Rookie QB Stock Watch with Brady Quinn | JD Bunkis Podcast

so Summer's just over it's just like that no ease and in Period we're just in Fall I considered this still mid August waking up every day going through the hoodie collection and sweaters this is not this is this is not what I envisioned this is not what I imagined this isn't part of the deal K some going to be a little bit longer than this I know you see the X come to town and you automatically go okay we're fast approaching but not this not this way but the big indicator is always fall it's the X and then it's feeling like you really care about NFL football again and I'm there it's always a bit of a slow burn for me at the beginning of the preseason because they just I it's hard for the NFL to tell me to care about the preseason when they do the best job of not caring about the preseason out of anybody like actually let's bring in Brady Quinn's online the return of Brady Quinn uh our Monday morning guy of course Fox Sports former NFL uh Notre Dame QB what's up buddy um if if the Falcons aren't playing Michael penck in preseason games like if you're not playing your rookie quarterbacks in preseason games how how am I supposed to care about it like at all what is the function of the preseason if not for that it's a fair question and it's one that um I really can't make much sense of with one exception and that being his injury history remember he played a long time in college football he has a Litany of injuries I mean from multiple multiple acl's shoulder surgeries all those things and so if the concern is we don't want to put him out there in what we believe to be a meaningless game because we've seen through Camp we've seen through mini camp we've seen now in a short stin in preseason action we've seen enough to know we feel good about where he's at as our backup um there's an element of like okay maybe that's what they're concerned by is just making sure that he's not going out there even though he's not a their starter and getting subjected to any hits in a meaningless game the the only other caveat to that is you know and you hear it sometimes with for example a player like Zach Wilson Sean PA's been really talking him up and the performance he's had in preseason in training camp is some of these guys like Tyler Hani who on the Atlanta Falcons who's got starting experience and has had his moments they're trying to trade for for a conditional seventh round pick or six round pick and flip them for something and oftentimes that's what's being utilized here by the front office and then we might say well that doesn't mean much but it does what it ends up being a part of a package for a trade and when they maneuver around to find someone then you find a diamond in the rough that you come to find out you found from the trade of Tyler hanii so all those things are still potentially I think on the table as teams are trying to set their rosters but between the injury history of penck and the potential thought that you know hinek is probably not going to be on the roster if they're not going to keep three quarterbacks on the active roster that you'd want to get something back in return that's the only sense I can make of the JD dude that's honestly the funniest thing though is hey NFL preseason action catch the fever uh we're here auditioning for seventh round picks we're trying to we're trying to get seventh round picks going I actually looked at it a little bit more conspirator because um all right if Michael Pennock is ready to play uh yeah I think he's you know pretty NFL ready he mentioned his career but if he's so injury-prone that you're terrified of putting him on the field instead of giving him reps then yeah maybe you shouldn't have taken him in the first round and you know you and I are both big Believers of penic and I I just like you're that terrified to take a longer look uh not a great indicator of that injury history my point of curiosity is like do they want to dampen down the hype a little bit for this player because I got to imagine penck coming in there with a lot of young weapons um knowing what kind of a guy he is like he's a uh he's a like magnetic guy he's got a real personality he's someone that I think is going to resonate with a lot of those young weapons in the locker room you got Kurt Cousins who was already a little pissed off about the situation like as much as Kurt Cousins is ever going to show right being surprised in the draft that this was the position that that they ended up taking with the eighth overall pick do you think there's any element of this where they're like yeah we got to try to make sure it's very very very clear that Kirk is the starter and not give Pennock a big opportunity to kind of russle Wilson this where the entire narrative during the preseason when all we care about his rookies is how ready Michael penx looks and how good he looks so that if Kirk stumbles out of the gate people aren't calling for his job you know 10 snaps into the season uh it's not a bad Theory I think it's one that organizations are more cogniz cognizant of their quarterback room and not creating drama themselves with some of these moves and I think they understand based on how the offseason went that clearly the signing of cousins combined with the top 10 pick of pennx has led to some of that speculation or some of that concern so it's something that you know I don't know if they go as far as saying like let's not play him at all um to be able to you know dampen down any hype around it but it could make some sense if you are really that concerned about any you know slow start to the season but I I'd argue this if you're concerned about a slow start The Season's with KT