February 26, 2025 • 42 mins
NFL Network Insiders Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Judy Battista report live from the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine and bring you all of the latest news from around the league including where Matthew Stafford may play in 2025, what the 49ers plan to do with two of their biggest stars and significant rule changes that could be coming to the league! The Insiders sit down for 1-on-1 interviews with Lions GM Brett Holmes, Texans GM Nick Caserio, Chargers GM Joe Hortiz and Seahawks HC Mike McDonald! Omar Ruiz and Cameron Wolfe stop by to dive deep into San Francisco's offseason priorities and the Colts' decision to hold an open competition for the starting quarterback position. Plus, PFF NFL Draft Analyst Trevor Sikkema speaks with Ian about his biggest predictions for the upcoming NFL Draft.19:10, 39:24
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):
Rock Perty is headed for a big payday in San Francisco,
while Matthew Stafford is still wondering where exactly he's going
to get his The state of the NFC West is
at stake. We've got the latest on both those contract situations.
Abdul Carter says he is the number one player in
the country and therefore he should go number one overall.
(00:25):
But can he hold off Travis Hunter, the quarterbacks and
others through the pre draft process. Hear more from what
Carter had to say. Also going to hear from Mike McDonald,
the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, the only ten
win team to miss the playoffs in recent years. How
do they get over the rest of that hump? Matthew
(00:46):
Stafford leaving would certainly help, but there's a lot more
to it. Welcome inside with the insiders at the combine
alongside Judy Matista, Mike Garriffullo and Ian Rappaport and Tom
Pelicero right down there on the field. Earlier today we
had the Kicking and Punting Expedition. Watched what was actually
(01:09):
called one called the expedition had a name name. Anyway,
there's kickers and punters that were doing stuff. How do
they tomorrow? We'll find out later in the show. Pat
mcavee is going to make an appearance here to help
us break all that down. We el Scott brad Holmes,
the Lions DM on the show tonight in the Casario
the Texans GM Chargers DM Joe Ortiz. There is a
ton to get to, but let's start out with one
(01:33):
of the top quarterbacks in the NFL who wants to
be paid like one. That is Rams quarterback still Matthew Stafford,
who has had permission in recent weeks to speak with
other teams through his agent about potentially signing a contract
elsewhere and what that would look like. That of course
had a twofold impact for the Rams try out, with
(01:55):
the fact that it allows them to figure out what
a contract with them should look like if Stafford stays
in LA. Sean McVay said on it podcast that is
the goal. He wants to keep this g as he
calls him in LA, but also said there's other things
involved here, including the compensation they could get in a
trade and the money involved. There was also an overstated
(02:16):
Internet rumor earlier today that Matthew Stafford had moved in
with Tom Brady for a while, and he's getting the
over three pitch. They were skiing, they were doing bro stuff.
He was staying in his house. I talked to Brady's
longtime agent Don Yee, who told me, I know that
reporters sometimes make mistakes in their haste, but this story's inaccurate.
The only thing I would say is inaccurate in that
(02:39):
in that statement he was using the word reporters.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Don Yee said that to you. They say it to
your face.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Don Yee told me that to your face on the phone.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
On the phone, Okay, he.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Was a little bit further away.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Brock Birdy, of course, is entering year four. He's now
eligible for a contract extension. That is the commitment for
the forty nine ers. John Lynch affirmed that today, said
that negotiations are underway. This may take some time, but
according to Lynch, they know what they want the outcome
to be.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
We have started negotiations. We're talking.
Speaker 5 (03:11):
I won't go into negotiations like always is our stance.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
Want brought to be our quarterback as.
Speaker 5 (03:17):
Long as we're here and and beyond and and we'll
leave it at that. I think the final thing there's
no guarantees that we get something done, but my experience
has been when both sides are motivated, there's ample opportunity
to do so, and we've we've been able to do that.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
So we're on good terms with Deebo.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
I think, you know, he's asked for a for a
fresh start, and you know, I think we're going to
honor that. Don't like seeing great players, and he is
a great player.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
He's, you know, I.
Speaker 5 (03:46):
Think often one of my favorite draft picks in my
time's guy's just a he makes plays, and he makes
game changing plays, and you know, everything's good, you know,
but I think at some point time, time happens.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
There's also questions living around the future of Derek Carr
in New Orleans, with a new staff there, including Kellen Moore. Well,
Carr and Moore have been having talks already about the future. GM.
Mickey Loomis said today the team plans to stick with
Derek Carr, saying he's excited for Carr to return. More
on that from Garafollo in a second. The Packers maybe
not as excited about JayR Alexander's future. Following a very
(04:26):
frustrating season for everybody involved in twenty twenty four. As
Ian reported earlier today the Packers have engaged in trade
talks with JayR Alexander. My understanding is Brian Goodakun spoke
with Jayra directly about that, said that they are going
to explore things. He's got two years and thirty seven
million dollars left on his contract here for a guy
who has been one of the top paid defensive backs
(04:49):
in recent years. We'll see what direction that ends up going.
A lot of going on here obviously at the combine. Ian,
tell me what was the most interesting thing that happened
to you or that you heard today.
Speaker 6 (04:58):
Well, let's talk about the Matthew Stafford situation. Obviously some
of the focuses on You mentioned the Tom Brady interaction,
and yes, Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford did bumped into
each other at Yellowstone in Montana, apparently skied together.
Speaker 7 (05:13):
That seemed to be the end of it.
Speaker 6 (05:14):
But we have known that the Las Vegas Raiders and
the New York Giants have had interest in Matthew Stafford
for some time. And considering the fact that his Asian
Jimmy Sexon does in fact have permission to engage with
these teams, and just see what his value might be
if there was in fact that trade. Not allowed to
negotiate trade compensation, but is allowed to discuss salary. So yeah,
(05:35):
these are two teams that do need a quarterback and
that are interested. And actually, the Las Vegas Raiders do
make a ton of sense for Matthew Stafford if, for instance,
he wanted to still live in Malibu. It's a forty
minute flight from California to Las Vegas. It's a team
where you could drop a quarterback in and conceivably begin
the process of winning, which obviously is something that want.
(05:56):
We know that Brady has been aggressive and the Raiders
have been aggresive in trying to land a starting quarterback.
Speaker 7 (06:01):
This makes sense. However, the Rams duel the cards. They
can trade him or.
Speaker 6 (06:07):
Not, they can decide whether they want to pay Stafford
or not.
Speaker 7 (06:10):
So this is not done yet with Matthew Stafford in
the RAM.
Speaker 8 (06:13):
Meanwhile, we've been talking about who holds the cards in
the Derek Carr Saints situation right now, and I've made
the point that really both sides do. But Mickey Loomis today,
the general manager of the Saints, speaking with reporters, indicated
that the team will stick with Derek Carr, saying quote,
we feel unfortunate to have Derek here, the experience he has,
he's a big time quarterback in this league. I'm sorry
(06:34):
that was Kellen Morris quote, but Mickey Loomis also expressing
the quote, I think we've got a guy.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
We can win with.
Speaker 8 (06:41):
But Loomis also did acknowledge that there's financial concerns here
because the Saints are so far over the cap, and
there could be a cash concern as well. Derek Carr
is due to make forty million dollars per season. If
the Saints want to do a simple restructure and convert
that into a signing bonus to spread the cap pit
going forward, but pay him the forty million, the Saints
can make that decision. That's written into the contract at
(07:01):
standard language in contracts, we see it all the time.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
But if there's going to be some kind.
Speaker 8 (07:05):
Of discussion about a restructure or a pay cut where
it changes how much Derek car is going to make
this season or moving forward, well then Car is going
to have a say in that regard, and I would
expect that he is going to resist that.
Speaker 9 (07:16):
So, yes, Loomis has made.
Speaker 8 (07:18):
It clear because we said Kellen Moore, maybe there was
a little bit of wiggle room. Now at least we
know that the Saints won him back, but until the
financial part has figured out, we don't know for sure
that that's going to happen. So we'll continue to keep
watching this. But clearly Mickey Loomis likes Derek Carr's quarterback.
Speaker 10 (07:32):
Okay, And once the games actually start, some potential changes
on the horizon. First, let's start with overtime. The NFL
could be changing overtime in the regular season again. We
could be going to the rules we have in postseason overtime,
which means both teams get to touch the ball and
they keep playing sudden death no matter what happens after
(07:53):
the first team gets the ball, no matter what they
do field goal or touchdown, the second team would still
get to possess the ball at least once, and they
could play all the way to fifteen minutes. That is,
that would be a significant change that also has to
be voted on by owners, presumably at the March annual meeting.
And now this change is definitely going to happen. The
(08:15):
NFL is going to use virtual measurement to determine first downs.
The technology is finally in place in every stadium.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
The chain crew is still.
Speaker 11 (08:24):
Going to be there.
Speaker 10 (08:25):
They will be No, we're not getting rid of them,
They will just be there as a backup, and an
official still has to physically spot the ball himself. But
then that hawkeye technology, the kind of thing they use
in tennis to determine line calls, that is going to
be used to determine if first downs have been gained.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
That is a significant change.
Speaker 12 (08:44):
For the NFL.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
You love working through what that's going to look like
on the front end. The back end is all the
cameras around to be able to spot the football. The
front end is what do you see on TV? What
do you show in the stadium, Because it's no longer
going to be two guys look like they're too old
to be the field ten running out there with the
chain when they're maybe unofficial without an index card, yes,
or the minor league baseball that's now going over to
major league baseball. It sounds like it will look something
(09:07):
like that, but they're still working through exactly what it's
going to be. There's also been a lot of discussion
about expanded replay assists, the booth becoming involved in addressing
more penalties on the field. Back in the fall or
in December actually, at the league meeting, Troy Vincent had
said there was an openness not just to expanding it
to even subjective types of calls, but having the Booth
(09:29):
or New York be able to put down a flag
on plays like this involving Sam Darnold. However, what we
were told today is that there is zero interest from
the other members of the Competition Committee, not the league,
which sounds like they would like to expand to things
like this. Zero interests and it's a non starter to
have New York be able to put flags down onto
(09:50):
the field. That means, while they'll still be able to
clean up certain types of fouls, including face mass, it
will be the ones that are thrown that they can
pick up if no flag is throwing, that even when
Sam Darnold gets his head ripped off right there, there
would still not be a foul. It's a process, it's incremental.
It continues to move forward here, the NFL draft process
(10:11):
moving forward here in Indianapolis, where the quarterbacks are on
the scene. That includes Shador Sanders and Cam Ward. They're buddies.
They work out together but they're in competition to be
the top quarterback off the board. How's all this gonna
shake out? Beginning this week at Indianapolis. Here's Rich Eyes
into Daniel Jeremiah.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Fella Scouting Combine on NFL Network twenty two. If you're
scoring at home, Rich eyesing along with Daniel Jeremiah getting
set for four days of on field drills here in
the home of the Indianapolis Colts. Get to see you, sir,
You buddy, what are you looking forward to seeing the most, sir?
Speaker 13 (10:43):
Well, there's a lot of depth in this draft. I've
labeled it as a starter draft when you look at
what you can find, guys that you can plug and play,
and they're exciting and there's some great conversations to be
had on these players. Rich Some years, you're talking about
will a player play outside at corner while we play
inside and maybe he's a guard, maybe he's a tackle.
This year, with Travis Hunter, we don't even know which
(11:04):
side of the ball we want him to play on
and if he should be a full time player on
both sides of the ball like he was at Colorado.
Speaker 7 (11:10):
One of the more.
