The Athletic Football Show: A show about the NFL - Keefer and the Beats: Big picture in Tennessee, drama in Chicago, and a complete team in San Francisco

Episode Date: October 3, 2023

Is this the last dance for Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry? It has been a month for the Bears. And the 49ers seem to have a complete team in all three phases of the game. Zak Keefer is joined by beat writers, Kevin Fishbain (Bears), Joe Rexrode (Titans) and Matt Barrows (49ers) to break down and discuss this all.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the Athletic Football Show. Welcome back to the Athletic Football Show. This is Zach Kiefer coming to you from Buffalo, New York, where yesterday I watched The Bills and Josh Allen lay the hammer on a red hot dolphins team. I thought it was a very loud and clear statement from Buffalo. The Bills essentially saying, you want to win the AFC East, you've got to come through us. And that ain't happening anytime soon. I know Robert and Nate dug into the Bills last night on their show,

but there's a lot to catch up on around the rest of the league. York last night. Zach Wilson played really well. Well enough to keep the job. We'll see. In Houston, there's no questions about who the guy is. C.J. Stroud is becoming a star. And the Texans ripped the struggling Steelers 30 to 6.

Mike Tomlin was furious afterward vowing that changes are going to come. What those changes look like, we're going to have to find out. Another AFC North contender, or at least supposed contender, the Bengals, one and three. The quarterback's not right, and we're only a month in, but it's hard to see this flipping any time soon, especially with that lingering calf injury to Joe Burrow. He just doesn't look the same. The Ravens right now are 3-1 atop that division after whipping the Browns, who were without Deshawn Watson. The Bucks are 3-1 after beating the Saints 26 to 9.

The Eagles, 4-0, after a thrilling overtime win over the commanders. I don't think the Eagles are playing their best football right now, and the fact that their 4-0 might be a good thing, because we got a long way to go. But let's drill down on three games and three teams a month into this season. The Tennessee Titans are fascinating to me. A week ago, they were rolled 27 to 3 to an AFC North team, the Browns. Then on Sunday, at home, they rolled an AFC North team, the Bengals, by the same score, 27 to 3. On a big picture scale, is this the last dance for Ryan Tannahill and Derek Henry

and the Titans as currently constructed? We talked to Joe Rex Road in Nashville about that because it really could be. Then there's the Bears. And frankly, I don't even know where to start. I wrote last night that if you know a Bears fan in your life, you need to hug them because it's been a month. It's been a year. It's been a decade for that team. They cannot get anything right.

And there's been so much soap opera drama around that team and we're only four games in. Luckily, Kevin Fishbane joined us to give us the viewpoint from Chicago about the football on the field and all the drama off of it. Justin Fields had his best day as a pro, and it's still all unraveled for that team at the end. I asked Kevin about the name that keeps popping up in Chicago, and is going to keep popping up in Chicago, and that's Caleb Williams. The Bears, as of this recording, own the first two picks in the draft next April because they have the Panthers from last year's trade.

And finally, we'll check in with Matt Barrow's in San Francisco, who's covering, in my opinion, the best, most complete team in football. that's the 49ers. Christian McCaffrey is an MVP right now, in my opinion. Is this Kyle Shanahan's best team? They got a huge, huge, huge game this week, Sunday night football against the Dallas Cowboys, and that's going to be a fun one. So, week four in the NFL is almost over.

Let's dive in. All right, let's start in Chicago with one of our esteemed Bears beatwriters, Kevin Fishpan. Kev, how you doing, man? It's been a nice, quiet four weeks of this season. Anything to write about in Chicago? This is my 11th year covering the team, seventh for the athletic. So, like, I've certainly seen some things, but I've never seen things get this out of control this early in the season.

It's been a whirlwind. It's a dumpster fire. It is. I know because I've covered them before, including last year, in Indianapolis. You know, honestly, I was, like, waiting to have you or Adam on. I wanted things to change. I wanted Justin Fields to turn the narrative around. But yesterday was awful.

They were so good and then so bad at the end. They've lost 14 in a row, which is remarkable because the bears have never lost that many games in a row. And their long, long, long history that dates back to 1920. I was in Buffalo yesterday watching Bill's Dolphin, so I didn't get to watch the game as it progressed. But why was this afternoon different for the Bears and why was this afternoon all the same for the Bears? What was different was Justin Fields in the offense. I mean, he not only did things that he has never done as an NFL quarterback, like throw for 300 yards, throw for four touchdowns, complete 16 passes in a row to start the game. No Bears quarterback has ever done that.

I mean, it's only happened, what he did yesterday has only happened 46 times in NFL history. And, Zach, you saw one of the other ones. Josh Allen did it yesterday as well. So that was different. they loaded up with max protect we saw more multiple tight ends it formations we saw the fullback used more they finally ran the ball well clill herbert at 100 yards rushing before that he hadn't had more than 40 in a game and fields was precise he was calm he was confident we hadn't seen that before certainly for that much of a game and then there was the same the defense is just atrocious

and they let the Broncos come back in. So you ask what's more of the same, the defense. And then Justin Fields' decision-making an awareness. Like he just cannot allow a situation where the Broncos can scoop and score to tie the game. You can't have an intentional grounding on a potential game-tying or game-winning drive. And he threw an interception.

