June 19, 2025 • 30 mins
There are a lot of what ifs for the o-line, but in 2025 it has the potential to have its best season since the Pouncey era. ESPN’s Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder set out to create a 53-man roster to best represent the first 25 years of this century.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
Before we get to this list that ESPN put together
the quarter century team for the NFL from two thousand
to twenty twenty five, we are at the quarter point
of the century.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
It's crazy.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
I saw also someone point out, like four days ago
that we are halfway through June.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
This was June fifteenth, so fortyas at more.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Than halfway well now, but I'm saying I saw someone
put it on June fifteenth. We were halfway through June,
halfway through twenty twenty five, and halfway through the twenty twenties.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Any think about that, halfway to half a century. That's
some kind of more of a stretch for me. But
I just wanted to add another little and in there
to make it even better.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Halfway through half is that sure?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Right now?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
I'll take it.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
I guess I will take a little worse. But before
we get to that, we were talking about the areas
of offense that need to step up around Rogers, and
they're obvious, but we were ranking them in order of importance.
Wide receiver was actually last for us because we think
Rogers can elevate the receivers, and also DK metcalf is
a damn good receiver anyway, running backs. We're optimistic about
that room, but Caleb Johnson is just an unknown and
(01:10):
if he doesn't really take to the NFL fast, then
that puts Jalen Warren in an uncomfortable predicament with what
his usage has to be. And then last, but not least,
because it's the most important is obviously, and we beat
this to death, and that's why we can kind of
just talk about it quickly here before we move on.
Is the offensive line has to blossom. You need to
see guys step up and play to the level of
(01:33):
their pedigree. They are first round draft picks. They need
to show it. Someone needs to become a borderline all
pro at one of those tackle spots. Fraser's got to
continue his development, and McCormick's just got to be the
be Okay, he's just got to be an ass. Just
got to be an above average weakest link in a
(01:53):
negative way, because that is a negative connot team, but
that is a unit where you are only as good
as your weakest link. So you better make that floor
pretty high. Mason McCormick. There's just so much pressure on them.
I mentioned in the beginning of last episode, I've been
watching a bunch of you know these propaganda highlight packages
of Rogers. Oh my god, he's unbelievable with the packers
and some of the stuff he's been able to do.
(02:15):
But he can't move like he did like then, Like
he's not as mobile as he once was. That's just
naive to think that he's gonna need a little bit
more protection. He's gonna need that offensive line to create
some healthy pockets for him. And if you do, I
think you can get the most out of Aaron Rodgers.
But if you can't, I think you risk injury for
the old man, And I think you just risk ineffective
plays because maybe the first option on a play that
(02:38):
they call and they really like is gonna be open,
but it takes time to develop downfield, and he's got
to check it down to Warren or else we're gonna
get negative yards, I'm gonna get stripsacked. Something bad is
gonna happen. So that offensive line just has got to
be the I think MVP of the offense this year.
Like you want Rogers to strow for thirty touchdowns, Sure,
like five picks turn back the clock. But if the
(03:00):
offense is gonna have any success, if the team's gonna
have any success if they're going to end that playoff drought.
The MVP needs to be the offensive line. It needs
to be the unit that we look back at and say,
you know what, it all goes through them. It's a
fringe top ten offensive line in the NFL. There's so
much youth on it. So not only is it trending
in the right direction and it was really good this year,
(03:21):
but it's got a very bright future ahead of itself.
That's the kind of place we need to be in
June fifteenth, whatever a day it is June and eighteenth,
nineteenth next year, as we review what happened last year
and we're trying to break in our rookie quarterback that
we drafted in twenty twenty six, we're saying, yeah, that
offensive line clicked. It protected Aaron Rodgers. It's sure as
(03:41):
hell is going to be able to protect this kid
that's going to be way more mobile to so O
line's got the most importance or the most pressure on
it this year to step up for Aaron and play well.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
I like the investment. I think that's what everyone praises
Omar Khan for doing. He's heavily invested in this offensive line,
and I think an unsung hero kind of crazily is
I Seeumalu just because he's the oldest member of this
offensive line by years and years. But he might be
(04:14):
the most consistent, He might be the most dependable. You
remember when he came back from injury, was like a
month into the season last year. He looked a little rusty,
and people were saying, ah, man, maybe Big Ike doesn't
have it anymore. But he just gave him like one
or two weeks and he was back right. And he can.
I think veteran leadership is such a huge part in
any locker room. He can really be the guy to
(04:37):
lead McCormick and Jones and Fatanu and Frasier and just say, hey, guys,
this is I've been on a championship O line team.
This is how you do it. And like you said,
I mean they're they could not have invested more. The
only way they could have invested more in the offensive
line is they didn't draft Derek Harmon this year, and
they went out and drafted another offensive guard or offensive
(04:58):
tackle in the first round this year.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
And honestly, surprisingly the fact that they.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Went this whole draft without investing in the offensive line.
Kind of shows how much they trust the guys that
are already there. Right, They didn't look at it and say, hey,
Fatana didn't play a single start. Sorry, they didn't play
ninety nine percent of the season, and we are really
unsure about Roderick Jones. We need a little more insurance
(05:26):
to this offensive line. Mason McCormick is a what six
round draft pick. We can't just rely on that guy.
We need to keep investing in and build up the
depth behind those guys in case they don't work out.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
They didn't do that.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
They said, we trust McCormick. Obviously, they trust Frasier who
made the All Rookie team. Obviously, they trust Big Ike,
but they trust McCormick. They trust Fatana to come back
from injury, and they trust Roderick Jones to bounce back
after a really poor rookie er I'm sorry, sophomore season.
So I think that shows you that the Stewers look
at it as this is the best offensive line they've
(06:01):
had since the peak of the de Castro and the
Ramone Foster and the Marquise Pouncy era of that offensive line.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
And it doesn't even have to get to that.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Peaky no, But I think they they're saying that we
trust it the most since that time.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
And it has the most potential since that time. Absolutely,
let's get to this list put together by ESPN. Let's
name the culprits. Let's name the.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Can we just preface it by saying it's a bad list.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
It's a shots list. Let's put it that way.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
It's a clickbait.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Have a little bit of a pun on his last
name there and a different word that is a reference
to things a culprits. I think this is rage bait.
I think this is clickbait, and I just it's not
just for Pittsburgh Steelers fans either. But they took a
big chunk of the rage bait on this. So it
(07:00):
starts it's the quarter century team. First of all, it
breaks down. It has twenty five offensive players, twenty three
defensive players, and five special teamers. They also filled out
a full practice squad with players who just missed the cut,
and they followed NFL practice squad rules, So there's seventeen players.
