Randy McMichael, Former NFL Tight End

Have you ever covered a carpet stain with a rug? Ignored a leaky faucet? Pretended your half-painted living room is supposed to look that way?

Well, you're not alone. We've all got unfinished home projects. Whether it's a door that sticks, or a disorganized closet, or an AC unit that only works half the time.

It all matters. You just haven't taken care of it yet. But there's an easier way. Just download the Thumbtack app. You can search for what you need done and find tons of highly rated pros right in your neighborhood.

Check prices, reviews, and book a pro right on the spot. Plus, you'll know what to tackle next. Because Thumbtack is the app that shows you what to do, who to hire, and when. Pull out your phone, and in just a few taps, say goodbye to all those unfinished home projects. And say hello to caring for your home the easier way.

Download Thumbtack and start a project today. What are they doing? Look, I don't think anybody has a problem with Michael Pennix Jr. as the quarterback. But it's the idea of almost trying to prioritize now and the future. Didn't you bring in cousins to win now? Can't you worry about the quarterback a year or two from now?

I don't know. I think, JR, the biggest thing is exactly what you said is the win now and for later. Because you look at this team, you go get a Kirk cousin. You don't get a Kirk cousin because you're trying to rebuild. You get a Kirk cousin and give him the contract that he got because you're trying to win right now. And that's the thing that they're trying to do. Right.

Okay. So then you look at it from a standpoint, you have a top ten pick to be able to go and get an immediately impactful player right there. And then you go get a guy that might not play for three years. And so when you look at those two things, you get up in arms about it. I'm not as up in arms, JR, because I love Michael Pennix. I love this pick.

But I go back to what you just said previously. I'm confused because why did you go get Kirk cousin to give him all that money? What was the timeline? Did you know you were going to get Michael Pennix? Did you know you wanted to get a younger quarterback at eight?

There's so many. Those are the things that I have questions about is the timeline of how this happened. Yeah. And Randy, this is going to be genius if Kirk Cousins goes down at some point in the season and it saves them or I don't I don't know that there's a possibility that this works out sooner than later. I mean, what are what are the realistic odds that Pennix is sitting around for the next, I don't know, three years? Highly unlikely, right? They better hope he does. They better hope. They better hope that the Falcons and Falcons fans and everybody in the league don't see all the time you get to see Michael Pennix.

Is it a blowout or in preseason? No, no, no. You invested too much money in Kirk Cousins for him not to be the starter for the next two years, at least, because if that's the case, then Ra and Terry won't get to see their first round quarterback pick play because they're going to lose their job.

Me and Andy here in Atlanta, me and Andy Bunker, we have a saying that stands with the chest. If you listen to the whole thing, the whole pressure last night, Raheem said this. He said we picked him because we don't intend being here anymore.

All right. Basically, what they're saying is, is that with the team that we have now, we don't need a first round defensive end. We don't need a first round quarterback. We are where we are. We can add a corner, an edge rusher and other things after the first round because this is how good we are.

And you know what? This is how good a coach is that we are that we're going to get the best out of this team. So, yeah, Michael Pennix needs to play in preseason and in the blowout, maybe take a knee at the end of a game or something. But him playing? Oh, that might be disastrous for them if it doesn't go well with Kirk Cousins. Randy McMichael is here with us.

The JR Sport Reshow on the Infinity Sports Network. Was this selection almost like market correction? Were the Falcons so bruised over the past several years? Moving on from Matt Ryan, Chasen Watson, having a look at at Ritter and Heinecke.

Is this like a I don't want to say desperation, but is this like, hey, we're a wounded animal now we got a strike? Well, I think the thing with it, Jay, is that you got I think the one thing that you look at when you look at this whole process is go back to a certain amount of things that the owner, Arthur Blank, was saying. He said that the Super Bowl needed a succession plan, long term answered quarterback because you think about it, Jay, for 13 to 14 years, he had consistent quarterback play. He knew that for the most part, they were not going to lose because they had bad quarterback play. In the last three years, Mr. Blank looked at it like, damn, the quarterback play is raggedy and we got to get back here.

I don't ever want to be back at this situation again. I'm not saying that Arthur Smith drove this. Now, I do believe Arthur Smith drove. I'm sorry, Arthur Blank drove the pursuit of Deshaun Watson.

I don't think that was paid. But I do think that it was a collaborative effort that they want to get better for the future because they look at it from a standpoint like like Ross saying like we're never going to be here again. We're never going to have an opportunity at a player like this again at the most important position of football. So let's take it because you know what? We got a good quarterback right now. We got a good enough football team to compete.

