Quarterback Island Season 2!

00:00:02
Speaker 1: Twelve of the NFL's finest quarterbacks have left the comfort of their stadiums and luxury suites for the adventure.

00:00:08
Speaker 2: Of a lifetime.

00:00:10
Speaker 1: These brit iron heroes are used to leading their teams on the field, but can they outplay, outlast, and outthrow each other in the ultimate survival challenge?

00:00:19
Speaker 3: You ain't everything you have in the gobae tie you man.

00:00:21
Speaker 1: We find a way to win the No matter what, the stakes are high and the competition is fierce, only one can claim the title of the ultimate survivor. Who will rise to the top and who will be sacked?

00:00:33
Speaker 3: They wrote me off, I ain't right back though, that's the problem.

00:00:36
Speaker 2: Al right back, Let's go. This is Quarterback of Island.

00:00:41
Speaker 4: Welcome to Quarterback Island. Here we are in the Chris Westling podcast studio where it's always island time, and we have just been on a break.

00:00:50
Speaker 3: It is great to be back on the island.

00:00:53
Speaker 4: Yes, with the two people who have been here throughout, Steve Weis and Jordan Rodge, who also has a co executive producer credit for Quarterback Island. One of your favorite days of the year. Jordan, I ask you, what is Quarterback Island? How would you define how to get on to Quarterback Island.

00:01:13
Speaker 5: Quarterback Island is a place and an idea. It is categorizing in a non ranked and non listical way of the players who define what a playing quarterback is.

00:01:29
Speaker 3: She doesn't even know. I mean even the confusing.

00:01:33
Speaker 2: There's a one winner that was like so strategic. I'm kind of like, hey, right now, whatever the number we choose, it's where of the twelve best quarterbacks?

00:01:41
Speaker 3: Okay, that's your definite.

00:01:42
Speaker 2: It's why the twelve best quarterback with certain circumstances.

00:01:45
Speaker 5: I love how Greg says it's confusing. I literally went back and listened to our first episode last year of Quarterback Island, and I almost forbad him use the exact description that Greg co opted into defining what quarterback. Gregg's response to me, Oh, it's confusing.

00:02:04
Speaker 4: I mean twelve twelve men will finish this episode on quarterback. To be clear, if you listen to last year's Quarterback Island, we did kick a few members off, made it smaller by the end. It ended with ten. But this is a brand new season. We're starting from scratch. We're not kicking anyone off per se, or we're putting twelve guys.

00:02:26
Speaker 3: This is on there. It's a level set five guys. Actually, we went and checked.

00:02:30
Speaker 4: We've now got history stayed on the island throughout all of last season and five. I suspect those five will be back again this season. And yeah, we all have our different definitions and we're gonna talk about that during the show. To me, it's like who defines the quarterback position?

00:02:46
Speaker 6: It's literally what I said.

00:02:49
Speaker 4: I mean, you kind of were going you were Hemmon and Hein and Steve was with me. It wasn't it was some extra verbiage in there, Joe, Yeah, it was. Oh, I will say this next time. We have to get Mahomes this new haircut. Yes, yes, the picture, yes, and he's on it. You can check this show out on YouTube. As always, I think it's safe to say that Patrick Mahomes is going to be on it. So let's just get right to it. There's thirty two starting quarterbacks in the NFL. Although we don't know who is starting for the New Orleans Saints, we did find out who is starting in Week one for the Indianapolis Cold So I thought one way to just speed through the top of this show is let's talk about the guys who just aren't on this island. Let's eliminate them and I will read these ten names, and if you guys disagree at the end of it, we could have a longer conversation. I do want to talk about the Colts who named Daniel Jones their starter on Tuesday, but.

00:03:44
Speaker 3: Here are ten guys.

00:03:46
Speaker 4: I think we don't need to really go too long about Joe Flacco with the Cleveland Browns, whoever wins the Saints starting quarterback job, the Giants, Russell Wilson, you know, great career Jackson are very interesting. I don't think they're on quarterback island right now. I mentioned Daniel Jones. That's for right there. Last year we didn't put any rookies on quarterback island going into the year. I don't think cam Ward is going to make an exception to this role. Justin the fields with the Jets, you know, excited to see him play, not on quarterback on JJ McCarthy barely played any football at this point, basically true for Michael Pennox to not a huge body of work for Michael Pennix. And then the last of these ten that I don't even think Merrit's discussion because of how he played last year.

00:04:32
Speaker 3: Would be Aaron Rodgers.

00:04:34
Speaker 4: I think he's pretty far from this list right now, do you guys disagree with any of those ten? And if you were choosing someone from these ten, if you do agree, that would make it onto the Quarterback Island at some point this year. I'm just curious, like, pick pick one of these ten that actually made the leap onto the island at some point.

00:04:54
Speaker 5: Yeah, well, I agree with them. First of all, I think that these merit, thank you. I don't think that these merit for their discussion about being off the island for sure. If somebody is going to ascend to the island at the next time we do this, I would say Mike Pennix has a pretty good shot.

00:05:09
Speaker 2: I would be either Penix or JJ McCarthy. Interesting, Yeah, I mean Penix's gonna put up some numbers this year.

00:05:14
Speaker 4: When I thought of like the big picture of it all, trying to answer my own questions, I am obviously an Aaron Rodgers hater and not believing that he's gonna play well this year. But if I take that bias away, he is playing for a pretty great organization.

00:05:30
Speaker 3: He is one of the all time greats.

00:05:32
Speaker 4: He will be in the mix of you know, the primetime games and everything. I think he has a shot here, like to prove us all wrong and to become at the center of the quarterback discussion again if I had to choose one of these guys. But all right, we've eliminated ten right.

00:05:49
Speaker 3: Off the top.

00:05:50
Speaker 2: That was fast.

00:05:51
Speaker 3: You're gone.

00:05:52
Speaker 2: That's good.

00:05:53
Speaker 4: Next up, I mentioned five guys stayed on the island for all of last season. Four of them have kind of separated themselves to me in the quarterback discussions as the big four right now. That's Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow. I'm I'm all ears to any hot takes or anything you guys want to say about these gentlemen in general, but it seems obvious they are going to be part of Quarterback Island. They increase the property there, you know, the rent, Like just having these guys there is good for the island.

00:06:29
Speaker 5: Yeah, I don't disagree with any of these. These are established islanders. These are guys who you think about when you think about ay, not just the best quarterbacks in the league right now, but also the people who collectively define the quarterback position as it stands. Right now in twenty twenty four, twenty twenty five. I also think it's also fair to say that I've got one eye on. I know, Greg, you've been on this too, got one eye on. Pat Mahomes needs to play a little bit better. I think that you know, it's still inside top ten numbers for collectively if you look at his advanced metrics and some of his more simple stats, still ninth and EPA per dropbacks, still ninth in touchdowns twenty six touchdowns, eleven interceptions, but actually a sub one hundred passer rating at ninety three and a half.

00:07:13
Speaker 6: It's not a perfect.

00:07:14
Speaker 5: Stat obviously, but Pat Mahomes I think could as send a little bit higher this year. Some of the people they've built around him in terms of his offensive line. You just really want to see him back in that completely defined status of being the best quarterback in the NFL statistically by reputation.

00:07:34
Speaker 4: Biba, the eyes give me a little sizzle, Patrick wants to me. Quarterback on is much more of a feeling of like how they make you feel, how center they are and are they passing the eye test? And he does to make the top four, can he get back to the old Mahome.

00:07:48
Speaker 2: He is to me, he's one of the two, one, two or three guys you could put on any team in any system, under any head coach, under any weather conditions, and he's going to make your team better. You're going to add wins a significant.

00:08:03
Speaker 3: These four are the four. I think these threo four.

00:08:05
Speaker 2: I think these four?

00:08:07
Speaker 4: Who's the guy you're leaving out there? Because I was going to ask you, guys, if you were picking one of these fours and not be on the island healthy at some point this year, like which one would you pick? Because the history of the NFL would say that they're not that consistent, and yet the all time grades kind of are these guys?

00:08:22
Speaker 3: These guys?

00:08:23
Speaker 4: So I thought it was an unfair question because I couldn't answer it either.

00:08:26
Speaker 5: Thank you for having that conversation with yourself in your own head and talking yourself out there.

00:08:32
Speaker 3: That's literally what NFL Daily is all about.

00:08:34
Speaker 2: I will say this though, the way you went about this is exactly how I do. I'm like, Okay, who are the guys who are definitely on there? And right now? So you knocked off ten and I twenty two, okay.

00:08:44
Speaker 4: And now we put on four. So they're on the island four, right, so.