And finally, we also need an elite coaching staff, so
(07:22):
they put some coaching staffs together as well. G I
wonder who the quarter century head coach is going to be. Yeah,
but here's the quarterbacks, and it starts out good, right,
like it starts out pretty easy, Yeah, Tom Brady. There's
three quarterbacks named Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and then they
go with Patrick Mahomes for the current one, with the
two practice squad guys being our current quarterback Aaron Rodgers
(07:43):
Andrew Brees being the second practice squad quarterback. No real
debate from me there. If you wanted to be more
of a Mahomes has to earn it, guy, I honestly
don't know if you have the ability to at you
got three rings and like, he could retire today and
still be a Hall of Famer, and I would be
able to make the argument even though the career numbers
wouldn't be at that point, the trajectory that they were on,
(08:05):
I would look at him and I would be like,
I mean, he's better than Rogers, and he already is
better than Rodgers. And you know what this would if
he retired early, Jacob, he would be the Christoph Waltz
to Tom Brady's Daniel da Lewis. That's what Patrick Mahomes
would end up be coming. I like that would be
our analogy. But he ain't gonna retire early. He's gonna
play until probably twenty forty five, and we're gonna have
to deal with Patrick Mahomes like we dealt with Tom Brady,
(08:27):
except longer.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
And then and those medicines, and then we'll have like
a fun like six to seven year down period where
he's not in the Super Bowl. We think, oh my gosh,
thank God, we're done with Mahomes, and then I'll come
back for four We'll come back.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
I also wonder if we'll have the same experience where
when Mahomes does eventually retire, the next goat comes in immediately,
like to the point where he's actually on the field
playing against the current goat like Brady over we were like,
we'll never see something like Brady again. No one will
ever make a run like he is at all the
super Bowl rings that he had, and it's like, oh,
the guy that Brady's playing for the past couple of
(09:03):
rings that he won, it is going to be the
guy that makes the push him. And I'll never not
bring up the fact that if Mahomes doesn't get the
better of Brady, if Brady doesn't do a little bit
of guarding of his own legacy in that AFC Championship
game and then in the Super Bowl as a Tampa
Bay buccaneer. That's five rings to five. It's tied, like
Mahomes has already's not gotten ready exact because he was
(09:24):
able to hold him off. But I'm just saying, like
it's kind of freaky to think about how close that
was and how Tom Brady really kind of put that
last thing not only by getting seven but robbing the
two could catch him two more great that they'd be
tied if Mahomes would have if they would have flipped
in a different direction.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Well, that's that's actually really quick.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
I guess you can't play the hypothetical because they did
play each other in the.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Super Bowl when Tom in Kansas City. But it was
I guess you would say maybe the Chiefs lose the
Super Bowl because.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
He was champion, it was that the Eagles was at
the Rams.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
If it was the Rams, the Super Bowl that would
have been that honestly would have been great because that
would have been the rematch of that Monday Night game.
I don't know if that Monday Night game was the
year before the Year of.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
But it was the fever.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
I think it was year.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
I think it was that year because remember, like Mahomes
red shirted his rookie season effectively behind Alex Smith, and
then that first year that he was the started he
won MVP and he got to So I think it
was that year.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Yeah, I think you're actually right.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
So it had just been the rematch of that game.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
And instead of the worst super Bowl you've seen, it
maybe would have been the most electric super Bowl. And
I believe the Rams won that game they did against
Kansas City in Mexico City. They were like, not only
was it great offensively like Mahomes, the defensive score touchdown.
There were like three or four defensive touchdowns. Yeah, what
a difference.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
That could have been one of the worst super Bowls
in modern in the modern history, could.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Have been one of the more exciting ones.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
All right, now here's where the list immediately starts to
get it.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
It's all like, this is this might be the worst
pick of the whole ross.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
So running backs just say the first name they go with,
Priest Holmes.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
That's all you need to say. That's all you need
to say.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
I like Priest Holmes, but not as much to put
him at number one because I'm guessing that that's number one.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Yeah, yeah, you're it's it's clearly as Tom it's a
depth charge.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Yeah, Christian McCaffrey, I disagree with that.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Number two.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Yeah, and then I think Derek Henry is number three
actually does make sense as number three. That's the kind
of current guy.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
Like, but I don't want I'm gonna change one and two.
One's LT, and then two is Adrian.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
On the bench. I know l T is LT is
the only practice squad guy.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
LT is number one for sure, APS number two, and
then Henry's three. APIs the last non quarterback to win
an MVP Award.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Henry honestly has the potential to.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Be number one, right, I think so too.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
He could, and I think it could be an argument
AP over LT.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
But that might just be like a recency bias kind
of thing because Adrian Peterson was playing into like the
twenty twenty season, I believe, right like it wasn't even
like Washington and Tennessee at the like the last year
of his career. He bounced around like three teams, So
maybe I just remember him.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
It's just this Priest Holmes thing. It makes no sense
to sense at all. He only had like a six
year window. He already has so much few so much
fewer all purpose yardage than And I'm sorry, Henry, and I'm.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
Sorry, I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Saquon Barkley like doesn't deserve a practice squad spot.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
I don't think so yet, because here's what I would
have done. I would have maybe made Christian McCaffrey my
practice squad player on this list. I don't know, maybe
Priest Holmes too. I mean you could make Priest Holmes
a practice yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Right, I mean did he get two thousand yards?
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Oh? Pro I don't think he's a two thousand yard club.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Okay, So to that point, then why not a guy
like Jamal.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
Lewis who got to two thousand yards? Why not CJ
two K?
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Great example? Yes, of all people, you're going with Priest Holmes?
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Or why not just do ap who also got two
thousand yards and won an MP and should definitely be
on the list. So running back, I think a huge
swing and a miss fullbacks Kyle yust.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Check, I guess it makes sense.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
I couldn'tly think of another one like Lorenzo O'Neill was
the one that they talked about. Patrick card right now
for the Ravens, it's become more and more of a
dot like. Hold on when was let me see here,
when was he at his prime? Double checking on a
guy because there might be a huge omission. Okay, see,
here's the thing. I don't know how because he did
(13:41):
play in the nineties and he had a lot of success,
Like most of his success was in the nineties, but
Mike Alstott had a few years in the early two
thousands where he was unbelievd. Mike also was like the
last fullback that could be a running back too. I
might of just because he's Mike Alstott given him the
hat tip tip the cap, yeah, as opposed to Kyle
(14:02):
used chick al right. Wide receivers ones really tough, Randy
Moss one, Calvin Johnson two, Julio three, t O four,
Harrison five, Harris Marvin Harrison. Sorry sorry Marvin Harrison five,
and then Justin Jefferson six, ab and Andre Johnson has
your honorable mentions.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
It's it's again, it's really really tough. I think they
got it. I think one and two.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
I think there's three that are written in stone that
they got right. One and two. Masson Johnson and and.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
T t O. Honest, could you put t O above Julio? Probably?
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Okay, Julio shouldn't even be on this list. Ab is
one thousand percent better than Julio. Would you put Fitzgerald
who isn't even on the practice one? Then maybe even
Terrell Owens. You could make that argument. You could make
the argument that he's better than Calvin Johnson because he
(14:59):
had more yards than all of these guys not named
Jerry Rice. And he was drafted in two thousand and three,
so he spent his entire career in the quarter century.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
You put Jerry Rice on this list.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Because he was like either but he was later play
can name a thousand yards too for like the Seahawks.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
You know, it's funny there are four people in the
history of the league to catch a pass after the
age of forty. It's like Tom Brady, Brett Farv because
I think one more yeah, and one more guy and
like everyone has like zero, zero, negative two or one,
and then it's Jerry one hundred.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Yards season two thousand, sorry hundred two thousand yard seasons. Yeah,
I wouldn't put him on this list though. Look, it's
non negotiable to me that not only ab is on
this list, but Larry Fitzgerald is on this list. And
the fact that in the practice squad you have Antonio
Brown and you.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
Have sorry it's only a thousand, but still my point.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
And you have Andre Johnson. Andre John's it's a really
good wide receiver for the Houston Texans. Okay, one of
the faces of their franchise is when they became a
team in one of their first you know, real impactful
skill position players. Okay, Like, I'm not trying to say
Andre Johnson sucks. I'm not saying he's borderline Hall of
Fame whatever. All I am saying is the fact that
you listed him and not Larry Fitzgerald at all. You
(16:19):
didn't put him in your six steps chart, you didn't
put him in your practice squad. You work at ESPN,
so you have to know something. I severely question your
ball knowing skills. And I would really love to get
an answer to that question. And I would love to know,
if honest with me, because we make lists a lot
on this show, did you just forget, like, did you
honestly hand up? He plays in Arizona, He's been retired
(16:42):
for a couple did you just forget about Larry Fitzger.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
You can't do that. We you and I admit that
all the time. Like the episode, I.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Think honestly I would respect him a little bit more
if he came out. Was just like, yeah, I totally blanked.
