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Speaker 1: Welcome Inside with the Insiders alongside Judy Batista and Ian Rappaport.

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Speaker 2: I am Tom Pellicero.

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Speaker 1: Week seven Sunday in the Books. This is the Monday

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Speaker 1: YouTube podcast edition of this show, hitting on all the

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Speaker 1: big news, the results, the fallout from Sunday A couple

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Speaker 1: different directions. Judy, we could go here, but let's start

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Speaker 1: out in Cleveland, where the Deshaun Watson saga has played

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Speaker 1: out over the past few years. Certainly the Browns back

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Speaker 1: when they made that massive trade with the Texans given

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Speaker 1: him multiple first round picks, giving him an unprecedented five

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Speaker 1: or two undre thirty million dollar contract. The expectation was,

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Speaker 1: especially in the environment that existed at the time, that

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Speaker 1: we would get to that point where eventually people would

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Speaker 1: focus on Deshaun Watson the football player and not everything else.

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Speaker 1: Here we are to Shaun Watson. That happened season in Cleveland.

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Speaker 1: Already that is over and we are still not to

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Speaker 1: that point, and you have to wonder, now are we

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Speaker 1: ever going to get there?

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Speaker 3: Yeah? I don't know. It has been I mean when

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Speaker 3: I saw the injury, has I thought like, this is

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Speaker 3: like his career is like Shakespearean. I mean, it is

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Speaker 3: just so up and down, and it's been a long

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Speaker 3: time since he was the quarterback that he was in Houston,

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Speaker 3: and so even before the injury, you know, you wondered

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Speaker 3: could he ever get back to that That was the

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Speaker 3: twenty twenty season, That was a long time ago. Now

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Speaker 3: and now this, I mean, this is obviously a devastating

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Speaker 3: injury that takes him off the fields for the rest

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Speaker 3: of the season, and you hope he'll be ready to

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Speaker 3: roll in time for next season. You would think he

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Speaker 3: would be, but you know, I mean, I certainly this

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Speaker 3: further cast doubt on what he will ever be able

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Speaker 3: to be again, what heights he will be. It does

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Speaker 3: open up all of the questions though, really opens up

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Speaker 3: the questions about what's the future here and what do

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Speaker 3: the Browns do. Obviously, in the very short term they

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Speaker 3: use back up quarterbacks, whether it's dtr or Jameis Winston

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Speaker 3: or somebody else. They had to do that last year.

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Speaker 3: It's a great effect with Joe Flacco. So this will

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Speaker 3: at least give the Browns an opportunity to see how

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Speaker 3: the offense functions. Does it function better without him? It

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Speaker 3: was not functioning terribly well with him this season, you know,

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Speaker 3: they are tied with the contract. We've talked about this

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Speaker 3: over and over again. I mean, the contract is guaranteed,

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Speaker 3: and so that is going to be an anchor on

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Speaker 3: them for a few more years. I was interested that

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Speaker 3: Kevin Stefanski in his media session just a few minutes

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Speaker 3: ago before we're taping this was very careful obviously, you know,

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Speaker 3: upset about the injury and feels for Deshaun Watson, but

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Speaker 3: it was also very careful to not commit to him

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Speaker 3: as the franchise quarterback whenever he is healthy again. And

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Speaker 3: I thought that was like walking a very narrow line

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Speaker 3: of looking at what the future might look like between

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Speaker 3: the team and Watson. And you know, I'm trying to

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Speaker 3: be sympathetic to the fact that you know, he literally

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Speaker 3: left the field and tears yesterday. So there's a I mean,

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Speaker 3: there's a lot to discuss with this one.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, And it is the kind of thing, guys that

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Speaker 4: we're going to be discussing all throughout the offseason, because

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Speaker 4: you're right, I mean, this is not a twenty twenty

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Speaker 4: four injury. I mean it is and it isn't. Right,

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Speaker 4: Like if you look at what the Browns was going

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Speaker 4: on with the Browns they had elevated Dorian Thompson Robinson

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Speaker 4: to their backup. He was told he needed to be

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Speaker 4: ready to play. We don't know if they were gonna,

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Speaker 4: you know, if Deshaun Watson struggled and he was having

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Speaker 4: a pretty good statistical day but not a good day

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Speaker 4: as far as just moving the offense and scoring actual points.

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Speaker 4: We don't know were they going to make a move.

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Speaker 4: Did they elevate dtr for football reasons or because he

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Speaker 4: had beaten out Jamis Winston. They're for sure a lot

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Speaker 4: of questions there. But you know, this injury is something

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Speaker 4: that will have wide ranging ramifications throughout the next several years.

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Speaker 4: The Cleveland Browns you mentioned are going to get a

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Speaker 4: look at what this offense look like without DeShawn We

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Speaker 4: have seen it. There's been functioning and usually very good

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Speaker 4: with Joe Flakko, who seems to excel everywhere and then

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Speaker 4: get put back on the bench because he's almost forty years.

