# NFC East Preview

An episode of [NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/680904259), 19 Aug 2026, 1 h 05 min.

Audio: https://pdrl.fm/91be81/podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/claritaspod.com/measure/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/9ce11dad-e86a-444f-ba83-ae27003475be/3a18c477-cb56-42a5-8c97-b4ab00012f1b/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=deff018f-4b51-4501-937c-ae27003475d1

Gregg Rosenthal and Patrick Claybon go around the NFC East for a team-by-team preview of the Cowboys, Giants, Eagles and Commanders. Gregg and Patrick tell you which non-quarterback player on each team is the most important, what each team's biggest concern is, discuss the ceiling and floor for each team and more! NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcasts See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:04] Speaker 1: Welcome to NFL Daily, where all divisions are created equal,
[0:08] Speaker 1: but the NFC is a little more equal. I'm Greg
[0:11] Speaker 1: Rosenthal here in the Chris Westleying podcast studio with my
[0:14] Speaker 1: friend Patrick Claybahn. That's a little bit of a joke there, Patrick,
[0:18] Speaker 1: because you know the shadowy League figures the schedule makers,
[0:23] Speaker 1: it's they're all about the NFC East. They're just always
[0:25] Speaker 1: hoping the NFC East can be good so that they
[0:27] Speaker 1: can just put them in primetime all the time.
[0:30] Speaker 2: And that's how you feel.
[0:31] Speaker 3: Imagine how the people who are not fans of a
[0:33] Speaker 3: team in the East might feel, or the general viewer
[0:36] Speaker 3: when it's like Week twelve and here's you know, a
[0:39] Speaker 3: non Jackson Dark Giants team playing on Monday Night.
[0:42] Speaker 4: I've been that guy. Over the years.
[0:43] Speaker 1: The Giants and Commanders have been the most egregious members,
[0:48] Speaker 1: always in primetime, the old Washington team, especially back in
[0:51] Speaker 1: the day.
[0:51] Speaker 4: It's just like just trotting them out there.
[0:53] Speaker 1: And yet I surmise this season, oh, Patrick, that they
[0:59] Speaker 1: are one of the most interesting divisions, that they are
[1:01] Speaker 1: going to be worthy of that much airtime. Because even
[1:04] Speaker 1: if the Commanders and the Giants, maybe they're not projected
[1:06] Speaker 1: to go to the playoffs. I think top to bottom.
[1:09] Speaker 1: If I'm ranking like most interesting divisions, worst case, they're
[1:13] Speaker 1: in the middle this year, they're not very often in
[1:15] Speaker 1: the last ten fifteen years, it kind of been at
[1:17] Speaker 1: the bottom. I think all four of these teams were
[1:19] Speaker 1: going to preview today are intrigument Yes, I mean.
[1:20] Speaker 3: Well again, we got thirty two interesting teams. The problems
[1:24] Speaker 3: with the schedule makers is, you know, certain things are
[1:26] Speaker 3: made for ever audience, maybe viewer, not necessarily people who
[1:31] Speaker 3: are dialed in and watching NFL Network listening to the
[1:34] Speaker 3: NFL days.
[1:34] Speaker 4: They're not all ego though.
[1:35] Speaker 1: There's like there's like four to there's like six to
[1:37] Speaker 1: eight that are a little less intriguing I think from
[1:40] Speaker 1: like a national broadcast perspective. But even the giants, I
[1:43] Speaker 1: mean they got some top line talent. We'll get to
[1:46] Speaker 1: them second. Because what we do on this show. If
[1:49] Speaker 1: you've been tuning in and this is number seven, so
[1:51] Speaker 1: we don't play favorites NFC East, they're not, you know,
[1:54] Speaker 1: closing the show and you know they're just in the middle,
[1:58] Speaker 1: seventh out of our eight division. In previews, we have
[2:01] Speaker 1: a twelve minute clock for every team. Soft clock not
[2:04] Speaker 1: a hard one, So sometimes you go a little over.
[2:07] Speaker 1: I give you some categories, we both answer those categories,
[2:12] Speaker 1: and then at the end we predict how this division
[2:15] Speaker 1: is going to finish. We go in alphabetical order by
[2:19] Speaker 1: the city. The Dallas Cowboys get us going. A young
[2:23] Speaker 1: Patrick Claybah once rooted for his favorite player, DeMarcus where
[2:27] Speaker 1: when he was on the Cowboys. Let's start here even
[2:31] Speaker 1: before what's bringing us joy? Which is usually how I start.
[2:33] Speaker 1: But since we've last taped, Von Miller is a member
[2:37] Speaker 1: of the Dallas Cowboys. Does that remind you, Yeah, a
[2:39] Speaker 1: little bit of your guy.
[2:40] Speaker 2: Yeah, that's why he's my most important ark.
[2:42] Speaker 3: No, but can the parallels there as dware goes to
[2:46] Speaker 3: the Denver Broncos on tail and he wasn't at the
[2:49] Speaker 3: tail end of his career that Von Miller is, but
[2:51] Speaker 3: you know, just outside or maybe towards the end of
[2:54] Speaker 3: his prime, goes and gets a ring there, and Vaughn,
[2:57] Speaker 3: after recording the franchise on social media for what feels
[3:01] Speaker 3: like the last five months, as finally you know, acquired
[3:04] Speaker 3: a spot on his on his hometown team. But I
[3:06] Speaker 3: think it's another player on the defensive line. I think
[3:08] Speaker 3: Quentin Williams is the most important non quarterback because again,
[3:13] Speaker 3: the defense was so bad and there's only so much
[3:15] Speaker 3: you can do. To ask a rookie free agent, I
[3:18] Speaker 3: mean a rookie at free safety in Caleb downs to
[3:21] Speaker 3: do and to take over everything it has to be
[3:24] Speaker 3: quin Williams, you had the highest pressure percentage among all
[3:26] Speaker 3: defensive tackles in the entire league after the trade, and
[3:30] Speaker 3: so I think that is where the true importance is
[3:33] Speaker 3: on the interior of the Cowboys defensive line.
[3:35] Speaker 1: I love that you just like, we don't have to
[3:37] Speaker 1: do these categories in any sort of order, and I
[3:40] Speaker 1: agree with you. I was thinking about the same thing
[3:43] Speaker 1: when thinking about most important non quarterback, and I got
[3:46] Speaker 1: a little cute because Quinn Williams, I think, is the
[3:47] Speaker 1: more like, the more like logically answer. He's got to
[3:52] Speaker 1: be He's got to be great, but there's no reason
[3:56] Speaker 1: to think he won't be great. Donamanezerakus who I picked.
[3:59] Speaker 1: And so it was going along with this von Miller
[4:02] Speaker 1: signing in general that the money they gave von Miller,
[4:06] Speaker 1: like over five million dollar base salary, and you could say.
[4:09] Speaker 4: Like that's the respect for a player who's done a
[4:11] Speaker 4: lot in the league.
[4:12] Speaker 1: But that's a significant amount of money at this point
[4:14] Speaker 1: in free agency. That tells me like you're gonna have
[4:17] Speaker 1: a role. Does that make me worried a little bit
[4:20] Speaker 1: about how they saw the rest of their edge position
[4:22] Speaker 1: now the reports in camp, or maybe Malachi Lawrence, their
[4:25] Speaker 1: first round pick, maybe not ready to make a huge
[4:28] Speaker 1: instant impact, so it could be a little bit more
[4:30] Speaker 1: about that. I thought Sam Williams, who they brought back,
[4:33] Speaker 1: has been having a good camp reportedly, but maybe, you know,
[4:35] Speaker 1: maybe they're not counting on too much from him. Rashan
[4:39] Speaker 1: Gary is who he is. I think he's a solid
[4:41] Speaker 1: NFL player. I don't think he's going to change your life.
[4:43] Speaker 1: Eziaku to me, is kind of the key one of
[4:45] Speaker 1: this whole defensive line because they work as a defense
[4:48] Speaker 1: if they are deep along the defensive front. We talked
[4:51] Speaker 1: about defensive tackle, but Aziraku is the chance to be
[4:54] Speaker 1: special out of that group, to make a big leap
[4:57] Speaker 1: and to have a difference maker. Because I see a
[4:59] Speaker 1: lot of solid players, I want a difference maker, and
[5:02] Speaker 1: I think as Araku in his second year and the
[5:05] Speaker 1: reports have been good so far, could be a difference maker.
[5:07] Speaker 1: Let's let's go back and let's talk about what's bringing
[5:11] Speaker 1: you joy with this Dallas Cowboys.
[5:13] Speaker 3: I think what's bringing me joy is we kind of
[5:16] Speaker 3: talked about the overall feeling of fatigue regarding vision and
[5:20] Speaker 3: I think a lot of that fatigue is also placed
[5:23] Speaker 3: on the Dallas Cowboys. But there appears to be this
[5:26] Speaker 3: begrudging acknowledgment that.
[5:28] Speaker 2: This team is good.
[5:29] Speaker 3: Yes, the people who have cast a franchise and you know,
[5:34] Speaker 3: mainly due to the actions of its ownership to the side,
[5:38] Speaker 3: I have come back to take this grim sense of
[5:42] Speaker 3: the Dallas Cowboys are good like it's it's not homersm
[5:46] Speaker 3: for people to talk about it. It's not like this
[5:48] Speaker 3: overwhelming pressure from capital to talk about the Dallas Cowboys
[5:52] Speaker 3: like they're they're going to be a good football team.
[5:54] Speaker 2: I think that it brings me joy in that it's changed.
[5:57] Speaker 3: That doesn't bring me joy in the sense like you
[5:59] Speaker 3: accuse me of being a Cowboys fan would this time,
[6:02] Speaker 3: which you don't do anymore. But that does bring me
[6:04] Speaker 3: joy because the cyclical nature of the ability of football
[6:07] Speaker 3: teams has come back around for the Cowboys.
[6:09] Speaker 1: We enjoy watching certain players, we enjoy watching excellent offense.
[6:15] Speaker 1: I think Dak Prescott is a man we've enjoyed watching
[6:18] Speaker 1: at his peak, and that's what's bringing me joy. And
[6:19] Speaker 1: it's very similar to what you said there that we're
[6:22] Speaker 1: kind of set up for Dak three point zero or
[6:25] Speaker 1: four point zero, how you want to.
[6:26] Speaker 4: Think about it.
[6:27] Speaker 1: If you think about Dak's career, he's always been very good.
[6:30] Speaker 1: He's had some devastating injuries to come back from, but
[6:33] Speaker 1: I do think his peaks have been especially special. His
[6:37] Speaker 1: rookie season where he gets an MVP vote, like as
[6:40] Speaker 1: a rookie, that was the Matt Ryan rookie year.
[6:43] Speaker 4: That's just next level.
[6:44] Speaker 1: I think about the first McCarthy Division title year where
[6:49] Speaker 1: they led the league in points. That was a special
[6:53] Speaker 1: Dak year. I think that was maybe his comeback Player
[6:56] Speaker 1: of the Year vote year the top. Yeah, him and
[7:00] Speaker 1: Burrow came back in the same season, so they split
[7:03] Speaker 1: the votes. Burrow ended up getting it, but that was
[7:05] Speaker 1: a special year. And then a couple of years ago
[7:07] Speaker 1: he's second in MVP. But now that's actually three years removed,
[7:10] Speaker 1: so I guess those are three really specially. I just
[7:12] Speaker 1: think we're all set up with Pickens is still here,
[7:16] Speaker 1: having a great camp. The offensive line to me is
[7:19] Speaker 1: enough shoddy. I think is a good head coach and
[7:22] Speaker 1: it's year two of an offense where everyone like it's
[7:25] Speaker 1: just set up for him to live up to those
[7:28] Speaker 1: shirts he's wearing where they're going to be like the
[7:30] Speaker 1: best offense in the league and he's wearing super Bowl shirts.
