Raiders Fire Pierce and QB Island Finale

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to NFL Daily, where we're always on Island time.
I'm Greg Rosenthal here in the Chris Wesseling podcast studio,
and it's a full house because it's a QB Island Tuesday.
Connie Fox, Colleen Wolf. To my right, Steve Weisch, and
Jordan Rodriege of The Athletic. How are we doing here

(00:25):
for the season finale of America's favorite program.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
I've been waiting all season for it.

Speaker 3 (00:31):
Okay, you aren't even here for the lay I think, well,
I was waiting to see how you're going to change
the rules on the fly again.

Speaker 4 (00:36):
Thank you Steve for saying there's a lot of feedback
about this.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
Okay, I know I got grief upstairs. I got grief.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
Why did you get grief?

Speaker 1 (00:45):
They were saying because someone was pitching Bryce Young as
a potential QB Island resident. I said, yeah, we should
absolutely talk about Bryce Young. He's like, well, if you're
talking about like right now, and I was like, well,
I was thinking it's maybe it's the last one of
the season. I think this should be a document for
the entire season. And then multiple people are like, well,

(01:07):
you know, you got to make up rules and stick
to them. You got you never stick to the rules
or whatever, and people have feelings. I've been getting that
grief from Jordan as well.

Speaker 4 (01:14):
Yes, every week we do this, something new just sort
of emerges in terms of whether that's the fun of it,
just whether it's the parameters of how we're judging these
guys changes. You know, first we started with whatever you want,
right and who is defining quarterback play right now? Those
are Greg Rosenthal's.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (01:31):
Then it was a four game sample size.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
It was never a four games.

Speaker 3 (01:34):
It also was Jordan, you can't be hurt and beyond
here either.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
Yeah, that became something It was a long time and great.
So I think for this one, I have always said
anyone can interpret interpret it however they want, but I
do think this is the last one of the season
because some of these quarterbacks can't play anymore, and it'd
be good to have a document of the season. And
it was never a four game sample. It was just
you've said it on the show, you have.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
What I mean is like we've we fluid competition here, Like.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
We only are talking in four week chunks. So it
was like you're adding that new four week sample to
the overall picture and you're maybe giving a little more.

Speaker 4 (02:13):
Wait a week sample size to argue for or against.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
We have stuff to get to, we have news, we
wanted to do.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
Ken he here, you're breaking up. He has to call
you back.

Speaker 4 (02:23):
Oh my mic kind of someone cut the corner of
my mic.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
All. We wanted to do QB Island for the whole show,
but NFL was NFL in and frankly, life is lifeing
and I already feel better with the camera turney on
and talking to you guys and talking about QB Island.
Then we did a half an hour ago watching these
wildfires in the Palisades, uh, not not far from us.

Speaker 5 (02:47):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (02:47):
And so we were hoping to tape this show and
get out of here. But yes, Jordan, like, I got
in here nice and early to do a lot of
prep and stuff today, and it's like I have not
been doing any prep, worrying about friends and just what's
going on in this.

Speaker 4 (03:00):
Jordan looks like, yeah, I will say too, like I
learned something really cool about Greg today, And I genuinely
mean this. Greg, Like when one person is panicking slightly
and like clutching their sternum, the other person gets really
really calm, And Greg was really really calm. Oh yeah,
I was in those situations, being somewhat in the vicinity.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
Of these things. Yes, And I had just gotten off
the phone with my wife, who I was the one
more freaking out and being like, you got the waters
in the car and we're ready to like transfer here.

Speaker 4 (03:31):
Thank you Emica. Yeah, because she's the reason why that
calm transferred to me.

Speaker 1 (03:35):
Yes, So we will. We will talk a little news,
we'll get the QBI, and then we'll get out of
here and make sure everyone is safe in West LA. Unfortunately,
in Las Vegas, the job status of a lot of people,
they are not safe, including their head coach, and Antonio
Pierce was fired on Tuesday. When we talked on Monday

(03:59):
Show with being appaport, he made it clear no one
really knows what's going on there. Antonio Pierce is acting
like he feels like it's safe. He did his press
conference as normal, but we learned on Tuesday Mark Davis,
after consulting people around him, including you know, minority owner
Tom Brady, decided to make the decision to change coaches.
Antonio Pierce Steve is out after only one full season.

(04:23):
He was the interim in twenty twenty three, and Tom Telesco,
the general manager, is staying at least for now.

Speaker 3 (04:29):
For now, for now. I mean, look, it's it's the Raiders.
We don't know when you know, they could have delayed
reaction like that. They didn't have to let Antonio Pierce
go out there and do that press conference. Yes, yep,
they they knew they were doing this. You heard, you've
heard for weeks that he's likely gonna be wanted done.
Oh you know, there we had the cover of him
winning what his final few games. You know, Mark Davis
is excited about that they're not gonna have the first
overall pick, but they don't care about all this stuff.

(04:51):
And then let him go and this again no surprise. Uh,
it's but I mean, he would you expect? I mean,
honest things can be true, correct, Yeah, I mean what
did you expect that of this team? They had no quarterback?
What skill position? Guys other when they start the season
they had Davante Adams once he was like who threat

(05:12):
the whole season? What did you expect? It was the
same thing in New England. This was a rebuild with
no quarterbacks. Were you expecting to make the playoffs? They competed.
Now I'm not saying that. There may be other reasons
why they wanted wanted to get rid of Antonio Pierce,
but this, I'm just gonna say this, coming on the
heels of ran Carthon, the GM of Tennessee getting fired

(05:33):
after two years. And I said it the other day
on air. Look the frustration for a lot of minority coaches.
They don't get the patients of some other coaches. They
don't get that Joe Judge patience, right, and so two
to one and done in coaches with Geradmeo and Antonio appears.
Ran Carthon tightened. You get the first overall pick and
they blow them out. Okay, so you're gonna understand my

(05:54):
phones are blowing up. You're gonna understand why a lot
of people black coach and so saying this is when
we tell our kids this, We tell everyone this. You
can't make a mistake. They're not as patient with us
as they are with others. Again, there may be legitimate
reasons right here, but optics are everything, and look at
the organizations. It just is what it is. I just
want to see how they replace him. It is interesting

(06:16):
that Telesco still has his job, that Elliot Wolf still
has his job. You know in that situation that the
guy replacing Ran Carthon was there, still has his job.
But they're out. I mean so again, optics is everything,
and my interpretational less optics say one thing. They may
well deserve for these guys to be out, but it
is what it is. I know we're starting off QB
Island the episode on some stuff, but it is what

(06:39):
it is.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
It was so disrespectful. I thought for too, Antonio Pierce,
for them to wait this long because everyone knew it
was going to happen, and everyone was just kind of
looking at their phones, calling people, texting people, just waiting
for the shoe to drop. And like you said, for
him to go out there and do that press conference,
it's just like they did him dirty.

Speaker 4 (06:56):
Tom Tellesco's really good at keeping his job and as
the head coach gets at staff. Here are two seasons.
This was obviously a similar situation situation, and Steve to
your point, teams who don't know what they want exacerbate
systemic issues that we know are real in this league
via hiring processes. And these are teams that lack direction

(07:17):
when they brought people on board, lack direction when they
let them go. And it's a thin coaches market too.
There's a couple of strong candidates. We know this, but
talking to agents, coaches agents around the league this they
consider this even with their own clients, they consider this
to be a thin coach and GM hiring market and
the ones. It also explains why the ones who are

(07:38):
staying patient, who have the luxury of patients at Joe
Shane and a Brian Dable for example. It explains in
part as to why Mara is comfortable staying patient. This
is considered to be a thin market.

Speaker 1 (07:49):
Yeah, Ian mentioned how owners amongst themselves were talking about
how expensive it is to have this dead money of
all these staffs because it's not just the head coach. True,
you're placing a lot of people. And is this the
smart thing to do? Mark Davis for a long time,
Mark Davis not afraid of that. I mean, he is
paying multiple staffs and you're so right about not knowing

(08:12):
what they want because like Telesco wasn't even there when
Antonio Pierce was hired. Correct, he was an assistant and
just a small point on Telesco and Ellie Wolf. We'll
see if they stay. You always keep the GM in
which situation because you just don't know where it's going
to go. But they also might end up losing their
jobs or at the very least demoted. We just don't

(08:33):
know there now. Pierce was an interesting case. I do
think it was different than Mayo, at least from the outside.
I think he had them playing hard and played to
the level that they should play. I think Girod Mayo
was uniquely struggling with the front facing portions of the job,

(08:56):
with the media and with his own players, losing respect
of both at a level that, like I've said on
this show, reminded me a lot of Freddie Kitchens and
oh yeah, reminded me a lot of Nate Hackett. And
I think he was in a he had a uniquely
bad year. I think Antonio Pierce has done a good
job since he took over on balance, Well what did

(09:16):
you possibly expect?

Speaker 2 (09:18):
Look at what he's working, right, I.

Speaker 1 (09:20):
Talk about a lot on this show. Actually, Like I
was always impressed watching the Raiders that they like they're
always in these games. They could have won a lot
more they did win, like they won four even that
Chargers game, they're leading until late in the second quarter.
Like we'll see if the Texans play him that tight
on Saturday.

Speaker 4 (09:35):
That can be true, and that is true, and it also,
unfortunately is true that they're clearly looking for an improvement
of that. There also was a somewhat seismic although they're
going to pretend it's a very small percentage, but a
seismic shakeup within that quote unquote ownership group. They have
somebody new who's going to be making decisions. That's Tom Brady,
who's going to be having input and insight into the

(09:56):
future direction of this franchise, including which quarterback that this
story eventually take.

Speaker 2 (10:01):
Mark Dave is going to be listening to him too.

Speaker 3 (10:03):
I mean, I'm sure he's a number one guy. He's
going to be seeking input.

Speaker 1 (10:09):
Yeah, and I really feel for Pierce, but there were
distractions with this team and he he had a major distraction.
It was a big story in training camp, the bankruptcy
filing that Antonio Pierce ultimately was responsible for tens of
millions of dollars in a civil judgment that we don't

(10:31):
need to go back to get into deep here, but basically,
he by all accounts, got got involved in a business
that was not on the up and up. Whatever his
involvement was it was a huge distraction for him, and
people around that team noted that the difference in when
they broke for OTAs in mini camp before that, and

(10:51):
when he came back, and it was a little bit
of a different Antonio Pierce, a little more muted and
a difficult thing in his life that he's dealing with
with his family at the same time, and that might
have been part of all of.

