Week 9 Preview, Raiders Clean House

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Speaker 1: The Around the NFL podcast will Beat Your Kid Getting Mad? Hell Yeah?

00:00:09
Speaker 2: From the Chris Westling podcast studio, It's Around the NFL.

00:00:12
Speaker 3: It is the Week nine preview.

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Speaker 1: And Draft.

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Speaker 2: Dan hands us Here Heroes, Greg Rosenthal, Mark Sessler, this is it, Mark, this is the end of the season.

00:00:28
Speaker 1: Psych.

00:00:28
Speaker 2: It's not even halfway, but we're getting closer to halfway.

00:00:31
Speaker 4: It is close to halfway, which would suggest that, you know, would be broken up by a lengthy intermission or halftime, like a rest.

00:00:38
Speaker 3: But it's not gonna be.

00:00:39
Speaker 4: It's gonna it just keeps barreling, barreling on, and it almost so excited that it does.

00:00:43
Speaker 2: Right.

00:00:44
Speaker 5: It almost feels like it's starting this week. It's like we got we got the first well.

00:00:47
Speaker 3: It's almost thanksgivings the right, we got the first coach firing.

00:00:50
Speaker 5: We got the first like week of games where it's like, ooh, this is like a big, juicy, meaningful week of games where there's some weight to it.

00:00:59
Speaker 2: Well, I think I think the true sign of a season getting up there in mileage is when you start seeing games where both teams are just like bye bye yeah, And when we get to the playout the string games late in the season, but you know, if we keep adding playoff teams, that will never happen either. We have a lot to get to today because we're going to ahead of our draft preview the Germany game, which is a quirker. We got some primetime games to hit that we usually hit in the middle of the week, but the schedule is a little funky because of the trade deadline B minus. But first, let's start with the firing. This went down poorly time for us, during a dark periods. We got pants big time Mark Davis, after we kind of flash point focused it a little bit. Not an official episode, no, I don't want to take credit for it, but almost like a workshop of what we where we were can write with that once again, it shows that ability to have a vision over visibility, that the Raiders stew was toxic and something big was happening. And then twenty four hours later, Mark Davis, the owner of the Raiders, decides I'm done. I'm getting out on the Josh McDaniels era. I'm getting out on the Ziggler era. So he fires the head coach and the general manager. He told ESPN on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I had great hopes for Josh and Dave. It just seemed we were going in the wrong direction. So with the trade deadline, I just felt like it was time to make a change, time to make a move. I don't know, there's something about it's like talking about your college.

00:02:39
Speaker 1: Buddies at the dorm.

00:02:40
Speaker 2: Unfortunately, I had great hopes for Josh and Dave just couldn't make it. Josh and Dave didn't make it. So there we are. They're starting over, and how much are they starting over? Rap Sheet then reported later in the day that Jimmy g he also he's going to the bench after just a pathetic Monday showing. And now it is Aidan O'Connell's team probably for the rest of the year. Greg a total implosion like the old casinos in Vegas.

00:03:09
Speaker 5: I've been fascinated with some of the day after reporting. Vic Taefer, who we've talked about the Athletic had some really good stuff where Mark Davis just thought, where is this empty confidence coming from with Josh McDaniels and Ziegler, And at a certain point he realized, oh, these guys.

00:03:25
Speaker 3: Actually don't know what they're talking about.

00:03:27
Speaker 5: And it is sad that the Belichick coaching trees had some tough moments.

00:03:32
Speaker 3: I mean, they had the Coach of.

00:03:33
Speaker 5: The Year a year ago, Brian Dable, if you want to call that, he was there for ten years.

00:03:37
Speaker 3: But uh, Josh.

00:03:38
Speaker 5: McDaniels going down it well, going out sad with that. Ultimately, him starting Brian Hoyer in a game against Tyson Bagen's Bears is what God Josh McDaniels fired because he was living in his fears. He didn't start O'Connell, which Mark Davis clearly wanted him to do. He thought it would be the safer move, and you lost by three scorers to Tyson Pagent and that is sort of the way you get fired. And that it's like this is gonna be his last chance to ever be a coach. That that's just a it's a sad way to go out. The whole the whole run was sad.

00:04:14
Speaker 4: I think the thing about Josh McDaniels, you know, being at multiple Patriots Super Bowls, where you'd be at those media days and there were a lot of these q and as with Josh McDaniels where he talked about coming out of the Broncos Apocalypse, which was one of the most disastrous coaching runs we've ever seen that he had grown, that he had changed, that he saw through new eyes, and I feel like this Raiders run, which also included him losing to Jeff's Saturday in a disaster, I mean, talk about a fireable offense, but it was just too early in the fact that you know, Mark Davis has to pay him for another five years. It's no new ideas, old faces from his past, guys like Brian Hoyer who had no reason to be on the field, and an offense that couldn't get out of its own way and in front office that like we're gonna move on from Derek Carr, We're gonna bring in Jimmy g I think Derek Card a little bit to do with Mark Davis as well, obviously, but it's like, what was the vision?

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Speaker 3: What was the plan?

00:05:07
Speaker 4: And you know, I thought the one drum beat of critiquing the Raiders is that they're proud fan base, and I like, like Raiders fans in general, the concept of them like come at you'd be like you're you're, you're. You can't talk like negatively about our team. You don't see what we see. It's like we saw all along with the owners scene is like what you called a regression, and it they regress. They were regressing before our eyes into something unable.

00:05:28
Speaker 3: In fairness to fans, it's not all of them weren't like that.

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Speaker 2: In fact, a couple of weeks ago you might remember a fan screaming at Mark Davis from the from the seat fire Josh McDaniels.

00:05:38
Speaker 1: There's a lot of Raiders fans that are.

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Speaker 2: Getting pulling out their hair about how poorly the team has been run, and that goes right down to the way this played out. It's crazy to me that a team that obviously now is saying we are starting over, they have highly tradable assets like Devontae Adams, Josh Jacobs, even Jimmy g for a team that might be looking to add a veteran quarterback who's had success in the league. And when team this is a report out there. When teams were calling on Tuesday, it was ghost. There was no interaction because the owner was busy firing everyone. And I understand you don't want maybe the GM that you're firing to be making trades like this, but somebody's got to have pick up the dial and potentially move a guy like Adams or this or that, and obviously they didn't want to, but again it shows Greg one thing that the frustration from me from Afar is like this team does need to go all in on a rebuild and do it the right way, and passing up on a chance to pick up first round picks potentially at the trade deadline shows again there's just just like they're kind of in between.

00:06:44
Speaker 1: It's a half measured type team all the way around.

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Speaker 5: Well, that's more on the ownership and the timing of all of this and not making them do that. You're absolutely right, but you look at the moves that McDaniels made. Bill Barnow pointed this out, and I thought it was well well put. Chandler Jones, Derek car Darren Waller, Hunter Renfro, all of those guys got either big contract extensions or in Chandler Jones's case, a big new contract. None of them lasted there, so they changed their mind with like a year. Renfro actually is there. It just seems like he's not there. The DeVante Adams move is the only one that you know, I don't think it was a disaster for them, but they also traded their first written second round picks and they got nothing out of their rookies last year, so at least the Raiders fans are gonna love them up some. Antonio Pierce, he is very different than their last interim coach, Rich Pasacci, but he's got such an interim coach vibe that everyone's gonna love saying he grew up, you know in Compton where in the NWA hats like repping the Raiders.

00:07:43
Speaker 3: He's Raider for life.

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Speaker 5: And just like the listening to him talk, I feel like, who knows, but I feel like he's gonna have some fun Joe Vitt or Dan Campbell interim head coach energy with just like lots of ups and downs where he's making speeches and they fire the OC as well.

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Speaker 2: But yeah, Mick Lombardi, so they on Mike Lambart. The whole thing is and we've seen this happen. I mean the Colts did it last year and then brought in the TV analyst former Center, so it's like, yeah, you can make it through a season, but this could get very well.

00:08:11
Speaker 5: At least these guys are you know, the guys who are taking over were coaches, right.

00:08:15
Speaker 4: I think Antonio, I'm the st Antonio appears is intriguing it's not a Jeff Saturday situation in level. It's like these are the coaches that have been Raiders coaches under Mark Davis, Hugh Jackson, Dennis Allen, Jack del Rio, the John Gruden thing, and Josh McDaniels. It's like, I guess if you're a Raiders fan, this team that's quietly been in the darkness, like in a way that like it doesn't match up with the way they self promote themselves as an organization historically, Like do you trust this ownership group or the owner to go find the next head coach that you could that that shows some vision. I just I really I think that's the heart of the issue, is like Mark Davis becoming fascinated with the incorrect people.

00:08:55
Speaker 5: Yeasacia, it was literally their best stretch of football since Mark Davis took over.

00:09:04
Speaker 2: It's not an exaggeration, and you know it's now it's ancient history. And Gruden, I mean he got himself run out of the league, but or run out of the head coaching world, like they were a functional team on a better track when he was tracking. He's there and then once he gets himself run it leads to Basacia.

00:09:22
Speaker 3: But it kind of like they gave him a ten year contract.

00:09:24
Speaker 2: The idea was that Gruden was going to be the guy that oversaw this whole thing, so they're still kind of.

00:09:29
Speaker 5: Recovery McDaniels and John Gruden for the next few years.

00:09:35
Speaker 2: And someone explained to me why four more years from NFL players, star players, average players, guys.

00:09:42
Speaker 1: That are hanging on.

00:09:44
Speaker 2: They essentially are paycheck to paycheck for the most point for the most part or year to year, and Jim tom Suwell for the Niners gets paid six years or whatever, or Josh McDaniels is going to get why all this, Garrett, Why do these guys get these insane fully guaranteed deal and the players don't.

00:10:01
Speaker 5: You don't want to ask too many questions like why does the NFL have an anti trust exemption? Like all of this has worked to making the league a powerful place.

00:10:10
Speaker 2: That feels like a lot for potentially, Dan, I'm gonna gonna send it back your way because everyone's waiting for your next one.

00:10:17
Speaker 3: I'm going to work on that.

00:10:18
Speaker 5: NFL players have less power than than any other players in any sport. And unfortunately, that's one of the reasons I think the NFL is because you know, it's like it's it's unfortunately, I think who.

00:10:30
Speaker 4: No matter what or how he performs, will be getting a lot of guaranteed money for a long time.

00:10:35
Speaker 3: Good tease.

00:10:36
Speaker 4: Well, certain quarterback that that was a quick contract outlier that didn't create a trend. Got it to your point, there's like what the other sports, the players are.

00:10:44
Speaker 3: Fine, here's it. Here's the other side of it.

00:10:46
Speaker 2: Because this is funny because I have some you know, Laker fan buddies. The Lakers had decided that Lebron would be on a minute's clock account this season because he's thirty nine years old. And they played one game game to the season opener, and he played twenty nine minutes and they lost and faded in the fourth quarter, and Lebron's like, now, we're not doing that anymore. And Lebron's also the GM of the Lakers. The fact though, Yeah, so yes, there is there's two sides of it.

00:11:13
Speaker 1: That's the NBA.

00:11:14
Speaker 3: That's a fun side. At least he's, oh he's out there.

00:11:17
Speaker 2: I'm gonna say these are these are the opposite sides.

00:11:20
Speaker 4: Yeah, you know, yeah, let's speak careful what you're requesting on.

00:11:23
Speaker 3: Some level, right, Okay, let's see.

00:11:26
Speaker 4: Football is completely different than basketball.

00:11:29
Speaker 2: I just thought it was funny, Like there's a it's an eighty two game season in the NBA, right, and they had this plan that the.

00:11:35
Speaker 3: Whole summer was about talking about it.

00:11:37
Speaker 2: He plays one game and he's like, no, we ain't doing a coach he's also the head coach Lebron by the way, de facto. All right, too powerful, Let's get to the Frankfort game.

00:11:47
Speaker 1: Anybody ever been to Germany?

00:11:49
Speaker 4: By the way, you know that I've been to Germany. I've told you that about a thousand times.

00:11:54
Speaker 3: All right, ayredible, you did the trip? Did you go to Frankfort.

00:11:57
Speaker 4: We did not go to Frankfurt, but you know all sorts of little towns throughout Germany.

00:12:02
Speaker 5: Uh. In regard with an X store, you can check it out on NFL dot com somewhere maybe, yeah, you could find it.

00:12:11
Speaker 2: You became best friends with Mark ingram. I recall, these were all temporary friendships. I mean, I'm not saying that I'm not there. I don't wish them all well, but over vice versa.

00:12:19
Speaker 4: But it's like there was a text s thread that about four weeks after the trip, they were like Mark Ingham was like all right, guys, this text threads over now.

00:12:26
Speaker 3: Oh he ended it kind of and it makes sense.

00:12:28
Speaker 4: It was like, we're not still this isn't we're not asking what the airport and stuff.

00:12:32
Speaker 5: I love a frank person, you know, he's just bringing the reality to the situation.

00:12:37
Speaker 2: He was, Well, it's funny because he could have just ghosted it right right.

