 This is the OTP presented by Farm Bureau Health Plans. Plan on paying less for the coverage that you need with Farm Bureau Health Plans. Get a quote today at FBHP.com. I'm Amy Wells and we are in Indianapolis for yet another day of Combine Madness. Rhett Bryan is here and we are joined by NFL Network, Cynthia Freeland. Cynthia, we are so happy that you are here. We have so many things that we want to talk to you about, and they are mostly numbers related, which is not a place where I thrive. That's why I'm here. You know what? That's great. It keeps me employed. Thank you. I don't do grammar. I'm like, whom? I don't know the answer to that. If you just throw it out, sometimes I think you'll land on it. I think you're good. One of the things that we've talked a lot about and have heard a lot about is analytics and numbers as they relate to play calling. Talk a ton about that kind of stuff. You mean in the broadcasts, we're like, well, the analytics say to go for it. That drives me up the wall. Yeah. Well, and that's what they say. It's like the probability of this and this is they should do this thing. And I understand. That makes sense to me. But we are not in that time of year. We are in the building of a roster time of year. And so there is a completely different, I would imagine, set of numbers that people are looking at right now to try and decide who to put on their football team. Is that correct? Well, there's also, there's kind of three competing things happening at once. The first one was already, this one's like a finite one, which is the salary cap number. And it's higher than at least anyone I've talked to is expected. The 30 million increase, I think people thought it would be more like 15 to 20. This is a significantly higher number than many teams were accounting for. So that's good. Now, you have to weigh everything to do with the combine and the draft prospects. You have to weigh that with the free agents. So the free agency market, which obviously happens in two weeks before the draft happens. That's kind of the other part of it, like the underbelly of the combine. A lot of these meetings that are happening, they're not necessarily like, Hey, I've got this like really sick wide receiver from, you know, Washington, people know about Romo Dunes, right? Like, but it's like, no, no, you know, my, we might franchise tag this guy, but maybe like that is the other part. Like the free agent metrics that go into creating your entire roster are on full display this year, as with every year. So when you're looking at the numbers part of it, the money part of it, how many different aspects are you balancing all at once? Because there's so much more than just we've got to add the new people. There's also existing people who would still like to get paycheck, I assume. So there's a couple of things. The first is, you know, the good GMs and their reshuffling and you'll be like, X players number got converted to X sign. Okay, great. So do all that little like weird math stuff that is so nuanced to the NFL that it's like, you have to be like, it's a totally different financial system. So get that stuff done to like maximize your cap space. Then to figure out like of your potential free agents, restricted fee agents, franchise tech, like use your tools available to you to optimize. Then figure out who's going to be available in the market. And really, I think what's happening here in Indiana is the markets being established for this year. There's a lot of talk about running backs. Actually, somebody yelled at me about running. It was pretty weird. That seems aggressive. Okay. Well, and the funniest part was I think they confused me for someone else we look nothing like. And like, it was very strange. So, but they were saying like, you've devalued running backs. I'm like, first of all, I have not, I have not signed this thing. Just so we're clear. I do not sign anyone's contracts. I am. I don't employ anyone. So whatever. But long story short, it's like, you know, establishing what the market place is. That's a lot of what's going on here too. Like, luxurious needs market, right? Like this is a guy who just coming off winning a Super Bowl. They'll probably franchise tag him. I don't know if they would like, whatever. It makes a lot of sense if they're him or Christians, right? And a lot of other teams are like, well, we could really use luxurious needs services. So what's the market going to be to like, what's the deal? Or do you want to do a trade or what? They're using that commodity like him to try to get either him or more than the value of him through trades or whatever, you know? So it's a lot of competing math all at once. But it's also guessing what your opponent's going to do so that you can outmaneuver them because it's a marketplace. So Cynthia, question is it relates to the Titans because not only has this cap gone up historic 30 million bucks, but they are in the rare opportunity and window to kind of reset position values because Ryan Tannehill is currently off the books. And so is Derek Henry. And they've got Will Leviss, who is going to be the starter under a rookie contract. So now they've got a chance to move some pieces around, maybe front load a contract with a guy or two they want, and have that back end of the contract be friendly so that if Will Leviss is the guy, you can afford to pay him. So they're in that process where they're getting out of salary cap jail pretty much. The credit card was maxed now. It's clear. Here we go. Yes. Well, it's also a good, you know, it's