Speaker 1: And now move the sticks with Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks.
Speaker 1: What's up, everybody? Welcome to move the sticks.
Speaker 2: DJ, Buck with you.
Speaker 1: And by the looks of it, Buck, you are in
Speaker 1: the friendly confines of NFL studios. There. How you doing.
Speaker 2: I mean, I'm good.
Speaker 3: I've decided to get out of the home office one
Speaker 3: to get back into the studio. Have a little different energy,
Speaker 3: a little Bob. Because we're getting close to the playoffs. DJ,
Speaker 3: it matters, so you got to take our game. We
Speaker 3: gotta take the game up of notes.
Speaker 1: Yeah, shoot, I'm gonna be in there. I'll be in
Speaker 1: there a week from today. And I don't know are
Speaker 1: you Are you scheduled? Are you going to be in
Speaker 1: there Monday?
Speaker 2: I'm gonna have to check the schedule.
Speaker 1: Artists and the artist formally known as black Monday. I
Speaker 1: don't know what we call it now. There's a new
Speaker 1: fancy term for it, but not a negative connotation. Sure,
Speaker 1: everybody's getting fired today, but let's not let's not make
Speaker 1: this a negative show. But that's yeah, is what it is.
Speaker 1: Le's out. Let's look at the playoffs and then, oh,
Speaker 1: by the way, there's all these guys that got fired
Speaker 1: let's talk about that as well. Anyways, well, Chance will
Speaker 1: be together in studio next week. We've got a bunch
Speaker 1: of games to get to as well as I have
Speaker 1: a college topic I want to hit you on draft
Speaker 1: related as we get towards the end of the show here.
Speaker 1: But I want to start off first of all with
Speaker 1: a game that sets the stage for what will be
Speaker 1: I would imagine one of the biggest end of the
Speaker 1: year contests that you can ever remember, and that is
Speaker 1: the Minnesota Vikings holding off the Green Bay Packers. They
Speaker 1: won twenty seven to twenty five, which now sets up
Speaker 1: a one or five game right next week. We've got
Speaker 1: Detroit welcoming in Minnesota. Winner. Congratulations the whole kitten Kabodle.
Speaker 1: You're the number one seed loser. Yeah, no home game
Speaker 1: for you. You're the five seed and you're going on the
Speaker 1: road next week. So the stage is set for next week.
Speaker 2: But before we.
Speaker 1: Get to that, Buck, what'd you think of this ballgame?
Speaker 3: Man, the Minnesota Vikings. I will say this because that's
Speaker 3: to start with the quarterback. Like for so long we've
Speaker 3: touted on this show to three p's and how it's
Speaker 3: important to the success of the quarterback we talk about
Speaker 3: the play caller, the playmakers, and then the past protectors,
Speaker 3: and when I look at Sam Donald's success, it's just
Speaker 3: confirmation that that formula, that recipe remains true. When it
Speaker 3: comes up to quarterback play, Sam Donald looks like a
Speaker 3: different player in Minnesota. Kevin O'Connell has done a really
Speaker 3: good job of setting him up for success, and watching
Speaker 3: the game with Tom Brady on the call, you see
Speaker 3: the subtle areas in which Sam Donald has improved the
Speaker 3: Minnesota Vikings, Like no one really talks about them being
Speaker 3: a legit title contender because there's just I guess waiting
Speaker 3: to exhale moment when it comes to Sam Donald. But
Speaker 3: DJ He's put up so many solid games consistently that
Speaker 3: I think you have to begin to think that this
Speaker 3: team is legit. And we'll get a chance to see
Speaker 3: how legit they are next weekend.
Speaker 1: Here's this theory. Give me your thoughts on this one,
Speaker 1: because I think the Packers have built one of the
Speaker 1: deepest rosters literally across the board. There's depth everywhere. They
Speaker 1: have so much depth on this team. But I just
Speaker 1: think like as we look forward and going into the postseason,
Speaker 1: I feel like depth can take a little bit of
Speaker 1: a back seat. It's always similar to baseball, right where
Speaker 1: it's about your front end.
Speaker 2: Guys.
Speaker 1: You don't need your four and five starters in the postseason.
Speaker 1: For baseball, it's whoever your top horses are. I'm watching
Speaker 1: this ball and I was like you, I said, had
Speaker 1: a chance to be home and actually on a Sunday
Speaker 1: and sit and watch an entire ballgame and listen to Brady.
Speaker 1: It was a fun watch. But I was just struck
Speaker 1: by the fact that, yeah, these are both really good teams,
Speaker 1: but one just has stars, Like there are stars in
Speaker 1: Minnesota and Sam is quickly emerging into one. But I
Speaker 1: mean you just look around the field and they've got impact,
Speaker 1: impact dudes, especially on the offensive side.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's funny you talk about the star power because
Speaker 3: that's the difference between what I would say good and great.
Speaker 2: I believe the Minnesota Vikings are a great team.
Speaker 3: The Green Bay Packers are a good team, and when
Speaker 3: everyone is on the same page, yeah they can play
Speaker 3: great at times. But Minnesota is great, and they're great
Speaker 3: because of the star power on the outside, justin Jefferson
Speaker 3: and Jordan Addison. I'm gonna save Jordan Adison is a star.
Speaker 3: That route that he ran for the touchdown that Sam
Speaker 3: dropped a dime on right there, that was star quality.
Speaker 3: Then on defense, they have guys that play at a
Speaker 3: high level, the stars, and ultimately, in big games, in
Speaker 3: playoff games, your stars have to carry you over the threshold.
Speaker 2: And when you look at the Minnesota Vikings, you can.
Speaker 3: See a path to Super Bowl to the super Bowl
Speaker 3: because they have enough stars that can carry them over
Speaker 3: the threshold.
Speaker 1: One thing, you know, looking at some of these clips,
Speaker 1: I'm reminded of what a incredible pivot by the entire organization.
Speaker 1: QUESSI leading the charge there. But when you lose Darrisaw,
Speaker 1: who's you know, one of the five best left tackles
Speaker 1: in the NFL, and they go to your Jags and
Speaker 1: they end up getting Cam Robinson buck I'd have to
Speaker 1: look at his contract to see. I think he's a
Speaker 1: free agent after this show. Is he's going to cash in?
Speaker 1: He is going to cash in the way that he's
Speaker 1: played coming down the home stretch here.
Speaker 3: Well, let me tell you what I learned about watching
Speaker 3: the Cam Robinson thing. And this is why we talk
Speaker 3: about environment. Culture is the buzzword that people talk about.
Speaker 3: People change in based on their environment. The environment in
Speaker 3: Minnesota is one that has maybe a little more accountability,
Speaker 3: Maybe the expectations are greater because this is a team
Speaker 3: that is actually vying for a title. Cam Robinson has
Speaker 3: kind of risen to the level of expectation and his
Speaker 3: performance is certainly proved and he has given them a
Speaker 3: really high quality player at left tackle as a replacement.
Speaker 3: Now he's going to command major dollar. I think it's
Speaker 3: been a boom for his free agency status. He is
Speaker 3: going to make more money than he would have made
Speaker 3: if he had just finished the season in Jacksonville. But
Speaker 3: it's a lesson in terms of like high levels of accountability,
Speaker 3: high standards that come with championship level teams. Man, they
Speaker 3: can bring out the best in some people because they
Speaker 3: demand more and they expect more from them.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Mackay Beckton with the philadelph Eagles another one, you know,
Speaker 1: having kind of flamed out with the New York Jets,
Speaker 1: an organization that was a mess. I think there's lots
Speaker 1: of examples of that. It's a great point, you know,
Speaker 1: example of the culture. The video and the footage from
Speaker 1: the locker room in Minnesota after the ball believable. Like
Speaker 1: I'm not. I mean, I'm not exaggering like some goosebump
Speaker 1: type stuff. You see just how how this team has
Speaker 1: you know, welcomed in Sam Donald embraced him, and you
Speaker 1: mentioned all the support on the field with the playmakers,
Speaker 1: the protection, the play colors, all those things, but just
Speaker 1: I mean, maybe the missing ingredient to there was just
Speaker 1: some love. I mean, this entire organization has loved on him.
Speaker 1: Kevin O'Connell uses that word love a lot. He used
Speaker 1: it when he was talking about Acres cam akers after
Speaker 1: the ballgame. I just think, I don't know, if I
Speaker 1: don't know, if you can find You talked about Detroit
Speaker 1: being a model. You know, it's why it's going to
Speaker 1: be such a big game man coming up this next week.
