Hour 2: Monday Night Must Win?

Interactive Transcript

spk_0 One down, one more to go here on a Friday.

spk_0 But who's counting, right?

spk_0 We have a fun one on Monday night football with the Eagles

spk_0 traveling to Green Bay to battle it out with the Packers

spk_0 for NFC supremacy.

spk_0 Packers are hoping for a better performance

spk_0 than they're disappointing, really not good at all loss

spk_0 to the Panthers in week nine.

spk_0 Meanwhile, the Eagles offense has seemingly

spk_0 figured things out.

spk_0 They should be well rested coming out of their biweek.

spk_0 And so Monday, huge game for both of these teams.

spk_0 But is it a must win for the home team

spk_0 in the Packers Cam Newton?

spk_0 Yes, ma'am, it is.

spk_0 And I will say it this way, will the real Jordan Love

spk_0 please stand up?

spk_0 We've been seeing two different phases

spk_0 and in shades of Jordan Love this year.

spk_0 Why do you say?

spk_0 It's because when I see Jordan Love versus the Detroit Lions,

spk_0 I'm like, okay, that's an MVP candidate.

spk_0 When I see Jordan Love versus the Cincinnati Bengals,

spk_0 that is an MVP candidate.

spk_0 When I see Jordan Love versus the Washington commanders,

spk_0 that is an MVP candidate.

spk_0 But I don't know.

spk_0 Contrary, when I see Jordan Love versus the Carolina Panthers,

spk_0 zero touchdowns, when I see Jordan Love versus the Cleveland

spk_0 Browns, questionable kind of performance,

spk_0 when I see Jordan Love really in the latter part of just shades

spk_0 of the Dallas Cowboys games, it's just like,

spk_0 what are we doing?

spk_0 So when I'm looking at the performances of who he is

spk_0 and how he plays, now puts the onuses of how deep

spk_0 of a playoff room can the Green Bay Packers really go?

spk_0 Now you start to say versus certain teams,

spk_0 we're starting to see a different side,

spk_0 but that's not even really accurate.

spk_0 Now when you play against a team like Philadelphia,

spk_0 where everybody knows you and animously,

spk_0 they are who we thought they were.

spk_0 It may not be pretty, but they get the job done.

spk_0 What do you do versus a Tier 1 team like that?

spk_0 And I can't wait to see.

spk_0 Evening, what do you think?

spk_0 Must win for Green Bay?

spk_0 I think so.

spk_0 I'm gonna tell you why.

spk_0 You know, it's still early enough

spk_0 to battle them with the lines we get that part.

spk_0 I think Green Bay is a team that needs

spk_0 home-filled advantage, come play off time,

spk_0 you know, to make the kind of noise we summarize they will make.

spk_0 And obviously if you lose this game,

spk_0 that goes a long way towards derailing those hopes

spk_0 because the position is Detroit to have supremacy

spk_0 within the NFC North, and ultimately

spk_0 if it comes down to that.

spk_0 But let's look at Green Bay

spk_0 from a macro perspective dating back to last year.

spk_0 They were 0 and 6 against the top three teams

spk_0 in the NFC last year, the Lions, the Vikings,

spk_0 and the Eagles last year.

spk_0 They were 11 and 1 against everybody else.

spk_0 They were 0 and 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

spk_0 In those games, Jordan Love completed 55% of this passes,

spk_0 two touchdowns for in Inceptions.

spk_0 He became the first poker, not to throw a touchdown

spk_0 and throw at least three in Inceptions in a playoff game

spk_0 as a quarterback.

spk_0 This is what we're talking about when we talk about Jordan Love.

spk_0 And so when I look at Green Bay, I see, you know,

spk_0 you got Gary, you got Michael, you got the crew,

spk_0 I got that, you can get to the quarterback,

spk_0 I got that part, all right?

spk_0 And we've seen them lose to Cleveland,

spk_0 we've seen them lose to Carolina.

spk_0 And that was primarily because of their offense,

spk_0 not because of their defense,

spk_0 they're short because their offense didn't show up.

spk_0 It's going to come down to Jordan Love

spk_0 and that pack is off, it's not think Monday night

spk_0 against Philadelphia.

spk_0 It'll go a long way towards helping them if they win the game.

spk_0 If they lose the game, it's going to be the same

spk_0 most same old pack as in recent memory

spk_0 in the most of our eyes.

spk_0 Why are we talking about Jordan Love?

spk_0 Like he has scrubbed.

spk_0 Like what are we asking?

spk_0 Like can't like, we gotta just stop reading the stats

spk_0 and talk about how this man is playing.

spk_0 Let's talk about what we saw in domination against Detroit

spk_0 and the Washington commanders to start the season.

spk_0 No, let's get to the Cleveland game.

spk_0 Absolutely, late interception can't happen.

spk_0 Matthew Golden is running down the sideline

spk_0 for a 95-year touchdown, he catches the ball

spk_0 and runs out of bounds.

spk_0 Now let's get to what we saw against the Carolina Panther

spk_0 since that's something we want to bring up.

spk_0 They're driving to score in the first quarter

spk_0 and Savion Williams gets the football stripped by JC Horn.

spk_0 These aren't things that are on Jordan Love.

spk_0 Jordan Love wasn't supposed to stop Rico Dotto

spk_0 from running the ball and absolutely decimating

spk_0 the Green Bay Packers defense last week.

spk_0 But I did watch Jordan Love lead a game winning drives

spk_0 against Arizona Cardinals.

spk_0 I saw that.

spk_0 I did watch Jordan Love throw for three touchdowns

spk_0 against the Dallas Cowboys in 337 yards.

spk_0 Oh, I did watch Jordan Love against the Pittsburgh Steelers

spk_0 in prime time, wind down at halftime.

spk_0 Though 20, 20, straight completions

spk_0 and three tutties in that game,

spk_0 I believe in Jordan Love.

spk_0 I'm not gonna sit here and say that the play of Jordan Love

spk_0 this year has been below the line,

spk_0 has been below the level of expectation,

spk_0 has it been perfect?

