Peter and Justin reflect on the 2005 PTL season, handing out league record shoutouts and recognizing standout teams before shifting to the early 2006 offseason. They break down the biggest trades so far, including Peyton Manning to Denver, Chad Pennington to Arizona, and Philip Rivers to the Texans, and share predictions on how the landscape will shift heading into the new season.
Transcript below:
Peter: [00:00:00] well, welcome everybody to PTL Blitz. I'm your host, Peter Finger. I'm joined by Justin. How you doing buddy?
Justin: Doing good. How are you? I can't believe a season's already over and we're already trugging through the 2006.
Peter: I know. Yeah, it moves so quickly.
It's kind of hard to catch your breath. It feels like I was just writing like an end of season article and then all of a sudden it's like Super Bowls over.
Justin: Peyton Manning's already gone.
Peter: Yeah, right. And Peyton Manning's already gone, right? Chad [00:01:00] Pennington already gone. So, uh, yeah, there is a lot to discuss.
Things move very quickly. It's like I didn't even, we didn't even have a chance to celebrate the, uh, the cowboys from winning. But let's sort of, start, maybe at the beginning I'll sort of give you the reins because I, I know you, you wanted to host this one. So, uh, why don't you start us off?
Justin: All right.
Sounds great. Um, yeah, so I mean, as we said, the season just came to an end and we're already chugging away at the old one. But before we move on to the, what's new, let's try to reflect on what happened. Just wanted to kind of get your thoughts as a season as a whole. What'd you like and, uh, what do you wish was different?
Peter: Well, uh, you know, again, was a pretty, pretty fun season, I guess from me, myself, on my own team. You know, we, we started the season with Hopes, the seven wins. We ended up with 11, so definitely kind of broke through that ceiling. And we ended up winning the division. So the playoff appearance was sort [00:02:00] of a surprise.
But if I sort of look at my record, it looks like, uh, majority of the winds kind of came from the division itself, but we did have some sort of big boy wind against the, uh, the Colts and the Texans and the Titans. And, uh, we also swept the Jaguar. So that's a whole a FC South. I don't know. It was, uh, obviously it's fun to win but hopefully we can, you know, start to win some games against, uh, tough teams like your own.
How about yourself? What, what was your season like?
Justin: Overall, I mean, it was positive. I, you know, this third season in a row was able to win the division. I can't say I was extremely happy with it. Took a step back, was eliminated in the wild card. I mean, some positives though that I will wanna reflect on.
I think I found a good receiver with Santana Moss. He is definitely, I can see life post to
Peter: Hol. Yeah. Yeah. He's just a little good.
Justin: Yeah. And then, uh, you know, see Grant obviously, uh, [00:03:00] my middle linebacker whos my first draft pick in this new league, have a soft spot for him.
Peter: Yeah.
Justin: So I'm happy to see him develop and uh, you know, I think he led the league with tackles this year, so that was great to see.
But as I said, you know, like what I wish was different mark Ger seemed, you know, he took me to a championship last season, not in 2004.
Peter: Mm-hmm.
Justin: And, um. It seemed like he kind of regressed this year. Towards the end I was hoping to see him kind of, especially with, with higher awareness, I was hoping to see a more improvement.
Peter: Yeah.
Justin: And especially with the targets. Um, and then, you know, obviously injury bug has been something I've been struggling with the last few seasons. Even though I tried to play more conservative towards the end of the year mm-hmm. And rest some of my starters. Tory Holt, even though he had missed five weeks before with a broken jaw.
Peter: Right.
Justin: Barely got touched and ended up missing the playoffs. So, you know, he was a big part of my offense going into the playoffs, so [00:04:00] missing him was a big miss opportunity for my team with the aging quarterback, so.
Peter: Right, right.
Justin: You know, those were the things that I wish were a little bit different, but there's not much I can do about injuries.
That's just a part of the game.
Peter: my question is sort of like, kind of hanging on this, this thought as you sort of see your team are, are you like thinking about any, like, major changes?
Justin: Yes and no. my current contract situation with Warner, he's 35 years old, so I'm not expecting him to be around probably after this could be easily his last season.
and he has contract issues, so I can't really move him.
Peter: Mm-hmm.
Justin: So I'm sort of, so he, it looks like I'm stuck with him for till he, till he basically retires.
Peter: Mm-hmm.
Justin: And with that in mind, I might as well keep my window open, so,
Peter: mm-hmm.
Justin: I am, um, I'm trying to find this balance between making some key position changes and adjusting for the future while keeping my window open with Warner so I [00:05:00] don't just have a wasted year.
So, you know, like Tory Holt, just put him on the block this morning.
Peter: Wow, that's interesting.
Justin: Yeah, he just, he, he, it's not, he's obviously still a great receiver and stuff like that, but he's getting on his last year of his contract with me and, um, if I'm going to make a move, this would be the window of opportunity to do that because moving forward he's probably gonna regress more and I don't wanna, you know, his value will go down, so.
Peter: Sure.
Justin: Just trying to figure out can I, can I move him for any significant piece? If I can't, I won't. So mm-hmm. If, and if I did move him, it, right now, it's, to me, I'm looking for a replacement receiver in that area. Right. So I, I feel comfortable with Moss I stepping up. And taking that, he, he obviously showed he can take on the workload now and
Peter: mm-hmm.
Justin: I just now am looking [00:06:00] for that future receiver to compliment his skillset.
