← Scoop City: Inside The NFL
Scoop City: Inside The NFL
Will the Falcons trade Kirk Cousins, can Aaron Rodgers lead Steelers to the playoffs?
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- [00:00]
Verizon Representative
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- [00:32]
Zach Kiefer
Race the rudders.
- [00:33]
Chase Daniel
Race the sails. Race the sails.
- [00:35]
Zach Kiefer
Captain, an unidentified ship is approaching. Over. Roger, wait.
- [00:40]
Chase Daniel
Is that an enterprise sales solution?
- [00:43]
LinkedIn Representative
Reach sales professionals, not professional sailors. With LinkedIn ads, you can target the right people by industry, job title and more. We'll even give you a $100 credit on your next campaign. Get started today at LinkedIn.com results terms and conditions apply.
- [01:00]
Zach Kiefer
When you're a forward thinker, the only thing you're afraid of is business as usual. Workday is the AI platform that transforms the way you manage your people and money today so you can transform tomorrow. Workday moving business forever forward.
- [01:37]
Chase Daniel
Welcome into Scoop City. I am Chase Daniel on the show. Today. We're talking Kirk Cousins return to Atlanta, Jair Alexander's release from Green Bay. And that's right, Aaron Rodgers finally makes it official in Pittsburgh. Do not forget to like and subscribe for the latest scoop. Great to have senior writer for the athletic Zach Keifer on the show. How's it going, brother?
- [01:58]
Zach Kiefer
That's good, Chase. How you doing, man?
- [02:00]
Chase Daniel
I am good. I am good. We are excited for you to be here today. Lots to get into including if the NFL is failing on the next generations of quarterbacks. You've been working on a series all summer long and you know I love talking quarterbacks. More on that coming up. Meanwhile, in Green Bay, our girl Diana is reporting that the packers are releasing Pro bowl corner Jair Alexander after seven years with the team. How does it impact their defense in a division with Amon Ra St Brown and Justin Jefferson loaded with the receivers? But we start with the Falcons and Kirk Cousins, who Diana is reporting is expected to be in attendance Tuesday for the start of mandatory minicamp. That is some big news. Here's what we're hearing around the league. All right, Kirk Cousins expected to be in Flowery Branch Tuesday after not attending The Falcons voluntary OTAs in late May. He still wants out of Atlanta and wants to be a starter, but the team is moving forward with Michael Penix Jr. As their guy. Zach, where do things go from here with Cousins?
- [03:07]
Zach Kiefer
I mean, Chase, we know how this is going to end, right? Like if you're the Falcons, you're not moving right now. Like if I'm the Falcons and he wants out, I'm sitting until somebody gets hurt in training camp and the trade offer shoots up because some team is desperate, they feel they have a contending team for the playoffs or whatever and they're going to up the ante and you're going to pounce on that, right? If Penix, if Penix is your guy moving forward and Kirk wants out. Like I'm just going to sit there and wait until July or August when the desperation is going to get you what you want. Because otherwise.
- [03:43]
Chase Daniel
Yeah, that's good because. And that's my thought on this whole thing. If you look at as it stands today, right, Zach, the Saints maybe need a quarterback that's in division. Are they going to trade for $27.5 million salary? Probably not. Look, I know the Falcons are going to eat some of it because that's what he's owed in 2025 even if he were released. So they're paying that regardless. Maybe the Vikings. Look, Diane and I have talked about what the Viking setup would look like. That's crazy to think about. They obviously are moving forward with jj. They felt comfortable enough to let Rogers. I say let because they wanted Rogers in Minnesota at some point. It didn't happen. Pittsburgh's there. Pittsburgh gone. Cleveland has five quarterbacks. I'm just thinking about all the that need a quarterback and it's just, it doesn't make sense right now if I'm the Falcons, right? You're thinking, hey, build up the leverage. There's somebody that always gets hurt in training camp. There's always that starter or fringe starter. And for all intents purposes, I mean Kirk Cousins wants to play football and be a starter this year. But that's what brings me to my next question. Can he still physically do it? Right. He's coming off injury.
- [04:53]
Zach Kiefer
He.
- [04:53]
Chase Daniel
He threw like 11 touchdowns down the stretch. Got him benched. I mean they were 700 when they benched them. They were right in the thick of the NFC playoffs out. What can Cousins bring to a new team though?
