NFL Cover Zero: Coaching Changes and Wild Card Weekend!

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Speaker 1: NFL Covers Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin is a production of the NFL and iHeart podcast.

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Speaker 2: Alight. It is Cover zero.

00:00:22
Speaker 1: And in his playoff time, we it's the Wildcard Round six Games of excitement. It is also what do you call the Tuesday after Black Monday? The melancholy violent Tuesday. Drew is on vacation but was gracious enough to leave his millionaire beach house to join us, and Drew, good to see you.

00:00:47
Speaker 2: You as well.

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Speaker 3: You all will be proud my first day on the bench or beach. I pretty much just scrolled through anytime touchdown scores and NFL news, so I'm ready to go.

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Speaker 1: That's exactly what your wife was hoping for when you went down there. She was wanting to make sure to get her to get her picks in. So I guess what we'll do is we'll go, oh three parts. We'll start with the coaches that got fired, then sort of the news and notes, and then the playoffs.

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Speaker 2: So, Billy, I liked it.

00:01:18
Speaker 1: By the way, you're doing the all black Johnny Cash PGA look today, double logo.

00:01:23
Speaker 4: Today hat and on the jacket, so we are repping the brand.

00:01:27
Speaker 2: Well, why black. It's not a common golf color.

00:01:31
Speaker 4: It goes with the most stuff, so when you have a limited number of jackets, you can wear it all the time.

00:01:37
Speaker 1: Okay, gotcha. Black does go with everything slimming, so that's good.

00:01:43
Speaker 4: Yes, yeah, all right?

00:01:45
Speaker 2: Well, right, by the way.

00:01:46
Speaker 1: You with the go tea and everything, you kind of look evil, and I like, I'm kind of liking evil Billy here, all right, so.

00:01:53
Speaker 3: I'm saying that for the first time. Actually, what in the hell is on your face? I didn't see you all this week these last week, So you don't like it? You don't want me to keep the Goateea?

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Speaker 2: Well no, it's evil, though, Like are you? Are you trying to be evil? Billy?

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Speaker 4: Well, it's the playoff up front, and you know, as an employee of the NFL, I'm going to keep it growing until you know Super Bowl Sunday, right what?

00:02:11
Speaker 2: Okay?

00:02:12
Speaker 1: So can we analyze your goate for just a second, like, really pick it apart? Go ahead, Sure, very thick chin and a thick mustache, but I think you're struggling on the line between the two. It looks like maybe not as much hair there. One side seems to have very little hair at all, what's happening there?

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Speaker 4: We're just growing at God's pace, mat. I mean, there's really no you know, seerum being used or tactics involved. We're just we're here living, all right, Drew?

00:02:44
Speaker 1: What do you think about that? It's sort of I don't want to say what I think it looks like because I think it's that would get us banned. But it's an interesting it's an interesting right. What do you think you're a facial hair connoisseur.

00:02:55
Speaker 3: Yeah, well, I actually logged on fifteen minutes early because Billy and I had to record something else and I've been sitting here small talking with him, but where the mic is positioned, I couldn't see it.

00:03:05
Speaker 2: So thank you for calling that out.

00:03:06
Speaker 3: I'm fifteen to twenty minutes of looking at him and did not see that little.

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Speaker 2: Fuzz on his chin. But I like, you're right, it's like a it's like a villain. It's like we got the evil villay over there. You look like you could be the villain in a cartoon.

00:03:19
Speaker 4: I was thinking Austin Powers movie or something. But you know what, it's fine.

00:03:23
Speaker 1: Yeah, it looks like you're I don't know, gonna get droopy dog in the and and find a way to take away his treasure.

00:03:32
Speaker 2: Well, I like it.

00:03:34
Speaker 1: This is the all black PGA. Look the goatee. It looks like you're trying to plot something evil. So it's perfect for the day after all the coaches get fired. So let's go ahead and let's go through them here.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 4: So there have been four coaches fired since the last game of the regular season, including Atlanta Falcons. Raheem Morris.

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Speaker 1: Let's go one by one. Okay, let's start with Raheem because he was the first one to go. One of the things I want to do here is say like, how eager would you be for these openings Raheem Morris? And there are a couple jobs that are open anyway because of other situations. Raheem Morris fifty to fifty chance. I thought he still was in Tampa Bay. Like I go back and forth. Raheem Morris is someone that you could have any given point told me which team he was coaching, and I would just guess someone in the NFC South. I kind of don't think Atlanta is the most exciting job to have in the world. I don't think you know who your quarterback nes. So he's going to be How will you best remember the Raheem Morris era?

00:04:41
Speaker 3: For one, You're right, I felt like he was a hot name in coaching searches for several years while he was in Tampa.

00:04:46
Speaker 2: He gets a chance. You only fired the GM too.

00:04:49
Speaker 3: I think the GM did him wrong with that Michael Pennocks pick where you just paid Kirk Cousins all that money and then go awayte your first draft pick on a.

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Speaker 2: Quarterback when you could have gotten a lot of other pieces.

00:04:58
Speaker 3: Maybe Pennocks is good long term, but I think that situation alone set him up for failure to begin with.

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Speaker 2: I think that was tough.

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Speaker 1: And then and then Kirk Cousins wasn't very good, so I think that hurt them, hurt him as well. Now with that said, they tied for first in the in the AFC year NFC South, so you know, if you'd just gotten one or two good breaks, I think they might have actually still, you know, it was a tie for the division champion. Can you name the last Atlanta coach that you think was good?

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Speaker 2: Dan Quinn? And you said good so loosely there, Davis?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, U, I guess that's okay? Did he was the coach for the Super Bowl, right, you know, he was.

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Speaker 2: Twenty four to three coach. I feel like, didn't Dan Reeves coach there too? After? After Denver?

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Speaker 1: And then I think what Jerry Glanville was the coach at one point back in the day. But I still think it's a It's a franchise that I don't know, if you were to do the best coach in the history of each franchise, I think Atlanta's is going to come close to the bottom in terms of the most historic coach.

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Speaker 2: I think of their owner, Arthur Blank with the making.

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Speaker 3: But he's got the billy kind of villain thing going on to He kind of looks like a cartoon villain.

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Speaker 2: So I think of him more than their coaches.

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Speaker 1: Actually, he always ends up on the field at the end in very uh.

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Speaker 2: He he dresses like he owns a funeral home.

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Speaker 1: I've always thought that about him, and I you know, I think he's uh. I think he seems like a nice enough guy. Well, to me, it would be a job, if I had my choice of all the jobs, it might be the one that I would be the least interested in.

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Speaker 2: What do you think?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I have some favorites in the mix that we'll get to. But as I run through him in my head, yeah, I don't know. If it's saying you're in a division that's not usually very good, Well, you're in a.

00:06:59
Speaker 1: Winnable division that's that could get me, that you could get to the playoffs.

00:07:03
Speaker 2: It could be very good.

00:07:05
Speaker 1: And b John Robinson is obviously a positive guy to have.

00:07:09
Speaker 2: In your on your team.

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Speaker 3: So I think it's not one of the four that just got fired. But there's six openings. I would say of the six openings, my team that's been had an opening for a while maybe the last of all those.

00:07:20
Speaker 1: Well, that's true, you but you might think you have your quarterback, depend on what you think of came warning A.

00:07:25
Speaker 2: Right, what's the next one?

00:07:26
Speaker 4: Kevin Stefanski let go by the Browns two time coach of the year forty five and fifty six in his six seasons.