00:12:41
Speaker 1: He went out of the way to be like this is over.

00:12:43
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:12:44
Speaker 4: I look back and wonder if maybe one or two of my text triggered that disinvit you were you just trying to keep them burning after that.

00:12:51
Speaker 3: So no, I don't think it's like pictures. You remember the time we were guys at the bar rat wurs and bruise.

00:12:58
Speaker 2: Remember I don't do that at the bench chopping it up about the old ball game.

00:13:02
Speaker 3: Mark, what is c it's over socially dumb.

00:13:05
Speaker 2: All right, let's talk about it because it's a banger. It could be the game of the year. It has that type of potential. It's time for the first game presented by Draft Kings, and it is the Miami Dolphins against the Kansas City Chiefs in Germany.

00:13:24
Speaker 3: Oh my goodness, over under.

00:13:26
Speaker 2: Fifty and a half thiefs Chiefs laying one point of wood here. That surprised me right off the bat. And it's a lot of respect for Patrick.

00:13:35
Speaker 5: Mahomes, but that the Chiefs are favorite a little bit, how about it. I thought it was surprised that they were only by one.

00:13:40
Speaker 2: Just because, like, and I know, and I had some Chiefs fans who were getting on me a little bit after the podcast last week, like, how come you're not factoring the Patrick Mahomes had the flu or whatever, and it's it's fair. I tend to not take that as seriously with these athletes because so many times we hear, oh, he had the flu and then throws her four in ato twelve yards, Like, I guess it's a different flu than I get when I'm literally dying. But Mahomes played poorly, he turned the ball over the In general, it felt like the Chiefs just were sleep walking through that game against the Broncos, and Denver, to their credit, executed and pulled off the upset. So I guess my surprise, Greg is that the Chiefs looked so mortal last week against a sub five hundred opponent and the Dolphins, Man, are you telling me the Dolphins aren't gonna light it up in Germany.

00:14:27
Speaker 3: I think they could well.

00:14:28
Speaker 5: HiT's such a different matchup. I think the Broncos defense has played the Chiefs tough twice in three weeks. Like we saw it before, we saw it on Thursday Night Football. Dolphins defense has been getting better, certainly since Jalen Phillips returned, but I don't think of them as a difference making defense. The thing about, you know, blaming it on the flu is I've just never seen Patrick Mahomes and this is something you can see, especially in the coaches film, just not see anyone open. Because his offensive line is first in the league in past block win rate, and they dominated the Broncos up front. The Chiefs offensive line destroyed the Broncos pass rush last week.

00:15:09
Speaker 3: They destroyed him.

00:15:09
Speaker 5: Patrick Mahomes is sitting back there all day, just chilling looking for someone to throw to. Does the flu like make him not throw it? I don't think so. Like they're just aren't guys open. And so it is truly shocking to me to see an offensive line this good coach by a team with Andy Reid and quarterback by Patrick Mahomes, and yet you're just not finding players open. Except some weeks Mahomes kind of runs around and goes to the line of scrimmage and he creates a play on his own. But the timing of these two offenses could not be more diametrically opposed. The Dolphins have the best timing and rhythm in the entire NFL. Patrick Mahomes is hitting almost nothing at the back of his drop and letting the ball go.

00:15:52
Speaker 4: Yeah, And that line is one of the only lines in the league that has had every starter play the entire way and he has been well protected. And you know, by every metric, this Chiefs offense is the worst that we've seen in the Mahomes era, and it looks like it. And I think last year it was like there was a lot of hemming and haueing about who they could become and they worked their way out of it. And I think it's fascinating that, like this is the week that you know, and I liked that it's in Germany and that's great for our world and all of that, But we're at Tyreek Hile going to Kansas City. There'd be a little bit of extra juice here because I think this offense clearly misses like a game breaking type talent now it doesn't have to be Tyreek Hill, but they haven't replaced that what he brought to that offense on any level.

00:16:33
Speaker 3: And it's like they look a little Mysdivide to me in the through the.

00:16:36
Speaker 4: Air and now it's like you have Their defense is their strength and their passing defense has been really great. And so can you go do to the Dolphins what a couple other teams have been haven't been able to do to slow down what is an electric air attack here for.

00:16:50
Speaker 3: What it's word.

00:16:50
Speaker 5: They are fifth in offensive DVA fifth in defense. Are the only team other than the Ravens be top five both. So their offense actually like has moved the ball and had some big games, but.

00:16:59
Speaker 2: That has been and that's the thing that keeps their statistics from getting into a funky spot because when they do flash like they did the week before, that's gonna be gonna just be jumping teams because they have that gear sometimes. But like brought this up before, Mark, you're right about the Tyreek thing. But this is the first year Tyreek isn't around. Last year they had Juju Smith Schuster and and they he mahomes do for like five thousand yards that.

00:17:25
Speaker 5: Extra I don't know. Rice kind of is juju at this point. I'm not saying that that's my that's my question of everything, right.

00:17:34
Speaker 2: So, like the offensive line is healthy and Mahomes is healthy. Uh, and Rice has really kind of emerged as a guy that at juju. Smith Schuster like he's not an a weak guy. So it's like that's ka. Darius Tony was there last year and didn't really flash. Travis Kelcey has been quiet for about half the season, and then Travis Kelsey, so he's not quite the same guy. But I think I'm still struggling a little bit to wrap my head around why the offense has taken such a big thing.

00:18:01
Speaker 4: They do have the fourth most drops in the league, Like little things like that, and certain moments can matter. But that but I but then it's like do you turn around and point the finger at Mahomes Like I struggle to do that.

00:18:10
Speaker 2: No.

00:18:11
Speaker 5: I think it's just a lot of things being true, and maybe it's defense is having a better idea how to how to slow them down.

00:18:18
Speaker 1: James small sample size, right, David.

00:18:21
Speaker 4: Is another year of no Tyreek Hill, and You're right, defensive coordinators could learn more.

00:18:26
Speaker 5: Jalen Ramsey returning was a big deal for the Dolphins lost last week. It wasn't just the interception. He made a couple of nice plays in theory. He helps unlock that defense. Xavian Howard might also return this week. They've had some injuries at safety, so they're getting a little healthier on defense and that that has to feel good. And then you flip around and I just wonder Spagnolo in this defense, they've been really good. This is a big time test for them. Can he scramble the main frame with Tua? Because two is playing very well, but about once a game he almost predetermines what he's gonna do, and he has so much confidence and in the system and the timing that he doesn't consider that it might not work, and he just throws to a spot. And it's like, can Spagnolo get his cornerbacks and his safety to that spot? Because Tua's had a lot of interceptions this year?

00:19:18
Speaker 3: Is it nine?

00:19:18
Speaker 5: Is it nine turnover worthy plays? Whatever it is, it's way more than his pace was a year ago. He's almost matched it, but he's also been better. I think overall he's been very good. But this Chiefs defense, to me, can make big plays. Can they disrupt that timing and just make a couple big plays from the cornerback position and get some turnovers.

00:19:37
Speaker 4: I do wonder about like the Dolphins, like offensive line, you've got Chris Jones coming at you.

00:19:41
Speaker 3: They do have Toronto Armstead is practicing on Thursday.

00:19:45
Speaker 4: They've got like four or five guys banged up to the point where backups are banged up behind starters, and like Tua gets rid of the ball so quickly, is like zero turnover worthy plays against the Blitz. Like he's been pretty pristine when there's pressure, So you got to find another way to get to him.

00:20:00
Speaker 2: Will be a big test for the Dolphins. Their wins this year, Chargers, Pats, Broncos, Giants, Panthers, Patriots. Their losses forty eight to twenty to the Bills thirty one to seventeen to the Eagles, So.

00:20:18
Speaker 1: Two big tests so far this year. They failed them both.

00:20:20
Speaker 2: And you can't say that infound because in both games they were outclassed.

00:20:25
Speaker 1: Now you get the Chiefs and.

00:20:26
Speaker 3: They and those two losses.

00:20:28
Speaker 4: They went from being one of the best offenses obviously in the league with any way you look at it, to having a negative ep eight to put them at the twenty seventh most effective offense against the Bills and the Eagles.

00:20:37
Speaker 3: So there it comes, Kansas City. They're running game the last two weeks.

00:20:40
Speaker 5: I think defenses are trying to stop the run almost first, which seems crazy. But the last two weeks forty five yards against the Eagles, seventy two against the Patriots. So I think they're going to need to run it better this week.

00:20:53
Speaker 2: Like how you feel about the Cowboys, Mark if they lose thirty one to seventeen in Germany on Sunday morning. Yeah, don't come to me in January and tell me I have to take this team seriously because.

00:21:03
Speaker 4: You just flopped three though, because you've got a chance to change. For if there's people with creeping dout like turn turn around what we.

00:21:10
Speaker 1: Think, Smidge, it doubt like you don't even have to win this game.

00:21:13
Speaker 2: Like if it goes back and forth and it's a really competitive game, I'm cool with that.

00:21:17
Speaker 3: But if you know, show and get.

00:21:18
Speaker 2: Beat by two scores or something, it's like, Okay, no, get all your stats out, Kyrie, go get your two thousand yards to win all the awards, But like, am I gonna take you seriously? When the crucible of the playoffs arrives, I will be yes doubting them at that point. So it's an important game in a lot of ways. Uh, okay, did you have one last thing?

00:21:38
Speaker 5: Well, just a wild booth here looking forward to it. Rich Eyes and Jason mccordy and Dan Arlovsky. So this is a one off. It's NFL network, it's Orlofsky, who's at ESPN. We got Stacy Dale's our friend on the sideline, the Sarah Walls. I'm ready for this.

00:21:52
Speaker 3: It's uh.

00:21:54
Speaker 5: We got the time moving this weekend daylight savings, but we actually get an extra hours, so it's not quite as early here on the That's nice, but I.

00:22:01
Speaker 3: Mean they got five, but why not make it eight? Say atn guys just to wander around on the sidelines. They're Stacy Dales, I believe are on the sidelines. They're not there.

00:22:10
Speaker 1: Why not send us there? We could be the end zones.

00:22:13
Speaker 3: Sure, not too late. We could get there in time.

00:22:17
Speaker 4: All right, We've done it before for a different network. Yes, we after ss outlet a bang.

00:22:24
Speaker 6: That was the game of the week presented by Draft Kings Sports Book. New customers can bet just five dollars and get two hundred and bonus bets. Instantly download the Draft Kings Sports Book and use code at N. That's code ETN only at Draft King sports Book, Draft King Sports Book and official sports betting partner of the NFL.

00:22:41
Speaker 1: All right, let's move to the other primetime games.

00:22:44
Speaker 5: Another going to say Sky Sports name, I mean, they're they're great people.

00:22:47
Speaker 1: You can you can say.

00:22:48
Speaker 4: I think everyone you know in that part of the world knows that we're on Sky Sports.

00:22:51
Speaker 1: So it's redundant.

00:22:52
Speaker 2: Bill's at Bangles Sunday night football. Now we're talking, and you know who. I'm looking for a breakout performance from Tarico Collinsworth. Still feel like that team hasn't clicked.

00:23:02
Speaker 3: I so appreciate that.

00:23:05
Speaker 4: I so appreciate you Mar said that because I feel no, because when we watch those Sunday night games and they kind of great on me a little bit, I feel like you can't say it. Everyone's like, no, no, no, they're perfect. It's like, all right, there, they somewhat annoyed me, and I don't.

00:23:16
Speaker 3: Know what was perfect. You've always been there.

00:23:20
Speaker 2: It's like the also, maybe football still on at nighttime. You're that factors and depending on the matchup. That could be true, but this is a this is a great one. This one's different. My point is Al Michael's end of Prime Al Michaels with Chris Chef's kiss. Wow, uh, concert I don't since I'm just gonna say, Greg, and you know I love Trico, it hasn't been a home run for me so far. I think by a wide margin, by a wide margin right now, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman are the best team. And I didn't think that necessarily a couple of years ago, but I think they have taken the mantle from Nance and Romo of the Sunday and Night team. The Thursday night team has never really I think got cooking here with herb Street and and late period Al, I think that's the crown.

00:24:09
Speaker 4: I know you're talking prime time of Berkhart Olsen are right there for me too.

00:24:12
Speaker 1: They've been disrespectful for.

00:24:14
Speaker 2: Me not to bring them up. They they're the number one team, uh and they are very good. But to me, it takes a lot of pressure on Tom Brady.

00:24:22
Speaker 3: Greg is actually it's taking the words.

00:24:24
Speaker 2: He doesn't even know how to react as having critical takes about the announcers.

00:24:28
Speaker 3: I'm just like, like, I'm staying out of this. I'm letting you cook. I don't.

00:24:31
Speaker 1: I don't, uh since but if you're not had an opinion.

00:24:33
Speaker 5: I know, I kind of don't have a hot take on this. I think they're all close. I'd probably take Akman and Buck, but but I still love me some Ramo.

00:24:43
Speaker 1: Greg you no hot take? No Greg No.

