0:00This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human. We'll advance those discussions and more next on The Insiders.
0:05Hey everybody, welcome to this Tuesday edition of The Insiders.
0:08Patrick Claibon here with Mike Garofalo. 10 days before training camps officially can get started.
0:13So Mike, why don't we start with the team that just won it all, the Seattle Seahawks.
0:18Also the featured team on HBO's Hard Knocks. They did have some pretty significant churn on the coaching staff.
0:23Key starters on both sides of the ball. The rookies report on the 17th, the veterans on the 24th.
0:29With that we welcome in our friend Steve Weich, because there's plenty to examine Steve with the defending Super Bowl champs, even
0:36though they don't want to say they're defending, it's a new team and all that.
0:40Unfortunately guys, you won the Super Bowl so you have to deal with the consequences.
0:45Yeah, you have to deal with the consequences. And they're very good with dealing with that.
0:49We know the Seahawks are considered a defensive team.
0:52Mike, I'm going to go to the offense. And that's at the running back position.
0:57They lost Kenneth Walker in free agency, goes to Kansas City.
1:00So Jadarian Price, the rookie, the first round draft pick out of Notre Dame, looks like he's going to be their main starter at tailback.
1:07I was up there at minicamp this offseason. They love the suddenness.
1:11They love his vision. They say his cutback ability and the way he sees the field is different from any running backs
1:17that this staff has had up there. But they've got to see how things work when the pads come on.
1:23And look, Mike, this is a crowded backfield. You've got Zach Charbonnet, you've got George Heloni, and you've also got Emmanuel Wilson coming up from the Packers.
1:32So they've got tremendous depth right there. But in case Price does not emerge as a bell cow, they've got plenty of
1:38people who can share the load on that running game and the receiving game that they like to use their back with.
1:45On the other side of the ball, we've got ourselves an interesting storyline with regard to a guy who will be a
1:51free agent or is scheduled to be a free agent because Jadarian Price is replacing one offensively.
1:56How about Devin Witherspoon at the cornerback position for the Seahawks?
2:00He did participate in minicamp. The question is, what does he want to do when it comes time for training camp?
2:06Now, previously under Pete Carroll, the Seahawks had been lenient with allowing hold ins for guys who hadn't gotten that contract yet.
2:13You wonder how this one will go and you wonder about that for a number of guys who are up for contract extensions.
2:19We've talked extensively about how these sides have not been close in recent weeks.
2:24I don't get the sense that they're any closer.
2:26I mean, the start of training camp is obviously going to be a pressure point.
2:31And that could help close the gap for not only Witherspoon, but a lot of these guys around the league.
2:37But the top of the cornerback market was set with Trent McDuffie at $31 million per season.
2:42My understanding is that Witherspoon has been eyeing above that potentially as a number for a contract extension.
2:47The Seahawks haven't been close to that. So the sides will continue to talk.
2:51No reason to panic just yet. But this is a storyline to watch as the Seahawks enter training camp.
2:57He was a player to watch because during that game, a lot of very good cases to be made.
3:03Witherspoon could have been the Super Bowl MVP will go to the team that got the Seahawks offensive coordinator as their coach,
3:09Clint Kubiak and the Las Vegas Raiders. A lot to look at there as well, Steve.
3:14Well, look, to me, the biggest storyline isn't so much going to be the rookie quarterbacks or anything, but that's Max Crosby
3:21and how the team manages him as he comes back from that knee surgery that resulted in a trade to the Ravens
3:27being negated because the Ravens were fearful of that knee injury.
3:31Now, Max Crosby is someone who does not need to be motivated for anything.
3:35But the fact that a team snubbed him, basically concerning him damaged goods, you know, that's going to rile the way he works and the way he thinks.
3:43So he's going to be trying everything he can to get back on the field as soon as possible.
3:49So this coaching staff and the doctors are going to have to manage a player who's going to be extra motivated to
3:55make his mark to be back in Las Vegas.
3:58Look for me, obviously, it's about the quarterbacks. Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins, it's going to be a battle to watch.
4:04We know that Cousins has the lead here. We've heard Clint Kubiak talking at the league meeting back in March about how
4:11you prefer to have a quarterback sit at first.
4:14And when you've got a guy in Cousins that still has some good football left and has experience in the system, and that's a big thing.
4:21And that'll be something to watch as we get into the preseason.
4:25How comfortable is Mendoza in a live environment with these verbose play calls that you have to have in a system like Clint Kubiak has that again.
4:33Cousins has that experience under his belt. That's a big part of it, not just saying it, but saying it with confidence
4:40and knowing what you're saying, getting the line of scrimmage and getting the playoff on time.
4:45That'll be a big thing for Mendoza as he tries to make a case for when he should start.
4:50I mean, it may not be week one, but when should he start?
4:54It'll obviously depend on how Cousins plays if he's the starter week one.
4:58But that's a big part of it. Learning that offense and learning what it's all about.
5:03And we assume at some point Fernando Mendoza will play.
5:06We go elsewhere where there's a new quarterback in Miami, but we know the plan is for Malik Willis to start.
5:12And week one. Yeah, my thing and guys and looking at this is how are we going to evaluate Malik Willis?
5:18Like how are we going to properly evaluate him?
5:21Because this Dolphins offense in this team for the most part is undergoing a significant change.
5:26They've got a coaching change. Jeff Halfley coming in here.
