Cardinals UndergroundCardinals Underground - Showing Some Fight Into The Offseason
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Here's Paul Calvic.
Well, I figure, you know what if the if the Jets can complete an interview and official real life head coaching interview with their former head coach Rex Ryan that really happened, then we most certainly can bring you the first off season edition of Cardinals Underground. Here twenty twenty five. Paul Calvc, Danny Surrec, Darren Urban, and I will say to begin that. It took nearly all season, but just under the wire going into the final week eighteen, I found an NFL related entity that actually matched the motor of Buddha Baker this year, the relentless persuit of Buddha Baker was matched by only one thing that I can tell in the NFL this past season, and it would be the marketing department at NFL Sunday Ticket via YouTube TV. Even down to the final Friday of games, they're sending me three to seven emails a day to latch on sign up en list for the Sunday Ticket slate of games and the insider package. They reduced it all the way down to four dollars and ninety nine cents for the week eighteen slate. And I mean, you know what, at that point, they actually, instead of my disdain, they earned my respect for just how relentless they are in marketing their product.
That's that's fair. But I mean, as long as there's time on the clock, there's time on the clock, Paul, That's what we always say around here. I've already said that before. By the way, you are usually the king of the segways. Okay, I'm missing the I know you wanted to mention Rex Ryan because you love them so much. Sure, I'm trying to see the segue between Rex Ryan and a podcast we were always going to do at the end of the season.
Well, in case anybody's wondering whether you know, there's justification to keep talking ball when there are no more games? Okay, I mean if the Jets can somehow jump out our paychecks interviewing Rex Ryan, I got you, Okay, I just.
I just I needed. I need to peek inside the mind workings of Paul.
I guess it's my own poly powerpole of no comprendo you know Rex Ryan actually getting a real interview NFL Sunday Ticket still just drilling me, ear holding me with all these stinking emails right up to the last weekend of games.
Are you implying that Rex Ryan would be a poor hire by the Jets?
What I am implying is who isn't on the Jets interview list.
That's fair.
I think the only names Danny would be it would be that former Disney star and Spider Man, who are now engaged with their names again. I think if I want their names, I just look at the Jets interview list. Who is it again?
Tom Holland and Zendeia, although if Tom is going to take her last name, he might just be Tom, Tom and Zenda.
Well, it's it's got to be a good joke to not be wasted.
By the way.
Interesting how you couldn't look me in the eye when you said that. You know what?
Why why do people have a hard time with the fact that she's taller than him?
Are you taller than Tom Holland?
We're playing for if he can be Spider Man? I mean, my goodness, say no more. I have no idea. I barely knew who the guy was until today.
The secret what what? You haven't seen any Spider Man I.
Saw like those first two that came back with or whatever? Is who was Peter Parker?
No?
Who was Peter Parker? Like twenty years ago when they started redoing all the superhero.
Fields and I'm seeing his face anyway?
Yeah, sure, I bail. He has done like six different Spider Man movies, Tom.
Holland as opposed to this, he's done pretty and then he's okay, that was, well, well we'll need to get to that soon enough. Yeah, he's done three Spider Man movies and he's appeared as Spider Man in multiple I.
Don't think I've seen all them. They secretly got engaged reportedly between.
Not the different Spider Man, but so they reportedly.
You know, good joke has to land. They reportedly secretly got engaged between Christmiths in the years and then at the Golden Globes on the red carpets, and Deya was wearing an engagement ring for the first time. And that's how everybody.
I haven't what was what was the They're very very private, okay, but they so they haven't. What are you doing on Instagram? If you announce something on Instagram?
Hard launch hard? They are hard launching. They have not their engagement. No, they've hard launched their relationship a while ago.
I got it.
Okay, here's a trivia question for Suns fan Darren Urban. I was at a press conference, and this is a long time ago, but there was a son's player who was dating a famous singer and when they signed him to a new contract. She was at the press conference and she had mentioned they just got engaged, and she held up her hand and she had an eleven carrot diamond ring on her hand heavy, and you got I was in the way back row and you could see it.
I mean it was which player was I was?
That's what I'm asking you. I'm trying to remember. He was an outside, he was a wing, he was a sharpshooter. It was back in the seventh Richard. Yes, and it was a famous singer and entertainer and uh. Anyway, I'm not sure they stayed. I'll never forget the uh by the way, later we'll get into the four seas. Speaking of diamonds the is that.
What it says online?
Yeah? That sounds about right. Are they still together a.
Couple of minutes.
Four seas of Marvin Harrison Junior. We'll get into a little bit later. Copper, how we uh we're talking about commerce? No, you know, cut clarity, carrot and now always figured the fourth one. But for Marvin Harrison Junior. We'll get into the four seas a little bit later. Okay, got that all right? So I got one rant off my chest there. Let's see a little bit later, we're gonna have the results of the couple of it team investigations for the season. The team We've been conducting season long investigations into how exactly the Cardinals have unlocked, Buddha Baker. I think we have some answers on a We're also going to get into the season long investigation which ramped up in earnest here the last couple of weeks into the O line Fine System. We'll get into that.
I had a random question. Okay, I don't know what sparked this, Maybe because you keep mentioning were polls the Polly's list of incompetence? Is that reset in twenty twenty five, since this is our first Cardinals Underground of the new year, that's a good question.
We haven't really considered.
That yet, resetting or rolling over like well, I mean, I.
Don't think so. I think it's just you know, the uh it's basically, is it incompetent enough to knock the predecessor off the list?
So it stays the same until it gets not.
Yeah, it's in real time. It's ever evolving, and you know you have to earn your spot on the list and knock out another contender. Okay, you know so you know, I mean, ray Gun could be on there for for a long time.
I thought we knocked her off.
No, she's on the setting. We knocked off the Red Lobster CEO got rid of less. Yeah, so it's the new young CEO and he got rid of it.
You guys outvoted me on that one too. I was not in favor of Jim and.
Mahundra came through for us. Kevin Richardson was engaged for fourteen months to Brandy that's it, yes, okay, but it was they've been not together since five so yes.
So Mi must be his current wife online.
