00:00NFL team with a quarterback competition on its hands. You know the old saying if you have two
00:04quarterbacks you have none. Well this year we have at least four bona fide battles in NFL training
00:09camps. Let's start in Cleveland where new head coach Todd Munkin must choose between
00:15Deshaun Watson and Shador Sanders. By the way what the hell happened to Dylan Gabriel who I liked by
00:21the way coming out of the in the draft a few years ago but I digress. Shador Sanders has to
00:27be the
00:28guy and I'm not one of those where it's oh Shador he should have been the top pick in the
00:35draft or
00:35he's Deion's kid or I'm not one of those carrying the water for the Sanders family. No I'm trying
00:43to exercise a little logic here. Deshaun Watson is Deshaun Watson. You can't rely on him on the field.
00:49You can't rely on him to stay healthy. You can't rely on him off the field. The incredible days for
00:55him at Clemson or during his phenomenal years in Houston. That's a lifetime ago. I know they've
01:02been paying him forever but what are you even doing here with Deshaun Watson? What they should do is
01:08give Shador Sanders every single opportunity to win this job. That's logical because Shador Sanders
01:16should be solid. And if he's solid when the Browns I thought had an A-plus draft and an A
01:23-plus offseason.
01:24If he's solid and you don't have to draft the quarterback next year or trade up to draft the
01:29quarterback you're going to be golden. Right? If he if Shador Sanders can earn the job for 2027 not
01:36handed to him earn it. So why don't you give him an opportunity to see if he could be the
01:41guy not
01:42about 2026 2027? I would give Shador Sanders all the reps with the first team in training camp. They're
01:48not going to do it and I think that's a huge mistake by the lake in Cleveland. Atlanta Michael
01:54Penix Jr. Tua Tungavailoa. Listen this to me is obvious right? If Michael Penix Jr. is healthy
02:03and it sounds like he is he's the starting quarterback. Tua Tungavailoa is an interception
02:11turnover machine. Tua Tungavailoa no one wanted to give him a monster deal in the offseason
02:17because he was dreadful in Miami. Michael Penix Jr. I believe has a whole nother level attached to
02:24him. Okay? Michael Penix Jr. going into year three. First two years obviously he barely played in the
02:29first year when that was Kirk Cousins show. He came in played well under the circumstance. Last year he got
02:36injured. I think that Michael Penix Jr. has a whole different level. Think about what he was in
02:41college. Think about what he was in Washington. He's smart. He's accurate. He has to go out and
02:46kick ass and take names and dominate. That's on Michael Penix Jr. And I think that under Kevin
02:52Stefanski who is a hell of a coach. Phenomenal hire by Atlanta. He put together a terrific offensive
02:58staff with Tammy Reese and company. I love my guy Matt Ryan, love Ian Cunningham, the new general
03:04manager. This Falcons team, they have Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, Drake London, solid line,
03:13really strong defense. Atlanta should be a really good team this year. They really should be. It's
03:19incumbent upon Penix to win this job. It's incumbent upon Michael Penix Jr. to become a truly great player.
03:26He has it in him. I loved him in college, loved him in the draft. The only question was health.
03:31He's
03:31already been injured at the NFL level. If Michael Penix Jr. wins this job at camp, and I can appreciate
03:37why there's a bit of a battle here, right? I get it because Penix hasn't exactly dazzled. There's
03:43a new head coach. Tua did put up some numbers in Miami. I'm not a Tua guy at all. I
03:47can appreciate
03:48why you want to see Penix earn it. I get that completely. Not every job do I want to see
03:54split
03:55reps. And this one, I'm good with it. I want to see Penix ultimately kick ass, take names.
04:00So I'm good with the battle. But by the time, let's say, August 15th rolls around, month before
04:07the season, make Michael Penix Jr. the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. Now, every
04:13quarterback situation is different. There should be no quarterback battle in Minnesota. And today,
04:20Kevin O'Connell talking to the press, Kevin O'Connell told the gathered news media at Minnesota Vikings
04:27training camp that J.J. McCarthy and Kyler Murray are going to split the reps with the
04:33first team. That makes no sense. Kevin O'Connell is a quarterback whisperer. Quarterbacks have
04:41their careers saved by Kevin O'Connell. Look at Sam Darnold. Look at Daniel Jones. Look at
04:47what he's able to do when he gets the past or not years ago. I think the world of Kevin
04:51O'Connell. J.J. McCarthy can't play. Forget about whatever you thought before the draft.