00:07:34
Speaker 1: I understand why they did this, but I'm not sure that I think it's a great decision to let him go because I think he's a really good coach. It wouldn't shot me if he gets one of these other job openings. To be quite frank with you, I guess the reasoning is that you say, well, we're going to restart because I don't think they're choosing Shador Now. He was very quick to leak out within minutes that he didn't want Deshaun fast like that or Deshaun Watson. Excuse me, that came out within seconds him being let go. I think that was intentional. I actually think Stefancy's a very good coach, so.

00:08:13
Speaker 2: I don't know that. I think Drew this is a good decision.

00:08:16
Speaker 3: Yay. It took over right around Covid got in the playoffs as a coach in your trophy. In his case, I'd say his phone will ring very quickly, and he might even be coaching one of these own teams we're talking about.

00:08:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you will.

00:08:27
Speaker 1: I mean, if you're Atlanta or one of these other teams, I think you would look at him. The Browns can't get out of their own way. Do you believe his leak that he had no interest in Deshaun Watson.

00:08:40
Speaker 3: I think so, just the fact that because if I were there, I wouldn't want everyone to know that I didn't want to be a part of that or want anything to do with that either.

00:08:47
Speaker 2: So I would say the hurrying us woul getting out there.

00:08:50
Speaker 1: I did like the owner who said in the press conference, one thing the Browns have always stood for is getting high character guys.

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Speaker 2: I like that answer, you know, I mean you might as well. I mean, it's twenty twenty six.

00:09:02
Speaker 1: Just say anything, right, like you can just say whatever and people go, oh, of course, stay like high character guys in Cleveland.

00:09:08
Speaker 2: Why wouldn't they?

00:09:10
Speaker 3: Or maybe the lowest character and had worse trade in history, whatever you want to call it.

00:09:13
Speaker 2: But when you're not winning, I guess you got to try to point to something or make it up at least, well, what's the next one, Billy.

00:09:20
Speaker 4: The Arizona Cardinals have moved on from Jonathan Gannon after three seasons. He went fifteen and thirty six and never figured out Kyler Murray during that time either.

00:09:30
Speaker 1: I kind of knew this was going to end as soon as I saw his welcome to the team video. I don't know if you remember when they initially showed him talking to the team. He was like, Okay, guys, we're gonna be playing football here and it's gonna be it's gonna be swell.

00:09:49
Speaker 2: And I thought, yeah, this isn't gonna work.

00:09:51
Speaker 1: I just I knew immediately, like I didn't need to see one other thing. I another team where Jerry Glanville has coached, another team.

00:09:59
Speaker 2: That really doesn't have an iconic head coach.

00:10:03
Speaker 1: I knew within seconds that the Jonathan Gannon thing wouldn't work.

00:10:08
Speaker 2: And three years later, that's where we are.

00:10:10
Speaker 3: Hey managed to make it in three years for a franchise that doesn't have much of a winning tradition and a quarterback that's been pretty inconsistent that had high hopes.

00:10:19
Speaker 2: With the Browns.

00:10:20
Speaker 3: Maybe we can include the Falcons, but certainly the Browns. These are just a couple places that don't have much culture or anything to point to right now. And sure Gannon probably need to go more than the Browns coach, but it just feels like these places are doing when you get hired.

00:10:33
Speaker 1: Oh guys, all four of these jobs where they fired their goud Monday have been four franchises that pretty much have been horrible for the last decade.

00:10:43
Speaker 2: I mean all four of them.

00:10:44
Speaker 1: And I guess there's a part of it where you just, you know, I guess you're just playing musical chairs with the coaches. But it is kind of I mean, I guess, okay, by Jonathan Gannon, Who's next, Who's gonna be the next one that's gonna have the.

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Speaker 2: Job for three years?

00:11:01
Speaker 1: I just I guess there must just be a culture of when you're in that much heat, you're just not going to do well. Because Arizona is a pretty also dead end job it is, they'll just go. I guess Gannon was a defensive coordinator with Eagles.

00:11:14
Speaker 2: They'll just go.

00:11:14
Speaker 3: Whoever wins the super Bowl this year, they'll probably go out and get one of their coordinators.

00:11:18
Speaker 2: Repeat the cycle n season three in this league.

00:11:20
Speaker 1: I hope he gives a better intro speech though, the Gannon speech. If you want to ever look for when you're starting a new job where you're in charge and you want to know what not to do, go look for his intro video. I think he said something like, so who took the bus here? And like no one had taken the bus. They're like, we are multi millionaires, we do not take the bus to the facility. I think it was downhill from there, and then I guess what's last?

00:11:45
Speaker 4: Billy Pete Carroll seventy four years old, one and done with Las Vegas.

00:11:50
Speaker 1: Embarrassing for him, unfortunately, I mean a great career USC national Championships, wins the Super Bowl in Seattle, like a lot of old people, lost his fortune in Las Vegas.

00:12:02
Speaker 2: When he tried to go one more round. It's a shame. I like Pete Carroll.

00:12:08
Speaker 1: Now, they did get one last win so he could go out on top at three and fourteen.

00:12:14
Speaker 2: But I actually thought this had a chance to work.

00:12:18
Speaker 1: I mean, I didn't think they'd win a super Bowl, but I thought he actually had a chance to be okay, but they were never really competitive. They did, however, win the first game of the season and the last game of the season. And you know, I've always said it's the most important thing is your first day and your last day, and Pete Carroll did both those will that's true.

00:12:36
Speaker 3: Good for Pete with their win on the back end, though it almost messed them up with their pick. They had to be bailed out by the Giants get to win there too. But Pete, this is one of those though everybody's just gonna you said it, you should have just stay retired, man.

00:12:48
Speaker 2: You had a great career. You're seventy four.

00:12:50
Speaker 3: If you want to go to Vegas, just hit the slow machine with the other seventy four year olds over and over for hours at a time.

00:12:55
Speaker 1: It's hard to be old, though, because like when you're old, you still think you can do it, and you still want to you still want it to work out. You know, you don't want to accept me. I mean I, for those of you that watches, I wear these these readers, and for some reason, every time I put them on a.

00:13:13
Speaker 2: Little piece of my soul dollars.

00:13:15
Speaker 1: So I really try to strain and say, you know what, I can still read this fune like I don't need these, And I think that's how Pete was. He was like, I can still coach. I don't have to just go sit at home. But now he's gonna sit at home and he won't get another job. Sad though, because I like Pete Carroll. It seems like a fun guy.

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Speaker 3: I like Pete too. Well, I'll remember for the Seahawks year. Hopefully this will be forgotten. And you're right, he wanted to prove he was young, and he said, all right, give me the map. I'm going to Vegas and I'm going to show him I still got it, and I'm taking Geno with me.

00:13:44
Speaker 1: And then next thing, you know, Geno, and that's another one. Well, they're going to get the number one pick. Well, I'm sure be talking about that. We'll see if Babyface Nerdy for Fernando Mendoza. How that's gonna work in Las Vegas. I feel like it's gonna be like when is it road Trip? When the guy ends up at the party with all the women around him. I wonder if that's what'll be Mendoza when he gets out on the strip for the first time.

00:14:11
Speaker 3: Great road Trip reference. That was the first DVD I ever owned. I have the whole movie memorized. That was DJ Qualls. I believe Djqalls. Yeah, I like DJ Qualls. What's he do now?

00:14:20
Speaker 2: I don't know.

00:14:21
Speaker 3: He had a bit of new life when Ried Shepherd got drafted by Houston on the internet.

00:14:26
Speaker 2: He got maimed a lot that I haven't heard much from him.

00:14:30
Speaker 1: DJ Qualls, you know, he's always gonna have one type of role.

00:14:34
Speaker 2: I don't think he was ever going to be a leading man, so.

