Jets Season Preview w/ Herm Edwards, Bob Wischusen & Connor Rogers!

Jets Season Preview w/ Herm Edwards, Bob Wischusen & Connor Rogers!

Always love when we get a chance to talk with Coach Herm Edwards. Coach Jake has been here in New York. Thanks so much for a couple minutes today. I mean, what a what a wild 24 hours in the NFL with the Micah trade, huh? Yeah, that’s uh that’s Jerry Jones. He finds a way for the Dallas Cowboys to stand and they’re in the news. There’s no doubt about it. I think if you’re you’re Parsons, I I think it’s probably a a sigh of relief in the fact that it’s over and you’re going to play football now. You’re not in Dallas anymore. actually you go to a team uh with the Packers that um you know that all the all the the blocking as far as how you turn the protection won’t always go to you because of Gary. You know they’ve got a pretty good pass rusher there too. So all of a sudden you got another pass rusher to add along with Parsons going to Green Bay and now their defense that was ranked fifth is probably going a lot better for that. Now it’ be interesting for Parsons as well. I know he went to Penn State and he’s used to the cold and he played on the grass, but there’s a difference playing on the grass and the turf. All of a sudden, you go from, you know, the season that he had uh playing 13 turf games last year and now he’s going to play 10 grass grass games. So, he’s going to play seven games on the turf. That’s going to be interesting, too. Herm, you obviously know Brian Shottenheimr and here he is getting his first opportunity to be an NFL head coach. What do you think he’s thinking as this is unfolding here just days before his debut game as the Cowboys coach? Well, I look he can’t he he knows when you work for Jerry Jones and he you know Jerry’s going to do what Jerry does. And I think if you’re Brian, all you can say is, hey, look, we’re going to move on. It’s going to be tough enough going to Philly on a Thursday night and then we and we lost our we lost our best defensive player. So that doesn’t bode well. But um he can’t worry about that stuff. He really can’t. He’s got to focus on the football team. Get these guys ready to play because it’s going to be a big game for him. It’s a division game. Uh they go to Philly. That’s always, you know, that that’s kind of a rivalry game. I can tell you that. Um I played in it a bunch of times, so I know how that game is is played. Well, from just a getting the team ready standpoint, Herm, if you if you were Brian Shottenheimer and you’re trying to get the team ready to go, are you concerned about just the kind of the ripple effect of what trading a beloved player, best player on the team, you could argue in Parsons, what that could do to the rest of the locker room and the morale in that room? Well, a little bit, but you know, when this is going on, uh, when this negotiation was going on, I’m pretty sure Brian was already talking to the team. You know, and I I went through this with Larry Johnson when I was at Kansas City. Now, we eventually signed him and he stayed with the Chiefs, but you know, the conversation with the team is real simple. This is business now, guys. It has nothing to do with Michael Parsons. You know, we want him to be here. Um, he’s a great player, but this is the business part of it. And sometimes it doesn’t work out, you know. So, he’s already alerted the team that probably saying, “I want him back.” But at the end of the day, business is business. And we all have to understand that. and we all will be in this situation in our careers at one point and it might not work out like we like. Herm Edwards with us here, former head coach of the Jets, the Chiefs. You watch him on ESPN all the time where he covers of course the NFL. Do you feel like the Packers are now a legitimate Super Bowl contender in the NFC? Where would you rank them amongst the top teams in that conference? Well, uh, you know, it’s a pretty good conference actually with the Vikings sitting over there now. they got a a young quarterback that’s going to play and obviously the Lions who lost their offensive coordinator. So now if you look at the Packers um they added a a dynamic player to their defense and you know they were 11 and what 11 and seven they were five and one in the division only lost one division game. Now all of a sudden their defense is better and they had a pretty good defense last year. They were ranked they were ranked fifth in the league. So, you know, right now with Parsons on your defense and the way you played last year, you got to be the favorite to win the division, right? I mean, that that’s just how I look at it. And the fact that with all with with the losses of other teams, I I think Chicago is going to be better. If you watch Caleb Williams in the preseason with Ben Johnson being the coach, he’s not going to take 68 sacks like he did last year. When you watch him in the preseason, he got rid of the ball. He was on time. I mean, he looked like a different quarterback. Now, does that hurt Jared Golf? You know, Jared Golf had Ben Johnson as a play caller. Detroit loses both their coordinators. Yeah, you can say, “Well, they’re only coaches.” Yeah, but they’re familiar with the players during games, and that’s probably the most important thing. So, there’s going to be some adjustment there. Herm Edwards is our guest here on the Michael K show. Jake Asmin in for Michael till 3:00. You know, you mentioned the Lions losing their offensive coordinator. They of course also lost their defensive coordinator who’s now the head coach of the NYJ, one of your former players in Aaron Glenn. Coach, your thoughts on AG and what the expectations you have for the Jets in year one with Aaron Glenn? Well, I think he’ll bring continuity. Um, uh, the players will ultimately respect him because he’s a former player. Um, but it’s not so much about respecting you. he’s going to have to earn their trust and and that happens a lot of times when you hit some bad spots, you know, how do you react to that? And the Jets will probably hit some bad spots, you know, this season. They they’ll hit a string of well, oh, here we go, you know, how does he how does he how does he act, you know, how does he handle the team? So, I think the players, you know, going to love him as a coach, but at the end of the day, you got to win. And um you know they’re in a division that um it’s kind of interesting when you look at that division over there. You know are the Patriots better? They’re probably going to be better, right? I mean that’s that’s how I kind of look at it when I watch him in the preseason. Look at that. You know that their coach Rabel, he he understands the the temperament of of how they should uh play in New England. I think they will be improved. The Miami Dolphins, they’re a team that they they’re head scratchers, right? You always scratch your head when you watch the Dolphins. first couple years when when Tua was there, they were this fantastic offense and all of a sudden now they kind of trying to find theirel. The team that everybody’s chasing is the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen. I mean, that’s that’s the team in my opinion you got to beat in that division. They’re one of the top five teams in the National Football League. You think about the Buffalo Bills. Coach, when you took over the Jets going into that 2001 season, what do you remember about Aaron Glenn? Because at that point, he’d been in the league a while. He’s been a