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Speaker 2: Maybe. Hey, everyone. Jeff Rouson here with your daily DLP. It's Friday. We got OTAs going on today. Unfortunately, I can't be there. We're we're gonna talk about that because I have a guest, and we're gonna talk about what might happen this weekend and what we're looking to hear coming out of Allen Park or not hear or see or not see. Mister Scott Bischoff, my good friend. Let me make us bigger here. Welcome to the daily. How are you doing?

Speaker 3: I'm good. How are you? It's very good. All good. Join you.

Speaker 2: Yeah. We we don't we don't get our alone time anymore, Scott. You know, I we we go back We're not long ways. About that. We we go back a very long ways. I remember watching the twenty fifteen draft with you in Chicago and drinking cucumber lime gin things that were probably

Speaker 3: Yeah. I don't know if I had any of that. I don't know if I was doing any of that nonsense, but but, everybody else was.

Speaker 2: Guilty.

Speaker 3: Yeah. Alright.

Speaker 2: Let's talk about OTAs. So what I I wrote a piece. I don't know if you've had a chance to read it yet, but the lead thing that I had and this is something that we talk about a little bit off the air, and we'll lead with it here. Drew Petzen is coming in as a new OC, and there are a lot of preconceived expectations and the notions about him. And I don't necessarily think that all of them are accurate. And in talking with you before the show, you don't either. So I I want I'm gonna just put that up there for you. Like, what is what is your thoughts on what Drew Petzing might do with this offense?

Speaker 3: So full disclosure, I thought going into the draft, that the Lions would address the tight end position. They would they would go down the road of being able to play more twelve and thirteen personnel, specifically with another receiving target, kind of a combo player like I'm gonna say Nate Boerkircher, and I know he went really early. But it it was that kind of player where, like, alright. Oscar Delp, another one.

Speaker 2: I was just gonna say Oscar Delp, like, totally fits that bill.

Speaker 3: Yeah. Sam Rausch. We're like like, those guys, where, you know, if you have to use them in the passing game, they're sneaky enough to where they can do it, and they're then they're good. But they're really good blockers. I talked openly in the draft about wanting them to draft Riley Nowakowski, the tight end fullback from Indiana. So totally wrong about that because the Lions ignored that. So to me, it brings up this this concept that while we thought passing might be pretty rigid and and very much wanting wanting to go heavy with twelve and thirteen, taking advantage of too high safeties and nickel defenses and all these things when the lines might not be structured that way. So might we see more Isaac Tesla on the field with Jameson Williams and and Amun Ra Saint Brown and Laporta as your base offense instead of 12 kind of stuff. So to me, I'm curious about what what their offense does look like, understanding that it's OTAs and there's no pads and, you know, there's a lot of you know? Yeah. There's a lot of unknowns that would come out of even the best of things that happen in OTAs.

Speaker 2: Yeah. No contacts allowed. No no pads. You're a lot you're technically allowed to wear helmets. I think you're allowed to wear, like, elbow pads and knee pads, and I think that's it. But they're they're out there in shorts and, like, you know, practice jerseys with no no shoulder pads on.

Speaker 3: Darts and shells. That's it. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2: It's it's not it it's it's football. It's seven on seven football. There's a lot of that.

Speaker 3: And and there are some dudes who are who are incredible OTA football players, right, Who's who then when things become when it becomes real physical, they disappear. Right? So and and we've all seen all that stuff. So, you know, take everything with a grain of salt coming out of OTAs.

Speaker 2: I remember Chase Lucas, specifically. Quarterback, he looked like he could start in the slot instantly as a seventh round draft pick back in, what, '20 that was the first that was that was the first draft of this regime.

Speaker 3: I believe so. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2: And then the pants came on. It's like, oh.

Speaker 3: Where'd he go?

Speaker 2: He's now below the bottom of the depth

Speaker 3: chart. Yeah. Like

Speaker 2: It happens. It does.

