Episode Transcript
And now move the sticks with Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks.
Speaker 2What's up, everybody?
Speaker 3Welcome to move the sticks, DJ, Bucky and Rhett with you on a Rookie episode.
I guess we could call these each and every week.
And I gotta be honest, my enthusiasm has jumped up a NOTx this week because Rhett, who's just had a strangleholding the top spot.
Nothing nothing changed there but Bucky representing the team here the home is making a push.
Speaker 2With an unbelievable week clean sweek, uh clean sweep all the way across the board for buck, he goes Henderson, went off Travion, then he gets a book a little Hio State Ohio State magic there with those two and then Harld Fannon Junior.
So Bucky got nine points I am easily won for me from Colson Lovelin.
Speaker 4Htt got two.
Speaker 3But you look up now and now it's it's it's it's tight and snug up a little bit here.
Rhet's got sixty six.
Bucks got fifty eight.
He passed me.
I've got fifty six, so I'm ten behind the leaders here.
But we are coming down the home stretch here for the rookies I normally try and get to some other topics first, but I don't want to miss around.
Speaker 4I gotta write here.
Speaker 5I got to it.
Speaker 3Yeah, I just feel like I feel like we can see him a little bit now, like it would gotten to the point where HTT was getting a little out of vision, and now you know the father is.
Speaker 2A little distracted.
Speaker 3Although full disclosure, before we started the episode, Rett's giving us all the statistical rundown on the last month for rookies, which didn't make me feel great preparation.
Speaker 4Hilarious.
Speaker 5I just look, I mean, are we are we going to do anything?
Speaker 4Are you doing anything?
Speaker 2How you do everything?
Speaker 1So I get thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, coach thanks coach buck right there.
Speaker 4I appreciate that.
Speaker 3Just now, I uh, we are done with bias, correct, I'm not yeah, yeah, yeah, We're long.
I'm gonna be yeah yeah yeah, making sure I'm going Travon Henderson with the first pick.
Let's not mess around here.
Speaker 1Ravens on a Sunday night in Baltimore.
Speaker 3Yea and three, he can pop it in three, give him three carries, three touches.
He can do all his damage.
Right there, Bucky, you are up next, Buddy.
Speaker 5Oh yeah, yeah, and then I got back to Max.
Speaker 4Yeah, Travian Henderson is going.
This is tough because I'm looking at one game and I'm looking at the Buccaneers versus the Panthers to figure out which receiver I want, and I'm trying to who's going to throw it the most.
Give me t Mac this week, mc millan Mac.
Speaker 1Yeah, Okay, So I've got my pick of the litter with the tight ends and Harold Fannin has been going off as of late.
The Browns are at home against the Bills.
I just think target share.
I just don't know this this Philip, this Phillip trust Tyler Warren.
Yet you know it didn't really feel like it this last week as much the Colts.
Speaker 5Colts have the Niners on Monday Night.
Speaker 1I'm gonna go Harold Fannin and get the tight end done right there with with that pick and then with my next pick with the running backs.
This is a tricky one because I feel like I have a phenomenal matchup if I want to go Woody Marx Texans taken on the Raiders at home.
Speaker 5Raiders are in trouble, not a good outfit, not a not a great team.
Speaker 1There and apparently Woody was injured, but said Dimigo Ryan said he could have gone back in.
So at that point, I'm gonna go Woody Marks.
Give me Woody Marks for the Houston Texans.
So I got Fannin and Marx.
Speaker 4All right, that's so it comes back my way, right yep?
Well, tight end big gang like big game, big matchups.
This is personal Windy City matchup against the Packers.
Ben Johnson has to get back at his buddy who we candshake.
Speaker 5Lovelin Okay, mm hmm, got Colston.
This is crazy.
Speaker 1Tyler Warren is not even the first and I'm in the first two picks.
Speaker 4I watched the game, yeah, I watched it in It's not gonna really get there.
I go get you one.
Speaker 3Man, Yeah, because I'm I think I gotta go a little Homer pick here.
I'm gonna go I'm gonna go Gadston.
Speaker 4Mm hmm.
Speaker 5Okay.
So we're leaving Tyler Warren out of.
Speaker 3The next it's not getting picked this week, Okay, I gotta get with the wide out.
