Tag: Marcus Spears

ESPN analyst explains why Patriots aren’t ready for a deep playoff run

Marcus Spears points to one specific component that will keep the Patriots from a deep playoff run.

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The New England Patriots have a good football team.

They’re 9-6 and still have a really good chance of making the playoffs this year, given the fact they win one of their next two games. Bill Belichick’s defense has played lights out and Mac Jones has had moments where he’s looked like a seasoned veteran.

The biggest criticism against Jones is his inability to play from behind and work his way out of a hole. When the Patriots get out to an early lead, play great defense and run the ball — success will follow. When the Patriots don’t have a hot start, it’s been extremely difficult for the rookie to bring his team back to victory.

When it comes to a deep playoff run, a necessity for an experienced leader who is never ruled out of a game is there. Because of this reason, ESPN’s Marcus Spears explains the Patriots’ issue for this season on “First Take.”

“It really boils down to this: They’re a good football team. The argument is not New England is not a good football team,” Spears said, transcribed by NESN. “They’re a good football team and we think their level is even higher because Bill Belichick is their coach. It’s one damn thing you can’t run from, though. Your quarterback gotta make plays in the playoffs. I believe if you’re going to win football games consistently, you better be able to run the football. The New England Patriots can run the football. They can do that. But in the playoffs, those game plans change and other teams force you to change those game plans.

“We look at the Super Bowl a few years ago with San Francisco and Kansas City. Jimmy G was going to be asked to make some throws in that game. That’s what it forces you to do. Like, it’s never a case where you got a team that’s going to go in the playoffs and say, ‘Yup, we’re about to run it down they throat and we’re gonna win the Super Bowl that way.’ It does not happen that way. If the Tennessee Titans ain’t won the Super Bowl with that running back, ain’t nobody doing it.

“You’re gonna need your quarterback to play at a high level at some point during the season. Josh Allen can do that, I believe Patrick Mahomes can do that. On the other side, I think Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady and Dak Prescott can do that. All of the teams that I’m talking about — contenders. Legit contenders. It will come to a point where Mac Jones will have to win the game for the New England Patriots and I don’t think he’s ready just yet in a playoff atmosphere.”

Jones has had three consecutive games that have been subpar and the Patriots are 1-2 over that period of time. The Patriots have the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead and then the Miami Dolphins on the road.

There’s two weeks to gain some confidence and put together a performance that can disprove Spears’ argument.

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ESPN analyst says ‘it’s looking like’ the window has closed for Clemson

On ESPN’s Get Up show Monday morning, there was a discussion about third-ranked Clemson’s 10-3 loss to No. 5 Georgia on Saturday in Charlotte, and ESPN college football and NFL analyst Marcus Spears weighed in on whether this is the beginning of the …

On ESPN’s Get Up show Monday morning, there was a discussion about third-ranked Clemson’s 10-3 loss to No. 5 Georgia on Saturday in Charlotte, and ESPN college football and NFL analyst Marcus Spears weighed in on whether this is the beginning of the end for Clemson football.

“I hope the window has not closed, but it’s looking like it,” Spears said.

Spears, a former NFL defensive end and first-round draft pick out of LSU, says Clemson’s loss to Georgia proved the Tigers’ offense must evolve to compete with the best programs in college football.

“This is not just about recruiting. Dabo and that staff are still going to recruit at a high level,” Spears said. “But there needs to be some evolution, especially with this offense.”

Spears added he thinks Dabo Swinney is at the point now where he needs to do like Nick Saban did when he hired Lane Kiffin to be his offensive coordinator at Alabama in 2014 in order to get ahead of the game from an offensive standpoint.

“I remember sitting there at SEC Network when Nick Saban hired Lane Kiffin,” Spears said. “That was a line of demarcation, because Nick Saban decided I need to have the ability to put up 50 points a game, and that was the evolution that they made. And right now, the Clemson offense looks anemic. It looks too dependent on stars as opposed to schematically being able to get some things going. When you look at that Georgia game – and we all expected Georgia’s defense to be really good – but when you look at what Clemson was doing, it was so predictable and it was so Clemson for the last five, six years that we’ve seen. But in that time, you had Deshaun Watson, you had Trevor Lawrence, you had Travis Etienne, you had Higgins, you had all of these players that could overcome that. They are beyond that point now.

