Hour 2: 49ers’ Big Injuries, Chris Long’s NFL Week 1 Top Takeaways

19:51Chris Long:They did that. But the big difference for me was the Bills offense. This offense is in such a better place than it was when they played the Ravens in the middle of 2024 and they got thumped. Obviously, they added Amari Cooper after that. But that didn't really make all the difference. I think Keon Coleman's come a long way, and he was big for them. Also, late in the game, Joshua Palmer made some big plays and some really tough downs for Jair Alexander to kind of finish the game. So if you're the Ravens, you're sitting there thinking, damn, we're not quite where we want to be defensively if that's the benchmark playing the Bills offense.

20:31Chris Long:And if you're the Bills offense, you're kind of thinking, damn, this is as good as we've looked against a really quality opponent to start the season. And the one thing that I think gets lost in the shuffle is they do such a good job protecting. And the Ravens are going to have to bring more pressure in games like that, which is a scary prospect if they can't get home with four.

20:49Rich Eisen:Chris Long here on the Rich Eisen Show. And the big part about the Bills winning is they not only have a leg up on the rest of the AFC East, I don't think that that's any shocker. Everyone else lost. Look out for the Jets. We'll get to that game in a second. and then they're now one up on the Ravens and they're one up on the Chiefs as well after the Chargers beat the Chiefs and the one thing I want to hit you from that Brazil game, Chris is the Chris Jones rush at the end and Justin Herbert taking advantage of the way Chris Jones rushed him and then Drew Tranquil barking at Chris Jones afterwards telling him basically do your job when you see that, is that something that should set off an alarm with Chiefs fans?

21:34Rich Eisen:No, you're shaking your head. What's your opinion on that?

21:37Chris Long:Not the yelling at each other part. I mean, that's part of being on a great defense. When I got to New England and I was a veteran player, had had my highs in the league, and I'll never forget Dante Hightower yelling at me for the first time. And I was like, man, after I dusted myself off and I was like, okay, I just have to do that better next time, I was like, I love this younger guy kind of taking charge of the huddle. And I think that's leadership. It's championship DNA. This team has been places before, so a heated exchange that gets caught on camera is not a big deal. We saw that with Andy Reid and Travis Kelsey before in obviously totally different situations.

22:23Chris Long:But this group is fine from that standpoint. the thing that should raise alarms for Chiefs fans is more just the way they're playing defense right now I think the offense will be better before the end of the year I think the offensive line will give Patrick more opportunities to make plays downfield than he's had in a couple years I think Josh Simmons is going to make a big difference at left tackle Kingsley's a work in progress at left guard but I think this is the best pocket that I've seen him throw out of in a couple years it feels like just by solidifying the left tackle I don't want to take anything away from the Chargers I thought they were fantastic and you know while Rashawn Slater is a big loss you can see they've gained a lot of ground in this matchup I think as for the end of the game Chris Jones is trying to win a rush I heard people coin it you know like a selfish play that sort of thing he's trying to win a rush and part of what he's conditioned to do is is is be the guy on a defense where they don't have pass rush outside of him.

23:23Chris Long:I think that's one of their biggest Achilles heels. He's got to try to win. Now, the situation demands for better rush lanes, not because it's third and 14 with the game on the line. It's because they're in man coverage behind the front. And when you have man coverage behind the front, as a front, you need to rush knowing defensive backs don't have zone eyes on the quarterback and their backs are turned to the rush. If that were cover three or cover six or something like that, you know, you're able to take that inside move. And I would say Dana, who's inside of him, he's in a three technique. You can't heavy up.

24:00Chris Long:Your job is to do whatever Chris Jones wants. So if Chris Jones takes the up and under, you need to cover him. And you'd like to see somebody bail Chris out, but ultimately it is a no-no against man coverage. I think that's the key when you look at that situation at the end of the game, but I do have concerns about the Chiefs. I mean, I don't think they're a Super Bowl team this year. I could be wrong. That has nothing to do with what I saw on Monday. Monday only confirmed some of the suspicions, and then you get Worthy running into Travis Kelsey and losing that deep ball element. Rasheed Rice is out.

