Speaker 1: Be Around the NFL podcast back in Hollywood, Park Baby
Speaker 1: from the Chris Westling podcast studio. It's the Around the
Speaker 1: NFL podcast. Dan Hands is here. We were here and
Speaker 1: then we were our gun and now we're here again.
Speaker 1: And that's good. Greg Rosenthal, Mark Sessler, Let's do it, boys,
Speaker 1: Let's fly. We're gonna be together three times a week
Speaker 1: four I guess if you count t N FREAKAP. But
Speaker 1: that's that's all split up in the same room for
Speaker 1: like the next I don't know, six months, are you
Speaker 1: Are you prepared for that emotionally or maybe the next
Speaker 1: six years? Mark Sessler. Six years is a tremendous stretch.
Speaker 1: I don't predict that UM for myself, but I will
Speaker 1: say that UM, I can tell that Greg is extremely
Speaker 1: enthusiastic about returning to UM to our office because I
Speaker 1: do like podcasting together well but with then you know,
Speaker 1: Dan and I witnessed this that within you know, a
Speaker 1: twenty or thirty minutes span, Greg was networking with roughly
Speaker 1: five to six people just you know, ask you know,
Speaker 1: con fabbing, going through some talking points. So Greg's back
Speaker 1: in his element. Literally, there was one person and that
Speaker 1: was to ask to approve my new computer request not accurate.
Speaker 1: It's this is what it's like right now. I would
Speaker 1: say that Greg's excited to be here. I had to
Speaker 1: be honest, I feel pretty happy to be here. This
Speaker 1: is for the two of you. This is I I
Speaker 1: like it myself to see. But car is running in
Speaker 1: the parking garage right now. That's and we started thirty
Speaker 1: four minutes late. So there always is a little bit
Speaker 1: of shame that you feel like when you enjoy your
Speaker 1: job around Market's like, he's like, no, please, don't like
Speaker 1: I think I've been a good sport, have I not?
Speaker 1: I mean, you're always a good sport marketing. Well, that
Speaker 1: is not the case. I'm trying to be, you know,
Speaker 1: exemplary right Well, how you doing? By the way, because
Speaker 1: I know on top of this controversy being back in
Speaker 1: the office, you had that tweet. I do not understand
Speaker 1: any adult who drinks milk and you're getting big milks
Speaker 1: coming after you. As I understand, I'm getting killed, um
Speaker 1: essentially by like the nation of Norway and um big
Speaker 1: chunks of the Midwest where it's it's now. I am
Speaker 1: now alerted to the fact that, um, there are men
Speaker 1: in their forties thirties and forties who are drinking uh,
Speaker 1: you know, systematically really habitually every night, large warm glasses
Speaker 1: of milk before they go off to sleep. I've been
Speaker 1: you know, I I throughout the first missile, So you've
Speaker 1: got to be prepared for what's coming back at you.
Speaker 1: It's not a conversation that I wanted to continue necessarily,
Speaker 1: but I opened the door. And I'm being told by
Speaker 1: many people that, um, I'm being judge that if you're
Speaker 1: an adult and you'd like to fill your body with
Speaker 1: the you know, what's coming out of a cow's female
Speaker 1: cows um body parts, and you want to put that
Speaker 1: into your body, you know. And this is the part
Speaker 1: where Mark talks about anything food related and it sounds
Speaker 1: like an alien and a human body trying to fit
Speaker 1: in with society. Well, it's it's like, let's let's let's quick.
Speaker 1: What can I put in my bloodstream? Like a tremendous
Speaker 1: amount of like bovine estrogen. Good idea, but but you
Speaker 1: know what, to each of their own, I should maybe
Speaker 1: I should not have tweeted it. Um it went in
Speaker 1: a direction I found on rewarding you know what market
Speaker 1: this toxic masculinity that you're spewing. How about it? This
Speaker 1: fine estrogen is something that every man could use. That's
Speaker 1: at this point. I think that's the new direction. This
Speaker 1: isn't he man anymore. We're not watching g I Joe.
Speaker 1: It's not six anymore, Cessler, It's twenty one. Adapt and adjust. Well.
Speaker 1: I feel like it was probably more acceptable back then,
Speaker 1: but um, but I will all right, today's show. Alright,
Speaker 1: so we got Mark. I don't know if we're gonna
Speaker 1: have Mark in January, but we got him now. He's
Speaker 1: in the office with us. And today's show it's a
Speaker 1: good one. You know. It's week we're entering week three,
Speaker 1: and I thought I had today was this is kind
Speaker 1: of the last call for certain band wagons, if certain
Speaker 1: um aspects of a team, a player, a coach, a
Speaker 1: a story around the NFL has taken shape through the
Speaker 1: first two weeks of this, and this is your last
Speaker 1: chance to really own it, be a part of it,
Speaker 1: being support or be against it, before you're just part
Speaker 1: of the crowd, before you're just some JABRONI on a
Speaker 1: talking head show. Uh, just recycling points that a producer
Speaker 1: gave you four minutes before you go in the air.
Speaker 1: I'm talking this is the real stuff. This is get
Speaker 1: on the bandwagon before it leaves the area, and we're
Speaker 1: going to share our strong feelings the bandwagons that we're
Speaker 1: on and you could come or you can leave, but
Speaker 1: this is the last chance to do it. You know
Speaker 1: who I'm talking about it. I'm not naming names. It's
Speaker 1: some people, you know, it's it's whatever. The easy take is.
Speaker 1: There's no real takes in above. There's no heart behind it.
Speaker 1: These are takes that you have. There's something in your
Speaker 1: heart is telling you this. I feel strongly about it,
Speaker 1: and I knew it before you did. Now there was um,
Speaker 1: there's been an eye opening um lessons for me in
Speaker 1: this business of how many people speak on TV that
Speaker 1: literally only watch while they're they're on Sundays at most,
Speaker 1: and sometn't even do that. They just that that's what
Speaker 1: they do. I mean, there's there's there's age old stories
Speaker 1: of um, you know one or two Hall of Fame
Speaker 1: NFL players at art Network no longer at our network,
Speaker 1: who never did to be shaken from a couch while
Speaker 1: in a deep sleep play at the other one in Connecticut,
Speaker 1: never or another l a office never this one not
Speaker 1: according to my reports. But okay, also Thursday night football
Speaker 1: preview with the Tiny box. Uh, Panthers at Texans, and
Speaker 1: we got off to a hot start with prime time.
Speaker 1: But we're getting Lions Packers, which we'll talk about next,
Speaker 1: and then Panthers Texans over the next two games. But
Speaker 1: maybe we'll get some fun out of that game and
Speaker 1: we'll preview it. But yes, before anything else, let's finish
Speaker 1: up Week two with a mondon A football recap four
Speaker 1: man lunch one fire coming in a cottage trip, PassMark
Speaker 1: go on touchdown, Robert Tongue in the tight end, two
Speaker 1: young hes aer foon Byron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers has back
Speaker 1: maybe Kevin Harlan with their call. He's a pros pro
Speaker 1: Westwood one Aaron Rodgers threw two five yards at four
Speaker 1: touchdowns that after our first happen which I believe you
Speaker 1: through for about eighty five yards and was outplayed by
Speaker 1: Jared Gopp. But it's a four quarter football game. They
Speaker 1: ate their range slices at halftime. The Packers didn't came
Speaker 1: out on fire. You know, my boys playing soccer now,
Speaker 1: and maybe this is a Northeast thing, but one of
Speaker 1: the best things about soccer when you were a boy
Speaker 1: or a girl is when halftime came, Mom came out
Speaker 1: with a big giant bag of orange slices. Maybe it's
Speaker 1: a COVID thing, but the range slices aren't around anymore
Speaker 1: at halftime here in southern California, and it's on my radar.
Speaker 1: It's my child plays soccer too, and it's in the
Speaker 1: third year now and there have not been orange slices
Speaker 1: pre Coelice. I don't know what happened the warm blasses
Speaker 1: of milk anyway, Packers over Lions Greg This was a
Speaker 1: game the Packers obviously needed after the Week one disaster
Speaker 1: against the Saints. Do you feel better about him after
Speaker 1: this game? Yeah, because it could have kept going like
Speaker 1: the first half was going, which you just could not
Speaker 1: get a stop whatsoever. The Packers offense I was never
Speaker 1: worried about, but it is nice to just see them
Speaker 1: destroy a Lion secondary which is so thin. Right now,
Speaker 1: you know you lost the kuda. I think Malifon with
Speaker 1: their rookie, had some moments, got hurt during this game
Speaker 1: and is gonna be out for a while too, and
Speaker 1: so Aaron Rodgers carved him up and he did it
Speaker 1: in a like beautiful way the third and twelve throw
Speaker 1: to Davante Adams right before that happened, like Bryan Greasy goes,
Speaker 1: it is a big down for the Detroit Lions. They're
Speaker 1: trying to get off the field. The first drive of
Speaker 1: the second half, third and twelve could have had the
Speaker 1: ball up three. Felt like it was a game at
Speaker 1: that point. And Rogers throw is essentially the Manning to
Speaker 1: Manningham Super Bowl pass, and that was as good a
Speaker 1: pass as you can ever have. And then the touchdown
Speaker 1: call we just heard was into like a male slot
Speaker 1: over a guy's shoulder. It wasn't open at all, and
Speaker 1: you just felt like, Okay, this is the Packers experience.