Peter: Yeah. Do you, do you have any strategy around injury? or are you just thinking like, if I can get some younger players then will have the pieces with youth on their side?
Justin: No, I haven't done the research on injury and how it affects older players.
I know that when the first few years or the first year or so of Holt
Peter: mm-hmm.
Justin: He seemed to be pretty healthy and he didn't have any injury issues and now that he's been creeping up in age, it seems like he's been going down for extended periods of time. So I don't know if that's a game mechanic of him actually being impacted impacted
Peter: yeah.
Justin: By it or if it's just simply bad luck. But I'm looking at Moss who had tons of workload and you know, he's healthy as ever. So,
Peter: yeah, I'll say
Justin: I think, I think there, I think there [00:07:00] is a part of me that might believe that going younger you might, I mean, obviously it depends on the injury statistic of that player as well, you know?
Mm-hmm. How injury friendly they're to begin with. Right. But I'm, I'm thinking that there's part of me that's maybe hunching towards that youth could solve that issue.
Peter: Mm-hmm.
Justin: So, but I don't know. I mean, I haven't done, I haven't done a deep dive into the correlations between age and impact on health.
Peter: Well, I, I do think, uh, your mindset of just sort of uh, seeing what sort of unravels, I know you've had a lot of success in the past. That's how Santana Moss made it onto your team, just keeping your eyes open. That is how you ended up with your quarterback in SFL. Uh, and he ended up having a pretty good season.
So, yeah, I, I, I think that just having an open mind and like, kind of letting things unravel, there's not necessarily like a timeline per se,
Justin: you know, me, I, I stick with older players, I mean mm-hmm. That's [00:08:00] always been my thing, so.
Peter: Mm-hmm.
Justin: Me actually trying to move a player is pretty rare.
Peter: Mm-hmm.
Justin: Um, I wouldn't say I'm actively moving Holt. Like I, if, if I can't find a, pick a trade that to me is worth it, then I'm not gonna make that move.
Peter: Yeah. Yeah,
Justin: it's just, I'm not desperate to move him. It's just I want, you know, he is on his last year of his contract and I might as well see what the market is for a player like him.
Peter: Sure. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely, absolutely. Well, just in a little peek in into my own team and, uh, my thoughts around transition. I think it's a lot about maintenance. I have drafted a ton of young guys in the, uh, last few seasons. And so as I approach like these next three years, it's really just about who can I keep restructuring so that I can keep the majority of my team.
I think at this pace I'm like looking at either Rin James or Jonathan [00:09:00] Banu as like maybe guys that I have to let go. Otherwise this was like the first season that I've had where I haven't match eligible a player. I, I just have no interest in any of the guys that are leaving my team in order to like.
I welcome them back. So I, uh, I just haven't done it other than that. Like, I'm looking at guys with one to two years on their contracts still, and, uh, seeing if I can keep 'em on my team. It's about growth.
Justin: Well, uh, I have a question. You seem to have unlocked your team, so to speak this year where you were finding success late.
I mean, you had a rocky start, but obviously down the stretch you, um, put, put together, I think a winning streak. I think you went, went all the way through.
Peter: Yeah, that's right. Yeah, it was like, uh, all week 10 to week 17, that was all wins baby. That was like the
Justin: majority of, no, I know you, I, I knew you were [00:10:00] traveling and you contribute some of your success to you just being overseas.
Peter: Mm-hmm.
Justin: Which I'm, we, we'll, we'll have to do deeper research into that.
Peter: Why?
Justin: No, but, uh, seriously, do you, what do you contribute to the winning streak? Did you think, did you make adjustments to your game plan strategy? Do you think players just, you gave 'em enough awareness or something? What was the, you think, the thing that really separated you down the stretch?
Peter: You know what, when I look at my team and I saw what had really improved, it was our Russian game. Getting TJ Docket kind of moving through the tackles made a major difference. Uh, I think he went from like five touchdowns to eight touchdowns and he went from like. Barely over a thousand to like 1400 yards.
Uh, I think we ended up like fourth in the league in rushing. So I think that that was a major a major improvement from last year. Also, seems like [00:11:00] Vic had some moves this year. I, I, I see that as moves as he was a rushing quarterback. Man, dude, he had like four rushing touchdowns this year and he had some that like went for like 65 yards on a run.
So, that was kind of an interesting dynamic. Now you know, his play calling was more conservative. I didn't have like a wide receiver that went over a thousand yards, let alone like 800. But, he did seem to have a little bit more accuracy. Um, his QBR went up to 91, uh, and that was like 80 something beforehand.
So, I don't know, like as I sort of evaluate my team, this seems to be a good direction. It's just about trying to develop our players so that we can kind of like improve upon the things that we're doing. Great. If I'm sort of like looking at huge opportunities, there's still a big one and trying to get like a major wide receiver with breakout ability.
But you know, if we can kind of replicate some of the success we had. Thi [00:12:00] this year, uh, as we go into like next year. I, I think like that would be a win, right? If I can just maintain consistency, uh, I think that that'd be awesome. You know, like Vic's still 25 years old. Uh, he is 92 awareness, so maybe in like a year or two I can get 'em to 99.
And, uh, maybe some, some things are really trying to pop, pop, you know, I, uh, I know that there is a stigma around Russian quarterbacks. But I don't know, I'm, I'm kind of curious to see what, what's next? 'cause this is all sort of a mystery to me.
