The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 3 - Broncos and the Bears this season, QBs under the most pressure, Mark Sanchez

Episode Date: September 3, 2025

Colin talks to Fox Sports NFL analyst Mark Sanchez about expectations for the Broncos and the Bears this season under their second year QBsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the ice.

Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear.

Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on. A Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman. Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last? Tell me what you're. know is somebody coming after me.

Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to three eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRedio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

I just saw the NFL preseason ratings were up 17, 18 percent on all the networks. And wait until you see the college football ratings for Texas, Ohio State. It's a massive number. The pregame show's got Lee Corso's final broadcast. He went 6 and 0 on his picks, by the way. Really? Six and O. He picked LSU over Clemson.

He's throwing dark. No, six and oh isn't darts. He tends to take the home team. He likes, in the big games in college, he likes the home team a lot, but so what. Six and oh, hey, nicely. It was. But, you know, for years and years in our business, you talk a lot of football. That's what the audience likes.

The audience loves football. If you and I were doing a show in London, we would talk English Premier League, 80% of the show. It is amazing to watch. Remember when Rick Petino came on the show? and he said, you know, 20 years ago, baseball and football were close, and the NBA with Michael Jordan and football were close. College football, the number for Texas Ohio State is, it's exploding. It is a by-man.

December used to be the Sun Bowl, the Holiday Bowl. Now I get, I mean, last year, Indiana Notre, Indiana, Notre Dame was a bit of a dud. You just watch those numbers grow and grow, and they're going to just keep expanding it. And, again, I'm not losing a lot of sleep, losing bowl games. that are irrelevant. They're exhibition games. They don't mean anything. In fact, coaches will tell you, they wanted the bowl games for the practices.

They didn't care about the outcomes. They wanted to make sure kids played, especially upperclassmen. It's your last game for Michigan State. I want to get you out there. I like games that matter. Jay Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. So for the longest time, Joe Montana was considered the goat, right? undefeated in Super Bowls. Great, great career. Well, he was asked yesterday who his top quarterbacks are. And Colin, he named four guys. One of them was not Patrick Mahomes.

Joe Montana actually went with Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Jalen Hertz. And then he said, oh, I probably should put Mahomes in there. I'm just, was this a jab at all? No, I think when you get asked questions and you're not regularly on the radio or TV, sometimes you just,

People have asked me questions and I leave an obvious thing out. Well, listen, Patrick Mahomes is a little more than obvious. Well, he didn't have a great year. Say more. He didn't have a great year. Tell me more about the stats. The stats that Joel Klatt doesn't want to hear about. Mahomes was not great last year.

Statistically. No. I also think left tackle was an issue and their run game has been average. No wide receivers. By the way, I don't think Mahomes or Josh Allen, who are both making a lot of money, I don't think they have nearly as good a personnel as other teams that you're not paying the quarterback as much. I mean, Willola said that. The minute you start paying your quarterback, the big boy money, you're just not going to have that third receiver you can depend on.

So that's the big Brock Pretty question. Not that he can obviously play. The question, though, is he was free. He was free for DAC early contract. He was free. They had the best old line. They had Zeke. They can get Amari Cooper.

Now DAC's expensive. have to let go at Micah Parsons. So that's the question is always, what can you do once you get paid? A lot of guys, C.J. Stroud, once you get the money, now you, and now all tank Dells hurt over the course of time, I still think C.J. Stroud's a buy. But it'll be different to watch him in three years when he's got a huge contract. And sometimes you've got a right tackle that just can't play. Next up, Colin, listen, you love a good list. I love a good list. I love a good list. The Athletic has named the top 10 offensive play callers in the NFL based on polling D.C.s and coaches. This should surprise nobody.

Kyle Shanahan at the top, number one, McVeigh, 2. I'm a little surprised Ben Johnson's at three. I mean, I get it. He was amazing. But above Andy Reed and Kevin O'Connell? Really? Well, my takeaway on this list for the radio audience, Shanahan McVeigh, Ben Johnson, Andy Reed, Kevin O'Connell, Matt LaFleurr.

That is the elite coaching. Well, most of them are from the same. By the way, the fact that Sean Payton is eight and he took Bo Nicks and had better numbers than Jaden McDaniels, I mean, there is a lot. There is this, and by the way,

Dallas does not, in my opinion, appear to have great respect for the coaching position based on their last couple of hires. There is a lot of good coaching in this league. See, my guy, Liam Cohen, Jacksonville Jaguards. Oh, do you know, I saw this this morning, or yesterday morning.

