Patrick Daugherty (@RotoPat) and Denny Carter (@CDCarter13) welcome in special guests from Super Bowl radio row, talking to the Rams’ Puka Nacua and free-agent-to-be Tony Pollard. They ask Puka what he really expected to happen as a rookie, how he bonded with quarterback Matthew Stafford, and just who is really the No. 1 wideout in L.A. Pollard discusses the lengthy recovery from his leg injury, just what made the Cowboys’ offense so explosive in 2023, and what he is looking forward to seeing in Super Bowl LVIII. #NFL #NBCSports #fantasyfootball
Chapters:
(00:00) — Hello and welcome
(0:30) – Puka Nacua Interview
(9:30) – Tony Pollard Interview
(24:15) – “Play or Pass”: Predicting production from Tony Pollard, Puka Nacua, Jahmyr Gibbs vs David Montgomery, Travis Etienne and Justin Herbert in 2024
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Puka Nacua, Tony Pollard on set + Early 2024 predictions | Rotoworld Football Show (FULL SHOW)
https://www.youtube.com/NFLonNBC
Hello everybody Welcome to the root to World football show it is day three from Radio row at Super Bowl 58 I am Patrick Dy joined by Mr Denny Carter and a young man you may have heard of Puka nakua the NFL’s all-time leading rookie receiver had an historic playoff game as well
Hooka you were a fifth round pick drafted into a receiver core that included Cooper cup what were your rookie expectations and did they include being so good you were now literally being forced to talk to Fant football guys at the Super Bowl no they definitely were the expectations where I
Was try trying to make sure I was going to be able to make the team I had two older brothers that went undrafted um and played and my brother had played in the NFL so to to be drafted was such a it was exciting and then knowing that I
Was going to be later I was like man I got to do whatever I can to make the team and then uh things definitely worked out in my favor yes they did yeah I would say you made the team and I would say with the 181 yards against the
Lions you’ve probably secured your roster spot uh for next year we’ll see uh so puka you you know you entered the season kind of like no expectations just trying to be the best you could be uh Denny here though was actually something of a puka early adopter uh and he has
Insisted for days that we play the clip of him recommending you as a late round fantasy sleeper and Late July here was Denny on puka last summer are you kidding me with you’re leaving puka Thea till till 4th he should be second he should be the second person off your
Lips when you’re talking about Rams Receivers I want puka nikua uh the non cup uh Rams Receivers obviously I’ve made this clear almost too clear some would say over the past couple months and others would say can you just shut up about puka AA please puka you couldn’t hear that but
Denny was literally saying people were telling him to shut up about PUK and AA last July I was being silenced about I was talking you all because you know I’m I’m looking at your numbers I’m looking at your your your your college play and I’m saying why are we not talking about
This guy so I I was I was way early on you it’s very exciting to talk to you because I appreciate the love I mean I’m I’m in a Discord with guys where our only common bond is that we all drafted you in fans and we were all huge fans of
You through throughout the the uh the season I I I will I I will say look the reason I drafted you for real just face to face now that we get to talk is because you had the most magnificent hair in all of sports and and so if we’re going to be
Honest about it that’s that that’s what it was uh no but uh in all seriousness I I was excited about your NFL prospects and this was before by the way I knew that you were part of the Rams Breakfast Club with Matthew Stafford and Cooper
Cup and and this has been a huge meme in fantasy circles since I don’t know since Safford got to LA in 2021 where it was you know we were told hey Cooper Cup’s having breakfast with Safford we said oh that means something okay that they’re cooking up something they’re they’re
They’re developing chemistry we didn’t know that you were you were in on these meetings until we didn’t know that until like week like four or five and everybody’s very upset they said well if we would have known this we would have drafted to P in every in every league so
They weren’t listening to you that was a mistake that that that that’s true and if and if I had known I would have drafted you in the first round you know uh anyway tell tell us about what you learned from those meetings in the offseason with with Matthew Stafford and
With Cooper cup yeah I think just that the understanding of the timing and then where understanding the defensive the coverages how we use our um the motions and the stuff that we do in our offense in order to take advantage of what we’re seeing on the defense and and then just
