- 4 weeks ago
Seth and Sean discuss and assess Manti Teo's notion that CJ Stroud is the most intriguing young QB who has yet to win a Super Bowl.
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00:00So Manti Teo, good morning football, NFL Network.
00:04They were doing a segment last week that they had a cadre of quarterbacks up on the board there.
00:12They had like nine or ten quarterbacks who have yet to win a Super Bowl.
00:16And they were talking about who's the most intriguing out of all these.
00:20And so just think of all the guys who haven't won a Super Bowl, who are prominent starting quarterbacks.
00:24Probably a dozen of them, whatever it is.
00:26Because Manti Teo says the most intriguing one is C.J. Stroud.
00:33And here's why.
00:34I immediately go to C.J. Stroud.
00:35He's the most intriguing out of this whole bunch.
00:38The narrative has always been if C.J. Stroud can just play okay.
00:42If he could just be average with that defense, they would win a Super Bowl.
00:48Guys, I don't think people remember how this guy played his rookie year.
00:52Like this is a 2023 off-heat of the year.
00:55And when I'm talking about just his numbers as a rookie, it's also his numbers overall.
01:00Check this out.
01:01Check this graphic out showing how good this guy is.
01:04This is including the playoffs that season.
01:07This is C.J. Stroud versus everybody else, all other quarterbacks.
01:11Not just AFC quarterbacks, not just rookie quarterbacks.
01:13Every quarterback that played in 2023, this is where he ranked.
01:16Yards per game.
01:17Fifth.
01:18Passing yards per attempt.
01:19Second.
01:20TD to interception ratio.
01:21First.
01:22Passer rating.
01:23Fourth.
01:24If C.J. Stroud can be a glimpse of that C.J. Stroud with that defense, put the crown on
01:33him.
01:33Give him the Lombardi because you already know what they're getting on the defensive side of the ball.
01:37You know what they're getting in David Montgomery.
01:39You know very, very well what they're getting in David Montgomery in the running back field.
01:43So that's the most intriguing part is C.J. Stroud.
01:46So I agree with him there.
01:48It would be awesome if they could reclaim his rookie of the year.
01:51I guess the promise that he showed.
01:52He had to be, as every rookie of the year quarterback has to do, they have to continue to build
01:57on their game.
01:57And I'll be the first one, and I've annoyingly pointed out the various challenges that C.J. has had because
02:02of his circumstances and the run game and everything else that goes with it.
02:06But the general argument that kind of tires me out is when I hear people say, people have forgotten what
02:14he was like his rookie year.
02:15No, it's that they understand that Sam Bradford was a rookie of the year.
02:21RG3 was a rookie of the year.
02:24Like, there's been multiple quarterbacks who were rookie of the year who didn't then go on to capitalize on what
02:31they looked like their rookie year.
02:32We're still waiting to see what Jaden Daniels eventually can stay healthy.
02:36Kyler Murray was a rookie of the year.
02:38I had to double check myself on that one.
02:40So it's not that people have forgotten the rookie of the year.
02:44They know that that's not a gateway to the Hall of Fame just because you're a rookie of the year
02:49quarterback.
02:49Yeah, yeah.
02:50I think, to me, the disconcerting thing about that, about some of the names you brought up just now, like
02:57Jaden Daniels injuries, Sam Bradford injuries, RG3 definitely injuries.
03:03Definitely injuries, but also just not the same.
03:08He specifically was telling his coaches he didn't want to run the plays they wanted to run.
03:12Yeah, there's a lot that goes on with RG3.
03:15But he had debilitating injuries to go with it.
03:18But CJ's had the concussions, particularly the one last year, where it seemed like he was still okay after the
03:26concussion, just statistically, but he wasn't running the football anymore.
03:30And then things blew up in the postseason, obviously, with CJ.
03:33Now you have to get to the postseason to blow up in the postseason.
03:36Some of those guys, you know, Kyler Murray and RG3, you know, like they, you know, and Jaden Daniels got
03:41to an NFC title game.
03:42I guess that's the thing for me with CJ, and Manti Teo kind of talks about this, is that with
03:49CJ, it's a lot of the mental stuff.
03:52Everything is up here for CJ right now.
03:53He can throw the ball.
03:54He can run.
03:55It's all mental.
03:56And I understand that mental gymnastics, when you kind of lost the confidence a little bit, if he can get
04:01that swagger back that we saw in 2023, that Houston Texans will be a nightmare for a lot of people,
04:06not just on the defensive side of the ball.
04:07Coming from somebody who, my first three, four years in the league, I had zero confidence.