cousins then you know you've got to be thinking that if you're the front office and you're paying him a 100 million you're gonna be answering to the owner anyway and so I'm not sure that Poes well as it is uh for Raheem Morris and and really the rest of the front office that convinced Arthur Blank again not to go with Bill bellich and instead uh go with their Vision their plan moving forward which was apparently taking penick's top 10 and signing Kurt Cousins to 100 million so what do you think that's like from a a locker room Dynamic standpoint because you've been in it right you get drafted you're highly touted first round pick you go to the Cleveland Browns and then your first year there is the Derek Anderson Pro Bowl year right and so you've got a guy playing his very best of his career you've got some excitement around the organization and then yet here you are like a guy who probably feels like he's ready to play you've probably also got like what is there faction in the locker room like some guys almost like hedging their bets to be like well Brady's going to be the guy so you know got to make sure that everything's cool with him everything's good with him and I don't know what your relationship was like with Derrick Anderson at the time but if I'm him you're like the least of my concerns because I'm having a pro bowl year and it's same thing with ktk cousins you know what is he now 36 35 36 somewhere in that range like he went there to go and try to win a Super Bowl um try to cement that Legacy yeah how how is it how is it being that guy the the Michael pennx in the situation where yeah you're kind of trying to find your place in league but also there's probably a little bit of politicking well the difference is obviously Derrick Anderson wasn't getting 100 million yeah before I'd got drafted there you know if that was the case it's a pretty it's a pretty real statement that the organization has committed at least to having him for the first two years of what is this four-year deal that that cousins was given so that's one of the first things that I would say is a pretty big difference uh where cousins is the guy I there's no one who's going to dispute that it's going to take a lot for him not playing well or an injury that's going to limit him playing at all you know really this season where penck goes in and flourishes for that to change but um you know going back to that time that year I I think it's it's twofold um there's not necessarily like politicking your factions but there definitely is an element for every rookie and in particular for Michael pennick where you know you have to prove yourself to the veterans you know you have to prove that you can go in and do the job and you can be the guy and when you don't get an opportunity to do that in live games uh it makes it more difficult to do it and so you know for my preseason my my rookie year there was elements where all those guys saw that and how I conducted myself and how I prepared they saw that so it wasn't so much like that um you know and Derrik had a career year I mean big difference again not to you know go back and look at the two scenarios but KT cousins is a very accomplished quarterback coming into this you know you kind of know what you're getting you know it was more of a kind of surprise by how things worked out I mean don't forget Charlie fry really was the quarterback that start that season he was who prepared yeah the entire offseason battled out with Derrick Anderson and then he was benched at halftime of week one and then traded after that game so again all that stuff kind of came together as more of a surprise than by Design This is is by design by the Atlanta Falcons and so they're probably going to be much more measured with how they go about handling the locker room Dynamics and who's the leader on the team Etc and this isn't necessarily a bad thing because I think Kur cousins has to understand at some point too at this point in time in his career given his age and all that this is probably it you know this is probably the last you know couple years two or three years he's GNA have and and if you look at the track record of young quarterbacks drafted in the NFL that have had success sitting a year maybe a couple of years or a few years in Jordan Love's case has ended up benefiting them really well so this is the model and this is what Atlanta is trying to implement I think in the organization um and so I don't think there's going to be factions or or issues like that within the locker room Dynamics I think everyone understands Kirt cousins is the guy given his track record in the100 million do he's getting uh guaranteed yeah the money is huge you're right like that's that's the thing that every time I try to come up with one of these theories or have one of these disc discusss and you're reminded of like oh right they've got so much invested in him financially uh that it's just yeah it it's hard to picture any other scenario so uh I found that and I'm sure it's the same as you and it's a good time because you're you know college and NFL guy but this preseason specifically feels like it's just completely revolved around watching these rookie quarterbacks and actually kind of reminds me of 2012 where it's you know and actually uh I think speaking of Kurt Cousins cuz I'm pretty sure that was his draft year which is yeah sad for me to think about and try to realiz right now that that's that long ago yeah it's like RG3 Andrew Luck you know kind of pairing as the the Caleb Williams uh McDaniel's think like or the at the at the Daniels thing at the top and then there's sort of that conversation about penic with the Russell Wilson thing you got your well I guess the J.J