[7:33] Speaker 1: It is very exciting that DAK is set up for
[7:35] Speaker 1: this sort of season. So we did the most important
[7:38] Speaker 1: non quarterbacks one of the categories here is just something
[7:41] Speaker 1: schematic related that gets your your football loins as juicing
[7:47] Speaker 1: seame dream well.
[7:48] Speaker 3: Yeah, and ultimately because Christian Parker would like to escape
[7:52] Speaker 3: this giant shadow that is cast all over the league
[7:56] Speaker 3: in terms of Vic Fangiol.
[7:57] Speaker 2: He's connected to everything as you've their.
[7:58] Speaker 4: New defensive coordinator.
[7:59] Speaker 3: Yeah, so Christian Parker comes in and we're not going
[8:03] Speaker 3: to really see all of the coverage disguising everything in
[8:07] Speaker 3: the preseason, So just have to kind of base it
[8:10] Speaker 3: off of what Christian Parker was saying over the course
[8:12] Speaker 3: of the summer, which sounds like everything that everybody says.
[8:15] Speaker 2: Here's the quote, We're going to be multiple.
[8:18] Speaker 3: Whatever you form a defensive structure is about the players
[8:21] Speaker 3: you have or our cour pencibles will be three four
[8:23] Speaker 3: by nature, but four to three spacing will be appropriate.
[8:25] Speaker 3: All that coming in just to acknowledge the sameness of
[8:29] Speaker 3: what all the coordinators say when they start. But I
[8:32] Speaker 3: think as we see the front seven, specifically the off
[8:35] Speaker 3: ball linebackers get a little bit bigger for Dallas, there'll
[8:39] Speaker 3: be this capacity to kind of limit things on the
[8:42] Speaker 3: inside where for years they've been getting run all over.
[8:45] Speaker 3: There was no amount of scheming that Matt Eberflus could do,
[8:48] Speaker 3: you know, as limited as things were with his capacity
[8:51] Speaker 3: for that last season. Between the talent, the play calling, everything,
[8:57] Speaker 3: I don't think it is just coach beak to hear
[9:00] Speaker 3: Christian Parker say these things, yeah, and to talk about
[9:03] Speaker 3: the way that they're going to approach things because they
[9:04] Speaker 3: have the players to facilitate that scheme. Not to the
[9:08] Speaker 3: extent that Vic Fangio, you know, had a future Defensive
[9:11] Speaker 3: Player of the Year and Patrick's Artan when he had
[9:12] Speaker 3: queen Ya Mitchell come in as a rookie and be
[9:14] Speaker 3: able to stay on one side of the field for forever.
[9:17] Speaker 3: They don't have that level of talent. But I think
[9:20] Speaker 3: there's something to be excited about there.
[9:22] Speaker 1: I totally agree, and look, he was with vic in
[9:27] Speaker 1: Denver as well. He was with like Patrick Sartan. He's
[9:30] Speaker 1: had a little Vans Joseph time, so he's learned from
[9:33] Speaker 1: the best. I think of those systems as so secondary
[9:36] Speaker 1: dependent that that is my things go wrong if oh,
[9:40] Speaker 1: like he doesn't have the pieces enough in the back end.
[9:45] Speaker 1: Now on paper, it looks a little better than a
[9:47] Speaker 1: year ago. Shavon Ravel is a player they took high
[9:50] Speaker 1: in the draft knowing he wasn't going to contribute as
[9:53] Speaker 1: a rookie really, and he didn't. He struggled down the stretch.
[9:56] Speaker 1: He's reportedly looked better. Dron Bland is healthy, so he's back.
[10:00] Speaker 1: They signed Kobe Durant, but that's kind of a middling
[10:04] Speaker 1: solid replacing guy midlan is Ow.
[10:06] Speaker 4: Sorry.
[10:08] Speaker 1: They signed Jalen Thompson, a guy from Arizona who's played
[10:10] Speaker 1: a lot of STAPs, has not practiced in campleing he's
[10:12] Speaker 1: just been hurt the whole time. So Malie Hooker is
[10:14] Speaker 1: a guy some people around the team wonder like, is
[10:17] Speaker 1: he long for this roster. It's putting a lot on
[10:19] Speaker 1: Caleb Downs as a rookie, and Caleb Downs could be
[10:21] Speaker 1: that dude. But That's kind of why I started with
[10:24] Speaker 1: we're talking pass rush. The pass rush can make the
[10:26] Speaker 1: back end. I don't see a great secondary there. I
[10:30] Speaker 1: think I see a hoping to be solid, and solid
[10:34] Speaker 1: would be a big improvement from a year ago.
[10:36] Speaker 3: Yeah, And that was why things go wrong if if
[10:38] Speaker 3: darn Bitbland isn't all the way back after two consecutive
[10:41] Speaker 3: years with foot injuries, because then you start, which is
[10:44] Speaker 3: going to be kind of a theme with this division,
[10:46] Speaker 3: that shell game of all right, well so did we've
[10:49] Speaker 3: done this to make up for this, and then eventually
[10:51] Speaker 3: the whole thing just kind of collapses where yeah, if
[10:55] Speaker 3: they if they can't cover it, we don't need like
[10:57] Speaker 3: Defensive Player of the Year candidate Ron Bland for things
[11:02] Speaker 3: to work, like they need.
[11:04] Speaker 2: Just Deron Bland.
[11:06] Speaker 3: Yeah, just the guy that be out there, out there
[11:07] Speaker 3: on the field for fifteen games would alleviate a lot
[11:11] Speaker 3: of concern.
[11:12] Speaker 4: I think that's true.
[11:13] Speaker 1: And Christian Parker, who's been a rising name I think
[11:17] Speaker 1: in coaching circles for a while, he did the thing
[11:19] Speaker 1: that Bill Barcels always said was important. I thought that,
[11:22] Speaker 1: you know, sometimes Bill Barcells spoke some bs. Sometimes it
[11:26] Speaker 1: was truth and or are.
[11:27] Speaker 2: We putting the balance on that. If you put it
[11:29] Speaker 2: right in the middle.
[11:30] Speaker 1: It's pretty. It's pretty in the middle. Oh yeah, we disagree.
[11:34] Speaker 1: I mean he said something about like you gotta take
[11:38] Speaker 1: jobs when you know he once talked about how you
[11:40] Speaker 1: take the jobs when they're at their lowest because you're
[11:42] Speaker 1: gonna look better when you take it. I don't think
[11:44] Speaker 1: that was Christian Parker's intention of taking this job. But
[11:47] Speaker 1: they literally, according to the DVOA, were the worst defense
[11:50] Speaker 1: in the last twenty five years.
[11:52] Speaker 4: So only you're only going up.
[11:54] Speaker 1: You're gonna look like a good coach if you make
[11:56] Speaker 1: them twenty first and that might be all they need
[11:59] Speaker 1: to be a playoff team now, if they want to
[12:01] Speaker 1: go far in the playoffs, they might need to be
[12:03] Speaker 1: a little bit better than that. The scheme dream I
[12:05] Speaker 1: wanted to talk about was they were the team. And
[12:07] Speaker 1: I'm not sure everyone realizes this. That played at the
[12:10] Speaker 1: fastest pace in the entire NFL last year. You have
[12:13] Speaker 1: Dak Prescott as smart as canny like at quarterback, as
[12:18] Speaker 1: I think any quarterback in the entire NFL, kind of
[12:22] Speaker 1: at the peak of his powers mentally, while the physical
[12:24] Speaker 1: attributes are still there. Everyone thought Brian Schottenheimer was going
[12:29] Speaker 1: to be like his dad and run the ball like crazy.
[12:32] Speaker 1: They actually were last in the NFL in choosing to
[12:35] Speaker 1: run in power situations. In terms of neutral situations, they
[12:38] Speaker 1: were well below average in choosing to run. He knew
[12:41] Speaker 1: where his best players were, and so it's not just
[12:43] Speaker 1: about that they were trailing that they let Dak do this.
[12:47] Speaker 1: And I see that George Pickens in year two of
[12:50] Speaker 1: this system. Ryan Flinoy is a good young player as
[12:53] Speaker 1: their third. It's a really veteran group, even the offensive line,
[12:56] Speaker 1: how the Tyler's you know Smith guy in Booker. Two
[12:59] Speaker 1: of those guys are young, but they've been there. Like
[13:01] Speaker 1: this is a team that can go fast, fast, fast,
[13:03] Speaker 1: and I think that works well against a lot of
[13:05] Speaker 1: what defenses are doing. So to me, that's gonna be
[13:07] Speaker 1: a really fun thing to watch them, just maybe playing
[13:09] Speaker 1: at a little turbo speed, which it kind of did
[13:11] Speaker 1: last year while no one was looking.
[13:12] Speaker 3: Yeah, why sit back if you don't have to and
[13:14] Speaker 3: get pummeled and have chances for everybody's checks to come through,
[13:19] Speaker 3: you know, the pressure schemes to all get set up,
[13:22] Speaker 3: maybe even substitute, like if you if you.
[13:24] Speaker 1: Don't have to do that, you got to trust everyone,
[13:27] Speaker 1: and you got to have and you do with Dak Prescott,
[13:30] Speaker 1: and you got to trust all the personnel to run
[13:32] Speaker 1: the play, and you got to have a versatile group
[13:34] Speaker 1: of players, and I think they do. I've really enjoyed
[13:38] Speaker 1: hearing everything at camp that Pickens has kind of come
[13:41] Speaker 1: in there.
[13:44] Speaker 4: Just like ready to go.
[13:45] Speaker 1: Because this is him, like like after he hasn't always
[13:48] Speaker 1: been in camps and stuff. He's had smaller injuries and
[13:52] Speaker 1: stuff like that over the year. So I just like
[13:54] Speaker 1: that he's healthy. I just I just love I love everything.
[13:57] Speaker 3: Then I'm here like the overreaction like after last year
[14:00] Speaker 3: where the culmination of the Pickens things was getting hurt
[14:03] Speaker 3: against Detroit and he went to a casino with CD
[14:06] Speaker 3: before a game like that was it.
[14:08] Speaker 2: Yeah.
[14:10] Speaker 1: What I mean is that for the people watching the
[14:13] Speaker 1: practice reports, it hasn't always like he hasn't been the
[14:15] Speaker 1: most consistent player, and I think that happens with young players.
[14:19] Speaker 1: And if you get an extremely consistent season out of
[14:22] Speaker 1: Pickens again, they are going to be really really tough
[14:26] Speaker 1: to stop as long as that offensive line plays well enough.
[14:30] Speaker 1: I going into last season, I thought they had like
[14:32] Speaker 1: a top five ceiling, and they were I would say
[14:35] Speaker 1: well below that. In the end in terms of their
[14:38] Speaker 1: offensive line, they just need to be good. But I
[14:40] Speaker 1: think their ceiling is still pretty high. Let's talk ceiling
[14:42] Speaker 1: floor the whole team.
[14:44] Speaker 4: Where do you see them?
[14:45] Speaker 2: The ceiling is the super Bowl.
[14:46] Speaker 4: Okay, let's go.
[14:48] Speaker 2: I don't think that it's bluster.
[14:50] Speaker 3: I think this this Cowboys team can, as a lot
[14:52] Speaker 3: of these teams can when the Super Bowl, the way
[14:56] Speaker 3: things play off, I see the floor as relatively high
[15:00] Speaker 3: as well.
[15:01] Speaker 2: Ten wins, that's a high floor. It's a high floor.
[15:05] Speaker 3: But like that's the place where we're saying all things
[15:08] Speaker 3: are saying the court, and again.
[15:09] Speaker 4: We're talking in ceiling floor.
[15:11] Speaker 1: We've made it clear if you're just tuning in to
[15:13] Speaker 1: the division previous, that's assuming health, relative health, and so.
