August 31, 2023 • 26 mins
Host Eric Allen is joined in the Audi Performance Studio by Jets Assistant General Manager Rex Hogan. The two talk about making the tough decisions for the 53 man roster (:28), the signing of Aaron Rodgers this offseason (2:00) and how Zach Wilson benefits from Rodgers being here (5:50). The guys discuss Mekhi Becton and what the offensive line shaking up to be (6:23). On the other side of the ball Hogan dives into the overall talent of the defense and the importance of Quinnen Williams signing (12:00). The two talk about the veteran leaders taking the young guys under their wings (22:45) and the expectations for the 2023 season (24:46).
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
The Official Jets Podcast is presented by win Bet. Betting
is a team sport, but together at win Bet. Eric
Allen here with Jets assistant GM rex hogin what's it
like right now as far as the point of time
here the roster, your initial fifty three is set, you're
getting to practice squad finalized, and oh, by the way,
(00:23):
in the distance not too far away now Jets Bills,
Monday Night Football, September eleventh.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yeah, it's exciting because how we've built the fifty three obviously,
and we're able to retain some of the guys who
we had on the roster previously, and then we've also
gone out and got a handful of guys to add
to the practice squad that we got from other clubs
and the pro department, pro staff, all those guys did
an unbelievable job to get those guys and to evaluate
(00:49):
the number. How the markets flooded with all the free
agents who hit it cut down. So I had a
long night and worked through it and identified the guys
that we wanted to get and we were to get
them after the claims went in.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
How would you describe how far the roster has come
since Joe Douglas was hired as GM in June of
twenty nineteen, and shortly there after he brought you back
to Floren Park.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Yeah, just the turnover, Alan, I don't know the exact numbers.
I wish I did off the top of my head,
but it's it's unreal how we've gone from I think
maybe a handful of guys who were on the initial
roster in twenty nineteen to now what we have. So
it's been quite a work in progress and we're still
going to build.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Now. The big fish for you guys this offseason was
acquiring Aaron Rodgers. Joe just talked to the media here
downstairs and he said, at the start of the offseason,
I would have thought this was very unrealistic, but with
each passing day, it became more realistic. From your view,
what was it like as you watched the process and
(01:54):
fold and you're a central character in.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
This, Yeah, it was. It was wild because you know,
you think about having the opportunity to be able to
go and get one of the best quarterbacks in the
history of the game, and you know, just seeing it
unfold in each step and how there became a little
more clarity with it each time like this is realistic.
We've got a chance with this, and you know, the
(02:18):
anticipation builds and until that moment when he went on
the McAfee show, and then then you know, word was
spread around the world, so to speak, and it was
it was wild. And then not only that, once you
know he decided to come play for us, but having
to work through the process with the packers of the trade.
So once that was done, it was it was really
a cool moment. I mean not only for us in
(02:39):
player personnel, but obviously for the organization of the.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Fan base watching him every day here out in camp.
What were your takeaways because fans were able to see
glimpses of that and one juts drive of course, and
hard knocks as well. But for a guy who's here
in the building, what stands out to you about Rogers?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Yeah, I think they get a they're getting a glimpse
now of who Aaron is and how he is on
a day to day basis within the building and the
impact that he makes not only on the team, but
in the locker room and in the building. Like you mentioned,
he it's really cool because he has a certain level
and standard that he in accountability that just with him
(03:20):
entering the building, there's this instant credibility obviously with his
talent and his experience and his production, and now everybody else,
not only on the team but in the building has
to rise to that and reach those standards. And it's
a constant drive and constant improvement is what we feel
with that growth mindset throughout the team.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Can you talk about his intelligence, His football intelligence is
overall intelligence, but also the fact that he has an
aura of relatability to him where he can go downstairs
and talk to somebody in the locker room who's a
rookie order his second year and connect, but he also
can come upstairs and talk to you or Joe and connect.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Yeah, he's on that not only offensive side of the ball,
but defensive side of the ball. I think we saw
it throughout the spring in OTAs how he would take
Sauce out to dinner, or go to a basketball game,
or go to a hockey game with some other guys
on the other side of the ball. Maybe take CJ
out to dinner and talk about, you know, the impact
that both of them have as captains on offense and defense.
(04:20):
And like you're saying that his relatability is incredible, and
it's just the subtle, subtle conversations that he has pull
a guy to the side and you know, talk about
the details of a route or a formation and the
impact they have within that play. And not only that,
it's how he interacts with everybody else in the building.
Like like you said, he'll come upstairs and make his
(04:42):
way down the hallway just to introduce himself to everybody
else within player personnel. And he just has an instant relatability.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Like you've said, Joe said, five or six times each
day he'll do something that's amazing. Would you echo with
those sentiments.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Yeah. Absolutely. It's whether it's a pass, a community vcation,
something he sees, whether or not it's a run check
to get us into a good run, just what he's
seen he's seen off the defensive formation, just a little
tendencies and the things that he does in the two
minute drill and the small things and how he'll he'll
bring the other qbs in and communicate it right before
(05:18):
he goes in the huddle. But his ability and understanding
of the big picture is super impressive.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Did you see progress from Zach Wilson here throughout the summer.
