NE/SEA Preview + WR Questions with Adam Thielen
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
54 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 9, 2026
Published
Wed, September 9, 2026
16
Player insights
13
Players mentioned
Topics
A.J. BrownJordan AddisonRhamondre StevensonDeVonta SmithDK MetcalfDrake MayeHunter HenryJadarian PriceJalen CokerJustin JeffersonMichael PittmanStefon DiggsTerrace Marshall
Player analysis
Player insights
A.J. Brown
PositiveRole12:07
Adam Thielen highlights A.J. Brown as a major upgrade for the Patriots, noting his ability to win on third downs and create one-on-one opportunities for teammates by drawing double coverage. Thielen suggests that early in the season, before defenses adjust to target shares, Brown is a prime candidate for a high-volume role, especially on third downs.
Insight pagePositiveProjection14:37
Matthew Berry ranks A.J. Brown as WR13 for the opener, acknowledging the tough matchup against Seattle but emphasizing the 'perfect marriage' between Brown's deep-threat ability and Drake Maye's arm strength. Berry also notes that Brown's emotional motivation following his departure from Philadelphia could fuel a strong performance.
Insight pageDeVonta Smith
PositiveRole49:13
Matthew Berry identifies DeVonta Smith as his 'ride or die' pick, expecting him to command a massive target share in the Patriots' offense. Adam Thielen agrees that Smith has the skill set to be a WR1, though notes the challenge of not having AJ Brown on the other side to draw coverage.
Insight pageDK Metcalf
NegativeProjection46:47
Matthew Berry ranks DK Metcalf as his WR31, expressing concern that the Seahawks' offense may be low-scoring and focused on ball control with multiple tight ends and running backs involved.
Insight pageDrake Maye
NegativeProjection10:33
Matthew Berry ranks Drake Maye as QB14 for the season opener against Seattle, citing concerns over the offensive line and the difficulty of playing in Seattle. While Maye has elite deep-ball ability and led the NFL in touchdown passes of 15+ air yards last year, Berry expects a run-heavy game plan to mitigate pressure, noting Maye was pressured on 42% of his dropbacks in the previous Super Bowl matchup.
Insight pageHunter Henry
NegativeProjection53:28
Matthew Berry ranks Hunter Henry as a mid-tier TE2 for Week 1. Despite Seattle's struggles against tight ends last season, Berry views Henry as touchdown-dependent and suggests a wait-and-see approach.
Insight pageJadarian Price
NegativeRole47:00
Matthew Berry expects Jadarian Price to be the starting running back for the Seahawks tonight, projecting him as a high-end flex or low-end RB2. Adam Thielen acknowledges Price's talent but expresses caution for Week 1, noting the emotional environment and the difficulty of matching the physical, tackle-breaking style of last year's backfield. Price is not expected to see third-down work due to limited college receiving production.
Insight pageJalen Coker
NegativeBreakout43:37
Adam Thielen considers Jalen Coker the best receiver on the Panthers, highlighting his 230-pound frame, 4.4 speed, and elite body control. Thielen notes that while injuries have been a concern, Coker has the potential to be one of the better receivers in the league.
Insight pageJordan Addison
PositiveValue39:14
Matthew Berry notes that Jordan Addison likely does not receive the fantasy respect he deserves because he shares a wide receiver room with Justin Jefferson.
Insight pagePositiveBreakout60:31
Adam Thielen describes Jordan Addison as an incredible talent who is smooth, fast, and elite in and out of breaks. Thielen believes the Vikings' goal is to get Addison more involved to prevent defenses from focusing solely on Justin Jefferson, noting that Addison has the potential to be a star if he were the primary receiver on a team.
Insight pageJustin Jefferson
PositiveProjection55:35
Adam Thielen is highly optimistic about Justin Jefferson's season, citing a noticeable increase in swagger and confidence. Thielen believes the connection with Kyler Murray will be productive, noting that Kevin O'Connell's offensive scheme will prioritize getting Jefferson involved early to maintain his elite production levels.
Insight pageMichael Pittman
NegativeProjection46:47
Matthew Berry ranks Michael Pittman Jr. as his WR39, citing concerns about the overall offensive environment in Pittsburgh, which he expects to be a low-scoring, ball-control unit.
Insight pageRhamondre Stevenson
PositiveUsage18:26
Matthew Berry labels Rhamondre Stevenson a 'must start' for the opener, projecting a heavy workload as the Patriots attempt to control the clock and neutralize the Seattle crowd. Stevenson finished last season strong, averaging over 17 fantasy points per game over his final nine contests and ranking third among running backs in fantasy points per touch.
Insight pageNegativeRole33:27
Matthew Berry and Adam Thielen agree the Patriots need to run the ball to set up play-action and keepers for Drake Maye, but Thielen doubts they can succeed against Seattle's fast, physical defense. Stevenson is viewed as a decent pass-catcher who will likely see dump-offs if the pocket breaks down, making him a mid-tier RB2 with touchdown upside.
Insight pageStefon Diggs
PositiveRole52:10
Adam Thielen believes Stefon Diggs is a fantastic fit for the Commanders, noting his grit and effort. Thielen expects Diggs to operate as the underneath, catch-and-run threat while Terry McLaurin serves as the deep threat.
Insight pageTerrace Marshall
PositiveRole39:51
Adam Thielen confirms that moving Terrace Marshall Jr. into the slot is a smart move, noting his versatility, change-of-direction skills, and high football IQ, which allow him to exploit matchups against linebackers and safeties.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00It is noon on YouTube, brothers and sisters, friends of the revolution, which means, of course, it is 5 o'clock somewhere.
0:06The Happy Hour Bar is open and we have actual real football tonight.
0:10So excited. I am, of course, your friendly neighborhood bartender, Matthew Berry.
0:13Excited to be here once again. Before we get into it, before we bring in our guest, a couple of quick things.
0:20Number one, still time to play a guillotine league.
0:22Guillotineleagues.com. Still time to do a draft. You can do one really quickly.
0:26Get one in before the end. If you can't get a draft organized tonight, if you don't want to join a league
0:32like there's public leagues available that are going on all the time, you can do one tomorrow or you can do on Friday.
0:39It just it goes retroactive to the games that will happen tonight and Thursday night.
0:43But you can still draft all the way. You know, you can draft throughout the season, to be honest with you.
0:49But like you can do a draft Thursday night.
0:52I'm actually doing one Thursday night. You can do on Friday or Saturday, you know, Sunday morning and it just be retroactive.
0:58To the games that take place Wednesday or Thursday night.
1:01All right. So we've got a great show tonight and I cannot tell you how excited I am because joining me on
1:08the show today is fantasy football royalty. Adam Thielen.
1:10For so many years, Adam Thielen, a fantasy football superstar, obviously one of the best wide receivers to ever play the game.
1:17A superstar with the Minnesota Vikings and a superstar with all of us in the world of fantasy football.
1:22Adam has a new podcast out called The Dialed Podcast.
1:25Wherever you get your podcast, wherever you get your podcast, where he's interviewing superstar athletes about their journey.
1:30Joe Maurer, the episode with Joe Maurer, of course, from the Twins out now.