[15:18] Speaker 3: As thin as things are in the secondary, which every
[15:21] Speaker 3: single team has to navigate this minefield, that is a
[15:24] Speaker 3: game that's inherently not good for your body to play.
[15:27] Speaker 3: DAK plays the secondary is able to stay thin and
[15:31] Speaker 3: play that they win take games.
[15:33] Speaker 4: I think the ceiling.
[15:36] Speaker 1: At first, I just thought win the division, win some
[15:39] Speaker 1: a playoff game or two, and that's about the ceiling.
[15:43] Speaker 1: I don't know if I'm backing off my like extreme
[15:45] Speaker 1: optimism that I started the offseason with because everyone's on it.
[15:48] Speaker 1: I shouldn't be like that. Don't let the outside forces
[15:52] Speaker 1: infect you. Are they one of the teams I can
[15:54] Speaker 1: imagine in the Super Bowl representing the NFC they are.
[15:58] Speaker 1: It's not that long a list, not as long a
[16:00] Speaker 1: list in the NFC as it is the AFC.
[16:02] Speaker 4: They are. I think they can make the Super Bowl.
[16:03] Speaker 1: I think the floor is closer to you know, eight
[16:06] Speaker 1: and nine, nine and eight, just if if the defense
[16:10] Speaker 1: just doesn't take a big step forward. You know, they
[16:13] Speaker 1: were still as good as the offense was a year ago.
[16:14] Speaker 1: They were like eighth and dv awaight like they did
[16:17] Speaker 1: the floor for a team. I think it is a
[16:19] Speaker 1: round five hundred, maybe nine to eight or so. Let's
[16:21] Speaker 1: go to the Giants. What is bringing you joy?
[16:26] Speaker 4: For the New York Giants?
[16:29] Speaker 2: Not to be shot and fruity.
[16:30] Speaker 1: I'm a little I'm a little worried about the hesitation there.
[16:33] Speaker 4: You know, You're like, is anything bringing me joy?
[16:37] Speaker 2: No?
[16:37] Speaker 3: Well, ultimately you get it. You get a chance to
[16:40] Speaker 3: have people talk about the adult in the room. There's
[16:43] Speaker 3: been a lot of conversation about the state of the franchise. Yeah,
[16:45] Speaker 3: and now with John Harball there to lead it. And
[16:48] Speaker 3: I'm excited for the results to play out, whatever they
[16:51] Speaker 3: may be, because I think they could possibly be instructive
[16:54] Speaker 3: as to how we have view circumstances regarding changes.
[16:58] Speaker 1: Okay, so you're what's bringing joy as you're rooty against
[17:01] Speaker 1: John hord.
[17:01] Speaker 2: I'm not rooting against John Holbro.
[17:03] Speaker 3: I'm rooting against the results to play out and everybody
[17:06] Speaker 3: to adjust their expectations relative to what they see.
[17:09] Speaker 1: How high are the expectations for this team? Are they
[17:12] Speaker 1: that high?
[17:13] Speaker 2: I think they're higher than they have been.
[17:14] Speaker 3: And this is a team that has been more likely
[17:18] Speaker 3: to lose nine games than they are to go to
[17:21] Speaker 3: the postseason, you know if you go back the past decade,
[17:26] Speaker 3: and so the expectations are up. There's excitement surrounding Jackson Dart.
[17:31] Speaker 3: But I think I'm just it brings me joy that
[17:33] Speaker 3: we get to find out, Okay, we get to find
[17:36] Speaker 3: out how it works to have a quote unquote adult
[17:39] Speaker 3: in the room.
[17:40] Speaker 1: You're being a little sneaky here, but heck, nine losses
[17:43] Speaker 1: would be a great season for them. That would be
[17:46] Speaker 1: their second best season of the last twelve years.
[17:49] Speaker 4: Yeah, they're not third best.
[17:51] Speaker 1: Sorry, they made the playoffs twice, but every other season
[17:53] Speaker 1: was that at least six wins or fewer, going back
[17:58] Speaker 1: all the way to their last nine and seven season
[18:01] Speaker 1: with Eli Manning.
[18:02] Speaker 4: That's crazy to think about. I'll start with the draft picks.
[18:05] Speaker 1: Watching the first preseason game, Rvel Reese just throwing Donovan
[18:12] Speaker 1: Jackson that the Vikings guard aside and sticking who is
[18:17] Speaker 1: the running back in the hole? I think I think
[18:19] Speaker 1: it was Jordan Mason and just like that run stopped
[18:23] Speaker 1: right there. I think he was born to play off
[18:26] Speaker 1: ball linebacker. I'm kind of glad that he got drafted
[18:28] Speaker 1: by a team that doesn't need him at edge. And
[18:30] Speaker 1: then between him and Francis Mauinoa, who had a good
[18:33] Speaker 1: first preseason game two and could help transform that line
[18:38] Speaker 1: into a group where suddenly you know you got him
[18:41] Speaker 1: and Andrew Thomas. You okay, we got a couple of
[18:43] Speaker 1: difference makers. We got a couple other solid players that
[18:45] Speaker 1: we believe in two including illumin Or at right tackle,
[18:48] Speaker 1: and we could get powerful, we could run the ball.
[18:52] Speaker 1: This is a team with top end talent. Potentially if
[18:56] Speaker 1: those guys pan out and then which will bring me
[18:58] Speaker 1: I'll just go right into my most important quarterback because
[19:00] Speaker 1: it'll be It'll be Neighbors. And to me, the two
[19:02] Speaker 1: options where neighbors are Abdul Carter. Did did you choose
[19:05] Speaker 1: one of those two? Okay, why don't you go with
[19:07] Speaker 1: neighbors and I'll go with Abdul Carter. But my point
[19:10] Speaker 1: connecting all these is like, Okay, Reese Mario a Neighbors,
[19:14] Speaker 1: Abdul Carter, Andrew Thomas, Brian Burns, Like, we got some
[19:19] Speaker 1: some great players on this team. You go through other
[19:22] Speaker 1: teams that are consensus last place teams, which the Giants
[19:25] Speaker 1: are for everything you're saying, like the expectations are higher,
[19:28] Speaker 1: like that they're favored to come and last, like these
[19:30] Speaker 1: are some high level players. Why is neighbors to you
[19:33] Speaker 1: so important?
[19:34] Speaker 3: Because in terms of offensive playmakers, and you know, acknowledging
[19:39] Speaker 3: the fact that Cam Scatabu was one of the best
[19:41] Speaker 3: performing running backs over a stretch last season, he's got
[19:45] Speaker 3: to come back from that.
[19:46] Speaker 2: But Malik Neighbors.
[19:47] Speaker 3: Is is so unique in terms of talents capacity to
[19:52] Speaker 3: make plays with the football that it kind of changes
[19:55] Speaker 3: the season long outlook of an offense, which is why
[19:57] Speaker 3: it's it's very important to you to not kind of
[20:02] Speaker 3: hand phicedly get him back on the field if he's
[20:04] Speaker 3: not ready to play. And we're not just in terms
[20:07] Speaker 3: of their ability to execute on the field, but general
[20:10] Speaker 3: belief probably not just am on the fan base, but
[20:13] Speaker 3: among the team.
[20:15] Speaker 2: If Malik Neighbors is.
[20:16] Speaker 4: Is the opponents too, Yeah.
[20:18] Speaker 3: Because it's there's so much more that you have to
[20:21] Speaker 3: do to prepare for this version of this Giants team
[20:24] Speaker 3: that you know. Well, we'll talk about the scheme and
[20:26] Speaker 3: those facilitating it shortly, but Milik Nighbors changes all of that.
[20:32] Speaker 1: Yeah, that's that's a little what I'm worried about the
[20:34] Speaker 1: the offensive staff. I caution and we might get into
[20:39] Speaker 1: this on some of our fantasy previews. Everyone check out
[20:41] Speaker 1: Patrick Claibond back hosting NFL Live for the what seasons.
[20:47] Speaker 3: NFL Fantasy Fantasy Life. This is going to be the
[20:51] Speaker 3: sixth season because it coincides with my daughter's birth.
[20:55] Speaker 1: That is incredible, And yeah, people can check out Patrick
[20:59] Speaker 1: and Adam Rank and Marcus and Cynthia Florida, like the
[21:02] Speaker 1: whole gang is back. Very cool and it's back to
[21:05] Speaker 1: daily on NFL Network. I love seeing that so we're
[21:08] Speaker 1: gonna be talking on that sea.
[21:09] Speaker 4: Why not.
[21:11] Speaker 1: I'm not taking Milak Neighbors in fantasy under any circumstances.
[21:15] Speaker 1: I think these injuries are really serious. I think people
[21:17] Speaker 1: are getting a little over their skis of like the
[21:19] Speaker 1: slight improvements as he's getting ready. And I'm just thinking
[21:22] Speaker 1: about as a realistic human that we're probably not seeing
[21:26] Speaker 1: the best of Malik Neighbors until twenty twenty seven. Now,
[21:30] Speaker 1: can you see that maybe even the second half of
[21:32] Speaker 1: twenty twenty six, that would be great, That would be
[21:34] Speaker 1: a massive bonus, which I think it's the right choice, yeah,
[21:36] Speaker 1: for most important non quarterback. But I'm just about like
[21:39] Speaker 1: setting expectations at a fair level. And then I think
[21:42] Speaker 1: if he's not full Malak Neighbors, I think you look
[21:45] Speaker 1: after him and you think, you know, this is one
[21:49] Speaker 1: of the worst receiver groups overall in the NFL. You
[21:53] Speaker 1: know you're hoping Malkyfield steps up. You get a hope
[21:55] Speaker 1: Darnell Moon, Like, we've got some NFL players there, Calvin Austen,
[21:59] Speaker 1: and we'll see if it'll be makes the team. But
[22:00] Speaker 1: like it's a lot for Jackson Dart in this this
[22:04] Speaker 1: offensive staff to make up for if malak neighbors isn't right.
[22:06] Speaker 2: Yeah, And there was a great catch about you know,
[22:08] Speaker 2: Malachi makes it.
[22:08] Speaker 3: It makes a great play in a in a situation
[22:11] Speaker 3: where they might not have done much with that one
[22:14] Speaker 3: offense out there if not because he got a great
[22:18] Speaker 3: screen to Devin Singletary to get forty two yards on
[22:21] Speaker 3: that draft, to get Dart in that position to throw
[22:24] Speaker 3: that ball to Malachai fields. But it's there's going to
[22:28] Speaker 3: be so much on Mylikue neighbors if he's not healthy,
[22:30] Speaker 3: and like one plage neighbors can do all of those things. Yeah,
[22:33] Speaker 3: are we going to ask eighty nine percent Molakue neighbors
[22:36] Speaker 3: to carry this offense if he if he's only eighty nine.
[22:40] Speaker 1: Even some other reporting Jordan Rainon from ESPN at yeah,
[22:44] Speaker 1: saying it was his first day. It was a big
[22:45] Speaker 1: step for him going in some drills you know against
[22:49] Speaker 1: you know, defensive players on Monday. So that's it's a
[22:51] Speaker 1: big first step. But it's still non contact. He looked
[22:54] Speaker 1: like he, you know, maybe it was favoring Like I'm
[22:57] Speaker 1: just saying, be patient. Abdol Carter would be the other
[22:59] Speaker 1: option if you want like five to ten minutes on
[23:02] Speaker 1: Abdul Carter. We did an edge rusher draft way earlier
[23:04] Speaker 1: in the offseason in May me and Ali Connelly.
[23:06] Speaker 4: We took Abdul Carter ninth.
[23:08] Speaker 1: He actually went six spots ahead of Brian Burns, which
[23:11] Speaker 1: is almost disrespectful to Brian Burns. But he's got to
[23:13] Speaker 1: go perform. I think he can. I think he can
[23:16] Speaker 1: be an elite edg rusher. He's got to go prove it.
