Latest / Football Junkies podcast / Ep.100: What is a catch?

Transcript

Ep.100: What is a catch? · Football Junkies podcast

0:03
Double bag alert, double bag alert, double bag
0:05
alert, folks. That's right. We got a loaded episode
0:08
because this isn't just an ordinary episode.
0:11
These aren't just ordinary bag alerts, okay?
0:14
This is the 100th episode of the Football Junkies
0:17
podcast, all right? 100 different opinions, 100
0:21
different hot takes, truth bombs, and more. And
0:24
man, oh man, does it feel good. Travis Jones
0:26
and Josh Myers get paid. Old Man Rivers heads
0:29
to Indy. Joe Burrow voices his frustrations.
0:32
Cowboys and Lions recap. Steelers and Ravens
0:35
recap. Titans and Browns recap. And Texans and
0:38
Chiefs recap. Okay, all of this and more on the
0:41
100th episode of the Football Junkies Podcast,
0:44
all right? I am your host with the most, all
0:46
right? I'm your chief, Bagro Adamas. That's right,
0:48
chief, head of the table. Anything and everything
0:50
related to the bag, rumors to the bag, and more.
0:52
I am your hopium, hopium, hopium, hopium, hopium
0:55
dealer. All the hopium that you need to get through
0:58
the rest of the season because we only have a
1:00
few more weeks for the regular season. the season's
1:02
over and then we get into the playoffs, all right?
1:04
But I am your Bagro Damas. That's right. Everything
1:07
related to the bag, I am that guy, all right?
1:10
Because you are listening to the greatest football
1:13
podcast that you can listen to on a week -to
1:15
-week, day -to -day basis. I am your GM who currently
1:18
is not on a team right now, but don't you worry
1:21
about it, all right? Don't you worry about it
1:23
because guess what? I am all these things and
1:26
more. But most importantly, the most important
1:28
thing that you must remember is I am your host,
1:30
Kale. Buckle up. It's going to get crazy. So
1:33
guess what? On three. One, two, three. Let's
1:35
lock in. Alright, folks, let's get into the meat
2:04
and potatoes of everything that is going on in
2:07
the league right now. So, before we get into
2:09
the games, let's talk about these bag alerts
2:11
and everything else, alright? So... Travis Jones'
2:14
defensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens inks
2:16
a three -year $40 .5 million deal, $25 million
2:19
guaranteed he'll be making $13 .5 million a year.
2:22
When we look at his stats so far this year, 34
2:24
tackles, one and a half sacks, 18 quarterback
2:27
pressures. Now, SpotRak's market value for Travis
2:30
Jones is three years, $40 .6 million, which is
2:33
$13 .6 million a year. So technically speaking,
2:36
the Ravens were right on point with this deal.
2:38
Now with this deal being done, we have to wonder
2:41
if Nnamdi Medabuke will be able to play again.
2:44
And the only reason why I bring him up is because
2:46
if he was able to play, Travis Jones wouldn't
2:50
be getting this deal right now. Because every
2:52
time a reporter asks John Harbaugh for an update
2:54
on Nnamdi Medabuke, he just gives him the same
2:57
answers, which is he can't give out any information
3:00
and that right now they don't know what's going
3:02
on. So that has to make you wonder, is this a
3:06
severe injury that could possibly end his career?
3:09
Another angle we need to talk about with this
3:11
deal is that it may limit the Ravens' ability
3:13
to extend some of their free agents. Tyler Lindenbaum
3:16
is going to be free agent, Isaiah Likely, Eloy
3:18
Gilman, Kyle Van Noy, Daniel Falele, even though
3:21
he's not going to come back to the Ravens, if
3:23
you know, you know, and Patrick Ricard. So according
3:26
to SpotRack, Tyler Linderbaum's market value
3:29
is four years, 69 .7 million, which is 17 .4
3:32
million a year. Isaiah Likely's market value
3:35
is four years, 41 .7 million, which is 10 .4
3:39
million a year. Aloy Gilman's market value is
3:41
two years, 9 .3 million, which is 4 .7 million
3:44
a year. Kyle Van Noy's market value, one year,
3:47
5 .1 million. So I say all that to say this,
3:51
can some of these deals be hashed out now? Yes.
3:54
But the difficulty with trying to hash out these
3:57
deals is that some of them are probably looking
4:00
for top dollar value, which I can understand
4:03
because this is your first major contract. But
4:05
at the same time, that's going to limit your
4:07
ability to be players in free agency. But we'll
4:11
talk about this more when we talk about the Steelers
4:13
and Ravens game because there's a lot to unpack
4:15
with that game, all right? Now let's talk about
4:17
Josh Myers. Center for the Jets inks a two -year
4:20
$11 million deal, $6 million guaranteed if we
4:23
make $5 .5 million a year. A good team -friendly
4:27
deal that's not going to break the bank while
4:29
at the same time locking up a very important
4:31
position. Now so far, four out of the five offensive
4:35
linemen for the Jets are currently under contract.
4:38
The only two that are pending free agents is
4:41
John Simpson and Elijah Barrett Tucker, which
4:43
you can upgrade in neither the draft or in free
4:46
agency. Now let's talk about Phillip Rivers going
4:48
to the Colts. So with Daniel Jones being out
4:51
for the year, the Colts were trying to find a
4:53
replacement just so they can get by. Now they
4:56
probably looked here, there, everywhere. But
4:59
Shane Stockton said, you know what? I know somebody.
5:02
I'm going to call up an old friend. And who did
5:04
he call up? Phillip Rivers. That's right, the
5:08
Phillip Rivers that hasn't played in over five
5:10
years. Now you're probably wondering, of all
5:13
the people that they could have brought in, why
5:15
Phillip Rivers? Well, here's why. According to
5:19
Kevin Patra of the NFL, while Phillip Rivers
5:22
was with the Chargers, Shane Stuyton was the
5:25
quarterback coach from 2016 to 2019, and then
5:28
the interim offensive coordinator in 2019. So
5:31
since that time, they've had an established relationship
5:34
with each other, and they actually talk to one
5:37
another pretty frequently. So I guess that was
5:40
probably the best move for the Colts, but it's
5:44
a little bit of a head -scratcher because you're
5:46
getting somebody that hasn't played in five years.
5:49
Now, it's different from Aaron Rodgers because
5:51
Aaron Rodgers just played last year. So he's
5:54
still in the field of football. Phillip Rivers
5:58
is not in the field for football. But here's
6:01
the crazy thing about it. When Phillip Rivers
6:04
was with the Colts in 2020, Jonathan Taylor and
6:07
Michael Pittman Jr. were rookies. It was the
6:10
second year for Quentin Nelson. Justin Houston
6:13
was still on the team. Shaq Leonard was on the
6:16
team. Xavier Rhodes was on the team. That's how
6:20
long it's been since Phillip Rivers was playing
6:24
football. But you want to know what's really
6:26
crazy? Nick Sirianni was the offensive coordinator.
6:30
Matt Eberflus was the defensive coordinator.
6:33
Kevin Petullo was the pass game specialist. And
6:36
Jonathan Gannon was the cornerback coach. While
6:39
Frank Wright was the head coach. Now during that
6:42
time, they had the 11th ranked offense. and they
6:45
averaged 28 .2 points per game, 378 .9 yards
6:50
per game, 5 .9 yards per play, and 44 touchdowns.