multi-time Pro Bowler. What were your memories coaching AG for that one year you had him? Well, he’s a pro and u a student of the game, you know, was searching for knowledge even at that point in his career. You know, I was I was a different coach. I was bringing in a different system. He wanted to learn that system. You could tell he was going to be a coach. You could you just had that feeling. I said at the end of the day, this guy’s going to be a coach one day. And obviously, he’s done that and and and done a nice job of it. And I I think what what’s good for for him is he goes back to the Jets. He understands the temperature of New York. He played in it, right? And it’s different when you’re the coach in New York. It’s different. And I’ll flat tell you that. Um, it’s a lot of fun, but there’s a lot of voices. There’s a lot of noise outside the building in New York now. And how he handles that when they hit some some some tough spots will be very important. I think he’ll handle it fine. I just think it’s a team that um has a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. The key will be the consistent play of the quarterback. Can the quarterback play consistent enough to keep these guys in games? And if they can do that, they’ll be better this year. They want to seemingly run the ball a lot. They have three really good running backs. We know Justin Fields could run as well. If if you’re Aaron Glenn, are you confident in the personnel you have? Do you think you could design a real offense where you ground and pound and try and win games on uh by just rushing the football and and that’s if that’s your mode of operation right now, that’s what you do. And and you preach to the team that, you know, we’re going to take air out of the ball. In other words, it’s not going to be teams that we play. It’s not going to be 12 to 14 possessions. We’re going to try to keep it down to 10 possessions. And we want to milk the clock. We want to play good defense. We want to play special teams. You can still do that. I mean that that you can still play that way. Now, it’s boring to the fans because fans want to see scoring. But if you’re winning that way, fans don’t care long as you can win. And I think if they can do that and stay in games, they got a chance because they have some dynamic players on offense now. It’s just a matter of, you know, can can they can they keep the game in touch where Fields doesn’t have to go back and he’s down by 10 points in the fourth quarter. He’s got to throw it all over the place. justice. If that’s the case, we’re not quite for sure what’s going to happen. Herm Edwards, our guest here on 880 ESPN New York, Jake Asmin, 8 for K till 3:00. You know, you mentioned just the loud noises, the loud noises having to be, you know, the Jet coach and the New York media market. What would be the biggest piece of advice you’d give to your former player, Aaron Glenn, going into year one? Just be you, and that’s good enough. And and be as honest as you can. uh give the media the ability to do their job. Uh but you also you protect your football team. That’s important. And I think if if you if you understand that, just be consistent, you know, just as long as you’re consistent and and you don’t you know, you don’t have these ups and downs. I mean, you’ll be fine. I mean, and like I said, it’s noisy, but after a while, it’s like, you know, just just do what we do. And and that’s kind of I I took on it that way. and and it was I enjoyed it to be quite honest. I I had a blast. You know, I’ve had a pretty good relationship with the media. I thought I gave them enough information so they could do their jobs and um I do know this. I always protected the players. Um because that’s that’s part of your job, too. You got to protect the players. Switching to the Giants, Herb, I mean, they’re they’re in an interesting spot because they have Russell Wilson, of course, but they drafted Jackson Dart behind them. You still got James Winston there as well. If you’re Brian Dable, what to you is the ideal scenario for how you’re handling the quarterback situation this season? Well, they got a pretty rough start, right? Coming out. Yeah, the first four has been really bad. All playoff teams. Well, that being said, you’re going to find out a lot about your team. But also, I think when Russell Wilson goes to that stretch, then you got to look at, you know, what what’s your record, right? If you’re 500, you’re going, “Oh, okay.” If you’re if you’re one and three and you’re not getting a lot out of the quarterback, guess what? I’m putting the other guy in. I think the other guy’s fantastic. I do. I think they got theirel a really good quarterback. I mean, that’s just me. I mean, it’s just, you know, I’m not the Giants coach. Not saying I’m trying to tell him what to do. Coach knows this team better than me. But I do know one thing. If I listen to my eyes and and what I see when I see him play, they’re not even close. And he going to make mistakes. That young guy, he’ll make some mistakes, but I tell you what, he really good. I think he’s really good. So, it’ll be kind of a fun watch. And I think the Giants will be a lot better. I mean, they they’ll be able to run the ball. You know, the runner they got out of out of Arizona State, he he’s a big- time running back now. He’s he’s a load now. He’s hard to bring down. They can be in a lot of second and fours, which is a good down for offense. It’s a good down for the quarterback. You know, you want to be in second and four a lot in football. If you can get to that second and four, you control the game. Coach, you mentioned you like Jackson Dart. What about his game has really stood out to you that you like him so much? Well, he he reminds me a lot and I said this earlier. If your coach and you just close your eyes now, he’s not as big, but has the same kind of acrement. He reminded me of Josh Allen. Josh Allen’s a little bit taller, weighs probably about 10, 15 more pounds, but same attributes. He can run. He can throw the ball anywhere on the football field. He’s steady in the pocket when he needs to be. He can he can play off schedule. He plays off schedule pretty good. I just like the guy. He’s got a something to him, you know. And all you got to do is look at it. Just watch the I always say, you know, football not hard. You know the worst thing about football? Jerseys. Because you put the number on the back of the jersey and people know who that guy is. But if you didn’t put any numbers on the back of jerseys and you watch guys play, like if you went to the park and you were playing in a pickup game and you walked out and say, “I got next.” You didn’t know the guys. You just say, “Hey, man.” You know, and and you’re watching guys play. I got to take three guys. You watch him play and you go, “I’m taking that guy with the purple hair. Oh, that guy got, you know, he got two different kind of shoes on. I like that guy.” You won’t worry about all that other stuff. Just let the Just pick the best players. Well, if you look at him play, you go, “That quarterback, he’s pretty good.” The only thing he doesn’t have is what? Experience. How do you get experience? Got to play. Coach, always a pleasure. Love your insight and I can’t thank you enough for a couple minutes today and looking forward to watching you all season long on ESPN. My pleasure. Thank you. Hand off Shawn Green runs right, gets to the edge, stiff arms a man. 10, five, touchdown. The Jets are going to win it in style here in New