# The NFL Report: Lamar Jackson Puts Defenses on Notice + Top 5 Defenses to Watch this Season

An episode of [NFL: The Insiders](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1543090622), 5 Sep 2026, 25 min.

Audio: https://podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/e922fbd8-b608-413a-ac83-b06d015154b4/c9363f0a-d507-4d56-a5c7-b4bc00067bc4/audio.mp3?utm_source=Podcast&in_playlist=3e412703-0644-468e-9001-ae390070e4db

On the rundown for today’s The NFL Report Podcast: -Why the Rams land in Australia just 24 hours before Week 1 matchup vs 49ers -An update on whether we’ll see Aaron Donald play Week 1 -49ers taking in the sights in Melbourne -Pro Football Hall of Fame overhauls its selection process -Falcons announce newest Ring of Honor members -Lamar Jackson gushes over his new offense -Why the Saints could be a sleeper in the NFC South -Who won the Falcons starting QB job? -Which five defenses will dominate this season The NFL Report is a production of the NFL in partnership with iHeart Media. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:08] Speaker 1: Well, his return was one of the biggest stories in
[0:10] Speaker 1: the offseason. Aaron Donald could add to his Hall of
[0:13] Speaker 1: Fame legacy with another Super Bowl title. Sean McVay tells
[0:17] Speaker 1: us if we're going to see him, though, in week
[0:19] Speaker 1: number one. Plus, we're getting defensive. Our expert tells you
[0:23] Speaker 1: who are the league's top defenses and why one might
[0:26] Speaker 1: ride its way all the way to the Super Bowl.
[0:28] Speaker 1: And yeah, maybe it's those Rams. Plus, Lamar Jackson already
[0:32] Speaker 1: a two-time MVP. You gotta hear why Lamar thinks this
[0:35] Speaker 1: year with a new head coach and an offensive coordinator
[0:39] Speaker 1: might be his best ever. Welcome to a fresh edition
[0:43] Speaker 1: of NFL Report. Mike Yam with you. We got Lance
[0:45] Speaker 1: Zerline who's gonna be joining me in just a couple minutes.
[0:47] Speaker 1: And I know we're gonna talk about the league's top defenses.
[0:50] Speaker 1: But one of the league's worst is going to be
[0:51] Speaker 1: better this season. A focus on the Dallas Cowboys is
[0:54] Speaker 1: still to come. But there is some news to get to. Yes,
[0:57] Speaker 1: week one is right around the corner. We got the Rams,
[1:00] Speaker 1: not to mention the San Francisco 49ers taking center. all
[1:04] Speaker 1: part of our latest headlines. It's a 16-hour flight to Melbourne, Australia,
[1:10] Speaker 1: covering about 8,000 miles. The Niners, well, they already flew
[1:13] Speaker 1: out for next week's game this week. The Rams plan
[1:16] Speaker 1: to fly to Melbourne the day before the game and
[1:18] Speaker 1: then fly out immediately after. There's been a whole lot
[1:21] Speaker 1: of buzz around what Sean McVay has decided to do.
[1:26] Speaker 2: Everything is geared towards what we think is best for
[1:28] Speaker 2: the players. That's what will guide every decision as long
[1:32] Speaker 2: as I'm fortunate enough to be the head coach. We
[1:35] Speaker 2: felt like staying in our rhythm and routine and then
[1:38] Speaker 2: traveling when we do, which I'll go over with the
[1:41] Speaker 2: players this afternoon. Um, but the, the thinking in its
[1:45] Speaker 2: simplest form is, is what do we deem the best
[1:47] Speaker 2: for our football players and for them to try to
[1:50] Speaker 2: be at their best? There's different approaches and theories. Um,
[1:53] Speaker 2: but I do have a lot of trust in our
[1:55] Speaker 2: group and, and we'll see, um, you know, hopefully it
[1:58] Speaker 2: works out. And I know that we've got a bunch
[1:59] Speaker 2: of guys that, uh, I think, you know, we'll feel
[2:02] Speaker 2: good about the plan. And then ultimately it's, let's go
[2:04] Speaker 2: play to the best of our ability in that three
[2:05] Speaker 2: and a half hour window.
[2:06] Speaker 3: We're allotted.
[2:08] Speaker 1: That roster is absolutely loaded because we do know Aaron
[2:11] Speaker 1: Donald is back, but is he back for week number one?
[2:14] Speaker 1: The future Hall of Famer had the NFL world buzzing
[2:16] Speaker 1: announcing that return. McVay has said he will always work
[2:20] Speaker 1: around Donald's timeline, and that remains true for Australia.
