Ari SQRD
A podcast about NFL football hosted by two guys named Ari
Ari SQRD
We Predicted the AFC & NFC East... And Fans Are Going to Hate It
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This week's episode was packed from start to finish. We kicked things off by breaking down the latest wave of massive contract extensions, including deals for Darnell Wright, Zay Flowers, Bijan Robinson, Matthew Bergeron, and Chris Olave, before discussing whether Baker Mayfield was disrespected by reportedly being offered just $50 million per year, and why we both agreed that number was probably fair. We also asked whether ESPN has been too quick to move past recent coaching scandals. The centerpiece of the episode was our deep dive into the AFC and NFC East, where we made our division predictions, picked contenders and pretenders, and shared plenty of takes that are bound to upset a few fanbases. We also covered the latest free agent signings, played another round of Guess That Number, and debuted our newest segment, Real or Fake NFL Player Names, where it turns out the NFL has some names so ridiculous they sound completely made up.
Welcome to another edition of Ari Squared. We are your hosts, Ari Lev and Ari Berkowitz. Excited to be back and recording another episode for you guys. First things first, as always, guys, let's go ahead and give us a subscribe on YouTube. Give us a follow on Instagram. And of course, go ahead, guys, on your favorite podcast platforms. Find us, like us, subscribe to us, leave comments. We're loving your feedback. And of course, there are fun social clips throughout the week on both our Instagram and on YouTube. And we are getting some really great comments and feedback over there. Before we even dive into this episode, I just want to tell our listeners and have them join me in saying, congratulations on moving into your new place. Really excited for you. May you make lots of great memories there. Record lots of awesome episodes of the Ari Squared podcast there. And hopefully, actually enjoy some Jets victories as opposed to your previous place where they were few and very far between.
SPEAKER_01Thank you, Ari. Uh well said, and uh you cracked me up there. That was uh that was awesome. Yes. Uh hoping for at least some Jets wins to celebrate in this new apartment, as the old one was just full of Jets losses. There you go.
SPEAKER_00All right, Ari. So why don't you go ahead and tell our listeners what we have coming up in today's episode?
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. So obviously, there's a lot of extension news going around the NFL uh since we last recorded. So we'll definitely uh discuss some of the more interesting ones, maybe recap the whole thing and uh maybe uh discuss one or two matters that related to some things that we discussed in our last last uh recording. In addition, we will have a full breakdown of the NFC East as well as the AFC East to wrap up our division breakdown series that we started a couple months ago. And it's very exciting uh wrapping that up. And um, beside for that, we have our usual segment that we have at the end of the podcast, and we hope to have time to introduce a brand new segment at the end of this week's podcast.
SPEAKER_00Awesome, lots of exciting stuff coming up, Ari. So excited to be back recording with you, as we did unfortunately miss last week, but we are back here today and have another exciting one for our listeners and our viewers. So let's dive into the contract. Just a quick recap of the extensions. So Darnell Wright got a four-year, $116 million contract, 93 of which is guaranteed. Zay Flowers got a four-year, $140 million with $108 million guaranteed. Bijan Robinson got three years, $75 million with $51 guaranteed. Matthew Bergeon? Bergeron? How the hell do you pronounce his last name? Bergeron. Bergeron, thank you. Got four years, 96 million. They did not release how much of that was guaranteed. And Chris Olave, four years, 132 with 90 million guaranteed. Of these extensions with some really eye-popping numbers, Ari. Which of these stands out most to you and why?
SPEAKER_01So I think the Zay Flowers one stands out the most. I think it's the most money ever given out to a wide receiver in guaranteed dollars. That is correct. Um, I mean, I I'm as big of a believer and I have been in Zay Flowers since he was drafted. I thought he should have gone even higher. Um, I think he's a tremendous weapon on offense. Does he deserve to be paid as a number one receiver in the NFL or the most guaranteed money of all time? Not even close. Like it's I don't even we just did a receiver ranking. Um he was in it, he was not in the top 10. So it's kind of a little bit uh shocking when you see those kinds of things. It's like shades of like when Christian Kirk signed with the Jaguars um after his illustrious career with uh with the Arizona Cardinals, and everyone was like, Yeah, well, if the Jaguars want to bring in that kind of player, uh, they're gonna have to fork over that amount of money. And Christian Kirk kind of made he had he he brought in the most money ever by a slot at that time, and close to, if not the you know, top five or so in money ever for a wide receiver at that time. And it's kind of shocking that not only a homegrown guy signing this deal with his current team, but also not someone that's a little bit further away from free agency. I believe he has two years left under contract, so he's extension eligible. But I don't understand why you have to pay him to this extent, and it just speaks to something that we've kind of been talking about um for a while now, which is like the battle of the birds this offseason, where kind of like we've pinpointed the Falcons, the Eagles, and the Ravens uh in moments this offseason where it's just like, what are they doing? What are they doing? And with the Ravens, it started very early on, obviously letting go of John Harbaugh when you have a coach of that caliber, you have to make sure you're doing things in the right way and to immediately follow that up with everything that happened with Max Crosby, terrible look, terrible look. And now, if you have to convince your number one receiver to sign with you for a well above market uh value when you still control him, I mean that's just a sign to me, just like with Christian Kirk going to uh going to Jack Jacksonville, that Zay Flowers is only going to stay in Baltimore if they backed up the Brinks truck for him. And that's a kind of that's a really serious uh telltale sign about what's actually happening inside of the building in Baltimore. So to me, the Zay Flowers contract is uh the most noteworthy out of all of them for the volume and what it says with the optics of it. How about you, Ari? Which contract uh did cut caught your attention?
