October 1, 2025 • 35 mins
This week on Weekend Warriors, Anish and Tom recap the Panthers lopsided road loss to the Patriots, discuss some of the roster moves the Panthers made this week, debate who the best QB in college is right now, preview this week's game between the Panthers and the Dolphins, and so much more!
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's kind of weird what's happening. The NFL and college
football are closer in ways that you may not have
imagined any Shroff Tom Logan bill back here on Weekend
Warriors and Lugues. The amount of close games in college football.
That's the sport where talent and disparity was supposed to
rule the roots.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Right now, we're.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
In a season where you could legitimately make the case
for maybe a dozen teams, maybe more, maybe more a
dozen teams to win.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
The whole thing. Right now, that's where we are.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
And the unpredictability of some of these games coming down
to the wire. I mean it used to be, you know,
certain teams play, you kind of have an idea this
team's going to pull away at some point because talent
and right he's in the Joe's I think we know
what the answer is, Is there more to it? Why
(00:55):
are there more close games in college football?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
So I think that the what's happened over the course
of three to five years now and that the transfer
portal has now settled in the dispersal of talent across
the country has leveled the playing field, and now the
focus becomes okay, well, how good is your quarterback, because
(01:20):
if you can close the gap everywhere else, that ends
up being the X factor. You look at this past weekend,
just this past weekend one possession games Penn State, Oregon,
Penn State, Oregon, Florida State, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, OL
Miss Indiana, Iowa, TCU, Arizona State. I mean, I could
(01:44):
go on and on on these games. And you're sitting
there and you're looking and the things going back, and
you get into the fourth quarter and it's like, you know,
you always hear coaches talking about, well, we got to
finish or we've got to win a one possession game.
That could be the You know that was TCU. The
year they played for the national champ they literally won
every one possession game on their schedule. The next year
they didn't win any of them. Right, And so now
(02:07):
the quarterback position becomes so magnified because that guy is
gonna have to be the difference late, Right, if you
have the ball and it's tired or it's close, are
you going to have a guy that gets you over
the top. And I just it's made college football. We
can complain and moan all we want about the movement
of players and the revolving rosters. But it's made the
(02:31):
sport more competitive.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
I'm just looking at some of the other scores.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Read them off. There's a ton of.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Back wake Forest WEP game, Tennessee CE Mississippi State over time,
one score game, Indiana off to a great start, beats
Iowa by five. Did you say Texas A and m Auburn.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I did not mention that one. That's another one. I
lost track. I was going through them all yesterday.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
I was like, holy smokes, Illinois USC two point game BYU,
Colorado three point game. Shoot, I had the Houston in
Cougar's Oregon State Beavers. That was a one score game
that went overtime. And you had one team that was undefeated,
the other team that was winless Arizona State TCU. I
think you mentioned that one. So it's it's wild that
(03:15):
depth is now the hardest thing to a mass in
college football, because yes, yes, does that change with the
closure of the spring transfer window.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
I don't know if it should. Well, what's happened. Depth
is the most difficult thing to accumulate, but it's made
everybody else's front line first teamers better, right, So it's
hard to keep the guys keep a wealth of them
because one guy who's maybe a two or three at
Alabama can go be a one at Arkansas or go
(03:49):
be a one at you know, NC State. So you've
made people's ones better, but the depth is so difficult.
What I think that the one time transfer portal will do,
and I really hope it's in January or February, is
it's gonna add back in. I believe what we've lost
(04:10):
in this sport, and that is the ultimate team element
of going through a period of time during the calendar
year where you finally get to say, as a coach,
this is our team. Like you come out of December,
you don't know who your team is. You come out
of spring football, you still may not know who your
team is because you have another window. If we eliminate
(04:31):
that window, you at least go from mid year to
the beginning of next season knowing exactly what your pool
of players are.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
I also think there's a benefit for the student athlete
that goes beyond one season. It goes beyond money, and
it was I was reminded of it yesterday. If you
didn't see the news this past Tuesday, Lawrence Moten, one
of the great players in the history of Syracuse basketball,
passed away at the age of fifty three. Remembered loved
by the Syracuse community. Was for four years. I think
(05:02):
he was the all time leading scorer in the Big
East by the time that he graduated. I'm not sure if,
but he was when he graduated. Great player, right, and
he was there for four years, and so there is
an attachment that that player has to the school. And
he didn't play in the era of name image likeness.
So if you're a player in today's day and age,
(05:24):
and you know, I've got West Virginia BYU this Friday,
and you know there's guys four schools, four years, five
schools five. Oh yeah, you're a Hessian, You're a mercenary.
You're for rent if you want to come back. You're
not getting free tickets, you're not getting sideline passes.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
There there's absolutely no loyalty. There is no affiliation, there
is there is no no, there's no connection. Right, there's
no mentality that that's my school, man, Like that is
my school on my on my calf right now, all right,
you know that I played at three different schools. I
(06:02):
have a tech Yeah, I know, I know, but I
was kind of forced to because I was a junior
college guy coming out. So I had to go out.
So I have my junior college logo, my Georgia Tech
logo in my Eastern Kentucky logo with the years that
I played there by all three, right, Like, I'm proud
(06:22):
of that. Like I call all of those homes right.
Whether I had a good experience, a great experience, a
bad experience, however many games we won, however many games
we lost, it doesn't matter. I have an affinity for that, right,
And that is becoming increasingly difficult to come up with
players that have a mentality that's not me me, I
(06:44):
I ni L instead of man, I really love playing
for these guys.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Well, I just look at Okay, I'll give you an example.
My Friday night broadcast partner, Andre Ware, Yeah, spent three
seasons at Houston, then he went pro. We've done two
HU Houston games this year. He's a rock star around
and rightfully so. He's one of the college football players
of all time.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
YEP.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
His eighty nine.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Season, you can argue, was as good as a season
we've seen by a quarterback in college football. But I
also hear from him how much he's benefited over the
years from the relationship with the University of Houston. He
lives in the area. If he wants a tea time,
he can get a tea time anywhere in the Houston area.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Right.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
And I'm not saying, hey, that's the reason you stay.
But again in the name, image and likeness era, if
you have affinity and affiliation with one school, it endears
you to your fan base, It endears you to the boosters,
to the alumni. Those connections pay off later in life,
even if you go play pro, come back. Hey, you
(07:50):
want to get set up with a business. We'll help
you because we remember what you did for three or
four years at this school, which gave us a sense
of pride of being from that school. Yeah, those things
get lost, and plus you can also capitalize on that
stuff while you're in college. Now you go bounce around.
(08:11):
I'm not investing in you now. You you know, an
endorsement deal here, you're not our guy, you know, like
your name on a car dealership. But if you're there
for four years, you're there for three years. Like I
think there's a benefit to that. You know, you want
to talk about jersey sales, right, like you can sell
(08:31):
the kids jersey and make money off of them.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Why would you.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Buy the jersey of any college football player right now
with their name on the back.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Why?
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Why? Yeah? Right, unless you're going unless you're trying to
set up a collection from when that player's eligibility is done,
and and and be able to have a jersey from
each spot, like almost in a joking manner. Right. Hey,
by the way, speaking of speaking of Andre, did did
you like my Manny Hazard reference when I texted you
guys on air a couple of weeks ago?
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Hey?