Speaker 13 (11:11):
Dynamic players we've seen enter the NFL in the last
several years, and to me, one of the more fascinating
conversations that we're going to have this.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Week, Heisman Trophy winner will be in the house. Just
they will not be any on field drills expected from
Travis Hunter. Same thing with the Shador Sanders, the quarterback
of Colorado Day one players that we're going to be
seeing out there on Thursday. It's the front seven to
start things off. You're looking forward to seeing here, Well,
we're going.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
To see a lot of defensive linemen.
Speaker 13 (11:39):
It's an impressive group of defensive tackles and edge rushers,
but it's a linebacker who I think could steal the show.
And that's Jehad Campbell from Alabama, someone who played off
the ball but was an on the ball pass rusher
coming out of high school. But due to the talent
at Alabama, hey, let's just get him on the field.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Let's play him off the ball.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
This last year you got to.
Speaker 13 (11:56):
See him rushing a little off the edge, but primarily
run in chase from that second level. And he is
dynamic and it's always fun to watch these types of
athletes in this setting.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
Rich I think he's going to absolutely put on a show.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Forty yard dashes and on field drills again for defensive
linemen in front seven, Abdul Carter enters this combine your
top fifty, would you put him there?
Speaker 13 (12:18):
He's at a premier position as an edge rusher. To me,
he is the best football player in this year's draft.
And the Tennessee Titans will the or won't they something I'm.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Sure we're going to get into, no doubt, certainly when
the quarterbacks are out there on the field, but that's Saturday.
We've got the defense first up, the front seven on
Thursday at three Eastern time, then the defensive backs Friday
at three Eastern time. The defense will rest and then
the offense will get out there for the rest of
the NFL Scouting Combine twenty twenty five exclusively on NFL
(12:47):
Network and NFL Plus.
Speaker 14 (12:49):
Be there.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
We will be.
Speaker 15 (12:51):
It'll be fun.
Speaker 8 (12:52):
Welcome back to the insiders here at the scouting combine.
Lions gentle manager Brad Holmes joining us here. Appreciate the time,
Appreciate you being with us. You look at your team,
you look at the changes in the offseason. You've got
a lot of stability on the roster. That's what the
general manager does you got changes at the coordinator position, sure,
but guys that you're familiar with, Yo, how do you
make sure that they keep the continuity of what you've
(13:13):
had on both sides of the ball that's been so successful.
Speaker 15 (13:15):
Yeah. I really thought that Dan did an excellent job
and replenishing. You know, two great coordinators that left that
were great coaches that I know are going to be successful.
But to get a Kelvin Shephard that has been with
us since day one and basically has been let's call
it groomed from day one to be that next guy,
and you know he's ready for sure. He's been right
(13:38):
under AG's wing this whole time. Ag and Dan as well,
so just to be in a position to do that.
And then John Morton, you know that when he was
with us, that was the time where we basically built
that offensive system. So he already has a continuity. He
already knows that it all starts with Jared and the
quarterback and they have a relationship previously already. So I
(14:01):
don't I don't. I don't see us missing a beat.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
There and both sides of the ball.
Speaker 8 (14:04):
I talked about the roster stability they've got that talent
there on both sides. You've built this team in the
image that you wanted this team to be in. Uh,
you've got a lot of guys now that you're going
to have to start to turn around and reward for
their Look at you shaking your head right now. I mean,
these are good problems.
Speaker 15 (14:21):
It's good problems to have. But it does you look
you turn around, you look back, and it's like, man,
there's a bill to pay now. Like it's like because
you know, in the moment, it's like, oh, we.
Speaker 16 (14:30):
Got Penny Sue, and then you got two ones, and
then you got two ones again, and you had two
two's that basically had greatest two ones and then and
it's like, wait, hold on that, that's that's seven first
round picks that well seven we all like around, Yeah,
seven graded first round picks that we all like.
Speaker 15 (14:46):
And it's like a lot to keep those guys around.
But then you have those carby Joseph in the third round.
You have the momra Saint Brown in the flour and
it starts to add up. It does, and so you
know it just changed. Is it changes some of the
decisions that you know that you would like to do
in free agency, and you know we've already started that
(15:07):
work in that preparation to make those necessary adjustments.
Speaker 8 (15:12):
But yeah, we gotta do what we gotta do and
build your depth. I mean, look, you go down, you
losing Aiden Hutchinson. When he goes down, you can't replace that.
I mean, how much did that hurt last year? Other
guys just seeing a guy that they respect so much going.
Speaker 15 (15:24):
Yeah, it look as a GM. You know, you know
that attrition's coming, you know that the injuries are coming,
and that's why you you know, you know, you really
just kind of hammer out deaf death death, But you know,
you just hate it for the players, you know, like Aiden.
I mean, I don't think anybody would argue that before
he got hurt, you know, I mean he was he
(15:45):
was on a defensive player of the Year potentially track
kind of season. But but look, I'm not worried about
Aiden in terms of man. He's attacking his rehab. He's
I mean, he's ahead of schedule as well. We all know.
And you know, he had serious injury at University of
Michigan as well that that knocked him out for a while,
and he came back an even better player, and you know,
(16:07):
we were actually talking about that, you know, in the
training room after his injury, and so you know, we're
on the same page, and I have no doubt that
he's gonna continue his ascent.
Speaker 8 (16:16):
We're already seeing the videos of him. We're seeing the
progress you know, what he's going to put into his reab.
You know, he may come back even tougher and even
stronger than he was before. So we're looking forward to
seeing him back on the field. But this is the
time of year where you get a chance to get
in front of these guys, yep, whether it's here, whether
it's during visits, whether it's.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
During workouts with them.
Speaker 8 (16:36):
When you're looking for a Lions type of guy, what
are you looking for?
Speaker 4 (16:41):
Can you see it here? Is it mostly on the tape?
Speaker 8 (16:43):
I mean, can you look into a guy's eyes and
see it? Because you have done a good job of
getting the guys that fit your culture in your BVID.
Speaker 15 (16:49):
Yeah, Well, first, I'll give a lot of credit to
our area scouts that have done a lot of research
already before we got to this point. So we already
kind of have an idea from an intangible background standpoint
of the guys that we think that we would like
to acquire, but yeah, to get them in this setting,
kind of get a feel of the person, their intelligence,
(17:10):
all that stuff, to see if it matches up or
if it doesn't match up. And so it's just it's
just you got to keep stacking. They're like bricks and
you got to keep stacking. And it's a little bit
like a puzzle too, and sometimes the pieces doesn't match
at some point and you either got to do more
work or you got to go to the next player.
But so give a lot of credit to our scouts
already for the work that they've done to get us
hit this point to identify some guys and then which
(17:32):
kind of see, we got to keep stacking the bricks.
Speaker 8 (17:34):
I gotta imagine your head coach is a big part
of that because he can sniff that out as well.
How much feedback does he give you throughout the process
that is invaluable to you.
Speaker 15 (17:42):
Me and Dan are in lockstep with this roster on
and you know, whether it's the free agency or draft.
I mean, just before Egan came out here, we're just
kind of going through guys that he looked at them independently.
I looked at him independently and we're just matching them
up to see who we liked. But it's it's the
same thing with the draft. And one thing that I
give like really special coaches that are like really good evaluators.
Speaker 17 (18:07):
You know.
Speaker 15 (18:08):
I always thought that that's a really like key critical
trait to have for a head coach. And Dan is
one of those guys that has has a true keen
eye for evaluation. But us being in alignment in terms
of our vision and what fits for a Lion has
helped tremendously.
Speaker 8 (18:25):
Well, this is the time to get it done, So
I'm not going to cut anymore into it. We appreciate
Brad Holmes stopping by it here, Tom and those draft
room reactions that you see when it all comes to fruition.
Just remember where it started. It started actual actually started
well before here, but it continues here at this scout
in combined Brad.
Speaker 9 (18:42):
It takes a lot, that's right.
Speaker 8 (18:45):
We anymore gifts, more draft room gifts or gifts if
you want to call them that from Brad Holmes this
year coming up Anthony Richardson the quarterback of the future
in India, maybe, but it's not.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
A clear path Omar Ruiz.
Speaker 9 (19:00):
Gonna join us.
Speaker 8 (19:01):
Coming up shortly here to discuss Richardson's future with the Calls.
Speaker 9 (19:05):
That's next thing.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
It'siders.
Speaker 10 (19:11):
You know, Stefan Diggs had a really good first half
of the season before he suffered an acl tair. He
is scheduled to become a free agent in a few weeks,
but Nick Cassario, the general manager of the Texan, said
the team is open to bringing him back. Tom Pellisero
talked to Casario about that and much more here at
the combine.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
Well, Nick, you've been to twenty out of these combines
so far, you got more data points than ever.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
There's more information.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
How has that evolution changed, if at all, the way
that you utilize this event.
Speaker 18 (19:43):
Yeah, there's more that's available, but you still have to
be discerning about how much information you actually utilize in
and really try to prioritize what's actually important. So don't
too much, don't put too much stock in one particular thing.
If there's something that's an outlier stands out, let's go
back and take a look at it. Also, they're trying
to create a profile of the player so that com
draft day you're making a sound decision based on accurate
(20:06):
information and accurate data.
Speaker 9 (20:07):
So the technologies continue to evolve.
Speaker 18 (20:09):
You got a lot of different touch points with the players,
but you also want to be smart about how you
aggregate all the information.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
Some big changes in this offseason for the Texans, namely
your offensive coordinator, but Nick Caley coming in. What do
you envision that doing for the team and specifically.
Speaker 15 (20:22):
For your quarterback TV straight out?
Speaker 18 (20:24):
Yeah, I mean the big thing is just we're going
to put the foundation in place philosophically Howard Nick wants
to deploy, you know, the offense and how we're going
to set it up. I think Nick has a lot
of experience in the multitude of systems, so I mean
offensive football usually a hybrid of a lot of different things.
Speaker 9 (20:38):
So it's what is the defense doing. What do we
got to do that week?
Speaker 18 (20:42):
Do we have enough in our toolbox, enough in our
arsenal to kind of counteract what the defense is doing.
Speaker 9 (20:46):
So Nick's earned this opportunity.
Speaker 18 (20:49):
He started, you know, when he entered the NFL, he
was actually coaching on defense in college and any kind
of transitioned Coach Balichik put him on the offensive side
of the ball. So sometimes when you have a different perspective,
it kind of helps you on that other side of
the ball, if you will so, but his experience.
Speaker 9 (21:04):
With coach McVeigh will probably go a long way, and.
Speaker 18 (21:06):
Then has a lot of experience in kind of the
new England system or structure that we utilize for a
number of years.
Speaker 9 (21:11):
So we'll kind of see how it all comes together.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
You usually make our job fun over these next several months.
You're good for like two or three trades. Last year,
the big swing was was Stefan Diggs coming in number one?
How is Diggs doing? Is an option to bring back
a number two? Do I need to wait for Casario
bombs again this offseason?
Speaker 18 (21:26):
Yeah? I'm not on Twitter, so whatever bombs go off,
I'm probably gonna miss him. But no, I mean STEP's rehabbing.
He was a good asset to our team, helped us
win some games. So we'll go through the process. Here
is the free agents. Contracts canna expire here and you
know a week or two if we can't get something
worked out, but kind.
Speaker 9 (21:40):
Of keep the dialogue moving, keep it open, but as far.
Speaker 18 (21:43):
As any bombs going off, and try to stay below
the radar here a little bit and just try to
make good decisions for our team.
Speaker 9 (21:47):
That's the most important thing.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
So I know you look at building in terms of
two year windows with your team, right, So with two
consecutive years making the playoffs, winning a playoff game, what
does that next two year window look like for the Texans.