00:08:47
Speaker 2: You put on four. So I was like, okay, I got to eighteen. Then who are who are the guys who are definitely going on?

00:08:54
Speaker 4: And okay, so we have eighteen remaining starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

00:08:59
Speaker 6: Oh everyone, we're getting into the math now.

00:09:01
Speaker 3: It should be easy. Oh boy, we we have eight spots.

00:09:04
Speaker 4: And what I wanted to do here, you know, eighteen guys, eight spots, is that we go around the room and we bring up quarterbacks for discussion and we will vote either yes, no, or table at the end of each one of those three. And it doesn't you don't have to bring up a guy that you think should be on, although you can if you want to go strong and say I think this person should be on, We'll go through these players. If you want to bring up someone you think shouldn't be on just to kind of start eliminating some people, that's fine too. And looking at the final ten members of last year, and if you're curious, it was the four that we mentioned and it was Jade and Daniels, Jared Goff, Justin Herbert, Sam Darnold Baker, Mayfield, Gino Smith. This happened we did the final QB Island really before the playoffs happened right at the beginning of the playoffs. Only one of those guys stayed on the island the entire season from beginning to end. So I'm just gonna start the process and nominate and say I do support Jared Goff just staying on the island because at this point, and yeah, if you're watching, we have some placards. Steve Weis is holding up a yes, yes, Jordan Rodriguez holding up a yes question, and it's just kind of amazing that he's stamped himself.

00:10:18
Speaker 3: As like this guy that is in that.

00:10:23
Speaker 4: Area of courtback. I'm not saying he's the fifth best. This is where I disagree with you, Steve. I don't see this as like who is just the best, But if you're talking about who is defining the position and who is playing at a consistently high level, it ask to.

00:10:34
Speaker 2: Be Jared, I would agree. And I think he's to the point now where even though Ben Johnson has left and everyone said Ben Johnson is the guy who got him going, I think Jered Goff is someone on autopilot now in terms of he can dictate, he can read things, better. He's got tremendous talent around him. You know, you've got that offensive line, the receivers, the running backs. Again, I think unless he's just an absolute disaster, which I just don't see, I think he's a veteran quarterback now who can step right in and keep this sting roll. Yeah.

00:11:02
Speaker 5: I don't worry as much about the changeover of the coordinators that they're going to be going through in Detroit. And that's partially because A, we know Dan Campbell can identify talent at coach and B because Jared Goff's actually doing more at the line of stridage now than he ever used to do. And I think what really defines where Jared Goff is right now for me in terms of what this team building process has been over the years with Detroit, he is a fixed point in the math equation where you know, when you're going to draft and scout talent, when you're going to bring in young talent, when you're going to bring in free agents, you.

00:11:37
Speaker 6: Know exactly what the quarterback.

00:11:39
Speaker 5: Will give you to amplify and sort of magnify what those players are and how they fit.

00:11:44
Speaker 6: As the rest of the pieces of the equation of your offense.

00:11:46
Speaker 5: He is a fixed point on the map of them, and I think that is it's outstanding first of all for their offense, but as much change as happens, when you have that at quarterback, you're going to be okay.

00:11:57
Speaker 4: And look, he's not above a clunker. He started off last season slow. That playoff game turned on some Jared Goff mistake, Yes, but I agree that the guys we started with are the ones that you can put in any situation and they would just elevate. And that's just next level. That's the Hall of Fame type of players. But the longer we do this, it's like, you got to give Jared Goff the same grace I used to think about when people would talk about Brady or Belichick or this or you know, it's like Montana and Walston. You can't divorce them. That's football. Like the system and the quarterback, they work together. And this is the system that Jared Goff is in, and this is the era of football that he is very well built for and found the right coaches and he's just as consistent as that haircut of Jared Goff. So all right, we have five guys on quarterbacks Island I'm just saying.

00:12:46
Speaker 3: It's like the same every year. It looks great.

00:12:50
Speaker 4: He was really good on Quarterback. By the way, I haven't made it all the way Oh my gosh, it's the best one. Okay, so I haven't made it all the way through. But he has spent weirdly more time on our televisions than almost reality, any reality television start. If you go back all the way to like how many Hard Knocks he's been on and All or Nothing an NFL film, it's like it's a lot of Jared Goffa.

00:13:12
Speaker 5: He's come a long way from being the guy who doesn't know which direction the sun rises or since great.

00:13:18
Speaker 4: Let's have you bring up someone to that you want on, that you don't want on, just to discuss.

00:13:22
Speaker 5: I would, first of all, I want this guy on the island. Second of all, I would like to right a wrong that we ended the season on last year. I think Jalen Hurts belongs on island. I'm also sort of channeling Colleen Wolf a little bit too. She's traveling, so she's not here.

00:13:36
Speaker 3: He's on an actual island.

00:13:40
Speaker 5: It is only right, true and fair that Super Bowl winner my quarterback for many reasons, Jalen Hurts is on quarterback Island, and I think the vibes just are awesome with Jalen Hurts on quarterback Island.

00:13:54
Speaker 3: Yeah, this is an easy yes for me too.

00:13:56
Speaker 2: Yeah, let's hold a sign easy yes, easy, yes, Okay, I mean support cast great offensive line. You don't go by the passing numbers just you know, solely.

00:14:07
Speaker 5: Yeah, but adds such a threaten in many ways and runs this offense. You can't, like you said, you cannot, you cannot hold the system against the quarterback.

00:14:14
Speaker 6: Greg you just said it. And I know we're all in agreement here.

00:14:17
Speaker 5: It's he is perfect for the environment around him and vice versa.

00:14:21
Speaker 6: It all works.

00:14:22
Speaker 2: And I've changed his coordinators every year and continues to be solid.

00:14:26
Speaker 4: And obviously they were a great regular season team last year, but he was not on quarterback Island at the end of the regular season. We have to know, I mean, it does matter that you played your absolute best in the biggest game. And if you're watching the show like it's easy to forget how many big time throws he made in huge spots in the NFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl. There was the fourth and five down the field where it's still a two point game at midfield late in the second quarter against Washington, and he hits that go ball to aj Brown. But some of the other plays that he made in this game. On a third long, on one a beautiful touchdown throw throw where it ends up being a pass interference. It goes through DeVonta Smith's hands, DeVante Smith's hands. But he had so many different plays. And then, of course you remember in the Super Bowl it wasn't just the big time touchdown up the middle of the field.

00:15:16
Speaker 3: It was some great third and long.

00:15:17
Speaker 4: So it matters a little that you play your best in the biggest of spots Dale.

00:15:21
Speaker 6: Hurt and he's and he's throwing it.

00:15:23
Speaker 5: You mentioned it a couple times in sort of the breakdown of these plays that we're watching on screen right now. Third and long, third and long, third and long, and he's going outside the numbers. He's making extremely precise, difficult throws. He's showing that he's got all of the tools that you could possibly want or need in a quarterback. It's just not the way that their offense needed to be sometimes.

00:15:41
Speaker 4: To the course, he struggled though, too. Chris Mabona, who's doing the graphics in the back. Yeah, kind of nagged him, noting that he was the Super Bowl MVP but ranked twenty third by PFF grade in twenty twenty four. I mean, but yeah, by the week to week consistency in the passing game, they need to get better.

00:15:58
Speaker 3: But he got there in the end last fine.

00:16:00
Speaker 2: I mean, my own thing is they're a team that when you get to a certain part of the field once third down is two down territory. Yeah, right, they're they're pushing it. They're they're they're going for it. He plays under a different metric than other quarterbacks because of the way they call their plays, because of those situations on third down. It doesn't most teams on third and five are throwing it. Outside of Detroit, they're going to run the Eagles and the Lions are likely to run it. It's not it is not they they go automatic to third and fourth down just because of the way they're built.

00:16:34
Speaker 4: It's a great point because like that that interference on DeVante Smithy pointed out this great pass uh that sets him up on the goal line.

00:16:43
Speaker 3: What happens next.

00:16:43
Speaker 4: Touchbush, He's just he's just a He's a red zone for one more so Jalen Hurts is on the island, congratulated on slight slight apology, uh for last year. But you know, circumstances, we got six guys on. We now sixteen remaining. Drop the first controversy in here. Yeah, you could go to a guy that you said don't want. You could do a guy. I'm going with a.

