Around the AFC in 48 Minutes: 2022 Preview Edition

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Speaker 1: Be around with the NFL podcast loves Football almost as much as Mark loves Rocket League from the Chris Westling podcast studio, It's around the NFL. I'm Dan Kansas. I got a room filled with some heroes here. Mark Sex necessly was into what I I don't Uh, it's not factual. Once again, it's a a gaming um outlet Rocket League that my children went to. And I went to a all day long event next to us so Greg Rosenthal and sitting to my right back for another guest appearance, And what a what a showing it's going to be. I could predict it right now. Cynthia Freelance, right, what's up? Only you can call me that and my mom it's good. Yeah yeah, damnage Way. But he doesn't. He's like he's a little more whiny with how are you, Cynthia. I'm doing well? Thank you. You were kind of in the center of the storm of this uh storm. Yeah, well we're gonna get to it in an actual storm there too. We had a rain to light, which was I didn't want to be there, so it was made it even better because I was like, great, we get to stand inside a tunnel with a bunch of people I don't want to be around. You've been contributing to the coverage weekend, the Bills preseason, and the Bills were in the news this weekend for unfortunate reasons. We're gonna get to some news we also need to get to and we do it every every year in late August. We're gonna go around and the a f C in exactly forty eight minutes. It's a very important show center. So I know sometimes you come on and you do that whole routine. You're like, oh, you finally had me on. I'm never on the show, La la la. Not only you back again, you're on one of the more important episodes of the season. Thank you for something else? Say thank you. An acceptance speech is what we were looking for. I'd like to I'd like to thank you, know, my therapist for making me late today, like thank to thank you guys for allowing me to be on. I actually think Greg probably just like worried because when game maybe you start up, He's like, I cannot listen to her complaint about this anymore. So I'm just no, that's true, true, that's not true. You know what you've done in around the a C. Or NFC before I think it was an off season one. But this is really important. I believe literally started ten seasons ago. Uh in our first season before two and thirty really become in recent days. Greg a true historian of the Around the NFL podcast. I want to say, I didn't see it coming. I was just flipping looking for a West quote and so you're flipping through and then you see and that said, when Greg speaks historically about how long things have been happening and it's like it has about at success rate, that would say with Greg something sometimes with the short term memory, you have to ask the questions, does he know what's happening long term though? Right? What's in a system? Those kinds of things. Well, just depending what day of the week it is, the time of the e d s like what are we talk I mean, look at me. That's why shirt when you can show off the injections into the buttocks for Greg. All right, let us get going. Let's start yes with a little bit of news. I'm forty five years old. Man. He's like going on, so and Mark you were once years back. What is it like once you get to that, I think it's an accurate assessment and I'm now three years beyond forty five and it only increases. That was a strange press conference, yes it was, but he was very reflective. He started talking about all the great players he's ever played with, and here you go again, Greg, I know what you're trying to do. You're gonna start bringing up is he actually gonna play this season? This was weird, Like he just said how lucky is and he started going through and very much like a guy who thinks this is the last time he's gonna do all this again. But maybe time I saw a person under a deep stress and I'm starting to wonder if, um he will play the entire season. I was gonna say that, right, Are you just setting this up to do another Gazelle impression? Is that what this is? No? But I actually think that I have hit putt hit pretty close to them. Well. One thing, when I was reading some Brady story recently, and I completely forgot because it was just the offseason and things move on, it sounded like a three hundred million dollar contract to be a broadcaster, Like I'm sure like that is something that's right there in the front of his mind as well when he thinks about what he wants. Do you think that he's going to give his producer a hard time when they asked him to put the microphone the other side? Yes, I think he'll be a monster. I think so. I think he'll be a dragon. Um, all right, let's get to the news. Will start with some bad news here that UH Commanders running back Brian Robinson was shot multiple times and some type of robbery attempt. Good news here is that was non life threatening. So the Commanders running back, who taken for a role in this offense, now has to deal with recovery UH from an assault at a violent assault here. So a really a tough way, tough new used to wake up to this weekend. Cynthia Robinson shot in a robbery gunn awry, I mean, what a horrible thing. It just in general, like, how does this even happen? I texted my friend Jennifer King, who's the running backs coach for the Commanditors, to ask to offer some help if she needed anything, if I could. She said, she just still gathering information on what is even going on. It It's just it's awful. I mean it's just awful. Like in general, there's nothing here that's I mean, it's it's all bad. So let's hope he's okay, and I hope everyone around them is okay as well. Rap She did report that there is a belief that he could play at some point this season. But I mean, if you if you were to list the new players in the league that had made a big he's he's at the top of the list because he was going to take Antonio gibson starting job away, or at least a big junk of it. Alright, Yes, best wishes to Brian Robinson and get well soon. All right, let's move now to football matters on the field. Let's get into it. Greg, a very special moment you. I know, uh, Geno Smith means a great deal to you, against all odds, and he has officially been named the Week one starter at quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. Pete Carroll said he's earned it. Did he earn it? Or did Drew Lock just stink so hard that there wasn't even really a debate to be had here. Whatever, it doesn't matter. Gino Smith is a starting quarterback in the NFL in two And I will say this as someone who's been through the wars with Gino I remember drafting when he came for Day two with the sweater on, and he almost didn't come back. He was so mad. He was in a first round pick and he gets his job broken, and then he disappears and becomes an anonymous backup for a few years. It is pretty wild that he does have the job now that right. You would have thought compared to some of the people he was drafted with their you know, compared to like he would be out of the league right now. But I'm taking Gino's approach. I watched his press conference and it it didn't feel like a victory lap. He was happy, but he was just like, now it starts like this isn't the the end, this is the beginning. And that's how Gino Nation is approaching this. I don't know how like Gino became such a thing. My general thought was like he really wasn't as bad as people believed back back in the day. That he's like a reasonably solid NFL quarterback, maybe a little too conservative, but a guy you can survive with. And him becoming a punchline felt unfair to me, And I think Pete Carroll kind of views him the same way, and he's the type of quarterback that Pete Carroll wants in that I think he really tries to avoid mistakes, and that's the opposite of Drew Lock. So we kind of knew going into this weekend it was over. I felt it was over from day one. I don't think Pete Carroll was gonna give Drew Lock this job unless Drew Lock was incredible, and he was far from that. But now the hard part starts here with Gino Smith. Well, if you if you look at Geno Smith's performance when he's under pressure last season, it tumbles off the clip. So I I number one, I think you're gonna see true Luck again. You know, Smith won this battle, no doubt about it. I don't I hesitate to call it a battle. I mean, Drew Luck gets put out there against the Cowboys, throws three interceptions, looks horrible. I mean essentially there was COVID the day when he was going to start, so that really ended it even if he had a chance. You're right, you're right, but I mean this was the worst. I get what the Seahawks are doing, it's about next year, all the stuff, but like, um, this was the worst um quarterback plan in the entire league. So I don't know where where a victory lap um plays into it. I'm happy for you in your nation. I don't know how many people are in that nation either. That's me. It's Steven Ruiz from the Ringer. That's all I'm really aware of. That's a Pett likes to act like he's post bit like I don't know bits. I'm just Gregg is very much a bit. And but it came from a real place, successful bit because not only was it something that you've been like pounding the table about for a couple of years. Now he's a starting quarterback. I think this is where the bit peaks for you. Unfortunately it was a bit, but it also came from a true place. He was making the leap before it was ever a bit, like I think he can play quarterback in the NFL, and he he looked I think the guy you saw a year ago as who you'll see this season to wait, he made the leap. He was on the making the leap, was a candidate list I and Polly Um, you know. And I didn't like the way the New York media and all that, all the Jets fans, all that the Jets fans you were too. I mean, put it this way, who took more grief Gino Smith? They're Sam Darnald Like, if we want to compare um guys who were taken somewhat near the top of the draft, he was the top. You're you're feeling that you need to insert Sam Donald in every conversation whenever you're back into a corner. Not this week. Let's just move on. Can we