Like those three critical errors. And then you had a coaching question when Matt Ebrook was going for fourth and one. So all those things are like the same. old bears. Everything that led up to that point was something new. You started your story with the scene in the locker room, which is great, right? You're just watching Justin Fields. And for 20 minutes, he stared straight ahead or looked down at the floor. He did his interviews. He shook hand with teammates. He hugged Colquette, but mostly he just sat there, looked as stunned as anyone would be.

For three and a half quarters, he put together the game of his life. They were going to end the losing streak, and then it all crumbled. You've watched Justin Field since the beginning of his NFL, career, but more specifically since the start of this season. You were there every day in training camp, and you've seen the four games so far. They're 0 and four. He's playing like one of the worst quarterbacks in football. Where is he not making that next step from your perspective? Because I've seen like, look, he's not seeing the field. He's not seeing open guys. He's holding on the ball way too long, but like where do you not see him make the next step? Yeah, I mean, it's all those things you mentioned. And I think the problem is that he just, he's so good at backyard football.

Like that's where he's best. And you cannot consistently win in the NFL playing that way. And the bears are like, the bears know that. So they got him DJ Moore. The bears know that. So they signed Nate Davis. They drafted Darnell Wright. You know, it's not like they're forcing him to be a pocket quarterback.

They're just saying, hey, look, you can't do this every game. You've got to figure out a way to sit. in this pocket, read the defense, get the ball to your skill players. And he just hasn't been able to do that. Not even on a consistent basis, like on any basis. Just hasn't been able to be that guy for them. And you know, you know what happened a couple weeks ago when he said he wasn't playing free. He felt like he was overthinking. And it was because of that. You know, he said like, I normally I would leave the pocket. He was talking about a certain play that broke down. But I didn't. And I took a sack.

I mean, he's the most sacked quarter, one of most sack quarterbacks in history from a percentage standpoint. So, you know, his internal clock is off. His awareness just isn't there. He just doesn't have a good feel for this stuff. And what they're wanting him to do, he just struggles at. That's why yesterday he was good because they got him on the move. And they created some kind of simplified throws.

Obviously, he's playing a horrible defense. That helps too. You kind of have to note that, but you can't ignore the numbers he put up. So, yeah, I mean, it's just he has. hasn't been able to get to the level of doing some of those things that to be a great NFL quarterback, you have to excel in the pocket. You have to figure out a ways to attack defenses and counter it. You know, I was asking coaches last week, where is your counter punch? Because you knew that teams were going to take this away. You knew teams were going to not let fields run all over.

You knew teams would not let him move the pocket. Where's the counter? And they just don't have a counter. So let's go beyond the quarterback, right? Because the issues run much deeper. And Adam John started his story with at 332 p.m. Sunday, Chicago Bears team president, Kevin Warren, cut through his locker to Rockler Room inside Soldier Feard. Most of the players were gone. Chase Claypool wasn't even there. What was Kevin Warren thinking? Where is this franchise at? Starting with the McCaskies, running down to Kevin Warren, who's the new team president, Ryan Poles, who's had some misses in the draft, and then obviously Matt Iberfluse,

who's just simply not getting it done on the defensive side of the ball, which is where he comes from, and then obviously overall, because they are objectively the worst team in football, and as of this recording, picking first and second in the NFL draft, which might be the only news Bears fans,

the only good news, Bears fans can stomach at this point. Yeah, I've been using this quote a lot, lot over the last four weeks, Zach, but John Fox when he was here, one time said, it's all a problem. And like, it's all a problem. Like, everything's broken. How did it get to this point? You know, I think that, like, there are, this organization has been stuck in a cycle

of not having GM head coach quarterback aligned. And it's something Adam Johns and I and Dan Pompey wrote about a couple years ago. and if you go back to when George McCasky took over a team, I'll try to run through us quickly for folks who don't know like the history of this. George McCasky takes over his chairman in 2011. And it was Jerry Angelo, Lovie Smith, J. Cutler. Jerry Angelo gets fired. Phil Emery comes in.

Well, Culler's not his guy, neither is Lovie. Phil Emory fires Lovie after 10 and sixth season in 2012. By the way, the Bears have only bested that season one time since Lovie was fired. Okay. So then Phil Emory hires Mark Trestman. Well, that thing just completely implosed. 2014 has a lot of similarities to what we're seeing right now. So both those guys are out. You bring in Ryan Pace and John Fox.

Well, they inherit Jay Culler. They can't move him because of his contract. They're kind of stuck with him. Then when it's time for Ryan Pace to draft a quarterback, he keeps John Fox on staff. And we all know what happened there. They trade up for Mr. Trubisky. Not the court, you know, not necessarily what John Fox wanted to do.

John Fox is fired. You bring in Matt Nagy. So you've been arranged marriage now of Matt Nagy and Mitch Trubisky. That doesn't work after a few years. You try Nick Foles. You try Annie Dahl. And then the Bears say Ryan Payson and Matt Nagy, you guys get to keep your jobs. And guess what?

We will even let you draft a quarterback. So we can finally have us aligned. So what do they do? They trade up for Justin Fields. And that season's a terrible. And then they get fired. So bring in Ryan Bowles and Matt Eber Fluse. And they inherit Justin Fields.

So this is the same. cycle this organization has been in. And when you can't get that right, and you've seen this in Indianapolis, like you've seen it when it's perfectly aligned and when it's working well, you know, and you could argue, too, that someone who is, you know, obviously paying Manning's on a different category, but Andrew luck transcends all those things, right? And they never had a quarterback that could transcend those things that could, you know, be so good.