McCarthy getting hurt there was nobody like that but just a a deep pool of rookie QBs that we all want to see and where it felt like okay this is going to be a lot of new faces the league I want to start with Caleb Williams um there's been some spectacular plays right and we've seen a few of it uh he looks like he's really connected with his teammates through the Hard Knock series my my question for you about him is he's got the like momes hey when the play breaks down he's got that magic but where are you at in terms of uh needing to see him play from the pocket in an NFL system like how ready do you think he's going to be for that day one for the Bears I I think he's ready day one for that I don't think that's the part of his game that that needs to evolve or improve I mean that honestly at this point in time in his career from what I saw from him at college and what I've saw so far in the preseason I'm not as concerned about that he has held on to the ball a little bit longer um but some of that's come via byproduct at the protection some of that comes as a byproduct of guys not being able to separate and I think my concern more becomes we kind of tend to forget like Andy Reed's a hell of a coach he's an H of an offensive mind if you look at the team that Patrick Mahomes inherited it was one in which was already a playoff team you know that is not this for the Chicago Bears they're a team that's got an over uh over under win loss total at eight and a half do they have some Talent sure should we be excited about romad dun and DJ Moore and some of the other pieces sure but they are not there yet like let's not be mistaken by that uh by any you know shape that you know or you know imagination Shane Walen their offensive coordinator is coming in now trying to revamp as and get more than what Luke gy was able to do over the past couple of years and and I think he's tasked with a tough part for any coordinator who's taking over at a new team is how much do you really want to show in preseason how much do you really want to put out there for teams to see I mean I go back to 2009 when Eric manini came and we had Brian dble obviously now head coach of the Giants and it was his first um preseason calling plays then and I recall you know you know once I got traded the Broncos after that year i' had asked those guys because we had a week two match up in Denver versus that defense and they were like dude you guys ran every single thing we saw in the preseason they're like you guys didn't mix it up at all and so that's the tough part for Shane Waldren is how much of the offense does he really want to show to see how these guys are GNA execute to to evaluate how these guys are going to fit in uh versus how much he wants to hold back to then Implement into a week- toe basis of of scheme and and all of that I mean that's it's a tough tougher decision than most realize because when you become you know that new offensive coordinator no different than Arthur Smith for example in Pittsburgh your task with showing out and then showing out in the preseason matters to at least the fans or at least the public perception of where this offense is at so I think that's the tough part for for Waldren as he takes over and I think that's the tough thing about comparing Patrick Mahomes and him taking over with Kansas City again after a year basically with the exception of one game of playing uh and all that Talent around him that roster was much better suited to win right now and to show case that Caleb Williams is not in that position so I think he's going to have to create do more and make some more those kind of patch Mahomes esque plays just because of a byproduct of what's around them all those moving Parts yeah and Mahomes didn't have to deal with the hype quoti of this either right like when he came in it was established that he was going to sit even when he became the starter I remember being excited for it but it wasn't like holy crap here comes the the very next guy like with Caleb Williams it's been that since he was at USC it's it's been that now for yeah the entire preseason he's been the number one storyline he's enters right away into Hard Knocks like it's a very very very different level of celebrity for him and I I I do wonder how much that's going to factor into sort of the pressure of this thing going on you know what though kind of to speak to where we're at with the preseason stuff I think that from fans the the show out part to fans now it comes from like obviously the national coverage that that stuff is going to Center on the rookies and people want to hear about how a guy showing out as you put it but I think from your like actual fan base all you're caring about is the the the practices what you're hearing them from seven on sevens matters more to me now more than anything that you're getting from the preseason the reports of how good somebody looks at camp and that's sort of been the way that I've been viewing the the Jaden Daniels thing is he's had far less hype with the preseason stuff but the reports that are coming out of Washington are pretty ravy about this guy and I wonder if you think we've given a little too like not too much attention to Caleb Williams but if Jaden Daniels actually has yeah as good of a shot as this guy to end up winning Rookie of the Year like are we kind of underrating the start that Jaden Daniels is having right now 100% I mean we were actually talking about this yesterday on on our radio show and um I can't believe there's the Gap that there is and you could probably look this up in real time for me JD between Caleb Williams odds to win offensive Rookie of the Year and Jaden Daniels and I want to say Jaden Daniels the last