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Way-Too-Early 2026 RB Rankings & Divisional Round Recap, Coaching Carousel
21 Plays1 month ago
Fab, Nacc, and Rog break down everything from an electric Divisional Round and look ahead to Championship Weekend. We dive into the NFL coaching carousel (John Harbaugh to the Giants, Stefanski to Atlanta, Saleh in Tennessee, Dolphins and Lions coordinator moves), debate Matthew Stafford’s Hall of Fame case, and give our picks for the conference title games. Plus, we unveil our Way-Too-Early 2026 Running Back Rankings and discuss what these changes mean for fantasy football in dynasty and redraft formats. Playoff reactions, front-office drama, and future fantasy gold — all in one episode.
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Transcript
00:00:12
Speaker
Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome back. Welcome back to another edition of the Shleek Huddle Fantasy Football Podcast. How we doing, everybody? My name is Fab. I'm here with Nack and Raj, as always. We're here to give you nice little deep dive into what happened this weekend in the divisional matchups and preview some wonderful, wonderful championship weekend coming up right now.
00:00:31
Speaker
We're very excited to have you on board with us. Before we get started, please follow us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter for all of your fantasy football little nuggets of information that you're looking for right now. We're we're we're watching football. We're following it. like It doesn't matter. that The fantasy season is over.
00:00:47
Speaker
um we're fan this We're football fans first. Football fans first. Yeah. So that was FFF. FFF.
00:00:56
Speaker
Better, but yeah. Better, better. rest you Better rest. Yeah. the but Better rest. It's okay. And listen, they, they, they, they were playing with house money in my opinion. one expected them to go as far as they did. So that's, that's really, but that's really exciting if you're Bears fan right now that they lost. But we're going to get into that later on in the episode. Roger, we got two other segments to look at before we get into segment three.
00:01:18
Speaker
Okay, we're going deep dive into the coaching changes that have happened since the last time we spoke, since last week. Some very exciting, very exciting coaching changes.
00:01:28
Speaker
One in particular that I'll be talking quite a bit about, but still, you can figure that one out already. We're going to go into some way too early running back rankings, just like we did were quarterbacks last week. That was exciting. And obviously we're going to recap what happened with the division games last week. You know, some some some fans are very upset and sad and other ones are much more happy and exciting. So also preview the championship weekend too, which is arguably...
00:01:52
Speaker
arguably the best week in football period. People are going to argue that that's better than the Super Bowl. People to argue that that's better than, I'm saying quality. I don't care about the AFC this year. best round the best sound The best round just happened. the Divisional round is always the best. Yeah. yeah I agree. I agree. i Actually, Walcott was pretty good this year. Yeah, Walcott was very good. did I agree.
00:02:12
Speaker
Anyways, let's ah let's pump the brakes on that because we've got a few other things to talk about first. So before we jump into this, ladies gentlemen thank you very much, as always, for listening and tuning in. You can follow us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter.
00:02:24
Speaker
We're going to get the ball rolling right now We're going jump into the first segment. We've got a wonderful coaching update and some some great things that have happened in the last last few days. So just quickly, we're going a beautiful graphic. Roger, little shout-out to Roger with the Vice Graphics over here. We've got some nice kind a nice head coaching hireman.
00:02:42
Speaker
guy Kevin Stefanski that got hired for the Atlanta Falcons. Jeff Halfley was hired by the Miami Dolphins. John Harbaugh finally signed his five-year contract. Who's got it better than us?
00:02:55
Speaker
Nobody, baby. Nobody. I would end was expecting a better nobody than that, but's no but my goodness you think someone would be excited to be like you sound like jack harbaugh you sound like i because i got to keep it maintained for the pod not everyone's a giants fan and i can't you know or else we're all going to turn into knack and just talk about our favorite things here we go joe hi let us be excited yeah seriously you're loud it's a good it's a good hire this so this is our hire i definitely agree with that and the uh we got robert sally also got hired by the titans out of these four i mean which ones are we most excited about that makes the most sense because i'm loving the john harbaugh thing robert sally hired by the titans is that and am i the only one that's a little bit confused by that to be honest with you yes no i i i oh sorry well i i don't know i kind of like it they
00:03:44
Speaker
They let Vrabel leave, right? They fired Vrabel. So they're kind of getting some some something similar, right? Another defensive-minded coach. He was always good with his players. He was always liked by his players. 100%. Yeah, I agree. i Look, do you prefer Robert Salah or Matt Nagy? Oh, my God.
00:04:04
Speaker
No, I definitely prefer Robert Salah. Those were the two that were at the end. yeah It was Nagy or Salah. So, like, look... the other The other ones may not have wanted to go there. Could they have maybe waited? Actually, they they hired him, I think, after McDermott was fired.
00:04:20
Speaker
Like, that could have been. But maybe McDermott didn't want to go to Tennessee. the interviews already kind of in motion. That's what I'm saying. Who knows? Maybe McDermott just wants to take a year off. But the thing with Salah that I liked was the team, the Jets teams always played hard.
00:04:34
Speaker
And the defenses were always very solid. And just the fact that he was kind of... I think he had like a 22 and 30 something record. The record notwithstanding, he had no offenses. They had no QB. We know what the ownership like is there. it's very hard. to It's very difficult to to coach in New York. and I thought he did an admirable job having back to back. I think seven and 10 seasons before then getting fired. They fired him at two and three and the team was playing well and they haven't had an interception since. No, that's what I'm saying. They haven't had an interception. like Robert, Robert Salah is a great coach. He was an excellent defensive coordinator for the, for the Niners that whose defense was, was like just destroyed with injuries. Yes. And they still, and they still made it super, and they still made it pretty far in the playoffs, like like further than everyone expected. And despite back quarterback play throughout the entire year,
00:05:24
Speaker
So the Robert Sala hiring, I like it from a Titan standpoint. If I'm Robert Sala, I don't like it. Like if I'm a Niners fan, I'm pissed because they just lost a fantastic defensive coordinator who don't even know he's going to, if he's going be set up for success in, in Tennessee. Defense is very good. Tennessee very good. Good. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Jeffrey. You guys, maybe you guys have a better feeling about this than I do. And the GM, I know they had some GM issues recently. They went through a few GMs. think name is Borgonzi, comes from the Chiefs.
00:05:56
Speaker
So I think there's that there's that aspect. I think it will hopefully add more stability. But what they they have to be patient. they can't They can't be as rash as they were with Vrabel.
00:06:07
Speaker
That I agree with. I think patience is going to be the key with Tennessee Titans. Is patience going to be the key with Kevin Stefanski and the Atlanta Falcons? I love this one. What does this mean for Kirk Cousins? Is this a good fit for Michael Penix? Because I feel like Stefanski hasn't had a great track record with quarterbacks.
00:06:23
Speaker
He hasn't had great quarterbacks. Is that Baker Mayfield? Yeah, he ran him out of town. But Baker Mayfield wasn't great at the beginning of the of his career, right? let's Let's just call a spade a spade. Right now, i think he's been the best Browns quarterback in the last few, since seventy like stats-wise, since Kevin Stefanski's coaching tenure at the Browns. We're going to blame Stefanski for Baker being bad? absolutely absolutely Absolutely not. We're not going to blame him. I just...
00:06:52
Speaker
feel like it's i mean he's moving on from baker mayfield and going on to kirk cousins and michael pennix like what are we expecting that's a perfect fit though because they i mean they were together in in minnesota but the magic true the stefanski thing is akin to the stefanski and baker thing is akin to mickveigh and golf where i think stefanski's issue with mayfield is he he needed him to play exactly how he wanted to and back then Mayfield was very like cowboy, like, you know, gunslinger, just like throw it into tight windows. And actually Mayfield, i think he's been more protective of the football. It was the same thing with McVay and golf where McVay just looked like he didn't like golf. he didn't like the way he played. And that's where they got Stafford. Right. So I'm hoping he kind of learns to, Hey, you're a head coach. You have to figure out how to, and not, you say this all often play to your player's strengths.
