WEBVTT 1 00:00:04.360 --> 00:00:07.719 Coming up this week on the Mark Host, Well, here we are officially 2 00:00:07.960 --> 00:00:13.560 over one hundred XFL and USFL players have signed NFL contracts leading into the season. 3 00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:18.359 And in the words of an infamous Toronto rap hip hop superstar, they 4 00:00:18.399 --> 00:00:22.239 went zero two one hundred real quick. I don't dare try to sample that 5 00:00:22.280 --> 00:00:27.199 song and infuriate the YouTube copyright strike gods here this week. But you know 6 00:00:27.239 --> 00:00:30.960 what I'm talking about here, Drake, zero to one hundred XFL and USFL 7 00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:34.759 signings. We have Greg Parks of XFL board joining the show. We have 8 00:00:34.840 --> 00:00:39.240 preseason grades for the players who's most likely to wind up on NFL rosters and 9 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:44.479 more. It's impressive and it's a number that if your XFL leadership you can 10 00:00:44.520 --> 00:00:49.439 sort of hang your hat on. You can use to recruit the next batch 11 00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:54.840 of players who don't make NFL rosters this training camp, or who were tryout 12 00:00:54.920 --> 00:00:59.880 players at rookie mini camp in May and never signed and they're looking for getting 13 00:01:00.119 --> 00:01:03.079 foot it back in the door, and the XFL can say, hey, 14 00:01:03.079 --> 00:01:06.480 look, we've got all of these players from twenty twenty three that were signed. 15 00:01:06.640 --> 00:01:10.280 We've got all of these players who received NFL tryouts, and you know, 16 00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:14.000 if you want to get your name back in circulation, this is an 17 00:01:14.079 --> 00:01:17.640 avenue you might want to take. And then early episode this week to make 18 00:01:17.719 --> 00:01:22.079 way for all four CFL game previews, we have Milt Stiegel joining the show. 19 00:01:22.159 --> 00:01:26.760 Longtime friends, CFL Hall of Famer, Gray Cup Champions and now I'm 20 00:01:26.799 --> 00:01:30.640 part of the CFL podcasting circuit as well. What is going on here? 21 00:01:30.920 --> 00:01:34.959 Milt Siegel gives this thoughts on everything CFL Week twelve. Definitely good for them 22 00:01:34.959 --> 00:01:38.000 to get that first victory, but they had to make a major move within 23 00:01:38.040 --> 00:01:42.719 that organization, and unfortunately it had to be victor, you know, And 24 00:01:44.439 --> 00:01:49.079 I wouldn't be surprised if something else happens later on a year in off season, 25 00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:52.359 because changes have to be made when your team is planned like that. 26 00:01:52.519 --> 00:01:56.760 And then Alexander Hollins from your America's CFL team, the bc A Lions, 27 00:01:56.920 --> 00:01:59.799 joining the show. Coming off at tough loss last week, how are they 28 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:01.760 going to bounce back at home against Hamilton? Should be a good show. 29 00:02:01.799 --> 00:02:23.159 Liken subscribe. Hey guys, welcome to the Mark ass read here back on 30 00:02:23.240 --> 00:02:28.159 a little bit of a regular schedule, a prerecorded but Thursday throwing everyone off, 31 00:02:28.159 --> 00:02:32.159 But these Thursday CFL games really throw a wrench in my plans. Should 32 00:02:32.199 --> 00:02:36.960 be back on a normal podcast schedule. Next week, I think we will 33 00:02:36.960 --> 00:02:39.120 have a really really big guest, even bigger than Milt Steagel, you know, 34 00:02:39.159 --> 00:02:43.919 a longtime friend of the show, CFL. I'll fame Blue CFL Hall 35 00:02:43.919 --> 00:02:46.560 of Famer, a great Cup champion, all of that stuff with the Blue 36 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:50.000 Bombers. But should be a good show and next week this week as well, 37 00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:53.360 great Parks joining us. We are running down everything from the XFL and 38 00:02:53.479 --> 00:02:59.319 USFL signings to the NFL officially one hundred plus players this week. Very excited 39 00:02:59.400 --> 00:03:01.319 to see that we've had, even like Brian Hill, friends of the show 40 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:07.560 all the way back in the NFL alumni academy making way. Auntie Roster's really 41 00:03:07.560 --> 00:03:09.639 excited to talk with Greg about that. Greg's been great grating the players, 42 00:03:09.639 --> 00:03:15.039 talking about their performances. Who's most likely to stick here once roster cuts happen 43 00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:17.360 next week, so we'll be getting Greg's thoughts on everything involved with that. 44 00:03:17.800 --> 00:03:22.159 And then, like I said, Milt Stiegel joining us. Lots of talking, 45 00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:25.520 lots of fun with Milt. He's always up last year getting his extended 46 00:03:25.560 --> 00:03:30.800 thoughts and you know why is Milt joining the This is our Milt Now is 47 00:03:30.840 --> 00:03:35.199 a CFL podcast or who would have thought? But really excited to talk with 48 00:03:35.240 --> 00:03:38.159 Milt about all of that. And then, like I said, Alexander Hollins 49 00:03:38.240 --> 00:03:42.360 joining from America's CFL t of the BC Alliance Good Show this week, like 50 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:46.759 I said, back a little bit more prerecorded, relied heavily on the live 51 00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:50.840 shows here during my busy wedding schedule that is winding down, so we should 52 00:03:50.840 --> 00:03:53.159 be getting back to more of the traditional Friday slave. I don't think the 53 00:03:53.159 --> 00:03:57.960 CFL does many Thursday games here in the fall with football and everything, so 54 00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:00.759 should be back to normal here pretty soon with the Fridays, if not that 55 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:05.439 next week, entirely here through the end of the NFL season. But I 56 00:04:05.439 --> 00:04:10.680 guessid big show and next week I think I just emailing back and forth corresponding, 57 00:04:10.800 --> 00:04:13.800 but should have a great interview in the can for that, and then 58 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:16.439 we will see what other sh against we can get into. I know the 59 00:04:16.560 --> 00:04:20.959 cutdown for the NFL next week is the twenty ninth, so we will be 60 00:04:21.000 --> 00:04:25.839 able to kind of do a full deep dive into who made the rosters here 61 00:04:25.879 --> 00:04:29.680 with the XFL and the USFL through waivers and all of that. So hoping 62 00:04:29.720 --> 00:04:32.439 in a Pat Referino if you're listening, or maybe Evan or we could take 63 00:04:32.439 --> 00:04:35.680 teamap We'll figure out whoever wants to do that. But look on that for 64 00:04:35.759 --> 00:04:39.240 next week. Hope you guys enjoyed the episode. Get us up to thirty 65 00:04:39.319 --> 00:04:46.199 five subscribers like and subscribe, Thanks so much. Well, we're back here 66 00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:50.279 dog days of summer talking XFL offseason. First off, poor one out for 67 00:04:50.399 --> 00:04:54.399 Terry Funk. Sorry to hear that we have Greg Parks here. I saw 68 00:04:54.439 --> 00:04:58.240 you were posting about that today as well, So that's no good. Yeah, 69 00:04:58.279 --> 00:05:01.240 I mean, seventy nine years old. Man, if that's a long 70 00:05:01.319 --> 00:05:04.680 life for a guy who's had as many bumps and has wrestled the kind of 71 00:05:04.680 --> 00:05:08.360 matches that he's wrestled throughout his career for as long as he did. I 72 00:05:08.360 --> 00:05:13.360 mean, I think he wrestled into his sixties and so seventy nine is all. 73 00:05:13.639 --> 00:05:15.399 That's a long time for a guy who's putting his body through what he's 74 00:05:15.439 --> 00:05:20.000 put it through. And I mean you just look at all the different eras 75 00:05:20.040 --> 00:05:23.879 that he's wrestled in, all the different places he's wrestled, all the people 76 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:27.720 he's wrestled all the styles he's wrestled. He could hang for with Rick Flair 77 00:05:28.160 --> 00:05:31.600 for sixty minutes, and he could wrestle in ECW your garbage matches and stuff 78 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:35.399 like that. So what a talent. He was just a shame passing away 79 00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:40.319 today at seventy nine. Yeah, well I saw that. It's really you 80 00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:42.040 know, it's one of those like, oh yeah, I guess he's still 81 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:44.480 you know, because some of these guys get up and Rick Flair and all 82 00:05:44.519 --> 00:05:48.680 that stuff, but not enough too much wrestling. Today. We're talking XFL 83 00:05:49.399 --> 00:05:54.160 combined now officially this week. I think it's one o one now by the 84 00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:57.439 time, because I like, I get sent the thing and then I post 85 00:05:57.519 --> 00:06:00.079 it from like the agent or whatever, and then THEFL post Salem book. 86 00:06:00.079 --> 00:06:02.199 Okay was that Okay, yeah, that's the same. But I think we 87 00:06:02.240 --> 00:06:06.839 have one hundred and one now combined between the between the XFL and the USFL 88 00:06:06.920 --> 00:06:11.680 here, so of course drake zero to one hundred thoughts on that. I 89 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:15.040 mean, I think that's a pretty test amount of like testamount high number. 90 00:06:15.079 --> 00:06:18.399 I mean, I'm pretty surprised. It's a good number. I can't say 91 00:06:18.439 --> 00:06:26.360 that I went into this saying Okay, if they get fifty pit players signed, 92 00:06:26.439 --> 00:06:28.800 that's a good number. And if they go above that, that's great. 93 00:06:28.839 --> 00:06:30.720 If they get below it, that's failure or whatever you want to say. 94 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:33.439 I never really had a number in mind. I didn't really know what 95 00:06:33.519 --> 00:06:36.360 to expect. The last time we had something like this, you know, 96 00:06:36.439 --> 00:06:41.959 in twenty twenty with the XFL, it was during the pandemic, so you 97 00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:44.720 didn't have a lot of players going in for tryouts the way that you do 98 00:06:45.319 --> 00:06:48.279 with players now. You know, the USFL had a lot of guys signed 99 00:06:48.399 --> 00:06:53.519 last year, but now it's the USFL and XFL, and we've just not 100 00:06:53.680 --> 00:06:59.360 had two leagues of this level basically competing to get their guys signed into the 101 00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:04.480 NFL. I really didn't have any kind of set expectations for how many players 102 00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:10.079 would get signed to the NFL. I think the number they're at for the 103 00:07:10.160 --> 00:07:14.000 XFL, which is I think sixty two or sixty three at this point, 104 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:17.800 not started counting differently. If you notice in their press releases, they're counting 105 00:07:17.879 --> 00:07:23.079 the number of contracts signed now, so the guys who signed and get released 106 00:07:23.079 --> 00:07:27.759 and then sign again Jocquez, Patrick Tomasi La Lelay, they count twice so 107 00:07:27.800 --> 00:07:30.439 they're no longer counting the number of players signed, so you've got to kind 108 00:07:30.439 --> 00:07:34.920 of count that yourself. So that's been a little difficult. But it's over 109 00:07:34.920 --> 00:07:41.279 sixty I guess we'll say you're right, sixty three sixty six contracts. We've 110 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:45.480 had three double ups, okay, so that's I mean, that seems like 111 00:07:45.519 --> 00:07:49.199 a good number. And I've been keeping track of posting every once in a 112 00:07:49.240 --> 00:07:55.759 while on on social media, you know, the percentage of players who finished 113 00:07:55.759 --> 00:08:00.199 the season on active rosters who are being signed. I think we're closed to 114 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:03.000 you know, we're over twenty percent of that. The number of players who 115 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:07.839 received tryouts, we're well over one hundred of those players, and I think 116 00:08:07.879 --> 00:08:11.839 we're well over twenty five percent, probably closer to thirty percent of players in 117 00:08:11.879 --> 00:08:20.240 the league who have received tryouts. So it's impressive and it's a number that 118 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:24.600 if your XFL leadership you can sort of hang your hat on, you can 119 00:08:24.759 --> 00:08:30.439 use to recruit the next batch of players who don't make NFL rosters this training 120 00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:35.360 camp, or who were tryout players at rookie mini camp in May and never 121 00:08:35.399 --> 00:08:39.720 signed and they're looking for getting their foot back in the door, and the 122 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:41.879 XFL can say, hey, look, we've got all of these players from 123 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:46.120 twenty twenty three that were signed. We've got all of these players who received 124 00:08:46.200 --> 00:08:48.960 NFL tryouts, and you know, if you want to get your name back 125 00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:54.480 in circulation, this is an avenue you might want to take, because it's 126 00:08:54.519 --> 00:08:58.720 getting to the point where if you know, and if for each player is 127 00:08:58.720 --> 00:09:01.879 different, but where you have quarter at least a quarter or more of the 128 00:09:01.919 --> 00:09:05.279 players at least getting looks, tryouts, you know, and then you know, 129 00:09:05.320 --> 00:09:09.200 bending you know, like funneling down. I guess in this nineties, 130 00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:11.639 you know, I could wallow on a practice squad for a year, you 131 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:15.320 know, and yeah, you're making significantly more money than you're going to be 132 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:18.440 making the XFL. But if you want to play with the XFL or the 133 00:09:18.559 --> 00:09:20.559 USFL, like, hey, let me go do eight ten weeks, I'll 134 00:09:20.559 --> 00:09:24.080 get a look. Like I think having the USFL gone through two seasons now 135 00:09:24.120 --> 00:09:28.399 the XFL, like it is, it's becoming that like we are a viable 136 00:09:28.440 --> 00:09:31.759 thing that I think a lot of agents should start kind of veering their players 137 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:37.440 into sure, And I think that's really probably what the hesitation was at first. 138 00:09:37.960 --> 00:09:41.360 Agents and players wanted to know, is this viable. Is this going 139 00:09:41.399 --> 00:09:45.200 to sustain itself? I don't want to get caught halfway through a season like 140 00:09:45.279 --> 00:09:48.720 has happened before, and you know, all of a sudden the league shuts 141 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:52.639 down and I'm left kind of holding the bag. So I think agents and 142 00:09:52.679 --> 00:09:56.440 players wanted to see that this model is sustainable and they want to see results. 143 00:09:56.440 --> 00:10:00.799 They want to see how many players are getting NFL opportunities. And once 144 00:10:00.840 --> 00:10:03.559 those boxes are checked, you don't. I mean, those were the two 145 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:09.759 main I think hold ups. So without those there, I do wonder if 146 00:10:09.799 --> 00:10:13.159 you're going to see an even higher quality of player enter into the XFL and 147 00:10:13.279 --> 00:10:16.360 USFL this year. Yeah, so it's it's so as we say, sixty 148 00:10:16.440 --> 00:10:20.919 three and thirty eight or yeah, sixty three and thirty eight for the USFL. 149 00:10:20.039 --> 00:10:22.120 So I have, you know, I always have like when my post 150 00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:24.279 we well, how many does the USFL have or how many you know, 151 00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:28.799 because that's like another one of these like you know, stick measuring contests or 152 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:33.679 whatever. But I think it was fifty one pre when the NFL kicked out 153 00:10:33.720 --> 00:10:37.279 last year. Obviously they signed more guys into the season. Gavante Turpin, 154 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:39.759 you know, obviously being the one for the Cowboys, and we did the 155 00:10:39.759 --> 00:10:41.159 All Pro. There was a couple of injuries that stopped a couple of the 156 00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:46.399 other players from kind of making it. On how in terms of and this 157 00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:50.919 is just whatever, like what would you consider a successful number retained into the 158 00:10:50.919 --> 00:10:54.159 season from the XFL USVEL combined here? If we have a hundred plus, 159 00:10:54.559 --> 00:10:58.519 well, I'll count practice squads for that, because I think the number of 160 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:03.399 players who are going to make an active roster out of training camp is is 161 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:07.840 going to disappoint people quite frankly. You know, I've been tracking them on 162 00:11:07.960 --> 00:11:11.919 XFL board the first two weeks of the preseason. I've been listing some of 163 00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:18.200 the notable performances, good and bad, of XFL players from twenty twenty three. 