NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Dolphins-Bills TNF Recap with Bill Barnwell

Episode Date: September 13, 2024

Gregg Rosenthal is joined by ESPN's Bill Barnwell to recap the Bills beating the Dolphins on Thursday Night Football. To start, the guys discuss the unfortunate injury to Tua Tagovailoa (0:41) and the overall state of the Dolphins (9:50). The guys then shift to talk about the Bills' offensive performance (17:10) and surprising defense (22:35). After the break, Gregg and Bill talk about their preseason predictions and tell you which ones they feel good about (27:49), which predictions they regret (33:37), and what is a prediciton they wish would have made (39:35).  Note: time codes approximate. NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hey, everybody. Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the 6th, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else.

It's everything you need to understand the why behind what happens on Sunday. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Florio, and together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet. We've got the insight to help you crush your opponents.

Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. Welcome to NFL Daily, where we'll always call it Joe Robbie. Stadium. I am Greg Rosenthal here on a Thursday night. Yes, we're live on YouTube. Welcome and to everyone else who's not watching. I'm with Bill Barnwell in a game that was well decided before the biggest thing to happen in this game happened. The bills win easily in Miami 31 to 10 bill. And normally I'd be screaming and yelling and getting into the football of it all. But we we got to start with

to a tongue of Iloa who left this game in the third quarter with a concussion and quickly ruled out of the game. It was a scary hit on the field. It's tough to even know where to go with this, Bill, in terms of analysis, but it was one of those moments that takes your breath away, unfortunately, and felt familiar. Yeah, I think the tough part for me is, you know, you could see what was happening, right? Like, it wasn't as if this was a random play in a random moment in a game where nothing could have been anticipated and nothing could happen. Like, clearly this was a game where the dolphins were struggling. Tua was struggling. He'd already thrown three interceptions, including a pick six. And clearly he wanted to make a play, right? Like,

he wanted to do something for his team. He wanted to go above and beyond. And it just is unfortunate and sad to see that that led to, you know, him taking an unnecessary hit on a play where you probably could have slid and got a first down. I'm not criticizing Tewa here. I'm saying basically, you know, like the circumstances of the game, I think, led to it to do something that in a different situation he would have been smarter about. And that is unfortunate because, you know, the dolphins and Tua, like his history is well known. You know, the impact of the injury on the dolphins is significant. But the impact on the injury on Tua is significant. I mean, this is a player who, you know, there were serious questions about the future of his career a couple of years ago.

I'm very happy he was able to stay healthy last year. happy he got paid this off-season, but obviously, you know, just a heartbreaking injury for Tua, for Dolphins fans, for fans of the league, just one of those things where everyone just felt awful the moment it happened. Right. And it reminds you so much of, you know, the injury he had really the second one, which was, I believe, on a Thursday night football game two years ago in the 2022 season. So just to recap, this is the fourth known concussion that he's had since And he spoke before the 2023 season and said that earlier that off season, especially in the wake of the concussion when he was out at the end of the 2022 season, that he considered retirement.

And that stayed in my mind. And it definitely was something that I thought about when he got this contract extension. The NFL moves so quickly that that contract feels like it was a long time ago. And it was just last month. It was in August where, you know, he gets $93 million guaranteed, maybe 160, depending on how you look at it. And Mike McDaniel signs a contract before this season. And we're taping this after the game.

We're going to be looking to see what Mike McDaniel says. At this point in the process, it's hard to imagine. There's much of any specifics, but you do worry about a young man who obviously had questions bigger than football, Kaylee Hartung on Amazon, who, did a good job throughout the night updating the audience pointed out that he was rolled out six minutes after did say family was with him in the locker room and you could see bill mike mac daniel and the look on his face it was a very human moment when first of all when he when he when he kissed two on his way out but also they had a shot on him i don't know if you saw it

was early in the fourth quarter and the game's going on and you could almost just read what was going on in his head, that he was already thinking ahead to what's next. And there's no point in guessing, like, how long this is going to be or anything like that. But obviously, they're going to have to come up with some solutions in the short term and maybe in the medium term, and we'll see how long term it is for what they want to do at quarterback. It was Skyler Thompson tonight, who won a backup battle. and that backup battle, which I was following pretty closely with Mike White in training camp,

now looms a little larger, just in my mind, because the word from their fans, from everyone that was tracking that, the reporters were that both backups were really struggling and had a really poor training camp, and Thompson kind of won that job by default. And it was a short sample, but he struggled tonight, too, as did Tua when he was on the field. Yeah, I mean, a couple things come to mind for me. You know, with the Tua injury in the big picture, right? I mean, this was a situation where, like you said, the league moves so fast that I really think after 2023, after a successful season where he didn't take a lot of hits, he was very smart with the football, he gets the ball out so fast anyway. You know, there is he, to talk about him doing

jujitsu, practicing, you know, going taking hits, avoiding head injuries. You know, I think there was this hope that, okay, like he had this scary thing happened to him in the past, but things are different now, right? Like, he is a smarter player. He's going to be safer. No one's going to get mad at him. If he doesn't take a hit or if he's protecting the football, like he protects himself, like everyone's on board with that. We're hoping this is a thing of the past and that this is a smarter, safer Tua

moving forward. And I think this injury sort of poked a hole in that balloon, right? Like that is not the case anymore. Maybe that was naive. Maybe that was just hope as opposed to logic. But it did feel like, you know, that feeling of, you know, sort of Tua, having moved past those injuries, unfortunately. It's not the case. He's still going to be dealing with this.