can do a whole podcast on Gino Smith? And we got stuff to talk about, bad news, bad scene in Buffalo Bills general manager, and now Saturday that rookie punter Matt Ariza has been released, two days after Ariza, along with two other individuals, were accused in a civil lawsuit of gang raping a minor during an off campus party at San Diego State University last year. Uh here's a little bit of what Brendan Bean had to say to the media after this story blew up this weekend. Ultimately, we thought it was best for everybody, just for Matt to be able to u It's a very serious situation, Heather and um with the serious nature of an allegations, and we just can't We don't have the means to put all the facts together, and um, there's multiple versions of of what happened. And you know, he's a football coach, I'm a GM Like we we don't have access to everything, and so that's more important than playing football, and so we want Matt to focus on that. Cynthia, you have been boots on the ground with the Bills during preseason as part of their coverage team. What was the scene around the team this weekend? Um, confusion pain the star players. We so we were in Charlotte, So it was at the Panthers and so the entire hotel that we were at was only people affiliated with the team. So people were really exceptionally kind to me. There weren't a ton of women that were also in the hotel with us and the players, key players Josh Allen, Dion Dawkins, Stefon Diggs, I can name Von Miller. All of these players came up like, I'm really sorry that you have to be around us for this. So the players who had no idea, the players had absolutely no idea, were really wonderful and they're actually like a really nice team, a very good They get along, they hang out with each other, they enjoy each other's company, and they were exceptionally gracious with me, the GM, the the you know, the I guess he's the e v P of He's kind of like they don't have a team president because Kim Pogoula as a team president, so the guy who Ron, who's pretty much their team president, and Sean. You know, I was one of the only women there, and it could have been even weirder, and we had some talks. They were really they listened to me, They took my you know, perspective. The stuff sort of broke while we were all in this like weird conference room setting where you do like pregames before, you know, they was like, hey, well, who's not going to play today? And they're like listening off. No one. No one from the Bills were playing, right, So it was just and then all of a sudden, the sick broke and they listened to me. Um. I voiced some very serious concerns about whether that person should appear on the field the next day, and I feel very lucky that they took into consideration the things that I said and heard me. I think they would have made the same decision had I not been there. But I still appreciated you know, it was kind of this. Thank god they don't have like a ton of experience doing this, because this isn't a team who has had these types of problems in the recent past since the Boolas took over, so they kind of didn't have a ton of didn't didn't have this response because it's just very out of the ordinary. So and you know, Derek, who does their pr like everyone listened and they really did. And I felt very fortunate to be in that spot as a woman in this league. Who I'm old now, so I've been here for a while, but you know I have unfortunately we've been dealing with this now for a long time. So you know, they took some careful consideration. They weren't quick to you know, they they it was it ended in the right spot, and you know, he should go focus on whatever that punter needs to do in his personal life. And you know, this is a super Bowl contending team, it's not a team that's several years away. Like they're right there. They don't need any of this. They didn't need it even if they weren't a good team. But you know, it's it's yucky, and it was it was scary to be around in the sense of that, you know, the week prior I had been standing four feet from him for and the week prior that four ft from him for the entire broadcast is yucky and awful. And I hope that we can all. I hope that they take some steps to you know, we talked about creating like a committee for them if anything like this ever happens again, so they can leverage some experts. Brandon talked about it. There he's the GM, the coach is a coach. Maybe they'll take that into situations. Sorry, I talked for long. That's all really well said, and I think we could leave it right there if you move on from that. Um, all right, let's take a break. Let's do this. Let's take a break, and then when we come back, we're gonna go around the a f C minutes. Alright, we're back, So now it's time. News out of the way. Pleasant trees in the rear view. Now let's get to it. We're gonna go around the a f C and exactly forty eight minutes. How do we do it? I mean, do the math. I can do it. You can do it to sixteen themes three minutes. The sounds like you're from Chicago. I don't I would have gone divided by six team there. But I see what you were doing. You went in and get there. You get there, however you need to get there. So here we are three minutes per team. Let's start, and you know we had I thought it was cute, actually grave digger. We said, usually i'll like put together the order of who's talking, what is it? Justin you could do it if it helps you on the production side. It wasn't adorable that when he sent out all the teams it was a South first, because the East always get to be first, or maybe every once in a while we'll switch it up with the West get first. I appreciate you representing the worst division in football for twenty years. No, that wasn't even. That was more of a showmanship thing. It was like, let's build this thing up out of the way, because I thought it was it was coming from your heart and that's where you like to start. I thought, I that's how I saw it until they dropped him down into the middle. But like that showmanship. I like that you put it where you had it there. Let's start with the a f C. East. Let's start even listening. No, well that now, now, if he would have connected with me and said, I actually was doing that for building like building the show reasons. But we never had that conversation. So we're just doing it the standard way. Three minutes on the clock, what okay, I mean if they we were finally giving them a little pop and then they can't do it. Here's the good thing again, as a reminder of what this is about. Every team gets exactly three minutes exactly and and if you if you go over, our producer will shoot you in the neck with a dart. Yeah that's a trunk. To be clear, they missed the rest of the show probably, but that's AFC East. Oh all right, we're gonna go back to Buffalo, Cynthia. Let's talk football and the Bills, the defending a FC East champion. Let's go. Okay, So the Bills, we know the strengths, we know the joh Shalon, we know Stefon Diggs. They also they seemed to have addressed the slot, which was an issue last year. I was a Gabe Davis on the other side, not Gabriel, It's Gabe Davis, get it right. So the slot, that's an interesting spot. For them, where Cole Beasley really didn't have a lot to do over a hundred targets um up for grabs. Now this season into that position will also be a key because last year, you know, you look to see Week one against the Rams. Rams, they did get Bobby Wagner, but the slot was an area that was very helpful seventy two point two completion percentage allowed to slot receivers. So the Bills address that also on their defensive front bringing in von Miller. That's gonna make at Oliver just have a monster year as well. So their front is really interesting. But the back end here's where I'm a little concerned because trade As White has yet to practice, which means he's probably not going to be available Week one, which means against the Rams, defending Super Bowl champs. That's gonna be a tough task for some guys like Dane Jackson, who's great, but Kayer Elam their first round draft pick this year out of Florida corner, He's been a little handsy. But they do have this guy as sixth round pick, Christian Benford, who has really stood out. He went to Villanova, small school guy, but he's ad a really excellent camp. Again, not necessarily the who you want to be rolling out there in that secondary against Cooper Cup, but you know that it is going to help them through the course of the season. I think this is it's this is the team to beat in the a f C um in part because they're in a more favorable division than anyone in the a f C West. But it is a very it is it's going to be very, very special team. They have a lot of pieces on there. They get along, you know, in this incredible way. I went to a bunch of camps this training camp period, and this team has some very special chemistry. And last but not least, they have addressed this one running back situation where they outside rushas were not an area of strength for them. They're running backs only average four point one yards per Russian outside temps last season. Josh Allen averaged eight point five. But okay, one minute, we're good. I'm in good shape. One minute we all talk, we all go through well. But is what I know about. So James Cook will James Cook will eventually fill that role for them. It's really a legit Bills insider providing that's pretty good. Yeah, but this team is loaded. This team is ready to rock. The question Mark will be their secondary earlier in the seat early in this and then they get tyreek Kill in week three after the Rams in week one, so you're the cornerback safety situation right by the time people listen to this, throw it that far right by the people. We might say that White is out the first four games of the season, He's probably getting put on I R. But I'm not I do not have any I don't have the official word on that. But they can make for it though, Like, Okay, their secondary has problems and that that could be an issue, especially, but I think they can make up for it because their pass rush to me should be way more special when like Russo should be better. Epiness