The Fumblerooski Podcast
Cutting Edge -Ep 280 The Fumblerooski Podcast
top 5 edge Russia's going into 2024 and this week's player rankings as well as an AFC AFC West that is preview. I'm Adam Wright. You're listening to the Fumble Ruski podcast. It may not have always showed it in the statute, but you can see him making throws when he needs to make the throws back to back games where he has three touchdowns. Someone's got to get that six or seven spot. He's an elite wide receiver as a rookie. Truly a loose, loose scenario for both sides. Welcome to the Fumble Ruski podcast by Power 88 and Seeker Weapon Consulting. I'm Adam Wright with CJ Madeeros. We have a great show plan for you guys today. We are going forward in our player rankings with top five edge Russia's. This is another fun one to preview because going through these rankings, looking at the sacks are always so much fun. Tracking sacks is like tracking on the offensive side of the ball, the touchdown pass race, who can get the most touchdown passes for quarterbacks? Or if you're in football, how many home runs can the best hitter in baseball get as, you know, like the Maguire Sosa saga that we had going on in the late 90s, right? This is, this is something like that. So it's going to be a lot of fun to cover throughout the season. We also have an AFC West preview. So obviously this is going to be an intriguing one because you have the defending champs, the Kansas City Chiefs in this division. And I guess you have some, you have some talent in a couple of interesting teams. The Broncos, what are they going to do with next? How is that going to work? The Raiders, what's that? What are, what is the direction they're going to go in and the Chargers with Justin Herbert, the coaching got better. But the supporting cast, as far as past touches go, just went bare. That cupboard is there's spider webs in it right now. But let's get going with our player rankings. Top five edge rosters. CJ kick us off. So for edge ruptures, it's just so weird to, you know, actually look at their stats because, you know, it's kind of like linebackers where you kind of have to like separate, you know, the empty calories like the people, you know, as I mentioned, many times, like Kenneth Murray, you know, people that rack up tackles and don't do anything else versus people that rack up sacks versus nothing else. So that's always going to be something you got to look at without further ado. And with that in mind, let's get going. My number five might shock a few people, but I'd put Nick Bosa there. So last season, you know, he was good, you know, helping the 49ers per year in the Super Bowl, 53 combined tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 35 quarterback hits, 10 and a half sacks. It's just, we know what he is at this point. He's, I would definitely say he's one of the better edge ruptures. I mean, obviously he's top five, but he seems to have tailed off, especially given the last two seasons saw him get 18 and a half sacks and 15 and a half sacks alongside more tackles for loss the previous two seasons as well. But still top five can't hit that way from him. And number four, this is somebody who I feel doesn't get talked about enough from the Las Vegas Raiders Max Crosby. This man is a problem. 14 and a half sacks last year. That's all well and good. But 90 combined tackles, 55 of them being solo, but 31 QB hits and 23 tackles for loss. And I know the Raiders aren't that good of a team. And I know that he's not one of the sexier names in the league, but it's high time he becomes a household name. And he could very well become a top three edge rusher next season. And stepping into number three from the Cleveland Browns rain defense player of the year, Miles Garrett. We've said it a million times. Is there anything that he can't do? We knew he was going to be this way when he was drafted out of Texas A&M. And he continues to just get better and better. Last season, he had 14 sacks. He had four force fumbles, 30 QB hit, 17 tackles for loss. Well, on his way to being a defensive player of the year and finishing top 10 in the MVP race. So hey, rain defensive player of the year, even though he didn't rack up as many tackles, it wasn't really that big of a factor in any kind of run defense. He is the reigning defensive player of the year. And you have to respect it. And my number two, from the Dallas Cowboys, it's Miles Garrett. I mean, what did I just say? Michael Parsons. Wow, I'm kidding. It's Michael Parsons. So 64 combined tackles, you know, only 36 them soloed out the best, but 33 QB hits, 18 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, and even had a force fumble and two passes broken up to boot. Now, there is a reason that I make Michael Parsons number two. And it's something that a lot of people don't factor in when they're making their rankings, but Ab and I make a point to talk about this. Michael Parsons is in a contract year. And we all know that nine times out of 10 guys in contract years can play some of their best ball. And I know Michael Parsons