I mean, it's one play. That's football. Like all these guys, no matter how safe you are, you're one play away and you're right. I think it was such a good point to make because I hadn't really thought about that, that the situation of the game might have led a little bit to the desperation of that play. Just to just to situate it, it was 31 to 10 bills. So this injury did not really have a material impact on the game. In fact, the score was the exact same as the final score. They were inside the 10-yard line. It's midway through the third quarter. Intour is having a nightmare game.

Now, the first two interceptions, you could put on his receivers and the lack of depth, they have a wide receiver right now. The first one hits his receiver in the hands. It's maybe a little bit early, but it hit him in the hands. Good anticipation pops up in the air of the bills. Get it.

The second one, Robbie Chosen, who's newly joined to the team. Both the receivers who were involved in these plays weren't on the team in mid-August. It doesn't seem like Chosen runs the route that Tua expects. He sails it. And then the third interception was just a play that Tua was trying to throw the ball out of bounds. But he was under such pressure.

His arm didn't get it there. And it was a really poor decision by him there. So it was a game where he obviously was not happy with how it was going because it was so similar to so many Bill's games in the past. They put it up that they've lost 11 to 12. To me, those don't matter as much as they've now lost. five of six in the McDaniel era. And that, to me, is germane to this discussion, including a September game last week,

last season, rather, when the dolphins were undefeated and the Bills came in and waxed them. So we will get to the Bills side of it. It was a really important game for the Bills, and they did a fantastic job. So we will give their fans. And I know Eric, who's our producer, who's taken care of his four-month-old baby behind the glass

and is like quietly gleeful that the Bill's had such an easy game. Like have some class, Bill's fans and Eric. Let's finish, though, the Tua discussion. Just from a practical standpoint, Al Michaels mentions that, well, Tua's got like the mini buy week to try to come back. And I'm just shaking my head here. It was not a good game for Al Michaels. I'm just not, I'm not sure this is the crew for Amazon.

I just don't think it's, I don't think, they were up for it. Like they didn't provide context when Tua was coming off the field. They asked really Hartung to do a lot of that. You know, he compares it, you know, says it's ironic that it's DeMarer Hamlin in the moment and all this stuff.

And I'm thinking it's probably going to be more of a mini buy situation. But I couldn't help but look ahead just because you start thinking about like managing the season and what's going to be next. They're at Seattle in week three. They're home for Tennessee in week four and they're at the Patriots in week five. Then they have their, week after that. So that's just a little bit of context of who's coming up next. Do we dare like speculate about whether it could be anyone but Skyler Thompson here, you know, Ryan Tannahill

Dolphins fans were hoping might be an option when this battle was going on. Scholar Thompson hasn't really progressed, I don't think, since his rookie year when he actually was surprisingly good and played pretty well against the bills in the playoffs. You know, there is a, former Patriots quarterback that's out there that they once tried to sign during the season. I'm just saying it's not that crazy. Their owner wanted them then. Is it that crazy? Bill Barnwell, or am I getting way too ahead of myself? I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself. And I would say, Greg, really, you know, the thing that gets lost in the shuffle here with the dolphins is they're already feeling the impact of the two of a signing. And I don't want to

talk about what might happen with two or down the line in terms of the contract. I don't think this is the timer place for that. No. But in terms of the roster they constructed around what was presumably going to be a healthy two of this year, think about the interceptions in this game. Like you said, the first two picks, two players who were not on the roster in mid-August, fourth and fifth wide receivers behind the big two in Braxton Berrios, guys who are not making a lot of money because the dolphins can't afford to spend a lot of money on their third, fourth, fifth receivers. The third interception comes into play where the left side of the line gets caved in. They're on a third string guard, I believe,

after injuries, and of course, Robert Hunt to the Panthers this off season in free agency. And then Toron Armstead, they're a very good left tackle who has a significant track record of battling injuries himself, came out for that play to get a shoulder harness adjusted. He ended up leaving the game later on as well. That, to me, is sort of, you know, even if you go out and get a Tannahill, even if you go out and get Mike White, even if Skylar Thompson does play better than he has in years past, this is a much more limited version of last year's team and a team that is rebuilding on the offensive line a team that has you know questions on defense with the pass rush

and they were okay against Jacksonville in the second half but inconsistent with the pass rush the secondary is a work in progress they have some you know they have veterans there but some changes there as well I just have this sort of question about you know even given even if you know hopefully Tua is a able to recover and come back relatively quickly, Greg, what we've seen from this team, the first two weeks, does not suggest they are, you know, even close to what they were a year ago, let alone competitive to the point where you think they're taking a step forward.

