Welcome to the jungle, a very good Monday to you. My name is Jim Rome, and this program is brought to you by FanDuel. My thanks to our partners at FanDuel. They make it all possible. Nice to be with you.
I hope you had a great weekend. Lots of football to cover. Lots of ground to cover. Let's get after it. Let me start you off.
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And now you are set. That's how you do it. Coming up at 12:40. I'm on the west coast, so these are Pacific times. 12:40.
Julia die. 10-year NFL safety and a Chargers post-game analyst. Get his thoughts on the Owen 3 Chargers and more. Julio Ladai coming up at 12:40. Coming up at 2 o'clock straight up, Tom Pelicero.
Haven't spoken to him since he made the move to Netflix and also the ringer.
So we're going to run down Tom Pelicero. He actually, if I'm not mistaken, was the one who had the story about JJ! being sent to the G-Man!
So we will have that as well coming up. Listen, you know the drill. A lot of college football, a lot of pro football, MLB playoffs getting in the way, a little NBA, NHL. It's a good time of year. Lots to get to.
All right, let me start first with the NFL. Everybody saw it coming. Everybody pointed out the obvious Harbaugh connection. And everybody, as it turns out, was right because Nine is officially now a New York giant. Because the Vikings felt like they couldn't pass on a fifth-round pick for a guy that they drafted 10th overall just two years ago.
You know, you talk about selling low. even the Niners got a fourth for Trey Lance. Even though the Giants are desperate, the best that Minnesota could do is a fifth round pick. And if you watched the Vikings yesterday, this trade really tells you all you need to know about what they really think about Nine. Because my dude Kyler didn't exactly like the f field on fire, did he?
Now he is coming out of the protocol. That was his first game back. And he didn't show much. But then he didn't need to. Not with that defense playing the way it is.
So Minnesota was fine trading away nine for a bag of footballs. Then again, at this point, the Vikings are probably lucky. They're probably thinking, we're good to get anything at all for this guy. He's out of the building. We will take that fifth pick and we will surely turn it into something more valuable than nine ever was to this organization.
Nine's first problem in New York. Or as far as I can tell, he's already got a problem. New York already has a nine. Isaiah likely Nine's other issue is he needs to understand his role. Not that Jameis Winston can be trusted for more than a game or two at a time, but Nine needs to clearly understand he's not being brought in to compete for that gig.
Then again, he doesn't have to. Jameis will remember he's Jameis. The man above will not deliver him from pick sixes. And at some point, the Giants are going to have no choice but to run nine out there. And then we will have a comp.
We'll have a conference, Zach Wilson in New York. Can't wait to see that. Who is more unhinged? Zach Wilson with the Jets or Nine with the Giants? I can't wait to see that.
Here's something else I can't wait to see. Jackson Dart. Jameis and Nine All in the same QB room.
Now that is amazing. Although it was one of the worst things that ever happened to the Giants, you've got to bring back Hard Knocks offseason and just roll exclusively on that QB room. I don't even need to see anything else. Just the three of those dudes riffing, chopping it up and communicating with each other. Then again, let's keep the main thing the main thing.
No, not the weirdest quarterback room ever. In this case, weird is awesome. But the main thing being the main thing, and that's somehow the Giants are two and one. The Giants are two and one, and yes, they only beat Bob Sala's pathetic Titans yesterday, and yes, they also lost Brian Burns to an ACL. But the Giants are actually still, somehow, some way, two and one.
Unlike the one and two Cowboys. How about them, Cowboys? How about them, Cowboys? How about them seven seconds? Way to Cowboys, Cowboys.
Way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in a brand new way. An incredible way. Even for you, Dallas. Way to go all the way to Brazil to gag and choke and blow it in front of the entire planet. I mean he is seriously one of the funniest Cowboy losses ever.
And believe me, there are hundreds of hilarious cowboy losses to choose from. But this one is always going to stand out because this one set the record for the quickest game losing drive ever. Quickest game losing drive ever. Swiftest collapse in NFL history. Seven freaking seconds.