Speaker 4 (11:04):
This, And again that can also be one of the
many truths here. I think about assistance like Patrick Graham,
who has done a stellar job coordinating that defense year
over year and staying the course despite a lot of
shakeup in that building and a lot of changes in
that building, and he is somebody who should and in
my opinion, deserves to get interviews at least be talked

(11:26):
about in the conversation of head coaches. But you think
about all of the assistants, you think about the coordinators,
you think about the tenured players on teams such as this.
Max Crosby comes to mind, who was very vocal back
when they were deciding whether to give Antonio Pierce the
full time tag after being the interim head coach. Max
Crosby was very vocal about who he wanted his coach

(11:49):
to be. And you know, going from McDaniels to and Pisachi,
I mean he's thriving. Good for him, you know, and
then going into I mean it all started with a
star John Grue.

Speaker 2 (12:03):
Think about how many coaches they've had just since they
moved to Vegas. This is now going to be their
fifth head coach. So I'm looking for.

Speaker 4 (12:09):
Yes, and this isn't twenty twenty exactly, move there exactly.
And so I do think about really strong, very very
highly regarded coaches such as Patrick Graham who are kind
of caught in this malstrom of.

Speaker 1 (12:19):
Right, I know, and they got every former head coach
in the league on that staff, and you know, Marvin
Lewis is there.

Speaker 4 (12:26):
I need to know? What I need to know?

Speaker 3 (12:30):
It's the Raiders, man.

Speaker 1 (12:31):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (12:32):
I mean you talk to everyone around the league like
no surprise is here.

Speaker 2 (12:36):
There's just certain teams that have these systemic issues and
it's like the Jets are one and so are the Raiders.

Speaker 3 (12:41):
I mean, just the impulsive it's the impulsiveness of leadership.
It is what do you want that It goes back
to what you were saying, Geordan, what is it that
you want. Okay, you got excited about the momentum of
Antonio Pierce's interim coach. Guy smoking cigars, guys playing their
tails off. Okay, what is you What are you going
to give them to help build your team?

Speaker 1 (12:56):
Here's what you want? You want whatever Tom Brady, you
want Tom Brady involved on changing your direction. And one
quick thing on Patrick Graham. He actually is interviewing for
the head coaching job in Jacksonville, they announced, and he's
also at least was asked to interview for the defensive
coordinator job in Cincinnati.

Speaker 4 (13:16):
Oh, he'd be a he does have to since he'd
be a great.

Speaker 1 (13:19):
Because now I wonder if there's going to be a
battle for Mike Rabel now between the Raiders.

Speaker 4 (13:25):
Exactly what Mirabel wants and Patriots, Tom Brady's old teammate,
Brady versus craft ad war.

Speaker 1 (13:33):
And that brings us to the to the Rand Carthon
news because Mike Rabel ultimately lost a power struggle with
Ran Carthon just a year ago. Ownership favored like Rabel
and Carthon did not see eye to eye, and they
ultimately kept ran Carthon going into twenty twenty four, hired,
Brian Callahan, fired Mike Rabel, and then Ran Carthon doesn't

(13:56):
even get to do two full drafts there. And it's
crazy to think how one transaction has changed an entire franchise.
John Robinson, Yeah, the former GM trades and Tonio I
mean trade with A J. Brown to the Eagles. Just
weeks later he's fired. Then Mike they bring in ran Carthon.

(14:19):
He gets in a power struggle with Rabel, Rabel gets
fired and now here's ran Carthon. And this is just like,
this is how bad teams stay bad.

Speaker 4 (14:28):
And this is the ripple effect that gives Howie Roseman's
number two. What Alec Hallaby the job in Tennessee? What
if that's the full circle moment here? I mean, my goodness,
the Howie Roseman sitting on his throne watching the worlds
that he's created across the league, and half the front
offices in this damn league is with you.

Speaker 3 (14:48):
Brian Callahan, Now you're like, well, I'm on finn Ice here.
I know they're saying I'm coming back, but you know,
we have a bad team that needs a quarterback. You
actually had the first overall pick, but there's a lot
of things going on there right now, this is one
of those things, right, I guarantee ownership is like, we've
got a new stadium going up, we gotta get butts
in the seats, and we got to re energize something.

(15:08):
I mean, I trust me that came into play with
this decision. So with this number one pick, let's let's
really figure this out. And they said, well, we don't
trust Ran with the number one pick because he drafted
Will Levis and pushed for him, right, and how did
that work out? Well, again, this is that.

Speaker 4 (15:23):
It's never one and we all know this, it's never
one person. No, just pushing for it comes out conveniently
this time of year, but it is never just one
person pushing for the one quarterback. There were more talk
let's talk. We're going to talk about them later in
the show, the Bryce Young CJ. Stroud situation. Right, it
was never just one person who was like this, regardless

(15:44):
of any anyone else like this is what. There were
multiple reviews, multiple perspectives.

Speaker 1 (15:49):
They did have a brutal free agency period.

Speaker 3 (15:52):
The traded it just made it a lot of the
stuff and you would ask anyone like what is their plan? Lagarious?
You know, Ridley going out, get Tony Pollard. Some of
them worked, but.

Speaker 1 (16:03):
It was not going to like they spend a lot
of money, a.

Speaker 3 (16:06):
Lot of money to build a roster, not a team,
and there's a lot of there's a lot of organizations
like that. They've got a nice roster, but not a
good team.

Speaker 2 (16:14):
And I wonder if they thought that they had a
quarterback like I wonder if they maybe thought that Will
Levis would be a little bit better the way that
he ended the season last year. So in their minds,
maybe they were kind of moving forward and would have
places for all of these guys and it would be
a more cohesive unit. I always find it interesting when
teams don't just do a clean sweep of the head

(16:35):
coach and the GM bring them in together, make sure
they get along, make sure everyone is just like cool,
vibe and all right, because then there's just always some
residual weirdness and you never know who. It's such an
ancestual league, incestuously, so it's like you never know who
has beef with who.

Speaker 4 (16:52):
Yeah, and it's they're looking at outliers when they think
that they're going to be This is like goes back
to you never want to be two things. You never
want to not know who you are, and you never
want to be the team that goes. I can fix him,
or I can make them better. God, I can be
an outlier. And they're looking at these outliers, for example,
the less Need Sean McVay partnership. They did not come
in together to that team. Less Need was already there
and was a part of the hiring committee for Sean McVay.

(17:13):
They look at these successful outliers that are not then
mean throughout this league and they think we're going to
be that team. We can do that, or.

Speaker 1 (17:22):
They don't even really look at it at all and
they're just making it up as they go along and.

Speaker 2 (17:26):
Kind of quarterback.

Speaker 1 (17:29):
Yes, there is this assumption that executives have this plan
when they're just freestyling well and football is not necessarily
their business. Maybe they made their money in a smart
way in a different business and don't know this but business,
or more likely their parents made money and then got
into football, which they didn't necessarily know either, and then

(17:51):
they inherited it, and it's like, why do we expect greatness.

Speaker 3 (17:55):
Out of that? It's you know, look, let's go to Jacksonville.
Shot Cohn, He who made his own money, one of
the great true American stories of working with pulling yourself
up in the bootstraps. Right, he keeps Trent Balki, who
is hired, Jim Tomsula in San Francisco, Chip Kelly in
San Francisco, Urban Meyer. Doug Peterson. Now this dude is

(18:18):
on his third coaching higher situation in five years with
the Jacksonville Jaguars. Why would Ben Johnson want to go
there unless he can say, you know, if I'm coming,
I'm bringing Ray Agnew or John Dorsey from Detroit. Yeah,
like he Troy's got the best personnel staff in the NFL. Right,

(18:39):
why wouldn't Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson go to someplace
where they can somehow get these guys to build.

Speaker 2 (18:44):
That would make sense. I just I don't understand the
Trent Balkey situation because before Doug Peterson was hired, it
was like they couldn't find anyone that was interested in
even taking the job because nobody wanted to work with.
Trent Balkey had sounded.

Speaker 4 (18:56):
Like I think he gave it away in his press conference.
I went back and I list it's true God press conference,
I think he gave it away because Shad said, and
I'm paraphrasing something to the effective, we've got eighty five
other people that we've built this through. What he's actually saying,
and I know that quote was parsed and reparsed and
all of that on various shows, But what he's really

(19:17):
saying is we've built in alphabet and then we've started
to build books out of the alphabet of what our
scouting and pro personnel department is and all of the
support staff and all of the language of this ecosystem
that's in place. And he doesn't want to start over,
right or wrong, And I think he's wrong in keeping him,
but right or wrong, that to me is what he's saying.

(19:38):
He does not want to start from ground zero again
after the entire ecosystem of that team, behind the scenes,
everything but the on field product he believes is in
place because of all of the little layers that go
into actually building a franchise with the in terms of
the league cycle of what.

Speaker 2 (19:56):
Shortcuts are not going to get you in.

Speaker 3 (19:58):
But at the same time, but General Manner's not going
to come in could completely blow up her ecosystem. And
let's to Bill.

Speaker 4 (20:02):
Belichick, if you like dismantle it though, you're gonna put
in your own system. You're gonna put your own language
and even the scouting, like even the scouting system and
the scouting.

Speaker 1 (20:10):
Sure, but you could easily remove Trent Balki and it'd
be fine. But not if Trend Balki is in the
ear of the owner explaining that everything's gonna fall apart
and they're gonna have to change everything.

Speaker 4 (20:19):
I'm saying they should have kept him. I'm just saying
that to me, that is what he seems to believe
exactly what you just said. Great, I'm not saying it's right.

Speaker 3 (20:26):
I'm just saying, but again, but this is why I
think the Giants held on to Joe Shane because you know,
everyone says Brian Daball as a good coach. But if
we split them up, then what GM is going to
want to come here or vice for.

Speaker 1 (20:37):
It makes sense. I actually think keeping them both.

Speaker 3 (20:38):
Is better than you have.

Speaker 2 (20:39):
Patient applaud that.