All right, I'm just gonna start with the last game and then we'll get into the off season. Can I just say that this Sean Murphy Bunting fight against Juwan Jennings to me, to me, was almost a metaphor for the Cardinals and the message sent to the division this year, who's with me on this one? Because when Juwan Jennings and Starling Thomas got into it right and it went to the turf, and then all of a sudden, the team came to his defense, most in particular Sean Murphy Bunting, who made it very clear to Juwan Jennings, if you want to try that kind of bleep, you can come to my side and try it over here. And his fate would have it. The next play did require Juwan Jannings to go to that side. And let's just say the Cardinal's sideline was looking at the two of them and not exactly looking at the ball, because as soon as the ball was snapped, it was like so on. But to me, in a way, that was sort of like what the Cardinals said to the NFC was this year, you know what, you got us mark down each one of you for two wins. This year, you know what, try us. Come on over here, buckle up and try us. And the Cardinals were a deflection away from sweeping LA but all told, at least they went three and three in the division. And to me, you know, we can talk about doubling the win told, we can talk about the home wins, and that's great, But to me, getting that foothold in the division, that's the top of that power pole, especially.
Coming off a year where the Cardinals didn't have a single divisional win, so to come out and be as competitive as they were on a consistent basis against all three divisional opponents is a big step this year. I like that metaphor of the fight, the tussles with Juwan Jennings, the forty nine ers receivers and the Cardinals kind of winning that battle of you're right, we got a little grit to us. We're a little a little scrappy if you will, and competitive and gonna fight. I am intrigued as to what the conversation was with head coach Jonathan Gannon and Shawn Murphy Bunting, because even starting at training camp, we know that fighting is not allowed. Although that's between teammates, I'm not sure that I could see that as something that Gannon wouldn't necessarily quote unquote be okay with. I like the competitiveness, and that was something that Star Thomas had mentioned after the game was when looking at the film they saw Jennings have some similar tussles in weeks prior, and it was the Cardinal's mindset of you're not gonna be able to push us around. I am curious though, what he was what Shaw Murphy Bunting was met with in the locker room by the head coach after being disqualified for that.
It's interesting because Jonathan Gannon in the postgame radio interview did when I asked him about the incident and the fight and the ejection, he did have a line where he said, you know, well, when you're dealing with a player who has a history of and then he didn't finish the same ends. So j Jen Juan Jenny plays with an edge. You know, he's got sort of an intensity about him, like an An Kwon Bolden you don't see very often in receivers. But yeah, he has a track record had taking it too far.
Jenny was likes that. Before he made his way off the field because he was disqualified, he was standing up on the bench hyping up the forty nine ers fans behind him.
I just the guy finished twenty He was gonna end up with like one hundred and fifty yards receiving in this game. He needed seventy two to get to one thousand for the year, and he finished with fifty. He finished like twenty five yards short, Like I I think that, And then he said after the game he was sad because he couldn't get there. I'm like, dude, you completely controlled whether you were backed and if you look at the sequence, Sean Murphy Bunting ended up absolutely deserving everything he got. But as that play started, the flag came out for what Jennings did. First, If Sean Murphy Bunting would have backed off I firmly believe Jennings gets another personal foul and the ejection, and I don't think Sean Murphy Bunten gets ejected. Now, I understand why you would continue to fight back.
But the brutal part about that was the umpire got injured. He got carted off, and.
Yeah, but somebody said I was talking to somebody about that. Somebody said the injury was him running over to break it up, and he like pulled his hamstring or something. It wasn't like, well, okay, the fight itself caused anything.
I'm guessing it was more than pulling a hamstring, Like he went to put weight on it and his whole leg buckled. It was not good. At least it didn't look good, right.
But I guess my point it was. I thought at first it was like a swinging fist that got him randomly astray.
I honestly don't know what got him, but I do know him Watching the one replay I saw on the TV copy online, he was nowhere near the initial fracas. Now, other guys came pouring in. He might have got blindsided from you know, and down goes the umpire, but he wasn't because there were two other officials who were trying They had their hands on the guy's shoulder pads and they're trying to rip them apart. And good luck with that. I mean, you're just an average middle aged official and you're trying to rip apart two brawling NFL players. I mean, you have a little to no chance of making that happen.
You weren't going to run out and help them.
I was actually backpeddling. I was in full back pedal mode myself. So you think Sean Murphy bunting I didn't flip the hips, No I didn't.
I did not.
So otherwise, anything stand out from the season finale that you want to discuss before we get into the off season. How about Trey McBride, Trey mcplay, let's talk about that. You want a physical play?
How did you.
Describe in print Trey mchurdle and going, you know, getting the angry run scepter to start this week deservedly?
So I didn't actually have to describe it because our good friend Zach Gershman ended up doing a whole sidebar on what Trey did. So I didn't talk a lot about it in what I wrote, But I mean I will say in real time. My first thought is where's the video. Please, let's get the video up on social so we can all set it back out because that was amazing. It is funny to listen to Trey talk. He talked about it with Zach after the game and then brought it up again Monday in the locker room that he's like, I got to stop doing that, and I get it. He said it once before and he said it again. And this got a little bit more dangerous because the brown the player never went low and that could have been kind of funky, but it wasn't because Trey McBride landed on his feet and oh, by the way, four hurdles Cardinals fourno in those games.
Hurdled his way right through that defender, I mean right into the face mask and then as the defender kind of crumbled below him, McBride landing on his feet and just carried on his merry way to a first down.
He said after the game, I asked him to take us through it on the radio side, and he said yeah. As soon as he achieved lift off, he said to himself, oh no, oh no, the defender's not going down. This is not going to go well. But it did go well for him.
It did.
It's the world's worst longboard surfer. Later, I thought, you know, it's sort of like riding the nose of the surfboard right and then boom, you sort of ride it and then he you get off the board on your two feet. I mean, that was really well done. But then much later I said to myself, you know, the question should have been, Trey McBride, did you learn that football move from sugar Sean O'Malley? Did you know because the UFC champ and the kickboxer was in Cardinals camp earlier this year. I mean, maybe that's something he got out of the arsenal and repertoire of Sugar Sean.
