Speaker 1: Hello and welcome from the Chris Westling podcast studio. It's
Speaker 1: around the NFL our Week eighteen preview. A week in
Speaker 1: the NFL unlike any week, and remember, of of course,
Speaker 1: with Damar Hamlin and everything that continues to unfold around UH,
Speaker 1: the Bill's safety. Dan hands this here, Greg Rosenthal, Mark Sessler,
Speaker 1: how we doing boys? I think in higher spirits after
Speaker 1: watching that press conference from the the University of Cincinnati, absolutely,
Speaker 1: Dr Timothy Pritz and Dr William Knight spoke with the
Speaker 1: media gave us updates on where Hamlin stands, who, of course,
Speaker 1: suffered the cardiac cardiac arrest during Monday's game against the Bengals,
Speaker 1: and we learned m Thursday that he has shown quote
Speaker 1: remarkable improvement over the past twenty four hours and this
Speaker 1: is huge as well, appears to be neurologically intact, according
Speaker 1: to the doctor. Speaking of the doctors, UH. One of
Speaker 1: the things we learned, Mark Uh was that um Hamelin
Speaker 1: was responsive, opening his eyes and even in writing for him,
Speaker 1: asked if the Bills had won the game on Monday night,
Speaker 1: unaware obviously of everything that had transpired after he went
Speaker 1: down on the field. Here is what Dr Pritz had
Speaker 1: to say the paraphrase one of our partners, you know,
Speaker 1: when when he asked, did we win, the answer is yes,
Speaker 1: you know tomorrow you won. You've won the game of life. Uh.
Speaker 1: And that's probably the most important thing out of this,
Speaker 1: and we really need to keep him in the center
Speaker 1: of everything else that's going on, and we really want
Speaker 1: to ensure a good outcome for him. They also mentioned that,
Speaker 1: you know, he's shown the ability to move his hands
Speaker 1: and feet, he's able to nod to respond to questions.
Speaker 1: I mean, he's obviously not speaking verbally because he's you know,
Speaker 1: under under their his breathing is still being helped. As
Speaker 1: things stand, it is. Yeah, he's still seen. He's in
Speaker 1: the i c U as of right now, and he's
Speaker 1: still critically as the doctor said, so it's not a
Speaker 1: situation where himlin is out of the woods, but just
Speaker 1: some really positive updates here right now, Greggy. Yeah, just
Speaker 1: them talking at all, it was such a great sign
Speaker 1: and you could tell. And I was amazed how many
Speaker 1: questions they answered and the details that they went through,
Speaker 1: and I think they made it clear that none of
Speaker 1: this was guaranteed from the moment that he went down,
Speaker 1: giving all the credit in the world to the Bills
Speaker 1: medical staff for acting so quickly and so perfectly within
Speaker 1: a minute, and that even when he got to the hospital,
Speaker 1: that there were a lot of concerns and that in
Speaker 1: the last twenty four hours some of those concerns, including
Speaker 1: you mentioned the neurologically being stable and him starting to progress,
Speaker 1: like are making everyone that are surrounding this story feel
Speaker 1: better about his recovery. But they didn't want to push
Speaker 1: forward into what this all means moving forward. They just
Speaker 1: want to get him back up and running and be
Speaker 1: able to go home with his family. Yeah. I thought
Speaker 1: that they you know, underlined over and over the job
Speaker 1: that the Bills medical staff did, and that the fact
Speaker 1: that the NFL's processes in place um were so tight
Speaker 1: and practice prepractice before this happened, and that the Bills
Speaker 1: doctors recognized what was going on in the nick of
Speaker 1: time and had they not, things could be very different.
Speaker 1: But they absolutely did a great job with that. And
Speaker 1: I'm not putting words into anyone's mouth, but just by
Speaker 1: what the doctors were saying, the way things transpired, how
Speaker 1: they transpired, what what he Although we don't know specifically
Speaker 1: what actually the medical event was beyond the cardiac arrest.
Speaker 1: This could have and perhaps should have been a fatal event.
Speaker 1: But instead it was his age, they said, his fitness.
Speaker 1: Uh and the medical care which arrived in less than
Speaker 1: a minute, and world class medical care arriving almost instantaneously.
Speaker 1: It saved the kid's life. And and and that is
Speaker 1: it's a remarkable confluence of events here. Obviously that transpired,
Speaker 1: and um, we're still kind of like processing and and
Speaker 1: learning all these things as they go along. But it's
Speaker 1: it's it's an unbelievable kind of life event, and we're
Speaker 1: all kind of tracking it in real time, right Like
Speaker 1: we're gonna end up pivoting here, just like the teams,
Speaker 1: amazingly are gonna be pivoting that we're in this game.
Speaker 1: Bills in Bengals to talking about football. But while like
Speaker 1: we had a chance to watch these guys, you were
Speaker 1: happy that they got to do this press conference in
Speaker 1: a way, not that they necessarily are begging to they're
Speaker 1: providing a service for us and giving us more information,
Speaker 1: but for a half hour and hour, just for like
Speaker 1: a world the sports world to marvel how medical professionals
Speaker 1: are total badasses and heroes. And one of the moments
Speaker 1: where it reminded me of that is when they asked them,
Speaker 1: you know, have you ever seen anything like this? And
Speaker 1: the honest answer from the doctors, we deal with this
Speaker 1: every day, like cardiac arrest is something that is our
Speaker 1: specialty that we're dealing with on a minute by minute,
Speaker 1: hour by our basis. In every case is different, and
Speaker 1: the fact that it was a Bengals player in Monday
Speaker 1: night football is what is unprecedented. And they said, look,
Speaker 1: everyone that wasn't watching um and attending to the care
Speaker 1: of their patients at the moment when this happened. We're
Speaker 1: at the hospital watching this game, and a lot of
Speaker 1: their friends who work at the hospital and doctors were
Speaker 1: at the game because it's it's the Bengals, and of
Speaker 1: course you're you're watching the game, and so for them
Speaker 1: to transition from watching that game in that moment to
Speaker 1: the treating, yeah, you get the sense that just I mean, thankfully,
Speaker 1: so thankfully every little thing went right here and had
Speaker 1: had taken a little bit turn in a different place,
Speaker 1: we don't know where we'd be. But like this is
Speaker 1: about as hopeful as a spot as we could be
Speaker 1: sitting in at this point here on Thursday and before
Speaker 1: all this stuff happened. I think it was Monday afternoon
Speaker 1: before the game. And and you talked about Greggy yesterday
Speaker 1: on our podcast we did with Cameron Wolf on the
Speaker 1: scene in Cincinnati. Nick Wesley was supposed to do the
Speaker 1: Monday night recap with you if things went the way
Speaker 1: people expected things to go on Monday. And it's just
Speaker 1: a regular game. And he was telling us for the game,
Speaker 1: the whole city was on fire. And I wrote about
Speaker 1: in the in the power rankings this week, UM that
Speaker 1: it is crazy that a game that started, um, a
Speaker 1: week that started Monday with the Bills is just the enemy. Um.
Speaker 1: And Cincinnati ended with that city skyline bathed in Buffalo blue. UM.
Speaker 1: So just like crazy and and speaking of crazy, like
Speaker 1: and we're gonna get to the games in a second, yere,
Speaker 1: but I just want to say one more thing, because
Speaker 1: we just learned this minutes ago watching the press conference
Speaker 1: with the two doctors of the fact um that Hamlin
Speaker 1: wrote it out like you know who won the game?
Speaker 1: What a mind bender it must have been to be
Speaker 1: told actually no, they didn't finish the game. And and
Speaker 1: and I imagine even whatever state he's in, uh, it's
Speaker 1: gonna be a lot to process as he continues to hopefully,
Speaker 1: and it sounds like he is getting better. Like all
Speaker 1: of these teams, I mean, they just they're interwoven in
Speaker 1: ways that we just don't know from the outside. But
Speaker 1: we've started to see a lot of that with both
Speaker 1: the Bengals and the Bills, and it almost isn't surprising
Speaker 1: to me. That was one of his first questions, like,
Speaker 1: what happened to my guys out on that field? You know,
Speaker 1: you you're waking up to the sense that you weren't
Speaker 1: there to finish that game. Uh, that's the first question
Speaker 1: he asked. It says a lot about who the buffalo
Speaker 1: he hears about his charity. Well, that will that's like
Speaker 1: the whole country and city cities being in blue. We
Speaker 1: are taping this, you know, as you can tell after
Speaker 1: right after this press conference, but also at a deficit
Speaker 1: of some information. So just to keep in mind as
Speaker 1: we're going over these games that we still don't know
Speaker 1: that what the NFL is going to do in terms
Speaker 1: of scheduling and seeding, and that will probably happen at
Speaker 1: you know, sometime this week, whether it's Thursday or Friday,
Speaker 1: after we finished taping. But we can still our show
Speaker 1: in our luck this season on the Thursday show seconds
Speaker 1: after we published a show, you'll have a very clear
Speaker 1: vision of how they're handling the schedule. But we could
Speaker 1: just do the entire show at the startup. We'll do
Speaker 1: it again. But as of right now, Week eighteen is
Speaker 1: on as scheduled, the Monday night football game postpone owned
Speaker 1: with no clear path right now, at least from the
Speaker 1: public standpoint of what they're doing next. Now imagine on
Speaker 1: three forty Park Avenue. This has been a constant conversation
Speaker 1: trying to figure out how to make this work because
Speaker 1: there are some strand will get into it. Uh here,
Speaker 1: some strange schedule quirks involved. Now, if that game does
Speaker 1: not get finished, let's get into the games. We usually
Speaker 1: start with the primetime games, and we will. We'll hit
Speaker 1: the prime time games. So let's start with an afternoon game,
Speaker 1: because we have two games scheduled for Saturday. Okay, let's
Speaker 1: start with the Chiefs at Raiders four thirty pm from
Speaker 1: Allegiance Stadium in Vegas. And this is one of the
Speaker 1: games that's impacted. So the Chiefs right now, for instance,
Speaker 1: are a team that um based on if Monday night's
Speaker 1: game played out in a certain way, they would be
Speaker 1: on the outside looking in potentially for the number one
Speaker 1: seed in an FC. They now have a chance to
Speaker 1: claim the number one seed in the a f C
Speaker 1: with a win over the Raiders, depending on how the
Speaker 1: league proceeds forward. But for us, they need to take
Speaker 1: care of business against the Raiders. That a team that
Speaker 1: is now not playing for anything in terms of the
Speaker 1: playoffs Las Vegas, but the Chiefs certainly are. Yeah, we
Speaker 1: will have to see on the seating because the NFL
Speaker 1: there's been a lot of things thrown out there, uh,
Speaker 1: and there's a lot of options that that could end
Speaker 1: up affecting what their seating is. But either way, they're
Speaker 1: gonna really want to win this game to get a
Speaker 1: higher seed and to have a home field for as
Speaker 1: long as possible in the playoffs, depending on what the
Speaker 1: NFL decides to do. And I don't count this is
Speaker 1: just like an automatic w just because every Chief's game
Speaker 1: is complicated lately, whether it's against the Broncos, you know,
Speaker 1: it's whether it gets it's against the Texans, or whether
Speaker 1: it's against Jared's did him? I mean, that was the
Speaker 1: most surprising performance by any single player I can think
Speaker 1: of this season. He bawled out. I know he and
Speaker 1: you know he made a couple of bad as two here,
Speaker 1: one bad interception really and then the other he got hit.
Speaker 1: But he played incredible in that game. Those weren't like
Speaker 1: flukey plays. He showed an athleticism and movement like throwing
Speaker 1: to his left, all this stuff that I have no
Speaker 1: idea if that will ever happen again or not, But
Speaker 1: he showed some real physical gifts that makes me more
Speaker 1: interested in watching this game when I would have been
Speaker 1: with Derek Carr and it happened across from Brock Purty,
Speaker 1: who has produced some of the most incredible performances that
Speaker 1: we never would have predicted across the field. And I think,
Speaker 1: you know, the Niners were, obviously, I mean, because they've
Speaker 1: been so airtight as a defense, caught off guard by
Speaker 1: Jared Sidham. And I think how aggressively Josh McDaniels, you know,
Speaker 1: ordered slashed, allowed him to be early on that stid
Speaker 1: him out of nowhere, because you know, we've seen him
Speaker 1: with the Patriots and he looked like a regular dude,
Speaker 1: and out here he was firing aggressive shots down field,
Speaker 1: looking like he had practiced with Davante Adams for weeks
Speaker 1: on weeks, and at one point, I mean he had
Speaker 1: never thrown for more than seventy two yards in a game.
Speaker 1: He had two hundred forty six yards and three touchdowns
Speaker 1: before his first real mistake, that tipped interception. Yeah. I
Speaker 1: was struck, just like you guys, how comfortable he looked
Speaker 1: leading the offense offense, how confident he clearly was. And
Speaker 1: maybe he's just like kind of a swaggy dude. I
Speaker 1: don't know much about studhim, but you could tell he
Speaker 1: was Likeason. He certainly seemed like it um right up
Speaker 1: to like shots to the luxury suite with it with
Speaker 1: his wife with a Stidham shirt, celebrating everybody, almost like
Speaker 1: seemed in the Stidham universe, like no, this is this
Speaker 1: guy could play and he's gonna ball out. And he
Speaker 1: certainly was showing that on the field. And I did
Speaker 1: see some of the reporting too out there connected to
Speaker 1: the Raiders, like well, yeah, like he knows, he knows
Speaker 1: and understands Josh McDaniels playbook, insinuating in a way that
Speaker 1: Derek Carr didn't quite grasp, and that explained why he
Speaker 1: looked more comfortable than even Car in the McDaniels offense.
Speaker 1: All that's kind of interesting and against and we'll get
Speaker 1: back to the Chiefs in a second. But said, against
Speaker 1: the backdrop of the big splash that was supposed to
Speaker 1: make the Raiders a a f C contender this year
Speaker 1: was Davante Adams joining the Raiders and he's been as
Speaker 1: good as it advertised this season. But he also went
Speaker 1: there in large part the way it was spun to
Speaker 1: us on some level because his buddy Derek Carr was there.
Speaker 1: Derek car ain't gonna be there next year, and Davante
Speaker 1: Adams um spoke with the media on Wednesday explaining, this
Speaker 1: is where things stand with me in my future here.
Speaker 1: But I also I want a voice me Josh Ziz.
Speaker 1: We all got a really good um dynamic and it's
Speaker 1: something that I really appreciate. And um, I've I've mentioned
Speaker 1: it to them as well. You know, obviously they don't
Speaker 1: have to do anything as far as I'm not I'm
Speaker 1: not a part of the you know, the front office,
Speaker 1: but um, obviously they know the reason why I came here,
Speaker 1: and you know, a step like this is obviously something
Speaker 1: that means a lot to me and my personal career
Speaker 1: and obviously what I'm trying to chase as far as
Speaker 1: you know, the ultimate pursuit to get that ring. So
Speaker 1: we obviously got a good understanding for one another, and
Speaker 1: that that helps his whole process. I think you gotta
Speaker 1: give him a voice. I mean, you can't have an
Speaker 1: unhappy Davante Adams a month in the next season. They
Speaker 1: do that. They where they stand right now, the Raiders
Speaker 1: have the number seven overall pick. I mean, the whispers
Speaker 1: are that you might get Tom Brady would be hard
Speaker 1: to imagine. Davante Adam has been too nonplussed about the
Speaker 1: idea of Brady coming into a system where he knows
Speaker 1: that Josh McDaniels playbook as well. I can't imagine that
Speaker 1: Jared Stidham is a real option no matter what, so
Speaker 1: so he it's a big game for him, it's a
Speaker 1: big game for McDaniels. There's been actually a almost a
Speaker 1: recurrence of some thought that Mark Davis could pull a
Speaker 1: surprise if like the end of the season had Gonne bad.
