NFL Cover Zero: Thanksgiving Football Traditions

00:00:06
Speaker 1: NFL Covers Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin is a production of the NFL and iHeart podcast. Welcome everyone in the NFL Cover zero podcast. Going into Week thirteen. I'm Matt Jones. It's Thanksgiving Week. Drew Franklin's with me and Billy are sports. It is the week where football of all sorts, pro college, college basketball. There's just sports on from the moment you get up until the moment you go to bed, from now until Sunday, and of course we'll focus on the NFL side of it. Is Thanksgiving Week, Drew. I enjoy this week. I feel like in some ways this is, you know, this is the most festive time in and from a football standpoint, I think this is probably the time you could actually watch the most games you can get three Thursday. There's the game on Friday, which is actually really really good this year, and then all the games on Sunday and Monday. Yeah.

00:01:10
Speaker 2: And you know, I grew up in a Cowboys family, so it's always been football over Turkey since I've been little. But now they've been adding more games over time. They got that Black Friday game that includes your team. I love NFL adding new days each season, getting more around Christmas. Just it's not strictly Sundays and then the Thanksgiving Day anymore, Like just throw it anywhere, put it on all the holidays.

00:01:29
Speaker 1: Yeah, do you like I mean with the Cowboys, I know they're kind of your secondary team, they're your wife's team. Do you like that they always play on Thanksgiving? That that's like a part of your sort of family tradition. You have to be there, and the Cowboys always at the late game. Yeah.

00:01:46
Speaker 2: I picked up the Titans later in life, but when I was young, I mean aunt's uncles, cousins, grandparents who was Cowboys. We like wear Cowboys sweatshirts to Thanksgiving dinner every year. So I have fond memories going back to when I was a little kid watching the Cowboys every Thanksgiving. Like I said, the food was always a second part of the day. It was almost a Cowboys party as much as it was the feast.

00:02:05
Speaker 1: I always, I mean, the Cowboys is the main event Thanksgiving. Team makes sense, But I've never really understood the Lions part of it. Like the Lions, I mean, now they're good, but they were awful for years and I always found that interesting that they were one of them. I'm sure it goes back to some sort of tradition.

00:02:21
Speaker 2: Yeah, the owner that moved them from Ohio to Detroit when they became the Lions, look for ways to market them and got NBC to pick them up on Thanksgiving, So you.

00:02:28
Speaker 1: Go, you're an innovative owner. Whatever that game, they probably just said, I bet he was a Ford. I don't know, but I'm I'm just gonna guess anything in Detroit is ultimately a Ford. So I'm going to say that's what it is. Well, you know, you look at the games this year. This is like one of the better slates, Yeah, that I think we've ever had on on Thanksgiving. I mean, for years Detroit wasn't good. You get Packers, Lions, Chiefs, Cowboys, Bengals with Joe Burrow returning against the Ravens, and then Friday Bears Eagles. I mean, that's a heck of a that's a heck of a run of games. It actually makes Sunday Slate kind of not great because how good those are.

00:03:08
Speaker 2: Yeah, and like you said, for many years of the Lions, I guess you had the Barry Sanders run where he'd be fun to watch for.

00:03:13
Speaker 1: Just see be the only time of the year I'd ever see Barry Sanders. It's literally the only time. He only existed in my mind on Thanksgiving, and then when he retired early, it wasn't a lot of reason to get up. Johnson might take one crazy catch a year, but really, like people, you know, younger people, now you have red zone and you have you have lee or you know what do they call it? Sunday ticket? You have the highlights. If you lived in my day, the Lions weren't good enough to ever be on Monday night football, and they weren't good enough to be in a feature game, so you really didn't know they existed except for on Thursdays.

00:03:55
Speaker 2: And always found it impressive, like Thanksgiving years of a family. The Lions will sell that place out, whether they're good or bad, like if you're in the Detroit community, that is just your holiday.

00:04:05
Speaker 1: Going to My mom always says the same thing, and she will do it again today Thursday. She will be at my house. We will get up, I will put that game on, and she will go Why do these people go to this? Do they not want to spend time with their families? She says that every year, she says it during the Lines game every year, and she says it on Christmas Day with the Knicks every single year, and I always say, Mom, this is their family tradition. And Mom was like, I just why would you go to You can go to a game any other day of the year. Why would you go on Thanksgiving?

00:04:39
Speaker 2: Maybe they all come back to Detroit. They tellgate like they look forward to that, just like your mom probably looks forward to setting the table and doing the dinner at home.

00:04:46
Speaker 1: Mom, I's not going, I can go ahead and tell you, but I am going, and I'm looking forward to it, and I'm looking forward to these games. We talked about all the games on Sunday. I guess the only thing that has happened since our last show was the Panthers and the forty nine Ers. That was one of the worst games I've ever seen. Brought Party throws three interceptions in the first half and yet they're still leading, which I think says everything you needed to know about the game.

00:05:11
Speaker 2: You had that Bryce Young is just getting crushed for He could have walked in and gotten a touchdown, but instead throws an interception into traffic. There's that screenshot clip where it's like dude, just just run it in.

00:05:22
Speaker 1: You're there. But he threw the bad pick and the goal line. Just an ugly game Monday night. You know, when you saw forty nine Ers Panthers at the beginning of the year, you probably thought that's what it would be, and then over the course of the season you talked yourself into Okay, maybe that's a good game. No, it was not.

00:05:38
Speaker 2: The fireworks were after the game, honestly, not even the game with the getting the old.

00:05:42
Speaker 1: What do you think of that? You can't do that? Are you a lot?

00:05:45
Speaker 2: But it was a pretty good uppercut. We've been debating spitting. The shot to the crosh is worse than spitting. I'm putting that above spitting.

00:05:52
Speaker 1: Oh you you think it's more disrespectable to hit someone in the crotch than to spit.

00:05:56
Speaker 2: That's that was intentional. He sized him up, he found his target and went full uppercut. I completely get why he skitting was the worst thing that could ever happen. Now we have something worse.

00:06:07
Speaker 1: Take away his guys, let's let's roll it in. Let's let's we've had multiple spinning incidents now this now, come on, guys, it's the holidays. That's coming to WWE. I was excited because I discovered last night for my first time, the uh, the Carolina Mike guy, the you know the if you have one hundred fifth? Do we have that?

00:06:29
Speaker 3: Hey?

00:06:30
Speaker 1: Can you play it one hundred?

00:06:31
Speaker 4: Yeah?

00:06:31
Speaker 1: I can play it? Okay. So for people don't know, this is a guy who is in Carolina.

00:06:36
Speaker 2: I think he's actually in Minnesota, but has a Carolina man cave in Minnesota.

00:06:40
Speaker 1: She's a Carolina Panthers fan stuck in Minnesota. Yes, which is he has to be one of one like he does. There's not a lot of watch parties for him, wouldn't you think. I think that's why every time we see him, he's in his basement. No one else is in the basement else there. He's also you said he's in accountant. Yeah, he's got some regular day job, but just diehard super fan at night for the Panthers of all time. That's so great and his If you haven't seen the video, look up Carolina Mike. The reason I founder is they played this on the Maning Cast. Luke Combs of all people said, I love this guy, and if you watch the Maning Cast video of it, Luke is dancing like he's a fifteen year old girl a Taylor Swift concert when he's singing, and I'm kind of like that too. We have to play it because I love it. So this is Carolina Bike on the Panthers. Y'all got a question?

00:07:34
Speaker 4: You're ready to support these Carol out of Panthers as they keep pounding against these Green Bay packers.

00:07:39
Speaker 1: Yeah?

00:07:41
Speaker 4: Also, if I had one hundred fifty thousand dollars very.

00:07:44
Speaker 1: Similar, what I would do?

00:07:46
Speaker 4: Y'all?