A seven-second scoring drive to lose that game. I mean Jarrah You have outdone yourself this time. Jara, it's a good thing that you don't give a damn about winning because if you did, this one would really, really sting. I mean, I guess that defense isn't improved. Unless by improved, you mean extreme ass.
and getting worse by the second. Seven seconds By improvement. I mean going from ass to extreme ass. From extreme ass to unimaginable ass.
Now, is anybody shocked that they lost to the Ravens? Nah. Probably not. Is anybody shocked that Dallas completely botched and mismanaged the end of that game? Of course not.
That was all vintage Cowboys. Typical Cowboys. But losing on a seven second scoring drive. That is the stuff of legend. Even the Cowboys, I didn't think, had that in them.
Absolutely amazing. Man, you know it's bad when Mike Tomlin breaks with the coaching fraternity to throw y'all right under the bus and then back up over you. But credit to Tomlin because, quote, negligent is about the nicest way to describe the coaching at the end of that game. I would say gifting Baltimore the thirty five yard line, then gifting Lamar a twenty seven yard pass down the middle of the field, In a perfect fuel goal position. was also moronic.
And coaching malpractice, in addition to being quote, negligent. And then the kick. Right down the middle, split the uprights, thanks for coming all the way to Brazil. At least Dallas wasn't alone in losing in an excruciating fashion. Because everything I've talked about so far is just cover for the alleged.
Super team, the LA Rams. who played another total mess of a game last night. Actually, that's not fair. I should say a total mess of a second half. First half was pretty dominant.
Then the Rams seemingly convinced themselves at half time that that game was over because Denver came out and then just torched them in the second half. Still a roller coaster every single week with Bo Nicks, but The dude's got a way of clutching up, doesn't he, when he has to? I mean, he still tends to come in. and come up with every throw Denver needs down the stretch after making all sorts of mistakes that should kill them earlier. But no matter how brutal this guy is for most of the game, he seems to somehow, some way, deliver when they need it most.
And he did again, and he did get some help. And I don't just mean from the Ref Show. And yes, the Ref Show blew that late PI call that really should have been a game clinching INT for the Rams, but the Rams can't blame that PI call. They made too many losing plays last night on both sides of the ball. That Stafford pick six was an absolute killer.
That's unbelievable. How that guy makes that choice. In that throw, in that situation, I have no idea. But he doesn't really look like the MVP right now, and they don't really look like a super team right now. although obviously they'll look different when they get Puka Nakua and Miles Garrett back.
Not having them really hurts. But credit to the Broncos for a gritty win at home to send the Rams to one and two. And how about an NFL world where the Rams are one and two? And the Raiders are 3-0. Man, I should have led with it.
And Not only did they win, They went on the road and they beat a good Saints team. I should have led with the autumn wind again. Because the autumn wind was whipping across the bayou yesterday. What a win! For the undefeated Undefeated Raiders.
The Raiders didn't get shocked. The Raiders were doing this shocking. How about the Raiders already matching their entire win total from all of last year? Sucks to be you right now, speed talking, gum assassinating Peter Carroll, but. It is classic and awesome to be you, Clint Kubiak.
Now, about this: not only are the Raiders undefeated. But here is your list of remaining AFC. Undefeated teams. Let me run this down. The Chiefs The bills And the Raiders.
That's it. Incredible. The Chiefs, the Bills and the Raiders.
Now that said, Buffalo should not be undefeated. Buffalo really has no right to be 3-0 after turning the ball over five times. How do you win a game when you turn the ball over five times? I'll tell you how. You play the Chargers.
But at least the Chargers finally won something this year: the turnover battle. In fact, they dominated that. How they lost that game the way they did. After dominating the turnover battle, I have no idea. The Chargers lost a game that is so hard to lose.