1:34So I'm looking forward to checking that out. But Adam, how often did fan when you were playing and even to this
1:40day, how often does fantasy football come up in your life?
1:44It comes up. It comes up all the time.
1:46I feel like nowadays people even say more than ever.
1:49Like, oh, man, I had you on my fantasy team.
1:52It was so great. I'm like, hopefully not the last couple of years because it was a little rough.
1:58But no, it's fun to hear. I mean, obviously, it's been great for the game for the NFL.
2:03I mean, just absolutely blew up and has really helped out in a lot of ways.
2:07But it definitely if you don't perform well or don't get a lot of targets, the fans will let you know.
2:13So I had to delete Twitter. Haven't even brought it back because they didn't like when I wasn't getting the ball much
2:20and not scoring a lot of fantasy points. But yeah, hear about fantasy football all the time.
2:25It's actually funny you say that because my son now has been he's about to be 10 and he's been asking like,
2:31hey, can we start a little league with the buddies?
2:34I'm like, yeah, let's do it. So trying to get that organized for him and get that started.
2:39Yeah, we got to do that. Maybe we get maybe we get your son into a into a guillotine league here.
2:45Wolf John says, I got a feeling this is going to be a good episode.
2:50That's the other thing is so many nicknames based on your last name hooked on a feeling, of course, is one of the most famous.
2:57But was there a fantasy football team name that you heard a lot that people would tell you?
3:02Because there's so many like, you know, you know, feeling it.
3:05And, you know, yeah, I mean, there's just there's a million based on your last name.
3:10Was there one that came to mind when I just asked you that question?
3:14Yeah, I'm like smiling as you're saying this, because I think it's so hilarious because people come up to me all the
3:20time and be like, I got a feeling. You're like, that was my fantasy name.
3:24And I'm like, they like they think that they're very creative and like they're the only ones.
3:29I'm like, I've heard that 13 times this week.
3:32But no, I don't know what the most popular one.
3:35Probably that one. I got a feeling, which I enjoy.
3:38Like, I like that. You know, every time that song comes out, I kind of say, you know, I don't say feeling.
3:44I say feeling. So I enjoy that one. But yeah, there's a lot of creative names, which sometimes, you know, you get a creative name.
3:51You're like, that's pretty good. I haven't heard that one before.
3:54But people love to share their fantasy football names, which it's funny because I look back at it like when I was in college, I played fantasy football.
4:03And we had our little crew that played and really loved it and enjoyed it.
4:07When I got to the league, it was just harder to be able to manage it and do it.
4:12So I haven't played in a while. But it was that was like the thing is like you came up with a
4:19super creative name and you thought you're so cool that everyone gives you a hard time.
4:23But I guess that's part of the process. So, well, you're a very kind person for letting everyone think that they're the
4:30only ones that ever came up with I got a feeling or hooked on a feeling.
4:34But, you know, as Ashley Morrow, 77, says, targets are earned.
4:38And you, sir, earned a lot of targets. Targets are earned.
4:41And, you know, the people that would give you grief on fantasy on social media is a small select group of assholes, to be perfectly honest with you.
4:49Like everyone that's ever listened to me, you know, we always say never talk to the players.
4:54Don't talk to them. Don't don't. You know, the players don't care about your fantasy team and nor should they.
4:59They shouldn't care about your fantasy team. They should only care about helping their NFL team win and try to get to a Super Bowl.
5:07And so, anyway, you know, there's a very small select group of people that play fantasy that are jerks.
5:12Just like there are a small select group of pretty much any college program that are jerks.
5:17Or any, you know, I mean, like go to any message board.
5:21There's always going to be people. E. Wanky 1310 says, all right, Adam, show us the lettuce.
5:25Barry warm up the ankles. The regulars, which is my fan group, the people that watch this show, are obsessed with my ankles.
5:32I'm not going to do that to you, Adam, but they're also obsessed with hair because I am, of course, bald.
5:38So everyone, we want to see what your hair looks like.
5:41Oh, boy. I need a haircut. But it looks good.
5:44At one point, I had like some good flow.
5:47Like my last couple years of my career, I'm like the only way that I can like look young or people that
5:53think I'm young is just to have long hair, right?
5:56Like that's what young people do. So I grew my hair out, had the flow out the humble, which I think is sick, all about the lettuce.
6:04So I appreciate that one. Yeah, I do. I'm insanely jealous.
6:07I'm insanely jealous. So coming up today on the show, I want to let's first we're going to get into tonight's game.
6:13We finally have actual football tonight with the Patriots heading to Seattle and the Seahawks.
6:18So we have actual football on a Wednesday tonight.
6:20So I want to talk about that. And then we're going to talk about just basically some of the biggest wide receiver questions this year.
6:28You played the position at the highest level. So I would love to get your insight here.
6:32But let's start with Drake May going up against this Seattle defense.
6:36On the road, obviously struggled in the postseason, struggled against the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, but just added A.J.
6:42Brown. What are your thoughts on Drake May heading to Seattle tonight and how he'll do?
6:46Yeah, well, first of all, it should be like a national holiday day.
6:50Like this is this is like exciting. I mean, it's funny because even when I was playing, when you got to this
6:56like first game, even if it wasn't you weren't playing in the game, like I was so excited.
7:02I couldn't wait to sit on the couch, get home after practice and watch that game.
7:06Even like Thursday night games, like it was my opportunity to watch football before, you know, Sundays you can't watch football because you're playing.
7:13So I'm super excited about the game tonight. But, yeah, I think Drake May, he's got all the tangibles.
7:19It wasn't necessarily his fault that he didn't play well against Seattle.
7:22There's a couple of factors that led into that.
7:25Obviously, Seattle's defense was insane last year and expect more of the same this year.
7:29You know, majority of those guys coming back and with the confidence of like, hey, like we just won a Super Bowl.
7:35We have a great defense. Let's do it again.
7:38But I think like they've obviously tried to sure up the offensive line and that's going to be the big question mark.
7:44I don't think it necessarily was a receiver problem last year for them.
7:48It was just protection, right? They couldn't do much.
7:51They couldn't run the football. They couldn't they couldn't protect when they were dropping back.
7:55And especially against the Seattle defense that does so much.
7:58They blitz. They just rush with four men sometimes because that's all they need.
8:02And so they kind of do a lot. They bring the nickel pressure.
8:06They do a lot on defense. They just make it really tough for you to drop back and have success.
8:12I think if Drake May does have a little bit of time, he's got the arm strength.
8:16He's got the ability to just be confident and smooth.
8:19Like he's got that perfect demeanor just to not be too high, not be too low to make all the throws down the field.
8:26I mean, you see some of his deep balls.
8:29I mean, incredible. And then obviously add in a guy like A.J.
8:32Brown, who is one of the best of best of the best of contested catches.
8:37You know, some of those over shoulder the balls where even if the defenders on him and you have a good quarterback
8:43like Drake May to kind of throw that over the shoulder ball.
8:46He's the best of the best to make those plays and be a deep threat and open up the guys around him,
8:53which, you know, some of those other guys that they got are really good underneath.