Speaker 1: Detroit's model and also Minnesota in terms of the leadership,
Speaker 1: general manager, head coach, and the environment and the culture
Speaker 1: that's just brought these guys all together. It's pretty awesome.
Speaker 2: It is pretty awesome.
Speaker 3: DJ and we talk about like want and a half
Speaker 3: teams that operate at a championship level, and the thing
Speaker 3: that you're seeing from the top teams is there is
Speaker 3: an alignment from top to bottom, all the way down
Speaker 3: from ownership, to the management team, to the coaching staff.
Speaker 3: Everyone has the same set of values and that allows
Speaker 3: everyone to kind of walk the same path together. And
Speaker 3: when I look at Minnesota and I look at how
Speaker 3: they're able to take these players in and how they
Speaker 3: play and perform with together, and how I'll say this,
Speaker 3: Kevin o connell doing a really good job of making
Speaker 3: it a player's first environment while also embracing the team.
Speaker 3: Sam Donald being hoisted on shoulders, all of that talks about.
Speaker 3: It speaks to the love and the just a caring
Speaker 3: and consideration that these guys have for one another. The
Speaker 3: best teams are the most connected teams, and you can
Speaker 3: see the connectivity in the chemistry amongst the vikings when
Speaker 3: you see that little scene in the locker room.
Speaker 1: Well, I'll get us to the second game on that thought,
Speaker 1: because what Washington has done and their transformation was on
Speaker 1: full display in the Sunday night ball game against Atlanta Falcons.
Speaker 1: A great game, and we'll get to Penix and a
Speaker 1: lot of the exciting things we saw from him, including
Speaker 1: just an absolute seed to extend this ball game. But
Speaker 1: Jayden Daniels with his arm, with his legs outstanding this team.
Speaker 1: I kind of look, I have to admit, hol you know,
Speaker 1: raise my hand up and say I was wrong about this.
Speaker 1: They brought in so many of these older veterans, zach
Speaker 1: Ertz being one of them, and I was like, man,
Speaker 1: I don't know if there's anything left with some of
Speaker 1: these guys, you know, And turns out this is this
Speaker 1: is Adam Peters understanding the value having kind of these
Speaker 1: these culture guys and these kind of guys who just
Speaker 1: kind of raised the level of focus and intensity. And
Speaker 1: zach Ertz showed you in this ball game and a
Speaker 1: you know game you gotta have, they're still a little
Speaker 1: bit left in the tank as well.
Speaker 3: Yeah, DJ, I think it comes down to relationships, and
Speaker 3: that might be the theme of twenty twenty four, the
Speaker 3: importance of relationships and team building. You think about zach
Speaker 3: Ertz and having spent time working and playing on the
Speaker 3: cliff Kingsburg so Kingsbury can vouch for him. You think
Speaker 3: about Bobby Wagner and Dorence Armstrong and some of the
Speaker 3: guys Dante Fowler coming over from the Dallas Cowboys because
Speaker 3: dan Quinn has a relationship with them. All of these
Speaker 3: relationships are important because when you're bringing older guys. In
Speaker 3: sometimes it's about the talent. A lot of times it's
Speaker 3: about the teaching in terms of them teaching the younger
Speaker 3: guys how the culture is supposed to be, how you're
Speaker 3: supposed to prepare and play as professionals. All of that
Speaker 3: stuff goes. But let's be real, they knocked it out
Speaker 3: the park with the quarterback Jade and Daniels. The maturity, uh,
Speaker 3: the leadership, the poise, the playmaking. All of that combined
Speaker 3: with the veteran leadership has had the Commanders reverse their
Speaker 3: fortunes in a quick turnaround.
Speaker 2: On to Adam Peters and Dan Quinn.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean we've seen some you know, awesome rookie
Speaker 1: performances at quarterback the last few years. I mean c J.
Speaker 1: Stroud last year was incredible what he accomplished, I would
Speaker 1: say with Jaden because of what he can bring with
Speaker 1: his legs. He's brought that same level of poise and
Speaker 1: like the low heartbeat in the passing game. But then
Speaker 1: oh yeah, by the way, he can run for hundred
Speaker 1: yards if you need him to.
Speaker 2: Uh.
Speaker 1: And on Keith third downs, you've got a playbook that's
Speaker 1: five inches thick, uh that you can go to including
Speaker 1: an under center quarterback Counter, which I hadn't know if
Speaker 1: I've ever seen that Bacon Bacon and around and they
Speaker 1: were in quarterback Counter. I was like, geez, but that's
Speaker 1: what you know. Like that play like that expands the
Speaker 1: playbook man.
Speaker 3: He does explain the playbook, and Cliff Kingsbury has done
Speaker 3: a really good job of putting them in situations where
Speaker 3: they're able to run it. But I feel like, very
Speaker 3: similar to the way Lamar Jackson runs, I feel like
Speaker 3: all of the runs that Jayden takes on are kind
Speaker 3: of protected runs, meaning he always has a convoy with him,
Speaker 3: he always has an escort, or he's near the sideline
Speaker 3: and you don't really see him take a wicked shot.
Speaker 3: Lamar Jackson has a sixth sense when it comes to
Speaker 3: not taking a big hit. Jayden Daniels has some of that,
Speaker 3: and I was worried about that watching him come out
Speaker 3: of LSU. Kingsbury at offensive to have done a really
Speaker 3: good job of really taking advantage of a I would
Speaker 3: say an underrated skill that he brought to the table
Speaker 3: is one of the reasons why the Commander's offense is
Speaker 3: really a headache to the fen and it's only going
Speaker 3: to get better as they continue to surround them with
Speaker 3: a level players.
Speaker 1: Yeah, he took some blow up shots in college, blowing
Speaker 1: yard sale type shots, yes, yeah, taking those man. He
Speaker 1: And the other thing is I brought this up in
Speaker 1: the draft process was one of the things about that
Speaker 1: and I said it with Bryce Young too, because people
Speaker 1: were worried about his side and how we hold up.
Speaker 1: I'm like, look, I put clips together and showed all
Speaker 1: these huge shots that they took where they were no flags.
Speaker 1: In the SEC. I'm like, look, SEC is, you know,
Speaker 1: has proven itself. It's been the best conference of the
Speaker 1: most players it is. It is a more physical brand
Speaker 1: of football in the SEC than it is in the NFL. People,
Speaker 1: that's that's crazy. They're bigger, faster, stronger than the NFL. Like, yeah,
Speaker 1: the referees, the officials don't protect them in the SEC
Speaker 1: like you get protected in the NFL. So a lot
Speaker 1: of those blow up shots he was taken, which would
Speaker 1: have been flags and in some cases maybe even injections
Speaker 1: in the NFL. These NFL players are pros, they've been trained.
Speaker 1: They don't you don't get as many of those type
Speaker 1: of hits. So that's one thing. The other thing I
Speaker 1: would say, is this is going to age. Well, a
Speaker 1: lot of times you get quarterbacks that can run like Jayden.
Speaker 1: You're like, okay, well, once the legs go, what are
Speaker 1: you left with?
Speaker 2: No?
Speaker 1: No, no, no. He can win from the pocket, he
Speaker 1: can read things out, he can get it through progressions.
Speaker 1: This is just a nice bonus he has while he's young,
Speaker 1: and when he gets older, he's going to be able
Speaker 1: to beat you right in the cockpit. He's not gonna
Speaker 1: need his legs. So he's an exciting player, man.
Speaker 2: The exciting player.
Speaker 3: And you can see the many you can already envision
Speaker 3: the many iterations of the Commander's offense with him at quarterback.
Speaker 3: You can see them transitioning from what they're doing in
Speaker 3: the gun to being a more under center offense and
Speaker 3: using the stretched bootleg combination stuff as he gets older.
Speaker 2: What we love, and.
Speaker 3: We've said this because I think Brian Billikett has said
Speaker 3: that what I want is I want a quarterback who's athletic.