00:07:42
Speaker
Right. Like don't neuter them as much play to their strengths. So I think it's a good fit. The familiarity is is there with Cousins. I don't think it's good for it with Penix because Penix is not really kind of a Shanahan McVay style that they had. He's going to be more shotgun. um I think it it puts it puts a lot of Penix's future in in question, considering the ACL as well, in my opinion.
00:08:03
Speaker
I think I agree with that. Very good point. Very good point. Okay, so better days are ahead. And better days are ahead for the Miami Dolphins fans with Jeff Halfley. Listen, he was a great defensive coordinator for the Packers.
00:08:14
Speaker
yeah he was doing He was doing a lot with a little. ah Even when Micah Parsons got there, the defense did play ah really, really well. they had They had some serious talent over there. I think Halfley, too, is another situation like we saw with the Titans where it's like they're going to have to... It's going to be a bit of a long road ahead, I feel like.
00:08:31
Speaker
that that that offense and that even that whole roster is going to need a lot of tinkering and a lot of lot of changes. um Obviously, you kind of thought that this was a writing on the wall when they picked up the Green Bay, was the assistant GM?
00:08:44
Speaker
I'm forgetting his name. John Eric Sullivan. Yep. John, Eric Sullivan, as well as the new GM for the Miami Dolphins. So they're going work hand in hand, hopefully going transform that that franchise. I think they're they're much in need of that. You wonder what's going happen with two.
00:08:59
Speaker
Well, he probably won't be playing next year, but then who's going to be the quarterback, right? I mean, we've been having some conversations about potentially they should go after Malik Willis. think that's the one name and probably the only name as far as free agent quarterbacks too. that's kind of the the challenge right now if you're a team looking for a quarterback.
00:09:14
Speaker
I think it's either Willis or they just roll with Quinuras and try to be very bad and hope hope to get the Arch Manning, Lenora Sellers, yes whoever's going to be first overall pick in the 2027 draft. It's gonna be just going to be tough for them because me too, are like Willis would would would be, i think, a a good fit for that for that offense, but The problem is is they're up against it with the cap. I believe they're over the cap as we speak right now. And then with Tua's situation, you've got $56 million on the cap no matter what next year.
00:09:46
Speaker
So with the rumblings of Willis slated to get anywhere between $25 and $30 million dollars next year or per season, um i don't know if the the my Miami is set up to take on that type of cap at the moment.
00:10:02
Speaker
I'm going to have to do a lot of juggling, basically. And if it's not a win-now roster, why would you do that? That's a very good point. So we're looking at most likely a serious rebuilding scenario for the Miami Dolphins.
00:10:15
Speaker
They're going to need all the draft picks they can get. And now the big one, the bell the ball, if you will. John Harbaugh signing with the New York football. I thought you were going to say Drew Petsing with the Lions. I'm going to go take quick break. I'll leave for about 25 minutes and come back and you'll still be talking about this. Can we have a serious football question, football conversation about this right now? Let's put our biases aside. I'm talking to you, Roger, and I'm obviously talking to myself.
00:10:40
Speaker
You more than me. You more than me. 100%. 100%.
00:10:45
Speaker
um I was listening to the press conference today of John Harbaugh, and there's there's there's a level of confidence in that coach that I haven't seen in a lot of prior coaches that the Giants had. You just seem so comfortable.
00:10:59
Speaker
yeah And there's shades of Tom Coughlin. I felt that too. Yeah. And it's it's a complete structure. even Bill Parcells. Yeah, yeah, yeah. yeah built parts ourselves Listen, everyone wanted a culture guy. Everyone wanted a CEO guy. Like, this is it. You know what I mean? Like, yeah it's he's not going call the offensive plays. not goingnna call the defensive plays. Like, it's going to be his coordinators are going to that. And he's just going maintaining the entire structure of the team and all that stuff from top to bottom and all that and everything.
00:11:26
Speaker
And now the Giants are also going to be completely renovating their cafeteria and their player areas because apparently... analytics and our analytics like it's a top to bottom rebuild day like this is this is this is really exciting so interesting is that baltimore was is one of the teams in the nfl that spends and has the biggest coaching staffs one of the biggest coaching staffs in the league so This is one of the reasons why it took so long for that contract to be signed because he wanted something similar. He wanted the resources he had in Baltimore yeah and he wanted to change the structure. So anytime you have a polarizing figure like that, they can come in and sit down and, you know, kind of dictate terms and got what he wanted.
00:12:11
Speaker
That's definitely big for culture change. I think it's a great hire for, for the giants. They have you know, The young piece is in place. Hopefully they can now stay stay healthy. And Omelik Neighbors has missed a lot of time. Dart is in is in that medical tent a few times a game. And Skadabo plays like like a basket case. so you're just hoping that these guys stay healthy you had the fur abdul carter uh who yeah but took a little time took a little time but they hit his last five games he played lights out though yeah don't worry about the sacks especially was really good yeah towards the end of the year he really came on so they have the pieces to do so and now they have that structure in place but again it just goes to show that
00:12:54
Speaker
He had all that in Baltimore and he just wanted all of that for success. Analytics, like you said, Roger, he just wanted a team because they're just known. Baltimore is one of the teams that have the most coaches and the most extra coaches throughout the NFL.
00:13:10
Speaker
I'm all for it. Honestly, sign me up. The Giants were one of the oldest organizations in the NFL and they've been doing things the same way for quite a while. It's about time there were some changes. Um, yeah, so my John Harbaugh jerseys in the mail. Uh, so we got some OC hirings and vacancies too, that we also want to touch on real quick. Listen, this is a big one. Drew Petsing, my goodness.
00:13:29
Speaker
The former Cardinals offensive coordinator is not the new offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions. What does that mean for Jared Goff, Jameer Gibbs and company? What does that mean? a it's big run game i actually i kind of i kind of grew to like it because yeah i was listening to another podcast and was one of nate tyson's podcasts and they were saying how a lot of the arizona cardinals advanced metrics from a running standpoint were actually really like success metrics were actually really good with the cardinals while he was there and they run they ran a lot of heavy personnel so what i think that's going to happen is it's jameer gibbs potentially to the moon more of jameer gibbs i know
00:14:04
Speaker
You know, TBD, what happens with David Montgomery, he so he had some social media posts that made it seem like maybe he doesn't like his role. and I think it's going to be more like traditional shotgun, under center for golf. So I think it's going to be more of what dan Dan Campbell's offense, what he wants it to be, more traditional, pound the rock. um I like that. So, yeah, I think that's what it will be.
00:14:27
Speaker
i like that. Yeah. No, it it's definitely not a sexy hire. I'm sure a lot of people were Googling this name when they found out that he did get hired because not everyone looks at the Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinators and just coaching staff in general to say, hey, you know, who are these guys? um and Can we say the same thing about Eric Benning hired with as an offensive coordinator for the yeah for the Chiefs looks like?
00:14:50
Speaker
So yeah, I mean, he's going back right to KC, but he's not the play and's a primary play caller. So I'm not sure how much impact that will have personally. He was, I think he was an assistant head coach for the commanders in 2023.
00:15:03
Speaker
I'm assuming that i came with primary play calling. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. so Yeah. Well, now he was, the last year he was a like running back coach? He was running back coach for the Bears. What a fall from grace. He did a great job. but He did a great job with Swift and Monongai.
