Lions get their “swagger” back, Mac Jones, Steelers L “good for them?” | FIRST THINGS FIRST

Lions get their “swagger” back, Mac Jones, Steelers L “good for them?” | FIRST THINGS FIRST

Last week the story of about the Lions offense was that you know what against the Packers looked like they missed Ben Johnson. This week not so much. Lions put up 52 points on their old OC and celebrated by mocking one of his famous play designs. Brian Branch said the Lions were personally motivated. What was the bigger story here? Lions win or the Bears loss? Listen, Bears loss is a real big problem for First Things First Bears and Caleb guy Danny Park, but it’s not my problem. I told you, coach. This is not my problem anymore. Um, the bigger story is the Lions getting their swagger back, at least temporarily. I I don’t think the Bears falling to 0 and2 ends their season. I think that the if you thought the way Yeah. bec I mean, I think that people thought the Bears were going to lose when the schedule came out. We thought the Bears were gonna lose this game and you know what I mean like the and so I don’t think that ends their season and I actually thought Caleb played fine. I think he played great. I think like we said the the Caleb this year is going to be a work in progress that you hope peaks at the end of the year. Um but there was real concern about Detroit like right you know what I mean? and and I it felt to me like that concern had gotten even to where Dan Campbell was I don’t want to say on edge but even more you know caffeinated than usual and so um the fact that they hung 50 Yeah and are able to say within the building if there was any concern hey whatever effect that playoff game had on Jared that was a oneame effect he’s now back to being Lions Jared golf You know can our guess what Ben Johnson was great for our offense but you know what’s really great for our offense am St. Brown Jir Gibbs Sam Leaporta Pine Su you know what I mean? Like we still have those guys and so to me the Lions were teetering on the oh window. Yeah they’re not a real contender and now they at least got their swagger back so to speak. So I think it’s the Lions. Can we also all remember that the Bears last year were five and two? They were five and two at the start of the season and the first two games they lost were close and then the sixth game was the Hail Mary game. That team last year was rolling early. They were five and two coach or four and I know they were four and two and they would have been without without the Hail Mary. Yeah, it would have been I’m sorry. So four and two. They would have been five and two and the two games they lost were were really close games. So they they they were rolling in the early part of the season. So that’s a concern for me. the the whole revenge angle, that’s just something that they they talked up in the building just to hype the guys up. I mean, the idea that you’re you’re going to get revenge because your offensive coordinator took a job to become a head coach at the opportunity that he thought was the best for him to be successful, like that’s just the business. Haven’t you didn’t you feel like Bellich kept on running the ball against you to like stick it to you a little bit? Yeah, he had hurt feelings about it, but again, what am I going to do? not take a head coaching job in the division. You know, it’s that’s the nature of pro football. Opportunities are created. Guys take opportunities. This was a great opportunity for Ben. But it is something that you’ll use in the building to motivate your guys. Oh, we everybody’s saying we can’t do it without Ben. We can do, you know, that that’s more of an angle than than a real revenge factor, I think. Yeah. I look, I think it’s big. Both stories are big. like the fact cuz we all I think all of us had the Bears in the playoffs and they still got a shot but I do think they’re in some trouble. They’re not looking like you think they’re just dead wilds. Yeah, I think they’re pretty they’re close to dead. Like I right now I’m not thinking they’re going to make the playoffs but I’m with Nick. I think the Detroit story is bigger and you didn’t mention this. Jared, we even we were bringing up uh Jared Goff 317 and one with without Shawn McVey or Ben Johnson calling the plays. So for him to go out and throw five touchdowns and I think 300 something yards is like huge for no huddle time. Put your sunglasses on. Good reminder. Max back pillow alert. Almost 280 yards. Yes, I wrote pillow alert. But did you write put your sunglasses on like as a note to yourself and then you read it out loud by accident? No, I was telling people that like a stage director. A lot of times a lot of times audience is like, “Oh, I feel like I’m at the desk.” Okay. So if you’re sitting with your sunglasses and your purse Hey, good idea. First things first, like care package all the stuff. Oh, nice. Okay, just an idea for the holiday. Let’s get to the top. San Francisco’s undefeated. Let’s look at that passer rating. We’ve been talking a lot about passer rating. I can’t see with my