164 00:11:18.279 --> 00:11:22.360 And you know, I've been I've been keeping tabs on the athletic and 165 00:11:22.519 --> 00:11:26.120 on local papers of what the beat writers are saying. They're putting out projected 166 00:11:26.159 --> 00:11:30.279 fifty three man rosters every week, you know, so I'm kind of scouring 167 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:33.759 those, and unfortunately, you know, it does not look like very many 168 00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:39.120 XFL or even USFL players are going to make initial fifty three man rosters. 169 00:11:39.279 --> 00:11:41.799 I think you're going to have quite a few that have the potential to make 170 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:46.799 practice squads. Practice squads are sixteen per team now, so they're gonna keep 171 00:11:46.840 --> 00:11:50.799 a lot of the players they cut at cutdown day, and don't forget, 172 00:11:50.840 --> 00:11:54.919 you know a lot of the players who are cut are going to be subject 173 00:11:54.919 --> 00:11:56.919 to waivers, so another team could pounce on them if they like what they 174 00:11:56.919 --> 00:12:01.360 saw in the preseason. So they may not make the team that they're on 175 00:12:01.480 --> 00:12:03.879 right now, but they could be claimed by another team and make their fifty 176 00:12:03.879 --> 00:12:07.519 three man rosters. So there's a lot, a lot of roster fluidity still 177 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:11.480 to come. But out of that hundred, you know, I would say, 178 00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:20.320 if you're looking at I would say thirty to forty practice squad players out 179 00:12:20.360 --> 00:12:22.480 of that hundred, I think is is reasonable. And then of course that 180 00:12:22.600 --> 00:12:28.679 number changes throughout the year as injuries hit active rosters and players are called up 181 00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:33.519 from practice squads and and players you know, practice squads churn every week, 182 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:37.320 so you'll have that number increase throughout the year. And the other thing about 183 00:12:37.320 --> 00:12:41.639 being on the practice squad at one time, being on the practice squad meant, 184 00:12:41.039 --> 00:12:46.120 you know, you could we're kind of wallowing there until you either got 185 00:12:46.159 --> 00:12:48.840 released or you got signed to the active roster, and that didn't happen all 186 00:12:48.879 --> 00:12:54.279 that much for some players. The rules since twenty twenty has been that each 187 00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:58.799 week a team can call up to players from the practice squad and not have 188 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:03.720 them count against the fifty three man roster. So being on the practice squad 189 00:13:03.879 --> 00:13:07.279 today is a lot more valuable than it once was. You have a lot 190 00:13:07.399 --> 00:13:11.759 higher probability of playing NFL regular season games. So even if someone signs with 191 00:13:11.799 --> 00:13:15.879 the practice squad, it's not just like kind of stash them there and forget 192 00:13:15.879 --> 00:13:18.519 about them. If you're an XFL fan or a USFL fan following them, 193 00:13:18.639 --> 00:13:22.360 you gotta look every week because your guy could get called up to play in 194 00:13:22.360 --> 00:13:26.200 that week's game. I have up here, and I like, I've been 195 00:13:26.279 --> 00:13:30.440 very busy with CFL and weddings this year. I'm sure this has existed for 196 00:13:30.440 --> 00:13:33.039 a while. I saw in one of their press releases. I think it 197 00:13:33.080 --> 00:13:37.200 was last week that they have this this XFL dot com slash XFL dash to 198 00:13:37.480 --> 00:13:41.519 Dash NFL, which to me is phenomenal. Here listed in order of all 199 00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:43.799 the players, the teams, the announcements, positions, kind of all that 200 00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:48.039 stuff I was looking. USBL doesn't have that, I know, Stefon over 201 00:13:48.080 --> 00:13:52.679 at newsroom kind of has his little one that's a little more herky jerky, 202 00:13:52.759 --> 00:13:56.320 but at least is worthwhile if you're wanting to kind of track that. I 203 00:13:56.320 --> 00:13:58.679 wish you had it by day, but you can sort by position and all 204 00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:01.639 of that. So goodpers the fond and all that, because before I just 205 00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:05.480 kind of assumed like a pat raffino where someone's like keeping tails about this stuff, 206 00:14:05.519 --> 00:14:09.039 all these numbers. But so we check that out because like anytime I 207 00:14:09.080 --> 00:14:11.000 post, I get people questioned like, oh, it's like jakor Pearson signed. 208 00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:13.399 Yet You're like, well, you know, he hasn't. That's weird. 209 00:14:13.519 --> 00:14:16.799 I think it's weird that he hasn't got signed. He's been very vocal 210 00:14:16.200 --> 00:14:22.559 about that online. But when there is if when we look at the numbers, 211 00:14:22.600 --> 00:14:24.879 this is where I get into the problem of solely building the XFL around 212 00:14:24.919 --> 00:14:28.360 like this is this is our dream is to get players in. This is 213 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:33.200 all that matters is you're probably not going to get that mini to actually stick. 214 00:14:33.240 --> 00:14:35.679 And so when your entire league is built around that, I do that 215 00:14:35.759 --> 00:14:37.879 is where I have a little bit of on bridge without any thoughts on that. 216 00:14:39.639 --> 00:14:45.759 You know, I get why they go that direction because they probably think, 217 00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:48.960 you know, that's not for us necessarily. It isn't one way, 218 00:14:48.039 --> 00:14:52.799 because it's basically telling us, hey, this is the kind of level of 219 00:14:52.840 --> 00:14:56.440 player that we have, This is the kind of level of play that we 220 00:14:56.480 --> 00:15:01.519 can produce in this league. We're worth watching. Because the one thing that 221 00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:05.360 would turn a lot of people off of these secondary leagues is they consider it 222 00:15:05.440 --> 00:15:09.840 minor league or football that's not very good. But if you're the XFL and 223 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:13.759 you can point to say, hey, we're good enough that the NFL signed 224 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:18.159 sixties some of our players, you know, that's a pretty good testament as 225 00:15:18.200 --> 00:15:20.519 to what our quality of play was. So that's kind of for the fans, 226 00:15:20.600 --> 00:15:22.879 I think, and I don't think they spell it out that way, 227 00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:26.159 but that's kind of my impression of it. But it's also for as we 228 00:15:26.159 --> 00:15:30.720 talked about the players and agents. You know, if you can plaster this 229 00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:33.360 all over your social media. You know, a player gets cut from the 230 00:15:33.440 --> 00:15:37.440 NFL and he doesn't know what to do, and he's scrolling through social media 231 00:15:37.480 --> 00:15:43.080 and he's seeing these posts by the XFL that guys are constantly getting signed. 232 00:15:43.240 --> 00:15:45.559 I mean that's going to plant to set in his head that oh, maybe 233 00:15:45.559 --> 00:15:50.039 I should consider this. So, you know, I think there's that aspect 234 00:15:50.120 --> 00:15:54.559 to it as well, and ownership has been good about saying, look, 235 00:15:54.600 --> 00:15:58.080 we want guys to succeed, we want guys to move on to the NFL. 236 00:15:58.440 --> 00:16:00.000 I think there's some head coaches. Ant Beck might have been one who 237 00:16:00.039 --> 00:16:03.720 said, my goals to have my roster turnover completely every year, like I 238 00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:07.759 want everybody to go to the NFL. But the other thing they've they've kind 239 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:11.159 of couched that in is but if you don't make it to the NFL, 240 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:17.600 we provide you a way to make money and make a living playing football, 241 00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:22.039 even if it is not at the highest level. So there is that aspect 242 00:16:22.080 --> 00:16:26.559 of it too. It's crazy to me, you know, it would be 243 00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:32.240 nice to see these leagues kind of evolve into like we were having the conversation 244 00:16:32.279 --> 00:16:34.519 today even where we have Trey Lance right and they were announced he's going to 245 00:16:34.600 --> 00:16:37.000 be the you know, the third string and he's upset, and you know, 246 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:41.120 Sam Darnold beat him out, Like what do you do if you're Trey 247 00:16:41.200 --> 00:16:44.440 Lance? Because I don't know if there's a lot of teams lining up right 248 00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:45.519 now. The guy, you know, I think he had four starts for 249 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:48.519 the you know, the forty nine ers last year, Like you know, 250 00:16:49.120 --> 00:16:52.039 I would admit like to envision a world where, like Trey Lance and we 251 00:16:52.039 --> 00:16:55.960 were talking about in the chat, like go to the XFL for a year, 252 00:16:56.039 --> 00:16:59.000 go play ten twelve games, show you have and I bet you know 253 00:16:59.360 --> 00:17:02.759 we have cuered on last year when it was with the USFL, he was 254 00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:06.200 saying the same thing where he's that you have Colin Koppernick if he really thought 255 00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:10.200 he could play, come do you know a season of the USFL show everybody 256 00:17:10.200 --> 00:17:11.799 in transition that over did not view it as a step down, but to 257 00:17:11.880 --> 00:17:15.640 view it as like, here's the way where I can actually get reps as 258 00:17:15.640 --> 00:17:18.680 opposed to just kind of being that unknown, if that makes sense. And 259 00:17:18.759 --> 00:17:23.240 Trey Lance is a unique situation where he just does not have a lot of 260 00:17:23.240 --> 00:17:26.839 game tape. You know, he's he did not start much in college. 261 00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:32.799 He has not really had a sustained opportunity in the NFL due to injuries and 262 00:17:32.839 --> 00:17:37.920 other situations with San Francisco having you know, a bevy of quarterbacks that they've 263 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:41.599 been able to choose from a good problem to have in some ways, but 264 00:17:41.640 --> 00:17:45.920 he just hasn't been able to show that he can put that ten to twelve 265 00:17:45.960 --> 00:17:52.720 game stretched together to show other teams that he's invested worth investing in. Now, 266 00:17:52.880 --> 00:17:55.920 the XFL would be a bit of a gamble, like I mean, 267 00:17:56.200 --> 00:18:00.000 because we've seen that performing well in the XFL doesn't guarantee you an NFL roster 268 00:18:00.039 --> 00:18:03.039 spot. I mean, you talk about jack or Pearson, leading XFL receiver, 269 00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:08.400 Jordan Williams, leading tackler in the XFL hasn't signed, you know, 270 00:18:08.519 --> 00:18:11.799 Aj McCarron has probably his own choice, but one of the top quarterbacks in 271 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:15.880 the league hasn't signed. Jordan tam With, the XFL offensive player of the 272 00:18:15.960 --> 00:18:18.559 year, just signed, you know, two games into the NFL preseason. 273 00:18:19.480 --> 00:18:23.640 Peter Tomallpenno, the defensive player of the year, signed after the first preseason 274 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:26.599 game. So these guys are getting into camp late, which is putting them 275 00:18:26.599 --> 00:18:30.720 behind the eight ball to make the team. But they performed out of their 276 00:18:30.720 --> 00:18:34.000 minds in the XFL. So I do understand the hesitancy from that point of 277 00:18:34.039 --> 00:18:40.079 view that playing in the XFL and playing really well doesn't itself guarantee you a 278 00:18:40.119 --> 00:18:44.440 shot in the NFL. Are you surprised? And we were having this conversation 279 00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:47.920 as well that, you know, with the XFL being so much earlier, 280 00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:51.119 and there's been so much about the timeline, and you know, the USFL 281 00:18:51.160 --> 00:18:52.960 says it's the baskers, our players can go right into camp, but it's 282 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:56.640 too late because it's already July. And you know that we were even seeing 283 00:18:56.640 --> 00:19:00.559 people with the defenders saying, God, if they weren't in the chamship game, 284 00:19:00.599 --> 00:19:03.279 they had already have guys going in. You know, a lot of 285 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:04.880 these signings, even just the last two weeks have still been a lot of 286 00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:10.839 XFL guys, even with USFL guys available. Are you surprised with the numbers 287 00:19:10.839 --> 00:19:14.599 and how they've kind of panned out in that way? Again, I guess 288 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:18.559 I didn't really have expectations. I did think the XFL would be would have 289 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:22.279 more players, just because I think, you know, looking at the rosters, 290 00:19:25.279 --> 00:19:27.039 and again I don't watch the USFL, so I can only go by 291 00:19:27.160 --> 00:19:30.759 the players that I see as being part of the league, it does seem 292 00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:36.000 like the XFL has a slightly higher caliber of player in it, So I 293 00:19:36.039 --> 00:19:38.480 guess it doesn't surprise me that they have more. But again, like you 294 00:19:38.559 --> 00:19:44.400 mentioned, that lead up to training camp, that a couple months had start 295 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:48.079 that they got. I mean, they were able to put dozens of players 296 00:19:48.599 --> 00:19:52.920 in rookie mini camps for these NFL teams and even if they were not signed 297 00:19:52.000 --> 00:19:55.960 right after Rookie Mini caamp, and many of them were, but many of 298 00:19:56.000 --> 00:20:00.400 them, you know, the teams that are looking for replacements now have those 299 00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:03.920 guys on file that were in their rookie Mini caamp, those XFL players, 300 00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:07.720 and those are the players now getting signed to their roster, even in late 301 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:12.880 August. So it's an advantage to uh, certainly for the XFL to have 302 00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:18.000 those players in those rookie mini camps at a time when the USFL is is 303 00:20:18.039 --> 00:20:22.640 having their season still going on, not only to get signed after Rookie Mini 304 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:26.200 Caamp, but to just be in front of those coaches and those scouts so 305 00:20:26.240 --> 00:20:29.480 that later on in the summer or even in the fall, if they're looking 306 00:20:29.519 --> 00:20:32.680 for a player at that position, they're going to remember you from rookie minicamp. 