some quarterbacks in the NFL, like
a Drew Bledsoe for example, you think you're gonna win.
If you have another quarterback like a Charlie Fry or
JP lost minutes late in the game, you hope that
(25:45):
maybe they can do it. You can win. When you
have Brady, you know you're gonna win. You don't like
you know you're gonna win. And that immediately gets transferred
over to the Buccaneers. So they're down by two touchdowns
fourth quarter. They look over, we've got time, Brady. We're
gonna win, and the Patriots immediately lose that. So no
(26:06):
matter what Matthew Slater and Denvin mccordy and those guys say,
when it's the fourth quarter in their downten and they
look over at Jared Stidham, they don't know. They don't
know if he's got it or not. They don't know
if they're gonna win. And I think just that confidence
oozes throughout the whole team, both sides of the ball,
(26:28):
and guys plow it's I don't know if it's conscious
check or subconscious, but it is real. I know it's
funny in the opposite, I insist is true, even though
the guys I've asked of deny it. I say, you
have at some point in a big game look across
to the other sideline be like, oh my god, it's
Belichick and Brady, how are we gonna win this? And
(26:49):
they're always like, Nope, never crosses my mind. No, I'm
a competitor. Reggie Wayne, notably a great champion himself, does
concede that that happened to him and other men of
the Colts. I appreciate that I played the only one
time in that sort of game, and we had just
the Giants had gone ahead in the fourth quarter. It
was up to Bray to drive them down for a
(27:09):
game we touched on, which he did. Of course. I
remember that game, and I didn't think to myself like,
oh my god, there's Belichick. But it's like, oh, geez,
our defense is not very good. We're gonna lose. Really,
I'm not sure I took into account it was Tom
Bradyer Belichick. There you go. I guess you're not as woke. Um,
you're like Dennis Dixon. Basically, Sorry, Um, one other thing
(27:34):
and then we'll get to this draft. Here is because
Tucker has been the guy leading the charge for the
Christian McCaffrey contract was a good idea, if not for
football reasons, then for pr reasons. Before you have your
safe Tucker. My pushback on that is, and I get
completely in a year in which Cam is gone and
(27:55):
Greg Olsen's gone, and Luke kikle He has gone, you
need somebody to serve as the face of the franchise.
And it serves a good sends a good message to
the rest of the locker room that look will take
care of guys and and so on, except until the
next guy says like, yeah, I need to get paid
to and they're like, well, we can't pay everybody what
they want, right, isn't that the isn't that logical pushback
(28:18):
to what you're saying, No, because not everyone is Christian McCaffrey.
I mean, he is the best player on the team.
He's not only the face of the franchise, he's the
only recognizable face of the franchise. They have the coronavirus,
they want people to renew their season tickets, and in
(28:40):
August when they have training camp, Christian McCaffrey not being
there would be a disaster from a business standpoint, And
the last thing that Matt Rule wants is to have
to answer to the media every day about his player
not being there. And also get in front of the
(29:03):
team for the first time, by the way, because there's
virtual off season first time meeting guys. Here's what we
want in a Carolina Panther. We want tough, we want physical,
we want good character guys, and those guys are gonna
be rewarded. Meanwhile, the exact guy he's talking about is
not there and he's not being rewarded. So listen, every
(29:26):
argument that you guys can make about you shouldn't pay
running backs too much money. I get it. I totally understand.
I totally appreciate that. All I'm saying is, what would
you do in August when he's not showing up? What? What?
(29:49):
What would have been here? And by the way, he
impacts the passing game more than any of these running backs.
And I know Leve Bell and David Johnson Girley, we're
good in the pasting. They weren't McCaffrey in the passing game,
but he in that beside. It's easy to say I
would never give him that myne own area of money
until you know already because he told you that he's
(30:11):
not showing up until he gets the money. And you're
the owner or you're the head coach and you're in
that position, you guys, tell me, Jeff, what would you
have done? I want to draft him in the first
round to start with. That would be my first thing
I would have done, so that wouldnt even be an
issue for my team. Um. The thing about it is
that David Tepper, the new owner, is preaching analytical approach
(30:34):
to building his team right. He has talked about this NonStop.
