Matt and Phil are back with another episode and this time its all about the New York Jets as they are joined by Jets' Pro Personnel Director, Greg Nejmeh. Together they broke down the Jets new acquisitions and discussed how they think the season will go.
Simms Complete
All Things Jets with Greg Nejmeh
Matt and Phil are back with another episode and this time its all about the New York Jets as they are joined by Jets' Pro Personnel Director, Greg Nejmeh. Together they broke down the Jets new acquisitions and discussed how they think the season will go.
- Duration:
- 47m
- Broadcast on:
- 24 Jul 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
Welcome back to Sims complete. I'm your host Matt Sims alongside the go Phil Sims We got a special guest here today though. We got Greg Nedgema the urban legend the New Jersey great Hey, you know, I don't know. I couldn't think of any more nicknames. Don't free the whole favor Yeah, don't free the whole thing that is in my notes here. I didn't want to bring it up too early, but Greg Nedgema who is gracious enough to join us here today director of pro personnel Been with the Jets now as you know, I thought I knew you so I did like a little homework. Obviously before you know We started doing this 16th year going in right in the Jets personnel department. I mean Has time gone that fast or has it been excruciating the slow for you? You know, it's When I think about 16 years like it doesn't seem like it's been that long, you know, it really doesn't like I still I still remember the day that I got hired as a training camp intern, you know, so that doesn't seem that long and then when I start to think about each season that's gone by That's when I that's when I start to feel a little bit No, it's been it's been awesome. You know, I I'm fortunate enough to not have to have had to you know, move my family or anything yet but still You know be with a bunch of different coaches and gms and learn a bunch of different things So, you know that that's side of it's been been really cool to have that stability You know nudge here you are. We finally got you on, you know, you're a hard get man. It's like trying to get Aaron Rogers I don't know. I mean nudge is he's one of the guests that actually he asked to come on our show We usually ask people he he asked to come on our show. Yeah, we appreciate that Yeah, yeah, we got a lot of them lined up now, but you know nudge. How about this? You know doing it. She's got to be a pro. So what would you say to matt? Have you ever heard of sunscreen, son? I know really. I mean come on. He's he's trying to be as tan as i am We just definitely work. Yeah, it's not part of my dna, man You know, it really isn't you know your tan you said that Before we went on you were saying that this is your this is your base coat that you have Before you get to the actual camp season. It's like oh, I imagine we like african. I'm getting ready for camp right now Yeah, that's right, you know matt first and foremost the number one thing about nudge greg nudge, but we call him nudge Um, how's the arm? You know, it's it's good. It's good. It's I don't throw at the workouts or practice anymore. Um, I Anything 15 and in i'm good, you know, okay. I don't really want to press it too much after that Oh, you don't throw for any of the workouts anymore. Not anymore. Not anymore When when did you finally relieve yourself of that duty of being the workout thrower? I would say probably about five or six years ago. It's been that long Yeah, I was like, I was like, no, I gotta I have to really pay attention to this workout now What I told you But the reality was it just hurt me so much to do it. Yeah, and I felt this starting to go and I was like I'm not exposing myself anymore. So that's right. I just like no, I gotta I gotta sit back and watch his workout So matt matt, I don't know It would seem like just maybe two years ago That you sent me he when he throws for the workouts. He films himself And he sends it to me. How does it look and I would make corrections and tell him what he did right wrong and he goes Oh, yeah, I think you're right or whatever Listen, I still if I get some if i'm from i'm gonna have somebody take it take a little video of me Just so I can see how it looks. Yeah Yeah, that's what's interesting too because I would say that the videos that I received from you greg in the past two or three years I've more so been like uh down the shore and you're throwing to somebody driving across on a jet ski So those are the reps that I get Phil. I don't get the actual I get the party reps. Well, listen, I wanted the best coaching to go to to go to your dad That hurts man. Well, you know, listen, you know, just for everybody So what was the first year you you you lived by us or you you grew up by us in midland park where in franca lakes not far at all How old were you when you came over for the first time to throw? I think I was going Into my junior year so in between my sophomore and junior year high school, okay? I think we went over to ramapau and threw once right and um and then from there We kind of kept going a little bit that year and then um did it even more going into my senior year And that was really the second year was really when I felt like a huge difference in what we were working on and that right, you know Um, but yeah, it was look. I wouldn't be in the whole thing without you guys Just for a quick background too for everyone listening right now Because you know, we're we're all thick as thieves as far as you know How far we go back with the game of football and and all the stories that we could share with each other But for the general fans out there greg nedgma was the starting quarterback for the midland park panthers Uh three year starter. Yeah, three year starter He is in the as he's already told us multiple times here only five minutes into the show That he is in the midland park hall of fame and he is also the uh leading passer Well, really basically you hold all the passing records in the school's history, which is fantastic. Yeah fill hang up that damn phone Damn, that's every day. All right, podcast every damn I've ever had to yeah, I know it was really feeling it. He was like You get to see it. Oh, you know, and big fill is the only guy that actually still uses a house phone In a landline, but good for you, phil And uh, you know, but for nedgma, we got introduced we were throwing together as well I was a young uh kid in high