Speaker 3 (20:41):
I agree, But here's the Chicago. Everyone says that's the
best situation to go to, but they're keeping Ryan Poles
as a general mean two for Caleb, right, but they're saying,
you know, again, why would you necessarily want to go
there when it's clear that Ryan Poles and Kevin Warren,
the team president, have a very strong relationship. Why would
Ben Johnson want to go there? Yeah, and go there
for the quarterback, But don't you want to go there

(21:01):
with someone who you know who has your back again,
with a re Agne, with a John Dorsey, someone on
that personnel.

Speaker 2 (21:06):
Staff in Detroit, especially as a first time head coach.

Speaker 4 (21:08):
Yes, I think it's possible. You hear things about Ben
Johnson and what he's interested in, like kind of what
how his workflow goes and all of that. I think
it is possible. You do have the unique candidate perhaps
is less interested in having full control over the entire
system and more so controlling that particular element of it
and being the mad scientist and kind of cooking in

(21:30):
that way.

Speaker 1 (21:31):
Well, he interviewed with the Patriots Go give it to
the go get it done Patriots. Surprise everyone, don't.

Speaker 3 (21:36):
Go back to it. He might be the backup if
Rabel ends up and.

Speaker 1 (21:39):
Don't go back to the old stuff. They also interviewed
Pap Hamilton, who was a quarterback coach of Joe. Milton
was also here at NFL Network as a head coach.
You hate to think it, but that feels like, yep,
he's just wasting his time. There a sham interview.

Speaker 3 (21:56):
Because Byron left two of them one day.

Speaker 1 (21:58):
Byron left which as well.

Speaker 3 (22:00):
And just for those who don't know, if you interview
two minority candidates from outside of the organization, you meet
all criteria for the Ruiney rule.

Speaker 1 (22:05):
Right.

Speaker 3 (22:05):
I guarantee Mike Grabe will be in there by the
end of the week.

Speaker 2 (22:08):
Now, they could be candidate's opticks either and.

Speaker 4 (22:10):
To follow up, real interviews take longer than half a.

Speaker 1 (22:13):
Day, and they could be candidates potentially for the offensive staff.
Maybe they're trying to do work there. Who really knows.
We have a new opening, and I don't think we're
all totally done here. I think there are situations around
the league, like we don't know about Dallas.

Speaker 3 (22:31):
Yeah, we're never done right, this is quickly.

Speaker 1 (22:33):
I've got my eye on New Orleans where locally they
are assuming that Mickey Loomis is going to be hiring
this head coach, and I just just keep an eye
on that.

Speaker 3 (22:43):
I think, oh, what do you know?

Speaker 1 (22:45):
I don't know anything, But I'm just saying the.

Speaker 4 (22:47):
People who know something based on the fact.

Speaker 1 (22:50):
All I need to know is that they fired the
head coach against Mickey Loomis's wishes, and then he released
a statement essentially announcing it was against his and I
know he's been there a long time. But maybe you
can move them along to co executive vice president of
Benson Enterprises. But it has nothing to do with making
football decisions. With the Saints, we'll see. I don't know.

Speaker 3 (23:12):
It's a very periphial organization. It really really is, because
they run the Pelicans as well.

Speaker 1 (23:18):
Right, you could give him, you can give him a promotion,
you can give him more mad but not involved.

Speaker 3 (23:23):
No, he's very involved.

Speaker 1 (23:24):
We'll see basketball. Let's take a quick break. We got
to get to QB Island. But that was a great
conversation between three really smart people and myself back on
quarterback Island.

Speaker 2 (23:35):
At a minute, I was crush, he's not talking, she
was so.

Speaker 5 (23:48):
Twelve of the NFL's finest quarterbacks have left the comfort
of their stadiums and luxury suites for.

Speaker 3 (23:53):
The adventure of a lifetime.

Speaker 5 (23:57):
These brit iron heroes are used to leading their teams
on the feet, but can they outplay, out last, and
out throw each other in the Ultimate Survival Challenge.

Speaker 1 (24:05):
You ain't everything you have with the gobains tied you man,
we find a way to win.

Speaker 2 (24:09):
The no matter what.

Speaker 5 (24:11):
The stakes are high and the competition is fearce only
one can claim the title of the Ultimate survivor. Who
will rise to the top and who will be sacked?

Speaker 1 (24:20):
They wrote me off, I ain't right back though, that's
the problem.

Speaker 3 (24:23):
Al right back, let's go.

Speaker 5 (24:24):
This is Quarterback Island.

Speaker 1 (24:27):
Oh well, they'd be writing back to Tino today. We'll
have to find out one of the big questions we
are going to answer on the season finale of QB Island.
And thanks as always to the great pipes of Randy Javins,
who is now producing podcasts over at Sinclair, I believe.

Speaker 2 (24:46):
And now doing voiceover work.

Speaker 4 (24:48):
Probably he should be Yeah, he sounds so good. I
remember the first day I heard that intro, and my
I don't think I've had like that much joy. No,
I mean, I mean no, it was a lot of joy.
It's fine, I'm fine.

Speaker 2 (25:02):
I do need to give Jordan a hook.

Speaker 1 (25:04):
Hal turns out when your dog got stuck behind the
couch this week, Oh yeah, that's a big time.

Speaker 4 (25:10):
He doesn't know how to back up oh no, try
to turn stall. So he turned around, he got into
like a little half croissant, and he got stuck.

Speaker 1 (25:18):
That's got to be better even than.

Speaker 4 (25:22):
Play by play. You'll not believe what's happening in my
house right now.

Speaker 3 (25:26):
Every time I think of this story and your dog,
I'm gonna think of something with beep beep. I never
know the joy.

Speaker 1 (25:34):
All right, little heart, QB Island. You haven't listened all season.

Speaker 2 (25:39):
It's gonna happen. We started inches away from my face.

Speaker 1 (25:42):
In training camp and we voted on twelve quarterbacks who
would represent the position right now? Who's the best, who
symbolically means the most. We started the season and we
voted quarterbacks off and onto the island throughout the court
of the season. Last time around, we lowered the number

(26:04):
to ten.

Speaker 3 (26:05):
Who did I did? Yes, you did?

Speaker 1 (26:07):
The committee did before the show, the executive, you're the
commit producing committee. Jordan's involved, not in that particular decision,
but ten. Ten quarterbacks remained at the end of last
Quarterback Island, and ten will remain into the office. Ten
is a nice have a solid rule.

Speaker 4 (26:27):
Did you put an asterisk round number?

Speaker 3 (26:29):
You know why he did that? Now you know why
he did that, Yes, you did.

Speaker 1 (26:34):
No, we talked about it. Jordan was involved in this one.
Ten feels good. I like it as a document who
are the ten quarterbacks that defined this regular season? So
we are looking back, but you can you could choose
to vote guys on and off however you want. I
think it's fair to wait the end of the season
more if you want, but at least how I'm operating,

(26:54):
I'm looking at the season as a whole as the
most important factor. But yes, that nebulous defining the position
or who's really been it this year in terms of
mattering like that, that can play a party.

Speaker 4 (27:08):
Two wrote it down because as a Capital J journalist,
it's important that we are on the record with the
phrase which ten quarterbacks defined this regular season? Quote end quote,
Greg Rosenthal.

Speaker 1 (27:18):
Yeah, got it. But I also I'm saying more. I'm
saying my number one thing is who is the best ultimately?
But that is part of the equation. Maybe to split
some hair.

Speaker 3 (27:27):
I love this. I love this.

Speaker 1 (27:28):
Okay, So last time we left ten guys on and
I'm just gonna read their names quickly and then I'm
gonna suggest I actually think we have a lot of
guys that are safe. Yes, you can watch on YouTube.
We've got the graphic up. It was Joe, Josh Allen,
Joe Burrow in no particular order other than alphabetical, Jade

(27:50):
and Daniels, Sam Darnold, Jared Goff, Justin, Herbert Lamar, Jackson,
Jordan Love, Patrick Mahomes, and Gino Smith.

Speaker 2 (27:58):
The next Quarterback Island. We will rank them in order
of talent.

Speaker 4 (28:03):
That makes me feel sweaty.

Speaker 1 (28:05):
Yes, you know, Jordan did come up with Quarterback Island.
She is the originator and.

Speaker 4 (28:14):
I watched its spiral out of all of my control.

Speaker 1 (28:16):
Part of it was you didn't want to rank guys,
you just wanted to, but ultimately making ten, it is
ranking at least around ten. Nine to ten. Now we
could talk about some of these guys a little bit,
although we spent a lot of time already talking coaches.
I actually think there are some tears here, but I

(28:37):
personally think seven quarterbacks are going to be on without
a lot of discussion, and so I'm just going to
read them and if you guys disagree at the end
of it, you can disagree with whatever you want, and
then we could vote if you want. I think that
the top four Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and
Patrick Mahomes have been the top four really throughout. Yes,

(28:59):
I believe that the way Jared Goff has played all
season and the way Justin Herbert put himself on this
island halfway through the season and has finished the season
make them really obvious that we're not even gonna debate
about it, are we.

Speaker 4 (29:14):
I'm I'm off have a debate point on this and
on Herbert just such a reminder to the listeners. He
was not initially on the island because he was injured,
and so once he was caught, once he was able
to be on the island, we put him on the island,
and he more than earned his Yeah.

Speaker 1 (29:28):
Yeah, he basically was halfway through the season. He had
just come back and then he got hurt again and
so it took a little bit.

Speaker 2 (29:33):
The opened up a little bit.

Speaker 1 (29:35):
I can't wait to talk about him on previous show tomorrow.
My god, he's right there with those top guys, and
so is GoF This is the best golf has ever played.
Number seven And I did say this in the order
that I would put him, and I think just I
think safe. It's Jayden Daniels. I would put him, like
I would do tier below those six guys, and yet
in terms of consistency, in terms of numbers, in terms

(29:57):
of defining the position, I think he's pretty am I right, I.

Speaker 2 (30:01):
Think he is. The Only thing I would potentially flag
is that he's a rookie. We haven't seen a huge
sample size. I know, we're just going by the season though,
And I was thinking about last year with c J. Stroud,
he would have absolutely been on the island and this
year not. So it's like, I don't know, but it's.

Speaker 3 (30:16):
Just he's been on the island.

Speaker 2 (30:18):
I have rest issues here, so or.

Speaker 1 (30:22):
You're an nfcast fan who right didn't really.

