2026 Midseason Awards: Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, or Jordan Love?

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2:55Robert Mays: Welcome to the Athletic Football Show Brought to you by the U.S. Bank Smartly Visa's signature card I'm Robert Mays Mid-season awards time is here Derek in studio We had some great conversations about these awards We blew through the first like six awards And then we spent like half an hour on the final two But I think that's probably how it should be Let's get to our mid-season award picks On the Athletic Football Show right now

3:28Robert Mays: Mid-season awards time on the athletic football show. I like our little graphic that's behind us. For those of you watching on YouTube, it actually does have like an Oscars vibe to it. The gold, like plus the black. And that's always how I've thought about this. And that's why as we go through these awards, I've always started with like offensive player of the year because it feels like best supporting actor or actress, which is how the Oscars start every year. Did you know that? I did not know that. I don't think it's every year, but it's traditional. They often start that way. They start with like a meaty one first to suck you in.

3:56But not the biggest one. Not the biggest one. It has to be meaty, but not the biggest one. You have to find like the 8 out of 10. You can't go straight to 10 out of 10.

4:03Robert Mays: They used to do that the previous winner would present it, but then they stopped doing that and I hated it. I'm a traditionalist, and so I like to go back to how we've often done things. And so there's a reason why we go by the book here. We're just going to do how we often do it.

4:16Derrik Klassen: You've seen more of the Oscars. Like you watch more of the Oscars every year than Derek and I have probably watched combined, if I had to guess. It's truly one of my favorite nights of the entire year. I really do love it. Did they stop doing that in the event that you have to present yourself?

4:29Robert Mays: No, I'm not. No, they always mess up the format because some executive is like, we need to make this show shorter for a younger audience and all of those amazing bits of feedback from people in charge that never actually make sense. Okay, let's kick things off with Offensive Player of the Year. David, I'm going to let you start us off here, buddy. Your OPOY for the 2026 first half of the season is who?

4:50Derrik Klassen: I will admit this about myself. I'm self-aware. I'm always going to try to zig. And handsome and humble. Thank you. Thank you so much. And short. I'm always going to try to zig when people zag. Like, I'm bored by the consensus. Just across all chapters of my life. And so when I knew we were doing this show, I started looking for an outside-the-box candidate to stump for.

5:16Robert Mays: This is an interesting strategy. I'm just picking the best answer. Well, let me let me get there.

5:23Derrik Klassen: And I do have some outside the box candidates in this show because I just get bored by the obvious. I do, too. I do, too. I'm very guilty of that. All of that said, I started researching this show and I was like, OK, I got nothing against. I can't I can't beat Jackson Smith and Jigba's candidacy for offensive player of the year. It would be disingenuous to try. and so after looking at it for a couple hours i was like even i the the hipster can't can't deny this he's been absolutely incredible and i think halfway through the year there's a couple other names i want to bring up yeah but halfway through the year i don't even really think it's a debate i mean i i have the same answer i he i mean he is on pace to almost win the triple crown like if you stop the season right now i think the only one he's short on his receptions by like two like he's he's doing it again my he's also my answer i just think that the combination of efficiency and

6:15Robert Mays: volume in tandem is unbelievably impressive he is still sixth among all receivers in epa per target despite how often he's being targeted and he's the only worthwhile receiving option within the offense right now and so the fact that teams know he's going to be the entire diet of the passing game and they still can't really slow him down specifically in any given game is incredible. If he was getting 20 targets a game and he was finishing with like 80 yards a game, that's not that impressive. Like it's we're throwing you the ball 20 times a game. You're still running back at that point. Yeah, it's at this point, you the combination of high efficiency plus how much of a focus he is, is incredible to me.

6:57Robert Mays: I did a video, one of the replay brews that we did maybe a month ago about JSN and a lot of the stats I laid out there are still applicable here. the one that i mean there's plenty of them he right now is at 49.9 percent of the seahawks total air yards if he breaks 50 he would be the first player the first player since 2014 calvin johnson with a with 100 targets that would break 50 of his team's total air yards like the idea that he is the only show in town and like the i the fact that he's still this efficient with having that sort of prominence is amazing to me.

7:33Derrik Klassen: His target share right now is 36 % of the Seahawks targets, which is at least three or 4 % higher than name your favorite wide receiver. Like, I mean, CeeDee Lamb is sitting at 33%. Amon Ross St. Brown sitting at 32%. Like there are guys north of 30. Nobody is flirting with 40 % the way JSN is. And I would argue too, you touched on it, but say your favorite receiver, and I'll tell you the other option in the offense that is doing lifting or the quarterback that is doing heavy lifting not only does jsn not have somebody else he's not getting good quarterback play this year like at least halfway through last year sam darnold was on a heater sam darnold hasn't been healthy or good this year and he's still producing that's what i was going to say the volume is one thing like we knew that they were going to throw the ball to jsn a billion times like they just don't have many other guys in the offense but the fact that he's done it with like sam darnold being banged up for a lot of this season either not playing so drew lock has to play or like when sam donald has played this year he's just not been as good as he was last year because i think he's not been healthy so you have that element of it the run game has also just been non-existent for most of the season where i think especially when jsn was great early on last year it's because teams were dedicating resources to be like it's the kubiak system they want to run the ball they want to do all this stuff obviously teams shifted a little bit over the second half and he was still incredible the fact that defense is now really don't have to respect the run game they're accounting for him and they're still responding and he's still doing this with backup quarterbacks being as efficient as he is like he just he has such a rare blend of the spatial awareness how quick he is and just how he attacks the football for i know that he's not like small but again he's not like t higgins but he can attack the ball in the way that a lot of those guys can it's it's unbelievable we've talked

9:10Robert Mays: so much about the aesthetics of jsn the style of jsn he is a singular player in the way that he moves in the way that he plays and i you combine that with the production and he's just a one-of-one type guy that i absolutely love watching and it's it's hard to really pick anybody else at this point the guys i throw out i have two others that i think are on the short list for me kenneth walker has been everything the chiefs could have asked him to be kenneth walker this year per next gen 17 total rushing epa which is number one in the league and the guy that i would also list right in this on the short list of players is jameer gibbs just for context jameer gibbs has negative total rushing epa on the season kenneth walker has two and a half touchdowns worth that's partially a product of when you run the ball a lot you're gonna have inefficient plays like that's just the nature of that stat for rushing specifically but that's why the kenneth walker number is so ridiculous like the explosives that he's ripping off the pure value created from them is unbelievable and he's still third in rushing success rate despite all of the volume so walker and gibbs to me would be the next two names i would probably throw out there was there anybody else for you guys i also still had vajon robinson yeah like i just think because all i think with all three of those backs, and then obviously including JSN, the volume that they get and still being as efficient as they are, I think all four of those guys, those to me would be the ones that I'm guessing by the end of the year, that's still who we're talking about in this realm.

10:35Derrik Klassen: You wouldn't vote for him to win this, but I just want to say T. Higgins' name. He was the last name on my list. He's been incredible. He's the last name on my list. So I went into it. I went into the exercise like, is there a way I can finagle choosing T Higgins? And after 15 minutes, I was like, no, there is not. But it does not diminish what he has done this year. I was curious because just anecdotally, I remember we talked about it, how many plays he's making over the middle of the field. And in my mind, I know he's been playing in the league for seven years. Of course, he's made plays over the middle of the field.

11:07Derrik Klassen: But all of my favorite long lasting team memories before this year were outside the numbers. Outside the numbers dunks. Yeah. Yes. so I was just curious what he's doing over the middle of the field did you look this up I've

11:21Robert Mays: looked it up earlier in the season it's a staggering comparison compared to their careers

11:24Derrik Klassen: Joe and him T Higgins is averaging 1.13 EPA per target when the Bengals target him between the numbers this year his previous high was 0.66 and the volume of it too oh the volume is crazy he's he's been targeted 34 times i think his high for his career is like 45 in a set in a 13 game season think about that yeah yeah it's crazy also half of his middle of the field catches 15 of 30 have been an explosive or a touchdown that's insane it's crazy it's crazy 83 percent of his catches

11:59Robert Mays: this year have gone for first downs to higgins 83 it's the highest rate in the league among players the least 50 targets it the quality of his targets and the value of the throws to t higgins this year it has been insane and he's doing it in different ways than he's ever done before it's kind of wild that a guy that i think we all probably would have considered like a top 15 receiver in the league is probably a worthwhile consideration for the most improved player in the nfl this year but like that really is what it feels like and it's maybe not improved skills but the blossoming of all of the ways he's affecting this, the game in ways that he didn't necessarily in previous years has been so notable to me.

12:39Robert Mays: Like you feel it within the offense. What those two are doing right now is the fact that you have a team with Jamar Chase and the other guy might be the offensive player. Exactly. And I will say Jamar Chase can still have the way that he played. There's nine games left. We might be the end of the season. It's like, Oh wait. Yeah. Jamar Chase has won the triple crown before he might be the offensive player of the year. And so either of those guys being in the running by the end would not surprise me. Let's get the defensive player of the year. Derek, why don't you kick us off here? Your defensive player of the year for the first half of the season is who?

13:08This one I did come down to like two, maybe two and a half candidates. I still think it is Will Anderson Jr. I think he is playing at an unbelievable level still. He leads the NFL in sacks with nine and a half. He has 44 pressures according to NextGenStats, which is second most in the league. 19 quick pressures tied for second most in the league. He is still a phenomenal run defender in basically every way. And he is to me just, when you turn on Texas Texans film, it's so obvious on every snap who the best player on the football field is no matter what they're doing no matter what the concept is uh quick pass deep pass under center play action like he just finds a way to affect the game and there's definitely a couple of other like deserving candidates but this really does feel like will anderson jr has kind of crescendoed into this

13:50Robert Mays: just unstoppable force of a player i fully support this because i i said it a million times last year if miles garrett didn't break the sack record will anderson jr would win defensive player of year in any other season and so the fact that in a year where there's a little bit more opportunity miles garrett's not playing and will anderson jr is playing at the exact same level he played at last year i like the fact that we might have like a second wave appreciation for the player that he has become over the last two seasons i don't want to sound like i'm shitting on will

14:19Derrik Klassen: anderson he's an incredible football player he's i mean he's he's been the best edge this year considering Miles Garrett hasn't been available up until recently. This goes back to, I remember we talked about this when we did end of season awards last year. I'm stuck in the balance between who's the best player and what effect are you having on this season? And I can't shake the fact that the Houston Texans have been a disappointing team through the first half of the year. What would they be if he wasn't on the team? Let me do you one better. Let me talk to you about a guy who has had a very tangible impact on why his team is the best team in the NFL.

