Ranking Title Contenders, Playoff Bubble Teams and Football in Ireland with Michael McQuaid

00:00:05
Speaker 1: Welcome to NFL Daily where it's the Irish super Bowl this week. I'm Greg Rosenthal and I could not be more excited to be joined by the unofficial host of Viking Steelers the first ever game in Dublin, Michael McQuaid. How are you doing? Are you going a little crazy? And now you're running all over the place this week?

00:00:27
Speaker 2: Greg Falsa, Welcome to Ireland. I know you've a lot of bonds on this island, both north and south. And it's funny. I was talking to a few people before we came in here. I really mean this. It really means a lot to us to see not just yourself but the league come over here. So it's good to see him. How are you doing?

00:00:44
Speaker 1: Hey, I'm doing great. And yeah, Like I get to the airport, the entire gate are Steelers fans in their jerseys?

00:00:52
Speaker 2: Did you fly from LA or from LA? So that Steelers fans in La?

00:00:56
Speaker 1: Oh? Yeah, I mean they're Steelers fans everywhere. The fact that it's all Steelers span on a like red Eye in LA. Like, okay, that feels different. Get off the flight, you see the Steelers and all the NFL stuff all over the city. Get to the hotel. There's literally twenty Steelers fans all taking pictures with their jerseys on, and it just You've been on a bus around town with literally the bus Jerome Bettis and yeah, it it does feel like a special week for football in this country and in the NFL in general.

00:01:30
Speaker 2: And I have got a present for you from all of us slots here, including Mark sitting Bestiitus, I've got you an Irish terrible tile. Oh I don't believes available in Pittsburgh, So you can keep that as a memento.

00:01:43
Speaker 1: A I mean, I'm not keeping this thing. I'm a Rogers hater, but I will give.

00:01:47
Speaker 2: This give it to a deserving person.

00:01:49
Speaker 1: To a deserving friend, my good buddy Anthony Jesselnick. We're here with a big fan of the jessel Nick and Rosenthal vanity project, Jev Mark Cogan here, and I'm going I'm giving this straight to him. He will he will really appreciate that. And yes, if you're listening to this, what's this show all about? We want to get a little bit of local flavor, a little bit of knowledge about the growth of the game. Here we're going to talk a little Viking Steelers. We did preview the game on our preview show, But just a few more thoughts about it before we get ready what that game is going to look like. And I'm actually going to throw some rankings at you, because I can't do anything in my life without ranking them. And they're not exactly power rankings, but I thought this was like a good time to just look at preseason predictions and who we think me especially are going to make the playoffs. How that's changed. So it's kind of ranking the teams based on how I think they're going to make, you know, the playoffs or not. I divided them up into categories and you can just tell me where you think I'm wrong and where you think I'm right. But I do kind of want to start with a little bit of Ireland chatter. Still, how have you seen like the call of NFL fandom, bro, I'm.

00:03:03
Speaker 2: Sitting here speaking to somebody like yourself. That's been the London many times. London's great, London's amazing. I think Tottenham is really really special. The first ever game I went to was in Wembley, and I know you've experienced that journey numerous times and continue to do so.

00:03:17
Speaker 1: I went to Twickenham.

00:03:18
Speaker 2: That was Twickenham Rams, wasn't it Rams against? Yeah, I've never been to twicking them I so I'll give you that. I think you know, when we go to an airport where it's Belfast, Dublin, corek carry whatever, it doesn't matter where you are on this island. The fact of the matter is we cannot walk on water yet, so we have to get a play into an NFL game. To see it actually come over to here is really special, especially when we have kicked sort of the season off football wise with college football for the last few years. And man, this is like the fifth time I've said this, but I'm almost asking myself, why is it only happening now? This should have happened like ten to fifteen years ago. But you know, and I know your listeners know as well. You know, guys like Alistair Kirkwood who really gambled his on that game, and O seven working and with Miami and with New York and look where we are now. League games coming up over the next few weeks in London and Dublin. On top it's you know you mentioned when we met here, but Munich, it's got that dim feel to me. The fact that I've left the house, gott in my car and I've drove down the road to an NFL game is something I never thought I would see. But it's so so special and I can't tell you how excited I am.

00:04:25
Speaker 1: I do want to wrap up sort of talking about what we think it's going to look like on Sunday, because it's a different stadium and everything. But I think the game's here, and you're right, it is too late, and it's not gonna be the last one. The NFL is expanding, you think.

00:04:38
Speaker 2: So do you think it'll be another one in the Heartland at some point, even if it's not next year?

