Talkin' Ball with Pat Leonard

First Down with Bennie Fowler, Week 1: C.J. Stroud, Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley & NFL standouts

Duration:: 55m
Broadcast on:: 09 Sep 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

Super Bowl champion Bennie Fowler, a former NFL wide receiver, joins New York Daily News NFL columnist Pat Leonard for 'First Down with Bennie Fowler,' a weekly recap of the NFL's full slate @Bleav. Fowler and Leonard dive into C.J. Stroud and the Texans' impressive win over the Colts, Dak Prescott's contract, the Lions' hardnosed OT win, Daniel Jones' unacceptable play, Saquon Barkley's hot start and much more. SUBSCRIBE to the @PLonNFL YouTube page to get the latest Giants updates and news delivered directly to you, and to participate in regular LIVE Q&A chats with Pat. Purchase a Super Chat or Super Sticker to have your comments elevated to the top of the feed and have Pat answer your question FIRST! Watch the full video of this podcast on Pat's YouTube Channel. Find Pat also on 'X' (@PLeonardNYDN), Instagram (@PLonNFL) & TikTok (@PLonNFL). Talkin' Ball with Pat Leonard is sponsored by @BoomChaga, the BOOM Chaga Mushroom SuperDrink, a natural extract loaded with anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting antioxidants and heart-healthy compounds. We are also sponsored by @BetOnlineag_Official and @Estate98Coffee on @Bleav.

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And I mean, that was a wild week one all across the board. I mean, contracts, tirey kill, getting detained, people, you know, making plays. I mean, it's just, it was incredible to see it. I'm glad the NFL is back. So it's awesome. Same here. Want to start right off with the most recent game to conclude. That is the Lions 26-20 overtime win over the Rams. Seemed like the Rams had a chance to take it there late in the second half. It slipped through their fingers. But Benny, what I wanted to ask you about this game is, you know, listen, the Rams, a lot of injuries and guys unavailable in the offensive line. It's a roster that's been overturning the last two years. But my primary takeaway from this game outside of like, we know the Lions are good. We know they can bully people. We know they're a contender. I looked at Matt Stafford and how he was playing in this game, Benny. And I looked at Cooper Cup 21 targets, 14 catches, 110 and a touchdown. And to me, I looked at that. I blinked a couple of times and I said, is this team a contender again? Like, does Sean McVay have a Rams team now that as long as Matthew Stafford is healthy? Like, this is a team that everybody has to watch out for. Without a doubt. I mean, Sean McVay can coach. He can draw plays up with the best of one of the best play calls in the NFL. And when you look at last night's game, yeah, Matthew Stafford is just is a gunslinger. And he can throw the ball. I mean, some of the throws that he made, particularly that one in the fourth quarter to Demarcus Robinson across the field where he was getting rushed right in his face and makes that throw basically a blind throw across the field to to get them a first down and keep the chains moving. You just don't see throws like that. And of course, in the fourth quarter again, he makes another no look pass. And I know we give a lot of, you know, credit to Patrick Holmes on the no look passes, but Matthew Stafford's been doing her for a long time and play some incredible ball. And then how about Cooper Cup? I mean, yeah, 21 targets, 14 catches the one on the sideline, the toe tap on the sideline. You just, you know, those types of plays are just incredible. But for them to go into Detroit hostile environment, I mean, they should have won that game. I mean, plenty of opportunities in the red zone to actually score Matthew Stafford throws a pick right before the half. But yeah, they had a chance to really win that game. But shout out to Detroit for finishing it off strong and Dan Campbell. You know, they, it's weird to see the line, especially me being from Detroit actually win these games in the end when they usually just used to throw them away. So it's incredible to see the lines do that. But yes, Sean McVay Stafford, as long as Stafford doesn't get enough credit for how good and how talented of a thrower he is. And you know, it was just super cool to see that last night and the plays that he was making. How many NFL teams can do what the Lions did in overtime, which is take their offensive line, take one running back. Now, this is something that maybe we saw, you know, 20 years ago in the NFL with some of the better teams. But how many NFL teams now are equipped to just hand the ball to David Montgomery behind, you know, pen a soul and an offensive line and just just bully a team, you know, 80 yards down the field for a touchdown. If I had to pick a couple, San Francisco, I think to do that, I think Philly will be able to do that. Oh my gosh, Houston. Houston knew it. I mean, just based off what we saw yesterday and Joe mixing in that running game, Houston be able to do it. You know, I don't know if the Patriots is an anomaly, but you know, they did a lot on the ground yesterday as well. So yeah, it's probably a handful of teams that can really do that and we'll have that type of identity. But yeah, that's this. That's not easy to do. You know, 80 yards, we're going to run the ball and you know that they're going to run the ball and you could see it at the end of the game. The Rams basically were just like, they couldn't do anything about it. Right, right. They had their hands on their hips and they they knew the game was about to end. That was that really stood out to me. I'm glad you mentioned the Texans because I thought this was lowkey arguably the game of the week. I mean, you know, Rams chiefs, obviously, or I'm sorry, Ravens chiefs was was a great game. Eagles Packers was a great game. We'll get to that one too. But I thought this being indivision, a team that I view as a Super Bowl contender. I picked the Texans to win the Super Bowl and then a Colts team that was Sean with Shane Steichen and with Anthony Richardson healthy. It looks like it could compete. Benny, I see that Stefan Diggs has two touchdowns. I see Joe mixing go off. And like you said, ice the game at the end. Like, was this a type of game where you watch Houston and you say last year wasn't a fluke there for real or am I overreacting to to one game? I yeah, I totally agree with you. Yes, they are. They are for real. And a couple of things stick out when I watch Houston play number one, she's a strap and the growth that he continues to show and you talk about like poise in the pocket. You look at the way he just operates in the pocket as a thrower. I mean, just makes puts passes on the money. Number