6:53
They were 11th in passing offense, and they averaged
6:57
253 .3 passing yards per game, 7 .1 passing yards
7:01
per play, and 24 passing touchdowns. They were
7:04
11th in rushing offense, and they averaged 124
7:08
.8 rushing yards per game, 4 .3 rushing yards
7:11
per play, and 20 rushing touchdowns. So they
7:14
had a really good offense back then. Now, do
7:16
I think they can do the same thing again? Possibly.
7:20
Because Michael Pittman is a more established
7:22
receiver now. Jonathan Taylor looks like the
7:25
offensive player of the year. Tyler Warren is
7:27
a beast. The offensive line is protecting really
7:30
well. I think they can do something. Now, am
7:34
I saying that they're going to go to the Super
7:35
Bowl or the AFC Championship because of Phillip
7:37
Rivers? No. So any person that has high expectations
7:41
for Phillip Rivers, knock it off. Because you
7:44
don't know what condition Phillip Rivers is in.
7:46
Granted, he still has the arm, but the stamina
7:49
and the ability to take hits. He hasn't taken
7:53
a hit in over five years. And if we want to take
7:55
things another level, his first opponent is the
7:59
Seahawks. Of all the times you could have came
8:02
back, now is the time that you want to come back.
8:05
And then after the Seahawks, you have to face
8:08
the 49ers, the Jaguars, and then end the regular
8:11
season with the Texans. That's right, the Texans
8:14
defense that's been crushing quarterbacks left
8:17
and right. That offensive line better be perfect.
8:20
From the first snap to the last snap. But let's
8:23
talk about Joe Burrow because he said some things
8:26
that got people questioning if he wants to stay
8:29
with the Bengals or not. So this all started
8:32
when a reporter asked him, does coming back from
8:35
a serious injury change your competitive fire
8:37
at all? And how does the toe injury maybe change
8:41
the way you view the game? And so this is what
8:43
Joe Burrow had to say in that quote. It certainly
8:46
does not change my desire to win. If I want to
8:49
keep doing this, I have to have fun doing it.
8:51
I've been through a lot. And if it's not fun,
8:54
then what am I doing it for? That's the mindset
8:57
I'm trying to bring to the table. I think I've
9:00
been through more than most. And it's certainly
9:02
not easy on the brain or the body. So I'm just
9:05
trying to have fun doing it again. End quote.
9:08
But he goes on to say this, and I quote, it's
9:11
something you have to think about. That's life
9:13
as a professional athlete. It's no different
9:16
in basketball, MMA, or baseball. It's what we
9:19
chose. We make a lot of sacrifices and your body
9:22
is often one of them, end quote. Now somebody
9:25
asked him, are those frustrations football related
9:27
or personal? And he simply said, and I quote,
9:30
all the above, end quote. Now here's the thing,
9:33
because we have to pick this apart like a surgeon.
9:36
So I have my scalpel. I have my other utensils
9:39
ready because we got to pick this apart, okay?
9:41
For those who have been listening to this podcast
9:44
since last year, what has been the number one
9:48
thing that I've emphasized episode after episode?
9:52
Your offensive line. The offensive line is not
9:56
the sexiest position, but it is the most reliable
9:59
position on the team. Because without the offensive
10:02
line, your quarterback is going to get crushed
10:05
every single time. And we have seen organizations
10:08
neglect the offensive line year after year after
10:12
year. And you know what happens? That quarterback
10:15
doesn't want to take any more hits. And he either
10:18
forces a departure or just flat out retires.
10:21
We saw with Andrew Luck. Andrew Luck did not
10:24
have a competent offensive line for a majority
10:27
of his career. And by the time that they started
10:30
to invest into the offensive line, it was too
10:32
late. He was shot. So you have to make those
10:36
investments. Now, I'm not saying that you need
10:38
to have an offensive line full of first rounders,
10:41
but you need to make key investments into your
10:43
offensive line. Because what did I say a couple
10:46
episodes ago? Pass rushers are coming out of
10:49
college like hotcakes. They are bigger, they
10:53
are stronger, and they're faster. And the only
10:56
way that you can negate their effectiveness is
10:58
by having a crazy offensive line. When you don't
11:02
have it, you're not going to go anywhere. Granted,
11:04
I understand that the Bengals made a crazy playoff
11:07
run with the worst offensive line in the league,
11:10
but it took a toll on Joe Burrow. I was able
11:13
to find some stats just to see how similar Andrew
11:17
Luck and Joe Burrow are. Joe Burrow has taken
11:21
on more sacks than Andrew Luck. You don't believe
11:26
me? I'll read the stats. In 2020, Joe Burrow's
11:30
first year, 32 sacks. That next year, 51 sacks.
11:34
The year after that, 41 sacks. The year after
11:37
that, 24 sacks. The year after that, 48 sacks.
11:41
This year, 7 sacks. That totals up to 203 sacks
11:46
by Joe Burrow. Andrew Lux, 41 sacks in his first
11:51
year. 32 sacks in his second year. 27 sacks in
11:56
his third year. 15 sacks in his fourth year.
11:59
41 sacks in his fifth year. Now, he didn't play
12:03
in 2017 because of his shoulder. But his last
12:07
year, 18 sacks. 174 sacks. I don't care how big
12:14
you are. I don't care how strong you are. I don't
12:17
care what your workout regimen is. I don't care
12:19
what your recovery regimen is. You cannot handle
12:23
174 sacks. At some point, you're not going to
12:28
want to be hit anymore. And if you're Joe Burrow,
12:32
You should have told the team, listen, I'll take
12:35
less money just so you can build me a great offensive
12:39
line. Now, granted, they drafted Amarius Mims
12:42
in the first round and they paid some money to
12:44
Orlando Brown. But what have you done with the
12:47
interior offensive line? But let's go a little
12:50
bit deeper. According to SpotRack, Joe Burrow
12:54
alone accounts for 16 .4 % of the cap. 16 .4%.
13:02
Tee Higgins, 8 .6%. Jamar Chase, 8 .4%. You gave
13:10
three big contracts to your three best players,
13:14
but you didn't think about maybe doing something
13:16
with the interior offensive line. Now the Bengals
13:19
are probably starting to have regret on choosing
13:21
Jamar Chase instead of Penesuel. Now I'll be
13:25
honest. Panay Sewell probably wouldn't have been
13:27
the sexy pick. But you know what? It would have
13:30
been a pick that would have kept Joe Burrow up.
13:33
Because Joe Burrow has been hurt a lot. And outside
13:37
of that Super Bowl year, what have they done
13:40
since then? At some point, somebody's going to
13:44
have to say it. We have to protect Joe. Because
13:47
if you don't protect Joe, Joe is going to go.
13:51
Because that's what it sounds like to me. Now,
13:54
if you're Joe Burrow, the number one team you
13:57
probably want to go to is the Vikings. Because
13:59
you know why? The Vikings have a good offensive
14:02
line. They have a good run game. They're in a
14:05
dome. So at best, you're only going to have to
14:08
play outdoors only twice. And out of those two
14:11
times, one of them is probably going to be the
14:14
early part of the season. And the other one is
14:16
going to be at the latter part of the season.
14:18
You can work with that. But what you can't work
14:21
with is being in a division where two of the
14:24
best pass rushers in the league are facing you
14:27
and putting you on the ground year after year.
