Latest news with #InsideCoverage
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Will Aaron Rodgers put Pittsburgh over the top?
Will Aaron Rodgers put Pittsburgh over the top? | Inside Coverage Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz, Charles Robinson and Frank Schwab decide what type of impact the 42-year old quarterback will have with the Steelers. Hear the full conversation on 'Inside Coverage' - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript Aaron Rodgers, to the Pittsburgh Steelers see Rob, does that move the needle? Advertisement Does that suddenly take Pittsburgh and put them over the top to you? If it's healthy, Aaron Rodgers, if it's, um, a guy who did look healthier the second half of the 2024 season with the New York Jets, I would say yes. I think it is an upgrade over Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. I think Arthur Smith wants to coach Aaron Rodgers. It lays everything to rest in terms of if there's a question or not. There's not. They got their guy. If for a season, they're gonna figure out if this ultimately works. So I do think it moves the needle. In terms of certainty inside the franchise. There's no more questions. Either he works or he doesn't, but he's not going anywhere. Advertisement You know, you have your quarterback at the very least that gives the Steelers a chance to put their best foot forward, come training camp. There's been 4 instances in NFL history of quarterbacks 42 years old or more, throwing 100 passes in a season and putting up a rating of over 76.6, which is really bad, right? 76.6% is terrible. These are the four instances in NFL history of that happening. 2019 Tom Brady, 2020 Tom Brady, 2021, Tom Brady in 2022, Tom Brady. OK, maybe one guy was the outlier. Maybe just one guy can do this. And we're asking Aaron Rodgers to be basically the second 42-year-old quarterback in 105 seasons of NFL history to to do this. Advertisement I don't know that that's really feasible. I will say this though, this He went 10 and 7 last year at Russell Wilson. Is Eric Rodgers really gonna be worse than Russell Wilson was last year? Probably not. So I, I assume you have to say the upsides higher than 10 wins, but ultimately, at the end of the day, that age curve at quarterback is real. Every other quarterback other than Tom Brady in NFL history going back to 1920 has been either washed or retired. And I don't know that I'm willing to bet on Aaron Rodgers being the second dude, so I will say no, I don't think this works out really well for the Steelers. Advertisement I think Aaron Rodgers is gonna be fine. I think the Steelers are gonna be fine. And then we're going to get to the end of the day and say, was, was this all really worth it? But we all this hype, all these headlines, all the weight, all the, was it really worth it to go 88 and 1? I, I don't know, maybe.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Garafolo on latest between QB Kirk Cousins, Falcons 'GMFB'
Will Kirk Cousins play for the Falcons - or start anywhere - in 2025? | Inside Coverage Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz, senior NFL reporter Charles Robinson and senior NFL writer Frank Schwab discuss the quarterback's no-show to organized team activities on Tuesday and what it means for his future in Atlanta or elsewhere in the league. Hear the full conversation on 'Inside Coverage' - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Is Detroit's Super Bowl window closing already?
Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz is joined by NFL writer Frank Schwab look at the Lions place in the highly-competitive NFC North after Detroit's OL centerpiece Frank Ragnow retires. Hear the full conversation on 'Inside Coverage' - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript If you had to bet your house today on the Lions or the field in the NFC North. Advertisement Who would you bet? I, I think I'd take the Lions still, because there's flaws in the other teams, right? Like, but there's flaws in the Lions now too, so I think I'd take the I was pretty confident last year, yeah, Lions, Lions are gonna win that division. Now I'm like, well, uh, I, I think the Lions, like, you know, that's, that's the difference. When you lose a four-time Pro Bowl center? Like, yeah, I would stuff like, would you lose an offensive genius, who who is your offensive coordinator and He led the league in points last year. When you have, I believe it's the 2nd toughest schedule in the NFL projected. Advertisement I mean, this is, these are the things that kind of add up and I'm not saying the Lions can't win a Super Bowl, they certainly can. They, they have one of the best rosters in the NFL still. There's no question about that. They're gonna get their defense healthy, but it just, I, I, I worry, I worry for, you know, I have Lions fans, friends, and I worry that they're gonna 10 years down the road, they're gonna be looking back at those two playoff games and saying. Man, that was it. That was our shot, and we let it pass. I mean this is how quick it could change in the NFL. Who would you take, lines of the field? Advertisement I would take the field. I'll take the field. Uh, here's the other thing. Remember a few years ago, now the AFC West looks like it's gonna be very good, but a few years ago, everybody was sitting there saying, oh man, the AFC West is gonna be great, and it turned out to be a year where the, the, everybody but the Chiefs stun, right? Like we all remember that. I'm not so sure I'm ready to buy the NFC North hype this year to the same level as anybody else. If I'm being fair about the yeah buts that every team has, like, it is easy for me to say, OK, the Lions are great. Yeah, but they're replacing two coordinators, part of their offensive line. Advertisement I'm not sure what it's gonna look like in a bunch of positional coaches. Uh, the Vikings are gonna be great. Yeah, but we have no idea what JJ McCarthy actually looks like on the field. Like none. We have zero proof of concept on a rookie quarterback, essentially, uh, when it comes to the fact that we haven't seen him play any meaningful football. So it's easy for me to say, uh, I, I've been long on the, are we sure about Jordan Love Trane? And so now I'm sitting there saying, I mean, Uh, maybe with the Packers, and then it's super easy for me to say Ben Johnson's never been a head coach before. We don't know if all of this is going to gel together for the, the, the Bears. Advertisement I just, I, I don't know. Like, yes, I could easily see where all four of those teams are epic, incredible, and, and it's absolutely a joy to watch every Sunday. I could also see where this division sort of implodes and all of these teams are sitting here saying, man, this was supposed to be our year. Like I, I think there's a pretty easy case. If you're a Packers fan, it's easy to fault the rest of the division. If you're a Bears fan, it's easy to fault the rest of the division. At some point, you got to put that mirror at yourself and realize that if every single fan base within a division can find a massive reason that they don't think the other teams are gonna be great, I think there is a little bit of a pause for concern that the NFC North might be getting a little bit more praise right now than it deserves.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Are Lamar Jackson and the Ravens poised to win a Super Bowl this season?
Are Lamar Jackson and the Ravens poised to win a Super Bowl this season? | Inside Coverage Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz and Frank Schwab discuss the outlook for Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens this upcoming season. Hear the full conversation on 'Inside Coverage' - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript Uh, Ravens, I'm repeat. Advertisement I'm, I'm a lot of repeats on this because I'm, I'm repeat on the Ravens. I thought they were going to be a Super Bowl contender last year. I think they're gonna be a Super Bowl contender again this year. I don't think that's that complicated. Like I just, the Ravens are in that conversation of top 3 or 4 teams in the league. I, you know what, it's hard to do this because we're both high on the Ravens last year, right? And they played really great. I'm gonna say rise on the Ravens because I don't think, I don't think they're a Super Bowl contender. I think they're your Super Bowl champions this year. I think this Ravens team is ready to go win a Super Bowl. Advertisement When you look at how well they played late last year, uh, yes, they blew it against Buffalo, good team, like there's no shame in losing a Buffalo in the playoffs on the road. I think this team is gonna make sure they don't have those weird losses that they had early last year, like to your Raiders. I think this team. Just takes care of business from day one. I look at this team as like a 1415 win type of team. Uh look, if you, again, pro football focus grades, the number one quarterback in the league last year, pro football focus was Lamar Jackson, the number one running back in the league last year from from their grades was Derrick Henry. Advertisement They have a dynamic duo that we've rarely seen. And yes, Derrick Henry's getting up there in Asia, but why would I bet against him now? He just keeps, he's he's made of steel. He's just different than everybody else. Derrick Henry is still a beast. Lamar Jackson deserved to be MVP last year. I think he's gonna play at that exact same level this year. He's one of the greatest quarterbacks I've ever seen. The defense came, it improved by leaps and bounds in the second half last year. I think they carry that over. I trust John Harbaugh. This is my Super Bowl pick. I believe the Ravens will be the best team in the NFL this year, and I believe Lamar Jackson will finally win a Super Bowl.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What does Aaron Rodgers signing mean for Mike Tomlin?
