Speaker 1: Kaboom. If you thought four hours a day, minutes a
Speaker 1: week was enough, think again. He's the last remnants of
Speaker 1: the old republic a sole fashion of fairness. He treats
Speaker 1: crackheads in the ghetto gutter the same as the rich
Speaker 1: pill poppers in the penthouse to clearinghouse of hot takes.
Speaker 1: Break free for something special. The Fifth Hour with Ben
Speaker 1: Mallard starts right now in the air everywhere. We welcome
Speaker 1: you into a special edition of the Fifth Hour with
Speaker 1: Ben Maller and Danny g two guys. Is enough for me?
Speaker 1: By request, we have moved the penny right here. It
Speaker 1: is the beginning of a new season of Benny Versus
Speaker 1: the Penny Man versus Metal. And if you've never heard
Speaker 1: this before, it is one of the more unique bits
Speaker 1: that we've done. I've done this on terrestrial radio and
Speaker 1: on YouTube and the podcast for many, many, many years,
Speaker 1: and it's very simple. I spend a good amount of
Speaker 1: time handicapping NFL games. It's become a bit of a
Speaker 1: passing fad, if you will, for me over the years.
Speaker 1: But it's really more than that, because I've done it
Speaker 1: for so long. And and then we have an inanimate object,
Speaker 1: a penny, and we determine who can do a better job,
Speaker 1: someone that actually invests the most valuable resource we have
Speaker 1: time into this or an object which has no knowledge
Speaker 1: of anything going on. So that is the premise behind
Speaker 1: Benny versus the Penny, and it's a season long battle.
Speaker 1: And Danny G, you are representing the penny. You're the
Speaker 1: keeper of the penny, a hollowed, hollowed position and to
Speaker 1: have where legends like Turk Stevens and Guesscon and so
Speaker 1: many other people over the years, I wish I could
Speaker 1: pull off those suits have represented the penny. So it's
Speaker 1: a big honor for you, Danny G. I know this
Speaker 1: is a big accomplishment. You've done so many great radio
Speaker 1: jobs and now you are the keeper of the Penny.
Speaker 1: I can't wait until I can put this on my
Speaker 1: broadcasting resume, the Penny Keeper. And you know, one of
Speaker 1: the benefits of working on your live show all these
Speaker 1: years is I know where Coop hid the penny in
Speaker 1: the studio cool last, and so when I was in
Speaker 1: there this past weekend, I made sure to go to
Speaker 1: the hiding place. I got the penny and it's in
Speaker 1: my hand right now. Wow. Well that's good and you
Speaker 1: I look, it looks very nice. And so that is
Speaker 1: the magical penny marijuana residue on it, though it has
Speaker 1: been tarnished a little bit by the coop bloop. So
Speaker 1: normally at this point we look back at our record
Speaker 1: last week. I did not lose a game last week. Uh,
Speaker 1: and the Penny did not win a game last week.
Speaker 1: Depending on how you look at I'll be many bright
Speaker 1: side on this because it's a brand new week, it's
Speaker 1: a brand new season. Let's strike up the band. Welcome players,
Speaker 1: You're welcome. It's time now, Penny versus the Penny now.
Speaker 1: A mini Mallard monologue for Week one of the NFL.
Speaker 1: There are some themes in Week one as we get
Speaker 1: to these games here, and it's the same theme we
Speaker 1: get every year in Week one, although it feels like
Speaker 1: it's a little bigger this year. It's old faces in
Speaker 1: new places, or depending how you look at it, new
Speaker 1: faces in old places. But the quarterback roulette. Number of
Speaker 1: veteran quarterbacks have changed teams. Baker Mayfield going from Cleveland
Speaker 1: the Carolina, and you've got Russell Wilson now in Denver.
Speaker 1: They play against their old teams this week Matt Ryan
Speaker 1: making his debut when we get to the Colts game.
Speaker 1: So there are a lot of those type of storylines.
Speaker 1: We have new coaches in the NFL this season who
Speaker 1: are making their debuts, and these are all things that
Speaker 1: you have to factor in when you handicap a game,
Speaker 1: because if you have a season coach versus a new coach,
Speaker 1: typically the advantage goes in a large way to the
Speaker 1: coach that's actually done it before. It's kind of like
Speaker 1: your first school play, Danny, if you if you ever
Speaker 1: acting in school, the first time you do a school play,
Speaker 1: probably not gonna be that good. But the third or
Speaker 1: fourth time, you kind of get it. You kind of
Speaker 1: understand what's going on. So with that said, we'll get
Speaker 1: right to the games. That will start with the early
Speaker 1: games and the first game on the board, New Orleans
Speaker 1: at Atlanta. It is a on Fox. Kenny Albert and
Speaker 1: Jonathan Vilma have the call. The Saints opened up a
Speaker 1: three and a half point favorite. They're favored by five
Speaker 1: and a half in this game at the Mercedes Benz
Speaker 1: Stadium and the pick I'm gonna take the Falcons in
Speaker 1: this game. Now I'll tell you why. Jamis Winston Number one,
Speaker 1: returning as the Saints starter, coming off a torn to
Speaker 1: a c L. He does have to demonstrate to me
Speaker 1: that he is up to the challenge because of the
Speaker 1: the injury, lost a lot of weight, and Sean Payton
Speaker 1: never took the training wheels off Winston last year. He's
Speaker 1: not walking through that door now. Dennis Allen, who is
Speaker 1: a debacle or was it Debaco coaching the Raiders back
Speaker 1: in the day. The Saints still have Alvin Kamara. He
Speaker 1: didn't get suspended. He's playing in this game. He dodged suspension.
Speaker 1: Michael Thomas is back. But even in the glory days
Speaker 1: of the Saints, they've always been a bad team early
Speaker 1: in the in the season, certainly last last and full
Speaker 1: of years last eight seasons. New Orleans is just three
Speaker 1: and fifteen against the spread in weeks one and two,
Speaker 1: and a lot of that with Drew Brees and Sean Payton.