Justin: I don't know, bro, like Michael Vick seems to have this, like the cheat code in the off season.
You might be able to be like at 97 before week one.
Peter: Hey, I only hope so. I am only hoping so
Justin: training camp and uh, preseason. You might get an extra five, who knows.
Peter: Yeah, that was pretty unheard of last time.
Justin: Yeah, you better type in the exact same numbers you [00:13:00] did that first time.
Peter: Yeah, that's right.
Justin: so yeah, you know, outside of looking at our teams what other teams impressed you this season?
I guess I'll start off with a couple that I wanted to do a shout out to. You know, first off Vikings, I apologize. My, in my last off season thing, I thought your team was rebuilding for the future. You were able to get rid of Dante Cole Pepper and still make the NFC Championship in that division.
Peter: Right. But didn't they trade for Steve McNair? I
Not to discredit anything, but I think there was a change in quarterback.
Justin: Right? He teach, he got a new quarterback as soon as he faced me and beat me, so.
Peter: Gotcha.
Justin: I think it was Steve McNair.
Peter: There we go. Yeah,
Justin: Steve Mc. Mc, who was a former Super Bowl champion.
Peter: Mm-hmm.
Justin: But you know, he still made it to the championship game and that's a very tough division. So kudos to Justin keeping that team going. Lions in that division, I [00:14:00] can't, oh, you know, we, I was hot on them last I off season.
I'm, you know, I think our praise of them paid off. They did come in, I think second in the, the conference and uh, that's a pretty big accomplishment right there.
Peter: Yeah. They turned their team around quick.
Justin: And then finally Denver, you know, obviously it looks like their team's on the verge of. Being ready for a Super Bowl.
Mm-hmm. And I believe they finished top two, so props to them. And uh, you know, that's the, A FC West is also another competitive division, so that's a, yeah, that's a big accomplishment. So those are, you know, and then finally cowboys can't, I mean, I know that they won the Super Bowl, but, you know, just put in perspective, they were one of the worst rosters at the beginning.
Peter: Yeah.
Justin: And they turned, they turned it around in three seasons, so props to them.
Peter: Yeah. They, uh, they certainly have some unique players on that team. I think, um, you [00:15:00] know, seeing some of the position shifts in, in Apollo has created some really unique players on that roster. It'd be very interesting to see how they want to build around that.
But you can definitely see the success that they're already having and the success that they've had with Drew Brees and his age only means like this is gonna be some somewhat of a dynasty. Yeah.
Justin: All right. Was there any other teams you wanted to call out or is
Peter: that Yeah, just a quick, just a quick footnote.
You know, a a, as much as you know, I mentioned the change of quarterback from Brooks Bollinger to Steve McNair. I, I think like Brooks only lost three games, whereas McNair lost two. So, you know, sure, we saw a veteran take under center, but I'm not confident that the change in quarterback would be much different from one or the other.
I think, uh, he might've gotten injured midway [00:16:00] through, so that's kind of a neat, neat transition for them and being able to maintain speed. Another one that I, was impressed by that lost their quarterback was the Texans. You know, they had Chad Pennington and he went down and, uh, the Texans were able to sort of maintain speed by, getting Mark Brunell from, uh, from the Jacksonville and I, and, and they ended up winning the A FC South Division.
So I thought that that was sort of a nice crown. The Ravens man, they might have had a, a weak quarterback. I think they were like 20th in scoring, but man, they were first in defense and ended up winning that division. That's pretty exciting. You know, I think Nob does a great job of, uh, rostering his team and I think, uh, they've got a lot of young guys to keep building.
Although they thought the Bengals took a step forward. You know, I, I know that they went out and got Carson Palmer in the first, first draft. But it seems like some things are starting to click and that team is, is warming up. So I think, uh, a piece of it into place, I think, uh, Denver had a huge season, very [00:17:00] competitive.
It looks like their window is, is kind of opening up. So I'm curious to see what changes they'll make in this off season. Sort of a spoiler ahead, they made a big change. So, uh, very excited to see what that roster will look like at the end. I thought that the Cols did a really. Nice job of scoring, like they're still an incredible offense.
It's just that they missed the playoffs and I think that folks might focus on that more than just the success of, of that team this year. The Bears, they have got a really young team, but, uh, they led the league in sort of rookie performance. So that is a awesome season from them and really exciting if they can maintain some of that momentum going into next year.
That'll definitely be, uh, some strong players to build around. And then you mentioned the Lions, you know, that was a huge turnaround, so I just wanna echo that. Those are some of the, uh, the teams that I had.
Justin: Awesome. Well for these teams to be great, they're only as good as the players that are on [00:18:00] them.
Um, I know that we we're not, we're not having an official awards this year, but I'll, give it a chance for you to call out any players that you think stuck out for you
Peter: so I know we're a young team and, um, we only have a few seasons under our belt, but it already looks like, the league is creating some momentum in some of like, performances and incredible performances that we've seen. So, well I just wanna make mention Peyton Manning 5,274 yards passing as a new record.
we still, uh, have had more success on sort of like the touchdowns and the QQBR ratings. Clinton Portis, he had 1,850 rushing yards and that breaks his last year's record. So that's the new standard. Um, your guys Santa Moss. 2,124 yards, receiving 100 receptions. And tho those [00:19:00] both are, are new records in the PTL.