I forgot that Larry Fitzgerald existed. So put him on
this list over anybody, really, And I'm sorry to keep
going back on Jerry. I was right initially he did
twenty one hundred yards after turning the age of forty.
I wish you would stop going back.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
To Jerry Rice.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
I'm just saying that worthing to putting him on the
practice squad.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
No, it's not because we need to get Larry fitz
on here. We need to get a b I don't
hate having Jefferson on here too. Is kind of like
that current playing.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
Next guy, Andre Johnson probably punching up.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Andre Johnson and Julio Jones should not be on the loop.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
As I'm saying Andrew Johnson practice, I'd push back on Julio.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Aby was better than Julio, and fitz was better than Julio.
We gotta make cuts here, okay.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
So why not? So why not?
Speaker 3 (17:30):
Well cut cut Andre Johnson. Okay, but that's practice squad.
I'm trying to get Fits and Ab on the real.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Okay, then then oh you want both of them on
the real squad.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
They should definitely be better, So you would go, I
would get rid of Julio Jones and I'd probably get
rid of Marvin Harrison.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Really, I think you're forgetting how.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Jacob, I'm talking about Larry Fitzjared, Antonio Brown better than
Marvin Harrison. They just are.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
Well.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Then I would take Justin Jefferson off.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
Too fine, But you got to put those two on
criminal that they're not. It's criminal that Larry's not even
on mentioned.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
It's criminal that Larry is not mentioned.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
All right, tight ends, we're back to not being rage
baby anymore, because yeah, it's an easy monk than Kelsey.
Then Gonzalez is kind of like the godfather of them all.
And then Antonio Gates is the practice squad guy.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
You remember, I mean, before Gronk and Kelsey came on,
it was Antonio Gains and.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
And maybe you throw a little practice squad if you
had room to Jimmy Graham because he did have a.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Rea, but it was much I mean, remember he came
in with Gronk and with Kelsey. They came in a
little bit before Kelsey, but Graham feels that way faster
than those two guys.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Right left tackles you have Joe Thomas makes sense, and
Trent Williams. I don't have really any problem with that.
Walter Jones and Jordan and my Latta or on the
practice squad. Left guards you got Alan Fanica.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
Love it, and he's the first guy on the depth
chart too. He's the starter with Steve Hutchinson backing him up.
So two Hall of famers. There no practice squad members.
The center is Jason Kelcey. I think they could have
put Marquise on the practice squad.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
They could have. They didn't do any practice.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
They probably would have gone like Jeff's Saturday before they went.
Marquis pounces better than Saturday. I'm just from a national standpoint.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Well, he also works at ESPN, so maybe they'd be.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Like, does he still work?
Speaker 1 (19:20):
I don't know if i'n't seen him on the desk.
It's not a football season though, he's kind of more
of a football than the guy.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
Yeah, well you say that, but in the middle of
I saw this on our first Take episode in the
middle of talking NBA Finals, they had Dak Prescott's legacy
coming up.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Why or in June.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
I can't help it. Zach Martin is one of the
right guards, with Marshall Yonda as the other one. In
Jarry Evans on the practice squad, Lane Johnson and Willie
Anderson are your two right tackles. Boy, the Bengals could
really use Willie Anderson right now in his prime, but
a great tackle for them in the early two thousands.
And then we get back to rage bait again when
we go to the defensive side of the wall and
(19:58):
the edge rushers are Demarket I swear, Jared Allen, Miles
Garrett and Julius Peppers, with the practice squad being the
two individuals that share the red to wildost sacks in
a single season.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
It should be so if you have four guys, it
should be Strahan, Allen and that what. But I think
those who are the only locks straight, Hannan Allen straight,
hann and Allen.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Is DeMarcus ware in the hall?
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (20:31):
And so is Peppers right they Yeah, he got in
as well.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
I might put Peppers at third and then between DeMarcus
where and TJ Watt, not Miles Garrett.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
You can make the case for the fourth.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
You can't put Miles Garrett in front of t J Watt.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Can't do it.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
You just can't. Now you want to pay him more
money because you think the runway is better for him
moving forward. You think he's got better years in front
of him. You think he stayed healthier later in his
career than TJ Watt has. You don't want to give
TJ that kind of money. Different conversation, and I kind
of agree with you on that converse. This is a
judgment on what they've done to this point. Every single
statistics other than past rush win rate goes to TJ
(21:09):
Watt's favor. So you're telling me that that's the only
thing that matters that much, that the past rush win
rate matters so much to skew everything into that direction
that it's automatically him, like I.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Believe, other not counting the year where TJ was heard
for half the season.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
T J Watts also, by the way, I know he's
got a gold jacket. Sorry, but he's better than DeMarcus
Ware as far as like a pacing point of view
is concerned.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
And I'm also trying to it's not that far.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
As sacks wise behind him and wear a much longer
career already.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
Besides the one year where TG got hurt in Week
one Males, Garrett has only led TG Watt in sacks
one time, and it was this year. So you're saying
that that count that that counts that much to you
that he won d POY two years ago when he
should not have in the first place, And I just
(22:03):
don't Then he led for the first time ever and
said he not just he didn't even leave the league.
He just was ahead of TG Watt for the first
time of his career, And I just.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Don't get the Strayhan thing like sense. Yes, yeh, he
played in the nineties, right like he started in nineteen
ninety three. He was a two time first team All
Pro in nineteen ninety seven, in nineteen ninety eight, right yeah,
But then he also won Defensive Player of the Year
in two thousand and one, had twenty two and a
half sacks, the sack record, led the league in sacks
again in two thousand and three with eighteen and a half,
(22:32):
and was first team All Pro again. In two thousand
and three. He was a four time in total All
Pro just in his two thousand years, two time on
the second team and two times on the first team.
He won his Super Bowl in the two thousands, in
two thousand and seven. He also played in his other
Super Bowl in the year two thousand, the two thousand
(22:52):
season when he got absolutely hammered by the rail Ravens.
But he was still there, like, honestly, dude, I think
should be the number one.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
I said straight hand was one, Allen was two. That's
how I look at it. Pepper's probably three, and then
between the three.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
And you know what had been really safe to do?
Make where four and then put Watt and Garrett on
the practice right and then just be like the current
guy's got a lot to do. And then you can
also point to and say, every single one of my
guys at the one through four has a gold jacket already,
like these are Hall of Fame players.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
It makes no sense to put Garrett up there ahead
of the gold the guy who should be number one,
and a guy who is currently playing and it is
better than him.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
A right defensive tackle is Aaron Donald at number one?