is eyeing that contract. Heck, it's one of the big story lines that Dallas this offseason, how he, Dak and CD lamb are all going to need new deals, literally like next year, and for next offseason. And you know, with every sack he gets, he's going to be inching closer to getting the bag thrown at him. So my number one is the defense player of the year, runner up TJ Watt. And once again, you know that he feels, and I've heard that he's felt that he was snug from getting defensive player of the year, you know, having a league best 19 sacks. So he also, much like Michael Parsons, has a chip on his shoulder. But it's always fun to look at the sacks, but 68 combined tackles, 40 of them being so 19 tackles for loss. 30 hits, that's great. He's already among the elite doesn't get double teamed as much. But then again, that's because he plays alongside Alex Highsmith. But you can't take that away from him because unlike every other edge rusher on this list, he's actually a factor in the run game. And he's actually a factor, you know, in the passing game as well. There are at least passing and running defense because he had eight passes defended and four force fumbles, three fumble recoveries as well, and an interception to boot. In fact, when he's targeted, he only allows a pass of 40.1%, showing that he's a true do it all guy. I mean, you can play him in coverage. He's an edge rusher. But the fact that he could do everything definitely I think makes him worthy of being in consideration for the number one spot. I think that's a good list. And I think TJ Watt, at least being being in that top three, you got you have to have them in there. And he's the type of guy who racks up the sacks and he also right, he he can do everything else. He can drop in coverage, which is unheard of for a defensive end. Usually those guys are too big to keep up with the fast wide receivers. TJ Watt can do that. So that's something that can't be ignored. Andy, he plays a big factor in the running game. Um, all right, here's my list. And we've already discussed this a little off camera. So this is going to be a fun one to give out. My number five is Aiden Hutchinson. I'm not putting Hutchinson in for what he has done before. So far in his career, he's only been in the league for two years. And it's very hard to become one of the best edge rushers in the game in such a short time span when you're in the league. It take it usually takes some time. So Aiden Hutchinson, he's on that type of trajectory. He keeps getting better by the year. So nine and a half sacks in 22, 11 and a half in 23. And he was a pro bowler. He he more than doubled his quarterback hits and he has more tackles for loss, more tackles in general. The guy has been a monster and the, the, the lions coaching staff believes that as well. The way that everyone talks about Aiden Hutchinson in that locker room, it seems like they believe his best, his best days are yet to come. And I anticipate that as well with him being in my top five. My number four is Miles Garrett. Yes, I have the reigning defensive player of the year outside of the top three. I think Miles Garrett is an incredible player. And don't say that I am biased against Miles Garrett because I picked him for defensive player of the year last year. And I was right because I just anticipated he was that guy who was always among the best but hasn't been the best just yet. And he had that year this year. So congratulations to Miles Garrett for being the best in the game. You won't be this year. But he gets the sacks every single year. The problem is he is a bit of a niche guy. If he's not an edge rusher, then you don't really, you don't end up using him for anything. The reason that's not a deal breaker for me is because I think the defensive end is a niche position as it is. More of the, the safeties and the off ball linebackers are the guys who you want to be able to do everything. With edge rushers, not quite so much. I want them to get the sacks. I want them to rush the passer. I want those quarterback hits. I want those tackles for loss. I want those hurries. I want you to create pressure, which is the whole point of the position, which is what Miles Garrett does. He's one of the best in the league at doing it. And arguably the best in his, do I say best in his division because TJ Watt is there. That's very debatable. It depends on the year. But with that being said, my number three is TJ Watt. TJ Watt has been year in, year out, one of the best pass rushers in the game. And he is going to be ranked as such in my rankings being top three. He is these single season sack leader. He shares the single season sack record with 22 and a half. And as TJ said, he can do everything. He can drop back into coverage. He can get tackles. He can take tackles for loss. He can pressure the quarterback. He can get among the most sacks you'll see in the league. The reason why he is not as good as many people say, you may not expect it, but it's his double team rate. And it is, this is something he can't control, but it cannot be ignored. TJ Watt is double teamed 14%. Now, to put that into perspective, let me list to you some names who have a higher percentage. Micah Parsons is double team 35%. It's the most out of all edge rushers in the league. Miles Garrett, 29%. Will Anderson Jr. 23%. Jadevian Clowney, 25%. Alex Highsmith, his teammate, lined up on the other side, 18%. Kyle van knowing 20%. Nick Bosa, 26%. So look at that. Look at all those names and how much more they are double teamed than him. And I still have, even in spite of it, I still have Miles Garrett and Aiden Hutchinson higher, even though they are both double teamed more. So yeah, TJ Watt is a top three edge rusher in spite of it, but this is why you can't look at these statistics too much, is because sometimes there are factors that he cannot control that are going to rack up those sacks a lot more. He's making him pay for it. He's getting 20 plus sacks in single seasons, but you have to look at the reason why. It's not simply because he is dominant. He is a dominant player, but would he be as dominant if he was double teamed as much as Michael Parsons, 35%? And I'm not quite sure about that. And that brings me to my number one, which is Michael Parsons. This is another guy, just like TJ, TJ Watt, who can do everything. He gets sacks, he gets tackles for loss, he gets, he gets quarterback hits, he can drop into coverage. And the reason, the reason I have him so much higher this year than I have in years past is as TJ alluded to before, this guy is in a contract year, and he has always had an attitude to him. He has a certain level of selfishness that isn't necessarily cocky, but it's more so a chip on his shoulder that he has something to prove, and boy does he this year. He wants to be among the highest paid edge-rushers in the game, and he might get it. The thing is, he's playing for the Dallas Cowboys who have a lot of money, and that he has two teammates who are also under contract. CD Lam and Dak Prescott are both on contract years and are projected to make a ton of money at their respected positions. The reason I bring that up, is because I feel there is going to be some sort of jealous competition between them. It'll be friendly, they're not going to hate each other, but they're going to be thinking to themselves in the back of their heads, this asshole is not going to make more money than me. I'm going to play my ass off, and I'm going to make sure everybody knows that I am the best player on this team, and that I deserve to be paid the money that I deserve. The same way with Dak Prescott, he's going to think the same way, and so will CD Lam. I think this Cowboys team statistically, they're going to be on one this year. Will they win a Super Bowl? Absolutely not. They're not going anywhere in the playoffs, but their star talent is a couple of these players are going to have career years, and Michael Parsons is one of them. He's always been among the best in the league, kind of like Miles Garrett the year before, right? He was always among the best. He was never thought of as the best. This is that year in a contract year playing for the Cowboys, where he is going to rise up and have the best season of his entire career. He's going to make, he's going to get the bag, and he's also ultimately going to make the whole team have to sell off the rest of their pieces, because that's the way it's going to be. This team is going to be very top heavy financially, but the Cowboys are tied up. They have so much star talent that they need to pay. That's my list. So, yeah. Yeah, I get that. I have Michael Parsons in my number two, and you said it, we both said it. These guys in contract years, I mean, Parsons or not, they just tend to be different. So, we'll see. Yeah. I just see a huge year coming from Michael Parsons. A lot of these players are actually, did I not just have, I forgot my number two, didn't I? Wait. Oh, yeah. No, you did. How did I mess up my number two? My number two is Nick Bosa. Nick Bosa is, he is a niche player. He is that type of player who mainly racks up the sacks, the pressures, the tackles for loss, the quarterback hits, but he does it in such a way that he is one of the most dominant defensive players in the game. Again, he's more of a niche player, but I'm completely okay with that if you're an edge rusher, because that's kind of what you're supposed to do. Everything else is bonus, but if you can be dominant being an edge rusher, then I'm completely okay with that. And yes, he had a much very down year by his standards, but is that really going? Is he going to have another down year? I don't see that. I think he is on, it can't get worse than what it got by Nick Bosa's standards, unless he actually gets hurt. So, I have Nick Bosa having a bounce back year. He's, he could have a career year, but it's certainly going to be a lot better than it was last year. So Nick Bosa is my number two. I think he's, again, he's one of the most, he's one of the most double-teamed players in the league. So, I think that holds some water over TJ Watt. Yeah, he racks up the