Speaker 1: And uh, this is more of a play against the
Speaker 1: Saints than it is on the Falcons. I don't like it, Lant.
Speaker 1: I think they're bad team like everyone else. Marcus Mariota
Speaker 1: returns as the starter, A former Raider backup, former Tennessee starter.
Speaker 1: He is playing with a parade of horribles. The Falcons
Speaker 1: are in Nomad's land at this point under center uh
Speaker 1: and also they have a coach in Arthur Smith, who
Speaker 1: is in year two. They've been bad in September, They've
Speaker 1: been bad in October and November and pretty much every
Speaker 1: other month there. There's a couple of reasons though, to
Speaker 1: think they can hang around. Typically, these divisional games are close,
Speaker 1: their nail biters, even when one team is much better
Speaker 1: than the other. And Kyle pitts very productive. You can
Speaker 1: get in the ends on a lot last year only
Speaker 1: one touchdown. Cordarrell Patterson has been very good as a
Speaker 1: running back, and they're very excited about Drake London, who's
Speaker 1: been dinged up here. But that The main reason to
Speaker 1: like the Falcons other than the divisional angle is their
Speaker 1: defensive backs A. J. Terrell and Casey Hayward very good,
Speaker 1: and so they should be able to slow down Michael
Speaker 1: Thomas and the rest of the Saints receivers. Saints will
Speaker 1: win the game, but the Falcons will cover Saints thirty
Speaker 1: and the Falcons twenty six. And the Penny picks all right,
Speaker 1: this is exciting. My very first flip of the penny
Speaker 1: and the penny is taking New Orleans. Alright, the penny
Speaker 1: taking the road team New Orleans at Atlanta. There in
Speaker 1: the a t L al right. Next up San Francisco
Speaker 1: at Chicago. It's on Fox. Joe Davis, the Dodger broadcaster,
Speaker 1: and Darryl moose Johnson have the call. The forty Niners
Speaker 1: opened up a six and a half point favorite, and
Speaker 1: they are a seven point favorite. Mild weather in Chicago
Speaker 1: as we start moving into the fall part of the calendar,
Speaker 1: although not quite yet into fall, seventies seven at kickoff
Speaker 1: on the shores of Lake Michigan and Soldier Field, mostly cloudy.
Speaker 1: Uh And I am going against my better judgment here, Danny.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna take the Chicago Bears plus the points in
Speaker 1: this game. Yeah. Mainly I'm betting against Trey Lance. I
Speaker 1: don't trust him. His first real opportunity as the man
Speaker 1: for the team from the Bay area there, and he
Speaker 1: doesn't have much rope with Jimmy g hanging on the sidelines.
Speaker 1: I know all the rhetoric that the Niners fancy themselves
Speaker 1: a Super Bowl contender, and they have a tremendous amount
Speaker 1: of talent on defense. I get all that, but there's
Speaker 1: no way that the Niners should be this bigger favorite
Speaker 1: with a neophyte at quarterback. And if you look at
Speaker 1: these Niner teams last five years, they're only eight and
Speaker 1: eight as a road favorite, So even when they've had
Speaker 1: some good teams, they haven't exactly dominated as a road
Speaker 1: favorite here. And uh, I realized that Justin Fields has
Speaker 1: a terrible offensive line and he also stinks as the
Speaker 1: quarterback for Chicago. Uh So I'm gonna need for to
Speaker 1: win this bet. I'm gonna need special teams and a
Speaker 1: couple of mistakes by Lance, a few timely turnovers here,
Speaker 1: and some oddities, some real oddities to take place. But
Speaker 1: I'm gonna do it anyway. I'll take the Niners to
Speaker 1: win the game on the road, but not cover the spread.
Speaker 1: Forty Niners twenty three, Bear seventeen the final, and the
Speaker 1: penny picks. The penny also goes with the Chicago Bears,
Speaker 1: all right, So the Penny and me agree, so either
Speaker 1: I can't lose on that one, all right? Next up
Speaker 1: Philadelphia at Detroit. It is on Fox as well. Adam A.
Speaker 1: Mean and Mark slay Rith have the call from the
Speaker 1: Motor City. The Eagles opened up a three and a
Speaker 1: point favorite. They are favorite by four. It's inside the
Speaker 1: dome at Ford Field, mild temperatures in Detroit. Also, not
Speaker 1: that it matters, but I'm gonna take the Lions in
Speaker 1: this game. I like the Lions as a home doog
Speaker 1: and the Eagles are riding the trendy train right now.
Speaker 1: They're the popular pick bipopular people. Jalen Hurts has has
Speaker 1: shown last season very good fantasy player, very good regular
Speaker 1: season player. Uh at least if you look at the
Speaker 1: the Gaudi statistics that he put up running the football,
Speaker 1: mixing with the past, people are saying he's an m
Speaker 1: VP candidate. I don't buy it. I'm on the other
Speaker 1: side here. I think the Eagles will win their share
Speaker 1: of regular season games, but I like the Lions this week.
Speaker 1: The Birds as a road favorite have a losing record
Speaker 1: since seventeen. Philly also has been a terrible team in September.
Speaker 1: They're three and thirteen against the spread their last six
Speaker 1: team games in September, and the Lions, despite all of
Speaker 1: the suckage in the Motor City Detroit, is nine and
Speaker 1: four their last thirteen games in September. So against the spread,
Speaker 1: those numbers So that's all we care about his gamblers, right,
Speaker 1: I don't care if they win straight up, it's do
Speaker 1: they cover the spread? And so the Lions coming off
Speaker 1: that hard knocks life here. Uh, they also got destroyed
Speaker 1: by the Eagles and the regular season last year. You
Speaker 1: have a casserole of middle of the road players in
Speaker 1: the Motor City. But we are going to take the
Speaker 1: Lions over a field goal at home, getting four points.
