RC's Daily Notes 2025: For the Week of 2/24-3/2 (The Week That Was)

: R.C. Fischer; FreeView; 02 March 2025

RC's streaming note board on football, and other, things going on this week...

Just an open page for me to drop notes/ideas/things I'm hearing/seeing/working on or just caffeinated or lack of sleep thoughts on football items.

SUN 3/2

(7:02amET)

-- Most of my Saturday was spent watching Day-3 of the Combine...’athletes on parade’ day as 2025 set records for best speed, etc., for the RB and WR group. The NFL better expand fast because there is too much talent flooding the league with nowhere for it to go and thrive.

My report out on Day-3 will be out before Day-4 begins: Sunday we have the OLs (1-5pmET)

-- Let’s talk about ‘the big trade’ on Saturday: Deebo Samuel for a 5th-round draft pick.

Basically, the 49ers gave Deebo away...and paid a price to do it. It’s their own fault. They could’ve traded Deebo a year or two ago...really, they could’ve never given him that big contract extension that he was so nasty about (credit Deebo for the win) -- but the 49ers did it to themselves, they offered the extension. They negotiated with a terrorist, in a sense...and then got terrorized for the past few years.

They did the same thing last year when weak-willed GM John Lynch (how can we say is not when WRs keep getting over on him?) gave into the demands of Bradon Aiyuk. And now...surprise! They want to trade Aiyuk a year later. At what point to people ask questions of what John Lynch is doing?

As for the trade itself, I think it breaks down like this...

The 49ers get a 5th-round pick and take a $31M+ salary cap hit for 2025. They are paying $31M+ dollars to make Deebo go away. Approx.10%+ of the 49ers annual salary cap allowance for 2025 is going to Deebo to not play football. Can we get DOGE on the phone to investigate this WR spending by the 49ers? Brandon Aiyuk can’t answer the email naming five games he had over 50 or more receiving last season -- 6 games under 50 yards, 1 game with 147 yards, no TDs, torn ACL and missed the final 10 games in 2024 season. Two TDs in his last 15 games played (including playoffs)

The Commanders get Deebo, and his headaches, and pay him $17M+ CAP hit all to 2025. Kudos to Deebo...he has conned $48M+ out of a combined two organizations to play football (for one of them) in 2025.

The NFL ramifications, first blush...

SF = It’s seemingly good news for Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall, right now. But if the 49ers move into position to draft a Tet McMillan or pick your fave top WR in the 2025 NFL Draft...then it all gets reevaluated.

It should be good news for Brandon Aiyuk, but he’s coming off a big injury...and he might be next out the door. You really can’t make a definitive call on the ripple effects for targets, etc., for the 49ers until all the free agent and draft dust settles.

I am left dumbfounded -- how did the 49ers NOT get Luke McCaffrey in exchange for Deebo in this deal? Reuniting the McCaffrey brothers was right there!

WSH = Gets a one-year Deebo rental...hoping he is on his best behavior for one season, hoping Deebo is going to have a solid-citizen season so that he can con another team in 2026 for a new deal. Washington is now a ‘going for it’ team...going for the Super Bowl while they have Jayden on a cheaper deal.

The Fantasy ramifications, first blush...

A few less targets for Terry McLaurin, maybe...but more openings to do work as Deebo is more threatening than Olamide Zaccheaus or Dyami Brown. Washington had a rotating #2 WR all 2024 season, and it wasn’t a great/talent-filled rotation.

More weaponry for Jayden Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury...Ekeler and Deebo are unique pieces to possess as runners and pass game.

Dyami Brown is likely not returning (he’s a free agent)...unless on a very basic 1-year deal.

Luke McCaffrey gets further buried for a year. If he does have a bit of a target breakout it would likely be mild and lost behind McLaurin-Deebo and probably a returning Ertz. Too many roadblocks for McCaffrey to be great right now...if he is ever going to be. I have faith, but this is a setback...and is a sign of things to come for all NFL teams/FF WRs...every WR group on an NFL team is is gonna have two all-stars minimum, many with three, some with four. Used to be teams were lucky if they had one real WR to count on. It’s going to be a weekly moving target to project FF output from 95% of the league’s WRs for FF.

Grok 3.0’s take on the salary cap ramifications of this deal:

On March 1, 2025, the San Francisco 49ers traded Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders for a fifth-round pick, incurring a $31.55 million dead cap hit in 2025 due to his restructured contract. This erases their $48.3 million cap space, leaving a deficit unless offset by roster moves. Trading before June 1 avoided a disgruntled player but added financial strain. A post-June 1 move would’ve split the hit ($10.75M in 2025, $20.8M in 2026). Commanders assume Samuel’s $17.5M 2025 salary, while the 49ers face cap challenges, potentially requiring cuts or restructures.

-- Coming up on FFM today...

Combine day four today! The OLs (1-5pmET)

RC’s Next Scouting Report will post ASAP...I’m backed up on Combine work at the moment. Next report/s will be a TE...we’re gonna do a TE stretch to compare to Tyler Warren (released 2/26 WED).