00:14:37
Speaker 1: He kind of needed there's a kind of role that you're just like, this is where we get DJ Qualls And.

00:14:42
Speaker 2: I don't know if they've had one of those in a while, but Road Trip's a good movie.

00:14:46
Speaker 1: Although people forget didn't Tom Green like put a rat in his mouth or during.

00:14:52
Speaker 3: That movie and he sings about tiny salmon swim in that impossible dream.

00:14:56
Speaker 2: I really can't do the whole movie. That's letting me a good summer podcast.

00:15:01
Speaker 1: And then the two jobs that were already opened were the Giants and the Titans. Let's go with the Giants first. I heard Joe Shane, who is my favorite GM, just because he was on the one season of Hard Knocks where they proved that gms don't know what they're doing. They kept him surprisingly, and I heard an interview where he was talking about what he was going to do for his coach, like what kind of coach he's going to look for, And he said something to the effect of, we have a lot of time, we're going to study.

00:15:32
Speaker 2: We're going to look at the collegiate ranks.

00:15:34
Speaker 1: And then he said, and we're going to use AI extensively, oh to do what I mean, I'm not like, I'm not an expert in AI.

00:15:45
Speaker 2: But what is AI going.

00:15:47
Speaker 3: To do to help you pick a coach is it's just going to put in their resumes and be like, AI, which of these resumes is better? We just we talked about AI just a few days ago on here about how it's still messing up who could win the Super Bowl?

00:16:00
Speaker 2: Whatever you said the latter, what could he even say? Like, I don't even know, honestly.

00:16:06
Speaker 1: Don't know what role AI could conceivably have in picking a coach.

00:16:13
Speaker 3: It would have to do his job, like give me fifty questions to ask my job.

00:16:18
Speaker 2: Then it was literally to like do that for him.

00:16:22
Speaker 1: I mean, Billy, you're a you're a nerd. What do you think I would do?

00:16:27
Speaker 4: Organization?

00:16:28
Speaker 1: Maybe?

00:16:29
Speaker 4: I don't know what there's.

00:16:30
Speaker 1: I mean, there's how many peoples he interview it it feels like there's a limited amount.

00:16:36
Speaker 2: Remember the five candidates.

00:16:37
Speaker 4: I mean a little pros comment.

00:16:39
Speaker 2: That's how you get his candidates?

00:16:41
Speaker 1: Oh oh, you think Ai, who should I hire his coach?

00:16:44
Speaker 3: And then he's like, hey, I scanned all of football pro.

00:16:50
Speaker 1: Kevin Stefanski and DJ Quall those would be the three you would get.

00:16:54
Speaker 2: Nick Saban. Nick Saban, Yeah, Well.

00:16:57
Speaker 1: I didn't have a lot of confidence after I heard it, because it felt like somebody just told him what a I was and he threw it in. And then you're Titan, that's your team. What are you looking for in your new coach.

00:17:22
Speaker 2: I'll go ahead and tell you I don't like the names they are throwing around.

00:17:25
Speaker 3: Somebody randomly on the street the other day is like, you're excited about Mike McCarthy, and I was like.

00:17:29
Speaker 2: Don't something on Twitter? Well no, but he was asking him his names were thrown out.

00:17:33
Speaker 3: But the way it was presented to me, I was like checking my phone, like, oh no, what did I miss on Twitter?

00:17:39
Speaker 2: I don't know.

00:17:39
Speaker 3: I just That's what I've said many times when we talk about anything with a team, I expect the worst. They're at least what I've seen Florida around a lot of recycled names like Mike McCarthy, which sounds about like something we would do now the.

00:17:51
Speaker 1: Good spot for Raheem Morris, and then I could like, I feel like it's already another Southern Division team.

00:17:59
Speaker 2: I can see Raheem Morris there. Yeah, they're gonna do the word. I would like a name I haven't watched lose on before.

00:18:06
Speaker 3: Maybe take the Cardinals route and just grab me a coordinator out of the Super Bowl this year.

00:18:10
Speaker 2: But I don't want a veteran name that I've watched. I might make the playoffs over and over somewhere else. So not Matta Well, okay, no, he's another one.

00:18:19
Speaker 4: That's the number one, Matt.

00:18:20
Speaker 1: Naggy as a Bears fin. You do not want Matt Naggy. Do not get mac Naggy. His name comes up a lot. Yeah, stay away from that. I'm just gonna go ahead and tell you that's that's that's fool's goal. I did hear Rich Eyes. I was listening to Rich Eyes and Show today, which I never do. But Kurt Signetti. He was very adamant that Kurt Signetti should be hired by one of these teams, specifically the Giants. Do you think Kurt Signetti would be a good choice for the NFL? And do you think there's any chance he would take it? You know, they're wins everywhere, so I'm gonna be careful.

00:18:55
Speaker 2: Down boy, I know. But well, when you do google him, he seems to go to places.

00:18:59
Speaker 3: That have never won, off the grid colleges and then turn them into winners, even at the highest level with Indiana, so putting him in a pro system with millionaires and he's been but are millionaires now too?

00:19:13
Speaker 2: That's true, That's very true.

00:19:15
Speaker 3: Just the way he coaches too, you know, he's every time they show him on the sideline, he looks like he's ready to ring someone's neck.

00:19:21
Speaker 2: And I don't know what he's saying, you.

00:19:23
Speaker 3: Know, in the locker room, but I don't know how that would translate to to the NFL. But you're right, they're making close to about the same amount of money in Bloomington right now.

00:19:29
Speaker 2: But you could do worse, right, Oh, definitely. I would be happy with him if he wanted to go to Nashville. It seems very probable. But I think it's just a true college coach. Which of the jobs is the best job?

00:19:41
Speaker 1: Like, if you're going to rank the six, well, hey, I'll give you mind and then you tell me if you agree.

00:19:45
Speaker 2: If I'm ranking the six in terms of how good the.

00:19:49
Speaker 1: Jobs are, I would say the Giants are kind of a definitive number one. You've got a quarterback, You're obviously in New York, and I think pretty much everything you would want is there.

00:20:02
Speaker 2: I would say number two. It's kind of all in the eye of the beholder. In some ways.

00:20:08
Speaker 1: I think I would want the flexibility of picking my own quarterback, So I would probably take the Raiders second because I'm gonna get the number one choice, and I'm gonna get whatever quarterback I would like in the system. I would probably say number three for a similar reason would be Arizona. Then I get to pick my quarterback. Then I would probably say, uh, I mean what I'm looking at Titans, Falcons and Browns. I'm probably gonna go Titans four, Brown's five, Falcons six. That's probably the way I'm looking at it.

00:20:50
Speaker 2: What about you?

00:20:51
Speaker 3: I agree completely with you completely on the Giants. They're like a runaway number one for me. You already got Scataboo and Dart bringing some juices, rookies or got Waddell's looking good. They've got the tradition, they like the one of the NFL's first teams.

00:21:07
Speaker 2: I mean, everybody knows the GMN.

00:21:09
Speaker 3: So I'm going there and taking Dart and seeing what i can do with that team. A lean joining you Vegas. Next part of that's more just me want to be in Vegas. But you know the number one pick likely.

00:21:19
Speaker 1: But you give the number one pick, and like if you're that's a new coach, you get to get your quarterback. Nobody gets in your way, right, Like you're gonna get and I mean whatever people think of the choices you get to pick.

00:21:31
Speaker 2: You also get to decide if you don't want.

00:21:33
Speaker 1: Any of these guys, and you get like a free year to kind of roam around until next year. So I mean, I I think that one's probably the best of any others, and then.