14:59Derrik Klassen: And I'm surprised I'm doing this instead of you. This is my other pick. I know where you're going. I'd give it to Fred Warner. Fred Warner is also my pick. I would give it to Fred Warner. And it's not a knock on Will Anderson. He is incredible. And he's been the best edge in football over the first half of the year. but I'm looking at performances that are not only outstanding, but have a tangible effect on the season we're watching play out. And it is, there's still a lot of football left. The Texans aren't out of it. The 49ers have been the best team in the league through the first half of the year.

15:29Derrik Klassen: And we have a very real data point that says, and I know there's so many variables that go into it. You can't give all the credit to Fred Warner, but this was a bottom of the barrel defense last year when he went out. They were 27th in EPA per snap, 27th in yards per play, and 30th in success rate down the second 75 % of the season last year after his injury. Right now, they're top half of the league in EPA per snap, 10th in yards per play. Fred Warner has five forced fumbles, which I believe is the most through eight games in modern NFL history. Wow, really? Yes. I mean, that is a lot. If you play that, that's a man.

16:09For an off-ball linebacker, I should say.

16:11Robert Mays: He's on pace to get to 10, and I believe the single season record for a non-defensive lineman is like 10.

16:18Derrik Klassen: He's one of 10 linebackers with three pass breakups. He's got four non-sack tackles for loss. He has half a sack this year. He's just been fantastic. Obviously, he's the best linebacker in football. He's playing like it. He's, you know, back after the injury. Obviously, we don't usually do comeback player of the year. He'd be a slam dunk for comeback player of the year. but I think he's been even better than that. And after the career that he's had, you know, I could not like a, you're not doing this for sympathy, but as a like crowning achievement on the career of such a great player, I think it makes a lot of sense.

16:53Robert Mays: He's also my pick. I think that there are a lot of kind of intangible example, like reasons for this, just because of how different, like Dave said, the Niners defense feels with him out there compared to him not being out there. There is one stat I would throw out there that I do think is just a perfect representation of when he's on the field, what it means, there are two. This season, on throws between five and 15 air yards between the numbers, the San Francisco 49ers have allowed 31 yards per game, which is dead last in the NFL. They have allowed an explosive play rate on those plays of 5%, which is dead last in the entire NFL.

17:32Robert Mays: Just for context, the league average is 14.1%. theirs is at 5%. He erases an entire area of the field, and that area of the field, going back to the T. Higgins conversation, is the most valuable area of the field. The completions to there are the best completions you can have as an offense, and teams just don't even try to do it against the Niners and can't do it because he's out there. And taking the ball away, the way that the run defense feels, like the run defense for the Niners has been so much better than we ever could have hoped, and there are reasons for that. Like, I think the front diversification we've seen from them has led to some of that.

18:07Robert Mays: Grayson Holton is a way better. I mean, we never, we didn't even know who he was before the season started. Obviously losing him hurts, but also Diggy Zoo is a good player, but he's a very specific like gap shooting type of player. The defense for the most part, isn't that much different, that much different personnel wise than it was last year when they were an absolute shit show. And it's because Fred Warner's playing.

18:28Derrik Klassen: They haven't had Bosa for a huge chunk of this either. It's like the idea of like,

18:31Robert Mays: well, Nick Bosa was hurt last year. He's been hurt this year. Mikkel Williams was hurt for a good chunk of the start of this season. Like, I just think that...

18:39Derrik Klassen: They're eighth in defensive DVOA. It's crazy. And I think Raheem deserves a ton of credit for that.

18:43Robert Mays: Like, they are doing things that has led to that. And I think that the young DBs have taken a step forward. There are certainly reasons for what Dave is saying outside of just Fred Warner is back. But I do think Fred Warner is back, to me, is probably the number one reason. He has a gravity to him that no other, like, middle-of-the-field player has. Like, safety or... I mean, like maybe like peak Kyle Hamilton, but really other than that, that that's probably it. And even I think Fred Warner is a little bit of a different beast.

19:09Derrik Klassen: I also, again, nothing against Will Anderson. I would, if there is a worthy candidate, I would like to think other positions can win defensive player of the year. I know Patrick Sertan did it recently, but that was in a weird year for edge rushers. Like I would like to see an off ball linebacker get some shine given what we've seen from that position and how big it's been to some of the defensive trends in the nfl right now i don't think so it's become a pass rusher award over the last 15 or so years it's become a pass

19:41Robert Mays: rusher award or if like a corner has a special like the stefan gilmore patrick patrick sertan like that's really the only that and i i think that this is the year and i also this wouldn't be the reason there's no way this creeps into the ap voting pool but i think that the way the sport has shifted over the last like few years where we've gotten back to a place where box players running backs linebackers I think we're starting to really appreciate their value again just because of certain meta shifts in the league I think that this is the moment I think in a lot of ways for a player like Fred Warner to be properly appreciated and I think this right now based on what he's doing what the Niners are doing I think it would be an appropriate time for that to happen for all

20:20Derrik Klassen: those reasons there's another name I would throw out at the same position for me and it's Blake

20:24Robert Mays: Cashman he's I I wanted to at least mention Blake Cashman I don't think he like quite he quite gets he quite gets there for me but I completely understand why you're saying that he's been

20:33Derrik Klassen: unbelievable Fred Warner is my choice but Blake Cashman is right there and again like I I think narrative is important you don't want it to be the only reason why you hand out an award but the Vikings defense has been the best in the league through the first half of the year it's been a dominant storyline it's the reason why they're even relevant and who personifies that more than the linebacker who does everything for that defense i mean the guy had the guy is tied for the league lead in off-ball linebacker sacks second among all linebackers and pressures he's top 10 in tackles he has uh four pass breakups which is tied among all off-ball linebackers for best he almost picked off josh allen like immediately in that last game he's he has been absolutely incredible and on that defense like dallas turner's been amazing the safeties are so fun like there are a lot of pieces of it that make it go but if if i had to circle a guy that sort of personifies what the vikings have done i think it would be cashman yeah so he's at least

21:33Robert Mays: worth mentioning i think that harrison smith also does that to an extent just because of how important he is like their pre-snap process but in terms of like how the defense feels play to play execute like making the actual plays yeah cashman's kind of a different a different guy there the a A couple other guys I wanted to throw out just because I think that they've been so impactful in terms of how some of these teams play. This season, the Cincinnati Bengals lead the league in light box rates against the run. And they are a dead average rushing success rate defense and a top five rushing success defense on up the middle runs, like not outside the tackles.

22:09Robert Mays: Dexter Lawrence has legitimately changed the way that the Bengals are allowed to play defense because he is out there. they're doing what actually watching them reminds me a little bit of is the year the bucks won the super bowl with tom brady and the defense was really good and vitavea was playing at a supremely high level the way that they just played some of the spacing in their fronts was like vitavea will literally cover both sides of the center all the way to the tackle like just the way that they're spacing the front the the bangles do that with dexter lawrence where they're like we can kick the end out a little bit further like well he'll buy time for our linebackers behind him or if he's got to beat a double team he'll just do it and get back across the face of the guard like he just buys so much space for a defense that yeah like you say you look at the numbers like okay they're average run defense but they're not committing any resources they're an average run defense with below average linebacker play and i think that's being in corners who don't tackle yeah it's what he has done to just the overall complexion of the defense to me is incredible and so dexter lawrence that they're out there jeffrey simmons has been amazing this year no jeff simmons has

23:12Derrik Klassen: and unbelief if simmons had gotten to chicago three weeks earlier it would be not and not that he wasn't great in tennessee don't get me wrong but like if if he had been doing this for a few weeks longer on that sort of stage i think you'd be hearing that a lot more two other names i would

23:27Robert Mays: throw out chase young has been amazing this year yeah man chase young has been amazing this year can we sit in how cool that is for him yeah like the fact that his career like looked kind of over he looked like he was a little bit lost in places like san francisco where he was like a decent player but you didn't remember that he was the second or third overall pick or whatever he was in the draft and now he is fully back to like oh yeah that is the guy when he came out of ohio state we all thought he was just as good as the bosas and so the fact that he's been able to have this resurgence i know it's on like a saints team that nobody really cares about this year but uh speak

23:57Derrik Klassen: for yourself we're jordan tyson's back man yeah and i have the saints in the winds pool i am deeply

24:03Robert Mays: invested in new orleans saints so i've really been enjoying the chase young experience the other guy I throw out talk about leveling up just feeling like a completely different player impact play to play Greg Rousseau has had an unbelievable season for the Bills and so those are like the five or six guys I would throw out there it's gonna be a fun second half of the season race for this award specifically because I think there are a lot of guys within striking distance of it like Jeffrey Simmons could absolutely be the defensive player of the year I think that Will Anderson Jr. is the betting favorite to do it right now and all the guys that we've said and So it's going to be a fun second after the season to kind of figure out who's actually going to take this thing and run with it.

24:39Derrik Klassen: Last year, we already knew it was Miles Garrett. Even with what Will Anderson was doing, we knew it was Miles Garrett. So that's fun.

24:46Robert Mays: All right, let's take our first quick break and then come back and chat a little offensive rookie of the year. We've got a great Sunday night football matchup this week between the Steelers and Bengals. When you flip on the game, be sure to turn on The Athletic Live on YouTube as well. Watch the game along with host Charles McDonald, Max Brown, and Daniel Popper and become part of the show in the interactive chat. The Athletic Live is presented by Google Gemini. Check it out now and subscribe on YouTube. Football season has arrived, and with the U.S. Bank Smartly Visa Signature Card, you earn an unlimited 2 % cash back on every purchase, including at the stadium or at home watching on a brand new TV.

