Primetime Blitz - 2005 Offseason & Week 1
Hosts Peter and Justin return after a one-year hiatus to analyze the 2005 NFL offseason and the opening results of Week 1. The episode features a comprehensive game-by-game breakdown of Week 1 scores, including a high-scoring 42-39 duel between the Patriots and Bills and a dominant 53-25 victory for the Broncos over the Bengals.
We also discuss significant injuries to key players like Rodney Barber and Marshall Faulk, and evaluate team strategies for the upcoming season. The conversation concludes with division-by-division predictions, identifying the Cowboys, Patriots, and Rams as top contenders to watch.
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Primetime Blitz - 2005 Offseason & Week 1
[00:00:00]
Peter: Well, welcome everybody to Primetime Blitz. I'm your host, Peter Finger, and I'm joined by my co-host Justin.
Hey Justin. How's it going?
Justin: It's going real good. Uh, nice to be back with you. It's been a season since we've done this, so glad we could pick it up again.
Peter: Yeah, absolutely. You know, I, uh, I'm encouraged by some of the feedback that we got about our show. So nice to pick it up once more. And, uh, excited to talk to you about our whole off season, because you're right, we haven't met since a year ago and, uh, a entire season had played out with the, uh, championship San Diego Chargers winning the, uh, the Super Bowl.[00:01:00]
But now we get to turn a leaf and, uh, we get to welcome week one. And, uh, I know you wanted to start off this broadcast with going over week one score. So why don't we start there. Take it from here.
Justin: All right, thanks, man. Um, I'm gonna read off the game matchup and what the ultimate score is. If you have any any insight or anything you wanna share, just let me know.
Um. So starting off with actually your matchup Falcons and Cowboys. Cowboys looked like they were able to pull off the win with the 26 over 10. It looked like they did most of their damage in quarter two. Any thoughts there?
Peter: Yeah, I mean, well, just from my own understanding of the game flow mistakes on special teams leads to a fumble touchdown.
You kinda take that away and we've got a closer game. You know, nice to see our team put up some points. It just sucks that it takes till the fourth quarter. I think that the cowboys are a pretty special roster, so I'm not gonna [00:02:00] put too much weight into my own performance, but, uh, I think it's a more indicative of the cowboys and what they can achieve.
It's four field goals on, uh, on the cowboys part. I guess from my, my side, I guess I'm proud my defense could hold them to only one touchdown in this game.
Justin: All right moving on to the next matchup. Uh, this was the Cardinals and the lions. Lions are gonna be one team I emphasize later in the off season.
Part of our show. But that score ended with the Cardinals being 13 to 26 and, um, based off some of the moves that lions did, especially at quarterback, I feel like this is a very predictable score. No offense to the Cardinals, it's just I know they have a little bit more time while they're still building Philip Rivers.
Peter: Yeah. Well, you know what? I think the bigger part is, is that the, uh, the lions are showing off their [00:03:00] new quarterback, so they, uh, traded for Donovan McNabb. I think we're starting to see a little bit of that. I'm kind of curious that it was a close game up until the fourth quarter. So, uh, we'll see how the, uh, the lines transition, but they've got a, uh, fun roster and, uh, exciting to see some of these young guys finally have a veteran quarterback to, uh, kind of lean into.
Justin: All right. Uh, next matchup. This is the one that when I was looking kind of at the outcomes of each game, probably took me most at surprise. And it wasn't just because of the score, how low it was, but Ravens lost against the Steelers. Three to nine, looks like no touchdowns were scored. That was purely field goal.
Now granted, I know that the Ravens have a sophomore quarterback, so they're still going through the growing pains, but I don't know. I mean, three to nine, I was expecting they would probably have a better outing on offense more than just a field goal.
Peter: Yeah. Pretty [00:04:00] interesting. You know, I know Cody Pickett is, uh, definitely learning under the Ravens, but it says something about a nine to three score.
Uh, you know, these are divisional rivals and we kinda get funny, funny scores in those kinds of matchups. But I think even more interesting was just the Steelers didn't have more of an offense. You know, they traded for Trent Green and La Damian Tomlinson, and, uh, it doesn't seem like either made an impact in this, this scoreboard.
So, uh, I think questions for both teams, but it is week one and it is divisional t matchup. So maybe there's like not too much weight you put into it.
Justin: Alright. Looking at the next matchup, it's the Jets and the Redskins. Brent Ski Redskins won this 12 to seven. I mean, once again, you're dealing with some younger quarterbacks, or at least less developed on, on both teams.
We, we got to see the debut of Alex Smith, the first overall pick. [00:05:00] And it wasn't that exciting coming out the door, but that's not anything really new when you're dealing with younger rookie quarterbacks.
Peter: It's true. Yeah, I mean, he's actually got like an 8.7 QBR, so nothing incredibly awesome about that.
But I also know it's kind of a different team you're throwing to Anthony Beck and Jerome Mathis might not be like the best receiving core. In fact, the one loan touchdown from the Jets comes from the rushing Thomas Jones. So, uh, I dunno, there's a little bit more to be desired, but The Redskins defense is, uh, is pretty young and I think, uh, they're developing something special. Uh, I think it does say something about the Redskins managing to get into field gold territory four times. So, you know, if that's something that you can take away for your, your roster and your offense they think that's one, one positive.
Justin: Uh, next up we have the Raiders and Titans. Uh, Titans ended up winning this 1 28 to [00:06:00] 14. They just, uh, acquired Dante Cole Pepper from the Vikings. I mean, it's Brian and his team's always competitive and I always feel like they're in playoff contention. So this score to me is not very surprising just for how quality caliber that roster typically is.
Uh, I don't know if you have any other takes on that matchup.
Peter: Yeah, I mean, I expect the di the Titans to be pretty good this season. It does seem like, uh, Dante Cole Pepper could be the difference in that, that offense this season certainly seems like the rest of the roster is pretty steady. I think that.
