Latest / Football Junkies podcast / Ep.96: Paper champs

Transcript

Ep.96: Paper champs · Football Junkies podcast

0:03
Double bag alert, double bag alert, double bag
0:05
alert, double bag alert, folks. That's right.
0:07
We got a loaded episode. Now, this is a rare,
0:10
a rarity during the season because most of the
0:14
times we don't get no bag alerts. Most of the
0:16
times it's trades or somebody gets cut or something
0:19
crazy happens. But to get a double bag alert
0:21
during the middle of the season is actually pretty
0:25
cool. We're going to talk about it, all right?
0:27
So Aiden Hutchinson and Marcus Jones get paid.
0:30
Chris Greer parks with the Dolphins. Vikings
0:32
and Chargers recap. Packers and Steelers recap.
0:35
Trades, LSU fires Brian Kelly and Commanders
0:39
and Chiefs recap. Okay, all of this and more.
0:42
On the 96th episode of the Football Junkies Podcast,
0:45
okay, I am your host with the most, all right?
0:47
I am your chief bag roll dollars. That's right,
0:49
chief, head of the table. Anything and everything
0:52
related to the bag, rumors to the bag, and more.
0:54
I am your hopium, hopium, hopium, hopium, hopium
0:57
dealer. All the hopium that you need. I am the
1:02
person that you go to, all right? But I am your
1:04
GM who currently is not on a team right now.
1:07
But don't you worry about it, all right? Don't
1:09
you worry about it because guess what? I am all
1:11
these things and more. But most importantly,
1:14
the most important thing that you must remember
1:16
is I am your host, Kale. Buckle up. It's going
1:19
to get crazy. So guess what? On three. One, two,
1:22
three. Let's lock in. All right, folks, let's
1:44
get into the meat and potatoes of everything
1:46
that is going on in the league right now. So,
1:48
we got a double bag alert during the regular
1:51
season. I know I said it multiple times, but
1:54
you guys don't understand how rare this is, all
1:57
right? So, let's just get into it. So, Aiden
1:59
Hutchinson, pass rusher for the Lions. It's a
2:01
four -year, $180 million deal, $141 million guaranteed.
2:06
He'll be making $45 million a year. Now, when
2:09
we look at his stats from this season so far,
2:11
16 tackles and six sacks. Now, when we look at
2:14
the 2024 season, he had 19 tackles and seven
2:18
and a half sacks. A really good deal for a really
2:20
productive player. Let's be honest here, folks.
2:23
Aiden Hutchinson was going to get paid. It's
2:26
just a matter of... when he was going to get
2:28
paid, and how much he was going to get paid.
2:31
Was it going to be top five? Was it going to
2:33
be top 10? Was it going to reset the market?
2:36
Those were just the questions that we were just
2:38
asking with this situation, because we all know
2:41
that the Lions were not going to let Aiden Hutcherson
2:43
just walk. Now, with that being said, we have
2:46
to have a broader conversation with him getting
2:49
paid now, because now this is going to have a
2:51
trickle effect on both Will Anderson and Trayvon
2:55
Walker. And mind you, Trayvon Walker was in the
2:58
same draft class as Aiden Hutchinson. So according
3:01
to Spoltrak, Trayvon Walker's market value is
3:05
four years, $72 .3 million, which is $18 .1 million
3:09
a year. Will Anderson's market value is three
3:12
years, $103 .2 million, which is $34 .4 million
3:17
a year. Now I will say this, if you're the Jaguars,
3:21
you do have some leverage. And I think you have
3:24
to be honest with Trevon Walker. And you just
3:26
have to say, hey, listen, you are not on that
3:29
level. You are not in that same conversation
3:31
as a TJ Watt or a Miles Garrett or a Max Crosby.
3:36
And that's perfectly fine. Because let's be real
3:38
here. Josh Allen Hines is the real productive
3:43
pass rusher out of the two. So in some ways,
3:46
you could just say, hey, listen, we're not going
3:49
over this limit. And you just have to be honest.
3:51
And I understand that, listen, you're trying
3:54
to maximize the amount of money that you're trying
3:55
to get. But at the same time, you have to be
3:58
honest with yourself. Aiden Hutchinson has been
4:01
one of the better pass rushers since coming into
4:04
the league. And mind you, he is doing this without
4:07
a number two. The only notable number two that
4:11
Aiden Hutchinson had was a Darius Smith. But
4:14
when we talk about the Texans situation, it's
4:17
a little bit more complicated because... pretty
4:19
soon you're also going to have to pay CJ Stroud.
4:22
So the question is, who's going to get the big
4:25
money first? Is it going to be Stroud or is it
4:27
going to be Anderson? Me personally, I'm giving
4:30
all money to Will Anderson. I understand that
4:33
CJ Stroud is the quarterback. I understand that
4:35
you cannot win in this league without the quarterback.
4:38
But you also can't win without Daniil Hunter
4:40
and Will Anderson. And we just saw that against
4:42
the Seahawks last week. That offense was very
4:46
stagnant. It wasn't consistent, and they wasn't
4:49
able to at least put points on the board. They
4:51
had to get help from the defense. So at some
4:55
point, if you're the Texans, you may have to
4:58
talk to C .J. Stroud and say, hey, listen, dog,
5:00
you're going to have to take less because we're
5:02
paying Will Anderson while at the same time surrounding
5:06
you with great talent. Because let's be real
5:09
here, folks, and we're probably going to talk
5:11
about it. During gut check time, that'll probably
5:14
be the next episode because if I'm not mistaken,
5:17
the trade deadline is Tuesday. So yeah, gut check
5:20
time. Just stay tuned for that. But back to this
5:22
conversation. If we're being real here, the Texans
5:25
offensively is in shambles. The offensive line
5:29
is not good. The running game is non -existent.
5:32
Outside of Tank Dell, who else can you say is
5:35
reliable? You have all of these receivers, but
5:38
if we're being real here, none of them have really
5:40
shown anything. Sure, Jalen Noel has had his
5:44
flashes and this person and that person, but
5:47
let's be real here. You guys aren't putting points
5:49
on the board. It's the defense that's keeping
5:52
you in games and actually winning you games.
5:55
So you have to pay Will Anderson. I'm sorry.
5:58
You cannot allow somebody that great of a talent
6:01
to just walk. You have to find a way to pay him.
6:04
But with that being said, let's talk about the
6:06
other bag alert. And that is Marcus Jones, cornerback
6:09
for the Patriots, inks a three -year $36 million
6:11
deal. He'll be making $12 million a year. Now,
6:15
when we look at his stats from this season so
6:16
far, 36 tackles, one sack, two picks. And then
6:20
from the previous season, 58 tackles, one pick.
6:24
A good team -friendly deal for a really productive
6:27
player who not only plays corner, but is also
6:30
really good in the kick return game. That's all
6:32
you got to do sometimes. Get a good contract
6:35
that is team -friendly, that's not going to break
6:38
the bank for a really productive player. You
6:40
don't always have to give them cuckoo for Cocoa
6:43
Puffs type of money. $12 million a year, that's
6:45
actually really good for someone like Marcus
6:47
Jones. I'm just going to be honest here. But
6:48
let's talk about one of the stories that everybody
6:50
has been talking about, and that is Chris Greer
6:53
is out from Miami. That's right, folks. Former
6:57
NFL GM Chris Greer has decided to, quote -unquote,
7:00
part ways from the Dolphins. So this is what
7:04
Steven Ross had to say, and I quote, This morning,
7:07
I made the decision, along with General Manager
7:09
Chris Greer, to mutually part ways. I have incredible
7:12
respect for Chris and his family, and I want
7:15
to thank him for his many contributions to the
7:17
Miami Dolphins over the past 26 years. As I assessed
7:20
the state of the team and in my discussions with
7:22
Chris, it became clear to the both of us that
7:25
change could not wait. We must improve in 2025,
7:29
2026, and beyond, and it needs to start right
7:32
now. Champ Kelly will serve as our intern general
7:35
manager effective immediately, and we will begin
7:37
our search process for a new general manager.
7:40
I want to thank Champ for stepping up in his
7:42
commitment to the Dolphins' success this season.
7:44
There is a lot of football left to play, and
7:47
we all need to fight even harder. I've always
7:50
been and remain committed to building a winning
7:52
team that consistently competes for championships.
7:55
I am incredibly proud of our leadership as an
7:58
NFL organization and our continued commitment
8:00
to the community. but our performance on the
8:03
field and our team -building process have not
8:06
been good enough. There are no excuses. I want
8:09
to thank the fans for their continued support
8:10
and passion for this team. You deserve a championship
8:13
-caliber team you can be proud of. There is much
8:16
work ahead to return the Dolphins to sustained
8:18
success, and that work begins now. Finishing
8:21
the season strong, evaluating all areas of our
8:24
football operation, and moving forward with a
8:26
clear vision for the future." Now, with that
8:29
being said, Adam Schefter came out and said that
8:32
Mike McDaniel will stay the head coach for the
8:35
remainder of the season, and I quote, at least,
8:38
end quote. Now, here's a few notable moves that
8:41
Chris Greer has made within the last few years.
