March 29, 2024 • 52 mins
- Caleb Williams Generational Talent … but Jayden Daniel better QB …
- Then again … Michael Penix may end up with the best NFL career of ANY QB in this draft …
- Michael Robinson tells us why
- LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN
- 27 days til the NFL is on the clock .. time to start the TA podcast prep course …
- We’re goin team by team in the NFL starting in the Champs’ division
- AFC West - KC, LV, DEN & LAC
- Mike Rob’s assessment of each
- NFL.com Team needs
- AFC WEST fans sound off … what they want in the draft & their bold (or scared) predictions for the new season
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
NFL Total Access is a production of the NFL in
partnership with iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
It's Friday, March twenty ninth, and you're listening to NFL
Total Access, the podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
That is the voice of today's special guest. A collegiate legend,
an NFL champ, a Heisman finalist, a pro bowler, a
man of integrity, ingenuity, an enviable bone structure, a man
who is willing to see things differently because he is
willing to look at things differently. A man who has
been absent from this pod for way too frickin' long.
(00:39):
So let's welcome back to the pod. The real mic
rob Michael Robinson. Really good to see you, man, Really.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Good to see you too, man, always excited to be
on the pod.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
I'm your host, NFL Network Senior writer Andrew Lavian. On
today's show, it's that time of year once again, listener.
We are twenty seven days from the start of the
twenty twenty four NFL Draft, and that leaves us pres
albeit ample time to get you ready. So Coop, let's
start the clock, act ause we better get on the clock.
We're going to break down draft needs and storylines for
(01:09):
all thirty two NFL teams. We're going to do it
division by division today. That means that we start in
the division of the defending champions. That's the AFC West,
that's Chiefs and Chargers, Broncos and Raiders. But first this
Daniels goes to Neighbors Cats made.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Was he in bounds? They say it's a.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Catch, they say it's a touchdown? The league Neighbors Michael Robinson,
there was Jaden Daniels to Malik Neighbors. Expected top five pick,
Jaden Daniels, expected top ten pick, Malik Neighbors. They were
certainly the headliners at Wednesday's LSU Pro Day. Mike rob
has a take on this year's quarterback draft class that
(01:50):
I find very interesting. I'm going to ask him about
that in a moment. But Mike rob let's start with
Malik Neighbors. In a deep and talented wide receiver class.
Where do you stand on Marvin Harrison Junior, who you
saw a lot this year covering the big ten versus
Malik Neighbors. Is this one of those situations where you
can't go wrong with either, or do you have a preference?
(02:12):
And if you do, why?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I do think it's one of those deals where you
can't go wrong with either one. I think they're both explosive,
they're both very talented. They both can catch any pass
that you throw to him. But I do think their
skill set is just a little bit different. Like, for instance,
what I saw out of Marvin Harrison Junior this year
his ability to be able to move around the offense
(02:36):
and he had a lesser quarterback than he had the
previous year in CJ.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Stroud.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
This year he had a lesser quarterback, so they had
to move him around to dictate coverage.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
And I thought he showed great intelligence.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
He showed great ability to move in the slot and
get his own releases in the slot.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Honestly, and I know this is.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Big, you know, big names to throw around, but he
reminded me of a of a Randy Moss that could
play in the slot. And we always think of Randy
Moss on the outside, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Like a fast guy that could.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
I mean, he can go and get a nine or
ten catches a game if that's what you need him
to do in your offense. And then you look at
Milik Neighbors. He's one of those guys. He's a rat guy.
Dro And when I say Rack run after catch right
after he catches the football. He can catch a five
yard slant and go to distance right, but he's also
a rack run after contact.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
I think he's a new and improved version of.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
A of a Deebo Samuel Right being able to run
through arm tackles, And I think he mentioned that in
one of his interviews, his ability to be able to
run through tackles and really have a defensive mindset on
the offensive side of the football. So I do think
it just depends on what type of offense. So with
you know, how you want to use these guys, I
(03:52):
really don't think you can go wrong, especially if you
got some creative coaches that know exactly.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Where to put him in how to put him.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
I just found myself sometimes having to say, okay, am
I getting recency biased with Malik because he you know,
he's ran at Pro Day. He's doing everything. Marvin didn't
do everything right. And I do think it's one thing
you can count on with Marvin is you know what,
you know, his dad is teaching him some things. I
mean I saw some stuff on film that you know,
(04:20):
a lot of wide receiver coaches in the National Football
League wouldn't be able to coach Marvin on that's something
that's innateant special to his dad and his ability to
get off releases.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
So you can't go wrong with either one of them.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Michael, you mentioned recency bias. I wonder do we get
seduced by pedigree bias. The fact that it's Marvin Harrison
Junior and that name means a hell of a lot
to anybody who watched football for the last, you know,
twenty five years. Is it possible that he gets a
bump by by proximity to the old man? Or is
(04:56):
it more to what you just suggested, which is his
proximity to the old man means A he's got the
DNA and b he has the teaching. He has that
inside the house teaching that other people simply can't get.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
I think it's both. It's funny you said DNA man.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
I remember having a conversation with Coke, with Coach k
the old basketball coach at Duke man my favorite basketball
college basketball team being on the East Coast in Virginia,
and he said one thing he used to say to
his freshman class when they would come in with their
parents is, first of all, how many NBA players do
you have in your immediate family, and he said, usually
(05:35):
you never get.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
You may get one that raises their hand. You might
get too.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Then he says, well, what about your extended family, and
you may get you know, three or four a little
bit more. And he says, you know, eighty five percent
of this is genetics. Guy, So if you ain't really
had a family, there's a big chance these guys won't go.
So take school seriously. Just when you said that, it
made me think of that.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
It goes. It does go to this Marvin Harrison thing.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
So I think two things. Obviously the genetics. Number two
I think of I have a son, right Drew. We
talk about this all the time at shop, at work,
and just he had a track meet the other day.
The fact that I went through rehab, the fact that
I went through being after practice on a pro level,
(06:24):
understanding that it takes forty eight hours phylactic acid to
set in. He got in the cold tub immediately after
his track meet.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
Then he did some contrast in the next day.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
He got a stretch, he got a massage. You see
what I'm saying, even if it's just for knowing what
to do, You see what I'm saying. And that gives
a kid an advantage. That's number one and number two.
You know, from a team standpoint, you think about it like, Okay,
what's the worst that we can get out of Marvin
Harrison Junior. I mean, I think the worst we can
get out of him is what one thousand yard season.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Like, because we know what he knows.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
That's low end.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
You see what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Yeah, so you say, Okay, yeah, maybe Malikue neighbors may
have a little bit more upside if we looking at
the numbers, the forty, the vertical jumping, all of those things.
But I mean, we're investing, We're playing a little bit
of a lottery here.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
I've almost can't go wrong with him, and I almost
know it.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
I think that's very interesting. The moment you tell me
that somebody is amazing, the moment you tell me somebody
is the best. The moment you tell me that somebody
is peerless is the moment I start to look more
closely at somebody and question your the proverbial your not
your specifically, but theverbial your take. I start to I
start to really question it. The fact that Marvin Harrison
(07:41):
Junior's father had a you know, a Hall of Fame
career in the NFL does not mean that he will
be successful because he came from that tree. No, But
on the one hand, it means that he's probably wired
to be successful. And on the other hand, what you
just said is so important. We always say, well, I
don't know what I don't know. No, you don't You
(08:02):
don't know what you don't know. But if your old
man knows, like you did for your kid after the
track meet, how to best prepare his body for rest,
for rehabilitation and for the next run, well, shit, man,
you're ahead of the game. So I think that that's
really important to hear and thank you for that. I'm
looking at Daniel Jeremiah's most recent mock draft. He has
(08:23):
Marvin Harrison Junior going fifth to the New York Jets,
Malik Neighbors going one pick later, sixth to the New
York Giants. Do you like the sound of that?
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Yeah, I think that sounds about right.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
And when one of them go, and I think it'll
be Marvin Heddison junior first, but if Molie Neighbors, whoever
goes first, I think the second one will come off
the board very fast because then it may be a
run on some receivers real quick.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Let's talk about quarterbacks. On Wednesday, we saw Jaden Daniels.
There's an electric buzz around Jaden Daniels. The buzz is
more electric now than it was even when he won
the Heisman Trophy. Because when we start to talk about
draft boards, when we start to talk about draft stock,
the same kind of thing starts to happen. Originally, Drake
(09:11):
May was everybody's pick at number two for the Washington Commanders,
And yet more and more we are hearing people say
that Jaden Daniels is the better pick at two. I've
heard people in this building say that Jaden Daniels is
actually the better pick at one because he's a better
fit for the Chicago Bears, a better fit for a
Shane Waldron offense. Who is, in your estimation, the better
(09:35):
pick for the Washington Commanders, for my Washington Commanders at two?
Is it Jayden Daniels, Is it Drake May or is
it somebody that I'm not even thinking about?
Speaker 3 (09:43):
Well, I like Jadon Daniels. I'm a Jade Daniels fan.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
I think he is the I think he's the best
quarterback in the draft.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
Number one because it's rare.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
First of all, he's one of the COVID quarterbacks. So
he's been in school for forever. Okay, he's got a
a million throws, all right, he's seen everything.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
He's a passer with running ability.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Here we go and I know a lot of and
I know a lot of analysts out there are comparing
him and saying, oh, he looks like Lamar Jackson. Absolutely not.
Now I can understand where they see that, because he's
a he's a more of an upright runner.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
He's a slender, Yes, he is fast.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
There's something about the silhouette. There's something about the profile
that does remind us of the Lamar Jackson silhouette. But
your distinction is really important. You see the Lamar Jackson
as a runner with passing ability. You see Jaden Daniels
as a passer with running ability, and the difference couldn't
be more vast.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Absolutely, and honestly, he may be the best pocket passer
in this draft. And I'm telling you he's being compared
to Lamar Jackson.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Think about what I'm saying there.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
He's probably the best pocket as in this draft. He's
seen a lot of defenses and you talk to his teammates.
You know, just you know, I was just at owners
meetings about a week ago, and you know, you get
a chance to talk to some of these talent evaluators,
and you don't hear his teammate say anything negative about him.
Not saying people say negative things about the other guys,
(11:18):
but you just hear nothing but great things. He's seen everything.
He's a passor that can beat you.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
From the pocket.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
He can throw the ball on time, and he can
and he has movement ability. My only thing with Caleb,
I do think he's a generational talent, and you know,
depending on the circumstances that he goes to. But every
time you hear Lincoln Riley talk about him, he always says, guys,
we have to remember he's a young man. He was
nineteen last year. Yeah, he's a young man. He's only
(11:45):
had two years of college. And to hear your head
coach say that a lot to me, he's saying, like, look,
just I'm not saying he's not good, but just calm down.
And then I had an opportunity to see him at
the Notre Dame game and he saw some real NFL
tight defenses and he turned the.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Ball over a lot.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
So to me, it's Jaden Daniels, But I can't understand
why you will pick a Caleb Willis.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Okay, very interesting, listener, Let's just summarize very quickly because
I think it's very very interesting what Michael is offering
us to hear, whether we want to hear it or not,
that yes, Caleb Williams is a generational talent in his words,
but the quick reminder of how young he is, this
is a young man. Part two. Jaden Daniels may be
(12:28):
the best pocket passer in this draft class. Now think
about that. When we hear comparisons to Lamar Jackson, Michael
Robinson is inviting us to think a little bit more.
