PodcastFrom NFL: The Insiders
The NFL Report Lamar Jackson Puts Defenses on Notice + Top 5 Defenses to Watch this Season
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
31 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 5, 2026
Published
Sat, September 5, 2026
11
Player insights
11
Players mentioned
Topics
Bijan RobinsonDerrick HenryDrake LondonDrake MayeGeorge KittleKyle PittsLamar JacksonMichael Penix Jr.Puka NacuaSam DarnoldTua Tagovailoa
Player analysis
Player insights
Bijan Robinson
PositiveValue17:10
Bijan Robinson is a key offensive weapon for Atlanta who received a contract extension this offseason, adding to the team's significant investment in offensive talent.
Insight pageDerrick Henry
PositiveUsage9:56
Lance Zierlein identifies Derrick Henry as a 'hammerhead' who will be used to control the clock for the Ravens, noting that despite new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle's potential for scheme changes, the team will likely lean on Henry as a reliable staple by mid-season.
Insight pageDrake London
PositiveValue17:10
Drake London is highlighted as part of a talented group of weapons in Atlanta, alongside Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson, that makes the team a potential sleeper to win 11 games.
Insight pageDrake Maye
NegativeMatchup29:48
Drake Maye is set to participate in a significant matchup against Sam Darnold in the upcoming game.
Insight pageGeorge Kittle
NegativeInjury28:43
George Kittle is progressing from an Achilles injury, though there is some concern regarding his physical activity level during recovery.
Insight pageKyle Pitts
PositiveValue17:10
Kyle Pitts is identified as a significant weapon in the Atlanta offense, contributing to the team's potential as a sleeper to win 11 games this season.
Insight pageLamar Jackson
PositiveProjection7:15
Lamar Jackson expects a massive year in the new Ravens offensive system under Declan Doyle, citing the attention to detail and the versatility of the scheme, which includes play-action, drop-back, and run game elements.
Insight pageMichael Penix Jr.
NegativeRole15:30
Michael Penix Jr. is progressing from an ACL injury but has struggled in the preseason; the team plans to keep four quarterbacks on the roster, and Lance Zierlein suggests he could see the field if the starter struggles or faces injury.
Insight pagePuka Nacua
PositiveInjury6:44
Puka Nacua is making good progress in his recovery from a psoas issue that has lingered since mid-August, according to Sean McVay.
Insight pageSam Darnold
NegativeMatchup29:48
Sam Darnold is preparing for a significant matchup against Drake Maye, with notable changes to his team's coaching staff.
Insight pageTua Tagovailoa
NegativeRole16:31
Lance Zierlein views Tua Tagovailoa as the likely starter for Atlanta due to his experience in Kevin Stefanski's system, despite a concerning 20-touchdown, 15-interception ratio last year; he notes a potential 'short leash' for the veteran.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human. The entire draft room groans because you just took the guy they wanted.
0:06There's no better feeling than crushing your fantasy football league.
0:10I'm JJ Zacharyson, host of the award-winning Late Round Podcast.
0:13Before your draft, our players to target and players to avoid episodes tell you exactly who to circle and who to cross off.
0:20Listen to the Late Round Fantasy Football Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
0:27Hey, I'm Mike Yam. And I'm Trevor Sykema. And together, we host the NFL Fantasy Football Show.
0:32Are you ready to dominate your fantasy league this season?
0:35Because if you aren't locked in with us on the NFL Fantasy Football Show, you're already playing from behind.
0:41Whether you're a first-time player or a grizzled vet chasing another championship, we give you the advantage and the confidence you need to make every move count.
0:50Listen to the NFL Fantasy Football Show on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
0:56Well, his return was one of the biggest stories in the offseason.
1:00Aaron Donald could add to his Hall of Fame legacy with another Super Bowl title.
1:05Sean McVay tells us if we're going to see him though in week number one.
1:09Plus, we're getting defensive. Our expert tells you who are the league's top defenses and why one might ride its way all the way to the Super Bowl.
1:18And yeah, maybe it's those Rams. Plus, Lamar Jackson already a two-time MVP.
1:23You gotta hear why Lamar thinks this year with the new head coach and an offensive coordinator might be his best ever.