00:24:47
Speaker 3: Happened a couple of weeks.

00:24:49
Speaker 5: I remember, I remember long enough ago where our main teams were in a it was were in a bad state that I didn't like like one out of I like like one out of four of them. Right now, TNF is the only one that's really on my raidar. I'm I'm happy with the others.

00:25:04
Speaker 4: It's like anti Dan Dierdorf, nor was either.

00:25:09
Speaker 5: The ESPN crews were crazy that Phil Sims and Nance crew was.

00:25:14
Speaker 1: Remember the old Sunday.

00:25:16
Speaker 5: Wasn't as good as he used to be. Like, they're better than that. It's all gotten better.

00:25:21
Speaker 2: Akman stopped caring what people thought and got a lot more real in the last couple of years, and that's what led to him, I think, taking the next step. And then he as he aged, he increases resemblance to jay Z and it was just like, okay, Sonny, you have that angle. Like the king of hip hop. You have some of that element as well. And onto Monday night football. All right, here we go Sunday Night Football. The Buffalo Bills five and three, second in the AFC East behind the Dolphins, so you know, depending on how things turn out in Germany, they might be playing to jump back into first against the Cincinnati Bengals. And it's I mean, you gotta love it Josh Allen versus Joe Burrow. And interesting here Mark, and there's a lot of angles to this game, but let's start here that after all of the concern, rightfully so, around Joe Burrow's health, he's coming off a game where he just bawled out as well as any quarterback in any game all season, and a beating of the Niners. And now to the other side, it's Josh Allen concerns and reports about that shoulder that he injured on Thursday night football against Tampa Bay. What will that affect be if.

00:26:25
Speaker 4: Any I Yeah, it's just this kind of thing where it's my number one note too, like he said that it's getting it's so much better. He said that if you know, if it was the old trope, if I if we had to practice today, I could, If we had a play today, I could.

00:26:38
Speaker 3: But it's like an.

00:26:39
Speaker 4: Injury derailed the better version of Josh Allen for parts of last season too, shoulder injury, and it's just like this is this is like something to monitor, like snap by snap. I think in general, I try and like to re galvanize my thoughts on the Bills because they've gone through.

00:26:56
Speaker 3: These these different phases.

00:26:59
Speaker 4: But I'm looking bad, like I think they're just a little snake bit and some of the timing of what happened to them has sort of has been a little wonky, like all right, so that they go to London and they're really like sort of a drift and seems sleepy to me, And that lost to Jacksonville. They score fourteen points in a tight win over the Giants, they get romped by New England, they barely beat the Bucks, and now you're playing the Bengals.

00:27:19
Speaker 3: It's so about the time of season.

00:27:21
Speaker 4: If you got them earlier in the year, the Bills are clearly the better team. With with Joe Burrow walking around somewhat disabled. It's like now the version of the of the Bengals that we saw last week. This is the best team in the AFC to me, And it's like that if they can do that.

00:27:37
Speaker 5: It's one game, I guess, I know, but it's I think we I know it's not one games.

00:27:41
Speaker 3: It's one game.

00:27:42
Speaker 4: But it's also like they were heating up into that situation. And I just feel like Burrow almost like got his training camp the last five or six weeks, and it's like they looked unstopped to me. And I think they are a team that has shown up against the Bills in the past, they've shown up against the Chiefs. The best version of them can beat anyone in this conference. And what I saw last week was like a siren song. It was concerning.

00:28:06
Speaker 5: I just loved that third and nine play where Burrow looks at the defense and he changes the play at the line of scrimmage to a QB draw and he just explodes up the middle for a first down. And he had a couple other scrambles and Paul Daner does a really good job covering them at the Athletic and he said Burrow all off season his main focus was adding explosive movement to his game. That he wanted to be a better runner, that he wanted to be more explosive in short areas, to be able to buy time and to be able to run. And I saw it now that he was healthy. I don't think it was the old Burrow. I think it was a slightly new Burrow. That he might have a little more juice in those legs than he used to, which makes sense. He's getting into his physical prime here. We know mentally he's there, and he's facing a Bill's defense like the Bengals defense that on balance has been a little disappointing. If you look at their advanced metrics, these two defenses are middle of the pack, and you would have expected more advantage offenses. I think in this game, I think we get points and I think it'll be fun.

00:29:07
Speaker 2: Cincinnati's at home here, they are favored by a point and a half and the Bills. Huh, yeah, the Bills have been a better team. You know, most teams are better at home, but their offense statistically has been much better at home, and they've been turning the ball over at a concerning rate in these road games and it's cost him a couple of games.

00:29:29
Speaker 1: So they're gonna have to be cleaner.

00:29:30
Speaker 2: We talked about it Mark last week when we did a Thursday Night recap that Buffalo like that felt like it should have been a thirty six to seventeen winner or whatever, and instead they're holding on for dear life on a Hail Mary. So the execution has just got to be a little sharper. And again, just keep an eye on Josh Allen because they did run him more, which the Bill's faithful we're clamoring for. But now if he's got an injury designation and he's are they going to take that element away because he's not the same player if he can't you those legs.

00:30:00
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean he's you know, his use on the ground. We've talked about this before has been largely non existent in too many games. I do like that, like they need someone like Russewell Douglas in this game, and like, I don't know what his availability.

00:30:14
Speaker 3: Will be, but I think he's paying you got it.

00:30:15
Speaker 4: He'd already be their their best corner right now. They signed Linval Joseph upfront, you know, a guy who was about as big as a garage door, and I like, I do like one development from that game that Dalton Kincaid last two weeks, like getting a lot more used. It's fifteen targets, thirteen catches, one hundred and forty yards.

00:30:32
Speaker 3: They needed someone.

00:30:33
Speaker 4: To step up, and it like he looked awesome. He looked great, and I think that's a that's a that's a boon for them. But I'm gonna tell you something right now, like, yes, I just feel I'm feeling the Bengals. I remember two years ago when they started to like fascinate me with the way they would destroy the Ravens and Steelers, and you got a lot of that had to do with Joe Mixon on the ground, who looked great last week and last year that was not who they were. But I am confidently locking up the Cincinnati Bengals to take out Buffalo because I think there are structural problems with what the Bills are offering the season.

00:31:01
Speaker 2: I'm so annoyed right now because on our conversation client, where we work behind the scenes to set certain things up, you put in all caps locking the Bills, and I said, oh, I'm going to lock off with Sessler here because I love Cincinnati.

00:31:15
Speaker 3: But then you come on the show just now and you say't the wrong thing.

00:31:18
Speaker 4: Yeah, well that's why, you know, I try to do two things at once. That doesn't a noise work out. But no, it's the Bengals. Yeah, I'm not taking a road team against this, against this version of the ben.

00:31:29
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know I'm going to lock the Bengals too. And it's a part of it's an apology. It's an apology to Joe Burrow for locking against him in San Francisco last week. And I just think I'm going to start riding with the Bengals in the locks competition.

00:31:44
Speaker 3: If they are in the lock zone, I'm just going to get behind Joe Burrow.

00:31:47
Speaker 5: This is this is a sign of someone spinning, spinning out in the lock competition. You lose with him against them one week, you have to flip with him, and now you're starting you're with him every week.

00:31:56
Speaker 3: The next well, he's spinning out. I have to You're right. But I will say that that.

00:32:02
Speaker 2: Last week was obviously an eye opener because you learned it showed how healthy he looked, and you talked about that that audible I called attention last Sunday to that scramble where he got out of the sack early on third down and made the throws he was going to the sideline like, these are the things that one of the greatest quarterbacks in the league and my favorite quarterback to watch in the league makes when he is when he is him, and he is him right now, he is him.

00:32:32
Speaker 1: I mean, who do you think you are?

00:32:33
Speaker 5: I am?

00:32:34
Speaker 1: All right?

00:32:34
Speaker 3: Well, what have we got er?

00:32:35
Speaker 2: Well, guys, we also got excited back here because we also saw the lock in the Bill's message.

00:32:40
Speaker 3: We originally thought that Mark. We thought there would be a lock off between Mark and somebody else. So all right, Mark to wonder who confusion caused. Hello, heroes.

00:32:50
Speaker 7: Coming off another successful walk week, the.

00:32:56
Speaker 3: Jet can't be bragging about that, Jim.

00:33:00
Speaker 1: You gotta get them out of here.

00:33:01
Speaker 7: They don't know what they're talking about. They won't do the video, they won't participate. All they want to do is complain. That's fine. I'm gonna keep rocking and rolling, just like the Bengals will keep rocking and rolling this week at home in prime time. Basically, sorry, Eric, you know I love you, but the Bills aren't very good. He should be, but every week I watch them and they're just not. They're an average football team. I've been saying all year, they're gonna miss the playoffs. The Bengals exposed them at the end of the year last year. One up in Buffalo, buy a ton, dominate them. They own this Bills team. Joe Burrow throws for three touchdowns, the Bengals win big, lock it up?

00:33:44
Speaker 3: All right? I love it?

00:33:46
Speaker 2: And Nick's getting hot, by the way, if we have the standings, by the way, I know we haven't seen the Rosenthal pick yet, but we have.

00:33:55
Speaker 5: Yeah, this isn't right. Dan's three back?

00:33:59
Speaker 1: What do you mean? How would you know that?

00:34:01
Speaker 3: Because they sent it out on How did you know that for Twitter? Do you study this more closely than anything in your entire life?

00:34:08
Speaker 2: No?

00:34:08
Speaker 5: But they sent it out this morning on Twitter and they added me and I saw it the lockups?

00:34:14
Speaker 3: What is his? I believe all I remember it was Mark and Dan or three back? That was all I remember. Tracking isn't he? They sent it this morning? Uh, here we go.

00:34:24
Speaker 5: They sent a nice little thing the Cincinnati Zoo that was ahead of you two. They're at five and three.

00:34:28
Speaker 4: I was gonna say, yeah, they were ahead of me last week.

00:34:30
Speaker 2: What's going on with the graphic? So we got Nick, Who's hot? By the way, I think they were one. There's a lot of confusion going on right now.

00:34:39
Speaker 4: Wait, by the way, I like the last comment that you two made about like, don't give Nick or the crew credit for the Jets lock I locked the Jets last week, and I thought that the same.

00:34:48
Speaker 3: You don't need to be crowing about that time.

00:34:50
Speaker 1: I didn't say anything.

00:34:51
Speaker 3: I said, you locked it up?

00:34:52
Speaker 4: Yeah, no, I you know I didn't for the show. And it was like, it looks like at Tire Fighter. Until the final couple of minutes, you guys had a one percent chance of lock that up. And that goes to show you the power of sports. You always have a chance.

00:35:04
Speaker 3: The power of us.

00:35:05
Speaker 2: But the amazing level of confusion you caused through the client that was, oh can we bleep out the name of that? Because I don't bring up that company. All right, we got to keep moving out. Let's knock this one out and then take a break. Monday Night Football. Yes, the aforementioned Jets coming off maybe the ugliest win in history of pro football, but they did win, and they're on a three game winning streak. Host the Los Angeles Chargers. I feel like man three and a half. Chargers are favored here on the road, which seems.

00:35:36
Speaker 3: Weird too, Yes, it does. It didn't start that way.

00:35:39
Speaker 5: That was an indication that everyone is putting money on the Chargers. I think it was at two to begin with, and it moved quite a bit. That's surprising.

00:35:47
Speaker 2: I find this game almost impossible to figure out because the Jets were terrible last week offensively and in general. You know, as much as I loved the team, you know they're winning record. If you look a little closer, this is a team that could be one and six right now. I mean they're they have really kind of these coin flip games you could count. I guess the Chiefs Sunday night far is kind of a coin flip, but not really. They've won every coin flip so far, and that maybe that keeps going on. But it doesn't mean they're playing at an elite level right now, even though they're on a winning streak. But the Chargers traveling across the country in prime time against a good to very good defense, that would spook me as well. Greg If yeah, if I'm a Charger supporter.

00:36:35
Speaker 5: Right I don't feel confident in this Chargers offense. They're like really enjoying. I guess it's just their social media team, but it's like they got that prime time like blowout and they're enjoying the hell out of that. Was like, okay, it was against Tyson Bajen in the Bear. Since week two, this running attack that Kellen Moore wanted to get better has the lowest success rate in the entire NFL by a lot. So everything is on Herbert and there's no Micilliams. They're not that explosive offensively, and the recipe of everything on Herbert, and you have to throw the ball against this Jets team, which is much better against the past than they are defending the run. They're just great against Bethier. They're getting to be special. Dan I was looking for special. They're getting there in terms of their pass rush, in terms of their coverage. And then you have a team in the Chargers who can't run on normal downs and are literally the worst team in the NFL on third and one and fourth and one.

00:37:28
Speaker 3: So it's everyone.

00:37:29
Speaker 5: Gets on Kellen Moore because on Brandon Staley because he goes for fourth and one of those works, like.

00:37:33
Speaker 3: A lot of it is just there.

00:37:34
Speaker 5: They stink get short yardage, and so that's a team you're going against the Jets. It's a recipe for it to come down to the last three minutes and in that spot, I trust the Jets a little.