00:21:44
Speaker 2: I'm going I think Atlanta third. They can't. They can the GM. So I'm coming in with a new GM. Hopefully we get along. We're starting this together. I give a healthy Pinix one year.

00:21:57
Speaker 3: Probably not the long term answer I want, but I give them a chance that everybody knows that that wasn't my quarterback in my first year.

00:22:03
Speaker 2: And if it stinks the following year, I'm assuming I'm not fired at for one year. Taking cam Ward like I thought you would take the Titans. I love them.

00:22:11
Speaker 3: That organization is embarrassing, So what they do? I love Yes by far last like a gap I can't fit in the screen, and.

00:22:21
Speaker 2: I love cam Ward. It's just the moment you look around the league right now.

00:22:26
Speaker 3: Kevin Byerd is a Titans legend picking off passes for your bears.

00:22:30
Speaker 2: We think about Henry and A. J. Brown in Favril.

00:22:32
Speaker 3: There are Titans everywhere making big plays right now. For good teams and they let them all walk out the door. So I just have no faith in that organization.

00:22:42
Speaker 1: That's a bad sign if you if you're a Titans fan. Well, all right, so those are those are the six jobs. There might still be one or two more. Billy, what other news and or notes do we have.

00:22:52
Speaker 4: We'll start with Nick Sirianni. He's defending his decision to rest the starters in the final week of the regular season. He said he knew this was an outcome that these things could happen. One thing he could guarantee was giving them rest. I couldn't guarantee them anything else, but being healthy and going into the playoffs is a big deal for us. Are you buying that explanation?

00:23:15
Speaker 2: Well, I mean I'm buying that that's what he thought. I disagree with him.

00:23:18
Speaker 1: I mean, I think the playing the Packers would be a lot easier than playing the forty nine ers. Now, maybe he thinks because the forty nine ers are banged up, maybe he thinks they're a better matchup for the team. I'll say this, if Cirianni thinks the forty nine ers are an easier opponent than the Packers, then it'll play itself out and we'll see, and I'll give him the benefit of doubt. If he genuinely doesn't think it matters who they play though, and rest is more important, I just would disagree with that. I think that's an incorrect point if he believes. But if he would rather play forty nine Ers, then that's fine. But I just don't believe that that rest is worth getting a harder opponent, do you.

00:24:03
Speaker 2: Not at all?

00:24:04
Speaker 1: He better with?

00:24:06
Speaker 3: And if that's a good team coming to Philly, I know you're at home in that place will be rocking, but it'll be a bad look if they dropped that game with this on the back end. It could have nothing to do with it. You know, the guys that set could play great. You just lose on a fluke whatever. But fans will still be livid if they don't win that game after sitting all their stars in week eighteen.

00:24:24
Speaker 2: So okay, you hear me. The Bears lose, and you know the Bears are I think if the Bears were playing the forty nine ers, obviously we saw the end of that game two weeks ago and they lost.

00:24:36
Speaker 1: So I mean the Bears, if you ask them for the game, they probably say, yes, I want to play the Packers.

00:24:41
Speaker 2: How about this?

00:24:43
Speaker 1: The Bears have never beaten the Packers in the playoffs ozh and two. It's kind of crazy those How long these franchises have been around and they've only played in the playoffs twice. Isn't that kind of an amazing statistic?

00:24:57
Speaker 3: It is, and I hate It's another way that the Packers have had your number for the long with the win streak and then never getting them in the playoffs.

00:25:05
Speaker 1: We got to get over the hump. We'll get to that game. We'll pick it here in a little bit. But I disagree with Sirianni on that. But that's another dude though. To be fair, I thought his opening press conference was the most psychotic ramblings. But I thought it was, and then he ended up winning the Super Bowl, So maybe sometimes you can have a bad intro and be okay, what's next.

00:25:29
Speaker 4: The Seattle Seahawks are the favorite to win the Super Bowl at plus three thirty on DraftKings. But I found a trend you guys might find interesting.

00:25:36
Speaker 2: Every time, Hey, hang on, it's down a plus three thirty.

00:25:39
Speaker 4: Yes, plus three thirty plus.

00:25:41
Speaker 2: Four point fifty Sunday night. So I wonder what's happened in the last.

00:25:45
Speaker 1: Two days to make people think that that seems crazy low to me for a playoffs that I think eleven teams can win the Super Bowl?

00:25:55
Speaker 2: Do you only get plus three thirty? Is nuts? But go ahead.

00:25:57
Speaker 4: I was going to say, there's an interesting trend with the Seahawks. Every year a pope is elected, the Seahawks make the Super Bowl. In two thousand and five, Pope was elected, Seattle won thirteen games and played the Steelers in the in the super Bowl.

00:26:10
Speaker 2: Well, there were popes before two thousand and five, you know that.

00:26:12
Speaker 4: Right, yes, But the last three popes to be elected the Seahawks have been in the Super Bowl. When they do two thousand or twenty thirteen, Seattle beats Denver after winning thirteen games, and Pope Francis is elected, and then now twenty twenty five Pope Leo.

00:26:26
Speaker 2: So that's it. I mean, it's not the last three. It's the last two.

00:26:30
Speaker 4: Two thousand and five, twenty thirteen, and twenty twenty five.

00:26:34
Speaker 2: Three times who Super Bowl?

00:26:35
Speaker 4: Yet this could be the third time?

00:26:38
Speaker 2: Oh this year.

00:26:39
Speaker 1: Okay, So there's a difference between though, and it's not the third could be the third.

00:26:43
Speaker 4: Could be the third this year. But Seattle did win thirteen games already this year.

00:26:48
Speaker 1: Do you think I was the Super Bowl that I'm going to say that's a genuine Pope connection. But I yeah, I don't know if they're going to I'm very surprised by that number of how good their odds are.

00:27:02
Speaker 2: Do you think they are even the best team in the playoffs? I do not. I won't spoil my picks, but I will tell you I am fading the Pope. If the Pope has a Seattle as a super Bowl, I'm out on the Pope. He get out of here. He's done no ball. Leader does not no ball, though he can go lead paper somewhere in the Vatican. Done no ball.

00:27:23
Speaker 1: It also, don't you think the whole pope, like the whole way we picked popes is amazing? First of all, I love that movie what was it called Where They Had Play? That was a good movie. That was a great movie. Did you see that movie?

00:27:38
Speaker 2: Billy H No? I didn't you should.

00:27:42
Speaker 1: If you told me there's gonna be a movie about people picking popes, I would have thought, Eh, I don't know if that's.

00:27:50
Speaker 2: The movie I want to see. But I thought it was really well done.

00:27:53
Speaker 1: It had intrigue behind the scenes, Pope conniding.

00:27:58
Speaker 2: I liked it.

00:28:00
Speaker 1: And then it's also highlights though, like everybody just gets in a room and.

00:28:04
Speaker 2: You don't know who's gonna come out.

00:28:06
Speaker 1: And I feel like the America embraced the trying to figure out who the pope would be more this time than they've ever done before, and we got rewarded with an American Pope.

00:28:16
Speaker 5: It's just a reality show, that's all it is. Since Survivor Big Broad. You don't know any of the candidates. Just someone emerges, Let's be honest. Unless you're really Catholic and into it, I don't whoever elect whoever.

00:28:28
Speaker 1: I'm with you.

00:28:28
Speaker 3: I'm watching it for the backstabbing and the drama. Put this thing on TV on Wednesday nights at nine o'clock live. Maybe vote went out every week and it'll fit right in our TV lineup that we love right now.

00:28:38
Speaker 2: But who's got more pope connection?