8:43
So he's signed Teron Armstead and Raheem Mostert.
8:46
He drafted Tua, Jalen Waddell, Xavier Howard,
8:49
Jalen Phillips, Krista Wilkins, Devon Achan.
8:51
He traded for Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, and
8:54
Jalen Ramsey. So let's be real here, folks. This
8:57
was bound to happen at some point. We knew that
9:01
at some point, somebody was going to get fired.
9:05
It was just a matter of, was it going to be Mike
9:07
McDaniel or Chris Greer? And honestly, yes, Chris
9:13
Greer got fired, but it doesn't solve the bigger
9:16
issue. And that is this team is still in shambles.
9:20
The roster as a whole is incomplete. Not to mention
9:25
the secondary outside of Megan Fitzpatrick is
9:28
deplorable. So let's call it for what it is.
9:31
Chris Greer cannot build an NFL roster. He has
9:36
tried to take the easy pass route and trying
9:39
to sign a whole bunch of notable veterans thinking
9:42
that that's going to get the job done, when in
9:44
actuality, it doesn't work like that. You can't
9:47
just make a trade for Bradley Chubb and Jalen
9:50
Ramsey and Tyreek Hill and sign Teron Armstead
9:53
and free agency and think, oh, okay, this is
9:55
a really good team. No, it doesn't work like
9:57
that. And then the nail in the coffin was you
10:00
gave Tua this crazy deal that, let's be honest
10:03
here, he didn't deserve that deal. You gave him
10:06
a four -year $212 .4 million deal. He'll be making
10:10
$53 .1 million a year, a $42 million signing
10:14
bonus, $93 .1 million guaranteed at signing,
10:17
and $167 .1 million in total guarantees. That
10:21
was a bad contract. And I said it the minute
10:25
that they gave him that contract. It was going
10:27
to backfire. And now by having this contract,
10:30
guess what? You really can't get rid of him without
10:33
taking on significant dead cap hits. So now either
10:37
A, the next GM and head coach has to deal with
10:41
Tua or you're going to have to take on a boatload
10:44
of dead cap just so you can get under that contract.
10:48
Because right now your books are bad. You don't
10:51
have a lot of draft capital. You don't even really
10:53
have a lot of players on your team that you can
10:55
say, hey, there's potential with this person,
10:58
this person, this person. Instead, it's a lot
11:01
of question marks. So now, most likely, this
11:04
rebuild is going to be a hard rebuild, and it's
11:07
probably going to last for maybe about three
11:09
years. See, here's the thing, okay? And this
11:13
is just my interpretation of the position. I
11:15
could be completely wrong, okay? As a GM, you
11:20
are the architect for the organization, okay?
11:24
You have a blueprint on how you want to build
11:28
your roster. And a lot of times, You have to
11:32
go through trial and error, and sometimes it
11:35
takes a little bit longer than others, okay?
11:38
Every GM is different, okay? Some of them, they
11:41
have an eye for player personnel. Some of them
11:46
are really good with contracts. Some of them
11:48
are good with drafting. It just all depends,
11:50
okay? You're wearing multiple hats. I get that.
11:54
But at the same time, if you don't invest the
11:58
right resources into your structure, It's going
12:01
to fall. And that's exactly what happened with
12:04
the Dolphins. They invested cheap. And I mean
12:07
exactly what I say. Cheap resources into this
12:11
team. And now you're still not seeing the fruits
12:14
of your labor. Because now you're in a situation
12:17
where most likely, guess what? Jalen Phillips
12:20
is going to be gone. Matthew Judon is going to
12:23
be gone. Jalen Waddle might be gone. So at some
12:26
point, you have to point the finger at yourself.
12:29
I understand that everybody wants to blame Mike
12:32
McDaniel. I get that. But at the same time, we
12:35
cannot absolve Chris Greer of criticism because
12:40
you are making these moves. You are drafting
12:43
these players. You are making these trades. And
12:46
let's be real here. You have not done a really
12:49
good job within the last five years. Now, I understand,
12:53
you know, depending on who you talk to and whatnot,
12:55
there's some Dolphins fans that'll say, oh, we
12:57
should have drafted Justin Herbert or, oh, we
12:59
should have drafted this person or that person.
13:01
Listen, what's done is done at this point. The
13:03
fact of the matter is there's going to be a difficult
13:06
cleanup that is going to have to happen. But
13:09
with that difficult cleanup, there is opportunities.
13:12
Right now, the trade deadline is on Tuesday.
13:15
You know that you have multiple players on your
13:17
team that could garner second, third, and fourth
13:20
round picks. You trade away Jalen Waddell. You
13:23
trade away Devon Achan. You trade away Jalen
13:26
Phillips. You trade away any and everybody that
13:29
people are interested in because why? You need
13:32
to make this team cheap. You need to clean your
13:34
books. And you need to at least build out one
13:37
side of the ball. If you can at least accomplish
13:40
that part, oh, everything else will fall into
13:43
place. But what you can't do is just say, you
13:46
know what? We're just going to keep our players.
13:48
We're not going to make any moves. No. You need
13:50
to fully assess what you have on this roster.
13:53
For all we know, you could have some hidden gems
13:55
on both offense and defense, and you won't even
13:58
know it. You've got to trade away Jalen Waddle,
14:01
Jalen Phillips, maybe even Chop Robinson at this
14:05
point, Devon Achan, stock up on those second,
14:08
third, and fourth round picks. And I mean, at
14:11
this point, you may have to take a quarterback
14:13
next year. I'm just going to be completely honest
14:16
here because listen. You know that this contract
14:19
is bad. And you know most likely you can't move
14:23
off this contract for possibly two years. Actually,
14:27
you know what? According to SpotRap, his dead
14:30
cap this year is $137 .8 million. Next year,
14:36
it's $99 .2 million. The year after that, it's
14:39
$31 .8 million. So he has an out in 27. So the
14:44
question is, do you restructure his deal now
14:47
so that you can create some cap space just for
14:51
26 so that you could possibly at least have a
14:54
little bit of leeway maybe in free agency? I
14:57
don't know. Because right now you're stuck with
15:00
Tua and you might be stuck with Mike McDaniels.
15:03
So you got to make it work at least. Carson wins
15:06
27 attempts for 15 completions, 144 passing yards,
15:11
1 touchdown, 1 pick, 5 .3 yards per attempt,
15:13
and a 55 .6 completion percentage. Max Brosberg,
15:17
4 attempts for 3 completions, 13 passing yards,
15:20
3 .3 yards per attempt, and a 75 % completion
15:23
percentage. Xavier Scott, 2 attempts for 16 rushing
15:27
yards, 8 rushing yards per carry, and 1 rush
15:29
of 10 plus yards or more. Justin Jefferson, 11
15:33
targets for 7 receptions, 74 receiving yards,
15:36
and 10 .6 receiving yards per reception. Justin
15:39
Herbert, 25 attempts for 18 completions, 227
15:43
passing yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 pick, 9 .1 yards
15:47
per attempt, and a 72 % completion percentage.
15:50
Kamani Vidal, 23 attempts for 117 rushing yards,
15:54
5 .1 rushing yards per carry, 1 touchdown, and
15:57
3 rushes of 10 plus yards or more. Ladd McConkie.
16:00
10 targets for 6 receptions, 88 receiving yards,
16:04
1 touchdown, and 14 .7 receiving yards per reception.
16:07
So here's a few junkie nuggets. So against the
16:10
Vikings Blitz, Justin Herbert finished 13 -15
16:14
for 162 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 pick. That's
16:19
the 4th most passing yards against the Blitz
16:22
in a game in his career. So a couple takeaways
16:25
from this game, alright? For starters, protect
16:28
Justin Herbert. Justin Herbert is getting hit
16:31
way too much for me, and it's starting to give
16:33
Andrew Luck vibes. I'm just being honest here.
16:35
I understand that they lost Rashawn Slater early
16:37
in the season. I understand that they're trying
16:40
to make do with what they have, but you have
16:42
to scheme up something that's going to protect
16:44
Justin Herbert. Sure, he's big and strong, but
16:47
guess what? Those hits add up as his career ages,
16:50
all right? Are we starting to see a resurgence
16:54
in the fullback position? Because I'm seeing
16:56
a lot of teams starting to use fullbacks. I know
16:59
the Cowboys use them. We all know the Ravens
17:01
and the 49ers use them. But I'm starting to see
17:04
other teams start to incorporate fullback. And
17:06
I'm actually starting to like that, you know?