04:12Like, when people talk about what was the major, did football, it had nothing to do with who I was
04:18going up against.
04:18It had everything to go up to what's in my mind.
04:21Like, when you have zero confidence as a football player, you know this, Seth, as a wrestler, any professional, you're
04:26going to go through it.
04:27Those demons that you're fighting in your head are a lot scarier than the ones that's coming across from you.
04:32And when you're in the National Football League, those ones that are across from you are pretty dang good as
04:35well.
04:35So, if C.J. Stroud can get back to who he was as a rookie mentally, he has all the
04:40physical abilities to be that type of caliber quarterback.
04:43You know this thing about Manti Teo, I've realized, I agree with his conclusion, but disagree with the arguments that
04:48he's making to reach that conclusion.
04:50Yeah, sometimes I do agree that C.J. Stroud has perhaps a little bit of a mental block in some
04:56capacity.
04:57But I also, like, as Manti Teo's talking about how his challenges were mental, I'm like, yeah, it's depressing when
05:02you find out you're slow.
05:03And that's, uh, okay, I don't, you're too, you're too, yeah, I would have mental issues, too, if I realized,
05:11oh, wow, I was more the beneficiary of being on a really good defense in college and I'm not fast
05:16enough to play in the NFL.
05:17Yep.
05:17That's a mental challenge.
05:19It is.
05:19Yeah, how do I overcome zero confidence?
05:22Coming to terms with the fact that I'm slow.
05:23I think the difference with C.J. is that C.J. is very much physically capable of playing at a
05:27high level.
05:28The mental part of it, for me, I, it's impossible to know exactly how much the concussion affected him.
05:36For me, the thing that was alarming was that he had done a really good job of consciously throttling down
05:43his aggressiveness during the regular season.
05:45And, and he was a much more mature and smart experienced NFL quarterback who understood, all right, we have a
05:53really good defense, here's the situation, I don't need to tempt fate and try to push the ball downfield when
05:59we already have a lead in the second half, et cetera, et cetera.
06:01And he did a really good job making all his decisions.
06:04And the sum total of those eight quarters of the playoffs felt a lot like, all right, all of a
06:10sudden he started pressing and started feeling like he needed to make something happen.
06:14And, and it was just weird because he'd already had big games in the playoffs before.
06:19This wasn't like Justin Herbert where you're still waiting to see if he can actually have a good playoff game
06:24because he's never had a good playoff game.
06:26C.J. has had really impressive playoff performances.
06:29C.J. has the, the dynamic of just, it's seeming like he was pressing in those games.
06:34And you can, and I'll say that as I'll make excuses, a partial, some partial excuses for him in the
06:39Patriots game.
06:41Okay.
06:42Didn't have Nico Collins.
06:43The offensive line was shuffled up.
06:45Dalton Schultz goes out in the first half.
06:47Those are a lot of challenges.
06:48And still, that's a reason to really not try to press it at that point.
06:52Yeah.
06:53Especially when he threw that pick six, look, the protection sucked.
06:57His tight end fell down.
06:58All of that is true.
06:59Dirt it.
07:00Except you have a lead at that point.
07:01You're in your own territory.
07:03Yeah.
07:03Why are you trying to make something happen?
07:05Yep.
07:05Yep.
07:05Yep.
07:07The, would you, would you rather have your quarterback trying to bounce back from whatever it is Manti
07:14Tao's referring to, the mental side, confidence or whatever, or would you rather have him coming
07:19back from a torn ACL?
07:21Oh, I'd rather have him come back from a torn ACL.
07:22Right.
07:23That's no big deal.
07:23Yeah.
07:23It's like getting your teeth cleaned these days.
07:25Yeah.
07:25Yeah.
07:26Yeah.
07:26That's what I'm saying.
07:26Like that's why I brought up the injuries with the other quarterbacks before when you
07:30were naming.
07:30These guys were rookies of the year and, and, you know, they, they, you know, went the wrong
07:36way on them or whatever.
07:37I guess the difference is if you look at Sam Bradford and RG3, they were chronically injured.
07:41Yeah.
07:42It was, it was injury after injury after injury.
07:44So that, that part of it, I would, I would rather have the mental block because we know
07:48CJ's capable of having really good playoff games.
07:50We know what his ceiling is and where he, where he could be.
07:55Um, so I would rather have him having some weird glitch in the playoffs versus, versus
08:02guys that are injured all the time.
08:04All the time.
08:04CJ's just, his injuries have been to his noggin.
08:07Yeah.
08:08Was he going to be the first quarterback that wears a guardian cap and why should the
08:11answer be yes?
