Who do you like, Brock Purdy or Sam Darnold?

Purdy's been better, um, objectively.

And obviously there's history with the two of them, and obviously Sam's connection with San Francisco, and what happened last year where in those two final games in the regular season and the playoffs, it was just all Seahawks all over the Niners, and they sent them packing.

So, so, such rich stuff, but Purdy, can't take it away from him.

He's probably been the best football player in the sport through four weeks.

Um, he's playing at an incredibly efficient way.

He runs, he does it all.

Is this, is he battling a little something? Is it a little bit of age?

Yeah

... what one team was over, and, like, time to move on, and let's try something new, is exactly maybe what another team needs.

And it's why Parcells had success when he would come to a new place every year, like, right out of the gates, and it's why Harbaugh's gonna have success with the Giants out of the gates.

'Cause it is a fresh voice for them.

It's when you're now a 63, 64, 65-year-old guy, and the guys have heard the same message time and time again.

That's when you start wondering, "Okay, has this run its course?" It's fresh for the Giants, and it...

Two things could be true.

Yeah.

But what does it say about those guys in those situations and the value of still that veteran QB?

It's important.

And I think you bring in these veteran quarterbacks to kind of hold the hand of the young guy or to be that voice in the locker room.

And in the case of Daniels and Caleb, that's exactly what Marcus and, and of course what Case Keenum have been.

And then when they're thrown into the fire, you want them to take that torch and go.

The Giants had the same thought with Winston.

It didn't, work out that way the first two weeks.

And there doesn't seem to be any real substitute for it.

Mm

... "That's an interesting, you know, mix." And sometimes you see these teams go with rookie and second-year guy.

And I remember it was, I wanna say it was Cam Newton and, like, Jimmy Clausen.

Like, I, I...

You need that veteran guy.

I feel like that should be e- established and is a, is a definite for every team if you're drafting a young quarterback and you're bringing a young quarterback in.

Even when Hurts went out for a little bit, it was like, "Oh, Andy Dalton's the backup quarterback? All right.

What's, what's the Jim Harbaugh era been like so far?

And to see from that first interaction that you and the Fox team had to where he is now, how can you speak to that?

It's amazing.

So, what they do is, and it's usually Amir Glazer will get in touch with the coaches and say, "Hey, can you do a video? Can you do an interaction with a producer?" And then they play the video.

So it wasn't live in front of all of us.

And if I remember, Mike was just very direct and did not smile, and was super, you know, just Mike McDonald looking at the camera with those eyes and just talking.

And, you know, and it's in the same conference as Sean McVay doing flips for the camera, and a very excited, uh, John Lynch talking on behalf of the Niners.

And then you got Mike, and you're like, "I, we don't know this man.

What do those guys say about JSN, not just on the air, but the former receivers off the air as well?

And to see from that first interaction that you and the Fox team had to where he is now, how can you speak to that?

It's amazing.

So what they do is, and it's usually me or Glazer, we'll get in touch with the coaches and say, "Hey, can you do a video? Can you do an interaction with a producer?" And then they play the video.

So it wasn't live in front of all of us.

And if I remember, Mike was just very direct and did not smile, and was super, you know, just Mike McDonald looking at the camera with those eyes and just talking and, you know.

And it's in the same conference as Sean McVay doing flips for the camera and a very excited, uh, John Lynch talking on behalf of the Niners.

And then you got Mike and you're like, I...

What did those guys say about JSN, not just on the air, but the former receivers off the air as well?

It's awesome.

So I have my own show on ESPN called Big Day with Peter Schrager at 2 p.m. Eastern every day.

It's two to three.

And it's the perfect length where we're not fishing for topics.

There's an overload of topics.

We can always find things I'm passionate about.

And I'm doing the things I have always wanted to do while also having the people on the show that I want to have on the show.

How much control do you have on the show? Is it like 100% you? Can you say no to producers? How much of Peter Schrager is running the show?

So compare and contrast what you know about those two guys, how similar, how different, and what this could look like with Drew the next couple weeks.

Well, Drew's also, like, he might have a little more...

What's the word? Wiseass in him, personality in him, like, ball-busting.

Like, he's, like, also, like, the guy in the room that everyone's like, oh, of course, Drew's got the line.

I don't think Sam's that guy.

Sam's funny in his own way, obviously.

But as far as character and dynamics go, both A+, right? Like, both...

What is wrong with him? Who hired this man?

What kind of texts were you receiving during the Seahawks game on Wednesday night?

Well, Darnold goes down, and it seems like the world is gonna end, and then Drew Lock comes in, and it's kind of just sputtering along.

And yet, the fact that it was Drew, who has been in the league for so long and has been with Seattle and been with Denver and been, of course, with the Giants.

There's a lot of love for Drew Lock around the league, and the fact that he was able to find a way to lead the team with a first-year play caller and do that without any first team reps over the last few weeks.

I just think the texts were just glowing about McDonald and how he has these guys dialed in, and that, that is about as uphill a climb you can get.

