Interview with Brian Baldinger

  Transcribed 5/25 by Cecil Lammey, Exclusive to Footballguys.com

Very special friend of the show, love talking to this guy, from the NFL Network, it's Brian Baldinger. Baldy, what's up man?

BALDINGER: Hey man, it is - what do we got? We got middle of May, I'm in South Jersey, tomorrow morning I'll be on an early flight to Dallas to go see Jerry Jones and Terrell Owens and Felix Jones and Zach Thomas. Going To sit down with the Cowboys tomorrow, going to spend the day. I can't think of anything better to do.

LAMMEY: Oh, it's awesome, man. It does not stop, especially for a guy like you. Tremendously busy But I want to go back and talk about something that you started in January. Really, it was you and Mike Mayock that opened up people's eyes to Darren McFadden - and I love the article that you wrote in the Sporting News. January 10th was the date and it starts out 'I hate to burst the bubble of Darren McFadden and all the draftniks who think he's the second coming of Adrian Peterson, but he isn't.' really it was you who started 'look at him on contact', 'look at those dead legs'. So I'd like you to expand on that and explain to our listeners - and you wrapped it up with the great 'I'd rather have Pierre Thomas on my team than Darren McFadden.'.

BALDINGER: (laughs) Pierre Thomas, for people who don't know, started the Saints final game last year. He was a rookie free agent from Illinois, actually kept Rashard Mendenhall off the field for a couple years there. Was recruited by Ron Turner, was injured and that's the only reason why he probably didn't win the Heisman when he was there. You'll hear a lot from Pierre Thomas. But on to McFadden - I'll stand by what I said guys. I - I did the Cotton Bowl this year, that was Darren McFadden's final college game. I watched probably 7 or 8 of his games throughout the season, including the monster game against South Carolina, the big games against Kentucky, the great win against LSU. And when you watch him, he is a great college runner, he's got great speed. I mean that was demonstrated at the Combine this year when he turned out a 4.34 40. Great speed. But in the NFL, there's a lot of people with that have great speed. They just never really get much of a chance to use it. And as a running back, you've got to create your own space. There's just not tractor size holes to run through in the NFL like there are in college. You've got to break tackles, you have to make people miss and you've got to create space. And Darren McFadden doesn't do any one of those three things very well.

BLOOM: Baldy, we were lucky enough to be right in front of you down on the floor of the Draft, and we got to watch along with Darren McFadden, some of the other top players of the Draft come through. And I know, like you, I was very impressed with Glenn Dorsey's attitude. With just the vibe he gave off, just his aura that day. And it's really what you wanted to see from a franchise player. Can you talk a little about what you picked up from Glenn Dorsey at the Draft, and maybe anything else from the top prospects that came through that you got to talk to.

BALDINGER: Well, I put a lot of stock in that guys, I really do. I put more stock in that then all the other nonsense that goes on in the off season. This is a guy that wants to be great, that has great talent, and then has an attitude to support it. That's what you want from your top pick. You want a guy that walks into a room, that loves the game, that exudes the joy of the game of football and can't wait to get started. That's what you're going to get from Glenn Dorsey. He did that at the Draft and that wasn't a fabrication, that's who he is. He went through a strenuous off season where he had to basically rebuff everybody's opinion that he was a broken down, you know, injury-waiting-to-happen type of football player. I don't believe that's the case. I think - what he said and what I believe is you know what; a lot of guys would have sat down with the high ankle sprain I had and waited to get healthy but he played through it. And that's what you have to do as a Pro. You have to play through your injuries. You have to line up and play every down. That's how Warren Sapp was when he came out in 1995, he had a smile on his face, he had a swagger, he couldn't wait to play the game. He played like that for 13 years. And that's what you have to do. I think that's what you're going to get from Glenn Dorsey. I think, a very similar type player. He's great inside a phone booth, he's relentless, he's got a great motor. I don't think you're going to get weight problems from this guy. I just think you're going to get a solid football player whose going to be really good for a long period of time. That's how he acted. And I think he'll help everybody else on that defense at Kansas City act and play like that.