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Uh, Many, Hazard was awesome? Andre gave? Andre gave you
a good chuckle.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
On that one.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
He did? He chucked because everybody brings up Andre. Nobody
talks about Manny Hazzard And that guy was a dude man,
And and I figured when I said that he would
get a chuckle out of that. Hey, Hey, another thing,
how is Corvallis.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Corvallis is interesting? Cor Vegas?
Speaker 1 (09:25):
It is beautiful in the fall Pacific Northwest? Yes, but
it's an interesting place.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Don't you enjoy getting there? From Charlotte, North Carolina?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Well?
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Where? Wait? Where's your game? This week?
Speaker 2 (09:39):
We're at BYU.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
So you're logging some serious friggin miles. Dude, you're going
on vacation after the year. This is awesome.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Might have to be Tahiti, might have to be. Yes,
depends how many sponsors we get for this Weekend Warriors show.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
We need to get a lot of sponsors for this.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Matt Hogan, do.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Your job, ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
The Weekend.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Looking left throws back to the quarter of the episode,
caught for a touchdown.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Weekend war Years.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
The best quarterback in college football Dante More of Oregon
Agree or disagree?
Speaker 3 (10:27):
I was on College Football Live on Tuesday afternoon. Mike,
I'm quoting myself, Dante More will be the best quarterback
in college football at year's end.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
I don't like this when we agree on stuff. But
I watched him in the Penn State game. I watched
most of the Penn State game. I watched him against
Oklahoma State because I had Oklahoma State the week after, right,
and then there was another game it was oh Oregon State.
I had Oregon State the week after they played Oregon,
(11:02):
so kind of watched him in that game as well.
And the more I watched, I'm going this, dude can
sling it. Yeah, he can move. They have a good team,
and yeah, he's got pieces around him.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Yeah, we're he's accurate.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Like he doesn't have pieces around him. But the more
you watch, the more there is to like. And then
as we saw in the Penn State game, he's a gamer. Dude,
he is a gamer. And again we're early, and I
could be wrong on this. I think Oregon's the best
team in the country and he's the reason why.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
I would have Orgon number one as well. It's unbelievable
you just said that because I as good as he
was against Penn State, he's gonna be even better. He's
gonna be even better, and they've got pieces around him.
As you mentioned. I'll throw another one out there for you,
number one overall pick in this Springs draft, Fernando Mendoza.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
And Indiana cal Bro And I got.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
To see him obviously working with the ACC network last
year when he was at cal Terrible offensive line, all right,
kind of above average players on offense, good running backs.
That dude is special. And what people don't realize is
that he's six foot five two and twenty five pounds
(12:22):
and can run. He can like Roethlisberger run and nobody's
paying attention to him. Here's let's talk about another one
that nobody's paying attention to, Ty Simpson at Alabama.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
The guy who stayed, the guy who's.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
The guy who stayed, and you know who he looks
exactly like As a result, Carson Beck his first year
as a starter at Georgia, clean, accurate, on time, poised again.
Another example. If you stay and compete in battle, and
you get older and you become more mature, you are
more ready for the moment, and when it comes your
(12:59):
time to shine, you are prepared. That dude was lights
out at Georgia last week.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
It's funny because none of the guys that we just
brought up well really talked about in the vein of
being an All American quarterback going into the season.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
It was Arch Manning, it was DJ Lagway, it was
Gunner Stockton, it was Drew Aller, it was Leonora Sellars,
and now you've got all these other guys. Josh Hoover
at TCU is a dude, right, is risky hurt?
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Yeah, as risky as Sam Levitt can be with the ball.
He's got some special lat right, You've got all of these.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
I do too.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
I do too, and and you just you look across,
I mean CJ. Bailey at mc State's dude, how about
Chandler Morris and Virginia.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
I think he's got to pick a school, stay in
one place.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Yeah, but here.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Yeah, but here's what people well, I'll say this though,
people forget about him. He beat out Max Duggan twice
at TCU. His problem is he can't stay healthy, so
then he ends up having to move on. He goes
to North Texas fos for four thousand yards last year.
Nobody's paying attention, right, and then Tony Elliott, who the
kid practically grew up with. Chad Morris's son is obviously
(14:20):
Chandler Morris. And now you find you find up like
a home. And now he's been able to stay healthy,
so you can actually see. Okay, now I see why
he beat out Max Duggan.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
He's got a chance to rewrite the Virginia passing records,
which when you actually look at them, you know, not
that hard to.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Do, right is it? Matt Schab Sean Jones trying to
think of Kurt ben Kirt.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Yeah, Bryce Perkins I think had a season.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Perkins, Yeah, he had a good run. Yeah, he had
a good run.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
But it's it's a it's a fascinating quarterback clash. I'm
rooting for Mendoza for for one big reason that has
nothing to do with football. You've watched The Simpsons right back,
Remember the old McBain skits that they had and the
meme where he's yelling Mendoza, every team that loses to
(15:16):
him needs to pop that meme. Yeah, yeah, he's really good.
He was special at Cal the last couple especially last year.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
He goes to.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Indiana and you know, it's funny. Indiana kind of took
a beating nationally from the media because of the way
their season ended, and I think there was a legitimate
argument that they probably weren't as good last year as
the record indicated because of their schedule. I don't think
that's true at all. This year, I anty can coach.
(15:48):
I think they have vastly, vastly upgraded at quarterback. They're
a player, and they become the type of team again
they're in that you know, group of twelve to fifteen
for me.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
Oh absolutely.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
In fact, they go to the playoffs and they can
do some damage.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
After what they did to Illinois, I'm not so sure,
they're not a top ten team, you know, and they've
got weapons around the quarterback too. I don't think I
realized until I watched that the Illinois game in its
entirety how explosive they are. Like they got dudes. And
let's not forget there is no bigger advocate for Kurt
Signetti than Kurt Signetti.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
That much is true.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
But here's the fact.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Kind I kind of get it. I kind of get
it to a certain degree because you know, when you
when you look at his background, there are guys like
him who are all scattered throughout college football who probably
deserved head coaching chance at this level sooner than he
got it.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Yeah, It's like Landslipol to Kansas Willie Fritz, WILLI Fritz
another one, yep.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Right where you know, these guys go, they win, they
build programs, they're very well respected in terms of their
football acumen, and yet there's like this small school stigma
that stays with them for some reason. And I think
that's where it comes from with Kurtzy Eden. Yeah, listen,
(17:17):
he's yeah, he's been an assistant coach right at Alabama.
He was there, But you know this guy to go
to iup Elon. Yeah, James Madison, and it's like, oh,
now you're taking notice, and so I kind of get that.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Yeah, I've won everywhere yet he has.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
And you know, most guys who come out of Alabama
don't have to wait that many head coaching stops before
they get their chance at the FBS level.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
No, you're right, that's without quite In fact, there's plenty
of evidence during the Nick Saban tenure of that exact statement.
You know, he's a phenomenal coach. I like to poke
fund because I think it's his his lack awareness of
his ego just kind of cracks me up. It's a
little spurrier ish, but without the cartoon element, you know.
(18:09):
And so but he's good, man is the results are
what they are, and.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
You know what, it's actually a little refreshing to see
that because you have so many of these coaches today
who are so guarded and yeah, you know, their PR
departments kind of have them on script and they don't
deviate even when we do our production meetings with them.
