Shedeur Sanders’ ‘very good’ debut, Cowboys ‘not to be taken seriously’? | FIRST THINGS FIRST

Shedeur Sanders’ ‘very good’ debut, Cowboys ‘not to be taken seriously’? | FIRST THINGS FIRST

live from New York. Wow. It’s a show that is very exciting. It’s our first show without going back to the smelling salts bit. So, well, you don’t know that. We’re in for I’m not sure. Who knows? You don’t know what we have in store. First hour, first thing. It’s also our last week of preseason. Oh, yeah. Last week of preseason, then we’re on vacation. Then it’s predict predictions. Predictions week marks the start of football season. Brew has been what? You think you know my predictions? No, it’s just like when we put presents under the trees for the kids. Yeah. And they’ll start opening. It’s like it’s not predictions week. I might surprise you. I hope so. You don’t know. We are starting with Shador’s debut. Started and played into the second half. Two touchdowns, 14 for 23, just under 140 yards in the air, added 19 more on the ground. Okay, Brew, your reaction. Well, first I I I think he was being sincere. A lot of people probably looked at him giving himself a C++ like what? And some may think he’s just saying that to come off as humble, but you know, he also said sorry pops to his dad like he didn’t perform. He missed, you know, he missed early on a nice throw that I think it was third down he overthrew like a running back or something. Took a sack on fourth and one. Yeah. Yeah. He had, you know, a few things that I’m sure he was disappointed in, but overall this was tremendous. you know, that that’s probably a little overstatement, but it was very good for him. Uh, I would give him a B+. I could see if someone wanted to give him an A minus when you consider the circumstances, like every fifth round pick is under some pressure in the preseason cuz you might not even make the team. But for him, like if he went out there and played poorly, didn’t couldn’t get the offense under control, was bad at the line of scrimmage, made some bad throws, who knows what his future would have been. Correct. I mean, he he might have got cut, you know, eventually on this team. So, I think he went out there and was was great. Like the two touchdown passes, you alluded to it during the highlights. I think we might have them. Both of them, this is a right. He threw it right over the defender. Look at that. That is an incredible pass. Yeah. I mean, a a little bit offtarget. And that’s an interception. That’s a great throw. It’s gutsy. And then, Nick, the second touchdown was great as well. It was like, look at how many defenders. That’s five defenders. Passes. He made he he obviously handled the game well. He also made plays with his legs. People say he’s not that I mean I you don’t have to be Usain Bolt to play quarterback, but he he was fast enough, right? He he was smart, fast enough. Obviously, like when he took he scrambled and he got away with it, but you he wouldn’t probably get away with some of that against Did you hear him talking to Miles Garrett about that on the sideline? No. The double spin move scramble that ended up going down as a sack because he ran out of bounds like a yard behind the line of scrimmage, but he got away from everyone. He said to Miles, he was like, “Would that spin move work on you?” And Miles said, “Absolutely not.” And he and then and he then kind of went back and forth with him about it and saying essentially, “Yeah, I know I can’t really be doing that.” Like, you know what I mean, that I got away with it. And you didn’t even I’ll let you continue, but one of the best throws we showed in the opening highlights, but was the throw out of his own end zone where he kind of moved a little bit to the side, avoided the rush, and threw it down the field 20ome yards. No, he he was comfortable in the pocket. Um, I mean, he looked good and and we I thought we were going to show his entry because some people were saying they thought he came in with an entourage or something. I’ll I’ll say that for Well, here it is. But as far as I know, that’s a teammate and so there’s no entourage that I see. The teammate’s carrying a a boom box or something and but that’s a teammate. I don’t but I I to me that’s on him. That’s not on Shadu. I I I I’ll be honest, I’m not certain. I don’t know. But that is a teammate. I know I I I know the majority of those people are teammates. I’m not I I I I’m not certain about every single one of them, but I’ll take your word for it. Um I think I I think that to me though is more in line cuz after the game you talked Tony Gy, we’re going to get to that. Like the before and the after the game are one thing. The 60 minutes of the game or another. And listen, I right now have seen enough that I am comfortable saying if they were to play a game that mattered tomorrow, he should be their backup. Oh yeah. that he should that he has done enough to move up at least temporarily on the unofficial depth chart because Kenny Picket is injured and according to these 50 