It didn't matter what's going on around him. So you have all that inability to align. And then look, Ryan Poles, injuries have been bad. They've really been hurt by injuries. But Ryan Poles right now, his draft picks are not making impact plays. His free agent signings aren't making impact plays. And just to go back to how you started this, Zach, Kevin Warren is the wildcard here. He's new.

He's new. He's fresh eyes. Exactly. He's the president and CEO. he is evaluating everything. So, you know, the Bears have a story, you know, Bears fans know this. They've never fired a coach in season. Well, now they've also never had Kevin Warren as president's CEO.

So how does that play a role in this? I don't know. But that, that's something that like everything as we get, go forward for the next few months, he's the ultimate X factor because he's different. And we just don't know how he sees this whole thing playing out. And that's the wild card. That's a really good point. And that's why Adam kind of made that the focus of his story.

Like what is he thinking? Because his thoughts, his assumption, his evaluation. Now, and at the end of the season, it's going to be so central. This feels like the worst hamster wheel in sports. The Bears, like you said, never being aligned, coach quarterback GM, never being on the same page and just repeating the cycle for a decade and then some. But let's go back to the quarterback. Justin Fields, we know he has talent.

We know he showed a lot yesterday. They lost. But let's move ahead. What's the conversation right now in Chicago, fan-based media, whatever, about the future? Because this season's lost. They're going to be picking really high, if not one and two. Caleb Williams is his name being percolated around the city of Chicago? And is that a real option for them and for this team?

Because really, can the Chicago Bears afford to pass on him, regardless of what Justin Fields does the rest of the way? We've had a running joke in the press box act that if the Bears actually wind up with the top two picks in the draft, they should just draft Caleb Williams twice to make sure they definitely get him. I hope they do. You know, yeah, it's wild again. I know we'll like keep hammering this that it's October 2nd

and we're talking about the Bears taking a quarterback in the draft. But yeah, Caleb Williams has been a very hot topic. You could throw Drake May in that conversation as well. Yeah, there's other options besides just Caleb Williams, but it doesn't seem like you pass on him. Right. And the thing is. Maybe the Bears. Maybe the Bears find a way to screw this up.

Because you don't pass on Caleb Williams, the Bears really have to get the number one pick. Because if another team gets it that needs a quarterback, they're just going to take Caleb Williams. They're not going to trade it. So, yeah, that conversation has been happening. I mean, among fans for sure. It's a weird dynamic because fans just had so much hope for Justin Fields. And you see the glimpses yesterday. You see those moments.

And fans just want to blame the coaching staff, blame the GM, everything around Justin Fields. This is what this organization does to quarterbacks. And Justin Fields is just the latest one. Who's to say it won't happen to Caleb Williams? Oh, that would be awful. For football. So much of this league is where the guys go, you know, and who's around them. You know, you talk, you know, in Chicago, the Pajum of Holmes conversation comes up all the time because the bear's passing him.

Well, for one thing, 25 teams pass him Patcher Mahomes. I always like to bring that up. Like, everybody passed in him. And this is what scouts and evaluators. say all the time. Like you just mentioned, this is really important. It's where they go. Mahomes is great, and he probably would have been great anywhere. But he's with Andy Reed, and that matters a lot. And that was a team that had a good foundation of players there, too. So, you know, I look at, you know, there's certain, it's hard to have a Jared Gough-like career

or Gino Smith, you know, these guys that years later have been able to kind of figure it out, finally get on a good team, and able to show what they can do. But yeah, Caleb Williams has been very much in the lexicon here in Chicago. I think Bears' stands are kind of grappling with the idea of Justin Fields not being that guy. Justin Fields was supposed to be their Caleb Williams. I remember the excitement on draft day. It was like the Bears finally got their guy. All the stars had to align for that move to happen.

And here we are three years later and it's just sad. Yeah. And it looks like at this point, you have to imagine they're going to move on because I just don't know how you keep trying to figure this out, especially if you have an opportunity to take someone like Caleb Williams. Ryan Poles had an opportunity to move on last drafts. He chose not to. He didn't think any of the quarterbacks were.

I don't think you can do that again. I just don't think you can't. Not if you have a top pick or even the second pick. So, yeah, it's unfortunate because this city was so excited about Justin Fields. Zach, I was telling somebody our day, I'm recovering his first preseason game. This is back with the previous regime. The electricity in that stadium.

It was also like the first game of fans back. This is 2021. Unbelievable for a preseason game. And he played really well. And you're like, oh my gosh, they might have finally done it. And yesterday for three and a half quarters, you're like, oh, maybe this is it. Maybe this is what we've been looking for.

Maybe they'll figure, maybe they can build off this. But, you know, I just said this. I was doing a live room with some of our athletic subscribers. If Justin Fields does play well the rest of the way, and they finish 7 and 10 or 6 and 11, what does that accomplish? What does it do for your franchise in the long term? I don't know.

It costs you, Caleb Williams. Yeah, and it's tough to be in the middle in the NFL. It's just emblazing this on Soldier Field. What's that quote from Shawshank? It's like, hope is a dangerous thing. Like Bears fans know this as well as any fan base out there. I'll get you out of here on this. Who's coaching the quarterback next year?