time I looked it was plus 400 plus 450 somewhere in that ballpark and Caleb Williams was like plus 135 or something like that which is shocking only because again Jadon Daniels the Heisman Trophy winner had the best film of any of these quarterbacks despite the fact that he wasn't taken number one overall uh last year is very capable of coming in with that system under Cliff Kingsbury um and and the talent that they have around him I me that team is much better suited to have success I think even as you compare the two divisions um yes I I think Detroit is the top team in the NFC North but they've got to also prove it again when you look at the NFC east and and and really what um jayen Daniels has to battle with to me it's a it's a much greater battle um with with obviously Philly because they're the top of that division in my opinion and their run of success has been pretty clear Dallas will be competitive but who knows with all the stuff going on off the field and then the Giants we have no idea if that could turn into a dumpster fire but there's definitely an opportunity for them I think to be competitive and win a lot of football games with the way that roster built so I think people are maybe underscoring a little bit I mean the one the one point of caution that I would take is reading too much into the practice stats I I I kind of hate the fact that some of that stuff gets out there because you also have no idea what that quarterback's being directed to do you know there's times we've walked back in the quarterback room broken the film and it's like you're throwing a check down because it's seven on seven and you're always pretty much going to have a check down or someone underneath open and meanwhile you missed the DST or you missed you know other some of similar window that you should have been hitting or should have been throwing into you know as far as being graded like that's a minus you know but yet it looks like a completion so it looks like oh hey he was perfect in seven on seven well you should be I mean it's completely in the offensive Advantage so that's the hard part about reading too much in the practice stats uh it's it's not a game and it's honestly you know not knowing what the directive is to those quarterbacks to some of the players you never know I mean I remember there'd be years in preseason camp we'd come out because the defense knows everything you're doing so much because you go up against each other all the time but we'd try to come out and throw basically routes that would be in a progression that we'd almost never throw and just either keep the defense honest or to see how we could go about manipulating the defense uh to get some of those routes open so there's all sorts of gamesmanship and things that go on during the course of of preseason and Camp uh which is why it's always hard for me to read into that stuff so Caleb Williams by the way is plus 130 right now Jaden Daniels is plus 450 for offensive rookie year I mean yeah does that not seem absurd to you like there's that big of a gap you know what I think part of it is one is that uh even though the Bears haven't exactly been you know hanging Super Bowl or you know Super Bowl banners the last couple of decades uh I think that do View Washington just as so dysfunctional that something's going to go wrong but two is he keeps getting the RG3 comparisons and I I I think people think because he's tall and slight that he's going to get hurt like that that's kind of baked into this price is that people can't separate him from RG3 well and by the way RG3 regardless of his injury he did go he did win the offensive rookie that I was gonna say that's the ironic part of this yeah so yeah I'm with you I I think I think you'd be wise if you are into you know gaming and and gambling you want to throw some money down to me thatd make more sense based on the value because I I think that Gap is is too wide Jen Daniel should be somewhere like you know plus 200 odds not plus 450 so can I ask you about this one though the the one that is kind of stands out is interesting and it's because it looks like he's to started is bonu is plus 900 yeah I I I I think he's plus 900 because there's a lot of concern about what this team's going to look like during the course of of the regular season he's looked phenomenal as he should he's got what 61 starts coming out of college he was you know the most experienced um you look at what Shawn Peyton traditionally does you know he he really puts his quarterbacks in a position to succeed and and to stat-wise look good and and that's his prerogative remember like this is his draft pick this is you know his his roster now that he's kind of taken over and shaped to his liking and if it doesn't work out it's it's all going to be on him but you know I think B knck is is going to be good this year I I don't know um in the end if he'll be as dynamic as you know the AFF forementioned quarterbacks and jayen Daniels and Caleb Williams um I I could be wrong you know his film going back and you know before the draft I thought was the third best it was Jane Daniels one Penn penck Two uh bo Knicks three um but you know again how that's going to translate when the real live bullets are flying when teams are scheming up to take away some of your weaknesses that's where I'll be curious you know you talked about playing from the pocket with timing and anticipation he's he's one of those guys that I'm I'm curious to see how that's going to go when his first Read's not there you know how does he play from the pocket can he get to two three and four because he didn't have to do that a ton in college when he did sometimes and it wasn't there I thought he kind of leaned