Best Of - Chiefs are BACK, Lamar's big game struggles, Shedeur Sanders self-sabotage, 49ers regretting Purdy?

Chiefs had close to a competent receiving corps. The offense looked good again the last And we don't have to do this full history in depth, but it is worth mentioning that the Chiefs traded away Tyreek Hill mahomes snap in an offseason changed the way he played based on the receivers. They had one league MVP. The very next year, dealt with more drops than any quarterback literally in modern NFL history, figured it out by the playoffs, won the

Super Bowl. The next year, dealt with the most injured wide receiver and running back room in the NFL, got all the way to the Super Bowl. And the next year, which was this year, walked into the season with his number one receiver suspended for six games and his number two receiver knocked out of Game one three plays in,

And it looked shaky for a bit. And I told you guys that I knew real like I guess insight, that that Chargers Week one game plan, Xavier Worthy was the ePIE center of it, and him being knocked out three plays in threw everything off. But this the fatalism surrounding the Chiefs from almost everyone else in the media was and I don't want to be a scold, and I don't want to be more knowing than I naturally am.

But it was embarrassing, and it was so fickle and so myopic, my opic, pardon me, as if they don't have a Hall of Fame head coach, a Hall of Fame caliber decoordinator, and the most talented quarterback to ever live, that they couldn't figure it out and it was as if they were getting boat raced in these early games, or as if they were playing terrible teams and losing. Neither were true. Now, I want to make this clear. I don't think the Chiefs are, you know, quote fully back.

If back means being the highest scoring team in the league, I don't think that's who they're going to be. I don't think the Chiefs have solved all their issues. I still think the running back room leaves a lot to be desired, and their ability to get pressure on the opposing quarterback without sending a blitz at the moment leaves

a lot to be desired. But you look, if you going into the Baltimore game, if you looked around the AFC, the only team that really you could say had no holes to poke at it was the Chargers going into Week four, but they already were dealing with some potentially mounting injuries that sadly, they dealt with more of during Week four in a game they had no business losing but lost, And so the Bills were undefeated. But the Bills defense had looked shaky, and they they had and

have played three consecutive games against just bottom feeders. The Ravens were even this huge benefit of the doubt despite having the same record as the Chiefs, and then every other team that had a good record, like the Steelers or the Jags, you had real reason to be concerned about.

the Chiefs played the Eagles. The Ravens player, I guess we could do Bills, Chargers, Eagles, Lions, you know what I mean. Like, I think the Bills are a little better than the Chargers, but I think the Eagles are a little better than the Lions. So to me, it's very very similar. Like as far as what the opening slate was, now, you could argue the Chief Ravens game being in Kansas City, like the Ravens having to go

on the road for that tilts it. But the other piece of it that was maddening to me and has been even more maddening in the after There have been two things that have happened in the aftermath of this game that really drive me crazy. And I had kind of a rough moment near the end of yesterday's show on TV with Wilds yesterday. I'll apologize to him when

I see him today. It's not really the tone of our show, but I got angry when I shouldn't have the And I mean I don't think he took it like terribly, Like I think he might be surprised when I apologize to him, but maybe not. But it Two things have happened that to me are so frustrating. The first one is I understand the Ravens during the game lost Rokwan Smith and late in the game lost Humphrey and once the game was over over over lost Nate Wiggins.

But they went into the game missing four starters. Everyone and the defense already had been bad all year. Everyone knew that and picked them. That's fine, by the way, like you can pick whoever you want. And I'm not acting like that game was a lot for the the way it played out, the Chiefs had full control, but you know, something goes differently. Maybe not, but to know the team has those injuries going in and then afterwards be like, wow, of course Kansas City did that. Look

at all the injuries on defense. It's just bullshit. It's the if your handicap going into the game was I think the Races at full strength or better, but they're not full strength. Therefore I think the Chiefs will win. And then you see that game be like, yeah, that's what I thought, so be it. But that wasn't anyone's handicap.