14:30
But I'm going to get off my soapbox. Not going
14:33
to say anything yet. But just know, if Joe Burrow
14:38
continues on with this rhetoric, there might
14:41
be a change of the guard. But let's talk about
14:44
these games. So Dak Prescott, 47 attempts for
14:47
31 completions, 376 passing yards, one touchdown,
14:50
two picks, eight yards per attempt, and a 66
14:53
completion percentage. Javante Williams, 17 attempts
14:56
for 67 rushing yards, 3 .9 rushing yards per
14:59
carry, one touchdown, and two rushes of 10 plus
15:02
yards or more. CeeDee Lamb, eight targets for
15:05
six receptions, 121 receiving yards, and 20 .2
15:08
receiving yards per reception. Jared Goff, 34
15:11
attempts for 25 completions, 309 pass yards,
15:15
1 touchdown, 9 .1 yards per attempt, and a 73
15:18
.5 completion percentage. David Montgomery, 6
15:21
attempts for 60 rushing yards, 10 rushing yards
15:24
per carry, 1 touchdown, and 1 rush of 10 plus
15:27
yards or more. Jamison Williams, 9 targets for
15:30
7 receptions, 96 receiving yards, and 13 .7 receiving
15:33
yards per reception. So here's a few junkie nuggets.
15:37
When under pressure, Dak Prescott completed 9
15:39
of 13 attempts for 166 passing yards in one touchdown,
15:43
his fourth most passing yards under pressure
15:46
in the game since 2018. Jared Goff completed
15:49
17 of 21 quick pass attempts for 167 passing
15:53
yards in one touchdown. Jared Goff's quick pass
15:56
rate is the highest mark in a game since joining
15:59
the Lions at 61 .8%. On 12 carries against the
16:03
Cowboys, Jameer Gibbs recorded 43 rushing yards
16:07
and three touchdowns. All three touchdowns came
16:09
out of jumbo formations. When covering CeeDee
16:12
Lamb, DJ Reed allowed 105 yards, the most yards
16:17
Reed has allowed to a single receiver in a game
16:20
in his career. From the start of the game to
16:22
the end of the game, the Lions were in control.
16:25
There was never a point in time where the Cowboys
16:28
posed a threat to the Lions. Now, the Cowboys
16:32
could have tried to win if they would have been
16:34
efficient in the red zone and stopped making
16:36
costly mistakes. But instead, you were bad in
16:40
the run game, you were bad in the red zone, you
16:43
were bad when it comes to penalties, so of course
16:45
you're going to lose. You couldn't stop Jameer
16:48
Gibbs, you couldn't stop David Montgomery, nor
16:51
Jamison Williams, nor Amon Ross St. Brown. And
16:54
that's just the offense. On the defense, however,
16:57
the Lions imposed their will on Dak Prescott.
17:00
There was never a point in time where Dak felt
17:04
comfortable in this game. Dak was sacked five
17:07
times and had a quarterback pressure rate of
17:10
37%, while Jared Goff only took on one sack and
17:14
had a quarterback pressure rate of 25 .7%. And
17:19
every time the Cowboys made a mistake, the Lions
17:21
made them pay for it. So when you have those
17:24
factors in place on top of the Lions starting
17:27
to use that sixth offensive lineman formation
17:30
by adding in Dan Skipper, of course the Cowboys
17:34
weren't going to win. And for the people that
17:36
were talking about George Pickens and talking
17:38
about how his body language showed that he didn't
17:40
want to be there anymore and whatnot, stop it.
17:42
Because you would do the exact same thing if
17:45
your team was getting crushed every single time
17:48
you were on the field. You would show a little
17:50
bit of emotion. I have never seen a whole bunch
17:53
of people, especially people in Pittsburgh, that
17:56
just have a personal ax to grind against George
17:58
Pickens. He's out of Pittsburgh. Leave him alone.
18:02
But all I continue to see is a bunch of grown
18:04
men continue to try to justify their views about
18:09
George Pickens. Not everybody is going to be
18:11
an angel. Not everybody is going to be a team
18:14
player. Some people are just going to show emotions
18:17
more than others. That's football. That's what
18:21
makes football so special. Because not everybody
18:24
is going to be like a Larry Fitzgerald and just
18:27
keep things bottled up. There are some people
18:29
that are going to throw their helmet. There's
18:31
going to be some people that may cuss somebody
18:33
on the sideline. There may be somebody that may
18:36
try to get into it with their quarterback. We
18:37
see it all the time. But to justify your personal
18:42
opinions and to justify your axe grinding against
18:46
a player is just downright childish and unnecessary.
18:50
But let's talk about the Steelers and Ravens.
18:53
So Aaron Rodgers, 34 attempts for 23 completions,
18:56
284 passing yards, 1 touchdown, 8 .4 yards per
19:00
attempt, and a 67 .6 completion percentage. Kenneth
19:03
Gainwell, 4 attempts for 15 rushing yards, 3
19:06
.8 rushing yards per carry, and 1 touchdown.
19:09
DK Metcalf, 12 targets for 7 receptions, 21 .1
19:13
receiving yards per reception. Lamar Jackson,
19:16
35 attempts for 19 completions, one touchdown,
19:19
one pick, 6 .3 yards per attempt, and a 54 .3
19:23
completion percentage. Derrick Henry, 25 attempts
19:26
for 94 rushing yards, 3 .8 rushing yards per
19:29
carry, and one rush of 10 plus yards or more.
19:32
Zay Flowers, 11 targets for eight receptions,
19:35
124 receiving yards, and 15 .5 receiving yards
19:38
per reception. So here's a few junkie nuggets.
19:41
When Zay Flowers was in motion, Flowers caught
19:44
two of his four targets for 38 yards. When not
19:47
in motion, Zay Flowers caught six of seven targets
19:50
for 86 yards. Chidobe Awuzie has allowed the
19:53
lowest completion percentage at 50%, which is
19:56
the lowest among Ravens defensive backs, and
19:59
tied for the ninth lowest among quarterbacks
20:02
league -wide. Aaron Rodgers completed all three
20:05
deep passes, which is 20 -plus air yards, for
20:07
121 yards against the Ravens. All deep targets
20:11
went to DK Metcalf. So a couple things with this
20:14
game, because I know we have to talk about the
20:17
one play that everybody is talking about, because
20:19
I myself do not know what a catch is. Now before
20:23
we talk about this game, I must first let you
20:26
guys know that I am wearing a tinfoil suit from
20:30
head to toe, alright? My shoes are covered in
20:33
tinfoil. My jacket is in tinfoil. I have a tinfoil
20:37
hat on right now because we have to talk about
20:39
the conspiracy theory that is a catch. Because
20:43
clearly, we don't know what a catch is. Now prior
20:46
to this game, Adam Schefter put out an article
20:49
stating... that the Steelers and Mike Tomlin
20:52
have a significant decision that they have to
20:54
make prior to next season. According to Schefter,
20:57
Tomlin's contract will have two years remaining,
21:00
26 in the team option in 27. But according to
21:04
league sources, the Steelers must decide whether
21:07
to pick up the option on Tomlin's contract by
21:10
March 1st. There will be organizational meetings
21:13
and decisions that occur, but not until after
21:16
the season with a full body of work for all appropriate
21:19
parties to review, according to sources. Now,
21:22
I understand after the Bills lost, there was
21:24
a lot of hype about Mike Tomlin and everybody
21:27
was giving their two cents on if Tomlin should
21:29
stay or go or get traded or retire or whatever
21:34
people were thinking, right? But when Schefter
21:37
put out this story prior to the Steelers and
21:39
Ravens matchup, it had me wondering, why would
21:43
you put out this story prior to the game? And
21:45
who decided to put out this story? Was it somebody
21:49
from the Steelers? Was it somebody from Thomas
21:52
Camp? Because Schefter isn't going to put out
21:54
a story like this if there is something brewing
21:57
behind closed doors. Now, for all intents and
22:00
purposes, This could possibly mean Tomlin wants
22:04
to go or the Steelers want to get another head
22:06
coach. We don't know. There's still a few games
22:09
left, so we can't come to that conclusion. But
22:12
with that being said, let's actually talk about
22:14
the game because there's a lot to unpack from
22:16
this. For starters, there was little to no energy
22:19
in this game. Usually, whenever there's a Steelers
22:22
and Ravens game, there's a lot of energy, there's
22:24
a lot of hype, trash talking, all of that and
22:28
more between both fan bases. Clearly it wasn't,
22:31
because both fan bases are in similar situations,
22:34
and that is they are tired of their respective
22:37
head coaches. But we're going to save that once
22:40
we've talked about everything else. The first
22:42
thing that needs to be brought up is Daniel Felele.