What does Aaron Rodgers signing mean for Mike Tomlin? | Inside Coverage Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz and Frank Schwab break down the implications of Aaron Rodgers signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers and what it could mean for the narrative surrounding head coach Mike Tomlin. Hear the full conversation on 'Inside Coverage' - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript You know, frankly, in my mind, even if Aaron Rodgers is the best version of, of what Aaron Rodgers has left, I think he's the 3rd best quarterback in his own division. Advertisement And I'm sitting here trying to figure out what it means for Mike Tomlin because this is what Schefty tweeted out to me. This is part of Schefty's tweet. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin loomed large in the entire situation. Tomlin was a drawing card for Rodgers and was happy to work within Rodgers' timeline. He's a major reason Rodgers will be a Steeler. Well, now, let's look at the fact that the fan base has started their own hand. ringing over Mike Tomlin year in and you're out because he never has a winning record or never has a losing record, but he also doesn't stack playoff wins anymore, right? Advertisement Like this narrative has gotten louder and louder. Now what we get out of this is Aaron Rodgers was the handpicked guy that he wanted on this one year deal and was willing to live within this timeline. Is it not fair to question if Rogers comes in and he stinks and the Steelers' season goes off the rails, this has to be some sort of a nail in the coffin for Mike Tomlin in some ways, doesn't it? Yes and no. I mean, I could see if it's a total disaster scenario. They go 4 and 13 or something like that. Rodgers retires in November, like whatever. But worst case scenario you can come up with, I suppose. But I just don't think the Steelers view it that way. Advertisement I think the Steelers very comfortable with Mike Tomlin. They've had plenty of chances to fire him and and they haven't. Uh, yes, the fans might be antsy, but the ownership never really has been. I don't know, but what do you think? Like, do you see this changing the narrative here for Tomlin? That's the thing. I don't think Mike Tomlin should be fired no matter what happens this season. I think he's a Hall of Fame level coach and most teams would line up to get him to be their head coach. That being said, if this fails, I do think that will increase some sort of the negative narrative that's around Mike Tomlin. Advertisement Both those things can be true because I always thought there'd be this buffer, like, hey, you know what, Aaron Rodgers was the best scenario that we could get out of this. It is what it is. We're going to address quarterback when we find the right one. We did want to. I can buy all of those excuses. But when you turn around and you're shifty and you're reporting that, you know, Tomlin was comfortable with this timeline, and Tomlin really was a big part of what made it happen. Well, now you lose any plausible deniability, right? So if this doesn't work, I do think that that has to live at the feet of Mike Tomlin. Advertisement Like at some point, you have to acknowledge as a franchise, you've never been able to replace Big Ben. And if you simply can't replace Big Ben, then you do have to look at the entire organization and ask, why not? Yeah, and I mean, especially Tomlin kind of stood on the table as it sounds like he might have for Rogers and was willing to work around this, but I, I also give him a pass because what other option did he have? Like, this was just boy, like, yeah, I guess they could have tried to trade for Kirk Cousins, but I don't think that's any better and and it would have cost you a draft pick and and money, more money than probably Rogers gonna get. Advertisement So I, I don't know, I, I just, I get what you mean now. What what about, I mean. Will we look at this the same if Sam Darnold absolutely crushes it this offseason? If Geno Smith absolutely crushes it this next season. If those two quarterbacks turn around and have a big year, they were easily attainable for Pittsburgh. So I'm with you. There wasn't a better. In the draft, when I covered it for us, I said that loudly. There wasn't a great option for the Steelers at quarterback in the draft. But if, if either of those guys I mentioned goes off this year, then you do have to look at the Steelers and say, hmm, you sure you were comfortable with Aaron Rodgers?