England. [Applause] 141 to go and the Jets celebrate in the Patriots Ballard. Ah, the greatest day of my life. January 16th, 2011. Jets beat the Pats, advanced to the AFC title game for the second year in a row. They haven’t been back in the playoffs since. They haven’t won a playoff game since. Hopefully that changes this year with Aaron Glenn in his first year as the head coach. For more on the Jets, we check in with the guy whose voice you just heard, the radio playby-play voice of the Jets since 2002. ESPN’s Bob Lasha joins us now. Bob, always appreciate your time. Football season is coming up. I know you’re calling Syracuse, Tennessee on Saturday. So, uh, let’s go. We made it. Yeah. And, uh, South Carolina Virginia Tech on Sunday. So, double header this week. Wow. Um, it’s good to have a football game on Sunday as well. Well, I’m kind of used to that. And then that was a good memory, though. Hopefully, this season sounds a little like that season by the time the game the the year’s over. Bob, take us through the travel for that. So, you’re going to be calling Syracuse verse Tennessee. That game’s in Atlanta. Is it multiple flights, one flight? How does that work? Well, I’m lucky both games are in Atlanta. Oh, even better. Okay. Yeah, even better. Yeah. One a game Saturday and a game Sunday, both at Mercedes-Benz in Atlanta. So, it’s a one-stop shop. Awesome. Well, as far as the Jets and their season, what have been your impressions on Aaron Glenn so far through the preseason and and here we go, just, you know, 10 days to go until Aaron Rogers and the Steelers come to town. Yeah, I think he’s been the genuine article. I think he’s come as advertised. Um, from tackling to the ground in practice to, you know, having officials at every practice throwing flags as if it’s a game to, you know, playing the starters in the preseason more than most teams have played them and a lot more than previous Jet regimes have played them. Um, you know, I think he wanted his team calloused and toughened up and, you know, feeling like they’ve played some football already, some real football by the time the season starts. And I I think that’s been mission accomplished. And I think it’s also fun and kind of refreshing um, you know, how much you can see that this means to him to be back in these colors where he played. You know, he got emotional a couple of times talking about it in press conferences during training camp. It’s, you know, it this really matters to him to be back here and it shows. And I feel like for a first time coach Bob stepping into this media market, it could be really difficult. But I think the fact that he was a player here, he of course got his scouting career started here before he shifted over to being a coach. I feel like that’s going to help him compared to maybe some other firsttime coaches the Jets have hired that step into this market and it could be really tough. Yeah, there’s no question. He knows 100% because he’s worn the uniform, been in that locker room, been with I mean some of the members of the media that are still covering the team to this day. Um so yeah, he will go into this and is going into all of this with eyes wide open. Bob Lashusen, radio voice of the Jets with us here. Bob, as far as the quarterback situation, are you optimistic about Justin Fields with this offense? It was reportedly an up and down preseason or up and down, I should say, training camp. We saw what he did in the preseason, some good, some bad. How do you feel about the Jets new starting quarterback going into week one? Yeah. To me, and this is the case with any quarterback in the NFL. Um, because you will be asked to do this because you can’t not do this in the NFL and succeed throwing from the pocket with accuracy. And you know, I know Darren Muji talked about this earlier today, I guess, in his press conference. Uh, you have seen quarterbacks develop. It it’s, you know, it’s funny. Quarterback, for whatever reason, has become a position where development isn’t allowed anymore. It’s basically, can you do this right away? And if you can’t, we’re done with you. And that’s that’s not the way we used to treat quarterbacks. I mean, I’m not only old enough to remember, I was doing Jet games uh when Chad Pennington sat the bench for 2 and 1/2 years until as a first round draft choice. He finally got the chance to play. And I say finally got the chance to play because that’s what it seems like now. It seems like if you’re a first round draft choice in the NFL as a quarterback and you get to week five and you haven’t played, that’s a long time. He sat for two and a half years. But how much more prepared developmentally did he look when he came into play 2 and 1/2 years into his career than he probably would have if it was two and a half games into his career? So, you know, I I think for whatever reason, I guess just because of the media attention paid to guys that get drafted at the top of the draft, fan pressure, media pressure, owner pressure, sometimes, you know, you’re a bad team and you draft a guy in the top five and everybody wants that guy to immediately come in and be the savior and all of that gets thrust onto his shoulders immediately and no development is allowed. And should the Browns have done that with Baker Mayfield? Should the Jets have done that with Sam Darnold and then with, you know, um, some of the other guys, you know, that they’ve drafted at the top of the draft, Luna Wilson, like the whole group. Um, you know, it’s debatable because these guys need a chance to maybe grow a little bit. Now, look at Justin Fields. This is stop three. um maybe that, you know, armadillo skin will show a little bit from the previous stops and he’d just be a different player three or four years in than he was when he first got drafted. And and I’m hoping that for him because, you know, you all the tools are there. I mean, it’s easy to see why someone would quickly fall in love with Justin Fields as a player. He’s just he’s such a dynamic athlete, but you have to be able to throw with accuracy from the pocket and hopefully he’s developing that. Bob Lashen with us here on the Michael K show. Jake Asmin in for Michael. You know, when it comes to the offense too, we know that they want to run the ball. This might be the most runheavy team the Jets will put on a field since those Rex Ryan days with ground and pound. Do they have the personnel though in your opinion to have a very successful rushing attack? They do. I mean, they’ve got a great stable of running backs. They’ve definitely I mean, that that’s something that I’m kind of optimistic for Justin Field’s sake about as well. This is probably the best job from a personnel standpoint they’ve been able to do since they had Mark Sanchez of build an offensive line, get a dynamic tight end, you know, have a stable of running backs and insulate the quarterback a little bit so it’s not all about him the whole time and doesn’t have to be all about him the whole time. It takes some pressure off of him. Now, having said that, you can’t win in the NFL unless you have explosiveness to your offense. And explosive plays in the NFL come from a downfield passing attack. So like pushing the ball down the field through the air has to be part of what you do. It’s just too hard to win and score having 10 11 12 play drives over and over and over again because you’re leaning on your run game so much. Like you know you don’t run the triple option in the NFL. You know, again, you have to be able to