Two touchdowns from the Raiders is, is encouraging. Uh, they've got a new quarterback at Derrick Anderson. So you know whether or not they, uh, can keep this going. I think, uh, it was a tough Titans team and the, uh, Raiders did a pretty good job of at least hanging into the half. So, you know, you might not have won this week, but you can go into, uh, the next week knowing that you've got some pieces in place.[00:07:00]
Justin: Alright, um, next up we have the Jaguars and Panthers. Jaguars won 30 to 10, so it wasn't really that close. Um, looks like they did most of their scoring in the second quarter. And, uh, Panthers only scored in the first quarter and we went blank for the last three. Um, this also seems pretty right. I mean, Jaguars have Steve McNair, who's a vet aging, but he is still a vet.
And Panthers, you know, I feel like they're still in the, they're, they're still in development phase, so. This doesn't feel too shocking to me in any way.
Peter: Yeah, Jaguars are another interesting one. 'cause you're right, they did trade for, uh, McNair in this off season and they've already got a pretty strong running game with Fred Taylor.
I dunno could be indicative of a sneaky team, uh, this, this playoffs for the Jaguars. As for the Panthers, look, I know that they've, uh, made some changes and transitions from their roster. But you know, I, I think that the Jaguars [00:08:00] defense is kind of tricky. So, you know, I think you take your 10 points and try to build off of it.
Justin: Alright, uh, next matchup is the Bears and 49 ERs. That score 49 ERs squeaked by with the 19 to 16 win. So it was a field goal that came in overtime that gave them the ultimate win. You know, from both quarterbacks, Aaron Rogers was picked 1.2 this season. I believe 49 ERs. Quarterback is only, this is his second year.
So they're both young offenses. So this feels like about right for that kind of matchup.
Peter: Yeah, it's really strange. You know, I remember looking at the San Francisco roster and trying to figure out like, what does this team look like? Because on paper, you know, I, I think it, it looks like they need development, but you know, Lastman's got a 9 91 QBR for this game.
You know, they end up scoring. A number of field goals [00:09:00] for this one. So it's, it's pretty interesting to kinda see the, the box squad on this one. I, uh, I think it probably would've been a much closer game had, uh, you know, mistakes not led into a defensive touchdown. That's really the difference in this game.
But, uh, I think the Bears can be pretty happy with how their roster is developing. Again, I think that both of these teams are teams that want to build onto the, the guys that they have. Um, and it certainly seems like certain things are, are kind of falling into place. I think Aaron Rogers is, uh, first game is a encouraging one as they, uh, continue to look to get some stability on that franchise.
Justin: Yeah. And one la last quick note, I was, I was actually kind of surprised to see that 49 ERs got rid of Terrell Owens.
Yes.
Justin: So, I'm curious you know how his weapons will perform at receiver. Yes, this season
Peter: valid point.
Justin: [00:10:00] Uh, next matchup is Texans and Dolphins, Texans 1 22 17. Texans are obviously, and dolphins are both in hard divisions, but you know, I saw a lot of buzz around the Texans, um, this year from some other GMs thinking that they've made, they're making the right moves and moving in the right direction, and definitely starting off with a win is a good way to start that off.
Peter: Yeah, most definitely. It, it did seem like the, uh, Texans have made some good moves this off season. I think Chad Pennington as being a critical piece on how that roster develops. But you know, I know the Dolphins have been trying to build their roster and it's a young one. I think 17 points is a competitive game.
So you know, whether or not you, you sort of won or lost this game. I think both teams look pretty good in this light. Um, and, uh, curious to see how the rest of the season shakes up. I am both.
Justin: All right. Uh, next up we have the Saints and the Seahawks. [00:11:00] Uh, saints are a, still a young team. They have Ben Rothberg under center who was drafted 2.9 of last season, so he's only in his sophomore year. And they kept it close with the Seahawks, who a lot of people have, you know, not a lot of people think they're either gonna be making the playoffs or even winning the division this year.
So, final score for that was the Seahawks 1 31 to 27 and most of their scoring came in the quarter two. Any any thoughts there?
Peter: You know, I, it, it's interesting because the Seahawks are building such a different roster. Then, you know, other GMs and the Saints are building a different roster as well.
You kinda look at that receiving core and everybody is like six, five and, and taller. They also were the ones to land Terrell Owens, where we previously mentioned from, uh, San Francisco. So it's kind of curious how the [00:12:00] roster wants to be built in New Orleans. Like whether or not they wanna go young with Matt Jones and Corina Osgood, or they wanna go veteran like Terrell Owens and, uh, blinking on the other name, but I know they've got a couple other vets on there.
So, uh, really tall roster, it seems like that seems to be working for their air attack. But the Seahawks, again, very interesting roster in the fact that Jacobi Ford ended up beating the run total mismatch on this game and ended up with four touchdowns. That's really unique and bizarre. I think that that's like a stat line only happens with the Seahawks.
So, you know, I, I think that this is an encouraging sign for the Saints but also a very unique immersion of a rookie, uh, wide receiver for the Seahawks. Curious to see how Jacoby Ford breaks out for the rest of the season. 'cause at this pace he's like stated to break out for like 2000 yards.
Justin: All right.
Uh, next matchup [00:13:00] is the Buccaneers and Eagles. Eagles won this 1 34 to 24. I'm not going to put too much weight in this matchup 'cause after seeing the box score and who was injured, I mean, Buccaneers went through four quarterbacks in one game. I've never heard of that before. So this seems like this might've just been a fluke.
I can't put too much weight in this at this point.
Peter: Yeah, that's true. I, I didn't take a look at the film, so I, I can't tell you like how those injuries happened, but when you start to go deeper into your depth, that makes it harder for, uh, for offenses to perform. That being said, 24 points is a good one.
Eagles are kind of interesting right now. So Eagles have their quarterback, Giran Hamden, who they're committed to developing. And look, if they can, uh, manage to put up 34 points each week, that is going to be a tremendous amount of growth very quickly. Kind of an interesting roster in the sense that they've got a lot of young, wide receivers that should [00:14:00] grow with their quarterback.