spk_0 Absolutely not.

spk_0 But to walk into this game against the Philadelphia Eagles

spk_0 who I still believe control their own destiny in the NFC

spk_0 and say that it's all on Jordan Love

spk_0 that Jordan Love has so much to prove.

spk_0 No, what Jordan Love can do is by winning this game,

spk_0 take that next step and say,

spk_0 Hey, because of Jordan Love, they win the Super Bowl.

spk_0 And here is my opinion,

spk_0 Matt LaFlore got to put that on him.

spk_0 Matt LaFlore got to stop thinking

spk_0 that the run's gonna lead this team.

spk_0 It's Jordan Love's time.

spk_0 He's proved that he's ready for it

spk_0 and you got to put it on his shoulders.

spk_0 And Shay knows this because she from the Midwest

spk_0 and I know she agreed with me.

spk_0 She ain't ain't saying it, but she feel it in all.

spk_0 Well, well, well, well, well, well, go ahead Shay.

spk_0 I'll let you go first.

spk_0 I'll pick you back off you Shay.

spk_0 I'll get that RC in a second.

spk_0 Go ahead Shay.

spk_0 All right, I was just,

spk_0 I was actually gonna kind of agree with our team.

spk_0 Not because of what he's done this season,

spk_0 Jordan Love, but because of what we've seen in years past.

spk_0 Jordan Love is the purest definition

spk_0 of a second half quarterback that we have seen in the NFL.

spk_0 Since he took over in 2023,

spk_0 this dude has had the highest QBR,

spk_0 the second half of the season

spk_0 of any other starting quarterback.

spk_0 Now is his time, which is why I do feel like

spk_0 this is kind of a must win for him,

spk_0 for him to shut people down that maybe don't believe

spk_0 that he has the same potential

spk_0 as some of these other quarterbacks.

spk_0 I'll say, now go ahead.

spk_0 So RC is sitting up here on national television,

spk_0 accusing us of not watching Jordan Love

spk_0 and accusing us of not recognizing the surreal talent

spk_0 that he is.

spk_0 I recall us acknowledging that.

spk_0 I recall RC acknowledging that.

spk_0 Just like we watched the games,

spk_0 we also have the pleasure of watching RC.

spk_0 If I remember correctly Shay, wasn't it you

spk_0 with RC who was on the role for Sports Center

spk_0 with the training camps?

spk_0 Wasn't Green Bay one of the places

spk_0 that you actually went to?

spk_0 I believe that.

spk_0 I think I remember it.

spk_0 I think I remember.

spk_0 I'll be far behind you.

spk_0 I need to bring that up.

spk_0 I think I remember it, right?

spk_0 And then while I watch,

spk_0 I also saw RC previewing the NFL season.

spk_0 I saw RC dissecting the greatness of Jordan Love.

spk_0 I saw RC talking about what Green Bay was

spk_0 because of Jordan Love and ultimately

spk_0 in order for them to get to the next level,

spk_0 what Jordan Love had to be.

spk_0 Now correct me if I'm wrong,

spk_0 cause it's just the English language.

spk_0 But if you are articulating and verbalizing

spk_0 what somebody is,

spk_0 but what they need to be in order to get to another level,

spk_0 that implies that they ain't there yet.

spk_0 Because something's missing.

spk_0 It turns into performance.

spk_0 Now I'm sorry if somebody you're

spk_0 saying interpreted differently,

spk_0 but me, I think that I understood and deduced,

spk_0 played plenty of what RC said.

spk_0 And not a sect, Shay,

spk_0 because you were there with them.

spk_0 I recall you asking them about Jordan Love.

spk_0 I watched it.

spk_0 It came on a sports day.

spk_0 It came on two o'clock in the afternoon.

spk_0 It was a two o'clock in the afternoon.

spk_0 And Shay actually was at 12

spk_0 because sports and a head to the air.

spk_0 And it was you that set up their Shay and say,

spk_0 hey, we know they were a good team.

spk_0 And Jordan Love is really good.

spk_0 And you even brought up his second half numbers.

spk_0 And you talking about how great it was.

spk_0 But we saw him against the Eagles last year.

spk_0 And we need to see X, Y and Z.

spk_0 And RC was like, yeah, yeah.

spk_0 He was just looking right.

spk_0 But for me to bring it up.

spk_0 For me to bring it up.

spk_0 Oh, so now's the problem.

spk_0 Okay.

spk_0 I understand.

spk_0 He watched the rerun.

spk_0 He was at the end of the season.

spk_0 Remember, he watched that.

spk_0 He was going to camp.

spk_0 Hey, Steven Anthony.

spk_0 I like where y'all at right now.

spk_0 And I'm gonna tell you this.

spk_0 Anybody who's watching this,

spk_0 Steven Anthony,

spk_0 Ryan Terry and Shay Gertrude Elizabeth

spk_0 has put it on a masterclass of how to use words.

spk_0 Since this whole episode,

spk_0 I've been keeping a run attack.

spk_0 Trepidation, Salila Quee,

spk_0 DioTribe, sensational.

spk_0 I can't pronounce that when I don't even know

spk_0 what that is.

spk_0 A deduced, what else, presumptuous.

spk_0 I don't know what even that, all those words mean.

spk_0 I don't know how to use it in a now verbal whatever.

spk_0 But you guys were nacula is something amazing.

spk_0 And I'm just letting you know, hopefully,

spk_0 I can build up the character that absolute goal

spk_0 and just a motivation and just forgot.

spk_0 I forgot.

spk_0 I'm just losing now's a verb in a way.

spk_0 I forgot.

spk_0 I forgot to mention that,

spk_0 you know, RC, the way he came at us,

spk_0 he was a bit persnickety as well.

spk_0 You can look at him too.

spk_0 You can look at him.

spk_0 Hey, I'm gonna stick you there.

spk_0 Press stick you there.

spk_0 You know, everybody, we're gonna start right.

spk_0 It's okay.

spk_0 It's all right.

spk_0 All I care is long as Kim,

spk_0 don't pull out my high school basketball film

spk_0 like he did, Gilly, I'm all good.

spk_0 All right.

spk_0 Well, we already pulled out a NFL stats.

spk_0 I think we're gonna stats for the day.

spk_0 Coming up, the 49ers,

spk_0 see if they could agree.

spk_0 I'm gonna go up the Stephen A's.

spk_0 Despite Brock Curry being sideline with injury

spk_0 for much of this season,

spk_0 is there now a quarterback controversy brewing

spk_0 in the Bay area?

spk_0 Plus a very interesting quarterback showdown.

spk_0 Gonna take place Sunday night between Aaron Rogers

spk_0 and Justin Herbert,

spk_0 which of these quarterbacks do we trust more?

spk_0 More discussion next.

spk_0 You're watching first.

