Transcription
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Nick Wright, first things first, I thought I was very complimentary of Kansas City. I think if they play the Chargers again, it's a coin flip. Although I worry about Worthy's health. But your takeaway in the top 10?
Uh, yeah, so a few things. How close were the Jags? Travis Hunter, Trevor looked good. They looked like a better operation. How close were the Jags? Um, can I see a second week? I think Carolina and Bryce, league. That's fair. Okay, that's fair. I'm the, I thought you might put the Steelers in. I wouldn't. I actually. And I also think the Raiders are going to be good this year, but it also might be that the Patriots are just terrible. So, I don't have major, major issue with your list. I don't even have, for the moment, major issue with where you have the Chiefs.
Now, I understand J-Mack finds himself in a tough spot because now, right now, everyone thinks the dynasty has fallen. So the niche he has carved out of number one Chief skeptic that gets to be wrong every year, he's, he's a crowded corner. So like, now he wants them outside of the top 10. I get it. Behind the Jets, who allowed 34 points to a 44-year-old man. That's fine. I, I, I'm not really too concerned with that.
I am, I, I think Kansas City, here's what I think is fair about Kansas City, Colin, and tell me if you agree with me. I think that it is fair to say the running game looked more than shaky, and they are going to have to generate a pass rush outside of Chris Jones because the secondary is a work in progress. And it led to Justin Herbert having the best game of his life. And it led to Chris Jones pressing at the end of that game and cutting inside on the third and 14 because he knew he was the only one who could get the pass rush, broke contain, Herbert runs the ball. So those are fair criticisms.
What to me is not fair, like the flip side of those criticisms are because of who the quarterback is. If they had gotten the stop in third and 14 and Mahomes got the ball back with 90 seconds left, down six, I think all of us would have been like, "Oh yeah, he's probably going to go win." They are the opposite of the Ravens in that regard. As vulnerable as the three-time defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs are, as they still feel like they can win in any situation if they get the ball. And the Ravens feel like they can lose in any situation.
I have one other Chiefs-related question before we move on because you said something last week, and by the way, congrats on 10 years. It's a legendary accomplishment. It's why you're you. It's amazing. Uh, I should have said that before this. Um, but uh, you said last week in an attempt to minimize the singular greatness of Patrick Mahomes that he was dropped into the greatest situation any quarterback's ever been dropped into? Yeah. Yeah. And Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
So, my question is, did that take expire as of last night? Because JJ McCarthy just got dropped into a 14-win team with a great defense, with Justin Jefferson, with Kevin O'Connell. So, was it, was that take, was that take shelf life three days? And now it's JJ McCarthy who in year two is the starter like Patrick? Except the Vikings are a better team than the Chiefs were when they got Patrick.
No, I but it's not Andy Reid. And I love Kevin O'Connell, but I think it's Andy Reid. Wasn't Andy Reid before Patrick? Well, Andy Reid was not Andy Reid. He was a guy who couldn't win in the playoffs for Patrick. You know that. But I also know, uh, Andy Reid in coaching circles. I mean, the guy was unemployed for 40 minutes. Everybody in the league knew Andy Reid was great.
So, here's my takeaway. You are absolutely right. Um, on JJ McCarthy, it is a, like Brock Purdy when he came in 2022. There are situations that are ideal. You get Kyle, you get Kevin, you get Andy. Now, you've got to go prove you can do it. And Mahomes did what JJ McCarthy is not going to now rattle off multiple Super Bowls. I don't believe.
But let's talk about that game. Is my takeaway is if you're a Viking fan, despite three awful quarters, that you believe this morning, well, he hadn't played in 600 days, we found our guy. And despite the fact that Caleb was perfect on the opening drive, the better quarterback for three quarters in Chicago this morning, you're thinking, "Oh, this is Justin Fields. That's all." I mean, I, I'm telling you, I have Bears fans that are like, I've seen this the last three years, and you bailed on that guy.