It's one of the reasons why Ron Rivera has gone,
and what he done this offseason He signed an off
the ball linebacker, Shack Thompson in in in mid December
after Ron Rivera left, and he signed a running back,
like two positions that no one analytically would ever pay
off the ball linebacker and running back. And so it's
(30:55):
just going against everything that they have preached. If you
are making a decision based off of emotion, right, if
you're making a roster decision based off emotion, which is
what Bill O'Brien has done now for for two years,
you're not building your team the right way. The best
general manage in this league make decisions with no emotion, right,
They wield and deal with players. I understand. Ross your
(31:17):
your your point. It's a great point that training camp Spartanburg.
Your your most renounzal players not there. But I will
say this, if the Panthers want to be good, their
most recognizable player and the best player better be Teddy Bridgewater.
If they're not, that's that's how they're gonna win. I understand,
But again I go back to you're talking philosophical right,
(31:40):
you are David Temper or Marty Hernie or Matt Rule.
Training camps are open, America's back, it's August. Christian McCaffrey
doesn't show up. What do you do then, because it's
easy to say all this stuff, do you just find
the big Jesus out of them? Oh? Just like because
(32:02):
guess what, guess what, he's not going to show up.
Let me let me see get the Sun Bowl. The
first college player ever to do that. He knows that
he has. You buy the shorthairs because new coach facing
(32:23):
the franchise best player, he knows that you need him.
So you can say all this stuff about running backs
and platitudes, but you're not You're not going to that
first game without Christian McCaffrey. You can let me just
thank you. Thinks. First of all, you're Matt Rule. So
you can point to the fan base. First of all,
(32:44):
you say, look it was a complete rebuilded Baylor. I
had one down season and then look a look at
how we rose like the phoenix. That's what I intend
to do here. We don't need a bridge player. We
hope McCaffrey shows up, but McCaffrey basically serves as a bridge.
You're in between airs now you are have to basically
rebuild the team one and two. The the thing about
(33:10):
the cop to leve Bell you say about as a
pass catcher, how about the contract hold out? He was
beloved in Pittsburgh and then he wasn't because he didn't
show up to play. It's the team holds all the
cards in terms of pr team. The team is like, well,
we want to play. He's as he's trying to hold
out on his deal, like, well, that's not right to do.
(33:32):
And the fans would agree with that in a situation
that this love bells a moron who literally lost ten
million dollars and would have made fourteen a half million
dollars to play that year. I I don't know you
can compare those he's losing money too, Like I don't
it's the same. It's they're losing different amount of money, obviously,
But I just think that making a decision based off
(33:52):
of how many fansill show to training camp is like
a poor way to run a business, especially when you've
said he's at the opposite to this. No, it's it's
not It's not how many fans will show up a
training camp. It's how many fans will buy their tickets
for that year, And it's the culture that the head
coach is trying to establish and the message he's trying
to send. The last thing he wants is for the
(34:15):
whole focus of training camp. Every second of every day,
every player gets asked, what do you think about no
Christian McCaffrey here, and those guys they're gonna they're gonna.
They can try to be they can try to play
the company line, but they're gonna be like, yeah, we
need him. He's our best player. I'll try to stay
out of that, but he's the leader, he's everything. Makes
(34:36):
me think of Mormon Dale, though, in front of the
Hickory crowd in the old gymnasium and Wosiers saying, Hey,
Jimmy Chitwood, isn't here, these guys standing here, this is
your team. They have sacrificed. This is your team. I
think that is the message, and I think it's a
winning message that has been played at nauseum by head
(34:57):
coaches and gms in every sport. Oh the guy didn't
show up. He's holding out, he's trying to renegotiate his deal.
He's already got a deal, he has his money here.