Trying to understand what Matthew Stafford is thinking I mean that guy can there’s not a there’s not a place in the field that he can’t put that football so being able to understand where he wants you to be and what what is the best position cuz he’s also taken into
Consideration where the defense is when he throws you as Shala rout he’s trying to put in the best position for you to get yards and for you to protect yourself too so um understanding all the little nuances of catching the ball and running routes uh it’s just then they’re
Talking everything they’re talking sa save the Earth save the water they’re also talking about how how we about to dial up these guys on defense too so it’s it’s a great timing there well see I mean you played for some big time College Programs but we all know even if
Even if you’re in the biggest college programs it’s such a huge adjustment to the NFL what was like when you’re talking to Matthew Stafford you’re talking to Cooper cup what was the first thing that dawned on you last summer like yeah okay wow this is not hype this
Is a lot different than even like the elite levels of college football yeah I knew I knew I was in for a long one when the first time I got invited out to to throw routs was in the summertime we haven’t really gone over this too much
Of the offense and he’s like Matthew’s like saying the whole play and then just like self-tacking me after he’d be like I’d be kind of out there jogging back from running the route from before and he’s like all right we’ll go through the whole play he’d say the whole play and
Then he’d just like okay this is the route you have and I’d be like what were you talking about don’t worry about this is the route you have and I’m like wait I should probably know this he’s like don’t worry about it I got you and then
It’s so funny cuz that’s how he does it the season he takes so much upon himself and being able to make sure our operation is run right but it’s like I don’t understand a single word he said and I I was like I know some of those
Words coach coach I heard coach McVey that I he said that one is means we go to the right and I was like I don’t know what Matthew said right there though it’s along those lines I so Denny and I were talking about this before we interviewed you we didn’t even know how
To ask this question you’re one of those receivers when like Denny and I know a lot about football but you know we’re not like film guys when I watch the Rams play it’s like like puka is open like every single play like how like is that just like Natural Instincts natural feel
Is it that combined with coaching and like like mentoring for Matthew Stafford I feel like you have just an uncanny ability to find the soft space in the def and you were a rookie like this guy is always open it’s not supposed to be
Like this H I’d love I think of yeah a mixture of everything kind of you said right there Matthew and Coupe for sure being able to be on the same page and understand what they’re seeing as uh thinking out there but then also I I love playing basketball and football
I’ve been playing as a little kid I think of my older brothers how much they they beat me up and they made me understand okay if this is the bigger guy that I don’t want to get hit by I could probably stop right here and be like all right let’s see if the
Quarterback can save me from this one and stuff like that that but a little bit of a natural F and stuff just kind of going up from lateral movement stuff like that but a combination of a bunch of things for sure can I ask you just
Real quick and and this is actually not on our our script of questions but I I was thinking of your of your week one performance against the 49ers man welcome to the NFL yeah I’m sorry Seattle it was Niners with next week week to and you saw and and you had I
Think 17 18 Targets in your first game were were you expecting that at all that sort of role the monster Target share no I had no idea I mean I feel like I’m I’m in the practices where’re watching film and we’re going through the tape but
It’s not like there was like uh the plays were like oh okay like puka is getting the ball right here like this is like oh like even like where like the concept was like necessarily favored for just for me to get the ball and I was
Just like oh I’m going out there and like I just remember thinking like I just remember I was so scared my first pass ever thrown to me I dropped me and Matthew weren’t on the same page I ran under route and but like he he was like
He’s like he was like you’re good and I was like good am I am I actually good not was supposed to happen that’s good you mentioned something something else too you mentioned playing basketball I feel like this has become a narrative too like too many athletes today like they’re only
Single sport focused it sounds like do you think like playing other sports part of your NFL this is kind of a dumb question but like it seems like you took stuff from other sports and that players shouldn’t just be focusing only on their one sport in high school yeah 100% I
