Just Win, Baby!
Long-time Raiders fan, Yahoo Sports and Fox Sports Radio host Jason Fitz made another appearance on GoJo and Golic on Wednesday to talk about the Raiders’ recent win over the Ravens, the benching of Bryce Young and his surprise team through two weeks of the NFL season.
Shots were fired early when Mike Golic Jr. sarcastically introduced Fitz as an undrafted player. Fitz was baffled by the comparison and of course quick to point out that GoJo was also undrafted following his time at Notre Dame, while GoJo doubled down by asking if he was wrong, stating, “You’re like me, brother. No one decided to call your name during the draft, so live with it.” Fitz swiftly responded with, “You’re like me, brother. Neither one of us got any real snaps in the NFL.”
Fitz follows up by jokingly stating he will defer to Mike Golic Sr. during the segment since he HAS taken meaningful snaps in the NFL. Additionally, he acknowledged how he played as a Senior in the classic Tecmo Bowl video game back in the day. Senior, adding to the nostalgia, expressed that he was a sack master in Tecmo Bowl and even went as far as to try to re-negotiate his contract based on his Tecmo Bowl stats. Spoile alert: It didn’t work.
Getting serious, GoJo shifted the conversation to Fitz’s beloved Las Vegas Raiders, asking if the Gardner Minshew-led Silver and Black can sustain success after their win over the Baltimore Ravens. Fitz immediately affirmed that what is happening with the Raiders has nothing to do with Minshew. Additionally, he spotlighted that the vital issue with the Raiders’ has been their offensive line, stating that it has been atrocious. They have not been able to run the football, and when Minshew drops back to pass, the pocket collapses more often than they would want. Fitz believes the real story is about Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and how he utilized tight end Brock Bowers and Davante Adams down the stretch. Even though they have been able to win by passing the ball to Bowers in the slot and to Adams outside, it is not sustainable without a run game. It has become clear that the Raiders will be limited if they cannot run the ball.
GoJo also sought out Fitz’s input on the state of the Baltimore Ravens, who seem to have received a mulligan for their Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs down the stretch. However, against the Raiders, the Ravens lost the lead late. Ultimately, Fitz believes some of the blame has to fall upon offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who persisted in throwing the ball instead of utilizing the dominant rushing prowess of Derrick Henry. Further, Fitz observed that because of the Ravens’ offensive shortcomings, much pressure was put on the Ravens’ defense to save the day.
Meanwhile in Carolina, the Panthers‘ decision to bench Bryce Young has been a decision that several people have critiqued, putting most of the responsibility on the organization for mismanaging Young. Further, the successes of former Panthers signal callers Sam Darnold with the Vikings and Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay amplifies the Panthers’ issues and culpability.
Fitz offered the perspective that some blame must be on Young. The primary issue everyone pointed out when he was going through the draft process was his inability to identify the blitz and communicate with the offensive line. However, he hoped the coaches would build a strategic plan around Young’s strengths in his second year. Fitz further noted that Young’s situation in Carolina is a testament to not criticizing quarterbacks for being selective in who they get drafted by, a la Eli Manning, because it is clear that getting drafted by the wrong team can ruin your career. Ultimately, Senior believes that Young will get a second chance and rebound from his experience in Carolina, given he is a former top draft pick.
Watch or listen to the full show below and tune into GoJo and Golic weekday mornings from 8-10 a.m. ET on DraftKings Network! See more about how to watch DraftKings Network here.
SHOW BREAKDOWN
Hour 1: Dolphons Put Tua on Injury Reserve, Tomlin & Other Impressive NFL Coaches + Tennessee’s 10% Talent Fee
Hour 2: Rashid Shaheed, Saints WR, on Derek Carr and Beating the Cowboys + Jason Fitz on the KC Chiefs & the Benched Bryce Young
VIDEO
Watch GoJo and Golic every weekday on Samsung TV Plus, Roku, Xumo Play, Google TV and DraftKingsNetwork.com from 8 to 10 a.m. ET. The show is also available via audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also follow Mike Golic Sr. on X at @golic and Mike Golic Jr. on X at @mikegolicjr.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information
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