307 00:20:32.759 --> 00:20:34.640 Let's bring him in. He's got some familiarity, We've got some familiarity 308 00:20:34.680 --> 00:20:40.440 with him, and sometimes, uh, that's how guys get signed. It's 309 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:44.519 just that familiarity. Are you surprised some of the guys that we haven't seen 310 00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:47.200 signed, like Pierson I said, you know, I commented Earler, I 311 00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:49.519 mean, he's just anytime anyone get signed, he's quote you know TV, 312 00:20:49.880 --> 00:20:53.039 Yeah, wait are you are you surprised some of these guys that we would 313 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:56.920 expect with these slam dogs? I mean, Tim who finally? Did you 314 00:20:56.960 --> 00:21:00.119 know? That was kind of like the I guess what to me when of 315 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:03.240 the overhanging wines where you surprised some of the ones they have him been signed 316 00:21:03.880 --> 00:21:08.759 with Tayamu, I wasn't because he's I think he's a pretty known quantity at 317 00:21:08.799 --> 00:21:11.599 this point. He's a guy who's been for a couple of years now. 318 00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:15.920 He's like one of the last arms signed in camp for the last preseason game, 319 00:21:15.960 --> 00:21:18.839 and then he gets caught. He's he's not new to this, right, 320 00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:22.960 He's he's been through this cycle before. So you know, he's done 321 00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:26.000 it in the XFL in twenty twenty, he did it in the USFL in 322 00:21:26.039 --> 00:21:27.519 twenty twenty two, he did it in the XFL in twenty twenty three. 323 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:33.960 I really don't think there's much he has to you know, there's not much 324 00:21:33.960 --> 00:21:37.279 more he can show, and if NFL teams aren't interested in him, at 325 00:21:37.279 --> 00:21:41.799 this point, they just might not be interested in him in him. That's 326 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:45.720 the sad, cold, hard truth of the NFL. Pearson. You know, 327 00:21:45.839 --> 00:21:51.000 his biggest drawback is his size, And no matter what numbers you put 328 00:21:51.119 --> 00:21:55.440 up in the XFL, it's not going to grow you four or five inches, 329 00:21:56.160 --> 00:22:00.920 and and so measurables are still still a big part of the NFL. 330 00:22:00.359 --> 00:22:03.039 You talk, You hear about this with Bryce Young when he went number one 331 00:22:03.039 --> 00:22:07.119 overall. Oh, he doesn't meet the height requirement, and so much of 332 00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:11.480 the pre draft discussion was about his size. And so the NFL is still 333 00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:15.319 skittish about taking a chance on guys, even the bottom of the roster, 334 00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:21.319 guys who don't meet those size requirements. I don't think anyone has had more 335 00:22:21.359 --> 00:22:23.480 workouts than Jack or Pearson. I think he's up to seven workouts that he's 336 00:22:23.519 --> 00:22:30.440 had with NFL teams. So he's getting these opportunities. His size or something 337 00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:33.720 he's not doing in these workouts is not translating for these teams. So I 338 00:22:33.759 --> 00:22:37.319 did think that he was going to finally get signed at some point, and 339 00:22:37.720 --> 00:22:41.799 I think he is to me the biggest surprise of who hasn't been signed yet. 340 00:22:42.920 --> 00:22:45.839 Yeah, I mean that like he said, that to me is one 341 00:22:45.920 --> 00:22:48.240 of the you know, I hope and pray and want on these players. 342 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:51.720 It's just hard and it's you know, you get caught up in, like 343 00:22:51.759 --> 00:22:53.240 we said, kind of the marketing of the leagues and this is what we 344 00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:59.039 want. It's the league of opportunity, but it's not. The window of 345 00:22:59.079 --> 00:23:02.400 opportunity is not you know, not equal for you or me or anybody else. 346 00:23:02.680 --> 00:23:04.839 Every you know, the XFL can say, look, we're getting We're 347 00:23:04.880 --> 00:23:08.759 giving you the opportunity. Everything else is up to you. That mini camp, 348 00:23:08.839 --> 00:23:14.440 try out, that signing late in camp. That's all on you. 349 00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:18.279 Now we've given you the platform. Now you have to take the next step. 350 00:23:18.160 --> 00:23:22.400 So you know that, that's kind of what they can say to shield 351 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:27.079 themselves from whatever criticism comes their way of not enough players making active rosters or 352 00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:30.400 whatever like that. So, who, I have your article here, I 353 00:23:30.480 --> 00:23:34.519 pulled it up before when you were mentioning that off the top. I wanted 354 00:23:34.559 --> 00:23:38.359 to do this last week preseason one, and then these CFL Thursday games have 355 00:23:38.440 --> 00:23:42.359 really thrown me for a loop when trying to get these episodes out. Who 356 00:23:42.400 --> 00:23:45.279 has stood out to you this week or kind of in the NFL preseason in 357 00:23:45.319 --> 00:23:48.160 general, we can kind of open it up to that. I think the 358 00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:52.880 biggest performance came last week, which was Nico Lalos, who had three sacks, 359 00:23:52.960 --> 00:23:56.920 four tackles for a loss. I think he had a knockdown. You 360 00:23:56.960 --> 00:23:59.359 know, that was late in the game, fourth quarters. So he's going 361 00:23:59.400 --> 00:24:02.240 against guys who aren't going to make the team for the other teams, so 362 00:24:02.279 --> 00:24:06.079 you kind of have to keep that in mind as well. But as far 363 00:24:06.160 --> 00:24:11.559 as statistical performance, I think that was probably the best you had. Josh 364 00:24:11.599 --> 00:24:15.519 Johnson, who did not have a great first game for Baltimore. Uh, 365 00:24:15.559 --> 00:24:19.279 he had a really nice game on Monday night against Washington. And you know, 366 00:24:19.400 --> 00:24:25.839 Baltimore sadly their twenty four game preseason win streak was snapped, so you 367 00:24:25.880 --> 00:24:33.200 know that there you go. So you know, Ben Denucci had a good 368 00:24:33.240 --> 00:24:36.400 first game. I don't think he had as good of a second game. 369 00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:41.440 You know, the specialists are a little behind Parker Romo seems like he's behind 370 00:24:41.480 --> 00:24:44.839 in Detroit. Dan Wheeland, UH, punter for the defenders, seems like 371 00:24:44.839 --> 00:24:48.240 he's behind Pat mcdonet, O'Donnell in Green Bay. Other than that, you 372 00:24:48.279 --> 00:24:52.799 know, there's been some guys who've gotten some sniffs with first and second teams 373 00:24:53.599 --> 00:24:59.279 in preseason action. Kobe Smith with the Giants who played for the Brahmas, 374 00:24:59.640 --> 00:25:02.680 is played a ton of snaps. He's gotten some second team first team work 375 00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:06.839 in the preseason. You look at a guy like Willie Taylor. He didn't 376 00:25:06.880 --> 00:25:10.720 play the first game for the Jaguars, but he played late in the first 377 00:25:10.759 --> 00:25:17.359 quarter with some second stringers on Jacksonville's defense. So I don't think that's apropos 378 00:25:17.400 --> 00:25:21.759 of anything. I think that's more of, you know, mixing things up 379 00:25:21.799 --> 00:25:25.359 and mixing packages up, the coaches and just giving guys an opportunity and seeing 380 00:25:25.400 --> 00:25:29.480 what they look like playing with guys who are going to make the team even 381 00:25:29.519 --> 00:25:33.519 if they don't. But you know, there haven't been a ton of standout 382 00:25:33.559 --> 00:25:38.960 performances. Abram Smith has looked okay at times in Minnesota. You know, 383 00:25:40.039 --> 00:25:42.480 Verus Hector had a really nice first game first week of the preseason with the 384 00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:47.960 Jets. Caused some interior pressure on the defensive line. But you know, 385 00:25:48.039 --> 00:25:52.079 no one who I can point to and say this guy has made the team 386 00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:55.799 because of his work in the preseason. I just haven't seen that yet. 387 00:25:56.319 --> 00:26:00.359 Well he even had, you know, with all of our CFLs stuff. 388 00:26:00.359 --> 00:26:03.200 We have the Nathan Warke and they you know, they track that like you 389 00:26:03.240 --> 00:26:06.720 know, the Messiah's walking down the street, you know. And I tell 390 00:26:06.759 --> 00:26:10.960 you as a Jaguars fan, that's Jaguars fans reaction too. If you go 391 00:26:11.079 --> 00:26:17.079 to the Jaguars website, there's a mailbag every day that the editor of Jaguars 392 00:26:17.119 --> 00:26:21.880 dot com does and the last week has been three or four questions every day 393 00:26:22.039 --> 00:26:26.000 about is Nathan Roorke gonna make the team? Why isn't he second string? 394 00:26:26.039 --> 00:26:29.640 Because Doug Peterson came out after their game this weekend and said, no, 395 00:26:29.720 --> 00:26:32.440 there's no competition for second string. It's gonna be c. J. Beathart. 396 00:26:32.480 --> 00:26:34.839 So it's either gonna be Nathan Work getting cut and probably try to get 397 00:26:34.880 --> 00:26:37.880 signed to the practice squad, or he makes the team as a third string. 398 00:26:38.039 --> 00:26:41.839 But there's been a lot of Jaguars fans who've just fallen in love with 399 00:26:41.920 --> 00:26:44.799 Nathan Rourke. Well, I know, but that's that's the thing is you 400 00:26:44.839 --> 00:26:47.480 can have you know, you're you're saying, there hasn't been a ton of 401 00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:49.839 stand that performances, and you can even have a stand on that performance like 402 00:26:49.920 --> 00:26:52.519 Nathan Work And yeah, I mean that they he's had, you know, 403 00:26:52.559 --> 00:26:56.960 two games back to back and Patrick Mahomes is quote tweeting and look at this, 404 00:26:56.039 --> 00:26:59.720 and you know, because people said like yo, and Mahomes does this, 405 00:26:59.799 --> 00:27:02.680 the internet dies, you know, because they are twitter breaks and here. 406 00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:04.880 But you know, you do all of that and then he still doesn't 407 00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:08.200 have a spot. I mean, it's it's disconcerting for me as someone that 408 00:27:08.319 --> 00:27:11.640 spends in an ordin amount of time kind of talking about all this stuff. 409 00:27:11.960 --> 00:27:15.759 Yes, as someone who's spent in an inordinate amount of my last two weeks 410 00:27:15.799 --> 00:27:18.279 watching preseason games from start to finish, me too, But you know, 411 00:27:18.319 --> 00:27:22.880 their preseason game is just a small slice. You know, we don't see 412 00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:26.119 what goes on in the meeting rooms. We don't see what goes on on 413 00:27:26.160 --> 00:27:30.960 the whiteboard when you know you have to answer questions from a coach and a 414 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:33.440 meeting. We don't see what goes on in those joint practices that happen, 415 00:27:33.559 --> 00:27:38.359 which coaches are now saying are more important for evaluation purposes than the preseason games 416 00:27:38.359 --> 00:27:41.079 themselves. You know, we don't see what goes on day to day at 417 00:27:41.079 --> 00:27:44.480 practice. What are their habits like, what are their study habits, what 418 00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:47.480 are their practice habits, like, you know, how are they performing in 419 00:27:47.519 --> 00:27:52.000 practice? So the preseason games are just such a small slice of the overall 420 00:27:52.079 --> 00:27:59.000 evaluative picture that coaches take into account when they make these cuts. So it 421 00:27:59.119 --> 00:28:03.680 is hard to make it any broad based, sweeping generalizations about the chances of 422 00:28:03.759 --> 00:28:07.400 player has when you are just sitting down and watching them in a preseason game. 423 00:28:07.480 --> 00:28:08.839 But you know, if they are doing well in meeting rooms, if 424 00:28:08.880 --> 00:28:11.359 they are doing well in practices, if they are doing well in those joint 425 00:28:11.359 --> 00:28:15.319 practices, you hope they pop in the preseason games too, because that would 426 00:28:15.319 --> 00:28:18.960 just kind of really complete things and cement their roster status. Yeah, I 427 00:28:19.039 --> 00:28:22.839 think last year was it. S Traveler kind of got crazy during the preseason. 428 00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:26.400 I mean he was a CFL guy too, kind of that CFL or 429 00:28:26.119 --> 00:28:30.000 the preseason Darling and I think Nathan Work, like we said, kind of 430 00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:33.240 has that. But I don't know, is that Are you surprised there hasn't 431 00:28:33.240 --> 00:28:37.319 been anything any standouts this year? I mean it, I don't know. 432 00:28:38.119 --> 00:28:41.359 I wish that there would be something that we'd have a little bit more like 433 00:28:41.440 --> 00:28:44.359 you used to write about right now. Yeah, I agree, I thought 434 00:28:44.400 --> 00:28:51.359 that I thought there'd be more players with more buzz in training camp than there 435 00:28:51.400 --> 00:28:53.880 is now. You just don't hear Kim Butler had it a little bit in 436 00:28:53.920 --> 00:28:57.920 OTAs, and then he came into training camp and was dropping passes and was 437 00:28:59.000 --> 00:29:03.839 not was not meeting the expectations, and he ended up getting injured and just 438 00:29:03.920 --> 00:29:07.599 waved injured. So he's got put on i R for Pittsburgh. He'll probably 439 00:29:07.599 --> 00:29:11.440 get released with an injury settlement soon and be a free agent. I think, 440 00:29:11.559 --> 00:29:14.559 you know, that was probably the closest I would say to someone who 441 00:29:14.559 --> 00:29:18.759 had some really positive momentum in OTAs in the spring, but he just wasn't 442 00:29:18.759 --> 00:29:21.880 able to carry it over into training camp and and probably was on the outside 443 00:29:21.920 --> 00:29:26.799 looking in for a roster spot had he stayed healthy. Do you blame you 444 00:29:26.839 --> 00:29:30.240 know, just NFL politics here. I mean it feels I don't want this 445 00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:33.640 to be like a depressing conversation. You're about the state of this, you 446 00:29:33.640 --> 00:29:36.279 know what I mean, like healthy of it. I mean that's you know, 447 00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:40.400 we get on the high when the season happens and when all these players 448 00:29:40.480 --> 00:29:44.160 are getting signed, and that that is a good thing and we should celebrate 449 00:29:44.200 --> 00:29:47.839 that, but we also have to understand that there's a reality component that goes 450 00:29:47.880 --> 00:29:51.640 with it that it's very difficult to break into the NFL. You know, 451 00:29:51.720 --> 00:29:57.880 they have you know, I've heard personnel men say, really, there's only 452 00:29:57.880 --> 00:30:02.480 about three rosters per team that are really up for grabs in the preseason. 453 00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:06.240 And when you think about that and think about the ninety man rosters, it's 454 00:30:06.279 --> 00:30:10.319 like, man, three spots and all these guys are getting signed. So 455 00:30:11.119 --> 00:30:15.119 the reality is there just are not a lot of real spots available when you 456 00:30:15.720 --> 00:30:19.240 carry over so much of your roster from the previous season, when you sign 457 00:30:19.279 --> 00:30:22.519 a bunch of free agents, you have draft picks, you had college free 458 00:30:22.519 --> 00:30:26.799 agents, and now you have this other avenue the USFL and XFL that players 459 00:30:26.799 --> 00:30:32.279 are coming in. You can't fit them all in, and so cut down 460 00:30:32.359 --> 00:30:37.680 day is a sad day across the NFL for players. Coaches don't enjoy that 461 00:30:37.759 --> 00:30:42.680 process. Fans don't like seeing players they saw shine in the preseason get cut, 462 00:30:44.000 --> 00:30:47.119 and certainly XFL and USFL fans are not going to like seeing all these 463 00:30:47.160 --> 00:30:51.039 players cut. But that's just I mean, that's the reality of the business, 464 00:30:52.640 --> 00:30:56.440 especially now next week kind of everything combined. You used to be kind 465 00:30:56.480 --> 00:30:59.039 of the scale down process, right. A couple of different cut downs. 