November 18, 2025 • 33 mins
Daniel Jeremiah, Bucky Brooks and Rhett Lewis are back with a new episode of Move the Sticks! They open the show by debating team identity versus versatility (1:01), then make their Week 12 Rookie Draft picks (12:57) and spotlight Eagles DC Vic Fangio as their Coordinator of the Week (18:32). They wrap up by discussing Virginia Tech hiring James Franklin as its next head coach and predicting who could replace him at Penn State (25:39).
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
And now move the sticks with Daniel, Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
What's up, everybody?
Speaker 3 (00:07):
Welcome to move the sixs, DJ, Bucky and Rhett back together.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Buck.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
I don't know if Fred will ever stop wearing Indiana
gare unless they lose a game. I don't know that's
gonna happen at this point. It's a tradition, like I
got to keep it rolling.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
I mean, look between what they're doing on the field
and Mendoza being a guy that we're gonna have to
talk about if he declares for the draft, it's gonna
be a lot of I used to just a lot
of who, a lot of just a lot of who
you love just going around. So I'm making peace with
being able to see the Crimson cream over and over
and over again.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yeah, get used to it, man. We have our rookie
stuff coming up here. In a minute, we'll get to
the rookie Draft. We also have our Coordinator of the Week,
which we'll hit, and then a big higher in college football,
which was talk about a quick turnaround for James Frankment.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
We'll get to that and just a little bit as well.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
But I I want to have this quick conversation with
You had this one on a show the other day,
and it's a conversation I've had with somebodies around the
league on the coaching side of things. And you know, Buck,
I think we've had this before, but I'd love to
love you get your take on it again, and just
from from doing these college games and you're seeing successful
teams and obviously they all do it different ways, but
(01:20):
this was this is the construct of the argument here
or the debate. Are you better off like trying to
have the variety and the snowflake nature of an offense
or defense to be able to morphine, change and to
challenge and to give you different looks each and every week,
or are you better off? Simple simon, we do what
(01:42):
we do and you're going to have to try and
stop it, and we know and we're not going to
give you any bus. You know, defensively, offensively you can
know what's coming. We can still execute you. Buck, Why
don't you hit us off on that one, because it's
a real fascinating discussion.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
It's funny as you say that, because DJ, like, one
of the things I love doing is looking at the
great coaches over time, and some of this has come
from like the pro football things. So you talk about
the Vncelambardies, the Don Shulers, and those guys would tell
you that it's better to do what you do and
master it, Like Vince Lombardi would tell you that he
simplicity is everything. Repetition, master it, and then just be
(02:17):
great at it because we do it far more than
you can prepare for it. So when we match up,
we're going to do it better than you. I fall
into that camp. I would rather the guys know exactly
what they're doing, don't try and trick them and use
gimmicks in those things, line up, play and make execution everything.
So I'm into that. I think it's too hard to
(02:38):
have a bunch of guys that can change each week
with new schemes. I would rather them settle in and
let the repetitions lead to great execution down the lot.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
I fear not the man who practices ten thousand kicks,
for the practices kick ten thousand times great person lead
quote yes indeed, and might as well be a Phil
Parker quote defensive coordinator at Iowa, because yes, Max Llewellen
is going to line up at left defensive end on
every snap.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
You can hurt it.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
It's going to line up at right defensive end on
every snap. Same with the corners. It's almost like Peyton Manning,
Reggie Wayne, and Marvin Harrison running offense right. They're gonna
be on one side and they're going to know what
they're doing. And I think that I think there is
something to be said for that. But it also has
to be the DNA of the head coach. It has
(03:25):
to be the way that you want your program run.
If it also has to be you have to commit
to a developmental program, to a developmental pipeline. If you
can't win that way, if you don't have the personnel,
if you don't have the coaches to develop like you're
going to be have to. You have to turn it
over with personnel and with scheme each week to try
to maximize you know, what you got out there. So
(03:48):
I do. I don't think it's hard and fast one
way or the other. But I think I mean, like,
look at look at the consistent success of Kirk Ferns
at Iowa. I think it's like one of the one
of the greatest. You can say what you want about
lack of excitement on offense and whatever, but I think
Tim Luster has actually done a really nice job there.
I just I think there is something to be said
(04:09):
for that, because those guys that go into that IOWA program,
like this kid, Zach Lumer, who's basically Cooper dejen Light,
which will actually tie in nicely with our defensive coordinator
discussion coming up here. You know, the guy had been
in the program for three years before he started. How
often you say that in college football now rare? It's rare,
(04:30):
But he's really good when he gets into the lineup,
he knows what he's doing, he's been practicing it. It's
time on task, and I just I think that's really important.
I think you could even say that for a team
like USC, like you better believe they're gonna run counter
because it's kind of who they become that two Lincoln
Riley's become and they've gotten really good at it, and
so like, I think there is something to be said
(04:50):
for that. But I think I can also see it
the other way, like where you're trying to do whatever
you can to get the best product on the field.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
So this arose from a conversation I have with Rock
Huery brought you were to ask Mike McDonald this, you know,
because think about them, they've been in that market in
Seattle and they've seen Pete Carroll cover three. We're doing
what we're doing and we're going to play it and
there's not much mystery to what we're doing.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
And they've been dominant. And then Mike McDonald comes a
little more.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
You get a little more variation with what you're doing.
So his whole thing was where where do you fall
on that? And he said, it's a sliding scale. You know,
it's you know, I don't know that.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
He said.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Now, if if you're trying to have the perfect call
to stop every single play, he said, you're going to
have sometimes some plays some games, or you're going to
be unbelievably dominant because you have the perfect thing to
counter what they're doing. He said, in the other games,
you're going to look terrible because you're gonna you know,
you're going to be wrong. And then you know it's
just and they're trying to be Are you too simple?
Are you too complex? It's that sliding scale and finding
(05:45):
where you are. But I was just thinking about it
because you mentioned the Colts Red. Yeah, you know that was, Hey,
we don't motion, we line up and we run what
we run.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Guys are where, you know, and it's it's that precision.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
I think about the Cowboys the nineties, they ran their
buck played against some that was the three or four
run plays. This is what they do and they're going
to physically dominate you. But I'm looking at take this
week and I'm watching the stuff Mike McDaniel's doing and
how creative that was in the run game like it was.
It was fun to watch all the different things they
were doing in the eye candy and they were cashing people.
(06:17):
I look at Ben Johnson, who's got one of the
hottest teams in football right now in the Chicago Bears,
and all that he gives you to think about with
the variety and the variation to what he does, the creativity.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
So I just think it's interesting you.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Kind of I've always looked at it going back to
my time in Baltimore Buck, which was man. We had
the guys on defense and it was like, we don't
just line up and make them block us like that.
You know, we can lock up on the outside. We
don't need to do any of that stuff. And it
would get frustrating sometimes when I felt like we did
get a little too complex or complicated, like this isn't
Princeton versus Georgetown here, like we don't have to we
(06:52):
don't have to do anything crazy here. This is line
up and let these guys play. But there are different ways.
I don't think what I'm getting as I don't think
there's the one way versus the other ways right and wrong.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
So it's funny, right, So I'm taking notes and I'm
thinking about this, and I'm thinking about it from a
collegiate standpoint. I think it's understanding who you are and
where you are in the pecking order of programs in
terms of the number of players that you can get.
So when Rent brings up Iowa, my eyes naturally go
to Army because of my relationship with there, and I
think about the old Wisconsin when you're not able to
(07:22):
get all the five stars. I think there's a saying
where they talk about be better or be different, And
so if you're not better personnel wised, then you have
to be different in terms of either what you're doing
and how you do it, but you have to do
it so well that it becomes an advantage. So that's
one thing. Then there's another thing, which you can say
with five stars of well, if I'm better than you,
(07:44):
I ain't got to trick you. I just let them
give the ball to my best players. And so there's
this fine line between you have to know who you are,
who you're always going to be able to recruit and
bring it to the program, what their capacity to learn is,
and then I think you have to understand the coaches
that you have because the Mike McDonald thing, as they
told me about, They actually told me that when he
(08:04):
went to Baltimore, he simplified a lot of the concepts
because they were so whatever that he tied them together.
