THE LEAGUE: Do NOT OVERREACT to THE PRESEASON

Summary

Buffalo Plus Podcast: "THE LEAGUE: Do NOT OVERREACT to THE PRESEASON"

Date: August 11, 2025
Hosts: Mike Catalana & Dan Fates (Jenna Cottrell on veteran day off)

---

Episode Overview

This episode is a lively, insightful exploration of the perennial tendency within NFL media, fans, and even some insiders to overreact to preseason performances. Mike and Dan dig into why these reactions can be so misleading, drawing on recent Bills action, rookie quarterback play across the league, and infamous cases from preseason past. They stress the importance of proper context and caution against letting a single August game alter expectations — for better or worse.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Overreactions to Preseason: Why Do We Do It?

• The Preseason Contradiction:
  The hosts Jokingly summarize fan logic:

  “Player you like, does well: ‘I told you he's awesome.’ Player you like does poorly: ‘Preseason doesn't matter, look who he was playing with.’ Player you don’t like does poorly: ‘I told you he sucks.’” – Mike Catalana ([00:13], [11:06])

• Hunger for Football Skews Perspective:
  “We're in desperate need of football being back because we treated week one of the preseason like it was real football.” – Dan Fates ([02:32])

• Sample Size and Context Matter:
  Citing young QBs such as Jackson Dart, Tyler Shough, Shedeur Sanders, and J.J. McCarthy, the hosts note how quickly a solid series turns into media hype.

  “You should be excited... But to go, ‘the Giants have their quarterback’ off one preseason game? What are we doing?” – Mike ([01:54])

• Preseason ≠ Regular Season:
  The hosts stress how performance against 2nd/3rd string defenses with little game planning doesn’t project to Sundays in September.

---

Media and Fan Hysteria

• National Voices Stir the Pot:
  “I turn on ESPN and I’m... hearing people say, ‘The Giants got themselves a quarterback.’... It’s the first preseason game.” – Mike ([01:50])

• Statistics and Grading Overvalued:
  “I'm still seeing PFF reports and grades about how good Deion Walker looked and TJ Sanders. ...I don't know how much I'm going to live and die by them after week one of the preseason.” – Dan ([10:21])

---

Individual Performances: What’s Really Valuable?

• Encouragement vs. Overreaction:
  “I'd rather have [a QB] do well and be encouraged ... but I don't understand why... we act like preseason results matter.” – Dan ([04:20])

• Using Preseason to Build Young QB Confidence:
  “A coach told me years ago, you want to make a young quarterback look good in the preseason... You do bootlegs, you do play actions, you set him up for success.” – Mike ([08:00])

• Shedeur Sanders Discussion:
  “He looked competent, but that doesn’t mean the quarterback controversy is over in Cleveland.” – Dan ([05:37])
  “Dan Orlovsky... said it best: ‘I think Shedeur earned the right to get more time with ones and twos.’ That’s the way it works on an NFL team.” – Mike ([05:49])

---

The Reality of NFL Preseason Preparation

• Minimal Game Planning:
  “Sean McDermott was asked, if zero is nothing and 10 is Super Bowl, where are you in preseason game planning? He said, ‘Somewhere between 0 and 1.’” – Dan ([11:49])

• Preseason is for Individual Evaluation:
  “The preseason is about the individual. How does this guy look in this setting? ...The regular season is all about the team.” – Mike ([15:34])

• Coaches Want Health, Not Wins:
  “No matter what happens here, the only goal is no injuries.” – Dan ([10:27])

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Ross Tucker’s Preseason Evaluation Guide:
  “Player you like, does well: ‘I told you he’s awesome.’ Player you like, does poorly: ‘Preseason doesn’t matter, look who he was playing against.’ Player you don’t like, does poorly: ‘I told you, he sucks.’” – Repeated by Mike, originally from Ross Tucker ([11:06])

• Jackson Dart’s Self-Assessment Brings Gen Z Flavor:
  “I did love that Dart said his play was ‘mid’.” – Mike ([06:45])

• Caution vs. Excitement:
  “Be excited and then move on. Move on because the regular season’s coming. Then we can overreact. Then—” – Mike ([26:40])
  “First game win, I will be riding shotgun on the overreaction bus.” – Dan ([26:54])

---

Examples from Bills Preseason and League History

• Josh Allen’s Preseason Struggles, EJ Manuel’s Preseason Stardom:
  “Do you know who didn’t play well in the preseason? Josh Allen. … Do you know who did? EJ Manuel.” – Mike ([01:41])