00:07:47
Speaker 1: What would you do?

00:07:48
Speaker 4: Spend one hundred thousand on a football team? Wait a minute, that's not enough to buy a team. Spend one hundred thousand on a tricked out Porsche?

00:07:55
Speaker 1: Wait? What? Minnesota? Is so too much?

00:07:57
Speaker 4: Me a tennis car outside of my house? But that at waits going to make me tear every down. Just Mike in a tiny home inste I get to resisting nine and I'm gonna eat them all up. Might get me a plane and buy a Spain except I don't even know how to buy.

00:08:14
Speaker 3: Like, I'm gonna get.

00:08:16
Speaker 4: Me a big old bus, one bigger number. All of us to double dutch get and chased by Tuck of the cruise around windows down town years.

00:08:23
Speaker 1: Now, I could analyze these lyrics all.

00:08:26
Speaker 3: That one hundred and fifty thousand.

00:08:30
Speaker 1: That's everything I like about this song is that he's a contrarian, right, everything he says. He then gives the argument against it. So if I had one hundred and fifty thousand, i'd buy a football team. And no, wait a minute, that's not enough to buy a teeth. He recognizes this is what I want to do with it, not able to. Then he says, you know what, all right, fine, I'll buy a tricked out porch, a Porsche. But here's the problem. I live in Minnesota, snows all the time. Can't do that. I don't buy tennis corked that'd be great. Oh wait, my hoa will not let me put up a tennis court first. Not many songs that have hoa, no, no, no.

00:09:15
Speaker 2: I like it's almost like he's budgeting and brainstorming in his brain. We're here in his thought process for what he's gonna do.

00:09:21
Speaker 1: Here we are, and he's like, okay, fine, I'll fly playing to Spain. Oh wait a minute, I can't even fly. Why I can't do that? I can't do that? So I do like the guys like he's just going through all the possibilities, but he knows in the end he's not gonna be able to do any of these things with one hundred and fifty thousand.

00:09:39
Speaker 2: You mentioned Luke Comb's big Panthers fan loves him, but I think Panthers fans they've just completely embraced him. He performed at the game, and they were at the game. There were players on the sideline singing. It wasn't just other fans, some of the.

00:09:52
Speaker 1: Players that really yeah, well, where y'all mix stepped away? He has filled that void for the Panthers. Who would have thought the best celebrity fans of twenty twenty five would be for the Carolina Panthers. I mean, that's an organization that I would have never thought of any of their fans. And now you've had meow Mix, and you've now had Carolina Mike. I'm I'm in now. I went to his account and it's Carolina Mike on TikTok. He's having a little bit of the same problems that that that that mc hammer had, which he is just or excuse me, whooped there? It is you know, tag team back again, and they couldn't come up with other songs, so they just did other whoops. So they did like whoop theirs in Adams for the Adams Family. He's doing a little bit of that because he was like, if I had one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, I'd go to Bojangles. It's like, I feel like you'd be gold at Bojangles. So he has a lot of different versions of it. But I'm still a man for the original Panthers. I kind of like that though.

00:10:53
Speaker 2: It's like, why create a new hit if every time I put a new one of these up people love it? Now part of me feels bad, like for our listeners that just heard this. Sorry, that's gonna be in your head for the next two days. It doesn't leave. That will be stuck your heads.

00:11:08
Speaker 1: One hundred and fifty thousand, You're gonna be in your head. It's already in my head. Well, I love it, and I wouldn't have known it if it weren't for that game last night. So as terrible as that game was, it gave us one really positive thing.

00:11:20
Speaker 2: It also broke the coin toss streak that Billy has been pushing where Carolina was six and oh when they win the coin toss. They won last night, he texted us Carolina won the toss and the didn't finish the game, said text, it was.

00:11:30
Speaker 1: A tweet that Billy are sports by the way it was, They're now six and one when they win. I do like your wearing your generic NFL hat in front of a big sunpot for people who don't know. Billy went to the Bills game and bought just an NFL hat that just says NFL on it you it's the Rob Low hat. Well, it's my team. I'm not a Bill fan. Your team is the league. I'm the league. So like, who does the NFL compedia gets? Like the USFL? Is that what you UFL?

00:11:57
Speaker 5: That's more of like a farm system, Like we get a lot of talent from the the USFL.

00:12:01
Speaker 1: Steak, he's back to the Wii here. I don't. I don't know if you've earned a wei from the NFL.

00:12:07
Speaker 5: Well, they liked my Dick Van Dyke shoes, so I figured that was, uh, that was my signal to go all in.

00:12:13
Speaker 1: Yeah, well I do. It's a nice hat. It's just a little you know, the little corporate. It fits him though he's he wants to be that reporting objective if he doesn't want to tie himself to a certain team, he's just all about your everybody's team. You're like when I was growing up and a guy was running for office in Middlesbrough and he put an ad out UH for the season preview for our region and it said I support all thirteenth Region teams. I support them all, which I don't think. You just don't think that's possible. You're kind of you're kind of like that, you support all NFL team.

00:12:48
Speaker 5: I want everybody to have fun, be safe, you know, rooting against injuries.

00:12:53
Speaker 1: Never want to see that. We are against injuries as injuries, and yes, Daniel Jeremize Pro Pro Injury podcast, we are anti get those injuries out here, all right. So it's all as we like to. We like to do the headlines and Billy, I will let you go what's up first? Yeah, you alluded to my first one.

00:13:13
Speaker 5: Joe Burrow is expected to play on Thanksgiving Night versus the Ravens. He suffered a turf toe injury Week two. Cincinnati, who was three and eight on the season, went one in eight without Burrow during that time. Joe Burrow talked today and said that he could not sit. If he was healthy, I would listen. It's gonna be great to see him.

00:13:32
Speaker 1: It's gonna make that game Sunday night better or excuse me, Thursday night better. But I don't know why they're well, I don't know why he's coming back. I mean they're done. I think this is I think that's a bad decision. I mean, it's gonna be more entertaining, but it's a bad decision, don't you think.

00:13:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess guy just wanposed to go play football, like he says. But you know, again, we're anti injury. But if something were to happen there, that would be a huge misstep in how they've handled bringing him back. I mean, they have nothing to play for. They're like bottom three everything statistics on offense.

00:14:00
Speaker 1: And they've got a lot they're gonna have guys out, So I mean he's he's gonna be playing. I mean, Jamar Chase will be there, but he's gonna have his next two receivers are out. Maybe he just.

00:14:08
Speaker 2: Wants to try to take the Ravens out of the hunt. When you got a good rival, sometimes you just want to go punish them. So maybe he thinks he can give them a loss, just to kind of get it Lamar in the.

00:14:17
Speaker 1: Group, I think this is a I think it's a bad decision. I'll be honest now. I mean, ultimately it's his decision, but I just I wouldn't do it. Now. I'm excited to watch him play. I don't think Joe Flacco has been bad. I mean, that's not their problem. Burrow will be better than Flacco, but it's not like the quarterback has been the difference. It's been everything else. Although their defense did play better against New England stepped up.

00:14:39
Speaker 2: Did you like the way Burrow announced it with that picture of him where he looks like he's in high school with the Lebron jersey that's way too small.

00:14:46
Speaker 1: He just said he's back. Help me understand that though, because Cleveland, even though the Calves are not a rival of a Cincinnati, the city of Cleveland is is that.

00:14:57
Speaker 2: I think it's an old picture where maybe where Lebron came back and like a young Burrow was excited and he sent that out and it just says he's been that. I think he's like a really old photo of him, maybe even in the high school or something in reference to Lebron because he has the jersey on.

00:15:09
Speaker 1: I mean, that's his way of saying he's back. I'm back. Yeah, it's just I always think it's funny. I think if you're going to do that, I mean, I guess remember your audience. I know, the Brown's and the Bengals, they're like big rivals, and you're picking a Cleveland team. Although I don't know, do people in Cincinnati cheer for the Calves because they don't have their own teams?

00:15:29
Speaker 5: I was going to say not another NBA team, so that seems fair, But do.

00:15:32
Speaker 1: You know do people in Cincinnati cheer for the Calves. I don't know. It doesn't seem like it, and what we know of been around there in friends, we never I mean I do know. It makes me mad when I try to watch League Pass. I can't watch Calves games because they're like, this is your local team, and I'm like, based on what there's no scenario where Cleveland is my local team Cleveland, why would why would I go to Cleveland? So I really get annoyed. They give me three local teams, the Pacers in Cleveland, and I don't watch any of them. It doesn't hurt you told the team you're actually wanting to watch his place, and when it comes to the Grizzlies, there's no physical way for me to watch it.

00:16:13
Speaker 3: No.

00:16:13
Speaker 1: I mean when I even if you buy the local fan will, they'll give you pacers and caps, but they will not give you Grizzlies. So if a man wanted to watch a Grizzlies game, impossible.

00:16:23
Speaker 2: It is odd when you get these packages and you think it includes everything, but they're like, no, this city seven hours away from you does not count.

00:16:29
Speaker 1: There. Wolf make some of these picks as we go, but we'll just do this one. Who do you like in Baltimore? Do you think you think Burrow can get a victory.

00:16:51
Speaker 2: I think Baltimore will win it, but I'm glad he's playing selfishly that if you weren't playing, I wouldn't be nearly excited obviously, so that gives that game some juice.

00:16:59
Speaker 1: But I think Baltimore will win it. Baltimore is a seven point favorite. I mean I wouldn't take the points. I would take the Bengals and the points agree with you. I think that's a lot, especially when you consider that the Bengal or e sue me. The Ravens offense still is kind of Sputtering did against the Jets as well, So I would take the seven, even though I think Baltimore ends up winning.

00:17:18
Speaker 5: What's next the Titans maybe one to ten, but they do have a bright spot. Titans rookie wide receiver Chamir dk leads NFL and all purpose yards with one thousand, seven hundred and sixty. Second place is nearly three hundred yards behind him, with Jonathan Taylor at over fourteen hundred. He's on pace to break the all time records set by Darren Sproles back in twenty eleven with two thousand, six hundred and ninety six.

00:17:41
Speaker 1: The little misleading, I mean that the problem for all purpose yards from now on is is that it's going to be disjointed because of the new kickoff rule because you're you essentially have to run it back. So whereas even back in the eighties, half the kicks were touchbacks, now they're all runbacks, and you're going to get a good twenty five to thirty yards nearly every time. So I do think think very cool. I think it's more impressive he's leading the league, although part of the reason he's leading the league is because the Titans give up so many points that's true. So there's a ton of kickoffs. So I mean it's an interesting statistic, but when you break it down, I don't know that it's as impressive as it would be otherwise.

00:18:23
Speaker 2: Yeah, he has a ton of kickoff yardage. Now he has taken two punks back, but I mean that's hest.

00:18:29
Speaker 1: Impressive to me too. I just he gets more chances.

00:18:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I love I even mentioned him last week. Is finally something I have hope with with the Titans. He's been a great rookie and even wards get a little better. But as a receiver, he still only has like three or four hundred yards on the season, so he's doing all of his work on the punter turns.

00:18:45
Speaker 1: Do you think there is a talent, like a discernible, real talent to running those back or is it just go I think there's got to be a talent. I mean, Devin Hester is the obviously sample. But I mean, all right, right now, tell me other great kick returners. Devin Hester is the one. Everybody knows Dante Hall was great back in to day. Not I think Devin Hester is the only person. Is he in the Hall of Fame? I'm not sure he should be he should be. He he was only kick returner in the Hall of Fame just for being a kick returner. That may be made up, but I think that's true. Make it as a cornerback.

00:19:25
Speaker 5: Okay, what Deshaun Jackson was somebody that ran back some kicks?

00:19:29
Speaker 1: Well, Dion was pretty good. He did to do it all the time. I mean you could go to like was it like Josh Cribs and Booth the Browns. He seemed to always billy white shoes Johnson.

00:19:40
Speaker 6: This is a deep cut for more of I do. He has a great touchdown celebrator, a great one. Yeah, this is more of a deep cut for our local Kentucky audience. But like in college, we had a Derrek Avenue who was a fine receiver. But I mean when he got the ball, he broke an sec record that still stands.

00:19:52
Speaker 1: Ask your question about billy white shoes Johnson, Yeah, doesn't everybody wear white shoes?

00:19:59
Speaker 4: Well?

00:20:00
Speaker 1: You know my cause my cleats just happened, so we saw a lot of it. But I'm just saying, like was it. I feel like if I'm thinking about cleats, I kind of think about white So why was he? Why isn't everyone white shoes? Why isn't it like Joe white Sho's name. That's a good question. I mean, why did he get or was he the first guy to do it? Did he make it to where we all wear white shoes? Now? What did everybody wear before? I'm not sure, but he did the touchdown dance that emphasized. They didn't call him Billy touchdown Johnson. They called him Billy white shoes jacks. And I think that was the funky chicken. They don't call him funky check. They don't call him funky chicken.

00:20:34
Speaker 5: Billy Well, that could have been it too, but they were looking at his white shoes while he was doing that.

00:20:38
Speaker 1: Okay, but there, I don't know. That's just a weird thing to call someone. It would be like a baseball stadium going Aaron baseball cap judge. Yeah, but so was everyone else? Yeah? Uh the Internet.

00:20:52
Speaker 2: I googled it quickly on the flys that his high school team wore black shoes and he wore white ones.

00:20:55
Speaker 1: So it started in high school. Oh so in high school he was wearing different than the other team. When he got to the pros, do you think his teammates were ever like, well, we're wearing white shoes too, dude, maybe he started a trend. Don't act like I don't hear the first person that ever came up with this. All right, what were we talking about? Kicker turner turners returners are you Are you excited about having that guy on the team. Yeah, he's a rookie. Cam Ward's a rookie. Cam hadn't thrown a pick in like three or four weeks. We've covered three straight games. I still want the number one pick. I don't want us to get too good right now. It's us. I think they have two wins. I think we're the only one win team.

00:21:35
Speaker 3: You only have one.

00:21:37
Speaker 1: You don't want to win that.

00:21:38
Speaker 2: No, I didn't want to beat the Cardinals, but I do like DK and cam warden as as something to build it.

00:21:43
Speaker 1: Do you need a quarterback? Although I don't know if a quarterback is gonna go number one, probably won't. No, No, we don't need quarterback. I honestly I don't know this draft class very well yet. But if they wanted to trade it and load up, who needs so much help? Let's see who's projected at the top of it. I honestly have absolutely.

00:21:57
Speaker 5: I think it's like three Ohio State players are the first four picks in one of I.

00:22:04
Speaker 1: What do you mean one of yours? You don't have. You don't have the modern t like dot's not act like. Well, remember the NFL dot com has I'm I'm a hero one now right now they have well this must be old because they have the Jets projected isn't in one pick? No, they do right now via projected trade with your type. Yeah, honestly they should trade it. They need so much help. Okay, just after Francis Fernando Mendoza going number one, we don't need that good. Their number two would be Dante more But they really are picking quarterbacks. Let's see where they have you going. There. They have you taking Jordan Tyson, wide receiver Arizona State.

00:22:41
Speaker 2: We need wide receivers, quarterbacks and a pass rusher on the edge are three huge needs.