Speaker 1: But I think yards on the number one defense in
Speaker 1: the league against the forty niners and then this game
Speaker 1: against the worst red zone defense in the league. Chiefs
Speaker 1: put up some points that you'll with Jared Stidham, I
Speaker 1: think you'll look better, but I also don't. I've been
Speaker 1: like talking about the Raiders like it's not like I'm
Speaker 1: picking the Raiders to win this game. The Raiders defense
Speaker 1: are playing guys they've never heard of at this point,
Speaker 1: very quietly. Like half of their starting defense, which already
Speaker 1: was bad, got injured, and they're playing a guy their
Speaker 1: linebackers last week where Luke Masterson and Harvey Langy sounds
Speaker 1: like a detective show. Yeah. This was the game, by
Speaker 1: the way, where the Raiders were up seventeen. This is
Speaker 1: the one of the earliest earmarks of what they've been
Speaker 1: doing all season. They were up seventeen nothing against the
Speaker 1: Chiefs in that game where Travis Kelsey had three touchdowns
Speaker 1: and they you know, Mahomes had four by the end
Speaker 1: of the game. But there you there, you go, get
Speaker 1: the lead, give up the leader. I wrote this week
Speaker 1: that the Raiders season is very Vegas in general. You know,
Speaker 1: they lost ultimately, but it was entertaining. They had a
Speaker 1: good time Um and Patrick Mahomes, especially with Jalen Hurts
Speaker 1: missing the last couple of weeks. Seems like this is
Speaker 1: where you could put the finishing touches on another m
Speaker 1: v P. He is as someone who hasn't been as
Speaker 1: pumping up Mahomes as much as year. He's over five
Speaker 1: thousand yards with forty touchdowns this year on a team
Speaker 1: that could be the number one seed. So the next
Speaker 1: quarterback last week was a perfect example, like he almost
Speaker 1: felt like played perfect. They still somehow barely be the Broncos.
Speaker 1: He's making crazy plays. I think they're really trying to
Speaker 1: develop Coadarius Tony for the playoffs as one of their
Speaker 1: main weapons. And also Jerick McKinnon having seven touchdowns since
Speaker 1: Week thirteen. Great look for Jack McKinnon, but all so,
Speaker 1: it's a great look for Patrick Mahomes and his greatness. Okay,
Speaker 1: let's move on to the other primetime game. Let's bring
Speaker 1: in the Grave Digger. That was the grave Digger justin.
Speaker 1: How are you, buddy? I'm great? How are you getting
Speaker 1: long week for all of us? I hope you're doing okay.
Speaker 1: But the Tennessee Titans, your team losers of four straight.
Speaker 1: Is that the correct number? I think it's six. It
Speaker 1: feels like they're seven and nine, but they can win
Speaker 1: the A f C South. I think it's it's even
Speaker 1: because Week seventeen was so kind of weird and annoying
Speaker 1: in terms of the a f C South set up
Speaker 1: that it just kind of put everything into perfect purgatory.
Speaker 1: But now here we are, and as bad as the
Speaker 1: things have gone for the Titans, if they have one
Speaker 1: good night on Saturday, they got a home game in
Speaker 1: the playoffs next week. And I know we don't necessarily
Speaker 1: feel great about them as a postseason team, but that's
Speaker 1: how close they are. But they get the Jaguars here,
Speaker 1: Grave Digger, who are going and gone in the opposite direction.
Speaker 1: They're winning every week. I know your confidence isn't high,
Speaker 1: but is there something in your heart as a fan,
Speaker 1: and that's things they could maybe figure out something here.
Speaker 1: I actually think the Titans can win this game now
Speaker 1: they have they're the healthiest they've been in a while.
Speaker 1: That still includes like Ryan Tannehill too, starting offensive lineman,
Speaker 1: Bud dupree Zat Cunningham all an injured reserve, so they're
Speaker 1: not exactly healthy, but the healthiest they've been. And the
Speaker 1: Jaguars have won four straight starting with the last game
Speaker 1: against the Titans, so that kind of kicked off the
Speaker 1: Jags winning streak. This is a sort of revenge game.
Speaker 1: The Titans have way more experience in these big games
Speaker 1: under Mike Vrabel. Obviously, Josh Dobbs starting at quarterback has
Speaker 1: the least experience anyone. But I think the defense can
Speaker 1: play at a higher level because they're healthy the Cowboys.
Speaker 1: The game against the Cowboys last week actually gave me confidence.
Speaker 1: They were able to keep it close. The offense looked
Speaker 1: a lot better than it has with Malik Willis with
Speaker 1: Josh Jobs starting at quarterback. The Jags are a good team,
Speaker 1: They're hot, They're playing some of their best football right now.
Speaker 1: But everyone's picking the Jags. I saw an article today
Speaker 1: that like rounded up the expert picks, twenty picking the Jags,
Speaker 1: zero picking the Titans. Nobody thought the Titans could get
Speaker 1: the one seed last year. No one thought they deserved
Speaker 1: to get it. They did it anyway. No one thinks
Speaker 1: that Titans are going should be in the playoffs. No
Speaker 1: one wants towards them in the playoffs. They know it.
Speaker 1: Everyone knows it. The Titans are winning this game. I'm
Speaker 1: locking it up and I'll bring some sanity to the proceedings.
Speaker 1: And what entered into a lockoff. I'll take the Jaguars. Yeah, same,
Speaker 1: that was my plan. Wow, this is why is sitting
Speaker 1: in last place. The Titans are thirty at an offensive
Speaker 1: d v o A. Since everything's fallen off the floor
Speaker 1: in week thirteen, I mean they are inept. They in
Speaker 1: the Bears are the only teams without a wide receiver
Speaker 1: that have over five yards in the season. And so
Speaker 1: you're really counting on a big game from Derrick Henry
Speaker 1: and the one thing you can do against the Jaguars
Speaker 1: metrics wise, like you can run on the inside against
Speaker 1: them between the tackles, and Henry has done that before.
Speaker 1: He had a big game against them last time. But
Speaker 1: in that same game, that's where they got up again
Speaker 1: Jacksonville and Jacksonville and furled twenty nine straight points on them,
Speaker 1: and you started to see the new version of Trevor Lawrence,
Speaker 1: who looks utterly unstoppable. At this point. It's unfair to
Speaker 1: get on Derrick Henry because there's not a lot around him.
Speaker 1: But when they needed him to be Superman again this year,
Speaker 1: he hasn't quite been that way. And he's fumbling the
Speaker 1: ball a lot, and you know it's just it's all
Speaker 1: off though having off a week off, he can he
Speaker 1: can run. I was impressed. You actually are making me
Speaker 1: think maybe this isn't the best lock in the world.
Speaker 1: We could sweat it out for sure, because they showed
Speaker 1: something in the running game last week. They were able
Speaker 1: to run the ball with their four new offensive linemen.
Speaker 1: And who was even running? Was it Haskins last week?
Speaker 1: I don't even remember this chesnuts like they Actually they
Speaker 1: had a pretty good running game against the Jaguars. It's
Speaker 1: a division game. You mentioned the guys that are back
Speaker 1: in the secondary for Tennessee. Say at least it gives
Speaker 1: him a chance of Monny Hooker and Christian Fulton and
Speaker 1: Trevor Lawrence. The last two weeks hasn't been on fire.
Speaker 1: He did not play well against the Texans. Well, they
Speaker 1: didn't need him to do much less didn't. He missed
Speaker 1: a lot of throws. It was his worst game in
Speaker 1: a while. Uh and the jag The Jets game was
Speaker 1: a weather game. I just if if if Mike Rabel
Speaker 1: is as good as we've pumped him up to be,
Speaker 1: they will be competitive in this game and will sweat
Speaker 1: it out a little. But I still feel okay, I
Speaker 1: do think that it was a savvy move to like
Speaker 1: take the shot and looking at Dobbs versus Malik Willis,
Speaker 1: because that Malik Wills just did not look ready and Dobbs,
Speaker 1: we get it. He's he is just sort of mezzanine
Speaker 1: level fill in the blank quarterback here. But he was
Speaker 1: much more competent than Willis in terms of like, I
Speaker 1: think I could expand the offense a little bit. They can,
Speaker 1: They must feel more. I feel like he could either
Speaker 1: be amazing or they'll they'll lose. You know, I was
Speaker 1: just saying, they'll be competitive. He could be the reason
Speaker 1: they win this game or the reason they lose pretty quickly,
Speaker 1: because in that game was sort of the opposite to
Speaker 1: me was he made five or six incredible throws, but
Speaker 1: he also made some things they would expect that of Dobbs,
Speaker 1: Like it was very up and down, like he had
Speaker 1: some next level players that were like, Okay, see why
Speaker 1: he's playing, But he also looked like a guy who
Speaker 1: had been there for three one straight. To Trevon Diggs
Speaker 1: should have been a pick six and digs it was.
Speaker 1: It was a lot of everything. It showed something with awareness.
Speaker 1: He fumbled twice and didn't really step up I thought
Speaker 1: it was a little overplayed, including on the telecast about
Speaker 1: his level of play compared to Malik Will's. I think
Speaker 1: he was maybe net neutral in the end. It was
Speaker 1: some like plays up here and then plays way down here. Um,
Speaker 1: But I guess that's more than you saw from Willis.
Speaker 1: And I just think I think Frabil just like completely
Speaker 1: verbally quarterback. He looked like an NFL Q. Yeah, I agree,
Speaker 1: kind of like in a perfect scenario, a Ryan Fitzpatrick
Speaker 1: or Heinuck type that might hit some big time get.
Speaker 1: He just has to keep the offense on schedule and
Speaker 1: protect the ball. Titan's turned it over four times in
Speaker 1: the last game against the Jags. If they hadn't done that,
Speaker 1: it's a totally different But they did do that. It's
Speaker 1: been a horrible month and a half. But you just
Speaker 1: gotta get hot for three and a half hours. There
Speaker 1: you go. That's it. This is an ESPN game. Have
Speaker 1: some balls bounce your way. You'll be fine. I mean,
Speaker 1: have some balls in general, step up and salvage your year.
Speaker 1: Like what we definitely need is another week of this
Speaker 1: Texans team. So I'm totally with the grave dicker, right.
Speaker 1: I hope they can't can't fix it. Now. Let's we'll
Speaker 1: be right back. All right, we are back. Let's uh
Speaker 1: so that was Saturday Slate January seven. Let's move to
Speaker 1: the prime time game January Sunday night Football, the last
Speaker 1: game of the regular season. Probably, I don't know. We'll
Speaker 1: see Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers. Love it, Love it, Mark,
Speaker 1: they did it. I like, I haven't been on board
Speaker 1: with a lot of the decisions of the powers that
Speaker 1: be in the schedule room for the NFL this year. Um,
Speaker 1: But even though there's a possibility that the Lions are
Speaker 1: eliminated by the time this game gets played, I think
Speaker 1: this is great theater. I think the Packers are playing great.
Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers, the back to back reigning m v P
Speaker 1: is uh. On the field, it's Lambeau and Detroit has
Speaker 1: been this great story all season long. And there is
Speaker 1: an also a reality where things go their way. Seattle
Speaker 1: loses earlier on Sunday, and all of a sudden you
Speaker 1: have an awesome playing game headed into the plow. I
Speaker 1: certainly prefer the ladder, but I accept the former because
Speaker 1: I think that this Lions team, and you know, Greg,
Speaker 1: you talked about this last week too, it's like, no
Speaker 1: matter where they are in this situation, this season is
Speaker 1: a major win for the coaching staff, for the players,
Speaker 1: for guys like Jared Goff, and there's no you're not
Speaker 1: gonna get any version of them because they've been knocked
Speaker 1: out of a playoff race that they're going to not try.
Speaker 1: They're gonna absolutely do everything they can. You are facing them.
Speaker 1: I think another great story. And I can't believe I'm
Speaker 1: saying this because I've never been pro packers, but what
Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers has done with this team and what they've
Speaker 1: done in general with their defense to win all these games,
Speaker 1: to get to this place. He's five and oh in
Speaker 1: his career and win an in games. It's in Lambeau.
Speaker 1: They're they're a completely different team than they were a
Speaker 1: month ago. I think this will be a huge challenge
Speaker 1: for Detroit. Who you know. I listen, it's not like
Speaker 1: outside of the Dome they're they're defunct. It's not true. No,
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna I'm not touching this one. But like
Speaker 1: i'd find them like in Green Bay at night. It's
Speaker 1: gonna test who they are. No, I'm not gonna do it.
Speaker 1: You're right, it's a major test the whole idea of
Speaker 1: you know, earlier in the week that the Sea Hex
Speaker 1: fans were upset, but if the if the Lions were
Speaker 1: seven and nine going into this game and already eliminated,
Speaker 1: like no one would be complaining and this would be
Speaker 1: the game. So I sort of don't understand why anyone
Speaker 1: would have any uh problem with them if they're eliminated
Speaker 1: on Sunday and this being the game, you know what
Speaker 1: I mean, Like all the other teams that are playing
Speaker 1: on Sunday that quote don't have anything to play for
Speaker 1: versus teams that are, It's like they're all showing up.
Speaker 1: It's like the Browns against the Steelers and they're they're
Speaker 1: playing that game. I guess the argument is like they'd
Speaker 1: be so emotionally disappointed, But I just don't think that's
Speaker 1: how football works. These are professionals. I love the way
Speaker 1: Campbell handled it. I love the way Pete Carroll handled too.
Speaker 1: It's like they both were saying, like, please, we're showing up.
Speaker 1: We want to end the Packers season. Hopefully we'll have
Speaker 1: a chance to make go to the playoffs. But this
Speaker 1: would be like maybe one of the greatest wins in
Speaker 1: Lions history. If they won this game, even if they
Speaker 1: already are eliminated, Plus you get the win feeling that
Speaker 1: way and the season feeling that way. I think they
Speaker 1: can do it with their running backs. This is how
Speaker 1: the Lions season turned around was beating this Packers team.
Speaker 1: Was a bit of a flukey game where they were
Speaker 1: outplayed but had a bunch of turnovers in the red zone.
Speaker 1: But Jamal Williams in that game was great. And Jamal
Speaker 1: Williams looks fresh, looks awesome. DeAndre Swift looks as good
Speaker 1: as he's looked all year. That's the way you attack
Speaker 1: this Packers defense is with power running, and I think
Speaker 1: that's who the Lions are. I think they'll be going
Speaker 1: for fourth downs. I think they'll be running once they
Speaker 1: get off the bus, and I think they're built to
Speaker 1: do so. I would love to see one thing happened
Speaker 1: in this because Jamison Williams we've seen little moments here
Speaker 1: and the Lions could use sort of I wouldn't say
Speaker 1: a secret weapon, but a weapon you're not expecting to
Speaker 1: play a bigger role. His one catch is a forty
Speaker 1: one yeard touchdown catch. His one other touches of forty
Speaker 1: yard rush in week seventeen. It's like this guy, there's
Speaker 1: something about him when you watch him. It's like they
Speaker 1: he has not been part of the plan all year.
Speaker 1: Green Bays developed some electric weapons over the last month
Speaker 1: plus where it's like they're a different team because of it.