• Preseason Misleading for Teams, Too:
  “The Bears ... game-planned, took the Bills apart. ...What happened? They didn't have a good year. Fire the coach, change everything. And the Bills are a whisker from the Super Bowl.” – Mike ([13:15])

• Veteran Health Observations as Takeaways:
  “[Encouraged] by how healthy and fast Matt Milano looks.” – Mike ([18:32])

---

Broader NFL Discussion: QB Rankings

• Mike Sando’s Athletic QB Rankings:

  • Top 4: Mahomes, Burrow, Allen, Lamar (order varies)
  • Not much debate at the top: “I think Allen—You can make a case for any one of them to be one.” – Dan ([19:58])
  • Jaden Daniels’ rookie year praised above CJ Stroud’s: “I thought Daniels absolutely carried that team.” – Mike ([21:44])
  • Herbert and Goff are “the most confusing” to Dan ([22:19])
  • “Jalen Hurts ... I would have him ahead of Herbert, I’d have him ahead of Goff and Stroud ... been tremendous in the playoffs, big moments ... Also adds the running element.” – Mike ([23:01])

• Russell Wilson’s Decline:

  “These last two years have tainted so much of what an underrated career was in Seattle.” – Dan ([27:45])

---

Hall of Fame & Bills Legacy Discourse

• On Dion Dawkins as Hall of Fame Candidate:
  “Nope. He doesn’t have an All-Pro. … But he’ll have his number retired in Buffalo.” – Dan ([28:53])

• Why All-Pro Status Matters:
  “You have to be elite elite. That all-pro status really does make a big difference.” – Mike ([29:54])

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Setting Up the Episode (Avoiding Preseason Overreactions):
  [00:13] – [01:36]
• Young QB Performances and Media Hormesis:
  [01:36] – [06:00]
• The “Preseason Doesn’t Matter (but also, it does)” Debate:
  [03:59] – [10:05]
• Ross Tucker’s Preseason ‘Guide’:
  [10:46] – [11:18]
• Sean McDermott on Game Planning:
  [11:46] – [12:09]
• Bills Preseason vs. Regular Season Lessons:
  [13:05] – [14:53]
• Why Coaches Play Starters/Don’t in Preseason:
  [14:53] – [16:47]
• QB Rankings & Evaluation:
  [19:35] – [25:46]
• Russell Wilson, Hall of Fame, & Dion Dawkins:
  [27:17] – [29:54]
• Wrap-up & Key Takeaway:
  [26:40] – [30:20]

---

Episode Tone and Final Takeaway

Mike and Dan keep the mood witty but serious, regularly poking fun at themselves and football media while delivering experienced, measured analysis. The ultimate message is clear:

“Be excited [about preseason breakout players], and then move on. … Then the regular season’s coming—then we can overreact.” – Mike Catalana ([26:40])

For those who didn’t tune in, the pod offers permission to enjoy preseason football—but not to let it warp expectations for September.

---

Transcript

[Dan Fates]

Mr. Gekko, you're a huge inspiration to us all. But who was your muse? My dear old nan. She would tell me, always remember to be true to yourself and to use.

[Mike Catalana]

That fast and friendly claim support on the Geico app. I follow her advice to this day.

[Dan Fates]

Get more than just savings.

[Mike Catalana]

Get more with Geico. Player you like, does well. Quote, I told you he's awesome. Player you like doesn't do well. Preseason doesn't matter. Look who he was playing against. Player you like does poorly. Preseason doesn't matter. Look who he's playing with. Play. Player you don't like does poorly. I told you he sucks.

[Dan Fates]

What? What are we doing? It's the preseason.

[Mike Catalana]

Hey everybody. Welcome to Buffalo plus with the league podcast. Mike Catalana along with Dan Fates, Jannat Cotrell with a veteran day off, please make sure to like, comment and subscribe. The league brought to you by Stellar Roofing windows and Siding. We thank Stellar for being with us on the league podcast. Now we cover the Buffalo Bills, but we pay attention to the entire league. And sometimes, Dan, those things come together. We got a chance to be in Orchard park this week to see the Bills playing a few of their starters and the Giants playing a few, too, and then mixing it up and got to see a young quarterback. And I said to you as we were talking about the league this week, I said, I'm encouraged by young quarterbacks and seeing them play well and taking the next step.

[Dan Fates]

And then what did we also talk about? Do you know who didn't play well in the preseason?

[Mike Catalana]

Josh Allen.

[Dan Fates]

Do you know who did?