I always stay away from games where there's 80% bets by the fans. 79% of fans are taking the Jags minus three against Carolina. Jags was one of my favorite picks, and I'm like, they're defense. I don't know about that. But offensively, they're going to score. Travis Hunter, by the way, is going to start at receiver, and he's a backup cornerback for those who care. Final story, Colin, is phenomenal, okay? it is popping this morning.

It's super spicy, and it's Kawhi Leonard. Okay? So, according to a podcast by Pablo Torre, he dug up a lot of documents that say the Clippers allegedly circumvented the salary cap by signing Kawhi Leonard to a $28 million endorsement deal for a wait for it, no show job through a now bankrupt company owned by Steve Balmer. This is so good. I highly recommend digging into this.

According to the report, Balmer paid Kauai. He didn't do a thing. Did not market it. No endorsements. And an unnamed employee, sorry, confirmed it was to circumvent the salary cap. Well, that's not good. This is bad.

Well, you'll lose draft picks over that. You can lose three or four first round picks over this. And should. It's going to be bad. Although, although, let's say he would have shown up for the job. So there's a lot being made about the no-show. Let's say he shows up.

It still shouldn't be legal. Like everybody gets caught up on this. He didn't show up for the job. You're not supposed to circumvent the salary cap even if he did show up. Hey, I've got another company. I'm going to, I want you to endorse it. Here's $28 million. Come sign with a papercloth.

Even if he was like, you went to the car wash and you're like, hey, there's Kauai Laird. It's still circumventing the salary cap whether he shows up or not. Oh, boy. This is going to be spicy. It really is a weird story. story. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Heard Lye News. Well, in the athletics optimism poll, it's called the hypometer, the fan base in the NFL that was the most optimistic was not the Chiefs Ravens or Bills or Eagles or Lions. It was the Denver Broncos. They are opening against the Tennessee Titans. It's in the Mile High City. And Mark Sanchez is joining us.

broadcasting the game. Everybody talked, you know, we said this a couple times during preseason, is that Denver, from the reporters who bounced around the league at camps, unanimously had an amazing camp. And I want to ask you about that

because, you know, the starters don't play as much. There are 17 games. You're not going to play veteran offensive lineman. Does camp, did you ever come out of a camp and feel good or bad that it had a direct influence on outcomes? Oh, I think it camp, you need it to, one, physically, harden the body.

You got to take those blows. You got to practice hard against other teams or against your team and truly scrimmage to get ready for week one, just to get your body ready for what it's about to endure. And then the mental side. It's lock in, it's full focus. This is all we got. You know, 53 against the world. When we go on the road, this is what we do.

So I felt like you needed to check that box. get over that hurdle, you know, reach that rung on the ladder to feel like, okay, it's time for week one. And still, in week one, we're going to get unscouted looks. We're going to get way more turnovers, week one, especially guys tackling, full speed tackling to the ground. People forget, you know, guys are going to really try and knock your head off, and there goes to football. So I think a lot of that has to do with how your camp goes, how you approach it, and how you come out of it, hopefully injury-free. Additions of the herd weekdays in noon

Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, it's Ben. Hosts to the Fifth Hour with Ben Mallor. It would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour? I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mallor show, a cult hit overnight's on FSR.

Why should you listen? Picture, if you will, a world when we chat with captains of industry, in media, sports, and more every week, explore some amazing. facts about human nature and more. Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there.

But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember I think it was on a call about what we should call it And we were thinking I'm originally calling it One of the early names of our band

Before Jonas Brothers This is how you guys remember it going down Yes I have a very different memory of this We were talking about a thing A bit for the podcast For people could call in and say hey Jonas And then I wrote down on my little Notepad Hey Jonas

And offered it up as a potential title For the podcast But thanks for remembering that Guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel. Help an acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase. that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough.

Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back.

Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting. the president of Turkey. I'm Michelle McPhee, and this is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levan this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life.

Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Now, I pick Denver to win their division. It's not a knock on campus. I am, but I don't like the fact that Kansas City lost Tune and has a rookie left tackle. I think this division is going to be 12 wins, 11 wins, 10 wins, and I think Denver, Bo Nicks should be better. I think their defensive coordinator is so trusted by those players in Denver. They add Hufunga in Greenlaw.

and they've had a very good camp. Are we a little hot on Denver? Because everybody loved their camp. Well, it's hard for them to be this dark horse sleeper pick because of all the positive PR this offseason. They're not sneaking up on anybody. And I think every, you mentioned the division, every game in that division is going to be a street fight.

