Share This Episode
JR Sports Brief JR Logo

Steve Beuerlein Analyzes Which QBs Will Have A Big Season

JR Sports Brief / JR
The Truth Network Radio
August 20, 2024 9:02 pm

Steve Beuerlein Analyzes Which QBs Will Have A Big Season

JR Sports Brief / JR

On-Demand Podcasts NEW!

This broadcaster has 2313 podcast archives available on-demand.

Broadcaster's Links

Keep up-to-date with this broadcaster on social media and their website.


August 20, 2024 9:02 pm

14-year NFL quarterback Steve Beuerlein joined JR to discuss if he believes Bryce Young is poised for a Year 2 breakout, why Dak Prescott has struggled in the postseason and his expectations for Notre Dame in 2024.

COVERED TOPICS / TAGS (Click to Search)
sports news football
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Steve, thank you for taking the time and joining us. I am fired up to be a part of the show.

Thanks for having me tonight. No doubt about it. Now, we've done a lot of talk just today over the past few days, weeks, about quarterbacks and development in the NFL, whether it be a Bo Nix or Caleb Williams, so many incoming rookies and development or a lack thereof. What are your thoughts on the current crop of incoming quarterbacks and the fact that in the year 2024, more recently, quarterbacks get thrown right into the fire?

Yeah, they definitely do. And there's a lot of reasons for that. I think, you know, the real change in overall mentality about that, I think, started with the rookie salary cap. Cam Newton, unfortunately, was the guy that paid the price for that initially, where they try to kind of control the rookie salaries. And as a result, I think you see a lot more teams taking some flyers on some of these guys, drafting them higher than maybe they would have been drafted, you know, say 15, 20 years ago, because it would have been so much more money committed to it.

And they didn't want to take those flyer kind of reaches. Now we're seeing teams willing to do that on a more regular basis. And some of these guys are materializing him. You know, I don't think anybody would have thought, you mentioned Bo Nix, I don't think anybody would have thought that he would have been a, you know, mid first round pick with his physical features, you know, coming out of Oregon, you know, 20 years ago. And now, you know, the Broncos, Sean Payton saw some things in him, I think probably reminded him a little bit of a groove breeze kind of guy, and said, I think I can work with this guy, we're going to give him a chance, we're going to take a shot on him.

And it's looking so far like it was a pretty good decision. And, you know, some of these other guys, Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams, obviously, are playing at a very high level through the preseason. Now, let's not kid ourselves, it's very rare that a guy will come in and have the success to say maybe a CJ Stroud had last year. You know, there aren't many guys that have ever put together a rookie year like that. And I think that's, that's kind of a pipe dream. But some of these guys are coming in and showing very early that they can pick it up and make it happen and be that guy for the franchise.

But to me, it's still really a 50-50 proposition. But this year, I mean, there's several guys that are very exciting. And I'm looking forward to see how they develop.

And if there's anybody in particular you want to talk about, let me know. Most definitely Steve Berlin is here with us, the JR Sport Reshow. Let's go to a team that you are very familiar with. Bryce Young, we saw what took place last year, you mentioned CJ Stroud. What are your thoughts on on what he could or should look like this year under Dave Canales? And the fact that well, we haven't really seen him throw at all or do anything here in the preseason? What do you think? Well, you know, there's so many different beliefs out there that go around just trying to, I think player safety is kind of the motivation, obviously.

I always think it's really, you know, I don't want to say wrong. But I think that a young player such as Bryce Young, even though he got a lot of reps last year as a rookie, this is a new head coach, it's a new system. He needs to be out there on the field with his teammates, in my opinion, and getting those reps and game action kind of earning that respect on the field, in the huddle, all that kind of stuff. They have some new players in that offensive line. They've got some new receivers coming into the mix out there. They need to get those game reps. And I think a lot of teams maybe are overly cautious about that.

I mean, heck, you saw Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and, you know, all the guys that just have won back-to-back Super Bowls in Kansas City, they were out there for a couple series this past weekend. And, you know, I just think that the reps, you cannot underestimate the value of every single rep, every single decision that a young quarterback gets to experience, whether it's in the preseason or the regular seasons, real game stuff. And I have high expectations for Bryce. I think that, you know, Dave Kanalas is going to be a really good influence on him. He's had a tremendous track record with quarterbacks that he's worked with. And I think Bryce will be, he'll benefit from that tremendously. And you know, we'll just see how far he can take it. It's not an overly positive situation there in Carolina right now, as you know. They still have a lot of room to improve, and he needs to get a lot more help around them. But I expect him to take a jump this year for sure.

Steve Burline here with us. A little bit different of a situation in Atlanta, Georgia, when you take a look at Kirk Cousins and also Michael Pennix. Raheem Morris said that we have seen enough. I've seen enough of him in practice, and I think that he's going to have a lot of stuff in practice. What are your thoughts on the QB situation? You give Kirk Cousins all this money, you draft Pennix at eight.