We can be more nuanced about this. We can be
smarter fans about this. Recognize the difference in the skill
sets the best pocket passer in the draft. That means
(12:48):
that a better comparison is not Lamar Jackson. A better
comparison is Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff than it is
Lamar Jackson. And yet interesting, we take a tall, thin,
mobile black quarterback, can we compare him to you know,
another tall, thin, mobile black quarterback. Funny, how reductive we
can get isn't it. But there is something else that
I want you to share with us, because you threw
(13:10):
something out rather casually, Michael, that I think may be
rather seismic. In the end, Caleb is generational. Jaden may
be the best pocket passer and may currently be the
best quarterback in your estimation in this draft class. However,
there is an aim out there that took that took
the field yesterday at the Washington Pro Day, that you
believe may end up being the best quarterback in the
(13:32):
NFL from this draft class. Michael Pennix tell us.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Why, because I believe if he can fall in the
right situation, which I believe is Minnesota indoors, you've got
a number one receiver, coach O'Connell understands how to run
the football, and you can get after the quarterback defensively.
I know they let some things go, but I just
think that's that's set for him. Eight eight games indoors.
(13:57):
He has a he throws a beautiful deep ball. I
know people say he struggles with the intermediate balls, but
I think that was a kind of an effect of
the offense in general that he was playing in.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Highly highly intelligent.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
You know, I love the job that I do, Man,
and I get a chance to be around these guys.
I had a chance to be around him in the combine,
and we stayed at the same hotel and we ended
up being in the same at the gym at the
same time, and we just kind of had a ten
fifteen minute conversation. Man looked me in my eyes. Everything
was serious about him. He spent the last two years healthy,
(14:34):
and that was his thing to me, Like my people
keep talking about my injury history and things like that,
But I mean the last two years I've just been
eating people up like I've been on the field. If
I played another position, nobody, nobody would be talking about
my injury history if I had stayed healthy for the
last two years. So, I mean, the guy knows football
(14:55):
and he was the catalyst in that Washington offense. And
like I said, if he falls in the right situation,
he may not have the.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Best overall skill set in the draft, but if he falls.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
In the right situation, I believe he can have the
most success in totatletlity.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
I'll tell you this. Thank you so much for sharing that,
because that is really interesting and I think Vikings fans
just sat up and thought to themselves, Okay, so if
we could get him at eleven, that sounds pretty damn good, right,
Vikings are drafting there at eleven if they can pick
him up.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
They're at twenty three too, so they.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Eleven or twenty three, so they've got two that they
could package or it's possible the penis will still be
available to them at twenty three.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
And that's what I think could and that's what I
think could happen to him, just because of you know,
if he gets to the put it like this, if
you want to compare someon model Lamar somebody to Lamar Jackson.
If he gets past twenty, you'll see teams early in
the second round trying to get back up like Baltimore
did to get their quarterback.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
To me, that's the.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Only comparison to Lamar Jackson that there should be with
any of these quarterback.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Thank you for sharing the human moment that you had
with Michael Panics at the combine, because I think moments
like that really do help us with the dossier. They
help us right with the portfolio. Those little things that
we simply don't know about a player. You're helping to
kind of fill in the gaps. The one thing that
we can all agree is that if you have ever
seen Michael Penix just throw the ball around, there is
(16:16):
something about that young man's release. Yes it's coming from
the wrong side, Yes it's coming from the left, which
is super cool to a lot of us who grew
up loving like Kenny Stabler. I love a left handed quarterback,
I always have. But that kid, it shreds out of
his hands. When they talk about somebody being able to
rip it, being able to spin it, Michael Pennox's release
(16:37):
is more impressive to me than the release of anybody
else in this draft class. And the person that it
reminds me of, and I'm probably gonna get hammered for
this is Aaron Rodgers. There is something about Aaron Rodgers' release,
the way that the ball so casually, so beautifully, and
so powerfully comes out of his hand. Well, that is
(16:58):
the thing that my mind me of. That's what I
was reminded of. Rather when I saw the ball first
come out of Michael Pennox's hand, when I started to
really look and get granular and watch the release, It's
not a release point thing. It's not a similar silhouette
It's the way the ball sounds and the way the
ball looks coming out of that kid's hand makes me
believe that Michael Robinson may just be onto something. That
(17:20):
Michael Pennix, if he finds his way into the right roster,
into the right situation, and maybe yes, indoors in Minnesota
is the right situation. Not a bad thing to be
targeting JJ Justin Jefferson potentially the best wide receiver in
the game. Who Michael Pennocks Your future just got very
exciting to me. Michael Robinson, thank you for that. After
the break on NFL Total Access to the podcast, we're
(17:42):
going to start the clock. It's high time. Thirty two teams,
twenty seven days. We got to get to all of them.
We are going to start in the Division of the Champions,
the Kansas City Chiefs. We're putting them on the clock.
After the break on NFL Total Access the podcast. You
(18:15):
are listening to NFL Total Access to podcast Andrew Lady
with the Real Mike rob Michael Robinson, the Super Bowl Champion,
and Coop Start the clock. Hell, cue the music if
you like. Let's start the countdown to the twenty twenty
four NFL Draft. Presented by bud Light. It's April what,
twenty fifth, twenty sixth, twenty seventh, that's Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
Let's begin our countdown in the AFC West, the division
(18:38):
that claims the back to back Super Bowl champion, Kansas
City Chiefs. When I say Kansas City Chiefs, probably hard
not to think Reid and Mahomes and Super Bowl champions.
But where does your mind go in this moment here
at the end of March when you hear Kansas City Chiefs,
what's your thought?
Speaker 2 (18:55):
At some point age, we'll catch up with Travis Kelce
and they will need a bona fide number one. Now,
Rushi Rice may be that it may turn out that
this year is the growth we see from year one
to year two is so substantial that boom.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
They have it.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
But until I see it, I think he's a really
good number two for right now.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
And each year you think it's going to catch up
with him.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
But Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes man, really Patrick Mahomes
that kid man is just something different. I think he's
been developed the right way, and that year sitting behind
Alex Smith, I just can't say how much.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
You know, how great it was for him.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
And when you talk about these other quarterbacks coming and
you wish they could all kind of go through that.
But yeah, at some point you think it catch up
with them. But with their luck, they'll probably go back
to the super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
But listener, you heard him. His first thought was to
put the analyst hat on and to evaluate areas of
potential need and potential concern the age of Travis Kelcey
and the fact that there really is in the absence,
let's say, of a fully fit Travis kelce there really
is an absence of a t one let's call it
a target one. Whether it's from the tight end position
(20:07):
or the wide receiver position, they do kind of lack
on days when Travis either isn't out there or at
his best, they do lack a top target. So that's
Michael's concern. But of course those concerns get allayed very
quickly when you start to mention names like Patrick Mahomes
and Andy Reid. But you kind of casually at the
end there said you wouldn't be surprised if they win
it again, or at least make a Super Bowl run
(20:29):
back to back to back. That is not out of
the question for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Michael, No, it's not out of the question.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Especially again, they got the most important position they have,
the quarterback.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
They've paid you.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Know, they've found a way to make sure that Chris
Jones stays, I mess sir, you get that.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
You'll be fine.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Arrow had tough place to play, fun place to play,
hard place to play. What are we looking at?
Speaker 3 (20:53):
It's tough, man, it is. It's tough.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
I'm not going to even lie as a vegetarian, it's
tough to even go cover upgain you smell all those
smellsas meek smelly city barbecue, baby, come on now.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
A bunch of it.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
But in all seriousness, man, you know, to be in
a media role and go back, it is fun. Man,
These people, these these fans have a good time. But
playing there, man, it was a little intimidating. And I
played there when Larry Johnson was getting thirty seven carries
a game.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Literally, I think you've.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Broken there for a record over four hundred and almost
five hundred carries.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
So yeah, it's a tough place to play.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
And you actually, I mean you look, you spent four
years of your career, won a Super Bowl championship with
a team that is known for its fans, the twelves,
very very loud up there in the Northwest. And yet
if there is any stadium in America that can go
toe to toe with your twelves for ferocity, for volume,
for passion, it's probably the guys at Arrowhead, right, it's
(21:55):
probably the Kingdom, the Chiefs Kingdom in KC. Very very interesting.
Let's move on down the ledger. Let's talk about the
somewhat surprising, I think, if you'll agree, the somewhat surprising
Denver Broncos. Because the Denver Broncos had a fifty burger
loss on their schedule in twenty twenty three, and yet
(22:16):
you look up and they kind of aft around and
finished the season eight and nine, eight and nine. I
think that is a remarkable record for a team that
lost seventy to twenty in week you know, two or
three or whatever the hell it was when the sky
was falling on Sean Payton and the Broncos. Talk to
me about the Broncos. Where does your mind go right now?
End of March When I say Denver Broncos, long deep
(22:40):
that listener, deep side pause, a far away look in
his eye, kind of a thousand yard stare up to
the corner of his room and a deep, mournful almost sigh.
What are we looking at, Mike.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Well, not necessarily mournful. Put it like this, I got to.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Be a full disclosure Broncos fans me and Sean Payton's
pen like thirty, I mean, in deep conversation at owners meetings,
man like I got the schoop on a lot of stuff,
and I'm not talking because that's my guy.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
He can't anything.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Hold on, you're gonna tell You're gonna tell us you
got a lot of scoop and you can't share any
of it.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
Come on, man, let y'all fair enough. Y'all know I'm
that dude. You feel me?
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Listen to what I'm se Yes, please, yes, please, So
we'll read between the lines. What do you got for?
Speaker 2 (23:25):
I'm just giving you some credibility here, So I look,
I don't know nothing, okay, but just something about something about.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
They need a quarterback. Yes, they haven't really done any
everything anything. Where did they sit right now? Twelve? I believe? Yes, sir.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
You know Sean Payton had to have interviewed all the
quarterback You know there's somebody that he probably likes. You
know who his teacher was, Bill Parsels. I'm just saying,
there's a lot of stuff out there.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
I think they gonna do.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
I think they'll find a way to find to get
themselves one of these quarterbacks. I do, I don't, I
don't know how. And no he didn't say that, But
I'm just saying, just knowing Sean Payton, knowing the competitor
he is, knowing how important.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
Those guys are two.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
To a team, I believe he'll find a way to
get one of these quarterbacks. But he did also tell
me too that you know, you know, Justin Fields might
play this year in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
I thought that was interesting.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Translation. Sean Payton isn't winging it. Sean Payton is a
man with a plan, and Michael Robinson's got a twinkle
in his eye about We're hanging on every word that
Michael Robinson is not sharing with us. But we are
going to read between the lines, and I tell you what,
that's going to be very good news for Denver Broncos
fans to know that Sean Payton has that twinkle too
(24:51):
and that he has, uh, he's got a plan in
his back pocket. Mile High Stadium. We talked about arra ahead.
We talked about you know, we talked about Seattle. But
if there is another stadium that is sort of known
for having a built in home field advantage, it's mile High.
Based on being mile high, two hundred and eighty feet
up in the air, the air is a little thinner,
(25:11):
tough place to play Denver.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Yes, And because just because of that. When I say
because of that, I'm talking about the take go to
the third floor on the stairs in your hotel because
you don't feel like rodn elevator and you're winded.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
I mean, it's it takes a toll on you.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
And really, honestly, it affects you during the week of
prep because it's in your mind. You start I used
to do jump ropes in the steam room. I mean,
you do all quirky types of things to try to
prepare your mind and body for it. And so you
end up, I don't know, probably spending an extra two
hours during your prep week away from your family, just
(25:50):
worrying about that.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
It just it's a cumulative thing and it does get
to you on game day.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Let's move on to the last Vegas her Raiders who
finished the twenty twenty three season eight and nine, again
somewhat surprising when you consider that there was a little
bit of Sky's Falling narratives surrounding the Raiders as well.
The first place that your mind goes Michael Robinson when
you hear Las Vegas Raiders.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Yeah, I just hope they're not setting Antonio Peers for failure.
And I say they, I just mean, I don't know,
the football gods or whatever you want to call it.
They don't have a quarterback. Okay, they're gonna need a quarterback.
