WEBVTT - NFC North Preview 0:00:04.910 --> 0:00:08.330 Welcome to NFL Daily, where we're ready to talk about 0:00:08.350 --> 0:00:11.130 the best division in football. I'm Greg Rosenthal. I'm in 0:00:11.150 --> 0:00:13.650 the Chris Wesseling podcast studio for the first time in 0:00:13.670 --> 0:00:17.119 a minute with Jordan Rodrigue. It is nice to be 0:00:17.680 --> 0:00:20.700 here together. It is nice to reach the end of 0:00:20.720 --> 0:00:25.880 the road on our division preview series. Do you agree, Jordan? 0:00:26.480 --> 0:00:28.820 With me positing this is the best division in football. 0:00:29.140 --> 0:00:31.580 I think it is because, like I mentioned, there's no 0:00:31.640 --> 0:00:34.150 dangling participles of teams here. 0:00:34.190 --> 0:00:37.729 There's no sort of just like, and then there's this team. 0:00:37.790 --> 0:00:40.410 There's like... I mean, you can say the name Arizona Cardinals. 0:00:40.430 --> 0:00:41.290 Yeah, or Raiders. 0:00:41.470 --> 0:00:44.970 Or Raiders. I think the other options would be the 0:00:45.170 --> 0:00:46.030 Western divisions. 0:00:46.070 --> 0:00:46.330 Yes. 0:00:46.470 --> 0:00:50.180 Those would be the three best divisions. But... Maybe the 0:00:50.280 --> 0:00:52.280 NFC West has the best teams at the top. When 0:00:52.300 --> 0:00:55.040 I say best division, I want quality like you're saying throughout. 0:00:55.320 --> 0:00:58.120 Any team could finish first. Any team could finish fourth. 0:00:58.880 --> 0:01:01.860 Could any one of these teams make the Super Bowl? 0:01:02.220 --> 0:01:05.200 We'll dive into that later. Jordan Rodriguez says she has 0:01:05.360 --> 0:01:08.360 a surprising division winner. And I don't know who that 0:01:08.400 --> 0:01:08.740 would be. 0:01:09.120 --> 0:01:09.760 I already forgot. 0:01:10.520 --> 0:01:11.910 I mean, at the end of the show, you're going 0:01:11.920 --> 0:01:15.080 to have to remember. Here's what we do. Every division preview. 0:01:15.200 --> 0:01:17.170 And this is our eighth. 12 minutes on the board. 0:01:17.569 --> 0:01:21.120 Bunch of different categories. And at the end of the preview, 0:01:21.260 --> 0:01:24.520 we will pick the order of the division. Let's start 0:01:24.560 --> 0:01:28.480 with the Chicago Bears alphabetically by city. They haven't moved 0:01:28.540 --> 0:01:34.200 cities yet. Gary would come in third alphabetically or second alphabetically, 0:01:34.220 --> 0:01:36.830 but Chicago is first. What is bringing you joy about 0:01:36.850 --> 0:01:37.470 the Chicago Bears? 0:01:38.340 --> 0:01:40.320 Self-awareness, Greg. 0:01:40.420 --> 0:01:44.390 And that is the self-awareness of head coach Ben Johnson, 0:01:44.530 --> 0:01:48.120 who might seem a little scary and Terminator-like at times, 0:01:48.200 --> 0:01:49.480 but he's very, very self-aware. 0:01:49.540 --> 0:01:50.390 His comments.. 0:01:51.000 --> 0:01:53.740 About being the quote unquote top regression candidate were not 0:01:53.800 --> 0:01:56.830 just a rebuttal to Liam Cohen's beef of the week. 0:01:57.430 --> 0:02:00.230 It was actually a nod to how splash moment or 0:02:00.290 --> 0:02:03.550 high leverage moment that the Bears were actually dependent on 0:02:04.150 --> 0:02:07.570 throughout the 2025 season and why playing sustainably is going 0:02:07.590 --> 0:02:10.620 to be more into what they need to do in 2026. 0:02:10.620 --> 0:02:13.299 I liked how self-aware he was. It wasn't even like a... 0:02:13.900 --> 0:02:16.339 you know, oh, I'm into the analytics or anything like that. 0:02:16.360 --> 0:02:18.460 I mean, maybe he reads the FTN Almanac, which was 0:02:18.500 --> 0:02:22.690 a great publication that is released every summer. But for me, 0:02:22.950 --> 0:02:25.470 it was like, oh, yeah, no, you're very clear on 0:02:25.510 --> 0:02:27.490 what needs to happen for this team moving forward. 