Speaker 1: In fact, stunner of the week. Lions upset the darlings
Speaker 1: of the NFC, the Eagles. Lions twenty nine Eagles, and
Speaker 1: expect Philly coach Nick Siriani to have some explaining to
Speaker 1: do after this game. And the Penny picks Danny Penny
Speaker 1: goes with the Eagles, all right, So the Pennies going
Speaker 1: the other way, going with the talk of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Speaker 1: It's Betty versus the Penny. Next up New England at Miami.
Speaker 1: It's on CBS. Greg Gumble and Adam Archiletta have the call,
Speaker 1: and the Dolphins opened up a two and a half
Speaker 1: point favorite. They're favored by three in this game. Light
Speaker 1: rain temperatures in the nineties at kick off in South
Speaker 1: Florida at Hard Rock Stadium, and that's a big factor.
Speaker 1: Many people saying that that will sway this game to
Speaker 1: the Dolphins, but I'm going the other way. I'm gonna
Speaker 1: take the Patriots in this game. I mentioned in the
Speaker 1: open rookie coaches versus veteran coaches. There's no greater mismatch
Speaker 1: this weekend than Mike McDaniel, who I'm pulling for. I
Speaker 1: hope I'm wrong, but Mike McDaniel's first game as Dolphins coach,
Speaker 1: never a play caller in the NFL, it was an
Speaker 1: assistant with the Niners is he's got a very odd
Speaker 1: personality and he's a good sound bite, and he takes over.
Speaker 1: Miami is getting a lot of love with Tyree Hill
Speaker 1: as he begins life in South Florida. And you've got
Speaker 1: to a tongue of Bloa, who's three and oh in
Speaker 1: his career against New England but bewilderedly bad numbers individually
Speaker 1: for two despite being three and oh, two touchdowns, two
Speaker 1: interceptions in his career passer rating below eighty two. But
Speaker 1: yet the Dolphins have been able to find a way
Speaker 1: with him under center to win those games New England.
Speaker 1: If you look at the recent trend here the last
Speaker 1: ten meetings. For the last five years, New England has
Speaker 1: won the first matchup and the Dolphins have won the
Speaker 1: second matchup in nine of the last ten seasons. So
Speaker 1: that's a trend. Trends are made to be broken, but
Speaker 1: it tells you typically these things go to the Patriots
Speaker 1: in round one, Round two goes to the Dolphins, and
Speaker 1: that the Patriots have a bunch of questions. The The
Speaker 1: Boston media has been going, sky is falling, Mac Jones
Speaker 1: not looking great. The offense, uh, not very good. Zombies
Speaker 1: under Matt Patricia's too lege as he's the de facto
Speaker 1: offensive coordinator. People bringing up the weather lot this the sticky,
Speaker 1: icky weather of September in South Florida, that will wear
Speaker 1: down the Patriots as they wear those navy blue uniforms,
Speaker 1: those jerseys in the second half. But I've learned over
Speaker 1: the years not to bet against Belichick, and he's always
Speaker 1: gotten the most. He's been able to squeeze the most
Speaker 1: out of the toothpaste tube and get all that toothpaste
Speaker 1: out at the end. He's got a huge coaching edge
Speaker 1: over the no name out of nowhere Mike McDaniel. Uh
Speaker 1: So I'm taking the patriotsy. I think this is a
Speaker 1: back and forth game. It will come down to a
Speaker 1: late field goal. I love getting the points here, even
Speaker 1: though it's only three points. Patriots twenty seven and the Dolphins.
Speaker 1: It's the final and the Penny picks Penny picks the Dolphins,
Speaker 1: all right, the Dolphins. These are two teams that your
Speaker 1: raiders Danny g might run into down the line if
Speaker 1: they make the playoffs. The Dolphins. Yeah, the Patriots are
Speaker 1: like a fringe playoff team that they made the playoffs
Speaker 1: last year. The Dolphins kind of in that weird both
Speaker 1: those teams fighting you would think for a wild card
Speaker 1: behind the Bills in the a f C East, all
Speaker 1: eyes on Mac Jones and coordinators. And on the other
Speaker 1: side to and Tyreek. Yeah, it's a it's a game.
Speaker 1: I will I will definitely have that in my rotation
Speaker 1: in the early television window. Next up, Pittsburgh at Cincinnati.
Speaker 1: It's on CBS. Iron Eagle and Charles Davis teaming up
Speaker 1: on this game. The Bengals. We had Charles Davis on
Speaker 1: this podcast not that long ago. Friend of the Bengals
Speaker 1: opened up a six and al point favorite. They have
Speaker 1: stayed a six and a half point favorite the newly
Speaker 1: named pay Corps Stadium, whatever that is, uh seventy five
Speaker 1: at kickoff in Cincinnati, right on the border of Kentucky.
Speaker 1: And I'm taking the Steelers in this game. Not because
Speaker 1: I love Mr Biscuit. I do not love my my
Speaker 1: Mr R Bisky as he begins under center. But I
Speaker 1: do believe in Mike Tomlin, and I know that Tomin's
Speaker 1: gonna run a very basic, rudimentary offense, a lot of
Speaker 1: Naja Harris and the running attack for Pittsburgh. Try to
Speaker 1: milk the clock as much as you can, let the
Speaker 1: defense and special teams win the game. Steelers defense should
Speaker 1: be top five in the NFL. I am not anti Bengals,
Speaker 1: though they have my name in their name. I'm not
Speaker 1: anti ben Gals. I don't trust Cincinnati though by this
Speaker 1: many points. I know they were in the Super Bowl
Speaker 1: last year. But Joe Burrow, he had a pretty big
Speaker 1: procedure and appen deck to me not that long ago.
Speaker 1: He supposedly lost twenty pounds or so had an infection
Speaker 1: obviously during that and uh, Mike Tomlin as a road
Speaker 1: underdog since has a six thirty six winning percentage been
Speaker 1: very good to play the Steelers on the road, although
Speaker 1: the last couple of years have not been that great.
