Louis Riddick: Cam Ward Is Legit

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You! Justin Turner, you are our fan of the game! This is the Rich Eisen Show. If we get the Joe Flacco who is out of F's to give, the fact that people want to get on their phones and show people you're an adult live from the Rich Eisen Show studio in Los Angeles. Joe Flacco is my favorite player in the league.

I'm saying root for him. Earlier on the show. NFL Network Insider Tom Pellisero. ESPN NBA Insider Sham Shirania. Coming up.

ESPN NFL Analyst Lewis Riddick. And now. And Now, number three of this Friday show, we just concluded. What's more likely, Sean Shirania of ESPN joined us in advance of game four of the NBA Finals tonight that you can watch. Right here on Roku, with our friends at ABC, we'll be broadcasting that game coast to coast.

You can check it out right here. Through this here portal, our number one, Tom Pellicero, my colleague from NFL Network. As you know, we always love talking ball whenever we can, certainly with you at 844-204-RICH. Number to dial or with our friend from ESPN back here on the program, Lewis Riddick, is here. Good to see you, Lewis.

How are you, sir? What's up, man? How are you? Better for seeing you. What's going on in your world?

There you go. Not too much, man. It's kind of like trying to ease on into the summer. That's right. And then I call.

Keep tabs on all in the league and then get back to work in a couple weeks, a couple months. That's right. That's right. So. I'll ask you what we've been wondering here.

Anything from Minicamp this week? Anything, any of the storylines, any of the holdouts, any of the quarterback competitions that you think we do have a roadmap. of what's going to happen in week one and who's going to be around in week one. Lewis Riddick, anything this week. I tell you, look, the the the Sincy situation With Jamar Stewart is just unbelievable.

It's unbelievable how that football team just continues to not be able to shake the reputation that it has for being one that just does not take care of its players en masse.

Now, I know they took care of Joe, they took care of Jamar, they took care of T, but this whole situation with Trey and then not being able to get Jamar Sign, I mean, it's just with Hendrickson, it's just um. It's just mind-boggling. It's mind-boggling because this football team really does know how to identify talent, you know, as far as how to build football teams. It's just how to kind of keep a team together. That's.

That's an interesting one for me. Um You know, I think obviously Um When you start thinking about Aaron and Pittsburgh and what exactly what is the effect going to be? Look, I I thought I had said a couple of months ago, Rich, that I thought that they needed each other, that these two were a good match in terms of Pittsburgh needing a guy who could level them up at uh at quarterback. And I think Aaron does that. And I really do believe.

contrary to maybe what? evidence has shown you that he is someone who can just buy in and fit in and not have to try and manipulate and change and have everything his way and because he's not going to have that in Pittsburgh. And I think that's exactly what he needs to It's just focus playing on the game. Playing the game and playing it at a high level and making everyone else around him better.

So I think those are. Those are two really um Really good stories for me. You got to keep your eye on what's going on in Washington with Terry McLaurin. I know it's early, I know we're still in June. When you're talking about trying to keep a young quarterback from having any kind of setback.

Terry McLaurin is critical for Jaden Daniels. Any time missed is a lot of time missed for me. When it comes to that kind of situation, because Terry is fantastic, and he's not just fantastic as a player, he's fantastic as a teammate. By all accounts, in every account. And Jaden needs him on the field in order for them to take it.

Another step up. and continue to battle With Philadelphia for supremacy in the East, who It's going to be right there again. I mean, Philly is just going to be right there. They just are. They're going to be there again.

Dallas is going to be better. Don't sleep on the Giants. That pass rush The Giants may have a top five defense, a top three defense in the NFL this year. They may have the best pass rush in the NFL this year. Really?

So they can just get their act together offensively. But these will be fun to watch. These will be real fun to watch. Lewis Riddick here on the Rich Eisen Show. What is your expectation level of Rodgers?

And just to follow up, did you just basically say The fact that we're not sitting here talking about Whether Rogers has a list of players that he wants the Steelers to sign, and that he's going to have his own hand picked. coordinator, the fact that that sort of lack of a better phrase catering Is not going to be available. At the Pittsburgh Craft Service is going to serve. Rogers Well, did I pick up on that, Lois? Yeah, exactly.