466 00:30:59.119 --> 00:31:03.720 Everything's going on the twenty what is that the next when twenty nine, it's 467 00:31:03.720 --> 00:31:07.640 gonna be a blood bath. I mean, it's gonna be not a fun 468 00:31:07.720 --> 00:31:10.960 day. I don't imagine. No, it's not. But again, you 469 00:31:11.000 --> 00:31:15.119 know you're gonna have The next day is always the most fascinating for me because 470 00:31:15.119 --> 00:31:19.000 that's when waiver claims get put in and you get to see what teams want 471 00:31:19.039 --> 00:31:23.920 players from other teams that were cut, and then you know the domino effect 472 00:31:23.960 --> 00:31:27.319 from that is, if you're claiming three players on waivers, you have to 473 00:31:27.319 --> 00:31:30.960 cut three players who initially made your fifty three man roster. So imagine that 474 00:31:32.000 --> 00:31:34.799 conversation player thinks he made the roster and is on the team for the first 475 00:31:34.799 --> 00:31:37.839 week, and all of a sudden, the team claims a player two, 476 00:31:37.920 --> 00:31:42.119 three, and they gotta cut more. So I think the saving grace is 477 00:31:42.119 --> 00:31:45.720 going to be the practice squad. I think we're gonna see a lot of 478 00:31:45.759 --> 00:31:51.440 players get signed to the practice squad and they're really one snap away from from 479 00:31:51.440 --> 00:31:55.680 making an active roster, so that that's the saving grace. I think of 480 00:31:55.759 --> 00:32:00.559 the cut down day blood bath, as you so eloquently put it to anyone 481 00:32:00.839 --> 00:32:02.680 like you said, I'm kind of glands in through your notes here while we 482 00:32:02.720 --> 00:32:07.119 talk, you know, special teams a lot of I think that's always kind 483 00:32:07.119 --> 00:32:09.000 of the place to look at here with these with these all football guys, 484 00:32:09.480 --> 00:32:14.279 any realistic people that you would at least say, you know, had twenty 485 00:32:14.279 --> 00:32:15.759 dollars to bet on, that you would think would be you would be seen 486 00:32:15.839 --> 00:32:23.799 here next week, actually make the roster. I think bend Nucci has a 487 00:32:23.799 --> 00:32:30.000 real shot to be Denver's third quarterback. That's the name that really stands out 488 00:32:30.039 --> 00:32:36.240 to me right now. I just read an article from someone who covers the 489 00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:39.839 Steelers who says that, you know, the battle of the long snappers, 490 00:32:40.200 --> 00:32:45.920 We've got Christian Kuntz who was with the Renegades in twenty twenty and Rex Sunahara 491 00:32:45.960 --> 00:32:49.440 who was with the Brahmas in twenty twenty three, and somebody refer to that 492 00:32:49.480 --> 00:32:52.559 as a dead heat. So it sounds like Sunahara's got a shot at unseating 493 00:32:52.640 --> 00:32:58.920 Christian Kunts in Pittsburgh for the long snapper job. Really, other than that, 494 00:32:59.039 --> 00:33:01.160 it is really hard to see. You know, there are a couple 495 00:33:01.200 --> 00:33:06.680 of guys who, you know, if injuries happen, because a lot of 496 00:33:06.680 --> 00:33:08.640 what happens at cutdown days, you get a lot of guys who get placed 497 00:33:08.640 --> 00:33:13.200 on ir or who get waived injured who you would have maybe thought we're going 498 00:33:13.240 --> 00:33:15.960 to make the team, and that could open up a spot or two on 499 00:33:15.000 --> 00:33:20.680 the roster. But really, Denucci is the one that stands out to me. 500 00:33:20.759 --> 00:33:22.519 I think he's got a shot if Denver keeps three because they've only got 501 00:33:22.559 --> 00:33:25.319 three quarterbacks in camp, so if they keep three quarterbacks, it's gonna be 502 00:33:25.359 --> 00:33:32.880 Deducci. And the new rule this year rewards teams for keeping three quarterbacks by 503 00:33:32.920 --> 00:33:37.759 allowing them to keep a third quarterback active on game day in case the first 504 00:33:37.759 --> 00:33:43.559 two get hurt, So there it doesn't incentivize teams to keep that third quarterback, 505 00:33:43.559 --> 00:33:45.480 whereas in the past half the teams in the league have CPT two and 506 00:33:45.519 --> 00:33:51.279 half the teams in the league of CUPT three. So alize Mac with Tennessee. 507 00:33:51.480 --> 00:33:52.480 I know he didn't play the first game. I'm not sure if he 508 00:33:52.519 --> 00:33:57.759 was nicked up for that one, but he actually started last week and he's 509 00:33:57.799 --> 00:34:00.319 a guy who I think has a possibility of making the team as a tight 510 00:34:00.400 --> 00:34:05.400 end in Tennessee. So I guess if I had if I was foolish, 511 00:34:05.400 --> 00:34:07.800 foolish enough to put money on this. Those would be two or three names 512 00:34:07.840 --> 00:34:13.800 that I could see cracking the roster. Finally, kind of here we'll wind 513 00:34:13.840 --> 00:34:16.239 this down, but interesting will be, you know because obviously the XVEL players 514 00:34:16.320 --> 00:34:21.159 retaining these rights, they come back. We've done the what was it called 515 00:34:21.199 --> 00:34:23.159 the college No, that was the USFL as a college draft. The XFL 516 00:34:23.199 --> 00:34:27.320 did the rookie draft, and then we're gonna have the supplemental Draft in the 517 00:34:27.320 --> 00:34:30.639 fall and then the I mean it's it's gonna be a stacked low of the 518 00:34:30.639 --> 00:34:32.960 guys here are trying to get through these XFL rosters. I mean, thankfully 519 00:34:34.000 --> 00:34:36.480 that's good, a lot more spots, but I mean even that, I 520 00:34:36.480 --> 00:34:38.360 mean, if you're going back to the XFL and they brought in other guys 521 00:34:38.360 --> 00:34:40.400 but they're retaining your rights, I mean, there's going to kind of be 522 00:34:40.519 --> 00:34:44.719 some battles there, and maybe it's the same politics as the NFL. Will 523 00:34:44.760 --> 00:34:46.559 we have these guys last year and they kind of get first come. Yeah, 524 00:34:46.559 --> 00:34:50.400 it's gonna be a similar situation. They're gonna be guys, good players 525 00:34:50.440 --> 00:34:53.920 who get cut from the XFL, and we've seen that happened this past year, 526 00:34:54.079 --> 00:34:58.440 and they've gone to the CFL, they've gone to the IFL, they've 527 00:34:58.440 --> 00:35:02.559 gone to the USFL. You know, it's it's a it's a good market 528 00:35:02.599 --> 00:35:07.480 to be a football player in because you do have a lot of options even 529 00:35:07.519 --> 00:35:10.599 if your first choice or second choice is not there. So, yeah, 530 00:35:10.599 --> 00:35:17.800 the XFL, what they've done is they've made a lot of opportunities for teams 531 00:35:17.840 --> 00:35:23.880 to acquire players. We had the rookie Draft, we had the XFL Combine, 532 00:35:24.440 --> 00:35:29.079 and then we had the sort of allocation of players. After the combine 533 00:35:29.559 --> 00:35:35.800 two teams, we had this bizarre draft slash, don't call it a draft, 534 00:35:35.840 --> 00:35:44.639 where the XFL teams acquired rights to players. I'm not sure what qualifications 535 00:35:44.679 --> 00:35:50.480 went into what players could be claimed, since you had players coming out like 536 00:35:50.800 --> 00:35:52.559 Anthony Gordon saying, wait a minute, I'm claimed, I'm retired, like 537 00:35:52.639 --> 00:35:55.840 what. So I don't know what basis they went and claimed these players on, 538 00:35:55.920 --> 00:36:00.039 but they did it en mass and as you said, they'll have a 539 00:36:00.159 --> 00:36:04.800 draft this fall. I'm not sure that they've officially announced a date. I 540 00:36:04.880 --> 00:36:07.199 know October November is probably what we're looking at for that, and then I 541 00:36:07.199 --> 00:36:13.960 would assume nothing has been made official about this but I would assume January again 542 00:36:14.800 --> 00:36:21.199 as training camp starts for anyone whose USFL contract expires, anyone who you know, 543 00:36:21.599 --> 00:36:25.079 late to the party NFL cuts who want to join the league. So 544 00:36:25.679 --> 00:36:30.679 they have made a lot of avenues available for XFL teams to accumulate players onto 545 00:36:30.679 --> 00:36:34.559 their ninety man rosters this offseason. You have to imagine a lot of those 546 00:36:34.559 --> 00:36:37.000 players are going to be in the NFL. I mean, there's still players 547 00:36:37.239 --> 00:36:40.079 who were claimed in the rookie draft way back in June who are getting workouts 548 00:36:40.079 --> 00:36:43.440 in the NFL right now. So there's a chance that some of these guys 549 00:36:43.480 --> 00:36:45.639 get signed and are on teams, and you know, you're gonna have some 550 00:36:45.679 --> 00:36:50.639 guys who get claimed who don't report. They choose to go to the USFL, 551 00:36:50.880 --> 00:36:53.480 or like Anthony Gordon, retire or just not play in a spring league 552 00:36:53.559 --> 00:36:58.760 in twenty twenty four, So you know, not every guy who's been claimed 553 00:36:58.800 --> 00:37:01.039 or who's been draft is gonna up to camp. And I think that's why 554 00:37:01.079 --> 00:37:07.119 they've kind of expanded the rosters to ninety. They know that if they're only 555 00:37:07.159 --> 00:37:08.920 taking sixty to seventy to camp again, there's going to be a handful of 556 00:37:08.920 --> 00:37:13.920 players on each team who who probably choose not to report one they don't need 557 00:37:13.960 --> 00:37:15.280 to be you know, they're not paying for that, like the yeah, 558 00:37:15.400 --> 00:37:19.000 I mean you're on the team. You know, they're not like on the 559 00:37:19.079 --> 00:37:22.159 roster. I mean they have your rights. That's really I guess what it 560 00:37:22.199 --> 00:37:24.719 means. You're not really on a roster in the same way that you're on 561 00:37:24.760 --> 00:37:29.519 an NFL offseason roster. You know, that's it's the same verbiage, but 562 00:37:29.519 --> 00:37:32.760 it's very different in terms of especially pay. It's so funny. In the 563 00:37:32.800 --> 00:37:37.000 CFL they have like the neglists and negotiation list where all the teams and there's 564 00:37:37.079 --> 00:37:40.119 numbers, but they can this is the same thing like claimed and if you 565 00:37:40.119 --> 00:37:44.079 ever come up to Canada, like you know they get first rights or whatever. 566 00:37:44.159 --> 00:37:47.039 And Edmonton that just they're like one to nine. Just when their first 567 00:37:47.039 --> 00:37:52.599 game last week, they had on for years Chack Kelly was on their negotiations 568 00:37:52.639 --> 00:37:55.159 list, and then they had traded to Toronto as part of a trade like 569 00:37:55.199 --> 00:37:59.559 the year before. Then Chad Kelly comes up and he's like a rock star 570 00:38:00.039 --> 00:38:02.639 on So you know, I like this. I like the n eggs list 571 00:38:02.679 --> 00:38:07.960 and the negotiations and all that, but anything else we get out. I 572 00:38:07.960 --> 00:38:10.639 mean, like, this is why I like, I would like more marketing 573 00:38:10.760 --> 00:38:15.480 just also about what the league is of itself, because yes, this is 574 00:38:15.480 --> 00:38:17.159 wonderful and we champion all of this stuff, but you need to give these 575 00:38:17.159 --> 00:38:20.960 players a home because a lot of them are going to make it, and 576 00:38:21.039 --> 00:38:25.400 I think that hopefully that comes with time. There we can rail on the 577 00:38:25.400 --> 00:38:31.880 marketing, and we did and for good reason, but really they didn't have 578 00:38:31.960 --> 00:38:36.559 a There's not a lot of history to draw from. If you are like 579 00:38:36.679 --> 00:38:38.400 the ownership and you don't want to acknowledge two thousand and one, and you 580 00:38:38.400 --> 00:38:43.039 don't really want to acknowledge twenty twenty either, Like you're starting from scratch. 581 00:38:43.119 --> 00:38:46.679 There's really nothing to hang your hat on other than literally what your league does, 582 00:38:46.880 --> 00:38:52.280 which is give opportunities to guys to go to the NFL. There's no 583 00:38:52.440 --> 00:38:58.000 history to these franchises that you can market the players. They don't have a 584 00:38:58.039 --> 00:39:00.679 history in the XFL. Many of them don't have a really strong NFL history 585 00:39:00.760 --> 00:39:04.719 that you can market. So hopefully as time goes on, as the years 586 00:39:04.719 --> 00:39:07.719 go by, the XFL continues to sustain itself, it makes its own history, 587 00:39:07.880 --> 00:39:15.719 and then that becomes your marketing arm. And maybe you don't put the 588 00:39:15.800 --> 00:39:19.239 kind of marketing that they're doing now, which is almost solely hey, we're 589 00:39:19.239 --> 00:39:22.239 putting guys in the NFL. Maybe you kind of tamp that down a little 590 00:39:22.239 --> 00:39:27.119 bit and you focus more on who you are and what you've done throughout your 591 00:39:27.159 --> 00:39:30.280 history and what you're going to continue to do. I think that's a really 592 00:39:30.440 --> 00:39:34.960 good point. I think that's really smart. I know that last year with 593 00:39:35.000 --> 00:39:37.840 the USFL, a lot of the people kind of behind the scenes, they're 594 00:39:37.880 --> 00:39:39.400 like, oh, this is awesome, like look at all the players, 595 00:39:39.440 --> 00:39:43.880 you know, and then reality hits and it's Kamanti Turpin, you know, 596 00:39:43.920 --> 00:39:45.760 the desk settles, and yeah, yeah, I'll be curious this year, 597 00:39:45.800 --> 00:39:49.840 you know, with Danny and everything, like when we yeah, it's great 598 00:39:49.920 --> 00:39:52.719 right now, and Rocks tweet and player fifty four got signed and all this 599 00:39:52.760 --> 00:39:54.559 stuff, and it was just like, of course he's tweeting that. But 600 00:39:54.639 --> 00:39:59.440 then you know, come next week or the week after, like, oh, 601 00:39:59.440 --> 00:40:01.800 okay, so now we kind of actually know the economics of this that 602 00:40:01.880 --> 00:40:06.320 we because I don't know if they even know right now. Yeah. Yeah, 603 00:40:06.599 --> 00:40:13.039 And I hope that they champion these players throughout the NFL season. If 604 00:40:13.079 --> 00:40:15.440 they make teams, if they make plays, you know, if if they 605 00:40:15.480 --> 00:40:20.719 make practice squads, you know that that is something that fans can say, 606 00:40:20.760 --> 00:40:23.320 Hey, I saw that guy when I was in Saint Louis, when he 607 00:40:23.360 --> 00:40:27.639 was a linebacker for the BattleHawks. Now he's in It's almost like, I 608 00:40:27.679 --> 00:40:29.920 know, people don't like to consider it minor league. I don't like to 609 00:40:29.920 --> 00:40:32.199 call it minor league, but it's a lot of the same mindset as a 610 00:40:32.239 --> 00:40:38.000 fan where if I go to, you know, a minor league baseball game, 611 00:40:38.199 --> 00:40:42.119 a lot of those guys I don't know, right, but I watch 612 00:40:42.159 --> 00:40:45.360 them and then you know, if I see them play a major league baseball 613 00:40:45.360 --> 00:40:46.599 game on TV and I hear a name, I'll be like, oh, 614 00:40:46.639 --> 00:40:51.880 I saw that guy back when he was with this team. And so nobody 615 00:40:51.920 --> 00:40:53.519 wants to call themselves minor league. No one wants to call attention to that. 616 00:40:53.760 --> 00:40:58.760 But I think a lot of the mindset that the fans have justifiably, 617 00:40:58.800 --> 00:41:00.440 so I'm not saying it's wrong. I think it's a great mindset to have 618 00:41:00.639 --> 00:41:05.000 is to hopefully track these players, you know, as they were a battle 619 00:41:05.039 --> 00:41:07.760 Hawk one day and now they're a Miami Dolphin or something like that. I 620 00:41:07.760 --> 00:41:12.239 mean, that's cool and that should be something that is championed by the fans 621 00:41:12.559 --> 00:41:15.800 and by the league. Well, I mean that's why I have my watching 622 00:41:15.840 --> 00:41:17.800 commanders had on this. We had to cover it so much with Heiniki and 623 00:41:17.840 --> 00:41:21.400 everything kind of during that because we you know, we didn't have anything to 624 00:41:21.480 --> 00:41:23.760 podcast about. I'm watching Committee. At that time, it was the football 625 00:41:23.760 --> 00:41:27.880 team games every week. And now, I mean, obviously I'll follow Heimiky. 626 00:41:27.960 --> 00:41:30.559 You know, I can't sitting now I'm in Atlanta Falcons. Yeah, 627 00:41:30.559 --> 00:41:31.880 I can't. I can only go so far. But like, but that 628 00:41:31.920 --> 00:41:35.320 was why it was because of all that was to here was someone that we 629 00:41:35.519 --> 00:41:37.719 we followed his story and so yeah, I mean I can't be the only 630 00:41:37.760 --> 00:41:43.360 crazy person out there. No, you're not not at all, Greg. 631 00:41:43.440 --> 00:41:45.920 I appreciate it. It's late on the East Coast to go hang out with 632 00:41:45.960 --> 00:41:50.239 your family. I appreciate it. I'm making the time back at school, 633 00:41:50.320 --> 00:41:52.239 Dorothy eight. We've spent the last couple of days setting up her classroom. 634 00:41:52.280 --> 00:41:55.880 They're moving schools, so we're you know, starting from the bottom there as 635 00:41:55.920 --> 00:41:59.800 well, zero two, one hundreds. So it's been a lot of work. 636 00:41:59.840 --> 00:42:01.920 But you guys do good work, and I appreciate all you do at 637 00:42:01.920 --> 00:42:06.719 your thinking the youth of America. Thanks. It ain't easy, but it's 638 00:42:06.719 --> 00:42:15.679 rewarding. I appreciate the Well here we are back here, busy summer. 