The handicap was even with the Ravens defensive injuries, the Chiefs offense, with Patrick freaking Mahomes on it and Andy Reid calling the plays, is so broken that they're not going to be able to move the ball. I mean Vegas had as underdogs as well. Correct, Yeah, like which it's so again two and a half pour underdogs at home to a one and two team that the two competent offenses that they had played moved the ball at will and so to then Monday morning quarterback be like, oh, well,

obviously this was gonna happen. That's not what you believed. That wasn't people's picks. That wasn't people's opinion. The conversation going into the game was who needed it more? Kansas City? Who do you trust more? Baltimore Good I watched Orlowski? Do the Ravens are built to beat the Chiefs? What it's like? No, they're built to beat the Chiefs and the Bengals. They're just they they're not built to beat the I think you said the Chargers in the line

something I don't know I it was. And the other piece of it was, and this is my other level of frustration because while Ronnie Stanley did go out during this game. The Ravens offense is healthy, and it was that, well, the Chiefs aren't gonna be able to slow down a Ravens offense that no one's been able to slow down. They score thirty plus in every game, and that, of course is not what happened. And so that frustrated me.

And the other thing that frustrated me, I had nothing to do with Brewer Wilds, but it had to do with me listening to Simmons Pod as I do every Monday morning, listening to Greg Rosenthal's NFL Daily Pod, as I do every day, listening to you know a lot of them, and watching the Monday morning shows and all

of it. And I was like, I could not believe that I was going to once again have to be, I guess, the bad guy in pointing out the obvious fact that this game turned on a totally predictable, yet inexplicable, horrific Lamar pick and then we're up seven to three with the ball on first down around midfield and Lamar pedaled backwards and then threw up a prayer for no reason whatsoever. A guy who has he and again people can be mad at me, but here are the facts

of it. And every year people get mad at me, and then every year we get another piece of evidence that I'm stone right about this, and then every year I have to listen to folks stick their fingers in the ears and be like, nope, actually wrong. Lamar's the greatest passer of the football we've ever seen, is Iyer's passer rating. Ever, never turns the ball over and all the big game, playoffs, games against the Chief stuff is

just dumb random luck. In the last thirty games Lamar is played, he has multiple turnovers in three of them, the AFC Championship game against Kansas City, the Divisional round against Buffalo, and Sunday against Kansas City. I guess that's a coincidence. In the last thirty games Lamar has played, he has thrown seven interceptions, which is remarkable that he's only thrown seven. He had like a fifty to four touchdown interception ratio. You know, in this stretch he moved

the playoffs. It was crazy. The interceptions are as follows.

Four regular season interceptions prior to Sunday, three of which we played the video hit his receiver in the hands and then either got like bobbled or stolen, one of which Bateman just stopped running his route, but four passes that did not need to be picked, the only three in the last thirty games, the only three interceptions Lamar has thrown where it's like, what the hell was that AFC Championship game into triple coverage in the fourth quarter

against Kansas City Divisional round game, early against both against Buffalo and the one Sunday. He also in those three games had inexplicable fumbles out of nowhere. To pretend like that is coincidental when we once again saw Lamar throwing

his helmet out of sorts, it's just dishonest. And I know Bill Pollion was mean in his commentary towards the guy eight years ago, and I know some of the world first actors in media, sports or otherwise tried to pigeonhole him as a wide receiver in a pretty nakedly at times racist way. I get that, and I understand because of that there has been a almost protectionism and a want for folks to see him succeed at the

highest level. I don't disagree with that, but why do we have to pretend what is obviously true is not Why do we have to pretend that this is a unique thing we haven't seen across sports Our whole lives the all time great, legendary player who sadly gets tight in his biggest spots and plays his worst in his

biggest moments. That's part of sports man. And nobody was going back and taking away Peyton Manning's MVPs and his records because he struggled massively in the biggest spons But we weren't pretending it was coincidental either, talking about the Peyton Manning face, talked about how he got anxious, talked about how his brother was like the bizarro version of him, a holy mediocre player for giant expanses of his career who somehow, in the biggest sponts played his absolute best,