Speaker 4 (30:26):
Talk now, I agree because he says of the rookie
class too. He also defines the rookie class which was
defined which was punctuated by a lot of really talented rookies,
including the emergence of Bone next here in the second
half of the season. I think that Jaden Daniels is
the face of this rookie class of quarterbacks, each which
had a very unique and important story, but certainly between

(30:49):
numbers between the entire franchise just having life to it
and like he was like a human like saging the place,
you know, like he just he was brilliant for them.

Speaker 2 (31:00):
That was an organization that got out of its systemic
problems Like that was like a full clean out of
everything and everyone. And now look at what they have done.

Speaker 1 (31:08):
Now. That reminds me of that. Cliff Kingsbury had, according
to the people in Las Vegas, in agreement with the
Raiders at least a verbal one right to be their
offensive coordinators. Right bailed to go to Washington.

Speaker 3 (31:21):
It would not have gone as well as what.

Speaker 1 (31:23):
A good move that was for him.

Speaker 3 (31:24):
Here's the Jade naniolsing as well. Okay, let's suppose he said,
let's rest the rookie and play the veteran Marcus Mariota.
Are we talking about Terry mcluurin the way we're talking
about him? Are we talking about Zach Ertze the way
we're talking about Look at what this guy who's done
for other people, the way he's played, the way he
sees the game.

Speaker 4 (31:40):
Lord, I've seen what you've done for others.

Speaker 2 (31:43):
Correct, this is like an all time rookie season.

Speaker 1 (31:45):
Although, to be to be fair to Cliff, I was
running these numbers I was talking about of like, looking
at all the stats and I at first sorted by
at least fifty dropbacks. Do you know who leads the
NFL in completion percentage EPA per drop back, completion percentage
over expected, and success rate among all quarterbacks in the
NFL with at least fifty drop backs. No, but it's

(32:07):
it's on his team, Marcus Mariota, who's had exactly fifty dropbacks.

Speaker 6 (32:13):
I was like, what is Heah, I'm just saying I'm
not putting them on the list, but let's give Marcus
Mariota some credit mark playing three good quarters or whatever.

Speaker 1 (32:24):
It was. Oh my god, he really. I was just
like I was shocked, and I was like, okay, I
need to make this like two hundred and fifty.

Speaker 3 (32:29):
You need to get a hobby man. This is too
intense if you're going deep to exactly fifty attempts to
justify your metric.

Speaker 1 (32:38):
I just that's where I started, and I was like,
this is funny.

Speaker 2 (32:41):
Mariolnis.

Speaker 3 (32:43):
Right.

Speaker 1 (32:43):
I played with John Gonzales on New Year's Day morning.
We started off the year healthy. Go Okay, we were
in Plia Vista.

Speaker 2 (32:53):
Fair fine, I'll allow it.

Speaker 4 (32:54):
It was nice, by the way. The real answer to
most of those statistics is Joe Burrow.

Speaker 1 (32:58):
So yeah, I mean, if you if you raise it up,
Dudeen Daniels is right near the top of a lot
of those. Okay, so we got seven. There were three
more guys on the on the list that I didn't name,
Jordan Love, Gino Smith, CM Darnold. I think one way
we could start this is talk about those guys and
potentially vote him or on or off or hold it
if you guys wanted to, we could always put them

(33:19):
back on if in the end we think they are worthy.
Do you want to do? You want to get going?
I'm actually I'm gonna throw out someone first that I
think it's gonna be the easiest. I'm just I don't care.
I actually think this won't be that hard. I don't go.
I want to hear what you think, Colleen about Jordan Love.

Speaker 2 (33:36):
Okay. I think that he should be off the island.
He was one of the guys that I outlined here.
I had two guys that I wanted off the island.
I have three guys that I wanted in. So math
doesn't really math there, But I just feel like with him,
he doesn't I feel like there are guys that have

(33:56):
more of a case to be on the island than
he does. Guys like I mean, Jalen Hurts is not
on this island, or like what are we doing here? Yeah,
I know, Matthew Stafford is like a bit of a
I ripped him off situation on this show.

Speaker 1 (34:09):
We'll get to all that, but just talking whether we
want to vote Love off. Yes, you think he doesn't
have as good a case?

Speaker 4 (34:16):
Yeah, yeah, so, I think his ceiling is among the
highest of all or most of the quarterbacks that we're
about to put on the island. That's his ceiling. I
think his floor can be a bit lower, and it
certainly has showed and it's plummeted some of his more
advanced metrics. He's thirteenth in total EPA. True, but he's

(34:38):
also thirty seventh in EPA per dropback, which would if
taken by itself, which we never do, but if that
was taken by itself, would not even have him in
the qualifying conversation. Twenty five touchdowns, eleven interceptions, again not terrible,
but if you look at, say, for example, at Jared Goff,
who's thrown twelve interceptions, he's also thrown thirty seven touchdowns,

(35:00):
and yes, Jordan Love missed some time, so we have
to keep that included in the conversation. But in my opinion,
while his ceiling is astoundingly high, and in fact higher
than a lot of these guys that we're talking about
on the island today, I do think he has some
some floors this year that have hurt his case.

Speaker 1 (35:18):
Weill's think how we ended the season. He didn't make
it through the game. He didn't play well against the Vikings.
It was too little, too late in that game. Ultimately,
I do think the end of the season, those games
are more important and so to me they weigh a
little heavier, and ultimately it reminded me of guy who
is great. But even when we put him on like
I felt good about it, and he played well the
next game against the Lions, and yet since then it's

(35:40):
just been like, he's not at that top level.

Speaker 3 (35:42):
Yet here's why he's to me, he's off. Okay, what
are we talking about the Packers' offensive identities right now?

Speaker 1 (35:48):
It's the run game.

Speaker 3 (35:49):
It is Josh Jacobs in the run game. That's it.
End of argument.

Speaker 1 (35:53):
Let's vote. I have a big no. I gotta know
he gone, okay, Sorry, Jordan, we got one spot open.
Well that's good. Do the Geno thing? Now? Why not?
What do we say? I don't. I don't even want
to start on the Gino.

Speaker 3 (36:10):
I mean, you know, as much as as much as
you've been like Gino. I mean, I'm I'm teetering with Gino.

Speaker 4 (36:18):
Now.

Speaker 1 (36:18):
We could all the maybes and include Hitter on it
and just decide at the very end if we want.
But let's at least talk about.

Speaker 4 (36:24):
Him now really quick before we get there. And I'm sorry,
I did this really quickly on my computer, and forgive me.
I was a little distracted earlier before the show, but
I didn't have the right filter on Jordan Love is
in fact sixteenth and EPA per drop back among quarterbacks
qualifying with fifty plus dropbacks this season. I did not
want to let Jordan Love okay, float away from the
island with that low of a rating on.

Speaker 3 (36:43):
Good but still outside, still as good as Marcus Mario.

Speaker 4 (36:46):
Still outside the top, still outside the top. But just
wanted to fact check that real quick. Anyway, continue, Greg,
what were you saying about?

Speaker 3 (36:53):
You know, I'll reserve the boot for Gino, even though
I'm very much leaning that way. He's been a radic
over the past few games, but you know he has delivered.
Is Oc got sacked. It's never a good sign for
a quarterback and quarterback Island. But I'm just saying I'm
going to keep him on the fence depending on the
options to vote.

Speaker 1 (37:14):
People, Yeah, on the case for him, and it's really
difficult is to try to take him away from the
situation that he was in to just evaluate the position.
In terms of defining the position. I think that's a
ding for him this year. The team didn't make it there,
like there.

Speaker 3 (37:32):
Often had no identity, like.

Speaker 2 (37:34):
What were they no, And it just seems like his
teams they just always have a ceiling, like it's it's
always like nine wins.

Speaker 1 (37:39):
He also threw so much that he's going to be
high in the volume stats, like he's second in yard,
second in touch, and high in interception. For what it's
worth it, at the his turnover worthy play percentage was
quite low, which would indicate like he was very good
at turnover worthy play percentage, which would indicate a he's
not fumbling a lot, like like a Baker who leads
the league in it, or Darnold who's close and then

(38:00):
be his interceptible balls happened to be caught more at
a higher rate.

Speaker 4 (38:05):
So the part of the issue, and I am one
million percent anti factoring wins into quarterback play against that
wins are not a quarterback stat. They're a coaching stat,
but they're not a quarterback stat. However, there are only
a couple of quarterbacks who did not make the playoffs
in a year in which quarterback Island is defining quarterback

(38:25):
play for the season that we are going to talk about.
One of them is a no brainer yes on the
Island in Joe Burrow.

Speaker 2 (38:32):
That's exactly who I was thinking about with ga.

Speaker 4 (38:34):
Geno is not in the playoffs, and that's a lot
of that's not his fault. So Seahawks fans like, I
see you, I hear you, like, please know, I think
that he's played some absolute elite quarterback this year and
over the past couple of years. But if we're talking
about the end Island yes right, and defining the position
this year, the one quarterback in terms of whether or

(38:56):
not they're in the playoffs that you would then comp
him to is Burrow.

Speaker 2 (39:00):
Yeah, and Gino Smith is not going to be a
Joe Burrow, where of course Joe Burrow doesn't have the
wins to back it up. But Joe Burrow has this
this quality about him where he can pull everyone up
around him and he's his effort. The way that he
plays it's just different. It feels like it should be
game changing even though the results were not there. But
he has this like it factor that I don't think

(39:21):
Gino has.

Speaker 1 (39:22):
No question, they're in different tiers. I don't get you know,
if we're gonna get into wins THO. Like, to me,
that's an argument of like a Sam Darnold who racks
up Fort Vergina. It's not an argument of that Baker
Mayfield's in it. And I'm on the fence with Baker
and Sam.

Speaker 4 (39:37):
I'm not on the fence with Baker.

Speaker 1 (39:39):
Baker's team won ten games and had one of the
easiest schedules in the league. So to me, he gets
no extra credit over Gino that they won. This to
me for me personally, that he won the same amount
of games as Gino. No, I know, I'm just saying,
like injuries, I kind of am because to me, those
two might be my last spot, Like trying to decide
between the.

Speaker 3 (39:58):
Another ten one quarterback we're talking about later that we
haven't mentioned yet.

Speaker 1 (40:02):
Who would that be?

