- yesterday
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Is holdout season coming to a close?
00:03It's Joe Anirid Sonny Wright said here on the Early Line Series XM Channel 159.
00:07Adam Schefter tweets yesterday, how about this?
00:09ESPN sources, Trey Hendrickson is planning to report to Bengals camp Wednesday,
00:13ending his holdout without being any closer to a new deal per sources.
00:17Reporting to camp stops the $50,000 per day fines
00:20and also serves as a good faith gesture to try to jumpstart negotiations.
00:24The NFL's final holdout is ending.
00:27Trey Hendrickson, back to the Bengals, Joe.
00:32Well, I mean, he's there.
00:34I don't know whether or what that means ultimately in the long term.
00:37But again, there are just some organizations that, you know,
00:40this is par for the course with them.
00:43It's unbelievable.
00:44You got a guy that is the reigning sack king, right?
00:47He's going to earn $15.8 million as a base salary in 2025, and then that's it.
00:53So, he's looking at it and going, you just paid Max Crosby $35.5 million.
00:59Daniel Hunter got $35.5 million.
01:02Miles Garrett's got $40 million.
01:04And oh, yeah, T.J. Watt is getting $41 million.
01:08All of those guys have at least three years worth of guaranteed money.
01:12And the Bengals, well, yeah, we'll give you $35, $40 million,
01:16but we're only guaranteeing one year of it.
01:18I mean, how absolutely ridiculous is that, Donnie?
01:21You know, the guy has been nothing but the anchor of that defense,
01:25and you won't give him more than one year fully guaranteed is absurd.
01:30Here's what I like about the best, Joe, because they told him in the offseason,
01:33okay, you can go out and seek more compensation.
01:35Just come back with a nice trade for us.
01:36No, and the Bengals were like, well, if we don't get three first-rounders back,
01:40Trey, we're not going to trade you there.
01:41So, they weren't even, like, even with him in the offseason at that point.
01:44And you're right about this because here's what's going to happen.
01:47Everybody around you gets paid, and you always look at statistics.
01:50It's like having a high-rated show on television.
01:52Hey, I get 50 million viewers on my broadcast.
01:55The other guy gets 50 million viewers.
01:57I make half the amount of money.
01:58Eh, so what?
01:59Just enjoy being on the network.
02:00Like, people get upset by that.
02:01But also understand this.
02:02Micah Parsons is waiting for a contract.
02:05He is going to absolutely re-reset the market when he comes back in.
02:09And the Bengals will be like, hey, Trey, you're lucky you're making $15 million
02:12to be the sack leader in the NFL.
02:14And also, Joe, you take a look at the Cincinnati Bengals on the season.
02:18This isn't like we're fighting over what we're rebuilding right now.
02:22We don't really want to spend money.
02:23We want to find guys that are going to help us out in the future
02:26and sort of reset our salary cap.
02:28Your time is now, Cincinnati.
02:29You have a dynamic dual wide receiver, a great young quarterback.
02:33You also have a defense that needs help in all the worst ways.
02:36And you say Trey Hendrickson is a four-time pro bowler,
02:38but the Bengals on the season, they think they can make a Super Bowl.
02:43Why are we nickel and diming our best defensive rusher,
02:46one of the best in the NFL, who probably just wants to look.
02:49I'm 31 years old.
02:50I don't need six years, $175 million.
02:52I just need more than $15 million guaranteed this year
02:55because if I get hurt, my career is done.
02:57I need to go out there and understand I'm sacking that quarterback.
03:00I'm putting my career on the line.
03:02Just pay me like you're supposed to pay me.
03:04That's all.
03:05And we can't get through to the Cincinnati Bengals to understand this.
03:09It's who they are, and it's what happens when you've got, you know,
03:1295-year-old owners here who apparently still have influence.
03:16Well, this is what we've always done.
03:18Listen, all of his peers in the league, who, by the way,
03:23didn't have 35 sacks over the last two years, 17 1⁄2,
03:27which is what he tallied up in 23 and 24, which was the best in the NFL.
03:33But you're talking about guys making double,
03:37more than double of what he is currently under contract for,
03:40and you're wondering why this guy wants a new deal.
03:42Like, this should have been the easiest contract that the Bengals came up with.
03:47It should have already been done.
03:49It's just mind-blowing with this group.
03:51And I can take a look at that.
03:53Eight seasons in the NFL, 77 sacks, four-time Pro Bowler, 2024 first-team All-Pro sack leader.
03:58It's exactly what you want, a veteran presence in that locker room to help you win a Super Bowl.
04:03And also, Joe, it's not as if you're like, hey, look, beginning of the season doesn't matter.
04:07How many times have we talked about the Cincinnati Bengals not all there in the first couple weeks of the season,
04:12putting themselves behind the eight ball and need a miracle to get into the playoffs?
04:16You know what's nice for the Bengals?
04:17Everybody in camp.
04:19How about a 2-1 start instead of a 1-2 start or an 0-3 start?
04:22So all the pressure mounts before you get even into the month of October.
04:25So let me ask you this question.
04:27We've seen it in the past, too, because Cincinnati basically, you know, argues with themselves.
04:32It's my way or the highway because you know what?
04:35Every year the salary cap goes up.
04:37Every year NFL teams are worth more.
04:39Every year NFL teams are making more money on a year-to-year basis.
04:42So they probably look at it and say, well, Trey, whether or not you play this year,
04:45you know how much money we made, it's not going to have an impact whatsoever if you don't play.
04:49And, oh, yeah, if you hold out, 50 grand comes right back into the kitty every single day.
04:53So at least Trey's in camp saying, guys, I want to play for you.
04:57Just respect my game here, and I want to get paid more than I have.
05:00Let's come to an agreement on this.
05:02So I'll ask you this.
05:03Are they actually going to get a new contract done with Trey Hendrickson,
05:06or are they going to go full bungle and be like, you know what?
05:08Just play the contract out.
05:09We'll deal with it in the offseason.
05:10Well, you know, listen, how long did they drag the whole Jamar Chase contract or, you know, Higgins?
05:18They just keep slapping franchise tags on.
05:20Like, this is just far from the course for the Brown family.
05:24They've always done business this way, which is why it's always impossible.
05:28The only, you know, outside of Burrow, who got whatever he wanted, but obviously that's the quarterback.