Speaker 9 (21:59):
Yeah, I keep.
Speaker 18 (22:00):
Building a good team, trying to put ourselves in a
position to have an opportunity to compete with some of
the better teams in the league. So it's about consistency,
it's about execution. When you look at our season last year,
other than the Minnesota the Baltimore game, we had an
opportunity to really win each game.
Speaker 9 (22:14):
Some of them we did, some of them we lost.
Speaker 18 (22:16):
So we just want to make sure we're putting ourselves
in a position on a week to week basis to
have a chance to win in the fourth quarter.
Speaker 9 (22:21):
So if you continue to move in that direction, then
hopefully we'll be in a pretty good spot.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Last thing for you, you're a scout by trade.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
I also know you're a loyal viewer of the Insiders,
So I'm just curious to myself. You took the liberty
of making that Mike Carofolo Judy the station, Just what notes,
what scouting notes would you have to try to improve
the show.
Speaker 18 (22:40):
You guys are really good at what you do, so
you don't need any recommendation for me about TV. So
you don't need to change anything, so don't listen to
me for any advice. So no, you guys do a
great job, So just keep asking good questions and don't
ask some questions.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
I said you have to take a sh out of
the end, but you didn't take it. That's fine, keep it,
keep it your dare.
Speaker 15 (22:59):
Nick. Appreciate you man.
Speaker 9 (23:00):
Thanks Tom, I appreciate it.
Speaker 15 (23:04):
Ah.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Thanks Nick Casario. That was really nice.
Speaker 10 (23:07):
And now it's time for us the aces presented by
as Hardware, and I've got my aces here. Great to
see you guys, cam Wolf, Omar Ruiz, thanks for joining
us here. Omar, I'm going to start with you because
you spent some time with forty nine Ers general manager
John Lynch today. There's an awful lot going on out
there in San Francisco.
Speaker 9 (23:24):
Bring us up to date.
Speaker 19 (23:25):
Yeah, well, obviously, he said that they want to have
Brock Purdy there as quarterback of the forty nine ers
for not only the foreseeable future, but even beyond the
time that him and Kyle Shanahan are with the organization.
Obviously locking up rock Purdy is a priority for them.
He said they have started contract negotiations, doesn't necessarily have
(23:45):
a timetable. But how much do they believe in brock Purdy,
I asked John Lynch. Obviously, Purdy has only had two
full years as a starter as quarterback. And when I
asked him where he would like to see brock Purdy improve,
where can he grow at this point in his career,
and he said Brock would be the first to acknowledge
that he wants to improve in every area, but he
said he is like Michael Jordan in this regard and
(24:07):
that he will work on maniacally every different aspect of
his game at different points in his career, focused maybe
on one aspect of his game in the off season,
maybe a different part in the next offseason. So obviously
high praise for brock Pretty there. But Lynch also acknowledged
the ramifications that a brock pretty pay they would have
on the roster. And obviously we've seen Deebo Samuel request
(24:29):
a trade and John Lynch said that they will look
to honor that, and he said there is a possibility
that Deebo Samuel could be back but he did say
that they will look to honor that. What's the hardest
part about that, he was asked, and he said, the
love and the respect that they have for Deebo Samuel,
the shared experiences, the history, They've had so many.
Speaker 7 (24:49):
Great plays over the years.
Speaker 19 (24:51):
And he was also asked about Brandon Nayuk and maybe
the rumors that he could be traded, and Lynch saying that, yeah,
they'll listen to all calls that come their way. And
he also said in that same answer that they have
to get younger. They're one of the oldest rosters in
the NFL. They acknowledge that. So obviously, multiple different ways
the brock Pretty contract extension will affect their roster.
Speaker 10 (25:13):
Obviously, all right, cam a quarterback situation of a different
kind here in Indianapolis. Their general manager Chris Ballard made
some headlines yesterday when he said there is going to
be an open quarterback competition here. What do you know
about that?
Speaker 20 (25:25):
Yeah, Judy, the Colts have already started early conversations, I'm
told with veteran options and free agency to bring on
and compete with Anthony Richardson in that open competition. And
Chris Ballard said, but talking with Richardson and his team.
They are not surprised by it, nor are they bothered
by it. They've been motivated this offseason going into year
three to get after it. He's been working out since
(25:46):
January twentieth and Jacksonville with his quarterback coaches Will Hewlett,
Tom Gormiley and Chris Has the mechanics coach and one
thing to watch. He's also going to work out with
Josh Allen. I'm told this offseason Josh Allen went through
some mechanic changes earlier in his career that helped him
evolve into the MVP that we just saw. But I
want to dive into a little bit about the meetings
(26:06):
that the Colts had with Richardson and his agent Derek Jackson.
The big thing for them was health. You've got to
stay healthy. For Richardson, he started just fifteen games in
his two seasons, winning record, but has to stay healthy,
and so his team took accountability. Richardson took accountability, said
We've got to do everything to stay healthy. But also
in that meeting, the Colts said, we've got to do
better job supporting you, you know, from a coaching perspective,
(26:29):
from a roster perspective to have the guys around you
to help you succeed. And so the goal here ideally
is to have Richardson still be the starter of there,
but they will bring in somebody to compete with him
get to that next level. One thing I am told
Richardson is doing some VR training to get himself ready
for this season, and he's hoping to come back with
a different fire in twenty twenty five for this Colts team.
Speaker 10 (26:51):
Guys, thank you so much for joining me here.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
I'm not so all alone here all the way up
on this.
Speaker 7 (26:56):
We love being here.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
Jim all right.
Speaker 10 (26:58):
You know who could be a free eachent this year?
Khalil Mack. That's a guy that I would think some
teams would be quite interested in. Ian Rapperport caught up
with Chargers general manager Joe Ortiez to hear how the
Chargers feel about that possibility a.
Speaker 6 (27:13):
Big off season coming. I feel like they're all, yeah,
the big off season. We got a lot of free agents,
none bigger than Khalil Mack. Has been the face of
your defense for quite a while. You guys made it
work last year with a lot of really good but
also very expensive defensive players where do you guys stand
with we know he wants to play, Now, where do
you stand with getting Khalil Mack back as far as
(27:34):
your priorities go.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Yeah, it's up there, you know.
Speaker 21 (27:36):
And we want Khalil to play for us, you know,
And so him and I have had some conversations. We've
talked to those representation and pounding away at that and
just you know, hopefully we can get something done. And
but in terms of Khalil, I love them and I've
had an opportunity to be around a lot of great
players over my years, and uh, I tell the story
all the time, like he is what you want to
(27:56):
show young scouts, what are pro It's what a great
was all about. And he's just such a wonderful human being,
such a wonderful teammate, great family. Just absolutely love him
and would love to have him back.
Speaker 6 (28:08):
You guys have a bunch of free agents more than
twenty five I think.
Speaker 21 (28:11):
I think twenty six now it was twenty seven, now
twenty six.
Speaker 6 (28:16):
Right, you get the mold mold again was I don't
know how high profile that trade was when you did it,
but like a guy who is going to be with
your team for a while, that's solid.
Speaker 4 (28:26):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 21 (28:27):
It was very happy with the success we had we've
had with Elijah and fired up that we're going to
continue going forward.
Speaker 6 (28:33):
Last year, at this time, you guys had a lot
to manage, You got a lot to juggle. You had
a lot of contracts and a lot of big name players.
This year, still have some. You got Joey Bosa. Situation
is unsettled, you got JK.
Speaker 7 (28:43):
Dobbins. Where do you see yourself now compared to what
you inherited last year?
Speaker 21 (28:47):
You know, I certainly we were able to add some
depths through free agency last year, and a lot of
guys are up again this year, but we were able
to pick, you know, add some depth, and then the
drafts you know, really helped us fill things out. So
I think we're further ahead. We still have more, you know,
signings that we have to make, but looking forward to
continuing the process. You know, we're just building, building, building,
(29:08):
and it's a long term play, you know. I mean,
we're we want to be successful a year in, year out,
and that's approach we're taking.
Speaker 6 (29:15):
Gino Smith is in the news again for I'm not
really sure what, but another offseason of everyone asking the
Seahawks if he is in fact the starting quarterback despite
the fact that he's actually played really well. Gentlemenare John
Schneider said this week that they are scheduled to me
with Gino Smith's agents to talk about a potential contract extension.
Want him on last year, didn't get it, likely to
(29:36):
get it this year. Our good friend Mike garfol went
one on one with Seahawks coach Mike McDonald's to talk
about his love for Gino and a bunch of other things.
Speaker 8 (29:47):
Here with Seahawks coach Mike McDonald. Thank you for joining us.
Appreciate the time I was talking to John Schneider about this.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
A year ago.
Speaker 8 (29:53):
You hadn't yet coached your first game. You weren't even
expecting a child at that point. Now here you are,
one season in, you got yourself a baby a couple
of months old. What have you learned about both head
coaching and fatherhood in the last year.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
I have absolutely nothing figured out.
Speaker 22 (30:08):
So, like you said, it's because our new normal we're
living in and just it's a it's a you know,
you have times where you're actually away from your family
and now you realize, man, you know, I missed my
kid I missed my wife.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
So it's it's it's an awesome problem to have that.
You don't get a lot of sleep, and you know they're.
Speaker 22 (30:23):
Working through health things and things like that, but everybody's happy, healthy,
We're good to go.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Awesome, happy to hear that.
Speaker 8 (30:28):
As far as the coaching aspects of your first season,
what did you like? What was the biggest lesson you
took away from your one?
Speaker 6 (30:34):
Oh?
Speaker 22 (30:34):
Man, so many. I mean you're learning something every day.
You know, people, it's not a lie when you say
stuff comes across your desk. You're like, man, this stuff
actually happens every day. This is kind of crazy. But uh,
lean on the people that are in the building. A
lot of great experience and really, you know, so many
ideas when you come into the endo the job, but understanding, hey, look,
let's really double down on what we really want to
(30:55):
be about and those things will carry us through the
times when we need them.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
So looking forward building on that this year. So we're
in a good spot.
Speaker 8 (31:01):
You've got a new offensive coordinator in Clint Kobiak. What
was it about him? Because it was a thorough process
for you, what was it about him that stood out?
Speaker 22 (31:09):
Yeah, I thought it was important for us to really,
you know, have an understanding who was out there, who
was available. Clint was one of the earlier guys we
talked to, and man, he just left a really big
impression on me.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
Just his knowledge of the game.
Speaker 22 (31:19):
Obviously, have a relationship with his dad, and so much
respect for him and his family, but just going through
the process understanding where I felt like our team needed.
His expertise in the system, the staff that we could
possibly be bringing along with him, his relationship with the quarterback,
his ability to get the play you know, playmakers the
ball consistently.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
I thought all that stuff was really important. And he's
a heck of a guy too.
Speaker 22 (31:39):
We really think, really respect a lot of them, or
respect the heck out of him, and it's been fun
working with him so far.
Speaker 8 (31:44):
He had defenses heads spinning early last year before they
suffered their injuries, So I know you're looking for that
kind of explosiveness in your offense as well.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
I was also running the football.
Speaker 8 (31:53):
When I was talking to Schneider about he said, we
got to get back to running the football as part
of our identity.
Speaker 9 (31:57):
How important is that for you?
Speaker 22 (31:59):
Well, it's incredile, It'll be important, mean we want to
be a physical football team, and obviously, you know, if
you're able to run the ball, that's probably the private
driving force behind that. And you know we're gonna be
a wide zone team and have compliments off fit. So
that's that's who we're going to be, and we're gonna
get really good at it. We're gonna get a ton
of reps. The guys know that, and Clint sees it
the same way. So it's going to be a fun
process and.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
When it's humming, it's great for the quarterback.
