Speaker 1: Be around the NFL podcast. This whole arrangement is absurd.
Speaker 1: From the Chris Wesley podcast studio, it's around the NFL.
Speaker 1: I'm Dan Hansas. There are heroes in this room with me,
Speaker 1: Greg roseal Mark Sessler. Now that I've set the table,
Speaker 1: we will talk about professional football for the next hour
Speaker 1: or so. Well, you know, it's like we settle into
Speaker 1: these routines throughout the week. Every Tuesday is kind of
Speaker 1: the same Tuesday. And I think the way you just
Speaker 1: started this podcast is a fresh approach. It's going to
Speaker 1: breathe new life into this podcast. In particular, that would
Speaker 1: have out of that routine, that would have been valuable
Speaker 1: at any of that that came out of your mouth.
Speaker 1: N sincere on any level, grip, but it's true that
Speaker 1: was a different It woke me up. I'll decide. Why
Speaker 1: was you know, sending an email about you know, some
Speaker 1: holiday party drama and um, Dan, I was like, Oh,
Speaker 1: what's where's the end going with this? I gotta pay
Speaker 1: it engine. I like, good, do you think? Do you
Speaker 1: think this is still a good podcast? Like, where do
Speaker 1: you guys come down on it? Actually, you guys are
Speaker 1: probably too clearly hit the sec definition good podcast. I
Speaker 1: think it is one of the best. And actually, that's
Speaker 1: funny you asked. This actually wasn't a set up. I
Speaker 1: got a message this morning from some Shadowy League figures
Speaker 1: and apparently around the NFL made pod tracks top twenty
Speaker 1: industry agnostic podcast rating rankings for the month of November.
Speaker 1: What religion are you? Oh, I'm industry agnostic? What is
Speaker 1: that like? The podcast? It's podcasts and we the Daily
Speaker 1: the New York Times and number one nprs two our
Speaker 1: number sixteen out of twenty. That is huge. And that
Speaker 1: came from a Shadowy League fire because I've always been
Speaker 1: under the impression that none of the Shadowy League figures
Speaker 1: are aware that this is a podcast, that this exists.
Speaker 1: But now they've got the you got the I Heart
Speaker 1: deal right, well, we don't got the higher Its some
Speaker 1: mad money flowing in and then they're like, huh, these
Speaker 1: boys are playing with the big hitters. Yeah, producers see
Speaker 1: And I'll go ahead, Mark, Well, would you have told
Speaker 1: us that had Dan not prompted you? Actually, yeah, I
Speaker 1: was going to tell you after that. I'm just sitting
Speaker 1: it seems like important addition. I've often you know, back
Speaker 1: in the day, this bothered. I remember West at the time,
Speaker 1: I think you guys too. I was saying, like, we're
Speaker 1: the big bang theory of podcasts. Not critically popular and um,
Speaker 1: but just huge numbers, you know, the money. We're coasting
Speaker 1: along and like, and we're doing great. We're in season nine.
Speaker 1: The only thing is we're not making six million dollars
Speaker 1: an episode like all those actors. But uh, I was
Speaker 1: gonna say, enough of the naval gazing, but I did.
Speaker 1: One thing I did want to talk about is Spotify releases. It's,
Speaker 1: you know, all the breakdown of your listening habits, and
Speaker 1: as happens every year, wrapped the wrapped very you know
Speaker 1: much welcomed all the fans that step up and send
Speaker 1: screen grabs that the top podcast was around the NFL
Speaker 1: podcast And so I want to give it a shout
Speaker 1: out to like guys like and gals. But this is
Speaker 1: a guy, Declan mulve the Hill who listened to one
Speaker 1: hundred episodes for a total of six thousand, five and
Speaker 1: sixty seven minutes, and then like, okay, that's good, good
Speaker 1: job dec in a big spot. But then there's Jim
Speaker 1: Lorigan who listened to a hundred and seven episodes for
Speaker 1: a total of seven thousand, sixty one minutes. And that's
Speaker 1: pretty crazy, but it's not as good as Nick Lanza,
Speaker 1: who I don't know. If anybody beats Nick this year,
Speaker 1: try to top Nick, please if you're out there. According
Speaker 1: to this screen grab, Nick listened to five hundred and
Speaker 1: five episodes for a total of twenty nine thousand and
Speaker 1: thirty eight minutes. Nick probably single, Uh, Nick, definitely loyal,
Speaker 1: and it's it's a UM it is a trend or
Speaker 1: it is something that people do connected to our show Mark,
Speaker 1: which is they re listen to pass seasons just to
Speaker 1: kind of follow the sport through the years. Of course
Speaker 1: that also get you back to Chris Westling, and that's
Speaker 1: a great element of this. People listen from two two
Speaker 1: onward and catch up to the show, and that's obviously
Speaker 1: something Nick did. There are there are tons of deep
Speaker 1: gems in the past. UM. I find it interesting because
Speaker 1: I can't remember what we talked about on Sunday Night
Speaker 1: at this point. With the way this thing works, UM,
Speaker 1: if any of them are attached to uh significant others
Speaker 1: or burgeoning significant others, um, they'll be probably very annoyed
Speaker 1: with the individuals you just mentioned. There's a lot of
Speaker 1: time going in other directions, but I find them to
Speaker 1: be delightful habits to be delighted. It's amazing, especially this year.
Speaker 1: I mean, we'll never have a year like this year
Speaker 1: that everyone stuck with us. I don't know, I know
Speaker 1: it was like a lot of people found it hard
Speaker 1: to stick with us after Chris died, and I totally
Speaker 1: understand that it's hard to keep keep going. Doing the
Speaker 1: numbers though, of what Nick did, that equals twenty days,
Speaker 1: well twenty days of his year, and that's not counting sleep.
Speaker 1: So if you you know, throw in eight hours of
Speaker 1: sleep here, that's basically spent a month of his year
Speaker 1: listening to her podcast. To answer your question, if anyone
Speaker 1: can top that, send it to us. Um. And if
Speaker 1: you can't, I think, um, I think Nick deserves something. Nick.
Speaker 1: I'm sorry if someone tops you, you didn't, you didn't
Speaker 1: get anything. Reach out to Ricky Hollywood on Twitter, Ricky
Speaker 1: Dumbean series, UM on d M and uh, however you
Speaker 1: want to connect and we got to send something. Yeah,
Speaker 1: for sure, listener there And if you're declin, sorry you
Speaker 1: you you got mentioned, but you're not getting a gift
Speaker 1: or anything. So I was just gonna, you know, to
Speaker 1: circle back. You asked if this is a good show,
Speaker 1: A good show, good show, and um jet was brought
Speaker 1: up something that you guys mentioned on like the last
Speaker 1: you know Tuesday show. Who's driving to take finals at
Speaker 1: usc and is on all her stress is actually listening.
Speaker 1: I didn't even know she listened to a t N
Speaker 1: and she likes to be close to you guys, and
Speaker 1: she prefers Tuesday shows. It's just a little bit less.
Speaker 1: But I didn't even know that. I didn't even know that.