Wish I I mean I I I have size 14 feet so being a wide receiver is not actually not ideal to have big feet cuz you with the footwork involved but I think of like to play whatever would like to been play soccer I played soccer in my life I
Love playing basketball so like a crossover like if I’m one-on-one like that’s me one-on-one with the wide receiver that lateral movement those ability to go high point of rebound that’s the same that’s that’s me going to catch a gold ball and stuff like that so a lot of those movements are very
Similar and it’s it’s also super competitive too so it keeps me going and it keeps you on the edges well they do they do they still let you play basketball by the way or they like afraid you’ll get a high ankle sprain or something I don’t play any basketball in
The offseason no basketball in the offseason from me uh all right I to to get real just just for one second here we’re going to ask you a very difficult question and that is is it you or is it Cooper cup as the number one wide
Receiver for for oh Cooper cup 100% I’m I’m I am Robin I that’s for 100% for sure I have endured that role and I love it Cooper cup is a man he’s been such a a blessing and a big brother to me but coop is koop’s Top Dog over
There puka is puka the best receiver tandem in the NFL puka we can talk to you for an hour sadly we’re already already out of time but thank you so much for stopping by enjoy your new Apple Vision Pro by the way thank you very much I will thank you so much that
Was PUK and a cool we’ll be joined next by Tony Pard one another sweat during Super Bowl week Jay Croucher and Drew denck have you covered with a special edition of BET The Edge on Thursday evening join the guys on our NFL and NBC YouTube page at 900 p.m. Eastern for an
NFL awards watch along and find out how they feel about the winners for Coach of the Year Defensive Player of the Year and much more we are now joined by 2023 Dallas Cowboys lead back back-to-back thousand-yard rusher Tony Pard uh Tony so I mentioned the lead backback last season was your
First professional season as the unquestioned lead back you’ve been in a lot of really talented backfields going back as you were saying before the show to your days in Memphis uh what was the biggest difference between sharing a backfield and being like the guy in Dallas last year um just the
Responsibility you have to take being the lead back um taking care of your body um before things can go wrong just just stand step ahead of things so you’re not in in treatment or in rehab too long with things like that um getting more body work done getting more
Massages things like that so just increasing the the prep to make sure my body could with stand the entire season right yeah and uh you know obviously you were coming off a major leg injury heading into the 2023 season uh you said in late December that uh there was a
Quote night and day difference between how you felt when the season season started in September and how you felt near the end of of the Season uh I wanted to ask you another year removed from that leg injury what do you think that means for your game in 2024 um
Honestly I feel like it can only go up only go up from here um you know especially not having to deal with an injury or not having to be in rehab and you know take steps back from me trying to progress and get better and push my
Game to the next level so um yeah just me having a healthy offseason I feel like you’re going to make a word of a difference it’s uh early in season uh you know coming off that injury did you feel like there was some limitations as
To what you could do on the field um I mean honestly at the moment in my head I felt like I was good I was all ready to go but after you just watch film and look at yourself on tape and then I would say it was after the the Panthers
Game right the Panthers game was when I just felt like all right now I’m back okay and then after that I was good but um but yeah I mean mentally you you think that you’re ready you’re ready to go everything things firing on all cylinders but as the season goes on and
You get a little better and you and you realize that maybe you weren’t kind of sure I I remember uh Jamal Charles said something similar when he came off I think his second ACL injury he said you know I I looked at myself and I said you
Know I’m still not moving the way that I’m used to moving um and it wasn’t until much later in that season that that he got right so uh it defit takes time yeah hopefully you know another year removed you’ll be you’ll be good to go in 2024 so D we’re talking about
Being a lead back and in the in NFL part of being a lead back is being a pass catcher you have to catch passes that’s something you’ve always done so well in the NFL and just how did how do you become such a good pass catcher out of