And then you run into a guy like Signetti who's
just blunt and honest or don't care.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
I'll give you one.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
I don't know if you've done his games at Tulsa
this year, yet have you had Trey Lamb at Tulsa.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
So, Trey Lamb Gardner Webb was the first school to
offer my son a scholarship, Okay, and Trey was the
head coach there and then obviously, as we know, he
moved up and went to East Tennessee State and then
it was very fortunate to get the job at Tulsa.
But he's another one of those guys that will just
sit down and talk.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
With you and he is not afraid what he's going
to say how it comes out. We had him before
the Oklahoma State game, which happened to Mike Gundy's last game,
and you could have thought it was bravado, borderline arrogance,
but it was confidence and it came to the place
and he just said, we feel like we can line
(19:16):
up and beat these guys, and we kind of walked
away going up. You know, he's telling us when he
might call a fake punt.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
And what they're gonna do.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
And then you know they had an injury update and
again we get a text from him.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
He sends a text to her, really.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Hey, just so you know our starting quarterback isn't going
to play. We couldn't get him cleared. Our backup is
going to play. How many coaches do that?
Speaker 3 (19:39):
None?
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Zero? Right?
Speaker 3 (19:41):
Negative zero.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
It's one of these deals where like, yeah, you get
it right, like you kind of know how to work
the media a little bit, right because then we appreciate, okay,
the transparency, so what they're gonna do. But then he
goes and backs it up. Yeah, and you're kind of watching,
You're going, hey, like I could see this bravado playing
(20:03):
on national TV in the SEC, the AC, the Big ten. Like,
to me, he's a name to watch.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
He's had great and he's had great offenses everywhere he's been.
And you know, on this topic of conversation, you know,
I had East Carolina and Army last week, and Jeff
Monkin is stuck, unfortunately in the place that he's at
because all of the powers that be at big jobs,
(20:30):
who he's interviewed for a bunch of them are convinced
that he's gonna run the triple option. He's not going
to run the triple option. He's running the triple option
because of where he's at. That means he's a good
football coach because he understands the limitations, right, and that stigma.
He can't shake it. And it's such a shame because
a guy is such a good football coach. He didn't
(20:52):
have very good team this year, but he what he's
done over the course of time, and everybody's you know,
it would be it was like back in the day
trying you know, oh, don't hire Paul Johnson. Don't hire
Paul Johnson. Well, Paul Johnson was gonna do that everywhere
he went. It didn't matter, right, But look at Kenny
about to Lolo. He's our run of the state. Nick
(21:13):
Nashall last year was one of the top receivers in
the country. No, I know, hold on, is this like.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Kenny about to Lola offense? That's not the option.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
I've always looked at that, and I've always said, you know,
the mark of a great coach is to assess your personnel.
This is what we have, this is what they can do,
and it's on me put them in that spot to succeed.
You know, a guy that we see a lot in
the a sec Jeff Brom. I think Jeff Brom is
as good as that offensively, as happened when he was
at Purdue or Western Kentucky and he had, you know,
(21:46):
the quarterback and some skilled guys and maybe was under man. Hey,
it's temple. We got to throw it around, we got
to use our bubble screens. And then all of a
sudden he gets to Louisville and he's got really good
running backs. Yeah, okay, I will run the ball because
that's the strength of my team. And again it's a
very basic and simple fundamental principle. Get the ball to
(22:08):
your best players. College football, the more you do that,
the more successful you are. And I think sometimes you
have certain guys who are so married to their system,
their style, their scheme, they almost become oblivious.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
To their personnel.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
And then it's a you know what fest, Like now,
guys can't execute this, and our guys can't execute well,
they weren't recruited to that system.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
You know what a niche that? Do you know who
the number one prime example of that is in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
I'm gonna think here for a second.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
I'm going to give you one hint. He was literally
born out of the West Coast offense womb, and that's
all he had coached for thirty five to forty years
when he made a.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Change not Kyle Shanahan, Andy Reid.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
Andy Reid red because when Andy Reid got Patrick Mahomes
and started looking around and going, oh, okay, this guy
didn't come out of college with the functional knowledge base
of either being in the West Coast offense or being
in a multiple pro style offense. We got to start
doing what he does. And if you watch Kansas City,
(23:16):
they look like a college team. They look they don't
look like the eighty nine to forty nine ers, They
don't look like the ninety three Green Bay Packers. You're right,
they don't look like Shanahan's Denver Bronco teams. No, it's unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
And it's also the realization that you have a quarterback
who can do things that most people.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
Can't ninety nine point nine percent of the planet.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Why put him in a box right right close the
instinct out of him. Why not build an offense that
plays to his ability to freestyle, to throw off platform,
to go across his body. I mean, you grew up
as a quarterback for years it was a cardinal sin.
If you're rolling to your right, you basically are never
throwing to the center or to the left side of
(24:01):
the field.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Right you just can't do it.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
And even if you completed the pass, you probably got
an earfull.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
From your gyp. Don't do that again.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
Don't ever do that again. Well, this guy can do it,
and he does it often and he's successful. So let
him do it because and I think I heard him
say this once he goes you know it's a defense.
You know you're on the far side of the field.
He's rolling right. You're kind of like, Okay, I'm checked
out of this play because there's no way. There's no
(24:31):
way he's coming across the field right, And that's exactly
what he does. I want to talk Panthers for a
little bit because the last two weeks were about as
stark a contrast as you can go from one week
to another. They go and Nash Atlanta thirty to nothing,
excel in really all three phases, and then against New
(24:53):
England it was the complete opposite. Special teams broke down
field position was an issue. The offense didn't turn it over.
I just couldn't finish drives. The defense was on its
heels giving up explosive plays.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
The one thing that.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
I've noticed there is this start contrast in home road
splits over the last couple of years with Carolina and
trying to wrap my head around it. I think we
all know, Yeah, most teams are better at home than
on the road, right, we know that, But two and
eighteen at home or on the road since the start
(25:30):
of twenty twenty three? How do you wrap your head
around that? As somebody who played? Is it something going
on in game?
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Is it something? Is it something more? Is it a
variable that's not being accounted for? Because I just don't
understand how you can look so good one week almost
look like the total opposite the week after against again.
New England's not winning a Super Bowl this season?
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Right, yeah?
Speaker 3 (25:58):
I you know, I don't know if I have any
type of clear cut answer for you. You know, if this
was a question and it was related to the college game,
you would point to environment, right, You would point to location.
If you're so and so and playing at LSU at night,
buckle up, right. But I watched Miami and the Jets
(26:19):
the other day in a half empty stadium, So you know,
I don't know if it's necessarily crowd environment. Is it? Travel? Schedule?
Is when you're coming in, how you're meeting What does
your Sunday morning, look like, is there something that needs
to be changed up with the routine? Again? I'm thinking
(26:41):
off the top of my head here, because for them
to go thirty to nothing, and then, as you pointed out,
you know New England's in rebuild mode, to they're in
rebuild phase. They've got a young quarterback, and to go
up to that place and not even resemble any portion
of what you were the week before, that's a head scratcher.
And he's like I and don't think for one second
(27:03):
that Dave Canals in the entire staff aren't trying to
look under every stone and pull up every pebble and
figure out, Okay, is there is there something that's not connecting?
Are we off? What could it be? How how can
we maybe shake something up? Maybe you decide we're not
going to do this this week, or we're going to
put it in a different time, or I don't know, man,
it's frustrating. It is frustrating.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
And I watched that one, yeah, and it was it
was tough because things started promising. They scored on the
opening drive, I know they missed the pat Yeah, get
a three and out your past midfield. You know, we
talked about this on our Panther talk show on Monday.