Speaker 1: She's full of surprises. I love that jet. Yeah, I
Speaker 1: love that jet. Keeper keep, She's a real keeper. Anyway,
Speaker 1: Thank you to everybody. Don't up. Yeah, I would say
Speaker 1: that would be we regret boulevard. Yeah, there's no coming
Speaker 1: back from that. I'll bring that that plane in for
Speaker 1: a landing. Bregg continues just to type, like, what do
Speaker 1: you is it a novella you're working on over here
Speaker 1: while we're staging an actual show. Greg totally unplugs, staring
Speaker 1: at his wait. Greg's involved in my life. Alright, good stuff,
Speaker 1: Let's get into the show. We're going to preview Thursday
Speaker 1: night Football Week four teen right around the Corner and
Speaker 1: it starts with a real great game borderline, not quite
Speaker 1: but kind of in that realm loser goes home match
Speaker 1: between the Steelers and Vikings at US Bank Stadium. Um,
Speaker 1: we will preview that game. Also, an old friend that
Speaker 1: we haven't had on the show in a while. We've tried,
Speaker 1: but she's tough to book, but we got her this time.
Speaker 1: Jane Slater Cowboys Corner with James later check in on
Speaker 1: America's team where they're at as the season enters the
Speaker 1: home stretch. But before any of that, we got to
Speaker 1: close the door on week thir team and to do
Speaker 1: that we talk Bills. Patriots. Cost comes to an earside
Speaker 1: for Harris runs He's gone to the fifty first to
Speaker 1: the Hello to the twenty David Harris to the house,
Speaker 1: touchdown Patriots mom soch with call w e G. Little
Speaker 1: Black cumbling in the background somewhere. Damien Harris takes it
Speaker 1: all the way. It was the biggest play of the
Speaker 1: biggest win of the year for the New England Patriots,
Speaker 1: who go up to Orchard Park and take out the
Speaker 1: Buffalo Bills four team to ten in one of those
Speaker 1: really weird fun primetime games. The weather absolutely a factor
Speaker 1: in this game, swirling winds, cold as hell, and it
Speaker 1: was the New England Patriots that came out on top.
Speaker 1: Mark Sessler, I know you love this. Mac Jones finished
Speaker 1: the day with three pass attempts. They ran the ball
Speaker 1: forty six times, the Patriots, and they get it done.
Speaker 1: I adored it on deep levels. Um, I don't think
Speaker 1: this happens without a coach like Bill Belichick, who is
Speaker 1: just leaning on decades and decades and decades of experience
Speaker 1: and total buy in. During the week, while we're all
Speaker 1: talking about like, will Matt Jones shine in the moment
Speaker 1: against this Bill's defense? Will he make the throws we're
Speaker 1: expecting him to make, Yeah, he'll make three of them.
Speaker 1: And meanwhile we're gonna bludgeon a defense that's been overpraised,
Speaker 1: that was blashed by the Cults a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 1: On the ground they weren't afraid of the Buffalo Bills defense.
Speaker 1: The New England Patriots were not afraid of the Buffaloes
Speaker 1: Bills offense. They did not waiver from their plan for
Speaker 1: one second. Um. They weren't marvelous on offense themselves. They
Speaker 1: did just enough. But I thought that the way they executed,
Speaker 1: the way that every player basically just said, we're gonna
Speaker 1: go in here and psychologically change the A F C
Speaker 1: East from the ground up. I mean, you had Sean
Speaker 1: McDermott coming out of this as testy as we've ever
Speaker 1: seen right here, because obviously the narrative narrative that formed
Speaker 1: during the game was Belichick has really cooked a special
Speaker 1: one up here, and I think certain elements of the
Speaker 1: Bills that rubbed them the wrong way. Let's listen to
Speaker 1: Sean McDermott a few shots broadcast. Did you very visibly
Speaker 1: frustrated and handmted, How would you just explain the psychological
Speaker 1: component of coaching against Bill Knowledgchick, especially when he's doing
Speaker 1: something like that. Yeah, it's not the let's not give
Speaker 1: more credit than we need to give credit to Bill Belichick,
Speaker 1: And this one it was um, whether it's Bill or
Speaker 1: anybody else, they beat us, right. But you sit here
Speaker 1: and you tell me when they start with the average
Speaker 1: starting when we start with average starting field position in
Speaker 1: the forty yard line and he starts with the twenty
Speaker 1: three yard line, and I'm rounding up in both cases,
Speaker 1: and we were one for four in the red zone.
Speaker 1: And they're all for one in the red zone. You
Speaker 1: give me that ahead, and I'm sorry. I like my chances.
Speaker 1: I like my chances. I would just I'll ask this
Speaker 1: to you. I mean, I get what he's saying to
Speaker 1: some degree, but aren't they also telling on themselves a
Speaker 1: little bit. They did a better field position, they did
Speaker 1: get into the rend zone, they failed where the Patriots succeeded.
Speaker 1: I mean, this, to me was about as big a
Speaker 1: loss as the Bills could have dealt with this season
Speaker 1: so far. I mean, those comments to me were so
Speaker 1: telling because they made no sense. I didn't know what
Speaker 1: he was saying. What was what was he saying? That
Speaker 1: we were putting great, you know, situations all night and
Speaker 1: we kept blowing it. He seemed to be pointing his
Speaker 1: finger at Brian Dable, the offensive coordinator, with those comments,
Speaker 1: and throughout that press conference talking about that they're not
Speaker 1: a physical football team. Sean McDermott hates this. When he
Speaker 1: came to Buffalo, the last thing he wanted was to
Speaker 1: be the team that can't run it in a game
Speaker 1: like this, and so I really take that from this
Speaker 1: game that going into this Bucks game, that the Bills
Speaker 1: are gonna have like McDermott is really stressing how much
Speaker 1: he wants to run the ball more and be a
Speaker 1: physical team. He hates that it's getting pointed at his
Speaker 1: defense when they only gave up two forty one yards.
Speaker 1: But to me, like that is a legitimate takeaway. I
Speaker 1: watched most of this game thinking like this is fun,
Speaker 1: but it means it kind of means nothing. It's not
Speaker 1: really football like it is, and it isn't. It's like
Speaker 1: they had to take advantage of the situation that was there,
Speaker 1: but it's not a situation we almost ever see. I mean,
Speaker 1: there's a reason why Bill Belichick has never done this before.
Speaker 1: He's never had conditions to face like this before, And
Speaker 1: so it didn't tell me that much about like can
Speaker 1: the Bills win in good weather, in a normal weather
Speaker 1: situation in the postseason. But the Patriots have the type
Speaker 1: of team that are built for almost anything. And they
Speaker 1: did six offensive linemen all game, and they had the
Speaker 1: fullback all game, and they made the Bills put three
Speaker 1: linebackers on the field all game and it kind of worked.
Speaker 1: And if the Bill's offense was any good, then they
Speaker 1: would have thrown more. I think that's what people lost
Speaker 1: in it. Was that if the if Belichick was ever
Speaker 1: worried about the Bills scoring, they would have started throwing,
Speaker 1: which is why they threw a little bit at the
Speaker 1: end of the game. So let me attempt to, in
Speaker 1: my opinion, translate with Sean mcderwood said, I think it
Speaker 1: rubbed him the wrong way, and it rubbed a lot
Speaker 1: of the players in the Bills the wrong way. After
Speaker 1: the game, there was an interview between Micah hyde Um
Speaker 1: and Jordan Poyer were a Patriots beat reporter asked them
Speaker 1: if they were embarrassed to lose a game in which
Speaker 1: the other team only through three times, and they're like, wait, what,
Speaker 1: we lost fourteen to ten. I think what Sean McDermott
Speaker 1: was saying basically was, dude, look at look at the game.