SPEAKER_00So I'm gonna highlight two of them. Um, I'm gonna agree with you on Zay Flowers, like just to put this into actual numbers of what he's done in his three years, he has 237 catches, 3,128 receiving yards, 14 touchdowns, and he's been to the Pro Bowl twice. In what world does that deserve you to get the most amount of guaranteed money? Like Chris Olave, much more deserving wide receiver who also got an extension, got $8 million less and got $18 million less in guarantees. Just to put this into perspective, Zay Flowers at $108 million guaranteed. The next closest behind him, and it's not even close, is Justin Jefferson with $88.7 million guaranteed. In what world does Zay Flowers for barely over a thousand yards a season with 14 touchdowns in three seasons? That's not even five touchdowns a season. In what world does he deserve this kind of contract? It makes zero sense to me. I completely agree with you that you know this is not a good look as a first big move for the Ravens after moving on from Harbaugh, and I think that it's a huge mistake. Um, the other contract that I do want to point out, and it does tie into our previous episode where we discussed our you know um running back rankings is Bijan Robinson getting three years, 75 million, 51 million dollars guaranteed. The running back market certainly seems to be back. And if right now I am either um Jonathan Taylor, who's up for an extension next, or a lot more to the point, if I am Jameer Gibbs, I am looking at this contract going, Oh hell yeah, because you can argue that, and again, Jonathan Taylor's a little bit older, I think he's gonna have a different, he's much older, correct? He's gonna have a hard time commanding this kind of money. Um, but if I'm Jameer Gibbs, I am looking at this saying, I am so happy that Bijan went first. I think it's a great move by the by the both the player and his agent by waiting. You don't want to be the first, you always want to be the second when it comes to stuff like this. And so I would say is those are the two contracts that really stand out in me. But it's it's quite amazing to me what I find most interesting about all of these extensions is the fact that they come like we're already in training camp. All 32 teams are at training camp. We've literally got the Hall of Fame game coming up this Thursday, which is just absolutely wild, which means there's officially an NFL game between now and after Valentine's Day, every single week, which is so awesome, and I'm so excited. But it's interesting to see that the um extensions actually happened once training camp started. Aside from Bijan, who was doing a hold in, everybody had already reported to camp, everybody was there, so the timing is a little bit curious, so that would stand out to me. Um, I do have a question for you, Ari, and this is about an extension that did not happen, um, and it's creating some noise. And I wanted to ask you if you feel like it's justified. And so I'm referring to Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Bucks not getting a new extension that he was seeking. He then, at his first, you know, press conference, literally at training camp, goes and like just sets the team on fire. I feel disrespected. I'm told I'm a franchise quarterback, I wasn't extended. I gave a deadline of the start of training camp, it didn't get done, and I just want to be fairly compensated. Then reports come out in turn that the team offered him $50 million a year, and I'm thinking to myself, well, if that's true, Baker, respectfully, you feel like you're not being treated with what you're worth at $50 million a year, like bro, bro.
SPEAKER_01So, yeah, it's not it's it's very interesting, and the fact that you brought up Jonathan Taylor as well, I think that it all ties in um to what Sam Darnold did uh a couple offseasons ago, um, and now going into Baker Mayfield and Jonathan Taylor. So just to go to explain briefly, Jonathan Taylor, um, while while B. John Robinson got the length, the guaranteed money, and the annual average annual value, I think what this deal does is for a team like the Colts and a player like Jonathan Taylor, who's getting up there uh in age, can say is okay, I I don't I don't need the four or five, six-year contract, but I do need a little bit more annually and maybe fully guaranteed for one or two seasons. And the similarly to Sam Darnold, who's coming off of a great year, had the draft pedigree, but um didn't have that kind of uh illustrious performance that you look at, having a shorter term deal and more money uh per year than say someone like Justin Fields last year, um, who was similar in a similar place. It could be that Baker, the the Buccaneers came to him and said, Baker, listen, like we'll tear up your contract, we'll give you 50 million for this year and an additional one year of 50 million, and he turned it down. And and that and that makes sense for all parties. And the bottom line here is I just don't see a long-term fit with the Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield. I think that um they're on, and we've also discussed this when we talked about the NFC South, they're on a downward trajectory, and both the Panthers and the Saints are on the exact opposite trajectory. And um, it could be that they'll be in position to A, have a new head coach next year, and to be drafting high enough to draft one of the elite quarterbacks of next year's draft. And so it really doesn't make a lot of sense for them to have some kind of long-term marriage with Baker Mayfield. That being said, I also think this is the best possible case scenario for Baker. Now he has to save face by saying what he did to in front of the saying what he said in front of the media, but for all intents and purposes, the Bucks have a litany of young receivers that he will have a great time throwing the ball to. He just needs to ball out. If he balls out, the Buccaneers will be on the cusp of the playoffs, and he will make himself a boatload of money next year. Just just look at um Malik, what Malik Willis got, and he could, you know, 3X that easily.
SPEAKER_00Of course. And I also think back, you know, if you're talking about QBs uh betting on themselves, the one that definitely comes to mind for me, and how ultimately he went and won um the Super Bowl would be none other than our boy from Baltimore. Do you know who I'm talking about?
SPEAKER_01Trent Billford.
SPEAKER_00No, no, yes, again. Our boy from Baltimore. He went, he would, he did not, they did not sign into an extension. He went into the season and then went on to win the Super Bowl. Is that Joe Flacco? Is that very good? Exactly. Yes, Joe Flacco bet on himself.
SPEAKER_01I thought you were referring to the the uh illegitimate son we have uh together in Baltimore. That's what I thought you were talking about.
SPEAKER_00Ah, okay, yes, my bad. Sorry for my confusion. I'm not referring to him. Oh, well, I you're right. I did say our boy, so that's yeah, yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_01So there you go.
SPEAKER_00Um no, so Joe Flacco went and bet on himself, balled out, won the Super Bowl, and signed an insane contract after that, and really didn't do much with his career, if we really think about it. Really didn't do much in his career after that point, but he balled out and got the money. And I think, look, I think in Baker's case, you know, here's a question, though, right? They don't have a good season. So is he returning to the Bucks? They're firing their head coach, they're gonna blow it all up if they don't make it to the playoffs at minimum this year, and then what team is signing Baker for 50 million? If you're asking me, unless he has the season of a lifetime, which I question because of his style of play, and he's gonna probably end up getting hurt again. I think he's gonna find himself in a position of where he would have been thankful and grateful to have signed for 50 mil a season this season, but I guess time will tell, right?
SPEAKER_01Absolutely, and and I I totally hear you. Uh, would you like to move on to the AFC and NFC East?
SPEAKER_00Well, just before that, yes, I would. Just before that, though, just three other signings. They're not extensions, but just three other signings that happened uh, you know, in the past week around the NFL, um, which I thought were a little bit interesting, were and in two cases, it's actually players returning back to the teams that drafted them. And so the three signings, they're all one-year contracts, were the Lions signing linebacker Devin White. We have the Texans signing Jadavian Clowney, who they originally drafted, and the Niners brought back Debo Samuel. These are all on one-year contracts. Of these three, Ari, which of these is most interesting? And ultimately, which of these do you think is gonna have the most impact for their team?