24:33Chris Long:The screen game is going to suffer in the interim. They don't have a lot of cap space to make a move, like, say, the Eagles, who went out and get Bigsby and Zedarius Smith. They're more stuck in their current state.

24:45Rich Eisen:So if you had to choose between the Steelers and the Chargers who have entered the chat for AFC, for the AFC championship, which one would you choose based off of week one? Chris Long.

24:57Chris Long:Well, listen, I thought the Rashawn Slater injury was really going to hurt them. I thought they were a playoff team. You know, they played like a playoff team week one, but I thought the injury might keep them from taking that step forward. I think the Chiefs are a weird barometer because they don't have the horses outside Chris Jones. Obviously, you have to deal with Spags' pressure. But I do think Justin Herbert is, in his current form, closer to an elite quarterback than Aaron Rodgers, even though Aaron looked really good the other day. And I think the biggest concern coming out of last year with Aaron Rodgers is obviously how does he gel with the Steelers.

25:33Chris Long:I thought he would put on a brave face and be the best version of himself in Pittsburgh. They have a program that almost precedes him there. And so I thought he'd be on his best behavior, but it's mostly about what he'd look like two years off the Achilles. Generally, we think players take two years, but I wasn't sure what it would look like on a 42-year-old guy or whatever he is. He looked really good. All the staples of, you know, what makes him a threat were on display, the quick game. You know, you can get the ball on a slant to DK Metcalf and he can go to the house. You know, I saw the back shoulder stuff.

26:10Chris Long:They're going to feature Johnny Smith heavily. I saw he caught like a jet sweep in the red zone. But the troubling thing for me is the run defense is hard to explain. I know the Jets are going to be tough to deal with this year. They're going to be a tough out. But if they can't stop the run, that's going to be a problem. It's a one-game sample size. I think the Chargers, I would lean Chargers because of what I just said about the quarterback out of those two teams. And I also think Minter's done a great job on the defensive side of the football. It's kind of like LaFleur, you know, not LaFleur, Halfley in Green Bay, who I think a lot of people undervalued that defense because maybe they didn't have a bunch of superstars.

26:52Chris Long:Now they have Micah Parsons. You can really see what a good job Halfley's done, keeping things in front of them, playing sound defense. I think the Chargers have done a lot of the same stuff. They just don't have the star power. But I get a lot of respect for that football team, especially after seeing them play Monday.

27:07Rich Eisen:Chris Long, the host of Greenlight Pod with Chris Long, two-time Super Bowl champion here on the Rich Eisen Show. Let's talk Packers. You were the first that I saw to mention the Micah Parsons acquisition by Green Bay potentially being bigger in that locker room for them to be able to walk around like they've got a big-time shot to win the Super Bowl thanks to that shot in the arm and the attaboy from the front office by landing Micah Parsons. Did you see that in week one against the Lions? Did you see that, Chris?

27:37Chris Long:Yeah, as somebody who took them in the north and thinks that the Micah trade changes everything, I was really pleased to see what I saw from them. I mean, like, I'll say this. Micah Parsons played 29 snaps. He makes a big difference. When he's on the field, obviously, in that matchup alone, you see that you take him in the Penesul matchup. That offensive line has taken a step back. They're replacing or reshuffling three guys on the interior. you've got obviously Mahogany having to play a lot of snaps now, Glasgow at center, Ratledge, who's a rookie, and then Decker at left tackle. I was mostly impressed just in the fact that the physicality in this matchup, the balance of power when it comes to playing physical football has shifted a great deal in a calendar year.

28:25Chris Long:I think a lot of people, if you're a Packer hater, when they ship their stud defensive tackle away, who's been there almost a decade. Everybody says, well, they're not going to be able to stop the run anymore. Kenny Clarkson, Dallas. I think the interior is ready. And I think when you make a move like that, it's not only a vote of confidence in your team saying, hey, the window is wide open. Let's go for it. It's like a signal. It's a public declaration. It's like when the Niners trade for Sky Moore in training camp, that's a declaration that we're in trouble at wide receiver. Or, you know, Ja 'Cory and Bennett in Philly, let's get some corner help.

