Speaker 1: The Around the NFL podcast is ready for a season eleven.
Speaker 2: Whoa from the Chris Westling podcast studio. It's Around the NFL.
Speaker 2: My name is Dan Handsis I got heroes here? Greg Rosenthal,
Speaker 2: Mark Sessler? Yes, uh, Season eleven of Around the NFL.
Speaker 2: It really does feel like football is back now, finally, Greg.
Speaker 3: Rosen, football is back.
Speaker 4: We don't have to sleep again before seeing that game,
Speaker 4: and it's exciting. It felt like Christmas morning.
Speaker 5: When I go back and look at some of the
Speaker 5: early years that we did this show, we look like
Speaker 5: children compared to the way we look today.
Speaker 3: We have aged.
Speaker 4: Yeah, we are now old enough that my child woke
Speaker 4: up this morning and was acting like it was Christmas morning,
Speaker 4: excited for this game.
Speaker 1: You've trained that child, well.
Speaker 3: I haven't. He makes all of his own decisions. It's
Speaker 3: like the father of Todd Marian. If anything, he pushes back.
Speaker 2: Yes, this is a new world for Around the NFL.
Speaker 2: We have the launch of our NFL Plus partnership. The
Speaker 2: first episode is up later today Thursday. Also, you have
Speaker 2: our preview show here where we preview all of the
Speaker 2: non prime time games that's coming up right now and
Speaker 2: then later tonight in your feed you'll get yes, our
Speaker 2: reaction to the kickoff opener between the Chiefs and Lions.
Speaker 2: So a lot of ATM goodness coming your way.
Speaker 1: Try to keep up. That's all we can say.
Speaker 3: It's our biggest season by far, content wise.
Speaker 1: Love it, Love it.
Speaker 2: That reminds me we got to come up with some
Speaker 2: new catchphrases to the NFL. We always like to help
Speaker 2: them out. Send some things up to Park Avenue.
Speaker 5: Yeah, you've come up with some absolute advertising gems in
Speaker 5: the past.
Speaker 2: They never take them though, they don't all right. Well,
Speaker 2: that's something I'm gonna work on. All right, So we
Speaker 2: got much to get to because there are.
Speaker 1: Thirty two Thames three prime time games?
Speaker 3: Did those Wednesday three.
Speaker 1: Three times? That means thirteen games to talk about. Greg.
Speaker 2: I hate to say it because it eats me up,
Speaker 2: but you are the defending LOCKS champion, which means you
Speaker 2: get the first overall pick. It is the ATM Game
Speaker 2: of the Week presented by Draft Kings.
Speaker 4: It's all yours and a lot of places. I could
Speaker 4: go here, Where.
Speaker 3: Is he gonna go?
Speaker 2: I know, I know you really, I'm I'm nervous because
Speaker 2: I got the second pick and I was kind of
Speaker 2: torn asunder if he picks what I think he's gonna
Speaker 2: pick here.
Speaker 4: I think you want me to take a certain game,
Speaker 4: but I'm not gonna take it. I want to start
Speaker 4: my week in the hands of the best, and that's
Speaker 4: Tony Romo and that's Jim Nance, and they're calling Eagles
Speaker 4: Patriots in the afternoon. I just feel like that's the
Speaker 4: way for me to start my season, start my week.
Speaker 4: Eagles favored by four in this game, which sounds about right.
Speaker 4: But I think the new England Patriots defense on some
Speaker 4: level is a great first test for this Philadelphia Eagles
Speaker 4: offense because they're built to stop the run, and the
Speaker 4: Eagles showed us last year they can beat you any
Speaker 4: different kind of way. But the reason that Bill Belichick
Speaker 4: has been building up this defense as he has for
Speaker 4: the last three or four years, and he's sort of
Speaker 4: mentioned that the whole franchise reset after Brady left, and
Speaker 4: they've been building this team up, and you look at
Speaker 4: it now and suddenly I think he has the defense
Speaker 4: that he wants at all three levels, and they can
Speaker 4: shape shift depending on the week, and they have a
Speaker 4: really strong looking front that I believe can limit what
Speaker 4: the Eagles want to do on the ground, and then
Speaker 4: that leaves aj Brown and Devonte Smith on the outside
Speaker 4: in one on one matchups. That sure, the Eagles are
Speaker 4: gonna feel great against Christian Gonzales, against Jack Jones, against
Speaker 4: Jonathan Jones now back in his natural position in the slot.
Speaker 4: But I do think if you lined up all the
Speaker 4: defenses in the NFL, there's only a couple that are
Speaker 4: more talented in better coach than the Patriots, I'd put
Speaker 4: them there in the top five. And I think this
Speaker 4: is a very tough first test if you own some
Speaker 4: fantasy players on the Eagles, if you're thinking about going
Speaker 4: over on this total all that sort of nonsense. I
Speaker 4: think this Patriots defense is gonna make the Eagles fans
Speaker 4: sweat on Sunday afternoon.
Speaker 5: It's a yeah, It's a super intriguing matchup for that reason.
Speaker 5: I do go back, though, and look at one area
Speaker 5: that the Patriots struggled with a year ago was against
Speaker 5: running quarterbacks. They always have right and like Lamar Jackson
Speaker 5: had one hundred and seven yards against them justin fields
Speaker 5: and that Monday night game fried them for eighty plus.
Speaker 5: And now you're dealing with Jalen Hurts, who is maybe
Speaker 5: the best running quarterback in the league right now.
Speaker 3: So that's the challenge right there, is like I.
Speaker 5: Don't really see an Eagles team that comes out with
Speaker 5: any defined weaknesses or vast changes from a year ago.
Speaker 5: Like I feel like this is the team that can
Speaker 5: pick up where they left off. And so then it's
Speaker 5: up to New England with a vanilla offense that doesn't
Speaker 5: scare me in any way. I think that's the that
Speaker 5: was last year, but they weren't a very good team
Speaker 5: last year.
Speaker 4: Bill O'Brien has a lot of things. He's not a
Speaker 4: vanilla play caller. I don't know if this is gonna work,
Speaker 4: but he's a pretty creative play caller. Yes, well, you
Speaker 4: think that Patrio's gonna win this, and you know you
Speaker 4: don't like it. Is this the pick that I, by
Speaker 4: the way, don't let know what.
Speaker 1: I don't.
Speaker 2: Feel like we should overlook because what you're saying on
Speaker 2: the surface is right mark that you look at the
Speaker 2: Eagles and they look flawless.
Speaker 1: They look impeccable. But that happens all the time.
Speaker 2: Like we look at a team that that kick butt
Speaker 2: last year and it all came together and then you
Speaker 2: just assume it's going to happen again. I'm excited to
Speaker 2: see what version of the Eagles we get. If this
Speaker 2: is going to be the same juggernaut. I think they're
Speaker 2: gonna be very good. But I like this as a
Speaker 2: test that Belichick has had all summer to scheme here
Speaker 2: and figure out ways to slow down Jalen Hurts and
Speaker 2: we'll see if he can. The other side of it
Speaker 2: that I'm excited to see is finally because you guys know,
Speaker 2: I loathe the preseason, so I don't take anything out
Speaker 2: of what Mac Jones did in those games. What I
Speaker 2: want to see is how he looks now with this
Speaker 2: fresh start, and the Eagles is a great test. So
Speaker 2: it's like, I know you have some stock greg in
Speaker 2: Jones having a bounce back year if he plays very
Speaker 2: well in.
Speaker 1: This game and last year it was last year.
Speaker 2: Sure, I'm not gonna put it in the same way
Speaker 2: I look at like Trevor Lawrence's first year. I'm not
Speaker 2: gonna give Mac Jones a total pass for last year
Speaker 2: because I think he could have done some things better himself,
Speaker 2: both in terms of as a player and some maturity
Speaker 2: level and some things he was doing on the sidelines
Speaker 2: and speaking to people who shouldn't been speaking to and
Speaker 2: all that. But if he plays well in this game
Speaker 2: and they, let's say they shocked the Eagles at home,
Speaker 2: like all this talk in the summer about the AFC
Speaker 2: East and the Patriots not even being part of the conversation,
Speaker 2: everything flips and Pats fans like you, Gregor are gonna
Speaker 2: be on fire.
Speaker 4: They sort of have to because their schedules so difficult
Speaker 4: off the jump that if they don't pull off a
Speaker 4: big upset in the first few weeks. I mean, they
Speaker 4: do have Miami next week, and then they're at the
Speaker 4: Jets at the Cowboys. Man, those are four really dangerous defenses.
