Hey, guys, it's Albert. We had a great guest coming in for us, a guy who played quarterback during the last situation that was anything like just the two thousand and eleven lockout. How he in lit some of the lessons that he feels like project to two thousand and twenty. Rushes in to help us out with the takeaways, and as always, we wrap things up to the six pack of your Twitter questions and let's go all right, welcome back in. We got a couple more shows before our annual summer break at the MMQB podcast with Albert Brier. We got a great show, had great guest guy you're familiar with who uh will be excited. I'm excited to kind of give you guys his thoughts because he's got some really, uh kind of inside thoughts on the way the twenty twenty season will work from his own experience nine years ago during the NFL lockout. We'll get your questions in the mail bag, but we're gonna start as we always do with the takeaways, and I'm gonna bring Gresh in and before he actually get the takeaways, Grash, I'm gonna admit something here I don't know I don't know a damn thing. I do not know a damn thing about COVID nineteen And I feel like everything I read, like every number that I look at, I know less. Like I feel like if you're asking me, like, and I get asked a lot, is there gonna be a season in September? I feel like every single piece of data I look at is being manipulated one way or the other. And it's well, the numbers are going up, but there are more tests, but this is bad, but this is good. And it just feels like at this point, everyone who's presenting the information is trying to support a point that they've been making for the last three months, which has made it impossible to find reliable information. Well, when we also have some would say subterfuge from certain levels of government, when we have governors who feel very differently than different governors about how it should be handled. When you start to think about bert all of the minority and Latino communities that have been impacted by all of this. You know, you and I live in the same state, but we live in different parts of the same state, and I'm very close to Rhode Island. Who's done. You know, some say that the governor here has been too tough and shutting everything down, when in reality birt. But one thing we have learned that doesn't seem to be hard but people can't grasp is if you wear a mask, you got a hell of a chance to be okay. And yet it seems like it's the absolute worst thing in the world. And look, i'd been I had an eighteen and fifteen year old and a wife who's pretty stubborn too, and even in my own house getting them to just put a mask on, like I don't even care if you wash your hands until you come home. Just put the mask on, you might be okay. And we can't even get to that point. That's the part I don't get, Like, that's the part I legitimately don't understand. It's the easiest thing in the world. It's like, yeah, I mean like back in March, I felt like sort of stupid walking into the supermarket with one, like everybody else did. But I got used to it. And now, if it means there's a two percent chance we get out of this earlier than we would have otherwise, why is that not worth it to everyone to just put the freaking thing on? I don't like at some point you're just being an a hole. No, there's no question. And look, I think that if you, for for anybody who's read up a little bit on this, you can put into context the deaths that are going on in this country to COVID nineteen, and you can look at how different groups are effective differently. And again, you know in my neck of the world the cognitive care facilities. Those facilities have been exposed in COVID nineteen and there's a lot of deaths of older Americans across the board. The problem is we don't have people explaining this to us because to your point, Bird, everybody is trying to run whatever political view they need to around it to be able to save themselves. Meanwhile, we had people who don't really know what in the world's going on, and you could look across the dinner table and talk to someone in the medical industry. So here's my overall point. You can leave both that we should we need to restart the economy and that we should be careful. You can believe both those things at once. And it's also okay to say I don't know, I don't know what it's gonna look like in September. I don't know what it's gonna look like in August. I don't know what it's gonna look like a month from now, and I don't think the NFL knows either, And as much as they want to project confidence to everyone that they're gonna start the season on time, and I mean, I don't think it's a coincidence that these little pieces of confidence are coming along at the same time as season ticket renewals being do and a lot of teams back those up to June thirty were only a few days away from that. UM you know, I like, and I understand wanting to create consumer confidence and confidence with sponsors and advertisers and UM partners, but like, I don't think the NFL knows what it's gonna look like in July. I think that's why we don't have a training camp report date yet. I think that's why it's still a possibility at the start of the season gets moved back. And I think that that's why preseason games probably you're gonna get canceled. Maybe one or two of the full weeks of preseason games could get canceled. Um, there's still a lot to figure out, But I don't want to focus too much on that. That's just something I needed to get off my chest. Uh, we're gonna do the five takeaways before we get to our guests. Crushes back here again and crush my first takeaway if Brady, if Tom Brady wants to go work out in Tampa, I don't really, it doesn't really bother me. He's a grown up. He knows the risks. They're doing it outside. I like, I I think it's a little scheezy, like hawking the like immunity, like juice or whatever it is that that he's hawking as part of this. Like, I think that's a little like scheezy, and like, I like, I wouldn't do that. But if he and Rob Gronkowski and Chris Godwin and Cam Brad and O. J. Howard and Mike Evans want to go ahead and throw the ball around, like they're taking the risk on themselves, like that's on them, you know, And I just I look like I think we've had to figure out different ways to do our jobs at the highest level we possibly can um given all the restrictions, And I think we've all figured out ways to do that right and just so happens that in his line of work, and Tom Brady's line of work, part of it involves congregating. So yeah, I know the NFL p A told them not to congregate, but these are some of the most competitive people on planet Earth. And and you know this as well as I do, Gresh. A big piece of this is every one of these quarterbacks thinks the next quarterback is doing it, and so in order to keep up, he has to do a little bit more well. And there's also the fact that Brady has uh has a little something to prove here. And you and I have been around Tom Brady and his situation in New England a long time and let's just be real about this, um. His wife's wanted him to retire a long time ago. And the best thing that happened to the legacy of Tom Brady in terms of him being able to play to this point, which is why this guy is gonna throw caution to the wind and work hard to to make this work, is because this is the bleep you tour, this is the age Gasel. You know why I need to play two more years because I need to stick it to this guy. Oh Tommy, go do it. We'd love you, and then you know, and then he plays still he's forty five and he's got his immunity, water or whatever in the world it is. I'm telling you it's gonna be terrible when in seven years, after a Red Sox game on nesting or after a baseball game, to the nearest cable network near you, it's gonna be Hi. I'm Alex Guerrero for the TV twelve Method, and he's gonna be howkkin stuff in thirty minute commercials like he's Tony Robbins or or the guy from Fleix Seals like, but right now, this guy, he's gonna throw caution to the wind. He's and and look, he takes care of himself impeccably. I don't even know if the guy's ever sneezed in his life, let alone put himself in danger to really get this. And if you're those other guys, are you kidding me? You might be a little nervous, but it's like God came down to play with you, and with him being there, you're gonna listen to that guy because he has what you want. In fact, he's got six of them. And here's the other thing. He knows how this is done. And we're gonna get to this again with our guests in a little bit. But because he did it before, who was in the Super Bowl coming out of the two thousand eleven lockout? Uh giants, the giants of the Patriots, right, and so like he knows how this is done. They had to workouts at BC back then nine years ago. He understands what it's gonna take. And I mean, look like if I'm one of the like Chris Godwin is a perfect example to me, right, Like, if you're a Chris Godwin and you're playing for a contract this year, right and you have got like he wasn't a first round pick, hell of a player though, thousand yards last year, all the rest of it. Right, Like, if you're Chris Godwin, what are you doing right now? You are listening to Tom Brady and praying to God you catch a balls for about eight touchdowns because you know Tom Brady has made a lot of millionaires over his career and you've got a chance to benefit from playing playing with Tom Brady the same way Dion Branch did, the same way Wes Welker did, the same way David Gibbons did, the same way a lot of guys have. Danny Amendola another one. So yeah, I have no problem with Brady doing this. It's again, it's it's him taking on risk on his own. I I tend to think that, you know, while there are risks with some of the athletes, no doubt about it. Uh, you know, at some point, you know, we're all going to have to take take on some level of risk. And look like what we've been told from the beginning was we needed to flatten the curve, and it does feel like in a lot of parts of the country we've effectively done that. All right, take away number two. I don't get why Ben Roethlisberger's return has sort of flown under the radar the way that it has, But I'm keeping a close eye in the Pittsburgh Steelers grass. Here's what I They went eight nate without him. They went eight nate with a combination of Duck Hodges and Mason Rudolph at quarterback. And I don't know for sure, but sure, but but but definitely starting to feel like they might have the defense fixed finally. And it's been a long time since the days of Ike Taylor and Troy Palamalu and James Harrison and Lamar Woodley and James Ferrier and all of those guys, and the Steelers became awfully reliant on Ben Roethlisberger in that passing game for a bunch of years. And now it feels like he's walking into a situation like maybe like John Elway and Denver at the end, where they don't need him to be they don't need him to be off the charts anymore. And so this is sort of like an under the radar story. And listen, you know, Mike Tomlin said today, um on, I think a zoom call with the local media. He said, coming back from the elbow, the medical experts are comfortable and pleased with where with where where Roethlisberger is. I think the combination of that defense, and then you look at Juju Smith Shuster coming back with something to prove, Deonte Johnson being like the next guy in that assembly line of of of receivers there, James Conner like playing for a contract, same principle as Godwin. And then he's got a couple of promising guys Nanthony McFarland and Benny