And not only did they lose that game, they didn't even come close to winning. They had every single thing go their way And they still blew a 10-0 lead, and they lost by eight. The Bills turned it over five times. Josh Allen played one of the worst games of his entire career, and it still was not enough to get the Chargers anywhere near a win. And while there is plenty of blame to go around in every single direction, Justin Herbert's quote meatball sub.
early in the fourth quarter definitely did not help, did it? Bill's rush forward. with time. Fires down the middle. Picked off, intercepted CJ Gurdy.
Johnson with a lane. Bergner Johnson ripped out across the 40. What a huge play. And a 41-yard return. Herbert trying to throw down the middle of the field to balden scaling, but.
There's a safety in the middle of the field. And that's Gardiner Johnson. Poor awareness, poor decision, throws them a meatball sup. Yeah, that's how bad that was. That the goat lit him up.
Poor awareness. Core decision, a meatball sub. They're up three. They're driving. They're going to go in to make it a two-score game.
And a meatball sub. Man, that is pretty brutal to have the goat drop that on you. Nice work, bacon face. Not quite as genius as quote piss missile. But still, nice job.
So here Pittsburgh is an absolute meatball sub. Rosa my meatball sub What, not an absolute meatball sub? That was an absolute repository. Herbert cannot be serving up absolute meatball subs like he's working at a Sando shop. In the fourth quarter, if the Chargers ever want to win a game ever again.
I can't stop thinking about nine though. I can't stop thinking about nine. Back to nine. You know, this dude's head is about to explode with this new opportunity and a chance to actually get back on the field. I just wonder when we're actually going to see nine on the field for the Giants.
Because I don't know how much more of Jameis anybody can take. I mean, either on or off the field. I mean James on the field, right?
Now look. He didn't do anything yesterday to win that game, but he didn't do anything to lose that game. He didn't turn the ball over. Anytime Jameis plays a game without throwing it to the other team, that's a win in and of itself.
So that's a good thing. Although he wasn't spectacular, he didn't turn it over.
Now, he was spectacular off the field. He is still elite off the field. For instance, check out his pregame motivational speech to CBS. A difficult week is an understatement, but this is your 90th NFL start. You've had a week of prep.
How confident are you in carrying this team forward? One thing that I do is forgetting those that is behind. and reaching forward to what's ahead.
Well, we're having beautiful weather today. How much do you feel that's going to impact the game out here? Man, I'm so grateful. that we get to focus on winning one play at a time. The circumstances, conditions, and facts.
They don't matter. It's us doing, being doers. Best speakers. We're looking forward to seeing you join it today, and good luck. Thank you.
Thank you. Oh no, dude, thank you. Thank you. My man's like he's like looking around. He's like immortal.
Jameis is immortal. Jameis will live forever. He's trying to be a doer, not a speaker. And he's also forgetting those. that is behind.
and reaching forward for what's ahead. And I mean, aren't we all? I just know that a quarterback room with this dude and JJ McCarthy is going to continue to produce some all time sound bites, such as Jameis' dedication of the win To Jackson Dart after the game. This is incredible. Doubt.
On the sideline that it was going to happen. You know, obviously, we are our brothers keep a winning this game for Jackson. you know, uh twelve points, you know, six times two. Right, it's for you. Right, that's twelve, right?
My man, respectfully. I know that you are your brother's keeper. I know that you are going to win that game for Jackson. But if we're being real, Cam Ward won that game for Jackson. I love this notion too.
They only scored twelve points. against the pathetic Titans. Because they were doing it for dart? That's pretty considerate. Six Times two.
That's for you. Right, it's for you. One plus one equals two. Unless we're talking QB's, in which case, if you have two, you actually have none, which seems to be a pretty accurate way to describe a quarterback room with JJ McCarthy plus Jameis Winston. One plus one equals none.
But hopefully Jameis can lose next out. Or win, I don't care. Just be sure you score nine. Just make sure you score nine. Or if you lose and you score nine.