Speaker 4: If mac Jones looks average in those games, or even
Speaker 4: better than average, then we will know he's back. It's
Speaker 4: a time for a reset. And I just think the
Speaker 4: things he showed as a rookie where he was a
Speaker 4: really good rookie NFL quarterback. If you line up all
Speaker 4: the rookie seasons we've seen for guys who played most
Speaker 4: of the year, he was way above average. And I
Speaker 4: think he showed a lot of traits timing, accuracy, decision
Speaker 4: making that should translate. I'm just worried he's gonna get
Speaker 4: crunched thet They put Riley Reef on injured reserve this week.
Speaker 4: I don't know who's playing right tackle. They say it
Speaker 4: might be Calvin Anderson, who's the definition of a journeyman
Speaker 4: and has been hurt and hasn't taken any snaps. They're
Speaker 4: gonna be rotating in a late round rookie. Like Their
Speaker 4: offensive line was a mess in the preseason, so that
Speaker 4: really worries me against this Eagles pass rush, who also
Speaker 4: has a new coordinator Sean to si and and could
Speaker 4: be cooking up some new schemes. I think there's a
Speaker 4: lot of unpredictability here with the Eagles, just in terms
Speaker 4: of their scheme that they'll throw out week one, because
Speaker 4: they have new play games.
Speaker 5: You do up two new coordinators. The offensive coordinator has
Speaker 5: known Jaalen Hurts for ages like there. I mean, he
Speaker 5: was his QB coach a year ago and has known
Speaker 5: him since he was young. So I think that transition
Speaker 5: will be smooth. I think in general, I think the
Speaker 5: transition for the Eagles will be smooth. I'm like looking
Speaker 5: at James Bradberry and Darius Slay and their ability against
Speaker 5: a pretty low octane collection of weapons for New England
Speaker 5: that could unleas the pass rush. It's like, this is
Speaker 5: not an easy matchup for mac Jones at all, and
Speaker 5: I don't think it's really It'll be a litmus test,
Speaker 5: and I think he's gonna have a bounce back season,
Speaker 5: but this is a tough one out of the gate.
Speaker 3: And I don't know.
Speaker 5: Just because Tom Brady's gonna be their pre game being celebrated,
Speaker 5: is that enough emotionally to lift his team.
Speaker 3: I don't think so.
Speaker 4: Yes, you don't lose with Tom with number twelve, he's
Speaker 4: not playing. He's gonna gonna inspire them. That's what they
Speaker 4: need to get ready for those stories if they win
Speaker 4: that Tom Brady is if they're doing pregames not half presents,
Speaker 4: I don't even know they're honoring him. Good, good point.
Speaker 4: I don't really know when they're honoring him, but it's.
Speaker 2: That matters to me if they pre game honor him.
Speaker 2: I'm all over the Patriots on this one. If it's
Speaker 2: a half time, it's already gonna be two las, they're
Speaker 2: gonna be down three scores.
Speaker 3: I think you got to have a raucous pregame fest
Speaker 3: that actually might.
Speaker 2: Tell you where the Patriots think if they're too noivous
Speaker 2: that they're getting their doors blown off and then bring
Speaker 2: out to all me at halftime.
Speaker 3: I've got an answer.
Speaker 1: Okay, what is it?
Speaker 4: He is going to address the crowd during a halftime ceremony.
Speaker 3: That's worrisome. I guess give me the Eagles.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I would rather go play. Don't you just want
Speaker 5: to fire in the place up pregame?
Speaker 3: I think he should be fired up. It's week one.
Speaker 1: Eagles are good. Though this is a battle tested, loaded roster.
Speaker 3: They are good.
Speaker 2: They could they could just as easily. It's a lot
Speaker 2: of it. It's you know, it's bell check respect. It's
Speaker 2: like there's a there's another world where this is forty
Speaker 2: to ten and then sky.
Speaker 4: Okay, I'm just saying, if you line up the front
Speaker 4: for the Eagles, everyone knows how deep their front is.
Speaker 4: You got Detrich Wise has been there for what six
Speaker 4: years now, Larry Guy, Matthew, Judon, Devon, Godshow, Keon White guys.
Speaker 4: Because as a rookie Guy Och Barmore, I would take
Speaker 4: the Patriots front.
Speaker 3: I take them good for you?
Speaker 1: I like it. So you got that juice, you know?
Speaker 1: I like that. Greg. We need I need that fan.
Speaker 3: I mean, they're the underhill here in this room.
Speaker 6: That was the game of the week presented by Draft
Speaker 6: King sports Book. New customers can bet us five dollars
Speaker 6: and get two hundred in bonus bets. Instantly download the
Speaker 6: Draft King sports app and use code atn that's code
Speaker 6: ATN only a Draft King sports Book. Draft King sports
Speaker 6: Book an official sports betting partner of the NFL.
Speaker 2: All right, pick two, easy one for me, And I'm
Speaker 2: very happy it's here. And it's no disrespect to you, Mark,
Speaker 2: because I know it's one of your favorite teams, the
Speaker 2: Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaker 3: No way that I was last into three.
Speaker 2: The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the San Francisco forteen nine
Speaker 2: Ers at Hinesfield or whatever.
Speaker 1: It is now.
Speaker 2: The Niners are laying two points. It's minus two. That
Speaker 2: seems like a lot of respect for the Steelers, And
Speaker 2: I think it's been a very very optimistic time around
Speaker 2: Pittsburgh because they kind of overperformed compared to expectations down
Speaker 2: the stretch last year to get people juiced up. And then,
Speaker 2: of course we talked about it a lot on this podcast.
Speaker 2: They looked really good the reports out of Pittsburgh Latrobe.
Speaker 3: Yeah, one of the few teams that still goes.
Speaker 2: Away were excellent, and then the preseason played by the
Speaker 2: first team offense, they kind of cooked up whoever they
Speaker 2: were up again. So the idea here is that Pittsburgh
Speaker 2: is in a nice spot. But you know what, San
Speaker 2: Francisco forty nine ers, they are another team I'm very
Speaker 2: intrigued to see here, and it starts with Rock Purdy
Speaker 2: because you can when you're starting quarterback who's a seventh
Speaker 2: round pick, mister irrelevant blows out his elbow in the
Speaker 2: NFC title game and he's back in Week one, you
Speaker 2: could do a lot of flowery talk about, oh, he's
Speaker 2: on schedule, he's ahead of schedule, he's practicing with the team.
Speaker 2: But guess what, they're also protecting him a lot throughout
Speaker 2: the summer. They probably have him on a pitch count.
Speaker 2: But once you get to the real stuff, once you
Speaker 2: get to Pittsburgh in a game that counts now, people
Speaker 2: are gonna be trying to hurt him. People are gonna
Speaker 2: be trying to hit him. People are gonna be smacking
Speaker 2: that elbow. How will Brock Purdy look And if he
Speaker 2: doesn't respond physically, Sam Donald's waiting in the wings.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think like Brock Purdy to me is obviously
Speaker 5: one of the mysterious figures heading into the season because
Speaker 5: we do have a period in time where Jimmy Garoppolo
Speaker 5: came in in a Kyle Shanahan offense in his first
Speaker 5: five or six games and looked like a god. And
Speaker 5: then you went into the next season thinking like does
Speaker 5: this just translate with this relatively inexperienced former backup and
Speaker 5: it didn't. I mean, Jimmy Garoppolo was more than competent
Speaker 5: in that offense, but that's sample size. He never duplicated
Speaker 5: in what Brock Party. His one hundred and nineteen passer
Speaker 5: rating was the second highest among qbs in the first
Speaker 5: five starts in the Super Bowl era. You're behind only
Speaker 5: Kurt Warner. So it's like he was off the charts
Speaker 5: and he looked incredible, and it's like, does that translate?
Speaker 5: I tend to think just because of the player he
Speaker 5: is from the neck up and the way that he
Speaker 5: dealt with incredible pressure and took over a locker room
Speaker 5: last year, that I think this does translate With Rock Party.
Speaker 5: You got George Kittle is returned to return to practice
Speaker 5: this week, and you've got Nick Bosa back.
Speaker 3: I think these are huge X factors for the night.
Speaker 4: Yeah, the largest guaranteed money for defensive player, you know,
Speaker 4: the largest total value for defense. But this is what
Speaker 4: happens if you sign, if you're the next guy to
Speaker 4: sign a contract and you're at the level of Nick Bosa,
Speaker 4: defensive player of the year type of guy, then you
Speaker 4: get the biggest contract. And he waited it out and
Speaker 4: he got max money. I'm curious to see how much
Speaker 4: they're going to play them this week. It always, you know,
Speaker 4: makes me wonder, like how important is training camp really
Speaker 4: when these guys sign for a week before the season
Speaker 4: and then they come out and they're awesome in Week one.
