← Scoop City: Inside The NFL
Scoop City: Inside The NFL
Have contract discussions between Trey Hendrickson and Bengals actually stalled?
00:38:01
Loading summary
Transcript142 lines
- [00:00]
Raj Panjabi
Hi, I'm Raj Panjabi from HuffPost.
- [00:02]
Noah Michaelson
And I'm Noah Michaelson, also from HuffPost.
- [00:05]
Raj Panjabi
And we're the hosts of Am I Doing It Wrong? A new podcast that explores the all too human anxieties we have about trying to get our lives right.
- [00:12]
Noah Michaelson
Each week on the podcast, Raj and I pick a new topic that we want to understand better and bring a guest expert on to talk us through how to get it right.
- [00:20]
Raj Panjabi
And we're talking like legit credible experts.
- [00:22]
Noah Michaelson
Doctors, PhDs all around superheroes from HuffPost and Acast Studios. Check out Am I Doing It Wrong? Wherever you get your podcast.
- [00:31]
Unknown
Did you know 39% of teen drivers admit to texting while driving? Even scarier, those who text are more likely to speed and run red lights. Shockingly, 94% know it's dangerous, but do it anyway. As a parent, you can't always be in the car, but you can stay connected to their safety with Greenlight Infinity's driving reports. Monitor their driving habits, see if they're using their phone, speeding, and more. These reports provide real data for meaningful conversations about safety. Plus, with weekly updates, you can track their progress over time. Help keep your teens safe. Sign up for Greenlight Infinity@Greenlight.com Podcast this.
- [01:02]
Podcast is brought to you by Aura. Imagine waking up to find your bank account drained, bills for loans you never took out, a warrant for your arrest, all because someone stole your identity. Hackers aren't waiting. Why are you? That's why we're thrilled to partner with Aura. Your personal data is a goldmine for hackers, and Aura helps lock it down. Aura monitors the dark Web, blocks data brokers from selling your information. Includes a VPN for private browsing and a password manager to secure your accounts before criminals break in. For a limited time, Aura is offering our listeners a 14 day free trial plus a dark web scan to check if your personal information has been leaked. All for free@aura.com safety. That's Aura.com safety to sign up and start protecting yourself and your loved ones. That's a u r a.com safety. Terms apply. Check the site for details.
- [02:01]
Diana Rossini
Have you ever done the I'm late to my gate run through the airport?
- [02:05]
Chase Daniel
Oh yeah. Yeah.
- [02:06]
Diana Rossini
I think that is the most revealing you're sweating thing that you can do of where you're at in terms of, of your cardio. And that's every time I'm like, I am so out of shape. Even, even when I was doing Orange Theory all the time. Like I still would run to my gate and then you're sweating so gross.
- [02:26]
Chase Daniel
That's the thing. You're. The sweating is.
- [02:28]
Diana Rossini
Yeah, yeah. My, my seatmate's not putting out some message of wow. She was great to sit with. Welcome into Scoop City. I'm the athletic senior NFL insider, Diana Rossini.
- [02:46]
Chase Daniel
And I'm chase Daniel played 14 years in the NFL.
- [02:49]
Diana Rossini
Chase. The rookie minicamps made headlines over the weekend. We saw top draft picks in their new uniforms and new numbers. That's when you know it's kind of the slow season when we're making big deals over the numbers that they're picking and they're choosing. But of course, the biggest story was over the weekend with the retirement announcement from Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints. That had everyone chatting all day on Saturday. But we've got a developing story coming out of Cincinnati, so let's just get right to this. We got some Trey Hendrickson updates. Here's what I'm hearing. R. Lee so earlier on Monday, Trey Hendrickson released a statement to ESPN saying that his camp has had zero communication with the Cincinnati Bengals since the draft. They have not had any conversations about this upcoming contract that he's looking for. Remember, he's in his final year of his current deal, seeking a new one. He's set to make 15.8 million in base pay next season. He wants to get this done. We've been talking about most of this Bengals contract situations, mostly offseason, when we were waiting to see how they were going to handle Jamar Chase, how they were going to handle T. Higgins, and now, of course, Trey Hendrickson, which we were theorizing early on. Right. That we didn't think that they could get it done. And I kept hearing really good things coming out of Cincinnati. And Chase, I continue to hear that Cincinnati wants to make something work with Trey. Do I think that they're close in numbers?
- [04:15]
Chase Daniel
No.
- [04:15]
Diana Rossini
This is why you do something like this. You put out a statement because you're not happy. This is a tactic. This is a way to negotiate. If the communication isn't there, then that tells me right now that there's a difference in the number that they're looking for.
- [04:32]
Chase Daniel
And it's a big difference. Anytime you see these negotiations play out in public, it's never a good thing, which it just tells me they're further apart than probably some people think. The fact, two things from this, the fact that, one, that it's good news in Scentsy, I just didn't know how they were going to be able to do it. I know there's salary Cap, implications, all this stuff. Good for them because they need them. He's had 35 sacks the last two years. Back to back season, 17 and a half sacks, which is crazy. Sack king. Right. And the other one is. It's interesting because I played with Trey Hendrickson. He's a very, very quiet guy. Great locker room, Greg, great leader. But when you saw him go on the Pat McAfee Show a couple months ago or maybe a month ago and talk about the contract publicly, and then he announced on ESPN publicly again that they're having, you know, no communication has taken place, yada, yada, yada. This is a pointed attack. I don't want to say attack, maybe tactic from the Trey Hendrickson, kip and agent, and who knows if it'll work out, but it seems almost like they're trying to make the Bengals look bad. And the Bengals really haven't said anything, you know, about it publicly. But for whatever reason, it just. It sticks out for me because I know Trey personally. So it just tells me that they're further, like, a lot further apart than what maybe people think.