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29:03Robert Mays: dave you're up buddy your offensive rookie of the year halfway through the season is who

29:07Derrik Klassen: if i was actually betting on who i thought was going to win offensive rookie of the year I would either go with one of the Cleveland receivers or Jonah Coleman, especially like if you're talking about the end of the year, Jonah Coleman, he was on IR. So his stats don't look outstanding right now, but based on the usage we've seen out of Jonah Coleman, since he got back, he has a shot at a thousand scrimmage yards and like seven or eight touchdowns for a playoff team. I think that in a year where there's not like a slam dunk candidate to win this award, I think Jonah Coleman is worth mentioning.

29:41Derrik Klassen: Concepcion and Denzel Boston have been so, so much fun. Boston's got a shot at a thousand yard season. I think those guys are worth mentioning if you're talking about who actually wins it. We'll talk about them. Right now, halfway through the year, it's been kind of a down year for rookies. The big, big guys haven't been other worldly. They haven't gotten out to these hot starts. So my awards, who I'm handing this out, I'm giving mine to Olivaivanga you want a of the baltimore ravens it's dumb that offensive linemen can't win awards like this uh and he's been fantastic on a year where like really nothing's gone right for the ravens and so many things have gone wrong for wrong for their offensive line in general he's like the steady eddie on the ravens offensive line as a rookie starter he's allowed uh fewest pressures allowed among rookies who have played 50 or more of their team snaps he hasn't allowed a sack since week one and oh by the way the ravens asked him to play center in week three and made him do it until cam jurgens got up to speed and he looked fine doing it did not play center in college they were just like hey you're big can you snap and he was like yeah sure then he sprained his mcl and missed one game and came back and he looked like a guy dealing with an injury in the thursday night game but he looked fine to me like he's still like he's he's an awesome player the ravens have to be thrilled at what they got with him and in a year where nobody else is taking it and running running with it i think he should like right now he i would give it to him i'm sure somebody else just by volume stats has the chance to pass him but i think he's

31:20Robert Mays: the best right now he absolutely to me is on the short list if i had like four or five guys like probably three or four guys he would be on my short list who is well i do want to like i that's not my pick but like he i really did think about it for a lot of those reasons like if lamar doesn't get hurt i almost think that like it would be a lot easier to make the case yeah absolutely because it would like the impact would be clearer yeah it would be like oh my god the ravens are a top five offense like they're doing all the stuff that they want and then we'd be like oh yeah maybe their best offensive lineman right now is a rookie who played center for a little bit and so i think that he's been fantastic everything you want my pick was still denzel boston i think it's like this to me i think feels like the award that i have the least amount of faith whoever i picked today is by the end totally agree but this was the one that i was like i gotta pick something yeah i will say i don't think he's been quite as good as mcmillan was last year but there is a case to me of like the fact that denzel boston has like he has like 500 yards this season he's had a number of great games with like still bottom of the barrel quarterback play yes there's a part of me that wonders if he had average quarterback play would he just have like 700 yards and like be one of those guys who is that's a great point that is my argument yeah like that is exactly my argument because really other than getting blanked by the ravens and he did not play well in that game other than that he's been like a pretty impactful guy week to week and obviously what he was able to do last week like picking the ball off of a guy's helmet like i just think that his best plays are really impressive and he really is like a true dominant outside receiver or like tracking to be that sort of guy in a league that like that kind of is becoming the thing again is like you need some of those guys who can win outside the numbers and in big boy situations I legitimately think he's just a really good player right now.

32:56Robert Mays: And with very, with bottom eight quarterback play, if you're being even generous, and it's probably been worse than that. And he's still producing. And to me, the thing that really jumps out is he does a little bit of everything already. Like the idea that coming into the league, I think that if you were down on a player of Denzel Boston's archetype and you wanted to kind of paint with a broad brush about what he was in college, you could have done the, ah, those guys who weren't really separators, like how many of them do actually have success in the league yada yada he's not been that at all like he is a worthwhile intermediate target over the middle of the field he's a vertical threat in a way that i think people might have had questions about like what the long speed would look like i i there's like to me there's like a shades of drake london like sort of player to him with some like gas down the field like i i legitimately think he has a chance to be a really really good player and is already productive in an objectively bad situation and so i really do think that if they get even average quarterback play in there we could see a top 12 ish type receiver if things keep going in this direction like i legitimately

34:04Derrik Klassen: believe that's the ceiling for him the efficiency of the offense is worth bringing up like the the raw numbers don't blow you away but given the circumstances in cleveland the consistency he's been producing with that it's worth mentioning that and it is impressive let's get your defensive

34:18Robert Mays: rookie of the year Derek it's all you buddy your defensive rookie of the year for the first half of the season is who this is where I will take an off-ball linebacker Arvel Reese is so damn good already man like he's also my choice he is everything you could have wanted him to be like I just think that what he is as an athlete is truly special and this is why like coming out of college when he was like this hybrid like is he a pass rusher is he an off-ball there was part to me that was like he is such a phenomenal athlete he can figure out anything and i think it's funny i think what's been so impressive to me when you watch him in the preseason obviously preseason he was a little cat chasing a laser because i think like it was like yeah of course this is going to be up to speed when you're first playing off ball it's a position that has a notoriously tough development curve but we're nine weeks into his season and i don't really feel that way about him every now and then because you're a rookie but like i don't feel like he's a guy who's lost i'm like man he is so buttoned up in terms of like his zone flow he'll fall back into where he needs to be the way that he's taking on guards the way that he's taking on pullers i mean there was a play in the saints game this was on a screen there was about seven and a half minutes in the second quarter they try to throw like a little running back screen to the left he explodes the left guard and he doesn't even make the tackle he just pushes the offensive lineman into the back and he trips over him like he just has a level of physicality violence speed he's so instinctive like i really do think that he is a special football player in the making it's really

35:36Derrik Klassen: fun how similar his pro tape looks to his college tape where like nine out of ten times you'd be like okay but you're not going to be able to just bow up guards like that and have it work out for you in the nfl well arvel reese might be the exception he's my choice too yeah i just love

35:52Robert Mays: the fact that he's similar to the fred warner conversation a little bit different but when you think about the where the league is right now defensively and the giants are one of these teams the giants are a blitz heavy team they're a blitz happy team on third down like they have one of the highest cover zero weights in the entire NFL. They are weaponizing him as a pass rusher in the way that you would want him to be weaponized. But not even just what's happening with him and the Giants specifically. If you look at the broader league landscape, he's a perfect football player for this moment. Yes.

36:18Robert Mays: Perfect. Like the idea that if we're going to be in this blitz heavy world, you have a guy who can play off ball who is a skilled and dangerous pass rusher. And I think that's only going to get better over time.

36:28Derrik Klassen: The Giants didn't even figure out how often they wanted to be sending him until like week four like his numbers have doubled over the second month of the season in terms of going after the quarterback and if you let you let's break down

36:39Robert Mays: like the three sacks head against the jets the first one he gets untouched he explodes joe milton it's like all right well that's play a lot of guys can make the third one he beats landon dickerson one-on-one in like a true pass rush situation and you so you have that part of it and then you have a guy like derrick is saying that is a downhill thumper has incredible like athleticism explosiveness he's a great tackler he is to me like a perfect expression of a modern second level defender and he's already really good and i think too with his block take on he already has to like just violence hit people that i love he already has a really good job understanding too of which tool do i need right now do i need to backdoor this block do i need to get over the top do i need to go through this guy do i need to take back space do i need to slip this like i just think he has such a good understanding of what the moment needs and then And like you're saying, too, like he does a little bit of everything when they get in like short yardage.

37:31They just put him on the edge because he can set the edge and do that stuff for them. Obviously, they blitz him a ton. I think he's already like for a rookie, especially a pretty decent coverage player. Like there was actually a two minute play against Houston where he's in the gap in one of those blitz. Look, he pops out and flies to the opposite hash and like gets a hand in the window. I'm like, he could kind of just do a little bit of everything. And the last thing I love, he runs his ass off. He will chase plays 20 yards down the field that he has no business being near. And that's one of those things that's like, sure, the offense gains 20 yards.

38:01They might have got 30 if he doesn't run down there and make those plays. And it's just some of those little things. Like, he is, you just feel the energy and, like, what he brings to your team in every single way.

38:10Derrik Klassen: It kind of reminds me of the T-1000 when he runs, if you remember Terminator 2. I got a couple stats for you. The last, so Arvel is sitting on 68 tackles and four and a half sacks after eight games. The last players to finish with 100 plus tackles and five plus sacks is rookies. oddly enough both happened in 2018 it was rookie Shaq Leonard and Roquan Smith Shaq Leonard was all pro and defensive rookie of the year in 2018 and the last rookie to finish with 100 plus tackles and eight plus sacks Brian Urlacher and also pretty insane company Reese's statistically on pace to match Lawrence Taylor's rookie season not not you know that's not a comparison that's

38:55Robert Mays: just a statistical fact there the brian urlacher thing is feels right yeah like when you just think of the frame the athleticism the movement skills like it's funny because urlacher was a tweener and that he was a college safety and so that and reese is a tweener in a different way but they just like all-time mutants like that like that's the type of players that we're talking

39:16Derrik Klassen: about here i think reese's versatility and production i wasn't even that um torn about it when I made a choice but I do want to say the other guy that plays at MetLife is having a really nice rookie year too agreed I think David Bailey's been awesome his production lately I think there

39:31Robert Mays: was a lot of like cleanup effort plays early on I think that now you're starting to see him really put it all together as like a true pass rusher Ben coming around the edge some of the hand usage stuff uh has gotten really good recently like if you watch what he was doing against the Chiefs like there's a refinement already in and what coming into the league like he was a fastball fireball pitcher like that's what he was a texas tech and so seeing some of the actual nuance already start to come about and on top of the athleticism the around the corner stuff and just the effort he brings to the position i think is really nice to see the two other guys i would throw out jacob rodriguez is having a really nice season for the for the dolphins i don't think he's been quite on the level these other guys have been at and then the other guy i i would throw out there i think that even if he's not playing as much by the end of this season i he's going to be on a very short list of the defensive players from this draft that i would want moving forward is gay back us gay back this is a ball hell yeah he's amazing he is so good the guys we loved in the pre-draft