Speaker 1: And the stat of status here Danny and the Penny
Speaker 1: the Super Bowl loser going back over twenty five years,
Speaker 1: last twenty six years, the team that lost the Super
Speaker 1: Bowl in their first game the following season five and
Speaker 1: twenty one against the spread. That's a less than two
Speaker 1: hundred winning percentage. I'm gonna ride that twenty five plus
Speaker 1: year trend and I'll take the Bengals to win the
Speaker 1: game but not cover the spread. Bengals thirty three, Steelers
Speaker 1: thirty and the Penny chiming in on this one. The
Speaker 1: Penny goes with the Steelers, alright, So disagreement on this
Speaker 1: game and we'll keep the train movement here. Next up,
Speaker 1: we stop out in New Jersey, the swamp Lands of Jersey.
Speaker 1: The j E t S Jets, Jets Jets the home team,
Speaker 1: Baltimore the road team in this game. It's on CBS.
Speaker 1: Andrew Catalan and James Lofton have the call. The Ravens
Speaker 1: a big road favorite. They opened up at four and
Speaker 1: a half, their favorite by seven and a half. We
Speaker 1: call this the Flacco factor in this game and the
Speaker 1: game being played at MetLife Stadium, mild temperatures in the
Speaker 1: high seventies and cloudy at kickoff in this one, and
Speaker 1: I'm actually gonna go against the Tide. I'm gonna take
Speaker 1: the Jets in this game. I'm betting on Joe Flacco.
Speaker 1: I don't love this game. It's not one of my
Speaker 1: it's not one of my favorite players, Danny. But I'm
Speaker 1: gonna take Joe Flacco in this game against his old team. Uh,
Speaker 1: mainly because I believe the Ravens have some issues here
Speaker 1: that have not been addressed. I don't love the Jets.
Speaker 1: Nobody loves the Jets year two under Robert Sala Lamar
Speaker 1: Jackson beginning the season as he's just coming off this
Speaker 1: contract negotiation which didn't really go his way. Every good
Speaker 1: game he has this year, he's gonna earn more money.
Speaker 1: Every bad game he's gonna lose a few shekels. And
Speaker 1: John Harbaugh's team as a road favorite. They actually have
Speaker 1: a winning record, but only three games above five hundred
Speaker 1: as a road favorite. Since he's been very good in
Speaker 1: season openers. John Harbaugh against the spread ten and four
Speaker 1: in his fourteen years coming into this year as the
Speaker 1: Ravens coach against the spread in the season opener, and
Speaker 1: they Jets have been bad and all that, I understand it,
Speaker 1: but I'm looking for some rust from Lamar. He didn't
Speaker 1: play at all really in the priests season, and the
Speaker 1: Jets just they're ugly ducklings. They gotta play ugly. That's
Speaker 1: the only way they can play. I also love betting
Speaker 1: against the public here. Over of the money is on
Speaker 1: the side of Baltimore. They think this is just a
Speaker 1: broken money machine handing out free money, taking the Ravens here.
Speaker 1: The reason I've learned over the years doing benny versus
Speaker 1: the penny. One of the reasons the sports books are
Speaker 1: so profitable is the public loading up thinking a game
Speaker 1: is just a gimme like this and uh and more
Speaker 1: times than not, when you see that amount of money
Speaker 1: on one side, you don't even really have to handicap
Speaker 1: the game, Mutch. You just go the other way. So
Speaker 1: I think the Ravens win the game. But that's two
Speaker 1: many points Ravens twenty three, Jets seventeen. In an ugly
Speaker 1: matchup early season, Jets and Ravens and the Penny picks,
Speaker 1: and he goes with the Ravens alright, Penny into the Ravens.
Speaker 1: It's penny versus the penny, Danny G representing the penny.
Speaker 1: Every Friday, tell a friend, but listen all weekends, Saturday, Sunday,
Speaker 1: doesn't matter when you listen. I do know over the years,
Speaker 1: Danny many a listener love to go back on Monday
Speaker 1: and Tuesday and listen to how shitty the picks are.
Speaker 1: So they they like the fact that I spend so
Speaker 1: much time handicapping and then it looked like a total
Speaker 1: jackass when the games are actually played. So yeah, exactly, exactly,
Speaker 1: because they don't do that when I have a good week,
Speaker 1: which happens every once in a while too. All right.
Speaker 1: Next up, Jacksonville at Washington. It's on Fox with Chris
Speaker 1: Myers and Robert Smith, our old colleague Chris Myers part
Speaker 1: of the Fox Sports Radio Alumni Association, and the Commanders
Speaker 1: opened up a three and half point favorite. They're favored
Speaker 1: by two and a half and again, temperature is kind
Speaker 1: of my high seventies. At kickoff at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland,
Speaker 1: and I'm gonna take the Jags in this game bet
Speaker 1: against Carson Wentz. I think these teams are actually very similar. Uh,
Speaker 1: that's not a compliment for Washington. I don't think they're
Speaker 1: all that much more talented than Jacksonville is. And Carson
Speaker 1: Wentz has to show that he no longer has the
Speaker 1: brain farts which have haunted him his entire career. I'm
Speaker 1: I'm going against common sense. Jacksonville's riding a seventeen game
Speaker 1: road losing streak coming into this game. They're fresh off
Speaker 1: the Urban Meyer era and the Nomad's land once they
Speaker 1: got rid of Urban, so Doug Peterson Vanilla ice cream.
Speaker 1: Doug Peterson takes over as the head coach. He makes
Speaker 1: his debut in UH in a Jags hat and polo shirt,
Speaker 1: and he was hired to salvage the career of Trevor Lawrence,
Speaker 1: who seemed like he was going to be a prodigy
Speaker 1: coming out of Clemson and just was not that good
Speaker 1: last year. Understand. James Robinson, the running back for the
Speaker 1: jackson Is expected plays got an achilles situation Sean uh
Speaker 1: coming off an achilles, but he's supposed to play. And
Speaker 1: this is also the debut of the big money free
Speaker 1: agent receiver, Christian Kirk, who came over from Arizona. So
Speaker 1: he'll he'll he'll try to start making some money back
Speaker 1: earning the money that he got paid. And again, these
Speaker 1: teams are pretty even. Shouldn't spend too much time on
Speaker 1: this game. Uh, Jacksonville. The only thing that scares me.