LAMMEY: Now let's go from the top of the draft, we just talked about the great Glenn Dorsey, let's go to the end of the draft and actually after the draft. You know, we're seeing in the NFL today, so many stars are coming from the later rounds, whether it was Terrell Davis or Tom Brady in the sixth round. An undrafted player like Willie Parker coming out and being a star in the NFL. So let's talk about that. This year there were some undrafted players - specifically like Danny Amendola, wide receiver, Texas Tech, Danny Woodhead, the running back from Chadron State and Gary Guyton who I was begging the Broncos to take in the draft, he's undrafted, he went to the Patriots. So talk to us Baldy - you played 13 years after being undrafted. Really it doesn't stop these guys; the talent is there for these undrafted free agents. So talk to us about that talent level from these undrafted guys and why we're seeing so many of them rise up to stardom in the NFL.

BALDINGER: Well, we've always seen it. I mean, from days when I was in Dallas when there was Bill Bates and Mark Tuinei and Michael Downs and I mean - Drew Pearson. I could go through a list of about just Cowboys alone. But in Philadelphia I could give you the same list. I mean around the league - every team - I mean Pierre Thomas, New Orleans last year. Or you look at a guy like Marques Colston, drafted number 250. You know everybody - they overanalyze these players. And then the Pro game is just different than the college game. And some guys take a little longer, like myself, to mature and to physically become stronger but inside the heart's always been there. And then, at the opposite end of the spectrum, the first round picks have always - most of those guys - have always been catered to, always been coddled. Never probably really had to work that hard, maybe they just had great talent. And so, all we do is we look at their speed or their quickness or size or whatever but we never look inside that person to see how important football is. I think - you know a lot of most football players should get kicked to the curb. Should come in as a free agent. Should get cut. Before they find out how important the game is to them. And when it becomes real important, their work ethic seems to pick up. Seems to improve. And that's something that you get from these guys in the later rounds or guys that aren't drafted at all. Guys that really feel that they got something to prove every single day. When they come in like that, they generally stay like that. They don't all of the sudden go from being undrafted to a star to just being a bust. That rarely happens. Guys that come in, work extra hard, put the extra time in. The game is just something they live, breathe and love every day. Even if they become successful, like let's say a Marques Colston, rarely do they go backwards, get soft and lazy like we see so many of our other, coveted #1 draft picks.

BLOOM: Baldy, we get word this morning that the owners have voted unanimously to shorten the CBA. Now, the NFL has been on a good run as far as labor and management agreements through the 90s, through this decade. Do you think we have anything to worry about as that uncapped year is looming down the road? Or do you think that wisdom will prevail, that it will be smoothed out and it will be business as usual in the NFL?

BALDINGER: I don't think it will be smooth at all. I think it will get very ugly. I don't even think that it's a question of cooler heads prevailing in this situation, we've had 21 years of labor peace. It's been a fantastic run, but right now there is no margin for the owners to make money. They're paying out 60% or more for player salaries. In the economics that we live in right now, and then if you look at teams like Oakland, San Francisco, San Diego, that all badly need new stadiums - there's a big split right now. And when you get to an untapped year, you could very quickly go from the NFL with major parity and everybody having a chance to succeed to becoming Major League Baseball, where maybe a handful of teams have a chance to succeed. It is - it is going to be a fight because Gene Upshaw and the players are not going to give in, easily. And the Owners on the other hand, realize that if this continues, they will lose money. And we will actually see teams for the first time, have to sell, have to go to bankruptcy, on and on and on. So, these teams and these organizations are residing wholly on television money coming in -which may not continue to come in at the rate that it is. So, there are problems on the horizon, and this is not going to be something that is going to be smoothed out easily.

LAMMEY: You're listening to the Audible, on the VIP line, from the NFL Network, it's Brian Baldinger and Baldy, my last question for you has to do with the offensive line. Of course, we said earlier you played 13 years down in the trenches, on the offensive line. There were 8 offensive lineman taken this year in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft, so I wanted you to touch on a couple of guys for us if you would please.

First up, Branden Albert, the guard from Virginia, now with the Chiefs. They're thinking maybe playing him a little tackle, little guard. I want you to talk about the versatility and how tough it is to do that in the National Football League. And Jeff Otah, the big man from Pittsburgh, that the Carolina Panthers picked up with the 19th overall pick. And talk to us, do you think in your opinion that the Panthers gave up too much for him.