05:34And call me crazy, the second most important position and lucrative position on any football team outside of the quarterback
05:41is the guy who can get to the quarterback on the defensive side.
05:45You sacrificed Lou Anarumo last year, one of the best defensive coordinators in the game,
05:50because you were too cheap to replace the secondary that you let walk because you didn't want to pay.
05:55And now all of a sudden, your best player and the anchor of your defense, you're going back and forth with this.
06:01With this, it's absolutely, he's not asking to be the most, the highest paid.
06:05He just wants what's fair and what should be guaranteed like everyone else.
06:09It's the bagel way.
06:12Yeah, having a worth to your employer as well.
06:14Like, he should have, like, we talk about swinging the sledgehammer or the axe.
06:17Like, you know, I hold the hammer now and I'll swing it.
06:19He should have the biggest anvil slash axe in the actual NFL that goes,
06:23this defense doesn't even have a heartbeat unless I step out on that football field.
06:28And I feel like I'm getting underpaid.
06:30Now, I would like to say, like, okay, well, I want more money than Micah Parsons.
06:33Well, you're not going to get that.
06:34Parsons in the middle of his prime.
06:35He's in his early 30s at this point.
06:37We get that.
06:37But I think everybody, if you ask man to man, general manager to general manager, fan base to fan base.
06:43Hey, by the way, this trade deserved more than $15 million this year.
06:47A hundred percent, absolutely.
06:48Treat the man with some respect over there, Joe.
06:51Yeah, I mean, listen, it wasn't an anomaly a couple of years ago.
06:55The dude is averaging 17 and a half sacks a season over the last two years.
06:59That's pretty durable leading the NFL.
07:02Just pay the man and be done with it because you got a rookie you just reported who you just came to contract with.
07:08What's he?
07:08Who's he learning from right now?
07:11Exactly.
07:11You don't think Al Golden wants him back in the room sooner than later?
07:14Absolutely.
07:15He does.
07:15All right.
07:16The NFL tomorrow night, unless you were living under a rock.
07:19You didn't know the preseason was going to start tomorrow night on Thursday in Canton, Ohio.
07:23The Detroit Lions taking on the Los Angeles Chargers.
07:26And away we go into the next week where everybody will start their preseason up.
07:30But also, teams that we've talked about ad nauseum in the offseason.
07:33It feels like, okay, is Detroit going to be able to recover?
07:35And, ooh, how exciting are the Bears will be?
07:37Will the Philadelphia Eagles be able to repeat?
07:39And the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, are they on top of the hill?
07:43And, oh, yeah, that sexy team in the NFL, you know, out on the West Coast is, ugh.
07:48That might be the Rams this year.
07:49What about those 49ers, Joe Ranieri?
07:52So we have a by-yourself segment.
07:53We're going to focus on the San Francisco 49ers.
07:56If we look at last year, things didn't work out in their direction.
07:59Why?
08:00They had so many injuries.
08:01That happens in the NFL.
08:02But this year, Brock Purdy got his money.
08:04Christian McCaffrey's coming back.
08:05They are so injured right now and depleted at wide receiver.
08:09And the defense has a lot of new faces.
08:11But if you look at the win totals here, 11.5 as it's listed last year, 10.5 this year.
08:16The playoffs, a minus 480 last year, minus 200 this year.
08:20NFC West, minus 190, plus 165 price to win it.
08:24NFC title, plus 260 last year, 9-1 to win it now.
08:28Super Bowl last year, 6-1.
08:30This year, 19-1.
08:32Not a lot of people loving the 49ers as they have over the past couple years, Joe.
08:36So I'm going to ask you this by-yourself question.
08:39The odds have swung too far against the 49ers.
08:43Well, yeah.
08:44I mean, listen, it was a ridiculously down year for them last year, right?
08:50The injury bug, nothing went their way.
08:53But what they did get out of it last year was because it was that terrible,
08:58what they ended up getting here was maybe the easiest schedule by far set up for them, Donnie,
09:05because of that offseason.
09:07So they could sleepwalk their way and be in the postseason, no problem, in the playoffs,
09:14making a run for it.
09:15Still a ton of experience.
09:16And the big question to me with the 49ers is, I love Robert Sala being back.
09:21You know, coaching matters.
09:23And we all know this.
09:24And that guy was one of the best defensive coordinators in the league.
09:29And he was great when he was there.
09:31They got a lot of young talent.
09:33I like the spot they're in because I like the schedule they have.
09:37And I also think if you're going to tell me Christian McCaffrey is going to play 80% of the games this year,
09:43I think that's good enough, Donnie, to buy the 49ers this season to make a,
09:48to come back and buy low too at that, Donnie.
09:51I'm going to sell and buy, right?
09:54I'm going to get the discount here at this point because I don't like the 49ers this year.
09:58But I'm going to tell you why with what you're saying makes a lot of sense.
10:02Because for me, this is the worst 49ers team that I've seen over the past three years.
10:06Well, Donnie, they're not.
10:07No, granted, they came in the last three years as some of the most talented teams in the NFL,
10:12ready to go right out of the gate, completely healthy, and they can do damage.
10:16We've seen them make a Super Bowl.
10:18We've seen them make an NFC Championship game.
10:19We've seen them get injured in the meantime as well.
10:22So now I say to myself, what's the best way to go out and bet the San Francisco 49ers?
10:26Because you hit the nail on the head.
10:29Sometimes it's just about the schedule you have.
10:31Now, also understand this.
10:32When you look at the 49ers, they might get injured, similar to the same way Denver Broncos might get injured.
10:38We don't know.
10:39But let's turn the injuries off for now and say, okay, they're going to head back.
10:41Ayuk's going to come back sooner than later.
10:43Nothing's wrong with Juwan Jennings.
10:45And Ricky Pearsall is going to turn into a decent wideout.
10:47George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey's not going to have any issues.
10:49And you look at the schedule and say, why can't they make the playoffs?
10:52But the schedule doesn't help you once you make the playoffs.
10:56You then will meet the best of the best before you get to the NFC Championship game and the Super Bowl if you're lucky to make it.
11:02So when I look at the odds market on that graphic we had on the screen, the NFC West last year was minus 190.
11:07It's plus 165.
11:08I think that's decent.