And for some reason with Lamar, we got to pretend it's not happening. I gotta and listen. I don't know this guy, but I think he does good work. I think he's a smart commentator. But I Deontay Lee at

the Ringer. I before the Lamar fumble, I tweeted Lamar's basically gone two years without making that this was on the pick, without making that exact type of mistake except for in the twenty three AFC Championship game, of the twenty four Divisional round and just now against Kansas City probably a coincidence, and Deontay Lee quote tweets it right. Nobody can identify the intrinsic traits of a winner and loser like Nick Wright. He is the seer. It's like, no, bro,

I'm not trying to tell you. I'm not trying to act like I look in at guy's eyes and can determine whether he has the IT factor. I'm just trying to act like I've watched this guy's whole fucking career, and from day one, he has been a guy who, in the postseason or in these instances now when he sees Patrick across the field, plays his worst football. And we can act like it's a small sample. But he's played the Chiefs seven times, He's played i think ten

playoff games, like it's not a small sample. And my frustration is and again, so this is the other thing, Demonse, and this well, I'll say before we keep it moving, and maybe Demondse, you'll tell me this is unfair. I don't think if I'm a Ravens fan, I don't think. The thing that I came out of that game most disheartened about was the defense. And the reason for that is obviously, if the defense is this bad, they are drawing you know what I mean, They can't have the

worst defense in football. But what to me was so disheartening about it if you're a Ravens fan, is you're now gonna have in the back of your head, even if we get the defense fixed by when we get to these moments against Josh or Patrick, are we getting MVP Lamar Or are we getting throwing his head back, slamming the helmet, taking terrible sacks, throwing off his back foot Lamar I That to me is the concern. Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, hard

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eight hundred and nine with it. Gambling problem, Call one eight hundred gambler in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, or Virginia. I did not think we would be starting with the Browns third string quarterback. However, because of the last twenty four hours and because this show loves itself some meta media discussion, we are going to start with the Browns third string quarterback. Go right ahead, pal.

a huge deal. I think it. I think that one of the reasons demonse that I thought that comment was uh likely to not go great for him was because one could argue these starting quarterback in the league playing the worst was his own, you know what. I so if he had if he was third string for the Bills and said, you know, I watched the league, and you know, I feel like I'm better than some of the guys starting, I think the exact quote was, if you see the quarterback play in the league, right now

I know I'm capable of doing better than that. Then I think it's less of a problem. When a lot of people felt like and feel like the Brown starting quarterback was playing the worst of everyone in the league, it could have been construed as an unintentional shot at Flacco. I don't think it was that at all, but it was just a little trickier of a spot. Does that part make sense what I'm describing there? Yeah? Okay. Then

Rex Ryan goes on TV and makes a fool of himself. Yea, Like every time I see Rex Ryan, he's just talking about how much someone sucks. It's like the whole bit. It's that Russell Wilson can't play dead in the Western it's his career's.

He would not fit on first things first, you know what I mean. But I mean the different styles are different folks, and I wouldn't fit on other shows whatever. I'm really trying to be kind here, but be honest with my opinion pretty clearly. Oh and one of the things he said, he said two things that really struck me with the Shardor commentary. One was he basically reported that Shadoor is not doing the work. He was like, get in there and study. If I know this, the

whole league knows this. It's like wow, like Rex Ryan elbowing Schefter off the breaking news beat, Like I hadn't. I had not seen that reported anywhere that Shador has been lazy or not paying attention to meetings. That would be news. But the other thing he said was, you know, shut up and dribble. Not quite shut up and dribble,

but shut your mouth. So Shadoor yesterday was asked about Dylan Gabriel being named the starter and about how he was not elevated to second string because that's the other piece of news here. It didn't go flat. Typically if a veteran quarterback, not always, but I shouldn't even say typically. Sometimes when a veteran quarterback is benched, he then goes to the bottom of the depth chart. He wasn't a veteran.