- [05:05]
Zach Kiefer
Someone's going to talk themselves into it. That's a tale as old as time, right? He threw like nine interceptions in three games to get benched. Like it was really bad football in a division that's eminently winnable. And the Saints aren't going to. The Saints are not going to trade for him. It seems like the Saints are just set at where they're going. If they wanted Cousins, they would have made a move already. Plus, the division muddies it up. Like you said, Pittsburgh's got their guy. Someone's going to get hurt in camp. It happens every year. It happens every year. And then Kirk Cousins, the way we view him now is going to be different in August, on August 11, or whenever someone tears an Achilles or whatever. We're in a preseason game and they're going to be like, oh, he's a veteran quarterback. He can learn the system quickly. He's two years removed from injury as opposed to one, and they're going to talk themselves into. Land is going to have to eat some of it. But this is what's going to happen. And that team will probably end up going 6 and 11 anyway.
- [06:01]
Chase Daniel
That's funny. So if. Okay, what do you think of all the teams that I named and all the teams out there, like, forgetting injury right now? Because we don't. On this show. We don't. Knock on some wood, man. We hate injuries on this show. Where's the best fit for Kirk Cousins right now? Atlanta, Minnesota Saints. Where is that?
- [06:20]
Zach Kiefer
Well, being a sportswriter, not a fan, I always root for the story. Minnesota is so juicy, man. Right. That is like, I mean, I don't know if it's unprecedented, but, like, to follow the steps of that journey would be just beyond hysterical. And that team is really good and I think he could win there. We just saw it like 12 months ago. I mean, I don't know how it's going to go in Pittsburgh. We'll see. But I'm not like. I mean, Aaron Rodgers playing 17 games remains a little bit of a mystery to me because of his injury and he's older in that line and there's just a lot of moving parts there. Cleveland would be hilarious for so many reasons. Like, it makes no football sense, but, like, if you throw him into that quarterback room, like, that is undeniably one of the most unique and hysterical quarterback rooms in the history of football. I still think there's like four wins there total, but I don't know. I'm not rooting for any quarterback to get hurt either. But it just seems really strange. It's not unprecedented, but it seems really strange that the Falcons are going to have a $40 million a year quarterback sitting on the bench.
- [07:23]
Chase Daniel
Yeah, well, and that's my thing. It's like what happens Zach, right? If they decide, hey, you know what? We don't, we don't have any good trade offers right now. We don't even know if someone's actually put in an offer to trade for him. We know Cousins is unhappy, but who cares? Kirk Cousins, I mean, I know him personally. He is a ultimate teammate. He would be a good backup. He would help Michael Pennix Jr. But if things change, I can't imagine him saying, hey, maybe if someone gets hurt in October, like early October, before the trade deadline, you think he's going to want to go pick up move family. His wife Julie's from there and he has kids. Move cross country on an offense. You don't know, like there's something to be said about, hey, just stick and stay in put. So I think for me, that's why I say Atlanta, you know what you've done. You are healthy for the most part. Your brains in good and you don't know. Here's the thing, you don't know how Michael Penix Jr. Is going to play. You look at the injury history for him. The Falcons are being not even talked about in this division. Right. It's like, oh, the Panthers might and oh, the Bucks have won it the last two years. We've seen so many people get hurt that have derailed playoff chances. If the Falcons are sitting there seven and seven again like they were last year, at some point they're going to be squarely in the playoff picture. So for that reason I'm like, ah, I think he's good. Staying put. All right. No Jair Alexander for the start of Green Bay's mandatory minicamp Tuesday. Diana is reporting that the packers and Alexander's reps met Sunday, where Green Bay then informed him he would be released. The team tried to move him before the draft. They tried to restructure his deal. Now a free agent joining several big names out there. Zach, first of all, what's your reaction to the PAC making this move right now before mandatory minicamp in a division where there's a ton of big name wide receivers?
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Zach Kiefer
Yeah. So when a really good player gets released on what is it like June 9th?
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Chase Daniel
Yeah.
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Zach Kiefer
Basically the translation is they couldn't find a good trade partner. Right. Like you don't just release a player as good as Jair Alexander right now unless you just couldn't find a trade partner and look like, yeah, the packers are losing a really good player, but they played without him a lot the last two years in a division with Jefferson and Amon Ross St. Brown, he's missed 20 games in two years. And you know, Mark Murphy talked today. He talked to a local reporter in Green Bay and he's like, yeah, the problem was he just got injured too much and they were paying him a lot of money. When he signed that deal a couple years ago, it was the biggest of any quarterback, cornerback, excuse me, in league history. He's since been surpassed because that's how it works. But you know, k' Sean Nixon, Nate Hobbs, like, they. Like what they're doing with those guys. Those guys have played a lot of reps. You know, the packers are a team that's going to score a lot of points, ideally, which means they can give up their fair share. Look, they tried to trade him. They couldn't find a taker. Now he's going to go pick wherever he wants to go. The reality is, do you go out and sign a veteran? And it's just really dicey. And you know this, it's really dicey to sign cornerbacks because I don't think there's a position in football where you age quicker than quarterback. It is maybe besides quarterback, the most brutal position on the body. Like, they just age really fast. And it sucks for those guys because it's such a hard position.