0:02:27.910 --> 0:02:31.790 I love an offseason priority. That makes sense. Because this 0:02:31.810 --> 0:02:36.119 has been the message from him from March on, specifically 0:02:36.139 --> 0:02:38.980 with Caleb Williams, that, you know, we need to start 0:02:39.020 --> 0:02:41.750 hitting the singles. We need to start playing better in 0:02:41.770 --> 0:02:44.370 the first and second quarter so we don't need the drama. 0:02:44.889 --> 0:02:48.800 And yet, where you say self-awareness, you could flip it 0:02:49.000 --> 0:02:51.840 and read your colleague Dan Pompei's article with Ben Johnson 0:02:51.880 --> 0:02:54.660 and say bravado. I mean, he also wants to be 0:02:55.280 --> 0:02:58.140 the best offense in NFL history. I mean, who doesn't? 0:02:58.160 --> 0:02:59.120 It's okay to have goals. 0:02:59.960 --> 0:03:02.900 Sure. But the way he's saying it is like, I 0:03:02.919 --> 0:03:04.900 don't just want to be the best offense. I want 0:03:04.919 --> 0:03:06.840 to be the best offense in history. I know what 0:03:06.880 --> 0:03:09.570 the numbers are. I know that it's not just total points. 0:03:09.669 --> 0:03:12.750 I want to beat them in points per game. I mean, 0:03:12.770 --> 0:03:15.850 they got some issues, but to have that kind of chutzpah, 0:03:17.010 --> 0:03:21.489 I would say we've got the division leading amount of 0:03:21.510 --> 0:03:24.530 chutzpah among the head coaches. We've got the two teams 0:03:24.550 --> 0:03:26.990 that lead the league in fourth downs, like in terms 0:03:27.010 --> 0:03:29.690 of going for it. I think LeFleur and Kevin O'Connell, 0:03:29.710 --> 0:03:33.109 plenty of chutzpah there, but yeah, I love the bravado. 0:03:33.230 --> 0:03:33.690 I love it. 0:03:33.790 --> 0:03:35.810 I love that all of these guys ended up in 0:03:35.850 --> 0:03:37.790 the same division together and they all have to play 0:03:37.810 --> 0:03:40.690 each other because it's like now Sean McVay and Kyle 0:03:40.710 --> 0:03:43.670 Shanahan are like, oh, we're friends, da, da, da, da, da, 0:03:43.810 --> 0:03:47.910 in the NFC West. But this is like, no, I 0:03:48.190 --> 0:03:50.780 would prefer to chop that guy's head off in the 0:03:51.100 --> 0:03:51.620 NFC North. 0:03:51.660 --> 0:03:53.320 And that's one of the things that's bringing me joy. 0:03:53.820 --> 0:03:56.600 Most important non-quarterback. I'll go first with Colston Loveland. 0:03:57.850 --> 0:04:00.150 Dang, that's who I wrote. And then I put something else, 0:04:00.210 --> 0:04:01.220 but yes, continue. 0:04:01.940 --> 0:04:03.580 Okay. Well, that's good that you put something else. Cause 0:04:03.600 --> 0:04:05.160 I don't want, that's the only reason I took it 0:04:05.200 --> 0:04:09.540 first is because that's the one I really wanted. You know, 0:04:09.560 --> 0:04:12.980 when he says the goal of, of being the best 0:04:13.080 --> 0:04:17.799 offense ever, that seems crazy. When like Khalif Raymond or 0:04:18.180 --> 0:04:21.360 rookie Xavion Thomas is your third receiver. There's pretty major 0:04:21.380 --> 0:04:26.339 questions at left tackle at center and You want Caleb 0:04:26.380 --> 0:04:29.839 to get better. The talent doesn't speak to that level 0:04:29.880 --> 0:04:32.560 of play. But Ben Johnson's play calling and the ascension 0:04:32.580 --> 0:04:35.219 of his young players could make it happen. But all 0:04:35.260 --> 0:04:38.339 those receivers are put down in the order because Colston 0:04:38.360 --> 0:04:41.330 Loveland is the one. And for them to reach the 0:04:41.370 --> 0:04:45.290 levels that I think Ben Johnson needs to hit. I 0:04:45.330 --> 0:04:48.390 think Colston Loveland has to be, if not the best 0:04:48.450 --> 0:04:51.729 tight end in the league, like right there in that conversation. 0:04:52.450 --> 0:04:55.010 And he is the guy I think they're building the 0:04:55.110 --> 0:04:58.810 offense through other than Caleb Williams. He showed down the 0:04:58.850 --> 0:05:01.089 stretch last season for a rookie tight end. He can 0:05:01.110 --> 0:05:03.190 handle that. I think he was almost at that level. 