I mean, Pete Carroll in Vegas and Chip Kelly, they're going to want to run the ball. Raiders almost beat the Chiefs twice last year. I'm saying, it's going to be a more physical division. What does Jim Harbaugh want to do? He wants to run the ball. So as, you know, tough as this Denver defense wants to be, they're going to show me through those division games. And he can't be too beat up from those division games to then lay an egg in some non-division games.

But you nailed it. It's the consistency that they got. The coaching staff and the players, they got 16 offensive and defensive linemen on the roster. 15 of them were there together last year. Wow. That kind of consistency, same coaches, same defense. we're going to add two key veterans on defense, two key veterans on offense. You mentioned.

Evan Engron, the safety. Bring him over from San Francisco. Tough as nails. That guy is just a heat-seeking missile. And then you get Dre Greenlaw, similar type of mentality, similar type of play production. I mean, that guy's an assassin. And then you go on offense, it's J.K. Dobbins, and it's Evan Ingram, the tight end. So you get the running back in the tight end to help out Cortland Sutton and your year-two quarterback.

I think they've done a lot of the run. right things and the consistency is the key. Yeah, boy, that data on the O&D. lineman retreat. Oh, it's huge. I don't know if I've ever heard of that. Listen, one of the things we talked about Cam Ward, I don't remember a number one quarterback pick that was more under the radar.

He's so quiet. I mean, generally, it's a hype fest. Right. We're still talking about Caleb Williams and Jaden Daniels and Bo Nix. I like what I see of his leadership style. We obviously, he was a good college player, but I just kind of love that nobody's talking about. I think that's, you know, a luxury you have in a market like Nashville.

Yeah. Not the biggest market. Sure, they love their football, but it's not, you know, New York. It's not Chicago. It's just a different place to be. And you get a little more leniency, I guess, we could call it. And bottom line is he can spin the ball. And, you know, it didn't look perfect in preseason, but I did see some flashes.

And that's kind of what I want to see. I did see the pre-snap process. that you want to pay attention to, is this too big for this guy? It sure doesn't seem like it. You know, he doesn't seem panic a lot like Jackson Dart, you know, and with the Giants. You see some guys play their first couple games, and it's a deer in headlights kind of deal.

So I think they like where they're at. I just, you know, I'm curious about that offensive line. They're moving Latham. He was formerly at Alabama, right tackle, played left tackle's rookie year. Now he's going to the right side where he wants to be. And then Bill Callahan and his son, obviously coaching that offense and offensive line, that's an interesting dynamic.

They go pick up more the left tackle from Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh. So that was a huge signing, four years, $82 million. I mean, they're investing in that offensive line to protect this quarterback, and this is year two in a row that they're trotting out, you know, a high draft pick or somebody who they imagine is going to be the face of the franchise, so they want to get it right. Mark Sanchez joining us, Fox Sports NFL analyst. We got two segments, so a lot of Mark and we love this,

and there's always tape. So I said there are sometimes you get a coordinator or a coach offensively, and stylistically, he helps the player, but he's not a perfect fit. Ben Johnson, to me, is a little bit, he's a little bit like a Shanahan or a Kevin O'Connell. Here's the play, run it. He'll give you some freedoms. Caleb is, I mean, he's an artist. I mean, he is a stocky, powerful player.

And I know Caleb will be better. I know that, Mark. But sometimes I wonder if stylistically, they're not a perfect fit. What is a realistic expectation in your opinion year two? Well, I think number one is his process, approach, and philosophy is probably really taking a shift. And, you know, he's had different types of coordinators, whether it's in college or even his rookie year where he could kind of ad lib kind of at will. I think exactly what you said. There's going to be some more structure.

We're going to develop, you know, a kind of a one, two, three plan. This is kind of what it feels like. If it doesn't, we're getting to two. If not, we're getting to three. And let's speed that process up. I know from everybody you talk to about Ben Johnson, I mean, he's a no-nonsense guy. He has a picture and a vision of what it's supposed to look like. And if it don't look like that, get the hell out of my way.