one, has a real understanding of that offense. Number two. And then now you look at the weapons and I think you're right. I wouldn't put them. I'm not going to pick them to be the Chiefs, but in terms of roster construction and we look at the roster construction, adding Stefan Diggs was huge. You have a reliable pass catcher. Tank Dale, Nico Collins, incredible players, dynamic playmakers. I didn't, I forgot that they still have Robert Woods, who is another veteran and incredible route runner that can supplement and can also be just a great value add to that team. And then you have a guy like Joe Mixon. And then the tight end. I mean, just incredible weapons for CJ Shroud, but then you just look at his pocket presence and what you want to see as a quarterback and his growth into his second year. Yes, Houston's for real and then D'Amico Ryan's in terms of all the exotic things that he can do on the defensive end. And then how hard that team plays for him. They are definitely going to be a team that is in contention. But I do want to point out from that game and like you said game of the week, the best player the game was Anthony Richardson's throw off balance with somebody in his face throwing at 70 yards down the field. I mean, got to be the most talented thrower of the football. I mean, it was ridiculous. That pass was ridiculous in terms of that post route across the field and how easily he threw that. Benny, you know, it was interesting about that too. I think it maybe was Alec Pierce who called it. It's interesting to me that Pierce knows that the ball can reach him where he is. Does that make sense? Like, yeah, where he's running that route is like, okay, he can throw this to me here. I mean, I know they practice together and everything, but that was silly apart to me too. It's like, there's two guys running with you and you're like, Oh, like I'm 70 75 pushing 80 yards down the field. He's going to drop it in the bucket. See, that's that's where like the Colts are a team. I can't put my finger on like who knows, right? I mean, there was so many games I got wrong just betting in week one, but I look at the Colts and it's so hard for me to say what they're definitely going to be because you see plays like that and you know the kind of coaching they have. And I feel like if this is how they look in week one, like if he stays healthy Richardson, they could be one of the better teams in the AFC if they continue to round out and they continue to build in the direction that they look like they're going because they are going toe to toe with Houston. Another thing I thought was interesting about Houston, Benny is like Bobby Slowett coming from that Shanahan coaching tree. He, you know, that's all based on, as you know, having, you know, played in it, played in the league. It's based on obviously a lot of the run game and then action off of that play action, etc. But you got to be able to run the ball, right? And there were questions coming into the season, especially I was there with the Giants Texans off season preseason game and their O line is pretty good pass blocking O line, but hadn't shown really that they were like going to be a really good or effective run blocking line. So to me, that is what jumped out to me was that if Nixon's going to go for 150 or whatever he ended up for in that game, like there's not going to be many teams that beat them if they can play off of that with what Stroud's able to do down the field. Yeah, and that's a testament to their GM and their coach and really putting a great roster together and Joe Nixon looked great. I mean, zone running scheme is what that offense is built off of. And if they continue to run the ball like that, it's going to be held for a lot of teams. And that's a recipe to beat Kansas City is to run the ball on them and keep the ball out of Patrick Mahomes's hands. So we'll see how Houston continues to develop, but I like it. And I just, you know, I just got to go back to CJ Shroud and being calm in the pocket, climbing in the pocket like all the things that great quarterbacks do. And he, and he has it. And he showed that he could do a lot with his legs yesterday too, if he has to pick up the first down by running the ball. So we'll see what happens. But yeah, it was an interesting game. So as a receiver, you look at Stroud and like you mentioned his accuracy. So as a receiver, when you know your quarterback can make every throw, does that take any kind of concern or second guessing out of your mind, essentially? Like if you're not only could CJ Shroud make every throw, but he puts the ball on the money to where the receivers can catch and run with it after. And I think that's the difference between some quarterbacks who are okay. And then the great quarterbacks is that you saw the ball that he threw the digs in terms of the dart route that digs was running on the first touchdown. Like a lot of young quarterbacks in their second year will dart that in there. But they don't understand like, hey, I'm running at you as a receiver. And as a receiver, you want to be able to catch that and just get into the end zone. You don't want to have to catch the ball because it's coming so hard and then fall. And CJ Shroud has that great touch. And even the fourth down to digs, you know, a lot of quarterbacks will just try to zing that in there. One of the things that, you know, I was fortunate enough when I was playing with a Peyton or Eli or Drew Brees, you know, they put a lot of touch on that ball because they want you to catch it and stay up. They don't want you to catch it and fall down. So CJ Shroud, just, you know, he throws a very catchable ball and, you know, it's going to be exciting to see what these guys can do in terms of, yeah, take Dale and, and, and digs and as well as Nico Collins. Is that a conversation you sometimes or receivers sometimes have to have with the quarterback? Like, let's say you're practicing those types of routes and sometimes it doesn't come naturally to them and you need to walk up to them and literally say like, let's say after practice, like I'll see Daniel Jones and Daria Slate and always talking working on things. Like those are kind of things you're saying to a QB. Like listen, man, like on this route, here's what's easiest for me. So do that, right? Is that, is that the kind of combo you have sometimes? Depends on what type of quarterback you have and where they are in their career. When you have a younger quarterback, you're not necessarily saying that they have too much going on in their head already. So if they're in year one or two, year three, four, whatever it may be, you're not going to go up to the quarterback, especially me, because I was Laurel Laurel on the totem pole in terms of compensation and how many