00:22:46
Speaker 1: The first non quarterbacks are Francis my Mayugoa from Miami, Jordan Tyson, three quarterbacks in top five, r Vel Reese, Ohio State linebacker that you Ruben bain Edge from Miami, and then Kendrick falk Edge from Auburn. I really just I haven't heard of these people. I'm sure they're wonderful humans.

00:23:05
Speaker 2: It's funny here in the Times projected to get a top receiver because Titans have always wanted a top receiver, and when we finally get aj Brown, they just.

00:23:11
Speaker 1: Let him go for nothing. Yeah, well we got that to look forward to. We get to go to the draft this year. By where is it Is it in? Uh?

00:23:20
Speaker 2: Somewhere we get to go? I think is it in? It's like Cleveland or something that's not that. It's not Vegas or one of the fun ones and maybe not clear.

00:23:28
Speaker 1: You tell me I have to go to Cleveland. Pittsburgh. Be good, it's a little better. It one like Vegas. Somewhere. Exit Pittsburgh, Let's go. I actually don't know if we're going. I'm just acting as if we're going. I mean, we could go. They can't stop us. They're not like fans from going. I mean, he's got an NFL hat in the north. If you do that, all right? What's next?

00:23:52
Speaker 5: Speaking of the Steelers, I saw this stat and thought it was interesting. George Pickens has been great for the Cowboys this year. He has one thousand and fifty four receiving yards on the season. All Steelers receivers combined have only one thousand and eighty two receiving that's about year.

00:24:07
Speaker 1: Was that one of the best trades of all time? I mean they gave what you all gave the Cowboys a third round pick for that guy, and he's now he's wide receiver one. Right, he has CD, he's out playing CD Lamb. I mean, the Steelers are done with him.

00:24:20
Speaker 2: He had some attitude problems, wasn't really performing living up to the hype, and I don't know what got into him in Dallas. Maybe he realized, you know, he needed to step it up and play the way he's expected.

00:24:29
Speaker 1: He's been awesome. I mean, there's one hundred and fifty yards in a touchdown last two games. So there's usually people who say, well, if he's if he's a problem in Pittsburgh, then he's certainly going to be a problem somewhere else. But in this case, that's not been the case. I mean, he's been unbelievable. That stat is amazing, more receiving yards than than the whole Pittsburgh wide receivers act under. Yeah, just under And that's with you know, Aaron Rodgers k Metal. I mean, Pickens is out playing DK, who they wentn't got that's that's pretty amazing. I'll give you another amazing stat, Matt.

00:24:58
Speaker 5: Christian McCaffrey leads the NFL in receptions this year with eighty one.

00:25:04
Speaker 1: I feel like, though doesn't he he's if he leads, but he gets when he's not healthy. He gets a crazy number of exceptions every year because they's dumping off to him. I think he had nine touches on the first drive of the game last night Verus Care. We have something like a few years back, everybody goes there's just too much offense in the NFL, and now it feels like, at least when it goes to throwing down field with the exception of Jackson Smith and Jig, but it feels like there hasn't been as much of that and that you're seeing a lot more kind of Christian McCaffrey as stats.

00:25:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, it always corrects itself. And I saw McCaffrey. He's like the first player to have a thousand rushing thousand receiving in a couple of straight years. Like, I'm pretty rare to do that, but there's some stat where he's one of the first to do thousand receiving, thousand rushing. I mean his anytime. Touchdown odds Monday night was minus three fifty. That's no crazy, really score touchdown in the NFL. He score, Yes, I mean just the minus creep gifty. I've never I've watched touchdown bets closely. I've never seen minus three fifty. Not even Jonathan Taylor this year, I don't.

00:26:03
Speaker 1: I've certainly never seen that. That's amazing. Well, Pickens has been one of the stars of the NFL. If you were to do I mean it's not MVP, but if you were to do like breakout Star of the Year in the NFL, which is not a it's not an A ward, but we can make the NFL cover to make it, would it be? I think I'd probably go Jackson Smith and Jigbu because it's just not a person I've spent a lot of time in my life thinking about and I can now pronounce his name correctly, which wasn't true until this year. So I think I'd probably pick him. Who would you pick?

00:26:35
Speaker 2: Yeah, I actually sit around and think about Jayson a lot and just have days where I'm just like, wonder what he's doing it right now? He's been special. Honestly, Pickens is a great, great up pick uh. I thought there was a moment where Rico Dabele he had quite a stretch where was like, oh, what is he found? He's cooled off a little bit, had a period of time. You might have said that about him too. Yeah, so definitely those guests. Yeah, that's who I would go with. Who's your vote for?

00:26:58
Speaker 1: Bryce Young?

00:26:59
Speaker 5: Does your rookies count? I know it's their first year, but Jackson, I mean.

00:27:02
Speaker 1: You can't. You can you can't break out if we never saw you play before. First of all, how can you pick that he's been hurt? I thought he's been fantastic though when he's lay like five weeks he broke an all.

00:27:11
Speaker 5: Time record for rushing touchdowns from a quarterback spot. I mean it's been impressive.

00:27:16
Speaker 1: So do you mean he broke it?

00:27:17
Speaker 5: What was the re consecutive games with the rushing touchdown?

00:27:20
Speaker 1: But it wasn't it like four? It was five.

00:27:22
Speaker 5: Okay, you're easily doing hey man, one must want us some money on.

00:27:28
Speaker 1: The h I think you just think he's handsome. I know, if we're doing rookies, I'm gonna throw in Harold Finn and Junior. We're not doing rook from bowling, don't get to be part of this award that I just created out of nowe Just remember on our first ever podcast, I said watch for Harold Fan and Junior from Bower. Who's next?

00:27:58
Speaker 5: Speaking of the browns sder Sanders is going to be starting another week for the Cleveland Browns as they take on the forty nine ers this week at home.

00:28:07
Speaker 1: So where are you on shed or standards? Rooting for him? I enjoyed the moment last week. It was in Vegas? Was it? It was there a moment. The fifty three yard pass was a moment. He didn't die. I wish they had gotten no, no, no, no, you're not the dump off at That was a good pas guy.

00:28:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, stopped on the one. I wish you could have seen that through for touchdown. I will say I was smiling for that. Now I'm not walking around showing off my wrists and doing the watch dance. And I honestly not to be a hater. I think he's gonna have a come down moment.

00:28:38
Speaker 1: That's going to be That could be bad. What about his statement, I mean we talked about it a little bit last show. But the if you give me now you see, if you give me a full year what I can do. I mean, it's it's a little I mean, it's a little much, right, Yeah, And I don't want to sound like old school football purist guy. But he's still doing a lot of I I me, me, me. I think Rex Ryan or somebody even came out was like, hey, when you win.

00:29:02
Speaker 2: It's we If you lose, you say I But there's still a lot of.

00:29:06
Speaker 1: Seems to have an issue with him. I don't know what it's about. Maybe because he hasn't seen his feet, I don't know, but but when talks it is all about me. I'm sorry, Rick Fry I met. He was always very nice to me when I was speaking of brothers. I think he makes fun of himself on that. I feel like, yeah, I don't know, he's as far as far as I know, he's a perfectly nice guy. So I don't mean that was that was a low blow. But sometimes I think Chador is you know, his dions kid. Of course he's gonna be a little full of himself. I think in this moment he d Gabriel get along. I mean, is there a world in which they could get along, because I feel like, first of all the world has put them against each other, and then I don't think Chador is ever at all gracious towards him publicly. Now maybe privately they're good, but.

00:29:55
Speaker 2: They gotta be somewhat close just going through the meetings now, I doubt they're like going.

00:30:01
Speaker 1: Let me play. And the implicit in that as you suck Drew didn't, DIDN'TDG take a shot at him? Once? You and this DG. You always say DG. It blows my mind. We call everyone by their names, but you and Dylan Gabriel, it's DG. Why are you so close to you?