very nice when you have a new coach to be able to enact your strategy, right? Like it's very hard to figure out what someone else's intentions were two, three years down the road. Like you walk in and you're like, well, it's not like you create your 53 man roster from scratch every year. Right? Like there's some that you're just they're going to be there and some that aren't right. So you have to figure out. So it's like, is the strategy then to build like from the inside out, I mean like trenches and then the middle of the defense, like, or is it going to be to best available play? Like, what's this? We'll see. Right. And the good part is, is now you have all of these options available to you, which to me means that's great because then ran, like they can get on the same page, GM and coach, and they can make one strategy easy peasy. And to your point about the running backs, you're not going to pay $12 million for a running back. You're not. You're not going to pay $36 million this year. I got yelled at for that. And I didn't yell at you and I'm not going to. And you're not going to pay $36 million for a quarterback like you had for Ryan Tannehill. So this is a rare opportunity. It's a great one. And also there are some. It's weird because I don't know. Cap casualties. It's just more like bad contract clearing upings from other teams. That's really bad English told you. I do math, not English. But I can understand that. Yeah. Like let's. So they got them off their books, maybe a pass rusher to be built. So you don't necessarily need to go out this year and say we're fixing everything in one fell swoop. Like leverage the Will Leviss contract. Leverage the fact that you've got. There's a. I don't know if the like who sets the running back markets going to be very interesting to me. Like do the Raiders keep Josh Jacobs. Do the. What happens with Austin Eckler. Like these are these are some guys who are like Tony Pollard. Exactly. Take one Barkley. Yeah. That one's even weirder to me. They're all some some are less weird and like some I'm like well Austin Eckler has been really good. But like this is a new system. So like it's it's I'm not personal if they don't choose like choose to keep them. You know like whereas like some just feel personal. Yeah. It's whatever. I don't know if it is but it is. I mean Derek Henry is going to be. I'm curious what he'll get. Like it's very the market's so weird. The market is so weird. See they're going to be like some someone that thinks like. This you know merry-go-round of like the chairs are going to stop and they're going to pull. I'm not going to get and they'll overpay or they'll wait and wait and wait and then they'll underpay. I don't think that it'll be accurately priced to no matter what. I just don't think running backs can be accurately priced in this current market. I just don't. That's crazy. It's just bananas. I know we're going to have to let you go eventually. But before we do I also want to talk about how numbers can be used to evaluate talent. We're in a situation where we're watching all these guys they're running. They're jumping. They're doing all of the things and there's just this influx of information and numbers. How can analytics I guess help to process all of that information and establish that a guy is really good at his job or really good for you in his job. Well I mean you're measuring everyone with the same stick here. Like their film is already done. Like there's no chance for them to put another college game out there. So film is done. So everything here is basically like all right like I think this guy is going to be really fast. And maybe he runs a fast 40 or maybe he doesn't. It's kind of like making sure that what you what you've seen and observed from the film and like your analysis there it's like a gut check of like hey you know what I saw in the film seems pretty to align with the expectations reached at the combine or not. Right. Like if something's if someone's blazing fast and no one expected it that will cause people to go back and be like hey maybe we missed something in his film or if someone's maybe not so fast then they'll go back and be like hey did it because it is what it is. And a lot of this is like in the same way like I don't know about you maybe you're too young for this but like you know I had to like God love you. Take the ACT you know what to get into college. I don't think kids need that anymore. Anyway ACT I don't even know. But all I know is I had to do it. But it's like did you write the letter. Yes. Did you take the yes. Like it's kind of like can you and here at the combine it's like can you interview these grueling hours be poked and prodded and still like can you do can you do this process. Did you train well enough. Did you do all the things you could do to prepare and then like can you be a pro in this really very unique circumstance of like being treated like cattle. And then and then after that so it's kind of like the holistic thing of like let's get everyone in the same area so we can you know medical is obviously the most important thing that comes out of here and the interviews but it's a grueling it's a grueling test of like patients so like can you complete this part of the application. It's become a little bit more of a do you have the mentality to make it through the process as opposed to are you going to measure correctly because as we all know. If I have to hear about one more hand-sized measurement we'll lose my mind. And it never comes up again. We all sit around here. Oh it's