00:04:42
Speaker 1: Yes, I mean I think if I had the guess without any inside knowledge, and maybe our Friendnry Hodson, will you know, slap me for this, but I would think it's gonna be next year or whenever it is. If anything, the only concern will be like can they match up to how big they're going this time around with this dealers, because there's a lot going on, like it feels like a first game in the country. And the reason I think it'll keep happening is because they're gonna go where the response is and Ireland punches above its weight in terms of fandom, like so much, Like why do you think that is? Like I went and looked at our listenership over the last month, Like Ireland is fourth in terms of the countries listening. It's the US, of course, the UK is a massive way out in second, Australia and then it's Ireland. I actually did some comparison, like I went and looked a year ago, and it's like Ireland zoom passed Germany. So it's like it's growing and for such a small country for it to have that sort of audience, I don't know what do you think the reason is if.

00:05:48
Speaker 2: You actually extrapolate potentially the UK data as well, how many people are from Northern Ireland as well? I'm not so and that goes into the stots, so it could be sitting third for all we know. Well we will talk about that over it and the fandoms just grown and grown, and you know, you talk about it builds like a real first game vibe. I think it's because of the fact of the heritage and you know, I know you've previewed the game, but there's been no international game ever where an ownership has came over and they've literally you know, come over to come home, you know, two hundred years since they emigrated from North America, the Roney family. You know, I was looking enough to be up in Newry earlier on this week, and you could see the Runes emotional, like Jerome Bettis got it immediately what it meant to him and kids there, you know, like it was in the girls' school and you know they've probably never watched it down in football in their life, but when he walked out with a gold jacket, they were like, oh my god, this is incredible. There is that vibe of you know, it's the first time, and I agree with you what you're saying about it, you know, potentially coming back. And you know, from a fan perspective, first and foremost, when you come down here, you see Dublin Castle, you see every street decked out. I think they get the right matchup. I can't see why it can't happen every year, and it's an easy addition for the league to have a year on year if they have or if they want to have additional games. I think it's just abo getting the right palette. I'd happily take a game every year.

00:07:09
Speaker 1: If they often make the Steelers the Irish team. I'm sure they'd want to be.

00:07:13
Speaker 2: I know they really like and it's not even like not like it's public knowledge. They really want to play in Mexico and I know. I remember I spoke to a guy called al Varro Martin who does the Spanish broadcast, and he met me at the Super Bowl and he was like, Man, I'm so happy for you, but like I really wanted it to be honest and fans, and there's fans from Mexico flying over to this game. So I feel like, yes, they'll come back to Steelers, please God, Touchwood, et cetera. But I think they might go to Mexico next at some point.

00:07:40
Speaker 1: Well they've only had you know, Dan Renie's only been an ambassador to one country.

00:07:44
Speaker 2: Yes, I.

00:07:46
Speaker 1: Am confident it'll be here, partly because it's open that the NFL's idea is to play more international games, and it's pretty obvious to me that the way to do that is eventually have a schedule where every team plays an international game every year. There's an entire week of international games. It solves the whole uneven home away schedule. It's an extra television package. They're going to renegotiate that I'm just spinning off of speculation. This is not inside information. And so at that point, like you need inventory, you need sixteen games a year. London can handle what five, six, whatever it's gonna be. But you're gonna be all over the globe, and I think they'll go where the enthusiasm is, and it's here. So let's put a pin in that for a minute. I do want to circle back and end with that, and we can talk a little bit about Vikings Steelers, but I'm gonna I'm gonna just do something on that. I was on the flight over, I was thinking about it a little bit, and I just thought like it would be a good time to think about where we're at. After three weeks. I don't think it's too early to start overreacting and just categorize these teams. And so we're gonna do it pretty quickly here. Yeah, Michael, right, it's like you are an analys You're not just I don't want to just put you in the in the box of like, oh yeah, tell us about how meaningful Ireland is. You're actually going to be broadcasting. What is your role with Virgin Media for this game? It is the first Irish production of an NFL game since nineteen ninety yes, which is outrageous.

00:09:19
Speaker 2: I was born in ninety one, so I'll take that.

00:09:22
Speaker 1: That's annoying. You didn't need to say that. Like you you're going to be part of it. What are you doing for the game?

00:09:28
Speaker 2: And I'm doing pregium, halftime and postgame on the television on our friend who we were talking about off audio fa Obata is going to be doing not play by play, but whenever the US goes to commercials, he's going to be talking to each play. And I know you love the guy. I absolutely love that guy. He is amazing and I can't see what he's going to be like.

00:09:48
Speaker 1: That is amazing. You're kind of a competitor. I'm doing halftime for sky Sports, but ultimately I don't think you can get both. I don't even know how it works. You can't.