Speaker 1: You get a couple uh turnovers and it's a it's
Speaker 1: a walk. I mean, I don't feel too much different
Speaker 1: about them, but this is what they should do. But
Speaker 1: they had laid out the way that nineties seven percent
Speaker 1: of people thought it would, knowing the Packers that we've
Speaker 1: known for a time, No, I I the first half
Speaker 1: to me, I mean, to your point, Dan, like the
Speaker 1: Packers had sixty seven yards passing. They looked out of sorts.
Speaker 1: I thought they were dull to watch. They were not
Speaker 1: pleasing to the eyes and you start to get concerned
Speaker 1: about them. But then they came back in their big
Speaker 1: players in the second half did what you'd expect. Davante Adams,
Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers looking totally pristine that throw to Tonyan. Next
Speaker 1: Gen Stats notes that he never had more than one
Speaker 1: point two yards of separation from Alex and Seloni was
Speaker 1: on them, and that's out tight of a window. Rogers
Speaker 1: just put it in there so he can still he's
Speaker 1: still accurate. We don't need a panic and freak out.
Speaker 1: I am not like I I still see the Packers
Speaker 1: as a team because I think if you look on defense,
Speaker 1: we kind of all we talk about is their offense
Speaker 1: half the time. I still see a ten win team
Speaker 1: that's gonna get punched in the face in January like
Speaker 1: they always do. But they're not. It's not a collapse scenario.
Speaker 1: And I'm not trying to be anti Packers. I just
Speaker 1: don't there's something about them I'd find a little bit off.
Speaker 1: You said, you tweeted out the Packers are a yawn.
Speaker 1: They'll win their share of games and get super whacked
Speaker 1: people people, people so ready to fawn over Aaron Rodgers
Speaker 1: and forget it all. I feel like you had one
Speaker 1: to where you said they were in deep trouble this game.
Speaker 1: I find I find that this is a team that
Speaker 1: um gets, that agitates me on some level, and I
Speaker 1: it's not a wonderful fan base, So I'm trying to
Speaker 1: explore why it's it's my issue. It's the whole quarter
Speaker 1: you know, fair after Rogers thing has always a no
Speaker 1: idea that they had these two quarterbacks. It is that,
Speaker 1: I mean, any any a fan of a team that
Speaker 1: struggled to find a quarterback, and it is definitely on
Speaker 1: your radar that you go far to. Speaking at far Of,
Speaker 1: I mean that the secondary ESPN Tadcast, which I think
Speaker 1: is off to a good start with Eli and Peyton,
Speaker 1: their kryptonite is Brett Farve on a delay. I could
Speaker 1: not I could not get through that. So last week
Speaker 1: on the Manning Cast, they were blessed with a like
Speaker 1: a bunch of really good guests and it and it
Speaker 1: lifted the show. And far who I think was trying
Speaker 1: to like fix his satellite dish or something to get
Speaker 1: the his image correct because like the old satellite dish
Speaker 1: that my father in law Bob Bates has at the
Speaker 1: old farm and just pointing up at Mars or whatever.
Speaker 1: And that's how you watch TV. You imagine Farv is
Speaker 1: not up with the times in terms you can sort
Speaker 1: of see why he's faded into the woodwork to some degree.
Speaker 1: Um and not like popped up as a broadcaster, because
Speaker 1: he's like, they're like, say, what did you watch the
Speaker 1: first half? Any impressions? Yeah, I didn't see any of
Speaker 1: the first half. Well, the great, great to have you on.
Speaker 1: You know, we're having you on for the Monday night
Speaker 1: football game right. I don't even know if he knows
Speaker 1: where he is, but yeah, the Lions, if you would
Speaker 1: if you were a Lions fan that fell asleep at halftime. Um,
Speaker 1: I hope you're not listening to this right now. And
Speaker 1: I hope you've you've stayed off the Internet and any other,
Speaker 1: you know, sports related news platform because it was pretty
Speaker 1: special for a while there. And and and Jared Goff
Speaker 1: he almost had me. He almost had me. Whereas thinking
Speaker 1: I started to saying to myself, is Jared Goff gonna
Speaker 1: put together a big time season? I've already said that.
Speaker 1: I think he's gonna have a nice fantasy season, but
Speaker 1: maybe this revenge narrative and he spoke at it. I
Speaker 1: spoke about it at length um with the Monday Night
Speaker 1: Football team, uh ahead of this game. That it did.
Speaker 1: It did drive him as you think it would, but
Speaker 1: things just fell apart in the second half. And I
Speaker 1: think it's the Lions just are so talent deficient that
Speaker 1: this is going to be their story. Even if Dan
Speaker 1: Campbell has the team pointed in the right direction, They're
Speaker 1: going to have these spurts of play but then eventually
Speaker 1: get overwhelmed. So that's where the Lions are as a teams.
Speaker 1: The Packers and we're gonna talk about it more on Thursday, obviously,
Speaker 1: but this was their Week three Sunday night game against
Speaker 1: San Francisco. Is a great early measuring um where the
Speaker 1: Packers are as an organization. But part of me is
Speaker 1: a little bummed. I was hoping this like long, greasy haired,
Speaker 1: barely like plugged in version of Aaron Rodgers in my
Speaker 1: mind was a real thing, and then he was just
Speaker 1: gonna meander through a terrible season and then I live
Speaker 1: in Hawaii for the rest of his life. But he
Speaker 1: kind of looked like Aaron Rodgers. And I know Packers
Speaker 1: fans are pumped about that. They're they're working two things.
Speaker 1: Everyone is. It's week two. You know, they put Stokes,
Speaker 1: their rookie out there, uh for forty four snaps that
Speaker 1: changed their defense. He had a good game. We'll see
Speaker 1: if he has it when he's you know, not covering
Speaker 1: the Lions wide receivers. Their pass pro seems like they're
Speaker 1: still kind of working through some things. Aaron Rodgers took
Speaker 1: a few sacks, but it was okay for the most part.
Speaker 1: Like they're playing Devandry Campbell, the former Falcon basically every
Speaker 1: snap at inside linebacker. Like the defensive problems I do
Speaker 1: not think have gone away, and I found it very interesting.
Speaker 1: Dan Campbell said after the game that he kind of
Speaker 1: put it on the offense that we need to win shootouts.
Speaker 1: Was was basically what he said. I thought Anton e
Speaker 1: Lynn called the great game. If you look at what
Speaker 1: the Lion's offense has done the last two weeks have
Speaker 1: been pretty tough to prepare for. With a bunch of
Speaker 1: receivers that you have no idea who it is. You
Speaker 1: have a very good offensive line. I think they're gonna
Speaker 1: throw a lot, but you basically got Jared Goff's like
Speaker 1: negative college scouting report in that second half, the whole
Speaker 1: tiny hands thing that everyone was fixated on, and then
Speaker 1: it gets raining and he can't hold onto the ball
Speaker 1: multiple times and he panics when he gets pressured, and
Speaker 1: then you kind of you got the whole get Jared
Speaker 1: Goff experience. You have the beautiful throws from the pocket,
Speaker 1: and then you have the oh this is why Sean mcvadom. Yeah,
Speaker 1: there their second half drives where they went out on downs, fumble,
Speaker 1: a punt, an interception and downs. It's just like you
Speaker 1: they it's it's the classic bad team in a division
Speaker 1: who cannot go for full quarters with the giant inside
Speaker 1: the division. One positive though, because you are rebuilding, you
Speaker 1: need to hit on your draft picks. Penna Sewell played
Speaker 1: a good game, you know, only two pressures on something
Speaker 1: like thirty nine pass blocking snaps. No, I think they
Speaker 1: kind of stumbled into the overt solution. Sometimes you need
Speaker 1: help to do what seems obvious to others. But all right, oh,
Speaker 1: before we move on. Uh. In the lead up to
Speaker 1: this game, Jamal Williams, now the Lion's running back formerly
Speaker 1: of the Packers, had an entertaining little SoundBite in his
Speaker 1: meeting with the media ahead of this game. I just
Speaker 1: wanted to play that for the audience and boys, yeah,
Speaker 1: like I left them my ohn, God leave, I did
Speaker 1: do it soon. I'm just fact of this day. I'll
Speaker 1: geld have stayed if I If I can't, they dadn't
Speaker 1: want me like that, EGX girlfriend's shoes. I gotta go.
Speaker 1: But you know, glastly, I gotta rebound. It was the lions.
Speaker 1: They picked me up, you know what I mean. Now
Speaker 1: they're feeding me good, taking me to dinners. You know
Speaker 1: what I mean. Another man's tress is another man's tressure.
Speaker 1: So but I'm no, I'm just I'm just having fun. Man.
Speaker 1: I'm just it's part of life. You know, you're gonna
Speaker 1: have those types of rejections. You're gonna get turned down,
Speaker 1: You're gonna get you know, people ain't gonna want you.
Speaker 1: But when you get your shot, an opportunity again from
Speaker 1: somebody who will give you your shot, you know you
Speaker 1: just gotta take that opportunity to be grateful for it
Speaker 1: and make that's so there's actual. It's funny because I
Speaker 1: like the way he speaks and his his viewpoint on
Speaker 1: his professional football if but there was real wisdom there.