29:02Chris Long:That's a declaration that we don't feel great. When you trade for a star like that and you give up two firsts, albeit low first round picks, which makes the deal a little bit easier to stomach. You're saying we are ready to win a Super Bowl. Let's take a stab at it. I thought everybody around Micah Parsons with him on the field or not with him on the field was a lot better. Lucas Van Ness had probably his best game as a pro. Rashawn Gary is going to get a lot less slide now. He's going to be able to run through people's inside shoulders. I thought the guys inside played great. You know, Cooper is a stud at backer.

29:34Chris Long:Quay Walker played faster. Evan Williams is a hell of a player. They really are sneakily one of the best defenses in the league. And I think we got a little confirmation bias for all these years of watching the Packers in recent memory, not being able to stop anybody in the first half of the year. They're kind of getting their bearings in that defense. The second half of the year, remember, they were like kind of they walked around like a top 10 defense, top 10 defense. And when they played the Eagles in the playoffs, one of those scores in a relatively low scoring ballgame for the Eagles was the result of a special teams mishap right off the bat in that game.

30:11Chris Long:So the Packers are coming in this season. I feel like a lot of people are overlooking them. And then they make the trade for Micah Parsons. It really unlocks everything for them. So I think the thing that we're not talking about is Jordan Love. And we should be talking about Jordan Love. There's a reason some people get on ESPN and say, hey, whose league is it in five years? And it's an open-ended question. I hear people say Jordan Love. There's only a few people, but they're not saying it for effect. They're not saying it to get absolutely slaughtered in their mentions. They believe it. Jordan Love in league circles is believed to be an elite talent quarterback who, if he can take the next step, is going to be one that we're going to be watching make a lot of big plays.

30:50Chris Long:And I think if he can play more like the guy in 23 than 24, they've got it going this year. I think the 24 Jordan Love was injured and I don't think he ever got his feet under him. They dropped a lot of footballs on that side of the ball. So I think Jordan Love and the Packers are really dangerous and probably after one week look like the most talented team top to bottom in the NFC North and maybe one of the most talented teams in the NFC. I would put them up there with the Eagles and the Bucs. I'd throw the Bucs in there as well. I think the Bucs are fantastic.

31:25Rich Eisen:We'll get to the Bucs in a second. And the Commanders. Yeah, and, you know, we could throw the Rams in there as well, perhaps.

31:32Chris Long:Rams, if Stafford's healthy, fantastic.

31:34Rich Eisen:Right. Chris Long here on the Rich Eisen Show. Confirmation bias. I love that. You know, by the way, if I had a racehorse or a cover band, that might be the name. Confirmation bias. You know what I mean? Down the stretch, they come here. It's confirmation bias. but because because it's real it's real in our profession no question about it and certainly week one games we are all hunting and pecking to see if narratives we've been talking about for months have shown up with an actual game and i'm wondering if the lions missing their coordinators showed up like did we see that or is it something different i think it showed up but i think like

32:07Chris Long:as they're making a scheme adjustment i think i think ben johnson would have a hard time making this this adjustment i think all of a sudden the offensive line looks really human and that that was such a strength for them. Like the Eagles offensive line has never looked human. Not since I've been there. Like they always look like the Monstars and they're coached by one of the best coaches in the league. Obviously Detroit has Hank Fraley, who's a hell of a coach as well. You know, I'm talking about Stout in Philly, but that interior three was so valuable to them. And, you know, the way they kind of reset the line of scrimmage, they kind of set the line scrimmage in that pocket so that Jared Goff, who's not the most mobile guy, doesn't feel that pressure up the middle.

32:47Chris Long:And, you know, at times I've screwed this up where I've said, hey, Jared Goff isn't great against pressure. Statistically, he's probably very good against pressure, but he's not great off platform. And, you know, when I say versus pressure, I'm talking about the pressure that moves Jared Goff off his platform. And right now he's making an adjustment to a new look in the pocket. Like, all of a sudden, the guards are in his lap, you know, and the Packers played really well in the middle. But at times, like even in the run game, they were backed up on the goal line after taking a sack, and they let the tackle run free and almost pick up a safety.

