Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast: the case for the Silver and Black Staff, Issues in the NFL, more.
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00:00 Hey everybody, this is Hondo Carpenter from Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation, Las Vegas
00:06 Raiders Insider Podcast, part of the Fans First Sports Network, joined by my weekly
00:10 guest, the great Jonathan Schott.
00:13 We're both going a little slow today.
00:15 The trip to fan is kicking in from yesterday's big Thanksgiving meal.
00:19 Jon, how you doing, bud?
00:22 - Hot to trot.
00:23 It's the weekend, feast week, if you will.
00:27 I feel good.
00:28 Trying to keep the weight consistent, be back on the good side of the scale by Monday.
00:34 - You know, I have lost so much weight, as you know, because you knew me when I was huge,
00:39 that when you have those days like Thanksgiving or whatever, it's okay, but man, you gotta
00:43 go right back on it.
00:44 You can't let one meal turn into two.
00:46 Jon, let's get right to it.
00:48 I thought the Raiders, there are no moral victories in the NFL.
00:51 There's none.
00:52 It's a pro league, you're paid to win.
00:54 When you don't win, you fail.
00:55 Period.
00:56 That's a discussion.
00:57 But when you're the Raiders, rookie head coach, rookie offensive coordinator, rookie quarterback,
01:04 and you didn't even get OTAs in many camps and all of it.
01:07 I mean, you came into it mid-season, and you go in there to the number one offense in the
01:14 NFL and play the way you played, and your offense had a chance to win it on the last
01:20 possession.
01:22 It's monstrous.
01:23 Again, I'm not pretending there are moral victories, but Anthony Pierce has done an
01:29 outstanding job leading the Raiders.
01:31 Your thoughts?
01:32 Yeah, I mean, what Antonio Pierce did, and he gets more credit than anybody, is he had
01:39 the Raiders with the chance to tie, if not win.
01:44 That was not on the table.
01:45 Nobody saw 20 points out of the Dolphins going before the week.
01:50 Coming off the bye, top offense in the league, nobody saw it.
01:54 I thought they were going to get well into the 30s.
01:56 So what we look at is, did the Raiders staff do what they could to put their team in the
02:02 best position they could to compete and win?
02:05 It sure looks like it, because they actually had a chance to win, I think is a really good
02:10 sign.
02:11 Of course, you're dealing with an upset situation.
02:15 You're dealing with a quarterback who was not expected to be your starter at this point
02:19 in the season.
02:20 But yeah, I think there's a lot of success.
02:23 When you look at the numbers and you look at the stats, it's like, wow, the Raiders
02:29 really did pretty well.
02:31 And when you compare them to who the Dolphins have played before, and let's see what they
02:35 do this week, I get a feeling it's going to look very different.
02:37 So this has turned a little bit quicker than many folks thought.
02:42 I do think these two games with the Chiefs coming up can be more competitive, especially
02:47 with the old dropper ruse that seemed to be plaguing Kansas City right now.
02:52 So I was, count me definitely impressed.
02:54 I thought we were looking at a blowout.
02:56 There wasn't no blowout.
02:57 There was some grit.
02:59 There was some strategy.
03:00 There was some inspiration.
03:01 The Antonio Pierce thing, it wasn't just one week.
03:03 It's got some staying power behind it.
03:06 John, I'll tell you who when we are off air, but for those of you that don't know, John
03:14 and I have been doing this for 16 years now.
03:17 16 years we've been doing this.
03:20 And a very famous professional football player, John, I'll tell you who when we go to break,
03:30 texted me on Monday night and was talking about the Chiefs offense and said, wow, it
03:35 reminds me of John in the Yips.
03:38 Yeah.
03:39 I mean, look, there's the one wide receiver for Kansas City.
03:43 I, you now have to think, does he have a little bit of a Yip catching the ball?
03:48 Now the ball was wet the other night, but yeah.
03:51 And I think it might've been Aikman or it might've been one of the Mannings like alluded
03:56 to that, like, oh, that might be, you know what?
03:59 It's a little bit of a concern.
04:01 Now the final catch, you know, ball, maybe not as, as, as much, but a couple earlier
04:07 in the game.
04:08 And there's the one, I think Watson, maybe the one receiver for Kansas City, he's on
04:13 Yip's watch and you do not want that at the professional level or any level.
04:18 What have receivers really do?
04:20 Well, can they separate?