17:08
Next thing you know, you're going to have the
17:10
fullbacks with the big neck rolls and whatnot.
17:12
That probably just showed you how old I am. But
17:14
don't worry about that, all right? Jonathan Grenard
17:17
was productive on both sides. I mean... You're
17:21
talking about somebody that was making plays
17:23
on the left and the right. It didn't matter if
17:26
he was facing Joel Ault. It didn't matter if
17:28
he was facing a tight end. He was making plays,
17:31
and that's actually really good and very promising
17:34
if you're the Vikings because pairing him with
17:36
Dallas Turner, I think that's a good combination.
17:39
Now, is that going to replace Daniil Hunter?
17:41
No, but I think that's probably the second. Well,
17:44
I wouldn't say second. I would say that's the
17:46
closest thing to a replacement, all right? Brian
17:49
Flores was disguising a lot of his blitzes, which,
17:52
I mean, that's his MO. He's always been somebody
17:55
that disguises blitzes. He actually does a pretty
17:57
good job at it. It's just when you go up against
18:00
a team like the Chargers, who primarily run the
18:03
ball and do it at a really effective rate, there's
18:06
nothing that you can really do, honestly. And
18:09
the Chargers were controlling the line of scrimmage
18:11
and the time of possession game, which we're
18:13
going to be talking about in just a moment. The
18:15
Vikings offense didn't have an answer for the
18:17
Chargers blitzing. and the Vikings' defense didn't
18:21
have an answer to the Chargers' run game, which
18:23
is true. Let's be real here, folks. As long as
18:27
the Chargers were winning the line of scrimmage
18:29
and time of possession game, the Vikings didn't
18:32
have a chance. According to team rankings, the
18:35
Chargers are second in the league when it comes
18:38
to time of possession at 33 minutes. Now, if
18:42
you break that down within the last three games,
18:44
their time of possession was 35 minutes and 56
18:47
seconds. Now, if you break this down by home
18:51
and away, their time of possession at home is
18:54
36 minutes compared to away at 29 minutes and
18:57
58 seconds. What is the one thing that Jim Harbaugh
19:02
always emphasizes with his offense? Running the
19:06
ball effectively. And that's exactly what they
19:09
did the entire time. And it got to a point where
19:13
the Vikings didn't have an answer for it. They
19:16
were trying to bliss. They were trying to load
19:17
up the box. They were trying to do different
19:19
things that are actually working. It never worked
19:21
because why? Vidal was cooking. Justin Herbert
19:25
was extending the plays just to get that first
19:28
down. And they were controlling the time of possession.
19:31
Let's be real here, folks. If you are a team,
19:34
case in point, the Steelers, right, who don't
19:37
have a lot of talent on their team, you want
19:40
to play the time of possession game because why?
19:42
For starters, It keeps the defense off the field,
19:46
which keeps them fresh, while at the same time,
19:48
you're controlling the clock and you're disrupting
19:51
whatever rhythm that the opposing offense has.
19:54
But if you just continue to just, you know, go
19:57
forth and out, then guess what's going to happen?
19:59
Your defense is going to be gassed and the opposing
20:02
offense is going to pick up right where they
20:04
left off. When we look at the top 10 teams for
20:08
time of possession, Buffalo is number one at
20:11
33 minutes and 14 seconds. Of course, the Chargers,
20:14
we just talked about them. Kansas City at 32
20:16
minutes and 30 seconds. Houston, 32 minutes,
20:19
25 seconds. Detroit, 31 minutes, 48 seconds.
20:23
Carolina, 31 minutes, 47 seconds. Arizona, 31
20:27
minutes, 40 seconds. New England, 31 minutes
20:30
and 34 seconds. Jacksonville, 31 minutes and
20:33
5 seconds. And Chicago, 31 minutes. Now, what
20:37
is the one similarity out of all of those teams?
20:40
They all have a pretty good run game. And with
20:44
that run game, they use it to soften up the defense
20:47
to the point where then they can start attacking
20:49
them in the pass game. It's sort of like a jab,
20:51
right? Boxers use the jab to soften up their
20:55
opponent. And over time, as they soften up their
20:58
opponent, now all they gotta do is get one good
21:01
punch in and they win. And that's exactly what
21:04
you can do with football. If you control the
21:08
line of scrimmage, if you control the time of
21:10
possession, you are able to dictate how you want
21:14
this game to end. But if you just keep on scoring
21:17
super quickly, guess what's going to happen?
21:19
Your defense is going to get gassed and that's
21:22
going to allow the opposing offense to beat on
21:24
them for the next. 20 or 30 plus minutes and
21:27
they won't have an answer to it. And the next
21:30
thing you know, you're trying to figure out,
21:31
hey, how the hell did we lose the game? Well,
21:33
because you didn't control the time of possession
21:36
game nor the line of scrimmage game. But when
21:39
we talk about the Vikings, however, there's only
21:41
so much that you can do, right? Carson Wentz
21:45
is playing with a messed up arm. The Chargers
21:48
have been controlling a majority of the game.
21:51
And on top of that, their defense has been beating
21:55
you in every single chance they get. They were
21:58
collapsing the pocket. They were creating pressure
22:00
on Carson Wentz. They were doing all the things
22:04
that they planned on doing to Carson Wentz. And
22:07
the Vikings didn't have an answer for it because
22:09
there is no answer for it. The Chargers were
22:12
capitalizing off of turnovers. They were capitalizing
22:16
on trying to limit the run game. And most importantly,
22:19
they were trying to make Justin Jefferson a non
22:22
-factor in this game. And it worked. So there's
22:25
only so much that you can do. Now, when we look
22:28
at the Vikings' defense, however, at some point,
22:32
you probably got to wonder like, hey, maybe we
22:34
should stop blitzing. Maybe we should start doing
22:37
something different because this just isn't working.
22:40
Kamani Vidal had a career game against this Vikings
22:44
defense. The Viking defense, however, that everyone
22:48
was saying should be a top five or top ten defense.
22:52
I mean, they just added Jonathan Allen and Javon
22:55
Hargrave during free agency. You kept Byron Murphy.
23:00
So everyone is thinking, oh, this is going to
23:02
be the same defense that we saw last year. No.
23:05
The Chargers exposed them. And there's only so
23:09
much that you can do. And on top of that, I knew
23:12
I was forgetting something. The Chargers were
23:14
using their fullback in such a beautiful way
23:17
to the point where, guess what? Kamani Vidal
23:20
had open lanes every chance that he got the ball.
23:23
There's only so much that you can do. That's
23:26
why the Ravens and the 49ers keep their fullback
23:29
because not only can you use them as a receiving
23:32
option, but you can also use them in a blocking
23:35
option as well. But let's keep this train moving,
23:38
all right? So let's talk about the Packers and
23:40
Steelers game. So Jordan Love, 37 attempts for
23:42
29 completions, 360 passing yards, three touchdowns,
23:46
9 .7 yards per attempt, and a 78 .4 completion
23:50
percentage. Emmanuel Wilson, 11 attempts for
23:52
61 rushing yards, 5 .5 rushing yards per carry,
23:55
and two rushes of 10 plus yards or more. Tucker
23:59
Kraft, nine targets for seven receptions, 143
24:02
receiving yards, two touchdowns, and 20 .4 receiving
24:05
yards per reception. Aaron Rodgers, 36 attempts
24:08
for 24 completions, 219 passing yards, two touchdowns,
24:13
6 .1 yards per attempt, and a 66 .7 completion
24:16
percentage. Jalen Warren, 13 attempts for 62
24:19
rushing yards, 4 .8 rushing yards per carry,
24:22
and one rush of 10 plus yards or more. Roman
24:24
Wilson. Five targets for four receptions, 74
24:27
receiving yards, one touchdown, and 18 .5 receiving
24:30
yards per reception. So here's a few junkie nuggets.
24:34
Jordan Love completed 20 straight completions
24:36
with a .1 chance of completing all 20 passes
24:39
based on individual completion probabilities.
24:42
Now against the Blitz, Jordan Love completed
24:46
12 of 17 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns,
24:50
the third most yards against the Blitz by a quarterback
24:53
this season. When lined up as a wide corner,
24:57
Jalen Ramsey has allowed two yards per coverage,
24:59
which is the fourth most in the NFL. When lined
25:02
up as a slot corner, Jalen Ramsey has allowed
25:05
1 .1 yards per coverage. The Steelers' defense
25:09
has used single high safety on 66 % of their
25:13
dropbacks, the second highest rate in the NFL.
25:16
When using single high coverage, the Steelers
25:19
have allowed a league high 1 ,093 yards. When
25:23
facing single high coverage, Jordan Love has
25:26
averaged the fifth most yards per attempt, 8
25:29
.3 yards, while completing 64 % of his passes,
25:33
which if you want to break that down, that's
25:35
actually above the league average, which is 63
25:38
.3%. So a couple takeaways from this game. For
25:41
starters, the Steelers can't cover tight ends.