[Mike Catalana]

EJ Manual. I mean, back in the Bill's days. And I'm talking about early in the preseason. The reason I say this is, Dan, we got to watch Jackson Dart look good, played well. Yes, I think that's great. I think it's great for the Giants. I think it's great for the league when a young player looks well. But I turn on ESPN and I'm not talking about fans who are excited. They should be excited, Dan. I'm turning on ESPN and I'm here, people. Legitimate people in this league going, one thing we know now, the Giants got themselves a quarterback and I'm thinking you might. Yeah, it's the first preseason game. What are we doing to these young guys?

[Dan Fates]

What are we doing?

[Mike Catalana]

What are we doing to them by overhyping them with such a small sample size in the circumstances that they played?

[Dan Fates]

Yeah, we obviously know that we're in desperate need of football being back because we treated week one of the preseason like it was real football like that. That was the discussion of where it's over. You always talk about it's panic. Was it overreaction and panic. Either you win or you panic.

[Mike Catalana]

Win or panic.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

That's the NFL on the preseason.

[Dan Fates]

The preseason. But. But I feel like we are having a little bit of this. You know, you're so hungry for football when you're. You're talking about these games and these players as if they showed out on Monday night in a playoff game.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah. And I don't want to take anything away from him. We're going to talk about a few of those guys. It's Jackson Dart, you know, it's Tyler Shoff. It's Shador Sanders. Right. And we got a good look at JJ McCarthy, at least a decent look at him. I know he's not a rookie technically, but he didn't play last year. But in this case, Dan, when I talk about these players, I'm not talking about looking at that game and saying, hey, he looked good. He did this well and that well.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

I'm talking about taking that and extrapolating. That's close.

[Dan Fates]

Extrapolating.

[Mike Catalana]

I thought I was extrapolate. Oh, God, we're in trouble.

[Dan Fates]

Where's Gentleman?

[Mike Catalana]

We need us over a period of time.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Not just to say the guy looked pretty good. I think that's unfair to the player because they have enough pressure on them without thinking that one game against the twos and the threes.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Really means what you could do when it gets to the regular season.

[Dan Fates]

It's hard to put into context. And I know we all say it what bothers me. And the quarterback play is the highest thing that we talk about. And it's. It's what every network talks about. And it gets. Goes through with the most fine tooth comb. But it is universally accepted that the preseason does not matter, that you do not care about the final score.

[Mike Catalana]

Right.

[Dan Fates]

It's kind of what we've talked about on other podcasts. But then at the same time, I do think there's some truth to individual stats. And we're going to talk about these quarterbacks. I. I would rather have them do well. Yes. And be encouraged than if. If Jackson Dart fell on his face and went 0 for 11 and you'd go, oh, boy. Like all this stuff. But I don't understand why. I feel like 95% of the football fans understand, like preseason, the results don't matter.

[Mike Catalana]

You.

[Dan Fates]

You do things that you wouldn't normally do. End of game situations, all that stuff. You have Brian D. Calling timeouts with nine seconds left to ice the kicker, you know, at the end of a half, all that stuff. But then I'm also seeing not only the overreaction to the quarterbacks, Mike, it's the overreaction to Bills can't defend a screen pass.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

It's, hey, Bills can't get off the field on third down. It's like, so you don't care about the score, but you're going to care about the team statistics. And like I said, some of this stuff is a product of, like you said, going against twos and threes, going against guys that will not be in the NFL. The Shadour Sanders one is fascinating because I think that there was, if it makes. There was a low bar, like because he was a fifth round pick. It was like he's going to go out there and fall on his face. And he didn't. He looked competent. But that doesn't mean that all of a quarterback controversy's over in Cleveland. It's. It's Jador's world now. It's like it was a preseason game, guys.

[Mike Catalana]

I think Dan Orlovsky on ESPN said it best. He was talking about Shador, friend of the channel. He is. And he said, I think Shador earned the right to get more time with ones and twos.

[Dan Fates]

Yep.

[Mike Catalana]

Totally agree. That's the way it works on an NFL team. I could also tell you that I believe coaches, smart coaches, and Brian D. Knows how to coach quarterbacks when he has one.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

And he had one in Buffalo and maybe he's got one now.

[Dan Fates]

Yep.

[Mike Catalana]

I think early on he wants to see the guy have confidence. He sets up the plays they call, what they do with the offensive line, how they get him into space, how they accentuate what he does. Well, that's giving some confidence. And then he's going to make a mistake and D's going to get after him.

[Dan Fates]

Right.

