The Fumblerooski Podcast - Cutting Edge -Ep 280 The Fumblerooski Podcast

Episode Date: June 25, 2024

Top 5 edge rushers headed into 2024! Micah Parsons in for a monster year? TJ Watt overhyped as a pass rusher? AFC West division preview! Chiefs' championship window smaller than we think? Adam Wright and CJ Medeiros debate these topics and more!

top five edge rushers going into 2024 in this week's player rankings as well as an afc afc west that is preview i'm adam right you're listening to the fumble ruski podcast it may not have always showed it in the stat sheet but you can see him making throws when he needs to make the throws back-to-back games where he has three touchdowns. Someone's got to get that six or seven spot. He's an elite wide receiver as a rookie. Truly a lose-lose scenario for both sides. Welcome to the Fumble Rooski Podcast by Power 88 and Secret Weapon Consulting.

I'm Adam Wright with CJ Medeiros. We have a great show planned for you guys today. We are going forward in our player rankings with top five edge rushers. This is another fun one to preview because going through these rankings, looking at the sacks are always so much fun. Tracking sacks is like tracking on the offensive side of the ball, the touchdown pass race. Who can get the most touchdown passes for quarterbacks or if you're in football how many home runs can the best hitter in baseball get as you know like the mcguire sosa saga that we had going on in the in the late 90s right this is this is something like that so it's going to be a lot of fun to cover throughout the season.

We also have an AFC West preview. So obviously this is going to be an intriguing one because you have the defending champs, the Kansas City Chiefs in this division. And I guess you have some talent and a couple of interesting teams. The Broncos, what are they going to do with Joe Nix? How is that going to work?

The Raiders, what is the direction they're going to go in? And the Chargers, with Justin Herbert, the coaching got better. But the supporting cast, as far as past coaches go, just went bare. That cupboard is, there's spider webs in it right now. But let's get going with our player rankings. Top five edge rushers. CJ, kick us off. So for edge rushers, it's just so weird to, you know,

actually look at their stats because, you know, it's kind of like linebackers where you kind of have to like separate you know the empty calories like the people you know as i mentioned many times like kenneth murray you know people that rack up tackles and don't do anything else versus people that rack up sacks versus nothing else so that's always going to be something you got to look at without further ado and with that in mind let's get going my number five might shock a few people but i'd put nick bosa there so last season you know he was good you know helping the 49ers appear in the super bowl 53 combined tackles 16 tackles for loss 35 quarterback hits 10 and a half sacks it's just we know what he is at this point he's uh i would definitely say he's one of the better edge rushers i mean obviously he's top five

but he seems to have tailed off especially given the last two seasons saw him get 18 and a half sacks and 15 and a half sacks alongside uh more tackles for loss the previous two seasons as well but hey still top five can't take that away from him and number four this is somebody who i feel doesn't get talked about enough from the las vegas raiders max crosby this man is a problem 14 and a half sacks last year. That's all well and good, but 90 combined tackles, 55 of them being solo, but 31 QB hits and 23 tackles for loss. And I know the Raiders aren't that good of a team. And I know that he's not one of the sexier names in the league but it's high time he becomes a household name and he could very well become a top three edge rusher

next season and stepping into number three from the Cleveland Browns reigning defense player of the year Miles Garrett we've said it a million. Is there anything that he can't do? We knew he was going to be this way when he was drafted out of Texas A&M, and he continues to just get better and better. Last season, he had 14 sacks. He had four forced fumbles, 30 QB hits, 17 tackles for loss, well on his way to being a defensive player of the year and finishing top 10 in the MVP race. So, hey, reigning defensive player of the year, even though he didn't rack up as many tackles, it wasn't really that big of a factor in any kind of run defense.