But last year when Bryce Young got benched for Andy Dalton, that that first game, Bryce wasn't the backup, you know what I mean, Like it was he went all the way down the ladder. And then so there was an opportunity that was going to be Gabriel one, Schador two, Flaco three that ended up not happening, just Gabriel and

Flacco flips your door stayed three. He was asked about all of this, and he smiled and in my opinion, looked like he always does, which is charming, and seemingly talked without talking, moved his mouth and I actually wonder if a professional, I wonder if he was giving real answers, you know what I mean, Like, yeah, I mean he was clearly he wasn't like, you know, just speaking gibberish. I now, I don't know if the sentences were you know,

a inaudible. I was told, you know, on TV. They told me not to talk, so this is me not talking or I don't know if it was an inaudible. I'm happy for Dylan to be getting this opportunity. I'm still working hard. But he was clearly saying sentences, but they were dead silent. And the reason I wanted to start the show with it is because this is just a perfect, just perfect moment for today's media and social media.

Because if you want, which I don't want to do, to kill Shador, it's an example of just want and immaturity. I don't want to kill Shador. And if you want to blindly support shaudor the criticism he gets from this will be an example the kid can't win. He talks and he gets yelled at. He literally doesn't talk, and you kill him anyway. I don't want to do that either, because I'm not an idiot. What everyone, every adult has a responsibility to set down for a moment, their priors

and to ask themselves this honest question. If Shadoor was your best friend, if he were your I don't want to say son because Prime has I think, not helped him on this, and I'll get to that in a second. And if he were your godson or your nephew, or you were his high school guidance counselor who he stayed in touch with. And he called you up and was like, hey, do you see what Rex Ryan said about me? Yeah? I saw, And you saw that Gabriel's the starter now right, Yeah?

I saw. So when they asked me about it, listen to what my plan is. I'm going to answer their questions silently. What you're gonna like, write it down? No, I'm going to stand in front of the cameras and act like I'm talking, but not make any sounds. How awesome does that? How awesome of an idea is that all of us would say, don't fucking do that. Man, it's a bad idea, fair or not bad idea? Why they He's told me I shouldn't talk, buddy, Here's all

you got to say. You're asked about Dylan. Really happy for Dylan. You know he and I obviously same draft class. We've been working together this whole time. Joe's been great to all of us. You know, it's coach's choice to make a change, and you know I'm Dylan works hard, He's a really good player. I'm excited you know I'm excited to watch him. Well, are you upset? You know you didn't get bumped up to second straying? You know, do you listen? I I believe in myself. I'm not

gonna lie to you guys act like I don't. I believe that I will one day be a starting quarterback in this league. But my job right now is to keep doing what you know, what I've been doing, studying, working hard, being a good teammate, and hopefully, you know, we can get back on the winning track this weekend. That's all you have to do. Everything else is foolishness.

And anyone acting like acknowledging that him doing a bit in the locker room in front of the media as the third string quarterback is good for him or smart or productive is a liar.

don't know any of that. I don't None of that is relevant to this piece of it. Just control what you can control. Bro. You are not right now getting the opportunity to show what you can do on the field publicly, So all you can do is show that you can be a true professional privately or you know, in your role as backup quarterback. And this is what And I did Cam Newton's show a couple days ago, and Cam has real, excuse me, sympathy for Shador, and Cam feels like a lot of what he det like that.