- [05:57]
Diana Rossini
Yeah. I remember when he first went on Pat McAfee, we were recording that day, and you almost couldn't believe that he did it. You're like, wait, what is this the same guy I know? Which, you know, tells you that they're. They're trying to use every piece of leverage that they have. And look, Cincinnati is a lot like many teams in the NFL. They want to keep this stuff quiet. They do not want to publicly negotiate. They do not want to let out details. I'm sure you've noticed there hasn't been a lot of discussion about the number that they're at. Sometimes by now, insiders can usually get a little bit of a feel for. Right. So both sides are doing a good job of keeping that under wraps. But I think if it was up to Cincinnati right now, Trey would say nothing, and they could continue to try to work this out. But the fact that they haven't had any conversations, according to Trey Hendrickson. Right. Like, Cincinnati may have their own version of this. We're never going to know, though, because they're never gonna come out and say, well, actually, we've been hearing from his agent every single day, like, they're not gonna do that.
- [07:04]
Chase Daniel
It would just make it messier. Do you think the number starts with a three, though? Like, that's, like. It would be crazy, like, in the 30s. But how do they afford it? Do they. Do they keep him? Do they spread that elsewhere? I mean, what happens if they. You know, what happens if they can't get to a number that they agree on trade?
- [07:24]
Diana Rossini
Well, you have to move money around in order to probably make some room here, which we saw them making a couple of moves recently, but I don't think anything significant enough to make us go, well, here comes the trade bus. You know, they're going to drop it here.
- [07:38]
Chase Daniel
Bus.
- [07:39]
Diana Rossini
But trade is certainly going to be an option if they're not going to be able to come to an agreement. And I know that there's teams watching this and lurking and hoping that this falls through while his agent and the Bengals are trying to make this work. Because Hendrickson wants to be there. That has been very clear to everybody. Joe Burrow wants Trey Hendrickson there. And what Joe wants, Joe gets lately. Yes, he does, which is why I still feel very optimistic about this. And I also feel optimistic because I've spoken to people that are close to it, that have told me that Cincinnati still wants to make it work. They're just not in a rush right now. So I could see this thing bleeding out into camp. While I'm sure Trey wants a deal done now and he wants to move past this, this may be just one of these negotiating tactics from the Bengals side where they're just going to let him hang a little bit. So while I think when you initially see the statement from Trey, I'm sure Bengals fans are panicking, like, we're going to lose them. It's over. I don't think we're there yet. I don't believe we're in a position where. Where I'm. Where I can say that the Cincinnati Bengals are planning a life without Trey Hendrickson.
- [08:57]
Chase Daniel
Yeah. Because, I mean, he is their main piece on defense. One thing just to think of, I mean, I'm just thinking about this out loud, is there's really no deadlines now that the draft is passed. Right. Your deadline would be training camp, maybe to get him in there. So you do have two months, May, June, June, July, like two full months to figure this out. It seems like Trace Camp wants something to happen sooner rather than later, and the Bengals are intent on. On just waiting. But I would imagine training camp is probably a really good deadline for this.
- [09:29]
Diana Rossini
Yeah. And we're going to be probably jumping on the show a lot this off season when we see these deals get locked up. Right. Because we're still waiting to hear what's going on with Brock Purdy, if that's going to get done before training camp or, of course, still waiting for Aaron Rodgers on whether or not he's going to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Chase I talked to some people in the league and they have their theories that the Steelers know Aaron's going there. They have a handshake that he's going to be there. He just doesn't want to have to answer questions about not being at OTAs because he just wants to step away for now. Those are just theories. Then you got people who say, oh, you never know with Aaron Rodgers. You know, we'll see. So I can tell you from the latest conversations I've had with Pittsburgh, the sense I get is they feel good it's happening, but I don't think that they feel like this is a done deal. So take that for what it is. Let's get to the biggest story of this past weekend, which is the retirement of Derek Carr after 11 seasons. He spent nine seasons with the Raiders. He spent the last two years with the New Orleans Saints. And he said he was forced to retire due to that tear, you know, to his rotator cuff. And we've talked on the show, too, that he's been dealing with that rotator cuff injury for years. But he, he went and saw a doctor and they just realized, you know what, this, you need surgery and you need time to rest and recover. So he gives up 30 million fully guaranteed base salary and he's going to keep the 10 million roster bonus he earned in March. So he's also not going to seek or, I'm sorry, the Saints will not seek to recover any of that 28.5 million signing bonus he made back in 2023.
- [11:07]
Chase Daniel
So surprise, surprise announcement. Like, I was not expecting this.
- [11:12]
Diana Rossini
So why do you say that was such a surprise to you?
- [11:15]
Chase Daniel
Well, it's a 30.
- [11:16]
Diana Rossini
We've talked about it on the show. We've talked about it.