This is add to more parts. And there's also the point where, you know, by the time Kurt's done and all the young stars like Bijan and Drake and all those guys, they'll be coming up for new deals. And then Michael Pence is going to work a contract.

I know that sounds funny, but hey, Jack, I'm trying to spin it any way I can. I understand that 11 year NFL vet, Randy McMichael, is here with us outside of the Falcons. Any other moves that took place last night that kind of caught your attention, whether for a good or bad reason? I think, you know, the first defensive player going at 14, you know, I mean, I think it was it was a big thing to go out there and get all these offensive players. I mean, the tackles went off.

Obviously, the quarterbacks went off. I thought that that that Denver reached for Bo Nix, but I hope I'm wrong because I want everybody to succeed. I think they were just desperate right there at 12. You know, I had them in my own block grabbing him at 12. I think that the Vegas Raiders, I love Brock Bowers and I think that's a great pick, but I think they got to a point where you're like, damn, all the quarterbacks are gone.

What are we going to do now? Let's take the best player available, because I know for a fact they were calling Atlanta trying to get up to at least get Michael Pennix there. I had it in my mind as they traded with Atlanta from 13 to 8 to get Michael Pennix, but obviously that didn't happen.

But I think that was my biggest thing outside of, you know, maybe, you know, where the tackles went. I think Joe Ault is going to be a team player. C.J.

Latham don't know a lot about him. Is he going to play right? Is he going to play left? Are they going to play in the guard?

But I just thought overall the biggest thing was the Michael Pennix thing. Well, Randy, man, you talk about the Raiders and tight end. You played tight end in the league. That was your position.

I did. Just like, just like, you know, our guy Brock. You went to Georgia. How is, is he in a good situation? They already got a tight end in Meyer. How is that going to work out? Are they going to run two tight end sets out there? Yeah, well, they are. You can never have enough tight ends on a field, my dawg.

I mean, yeah, I mean, that's how I was thinking about it. I think one of the things about Brock is he's bursting a lot. Now Meyer, I loved him coming out of college. And I think that he is a big time player. He's a wide tight end that can do some things. And what I mean by a wide tight end, a guy who can be attached to the tackle for the most part and run routes and blocking almost everything. Brock Bowers, you can put him anywhere on the field. He going to get busy. You know, a lot like how, and I know he is, you know, he is what he is, you know, in the old school and all that.

But he did make a great point. I thought about it, thinking about tight end in Meyer, Dallas Clark. Dallas Clark was so prolific at what he did. Now Dallas can't run with a ball like Brock can. But as far as lining him up in that slot and letting me do his thing, I can see Brock Bowers do a lot of those things that Dallas did. Randy McMichael is here with us.

The JR Sport Reef Show on the Infinity Sports Network. You know, we're going to move through this, the second round. We're then going to get into camps. And there's so many expectations around the quarterback.

Six of them of that were taken. What quarterback do you think is going to end up with the highest ceiling? Who has the ability to be the best out of this group? It better be Michael. They're panicked, JR. You know, because we know of the six, you know, three of them are going to be bust. One of them is going to be a franchise. One might be. Another one is going to be a backup.

That's just the way it goes. And, you know, I think Caleb has so many special tools. He's going to a very good situation. Because very rarely do you see a team, JR, that's seven and nine. That's the number one overall pick. And that goes into a situation where you've got a king and Allen, where you've got an established number one receiver, where you've got a good back, a nice offense line, good defense. All he has to do is just grow with it and not try to do too much. I love missing Jay Daniels.

I just do JR. I love everything about his game, his versatility, his ability to throw off, you know, different platforms, him running the football the way he does. So I'm going to go with probably Jay Daniels, you know, because he was my favorite quarterback in this draft. But it better be them.

Living here in Atlanta, JR, and having to deal with these Falcons fans, it better be Michael Payton Jr. I hear that, Randy. Listen, Roger Goodell did some talking between last night and today.

One of the points that he made is about expanding, and we knew it was coming, expanding the regular season again, this time to 18 games, maybe even pushing the Super Bowl back to President's Day weekend. Man, you played 11 years. You got your bumps.

You got your bruises. You played your whole life before you got to the league and college. What is an 18-game season and two preseason games going to do to the NFL? Does it even matter about the preseason?

No, it does not. First of all, the Super Bowl thing should always be on President's Day because nobody should have to work Monday after a Super Bowl. I just always didn't believe that. But the second thing is, JR, they don't care. These owners don't care. Now, the one thing that the owners did, you had to pay pretty much full-price tickets for the preseason game, that fourth game that ain't nobody going to, and if you're a season ticket holder, you got to pay for those to get your season ticket, so long as they're reducing the preseason. The thing with the preseason is this. I hated the preseason.

