Our latest Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast episode discusses NFL smokescreens, NFL Draft needs, and more.
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00:00Hi everybody, welcome back to the Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast.
00:06I am your host, Hondo Carpenter.
00:08Additionally, I am your Sports Illustrated Las Vegas Raiders beat writer, and this guy
00:12right here, he is my assistant beat writer with the Raiders, tremendous journalist, such
00:18a great writer, prolific writer, and a better friend, my guy, Zeke Trezevant.
00:25How are you, Ezekiel?
00:26My guy, Hondo, listen, man, doing very well.
00:28How about yourself?
00:29Good.
00:30I'm excited.
00:31I don't, you know, a lot of people don't need to know what's going on behind the scenes,
00:35but congratulations.
00:37You keep getting promotions with Sports Illustrated and you keep, you've earned every one of them.
00:41You're doing so good.
00:43We're, I mean, you are, you're killing it.
00:45You're assistant beat writer covering the Raiders.
00:47You write other NFL stories.
00:49You do some college football and basketball.
00:52You are all over the place and you're earning all of it.
00:54I'm very proud of you, Zeke.
00:56Hey, man, thank you more than anything for the opportunity.
00:58I can't say it enough.
00:59That's all I've ever really wanted was an opportunity to do this and to get better at
01:03it.
01:04And I'm grateful for it.
01:05Thank you again.
01:06My family appreciates it.
01:07I appreciate it.
01:08And, you know, let's do what we do.
01:11Let's do what we do.
01:12And, you know, to your credit, it wasn't me giving you anything.
01:15You earned it and you're good at what you do.
01:18You're a great listener.
01:20You earned this opportunity.
01:21I'm really, I'm proud of you to be my employee.
01:25I'm even more proud that you're my friend.
01:28I appreciate that.
01:29All right.
01:30I want to get into some recent articles that you've written.
01:34I want to talk about it.
01:36But you talked about the Raiders in the draft and how they've set themselves up.
01:43Talk about that.
01:44Explain that.
01:45I thought that was a brilliant article you wrote.
01:46Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:47So we've, you know, we've kind of touched on that a little bit before, but it seems,
01:50you know, the more I watch what Tom Telesco is kind of doing, it's like, it's like you're
01:54trying to figure out what, you know, what is it, what is it that the Raiders are going
01:57to do?
01:58And it's almost like Tom is purposefully making it hard to figure that out.
02:02So you know, the beauty of it is that because they have the different holes on the team
02:05that they have to fill, cornerback, obviously offensive line, there's so many different
02:09things that Tom can do.
02:11And with the different smoke screens that I do feel like they're throwing out there,
02:14I feel like even if they stay at 13, they have the ability to draft a player that they
02:19could use, even if it's not necessarily a quarterback.
02:21So it might be an offensive lineman, it might be a cornerback.
02:24It might be, you know, whatever may be, they are still in a position to win, even if it's
02:28not a position that's as sexy as quarterback.
02:30So I think Tom has done a good job of being, you know, kind of evasive in terms of, you
02:35know, giving out those clues.
02:36But I think even down to letting Fluker go when their offensive line has very few, you
02:40know, quality players on it at the moment.
02:42I think even that was a, that was something that is going to help them on draft day, because
02:46now you really don't know what the Raiders are going to do.
02:49So they have a lot of different options.
02:55All right.
02:56Now, you also had another article that I thought was just as brilliantly good.
03:01When you talked about, hey, everybody relax, the Raiders have more than just quarterback
03:05needs.
03:06Break that down.
03:07I thought that was really good, Zeke.
03:08Yeah, like they have a lot of different.
03:10So basically, you know, they might, in my opinion, I think they may be okay at quarterback
03:14right now in terms of having Aiden, having Gartner in terms of this specific season coming
03:18up, maybe not three years down the road, but for this season coming up, they might be okay
03:22at quarterback.
03:24And while the whole off season, it's been Raiders and quarterback, Raiders and quarterback.
03:26You know, there's a lot of, there's a couple other positions that they need as well.
03:30You know, that they can add to the team that would help out a lot.
03:34Wait a minute.
03:36We have not been all Raiders quarterback, Raiders quarterback.
03:39We've certainly talked about it, but let's pat ourselves a little bit.
03:42Let me pat you on the back a little bit.
03:44That has not been us, has it?
03:46Correct.
03:47Correct.
03:48And that, you know, again, like we've touched on it.
03:50We've alluded to it before in the off season.
03:52But just on a kind of like a natural, it's like every day you wake up and it's like they're
03:55connected to another quarterback on some level.
03:57So yeah, there's a lot of other positions that they could use that may not be as risky
04:02as drafting a quarterback, you know, that can still help the team in the long run.
04:07Back in the building tomorrow.
04:09How excited are you tomorrow to be back interviewing?
04:14I can't wait to get back in there, you know, and just be, just be around the guys, you
04:18know, being in the environment that I feel good in and I feel natural and kind of, you
04:23know, turn the page towards, you know, next season.