sunglasses. Yeah. 113. Pretty good. What did the 49ers prove? And also, I just heard from Dusty. You can’t say that because Brock’s not good and it proves that M. Jones isn’t good and they won. You can’t say that. So, say something. I wasn’t going to I wasn’t going to say that any anything other than that. What I was what I was going to say is that often times in sports debates, coach, we are debating something that we can never actually prove. We’re never going to get the perfect scenario to test out our thesis control. Exactly. Yeah. That’s why science is better. Like you can, you know, you set up Yeah. Well, it’s better to prove things, right? Um, serendipitously with the San Francisco 49ers, we have gotten it. We got to see in real time what would happen if you dropped in a quarterback that Brew and I both agree and have hours of tape of us both saying is not good. Pro Bowler. Not not and Brew Brew literally because See, hold on. Wait. No. No. He was 10 games. No, you guys, he beat out Cam Newton, we can do this all with smiles, but it he’s going to play for another month. And I very strategically and and and purposefully asked you, Brew, before this year started, we both agree M. Jones is not good, right? And you were in lock step with me. We We No, I don’t have the video right now. Um, and what we saw was even though he didn’t even have, as we would say it, many of the Avengers at all. He had uh Kyle Shanahan and Christian McCaffrey and it was enough for M. Jones to look really good. It’s almost as if, coach, there’s a lot of quarterbacks that as long as they have a starting caliber at any point in them, if you drop them into Kyle Shanahan’s system and they have just enough help, they can look really good. And so to go back to a real argument we had, it’s another reason why I would have maybe waited to pay Brock Pury because I think you could maybe get this level of production from a guy like Max. This is one game. Brock Birdie has done it for three seasons. Brock Birdie has gotten a team, but he did it the year before. He got him to the Super Bowl. Is M. Jones gonna be top five in MVP voting? No, but is Brock Py ever again? No. Well, but he has done it. Yeah. Is M. Jones going to lead them to the Super Bowl? Well, I don’t think he Brock Party led him to the Super Bowl. He was the quarterback. He was in the Super Bowl, left the field with the lead. Yeah. Do you think M. Jones could do that? Well, I didn’t think Brock Py could do that. So, maybe and I’ll give you a list of names who couldn’t. They weren’t starters. CJ Besso, we got to move on. Nick Muller starters. Trey Lane, you thought was all that. Those guys weren’t starters, but I mean, my goodness, I thought it was a really nice game for Max and and I’m happy that that he had that and it was nice to hear his comments on it, how he got his confidence back. But to put in perspective, I I imagine New Orleans going to be in the running for the number one overall draft pick. And when you watch this game, at the end of the game, New Orleans had the ball with a chance to win. So, it’s not like they just went out and lit it up. And having Christian McCaffrey is a little bit like a cheat code because you just hit the check down and then he goes and does really really good. You can’t say thank you to that. That’s the whole point. Mahomes doesn’t have anybody in. You see how he’s looking out here? I mean, come on. You need help. the but the whole idea of the the years of arguments have been that Shanahan’s system plus a modicum of talent much less an embarrassment of rich just CMC right and and look what he did so imagine if he had the whole but no your your argument has been per had all this help everybody needs help Momes has had tons of help I’m not saying he’s as good as Mahomes I’m just saying has matured just like we saw with Sam Darnold, just like we saw with Gino Smith. These guys can get better as they stay in the league long. Matt Jones played well in uh Jacksonville last year. He he and Brian Thomas click. He didn’t play that great to be honest. He was almost as San Francisco hosts the Cardinals next week. I just to start if M. Jones comes in and cooks and plays really well and that doesn’t move the the argument at all that maybe the system quarterback label is fair then nothing will you you what you wanted to see from was comebacks adversity he did that and I had to bring out the goal point we got to go to the Steelers Steelers give up 30 points I was just looking for some way to count down we’re counting as part of those 30 points that the defense gave up one of the sillier touchdowns of the week when the Seahawks scored on their own kickoff. Rogers did get picked off twice and says, “You know what? This loss actually might have been good.” You buying this was a good loss? No. No. I And I also don’t like Listen, if people didn’t watch this game, those Rogers was not as good as those numbers. And those numbers weren’t good. The numbers weren’t good. The But I think it was either a 46 or a 64 yard to I think Jaylen Warren that, you know, provides