[2:25] Speaker 2: Obviously one of the best things you can do is
[2:27] Speaker 2: get out there and play football in 11 on 11
[2:29] Speaker 2: settings with pads, your eye progression, taking on some of
[2:33] Speaker 2: the double teams, different things like that. You know, so
[2:34] Speaker 2: this week will be a big week for him in
[2:36] Speaker 2: terms of how he feels. And, um, and then we'll
[2:39] Speaker 2: just kind of take it a day at a time
[2:40] Speaker 2: and see where he's at. If he feels good enough
[2:42] Speaker 2: to go great. If, if not, you know, I've got
[2:44] Speaker 2: a lot of confidence in, in the other guys that'll
[2:46] Speaker 2: be ready to step up. If that's the case that
[2:48] Speaker 2: have really gotten all the reps anyways.
[2:52] Speaker 1: Meanwhile, on the offensive side, positive news for Rams wide
[2:55] Speaker 1: receiver Puka Nakua. McVay saying, quote, he's making good progress
[2:59] Speaker 1: as he works his way back from the SOAS issue
[3:02] Speaker 1: that's lingered him since the middle of August. More on
[3:05] Speaker 1: the Rams and Niners from a San Francisco perspective still
[3:07] Speaker 1: to come here on NFL Report. Meanwhile, it is a
[3:12] Speaker 1: new era of Ravens football with Jesse Mitchell taking over
[3:15] Speaker 1: as head coach, just naming his five captains for the season.
[3:19] Speaker 1: Ravens also ushering in a new offensive coordinator in Declan Doyle.
[3:23] Speaker 1: And Lamar, well, he told the guys at Mad Dog
[3:26] Speaker 1: Radio on Sirius XM, you can expect a massive year.
[3:31] Speaker 4: It's everything, everything you need in the offense. Play action,
[3:33] Speaker 4: you know, drop back, run game. It's like everything you
[3:36] Speaker 4: want in the offensive system. And, like, coaches, like I
[3:39] Speaker 4: just said with Coach Jesse, the attention to detail, he's overly, like,
[3:44] Speaker 4: preaching that, you know, he won't ever got to know
[3:45] Speaker 4: what everyone's doing, basically, with the offense. So he's just
[3:48] Speaker 4: making everyone's job a lot easier. And I just came
[3:50] Speaker 4: with the showcase. It was like, man, I don't believe
[3:53] Speaker 4: a defense is prepared for what's in store for us
[3:56] Speaker 4: or what's in store for them.
[3:58] Speaker 1: Well, it sounds like the sky is the limit right
[4:00] Speaker 1: now for this offense. But you tell me, Lance, when
[4:02] Speaker 1: you look at this roster, you look at a new,
[4:04] Speaker 1: potentially new scheme with the new play caller here. What
[4:07] Speaker 1: do you think is going to happen to this unit?
[4:10] Speaker 3: Well, I think Declan Doyle is clearly going to show
[4:12] Speaker 3: some differences in terms of pre-snap, post-snap looks, personnel groupings.
[4:17] Speaker 3: It's going to look a little bit different than what
[4:19] Speaker 3: we've seen in the past. But I am curious, when
[4:22] Speaker 3: the bullets start flying here and you start taking snaps
[4:26] Speaker 3: against NFL defenses, how long is it going to take
[4:28] Speaker 3: for Declan Doyle to say, well, you know, Lamar Jackson
[4:31] Speaker 3: has things he really likes to do and he does well,
[4:33] Speaker 3: and Derrick Henry is a hammerhead and you can really
[4:36] Speaker 3: ride him and kind of control the clock, I think
[4:39] Speaker 3: it's going to be tough for the Ravens offense throughout
[4:42] Speaker 3: the year to look totally different than we've seen in
[4:44] Speaker 3: the past. I think they're going to go back to
[4:46] Speaker 3: who they are and what they are. I know there's
[4:48] Speaker 3: an excitement with a new head coach and a new
[4:50] Speaker 3: play caller. But at the end of the day, you know,
[4:53] Speaker 3: the Ravens have been very successful doing what they do
[4:55] Speaker 3: on offense. And it's a pretty basic formula. And I
[4:59] Speaker 3: think that Declan Doyle will try to do some different
[5:01] Speaker 3: things early in the year. But by sometime in the midpoint,
[5:05] Speaker 3: he's going to start leaning on the old reliables. And
[5:08] Speaker 3: I think that's still going to be okay for a
[5:10] Speaker 3: Ravens team that I expect to win the division. But
[5:12] Speaker 3: I am interested in seeing what a new play caller
[5:15] Speaker 3: looks like over in Baltimore.
[5:17] Speaker 5: All right.
[5:17] Speaker 1: Well, explain to me this because when I knew you
[5:19] Speaker 1: were on the show, you were uniquely qualified. I know
[5:21] Speaker 1: you love offensive line play. So I think about Tyler Linderbaum,
[5:24] Speaker 1: who they loved, who's no longer there. He's now playing
[5:27] Speaker 1: with the Raiders. The guy that was supposed to handle
[5:29] Speaker 1: the center duties, Danny Pinter, done for the season. Put
[5:33] Speaker 1: into context for me, how big a blow is that
[5:35] Speaker 1: for this offense?