What are your thoughts? Well, I think that to me is an ideal situation for Michael Pennix. I think it's a situation kind of like what Patrick Mahomes found himself in, and also maybe go back to Aaron Rodgers.

You know, these guys that didn't come in under the gun and have to go out there and play immediately. Even though I think the Atlanta Falcons are a pretty good football team all the way around, if they just get good, you know, consistent quarterback play, they should be able to play with anybody. But Kirk Cousins was brought there for a reason. I think, you know, the Falcons, if they can get two years out of Kirk Cousins, I think they would consider that an absolutely perfect scenario, because that means he's playing well, he's staying healthy, the team is competitive, and Michael Pennix is getting some time to really learn how to play the position, get himself comfortable in the NFL without being thrown out there to the wolves trying to figure out on the move.

So I think it's an ideal situation for him. It all depends on whether Kirk Cousins stays healthy and whether he performs at a high level, and we'll see how that shapes itself out as well. In the case of the Steelers, they're trying to get something this year out of either Justin Fields or Russell Wilson.

What do you think that situation will look like? Typically they say, hey, and you've experienced this, whether it be with the Cowboys, a lot of times they say if you got two quarterbacks, you have none. What do you think about the Steelers? Well, I'm really bullish on Justin Fields.

I'm not afraid to say it. I think that even though it's been a little bit shaky, you know, the first couple of weeks here in the preseason with Fields and his inconsistency and his ball security issues and things like that, I'm not worried. I really think that this is going to be a great situation for him. I have a lot of respect for Russell Wilson as well, but I believe his best days are behind him, and I felt when Pittsburgh made the move for Justin Fields.

It may not be week one, but it's going to be, I think, in the first quarter of the season. They're going to make that move to Justin Fields because of the upside potential, and I think he's in a situation where he learned a lot in Chicago. He needed a new start, a new fresh opportunity to get out there and re-establish himself, and I think he's got the ability to do it. I've seen him do it on a, you know, a more than one on a multiple time basis. I've seen enough to be really excited about what he can do, and I just believe he's going to be in a great situation that's going to work itself out for him. A 17-year NFL vet, Steve Berlon, is joining us here at the JR Sport Reef Show. Russell Wilson's certainly been on the receiving end of some tough love over the past few seasons. We heard the comments from Tua Tonga Veloa about Brian Flores. It's 2024.

There's different ways to quote-unquote skin a cat. In relation to when you played in the 80s into the 90s into the 90s, do you think the approach needs to change? Are the athletes a little too rabbit-y-ery? Are they a little too soft and sensitive as to how they're coached and handled? Well, first off, I did play into the 2000s too, so I'm not, I didn't get out of the 90s, just barely into the 2000s. So, you know, I'm not that far out of touch, but I do think that there is a huge difference in how players need to be coached today versus what we dealt with on a regular basis back in the day.

And that's just, you know, I don't want to use the word evolution, but I can't think of a better word. You know, the money involved and the different things that young people are exposed to now with all the technology and how the game has changed from a safety perspective. The hitting is different now. And then just the overall, just the, I think, you nailed it, the sensitivities may be mentally and emotionally, you know, someone may be questioning them whether or not they can do it or somebody challenging them.

You know, with all the stuff going on in college now and high school with the transferring around everywhere, things don't go well for you. I think players in general across the board maybe aren't as thick-skinned and as tough as they used to be. That doesn't mean that they're not tough enough to get it done because we see examples of guys stepping up every single year that can find a way to fight through it, that can battle and can show they can, you know, hold up under fire like that. But I do think across the board, it's a much more challenging environment for coaches because you got to be really sensitive to how these players are going to receive constructive criticism and even tough love sometimes.

Well, Steve, you talk about the development even from younger years. I mean, what are your thoughts on how the college system has changed? Very different from when you at Notre Dame and independent, obviously now still one of the best teams in the country, but the landscape has changed. I mean, conferences has changed. We have players going in and out of portals. We have coaches in and out of teams.

What are your thoughts on how the college system has developed? Well, I'm really, really concerned about the state of affairs in college football right now. And, you know, when the whole NIL thing happened and the transfer portal and all these things started going down, I thought it was a Pandora's box kind of situation.