I do want to like clarify this though everybody was making the comparison to the Antonio Brown Pro Bowl thing. Or we can even go back to the great Billy Simms Once upon a Time, which is a fabulous YouTube video Lions Billy Simms karate kicking a Houston oiler at the time back in like nineteen seventy eight. You need to go check it out. He did. It's not like Trey kicked the guy. He went up and yeah, his knee ended up going in his face because the dude didn't. But it's not like he kicked it. Antonio Brown was a kicker, not a literal kicker, not a Chad Island kicker. Just clarifying.
Maybe that's why I took the hit on Red Sea report. I owned it when I went with kick Butt Kowski on the air the old Disney cartoon and nobody got that, and I don't know it.
Was an epic fails mean anything to me?
It fails again. So okay, Trey McBride, can I say this When we look back on the twenty twenty four season, I think, more than anything, we'll remember it for an epic historic year by both Trey McBride and Buddha Baker. For considering the team didn't make the postseason. Yes, they made a lot of big strides in a lot of big ways, meaningful ways. We'll get into that, But in terms of just remembering twenty twenty four, I think my biggest recollection and or takeaway will be one player on defense, one player on offense, just having historic seasons.
Is it? So? Is this the Iteam report on Booda or whatever?
No, No, no, we haven't got into that.
Yet, well, are we going to get into that?
Okay, so Darren wanted me to move it along. No, I'm just saying, like I I thought that was Danny as a thought bubble.
I thought I thought this was a second way too.
Sitting here enjoying this, I'm just saying, do you think you know it's sort of like Russell Crow and Gladiator? Are you not entertained?
Right?
Do you think we have appreciated it, fully appreciated what we just saw, what Buddha Baker put out there, and Trey McBride.
I think so we talk about it every week.
Okay, all right, No, I.
Do Outside of just the receiving touchdowns, you can look at the stats and you can use the eye tests and just see how impactful McBride was. I no longer think it is a discussion topic of is McBride ascending? Is he one of the top tight ends? The answer is yes, yes, he is continuing to ascend. Considering this was McBride's first full season as a starter, didn't get a lot of reps his rookie year started last year on the bench because Zach Ertz was the starting tight end for the Cardinals. Seeing what we saw from McBride, his improvements in the run blocking, his speed across the middle, his rot running, his strong hands, inability to go down on first contact. All of those things show the improvements he made in this year. It's no longer a talking point. Is McBride one of the top tight ends when you're talking about George Kittle and you're looking around the league. Yes, the answer is yes. He is now a household name.
How long do you think he holds onto this title most catches in the first three years of a career by a tight end in NFL history, considering brock Bowers, Rock.
Powers is going to break it in two years. So that's fine. I mean, it's it's a nice thing. I mean, it's kind of seems kind of random. The first enough catches in the first three years, like not the rookie season obviously not, and not the first two seasons.
It was sort of that other record he almost had earlier this year was like five catches or more and eleven straight road games.
Yeah, Like, sometimes, how did they ever come up with that? Sometimes it feels like a stretch. Yeah, Okay, But regardless, Trey McBride is a difference maker. Even if next year he doesn't get a thousand yards or he doesn't get one hundred catches. He's a difference maker now that you know you can count on when you need him. And so if you can bring up the rest of the past catching corps, whoever it might look like, you know, Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Junior and Greg Dortch and or some speed dude, like you're you're gonna be in really good shape.
Can I can I look at Trey McBride.
You can do whatever you want, Paul, you're a free man.
And finish the sentence and draw parallels to Marvin Harrison Junior's rookie year.
Hew, so.
You're talking about Trey's rookie.
Year, Trey's rookie year versus Marvin's rookie year.
No, you cannot do whatever you want as a free man. I'm very intrigued how you're gonna compare the rookie seasons of Marvin Harrison Junior and Trey McBride. When McBride had off the top, I had probably less than twenties.
Yeah, something like that. Okay, in this way, two ways, one big picture hit zoom out didn't meet expect pas number two at times maybe a little tentative hesitant, not going to go as far as using the word timot, but really adapting and acclimating a season long learning curve, trying to get up to the speed to match the speed and ferocity and velocity of the NFL. That was sort of Trey McBride's rookie season. Now, to Danny's point, it's not apples to apples because Marmin Harrison Junior came in is wide receiver one. I get it, and Trey was at best tight end two and got limited opportunities and targets, but.
Tight end two in an offense that will hardly ever used more than one.
Originally tight end three. Max Williams was here, was zach Ertz.
And the only other.
Reason I'm bringing up is because Trey made a comment last week and talking to the media after his Pro Bowl nod where he said, you know, it took time to get on the same page with Kyler, to learn how each other play, to read a coverage this same way, to be in the right spot at the right time for Kyler. And so whereas you saw games where Trey would have ten catches on ten targets, eleven catches on twelve targets. You know, there were those games Marvin had two catches on seven targets. And so the fact that the catch to target ratio was so absurd at times with Kyler to Trey McBride, especially in comparison to Marvin Harrison Junior, I'm just wondering, can you expect maybe that is the next step for Marvin Harrison junior based on the next step that Trey McBride just took.
It's a reach to compare the rookie years of title Trey McBride and wide receiver Marvin Harrison junior. McBride didn't see a lot of playing time. He had twenty nine receptions on thirty nine targets his rookie year. He was very low on the depth chart. Second year. Last year he was still coming off the bench behind zach Ertz, and this was the first year. It took three years, bigger scale. Yes, you can use it as an example of it takes time. If you adjust to the speed of the game, make sure you are understanding the offensive scheme, make sure you are understanding what your quarterback likes, the timing, how you should be running your route, the communication. Yes, it's not the same of what we saw from Harrison's rookie year, and not the same of what the expectations are for McBride as a second round pick as a tight end to Harrison as the fourth overall pick as a wide receiver in an offense that was desperate for a number one wide receiver after some free agency moves, It's still going to take time. You have to be patient with Harrison to be more consistent with those targets that are coming his way. You saw a lot of good things. You saw a lot of growth from the rookie in the speed of the game, not thinking as much, being more aggressive near the end of the season at the point of attack, and understanding how physical he can be a little bit better and use his body on some of those catches. I just Paul, a lot of times, I'm able to see where you're at least coming from. And I know that this is maybe more so just a a talking point on the podcast. I don't see it just feels like apples and carrots or something not even like apples and oranges. I just when you look at still products, yeah, but just when you look at where the team and the offenses and the opportunities they had and the expectations and their skill sets coming out of college right away. It doesn't feel comparable for McBride and Harrison as a rookie year.