[5:37] Speaker 3: I mean, it's a huge blow. It's a huge blow.
[5:40] Speaker 3: Number one, you're losing an all-pro talent in Tyler Linderbaum.
[5:43] Speaker 3: He's a guy that can get to any block you need.
[5:45] Speaker 3: Tremendous athlete. Tremendous in terms of his technique and what
[5:49] Speaker 3: he learned over from Kirk Ferentz and that offensive line
[5:52] Speaker 3: system over at Iowa. But what you've lost is really,
[5:55] Speaker 3: this is the brainpower of the offense is right in
[5:57] Speaker 3: the middle of that offense. And I think Once you
[6:00] Speaker 3: lose a really elite talent like that, it's a huge
[6:03] Speaker 3: fall off to the next guy who's trying to take
[6:05] Speaker 3: over that role, and that's Danny Pinter. And now that
[6:07] Speaker 3: he's gone, I think it's going to be even more substantial,
[6:10] Speaker 3: the loss. So that's going to be a position to
[6:12] Speaker 3: really keep an eye on because if you break down
[6:14] Speaker 3: at the center position, either mentally or you're just not
[6:17] Speaker 3: strong enough or you can't get to the blocks, it
[6:20] Speaker 3: can really have an impact on what you can do offensively.
[6:22] Speaker 1: Yeah, this is still a Ravens team that's got so
[6:24] Speaker 1: much talent on this roster. On the outside, looking into
[6:27] Speaker 1: the postseason, just the second time since 2018 when Lamar
[6:30] Speaker 1: Jackson was named this team's starter. Some other news to
[6:33] Speaker 1: get to is a team that's trying to carry some
[6:35] Speaker 1: momentum heading into this upcoming season. That is the New
[6:38] Speaker 1: Orleans Saints. Two intense start a year ago. They won
[6:41] Speaker 1: four out of their final five games. Now down the stretch,
[6:44] Speaker 1: Tyler Shuck was a top five quarterback in completion percentage,
[6:47] Speaker 1: passing yards per game, and total yards per game in
[6:50] Speaker 1: weeks 15 through 18. Ketlin Moore knows the squad is ready,
[6:54] Speaker 1: and they got some momentum.
[6:57] Speaker 5: I'd say our team has confidence. I think we finished
[7:02] Speaker 5: well last year. It feels like a long time ago now,
[7:04] Speaker 5: but I think our guys are excited about this. They're
[7:07] Speaker 5: excited about the opportunity to go compete. We're going to
[7:09] Speaker 5: open up with one of the top teams in the
[7:10] Speaker 5: league in Detroit. It's going to be a lot of fun.
[7:14] Speaker 5: We know what an NFL season is going to take.
[7:15] Speaker 5: There's going to be some highs, there's going to be
[7:17] Speaker 5: some lows, and so I think we've got the right
[7:19] Speaker 5: kind of guys to navigate it.
[7:21] Speaker 1: Hopefully more highs for that team's offense. The good news
[7:24] Speaker 1: is the Saints know their quarterback in Atlanta. We still
[7:27] Speaker 1: don't know an interesting development in the ATL. We've been
[7:30] Speaker 1: tracking that quarterback competition the last couple of weeks with
[7:33] Speaker 1: Michael Penix coming off the ACL. He's progressing. Tua, this
[7:37] Speaker 1: dude's kind of struggled in the preseason. Their general manager,
[7:40] Speaker 1: Ian Cunningham, saying the team's going to keep four quarterbacks
[7:43] Speaker 1: on the 53-man roster. This is what those dudes did
[7:46] Speaker 1: a season ago in Tua and Pennix. Take your pick here, Lance.
[7:51] Speaker 1: If I said to you, if you're Kevin Stefanski, who's
[7:53] Speaker 1: the guy that you feel most confident in running what
[7:56] Speaker 1: you like to do?
[7:58] Speaker 3: I'd probably say Tua. I mean, those are really scary numbers.
[8:01] Speaker 3: We saw last year from Tua, the 20, touchdown, 15. interception,
[8:05] Speaker 3: touchdown to interception ratio. That's a very scary number for Tua.
[8:08] Speaker 3: I do think he's a little more qualified and set
[8:11] Speaker 3: up and is certainly experienced to play in that Kevin
[8:14] Speaker 3: Stefanski office. I think you can get to a quick
[8:17] Speaker 3: passing game with him if you want to change some
[8:19] Speaker 3: things up if you're Stefanski. I just, you know, I
[8:22] Speaker 3: look at this Falcon team and on July 1st, I thought, oh,
[8:25] Speaker 3: Tua's coming over and you got Drake London and Kyle
[8:27] Speaker 3: Pitts and Bajon Robinson. Man, maybe this is the real
[8:30] Speaker 3: sleeper to win 11 games and and take over that division.
