Tag: First Things First

Nick Wright: Patrick Mahomes will ‘be the standard’ for greatness in pro sports

Nick Wright wasn’t shy about expressing his admiration for what Patrick Mahomes has accomplished during a segment on ‘First Things First’

Fox Sports 1 on-air personality Nick Wright has made a name for himself as one of the vanguards of Kansas City Chiefs commentary.

As a Kansas City native, Wright has been steeped in Chiefs football culture for years, and isn’t shy about promoting the importance of what the team has accomplished in recent years.

During a segment on First Things First this week, Wright shared his thoughts on Patrick Mahomes’ dominance, pointing out that few professional athletes have ever found as much success as the three-time Super Bowl MVP in the first years of their career.

Check out Wright’s take below:

Mahomes’ reign as the NFL’s most successful active quarterback doesn’t seem to be destined to end anytime soon.

Given that he is still in his 20s, it isn’t out of the question that he could add more Super Bowl titles to his resume by the time he decides to hang up his cleats for good.

Nick Wright disproves ‘Chiefs get all the calls’ narrative

Nick Wright singlehandedly disproved the “#Chiefs get all the calls” narrative on “First Things First” this week.

Fans across the NFL are tired of seeing the Kansas City Chiefs win and have turned to a lazy narrative about officiating to explain the team’s success in recent years.

“The Chiefs get all the calls” has been a common rallying cry for Kansas City’s opponents on social media, and serves to take away from the greatness of Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and the rest of the team’s roster which is being witnessed annually.

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Fox Sports 1’s Nick Wright dispelled this troubling talking point this week on his show First Things First by breaking down the Chiefs’ penalty yardage differential in all six years of the Patrick Mahomes era.

Predictably, Kansas City wasn’t shown to have received a significant advantage from officials.

Kansas City was at or near the bottom of the league standings in penalty yardage differential for all but one season, when they earned a spot in the middle of the pack at 17th place.

How did ‘First Things First’ respond to the Chase Young trade?

Some national reactions to the Commanders trading Chase Young.

Of course, Commanders and 49ers fans reacted to the Chase Young trade, but how about neutral sports media shows?

“First Things First” had a segment discussing the trade, where the cast quickly gave their responses.

Greg Jennings: “When you pay Nick Bosa all this money, you expect his production to be through the roof. You want him to be that defensive player of the year you signed up for years. So, you add another guy and give them depth along that defensive line. You expect Chase Young to come in with a chip on his shoulder, wanting to prove himself worthy of a long-term contract. This is a big pickup for the 49ers.”

Chris Broussard: “Great move. I mean, Nick Bosa has been great but not great this year. He’s gotten some QB hits and stuff, but sack-wise, he’s on pace for the lowest of his career. I think he has 2.5 at this point of the season. Chase Young has twice as many as Bosa has. For all of this talk about Brock Purdy, the defense hasn’t played well lately. So, if you strengthen the defense, you think the offense will follow. So, absolutely a great move.”

Nick Wright: “They are giving up what is going to be about the 100th pick of the draft for what might be only nine games of Chase Young. That’s assuming he is healthy. Health has been the biggest concern, but this year, he has been healthy. Listen, when you are so limited at quarterback, these are the things you have to do to be able to win the Super Bowl. Guys, it’s true, it’s true. They think they can win the Super Bowl this year.”

Kevin Wilds: “Not feeling great about my ‘Commanders to the playoffs’ pick. I’m going to have to redo this.”

Commanders not getting any respect from TV show hosts for comeback

No respect for the Commanders after starting the season 2-0.

How did the hosts of “First Things First: Monday view the Commanders’ comeback win over Denver?

Nick Wright, in criticizing Russell Wilson and head coach Sean Payton, remarked, “Sean Payton is not going down with the Russell Wilson ship. Sean Payton has not been good thus far. You blew an 18-point lead at home to Sam Howell.”

Wright continued, “They played the Raiders and Washington at home and lost!” He raised his voice for emphasis, expressing that the Raiders and Commanders are not good teams.