00:30:16
Speaker 5: I don't know, Maybe because I'm rooting for him, Like everybody was like counting them out.

00:30:20
Speaker 1: They didn't want him, They wanted Shadur so and you wanted DG. Sorry, it throws me off when you said, yeah, what was the question, sorry.

00:30:27
Speaker 5: Billy, I got didn't DG like make like a make it like a comment like at a press conference about Shadur How he was like, you know, some people are taking it more seriously than others, or something like that.

00:30:38
Speaker 1: I'd had to go back. It was implied, Okay, I don't remember that. There's about SS.

00:30:48
Speaker 2: There's little things like when Gabriel was playing well and just taking over.

00:30:52
Speaker 1: He did the schador Di the mime. I mean, I don't know that they like each other. I mean, I don't know if they dislike each other.

00:30:59
Speaker 2: And part of your competitive if that guy's wants your job and you want his job, that probably happened.

00:31:02
Speaker 1: To be teammates, though. I mean, that's the that's the weird and unlike it other positions where I can play running back and you can too, and we can both play quarterback, there can only be one. Like I was talking to Max Stuffy, that's our friend. He tried to punt uh. He was in training camp for the Broncos in a punting competition and it was just him and one other guy and one of them was going to get the job and the other one was going to be on the street. And I asked him. I was like, how'd you deal with that guy? And he was like, we didn't do anything. We didn't talk like, I didn't hate to take a lead. We were trying. We were fighting every day. And he was like, so, I said, were you work did you work together? And he was like no, I guess Chadur and.

00:31:46
Speaker 2: DG are already on the team together. They're going to rookie events together. They're probably going through the exact same process side by side.

00:31:54
Speaker 1: Though this is like one of these situations. This is not like you can be starter backup in two years. Only one of these guys is gonna be on the team. But I don't think that's any different than any other locker room. I'm sure every third stream once the second stringer's job. That's just I would say, petty of juices. I don't know, I feel like this is worse. I feel like the fact they're both rookies, they're both started the season's backups, I just feel like they they they hate each other. I mean, I'm not reporting it, but I feel pretty confidently is this going to be on like the scroll of the bottom events on that but Matt Jones reporting Shador and Dylan Gabriel hate each other on the show, Billy our Sports says DG is his favorite.

00:32:36
Speaker 2: By the way, on that scroll, I know we've done already half a season on this. When I'm watching NFL Network and our names go down at the bottom, I'm like a little kid.

00:32:44
Speaker 3: I can't.

00:32:44
Speaker 2: I get up to deposit and I take pictures and I send it to my mom. I don't do that about anything else that we do. But when they do that, I still am am just riding high that we're doing this.

00:32:53
Speaker 1: Yeah. Look, somebody literally just moments ago on Twitter tweeted me and he can't be listening because we're not doing this live about your hat. Hey, someone literally is tweeting about your hat right now. Yeah, that's the one that's out of stock. I'm trying to find that one still, that one would be uh that well? Rob Low made it very popular. Did you're going to make that one popular? What's next?

00:33:15
Speaker 5: We're trying to hear some other quarterback news. Baker Mayfield suffered a low grade sprained shoulder in his non throwing shoulder in that Rams game. He should be good to go to play this next round.

00:33:25
Speaker 1: That's good news for them. I mean they weren't sure about that. I thought that he might be out. Are have you given up? I mean you all no, not yet? What is the what's the ceiling of what you think? Do you still think you can make a super Bowl or did you give that up? Yeah?

00:33:39
Speaker 5: I've probably given the super Bowl up. Defense is too bad for that. They can win the division for a fifth straight year, but then a home wild card loss is definitely in our future.

00:33:47
Speaker 1: So you are going to play. You're going to play that Saturday early game in the playoffs, right, Yeah, probably against who's going to be the five seed San Francisco. Yeah, An, it's going to be you, And to say it, well, but you'll host. So I think you and San Francisco that's a good early Saturday game because no one will care about that game. Yeah, I feel like that's what we're getting you. I like you in that spot. Though the early game Baker playoff should be like nine am for San Francisco will still be sleepy.

00:34:20
Speaker 2: I mean I just watched him throw three interceptions in the first half two nights ago, so you got that.

00:34:24
Speaker 5: Yeah, maybe Mike Evans comes back and can be a decoy. Uh but yeah, the seion definitely.

00:34:29
Speaker 1: When you say Mike Evans to me, you're it's like you're saying, maybe Roger Craig can come back. Like I feel think Mike Evans has been in the league so long, and I guess because he hasn't played this year, he just seems like a name from a different generation to me.

00:34:43
Speaker 5: First ballot Hall of Famer, though there's no doubt about it. You're gonna go greatest receivers to ever play.

00:34:49
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'd love to you seem like you. Is he your favorite? Who's your favorite Buck of all time? Either Mike Alstar or Jamis probably Jeamus? Yeah, interesting Mike Alstott. That's very much like a I don't know, it's very much like a why dude like us favorably.

00:35:10
Speaker 2: Yeah, somebody needs to bring his shoulder pads back. He had the best shoulder pads, those big things. Huge Yeah, huge bucks. I think the first name that comes to my mind's Warren.

00:35:21
Speaker 1: Sap Sap Brooks, war Dunch Done, fun Group, Lynch, Yeah, Lynch, I forget about warg Done. That's a good one. Brad Johnson. It's got to be the hair, Jinx, What do you mean? It's got to be the hair. He did car commercials in Tampa, and you expect everyone in the country to know that, did you? Just like you think everybody's gonna know the Tampa. He also has a trick shot channel on TikTok. Now, that's good. I watched that. It's impressive. What is it? I don't know what this is.

00:35:48
Speaker 5: So Brad Johnson will throw a football and hit goalposts or things.

00:35:51
Speaker 1: Like that. Even now he's what dude perfect wants to be. How old is he? He's like got to be fifty, isn't. Oh yeah, he's pushing sixteen fifty. He's gonna be probably early fifties. And he's still throwing it like he's slinging it. Calls himself big Bad.

00:36:08
Speaker 2: It's not like he's just kind of throwing one in from a three point line on the basketball court.

00:36:12
Speaker 1: He has some crazy trick shots. Good for you, big Bad Brad. And what was the commercial? It's got to be the hair. What did that mean? He just had great hair, always had great hair. So the commercial was like I have great Was it selling something? Yeah?

00:36:25
Speaker 5: Cars? From what I remember my hazy memory of my childhood, have.

00:36:29
Speaker 2: Brad Johnson is a look at my hair, come by this car. If all the bucks we named there could be that.

00:36:34
Speaker 1: I need to look at his hair and see if it was really good? Is it was? It was? It felt like it was like your standard go to your just the shopping center of fifteen dollars haircut. It's like Brad Johnson quarterback. I mean, no offense, but like that hair, it's just a cut.

00:36:49
Speaker 5: I mean it's just oh it wasn't that for the commercials? Though in Tampa he had much better hair than that, whatever that cut was.

00:36:55
Speaker 1: I see no pictures of Brad Johnson with good hair, non. I mean, first of all, this is what he looks like?

00:37:02
Speaker 4: Is this?

00:37:02
Speaker 1: What is this? The guy slinging right here? Oh? Yeah, yeah, that's that's big bad bread. It's bread. He's bigger. Now. I don't think he had good hair. I think you, I think you're thinking about it. Is also, why was he talking about his hair for a car commercial? That is a better question than if he had good hair. I think my question is still valid because I've yet to see a picture of him in good hair. I'll find the I'll find the commercial. I want to see his flow. What's next.

00:37:26
Speaker 5: The other quarterback news I had besides Brad Johnson and Baker Mayfield is that JJ McCarthy is in concussion protocol. There's a chance he doesn't play this week's game versus the Seahawks.

