1st & Goal: Leroy Hoard, Former NFL Running Back

The NFL season is inching closer and closer.

Who are the contenders and who are the pretenders? We have four downs to figure out your team's future. It's time now for First and Goal on the Sack Guild Show. Let's talk to a former NFL running back and of course midday host along with Tobin in Miami on 560 WQAM, the great Leroy Hoard. Leroy, how are you my friend? What's happening? Little tired, just got back from Vegas. Did you win some money? A little bit but I went to the fight.

Oh did you? How'd you enjoy that? It was one of the greatest fights as far as dominance that I've ever seen. For somebody that bludgeoned somebody that much with counter punches and was never really the aggressor. He was like Mayweather with power.

It was unbelievable, he was very patient and he deserved that win. So let's get to the Dolphins here, Leroy Hoard with us. Dalvin Cook, how confident are you with all this nonsense and games that are going on right now that he'll eventually wind up with the Dolphins?

I'm of the belief that look that was a great running back. I'm not questioning his talent but here's the situation that you had in Miami. He says he'll take a lesser role but he's going to take less money because if he would have took less money he'd still be in Minnesota and so that's the question that I ask is that how much are the Dolphins willing to give him to take a lesser role because look at what this offense is, how they use the offense. Even in San Francisco they ran the ball with a number of different players so including they'll use Tyreek Hill, Jalen Waddle, they'll use a ton of receivers. There were reverses and counters and all these things where they're very creative offensively that they don't really have the need for a guy who's going to get the ball 20-25 times a game which if Dalvin Cook wants to prove that he could be that guy why would Miami be the spot he would go to and so I've always had questions about that. It's not about his talent but say if he wanted to sign a one-year deal with somebody right you look at the Jets.

The Jets they're running back is out. They probably don't want to rush him back because he's young. He's going to get some run there. He's going to get some opportunities to carry the ball early in the season and prove his work. He might not get a chance to do that here. So I don't really know if it makes sense for either side even though he's a hometown guy and that's what everybody seems to be hanging their hat on.

I'm looking at from a football perspective. It doesn't really make sense even though everybody says he's probably going to end up in Miami. And maybe he wants to go home but I think you're right. I don't believe he's willing to take that much less and I don't know what the Jets have offered him but right I think he's finally Roy going to the Jets and he'd be okay with all the things you just said but it's clear to me right now he's trying to use the Jets to run up that price with the Dolphins.

Of course. Why wouldn't he? Why wouldn't he? And you know and Mike McDaniel is pretty much fit. He's a great running back. He'd help any team but they're very comfortable and happy with the running back room that they have. We've talked about this before with the state of the running back position that it's more running back by committee now and teams aren't willing to pay the bell cow back. When you see all these situations playing on out and bleep really hitting the fan this offseason as a former running back how do you react to it?

I just react like you know look every situation is different okay. Every team is different. You look at Miami they won't they wouldn't really use a bell cow running back a guy who's going to carry it and they're going to run the offense through him. They have so many weapons throughout the offense they don't need that. They have a very accurate quarterback. When you look at somebody like the Jets they may or may not use need it but they've used it in the past. Gary Young running back got hurt so they may want to continue to run that offense and give Aaron Rodgers you know just more opportunities to succeed.

If you don't have a running game and you just sit Aaron Rodgers back there throwing football you're asking for trouble with all the pass rushes they have in this league. You look at teams like Cleveland. You look at teams like Pittsburgh. You look at teams like Tennessee. You look at teams like the Raiders were last year. Those teams ran their offense through their running back and for the last few years they've had some success. There's a lot of teams that don't do that but they rely on their quarterback. Now I ask you this. Do you trust Daniel Jones enough to not have a Saquon Barkley? I do not. Like I don't understand why are you hiding behind what everybody's saying about a running back when your situation is unique to and different than everybody else's.

Tennessee's accepted. Each situation is different you're not wrong on that. Right so so for everybody to say the same thing that holy smokes to rely on Daniel Jones you okay when you look at a situation like Dallas. Dallas has always had a very good running game. They got one of the best offensive lines. Okay do you want to hang all that on DAC?