Speaker 1: I would love to see Williams play a larger role
Speaker 1: in this and be a difference maker. I mean, it
Speaker 1: would be cool. But they also are now up to
Speaker 1: eight games this year with thirty or more points the lines.
Speaker 1: That's a team record, and uh, they're gonna score points.
Speaker 1: And I know the Packers have played better. Um. The
Speaker 1: last time they kind of got the the real heat
Speaker 1: put on him, UM was that Miami game. Whether we're
Speaker 1: getting lit up in the first half by twa and
Speaker 1: then he suffers a head injury. We don't know the
Speaker 1: specifics around that, but that allowed I think potentially in
Speaker 1: part for them to steal that game with the three
Speaker 1: late interceptions. Greggy, remember back in um November, I believe
Speaker 1: it was you and I had locked up the Packers
Speaker 1: who had lost I believe six of seven at that point.
Speaker 1: There were four were an eight at the time, and
Speaker 1: I'm looking at this box score with one minute and
Speaker 1: seven seconds to play in the third quarter against the Bears,
Speaker 1: they had Chicago had an eighty three point eight percent
Speaker 1: win probability up nineteen uh in that game with the
Speaker 1: Packers sitting at four and eight, the Packers rallied to
Speaker 1: win that game and they haven't lost since. So Yes,
Speaker 1: as an annoying as Mark the Packers can be, and
Speaker 1: I know you've come around on him this year a
Speaker 1: little bit, it really would be a fairly remarkable turnaround
Speaker 1: if they end with the dub and get to the
Speaker 1: Lands and the Lion. But the Lion season, you know,
Speaker 1: ironically it's your coincidentally started against the Packers. They were
Speaker 1: one and six at that point. They were coming off
Speaker 1: the by when they won that game where they forced
Speaker 1: the red zone, uh turnovers against the Packers. I love
Speaker 1: this game. And uh, I think they want to force
Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers to play hero ball too, to get away
Speaker 1: from their running game, because I think that's where the
Speaker 1: Packers can win and just him sitting back there are
Speaker 1: trying to make a play, and I think he did
Speaker 1: a lot of that against Minnesota and it didn't really work.
Speaker 1: It didn't matter. They put up a forty burger and
Speaker 1: he played fine. He wasn't a problem. But the lines
Speaker 1: are pretty good pass rush right now with all their
Speaker 1: young players Houston and Hutchinson and Pascal and and everyone.
Speaker 1: If they can get the Packers to get a little
Speaker 1: pass heavy like they were early in the season, I
Speaker 1: think they can win. I'm picking the lines to win.
Speaker 1: I don't think it's a hero ball world fare and
Speaker 1: Rodgers fight. Now. He has thrown four touchdowns since Week thirteen.
Speaker 1: He's looked I just think a little more mundane than
Speaker 1: we'd expect for a two time And I think he's
Speaker 1: trying though. I think he's like, you know, his offensive
Speaker 1: line is playing better though, and so he's having faith
Speaker 1: in them to protect him, and he's kind of sitting
Speaker 1: back there waiting to make you know. Normally, what comes
Speaker 1: out of the mouth of Aaron Rodgers I find often
Speaker 1: like slightly tedious and um pressing on my patients. But
Speaker 1: I think he's been different in the last week. He
Speaker 1: talked less weeks like they need they need me to
Speaker 1: be a better leader. They need me to be someone
Speaker 1: that can lean on and it that's not something Aaron
Speaker 1: Rodgers will even acknowledging uh verbally the same way before.
Speaker 1: I think there's just something about this Packers to team
Speaker 1: that's different than the old thirteen and three act where
Speaker 1: you roll into the playoffs and get knocked out. Like
Speaker 1: I kind of like this version better, where it's like
Speaker 1: you're clearly the underdogs, you're not a perfect team. They
Speaker 1: very easily in certain scenarios, could wind up playing the
Speaker 1: Niners if they got into the playoffs, which would be
Speaker 1: a nice little dose of revenge for what happened to
Speaker 1: them a year ago. Yeah, they'll and then they'll just
Speaker 1: get beat by the Niners. And I'm trying to do
Speaker 1: what you want and give some Green base some love here.
Speaker 1: I'm just saying it does feel inevitable in that stretch,
Speaker 1: but they gotta get there. First. Let's move to the
Speaker 1: draft mark you have in the final week. This is
Speaker 1: our final No, no, we'll have drafts, well not really,
Speaker 1: this is the less real draft, and you have the
Speaker 1: first pick. Congratulations. I do remember when you were we
Speaker 1: usually just go through the other we watched together. You
Speaker 1: remember in week way back in Week one, you were like,
Speaker 1: I'm annoyed now because Greg had second pick, um and
Speaker 1: I had first pick. But look how the well it
Speaker 1: was just it was just presume that Gregord goes second.
Speaker 1: There was no logic to it other than you decided
Speaker 1: that Greg all all season long has been grumbling about
Speaker 1: how bad his first picks have been and right, and
Speaker 1: now you have the final first pick. So look who
Speaker 1: came out on top of the end. I guess I
Speaker 1: did from that angle, I won't fight it. I'm gonna
Speaker 1: go Ravens. It since to pump that positivity into Mark
Speaker 1: and then just see what comes back out. I think
Speaker 1: I'm trying to be as positive as possible in this situation.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna go Ravens At Bengals, Uh, you know, this
Speaker 1: was a strange game the last time they played. I
Speaker 1: think it was a different version of this Bengals team
Speaker 1: before they started to become the Bengals that we really
Speaker 1: believed and down the stretch. It's obviously, um, you know,
Speaker 1: we can't measure this at all, but it's a strange
Speaker 1: situation for I think Cincinnati even take the field again,
Speaker 1: it's it's it's it's been such a weighty and heavy
Speaker 1: week for them. Um. At the same time, I think
Speaker 1: they showed us what a tight team they are and
Speaker 1: they're coaching staff. I think I think so much more
Speaker 1: of who they are person to person for how they
Speaker 1: led through this. You're playing a Ravens team. To me
Speaker 1: that you know, it sounds like, no Lamar Jackson, he's
Speaker 1: not practicing again. On Thursday here, rap Sheet told Pat
Speaker 1: McAfee that basically the Ravens are confident that Lamar Jackson
Speaker 1: will return for the playoffs. So maybe it's just like,
Speaker 1: let's rest him again. I don't we don't know exactly
Speaker 1: what's going on there. It's been thirty two days as
Speaker 1: of today that he's not practiced or appeared in the game.
Speaker 1: And so this is not like I have rap Sheet
Speaker 1: sprinkles in these little pops on McAfee like he like
Speaker 1: he knows it's gonna get out there. I know I'm
Speaker 1: saying that's a good move, but maybe can he not
Speaker 1: say that exactly on NFL network because it's more of
Speaker 1: like a feeling. But I mean, I think it's got it.
Speaker 1: I don't think it's just a feeling. I'm gonna imagine
Speaker 1: it's coming for yeah, but it's like if you're gonna
Speaker 1: go star on a different vehicle. It doesn't come from
Speaker 1: the Washington Post. I'm not interested. Well, that's that's an
Speaker 1: accurate way to approach life there. Dan, I don't know,
Speaker 1: like without Lamar Jackson, I mean, they were a bit
Speaker 1: of a messy passing offense before he left, but they
Speaker 1: have averaged eleven fewer points per game with Tyler Huntley
Speaker 1: in there, and I a little disappointed and Huntley because
Speaker 1: I thought what we saw last year was like a
Speaker 1: backup who kind of fit what they do and was adequate,
Speaker 1: and he's really been a huge mess. And I think
Speaker 1: part of it is like you saw last week where
Speaker 1: he had like a ten ten targets caught in a
Speaker 1: hundred yards to Mark Andrews and the rest of the
Speaker 1: offense passing wise total thirty yards. They can run the
Speaker 1: ball real well. I don't really think that what you're
Speaker 1: looking at here with Cincinnati, if they play up to
Speaker 1: speed Ravens defense is very good. I just think Cincinnati
Speaker 1: is not going to fold here. They're too powerful. My
Speaker 1: one concern, because we didn't really see this obviously with
Speaker 1: what happened in the Bengals game, is that you still
Speaker 1: don't have Lyle Collins for the rest of this season.
Speaker 1: And Hakimadnagy, who we've talked about, who was a villain
Speaker 1: down the down the stretch for them on that offensive
Speaker 1: line is playing a major role at this point. Well,
Speaker 1: he was showing his character maybe not not personality wise
Speaker 1: player perhaps um ye wise yeah yeah yeah. Um. It
Speaker 1: should not be left unnoted that, once again, Greggy, the
Speaker 1: Baltimore defense, which has been the best thing they've had
Speaker 1: all season, let down in a big spot on Sunday
Speaker 1: Night Football when they needed to get one stop against Pittsburgh. Uh,
Speaker 1: they would have won that game at the end. I
Speaker 1: know they were good overall in that game, but this
Speaker 1: is now you can count maybe on one hand, it
Speaker 1: might be up to four or five games at this
Speaker 1: point where the defense had a chance to close the
Speaker 1: game out and could not do it. In this case,
Speaker 1: it could end up costing them the division because again
Speaker 1: going back to the uncertain nature of things, and again
Speaker 1: as we tape this, things could change. It's fluid. But
Speaker 1: the Ravens are ten and six, the Bengals are eleven
Speaker 1: and four. If the Bengals don't make up that last game,
Speaker 1: and let's say the Ravens win on Sunday, they finished
Speaker 1: eleven and six, Uh, Bengals eleven and five. Ravens sweep
Speaker 1: the head to head series, but it won't matter because
Speaker 1: the Bengals would have a better win percentage. That would
Speaker 1: not be the case if they took care of business
Speaker 1: on Sunday against Pittsburgh the great likelihood, as the Bengals
Speaker 1: have already won the a f C North, the the expectation.
Speaker 1: The reporting is that, and this is from the Associated Press,
Speaker 1: that the game between the Bengals and Bills will not
Speaker 1: be made up for and they're trying to figure out
Speaker 1: what else to do as of this taping, it'll be clarified,
Speaker 1: but that would make the Bengals um the division champ.
Speaker 1: And it's interesting because if they they would actually have
Speaker 1: probably played this game later if they knew that when
Speaker 1: they adjust and when they said this time. But doesn't
Speaker 1: matter because it affects the Chargers game. The Chargers have
Speaker 1: already said they will rest their starters if the Ravens
Speaker 1: lose early, because then they will not be playing for seeding.
Speaker 1: The Lamar Jackson thing is really interesting to me because
Speaker 1: it's so similar to last year, and they said it
Speaker 1: wasn't gonna be similar to last year, and it's really
Speaker 1: been the same thing. I don't think Huntley has been
Speaker 1: a mess. Mark I think he's played fine, Like it's
Speaker 1: just this whole thing is a mess. I think he's
Speaker 1: played as one of the best better backups in the league,
Speaker 1: and they just have a slow moving offense. He he
Speaker 1: makes some good plays each week, he's not gonna make
Speaker 1: a difference. And there's no reason to think that the
Speaker 1: Ravens defense, which maybe is a little bit better than
Speaker 1: the Bengals defense maybe like, is gonna be that big
Speaker 1: of a difference maker when the difference between the Bengals
Speaker 1: offense and the Ravens offense is this gigantic chasm. The
Speaker 1: only thing that is an X factor, as you mentioned
Speaker 1: that you know we have to talk about and there's
Speaker 1: no way to know, is just the effects of this
Speaker 1: last week. And I thought it was Joe Burrow really
Speaker 1: open and honest about it, saying, like, look, if you
Speaker 1: ask people in the locker room if they even wanted
Speaker 1: to play this week, and this was on Wednesday, and
Speaker 1: I think as each day goes by, the players are
Speaker 1: saying that they're feeling better. It feels different that they
Speaker 1: would have been mixed on it, that like even even
Speaker 1: he felt mixed on it, like that they might not
Speaker 1: be ready to play again. Totally, and so it's just
Speaker 1: gonna be an unprecedented scene, um for them, and especially
Speaker 1: for this they're going through something that we've never no
Speaker 1: teams really how to deal two teams. And we'll get
Speaker 1: to the other team in just a minute, but just
Speaker 1: one more thing on Lamar, because the initial reporting last
Speaker 1: month now about four weeks ago, is that he would
Speaker 1: be back week sixteen, which was Christmas Eve. That didn't happen,
Speaker 1: and then he wasn't back last week, and then he's
Speaker 1: on the sideline on Sunday Night Football with like as
Speaker 1: reported by people on the scene, with a hitch and
Speaker 1: his step um, still just being on the sideline, and
Speaker 1: now it looks like he's not going to practice in
Speaker 1: play in week eighteen potentially, and you wonder, like, first
Speaker 1: of all, what was the status of the knee injury?
Speaker 1: Did did you have a setback? Well, so you think
Speaker 1: about his contract status, greggy, and and where where he
Speaker 1: might be mentally as he enters the most important financial
Speaker 1: um period window of his life, how he's playing this
Speaker 1: and why would we suddenly I mean this, who's suggesting
Speaker 1: there's a large confidence that six or seven days from now,
Speaker 1: if if he's walking with a hitch and he's not
Speaker 1: practicing at all that he's going to suddenly be ready
Speaker 1: for a playoff game. It's I is that person? So
Speaker 1: maybe also reported the the Week sixteen return as well,
Speaker 1: didn't he? Yeah? And you do wonder if that's like,
Speaker 1: that's what are the Ravens saying? Is that the feeling
Speaker 1: from the team. I I just wonder how the Ravens
Speaker 1: are gonna approach this game too, Like, do they if
Speaker 1: they know they can't win the division? Do they care
Speaker 1: about winning the five seed versus the sixth seed? Now?
Speaker 1: I think they should. You would play at the a
Speaker 1: f C South winner instead of at Cincinnati, Kansas City
Speaker 1: or Buffalo. That's a pretty big difference, yes, But I
Speaker 1: don't know if they'll look at it that way. They
Speaker 1: don't feel like a team like the Ravens under Harbaugh
Speaker 1: or not a sit and rest everyone type of team
Speaker 1: or rest major. And I respect the Jaguars and what
Speaker 1: they've been building the last six weeks or so, but
Speaker 1: I'm sending difference in Jackson. Absolutely, if I have the opportunity.
Speaker 1: All right, let's talk about the other team that was
Speaker 1: involved in Monday Night, the Bills. That will be my
Speaker 1: pick Patriots at Bills. Um Buffalo entered week seventeen is
Speaker 1: the number one seed. We'll see if, even with a
Speaker 1: win um in week team whether they stay that way,
Speaker 1: because there's a potential here when the Chiefs end up
Speaker 1: with a higher winning percentage if they don't make up
Speaker 1: Monday night, So keep that in mind. Um So, the Bills, though,
Speaker 1: still have a chance at the number one seed if
Speaker 1: they take care of business against the Pats, who also
Speaker 1: nobody really wants to see other than Patriots fans the
Speaker 1: Pats in the playoffs. But I kind of respect Greg
Speaker 1: the stubbornness that they might just get there to spite us.
Speaker 1: They might, they might punch their ticket. They need to
Speaker 1: win obviously. Uh, you don't know what version of Buffalo
Speaker 1: you're gonna get in this game, Joe Burrow said. The
Speaker 1: Cincinnati players, some players are split on even wanting to play.
Speaker 1: Can you even imagine with tomorrow Hamlin's actual team is
Speaker 1: feeling right now as they begin preparation for an a
Speaker 1: f C East rivalry game with their opponent playing for
Speaker 1: their um postseason lives. It creates a complete unknowable situation.
