for a minute i mean i get it and then their guy their guy that they planned on him being the starter is back but you're gonna put this man on the bench sit there and wait

well i think that there's i i think we have to we have to take some context with best center in the nfl you know one of the you know obviously he had good grades there on pff but part of that part of that is he's playing next to Tate Rallage, who is pretty terrific at guard.

And the Lions have changed their run game quite a bit to fit him, to fit what he can and more specifically what he can't do.

The idea with Mays is that he can do more, right? So the hope there is that they'll be able to do even more than they've already done with the run game, be a little more physical, move people downhill a little bit more.

Juice isn't as big as some of the other, you know, like as big as Frank was.

Mays is pretty much the same size as Ragnow was.

So, I think that that's their idea.

And as long as they're getting healthy, that spells good for everybody else, you know?

But, I mean, look, is he that good, really, going against that D? Well,

no, no, not that good, no.

I mean, he was like 14 of 14 at one point, I think, or something like that in the first half.

He's not like, no, he's not Steve Young just yet.

I do like Bryce.

I do like Tet McMillan, who is not Herman Moore just yet.

But they're on their way.

So I'm not faulting Brad or anybody, but that's just the way it is, unfortunately.

Uh, at this point, have they found a way to completely waste a season because they didn't get this fixed?

Yeah, I, I don't know if, uh, if it's a total wash just yet.

Uh, it's not good, and it's not gonna be fixed completely this year, and I think that, uh, what happened here, uh, wasn't anything that happened in, like, the last 12 months.

I think what happened is six years of missing on corners is really, is really what this boils down to because...

I was talking to somebody ear- earlier today, and I was like, "Look, even if these safeties were healthy right now," let's say Branch and Kirby was back there playing, "you would still struggle to stop anybody throwing the ball, I promise you, 'cause you can't cover anyone." They have no corners.

Like, from day one, Br- the only one that they came close on was Terrion, who went to jail.

[laughs] So it's like...

[laughs]

... is there any hope, or is this, uh, at this point, have they found a way to completely waste a season because they didn't get this fixed?

Yeah, I, I don't know if, uh, if it's a total wash just yet.

Uh, it's not good, and it's not gonna be fixed completely this year.

And I think that, uh, what happened here, uh, it wasn't anything that happened in like the last 12 months.

I think what happened is six years of missing on corners is really, is really what this boils down to.

Because I was talking to somebody ear- earlier today, and I was like, "Look, even if these safeties were healthy right now," let's say Branch and Kirby was back there playing, you would still struggle to stop anybody throwing the ball, I promise you, 'cause you can't cover anyone.

They have no corners.

[laughs]

Like, uh, when you think about him at the beginning and him now, what has changed the most?

The biggest thing for Bryce Young, I feel like, he was in a far worse situation, it felt like, than Cam Ward was, and they ...

And you're right, Joe, it was an outlier, but it did help him.

The biggest thing with him is they, they sat him down and let him just breathe, because he was playing like the chicken with the head cut off.

Uh, and Cam Ward's not doing that.

He's not ...

You know, in this game the other day, he's had moments of this, right? And he needs to be better, as you pointed out.

... middle of a, of a year playing football?

Like, uh, when you think about him at the beginning and him now, what has changed the most?

The biggest thing for Bryce Young, I feel like he was in a far worse situation, it felt like, than Cam Ward was, and they...

And you're right, Joe, it was an outlier, but it did help him.

The biggest thing with him is they s- they sat him down and let him just breathe because he was playing like the chicken with the head cut off, uh, and Cam Ward's not doing that.

He's not...

You know, in this game the other day, he's had moments of this, right? And he needs to be better, as you pointed out.

Like, he's being protected better.

... of a, of a year, playing football?

So what do you make of the rumor and innuendo the Cardinals could be interested in the Notre Dame running back as high as the number three pick that they currently hold?

Yeah, that would not, that would not surprise me at all.

Um, Jeremiah Love is the number one player on my board.

He is a special football player.

I think that that's the thing that, uh, that everyone needs to remember going into this.

I have him higher than I would've had Ashton Jeanty last year.

To me, he is right there on the level of, uh, where Bijan Robinson was, where Jahmyr Gibbs was, and probably, probably within spitting distance of what Saquon Barkley was as a prospect, if you remember all the way back to that.

What do you think they do with them?

Is there a chance that if a guy was hurt that he actually can move up a bunch, though, if, if that was the factor that made him not perform his, his last year?

Yeah.

I think...

I don't know about a bunch, but I think in Nuss-Nussmeier's case it'll be significant, 'cause I think when w- when teams saw him at the Senior Bowl and they saw him fully healthy, uh, it was a different deal.

You know, it was like, "Whoa, this is the guy that we thought we were gonna see in terms of arm talent, in terms of m-mobility, in terms of consistent accuracy," all those types of things from the pocket.

So it was like he was much healthier in January, February, so you could see it, and I don't think he talked about it much during the season.

Pretty tough guy.

Like, those two guys, do you believe they are elite, it's just their position holding them back a little bit?

... hey, Mendoza looks like he's ready, or he should sit, you know? Uh, uh, yeah, weigh in on that please.

I think he's ready to go.

I think this is a really safe quarterback.

You know, I've, I've heard some people ask, you know, is he only the, the lock at the top because this isn't a very good group and he's, like, the best of a bad group? And I, I don't think that's fair.

I think I would compare it to kinda like last year.

You, you know, Cam Ward I still think has a chance to be good depending on the situation around him.

But the reason why I liked Cam Ward a lot last year, apart from his physical skills and everything else, is he got better every year he played.

Oh.

So for example, what's your assessment of Shedeur Sanders and where do you have him landing?

Yeah, I like Shedeur.

I, I, I, I think it's a, it's a misnomer from a lot of people that are either super high or super low on him.

I think he's a, I think he's a good player.

I think he's, uh, you know, in this draft especially, I think he's a, he's certainly a first round pick, uh, but I don't think that he's a guy that I would give, you know, a top 10 grade on necessarily.

I think that there's more, you know, for him that he's gonna have to overcome than when...

if we compare it to Cam.

How much apprehension do you have about Jalen being somebody who can consistently get it done in the pow- pocket, because we know mobility has been a huge part of his foundation?

Where does the first running back go? Is it Ashton Gentry? Um, uh, wh- where do you think Gentry goes and how many get drafted in the first couple of rounds?

Oh, man.

Great question.

I think Gentry's definitely a top 10 pick in this draft.

I think it's gonna be really hard.

You know, a lot of people have pegged him to Dallas there as the fun one at 12.

I, I, I think Dallas is gonna have to trade up if they want him.

(laughs)