00:17:04
Speaker 2: Guy I want. But it's more of a projection. Oh, Dak Prescott. Okay, Okay, And here's why I say they got him wide receiver, right, You got George Pickens to go with Ceedee Lamb. You got him up. The offensive line is going to be a little bit better when we don't talk about the Cowboys right now, we're talking about Jerry Jones and Michael Parsons. We're not talking about the Cowboys right That's usually when they play better at shoddy And I'm talking to coaches who have coached with him, who have coached against him. The level of respect he has among his peers is significantly greater than the uninformed public has of Brian Schottenheimer. They think he is the perfect type of temperament in everything to lead this offense and this team. I think Dak Prescott, he may not make the initial list, but he will spend a majority of the time on the island doing his thing with those wide receivers.

00:17:57
Speaker 5: So I'm so glad you brought him up because he plays into a massive question I asked myself when I was going over kind of who I was going to argue for and who I was gonna sort of sit back on at least for now. And I ask myself this question, who do I trust right now to not just be on quarterback island, but you know, at the position, with the entire collective of the offense. Who do I trust right now? Or who do I not quite trust yet? For various reasons. Unfortunately for me, Dak was someone who I don't quite trust yet heading into this season. Specifically, not because he has a poor body of work. I think that he is if you're thinking about running an offense and doing all of the little intricacies that you need to do to manipulate coverages and make the throws that you need to make, and he can move a little bit all those things he's got, But I don't quite trust him quite yet because, first of all, the body of work last season is incomplete.

00:18:49
Speaker 2: Because the other Hammy yeah.

00:18:50
Speaker 5: But then also like a gnarly hammy by the way, like the bone situation. And then but also because I have yet to see that they are going to give him a game which he will't need, right, and I have yet to actually see this offense together work in a as a collective, you know, in a real game that matters.

00:19:11
Speaker 3: It sounds like a no or a table tat table.

00:19:14
Speaker 2: I mean, I have no problem to it, because I think this is worthy of a discussion.

00:19:17
Speaker 4: Yeah, I have a problem with it. I'm voting him on the island. If you're saying yes, I'm saying yes. That's majority to me. Dak Prescott deserves to be there. When you ultimately look at this list, I am voting yes.

00:19:29
Speaker 3: And here's why. It's kind of my argument against.

00:19:32
Speaker 4: Eli Manning taking astray for the Hall of Fame. Tell me the point of Dak Prescott's career when he's played football. And I know it's not all about rankings, but when I when I looked at this list and the question marks, tell me the point of his career when he was playing football and he wasn't a top ten quarterback.

00:19:47
Speaker 3: He's just that dude.

00:19:49
Speaker 4: And he's worked in a bunch of different ideas of what that offense can be.

00:19:52
Speaker 5: Yes, I am looking at it contextually through the lens of twenty twenty five specifically.

00:19:57
Speaker 3: Sure, I feel great about him, I really do.

00:20:00
Speaker 5: I want I want him on the island. I want it, and I think that it's going to happen. It's just I had the table it because for me, it was an incomplete.

00:20:08
Speaker 3: You had no choice how we voted him on it.

00:20:10
Speaker 6: I'm just explaining person.

00:20:13
Speaker 3: Three person panel. It's a little different dynamic.

00:20:15
Speaker 2: It's all right, here's why we had it. This is the first Dak Prescott conversation that's been had this summer, but we do it daily show Step.

00:20:25
Speaker 5: I know those people are having the Dak person got conversation offers.

00:20:29
Speaker 2: I mean, I mean, I know that, But I'm just saying, like when you watch NFL Network, when you watch ESPN, they're talking about Micah, they're talking about Jared. Yeah, they're not talking about Dak in this offense.

00:20:41
Speaker 3: Totally fair.

00:20:42
Speaker 5: And you know what I'll say is, when you think about the situation that they've put themselves in with Micah, you your next thought logically is, oh, thank god they still have Dak. You know, thank God, they have someone stabilizing the organization in that way.

00:20:57
Speaker 3: To me, he is He's getting a fifty million dollars right.

00:21:00
Speaker 4: He doesn't elevate like those first four guys, but I think he has proven in any with any sort of surroundings that he is elevating in general. And yeah, can I be convinced by one day of practice that I happened to watch at Cowboys camp and just him him looking at trim and go and throwing bombs down the field. I mean, he throws a beautiful football and he's one of the smartest quarterbacks in the league yet targets. I just feel good about this. So he is the seventh man on quarterback Island.

00:21:28
Speaker 3: I'm that a lot of yes is so good with it, good with it.

00:21:32
Speaker 4: And just because I like to mix it up a little, I'm actually going to bring up a guy that I don't think is going to make it. I'm gonna bring up Drake May I love that conversation.

00:21:44
Speaker 6: You are going to bring up Drake May?

00:21:46
Speaker 4: What? And I'll say right out, when I ultimately did this list, I thought it was too much of a projection to put him on. So I'm voting no on on Drake May. I think he has to show it. I think it's starting not from scratch because he had experience in the NFL. But it's a little like Trevor Lawrence throwing out that year with Urban Meyer obviously went better, I think for Drake May in his rookie season. But it is a new system that's complicated. I think there's major offensive line questions. I think he can overcome all of that, but I think putting him on as a projection, I don't think he showed enough to give him that much leeway, that much grace when there's all these other quarterbacks that we will get to that to me have enough of a body of work to say, like, all right, you got to earn it. Bro So, I even though I'm a big believer in Drake May, I am voting no on Drake May.

00:22:35
Speaker 5: I'm voting no on Drake May mostly for the reasons Egan.

00:22:40
Speaker 6: You're saying, how are I?

00:22:41
Speaker 2: I was good? I was going to table Drake May to other conversations, but the nose have it.

00:22:46
Speaker 5: Yeah, and Greg I will push back on you just a little bit, though. I actually think I don't think this system will be too complicated, Like I think when I was out at Viking's Patriots, the way that they had to adjust the pressures that Brian Flores was, we're tough, and we're really You weren't going to run the full version or be able to run the full version of your offense regardless against that group. But the way that he and Josh McDaniels sort of navigated that together and totally switched to being patient like a dink and dunk more offense and really being patient and waiting for the rotations to fail or for coverage breaks because.

00:23:22
Speaker 6: They knew that they would come.

00:23:24
Speaker 5: If you know, when you're that defense, you're trying to communicate so much, something would happen to give them their opportunity. I really saw two people who seem like they're clicking so far love that I.

00:23:36
Speaker 3: Just want to see where he's at.

00:23:38
Speaker 4: To me, he's almost like a complicated just he's almost like a rookie in the sense that I'm really curious what he's going to look like in week ten, week twelve. I'm not as worried about if it's not it's a little rocket, it's not gonna take that long. It's look Drake may I cover.

00:23:54
Speaker 2: I was I had the misfortune and the good fortune of covering in person a couple of Patriots games last year. He is he's got it right, Like you talk about a guy who's he's not besides a talent, Like he's got the tough stuff, he's got the moxie, right, he's got He's the type of dude when Josh Mitanniel starts eyeballing him and gritting on him, he could look right back and be like, yeah, let's go, let's figure this out. You know we can. We can if it takes an argument, we can figure this out. Like he's not going to with him. He's not that guy to put up what he had to go through last year with that terrible offensive line. They had ten million guys doing it, no real threats at skill position, and to perform the way he performed that says a lot. But he's more than a tough guy. I just think he's got some stuff to him. And once they get him more target let's see when Stefon Diggs comes back. That offensive line already is better. We've seen Trayvon Henderson ad some electricity to that offense. If they have not had, he might.

00:24:46
Speaker 3: Be the one it should be better. Am I am?

00:24:49
Speaker 4: I a little anxious about the constant reports in Patriots camp that the offensive line gets worse by the day that he's getting sacked seven or eight times by you, both the Patriots the Vikings.

00:25:00
Speaker 3: Yes, I'm a.

00:25:00
Speaker 4: Little vis vis even at Patriots practice, like their offensive line throughout has some issues. So we put seven guys on. Okay, he's not Yeah, he's a he's may Drake May is a no right now, and I'm doing the math in my head. It's a it's a little difficult, but I believe we have five spots remaining, and I believe we have fourteen guys who are eligible.

00:25:30
Speaker 5: A couple o slam dunks for our listeners. Greg just went across it.

00:25:34
Speaker 3: Really it really hurts.

00:25:35
Speaker 4: We are going to take a quick break and we are going to find out who are the original members of season two. Quarterback Back on Quarterback Island. Music's like a little it's a little more ominous than it should be.

00:26:00
Speaker 5: Fun.

00:26:01
Speaker 4: I feel like we should be outside taking a little break right now.

00:26:04
Speaker 2: We're bringing up the trauma.

00:26:06
Speaker 6: I feel a mixture of dread and fun.

00:26:08
Speaker 4: Okay, the trauma, you know, before we get back to the eliminating these men from what could be the greatest moments of their entire career.

00:26:17
Speaker 3: A couple things.

