00:01it's time to get into football with Ross Tucker every Thursday joins us to talk about the NFL
00:06and our Lions Ross brought to you by Nationwide you're you're joining us this morning good morning
00:12what's up guys how are you uh we're doing good and uh thanks again for joining us Ross I I've
00:17got a I got to get a follow-up on last week because you had mentioned that you were doing
00:21the Chargers game and obviously we know Mike McDaniel and Jim Harbaugh different cats what
00:28did what was your take on being sitting in a room with those guys yeah I mean well as we
00:37talked
00:38about last week sitting in a room with Jim Harbaugh is an interesting interesting um session um I don't
00:47really know how else I can describe it other than that um you know I you don't you don't learn
00:54a lot
00:55about the team I guess is probably the best way to describe it and I think that that is
01:00uh by design and that's fine and that's his way of going about it I will say it's just it's
01:07very
01:07interesting because both of them like extra bodies you know they both like having extra fullbacks and
01:16tight ends there so on that part of it it feels like symbiotic and that they're on the same page
01:25then you look at them and like maybe we talked about this last week but McDaniel has like the capri
01:31uh rolled up and these crazy expensive sneakers and Harbaugh's like out there wearing cleats in his
01:37khaki pants and um it doesn't they don't look like guys that would hang out socially and I think we
01:43talked about I would love love to just um have a camera and audio of their conversations together
01:50but I mean guys they had they had four rookies starting along the offensive line three of whom
01:56were starting their first game ever in the NFL that hadn't happened in like over 50 years three rookies
02:02all getting their first start together the same day and you know with McDaniel they have all that
02:08pre-snap motion and shifting and I think that's pretty hard when you got all these new guys out
02:15there yeah I just don't know I think a lot I think that stuff works when you're like the 49ers
02:20and you've
02:21got guys like Kittle and use check that have been doing it for years it feels like the the charges
02:26are
02:27trying to do that with um guys they just picked up off the street you know or off practice squad
02:32a few
02:32weeks ago I don't know that it works as well so let me ask you this because I was going
02:36to ask you like
02:37why it has been so bad for the charges this year and I know injuries are a big part of
02:42that
02:42but how much of it is on the play of Justin Herbert a decent amount I mean you go back
02:50to the Seahawks
02:51game well let's go to the last three games they've turned the bills over five times they had a great
02:59chance to win it Herbert threw a really bad interception in a one score game late to Gardner
03:04Johnson the next week against Seattle they ended up battling back and he did a nice job
03:10in the second half and they only lost by a touchdown but he had grooved two interceptions
03:17that were just really bad to write to Seattle defenders like so bad that if the guy didn't pick
03:26it off there was another defensive guy behind him that would have that's a bad sign that's bad
03:32um and then this past game you know they scored a couple touchdowns in the third quarter they're
03:38getting it going a little bit and then in the fourth quarter you know he fumbled once guys where
03:46his center kicked the ball out of his hands so I just want you to think about that but you
03:52know
03:52something has gone terribly wrong if you fumble because the center kicks the ball out of your hands
03:57five seconds into the play and then he threw another horrendous interception where it looks
04:04like he doesn't see the guy he is struggling there's no question certainly I think what he
04:11would probably tell you and it's true when you don't have lad McConkie or Quinton Johnson and then
04:17Trey Harris gets hurt during the game and you get all these backup linemen I think he's trying to do
04:22too much and it's not going well insider calls presented by Nationwide for your insurance and
04:29financial needs Nationwide is on your side we're talking to Ross Tucker we'll get to the game you're
04:34on this week because it also deals with another team and some questions and dysfunction but we're on
04:38our Lions they go into a bye week with a winning record three and two they beat Arizona it's their
04:43most convincing performance of the year how do you feel about our football team
04:48I feel like they're going to be in the mix until the very end I feel like they're highly
04:54entertaining it's funny because I really watched their game against Carolina in detail this week you
05:04know I watched it on TV the other night but really watched it in detail against Carolina because I have
05:11the Panthers and Eagles on Sunday and that was such a winnable game I mean the defense got torched
05:20by Tedderola McMillan and we could talk about that in Bryce Young to me that especially with the other