Free agency previews, by position, start this weekend...leading up the 3/12 free agency period kickoff.

I just started taking notes and watching tape for the first ‘REWIND’ study for 2025...that report will be out this week, pertinent to Dynasty acquisition consideration before free agency.

Working on my team-by-team studies to launch the top 600 Dynasty valuations/rankings (offense) debut for 2025...which will include the rookies. ETA for the debut the week after the NFL Combine (this upcoming week), to get the best data in for the rookie projections start point. *IDP top 500 will debut in late March.

Our DRD daily series wrapped up THU -- our top 25 ‘draft’, a 2023 and 2024 Dynasty Rookie Draft mash-up draft...with the rookies from those two years drafted as we know them now. I will do a different version including the 2025 rookies into it, an early ‘gut’ feel where the DRD is at...and I will do it after we see the Combine data from the weekend.

SAT 3/1

(6:56amET)

-- Several Raiders rumors leaked yesterday about things that they are supposedly thinking about at QB or players they are making available in trade. Let me share what (I think) I know after talking to a decent LV source of mine...

First, keep in mind what we’ may be dealing with in Las Vegas now...a whole paradigm shift:

1) Tom Brady is running the show, high-level...not the minutiae.

2) The new GM (John Spytex) is his former college teammate, friend, and mouthpiece to execute Brady’s plan...and deal with the day-to-day otherwise.

3) Brady and GM are not playing around...you’re gonna see them wheeling and dealing like real business people...something the NFL is not accustomed to. Brady has business sense...most GMs and team presidents have no idea how to run a real business/don’t have business acumen...they’re mostly lifetime, coddled outputs of ‘the football machine’ -- they haven’t existed/thrived/created in the real world. Brady’s an anomaly at QB...and now, potentially, as a football operations person.

4) Brady has to watch his step/his public view of how involved he is...so everything is going through the GM, but Brady has the final say and sets the direction on big decisions.

Pete Carroll said he came to Las Vegas excited to work with Tom.

5) Las Vegas’s goal/mission in 2025...get viable immediately. The LV brain trust (Brady) believes they can outwork and outsmart everyone in a hurry.

6) Brady wants to be a shark in this business...but he and the GM are wary of spooking the other weak-willed outmatched (mentally) GMs, owners, and team presidents.

*If all of this insight/info is correct, or close...we should all see it manifest itself in Las Vegas being the most active traders and free agency makers in the offseason...and they have the 2nd-most CAP space to work with right now.

OK, onto the supposed leaked info out of LV yesterday...

1) There were several QB rumors out of Vegas...that they weren’t interested in Sam Darnold or any of the FA QBs really.

I think this is false...a disinformation campaign, using the media to do their work -- which is what business savvy people would do. The Raiders are ABSOLUTELY interested in the free agent QBs, because (a) they think they can turn this thing around in 2025, and (b) this rookie QB class is so weak on the top side.

They made a strong run at Matt Stafford, knowing they would likely miss...but they took their shot, unlike ‘sawft’ GM extraordinaire Joe Schoen of the Giants (remember Hard Knocks), who never really made an aggressive, offensive move for Stafford...because Schoen is meek/weak, which we saw absolutely play out in Hard Knocks. Brady took his shot and missed...onto the next one.

Who Brady favors at QB, in the free agent class, my source does not know...but would guess that it would be someone who fits the theme of a quick 2025 turnaround, and not some mediocre QB who will be paid too much in free agency because the market is weird this year. My source thinks all roads point to Aaron Rodgers...with Brady not taking any of his crap.

And bringing back/in Davante Adams on a cheaper deal is not off the table to go with Rodgers. Business is business.

Rodgers would be expected to mentor Aidan O’Connell, who Brady likes.

Rodgers only comes in on Brady’s terms (whatever that may be about McAfee show appearances, training camp attendance, etc.)...or they’ll go another direction.

2) Word was that LV was NOT interested in the free agent QBs, which I think is a misdirect...so, with that the other part of the misdirect is LV’s supposed ‘like’ of Jalen Milroe and Quinn Ewers.

All this is...is Vegas wanting to operate like serpents in free agency...to get what they want without spooking other teams to negotiate against. As best they can.

I mean, Jalen Milroe is the clue to all this...he is not a QB Brady is gonna be interested in. You have Tom Freaking Brady to mentor your young QBs, so why would you want that young QB to be an anti-Brady style in Milroe?

3) Yes...everyone on the Raiders that they are putting out there, are available...

Las Vegas is going to gut what needs to be gutted...trade what has value, that they don’t want/need.

Zamir White is available, as is the great TE prospect of the mainstream a couple years ago, Michael Mayer. They might get a 7th-rounder (2026) for White after the draft, maybe...but may be stuck with him. But Mayer should draw good value...and they know it, because the mainstream was so high on him. Watch for a deal of Mayer to New England, to Brady’s ‘friend’ Mike Vrabel. Not a charity deal...because Brady has no friends in combat...it’s a great place to get a nice return off of, like Brady is doing Vrabel a favor going to Vrabel first...seemingly wanting to help Vrabel but really extracting the best value on Mayer possible.