00:26:18
Speaker 4: Number One, I forgot to list Kayleb Williams is one of the obvious ten guys that I wasn't going to put on this list, like he's just got to prove it in the same way we talked about Joe Greed. So he's eliminated. I meant I said ten people would be eliminated. I forgot to mention Caleb Williams. He could, he could get there. Maybe he'd be the guy that lifts from that list. And then I did want to just get your thoughts a little bit on Daniel Jones winning this job, something we predicted here, by the way on NFL Daily, you know, listening to the Shane Steiken of it all, when he says.

00:26:45
Speaker 6: He means, I yeah, great, well Cregan predict.

00:26:48
Speaker 3: The third person, Nick was there. Nick was there. He gets a little credit.

00:26:53
Speaker 4: The reason I wanted to bring it up now is Shane Steiken said this will not be a short least, that Daniel Jones will be the starter for the entire season. My vibe from everything going on in Indianapolis was the coaching staff had lost confidence Anthony Richardson last season and that this now looking at it in hindsight, was always weighted towards Daniel Jones winning because the reality is from everyone that's been there and the preseason games, there wasn't a lot to separate him. They were kind of predictably good and bad where you would expect them to be. But I thought it was interesting, said Anthony Richardson is not getting this job back. They asked him if he had a future in Indianapolis and Shane Stike and said, that's hard to say. You know, he's going to be our backup. He'll have to go in there. If Daniel Jones gets hurt. Makes me wonder if they would ever trade him.

00:27:45
Speaker 2: I would think now he is available, Like if you want him, you can have him.

00:27:50
Speaker 3: That's what I thought.

00:27:51
Speaker 4: I did reach out and he gave me permission to say this on the show. Ian Rappaport threw some cold water on that privately now publicly to me, that was just his opinion. He thought ultimately, like they're trying to win games and they need a backup quarterback, and even if you know all the reasons we said, they're out on it. Anthony Richardson is true, they need a backup quarterback and did they know that they have to win games this year?

00:28:14
Speaker 3: They just think Daniel Jones the guy to do it.

00:28:16
Speaker 5: I am so glad that you brought that up from Ian because to me, that puts off all the alarm bells in the world in my head of like, okay, who would be the one that would have to actually say yes on a trade of Anthony Richardson. Chris Ballard, who was the person talking to my colleague at the Athletic Zach Kiefer, being so adamant that they were going to have all the patients in the world with Anthony Richardson coming into this season and Zach has a good BS meter and in a very believable convincing way said these things. Chris Ballard, who is the one standing up there at the lectern right now casting doubt on the future of the player that they previously drafted with the highest pick that they had, Shane Steichen, who is the one who is going out there and picking the guy who is going to run his offense, who he thinks can run his offense the way he specifically wants to and potentially a make or break year for his own job. Shane Stikeen, My red flag's going off here. All this to say, I think there's a split forming.

00:29:21
Speaker 2: Does it seem like it's great? Does it?

00:29:23
Speaker 4: We've seen it before, Steve. You've seen it a million times in the NFL when things get really hot and coach are on, you know, the firing.

00:29:31
Speaker 6: Blox actually ominous music, right, Yeah.

00:29:34
Speaker 2: And look it's let's just also keep this real. When they drafted Anthony Richardson, who came out and said he's going to start right away, Jim Mersey, so you know, mister Rose no longer is with us. So there's a different dynamic in that building as well in terms of who's who's got complete power. Let's not forget that. And I'm with you. I think they lost confidence as soon as Anthony Richardson tapped out last year, talking about it. If I'm his teammate, I I can't roll with that. If you got a dude saying I'm tapped out and I'm an offensive lineman, get my elbows wrenched and everything to try to protect you and your tapping out because you're tired. I don't know if I could rock with you now. He played better when he came back from the benching last year, but coming in. This is why I'm saying, if a team were out there said, you know, we can rescue Dan, rescue Anthey.

00:30:21
Speaker 4: I think I thought so too, but Ian he had to said no.

00:30:25
Speaker 2: But I mean, look, this is a coach and Shane Stiken who won seven games at Gardner Minshew.

00:30:29
Speaker 6: That's what I'm saying.

00:30:30
Speaker 5: I'm saying I don't doubt at all that Shane Stiken would trade him in a second. I think Ballard would be the one saying no, got to make this work.

00:30:38
Speaker 2: I think if they could find and there's going to be quarterbacks available when when these cuts come down, one might be Kenny Pickett.

00:30:44
Speaker 4: If you can trade Trent Richardson for a first round pick, if you can change trade Josh Rosen for a second round pick, I mean you can maybe get a conditional fourth to third for anthy Richardson. I was gonna say, like, well, maybe there's no one in the league.

00:31:00
Speaker 6: You know, there's a I can fix him.

00:31:02
Speaker 4: There's always that I can raise, Right, I was gonna say, there's no one foolish enough to like give up a late second for like what like the like the like Chris Greer and and Ownership did in Miami back then. I was like, oh wait, they're still there in Miami, so who knows. I guess we'll see how All right, let's get back to it. I just want to hit that because that's something we've talked about all off season.

00:31:21
Speaker 3: Let's go Jordan.

00:31:22
Speaker 2: Yeah.

00:31:22
Speaker 5: I had a gut feeling this would be a pretty automatic yes from both.

00:31:26
Speaker 6: Of you guys.

00:31:26
Speaker 5: Really excited to see what he does in year two. But I'm going yes on Jayden.

00:31:29
Speaker 2: David slam Donk.

00:31:30
Speaker 3: Yeah, I kind of forgot you would have maybe been the fifth guy.

00:31:34
Speaker 4: On for me.

00:31:34
Speaker 2: Yeah, we're all that's a that's a slam dunk for me.

00:31:37
Speaker 5: We're all holding up our yes signs. And I want to say too. First of all, so excited to see what he does with continuity at the offensive coordinator spot in Cliff Kingsbury. We talked to Jared Goff how later in your career that doesn't always matter as much having that continuity. When you are as young as Jaden Daniels is, it can matter to have that same play caller who's there with you, developing that rapport and everything. I was up at commander's camp recently. Everything I saw there, the vibes are immaculate in terms of the love and respect that he commands and has from his teammates, the camaraderie that they have with each other, despite a vast age difference between a lot of those flavors on the roster, and it's going to be exciting. They're still going to be, you know, helping him out a lot too, with some of the things that Cliff and Anthony Lynn do in the run game and some of the tight end personnel usage that they use. It's going to be I think an exciting and progressing year still for the Commanders.

00:32:32
Speaker 2: Last year, this time, they were figuring out if he was better in the pistol shotgun or under center. Now they know he functions mainly better under you know, off off the ball, whether it's pistol shotgun. But they've got different pieces around him, right, they know what he can do. But now you've got a new left tackle. Right, you've got a different type of wide receiver and Dee Bulls Samuel Terry McCluin. That deal is going to get done at some point. Yeah, they're changing running backs, right. Brian Robinson clearly is out of the picture. Now they're moving things in a little different direction offensively where they're going to open things up a little bit more. He's not going to be their leading rusher like he was last year. Defensively, they're going to be better, you see, getting Trey Amos at the corner to go with Marshall ladam or who's healthy. They're gonna get a few more possessions per game, you know. And defensively one thing you know, speaking to Dan Quinn and Joe Witt about last year on first down they got tagged. They were in second and fourths and stuff all the time, where teams are just rolling down the field. So now they built a defensive front that's to stand up on first down.

00:33:27
Speaker 6: Johnny Newton getting some pop correct.

00:33:29
Speaker 2: Yeah, So now they can get guys in second and eight and they could turn some stuff loose, so they could possibly feel they can get a couple extras, at least one extra possession of game.

00:33:37
Speaker 4: Bady mentioned Brian Robinson Yeat. He didn't play in the preseason game on Monday night, and the reporting indicates that he might no longer be with that team. Chris Rodriguez was playing it our guy, Bill Bill, Corey Kraskamier in there. All right, let's move on because we got a thirteen guys still to talk about for four spots. And yeah, it's never bad by the way, to just see Janianil's doing things, scoring a touchdown in preseason, just just to get back excited.

00:34:00
Speaker 3: But we have eight guys on the island. Jayden Daniels is on the end.

00:34:02
Speaker 2: I'm gonna throw an another bomb in here. I'm gonna go controversy again because I'm the stand up for this guy, Bo Knicks. I know, you know I love bon Knicks.

00:34:09
Speaker 3: It's a tough one. I'm right on the border.