Speaker 3: Yeah. You

Speaker 2: know, Carion Johnson was kinda that way as a running back. I'd say that like, I like Carion. I'd wanted it to work for him. Yeah. Yeah. You know, so I I think a lot of folks expect that Patsy is gonna run twelve and thirteen heavy because he did that in Arizona. And a lot of that was because their wide receiving core was either not good or devastated by injury or some combination of both. Marvin Harrison not being. I don't wanna call him a boss because that's that's piling on. Yeah. He hasn't lived to expectations. He's he's still a quality starting receiver, but he's not been, you know, he's not been Jack Smith and Jigba

Speaker 3: this forward. It's amazing too because the little stuff that might have been problematic in his game, especially the way he attacks the football in the air, has become significantly problematic for him, you know, in the NFL. I also think that this is a Kyler Murray problem too. So, you know, Right? So I think that there's still time for for Marvin Harrison, but, you know, I I wonder too, like, if you look at Petzing's, running game and how woefully inefficient or, you know, incomplete their passing attack was, with the exception of Trey McBride. How much did the twelve and thirteen personnel impacting the running game and helping the running game get their offense going, and you don't necessarily need that here. Right? So

Speaker 2: Yeah. Your offensive tackles here can run block. They can't do that in in Arizona.

Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah. They didn't have there wasn't a lot going on there. So they needed you know, when they ran some of the, you know, the duo stuff or some of the heavy stuff, they needed help and big body help. We'll see. You know, we'll we'll see what it looks like here, but, you know, it's an it's an interesting thought. And and, you know, you we want we want Lions fans, you want Isaac Tesla on the field as much as as possible. Yes. That makes them more dynamic everywhere. I'm I'm kinda I hope that's sort of how they feature things.

Speaker 2: I do too. And he can block. We've seen him do it. Yep. He's he's big for a receiver. He's six two. I've like, he he can he's capable of being a very good blocking receiver, in in the way in the way that you would have like, let's say, Brock Wright is flexed out as a tight end. I'm not gonna say that that Laporte is gonna be as effective as Brock Wright, but I don't think that you're gonna notice a significant difference in the the quality and tenacity of the run blocking.

Speaker 3: You know, I I kinda think the Lions receivers were better run blocking last year than their tight ends were. When they ran duo, a lot of the duo stuff they ran last year, they tried to. When they did it with tackle tight end combinations, they kinda struggled. Maybe that's I mean, Khalifa Aitman was a really good blocker. You know? He was. Amon Ra is a really good blocker. J Mo's I think J Mo's better better downfield blocker, because he'll get on he'll get on top of you. But I think Tesla can could live and and do and do you know, he could dig he can he can dig guys out. He'll be he'll be fine. You know? Yeah.

Speaker 2: Yeah. I'm not I'm not worried about him on that. So you run a belief. At least we have another topic that, this is something that we can sort of ascertain a little bit from from OTAs. He's been the punt returner since he got here in 2011. He doesn't actually do a lot of kick returns. He only returned nine kicks in five years, But he returned almost every punt and was such a good time all pro at it. And he's gone now. And there are any number of candidates who can wind up being the punt returner. One of the things that I'm looking at is the sequence of who's getting those punt return reps. And now just from my experiences in OTAs in the past, Jack Fox isn't even kicking the ball. It's coming out of a JUGS machine that they're back there just feeling it and, like, half speed following where the blocking is because it it honestly, it's as much about finding out who's blocking in front of them as well. Yeah. But so one of the theories I have, and you can tell me if I'm crazy or not, is that this is Kendrick Law's opportunity to make the team as being as a punt return. And I'm he hasn't done a lot of it. But, Scott, I don't see him as a receiver. I don't really see him as the running back, maybe as some hybrid thing. But Yeah. Where I see him thriving is perhaps being the new Kalief Raymond punt returner.

Speaker 3: I would love to tell you you're crazy because it might be entertaining, but I don't think you are. I think I think you're spot on with that. I really do. Well, I mean, what's his where would his role be in the I mean, behind everybody that they have when you include Dolch, when you include,

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Speaker 3: Jeez, Luis. Dude, they just signed. My god. It's summer.

Speaker 2: Yeah. Cedric Wilson? Yeah. Cedric Wilson. Yeah.

Speaker 3: I'm terrible with names. I just I think he's so far behind all of those guys. And I don't wanna say they took him with a premium pick, but but they definitely they definitely targeted

Speaker 2: him. Yes.