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Speaker 3: Old, too much of a threat to be starting quarterback.

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Speaker 4: And too much of a threat to be a starting quarterback,

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Speaker 4: but not good enough to be actually someone starting quarterback.

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Speaker 4: There's a lot there, obviously, But then I think for

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Speaker 4: the Browns, they really need to say I and you're right,

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Speaker 4: like Kevin Stefanski is very clear not going to commit

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Speaker 4: to the Shawn's starting quarterback for next year because you know,

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Speaker 4: if he is or he isn't, are they going to

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Speaker 4: be bad enough to draft a quarterback in the top five?

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Speaker 4: Like maybe, and if they do, then that answers that question.

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Speaker 4: I mean they can stay with just on or move on.

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Speaker 4: But like he wouldn't be the future. There's so much

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Speaker 4: there and you know, in a very strange way, the injury,

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Speaker 4: while bad, also makes things easier because they don't have

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Speaker 4: to do anything. They just let this happen. They play

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Speaker 4: other guys, and they move forward. Had he kept playing

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Speaker 4: but not really scored points, you might have had to

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Speaker 4: have a discussion about what to do with him. Now

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Speaker 4: they don't have that discussion at least.

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Speaker 1: So he's on the books for forty six million dollars

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Speaker 1: fully guaranteed in twenty twenty five and twenty twenty six,

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Speaker 1: to the extent that any trade probably would have hinged

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Speaker 1: on the Browns giving up draft picks to get rid

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Speaker 1: of some or potentially probably unlikely all of that salary.

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Speaker 1: I don't know that this injury really impacts a whole

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Speaker 1: lot of that, because you're talking about more like an

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Speaker 1: NBA trade where you're getting rid of a negative asset

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Speaker 1: in a way that frees up your future assets here,

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Speaker 1: So you know, the calculus on this is still going

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Speaker 1: to be to the browns of somebody else in the building,

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Speaker 1: namely dtr who can be the quarterback. If not, you

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Speaker 1: would anticipate the one way or another, they're going to

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Speaker 1: be drafting a quarterback in twenty twenty five. There's also

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Speaker 1: something to look into here with regard to this is

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Speaker 1: the third starting quarterback we've seen in the past two

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Speaker 1: seasons suffer an Achilles tendon rupture. That is not a

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Speaker 1: common quarterback injury. Maybe it's luck. You're talking about a

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Speaker 1: pretty small sample size here, but if you go back

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Speaker 1: over the past several member, it's a really short Yeah, yes, exactly,

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Speaker 1: there's a really short list of these. But suddenly you've

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Speaker 1: had Cousins and Rogers and Watson in a short period

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Speaker 1: of time. Here, I would anticipate, just as other teams

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Speaker 1: are looking at that trend, maybe there's something to dig

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Speaker 1: into there in terms of why are we suddenly see

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Speaker 1: it again. Maybe it's just pure chance and sometimes these

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Speaker 1: things happen, but is there something that's going on too

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Speaker 1: that's causing these issues around the league. Obviously, Russell Wilson

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Speaker 1: had a calf that's a different injury, but that was

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Speaker 1: the big reason, Judy that he did not start out

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Speaker 1: of the gate after Mike Tomlin had named him the

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Speaker 1: starting quarterback at the end of training camp last year.

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Speaker 2: It was fairly apparent.

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Speaker 1: I kept saying it on this show and elsewhere that

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Speaker 1: I just got the sense that the Steelers were going

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Speaker 1: to play Russell Wilson at some point, because each week

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Speaker 1: that went by and Mike Tomlin was not specifically saying, hey,

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Speaker 1: Justin's our starting quarterback, it was always couched. It was

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Speaker 1: always well, Russ isn't fully healed yet, and then the

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Speaker 1: week last week before this past week, it was well,

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Speaker 1: you know, Russell will take reps this week befull participant,

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Speaker 1: but he'll be the two, which is, you know, because

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Speaker 1: we don't want to disrupt Justin's preparation. It was never

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Speaker 1: a clear cut who the starting quarterback is, and so

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Speaker 1: now six weeks into the season they go to Russell Wilson.

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Speaker 2: And as much as last night you watched.

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Speaker 1: It, in the early going and he's, you know, one

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Speaker 1: hoping some throws and everything seems a little off, and

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Speaker 1: it kind of reminds you of twenty twenty two Russell

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Speaker 1: Wilson when he couldn't get things.

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Speaker 2: Going in Denver.

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Speaker 1: You watched him warm up throughout the course that game,

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Speaker 1: and maybe most important, he unlocked the guy in George Pickens,

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Speaker 1: who the guy you probably want to keep happy and

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Speaker 1: productive for multiple reasons.

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Speaker 2: That combination.

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Speaker 1: Maybe nobody else gives him single coverage and just lets

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Speaker 1: him throw fifty to fifty balls the entire game. But

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Speaker 1: look at the productivity season high in points they had.

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Speaker 2: Over to four hundred yards. It looked like.