- [10:36]
Chase Daniel
And you look at the free agent cornerbacks on the market right now, as you said, like Asante Samuel Jr. He's easily the youngest. I played with him at the Chargers. He was drafted when I was there. Still got some tread on his tires, right? Easily the youngest. Kendall Fuller, old. Russell Douglas, old. Stefon Gilmour, old. There's just a bunch of old guys. I can imagine them staying put with the guys they're having. But getting back to Jair Alexander's release, to me, it. It hurts, right? It hurts in a way of. Look, I know him and Matt LaFleur didn't get along. It seemed on the outside, they didn't get along. Everyone remembers him going out to throw the Carolina coin toss, I believe in his hometown. And then getting benched. And it's all. All this stuff going on. And I get it. He's making a lot of money. He is an All Pro talent. He has gotten second team, All Pro. He's a Pro bowl player. Anytime you lose a guy like that, even though he's missed 20 games the last two years, when he was on the field for that defense last year for seven games, I believe they were a different defense. The defensive coordinator called the defense completely different. He is literally like a lockdown guy now. I don't think he's 20, 22 for him. Right. And the injuries are definitely, you know, piling up. And there's also that, that, that spat or, you know, how they handled it. I think it's smart for them to do it. And I say them. Green Bay, first of all, it saves you $17 million in cap space. I think they're third or fourth in most caps, so they do. If they want to be able to sign a veteran, they can be able to. Here's my question. Where's the best fit for him?
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Zach Kiefer
Gosh, that's a tough decision. He's going to have his options. I mean, not to piggyback on the Kirk Cousins discussion, but don't you just sit and wait because there's going to be a corner that gets hurt in training camp. It happens every year. It's a brutal position. When they start playing real football in training camp, I don't mean like seven on seven. I don't mean non contact stuff. I mean when they start to really go, someone's going to go down. That's going to drive up his value. And this is a guy that could sit a little bit. He could sit a little bit and wait. I'm trying to think of a good team that needs a corner because those guys are like, those guys are like hired guns, you know, and there's, there's.
- [12:43]
Chase Daniel
Two for me that make a lot of sense. One, the LA Rams. LA Rams are shorter. Corner, you bring in an all pro type guy. And Sean McVay in LA. I think that works. And then obviously the number one place for me is a team that tried to trade for him in Buffalo Bills.
- [12:57]
Zach Kiefer
Right.
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Chase Daniel
Buffalo's looking for some help. I think those two teams make a lot of sense. He automatically, Zach, in my opinion, becomes the top guy on the market. Now, I know, I know Jalen Ramsey still out there and we'll talk about in a second. But with Jair, Buffalo, Rams make the most sense. What do you think about those 2?
- [13:15]
Zach Kiefer
I like LA because I like their front a lot. And that makes life a little bit easier for defensive back. And remember, Chris Shula did such a fantastic job over the second half of that season. The toughest game the Eagles saw in the entire playoff run where they beat the crap out of everybody, was the second round against the Rams, which came down to the last drive. That defense is tough. And the other thing is it's really, really young. He could fit in there well. Do the. Do the Rams have a history of bringing in very boisterous guys and having Them fit into their culture. Like they can do it there. They. They know what they're doing. They have a very structured leadership. Quarterback coach, gm. I like that. I don't love Buffalo. Look, I know they went really, really young last year, but I just think they have a really good thing going. It wasn't just the money last year that they saved by moving on from all those aging players, especially in the back end. They're trying to build something up and their hurdle is very obvious. They have one team they need to get past, and that's Kansas City. I think Buffalo stays the course. McDermott is so good on that side of the ball. I think LA fits and I think Jair Alexander is not too much of a personality to be a disruption there, as he was a headline generator in Green Bay.
- [14:25]
Chase Daniel
Yeah. And no doubt. And do you think so. So speaking of that, the. The name on the street that the Rams were trying to or possibly interested in trading back for was Jalen Ramsey. Do you think Jalen Ramsey fits in in Green Bay's plan? I personally don't. I think he's just probably not worth the price at this point in his career. More of a zone guy than a man guy. What are your thoughts on Jalen Ramley, Jalen Ramsey potentially getting traded to Green Bay?
- [14:52]
Zach Kiefer
That doesn't seem like a Green Bay packers move, does it? Like, they don't. They don't react to things like that. They don't over, you know, overplay their hand. And just in the comments that Mark Murphy made this morning, it just seems like they're really confident in their young guys. I mean, look at what they've done at receiver. They've got like 15 young receivers under the age of 25. Half of them can play. It seems like they're kind of doing the same thing on the other side of the ball and they need to be better this year. Like, they have stated that they believe they can compete for a Super Bowl. I feel like last year was a little bit of a step back, but to get there, you have to have guys develop in the draft and then become starters and kind of going with the shortcut route and going, getting like a Jalen Ramsey. It just doesn't work in concert with what we know about this version of the Packers.