5:29The receiving core is not deep whatsoever. I mean, you see Jalen Waddle has been traded away.
5:34They've got Devon H. And a running back, but still overall weapons and targets for Willis aren't there.
5:39Now the offensive line. There's some talent and some youth on that offensive line that could come together that can help him.
5:46But again, I just want to see what the proper evaluation is going to be from Malik Willis.
5:51Because if they don't win ball games, is it going to be his fault and they go back into the draft pool for class of 2027 quarterbacks?
5:59Or do they continue to build around him? You know, with the Dolphins team right now, it's a team in transition, obviously, Steve.
6:06But a lot of their guys, a lot of their big dogs, right?
6:10Whether it's the quarterback to a tongue of Iloa, whether it's Tyreek Hill or some of these other guys that are no
6:17longer with this team because they've been released or traded or whatnot.
6:20Who are the dudes down there? And I remember talking to some folks in Miami this spring and they said it's a
6:27great working environment because everybody's trying to prove themselves.
6:30Well, that's a good thing because it shows that guys got to work for it.
6:34But it's also a bad thing because where are those dudes?
6:37Who are the guys with the skins on the wall?
6:40They don't have a lot of that. But the upside is now you can make a statement about that.
6:46I'm going to be one of the cornerstone pieces.
6:49I'm going to be one of the leaders for this Dolphins team moving forward and establish myself with this new regime as
6:55a guy that's going to stick around and be a big part of what we're doing.
7:00That'll be something to watch as we get into training camp.
7:03A little tour to camp with Steve Weiss. Steve, we'll see you back here in a moment.
7:08Yeah, right. Eventually get some amount of information on those Miami Dolphins.
7:12Wanting to get some information out of Minnesota. The Vikings veterans report on July 28th to training camp.
7:17A chance for J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray to resume their quarterback battle this summer.
7:22O'Connell's noted that they've had success with a few veteran quarterbacks over the years.
7:26A veteran wide receiver looking back kind of handicapping this quarterback battle.
7:30It's a win-win because it gives J.J. perspective. It gives him it gives him competition.
7:34It gives him another guy that's a veteran guy that's a quality starter in this league who's who's proved it to go compete with.
7:41And the keys aren't just going to be handed to him, which I think is a great thing for anyone.
7:47You know, I think I can look back at my career every time there was there was that competition was put out there.
7:54They draft a first rounder like it amped up my game.
7:57And so I'm really excited about what that's going to do for J.J.
8:01because I love J.J. He's a phenomenal dude. He's a hard worker.
8:05He's got that dog in him. He's he's he's a competitor.
8:08He's got all the intangibles to be really successful in this league.
8:12So I'm really excited about what this does to his game.
8:15That was former Vikings receiver Adam Thielen on Sirius XM NFL radio.
8:19We say hello and good evening to Stacy Dales.
8:21Also, Stacy, we're getting closer and closer to the day when Adam Thielen everybody finds out what O'Connell is going to do
8:28when it comes to a starting quarterback. Yeah, everybody likes to talk about competition in training camp at the quarterback position, though.
8:35How long does that bleed fellas into training camp?
8:37Kevin O'Connell, the quarterback guru, the whisperer of sorts has a competition on his hands.
8:42He's made that very clear. However, when you think about the injury history for both of these men and J.J.
8:48McCarthy entering year three. You have to take into consideration what they look like through camp based upon how they interpret the
8:54offense and how they take care of the football and J.J.
8:58McCarthy's case. Guys, 12 interceptions, an interception more than he threw touchdowns last season, 11 touchdowns for him.
9:03This team led the league in giveaways, Mike. When you think about those 30 giveaways and when you talked about Kyler Murray
9:10at the same token, he's never been in this situation, right?
9:13He's never had to share starting reps. So this is an oddity for him.
9:17Unfamiliar territory. He's always been the guy. He's always been the starter.
9:21And so what this competition does to Adam Thielen's point, it causes both guys to take a deep dive.
9:26The standard is going to go up. But again, Mike, how long does this bleed into training camp?
9:32You have to think that Kyler Murray on this one year deal certainly motivated and has all that experience in the NFL
9:38leading up to this moment with KOC. I mean, I'll be surprised if J.J.
9:42McCarthy beats out Kyler Murray for this competition and the Vikings are calling it a competition and both guys are being challenged.
9:49You talked about it, Stacy. This is a relatively new situation for Kyler Murray.
9:53Actually, not relatively. It is a new situation with, you know, no clear path to him being the starter and he's got
10:00to beat out somebody and he's got to learn a new system.
10:03And I know we've talked about studying with him in the past.
10:07He's got to do a lot more of that here.
10:10And he has done a lot more of that so far.
10:13The early returns on that have been fantastic. And for McCarthy on the other side, last year, and I think the Vikings
10:20regretted this, they didn't go after a veteran. They didn't bring in a veteran initially because they wanted McCarthy to have that
10:26clear path to be the guy and not have to feel the breath of whoever it was, whether Sam Darnold or even
10:33Aaron Rodgers, who showed interest in being a Viking before last season.
10:37They didn't want that this time. Now it's you got to fight for your job.
10:41You got to fight for your football life right now.
10:44How is he going to respond? Yeah. An opportunity with the Rodgers circumstance, more of the whisper format.