Snell behind him, and one of the best offensive lines in football. Like, I think Ben Roethlisbroger might be in the best situation he's been in a long time. And like, if he's significantly better than the two guys they rolled out there last year, which I think is a fair expectation, that could be a really good team. No question, they have the ability to be good. My question is, what is Roethlisberger at this point in his career. Is it still the Ben's gonna be Ben. We know he wants to drop back, He's gonna stand there. Or can this guy at least evolve a little bit or have a good enough of a running game that they can say to Ben, listen, dude, this is so good. We need to cut down your number of throws because we have the ability to win games in different ways, and then we'll lean on your experience later on. In a lot of ways, Bur what we thought the Patriots are going to be going into last year with Tom Brady, it feels like there's a lot of similarities for what could happen in Pittsburgh this year in terms of the quarterback doesn't have to be great, but if your run game is really good in your diverse and the quarterback doesn't turn it over and stand there like a statue. Hey, you can move the ball in this league. And defensively, I like where they're at. And I know that Tomlin said a couple of guys got COVID nineteen and again that stuff will all end up flushing out at least you think so. But in terms of the actual football team, they couldn't be good. I wonder if Baltimore looks at what happened to them and that's the driving force for them to get better, and then what will Cleveland be Because if their division ends up being down, if Baltimore comes down a little bit, that division is winnable, and if they win that they got a chance to buy and yeah, and again, like on defense, it's it's as much about like like the horse, like they struck out on. They struck out on a bunch of guys for a while there. But now you're starting to look at it, and you know Cam Hayward and Stephen too it and the defensive line still have something left. Your two young edge rushers Bud Dupree and t J. Watt, who could have been Defensive Player of the Year last year. Outstanding Devin Bush, the guy in the middle of the defense looks like he's going to be a star. And then the secondary you've got Joe Hayden and Minka Fitzpatrick, and I just I don't know, Like I look at every level of that team. I look at like every level of the team now, and it's sort of like it's hard to find like a gaping hole, you know, like it's hard to find a place where you're like, God, that's really a problem. I think Minca Fitzpatrick has a chance to be the most impactful secondary player in the NFL this year. And I know that's saying a lot. Well when you look at what he added to that defense and he gives them that piece to move around the board. I don't know if he's exactly like Troy Polamalu in terms of how they're using it within that defense, but as they evolved the scheme, he has become that guy that they can move around. And we saw his value last year. I ripped them. I thought, what are you doing giving up a first round pick for this guy? He was great last year and now they can build it around him and add even more and put more on his plate. Make if Fitzpatrick could end up, trumping even Watt in terms of a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. I just, I just I just love the talent, like I just need the talent overall, like you said, Minka. And they've got so many guys that were just like Devin Bush was that way at Michigan, Mink Fitzpatrick at Alabama, t J. Watt. It was kind like they're just like guys who are like captains and core guys where they came from. It just it feels like a really good situation. And again, like if the defense is playing well, now all of a sudden, you're not playing from behind as much. You're shortening games, like you're making things that much easier on your thirty eight year old quarterback. All right, takeaway number three. Uh. The line's ownership shifted uh this week. And Martha Ford, who I don't think anybody thought she was getting the team six years ago. UM. A lot of people thought when her when her husband passed away, that it was going to go to their son. That didn't happen. Their son wound up I'm not gonna bore everybody that details here, but their son wound up taking over the Ford company and now their daughter is going to take over the lines. Her name, Sheila hamp she Um basically reiterated what her mother said earlier in the off season, which is that the expectation is that Um, the Lines are gonna be competing for a playoff spot this year. And you know, it's interesting because you know, you look at the job that Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn have done, and I tend to think that they were getting somewhere in September last year, and then Stafford got hurt and the whole thing fell apart. And so I'm not saying like I think they're definitely going to be in the playoffs, but I think from a culture standpoint, they were sort of getting where they needed to go. And what's so interesting about this one is they took two pretty significant pieces out of the puzzle over the last year in Quandre Diggs trading him to Seattle and then Darius Slay trading him to the Eagles. And so to me, this is like sort of a big gamble for Manatrician Bob Quinn, which I think will determine that, like they're like determine what happens with their jobs. Big gamble there now on having the right sort of locker room and having that carry you through. And of course, you know, if Stafford gets hurt, you're you're also gambling on his health because if he gets hurt, all bets are off. But I think it's just going to be a fascinating situation from that standpoint. In Detroit, I like what they've done in terms of the kind of people they brought in defensively, and to your point, you're gonna you're gonna you're gonna be tested earlier than ever this year because of COVID, because of trying to get a football team together. You're gonna have to have some real strong leaders or you're gonna have to have some people in the room with credibility who can stand up as leaders and say I've done this, here's how I think we should do it and take You know, they didn't bring into Ron Harmon because he's a great safety. They brought into Ron Harmon because of the personality in the locker room. Yes, he understands the back end of the defense, but it's those kinds of guys and those veterans who are gonna have to be the ones to bring that football team together. Because Bert to your point, man, they get off to a bad start, see you later that you know, the Fords, whomever is running it, are going to be able to start to think about who the next guy is they're going to bring in. So I think for the Lions, the start also matters because they get off to a bad start. Who knows how patient they're gonna management will be willing to be. The amazing thing is that they've sort of flushed out everybody now, like if you look at it, like they got the ex patrioch guys you mentioned Harmon, Jamie Collins and Trey Flowers are also there on defense. They got one of those guys at each of the levels of the defense. Um. And you know, really, I mean like the core guys on offense. And you're gonna look at it this carry On Johnson, DeAndre Swift, the rookie out of Georgia, Kenny Golladay, um, t J. Hawkinson. It's really like now it's become like like now like you flushed out everybody and now it's like all on you. And so it's gonna be interesting because Bob Quinn is now in his fifth year, Matt Patricia is in the third year, and again like they're gonna have to be in the running to have a chance. And the other thing I would say here too, what's fascinating is I think one of the one of the best head coaching candidates going into this season is a guy out in San Francisco named Robert Sala who do you know where he's from? Well, I know the connections, yes, and reading about it, he's he is a guy who presents really really well. You know, as I heard you kind of going through five years with the GM and three years with Matt Patricia and you're off the names of the talent I saw. Boy remember takes over that job. The coverage is gonna be pretty full. There's a lot of pretty good players there. Yeah, and I think, like I think quietly like Mannatrician, Bob Quinn have done a bunch of stuff right, it just has to come and come together now and again, like that thing is sort of hanging over them too. Okay, takeaway number four. I thought this was fascinating. So Greg Rohman was on a conference call, um I think it was. I want to say it was Tuesday morning with the with the Baltimore Press, and so here's what he said, about the offense, how it's gonna work, where they're going, and kind of the reality of the situation everybody's in. We've definitely tweaked things. We haven't had the luxury of O T, A S and what not to really and what not to really test run certain things. And sorry, we haven't had the luxury of O T S and whatnot to really test certain, test run certain things. We have to be really judicious with how we use that time in training camp. I think experimenting this year is going to be very selective. I'm sorry for my trouble reading. I did not forget how to yeah say, what's going on there? I guess I gotta take third grade English again? Um yeah? Like like so here's why why I why I picked this one out. I think like Greg Roman, who has been in the running for a lot of head coaching jobs over the years hasn't found a way to get one, has a golden opportunity this year, and you know, so much of it. We saw what he did for Colin Kaepernick in San Francisco all those years ago. He was Andrew Lux coordinator at Stanford. If you want to go all the way back there, you know, and now I think, you know, what he did for Lamar Jackson last year was impressive, and if he can spend this thing forward given the circumstances, I mean, I think he's another guy who should be near the top of the list. And what's so interesting about where the Ravens are going into this year. You know, you remember the last time there was sort of an explosion of the spread offense, right, and if you go back to two thousand and eleven, two twelve, what happened with Tim Tebow, Colin Kaepernick, Robert Griffin, Like there was just and you remember how sort of it would be. It was like like the things that we were being introduced in the pro game led to these busts defensively where you would have thirty forty yard runs, you'd have big plays in the passing game, and then eventually it's sort of settled right like and that stuff like schematically, and you'd probably know more about this than me, Gresh, but schematically that stuff works in the NFL. But when you know a forty yard run turns into a four yard run all of a sudden, that hit your quarterbacks taking isn't worth it as much anymore, you know, And then if he's taking more of those hits in the box and that becomes a problem. And so I think that's why it sort of was important that these this stuff keeps evolving, and so I think it will be so interesting now that the league has a full year of tape based on what they were doing with Lamar Jackson last year. What does Greg Roman do to evolve it? Does he do to keep his quarterback healthy and upright? And what does he do to keep pushing this thing forward? Um one of the smartest guys in the league when it comes to the run game, and to me, it's gonna be fascinating to see exactly what he does to try to quick tweet things to the point where you know you can keep it moving forward well. And hearing you