- [15:36]
Chase Daniel
Yeah, I'm with you on that. And if packers can figure out how to keep Jordan Love healthy and what they're going to do at corner, those seem to be the weaknesses. I do think they have a Super bowl talented roster. Oh, I'm looking forward to it.
- [15:49]
Zach Kiefer
All right.
- [15:49]
Chase Daniel
Coming up, is the NFL failing the next generation of young quarterbacks? How the system may be flawed from the start. That's next on Scoop City.
- [16:03]
Verizon Representative
Now at Verizon we have some big news for your peace of mind for all our customers, existing and new. We're locking in low prices for three years guaranteed on MyPlan and my home. That's future. You peace of mind and everyone can save on a brand new phone on MyPlan. When you trade in any phone from one of our top brands, that's new phone peace of mind. Because at Verizon, whether you're already a customer or you're just joining us, we got you. Visit Verizon today. Price guarantee applies to then current base monthly rate. Additional terms and conditions apply for all offers.
- [16:33]
Zach Kiefer
When you're a forward thinker, the only thing you're afraid of is business as usual. Workday is the AI platform that transforms the way you manage your people and money today so you can transform tomorrow. Workday moving business forever forward.
- [16:48]
LinkedIn Representative
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- [17:31]
Chase Daniel
All right, Anthony Richardson will not participate in Colts mandatory mini camp this week after head coach Shane Steichen said Richardson entered his AC joint in his throwing shoulders. Zach, there are reports that Richardson had some inflammation in that shoulder, the same one that sidelined him his rookie year. If you remember that you're in Indianapolis, you are the guy in Indy. Zach, what are they saying about the quarterback situation there with many camps set to begin on Tuesday?
- [17:57]
Zach Kiefer
Well, besides the Pacers run, which everyone's talking about in town, which has been a nice distraction from the NFL team that continues to disappoint, the reaction is are we ready to watch Daniel Jones start for the Colts in Week one and maybe the entire season, I think that's where we're headed. Like I really see the writing on the wall. I don't know if this is the end for Anthony Richardson at Indianapolis. I think that's too premature. But look, the GM came out after the season and said part of the reason Anthony hasn't solidified himself is because we can't trust him to stay on the field. And that's separate from the fact that he was benched for two games for not preparing. Like, think about that. I'm talking about a franchise quarterback here, Chase. And they benched him for two games for lack of preparation. And I know he's young and they drafted him young and they knew this was going to be like this, but you know, this is an organizational failure. Right? Like, they played him right away and now they regret that the coach has put him in position to do what he does well with his legs, but also get the crap beat out of him and the kid. And he's naive and he's a good kid, but he just doesn't seem to get it yet. Tapped out of a game because he was tired. He said this publicly. So nothing's really gone to plan with this guy. And we're talking throwing shoulder. And in this town, starting quarterback, throwing shoulder brings back a lot of nightmares for people with Andrew Luck. And that was a really dark time. And I just feel like at this point the organization is going to start to realize they trust Daniel Jones more. And I know that sounds crazy and people are not going to be optimistic and they probably shouldn't be. But if you're a coach, you trust the quarterback who you know is going to run your offense and you're not going to want surprises. And it just feels like Richardson's going to have to play catch up in training camp and he's not a quarterback that can play catch up because he's not consistent.
- [19:42]
Chase Daniel
Yeah, look to what you were saying. He's missed 17 games because of injuries in two seasons. Twelve of those absences were because of the AC joint sprain that required surgery. Two were for back spasms, another two for oblique injury, one because of concussion, two for benching because of. I mean, just the list goes on and on. Specifically, before we get into your series, Indianapolis Colts. Like I. I've known Chris Ballard since his Kansas City Chiefs days, and he thinks of quarterbacks like Andy Reid does, where they consistently are trying to develop and draft. You can never have too many and you can never sign too many. All that's sort of his. Sort of like where he landed up, I think. And I know him personally and I've talked to him about this. Where do you view this franchise? Because it seems to be the quarterback situation, specifically since Andrew Luck has left has just not been the same. You know, we thought we saw something from going to Payton and then Luck and Lux. This can't miss Star and You're like, oh my gosh, they've had success like the Green Bay packers where they have had three quarterbacks in 40 years, right? But then Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan, Carson Wentz. I'm sure I'm missing some more.
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Zach Kiefer
Oh, I lived it, man. I could go on and on, Right?
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Chase Daniel
So why do you think they haven't had success one, drafting a guy or two, signing a guy, it's the most important position in all of sports. And I want Ballard to succeed. But if he doesn't succeed this year and it's going to be hard pressed for him to keep his job.