I think that you end up winning that pr battle
against the against the guy. Yeah, I mean I disagree,
and I think if you guys were in that situation,
(35:17):
you ultimately would pay McCaffrey. Now, that doesn't mean I
feel that way about every running back, by the way,
all these other guys, Alvin Kamara, Aaron Jones, Joe Mixon,
Dalvin Cook, they're in very different situations. Like Number one,
they're not the best player on the team. Number two,
(35:39):
they're not the faces of the franchise. Number three, they
don't have a new coach who's trying to establish a
culture and doesn't want a distraction. Christian McCaffrey just messed
this up for all those guys because they all think
that they're gonna get that money, and they're gonna have
their agents try to get their money, and they don't
have nearly the same leverage that mccaff he he was
(36:02):
in a truly unique situation for all the reasons I
mentioned those other guys. Not only are they not getting
sixteen million a year, they're not even getting close to it.
It's gonna be a major wake up call for those guys.
Oh man. I just the Panthers preached this whole rebuild
thing and they just kind of did a half rebuild,
(36:25):
but not really the right way. And it's just to me.
I've always thought that wins were the reason why fans
showed up in the end. If you win a football games,
fanals show. We saw last year the Panthers didn't win.
McCaffrey had a historic season and no one showed up
and their offense was in the league last year. Like,
it's just to me, it's all about winning. And if
you're the Panthers, you you have to sell Bridgewater. I
(36:45):
know it's tough because you don't have an offseason, but
you gotta sell him as the face of your franchis
or if you have to quarterback at seven, which is
probably unlikely. Yeah, saw him as the face of your franchise.
Christian McCaffrey is great and all, and I think he's
super talented, but you're not winning games with him being
the four, the the the main component of your offense.
It's been showing. I've I've led outside of North Carolina
(37:07):
and SEC Country. I've led the Cam Newton fan club
for many years, but so I'm biased, but I think
you're still better off with number one under center than
you are going to Christian McCaffrey. I would rather have
my QBB the face of the franchise. But all right,
time is short. I don't want to hold you guys
up too long, Ednie Spaghetti, if you would give us
(37:28):
a team. Because there is no draft order, we're just
seeing who every team would take. But let's start with
the a f C. North. Since the Bungles do have
the first overall, the Bengals, I should say, have the
first overall pick. Who Jeff Schwartz should they take? Oh,
they gotta take Joe Burrow obviously. I mean they have
to take the best quarterback in in the in the league. Yeah.
I'm not wasting much time on this. We all know
(37:50):
the reasons Burrow. Cleveland Browns and their fancy new old
uniforms um they have left tackle in the worst way.
I would take Andrew Amus from Georgia, who is the
most ready in my opinion, to play left tackle day one,
especially with McKay. Beckton has more upside and might be
better overall than Thomas. But if you're looking for a
guy to play literally right now, what you need Andrew
(38:12):
Thomas Tucker. I disagree. I think the Browns should take
Chase Young with the number one overall pick, pair him
opposite Garrett, destroy people, and then train your second round
pick for Trent Williams or signed Jason Peters for one
year for eight million dollars to hold it down draft
(38:34):
to get in the third round and developed. But if
the Browns had the number one pick, I think they
should take Chase Young. Boy, that would be devastating. Actually,
you know what the Skins are not are gonna be
not too far off of that with the ability to
heat up the QB. The Baltimore Ravens Tucker oh Um,
(38:56):
Chase Young, you know that they I mean they've got
done on the franchise tag. There's some talk about them
maybe trading him. I I maintain the line is the
second most important position after quarterback in the sport. You
get a guy like Chase Young, that that's the guy
(39:16):
to me be Chase Young at number one for the Ravens.
