Tag: GMFB

Nate Burleson warns NFL fans to keep an eye on Jags in 2021

If the Jags have a solid 2021 NFL Draft roundup, Nate Burleson believes they could be a respectable team that takes some by surprise.

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the Jacksonville Jaguars, even though most national writers don’t see them winning more than six games. The reason for that excitement, of course, is because they will be spending the No. 1 pick on Trevor Lawrence. However, he won’t be the only player they will have to hit on to make a postseason push as they will need to knock the draft out of the park,

Aside from quarterback, there is a variety of needs that need to be addressed by the Jags. They need a tight end early in the draft, could use another defensive lineman in the trenches, and a safety, too. Luckily, for Urban Meyer and Co., there will be nine more picks for the Jags to build with after taking Lawrence, and if they hit on most of them, “Good Morning Football'” co-host Nate Burleson believes they can be a dangerous team.

Check out what he had to say Monday morning.

Burleson isn’t wrong. Many fans league-wide look at the Jags’ 1-15 season and believe that they are further away from contending than they might be. Sure, the team is nowhere near on the same level as the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Bucs, or Baltimore Ravens, but they also should’ve won more than a game in 2020.  In fact, they lost five games by four points or less, and in one of those games, they even took the Green Bay Packers to the limit.

Additionally, Lawrence will be walking into a situation where the offense does have weapons in James Robinson, Laviska Shenault Jr., DJ Chark Jr., and Collin Johnson. If the line can be serviceable, that’s more than enough for Lawrence to make some noise with.

Of course, the big question mark will be the defense, who gave up 400 yards or more various times. This may be where the Jags may want to focus a majority of their 10 picks on.

The team named Joe Cullen their new defensive coordinator this season, and he’ll be a key to the Jags having a chance to go from 1-15 to the postseason. If he can develop the Jags’ young defense as he saw his fellow assistants do in Baltimore, the Jags could shock many in 2021 as they did in 2017, or at the least, hit the six-win mark.

Watch: Panthers’ standout rookie Jeremy Chinn joins GMFB

Today, Chinn was a guest on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football.

Panthers fans have to take what they can get in 2020, which has predictably been a disappointment on defense. However, the team does have two young stars to build around in Brian Burns and Jeremy Chinn. Burns has already become one of the league’s top defensive ends and currently leads his position in Pro Bowl votes in the NFC. Meanwhile, Chinn has won Defensive Rookie of the Month twice in a row and is starting to get some serious national recognition as well.

Today, Chinn was a guest on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football. Watch.

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GMFB’s Peter Schrager: Ben Roethlisberger will be ‘better than we expect’ in 2020

Good Morning Football’s Peter Schrager is taking a leap of faith on the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020.

The defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers kept the team alive in games throughout the last 15 games of the 2019 season, but they fell short of the postseason. Playoff hopes hinge on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s health to help his squad reach the playoffs this year.

As Steelers fans, we expect big things from Big Ben starting in a couple of months. On Friday, the Good Morning Football crew discussed what team they will be taking a leap of faith on in 2020.

After seeing footage of Roethlisberger at last week’s Convoy of Hope food distribution event in Pittsburgh, GMFB’s Peter Schrager is taking a leap of faith on Roethlisberger and the Steelers.

“There were worries that Ben might not come into shape,” said Schrager. “Ben looks good here… Ben is back, they’ve got another year with a lot of offensive players and the defense might be the best in the entire league.”

“Everybody is writing off this team and saying it’s going to be the Ravens season again in the AFC North…”

“[The Steelers] haven’t been in the playoffs the past couple of years,” continued Schrager. “That doesn’t seem right. I think they do get back and I think Ben might be better than we expect.”

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Janoris Jenkins talks Saints return, 2020 expectations on Good Morning Football

New Orleans Saints CB Janoris Jenkins discussed Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, and the 2020 season in an interview with Good Morning Football

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The New Orleans Saints have one of the best starting cornerback duos you’ll find around the NFL, if they have anything to say about it. That’s what Janoris Jenkins asserted in a Thursday appearance on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” program, where he discussed his decision to sign a contract extension with the Saints as well as their in-house expectations for the 2020 season. He also dismissed any distractions from Tom Brady’s team-up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

One point Jenkins wanted to touch on was how his pairing with Marshon Lattimore matches up around the league; he’s eager to get to work and prove that he and Lattimore can win against any set of receivers you’ll find in the NFL.