Speaker 1: I know you're framing this as I was. I had
Speaker 1: um circles coached around me by the legend Bill Belichick.
Speaker 1: But we won the field position battle. We were knocking
Speaker 1: on the door repeatedly in the red zone with a
Speaker 1: chance to win the game, and we lost. And that's
Speaker 1: why I agree with you. I think he's maybe Brian Dable.
Speaker 1: I think Josh Allen too. Josh Allen missing throws that
Speaker 1: would have changed the trajectory of their season. Uh down
Speaker 1: in the red zone, making bad decisions, taking bad sacks,
Speaker 1: things that weren't happening in I think his frustration was
Speaker 1: he sees the way the game was being presented to
Speaker 1: the public as Belichick beats McDermott and outthinks everyone we're
Speaker 1: really his frustration was we didn't execute. We were in
Speaker 1: possession to position to win, and we failed. And my
Speaker 1: thought on the Patriots, like they deserve a ton of
Speaker 1: credit for winning this game, is Tom Brady's gone and
Speaker 1: they still find ways to win games like this because
Speaker 1: there's they They continue to be a really well coached,
Speaker 1: well prepared, UH innovative thinking organization. And I do I
Speaker 1: do say, I am very happy that Tom Brady is
Speaker 1: not there because that's why they won. They went to
Speaker 1: the Super Bowl nine times and won six or seven
Speaker 1: of them, whatever it was, because you took this this
Speaker 1: Brady player was unbelievable, and this coaching staff, which is
Speaker 1: unbelievably put them together and that was once in a
Speaker 1: hundred years. I I think I heard you say it
Speaker 1: doesn't mean anything or you don't take anything away about it.
Speaker 1: I'm not saying that like if and disagree more if
Speaker 1: if the Patriots had one or a lot like it
Speaker 1: was a fun game, but I think going into it
Speaker 1: and watching it, I think it's dangerous to take huge
Speaker 1: sweeping conclusions. First of all, it's a close game. You
Speaker 1: know it could have gone either way. But my thing is, like,
Speaker 1: there were how many games, two hundred games played this year?
Speaker 1: None of them were in conditions like this. This isn't
Speaker 1: this is football because you have to adapt, but it
Speaker 1: also is not something that I think it is that
Speaker 1: meaningful for when they play again in a couple of
Speaker 1: weeks necessarily, or like when the Bills are in the playoffs.
Speaker 1: It's it was a total flukey fun, like we gotta
Speaker 1: figure this out. Like intellectually, I was very entertained, but
Speaker 1: it's also kind of like not football. If you can't
Speaker 1: do a forward pass in the years any twenty, I
Speaker 1: just I don't know. I guess I just look at
Speaker 1: it differently that there's one football team I know of
Speaker 1: that would have ever come up with this concept in
Speaker 1: this and that's what made that's what that's so that
Speaker 1: means something to me because the next time they get
Speaker 1: together and everyone's gonna say, throw out that game because
Speaker 1: of the weather or whatever. Well, it's like you're still
Speaker 1: going to be dealing with the fact that Sean McDermott
Speaker 1: can be saying a couple of things in that in
Speaker 1: that press conference, but one of them is that the
Speaker 1: Belichick Patriots dark cloud that they thought that they had
Speaker 1: swept away is back, and I think it is extremely
Speaker 1: frustrated to the Bills, who are what one in four
Speaker 1: in their last one in their last bunch of games.
Speaker 1: I mean, they are going in the wrong direction, and
Speaker 1: the Patriots are peaking. No one saw this coming two
Speaker 1: months ago, right they they they made the miss. Like
Speaker 1: expectations are so hard in the NFL. I think the
Speaker 1: Browns are finding that the Bills are finding that. That's
Speaker 1: why I give the packers under my floor a lot
Speaker 1: of credit. The hardest thing to do is be very
Speaker 1: good year after year, and you can almost see them
Speaker 1: feeling that heat. Um, but I love that. My Day
Speaker 1: Night Football Crew recounted a conversation they had with Belichick
Speaker 1: about like the difference between this Patriots team and last year,
Speaker 1: and he was like, better players. It's like that is
Speaker 1: the main difference, Like Damien Harris pops that, so that
Speaker 1: they can play this style of game where they're playing
Speaker 1: with the lead and don't have to be risky. They've
Speaker 1: got Juden and Barmore on on the In terms of
Speaker 1: the pass whorus they pressured Josh Allen of the time,
Speaker 1: he didn't complete a pass when he was pressured in
Speaker 1: this game, I thought Alan played really well. Like he
Speaker 1: showed I disagreed with you a little bit. I think
Speaker 1: he showed the difference of like what the strongest arm
Speaker 1: in the league could do. If Diggs catches that touchdown
Speaker 1: past the Dawson Knox doesn't play a terrible game, they
Speaker 1: don't fumble in the plus territory. Allen did about as
Speaker 1: well as I think a quarterback could have done in
Speaker 1: that area. You thought he handled the end of that
Speaker 1: game well, and those two runs on drives, that's money time,
Speaker 1: and he did not make the plays he got, calling
Speaker 1: time outs, taking sacks, missing receiver. But that's it's also
Speaker 1: the time outs were on McDermott, and that's where McDermott
Speaker 1: has to own up to. I blew two time outs,
Speaker 1: one with an emotional challenge which was a waste, and
Speaker 1: another one I didn't get the play and in time
Speaker 1: to Josh Allen or not having my quarterback prepared with
Speaker 1: the play uh to call. Not only that, I love
Speaker 1: that the Mannings pointed out when the Patriots had a
Speaker 1: third and long setting up their last field goal, the
Speaker 1: whole point of the play was to put their kicker
Speaker 1: on the on the correct hash. That was not what
Speaker 1: the Bills did on their last third and long at all,
Speaker 1: and the wind ended up hooking it. But all these
Speaker 1: things are the difference between the Patriots coaching staff and sorry,
Speaker 1: every other coaching staff. Yeah. I'm not arguing that, I know,
Speaker 1: but when this whole idea of like, oh, you know,
Speaker 1: let's not put it on Bill Belichick, well I do
Speaker 1: put it on Bill Belichick. I think if they gone
Speaker 1: and faced the Cults are a different team that last night,
Speaker 1: that it's another team that we try to do the
Speaker 1: same thing they always do. The Bills essentially try to
Speaker 1: just be who they are the Patriots like we're gonna
Speaker 1: be something totally different. Yet, and yet the if the
Speaker 1: Bills execute better in the red zone, they win the game.
Speaker 1: Probably because I think the Mars created a very small mare.