All right. So, I think Justin Fields is a bridge too far. Okay. However, I, and however, I am, my marrow-deep faith that Caleb Williams will be a superstar in this league has taken a hit the last 96 hours. I will admit that. I, I, you had Tyler Dunne on your show. I read his piece on his website, GoLongTD.com. Good journalism, America. It's like four bucks a month. It's worth the read. Um, that was concerning to me. Yeah.
The, like those, those anecdotes individually are not a big deal. In the totality, they are potentially a very big deal. And then last night, when you saw he really struggles with the operation still. Yep. And the, the getting out of the huddle, motioning guys a little too late, like the pre-snap stuff. He still looks like a rookie. And this is year two. It, you, you can paper over that, and I have, because that play he made on the sideline where he's running and then fires an absolute laser, it's like, man, there aren't five quarterbacks in the league who can make that. I totally agree. Pro.
But, but here is for me the tiebreaker last night was if it was like, okay, he's making magic happen like that, that's just an unbelievable play. But he's also struggling with the pre-snap stuff. You know, I would, I would go to the making magic happen. But he also missed three game-changing layups on the fourth down, a potential touchdown. So I can't have you be inaccurate on the easy stuff and shaky pre-snap. That the magic doesn't make up for all of that. So, I still believe in Caleb Williams long-term, but I think it is going to be a much slower process than I had hoped.
And I also have to add, can I say something about Ben Johnson? Please. Sure. Sure. Um, it is not acceptable for, I'm okay with older coaches like that that I'm a better game manager than them. I'm like, okay, they know this stuff. I don't know. They're a different generation. Fine, whatever. The end of that game, Colin, there's 2:02 left and you have to save the two-minute warning. Yep. And his plan was kick it out the back of the end zone, which of course he wanted to do. Cairo Santos doesn't have the leg.
Here's what I would expect from Ben Johnson, young, smart, innovative head coach, to realize, wait a minute, my kicker doesn't have the strongest leg. The new touchback rules say if I do kick it out of the back of the end zone, they get it on the 35 anyway. I need to tell my kicker, forget the back of the end zone. Fire that thing out of bounds. Everyone can do that. It guarantees me the two-minute warning, and I only lose five yards. I'm fine giving, I wanted to give it to him on the 35, but I ran the risk that I lose the two-minute warning and lose the game. I need you to in real time realize what I realized from my couch drinking wine. Have him kick it 45-degree angle out of bounds. You keep the two-minute warning. They get the ball uh with 2:02 left and maybe Caleb gets another shot. So, he, like that was disappointing because I expected him to be cutting edge. I thought he did a fine job, but the challenge was bad, and not telling Santos just kick the ball out of bounds was less than ideal.
So, the Ravens have gotten into a habit, um, of losing leads. And here's, I'm going to throw a theory at you. I love it. Okay. There is no comp for Lamar Jackson. Nobody else plays like him. Not only historically, but in the league now, nobody plays like him. I mean, Mahomes is great. So is Allen. They mostly sit in the pocket. And so the first seven or eight possessions against Lamar Jackson, it's, it's Tyson in his prime. Nobody hit that hard. No, there was no way to prepare for it. None of your sparring partners could do that. But if you could get to the sixth round with Tyson, you had a shot to win. And the thing with Baltimore is if you can stay within reach as he gets into his seventh or eighth possession, the offense, he's not as great from the pocket maybe as like a Mahomes or whoever, name the quarterbacks. And that they lose leads because people over eight or nine possessions kind of figure out a little bit to slow down the train and then they come roaring back on a defense that's frankly, the last two years, not the same as it was five years ago. And that's why they lose less.
