- 2 days ago
CBS Sports and former Steelers defensive back Bryant McFadden drops in for his weekly chat with Dukes and Bell, where the fellas dig into why so many young quarterbacks are struggling to find their footing at the NFL level, plus breaking down the competition set to take place in the Falcons' quarterback room between Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr.
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00:00All right, let's talk to our man, B-Mac, Brian McFadden, two-time Super Bowl champion.
00:04He is an analyst for CBS Sports, and he's on the Sweet James Accident Attorney's Hotline.
00:10And B-Mac, OTAs has been interesting this week.
00:13Kevin Stefanski saying he really likes Tua's accuracy, that he's been a leader on and off the field in the
00:19meeting rooms.
00:19And look, it's OTAs.
00:21We know it's not camp and certainly not games.
00:23But I've been saying I think he's got the upper hand.
00:25I'm wondering if you feel that way after hearing what's coming out of OTAs.
00:30Yeah, I think if you talk about having an advantage, I think it would be Tua Tungvaluwa right now
00:35because there are no limitations on Tua in terms of practices, right?
00:41Correct me if I'm wrong, Michael Penix hasn't been cleared to do 11-11 yet.
00:45So guess who gets all of those reps, especially with the ones, this Tua Tungvaluwa.
00:51Not to mention this is a new offense for all parties involved, you know, when it comes to the quarterback
00:57competition.
00:58So, you know, usually the newest guy to a team is probably the one that's at a disadvantage
01:04because usually it's a new regimen, a new scheme that they have to learn.
01:08But because this is a new coaching staff with Kevin Stefanski, you know, everybody is an even playing field
01:14when it comes to the above-the-shoulder game with the offense.
01:18So, you know, hearing that Tua is, you know, doing a pretty good job, I'm not surprised.
01:23He's a seasoned vet.
01:24He's been around the block for quite some time.
01:26So these are moments where most seasoned vets, you know, really showcase their experience
01:31in being able to be consistent on the practice field.
01:34Why do you think it went so wacky in Miami?
01:36You put it on the coaching staff?
01:39I think I put it on all parties involved.
01:41I think the coaching staff, clearly, we heard about rumblings about the lack of respect,
01:46you know, being a leader from McDaniels when he was there on the sideline.
01:51You know, the defense was kind of in a disarray.
01:55And then the personnel, you know, wasn't living up to the building.
01:58And then they had unfortunate injuries as well.
02:00And for Tua, it felt like he just, outside of those pretty good years in 2023 and 2024,
02:08he never really got back to being that guy who was a very, very accurate quarterback.
02:13And sometimes, you know, a change of scenery is good.
02:16You know, we've seen that in other, you know, professional situations at the quarterback position.
02:23A change of scenery clearly was good for Sam Donald.
02:26A change of scenery was good for Geno Smith when he became a Seattle Seahawks.
02:30You know, a change of scenery has been good for Baker Mayfield, most recently there in Tampa.
02:34So I don't think Tua can't play football anymore.
02:37I think everything just kind of derailed.
02:39And outside of the injuries, you know, that kind of hampered his development, in my opinion, as well,
02:46when he missed time because of the concussions.
02:47B-Mac, your former teammate, Ben Roethlisberger, says what they're trying to do with Drew Allard makes him nervous.
02:52He was on a podcast.
02:54And I'm just going to read the quote because he's talking about Mike McCarthy's quarterback school,
02:59which apparently, you know, he's done for years.
03:02But Big Ben was saying, look, it makes me nervous because I'm watching him do three steps.
03:07It makes me incredibly nervous.
03:08You ask why.
03:09You're refining things.
03:10That's a difference between refining things and teaching.
03:13And he says, when you do football camps, the first thing you're teaching the youngest kids is how to do
03:16a three-step drop.
03:17He says that the whole thing he's seen on video makes him a little nervous.
03:20Do you feel nervous about the quarterback room at Pittsburgh?
03:25Outside of Aaron Rodgers, yes, I feel nervous because there's a lot of uncertainties with Will Allen, with Drew Allard,
03:34of course.
03:35And Mason Rudolph is the most notable vet, but we don't even know if he will be a part of
03:40this team once the season starts.
03:42You know what I mean?
03:43Either be a trade or if he doesn't make the cut.
03:45I think he will make the cut, but you just don't know.
03:48And to piggyback on Big Ben's point, I think, guys, and this is just my personal opinion, and listeners, you
03:57can either agree or disagree with me with this one.
03:59I think this is a college problem.
04:03This is not just a Drew Allard problem.
04:05And the reason why I say that is because Drew Allard was in an offense that most quarterbacks are in
04:11in college football.
04:12Everything is predicated on shotgun snaps, right?
04:16So because there's mostly shotgun snaps, you don't go through a three-step drop under center.
04:22And I don't understand why most college coaches do this, because if your job is to help elevate, number one,
04:29win games on the collegiate level, right, but also to help elevate your guys to be at their best so
04:33whenever they get an opportunity to go to the National Football League, they're more comfortable, why don't you have more
04:37under-center exchanges for quarterbacks?