1:30Welcome to a fresh edition of NFL Report. Mike Yam with you.
1:33We got Lance Zerline who's going to be joining me in just a couple minutes.
1:38And I know we're going to talk about the league's top defenses, but one of the league's worst is going to be better this season.
1:46A focus on the Dallas Cowboys is still to come, but there is some news to get to.
1:52Yes, week one is right around the corner. We got the Rams, not to mention the San Francisco 49ers taking center stage, all part of our latest headlines.
2:01It's a 16 hour flight to Melbourne, Australia covering about 8000 miles.
2:05The Niners, well, they already flew out for next week's game this week.
2:09The Rams plan to fly to Melbourne the day before the game and then fly out immediately after.
2:15It's been a whole lot of buzz around what Sean McVay has decided to do.
2:19Yeah, everything is geared towards what we think is best for the players based on, you know, that that's what will guide
2:26every decision as long as I'm fortunate enough to be the head coach.
2:31And so we felt like staying in our rhythm and routine and then traveling when we do, which I'll go over with the players this afternoon.
2:39But the thinking in its simplest form is, is what do we deem the best for our football players and for them
2:46to try to be at their best? Yes, there's different approaches and theories, but I do have a lot of trust in
2:53our group and and we'll see, you know, hopefully it works out.
2:57And I know that we've got a bunch of guys that I think, you know, will feel good about the plan.
3:04And then ultimately it's let's go play to the best of our ability in that three and a half hour window were allotted.
3:11Well, that roster is absolutely loaded because we do know Aaron Donald is back.
3:15But is he back for week number one? The future Hall of Famer had the NFL world buzzing announcing that return.
3:22McVay has said he will always work around Donald's timeline.
3:25And that remains true for Australia. Obviously, one of the best things you can do is get out there and play football
3:32in 11 on 11 settings with pads, your eye progression, taking on some of the double teams, different things like that.
3:39You know, so this week will be a big week for him in terms of how he feels.
3:45And and then we'll just kind of take it a day at a time and see where he's at.
3:51If he feels good enough to go great, if if not, you know, I got a lot of confidence in the other
3:58guys that will be ready to step up. If that's the case that have really gotten all the reps anyways.
4:04Meanwhile, on the offensive side, positive news for Rams wide receiver Puka Nakua McVay saying, quote, he's making good progress as he
4:11works his way back from the so as issue that's lingered him since the middle of August.
4:17More on the Rams and Niners from a San Francisco perspective still to come here on NFL report.
4:23Meanwhile, it is a new era of Ravens football with Jesse Mitchell taking over as head coach, just naming his five captains for the season.
4:31Ravens also ushering in a new offensive coordinator and Declan Doyle and Lamar.
4:35While he told the guys at Mad Dog Radio on Sirius XM, you can expect a massive year.
4:40It's everything, everything you need in the offense play action, you know, drop back, run game.
4:46It's like everything you want in the offensive system.
4:48And like coaches, like I just said with Coach Jesse, the attention to detail.
4:53He's overly like preaching that, you know, he won't ever got to know what everyone's doing basically with the offense.
4:59So it's just making everyone's job a lot easier.
5:02And I just can't wait to showcase it. It was like, man, I don't believe a defense is prepared for what they're
5:09what's in store for us or what's in store for them.
5:13Well, it sounds like the sky is the limit right now for this offense.
5:17But you tell me, Lance, when you look at this roster, you look at a new potentially new scheme with a new play caller here.
5:25What do you think is going to happen to this unit?
5:29Well, I think Declan Doyle is clearly going to show some some differences in terms of pre snap post snap looks personnel groupings.
5:36It's going to look a little bit different than what we've seen in the past.
5:41But, you know, I am curious when the bullets start flying here and you start taking snaps against NFL defenses.
5:47How long is it going to take for Declan Doyle to say, well, you know, Lamar Jackson has things he really likes to do and he does well.
5:56And Derrick Henry is a hammerhead. And you can really ride him and kind of control the clock.
6:02I think it's going to be tough for the Ravens offense throughout the year to look totally different than we've seen in the past.