639 00:42:15.760 --> 00:42:20.920 Here, we're CFL. Now we have fellow CFL podcaster and we can all 640 00:42:21.000 --> 00:42:22.840 them now on top of you know, Hall of Famer and great cup within 641 00:42:22.880 --> 00:42:25.679 it all that melt Stegel, How are you, sir? I'm doing great, 642 00:42:25.679 --> 00:42:30.679 man, loving life. Everything is great, happy, healthy, and 643 00:42:30.719 --> 00:42:32.800 that's all that matters. Man, hopefully saying with you, it's good. 644 00:42:32.840 --> 00:42:37.119 It's good. Yeah. So what spawned the podcast? First off of we'll 645 00:42:37.159 --> 00:42:39.280 get to the thoughts on everything else with the season. Yeah, Davis and 646 00:42:39.360 --> 00:42:44.360 I we've been brain storming for like the last two or three years talking about 647 00:42:44.480 --> 00:42:47.559 you know, we wanted to do a podcast, and as you know, 648 00:42:47.679 --> 00:42:51.679 everyone has a podcast, but you know, we just wanted to do something 649 00:42:51.679 --> 00:42:54.559 different. When we're on the pen and we only have so much time to 650 00:42:54.679 --> 00:42:59.639 talk. So with the podcast, you can get out more information, you 651 00:42:59.679 --> 00:43:04.000 can say different things, you can almost spread your wings. So that's what 652 00:43:04.039 --> 00:43:06.920 we're doing. We're just trying to build it up and see where it can 653 00:43:06.960 --> 00:43:09.280 go. So we're excited about it. Where it's in its infant stage, 654 00:43:09.320 --> 00:43:13.960 but we're having some fun with it and hopefully continues on for many years to 655 00:43:14.039 --> 00:43:16.159 come. Well that's good. Yeah, No CFL and lots of voices, 656 00:43:16.199 --> 00:43:20.119 And obviously I get I get that all the time because like we'll have Farhan 657 00:43:20.199 --> 00:43:22.840 and Naylorn and stuff, and it's the same thing you get. They get 658 00:43:22.840 --> 00:43:24.480 two and a half minutes on a TSN hit and it's like that we need 659 00:43:24.480 --> 00:43:29.039 to kind of flush this stuff out. What do you make here? We're 660 00:43:29.360 --> 00:43:31.199 what week eleven here? What do you make of the CFL season or week 661 00:43:31.280 --> 00:43:35.280 twelve? Oh my gosh, I'm behind. Yeah. No, it's been 662 00:43:35.320 --> 00:43:39.079 crazy. You know that you got the top the top dogs with BC Toronto 663 00:43:39.480 --> 00:43:43.440 and of course win it peg. But now you see some teams starting to 664 00:43:43.519 --> 00:43:47.760 catch up. Saskatchewan they've played some decent ball, Montreal who has been a 665 00:43:47.800 --> 00:43:52.360 surprise to many. Of course they're gonna get their first challenges upcoming week, 666 00:43:52.400 --> 00:43:54.800 but they play some decent ball. And then we have the Elks who finally 667 00:43:54.840 --> 00:43:59.480 got their first victory. There is a god, right, but you know, 668 00:43:59.519 --> 00:44:02.199 it's been some disappointments to Hamilton, who's hosting the Great Cup this year. 669 00:44:02.679 --> 00:44:06.280 I mean, I think it's safe to say they're the worst team in 670 00:44:06.320 --> 00:44:09.760 the CFL right now. It's a bad place to be in Ottawa. Who's 671 00:44:09.840 --> 00:44:15.440 almost won so many games but almost means nothing. That's like saying I'm almost 672 00:44:15.440 --> 00:44:19.960 pregnant. It doesn't exist. So it's a roller coaster right like most CFL 673 00:44:20.079 --> 00:44:22.199 seasons, And you know, we're excited about it. Labor Day is coming 674 00:44:22.280 --> 00:44:27.719 up in a couple of weeks, and we've seen some young quarterbacks display some 675 00:44:27.840 --> 00:44:30.599 good talent, So I'm always excited about what the rest of the season's gonna 676 00:44:30.599 --> 00:44:36.000 bring. Yeah, a lot of big movements this week with the Alex obviously 677 00:44:36.039 --> 00:44:38.079 they're hosting this weekend. But you know, with all the Victor queeze of 678 00:44:38.119 --> 00:44:42.000 it all, and now we have Rick being appointed this kind of the innerium 679 00:44:42.039 --> 00:44:45.119 president CEO. What did you make because you know, Victor has been on 680 00:44:45.159 --> 00:44:46.880 the show a bunch and it kind of seemed like that all came out of 681 00:44:46.920 --> 00:44:51.119 the blue here of hey, there's a big schism there in the organization. 682 00:44:51.719 --> 00:44:54.480 Yeah, you had to put a plug on someone you couldn't stand pat. 683 00:44:54.840 --> 00:44:58.840 I'm sure they would love to do it, to have done it to some 684 00:44:58.920 --> 00:45:02.760 coaches, but you know, the way things are structured with the operation caps 685 00:45:02.840 --> 00:45:07.280 and guarantee kind they couldn't do that. So they had to do something. 686 00:45:07.320 --> 00:45:10.280 You're you're you're trying to get fans back, and if you continue doing the 687 00:45:10.320 --> 00:45:14.119 same thing getting the same resemblance, they're not going to get any fans back. 688 00:45:14.119 --> 00:45:15.960 I mean, it was definitely good for them to get that first victory, 689 00:45:16.039 --> 00:45:22.000 but they had to make a major move within that organization, and unfortunately 690 00:45:22.039 --> 00:45:25.559 it had to be victor, you know, And I wouldn't be surprised if 691 00:45:27.039 --> 00:45:30.400 something else happens later on the year in off theason, because changes have to 692 00:45:30.440 --> 00:45:34.559 be made. When your team is playing like that. Let's hope they continue 693 00:45:34.599 --> 00:45:37.280 winning games, because that's not only good for them, but that's good for 694 00:45:37.320 --> 00:45:40.400 everyone in to CFL. So but when you're losing, moves unfortunately have to 695 00:45:40.440 --> 00:45:44.159 be made. Yeah, I mean it was already talking, you know, 696 00:45:44.440 --> 00:45:46.559 like privatization of the team here in the off season. It could be big 697 00:45:46.639 --> 00:45:52.920 kind of landscape shifting kind of movements here, right. Yeah, that that 698 00:45:52.519 --> 00:45:55.719 I'm hearing that still may be in the work. You know, I'm sure 699 00:45:57.719 --> 00:46:00.159 the community doesn't want that has been a community own team, i think since 700 00:46:00.199 --> 00:46:05.320 its existence but you know, when things aren't going well, you have to 701 00:46:05.360 --> 00:46:09.079 open up all the doors and listen to everyone who's behind those doors. I'm 702 00:46:09.119 --> 00:46:14.360 sure there are some some big money guys in Edmonton or an Alberta who would 703 00:46:14.440 --> 00:46:16.920 love to own the help now, so they have to listen to that they're 704 00:46:16.960 --> 00:46:22.039 losing a lot of money because a lot of money has not been being generated 705 00:46:22.119 --> 00:46:27.519 for years. They had money stocked away that they could chip at, but 706 00:46:27.639 --> 00:46:30.599 now that chipping has been a lot more than what they've expected. So they 707 00:46:30.639 --> 00:46:36.159 have to make sure that they do their due diligence and open up all the 708 00:46:36.199 --> 00:46:38.480 doors and as I alluded to, see who's behind those doors and see what 709 00:46:38.480 --> 00:46:44.400 they're saying. Now that we've seen Trey play, you know, for Edmonton 710 00:46:44.480 --> 00:46:46.800 and obviously played really well in the loss and said they didn't go for it 711 00:46:46.840 --> 00:46:50.880 hard enough, and then obviously winning here last week, I mean, I 712 00:46:50.920 --> 00:46:52.800 think, you know, I know, the salary cap and all that, 713 00:46:52.840 --> 00:46:54.800 but I made the joke that Chris Jones should be fired just out of spite 714 00:46:54.840 --> 00:46:58.119 here at this point that it's taken them this long. I mean, what 715 00:46:58.119 --> 00:47:00.719 do you make of it took so long? And Tray seems like everything everyone 716 00:47:00.800 --> 00:47:05.000 thought he was going to be it well, I mean, I understand what 717 00:47:05.039 --> 00:47:09.480 you're saying, and I've heard from reliable sources that he just was not getting 718 00:47:09.480 --> 00:47:14.920 it done in practice. If they thought he would have gave him a better 719 00:47:15.000 --> 00:47:16.440 chance of winning another two guys, they would have put him in there, 720 00:47:17.000 --> 00:47:21.039 and I've heard that from a very reliable source. But he just wasn't getting 721 00:47:21.079 --> 00:47:23.880 done. And right now he did get it done. He's won one of 722 00:47:23.920 --> 00:47:29.880 his two games, and hopefully for their sake and everyone else that they hopefully 723 00:47:29.880 --> 00:47:31.320 he can get it done. But he just wasn't getting it done. If 724 00:47:31.400 --> 00:47:36.840 Chris Jones thought putting Tray Forward in were getting a better opportunity to win with 725 00:47:36.920 --> 00:47:39.119 the way they've been losing, I'm sure he would have did it, There's 726 00:47:39.159 --> 00:47:43.639 no question about it. But he wasn't getting it done. But I'm sure 727 00:47:43.639 --> 00:47:45.119 he thought to himself, Chris Jones, I have nothing to lose now. 728 00:47:45.199 --> 00:47:47.320 My guys aren't getting the dusk, so let's see what he can do. 729 00:47:47.360 --> 00:47:52.079 And he's fortunate to get that first victory. But Chris Jones is not a 730 00:47:52.119 --> 00:47:54.960 position or he wasn't thinking to himself, I'm not going to play this guy. 731 00:47:55.320 --> 00:47:59.679 For certain reasons, We've heard people stay for certain reasons why he wasn't 732 00:47:59.679 --> 00:48:02.559 playing him, and all that is false. He wasn't planning because he felt 733 00:48:02.800 --> 00:48:06.639 he wasn't going to give him that best opportunity to win. But now he 734 00:48:06.760 --> 00:48:07.760 knew, hey, what do I have to lose. Let me give him 735 00:48:07.800 --> 00:48:10.599 opportunity. And he was able to win him a game, and hopefully he 736 00:48:10.639 --> 00:48:15.760 can continue playing well and win him some more games. Were you impressed with 737 00:48:15.880 --> 00:48:17.280 trays two outings so far? I mean, I know we've seen him before, 738 00:48:17.320 --> 00:48:21.760 but this season, I was impressed with the second outing. I mean 739 00:48:21.800 --> 00:48:23.480 the first outing. And I know people some people are gonna say, well, 740 00:48:23.719 --> 00:48:25.719 he played well enough for them to win. No, he didn't. 741 00:48:27.000 --> 00:48:29.079 If you played well enough, they had to win the game. What did 742 00:48:29.079 --> 00:48:31.199 they do in the second half. You know, he did well in that 743 00:48:31.280 --> 00:48:35.840 game against when they won the game. But now he has to continue that. 744 00:48:36.079 --> 00:48:37.159 You know, you have to continue that. He's won one game. 745 00:48:37.360 --> 00:48:40.039 I need to see consistency. I need to go out there and play better 746 00:48:40.079 --> 00:48:44.360 and better and develop and develop, and then we'll start saying, Okay, 747 00:48:44.400 --> 00:48:46.320 maybe he could be the starting quarterback, but he's won one game. I 748 00:48:46.400 --> 00:48:50.400 hear so many people saying that he needs to be their starter for the rest 749 00:48:50.440 --> 00:48:52.920 of the year. Let's see what he can do in this second game. 750 00:48:52.960 --> 00:48:54.360 I'm happy for him. He went out there, he's been itching to play. 751 00:48:54.360 --> 00:48:58.960 He did well, but let's see what he can do in upcoming games. 752 00:48:59.559 --> 00:49:04.559 Yeah, because the first game where they fell apart against Winnipeg my conspiracy 753 00:49:04.559 --> 00:49:07.360 and I know that Hamilton this is kind of trash right now. But last 754 00:49:07.360 --> 00:49:09.119 week with the rain delay, you know, maybe if they played the whole 755 00:49:09.159 --> 00:49:12.960 game, maybe Edmonton doesn't win, because it really felt like they came back 756 00:49:13.000 --> 00:49:15.000 from that rain delay and it was like, let's get you know, let's 757 00:49:15.039 --> 00:49:17.239 kind of get done with this. We've been sitting around for an hour and 758 00:49:17.239 --> 00:49:20.920 a half. I'd be curious that that game was played kind of over its 759 00:49:20.960 --> 00:49:23.360 initial sixty minutes of that. How that would have panned out, You never 760 00:49:23.440 --> 00:49:27.760 know, You never know. You just don't know. It's unfortunate that we've 761 00:49:27.800 --> 00:49:32.320 been having a lot of delays this season, and I'm sure Edmonton looked at 762 00:49:32.360 --> 00:49:35.800 it like, hold on, what's going on here. We're playing the best 763 00:49:35.840 --> 00:49:37.719 we played and this happened. You know, Let's get this game go on, 764 00:49:37.800 --> 00:49:40.360 Let's finish this game. We need to get a victory under our bill, 765 00:49:40.480 --> 00:49:44.119 but you know, you don't control mother nature. As part of the 766 00:49:44.119 --> 00:49:46.599 game, everyone had to suffer through it. But they were fortunate. They 767 00:49:46.639 --> 00:49:50.480 came out and they kept the ball rolling and they and they got a victory. 768 00:49:50.480 --> 00:49:52.480 Now they're gonna try to do it again. Now they're gonna try to 769 00:49:52.519 --> 00:49:57.639 get their home first home victory as the Elks, which has never happened before. 770 00:49:57.719 --> 00:50:00.880 So it's not gonna be easy task. They're gonna be against the Ottawa 771 00:50:00.920 --> 00:50:04.599 team who's hungry, who knows they have enough talent, at least they think 772 00:50:04.599 --> 00:50:07.800 they do where they could have won some games. So I'm really looking forward 773 00:50:07.840 --> 00:50:10.039 to that game. Yeah, I think Marshall Ferguson needs to be banned here. 774 00:50:10.039 --> 00:50:16.320 I think they're like every every time he shows up. So we're seeing 775 00:50:16.320 --> 00:50:20.199 here Winnipeg right at the Thursday game. I think we're gonna get this out 776 00:50:20.239 --> 00:50:23.880 tomorrow preview all that Montreal looking good right, certainly contending in the East with 777 00:50:24.000 --> 00:50:27.679 Cody and everything else. Are you impressed? I know he's been injured, 778 00:50:27.719 --> 00:50:30.039 but like with Pale Evans everything, what have you made of Montreal here? 779 00:50:30.639 --> 00:50:35.039 I'm impressed. I'm impressed They've won four in a row since the Lemonader. 780 00:50:35.079 --> 00:50:37.440 Sean Lemon has been there. But gotta pump your brakes a little bit because 781 00:50:37.480 --> 00:50:40.800 you look at the teams who they've beaten. They've beaten I think Saskatchewan, 782 00:50:40.880 --> 00:50:45.599 Hamilton's, Ottawan, Calgary, and now they're about to play the big dogs. 783 00:50:45.599 --> 00:50:49.840 They have four straight games against the big dogs, beat Winnipeg, BC, 784 00:50:50.119 --> 00:50:52.599 Toronto and Toronto. And now we're gonna find out if they're able to 785 00:50:52.599 --> 00:50:54.559 stay on the porch. You know what they're saying, if you can't hang 786 00:50:54.599 --> 00:50:57.960 with the big dogs, get off the porch. Now we're gonna find out 787 00:50:58.239 --> 00:51:00.760 if they're able to stay on the porch because they're going to be tested now 788 00:51:00.800 --> 00:51:05.039 they're getting Cody back. That defense has been planning out of their minds since 789 00:51:05.280 --> 00:51:07.360 Sean women has been there, and he's been telling him he's been a leader, 790 00:51:07.480 --> 00:51:12.119 but a leader saying all this stuff can only go so far. They 791 00:51:12.159 --> 00:51:14.960 have to continue to produce on the field. They've been doing that in these 792 00:51:15.000 --> 00:51:17.360 first four games, but now these next four games, this stretches were going 793 00:51:17.440 --> 00:51:22.079 to really test them because they're playing their upper echelon CFL teams and we're gonna 794 00:51:22.079 --> 00:51:25.280 see what they can do with it. I think Cody or not Cody. 795 00:51:25.320 --> 00:51:29.199 I think Hilario's coming back this week. You know, he had a couple 796 00:51:29.199 --> 00:51:31.960 of weeks of the Drew Brown experience. One was significantly more impressive than the 797 00:51:31.960 --> 00:51:36.239 other. What have you made of his performance? I mean, it is 798 00:51:36.280 --> 00:51:37.760 what it is. You know, he's a young quarterback only in the second 799 00:51:37.880 --> 00:51:44.920 year. He was thrown into that backup row and he lit it up against 800 00:51:45.039 --> 00:51:47.320 Edmonton. But then when you're a starter, when teams have time to prepare 801 00:51:47.440 --> 00:51:51.880 for you, when there's pressure on you, when you're young, it's different. 802 00:51:51.920 --> 00:51:53.719 It's not the same, you know. I think in the future he 803 00:51:53.760 --> 00:51:58.760 could be a quarterback that a franchise to possibly depend on. We don't know 804 00:51:58.840 --> 00:52:01.199 that yet, but it's time. It's just not gonna happen over not A 805 00:52:01.199 --> 00:52:05.480 lot of people were expecting him to duplicate what he did in that first game 806 00:52:05.519 --> 00:52:09.760 against Edmonton, but that very rarely happens because it's a total situation when you're 807 00:52:09.800 --> 00:52:14.320 expected to go out there and doing everything. When Edmonton he wasn't expected. 