SPEAKER_01So I think that it's definitely Debo to the Niners. Um, when the news came out, I really thought it was not really that noteworthy. Um, maybe a day, maybe two or three days later, the news about Ricky Pearsall again missing the entire season, just a disaster with his health uh at this point in his career. Terrible. So I think that he's going that that I mean, obviously, that was the impetus for the move, and I think he's going to make an impact. Very interesting to see Brock Purdy being surrounded for the first time in his career with a ton of uh veteran receivers, Mike Evans, Debo Samuel, Christian Kirk. Very interested to see how that offense looks. I think they could probably be better than any any given offense in the NFL in any given week, not calling them the best offense in football, but the the the players that are there in the system that is there, it's just it's gonna be really, really fun, really entertaining to see. Um, so that definitely is the one that that jumps out uh most to me. How about you, Ari?
SPEAKER_00So uh what I think I agree. I think that in terms of because if you look at Devin White going to the line to the Lions, they've got plenty of linebackers. If you look at uh David and Clowney going to the Texans, again, lots of defensive ends. Do I think he'll make a nice rotational player? Is he probably gonna get five to six sacks? Sure. Um, but yeah, Debo's impact, um, especially given what's going on. You know, Mike Evans is there, he appears to have some injury going on, and what is most interesting to me is it goes a little bit beyond the signing of Debo. Is Kyle Shanahan was in a terrible car accident, which apparently was his fault. There seems to be a lot of shadiness around this accident and what actually transpired and everything there. There seems to be almost like a gag order um over it, which I think is you know kind of interesting and really makes you wonder because more and more, which is coming apparent this offseason is scandals being covered up, which I'll elaborate on in just a moment. But Kyle Shanahan is due to miss because he's still very much in concussion protocol, he's due to miss most of if not all of training camp, and then there's a question of if he's even going to be on the sideline for their game overseas in Australia. So, to me, beyond the signing of Debo, which I do think will help, and I too, like you said, I'm curious to see how does Brock Purdy do with the um being surrounded finally by veterans. How much does Kyle Shannon not being there? Because we know it's his offense. How much does him not being there impact the team? So to me, it's not just about the signing itself, it's about you've got a guy who can help not just in the passes that he catches, but also helping the other wide receivers and the offense overall be able to work in the system because he's so familiar with it. So I think the the impact of the signing goes well beyond just the actual signing and more what he can help with being so familiar with the system.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and and just to your point, Ari, um, I believe that the Niners uh two coordinators are going into their first years as their coordinators. Yep. Um, I I don't remember if Klay Kubiak was their offense coordinator in name uh last year. Obviously, it's a in-name kind of position, given the fact that Kyle Shannon will call police, but uh in any event, um both coordinators are are pretty new, and it's just uh it's it's more noteworthy than uh than it's being made out to be. So I'm glad that you brought that up and brought it to everyone's attention.
SPEAKER_00All right, and then finally, just to touch on because I said the word scandal, um, Aaron Rodgers was on the Pat McAfee show earlier this week. Um, you know, they're on a uh training camp tour, and they were in uh Pittsburgh with the Steelers, and Rogers just straight out said live on air that um their ESPN and other outlets are straight out outright covering up the whole Diana Roussini and Mike Vrabel scandal. You are not allowed to talk about it, you are not allowed to report it, and you know, when coming from a league which we've seen so many players, and rightfully so, for scandals, issues, domestic violence, etc., you know, get put on the commissioner's list and suspended. How are we covering things up for a head coach? And beyond just for the head coach, you know, there's a lot of, and again, these are rumors, and you know, rumors are rumors, but the cover-ups that and and the things that you know Diana Roussini supposedly, and again, I'm not just referring to the affair or whatever that was with Mike Vrabel, I'm referring to the fact that apparently it affected in certain ways Fabro reporting stuff like that. How is this just being swept under the rug? And now, again, now that it's coming up with the whole Kyle Shanahan thing, and how there seems to be this whole shady cloud over exactly what transpired in that um in that accident. And yes, he did take responsibility and say that it's was his. Fault. The other driver was injured as well. So, what are we doing here for a league that prides itself on integrity and really like is very pretty quick on suspending players, putting them on the commissioners list. What about for the coaches and for that matter the reporters that cover the league?
SPEAKER_01That's a great point. And um, you you can take it even further. Um, and the fact that Puka Nakua really got his whole that whole thing. I don't even know if there was an investigation. Um, Gino Smith, what happened with Gino? That got like quickly just we investigated, found nothing, moved on. Like, I as soon as I saw what had the video break, and you sent it to me, of I thought he was done in the NFL. That's literally what I thought from a video. And like, I feel like five, six, seven years ago, that would that would have been the case, and he would have been suspended indefinitely, barring further investigation. And I don't know, I don't know to your point. I don't exactly know what's going on right now, but we've kind of mapped it out since the end of the season with the Hall of Fame picks and um what was going on with that, and it's kind of just followed suit in like a very questionable offseason in terms of the character of the NFL players, and then the cover-ups making it even worse, and not knowing what the heck is going on, and and and it's gonna come out. Um, but to your point, like you look at Kyle Shannon, you look at my Mike Vrabel, and you just go back just a few years ago, and what it took to get John Gruden out of the NFL. I think that it's blatantly clear that what Mike Vrabel did is way more despicable and way worse than what John Gruden did. And John Gruden hasn't and probably will not ever coach another NFL game as a head coach. And Mike Vrabel, for all we know, can go on to have an illustrious Hall of Fame coach career. Um, and it's uh it's wild. It's wild. The the double standard here is wild, and it's also unclear what the basis uh is, why why Mike Vrabel is being and and Kyle Shanahan are being you know covered up for, but someone like John Gruden was just basically, and by the way, the other person in that story, Daniel Snyder, lasted about another year and a half in the NFL before he also, you know, fine, he sold the team, but he's also gone from the league. So it's just a very bizarre and strange turn of events.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely, and uh, I guess time will tell. And you know, I do hope that um for the integrity of the game for the league that you know justice is served, so to speak, and things do come out. Look, I do believe that you know, we we've seen enough cases, and I think the one that um stands out to me most of where the league was very quick to suspend indefinitely, kick out of the league, and the poor guy was was um was ultimately innocent. Um, and I'm referring to I believe his name was uh Trevor Ariza, the the punt god. He was a punter out of I think it was Arizona State, drafted by the Bills. He was set to be like the greatest like punting prospect ever, goes ahead, gets drafted, an accusation from college in regarding some sexual misconduct comes out immediately. He gets like it's suspected definitely. The bills cut him all for the poor guy to and he always claimed his innocence and ultimately was proven to be innocent, and that dude's not gonna punt again in the NFL. So, like, you've got to be careful. We do need to protect the players from up opportunistic people looking to make a quick buck and destroy a person's good name and their careers, but there's gotta be a balance there, and again, we cannot hold just the players to the level of accountability, it's gotta be coaches, it's gotta be owners, it's gotta be everyone.