is their third guy, Oliver is set for a breakout season. You can obviously be special on offense. So yeah, they have a weakness, but they're special to Patriots. Greg so one team every training camp that their camp is so messy that actually do feel differently about them, and the Patriots are that team this year. Amazingly, I really do think they're a mess I trust when Mike Reese of ESPM starts being worried and the people that are there and have watched this for twenty years start being worried. I get worried too, And it's really all about the offensive line. I think it started when they let their offensive line coach Carmen Briscilla go to Las Vegas with mc daniels. So now you have Matt Patricia trying to coach up an offensive line to do a new system with guys that don't fit, and Okay, everyone's like, well, Belichick knows what he's doing. Like these teams that install these new systems, they have a they've been drafting for years. They've known that system. Trent Brown was released from the fort because he wasn't good in that system. I just think, like there's times here that you have parts of the Patriots that don't work, but other parts can make up for it. And they don't have any other parts that make up for it. Where's the special part of the team that makes up for it? I think? But Belichick has seemed um dangerously detached to me when asked about any of these. I know it's Belichick, but it's just like, this is what the environment you created for a second year quarterback in mac Jones. You now have this like we do the dual headed offensive coordinator business and putting neither of them any offensive pass which is very hubris late in right there. Mac Jones does not look good in the preseason, and it's a discombobulated scenario. Why why did you go out of your way to create this? And then on top of it all the offensive line stuff. It's just like, let's create confusion for the sake of it. Where's Malcolm Butler? You know the team anywhere is he? No, he's an injury settlement of all their issues, that's pretty low on the list. But they don't have any cornerbacks. That's sort of what I mean. There's other gaping holes, and I think that's like, like that's actually a big one that is seemingly small because you're like, well, injuries settlement gone, right. But Jalen Mills is their number one cornerback. They're playing Jonathan Jones, who's one of the best slot corners in the league on the outside because they don't have any outside corners actually kind of like their secondary. I think Belichick can ski him up in game plan and that part of the team will be a strength. And as Tom Current said, I believe It's true mac Jones is the best thing to happen to this team in the last few years. Um and he'll be okay, but there's not enough to make up for what I think the offensive line problems are going to be. I think defending the slot is more important than people think, and I think a good slot like slot Corny us to be this like pejorative thing. You were saying, he's a slot cornet used. Were old, that's not true anymore. You need your guy to be able to go inside into the slot and take care of business there as well. So it scares me a bit with that one. It's good. It does feel like it's going to be a work in progress to start, and then they'll win nine games. You're like, what the hell? And that's like what I've been on the table and response like this whole time that it still is Beljick and mac Jones is very promising as a prospect, But have they put him in the best position in year two after a really great start to his career going to the playoffs. I think it's fair to argue they have not done a great job building around him right now. No, I really think it's the coaching staff and what's going on upfront. Like Isaiah Wind might not be on this team. Like I said, Trent Brown doesn't real scheme. They're happy with him. The Dolphins probably take it in. No, he did not. I was watching the clock. He went about five seconds over right. Yeah, he had to take the dart. He had to take the trank, all right. Mark the Miami Dolphins, who we've already gotten a shot from Cynthia about how far the quarterback and throw it. I actually want to talk about that because there was a very notable two esque play against the Eagles in that preseason game where he did connect with Tyreek Hill on a fifty one yard laser beam. I thought it was it was you look at it, though, two things happen. One, Tyree Hill had to come back to the ball a little bit, so it's the classic, Oh does to have the arm strength. But if you watch what happened on that play, there's something I think is a positive um. Tyreek Hill has a defensive back about two yards upfield from him when to unleash the ball to and throw it into double coverage, and Tyreek made made a great catch. But two as showed I thought confidence in Tyree Hills gifts his speed and so it makes me think it ken work because there's something differ think going on for two way this year. In the last year, they had the double offensive coordinator situation where the third guy, Charlie Fry into his ear half of those games. It was totally confusing and on top too many cooks. On top of it, he spent half the season hearing whispers about then chasing after Deshaun Watson. Is totally messy scenario. So I think the environment with Mike McDaniel, who is Tom Brady on Tom Brady on a yacht. You've got Sean Payton in the atmosphere, So I mean, it's just very messy. I just like the environment for better for two uh. And if you look at what he did over the preseason, he had a very solid preseason. I think he fits in this offense. And I have classically could just been like they're going to replace him, And I've been thinking even a month ago, we're saying, well, he is a hot candidate to have Teddy Bridgewater take over in a week three or four. Are we like as Americans a little too low on too uh? Or is he just what he is because I think he looks better in this this summer they had question. It's one of the biggest questions I think in the a f c UH as we entered the season, like who is to h he has a great team around Mac Jones is getting banged a little b by his infrastructure, not to ah. If he could shut out outside noise and there's plenty around that organization, that's a good sign for his long term ability. But then he has to be able to play. Can he make this offense move? Can he stay healthy? These are all fair questions. I'm I'm dubious because I sometimes with all the talk through summer and then you get into like, oh, we look good in this preseason game. It's like all right, but now I want to see him actually do it when it counts. We'll see what happens. What time do we need to know about Jimmy Garoppolo, Like tomorrow at four something like that day they say that you would keep him, I don't believe it. I mean, I guess like that's an interesting last minute move because you could be like, oh man, and then all of a sudden everything could be different like one second. But look, I was kind of taking a shot at to it. I love the I mean, if you want to entertain yourself, like the t and on, like Reddit stuff is really funny. Like Jimmy g is a good name to bring up here. I feel confident to a can be as good or a similar level quarterback as Jimmy Garoppolo. It's a similar system to me. He's shown he's been an NFL quarterback. He has legitimate strengths he makes. He's very quick on his release. He's very accurate on the short stuff. They are so fast, Hill Wattle, Gasicky Moster, Edmunds. He just has to get the ball out of his hands and those dudes run. I think they'll be fine. I have him in the playoffs, playoffs. What are you doing? Greg has been shot two segments in a row. Invince about It's about respecting the show and the boundaries of the segment. I was waiting for the music. Was waiting for the music like a quarterback would watch the clock on a field. Let's talk Jets. They have a vastly improved um roster. They do on both sides of the ball. They have a legit spicy group of receivers running backs tight ends the offensive line, even with Becton out. Um, I think it could be strong if it all comes together and they stay healthy. I think the defense has a lot of upside with solid leading. The way they got a great defensive line with depth. They have a potential star now and bring the secondary and sauce gardener. Now, Zack Wilson, I know he's probably gonna miss the first week, but he will enter the fray quickly if he can't play the guitar. I think that this coaching staff in front office will attempt to salvage the season rather than go down with another sinking ship being captained by a young QB who can't hack it. I think that UM, Zack Wilson needs to perform, and perform early or he could be in trouble. My question to you, will Zack Wilson have an infinite leash in the second season as start. I've already answered my own question, but I'm curious what you think. Cynthia, that's a great question because I mean Jimmy Garoppolo maybe here too, like this could be an interesting spot. There is Joe Flack of the solution as the backup. I don't know. I don't think pick six wasn't so hot this week. Nice Um. I think that they're going to give him a chance because I think last year it feels like the old line was see I think last year he was injured. I do think he gets the full season. I don't think they're because they don't have a lot of Unless they go get like a Jimmy g or something like that, it's not kind of worth, you know, they maybe maybe perhaps it's time to get another quarterback. So don't try to like figure out exactly who he is before you just he's got something he didn't have last season, I believe, which is like a good defense and so Han he's got the wide receiver lost Carl last in returning and the reports from practice game he's not the guy returning from an injury, and like, oh it's a concern. It's like, no, he's just back to being car Last. Quentin Williams, Franklin Myers like they've got depth. Jacob Martin like I think their defense will be good enough to make up for shoddy quarterback play, no full run through account. This is premature, but I'm at the point where, like you get these