6:10I think they're going to go back to to who they are and what they are.
6:15I know there's an excitement with a new head coach and a new play caller.
6:20But at the end of the day, you know, the Ravens have been very successful doing what they do on offense.
6:26And it's a pretty basic formula. And I think that Declan Doyle will try to do some different things early in the year.
6:34But by sometime in the midpoint, he's going to start leaning on the old reliables.
6:38And I think that's still going to be okay for a Ravens team that I expect to win the division.
6:45But I do, I am interested in seeing what a new play caller looks like over in Baltimore.
6:51All right. Well, explain to me this because when I knew you were on the show, you were uniquely qualified.
6:57I know you love offensive line play. So I think about Tyler Linderbaum, who they loved, who's no longer there.
7:03He's now playing with the Raiders. The guy that was supposed to handle the center duties, Danny Pinter, done for the season.
7:10Put into context for me, how big a blow is that for this offense?
7:15I mean, it's a huge blow. It's a huge blow.
7:18Number one, you're losing an all pro talent in Tyler Linderbaum.
7:22He's a guy that can get to any block you need.
7:25Tremendous athlete. Tremendous in terms of his technique and what he learned over from Kirk Ferentz and that offensive line system over at Iowa.
7:33But what you've lost is really this. This is the brain power of the offense is right in the middle of that offense.
7:40And I think once you lose a really elite talent like that, it's a huge fall off to the next guy who's trying to take over that role.
7:49And that's Danny Pinter. And now that he's gone, I think it's going to be even more substantial.
7:55The loss. So that's going to be a position to really keep an eye on, because if you break down at the
8:02center position, either mentally or you're just not strong enough or you can't get to the blocks, it can really have an
8:09impact on what you can do offensively. Yeah, this is still a Ravens team that's got so much talent on this roster
8:16on the outside looking into the postseason. Just the second time since 2018 when Lamar Jackson was named this team starter.
8:23Some other news to get to is a team that's trying to carry some momentum heading into this upcoming season.
8:29That is the New Orleans Saints. Two and ten start a year ago.
8:33They won four out of their final five games.
8:36Now down the stretch, Tyler Shuck was a top five quarterback in completion percentage, passing yards per game and total yards per game in weeks 15 through 18.
8:45Ketlin Moore knows the squad is ready and they got some momentum.
8:49I'm going to say our team has confidence. I think we finished well last year.
8:54It feels like a long time ago now, but I think our guys are excited about this.
8:59They're excited about the opportunity to go compete. We're going to open up with one of the top teams in the league in Detroit.
9:07It's going to be a lot of fun. We know what an NFL season is going to take.
9:13There's going to be some highs. There's going to be some lows.
9:16And so I think we got the right kind of guys to navigate it.
9:21Hopefully more highs for that team's offense. The good news is the Saints know their quarterback in Atlanta.
9:27We still don't know an interesting development in the ATL.
9:30We've been tracking that quarterback competition the last couple of weeks with Michael Penix coming off the ACL.
9:36He's progressing to this dude's kind of struggled in the preseason.
9:39Their general manager, Ian Cunningham, saying the team is going to keep four quarterbacks on the 53 man roster.
9:45This is what those dudes did a season ago when Tua and Penix take your pick here.
9:51Lance, if I said to you, if you're Kevin Stefanski, who's the guy that you feel most confident in running what you like to do?
9:59I'd probably say Tua. I mean, those are really scary numbers we saw last year from Tua.
10:04The 20 touchdown 15 interception touchdown to interception ratio.
10:07That's a very scary number for Tua. I do think he's a little more qualified and set up and is certainly experienced
10:14to play in that Kevin Stefanski office. I think you can get to a quick passing game with him if you want to change some things up.
10:23If you're Stefanski, I just, you know, I look at this Falcon team and on July 1st, I thought, oh, Tua's coming over.
10:30You got Drake London and Kyle Pitts and Bajon Robinson.
10:33Man, maybe this is the real sleeper to win 11 games and take over that division.
10:38And as camp has gone on, you know, the reports have really not been positive about any of the quarterbacks.