[23:21] Speaker 1: Finish plays. And if you can do that, him and
[23:25] Speaker 1: Brian Burns and then with Keveon Thibodeau as your third,
[23:27] Speaker 1: is as good an edge rush group as there is
[23:29] Speaker 1: in the entire NFL. My concern and you, I think
[23:31] Speaker 1: alluded to it were for this team in general. I
[23:35] Speaker 1: have it under scheme dream, but it could be things
[23:37] Speaker 1: go wrong if as well would be the three horsemen
[23:40] Speaker 1: of the offensive apocalypse, Matt Naggie, Greg Roman and Brian
[23:45] Speaker 1: Callahan running your team. Little concerning that that's the trio.
[23:48] Speaker 3: Yeah, that was what I actually had for my scheme
[23:50] Speaker 3: dream was a parenthetical nightmare where Naggie and the Chiefs
[23:54] Speaker 3: and arguably the best quarterback of all time, got worse
[23:58] Speaker 3: progressively as his ten got longer. His second tenure in
[24:01] Speaker 3: Kansas City, they were ninth in yards, sixteenth in yards,
[24:04] Speaker 3: and twentieth in yards over those three seasons. Brian Callahan's
[24:08] Speaker 3: quarterback when he was the offensive coordinator and head coach,
[24:12] Speaker 3: his offensive finishes. His offense has finished twenty seventh and
[24:15] Speaker 3: thirtieth in yards the last two years. And if those
[24:18] Speaker 3: two don't concern your enough, Greg Roman is also there
[24:21] Speaker 3: to help make things so much better. And we saw
[24:24] Speaker 3: how that went for a Chargers team that yes, fell
[24:28] Speaker 3: apart on the offensive line, but schematically things were so
[24:32] Speaker 3: frustrating for the end to watch what Justin Herbert was
[24:35] Speaker 3: dealing with that. I don't know if Jackson Dart can
[24:39] Speaker 3: solve the things that both Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson.
[24:42] Speaker 1: It's a lot of cooks in the kitchen in the
[24:45] Speaker 1: passing game specifically, I'm curious if they'll have the right answers.
[24:49] Speaker 4: Hot take.
[24:49] Speaker 1: I'd actually feel slightly better about this if Greg Roman
[24:53] Speaker 1: was just the OC.
[24:55] Speaker 4: Just tick away.
[24:55] Speaker 2: Yeah, that's searingly hot.
[24:58] Speaker 1: I think here's why, and it's why I have a
[25:00] Speaker 1: little bit of confidence between this offensive line and the
[25:03] Speaker 1: running game that he installs, and hopefully Scataboo and possibly
[25:06] Speaker 1: Najree Harris. There's some talk that he could be joining
[25:09] Speaker 1: this team. Usually the first year or two of Greg Roman.
[25:14] Speaker 1: Like you got a mobile quarterback, like the Running Game,
[25:17] Speaker 1: the running game can be solid, That's all.
[25:20] Speaker 4: I just would feel better.
[25:21] Speaker 1: I feel okay about what he's adding if he's in.
[25:24] Speaker 1: You know, his title is specifically about the running Game
[25:27] Speaker 1: that I actually feel more confident that he can help
[25:30] Speaker 1: that I will go to the things go wrong if category,
[25:34] Speaker 1: and it would be the secondary getting flamed, very similar
[25:39] Speaker 1: to my last one. But in this case, I think
[25:41] Speaker 1: the past rus is going to make up for it
[25:42] Speaker 1: so much that hopefully it won't happen. But between the
[25:45] Speaker 1: linebackers in coverage and we'll see. I think our VL
[25:47] Speaker 1: Reese could be great. But you know, it's been a
[25:50] Speaker 1: weakness for them. Paulson Adebo's running with the second team.
[25:54] Speaker 1: They're really counting on Greg Newsom, who struggled a lot
[25:56] Speaker 1: in previous years and has been hurt for camp. Deontay
[25:59] Speaker 1: Banks is actually bad good graces and is now starting again.
[26:02] Speaker 1: Colton Hood is a second round pick who reportedly hasn't
[26:06] Speaker 1: had like the best camp in the world. Denard Wilson
[26:08] Speaker 1: is the defensive coordinator, and I just don't know what
[26:12] Speaker 1: he's going to bring to the table because he was
[26:15] Speaker 1: given a tough group to work with in Tennessee. I
[26:19] Speaker 1: think he did okay with that, but he's more of
[26:20] Speaker 1: just like a concept. I'm not really sure what he's
[26:23] Speaker 1: going to do. And I think he's got a tough
[26:24] Speaker 1: situation here in the back end potentially too. So that's
[26:28] Speaker 1: something where the secondary could let them down if the
[26:32] Speaker 1: but maybe the passer's so good, like the secondary doesn't
[26:34] Speaker 1: even matter.
[26:34] Speaker 3: Well, if that were the case, we would have seen
[26:36] Speaker 3: that last year, if that were possible. Right, for all
[26:39] Speaker 3: of this talent up front, you know, you take Dexter
[26:43] Speaker 3: Lawrence out of the equation. It's like, is a legitimate
[26:45] Speaker 3: question which defensive front seven had more talent? Was it
[26:50] Speaker 3: the twenty twenty five Giants or the twenty twenty six Giants.
[26:53] Speaker 1: The defensive tackle, I should note too, on paper, is
[26:57] Speaker 1: a group that has a lot of questions. They brought
[26:59] Speaker 1: INDJ Reader as a free agent. After that, it's not
[27:03] Speaker 1: a lot of pass rush and when they were one
[27:06] Speaker 1: of the worst run, you know, stopping teams in the
[27:08] Speaker 1: NFL last year.
[27:09] Speaker 2: And Wilson was with the Titans. I believe that as
[27:11] Speaker 2: DC for a couple of years.
[27:12] Speaker 3: One of those years was really really good and so
[27:15] Speaker 3: like that, Hey, plus, like if if there is a
[27:17] Speaker 3: way to facilitate that that back end uh to have
[27:23] Speaker 3: somewhat of a decent performance relative to what they were
[27:26] Speaker 3: able to do last year. Like that's that's a positive
[27:30] Speaker 3: way to make this all work. And as you said,
[27:32] Speaker 3: the offense, as you know, there's a pullback on the
[27:35] Speaker 3: Matt Naggy and a push forward on Greg Rosenthals Greg Roman,
[27:39] Speaker 3: twenty twenty seven.
[27:40] Speaker 1: I'm just saying I think he brings something to the table.
[27:44] Speaker 4: I'm not sure about the Callahan and the Naggy of
[27:46] Speaker 4: it all.
[27:46] Speaker 2: Yeah, you you.
[27:48] Speaker 3: Grind Jackson Dart, you're running QB power at the five
[27:52] Speaker 3: and you you know, carve out a season.
[27:56] Speaker 1: What's the ceiling and flora this team. We haven't talked
[27:59] Speaker 1: Jackson Dart specifically yet, so this is a good spot
[28:02] Speaker 1: to do it.
[28:03] Speaker 3: Yeah, they could, they could win ten games. I think
[28:06] Speaker 3: they could get up there full pedal to the floor,
[28:10] Speaker 3: triple options like they're they're they're doing it right and
[28:14] Speaker 3: Darts dobbin and the end zone head first having a
[28:16] Speaker 3: great time. Uh, they could get up there and win
[28:18] Speaker 3: some games and bother some people. The floor is a
[28:23] Speaker 3: decidedly different circumstances.
[28:24] Speaker 1: You're going extreme floor, Yeah, like top five pick, yeah, six, six, seven, Okay,
[28:32] Speaker 1: six wins probably gets to like the seventh pick something
[28:35] Speaker 1: like that. Ten wins a lot like what what is
[28:40] Speaker 1: the ceiling of both the offense of the defense. When
[28:43] Speaker 1: I was really thinking about even as good as I
[28:45] Speaker 1: think some of their top end players are, man, if
[28:49] Speaker 1: they got like a slightly below average offense, I think
[28:51] Speaker 1: that'd be a pretty big win for them. It's hard
[28:55] Speaker 1: for me to scratch out a team that would be
[28:59] Speaker 1: better than average on offense. It would really be about
[29:01] Speaker 1: the offensive line, and it would be about Jackson Dart
[29:04] Speaker 1: doing what we expect second year quarterbacks to do, which
[29:06] Speaker 1: just take a step forward. And he's shown he can
[29:09] Speaker 1: make the special place. He saw it with Malchi Fields
[29:11] Speaker 1: last week. He saw it last season like his great
[29:13] Speaker 1: moments were really great. He's got something to him. He's
[29:16] Speaker 1: an NFL player. It's the consistency down to down, it's
[29:18] Speaker 1: getting to his second reads, it's running an offense and
[29:22] Speaker 1: having the right setup. To me, nine to eight is
[29:25] Speaker 1: about as high as I go even eight and nine,
[29:26] Speaker 1: I think would be an outstanding result for this team.
[29:29] Speaker 4: So that's more what I see the ceiling of the
[29:31] Speaker 4: team and you.
[29:32] Speaker 1: Have five and twelve, and that's really more about Dart
[29:35] Speaker 1: would be my floor.
[29:36] Speaker 4: I think there.
[29:37] Speaker 1: I don't know how his career is going to go,
[29:39] Speaker 1: but he could be someone that kind of kicks around
[29:41] Speaker 1: and doesn't stick as like a permanent starter. I think
[29:44] Speaker 1: that's I think there's a lot of outcomes for his career.
[29:46] Speaker 1: I think he's a really high ceiling, low floor quarterback,
[29:49] Speaker 1: and so this is going to be important season. But
[29:51] Speaker 1: if I could see him struggling and then he's then
[29:54] Speaker 1: they're five and.
[29:54] Speaker 3: Twelve, like a circumstance where it's like not a like
[29:58] Speaker 3: a minimum Baker where the second the second actor never
[30:03] Speaker 3: comes and it's it's not due to injury.
[30:06] Speaker 1: You just kind of like a poor man's Baker. Yeah,
[30:09] Speaker 1: like like a like a Portals maybe. I mean Bortles
[30:13] Speaker 1: had his one year for Jacksonville, but yeah, like he's
[30:16] Speaker 1: physically gifted and he showed way more than Bortles did early.
[30:20] Speaker 1: I just mean, I don't know, I think it'll be
[30:24] Speaker 1: better than.
[30:25] Speaker 3: That Portles versus Dark career arc Is on does he
[30:29] Speaker 3: ever get within a controversial play of a Super Bowl.
[30:31] Speaker 1: I think he's going to be much closer to Jamis
[30:36] Speaker 1: Winston's career. Arc you know, maybe like slightly lesser his
[30:40] Speaker 1: backup quarterback to me is actually kind of the type
[30:42] Speaker 1: of player, type of career I think he'll have.
[30:45] Speaker 4: We'll have a long career.
[30:46] Speaker 1: He'll have some fun highs, but maybe a guy that
[30:49] Speaker 1: you can't really trust.
[30:50] Speaker 4: He'll evaluate these young quarterbacks. He'll be getting a backup.
[30:53] Speaker 1: Yes, yeah, he's going to be playing for a long time.
[30:56] Speaker 1: Let's take a quick break. We've hit half the nf
[31:00] Speaker 1: see East. We are going to come back with the
[31:02] Speaker 1: team that has dominated the division for the most part
[31:06] Speaker 1: over the last decade. Back in the NFL Daily Patrick
[31:23] Speaker 1: making off colored jokes right before we turned the camera on.
[31:26] Speaker 1: They had nothing to do with the NFC East. There's
[31:30] Speaker 1: a theme here with these last two teams, the Eagles
[31:33] Speaker 1: and the Commanders. And as much as I alluded to
[31:37] Speaker 1: the Eagles dominating this division over the last decade, I
[31:40] Speaker 1: mean that that Commander's team is only two years ago
[31:43] Speaker 1: in the NFC Championship, the Eagles still dominated.