I hated playing it, but I know I need to play in it because it gets you in that little rhythm. You keep reducing all of the things that make football the fundamentals themselves. Practicing. Tackling.

Not necessarily tackling, JR, but hitting each other, putting pads on. They're taking that out of the game because they want more of the finished product, rightfully so, because that's, JR, what is that probably per weekend? $200 million? That's maybe like $200 million for the NFL to play that extra game.

So, yeah. The one thing I don't want to hear about, and people have said it, I don't want to hear about no player safety or none of that. Don't want to hear about it. I saw today, JR, they're reading it. They're talking about having people wear them Guardian caps in football games. Yeah, they allowed that. Yeah, that's why I'm like, what the hell's going on? I know me.

I want to be smooth. I don't want that thing on my helmet. But that's where the NFL is going because that concussion lawsuit spooked them, and it made the point, we can't give them no more money, but yet you're going to put us in more football games. Don't want to give people benefits after they're done playing. Make it hard as hell for these players to get their workers comp benefits, but yet you want to just keep putting them out there in a situation where they're going to have to play. So, yeah. That's how I look at it. Well, listen, Randy, you played in the league.

I got a lot of friends who played in the league. I sure as hell did not. And I wish I was joking about this. With some of the rule changes that we have had, some of the rule changes that are taking place now, you know, like with the kickoff and what have you, what realistically, and it might be impossible to guess, but what is this game going to look like? And I say, I don't know, another 30 years, 35 years. Like, is it really going to be you got to shove them to the ground?

You can't grab them? Like, are you concerned about that? No, I don't want to get concerned about it, Jay. I just think that when you view the way, because I'm an offensive player, I've always been an offensive player, and I know, you know, earlier this, this season, this off season, they banned that hip drop tackle.

I was hip drop tackle and broke my leg. And so I don't give a damn. I get rid of it. That's how that gets me as an offensive player, how I view things like that. But then you look at the long run of it's hard because people, you remember that line, J.R. in any given Sunday, Tony, people want to see touchdowns. They want to see, you know, that's what they want to see. They want to see the touchdowns. They want to see the offense and everything like that. And so they try to gear the game as much as possible to that.

And so as long as they keep doing that, people aren't going to be able to hear each other. Yeah. Things change. Times change. That much we know. Hey, Randy, I appreciate you taking the time to hop on.

I'm sure we'll talk again later this year when when Pennix takes the job away from Mr. Cousins. Come on, man. I'm just I'm just they are they are.

They are. It's a sense of time. It's just it's just don't don't do that. I'm saying I'm saying, where can people keep up with you? I know you're on the mid days.

Andy and Randy, where can people follow you online? All that good stuff, Matt. Oh, man. I'm ready.

Mac 81 at all. Twitter, Instagram, everything like that, man. You get me out. I'm sorry. I got my two year old here. We just pulled up to his favorite place.

So he decided to get out the car. Hey, that's that's that's how it rolls. We do a play date soon, Mac.

I'll catch you soon. OK. All right, my friend, you be good, bro. Have you ever covered a carpet stain with a rug, ignored a leaky faucet, pretended your half painted living room is supposed to look that way? Well, you're not alone. We've all got unfinished home projects, whether it's a door that sticks or a disorganized closet or an AC unit that only works half the time.

It all matters. You just haven't taken care of it yet. But there's an easier way. Just download the Thumbtack app. You can search for what you need done and find tons of highly rated pros right in your neighborhood.

Check prices, reviews and book a pro right on the spot. Plus, you'll know what to tackle next because Thumbtack is the app that shows you what to do, who to hire and when. Pull out your phone and in just a few taps, say goodbye to all those unfinished home projects and say hello to caring for your home. The easier way.

Download Thumbtack and start a project today. Okay, picture this. It's Friday afternoon when a thought hits you. I can waste another weekend doing the same old whatever or I can conquer it. I can hop into my all new Hyundai Santa Fe and hit the road. Any road.

The steeper the better. Because my all new Santa Fe is available with H-Trek all wheel drive so I can hit the trail without a worry in the world. Heck, with three rows and best in class rear cargo space, I can pack the whole family in with all our gear. We've got available dual wireless charging for our phones so we'll never lose touch with civilization and we won't lose touch with the primordial power of Mother Earth. So which is it?

Waste the weekend or do something a little more epic? And conquer it in the all new Hyundai Santa Fe. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details. Hyundai.

There's joy in every journey. $35 per line connection charge applies. See T-Mobile.com