GMs coaches and execs that we’re going to hear from in a bit. Nando pole is in a tier all by himself at the bottom of the league. The only tier the only tier five quarterback in football according to everyone else. Not Nick Small Hands bias there. football GM opinions. And Dylan Gabriel has been banged up and struggled massively at camp, not because of the ESPN Cleveland stats, but because of what everyone who’s been there every single day, what they have reported. And Shadore now went out there and handled himself incredibly well. And I thought I was I think I was maybe more impressed than you, Wilds, on that first touchdown. because of the guts it took because I I I don’t know how I would act in a you know whatever a broadcaster version of this type of spot would be but poop your pants I but I if everyone if what I’ve been hearing all week long is it’s not really about do you make great plays as much as it is do you avoid the awful mistake. Y man, it takes some like this play as cool as that was. That play to me was not nearly as impressive as as this because that was a no risk. It not only is a much better throw, it also if you screw that up by 5% it’s a pick in the end zone. It’s points off the board. It is exactly what people are saying. Ah, you know what I mean? This is why we’re saying he’s not ready. You know, you can make a perfect throw, you have to have trust in your teammate that you haven’t had a bunch of work with. Well, and that’s the other reason that I would have graded him higher than he graded himself. I think there is an argument to be made that the Browns starting offense has the least talent of any starting offense in football. Thank you. And the Oh, and he wasn’t. Imagine the backups. Well, that’s exactly. And the beginning of that game was the Browns backups against, and I’m not acting like Carolina’s a world beater, but it was Carolina’s starters against the Browns backups. And Shador handled it really well. Like this is this th this is not It is lastname hype that makes us lead the show with him. It is not lastname hype that makes us say, “Hey, that is a rookie quarterback that looked good in his preseason debut under less than ideal circumstances when he was at a talent from the rest of his teammates versus the other team disadvantage. And if you are the Browns brain trust that right to me, the only fair reading of it is Gabriel is now the one chasing. Now you we’ll see how preseason game two looks. But to me, Gabriel is now chasing even if that’s not how they listed on the depth chart for the time. You’ve got coach Manini coming in and he might have a strategic view of how he wants to see the quarterbacks if he was in charge. Brew, if you were in charge, who do you want to start against the Eagles on Saturday? Shador. Shador, you do because Flaco doesn’t need to play. I don’t need to see Kenny Picket even if he’s healthy. We know where he is. I think they were already said they don’t think Pickicket’s going to be healthwise. But even if he was healthy, we know what Kenny Picket is. We’ve got two and a plus years of him in the NFL. And so, and then Dylan, I I would play Shadur the first half and Dylan Gabriel the second. If all four quarterbacks are So, I think I might, given everything I said, I think I still might let Gabriel start. Be like, “Hey, you know what I mean? like Shadore has moved past you, but in part that you know he’s got to start a game. You now get to start a game, but you know, a preseason game, but I I would only play those two quarterbacks in preseason games. Kenny Picket to me is a the only utility Kenny Picket has is if flat something happens to Flaco, we don’t want to start a rookie. We’d rather start a veteran. But that is that is planning for a problem that the Browns the idea that the Browns are going to be playing meaningful football if their starting quarterback gets hurt. But you know what is is not a likely one to begin with anyway. So yeah, I want to see Gabriel and Shador and I think Gabriel now is some ground to make. All right, let’s get our quick reaction to this interaction postgame. Shador and longtime Cleveland media mainstay Tony Gy. Now, Gross said today on the radio that it was he who initiated the conversation with Shador. Shador is leaving. He wanted to have a quick chat with him. So, it wasn’t Shadore, which some people thought. Later tweet from Tony Gy. My bottom line on Shadore’s impressive debut. He put the pressure on Picket and Dylan Gabriel to get healthy and perform next week. He had some other nice things, but it wasn’t negative after that interaction. Your reaction to that piece of video? Look, I know Tony. Uh, we worked together at the Cleveland plane deal. He was covering the Browns when I was an intern. So, he’s been Yeah, he he was a beat that old to be honest with you. No, he’s aged way better. Yeah, he’s a great He’s a great guy. Um I like first quickly let me say about Shadur’s interest entrance which we showed earlier. I had no problem with it and I like actually him coming in