Albert Breer on International Games, Coaching Intel, Draft Season Is Here

And they aren't done, but they're exploration of the world.

All right.

Welcome in.

It's the Brew Report for February 13th.

We are into the 2026 offseason and as such today, we're gonna do some cleanup work on a few topics, um, to cover, to close the first week of the offseason out.

And that will start with the news.

That the Forty-Niners and Rams will play in Melbourne next year on either Wednesday or Thursday of opening week.

So, the Niners and Rams will play on one of those days.

The Seahawks will host an opponent to be determined on the other of those days.

So, we're gonna look at this from a smaller picture perspective and then a big picture perspective.

From a small picture perspective, This is interesting, at least in that it creates another broadcast window for the NFL um here, um, in that first week.

And there's a nuance here that I think is interesting that some people might be missing.

Now, the last couple of years, they have played in Brazil on that opening weekend and they've done it on Friday night.

Why aren't they doing Friday night this year?

Well, the reason why is because of the calendar and the way the calendar sets up because Labor Day was earlier in 2024 and 2025, they were able to get around the broadcast rules.

The broadcast rules to protect high school football, prevent them from scheduling games on Friday nights starting on the 2nd Friday in September.

So, the last 2 years, the Friday before Labor Day, the Friday after Labor Day was the 1st Friday in September.

This coming year, it is the 2nd Friday in September.

So it's a little nuanced to the way the calendar works, but it does prevent them from putting a game on that Friday night.

So what can they do to work through that, to make sure that the 49ers and Rams get proper rest coming back on what will be an awfully long flight from Australia and not affect where they are from a competitive standpoint.

Going into week two, they can give them that extended period that they gave the teams that went to Brazil the last couple of years, and they'll do it by putting one of the two games, either the opening game.

The Australia, either the kickoff game or the Australia game on Wednesday night, the other one on Thursday night.

So what is the fallout there?

Well, there is a Brazil game this year and the fallout from that would be that that Rio game, which the Dallas Cowboys will play in against an opponent to be determined.

will be elsewhere on the calendar.

So that's a small picture perspective.

What you, what you have there, there's a reason why there's not a game on Friday night this year.

So we'll have a Wednesday game, we'll have a Thursday game on opening week of 2026.

The Rio game, as expected, as has been expected, will be somewhere else in the NFL calendar.

Um, so, big picture perspective, why are they doing this?

Why do they keep doing this?

Why have they now gone, now they're going to Paris, they're going to Rio, they're going to Australia.

Um, and they aren't done, you know, with their exploration of the world.

Well, I would take you back 1520 years to when Roger Goodell was still new as a commissioner, and the determination that they had come to, come to from a business standpoint was the NFL.

Didn't have so much room left to grow up.

So domestically, the product as it was, they didn't have so much room to grow up anymore, so they had to start growing out.

What does that mean?

Well, growing out means growing inventory and adding inventory to what you have to offer fans, what you have to offer broadcast networks, and so that's going to London.

That's going further internationally.

That's going to 17 games and maybe eventually 18 games.

That's going to Los Angeles with two teams.

That's having the extra playoff game.

That's adding inventory to what you're offering, and so.

They've added all these different, these different pieces of inventory and going overseas is where they can grow the most.

That's why you've seen them pushing flag football through media people over the course of the last few months, because flag football is a way to export the game.

What they've found, it's tough to get guys, kids playing the game in its, in it's, in its traditional form overseas.

Well, it's expensive.

The equipment's expensive.

The insurance is expensive.

It's hard to get 11 on 11 in another country because of just the raw number of people you need.

Flag football is easier to export.

It's a little bit more like basketball or soccer, so they're trying to legitimize flag football.

This isn't a charity .

They're trying to legitimize flag football because it's easier to take it and move it overseas.

It's easier to get women playing flag football.

So, you know, like you see all these different ways that they're trying to grow the sport, they're trying to grow it, and it's not out of the goodness of their heart.

They're trying to grow it from a business perspective and, and add different ways to make money and add different ways to create awareness of the sport overseas, and that's what this is.

And Australia has been a good market for them in that.

Um, it sort of fits the culture over there, um, for a number of different reasons, and they've made headway there, so now we'll have a game over there.

