Training Camp Takeaways for EVERY NFC Team

19:34We got a kicker question early in the show as we wrap the NFC North. Ben asked that he's concerned about the Packers kicker situation. Why no competition for sixth round rookie Trey Smack? If he can't handle a camp battle, how will he handle NFL pressure? I just wanted to say Trey Smack. I have been monitoring this situation. Shook, at one point in camp, they had three kickers. One was Hurt, Havrishik, who used to be with the Rams. They cut him. They brought someone else in. He didn't look good. They cut him. Like they've had about seven transactions. which is just points out. I don't say everything on NFL daily.

20:11Cause we, we hadn't pointed that out. I mean, you take a guy named trace Mackey, you better, you know, just let them be your kicker and see what happens.

20:18Nick Shook:Hey, it's one less thing to figure out. It's one less thing to figure out during camp. If he looks good, then, then let it ride, but let the kid come in there with less pressure. I understand you're worried about the pressure of an NFL game, but if he's good at his job, he'll be good there too. Sorry. I took that too seriously. I just trace Mac hasn't gotten enough buzz on this show. Let's go to the NFC West where the big news out of 49ers camp was the confirmation of Ricky Pearsall's injury late in career getting even worse. He is out for the season. We hinted at this on our Thursday show. It sounded like it was heading in this direction.

20:51So at this point, not a shock. But I can't help but think about Jordan Rodriguez saying the most important person for the 49ers in camp was going to be their team doctor. and we're not doctors. All I know is they recommended him to rest and rehab his PCL injury all offseason, thought that would be fine. Three days into a training camp performance, which, by the way, people on the scene were saying he was lighting it up. He was their number one receiver, essentially. He's now out for the season. It's a rough start for their training staff, who's had a pretty rough couple of years. So just feel bad for Ricky Pearsall.

21:31Like they're not going to be able to trust him, you know, being a real factor. But let's pivot to kind of what this season is going to look like with Pearsall not there. It's a lot of this John Stribling probably going to be that wide receiver move around like in the slot. And it's going to be a lot of Debo Samuel who signed with the 49ers on a deal up to 7 million. I don't know what the base salary is. My guess I asked around is probably somewhere in the four to five million dollar range. So that tells you the expectations are medium for Debo Samuel. And yet first practice out there, they say he had three 20-yard gains because there's no one else to catch the ball.

22:09And they're going to need Debo Samuel, a guy that they didn't want, frankly, a year ago, who they didn't really want this offseason until they had to get him. It's not a bad emergency option, Shook, but it's a little disappointing a week into training camp that we're already here.

22:25Nick Shook:You get the familiarity from his many years spent in San Francisco before going to Washington last year. So that's always an advantage and helps convince you to make such a signing. But you knew they made that signing with Pearsall in mind. Like this doesn't happen if Pearsall is healthy and doesn't, you know, suffer the injury or the aggravation that leads to his surgery, right? But I will say this. I'm not really too concerned about their receiving core, as crazy as that sounds, after losing Pearsall. Because on paper, I still kind of like what they bring to the table. Now, of course, this is factory and Debo is one of your top three, which I'm a little eh about because I felt like he's 30 and he's starting to look his age.

22:59Nick Shook:He did a little bit last year in Washington, although that was a nightmare. So I think that's a little unfair to him, but like, let's look at Mike Evans, Debo Samuel, Christian Kirk, Stribbling, who was going to make his way to that top three. Kirk's been hurt since day one of camp. Stribbling, by the way, was out on either Saturday or Sunday with a hamstring injury. Don't know if that's serious, but when it's the 49ers, you're just like, man, if they lose Stribbling too, I try not to overreact in the first day or two of these injuries. because they might be back in two days, but it's a little concerning.

23:27You do mention Mike Evans, not to cut you off, but when we have Mike Evans to listen to, I'll let him cut you off.

23:32Nick Shook:I mean, I'm 6 '5". I've got ability, and I've done it throughout my career. But it's a thing you just talk to the quarterbacks about. When I'm covered, I'm still pretty open. If you throw the ball up with some air, and Brock threw a great ball. So, I mean, that's one of my biggest things in my game. Is he finding it hard to overthrow you? No, I mean, Brock is super accurate. He's a super accurate quarterback. So he hasn't overthrown me yet. It happens, but I mean, he's just super accurate. He's not wrong. When he's not open, he is open. And I have enjoyed hearing that. He's looked apart so far at practice.

24:13If there's one person you can count on, it's Mike Evans.

24:16Nick Shook:Yeah, naturally. And yeah, I mean, if you add him to that group alone, it's still better than it was last year. and you're hoping for a healthy George Kittle and a better passing unit overall, a healthy Brock Purdy. I mean, this is a team that made the playoffs and went to the divisional round last year. They didn't have their quarterback for half the season. They didn't have Kittle for half the season. They didn't have Mike Evans on the roster. I still am just more optimistic about this whole group than I was probably last year, even at this time last year. So while it's doom and gloom with the loss of Pearsall, I'm still saying on the bright side of things here.

24:48Got a question, shockingly, about Eli Apple. got released. Do you think he will retire? Yeah, it's probably the end of the road for Eli Apple who will also be a good naming some dude guy because there was a weird period where Eli Apple was one of the most talked about people in the NFL for whatever reason. He was just one of those guys as someone who was an online editor that got traffic and he was always fourth in the stack on ESPN. His mom would be saying things. He would be getting into a fight. Things would happen with the coach. He was up and down. It was like Eli Apple. He punched above his weight, I'm just saying, in terms of attention.

25:24So we'll keep an eye on the injuries there. I noticed Romello Haidt also was out, who's their rookie edge player, but had been playing a lot with the starters. Keon White's had an injury there. Malik Mustafa, who's battling for a safety spot in terms of their starting position, has also been out with injuries. So a lot of injuries. Caelan Black, their running back, got injured a little bit and banged up, and he's been out. Jordan James has some broken ribs. It's just, they're not beating the substation allegations despite, you know, them proving medically. I'm just, you know, tongue planted firmly in my mouth.

26:05But it's like, you know. That cheek, yes. At least Nick Bosa's healthy. That's good. Nick Bosa's healthy. That's good. That's a good start. Let's talk defending champs, Seattle Seahawks. Pretty cool that George Helani played in the Super Bowl pretty extensively. And he's actually been running as the RB1 alongside Jadarian Price, but I'm kind of combining a few notes here that as the practices have stacked up and these NFC West teams have been practicing longer, they're in pads now, they're really practicing out there. Every day we hear more Jadarian Price, Jadarian Price, especially as a pass catcher.

26:38He had a long touchdown, deep throw, caught down the field from Jalen Milrow. That combines two of my favorite little nuggets It's that, just quoting the people that are there, Shook, that the best two Jalen Milrow practices of his short pro career so far have been like the last two. He's stacking days. I'm all in on the Jalen Milrow-Drew Locke battle, and I'm all in for like week eight. Sam Darnold's out for two weeks for whatever reason, like a sprained knee, but he'll be back. And we got Jalen Milrow as our quarterback for the defending champs on like Sunday Night Football or something, and he's making it happen.