22:45
I am so tired of seeing him on the field, and
22:49
I don't understand why John Harbaugh continues
22:51
to give him chance after chance after chance.
22:55
At some point, you're going to need to make a
22:58
switch. Put Emory Jones in. Put somebody in other
23:02
than Daniel Folele because he is more of a liability
23:05
than an asset. Anytime Brandon Echols can beat
23:09
you to get a sack, that's a problem. You're almost
23:12
400 -something pounds, 6 '5", maybe 6 '6", and
23:18
you mean to tell me you can't even defend a slot
23:20
corner? A slot corner that's not even that big.
23:23
Are you serious? I could probably defend Brandon
23:27
Echols a little bit better than what Daniel Felele
23:30
is doing. At some point, if you're a head coach,
23:33
you have to be honest with who you have on the
23:35
field. And if you feel like somebody is more
23:39
of a liability than an asset, get them off the
23:41
field. I don't care how long they've been playing.
23:44
I don't care what pedigree they have. I don't
23:47
care what school they came from. I don't care
23:49
about their backstory. I don't care about any
23:51
of that. If you are not playing well, you gotta
23:53
go. And the fact that you didn't do anything
23:57
at the trade deadline to address this position,
24:00
but now all of a sudden you decide that you want
24:02
to address guard. It took you a majority of the
24:06
season to finally wake up and see the problem
24:09
right in front of you that you've been seeing
24:12
for over 12 weeks now, and now you want to make
24:14
a move. It's too late. It's too late. The damage
24:20
is already done. Even if you put Lakin Thomason
24:24
in, and even if he plays better than Daniel Folele,
24:28
it's too late. Your playoff chances are slim
24:31
to none. If you lose against the Bengals, you're
24:35
done. But I'm going to save that for when we
24:39
talk about the coaches. Now, defensively for
24:41
the Ravens, they were inconsistent. There were
24:43
high points as well as low points. And I think
24:47
this is the theme that we've been seeing with
24:50
the Ravens as a whole this entire season. There'll
24:53
be stretches where they're playing really good
24:55
ball and they look like the Baltimore Ravens.
24:57
And then there's other stretches where it's like,
25:00
is this the Ravens? Or is this the high school
25:03
team of the Ravens? There were even points where
25:07
the pass rush specifically was ineffective. So
25:10
I say all that to say this. If you're the Ravens
25:13
moving forward, You need to emphasize rebuilding
25:17
this defensive line because what you have right
25:20
now is not sufficient. Relying on Kyle Van Noy
25:24
to do what he did two years ago is not going
25:26
to help. Mike Green is a rookie, so he's still
25:29
trying to figure everything out. And you don't
25:31
have anybody with the interior defensive line
25:34
that's doing anything as well. Travis Jones can
25:36
only do so much. Now, offensively for the Steelers,
25:39
they were explosive. Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf
25:43
was cooking the entire game and the Ravens didn't
25:46
have an answer for it. Which I think is really
25:48
promising and I feel like that's a change of
25:51
pace compared to what we've seen the last few
25:53
weeks with the Steelers. Now can that be contributed
25:56
to having Adam Thielen and MVS on the field?
25:59
Or Andres P at left tackle since he's better
26:02
in pass protection? We don't know. But as a collective...
26:06
The Steelers' offense was a lot better in this
26:09
game than what it has been in the last few games.
26:12
But something that we need to talk about with
26:14
this game is the referees. I understand it was
26:18
that gentleman's first season, and I understand
26:21
that he needs the experience, but why would you
26:24
put him on this game when this is the most intense
26:27
rivalry in all of football and, you know, most
26:31
games in in a controversial way, which is exactly
26:34
what happened with this game. Why would you put
26:36
him in that situation? Why didn't you at least
26:38
put somebody that's a little bit more seasoned
26:41
specifically with these games instead of somebody
26:44
who clearly does not understand the magnitude
26:48
of this rivalry? There were a lot of plays and
26:52
a lot of flags that just didn't need to be called.
26:55
The Travis Jones one didn't need to be called.
26:59
And the fact that you as the league decided to
27:02
call John Harbaugh after the game to say, you
27:05
know what, our bad. Our bad? Our bad. It's too
27:09
late for that. The game is already over. The
27:12
record has already changed. It's the dumbest
27:15
thing in the world for you to say, oh yeah, what
27:18
we did in the game, yeah, we're sorry about that.
27:20
That's not going to change the record. That's
27:23
not going to change the outcome of the season.
27:26
What are we doing? And another thing that we
27:29
need to talk about is Patrick Queen holding on
27:32
to Mark Andrews. If you look at the footage again,
27:36
Patrick Queen was clearly holding on to Mark
27:39
Andrews. And the fact that it was not called
27:42
is baffling to me. So you mean to tell me that
27:45
nobody decided to review that play at least a
27:49
few different times in a few different angles?
27:52
You're just going to say, oh, it's an incomplete
27:54
pass. No, it wasn't. He was holding on to his
27:56
shirt the entire time. Now, the question is this.
28:00
Was that pass intended for Mark Andrews or Dehop?
28:03
Because if you look at that play again, Dehop
28:06
was wide open. But let's go a little bit deeper.
28:09
The catch. The catches of all catches. The play
28:14
that everybody has been talking about and questioning
28:17
about for the past few days. Was Isaiah Likely's
28:21
play a catch? And I would venture to say yes.
28:26
He did everything that every other receiver has
28:30
done. He had two feet in the end zone. He had
28:34
possession of the ball. So why wasn't it ruled
28:37
a catch? Or better yet, why didn't you guys just
28:40
replay the down? I think if you would have done
28:43
that, you probably would have gotten a better
28:45
reception from the fans than to just say, oh,
28:48
it's an incomplete pass. He didn't have control
28:50
of the ball. Yes, he did. He had control of the
28:53
ball. So what are we doing? Now, after the game,
28:55
a reporter named Jeff Zerbeck, who covers the
28:57
Ravens, decided to ask NFL vice president of
29:01
instant replay Mark Butterworth and referee Alex
29:04
Moore on that play. So he asked. What went into
29:09
the decision to reverse the touchdown that was
29:11
initially ruled on the field for Isaiah Likely
29:13
in the fourth quarter? Mark Butterworth said
29:16
this and I quote, The ruling on the field was
29:19
a touchdown. We quickly looked at the play. The
29:22
receiver controlled the ball in the air, had
29:24
his right foot down, then his left foot down.
29:26
The control is the first aspect of the catch.