It won’t be easy for the Raiders to be uber-aggressive, because most all NFL management teams are not that...so, it’s hard to find worthy dance partners.

I’m interested to see if my source has much of this general vibe ‘pegged’ or not. We will see the first signs (or not) as free agency news and action takes over after the Combine.

-- Coming up on FFM today...

Combine day three today! The big one...3/1: QB, WR, RB (1-9pmET)

Free agency previews, by position, start this weekend...leading up the 3/12 free agency period kickoff.

Working on my team-by-team studies to launch the top 600 Dynasty valuations/rankings (offense) debut for 2025...which will include the rookies. ETA for the debut is the day or two after the NFL Combine, to get the best data in for the rookie projections start point. *IDP top 500 will debut in late March.

FRI 2/28

(12:57pmET)

An NFL trade that might happen/get announced in the next 24-48 hours...

SEATTLE sends: D.K. Metcalf + a mid-round draft pick

FOR

GREEN BAY sends: 1st-round pick (#23) and Romeo Doubs or Dontayvion Wicks

I don’t get why a team would want to take on D.K. Metcalf, and his growing diva ways...at a costly salary (but not too-too terrible/awful). I think Green Bay is panicking a bit...they feel the gap that exists between them and Detroit and Minnesota...and they probably feel the need to do something about it, fast...and it’s understandable because they have a good team, a deep and young roster that has a window right now, but needs 1-2 more things to help catch Detroit and Minnesota.

Seattle would really win ‘with’ this deal...they dump a costly headache locker room presence, save some CAP space, and get a fine WR in return (especially if it’s Doubs, who has gone to another level in route running...a fact which got buried in the wake of their heavy run game lean, Love injuries, then Doubs injuries later season. Plus, Seattle would be sitting there in the draft with picks #18 and #23...and if they use them to solve their O-Line woes, then the Seahawks just got themselves back into the NFC West rat race.

The challenge would be...will Mike Macdonald want to spend the picks on his precious defense? Last year, faced with the same dilemmas...they chased DT Byron Murphy at #16.

D.K. Metcalf’s FF 2025 value would be helped in this situation...as Jordan Love is at his best when he has had Christian Watson fully healthy and opening up the field, and Love racking TDs with Watson, usually big play ones. Metcalf is a better version of Watson for Love.

Doubs/Wicks wouldn’t really be helped a ton for FF...but it would make Wicks a starter in the league. Geno Smith is starting to lean on Jaxon Smith-Njigba as his true #1, and mostly Geno wants to throw short and safe. This move wouldn’t help JSN much...because the usual DKM coverage attention

(6:41amET)

-- A long day of Combine observation and data processing yesterday, my instant reaction report on day one will be out in the middle of the day or early eveningET...trying to get done ASAP and before the next round of Combine goes off.

-- It looks like Travis Kelce is coming back for the 2025 season. I can’t blame him. Chalk up another football player who didn’t leave on-time. More power to him...he’ll make millions to be a part-time player and gets to hang around the NFL locker room for another year.

For Dynasty...this is a SELL-the-news moment of Kelce, for me. I don’t know if his value will get any higher this offseason, than it is now. If the Chiefs make a trade for a real TE in March...Kelce’s value is done. KC has been kicking the tires on deals for Pitts and Engram, but that may have been a ‘just in case’ feeler. But Kelce is back now, it appears.

Kelce’s FF value is really diminished, but he’s still ADP-ing on the fringe of TE1 #11-15 range. If all I get are junk offers, I might as well keep him and see what happens...try to sell after (if) a hot Week 1, but making sure/working on getting my future-hope TE all offseason. I think Kelce is out-of-gas for FF. It was a great run, but that run appears over.

-- Quick note/thought on Abdul Carter...

So, Carter has a foot injury...and they say he’s gonna put off surgery or that he might not even need it. I’d be wary of how bad that injury is, as we’re in the ‘lying’ stages of players/agents trying to manipulate or hold their draft stock. Not that it’s a debilitating injury, but I don’t know if surgery is really off the table. And anytime you see ‘foot injuries’, especially ‘foot surgeries’ on players that exist because of ‘speed’ -- I don’t take it lightly...

When I heard about the news on this Carter foot injury, my first thought was -- so, the NFL will take this guy (Carter) #1 overall, with a foot injury of some kind, no questions asked/no worries (because of their eternal bloodlust for pass rushers)...but they will hesitate to take an NFL unicorn, the likes of which the league has never seen before, Travis Hunter at #1...because they don’t want him to play both ways for fear he’ll get hurt. Ummm...Abdul Carter is already hurt, just from working out/living his life...but Travis Hunter is the bigger injury concern?

Am I as justified/nonsensical to ‘worry’ about Carter as I am Hunter, on the injury front now? What if his foot really needs surgery and it zaps him of some of that high end speed/agility for a year or two...or more? If all we’re doing is operating from emotions and feelings and guesses...why is my Carter emotional medical projections/guessing any different than someone else’s Hunter ‘he can’t play both ways or he’ll get hurt’ fear mongering? Do you want to use the #1 overall pick on a pass rusher with a ‘bad foot’?