and relied on his legs uh a little bit too much and that's not a bad thing when you're athletic like he is but eventually it leads to injuries and eventually it plays into the hand of the defense so to close the gambling conver part portion of this I just want to say to people don't try to get cute with the wide receiver stuff like don't get caught by the Marvin Harrison or the Roman Dunes just a reminder is pukan Nua had uh two NFL records for rookies last year with receptions and yards and he didn't win so don't do that it go with the quarterback my reasoning for the B Knicks play though kind of is I I think there's there's a little bit more pressure on Shawn pyton to me anyways then it's being sort of pro uh not reported on but discussed right now like he's not a regular rookie it was a huge reach he's 24 years old and yeah it's supposed to be you are the guy that can put someone in your offense you got rid of Russell Wilson you said bite the bullet eat all this cash I'm going to go out and get this kid I don't think you have like a three-year Runway where B knck can just sort of look like a rookie I kind of think he's got to step in and look more than competent like he if you're Shawn Payton I I think I don't want to say it's a legacy play here but yeah your reputation is a little at stake for me with that ownership group if if B knck comes in here and doesn't Thrive it also lends me to think that if he doesn't go in there and and start and play well right away he's not gonna be scared to put Jared St in there he might not be scared if if Zack Wilson's still there to put him in there um despite the fact that I I still don't know if Zack Wilson ends up you know making the roster um we'll see how this all works out I mean he's kind of had his moments but he's also struggled at times this preseason so um you know we we'll see what what's potentially there but to your point I I do feel like this is a little bit about the legacy of Shawn Peyton this is about how we're going to remember Shawn Peyton the Super Bowl he won with the Saints and everything he brought to the City of New Orleans back then was a long time ago and it feels like you know not only did he kind of struggle which you know those three seasons of seven and N in a row all of a sudden start to come to mind and how last year went with Russell when Russell at least statistically speaking wasn't that bad um and you know so if any if these quarterbacks can't play above that standard that Russell had last year um it it's going to be hard to kind of justify you know outside of the contract for Russell Wilson uh why you're moving on and why you you kind of wanted to start and rebuild so uh I think there's a lot of pressure on there's probably more more pressure from that standpoint on B Knicks than like any other quarterback in this draft class because of all those things are so meaningful to Shawn Peyton yeah the only other quarterback who I'm kind of lumping in with them who's not part of this draft class though was the Anthony Richardson thing because you know you mentioned the seven on sevens and how like or the practice reports here's my understanding of the practice reports is that if you look bad in seven on sevens that's not good because that means you're like you have all the advantages this is supposed to be where you're just kind of like picking guys apart from the pocket that it it has something to say about your ability to throw the football and by all accounts Richardson hasn't looked great there so are you reading anything into that um I mean I think he was always a player that I wasn't going to say in the years one and two is g to be playing his best football in the NFL yeah to me he was always going to be a long-term project um I was surprised that he got as injured as he did last year but but I guess that was kind of part of the unknowns or one of the unknowns when you only have a guy who started one year in college you know you don't necessarily know how he's going hold up over a long period of time because he's only started one season so that was a bit surprising only because his I mean he's huge he's a big kid yeah and so I really thought he would be able to kind of take the uh some of the the the Force and and the power and the tackles that come along with the NFL but that wasn't the case so now that's a concern then you combine it with from the passing standpoint th look this is always a concern you know when you were breaking down his tape from last year and even in college you're kind of saying well he's not a guy who's you know playing from the pocket with Mastery yet it's going to take time yeah so it's not surprising and I guess maybe that's why I kind of take it with a grand assault and I think this is a uh an offense that's going to be based primarily on running the football him being a part of that at times but otherwise you know allow him to do the things he excels at getting the ball out of his hand quick and then throwing the ball deep down the field or designing in some of that which Shane sten's one of the best at doing it so I I I guess I'm not as concerned about it only because I I I only feel like the Colts are gonna hit their ceiling at the time that someone forces them offensively to not be able to do the things that Shane Steen wants to do I guess that's probably yeah probably starts with stopping the run and then forcing him to play from the pocket solely which is where obviously they'd struggle yeah I I think that's really well said my only reason for them feeling like they have more pressure is that Colts were still 9 and8 last year with with mshu and it does feel like their coaching is really good and that there's a lot of Talent on that team and if