27:15Nick Shook:Yeah, you're halfway to channeling the spirit of Tony Sperano and trying to get them to run Wildcat with Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown. No, he's going to be throwing. He's going to be doing it all. He's going to be running. How about like Malik Willis? That's the thing. He's going to be running. 20-25. You know, he's going to be Malik Willis. That's a high bar. That's actually a relatively high bar to reach. Pretty good. Also standing out, Elijah Arroyo, their tight end. It's looked better. It's his second year. It's a tough position sometimes for rookies. And so both him and Torrey Horton, who were rookies last year, who's working his way back from injury, had a good day in pads.

27:50He's coming back from a broken leg. And yeah, they're still waiting to see, you know, how long Nickyman Worry is going to be out for now. It's DeAnthony Bell in his spot. So just keep an eye on the defending champs. I'm loving me some Jalen Milrow. The least surprising news out of Rams camp. Chuck, I don't know why. Like, to me, this was notable, but I just thought it was funny because at this time of year, everyone's like, defense is ahead of the offense. Everyone's explaining like defense, defense, defense. It's hard to block them, you know, because you're not in full pads. It's you're figuring out the offense, except for with the Rams.

28:24No matter how many talented players they have in the defense, like the days that Stafford has been out there, the reports have just been. Oh, Stafford's just cooking them. He's killing them. Like him, Puka, Devontae Adams. Like, it is not fair. Stafford just looking, looking like the MVP that he is.

28:38Nick Shook:This is exactly what we should expect. I mean, I know he's in an advanced stage, but he's coming off an NFL MVP season. He's in an offense that he knows like the back of his hand. Familiarity reigns, whether it's the guys he's throwing the ball to, the offense that he's running. I mean, this is the team that should have the most positive momentum. It's not just because of the offseason that they had, but just because of the familiarity and the continuity. They should have the most positive momentum entering the new season than perhaps any other team in the NFC, if not the NFL. because all the key guys largely are back, save for your change at right tackle, even more than the defending chance because the defending champs that we just covered, you know, you got a rookie involved in potentially trying to win the running back number one spot in Jadarian Price.

29:19Nick Shook:So it's like, Rams, they better be cruising. They better be cruising right now. That like we're paying a little less attention. I think these are the two best teams in the NFL by a decent amount. There was actually a question I would, I'm going to answer it now. What the heck? We're talking Rams, but we'll get back to them in a second. There was a question, and I think this speaks to what you were saying. playing for the first time with nine of the 10 pass catchers, the entire offensive line he had, should Sam Darnold be considered an MVP candidate? And my answer is no, but because it's Sam Darnold and he's two up and down, I think if he plays like he did at his best last year for the whole season, he's a top eight to 10 quarterback.

29:54He's not an MVP, but he's a, he's a, he's on QB Island. He's, he's there, but it just points out. They do have everyone back. They have basically everyone back on defense too. I know Mafé left and you lose your starting safety, but everyone that is starting for them now was all on the team. It's incredibly deep. And that's why, like, yes, the Rams excitement makes sense. But they do have questions, including at quarterback two. So let's go back to the Rams. Sean McVay, who, you know, is really focusing on the team as a whole. and as we heard from Jordan Rodrigue on our preview, Dave Ragone is really in the ear of Ty Simpson, also Stetson Bennett battling for that QB2 spot.

30:40Let's listen to Sean McVay.

30:41Nick Shook:I thought both Stetson and Ty did a nice job. We'll go back and we'll look at the tape and it's always hard to feel because we're not tackling those guys. Are you really reading with your feet? Are you speeding it up if the rush ends up getting there? But the way that we want to be able to think about what's the best thing for Matthew and then how do we figure out what does it look like to be able to bring those guys along? and Dave Ragone does a great job with that room, but I've been pleased with those guys. I think they've done really well. I mentioned it, Stetson has really taken incredible strides, done a lot of good things, and I think Ty has improved tremendously from the spring until now as well.

31:12Just the effusive praise for Stetson Bennett. I'm hashtag noticing, you know. It's like Jalen Milrow. Jalen Milrow, it's a situation we're monitoring because Stetson Bennett winning this job to me would be cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. It'd be insane. And yet, we just heard that from Sean McVay. I asked JB Long, who does their games on the radio. He's there every single day, does the preseason games. And he also mentioned Stetson Bennett has made a huge leap forward. Hashtag noticing. That's all. Noticing.

31:50Nick Shook:I mean, that makes sense. He's been there longer. Am I a small man figuratively, not just literally to think like, hmm, does that say anything about Ty Simpson? Who's been... Well, look, how about this? How about maybe some of us were in the camp that Ty Simpson wasn't a first round prospect and the Rams took him 13th overall. Like maybe that's actually just going to prove to be right. Or maybe it's just going to take a little bit longer to get his feet underneath him. Totally fair. And it's so early in camp and he had some nice throws too, but a lot of rookies, especially in that offense, like they're going to be swimming.

32:23It makes sense. So other notes, and this is directly from JB Long. I was like, you got it? You got any notes for me? He said Terrence Ferguson has been a force. He's the second year tight end. They are so deep at tight end. Other teams want to run heavy tight end personnel. They don't have five tight ends who can all play like the Rams. And Ferguson's a guy who I'm really watching this year. So that's good to hear. He also mentioned JB that just Jalen Watson's size at cornerback has kind of changes their secondary. You know, McDuffie's going to get a lot of attention, but Jalen Watson really gives them a new look.

32:53And then he said to keep Keep an eye on Keegan Trost, who's their third round rookie. If he can kind of be their swing tackle, we'll see if Alaric Jackson, who's their left tackle, is suspended at any point. None of us know, but that's just a guy that could make them look a little deeper on the offensive line than maybe some people realize. Your guy, Miles Garrett, by the way, out of practice. A lot of veteran rest days, but he actually has lower body soreness and he's going to miss Monday's practice. He's been out for three or four days. yeah i tend to think this is just like uh let's keep that car parked in the garage during camp a

33:28Nick Shook:little bit just with any minor even problems yep and let's think of this too and this is way overblown but i'm gonna roll with it miles garrett big massage guy uh you know like for the body maintenance you know the the wear and tear the toll on the body when he was in cleveland maybe he's got to adjust to his new masseuse you know maybe he's got to get this treatment plan in order there fair and uh yeah he's a guy who i think kind of like stafford like davante are just going to get some days off because they they know how to do it and it's a long season mcveigh by the way said that the arrow was pointing upward when asked if the arrow where the arrow was pointing for an aaron donnell return at this point we're gonna just keep repeating ourselves it's happening wait no we're gonna repeat ourselves but let's make this fun for us because we're gonna have to continue talking about it until it happens so let's just start projecting when exactly it happens when do you think it happens uh like the second week of the preseason games like once the normal part of training camp is over and they're back at the team facility you got about three weeks left till the season starts that would be my guess i'm gonna go dead week between preseason and start of the regular season that would make sense too that that that makes sense um my producer eric does not want to fly the comment that nick bosa wants to be traded to the rams now because he heard they had a fearsome white uniform, but I thought it was funny.

