Sports Krunch W/dkrom

Steve Atwater joined me to discuss the safety talent that has stood out at the Senior Bowl, how safeties must be coached in college in order to become successful pros and his hopes that more safeties (including him) will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame sooner rather than later. @SteveAtwater27

Andy Benoit (Sports Illustrated and The MMQB) joined us for a conversation about quarterbacks. He talked about the mandatory traits (such as pocket passing) in a QB draft prospect, what Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky needs to do in order to be successful and whether accuracy or arm-strength is more important (@AndyBenoit)

Calvin Watkins - Jets reporter for Newsday discusses his thoughts on how the Jets should address the quarterback position this offseason, the similarities and differences between new offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates and previous OC John Morton, and other areas the Jets should address via free agency and the draft (@CalvinWatkins)

Cole Thompson of draftwire.com joined us to recap the second day of Senior Bowl practices. He discussed the main standouts of the day, why Baker Mayfield won the QB duel with Josh Allen again, and an exciting small-school OT prospect (@MrColeThompson)

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer joined us to discuss the Browns plans at QB with the first pick in the draft (yes UCLA QB Josh Rosen is in play), why Browns fans should feel very hopeful about the new front office under GM John Dorsey, and why the presence of new offensive coordinator Todd Haley is good for head coach Hue Jackson (@MaryKayCabot)

Adam Beasley, Dolphins reporter for the Miami Herald joined me to discuss the Dolphins quarterback quandary and their agenda in the 2018 NFL Draft (Adam on Twitter: @AdamHBeasley)

Cole Thompson (draftwire.com) and I recap the first day of Senior Bowl practices. We discuss the risers and fallers, who won the QB duel between Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen and a lot more!!! (Cole on Twitter: @MrColeThompson)

Guard Will Hernandez of UTEP is arguably the best prospect at his position in this draft class sans Quenton Nelson. He DOMINATED practices on Tuesday. I spoke to him earlier in the day and we discussed his playing style and the NFL guards he looks up to, how he’d feel playing for his college coach Sean Kugler (now the Broncos OL coach) again at the pro level, and why his sense of loyalty is the best thing he would bring to an NFL team (Will on Twitter: @willhernandez76)

A player who quietly stood out at Tuesday’s practice was LB Fred Warner of BYU. I caught up with Fred earlier in the day and asked him about the NFL linebackers he admires most and what the biggest asset he would bring to an NFL team is (Fred on Twitter: @Fred_Warner)

NFL insider Albert Breer (Sports Illustrated and The MMQB) kindly joined me for a brief moment to give me the latest on the situation with Kirk Cousins and contract negotiations between the Rams and All Pro DT Aaron Donald (Albert on Twitter: @AlbertBreer)

Cameron Wolfe, ESPN NFL Nation Titans reporter joined me to talk some Titans. We discussed new head coach Mike Vrabel, the team’s search for a new offensive coordinator to help Marcus Mariota take the next step, and the positional needs for the Titans to address via free agency and the draft. Cameron on Twitter: @CameronWolfe

I talked with Terez Paylor, Chiefs reporter for the Kansas City Star. We discussed the Chiefs QB situation headed into 2018 (Alex Smith or Patrick Mahomes), the impact new offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy will have on the offense, and the Chiefs plan of attack in the 2018 NFL Draft. Terez on Twitter: @TerezPaylor

Matt Musil of KHOU-TV in Houston joined me to provide some Texans news. We discussed the health statuses of Deshaun Watson and J.J. Watt and the issues the Texans need to address in the draft. Matt on Twitter: @KHOUSportsMatt

Dave Birkett, Lions reporter for the Detroit Free Press joined me to discuss next week’s vote for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018 (Dave is one of the voters on the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors). We also talked about New Lions head coach Matt Patricia and the areas of need for the Lions to address in the 2018 draft. Dave’s Twitter: @davebirkett

I talked with Charles Davis (NFL Network, NFL on Fox). He provided a basic summary of the 2018 draft class and discussed the increasing influence of college schemes on NFL offenses and how it helps quarterback development. Charles’ Twitter: @CFD22

Live from Reese's #SeniorBowl interview with legendary NFL reporter/columnist @VicCarucci of The Buffalo News. We spoke about the 2018 QB draft class, the Bills intentions at QB, and the players we’ll be watching this week. His Twitter handle is @VicCarucci.

Live from Reese's Senior Bowl interview with Brad Biggs, the Bears beat reporter for the Chicago Tribune. We talked about the Bears new coaching staff and their plans for the 2018 draft. His Twitter handle is @BradBiggs.

The 2017 NFL season is boiled down to three games and four teams as we get ready for Conference Championship weekend. Who would’ve thought that this year’s penultimate round in the NFL would consist of Tom Brady, Blake Bortles, Case Keenum and Nick Foles?? That list of QB’s sans Tom Brady might not sound appealing, but the overall quality of football teams knocking on the door of Super Bowl LII is more than appealing and full of intrigue. Joining me once again to break this all down is honorary friend of the program, Hal Bent who covers the NFL and the Patriots for MusketFire.com and FullPressCoverage.com. 1. Jaguars/Patriots a. On a scale of 1-10, how concerned should Patriots fans be about Tom Brady’s thumb injury? b. If there has been any person who has known how to beat Tom Brady and succeeded, it’s Tom Coughlin. And looking at this Jaguars roster, it is similarly constructed (albeit without a proven franchise QB) like those Giants teams that upset the Patriots in two Super Bowl

Now that the 2017 NFL season has reached conference championship week, it means that 28 of the 32 NFL teams are now looking ahead to the 2018 season. Several teams have already undergone significant changes to their coaching staffs, and most (if not all) are getting ready for free agency and the draft. And to give us the news and analysis on this front, it is a pleasure to welcome back to the program our good friend Aaron Leming of bearreport.com. Aaron’s Twitter handle: @AaronLemingNFL Of the two remaining head coaching vacancies, which job is the most appealing, Cardinals or Titans? (Did the Titans handle the Mike Mularkey situation poorly? If so, if you were a head coaching candidate, would the way the Mularkey firing went down make you hesitant to accept the job?) Of all the new head coaches hired so far, which is the best hire and which is the worst hire and why? What are your thoughts on the Seahawks coaching staff shakeup and do you think it foreshadows an upcoming roster purg

From January 22-27, Sports Krunch will be hitting the road and going to Mobile, Alabama to cover the 2018 Reese’s Senior Bowl. It is something I have been meaning to do for quite a while, and I cannot wait to bring you all non-stop coverage that week of one of the big events in the lead-up to the NFL Draft, as the entire NFL universe will be descending on Mobile, Alabama to get a glimpse at the next crop of potential stars. And to break down this exciting week, it is an honor to welcome back another friend of the program who will also be down in Mobile bringing terrific coverage, Mr. Pete Smith (NFLSpinZone.com). 1. Obviously, people’s eyes in Mobile will be primarily on the quarterbacks, especially 2017 Heisman winner Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen. Has Mayfield already done enough to solidify himself as a top-five pick, if not the first overall pick? What does he need to do during the week to quiet the doubters? 2. There are a lot of mixed reports about Josh Allen. Some people still