10:45And so it's a concern for me. I think Tua will end up getting the start and probably should just because of
10:52his experience and because of the injuries that Pennix has faced over his career in college and now in the pros.
10:58But it wouldn't shock me to see a very short leash for Tua if Tua becomes the starter and for them to
11:06roll out Michael Pennix and see what they can get from Pennix if need be.
11:10Yeah, two things here. Number one, as it pertains to the quarterback spot, I think you got to assume both of these
11:17guys are going to get meaningful reps. They do have injury histories, both of these quarterbacks.
11:22And this is a team that spent over $300 million this offseason on the offensive side of the field.
11:29So it's just something to keep in mind, no matter if it's Tua or Pennix.
11:33There's some pretty good significant weapons around them, including Bajon Robinson, who just got paid this offseason.
11:39Lance, don't go anywhere. We're going to talk a little bit more about some of the best defenses in the NFL because
11:46they do say that defense wins championships, right? That was the case for the Seahawks last year.
11:51But Lance doesn't think they're the best unit. Find out who he starts.
11:55Hey, everyone. I'm Mike Yam. And I'm Trevor Sykema.
11:58And together we host the NFL Fantasy Football Show.
12:01Fantasy season is upon us. Are you ready to dominate your league?
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12:23We're talking sleepers, breakout stars, and the guys you cannot afford to bench.
12:27From rookies on the rise to longtime stars still at it, we cover it all.
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12:53You know the feeling. You make a pick in your fantasy draft and the entire room groans because they wanted that player.
13:00Or you grab a small school rookie off waivers and you start him right before he goes off in primetime.
13:06There's no better feeling than crushing your fantasy football league.
13:09I'm JJ Zacharyson, host of the Late Round Fantasy Football Podcast.
13:13Before your draft, our players to target and players to avoid episodes tell you exactly who to circle and who to cross off.
13:20We've got data-driven analysis, historical trends, and the strategies that separate winners from the rest.
13:25And your dominance doesn't stop with the draft. All season long, we have our 15 transactions, 10 trends, sleepers, and the mailbag.
13:32Data-driven, quick-hitting episodes to help bring home that league trophy.
13:35Listen to the Late Round Fantasy Football Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
13:42I'm Brett Coleman. And I'm Trevor Sykema. Have you ever watched a game and wondered what really made the difference beyond the final score?
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15:11Terms and conditions apply. All right, here we go, Dallas Cowboys.
15:15Can only go up last in the NFL in opponent passing yards and points allowed.
15:19That wasn't good for that defense, but they have a new D.C.
15:23in Christian Parker. Quinn and Williams said there is a night and day difference with Parker at the helm.
15:29His coach, Brian Schottenheimer, knows he's going to have to rely on the big fella.
15:34From the minute he got here, he's been about one thing.
15:38And it's winning. You know, he's never won in the NFL.
15:41And the leadership is real. The talent's incredible. But every decision that that guy makes is based on what's best for us winning.
15:49And I love that about him. And it's infectious.
15:51It rubs off. And I love hearing him talk to the young linemen and the young defenders.
15:57And, you know, he was very, very, very involved in, you know, some of the things that we did from helping the
16:04defense, you know, grow and learn and all that stuff.
16:07So terrific young man. Great dad. He and Miranda are, you know, great parents.
16:12And just thrilled to have him here, man. The Cowboys fans are thrilled to have him.
16:17They're also happy to see some of the changes personnel wise on that defense.
16:21More on that in just a moment. But I made reference to it.
16:25This was not a good unit a season ago.
16:28You can't win a whole lot of games giving up over 30 points per game.
16:33And I know the offense was second best in the NFL.
16:37But I mean, how are you supposed to look if you're a speed bump, right?
16:41In terms of that defense, you probably win a couple more games.
16:45But Lance, sell me on this defense right now.
16:48Why can they be better? Starts with Christian Parker.
16:51First and foremost, I think the defensive coordinator is going to bring some real energy to this team and an upbeat attitude.
16:58And I think his youth is going to be infectious.
17:01You just heard Schottenheimer talk about, you know, what Quentin Williams brings to the table.
17:06I can also tell you the rookie Caleb Downs brings that same kind of energy, attitude and ferocity from the star position.