34:49So I'm just going to say it anyways. Also, keep an eye on CJ Daniels. They always find a receiver, and he could be the next late-round receiver that gets some noise for the Rams. Let's go to the Cardinals. Their offense, since Jacoby Brissett returned to the lineup, was reported to be notably steadier. A lot of wide receiver pop here in Arizona, just with Marvin Harrison having some good days, Michael Wilson making big catches, Kendrick Bourne, Harrison had a really big first day in pads. They were doing some 13 personnel where there's three tight ends on the field and Harrison was the lone receiver in that situation.

35:29And so all positive, I think, for the first team offense so far.

35:34Nick Shook:But I love the idea. I love the idea of that package being rolled out in the red zone, like goal line, just one on one fade to Harrison, let him go win a jump ball, make the whole defense match you. So you're heavy box. You're thinking they're going to run the ball. It's going to be Jeremiah Love. No, we're putting Love in the flat. We're putting Harrison jump ball fade corner of the end zone. Go get it. This is the year, Greg, that we finally get some production out of Marvin Harrison Jr. And the haters finally shut up and maybe, just maybe, Joel Klatt gets a little feather in his cap for saying that Harrison was going to be a top five receiver in the NFL by this point in his career.

36:08Nick Shook:He's not going to be a top five. He's not even the number one receiver on his team. But we can start to inch in that direction because the talent is there. I'm taking Michael Wilson over him. But I think they could both be very good. I think Marvin Harrison's a very good starting receiver. It's just the expectations have been so high, and he can get better. He can absolutely get better. You're not happy. I love Michael Wilson, but wow. I love Michael Wilson more. Walter Nolan's another guy I really loved coming out of college. Let's go. And explosive at camp, and then he gets an injury, but they say it's not a long-term injury.

36:39I think he's going to be back in a few days. You mentioned Jeremiah Love. I don't love this Matt LaFleur. I don't know if he's in charge of the depth charts. They had to put out a depth chart with the Hall of Fame game going, and they listed Tyler Algier as the RB1.

36:52Nick Shook:Of course they did. Of course they did. This is the classic. You're a rookie. You've got to earn your spot. You might as well put a stripe on his helmet. Some teams don't mess around with this. It's stupid. It is stupid, but it's football stuff. Some things never die. At running back there, he's Jordan Love. I mean, Jeremiah Love has reportedly looked awesome, and he's been splitting the RB1 reps. James Conner's still not doing team drills, So we'll see if he gets healthy. Trey Benson, meanwhile, who they drafted pretty high a few years ago, could be behind Bam Knight right now. So that's not happening.

37:20Another rookie having to earn his spot is Chase Besantis. He's not even getting a chance to win the starting right guard spot. And I do worry about the right side of that line in general. It kind of messes up an offense I think is good otherwise, is the right side of the offensive line. Josh Sweat, not sure if he's holding in, but it wouldn't surprise me. They say he's hurt. They're not really talking about it. He's on a PUP list. There were reports he wanted to get traded. That's one to monitor. I think that's one where other teams might be thinking, I wonder if we could get Josh Schwitt. They'd have to give up a lot.

37:56Nick Shook:Who would be in the market for him at this stage? Who wouldn't be? Yes, but also, the price is going to be low. That's a weird candidate because he's not elite, but he's good. He's really good, though. He's making a lot of money. Yeah, but they already paid him that signing bonus, which is also like why you wouldn't want to trade him if they're them. They'd take a cap. It makes no sense. But Green Bay, where Jonathan Gannon is, who just signed him last year when he was in Arizona. That's true. That's a good point. And they could use an edge. That would be a fun one. It's not going to be Houston, who signed Jadeveon Clowney on Sunday.

38:30We'll talk about that more on Monday. But I like that move, him going back home. Shout out to him. Also, by the way, the Cardinals listed B.J. O 'Jolari as their third team edge. like the fifth or sixth edge. So that was a guy who was taken pretty high. He's coming off an injury, but that caught my eye. If you're watching on YouTube, keep giving us these comments. We love you. If you're listening on the podcast, we're going to take a quick break.

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40:22Let's go to the NFC East, and this is the part of the show where I will mention groundbreaking, shocking, seismic news from CBS that I needed to hit on this show. I couldn't wait any longer. The CBS Sports has put Tony Romo on leave. The wording was interesting. It was uncertain whether Tony Romo requested to be on the leave or it was CBS's decision. Either way, that's what they're doing. He was arrested for operating while intoxicated in Green Bay. The dash cam footage came out. And it's never going to be great. I don't think for someone when they get arrested like that, it wasn't great. It's a tough moment professionally, personally for Tony Romo, maybe an indication of, you know, problems.

41:15And CBS's decision makes you wonder, especially since they announced as part of the press release, Nick, that JJ Watt will be replacing him. This thing's going into the season. I wouldn't personally be surprised if Tony Romo never announces for CBS again. That's just my personal take. He obviously could be back in week five and with Jim Nance, and I could be wrong. But I do wonder if this is it for Tony Romo and CBS. It would be a big news.

41:50Nick Shook:We've seen these things happen before, and sometimes they unfold in different fashions. But you kind of can predict how things go. What really, not to treat this like a... football player in their contract situation, but the money usually has something to do with it. And that's, I think, the details that are going to have a big factor on how this plays out. But I think you're right. I think this could be the last we saw of him. It's crazy. And yes, they could potentially go after his money, whether they could reach a settlement if he's got – who knows if he's trying to find treatment. We don't know, and we don't want to speculate too much about that.

42:27But it's crazy to think back because I will always ride for Tony Romo in those first couple of years. And to me, it was not about him guessing the plays. That was like a cool little parlor trick that got noticed a few times. It was about the combination of enthusiasm and the knowledge that he was able to talk about really clearly all at once. And he knew the current players. And what I think's happened is he got that huge contract and he doesn't know the players as well. and I think the lack of homework showed up. And it's like being a starting quarterback. Like, you can't rest on your old laurels.

43:03And I think it's just, he sounded like a guy who hasn't done the homework. Got a comment about a longtime listener since the Win Wes's Toasters days. I love hearing that. And I wanted to put that with Tony Romo here because me and Wes loved us some early Tony Romo. So Wes would save one game after he'd watched the rest on Game Pass for like Wednesday night and just watch the full Romo game if he hadn't, you know, live. Like have a glass of wine, maybe two, and just enjoy the Romo experience. That's how big of a fan that he was. So thank you, Adrian, who's been with us since the Around the NFL days.