05:26injuries that the line that the Panthers had on offense with no Coker and no Leggett I think it's
05:33unacceptable how much they let McMillan almost single-handedly beat them in that game
05:40but they still could have won the game if they weren't settling for field goals you know I mean
05:45if they hadn't been settling for field goals they still probably would have won that game
05:49defensively they were better against Arizona their offense is just outrageous you know golf is playing
05:55at such a high level I think they are going to be right there in the mix both in the
06:00NFC North
06:00and in the playoffs and I think if they can just get the defense to be okay I think they'll
06:08have a
06:08puncher's chance in the playoffs if they get there the defense doesn't have to be good they're not
06:13going to be good but if the defense can just be okay just not be like bottom five with the
06:20way
06:20this offense is playing the Lions are going to could be a tough out in the playoffs we all take
06:26grades
06:28position grades individual grades with a grain of salt but Juice Scruggs if you look at PFF and some
06:33others has graded extremely well some even say he's played so far as graded out as the highest center
06:40in the NFL Cade Mays is coming back that's the big free agent signing that the Lions had what do
06:47you do
06:47with with Juice Scruggs when Cade Mays comes back and is there a world where they don't rush Cade Mays
06:54back because they're getting really good play out of Juice a thousand percent I and you you probably know
07:00this job but three years of my career I I was so bad in one-on-one that nobody ever
07:05wanted me to start
07:06the opener you know but then there were three years in a row where a guy got hurt I went
07:13in there
07:13in Dallas 0-2 Buffalo 0-3 Buffalo 0-4 and I played well enough and we were winning enough
07:21that even when
07:22that guy got healthy again they just left me in there coaches are really hesitant really hesitant
07:30to mess with what's working it puts them in a tough spot because they did pay what they did for
07:37Mays
07:38and they do like Scruggs I think as the swing inside guy but I don't know I mean I wouldn't
07:47take
07:47him out that's just me I mean look Cade Mays is not is not prime Frank Ragnall okay Cade Mays
07:54is a
07:55nice player but he's not some star center or some unbelievable player that you feel like oh my gosh
08:02we got to get Cade Mays out there he's a difference maker I don't think he's that and I think
08:08you make
08:09sure he's super duper 100 percent number one and my guess is at some point there might be another
08:17injury where it would resolve itself meaning you put Mays maybe you put Mays in a guard and keep
08:24juice at center or maybe when there's another injury to mahogany or ratledge or someone maybe
08:29you move Scruggs over and put Mays in but I mean they're scoring over 30 points every game I
08:35I wouldn't I wouldn't touch it I would not move Scruggs unless there's something going on there
08:41that that we don't know um I'd leave him in there I I I do not mess with something that's
08:46working this
08:47well it's a good problem to have yeah Ross I like when it works out this way where you are
08:51on the
08:52call of a game that we have locally so on CBS the early window Carolina at Philadelphia people here in
08:58Detroit can watch that game what are they going to see with Philly because it feels like a situation
09:03where it could get ugly quick well so what's wild about that is they were eight seconds away
09:11from arguably the most impressive regular season win of Nick Sirianni's career put it in perspective
09:20here guys not only did Saquon Barkley not play but his backup tanks big tank base he was out in
09:27the
09:27third string running back Will Shipley got hurt during the game so they were down to two guys they
09:32bumped up from the practice squad for the game Devante Smith by far their best receiver did not
09:38play their center and left guard that started the game neither one had ever played an NFL game before
09:45ever the right tackle is a rookie making his second start because Lane Johnson surprisingly retired
09:52I think the Jaguars are super good I think the Jags are a top five team the fact that the
09:57Eagles
09:58I never had any problem whatsoever with sudden death it's meant to get an outcome it's meant
10:06to get a winner I never heard anybody complain about it when we were playing I understand you can't
10:12maybe you don't want to do that in the playoffs but for a regular season game I have always been
10:16a fan
10:17of sudden death you had 60 minutes to win it and they by the way maybe more teams will then
10:22go for too late
10:22because they don't want to take the chance on the coin toss not a fan of ties I hate them
10:27I'm with you
10:28he's Ross Tucker Ross appreciate it we'll talk to you next week
10:32sounds great see you guys NFL insider call presented by Nationwide for your insurance and financial needs
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