33:25Chris Long:I mean, like, they're having a hard time up front right now. It's early. I'm not saying they can't figure it out, but what you see when they get in these long, you know, third and longer situations. The tackles are really good in pass pro, but they're not elite. Like, I don't want to sound crazy. Like, Penn A. Sewell is one of the best tackles in the league. But the situation that Philly has, and this is what frustrates me at times when people compare those two offensive lines, Philly has two all-world tackles. So when you get in these third and longer situations because you can't run the ball as much, you looked at like 21 of their runs, like 15 of them got hit in the backfield.

34:02Chris Long:That's a crazy stat when you think about a Detroit offense. So I want to give Morton some time. And I think Dan Campbell's a hell of a football coach. It is a privilege to have to replace two of your coordinators. That means things are going well. This is something if Detroit and Brad Holmes and Dan are going to be there a long time, which I think they will, they're going to have to do this again at some point. So I would like to give them time. I think the offensive line, the interior three really matters. There were times in the game when Jared was just dumping the ball when there was no pressure because he was sped up.

34:33Chris Long:And Green Bay changes the picture in the secondary. So that's an extra layer of processing for Jared Goff.

34:40Rich Eisen:So I got a couple more left for you before I send you on with your Tuesday, Chris Long. The Bucs have entered the Super Bowl contender chat. You really believe it? For real?

34:47Chris Long:Yeah? Oh, for sure. I put them on a very short list. I mean, you know, when you do the preseason thing, you're throwing darts. Super Bowl matchups. I haven't got one right since I've been in the league. And I'm nails in the playoffs, so I need to look at it before I really do it. You know what I mean? I know that. I'll admit that. So if I pick your team to go to the Super Bowl, you almost don't want that. But I did put the Bucs in the Super Bowl this year before the season started because I just think they quietly got so much better. Not only that, they've kind of owned the matchup with Philly, which pains me to say.

35:20Chris Long:But historically, recent history, they've owned that matchup. They got a lot better on defense. I think, again, confirmation bias. We look at the Bucs last year, not a big market team, and we see them on red zone or we catch little snippets of them. The Falcons score like 100 points in two games against them. A lot of it's because they had injuries. And you think about the quarterback of your defense, Antoine Winfield, who's fantastic, missing much of the year. He might as well not play. Like when you're injured that long in a season, you're never going to be yourself. Savasier, Dennis, they didn't really have a pass rusher opposite.

35:54Chris Long:Yaya Diaby. I think Kansi and Vea are fantastic inside. and they add Hassan Reddick who had a big sack in the red zone. It's a four-point sack alone on Sunday. That's his first big play as a buck. I think the key, though, is Todd Bowles was giddy this offseason talking about the two-man corners that they were able to draft and Morrison and Parrish and Parrish playing in the slot. And Parrish made a big play knocking them out of field goal range on Sunday. Morrison didn't even play. So they have depth now. They also are like, yeah, we've got a bunch of great receivers, but we didn't have all of them last year.

36:27Chris Long:Let's go draft this Ibuka guy who scored two touchdowns for him on Sunday.

36:32Rich Eisen:Yeah, did you hear what Mike Evans had to say, basically, and Baker, that he called a shot and that they're both raving about how beyond his years

36:40Chris Long:he already is. Yeah, they love him. They love him. And, again, like Tampa's one of those true programs. Jason Light does a fantastic job. And so I think they've just really, like last year they were closer than people thought, but they weren't healthy. and then this offseason they filled a lot of the holes. And obviously the big question is going to be the offensive coordinator, Grisard, but Baker's had about 12 of them in his career and it's never slowed him down. He looked a little rusty Sunday, and he would tell you that. But I think for a team that didn't play their best ball, left some points on the board, didn't see Otten when he was butt naked in the secondary, didn't connect, could have gone up two scores late, missed kicking game stuff.