And then outside tackle, Brian McKinney 133 PR pancakes. That's new record. Your other guy, C Grant, middle linebacker 132 tackles. That is the new, new league record. And then lastly John Abraham broke the league record with 23 Sacks. as these set the new standard it'll be curious to see what new players will see next season.
I can only see some of these as, as like standard benchmarks and we're going to see something even better, but I don't know if, uh, Santa MA's, 2,124 yards are going to get broken anytime soon. I think that that one's a huge accomplishment.
Justin: Cool. Um, and how about for the rookie performances, any, uh, rookies stand out for you?
Peter: Sure, yeah. So, on the, uh, the rookies, I know we've got some new records as well. So when we kinda look at, look at rookie performance, you know, it, it is a growing league, right? As, as people get [00:20:00] more experience we should see performance increase. And we did see some, some new record breakers this year.
So Aaron Rogers, this new quarterback, or I should say new rookie quarterback leader, he finished with 3,822 yards passing and 81.2 QBR. He had 25 touchdowns. And those all were record breaking records. This year. Um, Konso Thorpe of the Buffalo Bills total speedster, he finished with 1,708 yards receiving 74 receptions.
And also the new record for average of 23.1 yards per reception. All of those break the records. I think. Um, last year it was like, uh, also the Buffalo Bills wide receiver, Bernard Ian was his name, and he was last year's rookie rookie leader. So, uh, again, just, uh, just a way to get max performances from these young guys. Very curious to see how they developed going forward.
Middle linebacker [00:21:00] Alfred Fincher set a new record with 126 tackles halfback. Brandon Jacob set a new record with 4.9 yards per carry. That's a new record. And then Jacoby Ford should be celebrated for his six touchdown season. It didn't end up breaking with, uh, most amount of, of receptions, nor is 16 touchdowns in a single season.
A new record. But that's a, uh, really incredible performance from a guy. Whose sort of attributes are a little different than what we think of being like this breakout performer. So that's kind of interesting, and I'm curious to see if there's anybody that picks up on something like that and ends up, you know, overdrafting, not overdrafting, that's not the right word, but we start to see like those five, eight guys with a ton of speed ended up going off the board a little bit sooner because we've seen some of these performances.
Justin: Yeah, Jacoby Ford was a steal apparently with the, with the results he got. I mean, he was drafted 3.2 so [00:22:00] Yeah,
Peter: crazy, right?
Justin: And, sorry, three point 20. So
Peter: yeah,
Justin: I mean, he was, he, he was, he was taken pretty late. Um, yeah,
Peter: and that's wild.
Justin: But he did have 99 speed and 99 acceleration. The only thing people didn't like about him was his height,
Peter: right.
I mean, and, and if you were gonna like, keep that player as a developer, like where do you develop just plus three in awareness every year? I
Justin: would've taken him for his kick return. 98.
Peter: Yeah. Yeah. It was a good selection. It definitely is a Seahawks player, if I can see one.
Justin: Well, he wasn't used as a kick returner.
Come on, missed talking around you.
Peter: Oh. Or just, uh, uh, injury risk. You know, you don't wanna put the extra pressure on that guy.
Justin: Yeah, that's true. He does have that, that that's a, that is a big concern about him. He, you want to guess what his injury is?
Peter: What is, what is his injury? Sta
Justin: 57.
Peter: Wow. Well, he had a, he had a healthy season this year.
Justin: Yeah.
Peter: Yeah.
Justin: All right. So that was looking at the players [00:23:00] and how they did this year. I wanted to transition to some of the teams that struggled this year. And get your opinion on , which teams are you counting on having a bounce, bounce back season next year based off what you've seen so far?
Peter: Well, I think let me just, let me collect my thoughts here. Let's see. Bounce back season, huh? Who, let's see. And this, and are we, and am I, am I evaluating this before any trades?
Justin: No. You can consider trades. I mean, I'm, I'm looking at, to be honest, I'm looking at your, what teams do you think will be most changed from this season
Peter: So I think maybe like the teams that we see with maybe a ton of younger players and they're still trying to get, say, like a footing on developing their young guys. You know, I have to think of like the, the, the [00:24:00] Dolphins or the Panthers or even the Saints, arizona Cardinals, like these guys have young players that they're trying to develop and you know, it's only a matter of time before things start to break a little bit more even in the division because you know, those players developing.
I think maybe the most obvious one is maybe the Bengals. I think that they are at this point to where they just need a game or two to sort of like get over that, that, that hump. I think the Ravens are positioned for a lot of success just with their young guys. I think there's an opportunity for the Jaguars to do something this off season.
I'm pretty hopeful about the Denver Broncos, but we already kind of talked about that. I know the Chargers have sort of like a young roster as well, and you know, maybe they improve upon what they, what they've done last year. I think [00:25:00] the Redskins are sort of in an interesting position. I know they got unlucky with a quarterback injury and you know, are sort of committed to, to, uh, Ramsey and so I think that those are some of the teams that I would be looking at.
I think the Buccaneers are kind of an interesting one as well as, uh, they'll be retiring some of their older guys to put in new talent. It's just sort of a slower process. So, yeah, some, some big opportunity. I guess like all of the NFC South.
Justin: Speaking of one of the teams you brought up, the Arizona Cardinals, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but they did just bring on Chad Pennington as their new quarterback and they traded Philip Rivers at the Tex.