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Speaker 1: Probably a lot like what the Mike Tomlin anticipated this offense.

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Speaker 2: Was going to look like when he named Russ the

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Speaker 2: starter at a camp.

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Speaker 3: I thought you could see as the evening progressed, like right,

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Speaker 3: this what they must have been seeing in practice all

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Speaker 3: this time that made them think they needed to get

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Speaker 3: him in there, because you're right, And those first two

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Speaker 3: drives were I mean, the fans were booing, that's how

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Speaker 3: ugly they were, right, I mean, he was bouncing dirt,

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Speaker 3: it was just his off target. It was a mess.

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Speaker 3: And then you could see they started look there my phone.

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Speaker 3: You know, he started moving a little better. He threw

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Speaker 3: that sort of moon ball to George Pickens that got

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Speaker 3: things going. He did a few of those. He had

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Speaker 3: great touch on his passes, which is something that Mike

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Speaker 3: Tomlin wanted to see. They wanted to open up that

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Speaker 3: downfield passing game because that obviously opens everything else up.

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Speaker 3: It opened up the running attack a little bit more.

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Speaker 3: Mike Tomlin obviously thinks he's got the makings on this

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Speaker 3: team of something good that we're not talking about. Like

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Speaker 3: let's just go in as a wildcard and then lose

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Speaker 3: in the wildcard round, which is something that's been happening

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Speaker 3: in the last few years to the Steelers. They clearly

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Speaker 3: got a championship caliber defense, They can run the ball.

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Speaker 3: They probably need another wide receiver, But I think he

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Speaker 3: thinks if they can get right, if they can get

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Speaker 3: the downfield attack going, that he's then got a pretty

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Speaker 3: well rounded team. I just came away from last night.

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Speaker 3: I was watching the game, and I came away thinking, like,

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Speaker 3: people are crazy to doubt Mike Tomlin. There is a

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Speaker 3: reason why he has been a head coach in the

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Speaker 3: NFL as long as he is, and there's a reason

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Speaker 3: why if he ever left Pittsburgh, he would have like

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Speaker 3: twenty five job off before he hit the parking lot. Like,

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Speaker 3: don't question Mike Tomlin.

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Speaker 4: He knows what he's doing, right, I mean, he's he's

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Speaker 4: clearly great, and he's was clearly seeing something as you guys.

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Speaker 3: Saw stuff the rest of us were not seeing, right.

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Speaker 4: Which, like, you know, you watch the first little bit

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Speaker 4: and you're like, is Mike Tomlin crazy? Maybe he I

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Speaker 4: don't know. I would still say this. The first fifty

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Speaker 4: to fifty ball to George Pickens was underthrown. Yeah, and

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Speaker 4: now Pickens, you know, look he's he's just throwing it

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Speaker 4: up and Pickens just go getting it, is going to

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Speaker 4: get it, which you know, there's definitely something to be

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Speaker 4: said for, like let your dudes make plays. And ball

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Speaker 4: in the end zone was an okay throw Again, Pickens

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Speaker 4: basically took it out. There's a name for what he

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Speaker 4: did when you kind of take it off someone's head,

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Speaker 4: but I forget what that's called. But like he literally

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Speaker 4: just threw it up, right, And so I am watching

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Speaker 4: that and I'm really wondering, And not to doubt Mike Tomlin,

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Speaker 4: who is awesome and knows when more football than I

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Speaker 4: ever will. I still have some questions because I wonder

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Speaker 4: how repeatable any of this is. Was it like sort

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Speaker 4: of lightning in a bottle and then Russell will go

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Speaker 4: back to being what he was last year in the

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Speaker 4: year before, or is this something that will you know,

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Speaker 4: kind of repeat itself on a weekly basis. I also

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Speaker 4: thought his it was interesting, you know the comments he's

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Speaker 4: made about kind of like why he's been doing this,

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Speaker 4: Like I don't know that Russell Wilson is for sure

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Speaker 4: the starter now either it is really Mike Tomlin saying, hey,

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Speaker 4: you know people usually make September kind of like that

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Speaker 4: we'll see what we have month, and then you get

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Speaker 4: to October and figured like he didn't get that chance,

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Speaker 4: so we're still like we got a good enough defense.

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Speaker 4: Nagie Harris has like actually been I think, really impressive,

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Speaker 4: much more impressive than I ever imagined he would be.

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Speaker 4: He's like, well, plenty of time, like let's see what

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Speaker 4: we have, and yeah, I mean I would say that's

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Speaker 4: you know, for sure that that's something to keep an

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Speaker 4: eye on.

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Speaker 1: Flip side of this, for the Jets, they've done all

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Speaker 1: sorts of different things to attempt to fix what ails

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Speaker 1: them here. Obviously, they fire Ert Saw, they install Jeff Ulbrick,

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Speaker 1: that they move from Nathaniel Hacket out of the play

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Speaker 1: calling role, they install Todd Downing. They go out and

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Speaker 1: trade a third round pick that could become a second

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Speaker 1: although if you watched last night, you have your doubts

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Speaker 1: about whether or not Defonta Aams will be an All

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Speaker 1: Pro or they're going to get to the NC Championship game.