- [11:18]
Chase Daniel
We've said, yeah, we said it. Something's off the whole time. And, and even, even when Kellen Moore, I remember tweeting this out and you were on it obviously, like, Kellen Moore sign, we were like, all right, who's the quarterback? Right? Because even if Derek Carr was there, even though he was there, it was still like anytime a new head coach and comes in and brings a whole new staff in, has a whole offense in his head, is Derek Carr the guy to run that offense? And then, you know, he has a shoulder injury, that that comes out. And I think that's real. I do think his is. He's got some rotator cuff issues. Talking to some people that we know. But there's also got to be a little bit of, you know, not seeing eye to eye. Maybe we don't want to see you as a transitional quarterback. We want to get our own guy in. They drafted Tyler Shuck, number 40, second round, number 40 overall. That's a very high draft pick in the timing of it, I think for me, because I, I was up at Fox on Saturday doing some stuff and I saw the video and I was like, I got to make a video reaction to this. The timing of me for me was post draft, like, like you couldn't, like you didn't have that in maybe. And maybe, maybe he didn't have in his heart. Right. And I think Derek Carr is one of the more underrated players of our, of our generation a little bit Played really well with the Raiders, obviously. Over 41,000 passing yards, 257 touchdowns. He's made a ton of money too, so he's set for life. But all, all those reasons, I'm just like, ah, it's just, man, it, it's, you know, you want to celebrate the guy's career, but wish the Saints probably. I, I don't know if they knew going into the draft because then you. Does a draft look the same? Are you looking at somebody at number nine do this?
- [12:52]
Diana Rossini
They do this differently. They, they orchestrate the way they study the cues with the way they, well set their board.
- [13:00]
Chase Daniel
And Diana, if the Saints would have known this, there's three guys on the roster right now, Tyler Shuck, Jake Hayner and Spencer Rattler. They have zero career wins between those three guys. They don't have a quarterback. It does not seem to me they're going to be going outside of the building. It's going to be one. You better believe that the Saints would have structured their board differently. And they're at nine. I'm not saying they're going to trade up to one. They probably couldn't have made it, but like, I'm sure they would have structured their board a lot differently.
- [13:34]
Diana Rossini
I just remember when the news came out about his injury a few weeks ago and we discussed it on the show and I told you and reported that I didn't talk to anyone in New Orleans who appeared shocked by it. Almost as if there was an understanding something was off. I think there was a thought that he didn't want to be there anymore. I think there was a thought that they were okay with moving on from him, too. And I think retirement was probably the best way out if that's the case for him in terms of leaving New Orleans, you know, because don't you think there's a world where we see Derek Carr after a full year's rest, recovered a little time away from the game, spend some time with the family. He's only 34. Maybe come back next year, come out of retirement.
- [14:22]
Chase Daniel
I don't, I don't know. Look, I don't know if that's a situation or not. I saw his wife and him post this, like, like, all right, first day retirement reel on Instagram. I thought it was hilarious. Like, awesome, man, congratulations. You know, he is young. Who knows what's, what's going on with the Rotator. It was the way out of this situation because obviously, like, they didn't see eye to eye. But then like, you're like, oh, well, why didn't somebody trade for him? Well, the second he came out with, oh, shoulder injury, that's like a red flag in every single GM and head coaches here. Like, we're not trading for him because there's some teams that need them. Like, like, like, like the Browns could use them, the Steelers could use them. There's, there's some other teams, right? So it is an interesting timing, but I wish them all the best in retirement. The retirement too is like, you might take a year off, but he has a lot of kids, he has a great family, he's a God fearing man. Like, it's going to be really hard to get back into the game because you're set for life with money. Because once you take that time off retirement, like, it's such a mental decision. And I've talked to some people close to him, it's like, hey, mentally, I just, I couldn't put myself through this again. And that's sort of what, like, with me, like, I never played at that level, not even close. But anyone who plays a game when you know it's time, it's like, man, maybe, maybe physically I can still do it, but mentally, the grind of the off season, even when you're off, you're working out, even when you're studying film, it's just like all this stuff, just the games are fun. There's like, you know, seven months of work that goes into just playing the games, though. And it's just continually over and over again, especially if he's dealing with injury, that plays into it mentally for sure.
- [15:56]
Diana Rossini
Yeah, I'm tired even just hearing what his process would be. But then I look around the league and you know, we mentioned Aaron Rodgers, who's 41, 42, right? You've got Matthew Stafford You've got these quarterbacks who are still playing. Remember Derek Carr before Aaron Rodgers went to the jets, took that visit with New York.
- [16:14]
Chase Daniel
You're right.
- [16:14]
Diana Rossini
They almost signed Derek Carr and then they got that sense that the, the whole Rogers thing was going to go down and he wound up going to New Orleans. So look, I, I, I wouldn't be shocked if it's not truly over for Derek Carr, but I think, I think for both sides in this situation, him retirement, him retiring was, was the best thing for them. You know, $30 million is a lot of money to walk away. And I know everybody keeps saying, well, he's made over $200 million. That's plenty of money. And you're right. But 30 million guaranteed, you don't, you're ready for something different if you're walking away from that, in my opinion. You know, my favorite Derek Carr moment actually wasn't even on the field, and I covered plenty of his games. It was after the Henry Rugg situation. Do you remember? It all happened. And he was asked about in the press conference, and it was obviously an absolutely devastating scenario. People died. All of it was terrible. And he was the first person I heard say out loud, we need to pray for Ruggs.
- [17:24]
Chase Daniel
Yeah, we need to keep him, put him in our thoughts. Yeah.