school at the time while you were you know going more into your senior years and obviously on the college Uh played quarterback at the college of new jersey, uh, and then transitioned from there into the coaching world Uh, your junior or senior year is when you started to get into that stuff. Yeah, my my junior year college Or yeah after my junior year college I started I went I was fortunate enough to be an undergraduate But still coach and I coach quarterbacks and right even though I was done playing like all the stuff that I learned throwing with you guys Was stuff that I started coaching and teaching and you know, that was that was really how I was like, you know what? Like I didn't know at the time exactly what I wanted to do but that was like That was really when I was like I want to do something with sports in some way I didn't know if i wanted to coach or get into personnel and all that sort of stuff and Um, so yeah, I coached there at TC&J for two years as a quarterback coach And then after I graduated I got hired as a training camp intern here with the jets and Yeah, yeah, it was it was crazy how it all worked out, you know, you were calling plays, right? Yeah Some games I'll get you those games where we scored a lot of points Yeah, I think I talked to you once or maybe twice your last year and you said, yeah, yeah, I called the place this past week Yeah, I said hell you the backup quarterback in the playing college. Yeah, no, it was it was cool It really was a great opportunity it was you know, for for that staff to kind of like entrust that in me Give me that opportunity was like I didn't I didn't know it at the time But it really was like a life-changing thing, you know for me to realize how passionate I was about it Even though I was done playing like this is what I want to do with my life in some in some way You know and and I wouldn't be with the jets if it wasn't for TC&J There was a lot of people at the time that had connections to People in the jet strong office and that was really kind of how I how I got the interview here, you know, so Um, so yeah, no, it was it was a life-changing thing. It was really cool. That's great too And I love it because you know, I'm sure your coaches too They weren't sure if you were 21 years old or if you were 45 years old Yeah, even when I first met you back in high school back in the day You were you were what we would call a grown-ass man already. Yeah, that's true Yeah, sure. He's probably got a doctorate by this time. Yeah, I mean like I was shaving in fourth grade Wait, wait, so you got to tell the quick story. Yeah, if you remember I You know the story so with the rim. Yes, it was. Yeah, it was pretty good eighth grade I was in that all-star game at um, the metal dance It for basketball and there's a picture of me. I got it I really want to find it But I was able to touch like literally pull the rim down in eighth grade. I couldn't write a dunk And I tell people on five ten that's really not accurate, but um It's so that was eighth grade by ninth grade. I could barely touch the net like I don't know what happened In that one year, but that was that was like the pinnacle of my physical ability with basketball That was not focused on throwing football. So you went from touch the rim in the eighth grade To barely getting in that tonight. Yeah, so that means your mom was a really good cook. Yeah, exactly And it's a nice way to say it. Yeah, the fight stopped there and everything else kept growing. Oh, it's great So, you know too, there's so many things to talk about or whatever, but yeah, I'll bring up real quick Just and I know you follow kind of like we do matt and I of course well During the off season in football. It's all we have all the time. We want we don't have like Jobs like you have to do, but the quarterbacks to have six quarterbacks drafted in the first round this year I'm sure you even though you guys were not in the um You know wanting to you know to draft a quarterback higher and thing like that Just give us your thoughts was that it one of the best classes you've ever seen or or is it Whereas I think it was I think it was a strong class overall I think the interesting thing about it was everyone each of the quarterbacks really was a different flavor a different talent a different scheme fit And you know, I think that was one of the reasons why that many went in the first round because there was a lot of different fits for Certain coaches that liked a certain skill set and that sort of stuff So I think it was probably one of the more like versatile classes in terms of different skill sets and everything You know because Yeah, the talent is what it is But at the end of the day like the coach and the play call like they have to believe that that guy's going to be a great fit in their scheme And I think I think you saw that with a lot of the guys that ended up going in the first round, you know, right? And but yeah, it was I think it was a really good class. I think it was deep Um, you know throughout really and uh, I was a little surprised that that six went in the first round But you know when you think about it and you think about okay, that's a great fit there. That's a great fit there It makes sense. It really does. Well, I think the two One boat mix was last of course. I thought he was always thought he was the perfect fit for Sean Payton But I think the other one michael pinnox That alana sawing workout went oh my god Yeah And so that those two maybe this probably surprises if you want to call it that and I think that's the reason why Yeah, one was a fit the other one just blew him away with pure talent of throwing the football Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, there's a lot of talented throws Yeah, and when you were going through the process to of course, yeah, it's it's not you're not heavy in the quarterback market for the draft But you're you're doing your due diligence and you never know what happens Especially in your line of work of being a pro personnel director that you know These guys cycle through the system and you got to be ready and and know kind of where you started out with your evaluation and kind of how they progress through their NFL careers You know who really jumped off the page to you when you were doing this review process of these young quarterbacks that came out This year. Yeah, I mean, I think you know, you always have to whether you're in the market or not You always