Whether it's Justin Fields or Caleb Williams or someone else, is Matt Iberflous going to save his job? Because objectively, he's just not doing a good job right now. Defense is terrible. Quarterback has not developed, maybe three quarters yesterday, but it's hard to say the arrow is pointing up two seasons in a month into his third. You are what your record is. 13 straight losses.

Yep. He is 3 and 17. And it's not going to get a whole lot better. Look, you know Maddie Refluse. I like the guy. Obviously, there's a lot of things that are out of his control. But the past few weeks have not been a good look for his ability to be the type person to steer this thing in the right direction.

And if you as an organization decided you're taking a new quarterback, you have to think very hard about who that coach is going to be. That's going back to your previous point. That's very central to this. This is about the next 10 years, not about 2024. You can't make that same mistake that they made in 2017 where they kept John Fox there. You know who was available in 2017, Zach? Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVeigh. They need to go offense.

If they don't go offense, just they need to stop being a franchise. They need to hire, I mean offensive coach. They need to hire an offensive coach. They need to hire an offensive coach. They'll be the guy. You'll hear that name a lot. Right. I'm sure if we get to that point.

They're doing great in Detroit, right? So, yeah, I think you have to, you got to tether that coach to quarterback that find that offensive guy. And don't be afraid to take a first year guy either. I mean, like, we've seen how that works. So, yeah, I think, especially if they move on from the quarterback and this thing doesn't have some kind of miracle, you'll have a, somebody else being the head coach. I imagine the talk shows in Chicago are flooded with angry

callers these days. And like you said, look at Indy. I'm not saying they're a great team. I don't think they are, but they went and got a first time head coach and Shane Steichen, and he's done a really good job with Anthony Richardson, who arrived with far less fanfare than Caleb Williams potentially would in Chicago a year from now. Maybe he's the guy to break the hex, but it seems like this team just runs in cycles. And there's one season that's good for every eight seasons that are bad. So hopefully one day you write about a really good team. Maybe that comes down the line.

But thanks for hopping on, Kevin. Thanks for having me, Zach. All right. Welcome in to week four of Kiefer in the Beats. Checking in with our friend in Nashville, Joe Rexford. Joe, how you doing, man? I'm doing okay, Zach. Wild swings in the mood of this city from week to week with its local professional football team.

Let me tell you something. Yeah, that's what we need to dig into because seven days ago, a 27 to 3 thrashing by the team in the AFC North, the Titans played. And then yesterday, a 27 to three thrashing by the Titans against another AFC North team. That's just weird to me. And let's start here. You know, I cover the Colts for a long time. So I watched the Titans very closely for a lot of years. And they sort of became an embodiment of their head coach, who I thought was getting the most out of his roster as probably anyone in the league.

You know, they leaned on Derek Henry. Tannenhill was good, if not great. But this year, I can't get a beat on who the Titans are. And this is where you started your story after yesterday's 27 to 3 win over the Bengals that was never really close. 27 straight after the Bengals kicked a field goal early. The quarterback cannot complete an easy touchdown pass and the magic in close games is gone. The quarterback and the close game magic is back. That's one of the futile attempts of offensive football in the history of Tennessee Titans.

That's the most inventive dynamic balance display of Titans' offensive football since Arthur Smith was calling the place. So are, are they sort of this Jekyll and Hyde hot one week cold, one week team? Like, do you have any sense of what they really are a month into the season? It's a great question, Zach, because it really was. It was about as bad as you can be a week earlier at Cleveland, 94 total yards, just unable to block anyone. And then yesterday was, you know, Sunday at home against Cincinnati was, like I said, I think it's the most exciting and fun the Titans have been offensively since 2020. When Arthur Smith was the OC, they, you know, that's a Derek Henry 2000-yard season. That's Tanna Hills Pro Bowl level season, you know, A.J. Brown, a really good offensive line. Everything.

They had all the pieces. They don't have all the pieces now. but new offensive coordinator Tim Kelly, I think what we've seen so far, if there's an encouraging thing that pushes this toward, they should be, you know, on the good side of 8 and 9 slash 9 and 8, I think he's been good. And really, if you look at what he did in Houston,

he was pretty good. And the quarterback performance under him was good. It was Deshaun Watson's best football, and even Davis Mills was good. So I think he's been a nice addition. Derek Henry, still Derek Henry, Ryan Tannenhill's still good. It really comes down, Zach, to the offensive line. And that's where I just, I still don't know.

They did a better job against the Bengals than I anticipated. They, like I said, were completely overwhelmed by the Browns. Not the first team. Not the first team to be overwhelmed by Cleveland, especially up front with that defense. For sure. No doubt. And that's the thing. It's like, you know, it's, you want to keep perspective on how good the Browns are

defensively after that game. And even after this, a little bit on the other side of the ball with the Titans, great defense, three points, finally got Joe Burrow. Well, anybody who's watching Joe Burrow play right now understands, he is very limited. He can't throw with the same force. He can't move. He can't do what he usually does. So you keep that in perspective, too.

But the Titans' offense is the big question. It's just, it really is about the offensive line. I think if they give Tanna Hill time and they can give Henry seems like he had against the Bengals, then, yeah, I think they got a chance to be pretty good. I mean, you look at this division. It's not good. The Titans are two and two. The Jaguars are two and two. The Colts are two and two. The weird thing about the Titans, and you wrote about this, like it's never this simple, but these numbers are staggering, right? At home, they're one team. On the road, they're putting up 27 points a game, 370 yards, and they're completing their third downs like 50% of the time, which is pretty good. On the road, nine points a game, less than 200 yards a game. 3.6 yards per play, and 16% on third down. Like, it's never that simple, but this is not like a young team that's new to the NFL. Can you put your finger on any reason why they just can't show up on the road?