targets I was getting. I'm not going to go up to a quarterback and tell him what I want. Not making demands. I'm not making demands. I'm not necessarily a starter, you know, I'm playing, I'm playing the role. So I won't go up to them. But, you know, the star players or the Sterling Shepherds or Odell's, the Marius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, the, you know, the players and incredible players that I played with, they would let those quarterbacks know. But at the same time, you know, you got a young quarterback, year one, two, you're not necessarily going to say, Hey, this is what I want on this route. They're trying to continue to learn the plays and study. And they got too much going on in their minds. And I think Shroud just naturally has that. So God, that's not something that I don't think people, I think he just already had it. He had as a rookie last year. Interesting. So speaking of starting quarterbacks, franchise quarterbacks, Dak Prescott, as you alluded to earlier, gets paid big before he takes the field in Cleveland in a 33 17 win over the Browns, four years, 240 million dollars, 231 million guaranteed 60 million per year, the first 60 million dollar player in NFL history, highest paid player in NFL history, Benny. What do you think of the contract? And what did you see from the Cowboys in this game? Incredible for Dak. I don't know how he would have kept his composure. I don't know how I would have kept my composure. If I got a deal done four hours before the game, that was going to make me the highest paid player. And now that I know I'm going to make 60 million dollars a year, but you know, Shroud to him for forgetting that contract, I think it was a safe move by by Dallas. You know, it's hard to come by quarterback. He's led the league in touchdowns last year. And it's hard to find a quarterback in the league. And I think he's done well. But now the pressure is all back on him to can they actually win some playoff games? And can they win some playoff games at home? Can they win in division? And can he continue to play at a high level? So now all the pressure is on him, all eyes will continue to be on him. We'll see how he does. I thought they'd be played an okay game for, you know, their first game of season last year this year. So we'll see it's too early to tell. They had just a great team win, you know, they scored a touchdown on special teams. Dak made some good throws, incredible throw to Brandon Cooks for their first touchdown. You know, I think it was maybe a zero blitz and he anticipated that throw. That was great. I mean, you talk about those types of throws. Those are, you know, I wouldn't say they're 60 million dollar throws, but you have to be able to make that type of throw. And it was incredible anticipation by him in terms of that blitz, then blitzing and bringing the house and then making that throw to Cooks. But, you know, we know the Cowboys are going to be a decent team. They have a great roster. It's always going to come down to them. What are they going to do in January and February? So we'll see how they do. The Eagles look damn good. So they're going to have some trouble in the NFC East, the Giants and Washington will be fighting for last place for sure. But, you know, shout out to Dak for getting the contract and doing well. And they did well against a pretty good defense. Or at least the defense was good last year for Cleveland. But, yeah, Dak, Dak, super rich now. That's a really good point about just the personal element of you get paid, you know, 240 million dollars, 231 guaranteed. And then you just got to walk in like, Hey, guys, good morning and like, Oh, not exactly guys. You're ready to play. Exactly. It's on all of us, right? You mentioned the fight for last place. In the NFC East. And, you know, I was there in person for the Giants absolute disaster against the Minnesota Vikings here and Benny, I'll open it to wherever you want to go here. But I want to start it with this is being at the stadium, the environment and the element and the fan reaction. Basically, it's clear the fans are all over Daniel Jones and the team as if this were like week 15 of a lost season. And it's only week one, if that makes sense. It is, it was a toxic environment. It was a an environment that the booze were snowballing onto the team. Daniel looked like it was getting worse as it went on. There's no belief in him coming from the organization, from the fan base. And I think that overall, even though I've seen a lot of losing and bad football here in New York, it really gets to the point where everyone loses their job from my vantage point when it starts this badly. Because if it's already this close to the basement and this far in the basement, any further down, you're talking about wiping the slate clean. But I want to see what what you saw, how you feel about how Daniel is being kind of treated and perceived coming out of a game like that. And what your overall take is on the Giants, horrendous start here. Well, everybody should be on job watch in New York. Everybody in that entire organization will be on job watch. Daniel included. And, you know, the fans, I wouldn't, I saw a clip on social media where there was a fan outside of the player parking lot or, you know, saying something to Daniel, I think that's taking it a little bit too far. But the booze, yeah, that's going to come with it. You're playing shitty football, playing horrible football, and you're making the same mistakes and you can't do that, especially at the quarterback, especially when they're paying you the way they're paying you. And Daniel's a good friend of mine, but you can't play like that. You're getting paid top dollar to play incredible football. And you keep making the same mistakes. You cannot make those mistakes. You cannot turn the ball over. And it just, there's a lack of growth there. And I think that's why the New York Giants fans are upset. And you got to think people are paying their hard-earned money. And the economy is in a tough spot right now. So if I'm paying top dollar to come to Met Life Stadium to watch football with my family, find parking, walk. And then I see that type of performance, I'm going to be pissed, especially if I got to sit back in traffic in New York traffic on the way back home or wherever they're coming from. So yes, I'm going to be upset and I'm going to boo. Now I'm not going to say that it's all on Daniel. I think, you know, his coaches have to help him out day ball. I just don't know where he's been in the last couple of years in terms of his play calling. And, you know, they had the QB runs and they were doing creative things. But this is what you get now. I mean, you got mediocre play calling, you got mediocre coaching, and you got mediocre mediocre quarterback playing. You can't win in the NFL when you're that mediocre. And my dad works in B2B marketing. He came by my school for career day and said he was a big row as man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend. My friends still laughing me to this day. Not everyone gets B2B. But with LinkedIn, you'll be able to reach people who do get a hundred dollar credit on your next ad campaign. Go to LinkedIn dot com slash results to claim your credit that's LinkedIn dot com slash results. Terms and conditions apply linked in the place to be to be. 