FOX Sports’ Mark Schlereth Talks Chiefs, Broncos, Pats, Colts & More w/ Rich Eisen | Full Interview

FOX Sports’ Mark Schlereth Talks Chiefs, Broncos, Pats, Colts & More w/ Rich Eisen | Full Interview

Mark Scharath back here on the Rich Eisen Show from Fox Sports and the Stinking Truth Podcast. Good to see the three-time Super Bowl champion space on our screen again. Good to see you, Mark. How are you? I’m doing great, man. How are you guys doing? I am great. Uh let everyone know which game you were you were just calling and which one you got next, Mark? Yeah, I I uh this weekend I called uh Cleveland at New England and uh the New England Patriots are for real and Drake May is for real. And then uh this following this this coming weekend, I’ve got the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Raiders. Okay. Wow, man. The the the Raiders, as we all know, um you know, obviously a disappointing start. And Pete Carol was saying he’s kind of surprised that they haven’t gotten further along. And that Jaguars team that I last saw in London, they’re just making too many mistakes, man. They And yeah, you know, uh Liam Cohen, I don’t know if you’ve spoken to him yet. You probably haven’t. You’ll probably speak to him later in the week. He told us in our broadcast meeting that um every single week he has um a Wednesday either film session or slide session called game breakers where the other teams game breakers three on offense, three on defense, three on special teams. He kind of basically circles them and say these guys are not going to beat us this week. and he said after the 10 penalty game and loss they had to the Seahawks um he substituted the game the game breakers as the Jaguars logo that you’re breaking your own game and then they have 13 penalties and and four turnover on downs and um so this is this is a big game for both that you got in week nu hu huge game and Jacksonville you know started off the season at 4- one had that incredible Monday night win against the uh against the Kansas City Chiefs. And you know, they they honestly they need better play out of their quarterback. You spent $275 million on quarterback. He has got to play better. Um and you know, Trevor Lawrence um has got all those physical tools. Isn’t it amazing, Rich, that we get into, you know, these conversations, and I don’t know what Trevor Lawrence will become, but we get into these conversations about generational talent and and how a guy is a can’t miss prospect and then they get into the NFL, it’s just a it’s a different animal. And that’s why, you know, you and Kurt did that that game together. That’s why Kurt Warner can come from begging groceries or whatever it was and become a Hall of Famer. and and the game doesn’t always translate for college players. There are great college players that come into the NFL and get overwhelmed at the next level. And then there are guys like Kurt or guys like myself that come from small schools that I was retired from football as a junior in college, begged my way back onto the team. I mean my way back on the team, switched from defense to offense and ended up starting for 12 years in the National Football League. it. You just never you just never know how guys are going to perform at the next level. So, it’s just a Yeah, it’s just an interesting situation that the the Jacksonville Jaguars find themselves in and that Trevor Lawrence finds himself in because it’s time for him um you know lead his team and play really good football. Mark Slareth here on the Rich Eisen Show back on ESPN radio presented by Progressive Insurance, three-time Super Bowl champion. All right, Mark. Um, I don’t think we’re needing to wonder if the Chiefs have turned a corner anymore. The question now is how far can they go Super Bowl, right? I mean, like, we’re seeing it. Sure. We’re seeing it in front of us, right, Mark? Mark. Yeah. Well, yeah. Yeah. When you talk about how balanced they are right now, how good they are right now. Like it’s been it’s been hey man that you know it was the offense that led them early in in kind of the Patrick Mahomes era and then it was the defense for a while and then you know and and now it’s hey the defense is good the offense is struggling and now and now they got all their weapons back at the wide receiver position and Travis Kelce’s got some pressure taken off of him because you got you know Rashid Rise back and and you know you got Hollywood Brown who’s healthy and now their running game all of a sudden’s a little bit better and you watch what they were able to do even last night and they put the whole thing together and now it’s not and now it’s a complete team and even your first two drives you got Mahomes throwing interceptions but then all of a sudden they put it together and they just roll and you know the no look pass and and the about amount of protection