Speaker 8 (32:19):
How do you think that'll play into what Gino does
and your overall thoughts of Geno being your starting quarterback
for your first time.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
Yeah, I'm really excited about Gino.
Speaker 22 (32:25):
I think all the things that Clint's able to do
with the progression reads and then a lot of the
action game and movements, keeping them, you know, different launch
points in the pocket, getting the ball out of his
hands on time and to our guys, and that's just
gonna be a lot of fun to work through it
and see how we build it and see where where
see where it goes.
Speaker 8 (32:39):
One of the other things John mentioned yesterday, we've got
to get our home field advantage back. And when I
think about the Seahawks, I think about the twelves, I
think about that environment, one of the best that you
can be in the league, unless you're the visiting team.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Of course, how do you do that? Well, it's a
good question. I think that's more than one thing. I
think a lot of it is of our process going.
Speaker 22 (32:56):
Into the games, some things that we can do throughout
the week to get prepared, especially on defense, operationally, making
sure our communication as well.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
And then a lot of it's how we start the game.
Speaker 22 (33:04):
If we can start the game faster, now we can
keep the fans in the game longer, earlier in the
game having to make a bigger impact.
Speaker 6 (33:12):
One of the players the Seahawks will have zero chance
at is abdual Carter, NFL Combine Draft analyst Abdul Carter,
who has gone into his bag and declared that prospect
Abdul Carter is the number one player in the draft.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
That is what he said.
Speaker 6 (33:28):
He has done all the homework, he has watched all
the film because he's literally the one who's on film.
So I guess we'll take his word for it. Actually
we won't. Let's talk to PFF lead NFL Draft Animals
analyst Trevor Sikoma, Trevor, what's going on?
Speaker 7 (33:41):
Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 9 (33:42):
I appreciate Ian love being here.
Speaker 7 (33:43):
All right, So let's.
Speaker 6 (33:44):
Ruin the surprise. Okay, who are the Titans taking number
one overall?
Speaker 12 (33:49):
Is it that guy?
Speaker 23 (33:49):
Well, if you follow along with the clues, their VP
of Football Ops said, we won't pass it on a
generational talent.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
Okay.
Speaker 23 (33:55):
Then Mike Organzi said, there are generational talents here in
this draft. That makes me feel like if you're looking
at a treasure map and you're following along all the
way to the end, the treasurer is going to be
Abdua Carter. This guy was an absolute stud this past season.
He had an incredibly high pass rush win rate despite
it being his first season as a full time edge
rusher and his last game in college football. He was
(34:16):
dominating with one arm, and that's obviously the reason why
he's not working out. He's still healing from that, still
getting good to go there. But this guy's an absolute monster,
and it's hard to pass up on a pass rusher.
Speaker 1 (34:26):
With this kind of potential.
Speaker 23 (34:28):
As he said himself, at number one overall, So I
feel like the longer this goes on, the more I
lean towards Abdual Carter being that number one overall pick.
Speaker 6 (34:36):
Well, if the Titans view him as a generational talent,
he's not the only generational talent. Talking to other teams
in the early part of the first round, Travis Hunter
has been to say the least a curiosity.
Speaker 7 (34:46):
Is he a receiver? What kind of the Browns think him?
Speaker 2 (34:49):
You think of him?
Speaker 7 (34:49):
Is he a corner? Where maybe the Titans think of him?
What does the future hold for Travis Hunter?
Speaker 23 (34:54):
So, if I was a general manager, I'd be drafting
him as a corner first and foremost because rarity and uniqueness.
That's what I keep going back to with Travis Hunter
when it comes to playing the cornerback position. All due
respect to what he is the wide receiver we're seeing
on the screen now, he was absolutely fantastic, But when
you look at what he could be as a corner,
He's got the length, he's got the movement, he's got
the foot quickness, the hip fluidity to be able to
play in press coverage. He's so great with his ball
(35:16):
skills when it comes to off coverage, and right there,
that's why I would keep as a corner.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
He's got the best ball skills in this class.
Speaker 23 (35:23):
I think he's got the best ball skills of any
corner I've watched, And he very well may have the
best ball skills of any corner that I watch.
Speaker 7 (35:29):
That's how good this guy is.
Speaker 23 (35:31):
And it's so hard for me to pass up on
a rare talent at that position with Travis Hunter.
Speaker 6 (35:36):
The do Engld Patriots needs some talent around. They're very
talented quarterback. Drake May also pick early on in the
first round.
Speaker 7 (35:43):
Number four. To be exact, what can the Patriots do
to help Drake Man?
Speaker 23 (35:47):
So make Mike Vrabel right, I mean, the guy who's
going to build through the trenches. So we assumed, okay,
it's probably gonna be a trench pick at number four.
Well a little bit of a leak course, So not
so fast, my friend, because when he was up at
the podium here in Indianapolis, he starts talking about in
praise an X type of a wide receiver, a guy
on the boundary who could be Drake May's best friend
that he could go to and throw to in any situation.
Sure sounds a lot like Arizona's tetro and McMillan. If
(36:09):
you asked me who I have as wide receiver won
in this draft ely. I mean, look, it is so
hard to watch his game and not think of guys
like Mike Evans, not think of guys like Drake London,
AJ Green, because he brings you that type of a
mentality of the contested catchability, whether it's the sideline over
the middle.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
It was unbelievable.
Speaker 23 (36:28):
And yeah, the separation scor is a little bit lower
for him, but I think that he's a fantastic wide here.
Of course, they could go offensive line as well, a
guy like Will Campbell potentially for them at number four. Overall,
this was the offensive line that gave up the most sacks,
the most pressures of any team last season, so.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Of course that could be on the board for them
as well.
Speaker 6 (36:44):
You wouldn't be surprised see the Patriots hit the offensive
lineman in free agency as well, of course for the draft.
Speaker 7 (36:49):
Trevor, thank you very much for hanging out with us.
Speaker 4 (36:52):
It's an honor to have this happen.
Speaker 7 (36:54):
Right now, we're trying to get following around by a
very expensive camera.
Speaker 24 (36:58):
A great boom mic catch the boom mic. My man
is holding it at a perfect angle here and the
fact that punters and kickers are getting an opportunity to
compete in front of the NFL folks on NFL Network.
Speaker 7 (37:10):
This is a beautiful thing for the brand.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Former NFL punter and current guy who's face you can't
avoid on TV, Pat McAfee was on hand for the
twenty twenty five NFL Specialist Showcase, which made its debut today.
At the Scouting Combine, some of the top kickers and
punters in the country put their skills on display for
NFL scouts and evaluators. The punters focused on distance, hang time,
and directional control, while kickers are tested on kickoffs, field goals,
(37:36):
and overall accuracy. The showcase had plenty of standout moments
and proved once again why specialists play a crucial role
in the game. Today, the NFL also hosted its ninth
annual NFL Women's Forum, presented by Amazon Web Services. The
program will connect forty women with leaders in professional football
to provide insight and networking opportunities for their careers in
(37:59):
scouting and analytics, coaching, and football operations.
Speaker 12 (38:04):
Jane and I, my wife, have twin girls. They're twenty three.
They went to Dartmouth. One of the young women I
met was in a sorority, was one of my daughters.
It was a crazy data and analytics person. She was
looking for a job. She ended up getting a job
with the Philadelphia Eels, and she's now going to get
a Super Bowl ring. That could be you.
Speaker 11 (38:25):
So when I started, I was the only woman that
looked like me, really, the only person that looked like me.
I was okay with stepping in, being uncomfortable, but also
being confident.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
Enough like, hey, I can do this.
Speaker 17 (38:37):
I just think of our entire strength staff and autumn
and everything that they do. I can't tell you how
many times I got the question, Sakwan Barkley had a
lot of carries, How's he going to do this all year? Well,
it's the way that the player takes care of their
body and we take care of the player, and that
is coming from autumn helping players always before practice.
Speaker 12 (38:59):
That's the point. This program is to give you that
opportunity to walk through the door and make the NFL better.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
No offense to the kickers and punters, but the combine
really kicks into gear on Thursday. So let's you visit
one of let's call it the memorable workouts in recent
Combine history. Right after this, on the Insiders at the Combine.
Speaker 14 (39:26):
Here's Patrick Mahomes, the second and intriguing lighted up quarterback
to Texas Tech.
Speaker 9 (39:31):
His tape is just crazy.
Speaker 25 (39:33):
He's the biggest gun slinger I've seen in years coming
out of college football.
Speaker 9 (39:37):
It's got a great natural throw.
Speaker 7 (39:39):
That ball just comes out after.
Speaker 25 (39:40):
Less Drafted in twenty fourteen by the Tigers. I like
athletic guys, I like multi sport guys, especially at the
quarterback position.
Speaker 7 (39:48):
You can watch this kid throw three passes and know
that he's just a natural thrower.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
It was a beginning of something special back in twenty seventeen,
also the sight of something the NFL Network has used
many times to compare various players to maybe the best
player in the game, Patrick Mahomes recently begging on social
media as the Combine starts this week. All I ask
is the NFL network stop using me as an overlay.
I didn't know when I started to read that tweet
(40:16):
that we were gonna.
Speaker 15 (40:16):
Do it to you again.
Speaker 1 (40:17):
I apologize Pat crushing him in front of the group
right there. I feel like, okay for Pat, But.
Speaker 8 (40:27):
Yeah, with a high sprain anchor or high ankle sprain.
He's pulling away from dudes in the Super Bowl two
years ago. Put you in like the Jared Lorenzen group.
Speaker 6 (40:36):
What I don't understand, like is this is the same
Mahomes that really does like sometimes run away from people
and is pretty elusive. But there it looks like he's
carrying like Trey Smith on his back or something, you know,
Like I don't I don't understand why he like it's
like everyone else accelerates and he's like, well, I'm gonna
be back here.
Speaker 8 (40:51):
There was supposed to be an Insider's overlay, and you
guys chickened out and you didn't do it, and we
didn't do it this year?
Speaker 1 (40:56):
Fake, Will you commit to doing it?
Speaker 9 (40:58):
Will you commit to doing it in twenty twenty six, Judy,
you in no, I.
Speaker 1 (41:02):
Am running tends to be intact.
Speaker 7 (41:05):
I'm the only one wearing sneakers.
Speaker 26 (41:06):
I won an insider over You have a year to
train for your forty We are doing it to run
the analytics on our forty yard dashes, just like she
ran the forty yards just now.
Speaker 1 (41:17):
Today, moments ago on that stadium. In fact, we've got
the footage. There she goes with me cheering running a
four to two.
Speaker 8 (41:24):
Oh best thing, Xavier Worthy themes were a bad choice.
Speaker 7 (41:28):
Looks like she's jogging. Is that is that real speed?
Speaker 1 (41:31):
I slowed it down so well, I slowed it down.
Speaker 7 (41:34):
I'm just saying, no offense. She's yeah, does a great
job of them.
Speaker 2 (41:37):
Just put carriots a fire to that and get the
effect of the slow motion.
Speaker 15 (41:40):
That's what that was.
Speaker 4 (41:40):
I slowed her down.
Speaker 9 (41:41):
She was she was falling.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
I don't think the attire was helping a whole lot
right there, there's a lot of a lot of wind resistance. Judy,
you guys are just terrible, so slow here.
Speaker 10 (41:52):
I can't wait to see you run one year down
one year unfortunately, see that.