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But the Giants roster construction going back to the Giants roster construction is just horrible in terms of, and it's been horrible since even when I was there in terms of the way the roster set up. Offense aligned, defense aligned, skilled players, none of the pieces fit. None of them are complimentary. And it's tough. And it's tough to watch. It's just not, it's just not good football. And, you know, they're going to continue to struggle. And, you know, and then you watch Saquan go out there and play and score three touchdowns, which he hasn't done since I was playing there with them. Even from an entertainment and business standpoint, now you're super upset and you watch the Giants go, or you watch the Eagles go out there and do that. And I think Saquan is going to have Penn State like numbers, especially when he plays the Giants this year. And, you know, that's, but that's what a good team looks like. That's what offense aligned looks like. That's, I wouldn't say their quarterback play was great, but they got a, they got a good roster. I can tell you that. Benny. And obviously you're putting on the roster, you're putting pressure on Joe Shane there too. One question I want you to ask, because you were, you were so good at being a good teammate, feeling the locker room, knowing what guys needed to hear or when they didn't need to hear something, those types of things. And I'm here to tell you, like going into this game, I got the information from various sources around the Giants that basically the building was extremely tight. And that one of Deball's messages to his players going into the game, one of his key messages, one that came back to me a couple times was, one game doesn't define our season here, win or lose. And I was taking it the way it was being described to me. I took it and I know some other guys understood or somewhat took it as, if we lose this game, the season isn't over. And I'm wondering from your vantage point, am I overreacting to that? Is that more like him just saying, hey, let's just stay on an even keel? It's kind of like the Patriot thing. Or am I right that you're like planning a seat of doubt in your team before you walk out on the field? Yeah, I don't know what type of message that is. Hey, one game doesn't define our season. The season hasn't started yet. That doesn't make any sense to me of why you would have that be the message throughout the entire building. So it sounds like a lack of belief, a lack of leadership. And that's where the Giants have struggled over the last couple of head coaches is just not good leadership. People don't believe in that. Why would I go out there and play hard? We haven't started the season yet. We have 17 games in front of us. And the first thing your message for the week is like, one game doesn't define our season. Well, we would like to get off to a fast start. I would think, or I would hope, that's what you would want and talk about starting fast. And let's get off to a fast start. Let's go one and O this week. At least the good teams that I've played on. That's how we would talk. But, you know, that's a leadership thing. And I'd be curious to see what they see, what they saw on him in terms of a head coach. Because right now, I don't see it. I know he got coach of the year a couple years ago, I think, but hasn't been the same since. And I'd be curious to see what's going on in his mind. But he'll probably blame it on the roster or not having the right quarterback and powered out. But, you know, it's just, it's unfortunate to see. And I know I wouldn't want to play for a coach whose message was like that. I totally agree with you, especially on that last comment. You don't want to play for somebody who's instilling a seed of doubt and a lack of belief early on. Okay, so I want to open it up to you. You watched the week one slate here. Obviously, still Jets Niners on deck. But what were some of the key moments or teams or players or developments that stood out to you? I think it's going to be tough. You know, the first thing that comes to my mind is, okay, like, where did the Packers go now? You got Jordan Love out for four weeks, maybe four to six weeks. That's going to be tough for them. He looked good. He made some great throws. But, you know, he still has some growing pains in terms of who he is. But, you know, that was a game that Green Bay could have won. But, you know, getting hurt at the end, that's going to be tough for Green Bay over that four to six week stretch when he's out. So, that really sticks out because a lot of people had them. I didn't even think maybe I had them, you know, as a Super Bowl pick. I think the rookie quarterbacks, you know, got a chance and a taste to see, you know, what the NFL is like when you're playing against the starters. So, you think Caleb Williams, Bo and Nick's out here in Denver, Jane Daniels, you know, which I think they're going to be great players and play a long time in the league. But, you know, there's definitely a big difference between preseason and the regular season in terms of speed, overall complexity of defenses. So, they'll definitely be some growing pains there. Kansas City looked great in terms of just passing my homes. They just look fluid. They look, they look poised. He looked poised. He looks like he's even in a better spot. And just their overall, just the skill players they have in the defense. I mean, just great football. I think Lamar Jackson looks incredible with the weight that he lost. He looks faster, quicker. He can't play the Superman hero ball. If I was Todd Monkin, I would call more design quarterback runs down there in the red zone because they had a chance to really win that game as well. He missed some throws, but take it out of his hands. And what's wrong with the QB runs? Stop trying to out Patrick from home. Patrick from home is like you're not, that's not Lamar's game. He's incredible in the things that he can do. Patrick, some of those things Patrick can't do. So, use those to the advantage. Houston, you know, C.J. Shroud looking really good, looking really strong in the pocket and Demico Ryan's looking like, you know, they just