sacks, but the reason he does that is because he's double-teamed among the less, among the least out of all edge rushers in the game. Not, not his faults. These teams are stupid for doing it, but they're still doing it, and it's patting his stats a little bit. That's all, that's all I'm going to say. So, don't look too much into the statistics themselves when looking at edge rushers, because you have to see what all of these opposing offensive lines are doing to him, and they're not doing much. They're doing more to Alex Heismith than they are to this, to him, which is stupid again. He's one of the best in the game, but you can't ignore it, because it's making his stats look a lot, a lot better than they are. All right, so that's my ranking. I have no idea how I just missed, excuse me, how I just missed my number one, my number two. Yeah, it'll be fine. We'll take us all tablet. It'll be cool. We'll be fine. All right. All right, let's move on. We have the AFC West. We are going to preview that division. That's next. This is the Fumble Ruski podcast. It may not have always showed it in the stat sheet, but you can see him making throws when he needs to make the throws back to back games where he has three touchdowns. Someone's got to get that six or seven spot. He's an elite wide receiver as a rookie. Truly a loose, loose scenario for both sides. Welcome back to the Fumble Ruski podcast by Power 88 and Suka Weapon Consulting. I'm Adam Wright with C.J. Madeeros. So we just finished our edge Russia's portion of player rankings. We were going to preview the AFC West. So how this division stacks up. I don't see how you can't have the Chiefs at number one. I feel like this is as close to a slam dunk to a division winner as we have in this league this year, right? The Chargers are they they have better coaching, but they're covered as bare as far as offensive weapons go. Their offensive line looks a little better, but still, you need the weapons too. The Raiders are miles away from contention. They have Gardner Minshew starting games for them. Maybe they'll win a few games, but they're not challenging the Chargers. They could very well be the Chiefs. The Broncos are the most interesting one, which is, I guess, where we could start with. They still kind of have some pieces. They traded away Jerry Judy, but they have Courtland Sutton and they brought in a new quarterback to replace Russell Wilson, or they threw the bag at in Bonex. They better have Bonex starting pretty soon because this kid is actually kind of old. He's what 26? I think he's like 24. Somewhere around that that age level. So your defense is okay, but you lost Simmons. You do have Patrick Sertan. I it's a I don't think any of these do it. I don't think any of these teams in this division has really a shot at the playoffs outside of the Chiefs. It's a top heavy division. Yeah, and the only way the Chiefs don't win the division is literally if something happens to my homes because we have to because look, the Chiefs are good. Mahomes is the best quarterback in the week, but we also have to be, you know, we got to be realistic, right? This is not a very good roster outside of my homes. In fact, you could argue they got weaker, but it's kind of like when New England had Tom Brady doesn't matter what the roster looks like. As long as they have Brady, they're going to be in contention whether you like it or not. Same thing of the Chiefs and Mahomes as a clean bill of health. So sorry, AFC West. I don't see him getting hurt. He's still going to be a problem, but the rest of this division just oh my God, there's really. I mean, it's a barren waste. You know, Mahomes really have a good division to play in. And once again, that's not his fault. And it's just the Chargers, maybe if they kept Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and they already had Harbaugh, you know, they had like brought in Harbaugh, but I don't know because Justin Herbert has an argument to be made that he is a top 10 quarterback, but it's not even that he doesn't have Keenan Allen or Mike Williams. Austin Echler is gone too, meaning that you're running back who can still catch the ball, but still you're running back like your number one. He is gone. And who's their tight ends? I don't know. I think it's jailed ever. But yeah, but I think he left. Didn't he leave? Let me double check that, but yeah, and I'm pretty sure they don't have him either. And the Chargers, I actually think are due for regression, not just because or at least Herbert is. And it's not just because of the weapons. Do you know who their offensive coordinator is? Their new offensive coordinator? I'm forgetting off the top. It's a man. Justin Tucker could tell you a lot about our friend, Justin Tucker. Greg Roman, Mr. run the ball 50 times a game himself. So yeah, Herbert's going to be due for regression just because of Roman and Harbaugh is pretty old school in his game planning, which I think will actually help. But you know, this is going to be more of a feeling out here. And the Chargers defense is just a