40:31Derrik Klassen: process are balling through the first couple months of the season like statistically he doesn't really have the case like two and a half sacks or whatever that you don't like it's not giving guys problems yes he just you you note if you look for him on the field every play you're like oh he's

40:43Robert Mays: just kind of like around the quarterback a lot he's much more flexible than i thought he would be after watching him in illinois wrestling background that's what that's that's what that's all about i i've really really enjoyed watching him and then the chances i've gotten to i want to say really quickly every single fan base with a rookie linebacker is going to think their guy deserves it by the way sonny styles i think has been pretty good like josiah trotter has been awesome anthony hill jr i think even for the titans has been good and then obviously the other guys we mentioned like rodriguez and and again i don't think most of those guys are on the level of like bailey or reese but like this is like kind of one of the coolest linebacker classes in a while the fact that there are this many rookies that are playing at average or above

41:21Derrik Klassen: already is pretty phenomenal it's really sick that they're living up to the hype because we were excited about them coming in let's get to the next one here protector of the year

41:31Robert Mays: obviously this is a new one we've had one year of this before but if you are unfamiliar with the award if you listen to the show i doubt that you are the best offensive one and we Last year was Joe Tooney. Year two of this. Dave, what do you got for me? Your protector of the year halfway through the season is who? I can't stand this category.

41:48Derrik Klassen: There's at least three or four guys that I think have a really compelling case.

41:53Robert Mays: To me, it's a two-man race right now.

41:55Derrik Klassen: I mean, the guy that I ultimately went with is who I think would win, and it's Trent Williams. That's also my pick. I mean, he's the best guy doing it. He continues to be the best guy doing it. he's eight pressures allowed one sack which i think was to zadarius smith on a day where like nothing will it really went right for the 49ers their offense is incredible so much of it runs behind him so much of i mean brock purdy is phenomenal and he'll come up in conversation soon i'm sure but so much of what trent williams is able to do for them just lifts brock's floor It lifts the offensive floor. He's been doing it for 15 years, and I can't believe he's like 38 years old.

42:37Robert Mays: He is on an island in one-on-one situations at the rate that very few guys often cycles in the NFL. It's like a top three rate. And it's actually, Derek and I were talking about this when we were talking about the Niners on the hangover. The way the Niners approach their passing game is just drastically different than how we used to think about Shanahan offenses. Like Shanahan offenses used to be play action, a lot of help for the tackles. Like it's not a situation where you're in a lot of true drop back one-on-one scenarios. Now they've gone away from, they've used more of it this year than they had over the last couple of years.

43:08Robert Mays: But for the most part, they are not like a play action heavy team anymore. And so they are more of a drop back team. So you're putting your tackles in more one-on-one situations. He's been phenomenal in those one-on-one situations. And he's still the best run blocking tackle in the league potentially. It's like him and Darnell Wright. And so when you combine those two things together, it's crazy. like a Marius Mims who might be your pick I don't know he is my pick yeah I will get to that in a minute it's a Marius Mims has been unbelievable as a one-on-one pass protector this year but I think Trent Williams has been in that same class as a one-on-one pass protector and is still an unbelievably dominant run blocker and so those two things in combination to me that's the reason why I think that he ultimately deserves it I think if I were like a if I were trying to like forecast who is going to win it it will probably be Trent because I think that just the way that he's playing right now I mean I think we talked about on the hangover someone like the goal line stuff that he was doing in that game like he just he can he can clear people out of the way

44:05Derrik Klassen: the frequency with which he basically throws guys yes it's jarring moves other 300 pound men completely out of the way and so I think if you were doing like in totality I think Trent Williams is absolutely as deserving as anyone I think I'm probably getting over my skis with the Marius Mims and like picking him because it's fun but like I do think that no it's a it's a flag plan

44:23Robert Mays: When I said it was a two-man race, those are the two men.

44:25Derrik Klassen: It's also, it's a mid-season award. What has happened in the games that have been played so far? And I think what I would say, like, obviously Trent Williams is unbelievably, like, central to the way that the Niners can play offense. I do think, and we'll talk about this probably when we talk about MVP a little bit, the way that the Bengals are allowed to play offense, where they are so much drop back, we're going to chuck it, we're going to do all this. You can kind of only do that if you have one of these tackles who you can just leave on an island and be like, we can forget about it. that guy's going to keep Joe protected.

44:53Robert Mays: It's the exact same conversation we had about Lane Johnson and the Eagles for like seven years. It's the same thing. And like Mims is probably not quite there in terms of the run blocking as guys like Wright or even like Tristan Wirth or Trent Williams. But like, one, I think he's still very good. And two, like.

45:08Derrik Klassen: He plays for the Bengals. Who gives a shit about that? Also just don't do as much of that. And so there's part of me that's like, well, if he played for the Bills, wouldn't he probably just be like murdering people every play? Like if they wanted him to do that. And so that's a little bit of like theory. but I just think that what he's become is just one of the half dozen just set it and forget it tackles the NFL. He's awesome.

45:28Robert Mays: And when you look at the matchups he's had to, like the gauntlet of players that he's had to play against this year, you had the week two game against the Texans where he was really, really good against Will Anderson and Daniel Hunter. And I talked about this in the moment. The Bengals, when they were prepping for the Steelers, their first matchup this year, when they were going through like the plan for what they would have to do with T.J. Watt, typically that is a oh man what are we going to do like how much extra help do we have to give how what do we have to get how are we going to account for this person and this year it was we're just going to leave one-on-one with the right tackle and be fine like that to reach that place with the guy that's this early in his career and feel comfortable doing it he's done it against some of the most dangerous like fear-inducing edge rushers in the league for multiple different

46:13Derrik Klassen: times this year and i think he deserves so much credit for that tree beard he's my number he's my number two. Amarius Menz is my number two. I guess when I say I hate the category, I just feel bad that Tristan Wirth's Panay Sewell and I'll continue to stump for Garrett Bowles as well. Like the idea that they're not even, they're fighting for bronze. It's just tough to swear. And I would get it if it frustrates you as a fan of one of those teams. It's just, it's a stacked category and only one guy gets to win.

46:44Robert Mays: The other guy I would throw out, I don't think he's going to win it, but just in terms of acknowledging what certain units have felt like the players who either have gotten more shine or have. I don't think he's improved that much because I think he was already a good player. Zach Frazier is like somebody you should recognize. If we're doing the midseason all pro teams, he's the first team all pro at center. And so I wanted to say his name on this show. And if you're trying to like find who would be the interior guy who's going to at least be in the conversation by the end, it probably is Zach Frazier.

47:11They've been incredible.

47:12Robert Mays: I think we should just have a Joe Moore award for the NFL. Yeah. Like, we just absolutely should have a Joe Moore award for the NFL. I've said it before. I think every position should have an award, just like college football does. But we should have a unit-wide award. No, no, no. I would love that. For offensive lines, like, I would love if the Steelers offensive line could, like, get a trophy at the end of this season. The Joe Moore trophy kicks ass, too, by the way. Yes, incredible trophy. It weighs, like, 300 pounds. Like, the 2024 Bucs offensive line should have, like, something to commemorate.

47:41Derrik Klassen: We should have acknowledged that that's what they were. Is anybody going to complain if we like, why do best interior offensive lineman, best interior defensive lineman, best edge, best off ball linebacker. They do a whole, I guess we do have those in college. Like there's a,

47:55Robert Mays: there's a Remington award. It doesn't exist.

47:57Derrik Klassen: And we do this big dumb award show every year. And then there's like six categories. Like let's blow this thing out. Sickos like us would watch it. Why in the hell not? I wouldn't watch the award show, but I'd be curious who would win.

48:09Robert Mays: I would argue about the award in advance.

48:11Derrik Klassen: I'd be more excited if I thought I could see Zach Frazier get up and have to accept the trophy. That would be fun.

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52:09Robert Mays: All right. Assistant coach of the year. Derek, I'm going to let you kick this one off. Your assistant coach of the year is who? I think this was the quickest answer to me. It's perfect. I 100 % agree. They are what they are doing with, and I know that there are good players on the Vikings defense, Blake Cashminton, incredible Andrew Van Ginkle, Dallas Turner. A lot of the other like elite defenses right now have guys who are like consistent all pros, potential hall of famers and stuff like that. what the Brian Flores thing has become with like three four years of developing a lot of these guys in the system getting the communication to a spot that is rare and then being able to operate in a way that like over my lifetime and like I don't know about NFL history I don't know if we have blitz numbers for the 1980s or whatever we don't but like for what I've been able to ever see of football they're doing something that I've never seen before and doing it at an exceptional level I I kind of think it has to be Brian Flores yeah I I people when we talked about the Vikings we talked when he said that like people were talking about buddy ryan and like the way that the bears are playing she's like it's a different sport like it's things are so different now in so many different ways and i just think that the elements of how they're approaching this and just the flexibility of the players like it's not just the blitz rates like the blitz rates are not what sticks out about this i'm sure there are teams that have blitzed at that level in different eras of football but like what the system overall is and how fit it is for the way the modern game is being played and how much trouble it's giving people my favorite part is when you watch these teams the lions and the bills and back-to-back weeks okay bulletproof top seven offenses even if you're not being discerning bulletproof top seven offenses in the nfl the creativity and ingenuity necessary to get first downs against this team like the fact that even the best offenses in the league have essentially conceded we can't just line up and play we can't do it that that to me is all you need to know about how hard it is how hard he is making it on the teams he is playing against week in and week out like you said without this like high level of elite talent if you look at this team if you look it's crazy here i'm gonna list off the the starting 11 for the minnesota vikings the draft position that was used to find these players tyrian dock ingram dawkins fifth round pick in 2025.