Speaker 4: I would guess over under snap count forty maybe like
Speaker 4: two thirds of his his normal to make an impact,
Speaker 4: but twenty, But I could be wrong. They could just
Speaker 4: play them a whole, a whole slew and slew of
Speaker 4: snaps and a full compliment.
Speaker 3: That was the word I was really looking at.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I just wonder all this talk about the Steelers,
Speaker 4: like the one fly in the ointment is their offensive line.
Speaker 4: I think it does look better on paper. I think
Speaker 4: they're going to be improved. But Bosa Javon kin Law
Speaker 4: getting some pop in terms of how he's looked. Javon Hargrave,
Speaker 4: you bring it in the offseason. Armstead Drake Jackson's a very
Speaker 4: promising second year rusher. What a test for Pittsburgh right
Speaker 4: off the bat to try to protect picking two second
Speaker 4: year quarterbacks like who you got long term Danny Pickett.
Speaker 2: That's very hard, That's very difficult because in both cases,
Speaker 2: Pickett was excellent in the last eight games. As a team,
Speaker 2: they were excellent the Steelers in the last eight games.
Speaker 2: But his numbers. I think this gets forgotten a little bit.
Speaker 2: We just imagine because I know he had a primetime
Speaker 2: game or it was a Saturday game, Saturday night game
Speaker 2: maybe where he played really well and they have this
Speaker 2: nice victory in those last eight games. Six point four
Speaker 2: yards per attempt passer rating of eighty four.
Speaker 1: He threw.
Speaker 2: He threw five touchdowns in the last eight games and
Speaker 2: now only one interception. So he was careful at the ball.
Speaker 2: But this wasn't a guy that was lighting up teams. No,
Speaker 2: I mean, but my point is like and Purty Purty
Speaker 2: was a consistent He was a rock down the stretch
Speaker 2: and it was like every game it was like two touchdowns,
Speaker 2: two touchdowns, two touchdowns, mistake free for mistake free football.
Speaker 2: So right now, give me Purdy and a battle of
Speaker 2: two small sample sizes, but mostly because of the offense's
Speaker 2: in and the coach that he has.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean he had Christian McCaffrey around them, Deebo, Samuel,
Speaker 5: George Kittle, I mean in a quality offensive line. Pickett,
Speaker 5: I mean is an unfinished product too. But the one
Speaker 5: thing I like is the accuracy. I think what we've
Speaker 5: had a larger sample size in the preseason. I think
Speaker 5: that is one area where the preseason matters. Like Pickett
Speaker 5: is growing with this young offense, and I think a
Speaker 5: year ago when he came in, he showed an ability
Speaker 5: to work the team out of jams, like they weren't
Speaker 5: blowing teams away, but he had a comeback element to
Speaker 5: his game. And I think you see someone like George Pickens,
Speaker 5: like you have Najee Harris, Jalen Warren, Calvin Austin, who's
Speaker 5: an interesting he's their punt return. I mean, just like
Speaker 5: there's a lot of young players. This is a young offense,
Speaker 5: and I think the offensive line will be better and
Speaker 5: I think that Pickett's the kind of guy that has
Speaker 5: already showed us that there's another element to his game,
Speaker 5: and he's a candidate to make a leap.
Speaker 3: You must have him winning this game. I mean, you're
Speaker 3: all in on the Steelers.
Speaker 5: This is this is a tough I do and I
Speaker 5: think this is a This reminds me of Eagles Patriots
Speaker 5: because this is a tough drawl for both teams out
Speaker 5: of the gate.
Speaker 2: Well, if you have him, if you have him as
Speaker 2: like a twelve win team, they have to win some
Speaker 2: of these big time matchups.
Speaker 5: Because it's in Pittsburgh. You know, you got a West team,
Speaker 5: West Coast team traveling.
Speaker 3: You're locking this up.
Speaker 5: No, these are the mental games that I felt for
Speaker 5: in the past, and I will not this time.
Speaker 1: I I, uh, but you're picking Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3: I'll pick Pittsburgh to win in a very tight game.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think two points sound sounds right to me.
Speaker 4: This should be just about a pick. This is the
Speaker 4: right time of year to face the forty nine ers.
Speaker 4: I don't know if you guys remember way back in
Speaker 4: twenty seventeen, how that Kyle Shanahan era started with about
Speaker 4: nine straight lasses and ever since then they've been really poor.
Speaker 4: Coming out of the gates year after other than that
Speaker 4: one thirteen and three year where they were just great
Speaker 4: throughout last three years, three and four to start.
Speaker 3: Last season, remember that, not really, I don't.
Speaker 4: Know, really, you don't remember that they were like in
Speaker 4: the middle.
Speaker 1: Was that Lance's quarterback or for games?
Speaker 3: For two games?
Speaker 1: Okay, it totally different.
Speaker 3: You were ten in the monsoon, but they were one
Speaker 3: and one.
Speaker 1: I got right, yeah, three out it we're back now.
Speaker 4: Three and three the year before that, and three and
Speaker 4: four the year before that. So they've been you know,
Speaker 4: very just average getting out of the gates under like seven.
Speaker 1: Now, yeah, our division has changed to mark, you have
Speaker 1: two in a row? What's your first pick?
Speaker 3: All right?
Speaker 5: Well, uh, I think that the juiciness of these contests
Speaker 5: does certainly fall off a little bit after the two
Speaker 5: games you picked. But I am personally, as you know,
Speaker 5: very wed to the concept of what the Atlanta Falcons
Speaker 5: can be. Yeah, so I'm going Carolina with Bryce Young
Speaker 5: at Atlanta Atlanta minus three point five. I think the
Speaker 5: Falcons are is it really though?
Speaker 3: I mean, look at the rest of the board. When
Speaker 3: Chris Meyers goes third overall.
Speaker 5: I am not no matter what you know that the
Speaker 5: announcing the announcing team does not is not the.
Speaker 1: Reason couple still on the board here.
Speaker 5: But but I I'm going with what fascinates me, and
Speaker 5: I think that I think this. I think by week
Speaker 5: five or six, the Falcons, if they are what I
Speaker 5: think they are, are going to be a consistent high
Speaker 5: pick in these drafts because I think they're one of
Speaker 5: the stories of the NFC.
Speaker 3: And I don't know, because me and you are in
Speaker 3: these drafts, so you're.
Speaker 2: That was actually really funny because Mark was actually looking
Speaker 2: at Greg saying that I think by week six they're
Speaker 2: gonna be really good, Like, please, let's go into our
Speaker 2: little Falcons world and rise up together.
Speaker 5: I don't I don't think that it's even let me
Speaker 5: say this, Yeah, after all this summer to talk, you
Speaker 5: better take care of business at home against the number
Speaker 5: one absolutely.
Speaker 1: A rookie quarterback with really not a lot around them.
Speaker 2: The Panthers clearly in a place where they're figuring things out,
Speaker 2: and that's okay.
Speaker 1: Win the damn game. They will go. Want to know here,
Speaker 1: they will.
Speaker 3: If there's anything I'm most concerned about for Carolina's.
Speaker 2: I'm going to be a jerk on Sunday night. If
Speaker 2: the Falcons don't show up in this game.
Speaker 3: Well we will be a jerk on Monday night at
Speaker 3: the Jets don't show.
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's fine, that's fine. Okay.
Speaker 5: The Falcons already started doing last year what it is
Speaker 5: they want to do this year. They had four games
Speaker 5: of two hundred plus yards on the ground and a
Speaker 5: bunch over like one hundred and fifty on underd and
Speaker 5: sixty where they just started running through people. And I
Speaker 5: think that this isn't a reach in terms of concept.
Speaker 5: Arthur Smith has already shown an ability to run this offense.
Speaker 5: You add Bejon Robinson to the situation. Kyle Pitts is back.
Speaker 5: I think Drake London is a is a future star
Speaker 5: at wide receiver. It all comes down to Desmond Ridder.
Speaker 5: I get it, but I don't think Desmond Ridder is
Speaker 5: I don't think he needs to be the absolute beating
Speaker 5: heart centerpiece of what they're trying to do on offense.
Speaker 1: Now, I tell that to be don't be a liability.
Speaker 1: I suit.