17:13That big nickel linebacker slash cornerback spot where he's going to play as a rookie.
17:18I think when you add the three of those guys up, you look at Christian Parker, the new defensive coordinator, Quentin Williams and Caleb Downs.
17:26You're going to see an infectious energy and an ability to kind of, you know, forget when they struggle on a play.
17:33It's not, I don't think it's going to carry over.
17:36I don't think a failing in one series is going to carry over like it did in the past.
17:42And I think another important thing with Christian Parker comes from the Vic Fangio defense where he's going to be very smart about limiting big plays.
17:50But he's really big on communication on the back end.
17:54Dallas has had too many busts over the last couple of years when it comes to defense and the secondary.
18:00I think he will help eliminate some of those busts just by really forcing communication as one of the priorities on the back end for the Cowboys.
18:09Well, that's I'm just thinking going back down memory lane.
18:12Me, you and Bucky hanging on the set here on the NFL channel for the draft and our conversations about Caleb Downs
18:19and how effective he can be this upcoming season.
18:22Potentially a difference maker for that unit on the other end of the spectrum from last year where some of the better
18:29defenses in the NFL and you take a closer look at some of these numbers lands.
18:34The Houston Texans, you know all about that squad leading the NFL at 277.2 yards per game.
18:39The Broncos, the Vikings, the Browns and the Chargers not far behind.
18:43Gennaro Felice on NFL.com right now has an article about his top 10 defenses.
18:48We won't go that deep Lance, but give me your top five.
18:51Let's start with number five here. The fifth best unit in the NFL heading into this season is who?
18:58Well, first of all, go read Gennaro's article. He did a great job with it and our thoughts are very similar.
19:04I've got number five Denver. We're a little different there, but I think the Denver Broncos are a team 131 sacks over the last couple seasons.
19:13First in the NFL by a mile and one of the primary reasons is Nick Benito 27 and a half sacks during that two year span.
19:21He's got an 11.1% quick win rate. That's less than 2.5 seconds.
19:25He is on your quarterback 11.1% of the time.
19:28That was the best in the NFL last year.
19:31Then you add to that, you know, Patrick Sertan, who was a 2024 defensive player of the year.
19:36He is one of the lockdown course. He's the premier cornerback.
19:40Let's face it in all of the NFL. So you've got a great pass rusher off the edge.
19:46You've got a guy who can lock it down man to man whenever you want.
19:50And, you know, you do have to worry a little bit about losing John Franklin Myers to to the Titans and, you know, in terms of free agency.
19:59And Jonathan Cooper right now is on the commissioner's exempt list.
20:03He's a guy that's been able to get after the quarterback.
20:06So that is a little concern. That's why I dropped them maybe from four where I thought they could be to five.
20:13But this is still a great defense advance. Joseph has put together going to be scary again this year.
20:19I wasn't surprised that you had Philly on this list.
20:23I thought they were sort of a fringe team.
20:26You have them for sell me on the unit.
20:28Yeah. Well, you know, we talked about Vic Fangio with Christian Parker.
20:32I think Vic Fangio is always going to put out a very competitive strong unit.
20:37I like that dog connection. I think we're ready to see Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis have their best year as a
20:44duo so far in their careers this year in Philadelphia.
20:47That's a big part of it. But also, Quinion Mitchell and Cooper Dejean.
20:51Let's talk about this for a second. Quinion Mitchell is number one in the NFL when it comes to yards per separation
20:58at 1.8 yards according to Next Gen Stats. You just don't get away from him.
21:03He's only allowed 42.4% completion rate against. That's incredible numbers.
21:06And Cooper Dejean, believe this or not, he actually was ranked higher in the NFL 100 by the players.
21:13He actually got the number 38 ranking as opposed to number 40 for Mitchell.
21:17So that just tells you how talented that secondary is as well.
21:21So you got a really talented interior front. You've got very good on the back end as well.
21:27And then they added Jonathan Grenard. He's got to see if he can rebound after last year's down year at three and a half sacks.
21:35But I still like the Eagles unit. I still think they're really solid.
21:39All right, the team that made the most amount of headlines this offseason are the Rams.