00:37:36
Speaker 1: Matt, do you know who the Vikings are? It's a rookie. His name's like Max Scherzer.

00:37:41
Speaker 5: Uh Brosmer, So pretty good Max Brosmer?

00:37:45
Speaker 1: And where did he play? Drew? And I looked it up before the show started. Minnesota, Minnesota.

00:37:49
Speaker 2: Yep, he's one of those people that played it like three colleges.

00:37:53
Speaker 1: Max Brosmer of Minnesota is going to get to play for Minnesota.

00:37:57
Speaker 5: Might be replacing nine as the starting quarterback of the Viking nine.

00:38:01
Speaker 1: I'm excited. I love when random dudes get to play like I love the quarterback is somebody from like beer fart state, I do enjoy. I mean, I don't know if Minnesota is exactly that, but I no one knows Max Prosmer, and I'm excited to watch him play.

00:38:18
Speaker 2: Who is a New Hampshire before he was at Minnesota. So he started at the lower level.

00:38:23
Speaker 1: Oh they're gonna get destroyed, aren't they. He's gonna get So he started at New Hampshire, Yes, then to the Golden Gophers, then to the Vikings. He could be better than JJ McCarthy. Well that would be bad if Max brod what if he in look good man, I'm so I'm excited now. I I every year you get one of these games where one year my bears had it, they had like Tyler hat Pagent Orgent and he played somewhere random and came in and actually played pretty well. So maybe Max prosmer will.

00:38:56
Speaker 2: Yes, sometimes these guys get shots to Stig are out. Billy your Western Kentucky Bailey's appy. He's still on a roster somewhere. I remember when he got his first minute. He's the he's shdoors back. He shdoor's backup this week.

00:39:07
Speaker 1: So you can make it to the league from anywhere. Yeah, well, all right, what's next?

00:39:12
Speaker 5: The Giants fired their defensive coordinator just recently, Shane Bowen. It was a fifth time they blew a ten plus point lead, that is an NFL record. By the way, their defense ranked thirtieth overall. And Sunday's loss the Giants it was their twelfth straight road loss. So they've fired their head coach and their defensive coordinator in a matter of two weeks.

00:39:30
Speaker 1: So his name is some bowman right boeing Bowen. So I was driving around. I was in the drive through right lane at Jaggers, which i'd never tried before. I've heard good things, haven't been yet. It's fine, but it's very inexpensive, like I think that's why people like it. Like sandwich is like five dollars, which you don't see that nowadays. So there's your Jaggers add But the while I was in line, I had it on the NFL radio because I like the two old guys that are on the afternoon moving the chains. It wasn't on yet, so I don't know what was on. But one of the guys that was doing it was is a Giants guy, and he was going off on this guy and he was like, everyone who's ever watched a football game has said to themselves in the last couple of weeks that Shane Bowen doesn't know what he's doing. And I was like, I don't think that's true. I've watched the football game, never thought about that guy, Not one time have I ever thought about it. But then they said, you know, he's he's given up ten point leads. He's given up a lead of ten points six games this year. But the guy that fired him just got the job a week ago, and a week ago he said I have full confidence in him for the rest of the year, and then one week later he got rid of him on a game they almost won in Detroit. So that seems odd to me.

00:40:50
Speaker 2: Yeah, I have a little bit of He was the Titans defensive coordinator for three years before the Giants and it was kind of a mixed bag. We had a year we was really good. They were the AFC Championship run. They were tops in a lot of categories. But his weakness was defending the past. We always had a good run defe So when the he left with the Titans and they picked him up immediately, it was kind of a okay, enjoy Is it.

00:41:11
Speaker 1: Well known that he's not someone you want with your I mean, was he not? Was it well known that he was having They said he doesn't know how to call play? Like this guy was going off on him. Sounds about right coming from my organization. Yeah, a good year and it took him a while to get my chicken sandwich. So I was like, is this guy gonna just continue to rail? I mean, the guy got fired. Give him a break, you know he could maybe he needs a job here, you go work there now. Yeah, well he will not be so uh. And then they got mad. They're like, well they've promoted so and so. Who's never called plays before. I'm like, well, what do you want him to do? You just fired the other guy. Somebody's gotta start, somebody's got to do it. And the guy just never called plays. I mean he's got to start somewhere.

00:41:49
Speaker 3: Yeah, all right.

00:42:04
Speaker 5: My final news note is another coaching change chi if Kelly was fired in the middle of our last show.

00:42:09
Speaker 1: Las Vegas is making Greg Olsen's brother Accordon and Drew.

00:42:14
Speaker 5: Their interim offensive coordinator, the quarterbacks coach Greg Olsen. This will be Olsen's third stint as the Raiders offensive coordinator. He held the job in twenty thirteen and fourteen, then again in twenty eighteen to twenty twenty one, and now again here in twenty twenty.

00:42:28
Speaker 1: Five, which team, the Raiders. That is kind of amazing that he would have the job three times, the same three separate times. Yeah, look, what did you not like about it the first time? Said he'd changed so much? Or did he just hang around? It's like, I'll give it to me. He just has like a long term lease and so he can't go work anywhere else. And every few years they're like, you know what, Greg's a good guy. He keeps hanging around. He's cheap. Let's bring him back. His name is Greg Olsen. Two yes, hm, so it's tough for him. Two people.

00:42:59
Speaker 2: We did this with Josh Allen's Yeah, they're both good. Yeah, I mean this, Greg Olsen doesn't stand a chance. The moment I heard this, I thought was a broadcaster stepping away. Craig Olsen so well, I mean there's a very small chance this will work. I mean they stink.

00:43:15
Speaker 1: Yeah, I guess that's why they're getting to Greg. They're worse than your Titans are. I mean they may have one more win, but they're worse. Yeah.

00:43:21
Speaker 2: We're we're finding some life at the end of the year, and they are going the complete opposite way.

00:43:26
Speaker 1: The thing about Old Vegas downtown is it smells like cigarette. I love it. I prefer it. Do you my last fell You really love it? Absolutely might say my last five Vegas trips maybe more. We've done Old Vegas night every time I'm for a night because you get to see like people walking around in weird outfits and stuff exactly where I'm going. But you do prefer it. Oh yeah, I love it. You just said it. The people watching there is there's a Tony Romas. It might be the last Tony Romas in the world. What they're for my birthday ten a picture of me under the sun. No, I'm gonna show you. I love o Vegas. All the places to eat in Vegas. You went to Tony Rome. Yeah, because it's like the last Maybe Gallenberg and Vegas are the last two Tony. That's why you have the picture. I don't believe I'm showing you because I believe that ROAs Billy. Can you have them put this on the podcast in the picture like nobody.

00:44:15
Speaker 5: Goes to I went to ol Vegas for my twenty first birthday with my dad and he got two of you, uh and his brother and then my friend surprised me there and he got a chess tattoo that night.

00:44:25
Speaker 1: Okay, that's very impressive, but I need to go back to your dad. He got it. Your dad got a chess tattoo. Yeah, the night of my twenty first birthday. Is your dad a serial killer? No?

00:44:35
Speaker 5: No, it was like a family crest kind of situation, but it was so was he like Scottish?

00:44:41
Speaker 1: No?

00:44:42
Speaker 5: No, but he did use the night of my twenty first birthday to get.

00:44:45
Speaker 1: What is the crest? Like? What is your heritage? I'd have to show you. I can't really, you can't tell me the country describe it? No, I mean, what what what's the nationality?

00:44:54
Speaker 5: It's not a nationality, it's more of like a Masonic thing that he's made it into his own, like like.

00:45:01
Speaker 1: The Masons or whatever. Okay, so he didn't get like a Billy's twenty first in the date tatto. It wasn't tattoo he wanted. I was hoping you're gonna tell me.