Wanna get your thoughts on that?
Peter: Sure. Yeah. I mean, I think that that's one of like the big trades that I, I'm sure we can dive in a little bit deeper, but I think that's one of like the big trades this off season that makes things very interesting for both of those teams. You know, the Texans have been looking for a quarterback solution.
They've already doing it on the ground. Uh, they've got a pretty decent [00:26:00] defense. , They had the, the playoff appearance this last year. So that helps 'em out from a contractual standpoint. But having Phil Rivers is an interesting addition. Um, he's already pretty poised to be a strong developing player in this league.
But Arizona is looking for an immediate solution and they need to turn that club around quickly. And I think that Pat Chad Pennington is like the right solution there. You know, I, as much as I commented. This last year about how I thought that Arizona defense might keep them competitive in games didn't really show up in the score and they ended up pretty low in, in terms of like how their defense did.
So having a offensive weapon like Chad Pennington and a veteran at that I know again, there's some other weapons that they're adding. I think that they are making some extreme changes to their roster that will be interesting to see how they [00:27:00] pan out this next season. I think it immediately rockets the Arizona Cardinals into somewhat of a competitive discussion.
Justin: So do you think, uh, it was a good idea to move on from Field Rivers only after what, like two seasons?
Peter: I think it's necessary to make a move like this just because of contract rent length. The other thing that I'm really liking about that trade is, is that Pennington has four years on his contract.
So when you're talking about trying to maybe build other pieces of your offense, not have to worry so much about the quarterback, you've got a solution for the next, you know, three, four years before you have to start looking at, replacing that piece again. And maybe at that point you've got some other weapons around that you've developed that can aid a rookie quarterback if, if that's the route they wanna go in.
Yeah.
Justin: I just learned about this move, so I'm reacting to it kind of like, yeah.
Peter: Yeah. How, how, as a person in, in that division, how do [00:28:00] you feel about Pennington?
Justin: Well, I think, um, it moves them to either being in the conversation of winning the division, if not coming at least in second.
Peter: Mm-hmm.
Justin: and that's just for this season. I mean, obviously my time with Warner is coming to an end, so this is kinda like the last season I imagine that my window's open and, um, I'm gonna start transitioning for the future. So they seem to be positioning themselves for, as you said, having a cheap quarterback for three or four seasons before they have to make a move can make them the next top dog for a little bit.
I don't know what 49 ERs have been doing yet. and I don't know what the, you know, what the Seahawks are gonna look like. 'cause Seahawks have been making some great, you know, draft picks
Peter: mm-hmm.
Justin: That are just getting better and better. So, we'll, we'll see what's going on there, but, my initial reaction is, I think you're right.
It put puts him in the playoff contention I think their, I [00:29:00] think their quarterback was holding him back. So,
Peter: yeah. I,
Justin: and I, I, I've liked their defense in the previous seasons, so, it's unfortunate with Philip Rivers, 'cause they did spend 1.1 to get him and he was, I mean, I guess the fact that they traded him in two seasons, I would call that a bust.
But, you know, it's, it's unfortunate that Rivers had the injury problem he did. So I hope the sex are not walking, walking into an injury bug where it, you know, they get duped, so to speak.
Peter: Yeah. That it's true. Yeah.
Justin: Just as you just said, Texans had a great season.
Peter: Mm-hmm.
Justin: And, uh, they were in the playoffs in that tough division.
So,
Peter: you
Justin: know, I may, I think I would've liked to. I've seen maybe Texans do another swing with Pennington. 'cause he obviously seemed to put them in a very competitive thing. And I hope that the rivers works out. My concern is development. The fact that he lost a significant time in the first few seasons are, [00:30:00] is not anything to cough about that could ha that that sets him back.
Peter: Right.
Justin: So, you know, I hope he finds his groove with the Texans, I guess going forward. But good move for Cardinals. It sh it, it, it's a, it's a kind of move that tells me they're in win now. I can't, I haven't seen their contract, but I'm assuming it must mean that they're feeling the pressure of either being on the hot seat or being one, you're removed from the hot seat and Sure.
Um, this is sort of a, you have to make these type of moves when you're in that situation.
Peter: Sure. So, so I, I maybe we can, we can, dive in a little bit more about like some of the trades so far and maybe we can just focus on sort of the quarterback position. 'cause we actually have seen a bit of quarterback changes.
The other big one that we had seen was quarterback Pete Manning traded to the Denver Broncos and it's all players that traded to the cult for qb. Chris Sims cornerback, Marcus [00:31:00] Trant and Left Tackle I think is Marcus Nimo. And so, that's kind of a big trade there.
First let's talk about Peyton Manning going to the Denver Broncos. How do you feel about that move?
Justin: I wonder if part of it was, you know, just reactionary. You know, I think he mentioned that after missing two playoffs. He was just kind of over the whole manning experiment. So I hope it wasn't just emotional trade, get him off my team kind of thing.
Though, I mean, I guess you, you have paint manning, you hope to see him get you, I mean, to at least to the playoffs every single season, so. Mm-hmm. I don't know what the issue was there. It is interesting that both the Texans and the Colts moved their, their star co quarterbacks in the same season.
Yes. It kind of, it's kind of making it for, if you wanna start for the other two teams like the Titans and [00:32:00] the Jaguars. Mm-hmm. You know, if they're looking to develop quarterbacks at this point, they might have a window of opportunity where they, they can kind of cash in on getting rid of their vet quarterbacks if they really wanna start planning for the future.