Speaker 7 (41:56):
Unfortunately, this is the year. We are not going to
see me run a forty.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Bring up next years your time. NFL Network exclusive coverage
the Insiders. We're back on Monday, a lot of news.
We'll see you there.
Speaker 21 (42:08):
H
Rock Perty is headed for a big payday in San Francisco,
while Matthew Stafford is still wondering where exactly he's going
to get his The state of the NFC West is
at stake. We've got the latest on both those contract situations.
Abdul Carter says he is the number one player in
the country and therefore he should go number one overall.
(00:25):
But can he hold off Travis Hunter, the quarterbacks and
others through the pre draft process. Hear more from what
Carter had to say. Also going to hear from Mike McDonald,
the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, the only ten
win team to miss the playoffs in recent years. How
do they get over the rest of that hump? Matthew
(00:46):
Stafford leaving would certainly help, but there's a lot more
to it. Welcome inside with the insiders at the combine
alongside Judy Matista, Mike Garriffullo and Ian Rappaport and Tom
Pelicero right down there on the field. Earlier today we
had the Kicking and Punting Expedition. Watched what was actually
(01:09):
called one called the expedition had a name name. Anyway,
there's kickers and punters that were doing stuff. How do
they tomorrow? We'll find out later in the show. Pat
mcavee is going to make an appearance here to help
us break all that down. We el Scott brad Holmes,
the Lions DM on the show tonight in the Casario
the Texans GM Chargers DM Joe Ortiz. There is a
ton to get to, but let's start out with one
(01:33):
of the top quarterbacks in the NFL who wants to
be paid like one. That is Rams quarterback still Matthew Stafford,
who has had permission in recent weeks to speak with
other teams through his agent about potentially signing a contract
elsewhere and what that would look like. That of course
had a twofold impact for the Rams try out, with
(01:55):
the fact that it allows them to figure out what
a contract with them should look like if Stafford stays
in LA. Sean McVay said on it podcast that is
the goal. He wants to keep this g as he
calls him in LA, but also said there's other things
involved here, including the compensation they could get in a
trade and the money involved. There was also an overstated
(02:16):
Internet rumor earlier today that Matthew Stafford had moved in
with Tom Brady for a while, and he's getting the
over three pitch. They were skiing, they were doing bro stuff.
He was staying in his house. I talked to Brady's
longtime agent Don Yee, who told me, I know that
reporters sometimes make mistakes in their haste, but this story's inaccurate.
The only thing I would say is inaccurate in that
(02:39):
in that statement he was using the word reporters.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Don Yee said that to you. They say it to
your face.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Don Yee told me that to your face on the phone.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
On the phone, Okay, he.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Was a little bit further away.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Brock Birdy, of course, is entering year four. He's now
eligible for a contract extension. That is the commitment for
the forty nine ers. John Lynch affirmed that today, said
that negotiations are underway. This may take some time, but
according to Lynch, they know what they want the outcome
to be.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
We have started negotiations. We're talking.
Speaker 5 (03:11):
I won't go into negotiations like always is our stance.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
Want brought to be our quarterback as.
Speaker 5 (03:17):
Long as we're here and and beyond and and we'll
leave it at that. I think the final thing there's
no guarantees that we get something done, but my experience
has been when both sides are motivated, there's ample opportunity
to do so, and we've we've been able to do that.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
So we're on good terms with Deebo.
Speaker 5 (03:36):
I think, you know, he's asked for a for a
fresh start, and you know, I think we're going to
honor that. Don't like seeing great players, and he is
a great player.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
He's, you know, I.
Speaker 5 (03:46):
Think often one of my favorite draft picks in my
time's guy's just a he makes plays, and he makes
game changing plays, and you know, everything's good, you know,
but I think at some point time, time happens.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
There's also questions living around the future of Derek Carr
in New Orleans, with a new staff there, including Kellen Moore. Well,
Carr and Moore have been having talks already about the future. GM.
Mickey Loomis said today the team plans to stick with
Derek Carr, saying he's excited for Carr to return. More
on that from Garafollo in a second. The Packers maybe
not as excited about JayR Alexander's future. Following a very
(04:26):
frustrating season for everybody involved in twenty twenty four. As
Ian reported earlier today the Packers have engaged in trade
talks with JayR Alexander. My understanding is Brian Goodakun spoke
with Jayra directly about that, said that they are going
to explore things. He's got two years and thirty seven
million dollars left on his contract here for a guy
who has been one of the top paid defensive backs
(04:49):
in recent years. We'll see what direction that ends up going.
A lot of going on here obviously at the combine. Ian,
tell me what was the most interesting thing that happened
to you or that you heard today.
Speaker 6 (04:58):
Well, let's talk about the Matthew Stafford situation. Obviously some
of the focuses on You mentioned the Tom Brady interaction,
and yes, Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford did bumped into
each other at Yellowstone in Montana, apparently skied together.
Speaker 7 (05:13):
That seemed to be the end of it.
Speaker 6 (05:14):
But we have known that the Las Vegas Raiders and
the New York Giants have had interest in Matthew Stafford
for some time. And considering the fact that his Asian
Jimmy Sexon does in fact have permission to engage with
these teams, and just see what his value might be
if there was in fact that trade. Not allowed to
negotiate trade compensation, but is allowed to discuss salary. So yeah,
(05:35):
these are two teams that do need a quarterback and
that are interested. And actually, the Las Vegas Raiders do
make a ton of sense for Matthew Stafford if, for instance,
he wanted to still live in Malibu. It's a forty
minute flight from California to Las Vegas. It's a team
where you could drop a quarterback in and conceivably begin
the process of winning, which obviously is something that want.
(05:56):
We know that Brady has been aggressive and the Raiders
have been aggresive in trying to land a starting quarterback.
Speaker 7 (06:01):
This makes sense. However, the Rams duel the cards. They
can trade him or.
Speaker 6 (06:07):
Not, they can decide whether they want to pay Stafford
or not.
Speaker 7 (06:10):
So this is not done yet with Matthew Stafford in
the RAM.
Speaker 8 (06:13):
Meanwhile, we've been talking about who holds the cards in
the Derek Carr Saints situation right now, and I've made
the point that really both sides do. But Mickey Loomis today,
the general manager of the Saints, speaking with reporters, indicated
that the team will stick with Derek Carr, saying quote,
we feel unfortunate to have Derek here, the experience he has,
he's a big time quarterback in this league. I'm sorry
(06:34):
that was Kellen Morris quote, but Mickey Loomis also expressing
the quote, I think we've got a guy.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
We can win with.
Speaker 8 (06:41):
But Loomis also did acknowledge that there's financial concerns here
because the Saints are so far over the cap, and
there could be a cash concern as well. Derek Carr
is due to make forty million dollars per season. If
the Saints want to do a simple restructure and convert
that into a signing bonus to spread the cap pit
going forward, but pay him the forty million, the Saints
can make that decision. That's written into the contract at
(07:01):
standard language in contracts, we see it all the time.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
But if there's going to be some kind.
Speaker 8 (07:05):
Of discussion about a restructure or a pay cut where
it changes how much Derek car is going to make
this season or moving forward, well then Car is going
to have a say in that regard, and I would
expect that he is going to resist that.
Speaker 9 (07:16):
So, yes, Loomis has made.
Speaker 8 (07:18):
It clear because we said Kellen Moore, maybe there was
a little bit of wiggle room. Now at least we
know that the Saints won him back, but until the
financial part has figured out, we don't know for sure
that that's going to happen. So we'll continue to keep
watching this. But clearly Mickey Loomis likes Derek Carr's quarterback.
Speaker 10 (07:32):
Okay, And once the games actually start, some potential changes
on the horizon. First, let's start with overtime. The NFL
could be changing overtime in the regular season again. We
could be going to the rules we have in postseason overtime,
which means both teams get to touch the ball and
they keep playing sudden death no matter what happens after
(07:53):
the first team gets the ball, no matter what they
do field goal or touchdown, the second team would still
get to possess the ball at least once, and they
could play all the way to fifteen minutes. That is,
that would be a significant change that also has to
be voted on by owners, presumably at the March annual meeting.
And now this change is definitely going to happen. The
(08:15):
NFL is going to use virtual measurement to determine first downs.
The technology is finally in place in every stadium.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
The chain crew is still.
Speaker 11 (08:24):
Going to be there.
Speaker 10 (08:25):
They will be No, we're not getting rid of them,
They will just be there as a backup, and an
official still has to physically spot the ball himself. But
then that hawkeye technology, the kind of thing they use
in tennis to determine line calls, that is going to
be used to determine if first downs have been gained.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
That is a significant change.
Speaker 12 (08:44):
For the NFL.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
You love working through what that's going to look like
on the front end. The back end is all the
cameras around to be able to spot the football. The
front end is what do you see on TV? What
do you show in the stadium, Because it's no longer
going to be two guys look like they're too old
to be the field ten running out there with the
chain when they're maybe unofficial without an index card, yes,
or the minor league baseball that's now going over to
major league baseball. It sounds like it will look something
(09:07):
like that, but they're still working through exactly what it's
going to be. There's also been a lot of discussion
about expanded replay assists, the booth becoming involved in addressing
more penalties on the field. Back in the fall or
in December actually, at the league meeting, Troy Vincent had
said there was an openness not just to expanding it
to even subjective types of calls, but having the Booth
(09:29):
or New York be able to put down a flag
on plays like this involving Sam Darnold. However, what we
were told today is that there is zero interest from
the other members of the Competition Committee, not the league,
which sounds like they would like to expand to things
like this. Zero interests and it's a non starter to
have New York be able to put flags down onto
(09:50):
the field. That means, while they'll still be able to
clean up certain types of fouls, including face mass, it
will be the ones that are thrown that they can
pick up if no flag is throwing, that even when
Sam Darnold gets his head ripped off right there, there
would still not be a foul. It's a process, it's incremental.
It continues to move forward here, the NFL draft process
(10:11):
moving forward here in Indianapolis, where the quarterbacks are on
the scene. That includes Shador Sanders and Cam Ward. They're buddies.
They work out together but they're in competition to be
the top quarterback off the board. How's all this gonna
shake out? Beginning this week at Indianapolis. Here's Rich Eyes
into Daniel Jeremiah.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Fella Scouting Combine on NFL Network twenty two. If you're
scoring at home, Rich eyesing along with Daniel Jeremiah getting
set for four days of on field drills here in
the home of the Indianapolis Colts. Get to see you, sir,
You buddy, what are you looking forward to seeing the most, sir?
Speaker 13 (10:43):
Well, there's a lot of depth in this draft. I've
labeled it as a starter draft when you look at
what you can find, guys that you can plug and play,
and they're exciting and there's some great conversations to be
had on these players. Rich Some years, you're talking about
will a player play outside at corner while we play
inside and maybe he's a guard, maybe he's a tackle.
This year, with Travis Hunter, we don't even know which
(11:04):
side of the ball we want him to play on
and if he should be a full time player on
both sides of the ball like he was at Colorado.
Speaker 7 (11:10):
One of the more.
Speaker 13 (11:11):
Dynamic players we've seen enter the NFL in the last
several years, and to me, one of the more fascinating
conversations that we're going to have this.
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Week, Heisman Trophy winner will be in the house. Just
they will not be any on field drills expected from
Travis Hunter. Same thing with the Shador Sanders, the quarterback
of Colorado Day one players that we're going to be
seeing out there on Thursday. It's the front seven to
start things off. You're looking forward to seeing here, Well,
we're going.
Speaker 4 (11:38):
To see a lot of defensive linemen.
Speaker 13 (11:39):
It's an impressive group of defensive tackles and edge rushers,
but it's a linebacker who I think could steal the show.