Exactly. It's amazing what you can do when your mind's not cluttered, right? When you're not trying to wear too many hats and you can just kind of keep the main thing, the main thing. And for him, that main thing is pretty damn good, which is playing quarterback. You know, he's pretty good at that.

And You can hit you can see the respect. You could f you you could feel the respect kind of like emanating you know, through through the television screens Television screen in this sense when he was talking at his press conference, or rather, his media availability about the respect that he had for Mike. I think every player that goes into Pittsburgh Every free agent, every draft pick, every coach that goes there and comes out of there. You know, they always have kind of the same opinion about the fact that this is a. Blue blood.

A true blue blood franchise that makes you or should make you want to act and kind of or level up your own professionalism. and how you do things. And really just want to play ball. I mean, I understand it's a business. TJ Watt in that situation is showing you that it's still a business now.

But it's just when when you're there Can you put on that helmet? and you wear those colors and you walk through that facility. Just want to play ball, man. That's really what it's all about there. And I don't think there's any team that you can say that any more about than Pittsburgh.

And I think that's exactly what Aaron needs. And I think you'll get the best that he's got to give. At this point. At 40 plus years old? is exactly what you'll get.

I don't think you will get I don't think he's going to cheat you in any way as far as what he's going to give you. I think he will wring the rag dry, so to speak, to use a metaphor, as far as what he's got left. And I think that's going to be pretty good. And I think it'll make Pittsburgh pretty interesting. Lewis Riddick here on The Rich Eisen Show from ESPN.

Let's talk some rookies here, Lewis. Did you hear what Cam Ward had to say about what he's going to do between now and training camp? Did you hear that song? Yeah. That was a good quote.

Hold on a minute. We got it. For those who might not have heard it, roll it. It's been good from growing, learning. Especially being with the vets, getting our timing down, so I'm excited for summer.

What's your plan for the next five to six weeks before you report to camp and when you gather with your receivers and some of the other quarterbacks and go over things just to kind of refresh everybody? Just work out, stay in the playbook, and Throw the throw the f ⁇ out the balls. That's so good. Right? What do you think?

When you hear that. That's him and he's He's all bought. Again, we're talking about Pittsburgh. As far as an organization that's just about ball, Cam's just about playing the game. Uh said on T V just the other day that He probably but he's not probably he is the least height talked about number one overall pick that I can remember.

And I can't understand I mean, I understand why, because of the other big personalities in the draft this year, name, you know, at quarterback, namely Shadur and and all the oxygen that he took out of the room as far as the discussion is concerned. But Cam is legit, man. That's how he was. That's what the coaching staff told you when you went up to Fullman at Washington State. That's what Mario Crystal Ball told you when you and Shannon Dawson did uh The offensive coordinator told you when you went down the Coral Gables in Miami, That this is who he is, and then when you watched him on the field and playing games, when you went to his pro day, he's about ball.

And he is a master. Master Talker. When it comes to being able to draw back and forth with the opponent, back and forth with teammates. Hold teammates accountable, hold himself accountable. He is an alpha in every sense.

He is a tier one leader in every sense. He took that program by the throat last year, Rich. He really did. Mario talked about it. Mario played on great teams at Miami.

Played with some of the best college football players and subsequently some of the best NFL football players in the history of the game. And he said, This guy's right up there with the best leaders of them all. It's exactly what Tennessee needed. Jeffrey Simmons, his own, you know, the all-pro Pro Bowl defensive title, was talking about the fact that he was impressed about the fact that this young rookie quarterback. Could train One-liners and Smack talk with the best of them while still taking instruction from his head coach and executing.

The offense In directing the offense at a high level for a rookie, you said, Hell, if for nothing else, I was impressed just by that. And you know he can throw it. You've seen how he can throw it. I just think that as as we get closer and closer to camp and the games start, I think Tennessee for the first time in a while has a guy Who is going to demand that we start covering and sending lots of reporters down there. Say, what do we have with this kid?

What do we have? I know small market team, blah, blah, blah, in the South and the AFC, but. What do we have here? We haven't been giving this kid enough run. It's going to be time to give himself Lewis Riddick here on the Rich Eisen Show.