But one opponent he credits as the toughest in-game assignment to cover was Antonio Brown, who might have joined him in New Orleans last year if the free agent wideout had avoided more legal trouble and not brought off-field drama into town with him. Brown’s combination of sure hands and precise routes gives anyone trouble.

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GMFB all but totally counts the Steelers out of conference contention

The Good Morning Football crew offers their take on the Pittsburgh Steelers chances in the 2020 AFC.

“Ever since they won the Super Bowl in ’06 and ’09, those Super Bowls were led by a great run game and a stingy defense. Ben Roethlisberger — I’m not saying that he didn’t have to make any plays — but he kind of just had to manage things and not mess things up. Ever since we’ve had to see this Steelers team have to lean on Ben Roethlisberger’s arm to win games consistently, it just hasn’t happened.

Robinson continued to say that the addition of Roethlisberger makes the Steelers legit but also questioned his leadership related to why Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell are no longer part of the organization.

“At the end of the day, Ben Roethlisberger, he has to be better when he is healthy.”

Robinson obviously forgot about the 2018 season when Roethlisberger had a career year in competitions (452), attempts (675), and yardage (5129). Unfortunately, even with those numbers, the Steelers still went 9-6-1.

“Here’s what I know: They don’t go three years without making the playoffs — it hasn’t happened in 20 years,” said Kyle Brandt. “They open up Monday night against the Giants and then they have this sleepy schedule. We’re not going to talk about them for a while unless they start ripping off wins.”

Brandt says that it’s almost impossible to answer right now if the Steelers are legit division contenders because of the questions surrounding Roethlisberger. “How is he on 3rd and 12? I have no idea.”

He said that he would never count on the Steelers to be a third year out of the playoffs, so he believes the team will have a say in the conference this season.

Peter Schrager doesn’t put the Steelers in the same conversation at the Kansas City Chiefs. “I haven’t seen that version of the Steelers in three years… I want to wait and see what version of Ben Roethlisberger we get.”

Kay Adams steps in as the devil’s advocate. “To have all of them back and have that defense … I am in on the Steelers.”

I would imagine the stance of Robinson, Brandt and Schrager will be the popular opinion of the Steelers this offseason and heading into the regular season. I say let the pundits discount the Steelers — that way, it’ll be all the more enjoyable when they surprise everyone.

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Matt Patricia calls speculation over trading Matthew Stafford, ‘Comical’

Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia was on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football this morning and didn’t mix words when addressing Matthew Stafford trade rumors.

You may have thought the Matthew Stafford trade talks were put to bed when Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn emphatically rejected the notion immediately after the rumor began circulation. But you would’ve been wrong.

Maybe you thought the talks would end after Quinn once again doubled down on his denial, in a pre-NFL Combine interview. But you would’ve been wrong.

Surely the talks would be over once at the NFL Combine, when Quinn, for a third time, in a private meeting with Lions reporters — a group that included Lions Wire’s own Jeff Risdon — once again debunked the rumor. But again, you would’ve been wrong.

This morning, Lions coach Matt Patricia was on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” and when Peter Schrager asked him for his thoughts on the subject, like Quinn, Patricia didn’t mix words when addressing Stafford trade rumors.

“It’s comical,” Patricia said. “To be honest with ya. Not interested in doing any of that. There’s no conversation of that whatsoever.”

This echo’s Quinn’s stance from the very first denial.

“It’s one of those things that, for me, I kinda laugh at,” Patricia continued. “Because it’s not even a conversation. Honestly, Matt Stafford, I love the guy. He is one of the reasons I came to Detroit.”

Maybe now this exhausting story will have reached its final conclusion. But let’s be realistic, it probably won’t be over until after the NFL Draft.

You can watch the portion of Patricia’s segment on this topic in the video below:

GMFB has differing opinions on Jameis Winston’s future with Bucs

See what the crew over at “Good Morning Football” had to say about Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston and his future with the team.

This morning on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, Jameis Winston was the topic of conversation on the shows Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda segment, posing the question:

“Would you be surprised if Jameis Winston remains Buccaneers starting QB?”

Former wide receiver Nate Burleson, said that he would not be surprised if Winston remains at the helm citing comments from coach Bruce Arians, “We can win with Jameis.” Burleson continued by saying that Arians “wants a quarterback that can sling it, and throw it down field.” As Burleson elaborated, he talked about calling the Buccaneers and Houston Texans game at the end of the season, and spoke to Arians asking him about the offense, and what he wants out of his quarterback. “If he doesn’t make the throw, if he hesitates, if he checks it down, even if there are two guys on one of our star receivers, I am going to yell at my quarterback,” Arians told Burleson.