[8:33] Speaker 3: And as camp has gone on, you know, the reports
[8:36] Speaker 3: have really not been positive about any of the quarterbacks.
[8:39] Speaker 3: And so it's a concern for me. I think Tua
[8:42] Speaker 3: will end up getting a start and probably should just
[8:44] Speaker 3: because of his experience and because of the injuries that
[8:47] Speaker 3: Pennix has faced over his career in college and now
[8:50] Speaker 3: in the pros. But it wouldn't shock me to see
[8:53] Speaker 3: a very short leash for Tua if Tua becomes the
[8:57] Speaker 3: starter and for them to roll out Michael Pennix and
[8:59] Speaker 3: see what they can get from Pennix if need be.
[9:02] Speaker 1: Yeah, two things here. Number one, as it pertains to
[9:04] Speaker 1: the quarterback spot, I think you got to assume both
[9:06] Speaker 1: of these guys are going to get meaningful reps. They
[9:08] Speaker 1: do have injury histories, both of these quarterbacks. And this
[9:11] Speaker 1: is a team that spent over $ 300 million this offseason
[9:14] Speaker 1: on the offensive side of the field. So it's just something.
[9:17] Speaker 1: to keep in mind, no matter if it's Tua or Penix,
[9:19] Speaker 1: there's some pretty good significant weapons around them, including Bajon Robinson,
[9:23] Speaker 1: who just got paid this offseason. Lance, don't go anywhere.
[9:26] Speaker 1: We're going to talk a little bit more about some
[9:28] Speaker 1: of the best defenses in the NFL, because they do
[9:31] Speaker 1: say the defense wins championships, right? That was the case
[9:34] Speaker 1: for the Seahawks last year, but Lance doesn't think they're
[9:36] Speaker 1: the best unit. Find out who he starts. The NFL
[9:52] Speaker 1: season is almost here and you can get 20% off
[9:55] Speaker 1: an NFL Plus annual plan with NFL Plus stream live
[9:59] Speaker 1: local and primetime games on mobile with NFL Plus Premium.
[10:02] Speaker 1: You can also get NFL Red Zone, catch game replays,
[10:05] Speaker 1: and access NFL Pro. Now, it is a limited time offer.
[10:08] Speaker 1: It ends September 21st, so sign up today at plus.nfl.com.
[10:13] Speaker 1: Terms and conditions apply. All right, here we go, Dallas Cowboys.
[10:19] Speaker 1: Can only go up last in the NFL in opponent
[10:22] Speaker 1: passing yards and points allowed. That wasn't good for that defense,
[10:25] Speaker 1: but they have a new D.C. in Christian Parker. Quinton
[10:27] Speaker 1: Williams said there is a night and day difference with
[10:30] Speaker 1: Parker at the helm. His coach, Brian Schottenheimer, knows he's
[10:33] Speaker 1: going to have to rely on the big fella.
[10:37] Speaker 6: From the minute he got here, he's been about one thing,
[10:40] Speaker 6: and it's winning. You know, he's never won in the NFL.
[10:45] Speaker 6: And the leadership is real. The talent's incredible. But every
[10:49] Speaker 6: decision that that guy makes is based on what's best
[10:52] Speaker 6: for us winning.
[10:53] Speaker 3: And I love that about him.
[10:54] Speaker 6: And it's infectious.
[10:55] Speaker 3: It rubs off.
[10:57] Speaker 6: And I love hearing him talk to the young linemen
[11:00] Speaker 6: and the young defenders. And, you know, he was very, very,
[11:05] Speaker 6: very involved in, you know, some of the things that
[11:08] Speaker 6: we did from helping the defense, you know, grow and
[11:11] Speaker 6: learn and all that stuff.
[11:12] Speaker 3: So terrific young man. Great dad.
[11:15] Speaker 6: He and Miranda are great parents. Just thrilled to have
[11:21] Speaker 6: him here, man.
[11:24] Speaker 1: The Cowboys fans are thrilled to have him. They're also
[11:26] Speaker 1: happy to see some of the changes personnel-wise on that defense.
[11:30] Speaker 1: More on that in just a moment, but I made
[11:31] Speaker 1: reference to it. This was not a good unit a
[11:34] Speaker 1: season ago. You can't win a whole lot of games
[11:36] Speaker 1: giving up over 30 points per game. And I know
[11:38] Speaker 1: the offense was second best in the NFL, but... I mean,
[11:42] Speaker 1: how are you supposed to... Look, if you're a speed bump, right,
[11:45] Speaker 1: in terms of that defense, you probably win a couple
[11:46] Speaker 1: more games. But Lance, sell me on this defense right now.
[11:50] Speaker 1: Why can they be better?