I, I don't know what the Jag situation is exactly, but I know that. Brian brought on Dante Cole Pepper this past season. Mm-hmm. So if he wants to win the division, it looks like it should be a pretty favorable positioning for him, I would think, this next season, unless he wants to maybe dingle Cole Pepper out there and see what he can bring in.
'cause he, he now can afford bringing in a, a younger quarterback and, uh, develop so that, that could be an interesting development for that landscape or that division.
Peter: Yes. Yeah. I do. I, I think that that's probably one of the biggest advantages to the cults in making this change is that it's a, it is an opportunity for one, for them to, to maybe see what the roster looks like without [00:33:00] meaning.
Two, being able to get some of those young pieces gives your roster a shot to to grow. Like I, I think that Chris Sims is already in line for, for a strong performance in this league. I think that getting Marcus truant is sort of a big win for them as well. And so do you trade like one, one player for three guys that have potential to be like good, really good in the next couple years?
You know, it doesn't necessarily set the cults up for say, like a win now, but, you know, we saw some success with the Denver Broncos and what they could do with Chris Sims. I think it gives the cults an opportunity to kind of replicate some of that. Otherwise the changes that you're seeing in the division is a, a pretty good environment to grow young guys.
Justin: Here's, here's my only issue with Trading [00:34:00] Manning right now.
How old is Manning? 30?
Peter: Yeah, I think he's 30. Let's see, I I wrote it down here. Yeah. 30 years old. Yeah. Four years left on his contract.
Justin: I get why he had to trade. Maybe now is, you know, you don't wanna wait too late into thirties 'cause you can get diminished return.
Peter: Yes.
Justin: But I would've loved to have seen him make this move.
When he had five years on his contract versus three.
Peter: Mm-hmm.
Justin: Because I, I, I, I'm always hesitant in bringing on younger quarterbacks when you have three years on your contract because it's not hard for you to end up on the hot seat. Yeah. Um, so I would've loved to have seen his contract situation be in a better position to make this move, but I get why he would've made that move now before he gets any older than he can.
So that's kind of my thoughts on it. But
Peter: yeah, it is, yeah. It's always tough having to figure out contract length based off of like. Stage of your [00:35:00] team. I mean, that said, like, I, I think maybe having 85 awareness on sims at like, you know, your, your, your final year of contract. Like there's a huge opportunity for them to maybe hit a low, low bar this season, jump at next season, and now you've given yourself some more, more length.
But yeah, it is, that is always tough. It's always tough. Let's talk about some of these others, uh, uh, and kind of curious. So Derek Anderson traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars From the Oak Oakland Raiders. they made that trade for first and fifth 25 years old, 68 awareness, three years left on his contract.
you know, we saw Derek Anderson. Perform pretty well, Liz, his rookie season. I think it might be like a little underdeveloped, but you know, we saw I first paid for Anderson last year, so, you know, I think they're getting about the same amount of value. Curious because he's in his sophomore year. It gives him an opportunity to go to training camp.
So, Jacksonville Jaguars have an [00:36:00] advantage there. The other one that's really interesting is JP Losman plus a third to the Dallas Cowboys for two seconds. You know, losman 77 awareness, uh, 24 years old, two years left in his contract. That is a guy that's going to be playing backup to Drew Brees.
Unless, you know, Apollo makes some change to trade. Drew Brees kind of a curious one. Would you ever want to pay two seconds for a backup quarterback?
Justin: No.
Peter: Yeah. Yeah. I don't know if I would either. But, but they made the cha the trade and, and, um, you know, clearly they've got the space. Maybe the ideas is like, Hey, we wanna bench and midway through and develop this guy for the future.
I don't know. Another big trade. Just sticking from the offensive side, we saw TJ Hue. Tj, who's your mama? Plus a third to Arizona. Four from Denver for a first. So Denver Broncos collect the first Arizona collects new wide receiver [00:37:00] plus a third. That's kind of like a, a big boy move there
you're getting a wide receiver that can immediately pair up and be elite. That's kind of an interesting move. Uh, he's still 29 years old, 90 91 speed, 90 94 acceleration, two years left in his contract. I think that that's like kind of a good move if you're looking for a win now opportunity. So that I, uh, I think that that's kind of an interesting one.
Any thoughts around maybe like this pairing of quarterback Chad Pennington and TJ Sja mama?
Justin: I mean, it just goes down to the, he's pushing all his cards to the middle of the table. It's all, it really communicates to me. I mean, he has a you said 91 94. Is that 91 speed, 94 acceleration?
Peter: Yes. Yes.
Justin: Yeah, I'm, he seems like a fine receiver. I wouldn't say he is like the best, but, um, I don't know if a first. I don't know how high the first was
Peter: right.
Justin: For him, but yeah, he seems like a solid [00:38:00] receiver for a team that's going in on vets.
Peter: Yep. Yeah. Yeah. I think that that's kind of the, the interesting move here, right?
you're making a move for today so that you know, maybe tomorrow, and then again it goes back to Denver getting Pete Manning. It's like, uh, you can make that trade and still collect your picks. That, that's kind of an interesting combination because the other move that I'll move to the defense side, the other move that the Denver Broncos did is they traded DeMarcus Ware to Carolina for a first, a fourth and a sixth.