No duh. He might be the one of the four
best defensive players in NFL history. And then here's where
one that I just don't agree.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
I don't agree with that.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
He is Kalaas Campbell at number two. I burped so
much because I was so upset Kalaius Campbell at number two,
and then Chris Jones at number three, Kevin Williams listed
first on the practice, and then Cam Hayward. Cam Hayward's
number two behind Aaron Donald.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
He just is.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
And then I would probably put Chris Jones in front
of Kalais Campbell. Kaleias Campbell's great, but he's a bit
of a compiler, is he not? And there's something to
playing that long at that.
Speaker 3 (24:13):
Position in what Jacksonville and Baltimore and Arizona and then
back to Arizona, right, Yeah, And he started in Arizona
when we went to Jacksonville, then to Baltimore and then
back to Arizona.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Right, And people will.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
Be like, oh my god, he played for seventeen years
in counting. This is unbelievable, the longevity at that k
I just don't see it. You just don't see it
at that position except for the guy who's been a
one helmet guy and gotten more First team All pros,
who's done it for almost just as much as Kaleis Campbell,
and it done better and was the first team All
Pro last year coming off of yet another one. Cam
Hayward should be number two on this list and the
(24:44):
only reason he's not number one is because he ran
into a generational talent like Aaron Donald who is just
so clearly better than everybody else. So that was really disrespectful.
Vince will Fork is the nose tackle. Didn't even give
Big Snack a mention on the practice squad there though,
but not on the practice squad. Then they do this
(25:05):
thing called versatile Defensive Lineman which I just called BS,
as a way to get j. J Watt in there.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
But JJ Watt deserves to be on this list no
matter where you put put him in.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Edg Rusher then knock one of those guys out.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
So okay, So that's fine. So in that case it
would be Garrett's off the list completely exactly.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
It would be.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
But in that case I would put TJ sorry JJ
as a starter as well too.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
It goes Shrahan. I think the four Alan Pepper's.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Why wear Watt practice squads and then no Garrett, No Garrett.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
That's what it should be right.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Inside linebackers, you've got Ray Lewis that you've got Bobby Wagner, Lacker, Levante, David, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
That's that's uh.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
And then Loukeley I think deserves it over David. I
can't think of four. And he's technically on the depth chart.
He's not a practice quad The only practice squad guy
was Derek Brooks. Who Derek Brooks in front of thee DA.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
It's even easier to compare them. They're both Tampa.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
Yeah, look, they love them both and both are super
Bowl champions for the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay fans think of
Derek Brooks out a different light than.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
Oh, yeah, you remember we had this conversation earlier in
the week. The Tampa Bay fans will never say no
thank you to that super Bowl they got with Tom Brady.
They would never say, oh, I don't count it. Obviously,
it's it's in their trophy case, it's in the history books.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
But I think they look back.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
More fondly on that three season or O two season
than they do twenty twenty because they earned it as
a team and with the head coach, not that they
won the Tom Brady lottery and he won in his
first the Tom Brady slash Rob Gronkowski Lottery, and they
won it in the first year of having those two
(26:49):
guys cornerbacks, You've got Darryl Rievis. That's that's that's the
only one. Would I say where I say put him
in Champ.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
Bailey, Rende Barber, Rick Sherman, Patrick Peterson, Jalen Ramsey as
a practice squad member.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
I think it's overall pretty. It's it's okay, got your
de poys in there. Yeah, actually you do not have
your dpoy in there with Steven Stephan Gilmore, But I
mean whatever, I like all the other guys on the
list in front of him anywhere. We've said to that
season where Stefan Gilmour won Deep Boy over t J.
Watt might have been the more egregious of the the snubs.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
For TJ in his career, right, Yeah, I think it
is uh Safety's Edred Troy, Paul Malu Yep, yep, Brian Dawkins,
and Earl Thomas. The third with Charles Woodson.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
Charles probably deserves it.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
Over Earl Thomas or even Brian Dawkins. I don't know.
Dawkins was pretty.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
Dawkins was a beast.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
He was the most as good as Troy and Ed
were at the seat.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
Dawkins was the hitter. Dowkins is the one who.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
Dawkins was the one that you were afraid to go
up against because he could literally kill you on the
football field.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Kickers justin Tucker, Sure, yeah, it's obvious even he sucks.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
I mean the other guys though, like Vinitari, Gozkowski, Kowski,
janet Kowski.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Right, there's an argument for Vanitaria.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Vinitari, but I think Tucker's just as far as like
a sure kicking standpoint is concerned. Vanitary's legacy gets attitude
because he.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
Kicked the big Super Bowls for both the Patriots and
the Colts.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
My favorite this is Sports Center's commercials ever, is when
Vinitari is going through the metal detector and he's got
to take off all his rings. I member, Jim Kelly's
behind him, no, and then that he goes through it
a couple of times and one goes off, and vanitariy
is like ah, and he takes one like out of
a pocket. He's like always forget about number four. And
Jim Carrey's just like unbelievable are Jim Kelly's like unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Like, that's a great one. They don't make sport this
is what.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
I don't know if they do any new ones. But
I like that because it tells me that Jim Kelly
is a good sport, right. It tells me that Jim
has got a sense of humor and.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
He I mean, I just think he's regarded as one
of the better guys. Remember he was dealing with cancer
for a while. Now he's cancer free. But yeah, I
mean they made that old dot the foe falls the Buffalo.
Do you ever see that one?
Speaker 2 (29:02):
The thirty?
Speaker 1 (29:03):
He is one of the all time great quarterbacks that
has always forgotten about because he lost fours. The man
took a team to a Super Bowl four straight years.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
He's great.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Shane Leckler is the punter, sure, Devin Hester is the
return specialist with a shout out to Cordeill Patterson on
the practice.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
I guess he's the most touchdown Yeah right, he's got
the most.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
Matthew Slater as a special teamer. Slater was such a
freak for so long in New England at that.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
No love, no love for killer grips. Uh, that's a
good one. I'm gonna say. Tyler mad as a deeper cut.
But sure Slater is just the guy. Yeah Slater. Slater
was in the twenty tens. He was there was nobody
was a five.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Time All Pro because of that, right, Morgan Cox is
the long snapper.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
No love for Greg Warren.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
Don't really care about Greg Warren. I don't even care
about long snappers either. Like how you could pick a
name out of a hat. I think Greg warrens number sixty.
Coaching staff Bill Belichicks the head coach. Kyle Shanahan's the
offensive coordinator.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
I think you could go a lot of different ways.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Wade Phillips is the defensive coordinator.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
I have a problem with Wade Phillips.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
Yeah, Dick lebo should be the absolutely absolutely, come on.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
It's not even a Homer take.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
They're gonna have this whole like, well, Dick Lebou was
in the sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties, and two thousand.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
So he was the t and he was a d
C in the two thousands.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
Two Super Bowls too. How many does Wade Phillips d
C when.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
He is one with the Bronx.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
One is the Broncos defensive coordinator, Dave Tubb as special
teams coordinator. No, it should be Danny Smith. It should
should obviously be all right, we come back. We're gonna
do our Steelers quarter century team. He's Jacob backed on
Tom Opferman it's the Steelers standard on Steelers Nation Radio
Before we get to this list that ESPN put together
the quarter century team for the NFL from two thousand
to twenty twenty five, we are at the quarter point
of the century.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
It's crazy.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
I saw also someone point out, like four days ago
that we are halfway through June.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
This was June fifteenth, so fortyas at more.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Than halfway well now, but I'm saying I saw someone
put it on June fifteenth. We were halfway through June,
halfway through twenty twenty five, and halfway through the twenty twenties.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
Any think about that, halfway to half a century. That's
some kind of more of a stretch for me. But
I just wanted to add another little and in there
to make it even better.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Halfway through half is that sure?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Right now?