And sometimes it's just a talking point. Yes, that's fair, a launching pad to get analysis like that, Danny. So there you go. You know, I checked that box because I did go back and listening to Kyler's postgame presser and you guys were there and he was asked about the passing attack sort of finding a little more traction, especially the downfield passing attack the last two games of the year, and his answer was, well, things were crisper. That was the term he used.
Darren.
You can give us a you know, a footballed English translation the money pontificate.
On you know, and first of all, it should be more crisp. Okay, I think crisper.
That's what he said, crisper. So in football terms, what does crisper mean? Think about that, because he went then went on to say, you know, it still could have been better, but you know, we all did our jobs these last two games. You know, you try to be perfect, you'll never achieve it. But guys were where they were supposed to be and on time and make contested catches. Ah, they were there. They were where they're supposed to be, They were there when they were supposed to be there, and they made contest to catches. Three huge components of a passing game that was inconsistent downfield passing game that was inconsistent throughout the entirety for the most part of twenty twenty four. And that's a lot of what we speculated on, right, especially the first half of the season. Okay, are the receivers reading coverage the same way as the quarterback? Are the receivers where they're supposed to be when the quarterback as an edge rusher breathing down his backside and he needs to get rid of the ball now? Are the receivers where they need to be now? And so maybe it was more of a work in progress that didn't really achieve crisper status until the final weeks of the season. Again and the operative word there. Maybe we've speculation.
We've made comparisons before to twenty thirteen and Carson Palmer and Bruce Arians and all that stuff, but that at least got figured out. It means, I mean, part of the issue with that is going to be like, I mean, realistically, why would it. I understand if there's a learning curve, it should not take sixteen weeks.
Agreed, no doubt.
It's the NFL well And also sorry if you're going to say the learning curve that implies we're mostly just talking about the rookie and Harrison. That wasn't the case. I mean plenty of other receivers. Now McBride popped off, so that that helps, but it wasn't just on Harrison.
And then Greg Dortch. Just give you a quick sideline postcard on Greg Dortch. He scores the twenty three yard catch and run right, weaving his way through traffic, zig zaggy, making guys look stupid in his space like Greg Dortch does. And the whole sideline is beaming, smiling, enjoying it. Except one guy, Greg Dortch mean mugging everyone. Kyler tried him twice, came down the line. Hey, you know, high five's the whole thing, Dorch, stoneface. He goes down, taps up the old line, comes back, smacks him on the shoulder pads like come on, He's like, come on, enjoy it, you know, Dorch. Nope, came back, scored another touchdown later. Nope, was having none of it. Now, he's one of those guys who's locked in on game day. He has to be his size, he has to have that sort of ferocity to compete, and and he's that guy in game day who has a different look on his eyes, so like a Paris Johnson junior. But you also wonder, you know, if that was his personal statement, Hey, I could have been doing this with a lot more regularity. Get me the ball, give me some more targets, and you're gonna be happy you did. And so as a walkoff statement, I thought that was interesting in terms of what's his contract status exactly, Greg Dortch.
He's a restricted free agent. Okay, so if the Cardinals want him, But what's probably gonna happen is is, given his circumstances, they're not gonna give him an offer that couldn't be matched. I'll be curious to know what Greg Dortch wants to do and how they feel about him, because again, as we talk about this receiving corps, Marvin's Marvin. They like Michael Wilson as a blocker and that in that other role we talk about potentially having that speed receiver or go getting a speed receiver or Xavier Weaver being that guy. I'm not sure, but I don't think they see Dorch as that guy because they didn't really use him like that. So where does it fit. Is Dorch gonna get the kind of opportunity here if he has a choice to go somewhere else? Does he wanted might want to do something like that.
And then risk you know, getting a getting chemistry and relationship with a new quarterback. So you know, it's it's interesting. But but to you know, just to play off the earlier discussion, you know, were there are more opportunities that could have been had for more receivers beyond just Marvin Harrison Junior and Michael Wilson because obviously JA Jones and because of other reasons A Jones wasn't out there the entirety of the year, but he made a couple of nice plays, a couple of nice catches in the final two games of the year as well. So there's that, Uh, what about the fact that this offensive line, right you're out there and Kyler didn't get sacked. Yet you had an offensive line then included Isaiah Adams and Christian Jones and right, I mean you had you had backup tackles, and Kelvin Beacham talking about how he's gotten clearance from his wife for a fourteenth season. If he so chooses, he was your left tackle. But in terms of the UH.
He chooses, and if a team so chooses, sure, exactly no doubt about it.
According to Calvin Beacham, and this is him talking to the media, I proved that I'm a starting tackle in the league, capable of being a starting tackle in the league, and so we'll see what exactly that means. I mean, he's a valuable swing guy, there's no doubt about it.
But if he wants to start, it's probably not here. It's certainly not going to be at left tackle, and the way they've kind of constructed things, I don't see it being a right tackle either.
So but I guess that was my segue Darren into the offensive line dinner that we saw online.
Via the UH.
What was it is? It was Christian Jones or Isaiah Adams somebody posted on there Chirrist Johnson Junior.
Every position group does a rookie dinner at the end of the year, and the offensive lineman had theirs, and Johnson put on his Instagram story the bill which got up to one hundred and thirty thousand dollars. And considering there's only two rookies in that room, and Isaiah Adams and Christian Jones, that could be a very hefty charge for the two of them.