21:44I thought you, before I even knew where you were going to slot them, they're number three for you.
21:50I thought they could be number one. They bring in the best defensive player, arguably maybe the best player in the NFL, Myles Garrett.
21:58And I don't think we talked nearly enough about those additions in the secondary.
22:02But sell me on why this team is three and maybe not one.
22:06Well, you can sell me because I think they are right there.
22:10I think the teams at three, two and one are all in the mix for number one.
22:16And when you talk about the Rams, it's all about those additions.
22:19Look, Myles Garrett has had eight straight seasons of double digit sacks.
22:23He is, this is arguably the best pass rusher we have seen in years and years and years.
22:2923 sacks last year at the age of 30.
22:32And the most impressive part of that to me is that the Browns faced the third fewest amount of pass attempts per game.
22:39So put that in perspective. You just don't throw a lot against the Browns because you always had leads against them.
22:46And yet Myles Garrett still got 23 sacks. Now we're adding Aaron Donald two years removed from playing football.
22:52Does anyone actually think he's not going to be just as explosive and just as dangerous?
22:57The sack numbers may not be as high, but the disruption is going to be a problem.
23:03And then Trent McDuffie, Jalen Watson, you bring in two new defensive backs, age 26 and age 28 this year.
23:09So they're still young. You're upgrading your secondary. The Rams just got better.
23:13And Chris Shula's got a lot of toys to play with now.
23:17Hey, which, which side of the football is better?
23:20Is it the offense for the Rams or the defense?
23:23Oh man. You know what? I'm going to, I'm going to say defense.
23:27I'm going to say defense, but you caught me on that one because I'm not sure I won't flip flop here in about 15 seconds.
23:35Yeah. By the way, I don't, I don't know if there's a wrong answer, right?
23:40Like you take one. I'm not sure. And be very happy here.
23:44Meanwhile, at number two, the champs are here. Seattle's defense carried them, obviously, throughout the course of the season.
23:50And they landed a dominant victory in the Super Bowl.
23:53I mean, they were so good. They just, they barely allowed any, like 10 points per game during the postseason.
23:59They were just absolutely unbelievable. They're the only team last year in the NFL that featured an all pro performer on all three levels, right?
24:07They had last year Leonard Williams, a second team, all pro at defensive tackle.
24:12Byron Murphy plays right next to him and he's unbelievable.
24:15Ernest Jacks, you had a rather at linebacker. You had Ernest Jones, the fourth.
24:20He was your all pro second team. And then in the secondary, of course, Devon Weatherspoon.
24:25So you've got all pros all over the field.
24:28You've got a great defensive maestro with Mike McDonald, and you've got the ability to disrupt from the interior, which is one
24:35of the real keys here in pro football. If you want to be consistently disruptive, you like to do it inside.
24:41And they've got that with Murphy and Leonard Williams.
24:44Yeah, we don't see it that often where teams are able to run it back.
24:49Last time, obviously the closest time was obviously the Chiefs in 22 and 23, but just nine times in NFL history.
24:56Seattle right now under the radar again, coming off of a Super Bowl win, sitting in number two, the number two position, according to Lance.
25:04I'm not shocked here. Houston, number one. Why? Well, you know, this is a tough one between the three teams we just
25:11mentioned, especially one and two, Seattle and Houston. But I just look at Houston and I think it's ascending all over the place.
25:18Everywhere you look, they've got young talent that is continuing to get better.
25:2238 interceptions over the last two years. That leads the NFL during that timeframe.
25:27You've got Daniil Hunter and Will Anderson both put tremendous pressure on the quarterback.
25:31They've had 51 sacks over the two years they played together.
25:35This is a team that has three ball hawks on the back end so they can take it away.
25:41They can rush and maybe most importantly, you know, D'Amico Ryan's has created a real attitude here.
25:46He calls it swarm and Will Anderson, Aziz Alshair, Jalen Petrie, Kamari Laster.
25:50These are just some of the guys who play with the intensity of a linebacker of D'Amico Ryan's anytime you watch him.
25:57But what's really, I think, important to remember is they can sit in the nickel defense and play you on first, second or third down in any situation.
