The Fumblerooski Podcast - Runaway Favorites -Ep 198 The Fumblerooski Podcast

Episode Date: July 11, 2023

Who are the top-5 running backs going into the 2023 NFL season? How will the NFC North division stack up? Will the Lions live up to their high expectations or will the Bears emerge with their youth? Adam Wright, CJ Medeiros and Justin Tucker debate these topics and more!

Here's Edelman broken up and the pass is no sign yet. Edelman comes down with a football and they're saying it's a catch. It's in. What? It's a catch! Sideline! Touchdown! Unbelievable! top five running backs and the NFC North. We welcome you to the Fumble Rooski podcast by Power 88 and Secret Weapon Consulting. I'm Adam Wright with you as always with Justin Tucker and CJ Medeiros. We are into mid-July in our summer uh player rankings and division previews all of these episodes

previewing the upcoming season as always for the 2023 nfl season guys opening day is right around the corner it is coming soon sit tight while we keep you guys entertained with our football content. And as I mentioned before, we are doing our top five running backs and previewing the NFC North division, giving you guys where we believe each team will stack up, the best players and all of that stuff. But how are you guys today? I'm doing all right, not too bad. I can't complain. So so far so good yeah pretty

good been up since 5 30 did a workout ran on the beach i always see these people doing beach workouts doing you know bay watch and stuff gotta get out there and work out um plus it gives you good energy it's it i gotta say waking up early and working out is better than sleeping in. Like it makes you feel much better. All right. But we're going to jump into it with our top five, top five running backs. We start at five and we all the way to one as always. CJ, want to kick us off?

Why? Thank you. So my running back, my number five, this might shock some people, but I'm looking at Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys. So as we all know, Tony Pollard is a good running back. And for the longest time, he has been forced to share a backfield with Ezekiel Elliott. But even in sharing a backfield with Zeke, he is averaging 5.2 yards a carry last season, just broke a thousand yards and had nine touchdowns. And as I said, that is with Zeke.

So imagine what he's going to do without him because outside of Tony Pollard, won't lie to you, the Cowboys running back room isn't exactly scary. Yeah. And I would definitely expect Pollard's touches to go way, way way up thus landing him a spot in the top five yeah yeah and i'm i'm sorry not going and and i've got to say putting pollard

top five over a lot of other star running backs from the past couple of years really is indicative of how crazy crazy the running back position is. And I'll give you guys a forewarning before we get to the rest of our list, because I have Pollard in my top five too. I'm not going to tell you where, but I have him in there. The running back position is a mess when it comes to ranking and trying to predict who's going to be better, going to be good in this upcoming year. So when we, when we, if one of us has a star running back outside the top five, remember, we're not talking about what happened last year. We're trying to preview this year. So just, just a little forewarning guys. Um, the running back position sucks. There's one player

who's going to be, you know, the best running back in football one year and then he'll be almost out of the league the next that's how crazy it is um but yeah but that but pollard is a good one at five i like that so tuck who do you got five my number five guy granite had been a down, but I believe he'll bounce back to be what he's supposed to be. And I believe that his offensive line will be a smidgen better than it was last year. And so my number five guy is Jonathan Taylor. I believe in his upside. I believe in his ability to bounce back. I believe in that Colts O-line to be better than it was the previous year. because two years ago, they were without doubt one of the better O-lines in football.

And it showed when Jonathan Taylor had over 1,800 yards rushing and like 10 plus touchdowns. And so when I look at Jonathan Taylor, I look at his skill set and I look at his ability. If he can just stay healthy, which again is an if considering this is the running back position, but if he can stay healthy, I believe he'll be one of the more dominant running backs this season. I think he just needs a chance for that, though. Yeah, I mean, the offensive line certainly should have been a little better, but they didn't really do much to improve it this past season. So I just don't have much confidence in that offensive line. And Jonathan Taylor could not

stay healthy. Yet another running back who one year was one of the best in football, and the next was an afterthought in that season from 2021 over to 2022 for Taylor. That's kind of why I have him out of my, outside of my top five, but Hey, this position is so unpredictable. This guy could be the best in football yet again, this upcoming season. Um, but my number five is actually Derek Henry. Um, Henry is getting, Henry is getting up there in age, which is why I kind of have him in my back end. Now, when this guy is healthy and when he is at his best, he's the best in football. When it's in his hands and he's running with it, no question about it. The only question that I have is with his age.

And the other thing I have about him that kind of limits his upside is his ability to catch the football. He's not the best as a receiver, but as a North South runner, there's nobody better. And he's built like a tank, which is in out of that respect for his ability to run and just plow through guys. That's why I have him in my top five. Still,'s approaching his late 20s into early 30s, which is why I'm kind of hesitant to have him way up there. But this guy is still going to be a stud. And we're taking it year by year with Henry at this stage of his career. But I still believe that he will have at least one more good year in him. So give me Derrick Henry at number five. I can't believe what I'm hearing. I told you this is going, I'm trying to predict what's happening this upcoming year,

not what happened last year. You still said he at least has one more good year left in him. That's still, by his standards, it's like 1800 yards and a lot of touchdowns why do you think he'll be less than top three if you still think he has one more good year left well because he's in his late 20s and and another good year left in him could be like dalvin cook last year which would be kind of outside the top five i mean dalvin cook still one of my favorite running backs of all time, but I don't think like, I don't think like a productive year for him is still like, it's good, but it's not like top five worthy. So he could still, Derek Henry still could be really good, but it will be like 1200, 1300 yards as opposed to like 16 or 17 right like i i just don't he's just getting up there in age where

running backs age like milk that's that's just the problem here 1200 1300 yards and you're out of the top five this is ridiculous derrick derrick henry's in the top five so perhaps we should move on i don't know yeah all right we right go for number four all right my number four might be a little controversial i'm saying this right now my number four is josh jacobs how's that controversial because a lot of because you know most rushing yards last year and so on and everyone's like oh you know he's the rushing champ. And not to mention he touched the rock 393 times. But here's the thing. I have always said one great season does not make a running back.