04:21 Can they catch the ball and can they maybe, can they block at a smaller level?
04:27 What else are they out there doing?
04:29 If you can't do one of those, you probably got a problem.
04:32 All right, John, sticking up, sticking to the theme of having a problem.
04:36 I, by the way, I agree with you.
04:37 I think, I think the, the staff has done a phenomenal job under Antonio Pierce as well.
04:45 He's not only inspired his players, he's inspired his staff.
04:48 I want to get to Tom Brady.
04:50 All of a sudden now he retires and he's running his mouth about, well, the quality of the
04:55 football in the NFL.
04:56 And listen, I say running his mouth, that's probably too strong because I agree with him.
05:01 I don't think the quality of the NFL is great.
05:04 But if I'm Tom and I'm not, I don't know that I make those comments.
05:10 Just your thoughts.
05:11 It's a little misplaced.
05:13 It's a little misplaced.
05:14 It looks a little, a little bit like a guy popping out and saying, well, you know, in
05:17 my day, you know, or I think both things are probably true here.
05:22 I would like him to develop it further.
05:24 I think this is a guy that would like the NFL to be a 12 month league and people working
05:29 12 months a year.
05:30 I think he'd like there for to be a longer off season and more team activities.
05:35 I'm pretty sure he would support my notion of expanding the rosters.
05:40 So I think he's got some, he's given us a big nugget, but we need him to expand on it.
05:46 What specifically are we talking about?
05:48 Are we talking about too many, too much acceptance of really loose plays in the offense, make
05:54 where routes are out the window and the quarterback's doing this out the window.
05:58 Does that lead to sloppy blocking or some of the RPO stuff where maybe it gets a little
06:04 bit gray?
06:06 What are we talking about specifically?
06:08 And then what can we do to improve the game?
06:11 Tom Brady entering a new phase in his professional life.
06:15 He is going to now ascend really to the mountain top for as long as he's around as a voice
06:23 of reason and perspective on pro football.
06:27 He needs to get those wheels moving.
06:29 He can help everybody help the entire sport, help the fans if he specifically points to
06:34 it because I think he's got a loud and proud and strong enough voice to actually make a
06:39 difference.
06:40 So thanks for pointing that out, Tom.
06:42 Now get a little more detailed.
06:44 Give us a couple examples so the sport can get better for 2024.
06:47 Okay.
06:48 We know now via the Pat McAfee show that Aaron Rogers thinks he's two weeks away from practicing.
06:56 I'm going to ask, I think the Jets are better than they thought they would be when he went
07:02 down.
07:04 Do you think they blew it not going trying to get another quarterback?
07:07 Because let's say they had went and got Kirk, cousins who you and I both know.
07:14 I don't think Kirk would have gone for it because he had a no trade clause.
07:17 Matter of fact, I'm pretty sure Kirk wouldn't have went for it.
07:20 But my point was they could have gone and got somebody.
07:24 Do you think they made a mistake?
07:26 Do you think they did the right thing?
07:27 What's your thoughts on the Jets and Aaron being two weeks away from practicing?
07:35 My first thought on the Jets is where would Zach Wilson go in this year's NFL draft?
07:42 I don't think he was ready to play in the NFL when he came out.
07:46 I don't think he was worth anywhere near the pick he was.
07:49 I don't think he's developed very much as a quarterback.
07:52 So when that injury happened, and we're all looking at the TV screen like what?
07:57 And then you roll it back like what?
07:58 And then you see what happens to the leg and think, uh-oh.
08:01 When that happened, yes, by that time, the Jets should have known what they had and what
08:06 they had to do.
08:07 Now you can throw Captain Obvious out there and say, well, look at Josh Dobbs.
08:11 Of course the Jets should have gone and got Josh Dobbs.
08:13 Yeah, yeah, that was a long time ago.
08:16 I do think that they should have done something.
08:19 It seemed like the Jets weren't sure if they should cash it in and really go for it or
08:24 hold back.
08:25 Because maybe Rodgers is-- maybe the injury he has is we're not really even sure what
08:30 it is.
08:31 They seem to be stuck in neutral.
08:35 It didn't work.
08:37 There's probably a half dozen options that they could have gone and got that would have
08:41 been better prepared to play at the NFL level than Zach Wilson.
08:46 So now the question is, is there enough time left for them to save anything out of this
08:52 if the miraculous happens and Rodgers returns?
08:55 I don't know.