And then you could say five plus four equals nine, and we dedicated this loss to our newest teammate, nine. It's for you. It's for you. No. And you're not coming from my job.
Don't be doing that. I just dedicated that loss to you. By scoring nine. Man, what a wild, wild weekend. There's no way that opening whip, that Monday whip, there's no way I could cover the entire NFL.
In one opening whip, I got to a lot of it, but there's way more. A lot of college football, too, that I want to get to. Telephone number is total free. Why don't you get up in here? How can you watch what we saw over the weekend and not have a reaction to something?
1-800-636-8686. I know a lot of you are much more comfortable and braver and happier in the chat.
So, yo, chat, what's up? Do what you do in the chat. If you want to go old school, it's funny how X is old school right now. X is still. A pretty fierce place.
So, if you're comfortable and you want to post to X, go ahead and do that. Hit me up at Jim Roam. If you want to email me, you can do that too, roam at havetake.com. Lots to get to. A very busy Monday.
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You're listening to the Jim Rome show. You sell me shout out chat really quickly. Apparently they're baked. How do I know? I'm reading their takes.
Ed B. Peeps B J E Pot I enjoy watching Dallas lose more than I enjoy watching my own team win. That's sober. Or baked. Either way, that works.
That's true. How about? Stucked on radio. Maybe NTC can get a sixth rounder for CJ. Can't put it all on him.
They've got problems now. And I don't know that CJ is the solution to those problems, but they've got bigger problems than the quarterback right now. At Blake Norman 504, quote, Raider Jim. Pimping the silver and block. Remember that one.
Raider Jim pimping the silver and black. The very next one threw on chat at Fernando RP6RM. Oh no! Jim's Rams choke again. First it was jet lag.
I guess now it's high altitude. All right, so back to back. Raider Jim or Ram Jim? Which one is it? Let me start with you, Fernando.
Oh, no Jim's Ram's joke again. First it was jet lag. I guess now it's high altitude. Yo dude. And you are who, remind me?
And your team is which? And the Rams are my team. Why? Yeah, that's what I thought. Look, dude, you're welcome for your free platform to spew your nonsense.
Oh, and how can I be both Raider Jim and Ram Jim? Hey, cowboy Fernando, how about that choke job your cowboys just had? Hilarious. Cowboy Fernando, dude, your team is hilarious. Hey, Cowboy Fernando, how about your boys going all the way to Brazil?
Oh, they're not your team. The hell they're not. Yes, they are, Cowboy Fernando.
Sorry about that, Cowboy Fernando. That had to hurt. A seven-second drive. Damn, Cowboy Fernando. You gotta be kidding me.
Hey, Rome, don't do me like that. They're not my team. The hell they're not, Cowboy Fernando. As long as I'm Ram Jim, you're Cowboy Fernando. Yeah.
Steve Rogers, B2K. The Raiders are 3-0, and this doesn't feel like a fluke. All right, it's actually a really good topic. Are we buying the Raiders at 3-0? Do we think the Raiders can sustain that start at 3-0?
I mean, what they did the first two weeks. you know not Not incredibly impressive, but there were wins. And it's not easy to win in the NFL. We all know that, cliche. But you know what?
Going to New Orleans. And beating a good Saints team when they were lying I don't want to say lying in wait, but they were excited to be home. And that place was jumping. Man, there was energy in that building. And they went there and they handled their business.
So 3-0. What does that mean? Can they win the AFC West? No. Are they a playoff team?
No. But, but, are they 3-0 and one of only three teams in the AFC that are 3-0? Yes. And look who they have next. What if, for some reason, somehow, some way, what if they beat Kansas City this weekend?
Then we're having a whole different conversation. And now it's not. When the season started, we kept saying, well, how long before Fernando Mendoza plays? Or shouldn't he be out there right now? Do they want to start the clock on him right away?