He is the reigning defensive player of the year, and you have to respect it. And my number two, from the Dallas Cowboys, it's Miles Garrett. I mean, what did I just say? Michael Parsons. Wow, I'm kidding. It's Michael Parsons. So 64 combined tackles, you know, only 36 of them solo, the best but 33 qb hits 18 tackles for loss 14 sacks

and even had a forced fumble and two passes broken up to boot now there's a reason that i make michael parsons number two and it's something that a lot of people don't factor in when they're making their rankings but ab and i make a point to talk about this michael parsons is in a contract year and we all know that nine times out of ten guys in contract years can play some of their best ball and i know michael parsons is on that contract heck it's one of the big storylines at dallas this offseason how he dac andD. Lamb are all going to need new deals literally like next year, or next offseason. And you know, with every sack he gets, he's going to be inching closer to getting the bag thrown at him. So my number one is the Defense player of the year runner-up tj watt and once again you know that he feels

and i've heard that he's felt that he was snubbed from getting defensive player of the year you know having a league best 19 sacks so he also much like michael parsons has a chip on his shoulder but it's always fun to look at the sacks but 68 combined tackles 48 of them being slow 19 tackles for loss 13 hits that's great he's already among the elite doesn't get double teamed as much but then again that's because he plays alongside alex highsmith but you can't take that away from him because unlike every other edge rusher on this list he's actually a factor in the run game and he's actually a factor you know in the passing game as well or at least passing and running defense because he had eight passes defended and four forced fumbles three fumble recoveries as well and an interception

to boot in fact what when he's targeted he only allows a passing of 40.1 showing that he's a true do-it-all guy i mean you can play him in coverage he's an edge rusher but the fact that he can do everything definitely i think makes him worthy of being in consideration for the number one spot i think that's a good list. And I think TJ Watt, at least being in that top three, you have to have him in there. And he's the type of guy who racks up the sacks, and he also can do everything else. He can drop in coverage, which is unheard of for a defensive end. Usually those guys are too big to keep up with the fast wide receivers.

TJ Watt can do that. So that's something that can't be ignored. And he plays a big factor in the running game. All right, here's my list. And we've already discussed this a little off camera. So this is going to be a fun one to give out. My number five is Aiden Hutchinson. I'm not putting Hutchinson in for what he has done before so far in his career. He's only been in the league for two years, and it's very hard to become one of the best edge rushers in the game in such a short time span when you're in the league.

It usually takes some time. So Aiden Hutchinson, he's on that type of trajectory. He keeps getting better by the year. So 9.5 sacks in 22, 11.5 in 23, and he was a pro bowler. He more than doubled his quarterback hits, and he has more tackles for loss, more tackles in general. The guy has been a monster and the Lions coaching staff believes that as well. The way that everyone talks about Aiden Hutchinson in that locker room,

it seems like they believe his best days are yet to come. And I anticipate that as well with him being in my top five. My number four is Myles Garrett. Yes, I have the reigning defensive player of the year outside of the top three. I think Myles Garrett is an incredible player. And don't say that I am biased against Myles Garrett because I picked him for defensive player of the year last year. And I was right because I just anticipated he was that guy who was always among the best but hasn't been the best just yet. And he had that year this year.

So congratulations to Miles Garrett for being the best in the game. You won't be this year. But he gets the sacks every single year. The problem is he is a bit of a niche guy. If he's not an edge rusher, then you don't end up using him for anything. The reason that's not a deal breaker for me is because I think the defensive end is a niche position as it is. More of the safeties and the off-ball linebackers are the guys who you want to be able to do everything. With edge rushers, not quite so much.

I want them to get the sacks. I want them to rush the passer. I want those quarterback hits. I want those tackles for loss. I want those hurries. I want you to create pressure, which is the whole point of the position, which is what Miles Garrett does. He's one of the best in the league at doing it. And arguably the best in his, do I say best in his division? Because TJ Watt is there. That's very debatable. It depends on the

year. But with that being said, my number three is TJ Watt. TJ Watt has been year in, year out, one of the best pass rushers in the game. And he is going to be ranked as such in my rankings being top three. He is the single season sack leader. He shares the single season sack record with 22 and a half. And as CJ said, he can do everything. He can drop back into coverage. He can get tackles. He can take tackles for loss. He can pressure the quarterback. He can get among the most sacks you'll see in the league. The reason why he is not as good as many people say, you may not expect it, but it's his double team rate. And it is, this is something you can't control, but it cannot be ignored. TJ Watt is double teamed 14%. Now to put that into perspective,