808 00:52:14.360 --> 00:52:16.280 No one was expecting him to go in there and do those things he did 809 00:52:16.559 --> 00:52:20.400 against that second game, he was expected to do it, and there was 810 00:52:20.400 --> 00:52:22.480 a lot of pressure and he didn't perform, So hopefully it gets another opportunity 811 00:52:23.519 --> 00:52:27.639 to be a starter in this league. Well, it's similar, like you 812 00:52:27.679 --> 00:52:30.360 said, I mean, you seem to be hesitant on all of these, 813 00:52:30.400 --> 00:52:31.880 you know, with Trey and even like Dust and Crum, we kind of 814 00:52:31.880 --> 00:52:35.679 have the crumbsanity for a couple of weeks, he's falling back down. You 815 00:52:36.199 --> 00:52:39.400 feel that. I think CFL is still like quarterback starved. And then we 816 00:52:39.440 --> 00:52:42.559 see a little bit and it's like, oh my gosh, we start going 817 00:52:42.559 --> 00:52:45.519 crazy. You think we need to take our time. Yeah, and all 818 00:52:45.599 --> 00:52:47.480 TV it's my job, our job to pump him up. They can go 819 00:52:47.519 --> 00:52:51.760 out there and have one great core. Isn't the next Bill floating, the 820 00:52:51.840 --> 00:52:55.119 next ward move, the next Damon Allen? But we all understand it takes 821 00:52:55.159 --> 00:53:00.280 time. Quarterback is the most difficult position in team sports. It gets no 822 00:53:00.360 --> 00:53:02.480 more difficult. You only have to know your job. You have to know 823 00:53:02.519 --> 00:53:05.880 what everyone else on the offense is doing. You're trying to figure out what 824 00:53:05.920 --> 00:53:08.199 people on the defense is doing. You're trying to avoid getting hit by two 825 00:53:08.280 --> 00:53:13.199 hundred and eighty five pound defense in who's faster than you. So there's a 826 00:53:13.199 --> 00:53:15.920 lot going on. It doesn't happen overnight. Very rarely do we see a 827 00:53:16.039 --> 00:53:21.119 Ricky Ray who steps in right away and has success not only short term, 828 00:53:21.159 --> 00:53:24.119 but long term. So we have to pump the brake breaks on, you 829 00:53:24.119 --> 00:53:28.280 know these guys, give them time to develop, because it's not an easy 830 00:53:28.320 --> 00:53:32.840 task stepping in and being a professional quarterback speaking, and not just a quarterback. 831 00:53:32.880 --> 00:53:37.159 But he's certainly faltered here. Jake Mayer not really having the most wonderful 832 00:53:37.159 --> 00:53:40.480 season. A lot of expectations. I think I had them on preseason last 833 00:53:40.559 --> 00:53:44.840 year, like I really want to hit your riot here because bo Levi and 834 00:53:44.880 --> 00:53:49.280 all that. What's going on with Calgary, I don't know, and it's 835 00:53:49.280 --> 00:53:52.000 been a bad situation and I don't I don't want to say this, but 836 00:53:52.039 --> 00:53:57.320 it's almost like they lost faith and Jake Mayer. The only time that offense 837 00:53:57.440 --> 00:54:00.480 is productive is when they're running a ball. There's been times a couple of 838 00:54:00.480 --> 00:54:04.800 games ago, late in the game they were down like I think seventeen eighteen 839 00:54:04.840 --> 00:54:07.480 points about five or six minutes and they're still running a ball, like they 840 00:54:07.480 --> 00:54:12.599 don't believe anyway. They got rid of bo Leave by Mitchell saying this is 841 00:54:12.639 --> 00:54:15.159 our guy, and he seems to be going backwards. He doesn't seem to 842 00:54:15.159 --> 00:54:19.880 be getting any better. We saw that first year he stepped on the scene. 843 00:54:20.119 --> 00:54:22.039 First three games, you know, three hundred over three hundred yards never 844 00:54:22.079 --> 00:54:25.400 happened for it Wickie. Second year he's you know, he played pretty well. 845 00:54:25.800 --> 00:54:29.360 They said bo lee by Mitchell down saying you are a guy. And 846 00:54:29.360 --> 00:54:31.719 then he comes into this year and it's not happening. He's not looking good 847 00:54:31.760 --> 00:54:36.440 at all. And it's crazy because he's leading the league in passing yards, 848 00:54:36.480 --> 00:54:39.199 but it doesn't feel that way. He hasn't been playing well. His team 849 00:54:39.239 --> 00:54:43.559 can't depend on it. Hopefully he can get out of this slump, because 850 00:54:43.559 --> 00:54:45.519 we've seen some some some some great things out of him. But as far 851 00:54:45.559 --> 00:54:49.800 as this year goes, it's looking real bad and I don't know how it 852 00:54:49.800 --> 00:54:53.360 gets any better. Do you attribute because it seems like the play calling for 853 00:54:53.400 --> 00:54:57.199 Calgary is a little you know, it's a lot of short passes, a 854 00:54:57.199 --> 00:54:59.280 lot of check that. I mean, is it is it just all of 855 00:54:59.360 --> 00:55:01.559 Jake? I mean blaming the staff over there? Well, no, it's 856 00:55:01.639 --> 00:55:06.000 it's never always on the quarterback. But you know, as the saying goes, 857 00:55:06.039 --> 00:55:08.000 when things are going well, the quarterback gets more credit than these nerves, 858 00:55:08.039 --> 00:55:10.280 and when things are going bad, it gets more of the blame. 859 00:55:10.320 --> 00:55:15.440 I mean, receivers are dropping balls. I think this is the first year 860 00:55:15.559 --> 00:55:19.400 Dave Dickason hasn't called any offensive plays. I know, if I'm correct, 861 00:55:19.400 --> 00:55:22.239 it's steal his offense. But he's not calling the plays. I could see 862 00:55:22.239 --> 00:55:24.519 in the near future him saying, Okay, I gotta take these ringbacks. 863 00:55:24.559 --> 00:55:28.719 I have to be in total control if it's not working out. So there's 864 00:55:28.760 --> 00:55:31.679 a plethora of things that are not going their way. But the bottom line 865 00:55:31.760 --> 00:55:36.960 is it's it's it's always almost on the quarterback because you're the one who's touching 866 00:55:36.960 --> 00:55:40.000 the ball every single time, and when things aren't happening, the pressure is 867 00:55:40.039 --> 00:55:43.000 on you to get it done, to go out there and make it happen, 868 00:55:43.039 --> 00:55:45.840 regardless of what your receivers are doing, gardless of whether the plays are 869 00:55:45.840 --> 00:55:47.639 being called. When you want to when you want to be a great or 870 00:55:47.679 --> 00:55:51.639 good quarterback, you go out there and make it happen, regardless of the 871 00:55:51.719 --> 00:55:57.239 circumstances. They're facing Toronto and coming off inexplicably their third bye week here, 872 00:55:57.280 --> 00:56:00.000 and they're guys to go wrong. It's feeling like, you know, like 873 00:56:00.039 --> 00:56:04.159 you said that mean Montreal here has got a couple coming up against Toronto, 874 00:56:04.199 --> 00:56:06.480 but I mean, you know, these are big tests for Toronto as well, 875 00:56:06.519 --> 00:56:09.199 and especially without the buyers. How impressed are you with them and Shaq 876 00:56:09.280 --> 00:56:15.119 Kelly and everything else over there? And pressed very impressed. They've They've been 877 00:56:15.119 --> 00:56:17.719 playing some great football. They have the one lost the Calgary, but besides 878 00:56:17.800 --> 00:56:22.679 that, they've been rolling. And I'm not looking beyond any of the teams 879 00:56:22.719 --> 00:56:25.400 they play, but I'm really looking forward to that Toronto Winnipeg game. You 880 00:56:25.400 --> 00:56:30.159 know, the two top MP candidates. But let me get back to what 881 00:56:30.199 --> 00:56:34.480 they're doing right now. Yes, they have a tough task. Anytime you 882 00:56:34.599 --> 00:56:37.639 play a professional team, it's a tough task. But what they've been doing 883 00:56:37.639 --> 00:56:40.079 over there has been spectacling. And it starts with Chack Kelly. It's hard 884 00:56:40.119 --> 00:56:44.360 to believe, you know, this is basically his first year starting in the 885 00:56:44.440 --> 00:56:47.679 league. The way he handles the offense, the way he handles adversity, 886 00:56:47.760 --> 00:56:52.320 the way he command thinks. And then you have the great running game with 887 00:56:52.440 --> 00:56:55.320 all that, and Andrew Harrison, that defense, They're they're flying around. 888 00:56:55.960 --> 00:57:00.679 Ryan Dinwoody, good buddy of MINS. I talked to him and even when 889 00:57:00.679 --> 00:57:04.079 I talk to assistant coaches and everyone, they just said, the atmosphere that 890 00:57:04.199 --> 00:57:07.159 Ryan has created is second to none. Yes he is hard, nos, 891 00:57:07.239 --> 00:57:10.840 Yes he expects greatness, Yes he's Yes, he's gonna grind him, but 892 00:57:10.880 --> 00:57:15.760 he also likes players to be relaxed and enjoy themselves. So they're rolling right 893 00:57:15.800 --> 00:57:20.159 now. They are the top team in the league right now, and it's 894 00:57:20.199 --> 00:57:22.159 gonna be tough for anyone to beat him if you're not on your a game. 895 00:57:22.800 --> 00:57:25.480 Well it's crazy too, because I mean he's kind of always been under 896 00:57:25.480 --> 00:57:29.920 the gun, coming in with the COVID year and having to kind of figure 897 00:57:29.960 --> 00:57:34.239 that out. And I think he's had a lot of criticisms. I know 898 00:57:34.320 --> 00:57:37.440 Mike Mitchell, who writes with us, you know, has covered a lot 899 00:57:37.440 --> 00:57:39.639 of that where he gets a lot more criticism for whatever reason. And here 900 00:57:39.679 --> 00:57:44.239 he seemed to have built this winning culture that you know, even last year 901 00:57:44.360 --> 00:57:47.760 Gray Cup and know you had Winnipeg coming in and Toronto kind of bootstraps and 902 00:57:47.800 --> 00:57:51.559 fighting on the sidelines, were able to get everything done somehow, or you 903 00:57:51.599 --> 00:57:53.039 know, they were kind of able to end it up together. It just 904 00:57:53.079 --> 00:57:55.679 seems it's good for him. I mean, it's good as we talked with 905 00:57:55.760 --> 00:57:59.559 him the media day last year, very impressed with them with it. Yeah, 906 00:57:59.719 --> 00:58:02.039 and you talk about that criticism. One thing about Ryan Dinwiddie, And 907 00:58:02.119 --> 00:58:06.159 we see coaches, we see players do this all the time. Once they 908 00:58:06.159 --> 00:58:09.360 start getting criticized, they they're looking for excuses, they shy away from it. 909 00:58:09.400 --> 00:58:12.840 That's never him. You know, there are a couple of times early 910 00:58:12.960 --> 00:58:16.480 in his career where he made some mismanage, some time and time management and 911 00:58:16.480 --> 00:58:19.119 he said, it was all on me. It was all on me. 912 00:58:19.159 --> 00:58:22.320 I made mistakes. He never shies away from it when it's on him. 913 00:58:22.360 --> 00:58:24.119 It's on him, And that's impressive and you have to respect that. And 914 00:58:24.159 --> 00:58:28.760 you know, if the over coach like that, who's not gonna shy away 915 00:58:28.800 --> 00:58:30.440 from it, Who's gonna take the blame when it's on him? You know, 916 00:58:30.519 --> 00:58:34.840 eventually he's gonna have success. And now you see it happening. Now 917 00:58:34.880 --> 00:58:38.800 you see him orchestrating a great performance weeknd and week out. Now you see 918 00:58:38.840 --> 00:58:43.599 guys who respect and love him will go out there and do anything for him 919 00:58:43.639 --> 00:58:46.800 because they know he has the best their best interests at heart. So it's 920 00:58:46.840 --> 00:58:52.119 exciting. It's good to see him having success. It's good to see success 921 00:58:52.119 --> 00:58:57.239 in Toronto because we know it's a tough market to play in and right now 922 00:58:57.239 --> 00:59:00.000 they're doing some great things. And I think everyone in the GTA, everyone 923 00:59:00.039 --> 00:59:06.079 in our terra, was definitely excited about about what's going on in Toronto with 924 00:59:06.280 --> 00:59:08.559 Hamilton's here. You know, I think people thought it was a bad case 925 00:59:08.559 --> 00:59:12.719 scenario. Last year We're Saskatchewan hosting there, you know, the gray cop 926 00:59:12.719 --> 00:59:14.679 and didn't even make the playoffs. I mean, this has to be even 927 00:59:14.719 --> 00:59:17.320 worst case scenario this year. Hamilton and just you know here, we're gonna 928 00:59:17.320 --> 00:59:20.480 bring a bow Levi and we're gonna steam roar. I mean, what have 929 00:59:20.559 --> 00:59:22.000 you? And I know he's had injuries, but it didn't look good when 930 00:59:22.000 --> 00:59:25.719 he was in And now Powell's not really kind of doing anything here. What 931 00:59:27.000 --> 00:59:32.679 are you making of Hamilton's ah Man, I don't curse, so I can't 932 00:59:32.719 --> 00:59:37.960 say those things. But it's it's you can see it all over Orlando staring 933 00:59:37.000 --> 00:59:42.239 iur space. You could just see the frustration that he's going through the pressure 934 00:59:42.239 --> 00:59:45.559 that he's under. I mean, they get rid of their offensive coordinator and 935 00:59:45.639 --> 00:59:47.760 that wasn't the problem. But you like, as I mentioned, with the 936 00:59:47.760 --> 00:59:52.360 elks. You gotta put the blame on somebody. Bringing in Scott Milanovich is 937 00:59:52.760 --> 00:59:54.519 it's not gonna make that big of a deal you have. He's had some 938 00:59:54.639 --> 00:59:58.960 success, but I mean, shucks, I could call the players in there 939 00:59:59.000 --> 01:00:02.360 and it wouldn't make that big There's a lot going on within that organization that 940 01:00:02.360 --> 01:00:06.320 they have to try to resolve. And a good thing about it, they 941 01:00:06.320 --> 01:00:07.840 still have a chance to make the playoffs, and once you get in the 942 01:00:07.840 --> 01:00:10.760 playoffs, you never know what can happen. But right now, it's just 943 01:00:10.840 --> 01:00:15.159 not happening. It's not happening on all three facets of the game, offense, 944 01:00:15.239 --> 01:00:19.440 defense, or special teams. And you can see the coaches they're they're 945 01:00:19.480 --> 01:00:22.400 frustrated. Everyone is just frustrated, and the fans are frustrated. The most 946 01:00:22.400 --> 01:00:27.239 important people in the CFL. When they're frustrated, when they're not showing up, 947 01:00:27.719 --> 01:00:30.800 that's a big problem. So they still have time. You know, 948 01:00:30.880 --> 01:00:34.199 we're at the halfway point. They still have time to try to resolve some 949 01:00:34.320 --> 01:00:37.360 issues. But it's gonna take a lot. The quarterback situation, they're down 950 01:00:37.360 --> 01:00:42.079 to third for steering quarterback. They can't get it done. They're gonna try 951 01:00:42.119 --> 01:00:45.480 to rely on Butler to run the ball. But they have a lot of 952 01:00:45.559 --> 01:00:49.920 problems that they got to try to iron out and hopefully they can do those 953 01:00:49.960 --> 01:00:52.239 and make it to the playoffs. It's not it's going to be a tough 954 01:00:52.280 --> 01:00:55.679 offseason for the Hamilton Tire Catch. Yeah. I mean the decline they've had 955 01:00:55.719 --> 01:01:00.480 in the last three years, even since we've been covering the league, to 956 01:01:00.519 --> 01:01:02.840 be almost there and then last year and kind of, you know, completely 957 01:01:02.840 --> 01:01:07.239 fall off. Do you see wholesale changes coming for the tight Cats? If 958 01:01:07.280 --> 01:01:13.599 sin Hower everyone can't get it together wholesale I don't know if that's the right 959 01:01:13.840 --> 01:01:16.039 big big changes maybe, And I don't know if those two mean the same 960 01:01:16.039 --> 01:01:20.480 thing. I don't know, but there'll be some changes. There'll be some 961 01:01:20.599 --> 01:01:22.880 changes, yeah, because you can see they're on the decline now, they're 962 01:01:22.880 --> 01:01:28.199 getting worth you know, as the years calling on, as the last year 963 01:01:28.199 --> 01:01:30.840 they've been in the Great Cup. It's on the decline and you can't continue 964 01:01:32.119 --> 01:01:37.159 if you're on a decline and trying to do it get out of that decline 965 01:01:37.159 --> 01:01:38.920 with the same individuals. Let it be coaches, that it be players. 966 01:01:39.360 --> 01:01:43.400 You gotta make some changes. What those changes may be, I don't know. 967 01:01:43.400 --> 01:01:46.599 I don't think. I think Orlando is is safe, but I could 968 01:01:46.599 --> 01:01:51.639 see some other coaches, some other major players on that team being let go 969 01:01:51.760 --> 01:01:53.880 because you know, as as I mentioned, fans aren't going to keep coming 970 01:01:53.920 --> 01:01:58.119 back. If you bring back the same things things, you're gonna get different 971 01:01:58.119 --> 01:02:02.880 results about through my BC Lions had in the trash get bayless style here after 972 01:02:02.920 --> 01:02:07.320 our lost last week against the scatchwin like because I just said, like, 973 01:02:07.880 --> 01:02:09.559 you know, these are the games that you need to win. I mean 974 01:02:09.559 --> 01:02:13.880 I've seen this last year we were in BC, we beat Calgary, We 975 01:02:13.960 --> 01:02:16.000 go into Winnipeg, you know, rourk and everything, and you know you 976 01:02:16.119 --> 01:02:21.719 got all the you know, how are many people that holds fifty thousand people 977 01:02:21.719 --> 01:02:23.719 screaming whatever? I g Field. I just I feel like I've seen this 978 01:02:23.760 --> 01:02:27.760 before. We needed these are the games we need to win. BC has 979 01:02:27.800 --> 01:02:30.519 had a couple of big, you know, big bad losses this year along 980 01:02:30.559 --> 01:02:32.679 with their dominance. What did you make of that? Like Dollar Galla just 981 01:02:32.800 --> 01:02:37.559 running circle? I mean we've made a doll Galla look like he was Patrick 982 01:02:37.599 --> 01:02:40.039 Mahomes out there. I just didn't understand it. Yeah, that defense was 983 01:02:40.119 --> 01:02:45.559 not what we expected, was not what we've seen and Ryan Phillips has really 984 01:02:45.559 --> 01:02:50.320 had this defense balling out. Of course, they had the game against Winnipeg, 985 01:02:50.400 --> 01:02:53.039 but I actually think this last game against the Scatchwin was their worst game 986 01:02:53.760 --> 01:02:58.840 because they weren't and there's sometimes their teams are gonna just be able to be 987 01:02:58.840 --> 01:03:02.599 better than you, but they weren't aggressive. They seeing that they thought that 988 01:03:02.639 --> 01:03:06.760 they could just step on the field and make it happen, and that's not 989 01:03:06.800 --> 01:03:10.239 the case regardless who you're playing. So that was a big disappointment. They 990 01:03:10.239 --> 01:03:15.880 could have really put a stamp on where they thought or where they think their 991 01:03:15.880 --> 01:03:17.400 season could have been going. But now they took a couple of steps back. 992 01:03:17.440 --> 01:03:22.519 So it is professional football. The good thing about it you another opportunity. 