Speaker 1: I like jackson I think there is talented, if not
Speaker 1: more talented than the Commandos, But the public also loves
Speaker 1: the Jags, and that scares me the amount of public
Speaker 1: money that is on Jacksonville, because as I've said, the
Speaker 1: public is usually wrong, but still handicapping the game. I'm
Speaker 1: gonna take Jacksonville to win the game outright, even though
Speaker 1: they're an underdog by two and apt points. Jags on
Speaker 1: a late field goal, win it twenty four, Commandos twenty three,
Speaker 1: and the Penny picks and he selects Jacksonville. Alright, So
Speaker 1: we agree on that one. And again the Benny versus
Speaker 1: the Fame of the West works if you just somehow
Speaker 1: did not listen to the beginning. The home team is Heads,
Speaker 1: the road team is Tales, and that's how we've done
Speaker 1: it for many, many years, and that's how we'll do
Speaker 1: it this season as well. On Benny versus the Penny.
Speaker 1: Next up Cleveland at Carolina, This game getting a lot
Speaker 1: of attention on CBS Spirodidas and Jay Feey. The Browns
Speaker 1: opened a three and a half point favorite, but that
Speaker 1: was when Deshaun Watson seemingly was gonna play. He's not playing.
Speaker 1: The Panthers are now a one point favorite. Rain showers,
Speaker 1: temperatures hovering around eight agrees at kick off at Bank
Speaker 1: of America stadiums, so the wet ball will be in
Speaker 1: play here. The foot all be a little damp if
Speaker 1: that forecast proves to be accurate in the Carolina's Panthers
Speaker 1: are my pick. I'm gonna take Carolina in this game.
Speaker 1: Baker Mayfield revenge game to start things off here. The
Speaker 1: reason I'm optimistic for Carolina is not because of Baker Mayfield.
Speaker 1: No, no no, no, He's gonna be so amped up he'll
Speaker 1: probably make a couple of mistakes. But I I like
Speaker 1: me some Christian McCaffrey. When McCaffrey plays, which is typically
Speaker 1: only six or seven games a year, Carolina is a
Speaker 1: playoff team when he's in the line of Remember they
Speaker 1: got off to that fast start last year. I think
Speaker 1: there were four and oh something like that, three and one.
Speaker 1: Gotta to do a good start, and then McCaffrey went
Speaker 1: down and the whole team fell apart, the defense slightly
Speaker 1: above average. I don't love the game because the Panthers
Speaker 1: are favorite. It's down to one point. They were actually
Speaker 1: favored by more than that, and the public is loading
Speaker 1: up on the Brownies, so that part of it I like, right,
Speaker 1: And they're they're betting on the fact that the Browns
Speaker 1: defense is good, their offensive line is good. They're overlooking
Speaker 1: Jacoby Brissette, who is a barf bag under center and
Speaker 1: the guy that gets worse as the as he plays more.
Speaker 1: And that's not really an issue right now because it's
Speaker 1: the first game of the year, and we imagine that
Speaker 1: the Browns will simply run a basic offense where they
Speaker 1: hand off to Nick Chobb most of the time, and
Speaker 1: then mix in the disgruntled Kareem Hunt and you've got
Speaker 1: that defense. All of that Cleveland. If you look at
Speaker 1: the history of the Browns, they have been a wonderful
Speaker 1: team to bet against week one. The last twenty two years,
Speaker 1: they have only won six games against the spread in
Speaker 1: Week one. And I think this game goes back and
Speaker 1: forth and gets nip and talk, low scoring game. Both
Speaker 1: teams are gonna try to be conservative and control the
Speaker 1: game as much as they can on the ground. But
Speaker 1: I'll take the guys from Tobacco Road, Carolina Tree and
Speaker 1: the Browns twenty the final and the penny picks. The
Speaker 1: penny goes with the Panthers, alright, the pick. We agree
Speaker 1: on that one. So another agreement on Benny versus the Penny.
Speaker 1: Next up Indianapolis at Houston. It's on CBS with Tom
Speaker 1: McCarthy and Ticky Barber will be in the booth there.
Speaker 1: The Old Giant and the Colts opened up a seven
Speaker 1: and a half point favorite. They're favored by eight eight
Speaker 1: in this game. It's being played in one of those
Speaker 1: retractable roof domes NRG Stadium in Houston, and the temperature
Speaker 1: outside and they'll maybe they'll have the dome open eighties
Speaker 1: six degrees that kick off the pick. I'm taking the
Speaker 1: home team. I'm gonna take the texts of this game. Uh,
Speaker 1: Indie going with Matt Ryan, and I've got to see
Speaker 1: it to believe it. Everyone's like, oh, Matt Ryan's gonna
Speaker 1: be great. He looked like he was cooked meat loaf,
Speaker 1: over cooked meat loaf in Georgia in recent years, and
Speaker 1: now he gets a fresh start as Frank Reich and
Speaker 1: that run heavy Colts offense. Jonathan Taylor, who was in
Speaker 1: the MVP conversation. Remember that last year seven seven eight
Speaker 1: games in the year, Jonathan Taylor was the main, main guy.
Speaker 1: He's the headliner again. Keep an eye on him. How
Speaker 1: he goes will go the Colts. They'll get the rock
Speaker 1: early and often. Indie historically has been a lousy Week
Speaker 1: one team, going back to the Peyton Manning era of
Speaker 1: Indie football. They are three twelve and one the last
Speaker 1: sixteen years in Week one against the spread. They also
Speaker 1: have a couple of guys who are dinged up. Some
Speaker 1: of them I'm talking about defensively. Defensively here. Some of
Speaker 1: them will play, but how well will they do? Others
Speaker 1: will not. The Texans are a bad team, but I
Speaker 1: think they're closer to being an average team than a
Speaker 1: terrible team. I mean, they're a bad team, but they're
Speaker 1: not like the worst of the worst like they were
Speaker 1: supposed to be last year and did turn out to
Speaker 1: be one of the worst teams in the NFL last season.