And, you know, with a roster where you have guys like Tyree Kill and Jalen Ramsey, who are, you know, exiting the prime of their careers. Right. And that's a good point because, look, before the injury, Tyree Kill and Jalen Waddle were both very quiet in this game. And it's been an inconsistent pass. He's like very different than the dolphins, how they started last season. Actually, two seasons ago, two, Tyree Kill finishes with only three catches for 24 yards. Waddle goes four for 41.

Eric, let's throw up a question here from our YouTube viewers. But Cody Home asked, why were the Finns running so much? That's an interesting question. I think that was the plan coming into it. So I think they were effective running the ball. At halftime, they actually had 101 yards running. rushing on 20 carries, midway through the third before the Tua injury, they had 143 yards on like 24 carries. So I think the plan tonight, and it goes to what you were saying, Bill,

was they don't have a third receiver. Odell Beckham has not been healthy. I mean, they should have probably seen that coming. Last week, actually, they had two tailbacks on the field, whether it was a fullback or two running backs, because they had most in H.N. on the field at the same time. Over 50% of the time, I mean, they are right at the center of going heavier personnel and running and throwing out of it. They've had two tight ends on the field quite a bit. They had two running backs on the field. And I think they rightly were thinking that they could run the ball well against the bills. And they did. The situation of the game just dictated that it got away from them. And when they were throwing the ball, the bills didn't blitz. I have to

recheck the stats, but they didn't blitz once in the first half. So they're just, laying back, they're trying to prevent the big pass and even without their linebackers and they lost Terrell Bernard to a pectoral injury in this game. That is something to watch closely because they could be down there two really good linebackers. Matt Milano and Terrell Bernard for a while, if that's serious.

They were able to make it work by trying to prevent the big play. So I don't fault the dolphins for trying to run. They also lost Jeff Wilson actually late in this game who had an oblique injury. And you mentioned Armstead. It was officially a shoulder injury. So just kind of a disaster for the Dolphins who also, you know, Mike McDaniels struggled with clock management in this game.

There was a lot going on to your point to make them a little bit more worried than just the Tua injury. Yeah. And Greg, you know, during the broadcast from what I saw, from what the announcers were saying, I don't have the exact numbers in front of me, but they said the bills were playing a ton of two high shells. And that typically for teams means you're going to have an advantage in the box. You should be running the football. And so I do think from their perspective, they were going to be a run-heavy team in this game because of how the bills were coming out and defending.

Like you said, the bills were taking away the big plays. Something Shrunner-Demate defenses do extremely well, historically, is take away big plays. And they wanted them to run the ball. And the dolphins were going to run the ball, and the dolphins were running the ball pretty successfully. The only problem was they would end up in a third down situation and throw the ball, and it would lead to a sack or an interception. And so they fell behind because they gave the bills a couple short fields. And then, like you said, once the game script changed, it was unfortunately still a mess.

But even into that two-minute drill, they were running the ball a ton, a lot of short passes. They weren't attempting stuff downfield because the bills weren't giving them anything downfield. And that felt so much to me. The comparison I made on Twitter was it felt like the Jimmy Garoppolo drives with Kyle Shanahan, where they did not trust Jim McGropold in those situations. They did not want to put it in tight spaces. Kind of felt like Mike McDaniel was doing the same thing. That situation for him, it was more important to deny the bills another opportunity to score

than it was to give the dolphins the best possible chance of scoring a touchdown. And, you know, it ended up kind of being lost in the shuffle. But like you said, this was a situation where, you know, even the broadcast was criticizing the clock management for the dolphins in that situation. And it was not an impressive piece of work. And you know, it led to a field goal, which is fine. But just a very curious series of decisions from the dolphins who seem very concerned about throwing the ball deep against. Like you said, you know, a Bill's team that had injuries at linebacker, they're rebuilding its safety. It's not like this is a dominant Bill's defense on paper.

No. And I have an advantage on you, Bill. And, you know, many of the rest of our industry now, I'm getting the next gen's that's live. Apparently, I could have had this last year, and I didn't even realize it. But yeah, split safety, two was fine against it, 13 for 17, but, you know, only 103 yards in one of his picks. But that's a lot of throws. So they had the split safeties out there a lot of the way. And as I mentioned, it was Dolphins ball, 7-7, very late in the first quarter, when he threw that second interception.

And after that point, it just felt like the Bill's offense was. too big and tough, and they started just running it down their throats. And then when you were in a tough situation, Josh Allen just started doing Josh Allen things. It's been a bummer talking about this too, I think. I mean, it's a bummer when we lose starting quarterbacks. This is the second primetime game that we've been talking about it. So let's feel good, and let's listen to a positive highlight.

Eric, give me your boy, Josh Allen, finding James Cook on a great running throw to set up a touchdown. Samuel goes back and forth and gets set. Pass to the outside, wide open, inside the 10. And James Cook takes it in. A lot of eye candy there, a lot of motion, and finds the open man and the wide open man, as it turns out. So that is fourth and three. That's actually early in the first quarter.