Explosive players are missing from the offense, right, Yeah, because
the one thing they can do, they can't move the ball.
(27:46):
They were in plus territory seven times in the game
against New England. Yeah, and they scored on the opening drive,
and then they scored on the last drive against the
Patriots twos.
Speaker 3 (27:54):
That was it.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
Yeah, the other five drives in between, no points when
you cross the fifty, especially in the NFL, where again
Panthers have a kicker and Ryan Fitzgerald, who was at
Florida State last year, had a fifty seven yarder of
the week could go against Atlanta. You know, you get
to the plus forty.
Speaker 3 (28:10):
Ish, you're feeling good.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
You feel like you're a few yards from field goal
range in the so I think that's fascinating.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
I will say this. The one move that they made
they made too.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
On Tuesday, they released DJ Johnson, who a couple of
years ago was their third round pick. They traded up
to go get him, a linebacker out of Oregon. And
then you know, they cut Delvon Campbell, a backup receiver
who got hurt in the game on Sunday. That one
not as important. But the DJ Johnson won, I do
(28:40):
think there's a little bit of a reverb there. He
played twenty plus snaps in the game against the Patriots.
To me, that's also sending a message like if you're
a you're fringe guy on that roster, like, hey, we're
doing the accounting gear. DJ Johnson was a third round
pick just a couple of years ago, so this third
pro season, he had one more year on his rookie deal.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
And you know, I think it's fair to say he
was probably a guy who had to fight for a
roster spot in training camp given what they imported an edge.
He had not really been all that productive as a
pass rusher, kind of one of those guys coming out
of college more toolsy than production. But this was the
guy they traded up to go get and hey, we're
(29:26):
cutting you. To me, I got to imagine that sends
a message to the locker room, Okay, and cut a
guy who's a third round pick, who's in year three,
we're on notice here a little bit.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Well, And I think if you go back to it,
because you don't make that move unless you've gone to
the tape and the guy's not playing well. Right, he's
not producing, he is not maybe doing what he's coached
to do where he's supposed to be. All of those
things I think reverberate because they applied to everybody. It
(30:01):
sends a message that performance here counts. Right, You're either
going to perform to the level of the standard that
we believe is acceptable or above that, or you're not.
And if you show us repeatedly that you're not going
to I would be willing to bet that that Tate
did not look very good off of Sunday.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
For him, no, and again, to me, that was an opportunity.
And I'm not trying to turn DJ Johnson into a savior. Listen,
at the start of the season, he was a best
the fifth edge guy and they had some injuries, so
he saw more reps and a guy who can play
against the run and run fits. But you know they
move off of him. I'm curious what happens against Miami
(30:42):
on Sunday because I think, if we're being honest, none
of us really know Tyreek Hill is hurt from Miami.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
I want to leave you with this.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
Tua is a guy that when I watch him, if
he can get rid of the ball quickly, and that
first rate is there and he can get it to
somebody in space.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Gone. But whether it's a chan or waddle battle, yeah,
he's lethal. He is lethal because you can't rush him
all quickly.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
You can't rush him.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
You can rush if you can scramble him and make
him go off of that first read all of a sudden,
I think is a defense. You've got a chance to
make plays, you've got a chance to get turnovers. His
accuracy falls off.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
The other thing I noticed Luke's watching their tape is
I would dare him to beat you downfield?
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Yeah, do you trust your.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
Your dbs to maybe play press man a little bit more?
And if you can get some pressure, like if Tua
beats you over the top, I think you're almost going okay,
like do it again?
Speaker 3 (31:46):
Right?
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Right?
Speaker 3 (31:47):
No? Right, yeah, exactly, it's because you're gonna and not
to mention, those are the throws that are the lowest
percentage throws, right. And if he's not because he's never
been an elite arm talent guy. His whole thing's about
changing arm man getting the ball out of his hand,
as you just pointed out, Because I mean, if you
talk about decisiveness, anticipation, timing, rhythm. If he stays in
(32:09):
that mode, you're in trouble because that's where he flourishes.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
But so much of that is built on what his
first rd is that he's always had is he's surrounded
by speed guys. So again, your first read is a
waddle or Tyreek Hill those guys because they're fast, and
especially Hill, who is an apex route runner getting open.
Speaker 2 (32:33):
You take Hill out of the equation.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Like to me, ah Chan becomes I think now the
centerpiece of the offense. His ability to run, his ability
to catch the question mark is like how many touches
can you give him?
Speaker 2 (32:44):
He's not a big guy.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
I'm gonna say, they don't have a big guy, do they.
They don't have it.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
They have Ali Gordon, they have okay, and and he
had a pretty good game against Buffalo in that Thursday
night game where they hung around for a little bit.
But he's kind of their thumper. But again, you know,
Oli Gordon's not gonna run away from you.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
No, didn't in college and wasn't that league.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
And I do think you take your chances with Ali Gordon. Like,
if you want Miami to play smash mouth football, you
say sign up. Let me okay, fine, right right. I
don't think Ali Gordon's gonna get twenty carries. Yeah, I
think they want to get eight chan twenty touches at least.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
Yeah, yeah, no, I would do and I'd get them
touches into space, so they do.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
So it's gonna be an interesting week for the Panthers.
We'll see how healthy they are if Exavierly get comes back,
if they can get some of these edge rushers back,
they have an opportunity Miami Dallas and then the New
York Jets on the road. But you get two of
these next three, you can even get all three of
these games, absolutely changes your season. I think it changes
(33:48):
the narrative.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
You know.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
One of the things that we've witnessed is you know
how quickly the narrative changed within one week? Right, Yeah, yeah,
it'll be it'll be fun to watch baseball dominating the airwaves.
This week's a no Thursday night game for you, So
you head to Bristol on Thursday.
Speaker 3 (34:07):
No, actually, I'm heading to Tallahassee on Thursday. We're gonna
take our whole operation and gonna be on site for
Miami Florida State, which should be fun. Should be nice
and I should have.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
It for Florida State and Miami.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Yeah, you know, in the National Championship conversation, Carson Beck
looking good.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
Better than go to Bristol. Carson Back looks really good.
He's playing really well.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
I will be up in uh Provo, Utah BYU West Virginia.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
Greatest press box view in the world.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
It's it's uh Whatsach Heavenly Lostatch mountains. You see the
mountains in front of the behind the stadium.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Oh, absolutely gorgeous.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
If you're a college football fan, you know there are
some places you just got to go to. BYU is
one of them because you I mean, I'll tell you this,
Like for our fans who are listening in North Carolina,
app State is one of my favoritest state in the fall.
The drive up you get there, kid Brewer, I mean
(35:08):
with the foliage and the leaves changing.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
Car remember the last time you and I did a
game there.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
Incredible, incredible with the moon I mean yeah, and so like,
if you're into that type of scenery and you love
the mountains, go to b YU.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
Like go to alp State too, Like App State.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
Incredible, but b YU again in the valley in the
shadow of the Wassatch Mountains, you could see why Mountain
under the Stars
Speaker 2 (35:36):
Absolutely breathtaking, so gorgeous,
It's kind of weird what's happening. The NFL and college
football are closer in ways that you may not have
imagined any Shroff Tom Logan bill back here on Weekend
Warriors and Lugues. The amount of close games in college football.
