7 News Nuggets and ‘I Can Fix Him!’ Featuring Brian Daboll, The Steelers Defense and Justin Fields

21:37you're like that's a that's a fun mix Deshaun Elliott's a little crazy and it's like okay think about who they're going against too his number one NFC West rival when he was playing

21:46Jourdan Rodrigue:in the NFC West DK Metcalf he'll be going against him in practice and then also Aaron Rodgers is the one throwing the ball so like we're there's a lot going on in Pittsburgh but I think that somehow and truly I mean this earnestly Jalen Ramsey is the absolute perfect fit what's going on there right now in Pittsburgh. I love that. I just want this team, which has not won a playoff game since 2016 or something crazy. I was at the game that started the streak, the AFC Championship game against the Patriots. Let's get Mike Tomlin winning playoff games again. I think he could do it if that secondary comes through.

22:25I'm going to go with their quarterback from a year ago, Justin Fields. Now with the New York Jets, let's just bring him to a team that wants to focus on what he does well. I think there's this idea with quarterbacks that are great at running that you almost want to diminish that skill set, not just as a coach, but as an analyst. Like, oh yeah, it's great, but Justin Fields also throws a really pretty pass down the field. Yeah, we know. He's very accurate. Is he as instinctive in advance getting through his reads and everything else that comes along with position, similar to a guy like Trevor Lawrence, who I was thinking about throwing in here.

23:10Maybe we'd have a minor conversation. Maybe that's not his greatest strength at this point of his career. So let's lean into what he does well and build the whole thing out of Justin Fields' strength and our team strength, which is the offensive line. Here's Aaron Glenn after their preseason opener. I thought Justin got the guys in and out the huddle. I thought Tanner did a really good job getting the play calls in so the guys could play with tempo and play fast It was good to see Justin use his legs also, all right? So we know he has that in his bag The thing that I think he showed for the most part is, man, we can call a play, we have a shot And if the shot's not there, he can get it to chunk it down, all right?

23:49And he did a really good job of that, so he was patient He did everything that we needed, all right, to get this win And for him to be the quarterback that we know that he can be I love how he's talking about him. He's got a little Pete Carroll in him, Aaron Glenn. I think they have similar strengths. I think they're going to build him up. Can you just imagine being Justin Fields and like someone's talking about you at the lectern that way and not asking you to be anything you're not?

24:15Jourdan Rodrigue:And in fact, accentuating what you're good at, recognizing things that you can do that they are asking you to do and to play to some significant strengths that you do have with the team that is dynamically built to help. accentuate that. And you can hear in his voice him saying this with belief and conviction in the quarterback. That's an I can fix him moment right there. Some of the best running quarterbacks of all time, to me, started their careers. And maybe even when they were peaking, a lot of it really was deep shots, the run game, check downs, having a good offensive line, having a good running game that is built in large part around the strengths of them running and not getting it, not trying to do too much more.

24:58I think of the Steve McNair Titans at their peak and like that, that was part of their equation. So as you know, one of the last people, uh, that still believes that Justin Fields can be fixed, Patrick, you have to be thrilled with this.

25:12Patrick Claybon:Yes. I don't know necessarily that there's a, a fix, uh, that's like at a certain point we've seen how explosive Justin Fields can be and the way he can contribute to wins. But he hasn't been able to get that level of long-term commitment in a few different spots. And you can go all the way back to the first rookie wage scale where you saw how teams were incentivized to kind of take that middle late career player and kind of toss him to the side in favor of cheaper rookies because that that's the way things are and so in a lot of these situations that we were discussing they're these players who are 26 27 28 years old and perhaps their opportunities kind of get a little bit limited just because there's a cheaper option that's out there and so i think justin fields will be fine right in terms of like how he can play but to hear that like especially when your career can be in this sort of limbo.

26:19Patrick Claybon:It's got to be good for him to hear. And hopefully things go well, I believe. Alright, we've gone around the room one time. We're going to do it again. At least one more. But at this point in the show, I did want to mention the people that we fixed last year because I think, at least in terms of projecting, who could be quote-unquote fixed, we did a pretty good job. We had Dave Canales fixing Bryce Young. I think that was yours. we had Kellen Moore fixing the Eagles I didn't know they really needed to be fixed but you think about what was happening a year ago at this time in the season that they were coming off that worked out pretty well especially for Kellen Moore and we had a few others that were fine Tony Pollard was one of them he had a good season a few others that were fine I don't know whose was who Clint Kubiak was involved that one did not really Oh boy.

