All right. Maddie Hudock from ESPN radio, the dog days of summer. So what
do we do? We get ready for the Saints. We talk about upcoming training camp.
Let's start with, I think the biggest topic Jamis Winston, are you buying
Jamis leading this team to potentially the playoffs and maybe *** Super Bowl?
I think all really Jamis has to do this year in comparison from last year is
execute. I feel like the thing last year was he kind of had to make magic
happen *** lot more often than not. And this year you look at the three
receivers between Michael thomas alive and Jarvis Landry, even if thomas
doesn't see the field week one that comparative to last year is already
such *** huge difference. He'll have the entire offseason to actually be
there as QB one and have *** full season to see kind of those growing
pains out. So I think all of the chips are in *** lot better position for him
this year. Um, I think I saw *** lot of potential in him those first couple of
weeks, I thought I saw him be more mobile than I guess I would have
expected him to be. I did see him, you know, convert on third downs and step
up when needed. But I think this year will really show us kind of what he can
do as *** quarterback, but I think all again he has to do is really execute,
get first downs, let this defense rest for *** bit and with, well let's
hopefully back at this point. You know, it might not have to be *** touchdown.
Three points this year could be enough. I think that there are parallels just
my opinion between last year's 40 niners, awesome defense, great skill
guys in jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback, they were in the NFC championship game.
I don't think I'm selling Jamie's short, but I agree with you. I think that if
he is *** really good game manager, this could be *** really good team.
Let's move on to Alvin. Camaro reports are all over the place. I know NBC
sports Mike Florio reported that it could be up to six games, *** possible
suspension for what he's dealing with the battery situation in las Vegas. If
it is six games, that's *** significant loss for the new Orleans Saints, I love
Mark ingram, but losing Camaro for six games would be *** huge blow to this
offense. Even with the weapons that they have. Yeah, I mean that suspension
and it seems like that happened so long ago at this point. It was before the
Pro bowl. And so looking kind of again at precedent and what these situations
look like without any knowing any specifics. The fact that he was
arrested for that battery charge. Uh, I always tend to look at the worst case
scenario. So even if those six games aren't in week one, they could come at
some point in the season and I think I'm with you that I'm most concerned
about the depth past him and the health of that room because again, I don't
think is going to need to do what he did necessarily last year and be, you
know, the number one power running back and number one receiver simultaneously.
And depending on the game plan, but In terms of what they do to solve that,
the only positive I can look at is this is *** long season again and not late
by week. It's either 13 or 14. To me, it's almost not *** bye week at that
point, it's just you're deciding to rest players before the playoffs. But
one positive I could see out of this is if he does get suspended, they are able
to kind of get through those couple of games. His health probably should take
him further this season than you would think having that time off, you've done
advanced legal studies. Do you like that kind of more of *** philosophical
question. The NFL used to be judge, jury and executioner before the legal
process even played out. Do you like the fact that they've taken *** little
bit more of *** hands off approach and they do wait for things to play
themselves out in the court now before taking action. I remember last year
everybody thought Marshawn Lattimore was going to be suspended. The
situation is still not resolved in. Ohio. So Marshawn Lattimore has faced
no discipline. Do you like the shift the NFL has made instead of, I
understand there's *** code of conduct policy, but not just right away
punishing people letting it play out. Yeah, because then you have to go
through the appeals. It just seems like so much additional work when, like you
said, when there are these court proceedings that are already playing
out with non biased parties, it's hard for me to, you know, really think that
the independent investigators for the NFL are looking at this from *** pure
legal perspective straight down the middle. And if that's not the case,
then again, why not just let proceedings already play out? The thing
with Lattimore is he actually did plead guilty to *** lower charge. It was ***
misdemeanor, which was kind of lost in the shuffle last year because that was
kind of what the expectation was. And it's not really something that the NFL
I think would look at as *** violation of their conduct policy, pleaded guilty
to the failure to inform about *** concealed weapon. The thing that I
think is different with Kamara is, there is no with Marshawn Lattimore,
all of this, you know, still has allegations. It was harder to kind of
prove his proximity to what they were charging him with. And it was, you know,
ultimately nonviolent offense, those two things are *** little different
with Kamara. So I think I do like the approach in general to wait and see and
let again, what's already happening in court play out. I think there's always
times for exceptions, but in general, I think it is *** more prudent approach
and one that I think just let's what already should play out play out
alright, moving on back to some on field topics, the best battle of
training camp that you'll be looking forward to, I'm gonna be looking at
left tackle, is it hurst or is it penning their first round draft pick? I
think it's going to be penning, but I know hearst has been *** really capable
backup the last couple of years. Is that the battle you're looking at or do
you have *** best battle of training camp? So to say, I'm really curious
about CB two, I you know, I think it is Paulson DeVos job to lose that being
said, you know, through O T *** S and and rookie minicamp, everything that
came out about Delonte taylor really kind of bolstered that idea on draft
night that *** lot of the time Saints Traffics don't make you no immediate
sense to people because they're not on their draft boards for lack of better
term, but he's smart and he seems to be very coachable and that's been
something that head coaches and position coaches have touted, he has
familiarity with people on the coaching staff and *** lot of the players and I
just think that bringing in Tyrone Matthew has really upped the sense of
competition in that backfield and you know, you hear things about bryce
thomas, I'm sorry, Thompson doing really well at safety with all kind of
the base nickel packages that they have, they could even do dime at this point
with the amount of defensive backs they have, but just in *** pure, you know,
who is opposite, Marshawn Lattimore, I am really curious to see if that really
becomes *** battle. Yeah, that's an interesting topic, right, Paulson last
year was one of the rookie stars of this team. Let's talk about stars last
year, during training camp, marquez Callaway kind of became the training
camp star, there's always that training camp darling, the guy who shines, I
don't know if it always translates to the regular season. Is there somebody
that you say? I think this person could be *** breakout star in training camp?