And that's Jehad Campbell from Alabama, someone who played off
the ball but was an on the ball pass rusher
coming out of high school. But due to the talent
at Alabama, hey, let's just get him on the field.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
Let's play him off the ball.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
This last year you got to.
Speaker 13 (11:56):
See him rushing a little off the edge, but primarily
run in chase from that second level. And he is
dynamic and it's always fun to watch these types of
athletes in this setting.
Speaker 4 (12:06):
Rich I think he's going to absolutely put on a show.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Forty yard dashes and on field drills again for defensive
linemen in front seven, Abdul Carter enters this combine your
top fifty, would you put him there?
Speaker 13 (12:18):
He's at a premier position as an edge rusher. To me,
he is the best football player in this year's draft.
And the Tennessee Titans will the or won't they something I'm.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Sure we're going to get into, no doubt, certainly when
the quarterbacks are out there on the field, but that's Saturday.
We've got the defense first up, the front seven on
Thursday at three Eastern time, then the defensive backs Friday
at three Eastern time. The defense will rest and then
the offense will get out there for the rest of
the NFL Scouting Combine twenty twenty five exclusively on NFL
(12:47):
Network and NFL Plus.
Speaker 14 (12:49):
Be there.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
We will be.
Speaker 15 (12:51):
It'll be fun.
Speaker 8 (12:52):
Welcome back to the insiders here at the scouting combine.
Lions gentle manager Brad Holmes joining us here. Appreciate the time,
Appreciate you being with us. You look at your team,
you look at the changes in the offseason. You've got
a lot of stability on the roster. That's what the
general manager does you got changes at the coordinator position, sure,
but guys that you're familiar with, Yo, how do you
make sure that they keep the continuity of what you've
(13:13):
had on both sides of the ball that's been so successful.
Speaker 15 (13:15):
Yeah. I really thought that Dan did an excellent job
and replenishing. You know, two great coordinators that left that
were great coaches that I know are going to be successful.
But to get a Kelvin Shephard that has been with
us since day one and basically has been let's call
it groomed from day one to be that next guy,
and you know he's ready for sure. He's been right
(13:38):
under AG's wing this whole time. Ag and Dan as well,
so just to be in a position to do that.
And then John Morton, you know that when he was
with us, that was the time where we basically built
that offensive system. So he already has a continuity. He
already knows that it all starts with Jared and the
quarterback and they have a relationship previously already. So I
(14:01):
don't I don't. I don't see us missing a beat.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
There and both sides of the ball.
Speaker 8 (14:04):
I talked about the roster stability they've got that talent
there on both sides. You've built this team in the
image that you wanted this team to be in. Uh,
you've got a lot of guys now that you're going
to have to start to turn around and reward for
their Look at you shaking your head right now. I mean,
these are good problems.
Speaker 15 (14:21):
It's good problems to have. But it does you look
you turn around, you look back, and it's like, man,
there's a bill to pay now. Like it's like because
you know, in the moment, it's like, oh, we.
Speaker 16 (14:30):
Got Penny Sue, and then you got two ones, and
then you got two ones again, and you had two
two's that basically had greatest two ones and then and
it's like, wait, hold on that, that's that's seven first
round picks that well seven we all like around, Yeah,
seven graded first round picks that we all like.
Speaker 15 (14:46):
And it's like a lot to keep those guys around.
But then you have those carby Joseph in the third round.
You have the momra Saint Brown in the flour and
it starts to add up. It does, and so you
know it just changed. Is it changes some of the
decisions that you know that you would like to do
in free agency, and you know we've already started that
(15:07):
work in that preparation to make those necessary adjustments.
Speaker 8 (15:12):
But yeah, we gotta do what we gotta do and
build your depth. I mean, look, you go down, you
losing Aiden Hutchinson. When he goes down, you can't replace that.
I mean, how much did that hurt last year? Other
guys just seeing a guy that they respect so much going.
Speaker 15 (15:24):
Yeah, it look as a GM. You know, you know
that attrition's coming, you know that the injuries are coming,
and that's why you you know, you know, you really
just kind of hammer out deaf death death, But you know,
you just hate it for the players, you know, like Aiden.
I mean, I don't think anybody would argue that before
he got hurt, you know, I mean he was he
(15:45):
was on a defensive player of the Year potentially track
kind of season. But but look, I'm not worried about
Aiden in terms of man. He's attacking his rehab. He's
I mean, he's ahead of schedule as well. We all know.
And you know, he had serious injury at University of
Michigan as well that that knocked him out for a while,
and he came back an even better player, and you know,
(16:07):
we were actually talking about that, you know, in the
training room after his injury, and so you know, we're
on the same page, and I have no doubt that
he's gonna continue his ascent.
Speaker 8 (16:16):
We're already seeing the videos of him. We're seeing the
progress you know, what he's going to put into his reab.
You know, he may come back even tougher and even
stronger than he was before. So we're looking forward to
seeing him back on the field. But this is the
time of year where you get a chance to get
in front of these guys, yep, whether it's here, whether
it's during visits, whether it's.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
During workouts with them.
Speaker 8 (16:36):
When you're looking for a Lions type of guy, what
are you looking for?
Speaker 4 (16:41):
Can you see it here? Is it mostly on the tape?
Speaker 8 (16:43):
I mean, can you look into a guy's eyes and
see it? Because you have done a good job of
getting the guys that fit your culture in your BVID.
Speaker 15 (16:49):
Yeah, Well, first, I'll give a lot of credit to
our area scouts that have done a lot of research
already before we got to this point. So we already
kind of have an idea from an intangible background standpoint
of the guys that we think that we would like
to acquire, but yeah, to get them in this setting,
kind of get a feel of the person, their intelligence,
(17:10):
all that stuff, to see if it matches up or
if it doesn't match up. And so it's just it's
just you got to keep stacking. They're like bricks and
you got to keep stacking. And it's a little bit
like a puzzle too, and sometimes the pieces doesn't match
at some point and you either got to do more
work or you got to go to the next player.
But so give a lot of credit to our scouts
already for the work that they've done to get us
hit this point to identify some guys and then which
(17:32):
kind of see, we got to keep stacking the bricks.
Speaker 8 (17:34):
I gotta imagine your head coach is a big part
of that because he can sniff that out as well.
How much feedback does he give you throughout the process
that is invaluable to you.
Speaker 15 (17:42):
Me and Dan are in lockstep with this roster on
and you know, whether it's the free agency or draft.
I mean, just before Egan came out here, we're just
kind of going through guys that he looked at them independently.
I looked at him independently and we're just matching them
up to see who we liked. But it's it's the
same thing with the draft. And one thing that I
give like really special coaches that are like really good evaluators.
Speaker 17 (18:07):
You know.
Speaker 15 (18:08):
I always thought that that's a really like key critical
trait to have for a head coach. And Dan is
one of those guys that has has a true keen
eye for evaluation. But us being in alignment in terms
of our vision and what fits for a Lion has
helped tremendously.
Speaker 8 (18:25):
Well, this is the time to get it done, So
I'm not going to cut anymore into it. We appreciate
Brad Holmes stopping by it here, Tom and those draft
room reactions that you see when it all comes to fruition.
Just remember where it started. It started actual actually started
well before here, but it continues here at this scout
in combined Brad.
Speaker 9 (18:42):
It takes a lot, that's right.
Speaker 8 (18:45):
We anymore gifts, more draft room gifts or gifts if
you want to call them that from Brad Holmes this
year coming up Anthony Richardson the quarterback of the future
in India, maybe, but it's not.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
A clear path Omar Ruiz.
Speaker 9 (19:00):
Gonna join us.
Speaker 8 (19:01):
Coming up shortly here to discuss Richardson's future with the Calls.
Speaker 9 (19:05):
That's next thing.
Speaker 4 (19:06):
It'siders.
Speaker 10 (19:11):
You know, Stefan Diggs had a really good first half
of the season before he suffered an acl tair. He
is scheduled to become a free agent in a few weeks,
but Nick Cassario, the general manager of the Texan, said
the team is open to bringing him back. Tom Pellisero
talked to Casario about that and much more here at
the combine.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
Well, Nick, you've been to twenty out of these combines
so far, you got more data points than ever.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
There's more information.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
How has that evolution changed, if at all, the way
that you utilize this event.
Speaker 18 (19:43):
Yeah, there's more that's available, but you still have to
be discerning about how much information you actually utilize in
and really try to prioritize what's actually important. So don't
too much, don't put too much stock in one particular thing.
If there's something that's an outlier stands out, let's go
back and take a look at it. Also, they're trying
to create a profile of the player so that com
draft day you're making a sound decision based on accurate
(20:06):
information and accurate data.
Speaker 9 (20:07):
So the technologies continue to evolve.
Speaker 18 (20:09):
You got a lot of different touch points with the players,
but you also want to be smart about how you
aggregate all the information.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
Some big changes in this offseason for the Texans, namely
your offensive coordinator, but Nick Caley coming in. What do
you envision that doing for the team and specifically.
Speaker 15 (20:22):
For your quarterback TV straight out?
Speaker 18 (20:24):
Yeah, I mean the big thing is just we're going
to put the foundation in place philosophically Howard Nick wants
to deploy, you know, the offense and how we're going
to set it up. I think Nick has a lot
of experience in the multitude of systems, so I mean
offensive football usually a hybrid of a lot of different things.
Speaker 9 (20:38):
So it's what is the defense doing. What do we
got to do that week?
Speaker 18 (20:42):
Do we have enough in our toolbox, enough in our
arsenal to kind of counteract what the defense is doing.
Speaker 9 (20:46):
So Nick's earned this opportunity.
Speaker 18 (20:49):
He started, you know, when he entered the NFL, he
was actually coaching on defense in college and any kind
of transitioned Coach Balichik put him on the offensive side
of the ball. So sometimes when you have a different perspective,
it kind of helps you on that other side of
the ball, if you will so, but his experience.
Speaker 9 (21:04):
With coach McVeigh will probably go a long way, and.
Speaker 18 (21:06):
Then has a lot of experience in kind of the
new England system or structure that we utilize for a
number of years.
Speaker 9 (21:11):
So we'll kind of see how it all comes together.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
You usually make our job fun over these next several months.
You're good for like two or three trades. Last year,
the big swing was was Stefan Diggs coming in number one?
How is Diggs doing? Is an option to bring back
a number two? Do I need to wait for Casario
bombs again this offseason?
Speaker 18 (21:26):
Yeah? I'm not on Twitter, so whatever bombs go off,
I'm probably gonna miss him. But no, I mean STEP's rehabbing.
He was a good asset to our team, helped us
win some games. So we'll go through the process. Here
is the free agents. Contracts canna expire here and you
know a week or two if we can't get something
worked out, but kind.
Speaker 9 (21:40):
Of keep the dialogue moving, keep it open, but as far.
Speaker 18 (21:43):
As any bombs going off, and try to stay below
the radar here a little bit and just try to
make good decisions for our team.
Speaker 9 (21:47):
That's the most important thing.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
So I know you look at building in terms of
two year windows with your team, right, So with two
consecutive years making the playoffs, winning a playoff game, what
does that next two year window look like for the Texans.
Speaker 9 (21:59):
Yeah, I keep.
Speaker 18 (22:00):
Building a good team, trying to put ourselves in a
position to have an opportunity to compete with some of
the better teams in the league. So it's about consistency,
it's about execution. When you look at our season last year,
other than the Minnesota the Baltimore game, we had an
opportunity to really win each game.
Speaker 9 (22:14):
Some of them we did, some of them we lost.