Yeah, and that's where I think, you know, it's just early. Look, New Orleans did matter. Like that atmosphere, you've been in that place when it rocks. Oh, that place gets loud. Yeah, and it actually made a difference. Like, they had false starts because of the crowd. Like, right away, they get a turnover, and they're going to turn over, immediately go backwards. So, okay, so that one, yes, I think that's a home road impact.

I just think the Cleveland game, again, they just got dominated by that defense, you know? And it's never really been a thing with Vrable that they're especially like better at home than on the road. And they've had, they've had great wins, both places. They've had, you know, befuddling losses, great places. So like you said, this is a pretty old team. You got an old quarterback and running back, the defense is tons of veterans. So I don't think that will continue. I think that's kind of just an anomaly. They have, you know, obviously you know, you play a little better at home and things like that. You have a little bit of an advantage. But I think that'll even out a little bit. And it's more circumstantial at this point. So we've gone micro.

Let's go macro for a minute because the Titans are so fascinating to me because I really wonder how long they're going to run this. And by that, I mean the Vrabel-Tanhill, Eric Henry sort of triumvirate running the show. Now, they've drafted quarterbacks each of the last two years, Malik Willis, and then Willis last year, I think it was high second round pick. As currently constructed, how long do they run this? Because they just hired a new GM in the offseason, and Vrable's respected, and he's won there, and they really seem to believe in him.

But especially when it comes to the quarterback, especially with those two guys, those two young guys. How long can they run this as currently constructed? Is it good enough to sustain success in a division they've won a couple times, but it really feels like there's a ceiling? Yeah, it does. And the thing is, look, I think had they heard more what they wanted to hear in conversations about Henry and Tanniel in the offseason, that we wouldn't be asking the question right now? You know, I've looked at this as the last year, the last run, the last attempt. Now, I do have to separate those two guys, though, Tana Hill and Henry. To me, it makes too much sense for him to be back with the Titans

and for the Titans to continue to have Derek Henry and their team moving forward. So we'll see. I don't think the market's going to be very good for him. We know what the reality is for running back since league, especially running backs north of 30, and especially a running back like him who doesn't really fit a lot of the schemes out there. Yeah, like he is them. Like they are him.

Like, it's hard to separate the two. Exactly. So I think ultimately, I think there's a good chance it comes back around to, after the sobering realization of the market, that Derek Henry's back with the Titans past this year. But Tannenhill, I think the only way he's back as quarterback is if they're so good this year, including so good in January, because they are in the postseason and they win at least a game, that it's like, how do you move on from this guy? But other than that, I just, I think that the play.

plan is for Will Levis to be the quarterback next year, and then you've got a quarterback on a rookie deal. He doesn't have the fifth year option, of course. You know, because like you said, Zach, top of the second round. That's a big difference for GMs, correct. Yeah. And then, you know, try to build around him and have the advantage of a quarterback on that kind of deal. I think that's how it will play out. I have no idea if or when the Titans will have quarterback play at Tanyahu's level. Obviously, you want a higher level of play than what he's given them. You want to the type of quarterback who can carry a team who can be one of those guys that every franchise is searching for, but easier said than done. So it may be that, you know, that they're taking a step

backward next year at the position and overall, even though you still have some veterans right now and they're probably having Jeff Simmons just starting out on this big deal. You know, you've got some veterans on that defense who were really good. And that's why they're just caught in this in between. And I know it's never clean in the NFL. It's never easy. Oh, here's the perfect time to rebuild. Correct. I mean, I mean, there's always some of that, but they are in a very interesting spot. It's often forgot, you know, everyone loves the backup quarterback. And you see the other side.

And the grass isn't always greener. Like you said, they might have to take a step back. It feels like, well, I was at Will Elvis's Pro Day, Kentucky, in the spring because the Colts were going to drive the quarterback. And got to know him a little bit and was pretty impressed. Now, he wasn't super accurate, but the arm is there. I'm curious what you saw in Nashville in August during training camp. Because if you go to the other quarterback, Malik Willis, from what I saw last year, just wasn't it. I mean, he was a rookie, but they threw him in there.

And then in that winter take all week 18 game, they wouldn't even start him. So he didn't have an encouraging start. Where is Levis at from what you've seen? Because he played a good amount of football in college. Yeah. Well, he's behind Willis right now, for one thing, which is really interesting. That is interesting. That is credit to Willis because you're absolutely right on last year.

Malik Willis never should have played a snap football in the NFL last year. but they went with him as QB2, and like you said, they ultimately went and found Josh Dobbs to try to win the division. And to Willis's credit, he improved a lot. And I think Willis has escalated to,

I think a guy who could at least be a solid backup of this league. I wasn't sure about that after the first year. Yeah, I think it's better to say. You know, Levis is here, new GM, like you said. I mean, he is the designated guy to be the next starter. And I think eventually he will, you know, pass Willis, but he had an injury

in the, and I'm trying to remember, I think it was a, oh gosh, it was a quad. It was a quad injury. So it cost him the last two preseason games, and maybe he would have, you know, leapfrogged Willis had he been able to play those. I thought Levis looked a lot like a really talented rookie. He, like you said, big arm, very easy, big arm. Yeah.