Speaker 1: There's only one play that I can think of where
Speaker 1: where that makes sense to me, and that was Zack
Speaker 1: Moss on the first red zone drive when they're inside
Speaker 1: the ten. He's got the entire outside and they haven't
Speaker 1: been playing Zach Moss because the mistakes like this all year,
Speaker 1: Like there was a touchdown there to be run, like
Speaker 1: if vermondre Stevenson got that ball, he's going around the
Speaker 1: edge and he's scoring a touchdown and Moss just runs
Speaker 1: straight into the line and misses it. But I can't
Speaker 1: think of another play where it's just like the Patriots
Speaker 1: players beat them, including the last play where Belichick goes
Speaker 1: incredibly aggressive and go and cover zero in that situation
Speaker 1: and Miles Bryant makes a really great read to break
Speaker 1: up that past. Now, the throw probably wasn't getting there anyways,
Speaker 1: but I was like, Wow, that was their offensive line
Speaker 1: beat Buffalo's line all night long. If you're looking for someone,
Speaker 1: I mean, they just went in and they they dropped
Speaker 1: a bomb on them line, and I will I'll say this,
Speaker 1: we got a rematch, And I think maybe this speaks
Speaker 1: to a little bit what you were saying. Right, They
Speaker 1: have a rematch coming up in two weeks, and I
Speaker 1: do look forward to as fun as that was in
Speaker 1: the crazy conditions in a primetime game and everybody's enjoying
Speaker 1: it together on social media, and you know, the Mannings
Speaker 1: are digging on it like I would like to see it.
Speaker 1: I want to see mac Jones involved in the game.
Speaker 1: I want to see the Bills able to run their offense.
Speaker 1: I want to see these two teams kind of be
Speaker 1: able to play a normal football game. Uh. And that's
Speaker 1: why it's good they have a second matchup. This division
Speaker 1: race is not over. I know it feels over now,
Speaker 1: but I don't think it is. But at the same time,
Speaker 1: the Bills, hey, gut check time. But because before they
Speaker 1: get the Pats, they get the Bucks and they are
Speaker 1: seven and five right now, so all of a sudden
Speaker 1: that it is really this is crucible time for the Bills.
Speaker 1: I have a two truths in a lie coming out
Speaker 1: of this game. You don't have to even answer. I
Speaker 1: just want you to think about it. In fact, don't answer.
Speaker 1: We have to agree or disagree. You don't have These
Speaker 1: are three items are the opinions three items? Two of
Speaker 1: them I consider to be truths, not a truth. You
Speaker 1: don't even have to respond. Item number one, the Bills
Speaker 1: are doomed. Just sit on it. Item number two. Everyone
Speaker 1: is doomed. Item number three, I have a twenty five
Speaker 1: year old daughter. One of those is not accurate. The
Speaker 1: other two are deadly accurate. Well, I know you have
Speaker 1: a year old, all right, So I don't know that
Speaker 1: that's true. I think everyone is doomed, is the lie,
Speaker 1: because everyone includes the entire world. I'm not I'm not
Speaker 1: putting us in there, like we'll all die eventually, But
Speaker 1: that doesn't mean doomed. I think the fact that you
Speaker 1: can have a lot of joy and happiness on the
Speaker 1: way there. I don't consider everyone. So we've agreed the
Speaker 1: bills are doomed. Ricky, do you agree with that? If
Speaker 1: you're listening, I'm I I just yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1: The bills dropped down to seven seventh seed, like they
Speaker 1: have a lot of ground to make. There's one thing
Speaker 1: I know is to be sure about anything in the
Speaker 1: a f C. That's that's a good place. I tried
Speaker 1: it last week and it went really well. So here
Speaker 1: we are again, all right, So that's Monday night football.
Speaker 1: That was fun. Let's uh, it was fun. That was cool.
Speaker 1: I I do love weird weather. When the flag on
Speaker 1: top of the upright disappeared as I go it's about
Speaker 1: it's about to get nuts. It's about to get Yeah.
Speaker 1: Its like added juice and took juice out at the
Speaker 1: same right. That's why it's good that we're gonna get
Speaker 1: another matchup and hopefully the New England weather cooperates, but
Speaker 1: who knows. All right, let's take a break and then
Speaker 1: Jane's later on the Cowboys. Alright, time for a guest,
Speaker 1: and it's a good one. It's our friend. We've been
Speaker 1: working with her for a long time though, and now
Speaker 1: she's back on the podcast, Jane Slater, who's all over
Speaker 1: the Cowboys. Cowboys corner I call it with Jane Slater.
Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Around the NFL Podcast. Jay, I
Speaker 1: long for our day sitting pool side and talking football.
Speaker 1: And I've got a little bit of fomo knowing that
Speaker 1: you guys are gonna be at the Christmas party and
Speaker 1: I can't. So if you guys could just space time
Speaker 1: me and that'd be awesome, all right, we could bring
Speaker 1: it in on that, we absolutely can. So, Jane, we're
Speaker 1: trying to make sense of the Cowboys right now, and
Speaker 1: I know they so they get the job done on
Speaker 1: Thursday night in New Orleans, and that's a Aint team
Speaker 1: that's got all sorts of problems. Their defense got it
Speaker 1: done in the third fourth quarter there, so you snapped
Speaker 1: the losing streak. But do you get the sense right
Speaker 1: now that the Cowboys are on a good trajectory or
Speaker 1: is this as still a searching team that's a little
Speaker 1: bit of trouble as we hit the home stretch. You know,
Speaker 1: I do a podcast with a bunch of the Beat
Speaker 1: writers up at the Star once a week, and I
Speaker 1: found myself arguing with Steve Dennis, the moderator, because this
Speaker 1: topic came up, and I was defending the Cowboys based
Speaker 1: on their body of work during that six and one stretch.
Speaker 1: They beat the Chargers on the road. Of course, they
Speaker 1: almost had to win against Tampa Bay and Tom Brady uh,
Speaker 1: and I thought that there was some convincing signs that
Speaker 1: this team was equipped for a postseason run. And then
Speaker 1: they sort of after Da got injured, and then they
Speaker 1: lost to Mary for two games, and then to see
Speaker 1: them play in that Saints game that you just referenced,
Speaker 1: the Saints didn't have their two starting defense events they're
Speaker 1: two starting tackles. They didn't have Alvin Kimbera, and they
Speaker 1: had Taysom Hill, who's been dealing with planner fasciitis and
Speaker 1: how to play four quarters. Yea. And they kept the
Speaker 1: door open for the Saints heading into the second half.
Speaker 1: Now they were able to get Tony Pollard going that
Speaker 1: fifty or touchdown, And of course there was that one
Speaker 1: ref call that the NFL admitted they sort of messed up.
Speaker 1: And if you talk to the Saints, that took the
Speaker 1: steam out of what they were doing. But I look
Speaker 1: at that Raiders overtime loss, the Broncos loss. They're a
Speaker 1: confusing team. But I gotta tell you, guys, if you
Speaker 1: look at the Rams and the way they've been playing,
Speaker 1: or you look at the Tampa Bay Bucks, I don't
Speaker 1: know what to make of this team or the NFC
Speaker 1: right now. So the Cowboys are getting a lot of
Speaker 1: pieces back of the defensive side of the ball. And
Speaker 1: I really appreciated dan Quinn's answer saying that if you
Speaker 1: had told me we'd be sitting here at eight and
Speaker 1: four in December without DeMarcus Lawrence not having Randy Gregory
Speaker 1: for a couple of games, um, he would have said,
Speaker 1: oh wow. And essentially, now this is cool. These guys
Speaker 1: have been battle tested they're getting reinforcements back, and then
Speaker 1: they're playing a really weak NFC East here three of
Speaker 1: their four games this month, so there's an opportunity there.