Speaker 1: I don't know if any I don't know if you
Speaker 1: guys have ever been in a relationship and maybe you
Speaker 1: weren't the one that terminated it, and you have to
Speaker 1: find a way to move on. He's talking football and
Speaker 1: he's mixing in the ex girlfriend analogy. It's so true.
Speaker 1: You gotta shake it off. Somebody else is gonna feed
Speaker 1: you and take care of you down the line. I
Speaker 1: just don't dwell on the past. I know that when
Speaker 1: I'm you know, um, terminated from this place of employment
Speaker 1: and picked up by West Texas Sports South, I will
Speaker 1: I will have the same attitude and probably say much
Speaker 1: the same That attitude and like his personality is one
Speaker 1: of the reasons I think they made him such a
Speaker 1: priority signing. He is like the ultimate Dan Campbell, Like
Speaker 1: he's going to be good in the locker room. He's
Speaker 1: a culture builder, like everyone loves Jabal Williams. His press
Speaker 1: conference has been amazing. Uh since he was a rookie
Speaker 1: and he's back there starting. They're a pretty good running team,
Speaker 1: like they're a good offensive if they have some things.
Speaker 1: I just wish they didn't still have the Matt Patricia defense,
Speaker 1: which is I mean, I think the coaching will probably
Speaker 1: be better in the long run. But at this point
Speaker 1: the production is not They look like the worst defense
Speaker 1: in the one little note Aaron Jones with four touchdowns,
Speaker 1: but he is the first Packers back since ninety a
Speaker 1: man buy into the name of Andy or Ram to
Speaker 1: have three touchdown receptions in one game. And he played
Speaker 1: for his dad and he lost a necklace. His father
Speaker 1: passed away in April. He had a necklace with his
Speaker 1: father's ashes in it. Lost the necklace and then well
Speaker 1: they found it after the game, so it was a
Speaker 1: special night for him. That was good. You put your
Speaker 1: dad's ashes in your necklace, you'll lose the necklace in
Speaker 1: the end zone. Luckily recovered. It's he It's a reminder too,
Speaker 1: it's it's not quite the last dance bulls like Rogers
Speaker 1: and Adams put out there, but they do have Adams,
Speaker 1: Jones and Rogers here, you know, and Adams and Jones
Speaker 1: squarely in their primes, all making all good money. Like
Speaker 1: this is it? This is if. If Mark's prediction is
Speaker 1: true and they fall on their face, there's no way
Speaker 1: the season can be viewed as successful on any level.
Speaker 1: It's basically Super Bowl or bust, and Mark if the
Speaker 1: new NFL Network set up here, it doesn't do much
Speaker 1: for you. Just imagine what the West Texas Sports South
Speaker 1: newsroom looks like. Well, that facility will be, you know,
Speaker 1: a diamond, basically an abandoned gymnasium I would imagine would
Speaker 1: be that particular rebuilding project. Um. All right, So that's
Speaker 1: the game. That's Monday night. That's week two, and like
Speaker 1: I said, a little bit later, we'll start taking into
Speaker 1: week three with Colleen Wolf. But first, yes, as we
Speaker 1: discussed two weeks in, you're starting to see, you know,
Speaker 1: we're watching all these games, and we're watching all these guys,
Speaker 1: and all the off sne off season narratives are gone
Speaker 1: by the wayside. Now there's time to to really assess
Speaker 1: where we're at and where the league's going in league.
Speaker 1: So it's time to hop on the bandwagon and head
Speaker 1: out yonder. And that's what we're gonna do, right So,
Speaker 1: friend nit talk goes on around the Carter campfire until
Speaker 1: with a setting of the sun over the darkening prairie vastness,
Speaker 1: there comes a request from music music that erases the
Speaker 1: solitude of the planes. M hm, yes, yes, let's hit
Speaker 1: the road over the prairie fields of America and uh,
Speaker 1: I am giving you guys one last chance to get
Speaker 1: on the Derek Carr and Raiders band like this year
Speaker 1: last chance. Mark. I'm looking at you specifically because this
Speaker 1: is going to be potentially a fun season and one
Speaker 1: worth riding a bandwagon for the Raiders. Got the team
Speaker 1: of Foul up there. I used to think Denver was
Speaker 1: up there, but it's kind of right in the middle.
Speaker 1: That's in the prairies. There's some mountains there, of course,
Speaker 1: but we got some prairie area up into the mountains.
Speaker 1: Will probably pass by Denver to go through. I mean,
Speaker 1: that's where it's a little treacherous. Some bandwagons don't make
Speaker 1: it out. We're gonna it's we're gonna lose the player
Speaker 1: by the side. You know, brothers kill each other for
Speaker 1: Donner party scenario didn't didn't work out too well. We're
Speaker 1: gonna have to Yeah, we're gonna have to stop for
Speaker 1: a couple of burials maybe there. But you know, you're
Speaker 1: the team of thal Um. The team of Zeus t
Speaker 1: L is going to be the Raiders, I think, because
Speaker 1: we know what the offense can do. Although maybe we
Speaker 1: were selling him short a little bit, because if if
Speaker 1: the car is better this year then he's been, and
Speaker 1: he's playing at a higher level than he has in
Speaker 1: the past, which I think he is in this offense
Speaker 1: he's so familiar with. Well, perhaps perhaps this idea of
Speaker 1: the Raiders being merely good on offense could be even better.
Speaker 1: But it's the defense that really has me excited because
Speaker 1: you have Derek Carr quasi, badass, Rugs Waller, renfro Brian Edwards.
Speaker 1: I like all that, but we might have something here
Speaker 1: with Gus Bradley's day and um Max Crosby per next
Speaker 1: gent stats leads the NFL through two weeks with fifteen pressures.
Speaker 1: Janik and Gokway right behind him, he's got eleven pressures.
Speaker 1: So they have something cooking up front if they can
Speaker 1: stay healthy. Uh, and they have an identity on defense
Speaker 1: for the first time. So you put it all together
Speaker 1: and when we're trying to figure out this wild card
Speaker 1: playoff set up, because I don't think they're gonna take
Speaker 1: down the Chiefs in the West, but a team that
Speaker 1: could win ten games and be a tough out if
Speaker 1: they get there, hop on the Raiders band wagon and
Speaker 1: take a ride with the new old Blue Eyes. I
Speaker 1: mean that that might be selling them short ten wins.
Speaker 1: You know, they would go eight and seven the rest
Speaker 1: of the way, if that's true. I didn't even look
Speaker 1: at it that way. All right, let's let's lock him
Speaker 1: in for eleven and six. The defenses is where I
Speaker 1: would start there too, because that's what I've tried to
Speaker 1: say on this podcast for a few years, like if
Speaker 1: their defense was just average, I think their offense has
Speaker 1: been better than average last few years. And yes, Derek
Speaker 1: Carr is playing at a higher level the last you know,
Speaker 1: six quarters after that tough start in Baltimore than almost
Speaker 1: I've ever seen him, uh than any quarterback in the league.
Speaker 1: In Week two, but the defense again just be average.
Speaker 1: And and then I think Gruden's vision comes in handy.
Speaker 1: The focuses on the front line, and you're right, Max
Speaker 1: Crosby looks like he's making the leap. He's had his
Speaker 1: substance abuse um battle that he's talked about along with
Speaker 1: Darren Waller, and I don't know if it's just that
Speaker 1: he's healthier this year, but he looks like he could
Speaker 1: be an all pro type play to I mean, but
Speaker 1: he didn't play a rookie year. Really impressive. Couldn't stop
Speaker 1: the run, was a great pass rusher. You're just like, Wow,
Speaker 1: this guy is great. Last year was a little bit
Speaker 1: of a mess out of him, was kind of an
Speaker 1: unreliable player, had a couple of moments, but was he
Speaker 1: was more of a negative And now he looks like amazing. Uh.
Speaker 1: And then but I would point out the back end too,
Speaker 1: where some of Mayock's draft picks and pickups. If we're
Speaker 1: gonna kill him for a lot of the mistakes, trayvon
Speaker 1: Mullen in this system looks good. Hobbs, who won the
Speaker 1: slot corner job, I think is a rookie um uh
Speaker 1: is surprising player. And then more importantly is Casey Hayward,
Speaker 1: the former Charger packer who's had a terrific career coming
Speaker 1: off a bad year. He looks like a number one
Speaker 1: corner and suddenly you have the makings of an average average.
Speaker 1: It's only two games, because the makings of an average.
Speaker 1: But this is when we need to make the decision
Speaker 1: to with the bandwagon? Is it just me and I
Speaker 1: I'd be curious what his PFF score is, Not that
Speaker 1: that is objective, but it's like even Jonathan Abroom was
Speaker 1: all over the place. UH. This past week making some play.
Speaker 1: So this team is going in the right direction. You're
Speaker 1: getting on, you're getting on with us, Mark one of
Speaker 1: my I don't know if I'm totally it's either yes
Speaker 1: or no. I guess not no, then no, And it's
Speaker 1: for me. It's just because I think that you like Dan,
Speaker 1: something about the Las Vegas Raiders really appeals to you, um,
Speaker 1: the vibe of the whole thing. I feel like you've
Speaker 1: made this pitch for the Raiders as the team of
Speaker 1: handsas probably multiple times. Yes, but this is you have
Speaker 1: something for them like it's I think it's fallen on
Speaker 1: deaf ears before because I had, you know, get on
Speaker 1: the bandwagon for the Raiders inevitable collapse, because I still
Speaker 1: want to see, well, that's happened to you, happened two
Speaker 1: years in a row, and you can tie it mostly
Speaker 1: to the defense and at the defense, you know, but
Speaker 1: the defense is improved, then maybe it doesn't happen this year.