So, kind of a young developing outside linebacker with, uh, some decent speed, 81, 81 speed, 83 acceleration, three years left in his contract. He's now a sophomore. They can kind of build that. So Marcus, where for a second and ends up getting a first, a fourth and a sixth. Do you think that Carolina overpaid for this deal
Justin: for an 81 83? [00:39:00] Speed. I would have to do a deeper dive into the player, but I mean,
Peter: yeah,
Justin: just off the speed alone, I probably wouldn't have paid that much, but I'm a big, um, speed guy, so for the, I my philosophy is different, so, yeah. Um, if, if it seems like a lot especially, yeah, I don't, I don't know.
He is young, so.
Peter: Yeah. Yeah. I think, I mean, I think that's probably the biggest advantage is you're getting a guy who has many years ahead of him and already showing a lot of promise with you know, the, the rookie performance that he had. I, I think it might have been a high price. I guess we'll have to see if he can replicate that in, uh, in the new division.
But, you know, it is a position that can make a difference in the defense, uh, out Right, right outside linebacker. So, um, curious to see how that pans out. I, I think it's kind of an expensive price tag, but, you [00:40:00] know, Denver's making some changes and they're getting a lot of sort of return right now in, uh, in, in their draft capital.
So very interesting to see maybe some, they flip some of these second round value guys into first round picks. So, uh, you
Justin: said that Denver got him for a second.
Peter: Uh, yes, that's right. They drafted it in a second round.
Justin: See a second. Seems like a, that seems more what I would align his value at.
Peter: Yeah, I think so too. I think so too. Um, a couple other trades, uh, and I think this is kind of interesting just focusing on the 49 ERs. So they trade their quarterback, but they end up making a couple trades themselves.
They got outside linebacker Roosevelt Colvin for two seconds from Green Bay. Uh, this is a guy with 83 83 speed, 84 acceleration, 29 years old, so not a lot of, uh, age to continue to develop. Uh, but he's got two years on his contract. He's already at 90 OVR. So I think that that's kind of a big boost for the, uh, the [00:41:00] 49 ERs defense in that position.
They also collected DeMarcus Stroud and Dan Morgan from from the Jacksonville Jaguars for a first and a future third. So, uh, you know, they're adding defensive tackle. They're adding veteran middle linebacker, they're adding a veteran outside linebacker. Kind of a, a interesting upgrade to the 49 ERs defense.
And then a couple others. We saw Kabir, Gaja, Bila KGB from, uh, the Green Bay Packers traded to Philadelphia for first and second, so that's kind of a big time defensive end traded to, uh, to Philadelphia. He's got 85, 85 speed, 86 acceleration. So that's some awesome, awesome speed.
Still 29 years old, so another year to develop two years left on his contract. 82 OVR. So, uh, you know, there is still room to grow, but that guy will be a playmaker and, uh, we keep on seeing Philadelphia [00:42:00] add these solid weapons. So that's, I think that that's kind of an interesting trade. It certainly looks like Green Bay is gonna have a different roster as uh, they enter this off season.
But, um, you know, when you're trading your, your veterans, it's kind of exciting to have. A a clean plate in order to build off of. And then just focusing on cornerbacks, David Macklin to Denver for a third from the Steelers. Again, another really nice move. The guy is, uh, 28 years old, 93 speed, 91 acceleration, five, 10 size two years left on his contract.
Um, the other one we also saw is that the Theo O'Neill from the Indianapolis Colts traded to Philadelphia for a first. So, uh, 29 years old. 96 speed, 96 acceleration, four years left on his contract, five 11 in his size. I think that that gets you sort of an elite receiver for the upcoming foreseeable future.
So Philadelphia kind of adding in some defensive weapons that might help [00:43:00] them become more of a competitive in that, that discussion. Uh, and that's what I got. Uh, I know there's been a couple number of other trades we've seen, uh, some pick swapped. But those were the ones I wanted to talk about.
Any, uh, final thoughts on, uh, on trade so far?
Justin: No, that's, uh, you covered pretty much all the ones that are happening at this point. I mean, we're still at the very beginning of the off season and we haven't even had first round of free agency, so curious Right. How things will play out moving forward. Um, but yeah, it looks like there's a lot of bigger teams.
Like that's a lot of traits to happen since whenever we just finished the Super Bowl.
Peter: Yeah. Yeah. It's gonna be a very different landscape this next year.
Justin: But yeah, I mean, it sounds like, uh, sounds like we're off to a good start. Any other thoughts on the, on the off season before we, uh, wrap up our radio show de for the day?
Peter: Yeah. You know, uh, again, I, I just wanna sort of talk about maybe your predictions for the off season. you know, when I [00:44:00] started to look at teams with young prospects, maybe you can tell me if there's any of these that stick out and you're like, wow, you know, there might be like something there.
So when I looked at teams with the young prospects, these are the teams with maybe the most amount of young players and, uh, I've highlighted a few. So, Ravens Giants, bears, jets, dolphins, Steelers, 49 ERs, Broncos. Panthers, Texans. And I think, um, the couple of those teams that stand out, I'd say Texans with 16.
Uh, again, that I think that includes Phil Rivers on their roster now 16 players on that, on that squad that are considered young prospects. I think that that's really interesting, especially since that was a roster that already saw playoff appearance. So, you know, if the Texans can maintain maybe like, consistency and being able to retain those contracts that could be a really interesting team as they develop.