And I I was absolutely vehement. I think that's such a bad idea. You have Kirk Cousins, you have a vet, let him play. There's no need to run Fernando out there, let him get the hell beat out of him, let it hurt his confidence. What's the rush?
They're not going to win anything anyway this year. And then what happens? They win their first three games. They won three games all of last year. They're three and oh with a shot at the Chiefs next.
I'm not saying they're going to win that game. I'm saying it's fun. I kinda want to be Raider Jim.
So, it doesn't feel like a fluke. It I would say it's not a floke. They're better. They're better. They have better talent.
They had a good offseason. They have a better coach, even though he's a first-year head coach. They're just better across the board. They won the first two games without their best player. Brock Bowers.
Or max. You can argue Max is their best player, but Brock Bowers. They're one without him. And then they go to New Orleans. I'm telling you, that was an impressive win.
Kept their heads, kept their composure. I like it. Is it sustainable? I don't know. But they're 3-0.
Can we just enjoy that for a minute? At P one, Pat H. Jamarcus Ward. Worst QB in NFL history. I wouldn't go that far.
I will say That INT he threw at the end of that game was One of the worst decisions in NFL history. It's not looking good, is it? For Cam Ward. My man is no longer, not only is he no longer looking like a savior. He's not looking like a starting quarterback in the NFL.
It's not getting better. Please talk about the inept buccaneers. Yeah, they're in a bad way. They're in a bad way. I will say this.
I did enjoy that season. It was fun while it lasted. No, it wasn't. They're winless. And Baker Mayfield's thumb is pointing the wrong way.
And now he's gin mystery of weeks. And Sima, despite all that? Shortly it came out. Because of the division. Ed Zay from Cleveland, quote.
New clone here. Just want to say I know Rome and that loser John and Sea Town are pissed that Watson is bawling. Real Sea Towners love this guy and stay on that side when we win the Super Bowl. Loser John. Damn Zay, you are a new clone.
You are a new clone. Gotta admit, man, I have never seen such a dominant two-in-one team in my life. Bro, don't come in here as a new clone and tell me you know how I feel when for freaking years I've had your back long before you ever heard this show. And I'm not pissed that Watson is bawling. If you want to call being garbage for three-quarters and making a few plays down the stretch, bawling.
I'm happy for you, Browns fan. I'm not hating on you. But by the way, them winning two games does not mean that guy's not a creep. Does not mean that all those things that he was accused of didn't happen. I'm even happy for the monkin.
Now, I'm not saying this means I want to have lunch with the monkin, but the monkin is two and one. This guy is doing everything he can to get lunch back on the calendar between he and I. Zay, you are a new clone, bro. I'm not here to root against you. I'm not here to hate you.
You don't know my history with your town, with that franchise. You don't know how much heat I took over the years defending you.
So yes, you are a new clone here.
So I'll forgive you for that. Your ignorance is not your fault. You don't know what the hell you're talking about as it relates to me and you and your town and your team. I went out and I had a sales people. Quote, real sea towners love the creep since when?
Since Sunday? Are you kidding me? That same guy that went in on all of you? With the monkeys, do you have that?
Okay, first of all, if it's all C-Towners, do all of you Sea Towners have that little self-respect? That guy completely went in on you when you booed him. And wait a minute, if you all love him, why did you boo him? And then when he went in on you... And basically gave you the bird.
That that didn't bother you? Bro. I'm happy you're happy. I really am. I'm happy you're happy.
I'm not rooting against you. Hell, I would love to see you beat Pittsburgh. Can you imagine what that place would be like if you went on Thursday night?
Now you got it all twisted, say I'm not rooting against you. But Watson still creep. And dude, let's stop acting like you have Houston. Desmond. You don't.
Just enough. Just enough. Look at his numbers for the first three quarters. Stop acting like you have the second coming of Houston or Clemson Desmond Watson. You're two and one.
Enjoy it. I'm not here to take that away from you. All right, when we come back. Hey, listen, new clones are better than no clones, even if they are misinformed clones. Welcome to your most rewarding season ever, only on FanDuel.