Speaker 3 (40:03):
Oh, I will get there.

Speaker 1 (40:04):
Okay, let me make the case because I'm the one
that obviously is gonna have to make it here for
Geno in pure dropbacks, and so that's taking away RPOs,
play action passes in screens second in the entire NFL.
In success rate when pressured, third in the entire NFL

(40:27):
when pressured, top five, and completion percentage over expected obviously
very high in the counting stats like yards and touchdowns
and completion percentage in general top ten in the league
when blitzed. So that's those are stats that people in
the league like to run because it tries to remove
some of the situation around him some more.

Speaker 4 (40:47):
Stats and they can be paired with the value and
ability of your receivers, which is the argument that people
made last year about Brock Purty when he was really
high in success rate in some of those numbers. Those
are not just the quarterback in a vacuum.

Speaker 1 (41:01):
No question, And it's weird because the difference between him
and Purty is like the Seahawks offense wasn't good. It
was a below average offense. One of the reasons why
dead lack thirty first in the league and starting field
position twenty sixth in pass block win rate. One of
the worst running running teams in the league, almost never
used play actions, and when one of the worst screen
teams in the league, and so he sort of was
on an island. And that's just the case for it

(41:23):
that he's that high first, second, third in success rate
in these categories where you take it out. And so
that's my case, and I'll show.

Speaker 4 (41:30):
So the listeners have the full context of his advanced
metrics also ranked rank finished the season ranking twenty eighth
in total EPA and twenty fifth in EPA per dropback.
And again you can correlate some of that with the
absolute crater of an offensive system and scheme that that
team was, and a crater of an offensive line. Now,

(41:52):
I am not holding that stuff against Gino. In the
two times that I saw him play live this year
and then watch his tape every week, and then two
times I saw him play live, I thought he was outstanding.
My favorite play of the year for him was when
his pocket was collapsing last week and he did a
spin move to avoid two interior defensive linemen who were
about to bring him down and then stepped through the

(42:13):
pocket and then completed the pass downfield. I think he
is outstanding. I am a big Geno Smith fan. If
we're talking about quarterback Island in the context of defining
the position this year, then I'm I'm really on the
fence with him, and it'll really have to depend on
how other guys shake out.

Speaker 1 (42:30):
Okay, I was ready to just give up the ghosts
and then.

Speaker 4 (42:33):
Well, you know what. You know what's interesting is I'm
not willing to let my biases over how the last
episode or you know, my bias isn't he.

Speaker 1 (42:42):
Getting discussed here today?

Speaker 2 (42:43):
Anyways, there's a lot of a lot of baggage here.

Speaker 4 (42:46):
I think thanks happening.

Speaker 1 (42:50):
It's funny though, because he is such an interesting case
that obviously that they they ultimately were a little disappointed.
And yeah, that game last week, even though it's against
the back, it was just it just reminded me of like,
my god, it just pure quarterbacking level. Do I ultimately
believe he's in the top ten right now? He is
on the edge. It's close, but I am leaning yes

(43:11):
ultimately for a lot of those stats. Let's talk about
the other guys, let's talk about Darnold right now, because
I didn't going into last week it would have been
safe to say, Colleen, he might have got mentioned in
that little top of the show with the first seven.
He had one of the worst games. I don't think
this is an opinion that any good quarterback hat all season.

(43:34):
In Week eighteen, in the biggest moment, like that's fair.
He had one of the maybe the worst week any
quarterback had in the entire league last week for that
to happen on Sunday night football, and happened in a
similar way to ways he's lost before, where it just
seemed like he froze on some level yep, and could.

Speaker 4 (43:52):
Not He was so off with some of those throws.

Speaker 1 (43:55):
And mentally kind of couldn't. He couldn't get through it,
couldn't get over it. He got stuck. It's a tough last,
last final statement for QB Island and puts him on
the edget at least for me and because of that performance.

Speaker 2 (44:07):
But also it's won one game, and it was like
the one game it was.

Speaker 3 (44:14):
Everyone's watching James a long deal.

Speaker 2 (44:16):
It's a huge I mean, that was a playoff game
that was essentially like a play in game, it felt like,
But for Sam Donald, I mean, you don't look at
the resume for all of the other games of the
season and how he performed. He was great in almost
every single one, I would say, and then this game
it was bad. This was like a little bit of
the the old Sam Donald.

Speaker 3 (44:36):
It was. It was a trap door we've been waiting
for all seasons that he didn't step on.

Speaker 1 (44:39):
He kind of did with the Jacksonville game. But his
defense defense, they.

Speaker 3 (44:44):
Got him two picks deep in Linees territory and that's
when he floundered. They had to kick field goals. And
that's why it's like, is he going to do this
in the playoffs? Right, We've got that question. But if
we're talking about the island, comparing him to guys like Gino, like, no,
Sam Donald on this island. I think he's got a
nice place there on a nice palm tree, hanging out
near Joey B. George not conding.

Speaker 4 (45:08):
I'm on the fence with Sam because, like I, for
most of the season, his floor was so high, right,
which I know, it's like I might as well put
it tattooed across my forehead. At this point, his the
entire point was to raise Sam Darnold's floor, and that happened,
and then it even lifted his ceiling even higher. I
do think that, like, if we're going to go over

(45:28):
his resume for the entire season, I've seen a quarterback
who had earned his place, at least for the first
like the middle section of shows that we did before
we pulled him had earned his place. Let's not forget
we did pull him.

Speaker 1 (45:41):
Yeah, because he had that two week stretch what are
you talking about right before we did one where he
really was struggle, which is.

Speaker 3 (45:46):
Why I was the argument for quarterback wins. It's been
discussed previously, which we see where you're going.

Speaker 4 (45:51):
But also some of that getting pulling him off the
island happened in a very less than night.

Speaker 1 (45:58):
Doesn't matter to the show rules. He's on the island
coming into week fifteen when we last died it, yes,
and actually was playing great, great, yeah, the couple weeks
before this game. So to Colleen's point, it really was
one game, but it is it was a big game,
and it was bad enough that then you start looking

(46:20):
at the rest of it because the rest of the
statistical profile in terms of grades and turnover where you
play percentage and fumbles and all that. It is kind
of on the border him, Baker and Gino actually end
up in the same area in a lot of things
when you just take take away even the subjectivity.

Speaker 4 (46:36):
The red zone passing from Sam when you need him
to be clutch right when you need him to define
the position and define really embody all of the things
that he's overcome and embody that player who Kevin O'Connell
believes he is and has poured that belief in him
all season. And that was like, what the third worst
red zone passing performance of the season by any quarterback.

(46:59):
And I mean it's just it's tough. It anchors him
down where his floor has not sunk him all season
in my opinion, but it anchors him down a little bit.
But I'm not willing to overlook the full Yeah.

Speaker 1 (47:10):
And especially because I was saying for me person, I'm
just just talking for myself. What I'm saying, it's a
document for the season. That's a that's a point in
his favor. Yeah, really are we going to vote?

Speaker 3 (47:20):
Dude?

Speaker 1 (47:21):
Should we hold off?

Speaker 3 (47:22):
Now?

Speaker 4 (47:23):
I'd like to hold off because I want to talk
about Baker Mayfield.

Speaker 1 (47:26):
Let's take a quick break, and we're going to come
back and we're going to talk about Baker and maybe
a little Matthew Staffer, maybe little Bryce Young who knows
well at least talk about and just bring him up
before we make our final vote of the season back

(48:02):
on QB Island.

Speaker 4 (48:03):
It's my movie.

Speaker 1 (48:05):
We're making a list. We checked it twice during.

Speaker 2 (48:07):
The break, like five times. Maybe I don't know.

Speaker 1 (48:11):
Seven members of QB Island right now. Three spots somewhat open.
One but Gino and Darnold remain on the island. We
have not voted for it, but one is just why
to open out there. So I thought I would use
this point in the show to ask, does anyone want
to full throatedly, you know, nominate someone that we're going

(48:33):
to vote on to join the final QB Island of
the season. Whoever jump, whoever says the name first, we'll
talk about him. Come on, I know you have one
bow Nicks.

Speaker 3 (48:46):
No one's thinking about bo We talk about defining the position.
Look at the team he started off with all defense, defense.
Look what he's done with them. He's elevated Courtland Sutton,
He's elevated his tight endes Oh of the Denver Broncos.
They are in the playoffs. Seven games with one hundred
plus past rate including the final three, twenty nine touchdown,

(49:10):
twelve interceptions, thirty seven hundred plus passing yards, a bunch
of rushing yards elevate. We talk about flores, we talk
about ceilings, talking about making people better. Who was thinking
about the Denver Broncos as a playoff team before the season.

Speaker 2 (49:23):
No one.

Speaker 3 (49:24):
I am not capturing this.

Speaker 2 (49:25):
In a moment, not even the Denver Broncos.

Speaker 4 (49:27):
No, Sean Payton probably wasn't this.

Speaker 3 (49:30):
Dude, When we're talking about some of these other players,
if we do not talk about Bowen Nicks in this conversation,
we would be making a mistake. Now, you pud you
put him.

Speaker 2 (49:40):
You know over, There's no Jalen Hurts in here.

Speaker 1 (49:43):
Okay, we'll talk him next. Then he's next in line.

Speaker 4 (49:46):
I will say this because you're right yeah about all
of this, Steve. At the same time, I don't know
that I feel great about putting more than one rookie
on quarterback Island.

Speaker 1 (49:58):
I would if he had earned it, but I don't
think BIS has earned it. I would. I welcome differing opinions,
even when they're wrong like this Bonicks one because it's
like a participation trophy.

Speaker 3 (50:08):
What are you talking about it?

Speaker 1 (50:09):
It's a participation trophy. He's playing great and he gets
to be mentioned and if if I if I squeezed him,
they had the same amount of wins. Actually, how many
wins did the Bronco.

Speaker 3 (50:21):
Oh, that's a participation argument right there.

Speaker 1 (50:24):
Okay, if you're arguing that he's playing quarterback at a
higher level, that's where I'm just going to disagree. I can,
we can use whatever.

Speaker 2 (50:33):
Metrics, whatever criteria we want, but I.