Speaker 1: Davis Mills, I'm not as excited about some other people
Speaker 1: at at quarterback with Davis Mills, but all we need
Speaker 1: is a couple of drives that that takes some time
Speaker 1: off the clock and result in touchdowns. Here and Lovey
Speaker 1: Smith making his return as an NFL head coach, and
Speaker 1: he's looking at twelve losses by the time, somewhere around
Speaker 1: twelve loss maybe if everything goes right, ten losses, but
Speaker 1: probably around twelve. And so you know, maybe they squeeze
Speaker 1: out a couple more here there. But I'm gonna take
Speaker 1: the Texans. The cardinal rule, if you've followed Benny versus
Speaker 1: the Penny, anytime you get over seven points in a
Speaker 1: divisional game, which this is, you don't ask questions, you
Speaker 1: take the points. You should be happy. Either that or
Speaker 1: you don't bet the game. So we bet every game
Speaker 1: on Benny versus the Penny. So I'm gonna take the
Speaker 1: Texans plus the points. Colts win the game. But people
Speaker 1: will be saying, well, Matt Ryan's not quite back yet.
Speaker 1: Colts Texans twenty three, and the penny picks the penny,
Speaker 1: says Indie, alright, so the penny going with the chalk.
Speaker 1: It's a lot of points, a lot of lumbered, a
Speaker 1: lot lay there in a road team, all right. Next up,
Speaker 1: we go to the late television window, the new York
Speaker 1: Giants at Tennessee. It's on Fox. Kevin Coogler and Mark
Speaker 1: Sanchez have the call. Who Sanchez the great butt fumble guy? Yeah?
Speaker 1: I know, light rein seventy nine degrees. That kick off
Speaker 1: at Nissan Stadium. Will your buddy Clay Travis be at
Speaker 1: this game, Danny, you think he'll be in the crowd there?
Speaker 1: Who's there one of those Gucci umbrellas that he's got
Speaker 1: because he's got Limbaugh's old chair talk? All right? Uh Titans.
Speaker 1: Titans opened up a six and a half point favorite,
Speaker 1: their favorite by five and a half. I'm want to
Speaker 1: take the Giants in this game. It's the beginning of
Speaker 1: a new era. I'll tell you why. Giant football Brian
Speaker 1: Dable takes over there on the sidelines. His pet project
Speaker 1: is fixing Daniel Jones. But as a gambler, Daniel Jones
Speaker 1: was okay last year, even in the darkness of The
Speaker 1: Giants have been a bad team for five or six years,
Speaker 1: but when Daniel Jones played, they were six and five
Speaker 1: against the spread with Danny Dimes under center. It's hard
Speaker 1: to get a read on the Giants because it's the
Speaker 1: an exhibition season and they've they've got their core guys.
Speaker 1: All those high falutin first round picks in recent years
Speaker 1: are playing. How effective they're going to be is open
Speaker 1: for interpretation. Uh, but I'm gonna take the Giants. I'm
Speaker 1: I'm not sold on the times. Even when the Titans
Speaker 1: play well, they typically grind games out. They have a
Speaker 1: very methodical, surgical approach with the great running back Derrick Henry.
Speaker 1: And if Ryan Tannehill starts slinging the ball around, good luck,
Speaker 1: it's last chance alone. A J. Brown has gone. The
Speaker 1: new number one receiver is likely Robert Woods, who was
Speaker 1: the number three receiver on the Rams and now he
Speaker 1: becomes the number one receiver in in Nashville. Uh, it's
Speaker 1: it's It's a game where I I could make an
Speaker 1: argument for Tennessee because I think the Giants are still
Speaker 1: bad team. Uh. The money is pretty even on this game.
Speaker 1: But I'm gonna take the point, all things being equal
Speaker 1: here first game. I have a theory on bad teams.
Speaker 1: You like betting on bad teams early because they don't
Speaker 1: realize they're bad. So I will take the Titans to
Speaker 1: win the game, but the Giants to cover the spread.
Speaker 1: Titans thirty and the Giants and the Penny picks. Penny
Speaker 1: has the Titans. Alright, Penny has the Titans. There next
Speaker 1: up Green Bay at Minnesota. It is on Fox. You
Speaker 1: better watch Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen. This is the
Speaker 1: number one crew for Fox. Now remember Joe Buck and
Speaker 1: Aikman skidaddle. They took that money, the bag of money
Speaker 1: over to ESPN. And so they're gone, and Burkehart now
Speaker 1: has the number one chair as the Fox NFL play
Speaker 1: by play guy and Greg Olsen has the chair until
Speaker 1: Tom Brady decides to retire allegedly. All Right, so the
Speaker 1: Packers a two point favorite. They opened as a one
Speaker 1: and app point favorite. US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis. It's a dome.
Speaker 1: It'll be nice, mild temperatures in the low seventies in
Speaker 1: Minneapolis at kickoff. Here, I'm taking the Vikings in this game.
Speaker 1: I'm going against one of my theories. But it is
Speaker 1: a rookie coach versus a established coach. Kevin O'Connell, the
Speaker 1: old Aztec making his maiden voyage in this game for
Speaker 1: the Purple People Eaters and the Vikings oozing with offensive talent.
Speaker 1: Justin Jefferson Adam Feeling at receiver Dalvin Cook in the backfield.
Speaker 1: And now they have someone who touched Sean mcveigh's hat,
Speaker 1: So Kevin O'Connell he is he's held the clipboard of McVeigh,
Speaker 1: and so that should bode well for the Vikings as
Speaker 1: the season goes on with Kirk Cousins Minnesota. Though, if
Speaker 1: you look at the numbers last twenty one meetings with
Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers outside of a tie Minnesota to his six
Speaker 1: and fifteen, so history says, well, the Packers own the
Speaker 1: Vikings the cheeseheads of the way to go. But I'm
Speaker 1: not I'm not all in on that. Davante Adams is gone.