let me list to you some names who have a higher percentage. Micah Parsons is double-teamed at 35%. It's the most out of all edge rushers in the league. Miles Garrett, 29%. Will Anderson Jr., 23%. Jadevion Clowney, 25%. Alex Highsmith, his

teammate, lined up on the other side, 18%. Kyle Van Nooy, 20 percent nick bosa 26 percent so look at that look at all those names and how much more they are double teamed than him and i still have even in spite of it i still have miles Miles Garrett and Aiden Hutchinson higher, even though they're both double teamed more. So yeah, TJ Watt is a top three edge rusher in spite of it. But this is why you can't look at these statistics too much is because sometimes there are factors that he cannot control that are going to rack up those sacks a lot more. He's making them pay for it. He's getting 20-plus sacks in single seasons,

but you have to look at the reason why. It's not simply because he is dominant. He is a dominant player, but would he be as dominant if he was double-teamed as much as Micah Parsons at 35%? And I'm not quite sure about that. And that brings me to my number one, which is Micah Parsons. This is another guy, just like TJ Watt, who can do everything. He gets sacks.

He gets tackles for loss. He gets quarterback hits. He can drop into coverage. And the reason I have him so much higher this year than I have in years past is, as CJ alluded to before, this guy is in a contract year, and he has always had an attitude to him. He has a certain level of selfishness that isn't necessarily cocky, but it's more so a chip on his shoulder that he has something to prove. And boy, does he this year. He wants to be among the highest paid edge rushers in the game.

And he might get it. The thing is, he's playing for the Dallas Cowboys who have a lot of money, and he has two teammates who are also under contract cd lamb and dak prescott are both on contract years and are projected to make a ton of money at their respected positions the reason i bring that up is because i feel there is going to be some sort of jealous competition between them it'll be friendly they there is going to be some sort of jealous competition between them. It'll be friendly. They're not going to hate each other, but they're going to be thinking to themselves in the back of their heads, this asshole is not going to make more money than me.

I'm going to play my ass off and I'm going to make sure everybody knows that I am the best player on this team and that I deserve to be paid the money that I deserve. The same way with Dak Prescott, he's going to think the same way, and so will CeeDee Lamb. I think this Cowboys team, statistically, they're going to be on one this year. Will they win a Super Bowl? Absolutely not. They're not going anywhere in the playoffs, but their star talent is a couple of these players are going to have career years. And Micah Parsons is one of them. He's always been among the best in the league, kind of like Miles Garrett the year before, right? He was always among the best. He was never thought of as the best. This is that year in a contract year playing for the Cowboys where he is going to rise up and have the best season of

his entire career. He's going to get the bag and he's also ultimately going to make the whole team have to sell off the rest of their pieces because that's the way it's going to be. This team is going to be very top heavy financially, but I mean, the Cowboys are tied up. They have so much star talent that they need to pay. That's my list. So, yeah. Yeah, I get that. I have Micah Parsons in my number two.

And you said it. We both said it. Man, these guys in contract years, I mean, Parsons or not, they just tend to be different. So we'll see. Yeah. I just see a huge year coming from Micah Parsons. And, right, so a lot of these players are –

actually, did I not just have – I forgot my number two didn't i wait oh yeah no you did how did i mess up my number two my number two is nick bosa um nick bosa is he is He is a niche player. He is that type of player who mainly racks up the sacks, the pressures, the tackles for loss, the quarterback hits, but he does it in such a way that he is one of the most dominant defensive players in the game. Again, he's more of a niche player, but I'm completely okay with that if you're an edge rusher because that's kind of what you're supposed to do everything else is bonus but if

you can be dominant being an edge rusher then i'm completely okay with that um and yes he had a he had a much very down year by his standards but is standards. But is he going to have another down year? I don't see that. I think it can't get worse than what it got by Nick Bosa's standards, unless he actually gets hurt. So I have Nick Bosa having a bounce-back year. He could have a career year, but it's certainly going to be a lot better than it was