00:34:12
Speaker 2: I know he's on the border because there's some other players. We've got the Staffords who got the Herberts and guys who have to get to and have a conversation about whether we table or not. We I think we need to have a conversation about bo Nicks because we saw him get better and better in Sean Payton's offense. They got him more weapons this year, including a Kamara type running back in the draft. Offensive line is very good. The defense might end up being the best defense in the NFL.

00:34:35
Speaker 4: That's all stuff that's not in bow Knicks though, But so that that's the question, is that the quarterback.

00:34:40
Speaker 2: You could sit there and say that, But what bo Knicks did for them last year one he showed besides the athleticism, he's tough as hell. They won games because of bo Knicks. He made plays to win them ball games in his rookie year playing for Sean Payton. Sean Payton, one thing we've seen about him is he always had vetteran quarterbacks. He did with a young guy. Now he's got a guy in his pocket, so we can we can do all this. And maybe he doesn't make the first iteration of the island. But I think he's. I think he's.

00:35:08
Speaker 3: I think he I think he might. I think he might.

00:35:10
Speaker 4: And I think this might be something where Broncos fans be careful what you wish for.

00:35:13
Speaker 2: I don't know.

00:35:14
Speaker 4: Not everyone can handle the heat that comes with quarterback island. Broncos fans have been asking, oh, give us our respect, give us all this hype, and okay, you're you're building up the hype Sean pay and saying you're a super Bowl CHAMPI maybe you get it all.

00:35:25
Speaker 3: We'll see if he can handle it.

00:35:27
Speaker 4: I want to table him for now because he's very intriguing. Does he define the quarterback position right now? It's like right on the border suade me watching him.

00:35:35
Speaker 5: Look, I think he we knew he was an old prospect coming out, so like this is not an old quarterback joke, but like he's beyond his years to me at the position and some of these second year guys. I mean he played you know, it was Jade and Daniels and then Bonnicks at the end of last season. By the end of it, and it was a steady progression by Bonnicks. We did say at the top of the show that we are not going to hold uh system around the quarterback against the quarterback. We're going to define the quarterback by what the quarterback is able to do and how the system and the quarterback sometimes fit each other perfectly. Well, we're not going to hold that against the quarterback. It's a mutualistic, beneficial partnership between the two. So I think, like for me, everything's great around him. They've again similar to Jared, they've found the defining quantity in the math equation for their offense who helps make everything go and in reverse, that offense helps make him better too.

00:36:28
Speaker 4: It's just him versus the other guys that are table, But.

00:36:33
Speaker 2: I think he's worth that discussion. I am a Boonix fan, you and I.

00:36:37
Speaker 5: Will say Steve argued for Bonix last year too, so don't I remembered the Lord.

00:36:43
Speaker 4: Okay Knicks's table. We still have four spots left. I'm I'm trying to think if I want to eliminate.

00:36:48
Speaker 3: Guys or put him on. Eliminated, eliminated a couple, all right.

00:36:51
Speaker 4: The two guys at the bottom of my remaining quarterback lists that I just think are worth mentioning our Trevor Lawrence and Bryce Young. There's we've talked a lot about Trevor Lawrence. We hit him on the top ten offense this show with JP Acosta. That's the last one in your feed. There's reason to believe it could get better this year. So far, the body of work hasn't been there. Bryce Young loved how he finished last season. To me, it's not enough longevity at a high enough level to really merit serious consideration. But guys that are kind of on our watch list, I vote no on both Bryce and I'm with you, Trevor Lawrence.

00:37:25
Speaker 5: I vote no on Bryce Young and Trevor Lawrence, both of these guys. You guys, remember I said, these are the big question. I asked myself, who do I not trust yet for various reasons.

00:37:34
Speaker 6: Trevor Lawrence.

00:37:35
Speaker 5: Still I feel like I've been honking about this year over year at this point, still don't necessarily know whether he will take the next step, hopeful that he will believe it's possible. And Bryce Young hopeful that it's possible. But still haven't you seen enough enough data yet?

00:37:51
Speaker 2: Yeah? Okay, can we add some more takeaways discussion?

00:37:55
Speaker 3: Do whatever you want. It's your world, your boy. You're the real Island guy here, your.

00:38:00
Speaker 2: Boy quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders. You know who I think is going to be fantastic. I just want to look at the other numbers and I look at his targets.

00:38:11
Speaker 5: Did you guys notice how we were like the family at Thanksgiving where it's like we already know the topic that's gonna come up at some point that.

00:38:18
Speaker 6: We're going to fight about.

00:38:19
Speaker 3: We're just not going to bring up the Middle East Rosenho.

00:38:23
Speaker 2: But at the same time, I'm gonna go with my boy too to be excluded.

00:38:28
Speaker 3: So you're already saying you're you're out on.

00:38:30
Speaker 2: Gino and and Tua cannot make the initial list.

00:38:33
Speaker 5: Wow, that doesn't seem to be categorized the same to me.

00:38:38
Speaker 2: I mean, I'm just saying, like two is my guy.

00:38:40
Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, that's true. Yeah.

00:38:42
Speaker 2: So I just they seem like they got a little bit more stuff going on in Miami than most teams in the NFL.

00:38:48
Speaker 4: I hear that. It's really tricky because I think Tua has been slighted your guy so much now that he's almost underrated when it when it comes to playing the quarterback position, and this is this is also he knows how to do like him and Gino both through it at a very high level at best. I feel like there are tables for me though. I agree that it seems like you're on the outside looking in. But I kind of want to hear the arguments for the other guys. But if you guys want to vote them off it, no, let's look at it.

00:39:21
Speaker 2: Don't feel because there are some there's a trap, there's some land. There's some land mines right here, right, let's get it. You want to get to the land mines.

00:39:30
Speaker 6: Okay, Baker Mayfield, let's talk.

00:39:32
Speaker 2: He is a slam dunk.

00:39:33
Speaker 3: I actually don't that Mayfield, it's you.

00:39:38
Speaker 5: I am yes on Baker Man, Yes on Baker Mayfield.

00:39:42
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think here's where my personal rankings and Jordan. Jordan told me there was some internet chatter I stay away from all that about last week we did a QB tears with Sando that I was somehow giving away my QB island thoughts while talking quarterbacks with them. No QB islands diff. Here's one way it's different to me. Baker Mayfield clearly is one of the men defining the position right now, even if I was not starting my franchise with him personally in this year, and maybe I should be compared to some of these guys. He clearly the body of work where the bucks are at, what he's done.

00:40:18
Speaker 5: Absolutely, I think I'm just traumatized, Steve, because all year last year, I feel like I fought Greg viciously about Baker Mayfield and advocating for Baker to be on the island. But you know, actually a couple of weeks ago Greg said congrats to Baker Mayfield on moving past you know a certain level in his esteem, and so I, well, it was that was.

00:40:38
Speaker 3: On I can fix him.

00:40:39
Speaker 4: I said, he's no longer eligible, so still I can fix him, which we do.

00:40:43
Speaker 3: He's been fixed, he's.

00:40:44
Speaker 6: Still kind of sent him astray, you know, in a little here's.

00:40:47
Speaker 2: The pendulum swung. Okay two years ago about Dave Canal's got the best out of Baker Mayfield. Last year, Liam Cohen got Baker Mayfield to his greatest year.

00:40:56
Speaker 6: King Maker.

00:40:57
Speaker 2: Baker Mayfield's the king Maker. He's got two dudes coaching job.

00:41:00
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:41:01
Speaker 5: Now he's got King Grizzard over there. And I think that this is going to be fun to watch. I know that they're dealing with some even more injuries at the receiver position right now with Jalen McMillan.

00:41:10
Speaker 6: But that team is so well built.

00:41:13
Speaker 5: When all systems are go mid season and on, this team's going to start rolling. I mean, it's going to be it's going to be fun to watch the Bucks again. And Baker Mayfield is one of the most fun.

00:41:22
Speaker 2: And they've got a culture. When we talk about teams with culture, we do not talk about them. They've got They step on the field knowing they're going to win. And I'm telling you a Mecca Buka could be the offensive rookie of the year.

00:41:32
Speaker 4: I love that, love all of it. And Baker is the ninth guy onto the island. I'm doing the math here. If you guys are watching this, I'm like counting. My brain is hurt. And we have not mentioned the NFC West quarterbacks at all. That's what I want to wait to do that. So nine guys are on, Three guys have been tabled to uh Nixon Gino for now. To me, there's only one guy left that I would stand on a tiny table, I would stand on a large table. And I just feel like is a pretty safe pick for quarterback Island to start. And then it gets really Harry, And that's justin Herbert. Now we are kind of in the Herbert season of like show me like I feel like everyone there's a lot of Herbert fatigue out there, and and I do.