SPEAKER_01So I just I just want to say uh a few things, uh, with regards to Trevor Ariza was a small forward in the 2000s and into the teens in the NBA and was drafted by the Knicks in the second round. Whoops. Um, who you're referring to is Matt Ariza is his name. Matt Ariza. Okay, and there are so many jokes that this is how you'll never forget it, right? So it's like P. Louis Ariza is basically what they did to him. Um, so there there you won't you'll never forget it again. But basically, um he he was suspended indefinitely. The bills cut him without without having to pay any of his contract. Okay, and then um he he was like he was completely exonerated, like not even like acquitted, he was exonerated. Yep, but he is in the league today. I believe he is the chief starting punter. Is he? I believe so. I believe he was signed toward the end of not last season, the year before, did a good job and stayed in the league the whole year last year as the Chiefs punter. So hopefully he'll have his second coming. Yes, pun intended.
SPEAKER_00Nice. Well, I'm glad to hear. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I'm glad to hear that he's back in the league, and I'm glad to see that he did get another chance because like we've seen convicted felons like Michael Vick, Plexico Barris, who literally sat in prison for their crimes and came back and got to go to the NFL. Um, so it's good to see that in this case where he was actually innocent, actually exonerated, um, and was able to, you know, continue to have a career. And I'm really I'm I'm actually very, very, very happy for him and happy to hear that he's uh back back in the league. All right. I know we were not intending on kind of going um in that kind of direction, and we were about to discuss our NFC and AFC East breakdown, which we will do right now, just to tell all of our listeners and viewers, um, like Arian mentioned at the front end of the episode, this will be wrapping up our division breakdown. The reason why we kept the NFC and AFC East um last, as those are our divisions, our our there we go, uh divisions. And since we have you know the most knowledge about both, we figured we would wait for last and kind of put them all into the same um, you know, into the same boat. So Ari, if it's okay with you, let's actually start with your division. We're gonna start with the AFC East today. And um I would say is the first question that I want to ask you is is this going to be the Bills division by definition? Do the Patriots even stand a chance to unseat them? And if you had to rank this division, where where is everybody finishing?
SPEAKER_01So um that's a great question. I I and and we did the rankings of uh our you know top teams in the NFL, and and I had the Patriots and the Bills uh neck and neck. You had the Bills number one, I believe I had the Patriots number one. Um what what's going to what what it's gonna come down to for me is how much of a story this is inside of the building, as in the variable story for the Patriots. They've been known to deal with these kinds of incidents, even just going back to last year with uh Stefan Diggs and um Carnegie. Yeah, and and being uh it in the uh playoffs, and it just didn't it didn't affect them. So basically, um I think that it's going to be, you know, unless barring something, you know, uh uh unraveling. Um I think it's gonna be the Patriots, I think it's gonna be the Bills, and then I think that the Jets and the Dolphins um are in a different division, like excuse me, but they're just in a different division. Um, I do like a lot what the Jets have been putting together, I will say that. But at this point in my Jets fandom, and at this point, as a as anyone who watches football, I gotta see it before I believe it. Um, you know, everything looks about right. Um, there are still still some elephants in the room, uh, mainly Aaron Glenn. Um, I do not think the Dolphins are, I think the Dolphins are competing with the Jets for you know uh uh how to run a franchise terribly. And I think that that plays to the Jets' advantage. And it wouldn't surprise me if the Jets won six or seven games last year, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Jets and the Dolphins were picking one and two in next year's draft. So that's pretty much the way that I'd sum up the division. You can basically put it this way: the Bills and the Patriots are competing for the Super Bowl, the Jets and the Dolphins are competing for the first pick in the draft. I think both of them have this uh, you know, non-top 25 quarterbacks in the NFL, and I think both of them have top seven to 10 quarterbacks, you know, the Bills and the Patriots have top seven to ten quarterbacks in the NFL, and um it's pretty simple, it's a pretty simple breakdown. And I'm curious to hear your thoughts, Ari, from the outside looking in on the division.
SPEAKER_00So looking from the outside in, um, I do think that we are going to see the Bills win the AFC East. I just think that they're a better team than the Patriots. I really do believe that the Patriots very much benefited from the easiest schedule in the NFL last year. We saw throughout the season that when it came down to playing teams that were over 500, they did not fare that well, they did not do that well again. But if Bonicks does not break his ankle before the AFC East uh AFC sorry conference game, they there the the it would have been the Broncos, not the Pats going in. So I do believe that this will be the the Bills division this year, and I don't think it's gonna be that close. Um, yes, after that, the Patriots are gonna be the ones uh following it up. I'm willing to, you know, if you want a bold take, um, I think that there's a decent chance that the Pets do not make the playoffs this year, and that the AFC East only features one playoff team, and that will be the Bills. So that would be my hot take for your division. In regards to the Jets and the Dolphins, um I do think that we're gonna see the Jets actually finish ahead of the Dolphins. I think the Dolphins are way into their um into their rebuild. And as much as I predicted months in advance Malik Willis going to the Dolphins, um, I don't think I think that the Jets are gonna be as crazy as that is to even say it. I think the Jets are gonna be a little bit uh further ahead. And if I had to guess right now, between the Jets and the Dolphins, who is more likely to get the first pick overall, I'm actually gonna say it's going to be the Dolphins um over the Jets. I think the Jets are gonna be just good enough to not get the first pick in the draft and take themselves out of contention for the top, top QB. Although we know that the 2027 draft is going to um be full of QB, so I'm not so worried there. Um, and in regards to the Dolphins, some news came out yesterday about some top of the front office um changes, and I wanted to get your opinion, Ari, as an AFC East fan, or rather, your team is in the AFC East. What are your thoughts on it? And why don't you share with our viewers and listeners exactly um what that means?