0:05:03.230 --> 0:05:04.990 It's really just doing it again and building on what 0:05:05.010 --> 0:05:05.590 he did a year ago. 0:05:05.730 --> 0:05:09.529 Yeah. I love it too, because they've declared their intent 0:05:09.630 --> 0:05:13.120 really with the Also, how they went out and drafted 0:05:13.260 --> 0:05:15.359 and they're going to have as many tight ends as 0:05:15.400 --> 0:05:18.400 possible up because they're going to build the plane out 0:05:18.420 --> 0:05:20.729 of Colston Loveland in the run and the pass game. 0:05:20.750 --> 0:05:22.510 And so I love that because this is one of 0:05:22.529 --> 0:05:25.010 the few teams in the NFL who I think could very, 0:05:25.050 --> 0:05:29.390 very capably move between those 11, 12 and 13 personnel 0:05:29.430 --> 0:05:32.050 packages when he's talking about wanting to be the best 0:05:32.150 --> 0:05:34.529 offensive all time and the most productive ever. If you 0:05:34.610 --> 0:05:38.190 can't basically blow the playbook wide open in this way, 0:05:38.390 --> 0:05:41.060 you are limited in some fashion and maybe wouldn't have 0:05:41.120 --> 0:05:42.620 that much of a chance to do it. This is 0:05:42.940 --> 0:05:45.039 gone are the days where you're going to be sticking 0:05:45.080 --> 0:05:48.220 in 11 the entire time or even 12 the entire time. 0:05:48.260 --> 0:05:50.540 Like this is a team led by Colston Loveland, who 0:05:50.660 --> 0:05:53.940 I suspect is going to be one of those, you know, 0:05:54.180 --> 0:05:56.920 I would call it in my educational experience, the F 0:05:57.380 --> 0:06:01.490 player team. for example, which basically can flip between multiple 0:06:01.529 --> 0:06:05.650 positions along the receiving surface and multiple positions along the 0:06:05.710 --> 0:06:09.750 running surface. And basically all of your strength of plays 0:06:09.850 --> 0:06:12.150 is dictated by wherever that person is on the field. 0:06:12.510 --> 0:06:15.070 To me, that is Colston Loveland. And he's one of 0:06:15.089 --> 0:06:17.190 the most exciting young players we have in football right now. 0:06:17.330 --> 0:06:19.980 Good backup in Cole Comet. Third round pick you alluded 0:06:20.020 --> 0:06:22.640 to at tight end and Sam Roush. So it's a 0:06:22.740 --> 0:06:25.160 deep room, but he's the most important guy. If we 0:06:25.180 --> 0:06:28.310 were doing preseason all pro teams, You know, maybe he's 0:06:28.350 --> 0:06:31.830 my second team tight end behind Trey McBride. I can't 0:06:31.850 --> 0:06:34.220 take out McBride right now, but we'll see. Who's your 0:06:34.240 --> 0:06:35.120 most important non-quarterback? 0:06:35.350 --> 0:06:37.170 Whoever the hell is playing left tackle. 0:06:37.470 --> 0:06:37.710 Okay. 0:06:37.930 --> 0:06:41.010 And really, to me, it's still a huge question mark. 0:06:41.070 --> 0:06:43.190 And it's a problem that it's still a huge question mark. 0:06:43.510 --> 0:06:46.870 They have four guys currently competing. And if and when 0:06:46.970 --> 0:06:50.330 Ozzy Trapilo ends up coming back from this injury after 0:06:50.610 --> 0:06:53.029 he's practicing in a very, very limited capacity. 0:06:53.150 --> 0:06:55.550 Second round pick who is believed to be the future. 0:06:55.610 --> 0:06:55.830 Yes. 0:06:56.050 --> 0:06:57.630 And played well when he got in the game. 0:06:57.670 --> 0:07:00.850 But now they've got so potentially by October, they'll have 0:07:00.950 --> 0:07:04.270 up to five guys competing for this left tackle spot. 0:07:04.690 --> 0:07:06.940 You know, Braxton Jones, I would think, would have. 0:07:06.760 --> 0:07:09.060 To be like the leader in the clubhouse, but it 0:07:09.100 --> 0:07:11.740 hasn't looked great for any of these guys. And the 0:07:11.780 --> 0:07:15.119 fact that it's still such an open battle is very, 0:07:15.160 --> 0:07:18.390 very