Speaker 3: And he is super dynamic with the ball in his hands. You could see I mean, you can see that. Right? It's just it didn't happen for him in a traditional sense down the field running routes. So if he can if he can return punts and he's capable of it, yeah, that is one way. He will make the roster. He will be active on game day, and he's dynamic enough that you would want that to be the case because he because he really is dynamic.

Speaker 2: Yeah. Watching his game tape, like, he doesn't actually run routes. No.

Speaker 3: No. No. It's weird. It's, like, you know, like, I I mean, I suppose he fits in those RPO sorta screen offenses where, you know, hey. We're just gonna get the ball to you as fast as we can. You you go you go make things happen. You know, he's hard to get to the ground. He's he's fast. He's quick. Yeah. Return punts. But that's his that's his outside of being, like, a a shockingly good special teams player, which I'm not sure he's ever done any of that, there is no path for him. There just isn't. Let's okay. Rephrase. There's no path that's not seriously problematic for the Lions if they were to lose multiple receivers. Right? So Right. I suppose there is a path, but we don't even wanna

Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We don't wanna talk about that.

Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2: You hear I bring up on this rig straw?

Speaker 3: Well, that is a the corner, situation, I think, is something that requires some paying attention to. What's the order and how that goes? Who who plays where? You know? Right. Where where does where does Abdi is not gonna get, like, it's not like he's gonna be featured in OTAs, but I'm kinda curious. I'd be curious where they where they put him. I'm curious where they where they put Raigstraw. I'm curious what the order is for those two.

Speaker 2: Right.

Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah. And you've got

Speaker 2: you've got Roger McCreery in there. He's sort of he's he's much more of a slot, like, a natural slot than than Rake or Abney. Yeah. But he can he can play outside.

Speaker 3: Yeah.

Speaker 2: And I think Raich Straw and Abney are both, you know, they are well, Raichstraw is not short. He's just he's he's slight Slender. Slightly built. Yeah.

Speaker 3: Yeah.

Speaker 2: But they are, it feels like they're all sort of in a melange, and, you know, where does Raich Yesen fit in? Yeah. You know, how how is Terry and Arnold ready to roll? Like, there there's a lot to look at with the cornerbacks, even not in pads.

Speaker 3: Yep. There is for sure. What's happening with Kirby Joseph? That's another you know, I I don't think anybody's gonna see him, but, like, what does he look like? What's the plan? You know? I mean, that's a huge that's a huge part of of this.

Speaker 2: Yeah. I'm kinda curious. Kirby likes to talk. If maybe somebody in the media will grab him and take him off the side and try to get something out of him. And he's Yeah.

Speaker 3: Well, you know they will. They should. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2: And he he is the type who will disclose things that maybe the team doesn't want him to.

Speaker 3: That's okay. It is okay. It is. I am curious another thing I'm curious about, what what does Aleem, McNeil's body look like? Right? I I and I think that

Speaker 4: Yeah.

Speaker 3: Now tell me if I'm wrong, Jeff. But I thought he looked really heavy at the end of last season.

Speaker 2: He did.

Speaker 3: And He did. I don't know that I can I would rule out that they didn't that they didn't want that from him? I don't know. I don't know. Me either. But I think he he's much more effective, a little bit lighter than he than the way he and I again, I could be wrong. Sometimes those things are hard to see. I thought he looked heavy. I don't I did not think that he had the first step quickness or the sustain, you know, in in, his movement abilities at the end of last year. He might have been gassed too. Right? Like, just out of gas.

Speaker 2: It it wasn't the same guy. It wasn't the same guy they paid more specifically.

Speaker 3: Correct. Yeah. So if he looks if he comes in a little slimmed down, I think I I'll be very, very happy to hear that. Same thing with Ty Leek. I think Ty Leek is and I'd like to see him a little thinner too. You know?

Speaker 2: And we saw that, you know, when Alim came back from his rookie season to his second season, he had reshaped he he weighed about the same, but he had reshaped it and reformed it. I can I've heard from somebody who's worked out with that that's that's happening for him. Okay. Fingers crossed, man, because,

Speaker 3: Yeah. They need that interior pressure for sure. They really do. Yeah.

Speaker 2: And, you know, the one thing that they haven't done, and I'm kinda curious about this, so we'll get your thoughts on it. They haven't replaced Reader or Lopez as a nose tackle zero technique. And I wonder how the defensive line is gonna get deployed when we get our first look at it this week.