25:44
I have never seen a Steelers defense that is
25:47
this bad against tight ends. Now, usually if
25:50
it's just one specific tight end, I can understand.
25:53
but there is a track record that shows that they
25:56
are not good when they face tight ends. Here
25:59
are some stats, okay? Because I compiled all
26:01
the stats from all their matchups from week one
26:05
up till now. So week one, when they face the
26:07
Jets, Mason Taylor, one target for one reception,
26:10
20 receiving yards, 20 receiving yards per reception.
26:12
Okay, cool. Week two, the Seahawks, Elijah Royo.
26:16
Three targets for two receptions, 31 receiving
26:19
yards, 15 .5 receiving yards per reception. A
26:22
.J. Barner. Three targets for two receptions,
26:25
26 receiving yards, one touchdown, and 13 receiving
26:28
yards per reception. Week three, the Patriots.
26:31
Hunter Henry. 11 targets for eight receptions,
26:34
90 receiving yards, two touchdowns, and 11 .3
26:38
receiving yards per reception. Austin Hooper.
26:41
three targets for two receptions, 28 receiving
26:43
yards, and 14 receiving yards per reception.
26:46
Week four, the Vikings, TJ Hawkinson, five targets
26:50
for four receptions, 39 receiving yards, and
26:53
9 .8 receiving yards per reception. Week six,
26:56
the Browns, Harold Fanning Jr., 10 targets for
26:59
seven receptions, 81 receiving yards, 11 .6 receiving
27:03
yards per reception. David Njoku, 6 targets for
27:06
3 receptions, 28 receiving yards, and 9 .3 receiving
27:10
yards per reception. Week 7, the Bengals. Noah
27:13
Fant, 4 targets for 4 receptions, 44 receiving
27:17
yards, 1 touchdown, and 11 receiving yards per
27:19
reception. Week 8, the Packers. Tucker Kraft,
27:23
9 targets for 7 receptions, 143 receiving yards,
27:27
2 touchdowns, and 20 .4 receiving yards per reception.
27:30
Here is a stat that I found this morning. Despite
27:33
only playing five of six games, Nick Herbert
27:37
leads the Steelers in pressures at 26, sacks,
27:41
four and a half sacks, and quick pressures at
27:43
12. I'm going to read that stat to you one more
27:47
time. Despite only playing five of six games,
27:51
Nick Herbert leads the Steelers in pressures,
27:55
sacks, and quick pressures. At some point, you
28:00
have to start giving people a chance. That is
28:02
the only way that you're going to be able to
28:05
be successful while at the same time allow your
28:08
other players to eat. Look at the Giants. There
28:13
are stats that literally prove that when Abdul
28:17
Carter... Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeau are
28:20
all on the field at the same time. They are more
28:23
successful of getting after the quarterback than
28:26
without all three of them. Or at least two of
28:29
the three. So why in the world would you want
28:32
to put Nick Herbig in this game? You have to
28:36
start giving him more snaps. Because T .J. Watt
28:39
doesn't need to continue to have 70 and 80 snaps
28:42
a season. It's just going to burn him out. But...
28:46
We're going to save that for a moment. Stop blitzing
28:49
Jordan Love. I don't understand why they were
28:52
blitzing him so much, but you saw that every
28:55
time that you guys blitzed him, he was killing
28:57
you for it. Every single time you send a four
29:01
-man rush or five -man rush, guess what's going
29:04
to happen? Zoink, touchdown. Zoink, 20 -plus
29:07
yards. Zoink, 30 -plus yards. And you had no
29:11
answer for it, even though you could have made
29:13
that adjustment. Zach Tom played well against
29:17
T .J. Watt. Let's be real here, folks. Zach Tom
29:20
had T .J. Watt's number the entire game. There's
29:23
nothing that you can do about it. Zach Tom is
29:25
a good right tackle. There's a reason why the
29:28
Packers paid him what they paid him. It's not
29:30
because he just had one good season, but no,
29:33
he's a really good tackle. The Packers' run game
29:37
was non -existent, which, I mean, the Steelers
29:39
did a good job with that. Okay, cool. But at
29:43
what cost? And most importantly, there was poor
29:46
tackling and execution from Pittsburgh. So let's
29:50
just get Pittsburgh out of the way so then we
29:52
can talk about the Packers, okay? In all my years
29:55
of watching the Steelers and rooting for the
29:58
Steelers, I have seen some pretty bad secondaries.
30:02
But you want to know something about those secondaries?
30:05
They gave effort. They fought as hard as they
30:09
possibly can to do the routine things. And if
30:13
you can't do the routine things, then you need
30:16
to go somewhere else. And this isn't directly
30:20
towards Darius Slade, but it's towards everybody
30:22
else that didn't do their job. You have to do
30:27
the routine things. If you don't do the routine
30:30
things, you will not be successful. Darius Slade,
30:34
if you didn't want to play for the Steelers,
30:36
you never should have put pen to paper on that
30:39
contract. I don't understand why you're making
30:42
a business decision and just bailing out instead
30:44
of trying to make a tackle. If you didn't want
30:47
to play, you never should have played. Simple
30:49
as that. And the fact that we have people. who
30:54
really haven't said anything about this. But
30:57
when George Pickens, when he was showing little
31:00
to no effort against the Colts that one time,
31:02
oh, everybody was saying, oh, well, George Pickens
31:05
has to go. That is an embarrassment as a player.
31:08
That's an embarrassment as a teammate. You should
31:10
never want to see that on tape. Are you scared
31:13
of Slay? Is that what it is? Because I'll be
31:15
the person to say it because I really don't care.
31:17
But what you cannot do is just step to the side
31:21
because you don't want no contact. If you don't
31:23
want no contact, then you need to be on a beach
31:25
somewhere with your phone in your hand. But you
31:29
need to put out effort. I don't see effort in
31:33
this defense. I don't see a defense of players
31:36
who actually want to commit to actually making
31:39
plays. You know what I see? I see a bunch of
31:42
guys that put on the same uniform and say, you
31:44
know what? You do your thing. I'm going to do
31:47
my thing. That's it. That's all. And it also
31:50
doesn't help that you have a whole bunch of media
31:53
people and podcasters like the Steel Hero podcast
31:57
who want to talk about, fuck Mike Tomlin, man.
32:01
Mike Tomlin got to go. Mike Tomlin is trash.
32:04
Mike Tomlin is ass. But they don't give legitimate
32:06
reasons on why they believe that. I don't understand
32:10
why people just... continue to go through this
32:13
cycle of, yay, Mike Tomlin, the Steelers, we're
32:16
going to go to the Super Bowl. And then, oh my
32:18
God, the Steelers aren't going to go anywhere.
32:21
All hope is lost. What are we going to do now?
32:23
Mike Tomlin must go. He must atone for his sins.
32:27
No! The fact of the matter is, there's only so
32:31
much that you can do when you don't have the
32:34
right personnel. You cannot get an old Darius
32:37
Slay and an old Jalen Ramsey and have them to
32:41
play a style of ball that they have not played
32:43
in over five years. Darius Slay cannot play press
32:48
man coverage anymore. Sure, he can maybe do it
32:51
in bouts, but to do that the entire game? No,
32:55
he cannot do that. The last time he was able
32:58
to do that was probably when he was in Detroit.
33:01
And the same thing with Jalen Ramsey. Jalen Ramsey
33:05
cannot do that no more. The last time that he
33:07
could do it successfully was when he was in Jacksonville.
33:11
So why do you continue to play this stupid single
33:15
high bullcrap when you know that teams are beating
33:18
you over the head with it? I literally just read
33:21
the stat that literally just said, when using
33:24
single high coverage, the Steelers have allowed
33:27
a league high of 1 ,093 yards. You mean to tell
33:32
me? The highest paid defense, a defense that
33:36
accumulated over $163 million, can't even make
33:40
no plays, can't even be consistent. A defense
33:44
that only works when they're making splash. That's
33:48
unacceptable. And the fact that we continue to
33:51
hear the same problems year after year after
33:54
year is also bothering me a lot. Because all
33:57
I keep on hearing is lack of communication, execution.
34:02
Lack of communication, execution. At some point,
34:05
either you got to nip this thing in the bud or
34:08
somebody got to go. And I normally don't call
34:10
for people's jobs, but somebody got to go because
34:13
something is not working. Y 'all blame Cam Sutton.