00:37:42
Speaker 3: More than the Change have played well in Layton games.

00:37:46
Speaker 1: There's no doubt about that they are.

00:37:47
Speaker 4: I mean, I think this will be a glorious night for the Jets and their fan base.

00:37:52
Speaker 3: Is he gonna do it? Well, I just did it, but I gonna do it. I don't trust.

00:37:56
Speaker 4: Like a hot and cold mystery team, you know, flow across the country to the East coast. They've been a total They've been, to me, one of the more frustrating teams of my adulthood. That is no more true than under the Brandon Staley world. And I think you can run on them too. I think it's a kind of night where it's like a big breeze Hall night for the super casual fans that aren't tracking like the Breeze Halls of the world. Like this is a superstar running back who needs a couple signature moments and this could be one of them.

00:38:26
Speaker 3: But I.

00:38:29
Speaker 4: Think it's also maybe it's like a catch and run type scenario with him, just get it to him out in the flats. But I you know, the Chargers, like the one thing that kind of rattled them earlier in the year. They have a good offensive line in many ways, but pressure against Justin Herbert late in games and key situations, I just see that. I feel like the Jets are gonna pull something off. With Bryce Huff, with Quinn Williams, they apply more pressure than essentially anyone it's waved defenders, and I don't like the idea of Justin Herbert repeating what happened last week again. I don't trust this team to go out and dominate two weeks in a row. I expect something strange and unwatchable from them.

00:39:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, it would surprise me if Herbert lit up the Jets defense, although it could happen, but I don't think he will. But for all the talk about the Jets offense with Zach Wilson being better than last year, they are thirtieth in average pass EPA, they are thirty first and rush EPA. They are last in the league on third down conversions. They are last in the league in pressure rate allowed. This is a terrible offense. At least they're dedicated to it, which is why I've been saying for weeks and weeks that they should have done something to fix it, whether it was a trade for a wide receiver or on the offensive line, or get another quarterback option in. Instead, they're just saying we're waiting for Aaron and everything's gonna be okay. So that it is going to be a tough watch, I think on offense again, I just don't think the Jets are ever gonna turn it on on offense. So it's gonna be these close games hoping for a big play by the defen or Zach wakes up and makes a couple throws late like he did against the Giants. And then it's the special teams of the Jets there, which has been excellent. They won a game with Gibson in Week one on a punt return. Greg zerline has been automatic so far this year. For a team that doesn't get in the end zone, that's huge. And then there is this, because we haven't gone to the old Gymnasium in a while, let's head to the Hunter's punch Bowl mixer. H it's not you know, it's not as crazy as the Kicker Club.

00:40:32
Speaker 3: Now. It's like salt of the Earth.

00:40:34
Speaker 2: But here's the headline by the New York Post Steve Serby, their veteran calumnist. Thomas Moristead is the Jets' unlikely weapon. Did you know He's been unbelievable. He's been nails all year for a team that needs the punter to give them field position and set up the defense.

00:40:54
Speaker 3: Well.

00:40:54
Speaker 1: He became.

00:40:57
Speaker 2: One of two punters in the past six seasons to put three punts inside the five yard line in one game, which he did against the Giants. And he has been absolutely stellar. He's a Special Teams Player of the Week. He's number two in punt yardage, number four and fewest punt return yards allowed. I know it sounds like a bit because we're in the gymnasium right now for the punch bowl mixer, But for this type of team that relies on defense and field possession, the kicker and the punter being excellent has made the difference and it's a reason why they are in playoff position.

00:41:30
Speaker 5: I mean, what what a career. This is our time to give Thomas morrisead his flowers. It was Thomas Morristead who came out of halftime and kicked that on side kick for the New Orleans Saints back in the day. Had a great game punting there too in the Super Bowl. Big day for Thomas unbelieve.

00:41:47
Speaker 4: Sounds like these punters might even be slow dancing in the situation with the you know the music, it is nice, it is romantic.

00:41:54
Speaker 2: Well yeah, babes too everywhere.

00:41:57
Speaker 4: Oh okay, I didn't. I thought it was just punched. Such a could be Peggy.

00:42:01
Speaker 3: I'm not gonna say it's Joe Burrow.

00:42:03
Speaker 5: But Joey Bosta showed up and looked healthy for the first time all season last week, and I did wonder, is like that a change for this Chargers defense.

00:42:10
Speaker 3: He looked like Joey bost again.

00:42:11
Speaker 1: That's big.

00:42:12
Speaker 2: That's that game for me is a real toss up, and I'm just gonna go with the Sessler feeling that the Jets have a little pixie dust on him away again.

00:42:21
Speaker 4: It's like you you can accept that one fourth of what you're watching from the Jets is going to be terrible, and that's their passing game and everything else is kind of great.

00:42:29
Speaker 2: Last note, my six year old son, Harry, he turned seven this weekend. It's kind of like a Charges fan and he has a Chargers T shirt and I sat him down a couple days ago and I said, all right, Harrison, the Jets and Chargers are playing on Monday night.

00:42:42
Speaker 1: Who are you rooting for?

00:42:42
Speaker 2: And I did it in a very serious, solemn way, because he's you know, kids are fun like that.

00:42:47
Speaker 1: He really put him in a different headspace. And he was like, I don't know yet.

00:42:53
Speaker 3: Daddy, good answer.

00:42:55
Speaker 1: And I said, will you give me an answer by the end of the week.

00:42:57
Speaker 4: Said yeah, that is exactly how.

00:43:01
Speaker 3: It talks to Harrison hands this impression.

00:43:05
Speaker 2: All right, let's take a break and then we will get to the draft. All right, we're back. We are now finally to the draft and Mark Sessler bully to you, my friend, you have the first overall pick. Well, it's a great pick. You know, it's a late game. Let me just cross it out. Cardinals at Brown, That's.

00:43:23
Speaker 4: Exactly where I'm going with this. No, the Cowboys at the Eagles. We have we keep having games of the year, but they're building off of what we knew before. So this is now the currently I think the game of the year. And an interesting I don't think it's the game of the week.

00:43:37
Speaker 1: I think it is the.

00:43:38
Speaker 4: Game of the year because I think, like there's for me, Dallas is this is kind of like, come show and tell us who you are, and I think they can do it, Like I don't.

00:43:47
Speaker 3: I would like them better in Dallas in this situation.

00:43:50
Speaker 4: I think that if you get the best version of Micah Parsons and their pass rush against the great offensive line. There's another little injury thing hanging out through the Jalen Hurts, who did not look healthy at all coming out of that Dolphins game limping, ended a press conference earlier this week when they asked him about his knee, he just sort of said, not talking about that.

00:44:12
Speaker 3: But Jay Glazer's talked about the fact that he's had a.

00:44:14
Speaker 4: Bone bruise and he's been dealing with it for four weeks, and you're gonna get less.

00:44:18
Speaker 3: Played great week. I know it played great.

00:44:20
Speaker 4: I guess what I'm saying is, if you can find a way and this is the thing, can you nullify aj Brown and DeVante Smith? If not, this thing is probably not could potentially not be that close at all. I mean, I could see Philadelphia just doing what Philadelphia does. But can you challenge Hurts to have to get out of the pocket, to have to run a little bit more? I mean, I agree, he looked like fantastic week ago, but this injury has just been hanging around and it's just the kind of thing I'll monitor. And I last week's Dak Prescott and what they did to the Rams, because when they win, they blow teams out, and they kind of ended the Rams season potentially with what happened to Matthew Stafford. I mean, they kind of end the Giant season in Week one if you think about it. They debt when they were all when all parts of what they do are working like special teams. They got it last week. Defense, offense. It's like they are unpretty unstoppable. So it's like, can you come up? Can you do go through a week of practice in the biggest game of the year when I do have a doubts about who they are in big moments and just say forget it. Last year, Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott never faced each other. You had Cooper Rush in one game, Gardner Minshew and the other. Now go do it one on one, see what happens.

00:45:24
Speaker 1: That's why it surprised me. Why you think this is the game of the week.

00:45:26
Speaker 2: But I'll say this, I think the Cowboys are the equivalent of what I was just saying with the Dolphins, because the Cowboys obviously failed a huge test against the Niners where they just were embarrassed, they got it handed to them and they kind of licked their wounds and recovered from that. But now here's another big test, and again it's these teams. If we are to take the Cowboys seriously, it is the Niners and the Eagles that they have to show that they are not going to be bullied by or kind of be brushed aside, or be the team that gets kind of laughed at on my morning because one of the big boys just pants them in a big spot. You got to go prove something. And I kind of like it, Greg you that the game's on the road, because if I'm going to take the Cowboys seriously, you got to have a couple of these wins on your resume, and going to Philly and taking out the Eagles would really change the dynamic in the NFC.

00:46:16
Speaker 5: I agree, and I will take them seriously even if they lose like a close game.

00:46:20
Speaker 1: Same thing what I said about the Dolphins.

00:46:23
Speaker 2: Yeah, if you go back and forth in the place, that's okay, but you can't get blown out.

00:46:26
Speaker 5: But to Mark's point, I don't know if it's the game of the year, but it might have the biggest impact in the super Bowl race of any regular season game for a while, because depending on how you want to look at the NFC, there's either three real deal Super Bowl contenders or there is like five, let's say, and four of them are in the same divisions, the West and the East. And the Eagles will get up two and a half games on the Cowboys with only eight to play. That's a pretty big margin if the Eagles can win this game. So if you're looking at like there's only three super Bowl contenders, one of them is gonna have to go on the road and win three games. Whoever comes in second place in the NFC East. I think you can throw more teams in there in the NFC West too, and that can be done, and it's been done right, and you can come back from two and a half games too. But it would be a size to use a mark word advantage to get this start. And I was I was worried about the Eagles because they did not look the same without Jalen Carter on defense last last week. I know Fletcher Cox is having his best season in a few years, but Carter is their best defensive player. They've been a mediocre, disappointing defense in general, but Carter is practicing fully and they've got you know, an extra secondary help with Gyros Burd Gyris and uh playing and ships back, so they're actually as healthy as they've been all year. I just wonder, like Nikobe Dean's out there. Nacobe Dean a good player. This is a game where I think they'll be targeting the linebacker position of Philly for a while.

00:47:55
Speaker 4: I think it's a huge moment for Mike McCarthy because a win, like I don't know it just this is that because I don't feel that way about Dolphins chiefs in terms of like if whatever happens to the Dolphins, like they're a new good team. You know, it's like there's there. They're with a second year head coach and they're like a new experience. Like this is sort of the Dallas DNA the last couple of seasons, the way that it ended, you Like, this is gonna be like if you can find a way to shut down, I'm one Philly's like ground game has not been great the last couple of weeks, Like that's because things are heating up through the air. I guess the question the inflection point is like, can you stop aj Brown? Who looks downright unstoppable to me?

00:48:30
Speaker 2: Now, yes, Brown has been We talked about earlier in the week. It could be in the MVP conversation. The Eagles, you know they are obviously what are they six in one right now? Like record wise, they are seven and one and a very good spot. And you know that that is the measure of a team that even if they haven't really clicked on all gears and the defense obviously it was a mess last week against Washington and the offenses had you know, stops and goes. The fact that they're seven to one is a testament to their superpower status that they find a way.

00:49:00
Speaker 1: However, let's keep an eye for.

00:49:03
Speaker 2: A team that hasn't really been able to put it all together despite the record. The next six weeks they have the Cowboys at Chiefs home, Buffalo home, Niners at Cowboys at Seahawks. That is a gauntlet like no other team faces all year.

00:49:21
Speaker 5: That makes this game even bigger, I think for the Philly to get that advantage, because if you lose it, suddenly everything looks a little different. Philadelphia is favored by three, so kind of the desert looks like at these two teams sees them pretty even. Philly hasn't been able to run well lately. That's a little concerning for them, and they are facing Dak on a heater. I know it's only two games, but if you just search like PFF from weeks six to eight, you know, first in PFF, first in EPA, fifth in completion percentage over expected. Basically as a DAK supporter, he's played two perfect games. They've been against pretty shaky defenses. This is a great test of if he's going to keep running the ball occasionally against a better defense in a big spot. If he continues a heater, then this team has I mean week seven was a bye, so week six through eight is right. Yeah, I'm saying those charge games. He basically had two perfect games.

00:50:13
Speaker 4: I guess I get like not to be general about Dak because it's that stuff annoys me too. But it's like, okay, like this is where we need Dak in you know, with the entire world watching, to absolutely be the best version.

00:50:25
Speaker 2: And I said last week ceedee lamb go be AJ Brown and then he was AJ Browning on Sunday. Now it's a J Brown v CD Lamb And if the Cowboys have any chance ceedee, Lamb is going to have to go kind of punch for punch with AJ Brown in terms of production.

00:50:39
Speaker 5: Let's see if it happens. All right, Greg, up next? Okay, you know where I'm going. I'm taking the Seahawks at the Ravens. It's in the early window. Look you, the Ravens are six point favorites.