Frankenstein's monster of like big names like Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa and Derwin James just kind of stapled together with with the rest of bargain employers. The Broncos are weird. Because once again, they're pretty top heavy. You know, you have like Garrett Bowles on the O line. He's pretty good. He got Cortland Sutton, Patrick Sir Tan on the defensive side of the ball. No more Justin Simmons. And honestly, I don't see their defense doing a whole lot because look, Sir Tan's a good corner. But I think he's due for even more regression because he has no help. This man cannot do it all on his own. And to ask him to is just ludicrous. And I don't care about the defensive mind that Sean Payne may or may not claim to be. But thus far, it does not seem to be doing jack-end or crap. And Cortland Sutton himself, let's break that down. I'm seeing him in trade rumors. So folks, we don't talk about this often, but let's speak the truth. There's a very real chance Cortland Sutton is not on that roster come week one. I mean, a lot of us don't talk about it that much because he's not the sexiest name in the world as far as receivers go. But I don't know. He wants a new contract. And I just, I don't know if I could justify paying him. I mean, obviously, he's not going to get Justin Jefferson or eventually CD land money. But frankly, I don't know if I can justify getting him money like a Jalen wattle, like jail wattle guy or like T Higgins is going to get. You know, I genuinely just can't. In fact, this is from SB Nation, right? Bronco's wire. You can ask the Broncos fans themselves. Not even 40% of them want to give him that money. Only 36% of them actually think he should get a new contract before camp. So if your own fans aren't high on you, I just don't see any like the end of the tunnel. And then, of course, there's the quarterback situation where they signed Zach Wilson, who's actually known more for what he does off the field than anything he does on the field. And honestly, I feel like it's like a sand darlin thing that sure, you might get marginally better once you leave New York. But playing for the Jets these days might need just the kiss of death. And I don't see Zach Wilson really becoming that guy. And frankly, I never did. And if he does, well, good for him. But then there's Bonix, who many, myself included, viewed to be a bit of a reach out of Oregon. And truth be told, I wholeheartedly believe that the Falcons didn't take Michael Pennix, and Pennix was still on the board. Bonix was not a, you know, when the Broncos picks, Broncos probably would have gone with him. And Bonix being drafted literally in the first round was nothing more than a panic move. And I have heard some very good things out of clamp, but is Bonix a guy you can win with? Because he's 24 right now. And I suspect he'll need some time to develop. But next seems like a very 24. Yeah, he seems like a very safe option. Think of like a rookie year Mac Jones kind of thing, right? Not gonna dazzle you with his armor's mobility, but he should be a manager at best. Yeah, he'll, I think the biggest mystery is the Broncos and even them at best, they'll be a 500 team. Yeah, they'll be like nine and eight and nine, maybe 10 and seven if they're, if they're extra, like if they really over perform, like let's say Portland Sutton just balls out and Bonix ends up being a lot better. We then we think he is, which is relative that doesn't mean he's becoming a star, but he can still be in his first year. But that's really the only mystery there. I guess the the Chargers are going to need an extra year. They have the quarterback unlike every other team besides the Chiefs in this league, in this division. But you need other things around him. You have good coaching. At least head coaching. You need weapons though. You need weapons. You worked on that offensive line. Cool, better. It's better. You have for Sean Slater, then go alt. You need a little more. So they, they're still in rebuild mode. It's, it's the Kansas City Chiefs show. That's what this is. And they're going to be in contention for a couple, maybe a couple more years. Some of their players are aging. Travis Kelsey eventually will not be one of the best tight ends in the game. And Andy Reed will eventually retire. He's 65. He alerts what it may not be this year, may not be next year, but he will eventually. So what's going to happen when Travis Kelsey and Andy Reed are gone? Patrick, as long as they have Patrick Mahomes, they'll have a chance. But how much of a chance will they have? Hmm, don't know. Wait, there's one more team that I want to talk about. Obviously the Raiders. The Raiders on paper aren't terrible except for the fact they have an absolute black hole at the quarterback spot. Adam mentioned Gardner Minchu. However, I'm hearing there's a very real chance that Gardner Minchu doesn't start week one. It might be literally Aidan O'Connell, who showed Flash is, I don't know if he's the guy. And frankly, I like Antonio Pierce as their coach. I think they made the right