“If you don’t figure out that next wave – and the bottom line is, that is what has made Nick Saban, Nick Saban – I’m going to be a year and a half, two years ahead of where everybody is because I see it faster than everybody, and I think Dabo is at that point now.”

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ESPN analyst predicts Uiagalelei to win Heisman Trophy

An ESPN analyst believes Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei is the player that will take home the Heisman Trophy this season. Marcus Spears, a former NFL defensive end and current ESPN college football and NFL analyst, predicted Uiagalelei to win …

An ESPN analyst believes Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei is the player that will take home the Heisman Trophy this season.

Marcus Spears, a former NFL defensive end and current ESPN college football and NFL analyst, predicted Uiagalelei to win the Heisman during a discussion on ESPN’s “Get Up!” show.

“What I do know is when he stepped in for Trevor Lawrence last year, he threw for over 400 and scored (three) touchdowns in mop-up duty — not mop-up duty, in a big game that Clemson had,” Spears said, referring to Uiagalelei’s performance at Notre Dame in his second career start on Nov. 7, 2020. “I think this kid is huge.”

Spears added that one thing he thinks gives Uiagalelei an advantage in the Heisman Trophy race is his size in the red zone.

“We all know, in college football, the equivalence of being able to use your legs to score touchdowns matter more than it does in the NFL,” Spears said. “In the NFL, we want to see guys throw for 4,500 and 5,000, have a lot of throwing touchdowns. In college, if you can run for 20 and throw for 30, you usually end up winning the Heisman. I think D.J. is the guy that’s in position to do that more than anybody, and he has a receiver that’s probably is going to win the Biletnikoff in Justyn Ross.”

Uiagalelei enters 2021 following an impressive true freshman campaign in which he completed 78-of-117 passes for 914 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions over 10 games (two starts). The California native also enters this season having recorded 28 carries for 60 yards and four rushing touchdowns.

Uiagalelei was ultra-impressive in two starts last season, when he led Clemson to the largest comeback in Memorial Stadium history in his first career start vs. Boston College on Oct. 31 and a week later, passed for 439 yards at Notre Dame – the most yards ever thrown against the Irish by an opposing quarterback.

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ESPN’s, former Cowboy Marcus Spears fishes for charity, dishes on Dak Prescott

The former Cowboys first-round pick, Marcus Spears knows his way around the Dallas Cowboys landscape. So when he recently spoke on QB Dak Prescott and his ability to lead the franchise, it comes from a sound place.

LEWISVILLE, Texas — Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marcus Spears and his team placed third in the Academy Sports + Outdoors’ 2021 Bassmaster Classic Celebrity Fishing Tournament on Lake Lewisville June 9.

Spears earned $1,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Louisiana, and says he is humbled to have the opportunity to give back to an organization that helped him and his family growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

“They were doing the most work in the area that I grew up in,” Spears said. “They were there. They were visible. I was able to go see them and see what they were doing. I attach myself to them, and they’re still doing great work.”

Although Spears had “home-lake advantage” fishing on a body of water he enjoyed while playing for Dallas from 2005-12, Hall-of-Fame cornerback Deion Sanders finished first and country duo Maddie & Tae placed second.

“Deion Sanders’ team won, but I think it was fixed,” Spears joked.

The ESPN commentator, who regularly appears on First Take and Get Up, also took time to talk about the Cowboys and where they are headed in 2021 given their hiring of Dan Quinn as defensive coordinator.

“I expect them to be better,” said Spears. “Going from 32 to the high twenties with that offense and where I expect them to be, you’re a competitive team in this league. I’m not picking them to win the Super Bowl. I don’t think they’re that good, but I definitely think they’re the best team in this division based on coaching changes that were made, based on coming off a non-COVID season, based on playing with five offensive linemen that had never started a game in the NFL.”