concerning for me. But that becomes so, so important 0:07:18.430 --> 0:07:22.330 because that player, the run game, the pass game, all 0:07:22.370 --> 0:07:24.450 the things that Ben Johnson says he wants to do, 0:07:25.950 --> 0:07:28.560 it's going to really be a factor of whoever that 0:07:28.650 --> 0:07:30.560 guy is going to be. So I make him the 0:07:30.640 --> 0:07:31.980 most important right now. 0:07:32.180 --> 0:07:35.580 Yeah, that totally makes sense to me. And it's easier 0:07:35.620 --> 0:07:38.260 to hide one guy on your offensive line than it 0:07:38.340 --> 0:07:42.130 is to. So if Garrett Bradbury, who's their center, can 0:07:42.370 --> 0:07:45.660 hold up. And there's questions about him or their second 0:07:45.680 --> 0:07:48.580 round pick, Logan Jones, who might eventually be at center. 0:07:49.060 --> 0:07:51.080 You know, they're going to be he's between two great 0:07:51.140 --> 0:07:53.000 guards and Joe Tooney and Jonah Jackson. You have a 0:07:53.120 --> 0:07:55.900 great young right tackle. You gave huge money to like 0:07:55.940 --> 0:07:59.070 they have real pieces. Then maybe you can cover up 0:07:59.310 --> 0:08:01.270 one spot. If it ends up being two spots, then 0:08:01.370 --> 0:08:03.970 then the offense has a problem. Scheme dream. I always 0:08:04.850 --> 0:08:07.860 let you go first, except for when I don't, because. 0:08:08.550 --> 0:08:11.010 This is just where you feel the most joy. 0:08:11.850 --> 0:08:12.310 It is, yeah. 0:08:12.380 --> 0:08:15.020 Run game in year two for me. The two-back system 0:08:15.060 --> 0:08:17.740 in DeAndre Swift and Kyle Menungai, it took a couple weeks. 0:08:18.000 --> 0:08:19.020 Kyle Menung dude, as. 0:08:19.000 --> 0:08:19.660 We like to call him. 0:08:20.160 --> 0:08:22.760 It took a couple weeks for it to come to 0:08:22.820 --> 0:08:25.400 fruition the way that they wanted it to. Once it 0:08:25.460 --> 0:08:27.350 did and once it started rolling, it was like one 0:08:27.380 --> 0:08:29.610 of the most fun and most productive run games we've 0:08:29.650 --> 0:08:33.370 seen in like 2020 onward. And I think that that's 0:08:33.390 --> 0:08:35.069 going to be really fun when you think about what 0:08:35.110 --> 0:08:37.270 you talked about in terms of Colston Loveland and your 0:08:37.309 --> 0:08:43.170 most important player. in just creating and moving different gaps 0:08:43.220 --> 0:08:46.480 and attack points for the defense with a two-back system. 0:08:46.840 --> 0:08:49.060 So it's not just that you're throwing all of this 0:08:49.179 --> 0:08:53.679 pre-snap and at-snap movement and changing assignments at the defense 0:08:54.440 --> 0:08:56.900 in a system that on paper looks like it should 0:08:56.920 --> 0:08:59.240 be simple, but because Ben Johnson likes to throw these 0:08:59.260 --> 0:09:00.160 little wrinkles into it. 0:09:00.179 --> 0:09:03.170 Is not simple at all. Plus features really good players. 0:09:03.830 --> 0:09:07.370 And then now you're throwing multiple players to prepare for 0:09:07.530 --> 0:09:10.950 and multiple, um, skill guys also involved in it to 0:09:10.990 --> 0:09:12.910 prepare for. I just think this is going to be, 0:09:13.429 --> 0:09:15.929 I cannot wait to see your two of a run 0:09:15.990 --> 0:09:18.969 system like this is usually when it fully like, you know, 0:09:19.250 --> 0:09:21.150 reveals itself for what it's going to be. And I 0:09:21.200 --> 0:09:22.510 think they have a chance to be dominant. 0:09:23.020 --> 0:09:23.579 Are you a Swifty? 0:09:24.440 --> 0:09:25.060 I am a Swifty. 0:09:25.240 --> 0:09:25.580 I'm a Swifty. 0:09:25.600 --> 0:09:26.320 You like DeAndre? 