They are another one of those teams that I think
really aren't saying much about.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
The quarterback position.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
They're gonna be at all the big time quarterbacks pro days,
and I think they're gonna be some a team that
we're talking about on the first night of draft Day
getting one of these quarterbacks. I mean, they have to.
I think right now they sit at what thirteen, they're.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
Thirteen overall, one pick behind their division rival Broncos. Broncos
picked twelve, Bronco Raiders pick thirteenth.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
And both of them need a quarterback.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
So I believe what you're gonna see is, you know,
both of those teams, I believe again needing a quarterback,
trying to get in front of each other some way, somehow,
because they just need a quarterback. And I think Antonio
Pierce is bringing a good energy to the Raiders, and yeah, man,
I wish him success, but without a quarterback, it's the
(27:13):
first time being out there, it's gonna be tough.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
If you don't have a quarterback, you don't have a chance.
Is that overstating it or is that NFL truth?
Speaker 3 (27:21):
That's NFL truth?
Speaker 2 (27:22):
Or what I will say is if you don't have
a quarterback or the roster to support a non quarterback,
if you copy that, copy that quarterback, yes, sir, then
you see what I'm saying. But I don't think the
Raiders right now have the roster to support not having
a premier quarterback.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
You believe in Antonio Pierce's ability, though, to construct a
defense that was already playing kind of punching above their
weight class last season. I like what he's doing on
the defensive side of things, and that's going to keep
you in a lot of games. I assume you would
co sign the enthusiasm for a Raiders defense that is
starting to look the part.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
Absolutely, He's a former linebacker.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Trust me, I've had a I spent a lot of week,
a lot of time during the week prepping for him
when I play. A smart dude understands how to actually
really be a communicator to the young athlete. I believe
he's one of the better guys him drop may or
some of these younger guys, former players that are getting
you know, that are getting opportunity. From what I hear
(28:20):
in the locker room is I mean these guys are
run through brick walls for these guys.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
And finally, let's finish the division with the Bolts the
LA Chargers who were five and twelve and twenty twenty three.
That was good for well last in the AFC West.
This is a puzzling team to a lot of us. Obviously,
our proximity here overlooking Sofi Stadium means that we are
a little bit tapped into the Rams and the Chargers.
But the Chargers bewilder us almost annually. They get a
(28:48):
lot of buzz. We talk about how good their roster is,
we talk about their depth, and we talk about the
possibilities that surround a Chargers team. Seemingly every year. Michael Robinson,
this year, where does your mind go when you hear
Los Angeles.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
Chargers physicality less Herbert more, physicality less Herbert yep. Now,
is Jim Harbaugh just the man to bring that to
this team?
Speaker 2 (29:13):
Coach Tarball is his office of coordinator Greg roman Is.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
Again.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
I had a good conversation with coach Tarball at owners
meetings and he said, Mike, you know what I used
to You know what I used to tell my team
at Michigan. You know one of the first things I
would I would tell him when we get the preseason camp.
He said, I say, what is the only position that
doesn't need anybody else to be successful?
Speaker 3 (29:38):
You already knew it's the offensive line.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
The offensive line don't need anybody else to be successful.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
They just moved people. You see what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Yes, And when you really can understand that concept, it
kind of goes back to Tom Cable used to.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
Tell us when we were in Seattle, if we can
gain a blade of grass, guys, we're winning.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
And if you can embody that mentality will win a
lot more than we lose.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
Around So you expect that a very different look.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
Yeah, oh yeah, And that way your quarterback can be
his special self healthy in his special self maybe thirty
times a year as opposed to thirty times a game.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
A little bit more physicality seems to be what they've
been lacking for a long long time. So Michael Robinson
is pleading with the football gods to deliver more physicality,
a little less Herbert, not because Herbert's not good enough,
because Herbert needs less of himself less hero ball. Michael
Robinson is the president of Bill's Mafia. He knows quite
well the perils of putting too much pressure and too much,
(30:44):
you know, too much responsibility on the shoulders of just
one man. You know, it's funny you should say that
about the O line. Jim harbut just the other day
said everything else can be good, but if you have
a bad O line, you have a bad team. So
I think, yes, Michael Robinson's arms extended as if to say,
I just said that, didn't I. Yes, you're absolutely right.
(31:05):
So I think the interpretation probably is that with that
five pick, they're very likely to go O line. Is
this more about roster building for the Chargers or is
this more about addressing the very thing that Jim Harbaugh
is obsessed with, which is trench warfare? Getting your O
line right.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
I do think this is about roster building, but just
to kind of go back to that old line piece,
I believe and a lot of coach there's a strong
belief for this. In the National Football League, you can't
win in this league without your O line and your secondary.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
Right.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Your old line is like the engine of the car.
Your secondary is like the battery. Either one goes down,
it's hard to move the entire car right.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
And so you want the best engine.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
Yeah, you know, you might can have you know, your
review mill broke or something like that. But if the
engine right, man, you good. And I believe that's what
coach Harball has believed. I mean, you think about when
he was with San Francisco the first time, when he
had Greg Roman and those guys with Frank Gore and
all those guys before he.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
Got Colin Kaepernick.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Then when he got Colin Kaepernick and had a runner
at the quarterback.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Position, they were still a physical team. They beat people up.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
He took that to college and it was something different
as teams are spreading out and wanting to be pretty
and do all of this stuff. Trust me, when Michigan
played Penn State, they ran the ball like nineteen straight times.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
Maybe more than that.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
I could get the number wrong, but it was something crazy,
like the whole second half was no passing. So when
you have the ability to do that and beat teams
up like they've done over the last few years, I mean,
it's a culture.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
Physicality is a culture.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Physicality is a culture. Physicality needs to be the culture,
says Michael Robinson. For a Chargers team, if they expect
to actually take advantage of the assets they have new
assets like yes, head coach Jim Harbaugh, new defensive coordinator
Jesse Mentor who you watched in at Michigan as well
Michael Robinson, and of course a new Greg Roman. It
(33:01):
suggests that we will see a run, heavy, ground and
pound offense. Will that be the case? Does that need
to be the case? Time will tell. After the break
on NFL Total Access, We're going to get a little
bit more granular with each of the four teams in
the AFC West, and then I will get Michael Robinson
to give us the predicted order of finish in the
AFC West for the twenty twenty four season. NFL Total
(33:23):
Access to the podcast coming right back. You are listening
(33:44):
to NFL Total Access to the podcast and Coop start
that clock again. Let's put ourselves on the clock and
let's start the countdown to the twenty twenty four NFL Drafts,
starting in the division of the champions, the AFC West.
In fact, you know what, let's start with the champions,
the Kansas City Chiefs. In twenty twenty three, the Chiefs
went eleven and six. They were the AFC West champions,
(34:09):
and of course we all remember they went back to
back and they were the Super Bowl fifty eight champions
as well. According to NFL dot Com, team needs for
the Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle, wide receiver, offensive tackle, cornerback,
and running back. They have seven total picks with which
to address those needs. The thirty second the last pick
(34:31):
in the first round, the sixty fourth pick of the
second round. They have the number ninety five pick, that's
a third rounder. They have a fourth rounder, two fifth
round picks, and one seventh round pick. What should they
do with those picks? Well, you know me. I went
around the building today and I interviewed fans of AFC
West teams. Jose Collimer are esteemed director. Jose Calimer is
(34:54):
a Chiefs fan. It explains the smile on his face
for the last couple of years. In the draft, he said,
in Veach, we trust, in Andy. We trust That of
course is GM Brett Veach and Andy Reid the head coach.
So he says, don't ask me to make a pick
for him. I believe those guys will make the right pick.
But he did add wide receiver would be nice, offensive
(35:16):
lineman would be delightful in order to protect the money man.
Patrick mahomes the biggest source of pride for Jose Collamer
as a Chiefs fan. He said, Look, I waited fifty years.
This is the heyday right now for the Kansas City Chiefs,
and I am merely glad to be living in it.
Biggest source of concern, he said, it's an annual concern
(35:38):
for me. Injuries. That's always his biggest concern. And when
I asked him to finish the following sentence, I wouldn't
be surprised if you were twenty twenty four Kansas City
Chiefs did what he said without hesitation. Three Peat Baby three.
Pete Kimmy Checks, the host of NFL Total Access, the broadcast,
of course, famed Chiefs fan Kimmy Checks. I asked Kimmy
(35:59):
about the draft, and she said, without hesitation, wide receiver,
she said. I did hear that they had their eye
on Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy, she said, but that
was before he ran that blazing four two one forty
at the combine, So Xavier Worthy because of that forty
may well be gone by the time the Chiefs do
(36:19):
pick with the thirty second pick of that first round.
Kimmy Check's biggest source of pride as a Chiefs fan
the dynasty, she said, The dynasty that we have built,
she said, the fact that we've never had a question
over coaching and personnel like so many other NFL teams do.
She said, It's such a blessing we can contend regardless
of our roster, and Andy Reid is quite simply the
(36:42):
best coach in the NFL, according to Kimmy Checks. And man,
it is hard to push back on that. Biggest concern
for Kimmy offensive line and wide receiver. Again not surprising
when I asked her to finish the following sentence, I
wouldn't be surprised if your twenty twenty four Kansas City
Chiefs did what again, no hesitation, run it back, she said,
run it back yet again, and now we turn to
(37:04):
the Las Vegas Raiders. The Las Vegas Raiders in twenty
twenty three finished a surprisingly high for ME eight and
nine team needs according to nfl dot com, quarterback, the
inside of their O line, offensive tackle, cornerback, and running back.
Don't forget Josh Jacobs out the door. They have eight
(37:24):
total picks with which to address their needs, the thirteenth
overall pick in the first round. They have a second rounder,
a third rounder, a fourth rounder, a fifth round pick,
a sixth round pick, and two seventh round picks. Shelton
Ray is an IT wizard in this building. When I
asked him about his Raiders, he said, look, I'd like
to see them trade up to get a quarterback for him.
(37:47):
That quarterback would be Jaden Daniels. Shelton said he wouldn't
be surprised if there is some sort of special trade
in the works for the Raiders on draft Day, so
keep your eyes open for that. He added that he
was glad they didn't get Russell Wilson. He said, no
disrespect to Russell, but Russell went to the right team,
the Steelers. The biggest source of pride for Shelton Ray
(38:08):
Raiders fan. He said last season was about hope. This year,
he said, it's about excitement. He's genuinely excited to see
this team, and he's so thrilled that ap Antonio Peers
won the job. Why because the players themselves vouched for
Antonio Peers, including Max Crosby, of course, the best player
(38:28):
on that Raiders defense, leveraging his own stability in order
to make sure that Antonio Piers stayed. Max Crosby said,
if you're not keeping Ap, then you might as well
get rid of me. The biggest source of concern for
Shelton Ray and his Raiders. If they don't draft a QB,
then who is our QB? And when I asked him
(38:49):
to finish the sentence, I wouldn't be surprised if my
Raiders did what he said with a laugh, AFC champs
or at least division champs. And again, yes he laughed,
but there was a twinkle in his eye. Listener, let
me report back that suggested he meant it a lot
more than you may believe. Our old buddy, Michael Kettering,
when I asked him about the draft, said well, I'm
(39:10):
assuming the Raiders will not move up. He said, and
if they don't, I'd be very happy if they went
for Terry and Arnold. He of course, the All American
cornerback out of Alabama. He said, Look, when you play
Mahomes and Herbert twice a year, you've got to have
a good backside to your defense. So Terry and Arnold
is Michael Kettering's pick for the draft. Kettering said he's
(39:30):
dying to see if they do move up for a quarterback,
but of course he's also very anxious about what they're
going to do at the running back position when you
consider the production they just lost with Josh Jacobs moving
to Green Bay. Biggest source of pride or excitement for
Michael Kettering, He said that Antonio Pierce is building one
of the scariest defenses in the league. Raiders fans have
(39:53):
not had a complete defense in a long time, Kettering said,
but ap started the makings of something truly special last
season that Michael and so many other Raiders fans are
excited to see on the field this year. Biggest source
of concern. He kind of gave me that dead eye look.