Speaker 5: I think if you go and look at you know,
Speaker 5: he got put into a tough situation post Mariota last season,
Speaker 5: but he had a couple quarters and a couple of
Speaker 5: games where you started to see that. I can see
Speaker 5: why the team believes in them, why they didn't go
Speaker 5: trade for Ryan Tannehill. We'll find out in real games
Speaker 5: if you can do it. I think this Carolina front
Speaker 5: seven is the kind of front seven someone like Derek
Speaker 5: Brown could be a difference maker in terms of stopping
Speaker 5: the run, making a difference. I don't know where we
Speaker 5: are with Brian Burns. He's sort of doing a hold
Speaker 5: in city situation and.
Speaker 4: But now he's back again. He's back, but I think
Speaker 4: he's bad.
Speaker 5: They're calling it sort of a day by day in
Speaker 5: terms of how much work he gets. I just I
Speaker 5: think this is I think Bryce Young is going to
Speaker 5: have a bit of a tough scenario out of the game.
Speaker 1: I mean, they need that.
Speaker 2: Brian Burns no is also the reason he's doing this,
Speaker 2: which I don't like the move, and I understand, go
Speaker 2: get paid. I get it, but this this late It
Speaker 2: reminds me when Summer Slam ninety one, where Ultimate Warrior
Speaker 2: told the Vince McMahon the day before the big tag
Speaker 2: team bout of Hogan and Warrior against Colonel Mustafa and
Speaker 2: Sergeant Slaughter is very Gulf war heavy Warrior goes, if
Speaker 2: you don't give me like one hundred percent raise, I'm
Speaker 2: not going to show up at the at the venue.
Speaker 2: And Vince is like, all right, we'll give you your raise,
Speaker 2: And he showed up at the venue. He wrestled and
Speaker 2: then Vince fired his ass as soon as the matress over.
Speaker 2: I'm not saying the Panthers.
Speaker 1: Should do that, but he's He's now in a weird move.
Speaker 1: He's doing an ultimate warrior move. But you never never
Speaker 1: go full warrior.
Speaker 2: He had twelve and a half sacks, twenty two QB hits,
Speaker 2: seven teen tackles for loss last year, all career highs.
Speaker 2: Nor other Panthers player had more than seven sacks last year.
Speaker 2: So they need him to give that push and to
Speaker 2: make a young quarterback like Desmond Ridder uncomfortable.
Speaker 4: Well, he's also coming off a fractured ankle. He's very
Speaker 4: high on my twenty twenty four free agents list. He's
Speaker 4: a guy who was part of one of the most
Speaker 4: shocking near trades in NFL history in terms of being
Speaker 4: turned down when the Panthers, this is malpractice, turned down
Speaker 4: multiple rams first round picks for Brian Burns. Do you
Speaker 4: know how good the car. I know Brian Burns is
Speaker 4: a great player. Do you know how good the Panthers
Speaker 4: would feel right now to own the next two Rams
Speaker 4: first round picks and Bryce Young?
Speaker 1: Those could be top ten ts.
Speaker 4: That is, that was a terrible trade offer, and it
Speaker 4: was even worse, and it was because I think there
Speaker 4: was a vacuum of power and ownership got involved. I
Speaker 4: am a little worried that they are affront that could
Speaker 4: slow down Atlanta compare to other teams. You mentioned Brown
Speaker 4: and Burns and Justin Houston's there now, and they're somewhat familiar.
Speaker 4: It's a new defensive coordinator at zero. Ever, we'll see though,
Speaker 4: because that defense usually kind of invites you to run.
Speaker 4: They won't against Atlanta. But they are a defense that's
Speaker 4: trying to prevent the big play. But I just think
Speaker 4: this isn't Bijon and Arthur Smith in your one. It's
Speaker 4: Bijon in year one and Arthur Smith in this offensive
Speaker 4: line in year three. And you said they can't lose
Speaker 4: this game, and they're not gonna because over here on
Speaker 4: Falcons Corner, I'm locking up the Falcons let go.
Speaker 1: I like it. That's a good lock.
Speaker 2: And again, even though I get a little bit annoyed
Speaker 2: because there's so much guessing up. I like the Falcons too.
Speaker 2: I like their chances to be competitive a hang and
Speaker 2: maybe even win this division.
Speaker 1: So I think that's a I think it's a good lock.
Speaker 2: And just for when I say I'm gonna be a jerk,
Speaker 2: it's gonna be like you get the Panthers aren't a
Speaker 2: very good football team. Now, you could be a jerk
Speaker 2: to me if the Bills stop the Jets. But it's
Speaker 2: the Bills, Okay, that's a that's a monster you are.
Speaker 3: We're being childish toy that we're gonna cut on the jem.
Speaker 1: I'm just saying it's not.
Speaker 2: It's more with My point is like time, if we
Speaker 2: agree that the Falcons, it's time to take the next step,
Speaker 2: you gotta win. Here's a nice yes, it's not a
Speaker 2: platter for you to get your season going in a
Speaker 2: good way.
Speaker 3: I don't think anyone would would disagree with your concept.
Speaker 4: And I one quick thing is just I do think
Speaker 4: this is a nice first game for Bryce Young. I
Speaker 4: do buy the idea that Frank Reich was not showing
Speaker 4: anything in the preseason, and I saw some nice anticipation,
Speaker 4: but Young. And the reason I think it's a nice
Speaker 4: first matchup is I'll believe the Falcons pass rush when
Speaker 4: I see it. They haven't had one in about fifteen
Speaker 4: years since they're John Abraham. I mean, so they they
Speaker 4: got an okay offensive line. Probably might be bad, but
Speaker 4: if they're ever gonna look good, it's this week. And
Speaker 4: Bryce Young and Frank Reich, like I think this is
Speaker 4: a good first matchup for Young to get his feet with.
Speaker 2: All Right, we're three games in. Let's take a break
Speaker 2: and we'll continue to hit Week one preview.
Speaker 1: All Right, we're back.
Speaker 3: I love it.
Speaker 1: We are right.
Speaker 2: Give me some of that music, Give me some of
Speaker 2: that skittles, Sam Spence, we are back. Baby Up as
Speaker 2: she rises one of the classics.
Speaker 1: You know, from the NFL film's music half.
Speaker 4: An anthem fitting after the rise up of the Atlanta Falcons.
Speaker 1: He just could happen, certainly within the range of outcomes
Speaker 1: this season.
Speaker 7: But just as we went from a dance speech and
Speaker 7: we gotta hit five minutes per game to a minute
Speaker 7: of total silence as Dan conduct the air.
Speaker 2: This is what matters up. She rises, up as she rises.
Speaker 2: You know what rises in the twenty twenty three season.
Speaker 1: Coming up. Pick four snakes back to you.
Speaker 3: I want to say one thing.
Speaker 5: I remember when we spoke with fabulous play by play
Speaker 5: man Kevin Hardin that he told us on the mornings
Speaker 5: before he announced games, he'd sit in his hotel room
Speaker 5: in his bedclothing, listening to NFL films blasting off of.
Speaker 1: I love that man.
Speaker 3: He's a great guy and you can see it in
Speaker 3: his production.
Speaker 2: Tradition with whenever my father or my brother comes to
Speaker 2: the Super Bowl, I'll be out working, we're doing the podcast.
Speaker 2: I will set in the hotel room and I'll leave
Speaker 2: a key for him downstairs. I'll have the Sam Spence
Speaker 2: playlist on repeat so they come into the room to Spence.
Speaker 2: I mean, that's that's the power of that music in
Speaker 2: our great sport.
Speaker 5: All right, I'm gonna pick a match up that hearkens
Speaker 5: back to those old days of NFL glory. The Green
Speaker 5: Bay Packers at the Chicago Bears Bears minus one Bears
Speaker 5: have lost good pick I like this, Yeah, you know what,
Speaker 5: you know what's different. I would have avoided this matchup
Speaker 5: for years on ends because the Packers, to me and
Speaker 5: the Bears were a lost cause. But the Packers were
Speaker 5: sort of the same story over and over, and I
Speaker 5: think this is the time. This is the year where
Speaker 5: Green Bay with Jordan Love, with an incredibly young, fascinating
Speaker 5: group of offensive players, is completely different and new to me.
Speaker 3: And I'm intrigued.
Speaker 5: And it has to do with the Bears too, because
Speaker 5: I think we've talked about it all offseason and there's
Speaker 5: been a bit of assumption that Justin Field is just
Speaker 5: going to do what Jalen Hurts did and develop like that.
Speaker 5: We don't know that at all, but he certainly has
Speaker 5: a better shot around him to become a better passer
Speaker 5: with DJ Moore there, Chase Claypool up and down, but
Speaker 5: he's in that system for another year.
Speaker 3: I like Cole Kmet.
Speaker 5: I think this is a team that last year they
Speaker 5: averaged one hundred and thirty passing yards per game, the
Speaker 5: fewest in the NFL by a lot. That's got to change.