- [17:28]
Diana Rossini
And I was like, I remember watching it on TV when he did it, thinking, I never once even thought about Henry Ruggs in that moment. I was so bothered, annoyed, heartbroken, crushed. The whole situation was so gross. And you forgot in that moment that, yes, he did a terrible thing, but I'll never forget that strength from Derek when no one was willing to go out there and make Henry Ruggs part of the conversation from a place of we should all keep him in our thoughts. So to me, that was always something I'll never forget about Derek Carr. So we will see. We will continue to watch your wife's reels and we'll see how much you enjoy running around with those kids. I can do it for about a day. Hopefully you got a whole year.
- [18:10]
Chase Daniel
It's true.
- [18:11]
Diana Rossini
All right, so we got the schedule release this week. I'm a dork. I like it. I know others think it's just annoying, but I love it just because it just gets us excited for what we're about to experience in the next few months. But we already got the first one. The Eagles hosting the Cowboys to open the 2025 season, right? Eagles. Cowboys. Doesn't surprise me that that's what they picked.
- [18:33]
Chase Daniel
No, look, death taxes Cowboys on prime time. Like that's just exacts in realistic in life. Like they love to play. It was no surprise. The. The interesting thing to me is you, you have a really good NFC East. I think the Cowboys are going to be better than seven wins for sure. But how is the Brian Schottenheimer like bonanza going to get kicked off? Is the offense going to be the same? How's Dak going to look? How's that new. New look defense going to be? How's the new defense corner? And then the Eagles are. The Eagles. Right. They're. They're the best team in the NFL right now going to the season. But they lost some pieces on defense. Right. And you put the Cowboys. Eagles. I mean the first. It's like the first time since 2000 that the Eagles and the Cowboys have faced off in week one. And the Eagles. Molly walked them like 41 to 14 in. In 2000. So it's an interesting game this season. And look, all games are not created equal. An NFC matchup with the Cowboys at the Eagles on Thursday, it's just built different. It matters. And I mean there might be 50 million people watching this freaking game. It's going to be. It's going to be amazing.
- [19:40]
Diana Rossini
Each other 132 times. The Cowboys have the advantage. 74 over 74 to 58. They also have. The Cowboys also have the edge in the playoffs over the Eagles. That surprised me three to one all time. I mean it makes sense when you go through it. Yeah. Yeah. It's just. I'm just thinking, you know what's an.
- [19:57]
Chase Daniel
Interesting stat too, now that you're bringing up numbers. It got my math mind working in opening games of the season. Week one, Jalen hurts 4, 0. He's perfect. Hadn't lost the game. They start really fast in all those games. That's just how he plays, dad. Prescott is 4 and 5 in nine games. So that goes into it. I don't think he starts as fast. I think, I think. I think this is equals all the way.
- [20:21]
Diana Rossini
Huh? It looks like you're making picks already. Here we go. We're making picks in May.
- [20:25]
Chase Daniel
Yeah. And that's what NFL schedulers like.
- [20:28]
Diana Rossini
It's the best.
- [20:28]
Chase Daniel
You took May.
- [20:29]
Diana Rossini
You're supposed to do.
- [20:30]
Chase Daniel
May was our only month to not have anything. And what did you do? You made this like two, three day thing just like. I mean they own everything. It's.
- [20:37]
Diana Rossini
I don't want to put this out there because I hate doing this every year and I feel like I used to do it to the Chiefs all the Time, because they were always winning. But I am curious about the super bowl hangover. I'm starting that convo now because, I mean, I see the Eagles guys, they're everywhere right now. They're still having the time of their life. I can Saquon at the Met gala. You see him. See him in that tux.
- [20:56]
Chase Daniel
Yeah. Saquon's living his best life. New offensive coordinator, too. People don't understand. Ken Betula takes over. That's. I don't think it's an easy job. Like, oh, you just want to call the play a sequoia. It's a lot more in depth than that, so that might give me a little bit of pause. But the Eagles are just built, I mean, so well. It's crazy.
- [21:15]
Diana Rossini
Yeah. My boys were on the swing on Mother's Day, and Kevin was pushing them while we were at the table with, you know, all my family, most of my family, they're Jets Giants fans, and my boys are just screaming the Eagles fight song on top of their lungs. It was going to just, you know, because they can't really talk, but they know the song so well. I could just. I could see my brother just looking at me like, is this. Is this what we're gonna be doing? Is this what we're doing? We said we. We have to love them. Like, is this. Is this something we gotta deal with? And I wanted to be like, please, this is tame. You should see them in the house when they do it. We'll be hearing a lot more of it. All right. Still to come, the rookies. They have reported for a minicamp. They are all over my Twitter feed. They are all over Instagram. Everybody wants to see what Shador Sanders looks like in this Browns uniform, what he looks like in a Kevin Stefanski offense. We've got some answers. Let's talk about it next.
- [22:17]
Raj Panjabi
Hi, I'm Raj Panjabi from HuffPost.
- [22:19]
Noah Michaelson
And I'm Noah Michelson, also from HuffPost.
- [22:21]
Raj Panjabi
And we're the hosts of Am I Doing It Wrong? A new podcast that explores the all too human anxieties we have about trying to get our lives right.
- [22:28]
Noah Michaelson
Each week on the podcast, Raj and I pick a new topic that we want to understand better and bring a guest expert on to talk us through how to get it right.
- [22:36]
Raj Panjabi
And we're talking, like, legit, credible experts, doctors, PhDs all around.