The most optimistic part of the Cowboys’ 2021 outlook revolves around the signing of quarterback Dak Prescott to a long-term deal and his on-pace recovery from a broken ankle sustained on Oct. 11, 2020.

Said Spears: “Look, Dallas is fortunate to have Dak. Dak lost his momma. Like, that’s the worst. So, the dude is built to last. He’s built to be a leader, a strong dude. These type of things would affect a normal person a little bit more. I firmly believe that. I’m a fan of a lot of guys in this league, but Dak is up there for me. Obviously the loss of his brother and being able to handle that, being transparent about what he was going through mentally. Man, Dallas is in good hands, man. I was on TV every damn day saying ‘pay the man’ because it was more than just being a good quarterback. It was about this dude has shown you not only that he’s a good quarterback, the team, the way the team responded when he tore his ankle up told you that he was the unquestioned leader on that football team. And then you saw how abysmal it was when he wasn’t out there.”

Cowboys fans are hopeful that the abysmal times are behind them, and Dallas can at least meet, if not surpass, Spears’ expectations of an NFC East title in 2021.

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ESPN analyst Marcus Spears fishes for charity, dishes on Cowboys QB Dak Prescott

Marcus Spears gave his thoughts on Dak Prescott after competing in the Academy Sports + Outdoors’ 2021 Bassmaster Classic Celebrity Fishing Tournament

LEWISVILLE, Texas — Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marcus Spears and his team placed third in the Academy Sports + Outdoors’ 2021 Bassmaster Classic Celebrity Fishing Tournament on Lake Lewisville June 9.

Spears earned $1,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Louisiana, and says he is humbled to have the opportunity to give back to an organization that helped him and his family growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
“They were doing the most work in the area that I grew up in,” Spears said. “They were there. They were visible. I was able to go see them and see what they were doing. I attach myself to them, and they’re still doing great work.”
Although Spears had “home-lake advantage” fishing on a body of water he enjoyed while playing for Dallas from 2005-12, Hall-of-Fame cornerback Deion Sanders finished first and country duo Maddie & Tae placed second.
“Deion Sanders’ team won, but I think it was fixed,” Spears joked.
The ESPN commentator, who regularly appears on First Take and Get Up, also took time to talk about the Cowboys and where they are headed in 2021 given their hiring of Dan Quinn as defensive coordinator.
“I expect them to be better,” said Spears. “Going from 32 to the high twenties with that offense and where I expect them to be, you’re a competitive team in this league. I’m not picking them to win the Super Bowl. I don’t think they’re that good, but I definitely think they’re the best team in this division based on coaching changes that were made, based on coming off a non-COVID season, based on playing with five offensive linemen that had never started a game in the NFL.”
The most optimistic part of the Cowboys’ 2021 outlook revolves around the signing of quarterback Dak Prescott to a long-term deal and his on-pace recovery from a broken ankle sustained on Oct. 11, 2020.
Said Spears: “Look, Dallas is fortunate to have Dak. Dak lost his momma. Like, that’s the worst. So, the dude is built to last. He’s built to be a leader, a strong dude. These type of things would affect a normal person a little bit more. I firmly believe that. I’m a fan of a lot of guys in this league, but Dak is up there for me. Obviously the loss of his brother and being able to handle that, being transparent about what he was going through mentally. Man, Dallas is in good hands, man. I was on TV every damn day saying ‘pay the man’ because it was more than just being a good quarterback. It was about this dude has shown you not only that he’s a good quarterback, the team, the way the team responded when he tore his ankle up told you that he was the unquestioned leader on that football team. And then you saw how abysmal it was when he wasn’t out there.”
Cowboys fans are hopeful that the abysmal times are behind them, and Dallas can at least meet, if not surpass, Spears’ expectations of an NFC East title in 2021.

