Pep Talks For NFL Fanbases

17:27I think the smart ones that I know, Henry Hodgson and some of the good journalists out there covering the Dolphins, Simon Clancy, Chase Kaufman, I believe it's pronounced. I think they see the vision. They wanted them to be real with themselves instead of just being in the middle. The difference, I guess, would be who are the weight-bearing walls, you know, that the Rams and the 49ers, they had some real-deal players. They had a real deal quarterbacks at the time when they did their kind of sprint rebuild. I think Willis can be there, but he hasn't actually played football too much at the NFL level.

18:00Jourdan Rodrigue:The important thing, and that's, you'll note in my pep talk, I did not mention that you have to have a star or above average quarterback. You could have a really, really strong quarterback, and that would help. Are you just going to keep talking as someone passes by our studio with the sign held up that says Hot Rabbi? Yeah. Was that a reference to me? Come on, bro. This is all I got. It's all out in the open now. Greg's got himself a little nickname. I mean, I wish. A nickname. In the makeup room. Hot Rabbi. I mean, if only I could be, you know, Adam Brody. If I grew like half a foot or so. You know what?

18:44Jourdan Rodrigue:I hear a lot that I think Adam Brody wishes he could be more like Greg. I'm sure. Sorry to interrupt your point. No, that's what I was thinking. Incredible. I love that she just walked by holding that sign. Yeah, because you have to have the sign to hold it up. Incredible. I have some questions. We should get a picture of it and share it to the listeners because it's not even. If I'm going to be Adam Brody, then, yeah, no, I support that. They got leveled Claret. They want what really was more important almost even than the skill level of the quarterback because you're looking at a combination of Brock Purdy and Mac Jones also in San Francisco, wasn't that it was like an elite quarterback.

19:18Jourdan Rodrigue:Now, Brock Purdy's very good. Mac Jones played awesome. Stafford's elite. It wasn't just that. It was... Proven, though. It was clarity of what you are going to have at the position, good or medium. Now, if it's bad, then you might be in some trouble. A guy they gave a$100 million kind. But I don't think it'll be bad. I think it'll be fine. and we believe in what they're looking for is clarity because if you if all you have is a is a clear answer to a question at a foundational point on a roster you can do a lot more with that you can do a lot with that when you're recouping around the rest of the roster well i think a big

19:54Patrick Claybon:part of it is being able to not just evaluate talent on your team and coming into the draft and a talent around the league and sure you get you get the picks and you get an opportunity but i would like to see some veteran wide receivers to be able to play with malik willis just because I like watching football, you know, in defense of fans who maybe didn't necessarily like that move. I definitely understand why they're upset. Totally. Devon HN not getting traded. That's why I wanted to give him a pep talk.

20:20Jourdan Rodrigue:Yeah. Because I could see it. I'm a big Jalen Waddle fan, as you guys know. So I wanted to give them a pep talk, the ones who are sad about this. I wanted to lift them up a little bit. And a report from ESPN that came out on Wednesday that HN, they've been telling other teams, not available. Weight-bearing wall. And so I think A-chan, Aaron Brewer, their center. Weight-bearing wall. That's about it. Patrick Paul looks pretty good as a future love tackle. That's a piece of work. Don't sleep on the tight end over there. I'm just saying that. Calling my shot before the season. Dulcet? Don't sleep on him.

20:49Sure, but he got paid$3 million on a one-year deal. I mean, that's like a sandcastle. All right, you're up, you're up.

20:56Jourdan Rodrigue:And he's going to outplay it, Greg. Yeah, I hope so.

20:58Patrick Claybon:A pep talk for somebody who does not need it because Jason Light knows what he's doing and there's evidence of that, extensive evidence included, coming on this very program and sticking it to Greg Rosenzall. The season didn't necessarily work out, Bucs fans, and I would like to address you and try to make you feel better because a guy that is Mr. Buck, who is going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, probably is a Tampa Bay Buccaneer, is going to be catching passes in Santa Clara this season. I understand that that's unfortunate. It's not something they want. Mike Evans will be back. Long term, Mike Evans will always be a Tampa Bay Buccaneer.