00:45:09
Speaker 2: You all woke up like the hangover and your dad just had a Mike Tyson tattoo or something.

00:45:12
Speaker 1: So did you consider getting it too or did he wanted you to get it too? And then you just didn't know it was It was definitely like he had planned it for a while for your twenty first birthday. He planned for him to get a tattoo. Yeah, he just struck while the iron was hot, being like a crazy night kind of thing. Oh, sounds like a crazy night. The wife or my mom didn't really appreciate it. Oh, so he didn't tell her what was happening.

00:45:37
Speaker 3: Wow.

00:45:38
Speaker 1: So this is what Pete Carroll's up against. Pete Carroll's out doing stuff like this all the time. Wow. So that's a that's a pretty amazing story. So your dad gets the tattoo. Were you there while you got the atto?

00:45:48
Speaker 3: Yeah?

00:45:49
Speaker 1: I got it. Were you supportive of it? Yeah?

00:45:50
Speaker 3: I was?

00:45:51
Speaker 1: And then the FaceTime we did back to my mom was yeah, it was just as fun. Well, I can compliment Billy's dad. I heard about this story.

00:45:57
Speaker 2: He took Billy to Vegas and Billy didn't know all his friends were going to be there, so his dad flew, all, no, that's cool, that's a.

00:46:04
Speaker 1: Very cool thing. The last time I went told Vegas, I have a friend named Sean. I won't say his last name. And he was there too, and he was like in a different part. He was at a different sceno and we walked up to this black jack table and we saw a guy that looked like what we thought Sean would be in like twenty five years. We called him Sean from the future. He looked like him, except you know, he's a little more wrinkled and gray haired, but he had the same like shape and cigarettes. And we were like, let's play black jack with Sean from the future, right, So we text, hey, Sean, it's you from the future. And Sean comes and now he sits a table, so you have Sean and he's looking at his guy from the future, and Sean's very upset that we're calling him Sean from the future because the guy has some characteristics that weren't appealing. Okay, he went a complete compliment. Yeah no, it was not like he was like, oh, this is George Clooney, this is you in the future.

00:47:03
Speaker 4: Right.

00:47:04
Speaker 1: We sit there, we play the guys like haggard and miserable and smoking, and at one point he gets up to go to the bathroom and Sean just goes, yeah, that's me from the future. Just surrendered knowledges that that was him from the future. And so that's my got me. So we all have good stories. Tony Romans dad chest tattoo, Sean from the Future sounds like we need to go to Vegas for a game. I would like that. I think that would be fun. We could telgate in old Vegas. Yeah, I actually think that'd be a lot of fun. Where's the field is it? It's kind of off by it self, but I like too far? Okay, I mean you see it in the big room, but out there all right, let's uh all right. So this weekend, of course, Thursday is uh is Thanksgiving, and there are three games and it is the fourth annual John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration. So let me I'm gonna read you some of the stuff they're doing here, Drew, What do you think to celebrate Madden's time with the game, Uh, it's gonna be all that. They're gonna have a Madden hallmark to kick off each broadcast that will say, show the best of Madden on Thanksgiving and and what he did. And there'll also be an MVP of each game where ten thousand dollars will be given to the high school football program where the player played. That's kind of nice, isn't it very cool? Very cool? And they're going to have a coin. I like this. The official coin will be John Madden on one side and a turd ducan on the reverse side. Do you remember the turn duck? Of course?

00:48:33
Speaker 2: I remember the turn duckan. How could you forget the turn duck? I mean I think about the turn duck in every year.

00:48:37
Speaker 1: John.

00:48:38
Speaker 2: We need an ai John Madden or something because Thanksgiving it needs all the Madden it can possibly get.

00:48:43
Speaker 1: But it was incestuous, it was, I mean it was a turn Duckan is like something that says there might be too much radioactivity in the water, isn't it six legs? I think yeah?

00:48:56
Speaker 2: And it's literally you put a duck inside a turkey and then put a chicken inside that, So you're really loading up on your protein there. But I used to love when he think that would be good. I've always wanted to just from growing up watching Madden. I miss you remember this. He would get on the Telestrader and be like, here's a leg, here's a leg. He would be like circling parts of the turkey. I mean, I still love the NFL and Thanksgiving, but it was all about Madden growing up, and I'm glad they're still recognizing him with all this stuff they're doing.

00:49:23
Speaker 1: One of the things I think is funny is that the thought that either Tom Brady or Tony Romo every year have to spend Thanksgiving in Detroit. Like they have a very glamorous job and they get a lot of money. But once every year, two years, they're spending Thanksgiving in Detroit and there ain't one thing they can do about.

00:49:42
Speaker 2: How quickly do you think Tom is on a plane out of Detroit the moment he can well, he leaves in the third quarters on the game from the sky. Lot of people don't realize that's ai Tom.

00:49:51
Speaker 1: He doesn't stick around for a turkey leg. So there, I don't think so. But the John Minnie Madden Thanksgiving celebration began in twenty twenty two and it is throughout the games this weekend.

00:50:01
Speaker 2: And that's that's very cool, great, great way to honor him. Like I said, I mean my memories of Thanksgiving Day growing up. It's his voice and that turned uck in and all the things that came with it.

00:50:11
Speaker 1: Yeah, all right, So now it is time for the Victory Bundle, presented by a Liberty Mutual. We picked three games. I think last week we won this. I don't remember. Just say it, nobody will look it up. Old On, I've got my I didn't ask you. I didn't good Bill, and I ask you to contribute to this. I will let you pick a team, but do not do not question whether or not we we won. I'm sitting here looking at the games. I don't love my chances, but I will take Billy's Tampa Bay Bucks to cover the three and a half and beat Arizona at one o'clock on Sunday. So my team will be Tampa Bay. What about you, Drew?

00:50:53
Speaker 2: Since we both liked the Bengals cover in seven, so we said other should we just throw that in.

00:50:57
Speaker 1: As part of this you want to make it part of the Madden Day. Beyond that, I really want to believe in the Bills. Where are we on the Bills? Three and a half? Had pittsman? It is on the road. It can't be vet. Yeah, I don't know. I think i'd stay away from that. Okay, let's stay away from that. I'm going Can Kirk Cousins beat the Jets?

00:51:18
Speaker 3: No?

00:51:18
Speaker 1: I do not ever bet on the falcon you Okay, Well, we can't do Dolphin Saints? Throw that out? I mean, why don't we do this? There's three games, so why don't we just pick the Thursday? The Thanks? All right, so you're gonna take the Bengals, Let's try to collectively cot I like the Lions get light because that's a big upfield advantage. Are you good with that? Bailly? All right, so let's do Lions. We'll do Bengals and then Chiefs Cowboys. This is tough. I just don't see the Chiefs losing. I wish it were two and a half instead of three, but it's three. I'm still gonna take the Chiefs and then I might end up with a push, but I'll take it.

00:51:57
Speaker 2: I like that pick, even though I'll be wearing my Cowboys sweatshirt to dinner. The Chiefs have a lot more to play for. The Cowboys offense has been fun, but they still have plenty of holes.

00:52:06
Speaker 1: So we're taking Chiefs, Lions and Bengals and that will be our victory Bundle. Presented by Liberty Mutual. Start your quote at libertymutual dot com.

00:52:18
Speaker 5: When you start eating Thanksgiving dinner, is it during the Chiefs Cowboys Thursday?

00:52:23
Speaker 1: I have to cook the turkey this year, so everyone's on my time and I don't really know when I'm going to do that. It's gotten earlier every year.

00:52:29
Speaker 3: For me.