0:09:26.679 --> 0:09:28.820 I'm a Swifty, yes. And I also am a Monong 0:09:28.860 --> 0:09:29.800 dude as well. 0:09:30.059 --> 0:09:30.260 Yeah. 0:09:30.679 --> 0:09:34.870 Swifty. DeAndre Swift. What a come up that Ben Johnson 0:09:34.910 --> 0:09:37.130 believes in him. I think at this time a year ago, 0:09:37.490 --> 0:09:39.929 I did not believe in him. And he looked really 0:09:39.950 --> 0:09:42.910 good in this offense. And he's a guy. I did 0:09:42.929 --> 0:09:45.339 my one and only fantasy draft on Monday night. And 0:09:45.360 --> 0:09:47.079 I was like, when he got taken near me, I 0:09:47.100 --> 0:09:49.180 was like, oh, I would have liked DeAndre Swift. I'm 0:09:49.200 --> 0:09:52.729 going to go things go wrong. if the defense like 0:09:52.790 --> 0:09:55.550 looks as bad as it looks, they are projected to 0:09:55.590 --> 0:09:59.390 be the worst defense in the league, according to DVOA, 0:09:59.550 --> 0:10:02.860 like in terms of efficiency. And that's because they were 0:10:02.910 --> 0:10:06.780 great on third down last year and terrible on first 0:10:06.820 --> 0:10:09.020 and second. And that tends to not be sticky at all. 0:10:09.380 --> 0:10:12.760 They turn the ball over like crazy. That tends to 0:10:12.800 --> 0:10:15.160 be not as sticky. Although Dennis Allen's had a pretty 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:19.360 good career with having defenses that turn the ball over. 0:10:20.700 --> 0:10:23.120 But they lost Jaquan Brisker. They lost Nashawn Wright. They 0:10:23.140 --> 0:10:26.460 lost Kevin Byer. They lost Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. And then all 0:10:26.500 --> 0:10:28.160 the guys that are supposed to replace him. And this is, 0:10:28.179 --> 0:10:33.460 you know, such a nickel-heavy, man-heavy defense. Kyle Gordon's hurt. 0:10:33.760 --> 0:10:36.840 Tyreek Stevenson's hurt right now. Elijah Hicks, they said that 0:10:36.880 --> 0:10:39.260 wasn't a serious injury. He's been out a month. And 0:10:39.280 --> 0:10:42.240 then their big safety addition, who's Stacey Dales, our friend 0:10:42.280 --> 0:10:45.600 said Kobe Bryant was taking charge of that defense. That 0:10:45.760 --> 0:10:48.540 literally he was going to be their leader, their appointed leader. 0:10:48.940 --> 0:10:51.350 captain on the back end. He's out for the season. 0:10:52.110 --> 0:10:54.589 And so you're asking like a rookie Dylan Thienemann to 0:10:55.410 --> 0:10:57.230 carry a lot of weight. And just in general, I 0:10:57.250 --> 0:10:59.750 just don't know if they have the players, that linebacker either. 0:11:00.230 --> 0:11:02.970 Yeah. And the other thing they didn't do was change 0:11:03.030 --> 0:11:06.340 their front structure very much. They're basically saying we're going 0:11:06.360 --> 0:11:08.300 to roll with the guys that we have along this 0:11:08.340 --> 0:11:11.260 defensive line and trust that they continue to take a 0:11:11.300 --> 0:11:13.910 step forward. Well, one thing that goes unsaid in all 0:11:13.929 --> 0:11:18.150 of that commentary is that they were built back to front. 0:11:18.530 --> 0:11:20.969 They were really built, even though they let those defensive 0:11:21.010 --> 0:11:24.280 backs go and free agency and sign elsewhere and brought 0:11:24.340 --> 0:11:27.200 in new players, they still were built back to front. 0:11:27.240 --> 0:11:31.800 Dennis Allen was predicated. His system is predicated on like 0:11:31.880 --> 0:11:33.990 what I mentioned at the top high leverage plays where 0:11:34.010 --> 0:11:37.110 you're taking, where you're taking away the ball. Um, they 0:11:37.150 --> 0:11:40.670 were explosive to, or excuse me, they were susceptible to 0:11:40.710 --> 0:11:43.850 explosive pass plays, but they led the league in drives 0:11:44.010 --> 0:11:46.790 ending with turnovers and had the highest turnover rate of 0:11:46.830 --> 0:11:48.970 the 2020 so far. That's for our friends at the 0:11:49.050 --> 0:11:53.410 FTN football almanac. And so they're masters of the big moment, right? 