- [21:18]
Zach Kiefer
Now remember, there's a new owner in town as well. Jim Mercier's oldest daughter is a made official today, is now in charge of this team and she's going to be different than her dad. Watch out for that. She's going to be different. You're right about Chris Ballard, Chase, you know, after Andrew retired, he got his scouts in a room and he said, we're going to draft one every year. It speaks exactly to what you were saying because they had Peyton Manning for 14 years and then they found a winning lottery ticket on the ground, right? That just doesn't happen. And Chris said for years, he said, we're going to do everything we can to figure this out, but our fan base is going to learn what the other side is like. Like, you don't just go from Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck. That's not normal. You don't go from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers. That's not normal. Like the Browns, I could go on and on like the Chiefs quarterbacks before they landed Mahomes. So the reality is, and to put this as condensed as I can, they played the one year wonder card. Like they just kept shuffling through these guys and they were too hesitant to jump in the draft. They had too good of a roster to just blow it up. And so they go get Philip Rivers and he's good and he retires. They go get Carson Wentz. Cause Frank Reich wanted Carson Wentz and he was okay. Then Jim Mercedes says, hell no, we're not bringing Carson Wentz back. They get rid of Carson Wentz. They talk themselves into Matt Ryan. Matt Ryan is old man and his ball takes 15 seconds to get to the side of the field. And then they reach. You know, they really hit the bottom at the end of that season. They go 4 and 12 and 1 or whatever it was, and they've got this fourth overall pick. And the boss, Jim Ursay, says quarterback or else. So C.J. stroud. Goes two. Bryce Young goes one. They wanted Stroud. They worked out both of them. They thought Stroud was better, but that doesn't matter now. So they're deciding between Will Levis and Anthony Richardson. So, as you know, Chase, when you're forced to pick a quarterback, when you're forcing yourself to pick a guy who, by the way, is 20 years old. 20 years old, you get into the situation and they started him early, which they wish now that they hadn't done. And the problem is Anthony Richardson is the exact same quarterback now that he was at Florida, and that's two years into his career. The injuries are a concern. And that is really the writing on the wall right now is like, you want to see improvements, you want to see him getting better. And to be cold and blunt and honest, I just don't think he's gotten that much better as a pro.
- [23:46]
Chase Daniel
Yeah, I mean, obviously you can see. I wouldn't say regression. He has not gotten better specifically throwing the football. The one good thing I think throwing the football he does is deep ball action. He's able to throw a moonshot in his. It is unbelievable. However, you got to throw short and intermediate. All right, I said we were getting to your article. You said something super fascinating and I'm not going to let you off this podcast until you answer it. You said something regarding ownership change, obviously ownership change to the daughters of Jim Irsay. But you said things are going to be different.
- [24:18]
Zach Kiefer
How? Well, Jim Irsay was an original, right? He was a one of a kind NFL character. And I would argue, and I got to know Jim really well as I covered the team. I mean, he would call me late at night and we would talk for hours. And this wasn't abnormal. There was others in town, reporters that he would talk to. And that was very rare in the NFL world where you had an unfiltered connection with the owner. And I got to learn a lot about how the league worked and how he thought. And this is an old guard guy like he, Lamar Hunt and Rooneys and like he loved the old ownership of the NFL and he really cherished that. So he valued local reporters. And, you know, he led with his heart. He really did. For better or for worse. Like, he hired Jeff Saturday because he loved Jeff Saturday. And he said in the press conference, I kid you not, he said to us, the reporters, he said, put your money on the table. If you think this guy's going to lose, put your. And I said, I can't do that as a professional, but my God, I Want to put my money down because this was not going to work. And everybody in the building was telling me that that night.
- [25:19]
Chase Daniel
Wow.
- [25:19]
Zach Kiefer
Carly Ursay Gordon is taking over. She's been essentially an owner in waiting for several years. She's been on the sideline with a headset during games, listening into the calls. How many times do you hear about that? It's sort of an apprenticeship, right? That's weird. It's un. It's. It's abnormal. But again, she's the owner who's going to tell her to get out of there. I think she's going to lead with her head as opposed to her dad leading with his heart. I think she's going to be more calculated. I think she's already made a couple changes in terms of staffing around her dad. Those people are gone. And remember, I went to his funeral seven days ago. So those changes happened quickly. And this is sort of an ultimatum season. You know, I got to know Chris Ballard really well, covering the team. Still talk to him a lot. This is year nine. This is year nine. And there's two playoff appearances and there's one win. And you know who the win was when they won that game? Andrew Luck. That seems like a lifetime ago. So, you know, you get a little bit of a leeway when that seismic event happens, when a quarterback retires three weeks before the season in his freaking prime, but that leeway is over. Like, that's done. That was years ago. And they need to have a guy in place to carry this team forward, and they don't. We're looking at Daniel Jones in week one in Indianapolis. And so I think this is the year that Steichen and Ballard get evaluated by a new owner. And if the results aren't there, you can absolutely make a case that it's time to start over.