have to watch quarterbacks because each year you have to be able to compare one guy to the next and right, you know You know whether it's a comp in terms of how they remind you of how they play or just when you think the value is and that sort of stuff So like I think it's important to do that work every year whether you're you know Whether you're in the market or not really, but you know I felt that like the two guys that went at the top of the draft they just in terms of physical talent like they were You know, they were really unique, you know in terms of their, you know Not just their athletic ability their ability to throw their ability to make plays like The combination of what both of those guys had and they're they're actually when you really study them They're actually very different and how they play and how they make plays, but they're just they're rare like Ability to throw the football ability to make plays both from the pocket and off schedule And then their athletic ability like I think the athletic really such an Important aspect in the NFL today and both of them have it like, you know jaden daniels is obviously, you know Explosive and can run in as fast and Caleb is really elusive and can extend plays But doesn't you know, he may make more plays thrown in the football And he he kind of moves around the throw the ball down field and jaden can do both But um they're just really effective at it I was I was really impressed watching both of those guys in terms of their physical ability You know, I thought I thought the rest of the guys that went like, you know It didn't it didn't shock me for any of them in terms of what their their talent was, you know Between, you know, Drake and panics and bonnet and all you know all the guys that ended up going I just those two to me kind of stood out as like they were unique level in terms of their physical ability Yeah, I'm always kind of interested to see after that first group of people go, you know The draft now it's either you're going to be drafted high or you got to sit at home and wait because There's going to be a big gap there and I was always wondering, you know Which guys are going to go where was joe milton going to go? But you guys, you know, you you you picked up a quarterback and I think the fifth round, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a jordan travis who you know, we're obviously really excited about he You know, jordan's got he's got a lot of outside. He's got a lot of ability He's uh, he's a phenomenal person And um, you know what he did with the florida state program I think, you know speaks volumes to him and his character and you know, we spent a lot of time with him We just you know, we felt like there's so much there to work with with him and um, it's a great room to bring him in Obviously with arid and tyrod, you know, those those guys and the coaching that he'll get here So, you know, we were we were really excited about him, you know, like I said there was depth throughout you mentioned a couple of the guys Um, you know, there was guys that went in those fifth six seventh rounds that were still really good players Um, but yet jordan was a guy that, you know, that we kind of had targeted we thought would be a really good to sit for us Really good to sit for the room. Yeah, just real quick just how how was he doing? You know, i said this to matt if jordan travis i watched him Instead of him too, but i said man if he stayed healthy, i think they could have won the national championship Yeah, yeah, i mean like he's You know, he's um, what he did for that program like you i mean you saw it with with when he came out of the lineup and that sort of stuff So, you know, he's uh, he's working really hard in terms of his, you know, where he's out with his rehab and all that sort of stuff You know, and he's uh, he's wired the right way I mean he he is he's got a lot of presence to him and he works his ass off and uh, you know We're really excited about like, you know how he can develop in in this in this in this program And you you said something i think that is so important too I mean honestly just being in that room with tyrod taylor with erin rogers I mean, you know talk about two pros that have been doing it a very long time at a very high level I mean it's just going to be an an outstanding experience for him from and just like with you talking about with big fill and just The throwing aspect that from year one to year two I think you're to see a huge jump for for him individually I just want to go back really quickly With the draft some of that big fill and I discussed multiple times throughout this draft process was you know the the jj mccarthy hype You know kind of how it built up as the draft process went along And, you know, we always kind of came back to that same Discussion of we just we thought that the focus of the team wasn't necessarily around him as like they pure drop back Pastor like some of the other guys and that's why we value those guys maybe a little bit more Uh, when you're going through that evaluation process, you know, you know, he's coached by a former pro football coach You know, they have a great program. They know what they're doing Does his lack of just drop back and throwing it and have the team on his back Secondly come up in discussions in your draft rooms when you're looking at the players Yeah, I think it does come up I think the way I look at it at least is like and this is honestly one thing that I remember we've talked about before like It's sometimes harder to play that way like you're you're margin for error If you're throwing a 20 25 times game is much smaller than somebody who's throwing at 45 50 times a game Right, and so certain things will get magnified Uh, miss a throw or you throw an interception or whatever the case is So, you know, I think it kind of cuts both ways really, you know They obviously, you know, they won the national championship So they they they had a great formula for how they wanted to have success and you know He was still a really big part of that regardless of how many times he threw it. So, um, you know But yeah, I think there's some guys that throw the ball 40 50 times a game and they'll miss Three four or five throws throwing interception or two, but they'll make all these other throws that catch your attention It's just a much smaller sample size So I think guys like that it tends to get magnified a little bit when they miss a throw