The Forty-Niners and Rams, and what's interesting about this too is it's such an important game that they're sending over there.

That game could go a long way to determining who wins the NFC West.

It could determine who's playing home playoff games, and they're giving that game to Australia there at the beginning of the year.

It should be an interesting one to watch with the Niners having everybody coming back off of injury and the Rams, of course, you'd think they'd be all in with Matthew Stafford coming back at 38 years of age.

Um, so, The idea of going international, they're not reeling this back in.

They're gonna continue growing it out.

Rio's new this year, even though they've been to Brazil before.

Paris is new this year, and Melbourne is new this year with the 49ers and Rams going over there again at some point during the opening week.

OK.

Topic number 2, still some coaching carousel notes out there.

I wanted to take you guys through a few of the positions that are still open.

Um, the Raiders with their new head coach, Clint Kubiak, have to hire coordinators.

Some of the names that, that, that you'll hear connected to the Raiders.

Jim Schwartz is somebody that they absolutely positively sniffed around.

That didn't work out for them, um, at least it hasn't to this point.

So they've pivoted.

Dino Vaso was somebody else they looked at.

That's Houston's secondary coach.

The Cardinals also were very interested in Dino Vaso.

Ultimately, Vasso decided to sign an extension to stay in Houston.

Joe Cullen, the Chiefs defensive line coach, longtime respected defensive assistant, he's a name to watch there, Joe Woods, somebody who has a relationship with Clint Kubiak, is the Raiders' existing secondary coach.

He'd be somebody that I would absolutely keep an eye on.

I think he stays on staff one way or the other .

And then the Seahawks' pass game coordinator, Carl Scott, another name there.

Um, Aiden Durday, the, the Seahawks' defensive coordinator is somebody who obviously is very well-respected.

I think Mike McDonald will let Durday go to call plays somewhere else.

Um, my guess is he's gonna stay in Seattle cause he is close to getting a head coaching job.

He's interviewed well, um, and so I think the play for him is probably to stay in Seattle, um, with the Super Bowl champions because he has gotten closer, not to go and reset somewhere else.

Um, Arizona defensive coordinator job there.

Um, and this is an interesting one.

Wink Martindale is somebody who I would keep an eye on.

Aubrey Pleasant is somebody who worked with Michael Fleur in Los Angeles, so that'd be two names to watch there.

And then the Cleveland defensive coordinator job, obviously trying to replace Schwartz.

Corey Unle would be the name that I would keep an eye on for that job.

He's the Um, he's the Texans pass game coordinator.

He's somebody who has a relationship with Todd Monken going back to Jacksonville 15 years ago.

So, um, Unlin would be one name to watch, including, and, and then I'd also keep an eye on internal candidates.

Like their linebackers coach, Jason Tarver and their defensive backs coach or safeties coach, Efraim Banda.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Raiders, of course, looking for to bring in somebody with, um, with Clint Kubiak, and I think Kubiak's gonna look to bring one of two guys in.

Both of them now in Seattle, either Andrew Ginoco or John Benton.

Both those guys are also candidates for the Seattle offensive coordinator job.

Another candidate for the Seattle OC job would be Jake Peetz, but Benton and Ginoco, I think one of those good guys could wind up.

In Vegas with, with Clint Kubiak, the other one could wind up as Seattle's offensive coordinator.

So there are some moving parts there.

Um, I think Mike McDonald will kick tires on guys outside the building.

Somebody that he liked a lot was Hank Fraley, the run game coordinator in Detroit, the offensive line coach in Detroit.

Um, you know, uh, like, would he go down that road of going outside?

Again, I think he'll look at it, but I, I do think, you know, I, I think there is a feeling that he would like to reward somebody internally if he can run, find the right person to do it.

So, again, Ginoco, Benton, Pete, some names to watch there.

Um, and our third and final topic for today, I wanted to dive into the draft because When we come back full bore.

Next week's a little bit of a funky week for me.

I'm going skiing with the kids, but when we come back full bore, uh, we will be right on the doorstep of the NFL Combine.

So, I wanted to give you guys kind of an overview of what the draft class looks like and what we'll be talking about here in a couple of weeks.

And, you know, it always starts with the quarterbacks, right?