Speaker 1: The three musketeers now for Aaron Rodgers are Alan Lazard,
Speaker 1: Sammy Watkins, and Randall Cobb. And so this will give
Speaker 1: Minnesota a chance to to sneak sneak up on on
Speaker 1: the Vikings on the Packers right there, they seemingly have
Speaker 1: a better offensive list of weapons the Vikings in this game.
Speaker 1: So I believe Aaron Rodgers will need extra psychedelics after
Speaker 1: this game. And it's Vikings seven Packers twenty three. Sky
Speaker 1: is falling over Lambeaux and the Penny Picks Penny is
Speaker 1: going with the Vikings. All right, Penny going the Vikings
Speaker 1: on that one. Next up, Kansas the at Arizona. It's
Speaker 1: on CBS in the late television window. This is the
Speaker 1: big game for CBS. Jim Nance and Tony Romo have
Speaker 1: the call from the Valley of the Sun and oh my,
Speaker 1: is it going to be sunny? Temperatures a kickoff one
Speaker 1: hundred degrees at kickoff in Glendale, Arizona at State Farm Stadium.
Speaker 1: Chiefs opened a two and a half point favorite. They
Speaker 1: are a six point road favorite. Six point road favorite.
Speaker 1: Uh man, I'm I'm gonna take alligator arms. I'm taking
Speaker 1: the Cardinals in this game. Tyreek Hill, I'll tell you
Speaker 1: why he's not walking through that door. Uh Andy Reid
Speaker 1: attempting to sort out who will pick up the targets.
Speaker 1: It's either gonna be Marquez, Valdez, Scantling or Juju Smith Schuster,
Speaker 1: one of them. You don't have to be Lombardi to
Speaker 1: figure that out. And Arizona's got some issues. That's why
Speaker 1: this is such a big line here. DeAndre Hopkins, the
Speaker 1: steroid cheat. He's out for the first six games, and
Speaker 1: Arizona just is lacking the wow factor they have Hollywood Brown,
Speaker 1: A J. Green who's old, and ron Dale Moore as
Speaker 1: the past Catchers. There's also some players dinged up on
Speaker 1: defense but getting almost a touchdown. Arizona has been with
Speaker 1: Cliff Kingsbury and Alligator Arms Murray. They've been a much
Speaker 1: better first half team. They usually get off the pretty
Speaker 1: good starts. So I'm gonna put a little bit of money.
Speaker 1: I don't love this game, but I put a little
Speaker 1: bit on the twitch gamer Kyler Murray and his little
Speaker 1: arms and his little band of friends here Chiefs thirty
Speaker 1: one and the Cardinals and the Penny Picks. Penny goes
Speaker 1: with the Chiefs. You'r a f C rival Chiefs. Danny
Speaker 1: has a proud member of Raider Nation. Check put baby alright,
Speaker 1: net stop Las Vegas. Speaking of the Raiders, I can't
Speaker 1: believe you took Kyler Murray by the way. Well, you know,
Speaker 1: I'm a gambler and I have to do Las Vegas
Speaker 1: at the l A Chargers on CBS with Kevin Harlan
Speaker 1: and Trent Green. Danny g I've heard that this this
Speaker 1: game is gonna be eighty five Raider fans will be
Speaker 1: in attendance at this game. In the hood and Inglewood. No,
Speaker 1: you gotta work for half the game. I'll be at
Speaker 1: the FSR studios. Oh man, it's gonna like a Raider
Speaker 1: home game. Yeah. That are you gonna be able to
Speaker 1: get to any Raider games this year? Trying to fly
Speaker 1: to New Orleans? Really? Yeah? Okay, very good? Alright, so
Speaker 1: Vegas and the Chargers. Charges opened up a four point favorite. There,
Speaker 1: favorite by three so Fi Stadium. Not a doll's supposed
Speaker 1: to cool off. There's been a big heat wave. It's
Speaker 1: kind of gotten some city in California here, but by
Speaker 1: the time they kick off on Sunday, temperatures in the
Speaker 1: high seventies at kickoff, it's so far And you're either
Speaker 1: gonna like this or you're not gonna like this, dandy,
Speaker 1: but I'm taking the Chargers in this game. A rematch
Speaker 1: of that classic Week eight team game last year, the
Speaker 1: Raiders winning the Chargers eliminated the debut of Josh McDaniels
Speaker 1: as coach. Davante Adams the Silver and Black and I
Speaker 1: like the l a offense against the Charger against the
Speaker 1: Raider defense, the Chargers should be able to with their
Speaker 1: offensive line, at least if you buy the hype they'll
Speaker 1: be able to contain Chandler Jones and Max Crosby for
Speaker 1: most of the game. And and the Raiders. You gotta
Speaker 1: think the big advantage that Chargers have is Austin Ekeler,
Speaker 1: and I don't know that the Raider linebackers will be
Speaker 1: able to keep up with Eckler. That should be the
Speaker 1: secret sauce, which is really not all that secret. It's
Speaker 1: a Khalil Mack revenge game. The old Raider who went
Speaker 1: to Chicago now and the Chargers back in the a
Speaker 1: f C West, And this game will be close, but
Speaker 1: I believe a late score by the Chargers, little separation
Speaker 1: their Chargers thirty three and the Raiders the final and
Speaker 1: the penny picks come on, Penny, come on, h The
Speaker 1: penny goes with you and says Chargers. Hopefully you'll both
Speaker 1: be wrong. Look at that. See, that's how you prove
Speaker 1: you have integrity, Danny, Because I have worked with some
Speaker 1: guys who did the penny and when it came to
Speaker 1: their favorite teams. I'm not gonna name names here, but
Speaker 1: when it came to their favorite teams, somehow the penny
Speaker 1: always picked their favorite team. But not you, Danny. You
Speaker 1: are a man of morals, a man of integrity, as
Speaker 1: you hold the penny, just the proud servant of the penny,
Speaker 1: whatever it lands on. That's what I'm gonna tell you,
Speaker 1: all right. Next up Sunday Night football, Tampa Bay at Dallas.