throw with some accuracy the from the pocket, but being able to throw off play action because teams are afraid of how well you’re running the ball is a huge weapon. Maybe the Jets will be able to, you know, utilize that with with fields. So, yeah, I I think they’re certainly going to try to lean on their run game first and foremost, but there has to be a balance. Are you concerned with the wide receiver depth? We know about Garrett Wilson, but after that, a lot of unknowns. And of course with Mason Taylor at the tight end spot, I like him a lot, but he is a rookie stepping into that spot, which could be difficult. Your thoughts on these skill position players that Fields will be throwing to? Yeah, I think that’s fair. I mean, I think on a team that might have another truly complimentary receiver to Garrett Wilson, if you got to say like the Reynolds Lazard part of the depth chart, maybe they would be kind of battling it out for the three four spots. But the Jets, you’re right, they don’t really have that kind of clear-cut 1A receiver, but receivers are a plentiful position in the NFL. Like receiver is often times a spot that you can go out and fill through other teams cuts or through a trade or, you know, I I’ll be curious to see if they decide at some point that, you know, they want to pull the trigger and try and bring another receiver in. That’s certainly possible. But Reynolds a veteran. Lazard’s a veteran. Um, you know, they they did draft some speed, that’s for sure. I mean, that was intriguing watching, you know, some of those guys fly around in the preseason. So, I don’t think that the wide receiver position is as much of a question mark as other people might think. But, do I think they could potentially go out and add? Yeah, they could certainly add in that room. How about the defense? So, are you expecting the Jet defense to be a lot closer to the team they were defensively in 2022 and 2023 under Aaron Glenn and now Steve Wilks, or is the Jet defense once again going to be in some trouble this year? No, I I I’m optimistic as well. Obviously, safety a little bit of a concern. Um, you know, I I do think that Brandon Stevens at the corner opposite Sauce Gardner has looked great. Um, to me, he’s been of all of the new faces that they’ve brought in, maybe the most impressive. If Germaine Johnson comes back and can be healthy and even, you know, a replica of what he was before he got hurt and you have the bookend with Will McDonald pass rush tandem, Harrison Phillips is, I think, a a pretty proven run stopper to play alongside Quinnon Williams. Um, I think they’ve got a pretty complete defense. I think their biggest problem last year and even the last couple of years um they haven’t taken the ball away as much as good defenses need to and especially as much as the Jets have needed to because again even with the optimism with the offense even with the ability to run the ball the stable of running backs adding you know first round draft choices the last couple of years at tackle I don’t know that the Jet offense is going to be one that’s going to be averaging more than 20, 21, 22 points a game. So, the defense a is going to have to be like stingy. Like, they’re going to have to be a team that’s going to hold the opposition under 24 points a game to give yourself a chance to win, I think. And B, you can make life on your offense incredibly easy just by taking the ball away occasionally. Flip the field. you know, if not score yourself, give them a short field. And that was something that didn’t happen uh the last couple of years nearly as much as it probably needs to. And and I think we’ll need to again this year. Final question for you, Bob. You’ve been calling the Jets on radio since 2002. What is the best Jets game that you’ve ever called in your career? Well, that one that you played the highlight from was fun. I mean, being a whatever they were like a I don’t know 17, 18, 19 point underdog in New England going up there and winning a playoff game um was a lot of fun. Uh so yeah, that that’s certainly the first one that jumps to mind. Uh right when we first started, there was an overtime playoff win they had in San Diego against the Chargers way back when. I think Doug Bryan won it on a field goal. Drew Brees was the quarterback in San Diego at that point. That’s how far we’re going back. I mean, um, you know, there there have been some fun ones. Even the home playoff win they had against Jacksonville, my first year or I’m sorry, against Indie, my first year of doing all of the games. Um, you know, haven’t had a home playoff game since. So, I would really like to uh at some point in the not too distant future be sitting in Metife Stadium for a playoff game and hearing what the place sounds like. The first chance the Jet fans get a chance to have a home playoff game, a playoff game in their building. Um, that would be fun. Bob, have a great season. Uh, good luck with the two college games you’re calling over the weekend and can’t wait to hear you back on the radio calling the Jets this year. Thanks. Appreciate it. Excited about our next guest. Always love a chance to talk some football with him. You watch him on SNY, part of SNY’s Jets coverage pre and post. He’s on NBC, covering the NFL draft, hosting Badlands on Patreon, the Mets pod with SNY. He does a million different things and he’s kind enough with his time. Connor Rogers joins us here on the Michael K show with Jake Asmin in for Michael. Connor, always appreciate it, my friend. How are you, Jake? I’m doing great, man. What’s happening? So, I I mean, what was your reaction yesterday, Connor, to the Parsons trade? What were you doing? What was the initial thought when you saw that? Oh, man. I think I was right in between a couple things. We actually were getting ready for our uh our Big 10 pregame show that starts tonight for Illinois and Western Illinois, and we got Michigan, New Mexico tomorrow night. So, we were kind of getting ready for that. And right in between that and recording NFL stock exchange, this trade comes through on my drive home where I’m just like, you’ve got to I mean, not that you’ve got to be kidding me because this is one of those situations that I think a lot of people wanted to believe it just wouldn’t happen because they’re so bought in that Jerry Jones feeds off the drama, likes the publicity. But I did think this one took a turn after a couple weeks ago, Micah Parsons put out that very long public note on Twitter and a couple different social media formats explaining everything that happened and not only how insulted he was, but it just felt like it had reached a point where both sides were not going to find a middle point. And you know, obviously his lack of participation this summer, but we’ve seen that with a lot of different players and the fact that, you know, this is kind of who the Cowboys are right now. they either drag out these extensions and then they end up overpaying or they just don’t find a way and they kind of get stuck in their ways and say, “Hey, no player is bigger than, you know, how they view America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys.” And I didn’t like the value. I didn’t like the return on this trade. Michael Parsons is an incredible player. I’m sure there’s a lot of New York Giant fans that woke up and put a smile on their face this morning right now knowing that guy’s out of the division uh for the foreseeable future. And I just didn’t think the Cowboys did very good on the return. Kenny