Speaker 3: It's a great question. You know, that was one of the things that I worried about with McNeil that they did bulk him up a little was that, you know, hey. We're gonna ask him in the future to be that zero one type,

Speaker 2: and

Speaker 3: I just don't think that's good for his game. I don't think it's good for Ty Leek's game either, though. I don't you know, I know he was he was three thirty plus coming out of Ohio State, but when you watch him or at least what I saw is there were moments where he did get moved. You know, if he played real if he played over the ball, he was getting moved. Yeah. Where if he did anchor down, it was more between the tackle and the guard and less between the guard and the center. Yeah. Less less more more b gap, less a gap stuff. Yeah. Well, I don't know.

Speaker 2: His strength and weight tends to be more top heavy than, like, sand in his pants.

Speaker 3: Yes. Yeah. So I I think it makes sense that if you're if shorter if players who are who are on top of him a little more suddenly, that are shorter and have a little better leverage, they're going to move him. Right? Where if he's in the b gaps playing between guards and tackles, he might he might hold up a little bit there. But I just think they're they're both big enough that if they get into their, like, three fifteen range, that's plenty big enough. You know? Yeah. Especially with their quickness and their and and their suddenness and their ability to get into gaps, I would think that would be good. But your point is still out there. Who's who's the zero or the one? You know? We'll we'll see. We'll see what the plan is.

Speaker 2: And part of it with that is, you know, he came up with the whole Jack Campbell getting his extension, which is well deserved. He earned it. Undoubtedly. I love the way they structured it too. It's basically a three year extension. He will get another contract after the 2028 season, just because can't I was gonna say pay those balloons.

Speaker 3: So one of the things I wanted to ask you is what the what the structure of that meant because it's so bizarre, and so team friendly. Yeah. You know? Like, especially early on. And I don't know, you know, again, I don't know exactly that I'm I'm saying it accurately that it's team friendly because it's still it's still a four year $80,000,000 contract, but it seems like the window is open for them to do other things via his contract because of the way it's structured. And then you got all those void years on the end where you can use those to give him another contract. Right? And then the other part The

Speaker 2: way the contract's written, Scott, they have to give him something after the 2028 season. They can't pay him I think it's $24,000,000 in caps obligation in 2029, and it gets goes up from there. Yeah. You wouldn't You can't

Speaker 3: do that. But, like, you know, I thought I don't know what your thoughts were, but my I thought he was gonna get paid, like, 10 to $12,000,000 more total on his contract. I looked at Fred Warner's deal and Ropon Smith's deal, and I just added, like, alright. Add 20% because the cap has exploded year to year, and it it wasn't that. Right? So it just to me, three, four three years from now, his his contract is a bargain. And and maybe through the use of those void years, they're able to just spread some of that money out. I don't, you know, I don't know exactly how that's gonna look in in three years, but seemed like a team friendly thing. It's well earned. He's become A

Speaker 2: 100%.

Speaker 3: You know, he's become he's he's a phenomenal football player. He he was a great prospect too. It's just, you know, that whole story has been written. Right? But yeah. Yeah. Interesting.

Speaker 2: We have a guest coming this weekend, who, we'll talk about he worked for another NFL team at the time that Campbell was being scouted, and, I may or may not ask him about what his team thought about Jack Campbell in that draft.

Speaker 3: I would love to know. I do think

Speaker 2: that the negativity got overplayed. Now I know Jack talked about it in his press conference, like, how somebody sent him a clip where he's the worst draft ever. Like like, okay. Like, that's not that that stuff was out there. Yeah. But in general, most people most most draft analysts and you and I run-in these circles and have run-in them for a long time. Didn't think it was that big of a reach. Like, he was he was my number 33 overall player. Like, I don't have a problem taking him where they took him when he's

Speaker 3: that I didn't either, but I also I didn't love it when it happened just because, you know, positional value and then, you know, second contract and, you know, all that stuff. Yeah. Just, I mean, just owning it. Like, I I don't want somebody to go back and find me from, you know, draft night saying I I'm a little surprised. I was a little surprised they took a linebacker, the where they did, but but not necessarily why. I didn't it didn't surprise me at all why they did. They needed they needed a somebody to be the captain of that defense. Yeah. The one thing that stands out to me that where they deserve a lot of credit is they had they had the vision to see what he would become as a, in the passing game, where right? Like, if he was just your traditional run and run and chase linebacker who didn't impact the passing game very much, we would all say, you know, yeah. It's a it's a fine it was a fine pick, and it and it was cool. But the fact that he's evolved to become the a three down pretty dominant guy, you know, like

Speaker 2: Yeah.

