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00:00If AI created a guy that you wanted to mentor, Fernando, he would be it.
00:08I mean, do they have the two nerdiest quarterbacks?
00:12You're never going to ever, ever worry about the two quarterbacks ever getting in trouble in Vegas.
00:24Oh yes, joining us today on Shine Time, my guy,
00:28pro football hall of famer, Raiders legend, cornerstone of the NFL on Fox for over three
00:34decades, the greats Howie Long. Howie, how are you? I guess by that intro, I'm old, three decades.
00:43Listen, you are still absolutely the best in the business on television and we're excited to chop
00:49it up with you. And how about the Chiefs? Kansas City again, Howie, 4-0, just survived your Raiders
00:56and a terrific, terrific game. What has impressed you the most about Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid
01:03and the Chiefs starred and are the Chiefs back to being the team to beat in the AFC?
01:08It's funny. That was, that was the question that I was posed, you know, week one and before the
01:15first game. And I said a lot of things have to happen for that, that to be a reality based
01:22on
01:22what I saw last year and over the last couple of years. I said, one, you know, they've got to
01:29get
01:30Patrick up under center and, and out of the, out of shotgun, you know, not, not make it. He was
01:37in
01:37shotgun 90, I think 90% of the snaps last year. The run game was non-existent. The play action
01:44pass was
01:45non-existent. His protection was bad. And here he's coming back from an ACL faster than I could
01:52have imagined him coming back. And you can see in week one where I think he was just kind of
01:57feeling
01:58it out to a certain extent. And since that time, I think he's, you know, it's the, the horse is
02:06out
02:06of the stall and, you know, he's, he's Patrick. And I think for them to be successful moving forward,
02:14they had to make changes. And I think Andy was smart to do it. Uh, bringing Walker in is,
02:21I didn't realize I, I truly, I Walker kind of snuck up on me in the second half of the
02:28year
02:28last year. And, you know, obviously he had the great playoff run and Super Bowl MVP and,
02:33and all that. Uh, he, he is, he has changed the identity of his football team. Um, his ability
02:44to make people miss his ability to yards after contact his ability, as we saw last week and in
02:52the two runs, take it to the house, um, is, is amazing. And it's changed the Kansas city chiefs.
02:59It helps their protection. It sets up the play action passing game, which leads to explosive
03:05plays. Um, I, you know, the thing is Travis, I think, I don't know where he found, maybe he found
03:11some fountain of youth in Spain or somewhere else, but my God, Travis looks, looks amazing. And if they
03:19were thinking about this being his last year, I don't know, you know, he he's, he looks like he
03:24could play another two or three years. He looked, he looks great. And the offense looks
03:29great. And I think they are back. And I think when you're talking about the AFC,
03:35you know, who do I trust? I mean, I still like Denver. I think Jacksonville is, is a really,
03:42really good football team. Uh, Liam Cullen is a really good coach and they've got a good,
03:47good young quarterback. And, you know, he's realizing his, I think his abilities.
03:52As for the Raiders three, you know, starts, they just went toe to toe with Kansas city and,
03:57you know, could have absolutely won that game. And look, you don't get moral victories in the NFL.
04:02I picked the Raiders to win that game and I came away even more impressed by this team
04:08in any way, shape or form. Howie did that loss in any way, make you even more convinced that the
04:14Raiders are for real and or moving in the right direction? Well, I, you know, I think after the first
04:21three games, you, you were thinking, okay, you know, I, I'm, I'm, you know, I was, I was there
04:28when, when Clint Kubiak came in and had his press conference opening, opening up a new kind of era
04:35for, for, you know, the Las Vegas Raiders. I call us the Southwest Raiders. And, uh, you know,
04:43he was exhausted, you know, I mean, I, you know, this is a press conference and he's,
04:48to me, he's a football guy. He's comes from a football family. Uh, he's, uh, he's a guy who
04:55is, is big on faith. He's big on, you know, uh, accountability. He's big on, you know, we want
05:03to have an identity. We want to have a culture. He wants to create that. He's not going to win
05:07the
05:07press conference. You know, you know, that day was so funny because I, it was obvious the whole
05:12family, his wife and his kids there. And, and, you know, it's a, it's a special day and
05:17he was exhausted. They were exhausted. Uh, but he is a culture changer. He's, he's obviously
05:25a guy who, uh, understands X's and O's and, you know, understands what kind of identity
05:32they want to have. They want to run the football. They want to be physical. One of the first things
05:36I think they needed to do was get the offensive line changed, uh, and get it stable.