Clark is an aging defensive tackle coming off of his worst year. And they got two first round picks that project to be outside of the top 23 selections in the NFL draft. So, I don’t care how good a draft is. And listen, I do that for a living. And I think these drafts coming up are going to be pretty good. You’re not getting to Micah Parsons with one of those two picks. How about the fact, Connor, that Joe Douglas, for all his flaws, he could say that he got more for Jamal Adams than the Cowboys that Jerry Jones got for Micah Parsons. Yeah, it was a massive overpay from Seattle and and one of the better things that Joe Douglas did during his tenure here and you know what those picks ultimately turn into as well. So, uh, yeah, it’s, you know, what happens in these situations, Jake, and it happened with Jamal Adams, which did make that return so particularly surprising is the number the players do. And obviously the Packers and Michael Parson’s agency had already figured all this out before the trade. That limits the value so often where you see capable wide receivers get traded for fourth and fifth round picks and running backs get moved for nothing. And at the end of the day though, Michael Parsons was an outlier. he is so good. So, the fact that he was almost going to be getting $50 million a year. He’s going to be getting a quarterback contract didn’t, you know, deter a team like Green Bay. They were still willing to give up uh the multiple first round picks as draft capital, a player that they liked a lot in Kenny Clark. Once again, I think he is trending the wrong way, but they liked him a lot still. He meant a lot to that franchise. And yeah, it does speak volumes how much NFL trades have changed. And it feels like we’re not going to see a Jamal Adamsesque return for quite some time. Connor Rogers from SNY and NBC with us here as we talk all things football on a football Friday, college football of course getting underway all weekend long and the Jets and the Giants in action next Sunday. Conor, as far as the Jets, we’ll start with them here. Give us your thoughts on the Jets 53man roster. Anything surprise you? How do you feel about this team entering week one? Well, I know they did some really good things on the back end of the roster. I mean, the the claim of Esapo, the Chiefs undrafted free agent offensive lineman and had a great summer for them. I know some fans might not care about the back end of the roster, but getting developmental offensive lineman is really, really important in this league. And I think that was a savvy move by Darren Muji in company because this was somebody to me that had a draftable grade. He didn’t start playing football till a couple years ago. He got to finish his college career at Washington State and showed a lot of promising flashes. So, I like getting somebody like that in the program and swiping him from the roster. And the most notable thing though this team did before cut day even happened was they figured out how to get capable defensive tackles to play alongside Quinton Williams for day three draft capital. That was very savvy and it was much needed. I didn’t think they did a good job in that department during free agency or the NFL draft. And it feels like they made up for it by trading for Harrison Phillips from the Vikings who could be your starting nose tackle alongside Quinnon Williams. And then just as importantly, getting a guy like Jawan Briggs, a younger player uh that can really be a power player and a rotational run stopper as well, because we know how often injuries happen in this league, especially in the trenches, and we know how often guys are rotated no matter what scheme you’re playing. So, listen, the Jets still have problems at wide receiver. Nobody’s shying away from that. Justin Fields is going to have to prove that he could be a capable passer in this league. But what was non-negotiable to me was going into the league as a uncompetitive run defense, which I thought they were last year. I think these moves have helped them turn the corner for that area. You you bring up the wide receiver situation. I was going there next. So Darren Muji came out yesterday. He tried to pump up the room. He says he feels really good about that room, but I I I think you and I aren’t necessarily buying that. Is there any move you think the Jets could potentially make from now until week one to try and get someone else in that room next to Garrett Wilson? the options weren’t great and the the not so great options dried up, right? It didn’t look like Amari Cooper had anything left in the tank at the end of last year and he ends up going back to the Raiders anyway. You know, Adam Thielen and the Panthers really didn’t want to give him up, but they said, “Okay, let’s move forward with our young guys and get some draft capital and the Vikings were very aggressive in getting a wide receiver because Jordan Addison is suspended. They’re dealing with injuries in that group. Justin Jefferson’s been banged up this summer. he’s going to be fine, but they really needed another guy during during Addison’s suspension. So, I think when it came down to it, you know, they just got they were just out bid in areas and I don’t even know how aggressive they ultimately were. And that’s a situation, right? It kind of reminds me of this a little bit, Jake. Maybe this isn’t a perfect example, but you know, a lot of baseball teams every winter, they don’t like to be big players in the relief market because there’s a lot of risk. Those guys might not work out. But then when it comes to the MLB trade deadline, these teams pay egregious prices for relievers. Let’s be real with the New York Jets right now. They didn’t go out in free agency and get a capable wide receiver to play opposite Garrett Wilson. You know, obviously you have some threes and fours and Josh Reynolds and you know, if Alan Lazard is healthy, I I would label him in that number three or number four at best kind of category and they didn’t really do that in the draft. Aren Smith is a developmental player. He’s had moments, but he’s also shown why he’s a developmental player. he’s not ready to be a number two in an NFL offense. We’ll see if he’s ready to be a number three at any point as well. And then you get to this point and it kind of feels a little comparable to the MLB trade deadline where you’re looking around and going, “Okay, there’s some options out there, some good, some not so good. And are we going to pay the price to go get some of these guys?” Even if it is some day three capital in terms of a fifth or a fourth round pick. And I don’t know, they just kind of want to go into the season as they are. And I think ultimately it will hurt them a little bit. I don’t think this wide receiver room is going to be good enough to get the job done, but I felt like they kind of made this bet in the spring and they are going to be a very very runheavy football team. Connor Rogers with us here on the Michael K show. Jake Asmin in for Michael Connor on the SNY Jets coverage pre and post. You watch him on NBC Sports as well. You know, just staying with the the point you made at the end there, right? We know they want to run the ball, but from what you’ve seen this summer, Connor, from what you’ve heard, what is the confidence the Jet fan should have that they got the right personnel. They got the right coaching staff that could actually scheme up a successful rushing attack. So, it’s funny. I think they have the right personnel. I think this