[Mike Catalana]

Because that's what good coaching is. This is a nice step for him. I, by the way, I did love that Dart said his play was mid.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

And D, I don't. I think he knew it because maybe from his kids.

[Dan Fates]

He did. He did know it.

[Mike Catalana]

He did know it. But then he said 6, 7, 8 or 7. Is it this?

[Dan Fates]

We're. This is not.

[Mike Catalana]

Well, this is even beyond you. I asked my stepdaughter and she was like, yeah, I don't like that phrase. But she knew exactly what it meant. And he brought it out for the media, which is.

[Dan Fates]

And the media asked and they're like, did you know that you made this reference and he's like, yep, I knew you guys wouldn't get it cuz D's the best.

[Mike Catalana]

He is.

[Dan Fates]

I also think part of this too is maybe this is too far. Not conspiracy, but looking into it, they are, they are in a hot seat. Yeah. Okay, so if Jackson Dart goes out there in the first preseason game and lays an absolute egg, that is going to be talked about very negatively and heavily in the New York media. So I think maybe there's a little bit because there was a lot of play action. There was more than what felt like just base offense. Like there felt like there was a. On the Sean McDermott scale of 0 to 10, there may have been a 2 for game planning for Dart to make sure that this rookie got off to a decent start in the eyes of the league.

[Mike Catalana]

And I think that's great. And I think that's smart coaching. And I had a coach tell me years ago, you want to make a young quarterback look good in the preseason. You do bootlegs, you do play actions, you set him up for success. I agree with all that. I just wish the smart people in the NFL, and I understand sometimes it's for clicks and it's big. When you say they got themselves a quarterback and fans get excited and they should be excited about a young quarterback, I just want to say pump the brakes a little bit. I mean, Josh Allen, we've gotten a chance to watch him in training camp in the preseason in Buffalo when he was the third string quarterback.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

And then he was the backup for the opening game. And then they realized how bad the other guy was. And Josh has been the starter ever since. And his first really two years was a, was a typical Josh Allen roller coaster.

[Dan Fates]

Absolutely.

[Mike Catalana]

You saw the talent, but it took a while and that was with Brian Dable. And I just, I know we're never going to have patience with these guys. My concern is that they'll go the other way on them as young players right away. Be like, oh boy, go ahead, do it. Who am I going to replace?

[Dan Fates]

Go ahead. Who are you going to rip?

[Mike Catalana]

I'm not.

[Dan Fates]

You're going to do it?

[Mike Catalana]

No, no, not at all. I'm saying, say, say C.J. no, that's not what I meant. And I will get into that because there's a, there's another one of those quarterback lists. I will get to that. But I look at the young guys and I, you know, and I said, I do remember that EJ Manual game and people were excited and all and Shush, Right. Yes.

[Dan Fates]

In Cleveland, he. He shushed everybody.

[Mike Catalana]

But it's just a preseason game. Now, Shador Sanders, I think he's had a little chip on his shoulder. And that's a good thing.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

I mean, whatever the reasons are, you want to put some of the blame on him. Certainly you want to say teams missed on him. He's going to be out there to prove that they missed on him. And he looked the part, I will give him that in that game. Again, in the context of how the other team was playing, how everything was going in the game, I think individual.

[Dan Fates]

Stats can be good to look at in the preseason. A wide receiver goes out there, has a 100 yards, a running back goes out there, it has 70 yards and a touchdown. Like, hey, this guy has something.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

But to look at the result, the team score, the what the Bills can't, you know, now stop a screenplay. All these things like, what? What are we doing? It's the preseason. And it's so funny because in the big picture, everybody seems to have the context, like, hey, this it, it. No matter what happens here, the only goal is no injuries. Yeah, but then you're still breaking on film. I'm still seeing PFF reports in grades about. About how good Deion walker looked and T.J. sanders. It's like, I'm not saying that those aren't valuable. I'm saying, I don't know how much I'm going to live and die by them. After week one of the preseason, our.

[Mike Catalana]

Friend of the pod, Ross Tucker, was talking about preseason rankings, and he said, this is the preseason evaluation guide. Player you like, does well. Quote, I told you he's awesome. Player you like, doesn't do well. Preseason doesn't matter. Look who he was playing against.

[Dan Fates]

I love it.

[Mike Catalana]

Player you like, does poorly. Oh, preseason doesn't matter. Look who he's playing with. Player you don't like, does poorly. I told you, he sucks. So.