- [26:43]
Chase Daniel
All right, let's get to your series about quarterbacks and why it seems that the NFL is failing young quarterbacks more now than ever. I have so many thoughts. However, you've been spending a long time on this, and I want to hear what you have uncovered so far.
- [27:00]
Zach Kiefer
This has been so cool. If you love the quarterback position, Chase, do you remember Kevin o' Connell was on the Rich Eisen show in the fall, and he said something that started this whole project. He goes, organizations fail young quarterbacks more often than young quarterbacks fail organizations. And I'm like, how does that happen? And I look, every team's different, every ownership's different, every coach. I get that. Like, how is that happening with these billion dollar Organizations. And so I just basically emptied my Rolodex. I talked to Kevin o' Connell about the quote. I talked to Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman and Bruce Arians and Andrew Luck and Matt Ryan and Matt Hasselbeck and Alex Smith, who had some tremendously sad stories about his first couple of years in San Francisco where he's watching film by himself and he's scared as hell at home games and he wishes the team was on the road because he wasn't getting booed. And CJ Stroud and Jaden Daniels, who have flourished in their first couple of years in the league. Do you agree with Kevin OConnell's quote that it's organizations failing young quarterbacks before the quarterback fails the team?
- [28:08]
Chase Daniel
Thousand percent. Thousand percent. I couldn't agree more. And mainly from my point of view, playing in college at a high level, right? Heisman Trophy finalists, not getting drafted because I was told I was too short, didn't have a strong enough arm to playing 14 years in the league, only starting five games. But I was around some hall of Fame coaches, I was around some hall of Fame quarterbacks, and all of those hall of Fame coaches and all those hall of Fame quarterbacks had one or two things sort of in common. And that was extremely detailed. Extremely detailed. And first of all, let's just make our audience know there. There are about a thousand layers to why since 2020, five of the 66 first round quarterbacks drafted in the NFL have been benched while on their rookie quarterback. Okay? So that's what we're talking about. One of the things that I have noticed specifically about quarterbacks now, and I don't, and I'm not sure when it started, I can't pinpoint when I started, but I think quarterbacks coming into the league right now are not quite as smart in terms of X's and O's and details. And that's saying a lot, right? Not everybody. But if you look at these college offenses, if you look at these high school offenses, they're shotgun, they're spread it out. Hey, run Zion, hey, run Arizona, hey, run Cardinal.
- [29:34]
Zach Kiefer
Can they call a play without looking to the sideline?
- [29:37]
Chase Daniel
They can't call a play without looking at a sideline. They can't call a play without looking at a wristband. And look, these play calls in the NFL, they're no joke. And there's a reason why they are. Because you want to get in the right call at the right time in the right situation. So what I have noticed is more and more guys coming into the NFL are not prepared to be successful in the NFL. And I don't think until now, I think it's getting better because you look at what Cliff Kingsbury did with Jaden Daniels last year, among other. Sean Payton with Bo Nixon. My Sean's a little bit of an old school guy and that offense has not changed at all. And Bo's been phenomenal in that. But I do think that these organizations are starting to recognize, hey, we have to really, really have a developmental program for these quarterbacks and we have to have. We can't just say, hey, go out there and you know how to sling it and you know how to study film. Caleb Williams biggest example, right, he came back and said, oh, you know, I know how to watch. He said he didn't know how to watch film. How do you not know how to watch film? It's the number one thing that's gonna separate you from quarterbacks. So I think from my experience, Zach, without talking the whole time, that's what I've seen. Did you see anything of that nature in your findings?