offensive line is good. I think they have the right coaching. You know, a lot of these guys brought over from the line staff. I think the biggest issue is will they be a capable enough passing team to open up enough for the run because if you can’t throw the ball I don’t care if you have five Jonathan Ogdens on the offensive line and you know with name your pick Walter Payeyton Barry Sanders getting the ball if the defense stacks the box or just loads the box and sells out against the run you have to keep them honest and throw the football. That’s going to be really important for the Jets to not throw for 300 yards a game, but they’re going to have to throw for around 200 yards a game at times, right? And I know it sounds like such a low bar in this modern era, but they’re going to have to show teams that, hey, with all the space you’re giving us because how you’re defending us, we need to show that we actually have a threat. And I think that was some of the thought with drafting the speed of Aarian Smith. We’ll see how that works out. It was definitely a lot of the thought of drafting Mason Taylor, a guy that could play on the line of scrimmage as a blocker, but also do some work getting off the line of scrimmage into his routes. So, I think the the biggest variable though besides all that, Jake, is that, you know, I was out there during the summer at times and obviously we watch preseason, they’re keeping it really close to the vest with what their design run game looks like around Justin Fields. And that’s going to be a really big aspect of this offense. They are not afraid to have Justin Fields as a forget scrambling. We know how good he is at that, but a designed runner with some zone read options, some RPO. They didn’t show a ton of it. It’ll be a big part of their offense. What kind of needle mover is that when the lights are actually bright? Connor Rogers with us here. Moving to the Giants because I think you have a very unique angle on the Jackson Dart conversation that’s been happening the last couple weeks. It feels like there are a lot of Giants fans. There’s a lot of people in the media now making the case, hey, just start Dart right away. I want to go back to how you evaluated Dart coming out of Miss and from what you’ve seen from him this summer, do you think Brian Dable should actually bypass Russell Wilson and Jameus Winston and start the rookie right away? No, I think the Giants are doing the right thing and sometimes doing the right thing you take a lot of flack for that, right? You get a lot of outside noise. Yeah, it’s great that Jackson Dart looked the part this summer and he he was productive against, you know, backup defenses. You’d rather him be productive than struggle against backup defenses. So, he looked really good. He looked confident. We saw the athleticism. But just because he started a couple years in college doesn’t mean there’s things that the Giants number one, it’s hard just being thrown into the league. And this Giant schedule is no joke. I think that’s a big part of what the Giants are thinking here. Now, there’s not a lot of soft landing spots, but is it are you doing the right thing by, you know, week three you’re playing the Chiefs, week four you’re playing the Chargers. I get it that now it’s going to look like, you know, some people expect the Commanders to be a regression team. Some people are completely out on the Cowboys now. They traded Micah Parsons. The Giants got to go to Dallas and prove that they’re turning the corner. That doesn’t just happen because one guy was moved. I I don’t know if that should be on the shoulders of a rookie that still needs some time. I thought he played quicker and more confident than what I saw in college at times where it always felt like his internal clock was a second slow when he had some of those turnovers or some misses. But why rush that right now? Why? You went out and got Russell Wilson and Jameus Winston so you wouldn’t have to do that to him. Maybe you find a soft landing spot. Soft landing spot. And Jake, it’s it’s much easier to pull the plug on Russell Wilson for Jackson Dart. Then it is Jackson Dart plays these first four games. It It’s a little bit of a struggle. He looks overwhelmed. They’re trying to get in sync with not all these guys he’s been throwing to all summer. Malik Neighbors has missed a lot of time. And then you pull the plug on him to go back to him later. I don’t like that. So, I give Brian Brian Dable and Joe Shane. It hasn’t been a good couple years for them. I give them a lot of credit for sticking to this plan. It’s the right move for right now. How do you think they handle just who the backup is to Russ? Right. You still have Jamus there. Like would would you have Dart be inactive so you wouldn’t have to worry at all about him being thrusted in if something happened to Russ? How would you handle QB2 and QB3 if you were Brian Dable? Yeah, that’s one where it’s really interesting, right? Because if if Russ takes one hit, you know, everything I just said could go out the window if Dart is the QB2. This wouldn’t be popular, but I think at least for the first maybe four games, I might even have Jamus as the QB2. When you get to the point of the schedule, the problem is you get the Saints, right, in week five, but then you have the Eagles and Broncos as three your next three games, the Eagles, Broncos, Eagles is the order of that. So, there’s not a soft landing spot. So, maybe that makes it a little easier for them to convince themselves, okay, he could be the backup. He won’t be thrown out there immediately. If something happened to Russ, we feel good enough about adjusting on the fly with him. They know though mentally where he’s at better than any of us. If they feel like he’s grasp the off grasp the offense where they look at it and they think going into the week, even though Russ is the starter, Dart’s preparing like one, then he could be the second quarterback, but that’s something that only the Giants know right now and they’re going to show their hands soon. Connor, I know it’s about to be super super busy for you. So, really appreciate your time. Continued success. excited to watch you uh on NBC all year all year long with the Big 10 coverage. That’s awesome, man. Congrats again. Thanks so much, Jake. Really appreciate it, man. Have a great weekend. Back here on the Michael K show, Jake has been in for Michael all week long, taking you till 3:00. And joining us right now is a new teammate, a new member of the ESPN family. He also happens to be an old member of the ESPN family, Rich Eisen. Kind enough to give us some time live from his studio. and Rich, your show, the Rich Eisen Show, is going to be airing on 1050 ESPN New York. So, really appreciate taking the time to join us and talk to the New York audience. You got it. Starts uh September 2nd. So, right away, next Tuesday, as soon as the uh calendar turns to September and we’re done with uh the first massive week of college football um that’s coming up this weekend and then it’s time for the National Football League to take center stage. and and u so my show that’s been on the air since 2014 and the guy you’re sitting in for Michael Kay has been on quite a bit. I’ve known Michael since back in the day with my ESPN 1.0 uh world. Um it’s going to, you know, start on ESPN radio Disney Plus for those who want to see it and um and of course the ESPN app that’s available everywhere. Um I’m I’m really fired up. Jake Rich, for you h how did you get back