with the legendary chain. That’s not my style. But I like him coming in with that because it just shows I’mma be me like that. He’s still confident. I would not like if he’s walking in there with 15 guys in an entourage Colorado entrance. He’s a Colorado backpack. It still felt I like him. It says I’m still confident. I’ve taken all these hits. My team thinks I’m the fourth best quarterback on the roster, but I’m still confident enough to wear this chain and all that. So, I like that. and the interaction with Gross. A lot of players would have went off on Grossy like, “Man, you never say nothing right or ignored him, said, “No, I’m not talking to you.” He turned what could have been an uncomfortable situation into a a lighthearted, but you get what I mean. He he got through to Tony, but it was lighthearted and fun, and there’s no love lost either way. They’re laughing and smiling at the end. You can see his dad in him. The optimism, the charisma. It’s the same thing. It just I haven’t sp I’ve spent a little bit of time around Magic Johnson. You both have spent a ton of time, you a ton and you a fair amount um around Magic and there is just everyone and I’m not comparing Shidor to Magic. I’m just saying there is something unquantifiably valuable about a great smile and charisma that is just disarming to people because that interaction was entirely colored by the laugh at the end. You know what I mean? If you just read a transcript of it and don’t see it, it come it can come across as ooh, you know what I mean? Like rough. But because he’s smiling and laughing at the end and and even during yelling at him. No. And but here’s the other thing and then I’ll get to the entrance. So I have not been in I have not covered as many teams as Brew, but I used to go in locker rooms when I when I was I was you know Tony Gy. I had that job in Kansas City. And while you host a radio show, you also go in the locker rooms do all this stuff. athletes getting angry at the people who’ve been critical of them and saying something to them in the locker room or after a game has happened forever. It is not a sign of immaturity. It is not a mistake. It is simply seen now on video. Like you know what I mean? That part is par for the course for I as long as you’ve been covering the game forever. So I had no problem with that. The entrance I thought was bad optics. I thought even though it was to your point either entirely or mostly his teammates, I thought the boom box and the staff was some it was unnecessary ammunition for folks that that were if there was any front office, let me put it like this. If there was any owner that went to his GM, like, hey, we had a fourth round pick. I’m reading all these good things about Shador Sanders. Why didn’t we draft him? I would imagine that GM before the game sent the owner that video. He’s like, this is I can’t explain it, but this is why this is why like we didn’t want it for a guy that wasn’t going to be our star quarterback. That added whatever. And so even though Bruce said he’s not a jewelry guy, I am. I’m kind of a flashier guy. I probably have a lot of similar personality characteristics that I don’t I am not personally bothered by, but I understand he’s not working for me and he’s not a lot of the people that he’s working for because we also said that this game was an audition for all 31 teams theoretically if the Browns don’t move him up the depth chart. I don’t think that helps him. I don’t think it’s a huge deal and I don’t think the Tony Gy thing is a bad thing at all. I just don’t think there’s anything positive gained from it. And I don’t think there are a lot of any other rookie quarterbacks that are going to have a grand entrance. And I think that’s What do you think the staff? I don’t know. He’s partying the rim. This boy is I don’t know what it was. I wasn’t thinking in biblical terms. It was just it was just unique. Like I we got to find I I I saw some stuff saying that that guy is a teammate. I buy that. I buy that on Shad. It might be on this dude. I don’t Don’t some I’ve seen other players coming in with boom box. Did Debo Debo S I’ve seen 49ers have a team? Yeah, the Debo. I I wouldn’t be surprised if many of the teams and again maybe like that’s not my boom box. So I the Am I Do you think I’m crazy with one like No, I I I think it makes sense. We don’t know if it’s his boom box. Also, Gianna note, next Monday my entrance boom box. Next Monday’s vacation. You won’t remember in two weeks. I will be here. No days off. Uh no, but maybe he need I mean he played great. He played great. His play will be the defining factor. Yeah. If he played poorly, it’s like oh if he played if he played poorly with no boom box, what happened to the boom box? But a lot of guys, and this wouldn’t have been bad, a lot of guys would have been like, “Let let me ditch the chain for now. Let me just come in by,” you know, I I like though that he just said, “This is who I am.” Okay. And I’m now I’m glad he didn’t come in with the briefcase full of money. Exactly. That