- [30:51]
Zach Kiefer
Oh, dozens and dozens of times. I mean, among the people that Caleb Williams reached out to was Peyton Manning. Basically, like, what do you look for when you're watching film? And that's a great resource to reach out to. And among the more interesting conversations I had was, was Andrew Luck, who was an absolute baller his first year for a very average Colts team that wasn't supposed to be good. And they went to the playoffs. And I asked Andrew about it and he's like, and this is exactly what you're talking about. He said, look, I was good. Whatever success I had my rookie year, it was because Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw trained me to be a professional quarterback in college. So he learned it there. And he said, zach, still, it felt like I was swimming upstream every single day as a rookie and he was a baller. And I told Kevin o' Connell what Andrew said and he's like, that makes me feel so good about my comments because even that guy who made it look easy felt like he was swimming upstream and barely above water the whole season. So the other thing that jumped out at me, and this kind of speaks to what you're saying as well, is, you know, we see these billion dollar franchises, like, what other part of American life are these billion dollar corporations? In some sense, the face of their entire organization is a 22 year old. 20, 20 year old is a 23 year old, right? So that's a reality that's really hard for A lot of these guys, and it's little things, like, no one taught Alex Smith how to watch film by himself when he was the first overall pick in San Francisco. And Matt Hasselbeck was not a young quarterback when he went to the Titans. He was later in his career. But he asked a ball boy like, hey, can I throw with the receivers after practice? And they were like, yeah, but, like, he had to go through six or seven steps and get this other. Other, you know, equipment guy to let him have the balls. And it was like a completely foreign concept. And right before he goes out there to do it, they're like, hey, thanks for showing up on time today. And he's like, when am I supposed to show up? I'm the starting quarterback. The quarterback before him, Vince Young, just, like, didn't show up on time. And so you think these are, like, rigid, professional, strict organizations. And a lot of them are. The ones who get it. Are. But a lot of them are completely opposite, and they're kind of clueless, and it's kind of embarrassing how bad it gets with some of these guys.
- [33:08]
Chase Daniel
And I would say there's five to seven organizations that get it, and those are the five to seven organizations that are consistently in a playoff hunt or a Lombardi hunt. Last question before we get out of here. So when you talk without diving in too much, right, the organizations or the head coaches that you've talked to, what was the number one takeaway in terms of how they feel best to prepare their guys to have success in the NFL? Coming from college?
- [33:36]
Zach Kiefer
So I've asked every single one of that. And from Peyton Manning to Aikman to Arians. The answer varies, right? Everyone has a different experience. I mean, Peyton struggled a lot as a rookie, and he's like, zach, I was going to be benched. Like, I remember exactly where I was on the sideline in Foxborough, and I thought they were gonna bench me. And I'm like, you have a gold jacket right now, and you were the standard of the position, and you had that moment. And you can speak to this. Cause you played the position and you know how hard it is. But the consensus, the thing that kept coming back to me was not X's and O's. Cause these kids, you know, they learn it. Or for the most part, it's not the arm talent. Zach Wilson can throw it a mile, can't play consistently. It's not that we can all see that. Even I can tell who can throw or not. It's how do you react when goes bad adversity right? Like it's. And you can't find that out at a pro day and you can't find that out at the combine and you can't find that in a 15 minute interview. It's. You walk into a locker room with grown men who have families who need you to play well on Sunday so they can extend their career. And if you can't get their respect when it gets hard, then you're not. Then you're not gonna be the guy. Like the greatest attribute Tom Brady had, and this is what his teammates have said, is that he got up after every hit. Like Tom Brady didn't light the league on fire from the quarterback position at his first year. I mean they were good, but Teddy Bruski's like, look, he threw one touchdown in the playoff run when we won their first Super Bowl. Like that defense was lights out. The reason they respected Brady because he was unflappable and because he got up after every hit, he earned respect the hard way. And I still think that's the lost art of quarterbacking.
- [35:15]
Chase Daniel
And I think you hit on it perfectly. Because when you look at since say since 2000, it's really been as long as the NFL has existed and college scouting began, it's so difficult to scout players. Intangibles. And I think what makes quarterbacks special are intangibles. You can get a guy like jamarcus Russell who can throw it a quarter mile. You can get a guy like Brock Purdy where you can't measure his heart, you can't measure how he handles it versus yes, you still have to be able to do it physically. But Drew Brees, you look at him, the specimen, he's just not some physical specimen. Like right he, he, his shoulder was holding on by a thread when Sean Payton believed in him 06 and signed him. But what got him through that was his mind and his heart and just understanding this, this crazy internal belief. Especially from Drew. Man, that's awesome. I can't wait to read it. All right, coming up, Aaron Rodgers set to take the field Tuesday. Reaction to the four time MVP in Pittsburgh is next on scoops it.
- [36:29]
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- [38:18]
Chase Daniel
All right, it's officially official. That's right, Aaron Rodgers passed his physical, signed a one year, $13.6 million contract. What? With the Steelers, it can be worth up to $19.5 million in incentives. Rogers is set to wear number eight in the black and yellow, the same number with the Jets. Zach thoughts on Rodgers in Pittsburgh?
- [38:39]
Zach Kiefer
Well, I'll give him credit for playing for what effectively is minimum wage for a starting quarterback, but I want to go back to something Mike Tomlin said at the end of their season. Like they've had this revolving door at quarterback the last couple years and they seem stuck in the middle. And Mike Tomlin said we're not going to do the same thing this year and expect different results. In my mind, I feel like that's exactly what they're doing. You can make the case that he's a step up from Russell Wilson, but I don't see this team in a different light. I just feel like they're going to go 9, 8 or 10, 7 and be in the same exact spot.