00:09:55
Speaker 2: But sure, Look it's fine. We just go up against John On have some fun.

00:09:58
Speaker 1: Flip it in between. Okay, I've divided the entire league into different groups. Okay, I'm going to start at the bottom and then go to the top, and the different groups are based on like if I think they can make the playoffs after three weeks, and I do generally enter the season with there's only a handful of teams that you think have very little chance to make the playoffs, and looking at the teams in this category, it's amazing how predictable it'd be. So this is teams I would be shocked if they made the playoffs, and I'm gonna start going backwards, so dead last in the NFL, I would put the Titans that's thirty two. Saints would be next, Dolphins at thirty. I still would be shocked if the Carolina Panthers made the playoffs, even though they just want a game by a shutout. The Jets above them. That's one where I probably would have changed categories in the last three weeks because I actually had them as a seventh seed. Okay, I don't feel good about that now. I still think they can be relevant. It'd be tough for them to go ten and for the rest of the year, that's probably what they would need to make the playoffs. The Raider, the Giants, and then at the very top of this list, the Browns. Well, we even thought about bumping up a little bit.

00:11:06
Speaker 2: The Broyn's defense against the Packers last week. I obviously they're offensive. I've got issues and they've got Frankly a lovely man, but a very old man playing a quarterback. In one sense, I.

00:11:18
Speaker 1: Would lovely like you find him physically attractive, he's hair or he's just a nice guy.

00:11:23
Speaker 2: If I've mad him, he's a lovely Yeah, look he's he's he's a very good looking man. I can't believe saying us on an NFL podcast, but he's actually he's a really really nice guy, family man as well when when I had the chance to meet him, but never actually.

00:11:36
Speaker 1: Big like not that you're shocked that Joe flackos big, but he's an enormous.

00:11:39
Speaker 2: He's a giant man. He's an absolute giant in terms of being a brown though offensively, do I think they could make a run. It's difficult, but that defense against the Packers shut and I know Jordan loved a really per game. But like man, I would put them up a little bit. I would actually have the Giants maybe towards the bottom two here. Whenever we went to New Jersey and seeing the Jats trending comp the optimism was so different from any time we seen him come to London, Like justin field seemed really, really confident, and I just find it really funny how you've got them.

00:12:11
Speaker 1: Bottom with training camps. Yeah, sometimes for it, but that's why I think they can still be relevant. But this category is shocked if they made the playoffs. I'm assuming you probably need ten wins to make the playoffs. To go ten and four, it's a lot. They have more defensive problems than I really expected. But shout out to the Browns because they maybe deserve to be in this next tier up because I do think that defense is that good. It's just it's just hard. The combination of quarterback an offensive line for the Browns is gonna make it very difficult, all right. The next The next section is I would be surprised if they made the playoffs. So the first section, I'd be shocked. I'm basically crossing those teams out, like apology to the Dolphins insane. So I don't think their fans feel different, and the Raiders fans probably do feel different. They're always over confident, but they got a lot of issues. Another team with the bad offensive line and not enough talent on defense. This group is the teams I would be surprised if they made the playoffs, all right, this is the number twenty one team overall, the Bears. Then the Bengals have the Patriots at twenty three and the Cowboys at twenty four. So those four teams feels very unlikely that they would make the playoffs. To me, of that group, who do you think would be the most.

00:13:29
Speaker 2: Just because I know it's an absolute storm done there at any given moments, and for all we know, they could go in on Sunday night and beat the Packers. Give me the Cowboys, like for all me who know? Like how fired up are they gonna be going up against Michaeh. Parsons on Sunday Night? Like they're gonna be all over the month?

00:13:44
Speaker 1: That only goes so far. I mean, they just don't have the juice. One of the things I regret the most about my preseason analysis was how I thought the Cowboys defense, now this is when they had Parsons, would be frisky in terms of the edge players next to them, having the depth. I think the combination of the scheme and the talent, they just don't really fit each other. So I'm not crossing them out. Any team with a quarterback playing that well has a chance but losing Cdee Lamb for however long it's going to be, losing two offensive linemen for at least the next you know, three, four or five weeks is a pretty big deal. I think Patriots fans might be maybe annoyed that I put them down here, but I would be surprised at this point. I feel like an eight or nine win team would be a big victory for this team.

00:14:35
Speaker 2: You've got the Bengals and exactly the right spot. I actually felt bod watching them last week, whenever Browning how a bit of a brown himself watching it. It was absolutely awful. And obviously we'll probably talk about viks defense. They were all on this podcast. But I think you're in the right spot there, Patriots. You could see them maybe you know, winning one last and what they lose overall, but they're sort of stop start, stop start. They really should have pushed on against Theaters last week. I thought they would have it. Don't a lot better to be honest, to be able fourteen points last week.