ESPN’s Marcus Spears: Best roster on paper in AFC belongs to the Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns are not used to praise from the national media but ESPN’s Marcus Spears deems their roster best on paper in the AFC.

Accolades upon accolades will likely befall the Cleveland Browns as media turns their attention fully to the 2021 season. The Browns made the playoffs with a suspect defense, a new head coach, and significant limitations due to COVID-19.

The 2020 season established the three most important parts of a successful NFL team:

  • Andrew Berry is a very good GM.
  • Kevin Stefanski is a very good head coach.
  • Baker Mayfield is a franchise-level quarterback.

Those three statements can be argued to some extent but, given the information available at this point, are accurate.

The Browns didn’t rest on their success this offseason. Instead, the team took a hard look at that suspect defense and made major upgrades. Adding John Johnson III, Troy Hill, and Greg Newsome II to the secondary, Anthony Walker and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to the linebacking group, and Jadeveon Clowney, Takk McKinley, Malik Jackson, and Tommy Togiai to the defensive line.

The offense stayed much the same with the addition of all-world speed receiver Anthony Schwartz.

Not only did the Browns add players but they have a number of players expected to contribute while returning from injury or opting out for COVID-19. Odell Beckham Jr., Greedy Williams, Grant Delpit, Andrew Billings, and Drew Forbes all return in 2021 with only Beckham playing any snaps in 2020.

All of that is a lot of added firepower to last year’s roster leading ESPN’s Marcus Spears to declare the Browns the best roster, on paper:

 

Spears makes it clear at the start of the video that he still believes the Kansas City Chiefs are the favorites in the AFC.

Marcus Spears, ‘The Big Swagu’ continues to make impact on Baton Rouge community

Spears is continuing to play a role in the Baton Rouge community.

The 2021 Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame Banquet & Induction Ceremony will be held Tuesday, April 20 at 6 p.m.

Among the inductees include Daniel Cormier, Jake Delhomme, Elvin Hayes, Bert Jones, brothers Eli and Peyton Manning, Willis Reed, Ed Reed, Ashley Tapping, and LSU’s own former defensive end Marcus Spears.

Spears attended Southern University Laboratory School in Baton Rouge, and was one of the most highly sought after two-sport athletes in the country. On the field, he was rated as the No.1 tight end prospect in America.

Following his senior season, he was named first-team Class 1A all-state selection on both offense and defense, becoming the first player to be honored on both in Louisiana since 1991.

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After high school, Spears went on to play for the LSU Tigers from 2001 to 2004 under Nick Saban.

Over his four years at LSU, Spears accumulated 141 tackles, 16 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and 14 passes deflected. 

In his 2004 senior season, Spears earned first-team All American honors from the Walter Camp Foundation, American Football Coaches Association, and AP. He also earned second-team All-American honors from Sports illustrated, first-team All-SEC honors, and was a semifinalist for the highly regarded Bednarik and Lombardi awards. 

Spears was drafted in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft to the Dallas Cowboys and later went on to play for the Baltimore Ravens. 

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He racked up a total of nine seasons as a DE in the league. 

These days, you may recognize him from ESPN working as an NFL analyst, and appearing daily on NFL Live. 

You may also recognize him for his hilarious Twitter presence and nickname “The Big Swagu” compounded from the words “swag” and “ragu.” 

When someone such as Spears himself is dripping with swag, they may be referred to as Swagu. The “Big” part is pretty self-explanatory given Spears burly dimensions and larger-than-life personality.

Overall, The Big Swagu has made a BIG impact in the Baton Rouge community and continues to make his alma mater proud in all of his endeavors.

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Marcus Spears: Struggles vs top QBs to keep Cowboys out of NFC titles

Former Cowboy Marcus Spears says the current unit plays poorly against the league’s best passers, but that really wasn’t the case in 2019.

Die-hard Cowboys fans usually see the team as being just a few missing pieces, a key injury, or maybe a couple of close games away from bringing home some hardware. But the fact is, Dallas is one of just three NFC teams who has not appeared in the conference championship game in this century.