Speaker 4I'm gonna go with a BUCA.
Speaker 1Yeah, So that leaves me with the wide outs here, Dang, I mean, do I double up on Texans.
Here do I go back to Sarah and Higgins?
Well, dare I uh.
Speaker 2Luther Burden, Luthor Burden has been cooking man.
Speaker 5Yeah, he didn't get banged up.
He get banged up.
I felt like, I know, I think we're okay on that.
Speaker 1You know, he's kind of been slowly coming on a little bit too, but just not not enough.
As Pat Bryant with the Broncos.
Speaker 3Let's step out on a limb.
Speaker 5Here.
Speaker 4You put that line in the water and pulled.
Speaker 5Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, real quick, real quick, real quick.
I think bus pick it is.
Speaker 2Yes, what are you doing?
Speaker 4Oh?
Speaker 5Sorry, okay, buck don't matter.
Speaker 4I got I got a running back, so it doesn't matter.
So I'm gonna take a more in Hampton.
Speaker 5Oh okay, yeah, sure, there you go.
Yeah, it didn't matter all right.
Speaker 3By the way, Gavin did usually actually wrote out rets cheating in the chat right there.
Speaker 4Pollution.
Speaker 1Yeah, just trying to Yeah, I mean it like it obviously didn't matter, all right.
Speaker 5I think I think Dunesday is like getting a little bit healthier here target.
You don't know if he's going to go.
Speaker 4Yeah.
Speaker 3There was an article this morning I read that said they might try and you know, hold him time with him and get him ready for the playoffs.
Speaker 4So dang.
Speaker 1Boy, jimriy DK just still sitting up there, just not I just don't feel great about it.
Six point two yards per catch, not doing it, not doing it.
Speaker 3I'm going to tell you that you're crazy for not picking a player.
Once this is all done, Okay, let me.
Speaker 5Make sure I'm not missing anything here.
Speaker 1Mm hmm Okay, well you we're all crazy then, I guess right, because you guys have passed them.
Speaker 5What am I missing?
What am I missing?
Speaker 4See?
Speaker 5Now you're screwing with me here.
Speaker 3Well you come and make a decision.
We got a time you know they lowered it to eight minutes now in the yeah, real prap.
Speaker 5Okay, give give me we're doubling.
Give me Jayden and Higgins.
Speaker 3Okay the last two weeks, uh, Luther Burden six for sixty seven or no, sorry, four for sixty seven, six for eighty four.
And I just told you roma Duonday is a good chance he's not playing, and you've got no ome you're going to score points.
Speaker 4He's been, he's been Caleb's guy.
Speaker 5Man, It's true, all right, going, do I get my pick back?
No?
Speaker 4You already made your pick, Higgins.
Speaker 5I'm good.
I'm doubling up on Texans.
Speaker 3Okay, Yeah, No, I think no Warren and no Burden getting picked was probably will surprise him.
Yeah, but Gatston had a nice game last week, and I think the Cowboys defense like a little vulnerable just here this weekend.
So yeah, that's that's not a bad all right, Let's get to our hot or not segment.
Speaker 5Guys.
Oh, before we do that.
Speaker 3To watch all these rookies, you can sign up for NFL Plus Premium check out NFL Pro where you can access over ninety five unique player and team performance stats, and that all twenty two film available on desktop and mobile web.
So it's sigh for how to not brought you by Sabi Hot Cloud storage.
Our coordinator of the week, Bill's offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
Speaker 4Before we get to what he's.
Speaker 3Accomplished with this group, Buck, do you like Joe Brady as a hot head coaching candidate in this cycle?
Speaker 4I certainly understand why he is hot head coach candidate, and I think he's gonna get a job.
He's gonna have his pickup jobs.
What they've been able to do with the Buffalo Bills.
As soon as you pour dirt on them and think that they are done, they find a way to re emerge.
And I think this performance that he had last week kind of embodies what the Buffalo Bills are.
They're down by a ton early, find a way to get to it late.
Josh Allen, the full Josh Allen experience is in effect, but they still are able to run the football with games cook.
The one thing that Joe Brady has done, and I would say in his evolution from his first time as an OC, the running game.