And before he goes top three, I want to see him do it again. And I have every confidence that he will because I believe, you know, they tagged him and he's playing for a big boy contract. Am I wrong? Yeah. So, I mean, I assume you mean agree with me. Not that I'm wrong, but, you know, but see, the thing is is he's i don't know like there's something about him that's like fishy to me and like i said one more year and i'll say he's top three but how many times have we seen a running back put up elite numbers and then fall apart the very next

year just do the volatility of the position. And when running backs, I say Jonathan Taylor. You know, it happens. So you never know. Either way, he's my number four, good old Josh Jacobs. Yeah, I mean, it's just that he's entering a contract year. He was entering a contract year. So the trust in him to continue it after he just got paid, I don't know.

Did he get tagged? Yeah, I don't think he did. Yeah, I mean, he did get tagged. Yeah, so this is still a contract year. Technically, but how long do we expect him to continue that kind of production? It was an incredible year. But outside of that, he's been like a 1,000-yard rusher. He's been solid. So he'll be good.

If I had a top 10, he would be right there in the early portion of the back half of those rankings. But, yeah, I like Josh Jacobs. That's a good pick. All right. Tucker? Yeah, it's not a bad pick. I don't see it as controversial.

At least I don't. I don't see it as a controversial one. But my number four one is Austin Eckler. Is he even going to play this year? That's the thing. If he was playing this year, he arguably would have been top three. I'm not sure if he's going to play for the Chargers, but I think he's going to play this year that's the thing if he was playing this year he arguably would have been top three i'm not sure if he's going to play for the chargers but i think he's going to play this year i mean i think that's obvious but i just when i look at his running ability and his catching out

of the backfield his running ability is solid but what does it for me to get him to number four is his ability out of the backfield catching the ball when When he's in space, he's a hard man to bring down. He has great hands, great feet, and is a mother to bring down in the open field. He's gotten Justin Herbert out of a lot of problems just by dumping it off to him and running his way to first downs and then eventual touchdowns. So I don't know. When I look at him within that offense and what he does, he may be one of the most important pieces of that offense as far as his running and catching ability I think he has the same versatility as Christian McCaffrey I just don't think he's as fast and as like versatile as him well no he's still a great

piece to have on your offense and I think the Chargers should pay him for what he does even though you don't usually pay for the running back spot yeah he's that is a that's a guy who if he is healthy and he continues to produce as he continues to get up there in age he's entering his his age 28 season which if you weren't a running back that'd be the middle of your prime at the running back position it is considered uh you know you're taking it year by year it's just his usage rate is going up and through the roof which from a production standpoint is incredible through a health issue through a health perspective he's going to get overused and he's just he's at an age where he's just getting older.

Um, but that, but if he is, if, if none of that winds up being an issue, then this guy's arguably the number one running back in all of football. Um, but without further ado, my number four is actually Tony Pollard. Um, Pollard is a running back who, I mean, everything that CJ said about him is just, I mean, it's spot on. This guy did not have the highest usage rate. He was splitting carries, and it wasn't an even split. It was 60-40 with Ezekiel Elliott, and yet he still put up 1,300 scrimmage yards.

And this by only taking 40% of the snaps. Now he is going to be without Ezekiel Elliott, so he will have that backfield all to himself, and also working behind one of the better offensive lines in football when healthy in the Dallas Cowboys. And a solid passing game that is going to keep opposing defenses honest, and he won't be facing as many stacked boxes. So I have Tony Pollard. The sky's the limit for this kid. He has the ability to catch the ball.

He has the ability to rush it. And he has the ability to catch the ball he has the ability to rush it and he has been able to do it efficiently and now he's going to get the workload to be able to do it so i have tony pollard as my number four i think he's going to have a career year that's that's a good one yeah i'm inclined to agree yeah i just give yeah give me tony pollard i think he's going to be incredible this year yeah i think you'll be very good for that cowboys offense um yeah so yeah cj who's your number three so my number three is derrick henry yeah let's just keep disrespecting him, I guess. No, he's top three.

In what way is this disrespect? Yeah, I think that's a lot of respect. I mean, take it from top four to out of number five. Justin, may I state my case, please? Let me hear this. And let me tell you something. If you hate him as my number three, spoiler alert, kids, you're going to hate my number two.