[31:46] Speaker 3: But yeah, the pinnacle of franchise they still got.
[31:52] Speaker 1: I'm just saying they were one of the final two
[31:53] Speaker 1: teams in the NFC. The Philadelphia Eagles and the Commanders
[31:56] Speaker 1: have something in common, and it that they are installing
[32:02] Speaker 1: tree or tree adjacent offense, is a lot more under
[32:07] Speaker 1: center work for their quarterbacks. It's what fans in both
[32:11] Speaker 1: cities have been asking for over the last few years.
[32:14] Speaker 1: It's really similar everything you're hearing out of the two
[32:17] Speaker 1: training camps. And I'll kick off the Eagles by saying,
[32:21] Speaker 1: that's bringing me joy when it comes to Philadelphia, that
[32:25] Speaker 1: they're committed to this, that the Sean mannion who comes
[32:31] Speaker 1: from the Green Bay Matt Laflor system buzz has been
[32:35] Speaker 1: good in terms of that. This offense really does look different.
[32:38] Speaker 1: I've gotten increasingly tired of watching the Eagles offense be
[32:44] Speaker 1: erratic in the same way year after year, no matter
[32:47] Speaker 1: who the coordinator is. And so I think you're going
[32:49] Speaker 1: to see a different running game with more outside zone.
[32:53] Speaker 1: I think you're going to see the play action, You're
[32:55] Speaker 1: going to see the more motion. It's going to be
[32:57] Speaker 1: less one on one and the thing that is bringing
[32:59] Speaker 1: to me more joy and everyone is everyone for whatever
[33:01] Speaker 1: reason saying this year that hurts is just like in
[33:06] Speaker 1: a much better mood. He's ready to go. He's embracing
[33:09] Speaker 1: this offense, he's taking more leadership. He feels lighter, not
[33:13] Speaker 1: the weight of the world on his shoulder. All this
[33:16] Speaker 1: stuff is coming from inside and outside the house. That's
[33:19] Speaker 1: bringing me joy that we see a different Eagles offen.
[33:21] Speaker 2: Where are they getting that? Though? Where are they all.
[33:24] Speaker 1: Of his teammates, For one, some have been on the
[33:26] Speaker 1: record that they've talked about that that he's been like.
[33:33] Speaker 4: Kind of viewing that part of his job.
[33:34] Speaker 1: And if you just watch him at the podium, he's
[33:36] Speaker 1: just not as like self serious for what it's worth.
[33:39] Speaker 1: And more importantly is the on the field stuff that
[33:42] Speaker 1: I think it's going to look different, so that I'm
[33:44] Speaker 1: excited about. They're one of the teams I'm really looking
[33:47] Speaker 1: forward to seeing week one, Like what does this look like?
[33:49] Speaker 2: Yeah?
[33:49] Speaker 3: I think you know, there's a probably a little bit
[33:52] Speaker 3: of a contrast from the doom and gloom questions about
[33:55] Speaker 3: his teammates and their relationships over the course of seven
[33:57] Speaker 3: months not happening anymore. That can make things a little
[34:01] Speaker 3: bit lighter at the podium. It's just odd to me
[34:02] Speaker 3: because there's a lot of external conversation about the interior
[34:05] Speaker 3: thoughts of Jalen Hurts when it's the same quotable Jalen
[34:10] Speaker 3: Hurts that's available to everybody at all times. I just
[34:14] Speaker 3: the conversation in Philly is so constant and overbearing and
[34:20] Speaker 3: everlasting that that's what brings me joy is the capacity
[34:23] Speaker 3: forward to end.
[34:25] Speaker 4: Oh okay, you think it will end?
[34:27] Speaker 3: No, just with regards to this rendition of the team,
[34:32] Speaker 3: because eventually you run out of people to blame and
[34:37] Speaker 3: perhaps that attention and maybe it'll all be focused on
[34:39] Speaker 3: Jalen Hurts, but some of it we'll get to the
[34:42] Speaker 3: head coach and the decision making and the process that
[34:45] Speaker 3: goes into the making of those decisions where it's got
[34:50] Speaker 3: to happen at some point and this is going to
[34:52] Speaker 3: be the season for it.
[34:53] Speaker 1: Do you think he entered into chat GPT? How do
[34:58] Speaker 1: I stay off the hot seat? You know?
[34:59] Speaker 2: What do I do?
[35:00] Speaker 3: And maybe it probably was For a lot of people
[35:03] Speaker 3: that would never listen to certain voices, the llms have
[35:07] Speaker 3: been great because it gives them the chance to talk
[35:10] Speaker 3: to somebody that doesn't exist, because those other voices might
[35:14] Speaker 3: as well not exist to them.
[35:15] Speaker 1: To something that is just you know, trawling through like
[35:19] Speaker 1: three year old you know, rivals dot Com articles, Yeah,
[35:23] Speaker 1: and just picking out things and then spitting out.
[35:25] Speaker 2: Yeah, if there are forces of power in your life
[35:27] Speaker 2: that don't listen to you, go on Reddit and make
[35:29] Speaker 2: incessant comments about your worldview for the next six thousand
[35:33] Speaker 2: years and perhaps that will collectively be up sucked into
[35:37] Speaker 2: this death of thought.
[35:40] Speaker 4: Yeah.
[35:40] Speaker 1: So Sirianni their head coaches embracing our new overlords.
[35:44] Speaker 2: We're not.
[35:45] Speaker 1: But the scheme that I talked about, and I think
[35:49] Speaker 1: it will be a change from what Nick Sirianni's coaching tree,
[35:52] Speaker 1: including Chanine Ssyke and runs, is going to look different
[35:56] Speaker 1: for the offensive line. I'll talk about that for my
[35:59] Speaker 1: scheme dream because Lane Johnson and Jordan Malatta and even
[36:03] Speaker 1: Lane and Dickerson have talked about it in the preseason.
[36:06] Speaker 1: It's gonna be very different for them too. I think
[36:08] Speaker 1: their old scheme was a very like we're gonna ask
[36:11] Speaker 1: you to win one on one, and it got to highlight.
[36:14] Speaker 4: How good they were. Here.
[36:15] Speaker 1: It's a little bit more of bean and sync, you know,
[36:18] Speaker 1: especially with the with the running game, when Saquon Barklay
[36:21] Speaker 1: hasn't really played in this sort of offense that often
[36:25] Speaker 1: either I just am curious, like, what is it gonna
[36:28] Speaker 1: look like for this offensive line? We know they're very talented,
[36:32] Speaker 1: but they are gonna be asked to do different things.
[36:35] Speaker 1: It could be Lane Johnson's last year sounds like it
[36:37] Speaker 1: will be. Uh Lannon Dickerson's a guy who's had his
[36:40] Speaker 1: injury struggles, but Melata is like an all pro caliber player.
[36:43] Speaker 1: Cam Jurgens is a good player. Like, just what is
[36:45] Speaker 1: it gonna look like? Is it gonna unlock even more
[36:48] Speaker 1: for them? Could there be some growing pains because they're
[36:50] Speaker 1: gonna be asked to do different things? And they have
[36:52] Speaker 1: spoken about they think it's gonna make it easier, but
[36:55] Speaker 1: they've really emphasized like it is really different. Like it
[36:58] Speaker 1: like Lane Johnson specifically has been in one type of
[37:00] Speaker 1: way of doing things and here he's now trying something different.
[37:03] Speaker 3: And it's it's funny that it's different when there's this
[37:07] Speaker 3: level of homogeny now throughout the league where so many
[37:11] Speaker 3: like Mentor in his capacity for and again as a
[37:15] Speaker 3: preseason game and nobody's showing a lot of things, it
[37:18] Speaker 3: looked disjointed, It looked weird. I don't know if that
[37:21] Speaker 3: was anything. Yeah, the Eagles offense in the opening preseason game.
[37:24] Speaker 3: It did not lead to a lot of excitement to
[37:27] Speaker 3: say like, oh yeah, the tree is here.
[37:29] Speaker 2: To say Philadelphia, it.
[37:31] Speaker 1: Was second and third stringers. They'll say they don't you know,
[37:33] Speaker 1: game plan and all that stuff. But that's fair.
[37:36] Speaker 4: What is schematically interesting you to this team?
[37:40] Speaker 3: I think right because when my lott I was talking
[37:42] Speaker 3: about their capacity to impact the field stretch wise, I
[37:47] Speaker 3: think people consume that is, oh, we're gonna go down
[37:50] Speaker 3: the field more. They went down the field all the time.
[37:53] Speaker 3: I think he meant horizontally in terms of places to
[37:56] Speaker 3: attack the defense in the run game as well as
[37:59] Speaker 3: the pass game, that it's not just those those screens.
[38:01] Speaker 3: To DeVonta Smith, I, it's the tree.
[38:06] Speaker 4: Yeah, is it?
[38:07] Speaker 3: Is it the same version? Is it more leaflora as
[38:10] Speaker 3: it's coming from?
[38:11] Speaker 1: Uh?
[38:12] Speaker 3: You know this this Green Bay aspect of it where
[38:15] Speaker 3: we've seen it in so many places. Can they can
[38:17] Speaker 3: this group of players execute it to the extent that
[38:20] Speaker 3: we see an others doing it?
[38:21] Speaker 1: And how creative is it in terms of the running game,
[38:23] Speaker 1: How creative can they execute the running game?
[38:25] Speaker 4: How run heavy is it?
[38:26] Speaker 1: Because I think Michae Lafleur or Matt Lafleur rather, that's
[38:30] Speaker 1: where he you know, loves to live, and I'm excited
[38:34] Speaker 1: to see it. I think we could get not a
[38:36] Speaker 1: resurgent Saquon Barkley season, but I expect something between twenty
[38:42] Speaker 1: four and twenty five in terms of his production, and
[38:45] Speaker 1: maybe closer to twenty four just in terms of pure
[38:49] Speaker 1: effectiveness this season. So I think Saquon Barkley could be better.
[38:53] Speaker 1: DeVante Smith is going to be treated as a true
[38:54] Speaker 1: number one. I think Doantavian Wicks is a really important
[38:58] Speaker 1: player for them in terms of you talk about.
[39:00] Speaker 2: He's more familiar with the offense than anybody else on.
[39:02] Speaker 1: The team, and just according to training camp reports, makaile
[39:05] Speaker 1: Lemon just hasn't been out there, and Darius Cooper, who
[39:10] Speaker 1: I thought is making this team, was out there deep
[39:12] Speaker 1: with the deep backups, and so I, you know, I
[39:14] Speaker 1: don't know about this receiver depth. I think they really
[39:18] Speaker 1: want don Tavian Wicks to be a really crucial player
[39:22] Speaker 1: for this offense. Who is your most important non quarterback
[39:24] Speaker 1: on the team.
[39:25] Speaker 3: It's Jalen Carter that I think, because the team relies
[39:30] Speaker 3: on this defense, They rely on their defense to make plays.
[39:33] Speaker 2: And with Dejean and and Quinnon and all.
[39:38] Speaker 3: Of these guys that are there to facilitate the player
[39:41] Speaker 3: that ultimately makes the plays. This Jalen Carter. I think
[39:44] Speaker 3: that makes the most plays on this defense. That is
[39:47] Speaker 3: the strength of the team.
[39:50] Speaker 1: He wasn't as consistent last year as he was the
[39:53] Speaker 1: year very hurt. He wasn't consistently healthy, and that's hard
[39:58] Speaker 1: to predict. But that was my cho because I think
[40:02] Speaker 1: the defense needs to be great. I think the defense
[40:05] Speaker 1: should be great. It is looking really good at every level. Yeah,
[40:10] Speaker 1: I think it's the best looking defense in the NFL.