34:17
Y 'all blame Minka Fitzpatrick. So who in the
34:20
world is the problem? Is it the coach? Is it
34:24
the players? Who is it? Because in actuality,
34:28
you can't just put this all on the players. No,
34:32
you got to put this on the coaches as well. Because
34:35
the coaches create the game plan when going up
34:38
against these type of teams. And you know when
34:41
you're going up against a Jordan Love, a Patrick
34:43
Mahomes, a Jared Goff, when you go up against
34:46
those top -tier quarterbacks, they're going to
34:49
play mistake -free football for the majority
34:51
of the game. So don't just play a defense to
34:54
where, okay, maybe if we luck up, maybe if we
34:58
get a deflected pass or something, maybe we can
35:01
get an interception. No, just play defense. Just
35:04
do your damn job. That's all you have to do.
35:06
It's not hard. But we continue to see the same
35:10
rhetoric year after year after year, and it's
35:13
not working. And at some point, somebody has
35:17
to address the elephant in the room. Maybe it
35:20
is time for Mike Tomlin to go. And I only say
35:23
that because at some point, situations run their
35:27
course. We saw that with the Eagles and Andy
35:30
Reid. I understand that I keep on going to that,
35:32
but that's the only example that I can think
35:35
of that is the most successful. Andy Reid and
35:37
the Eagles, they were like peanut butter and
35:40
jelly. Super successful, always competitive,
35:43
always in the NFC Championship. But they reached
35:46
their ceiling, and that's fine. And so they went
35:49
their separate ways. And guess what happened?
35:51
Andy Reid was a part of a dynasty and the Eagles
35:55
got two Super Bowls. Who's complaining? Nobody.
35:59
So at some point, we have to start having an
36:03
honest conversation about the direction of the
36:05
Steelers because we're not going anywhere. We're
36:09
just continuing to go in the same circle year
36:12
after year after year. And Mike Tomlin continues
36:16
to go after these old ass players. Because he
36:20
values their pedigree and their accomplishments.
36:22
And a lot of these players whooped his team's
36:26
ass. No, that's not what you do. Because guess
36:29
what? Those players were used in a different
36:32
way to what they're being used now. So if you're
36:35
thinking you're going to get the same production
36:37
or even more than what their previous teams got
36:40
out of them, you're sadly mistaken. I'm sorry.
36:43
This isn't working. You have to do something
36:47
different. You have to be more innovative in
36:50
your execution and your play calling and your
36:53
scheme. You have to do something different. But
36:57
nobody is willing to make changes. Nobody is
37:00
open enough to say, you know what? I'll make
37:02
a sacrifice. I'll do something that I'm not comfortable
37:06
doing if it means that we have a better chance
37:08
of winning. All you have is just people who are
37:11
just complacent. I remember TJ Watts saying,
37:14
hey, I'm willing to play on different sides.
37:16
I still haven't seen that. I still see him lined
37:19
up the same way. And guess what? You get the
37:21
same result. But this is what separates the Steelers
37:24
now from the Steelers back then. I'm not even
37:26
talking about the 80s and 70s and 60s. I'm talking
37:30
about the early 2000s. Those teams are close
37:33
to this day. They play hard for one another.
37:37
They encourage one another. They held one another
37:40
to a certain standard. There was an aura for
37:44
the Pittsburgh Steelers in the early 2000s. When
37:46
you had the Steelers on your schedule, just know
37:49
you're going to face a team that's going to be
37:52
physical, that's going to run the ball down your
37:55
throat, and most importantly, they are going
37:58
to whoop your ass. But instead, all we see now
38:02
is all talk, no bite. All you see is a bunch
38:06
of social media clips and... A whole bunch of
38:09
renegading, having made it down and they found
38:12
you. A whole bunch of people waving their terrible
38:14
towels. A bunch of players that don't have no
38:18
order, that don't have no structure. A bunch
38:21
of players who just play for themselves. And
38:24
that's not what the Pittsburgh Steelers are known
38:25
for. That's not the standard. But year after
38:30
year, they continue to not meet that standard.
38:34
And the owner is okay with it. And the front
38:37
office is okay with it. And Mike Tomlin is okay
38:39
with it. Honestly speaking, I feel like the Steelers
38:43
offensively just need to take a page out of the
38:45
Bengals book. Load up the offense with a whole
38:48
bunch of weapons and just shoot for the stars
38:51
and aim for the moon. Because right now you can't
38:54
rely on this defense. So you're going to have
38:57
to at least put up 20, maybe 25, maybe even 30
39:01
points a game just so you can stay in the game.
39:05
And most importantly, you have to start winning
39:08
the time of possession game. According to Team
39:11
Ranked, the Steelers are 31st in time of possession
39:15
at 27 minutes and 31 seconds. I'm sorry, that's
39:20
not good, especially for Arthur Smith's system
39:23
where they emphasize running the ball. You have
39:27
to start running the ball more efficiently. You
39:29
have to start converting on third and fourth
39:31
downs. You can't just punt it all the time. Now,
39:35
if it's fourth and two, you can convert that.
39:38
But if it's fourth and 15, okay, fine, punt it.
39:42
But you have to start converting on those critical
39:44
downs. Otherwise, you're never going to be able
39:47
to win the game. And we see that game after game
39:51
after game. Aaron Rodgers can only do so much.
39:54
So you have to help him out. But they tried their
39:58
hardest. But it got to a point where when the
40:02
Steelers were behind, Aaron Rodgers said, you
40:06
know what? To hell with running the ball. We
40:08
need to put this ball up in the air. We need
40:10
to get down to the field as quickly as possible.
40:12
And at least try to at least ease up the deficit
40:16
a little bit. But that's not what happened. Because
40:19
once the Packers started to get hot, there's
40:22
nothing that you can do about it. And we saw
40:24
that Micah Parsons was doing his thing. I mean,
40:27
they had two or three people trying to stop Micah
40:29
Parsons. And eventually, guess what happened?
40:31
He got through. He got the sack. So I can't really
40:35
be mad at the offense because they tried, but
40:38
at some point as the trade deadline is approaching,
40:42
I wonder should the team prioritize going after
40:45
a wide receiver or should they start going after
40:48
defensive weapons to at least give them some
40:51
hope? Because right now that secondary is unreliable.
40:55
Juan Thornhill, inconsistent. Chuck Clark shouldn't
40:59
even be on the field. And I don't even know why
41:02
you had Chuck Clark going after Tucker Kraft.
41:05
That was a dumb move. But when we talk about
41:07
the Packers, however, great job by Jordan Love.
41:11
I mean, for him to put on a masterclass of how
41:14
to beat a team that is just blitzing you all
41:17
the time and showing you the same thing every
41:19
single time, man, you capitalize off of this.
41:22
And mind you, Jordan Love is doing this without
41:26
a true dominant wide receiver. He doesn't have
41:29
a Justin Jefferson. or Jamar Chase, or A .J.
41:32
Brown type of receiver. He has Matthew Golden,
41:35
who is a rookie, Romeo Dobbs, Christian Watson,
41:38
who's coming off of injury, Savion Williams and
41:42
company, Tucker Craft. I mean, come on. He's
41:47
making do with what he do, and it's working.
41:49
And this is the type of stuff that you want to
41:52
see from a Super Bowl team. Let's be real here,
41:56
folks. If the Packers can continue to do what
41:59
they're doing offensively, There is nobody that
42:02
can stop them. And I mean nobody. The fact that
42:07
Jordan Love threw 20 straight passes and they
42:10
were all completed passes? Come on now. And another
42:14
thing that we need to talk about, the Packers
42:17
are really good when it comes to drafting quarterbacks.
42:20
Like when you look at their history, they have
42:24
been on point when it comes to drafting their
42:27
next replacement. From Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers,
42:31
to Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love, and I think
42:34
Bart Starr? I forgot who was the replacement
42:37
for Bart Starr, but don't hold me to it, okay?
42:41
Just don't. But when we talk about Tucker Kraft,
42:44
however, this further enhances my stance on why
42:48
teams should start prioritizing going after tight
42:51
ends. Because a quarterback's best friend is
42:54
a tight end. And we've seen it in history that
42:58
a lot of the great quarterbacks had a really
43:00
good tight end. Peyton Manning and Dallas Clark,
43:03
Tom Brady and Gronk, Patrick Mahomes and Travis
43:06
Kelsey, Ben Roethlisberger and Heath Miller.
43:09
I can continue to go down the list. Cam Newton
43:12
and Greg Olson. You got to have that really good
43:15
tight end. So I think personally, there's only
43:20
so much the Steelers could do against Tucker
43:22
Kraft. But at the same time, we all knew that
43:25
Tucker Kraft was a dog. But changing gears to
43:28
the Packers defense, what is there to expect?
43:31
Because we all knew that by acquiring Micah Parsons,
43:35
this defense was going to go to another level.