00:42:17
Speaker 2: Get that playoff game.

00:42:19
Speaker 3: It's like, what has he really done? What what he has done?

00:42:22
Speaker 4: Kind of like Dak, maybe not quite as consistent as I think provide a real advantage on a play to play game to game basis. Overall that to me, he still deserves And maybe it's towards the back of this quarterback Island right now where he used to be a little higher up. But to me, he does deserve to be on voting.

00:42:40
Speaker 2: I'm a justin Herbert guy.

00:42:41
Speaker 3: Okay, case he's on, I'm voting yes.

00:42:46
Speaker 5: And I also want to point out last year he didn't make it on the first iteration of Quarterback Island because he was injured, so he was disqualified.

00:42:52
Speaker 2: Your rule, that was a rule you made on the fly.

00:42:54
Speaker 5: Yeah, well no, it was a rule we came in with certain other people.

00:42:57
Speaker 3: There was a lot of rules on the fly.

00:42:58
Speaker 4: Yes, if you'res and your your fans of the infamous rip chord riptide. Nobody even knows the name, what is it?

00:43:08
Speaker 6: It was the riptide, but ripcord got more pop.

00:43:10
Speaker 3: It makes more sense because it's like a chord pulling you off.

00:43:13
Speaker 2: We want to stay with riptide.

00:43:15
Speaker 4: If we can't use that on this show, that's in a future show each one of us and Colleen is included too. She's gonna usually be on Quarterback Island, but like I said, she's on the beach right now. You can use the ripcord to what Jordan.

00:43:28
Speaker 5: To without a vote, to immediately yank somebody off the island, which which then leads to you presenting your candidate that still has to be voted on.

00:43:39
Speaker 6: The reason why.

00:43:40
Speaker 5: This was a big controversy last year with Quarterback Island is because Greg used the rip chord, which was at that point called the riptide and the change the it's good, it's a better name, Greg, and then he put he used it not to take someone off.

00:43:54
Speaker 6: He used it to put someone vote. We have no vote.

00:44:00
Speaker 4: Is so confusing that no one there even knows the difference between the rules. It's it's you know, you got to be questioning. So I'm right now, you kind of are okay. You mentioned injuries, then let's get into it. I will throw at Stafford because he's one of the most difficult.

00:44:19
Speaker 3: Discussions right now.

00:44:20
Speaker 4: Now Rumors and I know you're tied in to the RAMS, but this is not from Jordan rod Rieg.

00:44:26
Speaker 3: I talk to people too.

00:44:28
Speaker 4: There are rumors that Stafford got win that we're taping Quarterback Island this week, and he says, and he says, get me out there, Sean, Let me out there, Sean.

00:44:39
Speaker 3: I need to get let me out of the immortal chamber.

00:44:42
Speaker 4: I got to get out there and at least show that I could be ready for week one and get on because you guys might remember we were about to yank him off at one point last season, and then he like showed up in some primetime game right before the vote, and he was awesome and he stuck himself up. So it means a lot to Stafford. It means a lot to Stafford. I don't know what to think. He was on mine, like I wanted to see what you guys said.

00:45:03
Speaker 5: In all fairness, and yes I am the Matthew Stafford person on this show.

00:45:08
Speaker 6: I get that.

00:45:09
Speaker 5: But he actually falls into the same exact category of the big question. I asked myself, can I trust this guy right now? The answer for me was no, because he has not been on the field.

00:45:20
Speaker 3: For Herbert last year. You met a full like the injury wise.

00:45:24
Speaker 5: No, no, no, I've been talking about it all show, Greg.

00:45:28
Speaker 6: Greg Grace is doing math in his head. He's not listening.

00:45:31
Speaker 5: Is the group of players who I was on the fence about, and I asked myself this question, do I trust them to run to run this team to be available? Some of it was injury related, some of it was just inconsistencies or in complete record in complete.

00:45:45
Speaker 6: Bodies of data last year. Right now?

00:45:47
Speaker 5: For me, do I trust Matthew Stafford right now to open up the island. No, because if he plays like how he finished last season, great, but he wasn't dealing with an aggravated day last season. And even though he's back on the field, so I wouldn't disqualify him for an injury because he is back on the field practicing.

00:46:07
Speaker 6: I just I don't trust it yet.

00:46:08
Speaker 5: And it's only been two days and the season starts in two and a half three weeks.

00:46:12
Speaker 2: That's why I think again, I'm willing the table Stafford. I think he opens Week one, but my thing with him is getting through eighteen getting through eighteen weeks.

00:46:23
Speaker 6: That's the trust.

00:46:25
Speaker 4: Like that because I was I was thinking about it because I'm easily swayed by the latest thing I've heard and Sean McVay saying on Tuesday he looked better even than he looked that money.

00:46:33
Speaker 3: I'm like, okay, all right, we're feeling better about this.

00:46:36
Speaker 2: I think I think Stafford's gonna be fine in the open the season.

00:46:39
Speaker 4: It's just wants that wear and tear, okay, And we do want guys it's important for guys on the island.

00:46:43
Speaker 3: We don't want injured guys on the Island's.

00:46:45
Speaker 5: And that's why he was a no for me. Not okay, that's because I couldn't trust.

00:46:51
Speaker 2: No no, just because I'm a Stafford dude.

00:46:54
Speaker 4: But okay, so he's off first first, mild surprise, at least to me. I was actually thinking he might get on. So we have two spots left, by the way, Okay, And we haven't talked to NFC West much.

00:47:04
Speaker 2: We haven't talked NC West, but I want to. I want to depart from there because there's there's another quarterback who I just I'm not settled on yet, and that's Jordan Love. Like he's a guy who's just so talented. We saw him last year. He did it, but he just I right now, he's got the thumb thing. He's you know, I think he's gonna be fine.

00:47:25
Speaker 4: Okay, he's practicing, and I'm not considering that that's it's it's not and it's.

00:47:30
Speaker 2: It's not the injury thing. And I think they've they've got some players who look really the rookie wide receiver looks like the freaking dude there. But I look at the other guys that are left, and I'm kind of like, I like Jordan Love in his circumstance more than I like a lot of these other guys.

00:47:51
Speaker 4: Interesting circumstance, you know. And but do you like the quarterback on it? I talk about trust like I like him, But man, you're not exactly sure where you're gonna.

00:48:00
Speaker 6: That's exactly why I put him in my large trust bucket.

00:48:03
Speaker 2: Are we going to vote on Jordan Love? Are we just going to table him?

00:48:07
Speaker 3: I want a table, Okay, So we're going to table Okay.

00:48:09
Speaker 4: I actually think there's two guys that aren't that close to making it to the island. I know you're gonna go for me. They are both in the NFC West. I'm with you, like like I was saying, there's two spots left on Quarterback Island, but we still have some more guys to talk about. It's Kyler and it's Sam Darnald and Sam Donald. One of the biggest upsets, one of the greatest achievements of his entire career. He finished Season one of Quarterback Island on the ad as he should have never would have guessed it. Now, how's he?

00:48:39
Speaker 6: And then the playoffs happen?

00:48:40
Speaker 4: Yeah, then the playoffs happened. Has he proven a year after year he's in a different system. Does he help define the position right now? Both him and Kyler Murray are both intriguing. I think they could get there in the end. It's hard for me to pick those two guys, even over the ones that we've tabled so far.

00:48:59
Speaker 2: There's a way I can put them in there. Mean, Kylie, we just don't know. He's a fun player to watch, but he's he's been in this league for a little while, yep, and we're still kind of asking what exactly is he Yeah, he's early in his career. He elevated them. Has he been able to do it? Is it his fault? Is it? You know? You just don't know. And Sam Darnold, I'm not even judging last year. I'm just looking at the circumstance this year. He's got one proven receiver in Jackson Smith and Jigba well Cooper Cup. But again, how long is Cooper going to be on the field. Okay, they're going to run the football. This is going to be a different team than he played last year with Justin Jefferson and Jordan Natterson and TJ. Howkinson. So I think he's got the potential to get on but starting that's a news.

00:49:43
Speaker 5: Yeah, I put both of those guys in my guys I don't trust yet for various reasons, Bucket and in the bucket.

00:49:49
Speaker 6: Not they are in the bucket. They're in the.

00:49:52
Speaker 5: Guys I don't trust, don't trust, but for various they don't trust Bucket and so along with the staffords, along with even CJ. Stratt, I have in there. Along with I said I had Dak in there earlier. Those guys all are in the same. Okay, with Sam Darnold, it's okay. I think they're going to run the ball really well this year. I do think that can they pass protect? Still, that's still my question for them. With this offensive line there showed a lot of promise so far in the preseason, but I have questions about that. I have questions about the sustainability overall, week over week over week deep into the season. After the Kubiak offense sputtered out New Orleans last year, I have questions.