Speaker 3: This is one of those times where you where you where even if we didn't like it, you have to recognize that the the lions were right, and then everybody else was wrong. So

Speaker 2: Yeah. There's there's some people with some egg on their face. But with that, he's been one of the I maintain anyways that one of the reasons he blew up as a perceived All Pro was because DJ Reader and Roy Lopez did such a good job of keeping him clean. And I worry like, it's it's not a big worry, but it's it's present. Like, how's he gonna function if blockers are getting out to him more readily? And, you know, we just talked about we don't know what the nose tackle situation is. How does that impact Jack Campbell? How does it impact Derek Barnes? Another referee, guys. You're right. Yeah. Do they play three linebackers 62% of the time again, or are we joining the rest of the world playing about 35% of the time?

Speaker 3: I am really happy you mentioned that because because it hasn't crossed my mind, but that is that might be the most important thing is what is their base defense. Yeah. Right? But you're I mean, you're a 100% right. If if guards and centers are are on top of him because defensive tackles aren't I don't wanna say two gapping, but you know what I mean? Like, if they're not Yeah. If they're not if they're not making it really difficult for for offensive linemen to climb to the second level and giving him, you know, a free run, just, hey. I'm gonna read, react, and run to the ball. Okay. Well, you're gonna make a million tackles. But if he if he if he does have to deal with traffic and and bodies and all that stuff, it'll it'll be significantly harder. It's a really important point. It's a it's a it's a great point that they need to figure that out. You know? But the base defense is super it's a super interesting thought. I really hope that, and we did hear Dan Campbell talk about this a few months ago, about he he mentioned three different approaches, which was their their standard four man front. He mentioned a five man front, which made my ears go, Right? I'm for it. Yeah. Because that's modern stuff. Like, that's that's when you bring, you know, chess piece onto the field or or whoever that might be, you know, and and let him just make plays. And then he mentioned more nickel, which I know you and I have talked in the past about this. We both would love that. Right? That's the idea of so just philosophically, like, the idea of playing a bunch of, Man coverage defense while not being able to get home with your pass rush, they're at odds with one another. Playing heavy, three linebacker personnel while being up in games and having teams having to throw the ball on you to catch back up while playing three linebackers, that's those things are at odds with one another. You know, I would love to see them get more aggressive and go a little more nickel, bring an extra pass rusher, just that kind of stuff. So we'll see what it looks like, you know, at OTAs if they if they put some of that stuff out there, you know, some of those different packages, different looks.

Speaker 2: The way I look at it, and I explained this to my friend Jeff the other night when we were hanging out, would you rather have Malcolm Rodriguez or Jimmy Reuter or Avante Maddox or Thomas Harper covering a running back out of the backfield.

Speaker 3: I I don't think that's pretty obvious what you want. Yeah.

Speaker 2: Yeah. And and that's that's no shade against Relder or or Rodrigo, but that that's that's not where they're gonna win. Yeah. And I hope that the soft scouting from Kelvin Shepherd and Sean John Hamilton and and all I I hope that they have realized that because this is the time where you start to tinker with that, and I I I hope we see that, Scott.

Speaker 3: Yes.

Speaker 2: Just anything else you're looking at, like, you wanna hear from the greetings? One of the things that I looked at, and and this is, like, admittedly obscure, but, the defensive lineman that they drafted this year, Sketlergill Howard, Tyree West, along with McKay Wingo, who's the same sort of weird body positionless type player.

Speaker 3: Yeah.

Speaker 2: I wanna see what the plan is there.

Speaker 4: I don't know how you feel about that.