- [22:41]
Noah Michaelson
Superheroes from HuffPost and Acast Studios. Check out Am I Doing It Wrong? Wherever you get your podcasts.
- [22:48]
Unknown
With a home equity investment from HomeTap, you get access to your Home equity in cash without monthly payments to use for whatever you'd like, from paying off debt to making renovations or handling emergency expenses. Or receive your funds in just a few weeks. Start pursuing your financial goals and start getting more out of life. See if you pre qualify for an investment@hometap.com Subject to eligibility, terms and conditions apply.
- [23:15]
That's hometap.com did you know 39% of teen drivers admit to texting while driving. Even scarier, those who text are more likely to speed and run red lights. Shockingly, 94% know it's dangerous, but do it anyway. As a parent, you can't always be in the car, but you can stay connected to their safety. With Greenlight Infinity's driving reports. Monitor their driving habits, see if they're using their phone, speeding and more. These reports provide real data for meaningful conversations about safety. Plus, with weekly updates, you can track their progress over time, help keep your teen safe. Sign up for Greenlight Infinity@Greenlight.com podcast.
- [24:03]
Chase Daniel
All.
- [24:03]
Diana Rossini
Right, back here on Scoop City, where we've got rookie minicamp underway, and every single team is doing their best to let their fans know that their top draft picks have absolutely dazzled that practice. What do you make of these rookie minicamps right now? What can we learn from them? Can we learn anything?
- [24:18]
Chase Daniel
No.
- [24:19]
Unknown
No.
- [24:20]
Chase Daniel
I mean, maybe, but not really. Look, it's, it's rookie minicamp. People understand, like, there's like, most teams have an average of what, seven, six draft picks? Well, there's, there's 22 guys on the field at the same time. So you need tryout guys and you need free agent guys and your draft picks and maybe there might be some second year guys. But I remember my first rookie minicamp, and it's like a glorified college scrimmage. I mean, half the guys don't know what they're doing. The vets aren't there, have no idea. So, look, I think with some of these rookies, they should look the way they look. They better not look bad. Right? But I don't, I don't think you can say anything if they look good, if they look bad, maybe they're, you know, not. But overall, it's, it's like, come on, it's, it's two days.
- [25:10]
Diana Rossini
So in Cleveland, Dylan Gabriel got the first team reps, and Kevin Stefanski was asked by reporters like, what's up with that? And he's like, there shouldn't be too much reading into this thing. I mean, you know, inside he's already.
- [25:21]
Chase Daniel
Getting questions can you imagine, oh, my God. His annoyance in Week 5? Once the Browns are 2 and 2, who's going to be the starter? Well, what about Shador? Well, what about Dylan? What? I. I mean, this is the type of stuff that a guy like Kevin Stefanski is going to have to deal with all year long. And it's rookie mini camp in May. Diana. Wait till October, wait till November.
- [25:47]
Diana Rossini
And he's. He's amazing at keeping it very in the middle, but he'll snap at some point. Like he's got it. You know, it's annoying, I know. But this is what, this is part of the experience, right? Of when you, when you draft a player like Shador, who said, my job isn't to prove people wrong, I'm proving myself right.
- [26:06]
Chase Daniel
I actually love that quote, by the way. I actually loved it. And I know this was. We were going to talk about this, but when you have a mindset like that, like watching him, I didn't really watch the on field play. It was all over Twitter. It was all over Instagram. I watched how he interacted with his teammates. I watched how he interacted with the media. I saw the picture where he was right in the middle and the other guys were like flashing the Shador. I saw all that. He seemed more grounded, more serious, very focused. Maybe a little humbled. Maybe a little humbled. But you know what? I was thinking about this and I said this earlier to somebody that I was talking ball with. It's a complete 180 from what he said in the combine, right. If you don't want to change your culture and your team, then don't draft me. It's a complete 180. And I really do think this is Shador who he is like, like, this is. This is a great vision of like one good pr, right? Like, and to like, good when you get around your team. It's like I've actually heard nothing but great things about Shador from a teammate perspective. But it's really cool to see. Like, he's like, man, like, I probably should have went in the first round. I went in the fifth round. Forget all that. All that matters is work from here. I just thought that was really cool.
- [27:22]
Diana Rossini
I'm so glad that you brought up what these young rookies are saying because I spoke to a head coach who has been pulling all the quotes from what the rookies have been saying from even before the draft. So combine. And what he's been doing is presenting these quotes to the team to show what, what you shouldn't say to the media. So a lot of this experience is also media training. Here are the rules, here are our expectations. And oh, yeah, don't say dumb things like this. Don't talk about yourself like that. Don't say you're gonna break this record. Don't say that you're going to change an organization. Just talk about your teammates and talk about, you know, whatever question you're getting asked and, and, and answer it respectfully. Um, so I, I, I love that idea that what we don't see behind the scenes is a lot of teaching these young players how to be an NFL player and how to deal with the media and all the attention and what's out there about each of them because they are getting tons of attention every, every team.