05:42And it's, you know, is it where they want it to be? Probably not, but you know, it's,
05:47it's three quarters of the way of being there. And they made a couple of really good additions
05:52included centers, huge addition. Um, Brock Bowers coming back from after four weeks from surgery
06:00and, you know, he's just impossible. He's, he's a positionless player. He's a tight end.
06:06Who's playing essentially wide receiver and he's running number one wide receiver routes
06:12and he's being covered by the number one corner. Um, and Kirk cousins, if you, you, if AI created
06:20a guy that you wanted to mentor Fernando, uh, he would be it. I mean, do they have the two
06:29nerdiest
06:30quarterbacks? You're never going to ever, ever worry about the two quarterbacks ever getting
06:36in trouble in Vegas. Yeah. So I think they've, they've made all the right moves and I think,
06:41you know, it's a grownup organization and it's being run the right way, right way. And I think
06:48the defense is flying around. I'm glad to see Max's is still there. I'm a big, big fan of Max's.
06:54I think
06:54he's, uh, he's a dog and you know, the Kobe Dean is, uh, is a guy that, uh, I'm sure
07:01Philadelphia
07:01would like to have right now. Um, and I think they're headed in the right direction. That's the
07:07thing is there a competent functioning team that is going to improve every day, every week. And there's
07:15a level of expectation. It's a culture, as I said, it's an identity. And, uh, I, I, I think it's
07:22headed
07:23in the right direction. Yeah. And with that said, Howie, and you touched on a lot there and I think
07:26it's great. I mean, Bowers is, is special. I mean, absolutely special. I mean, he's the best,
07:32he was, he was the best tight end in college football when he walked on the campus in Georgia.
07:36And that's Georgia, by the way. It's crazy. Yeah. A hundred percent. And you referenced the defense.
07:42I mean, when everything was going on with Max in the off season, I was rooting for this because
07:48look, he should be a Raider forever. And they already had a really good off season on
07:52defense. So I don't know about you. I'm just thrilled with the way this defense is played.
07:57It's been a minute now for the Raiders. Yeah. And, and I think it's, it won. It's,
08:04it's coaching, it's culture. It's, it's understanding the system. Uh, there's an
08:09expectation every day. Um, you know, listen, uh, if I got hooked once or twice, I didn't want to go
08:16into the, you know, film room the next day. I mean, I, it, it, you have to hold yourself to
08:22a
08:23bigger standard. And, and I think, uh, you know, listen, we had the stadium, we had the practice
08:28facility. Now we have a football team that I think is moving in the right direction and it's only going
08:34to get better and better and better. And when you talk about that organizational structure,
08:38and it's been a minute now where you have Mark Davis, Tom Brady, spy tech, Kubiak, the assistants,
08:45everyone's on the same page. And that's big. It's everything, right? I mean, that, that's
08:50everything for this organization. Yeah. And, and I think, you know, when you've got the young
08:56quarterback, uh, listen, you know, people will debate, you know, do you play him now? Do you,
09:02you know, I think they did the right thing. And I think Kirk Cousins has played great.
09:06Obviously he's played great. Um, I think when you're talking about
09:14he's a, he, what do you have five years in college? I think he had five years in college
09:18and, you know, he was at a Cal, he was at Indiana and wins a national championship. He would, he
09:25was
09:26eight snaps, eight snaps in five years between Cal and Indiana under center. And a lot of his throws
09:36were outside the numbers. And as you know, in our league, you know, you've got to work the middle
09:40of the field and, you know, the middle of the field is like, you know, the four or five freeway
09:45in the 10, you know, it's, it, there's a lot going on in there, you know, and you're a lot
09:50of
09:50anticipation throws and timing and, you know, it's taking the snap. It's, it's getting the,
09:56the protection, right. Understanding where to go with the ball, uh, where are you, where are your
10:01reads? It's one, two, three, and to have the opportunity. And I, I kind of, I, I liken it to,
10:09you know, it's Andy and Patrick, maybe, you know, early on when, you know, you've got a really talented
10:16guy in Patrick, you want them to kind of, Hey, take a second here, take a beat. Let's, let's get
10:22you in practice. Let's get you with the team in the off season. Uh, take a look at how a
10:28pros pro
10:28does it. And Kirk Cousins is a pros pro. Let's get into a monster game between the Seahawks
10:34and the Niners coming up this week on the NFL and Fox. I mean, I'm obsessed with this. I think
10:38the
10:39Niners have been, if I was doing a power ranking, Howie, best team in the league so far, Brock Purdy
10:43has been MVP quality. What has stood out in your opinion, watching it when you look at the Niners
10:49and their offense and what are you expecting to see in this incredible showdown on Fox on Sunday?