-- Be sure to check out my post prior to this RC Notes on a YouTube interview that I conducted earlier this week, that we will post on YouTube today. The post will help make some sense of some of the things to be discussed in the upcoming video podcast/interview release later this morningET.

https://ffmetrics.com/total-football-advisor/5363-upcoming-rc-interview-video-who-what-why-ff-contest-promo-code

-- Coming up on FFM today...

Combine day two today! 2/28: DB, TE (3-9pmET)

RC’s Next Scouting Report will post over the weekend...I’m backed up on Combine work at the moment. Next report/s will be a TE...we’re gonna do a TE stretch to compare to Tyler Warren (released 2/26 WED).

Our final 2025 Combine positional previews will publish Friday...the WRs. Post-Draft, we’ll do a post-Combine quick reaction grade.

THU 2/27

(7:36amET)

-- Combine workouts Day One are today...the DLs and LB (and PKs).

I will be watching and uploading all the workout info to our scouting database, but I’ll also be taking notes and doing a write up of the day’s events...the things that struck me from today’s events.

This DL group has some crazy talent and ever-improving athletes, potentially...especially at DT. I can’t wait to see the speed and agility times on some of these guys, to see if they exceed our expectations...or if they are false prospects.

I fear the number of players that are gonna skip doing things, which is a growing number by the Combine year.

I will summarize the key notes from the event the following day from each group workout.

Combine schedule:

2/27: DL, LB (3-8pmET)

2/28: DE, TE (3-9pmET)

3/1: QB, WR, RB (1-9pmET)

3/2: OLs (1-5pmET)

Once I have all the Combine data (and some of the data lags by day/s), I can start producing the first positional scouting grades...as we continue to scout/research/build towards draft day and beyond.

Once the Combine is in the books, then we turn our attention to the wild free agent period that’s about to commence.

Once free agency is in, then the Pro Days really ramp up.

Then finally, the NFL Draft...and then the Dynasty Rookie Draft season begins!

Football never sleeps.

-- Just when I thought it was a given that Matt Stafford is going back with the Rams, which is what my prediction still is based on my sources...there’s this: https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/report-matthew-stafford-met-with-tom-brady-in-montana#

This is massive...and it fits some intel/rumor I shared a few days ago (Sunday) on the Raiders pursuit of Stafford, which is going to be better/harder than any other pursuer. If Stafford isn’t with the Rams in 2025, he will be with Las Vegas.

And even if Stafford goes back with the Rams, this report of the ‘happenstance/accidental’ meeting still shows Tom Brady is a proper shark...and he’s not just making low energy phone calls and texts as a recruiting tool. If Brady woos Stafford to Las Vegas, if he makes a deal with the Rams...we gotta watch that Brady isn’t going to go from ‘best player of our generation’ to ‘best football operations exec of our generation’.

-- The NFLPA team report cards are out/released. What a smart thing the NFLPA is doing with this.

I’ll attach the full report card below, but some notes on things I saw at first go-through...

The Miami Dolphins are the #1 graded organization for players overall, the Vikings fell to #2. The Falcons are #3.

The Chargers are #5...up from #20 last year. What a difference Jim Harbaugh makes.

The bottom three graded teams: #32 Arizona, #31 New England, #30 Cleveland. Two of those three make sense, to me...makes sense to anyone. I can’t believe Arizona is last. Most of the bottom teams are northeast and Midwest old school teams. Arizona should be upper half in the league as a place to play. Arizona players love their coach, a top 10 grade...but everything else is bottom of the league. Weak, cheap ownership...the Bengals-like ownership of the West.

Does the grading matter in terms of NFL success? The Super Bowl just featured the #22 (PHI) v. the #27 (KC) teams in this grading.

‘A+’ grade head coaches: Quinn, Morris, O’Connell, Reid, Campbell, McDaniel

Bottom grade head coaches: Eberflus, Pederson, Stefanski

‘F or F-‘ grade teams in any categories:

Treatment of Families: CIN and JAX

Food/Dining Area: CIN

Locker Room: ARI, CLE, DEN, WSH

Weight Room: NE, ARI

Team Travel: BUF, NE, PHI

Ownership: NYJ

The full, interactive report from the NFLPA: https://nflpa.com/report-cards/2025

-- Coming up on FFM today...

Combine day one day!

RC’s Next Scouting Report will post tomorrow...a TE...we’re gonna do a TE stretch to compare to Tyler Warren (released yesterday).

Ross J. is publishing a scouting report of our new favorite prospect...it will be out ahead of the Combine, because that player is about to do his Combine today! He better run/get timed...

Our new daily series continues for the next week+ -- a top 25 ‘draft’, a 2023 and 2024 Dynasty Rookie Draft mash-up draft...with the rookies from those two years drafted as we know them now. After this mash-up mock we’ll then add the 2025 rookies into it (as we know them pre-draft) after the Combine...just to get some concepts to think about before the actual NFL and DRD draft.