the lion share of that. It was a lot of nothing and he once again got hit a fair amount like you guys mentioned. He threw the picks and they they need Rogers to be quite good and because I think we now have two games of evidence that they’re not going to have a top let’s just call it five defense in the NFL this year. I think that and again you’re right they give 24 points. You know what I this the seven on the kick kickoff is not on the defense at all. It’s not on anyone on the team except for the kid who forgot it was a live ball like but so but still the defense has not been impactful in either of these two games and in my opinion they haven’t played they’ve played two offenses that are likely to be not in the top 15. Like the Jets offense is not going to be very good. I I think the Seahawks are going to be a defensive-minded team. You know what I mean? So, like, no, I do not buy that this is good for the Pittsburgh Steelers at all. Yeah, I definitely don’t think it’s good. I I thought Rogers, too. I thought he kind of threw Calvin Austin under the bus like here. Did you see that? I mean, look, I I don’t know what the But he it looks like Calvin Austin was in the way. I I’m just saying, do you have to bring that up? You know what I mean? I’m glad you brought that up. Yeah, cuz it takes pre It wasn’t my fault. It was his fault. But you’re saying it in a way like he’s such a great kid. He just his fault, but do you have to say it publicly? So, so I went through and I I’ve read Aaron’s comments. I’m like, “Oh, this these are actually really good comments.” He was talking about how they do better on early downs and it could be him. It could be, you know, one guy in the old line. It could be. And I’m like, “Oh, okay. This these are all very reasonable.” And then he started talking about, “Hey, that Kelly’s a great kid. What an let me tell you how great he is, but it was also his fault and not my fault.” Well, so I I agree with you. I I really was hoping that he was going to go through a whole comment range without throwing anybody under the bus. But the problem they have Rogers under pressure was three for 11 for 36 yards, one pick, a 2.8 passer rating with three sacks. So when that happens, it’s it’s like sharks to blood in the NFL. So if you have a problem with something, everybody goes after it until you prove that you can you can fix it. And so now when you’re starting to throw these numbers out, he’s been sacked seven times in two games, which is the fourth most. So there’s there that problem is going to continue to be given to him. And so he shows he can make guess who leads the league in sacks? The Patriots. Is that who they play next? Yes. Steelers in Foxboro. So it’ll be interesting if they can solve that. But the Patriots been getting after. No, I listen I don’t if I’m the Steelers, I have been I have seen concerning se signs, things that would worry me about Rogers ability to make it through the season in both games. Oh, that’s even the game where they scored a bunch of points and Rogers was throwing the ball great. He is just getting hit a ton. He is. And is it an O line thing or a Rogers mobility thing? I think it’s both. You know what I I I don’t think they have a great O line. I also think that Aaron probably Calvin’s fault. I mean, uh, that, you know, I think it’s a combination of all those. And I think that there’s also a slight element of Aaron not fully realizing or accepting that he’s not as escapable as he once was. You know what I mean? Like, it’s all of those things. And in the Calvin Austin thing, the only part about that that I really didn’t like was like what’s the threshold for NFL like how long you’ve been in the league or how old you are to where being called a kid repeatedly is insulting cuz when he I I looked it up during the comment I was like man I thought Calvin Austin was like a veteran player and he’s 26 so like it was that was the other like compared to No, I understand. So maybe that’s what it is. But that I just don’t think you need to bring that like just take it. I mean Patrick when he was asked about the Kelsey interception just was like I threw a bad ball. I needed to have the ball lower and close in a meeting. Drew was calling me a kid the other day. Well that makes sense. A great kid. He’s like Wild’s a good kid. He host the show. I was like thanks bro. Veteran leadership. Thanks for watching. Subscribe here to get more from the show and to check out clips from other shows on FS1.

Nick Wright, Chris Broussard, Kevin Wildes and Coach Eric Mangini react to the Detroit Lions’ huge win against Ben Johnson’s Bears 52-21. Wildes sports the shades during Mac Jones’ season, then the crew reacts to Aaron Rodgers saying the Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks is “good for them.”

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About First Things First:
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.

Lions get their “swagger” back, Mac Jones, Steelers L “good for them?” | FIRST THINGS FIRST
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