11:09But if we are looking at a Kyle Shanahan-led team where Brock Poirot is going to be healthy without catastrophic injuries, I got to tell you, the minus 200 makes a lot of sense to make the playoffs.
11:19Because I'm trying to graphic this, you know, like put charted, I should say, in my mind.
11:24If the schedule is easy and they're healthy, they should win 9 to 10 games.
11:28With two games left in the season, Joe, they're right in the hunt of the playoffs.
11:31That's all that I can ask for.
11:32Now, would I like to have that minus 200, be a plus 125, plus 150?
11:36Yes.
11:36But understand this.
11:37The odds makers know, just as you told us, Joe, that schedule, you can navigate through it.
11:42The only bet I like for the Niners this year is that bet to make the playoffs.
11:45And not because I like the Niners, Joe, but because I actually really like that schedule.
11:50Yeah.
11:51I mean, listen, just to put it in perspective, they have their opponents winning percentage from a year ago was 415.
12:00So they were well under, you put it all together, the teams they're playing last year weren't even 500 teams altogether.
12:07They are, this has got to be, you want to look at the teams on that list.
12:11And in the meantime, you've got the Rams in that division who are going to have a first place schedule because that's what they were last year.
12:19Their schedule is much more difficult than what the 49ers are.
12:23And keep in mind, if they're not void of talent, you've got McCaffrey, you've got Purdy, you've got Trent Williams protecting him.
12:30You've got Kittle, you've got Bosa, you've got Fred Warner.
12:34This is not like a binge and purge team over the offseason.
12:38That right there, those guys I just mentioned, are more than capable of rallying the younger guys around them there and making a playoff run here.
12:47So I think coaching matters.
12:49And I think you got two of the better ones on this team with those players.
12:52Coaching really does matter.
12:53You draft Stout, that's supposed to be in that slot corner position here.
12:56Young kid, I believe, third round draft pick.
12:57Two defensive tackles that you drafted high within the first and second rounds here in Williams and Collins that should be able to help bolster that defensive line.
13:04And, of course, you've got Bosa.
13:05And Huff comes over to that team who just couldn't find his way in Philadelphia on a Super Bowl team after having a very good season with the New York Jets.
13:12Ten and a half sacks for that season last year really was insignificant and inactive for most weeks here.
13:17We'll see if they can rekindle that relationship here that they've had previously with the coaching staff.
13:21But the worries here for me for the 49ers, Joe, rightfully so, we don't have a timetable on them.
13:26That's always an issue.
13:27Jennings, who wanted more money, they paid him.
13:28And as soon as they paid him, goes down with a training camp injury.
13:31Now, granted, it's soft tissue.
13:32You should be able to come back.
13:33But I hate starting the season injured.
13:35And Ricky Pierce saw the same exact thing.
13:37Kittle's there.
13:38He's paid.
13:38The offensive line should be decent.
13:40Purdy is back.
13:40And you are relying on Christian McCaffrey returning back to what we saw a year and a half to two years ago, one of the better backs in the NFL.
13:47There are so many question marks with the 49ers where if they got laced with, like, what the NFC East teams are looking at in their schedule, boy, oh, boy, I don't know if the 49ers would win eight to nine games at that point.
13:57But that schedule, as you look down, there's a lot of teams on there would say, okay, I think we can beat this team.
14:02I think we can do well.
14:03It's like, no.
14:03By the time we face them, we don't know who their quarterback's going to be.
14:06We don't know if their head coach is gone.
14:08And that is a major advantage that you see.
14:10Like the Tennessee Titans after the bye.
14:12Before the bye, you see the Cleveland, you know, Browns.
14:14You see the Panthers on that schedule.
14:16I mean, granted, we know we're going to get probably decent teams with Arizona in division with the Rams and the Seattle, you know, Seahawks at this point.
14:23But the Giants are on that schedule.
14:24They do have a very good schedule, which could lead them to a fool's gold season out there for the gold rush to say, all right, we get knocked out in the playoffs.
14:32But, hey, at least we made the playoffs.
14:33And that's exactly why I like the 49ers this year, to make the playoffs for that schedule here.
14:38How about that?
14:39Come on.
14:39I like it, Donnie, because I'm going – you go through that schedule, and they have got a 4-0 opening, as far as I'm concerned, at Seattle, at New Orleans, then Arizona at home, who's never beaten the 49ers, it feels like forever, and Jacksonville.
14:55So, you could start the whole season off 4-0, and you mentioned they get the bye to start December, and then they got Tennessee, then at Indy, Chicago, and again at Seattle.
15:07So, yeah, there are very, very winnable games here.
15:12Would not be shocked over 10 and a half, given the fact that Shanahan has won, what, 12 or more games in four of the last five seasons.
15:20He's made the NFC Championship game, including with his time in Atlanta, in five of the last nine seasons.
15:27This is a winning team with winning players, and they've got a good enough group of veterans and a bunch of young guys now that they're going to assimilate in.
15:37I mean, to me, the sky is the limit for the 49ers here, if they stay healthy.
15:42Yeah, like you hit the jackpot there, because everybody goes, all right, let's check the schedule first.
15:47And it's like, okay, who do we play opening night?
15:49And it's like, where's our bye week at?
15:51You don't want week five, week six, week seven, week eight.
15:53You want it as late as possible.
15:54So, when everybody is dead tired, you get that extra breather late in the season, and the 49ers certainly do have that.
16:00And a great closing schedule.
16:02Come off the bye, Joe.
16:03Have three of your four games all at home to close out the season.
16:05Like, if you need wins, better to have that than three or four on the road and a bye week in week number four.
16:11It's like, man, we couldn't even make it through the season at this point.
16:14Brock Purdy gets paid here.
16:15He's going to have to perform like a superstar quarterback.
16:18And also, who that help is going to be, at least in week number one, we'll certainly find out.
16:23But also, week number one, division game on the road.
16:25Week number two, the New Orleans Saints.
16:27Who knows what they're going to be with Chuck, a quarterback.
16:29Interesting time here with the San Francisco 49ers.
16:31A lot of marks that will be answered.
16:33The NFC, by yourself, continue with the West next.
16:37Right back out at the NFC West.
16:38We have on our mind here, this is a countdown to kickoff here on the Sports Grid Network.