Speaker 2 (00:48):
I'll take it.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
I guess I will take a little worse. But before
we get to that, we were talking about the areas
of offense that need to step up around Rogers, and
they're obvious, but we were ranking them in order of importance.
Wide receiver was actually last for us because we think
Rogers can elevate the receivers, and also DK metcalf is
a damn good receiver anyway, running backs. We're optimistic about
that room, but Caleb Johnson is just an unknown and
(01:10):
if he doesn't really take to the NFL fast, then
that puts Jalen Warren in an uncomfortable predicament with what
his usage has to be. And then last, but not least,
because it's the most important is obviously, and we beat
this to death, and that's why we can kind of
just talk about it quickly here before we move on.
Is the offensive line has to blossom. You need to
see guys step up and play to the level of
(01:33):
their pedigree. They are first round draft picks. They need
to show it. Someone needs to become a borderline all
pro at one of those tackle spots. Fraser's got to
continue his development, and McCormick's just got to be the
be Okay, he's just got to be an ass. Just
got to be an above average weakest link in a
(01:53):
negative way, because that is a negative connot team, but
that is a unit where you are only as good
as your weakest link. So you better make that floor
pretty high. Mason McCormick. There's just so much pressure on them.
I mentioned in the beginning of last episode, I've been
watching a bunch of you know these propaganda highlight packages
of Rogers. Oh my god, he's unbelievable with the packers
and some of the stuff he's been able to do.
(02:15):
But he can't move like he did like then, Like
he's not as mobile as he once was. That's just
naive to think that he's gonna need a little bit
more protection. He's gonna need that offensive line to create
some healthy pockets for him. And if you do, I
think you can get the most out of Aaron Rodgers.
But if you can't, I think you risk injury for
the old man, And I think you just risk ineffective
plays because maybe the first option on a play that
(02:38):
they call and they really like is gonna be open,
but it takes time to develop downfield, and he's got
to check it down to Warren or else we're gonna
get negative yards, I'm gonna get stripsacked. Something bad is
gonna happen. So that offensive line just has got to
be the I think MVP of the offense this year.
Like you want Rogers to strow for thirty touchdowns, Sure,
like five picks turn back the clock. But if the
(03:00):
offense is gonna have any success, if the team's gonna
have any success if they're going to end that playoff drought.
The MVP needs to be the offensive line. It needs
to be the unit that we look back at and say,
you know what, it all goes through them. It's a
fringe top ten offensive line in the NFL. There's so
much youth on it. So not only is it trending
in the right direction and it was really good this year,
(03:21):
but it's got a very bright future ahead of itself.
That's the kind of place we need to be in
June fifteenth, whatever a day it is June and eighteenth,
nineteenth next year, as we review what happened last year
and we're trying to break in our rookie quarterback that
we drafted in twenty twenty six, we're saying, yeah, that
offensive line clicked. It protected Aaron Rodgers. It's sure as
(03:41):
hell is going to be able to protect this kid
that's going to be way more mobile to so O
line's got the most importance or the most pressure on
it this year to step up for Aaron and play well.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
I like the investment. I think that's what everyone praises
Omar Khan for doing. He's heavily invested in this offensive line,
and I think an unsung hero kind of crazily is
I Seeumalu just because he's the oldest member of this
offensive line by years and years. But he might be
(04:14):
the most consistent, He might be the most dependable. You
remember when he came back from injury, was like a
month into the season last year. He looked a little rusty,
and people were saying, ah, man, maybe Big Ike doesn't
have it anymore. But he just gave him like one
or two weeks and he was back right. And he can.
I think veteran leadership is such a huge part in
any locker room. He can really be the guy to
(04:37):
lead McCormick and Jones and Fatanu and Frasier and just say, hey, guys,
this is I've been on a championship O line team.
This is how you do it. And like you said,
I mean they're they could not have invested more. The
only way they could have invested more in the offensive
line is they didn't draft Derek Harmon this year, and
they went out and drafted another offensive guard or offensive
(04:58):
tackle in the first round this year.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
And honestly, surprisingly the fact that they.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
Went this whole draft without investing in the offensive line.
Kind of shows how much they trust the guys that
are already there. Right, They didn't look at it and say, hey,
Fatana didn't play a single start. Sorry, they didn't play
ninety nine percent of the season, and we are really
unsure about Roderick Jones. We need a little more insurance
(05:26):
to this offensive line. Mason McCormick is a what six
round draft pick. We can't just rely on that guy.
We need to keep investing in and build up the
depth behind those guys in case they don't work out.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
They didn't do that.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
They said, we trust McCormick. Obviously, they trust Frasier who
made the All Rookie team. Obviously, they trust Big Ike,
but they trust McCormick. They trust Fatana to come back
from injury, and they trust Roderick Jones to bounce back
after a really poor rookie er I'm sorry, sophomore season.
So I think that shows you that the Stewers look
at it as this is the best offensive line they've
(06:01):
had since the peak of the de Castro and the
Ramone Foster and the Marquise Pouncy era of that offensive line.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
And it doesn't even have to get to that.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Peaky no, But I think they they're saying that we
trust it the most since that time.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
And it has the most potential since that time. Absolutely,
let's get to this list put together by ESPN. Let's
name the culprits. Let's name the.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Can we just preface it by saying it's a bad list.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
It's a shots list. Let's put it that way.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
It's a clickbait.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Have a little bit of a pun on his last
name there and a different word that is a reference
to things a culprits. I think this is rage bait.
I think this is clickbait, and I just it's not
just for Pittsburgh Steelers fans either. But they took a
big chunk of the rage bait on this. So it
(07:00):
starts it's the quarter century team. First of all, it
breaks down. It has twenty five offensive players, twenty three
defensive players, and five special teamers. They also filled out
a full practice squad with players who just missed the cut,
and they followed NFL practice squad rules, So there's seventeen players.
And finally, we also need an elite coaching staff, so
(07:22):
they put some coaching staffs together as well. G I
wonder who the quarter century head coach is going to be. Yeah,
but here's the quarterbacks, and it starts out good, right,
like it starts out pretty easy, Yeah, Tom Brady. There's
three quarterbacks named Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and then they
go with Patrick Mahomes for the current one, with the
two practice squad guys being our current quarterback Aaron Rodgers
(07:43):
Andrew Brees being the second practice squad quarterback. No real
debate from me there. If you wanted to be more
of a Mahomes has to earn it, guy, I honestly
don't know if you have the ability to at you
got three rings and like, he could retire today and
still be a Hall of Famer, and I would be
able to make the argument even though the career numbers
wouldn't be at that point, the trajectory that they were on,
(08:05):
I would look at him and I would be like,
I mean, he's better than Rogers, and he already is
better than Rodgers. And you know what this would if
he retired early, Jacob, he would be the Christoph Waltz
to Tom Brady's Daniel da Lewis. That's what Patrick Mahomes
would end up be coming. I like that would be
our analogy. But he ain't gonna retire early. He's gonna
play until probably twenty forty five, and we're gonna have
to deal with Patrick Mahomes like we dealt with Tom Brady,
(08:27):
except longer.
