Publix Tailgate Show: Daniel Jeremiah

in games. It seems like they're fighting. They've got a defense, they've got a pass rush, they've got a young quarterback that a lot of people are excited about. So it feels like they've got some pieces in l A to get something done and the maybe not this year, but

in the years to come. Yeah, it's interesting when you look at these two teams because you you look at the Jacksonville dropping five and how that has put them in a certain mood, and uh, you look at the Chargers they've lost four, and it's a totally different mood. It's a it's a hopeful, upbeat mood because it all comes down to the quarterback. And when you've got a rookie quarterback plane as well, as as justin Herbert has

been playing against some good teams. I mean, he found out he was gonna play in his first start after the coin flip against the defending world champions and goes out there and gave the Charges a chance to win that football game. He's been you know, he's he played better than Tom Brady for three quarters of that game down there in Tampa, played well on the road on

Monday night against the Saints. So he's been impressive. And and you know, I don't want to use injuries as an excuse because so many teams have have dealt with it, and Jags have as well. But when you look at the Chargers team with the right side of their old line, um,

that's been pretty much gone. They've had, you know, other skill guys on offense missing, but more than anything else, it's you know, you miss Derwin James, who's as good as there is at safety in this league, Drew frank will who was going to have a big year for them at linebacker, Melvin Ingram it's not played a lot this year. Um, They've got Chris Harris, who they brought over as a free agent, who's been out. So despite

all those pieces missing. You're right, they've been in games, they just haven't been able to make that one play they need to make to to finish. Tyrod Taylor, of course, the quarterback you're benching there, had the longest issue, the punction long of all things earlier in the year, and and that's what gets Justin Herbert in the lineup. And it's not really a fair way to get this the start, but it's just kind of how it is. He was going to get the starting role at some point, it

just happened to be that earlier in the season. If it does feel like maybe Taylor has a little bit left in the tank to you know, maybe not in in Los Angeles down the line, but he could he could have a role somewhere in this league. Certain Yeah, I think, you know, I think Tyrod's probably in that range of the you know, twenty five to thirty five best quarterback in the NFL, which means if you're on the right team, you're a starter. You're on the wrong team,

you're you're a really good backup. So that's kind of where he finds himself in his career. And I think that was they had a formula for how they were gonna win games this year, which was Tyrod Taylor was gonna protect the ball as he's always done. They're gonna play great defense, gonna win some low scoring games. And we saw the game they won and the opener against the Bengals, low scoring game, Chargers found a way to win a close when the Bengals missed a kick at

the end. What happens with Tyrod, you know, that whole thing takes place Justin Herbert gets out there. As Herbert's getting out there, your whole defense is being decimated. So the don't you know, don't turn the ball over approach is not gonna work when you don't have a defense capable of keeping that score quite as low. So I think Justin Herbert's creativity and playmaking ability, uh has kind of added a whole new element here to this offense. Has he stood up to some of the traits that

you saw in him coming in the draft process? So far Justin Herbert and and what can he improve upon a few games into his career here? Sure, he's he's exceeded what my expectations were. And I liked him as a player. I liked his size, his arm strength, his ability, you know, as an athlete, very very athletic. He's you know, as a four oh student character. All that stuff off the charts, so you were you were comfortable with that.

My question with him was some of the off schedule things, you know, can you be creative when you get something you weren't expecting? Can you make somebody missing the backfield and by time and and make some of those off scheduled plays. Because he didn't do that a ton at or he did it a little bit, but not a ton I've seen it. Now. There's a handful of places every week that he's been out there where he's he's shown that creativity. Uh there's his touchdown to Keenan Allen

against the Saints. They're in a you know, six man protection, it's a seven man blitz and you got you've got a hot. He decided not to take the hot and he just makes the free rusher miss and buys time and Keenan Allen uncovers and and he delivers a strike. So some of those playmaking things have been have been impressive. Now he still has, as you would expect, you know, two or three plays a week where he can get a little reckless and it cost him. In the Carolina game,

he threw a pick. They were down there to kick a field goal before the half. Um, he throws a pick and gets returned all the way back inside the five. The Panthers end up getting a field goal right before the half, the six point swing and what ended up being a five point game. So, um, he's had you know, one or two of those each week. But the good so far far outweighs the bad. Daniel Jeremiah with us.