And I think I'm pretty right, pretty accurate on that. And I think we're just starting to really see the dramatic effect of this, you know, how it's going to affect some of these people long term. You know, it's just completely throwing the college football world upside down. I do think that there's a desperate need for some sort of regulation in terms of the money being paid to these guys from a NIL perspective, but also, you know, some kind of control over the transfer portal because, you know, it's literally pre-agency now in college football. And I don't think that's good for the long term health of college football overall. I think it's going to be just a continuation of things getting to the point where it's not feasible for this to continue on at the pace it's going now. There has to be more regulation. I hope they can find a way to get that done. In the long or maybe I should say short term for a school like Notre Dame, which operates as an independent outside of the conferences, do you think that this is an advantage or disadvantage to them as the landscape has kind of been blown to shreds?

Well, I think it depends on how you look at it. And, you know, I have high expectations for Notre Dame this year. They've benefited, I think, from the transfer portal. Some of the graduate level quarterbacks they brought in with Sam Hartman last year and even before him, Jack Kohn, who was just more of a serviceable guy. But Sam Hartman last year and then this year with Riley Leonard coming in, I think he's a legitimate NFL prospect, a dual threat guy that's going to elevate them along with a really good defense coming back and a lot of skilled players that have come in as well through the transfer portal. I think Notre Dame is going to be right up there and it's as exciting as I've been about a season for Notre Dame in a long time. As important, I think, to Notre Dame, bringing in Mike Dembrock from LSU, stealing him from Brian Kelly down there was a double whammy. And all of us Notre Dame fans love the fact that we got to ticket to Brian Kelly by taking his offensive coordinator. And I think Notre Dame is going to benefit from that tremendously. And I think Marcus Freeman will, too, having that kind of experience to go along with Al Golden, the defensive coordinator on his staff.

I think that'll be two really helpful, experienced coordinators that can help him manage a game and really get this team the level it needs to be at. So I'm excited for them. And Steve Berlon is joining us here, the chair of our sport b-show. Something for you to be excited about. I mean, you won a championship with the Cowboys and earlier today we learned that you're going to be the national radio color analyst via Compass Media Network.

So congratulations to you on that. What do you expect from the Cowboys this season and are we going to see a couple of contracts get done? What do you think? I think if Jerry Jones wants to be able to walk around and show his face around Dallas anywhere, he better get both of those guys signed. At least for sure, C.D. Lamb going into the season. I'm pretty confident they're going to get that done. And I think everybody agrees that that's a no-brainer. He doesn't need the reps during preseason and he'll be ready to hit the ground running.

I'm sure he's taking care of himself. Dak Prescott, that's another thing. That's another issue and it's going to be really interesting to see how that plays itself out.

It's a huge commitment. I think the reason that there's hesitation is because they've paid Dak Prescott an awful lot of money over the last five or six years and they don't have a whole lot to show for it. And even though everybody agrees he's one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, he hasn't been able to get them where they should have gone in their opinion.

So it's a tough situation. I can see both sides of it, but I think in the end, the Cowboys are going to step up and get that contract done. They don't want to have to try to find somebody to play at the level that Dak has proven he can play on a regular basis.

So I think they'll get that done as well. Well Steve, having played in the league and being a quarterback, you certainly see the game very differently than myself and a lot of listeners. To see someone play like an MVP throughout the course of the season and then have a two and five playoff record, granted it's a team game. Why do you think that is specifically when it comes to Dak? Kirk Cousins is in a similar situation.

These guys are amazing. Do they dial it back a little bit and play a little too careful? And why do you think Dak hasn't had that success?

Well you made a brilliant observation right there. I put those two guys, Kirk Cousins and Dak Prescott, in the same category as guys that have proven they can put the numbers up on a consistent basis. They can make all the throws, make all the plays, light up the scoreboard, but they've both had really, really concerning difficulty winning the big games and specifically winning playoff games. And in some cases, winning the games you need to win in order to get into the playoffs.

So I think they're both very similar. They're going to have that monkey on their back until they show they can make a deep run into the playoffs one of these years. Now Dak's got a little more time left than Kirk Cousins does, but both of those guys I think feel that pressure and have to find a way to get it done, no doubt about it. Well thank you so much Steve and congrats again on the new gig covering the Cowboys on the radio, but where can people follow you and all your work and listen to you? Well I'm at steveberline.com on X now and I think I'm steveberline007 on Instagram.

You know I'm not overly active on the social media part, but I try to stay relevant a little bit. And then of course as you said on Compass Media Networks, we're going to be doing the Cowboys every week so that'll be a pretty good consistent way to find me out there for sure. Hey Steve we appreciate you coming through and sharing your expertise man. Thank you so much and enjoy the Cowboys. We know they're going to keep things interesting.

Well we're hoping it's going to be a fun year and it'll be more fun if they're winning for sure. Yeah we know that. It'll keep you busy either way. Steve, take it easy. Thank you. Take care. Thanks. Bye.
Whisper: medium.en / 2024-08-20 23:04:08 / 2024-08-20 23:11:29 / 7

Get The Truth Mobile App and Listen to your Favorite Station Anytime