So this should be pretty interesting. Again, the, the Buccaneers have a pretty solid veteran defense. So if anything, you're the Eagles and you're walking away with a pretty good idea that you're headed in the right direction for the Buccaneers. I think you kinda have to take your lumps and the fact that you've gone through your entire depth of your quarter quarterbacks and uh, see what you can take for this week and move on.
Justin: Oh, right. Next matchup. Uh, we have the reigning Super Bowl Champs Chargers versus their divisional rivals, the Chiefs. This final score for this was Chargers over Chiefs 12 to 10. The score doesn't surprise me. I think we're gonna be seeing a regression at Chargers this year. Just for the fact they're going back to Eli Manning who missed most of the season or missed chunks of the season last year due to injury. So he's still gonna have a lot of growing pains. And then LaDainian Thomason was [00:15:00] traded as well to the Steelers, so they lost a key part in their running game, which you would think they would wanna lean on.
So I'm not expecting as much from the Chargers this year, but congratulations. They pulled off a, a close game victory, 12 to 10.
Peter: Yeah, it's kinda interesting because it looked like the Chargers made some changes on offense, but they kept their defense relatively the same.
And so I think what we're seeing here is, is that they can keep teams in check. They just need to do enough on offense, you know, to get a win, again, another divisional game. So it can be very close. I think that the Chargers could be a little bit more worried, the fact that they only kicked field goals.
You know, the chiefs are kind of wired, their roster is wired a little differently and the fact that they're kind of boomer bust. So I think that the Chargers can take away that by saying, our defense is in the right space. We just need to figure out how to get to move the ball. So, you know, four trips to the field goal range is, uh, is not bad.
But, you know, you [00:16:00] hope to see some touchdowns, especially if you're trying to get development for, uh, your younger wide receivers.
Justin: All right. Uh, next matchup is the Patriots and the bills. I would consider this probably the matchup of the week, just 'cause both of these team rosters are packed and they always seem to have very close battles.
And in their fight for taking the division. This time the Patriots came on top 42 to 39. So both high scoring games and a very, looks like it came down to a field goal, determined this matchup. Yeah, I mean, congrats to the Patriots. I think the bills, I know the bills their GM was down on their team thinking they're not gonna be that good this season.
I still disagree with that, but this could be a matchup that determines that division. So.
Peter: Yeah, I, I would agree the, like both of these teams are very close in competition. I do give, give the slight edge to the Patriots just to how consistent their team has been from this year to last.[00:17:00]
Um, I think the bills have made some changes good changes but I also think that their receiving core needs a little bit more time to cook, whereas the Patriots are kind of on pace. Um, this is a tough one, right? 42 to 39, that's a very close game. It could have been either way. They probably end up splitting later in the season as divisional matchup.
But as you said that this could, uh, really determine who gets first in that division.
Justin: Yeah, and I also feel, you know, with Tom Brady being understanding for the Patriots and starting off kind of young, you know, each year he's gonna get better until he starts regressing. But up to then he's more and more of a threat.
Um, next up is the Colts and the Browns. To me, there's nothing shocking here. Final score. Colts win 28 16.
Peter: Yeah, the Colts are, uh, are trying to carry over the team from last year. A few lesser pieces on offense, like the loss of Marvin Harrison. [00:18:00] But the, uh, Browns are certainly in a, a era of transition and that they're still kind of growing.
They certainly have an opportunity with, uh, Tim Couch and Larry Fitzgerald, but I think the cults are still another one of those top teams in the PTL before, uh, before we start to see some aggression there.
Justin: Right. Uh, next game is my game. The Rams at the Giants. Um, Rams won 36 to 27. Unfortunately, I lost Mar Marshall Falk in this game, and Kurt Warner was knocked out for most of it.
I would say the big surprise to me was the step up that Mark Bulger did you know, showing a four touchdown performance. Making me wonder if he's, uh, ready to take, uh, take the reins for more, but who knows?
Peter: Yeah. Giants signed a, a big contract extension for Tony Romo this off season, so it seems that this is gonna be his [00:19:00] offense.
Rams are still like the premier offense in this league, so, no doubt in my mind a 30 plus point performance each week.
Justin: Alright, next max up is the Broncos and the Bengals. This was one of the blowouts of this week with the Broncos beating the Bengals 53 to 25. Looks like a very dominant performance.
I don't know if there, if this is something to expect all the week season through. I know that the Broncos still have a pretty raw quarterback. Their quarterback is Chris Sands. Chris Sims,
Peter: yeah. So
Justin: he is only 24 with 70 awareness. Um, it could just be the Bengals struggling at, you know, still having a young offense themselves.
So I don't know what to take from it. But, you know, 53 points is nothing to shy away from and, you know, definitely puts them on the ortis on a team to watch.
Peter: Yeah, it certainly is. You know, the, the Broncos are [00:20:00] one of these teams where they have been building their roster each year. And so it'll be interesting when they get to a point to where they finally, you know, overcome that Hump two Super Elite because they certainly have some pieces there.
Three touchdown performance from Chris Sims is really encouraging. And it always helps when your running back gets 154 yards and two touchdowns. So I think you take away that they've got a very good offense and a really competitive team. I think it's gonna be interesting as they compete with the division.
You know, the Bengals they have been building their roster each year, um, and making some pretty good moves. You know, I, I think when you see performances like Chad Johnson, you know, you've got, uh, some quality guys on your team and Carson Palmer, I still think is like the right guy there.
You know, you just keep on building and, uh, I think when you compare your team to the rest in the [00:21:00] division, I think it makes kind of an interesting argument for, uh, the future in Cincinnati.
Justin: And then finally we have the formerly I would say these were the two top teams in the NFC, the Vikings and the Packers Packers ended up winning that 1 41 to 34. As we mentioned earlier, Vikings had made a big trade of Dante ep. And now have Brooks Bollinger a younger quarterback at under center.