last year. So Nick Bosa is my number two. I think he's, again, he's one of the most double-teamed players in the league. So I think that holds some water over TJ Watt. Yeah, he racks up the sacks, but the reason he does that is because he's double-teamed among the least out of all edge rushers in the game. Not his fault. These teams are stupid for doing it, but they're still doing it, and it's padding his stats a little bit. That's all I'm going to say. So don't look too much into the statistics themselves when looking at edge rushers, because you have to see what all of these opposing offensive lines are doing to him. And they're not doing much. They're doing more to Alex Highsmith

than they are to him, which is stupid. Again, he's one of the best in the game, but you can't ignore it because it's making his stats look a lot better than they are. All right. So that's my ranking. I have no idea how I just missed my number one, my number two. It'll be fine. We take a salt tablet. It'll be cool.

We'll be fine. All right. All right. Let'll be cool. We'll be fine. All right. All right. Let's move on. We have the AFC West. We are going to preview that division. That's next. This is the Fumble Rooski Podcast.

It may not have always showed it in the stat sheet, but you can see him making throws when he needs to make the throws. Back-to-back games where he has three touchdowns someone's gotta get that six or seven spot he's an elite wide receiver as a rookie truly a lose-lose scenario for both sides welcome back to the fumble ruski podcast by power 88 and secret Weapon Consulting. I'm Adam Wright with CJ Medeiros. So we just finished our edge rushers portion of player rankings. We're going to preview the AFC West. So how this division stacks up. I don't see how you can't have the Chiefs at number one. I feel like this is as close to a slam dunk to a division winner

as we have in this league this year. The Chargers have better coaching, but their cupboard is bare as far as offensive weapons go. Their offensive line looks a little better, but still, you need the weapons too. The Raiders are miles away from contention. They have Gardner Minschu starting games for them maybe they'll win a few games but they're not challenging the chargers it could very well be the chiefs starting the broncos are the most interesting one which is i guess where we could start with um they still kind of have some pieces they traded away jerry judy but they have courtland

sutton and they brought in a new quarterback to replace russell wilson who they threw the bag at in bow nicks they better have bow nicks starting pretty soon because this kid is actually kind of old. He's, what, 26? I think he's like 24. Somewhere around that age level. So your defense is okay, but you lost Simmons. You do have Patrick Sertan. I don't think any of these teams in this division has really a shot at the playoffs outside of the Chiefs. It's a top-heavy division. Yeah, and the only way the Chiefs don't win the division is literally if something happens to Mahomes.

Because look, the Chiefs are happens to Mahomes. Because look, the Chiefs are good. Mahomes is the best quarterback in the league. But we also have to be, you know, we got to be realistic, right? This is not a very good roster outside of Mahomes. In fact, you could argue they got weaker. But it's kind of like when New Englandland had tom brady doesn't matter what the roster looks like so long as they have brady they're going to be in contention whether you like it or not same thing with the chiefs and mahomes has a clean bill of health so

sorry afc west i don't see him getting her he's still going to be a problem but the rest of this division just oh my god there's really, I mean, there's really not a lot of competition, you know? Mahomes doesn't really have a good division to play in. And once again, that's not his fault. And it's just the Chargers, maybe if they had kept Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and they already had Harbaugh you know they had like brought in Harbaugh but I don't know because Justin Herbert has an argument to be made that he's a top 10 quarterback but it's not even that he doesn't have Keenan Allen or Mike Williams Austin Eckler is gone too meaning that you're running back who can still catch the ball but still you're running back like you're number one he is gone and who's their tight end i don't know i think it's gerald ever but

yeah but i think he left didn't he leave let me double check that but yeah and i'm pretty sure they don't have him either and the chargers i actually, are due for regression, not just because, or at least Herbert is, and it's not just because of the weapons. Do you know who their offensive coordinator is, their new offensive coordinator? I'm forgetting off the top of my head. It's a man Justin Tucker could tell you a lot about, our friend Justin Tucker, Greg Roman,