Speaker 1: But I would also submit look at the way Washington
Speaker 1: has been playing. They're only two games back. The defense
Speaker 1: be Tampa Bay Bucks two two hundred seventy three yards
Speaker 1: picked him off twice. Then you see what they did
Speaker 1: against the Raiders. She saw what they did against Seattle.
Speaker 1: You saw what they get against the Panthers. This is
Speaker 1: gonna be an interesting month for the NFC East. And
Speaker 1: I gotta tell you, I don't know what to make
Speaker 1: it as Cowboys team right now. They've got the talent,
Speaker 1: they've got the pieces, but for whatever reason, just the
Speaker 1: rhythm has been off. And if you got you, guys,
Speaker 1: I'd be curious your thoughts, because you're not as myopic
Speaker 1: as I am. What did you think of this offense
Speaker 1: and the way it played against the Saints? Well, I
Speaker 1: think you know you're pointing out and everyone following the
Speaker 1: Cowboys is sort of wondering what's happened to them since
Speaker 1: Dad came back. But there's reasons for it. And now
Speaker 1: all these offenses around the league are going through ebb
Speaker 1: and flow and some slumps. I mean, the defense, if anything,
Speaker 1: has been a huge bright point coming off of last year,
Speaker 1: and Dan Quinn has made that a reliable part of
Speaker 1: the team. I would ask it this way, like Kellen
Speaker 1: Moore's offense in general, and you can throw out last
Speaker 1: year if you want um. But they get three years
Speaker 1: in a row off to very hot starts, and three
Speaker 1: years in a row they said they tend to kind
Speaker 1: of I wouldn't say flat line, but they lose some
Speaker 1: of their star power that makes you think they're that explosive.
Speaker 1: Is it a Kelly? Is there anything about the Kellen
Speaker 1: Moore offense it has is contributing to what we're seeing.
Speaker 1: I'd love to have our research department look into this
Speaker 1: and I and I might because it might be hard
Speaker 1: to quantify and qualify. But I think about the offenses
Speaker 1: and how hot they were, but when they started to
Speaker 1: lose steam was when we started having problems with the
Speaker 1: offensive line. Think about Travis Frederick, we had Yon Barrey syndrome. Uh.
Speaker 1: When I think about Zack Martin when he wasn't there
Speaker 1: with COVID, When I think about LEL Collins who had
Speaker 1: the suspension when I think about Tyren Smith, who has
Speaker 1: had injuries pop up. Everyone wants to point to that
Speaker 1: offense that was predicated around the run. Well, it was
Speaker 1: easy to run the ball when you had the Great
Speaker 1: Wall of Dallas. They haven't really had that. And they've
Speaker 1: also been playing with that offensive line a lot, which
Speaker 1: we joke about around here because when we brought up
Speaker 1: the notion was it last year and this year? I
Speaker 1: can't remember. It's all blending together, Uh, the notion of
Speaker 1: the best starting five, and it was Mike McCarthy said,
Speaker 1: we can't play fantasy football. Consistency is key. They haven't
Speaker 1: had a lot of consistency on that offensive line to share,
Speaker 1: and in fact, they've been tinkering with things not only
Speaker 1: during series or in game, but throughout the year, and
Speaker 1: so I think they're trying to figure out what to
Speaker 1: do with that left side and Connor Williams, I'm just
Speaker 1: not so sure that some of these games are the
Speaker 1: place to do it. It's like I always have a
Speaker 1: theory with the Cowboys that they stink in the years
Speaker 1: that they're coming off good years because it's like they're
Speaker 1: just such first of all, their ownership like tells them
Speaker 1: how great they are all off season. They're like their celebrities.
Speaker 1: I think in a way in Dallas that almost no
Speaker 1: NFL team um is in their hometown down and they
Speaker 1: just come out the next year and they're like always disappointed.
Speaker 1: I almost wonder if that happened halfway through this season,
Speaker 1: because Jerry Jones started talking about like like there, this
Speaker 1: is the greatest team ever. And I have this vision
Speaker 1: of the Cowboys, who to me, on paper are actually
Speaker 1: the best team in the NFC. And I still and
Speaker 1: they're actually healthier now than almost any of the other
Speaker 1: NFC teams, and they're they're gonna have everything in place
Speaker 1: for the next five games. It's in front of them.
Speaker 1: But the Cowboys team that's in my mind is the
Speaker 1: one that destroyed the Eagles and the Panthers, and that
Speaker 1: was like two months ago. Now, like they gotta start
Speaker 1: showing up. Do you think they almost started buying their
Speaker 1: own Jerry Jones? What's the analogy and dating that every
Speaker 1: time man says he's starry, you start to love him less.
Speaker 1: I feel like that's the Cowboys like fan base. It's
Speaker 1: like every year like we're gonna come back next year,
Speaker 1: and it's like I've noticed I mean, my father is
Speaker 1: literally he carries the flag for this. He's the type
Speaker 1: of guy that literally starts the first quarter with the
Speaker 1: cowboy flag flag play, you know, flying in the front yard,
Speaker 1: and then he takes it down. Not dissimilar to what
Speaker 1: happens with the Texas Longhorns. But I think the reason
Speaker 1: why people were so um high on the Hog this
Speaker 1: year was because of how bad this team was last year.
Speaker 1: I kept saying, if they got the middle of the
Speaker 1: pack defense, this team could be special. Given what they
Speaker 1: had on offense, I mean, they have an embarrassment of
Speaker 1: riches when you look at their three wide receivers. Not
Speaker 1: to mention, you've had guys like Centric Wilson, Maurice Kennedy
Speaker 1: who have sort of come out of nowhere that are
Speaker 1: receiving threats. You've got Tony Pollard that can give you
Speaker 1: the burse for fifty yard touchdown. You haven't got much
Speaker 1: play out of your tight ends. That's fair, um, But
Speaker 1: when you look around the league, what other teams have
Speaker 1: that many weapons in the NFC, and there's in they're
Speaker 1: all back, the old lines back. It's healthy. Like the
Speaker 1: weapons are back, they're healthy, and now the defense is
Speaker 1: back it's healthy, So show it to me. It's Washington twice,
Speaker 1: it's the Giants, it's the Cardinals, it's at Philadelphia. It's
Speaker 1: a very interesting, you know, division heavy sched you'll here,
Speaker 1: But to me, it's still all in front of them
Speaker 1: to go get that two or three seed. And I
Speaker 1: do believe that team kind of turn two or three.