Our 2025 Combine positional previews will publish randomly all week (as we get them done). Still have WR (Friday), EDGE (today) left to go before these groups have their Combine Day THU-SUN.

WED 2/26/25

(7:50amET)

-- This struck me as ‘depressing’...from the Seattle GM at the Combine:

GM John Schneider was talking about/answering questions about Seattle’s offseason needs/issues...and the GM’s conversation was based in discussing the need/want to bring Geno Smith back and negotiating a new deal and how much they wanted to sign Ernest Jones.

I know Geno is a solid NFL QB...but he’s not taking a franchise to new heights. And Ernest Jones was ditched by two teams last season, in the span of a couple of months -- but Seattle is going to give him a big deal to stay? The GM spoke like Geno and Ernest were two of the NFL greats...and all I felt was ‘pity’ for him/them/Seattle fans. It’s not a very exciting time in Seattle...caught in-between ‘too good to blow it up and rebuild’ but ‘not good enough to be a serious title threat’.

It just feels like Seattle is adrift.

Then, one of their main, unique weapons, DK Metcalf...it sounded like the GM wasn’t as excited. When asked where things stand between the team and Metcalf, he answered: “Where things stand? I’m not sure. He’s on our team. He’s a big, strong, fast, physical receiver.”

Whenever I hear/see the ‘He’s on our team’ response...I’m thinking that’s the forerunner of a change coming. The day prior, the Jets GM was asked about the status of Davante Adams...and the GM replied with the ‘he is on the team’...but everyone knows he’s going to be cut/gone.

-- Just a re-reminder on Anthony Richardson...

Headline from yesterday: Colts GM Chris Ballard said the Colts will have an “open” competition between Anthony Richardson and a quarterback the team brings in this offseason.

Quote from the story: “It’ll be good for Anthony,” Ballard said.

You do NOT do this/say this if you have a QB you believe in...after two years working with him. It’s basically cover for the Colts GM and HC to move off Richardson. They have given themselves the ‘cover’ to negotiate to get any other QB...be that Sam Darnold or whomever.

If they only get a mid-level QB, let’s say a Kirk Cousins or Jameis Winston...there will be a training camp battle...that Richardson will probably lose.

But if the Colts can land a Sam Darnold or a Russell Wilson -- then the only way I think they get those QBs to sign is...that they assure them that they are trading Richardson. And then they will.

One way or the other, whether they fail or succeed at it -- the Colts are trying to replace Richardson, they’ve all but given up on him.

I think this will be one of those things that when we find out all the issues behind the scenes, after Richardson is gone (this year or in the future), we will be in disbelief. The benching started with the head coach calling out, nicely, Richardson work ethic and leadership...the terrible output was the byproduct.

We can scout the talent pre-Draft, but it’s hard to determine what an NFL player will really do, how they will work, once they get millions of dollars.

Steichen and Ballard’s jobs are on the line...do you think they think they can pull through with Richardson at QB in 2025? Obviously, they don’t feel that way...or this charade of ‘competition that will be good for Anthony’ wouldn’t be a thing.

It’s a bad year to try to find a new starting QB...limited supply, and a ton of demand. What ‘good’/available QB wants to go compete with Richardson, or any high pick QB? Only if it is not really a competition...

-- Silly rumor of the day, but it’s not implausible...

I was told a plan being discussed in Las Vegas...if the two Ohio State RB are available early 3rd-round, the Raiders will look to use their #68 and #73 picks on Henderson-Judkins -- to solve their RB need and reunite the crew with Chip Kelly.

It’s all too ‘matchmaking’ for me...that all the OSU guys have this happy reuniting plan, but...

-- Then there’s this: https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/fbi-reportedly-investigating-alleged-extortion-attempt-against-buccaneers-rb-rachaad-white-012604597.html

-- Coming up on FFM today...

Next Scouting Report will post later today.

Our 2025 Combine positional previews will publish randomly all week (as we get them done). Still have WR, EDGE, DT left to go before these groups have their Combine Day THU-SUN.

TUE 2/25/25

(7:49amET)

-- *This started out as two quick paragraphs of info, but turned into a 2,000+ word diatribe. I don't know why, but ‘enjoy’! It may be coherent...or more 'ramblings of a mad man', you be the judge.

Now onto the Colorado high draft pick I like...

The debate about Travis Hunter, and which position he should play is gonna drive me nuts from now until draft day...and probably beyond.

The limited vision of the NFL media and especially of the almost-always-wrong scouts is mind boggling.

The earth has birthed this unicorn prospect...a player that is a Pro Bowl caliber talent on both sides of the ball. And the thing most analysts and scouts want to do is rush to put him at/limit him to only playing one position...and then they love to debate ‘which position?’. Rare few in football analysis are trying to expand their minds on what might be possible here...the closest the majority come is throwing in a line of ‘oh, and you can throw him in on offense for a few plays too’. Why the rush to limitations? It’s the NFL way. It’s why ‘they’ didn’t feverishly go-for-it on 4th-downs for the past 100+ years, until they saw someone else break the mold (Dan Campbell).