He said, Well, obviously quarterback Andrew when you look at
Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew Kettering says he doesn't see
(40:16):
a quarterback that will be able to take full advantage
of Davonte Adams and Jacoby Meyer's talents, and he would
hate to see a team wastes yet another season for
DeVante Adams. Michael Kettering says, I wouldn't be surprised if
my twenty twenty four Las Vegas Raiders are a wild
card team. A note of hope to finish out the Raiders.
(40:38):
Let's turn to the Denver Broncos twenty twenty three. They
were eight and nine, which, in a season in which
you lose a game by fifty points, strikes me as
rather remarkable. NFL dot com says team needs for the
Broncos quarterback, defensive tackle, tight end, cornerback, and edge rusher.
They have eight total picks with which to address their needs.
(40:59):
The twelve overall pick in the first round. They've got
a third rounder, a fourth rounder. They have no fewer
than three picks in the fifth round and two in
the sixth. My old boss, Lea Villette, when I asked
her about the draft, she said, I think they're going
to trade up to get a QB. But she said,
we have zero equity from all that nonsense with Russell Wilson,
(41:19):
so giving up more picks probably not the best way
to go. Leah said, if I'm the one making the call,
I'm staying right where I am, and I am taking
the best available and hoping that the best available is
brock Bauers her biggest source of pride, being a Broncos fan.
Having one of the most diverse front offices in the
NFL love that her biggest source of concern. She said
(41:43):
that we may only win four total games this year
because this offense simply can't score. And finally, Lea Vilette says,
I wouldn't be surprised if my twenty twenty four Denver
Broncos did not make the playoffs. Editor Extraordinary Jeff Levitt,
when I asked him about his Broncos, he says, my
draft hope is simple. I don't care as long as
(42:06):
the pick shows vision. Trading up for a quarterback, that's cool.
Just prove to me you have the vision, whatever you
choose to do. Biggest source of pride for Jeff Levitt,
Patrick Sirtan. He says, he's our best player and my
biggest source of pride. Biggest source of concern for Jeff
Levitt bit of a surprising answer. He doesn't have one.
(42:26):
He said, seriously, the worst just happened to us. We're good.
And then he said, slyly, I kind of just want
to wake up two years from now, because I think
in two years being a Broncos fan is going to
be a pretty damn cool thing. And finally, Jeff Levitt said,
I wouldn't be surprised if my twenty twenty four Denver Broncos,
wait for it, over perform. Not sure what he means
(42:47):
by that, but I certainly love the note of optimism.
And we finish with the Los Angeles Chargers the Bolts.
In twenty twenty three, they were five and twelve. That
was good for last in the AFC West. Team needs,
according to NFL dot Com, cornerback, running back of course
in the absence of Austin Eckler, defensive tackle, tight end,
(43:08):
and center. Now they have nine total picks with which
to address their needs. The number five overall pick in
the first round. Recent mock drafts see Joe alt the
offensive tackle, going to the Chargers at five. They also
have a pick in the second round. In the third
they have two picks in the fourth, a pick in
the fifth, a pick in the sixth, and two picks
(43:31):
in the seventh round. Storylines, of course, for days with
the Los Angeles Chargers, new head coach Jim Harbaugh, new
offensive coordinator Greg Roman, new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. My
friends down in media administration here, Justin and Nico. They
sit right next to each other, these two Chargers fans,
and they can basically finish each other's sentences by now.
(43:53):
So I'm not sure which of these guys gave the
following answers, but here's what they had to say in
terms of the draft. If Marvin Harrison Junior drops to five,
we'll then take him. If not, see about offers to
maybe trade down, trade down, and then trade back up.
We need wide receivers, they said, but we also need
to beef up the trenches. They said. We'd rather take
(44:16):
a wide receiver at five because if you're addressing O
line at five, you're in left tackle position. He said.
Our gaps are at center and at right tackle. A
very very nuanced and wise take from this Chargers fan.
He said, take the wide receiver at five and move
if you need offensive tackle help later in the first round,
(44:37):
they said, this draft is about roster construction, fixing the
Tom Telesco era. In terms of the biggest source of
pride being a Chargers fan, both of them said the
same name at the same time, and you can guess
what it is, Justin Herbert that is, in fact the
biggest source of pride and hope for any Chargers fan
right now. Greg Roman is their biggest source of concern,
(45:00):
not in terms of his ability as a coach, but
in terms of his fit for Justin Herbert. I asked them,
what's the best thing about being a Chargers fan. He's
a very interesting answer. It builds character, they said, with
a laugh. No one can ever accuse you of being
a bandwagon fan if you are a Chargers fan. And
they said, you got to check out the social media
(45:21):
team's posts. After a w he said they may have
the best social media team in the biz. And then
something that one of them said I found very interesting.
They said, being a Chargers fan means you always have
a great player to idolize, and when you go back
and you look, it's true all the way back from
Fouts and Winslow and LT and Antonio Gates and now
(45:43):
Justin Herbert. They love the fact that there is always
a great player to idolize in the powder blue. Biggest concern,
the worst thing about being a Chargers fan the flak,
they said, the flack they get every year about being
the off season champs. And on a very football note,
the secondary's a mess. One of them said, except for
(46:04):
Derwin James, neither would be surprised if the Chargers win
ten games or more. This is not a rebuild season.
They said. You don't keep your edge rushers and lose
Keenan Allen and Mike Williams unless you have a plan.
And they said, yes, be ready for exactly what Michael
Robinson called out before a ground and pound running game.
(46:24):
They also said in Jesse, we trust Jesse mintor the DC.
Don't forget he was the DC at Michigan, and they
believe that he may simplify things, making the defensive schemes
significantly less complicated than the one that we saw under
Brandon Staley. And they believe that a simplified defense may
invite the best to emerge yet again out of players
(46:47):
like Derwin James. My old colleague and friend Caleb Rosenfeld
wrote in and said in terms of the draft at five,
I'd prefer to pick Marvin Harrison Junior if he's there,
and if not, Malik Neighbors. He'd be cool trading down
too and stocking up on picks and getting either a
wide receiver, a tight end, a cornerback, an edge rusher,
or a tackle. I just don't want to take a
(47:09):
tackle at five. Biggest source of excitement for Caleb Rosenfeld
is the same for so many Chargers fans, the new regime. Obviously,
he has Michigan bias. Yes, Caleb went to Michigan like
my wife Gracie did with Harbaugh. But he's been a
winner at every level. Caleb reminds us and what he
embodies is a change. I believe this franchise needed that change.
(47:31):
He said. The Keenan Allen trade was really hard for
him to take. Keenan Allen was his favorite player, but
that type of move signifies a total mentality change for
this organization, Caleb said. Jim Harbaugh was brought in to
do things differently, so Caleb is ready for him to
do just that. Biggest source of concern the wide receiver room.
(47:52):
At this point. Josh Palmer has been good, but not great.
And he has injury concerns. Quentin Johnson obviously talented, but
some dry issues and a downright bad first year can
shake the kid's confidence. Adding another one or two wide
receivers in the draft will help a ton. And finally,
Caleb Rosenfeld said, I wouldn't be surprised in twenty twenty
four if Gus Edwards Booboo Edwards leads the league in
(48:16):
rushing touchdowns. He said, Horball will bring a built in
the trench's mentality and try to make the game easier
for Justin Herbert. He says, I'm not expecting the playoffs,
and while I think it's possible, a lot has to
break right for that to happen. He said, I simply
expect a step forward in order to set up twenty
twenty five as a potentially big year. And finally, our
(48:40):
researcher extraordinary. Micah Roth said, well, I've got questions. Micah said,
who's playing linebacker and who's playing wide receiver. In terms
of the draft, Micah said, I'd rather trade down and
collect players. Micah is actually the one that drew my
attention to the Harball quote that I mentioned earlier to
Michael Robinson. When Hart said, quote everything else can be good,
(49:02):
but if you have a bad O line, then you
have a bad team. Mike's interpretation of that, I think
Harball's going to draft a tackle now. He wouldn't be
surprised if his Chargers win the West playing tough nose
football in the first year of a Harball transition instant implementation.
He said, the Chargers have long been known as a
(49:22):
softer team. He said, Harball's going to kick that out.
He's going to get tough, and he's going to play
smash mouth football. He said getting Bosa and macback was awesome,
But Micah Roth reminds us that if you want to
beat Patrick Mahomes in that AFC West, the only way
to do that is to give him the ball as
few times as possible. You've got to control the clock,
you've got to control the game script, and the best
(49:44):
way to do that is run, run, and then run
some more. This notion that Jim Harbaugh will introduce a
thirteen personnel run it down your gullet boring offense may
actually be overstating it, because Michigan was umber one among
all Power five schools last year in motion plays, shifts
(50:06):
and motions. Look at what they did against Bama because
it's what they did to their opponents all season long. Okay,
Michael Robinson, here we go. You heard the picks, you
heard the fans. Now let's get from you a predicted
order of finish for the AFC West. We won't hold
you to it tomorrow, but let's hear what you've got today.
(50:27):
AFC West top to bottom at the end of the season.
Who's one, who's two, who's three, and who's four.
Speaker 2 (50:34):
I think you got Kansas City winning it again. I
don't know what is this for lack though.
Speaker 1 (50:37):
I think that would be a ninth straight time.
Speaker 2 (50:40):
Yeah, ninth straight time. It's incredible. I think Casey wins it.
I think the Chargers coming second, man, I really do.
Speaker 3 (50:50):
Right now. They're the only other team.
Speaker 2 (50:53):
That has a quarterback, right, so I will go with
the Charges coming in second, which is a big deal
for the Los Angeles Charger.
Speaker 3 (51:01):
And then I got Denver.
Speaker 2 (51:02):
Coming in third, with the Raiders rounding up the last
of the division. But I will say this, I do
think everybody in this division at least wins six games.
Speaker 1 (51:12):
Okay, so at least six wins for everybody that includes you,
two Raiders, even in the cellar dweller position. As Michael
Robinson sees it today, things may change. You've got the
LA Chargers coming in second in the AFC West, a
potential playoff spot, a wild card spot from the number
two spot in the AFC West, or not enough wins
(51:33):
to get one of the seven spots in the AFC.
Speaker 2 (51:35):
I think it'll be. I think it'll be enough wins.
I think they'll split with KC next year. I really
think going to a physical style, at least a style
that I think that Greg Roman could run out there.
And this again, things have to go right in the
draft and all of those types of things, but when
you're I believe when you're when you're playing the Chargers
this year, you're going to have to maximize every single
(51:57):
possession because you're not going to have that.
Speaker 1 (52:00):
Up translation Jim Harbaught, You've just been put on blast
in the very best way by the real Mike rob
today's special guest. I want to thank Michael Robinson for
your time today. Great to see Mike, Thank you brother.
Speaker 3 (52:10):
As always, always glad to be here, and I want.
Speaker 1 (52:15):
To invite the listener to join us next time when
we will move our countdown to the twenty twenty four
NFL Draft, to the NFC West, to the vanquished San
Francisco forty nine Ers, Michael Robinson's old team, San Francisco
forty nine Ers, Division Niners, Cardinals, Seahawks, and Rams. What
do they need in the draft. What's the move they
better not make in the draft? All to talk about
(52:37):
next time? Till then, take care of you, take care
of your crew, and chowfinow. NFL Total Access is a
production of the NFL and partnership with iHeartRadio. For more
podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcasts.