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Speaker 1: And the one constant that I just find from covering

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Speaker 1: the NFL for the past, you know, twenty years, I

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Speaker 1: just find not surprising because this happens with everybody, but

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Speaker 1: just it's it's different to see it happen in real time.

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Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers looks bad, and I know it's not that simple.

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Speaker 1: I know that a lot of those throws, like in

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Speaker 1: the London game, he's he's firing him into spots where

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Speaker 1: he thinks the guy can make a play. And you know,

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Speaker 1: he and he looked good at times, you know, in

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Speaker 1: terms of at least how he's throwing the football, but

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Speaker 1: he cannot move, He's not getting it out of the

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Speaker 1: pocket when rushers get on him. He can't get himself

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Speaker 1: out of trouble. He's missing throws. The first interception last night,

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Speaker 1: he said to himself, just a bad throw. Aaron Rodgers,

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Speaker 1: throughout the course of his career, a big reason he

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Speaker 1: won four MVPs was he didn't turn the ball over.

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Speaker 1: He has historic low interception rates, and this season he's

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Speaker 1: turning it over. I'm not going to sit here and

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Speaker 1: say that Aaron Rodgers is the reason they're losing, but

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Speaker 1: he is a reason that they're losing here. I don't

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Speaker 1: look at it as it doesn't appear. And again, I'm

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Speaker 1: not a coach. I'm not breaking down the tape here,

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Speaker 1: but I don't see something where you're just like, boy,

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Speaker 1: the play calling is terrible, the scheme is terrible, the

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Speaker 1: other guys are terrible.

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Speaker 2: The protection's not terrible.

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Speaker 1: Right now, Aaron Rodgers is missing plays that he has

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Speaker 1: made through his entire career. And I say this with

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Speaker 1: you know, due reverence to a player who's been one

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Speaker 1: of the best at his position in his you have

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Speaker 1: to have sincere questions even inside that building right now

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Speaker 1: of is it just over for Aaron Rodgers?

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Speaker 3: I would say this, he is a reason that they

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Speaker 3: are struggling right now. He's don't. I don't think he

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Speaker 3: is the only reason. There's a lot going on there.

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Speaker 3: There's a lot going on there, is it over for him?

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Speaker 3: I think he can still I would expect that he

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Speaker 3: could still look good if everything around him were perfect.

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Speaker 3: Everything around him is far from perfect. Now they can't

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Speaker 3: run the ball. Let's just start with something easy to

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Speaker 3: point out. They can't run the ball. They're not running

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Speaker 3: the ball at all. The defense can stop the run

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Speaker 3: all of a sudden, So now that's a problem. Right before,

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Speaker 3: for years they've been sort of sure that the defense

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Speaker 3: could hold the opponent down.

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Speaker 4: It feels like they have good running backs. If that's

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Speaker 4: what it feels.

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Speaker 3: Like, right Briswaul was really good yards after catch last night.

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Speaker 3: Right Like, he can move, he can get through a defense.

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Speaker 3: They just can't run the ball from the whole line

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Speaker 3: of scrimmage. So I think we're at the point in

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Speaker 3: Roger's career where, again, if everything around him is perfect,

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Speaker 3: if he's got the perfect timing and communication with his receivers,

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Speaker 3: if the offensive line is consistently blocking really well, if

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Speaker 3: they can run the ball, if the defense is holding

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Speaker 3: the opponent down, then I think he can flourish the

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Speaker 3: problem is like, they are not in that position, and

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Speaker 3: they may not get to that position this year because

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Speaker 3: it's getting kind of late already. I mean, we're already,

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Speaker 3: you know, it's almost to the halfway point of the season,

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Speaker 3: and they're they're still sort of sputtering like that.

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Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers said up to the game last night that

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Speaker 1: they were flat.

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Speaker 3: Well, the flat comment really was I thought was alarming

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Speaker 3: because I'm like, how did the team? How could the

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Speaker 3: energy be bad? You're on Sunday Night football. You just

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Speaker 3: got your like, you just got DeVante Adams on the team.

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Speaker 3: You also just found out that Hassan Reddick is going

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Speaker 3: to show up, so you would think everything's finally falling

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Speaker 3: into the play into place with the Jets. Why would

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Speaker 3: you be flat? Was an alarming comment.

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Speaker 2: And Rodgers set up.

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Speaker 1: To the game last night, you know, you can't win

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Speaker 1: ten in a row until you win one, which to me,

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Speaker 1: I'm going Rogers is saying the quiet part a lot,

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Speaker 1: which is we basically have to run the table for

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Speaker 1: the rest of the season.

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Speaker 2: You're two and five.