There is no template for Travis Hunter. There’s never been anything like him. You get to create the template on him. But what’s fascinating is the psychology of it all -- why the immediate rush to ‘you can’t play him both ways!’ mentality? My philosophy of having him play both ways hardcore is also based on ‘theory’...because no one has ever seen/done it before...so it is a debatable topic -- but I am baffled why a majority of football people aren’t rushing to the ‘imagine the possibilities’ side of the argument? The majority are on the ‘worried’, ‘concerned’ side of the initial debate.

Why?

Because we live in a ‘he’s probably gonna get hurt’ (the Jayden Daniels slight knock last year) or ‘no one has ever done it before’ society...in football, and in life, most people run to the negative...with the topper of ‘What if it doesn’t work?’ fear of failure...heaven forbid the media come after you for ‘going for it a lot on 4th-downs’...because sometimes you will not get the conversion and you’ll lose the game...and that fear-filled media will be there to pounce on how stupid it was.

There’s playing to win...and ‘playing not to lose’. The NFL is 80%+ ‘playing not to lose’...doing things inside the box to limit criticisms...it’s human nature in all of us, not just the NFL. It’s what pushes parents to force their kid to go to college to pursue a degree that projects to a ‘sensible’ career...and scoffing at/barring a kid from pursuing their passion, what they show a real talent for, if that thing seems foreign to the parents for career choices in the future.

My son wanted to be a YouTuber when he was 14 years old. As loving parents, of course we tried to shoot his ‘folly’ down. We let him pursue it, on his own dime, just waiting for this passing phase to pass. As my son saved every birthday money from grandma, did chores for money, and self-taught himself video editing and the differences in audio and how to build a computer himself and learning all about ‘analytics’ (in YouTube’s world), and then starting multiple YouTube channels to low viewership/subscribers.

As loving parents, we were there to punish him when he failed algebra tests...yell at him for being tired for school in the morning after he stayed up until midnight+ working with streamers and ‘playing games’. We let him keep going with his folly all through high school, but we tried to put every roadblock in his way to do what was ‘sensible’. I wanted him to play football for his small high school...they ‘needed’ him, and he was good at it...but he wanted to use his spare time working on his YouTube...too all our chagrin, and his high school girlfriend of 2-years’s chagrin (who broke up with him because of his time spent working on his YouTube...or as most people thought ‘just playing games’.

He didn’t take the ACTs seriously and scored average/below. All his friends were scoring high and getting into all the colleges they wanted. We had to settle for the local branch of a main university to get him into school -- into a ‘business’ major, because we all agreed that was so sensible...as the university, unbeknownst to me, was one of the top 10 media (film, production) schools in the country.

My son quickly hated college, started failing algebra and animal diversity, and the parents were in a panic -- how would our child ever get a job to make US proud...and keep him off the streets? Three weeks into his freshman year of college, I got a text from him that his YouTube channel had a video go viral right at that moment, sitting in math class. I didn’t know what that meant, per se, but when I saw him suddenly making $500-1,000 a day on his videos -- I got educated real quick. Now, I was trying to get him to quit college and pursue YouTube. My wife was not having it -- because ‘YouTube isn’t a real job...it’s folly.’ We continued to try to keep our son in a box because even as success hit – we were afraid of the ‘what ifs’ -- what if the channel got hot then flopped...what would he fallback on? How would he get himself good health benefits in the future?

Long story short on the ‘folly of YouTube’ -- I helped switched my son into the media program, where he learned a ton about camera work, production, etc., to further help his YouTube channel...his channel got to 150,000+ subscribers and he got one of the ‘play buttons’ from YouTube...he eventually was asked by the main professor at the school to speak to the students about how to have a YouTube career -- how much hard work it was, etc., because the ‘old’ professors had never met anyone who succeeded in YouTube, so they kept telling their students how stupid it was to think about it as a career...today my son is a head of YouTube marketing for a division within a Fortune 100 company.

How ever could one make a career out of YouTube? If his parents had their way...they would’ve snuffed that passion out because we couldn’t imagine what was possible because we were totally ignorant of what YouTube was becoming. It was our well-meaning limitations that almost cost our son a career in what he excelled at.

Are football people really sure Travis Hunter cannot play both ways for a while? Do they really know what they are talking about? There exists no specific plan to manage some snaps on both sides, have him practice differently, maybe take a game off every midseason for preservation?

Most football people are not asking the ‘Why not?’...they are steeped in the ‘Why you CAN’T!’

It reminds me of people who repel at the notion of buying Tesla stock...and I like the stock market about as much as I do football analysis. I think there are a lot of parallels between the two industries.

I hear well compensated stock analysts or people at a family get together saying -- I wouldn’t own Tesla stock...it’s just a car company with some declining sales because a lot of people (media) hate Elon Musk. If that was the only part of the Tesla stock story, people could be fine in having that opinion...and I just had someone tell me at a family get-together that Tesla’s business is gonna collapse because of their car sales probably peaking and China making cheaper EVs, etc. But that’s not even scratching the surface of what Tesla could be…this person was so confident in their opinion but they had no idea how utterly ignorant it was.