The back field and Z what do you think is the most important part of your game because you’ve proven you can do it all uh like and just how much do you pride yourself in the pass catching CU fantasy football we love the receptions we must say we absolutely love the receptions
Um it’s pretty like catching the ball for me is almost second nature um I mean I at Memphis I was a running back on paper but on the field when I lined up I was in the slot right most of the time so I was a receiver so I’m used to
Catching the ball out in open field and and contested catches and things like that so just just having that in my background and then just being able to run in between the tackles too pass block on top of all of that and then just combining it all together see CU in
Fantasy football you know touchdowns are of course King but modern fantasy football we love the the reception and I just wanted to ask you too like when wanting to ask all the players when you hear fantasy football what’s like the first thing that comes to your mind are
We do we just like annoy you guys like or is it is itun understandable by the way I get it what what do you think when you hear Fantasy Football uh when I think of fantasy football I think of ignore it which you should do that’s probably the best best you have um
Whether they’re all over you telling you how good you are or what you’re doing for their squad you got to ignore it cuz it could be the next play something could go wrong and then sure that whole conversation going to change look you know as a community we try we try to be
Good about uh the way we talk to players and stuff but I I know it can get it can get messy at times so I I totally understand that uh you know you’ve been with the Cowboys your entire career uh now you’re headed uh into free agency
Obviously uh so we wanted to ask you you know going into the next few months here uh going into free agency what what is your mindset into that uh part of your life part of your career um I mean right now I’m I’m locked in um when the when
The game’s over Super Bowl’s over I’m back working out um you know back hitting it and getting it um getting to the groove of things trying to get my body back right and then just just letting the market play out and see where it goes from there tell if you’re
Back with the Cowboys so the Cowboys you made a big change last year the fantasy Community we were nervous Kell Moore wasn’t Brock back as offensive coordinator head coach Mike McCarthy resume play calling duties but you guys didn’t miss a beat you were more explosive probably the most explosive
The Cowboys offense has been in a really really long time what was the difference in Dallas last year from 2022 we’re already in a lead offense to last year you guys seemed like you’re scoring 40 points every week what was the big difference last year I would say our
Philosophy kind of changed um with Kellen we were more of a run the ball to pass to open up the pass game and um I would say with McCarthy it was more of a pass to to open up the Run game and so that was that was the reason why a lot
Of things played out how they did this and it worked it worked really well uh I mean your your passing attack both you know the receivers to Jake Ferguson to you out of the back field uh explosive throughout the season we we’re hoping you get more of that uh next year yeah
So we referenced the season the 2023 season uh we’ll ask you a Super Bowl question where you played the 49ers in early October another really really explosive offense uh but but then a really really uh Elite defense too as an offensive guy how would you say you
Might not have a great answer for this how can the Chiefs find success against this 49ers defense that really scrambled a lot of the teams they played this year what would you do if you were the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58 against the 49ers honestly the advice that I would
Say for them is you got a guy on your team named Patrick Mahomes that’s like the the second greatest thing to Tom Brady so yeah when you got somebody like that on your team it’s it’s so important that you just let them be themselves and just and let the
Game come to them and just be natural out there sometimes it doesn’t have to be complicated right you just say Mahomes so who’s more so you mentioned Mahomes that’s all you have to say is Mahomes the other guy Brock py U people have been slower to embrace fantasy guys
Like there some people just like refuse to believe he’s like an elite NFL quarterback but what makes Brock pie he’s not Patrick Mahomes no one else is Patrick Mahomes like you said like what it makes Brock where how did Brock PR is kind of nowhere like this say what makes
Brock pie a quarterback who’s now capable of starting a Super Bowl um I would say he plays within himself um he doesn’t try to do too much um he doesn’t try to force things um he does a good job of taking what the defense gives him a lot of times and then once