Listen, I think that's a part of it. I think Harbaugh gets a little conservative at times. I think that's a part of it. I thought Lamar, listen, you know, I have been, you know, not shy about Lamar Jackson criticism when I think he's deserved it for big games or the playoffs. I thought he played awesome Sunday night. My only Lamar criticism, and it's a very small one, would be this. I, when he threw it short of the sticks on their last possession, I assumed it was because he knew they were in four-down territory. But throw on third and nine, throwing it six yards. If you're not going for it on fourth, that's a mistake. Like you've got to either know you're going for it on fourth or do everything you can to pick up the first down. But that's, that's really just nitpicking. He was awesome. Josh was a touch better. They, you know, they got a l, the Bills got a lucky break with the tipped pass that turned into a touchdown. Henry fumbles those. Like individually, you can just say epic game, Bills, you know, comeback is great. Holistically, Colin, here is what I know about the Baltimore Ravens with the Harbaugh-Lamar combo. They are the only team across all of sports that I am beat over the head by the media telling me how not only good they are, but great they are. And their historical profile is of an all-time team who always loses these games. Like they, they're never on the other side of one of these games. They're the only great team that consistently loses games like this. Every other great team in sports history has something in common. They win. And I know the Ravens have a gaudy regular season record, but they don't win in the playoffs. They blow big leads. They, they, they don't play their best in the biggest spots. And you can't put this one on Lamar. And, and so it just, something about the team as a whole where they create ways to lose games when the best teams create, find ways to win games. Yeah.
The flip side of that game is this, Colin. If I'm a Bills fan, I'm thrilled I won, and I'm thrilled I have a good path to the one seed and the tiebreaker, and obviously Josh Allen's a superhero. I get all that. I do not feel better about my Super Bowl chances if I'm either of those teams because of those defensive performances. I'm looking at it like, man, oh man, we have real secondary issues on both teams here that I think. And I understand. Listen, the Chiefs would be lucky to just get the seven seed this year, but I don't think you want to walk into a playoff game against Patrick Mahomes if the weakness of your team is the secondary. I don't think you want that.
Listen, if you pay the quarterback a lot, Kansas City, Baltimore, and uh, Buffalo, uh, the secondaries are bad for those two. And the running game in the O-line, you're kind of a work in progress for Kansas. That's the reality of paying the quarterback big money. Okay.
So, I said you shouldn't be afraid to have a strong opinion in week one. I thought Green Bay looked unbelievable. I also think if you are replacing the two best coordinators, the best coordinator tandem in the league in Detroit, you don't do it with in-house candidates. I have no, I said this after the Hall of Fame game. They are not going to be a great team. You can, the over/under in Vegas went down to eight and a half. I think I can say Detroit is in big trouble. What say you?
I agree. And it was just one moment on the Packers. I know the media there was a, there was about a 10-day quick fever dream where people had this conversation. Micah Parsons, how good is he? How did that answer? How they like Micah Parsons? You know, when you consider the fact that Jerry Jones tells us he's bad against the run, does he even help your team? Kenny Clark, Dan Campbell said before the game, "Yeah, you know, we're just happy Kenny Clark's gone." And because, and that's because Kenny Clark is an excellent player. Really? In fact, Colin, Kenny Clark is such a good player that if you take Kenny Clark and attach two first-round picks to him, you can get yourself Micah Parsons. That's how good Kenny Clark is. Him plus two first-round picks gets you that type of game record. So, the Packers look unbelievable. The Lions are shaky, and it's the coaching changes. And Colin, the interior of that offensive line, because you get Jared Goff off his spot, and all of a sudden he doesn't look like the Jared Goff we've seen the last few years. And that would really concern me if I'm Detroit significantly. So, yeah, I don't think, listen, every year there is a team that everyone expects to be great that falls off. Last year it was the Ners. The, the year before that it was the Bengals. This year there were five teams that everyone thought would be great: Philly, Detroit, Kansas City, Buffalo, Baltimore. Now, I know folks are praying for the downfall of the Chiefs. Talk to me when it actually happens. I think Detroit is the prime candidate for that one.
Nick Wright, as always, my friend. It's football season. Week one's in the books, and uh, we'll talk soon.
Absolutely. And I meant it. I would, I just, real 10 years doing this show after doing it for a decade or more at the other, at the other place. It's legendary, bro. It is legendary. Congratulations. Sincerely.
All right, Nick Wright, first things first. Thank you very much to all our staff and the people who have sent the, you know, gratitude from me. Thank you for all of you that make us part of your day. There's a lot of choices out there.