That's the sport where talent and disparity was supposed to
rule the roots.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Right now, we're.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
In a season where you could legitimately make the case
for maybe a dozen teams, maybe more, maybe more a
dozen teams to win.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
The whole thing. Right now, that's where we are.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
And the unpredictability of some of these games coming down
to the wire. I mean it used to be, you know,
certain teams play, you kind of have an idea this
team's going to pull away at some point because talent
and right he's in the Joe's I think we know
what the answer is, Is there more to it? Why
(00:55):
are there more close games in college football?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
So I think that the what's happened over the course
of three to five years now and that the transfer
portal has now settled in the dispersal of talent across
the country has leveled the playing field, and now the
focus becomes okay, well, how good is your quarterback, because
(01:20):
if you can close the gap everywhere else, that ends
up being the X factor. You look at this past weekend,
just this past weekend one possession games Penn State, Oregon,
Penn State, Oregon, Florida State, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, OL
Miss Indiana, Iowa, TCU, Arizona State. I mean, I could
(01:44):
go on and on on these games. And you're sitting
there and you're looking and the things going back, and
you get into the fourth quarter and it's like, you know,
you always hear coaches talking about, well, we got to
finish or we've got to win a one possession game.
That could be the You know that was TCU. The
year they played for the national champ they literally won
every one possession game on their schedule. The next year
they didn't win any of them. Right, And so now
(02:07):
the quarterback position becomes so magnified because that guy is
gonna have to be the difference late, Right, if you
have the ball and it's tired or it's close, are
you going to have a guy that gets you over
the top. And I just it's made college football. We
can complain and moan all we want about the movement
of players and the revolving rosters. But it's made the
(02:31):
sport more competitive.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
I'm just looking at some of the other scores.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Read them off. There's a ton of.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Back wake Forest WEP game, Tennessee CE Mississippi State over time,
one score game, Indiana off to a great start, beats
Iowa by five. Did you say Texas A and m Auburn.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I did not mention that one. That's another one. I
lost track. I was going through them all yesterday.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
I was like, holy smokes, Illinois USC two point game BYU,
Colorado three point game. Shoot, I had the Houston in
Cougar's Oregon State Beavers. That was a one score game
that went overtime. And you had one team that was undefeated,
the other team that was winless Arizona State TCU. I
think you mentioned that one. So it's it's wild that
(03:15):
depth is now the hardest thing to a mass in
college football, because yes, yes, does that change with the
closure of the spring transfer window.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
I don't know if it should. Well, what's happened. Depth
is the most difficult thing to accumulate, but it's made
everybody else's front line first teamers better, right, So it's
hard to keep the guys keep a wealth of them
because one guy who's maybe a two or three at
Alabama can go be a one at Arkansas or go
(03:49):
be a one at you know, NC State. So you've
made people's ones better, but the depth is so difficult.
What I think that the one time transfer portal will do,
and I really hope it's in January or February, is
it's gonna add back in. I believe what we've lost
(04:10):
in this sport, and that is the ultimate team element
of going through a period of time during the calendar
year where you finally get to say, as a coach,
this is our team. Like you come out of December,
you don't know who your team is. You come out
of spring football, you still may not know who your
team is because you have another window. If we eliminate
(04:31):
that window, you at least go from mid year to
the beginning of next season knowing exactly what your pool
of players are.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
I also think there's a benefit for the student athlete
that goes beyond one season. It goes beyond money, and
it was I was reminded of it yesterday. If you
didn't see the news this past Tuesday, Lawrence Moten, one
of the great players in the history of Syracuse basketball,
passed away at the age of fifty three. Remembered loved
by the Syracuse community. Was for four years. I think
(05:02):
he was the all time leading scorer in the Big
East by the time that he graduated. I'm not sure if,
but he was when he graduated. Great player, right, and
he was there for four years, and so there is
an attachment that that player has to the school. And
he didn't play in the era of name image likeness.
So if you're a player in today's day and age,
(05:24):
and you know, I've got West Virginia BYU this Friday,
and you know there's guys four schools, four years, five
schools five. Oh yeah, you're a Hessian, You're a mercenary.
You're for rent if you want to come back. You're
not getting free tickets, you're not getting sideline passes.
Speaker 3 (05:40):
There there's absolutely no loyalty. There is no affiliation, there
is there is no no, there's no connection. Right, there's
no mentality that that's my school, man, Like that is
my school on my on my calf right now, all right,
you know that I played at three different schools. I
(06:02):
have a tech Yeah, I know, I know, but I
was kind of forced to because I was a junior
college guy coming out. So I had to go out.
So I have my junior college logo, my Georgia Tech
logo in my Eastern Kentucky logo with the years that
I played there by all three, right, Like, I'm proud
(06:22):
of that. Like I call all of those homes right.
Whether I had a good experience, a great experience, a
bad experience, however many games we won, however many games
we lost, it doesn't matter. I have an affinity for that, right,
And that is becoming increasingly difficult to come up with
players that have a mentality that's not me me, I
(06:44):
I ni L instead of man, I really love playing
for these guys.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Well, I just look at Okay, I'll give you an example.
My Friday night broadcast partner, Andre Ware, Yeah, spent three
seasons at Houston, then he went pro. We've done two
HU Houston games this year. He's a rock star around
and rightfully so. He's one of the college football players
of all time.
Speaker 3 (07:07):
YEP.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
His eighty nine.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Season, you can argue, was as good as a season
we've seen by a quarterback in college football. But I
also hear from him how much he's benefited over the
years from the relationship with the University of Houston. He
lives in the area. If he wants a tea time,
he can get a tea time anywhere in the Houston area.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Right.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
And I'm not saying, hey, that's the reason you stay.
But again in the name, image and likeness era, if
you have affinity and affiliation with one school, it endears
you to your fan base, It endears you to the boosters,
to the alumni. Those connections pay off later in life,
even if you go play pro, come back. Hey, you
(07:50):
want to get set up with a business. We'll help
you because we remember what you did for three or
four years at this school, which gave us a sense
of pride of being from that school. Yeah, those things
get lost, and plus you can also capitalize on that
stuff while you're in college. Now you go bounce around.
(08:11):
I'm not investing in you now. You you know, an
endorsement deal here, you're not our guy, you know, like
your name on a car dealership. But if you're there
for four years, you're there for three years. Like I
think there's a benefit to that. You know, you want
to talk about jersey sales, right, like you can sell
(08:31):
the kids jersey and make money off of them.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
Why would you.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Buy the jersey of any college football player right now
with their name on the back.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Why?
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Why? Yeah? Right, unless you're going unless you're trying to
set up a collection from when that player's eligibility is done,
and and and be able to have a jersey from
each spot, like almost in a joking manner. Right. Hey,
by the way, speaking of speaking of Andre, did did
you like my Manny Hazard reference when I texted you
guys on air a couple of weeks ago?
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Hey?
Speaker 1 (08:59):
Uh, Many, Hazard was awesome? Andre gave? Andre gave you
a good chuckle.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
On that one.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
He did? He chucked because everybody brings up Andre. Nobody
talks about Manny Hazzard And that guy was a dude man,
And and I figured when I said that he would
get a chuckle out of that. Hey, Hey, another thing,
how is Corvallis.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Corvallis is interesting? Cor Vegas?
Speaker 1 (09:25):
It is beautiful in the fall Pacific Northwest? Yes, but
it's an interesting place.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Don't you enjoy getting there? From Charlotte, North Carolina?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Well?