00:50:51
Speaker 3: How about that?

00:50:52
Speaker 5: Jim Nance Tony Romo on this game. And this is the best week of games of the season because we not only have four great games. And I made a little list before the show. I came up with eleven teams six and the AFC five in the NFC where it wouldn't shock me if they won the Super Bowl.

00:51:09
Speaker 3: It's like a long list.

00:51:11
Speaker 5: Eight of those eleven teams are playing against each other this week in four kind of big games, and they're all in different windows, including that that early London went so you can you can focus on it.

00:51:20
Speaker 3: If you're the general fan. I love this.

00:51:22
Speaker 5: I am a little worried for the Seahawks offense because this is a team in Baltimore that really forces quarterbacks to make quick decisions, and Gino's really improved and not taking sacks. You can tell it was a point of emphasis. Get rid of the ball a little quicker, don't take as many sacks. That was probably his biggest weakness as a quarterback coming into this year.

00:51:42
Speaker 3: He's really improved on that.

00:51:43
Speaker 5: But sometimes he just then makes a throw that you shouldn't make. And Baltimore is really good at being creative and making quarterbacks make throws they shouldn't make and sending a lot at them. And they've overcome the injuries on their offensive line and they're maybe getting little healthier this week for Seattle, but I wouldn't say it's a strength for them against the team in Baltimore that leads the NFL in sacks. The positive is the wide receiver group's kind of coming together. Jsn slowly improving, Jake Bobo, he's a thing. Lockett finally had his best game last week. DK Metcalf, who has been injured, is healthy. So if there is a team that I think could go up and down with Baltimore like it would be Seattle, But they need their defense.

00:52:23
Speaker 3: To show up.

00:52:26
Speaker 2: Watching the game this morning, the Seattle game against Cleveland, and great job going down the field stealing that game from the Browns who had the ball with a couple of minutes to go before PJ Walker through an interception.

00:52:40
Speaker 1: The GINO thing can't hide from it. It is.

00:52:43
Speaker 3: He threw two interceptions.

00:52:46
Speaker 2: He threw a bad red zone pick, he threw a pick over the middle, there's a really nice athletic play by the defensive lineman. And then he had a late in the third quarter Gift wrapped a potential pick six that was dropped.

00:52:58
Speaker 3: There was a real there's a real Greg where he's I was a miscommunication with JSN for sure, but that's gonna.

00:53:03
Speaker 2: Enters the fourth quarter with three interceptions and they're down twenty seven to seventeen. I think he's living a little bit dangerously, no doubt, and he's getting away with some things, and he had some low throws in that game.

00:53:14
Speaker 1: In general, I don't know what like but the story.

00:53:17
Speaker 2: I'm sure his PFF grade is great, Greg, But like watching these games, it feels like every week now it's a bit of a tight rope walk and when is he going to fall off and have a really bad game?

00:53:29
Speaker 3: And I think it could be this game.

00:53:31
Speaker 5: I think that's fair because the difference is like like those Browns games, those two first two drives. I was expecting, Okay, I'm going to see Geno in rhythm. It was actually Geno kind of creating second reaction plays after the pressure got there.

00:53:42
Speaker 3: So it's similar.

00:53:43
Speaker 5: It's a it's Gino coasters within games now where I think there's a lot of high level stuff that's making up for the.

00:53:49
Speaker 3: Bad throws his first touchdown passes. It's a dangerous way to live. I know that drive was excellent.

00:53:54
Speaker 5: I am worried about yea, I am worried about this matchup. I mean, I think anyone would be in Baltimore right now.

00:53:59
Speaker 4: Man, they're giving Seattle six points that that surprised me a little bit. I think that the Geno thing. I'm with you Dan entirely. That was a tough game to watch because you're watching a team directed by you know, Walker who's making disastrous throws all over the place, massive turnover worthy issues, and you're you're hanging around because of your defense and like that dropped pick six was huge. But I think the other side to Gino is that in these games you see him operating with like pretty intense confidence that he can make big plays down the field too, and there's been some spectacular deep shots.

00:54:34
Speaker 3: But it is a coaster.

00:54:35
Speaker 2: Inside a coaster inside a coaster, right, and Lamar has been it's a Russian doll of Gino Smith.

00:54:40
Speaker 5: Lamar has been more consistent. I don't think his gift idea for Greg I will you know Smith, Russian doll. I would love it. And I look at this. I look at this Baltimore team, though, and I just see they can win so many different types of ways. They're actually getting healthier. They didn't make any moves at the deadline. There was reporting from the athletic that they went pretty hard after Derrick Henry that they would have liked that, but they weren't going to go and give them like a first or a high, you know, side condition. So they were interested. But I think they looked at the team they had and they said, look, we're winning all sorts of ways. We have a really effective running game. The passing game is a little up and down, but we can do it. We can win with a rund evens, we can run with our past even I just think right now they might be.

00:55:22
Speaker 3: The most complete team in the NFL.

00:55:23
Speaker 5: They're getting it going and and it hurts me, but I'm trying to take the emotion out of it. I'm going to actually lock against the Seahawks, so I'm going either way.

00:55:32
Speaker 1: It is so weird.

00:55:34
Speaker 5: I just I don't like any other Locks. I was like, I really do think they're the best part for me.

00:55:40
Speaker 3: That's amazing.

00:55:41
Speaker 2: I don't hate it, I know, but it's such a It's a look into the mind of Greg that I knew this game was going to give you trouble emotionally, and well you kind of downplayed it last week. But now that I am this is heightened the fact that it blocked one of the two.

00:55:56
Speaker 3: Well, it is weird.

00:55:58
Speaker 5: I still, in my heart will be rooting for the Seahawks that outweighs the Locks, like slightly.

00:56:04
Speaker 3: But I do believe the Ravens will win.

00:56:06
Speaker 5: What I believe as I'm wearing my rain Maker sweatshirt check it out, by the way, checked out, So people were looking on Instagram like where they could buy this, and I did find the link.

00:56:16
Speaker 3: I will try to put it up. You know.

00:56:18
Speaker 5: It's you know, whenever, whenever Iddris Elba can make a sweatshirt with the NFL promoting his charity, and it randomly says rain maker on it, and nobody knows why you gotta get it right.

00:56:31
Speaker 3: You might have had some influence in that.

00:56:33
Speaker 1: We don't know.

00:56:33
Speaker 3: I don't think so nobody knows.

00:56:35
Speaker 2: It hasn't really been brought up by Greg, but I personally engineered him getting this sweat.

00:56:39
Speaker 5: You did a great job. You were at the store. You said, look at this, thank you very much.

00:56:43
Speaker 2: That's he and we gotta we gotta get this Greg, and I went and I went on the rack and I sought out the proper size for you too, and I I.

00:56:52
Speaker 5: Uh, oh, yeah, you said, I said, I will venue you right now, get me the smallest size they have, and then you got it for free.

00:56:58
Speaker 3: So look at you now. Henry obviously play a major role.

00:57:00
Speaker 2: But if I don't, if I don't elevate, that is something that needs to happen.

00:57:05
Speaker 1: You're not wearing that.

00:57:05
Speaker 5: I I give you. I want to give you all the flowers, but let's.

00:57:09
Speaker 1: Take it to what I'm really.

00:57:12
Speaker 3: Flowers.

00:57:12
Speaker 2: I'm not looking for flowers. I'm looking for a taste of the action. If you ended up moving units of this and you get a taste, well, I don't got to catch.

00:57:23
Speaker 3: Uh to zeuser.

00:57:24
Speaker 5: In fact, my size is sold out, I noticed, but there are still large and extra largest available.

00:57:29
Speaker 2: Let's get too Uh see this stinks because we oh, well, well, so many great.

00:57:33
Speaker 3: Games you got you got.

00:57:37
Speaker 5: We're like an hour into the show, so there's nothing left.

00:57:40
Speaker 2: There's literally nothing left that excites me. In fact, Greg, can you pick my game for me?

00:57:47
Speaker 3: I like that?

00:57:48
Speaker 5: Okay, Well, now I'm gonna make self interested.

00:57:52
Speaker 1: Yeah, do whatever you want because there's nothing here that.

00:57:54
Speaker 5: Okay, I'm gonna give you Commander's Patriots Commander's page.

00:57:58
Speaker 2: Okay, that's fine because I'm not gonna because as hard as the other I don't know.

00:58:02
Speaker 3: You told me to give you one. I was like, what game do I not want to watch? So that's how that's all right?

00:58:06
Speaker 1: You're out, Mark.

00:58:07
Speaker 3: Can you pick me a game and self interesting? Okay? Let's see here. What would you pick if you were in the spot? Ben job? Greg mcmufic, Okay, you know what I would pick. I would know you're out, Mark, Mark is. The draft has been pushed to Mark intensely. Bleak.

00:58:24
Speaker 4: There's injuries all over the place.

00:58:26
Speaker 3: I'm a weirdo. I'm telling you what I would pick.

00:58:28
Speaker 5: I would pick Vikings Falcons and get in on Jaron Hall, hannicking to see what they.

00:58:32
Speaker 3: Are going on over there. No, no, no, that's what I would.

00:58:34
Speaker 4: How about a little C. J. Stroud verse Baker Mayfield Tampa ed Houston.

00:58:40
Speaker 1: All right, well I'm gonna take them both. How about that?

00:58:42
Speaker 2: Those are my next two picks. Okay, let's start with the Vikings at Falcons.

00:58:48
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's post Kirk. Now it's Jaron Hall.

00:58:52
Speaker 3: Maybe we ever know if Josh stabs Josh.

00:58:54
Speaker 1: Dobbs in the building.

00:58:55
Speaker 2: They did get him, so there's a I guess a possibility he plays. Once upon a time last year Baker played on a couple of days. Noticed for the Rams. Do you need to get Josh Dobbs in a game at all costs? No, I'd rather take a look at the kid and then see make an evaluation after four quarters. But the Vikings also are quietly amidst all the trauma that the season is a crude now due to injury. On a three game winning streak, they got back to five hundred. They are in the thicke of things. I think they hold the seventh playoff spot in the NFC. As action kicks off and there is intrigue with the Falcons now I mean it. I will give the slightest amount of credit to Arthur Smith, who's terrible. He finally finally made a decision in the team's best interest rather than what would show that he's smarter than everyone else, and he benches Desmond Ritter. He's a backup quarterback, as he always was. Who knows what would have happened with this super soft schedule they have if he would have pulled the trigger a month ago and gotten in what I think is a very good backup quarterback in Taylor Heineke.

01:00:03
Speaker 1: Maybe they are in the.

01:00:05
Speaker 2: Mix versus the first or second seed in the NFC. It's not crazy when you think about their schedule and what's lies ahead. But now they have a quarterback who can potentially get hot. And again, this is the general idea of the Falcons heading into the season is, oh, they could be fun this year because they have Drake London, because they have Kyle Pitts, because they have Beejean Robinson. They have pieces here ostensibly, a good offensive mind, a head coach that can pull some levers here. Okay, none of that worked, but now you have a guy in Heineke who could sling it a little bit, and let's see if he's allowed to throw the ball and they can get a good mix of pass and run if the Falcons offense does actually show real signs of life.

01:00:49
Speaker 1: They certainly did in the half Heinekee played on Sunday.

01:00:51
Speaker 3: It had to happen. It had to happen.

01:00:53
Speaker 4: And I think, like what you're pointing to with Arthur Smith is something we all see that. It's just like the messaging around it was confusing. I don't care at this point he's in. We need to see the change. That said, the thing that I think is a little interesting is that like Ridder's numbers and Heineke's numbers in general are like almost identical.

01:01:12
Speaker 3: But that's why I can't trust numbers like that. I I agree with that Heikey is Washington numbers.

01:01:17
Speaker 4: Yeah, but I would say Heineck in general is no stranger to like perilous decisions, of course, but I find him to be an adventurer and I like tailor. Heinecke was like, no matter what the Desmond Ridder train was like careening into a wall, you had to do this and if it works. Suddenly an offense that has a lot of pieces if they can play and sync better and you can get this vision of whatever this Arthur Smith offense actually wants to be this year.

01:01:40
Speaker 3: You're here's something.

01:01:41
Speaker 5: I don't think the vision's gonna happen because they're running game stinks. And that doesn't have to do with Desmond Ridder.

01:01:46
Speaker 4: Yeah, but then ask question have to be flexible with Ramish what you do, right?

01:01:49
Speaker 5: But I just mean that was the vision and that's the biggest problem.

01:01:53
Speaker 3: That's a big problem.

01:01:54
Speaker 2: But I think the failures of the quarterback could play a role in the running games failures as well. Here's the quest I have Because Desmond Ridder was put in a caretaker role and failed. Okay, do you think that Greg Taylor Heineke will be put in the same type of role or they're gonna take this as a chance to try to open up the offense a little bit and maybe that changes things in the running game as well.