Okay, so few nuanced details here, as we had a discussion before we started podcasting. Let's say there's fifteen offensive limen. I don't have the exact number, because I'm sure practice squad guys would be included. If there's fifteen guys, if there's one hundred and thirty thousand dollars bill, that's seventy five hundred dollars apiece. Now there was an argument whether that could even be spent per person for an offensive line dinner. I don't know, I can I can see the argument. Was it just one of those as want as NFL players that want to do doing a prank receipt to freak out the rookies before they actually pay the real bill, which is possible. I'm trying to wrap my head around where you would go to spend seventy five hundred dollars apiece. Now, obviously there would probably be some A lot of beverages involved. Bottles of beverages.
Two words table service.
Yeah, I mean I don't certainly, but you're.
Kind of like a place surf and turf and you're getting some nice steaks or you're getting some seafood and you're get like that. That stuff you can rack up pretty quickly.
There was an all time quote by Darnell Dockett. This is going back aways when Kaleiis Campbell was a rookie. That's going back a long ways. I'm frightening myself even referencing this right now.
Two thousand and eight Ladies and German.
It was a rookie dinner and kalaias Campbell the second round rookie was going to pick up the tab and Darnell, what are you plan on ordering tonight? I'm not sure, probably, uh most everything. I'm going to order lobster as an appetizer and not eat it. So uh, that was the That's the kind of stuff that they pull at these Here's the thing, though, I do wonder if it was partially funded by the pot in the O line. Fine, uh, you know, tally at the very end of the season, okay, because they you know, these offensive linemen find each other with regularity, with impunity. Now, not big fines, big, you know, but there's so many fines and there's so many old linemen that it's got to add up over the end of the year.
It's a range of things. So even talking to the media can get them a fine. Yes, Adams was saying he celebrated a touchdown too much one game got fined.
That seems very subjective.
There it is. And I asked Calvin Beacham, I said, as the most experienced veteran in that room, is that a democracy or is that a dictatorship? And he laughed. He said it's not a dictatorship, and then he said, you know, it's a process, and he wasn't going to get into the details of the fine, and then he ended his answer by saying, it's also not a democracy.
There you go.
So my understanding is that the numbers guy who tracks it and tallies it would be yell to Froholt, you're the quarterback of the old line.
I can understand that, okay.
But when Calvin says it's not a democracy nor a dictatorship. When there are disputes, it goes to the elder in the room, and that's Calvin Beacham. That's my understanding.
You also got to keep in mind, look offensive lineman of gotta eat. They've they've got to keep up their weight. And it's on the rookies as part of their duties, to make sure that their position room is stocked with any sort of snacks or drinks that they want, making sure that on travel days they're showing up to the plane with food whatever is requested. So even if that was a prank, which would have come out to what check being check being a prank that would have come out between the two rookies to what's seventy five thousand.
Each, which is a lot forgot how much are.
They spending throughout the season in training camp and making sure that those veterans are fueled.
There is an appeals process. By the way, Isay Adams. When I asked him about it at his locker, just was there ever an incident you got fined for that you appealed? And he said yes, the one where he celebrated too hard after a Kyler touchdown. He took umbrage with the amount of the fine and said, come on, guys, and sounds like he was victorious in that one. Now apparently it got whittled down. Didn't get rid, No, got whittled down apparently. Though the Elders did not appreciate Jonah Williams trying to appeal his fine for the fumble recovery, both the celebration and the number of interviews he did afterwards. He got there was a hefty fine associate with that.
The interviews I've noticed are a big thing if we're if we're doing a scrum in the locker room, I noticed a lot of other offensive linemen are bringing out phones to videotape evidence.
Sometimes if I have to interview an offensive lineman, at the end, I thank them for being willing to take the fine.
And if the media scrum is actually blocking another offensive lineman's locker, oh now that's all that's like a double Yeah. Will Hernandez double fined Paris Johnson Junior last year because we were blocking Will's locker. So there's all that in there.
But it seems to me this is a This would be a good time too, as we get to the end of our picks to bring this up that we finished. Danny, I know you were not happy with how.
I'm not happy with the final week, but you still.
Picked up three games on Paul.
I had to take some risks, and it just I didn't. I didn't trust my gut enough and I made some of the wrong choices, like I still chose Kansas City to win, even though they weren't playing any starters right, So I didn't. I didn't have the best week. I went into it with the mindset that I was gonna finish in third.
It was close.
I had a few fun weeks though, there was a fun little run there.
So the final week I went ten and five. My final total was one eighty correct seventy five missed. Paul finished in second after a six and nine final week. He went one, seventy one and eighty four.
I took eighteen point four seconds to do my picks and I went opposite. I went cause Stanza. I took every swing in the book in week eighteen.
Nine and six for Danny one sixty nine and eighty six. So it was had you just had like another week or two, you would have at least caught Paul and maybe me, who knows. I will say that for those of you who are listening for the Wise Guy we are putting that on hiatus for the time being.
It will Paul threatened us if we continued it.
Actually, it was my therapist for emotional wellbeing.
It will pop up from time to time during temple events. I know Oma wants to do that. We will have some other goodies going forward. However, today as an extra special one, this popped into my head. I just thought i'd bring it up.
So we can't afford it.
For one single trivia question from me to Paul connect, I have one question I want to see if he can get it.
I need one of those smart watches where I can just sort.
Of look at it.
It'll give This.
Isn't your music. We're a team here, Danny Paul in something that had nothing to do with Arizona Cardinals. In what city did we dine together outside of Arizona?
You guys went to dinner on a road trip without me.
I didn't say a road trip. I said it didn't have anything to do with the Cardinals.
You guys got dinner without me.
I don't even know if you were born yet.
Okay, so if it wasn't the Cardinals, it was probably the Coyotes, which means, let's see playoff road trips that I did way back in the day, Detroit, Saint Louis. And there was another one that I can't remember, no surprise, I can't remember that. Where was I for a good two weeks? Let's see here, I'll go with the d the three one three, It was close.
You mentioned it was Saint Louis.
How many times have I whittled it down to two potential answers and then take them a.
Long starting with the opposite of your guys?
Exactly? I didn't like picks. Why don't I do it on my mind? With my answer?