00:15:18
Speaker
Yeah, he did. No, for sure. I'm just saying, like what ah what a fall from grace from like five years ago where he was like the highly touted like coach. Then didn't go college for a year. Yeah. Well, last year 2024, before last year is in UCLA. I have his rookie job, so I didn't memorize this. His assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for UCLA. So I guess, I guess you come back in the NFL, you get a knock. I don't know. Maybe you couldn't find anything. I'll be slow at vibes.
00:15:42
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, Bobby Sloak vibes. And David Blow. I hope I'm really about pronouncing that. Is it Block?
00:15:53
Speaker
Like Tyler Shuck? I have no clue. I think it's Bluth. Bluth? It's whatever. It's one of those three. David got promoted to the quarterback coach. And we got some head coaching vacancies. still still Still some interesting head coaching vacancies for the Arizona Cardinals. Now the Buffalo Bills, which is definitely probably the most attractive destination.
00:16:15
Speaker
The Cleveland Browns. We still got the Oakland Raiders. I'm sorry, Las Vegas Raiders. Steelers. And also still the Baltimore Ravens as well. There's a lot of interesting spots that are completely like...
00:16:27
Speaker
like the you don't the hand Mike McCarthy is doing interviews at a bunch of places blind Brian Flores is interviewing Joe Brady was interviewing Matt Nagy's interviewing Brian Dable is like a hot name that's going around for the Buffalo Bills just because I linked to Josh Allen which I don't think is a good idea but that's just me um I don't know, man. McDermott becomes the hottest, the easily the best candidate. Honestly, yeah i agree I would have, like you said, na like I would have taken him maybe above Jeff Halfley, but maybe he's not in for a rebuild after being with the Bills and coming so close to i a championship. But I think
00:17:06
Speaker
Like a lot of the a lot of the social media kind of hoopla around McDermott was, you know, should he have should he or should he have not been fired? I think he was, what, like 98 and 50 in nine seasons, 8 and 8 playoff record.
00:17:17
Speaker
Like it's a guy who's known for his defense, but feel like the defense fell off a bit. but It was an ego thing. It was reports coming out that the GM and the owner had a meeting with him and he said, like, we don't have all the pieces and they just took it in a bad way.
00:17:30
Speaker
and they're like, we're going to fire him. And exactly we'll promote the GM to vice president of ops as well. And the GM has not been good at all. No, terrible. And and we know He should have been the first one to go. We know a thing or two about GMs coming from the Buffalo Bills about how good they are.
00:17:49
Speaker
I feel like he did a good job in the early portion of i probably first first the first. Yeah, maybe you're you're right. because just from a wide risk but Yes, yes. 100%. I was going to say, you look at the body. Whenever you're deciding upon how a GM is performing or not, you got to look three or four years down the line to see how their draft picks are impacting the team.
00:18:13
Speaker
And you can see right off the bat if they are impacting in a positive perspective or not. If he's hitting on his, you know, his fifth round picks, his sixth round picks, his fourth round picks that are going to be money for a roster to have sustainable success in the long run because those guys are coming in on cheap. They're automatic starters and they're contributing right away to your team.
00:18:32
Speaker
the What's his name? Brandon Bean or whatever his name is? Like he wasn't the... it You look at the last three, like just now, his last three the last three drafts and like one or two names in there that are brand names and known names that actually look like they are contributing.
00:18:51
Speaker
Apart from that, it's the majority of the rush that was inherited to him. Yeah. No argument there. No, no argument there. But they did get a good running back in Brandon Cooks, which i don't know if was drafted by him. Probably not. But interesting about running backs, though, is now we're going to pop into the running back segment as to see where they do rank. Way too early rankings for 2026. This is going to change in a little bit, but that's OK. We're having fun over here.
00:19:17
Speaker
Oh, hell yeah. i had a great time doing this. So looking forward to presenting the early running back rankings. So is a very, very tough exercise. i think the running back position was very strong this year.
00:19:28
Speaker
think in fantasy, it kind of shown that having a bona fide RB1 is crucial to having a winning team in fantasy. So I'll just go through quickly my mindset in terms of how I did these rankings. So obviously PPR focus. If you don't play PPR, what the hell is wrong with you? ah Prioritize guys who are lead backs.
00:19:46
Speaker
You'll end up seeing there's a lot of players, a lot running backs last year who were on one year deals. So and a lot of them who did really well. So it kind of had to ding them a little bit because I don't know where they'll be next year. few running backs either may be traded or will be free agents because they're also on the ricky rookie deals. running Running backs coming off injury we're dinged too. And then just before we begin, i want to quickly think and mention three to five teams that will need running back help in 2026. So keep that in mind in terms of you know some of those free agent running backs, where they might end up and how that can maybe change their rankings. So three teams that desperately need running back help in 2026 are the Chiefs, the Saints,
00:20:22
Speaker
and the Texans. So without further ado, here are my early, way too early, 2026 running back rankings. Oh, no, that's the wrong one. There you go.
00:20:35
Speaker
So we have one, two, three rankings. Bijan Robinson at one, Jameer Gibbs at two, Christian McCaffrey at three. I think we'd all agree they're all interchangeable. ah CMC, Bijan, and Jameer finished in that order one, two, three in PPR.
00:20:52
Speaker
But, I mean, Nak, I'm curious for you, as some some I don't know, how is it you were able to get CMC and Gibbs last year? I'm curious what you think in terms of how you would rank, you know, what do you think of me having CMC as three, Jimmy Gibbs as two, and Bijan at one?
00:21:07
Speaker
I think you you you nailed them. Bichon was just a force this year. i mean Gibbs was too. and i think gibbs now I think they're looking to trade Montgomery. so Gibbs becomes that bell cow back in that backfield.
00:21:23
Speaker
McCaffrey,
00:21:27
Speaker
he's always like one year good one year in yes one year good one year injured so he would scare me a little bit at the three position but from what he did this year it's hard to argue he can't replicate it again next year right like he had just the catches i think he had um 900 and plus rushing plus receiving yeah He's just a ah dual threat in in in both. And and honestly, the receivers, there's not much there. Ayuk is probably getting shipped out of town.
00:21:58
Speaker
um Purcell's always hurt. So like he's very big. And now you have Kittle, who's going to be missing a good portion of the beginning of the year as well. So honestly, the top three for me are are are perfect. And like you said, they're interchangeable, but I think i think they're perfect the way they are.
00:22:15
Speaker
Yeah. And um CMC had some issues from a rushing efficiency standpoint. I think he was under four yards per carry. Yeah. So that, you know, and and then from a derby, he's entering his age 30 season. Bijan, I think it's it's easy. It's a great fit with Stefanski from like the kind of outside zone type running scheme. So I think this was an easy one for me. But again, any very interchangeable between one, two and three.
00:22:38
Speaker
Then at four, i had James Cook, and that was an easy one for me, at least. He led the league in yards, 5.2 yards per carry. Second the league in carries. Another double-digit touchdown year.
00:22:49
Speaker
you know We thought he was going to have a huge regression last offseason. I am not going into this next season thinking that. I think you would you guys would all agree. we we That was probably one of our worst takes. yeah and we were Both four and five, actually. Yeah, i was going to say Devon HN two falls in that. Yeah, agree. We missed on that one as well. yeah Totally. Yeah. So at five Devon HN. So i had I personally had Cook just above him from the durability standpoint. I feel like HN still gets nicked up a little bit, but he was tough, man. Like he had that soft tissue calf injury early on in the year. he He kept going and I think he just missed like the final one or two games, but he was awesome despite a lot of turmoil, bad QB play and 67 catches. I think the sky's the limit for him next year.