NFL Total Access is a production of the NFL in
partnership with iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
It's Friday, March twenty ninth, and you're listening to NFL
Total Access, the podcast.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
That is the voice of today's special guest. A collegiate legend,
an NFL champ, a Heisman finalist, a pro bowler, a
man of integrity, ingenuity, an enviable bone structure, a man
who is willing to see things differently because he is
willing to look at things differently. A man who has
been absent from this pod for way too frickin' long.
(00:39):
So let's welcome back to the pod. The real mic
rob Michael Robinson. Really good to see you, man, Really.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Good to see you too, man, always excited to be
on the pod.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
I'm your host, NFL Network Senior writer Andrew Lavian. On
today's show, it's that time of year once again, listener.
We are twenty seven days from the start of the
twenty twenty four NFL Draft, and that leaves us pres
albeit ample time to get you ready. So Coop, let's
start the clock, act ause we better get on the clock.
We're going to break down draft needs and storylines for
(01:09):
all thirty two NFL teams. We're going to do it
division by division today. That means that we start in
the division of the defending champions. That's the AFC West,
that's Chiefs and Chargers, Broncos and Raiders. But first this
Daniels goes to Neighbors Cats made.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Was he in bounds? They say it's a.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
Catch, they say it's a touchdown? The league Neighbors Michael Robinson,
there was Jaden Daniels to Malik Neighbors. Expected top five pick,
Jaden Daniels, expected top ten pick, Malik Neighbors. They were
certainly the headliners at Wednesday's LSU Pro Day. Mike rob
has a take on this year's quarterback draft class that
(01:50):
I find very interesting. I'm going to ask him about
that in a moment. But Mike rob let's start with
Malik Neighbors. In a deep and talented wide receiver class.
Where do you stand on Marvin Harrison Junior, who you
saw a lot this year covering the big ten versus
Malik Neighbors. Is this one of those situations where you
can't go wrong with either, or do you have a preference?
(02:12):
And if you do, why?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I do think it's one of those deals where you
can't go wrong with either one. I think they're both explosive,
they're both very talented. They both can catch any pass
that you throw to him. But I do think their
skill set is just a little bit different. Like, for instance,
what I saw out of Marvin Harrison Junior this year
his ability to be able to move around the offense
(02:36):
and he had a lesser quarterback than he had the
previous year in CJ.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Stroud.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
This year he had a lesser quarterback, so they had
to move him around to dictate coverage.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
And I thought he showed great intelligence.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
He showed great ability to move in the slot and
get his own releases in the slot.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Honestly, and I know this is.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Big, you know, big names to throw around, but he
reminded me of a of a Randy Moss that could
play in the slot. And we always think of Randy
Moss on the outside, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (03:05):
Like a fast guy that could.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
I mean, he can go and get a nine or
ten catches a game if that's what you need him
to do in your offense. And then you look at
Milik Neighbors. He's one of those guys. He's a rat guy.
Dro And when I say Rack run after catch right
after he catches the football. He can catch a five
yard slant and go to distance right, but he's also
a rack run after contact.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
I think he's a new and improved version of.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
A of a Deebo Samuel Right being able to run
through arm tackles, And I think he mentioned that in
one of his interviews, his ability to be able to
run through tackles and really have a defensive mindset on
the offensive side of the football. So I do think
it just depends on what type of offense. So with
you know, how you want to use these guys, I
(03:52):
really don't think you can go wrong, especially if you
got some creative coaches that know exactly.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
Where to put him in how to put him.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
I just found myself sometimes having to say, okay, am
I getting recency biased with Malik because he you know,
he's ran at Pro Day. He's doing everything. Marvin didn't
do everything right. And I do think it's one thing
you can count on with Marvin is you know what,
you know, his dad is teaching him some things. I
mean I saw some stuff on film that you know,
(04:20):
a lot of wide receiver coaches in the National Football
League wouldn't be able to coach Marvin on that's something
that's innateant special to his dad and his ability to
get off releases.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
So you can't go wrong with either one of them.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Michael, you mentioned recency bias. I wonder do we get
seduced by pedigree bias. The fact that it's Marvin Harrison
Junior and that name means a hell of a lot
to anybody who watched football for the last, you know,
twenty five years. Is it possible that he gets a
bump by by proximity to the old man? Or is
(04:56):
it more to what you just suggested, which is his
proximity to the old man means A he's got the
DNA and b he has the teaching. He has that
inside the house teaching that other people simply can't get.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
I think it's both. It's funny you said DNA man.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
I remember having a conversation with Coke, with Coach k
the old basketball coach at Duke man my favorite basketball
college basketball team being on the East Coast in Virginia,
and he said one thing he used to say to
his freshman class when they would come in with their
parents is, first of all, how many NBA players do
you have in your immediate family, and he said, usually
(05:35):
you never get.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
You may get one that raises their hand. You might
get too.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Then he says, well, what about your extended family, and
you may get you know, three or four a little
bit more. And he says, you know, eighty five percent
of this is genetics. Guy, So if you ain't really
had a family, there's a big chance these guys won't go.
So take school seriously. Just when you said that, it
made me think of that.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
It goes. It does go to this Marvin Harrison thing.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
So I think two things. Obviously the genetics. Number two
I think of I have a son, right Drew. We
talk about this all the time at shop, at work,
and just he had a track meet the other day.
The fact that I went through rehab, the fact that
I went through being after practice on a pro level,
(06:24):
understanding that it takes forty eight hours phylactic acid to
set in. He got in the cold tub immediately after
his track meet.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
Then he did some contrast in the next day.
Speaker 2 (06:35):
He got a stretch, he got a massage. You see
what I'm saying, even if it's just for knowing what
to do, You see what I'm saying. And that gives
a kid an advantage. That's number one and number two.
You know, from a team standpoint, you think about it like, Okay,
what's the worst that we can get out of Marvin
Harrison Junior. I mean, I think the worst we can
get out of him is what one thousand yard season.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Like, because we know what he knows.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
That's low end.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
You see what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Yeah, so you say, Okay, yeah, maybe Malikue neighbors may
have a little bit more upside if we looking at
the numbers, the forty, the vertical jumping, all of those things.
But I mean, we're investing, We're playing a little bit
of a lottery here.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
I've almost can't go wrong with him, and I almost
know it.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
I think that's very interesting. The moment you tell me
that somebody is amazing, the moment you tell me somebody
is the best. The moment you tell me that somebody
is peerless is the moment I start to look more
closely at somebody and question your the proverbial your not
your specifically, but theverbial your take. I start to I
start to really question it. The fact that Marvin Harrison
(07:41):
Junior's father had a you know, a Hall of Fame
career in the NFL does not mean that he will
be successful because he came from that tree. No, But
on the one hand, it means that he's probably wired
to be successful. And on the other hand, what you
just said is so important. We always say, well, I
don't know what I don't know. No, you don't You
(08:02):
don't know what you don't know. But if your old
man knows, like you did for your kid after the
track meet, how to best prepare his body for rest,
for rehabilitation and for the next run, well, shit, man,
you're ahead of the game. So I think that that's
really important to hear and thank you for that. I'm
looking at Daniel Jeremiah's most recent mock draft. He has
(08:23):
Marvin Harrison Junior going fifth to the New York Jets,
Malik Neighbors going one pick later, sixth to the New
York Giants. Do you like the sound of that?
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Yeah, I think that sounds about right.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
And when one of them go, and I think it'll
be Marvin Heddison junior first, but if Molie Neighbors, whoever
goes first, I think the second one will come off
the board very fast because then it may be a
run on some receivers real quick.
Speaker 1 (08:48):
Let's talk about quarterbacks. On Wednesday, we saw Jaden Daniels.
There's an electric buzz around Jaden Daniels. The buzz is
more electric now than it was even when he won
the Heisman Trophy. Because when we start to talk about
draft boards, when we start to talk about draft stock,
the same kind of thing starts to happen. Originally, Drake
(09:11):
May was everybody's pick at number two for the Washington Commanders,
And yet more and more we are hearing people say
that Jaden Daniels is the better pick at two. I've
heard people in this building say that Jaden Daniels is
actually the better pick at one because he's a better
fit for the Chicago Bears, a better fit for a
Shane Waldron offense. Who is, in your estimation, the better
(09:35):
pick for the Washington Commanders, for my Washington Commanders at two?
Is it Jayden Daniels, Is it Drake May or is
it somebody that I'm not even thinking about?
Speaker 3 (09:43):
Well, I like Jadon Daniels. I'm a Jade Daniels fan.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
I think he is the I think he's the best
quarterback in the draft.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
Number one because it's rare.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
First of all, he's one of the COVID quarterbacks. So
he's been in school for forever. Okay, he's got a
a million throws, all right, he's seen everything.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
He's a passer with running ability.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Here we go and I know a lot of and
I know a lot of analysts out there are comparing
him and saying, oh, he looks like Lamar Jackson. Absolutely not.
Now I can understand where they see that, because he's
a he's a more of an upright runner.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
He's a slender, Yes, he is fast.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
There's something about the silhouette. There's something about the profile
that does remind us of the Lamar Jackson silhouette. But
your distinction is really important. You see the Lamar Jackson
as a runner with passing ability. You see Jaden Daniels
as a passer with running ability, and the difference couldn't
be more vast.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Absolutely, and honestly, he may be the best pocket passer
in this draft. And I'm telling you he's being compared
to Lamar Jackson.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Think about what I'm saying there.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
He's probably the best pocket as in this draft. He's
seen a lot of defenses and you talk to his teammates.
You know, just you know, I was just at owners
meetings about a week ago, and you know, you get
a chance to talk to some of these talent evaluators,
and you don't hear his teammate say anything negative about him.
Not saying people say negative things about the other guys,
(11:18):
but you just hear nothing but great things. He's seen everything.
He's a passor that can beat you.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
From the pocket.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
He can throw the ball on time, and he can
and he has movement ability. My only thing with Caleb,
I do think he's a generational talent, and you know,
depending on the circumstances that he goes to. But every
time you hear Lincoln Riley talk about him, he always says, guys,
we have to remember he's a young man. He was
nineteen last year. Yeah, he's a young man. He's only
(11:45):
had two years of college. And to hear your head
coach say that a lot to me, he's saying, like, look,
just I'm not saying he's not good, but just calm down.
And then I had an opportunity to see him at
the Notre Dame game and he saw some real NFL
tight defenses and he turned the.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Ball over a lot.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
So to me, it's Jaden Daniels, But I can't understand
why you will pick a Caleb Willis.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
Okay, very interesting, listener, Let's just summarize very quickly because
I think it's very very interesting what Michael is offering
us to hear, whether we want to hear it or not,
that yes, Caleb Williams is a generational talent in his words,
but the quick reminder of how young he is, this
is a young man. Part two. Jaden Daniels may be
(12:28):
the best pocket passer in this draft class. Now think
about that. When we hear comparisons to Lamar Jackson, Michael
Robinson is inviting us to think a little bit more.
We can be more nuanced about this. We can be
smarter fans about this. Recognize the difference in the skill
sets the best pocket passer in the draft. That means
(12:48):
that a better comparison is not Lamar Jackson. A better
comparison is Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff than it is
Lamar Jackson. And yet interesting, we take a tall, thin,
mobile black quarterback, can we compare him to you know,
another tall, thin, mobile black quarterback. Funny, how reductive we
can get isn't it. But there is something else that
I want you to share with us, because you threw
(13:10):
something out rather casually, Michael, that I think may be
rather seismic. In the end, Caleb is generational. Jaden may
be the best pocket passer and may currently be the
best quarterback in your estimation in this draft class. However,
there is an aim out there that took that took
the field yesterday at the Washington Pro Day, that you
believe may end up being the best quarterback in the
(13:32):
NFL from this draft class. Michael Pennix tell us.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
Why, because I believe if he can fall in the
right situation, which I believe is Minnesota indoors, you've got
a number one receiver, coach O'Connell understands how to run
the football, and you can get after the quarterback defensively.