have that great leadership and great overall team chemistry already. And I'll be excited, it'll be exciting to watch him play. And then I still have some questions about Jaylen Hurst, but Seqwon looked explosive. He looked incredible just the way I think he was surprised by, you know, some of the holes that he had and the great block in that he had in Philly. And then, you know, their skill positions are insane too. It's so funny. I was talking to somebody the other day about how, you know, in Philadelphia, it's kind of well known and Seqwon has been told like, you know, like that one touchdown he had where that hole opens wide from like the eight yard line or something. And you know, I was saying like, if he gets a hole like that inside the 10, it's automatic, right? He's in the end zone. But it's funny because he knows too, don't get tackled at the one because as you saw at the end of the game, then that's going to be the touch push. Now, to me, I thought that was bad coaching there. I know they liked doing the touch push, but it wasn't working as well. You can tell it's not as good with Kelsey. They're not there anymore. And Seqwon was was going off. I mean, I don't see why they don't give him the ball there. But to your point about kind of the holes that he had, Beni, it's almost like, you know, Seqwon was always criticized here. And I was part of the people who pointed it out at times, where he would stutter step before hitting a hole sometimes. And that was, that was real. But I think what you saw in a game like this, to your point, is if he sees a lane as it's designed to be and to exist, he's going to hit the hole and get downfield quickly. And it's going to mean 15, 20, 25 yards, right? Absolutely. Absolutely. He's going to see that. And then it's, he's also going to have that different confidence. And he was running with a purpose the other night. And that's because he knows that this team has a legit shot to win the Super Bowl. And he was running like that. And he was set in the tone. And you saw him do and run behind his patch more so than I've ever seen him in a week one. Wow. And there's incredible see. And then you saw some of the, you know, creative plays that Kelly Moore had, you know, the wheel route for the touchdown. So, and then also the giving him and spelling him, they didn't try to play him a hundred plays, you know, they were some drives and they took him out on some third downs. And there were some drives where he wasn't in. I think they're, they're thinking long term. And I think I hope to see Saquan be really fresh throughout the entire year. And he's, he's my pick to win offensive player of the year. I think offensive player of the year. I love it. Saquan. Touchdown count so far, New York Giants entire team zero, Saquan Barkley three. I agree with you on the Chiefs. Oh, by the way, Quinn, Quinn, yeah, Mitchell Eagles rookie corner first round pick looks really good. Looks like the real deal to me. But yeah, Kansas City to me, like above all, I'm watching that game. And, you know, I got cute pick the Texans. I don't know. Who did you pick? Who did you pick the win the Super Bowl this year? Kansas City. Okay. So I'm watching that game and it's not even over. And I'm looking at people. I'm sitting next to and I'm going, what am I doing? You know, like, why am I, why am I not picking this team again? I just watched them take down the Niners there. I just watched them win the Super Bowl with the worst version of their team that they've had with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reed. And I'm looking at spags out, scheming. I'm looking at Mahomes even when he makes a mistake, like he throws those interceptions. You know, he obviously bounces back. Andy Reed, igniting the offense with their rookie receiver, Xavier Worthy, for two touchdowns, they can run the ball effectively. They can control it. You know, it's Benny. It was so funny. They showed that stat about Joanne Taylor, their right tackle, leading the NFL with 17 penalties last year. They won the Super Bowl. Like in New York, it's always the offensive lines not fixed. The offensive lines not fixed. And yes, you're right. It's not fixed. But there's an example right there of how do teams become elite, how do teams actually win? You get it, you get a star quarterback, you get a good good head coach, and you have a sound plan, right? Everything has to fit together. That's what that's what stood out to me watching that for sure. Got to go make the play. And Patrick Mahomes will, he will overcome some bad blocking. That's what Daniel's going to have to do. You know, when there's something not there, get back to using those legs, extend the play. Yep. You mentioned Bonix. I did not see that game. I haven't even gotten a chance to watch the highlights. I think he threw a couple picks though. Yeah. How did you're out in Denver? How did how did he look? He looked okay. He looked okay. He made some good throws, tough rookie outing. And I think, you know, the speed of the defense is something that, you know, he didn't necessarily see in preseason. You know, preseason is a lot of vanilla cover one, but the Seahawks were flying around. I think Julian Love, you know, a former New York Giants that they like walk out of the building made made a great play in the end zone. And you know how smart he is, Notre Dame guy. And I think I was there his rookie year, but made an incredible play in the end zone. And you know, Bo's got to, you know, think to give court and sudden the chance, but he under threw it a little bit. And then one, he was thrown across the field and, you know, as DBs have incredible makeup speed. So I think he'll learn, but I think he had some incredible opportunities. He did extend some plays with his legs, which was great to see defense played really well, but then, you know, gave up some, some big plays to a Michigan State guy and Kenneth Walker. So it's good to see Kenneth Walker do well. But the Broncos would be all right. And there's some things to fix and some drops to fix. But I heard Sean talk about it in his post game interview. And one of the things that tight told work always would tell me and when we had a younger quarterback or even, you know, Daniel's rookie year, you got to help him as a receiver. You got to be able to help the young guy out. And the Broncos had a couple drops yesterday where, you know, you got to help help bow out and you got to help these young Cubies out. So yeah, we'll see how it goes. But they got Russell Wilson coming in town next week. So I know they're going to be humming around here. Well, is it going to be Justin Fields now? I mean, what's going on here? You know, we got a calf injury, right? Russ doesn't even start week one. Yeah, we will see. I think the Broncos fan will want Russ to start because they want to give me some hell. That's right. That's right. You see him in the full pads on the sideline, even though he wasn't going to play in the game. That's just such that it's such a Russell Wilson thing. 