he had like the Chiefs are legitimate and and I think they’re probably even though they don’t have the best record in the AFC of all the teams that that I’ve watched and studied. Um, I think they’re probably playing better than anybody else in the in the AFC right now. Can the Broncos knock them off, though? I mean, what we’re seeing from them right now, um, is exactly why the bandwagon filled up during the summer of people thinking, “Hey, the Broncos have got a real chance here.” Um, and they started fast finally on offense this past week and Bo Knicks is beginning to put it together and the defense just handed Dak Prescott his lunch in a way that few have been able to do this year. So, what do you think about the Broncos ability to win this division anyway, Mark? Uh, I still think they have a I still think they have a shot and Bo Nicks is playing really good football. like LA last week was the first time he hit the deep ball and uh he was he was money on target on the deep ball last week which was the first time all season long that he’s been able to hit that and they actually ran the ball effectively and they paired down to me some of the things they did uh they’ve been doing in the run game. They paired it down to where they had kind of a like concept um whether it was duo or power or counter um you know double team is a double team on duo on power and counter is the same thing. So, they had some light concepts that they coupled together, kind of paired down the run game a little bit. They were really good in the running game. Um, the Pat Certan thing is legitimate, man. It scares me a little bit. He could be out uh three to six weeks with a pictorial injur injury. Um, he just shuts down one side of the football field and and gives them the ability to bring the blitz, gives them the ability to rush the opponent’s quarterback, lead the league in sacks. They’ve done that two years in a row right now. They’re crushing everybody when it comes to pressure and the quarterback. A lot of that has to do with um you know this symbiotic relationship between coverage and what Pat Certan brings to the table and what you do as a defensive front. So that part scares me a little bit. Rich, how long will he be out? I don’t know. But u but yeah, they’re they’re playing pretty good football right now. And you know, you got the Chargers here as well. Looks like three teams can make it from the AFC West as we’re hitting the midway point of this season right now as we’re crystal balling it. And then um if you don’t win the AFC West, you might wind up the five seed. Uh or if you don’t win the AFC East, you wind up the five seed. And that’s something we did not say coming into the season. You just saw the Patriots. If the Patriots take on one of these teams that we just mentioned from the AFC West, and it could be the teen time AFC champion Chiefs, are they for real? Can they do it in the playoffs, do you think, on the road if necessary, Mark? Yeah, you look at you look at the Patriots right now and kudos to Mike Vrabel. He’s got them playing great. Josh McDaniels is a phenomenal play caller. um a phenomenal just orchestrator of offense in general. And it’s time to quit saying, “Hey, Drake May is, you know, the one of the best young quarterbacks in football.” He’s just one of the best quarterbacks in football the way he’s playing right now. And there’s so much room for growth. Rich, there’s so many times where you watch Tay and it’s the front side of the progression. It’s one to two and then it’s take off and run. One to two, take off and run. One to two, take off and run. and they’re implementing and trying to get him to go one to two to three, take off and run and and so there’s so much room for growth and they’re so excited about it. He’s throwing the deep ball with unbelievable um accuracy and effectiveness and they’re like they are playing great not good football but great football and it’s really interesting you know I think back to the Parcels days and having played against Bill Parcels all those years you know when he was with the Giants and then he was the Patriots and then he was with the Jets and always watching him bring along like Steve Diazi and um and Pepper Johnson right and his guys to implement his system. And you know when when Bill Parcels is going to go off on you, these guys can help manage the locker room in those situations. And then I see Brabel and he’s got Harold Landry on one edge who was with him in Tennessee. He’s got Spain uh playing middle linebacker for him who was with him in Tennessee. He’s got Jack Gibbons was also a middle linebacker, a backup player for him. So, he’s brought these guys along with him to say, “Hey, man.” It’s kind of this parcel’s feature like, “I got my guys and we’re ready to go to battle together.” Um, he’s a really he’s a really good head coach