go through all of that and made me think of two thousand and nine. I think it was when the Dolphins went to the Wildcat Angel that stadium. Oh wait, yeah, and all of a sudden it was, oh my god. They brought this to the NFL and and they ended up winning a division off of it, I do believe, because you know, people just weren't ready for it, and you talked about the evolution of these things. I think with the way that offense is set up in in Baltimore, to me, it's now doing more off of the tight ends, because I thought the tight ends really evolved in the passing game as the year went on. Well, now, how do you add layers to that? If people do start to load up on a tight end, what do you do to sort of come in underneath of it? Or you know, you bring a crosser or your comboing an outside wide receiver with the tight end and trying to manipulate people a little bit. But remember you're only gonna ask the quarterback to do so much. And I think there's a lot of you know, the old Colin Kaepernick offense, Jim Harball. We're seeing a lot of that stuff. And I do think if the athleticism or the play of the quarterback declines, you better have a power running game that is good enough to be able to survive. And that's what San San Francisco had a great running game to me, not because they had to move quarterback, but because those years in Harball was there. They just ran over you and beat you up. And I think they had had Joe Staley, they had Anthony Davis, Mike I potty loaded and they had Frank Gore running behind those guys. So if Baltimore can keep that up with mark Ingram and whatever, you know, whomever who they drafted in the second round. Yeah, so I think it is doable. But to me, it's gonna have to be more off of the evolution of the passing game to the tight end, because I just don't think you can ask Lamar Jackson to do what Tom Brady or other quarterbacks would do, which would be to stand back there, run the no huddle, change the pace by actually changing the pace of how you run the plays, not change the pace because you can dart around and l one everybody and have people missed for thirty yards. And well that was what's so fascinating about the way they built a team, Like I've I mean this in the I mean this in the most complimentary way possible. Eric the Costa built that team in a way that you could explain to a third grader, and like, I think that that, like so much of it was just simple logic and common sense, and it was like, Okay, so we've got this fast quarterback, how do we move people out of the box. We draft Hollywood Brown and Miles Boykin, two of the fastest receivers in the draft. So if they don't respect our ability to get the ball downfield, we're going to burn them. So there's that. How do you become multiple in the running game? You load up at tight end? What do they do do Hayden Hurst, Mark Andrews, Nick Boil Like, they've got depth at tight end. And then one of the other things that they ran into was you remember that playoff game against the Chargers, right, what did the Chargers do? The Chargers put seven dbs in the field to deal with Lamar Jackson speed, Right, so they had I think it was like three safeties at line that playing linebacker. Well, what did the Ravens do? Then they signed mark Ingram? So you know what you wanna put You wanna put safeties at linebacker. Guess what you got two five pounds of mark Ingram running at you now. So I just thought so much of it was common sense. And that's why I have to think the way that organization runs and how well it's run. I have to think they're gonna have answers. You would think so. And for the offenses like that, the run games vital. If you can't run, you can't win. For them, there is because they fell behind against the Titans. We saw it happened like they choked them out really really difficult to play from behind when you play offense that way. Yeah, all right, takeaway number five. I don't think Jamal Adams is getting traded. I just I don't think that. I don't think that. And look like this sort of goes back to me last year, right and you know, part of the reason this is in the news he requested a trade formally um within the last couple of weeks. And I don't know if you saw the video. Do you see the video? Okay, So Jamal Adams was driving he was driving like this Mercedes STUV. Like to me, it like looked like the Safari vehicle from from Asmin. Sure to remember that. I like that, that's a good reference. Yeah yeah. So and like there was just some dude like was was had his phone out, said hey, yeah, you're going to Cowboys, dog yo Cowboys and he yelled out the window. I'm trying so clearly clearly and and and Jamal has done some other things too, righte Like we saw I think he said, like what would he didn't he have like the Marcus May tweeted something. Then he quote tweeted Marcus May. I think it was something along the lines like I'm gonna miss playing with you or something like that. So he's clearly pushing buttons right now. This was something that came up. Uh, this was something that came up. Like last year when Jalen Ramsey forced his way out of Jacksonville. A couple of people have mentioned me, watched Jamal Adams try this next year if he doesn't get what he wants to contractually. Sure enough, here we are. This is a sticky situation for Adam Gaze, It's a sticky situation for Joe Douglas. The guy's a captain. He's loved, he's beloved in the locker room. I'm gonna give you an interesting fact though. Okay, so since over the last three months, since the end of March, do you know how many players, how many veterans have signed extensions with their teams since March? How many have signed extensions with their teams throughout the entire league? Thirty two teams, maybe five three Christian McCaffrey, Laramy Tunsil, Patrick Chung. Those are the only three and Chung was basically a pay cut. Chung was a cat move, right, So like, for the most part, you've had two real extensions over the last three months. I'm telling you, Like, there are cash flow issues across the league, like teams are having an issue paying their own guys. Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes are eligible for extensions Crickets on those the Dak Prescott conversation, I think a little bit more difficult than the Cowboys anticipated it would be. We don't know what the salary cap is gonna look like in twenty one, and if it is, if the formula spits out a lower number, that could affect the cap in twenty two and twenty three. I think all of this fight plays right into the Jamal Adams thing. And I think to some degree, Joe Douglas the GM there, his hands are tied, and I think it's gonna be difficult for them where I like, if you're them, do you want to set the president of allowing a guy to shove his way out of town? I just I do what I can to try to make that right, Like just from a because he's close with Gregg Williams, so maybe you Greg Williams with Jamal Adams, but find a way to get to say to him, Hey, hey, dude, sit tight like this is this is just the way it is across the NFL. And if you think that like we're gonna trade you somewhere and then some team's gonna fork over like a groundbreaking extension, it's just not happening. No, he's being business unrealistic right now because it's all about him. It's what he wants once he gets Dude, you were the sixth overall pick in the draft, so relative to people coming into the league compared to your compatriots, so the people you came in with, uh, you're pretty well paid. Now. He's a great player, there's no question, but he is not a He is not a guy that I said. And I love the leadership skills and everything, but the play on the field does not scream. This is one of the best defensive players in the league. He's really good at his position, there's no question, But I don't think you can build a defense around him. Maybe if it were him in Pittsburgh versus Manka Fitzpatrick, maybe I would think about it and feel differently. But you're three years in the league, and you're already squawking that you want to get out of town because you're not getting what you want. Yet you're a team captain and a team leader, so you're also the one who's gonna turn around and try to get the people who are gonna look at you, on the other hand and say, all right, well, you're bitching that you're here, but you're gonna try to lead us while you're here as a little bit of a slippery slope. So Jamal Adams, this is terrible timing right now. Somebody needs to pull him aside and say, listen, dude, to your point, he ain't get traded anywhere where someone's gonna turn around and give him forty five million in one check. It ain't I'm gonna I'm gonna mention, I'm gonna give you this list two. Okay, I think this is interesting. Forget Watson, Mahomes are quarterbacks. That's different, right, So we all understand that Joey Bosa, Jalen Ramsey, Ronnie Stanley, Ryan Kelly, Alvin Kamara, Dalvin Cook, Chris Godwin, George Kittle, Keenan Allen, Patrick Peterson, Von Miller, all of those guys are in contract years. None of them have gotten extensions. It's just I mean, look like it's just the reality right now. And I think part of its cash, right Like, I think definitely part of it's cash that some of these teams are bracing for losses in the fall. And then I think part of it is the uncertainty of the cap. When we saw us back in two thousand ten, right like before the lockout, you remember this, teams were saying, we don't know what it's gonna look like after this year, so it's really hard. Yeah, I even use the example yesterday. Um so if you look at Dak Prescott, right, so, like let's just use this number. And I thought this was interesting use the like like let's just say that otherwise the cap like like if none of this had ever happened, right then, the cap was going to be two hundred and seventy million, right And let me pull this up, but the cap was gonna be two d and seventy million, Okay, And I think that's conservative based on going but to seventy three. Um, and let's say that Dak Prescott is on a deal, it's at forty million a year, So forty million, forty million a forty million dollar cap number against a two seventy million dollar cape, you'd be talking about fourteen point eight percent of your cap. All right, Now, let's knock that number down to to twenty based on the idea that this is going to affect the league financially, they're gonna have to borrow against future years everything else. Now you're talking about that percentage going up to eighteen point two percent. That's four percent of your salary cap when you have fifties three guys in your roster, and that's a quarterback. So obviously the percentages are bigger, but you're dealing with that with each one of these guys, and so, like, I just I don't know what's gonna solve this. I just like I don't think that that the hold out rules are such where it's gonna be hard for Jamal Adams to hold out, And I feel like that's probably why he's doing it now, because he's trying to put pressure on them before he has to show up for camp. I think ultimately he shows up for camp and it'll be interesting to see um. I think a big challenge to for Adam Gaze and Greg Williams. It'll be interesting to see how they make this work because I think that coaching staff too. You know, whenever Woody Johnson gets back from Europe, and it could be this year, then that coaching staff is gonna have a new boss to answer to, which is sort of an interesting element to all this as well. Yeah, I look, I'm not against players advocating for themselves. I think that when it comes down to business, you've also got a