04:25So I'm excited, man.
04:27Very excited.
04:28All right, Zeke, we did an, I think it was on Thursday, a podcast with one of our new
04:34writers, Michael France, in which we looked at and I had given, I had been given this
04:40suggestion by an NFL executive who saw our podcast and said, who's a friend of mine.
04:46And he said, listen, I think you should dig in and go over all 32 teams the last 10 years.
04:52He goes, that tells the story.
04:54The numbers don't lie.
04:55Now I'm told there's a podcast that says that I've not seen it.
04:59So I'm not trying to steal anyone's thunder that has a podcast, but that's a great name
05:03for a podcast, by the way, because the fact is that's an NFL term that, you know, the
05:11tape don't lie.
05:12Or as my good friend, the great Chuck Grenier says, the eye in the sky don't lie.
05:16So when you look at the, at the bottom 11 teams, and when I say bottom, they're the
05:2111 best drafting teams that have the least amount of first top 10 picks.
05:28I want to run this by you and I want you to tell me what comes off and we don't plan our
05:33show in advance, do we?
05:35At all?
05:36No.
05:37Because I like it to be like two guys sitting on a bar stool, eating some broccoli bites
05:40and burgers and drinking some A&W or some Verner's, okay?
05:48There are six teams that have had one top 10 pick the last 10 years, Philly, Seattle,
05:57New England, the Rams, Baltimore, Houston, all consistent.
06:04There are five teams that have had zero top 10 picks, Minnesota, New Orleans, Kansas City,
06:12Pittsburgh, Green Bay.
06:17They all have one thing in common, all consistent.
06:21They all draft well.
06:23What are those franchises all have in common?
06:27They're constantly in it because they don't take risks.
06:32Now, some people, Zeke, first of all, what do you think when you hear those numbers?
06:36Go back, let me give you the top, okay?
06:40There have been two teams that in the last 10 years have had eight top 10 picks, J-E-T-S,
06:48J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets, Jets, Jets, and the G-Men, both from Gotham.
06:54And to quote Rob Schneider from the Waterboy, you still suck, okay?
07:00Jacksonville, seven, Chicago, six, Atlanta, San Francisco, Detroit, Arizona, Carolina,
07:09Cleveland, all five.
07:11San Francisco and Detroit now are becoming consistent winners, but they went out and
07:17got stability and leadership.
07:19What do you think of those numbers when you hear it?
07:22I think just like you had the title, the big eye in the sky doesn't lie.
07:25It would be one thing if all the teams that didn't draft in the top 10 over the last few
07:29years were, if the numbers didn't say what they said on both ends, it probably wouldn't
07:34mean as much.
07:35But for those teams that draft in the top always to be on the bottom in terms of finishing
07:38record and vice versa, I think that speaks for itself, especially in the NFL, right?
07:43In over a 10 year span, you can't fake those numbers.
07:47I think it's just like you said, you have to connect on those picks that you get or
07:50else you're going to always be in the top 10 drafting.
07:53So you're right, you have to be precise in your draft day assessments and you have to
07:58make sure you execute properly or else you're going to be one of those teams always drafting
08:02in the top 10 and that's not a good look.
08:05So I'm eating lunch at the combine with a general manager and we're talking and he named
08:18a particular team that had picked high on several guys.
08:25He said, and the problem was, is they didn't have the salary cap space to pay those guys
08:30what they were worth and he ended up losing them.
08:34He goes, the problem is, is that even if you be drafting high, because those players cost
08:42a lot of money to resign and in today's NFL, especially with the way quarterbacks are paid,
08:49you're only have so much money.
08:52I think sometimes fans, and this is a good thing, the word fan comes from fanatic, without
09:00them we don't have jobs, but I think sometimes fans think emotionally, oh I want this guy.
09:06Let's think about this, we got to get rid of Derek Carr, we need Zach Wilson, we got
09:14to get rid of Zach and Derek Carr, we need Trey Lance, we don't want CJ Stroud, he failed
09:23an IQ test, Bryce Young, now that wasn't a fan, but that was an NFL head coach.
09:32But anyways, sometimes people think the next thing is always the best thing.
09:39I have a buddy that was going on the verge of a divorce and I looked at him and said,
09:48the grass isn't always greener, divorce hurts children, it's painful, come on, you can make
09:57your marriage work, I believe in you, let's go.
09:59I even offered to pay for him to get some marriage counseling for him and his wife because
10:05Sometimes moving on, I'm not saying this is not a pro-Derek, anti-Derek comment, it's
10:09just if they'd moved on from Derek for those guys, would everybody who said we need them
10:14quit being a fan?
10:16You've got to trust the process and you can't take risks, can you?
10:22You've got to be able to say, if we've got this guy valued as a 30-40 pick, you don't
10:28pick him at 10.
10:30Go ahead.
10:31No, completely agree with you.
10:32In the draft, you have to make sure that you execute, and in terms of the grass being greener
10:38on the other side, I do think those, like you said, fans, sometimes fans, they think
10:42it's a little bit easier to move on or that we should move on a little bit quicker than
10:46a team should just because it sounds good or it looks good on paper.