Speaker 5: You've got to have a more balanced offense. I think
Speaker 5: they know that.
Speaker 3: Flip side.
Speaker 5: I just I cannot wait to see what a month
Speaker 5: plus of Jordan Love is where we are in a month,
Speaker 5: and I think this is a good test.
Speaker 3: Right out of the gate.
Speaker 5: Chicago's defense, their pass rush is not gonna scare anyone
Speaker 5: but Christian Watson, Romeo Dobbs dealing with hamstrings. So I
Speaker 5: want to monitor see where that where those guys are
Speaker 5: on offense. If you get what the late light season
Speaker 5: version of Watson. I think Jordan Love can have a
Speaker 5: fast start to this season. And this Packers team being
Speaker 5: overlooked a little bit, they have everything inside of them
Speaker 5: to win the division if they need to.
Speaker 3: And I think you start strong in Chicago.
Speaker 4: You mentioned Watson though, and that came out of nowhere,
Speaker 4: and it's such a bad deal. Dobbs returned to practice Thursday.
Speaker 4: Christian Watson did not I mean this. I love the
Speaker 4: young group that they have. It's not a deep young group,
Speaker 4: and the backups that they have behind Watson and Dobbs,
Speaker 4: like it gets thin real fast. Jayden Reid, I think
Speaker 4: will be a nice rookie slot receiver. It's a rookie
Speaker 4: slot receiver. You know who also is in practice. It's
Speaker 4: August thirtieth. Tell me if you've heard this one before.
Speaker 4: All Pro left tackle David Bachtiari well and there when
Speaker 4: since August thirtieth, and and they're saying like maybe they
Speaker 4: know no one knows he's been on a bike and
Speaker 4: they're like, maybe it's these veteran rest days. It's like,
Speaker 4: he hasn't practiced in pads in a week and a
Speaker 4: half and we're just back.
Speaker 3: Nobody knows.
Speaker 4: Uh, they're calling it veteran rest days for now, but
Speaker 4: he hasn't practiced. It's a little hard to imagine. And
Speaker 4: that that's a bummer to me because I was so
Speaker 4: excited to see what this offense looks like. I think
Speaker 4: the offensive line for the Packers could be special, but
Speaker 4: Bachtiari is such a huge part of that psychically, don't
Speaker 4: you and this is why it's.
Speaker 3: Such a good pick. Don't you just feel like this
Speaker 3: this is.
Speaker 4: One of the biggest games of Week one just for
Speaker 4: each fan base, Like a division game makes a Week
Speaker 4: one feel game feel bigger to me, and these two
Speaker 4: teams kind of starting over. I just feel like this
Speaker 4: game has outsized importance for both these teams, especially the Bears.
Speaker 4: If you lose to the Jordan Love Packers, we're a
Speaker 4: little banged up in Week one. That's a really tough
Speaker 4: way to start your season. You win it, you're fly
Speaker 4: it well.
Speaker 2: Remember remember there was another quarterback in Green Bay before
Speaker 2: Jordan Love who owned the Chicago Bears and let them
Speaker 2: know it infamously. If you're from the Midwest, and now
Speaker 2: you're right. If you're a Bears fan, this season is
Speaker 2: the fresh start and the first thing you want to do.
Speaker 2: It's a perfect setup. Schedule wise, it's kick the Packers
Speaker 2: ass and announced announced. Well, listen, we maybe never got
Speaker 2: to Rogers, but that's over now. And if they come
Speaker 2: out of this game and they play well, and the
Speaker 2: offense looks better and the defense handles the business and
Speaker 2: doesn't let Jordan Love become a story of Week one,
Speaker 2: the Bears are loving it, and I think they I
Speaker 2: think they trended downward in terms of what people when
Speaker 2: they were talking about who's like a wild card team?
Speaker 2: Could who can the Bears compete in the division? You
Speaker 2: heard less of that, I felt like as the summer
Speaker 2: went along, But I wouldn't rule it out. I think
Speaker 2: this division is wide open. And again, like I said earlier,
Speaker 2: if you get that big Week one win, like I
Speaker 2: was talking about the Patriots, it kind of changes the
Speaker 2: complexion of everything overnight.
Speaker 5: Well, and it would be huge for Matt Ibraflus, who
Speaker 5: I still is somewhat of an anonymous character. The Bears
Speaker 5: certainly line up as a team that, after the win
Speaker 5: total year ago, could jump up by six seven wins.
Speaker 5: I think they're that kind of team. I just think
Speaker 5: it does so much matter on justin field.
Speaker 4: Just give me a little pass rush here, Bears. I mean,
Speaker 4: you know they didn't go out and get any one.
Speaker 4: They didn't. You got in gotway, but they didn't get enough.
Speaker 4: And without Bachtiari, maybe there's a vulnerability there. It's probably
Speaker 4: Rashad Weaver at left tackle. But if Jordan Love's protected,
Speaker 4: it will get a good chance to see. To me,
Speaker 4: the test of if you can be an NFL quarterback
Speaker 4: is if you're protected, can you deliver? It's a fairly
Speaker 4: low bar. I would say twenty to twenty five guys
Speaker 4: can do that every week. Like Teddy Bridgewater. You protect him,
Speaker 4: he's gonna be solid. If you protect Love and you
Speaker 4: have a great running game and I think a good
Speaker 4: offensive line and they have a good matchup here, I
Speaker 4: think he's gonna be a safer quarterback than people expect.
Speaker 3: But it's a big test. We haven't seen it.
Speaker 1: This seems impossible.
Speaker 2: Last known on this game true in twenty twenty two,
Speaker 2: Modern football the Bears averaged one hundred and thirty and
Speaker 2: a half passing yards per game.
Speaker 5: Well, we met, like as mentioned, it's but it was
Speaker 5: by far the lowest in the NFL.
Speaker 1: That is, Oh did you say that much?
Speaker 5: Yeah, but the counter was like they had the most
Speaker 5: dangerous ground attack out there.
Speaker 1: No, but I feel like you need to get that
Speaker 1: number up there.
Speaker 2: You got to get a little and they and the
Speaker 2: reason why, the in part that the pass rush is
Speaker 2: not where it is and the defense has a long
Speaker 2: way to go, is that they kind of use this
Speaker 2: offense to build around field. So you're gonna want to
Speaker 2: see it. Yeah, he was pretty electric before he got
Speaker 2: hurt again. Uh, that stretch in November around he looked
Speaker 2: like he was about to take over the league. That
Speaker 2: guy hit the ground running.
Speaker 1: This year a lot to not to find out. All right,
Speaker 1: I'm up.
Speaker 4: This is where, like the Great Game, gms really separate
Speaker 4: themselves in the middle craft.
Speaker 2: I want to like, I want to pick a late
Speaker 2: game here, and I want to pick a game that
Speaker 2: I want to.
Speaker 1: I want to watch Here's.
Speaker 3: That is the point thinking out loud.
Speaker 2: Let's see what's going on with the Raiders and Broncos.
Speaker 2: Broncos by three and a half.
Speaker 1: I like it an old rivalry.
Speaker 3: Surprise picks. I might call it a reach.
Speaker 2: It is, it is a reach, But I was I'm
Speaker 2: thinking about Shook a little bit in the game that
Speaker 2: he's watching the Raiders, a team that, in the eyes
Speaker 2: of some Mark Edward Sessler, for one, why even exist.
Speaker 1: You're not You're not a team to be taken seriously.
Speaker 5: I'm hearing from Raiders fans daily about that that I've
Speaker 5: been far too dark on the whole situation.
Speaker 2: You're an also ran, you don't really have it together.
Speaker 2: You have maybe potential issues behind the scenes. Again, Josh McDaniels.
Speaker 2: It happened the their opponent this week, the Broncos. It
Speaker 2: happened with McDaniels. There is it happening again.
Speaker 1: We don't know.
Speaker 2: Maybe Chandla Jones' instagram was weird. But here is the
Speaker 2: positive news if you're a Raiders fan. There are still
Speaker 2: weapons on this offense and big time players. It's a
Speaker 2: top heavy roster, but it's a type of roster if
Speaker 2: you get big games from Max Crosby, from Josh Jacobs,
Speaker 2: from DeVante Adams, and a very capable and for the
Speaker 2: time being healthy Jimmy Garoppolo, you should be able to
Speaker 2: hang with a team like the Broncos, who I know
Speaker 2: there's a lot of optimism about them. I think they
Speaker 2: are another great curiosity. I don't think it's that much
Speaker 2: of a reach because I think there's a lot of
Speaker 2: questions around Denver and like, what is Sean Payton's Denver
Speaker 2: Broncos look like after a pretty rough summer, let's be honest,
Speaker 2: with a lot of injuries for this team and a
Speaker 2: lot of talk around Russell Wilson and what he could
Speaker 2: bring to them. So I really like this as an
Speaker 2: old school AFC West matchup between a Raiders team that's
Speaker 2: being overlooked as it also ran in a Broncos team
Speaker 2: that's looking trying to get back to respect and they
Speaker 2: think they could for a playoff spot.