00:23:30
Speaker
At six, Jonathan Taylor, he was the runaway RB one and offensive player of the player of the year, but he tailed off with the loss of Daniel Jones. I think his value could be slightly dependent on the QB that will be playing early on next year because Jones has the Achilles. i mean, he he finished as RB four, but Jonathan, I mean, Fab, I know you're always really high on him. and He, he,
00:23:53
Speaker
He always scares me every year, I find. ah you You hit the nail on the head. A lot of it comes down to who's playing quarterback. And we spoke about this a little bit in the beginning of last year, too, about when we were deciding about who's going be playing quarterback, whether it's Daniel Jones or or Anthony Richardson, and which one would benefit Jonathan Taylor more.
00:24:12
Speaker
It was obviously Jones, and you saw that in the first 10 games of the season where he was averaging like 30 points a game. And then Jones... got injured and then the three touchdowns per game went away.
00:24:24
Speaker
So it's it's very, he's a blue chip running back through and through. Yeah. But he needs a quarterback to be able to make the defensive, to make the defenses stay honest and And he just doesn't help you. I mean, he was a bit better this't this year. This year was his best year. This year was his best year. yeah yeah But it's still, like his best year was 46 receptions for 400 yards and two touchdowns, which is good, which is very good, but you know compared to guys like A-chan and Gibbs and gibbsson obviously McCaffrey and even Bijan, it's nothing.
00:24:59
Speaker
Yeah. Saquon Barkley and Derek Henry at seven and eight. So Saquon's going to enter his age 29 season. Obviously it was a down year. He finished as RB 14. i think it was more coordinator online based and less on skill. And then Henry, i mean, he got better and better as the year went on. He had that 230 yard game against the Packers. He finished as RB seven. Look, I think both guys will be slightly undervalued next year.
00:25:26
Speaker
Saquon, because of the year he had, I think Henry, you know is is someone going to say, hey, next year is the year I were, he's going to enter his age 32 year, and I feel like just, you know, I don't want to play that game where where I get caught. ah Fab, you you you said it in our do not draft episode where you don't want to risk it on Henry, maybe at at cost, or maybe just overall altogether. Yeah.
00:25:48
Speaker
like if you drafted derrick henry last year you didn't make the playoffs but if by some miracle by some miracle you did make the playoffs you probably won your championship yeah because the last game of the season he scored you 45 points he got six touchdowns in the last two games like i need that throughout the season i need that last two games of the season yeah and i was one of those actually in two leagues where i drafted him in the first round either five or six on, uh, on each of them. And, uh, yeah, didn't make the playoffs because the beginning of the year, he was just horrendous.
00:26:22
Speaker
It just, yeah it just, he, he started getting better too late and it cost people championships. Now, yeah again, now we have to think there's no coach there right now. Who's the coach gonna be? Is he gonna be utilized the most?
00:26:34
Speaker
Great. His ranking is gonna change on whoever the coach is in that situation. um Personally, i I like Chase Brown over Derrick Henry as long as Burrow stays healthy. Him too, he came on towards the end of the year when Burrow was back. So I think I like him better, more PPR as well. so yeah Again, i'm not i don't want to get got with, you know, it's been, what, five years now we've been saying like is his downfall is coming.
00:27:05
Speaker
What is it, his 32 season now? or yeah he's going to enter age 32. Like, at one point, he's going to fall off. And, like, personally for me, I'm not i'm not putting a top 10 value in draft stock. Like, I don't i don't even know if he's a second-round pick to me next year.
00:27:23
Speaker
so yeah that And that's where maybe at cost he's high, but you know if you get him ah at a value pick, he could potentially be a league winner. You mentioned Chase Brown-Nak. So I had him at nine. So he had a brutal start to the year.
00:27:37
Speaker
end the year is RB8. The last five weeks of the season, he was the RB2 behind Bijan Robinson. So he was a big PPR spam guy. And no surprise that coincideed with coincides with Joe Burrow being back.
00:27:49
Speaker
Josh Jacobs, my main man at number 10. He finished at RB13 despite O-line issues, but the ride was really, really tough. There was some sprinkling of Chris Brooks. ah The lack of explosive plays is what dings him down for me personally, and it was tough to watch even with the 13 touchdowns.
00:28:09
Speaker
3.9 yards per carry. He was 34th among running backs who have a minimum of 100 rush attempts last year in explosive run rates. 34th so he was but behind a lot of guys who you would expect to not be explosive very i think up up until the last few games of the season he didn't have a run of over 20 yards so imagine that so he's going to be a pass for me next year i already mentioned in in a do not draft episode i love the player but he he's a 20 he's 28 but it feels like he's 30 in his 30s already the way he's been playing and and with the lack of explosiveness so
00:28:43
Speaker
Fab, I'm curious your thoughts on Kyron Williams at 11 versus Jacobs at 10. So Williams finished as RB9, another solid usage season, double digit totals and touchdown. But we saw the emergence of Blake Corham with 145 carries and 750 yards, six total touchdowns.
00:29:00
Speaker
you're You're the Kyron Williams guy. oh oh Well, there's, he is the model of efficiency. In my opinion, he is, he is what you want for 1200 yards every single year and about 10 touchdowns. The problem is, is that he got that this year with like 60 less carries.
00:29:14
Speaker
And that's my concern. He was super efficient, but Blake Corham is a thing. And Sean McVay wants to keep his guy like for at least what he was saying this year.
00:29:27
Speaker
A little bit, yeah. like I would probably knock him down about like four or five pegs. Four? i would I would have... I think Ashton Gentry has a higher ceiling. um I think Omarion Hampton right now, i feel a little bit better about Omarion Hampton over Kyron Williams, believe or not.
00:29:42
Speaker
Trayvon Henderson, like that's a little more Muddy Waters, but I like that too. And then Bucky Irving, listen, he's still talented. And at 15, my problem with Kyron Williams, I'm... You wonder if the carries are going to continue to go down, if they're going to continue to make sure that he's rested when they need him to be healthy.
00:30:01
Speaker
And that's not going to translate to fantasy football goodness, in my opinion. That's my concern. Like, it he's a really, really nice RB2. That's how see him.
00:30:12
Speaker
Interesting. Yeah. And you have him right on the cusp of an RB1. And he did finish as RB, what, 9? He finished as RB9, yes. Yeah. You also had like, you know, that less receiving yards.
00:30:28
Speaker
My thinking is that the year was that good and he ate into it and he he was a big part of the playoff run. So we're going to see the next few games if they get, obviously, to get through the through the Rams. uh you touched upon it already but the sophomore running backs at 12 13 and 14. genti at 12 marion hampton at 13 henderson at 14. it's crazy that g genti finished as uh rb11 it's like how bad that season was in oakland ah Bad QB, bad coaching staff, very bad online. So I think it could be very promising with Mendoza. Hampton at 13. It was an injury riddled season, but he did have games of 25, 27, 16 and 20 points through nine games. And the Chargers O-line was obviously decimated. Nak, I know you had Justin Herbert last year. So I'm sure you you saw a lot of Omari in Hampton and what he could do when when when obviously he he wasn't playing healthy. And I think he looked pretty good.
00:31:20
Speaker
Yep. Henderson's the wild card, in my opinion. highs were very high. He finished as the RB21 on only, think, 145, 180 carries, 900 yards. So that's a hard yards per carry. had games hundred and eighty carries nine hundred yards so that's our very hard yeah yards per carry he had games of He had a 32 fantasy point game against the the Jets. And then he had a 28 fantasy point game against Tampa. Then he even had a game of 30 points versus Buffalo. So my only i think the only concern for everyone is Stevenson. is He's looked really good in the playoffs. And think he signed a four-year deal a few years ago. don't think he's going anywhere. So this is kind of a shot in the dark to see...