Speaker 3: I don't want necessarily an athlete who's playing quarterback. And
Speaker 3: there's a subtle difference in that because Jayden Daniels is
Speaker 3: a quarterback who can do all the things that you
Speaker 3: want to see from the pocket, but he gives you
Speaker 3: the bonus athleticism that allows you to utilize him in
Speaker 3: the run game. That's the way the game is trending,
Speaker 3: and we're seeing more and more of those guys kind
Speaker 3: of make their way into the league and have a
Speaker 3: lot of success.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna need the I'm gonna need our guys to
Speaker 1: go through the archive and find the exo of Pennix
Speaker 1: when he was coming out that I did when he
Speaker 1: was going to the draft, because the throw that he
Speaker 1: made against Texas in that semi final game, you remember,
Speaker 1: it was an end cut and it was like that
Speaker 1: ball I mean it had it was three feet off
Speaker 1: the ground. It was just an absolute seed. It was
Speaker 1: the same exact throw. It's a little different route, but
Speaker 1: the same exact throw in this one to tie the
Speaker 1: ballgame late to Kyle Pitts. Where there's I mean that
Speaker 1: stuff to get excited about, because that is that is elite, leady,
Speaker 1: leady lead arm strength there from Pennix.
Speaker 2: DJ And now I can say this is because I
Speaker 2: had a little preview.
Speaker 3: The Jaguars played the Falcons in the preseason, and though
Speaker 3: Michael Pennick didn't play, you had a chance to see
Speaker 3: him work out and to just say, the ball spins differently,
Speaker 3: it jumps off his hand differently than Kirk Cousins. You
Speaker 3: could feel that and what I'll say like it was
Speaker 3: a late move to give him the starting job at
Speaker 3: this stage of the season, but you could see why
Speaker 3: they felt like it would give their offense more juice.
Speaker 3: Welcome back to the party, Kyle Pits. Appreciate you showing
Speaker 3: up because Michael Pennix can get you the ball lick
Speaker 3: at Drake London, make him plays Oh, Donnielle Mooney gonna
Speaker 3: push it down the field to you.
Speaker 2: And even though the.
Speaker 3: Completion percentage wasn't exactly what you wanted, there are enough
Speaker 3: flashes for you to get excited about. If you're Atlanta
Speaker 3: Falcons fan and you feel an Atlanta Falcons coaching staff,
Speaker 3: there are some things that you can do to really
Speaker 3: take this offense to the next level.
Speaker 2: With Michael PENNOCKX on the center.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the exciting thing to me, and we talked about
Speaker 1: it previously, was you know they got a solid offensive line.
Speaker 1: Continue to invest in that because if you can, if
Speaker 1: you can give him protection and allow him to get
Speaker 1: the ball vertical down the field, and I'm talking about
Speaker 1: like I want you can run old school like nineteen
Speaker 1: nineties era come back. Yeah, fuck, you know back from
Speaker 1: well you remember that. I mean DJ he threw it
Speaker 1: like that last drive when they needed one. It was
Speaker 1: a third and something. He threw like a fifteen yard
Speaker 1: comeback right on the boundary and I'm like, man, that's
Speaker 1: a smoking throw and having b Jon Robinson, like what
Speaker 1: it does is there's a comfort of always being able
Speaker 1: to run the football.
Speaker 2: But it's also b Jon Robinson. He missed him on
Speaker 2: a slant and go.
Speaker 3: And we talked about Bjon rob and being one of
Speaker 3: these seven h seven running backs that is a running back,
Speaker 3: but really he's a wide out on the perimeter. Like
Speaker 3: you can just see the imagination and the creativity that
Speaker 3: Zach Robinson wants to put on this playbook with the
Speaker 3: pieces that he has at his disposal, with this kind
Speaker 3: of quarterback available.
Speaker 1: All Right, We've tracked down the XO book because I
Speaker 1: gotta I gotta show you this. Do you remember this,
Speaker 1: because I know you've seen this before, but I'm just
Speaker 1: watching this. These are these throws against Texas. So the
Speaker 1: first one is just that you know, deep post where
Speaker 1: he kind of puts a bunch of air underneath it.
Speaker 1: There's some examples of him moving around in the pocket. Again,
Speaker 1: this Texas game showed you kind of everything you needed.
Speaker 1: Then another absolute missile to Roma Donsday can drop the
Speaker 1: ball in the bucket over the top. Yeah, just a
Speaker 1: beautiful ball. But this, this is the drive throw that
Speaker 1: we saw for the game winner. This is the exact
Speaker 1: same looking throw. Look at this throw, boom buck it's
Speaker 1: between it beats the it beats the help defender like
Speaker 1: it's just an absolute seed. It was the same exact thing.
Speaker 2: So, I don't know.
Speaker 1: I always find when you're watching these guys play an
Speaker 1: NFL field, then you're like, well, how does things translate? Well,
Speaker 1: I saw that exact same throw work in college, and
Speaker 1: I guess what it works in the NFL too.
Speaker 3: Man, you talk about an exciting time to see some
Speaker 3: of these young quarterbacks, Jade and Daniels and those guys
Speaker 3: go at it, Jay and Daniels, Michael Pennix, seeing them
Speaker 3: play in a primetime game and really play up to expectation.
Speaker 3: Even though Michael Penix didn't have a lot of experience,
Speaker 3: I'm saying, man, the Atlanta fal.
Speaker 2: Because you have to be excited about it.
Speaker 3: You got to figure out a way to get into
Speaker 3: the postseason tournament because I want to see more of
Speaker 3: Michael Pennox in this offense.
Speaker 1: This chance. We might have to wait, might have to
Speaker 1: wait for next year on that one, but it makes
Speaker 1: the off season a lot more fun.
Speaker 2: No one.
Speaker 1: You can build around him and then they'll move on
Speaker 1: from Kirk Cousins and see where he lands next. That win,
Speaker 1: by the way it gave, it helped clinch. I shouldn't
Speaker 1: say gave because that implies that the Rams didn't earn it.
Speaker 1: The Rams have played great football and now they can
Speaker 1: say that they are the champions of the NFC West.
Speaker 1: They won kind of an ugly street fight game against
Speaker 1: Arizona Cardinals, but that win combined with what we saw
Speaker 1: in that game and wash and winning, now the Rams
Speaker 1: have won the NFC West nine and two since the
Speaker 1: bye week.
Speaker 3: Book, you know, DJ, I want to stand up and
Speaker 3: give Sean McVay a standing ovation for the coaching job
Speaker 3: that he's done. The last two years, his teams have
Speaker 3: stumbled out the gate, but somehow he has been able
Speaker 3: to keep it together. This team started out one in four,
Speaker 3: had a losing record at the bye week, but he
Speaker 3: found a way to get them back on track. And
Speaker 3: I'm gonna say this, man, what They've won nine up
Speaker 3: their last eleven games, and they're doing it playing complimentary ball.
Speaker 3: When we think about the Rams, it's quick to think
Speaker 3: about Matthew Stafford and Puka Naku and Cooper Cup, but
Speaker 3: it's really all of the pieces of the puzzle that
Speaker 3: are really working together. It's the running game being allowing
Speaker 3: them to control the game and manage the clock. Is
Speaker 3: Pookah and Cooper being able to make big plays when
Speaker 3: they need it on third downs. It's Matthew Stafford being
Speaker 3: the playmaking quarterback that can win in the clutch, and
Speaker 3: then defensively, they're so opportunistic when it comes to making
Speaker 3: the clutch plays. This is a very difficult team to face,
Speaker 3: and I would say they may not have the highest
Speaker 3: selling of the playoff participants, but man, that floor, that
Speaker 3: is a high floor. And if you don't play a
Speaker 3: solid game against the Rams, the Rams can knock you
Speaker 3: off because they've won so many of these one score
Speaker 3: games down the stretch.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a dangerous It's a dangerous group for sure,
Speaker 1: and I'm excited to see Matthew Stafford in the postseason
Speaker 1: where he can just cut it loose. This was a
Speaker 1: game where defensively that took care of it. Did see
Speaker 1: some good things. By the way, I want to give
Speaker 1: Marvin Harrison some love. He did have it one of
Speaker 1: his better games. And what do you know, Bucket was
Speaker 1: on crossers and on the move, not asking him to
Speaker 1: gear down something he's not.
Speaker 3: What a novel concept, big play, big big body guy.
Speaker 3: Let's speak cut him, Let's not stop and startom because
Speaker 3: that's not what they're ailing to do.