As far as his preseason play, you see him a
practice every day, but getting those game reps and you know,
you guys for the staff are hoping you don't see
too much is Zach this year, but obviously you know
from Afar it looked like he was a different person
(05:46):
in terms of a confidence level.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Yeah, you can. You can see it in his in
his body language, how he commands the huddle and communicates
how he's watching Aaron's subtle details of how he addresses
the huddle and commands a hub and then when they
break and the things he sees. Zach just has this
more confidence in what he's seeing, how he's running things,
(06:09):
and you see it how it's it translates onto the
field with you know, he's quiet at his feet in
the pocket, He's playing with a more efficient understanding of
the of the position, and the effectiveness has been much better.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
What do you think about the offensive line now? Heading
into the season, you get Dwayne Brown back off of
pup and I think a lot of people, rightfully so
didn't know what to expect for Makai and he came
out transformed his body and he continues to elevate his game.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah, Mackay has done a tremendous job. But you know,
physically you can see the change, how how he's handled himself,
how he continues to get better every day, how the
selflessness of you know, he wanted to be a left tackle,
and with Dwayne coming back, he did it for the
good of the team and moved to the right and
has been extremely effective moving over to the right. And
(06:59):
it's kind of given us that they've solidified as a
group now with it, because there were a lot of
moving parts throughout, not only OTAs with the injuries, with
Dwayne being out, Makai returning, and then we were moving
a lot of parts between you know, Max Mitchell and
Billy Turner at the tackle positions. We're flipping those guys consistently.
And then also the addition of Carter Warren and then
(07:21):
you know Carter being injured, is gonna be out for
a little bit, but can't wait to get him back
and have him in the rotation as well. But offensive
line as a whole man, they've really come together and
jailed between you know, Lake and McGovern a v T
and the addition of Joe Tipman West Schweitzer, so that
whole group that's made up the fifty three offensive line
(07:42):
group is going to be jailed and keep coming together.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
You excited to see what Dwayne can do with two
arms because last year he got it out with one arm. Yeah,
and then he got the surgery and the off season
and for people who aren't here every day, dude's a workout.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Yeah, no doubt. I was the word. You know, it
gets thrown around a little bit in terms of Warrior
and how those offensive linemen played. But what he did
last year was incredible with the playing through the injury
and then not only since the season's been over, the
surgery that he's had in his recovery and how hard
he's worked to get back, and I mean, he's as
(08:20):
strong as ever and he is a true pro in
every sense.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Tipman, can you talk about his development really quickly because
Joe Robert excuse me said, pleasant surprise when he got
those game reps and he started to come on at
the center position. Then you guys had some injuries you
were dealing with on interior, but that was something that
you also talked about when you drafted him, is that
(08:43):
we see position flexibility in Joe. Can you so, can
you talk about what he did at center during camp
and came on, but also getting those valuable reps at guard.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Yeah, I think it's just the typical rookie transition. It's tough,
especially when you're going to center and having to make
the calls with the potential Hall of Fame quarterback behind you.
So again those standards that you have to meet for
him and what errand sies and so tip when he
was thrown as he worked his way up and was
thrown into the mix with the ones, as you know,
(09:13):
starting center, getting reps with the ones, he showed each
step of the way, whether it was with the threes
at center, twos at center, twos at guard, and then
they even put him in at left guard and right
guard to deal with some injuries, so he showed position versatility.
You know. Obviously we were impressed with his size, his strength,
his athleticism, and his football intelligence and instincts, and those
(09:35):
are all kind of coming together now and helping him
make that transition and step. So I'm sure he's going
to continue to push Connor McGovern for the starting spot.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
What about the wide receiver group, I think a lot
of people maybe on the outside slightly surprised that Exavier
Gibson's on the roster, not only him, but Jason Browne
and then.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
IRV Charles as well. Right, So, yeah, we went with
seven guys at the receiver position, and obviously all all
those guys earned it. And you know, you try and
do who are guys who are fifty three quality player
in the level of roster ability, and each one of
those guys proved it, and they're each different in their
own right, you know, talking about X. First, he's a
(10:15):
slot receiver who's got great speed, quickness, ability after the catch,
and in addition to the return value, he's going to
be our starting punt returner and compete for the kick
return spot. And then what Jason Brownly has shown from
the one hand catch and OTAs to his leaping ability,
his body control, his rout ability in his hands, and
how he's a different athlete than X and a different size.
(10:38):
And then you have IRV with his combination of height,
weight and speed and power. He's built more like a
power forward compared to those other two guys. But Irv's
made a serious jump in special teams and has really
leaped to the forefront as our right one of our
best special teams players on the roster and probably our
best special teams player as a receiver to earn that.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yeah, Roberts said that her Charles Special Teams Wolf Wolf,
We'll be watching I like it. We'll be watching him
here early in the fall. Does Garrett Wilson have a ceiling?
Speaker 2 (11:15):
I don't want to talk about a ceiling for it,
because I think it's everybody can see where he can
go with this play and as he continues to develop
that rapport with Aaron, and that relationship with Aaron, it
showed on in the game against the Giants. Man with
just a couple, you know, a couple of drives, but
you know the catch and the way Aaron gave him
the look and the release and the timing of the
(11:36):
route and accuracy of the throw, and how quick Aaron
or Garrett's hands word of the ball. The receiver didn't
even see, I mean the defender, he didn't even see it,
how quickly it happened crazy.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Yeah, That's why I'm on the rocker saying that fifteen
hundred is not the ceiling this year, but potentially you
could see that kind of season from him as far
as the yardage is concerned. Other side of the ball. Well,
Dremaine Johnson. Yeah, what kind of steps did he take
throughted off season?
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Yeah, what he added to his body, you know, twelve
pounds of muscle, and how he's up in the high
two sixties now and it's shown you know, he'd always
played with an edge last year. Now he's developed more power,
more arsenal in terms of his pass rush repertoire, and
it's all coming together for him. How he's playing on
first and second down in the run game with violence
(12:26):
and capturing the edge and setting the edge, not only
setting yet but defeating and playing you know, behind the
line of scrimmage and what he's shown as a pass rusher.
You know, the guy's going to have a tremendous year.