993 01:03:22.559 --> 01:03:25.360 But that right there was not a good performance. Shout out to that 994 01:03:25.440 --> 01:03:30.760 quarterback Va he gave. He showed me something in that game coming back after 995 01:03:30.800 --> 01:03:34.480 being injured. He was basically on two wonky legs and he was still out 996 01:03:34.480 --> 01:03:37.880 there making some great throws, some great plays. But it was definitely a 997 01:03:38.000 --> 01:03:43.000 letdown by that defense, who at one point was the best defense in the 998 01:03:43.000 --> 01:03:45.400 CFL. So let's see if they can bounce back on the upcoming weeks. 999 01:03:46.000 --> 01:03:50.320 Yeah, I just I couldn't figure it out. And I know Ryan actually 1000 01:03:50.400 --> 01:03:53.760 filmed his wedding many years ago. Oh wow, law circle that this whole 1001 01:03:53.760 --> 01:03:58.920 world is. But I just had to figure he had to have been strangling 1002 01:03:58.960 --> 01:04:00.239 next on the side, like you're like, all right, where the donut 1003 01:04:00.239 --> 01:04:03.559 boys, we're coming out and right, like these are these are the wins 1004 01:04:03.599 --> 01:04:06.239 you need to stack because at the end of the year it's going to come 1005 01:04:06.239 --> 01:04:09.360 down to you and win the bag. And like you have to take it 1006 01:04:09.400 --> 01:04:12.639 where you can get them here. I just didn't understand coming out and just 1007 01:04:12.800 --> 01:04:15.079 you know, they've had a couple of these games now where like you know, 1008 01:04:15.159 --> 01:04:17.320 Campbell staying like you know, rinse it off and they're like, no, 1009 01:04:17.400 --> 01:04:20.000 you need to remember this because you needed These are the ones you need 1010 01:04:20.039 --> 01:04:25.159 to hold on to and you can't. Yeah, without a doubt you have. 1011 01:04:25.400 --> 01:04:29.840 You can't let situations like when you're supposed you're playing teams, you're supposed 1012 01:04:29.880 --> 01:04:32.159 to be everyone's expecting you to. You gotta win, you got you gotta 1013 01:04:32.199 --> 01:04:35.320 find you gotta win nine out of tend them. Now every now and then 1014 01:04:35.320 --> 01:04:38.760 you have a slip up, but you gotta win not out of tend them 1015 01:04:38.800 --> 01:04:42.480 and to lose in the fashion which stay lost, where that their offense was 1016 01:04:42.480 --> 01:04:45.760 scoring points and the defense couldn't stop them. Emulous jumping all over the place 1017 01:04:45.880 --> 01:04:50.599 like he's Lebron James is dunking on folks. You can't let those things happen 1018 01:04:50.639 --> 01:04:56.000 against teams you're supposed to win again, So it's a learning lesson. Hopefully 1019 01:04:56.000 --> 01:04:59.440 they learned their lesson. I'm sure Ryan Phillips is gonna drill it in their 1020 01:04:59.480 --> 01:05:01.519 head. Every time you step on the field, you gotta come with your 1021 01:05:01.519 --> 01:05:05.159 egg game. Otherwise these things happen, and hopefully they learn a lesson. 1022 01:05:06.039 --> 01:05:11.440 Are you tired on the panel of talking about the Elks home at Lucy Streets? 1023 01:05:11.519 --> 01:05:15.719 Now? Are you really tired? I'm tired, But we have to 1024 01:05:15.760 --> 01:05:18.599 talk about it. I mean, we would do everyone a disservice if we 1025 01:05:18.639 --> 01:05:23.719 didn't. It's part of my job, definitely. I's be so redundant. 1026 01:05:23.719 --> 01:05:26.920 It's it's it's it's like brushing my teeth. You know, you do it 1027 01:05:26.920 --> 01:05:29.559 two or three times, and that's what we're doing every week. We're talking 1028 01:05:29.599 --> 01:05:32.360 about it. Let's hope they can get a resolved and we can move on, 1029 01:05:32.480 --> 01:05:35.159 But if not, we have to continue talk because it's a big story. 1030 01:05:35.320 --> 01:05:39.079 The fact that they, like I said, the last time they won 1031 01:05:39.199 --> 01:05:43.039 a home game, I think I had here. The internet wasn't around. 1032 01:05:43.119 --> 01:05:45.159 I even think you were born. You were so young then. So it's 1033 01:05:45.239 --> 01:05:50.719 unfortunate that they have every as long as they don't do it, don't accomplish 1034 01:05:50.760 --> 01:05:53.960 it. We have to gettin and when they do it, we're gonna hack 1035 01:05:54.000 --> 01:05:56.760 it up. We're gonna talk about it. But if they don't soon we're 1036 01:05:56.800 --> 01:05:59.800 gonna continue talking about the fact that they haven't been able to do it. 1037 01:06:00.480 --> 01:06:02.519 Yes, I see their tweets go out there, like you know, tailgating 1038 01:06:02.559 --> 01:06:04.960 the last time the Elks won. It's like a picture of the last supper 1039 01:06:05.039 --> 01:06:11.440 or whatever like. But I mean, just to kind of round out the 1040 01:06:11.440 --> 01:06:15.000 conversation, you're Ottawa coming in, you know, really struggling and Trey looking 1041 01:06:15.000 --> 01:06:16.920 good, getting more familiar. I mean, do you think this is a 1042 01:06:16.920 --> 01:06:19.840 week? And what do you make of this matchup? We've been saying that 1043 01:06:20.079 --> 01:06:25.519 for a while, this is the week. We say that every week. 1044 01:06:25.639 --> 01:06:29.679 This is the week. I'm gonna say it again, this is the week. 1045 01:06:30.159 --> 01:06:32.079 But it's not gonna be easy. Tabs. As you you talked about 1046 01:06:32.079 --> 01:06:35.519 Ottawa, they are a hungry team. They're they're trying to stay in the 1047 01:06:35.599 --> 01:06:40.400 playoff race. They feel they had a good guy for good enough quarterback and 1048 01:06:40.480 --> 01:06:43.840 crime they can't get it done. They feel that they've been oh so close 1049 01:06:43.920 --> 01:06:45.920 and so many games and now it's stopper for them to get over the hump. 1050 01:06:46.000 --> 01:06:48.639 So it's not gonna be easy tasks, but it would be good for 1051 01:06:48.679 --> 01:06:53.039 these Elks to get it. It'll be good for Trey four the garden and 1052 01:06:53.119 --> 01:06:57.079 play again and and and get some of those fans coming back into the stands 1053 01:06:57.119 --> 01:07:00.679 and and getting it back to what Edmonton used to be. As I alluded 1054 01:07:00.679 --> 01:07:02.400 to, it's not going to be easy task. But as we've been saying 1055 01:07:02.400 --> 01:07:06.199 every single week, this is the week the Elks will get their first home 1056 01:07:06.280 --> 01:07:11.800 victory as the Elks, and we're all excited about it. Just to finish 1057 01:07:11.880 --> 01:07:14.079 this up, and we tied a lot of their quarterbacks. But yeah, 1058 01:07:14.079 --> 01:07:17.239 obviously that's one of the things turn over here at the end of the season, 1059 01:07:17.360 --> 01:07:20.599 you know, depending what happens with Bo And I've seen obviously seeing Trevor 1060 01:07:20.639 --> 01:07:24.440 Harris go down in Monzoli, Like what do you make in here of the 1061 01:07:24.480 --> 01:07:26.840 next swath? You know, we got the dust and crumbs of the world 1062 01:07:26.920 --> 01:07:30.119 and trade forward like, is this the next era? Are we seen? 1063 01:07:30.199 --> 01:07:33.079 This is going to be usher? Then? Yeah, it has to be, 1064 01:07:33.199 --> 01:07:36.320 you know, at the quarterback position. If our quarterbacks aren't playing well, 1065 01:07:36.360 --> 01:07:40.159 this league is bad. I know some people like to say they like 1066 01:07:40.239 --> 01:07:44.000 to see defensive shutouts. No, we don't like to see low scoring games. 1067 01:07:44.039 --> 01:07:45.679 This meant this game is meant to be a high scoring game. So 1068 01:07:45.679 --> 01:07:49.480 we got to get some of these younger guys developing. As you mentioned older 1069 01:07:49.519 --> 01:07:54.320 guys, you're getting injured, bolieve, I'm Mitchell, Trevor Harris, We've 1070 01:07:54.320 --> 01:07:57.639 seen Cody take something, even Zach. These guys are getting older. We 1071 01:07:57.639 --> 01:08:00.599 don't know how long we have left. So we got to get some of 1072 01:08:00.679 --> 01:08:02.760 these younger guys to continue playing well. It's good to see Chad Kelly playing 1073 01:08:02.800 --> 01:08:08.039 well. We know what his final destination. We know he wants to go 1074 01:08:08.079 --> 01:08:11.280 to the NFL, and hopefully he gets that opportunity. But if he doesn't, 1075 01:08:11.280 --> 01:08:15.239 hopefully can stay around here forever. Dust and crumb tray for all these 1076 01:08:15.280 --> 01:08:19.159 guys wouldn't even continue planning well because our quarterback position is the most important, 1077 01:08:19.159 --> 01:08:23.439 more important than the GM. The head coach anyone else. We have to 1078 01:08:23.479 --> 01:08:27.600 make sure they continue well and hopefully these young guys continue playing well for this 1079 01:08:27.680 --> 01:08:30.880 year and years to come. Well, Mill, I appreciate your time. 1080 01:08:30.920 --> 01:08:33.319 I mean, this feels like it's been a good kind of balanced back season 1081 01:08:33.399 --> 01:08:35.520 here coming. You know, we had COVID and then it was kind of 1082 01:08:35.520 --> 01:08:39.319 coming on for that and everything feels like it's back up to speed here. 1083 01:08:39.359 --> 01:08:42.279 You feel good about the league here moving forward? Yes, I do. 1084 01:08:42.399 --> 01:08:45.960 I do. You know viewership is up. Of course, we have some 1085 01:08:45.000 --> 01:08:49.359 stadiums where the fans aren't showing up, but I think we can get that 1086 01:08:49.479 --> 01:08:55.000 fixed. Would resolve in other situations. But I'm excited about It's been some 1087 01:08:55.319 --> 01:08:57.840 crazy games. There's been some boring games that would be a lot if I 1088 01:08:57.880 --> 01:09:00.840 say there hasn't been, but there's been some sighting games in the CFA, 1089 01:09:01.000 --> 01:09:06.079 and everyone involved is excited about it. More fans, more younger fans are 1090 01:09:06.119 --> 01:09:11.279 tuning in, and hopefully we can get that young viewership tune in even more. 1091 01:09:11.319 --> 01:09:14.680 So. We're excited second half of the season, looking forward to it, 1092 01:09:14.680 --> 01:09:16.359 and looking forward to another exciting Great Cup which will be coming up in 1093 01:09:16.359 --> 01:09:19.800 November. We'll be up there. We have our flights books. We'll be 1094 01:09:19.800 --> 01:09:23.800 in Hambleton. So I appreciate that your time today, it means a lot. 1095 01:09:23.840 --> 01:09:26.880 So thank you for everything going on. Yeah, and also thank for 1096 01:09:26.960 --> 01:09:30.119 all thank you for all you do. You support port us a lot, 1097 01:09:30.199 --> 01:09:31.479 you support a lot of leagues, but you give a lot of love to 1098 01:09:31.479 --> 01:09:35.119 the CFL down in the States, and we're all thankful for all the things 1099 01:09:35.159 --> 01:09:39.760 you do for us. Well, you appreciate it. Hashtag paper plates. 1100 01:09:39.760 --> 01:09:43.319 Do we have the backstory of that? Did? I ask you? You 1101 01:09:43.479 --> 01:09:45.880 have? And millions of people have. But there's only two people on the 1102 01:09:45.880 --> 01:09:48.399 earth who knows what that means, and that's me and my older son. 1103 01:09:48.760 --> 01:09:53.439 The person who sleeps next to me every single night even doesn't even know, 1104 01:09:53.600 --> 01:09:56.760 so I can't tell you and see that. No, So there's only two 1105 01:09:56.840 --> 01:10:00.680 human beings. So maybe when I die and someone writes book, I'll let 1106 01:10:00.760 --> 01:10:02.359 him know what's going on in So we got a hundred years before I die, 1107 01:10:02.439 --> 01:10:06.000 So there we go. Take care. I appreciate it all, right, 1108 01:10:06.039 --> 01:10:13.279 man, you have a good one. Thanks a lot. Well, 1109 01:10:13.319 --> 01:10:15.479 here we are coming off a big game over the weekend. We'll talk about 1110 01:10:15.479 --> 01:10:18.520 you know, not a great win loss, but a good game for you 1111 01:10:18.600 --> 01:10:21.039 regardless. Here we have Alex Hans. How are you doing, sir, 1112 01:10:21.680 --> 01:10:26.079 I'm doing pretty good? Man? About you? I'm good. We'll talk 1113 01:10:26.119 --> 01:10:30.239 about it. I called the BC Lions America's CFL team, So I hope 1114 01:10:30.239 --> 01:10:32.119 you co signed that. You guys are representing all of America when you go 1115 01:10:32.159 --> 01:10:36.119 out and play. How do you feel. I feel pretty good about that. 1116 01:10:36.239 --> 01:10:39.720 You know, it's good. It's a good thing to feel about. 1117 01:10:40.800 --> 01:10:45.560 So we've had on vernon preseason. I think you're the first Lions player we've 1118 01:10:45.600 --> 01:10:48.000 had on during the season. What's the vibe like? What are you guys 1119 01:10:48.000 --> 01:10:50.159 like this season? What's the locker room? What's it? You know, 1120 01:10:50.199 --> 01:10:55.039 how are you guys doing? Lock of doing? Great? Man? You 1121 01:10:55.039 --> 01:10:59.000 know? Good record? Win the record? We seven a three right now, 1122 01:10:59.039 --> 01:11:00.920 you know, I mean those games we lost, we you know, 1123 01:11:00.960 --> 01:11:03.439 we wish we could have done a lot more better. But so the end 1124 01:11:03.439 --> 01:11:05.479 of the day, you're gonna win something. You got low song, But 1125 01:11:05.640 --> 01:11:08.840 you know, I feel like this locker room is great. You know, 1126 01:11:08.920 --> 01:11:12.000 we love each other and we love playing for each other. We trust each 1127 01:11:12.039 --> 01:11:15.560 other and it's all that really matters. Well, I've always liked about you 1128 01:11:15.600 --> 01:11:18.399 guys in the wide Receiver Corps. Is it feels like it's like a team 1129 01:11:18.439 --> 01:11:21.199 effort, right, and no one feels the need to kind of have to 1130 01:11:21.239 --> 01:11:24.920 be the superstar. Yeah, we've had Lucky on before, and we've had 1131 01:11:24.960 --> 01:11:28.359 Keen and all like talking about just kind of your guys' relationship and how you 1132 01:11:28.359 --> 01:11:31.439 guys operate. Honestly, what I think about this reciper room, I feel 1133 01:11:31.439 --> 01:11:34.720 like we all are superstars to this offense. You know, you just never 1134 01:11:34.800 --> 01:11:39.199 know when a guy can have this breakout, this breakaway game, or have 1135 01:11:39.640 --> 01:11:43.079 the big play. You never know. And we have a stack receiver room, 1136 01:11:43.119 --> 01:11:45.720 which is very good to have. All of us are very talented. 1137 01:11:45.720 --> 01:11:48.720 We all have our own strength. We just put them all together, you 1138 01:11:48.760 --> 01:11:51.960 know, just kind of makeing one big superpower and you know it kind of 1139 01:11:51.960 --> 01:11:56.720 makes it a hard thing to stop when you Once we get going and executing 1140 01:11:56.840 --> 01:12:00.439 very well, then we're a very good group because you you know, I 1141 01:12:00.520 --> 01:12:03.399 can imagine and I've of course never been been to start playing professional sports like 1142 01:12:03.479 --> 01:12:08.079 you guys, but you know there could be jealousy and animosity or hey, 1143 01:12:08.079 --> 01:12:12.319 who's getting more touches or whatever. It does seem like get this as long 1144 01:12:12.359 --> 01:12:14.960 as we win it doesn't matter who it is. It could be your night 1145 01:12:15.000 --> 01:12:16.119 one night, it could be lucky as night one night, it could be 1146 01:12:16.159 --> 01:12:19.920 kind of across the board. No, it's no jealousy. Actually actually, 1147 01:12:19.960 --> 01:12:23.199 you know, it's kind of like friendly competition for all of us. You 1148 01:12:23.239 --> 01:12:26.520 know, you know, we always gonna be like who're gonna get a ticket 1149 01:12:26.560 --> 01:12:28.640 box? So when we say that, I was like, who's gonna score 1150 01:12:28.640 --> 01:12:31.239 a touch down? Or who gonna outwork me? Or you ain't for outworking 1151 01:12:31.279 --> 01:12:33.880 me. It's always competition. So we do that in pract then and game, 1152 01:12:34.239 --> 01:12:36.199 you know, first place, some guys tell you each other like, 1153 01:12:36.199 --> 01:12:40.439 hey, you win't for that outwork medidation. So that's how that's how we 1154 01:12:40.479 --> 01:12:43.079 do it. We can we compete, but we're not a competition with each 1155 01:12:43.079 --> 01:12:45.399 other, you know, if that makes sense. So we just work hard. 1156 01:12:45.319 --> 01:12:49.199 We just work hard as individuals and we work hard as a group together, 1157 01:12:49.319 --> 01:12:53.319 and we all just feed off each other's endergy. You know, anybody 1158 01:12:53.399 --> 01:12:56.960 make a big play or first down or tough catch or whatever, we feed 1159 01:12:56.960 --> 01:12:59.239 out that. We feed out one another and we just keep it going, 1160 01:12:59.359 --> 01:13:04.840 keep it going and make big plays. Coming in obviously a short stint last 1161 01:13:04.920 --> 01:13:09.319 year, coming in now full first kind of full season with the CFL. 1162 01:13:09.359 --> 01:13:11.920 What is it like playing up in Canada, playing with you know, the 1163 01:13:12.039 --> 01:13:15.800 different field, the rules. How are you kind of a customizing why? 1164 01:13:15.880 --> 01:13:17.039 Just as well too and not? But last ye, when I first got 1165 01:13:17.039 --> 01:13:19.640 here, you know, you gotta get used to the waggle. You get 1166 01:13:19.640 --> 01:13:23.920 the head start run, you can work down the line of scrimmags. Now 1167 01:13:24.000 --> 01:13:26.720 I first got here, I'm like, man, what is this? It's 1168 01:13:26.760 --> 01:13:29.239 not this is not how football goes. But you know this how it goes 1169 01:13:29.319 --> 01:13:32.319 in the CFL. And once I got used to it and getting that time 1170 01:13:32.359 --> 01:13:35.560 of down with the quarterbacks and everything, things that they got like a lot 1171 01:13:35.600 --> 01:13:39.159 better for me. You know. Now as you can see now I've been 1172 01:13:39.159 --> 01:13:42.199 making a lot of plays from the offense for the team. And yeah, 1173 01:13:42.239 --> 01:13:46.199 so maybe the clicking up talk about Vernon like I said that, Yeah, 1174 01:13:46.199 --> 01:13:48.960 we've had him on the show friend and you know he was from Tacoma. 