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spk_0 who've smatched up blue bloods.

spk_0 Number 19, Kansas, taking on number 25,

spk_0 North Carolina, the Dean Smith Center

spk_0 and Chapel Hill.

spk_0 Coverage begins at seven Eastern on ESPN

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spk_0 Go ahead, raise your hand if you love a fairy tell ending.

spk_0 Mine's up nice and high here.

spk_0 Well, we were really close to the NFL version

spk_0 in San Francisco.

spk_0 Once upon a time, Mr. Relevant joined the 49ers,

spk_0 Sprock Purti, then took over for the injured

spk_0 Jimmy Garoppolo and leads his team

spk_0 to just one game shy of the Super Bowl.

spk_0 Purti, though, continues to play at a high level

spk_0 making pennies on the dollar in salary quarterback terms.

spk_0 He defies the odds, remains the starter,

spk_0 and then this past May gets rewarded

spk_0 with a five year, $265 million contract.

spk_0 Great.

spk_0 But then enter the drag and or the witch,

spk_0 whatever you're really into.

spk_0 This season comes around and Purti is turf toe, right?

spk_0 An injury that's been bothering him really since week one.

spk_0 Now he's been sideline since week five,

spk_0 which is when a guy named Mack Jones steps in,

spk_0 and Mack has balled,

spk_0 averaging nearly three points more per game than Purti,

spk_0 and having the offense function at a higher clip

spk_0 before being honest,

spk_0 this really throws a wrench, right,

spk_0 into that fairy tale ending for Brock Purti,

spk_0 just ask Cam who discovered it on his show,

spk_0 fourth and one.

spk_0 I'll tell you what John Lynch and old Kyle Shed ahead, don't worry.

spk_0 What's that one?

spk_0 Quarterback controversy.

spk_0 Because O Brock, O Brock,

spk_0 same way you got in.

spk_0 Maybe the same way you go out.

spk_0 Yeah, yeah.

spk_0 You John Lynch, General Manager of 49ers.

spk_0 Mack and Cheese, go get him another good-looking win.

spk_0 Brock Purti now is off the injured list.

spk_0 Where you going, G and P,

spk_0 man, I gotta stick with the high hand, bro.

spk_0 What?

spk_0 Couldn't believe it.

spk_0 So it sounds like Cam Newton.

spk_0 You believe there is a quarterback controversy brewing

spk_0 in San Francisco,

spk_0 and you think, regardless,

spk_0 they should go back to Brock Purti, am I right or wrong?

spk_0 I think that's what the contract dictates them to do.

spk_0 When you're looking at five years,

spk_0 $265 million.

spk_0 $281 million of those dollars guaranteed.

spk_0 And that contract is $2,000.

spk_0 There's a lot of money.

spk_0 2030 is what this contract is through.

spk_0 And I don't want to count pockets.

spk_0 But there's one little stanza in that contract

spk_0 that has me scratching my head.

spk_0 It's a no-trade clause in there.

spk_0 Now, understand this.

spk_0 I know Mack and Cheese,

spk_0 but I don't know this, Mack and Cheese.

spk_0 This Mack and Cheese has been playing at a high level

spk_0 that makes you start to think to yourself,

spk_0 like, where is this guy being?

spk_0 And you capable of this type of play?

spk_0 It's not even the type of play he's been efficient at times,

spk_0 and has been making plays that,

spk_0 I don't know if somebody else could,

spk_0 but this is the thing though.

spk_0 I don't want to make this more or less about the quarterback competition

spk_0 more so than talking about Kyle Shanahez brilliance as a coach.

spk_0 We've seen him get the best out of Jimmy G.

spk_0 We've seen him get the best out of Brock Pertit.

spk_0 And we've also seen him get the best out of Mack and Cheese.

spk_0 So I don't know if it's a quarterback controversy more than saying,

spk_0 do you stick with the hot head?

spk_0 Because if you do come back and you don't have that same type of efficiency,

spk_0 I don't know.

spk_0 Okay, I'm you said it right the first time.

spk_0 The contract dictates a certain thing.

spk_0 But let's think about fairy tales since Shae brought up fairy tales.

spk_0 Do you guys remember which name was most closely linked

spk_0 to the San Francisco 49ers the year that trade lance was drafted?

spk_0 It was Mack Jones.

spk_0 And we all set up here and we kept saying,

spk_0 ain't no way they're going to draft Mack Jones third overall.

spk_0 And then Kyle Shanahez said as they got close,

spk_0 they overthought it and trade lance's athleticism

spk_0 after what they saw Josh Allen made them draft him.

spk_0 Could you imagine if that was Mack Jones?

spk_0 If Mack Jones had always played in this system,

spk_0 if Mack Jones had some of the pieces we've seen the Jimmy Garoppolo's,

spk_0 some of the pieces we've seen the Brock Pertis have.

spk_0 Now, what you're doing is you're sitting back and you're thinking to yourself

spk_0 if you're John Lynch and if you're Kyle Shanahez,

spk_0 that maybe we are better off with Mack Jones.

spk_0 So what is the decision on Brock Pertis' injury is my question.

spk_0 Do we have to see him at 100?

spk_0 Do we tell him, hey, continue to take the rest of the season to rehab

spk_0 so you can be just perfect for the start of the next season?