You know, I, at first I would say this was a big advantage to the Packers, but after looking at Brett Fav and Bollinger's ratings, you know, fav only had a 80.2 QBR, whereas Bollinger only had 78.4. So maybe it won't be as devastating to his offense as Yeah, moving forward. It looks like one interception between the two quarterbacks might have been the difference.
Yeah. But you know, I, I, [00:22:00] I definitely think the Vikings are taking a step back and I'll go into this further later on, but the Packers, you know, 41 points looks like they're still in their high scoring offense, which puts them as a, a clear competitor for that division again.
Peter: Yeah. I, uh, this is definitely one of those divisional games that are going to you know, put a lot of pressure on both teams and how it decides the division.
As you mentioned, the Vikings did make a big change at quarterback, so it kind of questions, you know, what does the offense look like after that? Right. But I think it's really encouraging to see your quarterback throw three touchdowns and he's only, what, 25 years age. And you have so much ahead of him, I think that can be really encouraging.
You know, they're not all gonna end up like this, all these games with 34 points to rely on. And I still think that the Packers are the team to beat in that division, but when [00:23:00] you make a change at quarterback and you still put up 34 points, I think that can be really encouraging as you start to get an idea of what your roster looks like after that trade.
And so I think Vikings are sort of in a better spot than they were in week zero of preseason. So, uh, I'm warming up to the Vikings, but you know, this is Packer's game and one of those games that can help define the division.
Justin: Yeah. So, um, you know, those are all the matchups. I think overall I didn't see anything shocking to me.
They seemed all about. What you might expect at this point. Before we move off though, the week one, I wanted to cover some injuries and get your thoughts on it. Um, so, you know, like every week we always have some injuries that take place. Unfortunately, that's just part of the game. I decided to pull out three names of players that are gonna [00:24:00] be witnessing multi-week injuries.
And I wanted to get your your point of view on it and how severe you think those injuries are to the roster and team. You know, I kind of have this rating system of, do you think it's a bandaid? Meaning they're, it's just a scratch. Put a bandaid on, move on. You'll be, the team will be fine. Stitches is, is, it's more serious.
It's gonna take a little bit more effort, though they can still survive, but it's still gonna be noticed. And then, you know, surgery is, they is a full on. They just lost someone that's gonna really tank their season or you know, this could be really devastating. Yeah. So with that, I'm gonna start off with the Browns and Brian and front front safety.
Brian Scott. He had a broken wrist that's going to sideline him for eight weeks. How are you seeing that injury as far as a bandaid, stitches or surgery? How devastating should the speed of the roster?
Peter: So, yeah, it, it's devastating to lose a up and coming guy on your roster. Like [00:25:00] Scott is, uh, you know, it seems like he was in pace to take the starting role. You know, it hurt, it always hurts development when you have to sit out a year or longer. So for Scott to be lost, you know, when you're thinking about this roster from a a multi-year development, I think it hurts.
You know, they do have a backup in Cory Hall and he can be serviceable. I think it's going to be one of those, more of a bandaid than a stitches, just because Scott's already kind of in development. But for safety, safety is an important role. You know, you, you don't want to, uh, have to resort to. Your depth by week two.
But I think because of where Scott's at in its development and because they already have hall on their team that's gonna be a less of a loss than, you know, some other teams. So it's tough, but I think that they'll persevere and uh, I think the biggest loss is really just Scott's inability to get back onto the [00:26:00] field.
Justin: Yeah. When I took a quick look at the roster and saw that they had Cory Hall, I felt Cory Hall's further in his development and more seasoned. So to me, out of those two, Scott was more of the backup. Um, yeah, to your point, if they're looking to develop him long term, then that sucks. But for this season, as far as making them competitive, I felt it's minimal.
They could just sign another backup and they'll be fine. Yeah. Um, so I gave it kind of a bandaid rating as well. next up is unfortunately my running back, Marshall. Um, he got a broken jaw for seven weeks. Because I was able to bring on Stephen Davis. I went ahead and I said, this is stitches. I was hoping to have a one-two punch with Fal and Davis.
But now it looks like that Davis is going to have to take the, the blunt of the load moving forward for the next several weeks. And I mean, with injuries like a broken jaw or any multi-week injury, it might be more [00:27:00] than seven weeks. It could be 10 or whatever it comes down to be. So it's gonna be noticed, but I don't think it's the end of my, it's, I don't think it's the end of my roster because I have Davis to fill in.
Peter: Yeah, I would agree. Again, I still think that the Rams are still the premier offense in this league, so your inability to run the ball isn't gonna affect the points scored just because of your quarterback and wide receivers you have on your roster. You know, it does slow you down a little bit, the fact that you don't have Marshall Falk, but Davis is built in a way that's very similar, so, you know, where you might have not have Falk right now, and he does add a quality to the team.
I still think that Davis can carry enough of the weight to where you'll still probably get a lot of mileage out of him, even though, uh, Davis is, you know, technically the second back. He's a starting caliber running back.
Justin: Yeah. All right. And then, uh, finally out of [00:28:00] these injuries, luckily it was kind of a light week for major injuries, but the last one on here is cornerback, Rodney Barber.
For the bucks. He got a broken hand, he'll be gone for four weeks. I would say that this is stitches to borderline surgery. Just for the fact that Barbara is a key piece to that secondary and losing that kind of piece. I mean, you're, you're, it's gonna be felt when people can pass on you and you don't have that safety blanket to help out in, in the, in the secondary as much.
So, I don't necessarily think it's the end of the world, but I do think it's more than just annoying.
Peter: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I would agree. I do think that there's enough experience on the Bucks defensive backs that they can still cover a majority of receivers. You know, I do think that this really hurts them in a sense that that loss of cornerback could be the difference in being competitive, more [00:29:00] competitive in the division.