27:14Maybe this time. I think you might have gone Calvin Ridley, which wasn't bad or good. But I also wanted to think about how this league runs, that there are these guys that just like keep getting passed around a little bit as I can fix some candidates. I would call them the I can fix them all-stars. So I'm just going to name some of them now. Zach Wilson, Kenny Pickett, Marcus Mariota, it's a little early for the music, man, because these are, unfortunately, they're still getting passed around. Devin White may be in there. Sam Darnold, I think he'd be an, I can fix him all, sir. You've done that man dirty all week.

27:51Kyle, Kyle Pitts is kind of becoming one of those guys. Jeff Okuda has become one of those guys. And then, uh, I would like to make an announcement on this show. Oh. And with this music, cranked up even louder, that Baker Mayfield has officially graduated. for Mike and Fix him. He's fixed.

28:12Patrick Claybon:What if now Baker is the one doing the fixing? He's fixing coaching careers. Can we get Josh McDaniels down to Tampa Bay? He'll be the head coach somewhere. Congratulations, Baker. I'm so happy. You cannot be. Yeah, you can't be. He can't be fixed anymore. He's fixed. It's happened. Isaiah Simmons. Maybe the ultimate all-star here. But Baker Mayfield. I've never heard the second verse of this song. The timpani. You did it, buddy. All right, let's go around the room again. We'll start with Patrick. Yeah, and I'll go right across the street because back in April, the Chargers, nah, not a lot of news, fanfare.

28:52Patrick Claybon:Hey, they signed Trey Lance. Well, you know, why not? Why not sign Trey Lance, give him an opportunity? And we haven't seen a lot of Taylor Heineke. It has been all Trey Lance in the preseason through two starts, and Harbaugh was crediting him and the passing numbers were a little bit down in the Chargers second game, but he used his legs well. Harbaugh loved that. Said he thought he had a heck of a game. And yeah, we are Greg Roman and Harbaugh away from fixing Trey Lance and giving him an opportunity. Hey, I saw some Taylor Heineke live. It didn't last that long and it was unsightly. And they were like, give us some Trey Lance because we want to get our guys some better looks.

29:30And the second Trey Lance came in, I mean, the passing game didn't exactly explode, but at least Trey Lance brought him right down the field on a touchdown drive using his legs, using his strengths, and hitting a nice two-point conversion too on a slant.

29:43Jourdan Rodrigue:Last week when I was at Chargers camp there, or was it last week? It was sometime this summer. And I saw Trey Lance and Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh all standing together, and they were sort of just like moving as one entity around the practice field together. So it was like, you know, Trey Lance was absorbing everything that Justin Herbert was receiving from Jim Harbaugh by a sort of spatial osmosis, I guess. And so it was really interesting to see him kind of, he wants to clearly be a sponge and soak up the teaching that the number one quarterback is getting or the collaboration communication that they have with each other.

30:21Jourdan Rodrigue:Jim Harbaugh, another belief guy. Right. There's a lot of similarities on the players and the teams that we're choosing. And you can just see by his play on the field without knowing anything about Trey Lance, that he's more comfortable. And more confident, I think, in being a pro quarterback. I think he's going to carve out a career. Speaking of which. Okay. Okay. This is my personal I can fix you to a certain group. I can fix him. We don't have the rights to fix you by Coldplay. They've, you know, a lot of publicity lately. They've taken off. They've really started to make something of themselves.

30:57They've made it. We can't afford it. So I can fix him. Okay. I can fix, but this is a group of people. I can fix you, Bryce Young haters. I really can. You're going to do it. I was clocking all the short jokes and actually filing them away for use on Greg at a later date.

31:14Jourdan Rodrigue:I was clocking all the pain and all of the frustration that this was your starting quarterback, the guy that the franchise is pouring all of these resources into. Bryce Young haters, I can fix you bask in the training camp reports of Bryce Young throwing the ball around well. revel in the anticipatory throws, the confidence and comfort, whether throwing on time or working a little out of structure to create plays. And this I loved the most. We have a clip of Bryce Young with an anticipation throw and it is lightning fast. And it's an anticipation throw and Tet does a double move off of the line of scrimmage and into the end zone.

31:56Jourdan Rodrigue:And he can't get his head around quite fast enough because the throws with such anticipation, he recognizes that He gives Bryce Young a thumbs up. But this throw, the speed at which it comes out, it's tailor-made for building that chemistry between the two of them that will continue as time passes, as they both get their feet under them together. And I just love this type of throw. This is the type of really quick option play and really quick outlet play that really benefits receivers who can get open fast and really can capitalize on a defense and put them on the back foot. And I just, I really, really like that.