spk_0 Because in my opinion, this isn't a decision that they're going to want to have to make

spk_0 until the off season because we cannot forget Brock Pertis brought this team to a super bowl.

spk_0 Brock Pertis was a pro-bola for this team.

spk_0 Brock Pertis became one of the best quarterbacks in the NFC for this team.

spk_0 And so there's a lot of recency bias going into Mack Jones.

spk_0 And I get it, he's playing well, but we can't forget how Brock Pertis went from Mr. irrelevant

spk_0 to especially in his bank account, relevant as hell, playing for the San Francisco 49ers.

spk_0 Brother, May 5th, 50 million out.

spk_0 53 million out.

spk_0 You know what I'm saying?

spk_0 So I hear you loud and clear on the dollars, okay?

spk_0 I mean, the dollars are the dollars.

spk_0 Mack Jones, you got to give credit when credit is due, but I completely agree with you RC.

spk_0 I don't know what the hell can was doing.

spk_0 I mean, the way he was moving and the way he was talking, what the hell you had in that mug,

spk_0 the way you was talking about Mack Jones right there.

spk_0 I'm wondering about you.

spk_0 I'm wondering about you there right there with your podcast and all of that.

spk_0 But let me say this to you overall.

spk_0 Mack Jones is two sides.

spk_0 I mean, when you look at the way he performed against the Rams,

spk_0 he's two over 200 yards, had a couple of TDs,

spk_0 with a banged up knee and missing kiddo, missing Purcell, missing Jennings,

spk_0 and he still went out there and performed lights out.

spk_0 So you got to give credit what credit is due.

spk_0 But let's understand something.

spk_0 There's a reason to believe in Brock Purdy.

spk_0 He did take him to a Super Bowl.

spk_0 He did save that franchise because when you look at what they were getting from the quarterback position,

spk_0 prior to Brock Purdy elevating himself, I mean, you just can't say enough about the dude.

spk_0 Now, Shanahan and Santerf Toes don't go away, usually in the same season.

spk_0 So certainly you'll keep an eye on it.

spk_0 And if it compromises his ability to perform in any way,

spk_0 then you can always go back to Mack Jones.

spk_0 But it's not like you can look at a Brock Purdy and say,

spk_0 okay, Mack Jones is flooring right now.

spk_0 We're going to keep you on the bench.

spk_0 You can't do that to Brock Purdy because you know,

spk_0 you don't see things that Mack Jones is doing that Brock Purdy cannot do.

spk_0 That's not you. He's not showing you that.

spk_0 That's not.

spk_0 It never happens like that though.

spk_0 And you notice RSC, nobody's going to say,

spk_0 hey, we're going to do it this way.

spk_0 There's going to be any windows and there's going to be kind of like,

spk_0 hold on, are you 100%.

spk_0 We don't need you not to be 100% Brock Purdy.

spk_0 Mack Jones is playing good football, winnable football for us.

spk_0 So why rush back?

spk_0 That type of tone is really them speaking in code.

spk_0 Now, you'll take another team and you start to say,

spk_0 is Lamar Jackson really 100% is if, and I'm not going to win Senate.

spk_0 If you have a Patrick, my homes or you have a Josh Allen gets hurt

spk_0 or gets injured in a way,

spk_0 you're going to need them back at 75% because their 75% is better than

spk_0 somebody else's 100%.

spk_0 What I'm saying is Brock Purdy is being treated delicately

spk_0 in a system say, if you're not 100%, you're good.

spk_0 And while you're being good, that may be a red flag right there

spk_0 to just say, hold on, hold on, hold on.

spk_0 What's really going on here?

spk_0 Well, let me say this to you.

spk_0 Right now, even with Mack Jones playing the way that he's playing,

spk_0 or he ranks 15th in the NFL and QBR,

spk_0 not only has Brock Purdy spent time as number one in his career,

spk_0 he's never ranked lower than seventh.

spk_0 So what I'm saying to you is that whatever we're seeing from Mack Jones,

spk_0 there's no reason for Kyle Shanahan or anybody else to believe

spk_0 that you can't get that from Brock Purdy.

spk_0 And if you can, if you believe you can get the same,

spk_0 if not better from Brock Purdy,

spk_0 and that's the dude you paying 50 million honors to.

spk_0 50 million honors. 50 million honors.

spk_0 Okay, do you know what? We gonna see him.

spk_0 That's all I'm saying.

spk_0 The thing for Mack Jones.

spk_0 The thing for Mack Jones is this though,

spk_0 how much money he can make himself while being in San Francisco.

spk_0 I believe that he has another year on this contract.

spk_0 If I'm his agent, I'm trying to see where I could be traded to

spk_0 to maximize what I was able to do this year,

spk_0 because Brock Purdy is going to be the starting quarterback

spk_0 when he's healthy enough to be that.

spk_0 But Mack Jones has shown the entire lead that he could play

spk_0 high-level ball in his lead.

spk_0 Quickly because I have to bump, one word answer.

spk_0 If though Mack Jones goes out and convincingly beats the Rams this weekend,

spk_0 does your opinion change?

spk_0 Convincingly beats the Rams,

spk_0 who's a lot of you think can win and go to the Super Bowl?

spk_0 No.

spk_0 Does your opinion change?

spk_0 No. Well you say, no.

spk_0 50 million honors.

spk_0 So no.

spk_0 Damn, yes or no?

spk_0 Yes.

spk_0 It does, see?

spk_0 We'll think about that more.

spk_0 Coming up, pay the Williams.

spk_0 What's Williams in a thrilling win over the Bengals?

spk_0 Will we see more of that version of Mr. Williams against the Giants

spk_0 on Sunday plus Aaron Rogers against Justin Herbert?

spk_0 Great quarterback showdown going to happen Sunday night in Los Angeles.

spk_0 Who wins and why is coming up next on First Take?

spk_0 Score more from the game this football season with ESPN Bet,

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spk_0 Saturday night, we got a star set of West Coast NBA and ESPN match

spk_0 of Devin Booker and the Suns played the backend of a home and home in L.A.