8:57And to be able to kind of run the choice routes and to run some of those intermediate routes off of the
9:04post route or the goal ball to kind of clear it out and bring them across.
9:08So I'm excited if they can protect. It's still a big if for me.
9:12So we'll see what happens. Yeah. Forty two percent of Drake May's dropbacks in the Super Bowl.
9:17He was pressured on. You're absolutely right. It was a swinging gate there on the offensive line.
9:22Two interceptions. He lost the fumble as well. So and I think they will bring pressure tonight.
9:27You know, they have last year, to your point, they didn't need to.
9:31They were able to get pressure with just four.
9:33But I think this will be tough. I also think, by the way, so you see my rank there on the screen.
9:40I personally have Drake May at QB 14. You know, this is a guy that was a top five fantasy quarterback easily last year, Adam.
9:47But I have it 14 on this game for two reasons.
9:50Number one is, again, has New England solved the offensive line issues?
9:53Seattle's a tough place to play in general, right?
9:56And you know that crowd will be so into it tonight.
9:59Opening season, their team is the Super Bowl, the defending Super Bowl champions playing against the team they played against the Super Bowl.
10:06So my expectation here is that Josh McDaniels dials up a lot of running.
10:10I think you're going to see a lot of Ramondre Stevenson.
10:13We'll talk about him a little bit later. But my expectation is, is I think the Patriots try to establish the run,
10:19try to go run heavy here, take the crowd out of it, take pressure off of Drake May, you know, whose last game was against these Seahawks.
10:27So I have him at QB 14. I'm nervous about this.
10:30I will say, though, to your point, that one of the stats I gave in the preseason all along was last year
10:37in the NFL, no one threw more touchdown passes of 15 or more air yards down the field than Drake May.
10:43And over the last four years, no wide receivers caught more deep passes on, you know, 15 or more air yards than A.J.
10:49Brown. So it's just a perfect marriage in terms of what Drake May does well, what A.J.
10:54Brown does well. And Josh McDaniels is no dummy.
10:57He's going to be dialing up that a lot.
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12:07Available now wherever you get your podcasts. So let's talk specifically about A.J.
12:10Brown, right? Because, you know, it's all small sample size.
12:13Because I'm going to say, like, I think A.J.
12:16Brown is the best wide receiver Drake Mays ever played with.
12:19He's been in the NFL, you know, only a couple of years.
12:22Because, you know, the competition is basically, you know, later stage career Stefan Diggs.
12:27And we love Diggsie. But, you know, at this, at where he was in his career last year, I don't think he is, you know, where A.J.
12:34Brown currently is. So tell me, Adam, from your point of view, how does A.J.
12:39Brown change this Patriots offense? Both tonight and more importantly for the season?
12:42Yeah, I think there's two sides. I think, number one, you're just adding a playmaker.
12:47You have adding a guy that can win one-on-one, third downs, important, you know, we call them the money downs, right?
12:53Like, you've got to convert on third down to give yourself more opportunities to throw the ball down the field, to run
12:59the ball, to run the play actions, right? Like, the more first downs you get, the more opportunities you get to do those things.
13:06And he's a guy that can do that. He can run the slant routes.
13:10He can catch the ball, contested catches. Even if they cover him, he can catch the ball with the contested catches.
13:16The other side to it is he takes a lot of eyeballs.
13:20Even when he wasn't getting the ball in Philly, he was getting double covered and he was getting eyeballs.
13:25He was getting drop-down safeties that were looking just for him.
13:28And then it opens up the other side of the field, creates one-on-one matchups for the other guys that need to go win.
13:35And they have the opportunity to do that because they don't have the whole player or the extra guy on defense to
13:41kind of have eyes on them as well. So, just one-on-one coverage for the other guys is what A.J.
13:47Brown also creates. I think you look at a guy like A.J.
13:50Brown early in the season is when you've got to take advantage of it.
13:54Because no matter what teams feel like the other team has, early in the season, they don't do as much doubling.
14:00They don't do as much, I've got to take this guy away.
14:04They just don't do that. They kind of wait to see what the teams do on offense.
14:09They kind of try to see who they're going to target on third down.
14:13Now they have all the stats to say on third down, 40% of the time they go to A.J.
14:18Brown. Well, right now they don't have that. So, I think this is the time that you take advantage of that and
14:25you throw to him on every third down. You create plays for him to get one-on-one matchups and not all the double teams.
14:31So, I think it is a great opportunity for A.J.
14:34Brown to have a big game early in the season.
14:37I'm at wide receiver 13. Obviously, if you have A.J.
14:40Brown, you're starting him a little bit lower than I normally would.
14:43Again, on the road, at Seattle, I expect him to try to run a lot.
14:48And obviously, A.J. Brown is going to get a ton of attention.
14:51But to your point, he's an elite player with an elite playmaker throwing him the ball.
14:56You know, a very good play caller calling those plays.
14:59And more importantly, you know, and Adam, I'd love to get your take on this.
15:03Because one of the things I do in my fantasy analysis, and tell me if you think I'm crazy on this.
15:09You know, like so many people who do what I do, they'll talk about film, they'll talk about stats.
15:15You know, they'll talk, you know, I've heard from this source or this source, this and this.
15:20But I don't think nearly enough people, I don't think anyone really does.
15:23They don't talk about like sort of human emotions.
15:26And I always say that like for all the stats and the data and the film work you want to say, like you're talking about human beings, right?
15:34You're talking about human beings that have emotions and they're petty and they're jealous and they have egos and they're, you know,
15:40everything that goes into all of us being like actual human beings.
15:44And so I sit here and think about A.J.
15:46Brown, who has an unceremonious departure from Philadelphia. You know, and it feels like the Eagles fans sort of blamed a lot
15:53of the, you know, there's this fractured relationship between him and Jalen Hurts.
15:56And it felt like Brown got the brunt of the blame there.
16:00I don't know what the actual truth is, but, you know, and he's sitting on the sideline reading a book.
16:06He's not helping himself. But I just feel like A.J.
16:09Brown, chip on a shoulder, going to New England, reuniting with Mike Vrabel, who was his coach in Tennessee.
16:14I just, I feel like there's an extra motivation there with A.J.
16:18Brown, especially tonight when you think like national stage.
16:20I've been waiting all offseason. I've been hearing this chirp, chirp, chirp about A.J.
16:24Brown and blah, blah, blah, blah. He was the problem.
16:27Glad he's out of Philadelphia. And, you know, like, is that crazy that sometimes just emotion, human emotion plays into a player performance?
16:34No, I love that. I think, I think you think about just A.J.
16:37Brown's situation. You don't think that he wants to prove something.
16:41You're crazy. You know, he has a lot to prove and a lot of people that doubt him.
16:46And as a player, like as much as you don't want to hear that stuff, you hear it.
16:51You hear the noise. You hear the fans in Philly that were, you know, talking bad about him and not getting the
16:57targets and not getting the catches and all these things.
17:00And he wants to go out there on national TV first game of the season.
17:05He wants to go off. And I know that he has been thinking about this game since last season was over, that
17:11since he got traded and gets kind of a fresh start and a new opportunity in a place that he's really familiar
17:17with, not place, but coach and staff that he's familiar with and knows what he can do.