32:31Jourdan Rodrigue:So once this timing gets down between the two of them, then this is going to be a deadly combination. And I think you can see this. You could see this all over Bryce's tape from that preseason game, the little that he did play, creating out a structure, throwing guys open in certain areas. This is exactly why they actually went after him. I love that clip. And when you see it from both angles, you realize the rookie linebacker for the Browns, Carson Treschinger, has a bead on it too. And so Bryce has to throw it that quick, but he doesn't rifle it in there too fast. It's like the perfect balance of like, it got there at the right time.

33:08Tetra McMillan recognizes that that was his bad. He needs to be more on time. But I think that explains what Bryce does well, which is a combination of intelligence and chutzpah. You know, I think he knows what he has, what he doesn't have. And I think he sees the game well. And once he got more confidence, late last season, he was really going for throws. And so he's kind of combining that intelligence with a little, maybe the olds would say daring do, you know, a little daring do.

33:40Patrick Claybon:And I think because when you talk about the daring do, the ability, right, to squeeze balls into places, there's only, right, we generally get this idea of like a Favre, right, or a Rodgers. and it's like like anthony richardson yeah all eight feet off the ground the entire way with no dip but with bryce there's this full range of arcs that are available it's like the back of a golf ball box where you see the full yeah the full he's a multi-plane thrower i love it and so like when you when you generally put that out there it's like oh bryce is a gunslinger he's out there wheeling and dealing and moving guys around like people think well he doesn't have the size and and arm strength to do that, but it just looks different.

34:23Patrick Claybon:And I think Ted Arroa, well, you know, as he immediately indicated, yeah, it's not just get my head around quicker, but like know that the ball is going to be in that particular place. Because let's be honest, like through his career at Arizona, they were throwing, they were throwing them all kinds of stuff. Yeah. They didn't necessarily have an opportunity to get to, but I do disagree because Jordan, I don't think you can fix these people. Oh, the haters. No, because they're, they're, they're just, and we, I talked about it after, you know, divisional weekend. These people are just going to find the next person to say can't do something.

34:56Patrick Claybon:And they just go from person to person and just say, oh, yeah, this guy can't do it. This guy. And once they do it, they just say it about somebody else. This goes back to how we started this. I think you're just going to have to accept those haters are just going to keep hating. Accept their flaws and stop trying to fix them. No, but it's honorable that Jordan would like to provide them with the information to allow them to fix themselves. But it's fundamentally broken. Or it's a very clever. This explains so much about my dating life, guys. Thank you. You're really going to change so much. It's like my memory loss that I started the show with.

35:33At this point, Emika can't complain about me spacing or forgetting something. She either just has to accept it or been driven crazy or leave me. Those are like the three options that she had. I did want to get to a theory I had. I'm just saying those are the options. Zero to a hundred real quick. I mean, she really loves Japan. At some point when the kids graduate high school, you know, we'll see. I'm holding on for dear life. I have a theory, Jordan. Yeah. You brought this little vehicle, Bryce Young Haters, as a way to sort of bring back how good your take was a year ago on this show, which is, I think, a good move as a takes woman.

36:16I love that you thought that. I truly could not remember what I said on last year's show. But I'm stoked it's working out. I'm pretty sure it was you. I'm stoked it's all working out for Bryce Young, as it should. I'm going to do a broad one. and I'm doing this because I think it's like the most important fixes that can happen in the NFL. Quarterbacks, that's big. But when they say, and by they I mean a new offensive coordinator and his assistant coaches, that I can fix them talking about their offensive line. It is truly the quickest way to get from dreadful to maybe above average in the NFL is to improve your offensive line from embarrassing to average because suddenly it brings out the best in all the other players on the offense that were being held down.

37:10And it's just exponential. So if you can get from like a bottom five type of offensive line to just middle of the pack, the whole world can open up for you. And so I just thought about the cases this year where that's most notable. Certainly the Texans with their new offensive coordinator, Nick's Kaylee, like that's him believing he can fix them. Nick Kaylee. Clint Kubiak, who didn't really get it done for us or the Saints totally. That's at least the vision in Seattle, taking a group that I think on paper is actually kind of talented and just making them average again when they were so bad under, you know, the Geno Smith regime, whoever was his offensive coordinator.

37:47You got Mike, Josh McDaniels, who I think is getting slept on a little bit as like the impact that he can have on this Patriots team. I just feel like there's not a lot of Josh McDaniels conversation going on here.