quarterbacks, they come in and they never miss a game for seven years. Zach Wilson has had durability issues all over the place, and I I it's not so much are they going to stick with him? But can he stay on the field because I think his confidence was affected by that injury last year to to some degree, and he was in a messy situation obviously. I think if you're the Jets, though, because if you're Robert Sala, I would hope that there is absolutely no question that you're not going to get no matter how bad the season goes, you need a third year with him like that. He has changed the Jets in a lot of good ways, and you got the defense shows up if they have the rank defense again the disaster if they have they ninth rank defense. Like you just need a full evaluation of Zack Wilson every snap you can possibly get, because then next offseason you can go they could have gone and gotten Russell Wilson. They can do something like that again down the road if they want to make a big move. Zach Wilson should not get a third year. If he's a mess. Let's move on to the a f C North Mark all right, I really can you And I'm just was staying on this. I cannot think of a Super Bowl team that has been more kind of casually glossed over, uh than the Bengals. I guess it's Cincinnati versus like a team from the East or West coast and all that business. And it's the nature of how they got there. It was a magic carpet ride that I think we caught us all by storm to some degree. And you know, but I look at their team and I think they're legit and could be better. Their offense was hammering teams from mid season on last year. Um, I think Lyle Collins is a bit of a wild card. We need to see how that works out for them. We know Joe Burrows Joe Burrow, but I think it's their defense that raises the floor of what's going to happen to them. Like Trey Hendrickson was one of the best free agent signings a year ago. They were talking about when they were scrimmaging the Rams this past week. They got off to a slow start their defense, but then Hendrickson was dominating Joe no boom And who I realized is not you know, Joe Thomas. I get that, but Hudobe aways a like he was dominating as a corner and shutting down Cooper Cup in Jesse Bates is back. I think it's this defense that helped them beat the Titans, helped them stay in games last year in the playoffs, and I don't see this that being a what flash in the pan since scenario in Cincinnati. I think they can. They can still win the division and win more games than they did a year ago. Can they offer a counter? I think why? Sure? People don't. Some people don't give them the respect that you think they deserve. Is that in some ways? I think when you watch that postseason run, which is a lot of fun obviously and for us personally had significance because of wes Um. That was charmed and that was a it was a ten win team that rolled through an an f C postseason. Uh, and you it's almost like for me personally, especially with the Ravens back and improved, and the Steelers I think could be better this year, and even the Browns of course now at the quarterback coming back later. I think it's gonna be tough for them because I don't think they're absolutely loaded like they were like ahead of the schedule. To your point, I think their defense on paper, played their best at the end and looks better. It looks like a good defense. They were kind of a mediocret. Even Zach Taylor needs to show us something like this is it. You've got Burrow Higgins mixing Chase Boyd altogether in their primes incredibly cheap like this is now. They should be shooting fireworks. My big question is, like is their offensive line that much better? Like Collins has been a little bit of a mess and all over the place in camp, like people are all excited that, like, oh, we added Ted Carress. I mean they've added a couple of rotational players, their second round pick from a year agoes, bench Jacks and Carmen like they're starting a late round rookie there. Offensive line is often about coaching, and Zach Taylor's kind of shown they haven't coached very well. So I'm not convinced that they're not that they're a decent offensive Which team other team in the division as a better roster the Ravens? I think the major issues a wide receiver. We have twenty seconds left. Have to tell you my favorite Joe Buril stat so on a play the next play after being pressured, do you know what his passer rating is. It's the highest in the twenty season sample, nine point one point nine. So Joe Burrow, I mean he needs to get old line, but like he didn't last year. Check it out there. That dude nailed it, by the way, right on the Triple Zeros the Cleveland the Cleveland Browns, Greg are there are the Browns talented? Like I guess that would just be my general question. You've been banging the struggle, Okay there. I don't know who their right tackle is. Jack Conklin's coming off a serious injury. He hasn't you know, done it, done much and might not be a factor. They're on their like third center, essentially their quarterback wide receiver combination, which I would say is the most valuable positions in the sport. Now is your passing game? I would rank in the bottom three in the NFL. It's like if if they had a quality quarterback, I think this team would potentially underachieve. And now I look at him, and I look at him in this division, as you know, potentially one of the worst teams in in the a f C. Am I am I overreacting? I don't think so, because I think also Jedrick Wills is is up and down at left tackle. The center thing is a major mess. So what you pointed to with tackle like their tackle, Like, that's a lot of different spots there, Like if you had good quarterback play you looked at them a year ago. Is having the best offensive line in football arguably, and you have Nick Chubb, you have Kareem Hunt, and you can dominate the way the Browns would want to dominate in late season games. Now you're asking Jacoby Brissette, who is nothing more than a than a patch in a backup, to you're gonna need to go win seven games or so to even be a factor when Deshaun Watson returns, which, by the way, that the energy around that couldn't is the darkest in all approach sports. So I don't like the journey for the Cleveland Browns at all right now, yuck um. I like Myles Garrett. I think that I think that he was up there and I was looking to see, like who might be potential sack leaders this year, But then it doesn't project for the Browns to be in enough passing situations for him to be the sack leader. So that's an interesting point, meaning They're probably not going to be facing people trying to win and games are not gonna be playing with the lead in later games sitting on the run. They have some real strengths. I can almost here Brown's fans pointing out, like they do, they have real strengths, but not their wide receivers, not their defensive tackles. I like their corners a lot. They're still secondary, their past, their rushers. They've proven they can coach up offensive line and running game, and so maybe they should get the benefits that they can do things they really really like completely underrated. I think they have a good offensive mind running the show. They have one two punch at running back that's as good as anybody in the league. And yeah, Clowney is an all world not Clowney, excuse me, Myles Garrett is an all world playmaker. You could. I don't think you have to squid that hard to see the Browns hanging around in the North. They can hang around, but I would say they know. I don't know if any team in the a FC has done a better job, but this is there's this feeling that it's two years ago and they're not that team that's a that's point well taken. I'm just saying I think they can hang around around five hundred and as much as we don't want to like talk about it. If Deshaun Watson is ready to roll when he enters the picture, but even who throwing the ball to? Like I love Amari Cooper, but like, what about the rest of them there? There? It's not deep there. Watch that ra Sason game Wolf get that whoff in counting on David Bell basically too. I got a call time a dog. It was me, f um, I'm using the first time out, Well you only have three. You ran into Baker Mayfield, the former Brown's quarterback um recently and I was hoping you could share an exchange that you have is after the field or on the field. After the game against the Bills this preseason game three, and I walked up and like, I'm so excited to see you, like go, you know, I was like, kicks some butt. I didn't say that word, but you know, kick the butt, kick no kicks some butt. Especially week one, I like cannot wait. And he uses some expletives and I was like, I just hope you're like I'm gonna bleep them up Browns week depending on who's listening to this, and it's not for people like that could be a headline across the nation tomorrow because he's not said that publicly. The same way I'm gonna him up is that what his quote was? Was that? What the quote was, I don't say curse words on air. I don't want to get Was that the quote? You can confirm it? No, yes, I mean I don't want signed my new contract yet, so can we say curse words for Cynthia? Think it's it's you're all good, you're the one quick question in that situation, does he turn around and say, like, I really enjoyed your NFL dot com article from last week. I sat down, you know, and dug through that. I think it was like, yes, there's are likely to win point eight games more than they're over under, so I really agree with you. He's like, you know, he's like, you know, I really like this. I would like you to explain wind Share to me. It was a little bit more in depth. What the use of a time out there? That that was incredible, Cynthia. And we'll go to bad for you because I know you heard bad language there. You didn't say it, but you heard it and that puts you in danger. All Right, here we go. Let's move on to the Ravens time back, and all right, I think the Ravens. I think the Ravens want to be the Ravens again. I think that, um, that's why they were comfortable trading their number one receiver, Hollywood Brown. I think that they feel like they