00:28:42
Speaker 1: Is it the Seahawks with the stat Or he's a Bears fan, right, Billy Kurball, he's a Bears fan.

00:28:50
Speaker 2: He likes the Bears.

00:28:51
Speaker 1: I mean, we've never had a pope be this bear tastic so I mean that maybe that's who wins.

00:28:59
Speaker 4: Yeah, didn't we talk about if God was helping Kickers make kicks the other night? You know, is God a Bears fan this year?

00:29:06
Speaker 2: The Pope?

00:29:07
Speaker 1: Maybe God's always been a Bears fan. He just he just was asleep when we had Jacob he was you know, God wasn't paying total attention, by the way, about giving a sofice battle. So I think that's we were talking about Kickers. How did you think, uh, Loop de lou hand handled the post game? He did a postgame press conference and he uh, he like took responsibility.

00:29:32
Speaker 2: I thought he actually handled it really well. I agree.

00:29:35
Speaker 3: And just as I'm selling stock in the Pope right now, I'm buying stocking Loop D Loop. That'll be the worst moment of his career by far. He's a rock bomb right now, straight up from here, straight up.

00:29:46
Speaker 2: Think so they're going to keep him, right you don't think he had an incredible season, He really did, so yeah, definitely keep him.

00:29:53
Speaker 3: I'll even say he won't match Justin Tucker, but it'll be like Tucker never even left.

00:29:59
Speaker 2: They'll just have an automatic three there on the roster for the next decade.

00:30:03
Speaker 1: It's interesting I did like the video of of Hardball walking out with him. He had his he had his arm around his waist. It was like an awkward middle school dance. But he was trying to be comforting.

00:30:18
Speaker 2: You know.

00:30:18
Speaker 1: I mentioned I feel bad for kickers, so I'm glad to see Loop dlu though. He stood up, he did his thing, and now I'm gonna be pulling for him. You know, he I it's gonna be tough because like next year, the pressure on any game winning kicking. Chances are he'll have one at some point during the season that there it will be pretty amense.

00:30:39
Speaker 3: So you think, oh, it'll be automatic, though he'll he'll be feeling the last Sunday for several years, but but he'll be automatic. I also Lamar, I don't know if you saw the clips in Mars reaction, he starts walking like they're going to the playoffs and Lamar, I mean you see the second he realizes, but he was, but he was. The point bringing that up is he was very gracious, went straight to the to the Steelers, and even Lamar put.

00:31:00
Speaker 2: On a professional kind of Hardball with everybody around him in that scene because you know he has something nice to Loop dlue. I don't know anything specific to.

00:31:07
Speaker 3: Loopti loop, but Lamar also had it very well because you know that just absolutely gutted.

00:31:12
Speaker 2: Him and everyone on that roster, and they had a camera on him, and he haled as well as you could too. Yeah, well, feel bad for him. What's next, Billy?

00:31:20
Speaker 4: The Carolina Panthers won a division title for the first time since twenty fifteen, but they are the fifth team ever to make the playoffs with a losing record. They are eight to nine. They're the first team to do it since the twenty twenty two Tampa Bay Buccaneers With Tom Brady. I want to ask you, guys, do you think we should change that division winners get home field advantage?

00:31:40
Speaker 2: Yes? I do.

00:31:43
Speaker 1: I think aren't those eight to nine teams though, like they're like three to one? There's something in the first round. I think I think the eight nine teams have won. Yes, I will take the controversial viewpoint. I don't know why we have division winners in at all, Like why not just take the seven best teams?

00:32:01
Speaker 2: I don't really.

00:32:02
Speaker 1: I mean, in college football, there's an argument about using divisions because it's because maybe there might be differences in resources or whatever.

00:32:11
Speaker 2: But in football, it's a salary cap. Everybody's the same.

00:32:15
Speaker 1: I kind of think the way the NBA does it is the way to do it, like divide it into two. You play every team in that one. Maybe you play them twice, maybe play them once. I mean, you can decide when you do the schedule thing or whatever. But then you can have a division winner. But it's kind of meaningless, Like that's how it is in the NBA. Whoever wins the nobody even knows who wins the divisions. You just take the best teams in there in the playoffs. That's what I would do, at least. What about you, Oh, as a fan of team, it's not very good. My only hope is when our team wins the division. I guess we had a good run a few years ago. You're maybe even Billy's division. It's just getting those teams in, rewarding them for winning their division. I know the divisions, there's a big, big gap and how good they are right now. We got some really bad ones and some really good wins, as this playoff bracket shows, where you got the.

00:33:06
Speaker 3: Rams and forty nine ers barely getting in his wild cards or sixties as wild cards.

00:33:11
Speaker 2: So even though it's a little Waukye this year, I think overall it's good to reward the champion with a home field advantage. Yeah, I'm definitely against the home field advantage.

00:33:19
Speaker 1: I mean, I think you pair them up and then you say, well, look, if you don't, I think the five seed probably this Panthers game should be in l Like that's the way. I kind of feel like I'm final with the Panthers getting in that four seed, but I think the home field should be decided or you just get the teams in. I don't want to say you see them like in college sports, but you get them in and then you just do the record.

00:33:43
Speaker 2: But I don't think it's gonna change. And that's the way.

00:33:46
Speaker 1: You know, for whatever reason, they care about these division games, and that's what it'll be.

00:34:03
Speaker 4: Let's take a look at these stat leaders after the regular season is now over.

00:34:07
Speaker 2: Yeah, let's let's do that. Let's do that together.

00:34:10
Speaker 4: The passing title went to Matthew Stafford, who had four thousand, seven hundred and seven yards and is the favorite for the MVP. The rushing title went to James Cook, who had one thousand, six hundred.

00:34:22
Speaker 1: Who would you vote for for MVP Rue, I'm giving it to me. I'm giving it to Stafford because of that, because he won the passing title of both teams were similarly good, even though the Patriots had any better record and an easier schedule. Who would you give it to Billy Stafford? Okay, so Stafford wins, all right, what's the next I was?

00:34:47
Speaker 3: I was Stafford all year. If he had won his division and they were the one seed, I'd give it to him.

00:34:52
Speaker 4: Some of the other leaders was James Cook at over over sixteen hundred yards for the rushing title, Jackson Smith and Jig rushing title.

00:34:59
Speaker 2: I didn't realize that.

00:35:00
Speaker 4: Okay, go ahead, Jackson Smith, Jigbudd didn't get to two thousand, but had one thousand, seven hundred and ninety three to lead all receivers this year. And finally, in kick return yards, Ray Davis had the highest average, over thirty point four yards every return.

00:35:17
Speaker 2: Ah, you did that.

00:35:18
Speaker 1: Just throw a Kentucky stat in there, right. I'm surprised about James Cook. If you had asked me to guess, I'm not sure I would have guessed James Cook because everybody always says, well, Josh Allen has no help.

00:35:30
Speaker 2: Clearly he does. He's got the number one rusher in the NFL. Cook surprised me too.

00:35:35
Speaker 3: There's been some good year, maybe just being healthy this year gave a little bit about some guys miss few games. But yeah, that one of all you listen surprised me on our boy Ray Davis, most of that. I don't have the numbers in front of me. I feel like the back end of the year either they went to him more. He was just about won a game if he wouldn't take to the house. He was getting a good run to set him up for a score.

00:35:55
Speaker 2: So we'll learned.

00:35:55
Speaker 3: And it felt like that started when we were in Buffalo because he had a big return in that one while we were there.

00:35:59
Speaker 1: Yeah, he killed it. Yeah man, I mean no one ever talks about James Cook. I mean literally the story is Josh Allen has no help. He's got a number one running game in the NFL.

