The Best Way To Work In A Rookie Quarterback
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00:00And then I look at Malik Mustafa, another late-round pick.
00:02I think he's gonna work.
00:04I mean, Tig Brown worked, right?
00:06He's a good player.
00:07But I think the reason why all these things work
00:09is consistency year over year.
00:12Doesn't mean your philosophies can't slightly evolve
00:15and your principles can slightly change,
00:18but I think being in that system for that long,
00:21it makes it easier in the later rounds
00:23because you know what you're looking for.
00:24Tom Brady was talking about just college football
00:27in general, and I'm looking at all these quarterbacks
00:30Pennix was drafted this year.
00:31He played at two programs.
00:32Bo Nix was drafted this year.
00:34He played at two programs, played a lot of football.
00:36Both these guys, a lot of starts, you know?
00:38Caleb Williams played at two programs,
00:41played a lot of football.
00:42Brock Purdy played a lot of football at one program,
00:45but played a lot of football.
00:46And I'm just looking across the landscape
00:48and I think that reps and snaps
00:52and the amount of games played now
00:54matters more than almost ever.
00:56It hasn't always mattered though.
01:00I feel like it's always mattered to a certain point.
01:03Like playing in big time college football,
01:05like I think people are gonna think Andy Dalton,
01:08ah, he's just mediocre,
01:09but Andy Dalton had a long NFL career.
01:11And you know, he had a great career for a second round pick.
01:14For a second round pick, but I go back to TCU
01:17and that year TCU went to the Rose Bowl.
01:19Andy Dalton played a lot of football at TCU
01:22where I thought, boy, he's used to the bright lights.
01:24He's used to playing in front of 80,000.
01:27Those little things matter to me.
01:28Now, not everybody's not gonna hit.
01:29There's a lot of busts that come out
01:30in these big time programs.
01:31There's no doubt about that.
01:32But Fields played a lot of football.
01:33You know, Stetson Bennett played a lot of football.
01:36Now, Mack Jones, one year essentially
01:39as a starter at Alabama,
01:40even though he was there in that system a very long time.
01:43I think Alabama is a great example of a program, right?
01:45Like they bring,
01:46and the transfer portal has changed a lot of things,
01:49but listen to what Tom Brady said here regarding quarterbacks
01:52as we just look at all these rookies
01:54and we think about Purdy and everything that's going on
01:56in the Niners system.
01:57I found this to be one of the more interesting quotes
02:00about the game of football currently at both levels.
02:03There used to be college programs.
02:05Now there are college teams.
02:07You're no longer learning a program,
02:09you're learning a playbook.
02:10And the program is ultimately like in Michigan for me,
02:13that was a pro style program.
02:15Five years I got to learn how to drop back pass,
02:17to read defenses, to read coverages, to be coach.
02:21I had to learn from being seventh quarterback
02:23on the depth chart to moving up to third
02:25to ultimately being a starter.
02:27I had to learn all those things in college.
02:29That was development.
02:30Then I went to New England and I was developed
02:33by coach Belichick and the offensive staff there.
02:36I didn't start my first year.
02:37I think it's just a tragedy
02:39that we're forcing these rookies to play early,
02:42but the reality is the only reason why they are
02:44is because we dumbed the game down,
02:45which has allowed them to play.
02:47It used to be thought of at a higher level.
02:48We used to spend hours and hours
02:50in the off season and training camp
02:52trying to be a little bit better than next year.
02:54I think what happens is discourages the coaches
02:56from going to deep levels because they realize
02:59the players don't have the opportunity
03:00to go to a deep level,
03:01so they're just going to teach them where they're at.
03:04I 100% agree with that.
03:06First of all, I started playing rookies in their first year.
03:10I'm always cool with sitting a rookie for his first year,
03:13just learning and watching, learning and watching,
03:15learning how to be a pro, learning how to break down film,
03:19learning how to practice,
03:21learning how to be around a professional quarterback
03:23and thinking, okay, this is what he's seeing
03:24on a day-to-day basis.
03:25Let me stand next to the head coach while he called plays.
03:29Perfect example is Patrick Mahomes.
03:31He was able to sit four season and it did wonders for him.
03:34They had a serviceable starter though.
03:37You gotta bring in a veteran.