Tesla stock is not about the cars, per se. If you look at their stock as a car company, then it’s worrisome...I get that. But what Tesla is also sitting on/developing is potentially becoming a market leader in humanoid robotics...and the sales of robots could dwarf the car company. AND they have the most advanced Autonomous/Full Self Driving Technology in the world -- and soon all car companies will turn to Tesla to license that technology to all cars, and you’ll subscribe to it like Netflix. FSD technology and subscriptions and robotaxis (driverless taxis) could be as big as the robotics side of the business and will also dwarf the car company profits.

Not to mention TESLA becoming a leader in Energy Generation and Storage...very much needed for all the energy needs all the advanced computing and AI will need to exist.

Tesla, the company, is a nuclear bomb of innovation...and are getting closer and closer to launching their big missiles of innovation and becoming the largest company by a huge distance in the world. But if you ask most people, they only know Tesla as having ‘those fancy, expensive electric cars’...and they’re even wrong about that, because their car prices have come down hard with the more innovation and process controls. But most people are absolutely sure Tesla is just a car company...and that’s the world they live in. They haven’t bothered to find out more about all the things Tesla is bringing to the table soon.

And most football people are absolutely sure Travis Hunter can’t be an effective two-way player...they want him to be ‘just a car company’, when there is so much more.

I think it is a window to people’s souls...this Travis Hunter opportunity/dilemma. How they think of Hunter for the pros says more about their mindset than anything. If I were a newly hired GM of a team, one of the first things I would do is bring in my scouts for a 1-on-1 and ask them: If we can get Travis Hunter, what should we do with him...offense or defense? Any of them that take one side or the other and explain why -- I fire. The ones that try to make the case for a two-way possibility, and don’t take the bait of my one or the other ‘trick question’...the ones that try to imagine what might be possible and how to effectively roll it out -- they are the scouts I want to work with for the future.

What got me on this tangent was reading an article in The Athletic, with scouts/football people debating the issue. But what struck me was after football people took their one side of the other, then they gave quotes of what some current NFL players were saying and it warmed my heart to see their thought processes are so far ahead of the scouts it’s delightful.

Here’s some of the player feedback on the Hunter ‘What position?’ question, when posed to them...

Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers “100 percent” believes Hunter could play both ways in the NFL.

“I don’t want to put a ceiling on his ability of athleticism,” Nabers said. “(As a receiver), he can go up and get the ball, (make) contested catches. His route-running ability, he has to be a cornerback and a receiver, he can run pretty routes.”

Some truly believe he could and should play both sides of the ball.

“I don’t like how people label guys in this game, especially at this level,” Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs said. “It’s like, ‘Oh, he can only play offense,’ or, ‘He can only play defense.’ I just feel like they’re only saying that because they’ve never seen it. He’s showing it. He’s shown he can do it, you know what I’m saying? … I feel like they’re putting him in a box. He’s both.”

“I know a lot of people try to put a limitation on what he can do,” added Jets cornerback Qwan’tez Stiggers, “but if he feels like he can go on offense and defense — let him rip it! Be a better Deion Sanders.”

-- Coming up on FFM today...

Next Scouting Report will post later today.

Our 2025 Combine positional previews will publish randomly all week (as we get them done). Still have WR, EDGE, DT left to go before these groups have their Combine Day THU-SUN.

MON 2/24/25

(7:42amET)

-- Late (early this morning) word from a source -- the Rams are going to be meeting with Matt Stafford to lock in a deal in the next week or so. Both sides want to be together. The ‘seek a trade thing’ was just to allow Stafford’s team to get a sense of the proper market for a new contract value.

In 2025, with the QB market supply & demand the way it is...it would have been insane for L.A., or for Stafford, to go anywhere else.

Nothing like the thought of getting traded to the Giants or Browns to sober you up!

Once Stafford is off the market, Sam Darnold is going to be even richer in a few weeks. Darnold is going to get treated like Tom Brady hitting free agency...and you can thank how terrible teams feel the rookie QBs are for a big part of that.

-- More Shedeur Sanders bashing from me. I think it’s important...to me, it’s the biggest story of the NFL Draft, the biggest psychological analysis/discourse that analysts should be having about a consensus top prospect -- but, I think, the NFL people are trying to bury this story/analysis...afraid of Deion, afraid of embarrassing their own (NFL brotherhood/Deion), etc.

It’s been super-quiet on Shedeur critiquing up until the past week...and I think it’s going to get louder and louder every week we go up to the NFL Combine.

The latest arrows shot in Shedeur’s direction:

Article subtitle: (Ex-NFLer) Mike Sims-Walker says Deion Sanders can’t save Shedeur in the NFL

A snippet from the piece: Sims-Walker doesn’t believe any team would draft the Colorado QB ahead of Cam Ward. He also argued that being Deion Sanders’ son could hamper things for Shedeur.