I know they let some things go, but I just
think that's that's set for him. Eight eight games indoors.
(13:57):
He has a he throws a beautiful deep ball. I
know people say he struggles with the intermediate balls, but
I think that was a kind of an effect of
the offense in general that he was playing in.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Highly highly intelligent.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
You know, I love the job that I do, Man,
and I get a chance to be around these guys.
I had a chance to be around him in the combine,
and we stayed at the same hotel and we ended
up being in the same at the gym at the
same time, and we just kind of had a ten
fifteen minute conversation. Man looked me in my eyes. Everything
was serious about him. He spent the last two years healthy,
(14:34):
and that was his thing to me, Like my people
keep talking about my injury history and things like that,
But I mean the last two years I've just been
eating people up like I've been on the field. If
I played another position, nobody, nobody would be talking about
my injury history if I had stayed healthy for the
last two years. So, I mean, the guy knows football
(14:55):
and he was the catalyst in that Washington offense. And
like I said, if he falls in the right situation,
he may not have the.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Best overall skill set in the draft, but if he falls.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
In the right situation, I believe he can have the
most success in totatletlity.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
I'll tell you this. Thank you so much for sharing that,
because that is really interesting and I think Vikings fans
just sat up and thought to themselves, Okay, so if
we could get him at eleven, that sounds pretty damn good, right,
Vikings are drafting there at eleven if they can pick
him up.
Speaker 3 (15:23):
They're at twenty three too, so they.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Eleven or twenty three, so they've got two that they
could package or it's possible the penis will still be
available to them at twenty three.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
And that's what I think could and that's what I
think could happen to him, just because of you know,
if he gets to the put it like this, if
you want to compare someon model Lamar somebody to Lamar Jackson.
If he gets past twenty, you'll see teams early in
the second round trying to get back up like Baltimore
did to get their quarterback.
Speaker 3 (15:51):
To me, that's the.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
Only comparison to Lamar Jackson that there should be with
any of these quarterback.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Thank you for sharing the human moment that you had
with Michael Panics at the combine, because I think moments
like that really do help us with the dossier. They
help us right with the portfolio. Those little things that
we simply don't know about a player. You're helping to
kind of fill in the gaps. The one thing that
we can all agree is that if you have ever
seen Michael Penix just throw the ball around, there is
(16:16):
something about that young man's release. Yes it's coming from
the wrong side, Yes it's coming from the left, which
is super cool to a lot of us who grew
up loving like Kenny Stabler. I love a left handed quarterback,
I always have. But that kid, it shreds out of
his hands. When they talk about somebody being able to
rip it, being able to spin it, Michael Pennox's release
(16:37):
is more impressive to me than the release of anybody
else in this draft class. And the person that it
reminds me of, and I'm probably gonna get hammered for
this is Aaron Rodgers. There is something about Aaron Rodgers' release,
the way that the ball so casually, so beautifully, and
so powerfully comes out of his hand. Well, that is
(16:58):
the thing that my mind me of. That's what I
was reminded of. Rather when I saw the ball first
come out of Michael Pennox's hand, when I started to
really look and get granular and watch the release, It's
not a release point thing. It's not a similar silhouette
It's the way the ball sounds and the way the
ball looks coming out of that kid's hand makes me
believe that Michael Robinson may just be onto something. That
(17:20):
Michael Pennix, if he finds his way into the right roster,
into the right situation, and maybe yes, indoors in Minnesota
is the right situation. Not a bad thing to be
targeting JJ Justin Jefferson potentially the best wide receiver in
the game. Who Michael Pennocks Your future just got very
exciting to me. Michael Robinson, thank you for that. After
the break on NFL Total Access to the podcast, we're
(17:42):
going to start the clock. It's high time. Thirty two teams,
twenty seven days. We got to get to all of them.
We are going to start in the Division of the Champions,
the Kansas City Chiefs. We're putting them on the clock.
After the break on NFL Total Access the podcast. You
(18:15):
are listening to NFL Total Access to podcast Andrew Lady
with the Real Mike rob Michael Robinson, the Super Bowl Champion,
and Coop Start the clock. Hell, cue the music if
you like. Let's start the countdown to the twenty twenty
four NFL Draft. Presented by bud Light. It's April what,
twenty fifth, twenty sixth, twenty seventh, that's Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
Let's begin our countdown in the AFC West, the division
(18:38):
that claims the back to back Super Bowl champion, Kansas
City Chiefs. When I say Kansas City Chiefs, probably hard
not to think Reid and Mahomes and Super Bowl champions.
But where does your mind go in this moment here
at the end of March when you hear Kansas City Chiefs,
what's your thought?
Speaker 2 (18:55):
At some point age, we'll catch up with Travis Kelce
and they will need a bona fide number one. Now,
Rushi Rice may be that it may turn out that
this year is the growth we see from year one
to year two is so substantial that boom.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
They have it.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
But until I see it, I think he's a really
good number two for right now.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
And each year you think it's going to catch up
with him.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
But Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes man, really Patrick Mahomes
that kid man is just something different. I think he's
been developed the right way, and that year sitting behind
Alex Smith, I just can't say how much.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
You know, how great it was for him.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
And when you talk about these other quarterbacks coming and
you wish they could all kind of go through that.
But yeah, at some point you think it catch up
with them. But with their luck, they'll probably go back
to the super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
But listener, you heard him. His first thought was to
put the analyst hat on and to evaluate areas of
potential need and potential concern the age of Travis Kelcey
and the fact that there really is in the absence,
let's say, of a fully fit Travis kelce there really
is an absence of a t one let's call it
a target one. Whether it's from the tight end position
(20:07):
or the wide receiver position, they do kind of lack
on days when Travis either isn't out there or at
his best, they do lack a top target. So that's
Michael's concern. But of course those concerns get allayed very
quickly when you start to mention names like Patrick Mahomes
and Andy Reid. But you kind of casually at the
end there said you wouldn't be surprised if they win
it again, or at least make a Super Bowl run
(20:29):
back to back to back. That is not out of
the question for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Speaker 3 (20:32):
Michael, No, it's not out of the question.
Speaker 2 (20:34):
Especially again, they got the most important position they have,
the quarterback.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
They've paid you.
Speaker 2 (20:41):
Know, they've found a way to make sure that Chris
Jones stays, I mess sir, you get that.
Speaker 3 (20:48):
You'll be fine.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Arrow had tough place to play, fun place to play,
hard place to play. What are we looking at?
Speaker 3 (20:53):
It's tough, man, it is. It's tough.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
I'm not going to even lie as a vegetarian, it's
tough to even go cover upgain you smell all those
smellsas meek smelly city barbecue, baby, come on now.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
A bunch of it.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
But in all seriousness, man, you know, to be in
a media role and go back, it is fun. Man,
These people, these these fans have a good time. But
playing there, man, it was a little intimidating. And I
played there when Larry Johnson was getting thirty seven carries
a game.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Literally, I think you've.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Broken there for a record over four hundred and almost
five hundred carries.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
So yeah, it's a tough place to play.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
And you actually, I mean you look, you spent four
years of your career, won a Super Bowl championship with
a team that is known for its fans, the twelves,
very very loud up there in the Northwest. And yet
if there is any stadium in America that can go
toe to toe with your twelves for ferocity, for volume,
for passion, it's probably the guys at Arrowhead, right, it's
(21:55):
probably the Kingdom, the Chiefs Kingdom in KC. Very very interesting.
Let's move on down the ledger. Let's talk about the
somewhat surprising, I think, if you'll agree, the somewhat surprising
Denver Broncos. Because the Denver Broncos had a fifty burger
loss on their schedule in twenty twenty three, and yet
(22:16):
you look up and they kind of aft around and
finished the season eight and nine, eight and nine. I
think that is a remarkable record for a team that
lost seventy to twenty in week you know, two or
three or whatever the hell it was when the sky
was falling on Sean Payton and the Broncos. Talk to
me about the Broncos. Where does your mind go right now?
End of March When I say Denver Broncos, long deep
(22:40):
that listener, deep side pause, a far away look in
his eye, kind of a thousand yard stare up to
the corner of his room and a deep, mournful almost sigh.
What are we looking at, Mike.
Speaker 3 (22:52):
Well, not necessarily mournful. Put it like this, I got to.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
Be a full disclosure Broncos fans me and Sean Payton's
pen like thirty, I mean, in deep conversation at owners meetings,
man like I got the schoop on a lot of stuff,
and I'm not talking because that's my guy.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
He can't anything.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Hold on, you're gonna tell You're gonna tell us you
got a lot of scoop and you can't share any
of it.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
Come on, man, let y'all fair enough. Y'all know I'm
that dude. You feel me?
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Listen to what I'm se Yes, please, yes, please, So
we'll read between the lines. What do you got for?
Speaker 2 (23:25):
I'm just giving you some credibility here, So I look,
I don't know nothing, okay, but just something about something about.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
They need a quarterback. Yes, they haven't really done any
everything anything. Where did they sit right now? Twelve? I believe? Yes, sir.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
You know Sean Payton had to have interviewed all the
quarterback You know there's somebody that he probably likes. You
know who his teacher was, Bill Parsels. I'm just saying,
there's a lot of stuff out there.
Speaker 3 (23:55):
I think they gonna do.
Speaker 2 (23:56):
I think they'll find a way to find to get
themselves one of these quarterbacks. I do, I don't, I
don't know how. And no he didn't say that, But
I'm just saying, just knowing Sean Payton, knowing the competitor
he is, knowing how important.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
Those guys are two.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
To a team, I believe he'll find a way to
get one of these quarterbacks. But he did also tell
me too that you know, you know, Justin Fields might
play this year in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3 (24:29):
I thought that was interesting.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
Translation. Sean Payton isn't winging it. Sean Payton is a
man with a plan, and Michael Robinson's got a twinkle
in his eye about We're hanging on every word that
Michael Robinson is not sharing with us. But we are
going to read between the lines, and I tell you what,
that's going to be very good news for Denver Broncos
fans to know that Sean Payton has that twinkle too
(24:51):
and that he has, uh, he's got a plan in
his back pocket. Mile High Stadium. We talked about arra ahead.
We talked about you know, we talked about Seattle. But
if there is another stadium that is sort of known
for having a built in home field advantage, it's mile High.
Based on being mile high, two hundred and eighty feet
up in the air, the air is a little thinner,
(25:11):
tough place to play Denver.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Yes, And because just because of that. When I say
because of that, I'm talking about the take go to
the third floor on the stairs in your hotel because
you don't feel like rodn elevator and you're winded.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
I mean, it's it takes a toll on you.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
And really, honestly, it affects you during the week of
prep because it's in your mind. You start I used
to do jump ropes in the steam room. I mean,
you do all quirky types of things to try to
prepare your mind and body for it. And so you
end up, I don't know, probably spending an extra two
hours during your prep week away from your family, just
(25:50):
worrying about that.
Speaker 3 (25:51):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
It just it's a cumulative thing and it does get
to you on game day.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Let's move on to the last Vegas her Raiders who
finished the twenty twenty three season eight and nine, again
somewhat surprising when you consider that there was a little
bit of Sky's Falling narratives surrounding the Raiders as well.
The first place that your mind goes Michael Robinson when
you hear Las Vegas Raiders.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Yeah, I just hope they're not setting Antonio Peers for failure.
And I say they, I just mean, I don't know,
the football gods or whatever you want to call it.
They don't have a quarterback. Okay, they're gonna need a quarterback.
They are another one of those teams that I think
really aren't saying much about.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
The quarterback position.
Speaker 2 (26:29):
They're gonna be at all the big time quarterbacks pro days,
and I think they're gonna be some a team that
we're talking about on the first night of draft Day
getting one of these quarterbacks. I mean, they have to.