Speaker 3 (09:37):
Where? Wait? Where's your game? This week?
Speaker 2 (09:39):
We're at BYU.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
So you're logging some serious friggin miles. Dude, you're going
on vacation after the year. This is awesome.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Might have to be Tahiti, might have to be. Yes,
depends how many sponsors we get for this Weekend Warriors show.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
We need to get a lot of sponsors for this.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
Matt Hogan, do.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
Your job, ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
The Weekend.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Looking left throws back to the quarter of the episode,
caught for a touchdown.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
Weekend war Years.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
The best quarterback in college football Dante More of Oregon
Agree or disagree?
Speaker 3 (10:27):
I was on College Football Live on Tuesday afternoon. Mike,
I'm quoting myself, Dante More will be the best quarterback
in college football at year's end.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
I don't like this when we agree on stuff. But
I watched him in the Penn State game. I watched
most of the Penn State game. I watched him against
Oklahoma State because I had Oklahoma State the week after, right,
and then there was another game it was oh Oregon State.
I had Oregon State the week after they played Oregon,
(11:02):
so kind of watched him in that game as well.
And the more I watched, I'm going this, dude can
sling it. Yeah, he can move. They have a good team,
and yeah, he's got pieces around him.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
Yeah, we're he's accurate.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Like he doesn't have pieces around him. But the more
you watch, the more there is to like. And then
as we saw in the Penn State game, he's a gamer. Dude,
he is a gamer. And again we're early, and I
could be wrong on this. I think Oregon's the best
team in the country and he's the reason why.
Speaker 3 (11:36):
I would have Orgon number one as well. It's unbelievable
you just said that because I as good as he
was against Penn State, he's gonna be even better. He's
gonna be even better, and they've got pieces around him.
As you mentioned. I'll throw another one out there for you,
number one overall pick in this Springs draft, Fernando Mendoza.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
And Indiana cal Bro And I got.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
To see him obviously working with the ACC network last
year when he was at cal Terrible offensive line, all right,
kind of above average players on offense, good running backs.
That dude is special. And what people don't realize is
that he's six foot five two and twenty five pounds
(12:22):
and can run. He can like Roethlisberger run and nobody's
paying attention to him. Here's let's talk about another one
that nobody's paying attention to, Ty Simpson at Alabama.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
The guy who stayed, the guy who's.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
The guy who stayed, and you know who he looks
exactly like As a result, Carson Beck his first year
as a starter at Georgia, clean, accurate, on time, poised again.
Another example. If you stay and compete in battle, and
you get older and you become more mature, you are
more ready for the moment, and when it comes your
(12:59):
time to shine, you are prepared. That dude was lights
out at Georgia last week.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
It's funny because none of the guys that we just
brought up well really talked about in the vein of
being an All American quarterback going into the season.
Speaker 3 (13:18):
It was Arch Manning, it was DJ Lagway, it was
Gunner Stockton, it was Drew Aller, it was Leonora Sellars,
and now you've got all these other guys. Josh Hoover
at TCU is a dude, right, is risky hurt?
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Yeah, as risky as Sam Levitt can be with the ball.
He's got some special lat right, You've got all of these.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
I do too.
Speaker 3 (13:44):
I do too, and and you just you look across,
I mean CJ. Bailey at mc State's dude, how about
Chandler Morris and Virginia.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
I think he's got to pick a school, stay in
one place.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Yeah, but here.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
Yeah, but here's what people well, I'll say this though,
people forget about him. He beat out Max Duggan twice
at TCU. His problem is he can't stay healthy, so
then he ends up having to move on. He goes
to North Texas fos for four thousand yards last year.
Nobody's paying attention, right, and then Tony Elliott, who the
kid practically grew up with. Chad Morris's son is obviously
(14:20):
Chandler Morris. And now you find you find up like
a home. And now he's been able to stay healthy,
so you can actually see. Okay, now I see why
he beat out Max Duggan.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
He's got a chance to rewrite the Virginia passing records,
which when you actually look at them, you know, not
that hard to.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
Do, right is it? Matt Schab Sean Jones trying to
think of Kurt ben Kirt.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
Yeah, Bryce Perkins I think had a season.
Speaker 3 (14:52):
Perkins, Yeah, he had a good run. Yeah, he had
a good run.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
But it's it's a it's a fascinating quarterback clash. I'm
rooting for Mendoza for for one big reason that has
nothing to do with football. You've watched The Simpsons right back,
Remember the old McBain skits that they had and the
meme where he's yelling Mendoza, every team that loses to
(15:16):
him needs to pop that meme. Yeah, yeah, he's really good.
He was special at Cal the last couple especially last year.
Speaker 3 (15:28):
He goes to.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Indiana and you know, it's funny. Indiana kind of took
a beating nationally from the media because of the way
their season ended, and I think there was a legitimate
argument that they probably weren't as good last year as
the record indicated because of their schedule. I don't think
that's true at all. This year, I anty can coach.
(15:48):
I think they have vastly, vastly upgraded at quarterback. They're
a player, and they become the type of team again
they're in that you know, group of twelve to fifteen
for me.
Speaker 3 (16:02):
Oh absolutely.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
In fact, they go to the playoffs and they can
do some damage.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
After what they did to Illinois, I'm not so sure,
they're not a top ten team, you know, and they've
got weapons around the quarterback too. I don't think I
realized until I watched that the Illinois game in its
entirety how explosive they are. Like they got dudes. And
let's not forget there is no bigger advocate for Kurt
Signetti than Kurt Signetti.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
That much is true.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
But here's the fact.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Kind I kind of get it. I kind of get
it to a certain degree because you know, when you
when you look at his background, there are guys like
him who are all scattered throughout college football who probably
deserved head coaching chance at this level sooner than he
got it.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Yeah, It's like Landslipol to Kansas Willie Fritz, WILLI Fritz
another one, yep.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
Right where you know, these guys go, they win, they
build programs, they're very well respected in terms of their
football acumen, and yet there's like this small school stigma
that stays with them for some reason. And I think
that's where it comes from with Kurtzy Eden. Yeah, listen,
(17:17):
he's yeah, he's been an assistant coach right at Alabama.
He was there, But you know this guy to go
to iup Elon. Yeah, James Madison, and it's like, oh,
now you're taking notice, and so I kind of get that.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Yeah, I've won everywhere yet he has.
Speaker 1 (17:36):
And you know, most guys who come out of Alabama
don't have to wait that many head coaching stops before
they get their chance at the FBS level.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
No, you're right, that's without quite In fact, there's plenty
of evidence during the Nick Saban tenure of that exact statement.
You know, he's a phenomenal coach. I like to poke
fund because I think it's his his lack awareness of
his ego just kind of cracks me up. It's a
little spurrier ish, but without the cartoon element, you know.
(18:09):
And so but he's good, man is the results are
what they are, and.
Speaker 1 (18:14):
You know what, it's actually a little refreshing to see
that because you have so many of these coaches today
who are so guarded and yeah, you know, their PR
departments kind of have them on script and they don't
deviate even when we do our production meetings with them.
And then you run into a guy like Signetti who's
just blunt and honest or don't care.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
I'll give you one.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
I don't know if you've done his games at Tulsa
this year, yet have you had Trey Lamb at Tulsa.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
So, Trey Lamb Gardner Webb was the first school to
offer my son a scholarship, Okay, and Trey was the
head coach there and then obviously, as we know, he
moved up and went to East Tennessee State and then
it was very fortunate to get the job at Tulsa.