And the reason I wanted to point that out is that they went for it. It's first quarter. It's scoreless. And I noticed this last week, and I clocked it. In two situations last week where Sean McDermott traditionally was pretty conservative, they went for it in a first half situation that was rather similar to that one and they didn't get it. And then a second half situation where they did get it. And I'm like, hey, if they're going to lean into this offense,

I love that Sean McDermott is kind of finding religion when it comes to going for it on fourth down. Because ultimately, as good as their defenses schematically and stuff like, this is an offensive team, and they've been great on offense these first two weeks. Wasn't he in Carolina when Ron Rivera Wondon of the Great's transformation in NFL history from a team coach who actually cost his team games to very briefly a marginally aggressive coach

and got about eight years of got eight years of jobs out of it? I mean, you know, you have Josh Allen. Like you have that guy who is going to be a difference maker who's going to terrify opposing teams in short yardage. And in that play, Josh Allen didn't do much But it was a, you know, they called Mesh. They just do some really cool motion to get some picks,

some natural picks for the swing route. Or sorry, the railroad, I should say. And it's a perfect catch and throw. And James Cook is a absolutely great player for that situation. So as long as they have plays, they feel good about. I mean, they should absolutely be a team that's aggressive on fourth down. And, you know, this is not the same caliber of Bill's team that I believe they've had in years past.

This is a team that is in transition. I might disagree with you there, buddy. I might disagree with you. I picked them to win the Super Bowl. I'm feeling good about it right now. Wow. I picked them to win the AFCs. I felt like that was a pretty aggressive choice.

But there's definitely positives here, right? Like, you know, the running game looks good. The Von Miller looked kind of spry tonight for a guy who was pretty much anonymous last year. The secondary looks okay so far. I thought Arizona gave them a little more trouble than I would have liked. But I just feel like this is a team

where the losing Stefan Diggs was their biggest story this off season and that was not going to be as impactful of a loss as maybe people made it out to be. I think some of the players they lost this off season

were out of their prime years they were dealing with injuries a lot. I think moves that had to be made and I do think the spills team is better than the dolphins on paper. I do think the spills team is good enough to win the division but of course so much that's going to come down

to how healthy Josh Allen is for 17 games. Right. I mean, you can say that about any great quarterback. And look, Josh Allen didn't have to do much tonight, 13 for 19 for 139 in the air with a touchdown because the running game got going in because they just turned the ball over on offense, I mean, on defense.

But, you know, the reason I went with him was, well, more just that, it just seems so hard to 3P. And I just felt the team out of the, I'm going to pick an AFC team. There's too many good teams. And Josh Allen is, he's due like an MVP year. I mean, this is all, like, ridiculous things to talk about. They reminded me of the 2022 chiefs where it's like you have the offensive line.

I think this is the best offensive line of the Bill's era with Josh Allen. I think this is the best coordinator and the best fit just right now for where they're at. This can be a really good year. And that they have enough options. So Khalil Shakir tonight, their leading receiver again, five for 54. He only had to run 16 routes. So this was a strange game. But what I was talking about in the first half when they needed to,

they just kind of leaned on the Dolphins defense, which seemed to start getting tired. And Cook ends up going 11 for 78 and two touchdowns. Let's listen to one more play. It was actually a near touchdown, but it was Josh Allen being Josh Allen and setting up what ended up being a Cook touchdown. Low snap, dancing, looking downfield,

firing downfield caught at the two-yard line, the market at the one yard line. So Allen extends the play. Ty Johnson is the third down back. Normally stays in the block. Send him out on the pattern. Find him at the one yard line. And yeah, if you're watching that play over again,

you can see it's Jalen Ramsey on the play. He's been on the wrong side of a lot of negative plays through two weeks. Now, he missed camp, some injury concerns there right before he signed the contract. He wasn't even practicing, whether that was injury or contract related. You know, some people have different thoughts. I say track record of maybe having mysterious back injuries. Right. So some people have noticed, though, he has struggled these two weeks.

But that was just a great rollout by Josh Allen on what was a third and 12 when the game was still up for grabs to Ty Johnson. And yeah, they've been resourceful on offense. I'm glad you mentioned Von Miller because I don't think we mentioned him on our show last week that he had five or six pressures in that game last week. He had a couple nice moves. He didn't look like Prime, Prime, Von Miller. But he looked like a plus pass rush, which he was so far away from being. And, man, they could use another one with Greg Grousseau. And tonight, not that I was watching Von Miller every single snap,

but he looked fast as hell on that sack. So that is good. For a team that has some negatives with injuries, I mentioned Bernard and obviously Milano's gone, and you didn't have Tehran Johnson. They've had some positives here from their veterans. Dionne Dawkins also, their left tackle. has played very well through two weeks.

So a lot to feel good about if you're a Bills fan. Yeah. And really, you know, on both sides tonight, it felt like the game plan was attacking the linebackers. You know, for the bills, there was a lot of the, you know, throws out into the flats, some boots for Josh Allen, trying to get stuff on the edge.

And then for the Dolphins, more, the tap passes, the reverses, the jet sweeps, you know, trying to use their receivers in those roles or using some, you know, A.C.N. in the flack quite a bit on some escort escort motion with those swing passes. But it felt like that was both teams identified that as a weakness for the other team.