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Text Hope NY, New York. Call 1-8777-867, Louisiana. You're listening to the Jim Rome Show. Welcome back. I'm Jim Rome.
Good to be with you on this Monday. What's cracking? All right, as promised, we're joined right now by a former NFL safety, a 10-year NFL vet. He played for the Chargers, the Texans, and the Colts. He is a Chargers post-game TV analyst for KCBS in Los Angeles.
Also, a contributor to the Chargers weekly podcast, which is available on Chargers.com and YouTube. I'm talking about Jalil Adai. Jalil, really good to see you. How are you doing, dude? I'm doing well.
Appreciate you having me on. It's an honor. Dude, nice setup. That is clean, man. Looking good.
Appreciate it. I can't take all the credit. The wife helped me get it all dialed in, but I'm like, hey, I'll take it. I like it, dude. It looks great.
All right. So, let me ask you about the Chargers. They dropped 0-3 with that loss in Buffalo, despite turning the Bills over five times, dude. What was the most discouraging thing to you about the way things played out in Western New York? To me, I think it was the point that you made, right?
Taking the ball away five different times and only coming up with 16 points, right? Anytime that you can take the ball over, my coach would always harp on: hey, if we could win the turnover battle, you know, 2-0, that gives us a high chance of winning. The Chargers almost triple that, right? Five turnovers amounts to 16 points. And anytime you have a quarterback like Justin Herbert and you can give him the ball back, that's what you're thinking as a defense.
Let's get the ball back to Justin and the offense, and we're going to give ourselves a chance to win. And unfortunately, the offense. Did nothing with those turnovers, right? Struggled in the red zone, had to rely on some field goals. And I think that's just the biggest thing when you look at it, right?
The defense came to play and they haven't played a complete game on all three phases yet, which has been disappointing. Julia Ladai joining us that he actually wastes a really good defensive effort. They stepped up. Jill, you played with Justin Herbert, his rookie year. When you're looking at that offense right now, like, where is the disconnect, in your opinion?
Like, there is a disconnect. Is it between Jim Harbaugh and Mike McDaniel? Is it between Mike McDaniel and Justin Herbert? Exactly what's going on? Yeah, I don't think there's, Jim, that's a great question, but I don't think there's one relationship, right?
I don't think it's either or. I think it's more so that as a whole, right? Harbaugh has a philosophy. Mike McDaniels has a system, and Justin has things that he's really, really good at. And up to this point in the season, these three weeks, they haven't gelled.
And I think when you look at it, it's the offense just looks like they're not in rhythm. And every yard, every touchdown, every first down, when you're watching them, it just looks like they're scratching and crawling and biting for everything. And it's really alarming because when you look at the Mike McDaniels higher in the offseason, pairing him with Jim Harbaugh, it's like a match made in heaven with a talented guy like Justin Herbert who can make every throw, who's intelligent, who's a competitor, who wants to do well. I know that about him. He cares.
There's nobody that cares more in that locker room than Justin Herbert.
So when you look at it, it's mind-boggling. And I think we're all thinking the same thing. And I think the Chargers right now are trying to figure it out as well. Yeah, I guess if they knew how to fix it, they would have already. The thing is, It's getting late early at 0-3, but the 2017 team that you played for, the Chargers, that team started 0-4, but finished with nine wins.
When you look back on that, what kept that team together when adversity hit? And then what keyed the turnaround that year? I think it was, you know, we're a band of brothers, and I think they had that in that locker room as well. And we just said, listen, guys, we're going to put on our air muffs. We're not going to listen to the outside noise.
We're going to believe in each other. And the biggest thing was leadership. Anthony Lynn started with him as the head coach, our veteran presence, obviously Philip Rivers. It's like, hey, guys. We're on four, but the sky hasn't fallen.