or two Yeah, not to really get into it too much, but JJ McCarthy there was two games Can't remember one of them was Iowa. Maybe in the championship game Yeah, but they had to stay through the ball to win Yeah, and I remember watching both games just writing oh Where he got a high number of throws and he really played well And I kind of changed a lot of thoughts. I had on him, you know, when I saw those so yeah, but you're right Uh, I always said this about damn merino playing against him watching play He could miss plays and he'd look at the side like oh that stupid call tell him to catch or whatever You know, Dan never lost that i'm invincible feeling on the field Because he knew what are they gonna do the next play they're gonna throw it again And you know, so he if he was out of rhythm, he just keeps throwing until he got back in rhythm and it's um I really do believe that's almost easier like you said Easier way to play quarterback than the other way, which you explained very well. Yeah. Yeah for sure All right now this this offseason big moves for you and I really you know a big offseason for you personally, right Uh, you know being a part of that that personnel department and going through the free agency Uh process as a team I think we're all kind of seeing too uh behind the curtain a little bit with hard knocks and the giants and joe shane What they're going through and i'm sure obviously you guys are doing that exact same thing You know Top of the list for you was it offensive line and making sure that you solidified that situation Right away this offseason with the tyrants miss with the morgan moses So, you know, was that was that the the number one thing on the docket for you guys as you approach this offseason? Yeah, you know, I think we We talked about like, okay, everyone has their needs and that sort of stuff and what do you want to come out of free agency? Looking like when you want to come out of the draft looking like and yeah, you know offensive line was You know for us to give, you know protect erin as much as we can and give him as much time and give breese Uh, you know an opportunity to to you know, you saw what he did last year Um, and we dealt with a lot of injuries across the offensive line last year But yeah, we felt like if we can really shore that up We'll we'll have a really good balanced attack and you know more opportunities for Garrett and our other receivers and breese and erin and uh So you're getting tyron and morgan were were too huge moves for us We added john simpson to be our guard who we're really excited about as well And then you know, we drafted olu in the first round like in our mind You can't have enough depth you can't have enough guys that you know that can play he's he's going to be a health player Um and another one that's coming into a great room where he's got tyrants myth and morgan moses That he can sit there and soak up all this knowledge from so, you know, it gave us a lot of flexibility and you know We felt like for our team Um, you know getting our our defensive lines. Obviously a really strong one We wanted to try to have our offensive line, you know match them in terms of in terms of being a strength and really have those things be You know, uh what we can kind of hang our hat on a lot of time Man in the new york teams the giants and jets. They were in the offensive line market That's for sure. And you know, listen, I watched them all and I I think both teams I think their home runs. I really do You know, you guys when you look at your offensive line If morgan moses comes through that will kind of change your team a little bit right on the right tackle Yeah, yeah morgan We had morgan here a couple of years ago. He was awesome. He sees he's he's a health player. He held a leader And so getting him back was huge for us and you know, um a large vera tucker who who we think the world of now can You know, we've moved him around a bunch now, you know Hopefully he can settle in that guard and and really solidify the interior With joe tittman who we thought had a really good rookie year for us last year Like I said sine john simpson tyron smith and you know, it just it allowed us to have flexibility and it allowed us to You know, um to really feel like all right. We got some guys that have one have played at the high level Um, and it's such an important position because there's just there's not many of them that go around Especially when you get into the season, right? So having as much depth and as much versatility as we can Um, you know, it was was really important passion drive and patience The formula for winning championships is also what keeps your ride or die alive Ebay motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to peak performance Superchargers roof racks exhaust kits led headlights and more whether you're into speed power or style Ebay motors has you covered with over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die You're always find exactly what you're looking for and with ebay guaranteed fit Your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back Because with ebay motors you're burning rubber not cash with all the parts you need at the prices you want It's easy to make your car the mvp and bring home huge wins Keep your ride or die alive at ebay motors.com eligible items only exclusion supply see ebay motors.com You know get See if i'm saying the right old new fashion. Oh, yeah. Oh, wow. Okay. I mean, well, there was some tough names And this address this past year, but I I wrote some things down. You know, it's a prototype looking That's for sure And he's gonna grow in and be a bigger man than he is right now. It looks like yeah, but a really good athlete I think that was the one thing man. He can run, you know, we're talking about what he was six six three twelve I mean like damn matt. He's running around like he's thinks he's a tight end You know running it's it's it's amazing The ability of some of these big guys Athletically and he's one and you know He was a two-year starter. What just give us a quick thumbnail sketch on him Yeah, I mean he's you know in terms of natural like left tackle past protectors like he is He is so natural at he can bend he can anchor. He's really strong Um, you know in the run game the way they kind of ask him to play is a little is a little different than some other teams But he has that ability especially when you see enough flashes of it with him And he's he's extremely