10:49Tough to deny Kyler Murray is actually there. And so the competition's actually coming for JJ McCarthy as we will be back
10:56with Stacy Dale to discuss some edge rushers here in 2026.
10:59Stacy, we'll see you then. Cowboys defensive and Marshawn Nealon, who died by suicide back in November, was posthumously diagnosed with stage one CTE.
11:07That diagnosis made by Boston University's CTE center and McKee, the doctor or the director, excuse me, of the Boston University CTE
11:13center, who's done a lot of work on CTE in football players in the past.
11:18So she wasn't surprised at all by this and have found progressive brain disease nearly half the athletes they've studied who died before the age of 30.
11:26Here's a statement from Marshawn Nealon's family. His child has been born at this point.
11:30We share the information to help people understand what NFL and other high contact sport athletes might be struggling with raising awareness important to us.
11:38We continue to remember Marshawn with compassion for the person he was rather than defining him by the final moments of his life.
11:45One love. And you recall the Cowboys started the Marshawn Nealon fund, Brian Schottenheimer and Jerry Jones making it clear that they
11:51would do whatever they had to do to support Nealon's family moving forward.
11:55CTE diagnosis or no CTE diagnosis. They had made it clear that financially they would be there for the family.
12:01Patrick. Thank you, Mike. Hopefully, as we all learn more about CTE, we will continue to see people assist and provide that care to Marshawn Nealon's family.
12:09When we come back, folks, the Texas defense did everything it could last year.
12:13How much of the burden will they need to carry this time around?
12:17We'll talk to the man in the very middle of it.
12:20Henry To'o To'o coming up. And from the middle to the edges, big names moving this offseason.
12:26Some of them with some heavy price tags. So who pays off the most?
12:30We discuss when we come back on NFL Network.
12:32Back here on the Insiders, the NFL player's choice begins next Monday at 2 p.m.
12:37Eastern on NFL Network. Tune in to see the players rank the best in the game.
12:42All available for you right here on NFL Network.
12:44How about some of these top edge rushers to change teams in this offseason, including that one at the top there, Miles
12:51Garrett, the official sack king traded to the Rams.
12:54Jared Burst goes back to Cleveland. A lot of player movement.
12:57We talked about the top players being revealed. Probably Miles Garrett will be near that top as we're back with Stacy Dales and Mike Garofalo.
13:04Let's start because Stacy, back-to-back seasons now. You can make the case the top two edge rushers have been traded.
13:10What kind of impact, if we start with Miles Garrett, do you think he'll have when training camp starts here very soon?
13:17Well, if you ask the Rams, this is the player that is going to take them to that level of the Super
13:24Bowl caliber team that they expect to have. They go to the NFC Championship last year.
13:28They lose to the Seattle Seahawks. And now 23 sack man, Miles Garrett enters the picture.
13:33Chris Shula, the defensive coordinator, kind of tried to downplay a little bit.
13:37You see Les Snead there and Sean McVay about what they're going to be able to do with Miles Garrett.
13:43But he said, listen, we're going to have our principles, but we're also going to let Miles be Miles.
13:49And you're not going to change LeBron James. You're not going to change Michael Jordan and take them out of their comfort zone.
13:56So they are going to collaborate with this guy who's going to demand, Mike, double teams, triple teams, a number of different
14:02presentations from the opposing offensive lines as we've seen, which will allow the other guys up front, Braden Fisk, Puna Ford, Byron
14:09Young, who, by the way, had 12 sacks of his own last season and 29 QB hits to come alive in this defense.
14:16And you expect the 17th total ranked defense, Mike, 19th against the pass to improve because of one man.
14:21It is an Aaron Donald effect, I think, with Miles Garrett in the mix.
14:25They're going to be dominant. And it's just, it's so perfect for him in so many ways because, yeah, I mean, you're
14:32still going to have to double them. You're going to have to triple them, but you're going to have to have one eye on those other guys.
14:40I mean, you just named four guys or three or four guys, whatever it was.
14:45That was a great defensive line even before you got to Miles Garrett.
14:49And I remember talking to Kobe Turner on the insiders about how we all came in as young players, he was saying,
14:55and we all were doing stuff individually. And then we learned how to rush together and we figured out, oh, how much more dominant we can be.
15:03Once they figure that out with Miles Garrett, it's going to be a whole nother level for them.
15:09And it's just, it creates so many problems offensively for teams that have to face them.
15:13And Stacey, the other half of that deal sends Jared Burse to the Browns who gets some picks, but they also get
15:20someone who can contribute now who has played on a winning team like Jared Burse.
15:24Yeah. General manager Andrew Barry made it pretty clear.
15:27This was the difference in them executing this trade, right?
15:30You get a couple ones and it was massive, but they believe that Jared Burse, the Cleveland Browns is one of the
15:37best players in the entirety of the NFL. Mike Rutenberg takes over as the defensive coordinator there with Todd Munkin and company.
15:43And they simply see him, Mike and Patrick as an outstanding football player.
15:47You add him to Mason Graham, Carson Swesinger. What does that mean?
15:51Youth, a lot of youth. The scheme will change variable matchup looks with this defense under Rutenberg.
15:56And you're talking about like three, like he's a defensive rookie of the year guy.
16:00Swesinger is a defensive rookie of the year guy.
16:03And you get, as Andrew Barry called it, a young cost controlled star at a premium position.