[40:12] Speaker 1: Look on paper. Even It's tough to pick between them
[40:16] Speaker 1: and the Texans. But if if you were telling me,
[40:19] Speaker 1: take the coaches away, okay, and I'm just you just
[40:23] Speaker 1: just get the eleven starters and you got to go
[40:26] Speaker 1: play a game, and uh, and I'm coaching it, so
[40:29] Speaker 1: basically they're going to coach themselves, I think I actually
[40:31] Speaker 1: would take the Eagles. I mean, I just like I
[40:34] Speaker 1: love them at every position. Ojamo has turned into a
[40:36] Speaker 1: real player. Jordan Davis is such a player. They bring
[40:38] Speaker 1: in Jonathan Gernard Riek Wollen was a free agent pick
[40:42] Speaker 1: up I really liked from Seattle. You have quinnyan in
[40:45] Speaker 1: Cooper de Gene, you have Jehad Campbell in his second year.
[40:47] Speaker 1: You have pass rush depth with Jylex Hunt, and like you,
[40:51] Speaker 1: you're bringing Nolan Smith off to I just I just
[40:54] Speaker 1: think they have aunt Zach bond Is like a defensive
[40:56] Speaker 1: player of the year. I just I know that the
[40:58] Speaker 1: Texans are almost there. Maybe they're there, I don't know.
[41:01] Speaker 1: It's tough to pick between them. It's a stupid for instance,
[41:03] Speaker 1: because those are my top two. Yeah, and it's by
[41:06] Speaker 1: a lot.
[41:06] Speaker 3: I think Bernard takes it over the top because there's
[41:08] Speaker 3: that interior versus edge where you may slide with the
[41:12] Speaker 3: generational edges that they have in Houston. But the fact
[41:15] Speaker 3: that the depth jumps out at you, you know, it's
[41:19] Speaker 3: six and one hand half done.
[41:20] Speaker 1: Yeah, that was It was a silly thing to bring up.
[41:21] Speaker 1: My larger point is they're very good. They're great. But
[41:25] Speaker 1: I also think Carter being the superstar and healthy is
[41:30] Speaker 1: really important for everyone else because I think that really
[41:33] Speaker 1: helps out the rest of the line things go wrong.
[41:35] Speaker 1: If for this team, anything stand out to you of
[41:38] Speaker 1: something you're you're worried about.
[41:39] Speaker 3: Yeah, there's upheaval with regards to a slow adjustment for
[41:45] Speaker 3: the offense, where if you want to make the parallels
[41:48] Speaker 3: to to Matt Lafleur, there was the time Jordan loved
[41:52] Speaker 3: to grow and learn and adjust and maybe more patience
[41:55] Speaker 3: with regards.
[41:55] Speaker 4: Even like the first half of the season with Aaron Rodgers.
[41:57] Speaker 3: Yeah, and so like there was are they going to
[42:01] Speaker 3: be able to undergo that same adjustment period? But again,
[42:03] Speaker 3: the overbearing feeling of constant dread that's not just exclusive
[42:07] Speaker 3: to the Philadelphia fans, Like it's in the building. You've
[42:11] Speaker 3: got constant leaks about how people feel and like what
[42:13] Speaker 3: they're doing. It's just a place where everything could fall
[42:17] Speaker 3: apart on really nothing.
[42:19] Speaker 1: Yeah, they're a team where you could see the vibes
[42:23] Speaker 1: impacting the overall product, because I think it has in
[42:26] Speaker 1: multiple seasons, especially what was it three years ago now,
[42:31] Speaker 1: the year between their two Super Bowl appearances, but even
[42:35] Speaker 1: last year, like I don't think they were having a
[42:37] Speaker 1: great time, but by the end of the year and
[42:40] Speaker 1: it impacted them. I think, yeah, things go wrong, Like
[42:42] Speaker 1: if the defense isn't dominant, there's every reason to believe
[42:45] Speaker 1: that it will. But I just think this team is
[42:46] Speaker 1: built to be a top five defense and the offense
[42:48] Speaker 1: be good enough. Another thing I could say would be
[42:52] Speaker 1: like the new blood that they brought in. I am
[42:54] Speaker 1: excited about it. Grenard's got an injury though right now
[42:56] Speaker 1: mkaith Lemon hasn't shown a lot just because of injury.
[43:00] Speaker 1: Uh as well Rieke Willen I think is going to
[43:03] Speaker 1: be an important player for them. So just some of
[43:05] Speaker 1: the additions wis you know, how do they all integrate?
[43:08] Speaker 4: Is going to be important for them.
[43:10] Speaker 1: The ceiling and floor for this team, I think it's
[43:14] Speaker 1: more of a conversation about the floor.
[43:16] Speaker 4: Do you agree with me that that they can win
[43:18] Speaker 4: the Super Bowl?
[43:19] Speaker 3: Like this group of guys does nothing but either like
[43:21] Speaker 3: get a coach fire or go to the Super Bowl?
[43:23] Speaker 2: Like it'd be simpy to not say that they could
[43:25] Speaker 2: they couldn't do it.
[43:26] Speaker 1: And to me, if you're power ranking the NFC, I
[43:29] Speaker 1: do think just before the season starts, and this isn't
[43:32] Speaker 1: a prediction of how it'll finish, but I do think
[43:35] Speaker 1: you got to kind of give them the credit. To
[43:37] Speaker 1: me as the third team behind Seattle and the Rams,
[43:39] Speaker 1: that's just me. If I'm if I'm forced to slot
[43:43] Speaker 1: teams in terms of total talent and like average baseline expectations.
[43:47] Speaker 1: I kind of slot the Eagles as a solid number
[43:49] Speaker 1: three because I think there's more questions everywhere else. Yeah,
[43:56] Speaker 1: you know, you get you gotta get team, you gotta
[43:59] Speaker 1: get into the Cowboys just now really how it's gonna happen.
[44:01] Speaker 1: But I just kind of mean the baseline average season
[44:04] Speaker 1: to me there third, I'm more interested, what do you
[44:05] Speaker 1: think the floor is for this team?
[44:08] Speaker 3: I think eight ooh, that would be tough. That would
[44:12] Speaker 3: be a nasty season.
[44:13] Speaker 2: But like.
[44:17] Speaker 3: Considering the way things looked towards the end there and
[44:20] Speaker 3: albeit that was a Jalen Carter with two shoulder injuries,
[44:24] Speaker 3: like the offense in disarray.
[44:26] Speaker 1: That was an eleven win team too, that was beating
[44:28] Speaker 1: up on some of the bad teams at the end
[44:29] Speaker 1: of the year.
[44:30] Speaker 3: Yeah, but I just mean at the end of the
[44:31] Speaker 3: season when things were more rose and they get ran
[44:34] Speaker 3: out of their own building by the forty nine ers.
[44:36] Speaker 1: Ultimately, it's it's crazy, how you know. I mean, they
[44:41] Speaker 1: were in that game late, but it's crazy though that
[44:43] Speaker 1: that has been Like the way you just described the
[44:46] Speaker 1: end of the season describes three of the last five
[44:49] Speaker 1: Sirianni seasons like the weight of Philadelphia and how the
[44:53] Speaker 1: season ended was so negative by the end of three
[44:57] Speaker 1: of the last five, even though you know, like you said,
[44:59] Speaker 1: they won the super Bowl and could have won in
[45:01] Speaker 1: the other two. Now, I'm going to put their their
[45:05] Speaker 1: floor at ten wins. You know, they've been eleven or
[45:08] Speaker 1: about four street years. I just think there's too many
[45:10] Speaker 1: good players. I kind of think it's like a lot
[45:12] Speaker 1: has gone wrong actually for them in some of those
[45:15] Speaker 1: bad years and they still manage to win like eleven games.
[45:17] Speaker 1: So to me, I'll say ten is the floor, and yeah,
[45:19] Speaker 1: the ceiling is.
[45:20] Speaker 4: The roof is uh there? It is a super Bowl
[45:23] Speaker 4: appearance here in Los Angeles that we're covering.
[45:26] Speaker 3: I'll just have them at that floor because I'm like,
[45:28] Speaker 3: if everybody else hits their ceiling, all right, if everybody
[45:31] Speaker 3: else in their division hits the ceiling.
[45:33] Speaker 1: It has potential to be a sneaky good division. Let's
[45:37] Speaker 1: talk about the Commanders. To me, they are kind of
[45:39] Speaker 1: the X factor. They would bring this division up to
[45:44] Speaker 1: a much higher level if they are anywhere close to
[45:48] Speaker 1: where they were a couple of years ago. But even
[45:49] Speaker 1: if they're just like a playoff contending team. What's bringing
[45:51] Speaker 1: you joy about the Commanders.
[45:53] Speaker 2: Jade's back, he's back, he's healthy.
[45:56] Speaker 3: Unfortunately, the dispute with LSU kind of puts a cloud
[46:00] Speaker 3: over the thing, and like like give me my Jersey,
[46:04] Speaker 3: give me the trophy back and all of that stuff.
[46:07] Speaker 2: But the fact that.
[46:08] Speaker 1: I kind of feel bad for him here, so I've
[46:10] Speaker 1: mostly avoided it. But yeah, let's just get out of
[46:12] Speaker 1: this storyline if we can. Okay, no, not you, I mean,
[46:16] Speaker 1: like everyone involved, Lica Jaden, like, let's just settle this, please.
[46:20] Speaker 3: Please, because it's weird, it's uncomfortable, it's awkward. But having
[46:25] Speaker 3: him on the field like brings back the memories of
[46:27] Speaker 3: the Magical Commander's season that it was not so long ago,
[46:32] Speaker 3: and we it's a little bit glimpse of that and
[46:35] Speaker 3: with the hope and the promise of the future.
[46:38] Speaker 1: Yeah, Jaden in this offense, just getting to watch him
[46:42] Speaker 1: play again, that's it for me. I mean, I didn't
[46:46] Speaker 1: want to get too complicated.
[46:48] Speaker 4: He is such a mystery.
[46:53] Speaker 1: I don't assume that Jaden Daniels is locked into like
[46:58] Speaker 1: one of our top ten quarterbacks, you know, if we're
[47:00] Speaker 1: drafting or we're taking for the next seven or eight years.
[47:03] Speaker 1: I think there's an outcome where he is absolutely like
[47:08] Speaker 1: elite hashtag, you know, like like Joe Flack like, but
[47:12] Speaker 1: he's like top five, like we're talking about him. But
[47:14] Speaker 1: he's a young he's a young player that's that had
[47:18] Speaker 1: such an erratic second season where it was injuries but
[47:20] Speaker 1: also didn't look as comfortable and he was in such
[47:22] Speaker 1: a goofy offense that ultimately I think was probably bad
[47:26] Speaker 1: news for his development. And now it's like a restart.
[47:30] Speaker 1: There's a lot of reasons to believe he is going
[47:32] Speaker 1: to be a great NFL quarterback for the next decade,
[47:36] Speaker 1: but I just want to see it happening because he
[47:38] Speaker 1: has such a unique skill set. I love hearing how
[47:41] Speaker 1: comfortable his footwork has looked into practices and the joint practices.
[47:44] Speaker 1: Over all, the Commanders reporting has been really positive about
[47:47] Speaker 1: the under center stuff, and it'll be fun to see that, Well,
[47:50] Speaker 1: who is your most important non quarterback on this team.
[47:53] Speaker 3: So the Tunsil injury means that Brandon Coleman moves from
[47:57] Speaker 3: left guard to left tackle. Yeah, which is no Now
[48:00] Speaker 3: this centerpiece of the shell game where the line could
[48:03] Speaker 3: start to deteriorate if there's no Brandon Coleman, and so
[48:06] Speaker 3: like if the whole thing, because they need to be
[48:08] Speaker 3: able to run the ball. You're gonna have blow calling
[48:11] Speaker 3: the plays and Jayden under center, and they need in
[48:14] Speaker 3: order for the roots of the tree. It's the run
[48:17] Speaker 3: game here, and so like, if that's going to happen,
[48:19] Speaker 3: you have to keep everybody intact. And now Brandon Coleman
[48:22] Speaker 3: is the centerpiece of that.