The hosts took their turns criticizing the Broncos. Greg Jennings echoed that Wilson was not getting the job done. He referenced that in the second half Sunday against Washington (excluding the Hail Mary), Wilson completed only 11 of 23 passes for 104 yards, no touchdowns, one interception and a 42.7 passer rating.

Jennings, rather than crediting Montez Sweat or Chase Young for their pass rush to sack Wilson, forcing a late field goal, chose to simply blame Wilson for the sack.

Then, did they praise Washington? Not at all. Wright then transitioned to asking, “When does Russ get benched? They are going to lose three in a row. They play Kansas City, Green Bay and Kansas City.”

Chris Broussard did go as far as saying Denver is “clearly being outplayed drastically in the second half. That’s coaches making adjustments, the opposing coaches making adjustments, and Sean Payton not adjusting to it.” So THIS is when the show will credit Ron Rivera, Jack Del Rio, or Eric Bieniemy, right?

Nope, again, it was all Denver-focused, that Wilson needs to play better while Payton needs to coach better.

Jennings closed by stating Payton “is literally taking a hammer and just cracking it up beside the head of Russell Wilson saying, ‘I’m going to wake you up, one way or another’… the adjustment that needs to be made is the play of your quarterback.”

Kevin Wilds was the lone host to laud the Commanders when he voiced, “Let’s talk about the Commanders as Sam Howell had a great game. I told you Sam Howell is going to be good.”

So, thus far, Washington is 2-0, but “First Things First” believes this is more about the Cardinals and Broncos than it is about the Commanders.

Next Sunday, the Bills come to FedEx Field, which will be a huge opportunity for the Commanders to gain some respect.

 

 

First Things First: Bills’ Josh Allen has dropped off since Chiefs win (video)

First Things First: #Bills’ Josh Allen has dropped off since #Chiefs win (video):

The Bills lead the AFC and could lock up that top seed in the upcoming weeks.

Despite that, the “First Things First” crew featuring analyst Nick Wright still aren’t giving quarterback Josh Allen much respect.

Instead, Wright’s point is that the the Bills (12-3) have won despite Allen.

“He has not lived up to the billing, and it’s been two and a half months now,” Wright said.

Wright is a bit of a noted Bills hater… but does he have a point right now? Allen’s number since the Bills beat the Chiefs (12-3)… aren’t great.

Check some of those out in the FS1 clip below, and remember, don’t shoot the messenger:

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What sports media is saying about Commanders beating the Eagles

There were many opinions on Tuesday’s talk-show circuit about Washington’s win over the Eagles.

Most of the sports talk shows were talking Eagles/Commanders in that order because let’s face it; it was the Eagles who were undefeated and Washington 4-5. Yet, there were some interesting comments regarding the Commanders on sports TV Tuesday.

“I hate to say I told you so….no I don’t! I told you on Friday that Washington would beat Philly!” Chris Broussard said.

” The Eagles just permanently benched Carson Wentz again,” said Kevin Wilds.

“Washington faced Philadelphia for the second time and dominated them. Twice the plays, twice the rushing yards, twice the time of possession, better team all night…But the turnover stuff we talked about, they weren’t going to dominate turnovers for every game they played this year. Last night, when they didn’t, they got housed at home.” Colin Cowherd said.

“You just beat the Eagles. I don’t care how healthy Carson Wentz is. Taylor Heinicke is the guy. I know they made the investment; they have to justify the investment. Bologna! You are trying to win football games. Heinicke is the guy. How is it even a question for debate?” said Mike Florio.

“I feel bad for Carson Wentz. He didn’t have the luxury of a run game or pass protection when he was playing. Now they can kinda do that. So I do feel bad for him. But there is no doubt about it. I mean, they have won three out of four with Heinicke…He provides an energy and because of his skill set, makes them play a style of football that’s best suited for their football team.” said Chris Simms.