But he's another one of those guys that will just
sit down and talk.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
With you and he is not afraid what he's going
to say how it comes out. We had him before
the Oklahoma State game, which happened to Mike Gundy's last game,
and you could have thought it was bravado, borderline arrogance,
but it was confidence and it came to the place
and he just said, we feel like we can line
(19:16):
up and beat these guys, and we kind of walked
away going up. You know, he's telling us when he
might call a fake punt.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
And what they're gonna do.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
And then you know they had an injury update and
again we get a text from him.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
He sends a text to her, really.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
Hey, just so you know our starting quarterback isn't going
to play. We couldn't get him cleared. Our backup is
going to play. How many coaches do that?
Speaker 3 (19:39):
None?
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Zero? Right?
Speaker 3 (19:41):
Negative zero.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
It's one of these deals where like, yeah, you get
it right, like you kind of know how to work
the media a little bit, right because then we appreciate, okay,
the transparency, so what they're gonna do. But then he
goes and backs it up. Yeah, and you're kind of watching,
You're going, hey, like I could see this bravado playing
(20:03):
on national TV in the SEC, the AC, the Big ten. Like,
to me, he's a name to watch.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
He's had great and he's had great offenses everywhere he's been.
And you know, on this topic of conversation, you know,
I had East Carolina and Army last week, and Jeff
Monkin is stuck, unfortunately in the place that he's at
because all of the powers that be at big jobs,
(20:30):
who he's interviewed for a bunch of them are convinced
that he's gonna run the triple option. He's not going
to run the triple option. He's running the triple option
because of where he's at. That means he's a good
football coach because he understands the limitations, right, and that stigma.
He can't shake it. And it's such a shame because
a guy is such a good football coach. He didn't
(20:52):
have very good team this year, but he what he's
done over the course of time, and everybody's you know,
it would be it was like back in the day
trying you know, oh, don't hire Paul Johnson. Don't hire
Paul Johnson. Well, Paul Johnson was gonna do that everywhere
he went. It didn't matter, right, But look at Kenny
about to Lolo. He's our run of the state. Nick
(21:13):
Nashall last year was one of the top receivers in
the country. No, I know, hold on, is this like.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
Kenny about to Lola offense? That's not the option.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
I've always looked at that, and I've always said, you know,
the mark of a great coach is to assess your personnel.
This is what we have, this is what they can do,
and it's on me put them in that spot to succeed.
You know, a guy that we see a lot in
the a sec Jeff Brom. I think Jeff Brom is
as good as that offensively, as happened when he was
at Purdue or Western Kentucky and he had, you know,
(21:46):
the quarterback and some skilled guys and maybe was under man. Hey,
it's temple. We got to throw it around, we got
to use our bubble screens. And then all of a
sudden he gets to Louisville and he's got really good
running backs. Yeah, okay, I will run the ball because
that's the strength of my team. And again it's a
very basic and simple fundamental principle. Get the ball to
(22:08):
your best players. College football, the more you do that,
the more successful you are. And I think sometimes you
have certain guys who are so married to their system,
their style, their scheme, they almost become oblivious.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
To their personnel.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
And then it's a you know what fest, Like now,
guys can't execute this, and our guys can't execute well,
they weren't recruited to that system.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
You know what a niche that? Do you know who
the number one prime example of that is in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
I'm gonna think here for a second.
Speaker 3 (22:39):
I'm going to give you one hint. He was literally
born out of the West Coast offense womb, and that's
all he had coached for thirty five to forty years
when he made a.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Change not Kyle Shanahan, Andy Reid.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
Andy Reid red because when Andy Reid got Patrick Mahomes
and started looking around and going, oh, okay, this guy
didn't come out of college with the functional knowledge base
of either being in the West Coast offense or being
in a multiple pro style offense. We got to start
doing what he does. And if you watch Kansas City,
(23:16):
they look like a college team. They look they don't
look like the eighty nine to forty nine ers, They
don't look like the ninety three Green Bay Packers. You're right,
they don't look like Shanahan's Denver Bronco teams. No, it's unbelievable.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
And it's also the realization that you have a quarterback
who can do things that most people.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
Can't ninety nine point nine percent of the planet.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Why put him in a box right right close the
instinct out of him. Why not build an offense that
plays to his ability to freestyle, to throw off platform,
to go across his body. I mean, you grew up
as a quarterback for years it was a cardinal sin.
If you're rolling to your right, you basically are never
throwing to the center or to the left side of
(24:01):
the field.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
Right you just can't do it.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
And even if you completed the pass, you probably got
an earfull.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
From your gyp. Don't do that again.
Speaker 1 (24:09):
Don't ever do that again. Well, this guy can do it,
and he does it often and he's successful. So let
him do it because and I think I heard him
say this once he goes you know it's a defense.
You know you're on the far side of the field.
He's rolling right. You're kind of like, Okay, I'm checked
out of this play because there's no way. There's no
(24:31):
way he's coming across the field right, And that's exactly
what he does. I want to talk Panthers for a
little bit because the last two weeks were about as
stark a contrast as you can go from one week
to another. They go and Nash Atlanta thirty to nothing,
excel in really all three phases, and then against New
(24:53):
England it was the complete opposite. Special teams broke down
field position was an issue. The offense didn't turn it over.
I just couldn't finish drives. The defense was on its
heels giving up explosive plays.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
The one thing that.
Speaker 1 (25:09):
I've noticed there is this start contrast in home road
splits over the last couple of years with Carolina and
trying to wrap my head around it. I think we
all know, Yeah, most teams are better at home than
on the road, right, we know that, But two and
eighteen at home or on the road since the start
(25:30):
of twenty twenty three? How do you wrap your head
around that? As somebody who played? Is it something going
on in game?
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Is it something? Is it something more? Is it a
variable that's not being accounted for? Because I just don't
understand how you can look so good one week almost
look like the total opposite the week after against again.
New England's not winning a Super Bowl this season?
Speaker 2 (25:57):
Right, yeah?
Speaker 3 (25:58):
I you know, I don't know if I have any
type of clear cut answer for you. You know, if this
was a question and it was related to the college game,
you would point to environment, right, You would point to location.
If you're so and so and playing at LSU at night,
buckle up, right. But I watched Miami and the Jets
(26:19):
the other day in a half empty stadium, So you know,
I don't know if it's necessarily crowd environment. Is it? Travel? Schedule?
Is when you're coming in, how you're meeting What does
your Sunday morning, look like, is there something that needs
to be changed up with the routine? Again? I'm thinking
(26:41):
off the top of my head here, because for them
to go thirty to nothing, and then, as you pointed out,
you know New England's in rebuild mode, to they're in
rebuild phase. They've got a young quarterback, and to go
up to that place and not even resemble any portion
of what you were the week before, that's a head scratcher.
And he's like I and don't think for one second
(27:03):
that Dave Canals in the entire staff aren't trying to
look under every stone and pull up every pebble and
figure out, Okay, is there is there something that's not connecting?
Are we off? What could it be? How how can
we maybe shake something up? Maybe you decide we're not
going to do this this week, or we're going to
put it in a different time, or I don't know, man,
it's frustrating. It is frustrating.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
And I watched that one, yeah, and it was it
was tough because things started promising. They scored on the
opening drive, I know they missed the pat Yeah, get
a three and out your past midfield. You know, we
talked about this on our Panther talk show on Monday.