43:37
And it showed. The Steelers offensive line was
43:41
sending two and three extra people to stop Micah
43:44
Parsons just because they know that once he gets
43:47
a sack, everybody's going to start eating. And
43:50
by doing that, As the game continued to go on
43:54
and as he continued to chip away, eventually
43:57
he got the sack while at the same time opening
44:00
up other opportunities for other defensive players
44:03
to create pressure on Aaron Rodgers. So, I mean,
44:06
there's only so much that you can say about this
44:09
Packers defense because I still hold them to
44:11
a very high standard. I still believe that they
44:13
are a Super Bowl caliber defense, but I wonder
44:16
should they make at least one trade for a defensive
44:18
player? I'm not saying they should go after,
44:21
you know, Trey Hendrickson or, you know, Quentin
44:24
Williams or, you know, anybody like that. But
44:26
I wonder, should they make at least one small
44:28
move for the defense? Well, let's talk about
44:31
the Commanders and Chiefs game. But before we
44:33
do that, we got some bills we got to pay. Pardon
44:36
the interruption, but this is your GM, your bad
44:38
bro, Domus, here to talk about RSS .com, all
44:41
right? So if you guys already don't know, I am
44:44
a RSS .com affiliate. And so I just want to tell
44:47
you for just a quick moment, about why you should
44:50
choose rss .com so me personally on my journey
44:54
of podcasting i was looking at different platforms
44:56
just to find the right place and i looked here
45:00
i looked there i looked everywhere but i checked
45:03
out rss .com and it was the best decision i ever
45:06
made from low prices to interactive analytics
45:09
to as well as helping you with your distribution
45:12
rss .com does it all not to mention they just
45:17
started a slack channel where you can network
45:20
and interact with other podcasters and even get
45:23
some insightful tips on how you can increase
45:25
your podcast even more. Also, RSS .com just launched
45:30
their paid ads program. So now you can get paid
45:33
for posting your content. Not to mention, all
45:38
you have to do is just have 10 downloads and
45:41
you're qualified for it. Who would want to get
45:44
paid for doing something that they're passionate
45:46
about doing? So head on over to rss .com. I will
45:50
be attaching my RSS affiliate link within the
45:53
description. When you click on that link, I will
45:56
be able to receive some compensation for it.
45:59
And with that compensation, I will be able to
46:01
give you guys a better product. A lot of that
46:03
money will go towards upgrading the microphones,
46:06
computers, new subscriptions for more analytical
46:10
information that we can use for future podcasts,
46:13
all of that and more. Thank you for your support,
46:15
and thank you RSS .com for making me an affiliate.
46:18
Now back to the good stuff. And we're back, folks.
46:21
So Marcus Mariota, 30 attempts for 21 completions,
46:24
213 passing yards, one touchdown, two picks,
46:28
7 .1 yards per attempt, and a 70 % completion
46:31
percentage. Marcus Mariota. 8 attempts for 28
46:35
rushing yards, 3 .5 rushing yards per carry.
46:38
Jeremy McNichols. 6 targets for 5 receptions,
46:41
64 receiving yards, and 12 .8 receiving yards
46:44
per reception. Patrick Mahomes. 34 attempts for
46:47
25 completions, 299 passing yards, 3 touchdowns,
46:52
2 picks, 8 .8 yards per attempt, and a 73 .5
46:55
completion percentage. Isaiah Pacheco. 12 attempts
46:58
for 58 rushing yards, 4 .8 rushing yards per
47:01
carry, and two rushes of 10 plus yards or more.
47:04
Travis Kelsey, eight targets for six receptions,
47:07
99 receiving yards, one touchdown, and 16 .5
47:11
receiving yards per reception. So here's a few
47:13
junkie nuggets. Against zone coverage, Travis
47:16
Kelsey was targeted eight times for six receptions,
47:19
99 yards, and one touchdown. the most receiving
47:23
yards against zone coverage since week three
47:25
of the 2023 season against the Chargers, where
47:28
he had 103 yards against zone coverage. On throws
47:31
over four seconds, Patrick Mahomes completed
47:35
eight of nine passes for 149 yards and three
47:39
touchdowns. So a couple takeaways from this game.
47:41
For starters, Jacob Martin's stock continues
47:44
to rise. For the past two or three games, he's
47:47
actually been playing really well. creating a
47:50
lot of pressure and getting sacks, which is very
47:52
promising because outside of him, there's nobody
47:55
else in the pass rushing room that I truly say
47:58
is doing their job, okay? Von Miller, his age
48:03
is showing. Frankie Luvu, a little bit inconsistent,
48:07
but not really surprised. And Javon Kinlaw, the
48:10
person that they signed a free agency, he's been
48:13
a ghost, but we'll save that for another topic.
48:15
But Patrick Mahomes needs to slide. I get so
48:18
tired of him doing that stupid, okay, I'm just
48:22
going to run out at the last minute, which then
48:24
causes a penalty. Stop doing that. And the refs,
48:27
they need to stop calling that because he's purposely
48:30
doing it because he knows when he do it, they're
48:33
going to give him that call. Stop it. We all
48:37
know that all it takes is just one person to
48:39
crack him one good time, one good time, and he'll
48:43
never run again. And I'm not wishing anything
48:46
on Patrick Mahomes. But you are setting yourself
48:49
up for failure because it's going to take that
48:51
one defense. It's going to say, you know what?
48:53
He's about to run. I'm going to meet you halfway.
48:56
Smack. The commander's defense needs a youth
48:59
movement. Sure, you have a few players that,
49:02
you know, still in their prime and whatnot. But
49:04
for the majority, this defense is old. And I
49:07
understand they were productive last season.
49:09
But that's last season. This is now. I should
49:12
not be seeing Bobby Wagner trying to chase down
49:15
somebody like how he used to play with the Seahawks.
49:19
Somebody needs to put some fresh blood on this
49:21
defense. Now, Jeremy Reeves, he was doing his
49:24
thing. He was everywhere on the field. Making
49:27
tackles, pass breakups, you name it. He was doing
49:31
his thing. And that's actually great. But he
49:33
can only do so much. Jacob Martin can only do
49:36
so much. You pay X amount of dollars to Von Miller
49:39
and he hasn't really shown anything. People got
49:42
to step up. That's the only way that you can
49:45
beat someone like Apache Mahomes. That pass rush
49:47
needs to be on 10 from the first quarter to the
49:50
last quarter. And the Chiefs are back, folks.
49:53
I know it took them a while. I know things looked
49:56
a little bit shaky, but they're back. Now the
49:59
question is, what are they going to do at the
50:01
trade deadline? Are they going to make an addition
50:03
for the offense or the defense? Because me personally,
50:07
I feel like they should go after a running back.
50:10
I think getting someone like a Brees Hall would
50:12
be great. Give him that second or third round
50:14
pick. Let's go. Because right now you have to
50:18
start stacking up wins. The Broncos are going
50:21
to be a problem. The Chargers are going to be
50:23
a problem. The Colts are going to be a problem.
50:25
If you want one of those high seeds, you're going
50:28
to have to fight for it. And you need the weapons
50:32
to be able to do it. So... Whoever the GM is,
50:36
get on the phone and get Brees Hall right now.
50:40
And I'm not saying this because I'm rooting for
50:42
the Chiefs. I do not like the Chiefs at all,
50:43
but they got to do something, all right? I know
50:47
that Diana Rossini said this morning that the
50:49
commanders are looking for pass rushers, but
50:52
the problem is there's not a lot of pass rushers
50:54
available right now. And any of the pass rushers
50:57
that are available, the asking price is too high.
51:00
So why would I give up a second or possibly first
51:03
round pick? For a pass rusher, that's most likely
51:06
going to be a free agent next year. It's pointless.
51:09
This is what I will say. I feel like the commanders
51:12
have been solved. And let me explain. I feel
51:15
like their strategy last year caught a lot of
51:18
people off guard and it was really productive.
51:20
But I feel like now that everybody has seen their
51:23
cadences and the things they like to do, I feel
51:26
like they've been solved on both sides of the
51:28
ball. So at some point, Cliff Kingsbury. Is there
51:33
another level to your bag? Dan Quinn, is there
51:36
another level to your bag? Because you guys have
51:39
to present something different. Because this
51:42
could have been a close game. You had two takeaways
51:45
from Patrick Mahomes. You should have tried to
51:47
at least convert those takeaways into points.
51:51
That's the type of game that you're going to
51:52
have to play when you're facing someone like
51:54
a Patrick Mahomes. But when we talk about the
51:57
Chiefs, however, they needed this. They needed
51:59
to continue to stack up those small wins just
52:02
so they can get back into the swing of things.
52:05
Because prior to this point, there were a lot
52:08
of people that were saying, is the Chiefs over
52:10
with? Has the dynasty collapsed? What are they
52:14
going to do now? But clearly they're back on
52:16
straight street and they're ready to go to another
52:18
Super Bowl because we all know that's probably
52:20
going to happen. Unless the Broncos... Or the
52:24
Texans, or the Chargers, or the Ravens, or the
52:28
Colts, because we'll probably get the number
52:30
one seed. You know what? Forget about it. We're
52:32
not going to talk about that, all right? We're
52:33
going to talk about trades. So former Titans
52:35
quarterback Roger McCreary head to the Rams.