And then from a teaching standpoint, he taught conceptually, meaning hey,
this is the concept, we'll change the personnel. But everyone
has to understand it. But man, it takes great teachers
to be able to present the information like that and
(08:25):
to get the players to retain it. So there are
a lot of factors that go into how your program
is going to be. But I see the pros and
cons of both ways. But it kind of seems like
all those things go back to simplicity, repetition, mastery.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
It's kind of straight that you have to do it mastery.
So I'm intrigued by signetty and I haven't got to try.
I know you guys are visitor with them. You know,
I'm obvious with value connections. But how would you describe
what they're doing or where they fall on that scale.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
I would say that there are a healthy mix there
because on defense will run some stuff now, and I
think it's because they have guys who have been in
the system for a long a bunch of smartness, smart dudes,
and they understand like it's you know, like just on
the defensive example, like they are a have it creating defense.
(09:15):
They are not worried about you got to be here,
this d lineman's got to be here, and you know
you're in a four eyne year. You've got to be
a just go. And then the linebackers are smart enough
and they have good enough instincts to make everybody right.
And they I mean they look, they do a bunch
of simulated pressures. They'll give you a bunch of different looks,
and like they are doing some some pretty complex stuff,
(09:35):
like I would say, more so than you would see
from let's say in Iowa. But I think it's also
a matter of philosophy that has been developed with that
defensive coordinator Brian Haynes, who should win the Broils Award
and should probably be a head coach here at some point.
But offensively, I think they've adapted really well. Like I
(09:56):
remember a Signetty telling a story where he was back
get Elon I want to say, and he's like, boy,
we got our butts kicked by Slippery Rock. And I
was like, you know what, I something's not right, this
thing's not working anymore. Let's go back to the drawing board.
Figure this thing out. That's when they started to integrate
the RPO a little bit more. And then when Tino
Sincerity came over and joined them at James Madison, he
(10:19):
brought another element to the RPO game that kind of
took the offense to another level that they continue to
evolve now. And it's just again, those guys have been
with him forever. Mike Shanahan's been with him for ten years,
Brian Haines been with him for ten years. They know
each other, they know what they do well. So there's
your time on task, which allows you to maybe add
(10:40):
some more complex things to each scheme because of the
trust that you have there.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
And it goes back to the Iowa stuff. So, like
you said about Io, when the coaches and the people
of Matt leaving and the continuity and coaching staff and
the trust that is built, where hey, this is what
we do, this is how we operate. There's this inherent
thing that even when Iowa those teams are rebuilding, they
still play you close because there's so sound in what
they do that it's a very tough dout. Yeah, and
(11:08):
there's some years where, man, the best version of Iowa
maybe eight and four, But every game they play, they
make people play their style. And to me, that's what
I love about college football is the great coaches. They
can lure you into that trap when you look up
and you're like, oh, man, in this game with Iowa,
where we look at our talent, we should be better
(11:30):
than But because they know the system, they know exactly
the leverage points of offense and defense, where they're vulnerable
and where they're strong at they stick to the script
and that's why they're able to win.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
How do you think Organ felt after playing Indiana? I mean,
it's a more talented team. I mean, let's just be
straight up honest about it. Right, If you go buy
you know the each player and where they were ranked
and all that kind of stuff. But there are certain
certain equalizers. And just to your point there on Iowa,
I mean all four of their losses have been one
possession games. To rank teams, yeah, well they have their identity.
(12:01):
Their identity is there's no gifts. We're not going to
give you the ball. We're not giving you the ball.
We're not gonna we're not going to blow coverages and
give up you know, huge plays. You got to beat us,
And that's kind of how they've But.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
It looked like, let's say, last week, as I have
for the Charges, right, you've seen how the Chargers have
re emerged as a team that's a heavyweight in the NFL.
Basically by doing that, if you don't turn the ball over,
you don't give up big plays, your sound in all
three phases. You eliminate your penalties or reduce them as
much as possible. Man, there are a lot of games
that you would just win because the other team gives
(12:32):
it to you. And I think that's the stretch right now.
To win a championship, it requires a little more, but
that always gets you into the good category and then
the talent takes you from good to great when it
comes to being a championship caliber team. Well, that was
a that was a fun discussion. No, that's good.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Thanks to my buddy Brock on that one, because it
was a great question he posed, and I think it
is a fascinating conversation. All right, let's get to the
rookies and then we'll take a pause here. Last week,
unfortunately Buck Rhett gosh right back on the course. Traveon
Henderson just went nuts. So he got seven points.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Uh. I feel like there's some miss out of trading
though Travian Henderson thing the New England ties like like
there's a I feel like there's a I had him.
He did it well for me the week before. That's why,
DJ you broke him out for us. You broke him
here in the wild Horse, you broke him.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Uh I did So Buck got a point. I got
four points. So yeah, Buck, Buck, we're you're chasing ten.
Buck Rhet's forty eight, You're thirty eight. I'm forty six.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
So it is what it is.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
We got buys this week for Denver, Miami, the Chargers,
and Washington. So it's gonna take uh, you know you're
gonna take a running back out of the mix there
for Denver, you're gonna take a tight end out of
the mix there for the Chargers. I don't thinknybody's get
anybody from Washington or Miami. So it looks like, hey,
look look who it is. Look who has the first pick. Rrett,
(13:58):
You're up?
Speaker 1 (13:59):
Yeah, I mean I gotta go back to the well
here boys, Trevion Henderson Lin lock it up.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Yeah, I think that's I think it's hard.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
It's hard at this point of the year with the
running backs, especially after seeing gent go for what seven
yards and six carries and the safety.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
They're trying to throw it and get that tunny like
all of a sudden chip killing and said, oh, you
know what, our first thirty four plays, just throwing thirty
one of them?
Speaker 3 (14:22):
What do we don Just you see that stat during
that game of like his point of contact. I mean
it's like, yeah, he just get no chance. Man, He's
got absolutely no chance. Six catches though, geez, let's go
all right, So you're gonna go Henderson, I'm gonna come
right back, and I'm gonna I'm gonna just go back
to your old school picking.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Tyler Warren.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Yeah, yeah, I figured as much.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Well, that's crummy. I would like to have Tyler Warren
what it would have been a nice thing.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
To have get regular receivers though.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Yeah, so I guess I'll take let's go with Mecca
Buka and then I get to double up and then
I'm gonna take the running back. And even though he
was crumbing last night, he's kind of one of the
better options to take Ashton Genty. Okay, all right, so
I'm up. I'll go. McMillan. Hey, how about I mag
being like the top top six in the league and
(15:13):
receiving yours on that's bananas, right, No, well, we talked
about it yesterday. Buck, we talked about it on yesterday's episode.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
It does feel, Yeah, it's part of me. I haven't
listened to it yet. I don't know if you guys
covered this, but like, I just like I got a
hard time riding that Carolina roller coaster. Man. I mean
it's like Bryce youngo, I mean it is as high
as as high can get with a like a franchise
passing record, and then like we can dip back down and.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Throw at It's a feisty fan base now too.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Man.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
I don't know how many of them there are, but
they're a feisty bunch. To the point now when I pick.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Him to lose, I'm not only getting hammered for the
pick being wrong, but now Buck, I mean, this is
just mean they're throwing it and.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
You sucked at app State as well, Like it's that's
why are we getting all of that? Technically technically a
fair a fair observation. But I mean, let's let that go. Now,
come on, it's been twenty twenty plus years. Come on
with yeah, you know, have to have some money on.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
Like the Western Carolina game where I turned the ball
over like four or five times, but I don't know.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
That's all over me. That's not great. That's tough.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Tough man, you're doubling up, right, what do you got?
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Yeah? I am?