16:08So they feel like there's an op, a lot of upside Mike within a young defense, as they're kind of in a
16:15bit of a rebuild mode there in Cleveland. Yeah.
16:17I just throw an asterisk on the end of that cost control part of things, Stace, because this is his third year.
16:24And if he has the kind of year that he thinks he's going to have in the Browns think he's going to have.
16:31Guess what he's going to say at the end of that third year when he's eligible for his first contract extension?
16:37Yeah. Not playing another game before I get that huge extension.
16:40So that'll be the idea. Enjoy. Enjoy the cost control now.
16:44Cleveland Browns. But the other part of this, and I, you know, I, I, I, the first thing I thought was, oh,
16:50you're going from a warm weather team, a dome team, and you're going to go play in that cold, but he's played first of all, he's from there.
16:59Number one, number two, he's played extremely well in cold weather games.
17:02I watched him play a couple of games in Philadelphia in the cold weather.
17:06Did a fantastic job. We've seen him elsewhere playing some cold weather games.
17:10And he plays with attitude and he plays with an edge.
17:14And he's certainly going to do that for the Cleveland Browns.
17:17So, you know, you're going to get that production there from Jared Burse.
17:21Mike, a perfect opportunity to talk about the Philadelphia Eagles because Jalen Phillips arrived in the trade, became the Eagles leading pressure generator after his arrival.
17:29But what does he do now for his new team in Carolina, Stacy?
17:32Well, he's got to be more productive. We'll just say that.
17:36And he has basically Jalen Phillips talked about that.
17:38It was just a massive deal, right guys? So four years, 112 million as he enters Carolina, who, by the way, just
17:45a reminder, they won the division last year. Like, don't forget that with this young quarterback.
17:50And you're talking about a defense though. The two bugaboos for them, they were really bad on third down.
17:56So he's going to hopefully help them get off the field on that money down.
18:00And then they were tied for 28, just 30 sacks last season.
18:04So why do you bring in Jalen Phillips via the Philadelphia Eagles to get after the quarterback?
18:09But again, when you talk about the numbers and he's had his share of injuries, right?
18:13Mike and Patrick over the years, if he can stay healthy, he wants that production to go up and he wants to
18:20prove to everybody why he believes that he is the dominant player that he is and why he has earned the contract,
18:27Mike, that he has to work within this defense of Coach Everose there with the Carolina Panthers.
18:32You have to talk about the contract status like you did, because that's a big part of it.
18:37And you get that money and now you have to one perform, obviously, but also to your thrust into a role that he really hasn't been in before.
18:45Like he's got to be the guy in Carolina.
18:48And from my understanding this spring, he has been the guy and he's been a leader behind the scenes.
18:54He's been a guy that's been vocal, not only on the field, but also in the meeting rooms as well.
19:00So that's going to be a big part of it for Jalen Phillips.
19:04That contract now dictates a lot of things for you.
19:07So there'll be some pressure to perform, but you know what?
19:10He made it to the NFL. That's enough pressure in itself of itself, Patrick.
19:14Yeah, there was a contract as a part of what was ultimately an odd sequence of events that led to Trey Hendrickson's arrival in Baltimore, Stacy.
19:22But they really needed some help on the edge and he can provide it.
19:26Yeah, it's not Max Crosby. It's not Max Crosby.
19:29It's Trey Hendrickson. And guess what? Trey Hendrickson has a lot of numbers to back it all up.
19:34He played just seven games last year. Remember, he had the core injury.
19:38Well, he's healthy. So he's been present at OTAs.
19:41He'll be ready to go by training camp. This is a guy with four seasons of 13 plus sacks.
19:47Remember, two years ago in 24, he had the 17 and a half sacks.
19:51And when you listen to not just Anthony Weaver, the defensive coordinator who returns to take over that coordinating spot in Baltimore
19:57under Jesse Minter, who returns to Baltimore. You listen to Minter talk about just the technique with which this guy plays and
20:04how he reads tackles, how he reads the snap count, just how technical he is at the line of scrimmage.
20:10And the most important thing, he's a finisher, right?
20:13You talk about sacks. We just talked about Carolina.
20:15Well, the other team that tied Carolina with at 28 in terms of sacks was the Baltimore Ravens.
20:21They had 30 sacks. They were 30th against the pass and they gave up some significant big plays.
20:26So they think Trey Hendrickson is going to help this pass rush bolster it, Mike, to get this Ravens defense back to
20:33the defense that we know in Baltimore. I think Trey Hendrickson, I know Trey Hendrickson's got off to a great start as
20:39far as his love with the frame of the franchise and love of the city.
20:44He was part of that uniform unveiling that they had in the spring.
20:48He requested to wear all black in that uniform unveiling and he looked pretty sweet in that uniform, especially with the no gloves.
20:54I know the I love the no gloves look if you can pull it off.
20:59And there was a huge turnout that night from the fans.
21:02And I remember hearing somebody say that, boy, he was super energized by that.
21:06And it's a great facility down there in Baltimore.
21:09It's a great organization all the way up to ownership.
21:12So, I mean, look at the castle in the background while you're practicing right there.
21:17Trey Hendrickson is loving everything that is that he's experienced so far with the Baltimore Ravens.
21:21I'll be down there in Owings Mills at some point during training camp.
21:25I'll come see you, Trey. I'm sure you'll be smiling.
21:28Yeah, that's going to be the biggest place Cincinnati.