Speaker 18 (22:16):
So we just want to make sure we're putting ourselves
in a position on a week to week basis to
have a chance to win in the fourth quarter.
Speaker 9 (22:21):
So if you continue to move in that direction, then
hopefully we'll be in a pretty good spot.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Last thing for you, you're a scout by trade.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
I also know you're a loyal viewer of the Insiders,
So I'm just curious to myself. You took the liberty
of making that Mike Carofolo Judy the station, Just what notes,
what scouting notes would you have to try to improve
the show.
Speaker 18 (22:40):
You guys are really good at what you do, so
you don't need any recommendation for me about TV. So
you don't need to change anything, so don't listen to
me for any advice. So no, you guys do a
great job, So just keep asking good questions and don't
ask some questions.
Speaker 1 (22:53):
I said you have to take a sh out of
the end, but you didn't take it. That's fine, keep it,
keep it your dare.
Speaker 15 (22:59):
Nick. Appreciate you man.
Speaker 9 (23:00):
Thanks Tom, I appreciate it.
Speaker 15 (23:04):
Ah.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
Thanks Nick Casario. That was really nice.
Speaker 10 (23:07):
And now it's time for us the aces presented by
as Hardware, and I've got my aces here. Great to
see you guys, cam Wolf, Omar Ruiz, thanks for joining
us here. Omar, I'm going to start with you because
you spent some time with forty nine Ers general manager
John Lynch today. There's an awful lot going on out
there in San Francisco.
Speaker 9 (23:24):
Bring us up to date.
Speaker 19 (23:25):
Yeah, well, obviously, he said that they want to have
Brock Purdy there as quarterback of the forty nine ers
for not only the foreseeable future, but even beyond the
time that him and Kyle Shanahan are with the organization.
Obviously locking up rock Purdy is a priority for them.
He said they have started contract negotiations, doesn't necessarily have
(23:45):
a timetable. But how much do they believe in brock Purdy,
I asked John Lynch. Obviously, Purdy has only had two
full years as a starter as quarterback. And when I
asked him where he would like to see brock Purdy improve,
where can he grow at this point in his career,
and he said Brock would be the first to acknowledge
that he wants to improve in every area, but he
said he is like Michael Jordan in this regard and
(24:07):
that he will work on maniacally every different aspect of
his game at different points in his career, focused maybe
on one aspect of his game in the off season,
maybe a different part in the next offseason. So obviously
high praise for brock Pretty there. But Lynch also acknowledged
the ramifications that a brock pretty pay they would have
on the roster. And obviously we've seen Deebo Samuel request
(24:29):
a trade and John Lynch said that they will look
to honor that, and he said there is a possibility
that Deebo Samuel could be back but he did say
that they will look to honor that. What's the hardest
part about that, he was asked, and he said, the
love and the respect that they have for Deebo Samuel,
the shared experiences, the history, They've had so many.
Speaker 7 (24:49):
Great plays over the years.
Speaker 19 (24:51):
And he was also asked about Brandon Nayuk and maybe
the rumors that he could be traded, and Lynch saying that, yeah,
they'll listen to all calls that come their way. And
he also said in that same answer that they have
to get younger. They're one of the oldest rosters in
the NFL. They acknowledge that. So obviously, multiple different ways
the brock Pretty contract extension will affect their roster.
Speaker 10 (25:13):
Obviously, all right, cam a quarterback situation of a different
kind here in Indianapolis. Their general manager Chris Ballard made
some headlines yesterday when he said there is going to
be an open quarterback competition here. What do you know
about that?
Speaker 20 (25:25):
Yeah, Judy, the Colts have already started early conversations, I'm
told with veteran options and free agency to bring on
and compete with Anthony Richardson in that open competition. And
Chris Ballard said, but talking with Richardson and his team.
They are not surprised by it, nor are they bothered
by it. They've been motivated this offseason going into year
three to get after it. He's been working out since
(25:46):
January twentieth and Jacksonville with his quarterback coaches Will Hewlett,
Tom Gormiley and Chris Has the mechanics coach and one
thing to watch. He's also going to work out with
Josh Allen. I'm told this offseason Josh Allen went through
some mechanic changes earlier in his career that helped him
evolve into the MVP that we just saw. But I
want to dive into a little bit about the meetings
(26:06):
that the Colts had with Richardson and his agent Derek Jackson.
The big thing for them was health. You've got to
stay healthy. For Richardson, he started just fifteen games in
his two seasons, winning record, but has to stay healthy,
and so his team took accountability. Richardson took accountability, said
We've got to do everything to stay healthy. But also
in that meeting, the Colts said, we've got to do
better job supporting you, you know, from a coaching perspective,
(26:29):
from a roster perspective to have the guys around you
to help you succeed. And so the goal here ideally
is to have Richardson still be the starter of there,
but they will bring in somebody to compete with him
get to that next level. One thing I am told
Richardson is doing some VR training to get himself ready
for this season, and he's hoping to come back with
a different fire in twenty twenty five for this Colts team.
Speaker 10 (26:51):
Guys, thank you so much for joining me here.
Speaker 1 (26:53):
I'm not so all alone here all the way up
on this.
Speaker 7 (26:56):
We love being here.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
Jim all right.
Speaker 10 (26:58):
You know who could be a free eachent this year?
Khalil Mack. That's a guy that I would think some
teams would be quite interested in. Ian Rapperport caught up
with Chargers general manager Joe Ortiez to hear how the
Chargers feel about that possibility a.
Speaker 6 (27:13):
Big off season coming. I feel like they're all, yeah,
the big off season. We got a lot of free agents,
none bigger than Khalil Mack. Has been the face of
your defense for quite a while. You guys made it
work last year with a lot of really good but
also very expensive defensive players where do you guys stand
with we know he wants to play, Now, where do
you stand with getting Khalil Mack back as far as
(27:34):
your priorities go.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
Yeah, it's up there, you know.
Speaker 21 (27:36):
And we want Khalil to play for us, you know,
And so him and I have had some conversations. We've
talked to those representation and pounding away at that and
just you know, hopefully we can get something done. And
but in terms of Khalil, I love them and I've
had an opportunity to be around a lot of great
players over my years, and uh, I tell the story
all the time, like he is what you want to
(27:56):
show young scouts, what are pro It's what a great
was all about. And he's just such a wonderful human being,
such a wonderful teammate, great family. Just absolutely love him
and would love to have him back.
Speaker 6 (28:08):
You guys have a bunch of free agents more than
twenty five I think.
Speaker 21 (28:11):
I think twenty six now it was twenty seven, now
twenty six.
Speaker 6 (28:16):
Right, you get the mold mold again was I don't
know how high profile that trade was when you did it,
but like a guy who is going to be with
your team for a while, that's solid.
Speaker 4 (28:26):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 21 (28:27):
It was very happy with the success we had we've
had with Elijah and fired up that we're going to
continue going forward.
Speaker 6 (28:33):
Last year, at this time, you guys had a lot
to manage, You got a lot to juggle. You had
a lot of contracts and a lot of big name players.
This year, still have some. You got Joey Bosa. Situation
is unsettled, you got JK.
Speaker 7 (28:43):
Dobbins. Where do you see yourself now compared to what
you inherited last year?
Speaker 21 (28:47):
You know, I certainly we were able to add some
depths through free agency last year, and a lot of
guys are up again this year, but we were able
to pick, you know, add some depth, and then the
drafts you know, really helped us fill things out. So
I think we're further ahead. We still have more, you know,
signings that we have to make, but looking forward to
continuing the process. You know, we're just building, building, building,
(29:08):
and it's a long term play, you know. I mean,
we're we want to be successful a year in, year out,
and that's approach we're taking.
Speaker 6 (29:15):
Gino Smith is in the news again for I'm not
really sure what, but another offseason of everyone asking the
Seahawks if he is in fact the starting quarterback despite
the fact that he's actually played really well. Gentlemenare John
Schneider said this week that they are scheduled to me
with Gino Smith's agents to talk about a potential contract extension.
Want him on last year, didn't get it, likely to
(29:36):
get it this year. Our good friend Mike garfol went
one on one with Seahawks coach Mike McDonald's to talk
about his love for Gino and a bunch of other things.
Speaker 8 (29:47):
Here with Seahawks coach Mike McDonald. Thank you for joining us.
Appreciate the time I was talking to John Schneider about this.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
A year ago.
Speaker 8 (29:53):
You hadn't yet coached your first game. You weren't even
expecting a child at that point. Now here you are,
one season in, you got yourself a baby a couple
of months old. What have you learned about both head
coaching and fatherhood in the last year.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
I have absolutely nothing figured out.
Speaker 22 (30:08):
So, like you said, it's because our new normal we're
living in and just it's a it's a you know,
you have times where you're actually away from your family
and now you realize, man, you know, I missed my
kid I missed my wife.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
So it's it's it's an awesome problem to have that.
You don't get a lot of sleep, and you know they're.
Speaker 22 (30:23):
Working through health things and things like that, but everybody's happy, healthy,
We're good to go.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
Awesome, happy to hear that.
Speaker 8 (30:28):
As far as the coaching aspects of your first season,
what did you like? What was the biggest lesson you
took away from your one?
Speaker 6 (30:34):
Oh?
Speaker 22 (30:34):
Man, so many. I mean you're learning something every day.
You know, people, it's not a lie when you say
stuff comes across your desk. You're like, man, this stuff
actually happens every day. This is kind of crazy. But uh,
lean on the people that are in the building. A
lot of great experience and really, you know, so many
ideas when you come into the endo the job, but understanding, hey, look,
let's really double down on what we really want to
(30:55):
be about and those things will carry us through the
times when we need them.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
So looking forward building on that this year. So we're
in a good spot.
Speaker 8 (31:01):
You've got a new offensive coordinator in Clint Kobiak. What
was it about him? Because it was a thorough process
for you, what was it about him that stood out?
Speaker 22 (31:09):
Yeah, I thought it was important for us to really,
you know, have an understanding who was out there, who
was available. Clint was one of the earlier guys we
talked to, and man, he just left a really big
impression on me.
Speaker 2 (31:17):
Just his knowledge of the game.
Speaker 22 (31:19):
Obviously, have a relationship with his dad, and so much
respect for him and his family, but just going through
the process understanding where I felt like our team needed.
His expertise in the system, the staff that we could
possibly be bringing along with him, his relationship with the quarterback,
his ability to get the play you know, playmakers the
ball consistently.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
I thought all that stuff was really important. And he's
a heck of a guy too.
Speaker 22 (31:39):
We really think, really respect a lot of them, or
respect the heck out of him, and it's been fun
working with him so far.
Speaker 8 (31:44):
He had defenses heads spinning early last year before they
suffered their injuries, So I know you're looking for that
kind of explosiveness in your offense as well.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
I was also running the football.
Speaker 8 (31:53):
When I was talking to Schneider about he said, we
got to get back to running the football as part
of our identity.
Speaker 9 (31:57):
How important is that for you?
Speaker 22 (31:59):
Well, it's incredile, It'll be important, mean we want to
be a physical football team, and obviously, you know, if
you're able to run the ball, that's probably the private
driving force behind that. And you know we're gonna be
a wide zone team and have compliments off fit. So
that's that's who we're going to be, and we're gonna
get really good at it. We're gonna get a ton
of reps. The guys know that, and Clint sees it
the same way. So it's going to be a fun
process and.
Speaker 2 (32:17):
When it's humming, it's great for the quarterback.
Speaker 8 (32:19):
How do you think that'll play into what Gino does
and your overall thoughts of Geno being your starting quarterback
for your first time.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
Yeah, I'm really excited about Gino.