Maybe part of the reason also you would talk about oxygen that You and I and our respective draft coverages spent time on, obviously. As Cam Ward's walking to the stage, the first major trade of the entire draft season occurs, right? And it's the Browns willingly coughing up the rights to draft Travis Hunter to Jacksonville for Considerations, including a first next year.

So, obviously, we were going to be talking about that. Amidst what we would normally be focusing on. The first overall pick in the draft in Cam Ward. This sound bite from Travis Hunter leapt out at me, Lewis, and I'd love to get your two cents. on it on the other side of Of all of us in the media, including those that were down there in Duval County, hunting and pecking for.

how much he's going to play on both sides of the ball. Yep. How's it been just for you to be able to actually get on the field, play defense, play offense? You've been able to do that during this time. It's been great.

I've been doing it my whole life, so nothing changed. But just learning in an NFL way, just the differences, maybe, or how it's been for you, just adapting. Not really, no difference. Just got to stay in the playbook and apply it to the field. While you're trying to adapt to being an NFL player, how has that been just letting your personality shine through?

It's been very easy for me. You know, the guys come in. I bring the juice every day. Always got a smile on my face, making everyone laugh when I get the chance.

So we just being fun, having fun, and just being kids out here, just loving and living our dream. Yeah, I just love how it's just another day on the field for him, Lewis. You know what I mean? And he's not phased by it. And my only alarm would be if he was the type of kid that wasn't going to be serious about it and he doesn't know what he doesn't know.

I think he knows what he knows. That's the way I'm looking at it with him. But it. The learning what he does in an NFL way, is there a difference? I mean, obviously, we know there's a difference between Big 12 football.

And NFL football, but the endeavor of playing on both sides of the ball is it different? Lewis, it will be. How so then? How so then? I'll say, like, this obviously he's playing against.

11, five stars on the other side of the ball every game, to speak. He doesn't have like one or two, and then a couple three stars, and a couple guys who will be, you know. And it's not like it's bad to work at Goldman Sachs, but guys who are going to be working at Goldman Sachs on Wall Street next year are not playing football. I hear you on that. I know he's playing against better competition, but the endeavor, the actual endeavor of improving football here, of the construct of what I'd love for him to attempt.

You know? Yeah, I think. The physical strain and mental strain of.

Okay, so the physical strain, right? Every hit that he takes. Every route that he runs Every wide receiver that he covers, every tackle that he makes is physically going to exact, take a toll on his body. That's going to be measurably more significant than when it was to Colorado. It just is.

So, can he keep up the same pace at the NFL level that he could? At the college level, no, I don't. I mean, I'm sure he could try it for a little while, but I mean, but see, this isn't a guy that you want to like use up in three, four years in one contract. I mean, Travis is a multiple contract guy, two, three years, two, three contracts that you want to get 15 years out of, maybe.

So, you don't want to run him into the ground to where you basically just drive the wheels off of him. Simply because He wanted to play both sides of the ball. You wanted him to play both sides of the ball, and you didn't have any discipline with doing it. I think that's the difference. Because of the physical and mental strain that it's going to take.

Look, learning the playbook. In Jacksonville under Liam Cohn, I'm sure is look. Pat Shermer is a good friend of mine who's an offense coordinator out there at Colorado. Pat is our ex-pro style coach.

So I'm sure he is kind of like Then Already um Introduced to some NFL-style terminology and a learning process. But now that it's your job. Even though some people say, Well, in college, it's your job, too, but today's the way it's constructed now. But now that it's your job, and now that you're playing. The number of games that you're playing, and the fact that it is a true year-round endeavor, and you're going up the very best of the best.

Like, you just don't know if he can keep up that kind of pace. He may feel like, hey, it's good. I'm doing it now. I mean, but they're in minicamp, they're in OTAs. Not a single dude has touched him yet.

Not a single one. The whole mental part of it right now is it's all just fun. It's all a honeymoon right now, it's all good. Nobody's on your ass right now about wins and losses, drop passes, or touchdowns giving up. There's no stress, none.