BALDINGER: I think Branden Albert probably owes Howie Long as much as he does anybody else for his, really, mercurial rise up the draft charts. When Howie started talking about what this kid was like in practice because Howie was at a lot of practices. When his son went to bat for this guy and what kind of player he is, what kind of player he projects to be. And then you add the other elements - this guy was a great High School basketball player, could have played Division 1 basketball. Very light on his feet, can run real well. Has great size and long arms. I mean all of the sudden you started, basically, building on a computer, the master or the prototypical type guard. Or lineman, because I do believe he can swing outside, I think he could be a very good right tackle. But, you know, Kansas City has been trying to replace Will Shields now for the full year and they haven't done that. And it looks like he is a guy that, next to Brian Watters, could be a great compliment. So, I like Branden Albert a lot. Now, I don't know what's inside him, I don't know how much he craves the game. I don't know if - like Brian Watters, that guy loves the game of football. I knew he would be a Pro Bowl player when I saw him in Europe six years ago, seven years ago. We'll see just how hungry he is. But I do believe he's got all of the attributes and all the skills to be a monster player. Maybe a guy like Shaun Andrews, I guess that would be the player I would want to compare him to. Which would be, I mean, Kansas City couldn't do any better if he becomes Shaun Andrews. As far as Jeff Otah, I think he needs a lot of work. Playing left tackle in this league is a very difficult assignment. I think he's got some talent; he's kind of a mauler. But he needs great skill work with his hands. And that's how you win the games. I mean, the guys with great hands, married to great feet never let defensive ends and outside linebackers get to their body. And if you can do that, you know the way a guy like Jeff Thomas did last year, Joe Thomas did in Cleveland last year - you could be around for a long time and you can be worth your weight in gold and you can make a king's ransom of money in this league if you can do that. So, I think he needs a lot of work to get to that point, but there is potential there to do that. Did they give up too much? Not if he becomes Joe Thomas. You know - and they need a left tackle real bad in Carolina. They've been trying to rebuild that offensive line now for three years. So if he could become that player, then no, I don't believe they gave up too much.

BLOOM: Baldy, my last question for you - Now that we've seen free agency, we've seen the Draft, we've seen the coaching changes, and we're on the cusps of min-camps - you'll be traveling to Dallas - and training camps right around the corner - are there any teams that you think have put themselves in a position to improve greatly this year or on the flipside, maybe any teams that are the brink of disaster and once the season starts we'll see it unfold.

BALDINGER: Well, I think two teams that really jump out at me, that have improved themselves, and I'm not limiting to these two teams. But I think Cleveland has improved themselves. First of all they kept everything intact. And then they've added - look if Shaun Rodgers comes to play. And Corey Williams comes to play in Cleveland. I mean this defense is going to be - going to be good to very good, because Shaun Rodgers - when he wants to - can dominate the line of scrimmage. Flat out. He's shown that in Detroit. Now he couldn't do that on a consistent basis and Detroit sort of gave up on him. But he's got big-time talent, the way Kevin Williams does in Minnesota. You combine that with Corey Williams, who is a very good player. And then if you keep the offense intact and Derek Anderson improves - at all - you go 'this team is going to be very good.' And has a chance to really win the AFC North. The other team to me is Dallas. And not just because of what they did in the Draft - while I think Felix Jones is going to be a star. But I think Zach Thomas has a lot of football left. You've got to remember, his career, or his season, was ended - not because of an injury on the field. It's because of a concussion sustained in a car accident. This guy has been pretty healthy throughout his time. He's got a chip on his shoulder and he's going back to the state of Texas, where he's from. This guy could very well lead the league in tackles this year, on that team. So, I think Dallas, has a chance to be very good. And then the team, under the radar I think, that could really improve, not because they brought in a lot of no-name players, but Philadelphia - they get McNabb back healthy, coming off a great final month of the season. They add guys - they added some guys that aren't really big name players, but - you know Chris Clemons is - he got 8 sacks on a bad team in Oakland and you don't do that by accident. This guy, Greg Williams really built this guy up in Washington, really molded this guy. This guy is going to help the pass rush. I believe DeSean Jackson is going to give them a force in the return game. I think they've done enough to elevate themselves into a real playoff contending team right now.

LAMMEY: You want to talk about the very best, of course you talk about Brian Baldinger from the NFL Network and I have to tell you Playbook is the favorite show of The Audible - that's for sure. But Baldy before we let you go, real quick, you've been on tour with both Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel, which was crazier man?

BALDINGER: Oh, Springsteen. It's Springsteen. Yeah, I mean, the mob scenes at the Palal St Jordi in Barcelona when they open the doors - to see the fans in Madrid mob him coming out of a hotel. To watch him at the Sun Series Stadium in Milan. 90,000 going wild in the rain. I - there's no comparison.

LAMMEY: Simply awesome. Baldy, thanks for joining the show, brother.

BALDINGER: All right guys - anytime man.