- 7 minutes ago
Former NFL offensive lineman Ephraim Salaam joins Willard and Dibs to discuss the 49ers' 3-0 start to the season, to preview 49ers vs. Broncos, and more.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00He's also probably not 300 pounds anymore.
00:02Eve from Salaam, my partner on Sundays on Fox, long time in the league, former Bronco,
00:10joining us on the River Islands guest line.
00:12Yeah, what are you down to now, Svelte partner?
00:15I'm right about 280, 285, somewhere in there.
00:18Uh-huh.
00:19Oh.
00:19That's still...
00:21Thanks for joining us, Mr. Salaam.
00:23Still pretty good.
00:24Yeah, thanks for coming on the show.
00:27That's great.
00:28That's great for me.
00:29That's a great final.
00:30Any slimmer, my wife is like, hey, man, you got a bobblehead going on, man.
00:36I didn't sign up for...
00:40Does she...
00:40Yeah, does she feed you like that?
00:43Like, does she kind of still look at it and be like, we're going to need Italian tonight?
00:49No, it's my mother-in-law.
00:51She over-feeds me.
00:53Like, I like small portions, and then she'll be like, hey, it's just a little bit left.
00:59Can I give it to you?
01:00And I'm like, okay, it's just a little.
01:02And it'll be a whole nother helping.
01:04Like, I'm like, you got to stop doing this.
01:08Women do sometimes think, man, they're so amazed by what we can put away that they just go, okay, that's
01:14what you're going to do every meal.
01:16And you're like...
01:16I don't want that.
01:17Yeah, if we do, it's going to go the wrong way, man.
01:21I only eat about twice a day, right?
01:23Like, it's not like I'm running around like, oh, I'm starving.
01:27And no, no, no.
01:28I just, you know.
01:30But that's my wife.
01:31That's my wife and my mother-in-law.
01:33You know what?
01:33Before the conversation's over, because I always love to do this, especially with offensive linemen, I want to hear what
01:39a normal day of eating was like back when you were playing.
01:43But, yeah, let's hold that, because I want to hear it.
01:46Okay.
01:47But I want to hear this first, especially since Denver is one of your former teams, my friend.
01:53I have a weird question.
01:55They were in the AFC Championship game last year.
01:59They're 2-1, but you know what I can't figure out?
02:02Are they good?
02:05Well, they're better than New England.
02:08Yes.
02:09Yeah.
02:10You know, I think this first quarter of the season and this final game, you know I like to break
02:18it down into quarters with one little outlier game at the end.
02:22But any team that gets out of the first quarter, 3-1 is a good team.
02:31Okay?
02:31They're a good team because they started off when teams were trying to figure out who they are.
02:39And what they do better.
02:41It's not last year.
02:43I think the first four games of every year shines a light on, oh, okay, this isn't, this is, today's
02:50prices are not yesterday's price, are last year's prices.
02:54And I think we're seeing that across the league in terms of look at the Raiders and look at Minnesota
03:01and look at the Chiefs.
03:05And then on the flip side of that, you know, you have teams that can't seem to figure it out.
03:12Look at the Chargers.
03:13And so we're kind of scratching our, New England, we're scratching our heads like, okay, what's really going on?
03:18So for me, if the Broncos end up winning Sunday, then yes, finishing the first, which I believe is the
03:26toughest.
03:26Because you don't know who you are.
03:28New coaches, new players, new offensive coordinators, so on and so forth.
03:34You know, and especially for Denver, they have a new offensive coordinator, they have a new voice calling plays, which
03:39was obviously going to take some time to get used to.
03:42And when you look at Denver, and it's been a little bit of a head-scratcher for me from that,
03:47you know, they looked not great against Kansas City, then they looked better in the next two.
03:51What is really their calling card offensively as they try to get to know their new offensive coordinator?
03:57I think there are going to be very few teams that look really good against Kansas City with the invention
04:06of a running game for them, which Patrick Mahomes has never had.
04:10They haven't had a 100-yard-per-game rusher since I was in the league back in 2006.
04:17So it's a situation where you'll start finding outliers against, you know, teams that are starting to separate themselves.
04:28But for Denver, in terms of are they good?
04:31Now, we know they have the pieces, right?
04:33We know they have the pieces.
04:34I like Bo Nix.