00:15:02
Speaker 1: Yeah, they if they score like and eliminate mistakes. They have the most potential here because of the schedule. Like again, they have the Panthers next week, they have these NFC South teams. The rest of the AFC East is very forgiving, but I think they're still short in a lot of places, and so I would be surprised. All right, My next group, I'm counting as like the playoff bubble, like these teams have a legit chance to make the playoffs. Yeah, at the moment, they might be in my mind like a little on the outside looking out or right on the border. And so at the top of that list, I'm putting the Vikings at the top of that list. I had them over eight and a half as one of my favorite over unders this year. I feel okay about that now, but not amazing. The Jaguars are next. Think they're very frisky stealers. Below them right in the middle of the NFL at sixteen, The Broncos at seventeen. I'm a little concerned about bo Nicks. They're lower than they would have been going into the season, for sure. The Texans I'm hanging on. I'm keeping a little bit of stack because that defense is championship worthy. The Cardinals and the Falcons are also in this year. Make fun of one of these rankings, which one do you dislike the most?

00:16:15
Speaker 2: The Broncos. I think, you know, if you look at two of their games they've lost by a combined four or five points, that we're very unlucky against Indianapolis. They should have offensively really took the Chargers last week. I understand how they lost the game. Bo Nicks, how we seen him last year, especially in the second half of the season to night, clearly isn't not the level that he was last year. But he needs to try and push on. They've got the weapons offensively, they've got defensive leaders there. They should be at the upper actional lot of that I really find an interesting. But the vikings at the top of that Steelers as well, especially when they've got a you know, a positive record so far, is really intriguing him with that, Like obviously what two on for three weeks.

00:16:53
Speaker 1: So the Steelers have a lot of concerning aspects to their their offensive line, their quarterback doesn't like to be pressured, the depth of their offensive players. To this point, the defense is underachieved, but they have been winning doing it and Mike Tomlin usually figures it out and they always win more games than they should. So maybe I'm being a little bit of a hater to.

00:17:15
Speaker 2: Tell you about here at sixteen. I mean they are grinding the out of the minute. They're not like, you know, the top level of where they could be. Their run game has been quite inconsistent as well. Three weeks, like forty mix some yards.

00:17:26
Speaker 1: They're on the bubble. They're on the bubble. They're an average team that I think the expectations were too high when Mike Tomlin said that he thought this defense could be a store like, let's be average first, at least the next group. Okay, we're getting to some intriguing teams here, ten through thirteen, number ten, and this would be the category disappointing if they don't make the playoffs at this point based off what we've seen, I think if they don't make the playoffs, their fan base and certainly internally, they're going to be pretty disappointed they don't make the playoffs. The Seahawks here I have in my top ten overall, and I was very tempted to put them in title contenders. The Darnold thing. It is a little worrisome, but I do think they have a lot to really like. The Colts at eleven. I know it's only three weeks, but at this point you're three and oh, your offense has been this good. This is an opportunity. If they don't make the playoffs, everyone gets fired. Like it actually is putting more pressure on. Yeah, maybe they couldn't have any more pressure. It's good pressure to have, but they needed to have a playoff season, I think to keep all their jobs and now at this start, they need to keep it going. The Commander's at twelve and then the forty nine ers so many injuries, favorable schedule three and oh, but I still put them in this tier because of the injuries and some questions I have. What's what stands out to you?

00:18:43
Speaker 2: Hear all all for them to be Honestly, if if we start with the Niners, like how there are grinds that results with Mark Jones are and still picking up even with now have different injuries. You know, the Brock party is going to come back from his turf to injury at some point. They've got guys there on both sides of the ball. Colts, I mean, I know, you know Jeff Ryan Bolden, he was he was comparing him to Johnny and IDAs and Peton Manning on the podcast earlier this week.

00:19:07
Speaker 1: I actually appeared Daniel Jones to Peyton, but he was.

00:19:10
Speaker 2: Like, look, there's all these different, like different legendary players in Indianapolis, and now we've got Daniel Jones for three weeks. I'm really happy for him. Man like it, like it. But I was saying to to Mark my mate as well here on our podcast this week. They are so fun to watch defense Clay Hey who played they were playing last week the Jaguars, I mean right last week, but it was at taxing for a second. How do they get the ball down the field? Is just like their running game is so so fun to watch. I would put the Colts if they win this week against the Rounds, I'd put them up in the upper actural on of that so interesting pickle the Seahawks. Well, but Colts for me are the wont the start out there? Definitely.