Speaker 3 (08:28):
And then and those medicines, and then we'll have like
a fun like six to seven year down period where
he's not in the Super Bowl. We think, oh my gosh,
thank God, we're done with Mahomes, and then I'll come
back for four We'll come back.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
I also wonder if we'll have the same experience where
when Mahomes does eventually retire, the next goat comes in immediately,
like to the point where he's actually on the field
playing against the current goat like Brady over we were like,
we'll never see something like Brady again. No one will
ever make a run like he is at all the
super Bowl rings that he had, and it's like, oh,
the guy that Brady's playing for the past couple of
(09:03):
rings that he won, it is going to be the
guy that makes the push him. And I'll never not
bring up the fact that if Mahomes doesn't get the
better of Brady, if Brady doesn't do a little bit
of guarding of his own legacy in that AFC Championship
game and then in the Super Bowl as a Tampa
Bay buccaneer. That's five rings to five. It's tied, like
Mahomes has already's not gotten ready exact because he was
(09:24):
able to hold him off. But I'm just saying, like
it's kind of freaky to think about how close that
was and how Tom Brady really kind of put that
last thing not only by getting seven but robbing the
two could catch him two more great that they'd be
tied if Mahomes would have if they would have flipped
in a different direction.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Well, that's that's actually really quick.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Oh.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
I guess you can't play the hypothetical because they did
play each other in the.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Super Bowl when Tom in Kansas City. But it was
I guess you would say maybe the Chiefs lose the
Super Bowl because.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
He was champion, it was that the Eagles was at
the Rams.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
If it was the Rams, the Super Bowl that would
have been that honestly would have been great because that
would have been the rematch of that Monday Night game.
I don't know if that Monday Night game was the
year before the Year of.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
But it was the fever.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
I think it was year.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
I think it was that year because remember, like Mahomes
red shirted his rookie season effectively behind Alex Smith, and
then that first year that he was the started he
won MVP and he got to So I think it
was that year.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Yeah, I think you're actually right.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
So it had just been the rematch of that game.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
And instead of the worst super Bowl you've seen, it
maybe would have been the most electric super Bowl. And
I believe the Rams won that game they did against
Kansas City in Mexico City. They were like, not only
was it great offensively like Mahomes, the defensive score touchdown.
There were like three or four defensive touchdowns. Yeah, what
a difference.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
That could have been one of the worst super Bowls
in modern in the modern history, could.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Have been one of the more exciting ones.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
All right, now here's where the list immediately starts to
get it.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
It's all like, this is this might be the worst
pick of the whole ross.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
So running backs just say the first name they go with,
Priest Holmes.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
That's all you need to say. That's all you need
to say.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
I like Priest Holmes, but not as much to put
him at number one because I'm guessing that that's number one.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Yeah, yeah, you're it's it's clearly as Tom it's a
depth charge.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Yeah, Christian McCaffrey, I disagree with that.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Number two.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Yeah, and then I think Derek Henry is number three
actually does make sense as number three. That's the kind
of current guy.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
Like, but I don't want I'm gonna change one and two.
One's LT, and then two is Adrian.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
On the bench. I know l T is LT is
the only practice squad guy.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
LT is number one for sure, APS number two, and
then Henry's three. APIs the last non quarterback to win
an MVP Award.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Henry honestly has the potential to.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Be number one, right, I think so too.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
He could, and I think it could be an argument
AP over LT.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
But that might just be like a recency bias kind
of thing because Adrian Peterson was playing into like the
twenty twenty season, I believe, right like it wasn't even
like Washington and Tennessee at the like the last year
of his career. He bounced around like three teams, So
maybe I just remember him.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
It's just this Priest Holmes thing. It makes no sense
to sense at all. He only had like a six
year window. He already has so much few so much
fewer all purpose yardage than And I'm sorry, Henry, and I'm.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
Sorry, I'm sorry.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Saquon Barkley like doesn't deserve a practice squad spot.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
I don't think so yet, because here's what I would
have done. I would have maybe made Christian McCaffrey my
practice squad player on this list. I don't know, maybe
Priest Holmes too. I mean you could make Priest Holmes
a practice yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:50):
Right, I mean did he get two thousand yards?
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Oh? Pro I don't think he's a two thousand yard club.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Okay, So to that point, then why not a guy
like Jamal.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
Lewis who got to two thousand yards? Why not CJ
two K?
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Great example? Yes, of all people, you're going with Priest Holmes?
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Or why not just do ap who also got two
thousand yards and won an MP and should definitely be
on the list. So running back, I think a huge
swing and a miss fullbacks Kyle yust.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Check, I guess it makes sense.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
I couldn'tly think of another one like Lorenzo O'Neill was
the one that they talked about. Patrick card right now
for the Ravens, it's become more and more of a
dot like. Hold on when was let me see here,
when was he at his prime? Double checking on a
guy because there might be a huge omission. Okay, see,
here's the thing. I don't know how because he did
(13:41):
play in the nineties and he had a lot of success,
Like most of his success was in the nineties, but
Mike Alstott had a few years in the early two
thousands where he was unbelievd. Mike also was like the
last fullback that could be a running back too. I
might of just because he's Mike Alstott given him the
hat tip tip the cap, yeah, as opposed to Kyle
(14:02):
used chick al right. Wide receivers ones really tough, Randy
Moss one, Calvin Johnson two, Julio three, t O four,
Harrison five, Harris Marvin Harrison. Sorry sorry Marvin Harrison five,
and then Justin Jefferson six, ab and Andre Johnson has
your honorable mentions.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
It's it's again, it's really really tough. I think they
got it. I think one and two.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
I think there's three that are written in stone that
they got right. One and two. Masson Johnson and and.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
T t O. Honest, could you put t O above Julio? Probably?
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Okay, Julio shouldn't even be on this list. Ab is
one thousand percent better than Julio. Would you put Fitzgerald
who isn't even on the practice one? Then maybe even
Terrell Owens. You could make that argument. You could make
the argument that he's better than Calvin Johnson because he
(14:59):
had more yards than all of these guys not named
Jerry Rice. And he was drafted in two thousand and three,
so he spent his entire career in the quarter century.
Speaker 2 (15:09):
You put Jerry Rice on this list.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Because he was like either but he was later play
can name a thousand yards too for like the Seahawks.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
You know, it's funny there are four people in the
history of the league to catch a pass after the
age of forty. It's like Tom Brady, Brett Farv because
I think one more yeah, and one more guy and
like everyone has like zero, zero, negative two or one,
and then it's Jerry one hundred.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
Yards season two thousand, sorry hundred two thousand yard seasons. Yeah,
I wouldn't put him on this list though. Look, it's
non negotiable to me that not only ab is on
this list, but Larry Fitzgerald is on this list. And
the fact that in the practice squad you have Antonio
Brown and you.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
Have sorry it's only a thousand, but still my point.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
And you have Andre Johnson. Andre John's it's a really
good wide receiver for the Houston Texans. Okay, one of
the faces of their franchise is when they became a
team in one of their first you know, real impactful
skill position players. Okay, Like, I'm not trying to say
Andre Johnson sucks. I'm not saying he's borderline Hall of
Fame whatever. All I am saying is the fact that
you listed him and not Larry Fitzgerald at all. You
(16:19):
didn't put him in your six steps chart, you didn't
put him in your practice squad. You work at ESPN,
so you have to know something. I severely question your
ball knowing skills. And I would really love to get
an answer to that question. And I would love to know,
if honest with me, because we make lists a lot
on this show, did you just forget, like, did you
honestly hand up? He plays in Arizona, He's been retired
(16:42):
for a couple did you just forget about Larry Fitzger.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
You can't do that. We you and I admit that
all the time. Like the episode, I.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Think honestly I would respect him a little bit more
if he came out. Was just like, yeah, I totally blanked.