You play like that the defense gets they get greedy and then you know they want to make the they want to stop the short catches and the long catches and you can’t do both so that’s when you end up getting beat deep passes across the middle deep bombs down the field so he’s
He done a great job stepping in and you know being Elite last question Tony you’ve been in the league half a decade at this point the League’s kind of a fraternity I mean it’s not that everyone knows each other but anyone in particular you’re rooting for like individual players you’re happy made the
Super Bowl that you’re rooting for in the Super Bowl kind of what are like your personal story lines for the Super Bowl this weekend um I’m cheing for I’m cheing for all of backs both of the running backs um Christan mcaffrey um he’s a beast should he be in the MVP
Conversation cuz now the media we they don’t even consider running back part of like the MVP conversation he definitely should be in that conversation um I’m cheering for Isaiah peo um I’m hoping both of those those two guys have great games um really come on in the postseason could you tackle Isaiah
Pacho that’ll be tough can you can you one one time breaking into the open field can you do the peo high step you know next year just you know if you get a chance just that that hang on it it almost look painful I don’t know if I want to try
That one it’s the classic he’s angry at the ground he runs angry yeah yeah definit part description Tony thank you so much for taking the time to talk some some fantasy nerds this like our Super Bowl we’re getting to talk to Tony per this is amazing we’ve been drafting him
For years he’s been carrying our fantasy teams for years so yeah we really appreciate it yes thank you so much for taking the time stop by good luck in free agency uh you deserve a multi-year long deal and uh yeah we we’ll be drafting you next year we’re rooting for
You I appreciate it man yeah all right thanks appreciate you man join the party on the PGA tour at TPC Scottdale this week as Scotty Sheffer goes for his third straight title at the WM Phoenix Open check out all the big drives ho outs and Rowdy fans on the 16th green on
NBC golf channel as well as peacock where you can stream the entire tournament and by the way Pat and everybody listening I I’ve looked into the analytics of the Phoenix Open and I can confirm it is AE batia season so place your bets folks I’ve never heard
Of him um I’m sure he’s very good and didn’t the analytics for the Phoenix Open the WM open as is now known uh say you could no longer survive it if you attended no cuz you would have to have two and a half white claws per 30
Minutes instead of per day exactly right I would feel uh not great I I don’t think uh if I had to exceed my limit of 2.5 hard seltzers on the 16th and of course I but I would not throw my can onto the uh green when someone makes a
Hole in one I find that Unbecoming folks by the way we’ve started a GoFundMe to send you to the Phoenix Open next year so Denny will be at the Phoenix you know where Denny was last night uh was a hockey game that’s right and you’ve been
On this Earth four decades and you tell me you’ve never been to an NHL hocke you are Gary Batman’s worst nightmare you had never been to a hike what were your thoughts on the old Puck at T-Mobile Center yeah so yeah we went to go see the Vegas Golden Knights Play the
Stanley Cup champions I’m told this is what I’m told this is what we’re hearing and uh uh we we went and it was amazing the atmosphere was incredible it was a a mix of I don’t know like a uh a Coliseum and a nightclub it was you know uh and
And that was cool it was an event you know it was an event here in Vegas it was it was very Vegas e you know and uh Pat and I were talking we were like you know more teams should consider an exciting atmosphere or maybe make an arena
Intimidating once yeah I mean and you know they they tried in in so many ironic ways they they tried to make it uh an intimidating place it was very loud the music was very lad I was actually told today that visiting teams have complained about the volume of the music and that actually
Makes sense to me because I have little sensitive ears P go okay and I did see you holding your ears at one point when the guy was banging The Shield you were holding your ear well yeah it was that was the loudest noise I’ve ever heard in
My life it was actually to be fair they need to turn that down a little bit Yeah and and uh I so so I it was ringing I was ringing coming out of the the the stadium I didn’t particularly love that but the the environment was fantastic I
Had a great time and we got to see Conor McDavid Conor McDavid who is a who is a player and by the way uh I don’t know if anybody’s noticed this very fast on the ice Denny is the first person to not notice Conor McDavid fast on ice but
Yeah so listen I know modern stadiums modern Arenas they have to have their corporate sweets uh they’ve got to have their their Frills their amenities uh but yeah it would be we needed more places again called like the pit or the hole or even just a Yankee Stadium or