Speaker 1: Once again, how the Bills respond and what version of
Speaker 1: the team shows up and for the Patriots, they can
Speaker 1: only play their opponent, and it could it could work
Speaker 1: and purely football terms in their favor because they are
Speaker 1: they are the inferior team, but they have an opportunity
Speaker 1: here to get the Bills at a time it's a
Speaker 1: very uncertain time around what I think is the best
Speaker 1: team in the a f C. I thought it was
Speaker 1: telling um in some press availability or uh some source reports.
Speaker 1: One won by Jeremy Fowler that when Tomorrow Hamlin's dad
Speaker 1: addressed the Bills team via zoom, that like it really
Speaker 1: galvanized the team. That they felt like they were able
Speaker 1: to smile after that, like that that they cheered as
Speaker 1: if it was like winning the super Bowl. Listening to
Speaker 1: the dad, hearing him be um, lighthearted at some moments
Speaker 1: and just positive, and that they almost like felt like, okay,
Speaker 1: now we can move on. There's there's just no way
Speaker 1: this scene is going to be unlike anything else. So
Speaker 1: it's it's hard to know how much to put that
Speaker 1: into this game. But I know that these teams aren't
Speaker 1: even I know that the Bills absolutely own the Patriots.
Speaker 1: That the last three games, including the game this year,
Speaker 1: we're so one sided. It didn't look like they were
Speaker 1: playing the same sport practically, and I do think there
Speaker 1: are elements that are a little different this time around.
Speaker 1: I think the Bills offensive line, the Bills offense has
Speaker 1: a few cracks in the armor, and the Patriots defense
Speaker 1: is certainly rushing the pastor well, Christian Barmer. They're different,
Speaker 1: but they're pretty banged up in the secondary to where
Speaker 1: like maybe the Bills defense, the Patriots defense can keep
Speaker 1: the score down so it's not embarrassing. But I don't
Speaker 1: see any reason to believe in a normal situation that
Speaker 1: the Patriots offense isn't gonna blow this game two or
Speaker 1: three different times and that ultimately the Bills win comfortably, right.
Speaker 1: I mean, they've not matched up well with Buffalo two
Speaker 1: years in a row, and this Buffalo team is essentially
Speaker 1: the same team in many ways. And I just feel
Speaker 1: your point Greg about his father speaking to them, and
Speaker 1: then that the fact that we're getting positive news that
Speaker 1: we are in a different place than we were a
Speaker 1: couple of days ago, that doesn't mean that for a
Speaker 1: number of people it won't be an element of trauma
Speaker 1: to return into the field at all. But you're in
Speaker 1: Buffalo I think you're gonna get a crowd that is
Speaker 1: like as loving and supportive and galvanized as you're gonna
Speaker 1: see all season long. I think the Bills are the
Speaker 1: type of team that will feed off of that, and
Speaker 1: I think it's a very human element to this game.
Speaker 1: And I think from an on field perspective, New England
Speaker 1: just does not scare you on offense on any level.
Speaker 1: So the Bills need to do just enough on that
Speaker 1: side of the ball their offense. And I think you
Speaker 1: got Josh Allen who owns this team, Um, you know,
Speaker 1: I think it's a great place for Stefon Diggs, who
Speaker 1: hasn't had a hundred yard games since Week ten, to
Speaker 1: re galvanize his connections. Way on Monday night, you could
Speaker 1: tell the way that game was setting up that he
Speaker 1: was going to have. I think they're determined to make
Speaker 1: that happened again before the playoffs, and so I just
Speaker 1: think this is a thing where it's going to be
Speaker 1: a process the next couple of days. But Buffalo, this
Speaker 1: is the team you want to be playing in Week
Speaker 1: eighteen to go into the playoffs and reset the board
Speaker 1: here a little bit. From an on field football perspective,
Speaker 1: it's an amazing fan base obviously in general, but that
Speaker 1: is going to be in Western New York a very special,
Speaker 1: uh raucous vibe and that you can imagine they they
Speaker 1: could even have some you know, pregame visitors involved in
Speaker 1: terms of getting the crowd amped connected to Damarrow like
Speaker 1: that's going to be a great scene to watch there.
Speaker 1: There were a couple of key injury updates in this game.
Speaker 1: Jack Jones had been put on i R, which I
Speaker 1: don't know if we had mentioned, you know, for the pages,
Speaker 1: and Marcus Jones is still out of practice. So they're
Speaker 1: down a couple of cornerbacks. They sounds like they will
Speaker 1: get back Jalen Mills, he's limited, h Jacoby Myers, who
Speaker 1: got hurt late in that game on on the touchdown
Speaker 1: catch is limited. They might get back to Vante Parker,
Speaker 1: and then Toron Johnson, who took that vicious hit early
Speaker 1: in that Bengals game, who's a really important air for
Speaker 1: them with the concussion, is back at practice too. And
Speaker 1: there is a scenario, Dan, it's not that far fetched
Speaker 1: that the Patriots lose and make the playoffs. It's pretty simple.
Speaker 1: They're in the spot right now. If everyone loses, they
Speaker 1: stay in the spot and so well, we know what
Speaker 1: we lose that. Yeah, I think it might be a
Speaker 1: rematch of this game again too, which which no one
Speaker 1: in New England certainly would want, but yeah, it would be.
Speaker 1: It would be the Patriots losing, the Dolphins losing, the
Speaker 1: Steelers losing, and the Jaguars winning because they need the
Speaker 1: Jaguars that buffalo take care of business. We shall see
Speaker 1: if they do. Uh And and one more note on
Speaker 1: the Pats same same as it ever was with this team.
Speaker 1: They will have one drive where they look functional. It
Speaker 1: will be a eight yard touchdown drive at some point
Speaker 1: in the game, just one. They'll need the defensive score again,
Speaker 1: they've gotten seven of them this year, so they'll need
Speaker 1: a defensive or special teams score, and then Josh Allen
Speaker 1: is gonna have to make some mistakes. That's that's the
Speaker 1: path to one upsetting. It is also if you're Mac Jones,
Speaker 1: your last chance to have a meltdown on the sideline
Speaker 1: on national television. You're gonna it's your last chance to
Speaker 1: kind of explode at your coordinating a little clown car coaches.
Speaker 1: You know, all right, let's take a break in the draft,
Speaker 1: will roll on all right, Welcome back, here we go.
Speaker 1: Week eighteen preview. We are to the third pick of
Speaker 1: the draft in Greggy Rosenthal. Didn't you never actually call
Speaker 1: you Greggy before Dan in an actual serious sense? I mean,
Speaker 1: I don't know how anyone can call me Greggy in
Speaker 1: a serious sense. Um, my mom did sometimes. Well, then
Speaker 1: you're connecting back to his early early child, so basically
Speaker 1: more important figures in his life aside from his wife
Speaker 1: and children, my mom and then my father figure Dan.
Speaker 1: I wouldn't even throw it beside. I don't need to
Speaker 1: qualify with the beside the direct family. I'm saying you
Speaker 1: could be higher than you even think in that it
Speaker 1: was a presumption on my partner. I shouldn't have done it,
Speaker 1: all right, if you sandwich in between the two children
Speaker 1: in there in the rankings, I don't know by beautiful Greggy,
Speaker 1: go ahead, buddy, all right? You took Patriots Bills, I'm
Speaker 1: gonna take the Jets. Will take the Jets Dolphins? Why not? Um,
Speaker 1: it's the only game that's interesting early. But it's the
Speaker 1: only one that's left that's any good early, So it
Speaker 1: doesn't track as a must watch for the old juser.
Speaker 1: On Sunday it's a bit of a depressing time front.
Speaker 1: I just want something that is um important for playoff implications,
Speaker 1: and I am interested in this game. I want to
Speaker 1: I really want Teddy Bridgewater to play. I just feel
Speaker 1: like that's a better game than Skyler Thompson playing it.
Speaker 1: We will get Mike White again. It's not gonna be yeah,
Speaker 1: maybe that can be again. He really struggled a week ago.
Speaker 1: Um and if he plays like that again, that's gonna
Speaker 1: hurt his money, I think in the off season. But
Speaker 1: if he gets back to being the Mike White that
Speaker 1: you think. There's a lot of reasons to believe the
Speaker 1: Jets can win this game. They're both teams are really
Speaker 1: banged up that the Jets could be short a couple
Speaker 1: offensive linemen, but the Dolphins are are in worse shape.
Speaker 1: Toron Armstead, Bradley Chub, Xavian Howard and of course to
Speaker 1: a four of their very best players are all still
Speaker 1: out of practice here and they have a chance to
Speaker 1: make the playoffs. They did not match up well against
Speaker 1: the Jets uh last time. And I don't know like
Speaker 1: i've belt I've believed in the Jets too much. I'm
Speaker 1: really struggling with who to pick in this game. Dan, Yeah,
Speaker 1: it's interesting because I've been it's so wrong on the Jets.
Speaker 1: Why have I been so high on the two? You're
Speaker 1: a former or still Patriots fan, but because of what
Speaker 1: your picks and the things you do connected to this network,
Speaker 1: you've got a little taste of Jets fandom this year
Speaker 1: where sometimes it doesn't even make sense. Sometimes the only
Speaker 1: thing that makes sense when it's all over and the
Speaker 1: carnage is through is the Jets blew it and it's like, oh,
Speaker 1: well they blew it again. They lost five in a
Speaker 1: row and whatever. But this year, it didn't feel like
Speaker 1: this was gonna happen with this team. But yeah, there
Speaker 1: are a lot of things have happened, and it's the
Speaker 1: defense that was playing perhaps over its head for a
Speaker 1: large portion of the season, or you know, maybe some
Speaker 1: things and injuries kind of brought them down a little bit.
Speaker 1: But once they started playing it closer to a league
Speaker 1: average level, it really uh left and vulnerable because the
Speaker 1: offense has really gone in the tank. I think maybe
Speaker 1: you're right, maybe the pressure off of Mike White a
Speaker 1: little bit now and and and the team perhaps not
Speaker 1: feeling as much stress now that they're eliminated, you'll see
Speaker 1: them play at a higher level. But I also have
Speaker 1: watched enough Jets football to see this game over by
Speaker 1: the end of the first quarter, and they just pack
Speaker 1: it in and then there are a lot of questions
Speaker 1: about what is the future this team going for Mike White.
Speaker 1: Like when he's been good and when the offense has
Speaker 1: been functional, he's been a great story, but it was
Speaker 1: always a bit of a pipe dream to think that
Speaker 1: he was suddenly unearthed, this guy that's gonna throw for
Speaker 1: four hundred yards every week. I mean, he even even
Speaker 1: like last year when he had his chances to start,
Speaker 1: it was a roller coaster and this offense in general
Speaker 1: has been a roller coaster night. But I have not
Speaker 1: convinced Number one, he was totally healthy, Like, I mean,
Speaker 1: he suffered such punishment when he last played before that.
Speaker 1: But yeah, but you're gonna get that game from Mike White.
Speaker 1: I think, honestly, it's probably more honest for the Jets
Speaker 1: to go into the offseason with a clear idea that
Speaker 1: they don't have a quarterback. I don't know why Robert Salo,
Speaker 1: who I think has done a great job in general,
Speaker 1: needs to insist in that, you know, in quotes that
Speaker 1: through hell or high water, they're gonna stick with Zach.
Speaker 1: Wasn't just don't say it, Like I don't need to
Speaker 1: say anything at this point, Like you have the right
Speaker 1: as a coaching staff to completely clear the deck after
Speaker 1: this because this question. I get that, but it's just
Speaker 1: like it's just it's it's just a little two months.
Speaker 1: But I I don't mind him doing that at all.
Speaker 1: He sticking for his players, getting like I said it far.
Speaker 1: I think that like that he stood by Wilson. I
Speaker 1: do admire that. I just think it's just kind of
Speaker 1: let him alone. He also said like he basedly told
Speaker 1: Zach Wilson get away from football, go read books and
Speaker 1: just Floire also said they probably shouldn't have played Wilson
Speaker 1: last year. I don't think they're really sticking by him.
Speaker 1: I think publicly they're doing a good job trying to
Speaker 1: keep the media off him. Sticking by him is like
Speaker 1: having him play this game. I mean it's a meaningless
Speaker 1: game and he's not even playing. He's not even gonna
Speaker 1: be third strink. Look, these two teams are competing collapses here.
Speaker 1: It's incredible to think where the Dolphins are and if
Speaker 1: they've lost five games in a row. They weren't able
Speaker 1: to run the ball last week against the Patriots. I
Speaker 1: thought that was really important for them, and I don't
Speaker 1: know if they're going to be able to do this week.
Speaker 1: But Jets defense hasn't been as good. I went and
Speaker 1: looked up kind of the the efficiency metrics during these
Speaker 1: five game losing streaks. They're both like bottom eight offenses,
Speaker 1: like Jets were. Miami was twenty six, And even if
Speaker 1: you took out the Zach Wilson games, the Jets are
Speaker 1: still like a bottom six offense in this losing streak. Uh,
Speaker 1: and the Dolphins are terrible offensively. To the surprising part
Speaker 1: for me was like the Jets defense was twelve, Like
Speaker 1: they've been fine, but they just haven't been dominant. This
Speaker 1: is a game that, in theory, you could dominate the
Speaker 1: way that the Dolphins. We've seen cracks in their defense,
Speaker 1: the way when Skylar Thompson started back in Week five
Speaker 1: they romped the Dolphins was seventeen. Two different teams at
Speaker 1: this point, but they've both fallen off a clip. Yeah,
Speaker 1: that was a close game for three quarters and then
Speaker 1: it got away. You hate you, I know, Jets fans,
Speaker 1: they don't like the Dolphins, and I'm not saying you
Speaker 1: guys are the Lions here trying to cap off a season.
Speaker 1: It's it's disappointing regardless. But I really think if you know,
Speaker 1: if the Dolphins win this game, they're probably going to
Speaker 1: the playoffs. All they need is the Patriots to lose
Speaker 1: to the Bills, and so this is a big game
Speaker 1: for Jets. Can knock out the can do it to
Speaker 1: His friend Mike McDaniel said he'd rather be on a
Speaker 1: beach with him a week from not not seeing the
Speaker 1: Dolphins in the player. I'm sure there's like, uh, you know,
Speaker 1: thirty five thousand feet above the ground, Jets fans that
Speaker 1: are like, oh, lose the game, getting the top ten
Speaker 1: in the in the draft and all that, Yeah, let's
Speaker 1: end the season that overall was a positive one, um uh,
Speaker 1: and then turned sour with a nice win. The one
Speaker 1: the one thing that the Jets need to figure you're
Speaker 1: out is and this is carrying over through the regimes. Um,
Speaker 1: they need to figure out how to identify and develop
Speaker 1: a quarterback. They cannot do it. They have They've gotten
Speaker 1: bad luck as as part of the Jets story as well,
Speaker 1: They've never fallen into a Borough or a Herbert or
Speaker 1: Lawrence in all of these years of struggles. Um, but
Speaker 1: they need to take a closer look at how they
Speaker 1: do this because I don't think they handled Wilson right.
Speaker 1: He was raw, he was green as it gets, and
Speaker 1: they threw him right into the mix. Maybe it's time
Speaker 1: to start taking a closer look at how you do this.
Speaker 1: Just don't maybe don't do it through the draft again,
Speaker 1: just find a veteran out there that you can trust. Well,
Speaker 1: I thought you made a good point last week, Mark
Speaker 1: about you know, the Jets shouldn't or the fan BA
Speaker 1: shouldn't just say go get Derek Carr and everything's fine.