smart. He blows football and he's he's wired the right way So for us that was really important, especially along the offensive line You know, you bring in a guy like tyron and a guy like morgan who they know how to play like This guy's going to just latch on to that really and He's he's a really talented player. We're really excited to get him And um, you know, he was he was one of those guys who probably you know for whatever reason leading up to giraffe Wasn't talked about a ton. I think he's just so steady and so consistent that there's not a whole lot to discuss on him Sometimes so we're you know, we're really we're really excited about him And then the other thing that really you know has popped up elisa as we've watched hard knocks this off season Was really the disappointment for, you know, joe shane and those guys and not getting tyro taylor back Someone that they thought very highly of they were really excited about They thought he was a great backup quarterback and someone that can win them a lot of games You know where was tyro? As far as that list goes for high priority quarterbacks that you were looking at that at all season And how excited were you guys that you landed such a you know, such a steadfast football player for that quarterback room Yeah, I mean i've had so much respect for tyro to his career over the years like just following him throughout Everywhere he's gone. He's played well He's given his team a chance to win and he's such a he's such a all the work We did on him like he's such a great teammate and works is that it works so hard Um, it was such a great fit for us. So, you know for us It was offensive line and then and then really getting a guy that Um, you know if we needed to if we needed to ever play with our backup quarterback again We feel like with our defense and our offensive line Um, you know, we can you know, we can do that and we can still give ourselves a chance to win a lot of games So he we were really excited about getting tyro Nothing like having a backup quarterback who's not going to create waves And knows how to be a backup and all that that's tyrod. Hey real quick, you know, just malachi corley western kentucky Um You know very impressed watch him at first. I was like, oh, let me see And as i watched all the catches and the runs and the toughness and the size. Yeah, I mean man He's made for the nfl. Yeah, he's he's attacked. I mean he just runs through people He's not often here that about receivers. He has to be entangled, you know, and You know, he was he was a guy that like when you watch them They just try to get him in the ball because obviously he's he's the best player on their team And he made some new plays for them and you watch him against Ohio state even and he still he still made plays So even though it was a less lower level competition when he went against those guys He still he still did a really good job. And you know, we felt like Um, with him and garret signing mike william we have al lazar, you know, like that was a really good mix of guys and he's different than any other guy that we have and Yeah, you know, really could be another another type of guy You just try to get him ball and let him let his talent take over and he can develop and continue develop like more of his You know, nuance receiving skills as he as he develops But in the meantime, there's like there's a clear role for him And when I see him the the comp that I I see is is kind of like a debos Samuel like football player Who was your nfl comp as you were watching his film? Yeah, I think that was a fair one You know, I mean debos the hell of the player. So I don't want to necessarily say no I know it's gonna be that you know, but no in terms of the skill set like, you know, they get the ball in space They have great vision. They can run through tacklers. They you know, they get hard yards and all that sort of stuff Yeah They're really competitive and they make contest the catches and all that like they the role that debos carved out for himself is such An important one for them It was very similar how how western kentucky kentucky used malachi too So, you know, I do think that's a fair at least in terms of how they were used and how you hopefully see him progressing Five 11 2 15's a pretty stocky wide receiver met. Yeah, you know, and it sounds like break nedibus freshman year In high school, you're listed at five somewhere that was coming back Somehow the pro personnel guy who was better at cheating, you know, his height, you know, as far as records knows now Now he's making sure he's checking everybody's Oh my gosh, I don't want to say All right. Hey, I'll take over for a Yeah So great, you know, just yeah year 16 Five years now or your fifth year. Excuse me as the director of pro personnel Um, you know, how much through the years has your View changed or your process changed with how you evaluate players or how you go about, you know, searching for new players Through each every draft or every free agency. Yeah, that's a great question I mean honestly I try to look at it every year really and I say all right like the guys that I like How did they do whether I'm a draft or there'd be free agency and are there parts of it that I may be missed on? I'm not just with our own guys that we've acquired, but you know anyone around the league like and Part of it is your process how you scale when you when you have these meetings when you have these discussions So that's that's some of it, but really it's like it's it's constantly knowing the league as well because the league's ever evolving And so yeah, you know your way of evaluating you're just looking at these trades and this sort of stuff if you know Each year like things are evolving and changing around the league So I think you have to move along with it too And so every year I try to look at it and I try to just take a step back and say all right The guys that that I've watched that I've liked Um, how have they done? Was I wrong about certain aspects of them? Does this certain player have more value than I initially thought because of how teams are using guys now and everything and right? That's on that's on both sides of our offense defense, you know, it's it's um, there's new rules and new types of You know players that are being used every every year really so yeah, I evaluate it all the time I constantly tweak even just simple things how I take notes when I watch guys, um, how I pick certain games