Speaker 1 (50:36):
Think when you are looking at elevation, you are looking
at a system that has elevated Bonix and that's what
good coaching does and that and he's been great as
a rookie, but when I watch him on a week
to week basis, I don't see him elevating the players
around him. I think the last few weeks of the
season really pointed that out. The Chargers game where for

(50:57):
a half he's struggling, the Colts game where he struggled
for the whole game. The Bengals game, I think was
a very typical game for him, where it's a couple
big time throws and him not coming through ultimately six
point seven yards per teen. He has been amazing to
be a league average quarterback. But that's where I would
put him. I think it's cool that we're talking about
him and it makes sense, but I don't think he
gets that close to the top ten.

Speaker 3 (51:18):
If you put him on the Seahawks, they are they
any better or worse?

Speaker 1 (51:21):
They're worse for sure.

Speaker 4 (51:23):
I think I think that where he should get a
bump in Steve.

Speaker 1 (51:26):
I think they're like five and twelve.

Speaker 4 (51:27):
I think where he should get a bump in Steve's
argument and a bump in his favor is he is
really playing over the entirety of the year, not just
pieces of it, but over the entirety of the year,
and including his ascension and improvement. You know, you could
put him in the argument as the second best rookie
quarterback this season. I agree, And that's where I think
he gets to bump because for a rookie, first of all,

(51:49):
to deal with Sean Payton as a rookie, I.

Speaker 2 (51:51):
Mean, I saw he was like giving him, he was
staffy with him.

Speaker 4 (51:54):
He was like he was the right person for that
head coach, I think, and you can see when it works,
it really really works, and I think to accomplish and
ascend and play the way that he has where you
can see improvement over time, I think that that gives
him a point in your favor.

Speaker 1 (52:11):
Absolutely, But just on a throw to throw basis, he
is not being asked to do what these other quarterbacks
are being asked to do, and his next big win
in the NFL will be his first one. Give me
the quality win that the Broncos had to me, they
do not define the season that they won ten games
against losing teams and the Chiefs backups. He had his
chance in overtime to end the Bengals season and he

(52:33):
missed two wide open throws. He had a chance to
make the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (52:37):
How did they get to overtime?

Speaker 2 (52:39):
He absolutely change the ceiling with this team. I mean,
a rookie quarterback coming in the expectations.

Speaker 1 (52:46):
He's he's been great, but top ten is too far
from me. Ultimately, I guess I lean on quarterback excellence
and like to me, at Jalen Hurts would would be
ahead of him, a Baker would be ahead of all
those guys would be ahead. So that's to me, not
even Kyler, that one's close.

Speaker 4 (53:09):
I think I think win. It's over that argument over Kyler, Okay.

Speaker 3 (53:12):
So if we took off the three like you're saying, well, Ike, okay.

Speaker 1 (53:17):
Then in your in your that's why we we can
vote and you could vote yes and try to get
him through. But I am voting to know we are
officially voting. Colleen volte Wolf No, Steve Weish is.

Speaker 3 (53:28):
A yes, I'm not using a riptide on Bone.

Speaker 4 (53:30):
Nicks and for New List there exactly what anybody who
is about.

Speaker 1 (53:34):
And myself the rip tide, you can I.

Speaker 4 (53:38):
Don't know that I want you explaining this. I'll explain this, yeah,
because you misused it last time. It is called the
riptide as in a dangerous wave that washes you away
from quarterback Island. And the riptide can be used one
time all season by one peron. You can only use
it once, and it is to literally take off a

(53:58):
quarterback of your choosing with no argument at the end
of the vote, and then you have to rediscuss anyone
who didn't make it on that you would put on instead.

Speaker 2 (54:07):
So you pull him out to see yes, and fortunately.

Speaker 3 (54:13):
I used.

Speaker 1 (54:15):
No one really knew.

Speaker 4 (54:16):
Complete opposite way in which it was intended.

Speaker 1 (54:19):
It's a ripcord. It's a good lesson or all the
kids out there, people in charge, they're just making it
up as they go along. Let's talk. Let's talk. Jalen Hurts,
your guy.

Speaker 2 (54:29):
Jalen Hurts. I mean, yes, he has a concussion right now.
And I don't know what these like the changing of
the goalpost here with the rules, I don't know if
he's even allowed to come on to Quarterback Island. I
feel like I was. Was I gone when he was
voted off Quarterback Island or he had he not made
it onto Quarterback Island. He amazingly has not been crazy

(54:50):
that is disrespectful, Like he has a top five passer rating.
The way that he can I mean yes, the toush
push definitely. You know adds In hads some numbers for
but top five and rushing touchdowns too. He's had a
really good season, and of course he's surrounded by so
much talent, but he's a really talented quarterback and when
you look at the names on here, I would argue

(55:12):
that he is absolutely in the top ten, if not
maybe the top eight.

Speaker 3 (55:15):
If we talk about the Eagles offense, who do we
talk first?

Speaker 1 (55:21):
He's flashy though, I would talk AJ Brown next, because
to me, AJ Brown, if I'm doing all pro and
three receivers, he is putting a J Brown on my tone.

Speaker 2 (55:31):
Okay, but but jal is putting it right where AJ
Brown can only catch it.

Speaker 3 (55:35):
So Skinny Pickett's he's a low shot. But what I'm
saying is if you're talking.

Speaker 1 (55:42):
Tanner McKee, but what, Oh my god, I don't believe.

Speaker 3 (55:46):
Again. I love Jalen, but when we're talking about the
Eagles offense and defining the position as Jalen the first
guy who comes.

Speaker 1 (55:51):
To mind, I think Jalen had some ups and downs
in his.

Speaker 3 (55:56):
Overall and I am holding the original rule of play.

Speaker 1 (56:00):
Now here's the thing into.

Speaker 2 (56:01):
It's so tough to say that because Saquon Barkley is
such a unique player in this entire league. If you
talked about like the entire division, he would talk about
Jaden Daniels, you talk about Saquon.

Speaker 4 (56:12):
That's the exact reason why Matthew Stafford is still being
debated about as a potential Hall of Famer because he
had Megatron. He had such a unique player to get
the ball to and it unfortunately, it's a beautiful thing
to watch, but it knocks the quarterback.

Speaker 1 (56:25):
Well, we haven't talked about it enough on this show
because it hasn't really been Jermaine, but Jalen Hurts. His
rushing value has helped Saquon Barkley quite a bit and
helps his case. Also, he is one of the most
valuable runners in the league, not just because of the
touchbush because he is efficient when he runs. He gets
first down at an incredibly high rate. And that's a

(56:46):
value that Gino isn't giving as much that Baker Mayfield
isn't giving as much, although he's giving a lot. Yeah,
he's certainly they're giving more than Darnold when we're comparing
it to guys in this area. His rushing value is
good for me. I just if he had stayed healthy.

Speaker 4 (57:01):
I think argument she was passing the ball among the
best in the league right around the middle of the
season as well. We talked about it on the show,
and that was it's unfortunate. Like the rule we stat
with the Herbert rule that we established the beginning of
the season was that if you're hurt, you cannot be
on the island. And that was the Jordan Love situation
as well early on in the year, and that was
the justin Herbert situation.

Speaker 2 (57:21):
So but I did see if he passed concussion protocol.

Speaker 1 (57:24):
Okay, Still, here's the thing that I think he needed
to finish strong. And he does take a lot of sacks.
He'd have a higher sack percentage than almost anyone on
this list, and that's really important. Those are the big
time negative plays other than Baker. Darnold's in that mix.
But Hurts is even Hurts only attempted three hundred and
sixty one passes. Yeah, that's like it's like nineteen forty.

Speaker 2 (57:43):
It's rockertysh you know, it's like really calling the plays.

Speaker 1 (57:47):
I get it, but that matters to me. I'm gonna
lear more. I'm voting.

Speaker 3 (57:50):
No, I'm voting if you were healthy. If you were healthy,
I'd probably have them one. But he's missed three game.

Speaker 1 (57:57):
He would have been borderline and had a good chance
if he was healthy.

Speaker 4 (57:59):
And just what's this for Jalen on that point in
terms of finishing the season strong versus not finishing the
season strong. Let's talk about mother fing Bryce Young. Okay, yes,
because and Craig, I know how much you early on
in Quarterback Island like to use PFF in your arguments.
He is the sixth highest passing grade quarterback since Week eight,

(58:22):
according to PFF. That was when he came back from
his benching. He has one hundred plus passer rating in
the last three game in his last three games, fifteen
touchdowns in his last nine games, and he's playing like
a top ten quarterback or top eleven quarterback post Week eight. Now,
I'm not necessarily arguing for him to be on the island.

(58:43):
I have someone else who would really like to put
on there, who will talk about in a minute. But
I think he is one of the defining stories of
this NFL, and I love it for him. I've watched
this clip one hundred million times, probably over the last
couple of days, that easy go ahead throw, that touchdown
pass where he didn't just give us the Steph Curry,

(59:04):
you know after he shoots the three and then turns
his back and does the touchdown sign. He also gave
us Jim Halpert face he found the camera and look
directly love the camera.

Speaker 3 (59:13):
I love He gets no points from me on that
because the day before I.

Speaker 4 (59:17):
Just I just love, but I love you. You can
have Lamar's confidence if you play like Lamar Jackson every
single week he's ever since I came after.

Speaker 1 (59:27):
A lovely b next he just isn't the same.

Speaker 4 (59:31):
Here's what that was at me.

Speaker 2 (59:33):
Here's why, Here's.

Speaker 3 (59:34):
Why I love you know what Bryce is done, because
what do we talk about the last two years for him,
He's got no weapons, yet he is carving teams.

Speaker 1 (59:41):
Up what he did and he's rocking the other day.

Speaker 3 (59:43):
He's running the ball. He's very decisive. Adam feelings have
this resurgence. You know, he has elevated other players. So
I love the fact that you're bringing yes.

Speaker 4 (59:51):
And you know what I you know what I think
is beautiful too. Like he as they said, you know
when we saw this at Alabama too, as decisive as
he was as a passer, that sort of point guard mentality,
distribute the ball, make the cool throws, and do it
from a variety of different arm angles. He's also really
decisive as a runner. A couple of those gains that
he made over the last couple of weeks, you can

(01:00:12):
see him looking for the creases. You can see him
looking for how the play is going to unfold layer
by layer and making the correct decision. He's playing like
with a clear mind and with confidence. And I give
a lot of credit to Dave Canalis and Brad Idzick,
who's working with him a lot in Carolina. And I
just think that this is one of the defining stories,
even if we don't put him on the island. I
wanted to say it. I think he is one of

(01:00:32):
the defining stories of twenty twenty four at quarterback.