there's a matter of practicality there as well, and it just doesn't seem like Jamal Adams can think outside of his own bubble as to what he wants or where he wants to go. And I also saw another one of your tweets where when you went to go cover the Cowboys, someone who covers the Cowboys bet said, dude, don't ask him. They all want to play for the Cowboys. That's a d percent the truth. They all they all want to be on that stage. So that's part of it. I know he's from there, but like every single one of these guys wants to play for the Cowboys. Rish As always appreciate you coming out and we will get to our special guests right after this and Alright, we're gonna have one of one of our favorite guests are occurring guests here on the podcast back. Uh. You know him from from Fox the pregame show there. Um, he's called games both NFL and UH in college football, and he's a former Notre Dame of Brown's Broncos Lions. I always screw this up, Brady. Uh, he's pretty quint. How many teams is it you can run him down for me? Yeah? So a few years in Cleveland. Therefore, I got traded to Denver for a couple of years, a year in Kansas City, split a year between the Jets and the Rams, uh in two thousand and thirteen, then finished off training camp there with Miami Dolphins and fourteen. Okay, so so here's what I Why did I say Lions? Did you have like a workout with them at the very end? Was that? What it was? No? The Lions and then the Bears were actually interested in fourteen that summer, and I just wasn't healthy enough forabing back from a back injury to be able to work out for them. But who knows, maybe things would have been different. Okay, so maybe not so. Um, So I want to focus a little bit on your time with the Broncos for a pretty specific reason. And um, you know it's interesting when I went like back and looked at and I think are like for everybody, are sort of point of reference this year with this offseason has been twenty eleven because it was similar in that, you know, a lot of stuff was shut down and it was harder for players to get ready, harder for coaches to get ready. Um. And so yeah, I thought it was interesting about it, Brady, was there are two coaches who um, there are two coaches or two teams with new coaches that made the playoffs that year. One was the Niners with Jim Harbor. The other was the Broncos with John Fox Um. And so I guess I want to start there with you, like, um, just what you remember about what Foxy and his staff did in eleven that maybe I don't know, could could serve as like sort of a roadmap for teams in two eleven. Yeah. So the hard part about answering that is when when he had got hired, you know, he had had such a small window of time, uh kind of sand Hi to players, talk to some players before we were locked out, so you know we were fortunate to have such a great group of veteran leaders, guys like Brian Dawkins for example, Elvisdoomerville, Champ Bailey really defensive lead and that would be the story of that season for us. But Chris Cooper on the offensive line. Um, you know, those guys really provided the leadership over the period of time where you know, we weren't allowed to be at the facility, so we had to be creative with how we prepared ourselves. I really felt like that summer kind of galvanized us as a group before Coach Fox even really had his chance to get us in a training camp because we had been training with ironically enough, now the strength coach. Uh, they're Lauren Landau, who's one of the best. Brian Dawkins really in front of the bill for a lot of us. And then I organized everything with the offense. Adam Gates had moved to the quarterback coach at the time. I had a great relationship with him predating being with the Broncos. So I had gone over and I was getting our installs like we would have had a mini camp and and and O t A S. And I was taking them the practice and we were running all sorts of drills. UM, and it's it's funny Mike Cliss, Who's UM. I believe with the Denver post out there and and inside with the team. He actually wrote a book about this whole this whole season, this whole summer and everything else. But UM, that period of time I think really helped our team be able to developed this sort of chemistry that no matter what adversity we hit during the season, we we kind of were able to fight through. And so it started there in the summer before we eating John Fox even, you know, really really got us on board. We didn't start off great. You know, we were maybe a five D team to start off the season. And when we made the transition from from Warden to Tebow, I think it was honestly the flexibility of of coach Fox, Mike McCoy obviously at the top out of Gas saying we need to do everything drastically different if we're gonna try to win football games. Because with Tim at quarterback, it was just a different scenario as far as what his strengths were and how he would best operate. So coaches flexibility to be able to make that change, I think is what honestly allowed us to to finish eight and eight, but when that tiebreak could go into the playoffs, and I think that's the biggest thing that's gonna happen this year. This year is gonna be about adapting and changing and which teams are going to be able to make those changes. It could be in game, it could be week to week, or it could be like a dramatic shift like that, you know, maybe almost halfway through the year. Okay, so I want, like, let's rewind all the way back then to the player lad stuff, because you see a lot of that going on now right, like you said, and for obvious reasons, a lot of times it's the quarterback organizing it. You said, you had a pretty big hand in um doing what you guys were doing with the Broncos that year. How did that come together? And how much can you really accomplish in that you mentioned like the camaraderie and everything else, And we'll get to that, but like, you know, how did those come together and and and how much can you really accomplish from a football standpoint in that setting? You can get a good amount done as far as making sure guys are aware of the terminology and the pass routes, you know, combinations, and the offensive lineman working on their past sets and kind of doing some some mini one on ones. I mean, it's different compared to what we're dealing with now, where I don't know how much players want to be in close proximity with one another. But um, there was a lot of work that was done to essentially or a place where we missed out on an O, T A s UM. And so even though they weren't coaches, they're necessarily leading it. You know, there was certain guys who are echoing what the coaching staff wanted them to say. Whether I was you know Wink who was our DC now the friends of Cornator in Baltimore, or whether it was you know microco Adam Gains things they were echoing to us to then feed into the rest of the offense and players, or uh Mag's are O Lion coach Dave Magazoo, who was you know coaching those guys up. So you know, it was essentially what you'd get done usually in the t A is just without having the coaches there and you weren't going back and watching the film of it. You were more staying out there and so whenever you needed to. You know, you weren't on that shock clock like you are in the facility. So um, that was a big part of it. Um, you know, how was it organized? So Laura Lando was a trainer there locally in Denver, and a lot of players worked in the offseason anyway, So it just so happened to work out where Lauren Landa was kind of fulfilling this this like niche this area for us at that point in time, and guys already had gone to work out with him anyway, and so it's perfect. I mean, he really did have a great set up where other professional athletes who lived in Denver would come back his pre draft guys. You know, they'd be all they're kind of working out so you'd be all training for that upcoming season. And it just so happened in the summertime. You know, he really did have a solid plan put together where he worked with us and obviously Brian Dawkins um to be able to essentially have it be like a big team workout like you would have had with Rich Twoton, who was our our strength coach at the time. Is there something to the idea of like the the whole idea of like, because it's coming from the players, there's a little more meaning behind it. I've heard a lot of guys say that that, like, because you're not forced to be there, and because it's everybody is there by choice, that maybe it adds another layer of team building their accountability. That that that's what it's all about, is you know, when when the coaches come to you with the play, you know it's never gonna work if you don't take the accountability as a player to execute the way they're asking you to or or whatever you need to do in order to make it work. And I think that starts when you have opportunities like that with players to be out there and figure out on your own, because a lot of times the way you draw it up and then the way you go out and practice it, it's gonna be different, right, Like sometimes depending on the type of post route, right, there's all sorts of different posts, right bang eight, there's a slim, there's a skinny. There's a different terminology for it. Well for the quarterbacks, you know, usually is it five and plant throw is the five? Are you hitching? Is it? You know? Off of the play action past fig is the seventh step deeper. So a lot of times that the footwork you might draw up on the board one way, I say it's gonna hit this way, but it en the route that might have end then changing, or the or the footwork right image end up changing, and all that stuff gets figured out during these workouts. So, um, I think that's the biggest thing is just the accountability that comes along with the players leading it because it means more to you. You know, you're not we weren't getting paid, we weren't getting paid at all at that point in time, but we're there because we're putting that money in the bank to then have the payoff once the season came along. And I think when you look at each other when the season comes along, or when adversity strikes in the game or afterwards and we're trying to break down why this happened or what we need to do to change it, guys are able to take that constructive criticism so much better because it's not finger pointing. It's like, hey, dude, I was there with you back in the summertime and we were both working our tail off to be able to make this thing work. Let's figure this out and so it comes from a differ in place too, I think as a player when you're talking to one another trying to figure out solutions. All right, I gotta just warn everybody who might be listening to this that I got some natural sound in the background. My basement's getting worked on right now. So if anybody can hear that, that that saw in the background, that's what that is. So it's the off season for everybody. We've got some home projects going on here that I can't really control. Um. Yeah, I wonder too, Like you bring up the whole idea of accountability and no finger pointing. I'm looking at that season now, and I got it up. I believe you guys started oh and was oh in three like yeah, so I'm looking at now in September. You guys had losses too, well, you know you started out one and four, And I'm assuming what you're talking about is being able to kind of maybe weather the storm of that, like where maybe because there was that investment, you're able to kind of fight through it because you know that you know, everybody's put the work in. Yeah, no, and and