they could just figure out the quarterback position to be like um competent and healthy and have that read option that seemed to be promised to them that yeah all of a sudden you're kind of looking at a team in that division it's like maybe they're kind of frisky maybe they're kind of dangerous they just feel a little bit up the track um with the rest of the roster and the coaching staff than they do with the the quarterback where you're like well he's a long-term development play just that it it doesn't feel like it fully matches up okay so last one on the rookie QBs and this is another development play thing so uh I didn't watch a lot of Drake May in college uh just you know his team wasn't on my TV a lot uh so I'm watching him in the preseason and I thought boy the Josh Allen comp is very generous like very very very very generous uh that team is like when it comes to like lack of talent I would say the Patriots are pretty high on the list new coach staff all this different stuff yeah it's a given that brassett is going to start the season for the Patriots I think at this point but how long do you think Drake May should sit is this a full season for you or is this a hey we're GNA get through the tough part of our schedule early on and then throw them into the fire uh it's a tough question to answer and part because it's not like he didn't play a lot of football at the college level you know now granted he's it's it's I guess hard to compare when we just talk about B Knick he's got 61 starts 24 turning 25 um so it's a little tough in saying that but I think you drafted him where you did at number three overall for a reason um I'm not a guy who's a believer in that they should start jacobe brette unless gerro Mayo really feels like um they need to you know sit him because he's not ready you know that's that's obviously a different conversation to have uh but I think this is a team that's in complete rebuild mode I think they need to keep that in mind and and but also get him out there let him get some experience at the NFL level and allow him to continue to grow and just understand that there's going to be a lot of bumps that come along that way but again in regards to the Josh Allen comp I'm not sure who made that or why they felt that way there's a lot of that well he he throws a good deep Ball but he doesn't have the live arm like Allen does he's not as big he's not as athletic not as Dynamic of an athlete like that so yeah I I never saw that I honestly thought he was just kind of a maybe a better version of Sam how um only because there was a lot of comparisons to you know how those two played com very big difference in being arguably the most talented quarterback in the NFL to the Seahawks backup QB well and and and take this the gr of salt I mean one you know people thought some some teams thought a lot highly more highly of Sam how than others in regards to where he ended up getting drafted and all that and obviously he started the season for Washington last year so um I mean there's there's that to be said but again a better version of him um but when you looked at their kind of skill set and what they both did during their time in North Carolina very similar you know as far as what their their skill was I think the hardest thing for you know Drake May is is you've got a six round pick and Joe Milton who's turned some heads and obviously impressed people because he probably is the better comp to Josh Allen if we're being real as far as size as far as arm strength as far as you know potential athleticism um and so you know that that's the hard part is you've got a guy who you know at the NFL level has looked extraordinary because he's he's got um an arm that's you know probably top three strongest in the league and he's gigantic and he's athletic and he can do all the things so if Milton could ever figure out you know how to play consistently from the pocket and and kind of grow as well like he's gonna have legit competition you know in years's two and three on this roster if that's the case I I just for me when I watched uh and again it's small preseason stuff but when I watched Drake may run I didn't think about Josh Allen I thought about like I again I didn't watch a ton of him in college but who I did watch in college because I like college hoops is I watched a lot of his brother Luke May uh and he looked like how luk may ran on a basketball court yeah I get it like kind of lumbering and your big uh it wasn't explosive and I don't expect him to be like hurdling guys right away anyway uh that's enough of the slander about the kid um okay so last year you and I were both very invested like we we believed in the Lions early on and it's like the nine and8 team that became you know 12 and five and actually really exceeded expectations they're right there in a in a championship game in fact they they should have been in the Super Bowl really um this year again we're in the time of year where we're looking at all these teams and it goes oh yeah it's going to be the the same old same old where we'll see the Ravens there we'll see the Chiefs there we'll Pro now we're going to see the Lions there we're putting them on the list we're going to see the ners just run it all back who who is the team right now that is in that range the the leap range who you who who you really believe in is is going to take that next step and then by the end of the year we're going to say yeah you know what they they are a Super Bowl Contender o um I mean I think Atlanta's one that is is kind of easy to say because of all the hype around them but I I do think there's some legitimacy to that I think Rahe Morris is always going to do a good job with the defense they've got