And I hope, look, I have no question that he will keep that same attitude, though. Travis is unique. Travis is a unicorn. Travis has been trained. By a guy who you know well, who's one of the best to ever do it as far as play the game and then manage the celebrity of it all.

He's been trained by the very, very best to ever do it.

So, do I think he's uniquely equipped? Yeah. But I just think They just need to be careful, man. Let's not let's not go already a thousand miles an hour. Keep Travis so we can play the long game too, so he can be around for a while.

and not just use him up Because we were so enamored with How ridiculously gifted he is, which he is. Wow. Ridiculously. He is, you know, and I'm. I know this is an unfair analogy, but it's the only one I think I can make.

At some point, we know Otani is going to stop pitching. Right. We know that, although he's about to come back and pitch again. But we just don't think when he's in. You know, contract three.

Well, I mean, contract three is his retirement.

So that's a bad analogy. But, you know, we just don't think that when he's in his mid to late 30s, he's going to be throwing, right? But I'm just like, part of me is like. This kid is a kid once. Like, let's see it.

And maybe he is a unicorn, though, Lewis. Maybe he can actually. Handle this. Maybe this is a good idea. I'm not in any way saying that you shouldn't let him do both.

He should do both. He should definitely do both. Um You are hurting yourself. And you're right. You're putting an unnecessary governor on him That really isn't necessary.

That really is going to not allow you to get everything out of him that you could. I'm just saying. Just be smart. about it. He can't play 125 snaps a game.

Let's not. Damn it. Damn it. I want to see. I was considering thinking about thinking about high school, right?

I was thinking about high school football the other day. Uh We used to go to Friday night football, man. And I thought, you know, the only time I came out the field was field goal kick. And that's a point. That was it.

Let's go. That was it. Let's go. I don't know. I don't know if Travis can do that, man.

If anybody could, he probably could. Yeah, the only Friday game is the day after Christmas, the day after Thanksgiving, right? Sure. All right, so uh then then what do you think is happening in Brown's camp? What do you think is going to happen there?

Before I let you go. Lewis. I think it all it it really does. It really does all depend on how Kevin is able to, as it relates to Shadur. work him in enough Well one, Shadora has to earn The right for Kevin and the staff to have discussions about: hey, we got to get him more reps with the ones and twos.

We got to get him more reps with the ones and twos when we're going team period, not just. Walkthrough, or not just 707, team situations where we move the football in the preseason game. We got to get him more reps. I think he has to earn that. Kevin has to figure out a way to do that.

So then you can reasonably Assess what you have in him compared to Dylan Gabriel, compared to Kenny, compared to Joe Flacker. If you don't. Really?

You know, the conversation around surrounding him is going to continue to be what it's been, which is. But for some people, he was overhyped all along. He's not that great of an athlete. He doesn't have a big enough arm. There's a reason why he was a fifth-round pick, blah, blah, blah.

Which I don't believe. I believe if he has given enough reps, earns enough reps, and then is given enough reps in meaningful situations, he can throw the ball just as good as Joe, if not better, just as good as Kenny, if not better, just as good as Dylan Gabriel, not better. And then, if it's truly what we all like to say the NFL is, which is a meritocracy, which in theory it is, in actuality, there isn't enough time for it to be a total, a true meritocracy, especially when you're talking about trying to get four quarterbacks ready or give four quarterbacks enough reps to figure out. Um Who the best one is? We know that it isn't always that way.

And a lot of times it's just simply because there's just not enough opportunities.

So, can Kevin figure that out? Can he figure out how to get the information to get enough reps to get enough of him on tape to where he could really say? Damn, man, we, you know, maybe, maybe by, I don't know, week four, five, seven. I think seven is kind of like the sweet spot in the season, week seven. Should we be considering putting him in there?

I'm hoping he gets enough run and earns enough run to be able to have them have that conversation. Because I think if he does get enough reps, Rich, I think he will make them have that conversation. Lewis Riddick, as always, love talking ball with you. You got it, man. Let's do it again soon.

Thank you. That's Lewis Riddick of ESPN. Everybody, follow him. We do. Always makes us smarter.

Always love chopping it up with Lewis Riddick right here. On the Rich Eisen Show. Let's take a break. Phone calls. A lot of people want to talk with us, which is good news.