and That's that was what I was kind of referring to in regards to our defense in particular, I think that group that season, you know, really really helped kind of take on this this mantra or take on this this idea that regardless of whatever the score was, they were going to hold the opponents of less, you know, and they continued to up their game to the point where, you know, when we got things rolling, um once you know, they had changed from from Kyle to Tim, the defense was playing at such a high level. You know. I think as an offense, we really felt like if we just controlled the game, try to play mistake free, we could win because of our defense. And and again, that trust isn't easy to to have between a team. You know, usually it's the defense and our offense go out there and do that. Um, first year with the new head coach, you know, we'll make this dramatic shift on offense to a completely different, you know, style of how we're gonna play. And so there was like this trust that I think was built before the season never started, in in each other and knowing the work we put in, knowing that, you know, if we play this way, we can beat a lot of teams. We can still make this thing work. And I think that was, Um, that trust was built back before everything that even started, you know, with our with our defense, and I think they looked at each other and picked it up even more so from that point moving forward in this season. Do you like so When I talked to Foxy about this, he said that there was then maybe they scaled back a little on what you got, like instead of trying to force feed you guys everything in training camp, like, he scaled way back. I think one example he brought was maybe that, like maybe that the install they did was only for the first four weeks of this season instead of the entire season. It was something like that. Um, could you sense that as a player, could you see that maybe it was the learning was moving a little bit slower and maybe it was a little more deliberate because of the circumstances, probably for the defense, for the offense not so much, only because with Mike McCoy being there, he was there previously, with Josh McDaniels, now he was going to take a much more active approach as calling the plays given his background being with John Fox previously in Carolina, and then um, you know, Josh McDaniels had called the players the year before, even though Mike had helped him game plan, so our terminology was pretty much the same. There was a few things here and there we did a little bit different. Uh, it was more about you know, again what we were doing with Kyle, which you know, Kyle was very smart quarterback football I quise and how he saw the game in particularly passing game, and so what we were doing with him was much more complex and carry over for really what he had had the previous two years as opposed to what we started doing later in the season. When Tim got in that that was when, you know, I think with what Coach Fox was talking about, that was when you started to see them saying, Okay, let's just do what we do well, let's just do it. Tim is comfortable with and confident in doing and that will give us our greatest chance of success and ended up working out that way. Was there, like, so, was there a point where you realized we could be pretty good? Like? Was there a point where it was? And maybe it was over the summer maybe you knew going in, but was I mean that was obviously the franchise had been through a lot in the years previous. They fired a legend and Mike Shanahan. Things didn't work out with Josh, Like was there a point in there where you were like, you know what, like this isn't a bad team, like like we've got a chance. Yeah. No. I even think the year before when when Josh was there, when you looked at, you know, just the offense, how it could operate. I mean, he's a mastermind from a scheme standpoint, and we had all the pieces like Jabar Gaffney and Brandon Lloyd and Brandon Stokey when he was there, and um, you know, if you looked at a rushing attack, you know, we were probably a little more inconsistent at least my first year there in UM. But when Willis mcgahey got there, uh in two thousand and eleven, you know, I really feel like at least I had a ton of confidence in r a line are running game. Are the guys that were out there, Decker Da, Marius Thomas, Brandon Lloyd, you know, those guys were special. Um. It was one of the most talented teams that I was ever a part of in that regard, so we definitely had confidence in the ability to execute. It just came down to, you know, how we're gonna go about doing it and then defensively, I mean you have what two Hall of famers, you know, Champ Alien, Prie Dawkins, like trust me, like I was going up against the Scout team, it was it was fun. They like to be able to go against the defense like that. And at edge, Rushia like Elvis Doomerville and ste Von Miller get drafted that year and as a rookie knowing that he's gonna be, you know, another Hall of Famer. I mean when it comes down to it, like you could see how special that group was, um and it you know again to me, it didn't have uh, I didn't have it. It's not that we couldn't, you know, say that early in the season. I just think it was us finding out how to put it all together and then make it work. Like I always say this when we look at team schedules, when we have to buy at the halfway point, you have enough film at that point to say this is what we're good at, this is what we're bad at. And hopefully at that point in the season you're not out of it, because if you're in it, you can make those adjustments to then really you know, kick some masks the second half of the season. I think we had to have that kind of come to Jesus moment after the first five games, and we were able to start to figure that out as things started moving forward. But it was just you know, lad By our defense and led bar running game and how you know that all transpired. Alright, So I do want to spend this for but first, because that was such a crazy season, um and because so many weird things happened, is there one like particularly crazy story you can share, like? And I just think, like, you know, we had like I said, we had Foxy on here a couple of weeks ago, and he said that like some coach and training camp like asked the question, are we sure that Tim's right handed? Um? Or left handed? Um? Is there something? Is there something that was really stands out as like the craziest thing that you can remember from that year and the way it went um Man. I mean probably just his first start that year down in Miami, Probably how that game went, because for about three quarters and a fourth quarter until about I think four minutes left, it was bad. It was it was it was hard to watch, um And you had saw some of that in preseason, so you were kind of thaying yourself, like, man, what what's this plane ride gonna be like? Going back? You know, what's the conversation gonna be like? And then things just kind of started to go away, you know, like he made it. He made a completion. I want to say, over the middle. It wasn't a pretty pass, but it was like the only spot it could have been, and I think it like it might have curved or tailed like right in there um that I can't remember who ended up catching it, um, but it was a hell of a catch that put us in position to score a touchdown. And I think on two separate occasions, like Miami that year was and this is how we we called on our game plan sheet, g t H, I gotta have it right. So on those gout to have its situations. They were a blitz zero team and all out of blitz team and so I can't remember if it was the touchdown own itself or it was the two point converge because we had to go for two, but they brought it all outblits. He I don't think he checked it, which he was supposed to check to the past Max protect but it worked out like it ended up working out anyway, and then we had an on side kick and then like that, then then you're starting to feel like the momentum of it, and I believe we end up winning via via a field goal like at the very end, uh and there might have been a strip sack at one point to our defense, Like, but that was that was the first time you like solve this sparkness excitement, and it was almost like if you've ever been in the ocean with like a big wave coming and it's like you see it coming, but you can't stop it. Like it's gonna it's gonna hit you and it's gonna move you, like no matter how you brace yourself. And that was what it was kind of like like from that point moving forward, we would get to the end of games and like this big wave would come and whether it was the Bears, the Jets, the Vikings, like I think they felt it coming and they couldn't stop and it's just like it would just knock him over the end. And then between tim making plays are defense getting stops, getting the ball back, and then Matt Prator quite possibly because unsung hero that year, just like bombing kicks to tie or win ball games like it just all came together. So that first, that first start, that was the one that kind of stood out the most because it really was what continued to repeat itself over the rest of the year. Yeah, I remember the Marrying Barber fumble, which was just like almost unexplainable, like like that was I think he was on the Bears right like like, no, there was one time he fumbled another time if he doesn't run out of bounds lay in that game, I mean just stayed. But there was a fumble too later after that, and then like there was a Christian Ponder backed up. There's like twenty or thirty seconds left maybe in the game, maybe a minute, who knows, But I mean they're at home, we're tied. All you're thinking is maybe they just try to, you know, kneel or run the clock out. He throws a bad up an interception. I mean it was a cover to and he threw a corner route trying to throw back behind. I want to it was Andre Goodman are our cornerback literally hit him right in the chest. And then instead of southern field goal range, um the Jets blood zero. Eric Smith coming off the edge, he's unblocked coming at Tim can't bring him down and then and that's it, Like Tim's out the gate and he's running the end zone. So it was like it was like those plays like there was always like a play like that, you're going it came down execution and and then the opponent just didn't execute the way we ended up ended up doing in the end. Did change it like the way you think about football and all that year. It no, you know, it wasn't that year. It wasn't until I got to Seattle in two thousand and thirteen and when we were in an installed meeting with Daryl Bevil and we were talking and it was you know, it's a West Coast offense. And our quarterback coach was Tator Smith or Carl Smith, we haven't called. Everyone calls him Tater. He'd been with me in Cleveland or nine, and so in that offense, it was a New England style offense with Brian Dable, So you had answers for everything. If you saw something you could change in audible, you know, whatever you needed to do. In this offense. It was different. He was like, yeah, and this is your quick throw if you need it, but otherwise you just gotta make a play. And I was like, I kind of turned around, like that's not part of my game. But like I've been one of those cerebral guys like I can't run around like Russell Cam. I'm gonna need some help here, I think, like check this or do something. And but but at the same time, I thought to myself, like this is just a game, Like you're not gonna have answers for everything in football or