Explosive players are missing from the offense, right, Yeah, because
the one thing they can do, they can't move the ball.
(27:46):
They were in plus territory seven times in the game
against New England. Yeah, and they scored on the opening drive,
and then they scored on the last drive against the
Patriots twos.
Speaker 3 (27:54):
That was it.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
Yeah, the other five drives in between, no points when
you cross the fifty, especially in the NFL, where again
Panthers have a kicker and Ryan Fitzgerald, who was at
Florida State last year, had a fifty seven yarder of
the week could go against Atlanta. You know, you get
to the plus forty.
Speaker 3 (28:10):
Ish, you're feeling good.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
You feel like you're a few yards from field goal
range in the so I think that's fascinating.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
I will say this. The one move that they made
they made too.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
On Tuesday, they released DJ Johnson, who a couple of
years ago was their third round pick. They traded up
to go get him, a linebacker out of Oregon. And
then you know, they cut Delvon Campbell, a backup receiver
who got hurt in the game on Sunday. That one
not as important. But the DJ Johnson won, I do
(28:40):
think there's a little bit of a reverb there. He
played twenty plus snaps in the game against the Patriots.
To me, that's also sending a message like if you're
a you're fringe guy on that roster, like, hey, we're
doing the accounting gear. DJ Johnson was a third round
pick just a couple of years ago, so this third
pro season, he had one more year on his rookie deal.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
Yep.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
And you know, I think it's fair to say he
was probably a guy who had to fight for a
roster spot in training camp given what they imported an edge.
He had not really been all that productive as a
pass rusher, kind of one of those guys coming out
of college more toolsy than production. But this was the
guy they traded up to go get and hey, we're
(29:26):
cutting you. To me, I got to imagine that sends
a message to the locker room, Okay, and cut a
guy who's a third round pick, who's in year three,
we're on notice here a little bit.
Speaker 3 (29:39):
Well, And I think if you go back to it,
because you don't make that move unless you've gone to
the tape and the guy's not playing well. Right, he's
not producing, he is not maybe doing what he's coached
to do where he's supposed to be. All of those
things I think reverberate because they applied to everybody. It
(30:01):
sends a message that performance here counts. Right, You're either
going to perform to the level of the standard that
we believe is acceptable or above that, or you're not.
And if you show us repeatedly that you're not going
to I would be willing to bet that that Tate
did not look very good off of Sunday.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
For him, no, and again, to me, that was an opportunity.
And I'm not trying to turn DJ Johnson into a savior. Listen,
at the start of the season, he was a best
the fifth edge guy and they had some injuries, so
he saw more reps and a guy who can play
against the run and run fits. But you know they
move off of him. I'm curious what happens against Miami
(30:42):
on Sunday because I think, if we're being honest, none
of us really know Tyreek Hill is hurt from Miami.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
I want to leave you with this.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
Tua is a guy that when I watch him, if
he can get rid of the ball quickly, and that
first rate is there and he can get it to
somebody in space.
Speaker 3 (30:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:00):
Gone. But whether it's a chan or waddle battle, yeah,
he's lethal. He is lethal because you can't rush him
all quickly.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
You can't rush him.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
You can rush if you can scramble him and make
him go off of that first read all of a sudden,
I think is a defense. You've got a chance to
make plays, you've got a chance to get turnovers. His
accuracy falls off.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
The other thing I noticed Luke's watching their tape is
I would dare him to beat you downfield?
Speaker 2 (31:32):
Yeah, do you trust your.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
Your dbs to maybe play press man a little bit more?
And if you can get some pressure, like if Tua
beats you over the top, I think you're almost going okay,
like do it again?
Speaker 3 (31:46):
Right?
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Right?
Speaker 3 (31:47):
No? Right, yeah, exactly, it's because you're gonna and not
to mention, those are the throws that are the lowest
percentage throws, right. And if he's not because he's never
been an elite arm talent guy. His whole thing's about
changing arm man getting the ball out of his hand,
as you just pointed out, Because I mean, if you
talk about decisiveness, anticipation, timing, rhythm. If he stays in
(32:09):
that mode, you're in trouble because that's where he flourishes.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
But so much of that is built on what his
first rd is that he's always had is he's surrounded
by speed guys. So again, your first read is a
waddle or Tyreek Hill those guys because they're fast, and
especially Hill, who is an apex route runner getting open.
Speaker 2 (32:33):
You take Hill out of the equation.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
Like to me, ah Chan becomes I think now the
centerpiece of the offense. His ability to run, his ability
to catch the question mark is like how many touches
can you give him?
Speaker 2 (32:44):
He's not a big guy.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
I'm gonna say, they don't have a big guy, do they.
They don't have it.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
They have Ali Gordon, they have okay, and and he
had a pretty good game against Buffalo in that Thursday
night game where they hung around for a little bit.
But he's kind of their thumper. But again, you know,
Oli Gordon's not gonna run away from you.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
No, didn't in college and wasn't that league.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
And I do think you take your chances with Ali Gordon. Like,
if you want Miami to play smash mouth football, you
say sign up. Let me okay, fine, right right. I
don't think Ali Gordon's gonna get twenty carries. Yeah, I
think they want to get eight chan twenty touches at least.
Speaker 3 (33:21):
Yeah, yeah, no, I would do and I'd get them
touches into space, so they do.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
So it's gonna be an interesting week for the Panthers.
We'll see how healthy they are if Exavierly get comes back,
if they can get some of these edge rushers back,
they have an opportunity Miami Dallas and then the New
York Jets on the road. But you get two of
these next three, you can even get all three of
these games, absolutely changes your season. I think it changes
(33:48):
the narrative.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
You know.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
One of the things that we've witnessed is you know
how quickly the narrative changed within one week? Right, Yeah, yeah,
it'll be it'll be fun to watch baseball dominating the airwaves.
This week's a no Thursday night game for you, So
you head to Bristol on Thursday.
Speaker 3 (34:07):
No, actually, I'm heading to Tallahassee on Thursday. We're gonna
take our whole operation and gonna be on site for
Miami Florida State, which should be fun. Should be nice
and I should have.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
It for Florida State and Miami.
Speaker 1 (34:20):
Yeah, you know, in the National Championship conversation, Carson Beck
looking good.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
Better than go to Bristol. Carson Back looks really good.
He's playing really well.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
I will be up in uh Provo, Utah BYU West Virginia.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
Greatest press box view in the world.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
It's it's uh Whatsach Heavenly Lostatch mountains. You see the
mountains in front of the behind the stadium.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
Oh, absolutely gorgeous.
Speaker 1 (34:48):
If you're a college football fan, you know there are
some places you just got to go to. BYU is
one of them because you I mean, I'll tell you this,
Like for our fans who are listening in North Carolina,
app State is one of my favoritest state in the fall.
The drive up you get there, kid Brewer, I mean
(35:08):
with the foliage and the leaves changing.
Speaker 3 (35:11):
Car remember the last time you and I did a
game there.
Speaker 1 (35:14):
Incredible, incredible with the moon I mean yeah, and so like,
if you're into that type of scenery and you love
the mountains, go to b YU.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
Like go to alp State too, Like App State.
Speaker 1 (35:26):
Incredible, but b YU again in the valley in the
shadow of the Wassatch Mountains, you could see why Mountain
under the Stars
Speaker 2 (35:36):
Absolutely breathtaking, so gorgeous,
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.