08:12I think, I wouldn't care.
08:14I wouldn't mind.
08:14I think Jalen Petrie's made the guardian cap kind of cool.
08:17There's a.
08:17He was wearing a guardian cap when he sent Rasheed Rice to Jell-O land.
08:22I feel like if your quarterback wears a guardian cap, everybody on the offense has to wear
08:25a guardian cap.
08:26They have to?
08:27They have to.
08:27Why?
08:28Because otherwise it puts too much pressure on the quarterback.
08:30Oh, really?
08:30Yeah.
08:31It has to be, you have to frame it as this is an edict from.
08:34That's true.
08:35From D'Amico or something.
08:36That would, that is a position where you kind of need your swag a little bit.
08:39Yeah.
08:39That would affect his confidence maybe.
08:41Mm-hmm.
08:41You know, if he's the only one out there with a guardian cap.
08:43And all the guys on defense have to wear them too.
08:45They, so everybody's got to wear them.
08:47Everybody has to wear a guardian cap.
08:47Okay, so often, and I'm assuming.
08:49Do they care about winning or do they care about swag?
08:51That's what I want to know.
08:52That's right.
08:52Do you care about, how many games?
08:53Let's say the guardian cap, if there's, supposedly, according to the people who manufacture guardian caps,
09:00there is a significant reduction.
09:03Not a drastic, but a significant, I can't remember if it's 10 or 20 percent or whatever.
09:08So that could add up to anywhere from a couple of games spread out across the team,
09:13saved per year, of what goes on IR with a really bad concussion.
09:1816 games.
09:19You bring up an interesting point here.
09:21This is what I want in the next, you know, the Athletic does these, like, twice a year.
09:25Like, hey, we polled 152 anonymous players on these important topics.
09:32And they ask them about things like the 18-game season.
09:35And they ask them about replay review.
09:38Yeah.
09:38They ask them about all the relevant topics.
09:40I think it's a statistical fact that, like, 99 percent of the players don't wear guardian caps, obviously.
09:46The Texans only have one, and it's Jalen Petrie.
09:48I want to know why they don't wear a guardian cap.
09:51You know, what would the reasons be?
09:53The reasons would be that it's uncomfortable.
09:55It doesn't look good.
09:57Those would be the main two reasons.
09:59I can't think of another reason to not wear the guardian cap.
10:01Well, I guess part of it is if you're trying to tell somebody what the stats are with guardian caps,
10:05if you're doing it responsibly, you have to point out, like, how hard it is to actually assess.
10:11Oh, okay, in this situation, you can never say for certain,
10:15this guy wouldn't have gotten a concussion if he was wearing a guardian cap.
10:17It's, you know, it says, no, you can run, you can't, it's not ethical yet to run an experiment
10:24where you take, like, 100 people and subject their head.
10:30Bang your head?
10:3050 of them.
10:31Reinforce trauma on their skull?
10:33In an environment in the exact same amount of trauma.
10:36No, but I think, but I do think it's reasonable to say it definitely reduces the percentage chance
10:42that you get a concussion, right?
10:43Yeah.
10:43Like, even if it's by .01%, and so why wouldn't you do that?
10:49I'd be curious just how many of the players would say, I don't do it, because I think it looks
10:52stupid.
10:52Because it looks stupid.
10:52It does.
10:53No, but, like, everything else helps.
10:55If you think about football uniforms in general, if you didn't know anything and you'd never seen the sport or
10:59anything,
10:59you'd look at it and say, that looks stupid.
11:01Right.
11:02But it's become normalized, because that's what we watch all the time.
11:05That's right.
11:05And if everybody was doing it, then it wouldn't look so stupid.
11:08Yeah.
11:08It doesn't look dumb when Jalen Petrie's wearing it, because he looks, because you already know what type of a
11:12player he is,
11:13and it makes him look a little bit psycho.
11:15A little bit.
11:15Yeah.
11:16That gigantic head.
11:17Yeah.
11:17Yeah, he looks like some sort of weird robot.
11:20He looks like one of those characters in a movie that can get away with, like, fashion choices that nobody
11:25else can get away with,
11:26because he's such a badass.
11:28Yeah.
11:28You know?
11:29That's how I feel about it.
11:30This guy wears a, there's a guy walking through the airport this weekend, and he was wearing,
11:37it was like one of those mesh see-through white feeders that you would see in a music video in
11:46the 80s.
11:47Oh, like the one I wore at Halloween this past year.
11:50This is the thing.
11:51This guy was not a fashionable dude.
11:54Yeah.