I think right now they sit at what thirteen, they're.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
Thirteen overall, one pick behind their division rival Broncos. Broncos
picked twelve, Bronco Raiders pick thirteenth.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
And both of them need a quarterback.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
So I believe what you're gonna see is, you know,
both of those teams, I believe again needing a quarterback,
trying to get in front of each other some way, somehow,
because they just need a quarterback. And I think Antonio
Pierce is bringing a good energy to the Raiders, and yeah, man,
I wish him success, but without a quarterback, it's the
(27:13):
first time being out there, it's gonna be tough.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
If you don't have a quarterback, you don't have a chance.
Is that overstating it or is that NFL truth?
Speaker 3 (27:21):
That's NFL truth?
Speaker 2 (27:22):
Or what I will say is if you don't have
a quarterback or the roster to support a non quarterback,
if you copy that, copy that quarterback, yes, sir, then
you see what I'm saying. But I don't think the
Raiders right now have the roster to support not having
a premier quarterback.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
You believe in Antonio Pierce's ability, though, to construct a
defense that was already playing kind of punching above their
weight class last season. I like what he's doing on
the defensive side of things, and that's going to keep
you in a lot of games. I assume you would
co sign the enthusiasm for a Raiders defense that is
starting to look the part.
Speaker 3 (27:57):
Absolutely, He's a former linebacker.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Trust me, I've had a I spent a lot of week,
a lot of time during the week prepping for him
when I play. A smart dude understands how to actually
really be a communicator to the young athlete. I believe
he's one of the better guys him drop may or
some of these younger guys, former players that are getting
you know, that are getting opportunity. From what I hear
(28:20):
in the locker room is I mean these guys are
run through brick walls for these guys.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
And finally, let's finish the division with the Bolts the
LA Chargers who were five and twelve and twenty twenty three.
That was good for well last in the AFC West.
This is a puzzling team to a lot of us. Obviously,
our proximity here overlooking Sofi Stadium means that we are
a little bit tapped into the Rams and the Chargers.
But the Chargers bewilder us almost annually. They get a
(28:48):
lot of buzz. We talk about how good their roster is,
we talk about their depth, and we talk about the
possibilities that surround a Chargers team. Seemingly every year. Michael Robinson,
this year, where does your mind go when you hear
Los Angeles.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
Chargers physicality less Herbert more, physicality less Herbert yep. Now,
is Jim Harbaugh just the man to bring that to
this team?
Speaker 2 (29:13):
Coach Tarball is his office of coordinator Greg roman Is.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
Again.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
I had a good conversation with coach Tarball at owners
meetings and he said, Mike, you know what I used
to You know what I used to tell my team
at Michigan. You know one of the first things I
would I would tell him when we get the preseason camp.
He said, I say, what is the only position that
doesn't need anybody else to be successful?
Speaker 3 (29:38):
You already knew it's the offensive line.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
The offensive line don't need anybody else to be successful.
Speaker 3 (29:46):
They just moved people. You see what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Yes, And when you really can understand that concept, it
kind of goes back to Tom Cable used to.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
Tell us when we were in Seattle, if we can
gain a blade of grass, guys, we're winning.
Speaker 2 (30:00):
And if you can embody that mentality will win a
lot more than we lose.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
Around So you expect that a very different look.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
Yeah, oh yeah, And that way your quarterback can be
his special self healthy in his special self maybe thirty
times a year as opposed to thirty times a game.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
A little bit more physicality seems to be what they've
been lacking for a long long time. So Michael Robinson
is pleading with the football gods to deliver more physicality,
a little less Herbert, not because Herbert's not good enough,
because Herbert needs less of himself less hero ball. Michael
Robinson is the president of Bill's Mafia. He knows quite
well the perils of putting too much pressure and too much,
(30:44):
you know, too much responsibility on the shoulders of just
one man. You know, it's funny you should say that
about the O line. Jim harbut just the other day
said everything else can be good, but if you have
a bad O line, you have a bad team. So
I think, yes, Michael Robinson's arms extended as if to say,
I just said that, didn't I. Yes, you're absolutely right.
(31:05):
So I think the interpretation probably is that with that
five pick, they're very likely to go O line. Is
this more about roster building for the Chargers or is
this more about addressing the very thing that Jim Harbaugh
is obsessed with, which is trench warfare? Getting your O
line right.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
I do think this is about roster building, but just
to kind of go back to that old line piece,
I believe and a lot of coach there's a strong
belief for this. In the National Football League, you can't
win in this league without your O line and your secondary.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
Right.
Speaker 2 (31:37):
Your old line is like the engine of the car.
Your secondary is like the battery. Either one goes down,
it's hard to move the entire car right.
Speaker 3 (31:46):
And so you want the best engine.
Speaker 2 (31:48):
Yeah, you know, you might can have you know, your
review mill broke or something like that. But if the
engine right, man, you good. And I believe that's what
coach Harball has believed. I mean, you think about when
he was with San Francisco the first time, when he
had Greg Roman and those guys with Frank Gore and
all those guys before he.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
Got Colin Kaepernick.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Then when he got Colin Kaepernick and had a runner
at the quarterback.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
Position, they were still a physical team. They beat people up.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
He took that to college and it was something different
as teams are spreading out and wanting to be pretty
and do all of this stuff. Trust me, when Michigan
played Penn State, they ran the ball like nineteen straight times.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
Maybe more than that.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
I could get the number wrong, but it was something crazy,
like the whole second half was no passing. So when
you have the ability to do that and beat teams
up like they've done over the last few years, I mean,
it's a culture.
Speaker 3 (32:38):
Physicality is a culture.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Physicality is a culture. Physicality needs to be the culture,
says Michael Robinson. For a Chargers team, if they expect
to actually take advantage of the assets they have new
assets like yes, head coach Jim Harbaugh, new defensive coordinator
Jesse Mentor who you watched in at Michigan as well
Michael Robinson, and of course a new Greg Roman. It
(33:01):
suggests that we will see a run, heavy, ground and
pound offense. Will that be the case? Does that need
to be the case? Time will tell. After the break
on NFL Total Access, We're going to get a little
bit more granular with each of the four teams in
the AFC West, and then I will get Michael Robinson
to give us the predicted order of finish in the
AFC West for the twenty twenty four season. NFL Total
(33:23):
Access to the podcast coming right back. You are listening
(33:44):
to NFL Total Access to the podcast and Coop start
that clock again. Let's put ourselves on the clock and
let's start the countdown to the twenty twenty four NFL Drafts,
starting in the division of the champions, the AFC West.
In fact, you know what, let's start with the champions,
the Kansas City Chiefs. In twenty twenty three, the Chiefs
went eleven and six. They were the AFC West champions,
(34:09):
and of course we all remember they went back to
back and they were the Super Bowl fifty eight champions
as well. According to NFL dot Com, team needs for
the Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle, wide receiver, offensive tackle, cornerback,
and running back. They have seven total picks with which
to address those needs. The thirty second the last pick
(34:31):
in the first round, the sixty fourth pick of the
second round. They have the number ninety five pick, that's
a third rounder. They have a fourth rounder, two fifth
round picks, and one seventh round pick. What should they
do with those picks? Well, you know me. I went
around the building today and I interviewed fans of AFC
West teams. Jose Collimer are esteemed director. Jose Calimer is
(34:54):
a Chiefs fan. It explains the smile on his face
for the last couple of years. In the draft, he said,
in Veach, we trust, in Andy. We trust That of
course is GM Brett Veach and Andy Reid the head coach.
So he says, don't ask me to make a pick
for him. I believe those guys will make the right pick.
But he did add wide receiver would be nice, offensive
(35:16):
lineman would be delightful in order to protect the money man.
Patrick mahomes the biggest source of pride for Jose Collamer
as a Chiefs fan. He said, Look, I waited fifty years.
This is the heyday right now for the Kansas City Chiefs,
and I am merely glad to be living in it.
Biggest source of concern, he said, it's an annual concern
(35:38):
for me. Injuries. That's always his biggest concern. And when
I asked him to finish the following sentence, I wouldn't
be surprised if you were twenty twenty four Kansas City
Chiefs did what he said without hesitation. Three Peat Baby three.
Pete Kimmy Checks, the host of NFL Total Access, the broadcast,
of course, famed Chiefs fan Kimmy Checks. I asked Kimmy
(35:59):
about the draft, and she said, without hesitation, wide receiver,
she said. I did hear that they had their eye
on Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy, she said, but that
was before he ran that blazing four two one forty
at the combine, So Xavier Worthy because of that forty
may well be gone by the time the Chiefs do
(36:19):
pick with the thirty second pick of that first round.
Kimmy Check's biggest source of pride as a Chiefs fan
the dynasty, she said, The dynasty that we have built,
she said, the fact that we've never had a question
over coaching and personnel like so many other NFL teams do.
She said, It's such a blessing we can contend regardless
of our roster, and Andy Reid is quite simply the
(36:42):
best coach in the NFL, according to Kimmy Checks. And man,
it is hard to push back on that. Biggest concern
for Kimmy offensive line and wide receiver. Again not surprising
when I asked her to finish the following sentence, I
wouldn't be surprised if your twenty twenty four Kansas City
Chiefs did what again, no hesitation, run it back, she said,
run it back yet again, and now we turn to
(37:04):
the Las Vegas Raiders. The Las Vegas Raiders in twenty
twenty three finished a surprisingly high for ME eight and
nine team needs according to nfl dot com, quarterback, the
inside of their O line, offensive tackle, cornerback, and running back.
Don't forget Josh Jacobs out the door. They have eight
(37:24):
total picks with which to address their needs, the thirteenth
overall pick in the first round. They have a second rounder,
a third rounder, a fourth rounder, a fifth round pick,
a sixth round pick, and two seventh round picks. Shelton
Ray is an IT wizard in this building. When I
asked him about his Raiders, he said, look, I'd like
to see them trade up to get a quarterback for him.
(37:47):
That quarterback would be Jaden Daniels. Shelton said he wouldn't
be surprised if there is some sort of special trade
in the works for the Raiders on draft Day, so
keep your eyes open for that. He added that he
was glad they didn't get Russell Wilson. He said, no
disrespect to Russell, but Russell went to the right team,
the Steelers. The biggest source of pride for Shelton Ray
(38:08):
Raiders fan. He said last season was about hope. This year,
he said, it's about excitement. He's genuinely excited to see
this team, and he's so thrilled that ap Antonio Peers
won the job. Why because the players themselves vouched for
Antonio Peers, including Max Crosby, of course, the best player
(38:28):
on that Raiders defense, leveraging his own stability in order
to make sure that Antonio Piers stayed. Max Crosby said,
if you're not keeping Ap, then you might as well
get rid of me. The biggest source of concern for
Shelton Ray and his Raiders. If they don't draft a QB,
then who is our QB? And when I asked him
(38:49):
to finish the sentence, I wouldn't be surprised if my
Raiders did what he said with a laugh, AFC champs
or at least division champs. And again, yes he laughed,
but there was a twinkle in his eye. Listener, let
me report back that suggested he meant it a lot
more than you may believe. Our old buddy, Michael Kettering,
when I asked him about the draft, said well, I'm
(39:10):
assuming the Raiders will not move up. He said, and
if they don't, I'd be very happy if they went
for Terry and Arnold. He of course, the All American
cornerback out of Alabama. He said, Look, when you play
Mahomes and Herbert twice a year, you've got to have
a good backside to your defense. So Terry and Arnold
is Michael Kettering's pick for the draft. Kettering said he's
(39:30):
dying to see if they do move up for a quarterback,
but of course he's also very anxious about what they're
going to do at the running back position when you
consider the production they just lost with Josh Jacobs moving
to Green Bay. Biggest source of pride or excitement for
Michael Kettering, He said that Antonio Pierce is building one
of the scariest defenses in the league. Raiders fans have
(39:53):
not had a complete defense in a long time, Kettering said,
but ap started the makings of something truly special last
season that Michael and so many other Raiders fans are
excited to see on the field this year. Biggest source
of concern. He kind of gave me that dead eye look.