spk_0 against Kauai Lennon, James Hardin, Clippers, 1030 Eastern,

spk_0 730 Pacific after college football.

spk_0 The NBA countdown crew will tip off our coverage at 10 Eastern.

spk_0 Both are also available on the all-new ESPN app.

spk_0 Aaron Rogers and the Steelers are going to head to Los Angeles

spk_0 to face the Chargers Sunday night.

spk_0 Rogers has the Steelers on top of the AFC North,

spk_0 throwing for 212 yards of game.

spk_0 17 touchdowns so far this season on the other side of the field.

spk_0 Chargers have won three of their last four games.

spk_0 Herbert, throwing for 266 yards of game,

spk_0 has 18 touchdowns so far this season.

spk_0 But if we're keeping it 100% real, we have not seen Justin Herbert

spk_0 prove to be that top-top tier quarterback yet.

spk_0 And so who do you trust more in this game?

spk_0 Justin Herbert or Aaron Rogers are C.

spk_0 I trust Aaron Rogers.

spk_0 And that's just keeping it a buck.

spk_0 If you look at Aaron Rogers and the Pittsburgh Steelers this year,

spk_0 there isn't a game you point to when you go,

spk_0 ah, yeah, that's on Aaron Rogers.

spk_0 Aaron Rogers has shown up in ways for the Pittsburgh Steelers this year

spk_0 that were unexpected, being able to create in the pocket.

spk_0 Impro- improvisation and pushing the football down the field.

spk_0 And finding ways to keep this team in games like the Cincinnati Bengals

spk_0 with big throws to Pat Fryer moves that the defense finds a way to go out and lose.

spk_0 And when you look at a guy like Justin Herbert,

spk_0 he still hasn't made every play that you need to make for us to have some sort of confidence in you.

spk_0 For us to have that trust in you.

spk_0 When we talked about early on in the year through three games,

spk_0 I thought that Justin Herbert could be the MVP.

spk_0 I thought that Justin Herbert was walking on water,

spk_0 could be on top of the world.

spk_0 I said, okay, as he finally taken that step.

spk_0 And I obviously without Joe O.

spk_0 and with Sean Slater being out for the period of time that he is,

spk_0 he's falling back to the pack.

spk_0 So when I look at the quarterback that I can trust,

spk_0 that I believe in the most important moments of these games,

spk_0 it's going to be Aaron Rogers even with the lack of skill outside of DK Metcalf.

spk_0 It's a tough one because I don't blame you for saying Aaron Rogers.

spk_0 I just think that Justin Herbert, obviously younger, strong at this stage in his career,

spk_0 is better.

spk_0 But in the same breath, again, the lack of protection is going to compromise him.

spk_0 I expect that to continue.

spk_0 TJ White, Alex Hysmith combined for three sacks and two Fumbles,

spk_0 two Force Fumbles last week they showed up.

spk_0 I'm hoping something like that continues against the depleted offensive line

spk_0 in Los Angeles.

spk_0 It should continue.

spk_0 But when I look at Aaron Rogers, I'm going to go with Aaron Rogers as the answer to this question.

spk_0 But not with any ferv, not with any strong degree of confidence because he's average in like 2.7 air yards per hour.

spk_0 He was trying to out loud, which is the third.

spk_0 I'm just saying he is.

spk_0 He is.

spk_0 I mean, he's just dipping and dunking and all of that stuff most of the time.

spk_0 I'm going to see.

spk_0 Go ahead.

spk_0 Steven, what am I doing?

spk_0 I have a question.

spk_0 As the patriarch of first take, as the executive producer of first take,

spk_0 is that a thing we get to do when we come on the show?

spk_0 We get to make decisions or choices without fervor,

spk_0 like we get to say without any excitement,

spk_0 without any convincing feelings that I make or I.

spk_0 This is my take on the morning call when I ask you the question.

spk_0 And you give it one word answers to then your rushes to move on.

spk_0 Did you say this then or no?

spk_0 Because I got a problem with you giving a take.

spk_0 Well, let me say this.

spk_0 Let me say this.

spk_0 Luster added to it.

spk_0 Well, let me say this.

spk_0 Number one, you know, I don't believe in doing the show at 730 in the morning.

spk_0 You know, Dan right.

spk_0 I'm trying to get people off the phone.

spk_0 Dan right.

spk_0 I want to do it at 10 o'clock.

spk_0 I ain't trying to have a debate show at 730 in the morning.

spk_0 That's number one.

spk_0 Number two, to answer the question directly, it's first take.

spk_0 Of course I do, baby.

spk_0 You see, I'm Steve and I.

spk_0 Yeah, I get to do that.

spk_0 I get to sit up there.

spk_0 I don't have to do it at the same momentum with the same energy all the time.

spk_0 Every time I happen to have my reservations about the stimulus period.

spk_0 But I am going to go with Aaron Rogers with this particular question

spk_0 because he's minimized the mistakes.

spk_0 He's not making a bunch of them.

spk_0 And I think that he's got better protection.

spk_0 I would have loved to have seen him get another pass catch up.

spk_0 So pay with DK Matt Kaff.

spk_0 I've said that.

spk_0 But they spread the ball around.

spk_0 You got like 10, 11 different dudes that has got touchdown passes for them this year.

spk_0 Okay.

spk_0 So I'm happy about that.

spk_0 I will go with Aaron Rogers for this question.

spk_0 But I still find myself looking at them from a lot of times offensively RC

spk_0 wishing they were more than what they are.

spk_0 Okay, so then let's take it one step further.

spk_0 We all think Aaron Rogers.

spk_0 We trust more on Sunday night against the Chargers.

spk_0 But then who wins this game?

spk_0 Is it the Steelers or the Chargers?

spk_0 Different question.

spk_0 Can I go ahead?

spk_0 Can, go ahead.

spk_0 You go ask me that with.

spk_0 I was trying.

spk_0 I'm going to go with the Chargers on this one.

spk_0 But I must say, I'm going to say the reason why.