could win by being, you know, more physical than you that kicking your ass and special teams and then relying on a quarterback who is a one of one physical talent in our league. Um, my question is this is more like a numbers question because I've looked at some of the stats in his career. Could Lamar Jackson become the first QB to rush two hundred times in a season? Is this team gonna be a running, absolute behemoth and they're gonna try to cap get some of that energy from the twenty nineteen season when he won m VP. I'm gonna say no, just because I don't think he's gonna run more than he did in the past. Now. Is he gonna get back to that similar life He never really stopped. He was at one seventy five, And yeah, Like, I don't think they're gonna shy away from it. They're going to lean in even more. He he averaged eleven points, seven decimals uh carries per game. That's MBP season, So I'm just and he played fifteen games. It actually takes the right to two? Is that the game plan now there? They have a lot of running backs, they have a lot of guys that are coming back from injury, so that I'm I'm banking that uncertainty in the backfield into a projection Cynthia of what he could be in there in there and you can hit the trifecta. I don't think j. K. Dobbins is going to get a big workload out of the gate. That's what they're sort of suggesting right now. I love that they're getting Ronnie Stanley back and cut in time for that, so it's set up. The environment's better and played football a couple of years, so well, he's coming back next week and so in theory like that, he would practice and if he's good, he's playing. Isaiah likely gives you a more depth at tight end. Mark Andrews is it is likely. I still try not to make those jokes with that us and what they went through last year. And still won as many games as they did. Was like an injury apocalypse, and they survived for much of it. That's the question for me is though, is whether or not we're going to see these injuries keep piling like last year they had like a disproportion number. I was about to see if you could get the the R word in there. But yeah, so, but when I when I look at that and the fact that they've really they took this like six defensive back strategy from the draft, and you even saw them roll with it in these preseason games. A lot more defensive back rotation. Seems like they're really trying to get that right, which is a really big key to how you win in a f C because a lot of these quarterbacks have pretty dramatic splits, Joe Burrow being one of them against you know when you see single high safety versus to safety shells. So it feels like they have all the like little inklings they're like to piece it all together. And the whole Lamar Jackson contract, whatever the heck that is all about, I don't I think he's very incentivized to play just absolutely like lights out be it that next year he's still raven or maybe somewhere else? Did he handle the blitzer like like was that a one year blip? And do they have any pass rush behind O like that? Those are two big questions. All right, that's the we forgot the Steelers, babe, did I ye? You're introl for that kind of like what you did there? You tried? I'm sorry, I'll use this gaff to get in there that they did win their twenty third straight preseason game. All right, how about the Steelers sent you? Okay? Um? Obviously the question mark is who's the quarterback? Who's QB one? Are we gonna see Mr Whisky or you know you? Now you're seeing the debate canny pick. It is played well enough to start this thing, But I don't think he'll do it. I think like like this is that's all you hear on repeat? Right? But the exact flow in cadence and voices. Yes because a lot of small women Steelers. Yes, goodness, what are we going to do? Um? Like the the defense is nasty on this team. Mike Tomlin doesn't lose seasons. I'm curious to see how the quarterback situation is because with just a little bit more space, a guy like Naji Harris will even have a more explosive second ses. Obviously, you know we saw preseason Game one, this giant touchdown. Oh my goodness, the wide receivers blah blah blah buth. But I actually think that Naji Harris is primed to have like a very very monstrous In fact, he's like my number two running back if you're in a PPR fantasy league. That's how big of a season if we want to put in some context, that timely context. So I think that's interesting. And you know, I think that t J. Watt doesn't lead the insects this season because I think it's someone else. I think it's a guy in the a f C or the NFC West, but um, because there's so many pieces along that front that could also get pressure. So it's nothing. It's not a knock on t J. It's just they're really good all the way across that defensive front. So I don't know. I think I think the Steelers are going to be one of those sneaky teams that you know, just where they were last year, like right on knocking on that door, and depending on what happens with the West, that could be that they could, you know, because the West could beat each other up right and have bad records because the a f C West is so good this the Steelers are as close to a playoff team from one that doesn't have a quarterback as I've maybe ever seen. Tomlin loves this. I think Tomlin loves this. The line seems like a huge problem, like it might be worse than a season ago based on it's one of the worst lines. Because if you take that, I'm with you really like their defense, love Tomlin. Think that could be a top five or six even and then skill position players one through five if you count the three receivers Pat Friar Muth and Alja Harris. I mean that is close to the Bengals to me as one of the five best young groups in the league. I look at their schedule and I think it's bad for Mitch Robinsky, who has been pretty good this preseason behind that offensive line which has been a disaster. But there is a rough out of the gate, and so it's almost like I would like to look where you're gonna slot in Kenny Pickett at some point if he's going to start. It's it's a outside of like the Jets in week four. It's kind of a weird situation for a young first quarterck but he has looked undeniable, Like if you, if you are trabisky, you're going to be hearing it from Steelers fans eight minutes into week one, if front work week two when they have their home debut, if you aren't pristine, and he won't be Well, they're nice Midwest peaves people in Pittsburgh. I think they'll be kind until it gets untenable. And I think it's a matter of how in the Midwest. I don't know Pittsburgh's in the Midwest. I mean this is sort more of a West argument of Midwest. Yes, Buffalo, Buffalo is more West. You can make an argument being it it's not the East coast. No, we're in this well West said like Nashville was in the Midwest, which I have never agreed with. I've just never agreed with. But he was very so um, he was so short. I'll take the trunks. But like I wonder how much rope, how much rope Mitch guests have some respect. We don't where is Pittsburgh then? Is it's not the East coast? Now? Well, I mean I don't know nost Rush. It's not it's no Northeast or the rest, but it's definitely not. I mean, I'm Michigan, so I feel like at the tabletop. Let's take a break and then we will move to Grave Diggers Beloved AFC South. All right, we're back South Nashville not part of the Midwest, but the Titans are part of the a C South. Cynthia, get us going. Okay, Derrick Henry big positive coming back. Let's just start with the positive. It's big positive. Derrick Henry will be back presumably healthy with the from all signs that we've seen. Okay, great. I don't know what's going on with their line. Two starters from that old line are now bills and that's interesting. Right, So you're Roger Saffold and quest and Barry are both up in Buffalo. Big losses. Traylon Burke's drafted No. A. J. Brown. Difficult. It's going to be a difficult Yeah, huge shoes to fill. Then you flip it to the other side of the ball. Confusion is the word that I get coming out of this team. I'm not sure what I'm going to look at. They're lucky that they're in the a f C South, because there's some teams there that are very achievable wins. I think that this is the Colts to lose this season in terms of winning the division. But I also think, I mean, the Titans are going to have to surprise me. I'm I'm just very confused at the strategy because it doesn't seem to be like you need to have like a really really strong strong defense if you're gonna make your running back do all that work right, or you're gonna rely on a lot of pieces that are confusing. And this isn't like anti Ryan Tannehill sentiment, but play action passes where he has been dominant, and yeah, you've got Derrick Henry, so that might work, but you need someone to pass too. And I don't know if Burkes has in college, he didn't run the entire route tree, so perhaps that will happen. But it's full speed, full a route tree with those types of expectations, like that's not easy. So I'm confused. I it does feel like could the bubble burst because like what they've been I've found them to be one of the more interesting teams to watch in the league. But if you took A. J. Brown off that roster the last couple of seasons. What would they accomplished. I think that would have been It would have been dangerously less. And they didn't replace him with anything that's proven. Right now, they deserve some benefit of the doubt that just like they figured they figured away. I think they their defense will kind of go as their young corners Kevin Bayard, I'll give him right. I think bro they have a great safety tandem, and then they have these four cornerbacks, so they've drafted in the first two or three rounds. Who are gonna really matter. Christian Fulton who was last year, Elijah Molden who looks like he'll probably be pretty good in the slot. McCreary's a rookie, probably gonna start over, Caleb Farley, who's coming off an injury. Like if they work, it is confusing, but that's what I'm saying. Safeties, safeties in the a f C to safety set that is that is that is a formula. That's great, but you have