10:55Um, I, you know, one, it's a great, it's a great game. You know, that, that, that division
11:01is, is a gangbuster really. Uh, I think, um, I think the guy who's, who's coaching out there
11:13in San Francisco is, is really special. I think it's, it's, it's amazing to me that, you know,
11:22he doesn't have a Superbowl championship yet. And, you know, for whatever reason, whether it's,
11:27you know, in Atlanta as an assistant and it's, you know, a couple of visits with San Francisco,
11:32um, Kyle is, uh, one of the most innovative play callers and, and, uh, and, and also in terms of
11:42drawing it up and, and implementing it and coaching it and everyone knowing exactly what they're doing.
11:48I mean, you just don't see people make mistakes in that system. And I think what they've done this
11:54year is interesting. You know, they're usually a wide zone, you know, kind of a classic Shanahan
12:00kind of zone run. They've gone with a lot more gap. They've gone with a lot more duo,
12:06which means double team blocks at the point of attack. They've gone with some really creative
12:11counters with motion tied to it with the motion runner coming in and either getting the ball or
12:18being a blocker and fitting into gaps. You know, the things that they're doing in, you know, LA and,
12:26and in San Francisco and, and you're seeing what the Raiders, you know, I, it, the creativity
12:31of that tree, that tree has, has produced a lot of really, really good coaches, uh, the West coast
12:40tree and, and, and, and they've taken it on and made it their own. You know, Sean McVay does this.
12:46It's three tight ends. It's one wide receiver. Now the tight ends are banged up. He's got two wide
12:51receivers. Thankfully, uh, with San Francisco, it's, you know, it's always going to be the staple is
12:58always going to be our run game. Uh, and, you know, they have an ageless left tackle who's,
13:05you know, so good. People don't realize that it's like, you know, not enough people are talking about
13:10how great Lane Johnson was, uh, today. And, you know, that's a, that's a whole nother topic, but
13:18I hear people saying, well, you know, he's winding down. He's not that good. Not that good.
13:24Put a film on my God. Are you kidding me? Let's, let's not, let's not, uh, let's not go into
13:32things
13:32you know, nothing about. Uh, you know, you want to have an opinion on, you know, leaving, not leaving,
13:38you know, I, I think it's a personal thing. And, uh, and I, I, I pray for Lane and his
13:44family,
13:44you know, uh, that's all I have to say about it. Well, and let's talk about Lane and the Eagles
13:50for a
13:50second. And, and first on Lane, because honestly, to me, he's, he's a Canton guy in five years.
13:56Like you look at the wins and losses, what, what he's meant to that team winning a couple of Super
14:01Bowls. I mean, you know, I hope he's okay. Hope his family's okay. Howie we're talking about to me,
14:08a Mount Rushmore, Philadelphia Eagle. And seriously, in the history of that great organization,
14:14one of the all-time great right tackles. I agree. And for anyone to say anything other than that is,
14:22is really a, it's a shame. Uh, you know, listen, I can't walk in somebody else's shoes, you know,
14:30and you can't walk in my shoes. I don't know what's going on in your life. I don't know what's
14:33going on in Lane's life. And, you know, Lane, Lane at the end of the day will, will be, uh,
14:39be someone who will address, I'm sure any and all questions at some point, but, uh, I, I, I,
14:47nothing but respect for him and, and understand he's had some, some challenges over the years. And,
14:53uh, but one thing you can't dispute is how great a player he was, uh, period. And, uh, he's the
15:01big,
15:02he, he is along with that offensive line that was great, uh, are in great part responsible for the
15:10Superbowls. Oh, without question. I echo that completely. And to me, he was always the best.