a lot of talent there they're in the NFC which is the easiest path I mean outside of Philly and San Francisco I think you look at the rest of the NFC and go yeah why not like why can't Atlanta be that next team that's a part of it um and and so maybe that's just kind of a um a chalky pick because of how the offseason has gone but I'm kind of a believer in what they're capable of being the AFC side I mean the hard part is like we've seen so many of the same cast of characters but to me it's it's the Browns that's the most I would say a top three as far as talented roster and it all really comes down to dude they might actually have the best roster I don't know why I'm saying top three when you stack up the talent they have I mean if if their o Line's healthy which they've been banged up this three season training camp um but if they're healthy that's probably the best roster in the NFL and if if DeShaun Watson can be anywhere close to what they need him to be um they could win a Super Bowl like they could be a team that wins and takes that next step and I know people think this may be biased because I was there for three years but it's not like I I you look on paper of that roster and tell me I'm crazy crazy that they don't have one of the most stacked teams and rosters in the NFL that was able to be as good as they were last year with a fourth quarterback because they were able to overcome so many injuries I mean how many teams can lose a guy like Nick chub and they don't even blink they just kind of keep moving forward keep pushing forward um you know the addition of Judy too in the offseason I think will help add another element to their passing game I just I think what they've built there in Cleveland uh allows them to be very very capable of taking that next Next Step but they are playing to me in the toughest division in the NFL I think as much as I'm saying this about Cleveland any one of those teams in the in the AFC North I think could win that Division if and that's a big if probably mostly in Pittsburgh if the offense comes together for Russell Wilson or even Justin fields for that matter okay so can I play Devil's Advocate on the AFC North thing sure I actually believe in the stuff you're saying about Cleveland I just the I haven't seen any of the old DeShaun Watson in that uniform like maybe a couple of plays maybe a parts of a drive but never even like a fully sustained game where I went holy crap like the the Mahomes comeback game against Houston where you were like oh these are the these are the two quarterbacks of the future and it was like yeah we haven't seen that guy return and so until I see it I I just can't buy fully into them being their biggest potential the Steelers thing I I'm already writing off the Steelers it's over like Russell Wilson uh I I was I'm huge Seahawks fan I watched a lot of his career I never wanted him to go down like this but it just looks the athleticism seems completely gone and I think that they've probably got a little controversy within their own ranks the way guys are talking about fields and then it's just Justin Fields who yeah like I get it I'll I'll see a highlight pack of him at the end of the season and you're going to go wow is that one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL you're going to be like no he won three games and I'll go right that makes a lot of sense I I just think that their season's done that their offense is not going to be even halfway competent so I'm writing them off too is the Bengals thing we're giving the Bengals a lot of credit for things that happened a while ago in a league that moves very very fast and I'm a burrow guy but I can I see it you know can I see it yeah and then yeah and then with the the Ravens like you lose Mike McDonald and ah like we've seen the we everybody was all over the lines right they were like oh man if they lose their coordinators they're going to completely fall apart they were special last year on defense the way they scheme things up and yeah they've had a little bit of a drain as well and what it's like Derrik Henry and I just I think they're getting a little bit too much hype right now I think that to me when I'm trying to project the best division the one that I'm highest on it's actually the NFC North because I love what the Packers have done I believe that Jordan love is a real deal I think that the lions are going to be genuinely the best team in the NFC this year and then I think I'm a little higher on the Bears than you and also like Sam darnold was was always going to be the starter of the Vikings and I believe in their coaching staff and I think that their floor is sneakily like playoff caliber especially in that NFC like if you're taking like a balance of top end teams with floor give me the NFC North over the AFC North all right I mean I'll put it this way though I I personally don't believe the odds are as tight from the bottom team in the AFC North uh to the top team to win the division as compared to the NFC North like yeah that's right my bet my bet would be that is a Pittsburgh is probably last place in the AFC North I'm just guessing yeah would be with what uh Chicago probably yeah or maybe Minnesota uh in the NFC North my bet would be that uh they're they're they're longer odds for Minnesota or or Chicago okay well I mean and so that's why I saying like I think when you've got that much parody at least in the betting markets in regards to who can win the division it's kind of telling you the story as it is the problem with the NFC North is Detroit last year was unbelievable and there were some things that kind of went their way too for being honest you know will that happen again this year y it's hard you