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Start feeling the difference today at boomchaga.com. Benny, a couple more points here I wanted to hit on. You mentioned Tyree kill right off the bat. So obviously awkward for maybe or tough for Dak Prescott to sign a contract and then play a game. How about Tyree kill getting arrested, pressed down on the pavement and on the blacktop and then going and scoring a deep touchdown in the dolphins game? What do you think of that? I think he has great compartmentalization in terms of being able to separate that that moment before the game and then going out there and playing and then playing extremely well. And then also having you know the creativity to have the celebration that he had after he scored the touchdown. But you know that's just super unfortunate and you know for him to have to go through that. We glad they already placed the officer on administrative leave and you know and the other people who were a part of that definitely need to be investigated because that doesn't make any sense especially going into the stadium and you know who that guy is and he's getting ready to go to the game. So you know just super unfortunate but shout out to him in terms of just putting that aside and then going out there and playing and you know just the incredible. I mean that dude this incredible speed route running ability catching it just is mind blowing that he hasn't slowed down. It's nuts too that in all sports you know you have rankings at different positions or whatever and people can't it's hard to even put him in the receiver category like it's like if there's him and everybody else because not only is he so good he's just so unique like you don't I don't even know how you prepare for a player like that Benny like how would it how would a corner prepare for him versus even some of the other great wide receivers because it's not like like we saw CD lamb just going up even when he doesn't have separation just grabbing a ball of a guy's head kind of like Randy Moss and Devonta Adams is a smooth route runner he's got size Justin Jefferson right but there just seems to be an element of Tyreke that because it's not replicable in practice and because you probably never played against anybody like that like I don't know how to how do NFL teams prepare for that. I think it's got to be done at least from the great defenses that I played on it was done with a lot of communication and you know passing things off and you know we had the no-fly zone here in Denver and then the defense that I played with in New Orleans you know that was an incredible defense as well but communication and understanding that he's going to make his plays but you know they would talk about like gang tackling a lot of you know Tyreke's plays you know these are you know they're shorter routes and then he runs after catch you got to try to get him on the ground and you know corral him as a defense but you know don't give up the big play put that safety in the middle of field they've put him super far back but you know just when he gets the ball keep him in front get him down on the ground don't let him you know get to because no you're not going to catch him if he if he starts if he gets a couple steps in front of you you're not catching it's it's funny as you were saying that I started laughing because when I was in Miami last year for the Giants game like it that is exactly the picture of when he catches the ball and even if it's a short route you see the defense trying to kind of you know kind of fence him in but he's doing like that you know kind of like the jumping back and forth and you can see the guy's ankles kind of starting to bend and break you know what I mean like because he's so much quicker than your eyes are or either that other people's reactions are that you know you know that even though you have them it's like now you see me now you don't possibly yeah all right so a couple more you played for the New Orleans Saints 47 to 10 Saints over the Carolina Panthers here I went back watched the highlights looked at the box score there so how it went Benny it looked like Carolina played as much of a role in this being a blowout as New Orleans did but would you agree with me that the Saints kind of woke people up a little bit here to the fact that they're they're not just a you know they're not just a crappy NFC South team that's going to win a bad division like they actually looked like they could make some noise this year yeah they got some great veterans number one over there in terms of Tyron Matthew Cameron Jordan Alvin Kamara and some of the receivers Chris Alaba they got a good and then Rashid I think the other receiver 22 I mean he's got he got insane speed too so they got some really talented players I think you know still got Taysom Hill there the question is you know how does Derek Carr play over 17 game season you know he'll have games like this and he had games like this back when he was in Oakland and then he'll have games where he doesn't play like how he played yesterday but he was super efficient yesterday and made a lot of plays they ran the ball well but you know it's a long season but like you said Carolina did play a role in this and they're not doing any favors to Bryce Young and their roster is not good they're going to be the worst team again this year in football and you know Giants are going to take the mantle Giants aren't going to jump them no Giants can beat them I think they're just they're just not good Panthers just aren't good at all and you know 47 to 10 week one is is crazy but you know that's one of those things where I'd be curious about the coaching and I know they have this offensive guru but yeah can Alan's are you making it easy for Bryce are you making it easy on the on the skill players you have or you know so I didn't really watch that game there wasn't much to watch but you know Derek Carr was looking really efficient and they in the Saints they're talented you know they got great corners they got Demario Davis still on defense like they they got a good roster if they can get consistent quarterback play they'll be all right because Kirk Cousins my man Kirk Cousins from Michigan State in Atlanta did not look good yesterday a did not yeah it was that was ugly hard to believe in them I Benny this strengthens my belief and I'm not I'm not saying oh it was all in Cousins or whatever but what I'm saying is any time teams draft quarterbacks as high as the Falcons did even though they paid him Cousins