in terms with ESPN? How did all this kind of come together? I think for so many sports fans out there, it came as a huge surprise. Wow. Rich Eisen’s joining ESPN. Well, I got to be honest with you, man. Um you know, um it it’s just um a blessing for for me to be able to do a show like this. Um, have ESPN become interested in wanting a show like this? Um, kind of uh months in advance of being interested in the NFL Network as well. So, I’m I’m uh I’m just uh like I said, fired up and it’s football season, so it’s perfect timing. I mean, you can’t ask for better timing to want to launch a brand new show. Rich Eisen, of course, with us here on ESPN New York. I mean, we could start with our New York Jets. I mean, the last time I spoke to you was at the combine about a year and a half ago. We still had a lot of optimism for Aaron Rogers coming back and hopefully being the answer for this team. A lot has, of course, changed since then. Aaron Glenn going into year one. How do you feel about our New York Jets? Well, I got to be honest with you, man. Um, the moves that the Jets made um in this uh off season were were all um you know, check the box moves that they needed to do. uh they needed to find a new head coach. Um and they needed to find a new quarterback. Uh I believe uh I know there was a conversation about maybe having Aaron Rogers back for for one more year, but you know, if you’re going to start fresh, if you’re going to start with a new head coach, um the Aaron that you’d want to have set the tone, set the the standard as well as the the tone should be the head coach, not the quarterback. And that that’s why I think Rogers is actually going to have a a good run if not just one year, but however long he stays in Pittsburgh. I think it’s going to be better for him that again he’s joining an established organization with a coach that’s not going anywhere. And the organization in Pittsburgh is not looking at Aaron in the same way the Jets did to say to Aaron Rogers, tell us how it’s done. Show us how it’s done. um you know the the head coach can take care of the defense, but everything else you you need to show us how it is done. Um and that just clearly wasn’t working for the Jets. So to go into their past and get somebody who is a former first round pick from the Parcels era in Aaron Glenn and give him his first shot uh as being an HD in the NFL. I I I think that that was a a wise maneuver. Um, and then on top of it at the quarterback spot to pay Justin Fields uh a fraction of what franchise quarterbacks are being paid in the NFL for a two-year run with a guy with a massive upside at an age where quarterbacks are beginning to find their footing in the NFL with different in different places. Uh, I’m not saying he’s going to be as successful as say Mayfield or or um Jared Goff or even, you know, former Jet and Sam Darnold. Uh, but to him for him to come to uh the Jets and be told this is your team, that’s your former teammate from Ohio State who’s now being freshly paid. Another smart move for the Jets to pay their uh rookies of the year from a couple of years ago on offense and defense with S Gardner for Sauce who clearly needed to um be taken aside after his aside on a social media post to say for him to reach out to T. Higgins to come to the Jets. And he was essentially saying, “No, that’s it’s not what I’m going to do.” um for for the Jets to basically bring him into the fold financially. These are all smart moves and we’ll see if they work out for the Jets, but um I I I think Jet fans should feel good about the direction uh based on certainly over the last two years. The voice you hear is Rich Eisen. He’s joining the ESPN family of networks Tuesday, September 2nd. You can hear Rich’s show at 10:50 a.m. from 12 to 3. And Rich, staying with the Jets, right? You bring up, of course, Aaron Glenn coming on board. I’m just very nervous as a Jet fan for week one in particular because I go back to Rex Ryan’s first year and he said he wasn’t going to kiss Brady’s Brady and Bellich’s rings and the Jets went out there in09 and they won that first matchup. They started 3 and 0 and I think there was a lot of buyin from the fan base. I get very nervous about uh here we go Aaron Rogers week one he’s going to play great and it’s SJ same old Jets all over again. Do you get that feeling as a a crazy dieard as well? just your thoughts on this week one match up against Rogers. Well, I with two home dates against Pittsburgh and Buffalo and at Tampa, um I I would take uh if you’re a Jet fan, a three and 0 start, you know, um just take it one at a time, man. You know, you just got to sit here and think when you’re in the position that you’re in, as the Jets were after last year’s season was over. Um do you who do you hire as a new coach? What does that new coach want to do with a new general manager at the quarterback spot? And then what are your priorities once you settle that? And again, the Jets to hire Aaron Glenn, which is uh again a smart hire from the legacy point of view, from the point of view of what you see um from his his body of work. And then you take a shot at Justin Fields. You take a look at the rest of what was available to them. There were veteran quarterbacks out there. I don’t think Matthew Stafford was going to come to New York. You weren’t going to keep Aaron Rogers. You weren’t taking Russell Wilson. You weren’t uh going to try and trade for Kirk Cousins. Getting Justin Fields at the price and at the age that he’s at is a smart play. Let’s see what you can do. And then again, what you need to do to roster build, you need to t tell Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner, you’re ours. And as a matter of fact, we’re going to we’re not going to make you go through what Micah Parsons is going through. We’re not going to make you wait. We’re not going to make you wonder if you’re going in this playing season. Unfortunately, it does appear that’s what Bree Hall is going to have to go through. Um but we’ll see. These are all just bets and and um and moments that franchises uh think about and and let the chips fall. I I think the Jets made smart moves and we will just see if the football gods uh are with them. Rich Eisen from the NFL Network, ESPN with us here on the Michael K show. Jake has been in for Michael till 3:00. How about your thoughts on the Giants? A lot of Giants fans called in today. Called in all week. They want to see Jackson Dart play as quickly as possible. We know Brian Dable has said Russell Wilson’s the starter. Your thoughts on their season and how things are going to play out with the quarterback situation with Big Blue? I I think Jackson Dart has got uh a swagger about him and he’s got a an aura about him. And if you’re the Giants, one way to take that swagger, an aura uh and put it at risk is to throw him in Washington DC to start the season and then in Dallas to follow it up in week two and then have him welcome the Giants fans into Metife for their first home game against the Kansas City Chiefs on a Sunday night. and then have Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers come in the next week. Um there’s a visit to New Orleans before there’s a shortweek game against the defending world champs who they play again two weeks later um after visiting Denver. And if you want to put Jackson Dart’s swagger at risk, you throw him into that deep end of the pool and instead you let Russell Wilson attempt to navigate all that. And we will see how the Giants come through that um