54:26Robert Mays: Levi Drake Rodriguez, seventh round pick in 2024. Jalen Redmond, street free agent. Dallas Turner, first round pick. Eric Wilson, unrestricted free agent. Blake Cashman, free agent. Andrew Bang Engel, free agent. Isaiah Rogers, free agent. Harrison Smith was the first round pick in 2012 and was not on the team before the season started. Theo Jackson was a, I think, a waiver claim. Byron Murphy was a free agent. Josh Metellus was a sixth round pick in 2020. And so it's made up of mostly free agents and guys who were like late round picks. And so you think, oh, well, maybe they're spending a lot on the defense.

55:04Robert Mays: Seventh, they are 25th in the NFL in defensive spending this year.

55:09Derrik Klassen: I was going to say, what's the biggest, like, what's the biggest contract on the Vikings defense that is not an extension that the Vikings signed the guy to for excelling? You know, like Eric Wilson's on a pretty big deal right now, but that's not how it started.

55:22Robert Mays: But even Eric, Eric Wilson's deal is Eric Wilson's deal is not like a huge contract. No,

55:28Derrik Klassen: but it's, it's not nothing either.

55:30Robert Mays: Eric Wilson's on a three year, 22 and a half million dollar deal. He's making$7 million a year.

55:35Derrik Klassen: They get out of them, but they, they brought him on for pennies. That's, that's my only point. They signed him from nowhere.

55:41Robert Mays: Kyle Van Noy is like, is a member of this team, like signed off the street. Like what he has been able to do with this group of players is insane. Derek and I were talking about this the other night. Defense at a certain point, you can do all the funky shit that you want to. At some point along the process, you are going to feel the lack of high-end talent. You are going to feel the lack of superstars on that side of the ball over a 17-game season. The Vikings, in their defense, they have superstar-level players, right? Like Blake Cashman has been unbelievably impactful. If you took all 11 players in the Vikings, all 15 contributors, and you put them in a different situation, how many superstar players would there be?

56:22Robert Mays: Not a whole lot. I think maybe, probably zero. Like Jalen Redmond to me is a really, really good player. I think that he could play in any defense. Other than that, like Dallas Turner might be getting there, but it's just the uniqueness of the situation. It's hard to say because Flores does such a good job. It's so hard to know. He gets more free runs than any other pass rusher in the NFL. I just think that what he is doing, considering the pieces that have been given to him, is unbelievable. And the league has, like, bent to his image. Like, everybody's blitzing more because they realize that this is kind of what you have to do right now.

56:58And even more specifically, teams weren't really running that many of these, like, too high zone pressures until Flores really turned it up in 2024. And obviously that's, you know, three years ago. That's not what the award's about. But like him and to a different degree, like Steve Spagnuolo kind of ushered in like this newer era of how teams are blitzing right now. And so, yeah, this is it's kind of been amazing what he's been able to do at every part of this stop. But the fact that it's reached even this level now is just insane.

57:25Derrik Klassen: The only other note I would add is of the top 10 defenses by DVOA right now, six have offenses that are in the top half of the league. The Vikings are getting zero benefit of complementary football right now. and of the four teams in the bottom half in offensive DVOA that have top 10 defenses Seattle 19th in offensive DVOA Atlanta 21st Tampa 23rd Seattle's five and four and the other two or three games below 500 the Vikings are six and two six and two with like Will Reichard's the only guy giving them any help on a consistent basis I think that Brian Flores to me is a clear winner

58:05Robert Mays: I will say this is the category for which I had the most names because I think there have been so many awesome assistant coaches in the NFL this year guys I did want to ask that I so the offense it was mostly defensive guys yeah the two offensive guys I would throw out there and I don't think they're in the same level as the defensive guys that are worth mentioning we've talked about Brad Edzig a lot they've fallen off a little bit I think what Brad Edzig did especially over the first like six weeks of the season I was really impressed with the job he was doing in Carolina I think Drew Petsing has been really, really good for the Lions.

58:37Robert Mays: That's the only offensive name I have where I was like, he belongs somewhere in this category of five or six guys. So those are the two offensive guys I had. I would have them probably a step down because I think if, I think Flores is in a tier of his own for this award specifically. I agree. The next tier down from that, I think the two guys I would probably put in there, Jonathan Gannon. Jonathan Gannon has done an insane job with the Packers defense this year. Like this being a unit where we're all kind of like, I don't know. And then they're just a bulletproof top five defense. Like it was, it is not smoke and mirrors, man.

59:08Robert Mays: Like they are really, really good. And they're about to get Michael Parsons back. And if we're doing like relative to expectation, it's like some of the other names on here. Like we could have thought that Brian Flores is going to be great. I was like a little iffy on the talent, but we know that he can do this. Drew Petsing in the Lions offense. We were like, yeah, if they're just a little bit better, the offense is going to be crazy. Patrick Graham with the Steelers. I think we were excited about, I think he's on my list too. To me, like second and third is Dennis Allen. And it's like, yeah, Dennis Allen has called crazy stuff before and made defenses better than they deserve to be.

59:34Jonathan Gannon was truly like a... I have no idea what I'm supposed to believe that this defense is even going to look like, let alone like how well they will play behind him.

59:43Robert Mays: JJ deserves so much credit for what they've done for like keeping that team afloat a little bit as the offense was trying to figure itself out. Like I'm blown away by the job that he has done. So he's probably the next, the first name on the second tier of guys I would throw out. You mentioned Patrick Graham. He was on my list. Dennis Allen is on my list. That's probably like tier two. and Campanile I would throw in there as well. I was going to say, Campanile,

1:00:04Derrik Klassen: he's just doing what he did last year all over. He was my assistant coach of the year last year.

1:00:08Robert Mays: And so I picked him last year because I was just so impressed by what they were doing. The way they play defense down there is just unbelievably cool. It's like such a great blend of so many different influences. I love watching them play. And we mentioned Dennis Allen. The two other guys I would throw out, Vance Joseph continues to be incredibly good in Denver. Incredibly good. and I really like the job that Raheem Morris has done in San Francisco. I just think that the layers he has added to that defensive system, we talk about right for the modern version of the NFL, like the correct modernization and iteration of that, like four down attack front system that we know really well.

1:00:49Robert Mays: They started doing it in Atlanta, right? And so like he was, and I think Kyle deserves credit for this, which we'll get to in a second. Kyle deserves credit for this because I think that, all right, how do I take a system that if we continue doing it the same way over and over and over again is ultimately going to get stale is only going to be something that people can pick on the Falcons already did that last year. Like Ulbricht had really started modernizing those ideas and, and twisting them a little bit. And so trying to tap Raheem, who was there with Jeff Ulbricht last year to do that for your defense, I just think is a, we should have maybe thought about that in the moment, but it was, it's worked out so, so well.

1:01:25Robert Mays: So those are, again, that's like eight names and I don't think that's any like pity names. We're not like throwing a bone to anybody there. Like all of those guys probably deserve mention.

1:01:34Derrik Klassen: It's really cool that it's so defense heavy. Yeah. Everybody falls in love with the play callers every year, but the defensive assistants have been the story of the first half of the

1:01:43Robert Mays: year. They really haven't. That is a hundred percent true. I absolutely agree with that. All right. Let's get to the bigger one here. Coach of the year. Dave, what do you got for me?

1:01:52Derrik Klassen: Here comes my curve ball. This is a mid season award. I'm not forecasting what's going to happen. I would guess the trend line is suggesting that this team, like this coach won't be in the conversation by the end of the year. But if I'm handing it out for the first eight or nine weeks, my choice is Clint Kubiak.

1:02:13Robert Mays: I'm just blown away by this. All right. I love it because like the we can talk about the run game. Maybe some of that is his fault. Some of it's not. That offensive line is it's not good. The fact that they've made the passing game what it's been despite that is pretty phenomenal.

1:02:28Derrik Klassen: This is basically the defense has been bad. This is the same team. I know Tyler Linderbaum is there, but this is that good. He hasn't been that good. This is the same team as the one that barely looked like an NFL unit last year. And that's a great point. Kirk Cousins was an afterthought. He was he's 24th in EPA per play during his time in Atlanta. Nobody thought that this was a meaningful thing that was happening for the Las Vegas Raiders.

1:02:57Robert Mays: And I think some people would say, well, Gino was really bad last year. But we see that Gino can still play. Gino can still play.

1:03:03Derrik Klassen: Last year, the Raiders were 31st in Team DVOA, 31st in Offensive DVOA, 31st in EPA per play, dead last in scoring. Through nine games right now, they're 22nd in Team DVOA, 15th, top half of the league in Offensive DVOA, 16th in EPA per play. And it's only that low because they can't run the ball at all. Yeah. So the offensive line is no better. And Ashton Jenty, unfortunately, is not really giving you anything more than what he did as a rookie. They're top 10 in pass EPA. They're 11th in pass DVOA. They're better in overall DVOA than the New York Giants, who are leading their division. They have a 15 % explosive play rate, which is top 10 in the NFL.

1:03:47Derrik Klassen: They're one of only two teams in the top 10 that is not above 500. Kirk Cousins was 10th in EPA per dropback as a Raider. It was his best EPA per play since 2019 when he was with Minnesota. Cousins was not good in Atlanta. Clint Kubiak and like and like this is a overall this is not a good team they're not going to go to the playoffs Fernando Mendoza is taking over hopefully it's very exciting but it might not be who the hell knows but this was a team with zero expectations their preseason over under was five and a half wins and they're sitting at four at the midway point of the season they have been an enjoyable watch the defense was fun and surprising for at least a few weeks before it kind of started to fall off.

1:04:29Derrik Klassen: And Kirk and the offense has been good. Brock Bowers has been exactly what you want him to be. And so Clint Kubiak showed up after doing what he did in Seattle. And by the way, how much did the Seahawks probably miss Clint Kubiak right now? And he's doing exactly what you wanted him to. And the Raiders have been a very pleasant surprise. There are many other coaches who are deserving who will win this award. Clint Kubiak will not win it. but at the midpoint of the season, I think he's very deserving and I think it's worth shouting out. Unless Fernando Mendoza looks incredible. I mean, if Fernando, if Fernando looks incredible out of the box, then all bets are off.