Speaker 1 (16:25):
I am. The receiver situation is it's getting difficult here, boys,
because I mean all the Titans receivers are hurt. They're
like the other two rookies that are actually performing DK
and a manner. I don't know where that stands at
this point.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
A little Trey Harris except they're on a bias. You
can't take him.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
So I can't do that. Stand by on this because
I just want to double check one thing here, just
kind of going back. Oh yeah, that's right, this is
actually this one. Wait, hold on, shoot, can't do it.
I was thinking about I was thinking about making a
Pat Bryant push, but he's on a bye. He had
(17:04):
a nice game five eighty two for bo Nicks. So
with that in mind, I will go Jaden Higgins again
at receiver for the Houston Texans. And then I mean,
I just I don't know who's playing quarterback with Cleveland.
This is a tough deal on tight end here. Let's
go back to Colson Loveland.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Yeah. I like that.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
I'm gonna stick with that team for my running back.
And I'm gonna go a little Kyle m nun guy,
my nun guy.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
I like that. That's a good one against the Steelers
Son pick right, all right.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
So this so this is it?
Speaker 2 (17:37):
So this will be uh issue right end? Yeah we go. Man,
We saw him go across the middle. Maybe with more reps,
maybe I'll actually found him a couple more times if
he's the guy.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
Okay, by the way, be totally prepared no matter what
happens in that game for people to lose their minds.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Oh my god, it's it's.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Good or bad.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Get ready, I've needed some folks. I had to go
to the mute button on. I had to take the
scissors out. Just yeah, to cut it. Let's just have
a reasonable conversation here. We don't need to be who's
our minds, which is a problem for some folks apparently.
All right, let's take quick break. We'll come back with
our Coordinator of the weekend. Then a little thoughts and
(18:23):
prayers there for James Franklin as he goes to Blacksburg
try and get that place turned back around. We'll get
to that right for this, all right, guys, our coordinator
of the week which, by the way, if you want
to watch his defense, I would encourage you to do so.
If you love scouting, when you're into that, you want
to watch them all twenty two, you need to sign
up for NFL Plus Premium. You can check out NFL
(18:45):
Pro or you get access to ninety five unique player
and team performance stats and that All twenty two film.
It's available on desktop and mobile web, So encourage you
to do that. If you want to watch the game
like scouts watch the game, like coaches watch the game,
like players watch the game, that's the way you do
it Ordinator of the Week Philadelphi Eagles veteran defensive coordinator
Vic Fangio, who is absolutely rolling with what he's done
(19:09):
in that game the other night was complete and utter domination.
By the way, this is this is our Hot or
Not segment. It's brought to you by was Sabi Hot
Cloud Storage. Rehtt stands out most when you think about
the job that Fangio's.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Done well the last couple of weeks. I think he is,
you know, obviously one of the best minds in the game,
maybe ever, and he's now getting all of his pieces
back in place, right Nikobe Dean playing his most snaps
of the game along with Nolan Smith. Those two guys back, man,
I think we kind of lost sight of, just like,
you know, what a solid player Nikobe Dean had been
(19:43):
for this team before, you know, he went down with
that tough injury last year and then took a while
to work his way back. The other thing that I
think I'm kind of increasingly impressed with is Vic Fangio's
honesty and his humility, Like the honesty to say, I
don't look how he signed a Jackson man that wasn't me.
I don't know anything about this guy. All as I
know is the other two teams that had him could
(20:04):
have kept him, they chose not to. And now he's
on our team and he got beat up early on right.
You guys remember that we talked about that a bunch
on some of our recap shows. And you know, sure enough,
they keep bringing in guys to replace him, right, And
he finally starts to find out who he is in
this defense, and Vic Fangio continues to trust in that
(20:28):
kind of evolution right that process, and he comes up
with that big fourth down turnover on downs, you know,
fourth turnover, Hey, Wall, they had five turnover on downs
in that game against the Lions, and one of them
down there inside the five yard line of Doriy forste
in completion. They just kind of gave him a little
bit of time to figure out who he could be
in this defense. And all for all we want to
(20:48):
say about scheme kind of goes back to our opening
conversation here, guys. You know, trust and then allowing a
player a little bit of time to figure it out
is a pretty wort and quality as well. And I
think Vic's just pushing all the right buttons right now.
Plus he's been supported with some big time additions in
the trade deadline, with Phillips at another sack this past week.
(21:11):
So great talent, great scheme, and just like a really
good understanding of who the players are and where they
need to be to make plays.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Yeah, Rid, I love all the x's and know things
that Vic Fangio does, but I think the best quality
that he has is his ability to communicate directly to
the players. Yes, and I think at an age where
we think that, oh, we have all these new school
players that you can't hold accountable, you can't coach them
in an old school way, Vic Fangio throws that into
the win and it was like, no, I'm gonna tell
(21:41):
them exactly what it is. I'm gonna give them the
truth and be very direct about it. It may even
be a little harsh, but then they have a clear
understanding of what I expect, what I demand, and what
we want from his defense. And I think players really
understand that because when you know where the lines are,
you know where you need to get to it. He
has set the line and the standard for all of
(22:01):
those players. And look, it's not a coincidence did they
play well, because when I look at them I think
they're simplistic in terms of what they do, but their
execution is on par And when you see them smother
people on the perimeter and you see how hard they
play on the front line, to me, that comes from
the defensive coordinator setting the standards high and demanding the
players meet it or they don't play. I can appreciate
(22:24):
that old school nature that he has.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Yeah, I mean in some of the numbers, man, Like
just look at the Lions. If you look at that
game the other night, points wise, that's the worst they've
had since Week seven, twenty three. First downs the worst
since Week fourteen, twenty three, red zone worst performance since
Week seven, twenty three fourth downs the worst since week
five to twenty twenty two. And look at who they've
(22:47):
done this against.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
It it's incredible. Man. Where is this number on here?
The number of top thirteen teams?
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Well, while you check that off and also saydulous, I
think if you knock off our coordinator the week the
previous from the previous week, you got a pretty good
shot at being the coordinator of the week this week.
You Joe did that with Dan Campbell calling plays this
last week.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Yeah, it's just it's stupid. How many good teams that
they've knocked out. They've beaten six of the top thirteen
offenses in the NFL this year.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
So I was.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Also thinking about it in terms of their personnel right
now for this team, Nolan Smith does not start. First
round pick, Johan Campbell, first round pick, does not start.
Rand and Graham obviously come back. He's a first round pick.
And it's not like those guys aren't playing well. They're
all playing at a very high level. They just have
so much talent and depth they're able to roll guys through.
And it looked Bucky. It feels like the Georgia of
(23:38):
like three or four years ago, not just because it's
a bunch of these same players, but it was like, man,
this guy went out, we get a breath.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Oh no, we don't. The guy coming in is just
arguably just as good as a guy who just went
out of the game. Yeah, but think about what you
just said. You talked about all these first round picks.
There's no entitlement that's in place just because the first
round pick, you don't see your weight onto the field
because of your draft status. You have to earn your
weight onto the field. And I love that, and I
think that really will lead to them having success beyond
(24:04):
this year because those young guys now set the standard
for the next generation of guys that come in terms
of having to play to a certain standard to get in.
But you're right the depth of talent, how we knowing
what they need, and how they just kind of stockpilot
And it's the old Eagles maunchra where they've always invested
in the offensive and defensive lines, and they have always
been at their best one They able to attack you
(24:25):
with waves of bodies fresh, play hard. When you get tired,
the next one comes in. That's what they do. And
I'm telling you, when you got Jordan Davis and Jalen
Carter knocking out five or six passes at the line
of scrimmage because they've demanded the effort improved, that just
speaks to the volume and the talent or whatever. And
the Eagles is going to be one of the teams
that in the conversation as the last one standing, regardless
(24:47):
of where their defense ever gets up the stuff and
fixes it. Yeah. Their offense, Yeah, their defense is good
enough to carry them a long way. They just need
some contributions from the offense. And then they can go
to the winner circle. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
I almost am thinking there's a there's a chance that
maybe not even consciously, maybe subconsciously, Saquon just kind of like, hey,
it's gonna save a little extra.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
In the tank here. Once we get to the once
we get to the postseason, we can go.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
If he pulls a rocky, if he pulls a Rocky
and just like takes punches for the first few weeks
of the year, a thousand yards, we're going to go
Penn and poll first first play in the postseason.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
He's gone for seventy five. All right, Well, there you go.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
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. Try them for free at
wassabi dot com. We mentioned it at the top. James
Franklin in Virginia Tech as our as our play by
play college Yes, Padre here, what are your thoughts there?