[11:52] Speaker 3: Starts with Christian Parker. First and foremost, I think the
[11:54] Speaker 3: defensive coordinator is going to bring some real energy to
[11:57] Speaker 3: this team and an upbeat attitude. And I think his
[12:01] Speaker 3: youth is going to be infectious. You just heard Schottenheimer
[12:04] Speaker 3: talk about, you know, what Quinnen Williams brings to the table.
[12:07] Speaker 3: I can also tell you the rookie... Caleb Downs brings
[12:10] Speaker 3: that same kind of energy, attitude, and ferocity from the
[12:14] Speaker 3: star position, that big nickel linebacker slash cornerback spot where
[12:19] Speaker 3: he's going to play as a rookie. I think when
[12:21] Speaker 3: you add the three of those guys up, you look
[12:23] Speaker 3: at Christian Parker, the new defensive coordinator, Quinnen Williams. and
[12:26] Speaker 3: Caleb Downs, you're going to see an infectious energy and
[12:29] Speaker 3: an ability to kind of, you know, forget when they
[12:32] Speaker 3: struggle on a play. I don't think it's going to
[12:34] Speaker 3: carry over. I don't think a failing in one series
[12:36] Speaker 3: is going to carry over like it did in the past.
[12:38] Speaker 3: And I think another important thing with Christian Parker comes
[12:40] Speaker 3: from the Vic Fangio defense, where he's going to be
[12:43] Speaker 3: very smart about limiting big plays, but he's really big
[12:47] Speaker 3: on communication on the back end. Dallas has had too
[12:49] Speaker 3: many busts over the last couple of years when it
[12:51] Speaker 3: comes to defense and the secondary. I think he will
[12:55] Speaker 3: help eliminate some of those busts just by really forcing
[12:59] Speaker 3: communication as one of the priorities on the back end
[13:02] Speaker 3: for the Cowboys.
[13:03] Speaker 1: Well, that's I'm just thinking going back down memory lane, me,
[13:07] Speaker 1: you and Bucky hanging on the set here on the
[13:09] Speaker 1: NFL channel for the draft and our conversations about Caleb
[13:12] Speaker 1: Downs and how effective he can be. this upcoming season,
[13:15] Speaker 1: potentially a difference maker for that unit. On the other
[13:18] Speaker 1: end of the spectrum from last year were some of
[13:20] Speaker 1: the better defenses in the NFL. And you take a
[13:23] Speaker 1: closer look at some of these numbers, Lance. The Houston Texans,
[13:25] Speaker 1: you know all about that squad leading the NFL at
[13:30] Speaker 1: 277.2 yards per game. The Broncos, the Vikings, the Browns,
[13:33] Speaker 1: and the Chargers Not far behind, Gennaro Felice on NFL.com
[13:37] Speaker 1: right now has an article about his top 10 defenses.
[13:40] Speaker 1: We won't go that deep, Lance, but give me your
[13:43] Speaker 1: top five. Let's start with number five here. The fifth
[13:46] Speaker 1: best unit in the NFL heading into this season is who?
[13:50] Speaker 3: Well, first of all, go read Gennaro's article. He did
[13:52] Speaker 3: a great job with it. And our thoughts are very similar.
[13:55] Speaker 3: I've got number five, Denver. We're a little different there.
[13:58] Speaker 3: But I think the Denver Broncos are a team, 131
[14:01] Speaker 3: sacks over the last couple seasons, first in the NFL
[14:04] Speaker 3: by a mile. And one of the primary reasons is
[14:07] Speaker 3: Nick Benito, 27.5 sacks during that two-year span. He's got
[14:11] Speaker 3: an 11.1%. Quick win rate. That's less than 2.5 seconds.
[14:15] Speaker 3: He is on your quarterback 11.1% of the time. That
[14:18] Speaker 3: was the best in the NFL last year. Then you
[14:22] Speaker 3: add to that Patrick Sertan, who was a 2024 Defensive
[14:26] Speaker 3: Player of the Year. He is one of the lockdown corners.
[14:29] Speaker 3: He's the premier cornerback, let's face it, in all of
[14:32] Speaker 3: the NFL. So you've got a great pass rusher off
[14:35] Speaker 3: the edge. You've got a guy who can lock it
[14:38] Speaker 3: down man-to-man whenever you want. And, you know, you do
[14:42] Speaker 3: have to worry a little bit about losing John Franklin
[14:44] Speaker 3: Myers to the Titans in terms of free agency. And
[14:49] Speaker 3: Jonathan Cooper right now is on the commissioner's exempt list.
[14:52] Speaker 3: He's a guy that's been able to get after the quarterback.
[14:53] Speaker 3: So that is a little concerned. That's why I dropped
[14:56] Speaker 3: them maybe from four where I thought they could be
[14:58] Speaker 3: to five. But this is still a great defense that
[15:00] Speaker 3: Vance Joseph has put together. Going to be scary again
[15:03] Speaker 3: this year.
[15:04] Speaker 1: I wasn't surprised that you had Philly on this list.