Down 10 points, backup quarterback, first-year play caller against a team that's really good on defense.

And yes, we know the three interceptions certainly help.

How do you view Drew Lock versus how do you believe the league views him?

[laughs]

The truth is, when you met me, I, I, it was 2007, 2008.

I was writing for foxsports.com, writing NFL stuff.

And the, the stuff I was writing about was, you know, I, I love the stories of the New York Giants, and I love where, you know, this, this team has turned things around.

And then it's, you know, eventually we go on from doing writing to then getting a dream opportunity from Pete Pradovitch and, uh, and Inside the NFL and letting me be their editorial contributor with those guys.

Then eventually Jacob Ullman and John Entz and Eric Shanks put me on sidelines for Fox.

And then FS1 starts, and Jamie Horowitz is like, "All right, we'll throw you a bone.

[laughs]

... about Fred Warner's comments?

I think Fred Warner, with a little wink, is saying what a lot of people around the 49ers organization were saying after this game, before this game.

And as I look at my phone throughout the game, there was 31 other teams in the league that might've taken some joy in the way this thing went down.

After an off-season of Rams undefeated talk, of Rams dream team talk, of Rams versus the field being a actual debate topic on all of these programs that we do, um, to see the 49ers come in there and absolutely beat them up and down the field, I think there was a bit of schadenfreude across the board the league, and there was a feeling amongst the 49ers players they might've been disrespected going into this game, as if the big, bad, mighty Rams, they should be so grateful to play against them.

Sean McVay and the Rams took a very unorthodox approach to this game with the sleep stuff.

We've analyzed it 10 times.

When you go outside the comfort zone of everyone else and you buck the trend to do something like that, when you go the day of, you leave yourself open for criticism if it doesn't go right.

[laughs]

How old?

He's nine.

Can I give you guys a quick story, if you don't mind? So I've never coached.

I didn't play.

I played at a very low level.

My son has his flag football tournament with his friends, and it's out in Long Island, and we travel like two hours to get there, and we're playing in this tournament.

And the coach couldn't make it.

What am I missing? Why is he allowing that excuse to be one of the top storylines of their offseason?

Tell people what they can expect from the show.

Yeah, it's going to be a celebration of sports with some of the best I would like to think analysts in the game, whether it be football, basketball, golf, tennis, and also sports, some of the stuff that you guys do, which is a lot of the chop busting and inside jokes and carrying it over episode to episode where you tune in, you feel like, all right, at two o'clock, I want to turn the volume up.

I want to hang out with these people and I want to get informed.

Going to have the best insiders in the game, obviously.

So you're going to be up to date at that hour, the latest in news.

But to me, it's a comfortable watch.

It's fun.

Explain this, Peter.

Tell people what they can expect from the show.

Yeah, it, it's, it's gonna be a celebration of sports with some of the best, I would like to think, um, analysts in the game, whether it be football, basketball, golf, tennis.

And also, uh, some of the stuff that you guys do, which is a lot of the chop busting and inside jokes and carrying it over episode to episode, where you tune in, you feel like, "All right, at 2:00, I want to turn the volume up.

I want to hang out with these people, and I want to get informed." It's gonna have the best insiders in the game, obviously, so you're gonna be up to date at that hour, the latest in news.

But to me, it's a comfortable watch.

It's fun, and it's something where the viewer at home is like, "All right, this is something that I know I'm getting a little bridge from reactions from last night, but we're also turning the page to see what's happening tonight in the sporting world." So 2:00's a cool window.

It was SportsCenter.

Explain this, Peter.

But once you get to a point in the season where he's now ramped up and ready to go, putting him with Miles Garrett, are the Rams the runaway favorite because of this addition? Yeah.

I waver on this.

So earlier in the week, I was like, what happened to the Seahawks? Why are we not talking about the Seahawks? And I feel like there's been a wave of Seahawks talk this week.

And suddenly it's like, all right, Seahawks are getting their respect.

Truth of the matter is, They played twice in the regular season last year.

They split, and then the Seahawks won in an NFC championship game played in Seattle.

Those two teams are head and shoulders above everybody else in the NFC, and it would be a great disappointment if those two teams did not advance to the deeper rounds of the playoffs.

Is this a prove-it year for him, or is his seat still quite cozy and cool with Woody Johnson being the one that selected him as the coach?

How old?

He's nine.

Can I give you guys a quick story, if you don't mind? So I've never coached.

I didn't play.

I played at a very low level.

My son has his flag football tournament with his friends.

And it's out in Long Island.

So as somebody who knows him obviously much better than I do, What am I missing? Why is he allowing that excuse to be one of the top storylines of their offseason?

He's the guy.

I tell you guys- I was- I hate to just, you know, hijack your podcast here.

I listen to you guys all the time, so I wanna tell you this story.

There's a, a developer of homes named Todd Glazer, and he's a South Florida guy, and I played with him.

And his whole thing is you cannot open your mouth until the ball has been putted and finishes.