Athletic, big and strong. I thought, you know, and he had some bad, you know, he's thrown those death picks. And that goes back to Kentucky, too. I mean, he, you know, that has got to be cleaned up. You watch the tape and you're like, you just cannot make that throw. And you find yourself saying that more than you want to. Yes, exactly.

So that's a huge point of emphasis, obviously. In the red zone in camp, in practice, he had some spectacular days. So, you know, I think they're going to be growing pains. And I think he does have a high ceiling. You know, I mean, I've heard the, you know, the. Josh Allen comparison, you just watch the bills play. That may seem a little lofty. Nobody's playing like Josh Allen right now. Yeah. I see what you're saying. Yeah. But he, I mean, Will Levis is, I mean, he is as a runner. He can be a load and, you know, he's very talented.

It's a matter of, you know, putting it all together. And then how long does that take? But, you know, the clock is a little bit different because of the second round pick. So, yeah, I just, it's hard to say right now. I typically, just assume, I mean, how many of these guys ever live up to where they're drafted, you know, the first round quarterbacks franchise? I mean, you know, very few of them actually pan out. I think it's like 40% if you do the math. You know, so I think he's going to get the opportunity next year. I think there's a lot of ability. And as far as like intangibles and personality all that, you know, I know that was such

a talking point about Levis going to the draft. I mean, I've been impressed on that front. And I think he's fit in very well here with the Titans. I think he's a guy who's going to be that grinder in the film room and all that stuff and try to do everything he can to be great. So we'll just see if he can get the performance. And again, like you said, it's those picks that have got to be cleaned up. Yeah, from what I remember from the draft process, I didn't buy that stuff either.

I was on the ground at UK in Lexington talking to a lot of people. And I remember Liam Cohen, the offensive coordinator who had been with the Rams, but also been with Will Levis and Lexington telling me, like, look, he's kind of an adult in terms of like he doesn't always, you know, think or act like a college kid. And he'll fit more in with pro grown men in the locker room than he would in a college locker room. I never took that as a bad thing. He was just so ready to get to professional football. And you said you've kind of seen the same type of thing in terms of I never had any questions about maturity or want to or anything like that. it was more on the field and he just gets that arm almost like it's in the way sometimes and he can't make the short easy throws. And I think almost like Will Levis kind of looks like a young Ryan Tannenhill

in a way. Like it kind of, I mean like both big athletic dudes, Tana Hill obviously played receiver in college. I'll get you out of here on this and this is kind of the fascinating part. We've kind of talked about what the ceiling is for the Titans because we've seen it, right? Henry's taking over games. They're winning ugly. Maybe they win a bad division. and make a run in the playoffs. Tanna Hill plays well. Let's reverse that. Let's say they implode.

Let's say it just never comes together. Tanna Hill doesn't play consistent football down the stretch, and he's out. Henry's up in the air. Would that be a good thing for this franchise moving forward? Because it feels like, as currently constructed, they've kind of gotten everything they could get out of this roster and this approach in this day and age in the NFL where it's not running the football that wins. It's usually passing.

Yeah, it's a great, it's a great point. And to your point, maybe, you know, maybe. And look, maybe I'm wrong and they're already resolved, like they're moving on from both of those guys and Henry, because it is like, if you're going to pay Derek Henry, you kind of need to be devoted to him to a certain extent, right? So maybe that does hold him back. If Jonathan Taylor can't get a contract, you know, Derek Henry's got a lot more turn on the tires. Right. So look, they drafted Tai J. Spears. He's an exciting young player. I think he is the future there. And with him, you've got more. of the modern back who can seamlessly, you know, go between run game and pass game, really quick and explosive. So look, maybe, maybe that would be better for them. Maybe it would jar a little bit more dramatic changes. And, you know, obviously it would give them a little bit better draft position, too.

But I still, I think, you know, I think it's this one last, gang back together one last time, see what you can do. They still feel like if they get into a January game, the way they play can be problematic. You don't have to beat all the AFC teams. You know, you beat who's in front of you. I do think it's going to be a very different team next year one way or the other. They can be a tough out.

I've seen that. And we'll see, but I tend to think it's going to be the opposite. I tend to think they're just going to run out of gas. I just feel like they don't have enough playmakers, maybe in the division to hang with the Jaguars a little bit. But they do have the Colts this week, right? So, you know, this is the one that Jim Merseys had circled on his calendar because they haven't been able to beat the Titans consistently in a lot.

long time, and that really pisses the Colts owner off. Yeah, but you know what? He's got the guy I think we can all see. It could be real good, and that's what the Titans don't have. So the Titans might get them now in the short term, but I think if you're choosing, if you're a fan of either of these teams, you've got to be feeling better long term because of what Anthony Richardson could become, right? Yeah. So Ursa can feel all right, even if they lose this week. Yeah, and the funny thing is they're trying, I mean, I don't think they have any high hopes for this season. They're trying to get in that top five to get another playmaker for him in the future. Another Harrison maybe.

Yeah. Now, that would be great. I think that's exactly what they want. But I can tell you what, Erce, he wants to win this one because he's hated the Titans kicking their ass. And that's his words over the last couple of years. But we'll see what happens. Fascinating team could be the last run of Tanna Hill and Derek Henry.