17:22Like Mike Vregel believes in him and trusts him.
17:25And that's why he brought him there. Like he's, he spent plenty of time with him to know exactly what he brings to the team.
17:32And so I would imagine that there'll be a lot of emotions flying high and he's excited to get out there and prove what he can do.
17:40And I think the offense coordinators also know that like the offense coordinator knows like let's get this guy going early.
17:46Like let's take advantage of that, that mindset and that, that kind of chip on your shoulder and let's get in the
17:52ball early, get him in this game. And then like the rest is history.
17:56Like as a receiver, once you get in the flow and you get in that mindset, like you get touched the ball
18:03early, you kind of have some more confidence and you just, it lets you just kind of play free.
18:08Like the rest is history. So they, they know that as, as an offense.
18:12Patriots last year, by the way, eighth in total wide receiver points with a bunch of guys that again, were not as good as AJ Brown.
18:20So I think you're starting AJ Brown. Drake may, as I said, QB 14, if you had a better option, I might
18:26think about it today, but I think Ramondre Stevenson is a must start tonight.
18:30Travion Henderson's not going to play today. Over his final nine games, including the playoffs is a guy that averaged over 17
18:36fantasy points per game, over 92 yards from scrimmage third among running backs and fantasy points per touch last year.
18:42And I think he's going to touch the ball a lot specifically a again, because I think on the road, I mean,
18:49these are all cliches, but their cliches are true for cliches become cliches for a reason because they're true, which is, I
18:55believe they're going to want to run the ball like they're going to get there to the stadium.
19:00Right. And there's going to be all these hype videos.
19:03The Seahawks win the, you know, and get in the ring and they won the Super Bowl.
19:08They'll be showing Super Bowl highlights. The Patriots are going to have to sit there while they look up on the stadium
19:14scoreboard and you know, they're going to be playing all these highlights from the Super Bowl, you know, making the Patriots look
19:21bad as the Seahawks are doing this and doing that.
19:24And so the crowd is going to be so amped up because they always are.
19:28And again, it's a primetime game. First game of the season.
19:31First time they get to see their Super Bowl champion Seahawks in person.
19:35If I'm Josh McDaniels, I am running the hell out of the ball and just trying to deflate the air out of the stadium.
19:42The only counter to that, Adam Thielen, is that the Seahawks last year had a really good run defense.
19:47They allowed the fourth fewest fantasy points to running backs last season.
19:51That was the thought of the Super Bowl and they weren't able to do that.
19:55The Patriots were not able to run the ball in the Super Bowl.
19:59We just talked about one of the issues that Drake may had was because the offensive line couldn't pass protect.
20:05Well, they also couldn't really run block that well either.
20:07So where are you on Ramondre Stevenson going into tonight?
20:10I'm glad you said that because that's exactly what I was thinking as you're talking is I agree 100% they're going to have to run the ball.
20:18They have to for that offense to be who they want to be for that team to be where they want to be.
20:25They have to run the ball so that they can get the play action.
20:29They can get the keepers and the bootlegs to get Drake made just some easy completions to start the game.
20:35But I just don't think they can. I think Seattle is just so fast and physical and they play so well together
20:41and they just have this system down pat that I just don't think you can run the ball against them.
20:47I think you have to be able to start the game.
20:50If I'm the offensive coordinator and I'm not an offensive coordinator other than my third, fourth grade flag football team that I'm coaching tonight.
20:57But if I'm the offensive coordinator, I'm running keepers galore to start the game.
21:01Like I am faking the handoff. I'm rolling out.
21:03I'm throwing flat routes. I am throwing the over routes.
21:06And I'm just getting easy completions and making it look like I'm running the ball early and then to settle in.
21:12And then now I got the defense off balance a little bit.
21:16They got to play a little bit more, you know, maybe not flowing as fast or knifing and really trying to stop the run.
21:23They got to play a little more true. And then you start running the football.
21:27So if they can do that, they'll have a decent run game.
21:31But I just feel like they're going to come out, like you said, they're going to try to run the ball.
21:37They're going to run downhill and they're going to get stuffed.
21:40And then it's going to be a long game for them.
21:43Yeah, the positives here for Ramondre Stevenson is, again, no Traven Henderson.
21:46So Ramondre is a decent pass catcher. So I could see just a lot of, to your point, a lot of dump
21:53offs, whether they're designed or just, again, pocket breaks down.
21:56Let me quickly get it out in the flat to Ramondre Stevenson and try to get, you know, three, four, five yards.
22:02So I think he'll have a few receptions tonight, try to ease that up.
22:06I think he's got a pretty decent shot at a touchdown.
22:09But again, more of an RB2. Adam, you were an elite fantasy wide receiver.
22:13You were an elite wide receiver in the NFL.
22:16And you've also played with some elite wide receivers in the NFL.
22:19You know, you played with Justin. You played with Diggs at the height of his career.
22:24So I want to talk a little bit about Jackson, Smith, and Jigba.
22:28Because unbelievable season last year. I saw a video online actually last night, which I saw was crazy.
22:33And it was just, I forget who posted it.
22:36So I apologize, but basically it was a bunch of video of Jackson, Smith, and Jigba.
22:40And they just pointed out the fact that one of the reasons he's so effective is that his shoulders never move, that
22:47you can't actually tell where he's going with his route until it's too late because he just somehow has this crazy ability to keep his shoulders completely steady.
22:55And they showed video of it. And it was just like, I'd never seen that point brought up.
23:00And I'm just like, oh. But the question to me is, so JSN just burst on the scene last year, has this monster year, breakout year.
23:07And I have to assume that every single defensive coordinator, starting with the Patriots, that had Seattle on their schedule this year,
23:14is just like, okay, how do I stop Jackson, Smith, and Jigba?
23:17You know, because they also don't have, you know, like, again, Jefferson, Diggs, whatever.
23:21Luckily, you know, you've played with some great wide receivers that could take pressure off.
23:26I mean, they have Shahid. I like Shahid. But I'm just curious what you see for Jackson, Smith, and Jigba.
23:31More in the same? Or do you think, you know, he's going to get, you know, double, triple team.
23:37He's going to get bracketed and just, you know, they're going to be looking elsewhere.
23:41New offense coordinator for the Seahawks as well. Well, that's kind of where I'm going to go with this.
23:47The first thing is, I would love to touch on JSN just because I love his game.
23:52Like, fantastic. So smooth. You talk about the shoulders not moving.
23:55You know, I think of it as like, he's deceptive.
23:58No one knows what he's doing. They can't tell if he's running fast, if he's slow, because it all looks the same.
24:04My big thing when I was playing is like, I want to make sure that every single thing I do looks exactly the same.
24:11So this week, like, we're going to run this route.
24:14Like, well, I wanted to make it look exactly like a route I run last week.
24:18And so just trying to pair stuff together to make it all look the same.
24:23And he does that unbelievably. I think the second thing about him is he's really smart.
24:27And the only reason I say that, because I don't know him.
24:31I've never been in a room with them. But the reason why I say that is because they moved him all around last year.
24:38He was motioning. He was lining up in the slot.