00:36:11
Speaker 2: What do you mean that's no help?

00:36:13
Speaker 1: Those people And of course I'm not naming names because I can't think of who said it, but all of them should just should shut up.

00:36:20
Speaker 2: I would have lost a lot of money on that.

00:36:22
Speaker 3: I would have gone Henry or Jonathan Taylor and bet the house against the field with those two.

00:36:27
Speaker 4: Eight Henry by twenty six yards, And.

00:36:30
Speaker 1: Okay, see, I would have thought, by the way, I just got a news alert. So I have it programmed where the only news alerts I'm supposed to get are high priority national news or international or national news. So the goal is only to get an occasional news alert, so that if I see a news alert pop up, I know this is something that needs my time. Can I just tell you what just popped up? Kidman and Keith Urban finalized their divorce. Why would they think that's high priority.

00:37:04
Speaker 2: Priority?

00:37:04
Speaker 6: If you're novill, if you're like children, that is not high priority. If that's high priority, you just beginning.

00:37:16
Speaker 3: It alerts every second for every piece of news all day long. That should not even be top hundred.

00:37:22
Speaker 2: Did the leak? Did joke in the leak? Is a question? I was like, okay, so that's all I need to know.

00:37:28
Speaker 1: First, I didn't need to know that, But now that I know it that, if there's nothing, there's not one other piece of information from that that I care about.

00:37:37
Speaker 2: Nicole Kidman, did you see the show where she's like I've seen two shows.

00:37:43
Speaker 1: With her recently, she's like a guru in one of them, like a life coach, and they take them all to the this wellness retreat.

00:37:52
Speaker 2: Have you seen that? Yeah? I'm trying to think of the name of it, but I watched it.

00:37:55
Speaker 1: It's called like I don't know something. I only got a couple episodes in that. And then there's one where she like goes it's with borat Uh. It's on Apple TV, and it's like she once had an affair with a younger guy and God and like then the dad.

00:38:16
Speaker 2: Thinks that he killed her, Like did you ever see that one? I knew there was something with like a young affair kind of thing. I didn't know Boor was in it. I feel like she and what's the other woman that I think are the same person, Julianne Moore?

00:38:31
Speaker 3: Is that a person a little strawberry blonde, reddish hair is that's Are they the same person? They're not?

00:38:40
Speaker 2: I would guess similar in age they do.

00:38:43
Speaker 1: And Moore had a show right where she was married to Kevin Bacon and then a girl moved in to be like her protege, and then her sister, which was the girl from White Lotus, came in to save her.

00:38:58
Speaker 2: I don't think I caught that one. I was still probably caught up.

00:39:00
Speaker 1: In all these shows. I've seen every one of those shows. I just first of all, I can't remember any of the names any of them.

00:39:06
Speaker 2: Sirens. It's called sirens. I don't have you on that one. I don't have y'all that you all are helpful to my night shows. I liked her more in I guess Mulan Rouge. That's been a while. Think. Well, the Wellness one is some strangers, right, perfect strangers.

00:39:25
Speaker 3: I can meet you on that one. I'm not sirens, I'm not hipp one. I'm perfect strangers. Well, she's single now, so highlight your boy, Nicole, if you would like. I've seen your entire catalog.

00:39:35
Speaker 2: I'm sure after hearing that that's okay. She'd love to meet up with you.

00:39:39
Speaker 1: Are Julianne, you feel free as well, either one of you. I feel like we're all kind.

00:39:45
Speaker 4: What would you talk to them about if you met them? You can't talk about their movies?

00:39:48
Speaker 1: First of all, about the movies. Say, I heard you guy divorced. I came up on my phone.

00:39:55
Speaker 2: Congrats? Yeah, and what do you think about Tyler Lup?

00:39:59
Speaker 1: Those would be the first two things I would say, and then after that we just see how the conversation goes.

00:40:04
Speaker 2: What's next, Billy?

00:40:05
Speaker 4: While we're talking about the Bill's interesting stat the Bills have lost eight straight road playoff games since nineteen ninety two, and with a playoffs without Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, OJE or Joe Burrow. Many people think this is Josh Allen's chance.

00:40:22
Speaker 1: That's an amazing stat. I didn't know that they've lost eight straight road playoff games.

00:40:27
Speaker 2: I have no idea.

00:40:28
Speaker 1: What's gonna happen. Well, let's just do you have any other news? We could just start with the playoff game.

00:40:33
Speaker 4: Oh, yeah, we can really get to it. Yeah, the playoff game is.

00:40:36
Speaker 2: That important news. I don't want to skip over your important news.

00:40:39
Speaker 4: No, no, it's fine. I was just gonna make fun of the Jets for a little bit, but we.

00:40:42
Speaker 2: Can skip that. No, let's go for it. Let's make fun of Jets.

00:40:45
Speaker 4: Really Okay, Well, the Jets were the first team in NFL history with zero interceptions since nineteen thirty three.

00:40:49
Speaker 1: You know that.

00:40:50
Speaker 4: But they're also the team that's the farthest away from the playoffs. They have the longest playoff drought it's been fifteen years since the twenty ten AFC Championship game, their last playoff game.

00:41:01
Speaker 1: That's an amazing stat, even more so to me than first of all, did you see there's been no team in college football to not get an interception in a season since nineteen seventy.

00:41:15
Speaker 2: And that so I mean, and let's play fewer games.

00:41:18
Speaker 1: That's playing fewer games and since nineteen seventy and it was like Navy didn't get an interception in nineteen seventy. I mean, that's pretty unbelievably horrific by the Jets.

00:41:31
Speaker 3: And I said this on a past episode, I believe, but their playoffs drought is all is also the.

00:41:37
Speaker 2: Longest, not just in football but in any sport. And half the teams make the playoffs. In the NFL, you just got to win the division.

00:41:45
Speaker 1: What the hell you got or just come.

00:41:47
Speaker 2: In the top seven. I mean, that's that is is.

00:41:52
Speaker 1: Truly, and they're awful, like there's they have no hope at all, and they're New.

00:41:58
Speaker 2: York World market. All right, well, let's go.

00:42:15
Speaker 1: Here's what we're gonna do. We're going to pick the playoff games. But then we're also while we're doing it, going to pick a touchdown for each of them.

00:42:25
Speaker 2: So let's do this. We'll start with the first game. I'll just do it in the order I look at the screen.

00:42:31
Speaker 1: So, Billy, I'll let you go first, and Drew then me on the first game and we'll just rotate through. First game is Saturday. We've got the Rams are at the Panthers. Let's start with who do you pick to win? Drew, any you think the Rams can go on the road and get the w.

00:42:51
Speaker 3: FU thought about picking the upset here. It was really weighing on me. I wanted to do it, but it's just it's too big of a gap between these teams. I think the Rams going there and win. I want the Panthers magic to continue.

00:43:03
Speaker 2: I want it so bad. But of all the teams, for them to draw here, that's the worst. So I think the Rams can have done. Yeah, I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go with the Rams. I mean the pants.

00:43:15
Speaker 1: Like I said, the eight to nine teams have won three of the four times they've played. But I don't think the home field's gonna matter, and I think Matthew Stafford will play well. I will say in all six of these games, literally all six I do not think there could be a surprise winner like I I think any of these twelve teams playing could win. As a matter of fact, the game with the biggest spread, which is Eagles forty nine ers, to me, that makes almost no sense. Like I actually think that game is one of the closer ones that you could have.

00:43:52
Speaker 2: But I that spreads much lower than this one. Eagles forty nine ers.