to also remember that you need a good front for that, and they do they do mix up the front and get that those types of pressure is very variable. Like thing to do Patriots like thing to do, but I think it's a confusing team. It doesn't seem to match the strategy. I'll just say this about Derrick Henry. I hope he has a great bounce back season, but they gave him three nineties seven touches. You know what. We've been saying that though, since he came out of Alabama and then his foot and he broke down last year? Did they cook the Golden goose over those a couple of year stretch? What is that song at that? What is it? Does anyone know? Nobody smooth something producer shaking in his head and doesn't know also what it is. It's not something bad to the greg. My focus here is on their defense. They lost Fluce, Eber Fluce. You bringing Gus Bradley. Stephan Gilmour is one of those guys where I'm buying the preseason height that he's shutting down every one and everything uh in camp. I think if he can be an all pro type of player again, and I'm not ruling that out. He was pretty effective with Carolina. I think things fall into place. They have a great slot receiver in Kenny Moore. I like what they're doing up front with Quitty pay and you have Buckner and you haven't got Way. It's a it's a pretty fun group. Um. Like, I think their defense is gonna be the best defense in that division, and I think they just need to be better than they've been. And then the offense so take a little time to get going and I think they'll be fine. Nine eight, nine and eight. The same thing is just this is what the cults, to me are the cults. It's just like, like I mentioned in our one headline last year, they were like they were a weird nine and eight where they looked like one of the best teams in the NFL for stretches and a disaster for us. The middle of their schedule, they were nine and three. It was just the beginning of the ending that they butchered. I think they're no. I I think that Mike abel is one of the most underrated coaches in the entire league, and I do think the Titans will He's never been only winning records for Mikey. I didn't say he was gonna. I think there's an assumption that Matt Ryan's going to be brilliant, and I'm not. I don't entirely trust that concept. Either they need that Michael Pittman. We talked about it in the Fantasy Extravaganza. I think Matt Harmon was very high on Pittman becoming, you know, a guy that's in the Superstar Club conversation. Kind of need that to happen. You need Jonathan Taylor obviously to stay healthy. I think Matt Ryan m v P is probably not coming back that guy, but he certainly can be an upgrade on wins. And when you look at the collapse of in D season last year, it wasn't just on Carson Wentz. That's the easy way to like kind of pin in on him because he's a target for that stuff. But I think Ryan probably would have been a guy that would have been better chance that they get through those last two weeks without a total collapse. If you had someone a little more stable at quarterback every single week that they play, someone who's very generous to opposing tight ends, You're gonna want to consider a Gilanni Woods for your daily fantasy lineup because that guy, first of all, you know, huge, he's tight end. He came you know, out in the draft kind of a later round pick, and then they had alcohol try. He got hurt, so now Hill Jolanni Woods has some more opportunities and he's just a huge red area targ He scored a touchdown against the Bills in their first preseason game, and you saw some good red area stuff specifically for Gilanni Woods. So it's a good daily fantasy nugget for your pocket. They had a weird preseason. They were playing Ryan a lot, I think because it hasn't been going that well and it didn't go that way. They heard that they were playing him a lot because they had different communication stuff with their oline that they were working at different shack. Leonard might not play for a long time. Julian Blackman was a defensive Rookie of the Year candidate and now coming off of like a huge injury. A lot of questions, great, great, Greg Sailing. I don't know what stay with me, okay, because you just mentioned the Cults are vulnerable and the Titans are you know what are the Titans? There's a mystery cynthia at least um. So let's say Davis Mills flashed as a productive NFL quarterback as a rookie. I think that's fair. Damian Pierce, everyone's into it. He's emerged as a summer start. Running back Brandon Cooks is really the most consistently productive wide receiver one ish in the sport. Nobody talks about that. The offensive line has some good pieces at the tackle spots, especially with Tonsil and Howard. The defense has some young building blocks um and including a pair of defensive rookie of there candidates and Derek Stingley and Jalen Petre. So here we go playing in a murky a f C South with a fairly soft schedule. I think their nineteenth and strength of schedule. Is it crazy to think that this Lovey Smith led team can hang around in the division after Halloween? And I'm not even saying I believe this, but it doesn't make you think when you think about what the South is about, I can be convinced. Anybody want to make the case for the Texans, Well, we've been We've been Texans over four and a half corner, over here over eight and a half, Texas eight and a half corner. It seems a little rich. I think this division, yeah, could everyone could be in it at week thirteen, But I think for that, I think the defense could be better than people think. And I think success is just developing these players. If Stingley and Petrie, you got Pep Hamilton trying to, uh, you know, get this offense going, like with Nico Collins and maybe it's Mills, maybe not, but Pierce at running back. If they find four or five six guys that our first second year guys that are guys that they can build around, that success for them. It depends what David Mills is. But I saw a lot from Davis Mills this season ago. And you mentioned Nico Collins, Like, I know Dan's tired of hearing that name too, but like he has been getting great reports all camp long. So I think they're spicy and I think they're A year ago, they were a hot mess obviously, but they're They're more well built than people realize. I thought this was a landing spot for Jimmy g but I don't know. I just think it's too late in the game for that. But well, they love him, and that's like why why not if you're the Texans find out what he is. It's the same thing from Zach Wilson because you might have a quarterback there, you might well you have to let him play the whole season. I just need a pass rush. I mean, and also but even they have guys they're like green is good there. Jerry Hughes looked, I know as the preseason, but I was like, damn, Jerry Hughes is still good. Maybe, but there's a lot of maybe we'll have a whole swearing party. Um. I just when you when you look at how to generate a pass rush and how to stop a you know, a pass, a passing attack. Like Derek Stingley, he was a high draft pick and he's got like this profile because remember he was hurt and then he didn't come back and look like this same kidding college. Is he a hundred percent healthy like we'd like to assume so. But Jerry who was not the youngest guy either, Like we don't know. It's a little ASTIXI the Jacksonville Jaguars. It's a little similar to me with the Texans because this division that they're in and I look at them, and you know, the Athletics, this is sort of a Cynthia esque thing. The Athletics. Austin mock ran a regular season simulation of the AOC South A Hunt times. This is not this is a little that you even brought him up. He's competition. I thought you might be friends, are a colleague and I don't even know who quote. I don't know who that man is. But Mark with the I mean to bring another part. I thought it's like industry talk. I don't believe I did. But anyways, he ran this um AC South mock when a hundred thousand times and they have. But they have the eight point three chance to make the playoffs, which is one of the lowest in the league. Obviously, and it feels right to me. But I don't know why this can't be one of the better stories in the a f C in general, because urban Meyer's exodus is the biggest addition by subtraction in the NFL. I think Doug Peterson is is a little underrated for what he can do with an offense like this, this kind of a team. And I think Trevor Lawrence and Travis E. T n are like two of the biggest second year leap candidates out there. Trayvon Walker looks like he's for real. I don't really see a number one wide receiver on this roster, but would it be crazy not? Unlike the Texans, Let's say they flipped existences with your Texans Dan and went nine and eight. I don't think that's so insane in this division, it's not that crazy. I still think they're similar to the Texans, where just like if the young Bucks, uh, you know, come up, only it's a successful season. You mentioned a few of the them, Andre said, goes another one I would throw out there, Devin Lloyd, the rookie running back, Tyson I mean a linebacker, Tyson Campbell. There, their cornerback who they're really high, and they have a rookie starting center. If out of this big group of players, they're not all gonna hit, but they find five or six and that Lawrence is the dude, then it's a very successful season, I think so. I think they are well set up too there. I mean, listen, where's the bar three and fourteen last year? Back to back number one one overall picks. If I'm telling you that, I at least think that the Texans are a team that could win some close games and all of a sudden be hanging around. I think the Jaguars could too. There there, they have more talent, or more talent you can be excited about long term than the Texans. They have more talent than the Falcons. They have more talent than the Giants. They have more talent than a lot. I could name six or seven teams and you couldn't do that the last few years. Like they shouldn't be a three win team anymore. It's like a spicy Coach of the Year scenario if Peterson ever did that. Now they could to give it the people