Speaker 2: But

Speaker 3: Well, I've I have long thought that there was a plan there, not necessarily with Wingo or Ty or Tyree West, but maybe more with with, with Gil Howard. And I really hope they let him play three. Just let him be a three tech. Let him be disruptive. I think he's much more disruptive there than he is, as an edge player. I think the other guys can play edge. Right? And and then so that was really interesting. I'm getting I'm getting my voice is raising. I'm getting a little wound up, I guess.

Speaker 2: This is why we're here, Scott.

Speaker 3: They drafted Wingo, and Wingo and and Gil Howard are are very similar sized. But Wingo, I thought, was better as an Edge player than he was inside at LSU.

Speaker 2: I would agree.

Speaker 3: Unfortunately, we just don't have enough, you know, evidence of what he looks like as an NFL player, but I think he's more big Edge in the Josh Pascal clone kind of thing than Mhmm. Than anything else. I when I watch Skyler Gil Howard play, I see a really disruptive three, where, for the first time, I've thought the Lions just do not for a while, I think I thought the Lions do not value undersized, explosive, get into the gap, interior pressure guys. They want more squeeze. You know, they want more Roderick Martin. Yeah. Yeah. This this one feels like, alright. This is this is a nod to maybe you know? And I'm not saying he's gonna be on the field a lot. But if it's third and long, he might have a role as a as a pass rushing three. And I hope that's what they do with him. And it it excites me because he's one of the few guys that they have who who can be so quick into into his gap where it's a problem. So I I kinda hope that's where they where they just let him be. I we'll see. Yeah. I I would love to hear that. And he's one of those guys where where at OTH, he's gonna look like an assassin because he is so quick. Right? And he there's there's no physicality. There's no there's nothing happening. But he's just gonna be quicker than the than the guards and and, you know, everybody around him. So I I hope they let him play as a three, and and at least get into camp that way because I because it's it's it excites me that there is a little bit of recognition that they need some juice there that they haven't had in the past.

Speaker 2: Yeah. That's where I'm at with it is look. And again, no disrespect to Chris Smith. I don't want him on the team. Like, we know what he can do. This is his fourth season in Detroit. Like, he's a practice squad player. He's fine at that. Yeah. He needs he needs to get he needs to be pushed off in the way that they pushed off. Basically, Coyote Al Chica is gone now. Yeah. They've got enough guys that they've signed or added, and and actually that that's one of the guys I wanted to ask you about, going back in the Wayback Machine to the LSU team of 2024.

Speaker 3: Oh, I know where this is going. I loved Miles Frasier.

Speaker 2: Yeah. He was not far below Tate Ratledge in the in the grading for me. Yeah. But we didn't see him at all last year. He tweaked the knee. He he was sick when he got to mini camp, then he tweaked the knee and missed all of just about everything. Scott, I think he can play tackle. I don't know where you're at on that. I think he can too. I want to see him become Coyote Oshika's replacement, and I I I hope that's viable, man. I really do.

Speaker 3: There were moments when he did play last year where he looked yeah. Obviously, he looked overwhelmed as a rookie. But

Speaker 2: Yes.

Speaker 3: His to me let's go back to what he did look like at LSU. He is a really cerebral player. He rarely got fooled on stunts, where you saw a guy like Tate Ratledge kinda get smoked all the time because he was overly aggressive and he wanted to he wanted to land heavyweight, you know, punches. Yep. He would get beat with twists and stunts, and and he would and he would lose integrity and that kind of stuff. Obviously, he he was great at the end of the season. It's you know, it looks really good there. But for Frazier, I thought he was really good in pass pro, really solid passing things off and picking up

Speaker 2: things. Yes.

Speaker 3: It's really important. You know? I mean, it's it goes it doesn't even have to be said, but, you know, it's important that the cerebral nature comes out where you don't get beat like that, where, you know, if you're gonna beat me, you're gonna have to get through me. You're gonna there's gonna have to be something physical that happens where you're gonna beat me, but I'm not gonna beat myself by by not being able to figure out what's going on. So I I think there could be any any group of places he could play, but the concept of him being your potential swing tackle, right Yeah. Is intriguing. And can he play guard? I believe he can. You know, I mean, they have Juice Scruggs. They have they've done they've done a really good job.

Speaker 2: They've got Ben Bartsch, and nobody ever nobody ever

Speaker 3: talks about him, including myself. Depth everywhere. Like, it just position by position by position. Like, look at the corner room. Right? You've got depth in the linebacker room. Look at, what does Pacheco look like in OTAs?