“I think his dad in this situation is a bad thing. This is where he is going to fall like kind of back this time because you know, and I know the NFL is totally different than college football. He is not playing against Sophomores from Katy, Texas or true freshman corners. He got Jalen Ramsey and Myles Garrett coming off the edge. Your dad can’t save you,” said Sims-Walker.

Sims stated that he has no respect for Shedeur because he never had to fight for his spot. The former wide receiver added that Deion handed his son the starting QB job on a silver platter even when he was a freshman.

The full article (that begins with Brandon Marshall raising part of the debate): https://thesportsrush.com/nfl-news-brandon-marshall-says-two-nfl-teams-could-pass-on-shedeur-sanders-because-he-makes-songs-and-talks-about-jewelry/

Also, in all of this ‘Sanders Family Circus’...there is what’s happening with Shilo Sanders as another sign of the Sanders family problem...their ego...their arrogance...their ‘spoiled prince’ ways. If you don’t know about what his brother/teammate is up to: https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/shilo-sanders-files-for-bankruptcy-colorado-dbs-debt-stems-from-allegedly-assaulting-security-guard-in-2015/

-- Those who have been with FFM for a while, recall my writings (a few years ago) on the impact of Stem Cell treatments on NFL players and their newfound recovery ability...

In the Stem Cell realm, you might find this tweet from Jay Glazer interesting:

https://x.com/jayglazer/status/1893391919377793272?s=43

-- Last week, I wrote about the marvel that Grok 3 is...and I got a few emails about it from those in the tech world that were confirming my less-tech-savvy thoughts about it.

But, because our phones are always listening to us and then pushing things to us we were just talking about...this video (below) was pushed to my YouTube feed...and I don’t listen to Glenn Beck...I didn’t even realize he was still in the business...so, it was odd I got this video in my feed, but the title of it and the content made it all make sense.

So, I started playing the video to fill the quiet of cleaning up something -- and I really was interested in the premise and the discussion here. It's 20+ minutes long, but I think it was fascinating for those AI-curious all the way up to AI-savvy. Really listen to the detail of responses from Grok 3 to the host’s questions/conversation he posed.

I think most everyone will be interested, on some level, in this 20+ minute interview of Grok 3.0 itself. Interested...and possibly scared...

https://youtu.be/j_Iuf-lwEpE?si=KoYya1B9I1uYLQym

-- Coming up on FFM today...

Next Scouting Report will post later today.

Our 2025 Combine positional previews will publish randomly all week (as we get them done). Still have WR, LB, EDGE, DT left to go before these groups have their Combine Day THU-SUN.

-- Crumbl report for the upcoming week, most of the typing done by Grok 3...who I asked to tell me about the upcoming week’s offerings. What a time saver!!

But first bit of Crumbl/RC news: My streak of not going for 4-5 weeks was broken last week. Because when they have Tres Leche Cake...it’s a bat signal for me to rise to action. So, so good!

AND...Crumbl is shooting another signal into the sky/calling my name for this week too. No resisting this week either.

Here’s the lineup ahead (the answer/text straight from Grok 3.0, with my commentary notes attached):

For the week of February 24–March 2, 2025, Crumbl Cookies introduced a fresh lineup of flavors, announced via their official X account on Sunday, February 23, 2025, at 8:00 PM EST. This week’s offerings feature six flavors, blending new creations with returning favorites, available from Monday, February 24, through Saturday, March 1, at Crumbl locations nationwide. Here’s a breakdown of the new menu based on Crumbl’s announcement and supporting details from their typical flavor profiles:

Butter Cake (New LTO)

A limited-time offering (LTO), this is a rich, dense cookie with a buttery, cake-like texture, likely topped with a light glaze or frosting to enhance its moist, indulgent appeal. Introduced as a fresh addition for this week, it aligns with Crumbl’s February trend of dessert-inspired flavors.

RC Note: Arguably my favorite cake they have, right up there with Tres Leche.

French Silk Pie (New LTO)

Another debut LTO, this cookie mimics the classic pie with a chocolate base, possibly layered with a silky mousse-like topping and finished with whipped cream or chocolate shavings. Its inclusion reflects Crumbl’s push for innovative pie-based treats in early 2025.

RC Note: I had this when they debuted it on Thanksgiving week...it’s good stuff.

Cookie Butter Lava ft. Lotus Biscoff

A fan-favorite returning flavor, this features a warm cookie with a gooey cookie butter center, made with Lotus Biscoff spread, and topped with a Biscoff crumble. Known for its rich, spiced sweetness, it’s a staple in Crumbl’s winter rotations.

RC Note: No way...I hate Biscoff.

Strawberry Cupcake

This returning flavor combines a soft, cupcake-inspired cookie base with strawberry frosting, offering a sweet-tart balance. It’s a nod to Crumbl’s fruit-themed offerings, popular for its light, celebratory vibe.

RC Note: I’m in.

Banana Caramel

A warm cookie with banana flavor, drizzled with caramel for a sticky, sweet finish. This returning treat blends comfort and decadence, appealing to fans of Crumbl’s fruit-caramel combos from past menus.

RC Note: I’ve had this before. It’s not bad...if you’re into those flavors coming together.