We feel great about him. How what he did in
the offseason to improve and he's going to continue to
impress us.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Is this the deepest defensive line you've ever been part of?
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Yes? Absolutely? When you know in Chicago when we had
the Super Bowl run with the defense was either number
one or number two. We had some standouts, but nowhere
near the depth of this group.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Getting Quinna done before camp, how big was that? And
can you talk about his mindset, because everybody in the
building says that, hey, he got the bag now, But
this is just he just wants to accelerate everything as
far as he wants to take it to another level.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Yeah. The cool thing I think it shows the locker
room is a you know, homegrown talent so to speak.
Guys we draft, guys, we develop, and then guys get
rewarded for it, not only as a person but as
a player. What Q brings and I don't I haven't
seen a change at all in Q. He's the same guy,
like he knows what he wants. He wants to be
(13:36):
one of the best, if not the best, at his position,
and he works like that and lives his life like that.
And it continues to show for us.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
I could ask you about each of those guys up front,
we don't have enough time to do that. I mean,
Bryce hawf had a great summer. Will McDonald, I mean
he has shown his past rush skill set, his moves
more than just a speed.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Guy, know that.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
But John Franklin Myers, I think he kind of goes
under the radar a little bit. How valuable of a
player is he and what can he do.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
In the system. Yeah, JFM is like a traditional base
end for us, but he's a bigger base end, being
a two hundred and ninety five pound guy who can
instantly kick inside as a nickel three as a rusher,
and when we go in those nickel rush situations, we
can move him in add one of those edge guys
that you just talked about, and so he gives us
(14:29):
a lot of position flex as being the base defensive
end or kicking inside as a nickel or essentially anywhere
along the front with his skill set and athleticism. Not
only him, but you have Michael Clemens, who's another guy
who worked his ass off to get to two hundred
and close to two hundred and ninety pounds, and he's
different too because he's another power forward bill with super
(14:50):
long wingspan and length and power. And so each one
of those guys brings a different type of body type
and rush. So you can't as an offensive tackle, you
can't just oh, okay, I got to prepare just for
this type of rush because they're coming in waves and
each guy's different.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
Speaking of different body type, how about Al Woods coming
in here at thirty six years old, you're going to
have This is a little bit unconventional for Sala. He
even mentioned at that, hey, we haven't had this kind
of guy in our system. And then Quentin Jefferson is
a guy who's coming off a career high sax season
last year, longer player, and he's going to be able
(15:29):
to give you guys more pass rush than inside as well.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Yeah, exactly. And you know, Quinton has a versatility to
play both in interior spots as a two technique or
a three technique. He's shown that in Seattle and the
previous defenses he's been in. But he's an active rusher
who's another different variety, kind of like Solomon. Maybe a
traditional undersized for the position, but he's got a skill
set in terms of his quickness and his ability to
(15:55):
win on the edge against blockers and then matched when
you bring al in whether it's first and second down
or if OL's in the game on third down, because
of his power to push. He's such a huge man
with you know, giant look like Catcher's mets for hands.
The guy's so strong and powerful and it's hard to
move that guy on the anterior and so he's gonna
(16:15):
eat up blocks, and not only eat up blocks, he's
gonna win and make plays inside a rock.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Quincy has really developed since you guys claimed him off
of waivers from Jacksonville. But what about those other three guys?
He got Zaire Barnes, Jamie Surewood with his opportunity this year,
and then how about Chez Sarat making this roster.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Yeah, just starting with Sherwood. Wood has made a tremendous
jump from the last couple of years. You know, he
suffered the Achilles injury. Coming off of it last year,
he made strides and then spend every day of the
offseason here and dedicated himself to be becoming a starting
level NFL backer. And the guy's done it. He's done
it in the offseason, he's done it during the training
(16:59):
can up in preseason games. He's proven it. Super proud
of him on what he's done. And then chaserratt Hiss
continued to show NFL linebacker ability. There's a reason why
he was a third round pick for the Minnesota Vikings
out of North Carolina because of his his speed and
his athleticism and tackling. And it was a former quarterback
from North Carolina and started some games and made a transition.
(17:22):
So probably a little bit later in his career, but
he's shown he's worthy. And then then Zaire has had
a typical you know, rookie transition, had some ups and
some downs, and we're going to continue to keep working
with him, obviously and proud of the steps and strides
he's made. But all three of those guys still have
upside that Rudy's done a great job, and Brick's done
a great job, and Salad Roberts done a great job
(17:44):
with developing those guys as linebackers and identifying guys that
are fits for our defense.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
You can make an argument that you guys have the
best cornerback group in the National Football League. Of course,
that's led by Sauce Gardner, DJ Reid. Michael Carter's second
such a valuable piece back there. But let me ask
you about what do you think about the safety combination
and how Tony Adams took advantage of his op here.
And also we saw a little bit in the summer
(18:10):
where you guys were exploring with some big nickel with
Adrian Amos, Right.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Yeah, you know, first of all, too and Markwan, what
they've done to develop each one of those groups has
been tremendous. You know, the attention to detail, always proverbial,
dangling the carrot for these guys and having them work
and grow each day. And both of them are great
teachers of the game, and you see these guys absorb it.
(18:36):
But along the lines of just the corners talk about
JFM being kind of under the radar type guy, I
think MC two kind of falls in that category because
he's playing at a very high level in matching what
Sauce and DJ are doing. So really proud of that group.
And then we've got depth out at the outside corner
spots and guys who are pushing them as well and
have made some real growth with it. But trans to
(19:00):
the safeties. Man, what what Tony Adams has done from
an undrafted free agent, it's a testimony to you know,
total buying.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
And you were talking about him in this chair last year.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Yeah, we're excited. Yeah, we're excited about I mean, because
you get the guy after the draft with that type
of talent and speed and athleticism and love for the
game and desire to improve, and he has taken advantage
of every opportunity he's been given and risen to the challenge.