because they be giving it to the Alaska while giving it to Doug, which is nice. They can also go four and thirteen, so it's like there's that reality exists. Not again. They shouldn't be pick the have the first pick years in a row. That should we should make a new NFL rule. In fact, you should lose your first round pick if you get the first round pick a thirty years, which they're not doing. All right, let's move to the a f C West. Dan will start with the Chiefs. That's me uh much of this year's camp um has been It's changing very subtly. I feel like the Chiefs are quietly rebooting the machine um and Tyreek Hill leaving was a big part of that um. But I'm curious how much we will recognize the team the Chiefs when they take the field in Week one. Um, you wonder is this a team that could still win shootouts? Most likely? I mean, still it's Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelsey and Andy Reid running the show? Is this a team that could get to the quarterback? Well, we're hearing some good things about Frank Clark and George carloftis like, Okay, when Honey Badger left, what did he take with him? I mean, it's not Honey Badger. White people love us so as it's it's his physical ability, but his leadership that all goes out the door. Who are the Chiefs? How good we feel about him? Who are they? Said? They? Who are the Chiefs this year? They're the same as the Chiefs that we've come to own. Or is this going to feel like a different team now? I think it's gonna look, at least on offense a little bit different. I mean, no, Tyreek Hill means a lot of different opportunities for new wide receivers to really step in there. But Travis Kelsey is still there, so I think that they'll actually be okay. Not to them, it's not one of those like one addition by subtractions things necessarily, But I do think Andy Reid deserves a beoutefit of the doubt for being able to craft an offense with different weapons that looks dissimilar but leverage all the strength of Patrick Mahomes. The secondary will be interesting. There were some surprise pieces on that. You know, I'm excited to see what mc jaffee brings to the corner position because it might be starting two rookies week one. With that, Josh Williams could be a could be an issue that could be as a f C U West, I think stopping a pass is going to be It's the most key of of any division they do have, like a next gen Chiefs feel that things are changing. I think you're right, but I think that's for the most part a good thing. It's you know, they've been arrested, but also they have some fun young players like Nick Bolton. They've been looking for an off ball linebacker forever. Looks like to me the truth if we'll see about these rookie corners. You're right, but they've done a good job coaching up um those guys, and I think they've spent a whole year having to go against these defenses that we're making. The Chiefs moved down the field, and this year, I think they're gonna want to be a little more powerful, and they have I think answers for for that approach. And we saw them running like I sets and like there's a lot of projection. They're my biggest wait and see team. But I also have the most trust and Andy Reid almost anyone in the league to have already have answers that we don't even know about, that we haven't even seen. But you are like, you need sky more to be a success. You need Marcus Valdes Scantling to be more than he's been, and we need Juju to be more than Juju has been in a bad situation. By the way, you said, where do we put him? I put them in the top four, you know, one A, one B, with the Bills in the A f C and the top like three or four teams in the NFL. Still and their backfield, what do you think about their backfield. I'm a little surprised that it seems like Clyde Edwards Hilaire now is the guy again, there's one the guy. I think their OH line is going to be much like another year playing together. It's a big deal on paper, it looks great. How about the Raiders, Cynthia, Okay, look, Raiders have really improved their team. Obviously, Davonte Adams is a huge edition. Obviously their defensive frond Chandler Jones will be very helpful. They already brought the most pressure according to Next Gen Stats as a team last season, with Max Crosby being the number one guy in terms of generating his own pressure. So that's great. The question marks on this team interior offensive line? What is going on there? I do not even understand how in right tackle maybe two it's basically everything but left tackle right that's a big problem. You know, you release a guy who are running back who Kenyan Drake that like didn't seem to be It was a surprise release to most at least to most of us. Their secondary is confusing as well. It does seem like they're doing the thing that coaches should do and new GM should do, which is it doesn't matter if you're a high draft pick, We're going to get rid of you if you're not performing. And Cleveland fur All, I mean up front, he also could not even who knows what's going on with that? So it does feel like they're doing like the kind of necessary like trimming and getting rid of the things that didn't work from the previous regime. I don't think that nets them in wins this season, because let's be on us, their schedule is a nightmare. In the middle of their season, They've got like a month where they have only one home game and it's just just a nightmare. And they're already in the most difficult division. So while they're much improved, I still think that there's a decent way for them to go. And I you know, I think that it will be a really interesting test Week one here at so far against the Chargers to see how those pieces compared to what the Chargers off season moves looks when everyone's healthy, because we know, like the Charges problem is that they just can't say healthy. So Week one, when everyone's healthy, you're gonna see the difference. I think we'll see those differences being pretty pronounced. I love that Dave Ziegler went out and got Davante Adams, so they made that happen. He's added talent. But it's one of the more striking examples of a coach and GM looking at the roster they inherited and what Mike Mayock did previously insane. We utterly reject most of this, Like Alex Leatherwood is the subject of trade talks right now. I mean their offensive line for him or just I mean, I mean, I'm not saying, but I think they just want him off the row. There's like they just want some of these guys off the roster. And so it's a year where like will it be as good as a story as last year? I think I see a decline and wins on some level because of the division, thereto ever reacting to the Raiders like handing the Patriots their lunch and joint practices pre possibly, but I do think like I think mc daniels long term, but even this year too, like he has more of the staff that I think Belichick would want, like Mick Lombardi as his including him the offensive line coach who who was the handpicked successor to Scarnecki, Patrick Graham, who comes from his tree, and I think it's a really good defensive Patrick. I think they'll be okay. I like, I like, what's okay? What's okay? I mean, I don't like people saying they're not a good team. They're good team, but like, well, we've all been I'm calling time out. We use our second time out. Um, you talked about last week, we got into it about what is a you know, a top all time bust in the draft and the Leatherwood situation is not applicable, I think because it was everyone was kind of like huh when it happened, and that was it spoke to some of the ills of the Grooten Mayak regime. You could say, um, did you guys happen to hear? And this isn't piling on Alex Leatherwood, but he is a public player and he's a first round pick. This was Matt Millen, who's on the telecast for the Raiders. That's a Lions van Cynthia Freeland speaking on the former Lions GM after a particularly gnarly pancake where Leatherwood ended up on his back trying to the right side. There Leatherwood gets Leatherwood's not good, so Millan okay, talent evaluator as a GM maybe, but this guy is also, you know, one of the great players of his era, and I just it's just crazy to me. Would it be insane if Alex Leatherwood doesn't make this team was he had first round pick? That doesn't happen to us? Is he go? Is he out of the league? Like is he play again? Because he's had such a bad summer that you wonder if he doesn't make the cut or he gets maybe, but you're right, team, I think they can fix him in the and I think first round pedigree gets you a lot of rope in the NFL for a second chance. First of all, I mean, did anyone else see that guy as a first rounder last April? But we're talking about Greig slaying like a seventh round conditional. That's that that's maybe worth It's someone when it when a right tackle or a left tackle goes down and somewhere on, I just think Matt Millan like, come on, like thyself. He's a good broadcaster's a great broadcaster, but he maybe he could just be like, that's a pick I would have made, you know, like come on, just own it then that you know, if you're a really great broadcaster. He would have that's what he would have said. He would have been like, listen, guys, it was a terrible talent evaluator and that's who I would have picked. Well, that's that requires a sense of humor about yourself that not all football guys have. But let's move on time back in Chargers Mark. We just thought the Raiders they were in their first year, but like the Charges were in year two of of building the roster. And I don't know if many teams had a bigger off season in terms of getting closer to what Brandon Staley wants. Because you got Khalil Mack, you got J C. Jackson, Sebastian Joseph Day, Austin Johnson, Troy Reader, you resigned Mike Williams. I'm looking at this. Rashaun Slater was an absolute hit last year. They keep hitting on draft picks. Corey Lindsley's better at center. The line was an issue for the end of the Philip Rivers time in year one of Justin Herbert Zion Johnson has had a great camp. Like I look at this, it's a two part question. Is this the best roster in the a f C West and do you trust? And this is