We just got to get one win. And it's not about getting four wins. It's not about, you know, saying, hey, we're going to, we're looking at the playoffs. No, it's just about getting one win. And then you get one, then you continue to stack it.
And I think you just got to believe each other. And we had the mindset like it was us against the world, right? No one believes in us. The media doesn't believe in us. Our fans probably don't believe in us at this point, starting 0-4 with the first-time head coach and Anthony Lynn.
But it was the players, right? It was staying after extra and getting meetings and going over stuff that coach probably didn't have time to go over or meeting early in the facility, taking care of our body, and just having the belief in ourself and within that locker room that we can get it done. And once we got that first one in New York versus the Giants and Eli Manning, which was a really good football team with Odell Beckham at the time, the sky was the limit from there. Jalil Odai joining us, you know, to that point. If they had done that in Buffalo yesterday, you could see where maybe it would have had the same effect, but they came up short.
In fact, to that point, given the schedule that's in front of them, how realistic is it that this team can pull it together and go? Want to run like that. I think it's realistic. And I say this because I'm heavily invested into this organization. And I watch them, and I know what they have on their roster, and I know what kind of team they have.
And some of these guys I've even played with, so I know the character of these guys. And it's a gauntlet, Jim. It is. It's a tough schedule. It's one of the tougher schedules remaining in the NFL.
But you see it any given day on Sunday, right? Anything can happen. You just talked about, you know, what it looked like versus the Bills, who going into week three, people probably would have said they're the leader contender to win the Super Bowl, right? They have an MVP quarterback who's playing the best ball, and the Chargers went in there, and obviously they outplayed them on one side of the ball. Obviously, the offense didn't come.
Special teams did their job. But it's doable. And I think it starts with just one win at a time. And that's this week in Seattle. Gio, you spent a season in Houston as well.
That's an 0-3 team also that even though they were 0-3 last year, I don't think anybody saw that coming again this year.
So which is more baffling or which is more puzzling to you, the Chargers or the Texans being 0-3? and they do play each other here in SoCal on November 8th. Yeah, that's a great question, but I'd have to say the Chargers. And it's because of the Chargers have a historically good defense, right? And then you pair a good defense who everyone says defense wins championships.
We know that. And then you pair them with Mike McDaniel, Jim Harbaugh, and Justin Herbert, and the weapons that he has, and two stout tackles on the islands that they are and Joe Alt and Vashawn Slater. It's like, hey, you would think that this team, especially with the schedule, excuse me, you know, starting with the Cardinals, starting with the Raiders, you never just can go in a game and say it's a win. But if you look at that schedule and you pan out, you're saying, hey, these are two games that we should walk into week three, Buffalo with two wins, right?
Now, on the other flip side, when you talk about the Texans, that's surprising as well because they have a really good roster. When you look at their roster, their defense, speaking of defenses, they're one of the best in the league. But I think when you look at Justin Herbert versus CJ Stroud, you're going to give the upper hand of Justin Herbert.
So there were a lot of questions about CJ Stroud coming in. Is he worth the contract that he wants? And his play hasn't been so well throughout the seasons or throughout the last seasons and the year before, besides his real Year, right?
So let's see what it looks like. And there, so there were question marks there, but for Herbert, it was more so: hey, he plays really well in the regular season and he tends to struggle in the playoffs, right?
So to see him struggle so early with the new system in the kind of Infrastructure he has around him, that's more mind-boggling. Yeah, it's strange, right? I mean, you expect he's a star. He's a star or has been a star. And then McDaniel comes in.
One last thought about McDaniel. Like, we know he likes to run the ball. We know Harvaugh wants to run the ball. You know, you've got a running back. And to your point, the offensive line is healthy and stout.
Why are they having so much trouble running the ball?
Okay. That's a great question. And I think when you look at this offense, Harbor wants to run the ball. Mike McDaniel is known for running the ball. And obviously, he had in his past electrifying receivers, but he's a run-the-ball type guy, Jim, as you know.