29:29
The second aspect is two feet or a body part
29:33
inbounds, which he did have. Then the third step
29:36
is an act common to the game. And before he could
29:39
get the third foot down, the ball was ripped
29:42
out. Therefore, it was an incomplete pass. So
29:46
Jeff Zerbeck asked another question. So an act
29:49
common to the game, what would that constitute
29:51
in the end zone? It was two and a half steps
29:54
before the third step went down. What would constitute
29:57
an act common to the game? And Butterworth answered,
30:01
and I quote, for this play, it would be him completing
30:04
the third step. So Zerbeck asks us another question.
30:08
So he needed a third step in the end zone in
30:11
this situation, and Butterworth simply answered
30:14
by saying, and I quote, yes, sir. It was a catch.
30:18
It was a catch. By the time that Joey Porter
30:22
Jr. was trying to get the ball out of Isaiah
30:25
Likely's grasp, It should have already been ruled
30:28
as a touchdown. So I don't understand why you
30:32
guys ruled it as an incomplete pass. He did every
30:35
single thing. I didn't realize that you had to
30:38
have a third step because a whole bunch of receivers
30:41
do that play every single Sunday, Monday, and
30:44
Thursday the exact same way, and you guys rule
30:47
it as a touchdown. So moving forward, whenever
30:50
a receiver or tight end do the exact same thing
30:53
that Isaiah Likely did, I want the same response,
30:57
the same description, and the same energy. Now
31:00
let's have a brief conversation on where both
31:03
teams are at right now. So with the Steelers
31:05
winning this game, all they have to do is beat
31:09
the Dolphins and beat the Browns. If you do those
31:12
two things, That last Ravens game essentially
31:16
means nothing because you've already won the
31:18
division. But if you lose against the Dolphins,
31:22
that's going to make things harder for you. So
31:26
if you're the Steelers, you have to find a way
31:29
to win. Now, apparently TJ Watt isn't going to
31:33
be playing on Monday, which I'm so glad that
31:36
he's okay. Prayers to him and his family and
31:39
everybody connected to him because having a punctured
31:41
lung is not fun at all. But with that being said,
31:45
if you're the Steelers, if you truly believe
31:48
that you can make a playoff run, if you truly
31:51
believe that you can win at least one playoff
31:54
game, it's time for you to dig deep and lock
31:56
in. You know the Dolphins ain't a slouch. You
32:00
know the Lions are going to give you problems.
32:01
You know you're going back to Cleveland. So you
32:04
need to take care of business. And please, Continue
32:09
to adjust. Continue to do new things on both
32:13
sides of the ball. Now, do I believe that this
32:17
is going to be Mike Tomlin's last year for the
32:19
Steelers? No. I said it in the previous episode.
32:22
I don't believe that the Steelers are going to
32:24
get rid of Mike Tomlin. Mike Tomlin has to make
32:28
that decision. The Steelers won't do it for him
32:30
because the Steelers still believe in Mike Tomlin
32:33
and the players still believe in Mike Tomlin.
32:36
So if those two factors still believe in the
32:39
head coach, nothing is going to happen. Now,
32:42
can there be added pressure on Mike Tomlin? Yes.
32:46
But to say that Mike Tomlin needs to go into
32:49
college football or getting to broadcasting or
32:52
do these. just unnecessary things? No. If he
32:57
feels like it's time for him to go, let him go.
33:00
But I will say this, if you let him go, who is
33:04
going to be the replacement? I said this in the
33:08
previous episode. If you let go of Mike Tomlin,
33:11
who is going to be the replacement? Because this
33:14
upcoming cycle for head coaches is not that good
33:18
compared to last year where you have Ben Johnson,
33:21
Liam Cohen, Mike Vrabel, Jim Harbaugh, Raheem
33:25
Morris. I can continue to go down the list. So
33:28
while everybody has a personal axe to grind against
33:31
Mike Tomlin, just know, anybody that comes in,
33:35
you are going to be holding them to the standard
33:38
that Mike Tomlin set for over 20 plus years.
33:41
Now with John Harbaugh, it's straightforward.
33:44
He has to go. Because right now, he has not shown
33:47
that he can take this team to the Super Bowl.
33:50
Instead, he has shown that he is an average to
33:54
below average head coach. Anytime you continue
33:57
to lose against your division rival in the Steelers,
34:01
even though you have a better roster than them,
34:04
that's a problem. Anytime you don't address problems
34:07
on your team, even though you have options on
34:11
your team already, that's a problem. Anytime
34:14
you are not willing to do something different,
34:17
that's a problem. These are the things that John
34:21
Harbaugh continues to do season after season.
34:25
He doesn't want to change on offense. He doesn't
34:28
want to change on defense. He doesn't want to
34:30
give his younger players a chance. So at this
34:32
point, you have to go. You've had opportunity
34:35
after opportunity to make it to the Super Bowl,
34:38
and you continue to fail. You had prime position
34:41
to make it to the Super Bowl. All you had to
34:44
do was beat the Chiefs, who were in your house.
34:48
You literally told the reporter, I want to run
34:51
the ball like you're an offensive coordinator.
34:54
When you're a head coach, you can tell Todd Munkin,
34:57
Todd, run the ball. But you didn't want to do
35:00
that. You've had opportunity after opportunity
35:03
against some weak opponents, and you continue
35:06
to not capitalize off of it. So no, you gotta
35:10
go. Now let's talk about the Titans and Browns.
35:12
But before we do that. We got to pay some bills.
35:15
Pardon the interruption, but this is your GM,
35:17
your bag road dominance here to talk about RSS
35:20
.com. All right. So if you guys already don't
35:23
know, I'm a RSS .com affiliate. And so I just
35:26
want to tell you for just a quick moment about
35:29
why you should choose RSS .com. So me personally,
35:32
on my journey of podcasting, I was looking at
35:35
different platforms just to find the right place.
35:39
and i looked here i looked there i looked everywhere
35:41
but i checked out rss .com and it was the best
35:45
decision i ever made from low prices to interactive
35:48
analytics to as well as helping you with your
35:51
distribution rss .com does it all They just started
35:55
a Slack channel where you can network and interact
35:58
with other podcasters and even get some insightful
36:02
tips on how you can increase your podcast even
36:05
more. Also, RSS .com just launched their paid
36:08
ads program. So now you can get paid for posting
36:12
your content. All you have to do is just have
36:16
10 downloads and you're qualified for it. Who
36:19
would want to get paid for doing something that
36:21
they're passionate about doing? So head on over
36:24
to rss .com. I will be attaching my RSS affiliate
36:28
link within the description. When you click on
36:31
that link, I will be able to receive some compensation
36:33
for it. And with that compensation, I will be
36:36
able to give you guys a better product. A lot
36:39
of that money will go towards upgrading the microphones,
36:42
computers, new subscriptions for more analytical
36:45
information that we can use for future podcasts,
36:48
all of that and more. Thank you for your support,
36:51
and thank you, RSS .com, for making me an affiliate.
36:54
Now back to the good stuff. And we're back, folks.