Speaker 1: No, that's not him. But anyways, a nice, nice win
Speaker 1: for the Rams, and they are in the tournament, a
Speaker 1: team that will be a dangerous team to go up
Speaker 1: against for sure. All Right, that's a few ball games
Speaker 1: right there. We've got plenty more to get to. We'll
Speaker 1: get to that right after this, all right, buck not
Speaker 1: the most exciting division in the NFL with the NFC South,
Speaker 1: but Carolina Tampa Bay. I think there's reasons to be
Speaker 1: excited for both ball clubs. Obviously more excited about Tampa
Speaker 1: when you look to score this thing forty eight to fourteen.
Speaker 1: But we still saw some good things from Bryce Young
Speaker 1: as he continues to play good football coming down the
Speaker 1: home stretch here. But let's stick with Tampa right back
Speaker 1: in the mix now due to Atlanta losing, they kind
Speaker 1: of control their fate. Now they just need to win
Speaker 1: against the Saints. I would say that shouldn't be difficult,
Speaker 1: but you never know what can happen here when there
Speaker 1: puts them in And that's a team with Baker Mayfield
Speaker 1: playing lights out right now.
Speaker 3: Playing lights out, and Bak is another case study in
Speaker 3: terms of quarterbacks and what quarterbacks need to be successful.
Speaker 3: When you think about Liam Cohen and what they've been
Speaker 3: able to build in Tampa Bay, you think about what
Speaker 3: they have around them. You have Mike Evans, you look
Speaker 3: a nice combo in the backfield with White and Irvin.
Speaker 2: They have a lot of play around him. But let's
Speaker 2: also give him.
Speaker 3: Credit for the way that he has really been able
Speaker 3: to flourish within this system. Less is more when it
Speaker 3: comes to Baker Mayfield. But when you throw for three
Speaker 3: hundred and fifty plus yards five touchdowns and you have
Speaker 3: the rhythm going like he hasn't. We have seen a
Speaker 3: Buccaneers team and an offense that look, it's kind of
Speaker 3: left for dead when Chris Godwin got hurt. They have
Speaker 3: continued to light it up, and a lot of it
Speaker 3: is due to the former number one overall pick playing
Speaker 3: like a Pro Bowl player.
Speaker 1: Yeah, Buck Irving had some nice runs as well. I
Speaker 1: think he had four explosive runs in this game. So
Speaker 1: he continues to do his thing playing at a high level.
Speaker 1: I was curious and look this up just while you
Speaker 1: were talking there. So if you looked at the five
Speaker 1: quarterbacks leading the NFL in yards right now, Joe Burrow
Speaker 1: is number one. Let me pull it up again here,
Speaker 1: so you've got Joe Burrow is number one, obviously on
Speaker 1: his original team. Baker Mayfield not his original team. Sam
Speaker 1: Darnold not his original team, Geno Smith not his original team,
Speaker 1: Jared Goff not his original team. So only one of
Speaker 1: the top five quarterbacks in the NFL in terms of
Speaker 1: yards is on his original team. So when we get
Speaker 1: ready for the draft coming up here in the spring,
Speaker 1: and we're looking at all these teams with quarterback needs
Speaker 1: and we're gonna lament the fact that this draft is
Speaker 1: not that deep, there is plenty to look at from
Speaker 1: an example standpoint of being able to hit on guys
Speaker 1: that sort of speak recycled through the program here.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's about finding the right fit, and you have
Speaker 3: to understand exactly what you're looking for, and you have
Speaker 3: to have an adaptable system that can work with various
Speaker 3: quarterbacks in terms of various playing styles and those things.
Speaker 3: Sam Donald and Baker Mayfield having success, to me goes
Speaker 3: all the way back to an old thing that used
Speaker 3: to be talked about in Green Bay when Rob Wolf
Speaker 3: was general manager and he learned it from Al Davis.
Speaker 3: Anytime someone is drafted as high as Donald and Baker
Speaker 3: Mayfield were drafted, respectively, you always want to kick the
Speaker 3: tires on them because the draft status speaks to their pedigree,
Speaker 3: and the pedigree is about their talent and their potential.
Speaker 3: And you always give those guys multiple bykes at the
Speaker 3: apple because you're trying to find the right environment for
Speaker 3: that talent.
Speaker 2: To fully flourish.
Speaker 3: And for Baker Mayfield, he has found that in Tampa.
Speaker 3: Sam Donald has found that in Minnesota. But man, just
Speaker 3: because it doesn't work the first spot, the second or
Speaker 3: third spot could be the place where the talent finally
Speaker 3: matches with the scheme and allows him to kind of
Speaker 3: be the player that many of us Envision when we
Speaker 3: were doing the pre draft process.
Speaker 1: Yeah, there's times you miss on guys and it's a
Speaker 1: talent thing, right, There's just times where you go, oh, man,
Speaker 1: you know what I didn't This guy just physically cannot
Speaker 1: make the throws. He physically can't stay healthy. You know,
Speaker 1: those are things where you're like, yeah, okay, I missed it.
Speaker 1: And the other times like, look, this guy's got ability,
Speaker 1: but it's not working out. Those are the guys you
Speaker 1: want to try and you know, go find who guys
Speaker 1: who have had moments like Baker Mayfield in Cleveland had moments,
Speaker 1: Sam Donald had moments with the Jets. Like now, you
Speaker 1: go through that whole process early on you never had
Speaker 1: a moment, then you know, maybe you just missed on
Speaker 1: the talent and maybe that's somebody like Josh Rosen just
Speaker 1: kind of the league, just kind of flushed right out
Speaker 1: of the league. So but these guys that I all mentioned,
Speaker 1: Gino had his moment. You look at golf. Obviously going
Speaker 1: to a Super Bowl showed you what he was capable of.
Speaker 1: But I think there is a formula there, talent and
Speaker 1: moments putting those together.
Speaker 3: Absolutely, And I had an old scout used to talk
Speaker 3: about grade to flashes. Man, When guys flash and they
Speaker 3: pop on tape and they do it multiple times, like
Speaker 3: you got a grade in there, because that shows you
Speaker 3: that it can be done. Now, his job as the
Speaker 3: player is to do it over and over and over again.
Speaker 3: Your job as the executive, as the coach or whatever
Speaker 3: is to put them in a situation where they can
Speaker 3: repeat those flashes. We're seeing that with Baker Mayfield. It
Speaker 3: has really worked for him in Tampa. And the thing
Speaker 3: about it, the mature version of Baker Mayfield gives you
Speaker 3: all of the stuff that you liked about him when
Speaker 3: he was coming out of Oklahoma, the confidence, the brashness,
Speaker 3: the boldness. But now he is doing it with emotional control,
Speaker 3: and he's also doing it while displaying the leadership that
Speaker 3: you love to see from your franchise quarterback.
Speaker 1: No doubt, Buck. This would have been five six years ago,
Speaker 1: somewhere around there. I was living in Marietta, California, and
Speaker 1: there was a big high school playoff game that was
Speaker 1: right across the street from my house. I knew they
Speaker 1: had a quarterback that was kind of interesting that you
Speaker 1: know that was playing in the games. Like I'm gonna
Speaker 1: go watch this kid, just see what he is. So
Speaker 1: I go out there, I'm watching the game. I text
Speaker 1: David Shaw, who's the head coach at Stanford at the time.
Speaker 1: I say, hey, are you on this this quarterback from Centennial.
Speaker 1: He's big, he's athletic, like he's impressive, and he's like, no,
Speaker 1: I think I think we have a shot at getting him.
Speaker 1: I think we have a shot at getting him. So,
Speaker 1: long story short, he does end up going to Stanford.
Speaker 1: Kind of lost tracking over the years, and then I'm
Speaker 1: just you know, I think I was watching the red
Speaker 1: zone at this time, and then all of a sudden,
Speaker 1: the Eagles popped on. I'm like, hey, it's Tanner McKee.
Speaker 1: That's the kid that I that I watched in high school.
Speaker 1: I didn't even have totally forgot he was playing the Eagles,
Speaker 1: to be totally honest with you. Over the years got
Speaker 1: out there after Kenny Pickett got hurt and played quite
Speaker 1: well on a day where Saquon Barkley, you know, racks
Speaker 1: up two thousand yards. I thought it was it was
Speaker 1: kind of cool to see the success of the run game,
Speaker 1: while also, you know, organizationally, it's a it's a little
Speaker 1: bit of a you know, it's a little bit of
Speaker 1: a proud moment when you're down to your third quarterback
Speaker 1: and you're not skipping a beat.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that is that is great to see Tanner McKey.