09:01 How in the world did they think they were going to stay within reach of the playoffs
09:08 with Zach Wilson as a quarterback?
09:10 Maybe I'm dead wrong.
09:11 I just didn't see it.
09:13 I still--
09:14 They have.
09:15 They have.
09:17 So I don't know the answer to that one.
09:20 I think, yeah, you should have gone and got somebody who's functional at the NFL level.
09:25 It doesn't appear that Zach Wilson was or is.
09:30 And now look, it's just-- it's kind of got a-- they kind of made a mess.
09:34 They've spilled stuff all over the kitchen.
09:37 Can you really have Mr. Clean come in and clean it all up and boom?
09:41 It'd be a heck of a story, but it seems to me like they should have done something because
09:47 what they had was not going to be sufficient.
09:50 I am going to tell you, people that I know very close to Aaron told me, everyone's out
09:55 here, oh, it wasn't really a tear.
09:57 It was a complete tear of his Achilles.
10:01 And he's just doing something that's never been seen before.
10:04 But I know several people very close to him, very, who are like, oh, yeah, complete tear.
10:11 What he's done is simply amazing.
10:12 All right, the NFL, man, they're coming.
10:14 Go ahead.
10:15 Remember, Adrian Peterson had the ACL tear that healed super duper quickly.
10:20 So it's not like this is completely unprecedented.
10:22 It's just unprecedented with the Achilles.
10:24 This would be great if it works.
10:27 Let's talk about the NFL because they're coming for people's game checks.
10:31 It's time.
10:33 So what they've decided to do, it's very clear.
10:35 I heard Dean Blandino talking about it earlier in the week.
10:37 We've seen it around and it's fine.
10:40 They've got to find a way to limit or eliminate unnecessary roughness.
10:44 And yes, NFL players, you got to accept that you may not get hit with a flag all the time,
10:49 but they're coming for your game check and they're trying to find you on the back end.
10:53 I understand the big picture of this.
10:56 I also understand the limitations by the NFL not really having a true off field official
11:01 one at each game to take care of some of this on the spot.
11:05 Maybe that's a place that could be improved.
11:08 But I also understand the bigger picture issue that faces the game consistently is how do
11:14 we get people to focus on the real point of the game, either moving the ball onto the
11:19 end zone or stopping.
11:21 The point of the game is not to try to take the other guy's head off or do some kind of
11:25 wrestling move on him.
11:27 It's tricky.
11:28 It's difficult.
11:29 But when we're younger, that's part of the fun of the game is seeing the big giant hits.
11:34 We all saw NFL films.
11:35 We've seen the highlights.
11:38 Do you want to see somebody get killed on the field?
11:41 Of course not.
11:42 When Ben Roethlisberger mentioned that almost 15 years ago, he got massive pushback from
11:47 the NFL.
11:48 And they said, don't, you know, don't say anything like that again.
11:52 Big picture issue.
11:54 How do we take out unnecessary roughness?
11:57 I think off field official finding and trying to from the grassroots of the game to the
12:03 top emphasize, hey, you got to understand the point of your play here is not to separate
12:11 the guy from the ball, separate his head from his body, just absolutely crush him.
12:17 The point is to stop the football.
12:19 So if you could do that by putting your hands up and pushing him out of bounds or pushing
12:23 him down, we want you to do that rather than not seeing what you're hitting, leading with
12:28 the crown, et cetera.
12:30 It's a difficult spot.
12:31 A lot of people don't like to talk about it.
12:33 A lot of people watching this probably don't want to hear it, but we do have to keep it
12:36 in mind.
12:38 It's an overreaching umbrella issue for the sport.
12:42 And right now, that's what they're trying to do.
12:43 They're trying to go after your game check.
12:45 So what you do on the field, you may not have been penalized, but they're coming for your
12:51 bank.
12:52 Let's talk about the next coach fired, traded, however you want to look at it.
12:56 What are your thoughts?
12:59 I don't believe the Chargers want to get rid of Staley.
13:05 I think they almost have to.
13:07 I'll be shocked if Harbaugh doesn't end up there.
13:10 And if you are a Raider fan, there's a ton of talent in Los Angeles for the Chargers.
13:17 You want Staley to stay because he's not a good coach and there's a ton of talent there.
13:24 I've also heard the name Belichick.
13:26 I don't think that that would be a good fit personally, but I heard that because the ownership
13:32 would let him run the entire thing.