I'll find a guy that can do it. So that kind of attitude, I think, might be just what Caleb needs. we'll see it in the production, once again, that process, the pre-snap process, and then he's got to eliminate some of those sacks. And I think naturally Ben Johnson's going to put him in some great spots, give him some breather plays, where he just, I know where the ball's going, I'm spitting it out quick. It might be a third and long. Hopefully we get the first down, but I don't need him to drop back right here. We don't need him, what did Sean Payton say? I don't need him to fly the final mission for Top Gun to save the planet every single play.

Let's get my quarterback in a groove. And then the big one for me, is him understanding when to hang in the pocket and trust it and win from the pocket with slight movement and then when to completely break and go steal some yards, get down, get out of bounds, stay healthy. I think that kind of discernment, we're going to see a little more with that because I think his footwork and his eyes are just going to be in the right place, right timing, and if it ain't there, I'm moving on with my life. Cut bait, move on with your life, and go make a play. I think Ben will give him that kind of that speech. Hey, get me out of a jam, maybe two to three times a game, I'm going to put you in really good spots.

Okay? But those two to three times are critical plays. We can't turn the ball over and we can't take hits. Yeah, I've argued this. You know, Michael Jordan about twice a game would take your breath away, but he lived on 18 footers. And Mahomes about three times a game. That's right.

You're like, what did I watch? But he never misses layouts. That's really quarterbacking. Mark Sanchez, always great. Great to have him back. We take a break. We come back with more. Live in L.A.

It's the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special.

So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call. about what we should call it. We were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes.

I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast where people could call in and say, Hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to Humor Me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the president of Turkey.

I'm Michelle McPhee. This is one of the most shocking criminal conspiracies I've ever come across. When Jacob met Levan this went to a billion dollar fraud. But with two kings from entirely different worlds, just how long can their empire survive? The largest tax investigation in American history. You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life.

Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase. that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough.

Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free I Heart Radio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. Oh, it's always great to have Mark Sanchez,

Fox Sports NFL analyst. He will be good game, actually. You've got to see Cam Ward, the number one pick against Denver. That's a really good game. All right, so one of the things you talked about with Denver was continuity, and the Jets have none. As you well know,

you were actually with the Jets the last time that had some continuity. And you had success in the playoffs, especially on road games and big games and pressure games. So the Jets have all new everything. Aaron Glenn was a great coordinator. Is he a great head coach? We don't know.

Justin Fields is certainly capable. You take me through the Jets. All new stuff. Well, I think, you know, he's going to light a fire under those guys. And Aaron Glenn is that kind of coach. He's former player, a pro bowl player. played for the Jets.

That great player. You know, with Parcells, understands he's part of that kind of tree, toughness, physicality, the attitude. And, you know, you sit in front of him in these production meetings, and I want to go play defense. You know what I mean? He's that kind of a motivator. They have plenty of weapons on defense if they're healthy.

If Jermaine Johnson comes back, you know, they got Quinn and Williams, didn't do a ton of the preseason. Is he going to be healthy? You know, who's going to rush on the other side? Like, there's plenty there on defense for this team to be a defensive first team. Plenty there on offense, although it sounds like Elijah Verrett Tucker got hurt, which is tragic. You know, stud player and has bounced between guard, right guard, right tackle, you know, playing all over. And now he could finally focus at guard.

And it sounds like he has a significant injury. So that's going to hurt. But if they can run the ball, Breece Hall, Braylon Allen, I mean, you should see Braylon Allen. This guy trains with Derek Henry. A Wisconsin kid formerly? Holy smokes. I mean, this guy is just a first off the bus kind of player. Just so that other people can look at him.

Like, good luck, dude. Good luck tackling this guy. So I think that's going to be their approach. And if it's defense, Aaron Glenn's going to take care of that, right? That's where he's going to really make his mark. And his team has to be tough defensively and stingy. Opportunistic. Take the ball away.

They've got to be better on special teams, Colin. They lost like three games. Just gave him away last year because of the kicking game, return game. I mean, something went wrong. They got to get that tightened up. And then, you know, for me, Justin Fields, he's an able runner. He's got to be a willing runner in this offense. Yeah. It's got to be movement throws. It's got to be stuff that he's really, really comfortable with, and he's got to add, you know, 500 yards with his legs. I mean, Bo Nix ran for 400 plus last year. So I got to see that kind of production or more from Justin Fields if this team wants to, you know,

really take a step in the right direction and let Aaron Glenn put his stamp on this franchise. So it's interesting. I remember you saying this once when you were in New York because of the media and the talk shows. They brought Tim Tebow in and you're like, he was clearly a backup, but it's just a relentless never-ending drama every time the media. So here you have the Giants where Jackson Dart has a good preseason.