24:41He was lining up outside. He was, you know, lining up in the backfield.
24:45Like, you can't do that if you're not really football smart and have a really good overall, you know, big picture kind
24:51of brain as far as the way you look at football.
24:54It's a lot. Like, football is really complicated, especially when you get to that point where you're moving around and motioning.
25:00You're motioning to a formation. You're motioning away from a formation.
25:03You're lining up in the backfield. Like, there's so much terminology that goes into that.
25:08So he obviously is smart and understands football big picture.
25:11Another reason why he's able to get open, because he understands the big picture, not just, oh, I'm running a slant round
25:17at five yards, which a lot of guys play the game that way, which is fine.
25:22You have to know that as a coach. But when you have over 1,500 yards receiving, like, you have to have been
25:28able to play a lot of different roles and different routes.
25:31And like, you can't just be a one trick pony.
25:34So that's what I do love about his game.
25:37The other thing is, like you just mentioned, is they have a new offense coordinator.
25:41So I don't know how that's going to work.
25:44They did such an amazing job. You look at the playoff run.
25:47Clint Kubiak did an amazing job. All the things I just said, lining him up in the backfield, running a choice route
25:53from the backfield, lining up as a single one-on-one matchups there, motioning him and running routes on the move, full speed into his route before the ball snapped.
26:01And there's so many of those things that helped him.
26:04Now, he still had to run the route and catch the football, but that really helped him to be able to get
26:11those matchups and to be able to get 10, 15 targets a game.
26:14If you just line JSN up, they're going to be able to double team him.
26:19They're going to be able to find out where he's at and adjust the coverage based off these defense coordinators.
26:25They sit in their office till three in the morning, don't sleep, and because they're trying to figure out a way to stop them.
26:32And so if you make it easy on them, it will be easy on them.
26:36So I don't know what that's going to look like from this offense coordinator.
26:40And so it's kind of a little bit of like, let's see what happens.
26:44But they did such a great job with him last year.
26:47I don't think that it'll be at that level.
26:50But at the end of the day, he's so good at what he does that he'll find a way to make some plays.
26:56I'm at wide receiver four. And for our purposes, it sort of doesn't matter.
27:00Like you're starting Jackson Smith and Jigba no matter what the opponent is.
27:04It is worth noting, like for all the success Seattle had in the Super Bowl, they did.
27:09The Patriots were able to limit JSN. You know, he got 10 targets, but just four for 27, which significantly lower than
27:15what he did in the regular season last year.
27:18Only one game with less than 72 receiving yards.
27:21You know, this is a guy that had a 36% target share, over 105 receiving yards a game.
27:26He averaged just crazy video game type numbers for Jackson Smith and Jigba.
27:30But that'll be really interesting to sort of see what they do with him this year in terms of if they're able
27:36to continue to move him around and free him up.
27:39Because he is just, he's just, you know, he's so good.
27:42He's just, yeah, I mean, he's kind of, it's kind of crazy how good he is.
27:47But so, you know, and I think that while, you know, Kubiak is gone, I think they're still going to be running his playbook.
27:54So the question is, and one of the things that's so important to what Kubiak did last year as the coordinator of
28:00the Seahawks, and I expect them to continue under Mike McDonald in terms of just his overall philosophy of coaching, they want
28:06to run the ball to set up the pass, right?
28:09They want to set up play action in a significant way, which is also because Ken Walker was so good, because Zach Charbonnet was so good last year.
28:17That was able to free up JSN as well.
28:20So my question to you, Adam Thielen, is with all that, we're going to get our first look at Jadarian Price tonight as well.
28:27You know, you're going to see some George Helani as well, that he'll be on third downs, but feels like the rookie
28:33out of Notre Dame is going to be the starting running back for the Seahawks and get a fairly healthy workload tonight.
28:39What are your expectations for Jadarian Price? Yeah, I know they're really high on him, you know, watch a little bit of
28:46the hard knocks and just, you know, when they were able to make that pick, they were, they were obviously super excited about that.
28:53But you look at last year and those guys are incredible.
28:56I mean, Walker and Charbonnet, like, I mean, incredible.
28:59And I've played a lot of games against that team and those guys, and you just see them bouncing off tackles and
29:05breaking tackles and getting four or five, six yards every time they touch the ball and that just wears down the defense
29:11and it creates opportunity in the pass game. And again, like you look back, I hate to keep going back at last
29:18year because this is a completely different year. And that's what's so great about the NFL.
29:22But you look at what, what that did for that offense.
29:25Like it, the defenses didn't know what to do.
29:28They were like, so like, you know, like I'm trying to stop the run, but now they're just throwing these easy passes
29:34and, and getting JSN running on or getting the ball to him on the move and run after catch.
29:40And like, they just kept people off balance so much.
29:43Now, do you think Jadarian is going to be a really good football player?
29:47Yeah, I think so. He's got a lot of talent, but like, this is week one, huge game at home, a lot of emotions.
29:54Like, I just don't know if, if, if he's going to be that same style of runner, that's just physical and just
30:00has this mentality of never quit, never stop. Like maybe he gets to that point.
30:04Maybe he proves me wrong, but I just don't think I see that week one.
30:09Yeah. I'm at 23. So I'm as a high end flex or a low end RB too.
30:14It's worth noting. The Seahawks did run a lot last year.
30:17They were third in rush rate. They were tied for first and running back carries.
30:21But again, you're going to see some George Helani on third downs.
30:25You probably see some Emmanuel Wilson as well. Like he's a rookie and I, you know, so I could see them to
30:31your point about, you know, the lot going on.
30:34Like, I think just, you know, not for nothing.
30:36My prediction, by the way, is that the Patriots, I think the Patriots win tonight and I definitely think they cover.
30:42I definitely, and because on like, you know, I think about like some of the opening nights of the former Super Bowl
30:49champions and they just don't look right. Cause there's, again, there's just so much going on and you've got wives and kids
30:55and just, it's hard to focus and, you know, and you're going to have this big pregame and everything like that.
31:01And there's a lot of stuff that's going to be going on on that sideline that isn't going to be going on in the New England sideline.
31:09And, you know, again, you're New England and you're sitting there and you're looking up at the scoreboard and you're seeing nothing
31:15but plays of you looking stupid and them making you look bad.
31:19And I think they're going to, um, I think they're going to come on play.
31:23So we'll see how it all plays out. But again, Jadarian Price literally didn't catch the ball in college very much.
31:29So don't expect to see him out there tonight on third down.
31:32Maybe he gets into the end zone. He's my running back 23.
31:36As we take you to my rankings for week number one for this game, of course, all my rankings available on fantasylife.com for free.
31:43Go check them out. Fantasylife.com, no matter what scoring system you have, we have rankings available for your unique league settings.
31:49Um, and so here are my overall ranks. We talked about this.
31:52May at 14, I have Darnold at QB 24.
31:55I like Ramondre as a mid-tier RB too, but Price is more of a flex tonight.
32:00You're obviously starting JSN and AJ Brown. And I don't think any other wide receiver makes your lineup.
32:05Not Romeo Dobbs or Rashid Shahid outside my top 50.