Can you salvage it by saying what year was year?
Okay, so well it can only be I'd say ninety seven?
Close. Obviously. That was my infamous road trip where I lost my wallet in the taxi and had to go to the airport. And this was pre nine eleven, so I had to go to the airport and I had no ID because I lost it. I left my wallet on the way to the airport to leave, and Scott Bordeaux was traveling with me, and we went to the desk and said, yeah, I lost my wallet. I don't have an idea, and Bordo was like, I will vouch for him, and they're like, okay. And I got on the plane because pre nine to eleven was pre nine eleven.
And you probably boarded with a personal flamethrower and they said, sure, yeah, no, no big deal, that's probably what you did.
I really really hoping you are going to remember that you had your camera guy with it was me, Scott, you and you had your whoever your cameraman was in ninety Steakhouse.
No, where was it. I'm on the hills on their was it?
I think it was on the hills.
I just throw out random recollections. Yeah, that's let's hope it wasn't. Ricky bogran over at Channel five and he wouldn't even go across the street from the Minnesota playoff game Carlos at the Vikings in January of ninety nine because he said he was too cold and he couldn't go shoot a tailgator video. I mean, come on, Ricky, as an Arizona native, you gotta be tougher than that.
We are thinking of different segments though, to replace Wise Guy, at least in the off season, so be patient with us.
I see meantime, you're just gonna have to settle for the results of an ITEAM investigation we've been conducting about Buddha Baker and how exactly Buddha ends up with. What was the final tallly as I'm looking for, it was one sixty six, one sixty four. What was the final tally I'm looking at? Here we go one sixty four career high, ten tackles for loss, career high. He threw in a couple of sacks by passes defense, three quarterback hits in a fourth fummel. But he ends up second in the NFL and tackles. That's wild and everyone else in the top ten they're middle linebackers.
Somebody said in the comments on my mail bag this week, which was interesting that it wasn't in the mailbag, but it was on the comments under the mail bag. He was doing this. Some guy did this giant breakdown of a lot of stuff. His first line was, don't forget Buddha has lost a step.
WHOA Okay, I would disagree.
I would have to agree to disagree on.
That he had the third most tackles by a defensive back since at least nineteen ninety one, and.
Not because the two lines at a five in front of Baker were slipping up because Baker was playing everywhere on the field. He was in the box, he was blitzing through the gaps, he was in the secondary backfield.
Number three was everywhere, And it was sort of how they used him and what they enabled him to do. And so I've got a lot of Heisman's, a lot of you know, stiff arms and get away but based on what I've been able to glean, they basically just allowed him to have his eyes on the quarterback a lot more and to be in a position where if he decided, like his tackle for loss in this last.
Game unbelievable by the way, And if you see.
He recognizes run and when Nick Ross says he plays like a bullet, he shoots his gun, he's just gone.
He was gone.
So they devised a defense where he has the ability to do that. So if he decides to do that in the moment in real time, everyone else adjusts accordingly. So that's where the scheme does come in. So they did adjust that this year. So if Buddha shoots and goes into the backfield, he's not taking the risk of his assignment not being covered a deep third for example, or something like that. So the rest of the defenders would have their eye on the offense, obviously, but they also have half an eye a number three, and if he decides to go okay, you react accordingly. And then they also danny to your point, not only did they use them a lot of different ways, but they used him more inside from I'm told so he was he was closer, He was more to the center of the field, so teams wouldn't be able to go to one side or the other to get away from him, and so that was another way. He was constantly around the football.
It is a blessing for both sides that Baker decided to sign a contract extension before the regular season ended. It's very clear this front office and coaching staff sees Baker as the future on this defense. And the fact that Baker, who's been here his entire career, didn't even want to test the market, says a lot about what's going on behind closed doors. And that's somebody who when all these changes went down, there were reports that Baker didn't want to play here, and clearly something has changed with what he has seen and how they are deploying him and the defense as a whole. The team as a whole, in the culture, where the priorities are and where this team is headed. That signing alone, extending Buddha Baker should tell every fan exactly what is going on. And that's a good sign.
And I think it's just kudos to Rowlis and JG just for the ability to unlock him directly. I mean, what do coaches do. They get the most out of their players, and when you realize you have a dynamic All Pro player, you allow him to be as productive as he can be.
Rookie Rabbit Taylor Demerson talked about that at his locker. I was asking him about the coaching staff because Gannon has made it very clear you're not just going to see the field because you're a draft pick, and so we feel like we got to play you. Everybody who's on the field has earned it, earned it in the practice reps, in the meeting rooms, watching film, the process, and putting the team over themselves. And Rabbit was saying how the coaches in every position room put in so much time and effort to make sure they are doing the best job they can to get the most out of their players. That's how you get the best performance. Is not necessarily having a scheme set up and forcing players into what you want from them. It's what does every individual player do best? How can that one work together for what the goal is of the scheme, and then also how can you unlock those individual skill sets so you are getting the most out of every player. And it's not just Baker. You saw a lot of good things from outside linebackers Daven Collins, who's doing a lot more than just rushing the passer. You can go through a whole list on that defense, specifically under rawless of players that you saw jump this year. Being more comfortable in year two in this scheme and being able to rely on those natural instincts a little bit more, not having to think as much.
I think it's I think we'll come to learn or at least something that makes me bullish about this team going forward. When you look at this coaching staff, was their ability to adapt and adjust after year one. In the NFC West, for example, Karen Williams in the two games in twenty twenty three, absolutely rushed the Cardinals over three hundred yards, rushing three touchdowns. They had no answer in both games this year. He was almost a non factor. They made that adjustment. You saw what they were able to do in sweeping the forty nine ers, what they did in that second half adjustments at halftime in Santa Clair. They came out of that second half three takeaways in a turnover on downs. You know, Kenneth Walker and Zach Charboney didn't wreck the game against Seattle. They were able to fit those guys other reasons, you know, factors led to losses. I get it. But if you're giving me reasons to be bullish this coaching staff and their ability to compete in the division and at least evolve from year one to year two and be so competitive because we can have the argument and a lot has been said about the overall talent level on defense, right, and the fact that you had seventeen different guys with a sack. I would say that was out of necessity. Even Buddha Baker said in his last media appearance, Yeah, early in the year, we had problems affecting the quarterback. We had problems fitting the run, Jonathan Gannon said earlier in the year. He was just brutally honest. He said, we've had problems stopping the run even when we loaded the box. But they were able to make those adjustments over the course of the season where it wasn't nearly the liability. And I know Wolf loved the comment from JG at his final press conference on the Monday after the season where he said, I'm disappointed we're not playing right now. That falls on me first and it's our own doing. I also told the team in the final team meeting, the game is fair, we shouldn't be playing right now, and that's tough to take on the chin.