00:19:55
Speaker 1: Yeah, we should give some pop uh to the podcast Pro Football Ireland a little Jeff Brinbold Action our friend from Sky Sports. You got any other ops do you want to give?

00:20:05
Speaker 2: Well? Personally, Jeff works in college football and how we do a podcast twice a week as a minor miracle without man. I love him and we appreciate him, just everyone like Mark Gis and all the guys who've a college football podcast. A young man called Connell, twenty years of age, has been in the National Championship. Donna as well. I do Monday morning podcast as well. It just guys that you know, do it for the love of the game and it does make a huge difference.

00:20:26
Speaker 1: You've built a little empire. How many people have you left on the side of the road. Sharp elbow is on your way up here. I guy in Ireland, I do the best.

00:20:35
Speaker 2: I can't. I try my best. I love the game and you know, we'll talk about it after this, but you know, when you have weekends, I said, you know, it means a love.

00:20:42
Speaker 1: I I was asked by my friend Matt Casey. I'm name dropping him here, who is the producer for Football Night in America, also Mike Florio's producer, and he was like, is there Neil Reynolds of Ireland? And I sent him your way and then you you were on Florio's show. I know I should be getting a co producer. Well, I credit for that, but you that's your status at this point.

00:21:07
Speaker 2: Thank you very very much. It's funny, like I really appreciate going on obviously love Florio and it was windy outside, right, so you can imagine being on pftive or whatever on my hair just went live. I'm bitt and bar someon. But mon great, great way to go on, and thank you for the reference. And a co producer situation will definitely happen, absolutely.

00:21:28
Speaker 1: And and I don't think you need to say obviously I love Florio because I feel like there's a lot of people that don't love.

00:21:33
Speaker 2: I enjoy his articles. I enjoy the discussion, shall we say, on the opinions and you know, different things too.

00:21:41
Speaker 1: He cranked No one works harder, and I'm joking about it because I feel comfortable doing that. I used to work for him, and I know he pisses a lot of people off, Like that's what he's trying to do. Sometimes it's people inside the league. Sometimes it's people working for teams. But you need some one like that in the mix. All right, let's get back to the go for it to the mix. And yet, like the Commander's defense is a little more impressive so far than I expected, and so I actually am upgrading them a little bit. I was. I was not so high on them repeating this year, and the fact that their defense I think is going to be as good as it has been. Makes me more optimistic that I'd be disappointed if they didn't make the playoffs. And the Seahawks. Very close to putting them in the title contenders because I just think they have a lot that to like on this team, especially on defense, but I like the way that the offense has been coaching. Just need to see it just a little bit more. All right, let's get the title contenders because we're taping this too before that that T andF game, and we could sound stupid talking Seahawks or Cardinals title contenders. And tell me if you don't think any of these teams are Ultimately, I had a pretty big group people think that it's very predictable. I think this season in the NFL, at least where we are right now. Yeah, I felt comfortable putting nine teams where if they went won the Super Bowl, I'd be like, yeah, I could see it with maybe you know, one caveat and that's at the bottom of this. But at the top, I'm putting the Packers. I know they just lost to the Browns. They still have Matt Lafleur, a quarterback I believe in, and what I think is going to be the best defense in the league. So I'm putting them number one, the Lions and Eagles right behind them. I just think they're going to be the class of the NFC in general. Chargers, Bills, Ravens up next. Even though the Ravens have lost two games, I anticipate they will figure things out. My friend Jordan Rodrigue on the show on Wednesday said, is are the Chargers the best team in the NFL? I thought, I was, like, Man, that is a wild statement, but it's not crazy when you think of how well Justin Herbert is playing right now, and that they're a pretty balanced team overall. So they're there at four, Bills at five, Ravens at six, and then the Rams, the Bucks, and the hardest team to put in this list for me was actually the Kansas City Chiefs. It just felt like, I'm like falling for it if I don't at least put them in this category.

00:24:06
Speaker 2: It's the first team that looked at me there now. Like granted, I watched about fifty six minutes condensed of Sunday Night Football with the Chiefs, and the reality is something we talked about earlier on this week. For two teams in that list, one of them, barring a miracle this week, is going one in flee, And like, what's the percentage chance of making the playoffs if you go one and flee? Never mind the consequences in the AFC North if the Ravens go to one and play with different teams there and with the Chiefs offensively barred that like bar the final couple of offensive drives on Sunday Night football in New York. I was sort of surprised at how much they struggle to get the ball dot the fielding relied so much a hard booker, I thought there would be more of a movement on the offense with Patrick Mahomes charges one's interest and the biggest one for me stands out the Rams how and I look, I know I cursed them last week for a start online, right, but how they were able to almost stop that Eagles offense in the first tof and you know, stop the run to an extent was saque and they'll put you in under pressure. But certainly we could see a different side of the Eagles that we hadn't seen in quite a while. Forty went in the championship run fell apart a little bit in the second half or they didn't get there. Yeah, a big time, but they showed a little bit of a blueprint there defensively to trend to stop was going to be interesting. See if anybody else can pick it up on the scratch. Yeah.