43:46We love you. All right, let's get to the Cowboys news. One thing I got from one of the local podcasts, and I'll mention it here in a second, is that Jason Barham, their rookie linebacker, has been everywhere, has looked awesome. We had some of their analysts being like, he should be the starting middle linebacker, not DeMarvion Overshown, which would be crazy. But you maybe just move Overshown over a spot, and it really does feel like it's a youth movement there, and it's probably not going to be Dee Winters. I know we're getting deep here, but D. Winters was a guy they traded for. And that's good depth.

44:20You need depth at a position that you just didn't have anyone at a year ago. But a lot of Jason Barham hype. And this is the type of stuff I really get excited about. I do think it can carry over like a guy that just looks like he knows what he's doing from day one.

44:36Nick Shook:Here's a decent comparison with somebody that we saw become a notable figure with a different team in recent years. uh i remember the same stuff being said about diane henley with the chargers and he's now a key part of you know the linebacking core right and and barham's a player that was a very good player at michigan who i thought lasted a little bit too long in the draft um and if this is one of the developments from cowboys camp this is a this is a massive win for cowboys fans a team that had to deal with the worst one of the worst defenses in the nfl last year that just couldn't stop a nosebleed and contributed to so many of their losses.

45:12Nick Shook:If you can get a guy like this to emerge as a rookie at that second level, you've invested in the third level with a guy like Caleb Downs. This is a huge win for you. So these are very positive signs coming out of Cowboys camp. Yeah, I love that hearing that. And one of the things that really strikes me about their situation right now is just how healthy they are. I was at Dallas Cowboys camp last year and they were just like, man, we hope we can get Bland back. We hope and get Siobhan Ravel back. And then, you know, They're just going to be thrown right into it. And now I'm thinking, okay, Bland's healthy.

45:40He's starting. Ravel is healthy, but he's like their fifth or sixth corner right now. They don't even need him to do that much because they're just deeper at every position. They're using Caleb Downs as their nickel. In general, their second string running back, that's decided that you have Javante Williams as their starter. Right now it's Jaden Blue versus, who is it, Phil Maffa as their second team guy. There's a lot of Jaden Blue and then their tight end Brevin Span forward hype. It's really a deep looking group kind of supporting that, that Dak Prescott. What does he, what does he want to call them?

46:13Gotti greatest offense in history or something like that. He was also wearing a Cowboys Superbowl championship t-shirt. Like they're trying to get the expectations built up as much as they possibly can. They're, they're also like pining for attention in a weird way.

46:29Nick Shook:Like, and even Jerry Jones had to explain why they didn't get a lot of attention in the off season. But naturally Jerry being the businessman, and the salesman that he is, tried to pitch why exactly that they should be getting more attention, even if it included what we discussed the other day, which is just tossing out ideas that maybe we're not done yet. It's coming from all directions here. Right. The Barham note was from the DLLS podcast, by the way. I really like those guys in independent groups, so check them out. I always want to cite my sources, and they were the ones saying that he has just been awesome.

47:00Maybe he could be like the green dot player, which would be crazy. Maybe it'll be Caleb Downs. Either way, I think they're using kind of that Cooper de Jeanne plan for Caleb Downs. And for all that offensive line talk that we had, like all the guys are playing at their normal position so far. Tyler Smith's at guard and your guy Tyler Booker's at right guard. And so nothing too big. Jerry had those quotes about, you know, possibly trading for a veteran. And I found that interesting. I also think it's interesting that he said they will consider tinting the windows there like they did at the World Cup.

47:39He's taken some notes from the World Cup at Jerry World. It's like, why did you wait so long, Jerry?

47:44Nick Shook:So AT &T Stadium was first opened in 2009. It took 17 years, mental math and the World Cup, to consider this now. And complaints every single year about it. And stubborn resistance to the idea until it was shown that it could work. Yeah. He loves just talking. He also had a side session with reporters where he made it clear, if they traded for someone, it wouldn't be someone minor. It'd be someone that they would pay. And the people on that podcast, at least the DLS podcast, said, and this sounded to me like something that was maybe off the record, but then they just state as fact like there's no way they're paying George Pickens.

48:31This is just going to, they're just going to ride this out with George Pickens and see how it goes. Not just this year, but I think long-term. Like, they're just going to go like one more year and then try to trade him.

48:42Nick Shook:They're not in a good spot in cap next year. As of right now, according to Over the Cap, they're projected to be$15 million over. Not a lot of room to work with there. I like the question about your t-shirt that I'm seeing in the chat. Is it a Bay Bridge series? yeah battle of the bay that was the giants athletics world series of what year was that i think that was 89 wasn't the earthquake how old were you you were like i was negative i was negative three and you just like that because they're they're built like you mark mcguire and whatever this was a gift this was a gift okay i like this shirt graphic tees man because your your your muscles are all natural right you're not using all natural performance enhancing I get asked what I eat all the time.

49:27Nick Shook:I get asked if I'm on steroids, never taken a steroid in my life. Senator, Senator, I did not do steroids. No, it's protein, guys. That's it. Protein. Well, and you just stick with it. You probably eat right. You care. That's what it's all about. It's been fun seeing Nick Shook's leadership journey as he takes on more and more responsibility here with NFL Daily and NFL.com. Also on a leadership journey, a young guy, relatively. Jalen Hurts feels like he's been around a while, but I have enjoyed hearing not just Jalen Hurts talk about it, but his teammates, some of the media saying like he's been a little different this year.

50:05Maybe not so self-serious, a little lighter talking to other players a little more often. He was maybe more of the Kyler Murray camp where he's like kind of off on his own a little bit and just so serious. and this year he's still got like the quotes that he likes to say at the podium, but it's just been a little different Jalen Hurts. Let's listen.

50:25Nick Shook:Well, you know, I think that's something that honestly it starts from Coach Sirianni and his message and his first words in yesterday's team meeting was about being together and being aligned. And when I was taking notes of it, I just thought about 100 % alignment and zero entitlement. And so as a team, that's what everybody's pushing. 100 % alignment, zero entitlement. He writes down good t-shirt ideas while he's in a meeting. Pretty good t-shirt. It's probably better than Mike McCarthy's tempered t-shirt, but that's for another topic on another day. This is no knock on AJ Brown, but since they traded AJ Brown, they have taken on a completely different identity.

51:10Nick Shook:Vibes-wise, it's like a million pounds have been lifted off of their shoulders since that trade happened. They are all so optimistic. They seem to be so happy, and they continue to tell the world that they're aligned, and they're on the same page, and this receiving room is awesome. I know Sirianni talked about that at length on Saturday, and I'm just thinking, like, was it really that bad? Like, that's kind of crazy. Well, I think defending the title is really hard, especially in Philadelphia, as they've shown both times, although the 2018 team in the end rounded into form, I thought, pretty good.