Speaker 2: Right.

Speaker 3: Exactly. Like, I know we're gonna see a world of difference between Gibbs and Pacheco as far as the way they run. Right? But Yeah. It's interesting. Like, you know, they run out of Kansas City ran out of pistol and out of shotgun, and I think that messed with his timing and his vision and his ability his ability to see things. How He's a different set

Speaker 2: that power back. Yeah.

Speaker 3: So how different is it when he's when he's running out of a, you know, a system where they run a lot of under center plays

Speaker 2: Yeah.

Speaker 3: Where where there's defined things. Right? So maybe maybe he maybe he shows a lot more here than than he has in, you know, playing in because he looked real frenetic to me as a runner in Kansas City. But, I mean, back to Frazier. I think Frazier can do a variety of things. I thought I mean, I thought there was a chance last year that he could be their starting center because of the cerebral stuff. Right? So, you know, he's valuable to have. He's in year

Speaker 2: two. We'll see. That that I'm hopeful, man. So I have to ask and you might have talked about it and I that I missed it. But so my last ex impression of Teddy Bridgewater as quarterback was in the preseason game against the Giants. And I'm sitting in the press box, and I'm sitting between Eric Schlitt and John Macaroon. And we're all looking at each other in this game, like, he can't play anymore. Like, it was it was rough. So I will I will spin it this way. Is there any hope for you that Alt Meyer can take over QB two or make the team as QB three? Because I liked him,

Speaker 3: and he's so limited. To a point. Yeah. Like that. There are there are quarterbacks who can drive the ball. So I I'm not sure he's the he doesn't have enough arm strength to me to where you would be challenging all the parts of the field that Goff does. Right. But can he can he play inside the structure of an offense and be a distributor like Bridgewater was back in the day? Mhmm. Maybe. But it definitely feels like there is an opportunity for for someone else to maybe end up here as as they back up. I don't know who that would be. I mean, there's some candidates where you'd go, well, that's intriguing, but it doesn't make any sense at all. You know? Like, Anthony Richardson kind of stuff where

Speaker 2: Oh, god. That would be crazy.

Speaker 3: Needs to play. He needs so much more time He does. As a player. And if he came here, he would not get any of that. So, yeah, I don't I don't know about Altmaier. I I I mean, I I would really worry about it.

Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah. I'm that that that's one of the things that I have checked to watch once the pads come on a little bit because I do think I think Teddy has the ability to raise himself up. And I think my hope and I don't know if this is gonna play out this way or not. My hope is that his year away, like, rejuvenates him and allows him to see, like, the this this NFL thing is still pretty important to me. Because it we knew like, he knew, like, as soon as he was done playing football, he was gonna be the Miami Northwestern head coach. Like like, that was done. Yeah. And it almost felt like he had his foot in that world already. And I I don't wanna accuse him of of, like, not being paying attention to the lines because I don't think that's that's not who he is.

Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 2: But, you know, in the same vein, we're, like, everybody knew, including Ben Johnson, that he was gonna become a head coach somewhere. I don't think we expected Chicago. Yeah. But there's a there's a lot of fans who are still very angry and point the finger that he checked out of that playoff game against Washington. I I pushed back against that, but, like, it's the same sort of principle at play. And I'm hopeful that we see something a little bit different and better from Teddy this summer.

Speaker 3: Yeah. I would push back against that significantly from Yeah. The standpoint of we've seen the Lions for multiple years in a row now come out in week one and be not ready to play. Yeah. We've seen the Lions come out of bye weeks for several years now Yep. Not ready to play. We saw the Lions come out of a bye week in a playoff run, not ready to play. I don't know how you know what I mean? Like, there's too much evidence to to that to it being systemic and not just a Ben Johnson thing. Right. Yeah. Scott, I Right? Like Yeah. When they

Speaker 2: when they got the number one seed, I wanted to keep playing.

Speaker 3: Yeah.

Speaker 2: I I don't like having the buy, and it is played out. We were talking about college football before we went on the year too.

Speaker 3: Yeah.