21:30Patrick Claybon:Nobody will be overly concerned about that. But what do you get this offseason? You needed help at linebacker incomes, Alex Anzalone. That helps. Al-Qadid Muhammad, an underrated contributor on the defensive line, coming into Todd Bowles' defense, making that a little bit better. And you've got the Steelers team MVP and Kenneth Gainwell, Super Bowl champion, Kenneth Gainwell, to have one of the best receiving backfields in all of the NFL, which is so much better for Baker Mayfield as we've seen shoulder injuries kind of do in a lot of great quarterbacks with big arms. Baker Mayfield has a huge arm.

22:08Patrick Claybon:He's got a lot of violence in that motion. So what better to make the receiving game no matter who's on the field? And you keep Sean Tucker as well to add into that. There's so many reasons to feel good about Tampa. Not to mention there was a guy who was on pace to be the rookie of the year last year. Everything kind of fell apart when Baker's shoulder did. I believe in Jason Light. I believe in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I'm sorry Mike's not going to be there, but he will be back.

22:36They started the offseason in the right place, in a good place. They are the favorites, by the way, in the NFC South. And I agree with that. But considering the world that was out there, I'm underwhelmed by Alex Anzalone, Al-Kahid Muhammad, Aishan Robinson. It doesn't seem like great value or great pop. And I just wanted more from where they, where they are in their team build that they were in a nice position in the off season is not over, but to make me happy, make their fans happy. I don't think they're happy. No, no.

23:11Jourdan Rodrigue:But I do think that you made some good points in your pep talk. Cause one of the most exciting, like my, on my list of things I cannot wait to see manifest this season is in the, like Kenny G and Bucky Irving in that backfield and what they decide to do with them, you know, as a one-two combination, especially in the past game. I think on this show, we're really massive Mike Evans fans. And I also think that I would like to see him win a Super Bowl. I would like to, another one, I would like to see him thrive. I would like to see him etch himself, not only into the lore forever of Tampa Bay, but the work that he's done for that community and the presence that he is and has been.

23:51Jourdan Rodrigue:And I would also like to see him go almost take almost a career victory lap in a way and maybe start think about ending his career on a positive note and being etched into the lore of these great 49ers receivers that get these teams over the hump.

24:05Patrick Claybon:If you're watching on YouTube, his highlight video that we're showing right now starts with Mike Glennon. Yes. And then we get a chance to see Jameis. He's been through a lot. Of course, he got the greatest quarterback of all time throwing him balls as well. but just a great group. I mean, he was there for Josh McCown as his starting quarterback. That's a Josh McCown. And Lovie Smith as his head coach. I just find that reason that we want to see him win a Super Bowl depressing. Another one. Because, yeah, because, like, if he wants to win a Super Bowl, the Buccaneers should be a better option than the 49ers if you believe in, like, what this team has been building towards.

24:46But I hear you that there's a lot to still be happy about, even if you can pick some nits with the last couple of weeks. Let's take a break and we'll come back with, yes, a team that was forgotten. And I feel very bad about when we did the NFC grades, we graded 31 off seasons this week and we'll get to the 30 seconds.

25:13I'm Daniel Jeremiah. And I'm Greg Rosenthal. And this is 40s and free agents. The games may be over, but the NFL never stops. This is my favorite part of the calendar.

25:24Patrick Claybon:Yeah, mine too, Greg. Free agency, the combine, the NFL draft, pro days, trades. This is where teams reshape their future. This is where Daniel Jeremiah makes his money. On 40s and free agents, we break down every move that actually matters. From my draft evaluations, mock drafts, and team fits. To my top 101 free agents and how real rosters are built, cap space, contracts, and all the tough decisions included. You got quarterbacks on the move. We got teams rebuilding. It's hope season. Yeah, absolutely. It's hope season. We'll tell you what's real, what's noise, and what it means for your favorite team.

25:59Smart analysis, real conversations every week. I don't know about the smart, but definitely analysis. Listen to 40s and Free Agents on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

26:15Eagle-eared listeners will know before the break. You might have missed it. Jordan Rodriguez's favorite new dropper on NFL Daily.