And we'll see what happens. But fascinating team to follow and we'll catch up with you down the line. Thanks, Joe. All right, Zach. Thanks for having me, man. Appreciate it. All right. And finally, let's talk about.

about what in my opinion is the best team in football, maybe the most complete team in football. We got Matt Breros in from San Francisco. Matt, welcome. The 49ers are 4 and 0, and they look really freaking good. I wanna start here. You've covered this team for a long time. You've covered Kyle Shanahan's entire tenure.

I know we're only a month into this season, but you can see where this team is going. Is this Kyle Shanahan's best team? Yeah, and I'd go so far to say, It's the most talented 49ers team since those, you know, Glory Days teams, you know, Steve Young led era. Yeah, it is. And, you know, the whole kind of before the regular season began rhetoric was it looks so good on paper,

can they possibly make it all work? Because we've all seen teams that, you know, accumulate all sorts of talent. And then it just doesn't happen. but this team it has and I think that's where you start to get into the John Lynch end of things too because he's the one that sort of composes the roster and culture has been a big buzzword with him and I think that that is also working really well. Christian McCaffrey comes over and he slides right in to that culture. He's got a locker right next to George Kittle. Those two guys hit it off. He and Kyle Eusecheck is fullback.

our best buds now. I mean, it's been very easy fits all around the locker room. And I think that plays into the success as well. They're making it look easy. Like you said, adding all these pieces, it's not. It's not. And I think John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan are probably two at the best at that. Let's get to your story because I'm just so fascinated by this strange quarterback odyssey they were on, right? They had Jimmy G for a long time. They absolutely busted out with trade Lance and oh by the way they find Mr. Irrelevant and Brock Purdy. And you wrote this from Sunday. Sunday was just his ninth regular season start. He hasn't lost one, by the way. He's three months shy of his 24th birthday. The guy looks like he might need to shave every third day. And yet on Sunday

against a Cardinals team, he was more precise than Steve Young, Alex Smith, Joe Montana, or any 49ers passer ever. Purdy was 20 of 21 yesterday. I know it's a late September game and we're throwing out some big names, right? Steve Young and Joe Montana. My question to you is how in the world are they doing this with Brock Purdy? And how is Brock Purdy doing this? Because every time I watch him, he just looks completely unruffled in the pocket. He makes smart decisions.

He just looks like he's a seven-year vet and not a second-year starter. Yeah, and I think that's the key with him. And I covered Alex Smith, and Alex Smith turned into a fantastic quarterback. I mean, very similar guys. and that they'll play a game like this, the way that the Cardinals play defense against them, and they'll be very, very efficient. No interceptions and very few incompletions. Alex Smith had a couple of games like that.

Alex Smith had those games, you know, five, six, seven years into his career. And Alex Smith had a real awkward phase. I mean, was playing for terrible teams, had a revolving door of offensive cord. A lot of things going against him. But he did not look like an NFL starting quarterback when he first started out, which a lot of guys do. Right. This isn't a slam on Alex Smith. My point is that somehow Brock Purdy has skipped that awkward teen phase, you know, pimples on your face.

You make a great play. Then you make a boneheaded mistake. You call it the baby steps phase in your story. Exactly. Right. We've all seen it. Every fan out there seen it. Absolutely. It's the one step.

two steps back type of thing that you see every quarterback go through. Brock Purdy has missed that. And, you know, that was evident when he first came in last year. It was a game against the Dolphins and Jimmy Garoppolo broke his foot early in the game. In comes Brock Purdy, and you think, wow, I mean, the 49ers are having to turn to a, not just a rookie, but a seventh round rookie and not just a seventh round rookie, but the absolute last pick in the seventh round. And they didn't miss a beat.

My point being that the offense was humming at that point. And Brock Purdy came in and had the offense operating like peak Jimmy Garoppolo had the offense operating. And so it's been like that, you know, ever since. He hasn't had a bad game yet. We're talking about Brock Purdy having his worst game of his career last week when they played the Giants. And he had like a pass rating of like 95.

This is wild. Like, it's not supposed to happen like this. Every quarterback is supposed to struggle early. Peyton Manning, for God's sakes. Yeah. Led the league in interceptions his first year. Sure. Well, part of it is that, you know, Brock Party is not coming into a terrible team.

Like, all these high round picks that we're familiar with, you know, you know, the Peyton Manning is the Alex Smith. They get picked by the worst team in the league. And so they've got nothing around them. and they're going to struggle. Brock Purdy came into a loaded team and it is benefiting from that. But you could say the same thing about Trey Lance.

Trey Lance did not look as sharp in his very few, albeit very few starts. I have to tread very lightly because Trey Lance versus Brock Purdy is still a thing out here somehow. Really? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Anything quarterback related in the Bay Area, Yeah, we can thank Joe Montana and Steve Young for that.

But yeah, so, but my point is that he's just the right guy for the right situation. And he's plugged in very tightly with Kyle Shanahan, sort of like a brain sink. And that may be the most important part of it all. I mean, Shanahan, I've said this before, Shanahan wants Shanahan at quarterback. and Brock Purdy is able to kind of translate that as well as anybody I've seen since 2017. I wonder if Kyle is more attracted to, for lack of a better phrase, a quarterback who is more suited to run his system than one who is more talented that can create more off the cuff and do the things we see these other star quarterbacks do.