Speaker 1: But again it's like which way do you go? Do
Speaker 1: you go get the slightly do you use the first
Speaker 1: round pick on a quarterback and get there? Well, then
Speaker 1: you're then Joe Tables is on a ticking cart if
Speaker 1: he picks another quarterback that doesn't essentially shine immediately anyway, Right,
Speaker 1: all right, I'm gonna take the Rams Seahawks as a game.
Speaker 1: There's not really a great UH four slate. And when
Speaker 1: I saw that, it's my guy, Zina Smith, and then
Speaker 1: all our guy, I don't know, it's our guy, it's
Speaker 1: our guy Santez on the call. That's a good way
Speaker 1: to captain season here, and it's probably the last Seahawks
Speaker 1: game of the year, so I can just enjoy it,
Speaker 1: you know. And why do you say that you're presuming
Speaker 1: that the win on you pick the Lions. It's true
Speaker 1: if my picks are right, it's gonna be if the
Speaker 1: Lions have a great emotional win on Sunday Night Football.
Speaker 1: But the Seahawks, we've had a nice season all due respect,
Speaker 1: are the team that ends up going to the playoffs.
Speaker 1: But that is very possible. Just to let you know
Speaker 1: your picks aside, like Earth might suggest that Seattle goes
Speaker 1: to the playoffs, not just what you picked, like good
Speaker 1: did I guess I said that because if you just
Speaker 1: look at percentages, you need two results to happen. Uh,
Speaker 1: it's more likely that they don't go to the playoffs.
Speaker 1: They have an under fifty chance. Because I also don't
Speaker 1: totally hand them this win. I think that's the that's
Speaker 1: the part of the equation that Seahawks fans when they're
Speaker 1: talking about the Sunday Night Football, haven't been focused on.
Speaker 1: But Sean mcveigh's generally owned Pete Carroll. I do put
Speaker 1: something into these division matchups, and I think you can
Speaker 1: only look four weeks ago to the matchup where the
Speaker 1: Seahawks had to win with the last second touchdown to
Speaker 1: beat the Rams, who were starting John Woolford that day,
Speaker 1: and say, like, Okay, there's something here in terms of
Speaker 1: the matchups that like, this isn't some incredible mismatch. The
Speaker 1: good thing is Seattle's defense has played better again in
Speaker 1: the last couple of weeks. I just don't know what
Speaker 1: to think of this defense. Maybe it's just unpredictable, it's
Speaker 1: a game plan specific. They had al Woods back, which
Speaker 1: you wouldn't think like makes all the difference, but he's
Speaker 1: been really good stopping the run, and then that makes, um,
Speaker 1: everything else look a little better. I definitely picked the
Speaker 1: Seahawks in this game. Their home geno, Steady ken Walker's
Speaker 1: out there kind of looking like se Quan Barkley. That's
Speaker 1: who he reminds me of a lot, like that lateral
Speaker 1: thing and the fact that he'll take big losses and
Speaker 1: kind of go sideways looking for the big play. But
Speaker 1: you know what, he finds the big pay. You know what,
Speaker 1: that's actually a pretty good nickname for Gino this year,
Speaker 1: Gino Steady. I was looking at it because he's got
Speaker 1: twenty nine touchdowns. By the way, he throws one more
Speaker 1: and he joins when you get this right, Dave Craig
Speaker 1: and Russell Wilson is the only Seattle quarterbacks ever to
Speaker 1: throw thirty in the season. Um. I was going through
Speaker 1: his game log this week with doing power rankings, and
Speaker 1: he he had a streak of one point like of
Speaker 1: like seven straight games through you through exactly two touchdowns. Like,
Speaker 1: he has been a guy that and I especially what
Speaker 1: I've witnessed with my team this year. Man, there's something
Speaker 1: of true value to have a guy like you kind
Speaker 1: of know what your quarterbacks is gonna give. He's not
Speaker 1: gonna be Mahomesian, but he's also not gonna to lay
Speaker 1: eggs and and and that's what Gino has been for
Speaker 1: them this year. I want to now hashtag analysis Mark.
Speaker 1: This is some real football guy analysis. Baker Mayfield has
Speaker 1: been the quarterback of the Rams for four weeks. Now, okay,
Speaker 1: the first week Fund Baker, the second week regular or
Speaker 1: bad Baker, the third week Fund Baker, the fourth week
Speaker 1: regular slash bad Baker. Fifth week feels like fund Baker,
Speaker 1: I think, I know what a better way for work
Speaker 1: in Mayfield to see how I'm doing on and off.
Speaker 1: I mean he's been and he's been up and down
Speaker 1: everywhere he's been, and it's like the ups with the
Speaker 1: Rams have been better than any other ups, So why
Speaker 1: not finished the year this way? One I don't love
Speaker 1: for them in general is that I think, like cam Acres,
Speaker 1: another guy who has been on a roller coaster ride
Speaker 1: in the doghouse suddenly being used exceptively in the penthouse now.
Speaker 1: So it's the same thing the up in the down.
Speaker 1: The Seahawks run defense, which was a disaster for so long.
Speaker 1: They have not allowed eight plus yards on the ground
Speaker 1: in four streight weeks. So it's the al Woods thing.
Speaker 1: It's who knows, But they're much better that was like
Speaker 1: you still see it's like, oh they're thirtieth than rushing. Well,
Speaker 1: they haven't been in the last quarter of the season.
Speaker 1: So that like if you put Baker Mayfield into a
Speaker 1: situation where he's got a throw, I think the last
Speaker 1: week he really struggled in like typical easy your quick passes,
Speaker 1: which you see Baker Mayfield just miss on show on
Speaker 1: short yardage throws where it could really help the Rams,
Speaker 1: and he's done better at like improbable throws down field.
Speaker 1: So I the one thing I love about Gino Smith.
Speaker 1: This would be the most poetic end to the year.
Speaker 1: And he's gonna do this barring disaster. He needs a
Speaker 1: hundred and fifty one passing yards to pass Russell Wilson
Speaker 1: for the single season franchise record and yardage. I love that.
Speaker 1: I guess he gets an extra game, but still, well,
Speaker 1: who who cares about that? Never less? Cook, I mean,
Speaker 1: I think it's amazing, amazing way to end it for him.
Speaker 1: If the Titans shocked the Jags on Saturday, I'll be
Speaker 1: kicking myself. I didn't lock up Gino and a big
Speaker 1: still here against him. You're constantly wrestling with the locks
Speaker 1: and we're all I'd like to give you my internal mind.
Speaker 1: I didn't. I definitely need it. Uh winning by the way,
Speaker 1: the west ros Nick Westling, it's really Nick at this point,
Speaker 1: um who we almost heard from Monday night, but we
Speaker 1: will hear from him at some point during the Cincinnati
Speaker 1: upcoming playoff run. Locked up the Seahawks, by the way.
Speaker 1: All right, Moving on back to the Zeuser. Huh the
Speaker 1: old Zeuser the Gota Bongo. I will take first first
Speaker 1: week all season. I don't think you've had the Jets.
Speaker 1: It is. It is there. You left me no other no, no,
Speaker 1: in no way, in no way do I take issue
Speaker 1: with it. No, umbradge taken, umbraj umbraj I will take
Speaker 1: the Giants at the Eagles, and uh, it's not a
Speaker 1: game I'm like on fire about because well, look at
Speaker 1: the rest of the Game's not a lot of great
Speaker 1: meat on the bone at this point. Um. From a
Speaker 1: narrative standpoint, We'll get to narrative in just a second.
Speaker 1: By the way, the Giants are locked into the sixth seed.
Speaker 1: It doesn't matter what happens against the Eagles here, So
Speaker 1: there's a very good chance they're gonna arrest players. Certainly,
Speaker 1: it behooves them to give sa Kuana blow here and
Speaker 1: not have him get a lot of workload with the
Speaker 1: playoffs coming up. Daniel Jones coming off arguably the best
Speaker 1: game of his career. Um, he's gonna want to tune up.
Speaker 1: But maybe he doesn't play either. It doesn't play a lot.
Speaker 1: I don't know if there's an update on that end.
Speaker 1: I apologize for not already knowing there isn't okay actually dabbles.
Speaker 1: He wouldn't talk, he wouldn't say he's changed his tune. Though.
Speaker 1: Immediately after the game, he's like, everyone's playing, and then
Speaker 1: he was like, we'll decide on Friday. So I think
Speaker 1: I think it's even even if they start, I think
Speaker 1: you're gonna see early pulling you out of there, like
Speaker 1: give them rest, you know, specially. So here's why this game, though,
Speaker 1: is compelling to me. I gotta see the Eagles play
Speaker 1: well here going into the playoffs. That was Wolf. I
Speaker 1: watched that game on Monday, the Saints Eagles game, and
Speaker 1: I was like, oh, woof, woof, woof woof. That first
Speaker 1: half was grizzly by Philadelphia, And I understand Jalen Hurts
Speaker 1: is out of lineup, and I understand he's trending towards
Speaker 1: playing in this game, which makes a lot of sense
Speaker 1: to me, especially because they still haven't locked up the
Speaker 1: number one seed. Um, but they had sixty one total
Speaker 1: yards in the first half against the Saints, And I
Speaker 1: know the Saints are playing better now, but come on.
Speaker 1: They didn't have their first first down in the game
Speaker 1: until twelve seconds remained in the contest. The Saints outplayed
Speaker 1: them in every phase at the link and then of
Speaker 1: course they get back in the game, and then it
Speaker 1: gets washed away on a hideous pick six by Gardner Minshew.
Speaker 1: Great played by Marshall Latimore, of course, but that was
Speaker 1: not a good thrower, a good decision by the backup QB.
Speaker 1: So Philly, go have a good, get right game, Jalen Hurts,
Speaker 1: get through the game with that shoulder feeling good, grab
Speaker 1: the number one seed once and for all, and then
Speaker 1: feel good about yourself as you head into the buy
Speaker 1: to get fully healthy. I mean it would be I
Speaker 1: think a couple of weeks ago, like we just assumed
Speaker 1: the Eagles would win one of these games and do
Speaker 1: what they needed to do, and there was a lot
Speaker 1: of especially the Dallas game gave you help hope the
Speaker 1: Gardner Minshew would not ut unquote supposed to win that right,
Speaker 1: maybe not. Last week was surpri but the Dallas team
Speaker 1: was super came out of thinking, well, their offense won't
Speaker 1: change that much with Minshew, and which completely changed we go.
Speaker 1: I think that like the the idea, they was sacked
Speaker 1: six times by the Saints. Um the Lane Johnson absence
Speaker 1: matters whether it's Hurts or Minshew. I tend to think
Speaker 1: that they're gonna be on offense. Fine when once Hurts
Speaker 1: comes back, I just do I think that you still
Speaker 1: got all the same weapons. Though the Lane Johnson thing
Speaker 1: concerns you, but it would be an epic collapse to
Speaker 1: not be the giant scene that probably will be resting
Speaker 1: a variety of players left and right. You gotta handle
Speaker 1: it because to come out of this as the number
Speaker 1: two seed or some situation where the Cowboys wind up
Speaker 1: as the number one, which is especially unappealing if you're
Speaker 1: an Eagles fan, is about as ugly a narrative dan
Speaker 1: as you could finish the season with. Forgetting narrative, how
Speaker 1: about reality, you'd be the five seed on the road,
Speaker 1: Cowboys narratives and everything else not happening though, I mean
Speaker 1: this this thing should be. Did you think they're gonna
Speaker 1: lose to the Saints? This is different. The Giants are
Speaker 1: worse than the Saints. I m O and another I
Speaker 1: am from the worst in the Saints. But more importantly,
Speaker 1: the Giants, I don't think a are gonna be playing.
Speaker 1: I don't think they're going to be playing to win
Speaker 1: this game. Well, that matters the Eagles absolutely waxed the
Speaker 1: same Giants team it wasn't that long ago, and their
Speaker 1: fourteen point favorites because because of that, because we know
Speaker 1: the Giants got juice right now, is that their juice
Speaker 1: deficiency right now? I feel he's a little bit of
Speaker 1: a juice to fit. They bring the juice back though
Speaker 1: this week. C J. Gardner Johnson and Robert Quinn not
Speaker 1: this week, but they are looking like they're gonna come
Speaker 1: back for the playoffs. To Gardner Johnson, matters a lot.
Speaker 1: They've given up the worst, one of the worst passer
Speaker 1: ratings around without them. Yeah, and Avante Maddox too, So
Speaker 1: those are two guys in the middle of the defense. No,
Speaker 1: it's it's totally about that. The Giants don't have anything
Speaker 1: to play for, and I think they could be playing. Um.
Speaker 1: Who is their backup right now, Tyrone Tyro's a good backup.
Speaker 1: And Danny Knell, who I think they've sent just signed
Speaker 1: off of UM. He's working in the construction site in
Speaker 1: central Pennsylvania. I think he made his money in the nineties. Um.
Speaker 1: Speaking of narratives, two decades ago, people were on some
Speaker 1: level on Twitter a little surprised that we didn't get
Speaker 1: after Cavon Thibodeau too hard after the snow Angel incident,
Speaker 1: and um, you know, gave it to him a little bit. Um.
Speaker 1: We don't need to, old friend. Um, but I thought
Speaker 1: he was showing his ass a little bit. This week,
Speaker 1: here is Cavan talking about Jeff Saturday's comments about uh
Speaker 1: the sack celebration and and the go to sleep gesture
Speaker 1: on the sideline by Cavan. Jeff Saturday interm coach of
Speaker 1: the Cults, said it was trash and uh not classy.
Speaker 1: And here was Cavon Thibodeau's response to the media. Who
Speaker 1: I was What I'm saying, who's the gatekeeper of when
Speaker 1: to do something? So once we figure out who the
Speaker 1: gatekeeper is, and then we can write the rules and
Speaker 1: then we can establish you know, the narratives and things
Speaker 1: like that. But until you know you guys actually are
Speaker 1: in the sport and do it and be in that moment,
Speaker 1: you can't create a narrative on it. You know, well,
Speaker 1: we're not creating a narrative on it. The guy the
Speaker 1: other teams coach had a problem, and he's a guy
Speaker 1: who playing the game now, not just don't know who
Speaker 1: like anybody who comments on it, unless I know who
Speaker 1: they are, it doesn't really affect me. Uh that sound
Speaker 1: is courtesy of s N y Um. It sounds like
Speaker 1: he lives in his own bubble, Cavan, And you can
Speaker 1: say you love it, but it's like Jeff Saturday is
Speaker 1: a four time All Pro um, six time Pro Bowl,
Speaker 1: or he's a Super Bowl champion, and I've seen a
Speaker 1: lot of people kind of bring all that stuff up.