26:24Jourdan Rodrigue:What a treat. What pipes, you know. We got to lean into that more on the show. It's always when you never think anyone's actually listening. Okay, so we buttered you up just to take you back down. I did want to provide a little bit of an update on our matchmaker game since three of the four of us are here from free agency. The dumbest thing I did, other than a lot of bad picks, was say that it would take between four and five correct picks to win. It's not over. But the standings as of right now, I have two hits. That is unfortunately for the group in first place by myself. Jordan, you got a hit in Devin Lloyd to the Panthers.

27:07Yes. Colleen Wolfe also has a hit. She got Malik Willis. Patrick, you're sitting on a goose egg. But here's why it's not over. How? You have Debo Samuel to the Steelers. That could still happen. You also have one more. Nick Westbrook-Akine to the Falcons. So I can't...

27:29Jourdan Rodrigue:This could be the greatest comeback of all time because, Patrick, if you come back to tie, you win off height. Yeah, that's... At this point, I will accept that as the tiebreaker since it's such a lot. It's not happening, so we don't have to worry about it. I mean, it could. I had said April 1st is officially the date. I technically have one sitting out there, which was Tanner McKee to the Jets as a trade. That's probably not going to happen, although the Eagles acquired Andy Dalton in a trade. And so who knows? Maybe they could. Maybe Tanner's on the move. They've done it.

28:02Patrick Claybon:They've convinced the world that Tanner McKee is the greatest quarterback of all time. Somebody's going to do it. Also, Juwan Jennings I have on the board, too, for the Raiders. Jordan, unfortunately you can be eliminated. None of your players are still out there.

28:15Jourdan Rodrigue:I know. I was so close on Jonathan Franklin Myers. So we will be updating that as news develops, but I just wanted to update all the listeners. Yeah, I'm sure you did. And take an early victory lap. Let's go. You? Never. I'll take it. It still counts. It's like the Patriots 13-3 Super Bowl win. You're still shining that Lombardi. Let's talk about the team I've been teasing all show. Oh, who is that, Greg? It's the New Orleans Saints. You know, you matter, Saints fans. Yeah, we might have forgotten you. And by we, I mean me. I didn't even write any notes down about your offseason when we were doing the grades.

28:54Just completely forgot about you. As if the Saints need any more talk on this program, you get plenty. But look, I don't even think this pep talk is necessary. Like, we forgot about you. But according to Saints fans, I have a feeling like the Saints can kind of do no wrong. And that's the case with a lot of teams right now. You are out of cap hell. You never once admitted it when you were in cap hell. You always said that wasn't a real thing. It didn't bother you at all. But now that you're out of cap hell and not doing void years and everything, you're celebrating because you're a normal team again.

29:31That feels great. Just don't look at cash spending where you might be the cheapest team in the league on average over the last three years. That's something to watch. You have Tyler Shuck, who at this point, in the minds of Saints fans, is somewhere between, like, 1984 Dan Marino and Heath Ledger in the Dark Knight. Like, that is basically what Tyler Shuck is right now. It can't get any better than this moment in Tyler Shuck. Everything is possible. He's throwing beads out on Mardi Gras floats. He has impeccable restaurant taste. He's always taking new teammates out to restaurants, and he's always picking the best ones.

30:11Jourdan Rodrigue:He just played for the Savannah Bananas. Like, he honestly is doing a better job making himself part of that community than any saint since Alvin Kamara. Like, he's just, he is that dude right now. You have an offensive line that, no exaggeration, has two first-round picks, your last two, in terms of, and you're really excited about Kelvin Banks and what he did. a real deal guard that everyone believes in, David Edwards, who you sign. Eric McCoy, who's been great when he's on the field. And a first-round pick in Cesar Ruiz. Just don't watch the film or talk about Fuaga's health or McCoy's health or anything like that.

30:52You brought Caden Ellis back. That's fun to replace DeMario Davis, but that's fun for vibes unless you hear Cam Jordan talk about the fact that he doesn't trust any Saint that goes to the Falcons, even ones that come back. That's a little weird. And Cam Jordan's kind of out there shading the Saints right now. Something's up with that. He's a free agent. You're a cornerback factory. You got Paulson Adebo and Alante Taylor paid in back-to-back seasons. That's fun to do. It's good for cooler. The denissance is absolutely happening. And then that Derek Carr on retirement, third-round picks coming any day now, right, Saints fans?