32:08Hunter Henry. I know there's a lot been made about, uh, how Seattle is bad against tight ends.
32:13At least they were last year, but Hunter Henry is a mid-tier tight end too, who's touched on dependent.
32:18He's my tight end 18 as you see it there.
32:21I like AJ Barner. Just, I like him as a talent.
32:24I just don't know that he's going to have a consistent fantasy role this year.
32:29He's my tight end 23. So those are my ranks tonight.
32:32You're starting the obvious guys, the other fringe guys.
32:35I think we're going to take a wait and see approach.
32:38Hey, Adam, I want to ask your questions just as sort of like some of the, you know, some of the bigger
32:44wide receiver questions, um, that, uh, play. We've got people that are doing drafts tonight and they'll be doing drafts all the way till Sunday.
32:51So, um, my first question is, is a former teammate, like, can Justin Jefferson return to fantasy stardom?
32:56Last year, we always used to say Justin Jefferson is quarterback proof.
33:00This is a guy who put up numbers with Nick Mullins, with Carson Wentz, with Josh Dobbs.
33:05You know what I mean? Like, so he's quarterback proof.
33:08And then last year under JJ McCarthy, unfortunately, he just wasn't right.
33:11Um, we have here in the fantasy community, we have high hopes for Kyler Murray.
33:16We have high hopes. We, you know, we're, we're all believers in Kevin O'Connell's offense, but you played with Justin Jefferson, you know, this team obviously very well.
33:24Um, and you live in Minnesota. So I'm sure, I'm sure you've got a lot of buddies that are still on the team.
33:30Um, and on that coaching staff, talk to me about what you see for JJ this year.
33:35Yeah. Super excited about, um, what his season is going to look like.
33:39You know, I was able to go to a few practices, few OTAs, few training camps, and just seeing his demeanor and his attitude.
33:46And just, he looks good, like really good. He always looks good, but like you can tell there's just a little bit
33:52of a different swagger and confidence and just attitude, um, going into this season.
33:56And I think a big part of that is just having a veteran guy that has had success.
34:01And it creates a little bit of excitement for Justin just to say, Hey, like if I get open and this guy's
34:08going to give me opportunities to make plays. And I saw it in a few of those practices.
34:13One was a joint practice against Baltimore and, you know, Kyler moved around the pocket a little bit, stepped up and launched one.
34:20And Justin runs under it, a ball that I thought was overthrown.
34:23Justin runs over, makes it easy catch, you know, right in the pocket touchdown in a two minute drive.
34:29And it's those type of plays that I think Justin's really excited about, uh, what Kyler can, can bring to the table.
34:35I don't know that I haven't asked him that, but that's how I feel.
34:39Um, and I just think that the other side of it is Kevin O'Connell is not going to let that happen again.
34:45He is too good at what he does. He cares way too much about his offense and what that looks like and what it's supposed to look like.
34:53He's not letting that happen again. And he knows how important Justin is.
34:57He knows that you've got to get him going early in the season and games to get him just going in a
35:04million miles an hour and playing at the best of his best.
35:07Like he has, I always say like the fact that he had like three, four seasons in a row of just like unbelievable years.
35:14Like you can't do that unless you are like better than everyone else, because usually it's like once they kind of figure
35:20out, you know what you're good at, they know that they're trying to get you the ball team start taking you away.
35:27It makes it really tough on you. And for him to kind of stay consistent through that, like it's incredible.
35:32I mean, there's so many times in his career that you see in him making these contested catches with three, four guys,
35:39one guy's hitting them right after he catches and he's making the catches.
35:43He's catching the ball and not a lot of space and making a guy miss and run after catch.
35:48And I think that the way this offense is set up that they're going to get these other guys going.
35:54They have tons of playmakers with Hawkinson and Addison and the running game with kind of a two headed monster, two different guys there.
36:01It just sets up to kind of open up some space for him and give him run after the catch.
36:07And again, just watching him run around, he looks really good.
36:10And I'm excited about what that looks like. For his career, Justin Jefferson averages over 90 receiving yards a game.
36:15That is the second highest rate in NFL history.
36:18To your point, just stupid numbers for Justin Jefferson.
36:21He's my wide receiver six this week. Listen, if you have Justin Jefferson, you're obviously starting him, but we are very excited
36:27and hopeful that the Kyler Jefferson connection brings everyone back to fantasy stardom.
36:31You mentioned Jordan Addison there for a second. What's the ceiling for him?
36:35He he's incredible. He people have no idea how good he is just because he is, you know, stuck behind Justin and
36:41the way that offense works is they try to get him the ball, which they should, right?
36:46And they move him around and it kind of creates the wide receiver two in that offense.
36:51You kind of end up getting moved around a little bit.
36:54You get to the third read, you know, you're kind of the check down guy, things like that.
36:59And, but he is incredible watching him run routes.
37:02I mean, he reminds me a lot of JSN, like smooth, like he's really fast.
37:06But when you just watch him run, it doesn't look like he's fast because he's just running so smooth and the same
37:12pace all the time and his cuts and how light he is on his feet, just in and out of breaks.
37:18One of the best I've seen in and out of breaks and then body control and catch stability is all there.
37:24And so I think, I think that is a goal for them as an offensive.
37:29Again, I don't know this a hundred percent. I've never asked anyone about this, but I would imagine it's a goal for
37:35them to kind of get him involved and get him going because it only helps Justin, you know, if they can get
37:42him some targets or if they can get him rolling a little bit, the teams have to play it more true.
37:48They can't just put three eyes on, on Justin, which I've seen in the past.
37:52I mean, it's wild, but they've teams have faced him and put three guys on.
37:56And so I think, I think that is an emphasis for them to be able to open up the playbook for Justin is to get him going.
38:04And he's plenty capable. If he's a number one receiver on a team, he's, he's the guy like, like he might be a star and very quickly.
38:12So really impressed with him and, and really got to know him on a personal level.
38:16He's a great guy. I mean, there's the stuff in the media about him and all those things, but he was an awesome teammate.
38:23So fun to be around so fun to get to know.
38:27And he's definitely a star in the future. Yeah.
38:29By the way, each of his three career seasons, he's had double digit end zone targets.
38:34This is a guy that finds, you know, finds his way into the end zone and a 13.7 average up to the target last year.
38:41That was fourth highest among wide receivers that had at least 75 targets.
38:45It's a stat that just tells you what you know, if you watch these games, like they like to throw to Jordan Addison deep.
38:52And now you've got a quarterback in Kyler Murray, who is one of the better deep ball throwers in the NFL.
38:58I'm a wide receiver 41 this week. I'm taking a wait and see approach in terms of putting him to my lineup.
39:04But I do think to your point, there's real opportunity there, especially with Jalen Naylor now in, in Las Vegas.
39:10They've added Juwan Jennings. It's a great wide receiver room for the Vikings.
39:14But I agree with you. Addison probably doesn't get the respect he deserves because unfortunately he shares a room with Justin Jefferson.
39:20I want to talk about another former team of yours, and that's the Carolina Panthers.
39:24And so Ted Aroa McMillan, this is a question for you.