And he mentioned Jeffrey Simmons, what he had to say about Cam Ward.

Well we'll play that uh that sound bite, if you will, for you coming up. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. You chose to hit play on this podcast today. Smart Choice. Progressive loves to help people make smart choices.

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SelectQuote, they shop, you save. Go to selectquote.com slash SpotifyPod today to get started. Brian in Williamsport joining us here on the Rich Island Show. What's up, Brian? Hey, Rich, how you doing?

What's going on in your mind, Brian? Podcaster. Say that's it. Hey, Rich. It's, yeah, first time, long time on the podcast.

All right, Ron, for good. Good to have you here. All right. From the home of Little League Baseball, huh? Love Sport, Pennsylvania.

Fantastic. Yes, sir. What do you want to talk about, Brian? What's on your mind?

Well, I was going to do the Steelers win loss game, but I've also helped out Smoky Bear throughout the first pitch and made a heck of a lot better pitch than Than Taylor Juan. Anybody with an arm and a baseball will throw a better first pitch than Taylor Luan, who has been spending apparently enough time trying to make up for his dreadful Performance. Trying to ride this wrong. And in a way, it's just like, it's over. It's over.

That's the one. That's just, it's over. That's the one we're all going to remember. That's it. I mean, you know.

But uh let's give some music here to Brian in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. All right, win-loss game for the Pittsburgh Stills. You're the first to do this. First game at the Jets, what happens?

Sorry, Rich, but we're going to give a loss to our old quarterback.

Okay. Seattle Seahawks, home for the Seahawks. What happens? I think we're going to win that one as well. At the Patriots.

That one's going to be an interesting game, but I think we're going to go to Ireland with 3-0. And what do you do in Ireland? Yeah. Ireland, um Uh I think we're having a good showing there. I agree with you.

We're going to start 4-0. And I appreciate you listening, Brian, or taking the show in like that because I made a case how they could start 4-0. Um and if you you know I really enjoyed it. You kind of just made it. I bet you did.

Off the bye, off of Ireland, home for the Browns. Oh, home for the Browns. I think we're gonna. I think we're gonna. We're going to win that one.

That's 5-0 at the Bengals short week Thursday night football. That's the Bengals. This is where we're going to, you know, we're going to have a little falter there. They're going to get us. All right.

And then you come home for the biggie. Roger's taking on the Packers for the first time ever. And a Sunday night in Pittsburgh, what happens in Across here? I think that's going to be a tight game, and TJ Watts is going to come through and heal it up for us at the end. Six and one home for the Colts.

Hope the I'm sorry, who's their quarterback? Seven and one at the Chargers. Chargers, I think Harbaugh will get us on that one. 7-2 back home for the Bengals. Back home, we're gonna avenge our loss and uh go.

Gonna win. Eight and two at the Bears. At the bears. I think they got a really strong team this year and uh I think they'll uh I think he'll hand us a lost there. Oh, boy.

Rogers, as you know, owns that team. Let's not forget. I know.

Okay, so we're now eight and three home for the Bills. Home for the Bills. I think we're going to have a back-to-back law.

Okay, eight and four at the Ravens. Look out below. At the Ravens. Yeah, we're going to hit a bit of a skid here, and I think that's the boss. All right, eight and five now.

Dolphins home on a Monday night. Dolphins, this is where we're going to turn it back around. We're going to get them. 9-5 at the Lions. At the Lions, that's going to be a tough game.

I think it'll come down to the end and. I think we're going to lose that one. Nine and six at the Browns. At the Browns are going to win. 10-6 home for the Ravens.

Home for the Ravens. I think you're going to get us this year. They're just a tough team.

Okay, so you're 10-7. Go figure that. I've never heard the Steelers finishing 10-7 before. Brian in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It says same as it ever was, but we'll I would think that that m makes them uh a playoff team.

So I'm hoping, and then hopefully, we can finally get that win back. Thank you very much. There you go, Brian in Williamsport VA hanging on a Steelers from Lunski. I don't wanna divulge like, you know the the conversations we have off air, but like TJ just said in my ear, If the Steelers start eight and two, he'll shave his head. I promise you.