Speaker 1 (25:47):
You know, it's it's so funny how fickle like the
the thoughts and the musings of people around college football are.
It's like, all of a sudden, Virginia hires James Franklin
and the narrative now is that Penn State made a
mistake by letting him go. Like, guys, two things can
(26:08):
be true. One, it was time. It was time. It
was just time for Penn State to find a new
voice there, right, And it's also a really good hire
for Virginia Tech. There's still a clear path to the
playoff right there in the acc Sure, he's gonna have
to get past a likely perennial top ten team in
Miami out there, but you've got a fan base that
(26:30):
loves that program, that supports that program. I mean, I
was just just kind of thinking about it, you know,
just thinking about Inner Sandman, right and like thinking about
him bringing that team out for the first time, Like
they are going to be absolutely jacked out of their
minds in that first home game that he runs out
there with that team, and he'll appreciate the love. Now
(26:51):
he's got to win, I mean, it is sure it
is a team that maybe is not expecting a national
title every year the way that the Penn State fan
base is. But he's been a builder of programs, right,
He built Vanderbilt up, he rebuilt Penn State and got
it to where it is now. And on that front,
I'll let you guys chime in here, but another interesting
(27:12):
name to think about for that Penn State vacancy once
we go around the horn here.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
Yeah, no, No, it's interesting because I think James Franklin
is the perfect spot. He's the perfect person for that
job when you look at his recruiting and where he's been.
He was at Maryland twice, he was at James Aren't
doing it. He's been at Penn State. He has dominated
the DMV and the Virginia areas. To me, it's a
natural recruiting base. He will have an edge after being fired,
(27:37):
which always works at Virginia Tech because a lot of
those guys that go to Virginia Tech were not recruited
necessarily by Virginia and some of those other teams, and
so it's the perfect marriage. All the other things that
people have said about him can be true in terms
of the game management, tactical management, and those things. But
I think when you're fired and you confront it with
(27:57):
those issues, you have to address it either by himself
or by bringing someone on to the staff to help
him get better. To me, I think they're going to
get a much better version of James Franklin than the
version that we saw at Penn State, and that version
at Penn State was pretty darn good. And now for
Penn State, what it does is you just got to
make sure that the person that you bring in there
can dominate recruiting in that area because a lot of
(28:19):
the recruits that made their way to Penn State are
going to follow James Franklin. So that person has to
re establish already offering him. Yeah, he has to reestablish
the blueprint that was successful for Penn State over the
last decade, which not only helped him win on the field,
but helped him produce a lot of those freakish athletes
that we talked about when it came to the combine
in the draft process.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
Can I give you the two names that this situation
reminds me of it? In fact, if I was James Franklin,
I would call these two guys and talk to him.
This feels exactly like Andy Reid and Tony Dungee. Remember, yeah,
Andy Reid in those championship games, like think about that,
James Franklin top ten every year, they're right there. They
just can't kick that final door down, couldn't get over
that one hurdle. Tony Dungee couldn't just couldn't get by.
(29:03):
It couldn't get to that finish line. So it's like, okay,
those teams said, okay, this is kind of run its course.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
Now.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
The interesting thing is both Andy Reid and Tony Dungee
went on to win Super Bowls, but then their organizations
after they left also, so this could be a win win,
It could work out. Now the challenge is going to
be you know, obviously Doungee left, Gruden came in and
won won that thing quick, but with Andy Reid leaving Philadelphia,
(29:28):
it took a couple iterations there before they got to
that point. But you know it's uh to me, I
think you can. You said it right there at in
terms of this can work out for everyone involved here,
but they got to make the right hire man. Brent
Key is the name that I hear more than any
other at this point.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
In time with that gig. Yeah, so we'll see what happens.
What do you think? Yeah? I like that.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
I mean another another one kind of in that mold though,
and it's it's kind of been out there a little
bit now. But Pat Fitzgerald, I had heard that, Yeah,
settled his lawsuit there with Northwestern a couple of weeks ago.
I thought, you know, if Andrew Luck and Frank Reich
don't make that thing permanent there, that that would be
a natural fit. But if I'm Pat, I'm like, yeah, sure,
(30:10):
I know how to win in an academically tough environment,
but maybe I don't want to do that anymore. You
don't want to go where our resources are, and it's
maybe a little bit easier at Penn State on that front.
But just thinking, I know the athletic director at Penn
State very well, Pat Craft. He's an awesome dude. He
has an Indiana football alum, played defense for Indiana. Like
he's a hard nosed, like gritty, tough dude. I just
(30:33):
think stylistically, philosophically, Pat Fitzgerald and pack Craft would get
along like P's and carrots, like it would be a
great fit.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
Yeah, we look, man, I think they're going to be
challenged when you think about the landscape and those jobs
because LSU and Florida and those other ones that come
out there are big names. Pennas State may have to
find someone that knows the big ten, knows the land
and land has been successful winning that, and there's a
blue friend that he knows when it to it. You
talk about the high academic standards, Yeah, that's a little
different Northwestern of Penn State. But the pressure of the moment,
(31:07):
having to understand the pressure of the moment and having
to win and doing those things, I think he's ready
for that challenge. It's a very interesting name, particularly because
Elko and some of the names that we were targeting
for that job, I'm no longer on the table. Yeah,
so I think they have to make a splashy higher
and I do believe it also has to fit the brand.
When I think of Penn State and I close my eyes,
(31:27):
I think a rough, rugged physical I think of Matt Millen.
That's why I think. Yes, I mean, I mean, that's
what I'm thinking. And I do believe Pat Fitzgerald offers
some of that stuff that they want and that they're
comfortable seeing in Penn State.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
And you can hire them right now. Yeah, no want
to the uh. Yeah, that's that is a good point.
I like the fact that James Franklin is going to
get a head start on uh trying to keep some recruits.
And the other thing too, this is different now with
the GM situation, is that you can get a GM
in these places, you know, maybe before you get the
head coach in there to try and get your recruiting
(32:04):
dialed in a little bit. But it's going to be
a wild carousel, man, that we'll see what happened.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
Many feelings are going to get hurt in the Lane
Kiffin sweepstakes, like.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Anybody, they all are in on him. Man, it's I'm
still saying this, I'm still going to record. I understand
that those jobs offer like more money and more cachet,
but man, it will be really hard for me to
leave a spot that I've already got built up and
we're rolling. I just for personally, I wouldn't want to
have to do the rebuild thing all over again, Harry,
when I had this thing at Old Miss Rolling, and
(32:34):
let's be honest, I'm the best coach that they've ever had.
There's a statue waiting to be built for me in
front of the stadium. Egotistically, I would be okay with that. Yeah,
but you know how cars run on gasoline. I think
Lane Kiffin runs on people hating him like I think
he loves that.
Speaker 3 (32:52):
So however, you like that forever thought to forerever, He's
the that's who he is, man.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
He embraces that role. So that's what fuels him.
Speaker 3 (33:02):
So I mean, he could have everybody in Oxford, Mississippi
go from loving him to hating him.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
So he's just like that. He's crazy. He's gonna be
He's gonna be hoko and it goes to n wo,
he's at that beard, ain't be he's gonna be that,
gonna be that black.
Speaker 3 (33:18):
I don't know if he can grow a beard, uh man.
But anyway, so that will be interest to see what happens.
Is gonna be wild the wild time here in the
college football landscape. But RTT, appreciate you joining us, man,
and thank you to have these rookie shakeout next week
and we'll uh we'll do this all over again.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Appreciate everybody listening. Uh we'll see you next time right
here on. Move the sticks.
And now move the sticks with Daniel, Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
What's up, everybody?