39:28One of the things with, with, with Ted Aroa McMillan, we know about the talent, but last year, despite the fact that
39:34he got a ton of targets, it didn't really translate into massive fantasy points.
39:38And I think it's a little bit of the nature of that offense.
39:42They want to run the ball, you know, and they weren't a super high scoring offense.
39:46But the reports in the preseason, Adam, this is the question I want to ask you about McMillan.
39:51The reports in the preseason are that they want to use McMillan more in the slot this season.
39:57They're going to try to move him, move around a little bit more and move him more in the slot.
40:02As a guy who spent a decent amount of time in the slot, Adam Thielen, what does a move like that mean for a player of McMillan's ability?
40:11Like in terms of freeing up, freeing up the ability to get him the ball in space?
40:15Yeah, I think, I think he is a very versatile guy.
40:19He can play outside. He can play in the slot.
40:22I think, in my opinion, I'd love to hear that because I think he's best in the slot.
40:27His skill set just really fits well in the slot.
40:30He's not like the guy that's just going to like, make a move and run right by you, right?
40:35And he has the ability to make those plays still.
40:38So I do like him at the X receiver a lot.
40:41But to move him in on third downs and to motion him and get him in stacks and to run choice routes
40:48and be a big body that just has some really good change direction skills.
40:52I played basketball with him and, and he can, he can move.
40:55I mean, he can play basketball. And usually what happens when you're a good basketball player and you can, and you can
41:01cross over and you can drive like usually that fits really well with releases and top of route stuff, which he's really good at.
41:08I really enjoyed my time with him through training camp, uh, his first year in the league, because it was really fun
41:15to just see he's a different type of receiver.
41:17He's just not your normal, traditional, like a Justin Jefferson or, or some of these other guys.
41:22He, he really has like a smooth, just, um, confident, calm approach to his game that fits really well in the slot.
41:29Again, being able to move him around, he's smart, uh, stack them up.
41:32He really understands football. Honestly, when I, when I was around him early on in Carolina, probably one of the most knowledgeable football players I've ever been around.
41:40Like he really understood the game. It took him like one week to learn the playbook.
41:45And it's not like a super, super complicated offense, but still the NFL, like it takes a long time to learn.
41:51And he was like telling people the other rookies, like what to do?
41:55Like I didn't have to do it. Like he was doing it, telling what guys, what they had and how to run around.
42:01Like he is a really smart football player, which again, translates really well in the slot.
42:06You can really use that to your matchup, um, advantage going against linebackers and safeties and different matchup.
42:11You can run inside fates because he's a big body guy.
42:14So it creates a lot of opportunity to a lot of times slot guys are the short, quick guys and running inside fades.
42:21Not necessarily the most ideal with those guys, but with him, you run inside, inside fade, like you're just throwing a red zone fade ball.
42:28It's awesome. And so you get man coverage. You can check to those things.
42:32It can be at a route adjustment if you get man coverage.
42:36So I really liked that idea. And I think it makes a lot of sense.
42:40They also have other guys that can play outside and that, that really kind of just fits well to that offense.
42:46Like you said, though, there is a little bit of that, where that offense isn't built to just throw the ball, every snap or throw to one guy.
42:54It's really a spread it out offense, get everybody kind of involved, run the football play action, keepers, things like that, where
43:01you're not going to get 15, 20 targets by one guy.
43:04It's just not going to happen. It's not part of that offense.
43:07That offense is play to win. They're not play to get guy a bunch of stats.
43:12So I definitely agree with that. Adam, we got 10 minutes left in the show.
43:16So I want to go rapid fire here with a couple of questions.
43:20And I want to stay in Carolina. Cokeheads unite.
43:23Jalen Coker, one of the favorites of the happy hour crew.
43:26All of us were all, all of Jalen Coker's fans.
43:29We call ourselves the Cokeheads. Is, is Jalen Coker ready for a bigger role?
43:33I don't know if I'm going to call myself a Cokehead, but I am a huge Jalen Coker fan.
43:38He, uh, come on in. Cokehead tonight. Come on, Adam.
43:41He, uh, when I left Carolina and I got back to Minnesota, I told everyone he's, he's their best receiver.
43:47I truly believe that he is their best receiver and he has the ability to be one of the better receivers in the league.
43:54He doesn't have a weakness. He's 230 pounds and runs a four, four.
43:58Like he is a massive target who ran. I think there was a game, uh, my last year in Carolina where he ran like 22 miles per hour.
44:06And so like the guy can run and he's huge and he can run slants.
44:10He's got body control. He can run dig routes.
44:13He can, his, his ability to stop and start is incredible for a guy who's 230 pounds and running that fast, like incredible.
44:19And so his biggest question mark was injuries, right?
44:22Like he's had a lot of injuries. He's missed a lot of games.
44:26And that was his biggest question mark, but he is in my opinion, their best receiver.
44:30Uh, I'm at wide receiver 49 this week, but, uh, I'm hopeful that, uh, that is a breakout again.
44:36We saw it in the playoff game, right? I mean, again, Cokeheads unite.
44:39We, we agree with you. And so we're, we're waiting for the, the Panthers and Bryce and, and Jalen to all put it together.
44:46But, um, uh, that's high praise indeed. So it's really interesting.
44:50I appreciate that. On Jalen Coker. Um, you played with Aaron Rogers and I'm curious because you think about DK Metcalf, um,
44:56and you know, DK Metcalf is so good at winning like 50, 50 balls and like, Hey, I'm going to throw it down there.
45:03Cause DK is down there somewhere, right? Like he's like one of those dudes, but Rogers just, it felt like last year,
45:09he was one of the lowest in the league in terms of average depth of target.
45:14It was just a lot of dink and dunk stuff.
45:17Um, uh, I'm curious, you know, give me a quick overview of what you think out of Pittsburgh, both like, why won't Rogers throw deep anymore?
45:24Cause he can like, I mean, you see every once in a while, he'll just unleash it.
45:29Like the arm strength is still there. Is that an offensive thing?
45:33How do you think Michael Pittman changes this offense?
45:35Give me your thoughts on sort of the passing game in Pittsburgh.
45:39Well, for me, that's a game that's highlighted on, on my must watch, uh, for Sunday, just because obviously like some of
45:45the connections I made there, but, but most importantly, like to see what this offense looks like where Rogers and McCarthy got pretty solid history.
45:52And when you look at Rogers and what he likes to do, he took a lot of that offense and he kind
45:59of had it in his back pocket with some different signals and different route adjustments and some red zone stuff, some run
46:05game, um, um, you know, run, run or play a runner pass options.
46:09And so I think now that he has the same, that same mentality as McCarthy, I'm super excited to see what that offense can do.
46:16I think before the last couple of stops he made, it was like he had his offense and the offense corner had
46:22his offense and they tried to mesh it and, and they both loved each other and they liked everything, but it just didn't mesh.
46:29And I think this is the first chance that we're seeing again for him to be in an offense where he really
46:36trusts and believes in it and believes in his play caller and the play caller believes in him and his kind of
46:42ability to make an adjustments and run game, um, you know, option passes and things like that.
46:47So I'm really excited to see what that looks like.