I agree. I always talk about that. It's and I
always say it's unsexy to point it out, but line
of scrimmage, that is the recurring theme. Specifically the ability
in the second half to get to the QB is
that those teams keep getting to the Super Bowl. Obviously,
you need to study QB if you want to be
(39:37):
a perennial contender. But the other factor to getting and
winning the Super Bowl is is that ability shorts that
we're gonna keep saying the same players over and overall,
go somewhere else. Um, I'll go Jerry Judy here at
wide receiver, just adding more weapons to the pass. Again,
we've seen now that when it comes down to the
playoff time where there needs to be a more efficient
(39:58):
passing to have not had. That's they don't have a
player like him. They can kind of run intermediate routes
Brown obvious, you can run the ball deep. They need
someone kind of in the middle there to help him out. Um,
I think Young is the better player of the two,
But I go with Judie here. It's fun too, by
the way that the Ravens bugaboo for Rozzie Newsome, who's
(40:19):
who's probably I think everybody would say is the best
GM of the last twenty years or so, could never
land on a wide receiver, and now his replacement seems
to have an act for doing that. Witness the couple
of receivers that they found in the draft. Um. Pittsburgh
Steelers Tucker Pittsburgh Steels, if they had the number one
(40:40):
overall pick in the NFL Draft, should select Joe Burrow,
quarterback from L s U. Listen, Ben's amazing, but last
time I checked, he's a two eight pound lumber gap Pennsylvania.
I'm never thought he was a guy that could play
(41:01):
into his forties. There's a lot of uncertainty just how
well he'll come back from this elbow injury. Hey, maybe
you're wrong. Maybe Ben comes back and he's great. In
that case, you have an Aaron Rodgers Brett Farve situation
or a Philip Rivers Drew Brees situation. You can manage it.
But the Pittsburgh Dealers number one pick in this draft
(41:22):
would be Joe Burrow from L s U. I agree
with that, but I'll give you I'll give you another one,
Jeddrick Wills to play right tackle. It feels like that's
a spot they need to improve on. I would say
interior D line, but then they have enough guys there.
Chase Young doesn't wanna fit the profile of one of
their pass rushes. You could go corner here as well,
uh In Olkuda, but um, I like Burrow. I think
(41:44):
Wills would fit a really well, right tackle there, big
physical kid. I would I mean, we now mentality with
thirty eight year old Roethlisberger. I would go for the
best running back on the board, whether you think that's
DeAndre Swift or otherwise. That's who I talked about running
back to the first round. You picked one. I'm trying
to win one season. I'm trying. I want to say
(42:06):
seven in glory, you know. Um, alright, next Devasion, Let's
go a f C East the New England Patriots. I
think this is an easy one, Tucker, you start, Yeah,
Joe Burrow. I think they like Stidham. I don't think
that they like to expend resources on quarterbacks. I think
(42:27):
that they feel like Brady sixth round, Castle seventh round,
Jimmy g second per set third. We can get guys
to win, not at number one one role, but I
mean the chance to go right from Brady to Burrow
for the next fifteen years. They would take Joe Burrow. Shorts. Yes,
I'll keep this one short. Yes, they need a quarterback
and he's just shorts. Um. I think they need the
(42:52):
offensive line help. I mean, I think it's it's going
back to where I'll just go someone that we haven't
talked about yet, just because just to make it fair, Uh,
Tristan Worse from Iowa. I think you can play tackle
or guard. Just can find a spot for him somewhere
on the offensive line, whether you want to help at
tackle or guard. I'll show another name out there we
have not talked about yet, excellent Tucker and the number
(43:13):
one pick. They would without question take Chase Young. They
have no class rush, they have nobody offside. Yeah, they
need a receiver they have they need no offensive tackle.
But again, you cant offensive tackle. Later in the draft.
You can also try to get Jason Peters or Trent Williams.
(43:34):
You cannot get a Chase Young, and they needed pass
rusher desperately. All Right, you know what I I have
to pull an audible here because Tucker and Shorts, I've
held you guys both way too long. Spaghetti. Maybe we'll
we'll pick up the rest of this early next week.
We can round this out here a little bit. Let's
finish the division though the Bills. Shorts, um, I would
(43:56):
take Biose fans won't like this. I would take Joe Burrow,
but um they obviously history and history is going to
remember this poorly. I mean, look, I build win that
division this year. Sure the easy chase obviously easy answer
for all these Okuda I would go wide receiver here.