36:57
So Cam Ward, 28 attempts for 14 completions,
37:00
two touchdowns, one pick, 4 .2 yards per attempt,
37:03
and a 50 % completion percentage. Tony Pollard,
37:06
25 attempts for 161 rushing yards, 6 .4 rushing
37:10
yards per carry, two touchdowns, and two rushes
37:13
of 10 -plus yards or more. Tajay Spears. Four
37:16
targets for two receptions, 28 receiving yards,
37:19
and 14 receiving yards per reception. Shador
37:21
Sanders. 42 attempts for 23 completions, 364
37:25
passing yards, three touchdowns, one pick, 8
37:28
.7 yards per attempt, and a 54 .8 completion
37:31
percentage. Jador Sanders, three attempts for
37:33
29 rushing yards, 9 .7 rushing yards per carry,
37:36
one touchdown, and one rush of 10 plus yards
37:38
or more. Harold Fanning Jr., 11 targets for eight
37:41
receptions, 114 receiving yards, one touchdown,
37:45
and 14 .3 receiving yards per reception. So here's
37:48
a few junkie nuggets. Tony Pollard totaled 90
37:50
of his 160. 61 rushing yards before contact,
37:53
the most he's recorded in his career. Shador
37:56
Sanders had the second longest time to throw
37:59
by any quarterback this season at 3 .5 seconds.
38:02
I think the main takeaway from this game is that
38:05
both quarterbacks had a good game. Now, when
38:07
you look at their individual stats, it'll probably
38:09
say something different, but when you turn on
38:12
the tape, you can clearly see that both of these
38:15
two are showing a lot of potential. And I think
38:18
if you're both organizations, that's something
38:20
that you can hang your hat on. And if we're being
38:22
honest here, both teams need the same thing.
38:26
Weapons. Because if it wasn't for Tony Pollard
38:29
being the workhorse in this game and that defense
38:31
stepping up in critical moments, the Titans would
38:34
have lost. And I would venture to say this is
38:36
probably their best performance this entire season.
38:40
Now, defensively for the Titans, they were creating
38:42
a lot of pressure on Shador Sanders. Every single
38:45
time he had the ball in his hands, either Jeffrey
38:47
Simmons was in his face or somebody else. Which,
38:50
I mean, that's promising. And I think that's
38:52
something that you can hang your hat on going
38:54
into next year. But if you're the Titans, what
38:58
position are you going to prioritize in the draft?
39:01
Is it going to be pass rusher or is it going
39:03
to be receiver? Now, you need both. But I would
39:06
venture to say wide receiver is a bigger need
39:08
than pass rusher. And let me explain. Right now
39:10
on this team, the only receiver that you can
39:13
say has promise is a human order, which you just
39:17
drafted in this year's draft. Outside of him,
39:20
who else can you say is going to be here for
39:22
the long term? You know Calvin Ridley is most
39:24
likely going to be gone. You know Van Jefferson
39:27
is most likely going to be gone. So if you're
39:29
the Titans, you can get someone like a Jordan
39:32
Tyson. You can get someone like a Denzel Boston.
39:35
You can get yourself like a Carnell Tate because
39:37
you're going to need to give Cam Ward some reliable
39:40
weapons. Which, speaking of which, we are going
39:43
to have to talk about the draft. I need to talk
39:45
about the strengths and weaknesses in next year's
39:47
draft class, some potential prospects that I
39:50
have my eye on, all those different things. Stay
39:52
tuned for that. You know it's going to come out
39:54
soon, all right? I just have to do some more
39:56
digging, okay? Now let's go to the Browns. Offensively,
39:59
as a collective, they were okay. I think Quenshawn
40:01
Junkins continues to show that he is the focal
40:04
point of this offense. And I think that connection
40:07
between Harold Fannin Jr. and Shador Sanders
40:10
is very promising. And to see Shador Sanders
40:12
play the way that he's played without a proper
40:15
offensive line, without a lot of weapons, I think
40:18
there's some promise with that. And I think if
40:20
you're the Browns, you have to roll with Shador
40:23
Sanders moving forward. Now, granted, I understand
40:25
that you have some high picks in next year's
40:27
draft, and I understand that you may want to
40:29
try to get Fernando Mendoza, but just hear me
40:32
out for a moment. If you're the Browns, It'll
40:34
be better for you to rebuild the offensive line
40:37
and to surround Shador Sanders with weapons than
40:41
to just get another quarterback. I just think
40:44
personally, Shador Sanders has been the best
40:47
quarterback of this entire year. And I think
40:49
if you're the Browns, you have to give him a
40:52
legitimate chance. You give him one full offseason
40:56
and one full season just to see what you have
40:59
with Shador Sanders. And then if you still don't
41:02
believe in him, then the 27, you go up and you
41:05
get Archie Manning or whoever else that may be
41:07
available. If Shador Sanders finds a way to beat
41:10
the Steelers, we might need to have a different
41:13
conversation about Shador. I'm just saying, I
41:15
don't want to be that person, but you have to
41:18
root for the kid because the way that he's been
41:21
able to play without an offensive line, with
41:24
limited weapons. That is something that you want
41:27
to see in your quarterback. That is something
41:30
that lets you know that there's something in
41:32
there that you just got to tap into. Now, defensively
41:35
for the Browns, they were struggling in the first
41:37
half, but in the second half, they calmed down,
41:40
they made some adjustments, and they were able
41:42
to limit Tony Pollard's explosiveness. Pardon
41:45
the interruption, but we have some breaking news,
41:47
breaking news, breaking news. So according to
41:49
P -Famil, Lenore Sellers is returning back to
41:52
school. So that's another quarterback that you
41:55
have to take off next year's draft class. And
41:57
if you're a quarterback -needy team, that most
41:59
likely means that Fernando Mendoza may be the
42:02
only quarterback taken in the first round. So
42:04
if you're a team like the Jets, like the Steelers,
42:07
like the Raiders who need a quarterback, what
42:10
are you going to do? Are you going to get a bridge
42:13
quarterback? Are you still going to draft a quarterback?
42:16
Because right now, your options are very limited.
42:19
If Ty Simpson and Dante Moore don't declare,
42:22
You're really screwed. Man, I know there's some
42:26
people that's upset right now. Now back to the
42:29
Titans and Browns game because we have to talk
42:31
about the three mistakes that I feel like costed
42:34
them this game. So mistake number one in the
42:36
first quarter, first and goal, Quenshawn Junkins
42:39
is in wildcat formation. Why? Please explain
42:43
to me why you would want to roll out the wildcat
42:46
formation now. It'll be different if the quarterback
42:49
was still there or you're just doing this as
42:52
a pre -snap formation and then you're going to
42:54
change it over to something different. But you
42:56
actually ran with this. Why? You're making it
43:01
seem like nobody has ever seen the Wildcat formation
43:03
before. Everyone's seen it. So why would you
43:07
do it? Mistake number two in the fourth quarter.
43:10
427 left. You failed to do the two -point conversion
43:13
because of a botch snap. Now that I can't really
43:16
be critical of because, I mean, it was just a
43:18
bad snap. There's only so much that you can do
43:20
with that, right? But mistake number three, you
43:24
do the wildcat formation again and Quenshawn
43:28
Jenkins fails to pitch it. Why didn't you have
43:31
Shador Sanders in the game? Or better yet, why
43:34
couldn't you just kick the field goal? The defense
43:37
was playing well at that point. So if you would
43:39
have kicked at least two field goals, you could
43:42
have at least narrowed down the deficit and created
43:45
pressure on the Titans. But no, you want to do
43:48
something different, and that was the reason
43:51
why you lost this game. But let's talk about
43:53
the Texans and Chiefs, all right? So C .J. Stroud,
43:56
31 attempts for 15 completions, 203 passing yards,
43:59
one touchdown, 6 .5 yards per attempt, and a
44:02
48 .4 completion percentage. Woody Marks, 26
44:05
attempts for 68 rushing yards, 2 .6 rushing yards
44:09
per carry. Nico Collins, 8 targets for 4 receptions,
44:13
121 receiving yards, and 30 .3 receiving yards
44:16
per reception. Patrick Mahomes, 33 attempts for
44:19
14 completions, 160 passing yards, 3 picks, 4
44:23
.8 yards per attempt, and a 42 .4 completion
44:26
percentage. Patrick Mahomes again, 7 attempts
44:29
for 59 rushing yards, 8 .4 rushing yards per
44:32
carry, and 1 rush of 10 plus yards or more. Xavier
44:35
Worthy, 4 targets for 3 receptions, 55 receiving
44:39
yards, and 18 .3 receiving yards per reception.