Speaker 22 (32:25):
I think all the things that Clint's able to do
with the progression reads and then a lot of the
action game and movements, keeping them, you know, different launch
points in the pocket, getting the ball out of his
hands on time and to our guys, and that's just
gonna be a lot of fun to work through it
and see how we build it and see where where
see where it goes.
Speaker 8 (32:39):
One of the other things John mentioned yesterday, we've got
to get our home field advantage back. And when I
think about the Seahawks, I think about the twelves, I
think about that environment, one of the best that you
can be in the league, unless you're the visiting team.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Of course, how do you do that? Well, it's a
good question. I think that's more than one thing. I
think a lot of it is of our process going.
Speaker 22 (32:56):
Into the games, some things that we can do throughout
the week to get prepared, especially on defense, operationally, making
sure our communication as well.
Speaker 2 (33:02):
And then a lot of it's how we start the game.
Speaker 22 (33:04):
If we can start the game faster, now we can
keep the fans in the game longer, earlier in the
game having to make a bigger impact.
Speaker 6 (33:12):
One of the players the Seahawks will have zero chance
at is abdual Carter, NFL Combine Draft analyst Abdul Carter,
who has gone into his bag and declared that prospect
Abdul Carter is the number one player in the draft.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
That is what he said.
Speaker 6 (33:28):
He has done all the homework, he has watched all
the film because he's literally the one who's on film.
So I guess we'll take his word for it. Actually
we won't. Let's talk to PFF lead NFL Draft Animals
analyst Trevor Sikoma, Trevor, what's going on?
Speaker 7 (33:41):
Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 9 (33:42):
I appreciate Ian love being here.
Speaker 7 (33:43):
All right, So let's.
Speaker 6 (33:44):
Ruin the surprise. Okay, who are the Titans taking number
one overall?
Speaker 12 (33:49):
Is it that guy?
Speaker 23 (33:49):
Well, if you follow along with the clues, their VP
of Football Ops said, we won't pass it on a
generational talent.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
Okay.
Speaker 23 (33:55):
Then Mike Organzi said, there are generational talents here in
this draft. That makes me feel like if you're looking
at a treasure map and you're following along all the
way to the end, the treasurer is going to be
Abdua Carter. This guy was an absolute stud this past season.
He had an incredibly high pass rush win rate despite
it being his first season as a full time edge
rusher and his last game in college football. He was
(34:16):
dominating with one arm, and that's obviously the reason why
he's not working out. He's still healing from that, still
getting good to go there. But this guy's an absolute monster,
and it's hard to pass up on a pass rusher.
Speaker 1 (34:26):
With this kind of potential.
Speaker 23 (34:28):
As he said himself, at number one overall, So I
feel like the longer this goes on, the more I
lean towards Abdual Carter being that number one overall pick.
Speaker 6 (34:36):
Well, if the Titans view him as a generational talent,
he's not the only generational talent. Talking to other teams
in the early part of the first round, Travis Hunter
has been to say the least a curiosity.
Speaker 7 (34:46):
Is he a receiver? What kind of the Browns think him?
Speaker 2 (34:49):
You think of him?
Speaker 7 (34:49):
Is he a corner? Where maybe the Titans think of him?
What does the future hold for Travis Hunter?
Speaker 23 (34:54):
So, if I was a general manager, I'd be drafting
him as a corner first and foremost because rarity and uniqueness.
That's what I keep going back to with Travis Hunter
when it comes to playing the cornerback position. All due
respect to what he is the wide receiver we're seeing
on the screen now, he was absolutely fantastic, But when
you look at what he could be as a corner,
He's got the length, he's got the movement, he's got
the foot quickness, the hip fluidity to be able to
play in press coverage. He's so great with his ball
(35:16):
skills when it comes to off coverage, and right there,
that's why I would keep as a corner.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
He's got the best ball skills in this class.
Speaker 23 (35:23):
I think he's got the best ball skills of any
corner I've watched, And he very well may have the
best ball skills of any corner that I watch.
Speaker 7 (35:29):
That's how good this guy is.
Speaker 23 (35:31):
And it's so hard for me to pass up on
a rare talent at that position with Travis Hunter.
Speaker 6 (35:36):
The do Engld Patriots needs some talent around. They're very
talented quarterback. Drake May also pick early on in the
first round.
Speaker 7 (35:43):
Number four. To be exact, what can the Patriots do
to help Drake Man?
Speaker 23 (35:47):
So make Mike Vrabel right, I mean, the guy who's
going to build through the trenches. So we assumed, okay,
it's probably gonna be a trench pick at number four.
Well a little bit of a leak course, So not
so fast, my friend, because when he was up at
the podium here in Indianapolis, he starts talking about in
praise an X type of a wide receiver, a guy
on the boundary who could be Drake May's best friend
that he could go to and throw to in any situation.
Sure sounds a lot like Arizona's tetro and McMillan. If
(36:09):
you asked me who I have as wide receiver won
in this draft ely. I mean, look, it is so
hard to watch his game and not think of guys
like Mike Evans, not think of guys like Drake London,
AJ Green, because he brings you that type of a
mentality of the contested catchability, whether it's the sideline over
the middle.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
It was unbelievable.
Speaker 23 (36:28):
And yeah, the separation scor is a little bit lower
for him, but I think that he's a fantastic wide here.
Of course, they could go offensive line as well, a
guy like Will Campbell potentially for them at number four. Overall,
this was the offensive line that gave up the most sacks,
the most pressures of any team last season, so.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Of course that could be on the board for them
as well.
Speaker 6 (36:44):
You wouldn't be surprised see the Patriots hit the offensive
lineman in free agency as well, of course for the draft.
Speaker 7 (36:49):
Trevor, thank you very much for hanging out with us.
Speaker 4 (36:52):
It's an honor to have this happen.
Speaker 7 (36:54):
Right now, we're trying to get following around by a
very expensive camera.
Speaker 24 (36:58):
A great boom mic catch the boom mic. My man
is holding it at a perfect angle here and the
fact that punters and kickers are getting an opportunity to
compete in front of the NFL folks on NFL Network.
Speaker 7 (37:10):
This is a beautiful thing for the brand.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Former NFL punter and current guy who's face you can't
avoid on TV, Pat McAfee was on hand for the
twenty twenty five NFL Specialist Showcase, which made its debut today.
At the Scouting Combine, some of the top kickers and
punters in the country put their skills on display for
NFL scouts and evaluators. The punters focused on distance, hang time,
and directional control, while kickers are tested on kickoffs, field goals,
(37:36):
and overall accuracy. The showcase had plenty of standout moments
and proved once again why specialists play a crucial role
in the game. Today, the NFL also hosted its ninth
annual NFL Women's Forum, presented by Amazon Web Services. The
program will connect forty women with leaders in professional football
to provide insight and networking opportunities for their careers in
(37:59):
scouting and analytics, coaching, and football operations.
Speaker 12 (38:04):
Jane and I, my wife, have twin girls. They're twenty three.
They went to Dartmouth. One of the young women I
met was in a sorority, was one of my daughters.
It was a crazy data and analytics person. She was
looking for a job. She ended up getting a job
with the Philadelphia Eels, and she's now going to get
a Super Bowl ring. That could be you.
Speaker 11 (38:25):
So when I started, I was the only woman that
looked like me, really, the only person that looked like me.
I was okay with stepping in, being uncomfortable, but also
being confident.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
Enough like, hey, I can do this.
Speaker 17 (38:37):
I just think of our entire strength staff and autumn
and everything that they do. I can't tell you how
many times I got the question, Sakwan Barkley had a
lot of carries, How's he going to do this all year? Well,
it's the way that the player takes care of their
body and we take care of the player, and that
is coming from autumn helping players always before practice.
Speaker 12 (38:59):
That's the point. This program is to give you that
opportunity to walk through the door and make the NFL better.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
No offense to the kickers and punters, but the combine
really kicks into gear on Thursday. So let's you visit
one of let's call it the memorable workouts in recent
Combine history. Right after this, on the Insiders at the Combine.
Speaker 14 (39:26):
Here's Patrick Mahomes, the second and intriguing lighted up quarterback
to Texas Tech.
Speaker 9 (39:31):
His tape is just crazy.
Speaker 25 (39:33):
He's the biggest gun slinger I've seen in years coming
out of college football.
Speaker 9 (39:37):
It's got a great natural throw.
Speaker 7 (39:39):
That ball just comes out after.
Speaker 25 (39:40):
Less Drafted in twenty fourteen by the Tigers. I like
athletic guys, I like multi sport guys, especially at the
quarterback position.
Speaker 7 (39:48):
You can watch this kid throw three passes and know
that he's just a natural thrower.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
It was a beginning of something special back in twenty seventeen,
also the sight of something the NFL Network has used
many times to compare various players to maybe the best
player in the game, Patrick Mahomes recently begging on social
media as the Combine starts this week. All I ask
is the NFL network stop using me as an overlay.
I didn't know when I started to read that tweet
(40:16):
that we were gonna.
Speaker 15 (40:16):
Do it to you again.
Speaker 1 (40:17):
I apologize Pat crushing him in front of the group
right there. I feel like, okay for Pat, But.
Speaker 8 (40:27):
Yeah, with a high sprain anchor or high ankle sprain.
He's pulling away from dudes in the Super Bowl two
years ago. Put you in like the Jared Lorenzen group.
Speaker 6 (40:36):
What I don't understand, like is this is the same
Mahomes that really does like sometimes run away from people
and is pretty elusive. But there it looks like he's
carrying like Trey Smith on his back or something, you know,
Like I don't I don't understand why he like it's
like everyone else accelerates and he's like, well, I'm gonna
be back here.
Speaker 8 (40:51):
There was supposed to be an Insider's overlay, and you
guys chickened out and you didn't do it, and we
didn't do it this year?
Speaker 1 (40:56):
Fake, Will you commit to doing it?
Speaker 9 (40:58):
Will you commit to doing it in twenty twenty six, Judy,
you in no, I.
Speaker 1 (41:02):
Am running tends to be intact.
Speaker 7 (41:05):
I'm the only one wearing sneakers.
Speaker 26 (41:06):
I won an insider over You have a year to
train for your forty We are doing it to run
the analytics on our forty yard dashes, just like she
ran the forty yards just now.
Speaker 1 (41:17):
Today, moments ago on that stadium. In fact, we've got
the footage. There she goes with me cheering running a
four to two.
Speaker 8 (41:24):
Oh best thing, Xavier Worthy themes were a bad choice.
Speaker 7 (41:28):
Looks like she's jogging. Is that is that real speed?
Speaker 1 (41:31):
I slowed it down so well, I slowed it down.
Speaker 7 (41:34):
I'm just saying, no offense. She's yeah, does a great
job of them.
Speaker 2 (41:37):
Just put carriots a fire to that and get the
effect of the slow motion.
Speaker 15 (41:40):
That's what that was.
Speaker 4 (41:40):
I slowed her down.
Speaker 9 (41:41):
She was she was falling.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
I don't think the attire was helping a whole lot
right there, there's a lot of a lot of wind resistance. Judy,
you guys are just terrible, so slow here.
Speaker 10 (41:52):
I can't wait to see you run one year down
one year unfortunately, see that.
Speaker 7 (41:56):
Unfortunately, this is the year. We are not going to
see me run a forty.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Bring up next years your time. NFL Network exclusive coverage
the Insiders. We're back on Monday, a lot of news.
We'll see you there.
Speaker 21 (42:08):
H
Hosts And Creators
Judy Battista
Tom Pelissero
Ian Rapaport
Mike Garafolo
Popular Podcasts
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.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!