15:16And, you know, their offensive line coach who retired Southland, he was fantastic. So how about
15:22the Eagles now moving forward and the trade Juergens and, you know, the offense looks broken and
15:28injuries and every team's hurt, right? Barkley's hurt. And, you know, Bigsby's hurt and Smith is
15:33hurt. And Jalen hurts hasn't played well and a new offensive coordinator. And that hasn't worked. And
15:39you referenced Jacksonville. I think Jacksonville is a terrific all around team. I think it's a tough
15:45matchup coming up for Philadelphia. What do you expect for the Eagles in London? What do you expect
15:49from the Eagles the rest of the way? Uh, it's tough. First, let's address the, the system. Um,
15:57you know, it's, it's been well documented that, you know, Jalen has had to go through a number
16:04of different systems and changes each year. The thing that's to me is different is with
16:12the other systems he had to adapt, you know, subtle changes and how they do things, but it
16:19was in the same kind of neighborhood. This system that he's going to this year and that offense
16:25is going to is, is a totally different system. It's a West coast. It's, it's all the, all the
16:32bells and whistles and throwing the ball across the middle of the field and, you know, uh, all of that.
16:38And, uh, it's a big change. And while you're doing that, you're the interior offensive line is kind of
16:46falling apart. Um, you know, the two tackles, you know, at least before, before Lane, uh, opted to
16:54retire, uh, the two tackles were kind of, you know, you could, those are two guys you can pretty much
17:00count on. Uh, the interior was a challenge and to get the kind of runs they wanted to get, uh,
17:08and get
17:09the wide zone and all of that. And it sounds good coming out of camp. And it's also an adjustment
17:15for a Saquon Barkley. He's never played in that kind of system. It's a great point. You know, it's
17:20like you, you, you're, it's a go and then cut back. Uh, I, I don't know that that's necessarily
17:28something you could see. They were, they were all kind of laboring to try to, to try to fit a
17:34square
17:34peg in a round hole. Um, and Jalen, you know, listen, he, I, I, he was Super Bowl MVP and
17:43won
17:43Super Bowl and was the best player on the field and the other, uh, and you know, you could, that's
17:48no, no slight to Patrick and Patrick obviously took them down and they won the game and, uh,
17:55and, and a questionable call at the end of the game on a, an interference call. Uh, but
18:02it's, it's, it's, I, I'm not sure it's kind of an, the, the rest is still unwritten, you know,
18:09with him, uh, because he's got to change and got to challenge him. And, uh, the pieces around him
18:17aren't what he's used to being around. Listen, he played at Alabama. He played at Oklahoma and you
18:24come to an Eagles team that has the best offensive line on the planet and, you know, you've got
18:30capable wide receivers and, you know, great running backs and now that's not there. And, you know,
18:38it's, it's, is it more of a challenge yet? It's, it's a significant challenge. And, uh, I'm, I'm
18:45hopeful that he pulls through it and, you know, he seems like he's a, he's a tough kid and, you
18:51know,
18:51he'll get through it, but, uh, I'm not sure where the, it's, has the door closed? Yeah. It's,
18:57I think it's pretty. Yeah. Yeah. I think it is on this version of the Eagles. I think the door
19:04is
19:05closing. Yeah. I agree with you. And I don't think that's reactionary. And I picked Dallas
19:11preseason to win the division. I'm not one of those. It's like, Oh, Dallas every year. No,
19:15no, no, that that's not me. I felt like this was Dallas's time to shine. And listen,
19:21I still think the Cowboys are going to win that division. What's your take on the Cowboys?
19:26I think so too. I think when they get their offensive line healthy, uh, the run game will
19:31come back like it was last year. Um, when you have the ability to run the football the way they
19:39did last
19:39year, uh, and, you know, tie that into the play action pass game with those two, you know, freak
19:46show wide receivers. Uh, you know, I mean, it's just, it's, it's, you just don't see two wide receivers
19:54on the same team like that. Uh, they're two different guys to a great extent, but they're both number ones
20:02and, uh, CD just lit it up last week. Uh, and Dak is, Dak is probably the most underrated quarterback
20:12in the league. Um, you know, I, and, and I'm not sure why, because he plays for the Dallas Cowboys.