I think it was right for both teams. I think the Daltbills obviously, you know, without Milano and then losing Bernard Raleen in the game, made sense to attack the linebackers if he could. For the dolphins, you know, they attacked David Long in coverage. It seemed like they, you know, I don't know Ramsey was in coverage on that big play,

but it felt like they wanted to, you know, attack the linebackers where they could. And so that, you know, feels like if there's a weakness for the bills right now, if Bernard does miss time with a pectoral injury, you feel like that would be it. But they looked fine without Milano the first two weeks. So hopefully, Sean McDermott was done a great job of coaching linebackers in the past can have them get by without Milano and Bernard for a stretch. Yeah, they, I mean, they're down to it, though. You know, they lost obviously. They lost the linebacker to Seattle in the offseason.

And they do have Doreen Williams from Tulane University stepping in. And he's at least not stood out in a bad way. AJ Klein is inevitably on this team at one point or another every single season. I don't think AJ Clyde's retired at this point. They do have a man, Baylon Spector. Is A.J. Klein retired? I don't know. Come back, A.J. Klein.

We would love to have you. I suspect will come back. And Green Oak, you're the other thing I wanted to say about the quarterback situation. I just wanted to bring this up. Okay. The halves and half-nots in the NFL for backup quarterback field really distinct, right? You know, where you have the, you have the dolphins where obviously you hope too doesn't get hurt. You don't know what's going to happen, but Skyler Thompson was a guy who, like you said, not playing well in camp, kind of won the job just because Mike White lost it.

Look at the Green Bay injury. I mean, they had to trade from Lake Willis, a guy who's not been good as a pro quarterback and who looked absolutely abysmal in the two snaps he had, filling in for Jordan Love. at the end of the game in Brazil it's one of those things where that is a position we don't think about very much but man you know even if you have a Nick Foles caliber backup

you know that is a big difference between guys who are replacement level players and so it's why I overrate these quarterbacks at least for what the money they make every year on my top 101 free agents I always put James Winston way higher and James Winston gets like a one year $3.5 million dollar contract

or whatever it is, he gets the equivalent of like a rotational defensive tackle. And yet the team that has just a somewhat capable backup, which I think he's even above that, like, it's such an advantage. To me, it's always been, especially lately, it's been, you know, a problem. All right, let's let's look at one more comment from the audience here. Come get Zappy, Miami says, you mean, I mean, that, no. Where is Bailey? I think he's not a practice squad somewhere.

know what the purpose of getting Bailey's after you do? No, there's no point. You might as well say to get Jay Cutler back in a Dolphins uniform. Man, it is a depressing night because the people, I'm trying to look for comments maybe from Mike McDaniel as we're taping it.

It hasn't happened yet. And the reality is like the Amazon post-game crew, they're already talking about retirement. People are writing about retirement. I think this is a very personal decision for Tuotunga Vailoa. It's just the night of the injury. To me, that it's very premature, but the reality is everything is going to be on the table and

we will just have to see. It's an awkward night. And just from a brass tax perspective, we'll remember the Tua injury, but it's also a very important night for the bills who go to 2 and O and could really be in charge of this division. Once again, they've kind of owned the dolphins the last few years. They beat them decisively twice last year, and that's how they won the division through tie break and now they will have the early tie break over the Dolphins too. Okay, going to take a quick break, but we're not done yet. What's up, everybody?

Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Sticks, we take you inside the game from scouting reports and player development to team-building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct. winning rosters. Every week we study the tape, talk to decision makers, and share the insights you won't find anywhere else. It's the kind of conversation that connects the dots, from college football prospects to the NFL stars of tomorrow. We break down the draft, analyze matchups, and evaluate how teams put it all together on game day. Plus, we dig in the coaching

strategies, roster construction, and the trends that shape the league year after year. Whether you're a die-hard fan or just love understanding the game on a deeper level, we give you the full picture. If you want insight that goes beyond the box score, this podcast is for you. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Six podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Matt Jones. I'm Drew Franklin. And this is NFL cover zero. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different. Did you see the Colts pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game. What was that?

oh my we think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining and twice a week that is exactly what you're going to get listen to NFL cover zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the IHeart radio app Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast Toyota the official automotive partner of the NFL visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more I'm Marcus Grant and I'm Michael Fiorio and together we host the NFL fantasy football podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season? Then you need the NFL fantasy football podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a fantasy vet, we've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL, Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. Okay, that's it for the game talk. But we're not done, Bill Barnwell. We are going to just talk a little bit about some predictions because there's nothing I love more than the navel-gazing bill. And I thought it would be fun, just kind of as we wrap up the normal part of the week here on NFL daily.