51:42It's just a lot on you. I think it might be the weight of getting rid of Kevin Petulo too. Like that was such a negative situation. And to flip it to a more like real football take, the offense being so different, and this is going to be a theme in the next two teams is a real thing. People have said for years, like no matter who the OC is, it's always the Jalen Hurts offense. You know, it's the shotgun. It's, you know, he's, he's so comfortable in what he does. and all the reporters at practice, like our friends Bo Wolfe and at the PHLY podcast have been noting like, you know, first day of camp, like all the install stuff is under center.

52:24It's play action. It's getting the offensive lineman on the move. It really looks completely different and that Jalen Hurts says and is acting like he is all on board. Now, things can always change when you get to the regular season. But even compared to previous training camps, it has been totally different. And I do wonder, as the entire league starts to look the same, isn't that going to hurt the effectiveness of it? But all the things Eagles fans have wanted, the motion and the receivers blocking and not as many one-on-ones for the offensive line making it easier for them. By all accounts, the offense looks completely different.

53:07And so they're going to have some bumps along the road. supposedly the defense is winning for the most part in practice there's been ups and downs there but i find that intriguing it really makes me want to watch this eagles team and just see what

53:16Nick Shook:this looks like yeah and it's it's good for sean manning to get an opportunity to kind of craft this offense not in his image but have control of it with working in tandem obviously with jalen hurts the thing that i need to hear to really be convinced and sold on this whole idea is jalen getting the ball out quicker than he did because he's one of those guys in the nfl who held all do it about as long as anybody uh him and i think he had one of the longest times to throw in the last couple years especially last year if he can get the ball out on time and it's more of a timing based offense they'll be better than they were last year right away that's what i need to know yeah and we won't really know until the regular season start but i do think there is value to the people that cover these guys every day and the word that ej uh used on on that podcast phly podcast that I liked was he said, Hertz just looks lighter.

54:09And he means like literally, and you can see that, but they also say that happens kind of every camp. He comes in a little lighter and moving better, but also just feels lighter. And I like that. Out of a guy who felt like he had the world on his shoulders at times last year. The offensive line also says, wow, this is easier for us, but there's been some timing. There's been some false starts. Saquon Barkley says, this is a total offense than I've ever been in. Like he's usually been in more of the like gap scheme, the power scheme. And they're saying their unique ways to get him involved in the passing game, a little less blocking, a little more getting out in the routes.

54:45Landon Dickerson talked about maybe he's the one guy. He didn't say this, but just from the outside that maybe a slightly more awkward fit, like he needs to slim down. I think their other guys are so athletic. They fit this offense well, but Landon Dickerson has had to slim down and some, you know, just rookie, just keeping an eye on. we always do. Makai Lemon's playing with the starters. Haven't heard a lot out of him, but he's just like, he's taking every starter rap. Eli Stowers, their second round tight end. On the other hand, like hasn't been making a lot of noise there. I don't know if you're.

55:15Well, I mean,

55:15Nick Shook:he's your pseudo receiver who's listed as a tight end. If we go back to the draft and when we talked about that. And that doesn't surprise me. I think that's a long-term play for them. So you'll probably see him get acclimated and worked more into the offense in the back half of the season than right away, which is fine. Totally fine as a rookie. the idea of Landon Dickerson slimming down fits the kind of the archetype of what they went for for most of their linemen in the Jeff Stoutland days, obviously this is the post Jeff Stoutland era but I like that, what I really like though was Landon Dickerson telling the world that he went to Columbia to get stem cell treatment because he's focusing on his recovery he said last year he rushed himself back a little bit too soon and he feels a lot better now if that can be the case, because he did not have a good year last year because he was clearly hurt throughout the year they also dealt with some things with Cam Juergens if he can be healthy and consistent and reliable that'll be a huge lift for this offense because while we focus so much on Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown last year what was lost in the shuffle was the fact that the offensive line just wasn't as good as it was last in previous years the loss of Lane Johnson Dickerson never being healthy if they can kind of shore all that up they'll be a better team offensively little concern about Jonathan Grenard who they traded for and gave a contract to at edge.

56:23He's got a pec injury. And Vic Fangio, never one to hold his tongue, indicated it was longish term. They didn't sound like they were going to have him much, if at all, in camp. So something to keep an eye on, whether if that's going to happen, you know, extend into the season. A lot of good Jalex Hunt talk. A lot of good Jalen Carter talk. A lot of defensive line dominating talk in Eagles camp. So the commander's biggest note I have is very similar to the Eagles. that everyone was asking for scheme variation and everyone was asking for a new West Coast. I mean, not West Coast, but when I think about Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan, I think about the West Coast.

57:02You know, McVay tree type of offense. And that's what they're getting. Just like total variation, way more under center, way more motion, a whole lot of tight ends, Chig Okonkwo and Ben Tanat, another team basically doing what all their fans were asking for. Like, we'll see what it ends up looking like. But at least the reporters on the ground are like, this offense is so different. And it's, yeah, similar to Philadelphia, I think, in terms of all the under center stuff and kind of looking like the McVay tree. There's got to be a breaking point where this just doesn't keep working for everyone.

57:37And we'll see. I don't know.

57:38Nick Shook:I mean, there's been some trees in the past that spawned a ton of successful coaches that then branched off into their own trees. I mean, but it's like half the league. And you're right. It's not everyone. Like Bobby Slowick with Houston didn't work. It doesn't work for everyone. but we'll see if these two new trees, Sean Mannion in Philadelphia and David. Big shout out to the Blower hour, as we used to call it way back in Cleveland when David Plow was playing backup quarterback for the Browns. What was another reference on around the NFL? The Blowards, I think was another one. Yeah. We're big David Blow fans hoping for the best, but I think that the idea of involving Chico Conqua, which is why they go after him immediately in free agency is not only because he's a rather freakishly athletic tight end and a very, very skilled player, but it's the idea of giving Jaden Daniels, somebody reliable to count on.

58:23Nick Shook:What is the best friend for a young quarterback? Usually a rookie quarterback. It's their tight end. What did they have to lean on? Whether it was Daniels or Mariota on the field last year, it was Zach Ertz. Having a playmaker like Chigo Conqua at that position, I think will really open up what is possible for this offense and really keep Jaden Daniels on the field, which he wasn't last year. Yep. That's, that's everything for this team. and so far it sounds like he's having a solid camp. Some mixed reports, but nothing I feel like too notable either way. He's Jaden Daniels. He's going to look good while protected, while healthy.

58:59Dan Quinn, for fantasy heads out there, and if you've got any fantasy questions, you've got any questions, hit us up in the chat. Also, if you are watching live, and I love so many people are with us here, give us a like, give us a subscribe as you're watching. We appreciate you. We're going to come back each of these Sundays, like I said, and try to do it around 8 p.m. Eastern. We're also going live at the end of the Hall of Fame game on Thursday night, so join us then. Dan Quinn does not want to crown Bill Krosky-Meritt, and he kind of was getting prodded in that direction of like, isn't Bill your guy?