Speaker 1: So interesting.
Speaker 5: Look, there's a couple things going on with the Broncos
Speaker 5: that I think are absolute positives. One is Sean Payton
Speaker 5: is taking over what was the worst coach team in
Speaker 5: the league a year ago, and Sean Payton to me
Speaker 5: as a top three coach who is going to organize
Speaker 5: this entire operation in a different way.
Speaker 3: They're going to look different.
Speaker 5: I think the physical stature of Russell Wilson after what
Speaker 5: we've seen, sleeker better shape than a year ago. That
Speaker 5: was a big problem last season. And Javonte Williams. It's like,
Speaker 5: this is someone that I didn't even know you could
Speaker 5: count on at this point. But Peyton's basically saying he's
Speaker 5: going to have a big role right out of the gate.
Speaker 5: I think if you are, if you're Sean Payton, you
Speaker 5: don't need to make Russell Wilson do everything early on.
Speaker 3: There could be a lot of run.
Speaker 5: I think there could be a lot of power running,
Speaker 5: a lot of trying to control the game from that
Speaker 5: aspect versus putting Russell Wilson into a tough spot. But
Speaker 5: that's one of the biggest stories obviously of the entire
Speaker 5: offseason going into this week. It's a great pick because
Speaker 5: it's eyes first on where we are with Russell Wilson
Speaker 5: and Sean Pate.
Speaker 3: Well, if Russell Wilson.
Speaker 4: Had heard these quotes from Sean Payton that they had
Speaker 4: an ESPN dot Com was an insider peace by Seth
Speaker 4: Lugersham in the middle of June, It's all we would
Speaker 4: have talked about for two months. You drop it right
Speaker 4: before the season. It kind of gets lost in the
Speaker 4: in the shuffle, but.
Speaker 1: In the half of it, and they got busy in
Speaker 1: the piece.
Speaker 4: Peyton told Wilson he needs to focus less on quote
Speaker 4: Russell inc will you bleeping stop kissing all the babies?
Speaker 4: Peyton said, you're not running for public office. Love it
Speaker 4: as I mean, it's good advice. It's harsh and I
Speaker 4: think of your Russell Wilson, you have to worry a
Speaker 4: little bit about Sean Payton's motives, motivation and where his
Speaker 4: heart is that this is getting out there in the public.
Speaker 4: If it had stayed private, it's good advice. But it
Speaker 4: didn't stay private. It got into this article.
Speaker 2: Sean Payton was just shooting from the hip the entire offseason,
Speaker 2: apparently in any interview.
Speaker 5: Don't you think Sean Payton was told before he took
Speaker 5: this job, like you are not attached to the hip,
Speaker 5: to Russell Wilson, You've got Jared Stidham if you if
Speaker 5: you want to chose.
Speaker 4: He chose to sign Stidham on the first day of
Speaker 4: free agency for a very aggressive backup quarterback.
Speaker 5: I just don't think that there was any There was
Speaker 5: no notion that Sean Payton couldn't break free from this
Speaker 5: Russell Wilson situation.
Speaker 3: If it is as ugly as it was.
Speaker 1: A year, here's the here's the hierarchy in Denver.
Speaker 3: He also flamed the GM verbally, so you know, well, yeah.
Speaker 2: Here's the hierarchy. Last year it was Russell Wilson, that's it, yep.
Speaker 2: And now this year it's Sean Payton, and then about
Speaker 2: eight eight spots Kevin Saunders the GM, and then five
Speaker 2: more spots down and then maybe Russell Wilson sneaks in
Speaker 2: like he is no longer viewed as the center piece
Speaker 2: or or the tea the guy that is the future, undoubtedly,
Speaker 2: and I think there's gonna be a lot of pressure
Speaker 2: on Wilson immediately out of the gate this season to
Speaker 2: do something unimit.
Speaker 4: I'd love to talk just like X's and I was
Speaker 4: having Patrick Graham versus Peyton is fine. DeVante Adams versus
Speaker 4: Patrick Stertan is as good as it gets looking. I'm
Speaker 4: curious about the Raiders rookies. Michael Meyer, Tyree Wilson's looking better.
Speaker 4: But this Chandler joneson we should hit on because it
Speaker 4: seems quite serious, like I don't know what's going on
Speaker 4: but he's posting pretty strange Instagram stories. Some of them
Speaker 4: was going after his coach and GM, but he also
Speaker 4: sent out and it's public, so we can talk about
Speaker 4: a fire and rescue team like Workbash, who's the clinic
Speaker 4: program manager for the crisis response team in Las Vegas.
Speaker 4: There were some other very erratic stuff that he said
Speaker 4: TMZ was coming after him that mentioned a woman involved
Speaker 4: and Chloe. And then it's hard not to think about
Speaker 4: Chandler Jones's exit from the Patriots and what that was
Speaker 4: involved in, and just the way the players are talking
Speaker 4: about it, and actually there's some They've tried to keep
Speaker 4: it all in house, but something's not right with Chandler Jones.
Speaker 4: And I think it's more than just he was upset
Speaker 4: with the team about not going into the building and
Speaker 4: he he on paper, is a really big part of
Speaker 4: that team, and I think it's absolutely fair to wonder, like,
Speaker 4: what is his future with this team? What is his
Speaker 4: future playing football at least in the medium to long term.
Speaker 2: And Chandler Jones, he gets after the quarterback for a living.
Speaker 2: Russell Wilson sect fifty five times last year, tied for
Speaker 2: the most in the NFL.
Speaker 1: Career high, so they redid their offensive line.
Speaker 2: We're gonna want to see how that looks like because Wilson, yeah,
Speaker 2: the old sack of potatoes thing and he's morse felt
Speaker 2: and he's moving better, but the line needs to be better.
Speaker 1: So on he needs to be quicker with this decision making.
Speaker 2: I think Sean Payton, probably, when you think about it,
Speaker 2: is the perfect coach to come in and tell him
Speaker 2: things like stop kissing babies, like you're not as good
Speaker 2: as you thought you were. It's time now to start over.
Speaker 2: And does that get through to Russell Wilson. Well, I
Speaker 2: don't know, that's the question.
Speaker 1: I don't know, mister unlimited.
Speaker 2: I don't know if if he has that capacity to
Speaker 2: be humbled in that way and start over, or if
Speaker 2: he's thinking to himself, this guy doesn't really understand me.
Speaker 5: Maybe, but he also hasn't He hasn't you know, lashed
Speaker 5: out in reverse. I think he's handled it at least
Speaker 5: front facing pretty well.
Speaker 1: Doesn't do that though, you know what I mean. He's
Speaker 1: like such a positive guy. It'll be interesting.
Speaker 2: He's been challenged, no doubt, on a number of levels,
Speaker 2: both in the media, from the public and even with
Speaker 2: a new quarterback in the building there who could be
Speaker 2: ready to take over because Peyton brought him in.
Speaker 1: Mister unlimited, all right, it is time for Greg to
Speaker 1: make his second pick.
Speaker 3: I take it back. It wasn't a reach. I really
Speaker 3: want to see that game.
Speaker 1: And we'll see the first round pick.
Speaker 4: We'll see if you're interested in the Tennessee Titans at
Speaker 4: the New Orleans Saints. Have fun little uh truck conference
Speaker 4: to figure this out.
Speaker 3: I don't know.
Speaker 4: Interconference SATs Saints favored by three in this game, which
Speaker 4: is the official desert position of I don't know, which
Speaker 4: actually is a little less respect than I would have
Speaker 4: expected from the for the Saints and a little more
Speaker 4: respect for the Titans than I would have expected, because
Speaker 4: it's definitely a I don't know type of line and
Speaker 4: it's gonna be the first game I watch all year,
Speaker 4: which is just feels weird that this is it ten
Speaker 4: am start. I don't know if all the Saints hype
Speaker 4: is real. The Saints fan base is usually pretty skeptical.
Speaker 4: I've actually found that they they are, they're doubters, and
Speaker 4: yet they're buying in. And I guess I'm buying in
Speaker 4: because I found myself in my first fantasy draft, and
Speaker 4: I believe a decade on Wednesday night and I walked
Speaker 4: out of it with Kamara, who I just love the villa.