Speaker 1: Do you really think the majority of players know who
Speaker 1: the hell Jeff Saturday is? But my point is Greg,
Speaker 1: is that it just feels like to me that Cavon
Speaker 1: Thibodeau kind of lives in his own world and if
Speaker 1: you aren't in Cavan's world, you don't really matter. And
Speaker 1: and it shows a lack, I think, to me, of
Speaker 1: kind of understanding of where he stands. I thought it
Speaker 1: was interesting that the center, the current center of the
Speaker 1: colts Um, took Cavan to task on Sunday after the game, saying, hey, man, like,
Speaker 1: injuries are part of the game and he'll learn that
Speaker 1: one day that it's not something you ever celebrate. And
Speaker 1: then I think, especially in light of what happened Monday night,
Speaker 1: like with uh Hamlin, it's just like man, you gotta
Speaker 1: show a little more awareness about what the context of
Speaker 1: the world is. And I just my radar is up
Speaker 1: now a little bit. On Thibodeau is a fantastically talented
Speaker 1: young player, but I wonder when things aren't gonna and
Speaker 1: there's a time when things aren't going well for the Giants,
Speaker 1: or maybe there's some contracts stuff going on, if he's
Speaker 1: one of those guys that starts bouncing around the league
Speaker 1: despite being very talented. I don't like want to waste
Speaker 1: too much energy being like the behavior police, and you
Speaker 1: can go say whatever you want. You can treat your
Speaker 1: career and how you're viewed by people that people don't
Speaker 1: know Jeff Saturday. People also don't know Cavon Thibodeaux, and
Speaker 1: they're learning about him week by week, and like he's
Speaker 1: crafting how we learn about him, and he's making that
Speaker 1: decision so good you're gonna live with it. Because me, like,
Speaker 1: what what do I want? What do we want out
Speaker 1: of verse words? Players? I want not villains, but I
Speaker 1: want characters. I want twenty two year olds that are
Speaker 1: incredibly confident, like in a Jackass. I couldn't can't imagine
Speaker 1: what being confident in being a jack there. I can't
Speaker 1: imagine what we would have been like at twenty two
Speaker 1: years old with a microphone. And so the fact that
Speaker 1: he reminds me of like ravishing Rick Rude, like just
Speaker 1: because he's so confident, doesn't want to hear about it.
Speaker 1: I don't mind me because it's not that serious acting
Speaker 1: on the field, how he like I I get that,
Speaker 1: but him clapping back in the media that he doesn't
Speaker 1: know Jeff Saturday, that part I kind of because it's
Speaker 1: not that serious. But the root of it, it's I'm
Speaker 1: not saying it's overly serious and like I don't listen
Speaker 1: to go do what you want, like I said, But
Speaker 1: the root of it was celebrating a sack next to
Speaker 1: a player that looked like he was in another universe.
Speaker 1: And so that that in the you know, I don't know,
Speaker 1: especially in the context of this week, that then this
Speaker 1: after that, but like not you know, not to move
Speaker 1: off it this week and and just kind of move
Speaker 1: on from it too instead like get his heels. I
Speaker 1: just it just shows that he is very young. It
Speaker 1: lack of self awareness and lack of mature I mean, Greg,
Speaker 1: Dan and I had the end like Dan and I
Speaker 1: like you know, you're taking a task for you know,
Speaker 1: like not being great interviewers and stuff. Well it's like
Speaker 1: I'm not saying we were just mean, like like you're right,
Speaker 1: a lack of maturity, but like, of course, like I
Speaker 1: almost can you know, twenty two years old. Of course,
Speaker 1: the lack of maturity and I and when I just
Speaker 1: try to give mind, Like when it comes to athletes,
Speaker 1: what do we want. I don't want them to all
Speaker 1: just be robots. We always say that, so I kind
Speaker 1: of I don't mind when it's not too serious. All right,
Speaker 1: Well we're gonna lose that. There's gonna be a big
Speaker 1: chunk of people that are gonna be like Greg super
Speaker 1: cool and like so understanding of the youth code. Why
Speaker 1: would why would? Why are you thinking of that thinking?
Speaker 1: I mean, he's he's listen, he's young, and he's ravishing
Speaker 1: Rick rude. And that's why I like my athletes. All right.
Speaker 1: I'm not saying he should be out of the league.
Speaker 1: Crack your own career the way you want. We all
Speaker 1: have that, dude, But I, I, I I and other people
Speaker 1: get to say, oh I don't like that vibe. It's
Speaker 1: just like, come on, dude, there's just you can say
Speaker 1: wherever he want. It's your show, Dad. All right, we'll
Speaker 1: be right back after this. All right, welcome back, Mark,
Speaker 1: you were up next in the draft. All right, I'm
Speaker 1: gonna go Cleveland, Pittsburgh the Steeler and it's I'm not
Speaker 1: doing it because of Cleveland, by the way, Pittsburgh who
Speaker 1: I've been tracking this for a while, just thinking this
Speaker 1: whole idea that Mike Tomlin's gonna end up with a
Speaker 1: winning record after all they've been through. Um, it's happening.
Speaker 1: They're going to knock off the Browns on Sunday, and
Speaker 1: number one, I'll get this out of the way. I
Speaker 1: am ultra confident about the fact that it will happen.
Speaker 1: I'm locking up the Pittsburgh Steelers. What I'm I'm gonna
Speaker 1: do it until they until they're taken out of the league,
Speaker 1: because this team will not be denied. Right now, there's
Speaker 1: something special about the Steelers team. They'll be unwatchable on
Speaker 1: offense for two plus quarters and then Kenny Pickett weeks
Speaker 1: in a row. It's like, I don't think Kenny Pickett
Speaker 1: is a perfect quarterback, but for where he is at
Speaker 1: his career as a rookie, it's pretty amazing what he's
Speaker 1: done and just sort of like the we talked about
Speaker 1: the vibe of Cavon, the vibe of Kenny Pickett to
Speaker 1: me is like I'm gonna put the Steelers team on
Speaker 1: my back when it matters at the end of a game.
Speaker 1: This entire offense is developing and growing. They are a
Speaker 1: much different team than the one that faced the Browns
Speaker 1: on Thursday Night Football earlier in the year. They can
Speaker 1: run the ball, well, now you can run on the
Speaker 1: Cleveland Browns. They can they I think through the air
Speaker 1: Picket's gonna do something every game with Pickings, Deantre and
Speaker 1: like they're This team to me is a team that
Speaker 1: like is going to be in the conversation they have
Speaker 1: a chance the playoffs. I think Cleveland is is right
Speaker 1: for the picking in this situation. Defensively, the Browns with
Speaker 1: define with de Shaun Watson, they that second half was
Speaker 1: a pivot for them on offense because if you look
Speaker 1: at their first half, Deshan had like four sacks and
Speaker 1: three completions. They were an absolute mess and you started
Speaker 1: to see it down the stretch. So if you get
Speaker 1: that for a full game, that will be a challenge.
Speaker 1: But if you look at the Steelers defense, and it's
Speaker 1: not just because t. J. Watts on the field necessarily,
Speaker 1: but they were essentially seven one and six without him,
Speaker 1: and there's seven to seven and two since. They've allowed
Speaker 1: seventeen or fewer points in six straight games. That's the
Speaker 1: longest streak for this Steelers defense, which has been awesome
Speaker 1: for as long as we've known each other, the longest
Speaker 1: streak for them since two thousand and four. It's legit.
Speaker 1: They're real. I think they can shut down Cleveland. I
Speaker 1: think they're playing for something. They're playing for a lot.
Speaker 1: Their coached themselves, their playoff chances, and I just like
Speaker 1: the way they developed over this year. It's great coaching.
Speaker 1: I agree. I think we could see him in the
Speaker 1: playoffs next week. So all they need is the Dolphins
Speaker 1: to lose against the Jets, give the Jets a slight
Speaker 1: edge in that game if Teddy's out, and then the
Speaker 1: Patriots to lose, and then that's very Steelers win and
Speaker 1: they're in. So Steelers, they think they'd be a more
Speaker 1: fun playoff team. They are playing better I think than
Speaker 1: the Dolphins and the Patriots right now. Kenny Pickett pulls
Speaker 1: off a lot of like low percentage plays, which is
Speaker 1: not what you necessarily expected out of him. Um, he's
Speaker 1: been inconsistent but has a knack for it. They're very
Speaker 1: similar their teams. The Browns defense is playing better. Both
Speaker 1: teams can run, certainly only one as Nick Chubb. I
Speaker 1: think the differences like you expected Watson to make some
Speaker 1: sort of positive difference, and I keep hearing like, well,
Speaker 1: he's just coming back in and played football in two years.
Speaker 1: This five game stretch he's had is worse than any
Speaker 1: five games stretch he's ever played football. I mean, by
Speaker 1: far since we've ever seen him going back to days
Speaker 1: at any stretch. No, but you also gave him the
Speaker 1: contract of better than Patrick Mahomes, better than Josh Allen
Speaker 1: at some point you would expect Yeah, I guess I would.
Speaker 1: I mean, I know it's a lot of time not
Speaker 1: playing football, but he's shown virtually no progress. I know
Speaker 1: that he hit a couple throws in that game. It
Speaker 1: was like three or four throws. He had like nine
Speaker 1: completions total, and three or four of them were screens
Speaker 1: in dump off. So I don't I would expect to
Speaker 1: see something because it's not like he hasn't been training
Speaker 1: It's not like he didn't do this like they'll the
Speaker 1: bar is so low. I mean, it didn't rise to
Speaker 1: your your level on this, but he did leave them
Speaker 1: on three consecutive touchdown drives in the second half. It's
Speaker 1: not like when I went back to watch that game,
Speaker 1: I was expecting something and it was basically good field
Speaker 1: position and guys in a couple of throws and guys
Speaker 1: making plays after the guys. There wasn't anything in particular
Speaker 1: in that game there was any better than the other game.
Speaker 1: You could argue the better trade the Brown's Maid was
Speaker 1: for a Marii Cooper who has worked out and finally
Speaker 1: showed some Why do we have to have like any
Speaker 1: any final judgment at any So, if let's say, you know,
Speaker 1: I think they would like it if the guy that
Speaker 1: they're paying way more than Patrick Mahomes didn't have the
Speaker 1: worst six game stretch of his career the second he
Speaker 1: came back, I know they would like Dan. I don't
Speaker 1: think it's any way like it's not a fatal blow.
Speaker 1: If he has another bad game and they go, you
Speaker 1: go to here's the thing, Like Jared Stiddon hasn't played
Speaker 1: that much Rock Purty barely played, you're practicing. Deshaun Watson
Speaker 1: practiced for weeks and weeks before coming in here. He
Speaker 1: played in the preseason. It's like, even of like big playmaking,
Speaker 1: he hasn't looked remotely like the player he was. No,
Speaker 1: I think that has to be concerned. But if you
Speaker 1: put if you put together a good game and completely
Speaker 1: coming off those they weren't Greg Greg, but they were
Speaker 1: better than they won this game against Pittsburgh. I think
Speaker 1: they were inside the building they would like that. I
Speaker 1: think obviously they would have loved to be hit the
Speaker 1: ground running and was Deshaun Watson of his peak text
Speaker 1: in days and remember he's still after hit his own mess,
Speaker 1: of his own creation. Let's not ever forget that. Um
Speaker 1: that was just as he was essentially entering his prime.
Speaker 1: He's still a young twentysomething quarterback who I think it's
Speaker 1: more likely he kind of gets back to that level
Speaker 1: than not. I don't think the Browns signed up and
Speaker 1: gave made that trade and changed the way people view
Speaker 1: their franchise and gave all that guaranteed money to him
Speaker 1: expecting to be that guy this year. Everything is kind
Speaker 1: of built towards and beyond. So yeah, well, I totally
Speaker 1: agree with you. Has not been good. Um, I don't
Speaker 1: see it personally as like a warning sign or something like, oh,
Speaker 1: what's going on yere? But I I see the other
Speaker 1: side of it. You could look at it from that
Speaker 1: point that it has been underwhelming. There's just another universe
Speaker 1: where two weeks and he he did look good. He
Speaker 1: did he did get it to speed. He hasn't been
Speaker 1: you know, frozen in carbon Nite. He's he's been practicing,
Speaker 1: moving around and operating and working with players on the team.
Speaker 1: How much has you know Jacoby Brissette plays here and there?
Speaker 1: I don't know. I you would just would have liked
Speaker 1: to see more. He's played like at a like a
Speaker 1: total worst case scenario level. And weirdly, I feel like
Speaker 1: that's not like everything's like kind of understanding that he's
Speaker 1: basically been Carson Wentz, you know what I mean? Which
Speaker 1: is it? I'm I'm even I'm just surprised. What did
Speaker 1: you think of him before any of this happened as
Speaker 1: a player, that he was sort of in that five
Speaker 1: to tend top quarterback range. That's what the Browns obviously
Speaker 1: signed up for. And I think they're and you're right, Dan,
Speaker 1: like It's not no one's sitting around, you know, hammering
Speaker 1: the panic button. It's just that like it goes, you
Speaker 1: want to I think you want to see them close
Speaker 1: out on offense on a strong note against the Steelers.
Speaker 1: It's a big for them and to your point of them,
Speaker 1: like they don't have as much to play for it.
Speaker 1: That was the case for them last week and they
Speaker 1: stomped on the Commanders. Good defensive game, good complete game.
Speaker 1: I'm let me fast forward to the end of September.
Speaker 1: If this is still the same guy, then I'm like, oh,
Speaker 1: oh crap here And would there be a bit of
Speaker 1: karmic justice if that's what Deshaun Watson was now, Yes,
Speaker 1: it would be perhaps a bit. Mark It's six snakes
Speaker 1: to you, all right, Gonna pick a late game. I
Speaker 1: just want to pick a team that I'd love to
Speaker 1: watch week after week, and that's the Niners. Um squaring
Speaker 1: off against a team underrated matchup, you know, find different
Speaker 1: ways to describe what's happening at this point in the draft. UM.
Speaker 1: A team that needs to get it out of our
Speaker 1: lives as quickly as possible, and that that includes on
Speaker 1: home box office like the Arizona Cardinals, just no, I'm
Speaker 1: not I Greg, Greg and I had we had our podcast,
Speaker 1: actually did I didn't watch the last episode, but I
Speaker 1: actually did mostly catch up. How many people know that
Speaker 1: HBO actually is Home Box Office Page. Now we're listening
Speaker 1: to this would probably be the entire dune Dune Dunna.
Speaker 1: Remember that dune Dune Dallas? D Oh? Is that Dallas?
Speaker 1: I thought that was the old HBO theme. Somebody knows
Speaker 1: what I'm talking about. It's someone close, But that's another
Speaker 1: great Dallas that on CBS. I gotta find this old
Speaker 1: HBO the I mean back forward throughout these games, we
Speaker 1: really all right. But imagine if the Arizona Cardinals, I mean,
Speaker 1: I get Cliff Kingsbury is he's in boiling hot water
Speaker 1: right now, probably gone, who knows. We don't have any
Speaker 1: strong hints at the moment um, but he has had
Speaker 1: to deal with four different quarterbacks. I think most coaches
Speaker 1: would be in hot water. Then you look at the Niners, though,
Speaker 1: and it's like Shannahan's had a deal with three and
Speaker 1: they have like a hundred passer rating no matter who's
Speaker 1: playing as a team. I mean, they've it's been like
Speaker 1: a pretty incredible story for Shanahan to develop pretty another
Speaker 1: guy that just like out of nowhere. He wasn't even
Speaker 1: in the league a year ago. He's the last pick
Speaker 1: in the draft. He comes in and he's looked incredible,
Speaker 1: and I just think his chemistry with Brandon a Uk,
Speaker 1: especially with George Kittle. Kittle has been incredible, with pretty
Speaker 1: like five touchdowns in the last three starts. It's more
Speaker 1: than he had for the first fourteen games of the year.