1175 01:13:49.039 --> 01:13:54.000 Here we you know, we're like twenty minutes apart. And as the crow 1176 01:13:54.079 --> 01:13:58.199 Flies locker room leader. What's he like? What do you like about him? 1177 01:13:58.680 --> 01:14:01.279 VA? Man? He he's real chill. You're joking around every now 1178 01:14:01.279 --> 01:14:04.439 and then, but I'm always joking with him, have him laughing and stuff. 1179 01:14:04.479 --> 01:14:06.760 So, Vieira, you know, you're a really good dude. Man. 1180 01:14:06.800 --> 01:14:10.479 I love that dude. So I love joking with him all the time. 1181 01:14:10.479 --> 01:14:13.880 I've big fun of him every day. So, and that's just how 1182 01:14:14.159 --> 01:14:15.600 you just want to do. But he's a great dude on and off the 1183 01:14:15.600 --> 01:14:19.840 field. He's just a great person to be around. Well, even when 1184 01:14:19.880 --> 01:14:23.800 he was going through and obviously the injury and coming back where he was off 1185 01:14:23.840 --> 01:14:25.840 a couple of weeks here, you know, he's getting watered for the old 1186 01:14:25.920 --> 01:14:28.680 line and he's walking around and hyping people up. At me, it seems 1187 01:14:28.680 --> 01:14:31.520 like he's really kind of invested all in this season to really be a part 1188 01:14:31.520 --> 01:14:34.399 of it with you guys. Yeah, yeah, he's really invested. You 1189 01:14:34.399 --> 01:14:36.840 know. You know, what is he what is he playing or not? 1190 01:14:36.960 --> 01:14:40.960 You know, when he plays, he's obviously he's investing. He's a quarterback. 1191 01:14:41.680 --> 01:14:44.800 But when he wasn't playing, he's just keeping guys up, keeping guys 1192 01:14:44.880 --> 01:14:47.000 motivated. You know. That's and that's him on and off the field, 1193 01:14:47.039 --> 01:14:49.920 you know. So, and that's a good thing to have from a quarterback. 1194 01:14:49.920 --> 01:14:53.520 It's just thing to have him any type of player on your team. 1195 01:14:53.560 --> 01:14:55.039 You know, you want to have a guy like that, you know, 1196 01:14:55.039 --> 01:14:58.800 to motivate you and no matter what happens is just keep you up uplift. 1197 01:14:59.359 --> 01:15:02.439 So that's that's r the half. When I look at your guys' receivers, 1198 01:15:02.479 --> 01:15:05.239 you and everyone, it just seems like there's so much depth. You guys 1199 01:15:05.239 --> 01:15:09.920 are all so talented in so many different ways. You know, you've said 1200 01:15:09.960 --> 01:15:12.840 you feel like you have a great receiver room. Do you attribute that to 1201 01:15:13.079 --> 01:15:16.720 you like scouting or like how did? It? Just seems like you guys 1202 01:15:16.760 --> 01:15:19.840 are the wealth of resources right now for being able to kind of put points 1203 01:15:19.880 --> 01:15:23.039 up on the board and run the score up. What do you attribute that 1204 01:15:23.119 --> 01:15:28.600 to? Man? Uh? You know, not to make you sound easier, 1205 01:15:29.000 --> 01:15:30.039 easier said and done, but you know, we just put in the 1206 01:15:30.039 --> 01:15:33.079 work. That's it. We just we just we just put in the work, 1207 01:15:33.079 --> 01:15:38.840 man, And the results showed on game that you know, that's it. 1208 01:15:38.920 --> 01:15:41.239 We used to put in the work. You work hard, you gonna 1209 01:15:41.279 --> 01:15:45.920 get good results. Coming off. Wasn't the most spectacular game here over the 1210 01:15:45.960 --> 01:15:48.399 weekend. I was, you know, I had my hat and you're kind 1211 01:15:48.399 --> 01:15:51.640 of throwing it in the garbage. I was very sad as a how do 1212 01:15:51.760 --> 01:15:56.399 you guys internalize a tough game like that. It was a tough gampus. 1213 01:15:57.000 --> 01:16:00.199 Yeah what we lost about five points? Yeah, we lost about five points. 1214 01:16:00.239 --> 01:16:03.239 And then you're gonna have some of those games old coasters that you should 1215 01:16:03.239 --> 01:16:09.239 have won though close nail by the games. But in spite of us losing, 1216 01:16:09.319 --> 01:16:12.079 you know, I love the way to our team just fought. We 1217 01:16:12.199 --> 01:16:15.520 fall to the clock says zero, and that's what that's what we love. 1218 01:16:15.640 --> 01:16:17.199 Like those were safety we made, they could be fixed. There's a lot 1219 01:16:17.199 --> 01:16:20.640 of mistakes made in all phases of the game, obviously offense, defense and 1220 01:16:20.720 --> 01:16:26.119 special to teams, and we're gonna correct off and we will correct those things. 1221 01:16:26.159 --> 01:16:29.159 But I just love the way we fought together as a team. You 1222 01:16:29.159 --> 01:16:30.479 know, no one point to finger, nobody. We all took the air 1223 01:16:31.880 --> 01:16:34.199 just like man. You know, like I said, you win some you 1224 01:16:34.239 --> 01:16:36.640 lose something. But at the end of the day, I just love the 1225 01:16:36.680 --> 01:16:40.720 way that we fought. To the clock says zero, and all that a 1226 01:16:40.720 --> 01:16:45.560 matter. You know. I any day I played played for anybody, to 1227 01:16:45.600 --> 01:16:47.319 play with, anybody who's gonna who's gonna fight. So that's why I love 1228 01:16:47.359 --> 01:16:50.000 playing for the team. We love playing for everyone. This team, all 1229 01:16:50.039 --> 01:16:54.560 the players in this coach staff, because us as a unit, we're gonna 1230 01:16:54.560 --> 01:16:59.359 fight to the end. I'm always curious to kind of check after the games, 1231 01:16:59.359 --> 01:17:00.720 you know, kind of the post sound and they post see a Rick 1232 01:17:00.800 --> 01:17:03.479 a little bit of his talking you guys, Coach Rick in the locker room 1233 01:17:03.520 --> 01:17:08.800 and y'all listen to Vernon's post game and things. Uh does that resonate with 1234 01:17:08.840 --> 01:17:11.399 you? You know when Coach Rick and you guys had the tough loss before 1235 01:17:11.439 --> 01:17:14.560 the the argos talking okay, we need to watch this move on. Do 1236 01:17:14.640 --> 01:17:17.199 you do you appreciate the messaging that you guys are getting in the locker room 1237 01:17:17.279 --> 01:17:23.560 kind of win or lose? Yeah, yeah, and yeah I want to 1238 01:17:23.640 --> 01:17:27.520 lose. You know. Coach Rick always will have something something positives say. 1239 01:17:27.640 --> 01:17:30.479 You know, even even with the losses that we had, you know, 1240 01:17:30.520 --> 01:17:33.000 it's always some good. It's not as bad as I always seen, you 1241 01:17:33.000 --> 01:17:38.079 know, and you know the things Coach Rick say and what he does and 1242 01:17:38.119 --> 01:17:41.479 how he coaches us and what he does was you know, that's a coach 1243 01:17:41.560 --> 01:17:44.119 that you want to give your off for him. And he used to play 1244 01:17:44.159 --> 01:17:46.319 a coach and so all the things that you be saying, our right things, 1245 01:17:46.399 --> 01:17:51.640 obviously, and yeah, that's it. So uh, once once he 1246 01:17:51.680 --> 01:17:55.600 said something, you know, there's nothing else to be said. You know, 1247 01:17:57.279 --> 01:17:59.560 Vernon, we talked to you know obviously. But in the game, 1248 01:18:00.119 --> 01:18:02.640 got Sea performance put up four hundred and fifty I think plus yards and you 1249 01:18:02.680 --> 01:18:08.840 had to score multiple receptions. Just a Gotzia performance all around from him. 1250 01:18:08.880 --> 01:18:11.000 Does that inspire you? What do you look at you know, when you're 1251 01:18:11.000 --> 01:18:13.199 looking at him on the field, and what does that make you think? 1252 01:18:15.359 --> 01:18:19.680 I'd be like, man, it's too good, lucky. I'm glad he's 1253 01:18:19.680 --> 01:18:26.119 out quarterback, you know, but nahva, he just he just make plays. 1254 01:18:26.840 --> 01:18:28.960 He just he just make play anywhere in the field. You know, 1255 01:18:29.000 --> 01:18:31.000 he's gonna he's gonna always put the ball and a great spot for the season 1256 01:18:31.000 --> 01:18:33.960 of the catch. And that's what he does, and that's what he and 1257 01:18:34.000 --> 01:18:38.199 that's what he did. And so, like I said one moment ago, 1258 01:18:38.239 --> 01:18:41.800 we all wish we could have done something a little bit better to come out 1259 01:18:41.840 --> 01:18:44.239 with that win. And like he feels like this too, because we talk 1260 01:18:44.279 --> 01:18:46.279 I talked with him also, But he's gonna do what he gonna do. 1261 01:18:46.319 --> 01:18:49.239 Is regardless, you know, vi't gonna make play. So that's what he's 1262 01:18:49.239 --> 01:18:53.199 gonna do, and that's what we expect him to do, and he expects 1263 01:18:53.239 --> 01:18:55.960 himself to do that, and that's what he'd been doing for us. Every 1264 01:18:55.960 --> 01:18:59.920 game he played, maybe he made big plays. He talks about how, 1265 01:19:00.199 --> 01:19:01.640 you know, kind of competition at work and a lot of the guys that 1266 01:19:01.760 --> 01:19:04.640 who and the other receivers, who do you kind of have competition with the 1267 01:19:04.760 --> 01:19:08.439 day of the game. What's kind of relationship with everyone else there in the 1268 01:19:08.520 --> 01:19:14.439 room? Everybody? Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody competes with each other. 1269 01:19:14.760 --> 01:19:17.840 It's not just one or two guys. Everybody so is near hats, 1270 01:19:18.319 --> 01:19:23.199 uh like it has like hats doing practice day hats from a I'm coming for 1271 01:19:23.239 --> 01:19:25.880 you. I'm coming for you right there only I'm coming for you now. 1272 01:19:26.439 --> 01:19:28.399 I was. I was, and I was like, oh man, okay, 1273 01:19:28.520 --> 01:19:30.079 let me let me see you try to comfort I gotta I gotta make 1274 01:19:30.079 --> 01:19:33.159 sure you know you don't give me the young catman. Uh, first play 1275 01:19:33.279 --> 01:19:36.119 for the first play of the game out of the SADAS game, just McKennis. 1276 01:19:36.119 --> 01:19:40.640 He was. He was like, we're gonna get a ticket my first 1277 01:19:40.640 --> 01:19:42.319 We're gonna get the first cat. So we're gonna do it is. We're 1278 01:19:42.319 --> 01:19:45.960 gonna do that. So we always compete with each other, you know, 1279 01:19:45.159 --> 01:19:49.600 friendly competition, but it's fun. It makes us compete a lot harder, 1280 01:19:49.760 --> 01:19:53.359 you know, and we just love doing it, you know, and what 1281 01:19:53.479 --> 01:19:57.880 makes it fun for us? And we just love playing with each other. 1282 01:19:57.880 --> 01:20:01.479 It'd be so much fun, you know, undefeated at home right this season? 1283 01:20:01.560 --> 01:20:04.920 What's it about kind of the atmosphere there and we've had the maron in 1284 01:20:04.960 --> 01:20:08.560 the past and talking about kind of trying to build the culture there. What 1285 01:20:08.720 --> 01:20:13.800 is it like playing at home? Great atmosphere, great fans. They always 1286 01:20:13.840 --> 01:20:16.640 come to your home. They loud, going crazy, you know, that's 1287 01:20:16.640 --> 01:20:20.560 what we love. And they show a lot of support. And you know, 1288 01:20:20.840 --> 01:20:23.600 like you said, we're gonna defeated at home, and that's what we're 1289 01:20:23.600 --> 01:20:26.760 gonna continue to try to do. Protaket home, So we're gonna trying to 1290 01:20:26.760 --> 01:20:30.800 come out with the win. Hamilton coming in there, they're struggling, you 1291 01:20:30.800 --> 01:20:33.359 know, they're they're not having the greatest season. How do you guys, 1292 01:20:33.680 --> 01:20:36.119 you know, you don't want to sleep on anyone and everyone, you know, 1293 01:20:36.119 --> 01:20:39.159 it's they're all we're all you know, you guys are all professional, 1294 01:20:39.199 --> 01:20:42.279 But how do you approach kind of the game this weekend. Uh yeah, 1295 01:20:42.319 --> 01:20:44.119 like you said, you don't want to step you don't want to step with 1296 01:20:44.199 --> 01:20:46.399 nobody will take no team for granted or take them lightly and very easy, 1297 01:20:46.560 --> 01:20:49.199 you know, because at the end of the day, it's still a football. 1298 01:20:49.199 --> 01:20:51.039 We still got a quard team player. You still got to go out 1299 01:20:51.000 --> 01:20:56.720 there instecute because that's wh who're gonna win a game between the instecute the most 1300 01:20:57.159 --> 01:20:59.760 and when it matters. So that's what we're gonna try to go out there 1301 01:20:59.760 --> 01:21:01.199 and do execut in many players just popping you to come out with the win. 1302 01:21:01.399 --> 01:21:04.119 You're not gonna take them lightly at all because they still do a lot 1303 01:21:04.119 --> 01:21:09.159 of good things too. Finally, what do you kind of work on? 1304 01:21:09.199 --> 01:21:11.600 What do you do when you're not playing, when you a bye week or 1305 01:21:11.600 --> 01:21:13.640 when you're not kind of at practice. What are you gonna go do you 1306 01:21:13.720 --> 01:21:15.439 like tonight? What do you do in your spare time? My spare time 1307 01:21:15.560 --> 01:21:18.880 listening to music. Every day, every day I listen to music. I 1308 01:21:18.960 --> 01:21:25.479 love music. Music is life. Life is music. But besides that, 1309 01:21:25.560 --> 01:21:27.880 I go for walks, I just beet chilling on the roofs I watch the 1310 01:21:27.920 --> 01:21:31.399 sunset. So I like stuff like that. You know, I hang out, 1311 01:21:31.479 --> 01:21:33.960 hang out, hang out with through the teammates, go get sneak together 1312 01:21:34.640 --> 01:21:40.359 that nothing too nothing too crazy. What's in your what's on your way? 1313 01:21:40.359 --> 01:21:43.039 It's not even what's in your disc player anymore, but what's on your phone? 1314 01:21:43.079 --> 01:21:45.640 What are you listening to? Like a lot of R and B, 1315 01:21:45.880 --> 01:21:49.359 the old school music. You know some'm slow, Yeah, I'm slow. 1316 01:21:50.079 --> 01:21:55.239 Yeah like that because Matt, Yeah, sitting there sitting on the rooftop listening 1317 01:21:55.600 --> 01:21:58.359 slow jams, watching the sunset. That's good. Yeah, yeah, it's 1318 01:21:58.359 --> 01:22:02.039 great. You know that's perfect. Well, Alex, I appreciate it. 1319 01:22:02.119 --> 01:22:05.199 I hope you guys go off this weekend get a bounce back. I'll be 1320 01:22:05.279 --> 01:22:09.800 watching cheering on here by the American's CFL team. Appreciate your time to that. 1321 01:22:10.359 --> 01:22:17.199 Thank you. Really appreciate all of our guests today. Greg Parks making 1322 01:22:17.239 --> 01:22:23.199 time back in school and taking time late at night to schedule and record his 1323 01:22:23.359 --> 01:22:26.920 piece here talking all of the players signing to the NFL roster, is really 1324 01:22:26.920 --> 01:22:29.800 excited about that. And then, like I said, Milt Steegel making time 1325 01:22:29.840 --> 01:22:32.640 balancing all his TSN duties and family commitments and work and everything else. So 1326 01:22:32.920 --> 01:22:38.880 really appreciate mild and Alexander Hollins really appreciate Matt everyone over at the BC Allions 1327 01:22:39.159 --> 01:22:41.920 for getting that coordinated. Like I said, should be a good shown next 1328 01:22:41.960 --> 01:22:45.239 week if all goes well. Otherwise it will pivot as always and figure it 1329 01:22:45.279 --> 01:22:49.119 out like a subscribe. Enjoy the CFL games this weekend, keep an eye. 1330 01:22:49.359 --> 01:22:54.119 Lots of news will be coming down next week following the NFL roster cuts. 1331 01:22:54.119 --> 01:22:57.359 So best of black to all of the players signed, whether you're from 1332 01:22:57.359 --> 01:23:00.640 the NFL, whether you're from the XFL or the us Welt, best of 1333 01:23:00.760 --> 01:23:03.199 luck. It's gonna be really tough, and you know it's really hard to 1334 01:23:03.199 --> 01:23:06.920 make it, and especially come from the spring leagues and all football and kind 1335 01:23:06.960 --> 01:23:11.199 of all that stuff. So well, wishes from the show for all of 1336 01:23:11.199 --> 01:23:14.079 you them, and I hope you guys have a great weekend and Banks has 1337 01:23:14.119 --> 01:23:15.279 always see you next time.