21:31Yeah, the biggest spot is having Mike in Owings Mills.
21:34And when the guy comes out and tries to pull off the no gloves look and Mike just walks in like, hey, man, that's not working.
21:42You just put back inside. Put some gloves on.
21:44Stacy Dills, Mike Garofalo discussing big time edge rushers changing spots in the NFL.
21:49Got more insiders when we come back. One of the returning stars in the Houston Texans defense Henry Tohto joins the show.
21:55That's coming up next on the inside. Flag football is the fastest growing sport in the world.
22:00And the third annual NFL flag football championships will be on ABC, ESPN, NFL Network and ESPN to July 24th through the 26 ESPN.
22:07The board days and the Disney networks will have additional coverage each day with all games on the ESPN app.
22:13For more information, go to NFL flag dot com.
22:16Flag fun not stopping there. How about this Friday in Pleasant Hill, California?
22:20The Tohto Foundation playing host of the girls flag football tournament that starts on Friday.
22:24And then the day after that on Saturday, the youth camp for ages five through 13 and a linebacker camp with the
22:31linebacker plays in the middle of one of the best defenses in the NFL.
22:35That Houston Texans defense and joining us now is the Tohto family.
22:39It's Henry and Cheyenne spending time with us here.
22:42What's up, what's up? Thanks for joining us guys.
22:44We've got a big event this weekend. Looking forward to it, Henry.
22:48Yeah, yeah, man. I mean, being able to host the girls Friday and then have them out there and enjoy the time with them and watch them compete.
22:56And then have, you know, the youth kids come out the next day and be able to enjoy time with them and
23:03have fun, you know, you know, create memories with kids and, you know, kind of just give them inspiration.
23:08And that's kind of the main thing me and Cheyenne try to put together.
23:13But, you know, we're super juiced about the girls flag.
23:16That's kind of our our excitement for the entire weekend.
23:19Yeah, we're excited. Cheyenne, why are you so excited?
23:21I see there's more than 300 people overall coming to this free camp.
23:25You guys are staging and the flag football tournament.
23:28Why is it so exciting? I honestly think because there's just so many opportunities for boys in general and sports, and there's
23:34not really a NFL player out there right now who's focusing on girls flag.
23:39And we believe that the access to what is it like the word the access that boys have should be the same
23:45for girls and we just want to invest in girls flag.
23:49We know that it's moving fast, like the Texans they're trying to push it and I also played in college and I
23:55know like how hard it is for a girl to really make a name for herself.
24:00And so just having this tournament for the girls and to go out there and compete like we're just excited for it.
24:06Super juiced. Yeah. And Henry, that opportunity to support obviously coming from Cheyenne, but from the Texans as well as you kind of go into this.
24:14What's it like to have that support at home and at work when you're trying to take the initiative to uplift women's sports?
24:21Yeah, it feels good, man. Just being able to, you know, know that you have your work behind you, your job behind
24:28you and all your coworkers and especially the owners of, you know, Cal and Hannah McNair.
24:33They, they love flag football. They love gross flags specifically.
24:36So just knowing that they're in our corner, knowing that they support us to this entire time, like it's been huge, but
24:42man, the girls, you know, their grind, their dedication is like second to none.
24:46And I can only imagine not having a resource that, you know, we had, I've had when I was growing up, but
24:53like just seeing these girls and how hard they work in, in their craft and football is big time, man.
24:59Okay. So, so hold up now, Cheyenne, you, you played in college, right?
25:03I see Henry out there in coverage a lot for the Texans.
25:06Right. So do you work with him in the office?
25:09Is he like trying to cover you? Can he, can he like post you up?
25:14Can he like, can he handle you? You got the mid-time stuff here.
25:18Honestly, we, we go back and forth. I think on the football field, he has me be, but any other sport, I, I, I think that's on me.
25:26Oh, yeah. No, that's what I thought I can get her in.
25:30So I get into something but she's athletic though.
25:32She's, she's super athletic. Yeah. We don't want to run off it because if you're coming to the linebacker cam specifically, you
25:39do want to hear from Henry, what can we look forward to Henry?
25:43The guys coming to the linebacker camp and the overall camp on Saturday?
25:47Yeah. I mean, first off, like the youth camp, I want it to be super energetic, have fun with the kids, spent
25:53some talent, just, give them some knowledge here and there and just enjoy time with the kids, give back to them, give
26:00them hope, especially from the city where I'm from, in Sacramento.
26:03You hardly see guys come back and be successful in the NFL.
26:07So it's super hard. So that's kind of our main purpose is to give hope to the kids.
26:12And then the linebacker clinic, we want it to just be super informational, super detailed, something that I've learned throughout my ways,
26:19whether it be a forward drill, a recognition drill, and some techniques that I use in the NFL that they can hopefully take.
26:26I had some great coaches in my life. For example, my father has been a great coach for me and he's going
26:32to be out there teaching the same techniques he's taught me.
26:35So hopefully kids can take that with them and then just take a gym.
26:40Everybody can use the gym. Everybody can use something in the football world.
26:44And that's kind of the main goal for the linebacker camp.
26:47So what's it like to be so immersed in football?
26:50I mean, you went to Kahuku High School over there, Hawaii.
26:53I mean, there are no national powerhouse. And now all the way, ah, come on, that Daly South stuff right there.
26:59But then also like following this whole, I mean, again, following Henry on the field and being involved.