16:42And basically, the countdown, you can say, might be just about 24 hours to go before we kick off in the preseason.
16:47And then, of course, that first week of September, the Philadelphia Eagles taking on the Cows.
16:51On a Thursday night to kick off the season, Friday in Brazil, full card Sunday, and then right back at it here on Monday night.
16:58So, as we talked about the San Francisco 49ers and what that means for them in that division, there's a couple teams that actually think they are valuable to win that division.
17:06We're going to put a focus here on the Arizona Cardinals, but not as a team.
17:10We want to put that focal point here, Joe Ranieri, on their quarterback itself, which is Kyler Murray.
17:14Now, coming into the NFL, so talented, hard to tackle, a water bug out there, but it hasn't equated necessarily to wins, included wins at the biggest times here.
17:25If we take a look at his seasonal statistics this year, anticipated 3,375.5 passing yards, 20.5 touchdown passes, 475.5 rushing yards, and an MVP price of 50 to 1.
17:36I look at this and say to myself, that seems like rookie numbers out there that they're placing on Kyler Murray.
17:43Now, granted, he's been injured in the past, but if he stays healthy, he should wreck those numbers out here.
17:48So, buy or sell to you, Joe Ranieri.
17:50This is a make-or-break season for Kyler Murray.
17:53It absolutely is.
17:55And listen, last year was a season in which that's kind of what we expected from Kyler Murray, with what they went through and what they were expecting from him when they drafted him.
18:06He started all 17 games last year.
18:09He posted his best numbers for not only yards, but touchdown passes since 2021, which also happens to coincide with being the last time Arizona made the playoffs.
18:21So, without a doubt, Donnie, you're spot on.
18:23Kyler Murray is the engine here that is going to decide, what are we going to get?
18:28Jonathan Gannon, much better last year than his first as the Cardinals coach there.
18:36So, when you go from four to eight wins in a year, that's pretty impressive for a rookie coach.
18:43But I could also make the argument they did underperform because they lost a lot of games they should not have lost last year.
18:50I think the defensive side of the ball is going to be the biggest question.
18:53If Kyler Murray in a make-or-break year can give you, at minimum, what he gave you last year or maybe improve on it with, you know, James Conner there, and now you've got receivers, they have a tight end they locked in, Michael Wilson's there.
19:09You've got a ton of weapons offensively.
19:12It's the defensive side of the ball that's going to be the challenge with this team.
19:16Can they stop anybody with Calias Campbell at 100 years old returning to the team that drafted him in, what, 2005?
19:25So, yeah, I expect offensively for them to be just as good.
19:30My question is still on the defensive side with this team.
19:34Yeah, and also, in the past, I was much more down on their defense, Joe, to be honest.
19:37And now, of course, Jonathan Gannon is a defensive coach.
19:40Here, Buda Baker in the secondary, some decent safeties to work with.
19:43You go out in the draft and you get the kid Johnson from Michigan, who's one of those steals we think if he can just stay healthy and that knee is okay, even if it's for the next one, two, or three years, if he stays healthy this year, that's an upgrade here.
19:53You draft Nolan, the defensive tackle, in the first round to sort of bolster that.
19:56You pick up Josh Swett from the Philadelphia Eagles.
19:59He knows exactly the way those defenses work for Jonathan Gannon.
20:02You've got a solid offensive line.
20:03I know the focal point here is on Kyler Murray, but also, you're talking about if he can stay healthy, what those numbers will be.
20:09Oh, we anticipate he gets injured.
20:10Like, you saw his rookie year, 3,700 passing yards.
20:13Second year, 3,900 passing yards.
20:15Third year, 3,700 passing yards.
20:17Then in a couple seasons where he missed some time, last year plays all 17 games, 3,800 passing yards.
20:23So why can't he throw for over 20 touchdowns and also have rushing over 500 yards?
20:27I got to tell you right now, like, buying on Kyler Murray of having a good season, I am.
20:32But I don't see one statistic up there that I actually don't like.
20:35I like the touchdown passes.
20:37I like the yardage that he's going to be able to accumulate.
20:39I like the rushing yards out there.
20:40But granted, he has shown that he's been injured before, if he does stay healthy.
20:44And also, in 2021, he only played 14 games, Joe.
20:47Still had 3,787 yards passing.
20:51Another year in the league for Marvin Harrison Jr.
20:53He came into his own late in the season last year.
20:55Like, I'm excited about this team.
20:57Not to really make a playoff run or do damage, but sometimes, Joe, excitement just comes in the eye of the beholder and say,
21:02I just want to watch them each and every week because that could be a really fun team to bet on, including their quarterback.
21:08And what they are notorious to doing, and especially, you know, Kyler Murray, and this is even prior to when Gannon got there,
21:17is the Cardinals have always started off hot.
21:20They look like world beaters.
21:21It's not going to be any different, I think, this year when you look at what their schedule is.
21:26They have three home games to start the year against teams that didn't even sniff the playoffs last year.
21:33They got a road opener at New Orleans in their first five games.
21:37The big issue is going to be what happens after week nine.
21:41They got the Monday night football game at Dallas.
21:44And like always, Arizona starts great, and then they fade at the end of the season.
21:50And the schedule lines up where it could very well be the same story for Arizona this year.
21:56I still think they get over, what, the eight and a half wins that they've got?
22:00They should be able to win one more game than they did last year, given the pieces that they have coming back this year.
22:08You're right about that, too.
22:09And it's so crazy we have that first game at the New Orleans Saints because the expectations for the Saints
22:13certainly aren't to have a winning season, and also a rookie quarterback that's probably going to make his NFL debut.
22:18But it also feels like a referendum game.
22:20Like, what do you mean?
22:21You just told us the Saints are really bad, Donnie.
22:23You can't go on the road and lose that first game.
22:26Now, we see a lot.
22:27Like, fluky things happen in early September.
22:30Guys aren't ready to play.
22:31Teams we didn't think would be that good are good.
22:33New head coaches in town with new wrinkles that maybe you didn't anticipate.
22:36I don't know if the world is going to shock them, but that feels like an absolute must-win game
22:39because you take care of business, as you said.
22:41Game number two, Carolina Panthers at home.
22:44Is Carolina better than what they were last year and probably the year before?
22:46Yes.