00:32:00
Speaker
The explosiveness, how could they factor Trivion on Henderson a little bit more into the into the mix? Bucky Irving at 15, injury-plagued season. Weird situation with his shoulder. i think his size will be a factor in terms of how much work he's going to get. Naki, you've always been the Bucky Irving guy. What do you think of my ranking here?
00:32:19
Speaker
yeah i'm looking at this and i think like 12 13 14 15 could be all interchangeable depending on the variables right like as you mentioned i had bucky irving pegged as a top five fantasy finisher last year potential for for number one after his brilliant rookie year uh obviously injuries this year ah derailed him a little bit but i think coming back full off season get healthy i think he could push for those top 12 numbers so like i said 12 13 14 15 right now those those guys i think it could be um could be interchangeable
00:32:56
Speaker
Yeah, and then from... Thanks, Zach. And then from 16 up until, you know, 21, there's a lot of free agent running backs. So Brees Hall, he he might be a free agent depending on what happens in the offseason. i think the talent is still still there. He also somehow was able to finish as RB21 despite an awful Jets season. i would love him on the Chiefs.
00:33:15
Speaker
Like, guys, if he gets on the Chiefs, he is yeah he is a top 10 running back, no question. And that's where we kind of... You know, even even the Texans, right? The Texans... i'm not a big fan of woody marks mixon's probably gone that could be another really interesting team kenneth walker the third and travis etienne at 17 and 18 also two guys who could be free agents as well there's a lot of trade rumors and trade talk about etienne considering how bichelle tootin looked uh kenneth walker the third i think a lot of people were burned by him but with the charbonnet acl news if he does end up staying in seattle
00:33:49
Speaker
I think he gets out of the do not draft list and potentially is someone who can even ah go up the ranks. But he's a he's a player that you can't fit everywhere because he doesn't really catch passes. He gets injured a lot. So so we'll see. And with Etienne, think he had a really solid year. And you saw him ah from ah from a pass catching standpoint to do a lot more. He finished as the RB10. So really good season for him. And and he really turned it on towards the end of season too, just like his quarterback did.
00:34:12
Speaker
Absolutely. Your guy. ah Swift at 19 is interesting. I think he had a good year, but with modern guy, i was reading a little a little on on Bears Reddit and Bears Twitter that he Swift could be expendable for modern guy and maybe they draft someone to replace him. So we'll see. He could be a a cut candidate.
00:34:30
Speaker
In retrospect, I think 19 might be a bit high for Swift. If you factor in at 20, Quinshaw Junkins, i think another player who I would have probably put higher, but A, the O-line was disastrous last year. he had so many yards. um His yards before contact was was one of the worst in the league.
00:34:48
Speaker
quarterback play. We don't know what's going to happen. and obviously there's the fibula injury injury, which he's supposed to make a full recovery, but but still TBD. Giovanthe 21. He's going potential free agent as well. He was signed to a one year, three million dollar deal, finished as the RB 11. I thought he looked fantastic and on his a bounce back season. Finally, yeah I think we've we've expected a lot from him, but again, it depends. If he's with the Cowboys, I like him, and if he's not, you know I'll have to see where he goes. And then from 22 to 28, 22 is your boy Jalen Warren Knack, 23 is RJ Harvey, 24 Cam Scadaboo, 25 Lake Horam. I think that's it's probably as high as you'll get a kind of running back committee guy or second second running back on in the depth chart, but he looked really good. 26. Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead. if you want add anything else i He did. And it's it's just that a having a running back in the Sean McVay offense, that's what it does. right Like you just he gets carries and he gets production out of it. And it helps when you have a quarterback that again keeps the defense honest and they have a very good offensive line. So
00:35:51
Speaker
they're going to produce every single week we can week out even with the you know the nine or ten carries that he gets totally uh 26 does ramandre stevenson again we just talked about him with regards to treyvion henderson 27 kyle monangai really really solid season i believe he finished as the i don't know if i have it in front of me he was around the rb 30 area uh but about 150 carry 700 yards i think six or seven touchdowns so really solid rookie year for a seventh round pick and then to cap it off bichelle tootin we talked about him with regards to travis etienne jr let's see what happens with etienne but tootin could be a guy who raises who rises up the boards depending on what happens with etienne so Some guys who I didn't add were just guys who I can't really trust. Tony Pollard, ah David Montgomery, depending what it happens with him in Detroit. Tyrone Tracy, you know we expect Cam Scott to do boot to make a full recovery. And then Woody Marks, I talked about it. I think i think he is a guy who you know is more of a backup running back. So and any final thoughts on the list, gentlemen?
00:37:01
Speaker
No, I think Cam Scott goes too low. Of course you do I think I'm scatables. Honestly, I wouldn't surprised if he crashed the top 20 next year. Like he was, he was very productive. lot of time Yeah. he was fun to watch too. Maybe just the last one I'll mention RJ Harvey, um, the run, the Denver run game actually went, got worse when JK Dobbins was out and JK Dom's. I didn't mention him here because again, he injured another year, but.
00:37:26
Speaker
When Dobbins was there, Denver was averaging five yards per carry. they got They went down to four yards per carry when Dobbins was injured. Dobbins is the better runner, right? Harvey is a lot more of that pass catching. yes Yes.
00:37:39
Speaker
So I actually think you know maybe one of these free agent running backs, if Dobbins isn't back, might also end up in Denver. because I don't know how much they trust RJ Harvey yet. I don't think, i definitely don't think Sean Payton trusted him yet because we still saw Jaleel McLaughlin and Taylor Batty. So but he's a multiple running back guy anyways, right? Exactly. Yes. You're never going go with that.
00:38:01
Speaker
Totally. So, hundred ah so that'll do it for the way too early running backs. As we're talking about the Denver Broncos, this is a perfect segue to talk about, well, let's recap divisional round and then let's talk about championship weekend. So, NAC, It was a really fun, exciting playoff weekend in the past.
00:38:18
Speaker
Let's get into it. Yeah, as I mentioned earlier, for me, the divisional round is always my favorite weekend. You always have you know the the the juggernauts or supposed juggernauts coming into the the the weekend. So definitely a fun weekend. Obviously, there was a lot of controversy as well on some catches or some INTs. Just want to get your thoughts quickly on the Josh Allen OT INT. Was it an INT? Was it a catch? ah
00:38:50
Speaker
What was that? ah My opinion was a catch. He caught it. His elbow hit the ground. then That's it.
00:39:01
Speaker
It's a catch. I don't know. That's how I see it. That's how I foresee it. the play was Technically, he was down by contact when his elbow hit the ground and he had full control the ball. it is not a catch by simple fact that he did not survive the ground.
00:39:14
Speaker
So one of the criteria is to be, to for it to be a couch is you have to survive the ground. So even if they were kind of tugging at a map when i I listened to a podcast and they basically said, imagine if the the DB was not there,
00:39:28
Speaker
Cooks basically caught the ball and and fell down like he did. And then the ball came out, which is kind of what happened because he didn't survive the ground. And one of the key criterias for a catch is that you have to survive the ground.
00:39:40
Speaker
So... It happened twice more on the weekend, same situations. And the other two scenarios were were called a catch. It was the same exact thing. i think I think it was in the Rams game that it happened one time.
00:39:56
Speaker
And ah was it the Pats game? I remember it it was crazy because it had it happened three times on the weekend. Twice it was called a catch.