59:32And was basically saying, nah, really. And Rashad White has actually been getting as much, maybe even more, of the first team reps there. So it might be a 1A, 1B situation with those two running backs, and it might be Rashad White is the 1A. And so we're figuring that out. We're also figuring out wide receiver. We've talked about this, Shook, in the position battles. Traylon Burks is back on the field, but it's anyone's guess who are wide receiver 2, 3, 4. If I had to guess right now, it's probably Traylon Burks and then Luke McCaffrey is in the mix. Antonio Williams there.

1:00:07Nick Shook:Just in terms of who's getting the snaps. I'm bullish on Williams more than the average person I think would be. But of course, you know me. I'm pulling for Traylon Burks this year. So are they. They drafted him in the third round, and we need some of these guys to work out. John Bates, who's their blocking tight end, is out a few weeks. And then Nick Allegretti, their center, who they cut Tyler Biotish for, is also out at least another week. So they're a little banged up in terms of their blocking. Let's go to the Giants. Some early notes there. Cam Scadaboo is back. And reportedly the run offense has looked really good early in camp.

1:00:42You don't usually hear that in the first few days, but does that just mean it's bad run defense? They were one of the worst run defenses in the league last year, and then they trade Dexter Lawrence. That's usually not a sign. I'll take it as some positivity that Cam Scadaboo has been looking good at practice. He's been full go, and he's full Cam Scadaboo. Yeah, I mean, obviously, I do some dumb things here and there,

1:01:06Nick Shook:but I learned from it. My coach talked to me and told me how he felt, and I learned from it. And will I go do that backflip again? Probably not. So, I mean, we live and we learn and, you know, we move on. That's different when game time comes around now? I mean, when game time comes around, we'll see what game time comes around. But right now, we're focused on training camp and we'll keep the backflips off the field for now. Translation. I'm definitely doing a backflip touchdown celebration to get the people going in week four. And I'm here for it. Second translation. I definitely got a talking to from my coach after doing that.

1:01:39but I do like he's like I'm gonna do dumb things from time to time I like uh I like a self well I

1:01:44Nick Shook:mean he if you if you tracked him at Arizona State that is very valid he definitely has done some dumb things this is a news but just thinking about the trio there because Matt Nagy's gotten a lot of attention as the coordinator but it's Matt Nagy Brian Callahan is very involved there and then Greg Roman is very involved in the running game very interesting trio I feel like it could be pretty additive the Callahan Roman part of it especially for the run game Roman you know but it also could be a total mess you could this could go either way I'm not really sure yeah you get a case of either too many cooks or like you said it's additive I think it's a great explainer for why the run game has been good early in camp yeah that's if you got minds like that let's think about what did Roman do with the with the Ravens what did he do somewhat with the Chargers he's this is the guy with the Niners he's a history of creating excellent running games so no surprise there.

1:02:34I'm almost insulted how many people like listen to me when I asked for a like and subscribe. Thank you. But why do you have to wait for me? Yeah, just just do it. I love it. Isaiah likely is out there standing out making a lot of plays. Otherwise, the offense a little behind the defense right now. Not a lot of huge takeaways other than Odell Beckham hasn't made a lot of plays, but he's battling for that third receiver job. It's Darius Slayton and Darnell Mooney probably for wide receiver too. Some Giants beat reporters called the cornerback position the most interesting battle right now. Deontay Banks, maybe a little more in the mix than you would have expected.

1:03:09The former first round pick with Paul Sinadibo, Greg Newsom is there. We'll see, just watching. Darius Alexander, their high third round pick. Right now running with the starters at defensive tackle. A little surprising.

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1:04:49Let's wrap up the NFC with the NFC South. And the Saints, let's go there. we'll get to the crystal lobby contract in a second. That's the biggest news. But on Sunday, a little surprised, uh, Jalen poke just retired out of nowhere. So that's it for the former second round pick. I hadn't noticed he wasn't in camp. He just didn't show up and they put them on the reserve retired list. Something strange.

1:05:18Nick Shook:It's a, it's always surprising when a player who was drafted that highly retired so quickly, but you can, you can find it in the tea leaves you can find it in his brief nfl career that it probably wasn't headed in a good direction uh in terms of long-term future uh he was a second round pick he lasted with the patriots for a year got traded for a sixth rounder they had to send a seventh rounder to get a sixth rounder back with polk um sometimes this happens i think and i have no information on whether this is the case or not but oftentimes when this happens when they're young it's because they realize they don't really love the game as much as they need to to be a dedicated and successful player in the NFL.

1:05:54It just shows how hard it is to scout mentality.

1:06:00Nick Shook:Mm-hmm. Because when Jalen Polk was coming out of Washington, the common wisdom about him by the draft mix was high floor, loves ball, like safe pick, you know, like sort of the opposite of what happened. And I will never forgive Elliott Wolfe in his first draft. at pick 34, where they were supposedly going to take McConkie, trading down to 37 to pick up like an extra fifth round pick. We got to move down three spots to get like a fifth or a sixth. And then explaining afterwards, well, we had a bunch of, you know, we really liked Jalen Polk. We had a bunch of receivers just grouped in the same tier there.

1:06:40So we decided for value. Well, you value it wrong. You could have had that freaking McConkie. Oh, by the way, Cooper DeGene and like Kamari Lasseter went, went off the board right there too. But if you were taking a wide receiver, Ladd McConkie was right there, was the consensus guy. Yeah, hindsight's 20-20. I was saying it at the time, but you're right. I liked Ladd coming out. I know, I did too. Ladd was also at Georgia forever. It was like the good white Patriot receiver joke too was there. The next Wes Welker, yes. Let's go to our Chris Alave love because he's another guy. I had him number two behind George Pickens in that class, but I thought he was the safest one in that group.

1:07:18I had him ahead of Garrett Wilson, ahead of Drake London, which might be wrong.

1:07:22Nick Shook:Wow, you had Pickens number two in that class? I loved Pickens back then. Interesting. And it's starting to look better. It was the off-field stuff, as Daniel Jeremiah reminded me over and over. It's like, yeah, you can't just look at the tape. You have to evaluate everything, which is absolutely fair. With Olave, that's a guy who loves ball. He's just had the injuries, so it's great to see him get paid. $31 million per year. Incentives can get him a little more on a per-year basis, which is to take him over Garrett Wilson, but right now he's behind. $52.6 million guaranteed, which is relatively low.

1:07:52But even Chris Olavi spoke to it publicly that like, hey, we wanted to work out something flexible. I think this was a great win-win where every year that he's on the roster, he gets more and more guaranteed money. And he just has to show that the concussion and his health issues is not a big problem. But it would go up to$77 million and then even$90 million guaranteed if he's on the roster two years from now, which he absolutely should be as long as he's somewhat healthy, really great success story and a really exciting one, two punch now with Jordan Tyson there.