- [28:23]
Chase Daniel
I mean, you hit it and I forget about it because I was already well versed in the media. But they offer media training. They absolutely, like, there's these rookie, like, they call it, it's not symposium. That's the wrong word. These rookie workshops, so dear and OTAs, you know, the vets will come in, say like when on field work starts, I think the veterans will be in from like 8 to 1. Just call it 8 to 1. Right? There's five hours. I don't know what, I don't know what the rules are right now. But then the rookies, there's like no, there's no, like no cap time with them. So they'll be 8 to 1 with the vets and then they'll start doing these like rookie workshops from like 1:30 or 2 to like 5. And it's like every single day, Monday through Friday. And they'll go over like financial planning, they'll go over media workshop, they'll go over all the things that don't pertain to your on the field. It's the developmental program that each team has. And I think that's really cool. I remember as, as a rookie, like, it was really, it was, it was awesome. Because, you know, you don't, you don't really know what you don't know in the NFL. You see this, all this big money and all this stuff and okay, what does my contract actually say? And what is like, you know, what's the rules on finance and what's the rules on this and all media training? It's just really, really cool. I've been on the teams that do it really, really well.
- [29:39]
Diana Rossini
Okay, now that you've done both though, now that you've been a player and now that you're in the media, what do you Think's a. A good, valuable piece of advice that you would give the rookies if, if you were addressing them or maybe something a coach could share.
- [29:53]
Chase Daniel
Yeah. You know, I was on the phone with somebody today that was talking about this. It's so funny you asked this. That was talking about this very thing. And it was a sideline reporter for a network. And she mentioned talking to me and remembering me when I started and in production meetings and just how easygoing I was, how I would tell stories. She's like, a lot of people aren't like that. We could just tell. You had good stories. If you got into media, you would kill it. You would do this just because you're. And I don't say that because, you know, these guys don't really matter. But like, everything, everything you do, everything you do matters, everything you say matters, every relationship you have, every person. Because when I'm in those meetings, like, I'm like, I can't wait to get out.
- [30:42]
Diana Rossini
Exactly. It's one of 50 things you have to do. But these are people's jobs. Right. Like that sideline reporter, what you're sharing with her.
- [30:50]
Unknown
Yeah.
- [30:50]
Chase Daniel
And you leave impressions on people a lot easier than maybe what you think, even if they don't leave impressions on you.
- [31:00]
Diana Rossini
And so I think Jackson Dart.
- [31:01]
Chase Daniel
Yeah.
- [31:02]
Diana Rossini
Was asking the media members their names before. Hey, I'm going to be talking to you all the time. Just I would like to get to know. If you could just. There was a. There's a nice touch of just like, hey, we're going to be around each other. I'm probably already reading some of the things you're reading about me. Yeah, I think so. I feel like your point is to make sure you're being appreciative that the people that are interviewing you or talking to you have jobs. A, but B, they're forming judgment on this very short interaction.
- [31:32]
Chase Daniel
Yeah. And I'll add to that. They are forming judgment, but the media's powerful. Without the media, this game would not be the way it is because there'd be nobody that covers it and the attention that it gets. So right, wrong and different. The media can portray you certain ways. Right, wrong and different. Right. You make impressions on them. So just try to make a good impression on everyone. It would be my thing.
- [31:57]
Diana Rossini
I'd say some of the best players I ever covered. And it's funny, usually it's, the bigger the star, the more I've seen this, because they're probably a little bit more comfortable in their skin. Just a simple, how are you back. Do you know how many players? I'll say, how are you doing? And they're like, cool, thanks. I just keep on walking. It's like, okay. Like, last time I checked out, I'm a person. And I don't even mean it has to be like this in depth friendship. But I always like, Patrick Mahomes is king of how are you doing? How the kids. Like, he doesn't spend a million hours. He just asks a couple normal questions. Knowing a little bit about me from all the years, I just. I think that always stands out.
- [32:37]
Chase Daniel
Makes the media feel noticed. And it's real. You gotta.
- [32:40]
Diana Rossini
It's not feeling noticed. It's being respected. Right.
- [32:43]
Chase Daniel
Respect, but not notice. Meaning, like, hey, we understand you. You have a job. You're a person, though. Like, you're a person. Like, we notice you as a. Yeah. Your mom. Like, also, you're doing this. But. Yeah.
- [32:52]
Diana Rossini
Yes. But I also think there's a. There's this idea with a lot of players that the media's out to get them all the time. And there's some truth there. Like, you got to be careful. You have to be savvy. I remember Saquon Barkley when he was younger. He did a really good job of really avoiding some booby traps. Or I could see when I was in the scrum with him, people were asking questions. Even I was doing it, too, at times. Where you want them this. You want them to lead questions. Right? Some leading questions. Some things to get them to open up a little bit more. Look, I think coaches that take pride and are putting time into making sure that the players are respecting each other and respecting the organization and their team is a big part of teams that are trying to find themselves and figure out what their identity is going to be. The messaging, that. Messaging is important. Yeah.
- [33:41]
Chase Daniel
Yeah. Every word matters. Every word.
- [33:44]
Diana Rossini
We don't talk about this.
- [33:46]
Chase Daniel
Every word matters.
- [33:47]
Diana Rossini
Sean Payton's a big. We don't talk about injuries. Right. Like, there's. You got to know those. Yeah. Oh, gosh. I asked him in an interview once. Yeah, it's that. I think there's still a cut in my neck from him.
- [34:01]
Chase Daniel
Competitive advantage is his whole thing.
- [34:03]
Diana Rossini
The game was starting in an hour. You can talk to me for a while after that.
- [34:07]
Chase Daniel
Yeah.