I forgot that Larry Fitzgerald existed. So put him on
this list over anybody, really, And I'm sorry to keep
going back on Jerry. I was right initially he did
twenty one hundred yards after turning the age of forty.
I wish you would stop going back.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
To Jerry Rice.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
I'm just saying that worthing to putting him on the
practice squad.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
No, it's not because we need to get Larry fitz
on here. We need to get a b I don't
hate having Jefferson on here too. Is kind of like
that current playing.
Speaker 2 (17:15):
Next guy, Andre Johnson probably punching up.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Andre Johnson and Julio Jones should not be on the loop.
Speaker 3 (17:22):
As I'm saying Andrew Johnson practice, I'd push back on Julio.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Aby was better than Julio, and fitz was better than Julio.
We gotta make cuts here, okay.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
So why not? So why not?
Speaker 3 (17:30):
Well cut cut Andre Johnson. Okay, but that's practice squad.
I'm trying to get Fits and Ab on the real.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Okay, then then oh you want both of them on
the real squad.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
They should definitely be better, So you would go, I
would get rid of Julio Jones and I'd probably get
rid of Marvin Harrison.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Really, I think you're forgetting how.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
Jacob, I'm talking about Larry Fitzjared, Antonio Brown better than
Marvin Harrison. They just are.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
Well.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Then I would take Justin Jefferson off.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
Too fine, But you got to put those two on
criminal that they're not. It's criminal that Larry's not even
on mentioned.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
It's criminal that Larry is not mentioned.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
All right, tight ends, we're back to not being rage
baby anymore, because yeah, it's an easy monk than Kelsey.
Then Gonzalez is kind of like the godfather of them all.
And then Antonio Gates is the practice squad guy.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
You remember, I mean, before Gronk and Kelsey came on,
it was Antonio Gains and.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
And maybe you throw a little practice squad if you
had room to Jimmy Graham because he did have a.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Rea, but it was much I mean, remember he came
in with Gronk and with Kelsey. They came in a
little bit before Kelsey, but Graham feels that way faster
than those two guys.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Right left tackles you have Joe Thomas makes sense, and
Trent Williams. I don't have really any problem with that.
Walter Jones and Jordan and my Latta or on the
practice squad. Left guards you got Alan Fanica.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
Love it, and he's the first guy on the depth
chart too. He's the starter with Steve Hutchinson backing him up.
So two Hall of famers. There no practice squad members.
The center is Jason Kelcey. I think they could have
put Marquise on the practice squad.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
They could have. They didn't do any practice.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
They probably would have gone like Jeff's Saturday before they went.
Marquis pounces better than Saturday. I'm just from a national standpoint.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Well, he also works at ESPN, so maybe they'd be.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
Like, does he still work?
Speaker 1 (19:20):
I don't know if i'n't seen him on the desk.
It's not a football season though, he's kind of more
of a football than the guy.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
Yeah, well you say that, but in the middle of
I saw this on our first Take episode in the
middle of talking NBA Finals, they had Dak Prescott's legacy
coming up.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Why or in June.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
I can't help it. Zach Martin is one of the
right guards, with Marshall Yonda as the other one. In
Jarry Evans on the practice squad, Lane Johnson and Willie
Anderson are your two right tackles. Boy, the Bengals could
really use Willie Anderson right now in his prime, but
a great tackle for them in the early two thousands.
And then we get back to rage bait again when
we go to the defensive side of the wall and
(19:58):
the edge rushers are Demarket I swear, Jared Allen, Miles
Garrett and Julius Peppers, with the practice squad being the
two individuals that share the red to wildost sacks in
a single season.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
It should be so if you have four guys, it
should be Strahan, Allen and that what. But I think
those who are the only locks straight, Hannan Allen straight,
hann and Allen.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
I don't.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
Is DeMarcus ware in the hall?
Speaker 2 (20:31):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (20:31):
And so is Peppers right they Yeah, he got in
as well.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
I might put Peppers at third and then between DeMarcus
where and TJ Watt, not Miles Garrett.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
You can make the case for the fourth.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
You can't put Miles Garrett in front of t J Watt.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Can't do it.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
You just can't. Now you want to pay him more
money because you think the runway is better for him
moving forward. You think he's got better years in front
of him. You think he stayed healthier later in his
career than TJ Watt has. You don't want to give
TJ that kind of money. Different conversation, and I kind
of agree with you on that converse. This is a
judgment on what they've done to this point. Every single
statistics other than past rush win rate goes to TJ
(21:09):
Watt's favor. So you're telling me that that's the only
thing that matters that much, that the past rush win
rate matters so much to skew everything into that direction
that it's automatically him, like I.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
Believe, other not counting the year where TJ was heard
for half the season.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
T J Watts also, by the way, I know he's
got a gold jacket. Sorry, but he's better than DeMarcus
Ware as far as like a pacing point of view
is concerned.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
And I'm also trying to it's not that far.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
As sacks wise behind him and wear a much longer
career already.
Speaker 3 (21:42):
Besides the one year where TG got hurt in Week
one Males, Garrett has only led TG Watt in sacks
one time, and it was this year. So you're saying
that that count that that counts that much to you
that he won d POY two years ago when he
should not have in the first place, And I just
(22:03):
don't Then he led for the first time ever and
said he not just he didn't even leave the league.
He just was ahead of TG Watt for the first
time of his career, And I just.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
Don't get the Strayhan thing like sense. Yes, yeh, he
played in the nineties, right like he started in nineteen
ninety three. He was a two time first team All
Pro in nineteen ninety seven, in nineteen ninety eight, right yeah,
But then he also won Defensive Player of the Year
in two thousand and one, had twenty two and a
half sacks, the sack record, led the league in sacks
again in two thousand and three with eighteen and a half,
(22:32):
and was first team All Pro again. In two thousand
and three. He was a four time in total All
Pro just in his two thousand years, two time on
the second team and two times on the first team.
He won his Super Bowl in the two thousands, in
two thousand and seven. He also played in his other
Super Bowl in the year two thousand, the two thousand
(22:52):
season when he got absolutely hammered by the rail Ravens.
But he was still there, like, honestly, dude, I think
should be the number one.
Speaker 3 (23:02):
I said straight hand was one, Allen was two. That's
how I look at it. Pepper's probably three, and then
between the three.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
And you know what had been really safe to do?
Make where four and then put Watt and Garrett on
the practice right and then just be like the current
guy's got a lot to do. And then you can
also point to and say, every single one of my
guys at the one through four has a gold jacket already,
like these are Hall of Fame players.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
It makes no sense to put Garrett up there ahead
of the gold the guy who should be number one,
and a guy who is currently playing and it is
better than him.
Speaker 1 (23:35):
A right defensive tackle is Aaron Donald at number one?