22:46You still got them at home.
22:47You should win that football game.
22:48The Niners on the road.
22:49Granted, that'll be a tough one, but who even knows who's going to be playing with injuries
22:52to open the season for the 49ers?
22:54Then Seattle at home and the Titans at home before you go on the Colts on the road,
22:58who will probably have Anthony Richardson just fumbling around out there on the football field.
23:02You're right about this.
23:03That start sets up where you might get one of those starts.
23:06It's like, oh, look at this.
23:07Four and two Cardinals.
23:08They're ready to make the playoffs.
23:09Then we'll see what happens.
23:10But I know what you can have, Joe.
23:12A two and four start because Gannon then's on the hot seat.
23:16Kyler Murray's not your future quarterback and everything goes up in smoke.
23:19This team should be two and oh to start the season.
23:22Maybe even better than that.
23:24Yes, absolutely.
23:25I think by the time we get to week five, they should have, again, a pretty good record.
23:30But they did last year as well, Donnie.
23:32And then ultimately the wheels begin to fall off.
23:35And that's been the biggest issue.
23:37Can we be more consistent this season?
23:39Yeah, exactly.
23:41It's always hard to trust the Cardinals.
23:42Like, ah, maybe they're the good team.
23:43Maybe they don't.
23:44Usually it doesn't work out in their favor.
23:45But the one thing I think happens here is Kyler Murray has a big year granted that he stays healthy.
23:50And health being the key word.
23:52The NFC West.
23:52There's another quarterback out there.
23:54Ah!
23:55Ah!
23:56Oh, my back hurts.
23:57I don't mind who that is and what that means for this season.
24:00All right.
24:00NFC West action.
24:01Your talk.
24:02Kyler Murray here.
24:03We're expecting big things for Kyler Murray.
24:04At least some people are at this point.
24:06Stay healthy.
24:06Put up big statistics.
24:07And away you go with a possible playoff run.
24:10Let's talk about another quarterback in the NFC West.
24:12Well, there's Brock Purdy out there.
24:13There's Kyler Murray.
24:14How about this quarterback?
24:14It's Matthew Stafford.
24:16The sexy team in the offseason has been the Rams.
24:18Ooh, they got Puka Nakua coming back for the second season.
24:20Devontae Adams at wide receiver.
24:22An unbelievable running back in Kyron Williams.
24:24And then you have Matthew Stafford hooked up once again with Sean McVay and a young defense
24:28that can really get after the passer.
24:30But the question marks we have now are Matthew Stafford.
24:32I'm not saying, ooh, can he be a good quarterback?
24:34But the question is now, are we worried about that back injury?
24:37So I'm going to ask you this question by yourself.
24:40Is Matthew Stafford's back issue a major concern for you, Joe Ranieri?
24:44Well, you know, anytime you got a 70-year-old quarterback, it's going to be any sort of back
24:49issue is always a problem here.
24:51But I will say this.
24:53You know, of all the injuries to quarterbacks, like this here with him is the least concerning
25:00given the, you know, the quarterback-coach relationship and the success that they have.
25:05You know, keep in mind, this was Stafford and they were how close, Donnie?
25:10I think under about a minute left to go with a inside the 20 of the Eagles there and an
25:16opportunity to get it done.
25:17And it just didn't work out.
25:19But they now get in Devontae Adams to go across from Puka Nakua there.
25:24So, yeah, I, listen, I absolutely think, if healthy, and I do think they'll take their
25:31time with him and he'll be there to start the season.
25:35You got to love the running game.
25:36You got to love offensively.
25:38Every one of those Rams defensive players last year, the ones that all delivered, including
25:43Verse and Fisk, those were all young guys that are all coming back here, Donnie.
25:48This team, I think the sky is the limit.
25:51Yes, I'm buying into them.
25:53Yes, I'm going over their win total.
25:55And I will also sprinkle a little Sean McVay having a MVP quarterback under center here next
26:03year.
26:03Wow, because you take a look at the statistics from last year, right?
26:06It's like, you want to say un-Matthew Stafford-like, but he didn't put up the huge passing numbers
26:11that sometimes in the past that you might be accustomed to at that point, but still serviceable.
26:14And that's what they asked him to do.
26:163,762 yards last year, 20 touchdowns, eight interceptions, a QBR, which was 12th in the
26:21NFL at 64.7.
26:23But this is a better team, a better version of last year.
26:25And you're right.
26:26Granted, it was a snowy game and the Eagles did take their foot off the gas in the fourth
26:30quarter, but still, they were inside the 20-yard line and somebody just blew a block on Jalen
26:33Carter, which basically ended that game because Matthew Stafford took a sack there.
26:38But there's nothing heading into the season outside of Matthew Stafford can't compete that
26:41tells me the Rams don't have a legitimate shot to A, win that division, and also B, make
26:46a deep playoff run.
26:48The two things that you need in the quarterback, a quarterback that can stand up under pressure
26:52and deliver with an elite arm.
26:53A quarterback that has won a Super Bowl in the past.
26:56A quarterback that's won a Super Bowl in the past with his current head coach.
26:59And then you mix in that defense that can get after the passer.
27:02And as we said, Puka Niku on one side, he just needed help on the other side.
27:06The Cooper Cup was a 50% version of himself the previous few years.
27:09It was all Puka last year.
27:10But now Devontae Adams, Joe, you can't roll coverage.
27:13Hey, we'll double Puka.
27:14Good luck on the other side with Devontae Adams at this point.
27:17This team has everything they need to succeed in 2025.
27:22Yeah, they absolutely do.
27:24And again, they started 16 rookies on that roster last year, right?
27:28Donnie, and every one of them is back, which is great for them.
27:34The biggest issue was their secondary last year because they gave up a ton of passing TDs.
27:39But I dare you to find a more feared front four than what this team is going to bring to the table.
27:46Keep an eye on the end of the schedule here.
27:49Four of their last six, Donnie, are on the road.
27:53And they got to travel a lot.
27:55I think them and the Chargers are the two teams that will travel the most this season across the country to play their game.
28:03So will that affect them late in the season?
28:07Probably not with all of those young guys and rookies that they got there.
28:10So I think the sky's the limit for the Rams.
28:12Yeah, you see that nine and a half there and just take into effect like they have a great front seven that's young that can get after the pass.