Speaker 1: So I certainly have ears for what you're saying. Let
Speaker 1: me push back on your bandwagon. Is you're getting you're
Speaker 1: taking over his bandwagon and then you're drying. And I'm
Speaker 1: saying that was one of the I came up with
Speaker 1: like fourteen of them, but one I maybe would throw
Speaker 1: out it was low. I mean, just let me just
Speaker 1: frame it though, because September one, that's a great that's
Speaker 1: a great one to throw out there. Oh yeah, get
Speaker 1: ready for the inevitable collapse. But I'm basing this on
Speaker 1: what has happened so far this season. That the defense
Speaker 1: is different than those years. That's why I think that
Speaker 1: they're different. You're saying none of them. I'm projecting what
Speaker 1: will happen. That's how this works. I'm I'm looking into
Speaker 1: the bactoring in what's actually happened so far this season
Speaker 1: or just something because I would say this that the
Speaker 1: version of Derek Carr, if he played that way in
Speaker 1: of their games, then they're a playoff team that will
Speaker 1: win a playoff game. So I mean, I like I
Speaker 1: I think also your year and year four of j
Speaker 1: Greu of John Gruden, we need to see results. You know,
Speaker 1: other coaches don't get four years to round the thing
Speaker 1: in the shape. But he's I think he's a good
Speaker 1: He's still a good offensive play caller, and it's looking
Speaker 1: like his vision is coming together. So I'm not anti
Speaker 1: Raiders great kickers. Also, I don't think Derek Carr is
Speaker 1: playing over his head right now. This feels like he's
Speaker 1: capable of carrying this through. So I think their weapons
Speaker 1: are starting to grow up believal about you, guys, just
Speaker 1: know that you have you Well, I do agree with you.
Speaker 1: I think this division is just so good. That's because
Speaker 1: the team of Thal it wouldn't be right to get
Speaker 1: on a Raiders bandway because they essentially would take your
Speaker 1: wild card spot. The Chargers are there too. I mean,
Speaker 1: there's this division is great and do you think that
Speaker 1: the two of you would get along on like a
Speaker 1: eighteen month prairie ride across the United States and we
Speaker 1: flew to London together, sitting next to each other research
Speaker 1: it's like twelve hours, fourteen hours, and it's quite different. Anyway, Greg,
Speaker 1: go ahead, it's going to be ugly. Well. Part of
Speaker 1: the reason I'm hesitant about the Raiders is, um, I'm
Speaker 1: feeling more about these this Chargers team. I don't feel
Speaker 1: like I can talk Broncos now. I've I've talked Broncos
Speaker 1: enough because so look, I love this Broncos team. I
Speaker 1: think I said their ceiling is a twelve win team,
Speaker 1: and nothing in the first two weeks has changed my
Speaker 1: mind on that fourth and d v O A through
Speaker 1: two weeks, they could be like a very good offensive
Speaker 1: team and a great defensive team. We'll see. But the
Speaker 1: bandwagon I'm driving here today is for Derwin James, and
Speaker 1: it's for the Chargers overall, but it's especially for Derwin
Speaker 1: James having the comeback player of the Year season, having
Speaker 1: maybe a defensive player of the Year type of season.
Speaker 1: I just get the feel of how Brandon Staley is
Speaker 1: using Derwin games through two weeks is so encouraging, and
Speaker 1: he's flying around doing so many different things right away
Speaker 1: that I'm just getting a great Jalen Ramsey in l A.
Speaker 1: Is darrowin James in l A. For Brandon's Daley type
Speaker 1: of vibe, and and with Herbert being as exciting as
Speaker 1: he is, I know they're coming off of a bad game.
Speaker 1: Like I think this team is extremely dangerous, and for
Speaker 1: some reason, I was hesitant to totally get behind it.
Speaker 1: And again I'm kind of playing the hits here with
Speaker 1: the Chargers, but that it makes sense when you look
Speaker 1: at this coaching staff and you look at the skill
Speaker 1: set that Herbert has and the way they're putting Mike
Speaker 1: Williams into position as like a true sort of ex
Speaker 1: receiver maxing out his talent. Echoler, I just see it all.
Speaker 1: They're still slopping us. They've had a lot of bad,
Speaker 1: bad finishes to drive through two weeks. But that's the
Speaker 1: type of thing I think you can figure out through
Speaker 1: the course of the season. And I think with Bosa
Speaker 1: and James too, possible defensive Player of the Year candidates
Speaker 1: on the same team. Watch out. So get on the bandwagon,
Speaker 1: the Chargers bandwagon. They'll divisions a bandwagon. Yeah, can you
Speaker 1: can't You can't double up the bandwagon the division that
Speaker 1: that feels impossible, But I have three right. If you can't,
Speaker 1: you can't love, you can't be on every bandwagons. I
Speaker 1: guess you gotta pick a band would be my two
Speaker 1: biggest ones in the whole league, though, And if they
Speaker 1: win eleven games, you can't Marty mc and back to
Speaker 1: the future three. If they both go eleven and six,
Speaker 1: then wasn't I right to be driving both bandwagons? Okay?
Speaker 1: All right? Now? Do you are you at all? Are
Speaker 1: you all at all? Spooped that the Chargers still did
Speaker 1: a Chargers thing this weekend. They opened up their building
Speaker 1: with fans twelve penalties for ninety nine yards, two touchdowns
Speaker 1: called back on penalties, find a way to blow the
Speaker 1: game to a Cowboys team that was trying to essentially
Speaker 1: hand you the game, but somehow kicks the fifty six
Speaker 1: yards because in that situation, the Chargers end up losing. Like,
Speaker 1: are we at all worried that? And I know Brandon
Speaker 1: Staley's a god in all this, but like, are we
Speaker 1: at all worried that? It's still the Chargers at the
Speaker 1: end of the day. I am not. I am not not.
Speaker 1: You know, it's dismiss you can dismiss the Brandon stillium.
Speaker 1: I'm not dismissing him. But it's like, all right, I understand,
Speaker 1: But the same thing happened that would happen to the
Speaker 1: Charges last year. That's fine. I mean it's a new offense,
Speaker 1: it's a new defense. You know, if we say the
Speaker 1: Packers need time to figure themselves out and essentially the
Speaker 1: same offense they've run forever, like, I mean, give me
Speaker 1: a break that that wouldn't be the case with the Chargers.
Speaker 1: I mean they lost to a Cowboys team that I
Speaker 1: think is explosive. Um, I I come totally with Greg
Speaker 1: on the Derwin James thing. I think it was our
Speaker 1: network show that I mentioned, and it was kind of
Speaker 1: like saying, he'll have his best season yet, Well, how Kenny,
Speaker 1: because he was already you know, all these other things
Speaker 1: before he was hurt. But you can see it and
Speaker 1: he's that kind of player, and you pair him with
Speaker 1: Bosa and you've got what I do think is a
Speaker 1: good coach, and you've got a like a transcendent quarterback
Speaker 1: that there. There isn't really much of a more simple
Speaker 1: recipe for success. And I mean Keenan Allen, like, give
Speaker 1: me a break. I feel like the guy because he's
Speaker 1: on the Chargers gets ignored left and right. If he
Speaker 1: were on the Dallas Cowboys, we'd be talking about him NonStop.
Speaker 1: I mean, they've got a ton of players, and I
Speaker 1: see them winning a leve or twelve games. So marks
Speaker 1: to dance point though they've kind of charged two weeks
Speaker 1: in a row. They dominated the Washington and made a
Speaker 1: lot of they couldn't finish drives in that game and
Speaker 1: had a couple of bad breaks, but they probably should
Speaker 1: have won that game by seventeen. And throughout that the
Speaker 1: fourth quarter of that game, you're good, like they're Charger
Speaker 1: and again, so there is something in the DNA here.