37:22Chris Long:like they still beat Atlanta who probably got better this year didn't probably get better they definitely got better defense got better I think Penix gives you more upside at quarterback so that's got to feel like a good thing to go on the road either down seven nothing they're almost down 14-3 at one point they make a big stop on fourth and one I thought it was I thought it was a big win for them and I think they'll be right there at the end of the season all right Len I would be

37:45Rich Eisen:remiss if I did not ask you about the Monday night or before I let you go your opinion of what you saw obviously the first 15 scripted from ben johnson made everybody feel like this thing was now finally had fairy dust sprinkled all over the field and then you know uh and then there was a struggle after that uh and then jj mccarthy could not have looked more lost first half and then he throws a pick six and then boom all of a sudden the national champion quarterback that i know and love showed up what's your opinion of the monday nighter moving forward well two sides to it i mean

38:16Chris Long:there's there's the chicago side of it and you mentioned it the script i mean a ben johnson script he's had you know months to come up with this script in the city of chicago the top almost blows off they're like oh we've got our guy you know we're finally the guy that's going to pull the sword from the stone here when it comes to quarterbacks and uh and i do think they have that guy physically you know you look at the the dart that he threw to a dunes day and the it might even be the picture there in the uh in the red zone on that first possession it was like oh my god right you know like and the way he gets out of trouble yeah he's passed he's good seems i mean seems to see the field differently than other people but everything and i know there's this this article out um by tyler dunn and i am trapped behind the paywall so i read like the intro to the article and I was like, oh my God, that is rough.

39:11Chris Long:Like the things they're recounting from last year. And I haven't even gotten the article yet. I'm behind the paywall. So like if the stuff behind the paywall is even worse, then they are really digging themselves out of a hole. But I think what he shows you is he's got it in his body. Ben Johnson's a hell of a coordinator. And on the other side of it, I think with J.J. McCarthy, the, it's kind of like he's the guy that seems to be really trying to do everything right. He's not supremely talented, but that was what we saw coming out of his college tape. And he's in a place where playing quarterback is probably easier than anywhere in the league when they're at full strength because of their coach.

39:55Chris Long:I think O 'Connell's awesome. I mean, you talk about getting Josh Dobbs ready to play, coming straight from the airport, teaching him the freaking snap count on the sideline. You know, like going through the playbook in real time. He has coached up quarterbacks and a lot of different ones into playing competent football, and I think he's confident. I mean, think about them making the move to let Sam Darnold go and saying, hey, this is our guy. They have to believe in this guy, and I love the way he settled in. Like what a story being a Chicago hometown kid and finding himself down 17-6 and nothing's going right.

40:32Chris Long:He throws a pick six in his hometown. Like all the negative thoughts that probably entered his head, he was able to push those aside. The Vikings were able to run the football. And he hit some big throws, a little red zone scissors. That's my favorite play in Madden to Aaron Jones to kind of like to shock Chicago. I mean, it was like and then they got the ball and they didn't give it back. And, yeah, I think all this stuff that you're worried about with Caleb Williams shows up. Evidently in the article, they're talking about, you know, the snap count, pre-snap motion, like issues, you know, learning that stuff or an unwillingness to do things other people's way.

41:14Chris Long:I take all that with a grain of salt, but I did see a lot of pre-snap issues, you know, a lot of false starts, a lot of motion issues and things like, hey, you know, the intentional grounding. Got to be smarter there. ended up in some third and very long in the second half, missed some easy throws. He'll make the throws that you're like, oh my God, and then he'll miss some of the more easy throws.

41:36Rich Eisen:DJ Moore was wide open heading towards the pylon, and that would have been a big connection right there. Bro, you're the best, dude. Thanks for the time. As always, I'm going to take you any minute that you say, let's do it again. You know that.

41:51Chris Long:Okay, I'll be back. I'll be back soon. I appreciate y 'all.

41:54Rich Eisen:Who's on your pod real quick? What do you got for me this week? Let's promo Greenlight Pod. What do you got?

41:58Chris Long:Perfect. It's perfect. I got Big Cat. Nice. And I booked him like two days ago. Uh-huh. And then the Bears game happened. Oh. Uh-oh. Okay. Let's go.

42:10Rich Eisen:I look forward to that conversation. That'll be great.

42:13Chris Long:That should be perfect. That'll be out tomorrow.