28:18They have a decent secondary there.
28:20They have a very good offensive line.
28:21Good tight end here.
28:22Maybe the best.
28:24And you say because number one on pro football focus last year was Puka Nakua.
28:28Number 31 was Adams.
28:29But again, he was with the Jets.
28:31You have Tutu Atwell with speed.
28:32And also, again, a running game that is fantastic with Kyron Williams and a great play action artist here in Matthew Stafford.
28:38I like what I see overall.
28:40So if we're looking team total wise, outside of major injury, like they're probably going to get double digits, which to me means, Joe, they're going to win that division.
28:49I agree with you.
28:50I have.
28:51There's no reason to think coaching again matters.
28:54And they've got a couple of the best on this roster.
28:57And also, you brought up a great point.
28:59But that offensive line is completely back.
29:03And they gave up the six fewest hits on a quarterback last year.
29:08This is going to be a more experienced and better team this year.
29:12No, it certainly is.
29:13We'll see about that in the forgotten team in the NFC Northwest here.
29:17Let's go to Seattle next.
29:19Having some fun here on a Wednesday morning.
29:21By the way, Joe, you wake up tomorrow, it's Thursday.
29:22You're going to have pro football on your television here with a Hall of Fame preseason game.
29:27You're going to have the Major League Baseball trade deadline.
29:30And then when you wake up the very next day, it's the month of August here.
29:33Now, usually dating back as a kid, like you couldn't stand August.
29:36Like, oh, no, August means like September is right around the corner.
29:39And those jolly fun days of late June when you're out of school in July now turn into the back to school commercials that hit the TV and away you go.
29:47Now, as I get older, I love the fact that summer is here because I like warm weather.
29:51Don't get me wrong, but boy, you just fast forward and get me through to the month of late August, early September to hoodie weather, hanging out, cooler temperatures, the leaves changing and football in the air.
30:02That's what I love.
30:03So we're a couple of sleeps away from the month of August, which means if you're in high school, if you're in college, you play sports, you're headed back in that heat and humidity.
30:13Yeah, no, you are, especially in my neck of the woods here, Donnie, in South Florida.
30:19In fact, I believe, you know, high school football's already been playing for the last couple of weeks as they get ready to start.
30:26It's absolutely nuts.
30:28But it is football season.
30:30And, you know, I can tell you this.
30:32There's a lot of talk coming from the South here with the Miami Dolphins and what kind of season they're going to have.
30:38We'll talk way more about that over the next coming weeks, too.
30:42It's interesting, to say the least, what we're hearing.
30:45It feels like if there's ever like a meme or a picture that goes, what is the Miami Dolphins?
30:50It's like a shoestring about to snap that you're just trying to hold on with down there.
30:56Now, when we talk NFC West football here, never any teams like that.
30:59Like Arizona's thinking they're going to have a good season.
31:01The 49ers think they're going to have a good season.
31:03The Los Angeles Rams think they have a good season.
31:05But we don't quite know what we're getting in the Pacific Northwest from the Seattle Seahawks here.
31:10A lot of changes in the offseason.
31:11We saw Geno Smith leaving town and Sam Darno coming to town from the Minnesota Vikings.
31:16Some changes at the wide receiver position.
31:18You trade DK Metcalf here.
31:19You're now saying that, you know what, Smith and Jigba is my lead wide receiver, and we're going to feed him here.
31:24You also pick up Cooper Cup off the scrap heap from the Los Angeles Rams, who felt like we can't use this guy anymore.
31:29And maybe he revives his career in the same division, but just a few hundred miles north of living in California.
31:36But now let's take a look at Sam Darno and put him on the hot seat right now.
31:39So buy yourself for Darno that he is going to be an upgrade from Geno Smith at quarterback this season.
31:47What do you think?
31:49Listen, he's been there.
31:51He's done this.
31:52He's coming off one of his best season as a pro.
31:56And listen, I root for him because I think he got totally the shaft with the Jets shocker.
32:01You know, had to play with nine different offensive coordinators and head coaches, including Adam Gase, which almost ruined him.
32:09So to see what he was able to do last year, my question is, OK, how much does coaching matter?
32:17Was Sam Darno responsible for the results that he had a year ago?
32:22Or was it the coaching staff there with the Minnesota Vikings?
32:26He does get Clint Kubiak, who he was with with his time in San Francisco, calling the shots here.
32:33So I tend to look at this team and say, I think, unfortunately, it's a step back this year.
32:41I don't necessarily think that's because of Sam Darno.
32:44But I just think, given in totality here, what we're going to get from this team compared to the 49ers, the Rams, and Arizona,
32:52I think this is your last place team here in the NFC West.
32:55Yeah, here's the tough part about it, too, because Darno does have talent.
32:59And if you surround him with talent, he can succeed.
33:01Like, if we looked at the statistics last year from Sam Darno, but just didn't say this is Sam Darno's numbers,
33:074,300 yards, 35 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions, you'd say not only did that team make the playoffs,
33:12that team went deep in the playoffs.
33:13And you might have had a guy that was vying for a top five MVP votes here.
33:17But the fact that it was Sam Darno and the way it ended, if he, Joe, if he picks up one more victory,
33:23I think it was the last game of the season against Detroit, and then the last game for them, obviously,
33:26was on the road in a wild card round against the Rams.
33:29He wins one of those games.
33:31He's back in Minnesota with a big contract, and we learned that he'd be talking J.J. McCarthy,
33:36because you're right.
33:37You almost throw out the entire season for those two games.
33:40Now, granted, is it the biggest stage out there?
33:41You got to win those football games?
33:42Yes, we all understand that.
33:44You played a very good Lions team, couldn't win.
33:45You played a Rams team that was damn near headed to the Super Bowl once they won their game,
33:49facing them, the Philadelphia Eagles, and almost taking them to the wire.
33:52By the way, if the Rams would have beat the Philadelphia Eagles,
33:54they would have been hosting the NFC Championship back in L.A.
33:57They may have gone to the Super Bowl.
33:58So when I look at Sam Darnold, I'm high on him.
34:01But I do think it's an upgrade over Geno Smith.
34:03I never liked Geno Smith.
34:04I always thought there was limitations to what he can actually do.