probably more for Dann anyone else Brandon Staley to stir the soup into a playoff brew. I don't know. I think I feel like, first of all, they also have Michael Jordan's on their roster. You have to make sure. I love Justin Herbert. I think he's gonna be one of the best ever. For some reason, I your take on the Cults or you just go nine and eight like. That's kind of how I feel about the Chargers until they prove otherwise, because everything you're saying makes sense, Like the rosters loaded. The quarterback is all pro. He could be an m v P at any time now. He's that good. Uh, both sides of the balls, star stars everywhere is a Staley difference maker. I don't know if he just if he doesn't get in the way, they should win ten or eleven games or even twelve. But until I see it, I just assume whether it's going to be injuries or blowing a couple of games that he should win. To go full Chargers to charger it up, I need to see those demons exercised. Also, you know you're playing a road game at home half the time at the least, which is legitimate competitive. I think they're used to it by now. Competitive disadvantage they addressed with to me was like the Charger problems over the last handful of years. The offensive line, now, I think is an asset. I think they're gonna be good, which is crazy to say. And they've always missed that second pass rusher with both of the reports on Mac right now, and he hasn't been himself really the last couple of years are great, he's healthy. Staley has to show that he can now in year two with all of his guys in plenty of talent, like provide a schematic advantage because he didn't a year ago. It didn't quite follows completely different than basketball, not a real time comment, but it still applies, uh anything else on the Chargers. I think the last thing I'll add, I feel like you know, Derwin James seems to be like the Bell Weather for their for their season because when he gets hurt, so too do they kind of go down the drain and Derwin's great, but if he's not full Drwin. I mean, I understand there's a lot of other players on the field too, but it just it seems like a like a good foil for what's going on their secondaries insane like it should. J C. Jackson, Samuel like they love na see her at early. Like I asked me with the sticks, who would be his making the leap candidate from that team, and he thought na see her, Natalie, the safety next to James, just saying, but if he goes the way of their team, go the way of whatever him. By the way, Jeremiah is a podcast. You should check it out. Who's starting it out, Daniel Jeremiah. Well, good luck on that project. It's we should have gotten Tom Talesco's in because he's he's been picking, making great picks, so we should Tom Talesco really to the nice job with that job with that GM, Okay, I'll take it. Close it out. The final team in the FC, the Denver Broncos, Greg, I just want to know, like, what does this offense look like? Does it look like the Russell Wilson offense, which was what every offense in Seattle ended up looking like eventually, no matter how many different offensive coordinates. And that's not a bad thing. He was great at it. Broncos country Let's riot, but they always like these guys. Does it look like what you would expect from Nathaniel Hackett, like r P O s um pre snap motion. I don't know, like I'm cure us like how that fits and how long it takes for those two guys to kind of get what's the optimal way to run this offense, because I don't know because their offensive line on paper is not particularly good. It's not that much better than any of those seas well. Does he get the Peyton Manning treatment where it just became Peyton Manning's offense. I don't think so. It's be a mesh of both. Because you hired Nathaniel Hackett for his offense, I would I would presume, versus just molding it around Russell. But they did say didn't want it. They wanted him in the pocket more than in year's past. There's been reports that that's sort of what it will be. Asking is are they going to let Russ cook? Because that honestly like not no, It's more like, is it just gonna be like he doesn't really throw over the middle, he's gonna hold onto the ball for a long time. He's really gonna win on the outsides. Like it's not gonna be a lot of quick throws because he's not like the rest of the NFL, and what Hackett likes to run. It's quick throws, quick reeds, get the ball out of your hand. That's not Russell Wilson, and like they brought in guys in Seattle to get him to do that, and they didn't, and their offenses were great. So like, I don't know that in the season as a starter, I feel like you, if you're gonna go and give up all those assets to get Russell Wilson, I would say it would make sense to play to his strength. I know what. It wasn't always so smooth near the end in Seattle, but I think there are a lot of factors there. I think you give him the right surrounding talent. I think he's gonna light up defenses. I think so. I saw them too. They were our second game the Broncos, the with with the Bills, and I say we're because it was fun to be able to say we for once, um, but for us, you know, it was it was nice to be part of a team from it, um and then you know whatever. But I think that like we didn't. Their defense is really good. Like their defenses underrated their secondary specifically. I mean they've got players on that secondary, and that's important. I mean justin Simmons is safety. Obviously, you've got Pats or Tan there. In the second season, their whole defensive back room is really really good. Hatrush is extremely deep. I love their past exactly. So when you look get the strength of this defense, I just perhaps you know, Russ will be able to be in those favorable situations for him where he can pass it long because they won't be expecting a deep pass and you know all the like. So I just think that it is actually a pretty complimentary team. They're gonna be able to run the ball pretty well because everyone's gonna be like, oh God, is it Russ that's going to run the ball or someone else or whatever. So I think it'll end up working together. Well, Brat Bradley chub be that dude. All right, there you go. We didn't. We just went around the a f C. You should. You should have renamed the pod for the day exactly forty eight minutes now, like any overmatched head coach, we left the time out in our pocket. We went into the tunnel and I put that on the three of you. I used to when we needed to. There was a moment in this show where someone should have used that time out. I didn't. Actually, I don't think I've ever historically used the time out. That was a creation and usually like you had. Sometimes I wonder I got to ask ahead of time, like if there's any planned one you have, like pre planned skits and just for the time. There was another time that I called a time out and it agitated you because I think that you did have something planned today. No, no, in the past where I was like, I'm not I don't need to do that again. I'm not the head coach that was the we needed that time out today, and I didn't get let me ask you a question then, because as you sense that none of us were going to pull the trigger, why did you not call a third just trying to be a good teammate. But now but you're you're now like land based in US, So what's the teammate part? And then if you're winning, like if you're up, uh, twenty three to three, going with a couple of minutes left in the first half or even at the end of the game, and that's how I view our performance today, you don't need to use that time out. It's just mean, it's just mean. Alright, it was okay, I see that side of it. Yes, justin I think called every single time out in the history of a segment with time out right, and I guess I'm just looking for little help a guy that's right. And you know what, that's a challenge directly to you Mark for our next episode when we go around the NFC, Well, I'll call three. I like to see it's gotta be a race, like me, never gonna call it like I was more worried that, like like Steve Belichick, you know, he's on the sideline just wanting to take this type like one day he just goes rogue and takes the time out. I'd be afraid that. That's if you know what I there's a lot of issues I have with that commentary, but I'll just let it go and say thank you to send you know, thanks done it again. You know we appreciate you coming. Uh you know you left, you left a therapy session early for us today. So I justly yours like we're just starting to get to the bottom of this and you're like, I gotta go. I gotta do around the a f C and forty eight minutes. I mean, we can we be sponsored by better help or what like? We do need some got that right alright? On Wednesday our next show, Steve Weisch will join us to go around the NFC, so hopefully he can take You think he'll pick the Rams to like win the Super Bowl. We're going to say looking forward to I mean he can say we when it comes to the Falcons because he was on their proper probably not going to win the Super Bowl. Nice, I think it's the bad. Will the NFC South be first on the list of teams? Grave, Digger, I think we should do it? Do it? Sure? All right, let's lead with the NFC South on Wednesday. We'll see if that happens. We'll try when the show starts, set on the list and then we'll talk a total chaos for Digger. All right. That's it. And by the way, as a reminder of NFL Fantasy is back, guys, did you know that? I mean, it makes sense, I do. We've got a draft on NFL Fantasy on the app nfl dot com with children involved. Mackie wet Selene, Chris's nephew is in the league. My kids are in the league. Coming up Wednesday. US Fantasy wasn't coming back. I think lead the show with that, um, so you know, do it. Do the fantasy. It's free, it's easy to play. Download the NFL Fantasy app today or sign up at Fantasy dot NFL dot com. That was all just off the top of my head. I just I knew that. The way of address, Yeah, well done. All right, let's go untill that hard. Yeah, I mean, it's just something that's right there dot com and then click on the fantasy link to do it. There's different methods, but they all point to the same