00:40:08
Speaker
And then in the Bills game, it was called an INT. I think it's just a rule that's... Well, that's the the other problem with the NFL. yeah The NFL has rules. that no but no No, but the rules are very specific. And they don't and and they leave they leave area for where you can clearly see if it's right or wrong. Even though by looking at it, it seems wrong. But the rule says it's right because of the way the rule is written. And that's always been a weird thing, a weird nuance that I have with the NFL with the way that they...
00:40:39
Speaker
with the way that they structure their language and the rules and all that, like I agree with you, Raj, like he didn't have a football, like he didn't make a football move or whatever. It didn't survive the ground, but like, But he caught it. He caught it. And he was down. His elbows were down. And then if if that was the but if that was the end zone, if that was in the end zone, would it be a touchdown?
00:40:56
Speaker
Because his elbow was down. His elbow was down. And he has control of the ball. And he needs an elbow. It's equal to a hip and an ankle. I don't think anyone knows at this point. Honestly, the worst part of that whole situation, the worst part about the whole situation is they didn't even take time to review it.
00:41:18
Speaker
yeah That I think was the most often. Overtime, playoffs, like one take the time. like McDermott had to spend the time out to try to get them to go back to the the replay. like You have it there.
00:41:31
Speaker
We've seen a lot less be reviewed for 25 minutes. and yeah This, in the situation that it was, I think that's what McDermott got all heated about. but um Look, it was called an INT and the Bills lost to the Broncos. My condolences, NAC.
00:41:47
Speaker
yeah i'm a big josh allen guy what do you want to do this is my quarterback um but on that note to the team they lost ah the denver broncos the denver broncos also lost someone at the end of the game and there's kind of some some rumblings going on at first they said that he he did it on the kneel down and then there was reports saying that it was the play before that happened But now everyone is saying, even some of the the analysts on the field are like, well, he was walking fine to the locker room. Apparently, now there's rumors that it happened after inside the locker room while celebrating that he fractured his foot. Again, that's probably never going to come out if that's the case. But there is rumblings for that. i
00:42:31
Speaker
Which would be, member totally and you look at, what's that? No, I was saying during the interview, he wasn't putting any weight on his leg. That's what I heard. Yeah, that's what I heard. But he was walking He wasn't putting any weight on his left leg.
00:42:43
Speaker
He was walking fine to the locker room. That's what was the funnest part. But yes, Jared Stidham comes in, presumably, to start the AFC Championship game. I ask you, Raj, could he be the next Nick Foles this weekend?
00:42:59
Speaker
I've always liked Stidham. I mean, when he had a stint in New England and he started a few preseason games this year, he had a few starts when they bench Russell Wilson as well. So I think he's a guy that he's always been kind of well-regarded as a backup in the league. i think he even played for the Raiders. He had some really good rate games for the Raiders, if I'm not mistaken, too. So they have an amazing defense.
00:43:21
Speaker
New England's defense is very good as well. I think for a two to three game period, well, now it's two game period. He absolutely could be the next Nick Foles because that defense is still very, very good. So yeah, I like, I like Stidham. I trust him in in this, in this scenario.
00:43:37
Speaker
So fun fact, the Patriots are 0-4 on the road in Denver in the playoffs all time. So that's something to um something to look at. I think ah i I kind of tend to agree, especially with the defense that they have could help them out.
00:43:53
Speaker
um Although the Pats did play Houston and and played decently ah well. I mean, i Houston D still dominated, but any final word on Stidham, Fab?
00:44:08
Speaker
He just has to play mistake-free. He has to really manage the game and not try to win the game for the Denver Broncos. Great segue. The winning of the Denver Broncos versus the Pats this weekend will not happen because of Stitham or Stitham or whatever, however you pronounce his name.
00:44:24
Speaker
If they do win, it will be because he didn't contribute either negatively or positively my opinion. like Yeah, honestly, you have play mistake free because even Pats have a good defense, right? like And they can they can hurt you. You can you can make mistakes on that defense and it's going to there's going to few point swings on that. So he's got to be very cautious. And I think Sean Payton is going to put together a good game plan. But I still think the Patriots win this game.
00:44:48
Speaker
I'm sorry. Patriots to me. After beating his Houston Texans after being that defense, in my opinion, like Drake, make him beat any defense. and yeah know and I mean, Drake May was a he yeah factor. but he was Drake May had four fumbles, two lost on the weekend. He had an interception. yeah read Three turnovers. Usually with with decent QB play on the other side, you you you eke out a win with or you you you you know you're going to lose.
00:45:18
Speaker
So I think Drake may he played good enough to to get by. But um again, now going back to good QB play, a good segue into Mr. CJ or yes, CJ Stroud.
00:45:34
Speaker
What did he cost himself this offseason? Will they give him a um because he's eligible this year to get a contract extension after year three. Will they give him an extension? Will they play out the fourth year and wait?
00:45:49
Speaker
What do you think, Fab? What was that performance like to you? His performance is horrible. We know that. I think, what what was his QB rating? it was like 20 or something. 28, I think. 28. apparently, they're like if he was just grounding the ball on every single possession. It would have been 39.
00:46:04
Speaker
Yeah. They probably would have won, too. That's been weird. they also should he They could have won. exactly. 100%. But it also tells you the formula that they use to calculate all that information is stupid to begin with. Yeah.
00:46:19
Speaker
I don't, did it hurt him? Well, yeah, obviously. Did it hurt him to the point where he won't get a contract extension? No, I don't think so. CJ Stroud is in his fourth year, i want to say, or third third. Third year. They made the playoffs every single year with him as a quarterback.
00:46:36
Speaker
They've had a division record too. They've won a playoff game every year as well. Yeah. yeah ah So like that counts for something. You know, we always talk about how the offensive line is not good. That also counts for something.
00:46:47
Speaker
I don't know. I think better days are ahead. I don't think his rookie year was a fluke. I think he's had a few bad years, but and I'm not saying give the guy $60 million, dollars but I definitely think they're going to extend him for sure.
00:46:59
Speaker
Did you guys listen or hear the quote that Troy Aikman had at the end of the game about CJ Stroud? yeah so and yeah I have it in front of me. So it's CJ Stroud has been chasing his rookie success for the last two years.
00:47:12
Speaker
He's not been the same player. We've not seen the development from him. There's a reason for that. And it has to be addressed. So I don't know what it is. is it the offensive line? and actually, my theory is that the ah it's the offensive line. Because when I see him play, I see a guy who has no confidence, who bails out of clean pockets, who looks skittish as hell.
00:47:33
Speaker
And he's never been a guy who escapes very well out of the pocket. That was kind of the reason why people like Bryce Young over him. And I think we're starting to see that he might be a type of player that you have to maybe build a better offensive infrastructure around him. There may be some, some other players like, you know, a Joe Burrow or a Mahomes or, or Lamar or Josh Allen, obviously. So, um and I think just, he needs, what's the word hubris? He needs to humble himself a little bit. the The podcast, the podcast talking about him being top five player, the big rowing of cable, Caleb.
00:48:05
Speaker
I think he needs to take a, an intro introspective step back and, and, and, see where he needs to be better. i think I think that's maybe what he meant by it needs to be addressed. yeah Maybe he just needs a sit-down kind of thing. and yeah like This offseason, like go to work.
00:48:21
Speaker
yeah like Just put your head down and and just go to work. right um The Patriots, I know we they we've we've a lot of people, myself included, have spoke about how they've had an easy road to the playoffs. They've played minimum amount of um playoff teams going into the um the season and uh but to that um to that regard they're also playing the top three defenses in the first three weeks of the playoffs in the Chargers the Texans and the Broncos so I'd love that like
00:49:01
Speaker
Is that legit enough? If they beat the Broncos and go to the playoffs, is that legit enough to call them like they can go in there and beat a Seattle or a Rams team?