We will be dropping our picks against the spread show. on Friday afternoon, and so that's going to be a separate show. So for anyone that was looking for Cynthia Freeland and I's picks, we're picking three games against the spread every week. It's very quick, and that's going to come up in a separate show a little later, although I did pick the bills tonight, so I got that one, right? But that wasn't part of that. We're going to go back and actually just quickly go through a few predictions

that we made before the season even started. And you might say, we've just started week two. We've only played one game each and one game in week two. And yet, I want to already see what's changed your mind. So what we're going to talk about, Bill, is a prediction we feel really good about after one week, a prediction we've already started to regret, which is really my inspiration for this segment because there are a couple, but there's one that really stand out that I'm like, why did I do that?

And then just for fun, a prediction, I wish I made. So why don't we start with you We'll go a prediction that you feel good about so far Prediction I feel good about I predicted that the Giants were going to take a further step backwards And that they were going to be If not the worst team in football One of the worst teams in football

And from what I saw in week one Things were not pretty I mean the offense was hopeless They couldn't block they That's not sure they couldn't block in some place They were probably like a C minus blocking They were a D-minus for quarterback play. Newark Naver's is already, unfortunately, battling a knee injury.

He was limited in practice today. The defense looked totally made Sam Darnold look like the guy, Sam Darnold believers, I've hoped he was going to be for about half a decade now. I mean, everything looked wrong for them at home. And not like the Vikings are a great football team in my eyes. So I just, that's one where I feel like I feel pretty good about, you know, being skeptical of the Giants making a step of the right. direction. Well, I hope that you regret picking this as the prediction you feel good about

on Sunday afternoon, about 420 Eastern because there was no game I had a harder time picking this weekend than commanders' giants. But I actually went giants in the end because I just feel like they're, I honestly think they're two of the three worst teams in the NFL right now. So I'm with you that I agree. If I just had to guess, I think the Panthers, commanders, and giants are the worst three teams. But the Giants are in year three of their program. And They just have better players, and I know Daniel Jones was a mess, but that commander's defense, they could have given up 60 points to the bucket. There were so many receivers just flying open,

and they don't have a lot of talent on offense either. So I just kind of, maybe the vibes are enough for the commanders to get a win. That is the only thing I can think is the vibes. Wait, I mean, both teams are bad. Don't get me wrong. I said it was the toughest game for me to pick all weekend. I wrestled back and forth, but I went with the Giants in the end because, you know, they do have a bunch of good players.

so and they're like year three can't I think they can maybe go get a road win and at least get to one in one but ultimately I think that will be a prediction you feel good about I'm not arguing with you about that okay the prediction I feel good about was fading the falcons I will also the bills winning the super bowl it's a little early for that I had Josh Allen MVP bills winning the Super Bowl as like a three or four seed just felt like that's how they'll finally do it okay that feels good so far but fading the falcons was one of my strongest things all off season a lot of it was that Kirk cousins was coming off at Torn Achilles, and we just not assume that that's nothing. And so far, we'll see, but that really looks like something. And that the rest of the team wasn't so great that

like he's coming into a good situation, that they were more like about a four to five win roster that had a terrible schedule last year. And that the, yeah, I know they added talent on defense, but just there were questions all over the place that even if it was normal Kirk Cousins, like normal Kirk Cousins is pretty up and down. And I am very concerned about him after that week one performance that he's going to take a while maybe to get going and that the injury could really be an issue here early in the season or maybe throughout the season. So I'm feeling good about that prediction. You should. I mean, that was a absolute mess. And they were, I know ESPN Sats and Info had the numbers on them throwing 100% out of the time in the shotgun or 100% of the time

out of the shotgun. Pistol, yeah. No, no, 100% throw out of the shotgun. Oh, I got it. Yeah. 82% run rate out of the pistol. So very distinct play calling based on where Kirk Cousins was standing. Zero play action snaps in the game. Kirk Cousins is, I believe, had in my column, his slowest max speed of any game as a pro. I think Ben Solek had his column

traveled the least distance by far he's ever traveled in a game in the next-gen era. I mean, everything just tells you Kirk Cousins cannot walk at a high speed, let alone run. I hope that's wrong because he's on Monday night football this week and like I'm picking the Eagles

I want them to win and everything but I just don't want it to be like this weird sad thing with Kirk Cousins all right let's do the prediction that you already regret so this is what this is the centerpiece

of this segment here like what is something that you said that you actually are already like legitimately moving off and if there's nothing you could say nothing but if you're just stretching a fine one, tell me that. It's a couple that come to mind for me thinking I will go with Blake Corrin

being the lead back with the Rams. And I think at some point he's going to have a role. I think it's going to be injury dependent on Kyron Williams. But I just over this offseason, I look back at like late round picks who haven't had big rookie seasons, who got significant snaps in the year two and what happened. and so often they got benched quicker than anybody expected.

