Inside The Pylon Quick Kicks Podcast

The Philadelphia Eagles make pick number eight in the ITP Mock War Room Draft as they look to turn things around following the departure of Chip Kelly. With a number of holes on both sides of the ball, we brought in former NFL player Ross Tucker of the Ross Tucker Football Podcast to help guide the Eagles in a new direction. With a number of holes on both sides of the ball, Ross and his team have their hands full to square away the situation in Philadelphia. Tune in to see what they do with the pick.

The ITP Mock War Room Draft winds its way over to San Francisco, where the San Francisco 49ers make pick seven as we continue our way through the first round. The 49ers have brought in a new coaching staff as they look to rebound from the rapid decline of what was once thought to be a team built for the long-haul. Heading up San Francisco's front office for this podcast is Dan Hatman, director of The Scouting Academy and contributor to Inside the Pylon, as he looks to turn around the fate of the franchise. Does San Francisco look to rebuild a formidable defense that has fallen apart, or do they try to find a new answer at quarterback? Listen in to find out.

The second week of the ITP Mock War Room Draft kicks off as the Baltimore Ravens make pick number six. The Ravens are coming off a disappointing campaign in which their typically-vaunted defense struggled and gave up just over 25 points per game. Will the Ravens, led by Dan Hatman, director of The Scouting Academy and contributor to Inside the Pylon, look to address some of the holes on defense, or will they look to give quarterback Joe Flacco additional weapons on offense as he works his way back from a torn ACL? Listen in to find out.

The ITP Mock War Room Draft charges on as the Jacksonville Jaguars make pick number five as we wrap up our first week of actions. Jacksonville has a number of issues on both sides of the ball, but in particular, the Jaguars defense struggled over the course of the 2015 season, giving up the second-highest point total in the NFL. Will the Jacksonville staff led by Mike Backherms address the myriad issues on defense, or will they look to bolster an up-and-coming offense? Tune in to find out.

With three picks down, the Inside the Pylon Mock War Room Draft has its sights set on Dallas as Jonah Tuls of The Draft Wire takes over leadership and the Dallas Cowboys make pick four. Tuls and his team are looking to retool a squad that was predicted by many to be at or near the top of the NFC East, but struggled due to critical injuries on offense. What road will Jonah and his advisors head down on this pick? In fifteen minutes, you'll have all the answers.

The ITP Mock War Room Draft is now in full swing, and we head out to the west coast as the San Diego Chargers make pick number three. The Chargers had a number of holes on defense but also have an aging quarterback in Philip Rivers who saw a weak offensive line exposed throughout the 2015 season. Heading up the San Diego front office are ITP's own Chuck Zodda and Mark Schofield as they look to rebuild this franchise. Will the Chargers address the critical holes on defense or look to bolster an offense as they gear up for another season? Listen in to find out.

With tackle Laremy Tunsil now off the board, the Cleveland Browns are on the clock in the Inside the Pylon Mock War Room Draft. There are new faces in the Cleveland war room, with ITP's own Mark Schofield and Chuck Zodda heading up the team making this pick. What will the Browns do to get back to relevance? Tune in to see if they fall victim to a reach at a position of need, or if they go with the best player available.

The Inside the Pylon Mock War Room Draft kicks off with the Tennessee Titans making the first overall selection. The Titans have a number of needs to address and multiple directions they could go with the first overall pick. Headed up by Sharona of SportsBySharona.com, they have fifteen minutes to make a pick that will shape the franchise for years to come. Who will they take? Listen in and find out.

The NCAA basketball tournament is in full swing and we are just three short weeks away from "One Shining Moment" playing as a champion is awarded. We are also now six weeks removed from the end of the NFL season. As such, Mark Schofield and Chuck Zodda sit down for the March 18 Quick Kicks Podcast to discuss some of the brightest moments from the 2015 NFL season. Topics this show include: -Khalil Mack's 5-sack game against the Denver Broncos, cementing his status as an elite pass rusher in the NFL en route to being named First Team All-Pro in 2015 (2:14) -The opening week debut of Marcus Mariota and the hope he gave the Tennessee Titans and their fanbase at the outset of the 2015 season (4:05) -Jarvis Landry's 50-yard touchdown against the Houston Texans that showcased his open field ability as he grew during his sophomore campaign for the Miami Dolphins (5:14) -Dion Lewis' spin move facing the Dolphins on Thursday Night Football and his importance to the New England offense prior to his season-ending injury

The New England Patriots have been busy over the last two days, first trading away DE Chandler Jones to the Arizona Cardinals for OG Jonathan Cooper and a 2nd round pick, then sending a 4th round pick to the Chicago Bears for TE Marcellus Bennett and a 6th round pick. Mark Schofield and Chuck Zodda sit down on the March 17 Quick Kicks Podcast to discuss the moves and how they impact next year's season and beyond for the Patriots. Topics this show include: -The Bill Belichick philosophy of moving on from players a year earlier than necessary rather than a year later and how this is evident in the Jones trade (1:11) -How Jones and his relatively one-dimensional play allowed Belichick to move on while still keeping the young core of the New England defense together with LB Jamie Collins, LB Dont'a Hightower, and CB Malcolm Butler all up for extensions this offseason (3:59) -How this season's draft class and the depth through the second round makes the pick the Patriots acquired more valuable than in other years