46:50I said all to say that, you know, it didn't DK is, is who he is.
46:54And he knows that he can run the deep ball and he can run the short stuff and you need a guy
47:01on the other side that can run the intermediate stuff, can still run some deep stuff.
47:05Um, but can run the intermediate stuff can be the third down win one-on-one matchups guy to take some pressure off and
47:12kind of be a one-two punch rather than just a one punch.
47:15And Michael Pittman does that. He's ability to run the high crosses and the deep overs and the, the dig routes and some of the underneath stuff.
47:23And hopefully they have a guy step up with either the rookie or, or, um, you know, some of the guys that
47:29they have coming back that can run the short stuff.
47:32Because as we all know, Rogers likes the guy that can win the choice routes and can run the slant routes in the slot.
47:39And he needs a slot guy that can, he can really rely on to just throw it to him, catch it and get the first down.
47:47So that's what I'm looking to see. I just really have this, my highest expectations for Aaron Rogers in a long time,
47:53just because of the relationship that he has with McCarthy and the offense and the trust from both sides, uh, because it's a unique thing.
48:00Not all quarterbacks have their offense outside of the offense and Aaron does, and he's been really good at it.
48:06And to see it in person for five weeks, it is amazing stuff.
48:10It's really difficult to learn, but it is amazing stuff.
48:13And when you get on the same page, like there was a little time there where we started to get on the
48:19same page and practice and it was unstoppable, um, in my opinion, but, uh, I'm a little biased, but yeah, it's, it's gonna be fun to watch.
48:27Uh, I have DK Metcalf at wide receiver 31, uh, Michael Pittman wide receiver 39.
48:31The challenge is, and so we'll see, it'd be great if, if everything you said comes true.
48:36The challenge for me is just, you know, again, they've got two tight ends they want to use.
48:41They've got two running backs they want to use.
48:44Uh, they've got a really good defense. I think it's going to be a low scoring offense because they don't need to
48:50be, I think it can be more of a ball control offense.
48:54Although I think it'll be opened up more this year under McCarthy than it was under Tomlin last year, again, both because
49:00of the mentality of both those coaches and the connection between Rogers and McCarthy.
49:04So, um, we'll, we'll see that real quickly, five minutes left.
49:07So just a real quick speed rounds, just a couple of lines, but I announced my ride or die earlier this preseason
49:13as Devante Smith, uh, for a lot of reasons.
49:16Again, I think he's an elite athlete, elite wide receiver, and now should get a massive target share with AJ Brown in new England.
49:23Can a, can Devante Smith be a number one wide receiver in this league?
49:27Because again, he's, he's so good, but he's always been basically behind, you know, AJ Brown or another wide receiver, uh, generally since he's been in the league.
49:35Yeah. I mean, I think he has the ability, no doubt, hands down to be a number one guy.
49:41Now the situation there, uh, I think it's a little tougher because you don't have the guy taking eyes and coverage and,
49:47um, taking the defensive coordinator's time to scheme away from.
49:50Right. And so I think that makes it a little tougher.
49:53Now, do I like their offense coordinator? I love them.
49:56And I think he's going to find a way to get them the ball and do it in some creative ways and
50:02do some of the similar stuff that Clint Kubiak did last year with JSN.
50:06I really do believe in that. Uh, Sean Mannion is a fantastic guy and a great mind of football.
50:12He stuck around a long time in the league and was one of our backups with me in Minnesota for a long
50:18time, just because of what he brought as like almost a coach on the field.
50:22So it was no surprise to any of us that he would eventually be an offensive coordinator.
50:27And I think he'll give them those opportunities, but it's just hard to do that when you don't have an AJ Brown
50:34on the other side, but skill wise. Yeah. A hundred percent could be a number one.
50:38Yeah. Well, he's my ride or die. So I'm hoping it works out.
50:42Um, Brian Hickman, uh, three, six, one, two says, Adam, is there a rookie wide receiver that has caught your eye and
50:48you think is poised for success with three minutes left to go?
50:52Yeah. I'm the, I'm the wrong person to ask about a rookie receiver just because I'm not a college football guy.
50:58I don't watch college football. Um, I don't pay a whole lot of attention to it.
51:03Now when the draft comes along, I'll, I'll, I'll look at some of that stuff.
51:07I think the NFL is such a, you know, a crap shoot to be honest with who's going to have success and who's not.
51:14And so I can't give you an educated answer of, of who I like as a rookie wide receiver.
51:19I'm really excited to watch some of those things play out and I can give you a better answer in a few
51:26weeks of who I think is going to sustain that success and have more success in the future.
51:31But right now I can't give you an educated answer.
51:34Well, we'll have you back on the show to answer that in a couple of weeks with the rookies, but here's one of that.
51:41I know you can, there's a, so I'm a commander's fan, Adam, that's my team.
51:45Um, and there's a famous clip of, uh, on the Vikings where, uh, I think it was some social media report or
51:51something basically went around to all the Vikings and said, Hey, if, uh, uh, if who's one guy on the, uh, on
51:58the team that you would not want to date your sister.
52:01And every single person said, Stefan Diggs, like to a man, everyone's digs, digs, oh, Stefan, you gotta be.
52:06So, um, but I personally am excited to have Diggsie over in Washington.
52:10How do you think he fits in with David Blau's offense opposite Terry?
52:14Talk to me about Stefan Diggs. We're a minute 45 left.
52:17So just real quick answer on, uh, how you think Diggs will do in Washington.
52:21Fantastic fit. So glad they signed him. Love that guy.
52:24Man, was he fun to play with and be alongside, uh, not one person I've ever played with has more attitude and
52:31effort and just grit as far as the way he approaches the game and the way he approaches practice.
52:36Um, really fun to be around. So really excited for him.
52:39I think it's a great opportunity for him to kind of be the guy that's just kind of that gritty guy to
52:46run the underneath stuff, to catch and run guy and let Terry kind of be the deep threat, the, uh, the intermediate stuff.
52:52And, and, uh, David Blau, another guy that, uh, was a backup quarterback for, for us in Minnesota that again, was like,
52:59you knew he was going to be an offensive coordinator and is going to find ways to get those guys the ball and spread around.
53:06And then obviously with Jayden and what he can do with his feet and, and playing on time and, and he does
53:12like to get the ball out quick and not take hits and Diggs is a perfect guy for that.
53:18Well, all right. So, uh, commanders players, sisters heads up, but, uh, I'm excited about that report here as well.
53:24Adam, thank you so much. This was a pleasure.
53:26I hope we can get, get you back. Um, but this was awesome.
53:30Everyone go listen, like, and subscribe to the dialed podcast that Adam is doing as well.
53:35And, uh, best of luck. I know you're doing a bunch of different broadcast ventures this year, Adam.
53:40So, um, uh, good luck to you on all of it.
53:43And hopefully we can get you back here in the future.
53:46I appreciate it. I had a lot of fun.
53:49Ah, there you go. There he is. The man, Adam Thielen tomorrow reunion show, Nate rabbits, the say Nate kid is back
53:55here with me, but for now it is closing time, which means you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here for Adam Thielen.
54:03I'm Matthew Barry. Peace out.
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