27:05What's it like to be so immersed? I mean, honestly, I look at it and every day I'm just like so blessed
27:11and grateful to just be surrounded by this like my whole life.
27:15I mean, my cousin, he played in the NFL.
27:18My brothers, they played to play division one football.
27:20So all my life say who your cousin is.
27:23Don't be shy. Yeah. So man, tight. Oh, he played in the NFL as well.
27:28But I just always been around football and I never thought that I would be a wife of a football player on
27:34one of the best defenses in the NFL. But just now kind of gearing towards the youth and having our first annual Henry total youth camp.
27:42Like I'm just so excited for it. And we're just hoping that our girls flag tournament and our youth camp can hopefully like take off by next year.
27:50And Cheyenne says that Henry, a lot of people acknowledge it.
27:54One of the best defenses in the in the NFL.
27:57You can make the case arguably the best down the stretch last season.
28:00You guys bring a lot of guys back, but a lot of focus on the offensive side of the ball.
28:06What gives you confidence that they can play up to the level that you guys did?
28:11Yeah, I mean, we was able to go against some of these OTAs and see the development of that entire offensive scheme.
28:18You know, all the offensive players and especially the new guys we added.
28:22Man, we have none but 100% faith in everybody who's going to step on that field.
28:26We have none but faith in, you know, the players, the coaches that we're all going to go out and execute.
28:33You know, although we say arguably the best even like we have to go out and prove that that's offensively and defensively
28:39like and that's the every Sunday thing and that's our mindset.
28:43It's just going out and proving it every single day.
28:46But man, like we have none but faith in our offense and our defense and our special teams unit that we're going
28:52to go out and ball out every single Sunday.
28:55We know your defense is loaded with stars at all three levels, but I spoke to one of your coaches.
29:01We said with all the stars we have, this is this is the year for Henry To'o To'o.
29:06We're going to be talking about him a lot more.
29:09What do you think you've shown going into year four for you to be mentioned in the same breath as to Will Anderson to the Derrick Stinglies?
29:17Yeah, I mean, I just like just playing on hard work and dedication.
29:21I think that's just what it speaks for itself.
29:24Like the hard work that comes in the day in day out grind, you know, the behind the doors that nobody else sees.
29:31Obviously, we have a lot of great guys and great names on this defense.
29:35And I just want to be a piece of that puzzle to where we win games.
29:40Like I just want to go out and win games.
29:43That's that's my main goal. Like I want to be the best teammate that I can be.
29:48And then obviously, the personal accolades will come by itself and the recognition.
29:52But my main goal is always to win. It win the day, win the down and obviously get to the big game and win.
29:59You say it won't be a piece of the puzzle, but also a piece of the pie.
30:04You are eligible for an extension. Anything happen there?
30:07And I don't worry about that kind of stuff.
30:09I just I just play ball. I just play ball.
30:12We'll make it our point to worry about it here.
30:15You deserve it. We will lobby for that. We appreciate you guys spending time with us here on the insiders and enjoy the camp coming up this weekend.
30:24Well, guys, thank you. What an eventful weekend to wrap up and recap with Adam.
30:28It's time for race for nothing. Hey, man. Oh, my gosh.
30:32We're having too much fun already. Yeah, I think the best show is sometimes some of the stuff that goes on during the commercial breaks.
30:39I'm sorry. It's just for the folks who are sitting back there.
30:43All 10 of them. But any event, here are five things that I learned over the weekend, even something on Tuesday.
30:49But let's start off at number five. Love doesn't stink.
30:52Yeah, that's right. Travis Kelsey and Taylor Swift have some gall getting married at Madison Square Garden, which was extremely upsetting to
30:58the fine citizens who live nowhere near New York.
31:01A lot of people in Ohio and the Midwest outraged.
31:04I mean, how does this athlete and entertainer get married in this spot that is reserved for athletics and hey, listen, you
31:11still you close down Midtown Manhattan during the 4th of July weekend and that not busy, not busy at all.
31:17It's about as busy as a Smash Mouth concert.
31:19Yeah. Like, no, they still tour. Listen, there are more people at a food for less opening that are in Midtown Manhattan.
31:26So nobody was put out. Let me just nobody was put out.
31:30The thing is, though, the biggest story in all of this, Adam Sandler was the officiant.
31:34And if he didn't reprise his role from the wedding singer, then what are we even doing?
31:39It was Rob Schneider. I don't know. That's a big listen, Patrick.
31:43This isn't this isn't grownups for this is the wedding event of the season.
31:47This was our lady die and Prince Charles. All right.
31:50But speaking of which, Dumb and Dumber is still cool.
31:53Hey, you can call me a boomer because I was making a reference to the wedding singer.
31:58But George Kittle and Robert Tunyon Jr. made a quick change after the Kelsey Swift wedding by donning the orange and blue
32:05tuxedos made famous in the movie Dumb and Dumber.
32:08And, you know, I know Julian Edelman was like kick his ass, see bass and hilarity ensued.
32:13How's it burger? Who's the dead man who threw the salt shaker at me?
32:17Hey, listen. And this was the thing like, did you see that get like so many great celebrities, a lot of views,
32:23some of my favorite recording artists of all time, including Paul McCartney and Sherry and Greg Olson, some of the best of the best and People magazine.
32:31Sorry, there was no Rob Schneider. People magazine did do this, although in fairness, they listed only the celebrities.