and, you know, he’s tough. He coaches them hard, but he builds relationships with those guys. I think he’s doing a I think he’s doing a phenomenal job. If it wasn’t for what Shane Stiken’s doing in Indianapolis right now, he’d be my leader in the clubhouse for coach of the year. Finishing up our AFC talk, Mark. Um, the Colts sit at top the conference and for good reason. They’re they’re as well balanced as any any team that I’ve seen in recent years. And they’ve got an MVP at running back who is unstoppable. They’re going to pack their bags though now. Um, they’re at Pittsburgh this week, a home game against Atlanta, but that’s in Germany. So, they’re going to go from Pittsburgh all the way to Germany. A by-week before they visit Kansas City. And I think that’s where rubber meets road, right? because they’ve got their um the rest of their games are against their own division. Two against Houston, two against Jacksonville, and then two against the NFC West. And that could be some of the top teams obviously in that division. But barring injury, they’re they’re they’re the favorites to win this conference right now, aren’t they, Mark? Yeah. You Yeah. And they’re playing great. You know, it’s it’s so funny because, you know, I’m such a anti- wide receiver guy, you know, wide receiver. I think I’ve told you this before, like children. Um, you know, I mean, one, they’re completely dependent on everybody else doing their job. Two, uh, they whine and cry and piss and moan if they don’t get fed. Um, and so, you know, that’s that’s how wide receivers operate. And then you look at, you know, and and I hear this all the time. Well, who’s the number one? Oh, no, they don’t have a number one. They got to go get a number one. You know, you got Alex Pierce, you got Pitman, and you’ve got DS, and they’ve got really good players, but there’s nobody. You’re not you’re not confusing any of those guys for Jamar Chase or or Justin Jefferson. It’s control line of scrimmage. Run the ball. Open up your play action game, your RPO game with Daniel Jones. That’s what they’re doing. And they’re controlling both lines of scrimmage. And they are right now playing as good as anybody in the NFL. And like you said, have the fast track to uh the number one seed in the AFC, which is which is absolutely incredible. And think about Minnesota, Rich. You Minnesota had Sam Darnold who’s playing kind of at, you know, at a a MVP level, if you will, or AllPro level, and they had Daniel Jones in that building, and they decided to go with a young kid that wears a lot of eye black. Um, I, you know, I I I get that you draft kids and and I get that you’re trying to implement them, but boy, I tell you, uh, those two guys they let out of the building, um, that’s, uh, you know, hindsight being 2020, uh, it seems like a mistake. Well, two followup questions. First one, um, when you say the analogy about receivers being kids and that they you just tell them to do their job, what’s the job? Um, is it going potty? Is that the analogy? Eating eating eating what you’re supposed to eat? What? What is that? The job you’re referring to with kids, Mark? Yeah. Yeah. Well, it’s all it’s all the above job. It’s parenting. You got to do some You got to parent. I understand. My kids Yeah. My kids are in their late 30s now and mid mid to late 30s, early to late 30s. And uh I’m still parenting then. Of course, you’re never over. It’s a job that never ends. Uh but the real follow-up question is, is in your mind Jonathan Taylor the MVP of this league entering week nine? Mark. Oh, I would love that. I would love that. No, no, no. It’s your Who is yours? You can make it so. Yeah. No, sure. No. Yes. Jonathan, I I’ll give it to Jonathan Taylor. I love that. I I hadn’t thought about it up until you asked me the question. Sure. But because I like quarterbacks don’t play football. Quarterbacks play quarterback. That’s like that to me. I hate the fact that we just give it’s like the Heisman like the Heisman goes to a quarterback. I hate that. Right. I hate like I I quit watching and paying attention to the Heisman uh when Terrell Suggs had 24 sacks one year and didn’t even get invited to New York. Like stop it. It loses it loses all credibility to me. And so I I want to see football players, guys who actually play football. I’d like to see those guys win MVPs because they deserve to win MVPs as opposed to just giving it a quarterback every year. Mark Shareth here on the Rich Eisen Show. Um, and then in the NFC, uh, the Packers do lead the the roost in record. Do they lead the league for you, the conference for you? Are they the best team in the NFC? Because after them, it’s just a host of teams that have a shot, including the Lions. I mean, we were talking before about the AFC that if you win the AFC East, you could be either a two seed, a one seed, or the five seed. Same