[48:23] Speaker 1: Not only that, they've been missing their center, Ali Gretti,
[48:29] Speaker 1: who they tabb to replace Tyler Biatish last year. There
[48:33] Speaker 1: was a lot of like free rushers getting at Jayden
[48:36] Speaker 1: Daniels and Marcus Mariota reading between the lines. It felt
[48:40] Speaker 1: like the staff was maybe blaming like the center quarterback
[48:44] Speaker 1: operation a little bit on that, and so they make
[48:46] Speaker 1: a change. But Ali Gretti hasn't really played much center
[48:49] Speaker 1: and he's been hurt all of camp. You have like
[48:51] Speaker 1: a practice squad guy Julian good Jones behind him. Parts
[48:56] Speaker 1: are moving around. And I listened to Logan Paul on
[49:00] Speaker 1: this Take Command podcast. He's really good breaking it down.
[49:02] Speaker 1: He's very positive in general about the Commanders, but he
[49:06] Speaker 1: said just one thing he has been watching is like
[49:08] Speaker 1: the running game specifically the interior running game like they
[49:11] Speaker 1: are learning this new system, and that's where Bill hasn't
[49:16] Speaker 1: had a lot of room necessarily in these joint practices.
[49:19] Speaker 1: In practice in general, parts are moving around. Josh Connerley,
[49:23] Speaker 1: their first round pick a year ago, really physically talented,
[49:26] Speaker 1: but he's a little bit of a boomer Bus guy.
[49:28] Speaker 1: Sam Cosmy was an All Pro. He had a serious
[49:31] Speaker 1: injuries coming back from Chris Paul is another starter who
[49:34] Speaker 1: was out there in free agency for a while and
[49:36] Speaker 1: then came back.
[49:37] Speaker 4: And so you're right.
[49:37] Speaker 1: I think the offensive line could hold this team back potentially,
[49:40] Speaker 1: and I think Coleman might be the most important part.
[49:43] Speaker 1: I'm glad he pointed out Tunsel is out for so
[49:45] Speaker 1: much of the season. My most important non quarterback first
[49:48] Speaker 1: time I picked a GM for this, it's Adam Peters,
[49:51] Speaker 1: who like talk about up and down like man. Everything
[49:55] Speaker 1: he did like hit his first year, it did not
[49:57] Speaker 1: hit last year. And considering HiT's the third year in
[50:01] Speaker 1: the program. They are counting on a million signings from
[50:04] Speaker 1: this offseason, not only to pan out, but they're just
[50:08] Speaker 1: going to be playing like eight hundred to a thousand snaps.
[50:10] Speaker 1: So Adam pieriders, I hope you're right about. Here's some
[50:14] Speaker 1: of the key guys. This is my way of reviewing
[50:15] Speaker 1: the off season because I think it's more important for
[50:17] Speaker 1: them than just about any team. Calebon Chason had a
[50:20] Speaker 1: nice year as a pass rusher for the Patriots. He's
[50:22] Speaker 1: going to be playing starter snap. Nick Cross got a
[50:24] Speaker 1: nice contract. He is a safety that I really liked
[50:27] Speaker 1: for the Colts, and so will he pan out A
[50:29] Speaker 1: Dafeoway a little up and down, I would say in
[50:31] Speaker 1: his career. Timed a good half season with the Chargers
[50:36] Speaker 1: before getting a big contract here.
[50:38] Speaker 4: He's going to be important.
[50:39] Speaker 1: Charles Amanahu, Dran's Armstrong are guys that they sign, maybe
[50:42] Speaker 1: more depth pieces, but Armstrong will play. Armstrong is suspended
[50:45] Speaker 1: for the first week of the season.
[50:46] Speaker 4: Important.
[50:48] Speaker 1: Chigo Konquo, by all accounts, going to be kind of
[50:51] Speaker 1: a centerpiece of this offense. I like a lot of
[50:54] Speaker 1: these signings. I got to say on paper, they signed
[50:56] Speaker 1: a lot of guys. I like Leo Chanell is another one,
[50:59] Speaker 1: a linebacker from the Chiefs who kind of has a
[51:02] Speaker 1: pass rusher type of role throwing. Stephan Diggs He's going
[51:06] Speaker 1: to really matter. I think he upgraded the receiver like
[51:09] Speaker 1: I actually like these moves, I don't Usually they don't
[51:12] Speaker 1: all work out, but if you hit on two thirds
[51:15] Speaker 1: of these, they're going to be a pretty good team.
[51:16] Speaker 3: Yeah, you mind, they've mind the NFL for guys who
[51:19] Speaker 3: had flashes with an opportunity to kind of continue that
[51:25] Speaker 3: if we you know, extrapolated out with more snaps, like
[51:28] Speaker 3: that's the common.
[51:29] Speaker 2: Thread to all of them. Does it work for all
[51:32] Speaker 2: of them?
[51:32] Speaker 4: Right? Digs? I feel yeah, other than stuff on DIGS,
[51:35] Speaker 4: I feel digs.
[51:35] Speaker 1: I feel safe about Nick Cross is actually the other
[51:37] Speaker 1: one where I think he put two or three years
[51:39] Speaker 1: of good tape out there. Yeah, like yeah, the others,
[51:44] Speaker 1: can you coach him up? And like that's just a
[51:47] Speaker 1: lot of new guys. Generally I'm skeptical, but because he
[51:51] Speaker 1: chose players I personally enjoy watching play, I'm relatively optimistic here.
[51:57] Speaker 3: Yeah, guys that if he plays and splashes, then and
[52:00] Speaker 3: that's what because Charles Men who was out here for
[52:03] Speaker 3: the media summit, as guys you know, practice their skills
[52:08] Speaker 3: and holding their skills to eventually have the second career.
[52:11] Speaker 3: And that was the thing that he had stressed, was
[52:14] Speaker 3: the fact that they're going to attack. It's there's not
[52:18] Speaker 3: a lot of read and react stuff going on in
[52:20] Speaker 3: the counds and so this is a group of guys
[52:22] Speaker 3: that can do that.
[52:23] Speaker 1: Right, we haven't mentioned and I guess that's giving my
[52:26] Speaker 1: scheme dream. Deronte Jones comes from Brian Flores. I don't
[52:29] Speaker 1: know if you were going in the same direction there
[52:31] Speaker 1: to talk about something schibmatically, he comes from Minnesota, will
[52:35] Speaker 1: now be running first time coordinator for the Washington Commanders.
[52:38] Speaker 3: And and that's it goes along with that theme. My
[52:42] Speaker 3: scheme dream was looking over at the the blou version
[52:44] Speaker 3: of the offense. But if they can because dan Quinn's teams,
[52:48] Speaker 3: like when they have been successful, they've been able to
[52:50] Speaker 3: take the ball away, create chaos over on.
[52:53] Speaker 2: The defensive side of the ball.
[52:55] Speaker 3: It's like a wholesale change and dq' is still there
[52:58] Speaker 3: and so like that has to be a focus.
[53:01] Speaker 1: To try to know it's crazy. It's like I didn't
[53:03] Speaker 1: even mention like there were more I Mek robertson. I
[53:07] Speaker 1: think it's going to start for this team. Razull Douglas
[53:09] Speaker 1: is on this team. Trey Amos, who had a nice
[53:11] Speaker 1: rookie season, has been hurt all camp. That when I'm
[53:14] Speaker 1: a little concerned about I love the idea of this
[53:17] Speaker 1: scheme and that Flores should and could have a tree.
[53:21] Speaker 4: It's it's been effective.
[53:23] Speaker 1: It's it's rolling the dice and Sonny styles Is is
[53:28] Speaker 1: right there in the middle of it as a top
[53:29] Speaker 1: ten pick that I'm really excited about watching and him
[53:33] Speaker 1: and Frankie Lulu, Like, this team is going to get funky.
[53:37] Speaker 1: We we are going to debut the teams I'm most
[53:39] Speaker 1: excited to see week one in an upcoming show. Another
[53:43] Speaker 1: team they're they're they're pretty up there. Yeah, David Blough
[53:48] Speaker 1: you mentioned, is their new offensive coordinator, Like, is there
[53:51] Speaker 1: anything you're looking for in general?
[53:53] Speaker 2: Just to find out, just to find out who David
[53:55] Speaker 2: Blau is. Who you know?
[53:57] Speaker 3: It's it's the theme he came in sos We're gonna
[53:59] Speaker 3: make the best of the talent that we have and
[54:01] Speaker 3: put them in positions to win. Apparently there was a
[54:04] Speaker 3: bidding war between Ben Johnson and Dan Campbell that ultimately
[54:07] Speaker 3: led to David blow getting promoted to this job at
[54:10] Speaker 3: thirty one years old because they wanted to keep him
[54:13] Speaker 3: on the staff. We've seen those things go all kinds
[54:15] Speaker 3: of different ways. That there's a similar situation in Denver
[54:18] Speaker 3: now where you've got a younger former quarterback calling the
[54:22] Speaker 3: plays because they didn't want to lose him, and so
[54:26] Speaker 3: just get an opportunity to find out who David Blow
[54:30] Speaker 3: is and why was it so necessary as a lot
[54:33] Speaker 3: of former players have to navigate the coaching ranks for
[54:35] Speaker 3: a long time before they even sniff even close to
[54:40] Speaker 3: a relatively close to the head job on either side
[54:44] Speaker 3: of the ball, and he got there pretty quick.
[54:46] Speaker 1: I think we got a clue from Quarterback the Netflix show.
[54:49] Speaker 1: I thought Jade and Daniels' section of the show is
[54:51] Speaker 1: the least revealing of the quarterbacks by far. My biggest
[54:55] Speaker 1: takeaway that I didn't know before was how close I
[54:58] Speaker 1: think his relationship is with David Blow. Those two are
[55:01] Speaker 1: on the same page, and I think they just viewed
[55:04] Speaker 1: that tandem as one they wanted to see, you know, continue,
[55:08] Speaker 1: and that that he would be a good steward for
[55:10] Speaker 1: like making the most important guy in the in the
[55:12] Speaker 1: organization work.
[55:13] Speaker 2: So it's all on Cliff.
[55:14] Speaker 1: It's just like, I don't know, maybe it was just
[55:17] Speaker 1: the edit, but they definitely like it. It definitely seemed like, yeah,
[55:22] Speaker 1: Jayden like Bloo is Jayden's guy, and vice versa. That
[55:24] Speaker 1: happens with your position, coach' that's how it should be.
[55:27] Speaker 1: Things go wrong if blank for this team.
[55:31] Speaker 3: If they can't run the ball, yeah, if they If
[55:34] Speaker 3: they can't run the ball, they can't facilitate the play
[55:36] Speaker 3: action game under center. I think with the offensive line injuries,
[55:41] Speaker 3: it just all falls apart if they can't facilitate a
[55:45] Speaker 3: run game within the first five game.
[55:46] Speaker 1: Pretty skeptical about this running game. I think Jayden will
[55:49] Speaker 1: help open it up in a way, but also him
[55:52] Speaker 1: figuring out his balance of when to run when not
[55:55] Speaker 1: too We tried to avoid injuries in this segment, but
[55:58] Speaker 1: it's less about the injury to me as just him
[56:02] Speaker 1: calibrating how aggressive do I need to be as a
[56:06] Speaker 1: runner because I'm so good at it. He led the
[56:08] Speaker 1: NFL and scrambles per snap last year and he was like,
[56:12] Speaker 1: I think second the year before that. So that's what
[56:16] Speaker 1: he does and he's great at it.