It's very parcels. Your record is what, yes, what you are kind of feel to it.
But overall, if you want to look at two years of Jonathan Gann as a Cardinal's head coach, first and foremost, beyond anything, accountability, I would say that's what he's brought. Yes, he's brought more of a physical style of football, but it's that accountability and when your players talk and they're in team meetings and they never know if the coach is going to call on them or it brings that extra level of preparation. You don't want to be the guy who gets called on in a team meeting and doesn't have an answer.
There's a big question mark on this defense going into the off season linebacker Kaiseier White. I'm sure you were the first to see this on Instagram, Paul.
White posted, I was looking at classic car videos.
On Instagram and a carousel of photos from the season and captioned it, thank you a z And then you look at the comments and it's all his teammates thanking him and how much they're going to miss him and to go get what he deserves. Makes you wonder, is Kaisier White going to be in Arizona Cardinal next year so you're gonna test the free agency market.
It was it was the comments that I mean it Kayzier's post alone. I mean, that could have just been end of the year stuff. It was the comments, They're like, Okay, what are they talking about in the locker room that we don't know about.
It was a masterful post because it could have meant anything. It was sort of the rarshack or what is it, the yeah, the ink blot of social media posts, because what does it.
It's that time of season. The cryptic athlete social post.
Yes yes, that might have been penned by the agent said you might be well served to just go ahead and send this out. Posted accordingly, and keep an eye on. Yeah, you know, give everyone something to think about.
You know, speaking of thinking about, how about Drew Petsing getting an interview with the Bears as a head coach.
Interesting. So the connection is Kevin Warren because Kevin Warren was the president of the Vikings back in the twenty fifteen to twenty nineteen or so when Drew Petsen was there, and they have that connection. So if someone who would be the current Bears president, who in between, by the way, was the Big ten commissioner, Kevin Warren, who's a local guy now he owned a house in the valley not too long ago, might still.
See the one who tried to buy the Vikings once upon a time.
Yes, him and someone else, and then he ended up working for the Wolves and so yes, so there's a long story to that long yeah. But yeah, the Bears head coaching list is lengthy as well. Not the Jets, but it's pretty lengthy as well. It is.
Yeah, but here's the thing. I think it'll be good for him to get an interview. I don't think any betting people, not that I would ever wager, would put Drew Petsing high on the list of probability to be the Bears coach. But it did give Jonathan Gannon a chance to talk a little bit about his offensive coordinator. And then the conversation came up about Kyler Murray, who, by the way again and went on Arizona Sports and said when he was asked of Yler Murray was the starting quarterback, the quarterback for next year for the Cardinals. And then he did say this about Petsing uh and Kyler talking about the offense. For Kyler, it's Taylor fit for him. It's one of the reasons I hired Drew as in Petsing I knew that he was the guy I wanted to play with, and I wanted the system fit in my mind to what his skill set was and is and will grow and continue to develop. So everybody who might have questions a who the quarterback is going to be around here next year, because I know there's people that are like, are they going to stick with Kyler? Yeah, they're going to stick with Kyler and everybody who's brought up are they going to stick with Petsing? Sure sounds like unless he gets a head coaching job, they're going to stick with Petsing Two.
Do you see where the Cleveland Browns started their fortieth different quarterbacks since nineteen ninety nine. I know the grass is always greener. And when people say, you know what, yeah, let's upgrade this position, let's upgrade that position, And there's always discussion about the quarterback, if not Kyler, than whom And is there anywhere close to a guarantee you're going to get an upgrade?
No?
I mean the job of any NFL general manager is to get better at every single position. But is it feasible or realistic, doable or plausible that you could actually go into the market this offseason and come up with a better answer a quarterback than Kyler Murray.
Consistency is key for a team. So all the fans that are clamoring about the year that Marvin Harrison Junior had, you're suggesting that you bring in a new rookie and you think that's going to help elevate his game, just as a specific example, not even taking into account everybody else who would be affected by that. You're right, you're not going to find a better quarterback for what they want to do in this offense. And I think that you saw a good start, maybe not start because last year you did half a season with Murray, but having the fall off season, having the full year, you could tell that Murray was comfortable and that he trusts Petsing as the offensive coordinator. Think about years prior how many times Gardinals were having to burn time outs because calls weren't getting place, you know, sent to the quarterback in time and there were just done creation right.
All of that.
So you have to, you know, take a step back and see it for what it is. And you're right, the grass is not always greener.
I saw this too. I was looking forward. Here it is Colts GM Chris Ballard, who's going to get a ninth year as the Colts GM. Ever since Andrew Luck retired, he's gone through Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, Nick Foles, Gardner, Minshew, Joe Flacco, and Anthony Richardson. How's that going in Indianapolis?
Well, we could do the shorter list. Kurt Warner retires and you get Matt Liinert kind of Derek Anderson, Max Hall, Rich Bartel, John Skelton, Kevin Cobb.
Oh my goodness, yes, until you trade.
For Carson Palmer. And when they traded for Carson Palmer. By the way, there were many people going, why are you trading for Carson Palmer?
He's done, seventh round pick for Carson Palmer.
So again, I guess I'm a I completely understand where fans will get frustrated. Do not get me mixed up with saying otherwise. I'm not blaming fans for feeling that kind of way about Kyler Murray. But if you have been a long term fan, you've been a fan of this team when they weren't sure what the quarterback was going to be. And it's no bueno.