[Dan Fates]

Exactly. Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

And it's a little bit of that. I understand that. From a fan point of view, I guess I'm a little frustrated with some, especially, you know, I always like to say the national guys.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

And I know they're hype machines, but sometimes it's. I think it's unfair to the player. I want you to talk about. You've mentioned it. The Sean McDermott answer. Matt Bovet, friend of the pod, asked him the question about game planning.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah, because I think that gets lost in all of this. We know how much goes into coaching, all these things and the game plan they Talk about how long they've installed game plans during the regular season. And Matt Beauvais asked John McDermott, like, if zero is nothing and 10 is the super bowl, where are you? Or a regular season game, where are you? Game planning. And he said, it's somewhere in between 0 and 1.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

Like that is how little. And that is because they want the players to just play free. They don't want them thinking about assignments. It's just go out there and play free and fast. Like that, I think, is the most important thing. So that's where I can look at and say, hey, this wide receiver won some routes. That's great. Okay, let's zoom out a little bit more. Who is he going up against? Like, what. What team was he going up against? All of those kind of things. So. But to look at this and say the Bills can't, you know, why did they let dart escape? And I can't believe this throw. Like, relax on that.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

And again, we're also saying relax on the other side of the spectrum.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

Like this. This thought of a guy does great. Hey, man, Pro Bowler. Like, hey, hey, remember this guy that did this in the pro. You know, the preseason, it's all just pump the brakes a little bit. And again, I go into this. I said it last year, and I know it's. We are more Bill centric here, but, like, they looked awful against the Steelers, the offense.

[Mike Catalana]

How about the Bears?

[Dan Fates]

Also awful.

[Mike Catalana]

Awful. And last year, the Bears. Absolutely. Game plan for that game.

[Dan Fates]

Caleb hard knocks all this stuff.

[Mike Catalana]

And they took the Bills apart. He made a great throw and everybody was excited. What happened? They didn't have a good year. Fire the coach, change everything. And the Bills are a whisker from the Super Bowl. I'm not saying it has to be that disparate between the game and the other game, but a lot of overreaction to that and it. It elevated Caleb Williams a little bit.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Something that he was not able to replicate during the regular season.

[Dan Fates]

I don't know what the Bill's preseason record was last year. I don't know what it was the year before that. And I never know what the Bills.

[Mike Catalana]

Back in their old super bowl years, they would lose nearly every preseason game. Now it's a different world. I will tell you this. The old thinking was before, starters play a little. Starters play a half. Third game is the dress rehearsal where they play 3/4, where the quarterbacks at the helm. Fourth game at the helm. Such an only in journalism word. And then the fourth game, they. They either play a little or rest, guys. Yeah, those days are done.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Like, your starters are barely seeing the field. It's a limited amount of time. I know the Bengals got their guys out there. That's another one. They've gotten off to poor starts this season. Other seasons.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

So they played their starters against the Eagles in game one and Joe Burrow looked great. He went down the field twice, got touchdowns. I think that's great for them and their confidence. Joe Burrow is good.

[Dan Fates]

Very good.

[Mike Catalana]

We know that he's good.

[Dan Fates]

Can't confirm.

[Mike Catalana]

What does that do for them a month from now when they play their first game?

[Dan Fates]

I was thinking about that, too.

[Mike Catalana]

Like it's a month later.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. Like, there's some starters, obviously, that are going to rest and you're not going to see them, but they got some reps within the past calendar year on all of it.

[Mike Catalana]

I don't think Josh Allen needs snaps in the preseason. Don't think so. I just.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah, I agree with that because I think it's way more. What they want is the controlled environment in practice.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

That's where they want. Where they know he's safe and protected and can't get injured and they can simulate what they want him to work on.

[Mike Catalana]

I'm going back to preseason games. Bills, Packers. A few years ago, the Bills. Torch them. Played Josh all the way into the third. He lit them up.

[Dan Fates]

Week one, they stunk.

[Mike Catalana]

Terrible against the Steelers. Dunk, terrible. Yeah, I just don't see that. It always goes into that. I think the coaches look for what they really want. And I've said this line, the regular season is all about team. It's all about whatever it takes as a team to win. The game plan, how it works amongst all the players, how you're going to use them. The preseason is, like you said, is about the individual. How does this guy look in this setting? Can we set him up where he's alone on an island as a corner and is there. If you have your left tackle.

[Dan Fates]

Never happened in a game in the regular season.

[Mike Catalana]

Well, if you have your left tackle, you might say in the regular season, a young left tackle might be helping him. Yeah, we're going to see how he does.