So, we can start with the Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza from Indiana.

I think that's gonna be a short discussion.

I think that, I think there's almost no chance that he isn't the first overall pick.

I'd say my money would be on the Raiders, keeping the pick and taking Fernando Mendoza first overall, and From there , I think you really are talking about a, a, a, a, a drop-off, particularly with Trinidad, Trinidad Chambliss.

It looks like he's gonna get that 6th year of eligibility and go, go back to Ole Miss.

So after, you know, after, after Mendoza , we're talking about potentially Ty Simpson, who I don't think a lot of teams view as a first-round pick, maybe being the next quarterback off the board.

Does he go bottom of the first round?

Does he go somewhere on day two?

Drew Aller from Penn State would be another name to watch.

Um, what does he look like coming off of the injury?

I think he'd be a project for somebody.

Um, but somebody who does have some physical tools.

Garrett Nussmeyer had a tough, tough year.

His last year at LSU.

A lot of people looked at him as a potential first-rounder.

He had a nice senior Bowl week, so, you know, we'll see what he can do to restore his stock, but this isn't a great year at the quarterback position.

And I think once you get past Mendoza, we could be talking about waiting into day two until we hear another quarterback's name called.

And this isn't a great class overall.

So, who are we gonna be talking about at the top of the draft?

Well, there's a handful of guys from Ohio State.

Um, that I think will be in that, in that mix.

Arvel Reese could wind up being the 2nd overall pick.

You're gonna hear some comparisons to Micah Parsons with his with his versatility to play as an off-ball linebacker and also on the edge.

So, you know, I think Reese is probably the odds-on favorite to be the 2nd overall pick to the Jets.

At this point, Caleb Downs might be the best player in the draft, but he's a safety.

He doesn't have the measurables that a Kyle Hamilton or a Derwin James has.

So how do you slot Caleb Downs in there, a safe pick, but does he have superstar potential?

Carnell Tate, the receiver from Ohio State, I think goes somewhere in the top 10.

I mean, to me, it's him and Jordan Tyson from Arizona State at the receiver position.

You know, and then I, I think you're probably looking at a couple, a couple of tackles.

Um, the, the right tackle from Miami, Francis Maoga, um, the, the, the right tackle from Utah, Spencer Fanno, note that I'm saying the right tackle, the right tackle, and that's the thing about this year's class.

I, you know, you don't have a lot of the prototypes.

You don't have the prototype shutdown corner.

You don't have the prototype left tackle.

Tate, Carnell Tate is a really good receiver.

Is he a potential number one receiver?

We'll be debating that.

Same thing with Jordan Tyson from Arizona State, and then, of course, Caleb Downs being a safety.

It's just You don't have the types of players that you would see at the top of the draft, and one of the other things we're gonna be talking about is how the promise of 2027 is there, how the guys at the top of that draft class, you do have some guys like that.

You do have, you know, a Leonard Myers from Notre Dame at corner, Jeremiah Smith at receiver, you know, Colin Simmons, um, from Texas, and Dylan Stewart from South Carolina, like those top-end edge rushers or top-end receivers.

Those top-end corners and you could have quarterbacks.

I mean, we'll see what happens with guys, you know, like Arch Manning from Texas, like CJ Carr from Notre Dame, but there's promise that you are gonna have those prototype top 5, top 10 picks in 2027, which makes it a little bit of a different year in 2026.

Do you see teams trying to move assets in the next year, um, because of this?

Do you see movement at the top because of this?

Um, it's gonna be really interesting and there's gonna be a lot to talk about and what I've said to a lot of people is what this draft class may lack for lack in, in, in quality and star power at the very top, I think it will make up an intrigue.

I think because you do have this dynamic at the top of the draft, it becomes a little bit less predictable.

We've got a couple of months to dive into all of that and I appreciate you guys sticking with us here into the offseason.

We got so much coming for you.

combine, free agency, the draft, all that's ahead of us now.

As always, if you have comments, feedback on what you want to see as we cover all that stuff, hit us on the YouTube page here down below or you can get to me on my social media at Albert Breer on Twitter, at Albert R Breer on Facebook, at Albert_Breer on Instagram.

Appreciate you guys coming out.

We'll see you next week.