Yeah, let's go let's talk about that real quick I want to cut you off with just like what You know, let's just say that you you are looking at You know the the best offensive lineman that are coming out of the draft You know, do you immediately say all right who are the the top ranked opponents that they played against and go against that? Are you looking for specific match-ups? Or more so just like team and you know that that dynamic more? Yeah, I think it's I think it's a combination You always want to watch the best competition so right whatever pass rushing or other other, you know, highly regarded defensive linemen that they go against That's a great parameter to to try to measure guys again So that's one but I also like watching guys at different points of the year You know how they've progressed or how they've dealt with certain things or maybe even a game that They were either up in a lot or down in a line see how they react see what they're you know What their competitiveness is like in those situations and all that sort of stuff So, you know, you watch like you normally get a pretty good idea after you watch say three four games of a guy But like you continue to watch more just because it gives you more of a window into the player You know and into how they compete and how they match up So I always try to like get the first four or five games done out of the way and then I pick and choose a couple here and there Um, and then I'll even go back and watch one or two that I hadn't watched You know and just if if it continues to verify everything that you've seen great But you know you the morning you don't want to get too lost in it, right? You want to have your opinion and your fall on things you don't want to like lose your clarity when you're evaluating players, but It's just it's the more that you can watch the more that it allows you to To be able to have a greater perspective on what that entire that players entire season And just to follow up really quickly big. I apologize. All right. No, no, you know Will you discuss, you know, because I know you and I right when I was with the jets We had great discussions about guys that were on the team Uh guys that we played against Uh, even when I moved on to buffalo in atlanta, we always had those conversations of like, hey, what do you think about this player? What do you think about this team? You know, how often do you find yourself now going and talking to you know a rookie or a second-year player and saying Hey, like I saw you played against this guy in the draft coming out this year What did you think about him in in preparing? Yeah, we you know, especially with guys that they've played with in college or played against we always try to pick their brain Absolutely, you know, and even You know dies that even if they just crossed over with a guy here And they're like how well he did he work hard was he was he a good teammate? Does he love football like those things are you know, um to me are really important. So yeah, I still you know Um, I don't do it with everybody because obviously you have to they have to kind of get to know you and you get to know them A little bit when you develop that relationship with them like that's it's invaluable finding out what other players think of guys They played with or played against. I think it gives a really Like a layer that you're not going to get off film a lot of the time, right? And so yeah, I definitely I still do that To this day we do it not only with how they play on the field, but also like how are they as a teammate? How are they, you know, how do they work? Are they going to fit into our culture and what we're trying to do all that sort of stuff? You know, though guys will be they'll be honest with you because they want at the end of day All players want his other good players around them. No doubt and they want to win. Yeah, they're going to be honest with you. Yeah, absolutely It's really, you know, I do a lot of this because you know, I'm bored during the offseason, but watching It doesn't matter if it's defensive ends or whatever But lineman when they face the really good pass rushers in college I just can't wait to see those matchups and everything. Yeah, and a lot of times as you watch them They hold true and their matchups in the pro game too. I mean, it's uh, I see it all the time, but you've been 16 years And just think how the NFL has changed the game has spread out more The receivers are ridiculous coming out in the draft now and now now linebackers are I don't know what size there's there Years ago, they've been strong safeties, but now the inside linebackers are so small I don't know. I would say that jets are one of the few teams though That still kind of hold true to a little bit more of an old school middle linebacker look then, you know, some other teams are going out there Yeah, but no, you're I mean the speed and the length of all these guys is it's it's so much different than you know, like I mean, I would I would even say offensive lineman I mean, yeah, they were always big but like there were guys that can run and jump like a lot of the offensive lineman can You know now that are coming out. So it's just it's a whole new Like level of athlete in a lot of ways, you know, and And in the college game is so different now too that I think these guys it's it's a it's also a whole new learning curve and development Yeah for him too, you know as gifted as they are it's it's it's very different Well in quarterback's too. Come on. It's it's ridiculous now You know my you know matt's over there throwing with kids in the seventh grade now go over there and watch them and go What grades he has he like a junior in high school and it's so It's everything is so advanced compared to many years ago. It's it's it's hard to believe it really is, you know, so But it's good. I mean flag football and seven on seven. I think it's really accelerating how Uh, the skill positions alone have played the game, you know and just developing that hand-eye and just Playing catch more than ever right than the generations before that. So I think flags are a huge part of that Yeah, um, you know for you greg just just talk about your uh your commander in chief joe douglas You know, how is it working for him and and how's it been, you know being? obviously, uh You know in the ranks and his army here for the past few years. Yeah, I mean joe joe's awesome. I mean he's he's Uh, he's a great person. He's