He has mastered the running game and the bigs and heavies and creating different matchups while also taking advantage of his quarterback strengths.
Maskall play call Master, will play call the play design.
Speaker 5Yeah.
Man.
Speaker 1It's the thing is, though Josh Allen doesn't exist on the teams in which he is going to go trying to be a head coach.
Speaker 5I mean that, dude.
Speaker 1I just get you know, watching that game against the Patriots.
Yeah, you know, like all right, seven to nothing, fourteen nothing, twenty one nothing.
I just didn't feel like at any point in time that they were out of the game, just you know, because of what we've seen with Josh Allen.
It's kind of like that Mahomes feeling, you know, back in the in the heyday there with the Chiefs.
But the thing I'll say is, you know, in the second half, it felt like they found a way to be more on schedule.
Every one of their five straight touchdowns were scored inside the red zone, right, So these were extended drives.
These were drives that were getting down there.
And you know what the spark was.
The spark was the Ray Davis kickoff return at the end of the first half.
Then they get the face mask on top of it, they get a short field, they go down and score at the end of the first half, get on the board, and then they went for their next four possessions, they got touchdowns.
Speaker 5But look at this.
Speaker 4Look at the.
Speaker 1First the third down, the third down conversions in this game, the yarditch.
Okay, third and three, they had a third and three, third and three, third and seven, third and one, They had a fourth and three that they ended up converting, and then they had another third and two.
I mean, they were on schedule in this game in the second half, whereas in the first half they couldn't stay on the field.
Speaker 4Right.
Speaker 1The play disparity was so big, and then they absolutely dominated every total yards, total plays, certainly with run plays and James Cook majority of his yards coming in the second half.
I just feel like they were more of themselves and they just executed better.
And I think, you know, one of those picks that we talk about a lot, you know, they're kind of fun to talk about.
The Jackson Hawes pick, I think was such a big deal for them, allowed them to do so much, and then to have Knox and kincad on the field at the same time.
Josh Allen is able to spread the ball around, and that's when they're at their best.
When you know when their lack of an alpha on the edge doesn't show up, is when he can spread that thing around all those different targets and they're all picking up first downs and staying on schedule there.
Speaker 5I thought that was a big piece of their effort in the second half.
Speaker 3I think he's got a compelling case to make in an interview that and obviously these are unbelievable quarterbacks, probably both Hall of famers.
But when you can say, hey, Lsu Joe Burrow inside in a dome wide outs, we're five out, we are empty we are out the gate, everybody out in the route, and let's dice them up.
Now, he saw in Buffalo a little bit of that a few years back.
Now they're a twelve thirteen personnel team, run of the ball as well as anybody playing outdoors in weather like He's got a very physical team.
So you can go into that interview and say what offense do I run?
Will you tell me who my players are, and I'll tell you what offense I'm going to run because I can.
I can mold this thing around the personnel that we have, Buck, And how many times have you seen guys try and recreate the same thing in a new spot without the same personnel.
Speaker 4It doesn't work, Yeah, it doesn't work.
In it to me speaks to the play call it in the adaptability being able to be flexible in terms of, hey, I'm going to adapt to the personnel that I have.
This is what's best for this team compared to what was best for my last team.
And you're right.
The Buffalo Bills are interesting because they did go from being kind of an out and we go throw it all over the yard to a more controlled offense with James Cook playing a big part of it is.
I'm gonna say this, I think Joe Brady's doing such a great job because when you look at their team, particularly on the offense, to me, there's only two maybe three blue chip dudes if you talk about Josh Allen, James Cook, and then maybe Deonds if you want to throw him in that category.
Yeah, they're doing it with I don't want to say regular Joe's out there, but they're not doing it with superstars.
So to me, that's where the schematics matter more than some of these other teams that can just out talent.
Speaker 1Yeah, if there was ever a doubt whether Josh Allen was a truck or trailer, yeah, I don't.
Speaker 5Think there was one.
Speaker 1But yeah, I mean this is a great example of a quarterback helping elevate guys too.
Speaker 5And I think, you know, a big part of that is the is.
Speaker 1You know, the way in which Joe Brady allows him that opportunity to go out there and spread that ball around and find different ways to get all those different targets involved.