Like they were one and done in lead roles at running back. And then, you know, Karen Williams gets hurt during the off season. He's dealing with a foot injury that he's had in the past. He gets put on punt return duty. I'm just like, man, Blake Coram might get 75% of the snaps week one. Like, he might just be the lead back to begin the season. And then Blake Coram got zero offensive snaps in week one. Man, that was a small level prediction because I have a,

a feeling, Bill, actually. That's going to work out fine in the end. I think you were on the right track. I don't know if he's going to be the lead back now, but like it took a month for Kairn Williams to get the job last time. In fact, I believe there was some thought that when they had the injuries during the game on the offensive line, that they just prioritized pass protection in terms of their backs above all even. Like Ronnie Rivers might not blow up in a big hole, but they can trust them in past pro and that you see what that with running backs. Maybe that will be an issue for a couple weeks. But I think it might have been situational. I have a much bigger regret than that. Please. A much bigger regret. So I, I don't know why I did this. Like, I really leaned

in at the very end. I, like, got convinced that the Cowboys were just going to be a total disaster. And I, like, I kind of bought into the whole everything was feeling negative. And maybe it will turn negative in the end. But it really only took one game of like, oh yeah, Doc Prescott is freaking awesome. And I know it wasn't his best game ever, but he's still freaking awesome. And Michael Parsons is a total beast. And they really seem like they have some answers defensively that I think will make up for a few of the lack of depth issues that they have on the offensive side. And I think the rookies on the offensive line will figure things out. And they've already started off pretty well. So that was when I think I went a little too hard on was the Cowboys

going. I just think the Browns might not be that good. I mean, I had the Browns as 18 likely to decline before the year. I thought about them. The three things I thought about when you asked me the first question were Giants decline, I felt strongest about, Brown's decline, I forget about,

and Chargers improving, which they had the most Jim Harbaugh victory, I can imagine, in week one against the Raiders. But I think the Browns, their defense looked good, but not great in week one,

and their offense looked just horrifically bad. And I think the Cowboys played a role in that, but I do think the Cowboys may not look quite as good against stiffer competition in the weeks to come. Okay, let us know, you guys can let us know that are passing along in the comments.

What mistakes you've made in terms of your prediction? Chris Green says, biggest regret is paying Daniel Jones. Yeah, well, that was two years ago. Although I do think the Giants doubling down this offseason, Joe Shane didn't want to. I mean, he wanted to trade up for Drake May, but he didn't want to enough.

I think if they had really just sold the farm for him, I think the Patriots could have listened. And they had a good offer, but it didn't happen. And I don't know if, you know, there's a chance Joe Shane doesn't make it to year four, and then he has regrets about that. Can I give you my unifying theory of the New York Giants and Joe Shane's quarterback situation?

Please, yes. I believe Brian Dable and Joe Shane did not want Daniel Jones. I think when they got there, they were like, we'll give this guy a shot, but we're probably drafting a quarterback next year. And they had the same thing that happened with the Bills, where they had the unexpected year one playoff run with your, you know, incumbent quarterback who you don't love, and Daniel Jones played well at the end of the year. His best football was the end of that season. It was his first healthy year as a pro.

And I, my guess is that ownership who had bought it to Daniel Jones for several years, waited for him to be good, were the driving forces in that Daniel Jones contract. maybe Joe Shane didn't want to sign Saquan Barkley. I'm with you, but like what's going to happen now? Like they're going to lose their job, right? Because they should have listened to them about Saquan. They should have actually listened to that and just paid Saquan instead of paying

who is that guard from the Packers? Oh, John Runyon. Instead of playing John Runyon 10 and a half like go an extra million for for Saquan. If you can't coach up your guards to be better than that, then that's probably on you. You know, Greg, Greg, when you look at the draft and how nobody's

at drafting, you look at free agency and how good teams make bad decisions in free agency, good teams make bad trades. You're like, why are these guys getting paid so much? Well, one of the reasons GMs and coaches get paid so much is that sometimes they get fired because the owner strongly encouraged them to make bad decisions

and the owner is not the one who has to pay for it with their jobs. If you look at it about the last 20 years of the Las Vegas slash Oakland Raiders, that describes a lot of what's happened with the Raiders franchise. But we'll see. I mean, Daniel Jones, you know, it can't be much worse than it was week one. The commanders, like you said,

a lot of guys running free last week. If anyone's going to make Daniel Jones look good, it is the Washington commanders in week two. Yeah, it's a trend with these, this giants. It's a sneaky amount of reports of meddling. I mean, you had the whole Gino Smith, Eli Manning thing. You had really the last year or two of Eli Manning's career in different forms or fashion, which I think was definitely owner related. All right. Finally, we wrap with the prediction you wish you made. That's a tough one. The prediction

I wish I had made. You want me to go first? Yeah, I'm trying to think about what I want to do here. I got a couple. I mean, well, first, you know, we did the over-under draft on this show and I didn't want to take Pats over 4.5 because it just felt like

Homer. I believed it could be probably. After one week, I'm like, well, they're already 20% there. The schedule's tough, but that was one of the tough parts of the schedule, a tough road game in Cincinnati. So there's one. I think they can get to five. So I didn't want to be a homer.

They were on my longer list when I listed the over-unders last week that I liked. So that was one. No one, literally no one I don't believe on NFL.com. They asked like 36 writers to make who makes the playoffs. And I thought that six, seven spot in the AFC was pretty up for grabs. I didn't have the dolphins or jets there. So to me, I thought the AFC East was going to be. worse than people thought, and we'll see.