But that's neither here nor there. So here's the deal with Derrick Henry. He's two seasons removed from an injury and he's 29 years old. And in running back years, that's alarm bells flying. But coming off a torn ACL last season, he still put up 1,538 yards with 13 touchdowns. And on top of that, averaging 4.4 yards a carry. This man is unstoppable. And he would probably be my number two, you know, without, you know, the, the injury and the fact that he's 29. And I feel like he's ripe to get overused because Kareem Hunt is gone he's not splitting carries with anyone which for running back of his age is a gift and a curse but but Adam put it best when he said that Derrick Henry just north-south running

there's nobody better he's a tank and I expected and I expect him to be if he wasn't before the real like actual almost sole focal point of this titans offense especially since ryan tanhill ain't gonna do jack let me tell you i mean like the only the only thing that holds me back from having him higher is his usage rate and at his age he's going to be 29 this year and he's averaging over 300 carries a season yeah he nearly topped 400 in 2020 and had 350 this year and the only reason he didn't in 2021 is because he got hurt halfway through that year and oh by the way halfway through that season he had 200 touches oh and by the way uh going into last season i said henry was going to be better than jonathan taylor

and y'all didn't believe me so i appreciate the congrats on being right yeah and i think i had him number one which no you had taylor number one not henry but whatever that's what i said i had had Taylor number one yeah which is which tells you how how awful this position is to predict it's so hard but Tuck give me your three despite the Derrick Henry stuff that was said I have Josh Jacobs as my number three guy I think since he still has to prove himself because the Raiders do not want to give him a contract, I'm not sure if he'll be traded or not. But regardless, this upcoming season is going to be another prove it year for him. And I believe

he'll prove it again by having a stellar season. I believe 1400 yards is the expectation for him. And I want to say 10 touchdowns is a fair amount for him, whether it's catching or rushing the ball. Overall, I always liked the way he rushed, even from his Alabama days coming out. Whenever I watched him on film, I'm like, I wish he was on the Ravens. I wish he was on the Ravens. Even if it took a first round pick, I was like, just come over to Baltimore but all in all I still think he's a phenomenal talent and a phenomenal

pick up for the Raiders I think he's going to have another stellar season for them if he's on the team and I think he'll be a top 3 running back this year obviously I mean I can't blame you for having Josh Jacobs in your top five especially after this past season i mean that's he was the rushing yards leader you know you no one can blame you for having that

and he also had a ton of touchdowns didn't he like 12 he's something like that yeah yeah he was he was unbelievable and he was entering a contract year he's doing it again so if he has that urgency still then maybe he will as long as his his body allows it he will continue that production that being said i have saquon barkley as my number three and the reason i have saquon barkley at number three, a lot of the same reasons you guys have Josh Jacobs in that spot as well, except you have Barkley working behind an offensive line that is improving and an offensive passing game that is also getting better, meaning he will face a lot

less stacked boxes. And also he has the ability to catch, which is a big thing for me. I know he's been injury prone in the past, but he's finally figured out with figured it out with the health this past season. I think he can follow it up with another good year because the, because mainly because the fault, the situation around him is much more favorable than it ever has in his career. Like he's, it's a much better pass catching corpse, better offensive line. The defense looks solid. I just think that's a, that those are ripe grounds for Barkley to really continue to emerge as one of the better running backs. So we forgot he was from, from earlier on in his career. And I think that's going to show in this season, I have Saquon Barkley as my number three,

and I think he's going to continue the production that he had last year. He's going to pick up right where he left off and maybe have an even better year perhaps now i don't i don't even think saquon barkley has shown up to giants minicamp i don't even know if he's signed his tag yet i don't think so so the only and i just want to point out spoiler he's not in my top five and the only reason he's not is because I don't even know if he's going to play or if he's going to hold out. I just don't know what these running backs anymore. It's so hard. I mean, there's players who we're not even mentioning

who are going to be in the top five this year. Probably. I don't have Dalvin Cook in my top five. I don't. And wherever he winds up, if it's a favorable spot, he could wind up being a top five back. Perhaps. Which will make us all look stupid.

I thought he was a top five back when I was thinking about this list. Now I'm struggling to think about it. I don't think he's a top five back anymore. I mean, Dijon Robinson could be a top five guy. Well, we'll see. So may I give my number two? Give us your two. You're going to hate this.

My number two is Nick Chubb. So you remember why I like Derrick Henry? Now picture a younger Derrick Henry, and I give you Nick Chubb. So let me tell you something about Nick Chubb. Last season had just one less touchdown than Henry and slightly just a few less yards. He had 5,000 to one, no, sorry, 5,525 yards and 12 touchdowns and averaged five yards a carry. And as it sits right now, he's 27. And what's even better is that he was splitting reps with Kareem Hunt and Kareem Hunt is gone.

And when you combine the fact that he has been able to stay relatively healthy, his age, this is like the middle of his prime, like I said, like a younger Derrick Henry, and started all 17 games. I'm sorry, how do you not love this? Nick Chubb could very well have career bests next season. I mean, he did last year. So I'm telling you, the sky is the limit for Nick Chubb.

It is. That's why I also had him number two. Hey, let's go. It pains me, but when I watch him play, especially against us, I'm like, dear God, he's a load to handle. It's going to take all of us to let him go.

That man is a runaway train once he gets a full head handle and it's going to take all of us to let him go that man is a runaway train once he gets a full head of steam going i remember back in 2019 when he broke off a huge run against us i'm like we can't stop him and that's how it feels like when you play against him sometimes i've seen him against the eagles he's stiffed on my man to the ground he looks like one of those old running backs we used to see back in the day he's low he's powerful he's shifty can make you miss he's just all that in one person he's a younger derrick emory except more mobile that's why i have him number two i don't think he's what derrick emory is right now but i still think he's a stud of a running back and he's younger so that's why I have him number two. He's not my number one, but he's very, very good.