SPEAKER_01So it's it's very unclear in terms of what exactly is happening um on the on the level of ownership with uh with Steven Ross, and there are some serious uh minor stakeholders in the Dolphins organization. They've been through uh many different iterations of power. And there are also, you know, now with sports, it's never just the franchise, it's the building, it's the casino rights, it's the anything else that's ancillarily related to a football team. And so they're all being re-uh uh you know, redistributed over, you know, other organizations and pretty much just leaves the dolphins in more of people. This is one of the longest tenured members of the Dolphins front office in a year that they fired their GM, they fired their coach, and at different intervals, and it's not just like okay, we're the dolphins, we're sitting down and we're saying, we need a new president, we need a new GM, we need a new coach. It's like, no, we realize we need a new GM, so we chalked our R GM and we're looking for a GM. Then a few months later, we're like, oh, we need a new head coach. And then, like, right as training camp starts, we're just like, you know what? We should get rid of our president. So now the pres a new president's gonna have to come in. It's not clear what the packing order is, it's not clear what his role is gonna be, how that all breaks down. It's gonna take him a while to learn the franchise, and it's just you know, chaos and disarray for that organization, and it's a terrible look. And I mean, again, like I wouldn't be surprised, and and and by the way, this this is my hot take for the AFC East. Is I would not be surprised if every single one of the teams in the AFC East next year is looking for a new head coach.
SPEAKER_00Every whoa, hold on, every single team in the AFC East, including the Patriots and Bills will be looking for a new head coach.
SPEAKER_01Is that what you said? Yes, I think that um when the story about Vriebo fully comes out, um there there will be repercussions, and I'm not saying 100%, but there's definitely a non-significant uh percentage that the Patriots will need to move on from Vriebel when the story comes out. We'll finish the year with some kind of interim coach and then have to hire a new coach in the offseason. The Bills with Joe Brady, I don't know about you. I do not believe in Joe Brady. I do not think that he's I think he's closer to Nathaniel Hackett. You know, Nathaniel Hackett's been there, done that, but just remember that he was hired by the Denver Broncos. The Denver Broncos have gotten like one head coaching decision wrong in the last 40 years, and that was Nathaniel Hackett. So I think that Joe Brady is more like Nathaniel Hackett when he was hired by the Broncos than um someone like you know Matt LaFleur uh getting hired. So that's kind of what I think. I think this is a year where also the uh Bills knew that next offseason guys like Matt LaFleur may very well be available. Matt LaFleur, Kevin O'Connell. These guys could be available if they're available and the Bills have an opening, the Bills are the number one spot for those kinds of guys. So that's number two. The the Jets with Aaron Glenn, I mean, it's fairly obvious. I don't know what he has. I don't know if there's frankly anything that he can do in order to save his job beside for make it to the playoffs. Um, if everything goes great, I could still see a world in which they move on from him because they can basically show look, we've built up this unbelievable crop of young talent. We have a ton of cap space, we have three first-round picks, and they may be able to hire someone like Matt LaFleur, Kevin O'Connell because of how enticing of a spot it looks like. And then finally, the Dolphins hire Jeff Hafley. Um, we both we were we were both very um, you know, not really understanding what the story was with that move. Um, he wasn't particularly, he had one great year as a defense coordinator, but all things considered, he's not considered a top 10 defense coordinator in the NFL. He was given a head coaching job, and uh, we don't think the Dolphins will be very good. So, with the fact that they fired their president in training camp, they have a new GM and they have a new coach. Who knows if he's gonna last more than one year? It's the modern NFL. So, yeah, I could really see a world in which every single team in the AFC East has a new head coach for 2027.
SPEAKER_00All right, well, Ari, that's one hell of a hot take, and we will definitely um write that down. And with that, let's transition over to the NFC East, my division. So, seeing that it's my division, Ari, I'm gonna kick it to you to ask me questions that you'd like to ask me about my division. So go ahead.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes, I'd like to ask you to rank the quarterbacks of the division based on upside, meaning ceiling, and then based on floor. Okay, so you can start with whichever one you want, but if you can rank the four quarterbacks in division by which has you know highest to lowest floor, highest to lowest ceiling, that's what I want to hear from you. I'm very curious as to your take on that.
SPEAKER_00All right, excellent question, and let's take it away here. So, in regards to, I'll start with ceiling. So, I think the QB's, if I had to rank them in terms of ceiling, I'm actually going to put Dak Prescott at the top. I'm then gonna follow it up with Jackson Dart. After Jackson Dart, I'm going to put Jalen Hurts and I'm gonna end with Jaden Daniels. The reason for my rankings are as such: Dak has done it enough, proved it enough, and is a very good QB. He keeps choking in the playoffs, but that is what the you know the cowboys do. But if we're talking about ceiling, he is certainly, and we saw this in our QB rankings at the end of the day, he is a very, very, very good quarterback, and he's in the top of the NFL from that perspective. In regards to Jackson Dart, and I know he's you know he's still gonna like actually do it and prove it. If we're talking about ceiling, I do believe that he contains the highest ceiling. Jalen Hurts, as much as he has won the Super Bowl, he should have when they lost the Super Bowl, still won MVP of the Super Bowl. As much as he's done that, there's just something about him that I think we've hit his peak. I think we're gonna see him decline. I think he's gonna hind it kind of hit his ceiling. And in regards to Jaden Daniels, yes, did he have an incredible rookie season? Absolutely, he did. But my concern about him when he came out and why I was ultimately very, very happy that the Giants didn't draft him is the fact of I think that we are looking at a RG3 type of career, more so than a different type of career. I don't think he's gonna be able to stay healthy, I think he's gonna keep getting injured, and then at some point the injuries are just gonna be too much, and that'll be it for his sake and for his career. Do I hope I'm wrong? Yes, absolutely. But in terms of in terms of um, do I think that that's where his um where his career is trending? Yes. Unfortunately for him, I think that is where his um his career is trending. In regards to floor, so we'll go the other direction. In regards to um, are you are we talking about lowest floor?
SPEAKER_01Highest floor, who has the highest floor, and then to who has the lowest. So same thing with the ceiling, except highest to lowest with the floor. So I would say is highest floor again would be Jaden Daniel, just because I think he's going to stay the way, you know, I think he's gonna continue to get injured, and I think he's gonna highest floor would be like um ceiling would be like what their potential is, and floor is like the conservative for like what like in if you had to say like a 50% chance of like what would happen, like with the most certainty, what would happen. So, like, for example, Jaden Daniels as the riskiest one would have the lowest floor. Okay, fair enough.
SPEAKER_00So the highest floor will probably follow the same order because Dak Prescott has proven yes, he definitely has the highest floor of any of them. Um, Jackson Dart, I would say, does well, I guess we're not talking about potential, so fine. Jalen Hurts in that case would go second in terms of floor. Um, Jackson Dart would come in third, and then again, riskiest floor has got to be Jane and Jaden Daniels. So those would be my rankings in terms of the QBs. Um, in terms of both highest floor, highest ceiling, those would be my order.