a great leader He's the type of guy that like when you come in each day you want to work for him and you want to work with him And he's he's really collaborative and he's he's allowed not just me but a Large group of us to like really have a front rocidas to what it's kind of like when you're when you're in that chair, you know, right? Um, he's just he's he's a great football guy. He grew up obviously in the ravens Organization right went to the bears for a year and then the eagle so he's he's had success wherever he's been and you know I love picking his brand to sit and watch him film with him Um, those are some of the coolest times, you know that you have just talking football really so Um, but he has a clear vision for how he wants it to look what he wants the you know the identity of the team to be and you know, he's he's does a great job of of you know delivering that to our group So we really know kind of what we're looking for and what the message is and you know between him and and coach salah What we've been able to develop between our personnel staff and the coaching staff. I've been here for like you guys mentioned 16 years like that cohesion that we have between those two Groups is the best that I've that I've been around And that's really credit to him to joe and to and to coach salah because they've allowed us that opportunity to just like Immerse ourselves with each other and know exactly what we're talking about each time and Um, you know, we speak the same language as our offensive staff and our defensive staff And I think it just leads to great communication and ultimately great decisions Well, in case people out there don't know joe douglas, uh, I'll just phrase it this way He could go out there and put his hand on the ground and protect the quarterback Because it's a pretty big dude I mean, that's the first thing I see i've met him only a few times. I meet him. I go. Damn. He's thick Oh shoot. I forgot my question. I was even gonna ask you. Yeah, yeah So here's the other said we talked a lot about quarterbacks But and you know, we think we judge them when we kind of know and all that you're in that category too. You do it Uh, so tell me The first or second time after a couple days when you went out on the practice field And I know you were watching air rogers And so what was your first initial in person thought About watching him throw the ball I mean, I've seen a lot of what I figure really good throwers over the years, you know, not just in practice with us At other games. I mean we've played against all these guys, you know um the first time that like you know when you watch them just in warmups and it's like That's ridiculous. You know like the noise that the ball makes you're like, what is that? You know, and then you're watching them just move around. He's not even Set there's nothing, you know, it's just it's crazy And then when we started getting into practice and you see him like let go of these of these throws I mean, it's I always thought Okay, this is elite level armteller. This is when I've seen other guys like now I've seen him. I know what really truly rare generational armteller looks like, you know, I mean I've never seen anything like it before I'm just seeing him now skewed the way that you evaluate these young quarterbacks coming out of the draft Well, I mean look like You have to realize like Between him and my homes and some of these other guys like not everybody can do those things It doesn't mean they're not going to be really good players Yeah, so it's it's really hard to judge guys against generational like physical talent you know, so But yeah, it's been it's I mean look if you love quarterbacks and you love guys throwing football like I could I could Watch him throw all day. I mean, it's it's incredible You know when you got long arms and the hands the size of two humans Uh, it makes it easier to throw the football. I mean I listen. I was up in green bay It was his third year at their training camp and I'm talking to Ted Thompson Who was the general manager or whatever they call him up in green bay And I remember going wow. What a throw by bread farm And then I went oh my god. That's her and rogers Yeah, and it was just amazing, you know, and of course We all all of us know that he changed so much from college Jeff tepford was his coach who just resigned because of health reasons out of Fresno state But taught him to hold the ball different do it a little different all that and then he just turned into A different guy. Yeah, you know and did it his way And man I mean I take I went over and through with a couple young kids the other night And I took pictures of Aaron rogers tom braidy Like four different quarterbacks and showed him. I said everything. I've been telling it look what they're doing And it was shots of them being in perfect position to throw the ball Yeah And Aaron was one of those guys. I had a great picture up of him. Yeah. So he's a he's a machine when he throws it I mean, it's it's It's incredible. What you really is. Yeah, you know and tyrod. I mean he he can spin it now too I mean hold for them in the room. So, you know, that's another thing too, you know, just good for jordan travis man Like if you can't improve your throwing mechanics by being around those two guys You know, it's not a good combination Like you gotta you gotta learn something from those two cats in the way that they throw the ball Yeah, come on. Come on. Jordan travis is going. What the hell? Yeah, I mean the first couple days he's got to be wow. This is different Of course, everything's different. But when you see quarterbacks like those two throw on the ball, man It's not that it puts pressure on you, but it uh, I think we'll Motivate you to try to get a lot better. That's for sure. Yeah, damn right for sure. All right So now great, you know, we'll we'll wrap it up here in a minute Just want to you know, have a few closing questions for you or just really one or two honestly, but just you know You've been at this a long time now Um, you get the opportunity one day and you know We hope so too because we're huge fans of you and your family and everything like that And the way that we just go back with our our football family as we say, right? Um, you know, what what is what's greg nedgma going to do as a general manager? What's one of your main focuses for you know building a team, you know, you kind of seen it now Two or three times in the jess facility