[Dan Fates]

Yep.

[Mike Catalana]

We don't. And by the way, it's not our starting quarterback behind him, it's the backup. So I don't know. Maybe I'm. I go. Feel free to comment. Maybe you think I'm making too much of it. I just saw too many people who know better tweeting out to the world this guy looks like the real deal. This looks great. I'm like, it's all in bits and pieces and it's not the real NFL yet. Spring training heroes. You know where you find out, man, oh, my God. You know, this guy goes out and gives up three home runs and everybody's like. And he's like, yeah, I'm working on something. Yeah, I don't care.

[Dan Fates]

They told me I had to throw 13 changes ups.

[Mike Catalana]

Right.

[Dan Fates]

They're not great right now. So they got hammered. Okay. Like that. That's what it is.

[Mike Catalana]

So the context of knowing what it is, I think is important. But that idea of not game planning for the preseason I think makes total.

[Dan Fates]

Sense because why would you show your hand?

[Mike Catalana]

Well, you don't want to show anything. Right. What you would want to do. Now, that being said, I do think they go over things with players like, you're going to probably go up against this guy. And that if I'm a young player, I'm out there, I'm going to. I want to know who I'm going against. I want to see what we think he's going to do.

[Dan Fates]

Where I stepped up.

[Mike Catalana]

That's how you're going to get ready for a regular season.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

And that's where I think the veterans help the young players too. How to prepare. That starts in the preseason because there is a big adjustment when these guys go from college to the pros.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

When they better watch a lot of tape and the veterans can help them with that. And they will have cut ups of the other team. They will see what that player does.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

So when you're a young safety or a young corner or young wide receiver, you know you're probably going to go against this guy even in the preseason. That doesn't mean you don't do your individual work. It just means it's not scripted. Like. Well, the scripted word.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Some people get triggered by that. It's not scripted games, but it's. It's what the game is. It just plays out. It becomes less and less important as it goes along.

[Dan Fates]

Again, I just, I think about this as we're so hungry for football to be back. We're acting like this is real football and there's only a bit of it that is real. And to not overreact to what you're seeing, the grades. One rep doesn't make or break a person's career in the first preseason game.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah. When we watch those, like if you watch veterans, like Dan was saying, and we were saying watching the Bills, like encouraged by how healthy and fast Matt Milano looks. This is a guy who's been an all pro player.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

When he's healthy, he has been great. Very different, because you don't have to think what this guy could be. We already know what he's been if he has his health. There's a version of that that is out there. We have seen it. And the young players in general looked okay for the Bills. I've seen people say, wow, they're. These guys are going to be this. We have no. First of all, they're not as a block. Like, some guys are going to be good, some guys are not going to be good. That's the way it works out. You never hit on all of them. So it's okay to be encouraged. It just. You just got to pump the brakes on it.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah, I just. We need regular season football so that we can. We can overanalyze everything with the right.

[Mike Catalana]

Amount of intensity and then we can have our lists. So the latest one is out. And Dan's favorite thing is talking about the quarterback rankings.

[Dan Fates]

It is.

[Mike Catalana]

No, you hate it.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

You always say I hate it. So Mike Sando had the latest one. It's at the Athletic, and they interviewed all the coaches and GMs and whatever it is. And with this list, I don't really care. It ends up being Mahomesborough, Allen, Lamar. I don't really care what order you put them. I think Allen.

[Dan Fates]

Yes. I think you can make a case.

[Mike Catalana]

For any one of them to be one.

[Dan Fates]

Yep.

[Mike Catalana]

Right.

[Dan Fates]

Absolutely.

[Mike Catalana]

So in other lists, sometimes Josh Allen has been number one. Lamar has been number one.

[Dan Fates]

Burrows, the one. To me that is the most interesting because I remember saying it on the Buffalo plus podcast. Like, hey, when we were talking about MVP stuff, right? I go, if the Bengals find a way to sneak in, Joe Burrow is going to win the mvp because not only is that defense atrocious that he is playing with, but the numbers that he had to put up because of how bad they were was. Was crazy.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

Joe Burrow had a massive year last year and that I think kind of gets lost with the Bengals stinking as a team, but he was a monster.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah. Yeah, he put up great numbers. He does have pretty good wide receivers. Doesn't hurt in that case.

[Dan Fates]

Oh, are you one of the Philly guy? Don't do that. What's that like, where people talk about, like, ranking where you rank quarterbacks. Is that like people ding Jalen hurts for the fact that he has really good wide receivers?