04:36I think he is an upper-level quarterback.
04:39He still has some things to prove, but in terms of young quarterbacks, I think he can make almost every
04:45throw.
04:46I think the offense has been catered to what he does best.
04:50They really got to really figure out what they're doing at the running back position.
04:54I think that's the thing that's holding them back for us to really be all-in on them.
05:00And defensively, that home-field advantage up there in Denver is going to pay dividends.
05:06It's hard to play in mile high, you know, the second half of the season, especially in the third and
05:15fourth quarter.
05:15They'll start to win some of those.
05:17You know they're 10-1 in their last 11 games at home.
05:20So, you know, they have an advantage.
05:26And if they can just figure out offensively how to run the ball, it's going to make it so much
05:34easier for them.
05:35Our friend Ephraim Salam, longtime offensive lineman in the league, is joining us here.
05:40Willard and Dibbs, 95-7 the game.
05:42Okay, big man, I want to ask you this because the 49ers have not given up a sack yet this
05:48year.
05:48That's a zero through three games.
05:50And we've been asking a lot of people this week, is that more?
05:53I mean, everybody gets credit, but is it more an offensive line stat or a quarterback stat?
05:58And the answer is people are leaning to it's more of a quarterback stat.
06:03And I'd like to hear your rebuttal.
06:05It's never a quarterback stat.
06:07It's always an offensive line stat.
06:10The crazy part is, and the reason I'll tell you it's always an offensive line stat is because when you're
06:17giving up 15 sacks or you're leading the league in sacks, it's an offensive line stat.
06:22Well, they can't protect them up front.
06:24So now all of a sudden, you don't give up any sacks and it's just the quarterback.
06:30Man, pleased with that.
06:32You can't have both sides of the coin.
06:35Can't have both.
06:36It's kind of a fair answer.
06:37Either it is or it's not.
06:40All right, but spotlight the Niners and what are you seeing?
06:44Because as I said, obviously, both parties get some credit here.
06:48But what are you seeing with regard to the performance of everybody involved?
06:55Everybody's on the same page.
06:56There was a play in last week's game where Brock Purdy, they faked the counter.
07:04The DN was free.
07:06He pump faked him.
07:08He flew up in the air.
07:10And then he sidestepped him and hit a crossing receiver.
07:13I was like, oh, my Lord.
07:15It was like Neo in the Matrix.
07:20And the thing that stood out to me, it was the mechanics and the body control, right?
07:26There was no extra movement.
07:28There was no panic.
07:29There was a free rusher coming at him.
07:31He got him in the air out of the way and then made a pinpoint target pass.
07:37And I was like, oh, he's ascending to the next level.
07:41Now, you and I have both been Brock Purdy fans, right?
07:44From the day they were like, hey, man, it's you, Mr. Irrelevant.
07:48We were on air as he came in and then started making his first start.
07:53We've always been there.
07:55Even the down year, I'm like, no, this kid really has it.
07:59Oh, they overpaid him.
08:00I'm like, okay, well, in my opinion, the first three weeks of the NFL season going into week four, he's,
08:09you know, MVP candidate.
08:12I mean, the control and the mind melding he's having in that offense, he's in complete control.
08:19And I think that's the difference.
08:21And you look at this matchup with a Denver team that has eight sacks and they play that 3-4,
08:26but they come at you with a variety of blitzes.
08:28I think they're top 10 in blitz rate.
08:31What does Denver do defensively that could potentially give Brock Purdy some trouble?
08:36Talent.
08:37They got talent, man.
08:38They got guys who can get after the quarterback.
08:46And let's see if we can get him back.
08:49Okay.
08:50Gabby from back.
08:51Yeah.
08:51He went into, he went into the zone.
08:55Yeah.
08:56He visited the zone, but not, not the good kind.
08:58Zach Allen with three sacks on the year.
09:01And we all know the name, Nick Benito.
09:03He's got a sack and who fungus got a sack and they've got eight sacks.
09:07And so I'm, I'm just curious from a, from like, what does Denver do besides having so much talent that
09:12gives teams trouble?
09:13Okay.
09:14He from his back as, as you are.
09:16Let me ask you this.
09:17Is Trent Williams playing?
09:19Yes.
09:20Oh, okay.
09:21We're good.
09:21No, that'd be all right.