He said, Well, obviously quarterback Andrew when you look at
Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew Kettering says he doesn't see
(40:16):
a quarterback that will be able to take full advantage
of Davonte Adams and Jacoby Meyer's talents, and he would
hate to see a team wastes yet another season for
DeVante Adams. Michael Kettering says, I wouldn't be surprised if
my twenty twenty four Las Vegas Raiders are a wild
card team. A note of hope to finish out the Raiders.
(40:38):
Let's turn to the Denver Broncos twenty twenty three. They
were eight and nine, which, in a season in which
you lose a game by fifty points, strikes me as
rather remarkable. NFL dot com says team needs for the
Broncos quarterback, defensive tackle, tight end, cornerback, and edge rusher.
They have eight total picks with which to address their needs.
(40:59):
The twelve overall pick in the first round. They've got
a third rounder, a fourth rounder. They have no fewer
than three picks in the fifth round and two in
the sixth. My old boss, Lea Villette, when I asked
her about the draft, she said, I think they're going
to trade up to get a QB. But she said,
we have zero equity from all that nonsense with Russell Wilson,
(41:19):
so giving up more picks probably not the best way
to go. Leah said, if I'm the one making the call,
I'm staying right where I am, and I am taking
the best available and hoping that the best available is
brock Bauers her biggest source of pride, being a Broncos fan.
Having one of the most diverse front offices in the
NFL love that her biggest source of concern. She said
(41:43):
that we may only win four total games this year
because this offense simply can't score. And finally, Lea Vilette says,
I wouldn't be surprised if my twenty twenty four Denver
Broncos did not make the playoffs. Editor Extraordinary Jeff Levitt,
when I asked him about his Broncos, he says, my
draft hope is simple. I don't care as long as
(42:06):
the pick shows vision. Trading up for a quarterback, that's cool.
Just prove to me you have the vision, whatever you
choose to do. Biggest source of pride for Jeff Levitt,
Patrick Sirtan. He says, he's our best player and my
biggest source of pride. Biggest source of concern for Jeff
Levitt bit of a surprising answer. He doesn't have one.
(42:26):
He said, seriously, the worst just happened to us. We're good.
And then he said, slyly, I kind of just want
to wake up two years from now, because I think
in two years being a Broncos fan is going to
be a pretty damn cool thing. And finally, Jeff Levitt said,
I wouldn't be surprised if my twenty twenty four Denver Broncos,
wait for it, over perform. Not sure what he means
(42:47):
by that, but I certainly love the note of optimism.
And we finish with the Los Angeles Chargers the Bolts.
In twenty twenty three, they were five and twelve. That
was good for last in the AFC West. Team needs,
according to NFL dot Com, cornerback, running back of course
in the absence of Austin Eckler, defensive tackle, tight end,
(43:08):
and center. Now they have nine total picks with which
to address their needs. The number five overall pick in
the first round. Recent mock drafts see Joe alt the
offensive tackle, going to the Chargers at five. They also
have a pick in the second round. In the third
they have two picks in the fourth, a pick in
the fifth, a pick in the sixth, and two picks
(43:31):
in the seventh round. Storylines, of course, for days with
the Los Angeles Chargers, new head coach Jim Harbaugh, new
offensive coordinator Greg Roman, new defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. My
friends down in media administration here, Justin and Nico. They
sit right next to each other, these two Chargers fans,
and they can basically finish each other's sentences by now.
(43:53):
So I'm not sure which of these guys gave the
following answers, but here's what they had to say in
terms of the draft. If Marvin Harrison Junior drops to five,
we'll then take him. If not, see about offers to
maybe trade down, trade down, and then trade back up.
We need wide receivers, they said, but we also need
to beef up the trenches. They said. We'd rather take
(44:16):
a wide receiver at five because if you're addressing O
line at five, you're in left tackle position. He said.
Our gaps are at center and at right tackle. A
very very nuanced and wise take from this Chargers fan.
He said, take the wide receiver at five and move
if you need offensive tackle help later in the first round,
(44:37):
they said, this draft is about roster construction, fixing the
Tom Telesco era. In terms of the biggest source of
pride being a Chargers fan, both of them said the
same name at the same time, and you can guess
what it is, Justin Herbert that is, in fact the
biggest source of pride and hope for any Chargers fan
right now. Greg Roman is their biggest source of concern,
(45:00):
not in terms of his ability as a coach, but
in terms of his fit for Justin Herbert. I asked them,
what's the best thing about being a Chargers fan. He's
a very interesting answer. It builds character, they said, with
a laugh. No one can ever accuse you of being
a bandwagon fan if you are a Chargers fan. And
they said, you got to check out the social media
(45:21):
team's posts. After a w he said they may have
the best social media team in the biz. And then
something that one of them said I found very interesting.
They said, being a Chargers fan means you always have
a great player to idolize, and when you go back
and you look, it's true all the way back from
Fouts and Winslow and LT and Antonio Gates and now
(45:43):
Justin Herbert. They love the fact that there is always
a great player to idolize in the powder blue. Biggest concern,
the worst thing about being a Chargers fan the flak,
they said, the flack they get every year about being
the off season champs. And on a very football note,
the secondary's a mess. One of them said, except for
(46:04):
Derwin James, neither would be surprised if the Chargers win
ten games or more. This is not a rebuild season.
They said. You don't keep your edge rushers and lose
Keenan Allen and Mike Williams unless you have a plan.
And they said, yes, be ready for exactly what Michael
Robinson called out before a ground and pound running game.
(46:24):
They also said in Jesse, we trust Jesse mintor the DC.
Don't forget he was the DC at Michigan, and they
believe that he may simplify things, making the defensive schemes
significantly less complicated than the one that we saw under
Brandon Staley. And they believe that a simplified defense may
invite the best to emerge yet again out of players
(46:47):
like Derwin James. My old colleague and friend Caleb Rosenfeld
wrote in and said in terms of the draft at five,
I'd prefer to pick Marvin Harrison Junior if he's there,
and if not, Malik Neighbors. He'd be cool trading down
too and stocking up on picks and getting either a
wide receiver, a tight end, a cornerback, an edge rusher,
or a tackle. I just don't want to take a
(47:09):
tackle at five. Biggest source of excitement for Caleb Rosenfeld
is the same for so many Chargers fans, the new regime. Obviously,
he has Michigan bias. Yes, Caleb went to Michigan like
my wife Gracie did with Harbaugh. But he's been a
winner at every level. Caleb reminds us and what he
embodies is a change. I believe this franchise needed that change.
(47:31):
He said. The Keenan Allen trade was really hard for
him to take. Keenan Allen was his favorite player, but
that type of move signifies a total mentality change for
this organization, Caleb said. Jim Harbaugh was brought in to
do things differently, so Caleb is ready for him to
do just that. Biggest source of concern the wide receiver room.
(47:52):
At this point. Josh Palmer has been good, but not great.
And he has injury concerns. Quentin Johnson obviously talented, but
some dry issues and a downright bad first year can
shake the kid's confidence. Adding another one or two wide
receivers in the draft will help a ton. And finally,
Caleb Rosenfeld said, I wouldn't be surprised in twenty twenty
four if Gus Edwards Booboo Edwards leads the league in
(48:16):
rushing touchdowns. He said, Horball will bring a built in
the trench's mentality and try to make the game easier
for Justin Herbert. He says, I'm not expecting the playoffs,
and while I think it's possible, a lot has to
break right for that to happen. He said, I simply
expect a step forward in order to set up twenty
twenty five as a potentially big year. And finally, our
(48:40):
researcher extraordinary. Micah Roth said, well, I've got questions. Micah said,
who's playing linebacker and who's playing wide receiver. In terms
of the draft, Micah said, I'd rather trade down and
collect players. Micah is actually the one that drew my
attention to the Harball quote that I mentioned earlier to
Michael Robinson. When Hart said, quote everything else can be good,
(49:02):
but if you have a bad O line, then you
have a bad team. Mike's interpretation of that, I think
Harball's going to draft a tackle now. He wouldn't be
surprised if his Chargers win the West playing tough nose
football in the first year of a Harball transition instant implementation.
He said, the Chargers have long been known as a
(49:22):
softer team. He said, Harball's going to kick that out.
He's going to get tough, and he's going to play
smash mouth football. He said getting Bosa and macback was awesome,
But Micah Roth reminds us that if you want to
beat Patrick Mahomes in that AFC West, the only way
to do that is to give him the ball as
few times as possible. You've got to control the clock,
you've got to control the game script, and the best
(49:44):
way to do that is run, run, and then run
some more. This notion that Jim Harbaugh will introduce a
thirteen personnel run it down your gullet boring offense may
actually be overstating it, because Michigan was umber one among
all Power five schools last year in motion plays, shifts
(50:06):
and motions. Look at what they did against Bama because
it's what they did to their opponents all season long. Okay,
Michael Robinson, here we go. You heard the picks, you
heard the fans. Now let's get from you a predicted
order of finish for the AFC West. We won't hold
you to it tomorrow, but let's hear what you've got today.
(50:27):
AFC West top to bottom at the end of the season.
Who's one, who's two, who's three, and who's four.
Speaker 2 (50:34):
I think you got Kansas City winning it again. I
don't know what is this for lack though.
Speaker 1 (50:37):
I think that would be a ninth straight time.
Speaker 2 (50:40):
Yeah, ninth straight time. It's incredible. I think Casey wins it.
I think the Chargers coming second, man, I really do.
Speaker 3 (50:50):
Right now. They're the only other team.
Speaker 2 (50:53):
That has a quarterback, right, so I will go with
the Charges coming in second, which is a big deal
for the Los Angeles Charger.
Speaker 3 (51:01):
And then I got Denver.
Speaker 2 (51:02):
Coming in third, with the Raiders rounding up the last
of the division. But I will say this, I do
think everybody in this division at least wins six games.
Speaker 1 (51:12):
Okay, so at least six wins for everybody that includes you,
two Raiders, even in the cellar dweller position. As Michael
Robinson sees it today, things may change. You've got the
LA Chargers coming in second in the AFC West, a
potential playoff spot, a wild card spot from the number
two spot in the AFC West, or not enough wins
(51:33):
to get one of the seven spots in the AFC.
Speaker 2 (51:35):
I think it'll be. I think it'll be enough wins.
I think they'll split with KC next year. I really
think going to a physical style, at least a style
that I think that Greg Roman could run out there.
And this again, things have to go right in the
draft and all of those types of things, but when
you're I believe when you're when you're playing the Chargers
this year, you're going to have to maximize every single
(51:57):
possession because you're not going to have that.
Speaker 1 (52:00):
Up translation Jim Harbaught, You've just been put on blast
in the very best way by the real Mike rob
today's special guest. I want to thank Michael Robinson for
your time today. Great to see Mike, Thank you brother.
Speaker 3 (52:10):
As always, always glad to be here, and I want.
Speaker 1 (52:15):
To invite the listener to join us next time when
we will move our countdown to the twenty twenty four
NFL Draft, to the NFC West, to the vanquished San
Francisco forty nine Ers, Michael Robinson's old team, San Francisco
forty nine Ers, Division Niners, Cardinals, Seahawks, and Rams. What
do they need in the draft. What's the move they
better not make in the draft? All to talk about
(52:37):
next time? Till then, take care of you, take care
of your crew, and chowfinow. NFL Total Access is a
production of the NFL and partnership with iHeartRadio. For more
podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you get your podcasts.
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