1:05:04Derrik Klassen: But I'm guessing that the Raiders are going to continue to come down to earth.

1:05:08Robert Mays: Who was the coach of the year last year? Mike Vrabel? Mike Vrabel. Yeah. Which makes sense. I was just curious. I was just like, I'm trying to remember the conversations. It's a really, really good answer. I don't really, it depends on what you, and this is always the case with coach of the year. It depends on what you want from the award. And if your view of the award is who is doing the best coaching job with the pieces that he has given as a head coach, I think you can make an argument that Clint Kubiak is on the short list of those guys for exactly the reason that you're saying. The team isn't really that much different.

1:05:37Robert Mays: Spencer Burford is not the reason that the Raiders have gone from an awful, awful worst-in-the-league offense to a top-11 passing offense.

1:05:48Derrik Klassen: Brock Bowers is great. The receivers have been exactly as bad as we were worried about. don't know man Trey Tucker can play I'm not gonna hear that fine the receiving core is not amazing no no and the running game is DOA and this like I've had fun watching like every Raiders game this year who who would have thought I think a great great job on the hire even if even if Clint

1:06:09Robert Mays: Kubiak doesn't win the award I I'm I get this and I completely understand where you're coming from I don't have a ton of pushback he's done a really really good job I think that if I'm like actually trying to pull coals in it which isn't really worth doing he is responsible for some of the run game issues he is responsible for some of the staff issues like but it's year one like that's those are things they're going to tweak heading into year two if i were a raider fan in terms of the results that we've seen on the field the way they handled the quarterback situation how good i would feel about putting fernando into the situation they're about to put him in that so much of that is clint kubiak he deserves so much credit for us feeling that way about this version of the raiders compared to what they felt like a year ago and so it's a really good answer Derek your coach of the year for 2026 so far too maybe this is just because of how I felt about them going into the season but to me it's Kyle Shanahan I to me it is Kyle Shanahan I

1:06:59Derrik Klassen: the offense why does everybody want to vote for Kyle now when the job he did last year was even more masterful I I don't agree but here's I think in terms of in terms of like they won more games last year well in terms of like making shit work for like obviously they had a ton of issues but like and that Niners team was good that Niners team did not feel like they were gonna like win the Super Bowl exactly they were beat to shit yes but they were falling apart but they're falling apart again they have no receivers like all of their receivers have not played this year for the most part every single notable receiver on this team has missed at least a couple of games obviously Pearsall hasn't played Shribling hasn't played Debo's missed a lot of games Mike Evans hasn't played recently uh they're having to trade for keenan allen who is like not that useful of an nfl player anymore but they just need bodies brandon cooks is catching like opening drive passes for them and they're still incredible the offensive line also i do think this is where he deserves credit this is basically the offensive line they played with last year the offensive line and run

1:07:59Robert Mays: game looks way better that is the reason to me like trent is still playing obviously at an incredibly high level but the rest of the offensive line is a seventh round pick left guard jake brandell the center i think is playing his best ball that he's ever played hooney is a third round pick who's taken a step and then colton mckivitz with a fifth round pick a while ago like these are not premium premium players and they have elevated to a completely different level part of that's having kittle back in terms of the run game stuff but like i do think that the way it's constructed and the way that those guys are playing right now is unbelievable in terms of what he's doing specifically the offense is as forward thinking as and unique as any in the NFL we talked We talked about it on Monday.

1:08:34Robert Mays: I like it. All the five out that they play, like the spacing in the offense, the way that the quarterback is seeing it, like how Kyle Shanahan is doing this. Again, with the receivers that are in and out of the lineup every single week, I think is unbelievable. The 2023 team was statistically one of the best offenses of all time. Right? If you just look at the pure efficiency numbers. In my opinion, what we are watching right now, considering all the injuries that they've had to endure, okay? the san francisco 49ers the 2026 niners through eight games have a 51 percent offensive success rate that is the highest rate of the next gen era it's 11 seasons they have the highest offensive success rate they are number one in passing success rate they are number one in rushing success rate you know who is the wide receiver on the san francisco 49ers this year that has played the most snaps can you tell me right now played the most played the most snaps oh my god

1:09:31Derrik Klassen: it's uh watkins jordan watkins yeah i didn't even mention him yeah the other the other wide receivers on this team that have played 150 snaps mike evans debo samuel and jacob cowen they have the best offense of the last 11 years and specifically with the passing offense pretty success rate right now is like up there again i said this on the sunday show it's up there with like 07 Brady, 2011 Breeze, 2020 Allen, 2004 Peyton. Like they're it's all time passing offense right now. I want to be really clear. Kyle Shanahan is overdue to win this award. And if we're going to vote for him this year, if he finally gets it this year, it'll be well-deserved.

1:10:12Derrik Klassen: And it's criminal that he doesn't have one yet. They were in a position to win 12 games last year, despite Brock Purdy missing eight games. And Fred Warner was out for the year. And Nick Bosa was out for the year. like don't get me all that stuff is good and true i thought what he did getting to 12 wins last year was incredible and he finished third in his division and it got overlooked and now the niners are first in their division and that is that's great i the guys about wins and losses to

1:10:43Robert Mays: me that's like i feel like about me it's not about wins and losses i trust that that's true for you

1:10:48Derrik Klassen: but in general i like you should be able to win this award finishing third in your division if

1:10:52Robert Mays: Six and three right now, he would still be my answer if the offense was looking like this. And because actually it's what you said a little bit at the top where like coach of the year, I think is one of those where it's like, what are you picking for? I think I've come closer to the fact of like the coach that is like coaching the best team. Like I voted for Mike McDonald at the end of last year because the way that the job that they were doing as an overall team. And I think that's totally reasonable. And that's kind of where I've landed with the award in general. I think it's on a bunch of different levels to me.

1:11:19Robert Mays: Again, I think that the fact that this offense statistically is the best one that he has ever coached in San Francisco through the first eight weeks of the season, considering the injuries. The 2003 team was the Monstars. This is not that. Like, they still have, like, George Kittle's an amazing player. The fact that he came back this cricket is amazing. CMC is still a really good player, but he's not the player he was three years ago. And Trent Williams is obviously hyper elite. But the idea, that team, when 23 Debo is different than this team, but they had Brandon Iyuk playing at, like, an all-pro level.

1:11:46Robert Mays: They don't have that stuff right now, and they're still doing this. I said this on Monday, and if you didn't listen to Hangover, if you already listened to Hangover, I'm sorry, but I'm going to do the whole spiel again. What Derek is saying about the construction of the offense and what it looks like and how it is built, he is bending the sport to his will. Like what they have been able to do by having this run game with this passing game. Brock Purdy and that passing game is the most efficient passing game in the NFL. They face the highest rate of base defense in football and the highest rate of light boxes, or the lowest rate of light boxes in the NFL because of what the run game is.

1:12:22Robert Mays: Him going into the lab this spring and being like, f*** this. I'm going to have the best run game in the league again because I want to. And then doing it is crazy. I think right now, Kyle Shanahan is the best offensive coach of his generation. He's one of the best offensive coaches of all time, full stop. This is the greatest painting he has ever painted. This is him at the ultimate apex. What we have seen from him with what they did with the run game in the offseason and what this thing has looked like. We made the joke before. It's the Iron Man thing. It's like, he built this thing in a cave with Jordan Watkins.

1:12:56Robert Mays: Like, it's crazy what they are doing right now. Like, I cannot get over it. It's unbelievable. And the last wrinkle on this, we said it before, Raheem Morris was such a great choice to be like, to come in and be the defensive coordinator for like this moment. And like the way that they've diversified certain things about who they are, the five down front stuff, the pressures, Like every tweak that they've made on that side of the ball is met for this moment, along with getting their guys back. And so, listen, I I was an early adopter. I was the driver of the Kyle Shanahan train a decade ago. Like I've been here for a long time.

1:13:32Robert Mays: I right now what we are watching to me is the most impressive job he's ever done.

1:13:36Derrik Klassen: You're not going to get any pushback from me on the job that he's done. I just thought he should have won last year. And I thought being above average with what was left to him last year was incredible.

1:13:48Robert Mays: I think the argument is like he might have less to work with now. Obviously, Purdy's been healthy, but I think he has as little to work with now. And the offense is way better. I don't think it's the same. You're probably. The defense was hurting him more or less. Yeah. It's true. It's true. I just I don't know. I do think that like I would love to ask Kyle that. I would love to ask Kyle.

1:14:09Derrik Klassen: How screwed do you feel right now as opposed to a year ago at this time? Because, again, I do think I've more shifted my thinking to this award of just, like, who is coaching the best team in the NFL? Because when we look at almost all of the other awards, that's what it is. Who is the best defensive player? Who is the best offensive player?

1:14:29Robert Mays: But the complication with this is talent drives so much of it. It does. And I think that you can't do it without talent. And what Dave's answer is, is, like, who is doing the best with the least? To me, it's not who's overachieving the most compared to preseason expectations. That's not what it's about. Like I picked Brian Dable in 2021 because I thought he was doing the most with the least that year with that offense. It wasn't sustainable, obviously, but like that's a way of doing it. But I just think the answer to me is you have a level of talent. OK, how much is that talent being maximized?

1:15:00Robert Mays: What sort of multiplier are you for the talent that you're being given? Mike McDonald had a shitload of defensive talent last year. He is still the biggest. He was the biggest maximizer of talent. Like, I think that's it. And that's there's no way to measure that because there's no objectionable. There's no there's no objective measure of the talent. But I still think that's the way I look at it.