Mr. Run-the 50 times a game himself. So, yeah, Herbert's going to be due for regression just because of Roman, and Harbaugh's pretty old school in his game planning, which I think will actually help, but, you know, this is going to be more of a feeling out year. And the Chargers defense is just a Frankenstein's monster of, like, big names, like Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa and Derwin James, just kind of stapled together

with with the rest of bargain bin players the Broncos are weird because once again they're pretty top heavy you know you have like Garrett Bowles on the o-line he's pretty good he got Cortland Sutton Patrick Sertan on the defensive side of the ball. No more Justin Simmons. And honestly, I don't see their defense doing a whole lot because look, Sertan's a good corner, but I think he's due for even more regression because he has no help. This man cannot do it all on his own. And to ask him to is just ludicrous. And I don't care about the defensive mind that Sean Payton may or may not claim to be, but thus far it does not seem to be doing jack and or crap. And Cortland Sutton himself, let's break that down. I'm seeing him in trade rumors. So folks, we don't talk about this

often, but let's speak the truth. There's a very real chance Courtland Sutton is not on that roster come week one. I mean, a lot of us don't talk about it that much because he's not the sexiest name in the world as far as receivers go. But I don't know. He wants a new contract. And I just, I don't know if I could justify paying him. I mean, obviously, he's not going to get Justin Jefferson or eventually CD Lamb money. But frankly, I don't know if I can justify giving him money like a Jalen Waddle, like Jalen Wadell got, or like Tee Higgins is going to get. You know, I genuinely just can't. In fact, this is from SB Nation, right? Broncos wire.

You can ask the Broncos fans themselves. Not even 40% of them want to give him that money. Only 36% of them actually think he should get a new contract before camp. So if your own fans aren't high on you, I just don't see any light at the end of the tunnel. And then of course, there's the quarterback situation where they signed Zach Wilson, who's actually known more for what he does off the field than anything he

does on the field. Yep. And honestly, I feel like it's like a Sam Darnold thing that sure, you might get marginally better once you leave New York, but playing for the Jets these days might be just the kiss of death. I don't see Zach Wilson really becoming that guy. And frankly, I never did. And if he does, well, good for him. But then there's Bo Nix, who many, myself included, viewed to be a bit of a reach out of Oregon. And truth be told, I wholeheartedly believe that the Falcons didn't take Michael Penix and Penix was still on the board. with him and Bo Nix being drafted literally in the first round was nothing more than a panic move and I have heard some very good things out of camp but is Bo Nix a guy you can win with

because he's 24 right now and I suspect he'll need some time to develop but but Nick seems like a very... Not in 2024. Yeah. He seems like a very safe option. Think of like a rookie year Mac Jones kind of thing, right? Not going to dazzle you with his armor's mobility, but he should be a manager at best. Yeah. I think the biggest mystery is the Broncos and even them.

At best, they'll be a 500 team. They'll be like 9-8, 8-9, maybe 10-7 if they're extra. If they really overperform, like let's say Cortland Sutton just balls out and Bo Nix ends up being a lot better than we think he is, which is relative. That doesn't mean he's becoming a star, but he can still be in his first year. But that's really the only mystery there. I guess the Chargers are going to need an extra year. They have the quarterback, unlike every other team besides the Chiefs in this division, but you need other things around them you have good coaching um at least head coaching

you need weapons though you need weapons you worked on that offensive line cool better it's better you have rashaun slater than doalt you need a little more so they they're still in rebuild mode it's it's the kansas city chiefs show that's this is. And they're going to be in contention for maybe a couple more years. Some of their players are aging. Travis Kelsey eventually will not be one of the best tight ends in the game. And Andy Reid will eventually retire. He's 65. It may not be this year.