00:25:20
Speaker 1: I think their pass rush in the way they're built, they're built to play with a lead normally there running success right has been through the roof, and I think that's the biggest reason they got that lead in the first half, as they played keep away from the Eagles and went on these long drives. They got to be able to finish the drives. But ultimately, like they are in a championship window. If I had to guess, I think this is Matthew staffords last year in the NFL, and not that there's a lot of pressure on them to win now, but there's a reason why he came back and decided to take less money to play for the Rams than to possibly go to the Giants or the Steelers or the options that were out there, and that's because they can go ahead and win the title. So that's my top nine for now. I think we'll do this every once in a while in the season, just kind of just take a look, we'll put this out on the socials too, so everyone can get mad at us.

00:26:11
Speaker 2: I don't think I don't think anybody can complain with those top nine teams. Okay, maybe Chiefs fonds because they're sitting in ninth, maybe, but.

00:26:18
Speaker 1: I mean they should they should be they should be grateful to even be there at all.

00:26:21
Speaker 2: We will see what happens is they's not enough pass rush.

00:26:24
Speaker 1: But I also know almost everything that's happened to this point in the season is just a very like it's a amuz boosh of a dinner that we're gonna have. It is the it's not even an appetizer. It is such a small portion of what's actually going to matter in December, January, November. Obviously, the wins count, but I've just seen too many seasons like this, and and the Chiefs and the Ravens organizations like that can south scout and problem solve and figure things out. I think that the issues with the Chiefs roster though this year, are just greater, so them figuring out might be second place in the AFC West and suddenly you're on the road for three weeks even though you want eleven games. The Chargers you know, win that division and that that's a different, different recipe without like a great pass.

00:27:12
Speaker 2: I really like the option of maybe writing this down right and week free and then calling back, yeah, week seven and seeing a completely different sort of well middle part as well. Now I love it.

00:27:21
Speaker 1: I will Okay, let's let's talk this game on Sunday. What do you think the atmosphere is going to be like? And like what is this stadium like to be holding like an NFL game?

00:27:35
Speaker 2: Here? Stadium's massive. I called it a mecca for us, Like that's what it is. I'm presuming that Mark is nodding in the background here because he agrees. But for us just very quickly, not to bore people, but to deep dive in this very very quickly. We we have Gaelic sports football hurling. Our villages are times you play for them, and if you're good enough, you play for your county. Usually you don't treat it in the NFL or transfer. That's your county. That's who you're proud of, and you know to playing. Crok Park is one of the highest owners you can have. That stadium for a lot of people here is like a family member almost where you take your families where you take your friends and you've had some great moments and you have had some very sad moments. You don't usually play anything outside of Glix sports in that stadium, So in the last fifteen twenty years, obviously you've got you know, they have rugby games the all the time. Now it's becoming more common. Soccer happened as well. This is certainly a talking point with people on this island at the minute that the NFL is playing in the stadium atmosphere wise, and you'll see it in Sunday and people watching it will see it for you. There's no bad seat in the house, so where you're going to be sitting in the booth and Sunday is incredible. If you look to the left, you'll see Dublin Town, Dublin City everywhere. It's unbelievable. And also with the people watching the TV. When the anthems finish, a drone comes up into the smaller stand and looks across at everybody a sea of color, see of different jersey. I'm biased, and I know people are sitting here going, well, this guy's Irish, she's biased. Whatever. Man, imagine country roads by like ten in Munich. I think that's what it's going to be like. And I'm putting this on the serious padistaline. You're I got good people here under pressure, but I think it's going to be really, really special and I'm probably gonna be an emotional wreck by about two thirty five and some day.

00:29:21
Speaker 1: No, that's amazing to think about. And just visually with the open air on one of the sides, like it just looks different than any other NFL game, and I just think that will be cool. It's gonna be harder to kick into that end or we're gonna have because the Steelers actually have a similar issue where their field goal kickers for the longest time, like the longest field goal ever, so that one end where it's open air, it was like forty six yards. It was so hard to kick to that side. Now because kicker kickers are just better.

00:29:50
Speaker 2: They've overcome and they've got an absolute freak as well.

00:29:53
Speaker 1: Yeah.