10:50And that's not always the case.
10:51And a lot of times, especially in the NFL, that one mistake of moving on a little bit
10:55too soon can cost you a long time down the road.
10:58So you definitely have to make sure that you're measuring twice, cutting once, for sure.
11:02Think about this one.
11:03Peyton Manning, after his first year, people were calling him a bust.
11:06Reggie Wayne.
11:08Those guys are both in the Hall of Fame.
11:11Look at the people that threw Jim Plunkett and Rich Gannon away.
11:14There is a multiplicity of, look at Kurt Warner.
11:17There's a multiplicity of people that have been thrown away that fans, listen, I understand
11:27when these guys are picked, even low level picks, they're paid generational wealth.
11:34And so a fan's perspective is, man, I've been working in the casino for 40 years.
11:39I'm making $125,000 a year.
11:42This guy gets picked.
11:45He's making $400,000 a year.
11:48I'm great at what I do.
11:50He should be great.
11:51But sometimes they forget these guys are 21, 22, 23 year old kids.
11:57It's just like when I got a Great Dane puppy.
12:00They got to grow into that body.
12:02They got to grow into that responsibility.
12:04And I think sometimes people need to remember the draft is a marathon, not a sprint.
12:12Yeah, no, listen, a thousand percent.
12:14And I also think that, you know, kind of to piggyback off that, I think sometimes people
12:17forget just how great the difference is between college and the pros.
12:22And the fact that there's going to be an adjustment period and that adjustment period is different
12:25for every player.
12:27It's not going to be, oh, he played six games and now he's a pro bowler.
12:29Oh, he played a year.
12:30You know, some guys need a season or two or three.
12:33First of all, the game is there's a big difference between college and football in general.
12:37And the NFL is always evolving.
12:39It's always growing.
12:40So that gap can sometimes get even bigger.
12:42So I think a lot of people forget the transition that these players have to go through.
12:46Like you said, these guys are coming into the NFL, the National Football League at 19,
12:5020, 21 years old, and they're playing against grown men who have done nothing for the last
12:55X amount of years, but lift weights while these guys were in school.
12:58Right.
12:59So you kind of have to keep everything in perspective in terms of the draft.
13:03So I have a buddy who after his rookie year, him and I are on a fishing trip and I said,
13:11so what was your biggest adjustment?
13:12I'm thinking he's going to say speed of the game and everything else.
13:15He said in college, we would all get together and play PlayStation.
13:24These guys all have families and kids and they're grown men.
13:27He goes, I almost felt like I should call him, sir.
13:33It is just an adjustment, isn't it?
13:36For sure.
13:37And it's an adjustment on every level, right?
13:39Mentally, physically, emotionally.
13:40Right.
13:41I mean, I mean, think about, you know, the Michael Mayers of the world, who was the big
13:44guy on campus.
13:45And then you come in and day one, Max Crosby is steamrolling, right?
13:48Like think about the mental transition that takes on a player, right?
13:52It's a transition on so many different levels and we get to watch it live time, right?
13:56We're watching these guys grow and while they're growing, right?
13:59So it's a little bit different on our end than it is their end, but it's always fun
14:02to watch for sure.
14:04So Zeke, next week when you're on the show, you're going to give us your complete seven
14:09round Raiders mock draft.
14:11We're going to get your opinion.
14:14What should the Raiders do at every spot?
14:18You got to be ready, brother.
14:19Oh yeah.
14:21Raider Nation wants to hear from the great Zeke Trezevant.
14:25What you doing?
14:26Yeah.
14:27Yeah.
14:28I'll listen.
14:29I'll have something cooked up for you for sure.
14:30And like I said, the beat up is that, you know, we kind of have to figure out what the
14:33people in front of the Raiders are doing draft wise, but I'm going to have something cooked
14:37up for you for sure.
14:38Cause it's going to be exciting to see what they do.
14:41I'm excited about it.
14:42Always excited.
14:43Great articles.
14:44Great writing this week.
14:45Congratulations on all your promotions.
14:47Stay with me real quick.
14:48I want to talk to you, Zeke.
14:49You are listening to the Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast.
14:52I'm your host, Hondo Carpenter, your Sports Illustrated beat writer covering the Las Vegas
14:57Raiders.
14:58You can find me of course at Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast on YouTube at si.com forward
15:04slash NFL forward slash Raiders.
15:05It's where you'll find Zeke's articles and of course on Spotify and Apple.
15:09Zeke, tell them about your social media.
15:11Where do they find you on X?
15:12Yeah.
15:13On X, you can just type in my first two initials of my name, E-Z, and then my last name Trezevant.
15:19So T as in Tom, R-E-Z as in zebra, and then my name should pop up from there.
15:24Awesome.
15:25Check them out.
15:26Tell Jazz I said hi.
15:27Zeke, we'll see you again later.
15:29Bye everybody.
15:30See you tomorrow.