Speaker 3 (00:07):
Welcome to move the sixs, DJ, Bucky and Rhett back together.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Buck.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
I don't know if Fred will ever stop wearing Indiana
gare unless they lose a game. I don't know that's
gonna happen at this point. It's a tradition, like I
got to keep it rolling.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
I mean, look between what they're doing on the field
and Mendoza being a guy that we're gonna have to
talk about if he declares for the draft, it's gonna
be a lot of I used to just a lot
of who, a lot of just a lot of who
you love just going around. So I'm making peace with
being able to see the Crimson cream over and over
and over again.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yeah, get used to it, man. We have our rookie
stuff coming up here. In a minute, we'll get to
the rookie Draft. We also have our Coordinator of the Week,
which we'll hit, and then a big higher in college football,
which was talk about a quick turnaround for James Frankment.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
We'll get to that and just a little bit as well.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
But I I want to have this quick conversation with
You had this one on a show the other day,
and it's a conversation I've had with somebodies around the
league on the coaching side of things. And you know, Buck,
I think we've had this before, but I'd love to
love you get your take on it again, and just
from from doing these college games and you're seeing successful
teams and obviously they all do it different ways, but
(01:20):
this was this is the construct of the argument here
or the debate. Are you better off like trying to
have the variety and the snowflake nature of an offense
or defense to be able to morphine, change and to
challenge and to give you different looks each and every week,
or are you better off? Simple simon, we do what
(01:42):
we do and you're going to have to try and
stop it, and we know and we're not going to
give you any bus. You know, defensively, offensively you can
know what's coming. We can still execute you. Buck, Why
don't you hit us off on that one, because it's
a real fascinating discussion.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
It's funny as you say that, because DJ, like, one
of the things I love doing is looking at the
great coaches over time, and some of this has come
from like the pro football things. So you talk about
the Vncelambardies, the Don Shulers, and those guys would tell
you that it's better to do what you do and
master it, Like Vince Lombardi would tell you that he
simplicity is everything. Repetition, master it, and then just be
(02:17):
great at it because we do it far more than
you can prepare for it. So when we match up,
we're going to do it better than you. I fall
into that camp. I would rather the guys know exactly
what they're doing, don't try and trick them and use
gimmicks in those things, line up, play and make execution everything.
So I'm into that. I think it's too hard to
(02:38):
have a bunch of guys that can change each week
with new schemes. I would rather them settle in and
let the repetitions lead to great execution down the lot.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
I fear not the man who practices ten thousand kicks,
for the practices kick ten thousand times great person lead
quote yes indeed, and might as well be a Phil
Parker quote defensive coordinator at Iowa, because yes, Max Llewellen
is going to line up at left defensive end on
every snap.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
You can hurt it.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
It's going to line up at right defensive end on
every snap. Same with the corners. It's almost like Peyton Manning,
Reggie Wayne, and Marvin Harrison running offense right. They're gonna
be on one side and they're going to know what
they're doing. And I think that I think there is
something to be said for that. But it also has
to be the DNA of the head coach. It has
(03:25):
to be the way that you want your program run.
If it also has to be you have to commit
to a developmental program, to a developmental pipeline. If you
can't win that way, if you don't have the personnel,
if you don't have the coaches to develop like you're
going to be have to. You have to turn it
over with personnel and with scheme each week to try
to maximize you know, what you got out there. So
(03:48):
I do. I don't think it's hard and fast one
way or the other. But I think I mean, like,
look at look at the consistent success of Kirk Ferns
at Iowa. I think it's like one of the one
of the greatest. You can say what you want about
lack of excitement on offense and whatever, but I think
Tim Luster has actually done a really nice job there.
I just I think there is something to be said
(04:09):
for that, because those guys that go into that IOWA program,
like this kid, Zach Lumer, who's basically Cooper dejen Light,
which will actually tie in nicely with our defensive coordinator
discussion coming up here. You know, the guy had been
in the program for three years before he started. How
often you say that in college football now rare? It's rare,
(04:30):
But he's really good when he gets into the lineup,
he knows what he's doing, he's been practicing it. It's
time on task, and I just I think that's really important.
I think you could even say that for a team
like USC, like you better believe they're gonna run counter
because it's kind of who they become that two Lincoln
Riley's become and they've gotten really good at it, and
so like, I think there is something to be said
(04:50):
for that. But I think I can also see it
the other way, like where you're trying to do whatever
you can to get the best product on the field.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
So this arose from a conversation I have with Rock
Huery brought you were to ask Mike McDonald this, you know,
because think about them, they've been in that market in
Seattle and they've seen Pete Carroll cover three. We're doing
what we're doing and we're going to play it and
there's not much mystery to what we're doing.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
And they've been dominant. And then Mike McDonald comes a
little more.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
You get a little more variation with what you're doing.
So his whole thing was where where do you fall
on that? And he said, it's a sliding scale. You know,
it's you know, I don't know that.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
He said.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Now, if if you're trying to have the perfect call
to stop every single play, he said, you're going to
have sometimes some plays some games, or you're going to
be unbelievably dominant because you have the perfect thing to
counter what they're doing. He said, in the other games,
you're going to look terrible because you're gonna you know,
you're going to be wrong. And then you know it's
just and they're trying to be Are you too simple?
Are you too complex? It's that sliding scale and finding
(05:45):
where you are. But I was just thinking about it
because you mentioned the Colts Red. Yeah, you know that was, Hey,
we don't motion, we line up and we run what
we run.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Guys are where, you know, and it's it's that precision.
Speaker 3 (05:56):
I think about the Cowboys the nineties, they ran their
buck played against some that was the three or four
run plays. This is what they do and they're going
to physically dominate you. But I'm looking at take this
week and I'm watching the stuff Mike McDaniel's doing and
how creative that was in the run game like it was.
It was fun to watch all the different things they
were doing in the eye candy and they were cashing people.
(06:17):
I look at Ben Johnson, who's got one of the
hottest teams in football right now in the Chicago Bears,
and all that he gives you to think about with
the variety and the variation to what he does, the creativity.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
So I just think it's interesting you.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Kind of I've always looked at it going back to
my time in Baltimore Buck, which was man. We had
the guys on defense and it was like, we don't
just line up and make them block us like that.
You know, we can lock up on the outside. We
don't need to do any of that stuff. And it
would get frustrating sometimes when I felt like we did
get a little too complex or complicated, like this isn't
Princeton versus Georgetown here, like we don't have to we
(06:52):
don't have to do anything crazy here. This is line
up and let these guys play. But there are different ways.
I don't think what I'm getting as I don't think
there's the one way versus the other ways right and wrong.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
So it's funny, right, So I'm taking notes and I'm
thinking about this, and I'm thinking about it from a
collegiate standpoint. I think it's understanding who you are and
where you are in the pecking order of programs in
terms of the number of players that you can get.
So when Rent brings up Iowa, my eyes naturally go
to Army because of my relationship with there, and I
think about the old Wisconsin when you're not able to
(07:22):
get all the five stars. I think there's a saying
where they talk about be better or be different, And
so if you're not better personnel wised, then you have
to be different in terms of either what you're doing
and how you do it, but you have to do
it so well that it becomes an advantage. So that's
one thing. Then there's another thing, which you can say
with five stars of well, if I'm better than you,
(07:44):
I ain't got to trick you. I just let them
give the ball to my best players. And so there's
this fine line between you have to know who you are,
who you're always going to be able to recruit and
bring it to the program, what their capacity to learn is,
and then I think you have to understand the coaches
that you have because the Mike McDonald thing, as they
told me about, They actually told me that when he
(08:04):
went to Baltimore, he simplified a lot of the concepts
because they were so whatever that he tied them together.
And then from a teaching standpoint, he taught conceptually, meaning hey,
this is the concept, we'll change the personnel. But everyone
has to understand it. But man, it takes great teachers
to be able to present the information like that and
(08:25):
to get the players to retain it. So there are
a lot of factors that go into how your program
is going to be. But I see the pros and
cons of both ways. But it kind of seems like
all those things go back to simplicity, repetition, mastery.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
It's kind of straight that you have to do it mastery.