The Coliseum right some uh not a not a company you’ve never heard of yes and not is one thing not I’m looking around for some corporate sponsor here but I don’t want to offend any I think that’s a bad idea yeah yeah but uh CU there are
A few corporate sponsors here on radio row I don’t know if you know we we did though Denny and I declared uh you know America’s never gone but it America is various degrees of back America had never been more back than the the golden knights pregame intro it’s back it’s
Back there’s just no there’s no arguing against it it’s analytics and we’re back after two fantastic interviews puka nakua and Tony Pard puka AA one of us I would say just a just a guy I mean PA Pard was fantastic as well I mean puka like you said before the show or before
We started recording this this uh segment he could talk about anything he could he was he was talking about scrolling Twitter he’s talking’s he’s an Apple guy he’s got the Vision Pro goggles now and he told us all about it he he basically said he didn’t think
They could use it to like practice though we asked him that right and he didn’t see the applications there but I yeah puka two really really really great conversations but I like puka too uh my favorite puka answer was we ask you what were your expectations for your rookie
Year and you know a lot of them like my expectations were to be a killer you know like I’m taking time was best yeah like it’s like 2013 like I’m taking Tom Brady’s job and puka was like I had I was like I just wanted to be puka like I
Had no expectations he literally said he just wanted to make the team hi yes uh very unassuming very unassuming guy we love to see that regular guy he he thanked me by the way when he was he was leaving the set he thanked me for being
On the quote puka train he really did this actually did happen mean that really did and which means the world to me because I have been uh you know back in in June and July I was like this kid puking AA you never know you never know
It worked out after Denny and I go off the air to he’s going to tearfully call up his father dad he knows I’m on on the I’m on the p and my dad by the way is on the puka train because of me your dad you tell him this and he doesn’t respond
And you’re like Dad I I thought you think that was cool and then you can just tell he’s choked up that like they know I’m on the pooker train he’s a fan the whole Carter Clan is a fan the whole Carter Clan’s a fan but we’re done with the interviews for
Today uh I told producer Adam we don’t need another segment uh we I was like yeah we’re going to have but we needed another segment the producer’s always right um he has a Vegas themed segment for play or pass uh predictions on players next season he explained to me
These are gambling I I know what they are but play or pass play is going to be if we believe this pass is going to be if we don’t believe this Dani we’ll start with someone who’s just on the show Tony Pard uh Tony Pard finishes as
A top 10 running back next season regardless of what team he’s on we went through a Tony Pard about it wasn’t quite the season he had in mind but he wasn’t quite the health he had in mind how he felt so much better late in the
Year do you think Tony P has another top 10 season in the can he was still the RB 14 last year by total points in PPR last year so uh he’s you know he’s probably going to end up elsewhere uh do you really do you really believe that I I do
I do I I I think that the Cowboys are probably going to move on I think that there will be suitors out there for Tony he’s an unrestricted free agent you know um I think that there there will be you know at least I don’t know three four
Five teams very interested in in acquiring maybe not as a traditional lead back but but but certainly as maybe the 1A back like you know 1 a 1B kind of kind of Split Top 10 PPR that’s the only legitimate scoring format that’s that’s what we’re going to talk about uh Poss I
Think okay I’m going to say no okay but I’m going to say pass pass is the is the term we’re going with um and and it’s because I just don’t think the volume will be there um I think that you know he had a bunch of opportunities for
Touchdowns this year he didn’t cash in as We Know uh I don’t know if he gets those next year um I’m going to say play u because I think it is going to be more of like the 2022 Tony Pard rooll and it was like kind of a perfect storm of bad
Circumstances for him last year where it the first time you know he was he was the guy kind of getting run into the backs of the tackles and he wasn’t fully healthy he was talking about how he thought he was fully healthy going into the season and then he kind of learned
On the field that he just wasn’t and it’s until week 14 against Carolina I I wish Tony P I had visions of him in the mikee McDaniel offense that that that’s that can’t happen yeah because of Devon Anan locking down that role but I think