03:38Alex Smith is serviceable.
03:39But I don't even care if he wasn't serviceable.
03:42Get a veteran in there.
03:43Steve DeBerg was starting ahead of Joe Montana
03:45for crying out loud,
03:46and he was serviceable for a long time,
03:47but I just need a quarter.
03:49I would, no matter what,
03:51I need my rookie sitting for a year.
03:53I'm with Tom.
03:54So if you're Caleb, but like, okay,
03:55let's play the other side.
03:56So like, Caleb's got the kid who played last year
03:58at the end of the year.
03:59He's very young in front of him.
04:00They got the tattoos.
04:01What's a-
04:02Yeah, I need a veteran.
04:03Yeah, but more so, I wouldn't need a veteran.
04:05I'd get a veteran.
04:06Even with Caleb?
04:07Even with Caleb.
04:08And the rookie wage scale and everything that you got going?
04:10See, you're rushing these guys into it.
04:12He's got a lot of careers.
04:13He's played a lot of football,
04:15but he's played in the Pac-12, right?
04:16Do they have sophisticated defenses?
04:19You know, you're playing at Oklahoma in the Big 12.
04:21Is the Big 12 known for having sophisticated defenses?
04:24Not necessarily.
04:25That's why I helped Mahomes to come for the Big 12.
04:27Pac-12 was really good last year.
04:29Pac-12 was solid.
04:30It was probably the best year they've had in-
04:31It was solid.
04:3215 years.
04:33It was solid, but that doesn't mean
04:34that I want to play a rookie.
04:36Washington, Oregon, they were really good programs last year.
04:38I'm with them on benching rookies for their rookie year.
04:41I think it's going to help Pennings Jr.
04:43to sit for a little bit of time,
04:45but that's on the team to bring in a serviceable organization,
04:48serviceable veteran that let that rookie watch.
04:50Like Kenneth Williams may have his up and downs.
04:53What about CJ Stroud?
04:54So like CJ Stroud didn't sit behind anyone last year,
04:57and their situation was very unique,
05:00and they had David Mills,
05:01who was a carryover from prior.
05:03There's exceptions to the rule, right,
05:05in today's game and age, because the game is different.
05:07That's, I think that's a great point.
05:09The game is completely different
05:11from when Tom Brady played in the 90s
05:13to where we're at in 2024.
05:14All these got to spread off, it's taken the NFL by storm.
05:18I mean, everything's wide open,
05:20spacing, motion, all over the place.
05:22That's why offensive line play has been so down,
05:24because it's like,
05:25I think they've had to make the biggest transition,
05:27not necessarily quarterbacks or wide receivers.
05:30Offensive line,
05:30because they're playing in these four wide receiver sets,
05:33and in a two point stance,
05:35where you get to the NFL,
05:36at some point you're going to have to put your hand in dirt
05:38and fire off the football.
05:40Offensive line play has been down,
05:41I think so much because of the college system,
05:43where quarterbacks and receivers
05:45have had an easier time adapting to today's game.
05:48But I do still subscribe that,
05:49I would prefer a rookie to sit and watch,
05:51even with the rookie skill.
05:53Just watch and learn the game, learn how it is.
05:55Now you may, you're going to have exceptions to the rule,
05:57like, you know.
05:59No, well, defensive ends are a little different, right?
06:01We've seen defensive ends come in.
06:03Javon Kurtz, for crying out loud,
06:04pops right up the freak, right?
06:06You know, like, you're not going to sit Myles Garrett,
06:08you know what I mean?
06:09You're not going to see a defensive end.
06:09No, but I think at the quarterback position,
06:10it's very interesting.
06:12And I look at Brock, Purdy looks seasoned.
06:15Whether he's unbelievable,
06:17or whether you think he's just really, really good,
06:20but not great, fine, whatever.
06:22You can tell the guy's played a lot of football.
06:24A lot of football.
06:25And I'm looking at some of these guys, like Bo Nix.
06:28I watch Bo Nix.
06:29Again, I know I'm all over the place on this, on Bo Nix,
06:31but I watch him, I'm like,
06:33yeah, he's played a lot of football.
06:34And Sean Payton's been doing this a long time,
06:36he knows what he's looking for.