The schedule's tough. Brian Daible and the general manager feel like if it went sideways in the first six weeks, they could be in trouble. I like a lot about the Giants. I love neighbors. I love their left tackle. I like their coach.

I think their front defensively is unbelievable. Abdul Carter is going to be that rookie of the year category stuff, I think. But that quarterback, Jackson Dart, Russell, what do you make of that? I think it's a similar situation to the Jets where it's going to be a defensive focus team. You mentioned the guys they have up front. I mean, that Bobby O'Caric is an excellent linebacker, and he came over from Indy, and he's played really well in multiple systems there, even with Wink Marndale, with all their guys now, Shane Bowen.

I mean, they got some serious talent. Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, Thibito, and Carter. No, it's come on. You know, it's one thing to be a really good rusher as a rookie, and you're kind of on your own and looking for other guys to kind of chip in. I mean, you might not even notice Carter because you can't see past Dexter Lawrence. You know what I mean? Right.

So this team is loaded, and there'll be a defensive, of first team. The quarterback position is a noisy media and a loud market. It is hard to manage those expectations. I think he got a guy in Russell Wilson who's steady, and I think that's what is attractive about him for Dable at the head coach. But you see Jackson Dart every opportunity he got. He, I mean, he lit it up. He did everything you wanted to do. He checked every box I wanted to see. The spotlight wasn't too big. He hit the go ball when he needed to. He handled two-minute drives, sometimes against the two, sometimes against the starter. He looked great in the Jets Giants, you know, dual practice, joint practice. He looked incredible, but so did Russ. So you have

someone there, you have this potential backup plan future. It's just the timing thing. How long's the leash? You know, those kind of questions show up when you have that much talent. I guess it's a good problem to have because you have so much talent, but managing that talent is going to be a bumpy road. Well, you went, you're year one with the Jets. You made the playoffs. Then they went out and did they add Braille and Edwards? They added somebody. San Antonio Holmes. San Antonio Edwards came rookie year.

So we go into year two with all these quarterbacks. So Jaden has proven himself. Bo Nix was very good. Can't wait to watch J.J.M. and Panics. I think Drake May looks really good down the stretch without a lot of juice on the perimeter. What was the biggest jump for you, year one to year two? When you went into that camp and maybe mid-season, you're like, boy, I'm a different player with this. I felt the pressure not just externally, but internally with the veterans we acquired,

but Dania Tomlinson and Jason Taylor, two Hall of Famers. And I just felt this sense of urgency. I knew how close we were the year before in the championship game. And there was just a different approach, a different makeup of that team. And there was something special about it. You could feel it. You could feel it in training camp. You could feel it in training camp.

You could. We were hard knocks. It was loud. It was noisy. And so, you know, what I will warn people, week one, we went out week one and laid an egg and lost in the first game in MetLife against the Ravens and got smacked around a little bit, especially on offense. Defense player, we didn't play very well.

After a great training camp. So it ended up being a different year than we expected to start. You know, we thought, this is it. And people have to remember also, just because you go to the championship game, you start zero and zero the next year. year. You know what I mean? It's not just, oh, we win one more game. No, that was last year, put it to bed, move on. New year, new lifetime, really, of emotions and new living, breathing thing. So that was our first year that I'd won a fourth quarter comeback game, two-minute

drives, winning games. We won three in a row last play of the game. Wow. And those like three-game heaters, we didn't have the year before like that. They didn't feel like that. It didn't feel like, hey man, we got this. We got something special here. I had never proven. it. I'd never won a fourth quarter comeback. So then the other guy saw it. And then I'm getting tips from Jason Taylor in training camp. This is one of my favorite stories. Under the center, we used to take snaps under center if you didn't know that. Now it's all shocking. But under center, I would twitch my hand right before I was going to receive the ball when the cadence was real. And Jason Taylor was low on the ground looking at my hand and said, hey, Rook, I got a tip for you.

Or you didn't call me Rook because I was second here. But I got a tip for you. something with the snap. I got your cadence and I'm like, what's the deal, dude? You're like in the backfield. As soon as I hiked the ball, you're like taking the hand off going the other way. He said, I'll tell you after training camp. I was like, dude, but he ended up telling me and then I would use it just to make sure I would bluff it. You know, so stuff like that.