hands are so tiny. And we talk about the size of somebody's hands and then never again do we mention it. Never again. It never comes up. Oh it does when it's a cold weather game. Or maybe if you're Kenny Pickens. Or Russell Wilson like I don't care about his hands anymore. He's done too many other things now. He has the same hands as far as I know. But also like you know as far as I know. You know maybe you got a hand transplant. But also like there's ways to like the flexibility I'm doing on the table. No one listening can hear it like the flexibility in your hand. Like my hand measures pretty big and I have tiny hands because I have flexible hands. Never. I've never thought about like push it against push it against the table spread the. Oh yeah. Look at me go like the flexibility in your hands and a lot of like think about it. Think about it. You've thrown footballs for 15 years and your your hands get there. You have a lot more muscle in your hand and like maybe your same size hand. But just not as flexible. So like like it's wild. Small hands smell like cabbage. It's crazy. It's a wild thing that you do. But there are benefits to this information if for no other reason it helps to sort through all of the things that you were trying to put together. And that's the ultimate goal right is the sorting and the. You're just trying to prevent being wrong. Yeah. Like it's like how do I minimum like I care about these 11 attributes of a player like I want my quarterbacks to be right. I'm going to find if I if this guy fails three that I think are the most important three he's not my quarterback. He's not like and then you got to do it relative to where you think the value is like the measuring stick for guys who we believe to be fifth round picks and guys we'd be first round picks are so completely different. I think a lot of it's just like is my organization of this like matching is the math math thing like it was the film filming like are we getting the things that we thought or is it totally different. You just described what JJ McCarthy is going to go through this week because he wasn't asked to do that in a lot of those games but the spots where he was he made throws. So now he's got a chance to go up the ladder and probably be fourth quarterback take full disclosure from Michigan. Yeah. So I know more people in both the Michigan and Michigan state like I over index in knowing coaching staff people there on those two and also Ohio State which is really random because Michigan people usually anyways. But you don't associate with it. Right. It's like I just asked a simple question like well why didn't you have JJ do more of like the pro stuff. We didn't need to which is a valid point though. Like I'm paid to win football games not to get JJ McCarthy drafted in the highest spot possible. And with the defense that they had and the running backs of the receivers and everything. Yeah. So they did it. Right. There's 18 of them here. I am paid to win college football games. The wildest thing go watch if you guys if you're real draft heads is that a thing. Sure. Real big draft fan go watch Texas's defense play. They play a 3 3 5 what please now try to translate that to the NFL. I have spent time this week with so many NFL defensive coordinators and I'm like how do you even like what do you even think. And they're like you kind of don't just look at the athlete. Yeah. And that's like it's not a very like fulfilling answer but it's the truth. Right. Like 3 3 5 really. That's not a thing. Like I mean it's a thing but it's not a thing now. Not an NFL. But you know why Texas is trying to win games. Yeah. Who knew. And it works. Right. So I just you have to remember like a resume is what it is. It's what you've done. It doesn't mean what you can do or what you can't do. It's just what have you done and tech and technically and it does the math those bear it out many times the things that you have more repetitions with doing you. You are fully formed that you either can or can't do it if you've done taking enough reps at it. Right. You get better at certain things or you don't. Right. Like like but if you've never done it we don't know. Cynthia Freeland breaking down things that I can never understand once a year we get together and she gets me right. And I appreciate. No I'm so I I'm just like very happy for your family. Like I can't get over the cutest picture. Maybe it's a bite. Maybe it's a kiss. I'm going to go with kiss. Baby ever. Nobody else does. It's always a bite. Thank you so much. You got it. Yeah. I'm a great one. Thanks for having me. Seat Geek is now the official ticketing partner of the Tennessee Titans. Whether you're buying or selling tickets to Titans games or to any other live event in Nashville. Seat Geek is the place to do it. Seat Geek the official ticketing partner of the Tennessee Titans. So Titans fans can fan. Ian Rapaport from NFL Network joins us here on the OTP. Ian we're starting the free agency period. It's right around the corner and I feel like there are a lot of storylines to watch this year. What are some of the top things that you are going to be watching unfold as free agency begins. I know it's interesting because there's never. We love free agency and I love free agency and we spend a lot of time on it but there's never a great free agency class right because usually the best players get re-signed by their teams. What's interesting as we do this more and more and especially as the cap has jumped is we get trades and you know you see like what Jerry Snead you know likely