It’s going to be more of the 2022 Tony Pard rooll he’s a year he’s not rehabbing this off season and I really don’t think fantasy managers there’s going to be so many like never pared drafters right and I I do think he’s probably going to be a huge value and
You know he’s not going to be a bcal there’s like what there’s four bcal backs left in the entire NFL and he’s someone we’ve seen be a top five back without a bcal roll right so I actually do think Tony P can still be a top 10
Running back next year even when he leaves the health the health is an issue you know and I think it was clear that and he he said you know I wasn’t moving the way I’m used to moving and so sometimes we kind of gloss over injuries because modern medicine has made it so
That these formerly catastrophic injuries are not catastrophic and guys come back from major injuries without you know a year you know getting getting right physically um sometimes it does take longer I mean it’s just it just does we we’ve seen this in recent years
I think I I see your point with po yeah we’ll stick with the other guy was on the show pukaa will he run back his rookie season with another wide receiver I mean the answer is absolutely yes wide receiver one campaign well will he be wide receiver one overall I could feel
Like you can almost ask I feel like there’s no way he’s not in the top 12 it would I think it would be huge upset if if he weren’t something would have gone extremely wrong if he’s not in the top 12 next year right and and I I tend to
You know we we asked who who’s the number one receiver like a you know very unassuming very modest he laughed very hard he he knew he knew how to handle that one he just immediately started laughing he said it’s Cooper cup and that’s the right answer look you know
That he is he’s a teammate first okay uh and and so that that was the right answer FR I I don’t see any way W he’s the he’s the number one Rams receiver now he couldn’t say it he’s the number one Rams receiver now I see very
Little Avenue for Cooper Cup being the clear number one in La next year Cooper cup could still have a very profitable role but the injuries are catching up just a little bit and I just think his role is going to change and I think they’ll probably still be both top 12 I
Think they will both be top 12 and and unlike a lot of of receivers that we’re going to talk about that we talk about as potential wide receiver ones they have a distributor at quarterback a guy who never runs and who distributes the ball a lot in a pass heavy offense I
Think that we’re going to see that again so even if he’s not efficient as efficient as he was and he was very efficient this year even if he’s not as efficient I think PUK is clearly a top 10 receiver Matthew Stafford will never run once he would get very injured a good I
Endorse it Matthew do that Denny next question will jir Gibbs finish a least 100 points clear of David Montgomery he finished 37 points clear right in 2023 in PPR uh I’m passing there because uh you know looking at their season long numbers you have uh very you know very
Uh evenly distributed backfield as far as snaps go you have Dave Montgomery with 272 that that includes the regular season and the postseason uh 272 to 247 as far as snaps go uh Montgomery over Gibbs and then you have the rushing attempts uh David mcgomery had 258 to
211 uh for Gibs I don’t think that that changes a lot maybe that flips but I don’t think that that means that Gibbs is blowing Montgomery out of the water especially because as we know touchdowns are important mcgomery gets that inside the 10 uh action and Gibbs generally did
Not Denny on this one I’m going I’m going to play quote unquote or hit quote unquote or uh go completely bust quote unquote pet gambled once last week and he won he he bet the Chiefs and he won now he’s a gambling expert I just want everyone to know that I think Jamir
Gibbs will finish 100 points clear of David Montgomery I think it’s a classic like Dan Campbell like he he comes into his his house he like he like brings like the he like brings his wife into a room and like he’s like he’s like is your phone with you are you being
Recorded and he I I saw too much like jir Gibbs I saw too he can’t this is not a change of pace back this is the lead back and that he he can’t unsee what jir Gibbs did with his lead back opportunities and David Montgomery extremely valuable real life player I
Think he kind of wore down a little bit as the season and like when they kind of like the crunch time moments they were leaning on jir Gibbs and I just don’t know if that Genie can go back in the bot it’s always famous last words with
Change of pace running backs though and David Montgomery out touches him 19 to 12 in week one but I think jir Gibs will hit that 100 Point Benchmark you know just real quick I’m looking at the Pro Football Focus breakdown of the Detroit backfield from last year and I and I was