Speaker 2: I don't like the, like, the the buy team loses more than they win Yeah. In the BCS or the FCFP, whatever the hell they call it now. Yeah. Like, that that's factual. Yep. I wanted the Lions to keep playing and and not have a team come in like Washington that didn't know that they were supposed to lose. Yep. And they got a little bit bit of confidence and swagger, and they're like, oh, nobody nobody thinks we can win this game, and they beat our ass. They did. I would have preferred to have played that one week earlier. I don't think I don't think the outcome's the same.

Speaker 3: Agreed. Agreed. But I it just the evidence is just overwhelming

Speaker 2: that it

Speaker 3: you know, I mean, Ben Johnson might have been part of that, but, like, there's still you know, like, last year, they came out in week one. They did not look ready to go. You know? So, it it's just

Speaker 4: God, if

Speaker 2: they do that this year, it makes New Orleans. New Orleans is gonna put an l on the on the board.

Speaker 3: They you know, I mean and maybe we'll see a little bit of a a tone change, in in with at least the preseason games where gets I mean, I understand you don't want guys to get hurt, but you but but you also need to get ready to go too. So Yeah. Yeah. There's the fine line both ways. It's just, they they have shown us that that there are times when they don't look ready to go. You know?

Speaker 2: So let me ask you this, and this will be the last question, then we'll we'll wrap it up. They're not doing joint practices this summer. They're doing different things with the way they practice. Do you think we're gonna see the the starters play a little bit in the preseason, and, also, do you think that it matters at all?

Speaker 3: I hope we see a little bit. I do think it matters a little bit. I whatever it's worth, I think there is some or I've been told, whatever. I don't know that I believe don't believe everything you hear first. But Yes. We all know this.

Speaker 2: The

Speaker 3: Lions have significant work to do on the on the structure and scheme of their offense, And there's a lot of change coming as far as the designs of specific to the running game of the of the offense. And the mentality is and I don't know that this is where I don't I'm not sure that I totally buy this, but because this this was all this all seem seem to be in the words pre draft that they weren't gonna do the, you know, the practicing with other teams and all and all that stuff. And suddenly, you draft a right tackle who probably starts for you in week one, and now that's the reason why you you're not doing joint practices is because you need to make sure he's ready to go. And it's like, well, that all seems, you know, like, unlikely. Right? But Yeah. But I do think that going from what they what they were doing with what you know, two years ago and then to John Morton and now to the stuff that wants to run. I I think there is some, you know alright. They have you're moving. There's a different look with all those things. Don't know who the left guard is. You have a new center. You have a second year player at right guard. You have a rookie at right tackle. You do have a lot of things to, like, set in place. A lot of rules that you need to get to get figured out and get things like, alright. If if dude's in this gap, this this this is my absolute responsibility. So it makes me I do think there's something there. I just don't know how how much of that there is, if that makes sense.

Speaker 2: My friend. It it absolutely does. I am hopeful that we do see some priest look. I look. I understand. My existential dread of injuries has, unfortunately, come true for most of the last like, I'm tired of talking about injuries. I'm tired of having to reference doctor Liao every day in the daily because, unfortunately, his content is extraordinarily important and pertinent. It would be nice if Jimmy could take a

Speaker 3: day off from the Lions part of things.

Speaker 2: But at the same time, we need these guys to be able to play too.

Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah. They need to be ready to go. They do.

Speaker 2: Yeah. Alright. Scott, I wanna thank you for joining me. Do you have anything coming up in in the in the pipeline, or you're just chilling, enjoying being dad for a little bit?

Speaker 3: Just, yeah. I mean, my so my youngest graduates tonight or yesterday for everybody watching. Yeah. So it's just it's just it's one of those times where this summer is gonna be his last one, you know, before he heads he heads off to school. And and Russ is doing, Russ has got stuff going on with football on his own end, so we're just you know, I I think summer might be summer might be light from a a Bishop Brown standpoint, but we'll see.

Speaker 2: Yeah. Well, you're always welcome to come on with us and Russ Institute.

Speaker 3: I appreciate you having me on. It was good.

Speaker 2: It was

Speaker 3: good joining. Yep.

Speaker 2: And with that, we will, we'll call it a show. I'll let in fact, I'll I'll have Scott here at the end too. Y'all, thanks for joining us. It's Jeff Frisell signing up. Be good to one another, everybody.