Speaker 1: Their defense is on fire. I think they got a
Speaker 1: little flat. They're caught a little flat footed against Jared
Speaker 1: stid Him in the way that game went. I think
Speaker 1: if you had another if you had a better idea
Speaker 1: like the Chiefs do of what Stidham might be doing,
Speaker 1: maybe you don't get that game again. I don't give
Speaker 1: them a bit of a mulligan. But from top to bottom,
Speaker 1: this Niners team, I think John Lynch deserves some credit
Speaker 1: because you were the guy that found a way after
Speaker 1: all the off season drama to keep Jimmy Garoppolo. You
Speaker 1: needed him. You also drafted Brock Purty, you saw something
Speaker 1: in him. I know you didn't draft him high or
Speaker 1: you couldn't have draft the bending lower. So I'm not
Speaker 1: giving you a blue medal for that, but the Charm
Speaker 1: Awards signing a blue ribbon. Uh, you went out and
Speaker 1: got Dre greenlocks ended and you made a trade for
Speaker 1: Christian McCaffrey that changed your offense. Greg. I'll I'll ask
Speaker 1: you this all good points, mark Um, because you have
Speaker 1: said that the AFC teams are all better than the niners. Um,
Speaker 1: which teams the top three, that's the Big three? Um.
Speaker 1: Have you seen any real drop off in this offense
Speaker 1: from Garoppolo to Party? No, they've been better. Like that
Speaker 1: is interesting to me because what if the what if
Speaker 1: the quarterback play everything else San Francisco has going for
Speaker 1: it and I'm throwing out the five yards they gave
Speaker 1: up this past week. It happens. Sometimes football is weird. Um.
Speaker 1: If the quarterback play was better and then Deebo Samuel
Speaker 1: comes back, I still I still like their chances, Gregg,
Speaker 1: against anybody in the league. I just wouldn't. It's not
Speaker 1: some crazy difference. I just making them like a field
Speaker 1: goal underdog when one has like a Hall of Fame
Speaker 1: level quarterback and the other the other has. Patrick Mahomes
Speaker 1: been a great level though, see so he's he's been
Speaker 1: an interesting guy where like if you look at his
Speaker 1: PF scores, for instance, he is among the most consistent
Speaker 1: quarterbacks in the league. And he's at a really high level.
Speaker 1: It's like sixty nine to seventy nine in his grade,
Speaker 1: which for their grades is like a better than average
Speaker 1: starting quarterback essentially somewhere in the like the fifteen to
Speaker 1: ten range. And he's just been steady that guy every week.
Speaker 1: And that's kind of matches up with what my eyes
Speaker 1: are showing me, like, like, that's why he's not higher
Speaker 1: over overcame that too though. It's actually good to make
Speaker 1: a mistake and see our response and and that's why
Speaker 1: he's not like higher, that's why he's not a top
Speaker 1: ten quarterback. And he's not like always creating his own
Speaker 1: plays like a like a star like Jared's did him. Um,
Speaker 1: but he's very steady. Um. And you're right, you get
Speaker 1: Deebo back. It's a great, great team. This is a
Speaker 1: great spot because I think they would love to sit
Speaker 1: Christian McCaffrey for the second half of this game, play
Speaker 1: Deebo Samuel for like fifteen to twenty snaps, but not
Speaker 1: get carried away, get like a three or four or lead,
Speaker 1: because they do want to win this game, but they're
Speaker 1: playing at the same uh time. Uh, Like I'm getting
Speaker 1: scrambled here. They don't really have anything but the Eagles.
Speaker 1: They have a chance at the number one seat still right,
Speaker 1: but they're playing at the same time. That's what I
Speaker 1: was trying to get to as the Eagles, and so
Speaker 1: their scoreboard watching the Eagles are playing the Giants. If
Speaker 1: that got out of hand, if the Eagles are up
Speaker 1: three scores here, but even if the Eagles aren't up
Speaker 1: three scores, you can win this game with Jordan Mason.
Speaker 1: You don't need to give Christin McCaffrey thirty. I mean,
Speaker 1: they're playing the worst team in the league. McCaffrey looks
Speaker 1: as good to me as he's ever looked. Great player, dog, tough,
Speaker 1: tough ball player dog. Um, all right, let's move on.
Speaker 1: I'll grab Vikings at Bears. Uh. Not a lot going
Speaker 1: on here, just in terms of the matchup because Justin Fields,
Speaker 1: who's got the hip, he won't play and in week eighteen, Um,
Speaker 1: so that's not happening. There's a bunch of players for
Speaker 1: Chicago out of the the lineup. But you take Fields out,
Speaker 1: they lose every week anyway. Um, This is more just
Speaker 1: like a straight test for the Vikings. Um can they
Speaker 1: can they just kick the crap out of the Bears here? Uh?
Speaker 1: As they must, they absolutely must, coming off another very sobering,
Speaker 1: um eyebrow raising blowout loss, uh, this time to the
Speaker 1: Packers at Lambeau, Um, just absolutely destroy the Bears. Go
Speaker 1: up by twenty at halftime, get some guys out of
Speaker 1: the lineup, set a couple of team records with Jefferson
Speaker 1: or cousins, get to you know whatever, thirty touchdowns, whatever
Speaker 1: you need to do to polish some things up, and
Speaker 1: then sit down and then get ready for the playoffs
Speaker 1: and what's obviously going to be a first round matchup
Speaker 1: that will be close, most likely maybe even against the
Speaker 1: Giants in a rematch. Uh So not a ton of
Speaker 1: intrigue in terms of the competition here. It should be
Speaker 1: Vikings in a role. But I'm taking the game in
Speaker 1: part because that's not how Viking games have worked this year.
Speaker 1: So maybe we'll get another strangely bizarrely competitive fun games.
Speaker 1: I would could. They'd need to make a ton of
Speaker 1: mistakes and have somehow Chicago's defense generate points because the
Speaker 1: drop off from justin fields to Nathan Peterman is like
Speaker 1: literally insane, and I only I do feel that field
Speaker 1: for fields because he had I think a legitimate chance
Speaker 1: if he had if he went off in this game
Speaker 1: to break Lamar's ground record, and that's not gonna happen.
Speaker 1: But I get what they're doing because like he's got
Speaker 1: a hit. You know, you could tell he was banged
Speaker 1: up in that game last week, and it's like, why
Speaker 1: why even messed with it? Who cares about the record? Like,
Speaker 1: get him into the offseason and spend this offseason surrounding
Speaker 1: with weapons the way that we've seen other young quarterbacks
Speaker 1: the lines. This team could be competitive and fun next
Speaker 1: year with a good offseason. He took some big hits
Speaker 1: last week. He's been playing through stuff that said they
Speaker 1: know they have a good chance to get that number
Speaker 1: one draft pick. Oh yeah, Texans Colts is a very
Speaker 1: winnable game for the Texans, and you get old Peterman here.
Speaker 1: Let's not have any funny business against this Vikings team.
Speaker 1: Let's go get that member one pick. And oh, by
Speaker 1: the way, we don't need a quarterback. We don't need
Speaker 1: Bryce Young best best place to be first sale, Like,
Speaker 1: oh my god, Like they're gonna have, they would have
Speaker 1: options and we'll talk about it in the off season.
Speaker 1: It would be um somehow not karmick, what's the word?
Speaker 1: Just like a nice book end to the season that
Speaker 1: the one convincing Vikings win of the season was Week
Speaker 1: one against the Backers, and then you wrap it up
Speaker 1: hetty into the playoffs week eighteen, and you start feeling
Speaker 1: good about yourself. If I were the Texans, I would
Speaker 1: start in my long snapper a quarter. Yeah, I mean,
Speaker 1: is not mess around the scenario you're suggesting has Houston
Speaker 1: winning immuously to this game. They can't be that done
Speaker 1: until last week. That your pick up next Greg, Uh,
Speaker 1: it's not. But oh well you could have. That would
Speaker 1: have been a perfect and we can kind of roll
Speaker 1: through already about them for now like a minute and
Speaker 1: a half. That then I would have to watch that
Speaker 1: game and I never played, putting that on game pass
Speaker 1: to the highlights. Why would you need to watch Housing whatever?
Speaker 1: Justin says, Oh, I could watch the Cults lose to
Speaker 1: the Texas. Yeah, give it to me, because we're still
Speaker 1: talking about those two teams. We're still talking about this
Speaker 1: at this mont where the show Ship, showman Ship, Hello
Speaker 1: My Baby, Hello Coming up in the off season. By
Speaker 1: the way, the Cults went thirty one straight drives until
Speaker 1: Sam Ellinger took the ball in garbage to sell it
Speaker 1: when it didn't matter against the Giants last week. Well,
Speaker 1: this is not selling, This is making fun of the Colts.
Speaker 1: Thirty one straight drives without a touchdown before a garbage
Speaker 1: time touchdown last week. That's a lot of drives thirty one.
Speaker 1: So you can't tell me the Texans there are some
Speaker 1: huge underdog in this game. Okay, that's all. That's why
Speaker 1: the long snapper needs to play quarterback for the Texans.
Speaker 1: Who is a long snapper of the Texans? When we look,
Speaker 1: I mean they're already they're already playing two quarterbacks week
Speaker 1: after week. Just make it a third and say it's
Speaker 1: part of our plan. And the third guy the long
Speaker 1: val scored by the way, this season, even before you know,
Speaker 1: including the right games which were more competitive, they were three,
Speaker 1: three and one. By the way, when they blew this
Speaker 1: team up, all right, they're They're point differential is worse
Speaker 1: than the Texans this season. The Texans long snapper is
Speaker 1: uh from Baylor, um my wife's alma mater. Um. He
Speaker 1: is five two pounds thirty six year old John Weeks.
Speaker 1: We get Weeks now, it's gonna take some roster maneuvering.
Speaker 1: You're gonna make sure he gets on the depth chart
Speaker 1: so you can uh send him up the depth chart.
Speaker 1: But you get John Weeks at quarterback. He is a
Speaker 1: um he went to college in Texas. Uh he is
Speaker 1: now a Houston player. That's not what you do. What
Speaker 1: you start, Davis Mills, you break out every single big
Speaker 1: play that you've ever had in Lovey Smith walks out
Speaker 1: of the building with two double birds. Everyone, I dare
Speaker 1: you to fire another coach after one year and I
Speaker 1: just ruined your number one seed Jerks. It's that would
Speaker 1: be an evil conclusion for the Texans and the best
Speaker 1: thing they would deserve it though, the Texans organization who
Speaker 1: did not cover themselves in glory and and lost uh
Speaker 1: some money on top of other things when they handled
Speaker 1: the Deshaun Watson thing. Let's give it to the Bears.
Speaker 1: And if if they fired love I'm not as negative
Speaker 1: about like that. If they actually if they kept loving
Speaker 1: the whole like David Culley Lovey Jack easterby Deshaun Watson.
Speaker 1: I mean, this isn't exactly a lovable organizing. No, no,
Speaker 1: it's not. And the only thing I'll say on the
Speaker 1: Cult side UM, at the risk of circling back to
Speaker 1: the cave on Thibodeau situation, is Jeff Saturday also Um
Speaker 1: also had said, UM, two things annoyed me about that situation,
Speaker 1: cav being trash in that spot and my offensive line
Speaker 1: not defending my quarterback. I think I liked. I think
Speaker 1: he's totally right about point man. Is there anything that
Speaker 1: is right about this Colts team? It's uh that we
Speaker 1: would need to ask zak Key for someone that tracks
Speaker 1: this team closely over the years. But is there ever
Speaker 1: been a more um we called it the worst Cults
Speaker 1: team has ever followed like Saturday calling out at least,
Speaker 1: you know what, if he's gone to call him out
Speaker 1: for something that's right, they should be the definition of
Speaker 1: more abund And if they lose at home to the Texans,
Speaker 1: that will be one of the most more abund facilities
Speaker 1: that we've seen all season. They will let them hear
Speaker 1: it's been a dark campaign, all right. Let's move on,
Speaker 1: Chargers Broncos. How about the Commanders, by the way, sending
Speaker 1: two third round picks to the Colts to get Carson wentz,
Speaker 1: we we don't even we have Commander's Cowboys. By the way,
Speaker 1: somehow Texans Colts got taken before that. Well, go ahead,
Speaker 1: I'm I'm taking charges of Broncos strategy. That's just a teach.
Speaker 1: This game might not have any playoff implications because the
Speaker 1: Ravens play earlier, and if that's the case, the Chargers
Speaker 1: are expected to sit a lot of their best players.
Speaker 1: Brandon's Daley said essentially that he said it without saying it,
Speaker 1: but he indicated pretty strongly that based on the earlier results,
Speaker 1: will be smart about things. So that could mean Chase
Speaker 1: Daniel being at quarterback for the Chargers, no Derwin James,
Speaker 1: Mike Williams, Keenan Allen, like all the guys that you
Speaker 1: would think the Broncos are actually favored in this game. Now,
Speaker 1: based on that press conference, I believe now if the
Speaker 1: Ravens do win early, which is not crazy, I think
Speaker 1: the Chargers are gonna play. I think they've made it
Speaker 1: clear that they want to try to get that five seeds.
Speaker 1: So it's a it's a weird spot. There was no
Speaker 1: right way for the NFL to do this, just based
Speaker 1: on the timing of everything and that happened on on Monday,
Speaker 1: I will say, like of all the of some of
Speaker 1: these a FC teams, you know, we got a couple
Speaker 1: of teams who are gonna back into the play offs
Speaker 1: and about as fierce of fashion as possible. The way
Speaker 1: that the Charges have played since Williams and like they
Speaker 1: they've had their white House back Keenan Allen as well,
Speaker 1: like they have been they've been four now since that time,
Speaker 1: their offense has looked completely different. Me they finally crossed
Speaker 1: the thirty point barrier a week ago. They're running the
Speaker 1: ball really well. They have Joey Bosa back on defense
Speaker 1: a year no no in like since like week five
Speaker 1: or something, you could tell they've been a pent up offense.
Speaker 1: We went through the Justin Herbert injury situation. They're finally healthy.
Speaker 1: It's just like, all right, maybe this Chargers team for
Speaker 1: once can hit the postseason um with the right foot.
Speaker 1: Until it's like I, I there's always been a team
Speaker 1: you're counting essentially go one and out in the playoffs
Speaker 1: in these situations. Stalely I think has proven himself as
Speaker 1: a coach on defense. Their defense has been altered and
Speaker 1: shown of late, and so I like the situation for them,
Speaker 1: but they're usually better than their record, and this year
Speaker 1: maybe their verse is true. They actually like Chargers. Fans
Speaker 1: is always think they have the worst luck in the world.
Speaker 1: I think they've been a little fortunate. They were a
Speaker 1: little fortunate to be at six, and when they got there,
Speaker 1: kind of got a little lucky. Even their coach admitted it.
Speaker 1: And then they kind of faced the Titans, and not
Speaker 1: that they didn't earn those wins against the Titans and Dolphins,
Speaker 1: but they got them in a good time at the
Speaker 1: right time, and then a nice easy schedule, and you
Speaker 1: know what, the Charges deserve a little good luck. And
Speaker 1: I think we'll enjoy seeing Justin Herbert in the playoffs.
Speaker 1: Will be fun. All Right, let's take a break and
Speaker 1: we'll finish out the draft. All right, we're back, and
Speaker 1: I will grab that NFC East affair with the next
Speaker 1: pick in the draft. Dallas at Washington. Tuddy the Pig
Speaker 1: and his his final appearance of this season. What a seasons.
Speaker 1: It would be funny if it um monster that it
Speaker 1: is got wiped away by a new regime. The ownership
Speaker 1: was like, no, we don't want the pig that got
Speaker 1: introduced at halftime of Week seventeen, we're gonna do a
Speaker 1: different mascot, and then he exists as this incredibly minor
Speaker 1: footnote in in world his three like a two week
Speaker 1: half human, half pig mascot, probably like hanging out of pork,
Speaker 1: as Nick Shook said, yeah, hanging out of like a
Speaker 1: Washington d C dive bar or or a Maryland dive bar,
Speaker 1: depending on where it'll be. Where do you house this pig?