04:40And then also, too, another thing that bothers me with college football, there's no verbal snap counts.
04:45Everything's a hand clap.
04:47A hand clap.
04:48Think about the disservice these college coaches are doing for these quarterbacks.
04:53Number one, when you get to the NFL, you have to verbalize everything.
04:56Number two, if you don't have a verbal snap count, you don't have a chance in drawing someone offside.
05:02Think about how many times in NFL football where you see the quarterback draw someone offside.
05:08You get a free play.
05:09That helps extend drives.
05:11That helps put you in scoring positions.
05:12But because they're clapping like they're in church service in college football, when they get to the NFL, they have
05:18to learn how to verbalize play calls and verbalize the snap counts.
05:22I think that's just a college quarterback problem, not just a Drew Aller issue.
05:27I think it's more consensus with college football.
05:29Right.
05:30What was it, Carl?
05:31Remember the hard knocks?
05:31This is going back way back when Jared Goff was a rookie, BMAC.
05:34He didn't even know how to make a huddle.
05:36Literally, they went, so he didn't even know how to call a huddle, like break, you know, okay, guys, blah,
05:40blah, blah, on two, ready, break.
05:42When he was in L.A.
05:43Yeah, that was taking it all the way back to, you know, Jeff Fisher, Mr. Seven and Nine.
05:46But anyway, hey, man, BMAC's with us, Brian McFadden, guys, on the Sweet James Accident Attorneys Hotline.
05:52We talked yesterday a lot about accuracy.
05:55The book on Michael Penix Jr. is that he throws a beautiful deep ball.
05:57Now, remember Cam Newton, sometimes he could make laser-like throws, but sometimes he would miss the throw in the
06:02flat.
06:03Is that going to be coachable?
06:04Can this regime get Michael to be more accurate?
06:06He was 32nd in completion percentage last year.
06:10I think so, because Kevin Stefanski really has a good eye for helping develop quarterbacks.
06:17And I think when you talk about Michael Penix, that talent is there.
06:22I felt like the last offensive staff did him a disservice.
06:25Everything was shotgun-related.
06:27You never really see him get into those rhythm-like throws.
06:30And when he was at Washington, he was at his best when he was in rhythm, rhythm-like throws, you
06:35know,
06:36anticipatory throws, throwing guys open before they're actually open, and getting him back to being that guy.
06:41So the thing about Penix, man, like I said, and the same thing I said about Tua,
06:45it's not like all of a sudden they forgot how to play quarterback, right?
06:49Because you know they showed the ability to play quarterback at a high level.
06:54Now it's about being consistent.
06:56And the thing about great quarterbacks is not about the highlight throws and the miraculous plays they make.
07:02It's their ability to make routine plays happen routinely.
07:05That's what the great ones do.
07:07They make the routine plays happen routinely.
07:10And for Penix, that's where he needs to get.
07:13And I do believe he can get there.
07:15And the great thing that I'm seeing from Michael Penix right now, even though there is some limitations on what
07:19he can do,
07:20guys, he's out there throwing the football practice with no knee brace at all.
07:24So seeing that clearly tells me he's ahead of schedule.
07:28Because if you watch Pat Mahomes, even though he's participated, you see that bulky knee brace on his knee.
07:35Like an old lineman.
07:36You don't see any, yeah, that old line Dan Marino Don Joy knee brace, right?
07:40But you don't see any of those things attached to Michael Penix's knee.
07:45So clearly that's a great sign.
07:46And he just got to continue to go through the progression, no setbacks, and be ready to go once training
07:51camp starts.
07:52B-Mac, what do you make of, Mike and I played the soundbite yesterday of Kyler Murray talking about, you
07:58know, J.J. McCarthy.
07:59And then we played J.J. McCarthy.
08:00He was like, well, there's like two guys in a classroom and he's sitting on one side and I'm sitting
08:03on the other.
08:04It sounds like there's no real mentorship going on.
08:08And is that thing going to work and does it matter if it works?
08:11Because Kyler Murray's on a one-year deal and do we believe in McCarthy?
08:14I don't.
08:15I haven't since he got drafted.
08:17Well, I can say it as much.
08:18It's going to work for one guy.
08:20It might not work for both.
08:22It's going to work for one.
08:24And the one it's going to work for will be the guy who wins the competition.
08:28And hearing Kyler, because I saw the same, you know, interview, right?
08:35Kyler Murray seemed like he welcomed the ability to help J.J. McCarthy.
08:39J.J. McCarthy made it seem like there has been no dialogue in terms of helping.
08:44I'm here.
08:45He's there.
08:46So now I was like, okay, there might be a little rift, but who cares?
08:50It's competition, right?
08:51Because even though it's your job to help each other, it's still your job to outperform
08:58the other guy as well.
09:00And that's what we will see.
09:03And to your point, Carl, there's not a lot to believe in J.J. McCarthy right now.
09:08And I think if all of us had to put a name in a hat in terms of who we
09:14think will win
09:14this job, I think all of us would say Kyler Murray.
09:18Speaking of quarterbacks that can move, Lamar Jackson, we kind of chuckle out of him saying,
09:22you know, much better communication, much better everything.