Because Adrian, you know, came in late but adapted quickly
to the defense and you know, hated losing Chuck Clark
(19:32):
with the injury. But the addition of Adrian has really
stabilized the back end for us and it's given us
some flexibility and like you're talking about he when when
we go big Nickel, Adrian's really comfortable down there. He's
a bigger body type who can almost play like a linebacker.
So with him and Jordan and then Ashton who's really
coming on and as a special teams leader and continuing
(19:54):
to grow at safety seen in training camp in the preseason.
So feel really good about that the back end of
the group.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
No waiver claims. What does what does that say about
the depth in the house.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Yeah, I think it means that, you know, we've kind
of solidified the roster and we're going to continue to
grow and and we've we really looked at the best
possibility of of who can we upgrade and we're always
going to look to upgrade, but you know, we didn't
didn't really see it for the claims. Uh, it felt
really good about the guys we had knew we had
(20:27):
an opportunity to go get some guys to stabilize for
the practice squad who can challenge and so going out
and adding those guys, feel really good about it, but
hated losing two more guys uh through the waiver water
and claim with you know, with Tristan and losing Tristan
and then you know Bam Knight going to Detroit with
(20:48):
his selection for practice squad. But you know, Claude Cherlist
did a really good job for us as well. So
moving on to care he's moving on to Carolina with
the claim.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
What about the potential running back position with Subrey saw
excel and first seven games last year and then you
guys come back and you add Dalvin Cook to the group.
Michael Carter Roberts said it in the spring, and I
think mc has really followed up with this summer where
Roberts said, I think he's going to get back to
that level that we started seeing at the end of
(21:18):
his rookie year. And I think Michael had a really
great camp.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
But can you talk.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
About the potential with those guys not only running the football,
but Aaron's going to have the ability to hit these
guys in the passing game. You guys can exploit a
lot of this matches with those dudes on the linebackers.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Yeah, you know, the top three backs you've talked about
with Brice and Dalvin and MC. You know, first of all, MC,
you know, carrying the load throughout OTAs and training camp
while those guys were coming back and waiting to sign. Dalvin.
MC did an incredible job of, you know, providing the
leadership for the rest of it because we had a
young room at that point with without you know, with
(21:58):
Brice being out in Dalvin being out, and MC took
that by the reins and was really good within the room.
On the field, made gross returned to the guy that
we had seen in his rookie year. So really proud
of him. But you know, like you said, all three
of those guys, in addition to Izzy, the top three
(22:18):
guys can all run, block and catch, which which you
really look for is he is making the strides in
the you know, again he used the typical rookie transition,
but but coming from the college game where you're not
asked to pass pro as much or maybe not catch
the ball as much on third down, he has really
made growth with that. And he's obviously talented with the
(22:39):
ball in his hands as a runner and with his
speed and breakaway ability.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
So how impressive is Cook because you know about his production,
but just the way he goes about his business. He's
another guy who loves ball and who seems like he's
going to fit in seamlessly here.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Yeah, he's got a real presence to him. Obviously you
talk about Aaron, but Alvin has you know, the vet factor,
the production, the credibility, the respect. You know, not only
from us, but from around the league. You know what
type of playmaker he was for Minnesota and he is
older guy in the prime of his career, so to speak,
and like he's done a really good job. Just watching
(23:18):
him interact and give some some subtle communication to Brief
or Michael or Izzy or even the other guys before
we moved on from them with the cutdowns, it's been
great to see him interact with him. How cool is.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
The mix between your veteran leaders and also the young
guys who are coming into a culture that continues to
be I guess I don't want to say created, because
it's already started. I mean, it's well underway, but it
seems like you guys get the roster exactly where you
would want it at this point of the season.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
Yeah, it's really been been cool because you talk about
some of those vets that we've added with not only Aaron,
but you know, Billy Turner and within the offensive line
room coming from outside in another VET presence and west
Schweitz or another VET presence. Then each one of the
rooms has now like Randall Cobb, Randall's come in right
and taking taking a lot of guys under his wing,
(24:15):
you know, specifically with Xavier being in the slot and
he can teach him some details of it and what
you know, his experience that Xavier can lean on. And
then then you have Dalvin and you know, defensive side,
we've we've done the same thing. So every room there's
a VET leader who has kind of taken over and
helped the other guy because we got young guys who
(24:37):
lead to right and so you know, the blend of
the VET leadership and the and the youth and the
youth movement across the the roster has been cool to
watch those guys.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
What do you think about the expectations you go about, Yeah,
your business and you're out there in the street and
people are stopping you. I mean it feels a little
bit differently. Heading the twenty twenty three than it has
the past couple of years.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Yeah, you know, you hear, you hear the outside noise,
so to speak. But what I think we've continued to
focus on is what are weekly expectations. Let's focus on that.
Let's focus on who's our upcoming opponent. Don't talk about
down the line, you know, all that's in the distance.
And if we handle everything in a weekly expectation and
(25:21):
that opponent, then everything else will take care of itself.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
What do you think about that Week one opponent, They've
won the last three AFC's Division crowns. When you saw
the schedule, yeah, the last game of opening weekend Jets Bills.
What do you think?
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Yeah, First and foremost, it's going to be an electric environment.
I mean, I think our fan base, they're incredible, and
not only just being at home on nine to eleven
that's going to amp it up even more because of that,
but the fact that it's Buffalo that we're opening up with,
and how we've had some really good battles in the
last couple of years and how we split last year.