42:15Rich Eisen:Awesome. Chris, you are the best. Thanks for the time, brother. I appreciate y 'all. Chris Long, everybody. Greenlight with Chris Long Pod. You get it wherever you get your pods. All right, let's beat it on down to break. 844-204-RICH, number to dial. Burt Kreischer making his way to our set momentarily.

42:36Rich Eisen:The Rich Eisen Show, the podcast.

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43:57Rich Eisen:Visit Progressive.com. We're on ESPN 1050 in New York City. I wonder if that's how Dave in Brooklyn, New York, is taking us in. What's up, Dave? Well, Rich, welcome to the wonderful world of Disney. So excited that I could sit on my couch and watch you and listen to you on ESPN Radio. We're happy to be happy. We're happy to be happy. They're happy. And the one thing I will say, and I don't want to scare TJ about this. I know I shared an Instagram comment with Brockman and TJ about it, but is he more scared about the future of the Cowboys or owes the mentalist again at the Super Bowl? What are you more concerned about, the Cowboys' future or owes the mentalist coming back?

44:33Rich Eisen:Well, I know the Cowboys won't be in the Super Bowl, so there's nothing for me. All right, Dave. What else is on the checklist? Well, the other thing I wanted to talk about was I think that the loss for the Jets on Sunday was actually more beneficial than a win. It keeps the Jets fans kind of on an even keel to see what we have. Justin Fields looked really smart and making good decisions, like running the ball, throwing it when he needed to. You saw the fire in Aaron Glenn actually pulling Sauce Gardner away from the refs. But why not win, too? Why not win, too, Dave? I want to win. I want to win.

45:07Rich Eisen:But, like, the goals there were you saw where you needed to fix. I mean, the losses that we had with, like, and the injuries we've had so many, so many times. I know you as a suffering Jet fan feel this way, too. But, Dave, just like the Eagles, the Eagles got the win. They know what they can fix. You know, the Vikings have a heck of a lot to fix, clearly, from the first three quarters. They got the win. Listen, I'll just put it this way, Dave. That kid Justin Fields played his head off against a Steelers defense that is definitely, you know, Mike Tomlin, speaking to the media today, says we've got to fix the run defense.

45:40Rich Eisen:How many times have you heard in the last year and a half a team play the Jets and then the head coach comes away saying, we've got to fix the run defense? Not many times, right? When Brees Hall isn't blowing out his ACL while running for 300 yards in a game. You know what I mean? So at least there's that. And you just hope, again, that the Aaron that's being listened to is the HC putting his own stamp on it, which is exactly how you want to build a franchise for 10, 15 years of success, not with a guy saying, please do it for us at age 40 so we can at least win something before you shuffle off your football mortal coil.

46:14Rich Eisen:And bottom line is, you know, they should have won this football game. Unfortunately, somebody kicked a 60-yard field goal on them and they made enough mistakes for that to stick. Thanks for the call, Dave. Appreciate being on, obviously, ESPN Radio Coast to Coast and being able to see it on Disney+. But honestly, you're 0-1 and the bills are coming in. feeling great by the way they've got lots of things to fix don't they the bills yeah but they won yeah you'd rather be fixing things you want to know than fixing things on one bills are coming in and then after that you know do you want to be oh and two starting with your first two at home absolutely not then you're at tampa you mean you want to you think todd bowles wants to he'll never say it out loud but deep down you think he wants to leave a mark on the Jets before they visit Miami on a Monday night, which now is officially a winnable game based on what you're talking about with the Miami Dolphins.

47:15Rich Eisen:Home for Dallas, baby. And then I'll call this game in Denver. But hey, man, Justin Fields looked the part that they were hoping he would look like against a tough defense that is now licking their run defense wounds. The Rich Eisen Show podcast.

47:31Chris Long:You know when you're locked in, focused and fearless. Welcome to the WNBA. Your vision narrows. You can't look away. Every assist, every stop, every logo three. From beyond the logo.

47:47Rich Eisen:Every did you see that moment. You bet. What records are going to be broken this season? All of it right here. Lock in. It's the WNBA on ESPN all season long.