know it's hard for all that that to always work out that way it seemed to be a magical season for them last year uh and so we'll see if they can do it again for Minnesota you know how far are they removed from that 13- win season and you know with Sam darnold you know we'll see what the defense looks like and and how improved they are uh we'll see what the offense looks like under darnold there's a lot of question marks in my opinion there yeah you you look at Chicago that's a team that again I think is going to be improved but I don't know that they're quite there and if we're being honest about Green Bay great second half of the season last year what about the first half I know talking entire body of work I I just I think there's a lot less questions to me when it comes to the AFC North about what those teams identity are and what they're going to be um and look the comment you made about the Bengals it's fair like that's a team that can't sustain injuries because they don't have that of a roster to but if they're all healthy like I think we both agree they're probably biting for one of those seven playoff spots for sure oh for sure they are I think that they're one of the favorites my only thing is too is what do you make of pressure on a team in terms of like this seems like if you look at the money and they're lack of depth already just the way that they have to it this feels like the last year it's going to be the Joe burrow and the elite wide receivers like something's got to give here and I am kind of curious him coming off of the injury how healthy he's going to be able to maintain himself and then the the feeling of that group like holy crap we were right there we almost had it and when you lose it and then kind of trying to chase that feeling and whether or not they're ever going to be able to recapture it I I just I I kind of do believe in that do you well I I think there's there's a degree of that right you're kind of speaking to momentum you're kind of speaking to the windows of you know having a G's rookie deal and then now you know having to to repay those guys like that's the um difficulty I think often times for the Cowboys is like you look at cidd lamb you look at Michel Parson you look at a lot of the players they're trying to re up you drafted them like you did a good job because they're all really good players right Dak Prescott Etc so now you gotta pay them and that's that's the difficulty um and so the Bengals are in that boat right now I think the bigger difficulty for the Bengals are is that's not a team that has Deep Pockets that's not an ownership group that has Deep Pockets in fact it's probably bottom three bottom four of the league in regards to the amount of cash they can outweigh uh in order to pay all these guys so it makes structuring the contracts much more difficult because you are going to have to pay a portion of that through their salary and not through signing bonuses and roster bonuses or Straight Cash um to be blunt so I think I think that makes it difficult and in regards to the question about pressure there's always gonna be pressure when you Joe Burl right you came in as a number one overall pick you came in as a guy who's a you rning Heisman Trophy winner you've not been signed at this huge deal and this is that you know moment and opportunity where um you know you you probably do have a last win of having all these guys together this season you know depending on when Jamar Chase decides to show up yeah and and so the expectation is hey when those guys aren't there very similar to Josh Allen this year you have to be the high side that raises all the boats so I think every single year once you sign that huge mega deal whether you're Joe burough Josh Allen whoever you're gonna be tasked with that and there's gonna be seasons in and out where and SE MC nman talked about it but like they're rebuilding right now their wide receiver spot they're hoping Keon Coleman can be the guy that takes over as a number one wide receiver but they're hoping they don't know yet and and there's going to be come a time and place where the Bengals may find themselves in that position now I don't think they'll you know they might be without you know Higgins obviously in the future but they're gonna have Jamar Chase they've done a good job Drafting and developing so they they should be fine yeah I think so too it's just I I I need the Bengals to be the huge winner this year in the AFC where they just take that big leap and return to their spot because I'm just down on so many other teams like I I just have to imagine that the Chiefs finally have hit some type of a floor with their receivers that there's going to be some growing pains with the the group that they've got there um I am low much lower on the bills like I just am I I I I look at all they lost on defense and what they have as weapons for Josh Allen and I'm like yeah I think Josh Allen's gonna be able to carry them but I I I don't feel as good as about them as I did a year ago like that's just a fact again I don't feel as good about the Ravens like that you go across the league at the top teams and it's hard to feel like hey I feel better about them I think you're right on the Browns um I weirdly feel a little bit yeah I feel better about obviously the Bengals but I want to see who kind of fills that void or who steps out because I I still also don't believe it's going to be the Jets uh anyway um Brady it's great to have you back thanks again for doing this I'm excited for a full season buddy yeah same I can't wait obviously uh you know football's here so excited about it excited for the opportunity to be again with you JD yeah absolutely brother uh thanks for making time