(44:16):
I just think that that you need as many weapons
as possible for Josh Allen, continue to build them up here. Um,
if you like your Judy, you like Rigs, you like
Ceedee Lamb, any of those top guys, whoever you think
fits your offense best. Well, also Ceedee Lamb in there,
because we've talked about him yet. Tucker, you know, I
think that they would maybe take Jeffrey Okuda. They need
(44:40):
help the corner over f opposite trade Abous White. I'm
not buying Josh Norman. I think if they had the
number one pick, it would either be Chase Young or
Jeffrey Okuda. And just so that Jeff doesn't get mad
at me, I'm gonna go with a Kuda. Uh, Tucker,
bring it on home here. The Miami Dolphins Joe Burrow.
(45:03):
And by the way, if they weren't the biggest morons
in the NFL, they'd be picking him. I've never seen
the team tank and then say let's sign Ryan Fitzpatrick.
They signed the anti tanker to be the quarterback. I
mean This is the guy that's thirty eight years old
from Harvard and he like goes head first at linebackers.
(45:25):
And the Dolphins are morons. They should be getting Burrow
right now. Instead, they'll probably take two uh or Herbert,
both of which represent crazy risk. Let's go with Let's
let's end this podcast with Justin Herbert for the Dolphins.
Let's do it. I didn't know what. I don't have
to for her I'll have an organ helmet anywhere. I
(45:47):
probably get one up here. All right, George, you go,
and Tucker, you go too. But I just want to
say about Justin Herbert, and it is to a jazz
and all this. If teams really pass on to because
he is allegedly injury prone, I think that's going to
be a massive mistake to take a wild card. And
Justin Herbert, when you know too, is gonna do it
if his health holds up. In you know I, I
(46:11):
keep pointing to Frank Gore, and there are a couple
of guys and Fred Taylor who got labeled injury prone guys.
Ironically those guys have been among them ended up being
the most durable among them. I think that it matters
what kind of injury. It is, I think to uh,
by the way winds up a Charger and Tucker. The
other thing I'll say to you is that the other
(46:34):
thing I keep revisiting. Yeah, the Dolphins shouldn't have one
up in Foxboro in week seventeen, But the Patriots also
should have stopped Ryan fitz Magic and DeVante Parker from
that last minute drive if they had. You want to
talk about shaking up, I like to what if stuff?
Think about? Then the Patriots are the two seed. The
Chiefs are on the road. Yeah, the Chiefs are on
(46:56):
the road, so they have to play the Titans. I
don't necessarily think that the A goes exactly the way
it did in the title game. I think Derrick Henry
might have stunned them in Arrowhead Um in that in
that first game. But even if they survived that one
Chiefs at Foxborough, I do not assume victory there. And
one way or the other, you go to Charmed City
on what ended up being a frigid day in Baltimore.
(47:18):
If you put Patrick Mahomes out there for that one,
I don't necessarily think. I mean, the Ravens just came
up lane in in a really bad matchup with with
with Simmons and Casey on the interior there that was
their undoing. I think I think the Ravens would have
wound up in the super Bowl. All right, I gotta go,
all right, George, goodbye, Tucker. How say you to that
(47:40):
little what if? And um, I love that? You know
we could play that game Week seventeen, the Niners Seahawks game,
that's right, three inches away from the Niners. No chance
they go to the Super Bowls the Five Roads, and
they were like an inch away on multiple plays. And
then what you said is exactly right. If the Chiefs
(48:03):
didn't have a buy, I don't think the way they
were playing, they were playing that great in the playoff,
they didn't never buy. I don't think they are the
Super Bowl either. It is crazy. I feel like the
NFL has the world's greatest butterfly effect from a football standpoint,
because those little butterflies spreading their wings in Week seventeen
(48:26):
changed everything for the postseason. You know what, You're probably right, somebody,
at some point you do something with that butterfly effects
stuff as that applies. Okay, what if? Like if? And
what have you change? The f in an f L too.