34:07Are we talking about Sam Darnold the next time Brady?
34:09No, we're not.
34:10But finally, as you pointed out, Joe, so astutely,
34:13the kid didn't have a fair shake entering into the NFL.
34:15And so many times that happens, the high draft picks,
34:17if you don't have the coaching of the infrastructure,
34:19bad habits accumulate, and your confidence goes out the window.
34:22Correct me if I'm wrong.
34:23Was this the guy that on one primetime game was saying,
34:25I am seeing ghosts right now.
34:27I don't even know where to throw the football
34:29to then having a 35-touchdown season and how it rebuilds.
34:32But you're right.
34:32If D.K. Metcalf was there, Jackson Smith and Jigba,
34:34and you added Cooper Cup, and you said,
34:36all right, well, Lockett's a little bit older.
34:37Way to go Cooper Cup's route.
34:38Let's see what we can do.
34:39I'd be a little bit more excited.
34:41But I'm with you.
34:42When I look at Sam Darnold, and when I look at that team,
34:44competitive, yes.
34:45Winning that division, nope.
34:47No, they are going.
34:50Listen, there's seven new starters, I believe,
34:52on the offensive side here.
34:54The offensive line is still a work in progress.
34:57But I also don't see the Seahawks asking, you know,
35:02him to drop back 40 times a game, Donnie.
35:05I think with Kenneth Walker and Char,
35:07I think they are going to run the ball.
35:09That's what Clint Kubiak does.
35:11It's all about everything sets up from the run here.
35:15So I think the less you have to ask this offensive line
35:19to actually, you know, drop back and protect Sam Darnold,
35:23I think the more offense they can get via running
35:26and the running game, I think they'll be okay.
35:29But I don't think it's going to happen right away, Donnie.
35:31I think it's going to take time for all of this
35:33to come together with all those new pieces
35:35on the offensive side.
35:37Yeah, decent schedule that they have as well.
35:39Opening day is going to be at home against the 49ers.
35:41You always love that too.
35:42And you have to get in the 49ers at the best time
35:44where maybe they're not at full gas
35:46at their wide receiver position.
35:47And maybe they don't want to give Christian McCaffrey
35:4925 touches on opening day and say,
35:52hey, he's got to last all 18 weeks here and 17 games.
35:55Then you take a look at being on the road
35:56against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers.
35:58That'll certainly be a tough one.
35:59But any road game typically in the NFL,
36:01if you want to win or at least get a cover,
36:02is a tough one.
36:03Then they're home against the Saints.
36:04Like theoretically, like sometimes you look, Joe,
36:07and it's just how do you start your season
36:09where the vibes go?
36:100-3, oh no, we're all getting fired.
36:132-1.
36:13Hey, you know what, guys?
36:15We might be able to make something out of this.
36:17Yeah.
36:17And then you notice, too,
36:19there's an awful lot of cross-country trips here
36:21for Seattle on this schedule.
36:25So, you know, the good thing about Seattle over the years,
36:29even with Pete Carroll and even with McDonald,
36:31they've been pretty good on the road in those spots.
36:36But my goodness, there is a lot of cross-country trips here.
36:41Will the defense hold up?
36:43It is the best part of this team.
36:44Make no mistake about it.
36:46Yeah.
36:47And also a defensive head coach here
36:48certainly like to put that flag in the ground
36:50and say, all right, we're going to play good defense first.
36:52We're going to run the football second.
36:54But always in Seattle, the questions about those offensive line
36:56is going to hold up.
36:57Can they hold up?
36:58Because if you're getting hit as the quarterback,
37:00you're not going to last all that long.
37:02But I do like the way the wide receivers are setting up.
37:04Like Smith and Jigba here is going to be their number one.
37:07It was clear.
37:08It was him and DK Metcalf.
37:09And they said, you know what?
37:10DK wants a lot of money.
37:11We don't want to pay that.
37:11We can get a nice draft compensation package back.
37:14And we'll go with Smith and Jigba.
37:15Cooper Cup, we'll see what we get.
37:17If he can return any way, Joe,
37:19to his form that we saw him with the Los Angeles Rams,
37:21that's a plus here.
37:22And say what you want about that, the Scantling.
37:24You might say, oh, he's not a great wide receiver.
37:26He does one thing and does it really well.
37:28I'm tall and I'm fast.
37:30And I'm going to stretch this defense.
37:31So all components can work in conjunction here.
37:34But you're all right as well.
37:35Seattle's going to be able to run the football and have success.
37:37That's going to help out certainly with the play action fakes from Darnold.
37:40So not buying into the Seattle Seahawks doesn't mean we can't make some money here
37:44with the Seattle Seahawks at this point now either.
37:47Now, coming up next in the next segment, Joe,
37:49we're going to have some fun with this because always with NFL franchises,
37:52it's what are we doing next?
37:54The coaches don't want to lose.
37:56The general manager doesn't want to lose unless the ownership says it's okay.
37:59Tanking in the NFL for a quarterback that might not be there?
38:03Come on, let's get back and forth.
38:04To tank or not to tank is a big-time question that NFL franchises certainly make,
38:10and it's a calculated decision.
38:11Should you tank for a player that you think is going to be your star quarterback?
38:15And if you do tank and that star quarterback ends up staying in college
38:18or gets hurt or actually wasn't that good to begin with,
38:21you could ruin your franchise for a couple years here.
38:23Why are we asking this question?
38:24Well, Arch Manning always comes up as a point of emphasis here.
38:27Ultra-talented quarterback, when he comes out, he's supposed to be number one.
38:31But the thought process is, is he coming out next year?
38:34Mary Kay Cabot is a beat writer for the Cleveland Browns.
38:37He stayed, she stated yesterday, Jimmy Haslam said he knows the Manning family
38:41and expects Arch to stay in school for two years,
38:44which brings us up to a perfect Fade the Public poll here with Arch Manning.
38:57All right, before we read the Fade the Public poll here,
38:59let's go over and understand and analyze here what Mary Cabot,
39:03Mary Kay Cabot is talking about yesterday.
39:05Haslam supposedly has an ear to the ground that goes,
39:09let me pick up the phone to Manning.
39:10Should I tank this season or play?
39:12Is your son, is your nephew coming out?
39:15And you will give me a hundred percent accurate answer
39:18that he probably is staying back in school for two years.