01:02:18
Speaker 5: So I think they should. I think they should just go for it. I think they were going for it with Ridder. They were very heavy pass run like he was throwing a ton. He was throwing a ton down the field. That just wasn't good. Like they went pretty heavy pass because I think everyone was just building to stop the run, which which makes sense, and I think they'll probably do that with Heineke too.

01:02:37
Speaker 3: I think this is a tough matchup.

01:02:38
Speaker 5: The Falcons are a four and a half point favorite, and I know we don't know anything about Jaron Hall.

01:02:42
Speaker 3: He's a fifth round rookie.

01:02:43
Speaker 5: He's got a little bit of mobility, he's twenty five.

01:02:47
Speaker 3: He's a little different than what you would expect.

01:02:51
Speaker 5: You know, he's at Utah where was there BYU forever and he's like not a huge arm or anything like that. But Kevin O'Connell with a backup quarterback, like and it's a tough matchup. It might just go sideways. But I hate giving the Falcons four and a half right now because I look at the Vikings defense and I think, right now that's the best group in this game. The Vikings defense is pretty good. It's like a top ten DVOA defense. And you got a defense that is different than any other. Do you have a coaching staff in Atlanta and a quarterback in Atlanta that's gonna be ready to deal with all this? Because the forty nine ers really weren't. The Packers certainly weren't. I could absolutely see Tyler Heineke like turning it over four times and the Vikings feeling pretty great and winning this game, like if Jaron Hall gives them anything.

01:03:37
Speaker 3: So I don't like four and a half at all.

01:03:40
Speaker 5: I think I'm gonna pick the Vikings to win this game on game debut, and not that that matters here, but I just feel better. I think they're good. I think they're good the Vikings, so I don't know, we'll see about it.

01:03:50
Speaker 3: Their defense is getting better.

01:03:51
Speaker 5: I don't know a lot of it was Kirk Cousins. You're right, he really was playing like a top three quarterback. But I just think they've got something going here.

01:03:58
Speaker 4: One thing Dan, because it's it's not that it looked good, but they had Ridder throw the ball in five five of these games thirty one times, thirty two, thirty seven, thirty eight, and forty seven. So it's like that's kind of what you'd want Taylor Heineke to do, and like you're just hoping it's a better verse.

01:04:13
Speaker 3: I don't like. I don't like that against Minnesota.

01:04:15
Speaker 5: I think a lot, but they need to get it going on the ground and maybe you're right, maybe they can't. Even just having a better quarterback to extend drives helps the running game because you just get more attempts at it.

01:04:26
Speaker 2: And asking, you know, after your quarterbacks inability to protect the ball, being like, oh, we got to fix this by turning to Tailor Heinike. That's not necessarily going to end well, but in general they had to go.

01:04:37
Speaker 3: Oh they had to do it. Yeah.

01:04:38
Speaker 2: I just feel like Heinekey is going to be a more professional option.

01:04:42
Speaker 5: Just feels very Falcony week. Then lose this game after all that. That's all I'm saying. Falcons fans know what I'm talking.

01:04:49
Speaker 2: All right, my second game will be sorry Mark Hampa Bay here.

01:04:54
Speaker 1: I kind of the Texans.

01:04:55
Speaker 2: I still I know I'm supposed to like watching the textan it's not there for me.

01:04:58
Speaker 4: And I looked at every game, Yeah, and I found a problem with every game. Yeah, I'll pick your problem.

01:05:03
Speaker 1: I'll go with A.

01:05:03
Speaker 2: I'll go with a gallery of the grotesque here, let's go with the Giants at the Raiders because I want to pair. I'm definitely watching Cowboys Eagles, so let's pair with A. It's like a Sovin Blanc, Well, you know I'm gonna give it, and then I'm gonna have like an Ecto cooler and it's gonna be Giants coming off. I mean again, as I was saying in the text thread with my New York friends who are virtually all Giants fans, I'm calling it the ninety nine percent game. When the Giants had the ninety nine percent chance to win on Sunday.

01:05:34
Speaker 3: You must be a delight on that.

01:05:35
Speaker 1: Oh wonderful.

01:05:37
Speaker 2: But trust me, being the Jet fan in a world of Giants fans has been a difficult run for about forty years. So the Giants fans can deal with that. You lose the ninety nine percent game, and now you get the Raiders. And it's interesting that the Raiders are favored by point and a half with all of their misery right now, all of their dysfunction, the fact that Aidan O'Connell is the new quarterback, and you could say, well that that could be better, and I believe it, so I don't. I wish I could cite who the report was. There was a report out there that the announcement was made of Jimmy g has been benched. Aidan O'Connell is going in and someone within the team was like, well, that makes sense, he's the best quarterback on the team. There was a general vibe, and I think there were some whispers from our insiders that in general, the idea of Garoppolo as QB one always wasn't clicking behind the scenes, that he just wasn't playing well, whether it was in training camp, in practices, and certainly.

01:06:34
Speaker 5: Probably a bad sign when you have to have surgery on your foot before you've ever taken a snap and you had to like move things around because you couldn't pass a physical right and then you hurt your back, I think that's a good sign.

01:06:44
Speaker 2: In retrospect, it was a total doom scenario and the fact that it was like, oh, Josh McDaniels needs to be reunited with Jimmy G. All that stuff is gone, so it makes sense Jimmy G, by the way, is going to get the same exact situation.

01:06:55
Speaker 1: Now.

01:06:56
Speaker 2: You will not see him again because the reason they made card disappear last year's last two weeks is they didn't want to trigger the guaranteed money the injury designation there and Jimmy G is the most frougient quarterback in the league. So he's gone and they're gonna get rid of him at the end of the year. So it's Aidan O'Connell against the Giants. I didn't fork the Giants a couple weeks ago after that Jets loss.

01:07:19
Speaker 3: That's tough, tough sitch, tough beat.

01:07:21
Speaker 2: But now you've got the number seven seed for instances the Vikings, who are a team that's obviously on life support.

01:07:26
Speaker 1: I like the Giants in this game.

01:07:28
Speaker 5: I think it's the fired coach principle. That's why the Raiders are.

01:07:32
Speaker 3: Oh, I don't even know what is that for people?

01:07:35
Speaker 5: Well, the Spice Rack is the number one proponent of this, just that the record of interim head coaches in their first game is extraordinary.

01:07:45
Speaker 3: Actually curious to see what the point is on that. But it feels like.

01:07:49
Speaker 5: All the Raiders are suddenly gonna play play harder this week. I actually believe that's possible, you know, with McDaniels out of the building, Daniel dot Jones probably returning for this game. I think it's a big nine games for him. I think it's a big nine games for Evan Neil, who might be coming back. They might get Andrew Thomas Beck I mean, this is about evaluation for the Giants. Evan Neil is kind of skirted without much attention, as you know, one of the most disappointing Top ten picks in the last few years. He's really struggled, and so you got to protect Danny Dimes if he does come back.

01:08:21
Speaker 3: I don't know.

01:08:21
Speaker 5: I mean, it's I'm not sure he is expected to come back, to be clear, Like you've.

01:08:25
Speaker 3: Got Max Crosby in this game.

01:08:26
Speaker 4: The last time we saw Daniel Jones, he was getting absolutely blistered and was happening week after week, and it's like, you're not going to fix this Giant's offensive line. They all if you take away that thirty one points they scored against the Cardinals, they already are last in scoring. They averaged nine point one points per game. And I know it's like it's a soup of issues. But like everything, the shine that was on Brian Dable a year ago is completely off. It's like I don't see a well coached team. And I've been higher on them a year ago, and I know they've had injuries, but every team has banged up also, league.

01:08:57
Speaker 2: They were an impossible sit and it was from a team building situation. It was on them, but the fact that their third string quarterback they couldn't even trust him to pass the way I point to the rest of the season though, But what I well, I guess what I'm saying is like, if you have that Tommy DeVito disaster set up, I will give the offensive line credit that the Jets, who are very good defense, knew he couldn't run the ball, they couldn't throw the ball, and he's still and this is a credit to Saquon too. They still went over like one hundred and twenty five yards rushing, so that there's some credit to be had there. I think it's also interesting that they were being so careful with Daniel Jones and then after the DeVito nightmare, all of a sudden, it'say, yep, now you're in. You're back in. We'll see if he's healthy. But it's it's a game. It's a it's a curiosity.

01:09:44
Speaker 1: Put it that way. And one last thing here, no revenge game for Darren Waller.

01:09:47
Speaker 2: He is out. It sounds like multiple weeks with that hamstring injury. All right, Greg, you're up.

01:09:54
Speaker 5: I'm going to take a ram that Packers. This is where we're at. Halfway in favorites for the Packers. If I have a great early game, I want one that doesn't get needed full attention, and that's the Rams that the Packers. Unfortunately, right now, Packers one of the worst teams in the NFL. And uh, there's some optimism since we last talk about Matthew Stafford in the sense that I think, whatever the worst case scenario him going on injured reserve, that's not happening.

01:10:22
Speaker 3: He didn't practice Wednesday. They're not ruling them out.

01:10:25
Speaker 5: They tried to sign John Wolford in between, and so they got John Wolford paid because then the Bucks were like, we're not letting you take so they elevated him to the active roster.

01:10:34
Speaker 4: Didn't Wolford say he didn't want to go to the Rams.

01:10:38
Speaker 3: I didn't know that part. But you didn't argue.

01:10:40
Speaker 4: I mean, I guess you know you moved like you probably got kids in school. It's like, I don't want to go back to the Rams. That really I don't think right now, but I don't think you have a choice. Anyways, I know you don't have a choice. If the Bucks wanted to keep them, they can keep them, so they did. Anyways, it just shows where the Rams are at in terms of their backup that it's gonna be Brett Ripping most likely, although it sounds like Stafford, you know, could push and try to play if they did. I think if he did, you know, I would I would like them in this game, not because I would like any question Packers. The Packers are maybe the worst team in the NFL. I mean, yeah, they're possibly, They're in the mix. Their defense is terrible too. Mark, I'm gonna ask you a question.

01:11:19
Speaker 2: Because we know each other very well and the various things that make us tick as football fans and observers.

01:11:27
Speaker 3: You could say a lot here.

01:11:28
Speaker 2: You were exhausted by the Packers in the Aaron Rodgers era, and then you said repeatedly that you felt revitalized in terms of watching the Packers now that there's new blood there and Jordan Love. Do you still enjoy watching these Packers? Does it give you any juice? Or are you now spowered on them?

01:11:47
Speaker 3: Not in the least.

01:11:48
Speaker 4: I mean, I don't think I think any human would have a similar response. Packers fans especially are not enjoying the experience. I think it's like pretty telling that Goody talked pretty openly about the fact that like the rest of the season was kind of like, you know, support, we support Jordan Love, but a bit of a referendum on where they go. It's like, this may not be a multiple year situation with Jordan Love.

01:12:10
Speaker 5: I think they're weirdly, even the Love is their guy and they gave them a two year contract, but they.

01:12:14
Speaker 3: Can get out of it.

01:12:16
Speaker 5: Weirdly, Jordan Love's taking a lot of the heat that Goody and Lafleur should be taking because, like you put it all on Jordan Love. They put so many resources into that defense. They're twenty eighth in DVA, they are dead last and plays per drive allowed.

01:12:29
Speaker 3: They just can't get off the field.

01:12:30
Speaker 5: Okay, so you're gonna play very safe on defense and let them go. Well, the second part of that is that we'll make some turnovers because we're keeping them. You know, we're keeping our eyes on the quarterback. They're terrible at making any big plays. And that's all Lafleur and that's all Goody. They brought back Joe Berry. That's where they put their draft picks. They did all of this. Those are their decisions. They're just as disappointing, if not more on defense, I would say that offense. So it's it's on the coach and it's on the GM more than it is on Jordan Love, who's not playing well either.

01:12:57
Speaker 2: On here, Love ranks last rate among the thirty two qualified quarterbacks. He's even behind Zach Wilson. The Packers rank twenty fifth in total yards per game, they're twenty first and passing yards per game. And I didn't really love some of the reporting, or I should say, the headline writing around Guda Kuntz.

01:13:17
Speaker 1: Where's the Brian Guda kuntzk theme song? By the way, I haven't heard.

01:13:20
Speaker 5: That one, it's been a while. That's more of a like a spicy best it is Germany.

01:13:25
Speaker 2: Yeah, but you know what gives it a little pathos when when there's bad things happening as well, there's that edge to that. Yeah, there's a little bit of anger and angst to this anthem there. It was kind of reported that the Packers are not sure if Jordan loves the answer, and we kind of know that. But I think what he did say, like these next ten games or whatever are very important, like so that is I don't think it's as silacious as maybe it could be presented, but it makes sense like he needs to show more than he's shown. Certainly in the last five weeks or so, it started out pretty well.

01:14:01
Speaker 5: And if they're really gone off a cliff, yeah, if the Rams want to be one of those teams that could get in the seventh Mix, which they could with I think a healthy Stafford, you got to win this game, find a way, even with Brett Rippon.

01:14:10
Speaker 3: I wouldn't rule it.

01:14:11
Speaker 2: Out getting that three and a half. Your boy, Adam A mean is on that one. By the way, Gregg's boy.