31:34look you can be told with complete sincerity you are the second favorite right now in the NFC South and I think in the minds of Saints fans they are the favorites if you had told all our Saints fans that we love out there like Adam and Ryan at the Saints block party podcast a year ago at this time that you would guys would be in second place and that the Bucks have had such a bad offseason that they needed a freaking pep talk and they're the favorites I don't think you would have believed it you would have been flying high Let's go Saints fans You didn't even need it They got one There it is

32:13It's weird that mine is so much bigger

32:15Jourdan Rodrigue:I don't even think I got one Thank you Wow I'm excited I'm excited for Thank you And apologies to the Saints for not giving them I'm going to put you guys on the spot. Give them a free agency grade since we didn't do that this week.

32:37Patrick Claybon:Considering they were able to, you know, snipe their old coach and get the running back they wanted to come back home, give them a B plus 86.

32:47Jourdan Rodrigue:I'm going 87.

32:48Patrick Claybon:Okay.

32:49Jourdan Rodrigue:B plus, firmly a B plus. I like everything that they did. I think they reset their floor in a lot of ways. They got younger, although not that much younger in terms of, you know, 37 versus 30 year old defensive players, but still younger in a way that will help them bridge to the next phase of their team build.

33:07Patrick Claybon:And I think keeping Elante would have been the point. They didn't know that Elante was going to be the highest paid corner through free agent. I think they're shocked. Honestly, I don't think saints fans are sad about that. They didn't, they were kind of over it and more power to him. And you're also, I should have mentioned this in the pep top, helping Travis at GN, like kind of reconnect with his roots and correct the record. And I like that their middle-class running back contracts are back. I think that contract's fine. $24 million guaranteed. Edwards got$40 million guaranteed, the guard. So you're spending a little bit of money, even though, yes, as I mentioned, they spent the least amount of cash last year, 28th this year, 27th the year before.

33:46So that's a little on my radar. Alvin Kamara might be retiring. A couple other little minor signings. I'm trying to like do the free agency grade stuff here. I'm just like jamming it in. Ty Chandler. and Noah Fant are on the Saints now. They know you care.

33:58Jourdan Rodrigue:I don't think they ever doubted that you care. No. And yet, somehow, it slipped my mind. You're up next, Patrick. I will go, and I will enlist Eric. He's not up next. He is. We put it right. Oh, no. I had put it. It got switched. No, because I had two more, so I didn't want to go back to back. Just too much me talking. We love you talking.

34:22Patrick Claybon:game. Why don't you do the New York football giant? You might not have two more either.

34:28Jourdan Rodrigue:I honestly, my one for the giants is, is short, but sweet because I think that the giants fans are right now are so cautiously optimistic and, and waiting for the other shoe to drop and worrying about what could go wrong. My pep talk here is like, what if stuff doesn't go wrong? Like I could really just talk myself into the giants being pretty solid this year. I could, I could, if I tried really hard and, and I've, I've been trying really, really hard to talk myself in to this version, the John Harbaugh version of the New York football giants. And because I liked that they're moving to a heavy, heavier personnel roster, bringing in the tight ends and the fullback.

35:06Jourdan Rodrigue:I think it really matches well to Jackson darts play style. Cam Scadaboo's running style, particularly. I love the Denard Wilson signing, excuse me, as a, as a coach. I love that he had the Titans playing so creditably last season, their new defensive coordinator. I love how he coached that team even when all was lost in general. They had him playing hard, playing pretty well relative to, A, the roster, B, expectations, and C, the dumpster fire all around them at that point. And I really like that they have, even though they only have two picks in the top 100, they still have seven picks. They have number five without needing a quarterback.

35:44Jourdan Rodrigue:It's a really good spot to be if you want to trade back. and get more picks, and 37 will be coveted by teams trying to jump over as these position runs start to happen on day two, or to package if a team wants to get back up into one. So I'm intrigued and interested by these New York Giants. And again, I could talk myself into asking fans, what if just nothing goes wrong? I think they're going to be a trendy worst-to-first pick going into the season. Tough to predict what's going to be trendy, but I think it just makes sense. I think everything you said makes a lot of sense. I it's why I was horribly like some of the reasons why I was horribly wrong about them last year.