00:43:56
Speaker 1: Oh it is, so the Rams are the biggest still, Okay, I can still see the Panthers winning. Nevertheless, I'm going to take the Rams as you do. All right, Billy, what is going to be your touchdown pick?

00:44:07
Speaker 4: I'll take the easy one. Pooka Nakua had a great year. I'll take him to score a touchdown in this one, and hoping Carolina Mike plays before the game starts. I think that should be a lock that we can bet onto.

00:44:17
Speaker 1: So you got Pooka nakou all right, Drew, I will let you take who would you like to have? This is again, you have to score the touchdowns. You can't just take the path.

00:44:25
Speaker 3: Yeah, a lot of targets there for Stafford. He'll hit a lot of them, but I'm not I'm not sure which one I want to pick, So I'll take Kyen Williams to run one in and let you all try to figure out what receiver tight end. Stafford's throwing too. So Williams gets a touchdown for me.

00:44:40
Speaker 2: So you're gonna take Kyen Williams, all right?

00:44:46
Speaker 1: So you know, you guys are both taking people from the the Rams, so I feel like I need to take someone from the Panthers.

00:44:59
Speaker 2: I don't know who's the how many Panthers do you?

00:45:01
Speaker 5: Rico?

00:45:02
Speaker 2: It's pretty much Rico or mcmillaner, you're.

00:45:05
Speaker 4: The rookie receiver has been great this year, all right.

00:45:08
Speaker 1: I'm gonna take I'll take Rico down ll He only has six touchdowns though on the year, but I'm still gonna I'm still gonna go with him. I'll give me Rico. And so you've got Kyron and I've got Rico. All right, let's go to the game that night, Bears Packers. I am officially not only nervous, I'm pessimistic. I think just because it's Green Bay and it's the Bears and we haven't played well last two weeks. I'm wearing the hat trying to talk myself into it. Who you got this weekend.

00:45:42
Speaker 2: I will let you have the pessimism. I love your Bears.

00:45:46
Speaker 3: This is the moment where everything flips. It's been all Packers for decades. This starts the beginning of the Bears owning that series. This is the beginning of killing William Stuff and Jordan Love and a locker for the rest of his career.

00:45:59
Speaker 2: Your Bears will get it done, man. I know as a fan you have that built in pessimism. If it were my team, I'd be nervous and thinking negave too. I'm neutral. I think your Bears get the job done.

00:46:10
Speaker 1: Well, I hope, so I'm very nervous about it, but I will take it. I'm gonna pick. I'm gonna pick the Bears, but it's more out of hope than belief. But I think it'll be a great game. I would love to be there. Unfortunately, because if it was Sunday, I was gonna try to go, especially if it was Sunday afternoon or Sunday night. But because it is is Saturday, I do not think I can go. So I'm gonna but I'm still gonna take them. Now, you get to pick the first one on the on the touchdown.

00:46:46
Speaker 3: Who you got I'm gonna go a little bit of a longer shot here. I'll let y'all have these running backs. Jenkinson Swift had been great this year for making a little money.

00:46:53
Speaker 2: I'm gonna go to your tight end and go with Colston Lovelin getting a big catch late. We've said some huge catches this season. So I'll go with a little bit of a longer shot here at our second pick and go tight end.

00:47:05
Speaker 1: All right, Well, then I'm gonna take DeAndre Swift if you're gonna give me, if you get to give it to me, And I actually think Billy's gonna end up getting a pretty good one here too.

00:47:12
Speaker 4: Who you got, Yeah, I'm gonna get even weirder. I'll go Kyle Imanung Guy the other Bears running back to give me a touchdown.

00:47:18
Speaker 2: We're all picking bears. Nobody's picking Jacobs. He's a he's an automatic touchdown too. I don't want to.

00:47:26
Speaker 1: I lovely no one picking Jacobs. All right, Well, you may regret that pick, Billy, or if Kyle fun Guy makes it, you will be uh, you'll be pretty happy, all right, So let's go the next day. You got the Bills, uh and the Jaguars. Any result in this game would not surprise me. I mean, either of these teams could blow the other team out and I wouldn't be shocked.

00:47:53
Speaker 2: I really would. Two touchdowns either way would not surprise me.

00:47:58
Speaker 1: Jaguars are better, but the Bills have gosh out and so because of that, I don't know what to do, Drew, do you?

00:48:07
Speaker 3: I'm leaning one way, But before we each pick Josh Allen, look at your path.

00:48:13
Speaker 2: You've had ridiculous paths for so many years. Look in front of you.

00:48:17
Speaker 3: Sure, Jags, Lawrence, They've had a good year, But this is in Mahomes and Lamar Jackson and what you've had in front of you in the past. It's set up. I know you're on the road, but if he can't do it now, as good as he is, he's just not gonna get over that.

00:48:30
Speaker 2: Home may just not do it right. I'm gonna take the Bills. I'm gonna pick Josh Allen as my touchdown.

00:48:36
Speaker 1: I feel like in big games, when they get close to the end zone, he only trusts himself.

00:48:42
Speaker 2: So I'm gonna take Josh Allen and that's my pick. Billy, who do you have?

00:48:47
Speaker 4: I'm gonna go Jags receiver Parker Washington. Think he's been great second half of the year.

00:48:54
Speaker 2: Parker Washington. Parker Washington is your pick.

00:48:59
Speaker 4: I mean to come Andrew as somebody that watches the AFC South. He's been pretty good for Jacksonville lately. But I mean we are throwing arts from pretty far away from the board right now.

00:49:09
Speaker 3: I've learned with Jacksonville because I pick a player out every team every week. They're very balanced, like right when you think you know who's gonna have it. And that's why I believe the board's got five guys at plus two hundred or less of all teams. They don't really have a star that's just punching it in every week. So who are you getting, Drew, I'm gonna go. I never gave my team pick either. I'm gonna say Jags get it done, even though I had a part of Bill's mafia.

00:49:34
Speaker 1: Now, but I will pick James Cook since I just learn about he's the Lady goes James Cook or Jamemes that's crazy.

00:49:41
Speaker 2: I'm picking James.

00:49:42
Speaker 1: Cook, all right, So you get James Cook, all right. So then in the afternoon game forty nine Ers and Eagles.

00:49:51
Speaker 2: I don't know.

00:49:52
Speaker 1: I think this game. That's another one I could see either team winning. I think you're gonna get a good Jalen Hurts game here. That's why I think this is gonna be the game he actually plays well. So I'm gonna get take the Eagles something like I need a ten something like that would be my guess as a score.

00:50:10
Speaker 2: So give me the Eagles. What about you, Drew?

00:50:13
Speaker 3: I think the Eagles get the job done because they're just so well rested. I mean, last week they just got their feet up at home watching NFL on TV. So they win, and they better win or I would hate to be Nick Sirianni facing Philadelphia after the way that season would have played out there at the end.

00:50:28
Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, Billy, what is your your touchdown?

00:50:33
Speaker 4: I'm gonna take cmc easy pick, but I will take the forty nine ers to win outright in this one as well.

00:50:39
Speaker 1: So you're gonna take McCaffrey. All right, that's a totally understandable pick, Drew, What about you? I was gonna go McCaffrey to get me my Eagles win. I guess I'll do Saq one.

00:50:53
Speaker 2: I hate no no sake. I hate the favorites. That's boring.

00:50:56
Speaker 3: AJ Brown gets in, mister drama gets him a playoff touchdown. So AJ Brown put me down for that.

00:51:02
Speaker 2: AJ Brown. So after all that happens, AJ Bren.