spk_0 It's becoming abundantly clear that the anchor on the Pittsburgh Steelers

spk_0 is not the defense.

spk_0 It's not the quarterback.

spk_0 I've said it since week one.

spk_0 It's the amenities that Aaron Rogers missed through once.

spk_0 We called him Discount Double Check.

spk_0 He has shown that his play is still at a high level.

spk_0 And if it wasn't for the Velcro-isk route running from the receiver's limiting separation,

spk_0 we may be mentioning him for the MVP, even at this age.

spk_0 Stephen, you said younger, stronger, better for just a hermit?

spk_0 No, you don't agree with that because one of the things that you know, and I know,

spk_0 to RC's point, we've never, not one time this year, had pointed to Aaron Rogers

spk_0 and said, bro, you lost this game because of you.

spk_0 If anything, we can say we've won games because of you, and it's not because of your arm.

spk_0 It has been because of your decision making and not putting the onus on the defense or the stress on the defense.

spk_0 And he knows that at his age.

spk_0 So when you're starting to really unpack and peel back the layers of really what's going on in Pittsburgh,

spk_0 the insufficiency has been at the playmaking positions of the Steelers.

spk_0 Nothing else, and that's where, that's why I would say the Los Angeles Chargers will win this game.

spk_0 Yeah, I'm pulling out your notebook, pulling out your notebook, because right now,

spk_0 Stephen is disquieted and apathetic.

spk_0 And so I don't want him to answer this question because when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers,

spk_0 we already know he's going to be lukewarm, right?

spk_0 We already know he's going to be a little apprehensive.

spk_0 So let me give you the answers.

spk_0 The winner of this game is the Pittsburgh Steelers because they have to be.

spk_0 Because Mike Tomlin is telling him during the week what we saw before the Indianapolis Coats is unacceptable.

spk_0 The way that this defense walked out on the field and walked off of the field against the Cincinnati Bengals,

spk_0 cannot happen again.

spk_0 20 straight completions for Jordan Love can't be a standard that we sent, that is not the standard of the Steel curtain,

spk_0 that is not the standard of the early 2000 Pittsburgh Steelers defense.

spk_0 And in talking to Jalen Ramsey, in talking to Cam Hayward, that's exactly how they feel.

spk_0 They understand they had to step up and we watched it last week.

spk_0 And I believe that this week is going to be a continuation of that.

spk_0 And I reiterate all the points that Cam Newton made.

spk_0 Everyone Rogers is playing winning football right now.

spk_0 And the rest of that locker room has to raise their play.

spk_0 We saw him do it last week.

spk_0 And I think this week is going to be consistent show of that two weeks in a row.

spk_0 Who wins, Stephen?

spk_0 So, well I'm going to go with Steelers win this game.

spk_0 I'm going to go with Steelers win this game.

spk_0 I think that the charges have shown enough vulnerabilities for the Steelers to exploit.

spk_0 I think they will do it and they will find a way to win this game.

spk_0 And I believe in Amber Rogers.

spk_0 I certainly didn't mean to imply that I don't.

spk_0 But when I look at Justin Herbert, I do consider Justin Herbert a stud.

spk_0 I do think that he's been compromised to some degree in terms of the lack of protection

spk_0 and what he's had to deal with.

spk_0 And I do think that on too many occasions, he's found himself trying to play hero ball

spk_0 because he's trying to find a way to get something done.

spk_0 That's how he's been.

spk_0 We get that.

spk_0 Amber Rogers is making far better decisions.

spk_0 But he's always made great decisions as it pertains to him being at the quarterback position

spk_0 and minimizing the turnovers and what have you.

spk_0 Amber Rogers has always been that.

spk_0 We've talked about it for years where he threw it a football away rather than throwing the assumptions.

spk_0 We were shocked when he was in the jet-tune of form and he found himself throwing the assumptions

spk_0 that he normally would never throw.

spk_0 So we get that part.

spk_0 We understand who Amber Rogers is.

spk_0 But I do think that Justin Herbert is a stud.

spk_0 He just doesn't have the personnel necessary in order to produce to the way to the degree that he's capable of.

spk_0 So you have a question for you.

spk_0 You have that new contract you got.

spk_0 What does it say on the line when Steven A. Smith is indistinct?

spk_0 It doesn't have any stars or asterisk.

spk_0 I think I'm allowed to call him out on a bill.

spk_0 He said the Steelers are going to win.

spk_0 I'll give it to him and I agree with you guys.

spk_0 I think Cam Strick in the Los Angeles school.

spk_0 Don't be stuck for you.

spk_0 He's like, I like Aaron Rogers.

spk_0 But I think the Steelers are the chargers are going to win.

spk_0 Okay, you know on PTI they do like errors or emissions at the end.

spk_0 I think we have an error here on first take because I guess we went back and checked the numbers.

spk_0 Unfortunately, the Steelers difference from 2006 to 2013 only had one game with six or more turned out.

spk_0 Oh, we didn't need to change that.

spk_0 Why we needed to fix it though.

spk_0 I didn't think we needed to bring it up either, but I think we always wanted to write.

spk_0 We needed accuracy.

spk_0 It only happened once.

spk_0 I need to be right.

spk_0 It only happened once.

spk_0 So well.

spk_0

spk_0 But you're not.

spk_0 You're not.

spk_0 I know.

spk_0 Now we got the damn double day.

spk_0 Cam ends on a high note on that one.

spk_0 Double Dutch and that.

spk_0 Exactly.

spk_0 Who double Dutch and that.

spk_0 Coming up on first take Alabama faces LSU in their first game without Ryan Kelly as their

spk_0 head coach.

spk_0 Find out why Bama cannot overlook though.

spk_0 LSU after the Blake break.

spk_0 Plus it's Caleb Williams against Jackson dark Sunday in Chicago.

spk_0 Will the Bears keep rolling or will they hit a giant speed bump?

spk_0 That's next.

spk_0 You're watching First Take presented by the United States Marine Corps.