What's the list around the league of coaching vacancies. You've got Chicago, the Jets, the Titans, the Titans, the GM, the Raiders, Saints, Yes.
Patriots, Patriots.
That's seven yep, so.
Meaning what's uh? And the point you're driving.
At with all that, I'm just trying to wrap your head around it, right, is how many availability options are there?
And then there's the maybe the Cowboys.
Yes, if the Cowboys are up, sure, looks like that's Mike McCarthy is going to end up in a job somewhere else. And then so if the Cowboys open, I would think one of those other openings closes, right.
You do you think maybe? Maybe not?
By the way, the last thought on Kyler real quick, Calvin Beacham at his locker and someone did ask him, you know about Kyler, and beach has been you know, in the trust tree at different times of the last few years about Kyler, and and as the elder statesman and CEO of the locker room, if you will, Kelvin Beachum said, and I have it right here. I'm proud of him honestly continuing to get better as a player, and he needs to continue to work on the details. And there's a locker room. That's something we tall talk about and we all think through and we've all talked to improve ourselves as it pertains to the details. He pointed that a couple of times as maybe being behind pre buy versus post buy whatever you know, because when it comes down to executing, especially at the end of games, always comes down to the little things. There are big things in the NFL. Nobody knows better than a super vet like Kelvin Beacham. But he's rapped by saying about Kyler. This franchise looks to the future and Kyler has to be the guy he has to be the alpha, the leader. That's the nature of it, and I really think he's coming into that role. That was Kelvin Beachum. I thought that was really interesting. So my final analogy I'm going to throw out there.
Wait before you get to your analogy, because I want you to have the last word. We did. We did the math wrong that that dinner we were talking about earlier. It would have been like eighty seven hundred dollars a person, not seventy five.
Sorry, still doable math. You had to account for the tip. That's the increase in. Yeah, I'm gonna violate my rule.
Here and a lot of rusau.
Yeah, there's there's a pet peeve I have. I don't like when people go through like give you a recap of a movie. Okay, I want don't like give you like people feel compelled to tell you about like an entire movie and give you a recap the purge.
Hey did you see Wicked? It was about ABCD Yeah, and.
Then thirteen minutes later you're like, okay, I'll get ready to fling yourself out the window, you know that kind of So I'm wondering if I can boil this down because I'm gonna draw an analogy to where the cardinals are in this scene in the movie Ford versus Ferrari.
I haven't seen a Paul oh, I have seen that one.
Well done, Danny, thank you absolutely. Ask me what she hasn't seen ghost? She didn't even know what ghost was. Sounds like he's taking that poisonal a little bit. So there's a scene. It's it's about as Danny knows Darren. It's a it's a real life story. It is a sports story because auto racing is sports, all right, is athletics, Okay, baseball players with hand eye are athletes, the most definitely race car drivers are. And it was about Ford's pursuit of trying to end the dominance of Ferrari in the mid sixties, at the twenty four Hours of Lamont, they were absolutely dominant. And so they're going to decide to build a race car from scratch. They hire the great Carol Shelby. All Right, Shelby Mustangs. Maybe you heard of that. It's a real guy. He was a real dude in the mid sixties. He takes over the team and he builds it from scratch with the blessing up the deuce Henry Ford, the second grandson of Henry Ford, and the first trial run, they go out to a race and it's a disaster. Okay, a lot of stuff breaks, you know, And there's the famous scene is he calls him into the big office at Fort Headquarters. Give me one reason why I shouldn't fire you right now, Carol Shelby, and he says to the deuce, yeah, we had some problems with breaking. We haven't learned how to corner yet. We can't stay cool. Heck, we don't know if our paint chop is going to last twenty four hours. But on the backstraight, twenty three hours into the race, we had two hundred and eighteen miles per hour, and we've got Enzo Ferrari exactly where we want him. And the dude says, expand all Enzo Ferrari ain't ever seen a cargo that fast, and he knows as soon as you make the other adjustments and figure out the other little things, we've got the most important thing down. And sure enough, the next year they took down Ferrari for the first time, and they won it four or five.
Years in a row.
You just ruined the whole movie for Darren.
He'll never watch it, even though he's from Detroit, and it should absolutely be on his list.
When I was born, my father was working at the Henry Ford Museum.
That's okay, it's criminal, and it's egregious on your part. My point is, as Danny wonders, what the heck is the point of that story. The Arizona Cardinals are a top seven running team in the NFL, number two in yards per carry. They came in with the intent to be a physical team and run the ball.
Sounds like two hundred eighteen miles an hour to me.
And they're running the ball better than any team in the NFC West, including the forty nine ers, including a Seahawks team with Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonay, including Sean mcvayh and Kyron Williams. They're running the ball better than any team in the division. Now, they just got to figure out some of the other things because the run game is down, and that's based on the physicality. And what are the other teams saying after they play the Cardinals. That's a physical team, and you can see in their eyes they're like, as soon as they get some of the other things right, they build some of the other components of that team. Look out.
That was a really good analogy, Paul.
That's my comparison.
Darren was Omo. Darren was at thirteen minutes. I was a good analogy. I will give you that one. And you really didn't ruin anything for me because it was like a real life story. It's not like you can't go find it on Wikipedia exactly exactly. I will say that. Yeah, and you're right, I probably won't go watch that. That might you never know.
I've thought about Christian Bale. It's Matt Damon, you know. I meant a good actors some list move.
I've heard it's a good movie.
But did you hear that from Paul?
Yes? Actually I did.
Did you enjoy that?
What I will not be watching is the Purge.
Which one any of them?
Any of them? Yeah?
Okay, all right, Well.
I don't know if I'll be watching Rex Ryan if he's coaching the Jets either.
That's too bad, Darren, because once again this off season will mark the six Purge movie. After the Purge, the Purge Anarchy, the Purge Election. You're the first Purge in the Forever Purge, The Big Red Purge off season twenty twenty five.
Come here, you're talking about on the football side, right, yes
Well, unless you know something that we don't, you're insured, you're in certain meetings that we're not, and we'll leave it there on Cardinals Underground brought to you by Pacific Office Automation