[56:19] Speaker 2: Diggs will alleviate some of that, I hope.
[56:21] Speaker 3: So as long as Diggs and Terry are on the
[56:24] Speaker 3: field at the same time, some of that will get
[56:27] Speaker 3: alleviate it.
[56:28] Speaker 4: Diggs, Diggs is a bucket. Diggs is.
[56:33] Speaker 1: Still so high level and I'm not surprised at all
[56:37] Speaker 1: from the commanders reporters there that like the second he
[56:39] Speaker 1: was on the field, they were like, oh yeah, it's
[56:42] Speaker 1: like one A, one B Like Terry obviously is their
[56:44] Speaker 1: number one wide receiver, but he's so much better than
[56:47] Speaker 1: every other receiver that they had before that it actually
[56:49] Speaker 1: like you're like, oh, this is what it looks like.
[56:52] Speaker 1: Really intriguing combo. I mean, imagine McLaurin and Digs together
[56:57] Speaker 1: at the peak of their powers. There's some similarities with
[56:59] Speaker 1: them as a as a route runner and their versatility.
[57:02] Speaker 1: If Blou can cook, you know, Daniels, Digs, McLaurin, and
[57:09] Speaker 1: a Konkwa. I'm even gonna throw in there because he's
[57:11] Speaker 1: an interesting piece of how you're going to use him.
[57:14] Speaker 1: It's quite a like okay, how are we going to
[57:17] Speaker 1: move these puzzle pieces around? It's very intriguing group if healthy.
[57:22] Speaker 3: Yeah, if you know the astrous caveat there, but excited
[57:26] Speaker 3: to see, you know, an offense where Chigo Konquo's incredible
[57:30] Speaker 3: athleticism and explosiveness with the ball in his hands gets
[57:33] Speaker 3: utilized because it kind of we kind of missed.
[57:35] Speaker 4: We did a lot of that.
[57:37] Speaker 1: He was like full Chig as a rookie and then
[57:39] Speaker 1: he just kind of stayed there, never never really developed
[57:43] Speaker 1: in Tennessee. But I want him to run where John
[57:46] Speaker 1: new Smith briskly job kind of. I think he can
[57:50] Speaker 1: be the next passing the torch, the next John new
[57:52] Speaker 1: Smith ceiling floor for this team, I'll let you go
[57:56] Speaker 1: first here.
[57:58] Speaker 3: My ceiling floors have had a lot of but I
[58:01] Speaker 3: will have them one game plus uh on the On
[58:05] Speaker 3: the Giants, I think they could win eleven games, okay,
[58:08] Speaker 3: as the ceiling and also the floor being seven.
[58:13] Speaker 1: Okay, that's a good floor for them. I think it's lower.
[58:18] Speaker 1: I'll go six.
[58:21] Speaker 4: For them.
[58:21] Speaker 1: It's they're in a tough spot where dan Quinn has
[58:24] Speaker 1: been there, and yet this feels like a first year
[58:28] Speaker 1: still because of all the new players and the new
[58:31] Speaker 1: offense and how.
[58:32] Speaker 4: Does it all fit.
[58:33] Speaker 2: The first year went pretty good.
[58:34] Speaker 4: Yeah, good point. I think they'll be good.
[58:38] Speaker 1: Maybe maybe the floor is closer to seven and the
[58:41] Speaker 1: ceiling for me is yeah, an eleven win team. I
[58:44] Speaker 1: have a hard time seeing them win the division, but
[58:46] Speaker 1: if you win eleven games, you certainly could. I think
[58:49] Speaker 1: it's a wild guard appearance and coming in second in
[58:51] Speaker 1: this division and being a factor again, I am. I
[58:55] Speaker 1: am not ruling that out for the Commanders. Now as
[58:59] Speaker 1: we've taped, there has been some breaking news inside the
[59:04] Speaker 1: division that I think will particularly interest you as a
[59:09] Speaker 1: supporter of this player.
[59:10] Speaker 4: Do you know what it is?
[59:11] Speaker 2: No?
[59:12] Speaker 4: You know, sometimes you're you're on it.
[59:14] Speaker 2: We didn't get an email.
[59:15] Speaker 1: I even hinted about it as we were talking. The
[59:18] Speaker 1: Giants are signing free agent Naj Harris to a one
[59:21] Speaker 1: year deal.
[59:23] Speaker 4: It was rumored.
[59:24] Speaker 2: Yeah, and the you know, the the Joe.
[59:30] Speaker 3: The Joe Shane Uh circumstances where you wonder who the
[59:36] Speaker 3: decisions are being or I don't wonder or being made
[59:39] Speaker 3: by this is this is Harball all over.
[59:42] Speaker 1: It, Harbor, It's Harbaugh, and Harbaugh's consiglieris and Uh and
[59:49] Speaker 1: Joe Shane's there too. That's that's how I value it
[59:52] Speaker 1: is interesting. It happened, you know, right after that tough
[59:56] Speaker 1: moment by Tyrone Tracy where Harbaugh, to believe, blame Tracy
[1:00:01] Speaker 1: for Jackson Dark getting lit up. I think Tyrone Tracy
[1:00:04] Speaker 1: is a good player, but someone here between him singletary
[1:00:08] Speaker 1: Naja Harris Skataboo is obviously going to be a big
[1:00:11] Speaker 1: part of the mix. If not the starter for sure,
[1:00:14] Speaker 1: So someone's going to get left out here.
[1:00:16] Speaker 3: Yeah, it was a rough rep of RB protection. But
[1:00:20] Speaker 3: a certain part of it is, you know, not putting
[1:00:23] Speaker 3: your quarterback or running back in a situation where that
[1:00:25] Speaker 3: could happen.
[1:00:25] Speaker 1: I also think they have to be a little worried
[1:00:27] Speaker 1: about Cam Skataboo.
[1:00:28] Speaker 4: Not the biggest running back in the world.
[1:00:30] Speaker 1: You don't want him to have three hundred and fifty
[1:00:32] Speaker 1: four hundred touches. I think he's going to be better
[1:00:34] Speaker 1: in a committee. So who is that committee with. I
[1:00:36] Speaker 1: think Tracy is a pretty reliable player. Naja Harris is
[1:00:39] Speaker 1: coming off a torn achilles. It could even be something
[1:00:42] Speaker 1: where he's not available early in the season, but you
[1:00:45] Speaker 1: almost bring him in as a replacement. Juju Smith Schuster
[1:00:51] Speaker 1: was released as part of that transaction. Might be the
[1:00:56] Speaker 1: end of the line for Juju. What a weird career,
[1:01:01] Speaker 1: you know, outsized influence for you know, how how soon
[1:01:07] Speaker 1: it might be ending, you know, but we had we
[1:01:10] Speaker 1: had some good times.
[1:01:11] Speaker 2: Yeah, some really good times. He made He made tiktoks
[1:01:14] Speaker 2: and people were like.
[1:01:15] Speaker 5: Oh my gosh, this is crazy. This is the weirdest
[1:01:18] Speaker 5: thing anybody's ever done. Is this okay, Mike Tomlin, are
[1:01:20] Speaker 5: you okay with this Chinese social media app? And then
[1:01:24] Speaker 5: you know, uh that that wasn't a big deal. There
[1:01:27] Speaker 5: was the the the perfect incidents, uh, the divergence with
[1:01:33] Speaker 5: Antonio Brown and the and the team and then the
[1:01:36] Speaker 5: chief stint shout out to Juju?
[1:01:38] Speaker 1: How about first of all was nine years ten if
[1:01:42] Speaker 1: you count this year. But I kind of doubt he's
[1:01:44] Speaker 1: going to end up being on a week one roster,
[1:01:45] Speaker 1: although it's certainly possible.
[1:01:47] Speaker 4: He hasn't.
[1:01:47] Speaker 1: He hasn't had much production in the last three seasons. Now,
[1:01:51] Speaker 1: how about that season with the Chiefs as we bid
[1:01:53] Speaker 1: a do to uh Juju Smith Schuster that I don't
[1:01:56] Speaker 1: think people will really remember that much. And yet he
[1:01:59] Speaker 1: ends up with nine hundred regular season yards for the
[1:02:02] Speaker 1: Super Bowl champion Chiefs wild wild career, big input. Let's
[1:02:08] Speaker 1: wrap up giving our division picks. We go one through four.
[1:02:11] Speaker 1: You have to make a decision. What are the final standings.
[1:02:17] Speaker 1: You know you have to include tie breakers if they
[1:02:19] Speaker 1: have the same record, you don't have to give the record.
[1:02:21] Speaker 4: But one, two, three, four.
[1:02:23] Speaker 3: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, New York Giants.
[1:02:27] Speaker 4: That was my order.
[1:02:29] Speaker 1: Early in the offseason, I don't want to be and
[1:02:33] Speaker 1: this happens to me swayed by Like the closer I
[1:02:36] Speaker 1: get to the season, then I start like rethinking it,
[1:02:39] Speaker 1: and now I'm like, why am I.
[1:02:41] Speaker 4: Doubting the Eagles again?
[1:02:42] Speaker 1: Like, on balance, they just have so many great players
[1:02:45] Speaker 1: and I actually think Jalen Hurts is a perfectly good
[1:02:48] Speaker 1: starting quarterback with enough people around him, I'm gonna go
[1:02:51] Speaker 1: Eagles in the end. I've always I've been annoyed at
[1:02:54] Speaker 1: myself when I don't just stay high on the Eagles
[1:02:57] Speaker 1: because their their floor has been so high. But I
[1:02:59] Speaker 1: do have the Cowboys as like one of the best
[1:03:01] Speaker 1: wild card teams and making the playoffs.
[1:03:05] Speaker 4: I'm boring.
[1:03:06] Speaker 1: I got the same exact order because I think the Commanders.
[1:03:09] Speaker 1: I think the Commanders are going to be spicy. Not
[1:03:10] Speaker 1: everyone can be good in this division, though, and so
[1:03:13] Speaker 1: so maybe the Giants are closer to their floor.
[1:03:16] Speaker 2: Then yeah, Subterranean.
[1:03:20] Speaker 1: You know, you know, we can't get cute with all
[1:03:23] Speaker 1: our our divisions, And like.
[1:03:24] Speaker 2: I said, Greg, You're always cute.
[1:03:28] Speaker 4: Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment.
[1:03:30] Speaker 1: What a week this has been already on the around
[1:03:35] Speaker 1: Oh he did it? I was gonna say, let's edit
[1:03:40] Speaker 1: that out, but you know, it's a natural thing. We're
[1:03:42] Speaker 1: here in a studio that we taped many many episodes
[1:03:46] Speaker 1: of the Around the NFL podcast, which was a lot
[1:03:48] Speaker 1: of fun to do. But now we're NFL Daily and
[1:03:51] Speaker 1: we're coming at you all the time. Do you know
[1:03:56] Speaker 1: who's on our next show, Patrick, I don't think you do.
[1:03:59] Speaker 2: I don't, and if you told me then I probably
[1:04:01] Speaker 2: would have forgotten.
[1:04:01] Speaker 4: We got a special guest.
[1:04:03] Speaker 1: ESPN's own your coworker, Mina Kimes is joining us. Oh cool,
[1:04:07] Speaker 1: So I'm really looking forward to that one that will
[1:04:09] Speaker 1: be next in your feed. That'll be Thursday morning. But
[1:04:14] Speaker 1: always good when Patrick is here. Patrick is going to
[1:04:17] Speaker 1: continue to mean here.
[1:04:19] Speaker 4: Yeah, not going anywhere, neither are we.
[1:04:23] Speaker 1: And yeah, we're really looking forward to the show with
[1:04:25] Speaker 1: Mina preseason week two coming up.
[1:04:28] Speaker 4: We'll be back Thursday morning.
[1:04:29] Speaker 2: See that

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