01:14:16
Speaker 5: Yeah, is he the and he's buried guys outa that Spurouditus.

01:14:20
Speaker 1: Excuse me, I'm.

01:14:21
Speaker 5: Sorry, but we like Adam I mean sure, Chicago guy, all right, I think he does the bulls Mark, I'm all over the league pass.

01:14:30
Speaker 1: Good job, bud uh Mark, you're up.

01:14:33
Speaker 3: Well.

01:14:33
Speaker 4: It would be disingenuous if I had picked a game that I thought would be entertaining for you to skip it myself. So I'm gonna go Tampa Bay at Houston.

01:14:41
Speaker 1: And this is Texans by two and a half.

01:14:42
Speaker 4: And for the reason I mentioned the CJ. Stroud factor here, I think he struggled last week. Carolina made things difficult for him. He still does things.

01:14:51
Speaker 2: What I'm just saying, don't let Cardinals Browns get back to me on the draft because I will.

01:14:56
Speaker 3: Take Yeah, that's it? Is it that? Actually?

01:14:59
Speaker 4: Yeah, there's a lot of really disastro stuff happening there. But I have this is a snake draft for me, so I could pick it next.

01:15:06
Speaker 3: Oh good point, But he's sent a warning to you.

01:15:12
Speaker 1: I mean, can make a trade offer to move up in front of you.

01:15:17
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'd let you do that.

01:15:18
Speaker 1: No, I'm just kidding a right.

01:15:19
Speaker 4: Anyways, Well, I I like love the idea of let's see c J. Stroud bounce back against a good Bucks defense that probably will just completely shut down the run.

01:15:29
Speaker 3: They've been doing that all year.

01:15:32
Speaker 4: Uh, Todd Bowles has them blitzing at the third highest rates. So you know last week that caused some problems for Stroud. I thought that, like if beyond the Bryce Young development, where he played, you know, I thought better than he had any time this season. It's like week after week with Will Anderson, they've got guys like Jonathan Grenard blowing up plays. Last week, Blake Cashman did a lot. It's like this is a strange, a bit of a strange defense, but I think Demiko Ryans and if you've Bobby Slowick as well, like this coaching staff has made a lot of a lot of difference here and I give them a chance every week, and I still eye them as a potential team of ATEN because of that, well I don't.

01:16:10
Speaker 5: I don't think team of eighten is happening, although unless something pops up, I guess just like in November, all right, well we.

01:16:18
Speaker 3: Won't be doing that.

01:16:18
Speaker 4: But in my mind, like they're the they're the team I kind of like watching as a second game each week, so to the Houston Tucks to.

01:16:25
Speaker 3: See both three and four.

01:16:29
Speaker 5: To me, this is a do you want to be part of the season bawl And I hope the Texans win because they would be a more interesting team I think to be part of the season. When we were in high school, I now feel bad about this, but thinking about there was a group of intuage of individuals that were called like the just their gymnasts.

01:16:46
Speaker 3: And uh it was in Dan's parlance.

01:16:48
Speaker 5: They weren't really putting anything on the table, but they weren't taking anything off.

01:16:51
Speaker 3: They were just their gymnasts.

01:16:53
Speaker 5: The Bucks are the most just there is this there were socially amnastics.

01:16:59
Speaker 3: I guess they were just sort of they were there. I don't know if they were known.

01:17:03
Speaker 5: I don't think it was something that was voiced, you know, widely, But I don't know if they were just sort of like they were just kind of like there.

01:17:10
Speaker 3: You're like, oh, yeah, the gymnasts, they kind of they're the crew.

01:17:13
Speaker 2: I don't know if I've ever actually shared this on the show before, and I think it would be helpful to the audience because I think it offers clarity in terms of you looked above a coal mine a social circle.

01:17:25
Speaker 1: No, this has nothing to do with that. Okay, there are three types of people.

01:17:29
Speaker 2: In the world, and I want to give credit speaking of coal mine, Brian Patterson, wherever you are. But this was Brian Patterson's theory back in pro Rover. There are people that they sit at the table. You're at the table. You sit at the table, and they're bringing things.

01:17:42
Speaker 1: To the table.

01:17:43
Speaker 2: Oh, here comes a turkey who likes burritos, who needs a drink, I'll get you something. Then there are people like the gymnasts of West Massachusetts that are just sitting at the table and they're not taking anything off the table. No, but they're not really adding anything, but they're there, and you don't really have an issue unless there are people that bring things to the table that could be sitting there. But then people just that are bringing crowd. But then there's the people that you got to get out of your life, the people that take things from the table.

01:18:10
Speaker 3: Energy people.

01:18:10
Speaker 1: Where where's the salt shaker that's missing? Where's the ketchup? Are missing the cutlery?

01:18:15
Speaker 2: Like, some people are just taking things off the table, And those are the people you got to take out of your life. So if you're lucky, you have a lot of people that bring things to the table and you got a feast. But if you got you got things missing on the table all of a sudden reevaluate who's sitting at your table.

01:18:31
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a percentage game.

01:18:32
Speaker 4: If you remove all the takers, then all you're dealing with are the givers, and that that middle of the road groups.

01:18:38
Speaker 5: I don't I still don't understand the are the bucks, are the jumps best their gymnasts? But I like this, I I I think I heard I heard this were bullied by Greg.

01:18:49
Speaker 4: Steam or just like yeah you were you were you were putting the entire gymnastics team into this bland.

01:18:56
Speaker 2: Yes, come for Greg gymnasts, just like a little only more confusing.

01:19:01
Speaker 3: But it led to to, uh, yeah, I enjoyed that. I enjoyed. I'm with you.

01:19:05
Speaker 5: I think I heard Spencer Hall, Who's great on Wamani Jones podcast this week, say, if someone walks into the room and in size heavily, that's the person you gotta work work, worry about, you know, And that's who's you know.

01:19:19
Speaker 3: They sigh heavyly.

01:19:20
Speaker 5: They immediately are trying to take control of the emotions of the entire you know room.

01:19:25
Speaker 4: I mean, I can I think of a couple of shadowy League figures from our past that will like walk in a room forty minutes, lay to a meeting and flip the lights on.

01:19:33
Speaker 3: Oh now you're here. Here it comes.

01:19:35
Speaker 5: I'm immediately going to try to get rid of my bad energy onto you.

01:19:39
Speaker 3: I actually like that person that you're referring to, but action.

01:19:43
Speaker 2: I like him, But that was more like that's a corporate leverpool. And I could think of a lot Tommy Lee Jones where you need him. Nowhere's move on, all right, Mark, it's back to you. All right, I'll take I'll take the Cardinals at Cleveland. Cardinals are getting eight points in this not surprisingly. I mean it's like, here's the thing. There is a world where it's Clayton Tune versus PJ.

01:20:08
Speaker 1: Walker.

01:20:09
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's still.

01:20:12
Speaker 4: Where there is a potential world where it could possibly and it seems unlikely, but it could possibly be Kyler Murray versus Deshaun Watson.

01:20:19
Speaker 5: It's most according to reports, it's most likely Clayton Tune versus Deshaun Watson because Watson as practice, he says he feels good. He doesn't want to commit, but it sounds like there's progress and and it sounds positive.

01:20:34
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think you know, for me, like Clayton Tune put into a tough spot here. They're missing parts on their offense to begin with. They weren't a great offense to start, and you're gonna go against in Cleveland. There's gonna be some weather here against the Miles Garrett led defense that nearly beat the Saints a week ago with some incredible plays. Uh, And like, how are simply trying to survive the PJ Walker experience? He has nine turnover worthy plays every game. And it's like, I think it's like we watch PJ Walker, like, you can tell this guy cares, he's plugged in.

01:21:09
Speaker 5: But all that's that's not good enough. That's all fine though, but that's the offense has been okay, like this game, the running game has.

01:21:16
Speaker 3: Been good, I know, but I'm just not. I'm not.

01:21:19
Speaker 4: I think a week ago I would have been saying that and he and that's all true, and djok who's been been good as well, but like you can't look past what PJ Walker has cost them. I think they have two more wins with some of the gaffs taken away.

01:21:32
Speaker 5: And that's not like why not to take which games Seattle about? They won his other games?

01:21:39
Speaker 3: Yeah, but I'm saying PJ Walker's cat, like.

01:21:42
Speaker 1: Are we in the greg PJ Walker?

01:21:44
Speaker 3: No?

01:21:44
Speaker 2: No.

01:21:45
Speaker 5: My point is they had three hundred and eighty five yards last week. They gave up three sixty two. I didn't look at that and say, like the defense is totally carrying. Of course the defense is better, but the offense did more positive things in Seattle than I would have expected.

01:21:57
Speaker 4: I think they're they're not defunct offense, but it's like PJ Walker, they're living on the edge with pgs.

01:22:02
Speaker 5: But he hasn't cost them wins, is my point, because he's played it last Winds, yes, last week.

01:22:07
Speaker 2: And this is a team that's gonna need all the wins they can get when they're trying to squeeze in to the playoff picture. And the longer he plays, the more games he's gonna eventually cost them.

01:22:17
Speaker 3: Now six weeks from Watson's injury, and so that was.

01:22:19
Speaker 1: Right, and that's.

01:22:23
Speaker 2: The impossible situation with the Browns right now, because you know, Walker is a guy that's not gonna win games, and and you know what, oh no, no, agree, But now you're waiting on Watson to come back. And Watson wasn't that good before he got hurt, and now we don't know what his health is, so they're kind of caught in purgatory. And oh, by the way, Bradley Chubb is rehabbing a horrific knee injury. So they the fact that their defense is being asked to do so much week to week when they when they let down as it did for parts of the Seattle game, that makes it very difficult and that we'll see.

01:22:56
Speaker 1: What they can do going forward.

01:22:57
Speaker 4: But against Clayton too, it kind of caught the PFF's thirty second ranked passing attack and a year ago with Jacoby Brissett, who is a higher quality backup obviously, like you saw Stefanski coach him up.

01:23:10
Speaker 3: I think Stefanski's out of.

01:23:11
Speaker 4: Turns with this passing game, like there's just not much he can well Watson a little plays here and there.

01:23:15
Speaker 3: Watson took half those snaps.

01:23:16
Speaker 5: So I think they have a lot of potential because they're four and three, they've got Clayton tune. Most likely this week, they should be able to get to five and three. I would expect good spot. I think Watson maybe saw, oh we got Arizona. No, let schedule, let's get back on the on the field here. But that shouldn't dictate anything. No, I know, I'm joking there. I just think they are in a good spot to get to five and three despite having one good Deshaun Watson game and no Nick Chubb. Yeah, to me, that's actually room for Okay, we we could do something here.

01:23:45
Speaker 1: That's what makes it so frustrating what happened inint the Seahawks.

01:23:49
Speaker 4: Well they had that game, it stands out. But that's fine if those things happen. But I think you're right, Greg, Like they're all around the roster. There are positives. It's just like you're trying to survive. Even the run game's gotten a little better last few weeks, So what is there?

01:24:01
Speaker 2: They traded people Jones at the people Jones at the deadline, and you know, I like that David and Joku mark nice game many times. Nice game, and he played really well on Sunday. Elijah Moore hasn't popped for them. Like, who is there, Amaris? What's going on with their wide receiver group right now? Because even when Deshaun Watson comes back, what's going on with this passing game?

01:24:24
Speaker 4: I think Amari Cooper's has made plays in every single game.

01:24:27
Speaker 3: And like, I mean, like, who's their number two guy right now? Who's that guy?

01:24:31
Speaker 4: I think it's Na Joku. I mean from a tight end position, Elijah Moore. They've probably wanted someone like David Bell for two years in a row to step up and do more.

01:24:40
Speaker 1: They don't.

01:24:40
Speaker 4: I thought the trade was just a little mysterious, but that's what I mean. I mean, but Dom and Jones had eight catches, so they don't really they don't really have a clear cut third guy.

01:24:50
Speaker 2: Okay, let's uh take a break and then we will finish a draft. All right, we're back homestretch, GREGI your last pick. Oh need a late game, So I guess I'm taking Colts Panthers. Funny how the draft works, Uh, not bad?

01:25:06
Speaker 5: The Frank revenge game, now, sure, I don't know.

01:25:10
Speaker 4: I think that could absolutely qualify this.

01:25:12
Speaker 3: How about the Bryce Young breakout game?

01:25:15
Speaker 5: Okay, I would like that the Colts defense does tend to help opposing quarterbacks. Like I've been saying it on the pod for a while that I just think he's getting steadily better. Took too many sacks last week against the Texans price Young, that is, but made a number of good throws too. He just looks like I know, he's so small that he doesn't look like a lot of NFL quarterbacks. But we've seen a lot of quarterbacks come into the league and they just don't belong.

01:25:42
Speaker 3: And to me, he belongs.