Speaker 3: Ah.
Speaker 4: But I also wound up with Juwan Johnson and Michael
Speaker 4: Thomas very late too, and suddenly I am knee deep
Speaker 4: in Saints offense. Derek Carr, I mean they know none
Speaker 4: of them. I mean these were good value. They were
Speaker 4: very late in the draft.
Speaker 1: Like grounds do you, Jamal Williams.
Speaker 3: I didn't do that.
Speaker 1: You know, a little rusty, it sounds.
Speaker 3: I mean, we'll see. I like the ship lost at suit.
Speaker 4: I like the look of my team. This matchup could
Speaker 4: course correct all that optimism to me, because I think
Speaker 4: everyone's been sleeping on this Titans front. That they're healthy,
Speaker 4: that they're back, that they have continuity with Denny Goatri
Speaker 4: and Jeffrey Simmons, all the guys that you know, and
Speaker 4: some of the guys coming back at the linebacker position
Speaker 4: and really deep in terms of their safety group. Like
Speaker 4: I like this Titans defense. I think it could be
Speaker 4: a top seven or eight type of unit. And I
Speaker 4: think it's it's an immediate test for this Saints offensive line,
Speaker 4: which Trevor Penny at left tackle. Will see if he
Speaker 4: makes a big second year step. He barely got on
Speaker 4: the field a year ago. He's looked a little iffian preseason.
Speaker 3: We'll see.
Speaker 5: I mean the Titans to me, I don't know, I
Speaker 5: don't I hear this all the time now that everyone's
Speaker 5: sleeping on the on the Tennessee Titans, they're just really well.
Speaker 4: You hear that from our old producer, Justin Graver's Twitter
Speaker 4: account blowing up our mentions.
Speaker 5: Well, that's one, that's one source, but he's not alone.
Speaker 5: It's just I don't see it on the offensive side
Speaker 5: of the ball. You're right that they were the best
Speaker 5: run defense in the league last year and one of
Speaker 5: the worst pass defenses. So I didn't think it's an
Speaker 5: opportunity for Chris Olave, for Derek Carr, for the rest
Speaker 5: of that crew to to go down, up and down
Speaker 5: the field on they want. You know, I know that
Speaker 5: they're so well coached, but they lost seven games in
Speaker 5: a row to end last season.
Speaker 4: Don't you think it was Yeah, it was mostly the offense.
Speaker 3: You're right, and it was nuts.
Speaker 5: What about the offense at this stage gives you a
Speaker 5: lot of optimism that they can hang in.
Speaker 4: Just just that they shuffle. It's not optimism, but it's hope,
Speaker 4: and it's hope season. Just that they shuffle the deck
Speaker 4: on the offensive. Yeah, I don't like that offensive line.
Speaker 3: Taylor Scornsky like those guys.
Speaker 4: They they put a lot into Daniel Bunskill's played a
Speaker 4: lot for the forty nine ers. You have Hopkins. Can
Speaker 4: Hopkins be a one still? I think people are throwing
Speaker 4: him into this Julio Jones right in Tennessee bucket.
Speaker 3: He's not there. He's gonna be better, right, that's fair.
Speaker 1: For the record.
Speaker 2: After he came back from his suspension, you know, there
Speaker 2: are a lot of there was a lot of talking,
Speaker 2: some popping of the hood on the advanced stats that
Speaker 2: he didn't have the same separation ability, and that's to
Speaker 2: be understood at this age.
Speaker 1: But he also was probably on pace for one hundred
Speaker 1: and ten catches and was well over a thousand yards
Speaker 1: receiving this. Julio Jones was a guy who in the
Speaker 1: last few years couldn't stay on the field and was
Speaker 1: not a difference maker at all. So Hopkins, if he
Speaker 1: could stay healthy, I think absolutely could can play the guitar.
Speaker 1: You know, I mean, guess I have more questions about
Speaker 1: Ryan Tannehill, who is another year older.
Speaker 2: He's been beat up now. Last year he struggled, obviously
Speaker 2: to stay on the field. His numbers were depressed as
Speaker 2: a result, as was the offense, and his last two
Speaker 2: seasons he's been kind of in decline statistically. Can he
Speaker 2: have a bounce back? Absolutely, but I kind of got
Speaker 2: to see it. I love the Saints in this gamme Gregy.
Speaker 2: I would think I locked up the Chiefs yesterday, but
Speaker 2: the Saints are at the Superdome. I think Derek car
Speaker 2: and this offense is gonna be better than people think. I
Speaker 2: think they're gonna be a top ten offense, and I
Speaker 2: think they take care of business here.
Speaker 4: I would tend to agree I'm taking I would take
Speaker 4: the Titans in this game, but uh, maybe I was
Speaker 4: swayed by this. Michael Thomas tweet on September sixth, quote revenge,
Speaker 4: how I show my anger? My facial expression ain't changing.
Speaker 3: I don't know.
Speaker 4: There's something about the whole Michael fifteen games, the whole
Speaker 4: Michael Thomas experiments. It's it's definitely that cliched wide receiver tweet.
Speaker 4: The enemy speaks kindly and holds a knife like Michael
Speaker 4: Thomas is the king of that and if they could
Speaker 4: just get eighty percent of Michael Thomas, that guy is
Speaker 4: the heartbeat of that team.
Speaker 3: He's a leader, the one.
Speaker 1: Because it's been too much now the last year the team.
Speaker 4: I think so. I think he is a rare personality
Speaker 4: and leader in terms of the work that he puts
Speaker 4: in and the way he plays football that like guys
Speaker 4: look to him as just like an incredible athlete in person.
Speaker 4: And I think it's really hurt him obviously without him
Speaker 4: last year or back to me, I thought of taking
Speaker 4: this the pick before. What would it have mattered Texans Ravens.
Speaker 4: You might say, oh, Greg, that's a ten point spread.
Speaker 4: Why would you take a game like that right now?
Speaker 4: And I would say this Ravens team is as fascinating
Speaker 4: and unknown as maybe any team with the same head
Speaker 4: coach and quarterback in the entire NFL. I can't wait
Speaker 4: to see Lamar Jackson. We haven't seen him at all.
Speaker 4: They didn't play a lick of the preseason. Neither to
Speaker 4: Dodo Beckham Sayflowers did a little bit. Neither did Rashad Bateman.
Speaker 4: I love it and it's going up against a defense
Speaker 4: that I think is pretty well suited to slow them down.
Speaker 4: I think the Texans have a really improved defense, and
Speaker 4: I've no I'm not.
Speaker 3: Gonna lock it out he's talking about, but.
Speaker 4: I think they could slow him down. We've talked through
Speaker 4: that their secondary is better. Derek Stingley wants to step
Speaker 4: up in year two. Jalen Petree is a possible safety,
Speaker 4: all pro type of safety. I really like the Jimmy Wards.
Speaker 4: Stephen Nelson is a really good veteran cornerback. Is a
Speaker 4: nice little matchup when the Ravens have the ball, Will
Speaker 4: Anderson's rushing at Lamar Jackson. I haven't even gotten a stroud,
Speaker 4: but to me, this is a very fresh, a new game,
Speaker 4: and I think it'll be a if I had to pick,
Speaker 4: and I do on Friday on game debut, I'm taking
Speaker 4: the Texans to cover that the ten points at least.
Speaker 5: That is the biggest spread here in Week one. I
Speaker 5: think that you've got an opportunity if you're the Texans.
Speaker 5: I think Tamiko Ryans is going to I really liked
Speaker 5: everything I'm hearing from his players in general.
Speaker 3: I think he's a change agent.
Speaker 5: I think he's going to come in and have their
Speaker 5: defense playing as well as possible. And if you're the Ravens,
Speaker 5: Mark Andrews is banged up right now, Ronnie Stanley is
Speaker 5: dealing with an ankle. He's practicing, like that's not great,
Speaker 5: and I just think that is it going to take
Speaker 5: some time. Everyone's like, oh, this will be Lamar Jackson's
Speaker 5: biggest opportunity to make a big jump in different way
Speaker 5: through the air and stuff. It's like, you, by the way,
Speaker 5: like the whole Greg Roman thing, I get it that
Speaker 5: it got stale. You built an entire offense around what
Speaker 5: Lamar Jackson does well, so this is going to take
Speaker 5: some time to go and.
Speaker 3: Change what you do.
Speaker 5: And it's these things you know, you even look at
Speaker 5: like Matt Ryan and Kyle Shanahan in Atlanta that first season,
Speaker 5: second season MVP season, but first time around, it took
Speaker 5: Matt Ryan time to kind of figure out how that
Speaker 5: system worked. And do we just assume that we get
Speaker 5: Baltimore's offense from the jump that could.