So I'm intrigued by signetty and I haven't got to try.
I know you guys are visitor with them. You know,
I'm obvious with value connections. But how would you describe
what they're doing or where they fall on that scale.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
I would say that there are a healthy mix there
because on defense will run some stuff now, and I
think it's because they have guys who have been in
the system for a long a bunch of smartness, smart dudes,
and they understand like it's you know, like just on
the defensive example, like they are a have it creating defense.
(09:15):
They are not worried about you got to be here,
this d lineman's got to be here, and you know
you're in a four eyne year. You've got to be
a just go. And then the linebackers are smart enough
and they have good enough instincts to make everybody right.
And they I mean they look, they do a bunch
of simulated pressures. They'll give you a bunch of different looks,
and like they are doing some some pretty complex stuff,
(09:35):
like I would say, more so than you would see
from let's say in Iowa. But I think it's also
a matter of philosophy that has been developed with that
defensive coordinator Brian Haynes, who should win the Broils Award
and should probably be a head coach here at some point.
But offensively, I think they've adapted really well. Like I
(09:56):
remember a Signetty telling a story where he was back
get Elon I want to say, and he's like, boy,
we got our butts kicked by Slippery Rock. And I
was like, you know what, I something's not right, this
thing's not working anymore. Let's go back to the drawing board.
Figure this thing out. That's when they started to integrate
the RPO a little bit more. And then when Tino
Sincerity came over and joined them at James Madison, he
(10:19):
brought another element to the RPO game that kind of
took the offense to another level that they continue to
evolve now. And it's just again, those guys have been
with him forever. Mike Shanahan's been with him for ten years,
Brian Haines been with him for ten years. They know
each other, they know what they do well. So there's
your time on task, which allows you to maybe add
(10:40):
some more complex things to each scheme because of the
trust that you have there.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
And it goes back to the Iowa stuff. So, like
you said about Io, when the coaches and the people
of Matt leaving and the continuity and coaching staff and
the trust that is built, where hey, this is what
we do, this is how we operate. There's this inherent
thing that even when Iowa those teams are rebuilding, they
still play you close because there's so sound in what
they do that it's a very tough dout. Yeah, and
(11:08):
there's some years where, man, the best version of Iowa
maybe eight and four, But every game they play, they
make people play their style. And to me, that's what
I love about college football is the great coaches. They
can lure you into that trap when you look up
and you're like, oh, man, in this game with Iowa,
where we look at our talent, we should be better
(11:30):
than But because they know the system, they know exactly
the leverage points of offense and defense, where they're vulnerable
and where they're strong at they stick to the script
and that's why they're able to win.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
How do you think Organ felt after playing Indiana? I mean,
it's a more talented team. I mean, let's just be
straight up honest about it. Right, If you go buy
you know the each player and where they were ranked
and all that kind of stuff. But there are certain
certain equalizers. And just to your point there on Iowa,
I mean all four of their losses have been one
possession games. To rank teams, yeah, well they have their identity.
(12:01):
Their identity is there's no gifts. We're not going to
give you the ball. We're not giving you the ball.
We're not gonna we're not going to blow coverages and
give up you know, huge plays. You got to beat us,
And that's kind of how they've But.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
It looked like, let's say, last week, as I have
for the Charges, right, you've seen how the Chargers have
re emerged as a team that's a heavyweight in the NFL.
Basically by doing that, if you don't turn the ball over,
you don't give up big plays, your sound in all
three phases. You eliminate your penalties or reduce them as
much as possible. Man, there are a lot of games
that you would just win because the other team gives
(12:32):
it to you. And I think that's the stretch right now.
To win a championship, it requires a little more, but
that always gets you into the good category and then
the talent takes you from good to great when it
comes to being a championship caliber team. Well, that was
a that was a fun discussion. No, that's good.
Speaker 3 (12:48):
Thanks to my buddy Brock on that one, because it
was a great question he posed, and I think it
is a fascinating conversation. All right, let's get to the
rookies and then we'll take a pause here. Last week,
unfortunately Buck Rhett gosh right back on the course. Traveon
Henderson just went nuts. So he got seven points.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Uh. I feel like there's some miss out of trading
though Travian Henderson thing the New England ties like like
there's a I feel like there's a I had him.
He did it well for me the week before. That's why,
DJ you broke him out for us. You broke him
here in the wild Horse, you broke him.
Speaker 3 (13:24):
Uh I did So Buck got a point. I got
four points. So yeah, Buck, Buck, we're you're chasing ten.
Buck Rhet's forty eight, You're thirty eight. I'm forty six.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
So it is what it is.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
We got buys this week for Denver, Miami, the Chargers,
and Washington. So it's gonna take uh, you know you're
gonna take a running back out of the mix there
for Denver, you're gonna take a tight end out of
the mix there for the Chargers. I don't thinknybody's get
anybody from Washington or Miami. So it looks like, hey,
look look who it is. Look who has the first pick. Rrett,
(13:58):
You're up?
Speaker 1 (13:59):
Yeah, I mean I gotta go back to the well
here boys, Trevion Henderson Lin lock it up.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Yeah, I think that's I think it's hard.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
It's hard at this point of the year with the
running backs, especially after seeing gent go for what seven
yards and six carries and the safety.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
They're trying to throw it and get that tunny like
all of a sudden chip killing and said, oh, you
know what, our first thirty four plays, just throwing thirty
one of them?
Speaker 3 (14:22):
What do we don Just you see that stat during
that game of like his point of contact. I mean
it's like, yeah, he just get no chance. Man, He's
got absolutely no chance. Six catches though, geez, let's go
all right, So you're gonna go Henderson, I'm gonna come
right back, and I'm gonna I'm gonna just go back
to your old school picking.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Tyler Warren.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Yeah, yeah, I figured as much.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Well, that's crummy. I would like to have Tyler Warren
what it would have been a nice thing.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
To have get regular receivers though.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Yeah, so I guess I'll take let's go with Mecca
Buka and then I get to double up and then
I'm gonna take the running back. And even though he
was crumbing last night, he's kind of one of the
better options to take Ashton Genty. Okay, all right, so
I'm up. I'll go. McMillan. Hey, how about I mag
being like the top top six in the league and
(15:13):
receiving yours on that's bananas, right, No, well, we talked
about it yesterday. Buck, we talked about it on yesterday's episode.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
It does feel, Yeah, it's part of me. I haven't
listened to it yet. I don't know if you guys
covered this, but like, I just like I got a
hard time riding that Carolina roller coaster. Man. I mean
it's like Bryce youngo, I mean it is as high
as as high can get with a like a franchise
passing record, and then like we can dip back down and.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Throw at It's a feisty fan base now too.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Man.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
I don't know how many of them there are, but
they're a feisty bunch. To the point now when I pick.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Him to lose, I'm not only getting hammered for the
pick being wrong, but now Buck, I mean, this is
just mean they're throwing it and.
Speaker 2 (15:54):
You sucked at app State as well, Like it's that's
why are we getting all of that? Technically technically a
fair a fair observation. But I mean, let's let that go. Now,
come on, it's been twenty twenty plus years. Come on
with yeah, you know, have to have some money on.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
Like the Western Carolina game where I turned the ball
over like four or five times, but I don't know.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
That's all over me. That's not great. That's tough.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Tough man, you're doubling up, right, what do you got?
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Yeah? I am?
Speaker 1 (16:25):
I am. The receiver situation is it's getting difficult here, boys,
because I mean all the Titans receivers are hurt. They're
like the other two rookies that are actually performing DK
and a manner. I don't know where that stands at
this point.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
A little Trey Harris except they're on a bias. You
can't take him.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
So I can't do that. Stand by on this because
I just want to double check one thing here, just
kind of going back. Oh yeah, that's right, this is
actually this one. Wait, hold on, shoot, can't do it.