Burleson continued on his understanding of what Arians wants, saying “Jameis has that, he’s not going to hold back, he’s going to let it fly. I heard he went out and got LASIK, got his thumb on his throwing hand fixed. All things that point to Jameis coming back and having a better season. He won’t be 30-for-30 like the ESPN documentaries.”

Co-host, Kyle Brandt meanwhile, had a polar opposite opinion on Winston’s future saying, “[Bruce] Arians doesn’t want someone to sling it. Winston doesn’t need Arians to tell him to sling it. Carson Palmer, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, those guys were not throwing 30 interceptions a year. Those are Bruce Arians guys.” Brandt made reference to Winston being the teams starting quarterback for five years by very simply stating, “If you’re not sure after five years. Then you are sure.”

During their press conferences, both general manager Jason Licht and Arians have been delivering the same undertones that the team could win with Winston as their quarterback, but they are doing their due diligence and weighing all of their options. Arians went as far as saying that he and the team already know what they are going to do at quarterback, they just haven’t made it public yet. It’s now being discussed among many of my peers that the Buccaneers are a potential landing spot for Tom Brady.

Another take that isn’t being widely discussed, could the Buccaneers trade up into one of the top spots and draft a quarterback? Keeping the defense together has been the top priority for the team, and this would allow them to allocate the majority of money to doing just that.

The April 23rd draft is not very far away, and only time will tell what the Buccaneers will do in preparation for the 2020 season.

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Matt Patricia wants to give Lions’ fans ‘what they deserve’, a winning team

Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia was on NFL Networks Good Morning Football and was asked if he had a message he wanted to give to the fans. His answer was simple, give them what the deserve, a winning football team.

Detroit Lions head coach was a guest of Peter Schrager’s on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” at the NFL Combine and was asked what message he had for Lions fans about the upcoming 2020 season.

“Our fans are amazing, Patricia said. “The passion in which they love this team, every single year. The encouragement we’ve gotten as an organization, to go out and try to get everything done the right way.”

“I was at Ford Field last week for a Garth Brooks concert,” Patricia continued. “The energy of that building, as soon as I walk into that place, right away I’m like, man we’ve gotta win, we’ve gotta get this going for the fans. They’ve got to feel this energy and this excitement.”

Patricia concluded his message to Lions fans by saying, “that’s really all I want. I want to win. I want to try and build a team the right way, to where we can do that week-in-week-out, and just give the fans what they deserve.”

Since taking over the Lions from Jim Caldwell, the team has seemed to have regressed, as they have a lowly 9-19-1 record in the two seasons under Patricia. With a lot of the right pieces already in place on offense, and holding the coveted third overall pick in the draft, the Lions may be able to fill the holes on defense and right the ship heading into the third season under Patricia.

How Bills’ Sean McDermott sells Buffalo to free agents

What Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said about free agency.

The Bills are at the 2020 NFL Combine in Indianapolis this week, figuring out who to put on their draft board ahead of April’s 2020 NFL Draft.

But there’s business to attend to in the middle. As the combine is underway, next up for the Bills and their front office led by general manager Brandon Beane is free agency in March. Who will stay? Who will go? Who will arrive?

While Beane steers the ship, but Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott certainly plays a part in adding potential free agents, too. While on GMFB from the combine on Wednesday, McDermott discussed the message the sends to potential free agents who he could be coveting. Exactly how does he convince players to join the Bills?

The coach said he tries to bring a realistic, honest approach to free agents. One that extends beyond the football field.

“It just comes down to, simply, we’ve got a tremendous culture, a tremendous locker room, and really it’s about a transformational type of locker room, type of culture, as opposed to transactional,” McDermott said. “You come to Buffalo, you’ll become the best version of you that you’ve ever been before. On the field and off the field. Whether it’s college players coming to us via the draft or via free agency with pro players, that’s what we’ve done and that’s what the players have done and that’s really a credit to everyone in our building.”

McDermott’s formula and eye for talent has seemed to work as the Bills have had few busts via free agency. The Bills have touted their preference to build their team through the draft, which is what the organization has mostly done, but the foundation was laid by guys such as Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer in the secondary. They joined the Bills even before Tre’Davious White did, who was McDermott’s first ever draft pick as a head coach in 2017.

Of course, there’s guys like Trent Murphy who aren’t exactly working out perfectly, but the Bills have found a way to nab players with a straight-forward approach. McDermott & Beane will hope that mindset helps them retain their drafted guys in the coming years as well, such as White, who will need contract extensions.

For more from McDermott’s segment, see the attached video below:

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