And it's just been tough. Like inside zone, outside zone hasn't been there for them. I don't know if it's schematics. I don't know if it's you know communication throughout the line and who are they seeing who are they bumping to the next level are we doubling down on the nose on the three technique and now are we climbing that's something that they have to figure out in-house that's something they got to figure out while they're watching film but it's been it's been it's It's been surprising, right? Margan Hampton's a big physical running back.
Obviously, he has to take care of the football, but when he does, he's a bright spot. The offensive line there, the scheme's there.
So that's one of the biggest question marks. Like, hey, if we can get this running game going, if we can get three, four, five yards in a cloud of dust, that opens things up for the passing game in Justin Herbert. Juliel, you mentioned the Raiders. They're 3-0. And one of the biggest surprises in the NFL right now, you saw them in person when they played the Chargers a couple of weeks back.
Are you buying their ability to sustain or build on this fast start? It's tough for me to say this being a charger, but man, they look good, Jim. They really do. You got Kirk Cousins, who's a veteran, who's played a lot of football. They revamped that offensive line in the offseason.
A lot of key acquisitions that they made on the defensive side, and that defense is humming. They play in this league, Jim, as you know, starting 3-0 is not by fluke, right? Every game is hard to win. Most games are won or lost by three points or less. And the way that the Raiders are playing, you can't knock it.
Now, am I saying that they're going to be the same team in November, December? September means you started fast, right? November, December is when you need to play your best ball. But if we're talking about right now, Jim, you got to take the Raiders, you got to take them serious, and they deserve the respect that they're getting right now. Yeah, I don't think there's any fluke to it at all.
I think the Saints also, I mean, that was a really electric environment, man. And they were playing well coming in, even though they lost their first game. I think that there's something to that. I mean, do they have any shot against the Chiefs coming up this week? The Raiders?
Oh, listen, Jim, a division game. Anytime it's a division game, they know the Chiefs. The Chiefs know them. And it's like, we know what you're going to do, and we're going to knuckle this thing out. It's a chess match, and they do have a shot.
Obviously, Patrick Mahomes is playing really well. Travis Kelsey has found the fountain of youth. Kenneth Walker III is running the air out of the ball and their defense behind Spags. They're legit, right? But the Raiders are like, hey, this is a division game.
And division games count as two games usually. They know each other and the way that they're playing. When you're 3-0, Jim, and you have confidence and you're a revamped team, and you're like, hey, that's the oldest. This is what we are now. This is the product that we're putting on film.
And the Chiefs, best believe, the Chiefs are respecting them. They're not saying, hey, this is the old Raiders where this is a stat game. And we're going to check this one off as a win. It's going to be a barn burner. Julil, I don't need to tell you this, but you know this already.
Belief is a powerful thing, man. Belief is a powerful, powerful thing. A ten-year NFL vet played for the Chargers, the Texans, the Colts, a Chargers post-game TV analyst. For KCBS in Los Angeles. Also, a contributor to the Chargers Weekly podcast, which is available on chargers.com.
Jalil Ada. Jalil, really appreciate you, man. You look great, sound great. Thanks for coming on the program. Let's do it again.
I appreciate you. I would love to come on again, Jim. You're the man. You too, dude. Appreciate you very much.
Good stuff. I like that energy. And that insight, and somebody who has obviously ties to the Chargers, but shooting it straight. But he's saying, don't give up. Year is not over yet.
All right, so, but I also love that point at the very end about the Raiders: that in the NFL, 3-0 is not a fluke. You cannot fluke your way to three wins in a row in the NFL. It is too hard to win. All right, so we get ready. Hour number two is an open hour.
So, if there's anything you want to hit on, go ahead and do so right now. Hit us up. My thanks to Jalil. Nice job, Jalil. Good to see you.
Our number two is straight ahead: 1-800-636-8686. I've got more NFL. I've got some college ball. I want to talk about USC and Oregon and what happened in the Coliseum and more. Stay tuned.