Might hear that, man. Yeah, I think Nick Chubb is a pretty good running back. And, yeah, he's going to be good this year too. But my number two is Najee Harris. And the reason I have Najee Harris, find yourself a running back who plays behind consistently one of the worst offensive lines in all of football, yet still finds a way to get production one way or another. He's been a 1,000-yard rusher both seasons he has been in the league.

In fact, his rookie year, it was 1,200 yards. And he was also a force catching the ball as well. This guy has been a monster. And now that offensive line has actually improved, adding a veteran guard, adding a rookie tackle. I mean, now with an improved offensive front and also a pass-catching corpse that has been still pretty stable this year, and Kenny Pickett, who is showing that maybe he does have a little something there.

I mean, this is an improved all-around offense in the best situation that Najee Harris has ever been in. So this running back who was looked at once when he was coming out of the draft as one of the best running back prospects out there now can actually show that he can be that and be one of the best, one of the top two running backs in all of football.

He's been due for one of those monster years and i think this is it it's not gonna happen i appreciate the confidence ain't gonna happen not on our watch yeah ravens homering aside uh i do have some concerns bc the thing is he doesn't really seem to have a nose for the end zone he does have only seven rushing touchdowns each of his first two years but three receiving so i guess that makes up the difference but this might sound crazy but i think he's going to be hampered by the steelers play calling they have the worst offensive coordinator in the league right now in Matt Canada and that's going to hurt no matter how good the o-line is

it's possible and that's just my two cents although he's he's definitely in my top 10 though he like I just think he's going to be what he could potentially be. The sky is the limit for him. He can be one of the best running backs in all of football, and he's built like it too. Have you ever seen him in person? No, I have never met him in person, I'm afraid. Well, look at him when he's being interviewed by a sideline reporter.

The size difference is actually insane. The guy is actually built, and I don't think people really realize it. No, no, he is. He can still catch the football. He can still rush. He's been playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in football. That's fair. So I just think with the team overall improved,

a good young quarterback will keep defenses honest and prevent all the stacked boxes that Najee has been facing his whole career. I think this is going to be a good year for him. This is going to be his best year. Man, you never know. I would hope so. Yep. Interesting.

So I am going to give my number one. Let's hear it. My number one is Christian McCaffrey. He didn't even make my list. Shame. He didn't even make my list. But anyway, let me tell you something. Christian McCaffrey has had some injury issues

because the Panthers could not use him to save their lives or save their seasons. But let me tell you something about old Christian McCaffrey. He bounced back, played for two teams, and had over 1,000 rushing yards

and eight rushing touchdowns. That's good. But it's the fact that he's an elite receiving back with 741 receiving yards last season and five receiving touchdowns. And now he's playing on the best team that he's ever played with. And on top of that, there's so much uncertainty at the Niners quarterback position. So you know they're going to be feeding him the ball. And you know that he's going to get a lot of short passes out of the backfield. The Niners QB woes are ripe for him to see a great uptick in production.

That's a really good pick. And I almost had him in my top five. But the only reason is that injury history. And I know he had a, I know he had a healthy season. I know, I know, but I just, I just can't trust him anymore. I still don't. One healthy season does not make a healthy running back. And I think he, if he he stays healthy then everything you say is going to be correct but just the fact that they're going to be leaning on him so heavily especially with a massive question mark at the quarterback position his body's gonna break now i'm just

saying he's the healthiest he's like almost ever been and besides he's played for six seasons and he's still and he's been healthy for like two-thirds of them it's like still four out of the six so you know that's still pretty good i know also the panthers like either way it's just a better situation so i don't know that's just me much better situation much better and if he if and if he has a another breakout season i would not be surprised but i also just think he's a bad bet. I just think his body's made of chandelier glass. And the guy is just at the stage of his career where he's not healthy enough.

I forgive you. Also, he's got to be like 27, so that's still a good age for a running back. It is. Right. Yeah. So he could still have a very good year. He still could. It's just the only position where you're in your late 20s and you're still considered past your prime,

or at least just towards the tail end of it. I've never considered it that way, you know but whatever let's uh justin you want to go we already know who my number one guy is i've already said it his name is derrick emery derrick emery's my number one guy i can't believe we're talking about a guy who got off an injury came back and gave you 1500 yards rushing. And we're talking as if he's a scrub or something. Number five, number three. He's number one. And I don't think it's close sometimes because when I see him run and watch him break away from would be tacklers. It is. It astounds me how we can be that big, that strong, and still run that fast in the open field.

I don't know. I don't understand how he can do the things that he does on a regular basis, considering how bad that Tennessee offense is without him. I don't understand how he faces as many boxes as he does and still gets away with the things that he does. The only thing that doesn't make it unanimous in that point Adam brought up, his catching ability. I don't believe his catching ability is as good as some of the other running backs on the list, but overall, I think his rushing ability just makes up for that in that department. I believe he is the workers of the Tennessee Titans. They go as far as Derrick Henry can take them. And I believe he is unquestionably the best running back in the league right now.