1:08:25Nick Shook:Yeah. Um, I hope Tyson can stay on the field. Obviously he had an injury history at Arizona state, but hopefully he can stay on the field and really make a great one, two punch. Like you said, um, it's funny because when you think about Chris Olave, sometimes really talented players kind of get lost in the shuffle when they're on bad teams. And this is kind of one of those cases, but if you look at the his his career stats he's had an excellent run like three out of the four seasons have been a thousand yards and he can probably thank tyler shuck emerging at the end of last season as a feather in his cap or at least a chip on the bargaining table there is as he's negotiating an extension for making this more of a slam dunk for the saints let's think about the last uh six weeks of the season he had two games over 110 yards he finished with nine touchdown catches uh four of those came in the final three games those are all tyler shuck games i can remember one of these games when they played against tennessee week 18 where he just threw him a one-on-one ball he made a fantastic catch and it was like that's the chris olave who was a star at ohio state who sometimes has gotten forgot about with the saints hopefully this contract is the first step toward the most prolific and um i don't know uh prosperous period of his career with tyler shuck being his quarterback i just like seeing guys realize their full potential and that was like full Olave and it goes both ways Olave spoke at camp after signing the deal that I I he didn't say this but I do wonder if he would have been as excited to get this done as fast as possible if it wasn't for how last season ended like he talked up Chuck in this team now and he said this is the most excited I've ever been for a season and I know that's easy to say but he talked about previous situations like almost as if he didn't maybe fully believe in the quarterbacks there and you can just go look at who the quarterbacks were.

1:10:07And now he's like all in, talking up shock, talking about this team, saying just the vibes being immaculate right now. So you love to see it. Despite losing Jalen Polk. Speaking of guys who've had star-crossed careers because of injuries, Kendry Miller is back for this team kind of as they're running back three. So just keeping an eye on him. Alvin Kamara reportedly looking pretty fresh, healthy. It's been a while. For now, their Brian Brisee replacement. Brian Brisee is the defensive tackle that was injured and out for the season. Right now is a guy named Vernon Broughton, who is a third-round pick, has barely played because of injury.

1:10:42And so just something to keep an eye on. They have some young players there. Kristen Miller was an early pick. And then happy trails to Andrews Peet, who has retired from the NFL. Good career. Made a couple Pro Bowls quietly while he was on the Saints. Good versatility. Good career. Happy trails. to the former Saint and briefly a Raider. Let's go to the Panthers, who are maybe the most injured team in the entire NFL. They lost Chris Brazell, their wide receiver for the season. He was a rookie. Nick Skorton is out for the season. Taylor Moten, their tackle. Skorton is an edge. Taylor Moten's a tackle.

1:11:18Taylor Moten is probably out for half the season. Turk Wharton, their defensive tackle. We have no idea when he's coming back. So that's all negative. How about Jonathan Brooks, their oft-injured third-year running back lining up wide and making plays down the field. I need something positive to talk about with the Panthers.

1:11:36Nick Shook:Yeah, Brooks was a guy that they knew had health concerns coming out of college when they drafted him. And then they got worse, you know, upon arriving. But it would be a kind of cruel benefit in some ways if Brooks ends up being healthy and making a difference in the same season in which they've lost so many guys to injuries that you obviously can't anticipate already. They have definitely had, I think, the most nightmarish camp to start because of these injuries. It just seems like every day something bad comes out of the Carolina camp. Right. Hopefully this is the end of that. Mitchell Evans was a tight end.

1:12:09That's getting some first team reps that had an injury. It's not sure if it's serious or not. They're a little further along in camp because they have the Hall of Fame game on Thursday. So that's part of the reason they've had more injuries. You know, there was more. T-Mac, Tetaro, McMillan on the inside because they were using Brazil on the outside. Does that change now that Brazil's here? It shouldn't, but I hope it doesn't. It's a little worrisome that the guy who's getting talked up the most is a guy named David Moore. They're nicknaming him Vitamin D, according to Canalis, which you're shaking your head, Chuck.

1:12:48Nick Shook:I mean, he's a veteran. He's 31 years old. I'm curious what the chat thinks about the Vitamin D nickname. I think of it, you know, Beyonce in that Carter's album, which I always say is underrated. But, you know, she says she says she needs that vitamin D. So that's kind of what I tell you. Yes, there's an entire song. Yes, it was a single. Maybe. Yeah. Yeah. Let's not do that. Praising. Let's not do that. Yeah. Let's not do that. David Moore. It's just like, oh, man, here's a guy who's bounced around. If he's the guy that's popping up, that's not great. There has been a lot of Bryce pop. So a lot of positivity that he knows this system, that he's taken control of it.

1:13:25Canales, who always hasn't talked up Bryce in the past, I think he's been pretty honest, saying he's really confident in Bryce Young. So there's something positive. We'll get to see them on Thursday night. Let's go to the Falcons, who gave a big contract since we last taped. Matthew Bergeron, one of the most surprising veteran contracts I've seen in a long time, getting$60 million guaranteed. He's a guard, got almost$25 million a year. So he's one of the highest paid guards in the NFL. It came after the Kyle's Pitt, the Kyle Pitt extension, the Drake London extension. Terry Fountain knows revenge.

1:14:00All these guys that Terry Fountain, I guess he didn't take pits, but you know, all these guys that were like two regimes ago now getting extended, but that's big money before ever seeing Bergeron with this new offense. A little bit of a risk there, but you got to trust the self-scouting.

1:14:17Nick Shook:Yeah, and they also have a lot of money tied up in their guards between Lindstrom and now Bergeron. But look, I mean, if you believe in the guy and you think that he's part of your future, signing him is fine, extending him is fine. It's a totally different offense. We'll see. Like, they're supposed to be doing more gap scheme. They were like all zone last year. Maybe it's different, yeah. I would like to point out who flourished in Kevin Stefanski's offense when he was a complete unknown prior. He was a man by the name of Wyatt Teller, a guard who came over from Buffalo with a day three pick trade involved and ended up being one of the best guards in football.

1:14:54Nick Shook:So keep an eye on that. Okay, good call. And Bill Callahan's their offensive line coach. And he was there in Cleveland at the time. Right. That Wyatt Teller became very good. So they could be trying to get out in front of it. That's totally fair. I'm watching this extension and Matt Ryan's extension. I mean, Kyle Pitts' extension. Just as my first little test case, because we haven't seen what is a Matt Ryan team going to be like. Like Bajon, we know we're going to pay him. Jake London, of course you pay him. But you've got to get these things right. Jack Strand, the undrafted rookie, is still taking first team reps.

1:15:25What a world. Cooper Rush is now working in the mix there. But Tua's not doing anything. So even though he got on the field, he's just barely doing some individual work. Michael Penix is doing some seven-on-sevens, but they basically missed an entire week for these quarterbacks. We'll see if that changes next week. at linebacker, I noted Harold Perkins, the well-known LSU guy, is playing some inside linebacker behind Christian Harris. I just thought that was interesting.