01:25:43
Speaker 5: And I think it's it's clear, like compared to a Zach Wilson or even a Mac Jones, Like I just see it, and I think he's gonna be Okay, Now, is he gonna be a huge difference maker? We'll have to find out over the next few years. They did make some big changes in Carolina. I thought coming out of the bye, they bet they straight out bench Miles Sanders, so it's a Chewba Hubbard and black Sheer running backfield with the Sanders in the third spot, and then they bench Hayden Hurst and Tommy Trumple played some.

01:26:10
Speaker 3: At least they're trying some different things.

01:26:11
Speaker 5: They're playing some younger players, and I think they went with kind of Thomas Brown the new play color his guys and they have a little bit of vibes after the first week.

01:26:20
Speaker 4: Young made some passes last week that turned me into a believer a little bit, or I was before.

01:26:27
Speaker 3: I just wasn't sure.

01:26:28
Speaker 4: But I will say this, like he got hit a lot, but he took a beating he did, but you know what, he showed some real I thought he was just showed some toughness, like he just kept getting back up. And maybe if you're like everyone's always talking about how small he is, he's.

01:26:40
Speaker 5: Kind of just like he took a ton of hits in college in the SEC like people kind of showed themselves when and I'm not not a big college guy, but when I eventually went back to do the studies, like, well, you know, he was in front of the Alabama offensive line. No, they stunk last year, Like he got brutalized up front, and so he's got to hit a lot.

01:26:56
Speaker 3: We'll see.

01:26:57
Speaker 5: The Colts running game, though, was still the best thing in this game. Even one of the reasons I kind of like as the late game is give me some Jonathan Taylor versus one of the worst run defenses in the league.

01:27:05
Speaker 2: He got one carry, I think with like thirteen minutes to play, he got his final carry and then they just didn't use him in their loss to the Saints for the rest of the game as a ball carrier. So I think Zach Moss has been, you know, a surprise, pleasant surprise for them. But I think it's time to stop being so cute about how much they're using Zach Moss than down the stretch.

01:27:25
Speaker 3: Colts. Uh, well, they didn't have the ball a ton, but the year Zach Moss quite a bit.

01:27:28
Speaker 5: It was partly like it kept coming up in short yardage, and he is pretty great in short yards.

01:27:32
Speaker 3: The Colts are favored by you, by the way, Jonathan Taylor, right.

01:27:35
Speaker 5: He They've been answering these questions all weeks, so they're going to give him.

01:27:40
Speaker 2: The boy meant about it, just just you know, do what makes sense, common sense. By the way, the last three games and before Anthony Richardson got hurt, I really loved the Colts as a team of atl Nominee Gardner Minshew's fun. But the defense has got to be better. I mean, if if the Bryce Young breakout game. These last three weeks at Jacksonville, they gave up thirty seven against the Browns, thirty eight against the Saints thirty.

01:28:11
Speaker 3: Eight, So it's there for Bryce to have. Farious Minshew's been a huge part of that.

01:28:17
Speaker 5: Yeah, like a turnover worthy that's giving them a ton of extra possess.

01:28:21
Speaker 2: That's fair, that's fair. But you know, I just feel like at home, this would be a nice Bryce Young story. Yeah, win a couple games three, you know, count for three touchdowns and get people excited down there.

01:28:33
Speaker 5: Well, in the fact they don't have their own pick at Chicago's pick, I really feel like it's just gonna make it feel weightier that this that they traded all this for Bryce Young.

01:28:41
Speaker 2: By the way, at Chicago next week, pinch me, all right, I close it out.

01:28:45
Speaker 1: I have like four hundred games in the early window. Let's go with.

01:28:52
Speaker 2: Just out of spite, I'm gonna put the Patriots last Grec Bears at Saints.

01:29:00
Speaker 1: Bears a Saints.

01:29:01
Speaker 2: That's an exciting selection to Saints by eight and a half, Saints eight and a half points. And you know what, I think that's fair because I like the way this offense looked. I mean it was we talked about it, the best version of their offense all season by far. And I like the idea of keeping keeping Taysom Hill involved. Alvin Kamara has really kind of shown signs of life. He's been a touch monster for them. He's really the focal point of the offense. Greg One thing I want to get eyes on here, your boy offense or the offensive player of your prediction, Chris.

01:29:42
Speaker 3: Lave where has he been?

01:29:44
Speaker 5: Has been in that off same page of Derek Carr making big drops in his own head, getting arrested, being kind of the main character and in the spotlight in a way that he's probably never been in his whole career. It's not necessary really handling it well. I think the arrest was for driving reckless, driving over the speed.

01:30:06
Speaker 2: He is since week four and he started out great when we were talking about that. He was averaging over seven catches one hundred yards a game the first three weeks, the last three weeks four and a half catches game forty three yards.

01:30:16
Speaker 3: He's not getting the end zone, and neither is Michael Thomas.

01:30:18
Speaker 2: By the way, there's a disconnect in terms of red zone with those wide receivers, which is why it's so important Greg that Alvin Kamara, who found the end zone twice once as a rusher once is a receiver last week, gets that mojo back and Taysom Hills stays in the mix because he's another guy that has a nose for the end zone.

01:30:34
Speaker 1: That helps him so much.

01:30:35
Speaker 5: Yeah, when I made that list of who could realistically win the Super Bowl, I did not include any teams from the NFC South.

01:30:42
Speaker 3: I feel good about that. But this is a big game.

01:30:45
Speaker 5: I think for the Saints to build on the most positive offensive performance in years for them and just take care of business and beat the Bears and keep it going because they have dudes. Shaheed's a dude. Kamara I think is better. He's not the old Kamara, but he's still a plus starter. And even Michael Thomas uh is, you know, playing well despite what Kamara, did you guys hear about this called.

01:31:13
Speaker 3: I I can't you know this, this goes on fast. I can't say it, but you know the s word bug. He said.

01:31:18
Speaker 5: Everyone last week was taking ivs because the diarrhea was just running through the whole team. They said, it's such a bad Camara said it. I think it's going to bring them together as a team that they overcame this.

01:31:31
Speaker 1: And you can also just say stomach bug and people are like, okay, we got.

01:31:35
Speaker 3: I know, but that's what That's what Camara said.

01:31:38
Speaker 5: This was every Yeah, this was before and during at halftime they were taking IV's. They had no fluid. It was happening every week. Then, yes, it led to a great performance.

01:31:47
Speaker 2: It's sneaky, like one of the worst parts of being a human. And I'm glad they're passed it.

01:31:53
Speaker 5: Past Rash needs to be a little better, but it should be again.

01:31:57
Speaker 3: We are getting Beijing again.

01:31:59
Speaker 4: All right about Montes Sweat, is you gonna play much in this? I kind of like the idea of throwing him in there againstuff. Yeah, I mean like the Saints offensive line, which is like, I mean.

01:32:08
Speaker 5: It's not like you're playing quarterback. You gotta figure out you know, certain Russia, you know certain you know what, I like loops and whatnot.

01:32:14
Speaker 3: But he can go out there. You know.

01:32:16
Speaker 2: I like if you got the Saints defense and fantasy fire him up because you might get a twenty five point effort from them.

01:32:23
Speaker 1: I think this is gonna be ugly. Saints roll all right. Finally, Commander's at Patriots.

01:32:33
Speaker 2: Patriots are favored by three points in this ballgame the Commanders.

01:32:37
Speaker 1: A couple of things going on with the Commanders.

01:32:39
Speaker 2: Obviously, they just traded away their too top edge rushers, so that's interesting. They are looking ahead to a future that might not include even their head coach, so they're in a tricky spot. Also, Sam Howell pretty much balled out against the Eagles and kept them in that game and made that just a really interesting fun game. So he has been you know, I feel like on balance, there's been some lows. I think there was a five interception game against the Bills. But I think he's been a little bit. He's been better than I expected, So I think I'm not saying he's the future.

01:33:15
Speaker 1: I think, just like what you're hearing out of Green.

01:33:17
Speaker 2: Bay, I think the next ten games are incredibly or nine games are incredibly important for Sam Howe to give himself a chance to be a part of the future here and the Patriots mark we mentioned it, Kendrick Bourne, who's really their only playmaker of note, at least in the passing game. He's out for the Earth and ACL So they're in virtual must win territory here because you get the Commanders. Let's talk about it, Greg, the Patriots as a team that fashions himself playing December football at matters. You got to beat the Commanders this week at home. You got to beat the Colts next week at home and going to your bye with a chance, and it's on tap.

01:33:55
Speaker 5: You've talked about their season as if it's still meaningful in a way that I don't think they're doing even in Foxboro.

01:34:00
Speaker 1: But I'm just saying those are winnable games there, we've ched them.

01:34:03
Speaker 2: Sure, Can they be I'm not saying winnable, but they're not Titanic situation?

01:34:09
Speaker 5: Now?

01:34:09
Speaker 3: Can they be bad teams?

01:34:10
Speaker 5: Can Belichick still do the thing where he takes advantage of an inexperienced quarterback.

01:34:16
Speaker 3: I guess you find those out.

01:34:17
Speaker 5: But I have a hard time with the Patriots favored over anyone I'm actually surprised because I look at these two teams and I think, well, the Commanders are a better team. They've been, their ups have been way higher. I mean, i'd take Sam Howell over Mac Jones right now. I don't even think that's higher upside A question in terms of his high level play. I've liked what I've seen out a Christian Barmore, but I don't know. Yeah, in terms of the Belichick, is he gonna get another season or not? These types of games do matter because I looked at their schedule. I think of the eight first games, you know, five have been against the Bills, Dolphins, Jets, and Cowboys, which are you know, four of the better best teams in the NFL. And then down the stretch they only have like two of those games and now they're playing more teams that are closer to their level.

01:35:05
Speaker 3: But I don't assume anything. I think i'd take the Commanders. I think you lose Kendrick Bourne.

01:35:10
Speaker 4: They put up two hundred and eighteen total yards a week ago, a flurry of three and outs. Mac Jones has totally talk about another quarterback. That's like, I don't think mac Jones is their starter next year. I mean a lot will change between now and then, but this is one of the worst teams in the league. And if it's so important for Bill Belichick to show something tradeline deadline comes and goes and they don't do a single thing, I get that probably like this wasn't like a hey, we're in buyer's mode. But I just saw a team that just like Josh McDaniels out in Vegas, which is completely inactive.

01:35:43
Speaker 2: That's kind of why I still don't think he's in danger. I think and I think Mac Jones being just the guy, a supreme just the guy so far for the most part of his career after that first year is like help Spelchick, because I think he's going to be the guy that goes. And then I think Belichick gets one more quarterback to try to do something right.

01:36:03
Speaker 5: Well, we have nine games, if they win, if they go four and thirteen, I think Gillfield did.

01:36:07
Speaker 2: But I don't think. I guess I don't think that's gonna happen. Yeah, I think that just and yeah, I don't think he's Maybe maybe Belichick's not the same coach he was, but I don't think he's like a liability.

01:36:16
Speaker 3: I think he will game win games like this.

01:36:18
Speaker 2: I think he'll win at least one of these games, and maybe both, and they're gonna end up winning around six or so.

01:36:22
Speaker 5: Well, then they should put up some points, because to me, this season is in terms of the commanders being disappointed is about Ron Rivera's defense. I thought it was very telling that he was basically made to trade these guys off of his defense, because you invested all this in the defensive line and you're still twenty ninth in defense, So we don't like your plan anymore. It's not working. The defense has not been good enough. Sam Howell actually, on balance, has been good enough. Think about how well he played in those two Eagles games. He played more than well enough to win, and they could have won both. If the defense was good, they'd be five and three and they'd be quite a story.

01:36:54
Speaker 3: Yea, if you'r Howell.

01:36:55
Speaker 4: Like, what all I'm really asking from a young quarterback is be watchable, make some plays, and like he does both. I hated Ron Rivera having to answer obvious questions about the trades, and he used the line too well. This was an opportunity to see what else we have you didn't want to do that, like you have no power in your about nine weeks from being thrown out the front door.

01:37:15
Speaker 2: Them how has been sacked forty one times this year, by only one last week. Though even with the only one last week, the next closest guy it's been sacked twenty eight times, so just Daniel Jones, who hasn't played in a couple weeks.

01:37:26
Speaker 5: So those guys got rid of the ball really quickly last week. Maybe something clicked. I don't know if it was the game plan or the opponent, but his time to throw.

01:37:34
Speaker 3: And it tells me he's durable.

01:37:35
Speaker 4: Though if he can be sacked that many times and not sure go out, there's a positive in there.

01:37:39
Speaker 3: Maybe I don't know sure or yeah, taking time bomb in the clapp right David's car was like, I can't take much more of this. He doesn't seem like in shock and all mode.

01:37:50
Speaker 5: Though David Carr was not looking at as a positive when he took those seventy six sacs. So Sam Howell, Yeah, the David Carr Sam Howell watch is on because he's still I believe on pace.

01:38:02
Speaker 2: No good, well, not good, terrible in fact, rooting for that kid, all right, those are all of the games. And remember that on Sunday night we recap all the games we just talked about, save one Monday Night that gets its own thing until Sunday.

01:38:19
Speaker 1: Heed the call.