You know what's something that we really haven't addressed is that offensive line for the Titans. And also, they just lost their tackle, didn't they? They just got Peter Skronsky, didn't they? They did get him. And they also lost one of their – didn't they lose one of their guards or centers? Or both. They've lost some pieces there.

I just – I like Derrick Henry. I put him in my top five out of I like Derrick Henry. I put him in my top five out of respect for Derrick Henry. Out of respect. We'll see. We'll see. He's getting up there in age. So we'll see. But my number one is actually Nick Chubb.

And for all of the reasons that you guys had him at number two, I like him even more at number one. I just think this guy is such a safe bet to have in your top five. And towards the front end of it. In fact, he's working behind one of the best offensive lines in football. And on top of that, this guy, it's not what he's been in the league for a few years.

So he's been in the league since 18 few years so he's been in the league since 18 so this will be his what fifth year the thing is he's been working he's been sharing carries with kareem hunt to in a capacity which is kept which has kept him fresh and he has a good offensive line and now this is going to be the best passing offense the Browns have had in years and you have Deshaun Watson now shaking off that rust you've got Amari Cooper all right this is going to be this is going to be the best year that Nick Chubb has and the sky is the limit for him and I think he's now, he's getting, again, he's getting to an age where we're going to start taking it year by year,

but he's going to his age 27 season. I think he still has a lot left in the tank, and he's going to show it this year. He's going to be one of the better running backs in all of football. In fact, I have him number one. So put me down. Nick Chubb, number one. That's fair.

That's fine. I understand why you put him there. Hell, he made my top three. I understand why he's there. Exactly. All right. So are we ready to head over to some NFC North predictions? Yeah.

Oh, I'm ready. All right. Let's do it. All right, guys. So how exactly will this division stack up? We're going to talk about that next. This is the Fumble Rooski podcast. Here's Edelman broken up and the pass is no sign yet. Edelman comes down with a football, they're saying it's a catch.

It's his cross, to Gates! Sideline! Touchdown! Unbelievable! Swings it way down the field to Watkins! Sammy Watkins for the touchdown! Welcome back to the Fumble Rooski podcast by Power 88 and Secret Weapon Consulting. Adam Wright, CJ Medeiros, and Justin Tucker with you as always. So we are on to, in our division previews, the NFC North. As we sweep through the western part of this conference.

This is an interesting division because the top two teams last year or just in the past couple of years the packers and the vikings those guys are kind of afterthoughts at this point and right off the bat i think we can all have the lions being uh the overwhelming favorite in this division. They've improved in every spot on the field. And all of a sudden, Jared Goff, who was looked at as more of a bridge quarterback, he is now becoming more of, he looks like a franchise guy who can actually win us a Super Bowl.

And at this point, I know that he was looked at as kind of a puppet over in LA with Sean McVay. But now, I mean, he did make a Super Bowl. And now he's actually making the Lions relevant along on this ride with an improved offensive front and a pretty good pass catching corpse led by Aminra Saint-Brown and they'll have Jamison Williams soon um I mean they don't have many weaknesses on this team if any so I'd have them as favorites and the bears look like a team that could really finish above 500 and maybe make the playoffs. That's, that's kind of a number two team. Um, and you know, if like, if Justin feels look like, looks like he can play in any sort of capacity, they could even

compete for this division. Even though I think the Lions have it. That's just a team that looks like this is their year. If anyone's going to do it, it's going to be them. As for the Packers and Vikings, they're kind of both in similar positions in a way, where they're kind of has-beens who might be able to still be competitive. They have a bunch of question marks, but they'll have to figure out a lot of things. The Packers more so because they have a new quarterback, a lot of question marks in that pass catching corpse. And I mean,

the Vikings have just lost so many players. So a lot of it's really up in the air, but I think the biggest wild card in, in this division has to be the packers i mean i hear you i i'm gonna say one thing the n even you know say what you will about the lions but i definitely feel that the nfc north as a whole has to be the biggest question mark in the entire NFC because NFC East, it's Phillies to lose. NFC South, well, no one's competing from that division. NFC West, it should be the Niners, you know, when Brock Purdy comes back. But the NFC North. Is just such a weird division.

Because. On paper. It should be the Lions. It should be. However. Dan Campbell has yet to eclipse 500. As a head coach. And if.

And that's a big if. Because I'm also expecting the Lions to be good. If they fall short. short then I don't know then that might be a Campbell problem unfortunately which is a shame because I really like him but then but yeah but the Lions should do it you know barring an epic and I mean like an epic collapse so next we're looking at the packers packers have a solid roster overall but jordan love he's gonna have to come out and bring his a game because i know they spent a first round pick on him i know he just got an extension i mean because did he not like just get like a one

year extension from the packers or something because technically he's only at the last year of his rookie deal. I believe he did. He's shown flashes, but the jury's kind of still out on him, which is not really his fault. I mean, he was playing behind a future Hall of Fame quarterback. Yeah, and the thing is, I don't't even i will say one thing about the packers leave jordan love be i think this is everyone's like oh this is the year if we find out if he's really good or not i think this is the year if we find out lafleur is really good or not

was lafleur being competitive because of rogers or is he actually a good coach? I think this is really the year where we find out. Then there's the Bears. Mark my words right now. Their entire season, even more so than the Packers, hinges on the quarterback. If Justin Fields underwhelms, I don't care what anyone says, oh, he showed flashes. Look at those numbers. Last season was not that great for him. Justin Fields underwhelms. I don't care what anyone says. Oh, he showed flashes.