You know, Cam had a real hard time when he had to be a backup and Cam felt his celebrity and aura worked against him at those things. And I said this to Cam, and I'll expand on it here. One is, while I respect the I respect folks who believe Shador does have starting caliber talent and traits and will be a good NFL quarterback. I'm not the A lot of people I respect have that opinion and fair no problem Cam was talking about him as if Cam

and Shadoor were at all similar prospects. They weren't. Man like Shadoor is whether he should have been or not. He's a fifth round pick. And the other piece of it that I really wish somebody close to Shador would really explain to him, as this man you have, maybe it shouldn't be this way, but it is. You have one of the only jobs left in modern America where celebrity works against you. In almost every other job, I don't care what it is. If it's like, hey, I

can do the job well. Also, oddly, I'm very famous on TikTok. That doesn't hurt you, It usually helps you. The only job where your bosses want you to be as anonymous as possible is back up NFL quarterback. And now maybe the the organizations are too stodgy. Maybe that's stuck it, you know, maybe that'll change. It ain't changing this month. And I do think we have seen over the course of these few months some of the reason

that once teams and this was the seminal moment. Once he was not greted as franchise quarterback coming out of the draft top ten, top fifteen pick, and he was greated as backup who could one day compete to be a starter. That his job description changed massively, and he is still carrying himself as if it hadn't. And I am not asking for the kid to be humbled. I hate that commentary. I'm not asking for him to change

who he is at a personal level. I am asking for him to recognize that this ship works against him and his dad, who everybody loves, myself included instagramming in response to this video, all these laughing emojis and writing good one son, you did that is not helpful. Go to Monte. Go ahead, I can tell you I want to see.

holistic discussion. There are going to be so many disingenuous fools that today try to act like see, damned if you do, damned if you don't, you tell him to shut up, and then when he literally does, you criticize him for that too, as if we we can't hold multiple thoughts in our head at the same time, and as if we're not all functioning adults that recognize this

was he was running a bit. He is doing forty five seconds to stand up in the locker room as the third string quarterback when all you've got to do is not not do a single thing. That is going to add to the questions the media is going to ask Stefanski and then by your time, bro, because Gabriel is not going to start the last thirteen games. I

don't think he's good enough. Listen, if they are going to give Gabriel a real opportunity, there's no question about that, and Gabriel, you know they have a real investment in him. I just don't think Gabriel's good enough to run the table the rest of the way, so he should get a shot. He just has to be ready for it. I just I really think he is getting And people thought that this was patronizing when I said he's getting bad advice. They're like, he's a twenty three year old

grown man. Shut up. Monse's twenty seven. I give Demanse professional advice all the time. I'm forty. I call my dad for advice on Like the idea that because right he's almost old enough to rent a car without paying the extra fee, he's beyond advice is just idiotic, Like, yes, he's allowed now at twenty three, he's his own man. He can make his own decisions. He can take the advice and throw it in the garbage. I and so, But the idea that you shouldn't have people in your life, like,

hey man, that's a mistake. It's and I really like him. The thing is this, I think. I do think he's charming. I do think he's talented. I do think he is well intentioned. But I think there is a protectionism. He right now, to me, is in a really and they're not similar player, but oh he is risking entering the tbow zone of your biggest fans hurt you where because you are such a celebrity and because they have more

you are. You are not only a person anymore. You are like a vessel for their own wants and desires. That that works against you professionally. And Dion, and the last thing I'll say is this, and this is where like it's tough because you see your own kids through a parent's eyes, you know what I mean, through the and I get that. Dion's gotta recognize, man, you could do this. Your son can't. Why because Dion's one of the greatest players in the history of the sport and

your son is not. And he doesn't. And you'd be like, well, Dion wasn't that until no Dion was. Dion was a Dion going into the draft, was talking about this team better than not draft me or bankrupt the bank like that, Like I guess what people are like. All right, he might be a lot to deal with, But did you see the forty yard dash time? Did you see him locked down in the side of a field for two years at Florida State. Deon's like, I might play baseball too.

They're like, we'll fly you out there, buddy. Whatever you want. Dion had two things going for him that are very important that you'd ordered not. One is he was a super superstar on the field, and the other one is he wasn't a quarter back, because as great as Dion was, if he were a post quack instead of a cornerback, it would have been trickier. And so Cam was a

quarterback and dealt with some of this. But he's the he had was coming off the single greatest season in the history of college football, and so like he can. I just I don't know, man, I I legit worry that he is.