Speaker 1: But that's why the band. Also they can or twelve
Speaker 1: in this division. The long journey. It's a long journey,
Speaker 1: and to me, they're gonna solve things. You're right, because
Speaker 1: the charges, for instance, like that loss hurts the next
Speaker 1: three weeks. Play the Chiefs for four weeks, the Raiders,
Speaker 1: the Browns, the Ravens, the Patriots. I mean, my god
Speaker 1: from and ultimately that I guess that's what Also I'm
Speaker 1: getting at the team. You gotta figure out a way
Speaker 1: to win that game at home in that spot. But
Speaker 1: they got a lot of talent. And I thought this
Speaker 1: is an interesting comment from Stateley after the game because Herbert,
Speaker 1: through two interceptions in the game, also made a bunch
Speaker 1: of big rows. He is a savage in the pocket
Speaker 1: and Stay after the game was asked about his quarterback,
Speaker 1: he said, justin Herbert was out outstanding. He was the
Speaker 1: best player on the field. A lot of good players
Speaker 1: are on that field so far. On Sunday, all right, Mark,
Speaker 1: you're up. I will pick a team that I never
Speaker 1: last spring and came back for the children and me
Speaker 1: and July. You'll find things very different out here. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I don't know what a little prairie talk something. There's
Speaker 1: something wrong with that woman. Play the play the beginning
Speaker 1: of that again, Ricky, tell me my husband filed his
Speaker 1: claim last spring and came back for the children and
Speaker 1: me and July. You'll find things very different out here. Yeah, well,
Speaker 1: I mean the pause and then they pulled from it
Speaker 1: feels like a gun to smoke or something somewhere. Anyway,
Speaker 1: we're back on the prairie with Sessler. Well, this is
Speaker 1: a this is this is maybe a team located in
Speaker 1: the place that we might cross at some point as
Speaker 1: we as we go west along the over the United
Speaker 1: States song Arizona. The Cardinals a team that I have
Speaker 1: not been interested in in a long long time. I
Speaker 1: didn't care about the Cliff Kingsbury thing too much. Um,
Speaker 1: I was never into the Arians Cardinals the way that
Speaker 1: West was that was a West venture. And I know
Speaker 1: in our podcast, like when one person like locks into something,
Speaker 1: you kind of just gotta just separate from it because
Speaker 1: it's too hard to have like dueling love affairs with
Speaker 1: some of these entities. But the Cardinals, to me, over
Speaker 1: two weeks, I love those Cardinals, but I love that
Speaker 1: they were fine. I just never. I was never the
Speaker 1: lead guy on that. I just was like cut fine enthusiasts.
Speaker 1: One of my favorite NFL media assignments was covering the
Speaker 1: All or Nothing premier, um, I think the two thousand
Speaker 1: and sixteen or fifteen Cardinals, and it was down at
Speaker 1: l A Live, and I brought Jayson Walt with me.
Speaker 1: We went down there and just hanging out in this
Speaker 1: green room with that team was so cool because arians
Speaker 1: was belly up at the bar drinking cocktails. You had
Speaker 1: had a young honey Badger coming off a rookie season,
Speaker 1: just like lighting up the room. You had Carson Wentz
Speaker 1: at the other side of the bar drinking bud heavies.
Speaker 1: I'll never forget that and just kind of Carson palm
Speaker 1: excuse me, and just exuding this like certain type of energy,
Speaker 1: I'll put it that way, a large something energy, and um,
Speaker 1: I'll just never forget that room. Uh. It was just
Speaker 1: such a fun, fun day. So I like those Cardinals,
Speaker 1: so you were in their grips as well. So I
Speaker 1: mean there was just no oxygen in the room for
Speaker 1: me to be like, you know, with my pom poms
Speaker 1: about the the I mean, I like them, fine, Okay,
Speaker 1: but this Cardinals team, I think on Sunday, honestly, on Sundays,
Speaker 1: this is an honest comment. I am looking for things,
Speaker 1: new things to lift my enjoyment of the sport. I
Speaker 1: am seeking that, and uh I found it with the
Speaker 1: Cardinals on Sunday that Vikings game. Short. They could have
Speaker 1: lost that game, but there's something about this team that
Speaker 1: is just absolutely magnificent to watch. Um. It starts for
Speaker 1: me with like ron Deal Moore, who I think leads
Speaker 1: all rookies and receiving right now and is the electric,
Speaker 1: perfect electric dance partner for Kyler Murray, who every game
Speaker 1: we know is gonna do five or six things that
Speaker 1: immediately like light up the highlight reels for seven years. Um,
Speaker 1: I think they're better on defense than I expected. The
Speaker 1: parts they've added have been successful. We haven't seen so far.
Speaker 1: You know, last year, I thought Cliff Kingsbury did a
Speaker 1: really nice job marching the team from like twenty to
Speaker 1: twenty the twenties, and then you get into the red
Speaker 1: zone and disaster would strike and then Kyler Murray got hurt.
Speaker 1: That's the one thing you have to be worried about
Speaker 1: because they were a totally different team at that point.
Speaker 1: But if they stay healthy, and if he stays healthy,
Speaker 1: I think this team. And again they're in a division
Speaker 1: where not everyone can win eleven games in that division too,
Speaker 1: But this is a freaky, sneaky type of wild card team.
Speaker 1: It's did something very strange, and I am on board,
Speaker 1: and I think this is the time to get on
Speaker 1: because they the most fun team to watch right now.
Speaker 1: Power rankings history, by the way, and you can watch
Speaker 1: a power ranking show with me and Matt money Smith
Speaker 1: every Tuesday an NFL network. All four NFC West teams
Speaker 1: in the top ten and I had the Cardinals. Wait
Speaker 1: you went back and checked all of the Elliott Harrison archives.
Speaker 1: I dug through everything, not just our site, not the
Speaker 1: history of powering, anyone's power They've done, p F T, CBS, UH, routers, uh,
Speaker 1: the A P. I just went through all of it.
Speaker 1: It's amazing. It's tremendous amount of what never happened. It
Speaker 1: took me straight hours. This couldn't this be the first
Speaker 1: division ever to put four teams into the playoffs? Is
Speaker 1: that to be a fun Yeah? I guess that can
Speaker 1: happen now there's the extra playoff spot and not likely,
Speaker 1: but it's right, it's not likely, although there was a
Speaker 1: moment last year where they were sort of in position
Speaker 1: for it. But if you were to create a schedule
Speaker 1: out of division for it to happen in the year,
Speaker 1: the schedule you would create would be, we want to
Speaker 1: play the NFC North, get the lines of Vikings, the
Speaker 1: Bears and Packers do, and then you go a f
Speaker 1: C South route. Oh yeah, you get the you know,
Speaker 1: the Titans, the Jaguars, that whole matter. That is what
Speaker 1: the NFC West has out of division. So there is
Speaker 1: an opportunity for all four of these twins ten to
Speaker 1: beat up on in those out of division games. If
Speaker 1: you can go seven and one, then you split your
Speaker 1: division game. They all win eleven and they're in. But
Speaker 1: both of these Western divisions, it's like you're gonna you're
Speaker 1: also gonna be like facing each other and you have
Speaker 1: to sort of even out like someone couldn't someone. Everyone
Speaker 1: has to win their division, you know, win some home
Speaker 1: division games, get near five in on Kyler being for
Speaker 1: real and carrying if he can stay healthy um with
Speaker 1: that giant helmet in the little body running arond the field,
Speaker 1: as long as he doesn't get dinged and bang up
Speaker 1: that shoulder again or something else happens to him and
Speaker 1: knock on glass that it doesn't happen. I think he's
Speaker 1: gonna have a monster year. And I see the same
Speaker 1: thing you see Mark that they finally have now found.
Speaker 1: It took him a year, but they found a true
Speaker 1: number two compliment now to new Hopkins and uh no
Speaker 1: one wants to say it, but replacing Fitzgerald and Rondale
Speaker 1: Moore is like it's a massive from grade. So I'm
Speaker 1: I'm on this bandwagon with you, but writing together on
Speaker 1: the this is this is that we're gonna have some
Speaker 1: It's not gonna be like an eight seventeen fifties automobile
Speaker 1: by the way cart or whatever it is. We're gonna
Speaker 1: have a lot of add ons inside this. But I
Speaker 1: still I still think the other bandwagons and the Division
Speaker 1: are a little ahead of them, but I like them
Speaker 1: a lot. That's all. Well, they're behind us, which means
Speaker 1: when we pull out our bow and arrow, we're firing
Speaker 1: at them. They can't see us. And it's just like
Speaker 1: that piece of cloth that has the opening in the
Speaker 1: back and you're taking the opening. Sorry, Kyle Shanahan, you're
Speaker 1: down with an arrow. In your shoulder, right you shoulder
Speaker 1: and at Hoit's all right. Let's go around quick one
Speaker 1: more time before we get to Thursday night football. Paul,
Speaker 1: maybe brother Hanson here would like to hear some music. Yes, ma'am,
Speaker 1: we need music out here, music to ward off the
Speaker 1: loan in music to sustain the high courage needed by
Speaker 1: dauntless pioneers in their conquest of the plane. Listen to that,
Speaker 1: the Internet of the old times. Yes, we're gonna ward
Speaker 1: off the loneliness because all of us Jamis Winston deniers.
Speaker 1: We're on the bandwagon. This is your last chance. Join us.
Speaker 1: Realize that he tried to suck in week one. You
Speaker 1: got excited and then he was another bandwagon of hate.
Speaker 1: He was a This is not a hate. This is
Speaker 1: not hate. This is just reality. He was a nightmare
Speaker 1: against the Panthers. And I understand the Panthers might have
Speaker 1: a way better defense than we thought. Um, but those
Speaker 1: interceptions were straight out of the Jamis Winston Greatest Hits
Speaker 1: catalog of the past. And I am not, you know,
Speaker 1: celebrating the demise of the Saints by any stretch. They've
Speaker 1: had a very tough year, both with the personnel and
Speaker 1: with the hurricane and everything else, and there's a fire
Speaker 1: at the super Dome today, Like what is covid on?
Speaker 1: Who you know? Where the black Cats are? Like the
Speaker 1: going under ladders? What is going on with the Saints?
Speaker 1: But um, this is your chance now to be like,
Speaker 1: oh no, I actually Winston is who we thought he was.