- [34:08]
Diana Rossini
All right, let's move on. So also, real quick, before we go, Travis Hunter, did you see the. The Post? So he was flying, and there was a woman next to him who was flying from Denver to Jacksonville, and he helped her with her luggage. She sounded like he was just Outrageously respectful. She had no idea who he was. And again, I guess after having some, you know, time to talk on this flight, she discovered, oh, my goodness, this is Travis Hunter, who. We've heard nothing but incredible things about him anyway, so I'm not even surprised. But she tweets out how great it was to sit with him and how respectful and how proud she was. Just so cool. She. She's gonna be a fan for life. But I also think he, He. He collected a lot more fans just from that post of. Look, you know, you never. It goes back to this theme that you just said, which is, everyone's watching you right now. Life has changed.
- [35:01]
Chase Daniel
Everyone has a phone, right? And they always. It used to not be that way when we were in college and stuff, and now it's completely changed. I just like that he helped her with the overhead luggage, the tray table, and just. He just seems like a great dude.
- [35:18]
Diana Rossini
Like, he just seems like a great dude. I know. I. I don't want it. I don't want. I don't want Travis Hunter to be my answer this whole off season when we talk about things we're looking forward to, but I'm just. I'm just taking some ownership of that right now. I'm just letting you know we're going to be talking about Houston Texans, huh? He's my new Houston Texans. He's my new Justin Jefferson. All right, let's take a quick break. When we come back, the Tennessee Titans are doing a little rock, paper, scissor shoot. We're going to talk all about it, all right back here on Scoop City. So the great part of this time of year is, I think, you know, while these rookies are getting to know each other and the veterans will start joining them soon, everyone's learning each other and they're trying to let loose, right? So I know that I know one team where the rookies are learning and getting tested, who the veterans are on their team, right? The, like showing up photos, and I just love all these.
- [36:23]
Chase Daniel
I guarantee you who that is.
- [36:26]
Diana Rossini
I think that's so funny.
- [36:30]
Unknown
Hey, you know what would make your customer service help desk way better? Dumping it and then switching to intercom. But you're not quite ready to make that change. We get it. That's why Fin, the world's leading AI customer service agent, is now available on every help desk. Fin can instantly resolve up to 80% of your tickets, which makes your customers happier and gets you off the customer service rep hiring treadmill finned by Intercon, the leading customer service AI Agent now available on every help desk.
- [36:59]
Raj Panjabi
Hi, I'm Raj Panjabi from HuffPost.
- [37:01]
Noah Michaelson
And I'm Noah Michaelson, also from HuffPost.
- [37:03]
Raj Panjabi
And we're the hosts of Am I Doing It Wrong? A new podcast that explores the all too human anxieties we have about trying to get our lives right.
- [37:10]
Noah Michaelson
Each week on the podcast, Raj and I pick a new topic that we want to understand better and bring a guest expert on to talk us through how to get it right.
- [37:18]
Unknown
Right?
- [37:18]
Raj Panjabi
And we're talking, like legit, credible experts, doctors, PhDs all around.
- [37:23]
Noah Michaelson
Superheroes from HuffPost and Acast Studios. Check out Am I Doing It Wrong? Wherever you get your podcasts.
- [37:30]
Unknown
Did you know 39% of teen drivers admit to texting while driving? Even scarier, those who text are more likely to speed and run red lights. Shockingly, 94% know it's dangerous, but do it anyway. As a parent, you can't always be in the car, but you can stay connected to their safety with Greenlight Infinity's driving reports. Monitor their driving habits, see if they're using their phone, speeding, and more. These reports provide real data for meaningful conversations about safety. Plus, with weekly updates, you can track their progress over time, help keep your teens safe. Sign up for Greenlight Infinity@Greenlight.com podcast.
- [38:04]
Diana Rossini
Do you like.
- [38:05]
Chase Daniel
There's just certain head coaches that the.
- [38:08]
Diana Rossini
Detailed ones do that kind of stuff. Yeah, the detailed psychos are the ones who are like, you must name every player on this team, which I'm down for. But did you see the Titans Rocks, paper, scissors, shoot? They're playing out there on the field, just trying to keep it light.
- [38:24]
Chase Daniel
I love it.
- [38:25]
Diana Rossini
You're a scissor guy, aren't you? You're just so straight out. Scissor.
- [38:28]
Chase Daniel
No, I'm honestly like, rock. Like, come on, give me rock here. Let's do it real quick. Rocks, rock, paper, scissors.
- [38:35]
Diana Rossini
Is it plural?
- [38:36]
Chase Daniel
Shoot.
- [38:36]
Diana Rossini
Is it rock, paper, scissors or rocks.
- [38:38]
Chase Daniel
Paper, rock, scissor, Rock, paper, scissors, shoot.
- [38:42]
Diana Rossini
I feel like this. We could have a whole conversation. People from different regions do this differently, too. So in New Jersey, you do rock, paper, scissor, shoot. In some places, they don't do that. They do rock, paper, scissors, shoot. Then it's.
- [39:00]
Chase Daniel
Some people do it. Rock, paper, scissors. And then on the third one, they do it.
- [39:02]
Diana Rossini
Yes, that's what it is.
- [39:03]
Chase Daniel
Yeah. Yeah.
- [39:04]
Diana Rossini
No. Okay, so you're normal.
- [39:05]
Chase Daniel
I'm a shoot guy.
- [39:06]
Diana Rossini
Yeah. Let's do a shoe guy. Ready? Really quick. Ready? Rocks, paper, scissor, shoot.