Speaker 3Well, they do a good job protecting the quarterback, getting the ball out quick, and they run the ball.
A couple of stats gab threw in here into the end of the document.
It's interesting when you look at this team, number three scoring offense and total offense number one, rushing yards per game, number two in EPA added per rush, number four EPA per pass.
They allow the fifth fewest pressures in the league.
James Cook has been hit by a line of scrimmage on just thirty two point nine percent of his carries.
That's the second lowest mark amongst running backs.
And the tight ends of average ten point three yards per target this season, the most among all tired units.
So that's that tells you the story.
You can't be more efficient and you can't do a better job of utilizing the strength of your team buck than the job that Joe Brady and Josh Allen have done together.
Speaker 4There, No, they do a terrific job.
And if they can just have one of their perimeter playmakers emerge as a consistent for us as a number one, not that he has to be a high end, top ten receiver, but someone that each and every week you can count on to give you maybe seventy five eighty yards on perimeter win they're one on one matchups.
Man, this offense can go to another level.
Even though we and we wax poetically about what their numbers and efficiency numbers are.
Speaker 5You know, it's crazy question.
Speaker 4Go ahead.
Speaker 1In the run game, I mean the Bills ran it twenty six times in the second half.
Patriots ran it three times.
Yeah, Now one of them was that was an explosive touchdowns, right, yeah, look at that.
But dang that is that is a disparity if I've ever seen one.
Speaker 5So that's their formula.
Speaker 3Yeah, not ideal on the Patriots side of things of finishing that ball game.
That was this week's Hot or Not segment, brought to you by with Sabbi Hot Cloud storage, store more and do more with your data.
Speaker 4Try them for.
Speaker 3Free atwisabi dot com.
We're gonn take a break and move right back after this.
All right, guys, I want to hit you on this topic on some rookie classes in the job that they've done.
I was looking at some of these teams that are having success this year, and man, they're getting some big time impact from their rookies.
You know, we're just talking about New England and a tough loss that they just had, but that is a rookie class that has been outstanding.
I'll give you I'll give you three options here and rhet you can lead us off.
Buck, you go next, and I'll clean it up.
But if you're just looking at teams right now, some playoff teams, and you look at New England the job that their rookie class has done.
You look at Seattle the rookies that they have and the job that they've done, and I'll mention the Chargers with the job that those rookies have done.
What stands out to you the most?
Give me those three AGAs Chargers, New England, Seattle and the Chargers.
Speaker 1Yeah, I think New England to me, I mean, is the one that really stands out the most.
You know, obviously, now that Trevon Henderson, you know, is really rolling.
I think that's that has obviously been such a key piece.
And then the fact that you were able to remake your offensive line and the entire left side.
Speaker 5Of it with two rookies, I think that's pretty rare.
Speaker 1I mean, obviously, you draft the guy up in the top five, you're kind of expecting that dude to start for you on the offensive line, But then to get Jared Wilson in the third and have him jump in there as a starting left guard, and I know, both of them kind of been banged up a little bit and in and out of the lineup now.
But to be able to count on that and to set that up for your second year quarterback, that's so big.
And then you know, they they missed on receivers the year before, right, but it hasn't really hurt him that much because they've done a nice job of kind of supplementing that with some guys that were kind of left for dead.
Speaker 5Kishan Boutie.
I don't think anybody count on him being a.
Speaker 1Guy, you know this year, and they've kind of gone back and kind of redeveloped some other guys from previous classes.
So I would say that's kind of a bonus into this year's class because I don't think we've seen much of you Kayshawan.
Speaker 5Throughout you know, his his career up until this year.
So I think I think.
Speaker 1That's really really been a huge piece.
And then look, the free agent acquisitions on the defensive side of the ball were big, you know as well.
So I think you know, Elliott and Mike and that whole crew up there have done just a really good job of you know, the homegrown development and then really nice kind of judicious.
Uh, you know picks into free agency.
Now, look, they had to pay big money for him, certainly, and they had money to spend, but they were they didn't really whiff, which I think is obviously a big piece of free agency.
Speaker 4Yeah.
And when I think about those three things, uh, the Seattle Seahawks comes to mind.
And the reason it comes to mind is like, look, this was a new error that they kicked off.