SPEAKER_01So, just to summarize here, it's very clear that that. Prescott is the best quarterback in the NFC East as of right now. Yes. And then basically, Jalen Hurts is on a downward trajectory. Jackson Dart and Jaden Daniels are on an upward trajectory, but injury risk is a significant factor. And Jaden Daniels has had it a little bit worse and a little bit longer than Jackson Dart. So we'll it'll just be, you know, wait and see with that. But it's going to be a crazy division, a crazy division where basically um the Eagles have the best team on paper, the Cowboys have the best quarterback in the division. And if the Giants and Commanders quarterbacks could stay healthy the whole season, really any one of those teams we can see make the playoffs. Um that is uh pretty wild. Now, in terms of the defenses, I I know that the the Giants did a ton um of work on their defense, and uh you know the Cowboys had what was it, the worst defense, the second worst defense in the NFL last year, and they brought in a new uh they brought in a new coordinator. They also made a lot of interesting moves. Um, who do you think is going to have the biggest leap in terms of defensive production? And who do you think uh is the is the biggest impact in that leap in the in the NFC East?
SPEAKER_00So, and I'm and I'm gonna try saying this as unbiasedly as I possibly can, but I do think that the Giants will have the best defense in the NFC East. I think that we there is a strong chance that the Giants will boast a top five defense in the NFL this season. While a lot of that was said last year, Shane Bowen was not the guy to go ahead and be the one to drive that, you know, kind of drive that train or whatever you want to call it. Definitely not. The second that Bowen was fired and replaced by by Charlie Bullen, we saw a different defense with exactly the same players bring in Jennard Wilson, add in our addition, uh the additions that we added in there, and I think that they that the Giants are gonna have the best defense in the NFC East and in the top defenses in the NFL. I think the biggest one single player on the defense that's gonna bring the unquestionable impact is gonna be um Tremaine Edmonds as the green-dotted um middle linebacker in the heart of that defense. I mean, I could have gone with Rvell Reese, but again, he's a rookie. But if you just look at the two of them, like they are massive human beings, just massive. Um, and what they're gonna be able to do for our defense, and even though we still have some questions at defensive tackle, even if the running backs of the opposing team manage to squirt beyond the line, they are going to be hit by an absolute wall in Tremaine and in Arval. Like, it's there's not a question. So the Giants are gonna have the best defense, and he would be the biggest impact. After that, I think if we're gonna rank out the rest of the defenses, I do think it's going to be Eagles second, cowboys third, commanders fourth.
SPEAKER_01Wow. So I just wanted to one thing. Uh, what number is Tremaine Edmonds wearing with the Giants? I think he's maintaining his 49. I believe.
SPEAKER_00I believe he is.
SPEAKER_01Okay, okay. Um, and then I just wanted to add so just one thing about the NFC East. The Cowboys drafted someone named Donovan Ezerraku last year. I think everyone that follows the NFC East, like yourself, Ari, are already familiar with that name. He's the kind of guy that at the by the end of this season, everyone will know his name. So that's why I'm calling him out. What a what a fabulous player. He he just jumps off of your screen. And I'm very curious and interested to see what the Cowboys can do with him rising, with Caleb Downs uh on their defense. Um they added Rashawn Gary. Like they have this weird like Packers thing going on where they added Rashawn Gary and they have Kenny Clark, but they also have Quinn Williams. So, I mean, it's just and Duron Bland uh at for times last year looked like uh one of the best corners in the NFL. Obviously, the second half was kind of a disaster, but at times he did, and they drafted Malachi Lawrence, another defensive end in the first round. They replaced their defense coordinator. It was um the guy who was the Colts head coach. I'm blanking on his name. Um there they replaced him as their defensive coordinator. They brought in Christian Parker, who's a very young and up-and-coming uh defensive mind. And I'm very curious to see uh what happens with that team. Uh and again, with with the entire NFC East, I just feel like you know, you're you're just like uh you basically canceled the commander's 26th season. Um, you know, in the last 15 minutes. It's basically like there's not even a reason for them to play. They have the worst defense, their quarterback is terrible, he's always injured. You know, like it's it's so it's gonna be it's gonna be a very interesting um division to follow. Each team has boom and also has bust potential, and so it's it's gonna be it's gonna be very interesting and hopefully not a battle of volatility and attrition.
SPEAKER_00Um sorry, as an outsider looking in, can you please rank the NFC East for me? And while doing that, also answer how many teams do you believe from the NFC East are gonna make the playoffs this year?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so uh no, I can't do either. But I will for I will for uh the sake of of the podcast, I will say that I am going, I would have the Eagles uh as my last place team, I would have the commanders as the third place team, the Giants and the Cowboys is gonna come down to the wire, and I think the Cowboys ultimately pull it out, although, although the Cowboys are notorious for choking, and so I I'm I have a question about that, but that's basically how I would view it. So cowboys, Giants, Commanders, I think the Eagles just, you know, this is this is it for the Eagles. Like I really believe that. Um, and and that's how I view it in terms of how many teams make it to the playoffs. I I think definitely one will make it. No. Um, I um I really see a world, you know. I I totally understand where you're coming from with the Jaden Daniels stuff. Um, and that does concern me. It also concerns me with Jackson Dart, um, and his head stuff. So, you know, not I'm not talking about his his political opinions, I'm talking purely about his his concussion history when I say when I say head stuff, not not getting into that. So um, yeah, I I really see it's a world in which three teams in the NFC East uh make the playoffs, but if I had to bet on it, I would say just one.
SPEAKER_00Wow, okay. I think um, in terms of playoff teams, I'm gonna well, could it possibly be three? Sure. More realistically, I think we're gonna see two playoff teams from the NFC East this year. It's gonna be the division winner, obviously, but I do believe whoever does not win the division will come in at probably either the sixth or seventh seed uh in the NFC. Exactly. Six seven. You said six seven before, and there was a whole part of me that wanted to uh start you know six sevening. But the thing is, if for me to show up on camera, I would have to speak and I would have interrupted you. So I decided that I was going to be polite and not do that to you. Give me your hot take for the NFC East. Ari, I'll give you mine and then we'll move on.
SPEAKER_01Hot take for the NFC East is that Malik Neighbors will be the number one uh receiver in yards in the NFL. That's that's my hot take.
SPEAKER_00I love that hot take, and I will absolutely take that hot take. Um, my hot take, and I don't think it's that boiling hot, but my hot take for the NFC East is um Siriani is gonna get fired. It will probably be in season if things really go off the rails, which I predict they will, but if not, by the end of the season, Nick Sirianni is no longer going to be the head coach of the Philly Eagles.