It may not be next year. But he will eventually. So what's going to happen when Travis Kelsey and Andy Reid are gone? It may not be this year, may not be next year, but he will eventually. So what's going to happen when Travis Kelsey and Andy Reid are gone? As long as they have Patrick Mahomes, they'll have a chance, but how much of a chance will they have? Don't know. Wait, there is one more team that I want to talk about, obviously, the Raiders. The Raiders on paper aren't terrible, except for the fact they have an absolute black

hole at the quarterback spot. Adam mentioned Gardner Minshew. However, I'm hearing that there's a very real chance that Gardner Minshew doesn't start week one. It might be literally Aiden O'Connell, who showed flashes, but I don't know if he's the guy. And frankly, I like Antonio Pierce as their coach. I think they made the right decision to keep him around. Also because a bunch of players probably would have openly revolted if they hadn't. But once again, the Raiders are just another top-heavy team. They have some truly elite players like Max Crosby and Devontae Adams.

But other than that, I mean they have like some good guys but i just i don't see any real meaningful threat from them unless aiden o'connell can suddenly become like a fringe top 15 guy and even still even with minchu like minchu is going to win you games but you're never going to be anything better than average maybe a fringe playoff contender slightly better than mediocre with Minshew and I'm sorry on a side note Minshew mania needs to die he's never winning a Super Bowl or at least not as a starter maybe if he does like a Nick Foles kind of thing but that's splitting hairs at this point but the Raiders I mean even though they have Pierce, and I like Pierce, even though they have a few good guys,

the Raiders are a team that I feel like they're still going to get worse before it gets better, right? Because still you need a quarterback. There's mounting rumors that Devontae Adams is looking for the door. Your coverage is still, to put it it nicely subpar uh your running defense is and the offensive line still needs work it's like every time the offensive line takes two steps forward they take a step back so i i just don't know what to tell you anymore with the raiders i still think that while they had some

stars they're it's still gonna get worse work it's better and for anyone out there who says these teams have an outside shot against kansas city i'm here to tell you no they don't nope no shot no shot it's going to be it's going to be the Chiefs than everybody else. The Chiefs are kind of still in their championship window. It may be kind of closer to the tail end, if at all. They're not losing their division. That's out of the question. I do believe this Chiefs team is a lot.

I'm not saying that they won't because they're like you have Patrick Mahomes and he's 28. So eventually I think you'll return to that championship level. But I feel like in the next couple of years there will be a gap where the rest of your team is retired and your front office is going to be rebuilding and looking for new weapons for Mahomes, looking for new coaching. Hopefully their next coach is going to be competent enough

to keep them going to Super Bowls because we saw how that worked with Peyton Manning. He never had that good of coaching. And as a result, he didn't win as many Super Bowls as he should have. For being the guy who is argued to be one of the best in the game, top three sometimes, I feel like he needed more than two Super Bowls. And emphasis the two because one of them he was already washed at that point and his defense gifted it to him so um I hope Patrick Mahomes doesn't have the rest of that have that type of career the rest of it I mean he's too great to not do that you know what I mean like he's got to win a couple more at least make it interesting i don't think he's he'll ever pass tom brady but at least make it interesting i think that would be fun

um but we'll see i think that's all the scheduled content we have for today but you have anything else before we end the show uh no no i don't all right well um i believe this does it for our defensive rankings. I think next week we are going to move on to tight ends. And then after that, it'll be running backs, wide receivers, then quarterbacks. And then I believe we have our honors award predictions. And that brings us right to preseason.

So hang in there, there guys opening day is getting closer um it's right around the corner i'm sure you guys are finding plenty of ways to stay entertained this summer whether you're working or hanging out at the beach just going on fun vacations you know the summertime is not the worst time to sit around. I'll tell you where it becomes a problem off seasons. In baseball, sitting through the winter and waiting for baseball during that off season is the worst if you're a baseball fan. Baseball fans, no. Football, it's the summertime, man. It's not that bad.

But still, we're keeping you guys entertained. We're giving you your football content in the meantime we're previewing our season uh the 2024 season with our player rankings and division previews some fantasy football rankings coming up as well in uh later in august when you guys are doing your fantasy drafts so a lot of stuff coming out but without further ado that'll do it for us tonight. Thank you for listening to us. We have new episodes out on Tuesdays at 7.30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

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