[15:08] Speaker 1: I thought they were sort of a fringe team. You
[15:10] Speaker 1: have them four. Sell me on the unit.
[15:11] Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, you know, we talked about Vic Fangio with
[15:16] Speaker 3: Christian Parker. I think Vic Fangio is always going to
[15:18] Speaker 3: put out a very competitive, strong unit. I like that
[15:21] Speaker 3: dog connection. I think we're ready to see Jalen Carter
[15:25] Speaker 3: and Jordan Davis have their best year as a duo
[15:28] Speaker 3: so far in their careers this year in Philadelphia. That's
[15:31] Speaker 3: a big part of it. But also, Quinion Mitchell and
[15:35] Speaker 3: Cooper DeJohn. Let's talk about this for a second. Quinion
[15:38] Speaker 3: Mitchell is number one in the NFL when it comes
[15:42] Speaker 3: to yards per separation at 1.8 yards according to NextGenStats.
[15:46] Speaker 3: You just don't get away from him. He's only allowed 42.4%
[15:50] Speaker 3: completion rate against. That's incredible numbers. Cooper Dijon, believe this
[15:56] Speaker 3: or not, he actually was ranked higher in the NFL
[15:59] Speaker 3: 100 by the players. He actually got the number 38
[16:02] Speaker 3: ranking as opposed to number 40 for Mitchell. So that
[16:05] Speaker 3: just tells you how talented that secondary is as well.
[16:08] Speaker 3: So you've got a really talented interior front. You've got
[16:12] Speaker 3: very good on the back end as well. And then
[16:14] Speaker 3: they added Jonathan Grenard. He's got to see if he
[16:17] Speaker 3: can rebound after last year's down year at three and
[16:20] Speaker 3: a half sacks. But I still like the Eagles unit.
[16:23] Speaker 3: I still think they're really solid.
[16:24] Speaker 5: All right.
[16:25] Speaker 1: The team that made the most amount of headlines this
[16:27] Speaker 1: offseason are the Rams. I thought before I even knew
[16:31] Speaker 1: where you were going to slot them, they're number three
[16:33] Speaker 1: for you. I thought they could be number one. They
[16:34] Speaker 1: bring in the best defensive player, arguably maybe the best
[16:38] Speaker 1: player in the NFL, Miles Garrett. And I don't think
[16:40] Speaker 1: we talked nearly enough about those additions in the secondary.
[16:42] Speaker 1: But sell me on why this team is three and
[16:45] Speaker 1: maybe not one.
[16:46] Speaker 3: Well, you can sell me because I think they are
[16:49] Speaker 3: right there. I think the teams at three, two, and
[16:51] Speaker 3: one are all in the mix for number one. And
[16:54] Speaker 3: when you talk about the Rams, it's all about those additions. Look,
[16:57] Speaker 3: Miles Garrett has had eight straight seasons of double-digit sacks.
[17:01] Speaker 3: This is arguably the best pass rusher we have seen
[17:05] Speaker 3: in years and years and years. 23 sacks last year
[17:09] Speaker 3: at the age of 30, and the most impressive– Part
[17:11] Speaker 3: of that to me is that the Browns face the
[17:14] Speaker 3: third fewest amount of pass attempts per game. So put
[17:17] Speaker 3: that in perspective. You just don't throw a lot against
[17:19] Speaker 3: the Browns because you always had leads against them. And
[17:21] Speaker 3: yet Miles Garrett still got 23 sacks. Now we're adding
[17:24] Speaker 3: Aaron Donald, two years removed from playing football. Does anyone
[17:28] Speaker 3: actually think he's not going to be just as explosive
[17:31] Speaker 3: and just as dangerous? The sack numbers may not be
[17:33] Speaker 3: as high, but the disruption is going to be a problem.
[17:37] Speaker 3: And then Trent McDuffie, Jalen Watson, you bring in two
[17:40] Speaker 3: new defensive backs age 26 and age 28 this year,
[17:44] Speaker 3: so they're still young. You're upgrading your secondary. The Rams
[17:47] Speaker 3: just got better, and Chris Shula's got a lot of
[17:50] Speaker 3: toys to play with now.
[17:51] Speaker 1: Hey, which side of the football is better? Is it
[17:54] Speaker 1: the offense for the Rams or the defense? Oh, man.
[17:57] Speaker 3: You know what? I'm going to– I'm going to say defense.
[18:02] Speaker 3: I'm going to say defense, but you caught me on
[18:03] Speaker 3: that one because I'm not sure I won't flip-flop here
[18:05] Speaker 3: in about 15 seconds.
[18:07] Speaker 1: By the way, I don't know if there's a wrong answer.
[18:10] Speaker 1: You take one, I'll take the other one and be
[18:12] Speaker 1: very happy here. Meanwhile, at number two, the champs are here.