So kinda curious to see how it might affect them from a playoff standpoint. But just looking at their depth, they've got, you know, Brian Kelly can kinda step into it and either Coleman or Miller can kinda step into it. They both have their safeties that are pretty experienced that can help out. But it certainly hurts them in, in a thinner depth.
And, uh, we'll be kinda curious to see what they decide to do, whether or not that's a injury that puts them for IR for the season in order to save cap space. Or it means that they're signing somebody else or making a trade. So, kinda curious to see how their roster shapes up. But, uh, yeah, that one hurts.
Cornerback is an important position.
Justin: All right. Um, that covers the major injuries and our matchups for week one. Was there anything else you wanted to mention for week one before we move off?
Peter: No, it's just really great to watch football again, so I'm, uh, very grateful for the broadcasters and everything that they do.
But I'd [00:30:00] love to take a step back and talk a little bit about our off season and how we got there.
So, uh, let me just start off, and this can be like really easy. We don't have to get like heavily into depth, but I'd love to get your thoughts on the off season as a whole. What was your strategy for your team this off season, and, uh, how do you think your roster sits now compared to last year?
Justin: Well, um, for me personally, my strategy hasn't been too crazy as of late.
I was lucky to start off with a pretty strong roster and my window is pretty open, so it, for the most part it's been filtering out the guys that are either aging out or departing. But also trying to replace them with you know, equitable players and maintain that certain standard right now. So,
Peter: yeah.
Justin: Um, with the mentality that my window is closing, I haven't, I haven't decided to pull the trigger in a rebuild per se. Mm-hmm. It's more of trying to just [00:31:00] maintain the, the quality I have right now and see if that can get me through the, across the finish line at least one more time. So this is probably one of my last seasons, if not next, where I really have to seriously think, you know, where I can, where I can kind of hang on to what I had.
But then I have to start really making some bigger moves at some key positions, especially quarterback is what I'm main primarily thinking about right now. Yeah. So, um, you know, but with that in mind I wanted to bring Warner as many weapons as possible. So I didn't make a lot of, whole lot of off season moves, but the one move that I I did like actually came in last season when I had the opportunity to bring in Santana Moss Right.
To pair up nicely with Tory Holt. Mm-hmm. So, I'm really excited and I was able to bring Derrick Mason. I know he's aging, but I thought he could fill in as a solid wide receiver three. Right. So I really wanna see if I can get that passing threat more established this time. One opportunity that didn't, [00:32:00] I didn't see coming that kind of presented itself during the draft, I believe because of cap issues.
Um, the Steelers trading me Stephan Davis for a late seventh.
Peter: Yeah, it's crazy value.
Justin: He, I felt like was, as I think you mentioned earlier, he was, he's comparable to f So even though I lost Marshall for seven weeks. Being able to bring him in at the price I got him. I think that was a steal for me at that point.
And, um, you know, he is kind of saved my season. So there's, those are kind of the couple of highlights that I really felt in my, my, my thinking on my strategy for this year.
Peter: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I, I saw that in your roster as I kind of took a look at your two seasons in transition. Can you do a nice job of looking for opportunities in the current season in order to think about your future?
So, you know, you talked about Santana Monster in your roster, that was a movie you made last year that then carries into this one. So, yeah, it, it, it'll [00:33:00] be fun to watch your team perform again at another elite level. I think this is, uh, you know, one of the best offenses that we have in this league. So, I, I'm kind of curious what, what.
Nails a successful season for you? 'cause I know last year you were looking for playoffs. What about this one?
Justin: Because my windows closed and I'm at max years on my contract. I mean, obviously playoffs are my goal, but I would have to say Super Bowl.
Peter: Yeah.
Justin: Because I, I see my window closing soon and I wanna try to give it at least one more push, you know, and, you know.
Mm-hmm. I was, I was happy to see how well my team did with the injuries I had last year. I was able to make the NFC championship,
Peter: right?
Justin: So it's helping me, you know, if I can have those vets not go down you know, maybe that's what I need to push me over the, the edge. But you know, for me personally, I know that.
[00:34:00] My secondary is aging a bit, and I need to, I need to figure out that corner situation. It's been difficult because I've been drafting at such a late part of the first round and I haven't been willing to kind of to leverage my big pieces to trade yet. But that's a discussion for next season. But I really, this year, I, you know, I really am gonna be pushing for a Super Bowl appearance.
Peter: Yeah. Yeah. Well, I'd be curious to see what opportunities present themselves in the middle of the season. You know, I know that they'll be, uh, teams that'll be looking to make trades as the, uh, middle of the season comes. Yeah, just to talk a little bit about my own team. You know, very excited to have another draft full of picks in the First, second, third rounds. You know, there's a lot of roster space to be filled on my, on my team. And so looking for starters that can replace my aging veterans, um, made some pretty [00:35:00] different changes at our defensive front, which includes Erasmus James at Right End.
And Jonathan Bannu at Defensive Tackle Should hopefully compliment the other side of my, uh, my defensive line and then trying to really find a solution at Linebacker. Um, we landed another cornerback, top cornerback and, uh, Carl Pema, and so he'll be taking my, uh, cornerback two spot.
So again, very young roster. But I think I've got some pretty talented guys that can grow with the team. It'll just take some time. So, uh, while we don't necessarily have the Elite squad right now, I think we've got a strong foundation to build off of. And, uh, you know, my, my outlook for this season isn't playoffs.
It's just seven wins, which, uh, hopefully we can get and, uh, we will, uh, be in a better spot as we move into the future. Um, you know, we gave VI Mike Vick a big contract extension for seven years, so we're, uh, looking [00:36:00] to build around him. And, uh, with the first pick of our draft, we picked up wide receiver Larry Brackens.
And, uh, that seems to be the right target as we move forward and look for additional weapons for this offense.
Justin: Speaking to Michael Vick, I had a follow up question. Um, so I know that he has been a popular target with a lot of pe uh, GMs, like you told me over the off season that I think you were offered several offers for him.