No duh. He might be the one of the four
best defensive players in NFL history. And then here's where
one that I just don't agree.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
I don't agree with that.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
He is Kalaas Campbell at number two. I burped so
much because I was so upset Kalaius Campbell at number two,
and then Chris Jones at number three, Kevin Williams listed
first on the practice, and then Cam Hayward. Cam Hayward's
number two behind Aaron Donald.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
He just is.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
And then I would probably put Chris Jones in front
of Kalais Campbell. Kaleias Campbell's great, but he's a bit
of a compiler, is he not? And there's something to
playing that long at that.
Speaker 3 (24:13):
Position in what Jacksonville and Baltimore and Arizona and then
back to Arizona, right, Yeah, And he started in Arizona
when we went to Jacksonville, then to Baltimore and then
back to Arizona.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Right, And people will.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
Be like, oh my god, he played for seventeen years
in counting. This is unbelievable, the longevity at that k
I just don't see it. You just don't see it
at that position except for the guy who's been a
one helmet guy and gotten more First team All pros,
who's done it for almost just as much as Kaleis Campbell,
and it done better and was the first team All
Pro last year coming off of yet another one. Cam
Hayward should be number two on this list and the
(24:44):
only reason he's not number one is because he ran
into a generational talent like Aaron Donald who is just
so clearly better than everybody else. So that was really disrespectful.
Vince will Fork is the nose tackle. Didn't even give
Big Snack a mention on the practice squad there though,
but not on the practice squad. Then they do this
(25:05):
thing called versatile Defensive Lineman which I just called BS,
as a way to get j. J Watt in there.
Speaker 3 (25:10):
But JJ Watt deserves to be on this list no
matter where you put put him in.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Edg Rusher then knock one of those guys out.
Speaker 3 (25:17):
So okay, So that's fine. So in that case it
would be Garrett's off the list completely exactly.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
It would be.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
But in that case I would put TJ sorry JJ
as a starter as well too.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
It goes Shrahan. I think the four Alan Pepper's.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Why wear Watt practice squads and then no Garrett, No Garrett.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
That's what it should be right.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Inside linebackers, you've got Ray Lewis that you've got Bobby Wagner, Lacker, Levante, David, Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
That's that's uh.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
And then Loukeley I think deserves it over David. I
can't think of four. And he's technically on the depth chart.
He's not a practice quad The only practice squad guy
was Derek Brooks. Who Derek Brooks in front of thee DA.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
It's even easier to compare them. They're both Tampa.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
Yeah, look, they love them both and both are super
Bowl champions for the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay fans think of
Derek Brooks out a different light than.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
Oh, yeah, you remember we had this conversation earlier in
the week. The Tampa Bay fans will never say no
thank you to that super Bowl they got with Tom Brady.
They would never say, oh, I don't count it. Obviously,
it's it's in their trophy case, it's in the history books.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
But I think they look back.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
More fondly on that three season or O two season
than they do twenty twenty because they earned it as
a team and with the head coach, not that they
won the Tom Brady lottery and he won in his
first the Tom Brady slash Rob Gronkowski Lottery, and they
won it in the first year of having those two
(26:49):
guys cornerbacks, You've got Darryl Rievis. That's that's that's the
only one. Would I say where I say put him
in Champ.
Speaker 1 (26:57):
Bailey, Rende Barber, Rick Sherman, Patrick Peterson, Jalen Ramsey as
a practice squad member.
Speaker 3 (27:04):
I think it's overall pretty. It's it's okay, got your
de poys in there. Yeah, actually you do not have
your dpoy in there with Steven Stephan Gilmore, But I
mean whatever, I like all the other guys on the
list in front of him anywhere. We've said to that
season where Stefan Gilmour won Deep Boy over t J.
Watt might have been the more egregious of the the snubs.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
For TJ in his career, right, Yeah, I think it
is uh Safety's Edred Troy, Paul Malu Yep, yep, Brian Dawkins,
and Earl Thomas. The third with Charles Woodson.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
Charles probably deserves it.
Speaker 1 (27:37):
Over Earl Thomas or even Brian Dawkins. I don't know.
Dawkins was pretty.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
Dawkins was a beast.
Speaker 3 (27:43):
He was the most as good as Troy and Ed
were at the seat.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
Dawkins was the hitter. Dowkins is the one who.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
Dawkins was the one that you were afraid to go
up against because he could literally kill you on the
football field.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Kickers justin Tucker, Sure, yeah, it's obvious even he sucks.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
I mean the other guys though, like Vinitari, Gozkowski, Kowski,
janet Kowski.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
Right, there's an argument for Vanitaria.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Vinitari, but I think Tucker's just as far as like
a sure kicking standpoint is concerned. Vanitary's legacy gets attitude
because he.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
Kicked the big Super Bowls for both the Patriots and
the Colts.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
My favorite this is Sports Center's commercials ever, is when
Vinitari is going through the metal detector and he's got
to take off all his rings. I member, Jim Kelly's
behind him, no, and then that he goes through it
a couple of times and one goes off, and vanitariy
is like ah, and he takes one like out of
a pocket. He's like always forget about number four. And
Jim Carrey's just like unbelievable are Jim Kelly's like unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (28:39):
Like, that's a great one. They don't make sport this
is what.
Speaker 1 (28:44):
I don't know if they do any new ones. But
I like that because it tells me that Jim Kelly
is a good sport, right. It tells me that Jim
has got a sense of humor and.
Speaker 3 (28:51):
He I mean, I just think he's regarded as one
of the better guys. Remember he was dealing with cancer
for a while. Now he's cancer free. But yeah, I
mean they made that old dot the foe falls the Buffalo.
Do you ever see that one?
Speaker 2 (29:02):
The thirty?
Speaker 1 (29:03):
He is one of the all time great quarterbacks that
has always forgotten about because he lost fours. The man
took a team to a Super Bowl four straight years.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
He's great.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Shane Leckler is the punter, sure, Devin Hester is the
return specialist with a shout out to Cordeill Patterson on
the practice.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
I guess he's the most touchdown Yeah right, he's got
the most.
Speaker 1 (29:21):
Matthew Slater as a special teamer. Slater was such a
freak for so long in New England at that.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
No love, no love for killer grips. Uh, that's a
good one. I'm gonna say. Tyler mad as a deeper cut.
But sure Slater is just the guy. Yeah Slater. Slater
was in the twenty tens. He was there was nobody
was a five.
Speaker 1 (29:41):
Time All Pro because of that, right, Morgan Cox is
the long snapper.
Speaker 2 (29:44):
No love for Greg Warren.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
Don't really care about Greg Warren. I don't even care
about long snappers either. Like how you could pick a
name out of a hat. I think Greg warrens number sixty.
Coaching staff Bill Belichicks the head coach. Kyle Shanahan's the
offensive coordinator.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
I think you could go a lot of different ways.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Wade Phillips is the defensive coordinator.
Speaker 2 (30:03):
I have a problem with Wade Phillips.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
Yeah, Dick lebo should be the absolutely absolutely, come on.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
It's not even a Homer take.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
They're gonna have this whole like, well, Dick Lebou was
in the sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties, and two thousand.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
So he was the t and he was a d
C in the two thousands.
Speaker 1 (30:17):
Two Super Bowls too. How many does Wade Phillips d
C when.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
He is one with the Bronx.
Speaker 1 (30:25):
One is the Broncos defensive coordinator, Dave Tubb as special
teams coordinator. No, it should be Danny Smith. It should
should obviously be all right, we come back. We're gonna
do our Steelers quarter century team. He's Jacob backed on
Tom Opferman it's the Steelers standard on Steelers Nation Radio
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