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Speaker 1: You just made a move that contenders make to try

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Speaker 1: to push you over the top with Devontae Adams, and

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Speaker 1: you look the same now, credit to Devontae Adams for

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Speaker 1: making the best tackle that I think we've seen an

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Speaker 1: offensive player making in a long time. Like that was

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Speaker 1: full on Superman, off the ground, grab the guy. But

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Speaker 1: I looked it up at that point he had three

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Speaker 1: catches and one tackle like that's It's just it's hard

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Speaker 1: to imagine that team putting the entire thing together here.

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Speaker 1: It makes me thinking in of twenty ten Vikings when

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Speaker 1: they brought everybody back after the nine season, when they

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Speaker 1: went to the NFC Championship Game. Big difference. Rogers played

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Speaker 1: four snaps last season, but it was it was the

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Speaker 1: difference between Brett fav making one more run and Brett

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Speaker 1: farrv just kind of looking like, I don't know that

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Speaker 1: I've got this. I don't know that I can still

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Speaker 1: do it. I'm not gonna sit here and say it's sad.

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Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers, you know, he.

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Speaker 2: Chose to come back.

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Speaker 1: He chose to do a lot of things in his

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Speaker 1: life over the past several years. Here, this one right now, though,

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Speaker 1: just has that feeling. Never were going to watch Aaron

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Speaker 1: Rodgers play out the string on a ten loss Jets team.

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Speaker 1: It's not there yet. They have the talent. I just

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Speaker 1: don't know that we get to a point where it's

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Speaker 1: not that direct.

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Speaker 4: I've been reminding myself many times over the last week

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Speaker 4: or maybe two weeks, of how long this season is,

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Speaker 4: right of how every year there's a couple of teams

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Speaker 4: that are like three and six or something like that,

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Speaker 4: and then they end up in the playoffs. I think

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Speaker 4: we might have I think we had two last year.

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Speaker 4: It is a long season, and what we are viewing

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Speaker 4: is either one of two things, and they are diametrically

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Speaker 4: opposed to each other. Either the end for Aaron Rodgers,

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Speaker 4: and you guys know when the end comes in the NFL,

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Speaker 4: it comes suddenly and it comes very quickly, right or

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Speaker 4: we are watching Aaron Rodgers kind of get up to

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Speaker 4: speed and basically do his training camp and no big deal,

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Speaker 4: he'll be fined by November. I just don't know which.

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Speaker 4: But hey, it's all going to play out.

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Speaker 1: And the scary thing if you're a Jets fan right

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Speaker 1: now is by November you could be out of it.

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Speaker 3: Well, they've only their only wins are against the Titans

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Speaker 3: and the Patriots, who are two of the worst teams

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Speaker 3: in the league right now, So that doesn't vote well.

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Speaker 1: Flip side of things ian the Kansas City Chiefs the

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Speaker 1: last unbeaten team thanks to the Vikings loss to the Lions.

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Speaker 1: Every week it seems like the Chiefs lose somebody. This

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Speaker 1: time it's Juju Smith Schuster, who's not going to be

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Speaker 1: available this coming week.

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Speaker 2: You wonder he and he'll be back.

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Speaker 1: They've been depleted at that wide receiver position yet big

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Speaker 1: finding ways. Patrick Mahomes has one of the I mean,

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Speaker 1: he's got a lot of great plays in his career,

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Speaker 1: but one of the most memorable plays in his career

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Speaker 1: with the rundown the sideline.

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Speaker 2: Here are we looking right now in the Chiefs as

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Speaker 2: the best team in the NFL?

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Speaker 3: Uh?

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Speaker 4: I don't know. That's a good question because they don't

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Speaker 4: look look like a good team. I mean, they are

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Speaker 4: a good team, but they don't look like the best

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Speaker 4: team right Like I would say, there are other teams

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Speaker 4: that quote unquote look better like I don't. God, that's

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Speaker 4: that's actually a really tough question because like they've kind

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Speaker 4: of won a little ugly they haven't. They don't have

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Speaker 4: all their weapons. They're gonna get some back, you know,

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Speaker 4: as they have a checker. We'll be back there's some

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Speaker 4: others who may be back as well, But I don't

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Speaker 4: know that they look like a great team. Now. Will

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Speaker 4: they look great in December? Maybe? Will they look great

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Speaker 4: in January? Probably? They always do. But there are some

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Speaker 4: other teams that are more like aesthetically pleasing, like the

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Speaker 4: Ravens right now look like a more dominant team. Even

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Speaker 4: the Vikings, so I know, lost last week, uh, look

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Speaker 4: like a more more dominant, a better team. So that's

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Speaker 4: actually a weirdly tough question to ask. This reminds me

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Speaker 4: of those Patriots teams from back around when I was

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Speaker 4: covering them. They never quite looked good. You'd be like, God, like,

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Speaker 4: I guess his team's got a chance to get Tom Brady,

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Speaker 4: and then you look and you'd be like, they're just

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Speaker 4: undefeated in December. Always when they get to January and

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Speaker 4: they're kind of okay, and they just roll right to

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Speaker 4: the super Bowl. Like that's what this feels like. So

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Speaker 4: I don't know that it's like they look like a

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Speaker 4: great team, but they do look like a team that's

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Speaker 4: going to keep winning. And you know, look, they'll probably

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Speaker 4: at a receiver over the next couple of weeks. I

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Speaker 4: don't think that's like a big stunner. I just don't

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Speaker 4: know that it's going to be anyone that makes their

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Speaker 4: eyes pop out of their heads. But again, they have

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Speaker 4: Patrick Mahomes, they have that great defense. They're probably gonna

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Speaker 4: be okay.