00:49:13
Speaker
Yeah, I think even now. I'm sorry. like this whole We joke about it, and I say it in jest. They've had the easiest schedule and all that stuff. and Sure, statistically, they have, but you've still got to beat those teams. We're still talking about NFL teams here. you know This whole thing about like tough schedule or not tough schedule, all that, like I don't care.
00:49:32
Speaker
like We're talking about nuances that don't that barely exist and no one really cares about, to be honest with you. They beat a bunch of teams. The record is their record. They deserve to be where they are because that team is good. And Drake may is very, very good. And they have a good offensive system in place. They had their good defense and have great coaching.
00:49:51
Speaker
Call it what it is, man. They're a good team. And they've gone up against tough defenses and they beat them. They've gone up against soft defenses and they've destroyed them. So I don't know. ah For me, if I see the Patriots in the Super Bowl, they deserve to be there.
00:50:06
Speaker
And it's tough to say as ah as a Giants fan, but they deserve to be there. They have that good of a roster. Their coaching is good. like and like I have no qualms if they make it to Super Bowl. I'll have more of a ah more of an issue if Denver makes the Super Bowl.
00:50:19
Speaker
just because Nix got injured. But if he was healthy and if it was Nix versus Drake May and all that stuff, like I would have been okay with either one because they both have very good teams. They both good offensive. They both very good defenses.
00:50:33
Speaker
we we want to We won a Super Bowl with the Giants with Hostedler when he replaced Phil Simms. I believe it was the the first Bills one or or the Redskins one, but in 86, I believe. so We should be rooting for the Broncos, Fab.
00:50:49
Speaker
I'm definitely rooting for the Broncos. I don't care. I really don't care. like i i'm more it does It's apathy for me. like i I don't care either way. im I just root for a good game.
00:51:00
Speaker
i will not be happy or sad if either one of them win, honestly. like Well, speaking of good games, I'm not going to go home and cry about it. Yeah. I'm not going to go home and cry about it if either one wins over here. Let's be honest now. Speaking of good games, Zach.
00:51:17
Speaker
Yeah, speaking good games, one that wasn't a good game was that Seattle 49ers game. Pure domination from Seattle. ah they made They made Purdy kind of look um really ordinary in in that game. I know, again, they were missing a few of their guys, but You had that Kenneth Walker III kind of breakout game. i think you had two touchdowns, right?
00:51:39
Speaker
think three. Three even. three Yeah, you're right. Three three touchdowns. um I don't know. The 49ers, they always say yeah always seem to be in there.
00:51:50
Speaker
and always i think this is the first year that they're not in the when they're in the playoffs. They go to the NFC Championship game. And when they're not, obviously they don't. I think this the first time it happens in the last 10 years where they're in the playoffs. They don't go to the NFC Championship.
00:52:04
Speaker
they have a league leading 2036 games missed due to injury since 2007. Is that not crazy? Is it that just me to think that's like a, that's an unbelievably crazy stat substation.
00:52:17
Speaker
and Yeah. What is all this? Yeah. It surprises more than the giants actually behind. I think it blows the giants out of the water. Yeah, it does. No, it does. They got to figure that out and they got to figure out,
00:52:31
Speaker
But what's next for them? Like, what do they do? ayu I you I you has to go like that situation. Oh, yeah. Yeah. They got to get a healthy wide receiver there. Like, like I think we all like Ricky Persol. But my God, like, aside from the the gunshot, this guy cannot get healthy. can't stay on the field he cannot stay on the field Nick Bosa can't stay on the field maybe maybe a little less squats and and a little less red like maybe he needs to lean down a little bit maybe he's like too big for his frame because he he just cannot stay healthy either even the first round pick I believe that Michael Williams I think he couldn't he wasn't yeah he didn't see the field either so
00:53:08
Speaker
I don't know man that's uh the talent is there you know what do they do with Mac Jones he is under contract but you know he might be a trade candidate uh I like I like Kyle Shanahan it's just it's hard to know what to do when it's that many that many injuries weird it's feel like it's a weird team yeah it's a weird team and I think like even look last year remember we were all we thought they were going to finish third or fourth in a division they lost like nine starters on defense and it was super tough and they came in and they won 12 games you know um but it's just a weird a weird weird uh situation right now uh guys I got a little bit breaking news here Chargers to hire Mike McDaniel
00:53:54
Speaker
the other As the OC. yeah nice Just breaking news. but do da da duda Breaking news. nice Nice. I like that. I like that a lot, actually. And he he he stepped down.
00:54:06
Speaker
He told the Browns he was out on on a head coach position to take an OC job. This is for Herbert. I hope it's not the last of him as a head coach because I think he did a good job with the Dolphins. I hope he uses this as a stepping stone to get another head coach job, but this is fantastic for for Herbert.
00:54:27
Speaker
And he stays in good weather, so we're still going to see those Capris and sunglasses. Looks like a drug lord. He does. he wanted to go He was never going to go to cold weather. He always wanted to stay in the sun.
00:54:39
Speaker
ah Speaking of the sun, the Rams, the Rams and the bears, the game of the weekend. That was a fun one, ladies and gentlemen. um Rams got it done. They got it done when they needed to get it done. Stafford looked, he he just, he made the plays when he needed to make the plays and that throw and catch to Devante Adams. That was a thing of beauty. Kept it for the overtime. It was just, it was so fun to watch.
00:55:08
Speaker
Um, But I ask you, I know that Ben Johnson was asked this question, obviously, after that miraculous throw by Caleb when everyone thought the game was over, especially when your quarterback's running backwards like that. you never That's never a good sign, and everyone thought the game over.
00:55:22
Speaker
He throws the ball to Cole Komet, catches it for a touchdown. Fab, should Ben Johnson have gone for two?
00:55:31
Speaker
No. No. This is a, that's a very good question. That's a very good question. shouldn Should he have gone for two?
00:55:45
Speaker
Yeah, he should have. He should have, like, balls to the wall, like, sorry, you know, like playoff his own like, playoff hopes and all that stuff. Like, we're playing with house money. Like, yeah, he should have gone for two. Nobody was going to be expecting it. The defense would be able to to to stop it properly.
00:56:00
Speaker
Yeah. Raj? Very gutsy, yeah, but it pays off, you know? I thought he should have gone for two as well. I think he didn't because they were so bad in short yardage that game. Yeah. And like going for two is basically like a fourth. It's fourth down type plays and they couldn't execute. So they would get seven yards on first down and then punt the ball. away It was it was just it was that and i that was his explanation. Right. He said you said it so well. You said it. That it that was exactly the game.
00:56:25
Speaker
like yeah it's exactly as you said it you'd get a run or a pass of seven yards it'd be in second and three it'd get they'd lose two yards and then they'd like it it was just even those fourth and ones they they had didn't convert a lot of fourth ones and i think that's what ben johnson said he says i thought about it for sure but he said you know our defense was playing well and we weren't good in short yard situations so you know there was a short yarded situation goal line two yards out like two yeah I know it's hindsight, but like when you think of those plays, it really felt like he ran when he should have passed and he passed when he should have ran.
00:57:01
Speaker
Yeah. And again, it's it's like it's easy to say and now, but yeah, I get it. But I think definitely you should have gone for it. And Stafford, is he is he a Hall of Famer as it stands now or does he have to win the next two games?
00:57:17
Speaker
he has to win the next two games. He has i agree has to win. that And and he he he vats he vaults sorry fap he vaults Eli Manning's candidacy, in my opinion, because of he's likely going to be the MVP.
00:57:30
Speaker
i Off the top of head, I don't know if he has an All-Pro. he's Well, he has an All-Pro this year. He has it this for don't know if he's had a one with the Rams previously or with Detroit, but MVP, really good stats, ah two Super Bowls. like he He vaults Eli's candidacy, in my opinion. And and that's...