Going to say well you know mcgomery has the pass blocking Edge so he’s going to keep that role uh you know per PFF both Gibbs and Montgomery are really bad pass blockers so nevertheless uh you know we’re maybe that’s not the key uh really going to be really great when they sign
A third back to pick up the blitz both their shares go down D this one’s a layup for you you’re a Travis etn hater aren’t you uh will Travis etn not finish as an rb1 uh in 12 team leag just because I’ve questioned whether Trevor Lawrence is good doesn’t mean it
Trickles down to everybody but yeah obviously I don’t like Trev CN as a fantasy player uh rb1 um no I th this this Jags offense is just it’s it’s it’s tough to like squeeze value out of it uh unless it unless I think it changes changes dramatically uh we’d like to see
Etn running more routes uh we we definitely like to see see him getting more targets the targets were spotty sometimes you know he’d have a two or three game stretch where you say okay now like now he’s getting that sort of Target volume where we can depend on it
And then it would vanish so I I i’ I’d say pass on this one it feels like Travis etn kind of missed his moment in 2023 I just don’t quite know what that means going forward because he’s still going to be like at least 60% of the
Touches but I think he missed his moment to be like an 80% of the touches Guy where that’s not going to be his going forward role like locked in where he could have guaranteed that he was like one of the true Bellows of football last year right and I just don’t think he
Showed and you know they had already dabbled with I don’t think they wanted him ever to have that role they made the third round pick tank bsby right he he didn’t prove him wrong he just didn’t prove him wrong tank bsby happened to be the worst running back in the NFL last
Year if they get anybody else I think that they would be more prone uh uh to to use them and I think that that might ding the way the etn is used in that back field see I well he’s going to be a really really fascinating offseason but
We have time for one more D I can’t even decide they’re all so good uh okay well I’ll I’ll give you another softball in the Denny wheelhouse Jim Harbaugh will fully embrace the Greg Roman run system and sink Justin Herbert’s value making him a backend qb1 for 2024 uh yeah I
Mean he’s not going to be uh qb1 oh stop you think there’s going to be 12 quarterbacks better and no oh stop stop stop stop no no no yeah I mean no he’s not going to be top so and I think that he’ll still be useful for Fantasy but I
Think wherever if he’s drafted as like the sixth seventh eighth quarterback off the board I think that that’s a a a misjudgment of what’s going on I think with the Chargers I don’t think it’s going to be Alex Smith I don’t think it’s going to be Colin Kaepernick I
Think it is going to be Andrew Luck at Stanford where you pointed out they did remain very runhe heavy but he’s never had a quarterback like this in the NFL Jim Harbaugh I think uh Justin Herbert’s efficiency even with Greg Roman is probably going to go through the roof
And the his his volume just won’t be so empty there’s going to be a higher touchdown rate they have to totally remake their back field for one thing you know that’s true and I I just can’t Justin Herbert too is extremely durable I know he missed time this year but he
Would have continued playing if their season wasn’t over I believe and I have to I just don’t see there’s any way I think the efficiency he’s been an inefficient player so it’s dangerous to assume like one coaching change can make him an efficient player but I just think the Justin Herbert efficiency increase
Is going to be real and he’s going to stay in the top 12 look Greg Roman is the guy who in 2020 with the Ravens they asked him there’s no need everything looks bad if you remember it that’s a Simpsons quote well I remember this reporters
Asked him hey Greg what do you think about other teams knowing exactly the the plays you’re going to call and the plays the Ravens are running and he goes yeah that happens what are you going to do well that was he didn’t have Jim Harbaugh then though Jim Harbaugh to is
The straw that stirs this drink I think Greg Roman will probably be more effective back with Jim Harbaugh Jim Harbaugh is like Pete Carrol he’s the the tone Setter on both sides of the ball I’m very much wishcasting with Justin her I think something else is a
Foot in La no you think he’s going to get traded give me a maybe I’m just saying I I I really I I really do feel like the Roman hire is indicative of something something else is going on this that’s what I’ll say conspiratorial Denny Carter closing out Today’s show
Thank you so much to puka AA thank you so much to Tony Pard thank you so much to Denny Carter but of course most of all thank you so much to our listeners for sticking with us every day this week we’ll be back again on Thursday from
Super Bowl 58 radio row so for Denny Carter I’m Patrick Dy thank you so much for listening we’ll be back tomorrow bye folks