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Speaker 3: They look like a team that can figure out how

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Speaker 3: to win. Like that's what they don't. You're right, they're

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Speaker 3: not aesthetically pleasing, right, Like the offense is not explosive

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Speaker 3: the way we used to see the Chiefs beed. The

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Speaker 3: defense looks great, the defense looks great, but they know,

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Speaker 3: Like Mahomes knows what to do even when he's I mean,

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Speaker 3: he's thrown interceptions which he doesn't usually do, Like he's

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Speaker 3: thrown interceptions. Andy Reid knows how to piece things together.

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Speaker 3: I just feel like there's an inevitability about them that

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Speaker 3: like it's going to be ugly, sort of like last year.

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Speaker 3: It's not going to be pretty. They're going to struggle.

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Speaker 3: Maybe they're going to lose a game here at some point.

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Speaker 4: I don't know theoretically, but theoretically they're.

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Speaker 3: Going to lose, but maybe not, but they know how

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Speaker 3: to sort of hold it together and then build. You're right.

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Speaker 3: It reminds me a lot of those Patriots teams during

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Speaker 3: the dynasty years, where like they'd be like, Eh, they're

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Speaker 3: sort of ugly, what are they doing? Brady doesn't look

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Speaker 3: that great? And then you'd find yourself in December and

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Speaker 3: you'd be like, Oh, they've only lost three games and

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Speaker 3: they're going to be the number one seed in the AFC.

433
00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:43,240
Speaker 4: That's what it feels like.

434
00:21:43,359 --> 00:21:45,000
Speaker 3: That's what it feels like it's going to happen here.

435
00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:48,840
Speaker 1: What about the Texans, Judy, They've certainly been one of

436
00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:52,400
Speaker 1: the best teams in the AFC over the past couple

437
00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:55,479
Speaker 1: of seasons. Here, the two times that they faced NFC

438
00:21:55,680 --> 00:21:58,360
Speaker 1: North teams this season, they have not played their best.

439
00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:00,720
Speaker 1: So certainly they were a lot better yesterday than they

440
00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:03,840
Speaker 1: had been against the Vikings several weeks ago. Here, what

441
00:22:04,040 --> 00:22:06,760
Speaker 1: do you make of the five in two Houston Texans

442
00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:07,240
Speaker 1: right now?

443
00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:10,200
Speaker 3: I make that they better figure out how to pass

444
00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:14,600
Speaker 3: protect fast because CJ. Stroud is under duress and getting

445
00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:18,040
Speaker 3: hit a lot. And I mean yesterday, you know, I

446
00:22:18,119 --> 00:22:20,679
Speaker 3: keep the passing game was like nonexistent. I mean, he

447
00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:23,159
Speaker 3: couldn't really do much of anything. They were able to

448
00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:25,320
Speaker 3: run the ball, Joe Mixon had had a good game.

449
00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:28,360
Speaker 3: They just can't pass protect and that's been an issue

450
00:22:28,400 --> 00:22:31,119
Speaker 3: on and off, and they got a straightened out. I

451
00:22:31,160 --> 00:22:33,399
Speaker 3: saw Demiko, I think in his I think it was

452
00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:36,560
Speaker 3: earlier today when he talked to reporters, like they asked

453
00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:38,480
Speaker 3: him like, as it possible you can make personal changes,

454
00:22:38,480 --> 00:22:40,520
Speaker 3: and he basically felt like everything is possible, like we

455
00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:43,760
Speaker 3: got to figure this out somehow. That's the number one thing.

456
00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:45,840
Speaker 3: I came away, and they still almost won the game,

457
00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:48,199
Speaker 3: like right, like they had almost no passing game. They

458
00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:51,360
Speaker 3: were generating a lot of turnovers like the Packers turned

459
00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:54,359
Speaker 3: the ball over. They almost won the game. But I

460
00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:56,880
Speaker 3: would say that that's got to get fixed for them

461
00:22:56,960 --> 00:22:59,800
Speaker 3: to compete, you know when we when we would expect

462
00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:01,320
Speaker 3: that the compete in January.

463
00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:05,119
Speaker 4: This is really interesting spot for the Texans to be in.

464
00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:08,040
Speaker 4: And I think one they probably haven't encountered yet, right

465
00:23:08,119 --> 00:23:11,159
Speaker 4: because you know, if you if you're really good, like

466
00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:13,560
Speaker 4: last year they were just really good. They never quite

467
00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:16,160
Speaker 4: got to the appointments like did everyone figure us out?