Look at those numbers. Last season was not that great for him. If he underwhelms for a third straight year, it might be time to look somewhere else. Because this is going to be the best team and arguably the best coach that he's had in the NFL. And if the beefed up O-line and the addition of DJ Moore and that running back they got there. Wait, no, no, no, no.

They lost Montgomery. I stand corrected. But you have Komet coming into his own, a feisty defense. It all hinges on fields. They got Foreman and Herbert. They got Foreman and Kalil Herbert. So that those are the guys that you're thinking of. Well, this is going to be Herbert's breakout year, hopefully. And finally the Vikings.

I don't know why. I'm just not scared of them. They're a very top heavy team. Cause that you, you got the stars. I mean, that's never been in question. You know, you've got, you know, mean, that's never been in question. You know, you've got Jettas, you've got Hawkinson, you have Daniil Hunter, and there's probably someone else that I'm forgetting.

But once you look past that, they're really top-heavy. And I'm telling you, God forbid, if Justin Jefferson goes down, we're looking at a bottom 10 team. It's just Kevin O'Connell has to improve his defensive coaching. I mean, last season they were called the cardiac Vikings for a reason because you can count on one hand the amount of convincing wins those teams had. I mean, that team had. The vast majority of their wins were down- the wire nail biters oh and and and even still they were one and done in the playoffs like the only team with like 12 or 13 wins to have a negative

point differential i don't i still remember that game against Dallas. Yeah. Either way, I don't even say I'm like that scared of them, but either way, this division is Detroit's to lose if they can live up to their expectations that we've placed on them for the first time in a long time. Fair enough. There's really not much for me to say here. I believe that Detroit, it's their division to lose unless all of a sudden one of these other teams just rise to prominence i have a lot of faith in

the chicago bears with the improvement of justin fields now me too they only are starting to give him some weapons the o-line i hope is starting to come around for him i believe the defense will be fine even though i don't think it's as good as it once was. Overall, I think the Chicago Bears is going to be one of the teams you look out for, regardless of who you are. I think Justin Herbert will take the next steps in order to become the quarterback of the future there.

I just think he needed the right coaching and the right players around him and the right support, and I think he's finally starting to get that. Shame it took him three seasons to do that. But again, I digress. I'm not sure how to feel about the Packers. They lost Aaron Rodgers, and we don't know what Jordan Love is as a commodity. We've seen him in stretches here or there, but I don't know what they currently have in Jordan Love. So I'm a bit iffy on him, and plus they refuse to give him weapons, like quality weapons that they could use to make the playoffs. I just never understood the Packers' affinity for not rewarding their quarterback with good weapons,

but I digress. They have a good defense, but I don't know if their offense isn't as good as it once was. I don't care how good your defense is. You're not going anywhere. The Vikings, as much as I want to believe in Kirk Cousins, I just can't believe in this team overall. No matter how good Justin Jefferson is, I don't think he can just carry this team willfully into the playoffs by himself. Don't get me wrong, he's a stud, but he's not that damn good. That defense, my lord, that defense. I remember when the Vikings were a great defense, but that was under Mike Zimmer. I don't know what the heck they were last year. Oh man, just watching some of the games and some of the breakdowns I saw of the Minnesota Vikings defense last year, because I was bewildered that Zedarius Smith was dropping into coverage when he should be going after the quarterback.

All in all, just bad. And so when I look at this conference, I look at this division, I'm looking and I was like, there's clearly one that's hidden shoulders above everyone else. And then there's just lack for a better term, mid surrounding everything else. So I just hope that this division can be a little more competitive. Kind of like how we saw in the NFC East last year, where all four teams at one point in time were playoff contenders, but all in all, I just want to see it at least competitive within the division before the Lions just take it. Yeah, I think I have a lot of faith in the Bears, but it does fringe on how Justin Fields does, and the jury's out on him. So he's shown flashes on what he could do.

Now he has the team around him and he has the offensive line. So now it's all up to him to prove that he is the guy. And the jury's out. I have faith in him. I think he's shown enough so that I believe that he can do something. So we'll see. Unless he gets hurt and then we'll have to see next year, which I hope doesn't happen because we don't want another Tua situation

because that's kind of the same with Tua right now. I mean, if he didn't get hurt, we could be looking at him as a Pro Bowl quarterback. Miami probably wins that division, or at least arguably does. I mean, that could happen here with the Bears. We'll see. All right. But we got to move on.

And we are going on to our fan box. Rating the most underrated running backs going into this year. That's next. This is the most. This is the Fumble this is the Fumble Risky Podcast. Hanlon comes down with a football, and they're saying it's a catch. It's caught! Diggs! Side-eyed!