1:15:21Derrik Klassen: I think in general, voting for this stuff for this award in particular is always so flawed. And like, I mean, it's insane that Andy Reid never won coach of the year during the peak of the champs. I don't care how good Patrick Mahomes is. it's insane that kyle shanahan would be winning his first coach of the year so if this is the performance that gets the trophy on his shelf no fine by me no argument here um you're just saying he should have two in a row basically yeah yeah or or and i'm not saying this is why y 'all are doing that but if he had won last year then you wouldn't feel pressure to vote for him to do

1:15:56Robert Mays: to win it this year i legitimately just think what he's doing this year is more impressive I just think what he's doing this year is more impressive than what he did last year. Like, I think that for Derek's, like, I think Mike McDonald's, I don't know. I can't remember. I think I picked Mike McDonald too last year. But even if I didn't, like, I understand why that would be the case. It's a very similar thought process for Shanahan right now.

1:16:14Derrik Klassen: I'm not pushing back on the opinion at all, mainly just the methodology of how we vote for coach of the year. The other one we should mention. Oh, there's five guys I want to mention. There's a bunch of guys. If we're doing, like, overall, like, coaching the best team in football, maybe Liam Cohen in the Jaguars. He's the next name on my list. What they're doing.

1:16:31Robert Mays: If they get, if, if for the reasons that you're stating, like we just don't award to these types of coaches very often, they gave it to Liam Cohen this year. I wouldn't like be breaking down the doors of the NFL offices in park Avenue. Like I don't like it's, I'd be fine. If Liam Cohen won this award, Liam Cohen is on this to me. Ben Johnson, I think should be mentioned here. I think John Harbaugh has done a remarkable job with the giants. And to me, it's like in a different way than we typically award coach of the year. Like the way they assembled the staff, how well that is going. Like I just am so impressed by what John Harbaugh has done as a head football coach this year.

1:17:04Robert Mays: Dan Campbell continues to be a very good coach. And the fact that he is, he's won, he won one of these. Did he not? Or wasn't it KOC won the year that Dan Campbell probably should have? The fact that Dan Campbell has never won is crazy. The other, and the other guy I'll throw out. Because I genuinely do believe what he is doing is super, super impressive. Because he has incepted the quarterback into playing actual football. And the offense is watchable. Mike McCarthy has done a really good job with the Pittsburgh Steelers this year. I want that on record. That's the most boring pick, but it's like they are legitimately like better and more interesting.

1:17:36That team has any right to be like they nailed like the D.C. hires. Exactly. Like, that's a huge part of the offensive line that like I know they draft Max in this year, but like a lot of the same pieces are there. And they have gone from like talented offensive line that we believe in, but haven't quite taken the step to like, oh, they're just nuking. like every team that they play now.

1:17:57Derrik Klassen: I don't feel like stepping up on my soapbox right now, but like Mike McCarthy is good at his job. There's probably a ceiling there, but I mean, look at, look at the last two years in Dallas, as opposed to the consistency that they operated with when Dak Prescott was healthy in Dallas. So he's, he's not the best coach in the league and, and his Dallas teams had a very firm ceiling. That is all fair, but there's a consistency and an approach there that you can't deny.

1:18:24Robert Mays: Yeah. He's, I think he's done a really good job. So those are like the five guys that I would probably throw out. All right. Derek, your MVP for the first half of the 2026 season is who? I think that there are five or six guys we're going to talk about. To me, it's Josh Allen still. I have eight players. I think Josh Allen.

1:18:38Derrik Klassen: These are really just name some guys shows. And that's fine. I still think that Josh Allen and like MVP, I think is always one that's a little bit hard to untangle. Like, what exactly are you voting for? Is it the most productive guy? Is it the guy who's carrying the highest burden? Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. to me there is still just an element of that team gets away with so much because of what he can do yeah like even recency buys the vikings game obviously he's got a couple of bad plays in there because it's brian flores and that team is insane they can only get away with what they get away like him making the forwards throw to latu in the back of the end zone where he's just like finding time and just chucking it to the back line it's a special football play he leads the league in break your clipboard plays yes and he's there are other quarterbacks who do some cool stuff but he just has the highest volume of those the rams game he he had no right to win that game being what he did doing what he did with his legs but he is a special player in terms of just the different ways that i think that he can find and allow this team to win football games with i know that he is supported by the run game and the offensive line are obviously exceptional i think part of the offensive line ecosystem in terms of like pass protection like is him definitely we've talked definitely yes um and but this is still like a pass catching unit that is like incomplete they trade for dj more but he has been in and out of the line but not been particularly productive when he's there the bills pass catchers this year with 20 catches and 300 yards are dalton kincage who did like most of that the first two weeks kalil shakir and keon coleman and they are still operating like one of the best offenses arguably still the best offense in the nfl and i even think like in some ways the offensive line like they were shuffling guys around like i think deon dawkins has not been quite what he used to be spencer brown's been hurt spencer brown's been hurt the left guard they were putting in a new guy in the lineup like Like the fact that they have withstood all of this and he is still just a player that almost every game is a complete force.

1:20:26It's hard for me to go any other way. Like I still think that he is just an unbelievable football player.

1:20:32Derrik Klassen: There's a clear methodology divide when we do these shows, which I think is really interesting.

1:20:36Robert Mays: Oh, it's because it's exactly it's how you see the award. I don't disagree with anything that Derek said. I don't disagree with it at all. I just went in a different direction. The idea of five players somebody could pick and I'd be like, yeah, why not? The idea that Josh Allen is the best football player in the world and that he is asked to do so much lifting for his team, even if they are able to lean on the run game. But here's the other thing I would throw out. I was looking this up as you were talking just because I was curious about it. So, yes. So the Bills, obviously, you know, they lean on the run game.

1:21:05Robert Mays: They are a run-heavy team. It is like the engine of how the offense works. But if you simply look at running back runs this season, The Bills this year are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. They're ninth in rushing success rate on running back runs purely. If you take out, if you make it for all positions, they go to fifth because of what he does. And they right now have negative rushing EPA total. If you include all positions, it's 20. because his scrambles are yeah i would guess half of that is the ramps game by the way

1:21:44Derrik Klassen: not even his scrambles like they can they can make him a one-man off it how many rushing touchdowns does he have this year it's something stupid they have 17 as a team i think he i want to say he's got well because that's the thing he doesn't have that many passing touchdowns right now but he has a ton of touchdowns because he has like 10 he's quietly having a jalen hurtzy in season where he's yeah my guy's got like nine rushing touchdowns i the idea that josh allen

1:22:09Robert Mays: is yet again the best football player in the world, and that's why he's the MVP. You'll hear no argument from me. Zero pushback from me. I have a different answer in part because, like, I want to make a different argument. That's kind of where I am with it. What's your answer? I picked Jordan Love. I love that.

1:22:24Derrik Klassen: I also picked Jordan Love. I picked Jordan Love. Wow, that is shocking to me. You went against Warner and against Jordan Love.

1:22:31Robert Mays: Who the hell even are you? I don't know. We've talked so much about the ecosystem that the Packers are playing in right now and just what is on the quarterback. Again, this is a team with like a 30 % rushing success rate. They cannot run the football. Like they just cannot do it. And the offensive line is in tatters. You want some numbers?

1:22:50Derrik Klassen: So I had a short list of guys I wanted to talk about. I was curious about offensive line combinations in particular. Cincinnati Bengals' preferred O-line group has played 97 % of their offensive snaps. The Niners, 92%. The Bills been banged up 55%. The Jags, again, Anton Harrison banged up 50%. The Green Bay Packers offensive line of choice has played 34 % of their fans. And even that, like, what does our choice mean? After they threw some bullshit at it in week three. I'm still not even sure they know what their lineup of choice is. They're 32 in EPA per rush, 28 in rushing success rate. All the other teams I just mentioned are top five, top ten in those categories, except the Bengals who are still like middle of the pack in, in the rushing numbers.

1:23:40Derrik Klassen: The Packers are firmly one of the worst running teams in the NFL. They've got, they've got a nothing offensive line and a nothing running game. And Jordan love is doing what he's doing. That was my entire premise for this.

1:23:54Robert Mays: The pass catchers are really good. They're not good enough to ding me for like green Bay leads the NFL and drops by a lot. Well, that's my only thing to that is I agree with that, but like, this is anecdotal, but I do think there's probably some truth to it. Every time Matthew Golden drops a ball, he catches an explosive on the next play. That is anecdotally true. I do think that there's some of that.

1:24:12Derrik Klassen: It doesn't change the fact that they've dropped 25 passes through the first half of the season. The numbers would look a little cleaner if they just weren't doing that.

1:24:19Robert Mays: What he is doing, and listen, I know that we, I am guilty of this, and I will speak for the rest of the football internet cognoscenti in saying that they are also guilty of this. There are times where we make aesthetic choices and arguments as it relates to quarterback play specifically, and Jordan Love is the next guy up, and that entire bit of bullshit. But it is not just that. It's not just like big arm quarterback throw ball far. The way he is playing is the way they need to play. They don't have another option. Like they have to play that way because they can't sustain drives. And so him doing what he is doing and pushing the ball down the field, it is not only a cool way to play.

1:24:55Robert Mays: There is utility in playing that way. When you're constructed the way that they're constructed, he has to do it. And the stat I threw out on the preview show last week, Like the idea that they lead the league in quick pressures allowed, and he is fifth in the NFL in pressure to sack great, should be untenable. Should be impossible to do that. The comparison I made when I was talking about with Nate yesterday is I've used the term shot making a lot with Jordan Love. Like that's what I watch him when I watch it happen. To me, it's like when you watched like Kevin Durant go to work at the top of the key where it's like all these like leaners and fadeaways and like the way that the shots get off despite what is happening around him is like a singular talent.

1:25:33Robert Mays: And to me, Jordan Love has a football version of that as a quarterback. And we have seen like the purest expression of that ability specifically this year. And I just don't know what other quarterback in those circumstances would be able to do what he has been doing. It really is like Pete Mahomes. Josh Allen could probably figure something out. But even like the way that they're doing it, I'm not sure that those guys would do it. It's different. Yes. Like it's the way like his ability to like these little tiny like resets or hops in the pocket where he's buying like just a little sliver of space and pushing the ball 50 yards downfield accurately, consistently.