32:37I'm sorry. By the way, People magazine listed all of the celebs who were there at the wedding.
32:43They showed Kristen use check, but not Kyle. Like, how do that?
32:46How dare they? Do the fullback get no love?
32:49People magazine is now declaring that fullbacks are not celebrities, although they rectify that with a post today.
32:54And we'll move on to number three. Actually, this happened today.
32:58It had to be Atlanta. Yes, we were traded to a great game on Tuesday morning when Egypt raced out to a
33:04two-nil lead over the defending champions, even though there was a questionable reversal that was so obscene, even Walt Coleman was offended.
33:11I like it. Google's free. But listen, I'm not going to explain everything here.
33:15But in the end, Argentina and Patrick, I'm sorry, Argentina and Lionel Messi, sorry, prevailed in a comeback that was so heartbreaking,
33:21so shocking that it could have only happened in Atlanta.
33:24That's not fair, Tom Brady. You don't need we don't need you to take shots like that.
33:30But in any event, let's move on. Speaking of soccer, let's move on to number two.
33:34The U.S. men's national team was not ready for primetime.
33:37Look, I hate to say it, but the U.S.
33:40men's national team had me feeling pretty good where they were heading.
33:44It felt like everything was good. They made me want to believe only to fall short at the worst possible time.
33:50In other words, the U.S. men's national team and the L.A.
33:53Chargers exactly the same. They're the same. I don't like doing it.
33:57It gives me no pleasure, Patrick. I don't like to say that.
34:00Look, both cool uniforms, players that we like, some players with dances we don't like, but they are the Chargers, which I
34:07know sounds like an insult, but they were the world's jets for a long time.
34:11So I think the Chargers is an improvement. I think they're on the way up.
34:16Maybe. I don't know. Anyways, number one, the Bears had the best jersey swap ever.
34:20Speaking of cool uniforms, we've seen many of the world's footballers, some NFL players and others exchange jerseys at the end of the game.
34:28In fact, one of the most endearing is right here when Roger Rosengarten asked Miles Garrett for his jersey.
34:33Let's take a listen. I got you. That's amazing.
34:36And that's pretty cool and all, but Caleb Williams sent his jersey to the Pope.
34:40And I'm not talking about Dom DeLuise and Johnny Dangerous.
34:43I'm going deep now. I'm talking about the real Pope, which means the Bears are blessed for the 2026 season, which is
34:50something I will be talking about on the latest edition of the sixth podcast with Adam.
34:55We can't promote the podcast. We cannot do it.
34:57We are not allowed to. It's all kinds of jersey swaps and, of course, shirt swaps.
35:02Maybe you could swap that shirt meme with the Pope.
35:05That would be the number one opportunity. What are you guys doing in about 221 days?
35:10You're watching ESPN. That's what you're doing. The Super Bowl is on ESPN LXI.
35:14That's 61 live from SoFi Stadium. It is also Valentine's Day.
35:18So, again, 220 days for you to figure out how to avoid your significant other being extremely upset with you that you're watching the Super Bowl.
35:25You know what? Watch it together. How about that?
35:28Steve Weiss, I'd like to watch it with you.
35:31Maybe we will. Together, live in Inglewood, California, when perhaps some of these teams we're talking about right now will be there.
35:37Teams that are facing make or break seasons in 2026.
35:40Let's start with the Cincinnati Bengals. And I agree.
35:43This is sort of a make or break year.
35:46It is sort of a make or break year, Mike, because, you know, look, as long as you've got Joe Burrell, you're going to have a chance.
35:54But the Bengals have had Joe Burrell and they've only gotten to the Super Bowl once.
35:59I mean, last year, they're scoring 35 points a game and losing.
36:02They have a defense that they finally have invested in that gave up almost 30 points a game last year when you
36:09didn't have guys like Dexter Lawrence and Boye Mafe and Jonathan Allen and Brian Cook.
36:13Now they've invested in there. If this defense is even mediocre, the Bengals have a chance, especially with their division at AFC
36:20North having so much upheaval at their three other stops.
36:23Joe Burrell had said previously, as long as I'm the quarterback, the window is not closed.
36:28So this is not a the window is going to close type thing, but it's a it's got to happen sort of right now, doesn't it?
36:35That's kind of what we're talking about here. And that Bengals defense, Steve, I believe I'll be shocked if they're not markedly
36:42better because of those additions you talked about, but also because they played a little bit better than people realized late in
36:48the season, started to get comfortable in what Al Golden was asking for them.
36:53So they're hoping that's going to carry over into this season.
36:56Let's stay in the AFC North and let's talk about the Baltimore Ravens because Lamar Jackson, again, a big window.
37:02But like, when's it going to happen? Well, I mean, look, I think this year, you know, with the coaching change, this
37:09is the year where things have got they've got to keep getting trying to get over the hump because they've got some age at some key spots.
37:17I mean, you look at guys like Ronnie Stanley, Derrick Henry, Mark Andrews.
37:20I mean, these guys have been around for a while.
37:23These are key cog that they're relying on. So again, Lamar is going to have to do a lot.
37:29We know this defense has got a little age on it, but Jesse Minter is a wizard on the defensive side.
37:35He can get some things out of him. That guy, Zay Flowers, maybe asked to do a lot as well, Mike.
37:42Declan Doyle, the new offensive coordinator, man. People have been gushing about him and the fact that he was an offensive coordinator slash head coaching candidate in waiting.
