Raiders radio host ‘JT the Brick’ has long been one of the more opinionated personalities on the team’s flagship radio station(s) and one of the players he hasn’t been shy about supporting this year is former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Prior to the draft, JT sent a message to the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns warning them not to “overthink” Shedeur with their respective top 5 picks. Three weeks later, the Browns drafted Shedeur in the fifth round and JT wasn’t happy about it.
Given his confidence in Shedeur, it would make sense if JT felt the Raiders should have drafted the polarizing QB with one of their mid-round picks.
But JT said the presence of Geno Smith in Las Vegas was the dynamic that kept that from happening.
“[The Raiders] don’t need Shedeur. Where I am in Vegas, which kind of a decent conversation because the Raiders’ minority owner is Tom Brady. Tom Brady worked out with him. Tom Brady seemed to like him a lot,” JT said on his Raider Nation Radio Show.
“The Raiders went out and got Geno Smith. They gave him a lot of guaranteed money, but just a short deal. Two years. They didn’t want to bring Shedeur in early in the draft because they got Ashton Jeanty. They got the need players that they needed because they lost 10 in a row last year,” JT continued.
“They want to completely flip and have a winning season with Pete Carroll and John Spytek. So they didn’t need him… so take them off the list.”
Maybe the Raiders didn’t draft Shedeur because they love their 34-year-old quarterback, but if they didn’t want Shedeur in the fourth round, there has to be a better explanation.
If Shedeur was a legitimate first-round prospect with no perceived red flags, wouldn’t it be foolish to pass on him in round 4 for Tonka Hemingway?
As for the rest of the league, JT wasn’t impressed by the teams that needed a quarterback that chose not to draft Shedeur.
“Other teams did need a quarterback and they needed backup quarterbacks to compete with the starters. And that’s the reason he didn’t get drafted until the fifth round. Because the teams that were going to bring him in as a backup decided, ‘Nope, too much noise. Just too much noise. We don’t want to deal with it all,’” JT continued.
“And then those teams, once he dropped like a rock, everybody’s looking around the war room going, ‘He’s available in the second, third round? And then they were like, ‘No, there’s got to be something wrong.’ There was nothing wrong.”
“[They] should have took him in the third round. Should have took him in the fourth round. They chose not to. There is no rational conversation that says Shedeur Sanders is a fifth round pick. He didn’t play like it. He had a really good career.”
For now, it’s a guessing game on the trajectory of Shedeur’s NFL career.
Clearly, all 32 teams have reservations about him, and there’s an argument to be made that even the Browns aren’t particularly enthusiastic about having Shedeur.
The good news, though, is that draft position isn’t what makes an NFL career.
Shedeur Sanders will have an opportunity to prove his critics wrong.
Teams and radio hosts have been wrong about players in the past, so we’ll revisit the hot takes in a few years and see who got in right on Shedeur and who didn’t.
As for the aforementioned Tom Brady, former Giants’ great and current ABC host Michael Strahan shared what Brady told him as they watched the draft together last week.
“I spent time with Tom Brady this past weekend and we watched the Draft and as Tom said, he’s an example, it doesn’t matter when you’re picked.”
x: @raidersbeat
Could the Raiders be in the conversation for a Super Bowl anytime soon?
Realistically, the Raiders are long shots. It would be a bit like the English Premier League’s Tottenham defying the Champions League betting odds to become champions of Europe.
Possible, but very unlikely. But the Houston Rockets did win the 1995 NBA title – so, when it comes to sports, who knows?
For three years and running Mr. Brick has gotten Nothing right except to protect his Cushy Job with the Raiders… I wish he could find himself again and be the Brick that he was all those years in OakTowm when he had a Take and it wasn’t a Pile of ***-Kissing Crap….
Somewhere Bill King is laughing in agreement
JT you’re lucky you have a platform to run your mouth on. It’s pathetic you get butt hurt when someone way above your pay grade doesn’t care what you say?
Step off.
JT is lucky
Lucky to be the voice of the Raiders on their flagship. Lucky to have some inside views most don’t get. Lucky to be paid good money to pass along the Raiders message. He gets to have his own opinions but his livelihood comes straight from the organization. So expect that his content is considerate of his employer. The Raiders are a business entity that like any other has an obligation to protect their brand while telling their story. They hired JT and the rest of their media team with that in mind. Anyone who doesn’t want that content can go elsewhere without attempting to shade the people who work in the team’s interest.
Bill King was unbiased. He bled Bay Area colors. And he could call games well enough that you knew exactly what was happening and could trust what you heard.
THAT is what I want. Listening to Papa and Linc and this new guy is pathetic. I watch games after listening and can’t believe how bad the call was. I listen to almost every oppositions play by play guys and get more real information. Except on penalties..
Bill King was a legendary play by play man, to this day I will get chills listening to some of his old calls. Also, as great as he was a Raiders announcer, he may have been even better doing play by play for the Warriors, if that’s possible.
R.I.P. Bill King, you are the G.O.A.T. and your talent is sorely missed.
The Seals and A’s too. Chick Hearn called basketball games with equal unbiased artistry for the Lakers.
There are still good unbiased play by play callers. Just not around the raiders. Flores was a decent color guy before age took him out.
You don’t think that the other team’s guys Like doing exactly What link and Papa And Jt are doing? You’re kidding yourself if you don’t think you’re just listening to the other teams brand slant. If you want to listen to a person who is close to unbiased then you’ll have to pick a national platform guy. And you’ll miss out on The Insider information that the Raiders want you to hear. And that’s fine if that’s what you want but don’t think you’re going to hear the truth from some other teams paid orators. That’s simply not the case. But by all means do what you want to do don’t listen to the Raider brand because that’s what you’re going to get and pick up on some other Outlet that you think you can believe. But don’t blow smoke and think there’s some other teams narrative is the truth cuz that ain’t it.
When you call a radio football game you need to be capable of telling the listener who is in on every play. Papa was incapable of. This new guy is incapable. Kennedy just like Flores can’t even keep up.
Almost every opposing teams play by play and or color guy has provided that basic job ability.
Are you saying the raiders hire incompetent broadcasters? Maybe you should actually listen to a broadcast and then watch a game. If you actually have a clue of what’s happening on the field?
And you’re not going to get what you want from the team’s channel. Just not. So your concerns are only going to resonate with other dissatisfied listeners who will never, ever, get what you are asking for. Unbiased reporting has been dead since Walter Cronkite. Now you know, the rest of the story.
Ignorant statement. Unbiased educated NFL play by play callers are out there. It’s finding the unbiased color callers that isn’t easy.
The question that should’ve happened is this, is S.Sanders in the tail end of 4 or beginning of 5 a better backup than Aiden? There was obvious noise from the team about moving Aiden for a hopeful day 3 pick b4 the draft. Just like the noise for Mayer and Tyree. “The Brick” has been a ridiculous yapper for the Raiders just like “Hondo” is. All B.S. all the time. To say we didn’t need a QB with possible starting traits because we have Geno locked in for 2 years is an asinine comment. Just like most of the off-season the same old front office blunders continue to shine. From trading a 3rd for Geno when Milroe ends up going for that pick was a terrible decision. A mid 30s QB who’s never been the reason his team wins is not a smart trade especially since Seattle was desperate to get rid of him. 6th round was more appropriate given all factors.
Who cares. Shady is not a Raider. Deal with it. Move on guys.