0:11:53.530 --> 0:11:56.550 My things go wrong. If is attached to yours in 0:11:56.610 --> 0:12:00.570 that way. if that does not sustain a little bit better, 0:12:00.630 --> 0:12:02.670 if they're not better on first and second down, if 0:12:02.720 --> 0:12:05.240 they're not better against the run, if they're not so 0:12:05.320 --> 0:12:09.780 dependent on specifically turnovers in on the defensive side and 0:12:09.820 --> 0:12:12.700 then also on the offensive side, they were built around 0:12:12.740 --> 0:12:15.179 the big moment on offense as well. And I loved 0:12:15.250 --> 0:12:17.630 how good their run game really came along and looked. 0:12:17.970 --> 0:12:21.250 But in the passing game, we all remember the end 0:12:21.290 --> 0:12:25.650 of the game heroics and the flash stuff that really 0:12:25.670 --> 0:12:30.600 was exciting to watch. But getting more sustainable down-to-down play, 0:12:30.679 --> 0:12:34.540 staying more efficient down-to-down. One thing I appreciated about what 0:12:34.660 --> 0:12:36.939 this coaching staff and the players are doing is focusing 0:12:36.960 --> 0:12:41.990 more on end-of-half management, too. All of these things are very, 0:12:42.050 --> 0:12:45.069 very important to making sure you're not so dependent on 0:12:45.450 --> 0:12:47.270 splash and you can hit more doubles. 0:12:47.880 --> 0:12:49.920 And you just need guys who can win. And up front, 0:12:50.300 --> 0:12:53.890 that's a big concern. So it's Montez Sweat rushing the passer. 0:12:54.010 --> 0:12:56.890 And Bears fans could argue, and they're right. They're still 0:12:56.910 --> 0:13:01.950 built back to front. Jalen Johnson is a great in-his-prime cornerback. 0:13:01.970 --> 0:13:03.770 Kyler Gordon, they just need him to be healthy. You 0:13:03.809 --> 0:13:06.670 have a first-round pick in Thienemann. Stevenson, I don't think 0:13:06.690 --> 0:13:09.080 that's a long-term injury. So there's still hope that they 0:13:09.120 --> 0:13:11.300 can be a good secondary, but they're going to have 0:13:11.320 --> 0:13:13.460 to be because I don't think the rest of the defense... 0:13:13.650 --> 0:13:16.670 I never gave a scheme dream. I just forgot. And 0:13:16.700 --> 0:13:18.819 it's just kind of like, what's next level for Ben Johnson? 0:13:18.840 --> 0:13:20.740 You talked about the end. But they were third in 0:13:20.780 --> 0:13:23.300 pace last year. They were second in the league in 0:13:23.340 --> 0:13:27.000 going for it on fourth. It's improving Caleb's accuracy. Just like, 0:13:27.260 --> 0:13:29.559 what's the next step for Ben Johnson? Let's get to 0:13:29.600 --> 0:13:32.980 the ceiling and the floor as we wrap up every team. 0:13:33.740 --> 0:13:35.380 Do you think this team can make the Super Bowl? 0:13:36.240 --> 0:13:37.180 Yeah, I think so. 0:13:37.340 --> 0:13:41.040 I think their ceiling is repeat winners too, of the 0:13:41.100 --> 0:13:44.200 NFC North. That, that would be the ceiling for me. Um, 0:13:44.400 --> 0:13:47.380 I think the floor is third in the NFC North. Uh, 0:13:47.460 --> 0:13:49.740 I don't think they could have, to me, they're too 0:13:49.820 --> 0:13:52.580 well coached and too talented now in key areas and 0:13:52.620 --> 0:13:57.100 particularly loaded on offense to where they could really stumble 0:13:57.440 --> 0:14:00.469 far enough to finish last in the division. But I 0:14:00.530 --> 0:14:03.270 do think that their schedule is doing them obviously no favors. 0:14:03.290 --> 0:14:04.969 And that's one of the things that Ben Johnson was 0:14:05.030 --> 0:14:07.870 pointing to is I'm not usually like, oh, but the 0:14:07.910 --> 0:14:10.989 schedule kind of a thing before the guys actually are 0:14:11.030 --> 0:14:14.350 on the grass. But this is a tough schedule. It's 0:14:14.390 --> 0:14:16.410 the toughest schedule in terms of strength of opponent. 0:14:16.910 --> 0:14:20.240 It is a division where I'm going to pull a 0:14:20.270 --> 0:14:22.600 Jordan and say, I think the floor of every one 0:14:22.620 --> 0:14:24.830 of these teams is last in the division. I mean, 0:14:24.850 --> 0:14:26.430 which isn't even that hard to take when you see 0:14:26.470 --> 0:14:27.990 how close the division was last year. 0:14:28.010 --> 0:14:29.270 The old Rodriguez. 