[Mike Catalana]

No, but I. This is the point I was going to make. So Matt Stafford is fifth and he has had a great career.

[Dan Fates]

I personally, I don't know if he's five today.

[Mike Catalana]

You could say what's Matt Stafford had for him in LA? Sean McVeigh?

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Very good wide receivers. Like, he's had that. And he's been very good. And he won a Super Bowl. I. It's just he is a darling of the media. And this is coaches and gm.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Like he has been that guy. Jaden Daniels, I. I talked to you about C.J. stroud. So Jaden Daniels is sixth. C.J. stroud was ninth.

[Dan Fates]

Okay.

[Mike Catalana]

I thought Jaden Daniels rookie year was considerably better than C.J. stroud's rookie year. And Stroud was really good. I thought he was good. I thought Daniels absolutely carried that team.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah, C.J. did.

[Mike Catalana]

He was very good.

[Dan Fates]

C.J. had some of that moments too. And it was low expectations coming off of everything.

[Mike Catalana]

Right. I just thought Daniels was a different player. I would be surprised if he doesn't maintain. Stroud took a step back then they had some injuries. The two that get me there are seven and eight. It's Herbert and Goff.

[Dan Fates]

Herbert's the. The most confusing one of all.

[Mike Catalana]

He is great numbers.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Looks great throwing the ball. Great head of lettuce. Got all that going on for him.

[Dan Fates]

I feel like we're past like the knowing what Justin Herbert could. Everybody's like this arm talent. He's got Stafford's arm, he's got Josh Allen's arm.

[Mike Catalana]

And the numbers, it all looks good.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. And he's.

[Mike Catalana]

This is. Was atrocious in the playoffs.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. I mean, I'm not going the postseason route because that's been bad. But he. He is kind of like the Philip Rivers. Like, it all looks when you look on paper. It looks something different than what I see with my eyes.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah. And then you have. Jalen Hurts is tied at ninth. I just would put Hertz. I would have Hertz like seventh. I would have him ahead of Herbert, I would have him ahead of Goff and I would have him ahead of Stroud in part because when you're going to judge a quarterback. Yeah, he's been tremendous in the playoffs. Big moments. Also adds the running element to it. And we talk about the roster.

[Dan Fates]

You mean outdoor Mahomes in both Super Bowls.

[Mike Catalana]

Really? And we talk about the roster and their roster is great. So is Baltimore Ravens. And I love Lamar as a player.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

He has not been great in the playoffs.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

So sometimes you add those things in and I Think the guy who is way too low on this list is 11 is Baker. Mayfield. I think Baker. I would take Baker ahead of golf and ahead of Stroud and ahead of Herbert.

[Dan Fates]

Golf is such an interesting.

[Mike Catalana]

I like golf, too. He's a very good player.

[Dan Fates]

It's just so interesting because of you don't trade away franchise quarterbacks. So it's almost like, okay, well, he's not a franchise quarterback. But then he plays well in that system. He's got a lot of things going for him around on that offense. I think this will be a big year to see the change. They lost Dominic Raiola, their center, who. Who retired. So, like, that's a big change.

[Mike Catalana]

He lost Ben Johnson. Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

I mean, he's got really good. He's got a great left tackle, things like that. So it's. It's just an interesting thing because he, to me, is like at times the opposite of Justin Herbert, where it doesn't look good, but he puts up some. Some nice numbers and. Right. Has. Again, it's been a short sample size, but he went to a Super bowl with LA and Sean McVay and all these things. It is an interesting. Where it's like the Wave that has been Jared Goff where it's like, okay, he's really good coming out, first overall pick. Then he stinks. They trade him away and now all of a sudden it's like, hey, Goff and the Lions again are a juggernaut. The Ben Johnson thing is going to be a big. A big watch for me to see how that Lions offense, who lost, Lions team in general, losing both coordinators is massive.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah, I think so, too. Look, this is just to have a little bit of fun because these are players. We have seen Dak at 12. Yeah. Dak at 12, but he has been hurt. Jordan Love at 13, Brock Purdy at 14. Again, it depends on how they are. They are perceived. The top guys are really. The top guys are usually really, really judged by the ultimate goal.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

And of those top four, only Burrows made it to a Super Bowl.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah, Mahomes.

[Mike Catalana]

Well, obviously Mahomes. I meant of those. Yes, Burrows. Mahomes is the given.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

And then only, you know, and so that has been what has been. It has been so dominated by, you know, Mahomes and then. And then Brady before that, that it's.