Excuse me, sir. Excuse me. Excuse me. Would you do that? What do you think?

You wouldn't. No, I didn't say that. Oh. Can't have four ball dudes in here. What was said to me was: if the Steelers go eight and two, I'll shave your head.

And I'm like, I don't want to have anything to do with that bit. Chris, I know you don't. I know you think the Steelers are an eight and two starter. I mean, I think that would shock the whole league. Chris?

At the Jets. The Steelers always beat the Jets. And when I say always, I understand it's not the same old Jets. It's a new Aaron Glenn and all of that business. I know we're just focusing on Pillars.

You don't think Justin Fields wants to prove something in that game? Of course he does. Yeah, he's got the best. But when it all comes down to it, Chris. Home for the Seahawks, winnable game at the Patriots, winnable game.

It is going to be. A Steelers Palooza crowd, no matter how many folks might skull chant and make it from. the great city of uh Minneapolis. That is going to be insane in Dublin when the Steelers are there. And the Rooney family is there.

You come off of a bye week, and you're home for the Browns winnable game. At the Bengals? The short week? Tough one. Could lose that one for sure.

Could lose any of them. I get it. Home for the Packers. And then Home for Indianapolis? Those are eight games.

They could easily be six and two in those games. 100%. And then at the Chargers home for the the Bengals again. I thought he was going to say Rogers doesn't lose in Chicago. The Steelers are going to take that.

These are winnable football games with a team that has a stout defense. And a quarterback that could bring... More points to bear. We're not going to apologize for winning. It's June.

We all get caught up playing the win-loss game. I did it last week, but I'm just saying 8-2 for a start for the Steelers. Wow, I'd be stunned Let's do something that nobody's talking about, which is talk about Cam Ward. Again, listen. We don't talk about this kid.

Why not? Because we have the power to do so. I'll explain why in a second. But the way to set it all up is, we had one of the best smack talkers in the game sitting in that chair, filling up every square inch of it. Right around this time last summer, when Jeffrey Simmons came in here and said this about how he was going to treat.

A first overall drafted quarterback in Caleb Williams when he saw him in week one of last year. Yeah. One of the National Football League season. will be It's a first human being. On the other side of the line of scrimmage.

Painted nails. In a game. Painted nails. I can't wait to say that to her. For Caleb Williams.

So you got that plan. Oh, it's going to. Yeah. So, you know, um Caleb did win that game. Will Levis was a turnover machine, unfortunately, in a game where the Titans were.

We're looking good. Um And yada yada yada. The Titans wound up with a first overall pick anyway, and Jeffrey Simmons apparently getting Cam Ward ready for. what the Broncos might be saying to him in week one. of his career.

when he opens up in Denver and Simmons giving him the business already, apparently. Past weekend I was like, you know, I'm gonna be talking smack to you too.

So, you know, it's it's fun, you know. I think at the end of the day, as you guys saw it, and I saw it myself, that you know, when you can have a guy with that much confidence as a rookie, I mean, I haven't been spent that much around time around him. And we talked going back and forth, talking smack with each other. And, you know, he was able to get back in the huddle and still throw the ball down the middle of the field.

So I think that was the most impressive thing, not him talking smack to me, but I think being able to get back in the huddle, get to play to the guys, and still operate the offense, I think that was the most impressive thing.

So How's Cam taken? This was Cam Ward's response about what Jeffrey Simmons has been giving him in practice. I'm always locked in. The trash talk, it'll never mean nothing to me. It won't get to me in some type of way.

I'm just somebody who likes doing it. And so, what's the point of playing something that you love, you can't have fun with? And so, you know, that's where it comes from. But, I mean, I love the game. And so, any chance I get to let somebody know that they can't me, it really doesn't matter.

I like that. Didn't we see a moment with him and Shador? What was that? Yeah, or somewhere where Shador said we should make music together. And he's like, I'm a football player.

Right? And the two of them have a relationship where they give each other crap like that. But a lot of folks were saying, well, Shador's not serious. Cam Ward is. And it's interesting that Cam Ward now has that.

mantra of being, you know, all about ball. Or at least we're now noticing it. It's about that business. Um Because The way his Miami career ended was him. We all know the narrative he turned down.

the competition. Leaving in the middle of a game that we're wondering Why did you play in the first place? Remember that? Yeah. It's all like, well, he didn't play in the second half, right?