I think it's going to be a wild, wild scene,
(26:00):
and I know that our fans are going to be
hyped the team's going to be hyped for it, and
it's gonna be a fun game to watch.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
Yeah, it is gonna be a fun one to watch.
It's always fun catching up with you.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Thanks for coming.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
By the studio here and uh we wish you good
luck as you start
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Seasoning LESCo Jets.
The Official Jets Podcast is presented by win Bet. Betting
is a team sport, but together at win Bet. Eric
Allen here with Jets assistant GM rex hogin what's it
like right now as far as the point of time
here the roster, your initial fifty three is set, you're
getting to practice squad finalized, and oh, by the way,
(00:23):
in the distance not too far away now Jets Bills,
Monday Night Football, September eleventh.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yeah, it's exciting because how we've built the fifty three obviously,
and we're able to retain some of the guys who
we had on the roster previously, and then we've also
gone out and got a handful of guys to add
to the practice squad that we got from other clubs
and the pro department, pro staff, all those guys did
an unbelievable job to get those guys and to evaluate
(00:49):
the number. How the markets flooded with all the free
agents who hit it cut down. So I had a
long night and worked through it and identified the guys
that we wanted to get and we were to get
them after the claims went in.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
How would you describe how far the roster has come
since Joe Douglas was hired as GM in June of
twenty nineteen, and shortly there after he brought you back
to Floren Park.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Yeah, just the turnover, Alan, I don't know the exact numbers.
I wish I did off the top of my head,
but it's it's unreal how we've gone from I think
maybe a handful of guys who were on the initial
roster in twenty nineteen to now what we have. So
it's been quite a work in progress and we're still
going to build.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Now. The big fish for you guys this offseason was
acquiring Aaron Rodgers. Joe just talked to the media here
downstairs and he said, at the start of the offseason,
I would have thought this was very unrealistic, but with
each passing day, it became more realistic. From your view,
what was it like as you watched the process and
(01:54):
fold and you're a central character in.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
This, Yeah, it was. It was wild because you know,
you think about having the opportunity to be able to
go and get one of the best quarterbacks in the
history of the game, and you know, just seeing it
unfold in each step and how there became a little
more clarity with it each time like this is realistic.
We've got a chance with this, and you know, the
(02:18):
anticipation builds and until that moment when he went on
the McAfee show, and then then you know, word was
spread around the world, so to speak, and it was
it was wild. And then not only that, once you
know he decided to come play for us, but having
to work through the process with the packers of the trade.
So once that was done, it was it was really
a cool moment. I mean not only for us in
(02:39):
player personnel, but obviously for the organization of the.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Fan base watching him every day here out in camp.
What were your takeaways because fans were able to see
glimpses of that and one juts drive of course, and
hard knocks as well. But for a guy who's here
in the building, what stands out to you about Rogers?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Yeah, I think they get a they're getting a glimpse
now of who Aaron is and how he is on
a day to day basis within the building and the
impact that he makes not only on the team, but
in the locker room and in the building. Like you mentioned,
he it's really cool because he has a certain level
and standard that he in accountability that just with him
(03:20):
entering the building, there's this instant credibility obviously with his
talent and his experience and his production, and now everybody else,
not only on the team but in the building has
to rise to that and reach those standards. And it's
a constant drive and constant improvement is what we feel
with that growth mindset throughout the team.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Can you talk about his intelligence, His football intelligence is
overall intelligence, but also the fact that he has an
aura of relatability to him where he can go downstairs
and talk to somebody in the locker room who's a
rookie order his second year and connect, but he also
can come upstairs and talk to you or Joe and connect.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
Yeah, he's on that not only offensive side of the ball,
but defensive side of the ball. I think we saw
it throughout the spring in OTAs how he would take
Sauce out to dinner, or go to a basketball game,
or go to a hockey game with some other guys
on the other side of the ball. Maybe take CJ
out to dinner and talk about, you know, the impact
that both of them have as captains on offense and defense.
(04:20):
And like you're saying that his relatability is incredible, and
it's just the subtle, subtle conversations that he has pull
a guy to the side and you know, talk about
the details of a route or a formation and the
impact they have within that play. And not only that,
it's how he interacts with everybody else in the building.
Like like you said, he'll come upstairs and make his
(04:42):
way down the hallway just to introduce himself to everybody
else within player personnel. And he just has an instant relatability.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Like you've said, Joe said, five or six times each
day he'll do something that's amazing. Would you echo with
those sentiments.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Yeah. Absolutely. It's whether it's a pass, a community vcation,
something he sees, whether or not it's a run check
to get us into a good run, just what he's
seen he's seen off the defensive formation, just a little
tendencies and the things that he does in the two
minute drill and the small things and how he'll he'll
bring the other qbs in and communicate it right before
(05:18):
he goes in the huddle. But his ability and understanding
of the big picture is super impressive.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Did you see progress from Zach Wilson here throughout the summer.
As far as his preseason play, you see him a
practice every day, but getting those game reps and you know,
you guys for the staff are hoping you don't see
too much is Zach this year, but obviously you know
from Afar it looked like he was a different person
(05:46):
in terms of a confidence level.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Yeah, you can. You can see it in his in
his body language, how he commands the huddle and communicates
how he's watching Aaron's subtle details of how he addresses
the huddle and commands a hub and then when they
break and the things he sees. Zach just has this
more confidence in what he's seeing, how he's running things,
(06:09):
and you see it how it's it translates onto the
field with you know, he's quiet at his feet in
the pocket, He's playing with a more efficient understanding of
the of the position, and the effectiveness has been much better.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
What do you think about the offensive line now? Heading
into the season, you get Dwayne Brown back off of
pup and I think a lot of people, rightfully so
didn't know what to expect for Makai and he came
out transformed his body and he continues to elevate his game.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah, Mackay has done a tremendous job. But you know,
physically you can see the change, how how he's handled himself,
how he continues to get better every day, how the
selflessness of you know, he wanted to be a left tackle,
and with Dwayne coming back, he did it for the
good of the team and moved to the right and
has been extremely effective moving over to the right. And
(06:59):
it's kind of given us that they've solidified as a
group now with it, because there were a lot of
moving parts throughout, not only OTAs with the injuries, with
Dwayne being out, Makai returning, and then we were moving
a lot of parts between you know, Max Mitchell and
Billy Turner at the tackle positions. We're flipping those guys consistently.