Touchdown! Unbelievable! Swings it way down the field to Watkins! Sammy Watkins for the touchdown! welcome back to the fumble ruski podcast by power a in secret weapon consulting adam right justin tucker with cj medeiros as always welcome to the fan box portion of our show where we post a question filter on our instagram every Monday and you can respond with hot takes questions and more we'll discuss it and give you a shout out on our podcast respond to next week's fan box question to be featured on our show so for the question of the week was who is the most underrated running backs heading into 2023 Patrick Williver said Alexander Madison

another running back who could be one of the better ones in the league. I mean, every week that Dalvin Cook is hurt, Madison steps up and puts up arguably the same production. And now I don't believe Madison is as good as Cook, but he's still a reliable RB1 if he can stay healthy. I mean, we haven't seen him with this kind of workload, so we'll see how he does. Grayson Mortimer said Pacheco on Kansas City, which is a good one. I mean, they have a lot of pieces in that,

a lot of parts in that running back core without a real number one. So, I mean, it's there for the taking but don't be surprised if someone else in that backfield takes over because it's just so unpredictable the way kansas city does that backfield ever since kareem hunt left the team it really has been there hasn't been that one running back for them who just takes over um but ian mulhern said deontay foreman a guy who was supposed to be incredible when he first got into the league then he tore his achilles and everyone wrote him off because achilles tears especially for a running back they're out they're out of football, at least, I mean,

almost all the time. Now here you got Deontay Foreman, who's looking like he's his old self. In fact, he just continues to get better. And now he's on the Bears, working behind a good offensive line. Sharing carries with Khalil Herbert, but we'll see how that whole thing goes uh which leads us into our next Connor Fallon said Herbert on Chicago whenever that guy has stepped up to relieve David Montgomery who would ever who would get injured he's always still put up numbers and even even in some weeks where Montgomery is healthy, he would always still be able to find some sort of a role. Now Montgomery's out. Foreman's in, but we don't know how much better Foreman is

if he is better than Montgomery. So we'll see. I mean, it's their backfield. It's those two in that backfield. So they're going to get plenty of carries. But definitely underrated. William Mantle said, Zonovan Knight is going to be a monster this season. I agree that he's underrated.

I don't know if I agree that he's going to be a monster because they still have some pieces in that backfield ahead of him. You still have Brees Hall, the obvious one. Now he's coming off an ACL tear, so who knows how effective he's going to be right off the bat. But they still have Michael Carter, who is still a very productive running back in his own right. And honestly, that's the guy who I see being their RB1

going into this year. Zonovan Knight is still good. He's still going to be very solid, but he's kind of buried on the depth chart. If he was alone in that backfield, I would be inclined to agree. JZ8 Hockey said Khalil Herbert

as well. Khalil Herbert's a good pick. He's a good pick, and I think he's going to have a good year. We'll see how that goes. Any of those Bears running backs, really. John Warren also said jameer gibbs a guy who's kind of flown under the radar not only um in a nfl sense but just in through the draft as well just coming out of this this past draft i mean bijan robinson was

was looked at as the guy but we all forgot about Jameer Gibbs. He better pan out, let me tell you, because as it sits right now, he's considered arguably the biggest reach in the first round. I mean, yeah, for the Lions' sake, he better pan out. And he's going to improve that Lions team, whether it was a reach or not. And they did make some reaches, let me tell you. But I think Jameer Gibbs is going to be pretty good. I think he's going to be good. Him and David Montgomery, that's a good backfield. BD breaks, said Deontay Foreman too. And Foreman is going to be a good

back. He's a nice power back who can complement Khalil Herbert very well, as Herbert is more of the elusive east-west runner. So I do believe that Foreman is going to be pretty good for them. I mean, it's going to be those two in that backfield. Eli Turner said Latavius Murray, even though he's old. Talk about a guy who's just been a journeyman ever since he lost his starting job in Oakland, now Vegas. I mean, this guy produced everywhere he's gone, and he's always been a backup doing it. I feel so bad for Latavius Murray.

I always thought he was kind of a low-end RBb1 rb2 type of back but he never really got that opportunity and every time every time he was thrust into a starting role he put up rb1 numbers so i it and he has a nose for the for the end zone which shows that he is a pretty good player um so yeah he's pretty good i'm looking at his stats now a career of over 6 000 rushing yards and uh 55 rushing touchdowns it's not too shabby and ever since the end of 2016 where he lost his starting job uh in oakland he's still been like he's he's he's been a journeyman, being a backup. And he's still found a way to produce. I have a lot of respect for that guy.

Cola DJ said James Conner. There's another guy who's kind of on the same path as Latavius Murray, where he hasn't been a starter since he – well, he kind of has been in Arizona. But he's never been the projected starter anywhere. But with the Steelers, he was pretty good. Then he left and went to Arizona, became an afterthought. But then Connor said, wait a second, I can still do this. Come and look at me.

And this guy can rush still. He has a great nose for the end zone what do you have like 10 12 touchdowns this past year no two seasons ago no he was it was kind of a down year but two seasons ago we had like 15 right so the guy can still kind of play um owen owen vanslack said brian robinson and here's the owen ow Owen, he likes to give a lot of responses. He has like three right now. I'd love to see it. Yeah, of course.

We love the passion. Brian Robinson, he had a crazy year. He'll only get better from here. I mean, when you get shot, that's about as crazy as it gets. And yet he still played. Exactly. and i'm glad that he still played exactly and i'm glad that he's okay and i am glad that he felt that he could he could make it and he did make it back to the big league level and i mean he was pretty productive all things considered i mean he was a rookie and then something horrible like that happens to him and he still finds a way to get back

uh early in the year i mean this guy could certainly get a lot better we'll see how he is i mean the jury's still out on him um but he showed he showed some flashes this past year uh owen van uh van slack also said samaje piran samajipan. I always mess that up. Now this guy, whenever he has stepped up for Joe Mixon, another guy, a great running back handcuff in fantasy for Joe Mixon. Every time he stepped up in relief of him, always puts up good numbers. And now he kind of has a starting role with Denver. I know you have Javante Williams, but he's coming off an ACL tear. And I don't know how, like, just running backs coming off ACL tears don't usually, they usually have their best production the year after the year they come back.