13:35 I don't think he would be good for Herbert, but I think he certainly could go there.
13:40 Commanders could go there.
13:42 What are your thoughts on the next coach or trade?
13:45 How about Rex Ryan saying Staley needs to go back to division three?
13:50 That's hot.
13:52 I'm sorry, Rex Ryan being critical of coaches.
13:59 Yeah, I mean, I've had coaches, if we're talking defense only, that's one thing, but isn't
14:05 that the guy that kind of wrecked the car?
14:07 I mean, look, really good performance in New York.
14:10 They made the title game three years in a row, but then Buffalo, I don't know what happened.
14:15 It seemed like, boy, that car ran out of gas really quickly.
14:18 It's a pretty severe comment because there's a long way from the NFL to division three
14:22 and it made headlines.
14:24 It's kind of funny.
14:25 He's talking about his wife could coach the team better.
14:27 I don't know.
14:29 But yeah, that's the guy that everyone's looking at.
14:32 You know, the Chargers, they've got a core fan base in Southern California.
14:39 They just do.
14:40 That's where they are.
14:41 San Diego, LA.
14:42 So many people can remember they blew that window when Marty Schottenheimer and the general
14:47 manager, when they had that tug of war, their window went kaboom.
14:52 So now they have a guy that one of us thinks is a really good quarterback, Justin Herbert,
14:57 and they've got some real talent.
14:59 They ought to see that this window is shrinking, right?
15:02 So yeah, I think that you have to be looking at that's the guy.
15:05 But how about Ron Rivera?
15:06 I saw somebody else mentioned the same thing we talked about on the show last week, that
15:10 maybe they push Rivera out or ask him to step aside to let Eric Biennium coach some games
15:16 to get some experience, to get something on tape for people to see.
15:21 Those are the two that stand out.
15:23 The great thing about the NFL is there's always going to be a surprise.
15:27 And there's a couple of bonkers rogue owners.
15:31 I'm not too far from Charlotte, North Carolina.
15:34 I would keep a real eye again on Carolina.
15:37 That owner is having a hard time figuring this thing out.
15:40 I got a feeling he's going to kick Frank Reich out the door before Christmas day.
15:45 It's going to be fascinating.
15:48 All right, John, Raiders are improving.
15:50 Now check this out for the fans.
15:53 This is a Super Bowl ticket from the Raiders versus the then Redskins.
15:58 This is a real ticket, folk.
15:59 January 22nd, 1984.
16:03 Somebody out there must have one of these also.
16:05 This is a real ticket.
16:07 So don't ever think.
16:10 My father went to the game.
16:11 What did you get?
16:12 What?
16:13 My dad went to the game.
16:14 It's a ticket.
16:15 It's a ticket.
16:16 That's amazing.
16:17 Yeah.
16:18 That's really cool.
16:19 John, what's your prediction for the game?
16:25 I don't think the Chiefs are going to drop as many balls.
16:28 The Chiefs are hard to stop as far as scoring goes.
16:30 I've got the Chiefs at 28.
16:32 I've got the Raiders at 17.
16:36 What it could have, should have been closer, it's not going to look like it on the screen.
16:40 It's not going to look like it on the stat sheet and the final tally of the game.
16:44 But I've got a feeling this is going to be like, "Ah, if our quarterback was a couple
16:49 years further developed, if we might have gotten this break or that ball or that catch,
16:54 the Raiders are coming."
16:55 That's the feeling I'm getting is that they're coming.
16:57 What I mean by that is their best football is still ahead of them in 2023.
17:03 Not saying that means anything.
17:04 Not saying it means a playoff berth or this or that.
17:07 But it feels like they're actually improving as we're getting into the deep part of the
17:11 season.
17:12 Totally agree.
17:13 He's the one and only, the great Johnny Schaub.
17:15 John, hope you had a great Thanksgiving.
17:17 I am so grateful for you and Alicia and your friendship to me.
17:20 I appreciate you.
17:21 I love you.
17:22 Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.
17:23 Remember, I'm Hondo Carpenter from Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation Las Vegas Raiders
17:26 Insider Podcast, part of the Fans First Sports Network.
17:29 That's Jonathan Schaub.
17:30 You can check out his Spartan Pride podcast on Fans First Sports Network.
17:35 Thank you to all of you who follow, subscribe, and are part of all that we do.
17:40 Thanks for joining us, everybody.