- [39:12]
Chase Daniel
They're doing the exact same thing. You look at even the time with Ben Roethlisberger in his late 30s. They're pretty much recycling an old Quarterback expecting different results. You go from Ben Roethlisberger, he think he was 9 and 7 his last season. Then you go to, to Russell Wilson, I think he was six and five in his tenure. Lost in the first round place. They haven't, they haven't won a playoff game since 2016. And now you're doing it with a 41 year old. Why Rogers, though? It's, it's been reported that Rogers was their third option, Stafford was one, Fields was two. And they obviously had to move on and pivot to Rogers at three. But why Rogers right now?
- [39:51]
Zach Kiefer
And the other thing is Chase, like, do you feel like he's all in? Like you have to be all in to be good at this position in this league. And I know his track record and I know he's really smart and he's seen every defense. I don't feel like his arm is quite the same. And they brought in a receiver who wins on the outside. That matters. They were not good over the middle last year. They don't have a great receiving core. They got a decent tight end. They don't have a great line. But like Rogers, I mean based on what he told McAfee a couple weeks ago was like, I got a lot going on in my personal life. Like it feels like he's halfway in. Like I'll just show up for a couple days of minicamp and I'll be in training camp. And it just felt like to me last year that I just didn't see it from him. Now he played better down the stretch. But like, doesn't this just tell you, like this is just not going to go well?
- [40:39]
Chase Daniel
It's not the most important thing. Football is not the most important thing in Aaron Rodgers life. You can clearly see that now. Does he want to play? Does he want to do this? Yeah. Will it matter if the season's not successful for Rodgers? No. He's still going to go with the first Battle hall of Famer. He's still a four time mvp. He's still a Super bowl champion. Is it going to matter for Tomlin and the series? Yeah, because the same old thing is going to be talked about next offseason. Is Mike Tomlin better off somewhere? Mike Tomlin's a legend. I get that. But they have not figured out the most important position in sports. And look, I actually like that Roger signed and will be at minicamp and he'll talk and we'll have more on that and Scoop City coming up this week. But, but my main thing, and I asked Diana about It is, is how will Aaron Rodgers and offense coordinator Arthur Smith fit together? I think that's the, that's the thing we need to understand and that's the thing we need to figure out. Because with Aaron Rodgers, it's very spread out formation. He likes to be in shotgun. He's static. Arthur Smith under center play action shifts, motions. And look, Arthur Smith for what he's been, he's been adapt, adaptable. And his adaptability is through the roof. He also helped Ryan Tannehill sort of turn around his career in Tennessee. So I get that. It's just going to be interesting to see how they work together. Last question about Rodgers. Does this change anything about the Steelers expectations this season? Like, do you think they are super bowl contenders now with Rogers?
- [41:59]
Zach Kiefer
Absolutely not. They're not the second best team in their division. I mean, you had Joe Burrow coming off an MVP year if he had a defense last year, let alone Lamar Jackson. But the only thing I will say positively about this, I will spin it that way, is look, the jets needed Aaron Rodgers to come in and lift up the entire franchise and save them. Right? They needed him to do that. And that was never going to happen, not at this stage of his career. The Steelers don't need that. But to counter that they've led the league in defensive spending the last three years. They have not figured out offensive football. It's not just quarterback. They have not figured out offensive football. It seems like they're playing fantasy football right now. They gave DK Metcalf $150 million extension. Like, I don't think he's one of the top five receivers in the league, but he's being paid by like it. And I just feel like Aaron couldn't just go out like that. He wanted to be wanted. The Steelers had no other options. They needed a quarterback. It feels like a forced marriage. And they're going to talk it up this week at minicamp and Right. Like everybody's having a great off season in June and July and August, but then when things get real, we're going to find out what's really going on. And I just feel like. I just feel like they're the third best team in that division and the only reason they're the third best team is because the Browns are a dumpster fire.
- [43:16]
Chase Daniel
And yeah, I think, I mean, I agree with you. I think they're going to finish third in their division. I think there's nine to 10 wins available. I think they're potentially a wild card team depending on how their defense plays, which they sort of let them down down the stretch. All right, we're going to have a lot more from Aaron Rodgers on the next edition of Scoop City. Roger Rogers is talking Tuesday after the start of Steelers mandatory minicamps. Zach, how was it, man? I appreciate you coming on with us.
- [43:41]
Zach Kiefer
This was a blast. I could do this every day, but I think Diana's a little bit more qualified. So I'll catch up with you later this week, though, that's for sure.
- [43:48]
Chase Daniel
Oh, man, for sure. All right, thanks for listening to us. I'm Chase Daniel for Zach Kiefer. Bye, guys. Tag me next time. When your workforce, tech stack and business.
- [44:09]
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- [44:32]
Chase Daniel
And move forward together.
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