But I was like, who makes it? And I ended up going Colts, Chargers, six and seven. But literally no one, and I think it was because of the preseason, out of 36 people, pick the Steelers. And it's like, now already I'm like, maybe I should have taken the Steelers. Like, the Steelers are just fine the way. And then finally, I had heard some buzz from people in Philadelphia about Quinnian Mitchell in training camp, but like, man, they really think they found someone.

So a little Quignan Mitchell, like defensive rookie of the year, having a great season. Even after one week, I'm feeling like that, that feels a little, that could have been a spicy pick that looks good. A sprinkle. I think it's fair to say. I have the Patriots over four and a half. I had them as one of the most likely teams to improve in my column this year. Did not go boldly all the way to the playoffs. That is, I was not going to go quite that far.

But crazy, but stranger things. I mean, it would have been crazy to say the 313 and 1 Texans were going to win the AFCs. South last year, especially if they got blown out in week one by the Ravens. And yet that is exactly, Greg, what happened. Football is a very strange sport. I think they're going to be a lot better than people give them credit for. They're not going to be a playoff team, but I

think a seven-win team this year in New England and had that before the season. Prediction, I wish I had made. I wish I'd had the Rams out of the playoffs. That was the one where, for the longest time when I was due my playoff article, I had them out, and I

kept the teams I was putting in. I didn't feel good about it. I didn't feel good about the Falcons. I didn't feel good about Tampa. I didn't feel good about the Vikings. I had the Eagles out, so I couldn't pick them. And I felt like if I had to pick a big team out, I was going to go with the Eagles. And that doesn't feel great right now, but we'll see. But the injuries were already bad before the season began. And now Pukinakua is on the Pupit or on IR for four weeks. Joseph No Booms on IR for four weeks. Stephen Veal is on IR for four weeks. They were already banged up

on the offensive line before this. I mean, they are just absolutely battling injuries so far. So I feel like I would have had Rams out and maybe been a chicken and kept Eagles in, but maybe I should have just stuck with it and

maybe it just would be. Because the Rams did. They were in position to beat the Lions in Detroit if they get a stop at the end of that game. Maybe I'm being a little too harsh. Yeah, that was one of those games they played so well. If you're the Rams, you would have loved to come away with the win. But it almost made me feel better about them. Then again, they feel like a month at least away from being anywhere close to hole on the offensive line, which is a pretty big deal.

They're kind of built around their offensive line. As we wrap up, and thank you, Bill Barnwell, one of the best in the entire business, the best writer in the game right now. Check them out at ESPN.com. as I tell them often, my ESPN plus subscription, largely for Bill. A little bit for Zach Lowe, too. I got to admit, I do love me. A lot of people, a lot of people tell me, Zach is very good. I always throw that in.

I like Zach. If I can be, if I can be like the 10% of your ESPN plus behind. No, no, you're number one. You're number one by far. Number two is actually the U.S. Open women's, tennis tournament court 13 like you can get that on ESPN plus not to give them an ad but it's just like oh yeah there's the Marta Kosteic match that i want to watch i can't actually find that any anywhere else individual high level but like like modest court tennis speeds is what you're looking for

yeah love that what an athlete she is um but yeah uh he gets it done also the bill barnwell short show of course his great podcast and he's on around the horn and you see him on nfl live he is everywhere and he's been great forever. Before we say goodbye, though, I will read you just something that Mike McDaniel said after the game on Tua Tua's injury just said he's just worried about his guy, not something you ever want to be part of. He'll get a proper evaluation and then the dolphins will make a decision on how to proceed with the injury. And look, he said every concussion is different and you'll see, but there was good news that Tua will was in good spirits in the locker room after the game.

That alone makes it a different situation, at least, than the last time that he had he was talking to the team, to his teammates in the locker room, and that made everyone feel better. And so we'll just have to see what the evaluation is. Obviously, we're wishing the best for him. He also says, look, a loss like this early in the season is a gut check. And, you know, they have to see how they respond. It's going to either be a good thing or a bad thing to lose a game like this.

and obviously losing their quarterback makes it all the more painful. That's it for our Thursday night recap show. Hopefully the next one doesn't have any injuries to speak of. We will be back on Friday. Thanks again, Bill. Like I said, with a really quick pick show, we're going to try it separated from the rest of the show. I know not everyone's into the picks against the spread.

So we'll do that separate on Friday. Then we'll be back for the Sunday week to recap. Until then, so happy that football is back. Hey everybody, Daniel Jeremiah here. And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move to Six, we take you inside the game from breaking down college prospects and NFL rookies to evaluating team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. We study the tape, talk to decision makers, and give you a perspective you won't find anywhere else.

It's everything you need to understand the why. behind what happens on Sunday. Don't miss it. Listen to the Move the Sticks podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Marcus Grant. And I'm Michael Fulrio, and together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. Ready to dominate your fantasy league this season?

Then you need the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast, your ultimate source for player news, draft tips, and winning strategies. Whether you're a rookie manager or a football. fantasy vet. We've got the insight to help you crush your opponents. Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL, visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. This is an IHeart podcast.