spk_0 Here's our ABC Saturday calls for football triple header top teams in the big 12 square off

spk_0 at New N Eastern and Lubbock.

spk_0 Number seven BYU number eight Texas Tech then undefeated third ring Texas A&M.

spk_0 Since it's a top the SEC they'll take on number 22 Missouri.

spk_0 We'll cap the day with fourth ranked Alabama hosting LSU in Tuscaloosa each game.

spk_0 All right.

spk_0 Also available on the all new ESPN app.

spk_0 Fun time on a Friday.

spk_0 We're going to make some money here.

spk_0 Time to get going with Joe Fortenbach with three and no in his bets last week.

spk_0 You're feeling good right and high.

spk_0 Important to note because Steven a quite ordinary last week fighting off the pick.

spk_0 So let's see if he changes his title.

spk_0 Was that right?

spk_0 You were not right.

spk_0 I was right.

spk_0

spk_0 They just said Joe Joe was right actually but we'll see what happens this week.

spk_0 We started.

spk_0 Is it you were not right?

spk_0

spk_0 He was not right.

spk_0 We started college football LSU traveling to face fourth ranked Alabama.

spk_0 What's the play?

spk_0 No Brian Kelly.

spk_0 Steven a get on the train.

spk_0 Here we're going LSU.

spk_0 We're taking the points.

spk_0 It has nothing to do with RC stand here.

spk_0 In fact, it actually makes me quite uncomfortable.

spk_0 That's a story for another day.

spk_0 Team can go one of two ways when it fires a head coach.

spk_0 Number one it goes into the tank like Penn State.

spk_0 Number two we rally.

spk_0 We circle the ragans.

spk_0 We are going to rally in Baton Rouge traveling to take on Alabama.

spk_0 You got a very talented team here who probably didn't like their head coach.

spk_0 All that much anyway.

spk_0 So I think they're going to step up.

spk_0 This is a very talented team getting nine and a half points because they haven't been very

spk_0 good this season.

spk_0 I think this is the best version of LSU, Steven A.

spk_0 We want the nine and a half points here.

spk_0 The best version, Steven A.

spk_0 You like it?

spk_0 I'm going to agree with you Joe.

spk_0 Smart agree with you.

spk_0 I don't think that LSU is going to win this game.

spk_0 But listen, I'm going to take the nine and a half.

spk_0 I think that's too high.

spk_0 I'm going to roll with you on that one.

spk_0 I think LSU is going to make it very, very interesting.

spk_0 I think it's going to be tight because I don't like how interesting Alabama makes

spk_0 some of this stuff.

spk_0 But I'll roll with you on this one.

spk_0 Not only is LSU going to make it interesting.

spk_0 LSU is going to win this game.

spk_0 Frank Wilson brought it back to basics.

spk_0 It's no longer people having the fake accents to coach our team.

spk_0 It's people with real, true, New Orleans accents running our team.

spk_0 All the former players were back this week.

spk_0 It's a big time game.

spk_0 We're prepared after the buy.

spk_0 We're going to win.

spk_0 So Joe is right, but not all the way right because he won't stick his chest out.

spk_0 And say that LSU gets the dead.

spk_0 I don't need all that hoop line.

spk_0 Just need to come in.

spk_0 I mean, the body is on the course.

spk_0 Yeah, the C.S.

spk_0 I'm trying to say the fake accent.

spk_0 We call it an outpriced.

spk_0 I don't like that.

spk_0 That's not a fake.

spk_0 I know.

spk_0 Let's go ahead.

spk_0 The commander set to take on the Lions, of course, without Jaden Daniels.

spk_0 Remember, we went down with that really bad elbow injury last week.

spk_0 What are you feeling in that game?

spk_0 Very uncomfortable here.

spk_0 We're taking the underdog.

spk_0 We like the commanders plus the seven and a half.

spk_0 The drop off from Daniels who's been okay this year.

spk_0 Not great.

spk_0 Tomario, isn't as significant as everyone thinks.

spk_0 So, once getting more than a touchdown here at home, good play.

spk_0 Detroit's got problems on the offensive line.

spk_0 They took a step back coming into the season with the retirement of Frank Ragnar.

spk_0 Now they've got injuries across the board.

spk_0 You're going to go on the road and play outdoors with Jared Golf against a decent Washington pass rush with a bang up o-line.

spk_0 I think this game could get messy.

spk_0 I want all those points in my pocket, Steve and A.

spk_0 We like the commanders here.

spk_0 I'm disagreeing with you on this.

spk_0 I've lost all faith in the commanders.

spk_0 The season is over.

spk_0 I think they're going to get trolled by the lines.

spk_0 I'm not flowing with you on this one.

spk_0 No, you're wrong.

spk_0 Yeah, I agree with Steve and A.

spk_0 Here.

spk_0 I think it's one thing if you know your quarterback will be returning.

spk_0 But, Jayden Daniels with that really severe elbow injury,

spk_0 you don't know if he'll be available again this season.

spk_0 That sort of deflation.

spk_0 And we also have to think about the suspension of Frankie Luvu,

spk_0 who is huge to the pass rush because he can add in blitz.

spk_0 You notice the tone comes crashing down when he's too disagrained.

spk_0 Just the whole vibe stuck out of the room.

spk_0 I think though the vibe was sucked out because this ain't Daniels injury.

spk_0 Like, feel sorry for the guy.

spk_0 I'm like, oh, there's a team falling apart.

spk_0 That's also the point.

spk_0 Let's talk about the game.

spk_0 I'm a little nervous about it.

spk_0 I don't know why because the giants aren't very good yet.

spk_0 My bears, they played well against the library.

spk_0 Good bangles team last week.

spk_0 What are you talking about here?

spk_0 You're a bears fan.

spk_0 We got your back.

spk_0 Giants plus the four and a half.

spk_0 Giants plus the four and a half here.

spk_0 Here's the thing we should have.

spk_0 There are successes way to dependent upon turnovers.

spk_0 Turnovers are the best predictor of wins and losses that we have.

spk_0 Yes, but they are way to dependent on turnovers.