00:57:47
Speaker
It makes it tough for Eli, I think. as As much as there's like a huge, like there's what a seven year gap from when they played. um I feel like Stafford getting this ring, if he gets it, and this MVP, I feel like voters are going to think about that in terms of Eli Manning's candidacy.
00:58:06
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, you still have to wait five years from when he retires, right? So... Yeah. Like, you might not, like, I don't know. Look, I just think they're going to think of that criteria in terms of, well, look, Eli Manning also has two, but he doesn't have the stats that Stafford has.
00:58:25
Speaker
And he doesn't have the MVP. And he doesn't have the all-pro, right? No, I agree. i I think it's going to be, Manning has a tough few years now to get into the Hall of Fame just based on the players and the quarterbacks that are going to be ahead of him here.
00:58:41
Speaker
um you have This year you have Drew Brees. I think next year is Brady. Did you have Big Ben this year too? ben is uh no ben is in uh ben's after brady this year's breeze next year brady and the year after is ben okay so there's gonna be a tough stretch for manning to get in and then like again i personally think if if stafford wins the mvp he wins the super bowl the super bowl mvp all pro this year like how do you not retire at the end of this year your body is broken down like you're gonna be 40. how do you not retire on the high note so i think
00:59:16
Speaker
Yes, and then, you know, again, you have three years and then two more years, like Eli Stafford's coming out. I agree with you, I think. I think this definitely vaults him for sure if he does it.
00:59:30
Speaker
hear a fa I feel a fab rebuttal on my Eli Manning take. The fire was burning. as Yeah, guitar I tell.
00:59:39
Speaker
ah
00:59:42
Speaker
Hold on, let's backtrack now on the conversation because there's a lot that happened since then. Oh it If Matthew Stafford wins the Super Bowl and he wins NFL MVP and let's say he also, because chances are if if he wins the Super Bowl, he's also going to win the Super Bowl MVP.
01:00:04
Speaker
Does Matthew Stafford have a better case to get into the Hall of Fame than Eli Manning? Yeah, he does. Yeah, he does. Does Eli Manning? Well, yeah, listen, it's you have n you have you have regular season MVP that counts for a lot. You have all pros those count for a lot.
01:00:22
Speaker
Let's just call a spade a spade. Yes, I agree. um Yeah. and So but does Eli Manning not have a case to meet the NFL? I think Eli Manning still has it. I think when Eli Manning retired, At that time, he was top 10 and passing yards, passing touchdowns, games played, very statistically relevant quarterback stats, and i even touch his Super Bowl wins yet or his Super Bowl MVPs.
01:00:47
Speaker
So I think it's unfair because I think he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame Eli Manning. Mac, to your point, I think the competition lot tougher for Eli Manning because I feel like people look at his record and that's all they really see as as as a body of work when the guy played 16 years and he missed a single game. He won Super Bowls. he also He also still holds the record for most passing yards in a playoff.
01:01:12
Speaker
Yeah, and there's all these things and I hear you just i hear you on on that. The only thing i I don't agree with is he was top 10 when he finished. Well, well I guess yeah first the first 10 QBs were top 10 right when they finished, and they're not necessarily Hall of Famers, right? I mean, i we're talking about top 10 QBs.
01:01:31
Speaker
The reason why i say that is because... i mean, you have to look at it from from from that point in time as well. You know what i mean? Like you can't make an argument on where he was when he retired versus where other people are now that have had different careers, you know, and the NFL change and all that stuff too, right? Like it's almost like saying, it's almost like unlegitimizing Terry Bradshaw's Troy Aikman, you know, and that's kind of why I bring it up because We could talk about how like all this guy only has a 53% completion rate, but he's in the play, ah but he's in the Hall of Fame because that those standards nowadays wouldn't work because the NFL is different. And I think it just plays into that sort of argument, that conversation.
01:02:10
Speaker
And going to say it again, and I've always said it before. Greeny said it perfect. He said that you can't write the story of the NFL without mentioning Eli Manning. And I think that plays a part. Did you see it coming back? Of course I saw it. Can you write the story of the NFL without Matthew Stafford? No, you cannot. So he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
01:02:32
Speaker
Thank you. Mic drop. Well, perfect timing to get into our picks quickly as we finish up here. Raj, who do you like this weekend? Broncos and Patriots.
01:02:45
Speaker
I'm going to go with the Pats. I'm going to with the Pats. Just the Drake May factor. I think it makes it, it's too hard to pass up. Fab.
01:02:57
Speaker
Drake may is a truth. I'm never going against them ever again. After I got ripped apart that one, that one love and hate. Let me tell you, uh, Drake may is the truth. I think the Pat's you went against them last week.
01:03:09
Speaker
FYI. No, I took i took the Pats. No, I think you took Houston. I was the only one who took the Pats. I don't think so. We're going to rewind this. we're gonna rewin not nice I'm not going to go with the Denver Broncos at home because I want to witness history.
01:03:26
Speaker
Stidham, first game of the season is the AFC Championship game. That would be something. And I don't want the Patriots in the Super Bowl. So I will pick the Broncos. I'm going to put money on a Philly special.
01:03:40
Speaker
Wow. I doubt it, but that wouldn't that would be that would be very that would be very cool, actually. That would be super, super cool. And then we have the the Rams at the Seahawks. Raj, who you like?
01:03:55
Speaker
Seattle that defense is is too good. Witherspoon, Lawrence, Murphy, the len Leonard Williams, they've been awesome. And I i don't think I think Kyle Williams and Blake Cormac and have a very hard time running the ball.
01:04:12
Speaker
And the Seattle offense, I see Sam Arnold doing just enough to to get them over the hump.
01:04:21
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, Roger are in lockstep here. I agree. I think Seattle's defense is going to be a little bit too much for the Rams, unfortunately. who did the Who did Sam Darnold play in the wildcard weekend last year?
01:04:36
Speaker
Just remind me. I think it was the Rams. Yeah. I have the Rams this weekend. Sam Darnold's season was a tremendous one. I think it comes to a halt in the NFC Championship. And there's going to be a Broncos, Rams, Bowl. wait, wait. Who did he play that Thursday night game? Did he have like four touchdowns, I think?
01:04:58
Speaker
Was it the Did they win? yeah Regular season? Yeah, I'm not talking about regular season. I'm talking about playoffs. No, you're talking about a playoff game with different teams. Playoffs? You're talking about four yeah two different teams. That's what you're talking about. There's still Sam Darnold.
01:05:13
Speaker
Yeah. JSN, KW3. It's going to be it's me a close game. so I think it's going to be i is a really good game. and And the two best teams in the NFC made it As much as I love the Bears story, the Rams played mistake-free football. the Seattle played, for once, mistake-free football because Sam Narnold has been giving the ball up like there's no tomorrow. think the two best teams are clearly NFC. I don't think I could say yeah necessarily the same thing in Denver just because of Stidham. If Knicks was playing, I think I would have gone with with Denver. Same.
01:05:48
Speaker
Because all things equal, the defenses are pretty even. Obviously, I'm going to take May over Stidham. I think Denver is going to need a defensive touchdown, at least one of them, to um to be in that game. But yeah we'll see.
01:06:00
Speaker
Yep. That'll do it for us, ladies and gentlemen. um Like always, please make sure to subscribe to YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter. We will see you guys next week.
01:06:14
Speaker
Raj, the music!
01:06:19
Speaker
Another one. Another one. Let's go.
01:06:28
Speaker
Goodbye, everyone. Bye, everyone. Peace out, eh? Who's got it better than us? Yeah!