52:38
So the Rams receive a 2026 conditional sixth
52:41
round pick in Roger McCreary, while the Titans
52:43
receive a 2026 conditional fifth round pick.
52:47
Honestly, I think this is a good move. Low risk.
52:50
High reward, not to mention he's going to be
52:52
a free agent after this season, so it's only
52:55
a seasonal rental without having to give up a
52:58
lot to get him. Cornerback was a problem for
53:01
the Rams, and they've been trying to address
53:03
it. But when we look at his stats from this season
53:05
so far, 33 tackles, one sack, he was targeted
53:09
25 times and allowed 22 receptions for 209 yards,
53:13
two touchdowns, and has one pick so far. He's
53:16
a productive corner, it's just the Titans are
53:18
having a fire sale. That's it. So Kyle Duggar
53:21
heads to Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh receives a
53:24
2026 conditional seventh round pick and Kyle
53:27
Duggar, of course, while the Patriots receive
53:29
a 2026 sixth round pick. Again, low risk, high
53:34
reward. The Steelers needed the safety with Deshaun
53:37
Elliott going down and possibly being out for
53:39
the season. So why go after somebody that's going
53:42
to be super expensive when you get someone like
53:44
Kyle Duggar? The Patriots agreed to pay out the
53:47
majority of his contract. And they've been trying
53:49
to get rid of him for almost two years now. So
53:52
it's a win -win situation. Well, only time will
53:56
tell because he's most likely going to play on
53:58
Sunday. But we're not going to talk about that,
54:00
all right? Keyon White, former pass rusher for
54:04
the Patriots, heads to the 49ers. So New England
54:07
receives a 2026 sixth -round pick, while San
54:11
Francisco receives a 2026 seventh -round pick
54:14
in Keyon White. Now, we all know that the 49ers
54:18
needed a pass rusher. By getting someone like
54:21
a Keyon White, I feel like he may work in their
54:24
system a little bit better than what Mike Vrabel
54:27
is doing. The Patriots are trying to get rid
54:30
of all of Bill Belichick's draft picks. They
54:33
want all of them gone. They don't want no blemishes
54:36
of Bill Belichick to ever emerge in that building,
54:40
okay? But again, low risk, high reward. There's
54:45
a lot of upside with Keon White's game, but I
54:49
think he hasn't had the opportunity to really
54:51
show it with the Patriots. But I think going
54:54
to the 49ers, he may be able to do it. Michael
54:57
Carter, the second cornerback, he heads to Philly.
55:01
And so Philly receives, of course, Michael Carter
55:04
and a 2027 seventh round pick, while the Jets
55:07
receive John Mechie and a 2027 sixth round pick.
55:11
Low risk, high reward. The Eagles needed a corner.
55:15
and Michael Carter is one of the better slot
55:17
corners in the league, while at the same time
55:20
giving an opportunity for someone like John Mechie
55:22
to hit the field. Because, I mean, outside of
55:25
Garrett Wilson, who else can you say is a reliable
55:29
receiving option for the Jets? Just being honest
55:32
here. Now, do I think there's going to be bigger
55:34
trades like how they have been within the past
55:36
few years? No. And the reason why I say that
55:39
is because there's more buyers than sellers this
55:42
season. Meaning that any player that is available
55:45
right now, the asking price is high. If I'm not
55:49
mistaken, somebody said that the Dolphins want
55:52
a second round pick for Jalen Phillips. The Jets
55:56
want a third round pick for Brees Hall. The Jets
56:01
aren't really taking any legitimate offers for
56:03
Quentin Williams. Like these are the type of
56:07
things that are being put out that if you're
56:09
a GM, you're just like, yo. I don't want to make
56:12
that trade. Even if it is a need, I don't want
56:14
to make that trade because I'm not willing to
56:16
give up all this compensation for a half a season
56:20
rental. Now, if it's something like the trades
56:24
like I just said, like Kyle Duggar going to Pittsburgh
56:27
or Michael Carter going to the Eagles where you're
56:30
giving up day three or day four picks, okay,
56:33
fine, whatever. But I'm not giving up a second
56:36
round pick for somebody that's going to be a
56:38
free agent next year. I'm not doing that. Even
56:41
when you look at receivers, there's not a lot
56:44
of receiver options right now. And the main one
56:47
that everybody's going after is either Chris
56:49
Alave, Rasheed Shaheed, Brandon Cooks, or Jacoby
56:52
Myers. But the problem is, Jacoby Myers is looking
56:56
for money. And the Raiders want a second -round
56:58
pick. So I'm going to have to give up a second
57:00
-round pick, and I'm going to have to pay you
57:02
$20 -plus million a year. I don't know about
57:04
that. I'll take my chances in free agency. But
57:07
let's end this episode with some college football.
57:09
So for those who don't know, former Notre Dame
57:11
and LSU head coach Brian Kelly has been fired.
57:14
So he spent four seasons with them. And within
57:17
those four seasons, he was 34 and 14 and won
57:20
an SEC West division title in his first year,
57:23
according to Pete Thamel and Max Olson of ESPN.
57:26
Now he signed a 10 year deal that included 95
57:30
million in salary and is 90 % guaranteed. but
57:34
is owed $54 million in buyout money, according
57:37
to Pete Thamel and Max Olsen of ESPN. Now, this
57:41
is what former LSU AD Scott Woodward had to say
57:44
about this, and I quote, We had high hopes that
57:47
he would lead us to multiple SEC and national
57:49
championships during his time in Baton Rouge.
57:52
Ultimately, the success at the level that LSU
57:55
demands simply did not materialize, and I made
57:58
the decision to make a change after last night's
58:01
game. I am grateful for the ongoing consultations
58:04
in support of the LSU Board of Supervisors and
58:07
Interim President Matt Lee in this decision.
58:09
We wish Coach Kelly and his family the very best
58:12
in their future endeavors. We will continue to
58:14
negotiate his separation and will work toward
58:16
a path that is better for both parties. As a
58:19
proud alum and as the current caretaker of our
58:21
athletics program, I will not compromise in our
58:24
pursuit of excellence and we will not lower our
58:27
standards. I continue to believe that LSU is
58:29
the best football program in America and that
58:32
our head coach position is among the best considering
58:34
our investment, our ability to attract and retain
58:37
talent, our unbelievable fans, and our institutional
58:41
and statewide commitment to and love for LSU
58:45
football." Am I surprised that Brian Kelly got
58:49
fired the way that he got fired? No. Because
58:53
let's be honest, LSU has a standard. And their
58:57
standard is winning. And when you're not winning,
59:01
oh, you're gone. When you look at their predecessors,
59:05
Nick Saban from 2000 to 2004, Les Miles from
59:09
2005 to 2010, from Ed Ogeron from 2016 to 2021,
59:14
what is the one thing that they all have in common?
59:17
They've won a national championship. Brian Kelly
59:20
hasn't. And when you can't meet that standard,
59:23
you got to go. I don't care what you did at this
59:27
school and that school. I don't care who you
59:30
recruited. It don't mean a ding darn thing if
59:32
you don't win a national championship. But another
59:35
part to this situation that's not being talked
59:37
about is the NIL is putting more pressure on
59:41
head coaches to start winning championships sooner.
59:44
So instead of a head coach winning a national
59:47
championship, I don't know, five or 10 or 15
59:50
years into their head coaching tenure with a
59:52
particular university. You got to win within
59:55
the first three to five years. And if you're
59:58
not, well, then you're gone. There was a point
1:00:01
in time where if Ryan Day didn't win the national
1:00:04
championship, oh, he was going to get fired.
1:00:07
So there is a higher degree of expectations for
1:00:12
any and all college football head coaches because
1:00:16
you're making almost $100 million and you have
1:00:20
nothing to show for it. That's like flushing
1:00:22
$100 million down the drain every season. So
1:00:26
I think when you have a mixture of that and how
1:00:28
he handled himself with his personnel and players,
1:00:33
I think not a lot of people like Brian Kelly.
1:00:35
Like his first night with LSU, he wanted to talk
1:00:40
in a country accent. He wanted to talk like he's
1:00:43
from the dirty South. Brother, you are from the
1:00:46
North. talk like you're normal, okay? Why are
1:00:51
you talking like you got some gum stuck in the
1:00:53
back of your mouth? Stop it. But with Brian Kelly
1:00:57
getting fired, this now adds to a growing list
1:01:00
of very notable college football head coaches
1:01:02
that got fired this season. So far, you have
1:01:05
Billy Napier, Mike Gundy, James Franklin, Deshaun
1:01:08
Foster, Sam Pittman, Brent Prye, Jay Norville,
1:01:11
Troy Taylor, and now Brian Kelly. Again, if you're
1:01:15
not producing, You're gone. And I think another
1:01:18
thing we have to talk about, and this just isn't
1:01:21
for Brian Kelly, but this is college football
1:01:23
as a whole. College athletics relies on the success
1:01:28
of the football team. Let me break it down. When
1:01:31
we look at Alabama, correct? We all know that
1:01:35
if Alabama wasn't winning, then all the other
1:01:38
athletic teams wouldn't be surviving because
1:01:41
they rely on who? Alabama to be the cash cow.