Speaker 3: I would say having been around Tanner McKey at the
Speaker 3: Nike opening he was on our team and watching him grow,
Speaker 3: and then watching him because you wouldn't see someone six '
Speaker 3: six play in a system like Corona Centennial where sometimes
Speaker 3: they would run the quarterback, but he could do all
Speaker 3: of those things. And following his career at Stanford and
Speaker 3: watching him make his way to the league, you're very
Speaker 3: excited about the fact that he was QB three, but
Speaker 3: he could come in and have the success that he had.
Speaker 2: For Saquon Barkley.
Speaker 3: Man, this is everything that the Philadelphia Eagles could have
Speaker 3: hoped for when they look made the move to swipe
Speaker 3: their division rivals best player. Saquon Barkley comes in, puts
Speaker 3: up two thousand rushing yards and they still have a
Speaker 3: game to go. He does it while kind of taking
Speaker 3: over and becoming the centerpiece of this offense. We all
Speaker 3: wondered what he would look like behind a dominant offensive line.
Speaker 3: We have to wonder no more because he is in
Speaker 3: all timer when he's been able to play behind the
Speaker 3: Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have to be excited about what
Speaker 3: Barkley is done. And you rest him up, you get
Speaker 3: him ready for the playoffs. Eagles offense looks good and
Speaker 3: their defense is also coming along.
Speaker 1: All right, This is just a free piece of advice.
Speaker 1: Sit him next week. That chasing a record league, not
Speaker 1: a sixteen game league. That changes the value of some
Speaker 1: of these awards. And at the end of the records,
Speaker 1: at the end of the day, who cares two thousand yards?
Speaker 1: You got check that box. Get rested up. You have
Speaker 1: the number two seed. You're not gonna get a buy
Speaker 1: You're gonna have to turn and play. So no, put
Speaker 1: those dudes on ice. That would be mead Well.
Speaker 3: I think they've already let us know that they're gonnaut
Speaker 3: him on ice because as soon as he got over
Speaker 3: to two thousand yard mark, here we go, come on
Speaker 3: ball cap. And I think it's smart because for the Eagles,
Speaker 3: Saquon Barkley is the one that really creates all the
Speaker 3: headache and heartbreak for defensive coordinators because you have to
Speaker 3: account for him because he can beat you on the ground.
Speaker 3: But now if you put too much attention on him.
Speaker 3: That's when Aj Brown and DeVante Smith can get off.
Speaker 3: He is essential for an essential piece to the championship puzzle.
Speaker 3: That's why he has to be available in the postseason.
Speaker 3: No sa Kwan, no work in week eighteen will condition
Speaker 3: We'll do some other stuff. Get you on the staremaster,
Speaker 3: get you ready, but we won't see you again to
Speaker 3: the tournament starts.
Speaker 1: I also want to mention one other connection in this game.
Speaker 1: We saw it in one of those clips. Kellen Moore
Speaker 1: on the sideline. Kellen Moore member with the Dallas Cowboys.
Speaker 1: Coach McCarthy wanted to take things over, so Kellen Moore goes.
Speaker 1: He goes to the Chargers, you know, up and down there,
Speaker 1: then comes to the Eagles. Now they are thirteen and three.
Speaker 1: He's got a two thousand yard rusher. He's shown that
Speaker 1: he can work with three different quarterbacks to find a
Speaker 1: way to get the job done. He's you know, he's
Speaker 1: he's done a really, really good job. It was just
Speaker 1: interesting seeing him on the same column with the sideline
Speaker 1: playing against the Cowboys. That had to be a little
Speaker 1: bit of a sweet moment for him. As they clinched
Speaker 1: the number two seed.
Speaker 3: Well give him credit also because DJ like the running game.
Speaker 3: Everyone always would talk about Kellen Moore in the passing
Speaker 3: game and the creative shifts and those things, and how
Speaker 3: he really helped Dak Prescott play well and that stuff.
Speaker 3: But the running game and his ability to adapt and
Speaker 3: to bring some things in that weren't really within his
Speaker 3: comfort zone. He has been able to find a way
Speaker 3: to unlock Jalen Hurst the last part of the season.
Speaker 3: Getting back to the running game, what he was able
Speaker 3: to do with Sakwan bark and not only as a
Speaker 3: runner but as a receiver. The growth that he has shown,
Speaker 3: I think he puts some more shine back on his name.
Speaker 2: As we began to.
Speaker 3: Think about who could be available in the coaching carousel
Speaker 3: as a potential head coach.
Speaker 1: Yeah, hey, Chicago Bears would be an interesting one there
Speaker 1: with Caleb. We'll see what happens. Some of these other
Speaker 1: jobs that could pop that have some young talented quarterbacks.
Speaker 1: Hopefully Kellen Moore, we'll get some looks there. Denver Cincinnati,
Speaker 1: what a game. I'll give you the scene. I'm on
Speaker 1: the Chargers plane. We're flying back that long flight from
Speaker 1: New England, and that game is on the headrest, so
Speaker 1: we had we had live TV on this flight, so
Speaker 1: everybody in the whole plane is watching it, and you
Speaker 1: it's in a fun experience to be with a team
Speaker 1: who is somewhat impacted by this game, right because the
Speaker 1: Denver Broncos lose, that that is uh, you know, one
Speaker 1: to keep an eye on. But more importantly, it's Cincinnati winning.
Speaker 1: Because Cincinnati now has everything to play for next week
Speaker 1: against Pittsburgh, they have a chance to still get into
Speaker 1: the postseason. So if somehow Cincinnati were to beat the
Speaker 1: Steelers next week and the Chargers beat the Raiders, the
Speaker 1: Chargers would go to the five seed instead of the six,
Speaker 1: which would mean going to Houston instead of potentially going
Speaker 1: to Baltimore. So anyway, I know you've been on those
Speaker 1: planes too, Buck. It's always fun when you're on there
Speaker 1: and people are reacting in real time to something that
Speaker 1: could impact them.
Speaker 3: Yeah, real time, and Joe Burrow certainly gave them a
Speaker 3: lot to react to. And DJ, I'm gonna say this
Speaker 3: and my little piece of advice to Mike run and
Speaker 3: Cincinnati Bengals, keep them both. You got to find a
Speaker 3: way to keep t Higgins and Jamar Chase and I
Speaker 3: know we don't like to commit so much money to
Speaker 3: one position, but man, when I just look at the
Speaker 3: combo and how good they are on.
Speaker 2: Offense, no, not how good they are, how great.
Speaker 3: They are on offensel O Burrow, T Higgins and Jamar
Speaker 3: Chase DJ We've talked about this sometimes. Man, you just
Speaker 3: want to be great on once out of the ball
Speaker 3: and you figure out the other side of the ball.
Speaker 2: I know this.
Speaker 3: I know if the Bengals can figure out how to
Speaker 3: start the season a little faster, their offense is good
Speaker 3: enough to get them into tournament and make them a
Speaker 3: pain in the neck to play, find a way to
Speaker 3: pay the money. T Higgins, Jamar Chase, both of those
Speaker 3: guys can go bokers at any point. And with Joe
Speaker 3: Burrow playing point guard, this team has a puncher's chance
Speaker 3: against anybody because the offense is that good.
Speaker 1: Yeah, the challenge is going to be can you get in?
Speaker 1: And now you've got a Denver team that they lost
Speaker 1: this game, but they played well. Bo Nicks I thought
Speaker 1: was one of more impressive games. He made some unbelievable
Speaker 1: throws in this game. Excited to see, you know where
Speaker 1: he continues to go in his development. But next week
Speaker 1: they're going to play a Chiefs team that's gonna be
Speaker 1: sitting guys, So it's gonna be Bo Nicks up against
Speaker 1: Carson Wentz and whoever else. Kansas City wants to roll
Speaker 1: out there for the Broncos to get into the postseason,
Speaker 1: which would be a heck of an accomplishment. Man, with
Speaker 1: these rookie quarterbacks finding their way into the postseason, Washington,
Speaker 1: if Knicks can get it done, put them in there
Speaker 1: as wells and Pennix is still there hanging around there
Speaker 1: as he's gotten that starting job. There a potential team.
Speaker 1: So I always think that's cool when you have young quarterbacks,
Speaker 1: really young quarterbacks, and you're having some success. And I
Speaker 1: thought he played his butt off in that game.