37:58Patrick Claybon:I think that's because it's known, right? Okay. We've been burned before. It's like there's only so much conversation, despite it being fundamental to our existence, about how much water you can drink. It's like eight glasses a day. But I'm not saying Josh McDaniels is water. Well, after hearing myself say it, maybe I am. I mean, last time around, at least Mac Jones is playing pretty well. Ramondre is playing well. Yeah, I'm just saying, can he bring them back to a respectable level along with the personnel? I think he can. His coaching. Can Brian Callahan maybe year two with his dad, Bill Callahan with the Titans, and then the Cowboys under Brian Schottenheimer, who I think have enough talent.

38:40So those are kind of the I-can-fix-them offensive lines. Out of those five, I think at least two or three will pop, and those teams will improve dramatically because of them.

38:51Jourdan Rodrigue:Did you get a chance to watch Will Campbell's tape yet? I watched the game. I didn't go back and watch all 22 of Will Campbell. I also listened to some good analysis of it. And I think it probably supported what they've been saying in camp, which is that he's a dog in run game, that he's going to really help open up their running game. And that and pass protection is up and down. And we'll see. Just curious. Yeah. I watched the game. I didn't go back and study him specifically. But why? Did you? No, I mean, you don't like him. that's not true that's not true

39:26Patrick Claybon:I don't want to assign labor but we could chop a Will Campbell Greg real and it would not be well he's the anti Drake May in that I was pretty anti Will Campbell before the Patriots took him and then they took him and I was very pro Drake May before the Patriots took him and then they took him so then it just it just accentuates it I'm just trying to fix you a little bit you know I can do it it's just that dastardly Joe Milton taking Travis Hunter away from me. Maybe Abdul Carter, but probably Travis Hunter with that Week 18 win. Then you get this Will Campbell who's like, yeah, in a different draft, he probably would have gone 15th.

40:04Oh, great. Glad they won four games. Add it to the cut-up. I have one question for you. This isn't a full I-can-fix-em, but you, to me, are the Trevor whisperer of this NFL media group supporter. Because he's an option here. What do you think about it? Is he struggled enough to even make sense as an I can fix him? Because there's something about him that's always been missing. Can Liam Cohen bring him that? I think, right, it's just in terms of if the Jags have that little bit of extra

40:34Patrick Claybon:postseason success from a few years ago. I don't know that Trevor would be on anybody's mind in terms of being discussed as fixable. He just hasn't ascended to the levels that we've seen these other quarterbacks in the AFC go to. And then we just, for some reason, feel like there's that significant drop. Like in terms of the general perception of Justin Herbert versus Trevor Lawrence, in terms of success, right? I don't... I think he's just better, though. I think you watch him on a snap basis and he's just better. And so like... Even like a two-a-tongue-by-low, I would say is just better. Right.

41:12In my mind.

41:12Patrick Claybon:And like to not be to those guys' level is not necessarily some huge detriment to say that Trevor needs to be fixed. I think the Jacks need to be fixed. Well, that's fair. And that will definitely change the perception of Trevor Lawrence. But no, I don't know if he warrants fixing at this point. I think he kind of just is.

41:33Jourdan Rodrigue:I would just like to see him, as I said, sitting one seat over last year, almost to a tee. I would just really like to see him take the next step forward in developing his tools, in just developing as a player in just playing. It's almost like you can't almost like quantify. I mean, the fumbles, sure, but like you can't almost quantify some of that. You just need to see more. You need to see more from the offense. You need to see more from the passer. You need to see more of him using his athletic gifts. You just need to see more of this. And I just think, I hope that this is the group to do it.

42:09Jourdan Rodrigue:They certainly think that this is the group to do it because they hired him. So we'll see.

42:14Patrick Claybon:Yeah. And I think because you go to seasons where it's like you feel like Gabe Davis is going to be a significant contributor. And late season, Brian Thomas Jr. has, I think, done enough to convince me that they're, at least offensively, will be a general shift in perception for the Jacksonville.

42:33Jourdan Rodrigue:Facial tootin, running hard. And that little modernization of the offensive coaching staff. There's a lot. But Trevor Lawrence is kind of going back to the theme of the show. He's kind of like that great catch, you know? That you're saying you were talking about dating life or just we're talking about human nature. Like, how much can you change? And great catch checks every single box. Like, a lot of... Good on paper. And there's nothing wrong either. Well, yeah. It's just that you're just missing something. You're not sure what it is. I'm not sure either. Yeah, it's wins.