20:19Um, but you know, you get, he gets lost in the shuffle, you know, to a certain extent. Um,
20:26you know, when you talk about quarterbacks, it's, it's always the same kind of,
20:30at least there's a short list and, and then, you know, it's, oh, and by the way, yeah, Dak's
20:35put up some really good numbers. Uh, I think it's, what it is, is, you know, the end of the
20:40year
20:41is what you judge quarterbacks. It, it appears that seems to be the kind of barometer on quarterbacks.
20:49I'm with you on Dak. I think he's underrated. I had him, you know, preseason as a top six guy,
20:54I would say at this stage, he's even more than that. And I thought I was being fair. So
20:58I'm with you. How about John Harbaugh on the New York football giants? I mean,
21:02first place in the division, it's not going to sustain, but Howie to me, that's coaching. I mean,
21:09you see the young stud on defense, Arbel Reese, he's been unreal. I'm just impressed with the
21:14coaching, how the giants have dealt with adversity. What has impressed you the most about the giants?
21:20Well, he's, he's, you know, John's a, he's a, he's a grown grownup, you know, and, and he,
21:28he's been in the league for a long time. I, I remember covering him when he was in Philadelphia
21:34and he was a special teams coach. Um, one thing that people don't realize about special teams
21:41coaches, there's no coach on the team that touches more players that comes in contact with more players
21:48than the special teams coach. And, you know, his ability, I think to reach people in the room,
21:54you know, what, listen, there's a guy that gets up there on Monday morning and, you know, gives you
21:59kind of, you know, this is, this is where we are. This is the state of the union. You know,
22:03we are quarterbacks down, you know, we've, we've got some injuries. Um, it's, it's a big boy league,
22:11you know, we got to move forward. You know, uh, we need our backup quarterback to step it up.
22:15We need the run game to, to be here and we need the defense to play great. And you young
22:20guys on
22:20defense, you're going to have to help us out and carry this a bit. We're going to have to play
22:24great
22:24on special teams. We can't turn the football over, you know, if we're going to win games,
22:28it's going to be ugly. And, you know, he'll, he'll paint the picture and give them the, the kind of
22:35the roadmap to getting there. And his expectations, I think, are as you would imagine a hardball coach
22:42team to be, uh, you know, he's, uh, he's a really unique guy. I'm still very much buying the Rams
22:51this
22:51year. Are you? I am. Um, I, I was a little bit disappointed last week. I agree with that.
23:00Yeah. Um, I was a little bit disappointed last week. I think, uh, you know, he, you know, they're,
23:11they're, they don't have one right now. They don't have a closure on third down,
23:16you know, really a, a, a real closer, uh, just a guy who just throws the fear of God into
23:22you,
23:23you know? Um, and I think that impacts them and they've had some injuries in the secondary and,
23:29um, you know, the, the offense has been somewhat, you know, it's kind of, it goes into these kind
23:38of, they hit these patches of, of kind of, they just get, get bogged down. And I'm not sure why
23:45last year was three tight ends and, you know, it's a one wide receiver and, you know, they ran into
23:50a
23:50problem with wide receivers and, you know, they said, well, let's do this. Let's do three tight
23:55ends. Let's run our, you know, our, our run game off of this. They, they're pre-snap motions. I
24:01think Sean McVay is brilliant. Uh, I thought he was going to explode last week on the side. I mean,
24:08he just, he looks like he's just going to explode. He's, he's so invested in, you know, it's like
24:15everything. Uh, he wants to win so badly. Uh, and you know, he understands he's, he comes from a
24:23family that's been around football for a long time. So he understands what it's all about. And,
24:28uh, you know, you're, you're, the clock is ticking on your quarterback and, you know, uh, he realizes
24:34that years are, are, you know, short and, you know, you have an opportunity. We're in a division
24:41that's really tough. And, you know, they're going to be watching this San Francisco game,
24:46uh, Seattle game, like everybody else. Seattle's kind of taken a little bit,
24:54you know, they were so dominant defensively, you know, last year, particularly at the end of the
24:59season. I mean, they're, he's so creative in his play calling and how he, how he runs it,
25:05the run blitzes, the, the, you know, the, the false, the false blitzes, you know, he's just
25:12shows this and brings this and drops this. And he's got guys dropping and blitzing from everywhere.