Speaker 1: Let's head on out of here and let the other people,
Speaker 1: like the lasik uh supporters of Jamis Winston. Uh you
Speaker 1: know go up in flames. Well that's you're talking about
Speaker 1: me because I've been but the whole you know, the
Speaker 1: all the Lace people got very quiet on social media
Speaker 1: this week. Uh. You know we talked about the billboard,
Speaker 1: the LACEI billboard for Jamis Winston. I had I had
Speaker 1: said hit the brakes on that campaign and wait for Sunday,
Speaker 1: that was smart because I would have taken out that
Speaker 1: entire business. Um, So hopefully there's no more billboards for
Speaker 1: Jamis out there. Lasik related. This is your chance. Greg.
Speaker 1: I'm really talking to you because I know you have
Speaker 1: a soft spot in your heart. Hop on the bend
Speaker 1: when you're taking the West roll here to slam on
Speaker 1: Winston by the Mariota, by the way, on I r
Speaker 1: again there's a surprise. Just who is that one run?
Speaker 1: Oh my god, Marcus. All right, but anyway, well out
Speaker 1: a draft class. But hop on with me. And it's
Speaker 1: not something We're not stopping on the grave of your
Speaker 1: beloved two lane Wave, Green Wave or New Orleans or
Speaker 1: Louisiana or anything else. It's just let's move on. We
Speaker 1: don't believe. No, I'm not going on that bandwagon. I mean,
Speaker 1: if any other quarterback in the league was throwing to
Speaker 1: this collection of players, the excuses that we would trot
Speaker 1: out would be incredible. Oh wait a second, though, I'm again,
Speaker 1: look at those interceptions. Okay, they really weren't open. Okay,
Speaker 1: look at that game. Okay, that was that game was
Speaker 1: over by the time he started turning the ball over
Speaker 1: like that. Anyways, one of them was an armpunt third
Speaker 1: and long midfield. Was he was trying to make a play.
Speaker 1: But I think there's like a calculated thing there was
Speaker 1: like it's third and long at midfield. Rough you could
Speaker 1: have said, oh there field goal range for fifty seven
Speaker 1: yeards set up. Uh, I like the idea of terrible.
Speaker 1: It was like it was second and two, it was
Speaker 1: third and long. But it was like a long field goal.
Speaker 1: So that's it's a question. I'm a loser, I am.
Speaker 1: I I couldn't believe how bad the offensive line was,
Speaker 1: and I think that's where you might be missing Drew Brees.
Speaker 1: I mean, the offensive line was dominated in the net game.
Speaker 1: It was very confusing, but so much of it were
Speaker 1: misscommunications and protection where free rushers were coming. And then
Speaker 1: it gets a little shaky where Okay, they're missing their
Speaker 1: center McCoy and they're missing Drew Brees to set the productions.
Speaker 1: So those are the two guys, and like Carolina eight.
Speaker 1: So I I don't know if that's on Winston or
Speaker 1: who that's on, but if he gets that kind of
Speaker 1: pass rush against him with those receivers, forget it. What
Speaker 1: I mean. I love a little Jordan Humphrey. He had
Speaker 1: one catch, was the leading receiver, but yards I believe
Speaker 1: it was. But it's like he's still like, well, I
Speaker 1: don't want to slam a little Jordan Hunt, but I'm
Speaker 1: a big guy. He's a big guy. They need to
Speaker 1: for him to tight end him coming out of your break.
Speaker 1: You do not need him as a starting receiver right now.
Speaker 1: Me and Michael Thomas is what you need. I'm not
Speaker 1: jumping on the bandwagon just because it's it feels like
Speaker 1: a week kind of a bad energy ride. It's like
Speaker 1: I'm rooting for him to continue to not succeed. I
Speaker 1: don't know, No, it's just that he won't succeed, so
Speaker 1: give up the ghost. I like, I can't think. I
Speaker 1: can't think of a team in years that from week
Speaker 1: one to week two where it's a total personality flips.
Speaker 1: So I kind of want to see another week of Winston,
Speaker 1: I know, but that's why I myself to not need
Speaker 1: this bandwagon. It leaves without But all right, but as
Speaker 1: long as you're not the one destroying Jameis Winston a
Speaker 1: few weeks weeks from now because you waited too long,
Speaker 1: the bandwagon's gone that the ramifications of this game keep changing.
Speaker 1: I mean, you know, all right, Greg, I feel stupid
Speaker 1: because before my my bandwagon was really about Derwin James,
Speaker 1: and then I started like rambling and whatnot. So I
Speaker 1: just wanted that to be clear. I like this Chargers team,
Speaker 1: but it was Dermott James kind of having a special
Speaker 1: Defensive Player of the Year season. This one is more
Speaker 1: about an individual too, And I know this bandwagons quite crowded,
Speaker 1: and Mark's been driving it. But man, I love me
Speaker 1: some Kevin Stefanski lately that that team is so well coached.
Speaker 1: You know, if you had said, like you got no
Speaker 1: Odell Beckham, you got no Jarvis Landry, you got Felton
Speaker 1: playing three snaps, and somehow you're leading receiver, Uh, you
Speaker 1: got all of the different tight ends Briant Harrison Bryant, Like,
Speaker 1: I just love the way that they attack opponents, how
Speaker 1: it changes each week, how they're cohesive, the decisions that
Speaker 1: he makes. I like the little smirk he makes when
Speaker 1: David Culley uh makes a really bone headed punt instead
Speaker 1: of you know, accepting a penalty, and Stefanski's like, yeah,
Speaker 1: that would never happen in my Cleveland. Thing. It took
Speaker 1: me a little longer to warm up to. But I'm
Speaker 1: just thinking, like, is this gonna be a top five
Speaker 1: offense no matter what's going on? Because I'm giving a
Speaker 1: lot of the credit to the coaching. I am sorry, Baker,
Speaker 1: but I'm giving a lot of credit to what's going
Speaker 1: on in the running backs. And it's just a fun
Speaker 1: I like good football and it's just a fun, cohesive
Speaker 1: offense to to watch and so I'm just I'm just,
Speaker 1: I'm I'm late on this bandwagon, but I'm in on
Speaker 1: this fans. I will allow you on Greg because that
Speaker 1: was an incredible soliloquy that um was music to my years.
Speaker 1: I mean, you just have to go back through the
Speaker 1: years they had the soul. I mean you can have
Speaker 1: that man with like coach of the year type stuff.
Speaker 1: Did he get it last year? Did he shot? I
Speaker 1: think he did, But I think that's more about becoming
Speaker 1: a better team. But they have had such a laundry
Speaker 1: list over decades of hideous game day managers, a coach.
Speaker 1: I mean, guys that just could not coach themselves. They
Speaker 1: they're very good at getting you into problems with no
Speaker 1: concept how to get out. Stefansky I thought in that
Speaker 1: game it got a little rough at one point, and
Speaker 1: he I thought he's appropriately aggressive, but he also brought
Speaker 1: them back to their roots, which is what they are
Speaker 1: in the second half and just ran the ball down
Speaker 1: Houston's right through Houston's defense. And every week they look
Speaker 1: a little bit different. They're fluid, they're flexible, and I
Speaker 1: think if I saw Stefanski, it's like one of the
Speaker 1: few people and who is making you star struck at
Speaker 1: this point. I could listen like five or six people.
Speaker 1: I would not know what to say if I saw him,
Speaker 1: because I do think to me, he's moving higher into
Speaker 1: higher echelons of fandom for me because who he is
Speaker 1: on a game day week after week he as Greg described,
Speaker 1: I think a huge as. I mean, I just made
Speaker 1: like a cardinal sin is never talked about the Browns
Speaker 1: or Jets on my own because it's like we're gonna
Speaker 1: have that overly covered anyways. But I think it was
Speaker 1: like I've waited with Stefans game a little bit baker,
Speaker 1: and I know it's only two games, but I I
Speaker 1: did just want to see, Okay, how did they come
Speaker 1: out in year two? That was incredible year one? And
Speaker 1: somehow I'm I'm more impressed. I don't know. Maybe it's
Speaker 1: because of the injuries and the variety and the different
Speaker 1: people they're using, like they're not even getting anything out
Speaker 1: of people's jones, and I just think they're they're They're
Speaker 1: a beautiful operation to watch. How about you, Mark, I
Speaker 1: have I was gonna Metric mentioned Dimitric Felton, but I
Speaker 1: will not because it's been mentioned. Um. I was gonna
Speaker 1: also say that you want to stay on that bandwagon,
Speaker 1: remaining vigilant for what's going to happen this year the
Speaker 1: big news item involving a cheerleader. That was my sandwich
Speaker 1: prop um, just to keep an eye on that. But
Speaker 1: that I'm not saying that you need to get on
Speaker 1: that bandwagon, but the bandwagon that's something bad is going
Speaker 1: to happen to a cheerleader. Just stay vigilant. Yeah, I didn't.
Speaker 1: It wasn't bad. I'm not on that band that she's
Speaker 1: gonna make it. That's true. It could have necessarily been.