The other two? Detroit and Washington. While that is certainly not the kind of company the Cowboys consider themselves to be in, one former player says that Dallas should get used to watching other clubs scrap for the George Halas Trophy, at least in the foreseeable future.

Speaking on ESPN’s Get Up! this week, Marcus Spears predicted that the Cowboys won’t make the NFC title contest for at least the next three years. Specifically, he cites the defense’s poor track record against the best quarterbacks as the main stumbling block.

“Defensively, this team is ranked 11th, 6th, and 13th,” the former Cowboys defensive end said. “And you would look at that and conventionally say, ‘Man, that’s not bad.’ But if you look at them against top-tier quarterbacks, they’ve struggled. Mightily. And that is my issue.”

It wasn’t made clear what rankings Spears was referring to. A quick check of 2019’s stats show Dallas did indeed finish the season 11th in both points allowed and rushing yards allowed. They also placed 10th in passing yards allowed and 9th in total yards allowed.

Just as Spears says, that’s not bad.

But then he goes on to list the elite-level passers currently in the conference, the kind he believes routinely cause problems for the Cowboys. He calls out Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Matt Ryan by name.

“It’s not necessarily that the Cowboys aren’t good enough,” Spears noted. “They just haven’t proven that they can win those type of games to get to the NFC Championship.”

Dallas is slated to face two of those quarterbacks- Ryan and Wilson- in the 2020 regular season. They’ll also square off against Lamar Jackson, last year’s leader in total QBR.

But was the issue last season that the Cowboys defense under Rod Marinelli and Kris Richard really kept running into some sort of A-list-quarterback buzzsaw?

In the team’s first loss of 2019, suffered in Week 4 at the hands of the Saints, the Dallas defense didn’t allow a touchdown. Brees didn’t play. New Orleans backup Teddy Bridgewater threw for just 193 yards. Hard to pin that loss on the pass defense.

Week 5 saw the Cowboys lose to Green Bay. Rodgers accounted for 238 yards in the air and zero touchdowns. Is that struggling mightily against a future Hall of Famer? It was actually running back Aaron Jones who did the damage, with four rushing scores on 107 yards.

The following Sunday, Dallas turned in an embarrassing Week 6 performance against the New York Jets. The Cowboys secondary watched Sam Darnold, fresh off a bout with mononucleosis, torch them for 338 air yards and two touchdowns.

In Week 10, the Cowboys allowed Kirk Cousins 220 passing yards and a pair of scores in a two-point loss to Minnesota.

Tom Brady was unable to crack 200 yards in a rainy Week 11 game and threw just one touchdown. The defense played well enough to beat the Patriots, but the offense couldn’t hold up their end of the bargain, managing just three field goals.

Thanksgiving Day and Week 12 brought another stinker from the Cowboys. They allowed Bills quarterback Josh Allen to throw for 231 yards and a score. They gave up a 28-yard trick-play scoring pass from receiver John Brown as well. Allen also ran for a touchdown.

Chicago’s Mitchell Trubisky hurled three touchdowns and tallied 244 yards against Dallas in Week 14. He rushed for another score in the Bears win.

In Week 16, the Eagles’ Carson Wentz put up 319 yards and threw a touchdown in the eighth loss of the Cowboys’ season.

A .500 record isn’t good enough for a team with the talent Dallas had in 2019. It’s why the majority of the coaching staff was dismissed.

Is the Cowboys secondary a weak spot? Yes, and it has been for a while. Does it need an upgrade? To be sure. It’s been easy to pick on the defensive backs and the lack of interceptions as problematic.

The perceived team philosophy around pass coverage doesn’t help. When the team has a public courting with an Earl Thomas or Jamal Adams and then doesn’t land either, everyone chastises the Dallas front office for apparently being so willing to stand pat with a merely average secondary.

All justified criticism.

But can you look back at those losses from last season and truly pin any of them on some mysterious systemic failure of the Cowboys defense every time they face a top-tier quarterback?