And then also the addition of Carter Warren and then
(07:21):
you know Carter being injured, is gonna be out for
a little bit, but can't wait to get him back
and have him in the rotation as well. But offensive
line as a whole man, they've really come together and
jailed between you know, Lake and McGovern a v T
and the addition of Joe Tipman West Schweitzer, so that
whole group that's made up the fifty three offensive line
(07:42):
group is going to be jailed and keep coming together.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
You excited to see what Dwayne can do with two
arms because last year he got it out with one arm. Yeah,
and then he got the surgery and the off season
and for people who aren't here every day, dude's a workout.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Yeah, no doubt. I was the word. You know, it
gets thrown around a little bit in terms of Warrior
and how those offensive linemen played. But what he did
last year was incredible with the playing through the injury
and then not only since the season's been over, the
surgery that he's had in his recovery and how hard
he's worked to get back, and I mean, he's as
(08:20):
strong as ever and he is a true pro in
every sense.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Tipman, can you talk about his development really quickly because
Joe Robert excuse me said, pleasant surprise when he got
those game reps and he started to come on at
the center position. Then you guys had some injuries you
were dealing with on interior, but that was something that
you also talked about when you drafted him, is that
(08:43):
we see position flexibility in Joe. Can you so, can
you talk about what he did at center during camp
and came on, but also getting those valuable reps at guard.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Yeah, I think it's just the typical rookie transition. It's tough,
especially when you're going to center and having to make
the calls with the potential Hall of Fame quarterback behind you.
So again those standards that you have to meet for
him and what errand sies and so tip when he
was thrown as he worked his way up and was
thrown into the mix with the ones, as you know,
(09:13):
starting center, getting reps with the ones, he showed each
step of the way, whether it was with the threes
at center, twos at center, twos at guard, and then
they even put him in at left guard and right
guard to deal with some injuries, so he showed position versatility.
You know. Obviously we were impressed with his size, his strength,
his athleticism, and his football intelligence and instincts, and those
(09:35):
are all kind of coming together now and helping him
make that transition and step. So I'm sure he's going
to continue to push Connor McGovern for the starting spot.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
What about the wide receiver group, I think a lot
of people maybe on the outside slightly surprised that Exavier
Gibson's on the roster, not only him, but Jason Browne
and then.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
IRV Charles as well. Right, So, yeah, we went with
seven guys at the receiver position, and obviously all all
those guys earned it. And you know, you try and
do who are guys who are fifty three quality player
in the level of roster ability, and each one of
those guys proved it, and they're each different in their
own right, you know, talking about X. First, he's a
(10:15):
slot receiver who's got great speed, quickness, ability after the catch,
and in addition to the return value, he's going to
be our starting punt returner and compete for the kick
return spot. And then what Jason Brownly has shown from
the one hand catch and OTAs to his leaping ability,
his body control, his rout ability in his hands, and
how he's a different athlete than X and a different size.
(10:38):
And then you have IRV with his combination of height,
weight and speed and power. He's built more like a
power forward compared to those other two guys. But Irv's
made a serious jump in special teams and has really
leaped to the forefront as our right one of our
best special teams players on the roster and probably our
best special teams player as a receiver to earn that.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yeah, Roberts said that her Charles Special Teams Wolf Wolf,
We'll be watching I like it. We'll be watching him
here early in the fall. Does Garrett Wilson have a ceiling?
Speaker 2 (11:15):
I don't want to talk about a ceiling for it,
because I think it's everybody can see where he can
go with this play and as he continues to develop
that rapport with Aaron, and that relationship with Aaron, it
showed on in the game against the Giants. Man with
just a couple, you know, a couple of drives, but
you know the catch and the way Aaron gave him
the look and the release and the timing of the
(11:36):
route and accuracy of the throw, and how quick Aaron
or Garrett's hands word of the ball. The receiver didn't
even see, I mean the defender, he didn't even see it,
how quickly it happened crazy.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
Yeah, That's why I'm on the rocker saying that fifteen
hundred is not the ceiling this year, but potentially you
could see that kind of season from him as far
as the yardage is concerned. Other side of the ball. Well,
Dremaine Johnson. Yeah, what kind of steps did he take
throughted off season?
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Yeah, what he added to his body, you know, twelve
pounds of muscle, and how he's up in the high
two sixties now and it's shown you know, he'd always
played with an edge last year. Now he's developed more power,
more arsenal in terms of his pass rush repertoire, and
it's all coming together for him. How he's playing on
first and second down in the run game with violence
(12:26):
and capturing the edge and setting the edge, not only
setting yet but defeating and playing you know, behind the
line of scrimmage and what he's shown as a pass rusher.
You know, the guy's going to have a tremendous year.
We feel great about him. How what he did in
the offseason to improve and he's going to continue to
impress us.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Is this the deepest defensive line you've ever been part of?