468
00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:17,080
Speaker 2: Hm?

469
00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:21,560
Speaker 4: Like maybe you know, but then they got to sort

470
00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:24,199
Speaker 4: of refigure it all out right, So they they have

471
00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:25,920
Speaker 4: not really been in this part yet. And I would

472
00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:27,639
Speaker 4: say this, this is like a weird thing to say,

473
00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:30,600
Speaker 4: but I was thinking about them and the Jaguars yesterday

474
00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:33,440
Speaker 4: because the Jaguars obviously had a really good game. Trevor

475
00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:37,320
Speaker 4: Lawrence has had a lot of questions, and they started

476
00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:41,680
Speaker 4: to fix their offense. They ran the ball much much better.

477
00:23:42,000 --> 00:23:43,960
Speaker 4: That was what they did. They gave it to Tank

478
00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:45,960
Speaker 4: Bigsby and they just ran the absolute heck out of

479
00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:48,280
Speaker 4: the ball, and suddenly Trevor Lawrence looked a little better.

480
00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:51,240
Speaker 4: And for me, especially with Joe Mixon back for the Texans,

481
00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:54,800
Speaker 4: that feels like the direction that it'll go. Just run

482
00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:56,680
Speaker 4: the ball a little better, give everyone a little more

483
00:23:56,720 --> 00:23:59,960
Speaker 4: space to breathe, and kind of let your offense function

484
00:24:00,119 --> 00:24:02,400
Speaker 4: through the run game like that. Like I could see

485
00:24:02,400 --> 00:24:04,960
Speaker 4: that working. But they have a really good offensive coordinator.

486
00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:08,240
Speaker 4: They have Bobby Sloan, who I think will interview again

487
00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:10,040
Speaker 4: for head coaching job. Is a really bright guy who

488
00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:12,520
Speaker 4: came back to kind of further himself as an offensive coordinator.

489
00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:15,840
Speaker 4: This is a big challenge for him. They absolutely need

490
00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:17,879
Speaker 4: to be better, and I would imagine that they will be.

491
00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:20,000
Speaker 4: But this is a pretty good gut check time for Houston.

492
00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:24,200
Speaker 1: Bengals have been gut check mode for several weeks now

493
00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:26,400
Speaker 1: since Joe Burrow, you know, flat out called him out

494
00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:30,199
Speaker 1: ian for not being a championship caliber team. They're just

495
00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:34,680
Speaker 1: hanging around and they're kind of finding ways to survive.

496
00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:37,080
Speaker 2: They did it again yesterday where I don't think that that.

497
00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:41,000
Speaker 1: Was a particularly pretty performance, but they made enough plays

498
00:24:41,040 --> 00:24:43,840
Speaker 1: to win. They got the Eagles coming in this coming

499
00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:46,560
Speaker 1: weekend for one of those games that's kind of like, Okay,

500
00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:48,840
Speaker 1: one of us, everyone's going to say now is for real.

501
00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:51,080
Speaker 1: The other one's going to be kind of clinging to

502
00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:52,560
Speaker 1: their playoff lives.

503
00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:52,679
Speaker 3: Here.

504
00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:53,959
Speaker 2: What do you make of the Bengals right now?

505
00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:58,160
Speaker 4: I think they are coming. I think they're coming, And

506
00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:02,040
Speaker 4: you know, Joe Burrow, I don't know if it's calling

507
00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:04,880
Speaker 4: out because he does it in such a flat, matter

508
00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:07,240
Speaker 4: of fact way where it's sort of like you can't

509
00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:11,919
Speaker 4: really argue because he's just saying the truth. Yeah, Like

510
00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:15,080
Speaker 4: it's just sort of like, look, this is kind of

511
00:25:15,119 --> 00:25:18,440
Speaker 4: what we are, and anyone who says we're not obviously

512
00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:20,159
Speaker 4: isn't watching. So this is kind of what we are.

513
00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:24,919
Speaker 4: I like how how Joe Burrow talks, and I like

514
00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:27,560
Speaker 4: how he kind of addresses the team, But to me, like, look,

515
00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:30,520
Speaker 4: they definitely had some injuries, and on the defensive side

516
00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:32,240
Speaker 4: of the ball, I think they are probably a little

517
00:25:32,280 --> 00:25:36,959
Speaker 4: more limited maybe than they have ever been in at

518
00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:39,560
Speaker 4: least in the past couple of years. But Ti Higgins

519
00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:42,240
Speaker 4: is playing really well, Jamar Chase is playing really well.

520
00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:45,159
Speaker 4: They also could run the ball a little better. But

521
00:25:45,280 --> 00:25:48,440
Speaker 4: like Joe Burrow was functioning at a very high level.