I was thinking about I was thinking about making a
Pat Bryant push, but he's on a bye. He had
(17:04):
a nice game five eighty two for bo Nicks. So
with that in mind, I will go Jaden Higgins again
at receiver for the Houston Texans. And then I mean,
I just I don't know who's playing quarterback with Cleveland.
This is a tough deal on tight end here. Let's
go back to Colson Loveland.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Yeah. I like that.
Speaker 3 (17:24):
I'm gonna stick with that team for my running back.
And I'm gonna go a little Kyle m nun guy,
my nun guy.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
I like that. That's a good one against the Steelers
Son pick right, all right.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
So this so this is it?
Speaker 2 (17:37):
So this will be uh issue right end? Yeah we go. Man,
We saw him go across the middle. Maybe with more reps,
maybe I'll actually found him a couple more times if
he's the guy.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
Okay, by the way, be totally prepared no matter what
happens in that game for people to lose their minds.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Oh my god, it's it's.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Good or bad.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Get ready, I've needed some folks. I had to go
to the mute button on. I had to take the
scissors out. Just yeah, to cut it. Let's just have
a reasonable conversation here. We don't need to be who's
our minds, which is a problem for some folks apparently.
All right, let's take quick break. We'll come back with
our Coordinator of the weekend. Then a little thoughts and
(18:23):
prayers there for James Franklin as he goes to Blacksburg
try and get that place turned back around. We'll get
to that right for this, all right, guys, our coordinator
of the week which, by the way, if you want
to watch his defense, I would encourage you to do so.
If you love scouting, when you're into that, you want
to watch them all twenty two, you need to sign
up for NFL Plus Premium. You can check out NFL
(18:45):
Pro or you get access to ninety five unique player
and team performance stats and that All twenty two film.
It's available on desktop and mobile web, So encourage you
to do that. If you want to watch the game
like scouts watch the game, like coaches watch the game,
like players watch the game, that's the way you do
it Ordinator of the Week Philadelphi Eagles veteran defensive coordinator
Vic Fangio, who is absolutely rolling with what he's done
(19:09):
in that game the other night was complete and utter domination.
By the way, this is this is our Hot or
Not segment. It's brought to you by was Sabi Hot
Cloud Storage. Rehtt stands out most when you think about
the job that Fangio's.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Done well the last couple of weeks. I think he is,
you know, obviously one of the best minds in the game,
maybe ever, and he's now getting all of his pieces
back in place, right Nikobe Dean playing his most snaps
of the game along with Nolan Smith. Those two guys back, man,
I think we kind of lost sight of, just like,
you know, what a solid player Nikobe Dean had been
(19:43):
for this team before, you know, he went down with
that tough injury last year and then took a while
to work his way back. The other thing that I
think I'm kind of increasingly impressed with is Vic Fangio's
honesty and his humility, Like the honesty to say, I
don't look how he signed a Jackson man that wasn't me.
I don't know anything about this guy. All as I
know is the other two teams that had him could
(20:04):
have kept him, they chose not to. And now he's
on our team and he got beat up early on right.
You guys remember that we talked about that a bunch
on some of our recap shows. And you know, sure enough,
they keep bringing in guys to replace him, right, And
he finally starts to find out who he is in
this defense, and Vic Fangio continues to trust in that
(20:28):
kind of evolution right that process, and he comes up
with that big fourth down turnover on downs, you know,
fourth turnover, Hey, Wall, they had five turnover on downs
in that game against the Lions, and one of them
down there inside the five yard line of Doriy forste
in completion. They just kind of gave him a little
bit of time to figure out who he could be
in this defense. And all for all we want to
(20:48):
say about scheme kind of goes back to our opening
conversation here, guys. You know, trust and then allowing a
player a little bit of time to figure it out
is a pretty wort and quality as well. And I
think Vic's just pushing all the right buttons right now.
Plus he's been supported with some big time additions in
the trade deadline, with Phillips at another sack this past week.
(21:11):
So great talent, great scheme, and just like a really
good understanding of who the players are and where they
need to be to make plays.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Yeah, Rid, I love all the x's and know things
that Vic Fangio does, but I think the best quality
that he has is his ability to communicate directly to
the players. Yes, and I think at an age where
we think that, oh, we have all these new school
players that you can't hold accountable, you can't coach them
in an old school way, Vic Fangio throws that into
the win and it was like, no, I'm gonna tell
(21:41):
them exactly what it is. I'm gonna give them the
truth and be very direct about it. It may even
be a little harsh, but then they have a clear
understanding of what I expect, what I demand, and what
we want from his defense. And I think players really
understand that because when you know where the lines are,
you know where you need to get to it. He
has set the line and the standard for all of
(22:01):
those players. And look, it's not a coincidence did they
play well, because when I look at them I think
they're simplistic in terms of what they do, but their
execution is on par And when you see them smother
people on the perimeter and you see how hard they
play on the front line, to me, that comes from
the defensive coordinator setting the standards high and demanding the
players meet it or they don't play. I can appreciate
(22:24):
that old school nature that he has.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Yeah, I mean in some of the numbers, man, Like
just look at the Lions. If you look at that
game the other night, points wise, that's the worst they've
had since Week seven, twenty three. First downs the worst
since Week fourteen, twenty three, red zone worst performance since
Week seven, twenty three fourth downs the worst since week
five to twenty twenty two. And look at who they've
(22:47):
done this against.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
It it's incredible. Man. Where is this number on here?
The number of top thirteen teams?
Speaker 1 (22:54):
Well, while you check that off and also saydulous, I
think if you knock off our coordinator the week the
previous from the previous week, you got a pretty good
shot at being the coordinator of the week this week.
You Joe did that with Dan Campbell calling plays this
last week.
Speaker 3 (23:09):
Yeah, it's just it's stupid. How many good teams that
they've knocked out. They've beaten six of the top thirteen
offenses in the NFL this year.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
So I was.
Speaker 3 (23:17):
Also thinking about it in terms of their personnel right
now for this team, Nolan Smith does not start. First
round pick, Johan Campbell, first round pick, does not start.
Rand and Graham obviously come back. He's a first round pick.
And it's not like those guys aren't playing well. They're
all playing at a very high level. They just have
so much talent and depth they're able to roll guys through.
And it looked Bucky. It feels like the Georgia of
(23:38):
like three or four years ago, not just because it's
a bunch of these same players, but it was like, man,
this guy went out, we get a breath.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
Oh no, we don't. The guy coming in is just
arguably just as good as a guy who just went
out of the game. Yeah, but think about what you
just said. You talked about all these first round picks.
There's no entitlement that's in place just because the first
round pick, you don't see your weight onto the field
because of your draft status. You have to earn your
weight onto the field. And I love that, and I
think that really will lead to them having success beyond
(24:04):
this year because those young guys now set the standard
for the next generation of guys that come in terms
of having to play to a certain standard to get in.
But you're right the depth of talent, how we knowing
what they need, and how they just kind of stockpilot
And it's the old Eagles maunchra where they've always invested
in the offensive and defensive lines, and they have always
been at their best one They able to attack you
(24:25):
with waves of bodies fresh, play hard. When you get tired,
the next one comes in. That's what they do. And
I'm telling you, when you got Jordan Davis and Jalen
Carter knocking out five or six passes at the line
of scrimmage because they've demanded the effort improved, that just
speaks to the volume and the talent or whatever. And
the Eagles is going to be one of the teams
that in the conversation as the last one standing, regardless
(24:47):
of where their defense ever gets up the stuff and
fixes it. Yeah. Their offense, Yeah, their defense is good
enough to carry them a long way. They just need
some contributions from the offense. And then they can go
to the winner circle. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
I almost am thinking there's a there's a chance that
maybe not even consciously, maybe subconsciously, Saquon just kind of like, hey,
it's gonna save a little extra.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
In the tank here. Once we get to the once
we get to the postseason, we can go.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
If he pulls a rocky, if he pulls a Rocky
and just like takes punches for the first few weeks
of the year, a thousand yards, we're going to go
Penn and poll first first play in the postseason.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
He's gone for seventy five. All right, Well, there you go.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
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. Try them for free at
wassabi dot com. We mentioned it at the top. James
Franklin in Virginia Tech as our as our play by
play college Yes, Padre here, what are your thoughts there?