If you know that, you know what, let's put a
pin in that and work on that. I think you're right.
(48:47):
I wonder who would have got I did map it
out who goes to the super Bowl from the NFC
if the Seahawks win, the Seahawks were the Seahawks, maybe
do go because then they would have gotten the They
would have been the three seed over the uh yes,
three seeds, and then that would have sent the Niners
to the six. So you would have repeated that same
(49:08):
game would have been the one, Saints the two, so
the Staints would have gotten a buy rather than losing
the Vikings at home, and so the Bikes would have
been the four. So your four or five matchup is, wait,
the Eagles win their division, Eagles the other four. What's
that say again? Eagles to the four? Seattle Eagles play
(49:29):
there five? I think that's yeah. Wow. It's it's super
fun to do. Always fun to talk to you, Tucker Man,
You're the best. TO appreciate you making all the time
for us today. We didn't even get to talk any
food stuff, but I thought it was a a fulsome
conversation just the same. It was awesome. I was eating
apples with peanut butter. And then after I put the
(49:50):
peanut butter on the apple and eat that slice, I
then pop some almonds in my mouth real quick, so
they're like peanut covered all men's kind of So I
get the residual flavor of the peanut to make the
healthy almond a little bit better. I mean, these are
the things that I get into on the Rosstucker Football
podcast and the family of podcasts that Dave damnae checking
(50:12):
and he spaghetti listened to at Ross Tucker dot com
or however you're listening to this prodt. What a shill
we gotta do? We still have to do it, you
and me and maybe we expanded the Schwartz and all
the other heavy set guys who spent their twenties leaning
up on other three pound men the food block. We
gotta we gotta get that thing going here, all food
(50:33):
related matters settled. Um. But yes, of course, you cannot
do any better if you're a football fan or a
game of life fan than tuning into all that Ross
Tucker has going. He's a mensh of o fella and
uh and deep with pig skin wisdom, and so too
is Nick Costas happy to see you guys teaming up there,
Eddie Spaghett he's a big fan of his as well. Um,
(50:55):
we'll do some more food talk down the line until then,
thanks so much our tea. My as you're someday, I
want to look as cool as that he Spaghetti does.
Right now, I am so jealous to be you only
and that unbelievable. See you guys be well pal alright, Spaghetts,
what do you think that was a good conversation? Right? Yeah?
Sometimes you forget that both Ross and Jeff played in
(51:16):
the league because they could, uh and it's not a
shot at you or anyone that hosts podcast, but they
could carry a podcast by themselves. Are telling of the
stories we're playing in the league with Rost's tight end
story and Jeff with his kick return stories, and it's like, oh, yeah,
I forgot these guys play because they're just natural, um,
you know, broadcaster entertainer type. So it was it was great,
A lot of fun. Yeah, really interesting stuff too on CMC. Yeah,
(51:38):
we we didn't really run the game, but we got
through two out of eight divisions. But yeah, we'll try
and do that early next week in advance of the draft.
Spaghetti hope all's well, um in your little space there,
and quick, real quick for those who are tracking these things,
how's the weight looking well? I think I had a card.
(51:58):
I had a couple of good workouts this week. I
will sound Sunday and I was tweeting at it with you.
We had a you know, a big Easter dinner thing
and I got two racks. I went to the whole
with like seven am, got two big racks lamb and
chopped them up and making the lamb lollipops like the ribs,
and then walked down to a local place that does
homemade breads, pasta's, um, you know, cured meats, all that
(52:21):
kind of stuff. Sauces, so we got two packs of
homemade paper deli and we made our We got Alfredo
sauce and tomato sauce and mixed at me like a
pink a pink sauce. And then as the appetizer, we
got a full loaf of sour dough like baguett with
some purshoot diparma and uh, Sunday was a feast. So
(52:42):
that that probably sent me back. But since then recording
this now Thursday, Thursday midday, I've had a pretty good week.