[18:14] Speaker 1: Seattle's defense carried them, obviously, throughout the course of the season,
[18:18] Speaker 1: and they landed a dominant victory in the Super Bowl.
[18:21] Speaker 3: I mean, they were so good. They just, they barely
[18:24] Speaker 3: allowed any, like, 10 points per game during the postseason.
[18:27] Speaker 3: They were just absolutely unbelievable. They're the only team last
[18:30] Speaker 3: year in the NFL that featured an all-pro performer on
[18:34] Speaker 3: all three levels, right? They had, last year, Leonard Williams,
[18:37] Speaker 3: a second-team all-pro at defensive tackle. Byron Murphy plays right
[18:41] Speaker 3: next to him, and he's unbelievable. Ernest Jackson, you had,
[18:44] Speaker 3: or rather, at linebacker, you had... Ernest Jones, the fourth,
[18:49] Speaker 3: he was your all-pro second team. And then in the secondary,
[18:53] Speaker 3: of course, Devon Weatherspoon. So you've got all pros all
[18:56] Speaker 3: over the field. You've got a great defensive maestro with
[18:59] Speaker 3: Mike McDonald. And you've got the ability to disrupt from
[19:02] Speaker 3: the interior, which is one of the real keys here
[19:05] Speaker 3: in pro football. If you want to be consistently disruptive,
[19:08] Speaker 3: you like to do it inside. And they've got that
[19:09] Speaker 3: with Murphy. and Leonard Williams.
[19:11] Speaker 1: Yeah, we don't see it that often where teams are
[19:13] Speaker 1: able to run it back. Last time, obviously, the closest
[19:16] Speaker 1: time was obviously the Chiefs in 22 and 23, but
[19:19] Speaker 1: just nine times in NFL history. Seattle right now, under
[19:22] Speaker 1: the radar again, coming off of a Super Bowl win,
[19:25] Speaker 1: sending in the number two position, according to Lance. I'm
[19:29] Speaker 1: not shocked here. Houston, number one, why?
[19:32] Speaker 3: Well, you know, this is a tough one between the
[19:34] Speaker 3: three teams we just mentioned, especially one and two, Seattle
[19:37] Speaker 3: and Houston. But I just look at Houston and I
[19:39] Speaker 3: think it's ascending all over the place. Everywhere you look,
[19:42] Speaker 3: they've got young talent that is continuing to get better.
[19:45] Speaker 3: 38 interceptions over the last two years. That leads the
[19:48] Speaker 3: NFL during that time frame. You've got Daniil Hunter and
[19:51] Speaker 3: Will Anderson both put tremendous pressure on the quarterback. They've
[19:54] Speaker 3: had 51 sacks over the two years they've played together.
[19:58] Speaker 3: This is a team that has three ball hawks on
[20:01] Speaker 3: the back end, so they can take it away, they
[20:03] Speaker 3: can rush, and maybe most importantly, you know, D'Amico Ryans
[20:07] Speaker 3: has created a real attitude here. He calls it swarm.
[20:10] Speaker 3: And Will Anderson, Aziz Alshayer, Jalen Petrie, Kamari Laster, these
[20:15] Speaker 3: are just some of the guys who play with the
[20:17] Speaker 3: intensity of a linebacker of D'Amico Ryans anytime you watch him.
[20:21] Speaker 3: But what's really, I think, important to remember is they
[20:24] Speaker 3: can sit in a nickel defense and play you on first, second,
[20:27] Speaker 3: or third down. in any situation. That's how strong they
[20:30] Speaker 3: are at all three levels. Houston Texans going to be
[20:33] Speaker 3: really tough in following up a defense that was elite
[20:37] Speaker 3: last year, maybe better this year.
[20:39] Speaker 1: You know the wild thing, I look at your top
[20:40] Speaker 1: five defenses and to me the other teams feel more complete.
[20:44] Speaker 1: Am I overselling the issues that C.J. Stroud had last season?
[20:49] Speaker 3: No, look, the C.J. Stroud issue is real. If C.J.
[20:53] Speaker 3: Stroud plays average football this year, they got a real
[20:56] Speaker 3: shot at getting to the Super Bowl.
[20:57] Speaker 1: C.J.
[20:57] Speaker 3: Stroud plays good football, they could be the Super Bowl champs.
[21:02] Speaker 3: That's how good that defense is. It's really a situation
[21:05] Speaker 3: right now where you just want to steer the ship,
[21:07] Speaker 3: be a game manager, and let the defense do what
[21:10] Speaker 3: they do and run the football. It's going to be
[21:12] Speaker 3: a simple formula, but we'll see how hard it is
[21:15] Speaker 3: to execute for the Texans.
[21:16] Speaker 1: And presumably have a running game this season with David
[21:19] Speaker 1: Montgomery in that backfield. We'll see how it plays out
[21:22] Speaker 1: just days away, obviously, for the start of the season. Lance,
[21:25] Speaker 1: you're the best man. Always great to have you here
[21:26] Speaker 1: on the NFL Report. Looking forward to doing it again
[21:28] Speaker 1: real soon.