If you don't have to why do it? DAC is a very good quarterback but if you're going to hang them right there and say okay we live or die with DAC. I've never seen offenses do that and now all of a sudden we're starting to do that with a lot of young quarterbacks coming into the league and trying to make or break it quick or you switch quarterbacks when in actuality you should have other aspects of offense to give them a chance to grow and learn and we're not doing that anymore.

Let's get to the next down Leroy Hoard here with us. Bad news obviously with Jalen Ramsey the expectation is after Meniscus he'll be back in December. Can you even expect anything out of him this year when you get a guy right on the edge of becoming 30 and he suffers an injury like that? I think you can simply because he's been in the league long enough to know how to work around certain injuries and things like that.

As you get older you learn how to deal with it. I mean you're banged up for the probably the last quarter of your career anyway so I think he can do it but I'm not worried because they have a lot of talent out there and then they have this rookie and Smith that that has proven that you know maybe he can do something they find Eli Apple which I mean okay. Tyree killing him we're gonna have some fun I'll tell you that. Right so I mean it's going to be interesting but when you think about Kater Kohan when you think about Needham coming back when you think about all these guys who have been contributors to this offense and more importantly you add Vic Fangio who's going to be able to take all of this and build the defense around what they have and so I'm really looking forward to seeing one that front four has caused put a lot of pressure on quarterbacks they didn't get a lot of stacks. When you think about I don't know how many nose tackles flips my mind. Christian Wilkins. Christian Wilkins think about this he's a nose tackle he had a hundred tackles last year that's unheard of so they definitely have the talent up front you got Jalen Phillips you got Chubb they have talent to get after the quarterback that's going to allow them not to necessarily need Jalen Ramsey because they're going to put more pressure on the quarterback and be creative that way so I'm not as concerned as a lot of people are oh no you know now they're done defensively no I don't believe that at all I just think they're going to have to do some different things maybe some things that Jalen Ramsey would have been able to do that these guys coming in you aren't quite sure and you just kind of play it out and see where that goes but I do believe that defensively they're going to be much better than they were last year we all talk about two of them but the fact of the matter is the defense failed on several situations last year they just weren't very consistent. Let's get to the next down you just said it this is a well-rounded football team this is a football team that I think as long as the quarterback stays healthy they could go win the division this year how about the way that two has just handled all this because it's so weird when you talk about oh this guy's definitely going to get hurt I understand why people say it but you know how this usually goes at every anytime everyone expects one thing to happen usually the opposite ends up playing on out with the health of Tua. Well here's the thing he was thrust into a starting in the starting quarterback position when everybody thought he was going to sit the first year right we all did when they drafted him everybody said okay he's going to get a year to heal he's going to get his hip healed his ankle everything's going to be able to get stronger and then he'll be ready for the second year he ended up being thrust in action his first year and then we held it against them knowing that we never thought he was going to play and he handled all that with what was going on with Brian Flores and Brian Flores having zero faith in him which is one of the only problems I've had with Brian Flores yeah if you're if you're a head coach isn't your job to get the most out every player so Tua didn't ask to be brought here we actually drafted him and and now you're going to say he can't play quarterback first well make it work so I think Tua handled himself like a professional probably more professional than a lot of older guys would have handled that situation and so I have the utmost respect for the guy I hope he does well the injury thing I think last year was a fluke thing right like it it's one of those things I had a year like that too right I had a year like that and Bill Belichick even mentioned it he said I sat a guy out even though he was cleared I was that guy but you just kind of have to play it and not hope and not think about it and just go out and play football and I think he's put himself in a position to where he has handled everything that's come his way so well that I don't have any doubts that whatever happens he's gonna be okay let's get to the final down talking Leroy Hoard so let me be clear Mike McDaniel did a really good job last year but I always feel like whatever Mike McDaniel speaks I just don't get the joke and he kind of creeps me out a lot um what's your read on McDaniel covered him on a daily basis um probably once a day we go huh what but here's what I here's what I know and and here's