A workout, so I'm probably in the same right. It
probably around two twenty seven ish, I would say around
that I brought it up the other day and you
mentioned preshoot um and or it came up on Twitter.
To me, we should ask the food Block fellas as
we just ran out of time. Cold sandwich or or
(53:06):
warm sandwich if you for the rest of your life,
to the exclusion of the other, for the rest of
your life, oh cold. I rarely ever really eat hot
sand I think about it. Yeah, roast beef not hot.
I don't really I don't really order hot meat ball.
You understand you're never getting another Philly cheese steak. You're
never going to Promanates, not that I don't know you
(53:27):
have any trips planned for Pittsburgh and any permants. I've
had once in in Indianapolis, I've I mean Philly cheese
sticks I love. I don't get to Philadelphia quite enough
since moving west. Um, I don't really eat that many
hot sandwiches. Like there's a great place in Santa Monica.
Over here bas City, they do cold sandwiches like the
(53:49):
Godmother and that's all cold cuts. I like, cold cut
sandwich is the best, even like Jewish Deli sandwiches. I
I guess those are well. I guess you can get
some of those hot. So that kind of throws me
off there, but it, yeah, I wanna say with cold,
I want to say sandwiches I respected. I respect it
because it's not an easy call to make. I'm gonna
miss a nice salami sandwich which I had not eaten
(54:12):
salami for literally, I'm not exaggerating. I hadn't eaten salami
and probably thirty four or thirty five years. I mean
on pizza or sandwich. I mean I may maybe on
a plate. I saw, you know, at you know, at
the Italian Delhi, kind of lay out there watching football
with the with the fellows. Maybe I picked up with
(54:32):
some pieces of salami. But as a kid, I loved
salami sandwiches. Mo damnishek used to make me those for
my lunch, and then I give I've rediscovered them. And
you know, it's kind of like in when Harry met Sally,
when they tell those stories about love affairs that you know,
got paused and then they found each other again thirty
(54:53):
or forty years later. It's like that with me in salami.
Right now, it's on the lower level for me of
Italian meats, but it's it's fine mixed in with other stuff.
I'm not a big salami solo guy. Um. Last thing spaghetti. Um.
We can wait. We gotta get money and handsome yes
um early next week hopefully too, and we'll do the
(55:15):
rest of the draft that we started here today. But
would give us a quick so you you danced around it,
do you have a number for us? What's where? Where
the lbs right now? Up or down? I think I'm
probably up from two twenties six, like I'm probably I
(55:36):
don't have a weight. I don't think I could access
it right now, but I'm probably proper way and we'll
do a proper way. And but I do wanna I
do want to tease the fact I got on the
scale yesterday. That's as light as I've been in five
years at least probably so looking that and I also
had milk bar for dessert after my uh my easter
(55:59):
for totally forgot about that, Like we gotta Yeah, I
would say I'm fairly certain I'm up, but not by
a lot. Um All right, now, to wrap it up,
go listen to the Jeff Schwartz is smarter than you
podcast available on the Athletic which is free right now,
by the way, so you can tap into that, no
subscription required. You'll be smarter for doing it. And of
(56:21):
course the Ross Tucker uh you know, basically the family
of podcasts available to you, the signature one, the Ross
Tucker Football Podcast. Um, and go from there, muzzle touugh
to our guy Nick Costas, who's been with us um
kibbits in over the last couple of years as well.
Love that hook up for both those guys and um spaghetti.
(56:41):
We'll be back early next week because we want to
be in front of the draft here, so sure be
on the lookout for us. I don't know tuesdaysh Is
that a fair a fair fair day to circle on
the calendar Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday centwhere around there. We'll get
your earlier next week. That works, Yeah, it's not exactly
like anybody schedules that full right now anyhow, all right,
thanks so much for now football fans, and we'll talk
(57:05):
to you next week. Until then, it's been a den
slice a head
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Nikki Glaser Podcast
Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.