Speaker 1: A footnote similar to the Carson Wentz Week seventeen start
Speaker 1: that Ron Rivera decided to give that like ended everyone's career.
Speaker 1: I hope it's not a footnote Sam how will start
Speaker 1: for the Commanders in a meaningless game. Well not for
Speaker 1: Sam how Um and perhaps not for Ron Rivera. But
Speaker 1: the Commanders are eliminated. The Cowboys, believe it or not,
Speaker 1: still have a path through the number one seed in
Speaker 1: the NFC if everything broke for their in their way,
Speaker 1: so they get it if they take care of business
Speaker 1: against the Commanders and then the Eagles loose to the
Speaker 1: Giants and the forty in Irons loose to the Cardinals.
Speaker 1: I'm just saying that's the path, But you can it's
Speaker 1: something as simple as it, and this would be stunning.
Speaker 1: The Eagles lost to the Giants and the Cowboys one
Speaker 1: they win the NFC East and get the home game
Speaker 1: is not that's not a crazy create the number one
Speaker 1: seed were the starters, I would say like at least
Speaker 1: there's a shot of it. It feels like this is
Speaker 1: the Cowboys are gonna be where the Cowboys are as
Speaker 1: the top wild card seed. But crazier things have happened.
Speaker 1: I hope, I hope it doesn't work out this way.
Speaker 1: But looking at this five pack of four games, we
Speaker 1: could have a Chargers game playing backups forty Niners and
Speaker 1: Eagles just like whitewashing. And if their opponents and I
Speaker 1: think the Cowboys will absolutely be scoreboard watching. And if
Speaker 1: the Eagles are up by three or four touchdowns, I
Speaker 1: think they'll start sitting there starting. Yeah. It's it might
Speaker 1: not be a great little sequence. That's why I haven't
Speaker 1: watching Gina Lowebb for drama. But but the NFL season
Speaker 1: tells us that one of those situations is gonna go
Speaker 1: totally haywire, if not two or three of them. Oh no,
Speaker 1: I selid company man. I'm not being a company man.
Speaker 1: It's just like I actually wouldn't mind if it's just
Speaker 1: like a nice neat everything's nice and neat. But it's
Speaker 1: not going to be that way because every one of
Speaker 1: these games it's you're probably right, let's and there was
Speaker 1: a report, uh Jeremy Fowler. The team had expected the
Speaker 1: Washington Um Commanders just go with Taylor Heineke on Sunday,
Speaker 1: but that changed when Heineke told the coaches that it
Speaker 1: should be rookie Sam how instead, as Heineke felt that
Speaker 1: Howell was deserving of playing. Well, if that's true, you know,
Speaker 1: good on Taylor Heineke. What a class act. But in reality,
Speaker 1: I just think it's it's a further illustrates to me
Speaker 1: that the Washington football team needs to reboot the whole thing,
Speaker 1: including quarterback, including head coach, and about that as well.
Speaker 1: It's not working. I I kind of am interested to
Speaker 1: see Sam Howell. That was interesting in the preseason, sure,
Speaker 1: but I hate pick. Here's what I guess happened here.
Speaker 1: Heineck was benched. He was extremely upset and he didn't
Speaker 1: want to start. And this is I'm just speculating, and
Speaker 1: then this story comes out. I don't like it. But
Speaker 1: Greg so last a little bit of a uh spin
Speaker 1: job is what if a job? But there was? There
Speaker 1: were Reggie Ragland from the Browns, who knows a bunch
Speaker 1: of players on on Washington, basically said after they after
Speaker 1: they lost to the Browns that I know guys over
Speaker 1: there and they all wanted Heineke to start. We talked
Speaker 1: about this with Carson. Think you blew up the locker
Speaker 1: room with that one. I do. I think that was
Speaker 1: a messy move. I totally agree. I I was saying
Speaker 1: it wasn't crazy for me to start Whins. I was
Speaker 1: obviously wrong. Wins played the worst game I think any
Speaker 1: commander's quarterback has played all year. He completely collapsed. And
Speaker 1: I wouldn't mind Heinek saying no, I'm not starting, guys,
Speaker 1: you you bench me. I don't like if someone from
Speaker 1: the Heineke camp is putting this out there after the fact,
Speaker 1: that's what I wouldn't like. I would respect him saying
Speaker 1: no thanks. I don't know how big, but I'm sure
Speaker 1: he's got a camp putting out these air Jordan's. You know,
Speaker 1: totally fair to be extremely annoyment. What I don't need
Speaker 1: to hear that? You want to see same? How will start?
Speaker 1: But they have professional reporters down there covering that team,
Speaker 1: including the Washington Post, um all over this team, and
Speaker 1: someone's gonna follow up with Rondevere and say, hey, is
Speaker 1: it true that you were going to start Heineke and
Speaker 1: then he volunteered that he didn't want to play. Unless
Speaker 1: Ronevere is then going to carry the Heineke camps water. Uh,
Speaker 1: that doesn't quite pass the mustard test either. I'm just saying, like,
Speaker 1: if that's a phony um spin job, that could easily
Speaker 1: get blown up just by asking the head coach if
Speaker 1: it's true. It's like the least important story that I'm
Speaker 1: totally fascinated by, and we need to find out. We
Speaker 1: need a reporter to Rivera is like, wait, well there
Speaker 1: is a game this week, Like coach, the coach shouldn't
Speaker 1: need to know that he's in his bunk? What what?
Speaker 1: What now? Greg? What? Well ahead? It's more of these
Speaker 1: articles like I'm seeing it everywhere, like oh, Taylor Heineke
Speaker 1: with a great gesture. It's just like, I thought you're
Speaker 1: gonna get honest for being too critical of Ron Rivera,
Speaker 1: who is a lion of a man. But perhaps it's
Speaker 1: time son. Rivera was that video of him telling Jeremy
Speaker 1: Reeves that he made the Pro Bowl. You guys remember
Speaker 1: that video. It's heartwarming. Wait you're the one where Yeah,
Speaker 1: nice video, that's what I mean. Like that showed me
Speaker 1: what his players felt of him and what a guy
Speaker 1: he was. Just say, you know, answer for a guy
Speaker 1: like respected a great player in his day. Perhaps it's
Speaker 1: time for the commanders to go and take command in
Speaker 1: a different direction. I don't know's. I don't want to
Speaker 1: be a bad guy about him, like Ron Mark finished
Speaker 1: this all right, Bucks at Falcons? The Bucks could decide
Speaker 1: we have another one after that too. By the way,
Speaker 1: well there's two more, but this is the most the
Speaker 1: first one. But what's that Falcons? Yeah, I think this
Speaker 1: is a sleeper. I I guess like we're not probably
Speaker 1: not gonna see. It's kind of a tough week. It's
Speaker 1: a strange week, but it's often we'll have to wait
Speaker 1: till the playoffs to find out if if the Bucks
Speaker 1: and if Brady and Mike Evans have the same connection
Speaker 1: they did last time. I thought it was a really
Speaker 1: hopeful thing. I'm not trusting that that's going to just
Speaker 1: carry over. But I have told you the week after
Speaker 1: week that this Bucks team or the winner of the South.
Speaker 1: And you know, I'm saying it again now that they
Speaker 1: will win that home playoff game. But I would say
Speaker 1: that would be an extremely foolish thing to say unless
Speaker 1: their offense shows up the way it did last week.
Speaker 1: I mean, there won't be a huge they're gonna be
Speaker 1: if that's not so funny about this, It's not like
Speaker 1: totally maybe the as the kids say, the flex you
Speaker 1: think it is. It's like that wouldn't be crazy. I'm
Speaker 1: not saying it's the flex I think it is. It's
Speaker 1: just that I've been saying that since like week five.
Speaker 1: Are you saying, well, you're also saying that if the
Speaker 1: offense shows up, like yes, of course. If no, I'm
Speaker 1: saying the team that scored thirty seven points shows up,
Speaker 1: they can probably win a game as like a two
Speaker 1: and a half point underdog. That's not really what I'm
Speaker 1: saying it all, Greggy. It's actually that they should feel encourage.
Speaker 1: How the uh? I thought Tom Brady and the starters
Speaker 1: might play most of this game, but then Todd Bowle
Speaker 1: said he wants to see all three quarterbacks in this game,
Speaker 1: So I guess it's yeah. I think it's just just
Speaker 1: in time, the the the Evans Brady connection come into life,
Speaker 1: and can we just a little love for Mike Evans
Speaker 1: is like one of the great players of at his
Speaker 1: position of the last you know, ten years. Like that
Speaker 1: was for a guy that's on I think the other
Speaker 1: side of thirty now the way he was just and
Speaker 1: I know they're beat up in the secondary um in
Speaker 1: Carolina with j C. Horn out, but still like that,
Speaker 1: he's just blowing by dudes and and winning that game
Speaker 1: almost singlehandedly. Shout out to Mike Evans for being that dude.
Speaker 1: Absolutely alpha wide out. Absolutely. Finally, Mark Sasler, the Cardinals
Speaker 1: at the Niners, is that No, this is the Panthers
Speaker 1: at the Saints, both eliminated for their play After this game,
Speaker 1: I thought it was you know, the Saints showed up
Speaker 1: last week. I thought that was pretty incredible job by
Speaker 1: their defense. Absolutely, I mean that's sort of the Saint
Speaker 1: We talked about the Saints that this high variants team.
Speaker 1: It was like some of that was like I would
Speaker 1: rather see that version of the Saints in the postseason
Speaker 1: than a number of other teams. Uh. In general, I'd
Speaker 1: say for the Panthers, I really am rooting for Steve
Speaker 1: Wilkes to keep this job. I think he did a
Speaker 1: lot with them. They came within that one game of
Speaker 1: being a team going out there that he's talked to
Speaker 1: the Pants well, the temper has that, yeah, that they've
Speaker 1: talked and Jim Harbor reportedly has a very and I
Speaker 1: feel like we've maybe heard this before, but a very
Speaker 1: strong interest in rejoining our league. He would you rather
Speaker 1: go to the because the Broncos have been linked to
Speaker 1: Jim Harbaugh to a deal with the idea of reviving
Speaker 1: Russell Wilson gives you or a Panther's team that has
Speaker 1: no quarterback Panthers. I think so too, because I think
Speaker 1: like there's there's more to work with here. I like,
Speaker 1: I think you can feel to build your team. You're
Speaker 1: kind of hemmed in whoever takes that Broncos job. It's
Speaker 1: like you're hoping that Wilson bounces back. If not, you're
Speaker 1: gonna get fired. Karb was desperate to get a job
Speaker 1: last year, putting every media source out there that he
Speaker 1: could and tried to interview and did interview with The
Speaker 1: Divide help him. He didn't get a job. This time.
Speaker 1: It seems like there's there's a better chance. I think
Speaker 1: this is a sneaky huge game for these two coaches.
Speaker 1: Maybe based on that, Steve Wilkes doesn't have a great chance.
Speaker 1: I do think Dennis Allen winning a fourth straight game
Speaker 1: with his defense playing really well at the end of
Speaker 1: the season will help him. But if they get blown
Speaker 1: up here by the Panthers and it's just like uh
Speaker 1: want want want ending like, and they end up seven
Speaker 1: and ten in Sean Payton's looming, then I think this
Speaker 1: is a big game. We It shouldn't be, but I
Speaker 1: think him winning four straight games would be very help.
Speaker 1: But Sean Payton go back to the Saints is another
Speaker 1: team with major quarterback issues and a total void there.
Speaker 1: I love that they have been this. This matchup involves
Speaker 1: the number one past defense in the league according to
Speaker 1: d v O a versus the number one pass offense
Speaker 1: in the league over the last five weeks. What it's
Speaker 1: basically because it's a perth row basis and perth throw.
Speaker 1: The Panthers when they've thrown the ball are picking up
Speaker 1: first downs. At Sam Tarld, I thought, outside of the
Speaker 1: turnover stuff against the Bucks, played the best game he's
Speaker 1: ever played. Enough. I I wish I had this game,
Speaker 1: even though it doesn't mean anything, I still love that
Speaker 1: NFC number one you can have Texans and traded for
Speaker 1: number two in Week one in September. You might need
Speaker 1: to talk to Nick Shook about that because it's sort
Speaker 1: of a shook so you know how this works. So
Speaker 1: but I can think it's half my assets, so I
Speaker 1: can number two. We just sit on that all off.
Speaker 1: That's building for next year. I like that speak game
Speaker 1: next year. Before we sign off. Here are the coaches
Speaker 1: that I feel like are in some level of peril
Speaker 1: entering Week eight team with Black Monday right around the corner.
Speaker 1: Zeus is bringing this up now because by Sunday night
Speaker 1: it's easier and some guys might be fired by then.
Speaker 1: Josh McDaniels, Chief Set Raiders, probably fine, but just mentioning it.
Speaker 1: Texans with Levey Smith, Colts, Jeff Saturday obviously an intern.
Speaker 1: You have another intern Wilkes Panthers at STS Dennis Allen.
Speaker 1: Dennis Allen could really use a win to end the
Speaker 1: season on a four game winning streak. I don't know
Speaker 1: Saints fans want to hear that, but I feel like
Speaker 1: he might. But he might be in good position there
Speaker 1: if they end up playing good football to close the season. Um,
Speaker 1: the Broncos have an interim, obviously they will be making
Speaker 1: a change. Cliff Kingsbury a lot of speculation that he'll
Speaker 1: be coaching his last game. I don't know if he
Speaker 1: could save his job. It doesn't matter what happens in
Speaker 1: some of these cases. How weird football is, guys can
Speaker 1: save their jobs. Potentially the win on Sunday not there.
Speaker 1: And finally the aw for mentioned Ron Rivera, I don't know,
Speaker 1: I don't know how strong that is. But also so
Speaker 1: much instability in that organization right now, Um, I think
Speaker 1: behooves him to win. I kind of think the ownership
Speaker 1: situation might play in his faith because is the owner,
Speaker 1: you know, that's who making that decision. The owner really
Speaker 1: want to make a change if they're making a change
Speaker 1: in terms of their job. And then there's there's always
Speaker 1: one surprise, and I would throw you know, and I
Speaker 1: guess it's not as big a surprise if you throw
Speaker 1: names out there, but I would put the Raiders, Jets, Dolphins,
Speaker 1: Patriots in Brown as one where there could be a surprise.
Speaker 1: Do you think Belichick would just mean eventually leave because
Speaker 1: he's not going to do what they want him to do.
Speaker 1: It wouldn't be it wouldn't be a surprise, not be
Speaker 1: the word. Yeah, it wouldn't be a surprise if if
Speaker 1: you totally saw it coming. But that when it's just like,
Speaker 1: I don't think any of those would be totally shocking.
Speaker 1: Let's track that. Who want? Would you imagine I'm the
Speaker 1: coach of the Patriots following Bill Belichick? Have a good
Speaker 1: time with that the job I don't want. All Right,
Speaker 1: we'll track it if anyone of that five pack has
Speaker 1: a change football. It's it's hard to believe how unpredictable
Speaker 1: it can be. All Right, thank you to everyone for watching,
Speaker 1: for listening. Uh, we'll be back on Sunday night with
Speaker 1: the Week eighteen Flagship Show, where you will have a
Speaker 1: full picture of the postseason. Probably until then, heave a call. M. S.