Like you get insider insight like that and knowledge from a guy like Jason Taylor. I mean, you can't help but want to perform your best, want to prepare your butt off, because I don't want to let that guy down. I don't want to miss Ledainan on a checkdown. I couldn't afford to. You know what I mean? That was the kind of feeling I had. And I feel like if anybody's in a similar situation,

Bo Nix, Jay and Daniel, some of these year-two guys who've been to the playoffs, well, this is the ultimate meritocracy. What have you done for me lately? Right? Last year's over. Show me again. Show me you can do it again. And, you know, that's the position a lot of these guys find themselves in.

I think it's great that you're doing. I want to segue back to Cam Ward's first game as a pro. Your first game was in huge. Houston. Not Houston. I remember you made a big third down throw. It's amazing what I can remember and can't. I mean, I can't remember yesterday.

Same. Same. Okay. So you come out of USC where at the time, those games were sold out. You were in L.A. You didn't come from Iowa State. But take me to your nerves. I want you to take me to on the field, anthem.

That's what Cam Ward's going through. It feels like a blur. You're on the road. It's loud. Joe Namath is on the sidelines talking with my dad and my high school coach before the game. I'm just like, oh my God. I literally told the story the other day, but I went inside to go get ready for the game. I didn't even tape my ankles.

I've taped my ankles for every game I've ever played and just forgot. Just walked right out on the field through my clean song to let's go. And was just so hyper focused on everything else that, you know, it's an absolute blur. And you'll look back and have fun. You'll look back and remember what an amazing time it was. but in that moment, it is, you know, just tunnel vision and he'll be locked in, ready to go. The first thing I wanted to do was just get a completion and I wanted to get knocked down. Just one time get my jersey a little bit dirty.

Yeah, just get my jersey a little bit dirty, not a hard hit, nothing to stop the game and get walked off the field or anything. But just something to remind me, okay, I'm in, game started, let's rock and get through our process. Great footwork, great eyes, great accuracy. Mark Sanchez is joining us. When, you know, I do think we're going to go to 18 games potentially by next year. Or at 17. When I grew up, it was 14, then we went to 16. We're going to have probably shrinkage in the preseason.

There's joint practices. We know that you, joint practices, I think, have some impact. But when you, even as a veteran, Joe Burrough has struggled in September. What is the difference of speed? Yeah. Intense joint practice, pre-season reel snaps, and the first series of the season. Is it a noticeable difference in speed? There's a difference. I feel like the joint practices, though, it's controlled chaos. You know, it's managing the amount of reps that you're getting and quality reps.

Think more like farmer's market as opposed to, you know, grocery store, super store chain. right so you get quality reps in a controlled environment and it's at times it feels more real than the preseason and then week one hits and that's legit then you play your first uh divisional game and you're like ooh oh that's different yeah we really don't like each other okay got it it's gonna be like that they know your ten and tea oh yeah and you know the personnel you know the coaches go back and forth like you just know a lot about that team they know a lot about you those are street fights and that feels a little different. And then you get to a playoff game. Holy smoke. Each one that you get to experience wild card, divisional, and then the farthest we got was the championship game. Buddy, it's like

a different world. And these dudes, I mean, everybody, when the playoffs are, everybody's playing essentially for the same amount of money. Right. Right. Your contract's expired. Boom. You're just playing to win these games and nobody wants to go home. Nobody's making vacation plans. Forget all that. We're getting a Lamardi trophy and that's all we know. You know what I mean? And very few players get to actually realize that. So it is, it's a step up as you go each, once again, each rung on the ladder. You can feel it. And week one, I'm excited for them. I'm going to sit here next week and we're going to have all the answers about the entire league in just one week. But we can't forget, week one is a dirty little liar like your ex, right? Ah, that's good. That was great, Jay Mack.

Yeah. So let's just not, you know. Let's not go crazy. Let's not go crazy. It's going to be impossible. I'll be right there with you. So Titans Broncos this Sunday, 4 Eastern on Fox.

You get into town, what, Saturday morning? I'll be there tomorrow. Shoot. The first day. Well, we go to the practice on Friday. Let's go, baby. That's fun, right? Oh, it's the best.

Tom Payton's a great interview, too. Yeah. He does a great job. He'll talk. Oh, he's great. I mean, he was here. I mean, he's got nuggets for days, man. Great scene again.

Appreciate you. Sanchez all year a luckier way. First things first is around the corner. It's the hurt. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own

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