“They are not a terrible team; they got a terrible owner. There’s a big difference in that. You saw that last night. Ron Rivera has somehow kept this team together through all of this. Coming into last night’s game, Philadelphia was the only undefeated team in the league. But that doesn’t matter. It’s not what you have done. It’s the game in front of you.” Dan Patrick said.

“McLaurin is big time to me. He rose and showed up last night on MNF. He was lightin’ them up and telling them all about it. You can’t cover me. I fear him as a Cowboy fan. And I do respect his talent.” said Skip Bayless.

” You can’t stop the run. That was the problem last night. And then he play-actions you. Heinicke to his credit hung in there and made some big-time throws…The longer you leave a mediocre team in a game, the more confident they are going to get.” Shannon Sharpe said.

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Brandon Marshall on Seahawks: ‘I don’t think they believe in Russ’

Former Seattle Seahawks receiver Brandon Marshall appeared on First Things First to express his doubt in the team’s belief in Russell Wilson.

With rumors of turmoil between the Seattle Seahawks and quarterback Russell Wilson continuing to circulate, former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall joined First Things First on FS1 to add some fuel to the fire.

A former Seahawk himself, Marshall played with Wilson during the 2018 season. Marshall said the veteran quarterback and coach Pete Carroll have constantly held differing views on what the offense’s philosophy should be.

“I just think it’s getting to a point where Russ just doesn’t believe,” Marshall stated. “I was there and I was able to witness this firsthand.”

“I don’t think they believe in Russ,” he continued. “Well, actually, I know they don’t believe in Russ, ’cause I was there. Every day before practice, I would sit there with the quarterbacks, with Coach Schotty, and Russell Wilson, and we would talk shop…

“There’s a huge philosophical difference there in Seattle.”

Marshall believes that Wilson wishes to remain in the Emerald City, but that he may not have as sizable a stake in their operations as he desires.

“I think Russ wants to stay there, but he knows that Pete Carroll is going to continue to give him the run-around,” Marshall said.

This is one of the most interesting offseasons for the Seahawks in recent memory and what they do in free agency and the 2021 NFL Draft will be highly anticipated, but Wilson’s future will be the primary talking point until a decision is made.

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Nick Wright predicts Broncos will go 3-13 in 2020

Nick Wright of FS1 has predicted a dismal season for the Broncos.

On Tuesday’s episode of ‘First Things First‘ on FS1, Nick Wright revealed his AFC predictions for the 2020 NFL season. Wright predicted the Denver Broncos will finish 3-13, good for a last-place finish in the AFC West.

Here are his predictions for the final standings in the division:

Kansas City Chiefs 14-2
Las Vegas Raiders 10-6
Los Angeles Chargers 6-10
Denver Broncos 3-13

Wright was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri and he started his radio career there. It seems pretty clear that he has a bias toward the Chiefs.

“You can’t try to stop the Chiefs’ offense,” Wright said on Tuesday. “No one has been able to do it when Patrick Mahomes has been healthy his entire career. So your only choice is to try to . . . get in a shootout and outscore them.

“The problems for the other teams in the AFC West are three simple words. And those words are Taylor, Carr and Lock.”

Wright’s prediction brings back memories of when NFL.com’s Adam Rank predicted Denver would go 2-14 in 2019. The Broncos finished the year with a 7-9 record, good for second place in the AFC West.

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WATCH: Dan Marino jokes he could pass for 6,000 yards in a season

Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino went on FS1’s “First Things First” this week to discuss the current state of quarterbacks in the league and who has impressed him most.

Step aside, young quarterbacks of the NFL. There’s an old gunslinger back in town.

Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino went on FS1’s “First Things First” this week to discuss the current state of quarterbacks in the league and who has impressed him most.

When asked about today’s NFL and how passing numbers have skyrocketed in recent years, Marino joked that he could pass for 6,000 yards and 60 touchdowns in a season if he played now:

The passing leaders for the 2019 regular season were Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson with 36 touchdown passes and Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston with 5,109 passing yards, so that would still be quite a jump even for today’s era.

Marino clearly made the claim in jest, but wouldn’t you like to see him try anyway?