Speaker 2 (01:00:36):
Just think about the conversations that we were having when
he was benched. It was it was like, where is
he going to go from here? Is he even going
to like land at all?

Speaker 1 (01:00:46):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:00:46):
Like I would love to go back and actually listen
to some of the things that we talked about, because
now seeing what he was able to do and come back,
no one saw this coming.

Speaker 1 (01:00:55):
Including the Panthers. I mean what, I didn't want to
play him ever again? Right, great, Like I brought.

Speaker 4 (01:01:01):
This up at the time too. One of the things
that's gonna make the Panthers keep him is understanding and
hearing that knowledge that like fifteen other teams wanted to
trade for him, like teams were teams were calling, teams
wanted to be I can fix him like they wanted
to be that team, and they knew what he was
capable of.

Speaker 2 (01:01:16):
I love it for him, especially after last year, just
all all the love that went to c J. Stroud
and you know he deserved it. But Bryce Young sat
there and just got crushed. And now I know, and.

Speaker 1 (01:01:30):
Coming into this season, can he have Alex Smith's trajectory?
Alex Smith one of the worst rookie quarterbacks of all
time and number one overall pick. Not a ton of
like physical gifts other than his speed obviously that just
jump off the page. And then the second season North
Turner comes in there and he just stabilized him where
he's like okay and ends up having a great career.
And now I'm thinking about and it's like, I could

(01:01:51):
see Bryce Young having Alex Smith's career. I could see
it being better. I could see it being worse too.
I don't know yet, but it's a real conversation now
when people are saying, well, would you take Bryce or CJ.
Stre Out? Now, I think that's a fair question asked,
would you take Bryce or Trevor Lawrence? Right now? I
want to see more, but he really did play at
that high level where I actually think I would take
Bryce over Trevor Lawrence because I've seen more at Trevor.

Speaker 4 (01:02:13):
If we were still at twelve, and this is going
to be Quarterback Island twenty twenty five season entering in.
If we were still at twelve, I would be voting
him on to the Island.

Speaker 3 (01:02:21):
That'd be great. And you know what, you know what
else helps is when the Atlanta Falcons blitz you only
fifteen percent after you get rid.

Speaker 1 (01:02:27):
Yeah, that helps. Before that helped his matchup. He also
did face a very easy schedule, so that evened out
some of the receivers. But I love he always makes
the right when he misses, it's in the exact right
spot and he can pro that. Kid man, I'm voting
now we are even about him.

Speaker 2 (01:02:45):
Yeah, I love.

Speaker 4 (01:02:46):
Yeah, it's a nice no, it's a it's a no,
but extra it's love Baker.

Speaker 1 (01:02:51):
I feel like Baker is the headliner where absolutely right now,
let's let's talk Baker. Does anyone want to make the
case for him?

Speaker 4 (01:02:58):
I want Baker Onland And we could go through a
bunch of his notable statistics where he's top five quarterback
in a lot of different areas. He's second in completions
obviously that has to do with some of the volume
which he's throwing, third in yards, Another thing with volume,
second in touchdowns, and fourth, however, in a much more
situational and holistic metric, fourth in EPA. And I think

(01:03:21):
that the thing that I see with Baker regardless week
over week over week through this entire season, and an
argument that we cannot make this season about some quarterbacks,
is that this team took on his personality. This team
took on his personality, and there's a will to win.
There's a matchup savviness when you carry yourself in this
way into the postseason where no team wants to play

(01:03:43):
you because you are an amba. You're able to counter
all kinds of different things because you had to do
it earlier in the season. There's a mental toughness and
there's like a gumption because to get Mike Evans that
last pass probably nine out of ten times. Not doing that,
you're kneeling it out right. The game was not over. Now,

(01:04:05):
I don't think the Saints were going to make a
play on that, but you know.

Speaker 1 (01:04:08):
Oh they tried. The game was rizzy was so pissed.
They had a coverage that would have double teamed them,
and they blew the coverage. They either let Mike Evans
get it, which is my theory, like the players are.

Speaker 3 (01:04:18):
Like, no, no, I was not loving the fact that
he was the guy who's on the back.

Speaker 1 (01:04:22):
Oh no.

Speaker 4 (01:04:23):
And I will say that takes that takes some metal.
And Baker Mayfield has shown a set all season. I
think if we're talking about this being such a cool
year for quarterbacks, showing us what they're really made of
after kind of getting tossed around in a few places
and kicked to the curb in a few places, but
not only that, to be that guy and then be
the defining player other than Mike Evans, but the really

(01:04:45):
the defining player on this team. Yes, Liam Cohen is great,
but you're not talking about Sam and Kevin O'Connell the
way that you're talking about Baker Mayfield. You're talking about
Kevin O'Connell. Right, Liam and Baker really make a great
pair together in that way, because Baker is just gonna
go all out and just try to I mean, he's
gonna try to win on a twenty eight yards trying

(01:05:07):
to score on a twenty eight yard carry.

Speaker 2 (01:05:08):
I'm like, this is such a scrappy team because of
him and the injuries that they dealt with so many
other quarterbacks and teams, it would be like, oh, well,
you know, they lost their guys and like had to
deal with all of this adversity, but it didn't matter.
He still got them wins. And then he did all
of this with a rookie quarterback or or rookie running

(01:05:28):
back in Bucky Irving, and then a new offensive coordinator
and Liam Cohen. So we had all of these different
things and still was able to deliver.

Speaker 4 (01:05:37):
That Chris Godwin injury. How emotional that was. Oh if
you don't have that factor, that defining thing that makes
a team rally around you and not sync with a
situation we see with the Detroit lot, Yeah, you lose
the room.

Speaker 1 (01:05:51):
Ye right. I think context is fair for him on
what helped him, But I think he made a.

Speaker 4 (01:05:56):
Beautiful He was like one of the best offensive lines
in football.

Speaker 1 (01:05:58):
Yeah, he wasn't pressure a lot, and he handles pressure poorly.
In terms of taking negative plays. He has the most
fumbles in the league. He has the most fumbles plus
sax plus interceptions in the league. So he takes a
lot of negative plays and he doesn't get pressured very often,
and yet he takes all those sects. Those are the negatives.
But everything that you said about who he is to
be fair and adding his scrambling ability lately, that that

(01:06:22):
game to me on Sunday defines him because going into
the fourth quarter.

Speaker 4 (01:06:26):
He was he'll be good for an interception.

Speaker 1 (01:06:29):
He was under four yards per attempt passing with an interception.
And then it's what you said, that force of will
to scramble and be patient, and he really has gotten
a lot better being patient in the pocket and hitting
those third and longs and getting Jalen McMillan. And then
the quality of the throws. I mean, he has the
big time throws that you want to see out of
a guy on quarterback islands.

Speaker 3 (01:06:49):
Well, one of the things that I love about Quarterbacks
Couples League for a long time is going. I'm gonna
use an NBA analogy that Jerry West told me about
fifteen years ago. Flex lik right the NBA and gets
twenty five points per game, right, but there's only ten
guys who can get you six in the final two minutes,
and there's only one or two who can get you

(01:07:10):
six in the final minute. Baker's one of them dudes.
He's got the killer in him, right, He's got that
Joe Burrowin. You know who else has it is Jayden
and Daniels. Jayde and Daniels got that killer in him. Yes, right,
But I love the fact that Baker, no matter what
happened to head him. That's why I like Ben.

Speaker 1 (01:07:24):
Roethliberger, who's that yeah, the leader in fourth quarter comebacks
over the last few.

Speaker 2 (01:07:30):
Years getting there, you know you him when I was
talking about the GINO doesn't have, but.

Speaker 1 (01:07:35):
I'm just saying, but you're I agree, I agree.

Speaker 3 (01:07:38):
And the fact that Colley made the great point last
year we were giving Baker props because of Dave Canalis.
Now he's got Liam Baker's the dude, He's the one.
He's the common denominator.

Speaker 1 (01:07:48):
I love what Liam Cohen has done, though he should
be talking about him like he's gonna be a head
coaching job.

Speaker 4 (01:07:54):
And he's gonna get head coach And who came to
Los Angeles when that season was sunk and the head
coach was just like am I mentally and was a
sunbeam into that building in terms of what he was
able to do two days after And yeah, he got
coached up. Zach Robinson and Liam Cohen's part of the
reason they have good jobs. Where they're at now. But
that's Baker Mayfield on that Thursday night.

Speaker 1 (01:08:16):
He was not on QB island.

Speaker 3 (01:08:18):
Also that staff for it, on that staff when Baker came,
Liam Zach Robins, Yes, yes, Baker's on.

Speaker 4 (01:08:30):
I am a yes, Florida on the island.

Speaker 1 (01:08:36):
I don't I don't care that. It was the fourth
quarter of the eighteenth week that actually won me over.
That was those two drives he had to go take
the lead were maybe the two best drives I saw
all season by anyone, and in the biggest spot. So like, okay,
I've got it. If I'm thinking about him and Darnold
for instance, yeah, you left me with that final answer.
I've given it.

Speaker 4 (01:08:56):
Last things. Two less things on this two less things
I've been waiting. He's on so along so Greg to
have to take the negative plays that he does, and
he does, that's fair to take those and still rank
where he ranks in E p A. I think is significant.

Speaker 1 (01:09:08):
You don't count if you don't lose fumbles, they don't
count it against you, which is one of his traits.
He hadn't happen to lose a.

Speaker 4 (01:09:14):
Lot, sure, but he takes a lot of negative plays
regardless and then the other thing is that throw to
Jalen McMillan after But here's why, here's why, this is
Baker's got it and we know this right, but like
that happened after no, no person and you can argue
this till the cows can come home whatever, but no
about why, whether it should be a penalty or what.
But no person on the planet was as mortified as

(01:09:37):
Jalen McMillan, hands on his helmet, just just distraught over
incurring that celebration penalty that he did. And Baker goes
right back to him and and just that absolute slice
of a throw. Yeah, that was that was a QB.

Speaker 1 (01:09:51):
Like that's the first ever throw that put someone on
QB Island. It's amazing. We haven't year. We haven't talked
Stafford yet.