Speaker 3: He did, And I think the blueprint has been laid
Speaker 3: down about the kind of quarterbacks that you're looking for
Speaker 3: when it comes to early starters, guys who have played
Speaker 3: significant snaps as collegiance. We're seeing that they're able to
Speaker 3: transition fairly quickly into the NFL. It may not happen
Speaker 3: week one, but about week eight we're seeing them take
Speaker 3: on more. That's what we saw from Bownicks. We saw
Speaker 3: it happened a little sooner for Jay and Daniels. It
Speaker 3: is exciting to see these young quarterbacks have success because DJ,
Speaker 3: a lot of times we beat people up in terms
Speaker 3: of ottest quarterback class isn't so good. I don't know,
Speaker 3: and this and that, But time and time again, some
Speaker 3: of these young quarterbacks are showing Hey, in the right environment,
Speaker 3: with the right coaching, they can have a lot of success.
Speaker 2: I think experience is critical.
Speaker 1: Though, Yeah, I think that's a great point.
Speaker 2: Man.
Speaker 1: Just how much have these guys seen and experienced. It's
Speaker 1: going to give you a definitely give you a leg
Speaker 1: up at the next level. All right, buck, it is
Speaker 1: time for cruising to victory, presented by Royal Caribbean. And
Speaker 1: this was a game I was at. The Chargers just
Speaker 1: absolutely mauled and hammered the New England Patriots. And that's
Speaker 1: another sign of a well coached team. And we said
Speaker 1: it about Jim Harball all year long. Beat the teams
Speaker 1: you're supposed to beat, and in this case, don't make
Speaker 1: it particularly close.
Speaker 3: Yeah, don't mess around, go right to him. And it
Speaker 3: is very reminiscent of highest teams would take care of
Speaker 3: business at Michigan. The Chargers step into a team they're
Speaker 3: clearly better than, and they didn't mess around.
Speaker 2: They were focused, they were locked in, and you saw
Speaker 2: it in.
Speaker 3: The way they efficiently carved up the Patriots offensively. I
Speaker 3: can't say enough about Lab McConkie and Lab mccackiy having
Speaker 3: a thousand yards Lab McConkie just working people over. But
Speaker 3: it's also the other people in the past game that
Speaker 3: are able to get down. It's funny because you've seen
Speaker 3: it up close and personal. You've seen more talented Chargers
Speaker 3: teams not have the love of success that this team
Speaker 3: is at. And a lot of it is Jim Harbaugh,
Speaker 3: the standards and expectations and the way that they're executing
Speaker 3: the game plan. Just a really good team, a really
Speaker 3: smart team that is playing well but playing within themselves
Speaker 3: when it comes to understanding who they are and how
Speaker 3: they need to play to win games.
Speaker 1: And also JK. Dobbins being an X factor. I mean,
Speaker 1: he showed you kind of had his value getting him
Speaker 1: back in this ball game. I thought they might really
Speaker 1: ease him in, but they gave him a good load.
Speaker 1: He was physical, he ran well, he's excellent in pass protection.
Speaker 1: He catched the ball if you need him too out
Speaker 1: of the backfield getting him backs. Big Stone Smart is
Speaker 1: a name to keep an eye on, who they've used
Speaker 1: more and more as a tight end, you know, over
Speaker 1: the last month or so. He's helped provide some more
Speaker 1: weaponry for Justin Herbert in this office offense. Darius Davis
Speaker 1: catches a touchdown second week in a row, who's got
Speaker 1: some real, real speed, you know, has found a role here.
Speaker 1: So I think with a first year coach with a
Speaker 1: new team, you know, and Jim Harball getting a chance
Speaker 1: to learn this roster, Greg Roman learning this roster, I
Speaker 1: think they're now getting to the point now where you're
Speaker 1: starting to see him Okay, they've figured out how to
Speaker 1: use these guys and maximize what they do. And Justin
Speaker 1: Herbert this is a crazy thing, but he won't show it.
Speaker 1: I think he's playing as well as he ever has
Speaker 1: in terms of elevating the guys around him, not having
Speaker 1: those familiar faces that he's had for his entire career
Speaker 1: with Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Eckler. But I've seen
Speaker 1: him lift all these guys up. The guy's not going
Speaker 1: to make the Pro Bowl, and I'm thinking about it
Speaker 1: I was thinking about the day. I don't even know
Speaker 1: if Patrick Mahomes is going to make the Pro Bowl
Speaker 1: this year, because you're gonna have three quarterbacks. You've got
Speaker 1: Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen I would think
Speaker 1: are going to be the three, which is crazy to
Speaker 1: say because I think we would all agree Patrick Mahomes
Speaker 1: the best player in the NFL, and Justin Herbert's playing
Speaker 1: as well as he ever has. Long story short, the
Speaker 1: AFC quarterback situation is loaded.
Speaker 3: It is loaded, and it is unfortunate that Justin Herbert
Speaker 3: won't make the Pro Bowl. But here's what I am
Speaker 3: sure he's willing to trade. The w's matter a lot
Speaker 3: more than the Pro Bowl nominations and burse and the
Speaker 3: fact that this team is winning and they're winning with
Speaker 3: him doing list and he had to do previously. It
Speaker 3: works for him, and I believe we talked about coaches
Speaker 3: and quarterbacks being married and how important that they compliment
Speaker 3: one another. Justin Herbert is the perfect quarterback for Jim
Speaker 3: Harbaugh and the system.
Speaker 2: He gets it.
Speaker 3: Man, He's selfless, He's willing to put the team over
Speaker 3: his own individual agenda, and they are winning more because
Speaker 3: the quarterback. Doesn't matter how they get to the winner circle.
Speaker 3: He's just gonna do whatever he needs to get done
Speaker 3: to help this team get there.
Speaker 1: Well buck the Buffalo Bills. I think that an inner
Speaker 1: squad game. I don't think never mind, Actually that was
Speaker 1: a real game. I thought they were just practicing against
Speaker 1: the Jets, but it turns out it was a real
Speaker 1: ball game. If you want to call it that a shellacking.
Speaker 1: Josh Allen didn't have to do much, just get in
Speaker 1: and get out of there. Are forty to fourteen over
Speaker 1: the Jets.
Speaker 3: Man business as usual up in Buffalo, and Sean McDermott
Speaker 3: does a really good job of getting this team to
Speaker 3: embrace the blue collar approach that they have to follow.
Speaker 2: To win games.
Speaker 3: And even though you have an MVP candidate, MVP front
Speaker 3: runner and Josh Allen, this team is really one that
Speaker 3: has to play a certain way to be able to
Speaker 3: get it done. So it's impressive to watch them not
Speaker 3: only make six straight playoff appearances, win the division five
Speaker 3: straight times, but the way they're able to dismantle the Jets,
Speaker 3: and I would say a very workmanlike fashion. Josh Allen
Speaker 3: didn't have it crazy day, had three total touchdowns, but
Speaker 3: continues to just kind of drive the ship the way
Speaker 3: that he needs to do it. This team is solid, man,
Speaker 3: This solid all around. And it's gonna be so fun
Speaker 3: to watch the playoffs because in the AFC, man the
Speaker 3: quarterback play is about as good as it gets and
Speaker 3: Josh Allen is one of those guys that deserves credit
Speaker 3: for it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and the fact that they're locked into the two chill,
Speaker 1: you have no buy, so just chill, rest everybody up,
Speaker 1: and get ready for the following week. I would think
Speaker 1: that has to be the plan.
Speaker 2: That has to be planning.
Speaker 3: I will say this though, they do not want the
Speaker 3: Cincinnati Bengals to get in there, just because like having
Speaker 3: to vanquished the Demons.
Speaker 1: Cincinnati's got so in that if they're coming, that's up
Speaker 1: to the Chiefs to decide that. The Chiefs have to
Speaker 1: decide whether they'd rather have the Bills in or where
Speaker 1: they have, you know, potentially a team that could beat
Speaker 1: the Bills. The Bengals could go in there and beat
Speaker 1: the Bills. Maybe they could you know, eliminate the Bills.
Speaker 1: Or they could be saying, well, well then what's our
Speaker 1: where we gotta face Joe Burrow I don't know that
Speaker 1: I want that. So the Chiefs got a lot of
Speaker 1: say so, and who say is going to be absolutely
Speaker 1: all right? Colts, Giants. Giants said first overall pick, not interested,
Speaker 1: We'll go ahead and take this one. Malik Neighbors went off.