0:14:29.480 --> 0:14:34.220 Right. That I, I think, I think you could conceivably 0:14:34.300 --> 0:14:38.120 see any direction of this team. I don't think they're 0:14:38.500 --> 0:14:40.560 like the floor could fall out, but I think they 0:14:40.600 --> 0:14:42.560 could fall down to eight or nine wins. And maybe 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:44.490 that's last place in this division. Like an eight win 0:14:44.520 --> 0:14:47.090 team might, might come in last place. In this division. 0:14:47.290 --> 0:14:50.430 It's possible. The schedule, you're absolutely right. They could all 0:14:50.480 --> 0:14:52.980 end up clustered in the middle. Let's get to the Lions, 0:14:53.320 --> 0:14:56.780 who I think hit their four last year. They only 0:14:56.820 --> 0:15:00.510 won nine games after winning 15 the year before. How 0:15:02.610 --> 0:15:04.710 about just Dan Campbell with a chip on his shoulder? 0:15:04.750 --> 0:15:06.840 That's bringing me joy. You know, we got a little 0:15:06.880 --> 0:15:09.980 bored with the Lions on some level. Like we understand 0:15:10.000 --> 0:15:12.320 that story. It was a bummer to see them take 0:15:12.840 --> 0:15:16.400 such a big step back. He knows the Ben Johnson 0:15:16.420 --> 0:15:19.930 divorce went bad. A lot of the things we attributed 0:15:19.970 --> 0:15:23.430 to Ben Johnson, like the trick plays and the total aggression, 0:15:23.470 --> 0:15:26.270 like they cranked it up last year in Detroit. If anything, 0:15:26.290 --> 0:15:29.970 they did it more to varying degrees. you know, degrees 0:15:30.010 --> 0:15:32.960 of success, their problems were really on the defense. So 0:15:33.080 --> 0:15:37.359 I just like Goff, Campbell, this group, which has been 0:15:37.380 --> 0:15:39.340 together so long, just having a little bit of FU 0:15:39.860 --> 0:15:42.240 energy to them this year. They're no longer the darlings. 0:15:42.460 --> 0:15:45.290 Yeah, and I like having a little bit of the 0:15:45.330 --> 0:15:47.610 carrot at the end of the stick for a group 0:15:47.670 --> 0:15:49.350 like this too, where. 0:15:49.630 --> 0:15:52.660 They're not really... Of course, the goals are Super Bowl 0:15:52.740 --> 0:15:54.040 and all of these things. 0:15:54.500 --> 0:15:57.580 They're a little bit more battle-scarred, and I think the 0:15:57.620 --> 0:16:01.610 goal for them isn't just winning more, but also respect 0:16:02.110 --> 0:16:03.160 and making sure.. 0:16:03.110 --> 0:16:03.910 They've seen some things. 0:16:04.150 --> 0:16:04.850 They've seen some things. 0:16:04.870 --> 0:16:05.750 They've had some heartbreak. 0:16:05.810 --> 0:16:06.850 They've seen some things. 0:16:07.430 --> 0:16:11.720 And Dan Campbell has really felt the, what did he say... 0:16:12.370 --> 0:16:14.410 it was a Nietzsche reference. First, you must burn to 0:16:14.610 --> 0:16:18.690 ash and walk through the other side. And I was like, Oh, 0:16:18.870 --> 0:16:20.890 so he's really going through some stuff. 0:16:21.010 --> 0:16:23.850 He's an emotional guy. And it means so much to him. 0:16:24.430 --> 0:16:27.460 It reminds me a little of what you documented so 0:16:27.480 --> 0:16:29.480 well with Sean McVay back a few years. Like if, 0:16:29.630 --> 0:16:32.239 if they struggle, like he, he's going to feel it, 0:16:32.320 --> 0:16:34.580 but I don't think they necessarily will. What's bringing you joy? 0:16:34.640 --> 0:16:36.740 Well, you kind of mentioned it. They're a feel your 0:16:36.760 --> 0:16:39.740 feelings team. And I love that. I love when we 0:16:39.780 --> 0:16:43.970 get these rare, uh, hard on their sleeves type of 0:16:44.610 --> 0:16:47.250 organizations and efforts. And I think that's what the Detroit 0:16:47.290 --> 