He is the radio analyst for the Los Angeles Chargers, also an NFL net work analyst, and well the top NFL network analysts will will say that. So don't say no, no, no no, we do it in that And apologies to Bucky Brooks because we haven't on our shows too. Bucky's the best. The defense for the Chargers Gus Bradley revenge game, right, I mean not really at all. That's not Guss m o. But we know what this defense is. It's rushed for it's dropped the rest of them get home with the

pass rush and they're able to do that pretty well. Yeah, and I think look when they can be healthy and have all their horses going. Um, it's it's been really effective this this year. Unfortunately, with Melvin Ingram not being out there much, they've missed him. And shennon Owos is a good player. He's he's been able to generate some pressure, but I think you just lose a little bit of your depth being able to roll those guys through and

keep them fresh. Jerry Tillery showing some real positive signs early in the season, but still a little bit inconsistent for you know what. You what you take him in the first round, You're hoping you're gonna get um, but you know, Gus is you've seen it. I Mean. The one thing that UH that they have of now that they maybe didn't have last year is when they drafted

Kenneth Murray. They've got a linebacker now that can scoot and you know, in that defense, the coverage responsibilities for the linebackers being able to run with some of those receivers on those deep over routes that you're gonna see over and over again against this UH cover three look, and Kenneth Murray can do it there. He ran stride for stride with Tyreek kill On on one of the Kansas City Chiefs games, So he's he's a big time, big time athlete. But you know, you missed Chris Harris.

That's a that's a big loss for that defense, and and there's just no way you can replace in Derwin James. So they're they're fighting and they're scrapping back there. But I don't think this is the group they thought they were gonna have Daniel Jeremiah with us. The Jaguars offense in the hands of Gardner Minshew this year, it's been a struggle for him as of late the last few weeks, just hasn't looked a sharp forty plus attempts the last

five games, five losing results. Of course, the the defense has a hand in that too. They get down early and then Jay Gruden has to go away from a running game that has actually played for do well this year in Spots and James Robinson. But with Minshew, now you're starting to get a little clearer picture of what he can and and maybe cannot do in the National Football League. And the clock's ticking because we know how

long he's going to have to prove things. But it's just a matter of him being able to step up and improve as the rest of the season goes along. Yeah, and I think it's. Look, I've been a fan of what Gardner Minshew did last year, and I admire his competitiveness, his toughness, Um, you know, all the stuff with the leadership, all that stuff is off the charts and just finding

ways to make plays. But but I likened him to somebody like a Jake Delone who when everything was was perfect around him, Jake Delone took a team to the Super Bowl. Um, but it's uh, you know, it's it's not a situation where he's gonna be able to carry the team behind him. That's not that's just not who he is. And and he just doesn't have the physical

tools to be able to do that. So you know that that's that's a little bit of the challenge for the team right now is as you're kind of trying to build up a young raw ster, you you're hoping that you have a quarterback maybe that can elevate some of those guys a little bit more. And um, I don't think we've seen as much of that this year

from Gardner Minshew. And and you mentioned the clocks ticking because Jaguars are loaded with h with draft capital going forward, and this is a draft that looks like it's gonna be pretty interesting at the quarterback position, so they're gonna have to make that decision in that verdict once we get to the end of the year. That is a professional transition to our bonus content on the Official Jaguars