So he was several. Yeah, several. You, uh, decided to lock him down on a seven year contract, and I believe you, you, you've kept them as a scrambler this whole time and have not moved him to a pocket passer. After two seasons under your belt with a scrambling quarterback, do you feel like you've picked up any insights to get them to show success?
Peter: You know, this last season was the first season that I got to see him healthy throughout the [00:37:00] whole season. And he took a step forward. There is nothing in his play that suggests to me that his tendency needs to change, although I know that there's some pretty strong opinions around it. But at this point, there are other needs on my team for my AP to be spent in other ways than to change my quarterback tendency.
Justin: Okay.
Peter: All right, well, I wanna definitely move into, uh, a little bit more depth into the off season changes. I know that, uh, you had some thoughts on some teams and I'll, uh, I'll sort of compliment you by going more in depth on some of these teams and their changes.
I'd love to get your thoughts on this, but I want you start off with, uh, maybe your thoughts on, on teams this off season,
Justin: right? So, um, yeah, I mean obviously there's a lot of moves that take place over the off season. For me, I wanted to focus our conversation on a few teams that have made big changes so I can, [00:38:00] 'cause I thought there's some interesting topics or questions that can come out of that.
And then. Yeah. So, starting off a team that I felt like really became, became a threat. This off season to me is the Lions.
Peter: Mm.
Justin: Um, they traded for QB Donovan McNabb as we discussed earlier. This division in the pa in the past two seasons have belonged to the Packers and the Vikings. But I really feel like bringing McNabb on kind of gives them the missing piece to make them up there in the conversation.
Especially when you look at the, the Packers, they, you know, fav is maybe his last season in the league, so he is definitely up there in age and who knows how that will impact his performance. Um, and then you also have the Vikings transitioning. For long term success by trading coal pepper and
[00:39:00] I feel like this really kind of opens the gate for the wines to maybe even be in contention if, you know, I think it's between, I think this division because of this move is between the Packers and the Lions, and I think those are gonna be the top two teams competing this year.
And I could see both teams making the playoffs. I also think this is the first year you should, you should really keep an eye out for an Anquan Bolden. Mm-hmm. Um, he's been kind of silent the first two seasons, but now that he has a legitimate quarterback, I'm curious to see what kind of performance he has.
'cause he went high in the, um, first round. He was a high draft pick. So I'm curious to see if you. I'm expecting him to maybe have a thousand plus yard season this year and be up there in the, the top receivers. So I just wanted to see what your thoughts were on the lions this year.
Peter: Yeah, again, it's a, a interesting dynamic change in that division to think [00:40:00] about, you know, the Vikings trading way, their quarterback for a younger quarterback and the lions trading for a veteran.
It definitely creates an opportunity for the Lions to take a step forward. I do think that this is gonna be a real shot in the arm for their wide receiver core, especially in Qua Bolden who has the real playmaker ability on that roster. I am kind of curious about their offensive line because I thought it was a little bit younger and a bit weaker.
And I'm kind of curious about how that might affect the passing game. But it looks like they got a good performance this last week against Ke with, looks like they got a good performance with, uh, Kevin Barlow and, uh, Brandon Jacobs sort of splitting, splitting touches there. So it's possible that rushing attack could be enough of a disruption to give Donovan McNabb a little bit more opportunity.
But I agree, I think that the, uh, the Lions made a big move and they become instant [00:41:00] instant competitors for that division. I still think it belongs to the Packers, but the lines makes it really interesting to see who might take that second spot.
Justin: Alright. And, um, staying in that division, you know, we, we, we've been discussing it already, but a team to me that lost their bite is the Vikings.
And I'm really to be honest, I'm kind of torn. On the decision they made. I get it. On one hand, I get what they did. They brought on a solid young passer who's got them set for the next several years. So I don't in any way think the moves bad and by any means. My question to you, the, you know, because a couple reasons.
You know, they already have five years on their contract, so if they're gonna develop, they have max years, so you might as well take advantage while you have the max years and stuff like that. I guess what it comes down to me is they made so many moves in that first season [00:42:00] to open their window and make themselves a Super Bowl, you know, juggernaut, essentially, like they really went, they, to me it, their moves implied that they were putting the chips to the middle of the table.
And with Cole Pepper just turning 28, he had at least one more solid season. Under him and you could trade him for, I think, good value next year. So I'm just wondering, did he close the, the window prematurely by going to another quarterback? And I wanted to get your thoughts on that.
Peter: Yeah, it's, it's, it is interesting because you're right, the Vikings did make some changes you know, obviously with the quarterback of Brook Bollinger.
But he's also positioned in a way to take advantage of that, that growth. So he's 25 years old, he's got 69 awareness, and he's already at nineties in both throw power, throw accuracy, so. You could think about like, oh, do I start over with a new quarterback or do I start with a [00:43:00] quarterback that already has an advantage?
You know, and it just might just be the landscape of where the PTL is in terms of like young quarterbacks. And that might have just been like the best opportunity, you know, for Bollinger now rather than, you know, somebody later. But they also made changes at their defensive line with Julius Peppers and Albert Hayworth.
So it's almost like, do you deal in decline in quarterback play so that you set yourself up for the future, but you have a super elite defensive front. Like, I can't think of a better defensive front in this league than what's on the Vikings and whether or not the defense is able to take advantage of it, like being able to pick off distressed quarterbacks as.
These, you know, records just disrupt the offensive game. I think that'll be kind of to be seen. 'cause I don't know if they have like a [00:44:00] strong defensive back depth right now. So I think it was a move that'll transition this team for the next couple years going forward. But it's an interesting one and I don't know if they're like completely knocked out in say, like a playoff race.
So I think that this performance we saw this week is encouraging. I think I'll need to see a little bit more to say like, this is the right guy. But there's some pieces around Bollinger that that still gives him a strong advantage. 'cause he has Heinz Ward and he has North Santana Moss, you know, those are veterans that you build around a young guy.