Speaker 1: I just I keep thinking, if they had ten other
Speaker 1: deat Prescott's on that offensive side the ball, this team
Speaker 1: could really be special. And I'm not taking away anything
Speaker 1: from like the Zack Martin's of the world, or um,
Speaker 1: you know, the Tyrant Smiths or even Ezekiel And who's
Speaker 1: been battling through the right knew, which you could argue,
Speaker 1: is that the best thing that they should be doing
Speaker 1: right now is keeping I would have sat Zeke against
Speaker 1: the Saints personally kept in fresh for some of these
Speaker 1: divisial games, but that's above my pay grade. I'm just
Speaker 1: here to report. Um, it's just they just, for whatever reason,
Speaker 1: can't seem to put it all together. Although I would
Speaker 1: submit I don't think any of us expected them to
Speaker 1: be what the four seed right now and the NFC
Speaker 1: given what we saw last year, so I don't know,
Speaker 1: it's keep the expectations low and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I think you look at the schedule here, Jane, and
Speaker 1: it does look at I think because of the slump
Speaker 1: here and because of Green Bay, Arizona and Tampa to
Speaker 1: me being the clear class of the NFL, not just
Speaker 1: the NFC. Um. I think right now, it's like, all right,
Speaker 1: let's go tenant seven, let's win our division, let's get
Speaker 1: a home game in the playoffs, and hopefully things start
Speaker 1: clicking again. Um. Do you think And I know you
Speaker 1: said like eleven dacks in their set, so you don't
Speaker 1: put anything in like the splits of the calf injury.
Speaker 1: He comes back and and I know he made some
Speaker 1: real money throws, some brilliant throws against the Saints as well,
Speaker 1: but statistically and when you look at the offense as
Speaker 1: a whole, they haven't been the same since his return.
Speaker 1: Do you think he's been hindered at all physically since
Speaker 1: his return or is that a thing in the past.
Speaker 1: I mean, to your point, you could say that, but
Speaker 1: then you see some of the throws that he makes
Speaker 1: and some of the throws that he makes in the
Speaker 1: fourth quarter, and you're like this is not a guy
Speaker 1: that's feeling limited. I think, if anything, not having Michael
Speaker 1: Gallup for what was it five six weeks, not having
Speaker 1: a Marii Cooper for the two they've talked about this
Speaker 1: even coming into the Season's how you know it takes
Speaker 1: practice to get the timing right with some of your
Speaker 1: wide receivers, and I think it could be a combination
Speaker 1: of that and then also a combination of whether he'll
Speaker 1: admit it or not. You talk to any extreme athletes
Speaker 1: who play in a in a fairly dangerous game. Once
Speaker 1: fear enters your mind or there's that hesitation, you're not
Speaker 1: playing as loose or as free as you used to,
Speaker 1: and when you're coming off to pretty significant injuries. And
Speaker 1: again I don't think he'll ever admit this, and maybe
Speaker 1: it's not even conscious, but I just don't think that
Speaker 1: you're playing as wild or loose out there as perhaps
Speaker 1: we've seen him in years past. And that's smart, by
Speaker 1: the way, like that's what the franchise wants you to do.
Speaker 1: But I do think it's a combination of the O
Speaker 1: line not having the wide receivers there this year, having
Speaker 1: Ezekiel Elliott who has been injured I think all of
Speaker 1: those things. Everyone wants a clear cut answer, but I
Speaker 1: think it's it's a combination of a few of those things.
Speaker 1: But I do think that this team, if they just
Speaker 1: get in a rhythm here again, they they are, to
Speaker 1: your point, I think one of the most talented rosters
Speaker 1: in the NFL. Now, can they be coached as well
Speaker 1: as some of these other teams, um and put it
Speaker 1: all together in order to make a run. I have
Speaker 1: a very quick question for you. You're in Dallas. You're
Speaker 1: a Dallas site. Um if that's the term Dallas debut tant?
Speaker 1: Last time, Um, you can give me a ballpark date
Speaker 1: on this last time you were at the Grassy Knoll?
Speaker 1: Maybe for drinks a picnic on the Grassy Knoll. When's
Speaker 1: the last time you were there? Okay? So this see,
Speaker 1: this is why I love coming on this show, Mark,
Speaker 1: because you speak to my soul and conspiracy theories and
Speaker 1: all sorts of fun. Fact. I live a block and
Speaker 1: a half away from the Grassy Knoll, suspicious and exactly.
Speaker 1: And my sister and I had just been to Chicago
Speaker 1: to visit my brother, and she dropped me off from
Speaker 1: the airport and she was like, where was Kennedy shot,
Speaker 1: and I'm like, you're kidding me, right, Like we've lived
Speaker 1: in the city our whole life, and so I said, literally,
Speaker 1: go a block and a half over and there's a
Speaker 1: big X in the middle of street. When I worked
Speaker 1: local news here, there was a big debate. They removed
Speaker 1: the X the next The X is actually where Kennedy
Speaker 1: was shot to signify where he actually was harmed. I
Speaker 1: don't want to get too graphic, even though I know
Speaker 1: you're really into that stuff. Mark um where he was
Speaker 1: shot before they went unto the bridge. But people stand
Speaker 1: in the middle of that street X marks the spot
Speaker 1: for a photographics morbid. It's like when Darren Ravel sent
Speaker 1: that video of his brains getting blown out and everyone
Speaker 1: was upset on Twitter that that that's how the import started.
Speaker 1: But I gotta tell you, I was. I was. I
Speaker 1: was disappointed that Q and On had this whole theory
Speaker 1: that JFK Jr. Was making his triumphant return to help
Speaker 1: the Republican Party, which was fascinating to me since totally
Speaker 1: legitimate to the to the three of us, to be honest,
Speaker 1: but JFK Jr. Is one of the main reasons I
Speaker 1: went to journalism school. In fact, I have a bunch
Speaker 1: of rare George magazine in my living room. I love him,
Speaker 1: and I almost put on my Sunday best and went
Speaker 1: down there just hoping that he'd come back for me.
Speaker 1: Well maybe, you know, I know it hasn't happened yet,
Speaker 1: but we don't have proof that it won't happen. Jane,
Speaker 1: thank you for joining us and uh and and men
Speaker 1: out there, single men out there. He'd what Jane says,
Speaker 1: never apologize for anything was because it actually makes you
Speaker 1: more unattractive to the woman. That's like the only thing
Speaker 1: I remember. I was just like burned into my head. Jane. Good, Um,
Speaker 1: all right there she goes Jane's later and by the way,
Speaker 1: blow blew his brains out. Do you need to be
Speaker 1: so great? Yeah? Great, that was an assassination. You took
Speaker 1: it to a place that was unnecessary. Well, I was
Speaker 1: trying to just put people in the minds of what
Speaker 1: that horrible morning on Twitter was like it was. It
Speaker 1: was something. It was still around. I haven't seen it
Speaker 1: happened recently. People talked about the anniversary of him doing this,
Speaker 1: and I think it was because I was to um
Speaker 1: impacted and saw this video that he put out there
Speaker 1: which I had never seen before. Um, and it was
Speaker 1: a lot at seven film. Essentially, you had never witnessed that. Well,
Speaker 1: if you if you're if you're getting cold cold with
Speaker 1: that on Twitter? That I had seen the I had
Speaker 1: seen the Natalie Portman movie, which does quite a graphic
Speaker 1: recreation of it. Well, it was a terrifying moment the
Speaker 1: history of the country. Right, But it's it's kind of
Speaker 1: like these videos of horrible things happening on Twitter, like
Speaker 1: you don't need to see him just you know, you
Speaker 1: don't need to watch it. Well, you know what happens, Dan,
Speaker 1: get us out of that. I will say, if you
Speaker 1: are ever in Dallas, Uh, the book to the Book
Speaker 1: Depository where Lee Harvey Ozald acted alone. By the way mark,
Speaker 1: they have turned that upper level into a museum. It's incredible.