spk_0 Five wins this year, they have forced 18 turnovers.

spk_0 And there are three losses.

spk_0 They forced one turnover.

spk_0 For some, or have some games where you stumble a little bit, find a way to win.

spk_0 But if they aren't forcing an inordinate amount of turnovers, they're not winning football games.

spk_0 The Giants, for as crazy as they've been this year, they don't commit a ton of turnovers.

spk_0 We like the four and a half points here.

spk_0 Oh, darn it.

spk_0 I don't.

spk_0 I don't. I'm a disagree with you on this as well because the giants are horrible against the run.

spk_0 And I think that Ben Johnson is going to dial up, go dial it up, and he's going to be running a ball all over the New York Giants.

spk_0 And that's going to be enough to demoralize them defensively because those cats, they have been, you could see plays with a defense like, they're not even trying sometimes.

spk_0 They're not even trying.

spk_0 Offensively, don't you don't have scatterboard.

spk_0 I'm going, I think you're wrong in this one.

spk_0 I'm going, I'm not taking the Johnson plus.

spk_0 Here's why I take the points.

spk_0 I think the bears win.

spk_0 But what we saw or what we've seen from the New York Giants is, not only can they rush the passer,

spk_0 but they find ways to move the football with Jackson Dart.

spk_0 And if you go back to last week as great as they played both running the ball and Caleb Williams being clutch,

spk_0 this defense was extremely loose against the Cincinnati Bengals.

spk_0 You don't need to tell me, you tell him, you tell it three and a, and he fits in the face against.

spk_0 I know, but you really went out of limb here when you went against the bears.

spk_0 We always go in against the command, I went with them.

spk_0 What's not good enough?

spk_0 Well, you want to go, what's one and two going to do for your life's life?

spk_0 I would say this.

spk_0 One and two set your lifestyle back.

spk_0 The one thing about Joe, though, he don't just make these decisions based on what he feels.

spk_0 He was trying to explain to me one day, see, you take this into account and then the game's going to blow this way.

spk_0 And this person coming off of a, a meal with steak and cheese, he behaves like this.

spk_0 Oh, Joe, the real deal.

spk_0 Like damn, Joe, the other guy is feeling.

spk_0 No, the other guy is feeling.

spk_0 That's not his bait on how I broke it down, but that's, that's, that's part of it.

spk_0 These papers are like the real deal, Shane.

spk_0 Yeah.

spk_0 He's very in form, Shane.

spk_0 He's the real deal.

spk_0 He's very in form.

spk_0 He's just wrong half the time when he goes against me.

spk_0 That's all.

spk_0 Oh, that, yeah.

spk_0 You know what?

spk_0 I, I, I walk off.

spk_0

spk_0 I'm walking off.

spk_0 He goes, you know what?

spk_0 That's just like that.

spk_0 That's not even a walk off of that little panel.

spk_0 He was home that night when he got married.

spk_0 What is happening?

spk_0 Do you want to give Monday's headlines on a Friday?

spk_0 We'll give a video, okay?

spk_0 Stick around.

spk_0 As we project, what we will be talking about on first take after Sunday's slate.

spk_0 That's next.

spk_0 This is first take.

spk_0 Score more from the game this football season with ESPN Bet, the sportsbook for sports fans.

spk_0 Right now, new customers get $100 in bonus bets when you bet $10.

spk_0 Sign up with promo code first take to get started today.

spk_0 First take is presented by the United States Marine Corps.

spk_0 Happy 250th birthday Marines.

spk_0 It's been a fun week on first take here.

spk_0 And by Friday, we're all pulling out words that we haven't used since Monday.

spk_0 And you know, it's been keeping track of them.

spk_0 Cam knew, apparently, Cam, our production staff has been keeping track as well.

spk_0 Look, I'm impressed.

spk_0 I don't think I said one of those words, but I'm impressed with the rest of y'all.

spk_0 Listen, this is a good day for those words now.

spk_0 Go ahead, Cam.

spk_0 I'm mad that I just didn't track who said the word.

spk_0 But best believe, Steven Anthony and Ryan Terry starting next week.

spk_0 As soon as the word, leave Joe Asophicus.

spk_0 Hopefully, I'm going to track and cite who in dog old comes from because those are a lot of SAT words that unfortunately I didn't do good on.

spk_0 I need good on the ACT.

spk_0 That's all right.

spk_0 At least he didn't.

spk_0 Well, Cam, what I would say to you is that even though you have that smile on your face that can be a bit disarming,

spk_0 it doesn't negate the fact that the attitude that you're bringing towards me and RC may be a bit truckulent.

spk_0 That's all right.

spk_0 So as a result of that, I would ask you to keep that in mind and the tone, the delivery, the presentation, all comes together.

spk_0 Just keep that in mind, sir.

spk_0 You know what word you did have, Cam, that I didn't love giving me the little name.

spk_0 There's truckulent?

spk_0 Cam didn't love that.

spk_0 There are truckulent.

spk_0

spk_0 There are truckulent.

spk_0 I don't get it.

spk_0

spk_0 And now on verb, adjective.

spk_0 Like, you can use it in a sentence as like, not just, just did, but.

spk_0 Yeah, I know, but give you another one.

spk_0 Cam's going to be reading the dictionary I think from here until Monday.

spk_0 I was going to ask you what the headlines going to be.

spk_0 If it's all going to be.

spk_0 It's all about...

spk_0 He can't stop.

spk_0 It's all about the headlines for Monday.

spk_0 The headlines for Monday is the New England Patriots beat the tap-a-bay Buccaneers and Drake May is now the leading candidate for most valuable player.

spk_0 Oh, do we like it quick?

spk_0 No, no, no, no.

spk_0

spk_0 Oh.

spk_0 San Donald.

spk_0 That was a tricycle.

spk_0 San Donald.

spk_0 As much as you had,

spk_0 San Donald,

spk_0 tricculate.

spk_0 I'm so tired of Steven A. Smith,

spk_0 just picking and choosing what to say.

Hour 2: Monday Night Must Win?

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