Lindsay Rhodes talks new NFL job

Nobody loves talking about the NFL more than Lindsay Rhodes. She has recently joined The SumerSports Show, where she cohosts with former Atlanta Falcons executive Thomas Dimitroff. SumerSports is a football analytics company for NFL and NCAA teams. Rhodes also has a fantasy football podcast with Michael Fabiano called Fantasy Dirt .

Rhodes, best known for her days at NFL Network, replaces Eric Eager, who left to join the Carolina Panthers as Vice President of Analytics. We caught up with Rhodes to talk about her new gig and fantasy football.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Awful Announcing: How did this new opportunity come about?

Lindsay Rhodes: “They came to me to see if I might be a good fit. I am so excited for this opportunity because I feel like this is where my interest levels lie in football. I get more pleasure out of finding uncovered details that I’m not hearing everybody else talking about, as opposed to having the big, broad conversations that I probably had a lot of back in my TV days at NFL Network. I like getting into the details and figuring stuff out, so this is a perfect show for me.”

What’s it like working with Dimitroff, who is also SumerSports’ President of Football Operations?

“I did interact with him at NFL Network, and so there was a relationship. I had had him on when I was doing a podcast on my own. We do have a history in that sense. I think that he is such an interesting (person). I’m just excited to pepper somebody like that with questions.

“He is a perfect former general manager to have those conversations with because I think he’s very forward-thinking, and he’s adaptable. It feels like the NFL space is changing, in terms of the new technologies that are available, and how much people want to incorporate them into their analysis.”

How has your new show gone so far?

“I think that they’ve been great. When you’re doing a new show, it takes a little while to figure out the rhythm of how the other person talks. When to jump in. When not to jump in. How much you can maybe tease somebody. You’re feeling people out in the beginning. Thomas and I have some history, so I feel pretty comfortable, but we’ll certainly figure out a rhythm. We’re also figuring out ways we can incorporate all of the different arms of Sumer. The various types of expertise that the company has and how we can incorporate that into the show.”

What is something nerdy that has surprised you?

“At the beginning of the preseason, there was talk about 11-man personnel, and the Bears were at the bottom of the league in terms of preseason usage. That one popped for me because they have a good wide receiver room. I feel like a lot of people probably want to see all three of them on the field as much as possible. So, that’s one I’ll be keeping an eye on.

“I’m also really into motion rates because of the incredibly high motion rate that the Dolphins used last year. Then they came out in the preseason and just went wild with it. It’s a point of emphasis. This is how their offense is built. They’re scheming ways to take advantage of the prioritized speed on the roster, finding ways to put them in space, and mismatches.”

What intrigues you about Week 1?

“Who are the Cowboys going to throw the ball to who is not named CeeDee Lamb? Who is that No.2 option? You get so many clues in Week 1 about who those people might be. There are a lot of wide receiver rooms that feel muddy. Look at the Patriots. I know there’s this conversation about Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett. But who are their wide receiver priorities? Who is going to be the first read? Who is it with the Chargers?”

What Week 1 games, other than Ravens vs. Chiefs, do you find fascinating?

“Pittsburgh-Atlanta pops for me. From a TV standpoint, you hear people say it’s Arthur Smith versus his old team. But you have so many questions. What about Atlanta with all these offensive weapons that we think were underutilized for the last few years?

“You’re talking about Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson. Is Kirk Cousins healthy? Is he going to be fine? What about these (former) Rams coaches who have moved into Atlanta? Does that offense look like that? And Pittsburgh, with the quarterbacks there’s a lot of uncertainty.

“Las Vegas vs. the Chargers. Both teams have new (full-time) coaches. What should I expect? We’ve talked about how Jim Harbaugh wants to run the ball. They have Justin Herbert. Are they going to take the ball out of his hands?”

Can you give us a fantasy football sleeper?

“I have been beating the drum for Dontayvion Wicks . He’s a guy who’s going in the 12th round of fantasy football drafts. He has the skill set to potentially be an elite wide receiver. We didn’t see that much of him last year, and there are a lot of people in (the Packers’) wide receiver room, so he’s flying under the radar. But I think of the wide receivers there, he is the guy who has the best chance to make a huge leap.”

What is the best (or worst?) fantasy football punishment you’ve heard of?

“Fabs and I talked to a guy who had to take the ACT because he finished last. The punishment was that not only did he have to take the ACT with a bunch of 18-year-olds who were looking at him like, ‘Why are you in here, old man?’ He also had to pass it. He’s sitting there stressed out about his result. He knew that he would have to go back and take it again until he could pass the ACT. That one’s creative.”

Do you have a fantasy league within your family?

“I have one that I am the commissioner of for friends and family. I also am the commissioner of a kids’ fantasy football league for my son and his friends. It’s one of the most fun things I do every year because I can reach out to Kurt Warner, who did the draft reveal video for the kids about what the draft order was. So that allows me to flex whatever football street cred I have.”

Wait a minute. A Hall of Famer and former MVP make a video for your son’s fantasy football draft?

“I reach out to someone in the football space who’s a friend to shoot a video every year. We had Kurt Warner do the video this year, and it was the most amazing thing because he created this whole video with production value and tried on different jerseys representing different draft slots. It was insane.

“We had Terrell Davis do it last year. I will say that the videos probably go over bigger with the parents of the kids. The people I have relationships with are usually a little bit older. I can’t reach out to CeeDee Lamb.”

[ The SumerSports Show ]

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