26:06That's how strong they are at all three levels.
26:09Houston Texans going to be really tough in following up a defense that was late last year, maybe better this year.
26:16You know the wild thing? I look at your top five defenses and to me the other teams feel more complete.
26:23Am I overselling the issues that C.J. Stroud had last season?
26:26No, I look the C.J. Stroud issue is real.
26:29If C.J. Stroud plays average football this year, they got a real shot at getting to the Super Bowl.
26:35While C.J. Stroud plays good football, they could be the Super Bowl champs.
26:39That's how good that defense is. It's really a situation right now where you just want to steer the ship, be a
26:46game manager, and let the defense do what they do and run the football.
26:51It's going to be a simple formula, but we'll see how hard it is to execute for the Texans.
26:57And presumably have a running game this season with David Montgomery in that backfield.
27:01We'll see how it plays out just easily for the start of the season.
27:06Lance, you're the best man. Always great to have you here on the NFL Report.
27:11Looking forward to doing it again real soon. Appreciate it.
27:14Thanks, Mike. Still got more to come here. The best to ever play the game they dream of being a Hall of Famer.
27:21There are some dramatic changes to the selection process.
27:24We have those details coming up next. Back here on NFL Report, some significant changes from a Hall of Fame perspective.
27:31The Pro Football Hall of Fame has made some changes to the selection process.
27:35There's a lot of changes, but the two biggest ones, the committee size, reducing the panel from 50 selectors down to 28.
27:42And as far as player eligibility, changes from the separate modern era players and senior categories.
27:47Players will be moving to the senior category after 25 years of retirement to a single pool for all eligible players following a mandatory five-year retirement period.
27:56So essentially punting on that senior category. Really significant stuff here as we continue to immortalize some of the greatest to ever do it.
28:04Meanwhile, I got some quick hits for you. I know we spent some time talking about the Rams earlier in the show.
28:11Check this out, Fred Warner. How awesome is it to see this dude healthy?
28:15Remember the Niners leaving for Australia this week. Next week, 24 hours before the game is when the Rams intend on making that trip.
28:23About 16 hours and 8,000 miles away. Water obviously banked up last year with the ankle.
28:28Nick Bosa, ACL injury. Good to see this guy healthy.
28:31Heard from him earlier this week. He was talking about just being excited to actually go and play some football.
28:38And then there's the guy that's probably got more personality and he's the best interview in the entire NFL.
28:44George Kittle. I, I gotta be honest. I don't know how I feel about this.
28:49Remember Kittle. He's progressed. Well, he's kicking the guys coming off an Achilles injury.
28:53And I know that was a little light kick there, but anyone else just go.
28:58Is this really a good idea for Kittle? I'm gonna let you just digest that one for just a moment there.
29:05Some other news. The Atlanta Falcons. How about this?
29:07John Abraham, Bill Frelek will get honored the ring of honor October 11th.
29:12They're going to enter that the Falcons. They play Sunday night football against the Ravens that week.
29:17Seven Seasons Abraham, 68 and a half sacks, which right now recognized by the most in team history.
29:23Frelek, by the way, three consecutive all pro selections, including first team accolades in 86 and 87.
29:28Four straight trips to the pro bowl as a guard.
29:31Hannah McNair, currently the chief community officer and vice president of the Houston Texans Foundation, has been named co chair of the NFL's flag football committee.
29:40Certainly exciting as you see a lot of young players playing flag football around the country.
29:45And last time I checked, we're inside a week.
29:48Let's go. We got some football. It's a rematch of the Super Bowl.
29:52Drake Mays, Sam Darnold. Some really significant changes for both of these teams.
29:56Maybe the biggest from Sam's side of things in the Seattle Seahawks.
30:00We got a squad that is no longer got Clint Kubiak, who's now manning things with the Vegas Raiders.
30:06Keep in mind next week, we got you covered all week long.
30:10Fresh additions of the NFL report, not to mention on Wednesday game day preview.
30:14Me and Bucky Brooks getting you set for the matchup.
30:17You don't want to miss it at 730 Eastern time.
30:21Cannot wait for real football. I'm Brett Coleman. And I'm Trevor Sykema.
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