Speaker 1: I think you get five explosives and some of them
Speaker 1: will quick hitters, run after catch. He's dynamic, He's going
Speaker 1: to be a fun It's going to be a fun
Speaker 1: toy for whoever's playing quarterback for this team next year.
Speaker 1: But whoever's playing quarterback for this team next year might
Speaker 1: not be, you know, one of those top quarterbacks depending
Speaker 1: on how the draft shakes out. But they fall I believe,
Speaker 1: from one to four now in terms of draft pick.
Speaker 1: And then on the other side of it, the Indianapolis Colts,
Speaker 1: they're done. They are out. No postseason for them. A
Speaker 1: team that's stuck in the middle. Buck, I don't know
Speaker 1: what else to say. I mean, they're just kind of
Speaker 1: mired and myriad mediocrity right now.
Speaker 3: Yeah, they're stuck in the middle of First, I want
Speaker 3: touch on the Giants thing, and I think everyone has
Speaker 3: to understand coaches and players, man, they don't worry about
Speaker 3: those draft picks. Man, you're Brian dave Ball and you've
Speaker 3: gone with ten eleven weeks without winning a game.
Speaker 2: You just want to get a win.
Speaker 3: And I think what his postgame comment said and revealed
Speaker 3: it is telling. He talked about, man, when you get
Speaker 3: good quarterback play, you always have a chance to win.
Speaker 3: And so Drew Locke played well. It gave the Giants
Speaker 3: a chance to win. You can say the same thing
Speaker 3: and reverse. In terms of the Indianapolis Coast, they put
Speaker 3: a lot of their hopes and dreams into the Anthony
Speaker 3: Richardson basket and they haven't been rewarded for going all
Speaker 3: in on a talented prospect who's not quite a polished player.
Speaker 3: And they have to make a decision on how can
Speaker 3: they go forward with Anthony Richardson at quarterback?
Speaker 2: How can they get them going?
Speaker 3: Because when I look at the roster, I look at
Speaker 3: the team, the team is solid enough to be a
Speaker 3: perennial playoff team, but they not good enough at quarterback yet. Uh,
Speaker 3: that's gonna be the mission in the offseason. Can they
Speaker 3: get Anthony Richardson ready to play if he's going to
Speaker 3: continue to be QB one, or are they gonna have
Speaker 3: to find someone else? That can give him a little
Speaker 3: competition for the QB one job.
Speaker 1: I also think Drew Locke, he kind of enters into
Speaker 1: that conversation. We talked about right tools and flashes. He's
Speaker 1: got tools, He's shown us flashes. He's the maybe maybe
Speaker 1: he's a bridge quarterback for next year as you bring
Speaker 1: in a young guy and and who knows, maybe he
Speaker 1: catches lightning in a bottle like Sam Donald did. But that, uh,
Speaker 1: that to me is someone that if you're going to
Speaker 1: have a bridge QB, I kind of like the idea
Speaker 1: of somebody who's being young but has done something in
Speaker 1: this league, has some accomplishments and some ability, which gives
Speaker 1: you credibility inside the locker room, and when you're meeting
Speaker 1: with your offense there they take you seriously.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Look, he's always one of my favorites. Says meet him
Speaker 3: as a as a teenager, put the backpack. He got
Speaker 3: a little swagger, he was able to put it together.
Speaker 3: But I think he got the memo, Hey, the offense
Speaker 3: is a lot better when number one touches the ball early.
Speaker 2: At offense.
Speaker 3: Let's make sure the ball goes to number one and
Speaker 3: I look like a much better player. And the team
Speaker 3: looks much better when Malie Napers is doing his thing
Speaker 3: on the perimeter.
Speaker 1: No doubt. Happy for Drew Locke, He's a nice kid.
Speaker 1: Miami Cleveland not a pretty game here, twenty to three Dolphins.
Speaker 1: I mean everybody I was laughing because everybody's clamoring for Jamis.
Speaker 1: They're like, look, and that's why. And that's my phrase
Speaker 1: that I've always had buck, which is, hey can't be
Speaker 1: bad and boring, no fun. You can be good and boring,
Speaker 1: but you can't be bad and boring. And without Jos
Speaker 1: out there, extremely boring as well as bad.
Speaker 3: I mean, he gave you look, he'll throw you in it,
Speaker 3: he'll throw you out of it. But the one thing
Speaker 3: he's going to do, he's gonna keep throwing it. And
Speaker 3: this offense has more juice when Jameis Winston is there.
Speaker 3: I think the bigger news that came out is the
Speaker 3: contract restructure that they're going to do for the Shawn
Speaker 3: Watson that guarantees that he's going to be there in
Speaker 3: twenty twenty five. The Cleveland Browns at a crossroads because
Speaker 3: how do they figure out how to build the team
Speaker 3: and get this team back up and running with the
Speaker 3: quarterback who hasn't played great for them while he's in
Speaker 3: there off injured, inconsistent, But they're really still trying to
Speaker 3: hitch their wagon to them. How do they do it?
Speaker 3: How do they pull it on? And how do they
Speaker 3: have a backup plan? What is playing B? If Deshaun
Speaker 3: Watson doesn't play well next year? What is playing B?
Speaker 3: Can you get a young quarterback to challenge him? A
Speaker 3: lot of questions, a lot of things that have to
Speaker 3: be resolved in the off season for the Cleveland Browns.
Speaker 1: As of right now, the Cleveland Browns hold the third pick,
Speaker 1: so they could stick and pick and potentially maybe get
Speaker 1: a quarterback, or you want to get Froggy. Thew England
Speaker 1: Patriots up there with the first overall pick, who already
Speaker 1: have a quarterback, so they're in strike one distance. They
Speaker 1: if they love, if they love somebody, you know, I
Speaker 1: don't know this class has one of those guys. For me,
Speaker 1: it's cam ord As we sit right now as the
Speaker 1: top guy. But the hard thing would be, gosh, you
Speaker 1: want to pair up Deshaun Watson with a cheap started,
Speaker 1: but you also, just because of how much money you
Speaker 1: have in that position, you don't want to forfeit draft
Speaker 1: picks because you need more cheap starters to go along
Speaker 1: with that, which is going to lead us to having
Speaker 1: the inevitable offseason discussion about what do they do with
Speaker 1: Miles Garrett. But that's another topic for another day. We
Speaker 1: save that one file that one away, Buck, We'll have
Speaker 1: that conversation a little on down the road. It's time
Speaker 1: for Monday Night Football preview, Buck. In this one, we
Speaker 1: have really a tail of two seasons here. The forty
Speaker 1: nine Ers, anything that's gone wrong has gone wrong, and
Speaker 1: the Detroit Lions everything has gone quite well. Everything in
Speaker 1: front of them right now holding the number one seed.
Speaker 1: If they can win this ballgame beat a very very
Speaker 1: tough opponent next week in the Minnesota Vikings, they would
Speaker 1: be the number one seed in the NFC.
Speaker 3: No a lot of in front, a lot of stake
Speaker 3: in this game, I mean not really a lot of state,
Speaker 3: because next week we'll determine whether you win and secure
Speaker 3: the number one seed or not. But this still has
Speaker 3: to have like a little personal thing for the Detroit Lions.
Speaker 3: I felt like they gave away a game last YEARNFC
Speaker 3: Championship game where they were dominating the forty nine Ers,
Speaker 3: early and didn't finish it. I think it's very easy
Speaker 3: for Danny Campbell to get his team motivated to kick
Speaker 3: a team while they're down, and they have an opportunity
Speaker 3: to kick the Niners while they're down and sharpen their
Speaker 3: tubs to get ready for a tough postseason gauntlet. Look
Speaker 3: for the Lions to play well, but also look for
Speaker 3: them to see how they can expand what they're doing
Speaker 3: without having all their weapons available, maybe early in the postseason,
Speaker 3: particularly David Montgomery.
Speaker 2: Let's see how they get Jamiir Gibbs involved.
Speaker 3: Let's see how they continue to lighten the load maybe
Speaker 3: on him, We'll get some others involved in a running game.
Speaker 3: We know where they can do in the passing attack.
Speaker 3: But the Detroit Lions are really special because they've been
Speaker 3: able to run the ball effectively with two backs. How
Speaker 3: do they make up for what is lost when David
Speaker 3: Montgomery's on the sideline?