Podcast Network presented by a Vice Star. We asked Daniel Jeremiah, top draft analysts on NFL Network, about the top college quarterbacks this year. We know about Lawrence Justin Fields gets cranked up this weekend in Ohio State. Trey Lance is a name everybody's throwing around out of North Dakota State. All of a sudden, the quarterback hot bed. Are those really the three and then the rest of the pack? How does it work at the quarterback position at least

early midway through the college season? Yeah, I mean I did. I did my homework on the Big three over the summer, so I've I've got those guys a pretty good feel for them, and I'm looking forward to diving into to what we've seen thus far. Fields hadn't even out there yet. I only seen Trey Lance for that one, you know, exhibition game. Basically, uh so you get a chance to dig a little bit deeper, but so this time of

year is where I'm collecting. So I'm I'm calling and collecting names and then I can start really jumping in. What the name that I keep hearing over and over again is this b y U kid? You know as b y U quarterback has got a lot of buzz with my scouting buddies. So I had somebody with a team the other day tell me the thought he could end up being the second quarterback picked, and I was like, whoa, But that's you know, that's somebody who's generated a lot

of buzz um. You know, Trask at Florida is big, strong, you know, he's a he's a good player. Having done a deep, deep dive on him, but from what I've seen, I thought he looked like kind of a middle round, you know pick. So there's there's gonna be a bunch of other guys to jump into. But Lawrence has taken his play from last year, which I thought was a

little bit underwhelming from what the expectation was. I mean, the year was incredible for for Clemson, but I thought at the end of the year he kind of tailed off a little bit, particularly in the last game. He's playing consistent, He's playing decise if he is throwing the ball accurately, and I think he's kind of separated himself a little bit um and then I think it's gonna be a fair fight, in my opinion, for the for the number two quarterback job. And I've been a big

Trade Lance fan. I liked him over the summer when I studied him more than justin fields, and uh, you know, I make sure to see how that all shakes out. But there's gonna be those big three, and I think you're gonna have a chance to see a fourth and maybe even a fifth in the first round when it's all said and done. It's funny how that works, right, I mean, you'll have everywhere two names and then here

come five in the first round every year. And uh, you know, the the good thing if I'm you know, if you're a quarterback coming into this draft class, and I would be excited because it feels similarly too. When we had you know, Mahomes who went to a really good team, Deshaun Watson who went to a good team. At that time, it was just happened to be picking up there and there there were moves to go up there and get those guys Um, you look at Lamar

Jackson falling in the first round. Well, there's a great team there at the bottom of the first round in the Ravens. So if you're a quarterback, the ideal situation is, yeah, you want to be the first we all pick. That's great. I'd rather go to a good football team that can nurture me and help me grow and develop. And I think when you look at teams like the Saints who could be in the quarterback market. Look at the Pittsburgh

Steelers with an aging quarterback, the Colts with an aging quarterback. Um, there's been rumblings at San Francisco. You know, they might have had enough of Jimmy Garoppolo want to go in a different direction. And these are really really good organizations, good football teams that you'd have a chance as a young quarterback to being an ideal spot. Daniel Jeremiah with his final thought here and kind of big picture COVID world right now. In terms of covering games, obviously you

do the Chargers games. You work in the NFL network things as well. You've got this Amazon business now on games, I mean, do you rest what happens? My wife says that my hobby is collecting jobs. So that's uh, that's been my hobby right now. But I think Bucky, you know, Bucky's doing doing his many jobs are more than I am. So we uh, we stay busy, but it's it's fun. Like this week you get a chance to do three games, so two with Amazon on Amazon Prime and then they

stream them on Twitch. It's Twitch dot tv, Slash Moved the Sticks and Bucky's with me on those, so it's me, Bucky and Joy Taylor, who you may know from the from Colin Cowhard Show. So we have a lot of fun on those. So we've got um this week, a Monday game, a Thursday game, and then a Sunday game with with Jags and Chargers. So I love it. There's no such things too foot, too much football, you know that, Daniel, great stuff. Thanks for the time as always, and have a great call. I appreciate you.