SPEAKER_01So I don't think it's going to happen in season because uh Vic Fangio is uh notorious for being up in the skybox, and Sean Manion is a first-year coordinator, and they just fired their long-term assistant head coach and Jeff Stoutland. So I don't really understand who that would replace um Sirianni in the middle of the season. So I just don't think that they would make that kind of move unless they pulled like a Jeff Saturday, Antonio Pierce kind of situation and hired like Jason Kelsey to be their head coach midseason. Oh yeah, but but who knows, you know. I I don't uh that's already like uh like crazy, but but yeah, that that's my only caveat. But I I think I think the Eagles demise um is like one of the most surefired things that we bring up almost bi-weekly on this channel.
SPEAKER_00All right, excellent. So those are our hot takes, and with that, we wrap up the both the NFC and AFC East division breakdowns, and for that matter, all of our division breakdowns. So, for all our viewers and listeners, I hope that you guys have enjoyed our breakdowns and our hot takes. And of course, if you have any hot takes of your own, please feel free to leave us a comment on whatever channel you wish, and um, we will be happy to discuss it on our next episode. With that, let's transition over to our fan favorite guess that number. So, to remind our listeners, um, Ari, you chose 86, I chose number 60. Um, I do believe that you went first last episode in terms of guessing. So I'm gonna go ahead and try to guess your person this week first. So, Ari, before we get into any um hints, the top person that I thought, or top people that I thought you would be referring to, would be either Heinz Ward or Todd Heap. Is it either of them?
SPEAKER_01It is one of them.
SPEAKER_00Nice. Okay, and if I had to guess, it's gotta be Heinz Ward between the two of them. Am I right? You you're not, but but but uh but you're close enough.
SPEAKER_01That is uh that is uh that is wild. Um I was it you know, I was actually thinking about this, and I came up with an alternative um guess that number uh a few days ago, and now for the life of me, I cannot remember. So I'll give me give me like you know your segment to recalibrate and in the in the interim because that took five seconds, and you've just been nailing, like I've just been, you know, already I I don't even think I can play with you anymore. That's that's honestly the uh what's gonna what's happening here, but I'll say this much. Um Arville Reese is wearing number eight with the giants, correct? As of now. Who was the last giant to wear number eight?
SPEAKER_00Wow. Umhand I have no clue. I would need I would need some hints.
SPEAKER_01Okay, um, he played offense. Still not ringing a bell. Um, I am uh wrong actually, because someone wore number eight uh last year for the Giants that I'd never heard of, some safety named Javon Holland. Oh, he's still on the team, then he's currently wearing number eight. Okay, fine. So then Arvel Reese is not wearing number eight. I thought Arvell Reese is wearing number eight.
SPEAKER_00What is possible, don't forget, in training camp, what they'll do, especially with rookies, is that's true. They do assign like you do have players, but you could have both an offense and defensive players wearing the same number. In fact, when you look at the jersey numbers, it will say O and D next to them.
SPEAKER_01So you know wearing number 52. I'll just uh go ahead. There you go.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, like eight doesn't sound right, he's probably wearing a linebacker number. Um, and so um we'll see what happens there in terms of the final numbers. Um, so yeah, Javon Holland safety still playing and still wears number eight.
SPEAKER_01Um, so the answer I was going for was Daniel Jones. It's just like because you're thinking it's hard to like place the back, but you know, yeah, also also famous for wearing number eight on the Giants. Uh uh David Carr uh wore number eight at some point with the Giants, but uh those are all the people that come to my mind. So yeah, uh let's go on to number 60, Ari. Kick it off.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so before I give you any hints, any idea who I might be referring to?
SPEAKER_01I assume it's not the Brickishaw Ferguson, but I assume it is a offensive lineman.
SPEAKER_00So correct on both accounts, it would have been way too obvious to choose a former Jets player, although great dude, you know, rest in peace. Um Brickishaw Ferguson is very much alive.
SPEAKER_01Oh, then who am I confusing? Because you lost no line. Nick Mangold, his his his line mate, um, which by the way was a really cool story that came out. I'll just quickly mention the on his on his yard site, uh, Nick Mangold, PFF dropped this number where one one of the years that just made to the AFC uh championship game, I can't remember which one, under Rex Ryan. Their offensive line had by far the highest rating in PFF history. The team rating for their offensive line was 94 points something. That was the units rating which had both the Brigashov Ferguson, Nick Mangold, as well as some other absolute studs. So that was very cool. And uh, I just wanted to mention the Brigishov Ferguson, not only is he alive, but he's actually doing some absolutely incredible things post-career. And I urge anyone who does not know about them to check up on them.
SPEAKER_00All right, well, may he live a long life, and sorry for uh confusing him being dead. All right, so given the fact that it is not him, and yes, it is an O-line man. Any other guesses before I give you hints?
SPEAKER_01Um, what uh any other guesses? I mean, not off the top of my test. Number 60 is a very hard number. Um, because like the main person that comes to my head beside for the Brigashov Ferguson is like Chuck Bed Marik, the iconic Hall of Famer for the Eagles, or like Otto Graham, who's also like way before our times. But like when I think of number 60, that's who I think of. And then there's just been a ton of offensive, uh, mainly tackles, but a few guards miss mixed in there. I I can't even think of one center who wore number 60 off the top of my head. Um, and that's really it. So, like, uh, I don't know.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so he did indeed. Um, like you said, he is a center, so you got that piece correct. I'll start giving some hints. He was drafted in the second round, 49th overall in the 2009 season.
SPEAKER_01So uh what I said is that I can't even think of one center who wore number 60, and then they're like like you said, center number 60, um cozy Coleman.
SPEAKER_00No, he uh he played for two um two different teams, um, and he abruptly um um had retired, so he came as a little bit of shock. Um, his accolades are he is a one-time Super Bowl champion, a one-time first team all pro, and um a three-time Pro Bowler, and was inducted into the University of Oregon's Hall of Fame. Any idea who I might be referring to? Um, is it Casey Wiegman? It is not Casey Wiegman.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Um let's see. So you said uh what year was he drafted in? 2009 in the second round. Oh 09. Okay, so I was thinking 9099, so that's why Casey Wiegman. Uh second round of 09. And Ari. It wasn't Matt Burke. Um, who was the other really good center? That's like Ryan Khalil. Um, it wasn't Ryan Khalil, he also didn't wear number 60. Um, there's one other guy, and it's gonna be this guy who I who I can't think of. A white guy, he played for like very white teams, um, and he was very good and just not at Hall of Fame level. Uh was it the Lions? Did he play for the Lions? He did not. No, that was Dominic Rayola. He was before then. Um, give me one more hint.