Speaker 1: Yeah, I would say for another team, another coach, maybe
Speaker 1: you almost kind of use this as a mini bye
Speaker 1: week to get ready for next week, considering, no matter
Speaker 1: what happens in this one, you still control everything going
Speaker 1: into that matchup against Minnesota. But and it's a short week,
Speaker 1: you lose a day. I just don't think Dan Campbell's
Speaker 1: wired that way, So I do not see that happen.
Speaker 1: I see them putting their best foot forward, see if
Speaker 1: they can jump on the forty nine ers early in
Speaker 1: this ballgame, and maybe you can get some rest on
Speaker 1: the back end of it. But a game that, to me,
Speaker 1: everything does point towards the Detroit Lions keeping that momentum alive.
Speaker 1: One other topic I wanted to hit you on before
Speaker 1: we get out of here, because I was, you know, traveling,
Speaker 1: you know, doing the charging game and traveling long flight home,
Speaker 1: and I'm on the flight and I'm like seeing cam
Speaker 1: Ward trending and I'm looking at people losing their minds. Yeah,
Speaker 1: because he did not play in the second half of
Speaker 1: a ball game. He tore it up in the first
Speaker 1: half in their bowl game, doesn't play in the second half,
Speaker 1: they go on to lose. It doesn't sound like Mario
Speaker 1: Cristobal did him any favors by not really giving an
Speaker 1: answer after the game on whether this was the plan
Speaker 1: or not. I don't know all the particulars in terms
Speaker 1: of it was this communicated ahead of time. I'm imagining
Speaker 1: it was that there was you know, there was a
Speaker 1: decision made there collectively. But my point was, teams do
Speaker 1: not care. I'm constantly talking and texting with general managers
Speaker 1: about this kind of stuff, had these conversations at bazillion times.
Speaker 1: I said, play a quarter, play a half, don't play that.
Speaker 1: It's not gonna move you up or down the draft
Speaker 1: board one time and then everybody loses their minds and
Speaker 1: I said, you know, well, okay, well then insert Christian
Speaker 1: McCaffrey's name. Were the one hundred plus guys that have
Speaker 1: skipped Bowl games, including I don't know, I'm guessing there's
Speaker 1: there's fifty of them in this year's of Bowl games
Speaker 1: that aren't playing. So the fact that he played a half, like, oh,
Speaker 1: it just looks bad. He played half of a game
Speaker 1: and then left. And I'm like, teams don't care.
Speaker 3: They don't care, you know, DJ Like, to me, the
Speaker 3: outrage is so crazy, like he gave you a half.
Speaker 3: Most guys that are not playing in the playoffs, he
Speaker 3: gave you a half. He put it out there for half.
Speaker 3: And if he plays in the second half and he
Speaker 3: gets hurt, then everyone's will say, oh, Marie Chris the
Speaker 3: balsh and that play him should have pulled him.
Speaker 2: He should have kept his shit.
Speaker 3: You can't be right when it comes to these conversations
Speaker 3: that you're having on X. When it relates to cam Ward,
Speaker 3: cam Ward did the masalid he to me, it is
Speaker 3: like a preseason game. In a preseason game, you get
Speaker 3: a chance to see a half the look. Put it
Speaker 3: on your hat, pop off your pads, let the young
Speaker 3: guys play. There's nothing that was going to change Miami's
Speaker 3: trajectory if cam Ward plays this. They went to pop
Speaker 3: Tar Bowl and what nothing. You don't get anything out
Speaker 3: of it. There's no crystal ball that you're getting at
Speaker 3: the end for winning the title. So cam Ward didn't
Speaker 3: more than enough for me. In fact, I would say
Speaker 3: that he took advantage of an opportunity because on a
Speaker 3: day when he played and Shador Sanders played, you had
Speaker 3: an opportunity to do a comparative analysis. And the impressive
Speaker 3: flashes that cam Ward put on in the first half
Speaker 3: certainly resonates because that's the lasting impression that evaluators will
Speaker 3: have until we get to the combat.
Speaker 1: You know what, Hey, I tore my achilles. I can't
Speaker 1: do anything in the spring. I might miss the beginning
Speaker 1: of next year, but I got a toaster trophy, so
Speaker 1: it was worth it. Stop it doesn't stop, I think,
Speaker 1: I don't what are we're doing outrage?
Speaker 2: I really it doesn't. It doesn't really.
Speaker 1: Make a spring game. People have divorced them, and you
Speaker 1: know who it is. It's the people that are our
Speaker 1: age in a little bit older, who grew up where
Speaker 1: these bowl games mattered and they mean something and it
Speaker 1: was a big deal. It's not. It's not the same.
Speaker 1: Stop looking at the world through the lens of the nineties.
Speaker 1: This is not what that is anymore. This is a
Speaker 1: glorified spring game. In fact, somebody brought up a great
Speaker 1: point which I would sign on right now. Is that
Speaker 1: your reward, like for how you finished this year for
Speaker 1: if you're not in the playoff, those bowl games were
Speaker 1: not playing them. Now those are going to be the
Speaker 1: kickoff games for next year. So we still have the
Speaker 1: bowl money, everybody still gets all their money, but that
Speaker 1: will be your opening game which will count next year,
Speaker 1: and it would be a huge like neutral site game
Speaker 1: every like what a way to like like launch the
Speaker 1: college football season. Then it would be a meaningful game.
Speaker 1: These games at the end of the year outside the playoff,
Speaker 1: they mean nothing, and I'm gonna hear, oh you just you.
Speaker 1: It doesn't it doesn't matter. It's a spring game. It's
Speaker 1: a spring game. That's all it is.
Speaker 2: It is what it is.
Speaker 3: You have to be adapt will. If anything, it's a
Speaker 3: launching point for spring ball because you have the young
Speaker 3: guys their early enrollies, get a chance to practice with
Speaker 3: the team they babe and get a chance to play
Speaker 3: in the game and do all the other stuff. You
Speaker 3: get to play the young guys and then the way
Speaker 3: you depending on how you set up your calendar for
Speaker 3: spring ball, DJ, you're able to get four weeks of work,
Speaker 3: take maybe another six to eight weeks off, get back
Speaker 3: to spring ball February March, continue on. I mean like
Speaker 3: this is part of the development plan for elite programs.
Speaker 3: Don't make too much of it, like a scals. No
Speaker 3: one cares. We don't care. It's fine. He played, he
Speaker 3: played a half. I got a chance to see him again.
Speaker 3: But if I like cam Ward, there's nothing that he
Speaker 3: did and walking off the field that made me not
Speaker 3: like him. If I like the talent, I like what
Speaker 3: he's shown throughout his career in his time at Miami,
Speaker 3: I'm good with cam.
Speaker 1: Ward and that beings said, I respect Dion's approach that
Speaker 1: he took, which was our guys are gonna play and
Speaker 1: he set that tone from the top and they had,
Speaker 1: you know, a culture change there, and that was the
Speaker 1: message he wanted to send, including with his son and
Speaker 1: Travis Hunter. Now they got their breaks beat off him
Speaker 1: by Kloni Sataki and by you whoa man. That was
Speaker 1: not fun. But that being said, I don't think Schudor
Speaker 1: drops a spot for having not played well in a
Speaker 1: bowl game that didn't carry a lot of significance as
Speaker 1: much as I don't think cam Wore drops the spot
Speaker 1: for bowing out. That's just my two cents buck.
Speaker 2: No, man, I looked the outrage.
Speaker 3: I was like, I can't believe, but I feel like
Speaker 3: this where we're at right now, DJ like people mad
Speaker 3: about the college football playoff oh.
Speaker 2: In the nas munition they got here, Like, hey, man.
Speaker 3: Can we just enjoy the fact that we got ball
Speaker 3: At this time of the year, we will see some
Speaker 3: of these top games. It is what it is like,
Speaker 3: just enjoyed. I don't know why we can't enjoy the
Speaker 3: good things. We always have to pick it apart. I'm
Speaker 3: fine with all of it.
Speaker 1: No, now the college football playoff. You don't see guys
Speaker 1: bowing out. Those are meaningful games and games that we
Speaker 1: will recap right here on move the sticks. Appreciate you
Speaker 1: guys hanging with us. Tons more coming your way as
Speaker 1: we get to the good time of the year, College
Speaker 1: football playoffs, NFL playoffs, it's the good stuff. We'll take
Speaker 1: care of you right here under the sticks.