Speaker 3 (01:10:00):
That's our math though.

Speaker 1 (01:10:01):
Okay, we are okay, we are to eight. Eight people
have officially been voted on. Yes, Gino and Donald are
on from before, so we have a full island at
the moment. We haven't voted officially on Gino or Donald
this time. And if we, you know, wanted to bring
up someone else to replace them or vote on them,

(01:10:22):
we could. I think we should at least mention Stafford,
who It's funny right after last week when we voted
him off, he had his he he ripped it up
against the Bills.

Speaker 2 (01:10:36):
It's I got to get back to that island. It was.

Speaker 4 (01:10:39):
It was a delight to watch that that level.

Speaker 1 (01:10:43):
In the three games after that they did, they combined
to score the same amount of points and kind of
showed where they've been in too much of the season.

Speaker 3 (01:10:52):
Sidebar. Yes, right after that show, where was it that
the Rams landed?

Speaker 1 (01:10:57):
In?

Speaker 3 (01:10:57):
Stafford? The Rams Instagram site or whatever, so I know
it says Matthew listens to podcast but his warm up
jacket had his wife's podcast on there.

Speaker 4 (01:11:09):
My stomach, which I get notifications, so I get notifications,
and all I saw was the caption. I didn't see
what he was wearing. He was wearing the King Stafford's
podcast label or whatever, and but all I saw was
that it was a picture. And then it said Matthew
qb one listens to podcasts, and I went, oh god,
I knows, like.

Speaker 2 (01:11:27):
You know, it's about the island.

Speaker 4 (01:11:30):
I will say. We had a lovely conversation the very
next week after all about all of the things he
does pre snap in order to make that offense sing,
even though it's not singing very lovely tunes. Lately, Jimmy
Garoppolo played really well in Week eight, which hurts.

Speaker 1 (01:11:45):
Which hurts, I think Stafford. It's funny because I think
Stafford had a.

Speaker 4 (01:11:48):
I think he defines the position in twenty four, but
it's hard for me to vote him on.

Speaker 1 (01:11:52):
I don't anymore.

Speaker 4 (01:11:54):
No, No, the last air. I think he defines like
the last of the old Gunslinger guys.

Speaker 2 (01:11:58):
Yeah, the island meets leadership. He's some veteran leadership. Everyone
else is under thirty. I think he's been with Go
Buy the Booze.

Speaker 1 (01:12:07):
Maybe it's because of their schedule, but I feel like
the Ram the Rams haven't been in the spotlight, and
that's kind of why people haven't noticed that. Yeah, the
three games since they combined to score forty four points,
he had under six yards per attempt in all three
of those games. He had under two hundred yards passing
in all three of those and he makes great throws.
But when I think Rams offense, I don't think Matthew

(01:12:29):
Stafford anymore. I think one of the most efficient wide
receiver seasons of all time. Pukanakua and if I had
to go second, I'd probably go with a very efficient
running attack too. So and that's okay, that happens to
the old time.

Speaker 4 (01:12:41):
And I will say too, like Greg, those three games
he threw I want to say, nine near interceptions that
either bounced off someone's chest or was tipped or something
that was that was hard to watch because he just
he he didn't look like himself. And for some parts
of the season, they've needed him to be the transcendent
like gunslinger, like darkly chaotic, soul snatching Matthew Stafford that

(01:13:04):
got them into the super Bowl and then won them
that super Bowl with some of the the gutsiness of
the throws and then and at times this season he
has been that and more and other times he has
been far far below that. And that's why it's hard
for me to do so.

Speaker 1 (01:13:19):
Among all the people we've talked about today, him, Darnold,
and Baker actually have the highest turnover worthy play percentage,
but to me, they've provided more consistent highs to balance
those out. I'm voting no on Stafford, Yeah, Steve an
Audio medium no, Nope, nope, no.

Speaker 4 (01:13:35):
I'm voting no. And you're welcome. Rams fans because he's
about to put up fifty six now that I voted, Oh,
he cut just like he did less time.

Speaker 1 (01:13:44):
You're saying that, Hey, no, okay, Matthew Stafford will not
make it. We just went down a ten minute wormhole
where Jordan did the thing that someone does on every show.
Usually it's me. I'm happy it's it's Jordan. This time
again that she had realized she messed up her math.
Colleen was like, can I get out of here? What

(01:14:05):
did you call it the Bermuda?

Speaker 4 (01:14:06):
Try?

Speaker 2 (01:14:06):
I said, the island. Yeah, it's like the it's located
in the Bermuda.

Speaker 1 (01:14:09):
Okay, So we've reached a portion of the program and
it's I guess it really was all. I guess it
really was all leading to this where that it's the tenth.
The tenth spot is still open. We have not voted
on Geno Smith. We have voted on Jordan Love. If
someone feels strong that the tenth person should be someone

(01:14:31):
other than Geno Smith, like now is the time to
do it, and we take the votes, whether it's Jalen
Hurts for you or Geno for me, if there's anyone
else knowing that there is one spot left and unless
we wanted to get crazy about changing the rules, we
are going to put ten people onto this island with that. Okay,
so we're putting one more person on this island either way,

(01:14:53):
even though you know, I can feel that the room
maybe isn't totally for Gino, who I'm going to put
know up for vote.

Speaker 3 (01:15:00):
Well, we have to put him up for vote. Mean,
you guys have already struck down my guy.

Speaker 1 (01:15:04):
Bonix got Bonix, I made the case. If nothing else,
he's helped to define this segment. I vote yes, let's
go one at a time to really raise it.

Speaker 4 (01:15:15):
Greg really would to soak it in.

Speaker 1 (01:15:19):
Colleen, yes on No, Steve weis oh, Steve goes yes
on gin That was a surprise to me.

Speaker 3 (01:15:28):
Vot.

Speaker 1 (01:15:29):
I thought that was going to be a no. You
might have gone back to love or something. The suspense
Jordan Rodrigue play some music or something.

Speaker 2 (01:15:36):
Normally we'd be like, after the break, we'll find out.

Speaker 4 (01:15:41):
And I'll just it's a close up cut with me
just looking great tortured. So it is interesting how even
as the creator of Quarterback Island, all roads lead back
to Greg Rosenthal. Because I am voting yes, you.

Speaker 3 (01:15:56):
Know, let's goay, you know, six million dollars richer fun
go on to Quarterback Island.

Speaker 4 (01:16:01):
And the reason, Colleen is I set the rule the
injured players cannot be on the I can't go back
on my own rule.

Speaker 2 (01:16:07):
A rule is a rule, I guess, Greg for some people,
some rules of rules.

Speaker 1 (01:16:12):
When historians go back and they look through the Quarterback
Island initial class of twenty twenty five, Gino beyond there,
just like we have Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow, there's
no ranking of him. He did it. He made it
into the top ten eight of NFL quarterbacks like Eli
Manning did. Like you talking about like the.

Speaker 4 (01:16:30):
Rest of the quarterbacks on the island. Are you just
gonna honk about Gino Smith?

Speaker 1 (01:16:33):
No, We're done talking about him.

Speaker 3 (01:16:34):
For like, all I know is next season, coming into
the next twenty twenty five twenty six season, I'm putting
Drake may and over Gina.

Speaker 4 (01:16:40):
Okay, right so on, I'm putting younger Jalen Hurts.

Speaker 2 (01:16:44):
I mean, come on, now, al this postseason, but he
might He's not on this island the entire year and
ends up going really far.

Speaker 3 (01:16:52):
And my only NFC quarterback in the playoffs not on the.

Speaker 4 (01:16:56):
End by a rule because of the rule.

Speaker 1 (01:16:59):
Well, and to be fair, he wasn't on all season
before that. Now, if we were really reality show producers,
you got to get him and Joe Burrow on just
just for the handsomeness. I think we got Burrow and.

Speaker 2 (01:17:11):
Got to keep the main thing the main thing.

Speaker 3 (01:17:13):
Just so if we're doing that, Jimmy Garoppolos, you know.

Speaker 1 (01:17:15):
Well that's your blaspheme the Island tune in twenty twenty five.
It was fun all year. Thank you to Randy Chavez,
thank you to Eric Roberts behind the glass, and thank
you yes to Chris Bobona making his last name debut
on NFL Daily. He noted, I always just called him
Chris because I wanted to make sure I said Babona, right,

(01:17:36):
that's just a name. You don't want it kind of
fun to say Bbona. I'm sure your your like classmates
never made fun of you or brought.

Speaker 3 (01:17:44):
That up at all.

Speaker 1 (01:17:46):
What do you point, Nick, Let's let's play some music. Eric,
let's get out of here. We got another show. The
final ten members of Quarterback Island Josh Allen, Joe Burrow,
Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Jaden Daniels, Jared Goff, Justin Herbert,

(01:18:12):
Sam Darnold, our new entrant, Baker Mayfield. I like that,
And yes, Gino surprising me snuck in there. You got
it at the end. You're not surprised, I am, because
I made the list. I thought I thought he get
boxed out. I thought he get boxed out.

Speaker 2 (01:18:30):
Well, we're so happy for all of the quarterbacks who
are on the island. Best of luck to everyone who's
been voted off or didn't make it at all.

Speaker 1 (01:18:37):
I think this should be brought up during Hall of
Fame induction arguments in ten fifteen years.

Speaker 3 (01:18:45):
That's part of like an all decade team.

Speaker 1 (01:18:47):
Yes, how many times were you a top ten defining
quarterback in the league. It's one reason why I wouldn't
have voted for Eli Manning because they would have been
like twice. But these guys earned it top ten in
the NFL. I'm happy. Aren't you happy to see your
baby out in the wild Quarterback Island. Let's let the arguments.

Speaker 4 (01:19:07):
I have to get last with Quarterback Island all season,
even when I am psychologically manipulated by Gret.

Speaker 1 (01:19:12):
Stop it, stop it all.

Speaker 2 (01:19:14):
Right, we gotta go get to and now we'll give
you that hug.

Speaker 1 (01:19:20):
We got to go go to the fires now.

Speaker 3 (01:19:22):
Unfortunately you were kind of delaying that rescue.

Speaker 1 (01:19:25):
I know when we've decided on the ten members of
Quarterback Island twenty twenty four forever, that's when you know
football is back. See you Wednesday,

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Gregg Rosenthal

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