25:17And then the fits, if you have, it's kind of like, kind of like Minnesota, you know,
25:23when you run that kind of system, everyone has to be in the right place. If you're going to play
25:29in
25:29Minnesota, you better be smart. If you're going to play for, you know, the Seattle Seahawks defense,
25:36you know, uh, you better be smart because it's complex and it's, it's a lot to deal with.
25:43Uh, they've taken a little bit of a step back in terms of points allowed. Um, I'm not quite sure,
25:49you know, they've had some, they've, you know, they've lost some people, but, uh, I think they'll,
25:53by, by the time things get serious, they'll be, they'll be right where they need to be.
25:57Howie, I love Ben Johnson. I love these bears and, you know, no Caleb Williams, no problem. And
26:04that's, you know, such a credit to the coaching, such a credit to the offensive line. You know,
26:09here it is, it's bears Packers week coming up on Fox and, you know, there's no Caleb Williams and
26:14you have Chicago on the road at Lambeau favored in this football game, which never happens. It's
26:21kind of crazy, but it feels right. How does Ben Johnson take this team to a different level?
26:27How does he strangle the opposition?
26:33Um, he's, you know, and we have a number of them in the league right now. You know,
26:37we talked about, we talked about Sean McVay. Uh, um, you know, we talked about Shanahan,
26:44you know, uh, I think, you know, you, you put this guy, he's fast approaching that,
26:50that kind of conversation. Um, the key is, I think this is you get a young quarterback like
26:59that. Who's, who's just so talented, right? He's been the best guy on his team in Pop Warner
27:06and high school, in college. And he, I think the guys that are that talented at any position,
27:15but particularly a quarterback, which is such a detailed position, you know, there's so much you
27:21have to know and so many things you have to account for and, and anticipate. And, you know,
27:28you, you, you're kind of the face of the team and the whole thing, you know, there's a reason why
27:32they get paid what they get paid. Um, I think Ben Johnson challenged Caleb Williams, uh, for the
27:41first time to be, you know, listen, this is the standard. This is how you prepare. This is what
27:49the expectation is. This is what we want you to do. This is how you practice. This is how you
27:54meet.
27:54This is how you look at film, the whole thing. And to his credit, I think he's bought in.
28:00And I think the sky's the limit for the bears. I mean, you know, the job Dennis Allen's done on
28:06defense. Yes. Great point. You know, coming into the season, I'm like, they're a player or two on
28:13defense. You know, they need a closer at a defensive end, maybe, uh, or they could use another
28:19corner or, you know, there's things that you need. They turned the ball over at a crazy pace last year.
28:26And you said, there's no way you could possibly duplicate that. You know, it's just impossible
28:32to do. And, uh, he's really done a great job, uh, particularly over the last three weeks.
28:39Howie, last one for you. You're on the short list of most decorated Villanova alum. You arrived on
28:45campus at Nova in 1977, same year, another famous alum graduated Pope Leo. Now that of course,
28:53you know, we're talking about the Pope. So have you now been bumped down the Villanova depth chart?
28:59Oh, I don't know about that. I mean, I, I went down there as a 16 year old, uh, for
29:05a recruiting
29:05visit. I was a 17 year old freshman, uh, in 77. Uh, he was there. He graduated that year. Uh,
29:14uh, the year I went down there, uh, for, uh, my recruiting trip, obviously I, you know, I didn't,
29:20I didn't know the Pope was there, you know, at school, but I think everybody at Villanova is,
29:25is thrilled. He seems to be, uh, such an exceptional, uh, person and, you know, uh, Pope, uh, I think
29:33we're, listen, it's, it's not a bad thing to have a Villanova guy, you know, the Vatican, you know,
29:40I mean, what are you ever, so I, so I got that going for me, which is nice.
29:45You'll take it between Brunson and the Knicks and you got the Pope and the White Sox and Howie
29:50Long. It's good stuff. We lent the Knicks three, what, three players. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We'll take
29:56it. Of course, you can watch Howie on the NFL on Fox every single Sunday. How are you the best?
30:01We
30:01appreciate it. Good talking with you, partner.