Is that what it was? Right, where he wasn't all in for his teammates. He was all in for his teammates in a game that he really shouldn't have been playing in because that's what guys who are now first overall type quarterbacks do or type quarterbacks. Top draft picks do is they want to avoid getting hurt in games that really don't mean anything because they're not in the college football playoffs.

So we gave them. you know, kudos for doing that, but then he left in the middle of the game and it's really weird. Remember that? Yeah. And there's a lot of talk about that's a red flag.

Why would you want a guy on your team who's turning down the competition? But we're kind of learning that. He's not that kid. What's he going to do between now and training camp now that he's got the summer? Hit it.

Oh, we got that. Yeah, play that soundbite one more time if you don't mind. That we played for Lewis Riddick. This is the greatest soundbite. This is what everybody's talking about right here.

We were all wondering, like, what's he going to do? between now and uh the first uh SNAPA training camp. It's been good from growing, learning, especially being with the vets, getting our timing down.

So I'm excited for the summer. Yeah. What's your plan for? The next five to six weeks before you report to camp, and when you gather with your receivers and some of the other quarterbacks and go over things just to kind of refresh everybody? Just work out, stay in the playbook, and Throw the throw the f out the balls.

Alright. I like it. Don't you? I do. I do.

Kind of like seeing this right now. That's fun. And if you're a Titan fan, you got to be fired up. Yeah. Yeah.

That was a conversation. It's like, why'd he start a game that he shouldn't have been playing and then why'd he leave it? Remember that was a conversation, red flag. Yeah, the Pop-Tart bowl. That's what that was.

And then later, Miami came out and said, oh, this was all part of the party. It's like, how weird is this? Yeah. So, was he just trying to make a show of it that he's playing in a game that he doesn't have to? And then he takes himself out?

And, like, what's that all about?

Well, we couldn't be. Learning what a bunch of crap that was. And then again. Um When you were watching Miami football. this past year.

Were you sitting there saying that's the first overall pick in the draft? Was that a consensus? Not a consensus.

Sometimes he looked like it and then other times. Right. Right. Not so much. And then there was like what?

Ward time? With a couple minutes to go? Yeah, wait, fourth quarter, they're down, and he'd. Boom. Pull magic out of that.

Yeah, he would do that. And so. Yeah, you have to Take a look at the fact that a lot of folks were saying Shador. Could be a first overall selection, and we found out that couldn't have been further from the reality. The way that the league evaluated And then the kid becomes the first overall pick.

In a draft after we saw six of the first 12, and now we were wondering how many first overall first-round quarterbacks was there going to be, was he just. You know. better and pushed up because there was no one else in a quarterback needy league. That was a question about Cam Ward. Then he doesn't work out of the combine.

Mm-hmm.

Okay. And if he is all about ball, he's not going out there and... Mm-hmm.

Marketing himself. And then He's drafted by a Titans team that Coast to coast, with all due respect. Not a lot of people talk about Tennessee Titans football. We get a lot of grief from diehard Titans fans saying, why don't you talk about it right now? Or when we do, it's about, you know, mayonnaise and banana peels.

And so. There's that. And then we were waiting to see who is going to potentially Move up in the draft. Didn't get that. At all.

And then we finally got a trade as he's walking to the stage. And with all due respect to Lewis Riddick and ESPN's coverage, it was all about once Cam Ward was drafted. one of the members on there coverage going nuts about Making the wrong decision. While we on our side, on our draft coverage, we talked about Cam Ward. About two minutes, three minutes.

Before we were like, oh my God, there's a trade, and it's for Travis Hunter, and the Browns are not going to take him. And it's the Jaguars who are. And I'll be honest with you, I will always shoot everyone straight here when this moment was happening on the stage. When Camward had his jersey, I was thinking to myself, We've got to give the kid his due. We've got to talk about him.

But man, when the hell can I turn the page to the biggest news of the draft? Because we all knew the Titans were taking Cam Warden. And that's not fair to him. It's not. And then you have to do the camera.