Speaker 1: We don't know if it was. She was gonna be
Speaker 1: on like a dateline episode or something. I just didn't
Speaker 1: feel good about it. So I'm just saying it was
Speaker 1: one of the thing never specified, Um, the gender, because
Speaker 1: you know, the Rams have a ton of male cheerleaders,
Speaker 1: the guys that throw the girls, right. But see, when
Speaker 1: you assume that it's a female cheerleader, you need to yourself,
Speaker 1: you mark and you're referring to a female here later
Speaker 1: all right, Well, so where I really am going to
Speaker 1: go with this instead is um what I am And
Speaker 1: this is this is something I just learned in the
Speaker 1: last couple of days. Here. What I think is maybe
Speaker 1: a brewing annoyance on the part of Big Ben with
Speaker 1: new play caller Matt Canada. He has already resorted to
Speaker 1: the very weather worn blow offline that players give when
Speaker 1: they were asking about the offense. Just crumbling against this
Speaker 1: look bad against the Raiders. He basically just you know,
Speaker 1: over and over you'll have to ask Coach Canada that
Speaker 1: I love saying that you know you've got issues and
Speaker 1: didn't they make this guy the coordinator because Ben was
Speaker 1: bad mouth in the like I think with Russell Wilson,
Speaker 1: you can think like they're gonna work together well all
Speaker 1: year long because Russell Wilson seems amiable. I don't know
Speaker 1: what water that holds the Big Ben. But hold on
Speaker 1: one little other thing before we be taking because I
Speaker 1: want to like with the what we're the segment we're
Speaker 1: doing here, and I'm all for slinging arrows at teams
Speaker 1: you players you don't like, But what bandwagon are we
Speaker 1: talking about? This is the band the Big Ben's brewing
Speaker 1: annoyance with Matt Canada band I thought I have struggling
Speaker 1: with the concept here, all right, Well, I had a
Speaker 1: bunch of positive when I gave you a nice little
Speaker 1: thing about the car Big Ben's brewing annoyance with the
Speaker 1: offensive coordinator man Wagon and gave you a little nice
Speaker 1: one about the Cardinals. Now this second point, after he
Speaker 1: kept saying you'll have to ask coach Canada, that he's
Speaker 1: turned around and said, we've got some really good football
Speaker 1: players that you want to get on the football field.
Speaker 1: So if you don't have them out there, they're sitting
Speaker 1: on the bench doing nothing. Well, you also have James Washington,
Speaker 1: who is he even talking? Well, I don't know certain
Speaker 1: packages when people weren't out there, but big but for
Speaker 1: him to say that, by the way, as the opposite
Speaker 1: of what's happening on functional team, you have some big
Speaker 1: Ben Bengo cooking here. Because now there's the report um
Speaker 1: confirmed by the team that he has pectoral injury. I'm sure,
Speaker 1: I'm sure that will not come up again if they
Speaker 1: offense continues to struggle. I I love the drama because
Speaker 1: he also kept trying to say, like during the press
Speaker 1: conference right after the game at least, that that he
Speaker 1: needed to improve, and the local reporter or Mark Cobboli,
Speaker 1: who was always a check guest for the athletic thought
Speaker 1: that it was almost in direct response to something Chris
Speaker 1: Carter said, which I guess got attention that Ben always
Speaker 1: makes excuses and complains and brings attention to himself so
Speaker 1: bed and like a sort of like a child. The
Speaker 1: next press conference just go every answer he said, well
Speaker 1: that I have to do better like just like like
Speaker 1: it respond like he was like subtly passive, aggressively going
Speaker 1: back at Carter by just like petulantly. It's amazing. What
Speaker 1: was that then? I you know, I think what you're
Speaker 1: dancing around the ultimately mark and maybe it will be
Speaker 1: more clear within the segments constraints. Here is the a
Speaker 1: f C. North is moving on without the Steelers manwagon.
Speaker 1: Why don't you just throw it out there. I can't
Speaker 1: say that yet because I still always feel like that's
Speaker 1: your own bandwagon. Tomlin find well, this is more big
Speaker 1: Bens and brewing annoyance with Matt Canada is not mean
Speaker 1: I'm saying they're going to win five games. But the offense,
Speaker 1: I think has the offensive line, which was a mystery
Speaker 1: coming in. Um feels Ill prepared. Well, we'll talk more
Speaker 1: about the Steelers on Thursday. But I think I think
Speaker 1: we're on the same page. I think you're dancing a
Speaker 1: little bit around your own bandwagon here, but I think
Speaker 1: I know where you're going. Um, all right, well I
Speaker 1: can do that around my bandwagon. I can park it
Speaker 1: in the middle of do what everyone, Let's hear a
Speaker 1: woman again? You know just that that lady before we
Speaker 1: move on, colleague, Yes, my husband filed his claim last
Speaker 1: spring and came back for the children and me and July.
Speaker 1: You'll find things very different out here. Yeah, yess she medicated.
Speaker 1: She sounds like very like stylistic ways of speaking, have
Speaker 1: like a drug induced scientology area. But the other woman
Speaker 1: very stern. You like, you'll find things different out here.
Speaker 1: I like that. I like her. All right, let's pause
Speaker 1: here for a word from our sponsors. Alright, we're back,
Speaker 1: all right, before we before we go, let's start looking
Speaker 1: towards week three with a little Thursday night football preview.
Speaker 1: And to do that, we welcome a great friends as
Speaker 1: a wolf and she'll blow your house down. The tiny
Speaker 1: box Connie Fox, some call our colleagues, welcome back. How
Speaker 1: you like our studio in the in the studio huge
Speaker 1: box right now, there's no longer tiny yep. Hey, yeah,
Speaker 1: that's your new name, Huge Box. All right, listen, Colleen,
Speaker 1: let's let's get into Thursday Night Football. And everyone should
Speaker 1: know by now that Colleen is the host of Thursday
Speaker 1: Night Football and NFL Network. And I was a little
Speaker 1: upset about young and Sweaty and you didn't have a
Speaker 1: chance to get them up on the platform last week.
Speaker 1: Washington's defense didn't really play a starring role. But we
Speaker 1: get another shot now here with Carolina Panthers at Houston Texans. Um,
Speaker 1: this is a game that will be interesting, of course,
Speaker 1: with uh a third string rookie quarterback starting for the
Speaker 1: Houston Texans and the Panthers who have become a story
Speaker 1: here in the NFL. How do you feel about what
Speaker 1: you've seen so far? Well, I was just wondering, like,
Speaker 1: do you have a young and sweaty UH style nickname
Speaker 1: for anyone on this team? Is there anything I need
Speaker 1: to have worked towards to make up for from last week?
Speaker 1: Let me get back to maybe Matt Rules, I mean,
Speaker 1: he's he's the guy Rules Donald. We got some things
Speaker 1: to work with here, CMC. General you can call him
Speaker 1: General Mills when Davis Mills, you know, is on the
Speaker 1: podium with you. Pretty good? All right, that's awesome? Like
Speaker 1: that one. Uh, Davis Mills, I have a feeling, uh
Speaker 1: in these games on Thursday Night. We've had some games
Speaker 1: in the past where there's a relatively unknown quarterback starting,
Speaker 1: whether it's because of injury or or whatever. So we've
Speaker 1: seen it with Nick Mullins before, where we've had him
Speaker 1: on the post Nick Mullins game right exactly, so I
Speaker 1: could see this happening exactly Taylor Heineke. Uh, it's not
Speaker 1: like it hasn't been done before. So Davis Mills, that's
Speaker 1: who I'm watching for, and he's he's in a really
Speaker 1: unending enviable position because this is his first start, hits
Speaker 1: on a short week, so he has condensed timing here
Speaker 1: to prep um. So he's lucky that it's not an
Speaker 1: away game because then that would be even shorter amount
Speaker 1: of time for him. But it's not like he has
Speaker 1: a very strong set of skill position players to help
Speaker 1: him out either. Like Taylor Heineke was in a spot
Speaker 1: where there they have some guys like Terry McLaurin that
Speaker 1: could get him out of a jam, and they also
Speaker 1: have a running game there with Antonio Gibson. This is
Speaker 1: a little bit of a different story. So UH and
Speaker 1: and not to mention he is a little bit different
Speaker 1: than Tyrod Taylor and the fact that he's more of
Speaker 1: a pocket passer. He doesn't have that mobility, so a
Speaker 1: lot of things are different. And then this Panther's defense,
Speaker 1: which has done a really good job this far in
Speaker 1: the season. They've allowed the fewest yards per game in
Speaker 1: the NFL through these first two games and buy a
Speaker 1: lot like forty four yards per game, fewer than the
Speaker 1: number two ranked Bills. So they were really good against
Speaker 1: the Saints had two picks, so Jamis Winston looking more
Speaker 1: like Jamis Winston of old. They sacked Jamis Winston four times.
Speaker 1: But this front seven looks legit. I mean it's it's
Speaker 1: the top defense and yardage both pass and total. They
Speaker 1: lead the league in points allowed. Uh. Phil Snow, who
Speaker 1: really didn't have a lot of pro experience, has coordinated
Speaker 1: that defense so well. And I just love what's happening
Speaker 1: because you're looking at guys like Shaq Thompson who were
Speaker 1: on the team already playing their best football, and it's
Speaker 1: guys like Brian Burns who continue to develop under this
Speaker 1: coaching staff. And I just like to say, let it snow,
Speaker 1: Phil Snow and this defense are gonna put it on.