I saw Josh Allen do it yesterday. We've seen Mahomes do it for years. it doesn't seem to matter in San Francisco. They seem to be in an anomaly, if I can speak, on that front. And that's what's so cool about this team is they are just loaded and the quarterback just slides right in. It's not supposed to happen like that, but here they are. And for my money, the best team in the league. Yeah, it's funny because Shanahan picked Trey Lance.

Yeah, and they gave up tons of capital. Because he had the extra talents, the ability to run, he had the size, he had the arm strength. and Brock Purdy just basically came in and leapfrogged him and made Trey Lance superfluous this year, which is why they traded him to their Sunday opponent, the Dallas Cowboys. That game is loaded with all sorts of storylines already, and that's just another layer to it. Let's move to the backfield where maybe the MVP is playing for the San Francisco 49ers. We know this league. We know the quarterbacks always win that award.

I hate the fact that another player can't win it. Like, JJ Watt should have won it in his peak days. We've seen Adrian Peterson win it. But McCaffrey yesterday was special, even for McCaffrey. He ran for a touchdown on the 49ers' first position. On the second possession, he caught a pass for their third touchdown of the day. And then when it got a little tight in the second half, he caught another one and ran it in. So from your end, Matt, you know, eye test.

Is Christian McCaffrey playing like the most valuable player in first? football right now. He's the best player on the best team. It's an easy argument to make. Yeah, and he's a really nice fit. I mean, it's already a high-powered offense. And he came in last year, and he was good from the get-go. I mean, I remember one of his first games, he threw for a touchdown, he caught a touchdown, he ran for a touchdown against the Rams. I mean, it was immediate the impact that he had. I think the difference this year is that he's had a full off-season to work behind an offensive line that runs this zone running style, which not every team runs. The Carolina Panthers, his former team certainly didn't as much as the 49ers do.

And it takes time to sort of learn that. You have to be more patient. You have to figure out where the cutback lanes are. And you see that happening this year. And it's not always a 71-yard run. Sometimes it's the difference between a two-yard gain and a seven-yard. He's figuring out when to cut back. He's more patient than he was when he first got here last year.

And that's showing up in his stat line. And I would agree. I mean, I think some of the quarterbacks that we expect to be, you know, having all sorts of highlights have struggled a little bit at the start of this season. Joe Burrow jumps to mind, you know, Josh Allen as good as he was on the Sunday hasn't had great games throughout. So maybe this is the year that the running back gets that award. And I think the more people talk about it and sort of cite what you just said that,

oh, boy, it just is almost automatic perfunctory that it goes to a quarterback. People will sort of push against the grain and perhaps a running back gets it this year. And it would be funny, against the offseason storyline, right, of running back's not getting paid. and all the disgruntled running backs, you know, having to play on the franchise tag. Wouldn't it be something if a running back was able to do it? He's more than a running back. McCaffrey is simply put a weapon for them. There's a huge one this week.

Cowboys, 49ers, best offense in the league, perhaps, you know, Miami and Buffalo, they can make their arguments for best offense to the league, best defense in the league, very, possibly in the Dallas Cowboys. It's a juicy matchup. Do the 49ers have any holes that Dallas can, take advantage of. How do you think this game plays out? They do have holes, and I'm not trying to slam the Cardinals. I think the Cardinals realize this, but they have very few recognizable names on defense, and even fewer now,

Buda Baker is on IR. So it was sort of a no-name defense that Christian McCaffrey and Brock Purdy were going up. Yeah, but they beat the Cowboys a week earlier. They've played pretty well. No, and they're solid. And they're run by a defensive-minded coach and Jonathan Gannon. And you can tell that it got the building blocks of something. But my point is that there wasn't a star pass rusher out there on Sunday. And there will be on Sunday night against the Cowboys. And that's something that the 49ers struggled with in week one.

T.J. Watt had three sacks, for example, all going up against the 49ers' new right tackle Colton McKibbitt. So that's been a bit of a matchup problem. And that's where the loan sack by the Cardinals came from against the right tackle. So that right side of the 49ers line has had some weaknesses this year. And, you know, always looming. I mean, this is still fresh in 49ers fans' minds is what happened to them in Philadelphia. I mean, Brock Purdy got hit as he's delivering the ball and big elbow injury. You know, they kept him relatively clean against the Cardinals, not so much in Pittsburgh, a little bit better against the Rams and a little bit better

against the Giants. But that's still sort of an iffy spot. So I think that's their biggest weakness. The secondary kind of crops up every now and then. They're not particularly deep at cornerback. But beyond that, it says, like I said, it says complete or roster as I've ever covered. And like I said, I think you go back to the 1990s as far as complete talent-filled teams in San Francisco. That's saying something because they've made

runs to Super Bowls. They've made several runs to the NFC championship game the last two years. And they have beaten the Cowboys in the playoffs the last two years. So this is going to be a fun one. And Matt, I have a feeling we're going to be talking to you a lot this season because this team's not going anywhere. So thanks for hopping on and enjoy Sunday night and we'll catch up with you down the line. Thanks, Jack. Let's talk later. All right, that's a wrap for week four of Kiefer in the beats. Thanks to Matt Barrow's in San Francisco, Joe Rex Road in Nashville and Kevin Fishbaing in Chicago for hopping on on busy Mondays. These guys are chasing injury news and trade news and dealing with press conferences and all that. So we really appreciate them taking some time

after busy Sundays to hop on with us. I'm Zach Kiefer for The Athletic. We will catch up with you guys next week. This was the Athletic Football Show.