522
00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:50,920
Speaker 4: And this looks like to me, the team that we're

523
00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:53,199
Speaker 4: gonna be, Like, hey, remember when they were like, you know,

524
00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:55,160
Speaker 4: two and five or whatever, it was like they're now

525
00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:57,440
Speaker 4: five hundred and like you don't want to face them.

526
00:25:57,480 --> 00:26:00,520
Speaker 4: That's what the Bengals feel like to me. Just a

527
00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:03,159
Speaker 4: team that's going to be really, really good down the

528
00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:05,320
Speaker 4: stretch now that they took a minute to figure themselves

529
00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:08,159
Speaker 4: out and it wasn't like ri lax, but it was

530
00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:10,680
Speaker 4: whatever Joe Burrow's version of that was, which, by the way,

531
00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:12,440
Speaker 4: same version he gave us last year.

532
00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:16,119
Speaker 3: Yeah, they feel like a team that's playing their way

533
00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:18,879
Speaker 3: into the season right like the were sort of watching

534
00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:25,159
Speaker 3: them develop each week. I would not ever question a

535
00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:27,520
Speaker 3: team that has Joe Burro playing at this level like

536
00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:31,040
Speaker 3: he's healthy, he's his connection with Jamar Chase is ridiculous.

537
00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:34,920
Speaker 3: I mean, you see their timing. I would expect that

538
00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:37,160
Speaker 3: we will be talking about the Bengals in December.

539
00:26:38,160 --> 00:26:40,320
Speaker 1: What about the Bills, Judy. They make a big addition

540
00:26:40,359 --> 00:26:44,520
Speaker 1: this week. Maari Cooper comes in drops the first ball

541
00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:47,479
Speaker 1: throwing his way, which seemed like not necessarily the greatest

542
00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:49,600
Speaker 1: omen of all time, but hey, for a guy who

543
00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:51,879
Speaker 1: didn't know the offense, has not played in it before,

544
00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:55,920
Speaker 1: four catches, sixty six yards and a big touchdown in

545
00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:58,399
Speaker 1: that game, it certainly seems like to the extent that

546
00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:01,720
Speaker 1: they needed not just kind of bolt but also just

547
00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:06,520
Speaker 1: one more veteran savvy weapon for Josh Allen to kind

548
00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:08,760
Speaker 1: of take the heat off those some young some of

549
00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:10,880
Speaker 1: those young guys, you got a taste of what they're

550
00:27:10,920 --> 00:27:12,600
Speaker 1: anticipating this offense looking like.

551
00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:15,240
Speaker 3: I mean, he was in Buffalo for like five minutes, right,

552
00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:18,400
Speaker 3: There's that that one play where he's literally asking where

553
00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:20,879
Speaker 3: Keyon Coleman has to tell him how to run the

554
00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:24,800
Speaker 3: route like it. So that's how unfamiliar he was. I

555
00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:27,679
Speaker 3: just compared it to, you know, the Jets, to Devonte Adams,

556
00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:29,440
Speaker 3: and I think Devonte Adams is going to be fine.

557
00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:31,320
Speaker 3: Let me just have this but I mean he knows

558
00:27:31,359 --> 00:27:34,520
Speaker 3: the quarterback, he knows the offense. He had zero impact

559
00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:37,359
Speaker 3: on the offense. And instead of Maury Cooper like who

560
00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:39,280
Speaker 3: you know was there for five minutes and just you know,

561
00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:41,960
Speaker 3: just met everybody, he had a bit of an impact

562
00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,600
Speaker 3: on the offense. They needed they needed, they need more

563
00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:49,560
Speaker 3: weapons for Josh Allen and listen. They are suddenly the

564
00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:53,000
Speaker 3: Bills in a very good position because they are whatever,

565
00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:57,000
Speaker 3: they are three games up in the AFC East right now.

566
00:27:57,040 --> 00:27:59,320
Speaker 3: I mean, we'll see if the Dolphins come along now

567
00:27:59,359 --> 00:28:01,520
Speaker 3: that two is going to return, but I mean that

568
00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:04,159
Speaker 3: the Bills have separated themselves from the rest of the

569
00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:06,800
Speaker 3: division right now, so they can sort of take their

570
00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:10,119
Speaker 3: time putting their offense together and getting Amari Cooper up

571
00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:13,800
Speaker 3: to speed because nobody appears to be in the mood

572
00:28:13,800 --> 00:28:14,760
Speaker 3: to catch them right now.

573
00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:18,480
Speaker 4: Anyway. Yeah, I think it'll help the Bills.

574
00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:25,320
Speaker 1: All right, more of that in part two of this podcast,

575
00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:27,639
Speaker 1: we are going to get into the NFC.

576
00:28:27,760 --> 00:28:29,959
Speaker 2: We will get into some key injuries.

577
00:28:30,040 --> 00:28:34,080
Speaker 1: So find the second part of this podcast for Ian

578
00:28:34,359 --> 00:28:34,879
Speaker 1: and Judy.

579
00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:36,639
Speaker 2: I'm Tom. We'll see there