36:21I thought they were kind of a sneaky. They could be good team last year win eight nine games because their best players are awesome. And now you're adding John Harbaugh to that mix. Hopefully Malik neighbors gets back healthy. But like they're they're top tier players. You have two great tackles. You have a promising quarterback. As you said like your elite players obviously on the defensive line and everything like there's not a ton of huge holes here. to at least just be creditable. Creditable is back. I'm glad.

36:50Patrick Claybon:And maybe, you know, John Harbaugh, where we saw things get a little bit stale, you get a combination of the structure, the experience with what it takes to accomplish those things, combined with that talent. And a year one masterpiece could take place. Let's do it. I think they might have had plan A's in free agency that were a little splasher than the plan B's they ended up with. And yet, I'm fine with what they did. I like what they did. All right, let's go, Patrick. Now you're up. Now I'm up. Sorry. And, you know, I had to reach deep to think about connecting with the people of Arizona. So here it is.

37:31Patrick Claybon:As of right now, the experts in Las Vegas have you at plus 25 ,000 to win the Super Bowl. They call them experts in the desert. But you know, Cardinals fans, you know the Glendale-Phoenix region region has had 0.6 inches of rainfall this year. They are showing you the respect of being the actual desert for your biome, much less your football team, a team that features the best tight end in football. In his first four seasons, Trey McBride has more in receiving yards. Are you guys ready for this? Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Gates. That's another rookie season where he had 39 targets. Six games started by David Blau, Colt McCoy, and Trace McStorley.

38:08Patrick Claybon:Yes. Who? Trace McStorley. They don't respect you, but you know the truth. You know that Jacoby Brissett, much like this franchise, has had some stewards that frankly didn't know what they were doing. To this day, some forces are actively trying to replace him with Jimmy Garoppolo, who eight years ago got$41 million guaranteed in one calendar year after less than 100 dropbacks and almost achieved greatness with what we thought was the best play caller in the game before eventually leading a Hall of Fame receiver to lament his potential death due to his passes on the sideline. All this time, Jacoby Brissett has been biding his time, being better than the starter at almost every spot he's been, including once when the guy with the worst contract in NFL history for some reason got a chance to play with him instead.

38:58Patrick Claybon:You are Jacoby Brissett, Cardinals fans, and he, like you, knows that Walter Nolan leads to a Defensive Rookie of the Year season if he's able to play. You know Will Johnson is on trajectory as a Pro Bowl corner, and you know that Johnson as a name reminds you of another phallic name, Peterson, who was very good at cornerback. These are what we call foundational pieces. You add to that foundation with Isaac Sayamalo, Super Bowl champion. You see up close and personal what Kendrick Bourne can do. Devin Duvernay adds in the return game and receiving game for years. Across multiple regimes, the plan was to blame Kyler.

39:34Patrick Claybon:Well, Kyler's gone now, And maybe other people will be gone too. But the foundation, because you demand the foundation. You keep the foundation. And if Monty, Mike, Nathaniel, if anybody threatens that foundation, you make them pay. Because the foundation is in the desert. And so are you, Pops fans. Let's give it up. Let's go! I appreciate it.

40:01Jourdan Rodrigue:Whoo! Hell yeah! Season tickets on sale now called 1-900-BIDWELL. On a new episode of Flight Plan or whatever they call it.

40:16Patrick Claybon:I just, we talked about the exercise and I was like, who am I standing for? I'm standing for the people who have had to deal with this and I want better for them. If we knew that was coming, Patrick, that would have ended the show. That was it. It should end the show. We say thank you. It's been a great week.

40:34Jourdan Rodrigue:We should end it there. No, no. We totally should have been there. No, we have plans. I love the connections. I love the detours. I love being inside of Patrick's frenzied mind whenever you wrote that. Well, people talk about Malik Wilson.

40:47Patrick Claybon:That was 2018 when Jimmy G got that contract. Yeah, that's fair.

40:50Jourdan Rodrigue:Nuts. Did you forget that Devontae Adams was lamenting his overall well-being? No, I just like that in the middle of the pep talk for the Cardinals we went down that road. I'm upset. You're talking about me randomly throwing strays at somebody. I loved it. I am someone who loves lore. I think you guys know this about me by now. The lore that you reached into in that was incredible. It was incredible. It was beautiful. And it's why Patrick Claibon, not only a host and an analyst, but a thespian. A showman. Back in the day. Were you ever in any school plays and stuff? I could see it. Yeah. No. I bet you were.