[21:29] Speaker 3: Appreciate it.
[21:30] Speaker 1: Thanks, Mike. Still got more to come here. The best
[21:33] Speaker 1: to ever play the game they dream of being a
[21:36] Speaker 1: Hall of Famer. There are some dramatic changes to the
[21:40] Speaker 1: selection process. We have those details coming up next. Back
[21:45] Speaker 1: here on NFL Report, some significant changes from a Hall
[21:48] Speaker 1: of Fame perspective. The Pro Football Hall of Fame has
[21:51] Speaker 1: made some changes to the selection process. There's a lot
[21:56] Speaker 1: of changes, but the two biggest ones, the committee size,
[21:59] Speaker 1: reducing the panel from 50 selectors down to 28. And
[22:02] Speaker 1: as far as player eligibility, changes from the separate modern
[22:07] Speaker 1: era players and senior categories. Players will be moving to
[22:10] Speaker 1: the senior category after 25 years of retirement. to a
[22:14] Speaker 1: single pool for all eligible players following a mandatory five-year
[22:19] Speaker 1: retirement period. So essentially punting on that senior category. Really
[22:23] Speaker 1: significant stuff here as we continue to immortalize some of
[22:27] Speaker 1: the greatest to ever do it. Meanwhile, I've got some
[22:29] Speaker 1: quick hits for you. I know we spent some time
[22:31] Speaker 1: talking about the Rams earlier in the show. Check this out,
[22:33] Speaker 1: Fred Warner. How awesome is it to see this dude healthy? Remember,
[22:37] Speaker 1: the Niners leaving for Australia this week. Next week, 24
[22:40] Speaker 1: hours before.
[22:42] Speaker 1: The game is when the Rams intend on making that trip,
[22:46] Speaker 1: about 16 hours and 8,000 miles away. Water obviously banged
[22:51] Speaker 1: up last year with the ankle. Nick Bosa, ACL injury.
[22:54] Speaker 1: Good to see this guy healthy. heard from him earlier
[22:57] Speaker 1: this week he was talking about just being excited to
[23:00] Speaker 1: actually go and play some football and then there's the
[23:03] Speaker 1: guy that's probably got more personality and he's the best
[23:05] Speaker 1: interview in the entire NFL George Kittle I I gotta
[23:09] Speaker 1: be honest I don't know how I feel about this
[23:11] Speaker 1: remember Kittle he's progressed well he's kicking the guy's coming
[23:16] Speaker 1: off an Achilles injury and I know that was a
[23:18] Speaker 1: little light kick there but anyone else just go is
[23:21] Speaker 1: this really a good idea for Kittle I'm going to
[23:25] Speaker 1: let you just digest that one for just a moment there.
[23:28] Speaker 1: Some other news, the Atlanta Falcons. How about this? John Abraham,
[23:32] Speaker 1: Bill Freilich will get honored. The Ring of Honor, October 11th.
[23:35] Speaker 1: They're going to enter that. The Falcons, they play Sunday
[23:37] Speaker 1: night football against the Ravens that week. Seven seasons. Abraham,
[23:42] Speaker 1: 68 and a half sacks, which right now recognized by
[23:45] Speaker 1: the most in team history. Freilich, by the way, three
[23:47] Speaker 1: consecutive all pro selections, including first team accolades in 86
[23:51] Speaker 1: and 87. Four straight trips to the Pro Bowl. as
[23:55] Speaker 1: a guard. Hannah McNair, currently the chief community officer and
[23:59] Speaker 1: vice president of the Houston Texans Foundation, has been named
[24:02] Speaker 1: co-chair of the NFL's flag football committee. Certainly exciting as
[24:07] Speaker 1: you see a lot of young players playing flag football
[24:10] Speaker 1: around the country. And last time I checked, we're inside
[24:13] Speaker 1: a week. Let's go. We got some football. It's a
[24:17] Speaker 1: rematch of the Super Bowl. Drake Mays, Sam Darnold, some
[24:20] Speaker 1: really significant changes for both of these teams, maybe the biggest.
[24:24] Speaker 1: From Sam's side of things and the Seattle Seahawks, we
[24:27] Speaker 1: got a squad that has no longer got Clint Kubiak,
[24:29] Speaker 1: who's now manning things with the Vegas Raiders. Keep in mind,
[24:33] Speaker 1: next week, we got you covered all week long. Fresh
[24:36] Speaker 1: editions of the NFL Report, not to mention on Wednesday,
[24:38] Speaker 1: game day preview. Me and Bucky Brooks getting you set
[24:40] Speaker 1: for the matchup. You don't want to miss it at
[24:42] Speaker 1: 7.30 Eastern time. Cannot wait for real football.

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