44:42
So here's a few junkie nuggets. Aziz Alshayer
44:45
was targeted 3 times on 42 coverage snaps, allowing
44:48
1 reception for 7 yards. He also was matched
44:51
up against Travis Kelsey on 9 routes and held
44:54
him to 1 target and recording a pick. Chris Jones
44:57
generated a season -high 7 pressures on 28 pass
45:00
rushes against the Texans, including 6 quick
45:02
pressures, which are pressures under 2 .5 seconds.
45:06
He generated his pressures at an average of 2
45:08
.2 seconds, Chris Jones' fastest time to pressure
45:12
since Week 2 of this year. Travis Kelsey has
45:16
been held under 50 receiving yards in the last
45:18
two games. his first time being held under 50
45:22
yards in back -to -back games since week three
45:24
and week four of the 25 season. Kelsey is averaging
45:28
59 .9 receiving yards per game this season, but
45:32
the Texans' pass defense has allowed 39 .4 receiving
45:36
yards per game to tight end, which is fifth in
45:39
the NFL. When under pressure, C .J. Stroud was
45:42
6 of 16 for 114 yards and one touchdown while
45:45
getting sacked three times. Stroud was pressured
45:48
19 times with a 54 .3 pressure rate, which is
45:52
the second highest of his career. Offensively
45:55
for the Texans, they continue to struggle. CJ
45:57
Stroud is still trying to get back into the swing
46:00
of things because he's been out for a period
46:01
of time with a concussion. And I'm not really
46:05
surprised. Offensively for the Texans this entire
46:08
season, they've just been inconsistent. One moment,
46:11
they're playing really well. The run game is
46:14
great. C .J. Stroud is letting it rip. And then
46:16
there's two or three games where C .J. Stroud
46:19
isn't playing his best ball. The run game is
46:21
inconsistent. And the pass game is the only thing
46:23
that's keeping them alive. Now, am I expecting
46:26
C .J. Stroud to throw for 400 yards and five
46:29
touchdowns every single game? No. But I mean,
46:32
your completion percentage in this game was bad.
46:34
And if we can be honest here, if it wasn't for
46:37
the defense doing the heavy lifting in this game,
46:40
the Texans would have easily lost. Let's really
46:42
be honest here. Although they are a good team,
46:45
they are not the same team that we saw last year
46:48
and the year before that. Now, defensively for
46:51
the Texans, what is there to say that hasn't
46:53
already been said? From creating consistent pressure
46:56
as well as playing a physical brand of football
46:58
that the Chiefs weren't able to handle, the Texans
47:01
continued to show why they're the best or second
47:03
best defense in the entire league. And the Chiefs
47:06
didn't have an answer for it because they don't
47:07
have the personnel to match the intensity that
47:10
the Texans were bringing every single drive.
47:13
So I say all that to say this. Because we need
47:15
to talk about the Chiefs. Who are the chain movers
47:17
of this offense? Is it Rasheed Rice? Is it Hollywood
47:20
Brown? Is it Isaiah Pacheco? Is it Noah Gray?
47:23
Let me know. Because right now, the Chiefs need
47:27
them to take that next step. Because right now,
47:30
they are on the cusp of missing the playoffs
47:32
this year. And if they do, that's going to be
47:35
a tragic way for Travis Kelsey to end his career
47:37
because most people of his statue would love
47:41
to just end his career riding off into the sunset
47:44
as a champion. But clearly that's not going to
47:46
happen this year. But at the same time, this
47:49
opens up an opportunity for the Chiefs to look
47:51
at themselves in the mirror and say, what can
47:53
we do different next year? Because right now
47:56
what you're starting to see, and this is a trend
47:58
with other quarterbacks, is that paying these
48:01
alien quarterbacks a boatload of money is going
48:05
to come at a significant cost. And that cost
48:08
is you won't be able to successfully build around
48:11
them. When we look at all the alien quarterbacks,
48:13
some of them have more similarities than differences.
48:17
For starters, the Chiefs, Bengals, Ravens, and
48:20
Chargers have bad and inconsistent offensive
48:22
lines. But out of those teams, the Chiefs are
48:26
the only team that consistently invests into
48:28
the offensive line. They've done it through trades.
48:31
They've done it through free agency. They've
48:34
done it through the draft. And they still can't
48:37
get the offensive line right. Now, with the Chargers,
48:39
on the other hand, they've lost their starting
48:41
tackles for the rest of the year. And with the
48:43
Ravens, you're starting to see that that offensive
48:46
line is declining. You're starting to see that
48:49
Ronnie Stanley is not the same Ronnie Stanley
48:51
from a couple years ago. So with that being said,
48:54
those teams need to start investing into the
48:56
offensive line, and they haven't been able to
48:58
do so. Now, the Bills, they're in a unique situation
49:02
because they have the offensive line. It's just
49:04
people are hurt, but they don't have weapons.
49:07
right? Keon Coleman is starting to look like
49:10
a bust at this point. I wouldn't be surprised
49:12
if they moved off of him in the offseason. Khalil
49:15
Shakir can only do so much. Gabe Davis hasn't
49:17
really played as much, and he doesn't look like
49:19
the Gabe Davis of old. So we have to have honest
49:22
conversations when it comes to paying these alien
49:25
quarterbacks. It's great to have them, but the
49:28
drawback is this. You have to consistently hit
49:31
on your offensive draft picks. Otherwise, it's
49:34
going to be harder to build around them. Really
49:37
think about this for a second. When was the last
49:39
time the Chiefs hit on an offensive draft pick?
49:42
Really think about it. When was the last time
49:45
the Chiefs hit on an offensive draft pick? It's
49:48
been a while. And they needed to hit on those
49:51
offensive draft picks in order to supplement
49:54
the fact that they're paying a lot of money to
49:56
both Mahomes and Kelsey. But so far, they've
50:00
been unsuccessful in doing it. Xavier Worthy
50:03
has not taken that next step. Rasheed Rice cannot
50:06
stay out of trouble. Hollywood Brown is very
50:09
limited. So somebody has to take the mantle.
50:13
And it's not like they can get a top -end receiver
50:15
in free agency or at the trade deadline because
50:18
they're always pressed against the cap. But this
50:21
is what happens when you allocate your money
50:23
the wrong way. How many people have they either
50:26
traded away or cut or just let them walk in free
50:29
agency? They're about to let Trent McDuffie walk
50:32
because they can't even afford him. Another thing
50:35
that we need to talk about is how Mahomes doesn't
50:38
handle well when he faces elite defensive lines.
50:41
It's similar to what Tom Brady used to go through.
50:43
Whenever they faced elite defensive lines, they
50:46
couldn't handle it. Every single time the Chiefs
50:49
have lost in the Super Bowl, it's always against
50:52
an elite defensive line. When Mahomes faced the
50:55
Buccaneers, what did they have? An elite defensive
50:57
line. When he faced the Eagles, they had an elite
51:00
defensive line. It's the same thing with Brady.