in life. So it took me back to thinking about how that was one of the at that point in time in my career, was the most successful team at least getting the playoffs I've been a part of. I mean, I was on a tenant six team, but we didn't make the playoffs in Cleveland that year. And so I remember thinking back, like maybe there's more to this, like just being able to make a play in the moment out there instead of just trying to do it. I was drawn up right, Okay, so spaining this forward, Now, what do you think, Like, what's the makeup of a team gonna need to be to win in this situation? Do you think because you take the lessons from eleven, obviously, I think I mean, despite what you guys were able to accomplish. I would say, I think the easy answer is stability with your coach, stability with quarterbacks. So teams like New Orleans and Pittsburgh and like teams that have had like like Kansas City, teams that have long time coaches, long time quarterbacks, like you know what, it would seem to be an advantage. Um, what do you like? Like what teams do you look at and say that team is gonna be ready for this? Well, the first thing I'll say is, I think one of the things that that summer and all our preparation helped us do was we stayed healthy that year. We came in in shape, we we were tested, Lauren, you know, we were in good shape, good condition. We worked out to get all that stuff. And so that's like one of the biggest things that I think always plays a factor in every season is what kind of shape you know the teams are in. Well you can make you can ask the same question this year more so than ever, Like you know which teams are gonna be in the best condition, which teams are gonna we're gonna suck through the worst injuries. So you know, for example, the Bucks, just because it's been widely reported that you know, Tom's down there basically running practices in Tampa. Like I would say, look, there's a lot of change on that roster, and obviously Tom coming in there and it's a new offense to him, but they're already practicing like they're already close sort of football shape than maybe a lot of other teams out there. So you know, even though, um, they've got to deal with that transition, I still think like if it helps them stay healthy throughout the year, that's gonna be the biggest thing. Coming in to camp in shape and coming in the season in shape. So um, that was one of the things that I think those summer workouts really helped us with was just our general health for our entire team. Like we didn't we didn't have guys who were going down, We're getting tire laiding games all that. Like we were ready to go that season. Do you remember like they're being by people's radar being up for injuries, like whether it was the trainers, the coaches, whatever, because I know, I think the stats show there were a lot of achilles injuries that year, But I do remember going in a lot of people are talking about soft tissue stuff like so do you remember like like that year was did seem like a little, I guess a little different in the way that everybody was handled. I think one the way Greek trainer there in Denver handled it was he and he made sure that like guys were geting of body work. I mean, they do as good of a job as any team. You know with Greg Rosscoff and uh Dr Leahy, you know, guys who invented like muscle activation technique and UM and and and a art and all that sort of stuff in the massage therapist. So there definitely was an emphasis on that. There's definitely an emphasis on hydration, like more so than ever that particular year I remember, and it's not I mean Denver gets hot, but and it's our altitude, but there was it felt like there was more of an emphasis on that. And even like the pace at times of practice where it would be intense, but then when you were taking some periods off, you were taking some periods off I think in order to kind of build up and work work people into it. So um, there was definitely a different field I think that year for the reasons that you mentioned UM and I thought again, the entire staff there obviously did a great job, you know, dealing with it. I think Greek's been around long enough he probably he'd probably seen some different things like that before. So is it do you think it's fair to say New Orleans, Seattle, I'm in Kansas City, Pittsburgh. Like, those teams that have stability, you know, of the coach with a quarterback are going to be an advantage Philly Baltimore to agree to degree now Lamar going into year three, do you think those teams are gonna be like just just be sort of playing from from ahead when they show up at the end of July. Oh, for sure, for sure. I mean there's gonna be you know, less input of the coaching staff, right Like let's say, for example, I'm sure Bruce Arians and Byron left which are are talking to Tom about, you know, their offense and what they're doing, the players and so forth. There's probably a fine line of communication. But um, you know, those teams that don't have to deal with that when they get the camp and they're like no, no, no, no, we're not running like this, we need to do it like this. Um, those teams have an advantage, there's no doubt. And that's where I go back to, you know, we we really didn't change a ton offensively going into that year with Or you know, we we had the same terminology. We just had a different person calling the plays. Um, and maybe there's a different you know, philosophy once we got into a Tim. But again, Mike had been with Tim for two years and so we kind of already had a package that we liked with him previously with Josh, and then we already you know, could expand upon now with some of the things. So um, you know, for us, like that year, even though we had a new head coach, at least offensively, we weren't changing a ton of what we were doing. And even differ defensively, we didn't. We didn't do a ton of changes either that particularly year. Okay, Um, before I let you go, I do want to talk to you a little bit about the young quarterbacks coming in because we had such a great experience talking about Burrow and Um Burrow in the class last year, Um, you know, to and obviously justin Herbert. I just want to get your initial impressions on the draft class, assuming these guys come out. Um, and you know, we talked a little bit before about your experience with Trevor Lawrence. Uh, this guy has been sort of built up, I guess to be and like that rare, like Peyton Manning, John Elway, Andrew Luck. Like this is the next guy in that category. Um. Is that fair? Um? I mean, I'm definitely not one to determine what's fair or what's not, but I do think it's legitimate. Um. I remember watching him back when he was in high school. Him and Emery Jones, who was a quarterback now at Florida. There are two of the top kids in their class that had come to this under armed camp in Baltimore, and I remember like they were I think juniors are going to be juniors another class, but you know that was there obviously was the older group, and I think mac Jones in that class, he might have won whatever point competition we had, at least for the seniors and all that. He was now a quarterback at Alabama, and I I remember just having a hard time watching anyone else but Trevor Lawrence. The way he threw the football at that age, you were just like, wow, like this kid special. I mean, he absolutely could sling that thing all across the field. Um. And and that's obviously a skill set or an attribute that you don't know how it's gonna play out, depending on where he goes and how he develops. But I think the more he's played, the more you've gotten a sense of a his poison's demeanor, how he processes and his football. Like you, the thing that stood out to me, at least watching him more the order he has gotten is just how they use them. From athletics standpoint, like it's a good athlete, he can move and you go back to that Ohio State game in the semifinal again, he was taking some shots like he's displayed more athleticism and more toughness then I had realized. I think this past year that only continued to make me gush more about him. You know so, I I think he's as good of a prospect as we've seen probably since Luck. Like all those comparisons people talk about, I think it's fair. Um, And look, that doesn't mean he's going to turn into a guy that's one of the greatest ever because, and I'll continue to say this for the rest of my life, the situation and circumstance he enters into and then how that team handles him and takes care of and all that that's going to determine as much as anything else. Do you like, So what separates him, like when you look at him versus other guys and you said you can see it when he was a junior nigh school, right, Like, what what is it that separates the talent you see from him versus like, I guess what you would call the field of elite quarterback prospects. I would say back then, what stood that was a his arm strength and his ability to be accurate with that arm strength at every level. Um back when he was young, and then watching him as he's continued to get older, to me, it's always how that his game is going to translate to the NFL. So, and I put this up I think maybe earlier this past season on Instagram page, which I'm taking a taking a break from social media right now. So but if you go back and look it up, you can see some of what I'm talking about in regards to when he gets to the top of his drop or just watching him subtly move within the pocket. It's a thing of beauty. It's it's similar to Burrow last year. However, I would say Lawrence does it as well, if not maybe even a little bit better as far as his ability to He's a right handed quarterback, so a lot of times moving to your left is difficult because you have to make a decision one of two ways. You're either opening out where you're gonna continue to keep um your your upper half pointed out to the field, or you to spin out and reverse out where you're gonna lose a half second of vision on the field. Right, those are your two ways in which you are able to move well. When you spin out, you can actually get yourself readdressed to throw much easier instead of just opening up, turning and running. He can he can articulate his body, his upper half and disassociate disassociation with it with his lower half and still make a lot of throws. So it's the subtle pocket movements that I see him just kind of slow slide here and there and get the ball out. It's a lot of that, you know, kind of special ability to articulate his arm or body to make certain throws too. Like those are the things where I'm like, if he goes to a team of the bad offensive line, not as big as an issue because because he's already got those natural skills to translate. Okay, So the next guy, who I think he's been connected to him since they were in high school because they grew up down the street from each other effectively, um, is Justin Fields at Ohio State. Do you think it's close, Like do you think Fields has a chance to get into his class or is it just the like Lawrence is just like such a generational prospect that Fields is probably fighting to be number two. Yeah, I think it's it's more Fields fighting to be number two. And again that's only in my opinion how I feel about Trevor and what I saw since his true freshman year. The thing I'll say about Justin is I went back and went to training camp last year Ohio State and watched him in a scrimmage. It was concerning, is how it put it in regards to how he looked in that scrimmage, and and then watching him versus f a U. I was