00:52:29
Speaker 1: We used to eat around four thirty and now as my parents get older, my parents are now to the point that they're eating dinner at two fifty. So since this is lunch, you know, they're like, okay, nine to thirty in the morning time for lunch. So to this year it's at one. It start at three, and then I was told everybody may get too hungry, so we were going to do two, and now we've moved it up to one. That's pre halftime of the first game that you're going to be serving turkey. I know, but that's when they want to do it. That's right.

00:53:01
Speaker 2: By the time, she's going to be asking you why people are in Detroit on Thanksgiving right as that game picked up.

00:53:06
Speaker 1: Yeah, so this is like this is there are a lot of people with this usually because this is like Larry, my stepdad's family, and so it's a lot of extended people, and there are always children there and now they're grown, and I always forget. I don't know if I should say this, because some of these people may be listening. I always forget which kid is who, forget the names. That's tough. Well, I mean this is now these are I guess my Okay, what's the math here? So my dad and his dad, my dad and his brother, right, his kids and me are cousins. Okay, but their kids are first cousin once removed. Is that right? That's the case, isn't that right? I think? So these are my first cousins once removed, and they all have like three kids, and I'm kind I kind of think they're all the same people, just off the same, just running around while you're trying to watch football. Yeah, and I remember name, like I know there's one name, Charlie to shout that out, so I do know and he's the he's a guy. Okay. We're getting somewhere, so I'm able to separate the genders, Okay, but generally I just go, man, it's good, good to see. Yeah, go Lie. You live in Seattle? Oh no, Buffalo? Okay, yeah, same thing. It's up there one of the ways. So that's the conversation I'll have on Oh you got something to talk about if it's Buffalo, now, yeah, I don't know if they live in completely Okay, I have absolutely no idea. All right, so you're in the Survivor League. Let's start with that. I am. There has been a challenge flag thrown on the Survivor lea. Yet what is the inquiry?

00:54:48
Speaker 5: Uh?

00:54:49
Speaker 1: The inquiry is there are people who suggest you've picked the Seahawks twice. Is that plausible to my organized notes, I have only picked the Seahawks once. I'm told that you've picked Seattle two of the last three weeks. Mm hmm. Well, I am on the Jackson the thing Jibba train. But I don't know. You've been fading the Titans for the last three weeks.

00:55:09
Speaker 5: It seems like they followed him along around And I was gonna mention that I can't pick that game this week. I've already picked the Jags, so there is a sense of organization.

00:55:18
Speaker 1: First of all, don't change the subject here, sir. Are you suggesting you have not cheated by picking the Seahawks. I am a man of honor. I would not knowingly cheat. I'm going to say the call is not confirmed, it's inconclusive. We do have to go with the call in the field.

00:55:34
Speaker 2: We do put a lot of trust in him there with his notes. We just assumed that everything he's writing down we can trust. I don't know if we can to Johnson Dart even running a touchdown or.

00:55:42
Speaker 1: Did you make that up? So he sure did. It was the first touchout of the day that day. I made sure everybody knows. So what is your pick this week?

00:55:48
Speaker 5: Well, like I said, I can't pick the Jags because I just can't follow the Titans around him anymore.

00:55:53
Speaker 1: Try to pick the Seahawks again, So.

00:55:55
Speaker 5: I guess I'll stay away from them too, even though they have their hands full with the Vikings backup quarterback. I'm gonna go with the Miami Dolphins. They are at home against the New Orleans Saints. Really, Tua comes off of a bye you got a little momentum going. I don't can't see another time.

00:56:10
Speaker 1: Is there a reason you haven't You're not picking the Chargers. I've already picked them. Okay that I do know the team that Dolphins. That is a what about the Rams? Have you picked them? I've picked the Rams. I believe Dolphins. That's a risky. I couldn't imagine whole Dolphin Rams. I have not picked the Rams. So you would rather have Dolphins against the Saints over Rams against the Panthers. Yes, the Saints have been very competitive in these games. Yeah, against the NFC South. All right, I think this, can I go on record, I think this is a mistake. Scampbell with the Dolphins. Well, my integrity is getting questioned this week too, so this is going to be a big week for me. All right, So Billy picks the Dolphins. Now, let's do the let's let's do the touchdown picks. I have no idea whose turn it is. Last week, you and I hit I know, but I have five. I went first last week. I'm dressed too, So if you went first, I mean Billies first this time.

00:57:07
Speaker 5: So go ahead, Okay, I am going to take traveon Henderson the running back for the New England Patriots. The team that they are playing have these thirty second ranked rushing defense this week. That's the New York Giants, who just fired their defensive coordinator. Give me a little Monday night football action. Traveon Henderson gets into the end zine.

00:57:25
Speaker 1: All Right, I like that one. I'm gonna take Pooka Nkua. He's my wide receiver playing against the Panthers on the road. He's had a great year. So I'm gonna take Poka Nakua to continue my lead. And that means you have to pick a quarterback. Hmm.

00:57:41
Speaker 2: Now, I feel like I've been stuck with quarterbacks a lot. You have, but that's because I but I don't know if I've picked so I've done Josh Allen, I think, Lamar, do you have these written down?

00:57:51
Speaker 1: I don't know. I've disproportionately had more quarterbacks than you think. Well, I'll tell you what. Let's just go crazy. Who's my guy from the Vikings? Oh no, no, no, no, no, stop. You don't want that one. You don't want to pick Max Scherzer, Brosmer, Brosmer. I'm going Max Brosmer. You're not picking Max Broser. Okay, out of the odds. See what the odds are for Max? I've already picked all the known names because I keep getting stuck with third in this, so I've I've already done Alan Jackson, all the guys that run we learn on Monday. Bryce Young doesn't know how to run into the end zone. So I mean there's you could do. You could do cam war zone runs. You could do Daniel Jones and Justin Herbert has fifty rushing yards. You're talking to me in anything better? Wait a minute. You could do Jamis. Oh, Jamis. That's that's that's a new twist that I haven't done yet. You could do Jamis. I think I'll go James.

00:58:42
Speaker 5: That's good.

00:58:43
Speaker 1: You could do dag No he's throwing the pickings and CD he doesn't run, So you want to do Jamis? Are you doing? Max Brosmer? I always stick with your gut.

00:58:50
Speaker 2: Like back when I would not study for test, whatever letter I looked at first would be the one I would answer right.

00:58:54
Speaker 1: So look up what is Max Brosmer's ods? Because here's because if the odds are high enough, I'm gonna do something special for Okay, what are the odds I'm not. It's gotta be five plus five hundred, right, you don't even think it's on there. I don't see it. There's no way that I don't believe. What if he doesn't play and I guess I'll lose, I'll give you if he doesn't play out the game. Okay, Okay, So Jamis or Brosmer here, do you want that if he doesn't If he doesn't play, I'll give you Jamie. I haven't waivered on Brosmer. You are wavering for me? All right. Well, it doesn't look like they've put up the player props yet. But I'll tell you this. If it is over plus one thousand, then if you get it, I'll give you two points. Okay? Is that fair? I'm getting it and I'm betting it whatever it is. So if it's over plus one thousand when it comes out, I'll give you two points. If it's not, you only get one point. Okay. I don't think it'll be that high, but we'll see. We'll find out. So if you're want to do a parlay, that will play pay big Trevion Anderson, Puka Nakua and Max Brosmer. He had fifteen rushing touchdowns in college. Okay, then it won't be bring it all right, so you're only going to get one point. You are trying to talk me out of my pick. I hope I'm the only one that gets it. If you are, you should talk trash all right. Well, everybody, enjoy your Thanksgiving, Billy, enjoy your hat. And on Black Friday, Uh, don't don't be too crazy with your shopping. NFL. Did you really promoed? You think you are the one that needs to promo NFL shop. I'm sure it doesn't hurt. Okay, fair enough, We'll see you later. This NFL Covers 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 iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.