what we always assume when a coach comes in that he's just going to be a great head coach and head coaches have to learn too and a lot of the things that that Mike has to learn is probably as far as game options and situations and being quicker with the plays and things like that that's something you get it is a big difference than being the guy standing next to the guy that has 30 seconds to call the play right and and so now he's that guy and and and so it got a little bumpy early on it kind of got better as the season went on and I think he'll be better at that this year so the offense will look even better because from top to bottom it'll be crisper and and so he says things he's he's look that team works hard they work hard um Mike McDaniel doesn't throw anybody under the bus he's a a all the players love him they all work hard so um I'm looking for a number of good things from him I'm gonna see he's gonna be better too is gonna be better the offense will be better the defense will be better and I'm looking for good I'm looking for big things from this year the Miami Dolphins are gonna do what now I'm gonna say this and then I'm gonna give you the reason why they're gonna win the division I agree with you they're gonna win the division because the Jets didn't beat anybody last year and now all of a sudden we're gonna talk about their winning division they might take a step forward but they ain't there yet okay and the one thing that scares me about Buffalo is Josh Allen has to be Josh Allen okay Josh Allen cannot be a pocket quarterback he's never been that accurate one of the things that made him more accurate was his ability to run his ability to make plays outside the pocket and so now he says he's gonna sit in the pocket more he's never been that guy there was questions when he came out of the into the league about his accuracy and so now all of a sudden he's gonna be a pocket passer no you can't you have to be you you have to be who you are do you have does he have to be more careful sure but he still has to be him how about not trying to run over people like you can do what you do but be better at it and safer at it so when I hear Josh Allen say he's gonna be a different quarterback if I'm a Buffalo Bills fan that scares the hell out of me all right let's get down to serious business here Leroy Hoard okay I think Penn State could actually be a good football team this year they got a whole lot of talent but Hickey is already becoming sufferball and he thinks they're gonna beat Michigan this year can you tell him that he's a moron yes they don't call him hot take Hickey for nothing you can rewind the tape from last year you can rewind tape from the year before he's been consistent with that and then after the game I have to send him a little tweet or we'll talk and then I have to talk him off the cliff and say just wait till next year look I have questions about Michigan but I mean Penn State you're not there yet you're not and I don't know what it is they seem to have a lot of talent they seem to have a lot of weapons but what happens is is that your star players not making the impact to win games as like other teams star players you see what I mean it's like yeah you can have a player that has 15 facts and three picks and just cause havoc on the field and scoring and so it's hard to like they have to put it all together and if they put it all Leroy that coach just can't win a big game he can't James Franklin um you know what I I look at it this way players win games okay like you can put the great you could you could put Nick Saban there if he ain't got the talent he ain't winning and look at Alabama they got talent this year Penn State got some talent this year that's the thing they okay so we say I always say let it play out we'll we'll know within the first three or four weeks and what Penn State looks like and then when we get to the Michigan game then we'll have a conversation but until I see these young men play football I'm not just gonna assume anything I'm not gotcha and and also hardball it's ridiculous what the NCAA is doing four games over a burger you do really you do realize that Tennessee did the same thing you got a slap on the wrist and they say the difference was is that horrible lies now oh yeah who wasn't you ever you ever met honest age oh you know what I cheated I'm sorry I maybe have did something that was not permissible who does that stop they need that one of the things why people you know criticize the NCAA is because there's no consistency without how they do this it's pick and choose right right and so if you're a Michigan guy you know you could be upset about it and you notice they never said he got suspended for the crime he didn't he didn't get suspended for the infraction he got suspended for life now come on lies now come on that's just crazy meanwhile is is uh it's a shoot that up to okay Corral with this NIL and because they didn't jump on it first they got no control over it how you gonna suspend somebody for recruit violation when kids are coming in making two three hundred thousand over what a cheeseburger yeah they had some lettuce and tomato on it too probably cheese and bacon if you would have just got the cheese it would have been okay but he added the bacon and that was too much we're on horn you're the best we appreciate it all right thanks brother