Speaker 1: I went there with Gonzo. Actually, it's incredible. Yeah. And
Speaker 1: and it's not it's not it's not a morbid thing.
Speaker 1: It's a piece of American history. And you know it's
Speaker 1: it's worth check out, spending a couple of hours of
Speaker 1: your day. Um, all right, where are we exactly? All right,
Speaker 1: let's move on, let's hit break and then there's a
Speaker 1: night football. All right, thank you to Jane Slater. Let's
Speaker 1: now turn our attention to week fourteen, and to do that,
Speaker 1: we bring in our girl, Mrs Jonas. Ah, there she is,
Speaker 1: Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Get that hyphen in there. Yep. It
Speaker 1: is a double double last name situation. Sitch in a
Speaker 1: big spot, uh, and I hope that marriage stands the
Speaker 1: test of time. Now the Pittsburgh Steelers in Minnesota Vikings,
Speaker 1: WHOA it's kind of perfect, yeah, Mark, Mark thought this
Speaker 1: game wasn't gonna mean anything for one of the teams,
Speaker 1: and then the Steelers went and revitalized their season with
Speaker 1: a stunning come back against the Ravens. So they enter
Speaker 1: uh this game six five and one. They are in
Speaker 1: the thick of it in the a f C Wild
Speaker 1: Card rays. And then you have the Vikings, the Vikings
Speaker 1: who three weeks ago beat the Packers and then lost
Speaker 1: back to back games at San Francisco and then it
Speaker 1: almost impossibly possible at the same time if you knew
Speaker 1: this team to the Lions. So now they are in
Speaker 1: a essentially a must win situation for the Vikings. And
Speaker 1: I would say, Mark that the Vikings in a must
Speaker 1: win situation giving given their talent and what they've shown
Speaker 1: at times this season, makes me feel confident that they're
Speaker 1: gonna perform well on Thursday Night. But this is also
Speaker 1: now a different Vikings team than the one. For instance,
Speaker 1: that I looked at a couple of weeks ago and
Speaker 1: saw a high ceiling. There's no Dalblin Cook. Uh there,
Speaker 1: it's very it's very unlikely that you have Adam Feland
Speaker 1: who suffered a high ankle sprain so on a short week.
Speaker 1: I don't think he's coming back from that. So now
Speaker 1: you have an offense that's been compromised and a team
Speaker 1: in general that has to be a little traumatized after
Speaker 1: what's happened to them in recent weeks. Well they were
Speaker 1: they were, you know, toying with the darkest reality scenarios,
Speaker 1: and the losing to the Lions, which we think our
Speaker 1: show fairly called that is a realistic scenario, which just
Speaker 1: with the way they've been, Um, it happened, it's now
Speaker 1: you've got to deal with it. I like that they
Speaker 1: get Patrick Peterson back. Um, I think it's gonna be
Speaker 1: interesting to see what happens to Justin Jefferson in this
Speaker 1: game with dealing out I guess if you're Pittsburgh, you're thinking,
Speaker 1: we we try to do our best to remove him.
Speaker 1: Good luck with that. He has nine more twenty yard
Speaker 1: catches since than any other human being on the earth.
Speaker 1: But if you're Pittsburgh, the one thing I kind of
Speaker 1: want to see. I thought at the end of the
Speaker 1: Ravens game, they kind of just said, this offense that
Speaker 1: we've been, let's just kind of give it to Big Ben,
Speaker 1: open it up a little bit, try to have him
Speaker 1: make some throws. And it just seemed you got the
Speaker 1: more comfortable version of Big Ben there, and he looked
Speaker 1: better than me than he had another game. Is there
Speaker 1: any sustainability to that against this Vikings defense? Is there
Speaker 1: any identity shift that they want to cling to down
Speaker 1: the stretch because their offense has been mostly unwatchable, But
Speaker 1: that became the opposite a little bit against the Ravens,
Speaker 1: who were really banged up in the second days. But
Speaker 1: so are the that the Vikings are not. Rather, Patrick
Speaker 1: Peterson is returning. That's been the strength of their team
Speaker 1: is past rush, past defense. Uh, it sounds like Anthony
Speaker 1: Barrowby back, Eric Kendricks might be back. Like those three
Speaker 1: guys being out for Minnesota was huge, and I think
Speaker 1: the biggest injury for Minnesota and that Detroit game was
Speaker 1: they didn't have their left tackle, Christian Derrisaw, and so
Speaker 1: they they did the thing where they shuffled three different
Speaker 1: guys and it didn't seem like it worked. And now
Speaker 1: you gotta go up against t J. Watt, who is
Speaker 1: coming off a three and a half sack game where
Speaker 1: he was so disciplined with those rush lanes where he
Speaker 1: I think he put himself in front for Defensive Player
Speaker 1: of the Year. I give him a little bit of
Speaker 1: an edge, uh for career achievement too, because the last
Speaker 1: three years, to me, he's been the best edge rusher
Speaker 1: in the NFL, and he the Steelers go as he goes.
Speaker 1: I pointed out two weeks ago he was coming off
Speaker 1: an injury and he had his worst game of the
Speaker 1: season against the Chargers. He was backing in a big
Speaker 1: way and he's gonna get after Kirk Cousins. I think
Speaker 1: there'll be plenty of points in this game, I think.
Speaker 1: And it's funny because I wrote about in the Power
Speaker 1: Rings yesterday and then Big Ben came out today and said,
Speaker 1: this guy needs t J. Watt to be an m
Speaker 1: v P candidate, But we need to start looking at
Speaker 1: him in that way. And it actually not to give
Speaker 1: Ben too much credit, but it makes sense that this
Speaker 1: would be a year where a defensive player could get
Speaker 1: in the mix. It hasn't happened in thirty five years
Speaker 1: since LT and eighty six. But I think what especially
Speaker 1: sixteen sacks he is Uh, he needs to get to
Speaker 1: twenty two and a half to break that Food Gazze
Speaker 1: Stray hand record. And when you fact, when you think
Speaker 1: about the non quarterbacks in this sport, Uh, is there
Speaker 1: anyone that's important to their team who's as valuable to
Speaker 1: their team as t J. Watt is to Pittsburgh? No,
Speaker 1: because I would say that if you a couple of
Speaker 1: weeks ago, the sack leader was Myles Garrett and like
Speaker 1: Miles Gett is a star player. But t J. Watt
Speaker 1: has talked about the way that you talked about J. J.