Panthers was another one, [00:45:00] 15 players. I also get a sense that maybe the Panthers aren't done building. So, you know, we see 15 players on there right now that, that might change. Uh, the Broncos another very interesting one. Certainly seems like they're not done trading. But having the addition of paint manning with a roster of young guys, that's kind of an interesting interesting pairing.
And then, um, the, uh, Baltimore Ravens, you know, we saw them make a playoff appearance. I think that they're just like steadily adding great young, new talent. So, uh, that's another one there. And then, you know, we, we saw Giants, bears, bears are doing an awesome job with developing their young stuff jets, dolphins, Steelers, 49 ERs.
You know, we saw these, these teams and, and they continue to build out their young rosters. I think that that's like the path that they're on, like keep on building and find out who those, uh, those players that can go super elite. Only a matter of time before things start to flip. Yeah. And again, just like kind of looking at maybe players with a lot [00:46:00] of draft picks this year I saw the chargers with a number of picks.
Obviously we talked about the dolphins building young talent. They've got, um, a ton of picks. They're also 15th in defense. So I think that there are some pieces that are in place as you keep on building a young team, you've got picks to, uh, fill in some of those gaps.
And then also, like the Saints, they are another team with, uh, a lot of draft pick and a lot of draft capital. Uh, and they seem to find these great guys in the draft each year. I think it's only a matter of time before some of those guys develop into, uh, some breakout performances. How about you?
Like, do you think that there's any team this last this season just from the trades that we talked about that you think are sort of in line for most changed this season?
Justin: I mean, based off what our conversation and my, I mean the se the off season is still really young, so my, my, my, my sample size is very small at this point.
Yeah. So don't take it personally if I'm not [00:47:00] saying your team right now. But yeah, I mean, like, it looks like to me that it's gonna be Arizona and Denver right now. Mm-hmm. And, um, they're, they seem like they're all in for making the playoffs in Super Bowl. COLS are obviously gonna be most changed without Peyton Manning and same with Texans without Chad Pennington.
So it'll be interesting to see how the A FC South plays out with their younger division.
Peter: Yeah, yeah, yeah. When I kinda like look at this last year's landscape of playoff teams I, I do think that there are going to be a lot of the same players, uh, you know, if I can think of like maybe a team that might not make it again I think green Bay Packers, I think the Atlanta Falcons, my team just, who knows like what, what will look like in next year.
Um, just a lot of, a lot of young guys in the division is changing. I think, uh, the [00:48:00] Texans, they've got a new quarterback. There could be some, some growing pains along that. I think maybe the Ravens, because the, the Bengals might give them a run for their money. I think, uh, we might see the eagles. I think that they've, we've, they've already made some good, good moves.
And I'm kind of curious to see how the the NFC West is gonna play out. Again, Justin, you're telling me that your quarterback is getting another year older and that there's new talent moving in. But I also don't discount, like the fact that veteran teams perform well. I probably would expect that the, uh, Rams are still the team to beat, but some interesting moves.
From the, uh, divisional players that might make, might make it a little bit harder. And then I think that the changes in the A FC South probably makes a pretty good path for the Titans to step in as that you know, veteran elite team. But those are just some of the ideas that I've got. I [00:49:00] think, uh, you know, the Bills and the Patriots, we're still gonna see them.
I think the Cowboys are gonna definitely be there. I think the Denver Broncos are giving themselves a lock for for the future. I think the Vikings are still going to be there for the future. the lions seem like they're poised for another run.
Um, yeah. And what, what are your thoughts?
Justin: Don't forget the Vikings, um, oh, Packers. That'll be interesting for me personally because of far retiring.
Peter: Yes. Do, have they gone, have we gone through retirements yet?
I don't think we have.
Justin: No, we never talked about retirements.
Peter: Yeah. No, no, no. I mean, like, I have, have, has the site gone through retirements? We can take this part out.
Justin: Uh, yes.
Peter: Oh, really? Damn dude. I've got a guy on my roster who's like 36-year-old defensive tackle. I'm like, dude, retire already. Retire already.
Justin: At least that's my understanding. That's what I was told by the Packers is that f retired. So.
Peter: Ah, very [00:50:00] interesting. Yeah. Well, they've got some collateral That'll be an interesting shakeup for them. Yeah. well, you know what?
I think that that's an awesome place for us to stop and, uh, get ready for the rest of off season. You know, I know that the, uh, draft is gonna be here in no time. You know, we still have the first round of free agency to look forward to. I know there's been some, been some rule changes that'll make the off season even more exciting and just visible around, uh, transactions and competitors and competitive bids.
But there's a lot to look forward to. I'm very excited to talk to you again and, uh, maybe either the, uh, the beginning of the season or the mid-season, uh, I'm sure we'll have a chance to kind of reconvene and, uh, and talk about all the excitement that happened this off season. But for today, Justin, this was a lot of fun.
Thanks for, uh, thanks for chatting with me.
Justin: Yeah, it was a pleasure. Um, good luck on the draft coming up and free agency. I hope that you can maintain your success going into the next season. And, um, yeah, I look forward to catching up with you [00:51:00] again once it's all said and done.
Peter: Yeah. And best of luck to you team and all the off season moves.
It should, should be an exciting one, but for today, have a good night everybody, and, uh, Uh, we'll see you again in the regular season.