You know, when b Carroll left, it was the first time that Josh Snyder had full control of the board and being able to do it to him and Mike McDonald putting their vision together.
And then this year, you look, Gray is able to being exact as advertised.
They can run the football when they want to run it.
They've been able to protect saim donald.
They created explosive plays while being able to control roll of the game on offense.
And then Nick Mammy Warry like just being able to find someone like I know they don't like to shop in the same store.
Sometimes you see a Cam chance like, oh, I want to look clone, but man, he's as close to Cam as you can find in terms of a big safety that can come down in the box and do some of those things watching them up close, because when they came to Jacksonville and just watching the size and the speed and the just overall the explosiveness of that roster.
They've done a good job.
But those two rickeys in particular, they have stepped up immediately and given big contributions.
Speaker 3Yeah, and they've been Horton when he's been out there.
He's made some plays for him early in the season, for sure.
Yes, Yeah, did some nice things for him.
It's been a good class there from Seattle Royo kind of you know, play here or there.
They just got Riley Mills back.
He had his first game this last week.
He got seven snaps and showed a little penetration there.
So I think he's got a chance to really help him coming down the home stretch.
But those are two excellent ones now.
And I know what some people are thinking, what about the Cleveland Browns.
We're just talking playoff teams here.
Cleveland's had an unbelievable class.
Those guys have all done a really nice job.
Some other teams as well.
H The other team, I'll get to the Chargers in just a second.
That that deserves mentioned here is the Bears.
With that With that Bears class playing big, big roles.
When you look at what they did, Colson Lovelin's been awesome, Luther Burd's really come on, Trapillo has been able to get out there.
You've seen my young guy who's done a really nice job forming that one two punch.
So Chicago's got a lot out of their rookie class.
But when I you know the reason, I want to mention those teams and we'll get to the Chargers here.
I'm watching that game call in that game last week, and I'm watching Omar and Hampton popper run.
I'm watching Trey Harris make a big play before the half to kind of, you know, save their game and potentially their season.
Jamari Caldwell has been playing starter snaps at defensive tackle.
KeAndre Lambert Smith has the kickoff return that puts some in position to get those points.
He's you know, had an opportunity to get some some ops here.
Rondy Gatson has been awesome as a tight with the fifth round, one hundred and sixty fifth overall pick.
Speaker 4RJ.
Speaker 3Mickens has got his hands on balls as some interceptions this year.
It's kind of that third safety that has a lot of impact.
Man from one draft class on a team that's got a chance to clinch a playoff spot here this week.
Speaker 4I mean, look, it's so good.
It's funny.
You talked about RJ.
Mickens and some of the down the line guys that have made contributions.
I think that is the front office and the coaching staff being in sync in unison, understanding what these players can provide if they get the opportunity, and then having the courage to put them on the field.
So many guys with draft players, but then as they get down the stretch, they refuse to play those young players.
But we're seeing the teams that are good and sustain the success they play their young players.
They're unafraid to play them, and they live through some of the growing pains that exist because man, it is so rewarding on the other side that they do come through.
Speaker 3We always get asked red real quick about hey, what's a good draft, and I always say, man, three, if you get three starters out of the draft, that's a heck of draft.
If you get or phenomenal.
You can look at the last two drafts for the Chargers and if we were just list you know, Vidal and Hampton is kind of co starters going forward, which they're gonna they're gonna share that position.
You could you could easily look at this and say they've got ten starters in the last two drafts.
Speaker 5Ten wow.
Wow.
Yeah, that's a great one.
That's how you flip.
Speaker 4That's how you flip it.
Man.
Speaker 3And those guys, you know, those guys are so cheap.
You got ten cheap starters.
For the next couple of years, they're gonna be able to spend money in free agency.
Man.
Speaker 1You know, I was also looking just to kind of round the league today as we were getting ready for this episode, and Bucky obviously, you know, the Jaguars record stands out in a big way ten and four here.
Speaker 5So as you were read and you.
Speaker 3Don't know the rule, you don't know the rule nationally, you're not allowed to talk about the Jags having this unbelievable strugg Sorry forgot about that.
Yeah, it's unwritten.
It's just unwritten.
Yeah, people just don't.