Dallas didn’t have a pattern of “struggling mightily” against all the best quarterbacks. They went out and lost close games over and over: occasionally to good teams, but often to bad teams they should have- and could have just as easily- beaten.

The worst outings of 2019 came against Darnold, Wentz, Trubisky, and Allen. Not a one of them is in the murderer’s row rattled off by Spears. Or even in the same category.

Last season’s defense was a liability in Dallas. No one questions that. An infusion of new blood on both the roster and the coaching staff will be welcome. But to go on national TV and claim that the Cowboys have some habitual quaking-in-their-boots deficiency against the game’s top-rated passers, and to then suggest that’s why they will obviously continue their longstanding NFC title game drought just feels misguided.

“I gotta give my ‘Boys some tough love,” Spears said.

They deserve it, Marcus. They do. But aim that tough love where it belongs.

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NFL analyst believes Patriots will fit offensive scheme to Cam Newton’s strengths

One NFL analyst believes that the Patriots will adjust their offense to fit Cam Newton’s strengths.

Cam Newton and Tom Brady could hardly be any different at playing the quarterback position. Brady, the most prolific quarterback in the game, is a pure drop-back passer while Newton can use his scrambling abilities and legs to be a dual-threat.

NFL analyst Marcus Spears believes that Patriots’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will adjust to having Newton under center.

“I believe every offensive coordinator that is worth any grain of salt adjusts to the players on his roster and tries to put him in a position to be successful,” Spears said. “If Josh McDaniels thought that they were going to sign Cam Newton and he was going to continue to run the same offense and that Cam Newton fit into that, Josh McDaniels is out of his mind. I believe that when you get to practice, when they start training camp, Cam Newton will have a package and eventually be the packaged starter.”

The former Auburn star is set to battle for the starting position with another former Tiger in Jarrett Stidham who was expected to be the man that replaced Brady before the Newton signing.

“Listen, Jarrett Stidham has been in this system,” Spears said. “He understands what the system has been. He kind of fits into that mold with Tom Brady and obviously pushing that forward as far as what New England is. I refuse to believe that the New England Patriots signed Cam Newton to come and ‘fit in’ to the New England Patriots offense without creating something for him to have success.”

Marcus Spears: Tom Brady over Ryan Tannehill is a ‘no-brainer’ for Titans

The Tennessee Titans have question marks surrounding the quarterback position nearly every year, and 2020 is no different.

The Tennessee Titans have question marks surrounding the quarterback position nearly every year, and 2020 is no different.

We suspect the Titans will want to hold onto Ryan Tannehill after he recorded the best season of his career and led the team to a remarkable turnaround that fell just one game short of a Super Bowl LIV appearance after a 2-4 start to the season.

Tannehill led the league in a number of categories, including passer rating (117.5).

But not everyone thinks the Titans should be hard at work to try to reach a multi-year deal with Tannehill or franchise tag him.

Former LSU and NFL defensive lineman Marcus Spears seems to believe the Titans should be in pursuit of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who is set to test free agency.

“Tom Brady. What the hell are we talking about? This is such a no-brainer,” Spears said on ESPN’s “Get Up” when asked if the Titans are better off with Brady or Tannehill. “If you’re talking about succession plan and where Tennessee goes to the future, obviously that’s a different conversation.”

Spears appreciates what Tannehill was able to do in Tennessee, but just doesn’t think he surpasses Brady.

“I really enjoyed what Ryan Tannehill did this year with the Titans. He played well. He played within a system and he was actually being the catalyst for this offense for a number of weeks, although Derrick Henry was having this monumental year in the backfield. With that being said, there is no way in two hells I would not take Tom Brady over Ryan Tannehill with a team this close, with this amount of talent, with the opportunity to win a Super Bowl. If we start talking about winning Super Bowls, Tom Brady puts Tennessee definitely in position.”

The Titans still have plenty of time and a lot of options ahead of the 2020 season, though it will be somewhat surprising if it isn’t Tannehill taking the snaps next season.