thing with the AFC West. That happened with the NFC North last year and it sure could happen again where you either win the division in the one seed or you’re going on the road to start the playoffs in a wild card weekend. Mark. Yeah, I I don’t think there’s any question. You know, I thought Green Bay the first couple of weeks of the season, uh, I thought they were the, you know, playing the best of any team in football and then, you know, then they scuffed a little bit, but they had a lot of injuries. They just got Christian Watson back. They had injuries at receiver position. Um, I I tell you what, nobody’s playing better than their tight end craft. He’s just been amazing. But I I remember doing a game I think week three it was Washington and the Raiders and Washington had just gotten beat up by the uh by the Green Bay Packers and Cliff Kingsberry telling me I’ve never seen a faster team like in person. like their their ability to rush the passer, their ability to just play flatfoot reads and say you’re not going to get the ball off before we break on it because ultimately our pass rush is going to get there. Um and and they got their health back on the offensive side of the ball. Um they’re going to be they’re going to be very tough to beat. No question. All right. Lastly for you, Mark, I said on the program yesterday after Jaylen Herz clearly fumbled the ball on a tush push and it was ruled a stop of forward progress as if he hasn’t been stopped with his forward progress before and the play winds up with him eventually being shoved in the end zone a couple of beats later, a couple of Mississippi later. I I’m saying that this is now we’ve now reached the zone of this being thoroughly um unofficiable, if that’s a real word. You can’t officiate it. So, I’m done with it. What about you, Mark? What about you? Yeah, I I was I was like I I like I love I love the physicality of No, I I did too, man. I I hear you too. I And And I And I don’t want to be one of those people’s like, you know, they do it best, everyone else can do it. So, you’re trying to prevent everyone else from doing it, but but you can’t officiate it properly. You can’t officiate whether it’s a false start, if it’s off sides, or now in the case of of of this a fumble and and when forward progress is stopped ever. So, so my issue with it from the start is I love it as a football play. I think it’s great. Um, and it really wasn’t the officiating, it was the hypocrisy of the play because I played in a time where we used to shove a dude through the line of scrimmage on pet field goal in special teams. So, we got there was a guy that would be in the A gap. I would stand behind that guy. We’d get our tallest tight end or defensive end and I’d stand behind. I’d shove him through the A gap and try to block the field goal. And the league deemed that as too dangerous. So that became illegal. Okay. How’s that different than the tush push then? So it’s illegal to do it on special teams. Okay, let me get it straight. It’s illegal to do it there, but on offense it’s fine. And and the hypocrisy that’s not congruent. That’s why I’d ban it is the lack of congruent nature of the play is exactly why I would ban the play. Yeah. Again, that was a clear fumble. And if you’re not if if you’re saying, “All right, that was forward progress,” then then his forward progress has been stopped on at least half of these and then you allow it to keep going, which I understand you do that. I understand that you do that. So if that’s if if if we can’t officiate it properly and now you can’t officiate it consistently then it’s to the another benefit to the team that runs it well. Yeah. Um yes is what I’m saying. So that’s why I’m a rich I completely agree with that. But I will say this uh with at at the risk of getting in trouble I don’t we can’t officiate any play consistently. So I gota All right. Well we’re out of time. Mark. All right. Hey, man. Always great to have you. Um, and enjoy your uh your uh your Sojourn to Las Vegas. And we’ll have you on real soon. Again, as always, you’re the best. Sounds good, buddy. Ladies and gentlemen, of course, Mark when he calls games on Fox. He’s awesome at it. Hey, you made it all the way to the end. Thanks for that. Check us out every single day streaming live on Disney Plus and the ESPN app 12 to 3 Eastern.

NFL on FOX analyst/’Stinkin’ Truth’ podcast host Mark Schlereth and Rich Eisen discuss the inconsistency of Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, if the Denver Broncos or Kansas City Chiefs will come out on top in the AFC West, says why Drake Maye and the 6-2 New England Patriots are legit contenders, why the Indianapolis Colts’ offense is firing on all cylinders, if the Green Bay Packers are the class of the NFC, and why he dislikes the Tush Push.

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