09:24They'll be okay.
09:24Okay.
09:25Oh, over or under half a sack for the Broncos this weekend.
09:30I'll go over.
09:32Okay.
09:32So you think someone, someone finally gets to him.
09:36Yeah.
09:36They'll, they'll design something to, to get in there.
09:38They're like, this is, you know, when you start playing against upper echelon defenses, you, you'll have moments where, you
09:47know, somebody will get through.
09:48It'll, it'll, it'll happen.
09:50But as long as it doesn't happen five times, six times, three times, you're okay.
09:54You're, you're fine.
09:56Sometimes something is not there and they call the right defense and they are in the right place.
10:01That happens.
10:02Right.
10:02I mean, guess what?
10:03You got to remember all it takes to record a sack is for the quarterback to run out of bounds
10:09behind the line of scrimmage.
10:10So it may be a situation where the offensive line keeps him clean and on a scramble, you know, he
10:16doesn't want to put the ball in harm's way and he runs out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage.
10:20That's a sack.
10:20So I'll always take the over on a, on a half a sack.
10:23And that's been the majority of the sacks actually that the 49ers have gotten defensively is just chasing the guy
10:29out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage.
10:32You, you love Bo Nix.
10:33And I wonder about what happens with Bo in the first half of games versus the second half.
10:38Cause it seems like he's a little shaky in the early going.
10:41Some, some, some, we saw that a lot with, you know, Caleb Williams last year, right?
10:47Like some guys, it just takes a little bit to get going.
10:53Some guys come out and are perfect with the first 15 passing plays with the script that every team has
11:01prior to the game.
11:02Some guys come in, come, come in on script and are phenomenal and then kind of tail off after the
11:08script and kind of a loss.
11:11And then you have the flip side of that where some guys, you know, it takes a minute for them
11:16to really get into it.
11:17And then when things are on the line, they kind of click into it and get more comfortable.
11:22And I think Bo Nix has that, that level of, Oh, okay.
11:27It's time to go now.
11:28Right.
11:29And I'm sure getting cussed out by John Payton at halftime, that that'll get you on the right track.
11:35I'm looking at your pro football reference page, Ephraim.
11:39And I'm seeing as a rookie, 16 games, then 16 games, then 14, then 14, then 16, then 14, then
11:4615.
11:47You rarely missed a game.
11:49Did you, did you ever play through any rib injury of significance?
11:55Yeah, man.
11:56I couldn't, I couldn't breathe in a couple of those games.
11:59I've also started 14 games with two broken hands.
12:03I've also started games nine days after having knee surgery.
12:07Uh, so it, it, it was a different time.
12:10It was a different time.
12:12And as a seven ground draft pick, I never wanted to give somebody an opportunity to come in and, and,
12:17and play because they're always trying to replace you.
12:20And so for me, my mindset was, okay, I'm in no matter what my wife used to hate it.
12:25That's why my kids can't play football because she would look at me like I was crazy because I'd be
12:30at home and can't pick a fork up or can't hold a glass.
12:34And yet I'm starting 60 plays on Sunday.
12:37So, you know, it was one of those situations where I wanted to always be available for my team because
12:44I'm a team first guy through and through and everything I do in life.
12:47So the reason I'm asking, because this stuff is amazing to me and the, what you just said sounds very
12:53similar to what Mike Evans said today, uh, after practice, which is that he, he just badly, badly feels like
13:00it's his job to be there for his team.
13:02He said he's played through a rib injury like this before.
13:05He said it's brutal, but he knows it's something that he can do.
13:11Um, what, like, I would love to hear your, your reaction to what, what he's saying.
13:17And what he's going to try to do this weekend.
13:20Well, look, Mike Evans is one of my favorite players, uh, in today's NFL.
13:24I, I, I, not only what he's been able to do consecutively, uh, in Tampa Bay, but he approaches the
13:31game the right way.
13:33In my opinion, you don't hear a lot from him, right?
13:36One of my, my, my 100% favorite player was Andre Johnson, a hall of fame receiver.
13:43And you never heard him complain or anything just, you know, to give Andre a shot, a shout out.
13:51He's the only receiver in the hall of fame.
13:54Who's never played with another hall of famer or quarterback or receiver on the other, the other side, just to
14:01throw that out there.