Not right when you get back to the field. And I think it's going to be the same with Williams. And P. Ryan is going to have a strong role on this Broncos team. Owen Vanslack also said, Rashad White going to be crazy with that O-line. He could be. Isn't he still on the Buccaneers? Who? Rashad White. He should be. Isn't he still on the Buccaneers? Who?

Rashad White. He should be. No, he is. He is. So that offensive line, I mean, they just cut Donovan Smith. Yeah. Also, his rookie year wasn't even that good. Yeah.

I mean, like, sometimes it takes a year to get better but i mean that situation around you in tampa bay i mean they still have some pieces but their offensive line doesn't look great and their quarterback position is a massive question mark if that i mean maybe we'll see he's shown some flashes maybe if he was in a better situation i'd have a lot more uh i'd have a lot more faith in him, but I don't know. Josh Houle said DeAndre Swift, he was good, but one bad year. Yeah.

He is a good running back who has great abilities, can't stay healthy. He hasn't demonstrated the ability to stay healthy. Hopefully it changes when he goes to Philly. Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Yeah, and Philly has some – I'm trying to – they don't have Miles Sanders anymore. There's a lot of moving pieces in the NFL. I'm trying to figure out what their – what's their backfield look like?

Because I know they have Swift. They have Boston Scott too. They have Boston Scott Because I know they have Swift. They have Boston Scott too. They have Boston Scott. I know they got somebody else. I know they have someone else. Yeah. I just, that third running back is eluding me for some reason. I'm going to look it up real quick.

Barnwell? Eagles. I'm going to kick myself when I hear who it is like we probably all are eagles depth chart she's gone keep talking while i look it up no no it's oh kenneth gainwell nope definitely not hang on uh we love how instant how things don't like to load here we go running back position deandre swift rashad penny oh i forgot they signed rashad penny i did not know that they did get penny and penny's another guy if we if somebody responded and said rashad penny on this list, I would be inclined to agree as well.

The only problem with him has always been health. Whenever he's been healthy, he has been actually a pretty good running back. Just he can't. That's always been the issue, especially with running backs. And if they don't get injured when they first start their career, they will later on, which always sucks. But Daniel Blaziak said, Brees Hall, a running back who, if he never got hurt,

I would have thought would be one of the best running backs in all of football by the end of that season. I mean, he was carrying the Jets of football by the end of that season. I mean, he was carrying the Jets at one point, especially in that offense. But now that he tore his ACL, he could come back and have some production, but it's very hard. Like I said, it's very hard for a running back to come back and immediately produce after tearing their ACL. Usually it's the year right after. Look at Saquon Barkley. He comes back. That one year was not

his normal self. Then he comes back, has another year removed from his ACL tear. Then he put up the stats that we all know he can. Same thing with Dalvin Cook. Tears his ACL his rookie year. Comes back in 2018. Was not his normal self. Comes back in 2019. Then he looked like the guy who we all know he could be. It's going to be the same thing here, unfortunately.

And we all know what Brees Hall is capable of. So give me all the Brees Hall stock for 2024. And we actually, while our episode was going, we got another fan box response. Another one for DeAndre Swift. So Nick Norman said, DeAndre Swift, people are forgetting he's behind the Philly O-line now. Wasn't our Lions actually pretty good too yeah not as good as

phillies yeah sure yeah sure so maybe that but he also i just if he can show that he can be healthy then sure sure he'll have a good year but that's's a big if. And also, you still have Rashad Penny, who could stay healthy too. And Boston Scott. I don't know. It's a big question mark, but underrated, I think, is definitely the right adjective for this guy. So we'll see. So this fan box is probably going to be open for a little while. So if any more of you

guys respond, we apologize if we never got to answer them. Just sometimes we have to pre-record our shows before the fan box expires, but we appreciate all of you for your responses and we'll continue to put them out for the rest of our shows. We got wide receivers coming up, then quarterbacks, then teams teams top 10 teams which is going to be a fun one then some fantasy rankings some honors predictions all of that it is going to be a fun rest of this summer and we appreciate you guys standing around uh standing by and listening to our episodes as we keep you entertained through the summer, which happens to be one of the biggest dead spots in the NFL world.

Actually, it is the biggest dead spot. Nothing happens during this time as we await DeAndre Hopkins and Dalvin Cook. And Ezekiel Elliott still hasn't been signed. Neither has Kareem Hunt. No Kareem Hunt. No Yannick no yannick and gawkway or leonard fournette or leonard fournette or marcus peters these guys would make great patriots i'm telling you oh no bill won't sign any of them even though we have the money exactly and they keep on getting more money all right i mean the only way i'm just to say like real quick the only way that happened the only way I was to say like real quick, the only way that happened,

the only way I'm okay with this is if we like extend guys like on one, who Uche and Duggar, but we probably won't do that either. Probably. All right. Well, that'll do it for us tonight. Thank you for listening to us.

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