You can't really stare at.
Speaker 4Them under the sun.
Yeah what you're talking about?
Speaker 5Yeah, yeah, you just got there.
Speaker 4I just I just.
Speaker 1Go one again.
We got that, Yeah, yeah, we got me.
I mean massive performance from from Trevor Lawrence.
But so I was like, all right, let me go back and see what their rookies are up to.
And obviously Travis Hunter being down for much of the season now is has been tough, you know, as as a big piece of that draft class, with spending the resources to go up and get him and then just not getting him for the majority of the season.
Speaker 5But you know who's played the.
Speaker 1Most snaps out of that rookie class, Danny Strigo and undrafted.
Speaker 4Let me take he's got three sacks.
Speaker 1The dudes played over two hundred snaps on defense, like uh okay.
Speaker 4And and here's what here's what I would tell you.
And we we live in l A.
So you hear a lot about the rams and opportunities and those things.
And DJ, you lived it before in Baltimore, like hey man, five hundred dollars in an opportunity Like Strigo just came and just worked his tail off.
And look, it's too typical to talk about like, oh man, what a high motive guy.
But I'm gonna tell you he's laid off the ball at times, but the effort makes up for so many things.
And DJ, if you watch him enough on tape, like he's late.
He's like a half a beat plate off the thing.
He's not snapkn anticipation is just reaction.
But his energy, his effort, and his toughness because he's played through some injuries that have sidellined other guys that you're like, man, this dude is tough and he's about it.
And he just took a small role and kept expanding it because the more he played, the better the more production he provided those limited windows.
Speaker 5Yeah, so here you go.
Speaker 1I remember Danny Striga was a late add to the Senior Bowl, like very late at like he came in on Thursday and maybe one practice before the game.
Speaker 5And so I was texting with PJ.
Speaker 1Fleck on that Friday, just like, you know, because I'd seen him a couple of times in the work for Big Ten Network and head Minnesota.
And main reason why we recruited him wrestling background out, a wrestling athletic enough to play linebacker, versatility, good blit uh.
Speaker 5And you you will not be able to pull that dude off the field, was what he said.
Speaker 1I mean, like, so the effort, the motors kind of kind of stand up, you know, stand out on that one too.
But I saw that ray On Lanes played a bunch to the safety out of Navy, who we've seen in the special.
Speaker 4Team as well.
Speaker 5Yeah, special team.
Speaker 4Yeah, special teams banded like that was a huge from time to time.
And Tuden was going to play an even bigger role because he and Travis Gien splitting carries until he had the injury that will keep him out for the next few weeks.
But I mean, look the thing that I've learned and just watching this team grow and we've seen it, you have to create lanes for your young opportunity, your young players to get on the field.
So don't sign the veteran just because the coaches are nervous.
You have to force them to play the young guys and develop them because that's the only way they get better.
Speaker 3Well, the other thing I would say is when you're putting together a coaching staff, sometimes you can find well, you can find teachers that are older that are good.
You can find teachers that are young that maybe a little more relatable and current and can communicate.
At the end of the day, just go get teachers.
Go out and get coaches that know how to teach.
Because you're seeing that the teams with teachers Buck.
Not only can they get young guys on the field, they just keep getting better better.
Speaker 5Man.
Speaker 4Well that's the thing.
And look, we talked about it and we didn't talk about a little bit about Chicago's class.
But man, when I look at the Bears, what they are now compared to what they started, like, they are a really good football team.
And Dennis Allen, look, I know it didn't go his way as a head coach multiple times, but man, their defense, like watching them fly around and see ball, get ball and all the other stuff that they're able to do.
Yeah, Like, if you get guys that understand how to develop talent, whether it's young where there's guys that have played subpart performances elsewhere, teachers are everything.
It is a teachers game for sure, and no doubt.
Oh look this has been a fun one.
Speaker 5Man.
Speaker 3We'll see if we can run Red down here on the rookie draft.
The smile on his face if you're listening to us right now, Goti, there's a confident air about him right now.
You need a big bounce back week from him after bucking that after this week, all.
Speaker 4Right, that's gonna do it for us today.
Speaker 3We will catch it tomorrow.
Speaker 4Right here.
Fun with the sticks h