Quick Kicks March 16, 2016 - Chuck and Mark's Football Sob Stories by Inside The Pylon

Quick Kicks March 15, 2016 - Trevone Boykin and Josh Doctson by Inside The Pylon

Quick Kicks March 14, 2016 - Kicker Monday by Inside The Pylon

Quick Kicks March 11, 2016 - Glossary Edition by Inside The Pylon

As the buzz from yesterday's free agent frenzy begins to fade and thoughts start to wander back to the NFL Draft, sometimes it is actually better to take the road less traveled. Chuck Zodda and Mark Schofield has the March 10 Quick Kicks Podcast, and rather than diving straight back into draft season, they take that magical detour. Where to? Rule changes the competition committee should consider heading into the 2016 season to make the game more exciting and put a better product on the field. Topics this show include: -An addition coming from rugby, where in addition to the longer extra point introduced during the 2015 season, teams kicking an extra point must kick from where they score on the field horizontally. This adds another wrinkle to the decision-making process as to whether or not to go for two in the event of a score to the corner of the end zone (1:57) -The ability to put a man in motion heading towards the line of scrimmage as opposed to just moving horizontally or away from the line of scrimmage

The NFL Draft is only seven weeks away and it's time to get to know your potential first-round quarterbacks better. Mark Schofield and Chuck Zodda are joined on the March 9 Quick Kicks Podcast by Brent Sobleski from Bleacher Report to discuss his interviews with the offensive coordinators from the University of California and North Dakota State University who coached Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, respectively. Topics on this episode include: -Whether the coordinators not only seemed to be defending their player but also defending the schemes in which they utilized in the college game (3:08) -The revelation that Goff had the ability to change plays and protection schemes at the line, and if that gives him a leg up in the evolution process and changes the calculus for teams near the top of the draft (6:36) -The answer to the question of how Wentz was sitting behind formed NDSU starter Brock Jensen, and why this should not be a knock against Wentz (10:33) -The quality of the talent surrounding Wentz and how it c

Monday saw one of the best quarterbacks of all-time retire, as two-time Super Bowl winner Peyton Manning called it a career after 18 seasons in the NFL. Chuck Zodda and Mark Schofield are here for the March 8 Quick Kicks Podcast, taking a look at the highs and lows of Manning's career as well as his place in NFL history. Topics this show include: -The comparison between Peyton Manning and Derek Jeter in terms of players who continued to find ways to contribute to their team in any situation (1:04) -A trait-based breakdown of Manning's game and what the keys to his game were and how those traits compare to other NFL quarterbacks from this era (3:12) -Manning's career and how his early years were marred by defenses that could not provide any cover for the high-powered Indianapolis offense, and the redemption in Manning's second Super Bowl victory in that he was carried by the Denver defense instead (5:59) -Manning's early struggles as a rookie and how instructive this is about how prospects must be given time

As NFL free agency kicks off, a lot of focus is on where big names will end up and which team will win the 2016 offseason. Here at Inside the Pylon, we remain committed to fulfilling our core mission - providing football education at the highest possible level. As such, the March 7 Quick Kicks Podcast has Chuck Zodda and Mark Schofield joined by current free agent tackle Mitchell Schwartz, and rather than talking about free agency, we talked about offensive line play. Topics this show include: -How much the average fan misses when watching a game, both on a detailed level as well as general concepts that influence the outcome of a game (1:27) -The difficulty in trying to identify roles and responsibilities through game film due to the impossibility of knowing exact assignments and whether a player is deviating from them on any given play (2:36) -The amount of communication on every play and the number of different reads that must be made by different players in order to have a scheme working effectively (5:5

We continue on our trek through NFL free agency as we turn our sights to the New England Patriots and the potential moves coming out of Foxboro, Massachusetts over the next two months. Mark Schofield and Chuck Zodda are joined by Miguel Benzan of Pats Cap, who lends his expertise to our hosts on the March 4 Quick Kicks Podcast. Topics this show include: -Miguel's background and how he became interested in putting together information on the New England salary cap, which he has been doing since 2001 (1:52) -The Tom Brady contract and what the potential variations look like from a cap perspective and in terms of the money heading Brady's way over the next four years (3:01) -The recent releases of Brandon LaFell and Scott Chandler and how much cap space these moves produced as well as the likelihood of replacing these players through free agency (4:15) -The relatively thin interior of the Patriots defensive line and whether this is an area that is best addressed through free agency or in a deep draft class at t

Despite our focus on the NFL Draft, the more immediate priority for NFL teams is free agency, which kicks off next week. Host Chuck Zodda and Mark Schofield are joined by Jason Fitzgerald from Over The Cap to help make sense of the free agency puzzle, as teams try to figure out how to best allocate financial resources to fill holes on their team prior to the draft. Topics this show include: -Jason's background and how he found his way into studying the NFL salary cap and his path to building Over The Cap to what it is today (1:35) -The concept of backloading free agent contracts and how it may often put off the inevitable for franchises, but eventually catches up to them as the dead money eventually becomes too much for a team to deal with in a given year (3:16) -With all of the issues associated with backloaded deals, the reasons why many teams are unable or unwilling to offer front-loaded deals (6:37) -Whether any of the recent moves by teams with the franchise tag were surprising this year (8:14) -Muhamma