00:29:54
Speaker 2: In Chris Boswell, it's funny you mentioned that we were on a like a production call the other day. I'm one of the guys on the call, Big Gillick sports fan, big GF and he mentioned that whenever rugby players were kicking conversion there from you know, off the ground obviously seem as what we would have on Sunday. They were they weren't very happy with the difference when they were kicking into the smaller stand. I don't know why that is. They'll obviously do maybe a deep dive not over the next few days and that, you know, but certainly they find it harder to kick into that smaller stand. They find it hard to kick in that stadium. Whether it's the fact that there's a small it's a huge field, but obviously the NFL field is a lot smaller. Certainly something to look out for. If the game is like tight.

00:30:33
Speaker 1: I think it's going to be ugly. I think it's going to be defense.

00:30:36
Speaker 2: How ugly are we talking though, like like under twenty one points total or it.

00:30:40
Speaker 1: Just a lot of these overseas games get ugly, and they get ugly high scoring sometimes in sloppy or they get ugly like a defensive struggle with with a lot of field goals, and that that's what I see. I don't know if it's the time difference, just new surroundings, whatever it is.

00:30:59
Speaker 2: And they're coming in on Friday as well, which is right which.

00:31:02
Speaker 1: To me is a little crazy. I don't quite get that. I get you're coming from, you know, the East Coast time zone, which helps on it, you know, for the Steelers, I'm coming from the West Coast a little more dramatic, but that does seem crazy to me. I just think Carson Wentz has been incredibly overrated off of what he did last week. Like, you cannot expect Carson Wentz to help you win a football game in twenty twenty five. The best you can hope for is him to not lose you the game, and he successfully did that last week against team that is not very good defensively, and early in that game he seemed a little skittish, just holding onto the ball, taking sacks, making some bad throws. His defense scores a bunch of points for him, and he settled in and made some nicer throws as the game wore on. So I think you have him on one side and an improving pass rush with the Steelers. Herbig was just crazy, yeah, And then on the other side, I think it's been under sold that. Like we saw this matchup a year ago in Tottenham. It was Brian Flores and the Vikings versus Aaron Rodgers and it didn't go well. And I don't think he does well against pressure, and and people think, well he's the rare QB that could maybe outsmart like a Brian Flores. But well he did in the year ago in this exact spot. That was the game where basically everyone after was like, hmm, maybe this Jet Rogers thing is not gonna work.

00:32:21
Speaker 2: And it didn't, right, it didn't. You're the first part this might be like the savagery of poulcasts this week. You are the first person to say that. So everybody else is talking about in terms of like mobility were Rogers He looks saddled enough coming in anyone I've spoke to anyway. Ice had of her own podcast. Yeah, like it was ugly last year in London. I think you read that game as well.

00:32:39
Speaker 1: Yeah, like I was not, but I did go look for some stats from it.

00:32:42
Speaker 2: By the way, just go for it.

00:32:43
Speaker 1: Fourty uh six for fourteen under pressure, three point one yards per attempt and was just getting rid of the ball, was like afraid to get hit. And that the same thing's happened this year under pressure. This year he is dead last of all thirty two quarterbacks who would qualify in completion percentage under pressure. He is twenty ninth in yards per attempt, only ahead of cam Ward Jake Browning in bo Nicks Bonicks last place there not great and so I think both these teams are going to get pressure and I don't think the quarterbacks will handle it. Which it can go a few ways. You might have a lot of defensive scores in short fields and that gives you points. But that's that's the type of game that I'm seeing.

00:33:23
Speaker 2: Well, I think for you from a fun perspective, first and foremost, hopefully it's the game where it's it's entering, it's exciting, and it's not a defensive slope best on either side of each team, Like you want to see a situation where it's close, but it's also a fun matchup. Like I would like to see a scenario where Stelers defense comes out hot, Biken's defense comes out hot. And yes, you might get the sock the odd stoppage, Yeah, an interception or two. Hell, give me throw me in a pick sex, give give us some you know, give me Rogers somehow getting the ball down the Calvin Austiner DK or DK having a breakout game give me Carson Wentz repeating last let's just make it fun, like, let's make it like, let's just get the over and just have some fun. On whoever wins wins, I would be really I'd begot it, man, if there was a repeat of like the Flores Rogers situation last year.

00:34:12
Speaker 1: But that game was close in the end. It was kind of a disappointing game in general, and I'm like you, I feel like I'm always rooting for these games to be really entertaining, just to I think we have a good product.