00:51:08
Speaker 3: You gotta get somebody with some odds. I want a little juice. It's no fun watching Derrick Henry run for touchdown? Does every week give me a receiver a tight end? In this case, I'm going receiver and going.

00:51:16
Speaker 2: To A J.

00:51:17
Speaker 3: Brown.

00:51:18
Speaker 1: A J Brown it is for me. I guess I'm gonna have to go Saquon right Like I mean, if you're gonna if you're gonna give them to me, I guess I'll take Uh. I will take Saquon all right. So that night Patriots and Chargers, I've already picked the upset Chargers, make Bill Simmons cry and make all of Boston uh the sadness that it deserves.

00:51:44
Speaker 2: I'm going to take Justin Herbert on the road. Give me the Chargers. What about you? This is I'm close. I was close to doing that with you.

00:51:53
Speaker 3: I really think the Patriots could be in trouble here. To be different, I will say the Pats. I just had Drake may as my MVP, so I need to lean into the pats a little bit here. I'll say they get it done at home. But this is don't sleep on Herbert if they can protect him at all. This is a game in there where you can go in there and shine and light him up in New England. But I'll see you're.

00:52:10
Speaker 2: Taking Drake may Is the is the scored in the touchdown. I'll put put me down for Trevion Henderson for the touchdown.

00:52:17
Speaker 1: So you're taking Henderson, well, then I will take Drake may Uh for the touchdown. I like having quarterbacks on my team.

00:52:25
Speaker 4: What about you, Bill, I'll take the rookie Hampton, the running back for the Chargers.

00:52:31
Speaker 2: Rookie Hampton. All right? Did you know that was almost my name? Omar Marion? What Omrion Nome?

00:52:45
Speaker 1: Yes, my mom almost namely named me Lamarion, but you decided not to.

00:52:53
Speaker 2: You could be a Hampton. I could see it.

00:52:55
Speaker 3: You think I could be a good Hampton. Yeah, I was supposed to be a Joel. People could be listening to it to Hampton and Joel right now, cover.

00:53:04
Speaker 1: Zero with Hampton and Joel, covers abro with Hampton and Joel. All right, Billy, do you know your backup name?

00:53:10
Speaker 3: Did you?

00:53:11
Speaker 4: I was William from minute one. Yeah, so I have to do the fourth for my kid.

00:53:18
Speaker 1: All Right, we go to Texans and Steelers. Should be a low scoring battle in Pittsburgh. I kind of feel like Pittsburgh is gonna find a way to squeeze this out. It just feels like on a Monday night that crowd advantage will be like strong. So I'm going to actually take the Steelers to win. But on my touchdown, I'm gonna take Nicocollins as my touchdown pick, even though I do believe that Pittsburgh wins the game.

00:53:51
Speaker 2: What about you, I guess, Billy, you get to pick next.

00:53:55
Speaker 4: Well, I'm gonna take Houston for the game. But if you'd like my touchdown pick, I think I'm gonna go. Nico Collins gets it done.

00:54:01
Speaker 1: I said, Nico calls, do you not listen? I literally went first and I said, Nico Cobbs.

00:54:07
Speaker 4: Oh, I just love him that much.

00:54:08
Speaker 1: I mean, I don't get to Picky, even if he's going to need to pay attention to the to the to the game.

00:54:14
Speaker 4: Well, DK metcalf is coming back from suspension, so I think he can get.

00:54:20
Speaker 1: Well him to score after missing the last two games. So actually I think DK is a good pick. Well, that means, Drew, you give me the game winner and then the final touchdown.

00:54:31
Speaker 2: You guys took for a place here.

00:54:33
Speaker 3: I was gonna go Steelers and DK metcalf still keep me with the Steelers, but I have to go, uh Gainwell Warren Gamewell Warre and uh Gainwell, Kenneth Gainwell.

00:54:44
Speaker 2: Kenneth Gainwell.

00:54:45
Speaker 1: All right, So for those of you scoring at home, Billy's team, it's Pooka Nakua Mnung, Guy Parker Washington, Billy mccaff or not Billy McCaffrey, uh Christian Christian McCaffrey, former Vanderbilt commodore, Billy McCaffrey, uh Hampton and d K Drew has uh h Kyra Kyra williams Loveland, cook A J. Brown Henderson and game well, I've got uh why did I write Rico down twice?

00:55:18
Speaker 3: No?

00:55:19
Speaker 2: Who's the first game?

00:55:20
Speaker 4: What a first game? Is Carolina and Rico the first one?

00:55:26
Speaker 1: Yeah?

00:55:26
Speaker 2: Rico down?

00:55:27
Speaker 1: Dall I have Rico and Nico because I have Collins as well, DeAndre Swift, Josh Allen, Saquon.

00:55:34
Speaker 2: Barkley and Drake May. How about that? Recon Rico and Nico. I've got them both ready to go.

00:55:41
Speaker 3: It sounds like a well parlay there, I might add to my car Ricoco NiCoT.

00:55:47
Speaker 4: Those picks are our victory Bundle, presented by Livery Mutual.

00:55:51
Speaker 1: Yes, time for the victory Bundle presented by Liberty Mutual. Let's do the three games that I feel the beast. Well, let's each We'll each do the game we feel the best about against the spread. I'll go first, the game I feel the best about again the spread. See, I don't feel good about any of these games. I guess I'm gonna take Buffalo as a road one and a half point favorite. Everyone's gonna bet Buffalo, but I believe in Josh Allen, so I will take Buffalo.

00:56:21
Speaker 2: Billy, what will you take?

00:56:23
Speaker 4: I love Houston on the road. They are a three point favorite. They have the best defense in football. Aaron Rodgers used all his magic in the final week of the regular season. Give me Houston as a road face.

00:56:34
Speaker 1: I don't like that being part of the bundle since Drew and I both picked against it, but we'll take it.

00:56:39
Speaker 2: Neverthelast Drew. What do you add? Well, Hampton, I'm taking your Bears. They're getting points at home as the two seeds. You tell me they get a point and a half. I think that's what it was last time I saw it. Point and a half. You're giving me that? Absolutely give me the Bears at home.

00:56:55
Speaker 1: They're winning the damn game. My MoMA also said they would have called me the nickname my great grandfather had, which was hamp I wouldn't want to move gone by hamp. I would have anssted.

00:57:07
Speaker 2: They just do have done.

00:57:09
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna be hamp So Houston, Buffalo and Chicago. That's your victory Bundle, presented by Liberty Mutual. Start your quote at Liberty mutual dot com. If you start with the college football playoff Thursday night and Friday night, and then the wild Card Saturday, Sunday Monday, would you say this might be like the best five day stretch of football that you have all year.

00:57:35
Speaker 3: Yes, thank you college football for putting those games on weekdays leading into the NFL slate.

00:57:40
Speaker 2: I love it.

00:57:41
Speaker 3: I land for vacation Saturday at like two thirty, straight to the couch for that Saturday night slate and probably won't move until Monday when it's time to go to work.

00:57:50
Speaker 2: Thursday, Friday, Saturday Sunday Monday.

00:57:54
Speaker 1: It's a great That is a great sequence of games for ALFA, and you better enjoy it because after that there's only what six games left when college football game and then there are more games this weekend in the playoffs than the entire rest of the time.

00:58:13
Speaker 2: Actually that's not true, is it. Yeah, that's not true.

00:58:16
Speaker 1: Never mind, there's seven games left after the sixth this week, so you know, I was close two games off, Billy, Evil Billy. Thank you very much, Drew. Enjoy your vacation. We will remember. If you're going to cover, make sure you cover zero. NFL Covers Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin is a production of the NFL and iHeart Podcast. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio is the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.