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Yes? Absolutely? When you know in Chicago when we had
the Super Bowl run with the defense was either number
one or number two. We had some standouts, but nowhere
near the depth of this group.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Getting Quinna done before camp, how big was that? And
can you talk about his mindset, because everybody in the
building says that, hey, he got the bag now, But
this is just he just wants to accelerate everything as
far as he wants to take it to another level.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Yeah. The cool thing I think it shows the locker
room is a you know, homegrown talent so to speak.
Guys we draft, guys, we develop, and then guys get
rewarded for it, not only as a person but as
a player. What Q brings and I don't I haven't
seen a change at all in Q. He's the same guy,
like he knows what he wants. He wants to be
(13:36):
one of the best, if not the best, at his position,
and he works like that and lives his life like that.
And it continues to show for us.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
I could ask you about each of those guys up front,
we don't have enough time to do that. I mean,
Bryce hawf had a great summer. Will McDonald, I mean
he has shown his past rush skill set, his moves
more than just a speed.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Guy, know that.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
But John Franklin Myers, I think he kind of goes
under the radar a little bit. How valuable of a
player is he and what can he do.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
In the system. Yeah, JFM is like a traditional base
end for us, but he's a bigger base end, being
a two hundred and ninety five pound guy who can
instantly kick inside as a nickel three as a rusher,
and when we go in those nickel rush situations, we
can move him in add one of those edge guys
that you just talked about, and so he gives us
(14:29):
a lot of position flex as being the base defensive
end or kicking inside as a nickel or essentially anywhere
along the front with his skill set and athleticism. Not
only him, but you have Michael Clemens, who's another guy
who worked his ass off to get to two hundred
and close to two hundred and ninety pounds, and he's
different too because he's another power forward bill with super
(14:50):
long wingspan and length and power. And so each one
of those guys brings a different type of body type
and rush. So you can't as an offensive tackle, you
can't just oh, okay, I got to prepare just for
this type of rush because they're coming in waves and
each guy's different.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
Speaking of different body type, how about Al Woods coming
in here at thirty six years old, you're going to
have This is a little bit unconventional for Sala. He
even mentioned at that, hey, we haven't had this kind
of guy in our system. And then Quentin Jefferson is
a guy who's coming off a career high sax season
last year, longer player, and he's going to be able
(15:29):
to give you guys more pass rush than inside as well.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Yeah, exactly. And you know, Quinton has a versatility to
play both in interior spots as a two technique or
a three technique. He's shown that in Seattle and the
previous defenses he's been in. But he's an active rusher
who's another different variety, kind of like Solomon. Maybe a
traditional undersized for the position, but he's got a skill
set in terms of his quickness and his ability to
(15:55):
win on the edge against blockers and then matched when
you bring al in whether it's first and second down
or if OL's in the game on third down, because
of his power to push. He's such a huge man
with you know, giant look like Catcher's mets for hands.
The guy's so strong and powerful and it's hard to
move that guy on the anterior and so he's gonna
(16:15):
eat up blocks, and not only eat up blocks, he's
gonna win and make plays inside a rock.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Quincy has really developed since you guys claimed him off
of waivers from Jacksonville. But what about those other three guys?
He got Zaire Barnes, Jamie Surewood with his opportunity this year,
and then how about Chez Sarat making this roster.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Yeah, just starting with Sherwood. Wood has made a tremendous
jump from the last couple of years. You know, he
suffered the Achilles injury. Coming off of it last year,
he made strides and then spend every day of the
offseason here and dedicated himself to be becoming a starting
level NFL backer. And the guy's done it. He's done
it in the offseason, he's done it during the training
(16:59):
can up in preseason games. He's proven it. Super proud
of him on what he's done. And then chaserratt Hiss
continued to show NFL linebacker ability. There's a reason why
he was a third round pick for the Minnesota Vikings
out of North Carolina because of his his speed and
his athleticism and tackling. And it was a former quarterback
from North Carolina and started some games and made a transition.
(17:22):
So probably a little bit later in his career, but
he's shown he's worthy. And then then Zaire has had
a typical you know, rookie transition, had some ups and
some downs, and we're going to continue to keep working
with him, obviously and proud of the steps and strides
he's made. But all three of those guys still have
upside that Rudy's done a great job, and Brick's done
a great job, and Salad Roberts done a great job
(17:44):
with developing those guys as linebackers and identifying guys that
are fits for our defense.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
You can make an argument that you guys have the
best cornerback group in the National Football League. Of course,
that's led by Sauce Gardner, DJ Reid. Michael Carter's second
such a valuable piece back there. But let me ask
you about what do you think about the safety combination
and how Tony Adams took advantage of his op here.
And also we saw a little bit in the summer
(18:10):
where you guys were exploring with some big nickel with
Adrian Amos, Right.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
Yeah, you know, first of all, too and Markwan, what
they've done to develop each one of those groups has
been tremendous. You know, the attention to detail, always proverbial,
dangling the carrot for these guys and having them work
and grow each day. And both of them are great
teachers of the game, and you see these guys absorb it.
(18:36):
But along the lines of just the corners talk about
JFM being kind of under the radar type guy, I
think MC two kind of falls in that category because
he's playing at a very high level in matching what
Sauce and DJ are doing. So really proud of that group.
And then we've got depth out at the outside corner
spots and guys who are pushing them as well and
have made some real growth with it. But trans to
(19:00):
the safeties. Man, what what Tony Adams has done from
an undrafted free agent, it's a testimony to you know,
total buying.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
And you were talking about him in this chair last year.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Yeah, we're excited. Yeah, we're excited about I mean, because
you get the guy after the draft with that type
of talent and speed and athleticism and love for the
game and desire to improve, and he has taken advantage
of every opportunity he's been given and risen to the challenge.