would be a little So I do think there is a fine line between aband like pretending you’re someone else abandoning who you are and post like postdraft like hey we have all this set up for when I’m a first round pick and then I end up being the story is my fault. The briefcase full of money. We don’t bring that out. You know what I mean? I’m not saying that you wear a bow tie and suspenders but there may have been three briefcases. Okay, you’re right. Maybe it may have already come down. When would it be coming from the sky? Kill the Rams. Just putting, you know, that’s you don’t know what the plan was. Cowboys preseason uh against the Rams pregame Dak uh talking to Rams owner Stan Kunky. Now, the context here, Dak’s team hasn’t been to the conference championship in almost 30 years, but that’s about to change. So, here is a closed caption version of Dak talking to Stan. We’ll meet you in the NFC Championship. That cursor looks like it’s just revolving curse words, but it was just kind of following along like a karaoke machine. Uh, so Dax seeming to say, “See y’all in the NFC Championship.” Uh, your reaction to Dax’s confidence. It was cute. It was cute. It It was like like when the NBA player goes holds a camp or goes to speak at an elementary school and and the kid is like, “I can beat you in oneonone. You you don’t get mad. You’re like, “That’s cute. That his naivity.” You don’t take him seriously, of course, but you laugh. You chuckle at his naivity. He’s It’s It’s great that he believes in himself. I Maybe some people think I’m exaggerating a little. I’m sure that’s what Crony’s thinking. All right. Really? It’s been 30 years, Dak. You don’t even have your best players signed up. The team is falling apart. Great. I mean, what that I’m not even mad at Dak. I’m not even gonna go go off on, oh, here we go again. They’re talking about the Super Bowl. They’re not to be taken seriously. They’re just not. And so, okay. Sure, Dak. All right. That was cute. Yeah, I took this maybe not surprisingly, totally different direction. I’m glad to see Dak has the type of faith in Matt Stafford that I do. Dak Dak believes it. It’s one thing that’s like saw like he knows how the bracket’s going to break. It’s one thing to believe in your own team, but he under he knows ball and he understand the Rams were this close to beating the Eagles last year and they they would have one play away from the conference championship game last year. I think this is the vast majority of days we do a show, this would be the the topic that I think is the most ludicrous. Now, today is a weird one because we have a Ben Johnson topic in here that I think it’s top 10 silliest things we’ve ever done. Here we go. You know, Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow need to play in the pres later. Um, I think there’s nothing. I think this is we see guys at the end of games all the time say see y’all again in January or hope to sometimes it’s an intraconference game. What is it where it’s against two? AFC, NFC. I don’t know if that’s in or intra. Um, it’s like, hey, see you in February when neither of the teams has any real Super Bowl hopes. Like that to me is very common pre and postgame football stuff. Like up not on the schedule, so guess I’ll see you in the playoffs. He just put a pin on it. And what’s the worst? What is the combo out of every combo in the league? And maybe you don’t they’re not even on the schedule. Where are you like that’s fair? What do you mean the worst? If it was Trevor Lawrence, the the worst combo that I think is acceptable where the person doesn’t say what. Okay. Uh that’s this was one of them. Cam Ward Tua AFC Championship game. No, for real. That’s the worst one. That’s acceptable. Yeah, because it’s acceptable because it’s a it’s cute because well because Cam Ward saw the a rookie go to the conference championship game last year and you know Tua has been a prolific passer at times. Great. He can’t hit the other guy on his heels. Like, huh? Cranky was thinking that. Believe me. Believe me. I mean, they’re not to be taken seriously. I like it. Thanks for watching. Subscribe here to get more from the show and to check out clips from other shows on FS1.

Shedeur Sanders made his preseason debut for the Cleveland Browns, throwing for two touchdowns. Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, and Kevin Wildes analyze his performance and what it might mean for his future at the NFL level. Plus, they discuss Dak Prescott saying that the Dallas Cowboys will see the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship, ad whether or not they should be taken seriously.

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Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, and Kevin Wildes team up on First Things First. The trio offers their take on a bevy of sports stories alongside special guests from across the sports world.

Shedeur Sanders’ ‘very good’ debut, Cowboys ‘not to be taken seriously’? | FIRST THINGS FIRST www.youtube.com/@FirstThingsFirst