11:54This guy was not fit.
11:56Yeah.
11:57At all.
11:57Yeah.
11:57At all.
11:58Shouldn't have been wearing it.
11:58And he was just, I accept that there's no way, and of all the people in the airport that I
12:02might have messed with,
12:03if I would have said, like, ah, this is worth, this is worth being on the no-fly list, that
12:08would be the last guy.
12:08Yeah.
12:09I don't know what was going on that guy.
12:10He ain't worried about someone coming up to him.
12:12Every other part of him would look like sloppy suburban dad.
12:16Yeah.
12:17That had just given up.
12:18Except that he's wearing, he's wearing this, like, Motley Crue video type of see-through under,
12:23it was like something David Lee Roth would wear.
12:25Yeah.
12:25Or right said Fred.
12:27And you know how I know that?
12:28Yeah.
12:29Oh, that's right.
12:29You wore it.
12:30Yeah.
12:30But you did it for a shtick.
12:32Well, I did.
12:33I did it for Halloween.
12:35Yeah.
12:35Uh, DJ for, uh, for, for the spot, 95.7.
12:39Yeah.
12:40Who's shredded.
12:41Who's shredded.
12:42Yeah.
12:42He can pull it off.
12:43I had it on, and I'm, I'm not as heavy as I used to be, but certainly don't have the
12:47type of body that should be, well, probably a lot of this guy you saw in the airport.
12:50Yeah.
12:50And, and it was fine because it was for a Halloween party, and the theme of the Halloween
12:54party was music videos or something like that.
12:57And it was fine for that party, but there's Figgy walking around with his camera, filming things.
13:04Yeah.
13:05And then posting it on the internet, and then the very next day was the smack-off on the
13:08Jim Rome show, which now has a visual element to it because he's on TV, so you can do your
13:13smack-off call on Zoom.
13:14At least two of the other smack-off people found that video and were clowning me for it.
13:20One of the, the guy who won did a video where it was just, the video was just my chest,
13:26my boobs, my man boobs, underneath this mesh shirt, and he did this thing where he took a
13:32little graphic of his face and moved him up in between my pectorals and motorboated me
13:38as part of his, as part of his smack-off call.
13:41And he won.
13:41And that's on social media forever.
13:43You know, whenever anybody, yeah, that's, I bet, I wonder if, I bet Halloween costumes
13:47have gotten less ambitious over the years.
13:50I don't know.
13:51Well, in some ways they've gotten more ambitious because people are trying to show off for
13:53social media, but then for a lot of just run-of-the-mill dudes who used to, like, it used
13:58to, it used
13:59to be way more common for people to dress up in, in drag or whatever, like, or as a woman
14:05for their outfit and it was funny and all that, and now I feel like people are afraid to do
14:09that.
14:10Uh, yeah, maybe, now I will say this, that on the female side of things, for the real
14:15women, the social media has made them up their pain.
14:18Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, but I mean for just the average dude who's not on social media
14:21and everything.
14:22Yeah, yeah, probably, probably.
14:24Um, Payne and Pendergast with you here on a, uh.
14:27Just one thing to know, kids, whenever your dad's going off about, like, well, men used
14:31to be men.
14:32All right, just go watch some old David Bowie, uh, stuff that he used to listen to when he
14:37was growing up.
14:38Right.
14:38And then look at this, any hair band, uh, hair metal band from the 80s and just, uh,
14:43just bask in all the manliness there.
14:45Boy, boy, were we manly men.
14:47And there's a good chance your dad used to dress up as a chick on Halloween a lot, too.
14:51Yeah, but now he's really grumpy and angry and he's like, when men were men, we used
14:56to, I used to go to bands where the guys had, uh, eyeshadow and lipstick and they were
15:03men, damn it.
15:04If you're, yes, if you, if you, if kids, if you have a dad that's acting the way Seth is
15:08imitating right now, go to YouTube, find Jump by Van Halen, right?
15:14And David, any, you're right, anything David Lee Roth in that mid-80s Van Halen era.
15:18Axel Rose even experimented with a little bit and like, was it Welcome to the Jungle?
15:22One of the early videos.
15:23And then later he felt bad.
15:24John Bon Jovi?
15:25Oh, yeah, yeah.
15:26Bon Jovi's a big one.
15:27It's funny to see Bon Jovi sitting courtside at these Knicks games because he's in just
15:31like dad jeans and a jacket and whatnot.
15:33I'm like, man, that guy teased his hair up crazy and would just scream, man.
15:37That's what he did.
15:38Um, yeah, so go find that.
15:40That'll, that'll combat the old man.
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