39:21What do we make of Mary Kay Cabot's question here to start with?
39:24And also, I should have said, not even a question,
39:26just an answer, a statement from Jimmy Haslam,
39:28the owner of the Cleveland Browns.
39:30Yeah, well, Haslam has also said that he expects a better season this year
39:35than the three and 14 one he had a year ago
39:39and feels the team is on, well, the right track.
39:42But I'm not quite sure if he has looked at that quarterback room yet.
39:46And I'm not quite sure that you can anticipate a better season.
39:50But listen, I think it's a lot of, it's a lot of misdirection.
39:55Donnie, the idea that he has any clue as to what the Mannings are planning on doing
39:59is hilarious.
40:01If the guy goes out and wins a national championship this year
40:05with the University of Texas and wins a Heisman,
40:08exactly why, Donnie, would you go back to college in any way, shape, or form
40:14outside of getting your degree, which he can get at any particular time?
40:18I don't understand it.
40:20The idea that, nah, it's going to be two years for sure.
40:23Yeah, I doubt that very, very much.
40:26Yeah, and also the Mannings pick up the phone from Jimmy Haslam, the Browns,
40:29like, hey, we're going to tank for your kid next year.
40:31Is he coming out?
40:32Yeah, he ain't coming out next year.
40:33If you're tanking, buddy, you want to go ahead and play the season,
40:35we'll probably give a surprise.
40:37Thank goodness he's not going to Cleveland.
40:38So let's get back to the poll here.
40:40We listed it at SportsGrid on X here.
40:42Should NFL teams be tanking this season for Arch Manning?
40:46No, 78% on the live numbers here.
40:51Yes, 22%.
40:52Now, Joe, before I ask you the way you voted, I actually took a little bit of a caveat here
40:57in this because I do think NFL teams should tank if they don't have a quarterback and love
41:03the quarterbacks coming up in the next season in the draft.
41:06If you don't have a quarterback, you are not winning anything in the NFL.
41:10But should teams tank for Arch Manning this season, knowing he might not come into the NFL?
41:17Yeah, it's got to be a no at 78%, right?
41:20Well, in this particular case, absolutely.
41:24Somebody please explain to me what Arch Manning has done to lead you to believe it's worth tanking
41:30an entire season to get him the number one pick.
41:33Are we kidding?
41:33I'm still trying to figure out how in the world he hadn't actually played at Texas over
41:39the last couple of seasons while he was there.
41:42So I do not understand it.
41:45Now, I will say this.
41:46There has been a couple of situations over the last couple of decades, honey, where there
41:53were proven commodities that we knew were coming out.
41:56The first thing that comes to mind, Andrew Luck.
41:59You know, there was nobody who thought Andrew Luck coming out of college was not going to
42:04be a franchise guy to take over your team.
42:06Same thing with Peyton Manning back in the day.
42:09That's not what we're talking about here.
42:11I mean, those guys would have been worth maybe, eh, do we really want to go out and win this
42:17game in overtime?
42:18Or do we really want to take a step back because we know who's available?
42:22I don't know what we have with Arch Manning.
42:25I wish people would help me understand because I haven't seen the guy play yet here.
42:30That's out of your full season.
42:31So what are we tanking for in essence?
42:34Like the expectations are incredible.
42:36Also understand this is if we're looking at Arch Manning from his Texas days, right?
42:3961 of 90 passing, 13 total touchdowns, as you saw that graphic.
42:43But also the point is he is the chosen one already.
42:47So I get a kick out of this because to me, the chosen one comes out of high school.
42:52I'm going to pick my school.
42:54You don't have to tell me I'm starting.
42:55You're going to get a look at me after that first practice with helmets, shoulder pads,
43:00and shorts and go, I don't care if my guy just won the Heisman.
43:03This guy is better.
43:05So now I'm led to believe Arch shows up on campus as a freshman.
43:08He's not good enough to start.
43:10Arch Manning shows up as a sophomore.
43:12He's not good enough to start.
43:14And again, Quinn Ewers is a good college quarterback.
43:18Don't get me wrong.
43:19But Quinn Ewers wasn't a three-time Heisman Trophy winning, three-time national champion
43:24that you could not move aside.
43:26Those are the question marks that I have.
43:27And I don't care if the Mannings had some scheme that goes, I do not want my son slash
43:33nephew starting the first two years.
43:34I want him to learn because he doesn't have to come out and have any pressure.
43:39And then you're going to unleash him junior year.
43:41That's not usually the way thing works.
43:42Like, competitors who are really good at their sport and work at their craft show,
43:47they are out there day one, and they will cut you to get in front of you in line to let
43:51you know that they should be starting.
43:53Do you have any red flags on Arch Manning saying, why couldn't he beat up Quinn Ewers
43:58to really be the starting quarterback over the past two years?
44:00It's almost like we got unbelievable quarterback play.
44:02Listen, there's a whole lot that is head scratching over his first couple of seasons here in college
44:09football.
44:10But the reality is, he's got all the tools.
44:13He's got, you know, he's got all of the family members that he needs to help him be the best
44:20NFL quarterback that he can be.
44:22The problem is, he's never been the guy in college.
44:26He's never had all of these expectations to lead.
44:30And Texas is the most unrealistic fan base there is every year.
44:34They've been waiting for this for how long, Don?
44:36Every year, they're going to win a national championship.
44:39Well, what happens if it doesn't work out that way?
44:43And Arch Manning isn't as good as everyone thinks he is.
44:46Yeah, that's what we're going to learn.
44:48Joe, I can go back on my ex-account and just be like, oh my goodness, like why is Manning
44:53not in this game?
44:53Now's the time to put in Manning.
44:55Another bad pass by Quinn Ewers.
44:57Where is Manning at this point?
44:58How athletic can this guy be and still be sitting on the bench?
45:01Well, maybe they are just mad scientists and mad geniuses down there in Austin, Texas,
45:06where they know better than everybody else.
45:07And maybe they do.
45:08But those questions, until he performs like a Heisman Trophy candidate, we're going to have
45:13a lot more question marks than we do have answers at this point.
45:15And teams tanking in the NFL going, man, this is what we're tanking for?
45:19Locker change in one season, though.
Recommended
1:28
|
Up next
45:52