that contract the guy ends up playing like whether it's because of an injury or it's because of disappointment how the offense is running whatever it is Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business Shopify is there to help you grow Shopify helps you sell everywhere from their all-in-one e-commerce platform to their in-person POS system Shopify is got you covered Shopify helps you turn browsers into buyers with the internet's best converting checkout 36% better on average compared to other leading commerce platforms and sell more with less effort thanks to Shopify Magic your AI powered all-star what I love about Shopify is how no matter how big you want to grow Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US and Shopify is the global force behind all birds Rothy's and Brooklyn and millions of other entrepreneurs of every size across 175 countries plus Shopify's award-winning help is there to support your success every step of the way because businesses that grow grow with Shopify sign up for a $1 per month trial period at Shopify dot com slash Westwood one all lowercase go to Shopify dot com slash Westwood one now to grow your business no matter what stage you're in Shopify dot com slash Westwood one My dad works in B2B marketing he came by my school for career day and said he was a big row as man then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend my friends still laughing me to this day not everyone gets B2B but with LinkedIn you'll be able to reach people who do get a hundred dollar credit on your next ad campaign go to linkedin.com slash results to claim your credit that's linkedin.com slash results terms and conditions apply linkedin the place to be to be high quarterback picks play like I know I know my home's sat most of his rookie year got that last game at the end with Alex Smith in there but does this like this this strengthens my belief that that Pennix will get in the lineup at some point for Atlanta it also tells me this year you think yeah yeah I do I mean it's most likely that it happens with you know Kirk has an ankle injury it keeps him out two weeks or something like that you know what I mean I mean I'm not saying he's going to work with Kelsey yesterday interesting interesting he did look healthy and I know he's maybe almost a year out from the Achilles maybe 10 months out but he didn't look healthy what about him didn't look healthy to you how he was planning just movement pure movement in terms of how he moves in the pocket usually in a lot of shotgun formations you know no under the center you know I'm just super curious you know Kirk's always been under the center quarterback you know he's played in the Kubiak Kyle Shanahan Shanahan offenses you know where's a lot of play action there was a lot of yeah it was a lot of shotgun a lot of pistol and it's almost like they didn't want him moving a lot huh that's a really good insight and all this is the other thing Benny too and you know if you see that right players see that and of course you know Kirk is there to hopefully get healthier and and play better in the offense form around him and they're playing and paying him a ton of money so it's not like oh this isn't working let's pull the plug right now but my point that I was gonna make is let's say they have a few more games like this in the early part of the season and part of it is the obvious note that Kirk doesn't look 100 percent to me I mean you tell me don't guys in the locker room start to I don't know if you talk about it but you just kind of know like hey maybe this guy gives us a better shot this week right it really depends if you have if you're starting to have five or six games like how they had yesterday okay for sure but it only takes one game of Kirk looking like the Kirk cousins of old for that locker room to be like all right yeah like they know it because they got a lot of veterans in that in that locker room and they know there'll be a lot of growing pains even if Pennage gets in there and he makes a couple good throws they're still going to be growing pains guy can you do that every week so you'd rather rely on Kirk cousins for the next two years and let you know Pennage really learn how to be a pro well said all right a quick preview of Monday night football jets at Niners the Niners got Brandon Ayuk back they signed him as you told them to they signed Trent Williams back meanwhile the Jets and Hassan Redick nothing doing Redick didn't show up not playing in the game Aaron Rodgers versus Brock Purdy how do you how do you see it going I'm going to take Niners at home I just think that you know Kyle Shanahan especially with you know a couple weeks to prepare for this game knowing Robert Solidwell and that often or that defense just because you know they were in the same building together he knows how to attack that defense better than anybody so I got the Niners winning with you know Christian McCaffery debos Samuel everybody getting involved I mean they just got you know one of the most incredible skill groups but it'll be a good game and it'll be close I think the Jets are hungry I think that defense is really good it's disappointing just from a fan perspective I'd like to see Hassan Redick out there just because he can rush the passer and he can do some incredible things and can infect a game but I hope to see Aaron Rodgers play really well and they got you know Garrett Wilson you know they got some incredible receivers and and Roger or Mike Williams I don't know if he's playing is he playing tonight uh that's a really good question I don't know the answer to that that's a really good question let's check it out I think Roger should be slinging the pill and hopefully you know they protect him but it would be good to see him back out there under the bright lights making some good throws and and see what type of start they they can get off to yeah good point Mike Williams in the red zone you know would be that's that's an X factor obviously anytime he was healthy for the Chargers it was he's like one of those guys Benny he's not on the field a lot but when he is he suddenly becomes instantly one of the better players on it right yeah he's he's that talented yeah the things I'm looking for are um you know I think Breeze Hall to help Aaron Rodgers they're really going to try to establish that try to help the line so I think a huge part of this game is just can the Jets run the ball if they can I think it's a competitive game if they can't I think it turns into you know a Niners uh a Niners party and and coronation going into another year where there um a Super Bowl contender and then the other thing I'm interested in seeing is like the Jets you're right defense is very good you know Bryce Hoff goes to Philadelphia John Franklin Myers