So it can offset that experience. So it, it's an interesting change. It definitely changes the dynamic of this division. And I think the Vikings remain competitive. They're just not as competitive as they like. You know, you were saying before a juggernaut.
Justin: Right. And, you know, I, I mean with the division in mind, I mean, the Bears just transitioned to Aaron Rogers fav is [00:45:00] gonna probably be gone if not this off season, the season after that.
So he is making a step forward on that. Lyons obviously made a step forward with their quarterback with, uh, McNabb, but I am, you know, I was just wondering, like, I was just wondering if he should have tried to go one more time for the Super Bowl ring this year, or if it, if, if it was better for, to make that move.
I don't, I can't see a wrong answer to it. It was just, I was just wondering what your thoughts were and, you know, he has a young great, uh, running back with Clinton Portus, who's only 24, right? That guy gonna be a stud moving forward. So he, he has his running, running game established to help support the young, um, quarterback.
Peter: Yeah. Yeah. You know, and, and maybe this is just an opportunity for them to sow seeds today so that they flourish tomorrow. And yeah, you maxed out your contract. So maybe that was like the point of it all. Like it wasn't about winning a Super Bowl. Sure. It was while winning a Super Bowl, but [00:46:00] it was about maxing your contract and then what's the next move after that?
I think it's a, it's a move that thinks about the future than it is about thinking about the present today.
Justin: Yep. I wanted to cover a couple of other teams real quickly. Uh, another team that I thought, I don't know how to feel yet about you have the Steelers, uh, they traded away Donovan McNabb to the Lions, and they brought on Trent Green, who's an aging 30 5-year-old.
So his stats are going down, but in. He also was able to acquire LaDanian Thomason. So his run game took a huge boost. And I'm just kind of curious, losing your quarterback, gaining the running back, is it a wash at the end of the day? Are they more competitive? Does this make them less competitive this year?
I'm just kind of curious what your thoughts are.
Peter: Yeah, it's a pretty big change for that division. You know, where you see the Ravens and the [00:47:00] Bengals and the Browns all developing younger talent. Uh, the Steelers were sort of in a win now, and then they got themselves in a cap hell, and I think they did the best with what they got.
You know, does Trent Green and Lin Damian Tomlinson have enough in order to get that offense over the hump? Possibly. You know, when you look at that division. Those are two pieces that could be the difference of winning or the two pieces that says everything falls apart if one of those goes down.
So it's gonna be a real gamble. And I think you kind of gamble that, right? You have your veterans, but then they could potentially leave hurt and you're super vulnerable after they're gone. Or they're the pieces that help you win a division. So if the Steelers are focused on winning now, these are the pieces and you know, trading.
Stefan Davis and Donovan McNabb just might be the right [00:48:00] decision in order to secure their roster for the future. So they're in a tough spot in a sense that where do you go after this? Almost kinda liking it to the Steelers of today, because what do you do when you know Aaron Rogers is not on your roster and you now have a whole roster that's, you know, could be a winnow?
So it'll be interesting to see how they transitioned. But they were moved for a winnow roster and it it integrates with younger t younger changes that they're making and say like their defense and their linebackers.
Justin: All right. This last bucket of teams I kind of was looking at, so those are the first bucket was teams that took a step forward.
Then the second one was teams that potentially took a step back. This one are teams that. Neither, they're just under construction. And it's gonna be focusing on the first two draft picks. And I wanted to get your, your, your your thoughts [00:49:00] on it because of the situation that they find themselves in.
So the pick 1.1 went to the Jets for qb, Alex Smith who ended up having a 67 awareness, 89 throw power, and 87 throw accuracy. I don't have any problem with drafting a quarterback for the future, but I wanted to get your opinion on the situation. And it, it brought up a question of a coaching and GM question as far as when should you make these decisions?
And I wanted to get your thoughts on it because right now, the you know, the Jets find themselves in a tough division. I think, as we mentioned earlier. The division feels like it's easily between the Bills and the Patriots. I think you would agree with that.
Peter: Yeah.
Justin: And currently the Jets only have three years on their contract.
So, meaning that in two years they could find themselves on the hot seat. And I'm just thinking from a GM [00:50:00] philosophy, how do you feel about taking Aquar, a rookie quarterback when you know you're in a tough division and it, it, your chances of getting to the playoffs are just gonna be that much more difficult?
'cause you're gonna have to rely on a wild card spot. And you could find yourself getting to the hot. It will just make it that much harder to develop. I, I guess, in my opinion, but I wanted to get your thoughts on taking a quarterback in that situation. And the Bears were the other, were the second team to do that.
They're in the same boat as me. Whereas they picked Aaron Rogers in 1.2, and I still think that NFC North is a very difficult division. So I'm just kind of curious how it will pay off for them in the long run.
Peter: Well, I mean, the good thing is, is one, they've got a franchise quarterback to rely on. You know, and you, you think about like what are the pieces that are gonna get you up and over in order to win, you know, I think you also play a game of [00:51:00] competing against yourself in the sense that you don't have to go and win a Super Bowl with Alex Smith in year three.
You just have to do better than last year.
Justin: You can start off with six wins and then go one win better each season.
Peter: That's right. That's right. And so I think you just, you play one, you have to stay a little bit shortsighted and say like, Hey, I'm gonna do the best with what I have available. And then secondly, I think you try to.
Remain, uh, a little blind to your contract and just say like, I am going to compete against myself. And this is the answer that I have. Like, once you have a franchise quarterback, everything else can be built around that. You know, we see certain pieces come together. Even San Francisco's a really good, really good example of this is when you have the quarterback piece, other things sort of fall into place.
And so the [00:52:00] jets are in a total rebuild. You know, they are picking up a franchise quarterback. They picked up a strong safety intro role, which is an incredible pick. And so you start to stack those things on top of each other. How different does this roster look when they've got not just two incredible pieces on their roster, but five because they have managed to stay lower in the draft, but they're still a top 10 pick and they've managed to, you know, improve their, their contract season.