37:50Waiting no more. I mean, here it comes. And Lamar Jackson has been impressed with what he's seen from Doyle and heard from Doyle this spring.
37:58The Buffalo Bills, another team were talking like, when's it going to happen?
38:02When's it going to happen? Josh Allen. Huge window.
38:04Huge wingspan. When's it going to happen? Could it happen this year?
38:08Yeah, I mean, look, Josh Allen again, he's going to keep in that window, but we saw them lose the pole position
38:15in the division last year to New England. There are some teams that have caught up to them.
38:20Now, we know they've had the coaching change. They're getting a new stadium, a lot of excitement.
38:25They've got some things that they could possibly do on defense to get better, but the fact that they slipped a little
38:32last year, maybe that's the motivation they can use to get things going because that guy right there, 17, is too special
38:38to end up being like a Charles Barkley type and never getting a ring.
38:42Yeah, they've been the sexy pick to make the Super Bowl too many times to be sexy at this point.
38:48You can pick them, but don't act like, oh, you're ahead of the curve or whatever.
38:53No, it's right where it should be if the Bills finally do make the move to the Super Bowl this year.
39:00I know they feel really good about some of the things they do that they've done and feel really good about DJ more as a high volume guy.
39:08We talked about this a little bit last night on the program, a high volume guy that they badly need for Josh
39:14Allen, considering how much he puts the ball in the air.
39:18How about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? I thought a lot of folks said maybe Todd Bowles a little bit in the hot seat.
39:25Now they stuck with him, but hey, maybe make or break for a lot of folks down there.
39:30Yeah, absolutely, Mike. And I think you nailed it.
39:33Make or break for a lot of folks down there.
39:36Todd Bowles, who after that 2-7 finish last year, we know a lot of folks are like, hmm, do we bring him back?
39:43Baker Mayfield did not play well. Now they don't have Mike Evans.
39:46Now they didn't win with Mike Evans, so maybe, you know, clearing things up for Chris Godwin and Emeka Buke to get this offense going.
39:54But there's been a lot of change. But this is a team in a division with, again, the arrow in Carolina, New
40:00Orleans, and Atlanta is pointing up for Tampa Bay.
40:03People might think they plateaued a little bit, so it'll be real intriguing in 26.
40:07It's a contract year for Baker Mayfield, which you think is make or break.
40:12Although I still think something gets done before the start of the season, maybe even early in training camp.
40:17I did report last night they're not close, but these things tend to be bridged in a short amount of time when
40:24you get some kind of pressure to get a deal done, and that's upcoming, again, with training camp in the start of the season.
40:31100% agree with this next one. For a lot of folks, the Philadelphia Eagles, Steve Weiss.
40:36I mean, come on now. We got another new OC.
40:39Jalen Hurts, you know, is he the answer? Is he the problem?
40:42We'll figure this out. A.J. Brown is gone. And, Mike, also, you've got some age that's a key player.
40:48Both tackles are older. Dallas got it. The tight end is older.
40:52So the window for them to get things done is an issue.
40:55But if this line stays healthy and they get back to Saquon Barkley running the ball, this offense with Jalen Hurts could
41:02go back to be one of the best teams in the NFC.
41:05This move to Sean Mannion and the Shanahan-McVay-type tree that we're talking about here, which there are many branches and many versions of the offense, obviously.
41:13But that came from above. I mean, this is from ownership and Howie Roseman.
41:17This is the system that they feel like you need to play in the modern NFL to be successful.
41:23And if Jalen Hurts shows this year that he's not a good fit for that system, then the Eagles may have to
41:30make themselves some hard decisions starting at that quarterback spot.
41:33So that's one of the more fascinating storylines with the Eagles and Jalen Hurts.
41:37Can't wait to be down there at training camp to start to see how that's going.
41:42What does it mean to be a sports hero?
41:44Preparation, responsibility, accountability, always giving 100%. Rice, he's open, touchdown!
41:47It's a blessing to be now some kid out there, idle.
41:51I'm proud that I've gotten to where I am, but I push myself to make those people proud and happy.
41:57It's really special and it's something that, you know, I think about when I'm preparing and getting ready to go out there.
42:03To be a sports hero by someone else just shows that all the things that I'm doing to be great on my
42:10end, on and off the court, is working and I hope that I just continue to be an inspiration to others.
42:16Looking back on 250 years of history, what about the history of Christian McCathery's Instagram workouts?
42:21Here he is on Instagram partnering with Edo Portal, the trainer specializing in movement culture.
42:25Mike Garofalo, I want to know if you are going to adopt a part of this movement culture lifestyle.
42:31Does anything on this video interest you to improve your relationship with movement itself?
42:35No, sometimes I do wonder though, if they're like, watch us make all these idiots do these moves and then they do the real workouts.
42:43I don't know, but that is just the clap push-up is hard enough.
42:47Then you're adding the butterfly on top of it.
42:49That's crazy. I'll try that one tomorrow. Yeah, when you're selling movements, the standard ones don't really get a lot of attention.
42:56Other ones get Mike Garofalo to talk about here on The Insiders, which is what we enjoy.
43:01Thanks for watching this edition of the show. We'll be back tomorrow.
43:05Great one coming for you. From Mike and Steve, I'm Patrick.
43:08See you later. This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.
43:11Raised human. . .