06:38You know, it makes it easier.
06:39Thinking about what I just said here,
06:41and going back to Trey Lance,
06:43not to make it a Trey Lance conversation,
06:45but I was in a belief that with Trey Lance
06:49not having played a lot of football at North Dakota State,
06:52that sitting him behind Jimmy,
06:56maybe he wasn't ready to start from day one.
06:59But I thought he should have started from day one
07:01because he just needed to play.
07:03So he needed to adapt.
07:05And with that team, look,
07:06I didn't look at that team
07:07as an NEC championship bound team.
07:09I thought they would struggle early on,
07:11and they did struggle early on,
07:12but Jimmy helped turn it around,
07:13and they ended up in LA.
07:16But at that point, Trey Lance,
07:18considering the lack of football he played,
07:20and the experience, I was thinking,
07:22boy, he needs to play right away.
07:23What about like Drake May?
07:24So like Drake May is in New England right now.
07:26He's really only played a couple years with Carolina,
07:29and now he's in New England.
07:30They have Brissette, who has about 50,
07:31give or take, career starts.
07:33We know what Brissette is,
07:35and at some point, he's probably gonna get benched,
07:37and they're gonna go to Drake May.
07:38I would start Drake May.
07:39What do you have to lose in New England?
07:41Well, he could get hurt.
07:42You know, he could get hurt.
07:43I mean, he could get hurt anyway.
07:44He could get hurt anyway.
07:46Even if they're good at it.
07:46But we know what Jacoby Brissette,
07:47and if you're that team and that program,
07:49and I don't wanna sound like I'm contradicting myself.
07:51Look, my preference is to sit the guy,
07:55but each situation, as you said, is different.
07:58That situation in New England,
07:59Patriot fans have no hope right now.
08:00No.
08:01You go out there and watch Jacoby Brissette.
08:03That is frustrating.
08:04That is boring.
08:05That reminds me of Brian Hoyer.
08:07Don't you want to just see a glimpse of the future?
08:09See some flashes?
08:10For sure.
08:11It's such a situational thing,
08:12because I'm sure when Trey Lance came out,
08:15were both of you on the camp of,
08:17he should start immediately.
08:18Yeah, I wanted it, because he needed to play.
08:20He needed reps.
08:21And he still hasn't gotten those reps yet.
08:23It's the chicken before the egg.
08:24Like, I go back and forth depending on the situation.
08:27So great point, like Michael Penix.
08:29Michael Penix is ready to play right now,
08:31and I think he can help them win.
08:33That's why the Kirk Cousins thing is all over the place.
08:35I'm like, no, you can't sit Michael Penix.
08:37He's already 24 years old.
08:38I think he should be playing.
08:41So I go in both directions.
08:42Yeah, and with Trey Lance, we were so down on Jimmy,
08:45and it felt like the head coach was down on Jimmy.
08:47That's true.
08:47And it was like, dude, you traded Heaven and Earth
08:48for the number three overall pick.
08:50Let's roll here.
08:51Now, Penix, I will say this about Penix.
08:54I know a lot of people are high on Penix,
08:55and maybe I'm putting too much stock into one game.
08:58But the Michigan Wolverines last year,
09:00and hell, right now, I think Mark Dale
09:02is now their defensive coordinator,
09:03the Michigan Wolverines.
09:06They run a sophisticated defensive set.
09:08They run a very sophisticated defense.
09:11Pro concepts all around the board.
09:14And maybe it's too much stock into that one game.
09:17But I saw Michael Penix hit some happy feet
09:19in that football game.
09:20I did.
09:22He got hit.
09:23He was a little off with some of his throws.
09:25He threw a pick right out of halftime.
09:27He was confused.
09:28He was dazed at times.
09:29A lot of great quarterbacks have bad games.
09:31They have bad games.
09:32But it was a glimpse of like,
09:33maybe he needs a little more seasoning.
09:36And so I don't think it's the worst thing in the world
09:37to sit Michael Penix for a few starts here
09:40behind Kirk Cousins to learn and see the speed of the game.
09:43You should pay Kirk Cousins all that money.
09:45Well, I think that's the mistake
09:46that they're looking at now.
09:48This is from April, and it's playing itself out
09:50in real time.