1:01:44
That's going to be the thing that everyone's
1:01:47
going to put their money towards. It's the same
1:01:50
thing with LSU. Now, granted, their women's basketball
1:01:53
team is ferocious, but what does everybody go
1:01:56
to LSU for? The football team. So when the football
1:02:00
team is successful, guess what? There's going
1:02:03
to be a trickle -down effect to all the other
1:02:06
athletic teams, both men and women. And so when
1:02:10
the team isn't winning, when the team isn't winning
1:02:13
national championships specifically, guess what?
1:02:16
That's going to have a direct impact on all the
1:02:20
other teams. NIL can only go so far. The college
1:02:24
has to pick up the rest of the tag. You got to
1:02:26
pay for hotel rooms, transportation, you know,
1:02:31
guests and all these different things like that
1:02:33
stuff costs. But guess what? It's an easier cost
1:02:37
to deal with. if the football team is super successful
1:02:41
but with this move former lsu ad scott woodward
1:02:46
also got fired as well now this is what executive
1:02:49
deputy athletic director verge osbury said about
1:02:53
the firing of scott woodward and i quote we thank
1:02:56
scott for the last six years of service as athletic
1:02:58
director he's had a lot of success at lsu and
1:03:01
we wish him nothing but the best in the future
1:03:04
Our focus now is moving the athletic department
1:03:07
forward and best positioning LSU to achieve its
1:03:10
full potential, end quote. Now, this is what
1:03:13
Sky Woodward had to say, and I quote, Others
1:03:16
can recap or opine on my tenure and on my decisions
1:03:19
over the last six years as director of athletics,
1:03:22
but I will not. Rather, I will focus on the absolute
1:03:25
joy that LSU athletics brings to our state's
1:03:28
residents and to the Baton Rouge community. I
1:03:31
will cherish the incredible relationships I have
1:03:34
built within the university community and beyond
1:03:36
our campus borders. And I will finally remember
1:03:39
the national and SEC championships for the joy
1:03:42
that they brought to our student athletes, coaches,
1:03:45
staff, campus community, and other incredible
1:03:47
fans. Our university will always hold a special
1:03:51
place in my heart, and I will never be too far
1:03:53
from LSU, end quote. So Scott Woodward was the
1:03:58
LSU director since 2019. Now, during that time,
1:04:02
he hired Kim Mulkey and won national championships
1:04:06
in both basketball and football. But we all know
1:04:09
since the firing of Brian Kelly, there's been
1:04:12
a lot of back and forth between him and the Louisiana
1:04:14
governor on who's going to have the power to
1:04:17
make the decision on the next hire for LSU. Now,
1:04:20
I know the governor did say that Scott Woodward
1:04:24
was going to make that decision, but what went
1:04:26
from that to, oh, now he's fired? It'll be one
1:04:30
thing if he wasn't doing his job. Then it's like,
1:04:33
okay, you got to go. But he's been successful.
1:04:36
The women's basketball team just won a championship
1:04:39
two years ago. Does that not hold any weight?
1:04:42
Clearly it doesn't. But if I had my tinfoil hat
1:04:45
on, my guess is because Scott Woodward hired
1:04:49
Brian Kelly, they were just like, you know what?
1:04:52
You messed up on this hire. You're not going
1:04:54
to do this no more. And Scott Woodward probably
1:04:57
said, you know what? Look at my track record.
1:05:00
I've actually been really successful since I've
1:05:02
been the AD of LSU. And so they probably had
1:05:05
a back and forth. And then the Louisiana governor
1:05:08
was like, you know what? You're gone. And that's
1:05:10
that. But I'm going to end this episode here.
1:05:12
If you guys like what you're listening, please,
1:05:14
please, please, please, please make sure you
1:05:15
guys download the episodes, all right? Leave
1:05:17
a five -star, five -star, five -star, five -star,
1:05:20
five -star, five -star review on anywhere and
1:05:23
everywhere that you get your podcasts, okay?
1:05:25
We are available on Apple Podcasts. We're available
1:05:27
on Spotify. And we're also available on a few
1:05:30
other places, all right? If you go on rss .com.
1:05:33
Football Junkies Podcast. There's a much broader
1:05:36
selection of podcasting platforms that we're
1:05:38
available on, okay? Now, for my YouTube people,
1:05:41
like, share, subscribe, turn that notification
1:05:43
bell on, leave a comment down below. Let me know
1:05:46
your thoughts on anything and everything that
1:05:48
I have talked in this episode, all right? You
1:05:50
can find us on YouTube at Football Junkies Pod,
1:05:53
all right? Football Junkies Pod. And when you
1:05:56
go on our YouTube, we have a link tree. When
1:05:58
you click on that link tree, it'll take you to
1:06:00
anywhere and everywhere that we have Football
1:06:02
Junkies content. All right. Now for my TikTok
1:06:04
people, Football Junkies Pod. All right. Football
1:06:07
Junkies Pod. Whenever I make the post announcing
1:06:10
of the episode dropping. All you have to do is
1:06:13
click the link in my bio and it'll take you directly
1:06:16
to our YouTube page where the episode will be
1:06:18
available on, okay? Unfortunately, I cannot hyperlink
1:06:22
the episode if you are audio listeners. So the
1:06:24
only way that I can mitigate that is if I just
1:06:27
tell you that if you just click on the link in
1:06:29
my bio, it'll just take you to the YouTube, all
1:06:31
right? Now for my Instagram people, football
1:06:34
underscore junkies pod, all right? Football underscore
1:06:36
junkies pod. Junkies pod is not what, it is together.
1:06:41
not spaced, okay? It is together, not spaced.
1:06:45
Football underscore junkies pod, all right? You
1:06:48
can follow me on X at GMKale, all right? GMKale,
1:06:52
K -A -I -L -E, as well as on Blue Sky, GMKale,
1:06:56
G -M -K -A -I -L -E. Also, I forgot to tell you
1:07:00
guys this, we hit 900 downloads a couple days
1:07:03
ago. which means we're only 100 downloads away
1:07:07
from hitting 1 ,000. If we can hit 1 ,000 downloads
1:07:10
before the year ends out, that would be amazing,
1:07:14
guys. But I think we can do it, all right? So
1:07:17
as always, I hope I gave you guys the fix that
1:07:19
you guys need. I love you guys. I appreciate
1:07:21
you guys so much. Stay tuned. Gut check time
1:07:24
will be coming out next week. It will be coming
1:07:28
out next week after the trade deadline, okay?
1:07:32
As always, I love you guys. I appreciate you
1:07:34
guys so much. Thank you guys so much for listening
1:07:37
to the Football Junkies podcast. I love each
1:07:39
and every one of you. I appreciate each and every
1:07:41
one of you. And this is your GM, Kale, signing
1:07:44
out. Peace and love. Later. Breaking news, breaking
1:07:50
news, breaking news, breaking news. The Ravens
1:07:53
are trading Jair Alexander to the Eagles. So
1:07:56
the Ravens are sending Jair in a 2027 seventh
1:08:00
round pick to the Eagles in exchange for a 2026
1:08:04
sixth round pick. This is a really good move
1:08:07
for the Eagles. Low risk, high reward. We know
1:08:10
that the Ravens were stashing Jair since the
1:08:13
summer because they believe that by getting Jair,
1:08:16
he will provide a different oomph to that secondary
1:08:19
that's very much needed. He was a healthy scratch
1:08:23
for the last two games. And my guess is he probably
1:08:26
went to the Ravens and said, trade me. You guys
1:08:28
aren't going to play me? Then just trade me.
1:08:30
Now with the Eagles, however, this is a great
1:08:32
move because you get a proven corner for little
1:08:36
to nothing. I mean, who wouldn't want that? So
1:08:39
now your cornerback woes have essentially been
1:08:41
completed. I mean, you have Michael Carter, you
1:08:44
have Quinion Mitchell, and you have Jair. I think
1:08:47
that's good. Not to mention. You also have Cooper
1:08:50
Dejean, who sometimes will play in the nickel
1:08:52
as well. Man, man, oh man. How are we doing this
1:08:56
thing, folks? We're going to talk more about
1:08:58
this in the next episode with Gut Check Time,
1:09:01
all right? So as always, I love you guys. I appreciate
1:09:03
you guys so much. Peace and love. Later.