get tagged by the Chiefs could get traded. You have you know T Higgins got the tag. Could he get traded. There's a bunch of good players who could get traded. I think that's always fun where the quarterbacks land. I mean I don't think that's of relevance to you guys thankfully because we'll we'll have us I believe played well enough last year where the Titans are like I think we are good which is a great place to be like you know they're they're drafting seven and they don't have to worry about the quarterbacks. That's really really really really significant. I think but I think the answer question I think the other thing is there's going to be a lot of money spent and the cap jumped to a place where most people did not anticipate it and that's great because everyone's going to get even richer than previously realized but that's good these guys should get paid. The Tennessee Titans are sitting in a place where as you said it seems they have their quarterback for at least right now. Yeah they have a lot of cap space and they've got a high draft pick. Is there a team in the National Football League that's as set up as the Tennessee Titans are going into this offseason. No I really like where they are and you know last year was was weird for the Titans because like it wasn't successful like they didn't win a lot of games and obviously it ended up with the firing of my mic variable but you have to have those seasons. It just sucks but you have to. You have to go through it and I look at like there's no team hotter right now than the Houston Texans. They went through it for a couple years it was tough man it was really tough and I think for Tennessee you have a fresh outlook a much how should I say this more optimistic and sunny building a little bit. Not the mic variable is not a good human but some good humans in there. Some really good teachers care about people. It is a really really good time to be a member of the Tennessee Titans. I think they're in an ideal spot to build and again the fact that they don't need a quarterback means they can take all that money and I'm not saying go sign the splashiest guy because I don't know that it'll be like that but go sign a really really good upper middle class and like build the right way. The Titans have a lot of good humans right now. What do you mean by that? Well I mean there's I know a lot of general managers and I've gotten to know a lot of them have relationships with them. There's not that many that know the names of my children. Rand Karthon does. He made it a priority to get to know I'm at me that might you know my kids matter to me but not to other people but that's kind of what he's like and what he cares about right. I think Brian Callahan is similar like he's a good guy and there was such a theme this year in the coaching carousel of owners wanting to hire good teachers good leaders and people who they like to be around and so like you know Brian Callahan is a very good coach and I think you could not argue with the job he's done helping quarterbacks be successful in teaching but the first thing anyone says is oh he's a good guy and I think that's really significant because look football is hard it really is and to win is painful because you have to go through it and get there and if you can be with people you like it's much more it's just much better. I think a lot of owners including Tennessee decided that this year. How do you think the new coaching staff mixed with a still relatively new general manager is going to impact the decisions that the Titans make in free agency and beyond even into the draft. Yeah I think you know the job of Rand Karthon and Anthony Robinson and Chad Brinker is figure out what the coaches like and I think the really good organizations have synergy and you don't have arguments over players because you wouldn't fight for a player that's not going to fit what these coaches do and just reality of it is like Tennessee has had those. I mean anyone who's seen Mike Vrables reaction to the Traylin Birch draft pick or the AJ Brown trade like you know was going on there and Titans had a lot of pressure on the coach the year he is awesome but there were not it was not always synergy they were not always alignment I expected to be alignment this time I expect the personnel department of the coaches to be on the same page as far as what they're looking for and I think it'll really help significantly when it comes to the draft and kind of turning your mind to that how big of an impact do you think free agency is going to have on the Titans draft. You know what you hope for is that like let's say the Titans are going to go into the same we need a left tackle. Okay well now I mean I don't know if you get one in frame see those are very hard to come by but theoretically you get to a point in the draft where you say I don't care what position is available I can just take whatever I want I can take the best player and it's seven like we could get three quarterbacks probably three quarterbacks before could get four maybe if somebody trades up like they're going to get the fourth or fifth best player in the draft or third or fourth best player in the draft regardless of position that's awesome now is it tackle like okay that'd be great but it doesn't it shouldn't matter you should set yourselves up in free agency where you can take whatever position you want and be fine. Ian Rappaport there you go. Thank you guys. Breaking it down thank you for Ian Rappaport and Cynthia Freeland I'm Amy Wells thanking you for listening to the OTP.