[Dan Fates]

Not even in the top 14.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah, I. Yeah, it's tough. He's. He's going to need a big year to move back up the rankings.

[Dan Fates]

We were joking around at training camp, like, two is Going to make two of fits. Him moving on and playing in, like, Arizona and being fine.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

And being a solid quarterback in Arizona where nobody really cares.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah, well, it's kind of that way in Miami.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

I mean, but now he'll. By the way, the backup there. That guy also looked good in the preseason. Zach Wilson.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

Back when he was with the Jets.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

Like, hey, we got ourselves something here with the jets.

[Dan Fates]

So I'm over. Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Yes. Just take it for what it is. Be excited and then move on. Move on because the regular season's coming. Then we can overreact. Then.

[Dan Fates]

We're allowed to overreact.

[Mike Catalana]

You are free to overreact.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

First game win.

[Dan Fates]

I will be riding panic. I will be riding shotgun on the overreaction bus.

[Mike Catalana]

All right, well, that's going to do it for us. And we want your comments. We want to know exactly what you think. You may say you think Jackson Dart is the man. He's going to take over as the start. By the way, if I was the Giants, I get him in there. Starting prefect. I don't want to watch Russell Wilson. You saw Russ come out on the field. Oh, my gosh.

[Dan Fates]

Come on. Like, literally, after we've, like, talked about, like, the preseason, like, Josh came out and did the preseason, he's like, hey, guys, fly around out there. Have some fun. Cheer on the sidelines like that. And Russ is like, this is our moment. This is what we've worked for. We got this. We're. We're ready for this. Prepare. You're like, oh, my gosh. I just couldn't, like. And it's funny, we were talking about, we did this thing. We were on the sidelines and we were doing super bowl or not. Like, is this. Or is this guy a Hall of Famer or not?

[Mike Catalana]

Okay.

[Dan Fates]

And so he did a bunch of these things, and Russ was one of the guys that got brought up. And it's so interesting to think about. These last two years have tainted so much of what an underrated career was in Seattle. Like, he's never received an MVP vote, but he was so good with Seattle in those super bowl runs. And yeah, he had the legion of boom. That was like a big part of it. But it's just so weird to see what Russell Wilson has turned into.

[Mike Catalana]

His numbers and his history are very similar to what Jalen hurts is. Two Super Bowls, one close one, a win. The numbers are good. Had a very good team around him. All that's the same. Personality wise, they are 180 degree difference. They're not the same. And Hertz is still only 26 years old. But that's where Russ was.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

With a couple of Super Bowls and a win and all those things, the trajectory was hall of Fame. I think he's going to be certainly in the mix because he's won a. Won a championship and been to two in terms of Russ, but just a little bit different.

[Dan Fates]

And the one thing we were talking about was just quickly how he started. The topic was Dion Dawkins. And so he was like, oh, could Deon Dawkins be a Hall of Famer? And I was like, nope. And it's because he doesn't have an All Pro, which is something I know he very much wants. I think he was 42 in the NFL.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

Top 100 this year. So that's a big plus for Deion. He's got four Pro Bowls. Like, that's great. All these things. But when you think about the best tackles in football in Deion's career, it's Trent Williams. It's Lane.

[Mike Catalana]

Lane Johnson.

[Dan Fates]

Lane Johnson. And then you also have like the guys now that are coming up after him.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

Are Joe Alt, Panay Sewell. Like, he's a really, really. He should be. He will have his number retired in Buffalo, as he should be. He will be a ring of honor in Buffalo. But every single year, you know, Trent Williams and Lane Johnson are winning all Pros. And that is what I think gets you hall of Famers.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah. And it's. You have to be elite. Elite. And those. You're right. That all pro status really does make a big difference in those positions.

[Dan Fates]

It's interesting, that. Interesting dynamic.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah. But to even be in the mix tells you you're a hell of a player.

[Dan Fates]

Hell of a player.

[Mike Catalana]

But it's that other notch usually. I mean, it would.

[Dan Fates]

Deon would have an electric hall of Fame speech.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah. He'll probably make one anyhow.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Be good for him.

[Dan Fates]

Draft cars.

[Mike Catalana]

That's going to do it for us. Thanks for watching. Make sure you comment. We'll be commenting on the league all season long. For Dan Fates, I'm Mike Catalana. Jenna Cottrell with a veteran day off. And thank you to stellar roofing, windows and siding for being our sponsor. And we will see you next time on the Buffalo plus channel, presented by.

[Dan Fates]

Connors and Ferris Sam.