So there's still two years on their contract and they're still picking in the top 10. I think it just creates a different dynamic for your team than it does trying to go all in on say, like a veteran that can get you like one or two years.
Justin: Cool. I, yeah, I just wanted to get your perspective, 'cause I know that you went through the experiment of building a quarterback from [00:53:00] rookie on with Kyle Orton, and you would have deep insight into the journey.
You had to go for that. So I was just wondering what your thoughts were on taking on those type of projects.
Peter: Yeah, I mean, again, it's, it's really just looking at your own performance and trying to do better each year. I, I don't really look at my division and I don't look at my contract length. You know, certainly when I'm on a hot seat, you just run the risk of somebody coming into a really good situation, and I think that's like part of the game.
Like we see that in the NFL too. But you know, when you make the decision to select your quarterback and you're paying a high price for it, I think that that just creates one less need for you to focus on then, you know, trying to find other pieces that like, have to have to work, right?
Justin: Mm-hmm. Well those were some of my the teams I wanted to cover for this off season. I [00:54:00] know you've done a lot more, um, research on everyone else. So I'm gonna pass the torch back over to you and uh,
Peter: sure.
Justin: You can take it from here.
Peter: so what I'd love to do is, uh, I'll take each division piece by piece and I can kind of go through each team and I can talk about very quickly some of the changes and what their outlook looks like next. And I would like to get your feedback on pieces that will be interesting to track on the season.
So for example we know that the bills picked up high speed wide receiving core. They've got these guys that can run 99, 99, 99. And if that's interesting to you, I would love to hear about your thoughts on why that would be something to track this season. And especially as we, uh, look to some of these changes in the division.
So I'll start with the A FC East and I'll start with the bills. So, uh, veteran c Kerry Collins hopes that a revamped high speed, wide receiving core and [00:55:00] the addition of John Abraham at, at left end on defense can overcome some of the offense line questions. So they have a, uh, little bit of a weaker offensive line from last year.
They've added the addition of John Abraham to the defensive line to improve it. And, uh, they've added even more speedy wide receivers to their, their wide to their receiving core on offense. Kurt Collins takes another year and gets older but he's still the answer at quarterback on that team.
The Dolphins, so this is a team that is fully committed to Rex Grossman in development. They've. Also added Brian Lacer to their defense at left end left outside linebacker. But this is a team that is very much in development and growing with their, their quarterback on the Patriots. Not a lot changed.
They are stability and Tom Brady is still the top dog in New England. He gains lavenia Coles that helps maintain their status as the divisionals clinical powerhouse. But uh, [00:56:00] not a lot changing in the, uh, Patriots and their development on, uh, say Brandon Lloyd and Dion Branch. I think they'll just continue to soar as, uh, Tom Brady continues to be an elite quarterback in this, in this league.
And lastly, we did talk about the Js. They're in rebuild. They've got rookie quarterback, a Smith and, uh, a brand new receiving unit, but they've got a superstar in Anton role as their, uh, strong safety and their secondary. Those are the changes in the FC East. What is exciting that to you, as you, uh, look into this next season?
Justin: I guess to me the most interesting storyline would be the bills. As you said that they're, I mean, I don't know if most exciting is the right word, but this, they seem like their windows as open as it's gonna be right now, at least from their quarterback, as you said, is getting older. And you said that they brought on a bunch of quick, uh, receivers,
Peter: right?
Justin: So it looks like they're trying to [00:57:00] increase their passing game or give as many weapons as possible to carry Collins to get 'em over the finish line. They have a solid running back with Ricky Williams so they'll be interesting to see if they can overcome the Patriots this year. I think the Patriots, it's probably gonna be their division for the most part.
My question, I guess the teams that I'm, I'm also a little bit interested in are the dolphins, just because they have two years on their contract and they're, they're. With Rex Grossman, who has a 72 awareness was drafted in oh three, one point 14. You know, I'm just wondering, some, you see a lot with some people that draft quarterbacks that they lose the appetite for it when they get really close to the, the hot seat.
So I'm just curious if you can find something to do to kind of turn this around. But his offense is pretty young, so I'm kind of curious to see if he can make it work. His running back, [00:58:00] I guess is Justin Fergus looks like this is also his third year. So yeah, he's interesting as well. I, we've already talked about the Jets.
It's hard for me to, you know, they have three years on their contract and they're, they're transitioning. So I, I mean, but I would say bills and dolphins are probably the two most interesting storylines because mm-hmm. They're, they're kind of in. Flux where they need to kind of get over the hump.
Peter: Sure.
Yeah. Alright, so moving over to the A FC North. So the Ravens, it's going to look very familiar as they do a very good job of transitioning their roster year to year. Pretty thin. Depth for Cody Pickett. There are four wide receiver options, so clearly they've got an idea of what guys are going to be their offense and build on it.
Pretty young, young roster with, uh, really Jamal Lewis being the only veteran on that team on that [00:59:00] offense, excuse me, with vet with Jamal Lewis being the only veteran on that offense. And the defense I think, kind of takes that identity test. So they've lost Ray Lewis and they've lost Peter Ware and so that middle linebacker unit, that linebacker unit looks a little different in Baltimore than it did before.
So I'm kind of curious on to see how that develops the Bengals. Look, Carson Palmer is still the, uh, the guy they build around. They are taking young talent like Roddy White was a really good pick. They could be a really sneaky, good roster and they're on the verge of being competitive in the sense that I think they've added some really good pieces and they've also got.
Guys on their defense that are starting to hit their prime. So, uh, I think the Bengals will be kind of an interesting team to watch if they can manage to find the right game plans. Some things could start to click. Uh, the Steelers, we talked a little bit about that, how they traded away their quarterback and halfback.
And now we've got Trent Green and Ian [01:00:00] Tomlinson. So that's an offense that'll be a little bit different. Their defense integrates new linebackers, but otherwise looks pretty, pretty similar. And then the Browns, I still think that the, uh, big pieces there are Tim Couch and uh, L