00:34:23
Speaker 2: But like the first time as well, Like the first time, how would you have described the game in Munich if you remember? It was at the trick player that I remember really was like trying to just do something Dolphins game. I was not there, but yeah, it was hard. It was hard, like there's no point in like me lyon when you fly two and a half hours to Frankfurt. It was hard. Just I actually went downstairs to the press box which was done at the very very bottom, and missed was it the inner? Was there a pick six just before halftime? Yes? Watched that in TV and went, well, this game is over.

00:34:53
Speaker 1: I yeah, I always hope for it to be a close game. You told me before we started you would not be here without Henry Hodgson. Yeah, I would not either, And I do feel like I feel a fraction of how he must feel in all these international games, which is I'm always just I just want it to be a good game. But there are all sorts of different shapes of good games. And everything about these two teams to me screams that we won't know who's gonna win until the final three or four minutes of this game, and there are no great playmakers on both sides between DK and Justin Jefferson and some of the defensive players too, that I expect plays will be made, and that that's that's all I want.

00:35:34
Speaker 2: And look, if you give anybody the option of it'll go down to the last three or four minutes. I guess, even if it is a bit stop, start, defensively slow whatever, I'll take that.

00:35:42
Speaker 1: I mean, aren't you guys big enough NFL fans that you'll be fine either way? Or do you think quality? Like if this game is a classic, what does that mean for like the casual iron.

00:35:52
Speaker 2: We get three games a year, I think that has to be that. I'm joking, but if then, wouldn't it be great if it was a classic or if it was one of those games where and I know, look, let me like, and I know you've a lot of people in the US listening. I know you've the Chiefs Ravens this week. I know e've a massive something I football match this week. I know is that the Tennessee Titans play in the Houston, Texas this week. I know there's a big matchup this week. But I'm joking with that. But I know for a lot of people, maybe it's not at the forefront. Apart from the fact that it's the first ever in Ireland, it's on early So for those people, yeah, like I'd love to see a big game. But for people that are watching here on domestic TV or maybe watching you at halftime, I'll give you a shout out in sky Sports and maybe they're going, oh yeah, I'll give it a go. You know, you're talking about people like Henry Hodgon about the game here. If people are going to continue to watch the games, that are taking flag football to maybe go to an event to watch party crucial. I think that we not just have a good game, but we have a very very good atmosphere. Does country roads work in Dublin? I don't know.

00:36:45
Speaker 1: I mean, it seems weird in Germany. But whatever, this thing along as long as I'm sure the atmosphere is going to be great, and honestly, no matter what the result of the game is, I think for the American audience that's going to be more important. Oh, by the way, you got the best broadcast crew in the business calling it. There's a lot of good ones out there, but I would take Joe Davis and Greg Olsen over all of them, so that is only gonna gonna help the presentation. Appreciate you, Michael McQuaid, Pro Football Ireland. Where else should we check you out this week?

00:37:20
Speaker 2: To search pro football out a online. We're very grateful that you're going to pop on a chat those day on Friday nights, depending on the time of recording.

00:37:28
Speaker 1: Yes, I need to, I will be there. I will be there, and yes, I hope, I hope that goes out live, but if not, it'll just be a moment in time that that we had all together, which which we had here. I appreciate you making the time and you know, just the last thing for you. You guys are better than like English fans. So right, yeah, I hope, I.

00:37:47
Speaker 2: Hope that's what you're thinking when you walk out.

00:37:48
Speaker 1: But what I will say, see that was a joke I didn't really want, but I just was seeing if there's any sort of vibe.

00:37:53
Speaker 2: Well, going back to what I said, I'm just to finish it off as well. You know we would not be here. The hard work has been into the London Games, on the games internationally, and I know that that's a fun. Yeah, we are a better crack, and I mean not in a loving and friendly and fun way. But can I also say to you I always set at the start, but I do mean it's when people like yourself bring you know, people like myself, you bring Irish people on, et cetera. You've obviously a lot of people over here to listen to your podcast. I really appreciate it. I know a lot of those people do as well. So Grom and all good, Thank you very very much, and I hope you have a great time here and if you're heading over to London, have a good time as well over the next few weeks month.

00:38:27
Speaker 1: And I am and and anything for a man that that you you know, host the show with sometimes in Mark, who's helping us produce here, who I once saw walking through a Las Vegas casino wearing a T shirt of my my other podcast, Dare VP. So I mean got all the time in the world for that. This is it for our pre week four set of podcasts. I know we've been throwing a lot at you and we've enjoyed the hell out of it. We will be back Sunday night to recap it all. That'll be myself, Patrick Clayban, Jordan Rodrieg, Nick Shuck, the entire usual crew.

00:39:08
Speaker 2: I'll just be over

00:39:09
Speaker 1: Here talking about what I hope was a great game and a great football Sunday, we were theater