like, okay, you know, but that's not really a test, but still the next step. Right, every single week last year and we followed Ohio State closely, you know, given our pregame show and some of the destinations Penn Stay Wisconsin Big Ten Championship UM Michigan, Michigan. He got better and better and better as a pocket passer, and it became more than just a guy who could run and can throw accurately to his first read, to a guy who was getting the number two or was getting the number three at times, um and and and improving upon it. Now. The only reason why I say there's separation between him and and Trevor is, you know, a just everything that Trevor's demonstrated over the course of his career. But also in watching that second match versus Wisconsin, the Big Ten Championship game, you know, you kind of got the sense and feeling that Jim Leonard, their defensive coordinator, had mixed up some looks and done some things with the safety rotation and pressure and it was fooling him and it and it took him to the second half to figure some of that out. But um, I think I just would love to see him continue to grow like that and really take over at times where instead you kind of felt like J. K. Dobbins in the running attack really helped spark the offense, and instead I'd love to see it the other way around. But um, I do feel like Fields will be the second quarterback take and I do think he'll probably go in the top three. You know, I can easily see it going Lawrence one Fields too, okay, and and so like he has the physical ability is what you're I mean, he's got a strong arm, he's got a fluid motion, he gets tightened up a little bit. But you know, as far as an athlete, he's a big, strong guy man, and he's got the demeanor. He's got he has all, he has everything. I'm not saying that this couldn't be really close when it comes down to it, or a team might not, you know, be really contemplating between the two. But I would say right now, if you're evaluating based on what both have done, you'd be hard to find anyone who would would put Justin Fields ahead of Trevor Lawance. Okay, and the third one. I know you've gotten a peak at him, right Like, maybe not studied him fully, but Trey Lance, like your initial impressions of of who I like. I know the stat lines outrageous, right and for anybody who hasn't seen it, I think it was twenty eight touchdowns, no interceptions, yards rushing, and I believe like they didn't lose a game last year. I think so, Um, you know, obviously great program, good translation to the NFL from every from the scouts he talked to, Like, it seems like like that the translation to the NFL from that program is actually really good. Um, your initial impressions of Lance. Yeah, when I put on the tape, I always I hate comps. However, I'm gonna contradict myself or be a hypocrite because I'm gonna tell you who like first came to mind, uh washing through a game I want to stay with last year when the playoffs or whatever the uh I was like, Man, he reminds me of Dak Prescott back in the c State. Like he's a good decision maker, he's not going to take an uncalculated risk. And then when he takes off, he's he's a strong runner, you know when you watch him, and he's got some of looseness to him. But it's the way he kind of gets north and south and the way he takes on defenders that angles different things. Um, he can scoot, you know, he can hurt you with both clearly the stats would show that. But that's who, That's who I'd say He reminded me of was was a Dak Prescott and I wonder, um, you know, if a team would you know, looks at him as a top five guy. I think if he does what he did last year again, you know, he's another one that I think if you're looking at the pecking order, I would say, right now, it's it's Trevor Lawrence just the field's Trey Lance. And Trey very well could go number three. Like you could see three quarterbacks go top five next year, depending on how this year works out and which you know, teams need quarterbacks and all that. Uh. And also think it depends upon like are we gonna see a Chase Young type prospect where everyone's going, holy cow, who's better than this guy? I mean, Greg Russo has the ability to be in Miami, you see if he continues to develop. But the left tackle and Oregan is really good, right yeah? No, I mean Penay saw it right now. It's says the best overall prospect that draft. Like I would say, if you want, like Orlando Pace, because that's who It kind of reminds me of growing up in Columbus. I mean, he is he up there next to Lawrence is like my two favorite one too, and then as far as next year's draft, Okay, well I said I was gonna let you go, but before I before I actually let you go, I gotta ask you the social media breaks going, because I I'm like incapable of trying that. So how's that going? You know, it's funny. I think it's hard because we're all creatures of habit and so like it's the moments where you kind of have a little bit of an extra time here there, I want to look and all right, I'm gonna check out what's happened on Twitter or Instagram or whatever else, or like your first thought when you're hanging with your kids, like oh I should post this Instagram. And it really hit me about a month ago. I was like, man, I feel like it's not only a starting to become a bit of a toxic environment, but it's the way that it's like impacting me too, Like I hate feeling like I'm addicted to something or that I've like you feel disconnected if you're off of it. Well, well, and that's the thing is, like I just deleted from my phone and I said, all right, I'm gonna I'm gonna give myself a week and then we're gonna see how it goes. A week went by, and I thought, Man, I wake up every single day so happy that I made that decision now three weeks after that point in time, because you know, you're you're just focusing on the things that matter most, um and you don't miss out on anything, by the way, like you Literally, if you if you want to figure out what's going on in politics, just watch the news. You can do read different websites. I'll read the Wall Street Journal every morning. If you want to figure out what's happening in sports, there's plenty of websites you go to right s I everywhere else, Like there's plenty of There's plenty of places to go final the information. You don't have to act just look at your phone on Twitter all day. Or have you decided when you're going back or I don't know that I am. I I got with you. Yeah, like I've really I've given it more thought as to how I would be able to maybe have someone else fully just run my accounts for me, as opposed to actually being involved at all. So I'm oh, my gosh, it Literally if people are like, what's the one piece of advice you'd give me right now, I'd be like, get off social media and stay off of it, like try it for a week and then see if you can do another week, and after that it's a habit. And then and you just you fall in love with how nice it is to be more consumed with you know, your life, your family, your kids, you know, whatever else is going on in your life. Like you've got people working on your basement right now. You know, I'm doing a home remodel. I'll go talk to the subs a little bit longer and then just you know, talking about the work that they're doing. So look, if we ever have an issue in the future, like I know how to fix this. I'm sitting there watching the guy do it. We're talking about it, so now I know what the issues could be. Or just being more invested in the things that are going on in your life so instead of like like so otherwise you'd be like kind of like having like like looking at your phone. Yeah, well I started taking started striking my MBA two, which it that's that's that's another thing. As time has been scarce, Like I jumped into a summer session in getting my master's in business, and it's like trying to catch up on what I missed out in the past fifteen years of business. So lots happened since then. Yeah, I can't imagine juggling that, all right. So like that's Brady Quinn, former Notre Dame and NFL quarterback, uh, Fox broadcaster an NBA candidate. Uh, I'm going to Babson right now, which you should be aware of, right Wellesley, No, I'm aware of that. We talked about that. Yeah, yeah, yes, that that. I mean, I just can't imagine juggling. That's gonna be tough in the fall. Huh, it will be. But I'm working with our academic advisors to come up what's kind of a plan of how I'll be able to, um just make it all work. But yeah, there's no doubt. I mean, look, bottom line is my wife is you know, she's she's the champ. You know, she's the one that helps me, you know, make this all possible. So all right, that's Brady Quinn, one of our favorite guests. Brady, thanks for coming out robing Albert all right. Thanks to Brady. Hugh was great as always. Longtime listeners of the podcast, you guys who used to hear and form from a great insight there on the eleven Broncos and what could apply um during the pandemic. Uh, as far as the lessons from the two thousand and eleven lock at and of course great advice for everybody I think they're on social media. We're gonna jump right into the six pack. You guys know how this works. I've never since the pandemic hit, we haven't been doing the voicemails or the emails anymore. We'll get back to that eventually, but for now we're doing the old school way. That means on Tuesday, UM, I put the call out for questions on Twitter, I picked six if I picked yours for this year podcasts and you get a like. Let means they hit that little heart there on Twitter and you get an answer here on the podcast. Question number one from s r N Y ten that's am At Sham's, shar rosen Fell's too. Who's playing for? Why the Browns have been so bad in years past? Past two seasons, they've had really good talent on both sides the ball, whether the coaches or are the players we think are excellent really just average. I don't think it's all the coaches fault in the players. I think there are really good players there. They've got good foundation pieces and Denzel Ward and Miles Garrett on defense. On offense, the skill talent is really good. The offensive line was the issue, of course, but they've you know, signed um Jedrick They They've they signed Jack Conklin, drafted Jedrick Wills to take care of the tackle spots. Now, so what is the issue. Well, I think the issue is like become ownership. And I don't think it's that Jimmy Haslum and that group are poorly intentioned or any of that. I think as much as anything else is when you change people out as often as they've changed people out, and when you mismatch people as many times as they've mismashed people, what you end up having as a team that is patched together with people from all different kinds of regimes, drafted to play all kinds of different roles, and you know, you just you kind of like you wind up being kind of this mosaic of things that don't fit together. And I feel like that's sort of where where they got to over the years, where this guy was drafted by this GM and this guy was brought in by this coach, and this guy was brought into play for this coordinator. And so you know, maybe it's not so much with the stars, but the guts of the team, you know, have been drafted and developed by a bunch of different people, and so that's messed up the development of some players. That's a matter of stuff the makeup of the team in other ways. And so you know, I'm not and again I'm not saying that, you know, going back, Pat Shermer or Mike Patton or Rob Jadzinski or Hugh Jackson would have made it anyway. And I'm not saying I'm not