eightgame stretch. If they’re five and three, you don’t have to make a move to Jackson Tart. If you’re four and four, you don’t have to make a move to Jackson Tart. If you’re three and five, two and six, he heaven forbid worse than that, that’s when you begin to make a maneuver like that. Uh, I think the world of Brian Dball, I think um if you want to have somebody um bring a quarterback along, he’s that guy. Uh all you got to do is see what he was doing on the staff of Alabama when Tua and Jaylen Herz were there. um he was the guy in Buffalo when Josh Allen arrived. He’s not a perer when it comes to this sort of thing. He did win coach of the year with Daniel Jones and they might have gotten uh overheated um in a way that created a a front office conundrum with who do you franchise and who do you sign longterm? And I think we all know the Giants made wrong decisions on who to franchise and who to long term when it came to Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley. But we’re we’re we are where we are. Um and with the Giants first eight games, I think Dave Bowl is making a smart move. Let Jake Jackson Dart sit in a highly veteran, high energy with Russ and Jamus quarterback room and soak it in and um see how it plays out. But I I think Russ uh Russ is starting uh his first game as a Giant where he got his first career playoff win as a member of the Seattle Seahawks in Washington DC. Um he’s going to make his first home start where he won his Super Bowl. So uh and I don’t think Russ is going to be shying from New York spotlight at all. I think uh this is a wise move. I think it is the um um I guess less risky path and they should take it. Uh Jackson Dart’s not going anywhere. Just let him sit, let him see, and then maybe he starts getting cups of coffee and then maybe he does play the back end of the season. I I don’t know. Or uh this defense can carry the day. I mean, Dexter Lawrence is as great as they come and he’s now surrounded by Kavon Tibido, Brian Burns, and Abdul Carter. That front four is nasty. And um all Russ has got to do with this offense of neighbors being healthy and obviously uh the rest of those young guys. Tyrone Tracy had a really good season last year. I love Scataboo what he might be able to do. Um let’s see if the offense can put up 21 24. All they got to do maybe they put up 14 17 defense coughs uh uh makes somebody cough something up. Let’s see what can be done. Uh, I don’t think the Giants are going to be as disastrous as people are are making them out to be. Rich Eisen is our guest here on ESPN New York. His show, the Rich Eisen Show, launches Tuesday. You can listen to that from 12:00 to 3 right here on ESPN New York 10:50 a.m. Rich, you mentioned it at the top that Michael Kay has been in that very studio where you’re sitting as a guest. Uh, our New York Yankees, let’s talk about them. I know you’re a huge Yankees fan. I am. what happened last week over the weekend against the Red Sox as a dieh hard fan as well was a disgrace. How do you feel about the state of affairs with this team? I mean, they they beat up on the bad teams and then they play good teams and they don’t win. So, I’m just I’m tired of being teased by the Yankees this year. Yeah, there there’s a few weeks left here to try and catch some fire. Uh obviously, um there’s reasons to have doubts on that front. Um I I love Cam Schlitler. Uh, I I think he right now, you know, should the Yankees be fortunate enough, um, I think he’s a he’s the playoff he’s a playoff starter above Will Warren and Luis Heel who walks way too many people. Um, I I would trust this kid and him spotting his 97 to 101 mph fast ball uh with impunity. um and his ability to pitch. You know, my son Cooper, 14 years old, who sometimes sits in uh here. Um he’s a diehard Yankee fan. We were looking at him. I know this is crazy to say, but he he looks like Garrick Cole. Like he’s got he’s got he’s got it, man. And so, you know, him along with Rodon at the top of his game and hopefully Max Freed has turned a corner from that six week uh or six start stretch that was the worst of his career. Um, that’s all you need is those three guys pitching well enough in the playoffs and Stanton showing up like he did last year and Judge hopefully having um a good um October and because it does look like the Yankees are not going to get caught um like the that the worst case scenario for the Yanks right now would be to play the Wildcard series as the the team that has to play three on the road and win two to get through, which might actually be better for them. are a better road team than they are at home for some reason. Um and and just Aaron Boon’s just got to make the right choices, man. I mean, it just seemed like the minute that and I was at at the at the game where here in Los Angeles last year, you know, Freddy Freeman’s at the plate, bases are loaded. Let’s not let’s not use the guy who actually is our left-handed specialist who’s built for moments like this to get somebody like Freddy Freeman out in Tim Hill. let’s bring in a guy who hasn’t pitched in a month who doesn’t relieve and let’s have him give up a grand slam home run. And ever since then, you know, with the exception obviously of doing their best to um uh recover from Juan Sto taking the money with the with the Yankees, I mean the Mets and and building a roster, using that money with Freed and and obviously uh Bellinger and trying to build as good a roster. And I know the first two months uh look pretty damn good, but Boon just seems to make um just make some moves that are a little head scratching. I I think the sitting of Vulpi for two two days hopefully not only clears his his his head, but also shows everybody there’s some accountability on this team. You can’t you can’t make Chuck Knoblock look like he’s u he’s deadon balls accurate. You know what I mean? So, um we’ll see. Um and uh I I’m I’m I’m hopeful. Let’s put it that way. Hopeful. Rich Eisen is hopeful. Well, Rich, welcome back to ESPN. You said earlier 2.0, right? 1.0 stint one. Here we are. Rich Eisen 2.0. You can listen to Rich’s show Tuesday. That’s September 2nd. That’s coming up next week, everyone. You can hear from 12 to three on 1050 ESPN. Rich, always a pleasure. Continued success and hopefully the New York Jets. Uh, you know, how about a nine win season? Nine and eight would be a nice uh little change. We shall see. But being uh you know born in Brooklyn, raised in Staten Island, it is uh an honor to have a show like this one. Again, it’s it’s the show that I’ve been doing ever since 2014. Um it is not new. It is the it’s it’s just uh with a new um logo next to it and um it’s our first time on ESPN radio. We’re on Disney Plus um and the ESPN app for those who want to see it. There’s obviously our YouTube channel, YouTube.com/ichisendshow. There’s a podcast version of it. There’s many ways for you to follow along what we do, but for me to be on in my hometown all three hours uh on ESPN radio um is awesome. I’m really looking forward to it. He’s Rich Eisen. My name is Jake Aswood. Quick break and we will continue. It’s the Michael K show right here on ESPN New York and the ESPN New York app.

The New York Jets season is just days away! Jake Asman was joined by former Jets coach Herm Edwards, Jets Play-By-Play announcer Bob Wischusen, and SNY Jets Analyst Connor Rogers to preview all angles of the season, Aaron Glenn’s first year, expectations for Justin Fields, and much more!

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