00:50:29
Speaker 2: A whole lot more sputted out than just the offense.

00:50:31
Speaker 5: I have questions about Kyler for all of these, for all of these reasons that Steve mentioned. So yeah, I don't necessarily trust those guys yet, So I'm not putting them on.

00:50:42
Speaker 3: Really, I'm really excited to see both of them this year.

00:50:45
Speaker 2: I think Seattle is going to be a really good team. I think they're going to so much put I think they're going to end up being really good. We just don't know.

00:50:51
Speaker 4: When you look at Arnold can take his career to a totally different level, become a guy that's going to be a starting quarterback for a long time, you'll do it again. And then Kyler this is really his last Chancelloon. So it's a nose all around for Kyler and Sat Darnold. We've we've been relatively efficient. Like I mentioned, two spots are remaining.

00:51:12
Speaker 6: Always we've got we've tabled.

00:51:14
Speaker 4: We've tabled four guysix, Gino, Love and Tua and there's only two players we have not discussed.

00:51:19
Speaker 3: You just mentioned one of them. It's CJ. Stroud. Yeah, so uh's.

00:51:25
Speaker 2: For me.

00:51:25
Speaker 4: He was the hardest one for me and me to I'll say, like, what is this list exactly?

00:51:32
Speaker 3: Because you know CJ.

00:51:36
Speaker 4: Stroud was the guy who illuminated that question more than anyone. Because to me, do I believe that he plays football at a level that deserves to be on this list?

00:51:49
Speaker 2: Yes? I do.

00:51:51
Speaker 3: If I was starting my team. Yes, I do do.

00:51:52
Speaker 4: I think he kind of defines a position in a way that just like, yeah, like I I think he's got he's got it for, he's got a lot of pop, he's got it for lack of a better word. But he's coming off a pretty rough season, and am I only basing it off one rookie year? Him versus Nicks to me is an interesting question, Like they both statistically had two of the better rookie seasons that we've seen. Stroud was another level. Yeah, frankly, but they both were really good. So like those guys versus each other, Stroud versus a Love, for instance, like it, I don't have the answer for me, I.

00:52:26
Speaker 5: Would put Stroud in there over Jordan Love. Not because I think that either of them lack different potential.

00:52:33
Speaker 6: I don't.

00:52:34
Speaker 5: I'm not trying to use it as sort of a negative quantification of anybody. I just think that if I'm building a franchise around a quarterback CJ. Stroud to me separates a little bit in that conversation. Now I will say he is also in my guys. I don't trust yet, just this for this season for various reasons, because of how catastrophic last year went for him, not just not really because of what he specifically was doing, but because of how everything fell apart around him and it got so bad.

00:53:05
Speaker 6: And I just think that when you.

00:53:07
Speaker 5: Have chaos or tumultuous circumstances around you in the similar ways Jordan Love kind of has had with his receivers room, for example, then I think that it's really tough between those guys, and I have him.

00:53:21
Speaker 6: I couldn't decide on c J. Stroud. I just had him in this. I've decided trust bucket section.

00:53:26
Speaker 2: I decided because of when I go back and something something I said about some of the guys you said earlier and about Jalen Hurts and guys like this, I think c J. Stroud is a type of quarterback where you could put him in almost any scheme with any coach and he's gonna he's gonna be the guy to lead your team. Right, last year, they did have chaos, right, They had injuries, like mad offensive line was terrible. Clearly there was some disconnect between the O C the O line coaches.

00:53:51
Speaker 6: And then they lost Mixon.

00:53:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, so but that's the thing. Very yes, So I'm a yes, But like you look at it this year. They got lost your mix it again. They've got wide receiver concerns, They've got O line concerns. But I'm going to say, when I look at the rest of the guys on here, circumstance and everything on here, I think CJ. Stroud is still a quarterback who I would say, I believe a T J.

00:54:19
Speaker 6: Shroud I do too.

00:54:21
Speaker 5: And but I would ask you this because this is going to be the question we're going to have to ask here in a second. You might have to be deciding to put c J. Stroud on over Geno, which I know based on your GA that you would, but that's going to be the thing.

00:54:35
Speaker 6: That might come up. And also c J.

00:54:37
Speaker 5: Stroud potentially, depending on how the rest of the debate goes, potentially over Bonix.

00:54:41
Speaker 2: I would put TJ. Shroud over Bonix right now.

00:54:43
Speaker 6: Then that tells me everything.

00:54:44
Speaker 4: Okay, So to me, Steve is a yes on yeah, yes, I'm gonna table him right now. Okay, And just and just see, because we haven't gotten to rock pretty yet, we have two spots left. We've tabled five guys. I think let's determine the final two spots of QB island after the break, will there be backroom dealings?

00:55:09
Speaker 3: Well, it's not recording back on NFL Daily. No one accepted my bribes.

00:55:23
Speaker 6: Is anyone else sweaty?

00:55:25
Speaker 3: Yes?

00:55:26
Speaker 2: Just like this is tense, man, This is like coming off on the final episode.

00:55:32
Speaker 4: Why shouldn't Jordan their their morals, their integrity are.

00:55:36
Speaker 3: Pristine, were intact right now?

00:55:38
Speaker 4: Yeah, So we've tabled five guys, by the way, Tua, Jordan, Love, c J. Stroud, Gino and Nicks. We haven't talked. I tabled Stroud in part because and I think we're at the point where we need to just put our cards on the table. I think Party is the one I feel the strongest should be on the island of everyone remaining. And I know I've been on a journey with Perty and part of the reason is his his season last year had a lot of c J. Strouds season to it. I think he proved to me last season that he can elevate his numbers still top ten and all the advanced stats and all that sort of stuff. But more importantly was it was the eye test I think, and I think his situation was better than CJS for instance, but his history now that he played well enough to win a super Bowl, that he played his absolute best when they absolutely needed it trailing in those playoff games, and that he is a little longer of a track record of all these guys remaining, I think he's the guy that I feel the strongest should be a yes. So that's why I wanted a table CJ for now, and I say yes on Brock's it's a yes.

00:56:49
Speaker 3: Oh wow, he got a unanimous this late in the game.

00:56:53
Speaker 5: I have to tell you though, it is it is a very well documented Like at some point I'm gonna bribe Eric to make a a super cut of your journey through because because as a player improves what I really like about your journey tumultuous at times with brock.

00:57:10
Speaker 6: Perty as it has been.

00:57:12
Speaker 5: As a player improves and shows that he can do different things, you have also evolved and adjusted your evaluation of said player.

00:57:21
Speaker 2: Well.

00:57:21
Speaker 4: Also, I might have been like wrong for a lot of the time too, that I wasn't seen enough of the things that were there. Of course, I mean it's happened with a lot of people. With Josh Allen, we went through it on the other round. Chris Westling was always in in in on Josh Allen and I was I was not, and like, ultimately I just didn't see it right.

00:57:38
Speaker 2: Well, it's like a lot of people with Justin Herbert like oh to you what? And you know when we live in La so we get to see a lot of Justin Herbert and it's like that dude. Put him on and put him on any other team, put him on any team for the most he's gonna be pretty dark good.

00:57:53
Speaker 6: Yeah.

00:57:53
Speaker 5: And to your point, Greig, the the way that he showcased making a range of different kinds of throws, having to be the person who lifted the floor of that offense at times last year with all the injuries that they waked through though that is, and the fact that he is clearly one of their so to speak, weight bearing walls of trying to develop this roster forward this year. I think all of those things are in his favor. And yeah, I do think he belongs on the island.

00:58:21
Speaker 4: Well, he was in the original graphic with Josh Allen, CJ. Mahomes Kyler is in there and Jalen Hurts, so that's just a little bit of a plus for him.

00:58:29
Speaker 3: So wow, he is on there.

00:58:30
Speaker 2: He's got Christop McCaffrey back this year.

00:58:32
Speaker 4: He is on there, which means there's only one spot remaining for five players. Now, you essentially said no to Gino and two way way back in the show, and we tabled him because I just.

00:58:42
Speaker 3: Wanted to see where we were at at this point.

00:58:45
Speaker 4: I'm not making the fight for either of those guys personally, and so I will join you on the nose for Gino too. I think Gino is closer than some of these other guys, but ultimately I'm not.

00:58:56
Speaker 3: I'm not.

00:58:57
Speaker 4: If it was a little bigger of an island, I would do it, but I don't think he's defined.

00:59:00
Speaker 2: So we've got Jordan love Stroud, how sad Stafford, I am sad.