Speaker 1 (25:47):
You know, it's it's so funny how fickle like the
the thoughts and the musings of people around college football are.
It's like, all of a sudden, Virginia hires James Franklin
and the narrative now is that Penn State made a
mistake by letting him go. Like, guys, two things can
(26:08):
be true. One, it was time. It was time. It
was just time for Penn State to find a new
voice there, right, And it's also a really good hire
for Virginia Tech. There's still a clear path to the
playoff right there in the acc Sure, he's gonna have
to get past a likely perennial top ten team in
Miami out there, but you've got a fan base that
(26:30):
loves that program, that supports that program. I mean, I
was just just kind of thinking about it, you know,
just thinking about Inner Sandman, right and like thinking about
him bringing that team out for the first time, Like
they are going to be absolutely jacked out of their
minds in that first home game that he runs out
there with that team, and he'll appreciate the love. Now
(26:51):
he's got to win, I mean, it is sure it
is a team that maybe is not expecting a national
title every year the way that the Penn State fan
base is. But he's been a builder of programs, right,
He built Vanderbilt up, he rebuilt Penn State and got
it to where it is now. And on that front,
I'll let you guys chime in here, but another interesting
(27:12):
name to think about for that Penn State vacancy once
we go around the horn here.
Speaker 2 (27:17):
Yeah, no, No, it's interesting because I think James Franklin
is the perfect spot. He's the perfect person for that
job when you look at his recruiting and where he's been.
He was at Maryland twice, he was at James Aren't
doing it. He's been at Penn State. He has dominated
the DMV and the Virginia areas. To me, it's a
natural recruiting base. He will have an edge after being fired,
(27:37):
which always works at Virginia Tech because a lot of
those guys that go to Virginia Tech were not recruited
necessarily by Virginia and some of those other teams, and
so it's the perfect marriage. All the other things that
people have said about him can be true in terms
of the game management, tactical management, and those things. But
I think when you're fired and you confront it with
(27:57):
those issues, you have to address it either by himself
or by bringing someone on to the staff to help
him get better. To me, I think they're going to
get a much better version of James Franklin than the
version that we saw at Penn State, and that version
at Penn State was pretty darn good. And now for
Penn State, what it does is you just got to
make sure that the person that you bring in there
can dominate recruiting in that area because a lot of
(28:19):
the recruits that made their way to Penn State are
going to follow James Franklin. So that person has to
re establish already offering him. Yeah, he has to reestablish
the blueprint that was successful for Penn State over the
last decade, which not only helped him win on the field,
but helped him produce a lot of those freakish athletes
that we talked about when it came to the combine
in the draft process.
Speaker 3 (28:40):
Can I give you the two names that this situation
reminds me of it? In fact, if I was James Franklin,
I would call these two guys and talk to him.
This feels exactly like Andy Reid and Tony Dungee. Remember, yeah,
Andy Reid in those championship games, like think about that,
James Franklin top ten every year, they're right there. They
just can't kick that final door down, couldn't get over
that one hurdle. Tony Dungee couldn't just couldn't get by.
(29:03):
It couldn't get to that finish line. So it's like, okay,
those teams said, okay, this is kind of run its course.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
Now.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
The interesting thing is both Andy Reid and Tony Dungee
went on to win Super Bowls, but then their organizations
after they left also, so this could be a win win,
It could work out. Now the challenge is going to
be you know, obviously Doungee left, Gruden came in and
won won that thing quick, but with Andy Reid leaving Philadelphia,
(29:28):
it took a couple iterations there before they got to
that point. But you know it's uh to me, I
think you can. You said it right there at in
terms of this can work out for everyone involved here,
but they got to make the right hire man. Brent
Key is the name that I hear more than any
other at this point.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
In time with that gig. Yeah, so we'll see what happens.
What do you think? Yeah? I like that.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
I mean another another one kind of in that mold though,
and it's it's kind of been out there a little
bit now. But Pat Fitzgerald, I had heard that, Yeah,
settled his lawsuit there with Northwestern a couple of weeks ago.
I thought, you know, if Andrew Luck and Frank Reich
don't make that thing permanent there, that that would be
a natural fit. But if I'm Pat, I'm like, yeah, sure,
(30:10):
I know how to win in an academically tough environment,
but maybe I don't want to do that anymore. You
don't want to go where our resources are, and it's
maybe a little bit easier at Penn State on that front.
But just thinking, I know the athletic director at Penn
State very well, Pat Craft. He's an awesome dude. He
has an Indiana football alum, played defense for Indiana. Like
he's a hard nosed, like gritty, tough dude. I just
(30:33):
think stylistically, philosophically, Pat Fitzgerald and pack Craft would get
along like P's and carrots, like it would be a
great fit.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
Yeah, we look, man, I think they're going to be
challenged when you think about the landscape and those jobs
because LSU and Florida and those other ones that come
out there are big names. Pennas State may have to
find someone that knows the big ten, knows the land
and land has been successful winning that, and there's a
blue friend that he knows when it to it. You
talk about the high academic standards, Yeah, that's a little
different Northwestern of Penn State. But the pressure of the moment,
(31:07):
having to understand the pressure of the moment and having
to win and doing those things, I think he's ready
for that challenge. It's a very interesting name, particularly because
Elko and some of the names that we were targeting
for that job, I'm no longer on the table. Yeah,
so I think they have to make a splashy higher
and I do believe it also has to fit the brand.
When I think of Penn State and I close my eyes,
(31:27):
I think a rough, rugged physical I think of Matt Millen.
That's why I think. Yes, I mean, I mean, that's
what I'm thinking. And I do believe Pat Fitzgerald offers
some of that stuff that they want and that they're
comfortable seeing in Penn State.
Speaker 3 (31:42):
And you can hire them right now. Yeah, no want
to the uh. Yeah, that's that is a good point.
I like the fact that James Franklin is going to
get a head start on uh trying to keep some recruits.
And the other thing too, this is different now with
the GM situation, is that you can get a GM
in these places, you know, maybe before you get the
head coach in there to try and get your recruiting
(32:04):
dialed in a little bit. But it's going to be
a wild carousel, man, that we'll see what happened.
Speaker 1 (32:08):
Many feelings are going to get hurt in the Lane
Kiffin sweepstakes, like.
Speaker 2 (32:13):
Anybody, they all are in on him. Man, it's I'm
still saying this, I'm still going to record. I understand
that those jobs offer like more money and more cachet,
but man, it will be really hard for me to
leave a spot that I've already got built up and
we're rolling. I just for personally, I wouldn't want to
have to do the rebuild thing all over again, Harry,
when I had this thing at Old Miss Rolling, and
(32:34):
let's be honest, I'm the best coach that they've ever had.
There's a statue waiting to be built for me in
front of the stadium. Egotistically, I would be okay with that. Yeah,
but you know how cars run on gasoline. I think
Lane Kiffin runs on people hating him like I think
he loves that.
Speaker 3 (32:52):
So however, you like that forever thought to forerever, He's
the that's who he is, man.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
He embraces that role. So that's what fuels him.
Speaker 3 (33:02):
So I mean, he could have everybody in Oxford, Mississippi
go from loving him to hating him.
Speaker 2 (33:07):
So he's just like that. He's crazy. He's gonna be
He's gonna be hoko and it goes to n wo,
he's at that beard, ain't be he's gonna be that,
gonna be that black.
Speaker 3 (33:18):
I don't know if he can grow a beard, uh man.
But anyway, so that will be interest to see what happens.
Is gonna be wild the wild time here in the
college football landscape. But RTT, appreciate you joining us, man,
and thank you to have these rookie shakeout next week
and we'll uh we'll do this all over again.
Speaker 2 (33:32):
Appreciate everybody listening. Uh we'll see you next time right
here on. Move the sticks.
Hosts And Creators
Daniel Jeremiah
Bucky Brooks
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