- [39:11]
Chase Daniel
Gotcha. Boom.
- [39:14]
Diana Rossini
You just said you Just said you did rock and you did.
- [39:17]
Chase Daniel
I know I did rock.
- [39:17]
Diana Rossini
I should have been. I should. Yeah, but I can't do paper. Paper makes me nerv. Paper.
- [39:20]
Chase Daniel
Usually we won't. We won't do it right now, but usually it's a best two out of three, always. People that only do one pisses me off. It's best two out of three, always.
- [39:27]
Diana Rossini
Oh, see, I'm more of a one and done. No, no, we do that. We do it in our house for chores. I win all the time. I win all the time. What's your go to? Thanks. My. My go to chore. My go to rock, paper, scissor. I just told you. Scissor. My scissor. So, look, the Titans. I know I have plenty of jokes because I used to have a love affair with the Titans because I just loved Derrick Henry when he was there. But look, they've got a. They've got a whole new setup, a new roster. They've got a new quarterback in Cam Ward. I mean, when you, when you've talked about Cam Ward, even just with your Fox show, when you're talking about him in terms of the other quarterbacks, like, what is even your expectation for him?
- [40:08]
Chase Daniel
That's a great question because he was the one quarterback that I saw that, that I, you know, just really dove into and broke down that I love the most. I just think that he has the it factor. He has the special arm. He has that one thing physically that you can't coach. And that's what I want in a number one pick, right? Like, you can have all the external factors and this and that, and it. You got to have one or two things that we can't coach for you to be at that level. And it's his arm. It's his arm strength, his arm talent, his accuracy, his arm, all this stuff. And for him, the expectations are high. I mean, look, Brian Kelahan, his expectations are high, like they gotta win and they gotta win now, like new gm. But I do think that they're going to be better than some people think. Do I think that he has a supporting cast around him to have a Jaden Daniels type year? No, I don't. I don't. But it's a winnable division, right? And look, I know the Texans are in there. They're going to be a lot better. The Colts, Jazz, like, right. All those teams will be better if their defense can play enough to let him play well enough early in the season to let Cam just get those first four or five games. Out of you. Get the jitters out, Figure out the type of player you want to be. If he can get on a roll, man, who knows what can happen?
- [41:29]
Diana Rossini
I feel like I've become the AFC south girl on the show, right? It's like, I love Travis Hunter. I love the Texans. I'm all in on the Titans. What's going on? This. This is when you're starting to. We have too much time on our hands that I'm.
- [41:41]
Chase Daniel
I do like the Texans this year.
- [41:43]
Diana Rossini
I love all of a sudden. Oh no. Oh, look who's back.
- [41:46]
Chase Daniel
Seriously. I do. I think they're going to be sleeper sleepy. Like really good. Really.
- [41:51]
Diana Rossini
Someone from. Someone from Houston texted me, by the way, you said something about them recently and they tripled down on what you said. Like an agreement. So that was cool. So shout out Houston Texans.
- [42:00]
Chase Daniel
People listening to the scooper Houston Texans.
- [42:03]
Diana Rossini
All right, so we got a big week coming up. We got the schedule release for the 2025 NFL season coming up. So next show we'll dive into it. We'll pick our games. We're looking forward to where we would travel to if we if we had the opportunity. So we'll break the whole thing down as really one of the highlights of the season is about to go down in just a few days. So that'll do it for us here on Scoop City. Make sure you subscribe to our Scoop City newsletter. It's easy. You gotta do is put your email in. Pops right in your email every morning. We tell you everything you need to know around the league every day. So all you gotta do is read it. You don't even have to go anywhere else. Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel. And of course subscribe if you are listening to us. Leave some comments. We're gonna try to probably get to another mailbag at some point over the next few weeks. We know you guys really enjoyed that. So shout out to all those people that participated. So start thinking about what your question wants to be, what your what you want your question to be, and hopefully Chase and I can dive into it with you and we will get those answers to you. So that'll do it for us in this episode. We'll see you guys next time.
- [42:59]
Chase Daniel
Bye, guys. T Next time.
- [43:08]
Diana Rossini
Foreign.
- [43:14]
Unknown
Did you know 39% of teen drivers admit to texting while driving? Even scarier, those who text are more likely to speed and run red lights. Shockingly, 94% know it's dangerous, but do it anyway. As a parent, you can't always be in the car but you can stay connected to their safety with Greenlight Infinity's driving reports. Monitor their driving habits, see if they're using their phone, speeding, and more. These reports provide real data for meaningful conversations about safety. Plus, with weekly updates, you can track their progress over time. Help keep your teen safe Sign up for Greenlight Infinity@Greenlight.com Podcast this podcast is.
- [43:46]
Brought to you by Aura. Imagine waking up to find your bank account drained, bills for loans you never took out, a warrant for your arrest. All because someone stole your identity. Hackers aren't waiting. Why are you? That's why we're thrilled to partner with Aura. Your personal data is a goldmine for hackers, and Aura helps lock it down. Aura monitors the Dark Web, blocks data brokers from selling your information. Includes a VPN for private browsing and a password manager to secure your accounts before criminals break in. For a limited time, Aura is offering our listeners a 14 day free trial plus a dark web scan to check if your personal information has been leaked. All for free@aura.com safety that's aura.com safety to sign up and start protecting yourself and your loved ones, that's aura.com safety. Terms apply. Check the site for details.