making you know, Ray Farmer, Michael Lombardi or Um, you know, or the late Tom Heckert or Um or Sashi Brown or John Dorsey out to be some sort of, you know, version of ron Wolf either. I'm just saying I don't know they had the best chance because none of them were given time. And when each of them came in, they were hand did a group that was put together by a lot of different people, and so at some point you got to untangle all of that. And here's hoping that Kevin Stefanski and Um and Andrew Berry and that group. Hopefully they get the chance to untangle all of it, because I don't think that that happens under an overnight um. We'll see what happens this year, but there's a lot of work to do beyond just the town on the rosters, how everything fits together, and it becomes that much harder to make everything fit together when you've had so many different people that have been in charge of putting it together over the years. Question number two, This is from Mark Zano. I believe my friend down in Atlanta at the radio host at Mark Sano and no talent usually wins out. But how much will coaching play a part in each team's preparation, especially earlier in the season due to the different offseason. I feel like we are undervaluing Bill Belichick in his ability to have a team ready to play, regardless of who the quarterback is. I would agree with that, Mark. I think that the coaching is going to be very important this year. And if you want to go back again to two thousand and eleven, and we did that with Brady Um, but go back to the two thousand eleven team season and a two thousand eleven teams that were there at the end. The two teams in the Super Bowl were led by Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick. The two new coaches who made the playoffs were John Fox and Jim Harbaugh, accomplished coaches who have done it in different places. Right Who else made the playoffs? The Ravens under John Harbaugh, the Texans under Gary Kubiak, the Steelers under Mike Tomlin, the Bengals under Marvin Lewis, the Packers under Mike McCarthy, the Saints under Sean Payton, the Falcons at that time under Mike Smith, and the Lions under Jim Schwartz. I'd said there are a lot of good coaches in that group. I'd say it was important that year. I think it will be important again this year. And I think the main thing is gonna be how training camp is conducted and how much you're giving to your players on a week tweek basis, on a day to day basis. How do you balance giving them enough to be competent as an NFL team, be diverse enough as an NFL team, while still giving them a digestible amount of information to deal with, to learn and to be able to implement on a day to day basis that's gonna be. I think kind of a fascinating part of training camp is the push and pull between giving them enough to win with and giving them a reasonable amount that they can digest and deal with on a day to day basis. Question number three, This is from S. A. S. That's at w c B. S A S. How about Colin Kaepernick gonna tastom he'll ask role and you know, potentially expanded rosters he could give a team security at the quarterback position, along with some scale position athleticism. It's an interesting idea. S A. S. I think whether or not Colin Kaepernick winds up back in the NFL may depend on whether or not he's willing to go to a place where he's not guaranteed a roster spot on low money. Is he willing to go to a place where he just because he's there in July doesn't guarantees there in September. Is he willing to take low money to do it? Is he willing to go in and develop over the course of three or four weeks in an effort to try and make a team. These are open questions, But I think if he does make a team, and if he is some version of what he was a few years ago. There is an interesting roll out there for him where they could use him in different ways even though he probably won't be the starter. And so I think that that's sort of an interesting kind of element to this, is that if you have Colin Kaepernick on your roster, you have depth at quarterback, provided that he's still got something left at his age um at thirty two years old after three years away. Um. But if he is some version of what he was a few years ago, then he doesn't need your to be your starter. To contribute in some way. You can find a way to get him on the field. Question number four, This is from Drew at DJ Dirty Underscore. Right now, that's not the right one. That's not the right one. I'm sorry. That's another Brown's question which we wound up deleting from the que QUESTIONNB. Four is actually from Tom walk her Um And by the way, Drew asked what the what kind of season I predict for the Browns. I would just tell him go back and listen to what I said before, and then I just tell you that I think if they're playing better in November and December than they were in September and October the season's success. This will be actual question number four from Tom Walker at tom Underscore Walker eighty nine. If games are played without fans, how much will teams be who have used crowd noise to their advantage e g. Saints and Seahawks be affected. I throw the Chiefs in that group too. Um, those are all really good teams, So I think that they will be affected and losing the home field advantage, and you know, maybe it affects them in the playoffs if they have to play without fans in the playoffs. I don't think that's where the biggest impact is going to be felt, though. I think where the biggest impact could be felt is And that's sort of like this is just me sort of kind of like coming up with this in my head because I think that this is really sort of like part of the dynamic of pro football in general. If you're a team that plays in a cold weather place playing home games at the end of the year and an empty stadium could be a problem for teams coming north. And if you're the Patriots or you're the Bills, or you're Cleveland, imagine if you're one of these teams and you're going into a place where it's ten degrees in December and January, and you go in there and you get off to a bad start. Now all of a sudden, you're in this empty stadium, in this sort of sterile environment. It's freezing ass cold out, Like, how miserable is that going to be? And maybe it wouldn't be. Maybe maybe having you know, fans yelling at you and being in a noisy place, maybe that wouldn't make it better. But I don't think it makes it worse. Like I think to some degree, both teams feed off the crowd energy, and so if you're in a cold, dark place in the dead of winter and you fall behind early, I think that could have a real effect. So just something I sort of thought about about, like what's gonna be like, because because a lot of times this boils these sorts of questions boiled down to like what's a miserable place to play? And I think the most miserable places to play in a season where there wouldn't be fans in the stands would be in one of those environments where it's just it's it is the dead of winter and its ten degrees out and you fall behind early. It just could feel like one of those energy sapping sort of situations that I think could actually have an effect on some things. Uh. Question number five, This is from uh. This is from Blah blah blah sangit Uh Coast Saraju. I'm sorry if I pronounced your name wrong. That's at Sanjit Coastaraju. Eagles making any more big moves Sanje and I would have said no until I looked at their cap situation, which was fascinating to me. They have almost thirty million dollars in cap space. They have the fourth most cap space in the league, and so they've certainly got a rainy day fund. On hand, I would not be totally shocked if they want end up making a move for an offensive lineman at some point in camp if things don't work out. They've got a few guys they like in the in the in the pipeline. They drafted Jack Driscoll in the fourth round. They lost Brandon Brooks, and they really trust Jeff Stoutland, their offensive line coach, to develop guys. So I think they're gonna give this some time. But there are a couple of guys who could be options for them. Out there. Um, somebody put it out there that I said that they expressed an interest and Joe Tuney, Like, they haven't expressed an interest to the Patriots or anything like that. I just think they really like him as a player. And so if he were if he had been available, if they had had like a hole at guard in March, I think Joe Tuney would have been a player they would have gone after. So if they have a guard hole at guard in August and Joe Tuney hasn't signed an extension in New England, might make some sense for them to go and get him. If the Patriots signed Tuney to an extension, does that make Shack Mason available? That could be an interesting player to ask about. And then the other one would be Kyle Long, the former Bears guard who retired but sort of you know, could be hanging on the periphery. And Chris Long, his brother, had such positive experience in Philly. It wouldn't totally shock me if that was one of the people that they made a phone call too. And so the Eagles have space to make moves, believe it or not. And I wouldn't be totally stunned if they do make a move if that move is on the offensive line, and it could mean Jason Peters coming back as well. Uh. Finally, question number six is from GUAR billion, that's at our billion. Do you have any idea what happens to a player who contracts COVID nineteen during the upcoming Stevens season from a contract perspective? Is that the same as any illness given the lack of Medication Act vaccine available. Yeah, I would say it would probably be the same as a guy going on any sort of injured reserve list. If a guy does have to go on the shelf for a few weeks, I think they're gonna have a special COVID nineteen list that will be specific for guys, and that my guess is that anybody who goes on that list would probably be shelved for at least a couple of weeks. Uh. You know, that will allow teams some freedom as far as moving guys on and off the roster, which I think they're gonna need because with the potential being out there that you lose twelve guys, you know, fifteen guys, especially when you get deeper in the season, when you have guys who have traditional football injuries, normal football injuries, but that could create a huge problem. And you don't want teams going into weeks into into a game day with like thirty five guys up, you know, so you have to find a way to alleviate that. And so I think there's gonna be some sort of short term I are for COVID nineteen affected players, and I think that the league is going to mandate because then the union is going to force the issue on this. I think the legal mandate that those guys get taken care of contractually. Appreciate all you guys coming out as always want you guys feedback, needs you guys feedback. We're getting closer to the new season and we will use you guys feedback because we try to continue to improve the podcast. You guys know where to get to me on social at Albert Brier on Twitter at Albert are Breer on Facebook at Albert Underscore Brier on Instagram. And I always remember to listen to all of our podcasts. A week Side podcast with Jenny and Connor is on twice a week now, Carry's podcast often with Andy Benois is on Monday's my podcast. Right here, we were all on one feed. That's the mm QB NFL podcast feed. You can find us on Spotify, tune in, Stitcher, Google Play, Apple podcast, wherever you guys get your shows, same time. Next week, we will be there for our final show before the summer breaks. You guys, don't