Meaning, he putts and it's like, "Ooh," and it's like nice putt, and then it doesn't go in, he s- loses his mind.

Ooh.

No sweat, no rain, no reason for it.

I, I can't imagine this doesn't affect how they're gonna play, uh, against the 49ers in Australia.

It's interesting, 'cause there are members of the organization who are already there.

So, like, they've got a bunch of front office guys and, and executives that are there.

Their radio guys are there.

So it's not like everyone's on the Sean McVay plan, but they have a very, very detailed plan, and their thought is, "This flight is, what, X amount of hours.

The adrenaline of us getting up off that flight, playing a 10:30 AM game locally," in Melbourne, by the way.

It's gonna drive you nuts when people say it, but it's pronounced Melbourne, not Melbourne.

And do you think the Chiefs would have him?

Thank

you.

I appreciate both of you.

You guys have been very hospitable to me, and I appreciate it.

I want to take that torch and keep on running.

Love it.

I can't wait to

But are these comments something, Peter? Yeah, they're something.

Uh, what is, [laughs] what is your big day, big news, big trades?

You know I love the use of puns, and this is a great way to use it.

So this would be the story of the day, obviously.

And I think what's cool about it is I've got insights on this organization, and the Rams, and the Cronkite sports.

And I would tell you that this wasn't necessarily supposed to be announced yesterday, and this was been in lock and key, uh, for a couple months in the works, and no one knew about it.

Um, but word started to spread, and now it's- it's gonna be official.

Uh, what's interesting is the empire that the Cronkites are building.

But what do you, uh, think his role will be with this Giants offense, and the rest of that wide receiver room as well? Obviously, Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, and the rest of the guys.

How do you view this entire situation, and how should we be viewing it, Schrages?

Well, look, they really like Fernando Mendoza.

He's been fantastic there, and obviously he's an electric first overall pick, and the last six, uh, first overall picks get on the field early, and it's what it is.

This is a different situation in that Kirk Cousins knows Kubiak's offense inside and out from time playing together, and of course Tom Brady has a voice in this thing as well, and Brady has been one of the most public advocates of not rushing the quarterback development, and taking the time and doing this right.

I would put those two things together, and the fact that they did sign Kirk to real money.

It wasn't like Cousins is signing for, you know, minimum veteran money.

I would imagine Kirk Cousins gets the start, and he's gonna ride it out until there feels like there needs to be a change.

Are you surprised, I guess, that he has not signed yet?

Yeah.

But I do think we confuse this division a little bit with, like, a murderer's row.

This ain't the NFC West.

Th- this ain't Seattle and Rams sit in your division.

And I agree, every team has a lot of potential, but there's a lot of question marks with the Bears, how they won a lot of games, the turnovers that they were able to force, the close games that you saw miraculous plays by Caleb Williams, maybe not quite sustainable.

Not saying they're gonna take a big step back, but also the Packers, right? A lot of potential.

They've had so many injuries around Jordan Love.

I'll just have to call him and shake him

Is that real, or do you think Von filled that gap for him?

him?No, it's still real.

I think they're looking to add as many pieces as they can if they come available.

I will tell you this, I spoke to Von Miller at the Super Bowl this year, and he was doing media appearances, and I pulled him off to the side, and he said to me he had a choice last year between the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Commanders.

And he did the math and did it all, and they had no connection to either team.

And he said, "Gosh, Commanders went to the NFC championship game last year.

I'm gonna go for a Super Bowl ring, one more of them." And he signed with the Commanders, and then you saw what happened with Seattle.

Go ahead, Ty.

I guess, what are you hearing out of Tennessee and Cam Ward's development under Daboll?

Yeah, the, it's, it's been lights out.

One of the reasons that Saleh ran to that job was Cam Ward and the pieces that they have.

What he tells me, which is great, is that Jeffrey Simmons is even better than he imagined.

And then you've got Cam Ward on offense, and these guys bark at each other the entire practice.

Cam Ward is, is, is one of these guys that will not be scared to get in the face of a defensive tackle to get his offense going.

They are very excited about not only the addition of the rookie Tate, who's gonna come along, but Brian Daboll brought over Rondale Robinson, a guy who maybe didn't fulfill expectations in New York, but they paid him real money, and Daboll's like, "I want that guy." And then Bellinger, th- that was a guy he had.

What are you hearing from Raiders camp? 'Cause Clint Kubiak did say, "Hey, best player's gonna start," you know, but we haven't really heard much.

Yeah.

That defense was horrendous.

But as they put these pieces together in Clark, and Gary, and Downs, and Quinnen, Malachi Lawrence, I'm starting to see it come together.

And I think the final piece, and I don't know the myth- the mythology or who the character would be that you could put in here, might be this Christian Parker, the first year defensive coordinator, who's 34 years old, comes from Philly, and is supposed to be the orchestrator of all this thing, and the guy who's leading the symphony.

If this defense could even be in the top half of the league, we're talking Cowboys as legitimate NFC contenders.

I really feel that way.

That's how good their offense is.

Oof.