41:28I didn't know that.

41:29Patrick Claybon:And then seasons started to conflict.

41:32Jourdan Rodrigue:oh you chose the athletic course yeah it was actually the plot of high school musical all right jordan wrap us up here oh i can't follow that are you okay it's okay well you know i actually which camera am i looking at this one right here okay i i just i want to have more of like a heart-to-heart kind of pep talk here and and i don't know if there's any like sad piano music or anything we could play on this right now i probably should have made a note of that Yeah, that would be my pep talk to you. Tell the producer ahead of time. Like two hours before, like I did. Thanks, Eric. I know that a lot of Bills fans have redirected their anger and worry about the possibility of underachieving toward our show, and particularly my criticism of their free agency to this point.

42:20Jourdan Rodrigue:By the way, one week of it has passed so far, and grades were very loosely applied. I just want to leave that there. Last year, people were mad that I was worried about their defense. I'll just leave it there. One person even told me that I was too hard on the team because they did well, considering their situation entering free agency, to which I say the same front office created the situation that they are now navigating. Both can be true. And I did talk about how much higher I am on the DJ Moore trade than like probably the general consensus of said trade. I love DJ Moore. I think he's fantastic.

42:54So allow this to be maybe the one and only time I explain the root of my criticism.

43:01Jourdan Rodrigue:Nicely done, Aaron. You only need to give him a minute. I am not sorry for wanting more for you guys. I love the Bills, particularly the fan base. And you have one of the best quarterbacks we've seen and will see in our generation. And I want you to know what it feels like to walk into a season and feel inevitable. a bowl, not worried about roster holes or depth or what happens if or we still need. I don't want the same patterns and the same results for you. I want you guys to know you're going for it with everything you've got. I want you to feel the sweet, pure heat of what it means to fly so close to the surface of the sun that you must either win a Super Bowl or melt into the abyss.

43:43Jourdan Rodrigue:I want you to feel alive. My message to Bill's family. There it is.

43:49Patrick Claybon:Music came in because at first it wasn't a pep talk. It was people getting their face pushed in. They are in a tough spot. And they do feel a lot. I think that's a great shout out there. I saw Ethan Hawke on the red carpet of the Oscars.

44:05Jourdan Rodrigue:To love is all that matters. Great quote. And I do genuinely love the Bills and that's why I'm hard on them. The sun doesn't care if the grass is noticing it's sunshine. It's just shining. Beautiful. And yet, yeah, the Bills are in kind of the toughest spot to be as a sports fan, where it's like you have these incredibly high expectations, and yet you're very defensive about anyone poking holes at you, and yet there might be a little part of your heart that has a nagging feeling that the best is. But I think it comes out of love and maybe misdirected and misappropriated love turning into anger, which welcome to relationships, folks.

44:43Jourdan Rodrigue:but that just, I'm just, I'm just going to leave it there because that is, I love the bills hard and I want more for them. And I feel like I'm talking to my friend in a troubled relationship. They've done their best. I think in the Josh Allen era, in the seasons that had lowered expectations, maybe this will be one of them. Although I checked and they are pretty significantly heavily favored to, to beat the Patriots in that division. For instance, they're still one of those. Okay. They got rid of the problem. Speaking of feeling alive and celebrating, and being in the moment. I did not intend for this to happen, but as we were taping, I have some massive news out of Indianapolis.

45:30The Colts have signed Nick Westbrook-Akine. And that means it's over. We can call it. Patrick at best can get one. Play the music, please. Oh, thank you again. I am the matchmaker king. I should have kept him in the division.

45:50Patrick Claybon:He's been in the same division his whole career. What am I doing? I want the music. Let's get out of here, please. What a week. Really fun making shows with you. I want it to be celebratory. This thing's over. What a great idea. A big win for you, Patrick, and your acting chops. A big win for you as executive producer. You're going to get all the residuals and a big win for the listeners for getting such great shows all week. We'll see you on Monday.

46:24This is an iHeart Podcast.

46:27Jourdan Rodrigue:Guaranteed human.