I'm going with Peyton Turner, I think that Peyton Turner was *** first round
draft pick for *** reason, He's got all the size and the strength and the
measurables, I think it's gonna be great competition on that defensive
line where they have *** ton of talent, but I think in training camp and
preseason games, I think we're gonna be talking *** lot about him. Do you have
somebody that you're kind of circling right now. So I had *** half *** mind
to say, Peyton Turner and then my only pause was if he's going to have the
durability to, you know, be throughout training camp, my second option was
then going to be Pete Werner, but that was kind of the same thing last year,
he had an elbow injury, but he didn't have any, you know, longstanding issues
with durability through this past season. So I think I would go him, I
think it's interesting, I think defense wins *** lot, especially early on in
training camp, all the offense is still kind of getting their bearings and I
just think, you know, the fact that Kwan wasn't re signed up to this point,
uh Tomorrow Davis is *** very energetic person and and likely needs that in his
counterpart. So I could see him really stepping up into that void of, of kind
of that mentality, but really just working on his smarts and his skill set
that I thought also showed again from somewhat of an unknown rookie out of
the draft last year. Alright, training camp is going to be great, The Saints
will start the final week of july one final question here, we've dipped into
the legalese of things. The Saints not getting Deshaun Watson, it seems like
that may be the best move of the offseason, given everything is still
unfolding, it is certainly *** situation in Cleveland that has been
*** distraction to them getting ready on the football field. Is that fair to
say. And I know it was *** controversial topic back in March when
we had um and we all talked about it, Is it fair to say that the best move
they made this offseason may have been not getting Deshaun Watson and having
to deal with what is an unfortunate situation. But that is still playing
out and is *** complete distraction in Cleveland. It's hard for me to say
anything. But 100%. Yes. And I think you put it best. It's just *** giant
distraction on the field. And we could talk about, you know, what all the
moral arguments are in the, in the controversies all day. But one of the
points I had brought up when you brought me in cattle on was I didn't
understand it from *** strategic standpoint either you talk about Kamara
potentially looking at six games. He's more than like, you know, six games is
the bare minimum to me at this point, considering he's moving through the
process of settling at least 20 of them and your starting quarterback and
you're starting running back, both being suspended for at least six games
or, you know, for one of them. But just having to have that conversation and
then everything that comes with that. Um, we don't know what the ultimate
draft package would have been for the Saints. But just looking at what
Cleveland gave up in terms of monetary compensation and draft picks. It's hard
for me to not say that they're looking at that and having *** little bit of
buyer's regret. I just think that it's *** situation that again, when there's
numbers of that magnitude, maybe again, we talked about legal process is
playing out. I get that's incompatible with the game of football. But I think
having the notion to that Jameis Winston canceled his flight to
Indianapolis and came back and signed really quickly with the team. I think
that really did *** lot for kind of just bringing this team back to its
barometers. And I think that the offense wants to play for Winston this
year, you do get the sense that they want to fight for them because they did
watch him fight on the field last year. And so I just think all of those things
considered the fact that, you know, the biggest distraction at this point is
*** potential suspension for Alvin Kamara. That's *** lot different than
what they're looking at in Cleveland. Right, maddie from ESPN radio. Great
insight as always,