And then you look at the schedule. Titans, no primetime games, no standalone games. They are in that. one o'clock window the whole season pretty much. Or noon central, right?

Right. Bye week right in the middle of the season.

So That's why I think Cam War, but I'm kind of intrigued. And and then fantasy Drafts are about around the corner. I'm wondering where people are going to. Does anybody have any sense of where? Cam Ward should be selected in your fantasy draft.

Or, how does him being the quarterback affect Calvin Ridley, Tajik Spears, some of these other players on the TV? And the reason why we bring this up, this obviously has nothing to do with reality, but this has something to do with what's being talked about. Quite a bit. is a if a if a casual fan is is Is talking about you, it's most likely because they've just drafted you in fantasy or they can't wait to draft you in fantasy. And I don't even know if anybody has any idea what to make of Cam Ward right now.

At all. But it'll start week one. That's going to happen in Denver. I kind of just broke it down for you why why Fewer people are talking about them. And why maybe we Should start paying attention a little bit more.

'Cause he is gonna spend his summer break Throwing the F out of the oot ball. I guess he's throwing an oot ball around because he's throwing the F out of it. Right? Get the F out. He's playing Utball.

Yeah. This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. Between two-factor authentication, strong passwords, and a VPN, you try to be in control of how your info is protected. but many other places also have it, and they might not be as careful. That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats.

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McCarthy is on the top five list of most pressured quarterbacks in the NFL. Because again, Um last year Vikings draft Him move up a spot to take him. He gets hurt in preseason. It's Sam Darnold's gig. Sam Darnold has the career year.

That leads him to Seattle. And now Minnesota is saying: guess what? It's your job. to go get J.J. McCarthy.

And it's a ready-made team. I mean, this is a team that. was One game shy of the one seed in the NFC last year. And then wound up being a five-seed and got one in Duned in Los Angeles.

So there's lots of expectation here. JJ McCarthy meeting with the media. And his first mandatory mini camp as the starter. The thing I learned about myself is, you know, Just the weight that I hold every single day and just showing up, being the same guy every single day, bringing that attitude, effort, and energy. You know, it infects, you know, the whole group.

And it's just so amazing to see, you know, Ryan Kelly, Blake Brandle, Brian O'Neal, all these guys step up and be this one cohesive unit. And, you know, it just really makes me truly excited just to get back here, fall camp again. But yeah, it's just the biggest thing I learned is that the things that I can control mean so much more than I ever even thought. And it's just awesome doing it with a great group of guys. Every time he opens his mouth, you just leave your.

I'm obviously biased, but. Aren't you impressed? Every time he opens his mouth? I was very impressed when we met him at the draft, and I'm still rooting for him. I like him a lot.

We are all in on this guy, man. Asked about how he's improved with his throwing. Here was his answer. Do you think that you've grown the most from when you got here last year just as a pure thrower of the football to where you are right now? Pure thrower of the football, I believe I've grown the most on just the different level of trajectories of throws.

You know, at Michigan, I was kind of a one-speed pitch kind of guy. You know, had a couple deeper balls with like, you know, level three throws and stuff like that. But just working on that two ball and you know, different paces to the pitches and you know, ball location and all that, because at the end of the day, we want as much yak and rack as possible.

So, you know, I love it because guys, when I was at Michigan, I was just a pure speaker of the language. You know, and then after I left Michigan, I learned different inflections, different ways of phrasing things and Pardon me for saying, look at me now. Yeah. Look at you. Look at us.

What is a pure thrower of the football? What does that mean? I told you there's an impure thrower. Because if Phillip Rivers is an impure thrower of the football, Phillip Rivers, this might get him to the Hall of Fame. Tim Thibault, impure thrower of the football.

I don't know if he's going to the Hall of Fame. I told you. He's in a husband house, though. There's no additives or preservatives in his throw. It's just pure.

It's just a pure throw. It's just a pure throw. Come on, JJ. JJ, we're all in on JJ. We are racking.

Did you like how I compared myself to JJ? Was it lost on us? Yak and Rack, baby. Oh, yack and rack. Yak and rack, baby.

Keep it rally? And throw the F out of the football. Uh The United States Soccer Federation presents the U.S.

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