Speaker 1: It's on and b CE Mike Tarico and Chris Collinsworth
Speaker 1: supposed to do double duty this weekend. They did the
Speaker 1: Thursday night game the Rams and Bills. You got Josh
Speaker 1: Allen stiff armed? Dare you? They've got the game Sunday
Speaker 1: night Box opened up at two point favorite, their favorite
Speaker 1: by two and a half. Clear skies eighty four degrees
Speaker 1: that kick off at a T and T stadium in
Speaker 1: Jerry's world, and this is a very tough game to handicap.
Speaker 1: I do not love this game because of injuries and
Speaker 1: a malaise that both teams have gone through. But I'm
Speaker 1: gonna give an edge, a slight edge. The Bucks is
Speaker 1: a small road favorite. Both these teams made the playoffs
Speaker 1: last year. The Cowboys have developed a reputation of being
Speaker 1: a paper tiger. They beat up the good teams, struggle
Speaker 1: against the better teams. Both Dallas and Tampa have some
Speaker 1: offensive line um, shall we say bruises, issues, hiccups, whatever
Speaker 1: you wanna say. They're also at receiver for Dallas, and
Speaker 1: so it's a hard game to handicap. But all things
Speaker 1: being equal, even though Tom Brady has looked very old
Speaker 1: at his news conferences and appears to be having some
Speaker 1: personal issues, if you believe the tabloids, I trust him
Speaker 1: more late in the game if it's a close game.
Speaker 1: The Bucks get the ball back in in the hypothetical,
Speaker 1: with say three minutes to go in the game, down
Speaker 1: by two points, I trust that Brady will lead the
Speaker 1: Bucks back, and I think they'll even get them in
Speaker 1: the end zone. But I I'm taking Tampa to win
Speaker 1: the game by a field goal, So I'll take the
Speaker 1: Buccaneers thirty and the Cowboys in the penny picks who
Speaker 1: the penny goes with Tampa Bay? All right? So penny
Speaker 1: going the other way or going with me, I should
Speaker 1: say with Tampa Bay, all right. Last game Monday Night
Speaker 1: Football and it's Denver at Seattle on EESPN with Joe
Speaker 1: Buck and Troy Aikman. How awkward is that? Well, it's
Speaker 1: that gonna really awkward. Other than when they do promos
Speaker 1: for ESPN shows that will be awkward, but then the
Speaker 1: mic flags will be a little weird. But other than that,
Speaker 1: it's been used to bucking Aikman. Broncos opened up a
Speaker 1: four point favorite. They're favored by six and a half
Speaker 1: mostly sunny temperatures in the sixties. That kick off at
Speaker 1: Looming Field in Seattle, a stadium that I've been to
Speaker 1: but only outside of because the Seahawks would not allow
Speaker 1: me in. But I'm still gonna take the Seahawks in
Speaker 1: this game. I know they suck, I know they're likely
Speaker 1: the worst team the NFL. But Russell Wilson, he's gonna
Speaker 1: have a whole bunch of nerves coming out early in
Speaker 1: that game. I anticipate a couple of mistakes here, a
Speaker 1: couple of bumps in the road, and all you need
Speaker 1: when you're getting that many points with the home team,
Speaker 1: couple of turnovers go your way, maiden voyage for Russell Wilson,
Speaker 1: and you gotta think here. Pete Carroll knows all the
Speaker 1: weaknesses of Russ so coaching edge for Seattle. Denver's got
Speaker 1: a rookie coach, the old packer assistant who takes over
Speaker 1: here and so this becomes an interesting chess match. The Seahawks.
Speaker 1: I'm not making the argument they're good. I don't think
Speaker 1: they're good at all. And raw talent, clearly Denver's the
Speaker 1: better team here, and Geno Smith is is a liability.
Speaker 1: The fact that he's starting. Somebody needs to be court
Speaker 1: martial in Seattle. The offensive lines got injuries. I mean,
Speaker 1: there's a whole bunch of arguments to take Denver and
Speaker 1: say Denver wins this game forty five to three, that
Speaker 1: it could be that terrible the game, and Joe Buck
Speaker 1: and Aikman are doing filler at the end. But I'm
Speaker 1: gonna be Benny bright Side on this. I'm gonna say
Speaker 1: that again early on. You like the bad team, they
Speaker 1: don't realize they're bad. Also, it's another one of those
Speaker 1: games where the public thinks it is a broken cash machine.
Speaker 1: It's a broken ATM machine and you just simply type
Speaker 1: in a few numbers there and you get your guaranteed
Speaker 1: to win your bat over of the money. As we
Speaker 1: are doing Benny versus the Penny or nine is on Denver,
Speaker 1: the road team favored by almost a touchdown. I don't
Speaker 1: get it. You're getting six and a half with Seattle
Speaker 1: at home. You're gonna have to get every one of
Speaker 1: those points and the half point Broncos thirty, the Seahawks
Speaker 1: get the cover at and the penny picks the final
Speaker 1: game all week one, and the penny pick is smoke
Speaker 1: Weed every day. Clearly, this penny is still loyal to
Speaker 1: de Coup Delupe because it goes with the Broncos. Alright,
Speaker 1: go on with the blue and orange of Denver. And
Speaker 1: so those are the picks. And again we provide just
Speaker 1: marginal handicapping on every game against the spread. But marginal
Speaker 1: handicapping beats no handicapping, you would think, because the penny
Speaker 1: has no handicapping. We'll see how we did, Danny, thank
Speaker 1: you great job as the keeper of the penny, and
Speaker 1: we'll see how this does, and then we'll be back.
Speaker 1: We have a fresh group of podcasts all weekend long,
Speaker 1: and if you like this, try the other Fifth Hour
Speaker 1: podcast and we will catch you next time later. Skater
Speaker 1: fl