1:26:10Robert Mays: And that is the foundation of the offense should not be possible. Like Josh Allen is a very resilient thrower. He can handle guys like who are near him. He can throw through contact, all this other stuff. Jordan Love is a very just like flexible in terms of how he's getting to his spot. He really is like a really impressive basketball player. And like the deep ball stuff, it's not like they're just chucking go balls or he's just like throwing it into triple coverage and getting lucky. Like these are 20 out 20 yard corner outs, 15 yard comebacks. He's throwing a 22 yard dig to like John Michael Sturge of on.

1:26:39Like he's just the way that they're operating right now is pretty unique to the sport. Like they are truly one of one. And the fact that they are not, this would be impressive if he was like producing like the 12th best quarterback in the league, it would be like, wow, they're really getting away with it. He is playing at like a top five level right now. And the only reason I didn't pick him, like, I think if I was trying to forecast who might win it at the end i would probably pick jordan love like if this can continue if i'm just saying what is the first nine weeks looks like i think i'm still giving it to josh allen but like jordan

1:27:08Derrik Klassen: love would be my second see that's probably fair i think i feel opposite just because and i i hope i'm wrong i love watching love play but if i had to guess jordan love maintaining at this level doing this much of it on his own for 10 more weeks sounds really really difficult whereas Whereas if we look up in mid-January and Josh Allen's numbers are just overwhelming, am I supposed to be surprised by that? I just think that production-wise with where Love is at right now, and honestly this changes if you remove the first three weeks of the season where they were playing with randoms at guard. Production-wise, he's not what an MVP should be, but that's why I'm saying at the end I'm pretty sure he's going to get there.

1:27:45Robert Mays: If you remove the first three weeks, he absolutely is. Yeah, he is. He has. I mean, they're right. But when we're only talking about nine weeks, that does matter. Yeah, of course. And again, I don't think a lot of that's his fault. But he played exceptionally well in that Vikings game for three and a half quarters until the wave kind of just hit him. And so, again, I think he's obviously been exceptional. But, like, this is almost splitting hairs to me. Jordan Love, since week three, has averaged 10.1 air yards per target, per attempt. And he has the lowest time to throw in the league. The other quarterbacks who have done that, by the way, if you look at this over the last two years, the other guys who were playing that way, it was like Marcus Mariota being like, I don't care what happens on plays.

1:28:22or like Anthony Richardson when he got in the game. And that was truly like, I don't know what I'm doing or don't care what I'm doing. I'm just going to throw it. This is Jordan Love like seeing into the matrix and making throws.

1:28:33Derrik Klassen: I'm glad you brought up Marcus Mariota saying, I don't care because the meme is that Jordan Love does stupid shit. And that is on some degree true because he's just willing to try shit and he has to. But for people who think that that is his game, he's got a better turnover worthy play rate right now than Josh and Trevor. like it's like his it's 3.8 it's not low but it is more than acceptable for somebody who is doing this amount of lifting for his offense you got to crack a couple eggs to make an omelette sorry

1:29:03Robert Mays: about it these are our two picks i you you said by the end of the year you'll look up and you think josh allen will be the mvp i think by the end of the year joe burrow will be the mvp of the

1:29:13Derrik Klassen: league that is also and i i will be very okay with that if i had to bet money on the mvp right now josh and burrow would probably be i'd probably put money on both of them and just hedge but yeah

1:29:27Robert Mays: i want to be where's my where's my iso cam i want to be you bangles fans okay we've talked so much about joe burrow this year and i i know all of you are probably losing your minds right now joe burrow has been incredible if you remember the first three weeks of his season his numbers are great joe burrow has been incredible he's scored 23 touchdowns since the start of october And I get the receivers are really good. And I think, honestly, the tipping point for me with the Burrow and Love thing is that the Mary Smith's conversation that we had and like the overall pass protection quality for the Bengals is just better than it's been for the Packers this year.

1:29:59Robert Mays: And so I think playing the way the Packers are playing with the state of their offensive line is just a bigger burden than what Joe Burrow has had to lift in that area specifically. But what Joe Burrow has done this year, the game that Joe Burrow is playing, we talked about it on Sunday. Like he's making the NFL games feel like 2019 LSU games. It's crazy the level that Joe Burrow is playing at. He would be a deserving MVP choice right now. I think if you may, if you said right now, if you pick Joe Burrow, which I thought you might, I would have been like, great. Zero pushback. If Joe Burrow is your MVP, I'm a completely fine.

1:30:29Derrik Klassen: Derek's over here picking against Jordan Love and I'm picking against Joe Burrow.

1:30:32Robert Mays: What's going on? So Joe Burrow is absolutely his having, he is having an MVP caliber season. And I do think by the end of the year, Joe Burrow will probably be the MVP of the league because he's going to throw for 5 ,200 yards and 50 touchdowns. And I also think if you're trying to make the case of like, we're not, we're not trying to forecast. That's not the point of the show necessarily. But if you are, it's like what they're doing weirdly feels the most stable. Because I think there's always just an inherent up and down with the way that Josh Allen might play sometimes. And what the, what the Packers are doing and what Jordan loves doing is obviously incredible.

1:31:02You can still see a world where like, eventually this gets to them. Yes.

1:31:07Robert Mays: I kind of expect it to. Right. He's walking a tightrope, but that's why he's my play. That's why it's impressive. But you can see that. Yes. off where it's like i watched the bangles and i'm like maybe it would but like the offensive line is no it feels very sustainable it's been as good as they've ever been it feels frighteningly sustainable the pass catch the two pass catchers are like short of marvis harrison and reggie wayne like the best of my lifetime like they are playing at an incredible level and again like i do think it's worth reiterating the offensive line thing and this is not the takeaway from joe burrow what joe burrow was doing two three years ago when the offensive line was not impressive was not good was impressive for a different reason the fact that now he is under much less to rest than ever and really gets to just like see everything and pick defenses apart in this way it's pretty cool to watch especially with the way that these two guys are but even like his latent down creation is as good as it's ever been like the the climbing the pocket plays that he is making he is playing an exceptional level brock purdy if you want to pick brock purdy as your mvp i'm fine with that i i've been a place now i've said this a bunch of times i don't know if brock purdy could do this at this level other places i don't know how many people could do this for the niners to the degree that brock purdy is he's also you know what i've got with that he's never gonna have to no but that's gonna be but i think that to me i would i would turn it on its head like could brock purdy do what jordan love is doing with packers no could jordan love be doing what brock purdy is doing in san francisco i don't know like he is a perfect player for what the San Francisco 49ers offense is supposed to be.

1:32:35Robert Mays: He is so, so good at the version of quarterback that he's being asked to play within that offense. And that's not to call him a system player. He does plenty of stuff outside the system. He's an incredible creator. Like I, Brock Purdy, if that, if he was your MVP, I'd be totally fine with that. If you want to pick Trevor Lawrence, fine. I think that he's being asked to do a little bit less. Like the idea that they can win blowout games where he throws it all 12 times is just a little bit tougher.

1:32:58Derrik Klassen: But getting pulled in the fourth quarter is not great for your MVP candidacy. I was going to say, he's worth mentioning, though. He absolutely is, and I think he's playing, like, out of his mind. I weirdly think he's going to get, like, drowned out because there's so many other guys who just have, like, incredible cases. He'll win it next year. Exactly. He's still playing of that level. I just, like, I think Joe Burrow narratively, like, what Jordan Love is doing, Josh Allen, it just weirdly feels like he's going to get drowned out. But, like, statistically, he's playing as well as any MVP before.

1:33:27Like, he's awesome.

1:33:28Robert Mays: Drake Mays still deserves much in this conversation for what he has done with an offense that's completely banged up. The two other guys I would throw out, since week three, everything that we've just said about the Packers, the Bengals, their passing games, since week three, who leads the league in dropback? Any paper dropback, do you know? CJ Stroud. It is CJ Stroud. Him and Jordan Love are doing similar stuff.

1:33:50Derrik Klassen: Love and Stroud's numbers are next to each other anywhere you look.

1:33:53Robert Mays: The numbers and also the structure of the offense. Carry on the ball. sit back there in the gun on like 80 of their drop backs go to work buddy that's what jord love has been doing that's what jr burry has been doing that's what cj stroud has been doing so cj stroud is playing such incredible quarterback from the pocket this year and the other guy i throw out i don't think he's going to win it i just want to acknowledge like what he has been for his offense and i think he's playing as well as he's ever played in the nfl is jared guff i don't think he's the mvp of the league but in like in these sorts of conversations he should be mentioned more often than he is playing exceptional football the other the only did you think about any quarterbacks the only reason like i didn't really put many non-quarterbacks in here is because there's enough quarterbacks that have like really convincing cases

1:34:35Derrik Klassen: a non-quarterback would have to win mvp before i even really thought jsn would be the only one i would probably just i would think about ken walker like what he's been for the chiefs offense is

1:34:44Robert Mays: pretty crazy well then how is he not your offensive player of the year if you think he's a legitimate mvp can because i still think jackson smith and jake was also like i think json is also okay i'm I thought you were saying like Kenneth Walker is the only one. Okay. All right. Okay. I think that's right. By the way, I was looking at, I was looking at it earlier on running back runs this year. I said that the Lions were in negatives. Yeah. On running back runs specifically this year, the bad, the Chiefs have 17 total EPA. Kenneth Walker has 14 of that. No other team in the league is above four.

1:35:14And that's why I was like, I would say two touchdowns.

1:35:17Derrik Klassen: K9 and JSN are the most load-bearing non-quarterbacks in the league right now. I would put Gibbs in there as well. I just, the Lions offense is just so stacked. Like there are just so many places you can turn. But Gibbs is incredible. I think he was my preseason pick for offensive player of the year. So no big argument here. All right. Yeah.

1:35:38Robert Mays: That is all we've got for midseason awards. We will be back tomorrow with the week 10 preview. For now, that's all we got. Appreciate you guys listening. We'll talk to you very soon. Thanks for tuning in. Make sure to hit that subscribe or follow button so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed what you heard, please like, comment, and leave a rating. We'll see you next time.

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