09:52It's so situational, but like Stetson Bennett
09:54played a lot of football, and was huge on huge stages.
09:59Nobody thinks he can play.
10:00No, no, it's, yeah, no, it's.
10:03But I do believe, to Tom Brady's point,
10:06in like, when you're evaluating these players
10:08going from college to the pros,
10:10Sean Payton's talked about it, McVay's talked about it.
10:12There's so much bubble screen,
10:14and you're gonna throw to this guy right here,
10:17and there's nobody else you're gonna look at.
10:18They wipe a lot of that away
10:20when they're doing these evaluations.
10:22And you don't have a lot of like pocket quarterbacks,
10:25or I guess dropbacks for pocket quarterbacks to evaluate.
10:28It's so difficult.
10:29The hashes are different.
10:31Just the way defenses are very, very different.
10:34And I just, I find it very fascinating
10:36that Brady came up in a different era,
10:38and then he played in this era,
10:40where all the rules are now skewed toward offenses.
10:44It's very interesting, like Jadon Daniels this year,
10:47he was really like, he had one monster season.
10:50He played a lot of football.
10:51He played at Arizona State, played at LSU.
10:53He had a monster year.
10:55And he looks really good,
10:56but if you told me he struggled this year,
10:57I wouldn't be surprised.
10:58No, he's a rookie quarterback
11:00in the most difficult league in the world.
11:03I mean, he's got to see defenses he's never,
11:05it's that, you know,
11:06Alabama may run pro concepts at times,
11:09but they don't have pro athletes, right?
11:11They have great college athletes who become pros,
11:14but boy, he's got to see things from the New York Giants.
11:17He's got to see things from the Philadelphia Eagles.
11:19He's got to see things from all over the league
11:22that he's never seen before.
11:24And yes, there will be struggles.
11:25Now you got to have patience.
11:26I think that's the one thing
11:28that this league doesn't have anymore.
11:29And the fans, we see one year of a quarterback,
11:33and he struggles, and it's like, let's move on.
11:34Bryce Young.
11:35Like Bryce Young.
11:36Bryce Young has no talent around him.
11:38We don't think the coaching is any good, okay?
11:40And we're ready to throw him out.
11:42He was a baller in college.
11:44Yeah, no, and high school played him out of day.
11:47He played at the top level in high school,
11:49top level in college, and he was awesome.
11:52He needs weapons.
11:54I think back to Ben Roethlisberger.
11:57If he had the first couple years he had in today's game,
12:00people would have been ready to run him out of town.
12:03Go look at his numbers.
12:05I think he threw for more than 200 yards once as a rookie.
12:08They still advance to the AFC Championship game.
12:10Mac Jones had a better statistical rookie season
12:13than Ben Roethlisberger.
12:14Ben Roethlisberger in the Super Bowl really struggled.
12:17Like Jimmy Garoppolo in Super Bowl 54
12:19had a better Super Bowl than the one Roethlisberger won
12:22against the Seattle Seahawks.
12:24Stats-wise, he was better.
12:26But the Steelers understood, running game, defense,
12:31our quarterback will grow with time.
12:32And by the time Ben Roethlisberger won his second Super Bowl
12:35he did it with his right arm, making great plays.
12:37Now, he had to help with the greatest play
12:38in Super Bowl history, in my opinion, with James Harrison,
12:40the 90-yard interception return.
12:42And he still had great plays all the time.
12:44But he had to grow into being that leader.
12:46Same thing with Tom Brady.
12:47That first Super Bowl with Tom Brady,
12:49yeah, he had the game winning drive.
12:50They scored 20 points.
12:51They played a very conservative brand of offensive football.
12:53So, if you do start your rookie,
12:56don't put too much on his plate.
12:58Like Tom said, simplify the game.
13:00Do you think there's a lot on Brock's plate?
13:04I think he's starting to get fed a little bit more.
13:07Early on, hey, they're gonna throw it to this spot.
13:09You just do what you do.
13:11But I think as the season went on last year,
13:13more did come onto his plate.
13:15Now, can he handle it at a high level?
13:17We shall see.
13:18By the way, Andrew Filippone from our sister station
13:20out there in 93-70 fan in Pittsburgh,
13:22he'll join us tonight.