04:57I loved him coming out of Michigan. J.J. McCarthy got hurt, missed his rookie season. Last year,
05:02of course, he had Al Fomento. What could go wrong, did go wrong. Totally screwed up the quarterback
05:06position. And he got fired as a result. Why are you messing around with J.J. McCarthy? And
05:12I'm not one of those who's one of those, you know, in the media who's all, Kyler Murray is the
05:17next
05:18this, next that. I didn't like when the Cardinals took him over Nick Bosa. And I was right, and they
05:22were wrong. But Kyler Murray, on a one-year deal, on a proven situation, where everyone needs each
05:29other, and he's a terrific athlete and a great thrower of the football, let him get all the reps
05:34on the first team. You know what you have with J.J. McCarthy? It's not good. Kyler Murray,
05:39let's see what he can do. Let's see if he can develop a rapport with Justin Jefferson,
05:42who I believe is still the best wide receiver in the National Football League. I really think
05:47that this should not be a quarterback battle. It should be Kyler Murray's football team. The
05:54Vikings are really loaded. They've got great depth at the wide receiver position with Jefferson,
06:00and they bring in Jennings, and you look at Jordan Addison. They can run the ball with authority,
06:06with Jones. The line is strong. Brian Flores' defense is excellent. The quarterback position
06:12totally derailed everything from a year ago. Why are you still messing around with J.J. McCarthy?
06:17Makes absolutely no sense. Give Kyler Murray every chance to succeed, not in July or August,
06:23but let him get all the reps with the first team so he could be a monster success during the
06:28NFL
06:29season. They could beat the Green Bay Packers in week number one. I love my guy, Kevin O'Connell.
06:34I think he made a huge mistake splitting the reps here with McCarthy and Murray. Vegas, baby.
06:40Look, Fernando Mendoza, Kirk Cousins. I think that Kirk Cousins starting for the Vegas Raiders
06:48is a mistake, and I know this is where Clint Kubiak is leaning, and I know that Kirko is everybody's
06:56favorite guy, and I like Kirk Cousins. You know, I loved him in Washington and Minnesota.
07:02Come on. What are we doing here? Stop. Anyone who watched Kirk Cousins play the last two years
07:08in Atlanta, he shot. And you want Kirk Cousins as a backup quarterback? You know, fresh set
07:13of eyes, you know, savvy veteran, you know, for Fernando Mendoza. That's great. Fernando Mendoza
07:19should be given every opportunity to be the week one starter. The Raiders don't have to
07:23be that bad. And when you draft the quarterback number one overall with this pedigree, who just
07:27won a championship, who just won the Heisman, who maximized great talent, who played for
07:31Kurt Cignetti, Fernando Mendoza has it. Everything you want at the quarterback position. Why would
07:37you put him in bubble wrap? I mean, I went nuts last year when the Giants mishandled Jackson
07:43Darden. Not every situation is the same, right? This is how I feel about Mendoza. With Tyler
07:48Lindenbaum now at center, who they got from the Ravens. I think Ashton Gentry is going to
07:52have a monster season. Brock Bauer is going to have a monster season. Best tight end in the
07:55NFL. The defense with Max Crosby. Let Mendoza play for Kubiak. Let him work out the kinks.
08:02I think Clint Kubiak, that's akin to when Ben Johnson got hired by the Bears. That kind of impact
08:07instantly on offense, on the quarterbacks, on the X's and O's, on the entire team. I hate that this
08:14is even a battle. I can allow it for a minute. You want to let Mendoza earn it. You know,
08:20first
08:20training camp. Head might be swimming a little bit. Fine. I want Fernando Mendoza starting week
08:27number one under center for the Raiders. Look, I'm not sure if we're really going to call the last
08:32one a battle. And the Cardinals are not going to be a good football team this year. Jacoby
08:37Bursette is going to be the guy, right? Let's be crystal clear about that. And he wanted new money.
08:43The Cardinals, Monte Austin Ford, their great GM, gave it to him a couple of days ago. Jacoby Bursette
08:47is a pro's pro, right? You know, I feel like Jacoby Bursette has been in the league for about 50
08:51years. You know, going back to New England and Indianapolis and, you know, he replaced Andrew
08:56Luck and all the different stops. Hey, Jacoby Bursette earned it. He played really well last
09:01year. And I think that he will start the season and he'll be the guy. Gardner Minshew, to me,
09:06he's an extra arm. It's the Carson Beck portion of this that fascinates me. Because Carson Beck,
09:14when they picked him, and I talked to Monte Austin Ford about this, they really like Carson
09:19Beck. They really like him. And I'm going to be curious because they'll start Bursette and
09:24they have Trey McBride, who's phenomenal at tight end. And then they have Marvin Harrison
09:28Jr., who I still believe in going into year three. The light better go on. They have great
09:32depth and talent, Wilson and company at the wide receiver position. The defense actually
09:37has some dudes, but they're going to be awful. But if you can get Carson Beck in the mix in
09:43the second half of the season, you start Bursette, forget about X's and O's, forget about over
09:48or unders, forget about win total projections. You're the Arizona Cardinals, you're Coach
09:53LaFleur, you're a first-time head coach. You want to give yourself the best opportunity
09:56to win. Forget about what pundits like me or anyone else have to say. But once the Cardinals
10:01start losing, Carson Beck time. And I think that can go a long ways for the future here
10:08for the Arizona Cardinals.
Comments