different approaches to you know, the same task, you know How would you approach? I guess building that team into to what you want them and look like and play like Yeah, I mean, I think like any if if you're ever given that opportunity if i'm ever fortunate enough to have that like each situation You will brother you will Is obviously going to be a little different right? So you have to kind of like gear it towards Whatever situation you're going into to an extent But I think like, you know, at the end of the day like the things that went in the nfl are Scoring points and rushing the passer and like if you if you if you leave it to those two things to have a quarterback Weapons and someone that can protect them and then if you get a lead you can rush the passer And really kind of you know disrupt things A lot for them like you're gonna have a chance in in a lot of in a lot of games And so I think you know the way the rules are the way a lot of things are set up now Like just trying to to be a lead in those two areas to scoring points and rushing the passer like you're gonna have a chance You know, I think to to win a lot of games I think the the the most important thing though is like Whatever the identity is that you want your team to look like is to stick to it and to just have a discipline to how you want it How you want it to look, you know, and you know, like I said each one's gonna have a little nuance to it There may be certain positions that are valued higher depending on whatever scheme your your coaching staff has and all that sort of stuff So you have to you have to be able to be flexible to to understand that, you know But how you want it to look set the standard and just and just have the discipline to commit to it really But um, you know, I think I think the the only other thing I would say in that regard is like Continue which I've been able to learn here and we've we've been able to you know, especially with joe is have the resiliency to continue to stick to it You know, things don't always happen overnight and they don't know right so you can't scrap your plan or change your thoughts or your principles Just because it didn't work out right away, you know, try to learn from it where you can But stick to the the main theme and keep the main thing the main thing You know, that's really well said Uh bill parcells who I still talk to to this in this day or to this day But he believed in this He had what he wanted his players to look like prototypes, I guess you would say And then he made one or two exceptions And somebody said something to him about a player one time he goes, who? If you start taking next thing, you know, you got a team full of exceptions Right And so he would sometimes in the draft or you know, I'd hear the stories It was this guy and this guy and they couldn't make their mind up and he'd say take the bigger one That was it. Yeah Just take the bigger one. Sure. And of course that was the style of the league and maybe it's not the same now But it's it's a great thought you just can't you got to have a how you like you said the overall look of your team Yeah, I mean, I look at the Baltimore Ravens Yeah, I just think one thing when I see them Big physical. Yeah Yeah I think, you know, really a cool thing too that even just talking with you and edge and even The discussions that I've had with big phil before this Big phil shares the story about, you know, one of the drafts there late in the 80s They got a great defense and he's thinking all right They're gonna they're gonna start drafting some offensive players And uh, sure enough he checks it out and what they draft like six defensive players in a row We had six picks in the first three rounds And I was down and I we were away for a few days. Yeah, we're with us Well, let's see. I don't know you might not have been there. I don't know how I was uh, I was in the waiting room. Yeah, you might have been in the waiting room. Yeah, whatever But I kept going. Okay, the two first rounders. All right defense. It's okay. We going Three or two second rounders. Oh more defensive players I left and I came back, you know, let's see the final what happened in all six were defensive players and Quite honestly. Thank god Ned's because we won the Super Bowl Yeah, we're done well, but I like that correlation because here, you know, Greg joe douglas the boys You know, they they wanted to improve the offensive line. The draft came along had another great offensive line still on the board They took it. They doubled down on that position. And I think that's something that's uh, you know, obviously gonna pay huge dividends for you guys down the road Yeah Well, gregory. We really appreciate your time today Appreciate you guys, man. You know, man, who the hell keeps walking by your Conference room with the windows. So everybody keeps walking by trying to get my attention. Yes. All right. Everyone's just, you know Trying to get back to we know ryan darcy's out there Oh my god. Yeah, I mean if anyone's ever seen ryan darcy's cast man. This guy's he's got he-man cast Yeah, it's ridiculous, but well, maybe he can touch the net then He might have the same problem as greg actually, you know Great. That was it, you know, but Greg, we really appreciate your time, man We'll uh, we'll definitely have you back on if you're if you're willing Yeah, you know during the regular season or maybe right after the season Uh, just to kind of touch base is how you guys are doing, man. It was awesome. I appreciate you The net is the hall of famer. Here we go. The hall of famer One of the original phil sims students the one of the og sims complete qb's right there Maybe maybe next time we do the podcast to all share a story about Uh, you know ned's trying to give me a pep talk at the uh field at Bosco and and what i had to say for him after that So that was great. Yeah, it's You know, we're just gonna leave that teaser. Yeah. Yeah next time, you know, cuz uh, I don't want to get canceled You know, yeah, there's so many stories. I I didn't even get to any of them really so that's all right We'll do we'll do it next time. This one was just, you know, hey jets you the man, you know Give everyone understanding of our background. We'll get some more of the more of the other stuff here another time All right, appreciate it. Nedge. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you bud. I love to share brother - I appreciate it. - Appreciate it, man. [BLANK_AUDIO]