14:02But he never complained, man.
14:04He just worked harder than everybody.
14:06He showed up, he played through injuries.
14:08And I see a lot of those similarities in Mike Evans.
14:12You look at this Niner offense and, you know, you and Mark, my partner, the president of Brockistan, as I
14:18call him, because he's all Brock all the time.
14:20You can have that on Sunday when you're doing your little side thing with my partner.
14:24But, uh, the rest of this offense, George Kittle and McCaffrey, does that take away at all from the shine
14:30that Brock Purdy is getting?
14:32No, how, how would that be possible?
14:35Hey, guess what?
14:36If a quarterback could deliver the ball down the field, uh, we wouldn't be talking about those guys, right?
14:43Like you, it's not, we really have to be careful on how we look at quarterbacks and their supporting cast.
14:51Because we've seen teams, you ask Minnesota, outside of, of, of Sam Darnold, and they have, you know, receiver duos
15:00and running backs and all that.
15:01And they just, they can't seem to get the ball down the field or figure out what's going on, even
15:07though this year they're 3-0.
15:08And it ain't, it's not because of the offense.
15:10I can promise you that.
15:12Um, you, they're complimentary.
15:15That's what the team thing is about.
15:16If Brock Purdy couldn't pass the ball, we, we would all be talking about, we got to get somebody in
15:22there.
15:23We're wasting, uh, CMC and we're wasting Kittle and we're wasting Evans, but we're not having that conversation.
15:31He's, he's delivering the ball on time.
15:34He's a magician with it.
15:36So let's give him his credit.
15:38Let's not take away the praise and the credit because his cast and the coaching is good.
15:46That's what it's supposed to be.
15:48Okay.
15:49Biggie.
15:49When you, when you played, what, what was a full day of eating like?
15:53Oh God.
15:54I was talking about this the other day.
15:57So I'm a big beef rib guy, right?
16:00So like, let's just say in the morning I had, uh, if it was a day, if it was, if
16:06I was going to work at the stadium, I would have my, my eggs.
16:11I have my oatmeal, I have my coffee cause I would go to sleep in the team meetings.
16:16Uh, and then, you know, some, some, some turkey sausage or something like that.
16:21And then for lunch, we have, you know, chicken breast, some potatoes, a little bit of, uh, broccoli, uh, or
16:31a small salad.
16:32But for dinner, I remember at cheesecake factory, they used to have beef ribs, right?
16:38Like they used to have a beef rib meal that came with, with broccoli mashed potatoes.
16:45Right.
16:45And then they started to put the calories on the menu.
16:51And when I tell you, now take, take in mind, all of the things I've, I've eaten earlier that day.
16:59Already.
17:00Yep.
17:01Already.
17:02When they start putting the calories, that dish alone was 3,600 calories.
17:10And then I would have a strawberry lemonade, which was 850 calories.
17:17Yeah.
17:18And that's free refills.
17:20So about three of those, and then you top it off with some cheesecake.
17:25And my favorite cheesecake was red velvet cheesecake.
17:29And that at the cheesecake factory was 2,100 calories.
17:36Oh my God.
17:37Okay.
17:37That's about eight grand right there for just some of the hundred.
17:40Yeah.
17:408,000 calories.
17:44Just for dinner.
17:45Yeah.
17:45For the final meal of the day.
17:51The caveat to that is I burned about 15,000 calories a day with practice, maybe even more.
18:03So there's that, that's when you can survive that.
18:07But if you, if you're eating that and you're not working out or anything like that, then
18:15it's a wrap for you.
18:17It's over.
18:19Obesity is calling and it's coming to get you.
18:21And you pick it up.
18:22And diabetes is on hold, no doubt, too.
18:25Waiting for call waiting.
18:27Yeah, it's coming.
18:28Um, we need to go to the cheesecake factory sometime.
18:31I said, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
18:35You know, you know what?
18:36I eat off the, the, the Skinnylicious, uh, I eat off the Skinnylicious menu.
18:43Oh, guys.
18:45Hey, bud, thank you.
18:46I'll talk to you in about, uh, 48 plus hours.
18:48Okay.
18:49Absolutely.
18:50No problem, guys.
18:51Okay.
18:51My man, Ephraim Salam.
18:53Big E.
18:53Big E.
18:54Big E.