SPEAKER_00I gotta put this one more hint. He was traded from the team that drafted him after winning the Super Bowl with them.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes, yes, yes, I got it already. It's the Seahawks. He was traded from the Seahawks. His name is uh Flynn. Is his name?
SPEAKER_00You're right about being traded from the Seahawks. That is correct. His name is not Flynn. It Matt Flynn is not his name. That is Ryan Flynn. Is not his name.
SPEAKER_01Matt Flynn was their QB that was signed, and then but I'm picturing him now. Oh my god, I have his face in my head. Um, his first name wasn't Matt or Ryan. That wasn't his name. His first name was Max. Oh, Max. Okay. I I knew I was close. Okay. I I I wow, I I cannot um oh man, I know exactly who this guy is. I'm not gonna get his name on the spot right now, which is Max Unger is there.
SPEAKER_00We go player I chose, drafted second overall. Um sorry, drafted in the second round, 49th overall by the 2009 Seattle Seahawks after an all-American college career with the Oregon Ducks. He was with the Seahawks for six seasons, he was their starting center during the Legion of Boom era, and he started um for the Super Bowl with them uh in Super Bowl 38, helping them win. After that, he was traded to the Saints um for Jimmy Graham when they had made that uh trade, and ultimately he spent his last four seasons um protecting Drew Brees, and ultimately um he had abruptly, like I mentioned, retired in March of 2019 after playing 130 career games, starting all of them, and he actually lost 60 pounds immediately after retiring. So Max Unger was my choice for number 60 of this week, and that brings guess that number to a close. Now, like we always do, Ari, go ahead and give me your player for next week.
SPEAKER_01All right, so I am going to one up you and uh go with an even harder center to uh find. So I'll even tell you that. Uh, number 65. Let's see if you can do it next week after you guessed mine with that one guess, and I could not place Max Unger's uh name. I think I'll have to go on an Unger strike until next week's nice, nice.
SPEAKER_00Now, to be fair to you, you are doing this entirely off of memory. I do put in research prior to us getting on the pod of who it might be, so that's why I have been able to do that. Um, I do put in the time to do the research, although I don't know for sure who it is, and then I try to think of probabilities of who you might go with. All right, so you're going with 65. I'm going to go with number five. Don't like always, I have no idea which player I'm gonna go with yet, but number five is my guess. So for our listeners and viewers, Ari went with 65 and I went with number five. Before we bring this episode to a close, Ari, we have a new segment that we've been talking about forever that we wanted to introduce. Now is the time. So, Ari, why don't you go ahead and introduce the new segment for our viewers and our listeners?
SPEAKER_01So basically, we've been discussing a lot of uh crazy names in the NFL the past few decades, and it seems like it's just been getting crazy. So, with that in mind, uh Ari and I really since we did we we not even like started the podcast, but when we just conceptualized it, we had been discussing about adding in the segment. For now, um, we just have the working title of uh names real or fake. We will circle back and get something uh better. But the way that it's working again for now is that we will have three names put out there. Um, at least one has to be real, and at least one has to be fake. And the other one of us on any given week has to guess which one which ones are real and which ones are fake. So I decided to roll get it rolling this week with uh theme, and I'm gonna try to get them all under you know, specific themes. And this week we're doing grains, okay? So with that, my three players, okay. One second, just give me a second. Travis Barley, Bart Oates, and Will Wheat. Sorry, Warren Wheat, okay. Those are my three uh guys.
SPEAKER_00All right, so I like your grain, grainy theme that you went with this week, and so give the names to me one more time, please. Ari.
SPEAKER_01Okay, so again, this is now uh backwards. It's Warren Wheat, Bart Oates, Travis Barley. Those are the three names for you to I'd say uh sift through in order to see which ones are uh real and which ones are fake. So I I'm gonna say fake is Travis Barley. Nice, nicely done, nicely done, and I do believe the other two are actually real. Yes, yes, they are, and and famously uh Bart Oates for our viewers and listeners, Ari is currently experiencing some Ari, you were experiencing some technical difficulties there for a moment, and you froze.
SPEAKER_00So please tell us again about your two players that are actually real.
SPEAKER_01So I wanted to say that Bart Oates was a five-time Pro Bowl or a three-time Super Bowl championship, uh champion winner, um, playing center and uh actually wearing number 65 for the uh Giants and for the San Francisco uh 489ers. So there you go. Excellent. And what about our other dude? Uh Warren Wheat, he was just uh uh you know, just a pretty good offensive lineman for a while. All right, who'd he play for? Do you know of him?
SPEAKER_00I think the Lions, but I don't remember. Nice. Okay, so that is our new segment of names, real or fake. By the way, to all our viewers and listeners, we are actively searching for a great name for the segment. Please go ahead and drop your ideas to us in a YouTube comment or comment on your favorite um podcast platform or on Instagram. We'd love to hear your take. So, and with that, we will bring this episode of RE Squared to a close. Go ahead and give us a subscribe on YouTube, go give us a follow on Instagram, leave us a five-star review on your favorite podcast platform, and guys, the NFL is back, baby. We have an NFL game this week, and I am so excited. Ari, as a closing, what are your thoughts of the starting QBs that have been named for that game, which are both Super Bowl winning Kenny Pickett and Carson Beck. What do you think of those two starting QBs for that game?
SPEAKER_01Um, Kenny Pickett, remind me. Uh, I mean, I think Kenny Pickett is going to have a revival at some point soon. Um, I don't know if it's going to be this year, but I do think that he is going to have some kind of rebound at some point. And Carson Beck is much better than people think. Um, but I was bigger into Drew Aller. So again, I you know it should be interesting. Are either of these quarterbacks going to be, you know, this year's Tyler Shug? No, but um they're almost there, so it'll be a little more fun than people think.
SPEAKER_00So I think Carson Beck may surprise people and may actually win the starting QB job. From the time that the pads have come on in camp, he has been a different QB. He did not look good without the pads on. Put the pads on, the dude is playing well. Marvin Harrison needs to learn how to actually catch a football, so that would be helpful. But I think despite Jacoby um getting uh Bursett getting a bit of a higher contract, and that's what got him back to camp. I think Carson Peck's gonna win that job. But time will tell, and the first step towards that will be to um on Thursday when he starts as the QB for the Arizona Cardinals in the Hall of Fame game. And with that, this episode of Ari Square is officially over. Peace. We out.