Speaker 1: I don't think you're gonna be seeing Davis Mills up
Speaker 1: on the podium now. You never know. I mean, things
Speaker 1: are weird on these games. You're right about that. It's
Speaker 1: in Houston. I don't know if that's a huge benefit
Speaker 1: or not, but I'm telling you, team, yeah, let's go.
Speaker 1: I like that. I'm just doing all of my prep
Speaker 1: live on the show with you guys. That's good. Keep
Speaker 1: it coming. These are great ideas. Gang. This is We
Speaker 1: just did a segment about jumping on bandwagons, and I
Speaker 1: didn't want to talk too much Panthers because we were
Speaker 1: going to do it right now. But I can think
Speaker 1: of no more sturdy bandwagon to jump on then the
Speaker 1: Carolina Panthers. They are a playoff team. They've got a
Speaker 1: coach that that Colleen and I met in person. I've
Speaker 1: been through that story a thousand times. Immediately a fan,
Speaker 1: and I just I love the direction of the entire offense, defense, everything.
Speaker 1: They might have a kicker issue that bummed. I can't
Speaker 1: believe the Panthers didn't come up in the last segment
Speaker 1: because they're great. They are a great Sampan wagon mark.
Speaker 1: They are a great example because you look at their schedule,
Speaker 1: what they've done so far and who they have on Thursday,
Speaker 1: and there is a chance that maybe this isn't it.
Speaker 1: They aren't for real when things tighten up. But this
Speaker 1: is your chance, if you believe what you've seen so far.
Speaker 1: This is the chance to say the Panthers are legit
Speaker 1: and you're rolling through the prairie land. Yeah, and we've
Speaker 1: talked about me and Sessler mentioned that we met Matt Rule.
Speaker 1: Actually covered Matt Rule when I was back in Philly
Speaker 1: and he was the head coach at Temple. So this
Speaker 1: this team, it's it's looking a lot better, even in
Speaker 1: that secondary. I feel like the secondary of the Panthers
Speaker 1: is improved too, because we've talked a lot about the
Speaker 1: front seven looking really legit with Brian Burns and Hassan
Speaker 1: Reddick and Morgan Fox Um Morgan Fox who eight quarterback
Speaker 1: pressures last week half of sack, so they can do
Speaker 1: so many things up front. They can really switch it up.
Speaker 1: They're really dynamic, they're so fast. But the secondary too, Uh,
Speaker 1: they should have a pretty decent time limiting the Texans
Speaker 1: receivers because you're not really going to have a threat
Speaker 1: of I think the deep ball from Davis Mills a J.
Speaker 1: Bouyer back from a cannon. If nothing else, Davis Mills
Speaker 1: might uncork a couple Brandon Cooks. I don't know. Hey,
Speaker 1: maybe you're right. That's that's actually a good point. So
Speaker 1: maybe the Panthers secondary will get exposed by Davis Mills.
Speaker 1: That's something to watch for. Weird things happen on Thursday night.
Speaker 1: And you know, Connie Matt met Rule had my heart
Speaker 1: when we met him at the owners meetings and I
Speaker 1: asked him, do you like the Hampton's or the Jersey Shore?
Speaker 1: And you know where he went? Now, Connie's more of
Speaker 1: a uh Southern Tip Exit three type girl garden, say
Speaker 1: the Wildwood region. Yeah, I'm more the bel Mar Point,
Speaker 1: pleasant Um Seaside heights, like Wall Township, Wall Township, Devin
Speaker 1: Keith live in spring Lake. I like that area. But
Speaker 1: if he's Jersey Shore over the Hampton's, you know he's
Speaker 1: good people. Yeah, I mean, at least we can all
Speaker 1: agree on, like the Jersey Shore is really amazing and
Speaker 1: nothing like what people think it is. It is dawning
Speaker 1: on me that actually I don't think Matt Rule ever
Speaker 1: would have approached me, except that I was with Colleen
Speaker 1: at this starting to realize that it's not a true
Speaker 1: it's not true. Great guy, it matters a little bit.
Speaker 1: He still was really nice. I'm disappointed that Tyrod has
Speaker 1: gone because when it was halftime, right when he got hurt,
Speaker 1: when we found out that he was going to leave,
Speaker 1: they were given the Browns everything they could handle. At
Speaker 1: that point in the season. They were as good as
Speaker 1: any team in the NFL through six quarters. Even even
Speaker 1: after that, like, they've been really respectable on defense. I
Speaker 1: think their offensive coordinator, who they kept from the previous regime,
Speaker 1: Tim Kelly, did you say any good as any team
Speaker 1: in the NFL through six quarters? That's crazy. But they
Speaker 1: absolutely blew out the team they played in Week one,
Speaker 1: and they were playing they were playing the Browns even
Speaker 1: maybe even better. I had a channel the spirit and Tyrod,
Speaker 1: and and yet I think they can't make this number
Speaker 1: big enough for the Panthers not to go over. I
Speaker 1: think they're gonna destroy Davis Mills. I thought Davis Mills
Speaker 1: had a touchdown drive last week, but was a bit
Speaker 1: of a mess. Was misscommunications, throws behind, players didn't look
Speaker 1: ready for it. I'm embarrassed. How much preseason I watched
Speaker 1: Davis Mills. He's gonna have like a couple like Mettenburger
Speaker 1: or Mike Glennon type throws in there, but he's not
Speaker 1: ready for this, Like he is not ready any They're
Speaker 1: going up against a pretty well run offense too. With
Speaker 1: Sam Donald hitting those first reads that they figured out
Speaker 1: the protection, They're like, I, I think you're gonna get
Speaker 1: a dud. I think Davis Mills is gonna go up.
Speaker 1: I think Colleen's gonna be sitting with Sam Donald if
Speaker 1: things go right for the PA. Now you got to
Speaker 1: get McCaffrey or Robbie and someone with the little person out. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean you know what, Sorry Donald, with Sam Donald,
Speaker 1: it's kind of crazy when you think about the Saints
Speaker 1: struggled more with Donald than they did against Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 1: Like it's just been kind of a weird first two
Speaker 1: weeks of the season. Could you if Donald is on
Speaker 1: the podium, could you call him s darn starn starn Um.
Speaker 1: I couldn't put that in the list for Maybes. It
Speaker 1: doesn't flow that great. That's Sessler's nickname, But so take it.
Speaker 1: Take it doesn't flow that great? Is my creation that
Speaker 1: I came up with no. Sorry, I take it back.
Speaker 1: I take it back. Let's fix that in posts. It's
Speaker 1: got any Tito's behind you there by the way I do. Alright, Well,
Speaker 1: maybe maybe it's gone from last night until Johnny when
Speaker 1: I came over with Cessler for our little Once upon
Speaker 1: a Time at Hollywood viewing party where things got wild
Speaker 1: over the summer. He didn't have the Tito's heard and
Speaker 1: that was a nice time. It's fair to say that
Speaker 1: not everyone viewed the same amount of that movie. Uh
Speaker 1: that evening anyway, Connie, safe journey, enjoy the game, and uh,
Speaker 1: we're proud of you. What a journey you've had, a
Speaker 1: career you've built. But it's all over, guys, it's all
Speaker 1: downhill from here, listen. I promise though. Now I am
Speaker 1: going to work in star just to make good on this.
Speaker 1: So it's gonna happen at some point in the pregame
Speaker 1: show a star is happening. Drop you have to name
Speaker 1: drop my name as well. So there's just add to
Speaker 1: the list of priorities. God, there's so many things. And
Speaker 1: all you remember Informer by the artist Snow Yes, all right.
Speaker 1: The name of the name of this album was twelve
Speaker 1: inches of snow. So if you want to throw that
Speaker 1: on the list as well, great, alright, I wrote that
Speaker 1: one down to gang. All right, there she goes, all right,
Speaker 1: what a joy? I mean, she just brings the sunshine
Speaker 1: to the program. Absolutely, I agree with you, program program.
Speaker 1: Note before we sign off, the around the NFL broadcast,
Speaker 1: which is flying two hours every Friday on NFL Network
Speaker 1: or Saturday, I should say, excuse me, Um, you could
Speaker 1: watch it digitally on dot com on Friday's, but it
Speaker 1: is on the network on Saturday's. Is now also on
Speaker 1: Sky Sports. So if if you're an international uh listener
Speaker 1: slash viewer, check out your local listings. And we are
Speaker 1: on sky Sports now and we were getting a lot
Speaker 1: of feedback on social Saturday afternoon as well. Yeah, so
Speaker 1: make sure you check that out. And yeah, the we'll
Speaker 1: be back Thursday with our week three preview podcast and
Speaker 1: um we'll recap or Greg will recap Thursday Night football
Speaker 1: the game we just previewed, and then of course Friday,
Speaker 1: uh Saturday, the television show. Sunday, we're back with the
Speaker 1: flagship program. But that's down the one. Let's step at
Speaker 1: a time. Mark, I am with cars. I only got
Speaker 1: to get in that thing before it stalls out on you.
Speaker 1: You can't leave a car running for too long. I've
Speaker 1: done that before. No, I did a bad job with that.
Speaker 1: I thought that we would, you know, for the first
Speaker 1: time in two years, actually start on time, and I miscalculated.
Speaker 1: All right, do you want to grab lunch with me
Speaker 1: in the commissary? I have places to be very soon
Speaker 1: after we wrap here. I'm all right until Thursday. Heed.
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