Speaker 1: Watt and Lawrence Taylor back in the day. Because he's
Speaker 1: that focal central to the run to Greg, I'm with
Speaker 1: you that where he goes, they go right and he
Speaker 1: he makes such a difference in every play and that's
Speaker 1: gonna be a big mismatch up front, and yet I
Speaker 1: don't know about the whole like Ben throwing the ball
Speaker 1: deep down the field is the new idea there he
Speaker 1: he did look better. I thought that was his best game.
Speaker 1: I agree with you, Mark, And it makes sense because
Speaker 1: Deante Johnson Chase Claypool are the best two players on
Speaker 1: their offense. So why not just keep throwing up to
Speaker 1: him when it's when it's one on one. But Minnesota's
Speaker 1: had a way of doing pretty well against the past
Speaker 1: this year, and the way they've been kind of weak
Speaker 1: is is against the run. I I want to see
Speaker 1: what Justin Jefferson does here in this big spot like game.
Speaker 1: He is about to set the record for the most
Speaker 1: yards that any receivers had in NFL history through his
Speaker 1: first two years of the season. To me, he'd be
Speaker 1: right there behind Cooper Cup right now as Offensive Player
Speaker 1: of the Year. I'd still have Cup there for sure.
Speaker 1: Uh And Joe Hayden has been out for Pittsburgh And
Speaker 1: to me, that was the most surprising part of that game,
Speaker 1: was like Lamar and the Ravens could not make that count.
Speaker 1: They're they're playing guys that like a killer Weatherspoon as
Speaker 1: a starter and stuff that like the forty Niners cut
Speaker 1: like a couple of weeks ago, and they're just putting
Speaker 1: him picking the mop off the scrap heeople. Like you
Speaker 1: should be able to win some matchups on the outside
Speaker 1: if you're Minnesota, if Kirk Cousins is really a top
Speaker 1: ten quarterback, which I have him this year, like you
Speaker 1: should be able to make some hay here. I think
Speaker 1: Jefferson is in that very um elite club with Davante Adams,
Speaker 1: maybe Cooper Cup uh, where it really doesn't matter who's
Speaker 1: across from them on the field. They're gonna get their
Speaker 1: make impact plays at some point or if you're getting
Speaker 1: doubled or whatever, it's like he'll get his UM. So
Speaker 1: I think it's all setting up with like, Okay, it
Speaker 1: makes sense for this Pittsburgh team, uh you continue their rise.
Speaker 1: But at the same time, this also makes sense in
Speaker 1: a season that hasn't made sense for the Vikings for
Speaker 1: them to play really well here. Um, I would probably
Speaker 1: I'm gonna pick the Vikings as because at five and
Speaker 1: eight they're cooked and uh, I think they're gonna find
Speaker 1: a way to win. It would make sense to me,
Speaker 1: Like you, what was the game you looked at last week? Uh?
Speaker 1: I think it was charges bangles, Like, oh, it makes
Speaker 1: more sense if both these teams are seven and five.
Speaker 1: It makes sense to me that after this Thursday, and
Speaker 1: this is really analytical, but it checks out that the
Speaker 1: Vikings are six and seven and the Steelers are six,
Speaker 1: six and one, that makes more sense to me. It's
Speaker 1: what I want. I think that's what we're gonna get.
Speaker 1: So what I want and so what I'm rooting for.
Speaker 1: The Vikings are favored by three, and yet that the
Speaker 1: vibes and I know we're like leaning on last week
Speaker 1: a little much, but the vibes in Minnesota like it
Speaker 1: is on the it is on the precipice, the Vikings Twitter.
Speaker 1: I mean that losing to the Lions is just like
Speaker 1: the worst thing that can happen to you, and it
Speaker 1: is a home game. I don't know if that makes
Speaker 1: me feel better. Like if they're loose, seen by eight
Speaker 1: points here in the third or fourth quarter, like Kirk
Speaker 1: Cousins getting a little tight and Mike Zimmer getting a
Speaker 1: little tight and the crowd being against them and like
Speaker 1: and they're being like a firing after this game, like
Speaker 1: feels like it's at least on the tape, Like if
Speaker 1: you could go, like, if you could give me ten
Speaker 1: to one odds of that, like I would take that. Also,
Speaker 1: like if they lose by like twenty points in this
Speaker 1: game and Zimmer's not the coach next, it would have
Speaker 1: been a very rough three weeks for Zimmer. I'm just
Speaker 1: saying that this is these are nice Midwestern fans. They're
Speaker 1: gonna cheer the hell out of this. I don't think
Speaker 1: they're going to start hissing. And I think it's gonna
Speaker 1: be a home field advantage. I think that play is
Speaker 1: gonna be rock and I think it's one of the
Speaker 1: best home field advantages in the league. And I could
Speaker 1: I could just see Ben really struggling on the road
Speaker 1: in the spot. I I feel pretty good about it.
Speaker 1: I'll go Vikings, uh two Steelers nineteen and overtime. They're done.
Speaker 1: And by the way, we are four games away from
Speaker 1: and we thought this would be a mythical thing that
Speaker 1: would take years to happen, and maybe it will. But
Speaker 1: an eight eight and one team the Steelers are perfect
Speaker 1: to become that I would enjoy to see that. Alright,
Speaker 1: very good. That is Thursday night football, Mark and I
Speaker 1: will handle that recap together. Two hander as they called
Speaker 1: industry talk. They're back together industry parlance. You know, you
Speaker 1: know we had to you know, there were some things
Speaker 1: to negotiate, but we're good. Right. It's like Mike and
Speaker 1: the Mad Dog when I got to the point where
Speaker 1: matt Dog wasn't invited to for incesss wed and then
Speaker 1: the wives had to get involved and be like, no,
Speaker 1: is it you're saying it's it is at that point
Speaker 1: that's alarming to me to just that's how we were
Speaker 1: able to get the get together for Thursday. The wives
Speaker 1: got involved. Well it's news to me. All right, there
Speaker 1: you go. That is Thursday night football. Um, we'll be
Speaker 1: back on Thursday. How about that? Um with a full
Speaker 1: preview of week fourteen, and then we will have the
Speaker 1: mini pod Thursday night. If Mark and I were able
Speaker 1: to kind of work through our issues and then uh,
Speaker 1: I want everyone to want everyone today, everyone to have
Speaker 1: a good time tonight at the holiday party is the
Speaker 1: big I think Actually you're sensing that something will happen
Speaker 1: at the holiday holiday party that puts us in this bedsit.
Speaker 1: You got it, Okay, you nailed it. There's room for
Speaker 1: adventure when you when you present it and wouldn't that
Speaker 1: be good because just to add something exciting to life. Yeah,
Speaker 1: like some type of huge dust up tonight at the
Speaker 1: holiday party, but Greg's secretly dance somehow they hit the
Speaker 1: match on and then you know. Then it's the Around
Speaker 1: the NFL Podcast with Greg Rosen though his lifelong goal.
Speaker 1: This is always your take here a lot, a lot
Speaker 1: about what in your head. Ricky, Um, let's keep this
Speaker 1: music playing. We'll playing out is the holiday season, after all,
Speaker 1: We'll be back until then. This is Dan hands As
Speaker 1: signed off for Quiet Storm, the Old Boss, Ricky Hollywood,
Speaker 1: Jane Later, Oh Gay until Thursday Head the Call