decision to keep him around. Also because a bunch of players probably would have openly revolted if they hadn't. But once again, the Raiders are just other top heavy team. They have some truly elite players like Max Crosby and Devontae Adams. But other than that, I mean, they have like some good guys, but I just, I don't see any real meaningful threat from them, unless Aidan O'Connell can suddenly become like a fringe top 15 guy. And even still, even with Minchu, like Minchu is going to win you games, but you're never going to be anything better than average, maybe a fringe playoff contender, slightly better than mediocre with Minchu. And I'm sorry, side note, Minchu-Mania needs to die. He's never winning a Super Bowl, or at least not as a starter. Maybe if he does like a Nick Foles kind of thing, but that's splitting hairs at this point. But the Raiders, I mean, even though they have Pierce and I like Pierce and they have a few good guys, the Raiders are a team that I feel like they're still going to get worse before it gets better. Because still you need a quarterback. There's mounting rumors that Devontae Adams is looking for the door. Your coverage is still to put it nicely subpar. Your running defenses and the offensive line still needs work. It's like every time the offensive line takes two steps forward, they take a step back. So I just don't know what to tell you anymore, the Raiders. I still think that while they had some stars, it's still going to get worse, where it gets better. And for anyone out there who says these teams have an outside shot against Kansas City, I'm here to tell you no they don't. Nope. No shot. No shot. It's going to be it's going to be the Chiefs than everybody else, which is I mean, the Chiefs are kind of still in their championship window. It may be kind of closer to the tail end if at all. But they're not losing their division. I mean, that's that's out of the question. But I do believe this Chiefs team is a lot. I'm not saying that they won't because they're like, you have Patrick Mahomes and he's 28. So eventually, I think you'll return to that championship level. But I feel like in the next couple of years, there will be a gap where the rest of your team is retired and you're going to be your front office is going to be rebuilding and looking for new weapons for Mahomes looking for new coaching. Hopefully their next coach is going to be competent enough to keep them going to Super Bowls because we saw how how that happened, how that worked with Peyton Manning. He never had that good coaching. And as a result, he didn't win as many Super Bowls as he should have. For being the guy who is argued to be one of the best in the game, top three sometimes, I feel like you need he needed more than two Super Bowls and emphasis on the two, because one of them, he was already washed at that point and his defense gifted it to him. So I hope Patrick Mahomes doesn't have the rest of that have that type of career, the rest of it. I mean, he's too great to not do that. You know what I mean? Like he's got it. Win a couple more, at least make it intro. I don't think he's ever passed Tom Brady, but at least make it interesting. I think that would be fun. But we'll see. I think that's all the scheduled content we have for today, but do you have anything else before we end the show? No, no, I don't. All right. Well, I believe this does it for our defensive rankings. I think next week we are going to move on to tight ends. And then after that, it'll be running backs, wide receivers, then quarterbacks. And then I believe we have our honors award predictions. And that brings us right to preseason. So hang in there, guys. Opening day is getting closer. It's right around the corner. I'm sure you guys are finding plenty of ways to stay entertained this summer, whether you're working or hanging out at the beach, it's going on fun vacations, you know, the summertime is not the worst time to sit around. If you're it's, I'll tell you where it becomes a problem off seasons in baseball, sitting through the winter and waiting for for baseball during that off season is the worst. If you're a baseball fan, baseball fans know football, it's the summertime, man, it's not that bad. But still, we're keeping you guys entertained. We're giving you your football content in the meantime, we're previewing our season, the 2024 season with our player rankings and division previews, some fantasy football rankings coming up as well. And later in August, when you guys are doing your fantasy drafts. So a lot of stuff coming out. But without further ado, that'll do it for us tonight. Thank you for listening to us. We have new episodes out on Tuesdays at 730 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel. We have all our episodes available on Spotify, Spreaker, Apple podcast, iHeartRadio, Google podcast, and so much more. Also, be sure to follow our Instagram @FumbleRuski_podcast and our TikTok @FumbleRuskiPod to keep up with our podcast and the latest coverage on the NFL. Otherwise, we will see you next week over now.