is out as a free agent and Reddit comes in but now is not on that line they do still have a pretty deep core of Russia's like a lot of bodies but I'm curious if Quinn and Williams has less help and whether their pass rush up front that front four that Robert Saw likes to rely on I'm not sure like I need to see it you know I saw them getting pressure on the Giants and Daniel Jones but I think doing it against the San Francisco 49ers O line and Brock Purdy and Kyle Shanahan's scheme is another thing so that's what I'm really interested to see I'll take the Niners as well though to win and uh by the way I did skip over something I wanted to point out I don't know how much of this game you saw but I think the quietest now you know the Bucks had a really good week one that was a blowout over the Washington commanders who the Giants are facing week two I think the quietest encouraging start here was the LA Chargers against the Raiders now not that it was a shock that they won and it wasn't like they won extremely convincingly I mean it was 22 to 10 and it was nine seven going into the fourth quarter so not like I'm not like I think the Chargers are world beaters but Benny you and I both know Harbaugh's a really good coach and there's an opportunity to at least move up and finish second in that division and their schedule off of this game Carolina on the road Pittsburgh on the road who you know Tomlin's a good coach but who knows then Chiefs then by week and then at Denver at Arizona versus New Orleans like this could be a team do you agree the Chargers who by week seven or eight people could be saying like oh we forgot about them they're actually they're actually for real yeah I mean Harbaugh's a great coach he's gonna play complimentary football and they're only going to get better and they're going to get a rhythm so you know we'll see because the NFL is always week to week and you know it's easier said than done to go to Pittsburgh and win in Pittsburgh if they have to go out there regardless of who's that quarterback for them because their defense is that good and their defense can score points so we'll see I think but you know I don't like that Harbaugh's a Michigan man and that he went to Michigan about that but who he is as the coach regardless is I mean he's just proven he knows how to coach he his teams are going to play hard they're going to tackle they're not going to turn the ball over so it's going to be exciting to see it's going to be exciting to see and that Kansas City game is going to be exciting to see because he that that won't be easy for Kansas City at all Benny I've been trying to avoid the college thing but you mentioned Michigan you mentioned Julian Love earlier Notre Dame product Phil Notre Dame product that I'm trying to avoid talking about the fighting Irish and what happened on Saturday but yeah that was tough that was tough I mean you lose to Northern Illinois it's like one of those things you could run the table and then the committee sits down for that 12 team playoff and they say yeah you only have one loss but it was to Northern Illinois so if Notre Dame wins out they'll get in thank you though yeah all right all right that gives me some encouragement Adore Jackson agreed to do my podcast the week of Notre Dame USC later in the year so that should be fun but I can't I don't need any more embarrassing losses man it's too much it's too much yeah um this has been first down with Benny Fowler we're going to do this every week recapping the NFL's Sunday slate and weekend slate and looking forward to where that means these teams are going to go from here who were the contenders who's slipping what players and trends are standing out Benny thanks so much for being here a Super Bowl champion look forward to having you on next week I will be coming home on a train from Maryland where the Giants will be taking on the commanders so she'll be a fun one next week thanks again awesome I appreciate you that was a great first episode of first down with Benny Fowler remember to rate review and subscribe on the Believe Network on Apple podcast on Spotify wherever you get your audio podcasts also subscribe rate review and like the channel on YouTube PL on NFL remember we do talking ball live on Monday and Thursday nights and talking ball post game live every Giants home and road game from the press box when we come out of the locker room we are sponsored here again by estate 98 coffee go to estate 98 dot com backslash talk and ball for a special buy one get one free deal also sponsored by bed online and by boom chaga mushroom super drink a natural extract loaded with anti-inflammatory immune boosting antioxidants and heart healthy compounds you can easily pour this natural liquid supplement into any of your favorite drinks I put mine in my coffee every morning and immediately feel the difference I personally have felt a post workout like energy boost with boom chaga also has the ability to lower cholesterol reduce inflammation and improve immune and heart health with its beta glutes and antioxidants go to boom chaga.com today to place your first order and if you use the discount code talking ball 25 or access it through the QR code on your screen here you'll get 25 percent off your first subscribe and save order right now that means a month supply cost you only $30 start feeling the difference today at boom chaga.com then go all right fell we're recording now so it's live go ahead pick on me the way that you want to did I say that I would say that to my son and I mean come on man just go this isn't CBS all right be quiet for a few seconds why would people want to listen to the Sims complete podcast well a couple things one if you like to see sons pick on their father this might be the place if you want to see a place where the father just kicks the out of his son this would be the place how what do you like about it man ditto father son dynamic duo talking about the game of football that we love and share and appreciate together and you know hey it's an extension of what we did right growing up I was able to watch my father play football then obviously watch him as a broadcaster and then he taught me the game of football and share the wisdom that he learned throughout his playing career and you know hey sometimes we're full of it and sometimes we we actually know a thing or two well we do do a lot of research at least I do you you little spotty but you know you're you hang in there it's fun I love doing this and it's been awesome sims complete check us out wherever your podcasts are available on the believe network appreciate it see you if you liked the show please take a moment to rate review and subscribe it really does help the show to 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