00:59:05
Speaker 3: That's a note. I don't know if you are yes or no on those two guys.

00:59:07
Speaker 5: I want to I'm gonna on both of them, but I do want to push back just a little bit because, actually, Greg, I think that there's a lot of questions about.

00:59:17
Speaker 6: Gino right now moving to a different team.

00:59:19
Speaker 5: Obviously, it's a team that really wanted him badly and a great fit with the coaching staff there and all of that, and so, but the questions that have sort of circulated, as I think they tend to do with quarterbacks who move into different environments, whether it's a new regime coming into their old spot or for whatever reason. But I got to say, watching him and Brock Bauers and Ashton Janty, I think we're going to be voting him back on very very soon.

00:59:43
Speaker 2: Good preach.

00:59:44
Speaker 3: I mean that what am I doing here? Take it to Final Island.

00:59:48
Speaker 5: And this is just a projection, because I'm actually shocked that Greg went this direction.

00:59:52
Speaker 4: Well, because I look at him versus Stroud and Nick specifically, and for how I think about the Island for some reason, I think they deserve it more so he would be my next guy after those two.

01:00:03
Speaker 2: Here's here's where I think he's going to be challenged. We're going to find out if Gino is really that guy. He's going to be playing from behind a lot more than he had to play from behind in Seattle. The Raiders defense is still going to get gashed, right, They're still going to get tagged. Playing in that division. He is going to have to put up shootout some numbers for them to win ballgains. He wasn't necessarily asked to do that in Seattle because at times he was that defense was pretty good. We saw Gino when he's having to play toe to toe or with the lead, he's very That's why I think he's going to be a little bit challenged. Like Stroud's got a defense. It's going to keep them in games, right right, Bonnicks as a defense, it's going to keep them in games every week, So they might not have to show themselves as much as Gino. If I'm using that as the barometer, got to something we have to see when we come back tough.

01:00:46
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, you don't think Geno Nation is watching the Seahawks suddenly have a cohesive offensive line and running game and be like, you couldn't have done that. You could have made it a little more quarterback friendly back.

01:00:57
Speaker 5: Then we also don't have like an old guy badass on the island yet.

01:01:02
Speaker 3: Oh that's a good point.

01:01:03
Speaker 5: Just to Devil's advocate, it's weird that because I know, I know you want to.

01:01:08
Speaker 2: Get it now is just a Stafford argument.

01:01:10
Speaker 3: No, it's weird to think of Gino as I don't trust it. Old guy? How old is you know? Thirty four years old?

01:01:15
Speaker 4: Now? Wow, okay, it's down to three guys and here's The thing about Jordan Love. As much as I love watching him play, I don't feel like there's enough support, Like maybe maybe it's Steve. But of these three guys, Nick Stroud and Love, I find Love to be the harder argument, even though I think he's great and yeah, yeah.

01:01:39
Speaker 2: What he's health and he's on. I mean, he's he's special. But again, when we look at these three.

01:01:44
Speaker 4: I would have him behind Geno for what it's worth to Jordan left Love compared to these two guys, I would chase it.

01:01:50
Speaker 5: I'm a no, I'm a no on him, But man, the highs are so high with that guy.

01:01:55
Speaker 4: Looks if I was just drafting quarterbacks like to move forward, I'd have him above all these guys except for Stroud.

01:02:02
Speaker 5: Yeah.

01:02:03
Speaker 6: That well, that was what I was saying.

01:02:04
Speaker 5: That was that was what caught me mentally. I was that was so hard because I was really just camping those two together. I mean, either way, you're in a great spot as an organization with either one of those guys.

01:02:14
Speaker 6: But for me, C. J. Stroud just had the edge slightly there.

01:02:17
Speaker 4: So we're down to Straw and Bonnicks. Right, it can only be one that's easy, And what is it c J. Straw Right, I think it's c J. Stroud too, Broncos Nation. I kind of want it's got time. Bo's got time to get back in there. We're yes, it's all around cjtra He is the final member of Quarterback Island twenty twenty five.

01:02:35
Speaker 3: Here you go, at least the first one. You know you got it.

01:02:40
Speaker 4: We got to give Bo Nick something to fight for, something to be hungry. You can't get at all before the season even starts. The Broncos fans they want it all.

01:02:48
Speaker 3: Oh you're not.

01:02:48
Speaker 4: You're not pumping us up enough. Say that they're the best team that's ever been made.

01:02:52
Speaker 2: No, okay, but when we come back were thirteen fourteen, We come back with five or week six to do this again. Which one of the guys who didn't get on.

01:03:00
Speaker 4: On Well, see, I don't like to think that Liz Bridge who didn't get out, you're going to say that is on?

01:03:05
Speaker 3: That is most likely you.

01:03:06
Speaker 2: Did not get on. Who's going to be the big threat? Will it be Gino, Will it be Bo Nicks? Will it be Stafford?

01:03:13
Speaker 4: Now Bow Knicks has a lot of organizational support that I think, and he's going to grow in that system. And they could be a really great team. Right, Yeah, that's gonna that's going to help his case. I believe Jordan loved to be the most.

01:03:29
Speaker 5: His ceiling, Jordan loves ceiling is the highest of any of those guys.

01:03:32
Speaker 4: He's the most likely to be in a Hey, nfl dot COM's listing their their top four MVP candidates after Week four. Of any of the guys not on the QB Island list, he's the most likely to be on that.

01:03:44
Speaker 5: You think, Yeah, yeah, his ceiling. Like I said, his ceiling is the highest of anyone remaining. I think there's a good argument that because I'm thinking about how Sean McVay offenses have historically gone to start the season when he does have the health of the quarterback. It could you know, Stafford could make a case.

01:04:00
Speaker 6: Gino I think.

01:04:01
Speaker 5: Still will make a case by the time we reconvene. But if I were going to say who would be on it if we revoted all things equal, if we've revoted ten times, Boenix might get the vote five times out of that tent.

01:04:15
Speaker 2: I yeah, I mean, wow, this is a I.

01:04:19
Speaker 4: Don't smoke, but I feel like I need a cigarette, you know. Yeah, it's kind of war that I don't even really drink much, but I need to drink, you know, just the whole thing.

01:04:27
Speaker 2: Like I said, because Gino, Because I mean, I don't think the Raiders defense is going to be that great. But if Gino can come up here and make some plays to save the day, yeah he got. He's got to me, he's got more of an opportunity to be a hero than a lot of these things.

01:04:39
Speaker 4: And honestly, among everyone, both him and Darnald have the most to be angry about, in the sense that, like we are writing Gino off, will he right back? You know, Sam Darnold and Gino Smith finished last season on Quarterback Island.

01:04:56
Speaker 6: Yeah, whether legal or not, they believe that.

01:04:59
Speaker 4: You know, they were an important part in elevating this franchise to the point where we got picked up for season two. And this hasn't been publicly discoes, but we all got huge pay bumps Quarterback.

01:05:10
Speaker 6: Island, I got, I got a bad joke.

01:05:13
Speaker 5: I have a question for you guys though, Actually, before we wrap of the guys who for sure are not on the island, let's say you have to pick one of those guys to uh build the next season at least not the long term future.

01:05:31
Speaker 2: Jordan Michael Pennick.

01:05:32
Speaker 5: Well, I'm saying, like the guys that we voted that we voted that are not off, not the sort of like unproven guys yet you know, like I wouldn't say you could pick JJ. I'm saying between like Flocko Rogers.

01:05:43
Speaker 4: Deep Deep we answered that. Yeah, I think it's Rogers Rogers Deep Deep Cut. Maybe it's because it's what I fear the most, but ultimately he didn't make not the most in my life.

01:05:56
Speaker 3: That's my mortality. But we've been through that.

01:05:59
Speaker 6: A lot of a lot of death talk, a lot of death talk so far NFL Daily season, these.

01:06:03
Speaker 4: Twelve men are breathing life into Quarterback Island. We are saying goodbye. We will be back in the feed with forties and free agents next we switched up the order and later in the week, but more importantly, we'll be back on Quarterback Island throughout the season.

01:06:19
Speaker 3: The quarterly decision of who gets to stay.

01:06:23
Speaker 4: And I'm looking forward to the regular season because we've got more Steve Weisch in the studio now that we're at the big time, the members of Quarterback Island once again. Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Jared Goff, Jalen Hurts, Jaden Daniels, Dak Prescott, Baker Mayfield, Justin Herbert, rock Purdy, and the last one CJ. Stroud. Don't let us down. You've been given a huge responsibility.

01:06:54
Speaker 6: I think we nailed that.

01:07:00
Speaker 5: S