I oh, that was a mistake. By the way, if you're thinking about upgrading to the all new iPhone seventeen Pro, designed to be the most powerful iPhone ever, but you're also thinking about the traffic on your way to the store or transferring all your data, good news. When you order a new phone online with boost Mobile, they'll send an expert to your home. How about that or a home or work to deliver your brand new iPhone Pro and get you set up on boost Mobile within minutes,

no hassle. So you get the new iPhone, it comes right to you and a tech comes in, get all your stuff transferred, get you set up on the network. Visit boostmobile dot com to get started. Delivery available for select devices purchased at boost mobile dot Com. Terms of course do apply. Hugely concerned about Perdy's health, I would also be furious with my medical staff. Once again, if I'm the Niners, I it's not like the NFL spinds a wheel to determine who's playing Thursday night each week.

You if you're the Niners, you knew that you were playing Thursday this week. Purty clearly was not one hundred percent this past Sunday. They let him play anyway, the injury got worse. He now is definitively going to miss this game and he's not even healthy enough to be like the emergency quarterback for them and could miss more time. I don't understand, especially because they did go to and

zero with man Jones. How they don't hold party out demons this past Sunday and then he gets four extra days before he would be playing against the Rams to heal up that toe, and then ten days before the next game. You know you could get you could have eased him back in three games off and then he plays the Rams, then a mini buy before they play the next week. Now, this is probably going to be a problem all year, which brings me to the bigger

party conversation. Man I, I said, all off season, why would you be in a rush to pay this player? He struggle at his worst year yet last year has dealt with some injuries and has no leverage whatsoever. Just wait and see. They gave him fifty what three million dollars a year and now like it has been four games into the contract, if they could wipe it away,

would they? Of course? And I know that there is it felt unfair because he had made no money at all as the final pick of the draft, and they had been to a Super Bowl and been to a conference championship game and two of his years he had played really well. But you're not in the fairness business. You're in the football business. And the other had they not paid him, and then this, you know, we see

this opening month of the season. It's like, oh, Mac Jones, who is basically on the minimum, can be dropped into this offense without all the weapons and it can function. Are we better off spending our money elsewhere? Are we? Like, do we need a fifty million dollars a year quarterback unless he's a true difference maker? And that's that's the other piece of this, is it We have so much

evidence that that Shanahan system is relatively quarterback proof. Now, listen, parties, a healthy party is better than Mac and raises your ceiling. But does he raise your ceiling more than having three separate Pro Bowl level players that you could get with fifty million dollars a year. I don't know that he does. So I have been there are very few opinions that have spanned the course of five six years that have aged better than my I do not believe the Niners

quarterback is as good as his numbers suggest. It's about Shanahan, the weapons and the system. Then that take. But once again, I think that takes going to age quite well. It also should be noted because people are putting out there the Niners wide receiver room, and I'm like, oh, I recognize those guys. Patrick Mahomes won super bowls with them, DeMarcus Robinson, Sky Moore, Mark wes Valdez, Scantling. What do you expect anyone to do? I don't know. Patrick Mahomes

won Super Bowl. So like the there is that? All right? I know you want to ask me about Pooka.

better than Justin Jefferson or Jamar Chase. And I feel like he could have a two thousand yard season and I still would not be able to wrap my mind around it. But you know, he's doing it with not great quarterback play. He's doing it under I shouldn't say he's not great quarterback play. He's he's doing it when he's not fully healthy. He's been able to just do it. And it's I think he's playing at a higher level

than Cooper Cup did. And so some of that is, you know, when we saw Cooper Cup do it, now we're saying pooka do it. Stafford and McVeigh gets some of the credit, but Pook is an unbelievable player. He is really an unbelievable player, and he's certainly demands has to be in your top five. Certainly, I still think Jefferson's the best receiver in football, but man, Pook is an unbelo levable player. He doesn't unbelievable.