51:03
He faced the Giants twice, they had an elite
51:05
defensive line. When he faced the Eagles, they
51:07
had an elite defensive line. That is the recipe
51:10
in beating those type of quarterbacks. You have
51:13
to have an elite defensive line. Otherwise, guess
51:16
what's going to happen? They're going to pick
51:17
you apart every single quarter. They're not concerned
51:22
about corners. They're not concerned about safeties.
51:25
They're concerned about those edge rushers. But
51:28
that's going to be a different conversation that
51:30
we're going to have in the offseason for certain
51:32
teams, Ravens. But on a serious note, and this
51:34
is the last thing that I'll say, and then I'll
51:36
just end the episode. The Chiefs defensively
51:39
were a little bit too aggressive for me in the
51:41
first half of the game. I understand that Spag's
51:45
thing is the blitz, blitz, blitz, blitz, blitz.
51:47
But you got to cut back on the blitzing. Because
51:50
people can see it. And every time that you guys
51:52
blitzed, the Texans made you pay for it. Now,
51:56
was there spurts where Chris Jones stepped up
51:58
and he created a lot of pressure on C .J. Stroud?
52:00
Yes. But to say that this Chiefs defense was
52:04
playing like it has been for the past few years
52:06
is a lie. And what you're also starting to see
52:09
is that from a talent perspective, they are very
52:12
limited on the defense. If Chris Jones doesn't
52:15
create pressure, if George Kaloftis doesn't create
52:18
pressure, if Trent McDuffie doesn't get the pick,
52:21
that defense is cooked. But again, this is what
52:25
happens when you allocate top dollar money to
52:28
just three people on the team. Now, I'm not saying
52:31
that the Chiefs model is broken, it's wrong,
52:34
and it hasn't been successful. It has, but it
52:37
was only successful for just for a moment. Now
52:41
you're starting to see that as they get up in
52:43
age, you're going to have to rely on other people
52:46
to step up. And you can't do that when you don't
52:49
have the talent to do it. Trent McDuffie most
52:52
likely is going to walk. What are you going to
52:54
do about that? What other corner can you say
52:58
on this team could be cornerback one or cornerback
53:00
two? What are you going to do with the safeties?
53:03
What are you going to do with the linebackers?
53:06
They have a lot of questions that they are going
53:08
to have to ask themselves this offseason. And
53:11
most likely, they're going to have to hit on
53:14
a majority of their draft picks. Because defensively,
53:17
they don't have the horses no more to compete
53:19
with a lot of these offenses. So if you're the
53:22
Chiefs, you have a lot of soul searching that
53:24
you have to do. You have a lot of uncomfortable
53:26
questions that you're going to have to ask and
53:28
answer. And you have a lot of uncomfortable assessments
53:31
that you're going to have to make in this offseason,
53:33
okay? But I'm going to end this episode here.
53:34
If you guys like what you are listening, please,
53:36
please, please, please, please make sure you
53:37
guys leave a five -star, five -star, five -star,
53:40
five -star, five -star review on anywhere and
53:42
everywhere that you listen to podcasts, okay?
53:44
We are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
53:47
and a few other places. Now, those few other
53:49
places can only... Only be accessed if you go
53:52
on Google, type in Football Junkies Podcast.
53:55
It should be the first link, which is our rss
53:57
.com link. You click on that. And when you go
54:00
on our official website, which you can listen
54:02
to the podcast online, it'll have a plethora.
54:06
of different places that you can listen to the
54:08
podcast, all right? Now, for those who listen
54:10
to us on YouTube, you can find us at Football
54:12
Junkies Pod, all right? Football Junkies Pod.
54:15
We have a link in our description, which is our
54:17
link tree. When you click on that link tree,
54:19
it'll take you to anywhere and everywhere that
54:21
we have Football Junkies content, whether it
54:22
be on our TikTok, our Instagram, X, Blue Sky,
54:26
you name it. All of that is in our link tree
54:28
link, okay? Now, for my Instagram people, football
54:32
underscore junkies pod, all right? Football underscore
54:34
junkies pod. Junkies pod. is not what? It is
54:41
together, not spaced, okay? It is together, not
54:45
spaced. Football underscore junkies pot. For
54:48
my TikTok people. Football Junkies Pod. Football
54:51
Junkies Pod. I still have a lot of clips that
54:53
I have to post. You guys just got to give me
54:55
some time, all right? You can follow me on Twitter
54:57
at gmkale, G -M -K -A -I -L -E. That's where
55:01
I do a lot of my interactions with a lot of different
55:04
fan bases, okay? Now, on Blue Sky, you can follow
55:07
me there at gmkale, G -M -K -A -I -L -E, all
55:12
right? As always, I hope I give you guys the
55:14
fix that you guys need. I love you guys. I appreciate
55:16
you guys so much. Thank you guys so much for
55:18
being with me. me on this journey. First and
55:21
foremost, I have to thank my Lord and Savior
55:23
Jesus Christ for being with me on this journey.
55:26
If it wasn't for God, I wouldn't have done this
55:29
podcast. This podcast started from an idea of
55:33
just wanting to know more about football. It
55:37
started from having two and three and four hour
55:40
conversations with friends about different football
55:42
topics and just debating on our views and opinions
55:45
on what should this team do and that team do.
55:49
And should this player go to our team or should
55:52
this player be traded? All those crazy conversations
55:55
that you have with different fan bases. And I
55:58
just want to thank everyone that supported me
56:01
along this way. I want to thank my parents. I
56:03
want to thank my friends, Moog, Shane, Nay. Leslie,
56:07
Brandon, everybody that supported me along the
56:11
way. I just want to thank you guys for all the
56:13
support that you guys give me. Without your support
56:15
and strength, I wouldn't be doing this, honestly.
56:19
If you would have told me that I would have been
56:20
a podcaster and I would be 100 episodes in within
56:23
the first full year, I would have called you
56:26
a liar. But we did this. So for any person that
56:30
wants to pursue their goals and their dreams,
56:32
you can do it. You can do it. But the number
56:34
one thing you have to do is put your faith in
56:37
it. You gotta have faith because the Bible says
56:40
faith without works is dead. So before you execute,
56:43
pray about it. Seek God about it. Because he's
56:47
gonna give you everything that you need to know.
56:49
He's gonna give you the name. He's gonna give
56:51
you resources. He's gonna align you with people
56:54
that are going to bless you. He's gonna do some
56:56
crazy things on your journey, but you gotta trust
56:59
him and you gotta be consistent because there's
57:02
gonna be points where the support is not gonna
57:04
be there. There's gonna be points where you're
57:06
gonna be doubting yourself. There's gonna be
57:08
points where you don't feel like you're making
57:10
the progress that other people are making. But
57:13
guess what? Never judge your progress with somebody
57:16
else's. Keep your head down. Keep grinding. Be
57:20
creative and love the process. Embrace the process.
57:25
Don't hate it. Embrace it. I spend at least about
57:27
a day or two just doing all the necessary research
57:31
that I need to do for these episodes. You guys
57:33
would be amazed on the recording process that
57:36
I have to do just for this podcast as a whole.
57:39
There's been episodes where I've had to just
57:42
delete it just because I feel like it's not the
57:44
quality that I want. And I'm never going to put
57:47
out anything that I myself feel like I wouldn't
57:50
even want to listen to. So I say all that to
57:53
say this. I love you guys. I appreciate you guys
57:56
on this journey. This is a celebration, not just
57:59
for me, but for you as well. And for everybody
58:01
that's been with me on this journey. So as always,
58:04
this is your GM Kale signing out. Peace and love.
58:07
Later, guys.