0:16:50.650 Lions is. it's part of how they captivated the country 0:16:50.830 --> 0:16:53.590 as much as they did early on in the Dan Campbell, 0:16:53.610 --> 0:16:56.550 Brad Holmes era. And I think they still are that 0:16:56.650 --> 0:16:58.790 team and they still are capable of these things. And 0:16:58.840 --> 0:17:01.040 I like the idea of being a big feel your 0:17:01.080 --> 0:17:04.580 feelings group without having the weight and the heaviness of 0:17:04.660 --> 0:17:08.600 expectations on them and the looming specter of what had 0:17:08.640 --> 0:17:10.080 just happened to them the year before. 0:17:10.180 --> 0:17:12.080 And they weren't as bad last year as people think 0:17:12.100 --> 0:17:14.500 when you dig, like they could have easily been an 0:17:14.500 --> 0:17:18.230 11 win type of team. Let's go to the most 0:17:18.290 --> 0:17:22.130 important non-quarterback. To me, I had two offensive options because 0:17:22.150 --> 0:17:26.870 ultimately I think it's an offensive team. Do you have 0:17:27.020 --> 0:17:30.060 either Blake Miller or Sam Laporta as one of your picks? 0:17:30.119 --> 0:17:30.740 No, I do not. 0:17:31.359 --> 0:17:34.100 But I see you, Blake Miller or Sam Laporta, and 0:17:34.140 --> 0:17:38.830 I raise you, Hank Fraley. the offensive line coach. It's 0:17:38.890 --> 0:17:40.770 not really cheating. You said we could, you said we 0:17:40.810 --> 0:17:42.010 could pick. So I went over. 0:17:42.070 --> 0:17:44.470 I've done like an offensive line coach in the past. 0:17:44.650 --> 0:17:47.970 I'm going, I'm going overarching because I think that we 0:17:48.010 --> 0:17:50.270 know we don't even have to say it at this point. 0:17:50.470 --> 0:17:52.110 It's like, we are, we all know this, but just 0:17:52.150 --> 0:17:53.830 to repeat it, Jared Goff is one of the best 0:17:53.869 --> 0:17:55.780 passers in the NFL when he's not pressured, when he 0:17:55.840 --> 0:17:58.260 is pressured, it falls off a cliff. So I feel like, 0:17:58.340 --> 0:18:00.619 first of all, this, this offensive line, the way that 0:18:00.640 --> 0:18:02.720 it is with Panay Sewell moving back over to the 0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:06.090 left side, Blake Miller, the rookie playing on the right side, 0:18:06.410 --> 0:18:09.250 obviously he's one of your most important players. And then 0:18:09.550 --> 0:18:12.909 making sure that juice Scruggs, who seems to be the 0:18:12.970 --> 0:18:17.220 lead off option at center here, um, because Cade Mays 0:18:17.260 --> 0:18:19.139 is already hurt and is not expected to be back 0:18:19.200 --> 0:18:22.280 until maybe October, if not a little bit later, that 0:18:22.320 --> 0:18:25.700 was their big free agent signing, um, to replace Frank 0:18:25.740 --> 0:18:28.060 Ragnow after Frank Ragnow retired. So like a lot has 0:18:28.100 --> 0:18:31.060 happened to this group, um, over the last several months, 0:18:31.240 --> 0:18:34.460 and they were below expectation of what we're used to 0:18:34.500 --> 0:18:37.780 seeing from them last season. And so Hank Fraley coming 0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:40.919 into this role, but then also doing some of the 0:18:40.960 --> 0:18:44.440 run game coordination as well. All of this is so, so, 0:18:44.480 --> 0:18:47.090 so important because when this team runs the ball well, 0:18:47.430 --> 0:18:50.350 and when it protects Jared Goff, they are damn hard 0:18:50.369 --> 0:18:50.750 to stop. 0:18:51.290 --> 0:18:53.830 Blake Miller, you mentioned, was the first round pick. He's 0:18:53.850 --> 0:18:56.850 going to play right tackle. If he's a solid starter 0:18:57.590 --> 0:19:00.380 and Sewell... takes to the transition well. I mean, that's 0:19:00.420 --> 0:19:03.639 a great way to start your offensive line. And the 0:19:03.840 --> 0:19:06.540 optimist case would be the offensive line wasn't that good 0:19:06.800 --> 0:19:10.330