Because Adrian, you know, came in late but adapted quickly
to the defense and you know, hated losing Chuck Clark
(19:32):
with the injury. But the addition of Adrian has really
stabilized the back end for us and it's given us
some flexibility and like you're talking about he when when
we go big Nickel, Adrian's really comfortable down there. He's
a bigger body type who can almost play like a linebacker.
So with him and Jordan and then Ashton who's really
coming on and as a special teams leader and continuing
(19:54):
to grow at safety seen in training camp in the preseason.
So feel really good about that the back end of
the group.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
No waiver claims. What does what does that say about
the depth in the house.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Yeah, I think it means that, you know, we've kind
of solidified the roster and we're going to continue to
grow and and we've we really looked at the best
possibility of of who can we upgrade and we're always
going to look to upgrade, but you know, we didn't
didn't really see it for the claims. Uh, it felt
really good about the guys we had knew we had
(20:27):
an opportunity to go get some guys to stabilize for
the practice squad who can challenge and so going out
and adding those guys, feel really good about it, but
hated losing two more guys uh through the waiver water
and claim with you know, with Tristan and losing Tristan
and then you know Bam Knight going to Detroit with
(20:48):
his selection for practice squad. But you know, Claude Cherlist
did a really good job for us as well. So
moving on to care he's moving on to Carolina with
the claim.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
What about the potential running back position with Subrey saw
excel and first seven games last year and then you
guys come back and you add Dalvin Cook to the group.
Michael Carter Roberts said it in the spring, and I
think mc has really followed up with this summer where
Roberts said, I think he's going to get back to
that level that we started seeing at the end of
(21:18):
his rookie year. And I think Michael had a really
great camp.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
But can you talk.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
About the potential with those guys not only running the football,
but Aaron's going to have the ability to hit these
guys in the passing game. You guys can exploit a
lot of this matches with those dudes on the linebackers.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Yeah, you know, the top three backs you've talked about
with Brice and Dalvin and MC. You know, first of all, MC,
you know, carrying the load throughout OTAs and training camp
while those guys were coming back and waiting to sign. Dalvin.
MC did an incredible job of, you know, providing the
leadership for the rest of it because we had a
young room at that point with without you know, with
(21:58):
Brice being out in Dalvin being out, and MC took
that by the reins and was really good within the room.
On the field, made gross returned to the guy that
we had seen in his rookie year. So really proud
of him. But you know, like you said, all three
of those guys, in addition to Izzy, the top three
(22:18):
guys can all run, block and catch, which which you
really look for is he is making the strides in
the you know, again he used the typical rookie transition,
but but coming from the college game where you're not
asked to pass pro as much or maybe not catch
the ball as much on third down, he has really
made growth with that. And he's obviously talented with the
(22:39):
ball in his hands as a runner and with his
speed and breakaway ability.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
So how impressive is Cook because you know about his production,
but just the way he goes about his business. He's
another guy who loves ball and who seems like he's
going to fit in seamlessly here.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Yeah, he's got a real presence to him. Obviously you
talk about Aaron, but Alvin has you know, the vet factor,
the production, the credibility, the respect. You know, not only
from us, but from around the league. You know what
type of playmaker he was for Minnesota and he is
older guy in the prime of his career, so to speak,
and like he's done a really good job. Just watching
(23:18):
him interact and give some some subtle communication to Brief
or Michael or Izzy or even the other guys before
we moved on from them with the cutdowns, it's been
great to see him interact with him. How cool is.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
The mix between your veteran leaders and also the young
guys who are coming into a culture that continues to
be I guess I don't want to say created, because
it's already started. I mean, it's well underway, but it
seems like you guys get the roster exactly where you
would want it at this point of the season.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
Yeah, it's really been been cool because you talk about
some of those vets that we've added with not only Aaron,
but you know, Billy Turner and within the offensive line
room coming from outside in another VET presence and west
Schweitz or another VET presence. Then each one of the
rooms has now like Randall Cobb, Randall's come in right
and taking taking a lot of guys under his wing,
(24:15):
you know, specifically with Xavier being in the slot and
he can teach him some details of it and what
you know, his experience that Xavier can lean on. And
then then you have Dalvin and you know, defensive side,
we've we've done the same thing. So every room there's
a VET leader who has kind of taken over and
helped the other guy because we got young guys who
(24:37):
lead to right and so you know, the blend of
the VET leadership and the and the youth and the
youth movement across the the roster has been cool to
watch those guys.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
What do you think about the expectations you go about, Yeah,
your business and you're out there in the street and
people are stopping you. I mean it feels a little
bit differently. Heading the twenty twenty three than it has
the past couple of years.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Yeah, you know, you hear, you hear the outside noise,
so to speak. But what I think we've continued to
focus on is what are weekly expectations. Let's focus on that.
Let's focus on who's our upcoming opponent. Don't talk about
down the line, you know, all that's in the distance.
And if we handle everything in a weekly expectation and
(25:21):
that opponent, then everything else will take care of itself.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
What do you think about that Week one opponent, They've
won the last three AFC's Division crowns. When you saw
the schedule, yeah, the last game of opening weekend Jets Bills.
What do you think?
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Yeah, First and foremost, it's going to be an electric environment.
I mean, I think our fan base, they're incredible, and
not only just being at home on nine to eleven
that's going to amp it up even more because of that,
but the fact that it's Buffalo that we're opening up with,
and how we've had some really good battles in the
last couple of years and how we split last year.
I think it's going to be a wild, wild scene,
(26:00):
and I know that our fans are going to be
hyped the team's going to be hyped for it, and
it's gonna be a fun game to watch.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
Yeah, it is gonna be a fun one to watch.
It's always fun catching up with you.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Thanks for coming.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
By the studio here and uh we wish you good
luck as you start
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Seasoning LESCo Jets.
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Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.