RP Clips: Sunday Night McMillan Masterclass

Matt Harmon (0:00)

This is Reception Perception, The Show. James Koh and Matt Harmon.

James Koh (0:06)

Okay, TMAC, Tetairoa McMillan, absolutely crazy in primetime, 16 targets, 14 grabs, nearly 200 yards receiving, two touchdowns as well. All career highs in terms of targets, receptions and yards for Tetairoa McMillan. Look, we knew that Jalen Coker was not going to be available, but Xavier LeGette is on IR. They really don't have another option at wide receiver. Bryson Tremaine gave them some reps, but the bottom line is the passing attack flowed through TMAC. I'll ask you this, Matt Harmon, how much of this is just, again, forced production because there's nobody else there and also the fact that Detroit's defense is absolutely cooked right now.

What do we make of TMAC's eruption game?

Matt Harmon (1:02)

I mean, yeah, another one that I think is worth a deep dive here because can I say yes, all of the above to your questions here? Because yeah, let's first get the easy part out of the way. The Lions defense is beyond banged. Okay, that's they're screwed on that side of the ball.

They can't play zone coverage. They don't know how to pass routes off. They're supposed to be more of a man coverage defense. Well, they do not have the guys to hang in man coverage, period, end of story. They have one really good pass rusher up front. Lee McNeil did give him some good snaps and actually got him Bryce's face here. And I want to talk about the Bryce angle of this at some point, but for the most part, it's Aiden Hutchinson and you know, I mean, it's really tough over there on defense. Even DJ Reed, a good player, has taken a step back for Detroit.

James Koh (1:56)

I think they have good players, especially up front. I would say though, they seem, I don't know, and by the way, Aiden Hutchinson has received a lot of criticism for this throughout his entire career, but I just, there are just times when you're just like, man, why is he lined up so wide? Where it's just like, I get it, like he wants to get to the quarterback.

But at the same time, it's like, I don't know, like there's gotta be some kind of balance between him getting to the quarterback and also stopping the run, you know? Like, it just feels like I just don't, Detroit's defense right now seems like, it just seems like guys trying to play individual football and not in a team environment. And to me, I think like when I watched them play defense, that's kind of what I'm seeing. It's like, you're talking about like, you talking about passing one guy off to the next, that's like the perfect example of it, you know? It's like, where is the team, like the shape of the defense? Where is that? I just, it just seems so odd to me, the way that they're lining up. Anyways, whatever, neither here nor there, Detroit's defense is absolutely cooked.

Matt Harmon (2:59)

Yeah, I mean, to that point too, NextGenStats had a note that Tetairoa McMillan recorded at least one catch against a career high seven defenders.

That's what we're talking about here, like passing things off, the whole deal, but he still did most of his damage against DJ Reed and then Roger McCreery in the actual cornerbacks here, five targets, 62 yards, and a touchdown between the matchups there. But yeah, I mean, this was a story of one, you know, we'll talk about the alignment part of it, but true consolidation for a number one level receiver here. As I've said, and I should just get this out of the way, as the lead lobbyist for Jalen Coker, I am very bummed that he missed this game because there's no doubt this would be another massive, massive game for him, announcing himself to the national stage on Sunday Night Football. We've already kind of seen that from the playoffs last year. That was really where Coker made his biggest moment. So yeah, bummer. Obviously the Coker missed this one, but really a good test for Tetairoa McMillan being that number one level receiver. I think these guys are really close in talent, which is no knock to McMillan. It's really just praise of Coker, as I've said consistently, but I mean for Coker, you know, him not being there and then Tetairoa McMillan to get targeted on 39% of his routes, a 41% target share for Tetairoa McMillan, that's big boy stuff, not just for McMillan, but also for play caller Brad Idzik, who I think needs a lot more attention for what he's done this year. It was a very, very undersold story coming into the year, James, that we have talked about this a lot on the show. The Sean Payton passing the play calling off to Davis Webb, that got a lot of attention. That's not going very well, spoiler alert, for the Denver Broncos. What is going very well was just a much less talked about story despite the fact that it was also announced at the combine at the same time this past year was that Dave Canales was actually passing off the play calling duties to Brad Idzik, who Brad has been with Dave Canales for years. They were together back in Seattle under Pete Carroll. They went to Tampa Bay together when Dave took that job, and then they came to Carolina together, and he's been the OC this whole time, but Dave Canales has been calling the plays. Brad Idzik has really not like change this team from a DNA, like a structural standpoint, but just these tiny little wrinkles that have made the unit feel more cohesive, more aggressive like Bryce Young is pushing that ball downfield, and that was not something that really happened in the early part of the Dave Canales era. But 41% target share for Tetairoa McMillan, that is seventh highest for a wide receiver this year. Some of the names ahead of him, CD. Lamb from this past week, who we'll talk about in just a moment, Jackson Smith and Jigba, Drake London, Carnell Tate, that's an interesting one, from this past week against the Ravens, JSN, Parker Washington, and then Tetairoa McMillan, like Justin Jefferson is just behind. These are some of the big boy receivers in the NFL, which maybe that's bullish for Carnell Tate. That's a performance I actually want to dive in on for our show later in the week, because I think that's one worth checking in on. But anyways, so obviously that's key for McMillan. I think it's just a great sign again for a play caller that we're not going to mess around with how can we design some stuff to keep them honest, for designing for John Metchi or Bryce and Tremaine, who I like these guys as roleplay. Even Bryce and Tremaine, I think he's a nice little dirty work player. But this game was about how do we put Tetairoa McMillan in positions to win over and over and over again. And that is exactly what happened here. And this has been a consistent conversation for McMillan.