1:15:55Nick Shook:Throw that out there. They have a collection of former SEC notables. Channing Tindall, Christian Harris, Harold Perkins. I love it. I love it for a team in Atlanta. Jalen Walker who's a starting edge, but so far it's been Abukam, Samson Abukam with the starters and then James Pierce seems like he's kind of getting soft punished or maybe they're expecting a suspension. Not sure. Or he's just not right. Reportedly working his way back, playing like with the deep backups. Like, so after all those sacks last year, they have him on the third team. So that seems like a soft punishment. It sounds like preparing to not have him this season and getting the other guys who are going to play more reps with the starters.

1:16:38Okay. That's a fair interpretation. A lot of 13 personnel. So that's three tight ends on the field reportedly in practice. So that's Kyle Pitts, Charlie Werner, and Austin Hooper. A rare team. Back in Atlanta, baby. Let's go. A rare team that's pretty deep. Like, I like that. I like that trio. I like that trio. And we just wanted to send our thoughts and condolences to Jeff Ulbrich. Their defensive coordinator has been away from the team for all of training camp. It was announced since we last taped that his wife, Christina, passed away due to a bout with cancer. And so you just, you hurt for Albrecht and you just are reminded how precious life is.

1:17:21And also just, you never know what these guys are going through. He was the interim coach last year. He stayed with Atlanta and yeah, just sending our thoughts to him. And of course the Falcons organization said they're fully behind him whenever he wants to come back if he wants to come back. And so that's why he has been away from the team. Let's wrap up this wrap up of all the NFC teams with the Bucs. I kind of put them last because I didn't know what to say about the Bucs. Do you have anything you want to say about the Bucs right now? We talked so much about Vita Veya and Baker. I was like, we've overdosed on Bucs coverage.

1:17:56They don't want to trade via Veya. I guess that's the big news when it comes to Veya. I think he's going to stay there in the end. And if for some reason he did get traded, I don't think it'd be until like the end of the month until guys are getting cut and offers got way better, but they're saying that they don't want to trade him. Do you have anything else that sparks your fancy with this Bucks team right now?

1:18:15Nick Shook:They don't want to trade him, but they don't want to pay him. We already know what happened with Baker. Vibes are not good. It's a lot of attention on two guys situations. I know that's unfair to describe the entire situation, but this is a team that's entering this new season with a lot of pressure on their shoulders on Todd Bowles shoulders after the way the last season ended. I like what they have in their secondary potential wise, Benjamin Morrison, Jacob Parrish Parrish. I just, I'm going to continue to monitor the situation because I support how Baker, the approach that he took, I understand what he was saying.

1:18:52Nick Shook:I think he was justified in that. The idea of trying to enter the 50 million club, maybe slightly too lofty, but I understand. I don't think so. I, I, the weird thing is I, even though I'm not a Baker fan in terms of like, I worry about it. Like, I think that is his value for what it's, you know, who's in that club. Jalen Hurts is in that club. Yeah. And if Jalen Hurts is making that money, I'm probably going to pay Baker that money. So yes, I, I agree. It might be a little lofty based on his reputation, but I think you're right. I just, when I look at the Buccaneers right now, I really need them to generate some positivity to push this negativity that began, they began camp with away.

1:19:26Nick Shook:And you can do that with some fun preseason action or somebody breaking out in camp. But as it stands right now, a lot of Bucs fans got on me for giving him a really low win total in my record prediction. Just saying. Okay, Jalen Hurts. Just for argument's sake, because I like to argue. Second in MVP in a season that he balled out in a Super Bowl. And then had another performance where he lit up in the Super Bowl. and then on top of it our friends over at the regular fantasy football show I don't know if they've revealed the hot quarterback rankings yet if they've gotten to the top I gotta imagine it's Jalen Hurts number one and if it's not Jalen Hurts number one it's probably him and Burrow one too in some order yeah that's fair Baker's not really measuring up are you checking me on making that as my litmus?

1:20:16Nick Shook:I'm just saying him versus Baker he's got a lot of things that Baker doesn't have He also can make a t-shirt. What? We can, let's see, Brock Purdy's in that club. Jordan Love's in that club. Trevor Lawrence is in that club. Brock Purdy, yeah. Every other quarterback in this club, you can look at their name and go, yeah, makes sense. Jared Goff is in that club. Based on what he's done with Detroit, you can also say, yeah, makes sense. The only guy. Like, okay, if I needed a closest comp at the bottom of the 50 million range. Rude. Dillon Hurts making 51 a year. I can see Baker being in there as well.

1:20:47What about 100 % dedication, 0 % perspiration? wait what was his his quote

1:20:56alignment something along those 100 % alignment 0 % estrangement if you've got if you've got any great um all together no divorce right if you've got any great ideas hit us up in the mentions hit us up in the comments um sorry bucks fans i didn't know what else to talk about a lot of uh wide zone by the way there there there's a comment i've got i heard zach robinson who came from atlanta a lot of zone there is that good for bucky erving yeah yeah that could be good for

1:21:28Nick Shook:bucky erving that's fine he can be a one cut guy that's fine that's another reason why i'm not high on the bucks but i'll leave it yeah we'll see um 100 dedication zero percent elopement i know that doesn't even make any sense at all um we'll try well come up with some good slogans send it to us we appreciate everyone that was here good crowd triple digits and growing you know in the in the chat but but let's make it even bigger on thursday night for our next live one we'll have plenty of shows though coming up um as we get going here i know eric roberts doesn't want to do it but he is producing this show right now next to SoFi Stadium.

1:22:09And there's a situation there right now. He is updating me. You know, he was updating us earlier. If he wants to talk, is he able to talk on the show right now? He sent me a video that is actually too hot for our live stream where people are doing like gravity bongs and drinking and chugging.

1:22:27Nick Shook:It's like a bottle of tequila. they were they were funneling some 40 40 uh mad dog i think something like that we did that we did that at um at our mardi gras truck during during a big a bottle of old english 1800 yeah like you take a funnel of an entire bottle of mad dog at once like forget the rest of your day there's a music festival going on at sofi stadium like hard summer yeah hard summer so there's literally music festival stages all around my building. The walls are vibrating right now. It seems like hard summer though. They go a little harder than some of the other music. Yeah. I mean, you got to stay hydrated.

1:23:09It is like, this is not your BTS or Taylor Swift at SoFi. No, they're going wild.

1:23:14Nick Shook:So 100 % hydration, 0 % exhaustion. I don't know. Yeah. You waited the show on that. I love it. So just stay safe out there, Eric. And if you hit hard summer, let us know. You're obviously not watching right now. But if you're bold enough in 90-degree heat to just get after it for 10 hours in a parking lot, you're harder than I am. Thank you, Eric. Let's get out of here. That was NFC. On Monday, we will be doing the AFC. Similar setup, my friend Patrick Claibon and I getting you up to date. We'll also continue our division previews this week. We are back to our Sunday through Thursday night, you know, shows.

1:24:00It's NFL Daily. We're putting the daily in daily. We'll see you on Monday.

1:24:08Nick Shook:This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.