43:08Patrick Claybon:It's perception. No, I think it's more. The career will continue. you. Sean McVay will trade a first round pick and he'll come to the Rams and win a Super Bowl. I think the parallels may make sense. That could be it. And he obviously is getting burned a little bit from being a number one overall draft pick. But I do think five years in the fact that I think the average person, even someone that you were admitting maybe he's behind, if he's a little less than average when you're lining up the 32 quarterbacks, that's not where you want to be. Less than average? I think when you line them up, He's below 16, at least right now.

43:45All right. Let's just acknowledge that we fixed everyone.

43:49Jourdan Rodrigue:I got one. All right. One last. I can fix it. You're talking about people who are just searching for that special something, you know, to like wake them up in the morning to make them feel a little bit more alive than they previously have felt. And maybe they're a little bit broken. And that person, finding that person perhaps would fix them, would heal parts of themselves they thought had long since deteriorated into the ether. So I'm talking about Jackson Dart potentially fixing Brian Dable. Oh, interesting. I want to play the sound of Brian Dable talking about Jackson Dart's performance in the Giants' first preseason game for your consideration.

44:28That's about what I thought he would do. Efficient, effective, aggressive, confident in the pocket. Some stuff we can work on, but he's doing good. Look, there's things he can be better at. But we missed some opportunities on third down, some drops that would have even been better for him and for us. But he's a confident young player. He's improved since he's been here. Still got a long way to go. But I enjoy working with him. I like his demeanor on the sideline. Sees the game well. Not that we're getting, you know, we got a couple of blitzes and things like that. But I'm glad he's here. So. Wow.

45:04Okay. Glad he's with us. You might not think that this man sounds healed quite yet.

45:11Jourdan Rodrigue:In fact, he tried to talk himself out of it a few times verbally and audibly in that press conference where he would say something nice and then pull it back just a little. Am I committing too hard? Am I too into this guy? And he, I'll tell you what, he used the word enjoy. I can count on one hand the number of times I have heard Brian Dable use the word enjoy while wearing Giants logo. And he also was saying he's glad he's here. He likes his demeanor. And I swear he had a little twinkle in his eye as he talked.

45:43Patrick Claybon:I can see it. I can see it. I also saw and, you know, for Coach Dable, for everybody out there with short hair, you might need to rock the sunscreen, dog. Yeah. On the top. Oh, yeah. Or get a hat. I saw some concerning levels at the top there. And it's like, we got to make sure that the top needs the sunscreen. He woke up uncomfortable the next day. Why is that a lesson he's still learning? That does make you a little worried about his ability to fix anyone if he hasn't fixed that situation yet. Once he heals, the aloe vera comes out. But you can hear because there is, And I know a lot of people attributed it to, you know, certain media contingencies in New Jersey because it's like, oh, they're, they're hard on everybody.

46:33Patrick Claybon:But it's like, no, like coach table sometimes doesn't seem like he's enjoying the conversations he has. And talking about Jackson Dart, it sounds, you know what he saw? He saw a life raft. He saw a potential future for his NFL career on the same day that he gave Josh Allen a big hug. and possibly burned his face off. Yeah, and possibly burned his face off. He thought, okay, maybe this guy isn't going to be Josh Allen, but maybe he's going to continue my head coaching career. And yeah, I would not be surprised to see Jackson Dart starting football games for the New York Giants sooner than later.

47:07But that's for another show. This was a beauty. As always, we did it. We made it. I think we fixed them. We didn't fix them, but we correctly identified the fixing that will be going on. So what are the things that you got to work on, Patrick?

47:25Patrick Claybon:The things that I have to work on? Yeah. Finishing tasks that need to be done and telling the people, like the people I'm sitting with here, the people in there, the people listening, that I appreciate them. Wow. I care about them. You do that, I think. Well, I need to do it more because I love doing this with you guys. Appreciate that. We got to end on that. Let's play the music. That was beautiful. Fun day. we will be back. Are you the only one he asked? What do you need to work on? No, we need more time for you. Later. We'll be back. Jordan, you're going to tell me about some joint practices in Minnesota.

48:06Hell yeah. Like when we fixed everyone, football's back.

48:15The entire draft room groans because you just took the guy they wanted. There's no better feeling than crushing your fantasy football league. I'm JJ Zachary Eason, host of the award-winning Late Round Podcast. Before your draft, our players to target and players to avoid episodes tell you exactly who to circle and who to cross off. Listen to the Late Round Fantasy Football Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

48:46This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human. Thank you.