09:25That's why I'm curious to see what Todd Munkin is going to do.
09:28It just seems like some relationships just get strained and they don't get better, you
09:32know?
09:32And it just, it seems like Lamar Jackson, I also think there's some pressure on Lamar
09:35Jackson, even though he's a first year coach there, to get back into playoffs and win
09:39some playoff games, man, because the window is closing for that team.
09:43Man, yes, pressure is there for Lamar Jackson.
09:46Yes, there's pressure for the Baltimore Ravens in totality to get back to being a
09:50playoff caliber team, because you have an MVP caliber quarterback.
09:54And regardless who the head coach is, regardless who the offensive coach is, when Lamar Jackson
09:58is healthy, the expectations are extremely high.
10:01Period.
10:02Think about the AFC North, right?
10:04You have three teams with three new head coaches, and then you have Cincinnati with Zach
10:11Taylor returning, of course, and Joe Burrow.
10:13When you look at all of those teams in the division, who has the most pressure?
10:20Who has the most expecting pressure?
10:23It's Lamar Jackson.
10:25What team is the favorite to win the division once again?
10:27It's the Baltimore Ravens, right?
10:29What team in the division is expected to make the most significant playoff run?
10:33It's the Baltimore Ravens.
10:35And that's solely because of Lamar Jackson.
10:37Even though Joe Burrow is a great quarterback as well, no one is expecting Joe Burrow and
10:43the Cincinnati Bengals to go far, or further than Baltimore.
10:49So yeah, the expectations will always be there for Lamar Jackson when he is playing the quarterback
10:55position.
10:55And I can tell you this much.
10:56When he's healthy, he's delivered, especially in terms of individual accolades and when it
11:02comes to wins.
11:03Last year, he wasn't healthy, and it played a major part in them not winning games and
11:08them firing Coach Harbaugh.
11:11What did you make of the Jackson Dart comments?
11:14And then he addresses his team, for those who don't remember.
11:18But Abdul Carter's not there, right?
11:19He wasn't.
11:19He was off, or should I say, an excused absence.
11:23It was a religious holiday for him, and Harbaugh talked about that.
11:26But Jackson Dart addresses the Giants' locker room after the Donald Trump political rally
11:29controversy.
11:30You've been in locker rooms.
11:32Is this a big deal or no deal?
11:35In this climate, it's a big deal for some.
11:41For me, it's no big deal.
11:43And the reason why me personally is not a big deal, whatever your political views are,
11:49you're entitled to have those views.
11:52As long as you're not trying to push those views on me, as long as you're not trying
11:57to make those views be a topic of discussion while we're in our place of business, which
12:02is the locker room, which is the practice room, which is the meeting room, who cares?
12:06Who cares?
12:07And now, but this climate is a lot sensitive than what it was years ago, right?
12:14So now, for Jackson Dart, you have to understand where this climate is, especially when you
12:20talk about politics.
12:22And oftentimes, politics are never associated with sports, but now it's being tied to sports
12:27because sports publications are talking about it.
12:30So if you're Jackson Dart, you already knew it was going to ruffle some feathers.
12:35Clearly, you didn't care.
12:36But because you play the quarterback position, you should have attacked this before it became
12:41a big deal.
12:42And for Abdul Carter, if you have an issue with it, like he did, don't make it mainstream.
12:48Don't make it mainstream.
12:49Talk to the man one-on-one, right?
12:52Yes.
12:52Hit him up on the phone.
12:54Text him.
12:54Hey, bro, I want to holler at you about something, bro.
12:56Okay, you support Trump.
12:58But tell me why.
12:59Like, what's going on?
13:01But don't put it on Twitter where all of us, where all of us could see, because think
13:04about it like this, guys, listeners.
13:06If Abdul Carter reached out to Jackson Dart, we would have never known about it.
13:09Agreed.
13:09We would have never known that Jackson Dart had a problem with it.
13:12Yes.
13:13So he just made a situation bigger than what it should have been.
13:17But oftentimes, people get caught up in who you like and who you don't like.
13:23Man, in the place of business, as long as you do what you're supposed to do and you
13:25ain't trying to push that narrative on me, who cares?
13:28I agree.
13:29And look, I think what you just said is that that's teammates, right?
13:33The tolerance of you do whatever you do.
13:36I'm going to do my job.
13:37But as long as you're not trying to influence me in those ways and, you know, we keep it
13:41above the board.
13:41I totally agree with you.
13:42And that's why people who got mad at Jackson Dart, I was like, wait a minute.
13:45He's got the right to feel however he wants to feel.
13:48But the teammate who has an issue with it has to address that the proper way.
13:52And that's why I think, you know, Abdul Carter got a lot of smoke from that.
13:55Hey, man, great stuff as always.
13:57B-Mac, we appreciate you stopping by.
13:59It's going to be interesting as we get closer and closer to camp.
14:02Make sure you follow him, man, and check him out.
14:04He is an analyst for CBS and does all these different things as well.
14:07Brian McFadden, two-time Super Bowl champion.
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