Speaker 1: Take a.
Speaker 2: Todd Monkin isn't exactly Bill Walsh. So no, the idea
Speaker 2: we needed to get Greg Roman out, okay, all right?
Speaker 2: And you know they were right. It was time for
Speaker 2: a fresh mind, but I don't automatically assume. Now Todd
Speaker 2: Montkin rolls in and does whatever Lamar Jackson wants, and
Speaker 2: the offense is going to get flying. I love their
Speaker 2: running game, of course, with Lamar leading the way and
Speaker 2: Dobbin's little Gus Edwards all good.
Speaker 1: I love Mark.
Speaker 2: Andrews, especially if he's healthy, one of the top tight
Speaker 2: ends of the league. I'm still that solid on the
Speaker 2: wide receivers, and I know that's supposed to be fixed now.
Speaker 2: Rashad Bateman got to see it, Okay, let's see it.
Speaker 2: First round pick that hasn't truly broken out yet, is
Speaker 2: that with some health issues. Odell Beckham. We don't need
Speaker 2: to talk about this anymore, but really hasn't been a
Speaker 2: big time player for six years about now. And I
Speaker 2: know he was electric in moments during the playoff run
Speaker 2: with the Rams, but then he blew his a cl
Speaker 2: and then he got a couple of years older. Let's
Speaker 2: see where he is. Jay Flowers another first round pick.
Speaker 2: They don't always hit the ground running. We could be
Speaker 2: excited about Zay Flowers. It's totally fine, but nothing is
Speaker 2: certain with this offense right now. And I think some
Speaker 2: of this around Lamar and then that what was his MVP?
Speaker 2: Did you who's Oh? Was that that was ke Kes.
Speaker 2: A lot of this is about them kind of hitting
Speaker 2: the ground running with this new look, a new offense,
Speaker 2: new personnel.
Speaker 3: Hitting out at Keish.
Speaker 2: So you know that's it's it's even worse. It's mom,
Speaker 2: which I love Keeth Mom.
Speaker 4: I love watching Lakeisha's mom watched Lamar Jackson. That's it's
Speaker 4: a ball my favorite sporting activities.
Speaker 3: It's an as well futtle game.
Speaker 1: All right, good, good, good show.
Speaker 4: Show us something to here at CJ Strave too. I
Speaker 4: mean this Ravens give him time too. Okay, I know,
Speaker 4: I'm just saying. I'm just saying this Ravens defense might
Speaker 4: be a little undercook, so you may show.
Speaker 5: A little so their offensive line, the Texans is is
Speaker 5: suddenly in a weird place. Titus Howard put on injured reserve.
Speaker 5: I mean it's they looked good in the summer.
Speaker 3: And they've watched about three or four guys. You're right,
Speaker 3: all right, let's.
Speaker 2: Take a break and we'll be back with more preview.
Speaker 2: All right, we're back. Let's keep it alling. I am
Speaker 2: up in the draft. I will take mm hmm. All
Speaker 2: right another late game. I'm taking Dolphins Chargers.
Speaker 1: How about that?
Speaker 3: I like it. I feel like there's a steal at
Speaker 3: this points, an absolute steal.
Speaker 1: I think there's a lot to be interested in here.
Speaker 3: I want to walk across the street and watch it.
Speaker 1: I thought about that. I got there's an inter office
Speaker 1: raffle an email.
Speaker 3: For tickets, and I was like, I mean you could apply.
Speaker 5: What about your accidental you have an actual work day
Speaker 5: to attend to.
Speaker 4: I know you could if you're on a Sunday where
Speaker 4: you if you only had one game in the afternoon,
Speaker 4: I mean, that could be your game and you would
Speaker 4: have some great insights.
Speaker 1: Tough beat.
Speaker 2: By the way, for the dads of a Point of Eld, Yeah,
Speaker 2: they scheduled the Elsa Gundo Little League they won the
Speaker 2: Little League World Championship. Congratulations again, I'm a.
Speaker 1: Member of the community. Uh in the littleague group.
Speaker 2: The parade is Sunday Week one.
Speaker 1: You just killing the dads.
Speaker 3: I thought that they had a like when they returned.
Speaker 2: That was a homecoming like waving thing. Sure, this is
Speaker 2: the formal parade and ceremony Week one, Sunday, come.
Speaker 1: Back to us. That's got to be at the very
Speaker 1: least Saturday.
Speaker 3: Terrible job.
Speaker 2: But even then, like you know, La, everyone is college
Speaker 2: football crazy, so that's you got.
Speaker 3: You gotta pick one of them. It's a terrible job. Yeah,
Speaker 3: it's a bad job.
Speaker 4: It's a US Open Men's tennis Open final being played
Speaker 4: opposite these games. Level of ignorance and hubris and not
Speaker 4: understanding the moment.
Speaker 3: Let's wake up people, sheep.
Speaker 4: I mean, I'm just like, I want to watch a
Speaker 4: little Alkarez Djokovic and there's no chance.
Speaker 2: That is the real tragedy. Yea, all right, here we go. Yes,
Speaker 2: I said it. I already said it. The Chargers and
Speaker 2: the Dolphins, you know who else. By the way, the
Speaker 2: Chargers lay in three points here, So the Desert likes
Speaker 2: the Bolts, just like Greg E likes the Bolts. I
Speaker 2: thought it was interesting if I'm a Dolphins fan. I'm
Speaker 2: kind of into the fact that when the off season began,
Speaker 2: everyone was like, yeah, well the Bills will be good,
Speaker 2: and you know, the Jets and the Dolphins both are
Speaker 2: looking good. And then as the summer war on, and
Speaker 2: I am not oblivious to this, everyone got on the
Speaker 2: Jets bandwagon and the Dolphins kind of got left behind
Speaker 2: and and that's a little that'd be a chip on
Speaker 2: my shoulder and I'd be using that if I'm Mike McDaniel,
Speaker 2: the old nobody believes in his card, because I think
Speaker 2: there's to believe that the Dolphins can absolutely get their
Speaker 2: season going here with a w at Los Angeles because
Speaker 2: the offense when Tua was healthy and we talked about it,
Speaker 2: they went through some struggles later in the season before
Speaker 2: he got hurt a final time and missed the rest
Speaker 2: of the year. But I kind of like Mike McDaniel
Speaker 2: getting a whole summer and then a game plan for
Speaker 2: Week one that's gonna come out and maybe have Brandon
Speaker 2: Staley's head spinning, and all of a sudden, it's one
Speaker 2: of those updates where you're watching the late games and oh,
Speaker 2: let's head back to Sofi Stadium. The Dolphins have scored
Speaker 2: on their first three possessions. It's twenty one to three
Speaker 2: early in the second quarter. Wouldn't shock me. The Dolphins
Speaker 2: come out hot as a pistol and then your boy
Speaker 2: Herbo I believe you called him on a previous show,
Speaker 2: has to go into comeback mode and maybe, just maybe
Speaker 2: we get the best shootout of the week, right here
Speaker 2: across the sidewalk.
Speaker 5: I you know what, the Dolphins came out hot under
Speaker 5: Mike McDaniel a year ago. It didn't take them, It
Speaker 5: didn't take that offense forever to get going. And I
Speaker 5: think you've got to see where we are with Toronto Armstead.
Speaker 5: That matters so much along their offensive line. But that
Speaker 5: to go back to that play Callers series that Jordan
Speaker 5: Rodrigue did. The one thing I know MC Mike McDaniel
Speaker 5: last year was a fascinating at the podium. But I
Speaker 5: also think what that series taught me was like, you
Speaker 5: go back to his roots in San Francisco under Shanahan
Speaker 5: and even before that, that he is one of the
Speaker 5: most like intellectually creative, aggressively creative guys that I think
Speaker 5: what we saw last year was just part one.
Speaker 3: What is part two of this offense?
Speaker 5: And like, if Tua can stay healthy, we already have
Speaker 5: the evidence that they can be one of the best
Speaker 5: attacks league wide.
Speaker 4: I'm with you, And yet Brandon Staley handed him his lunch.
Speaker 4: I would say it's Brandon Staley's best moment as a coach.
Speaker 4: They got worked, they stymied them the Monday night game,
Speaker 4: the Monday night game Dolphins Chargers Emmanuelacho and someone else was.
Speaker 3: Herbert. I'm glad we're not really getting that.
Speaker 4: This week because sorry, because look, it's not a referendum
Speaker 4: on Tua. But the defense of the Chargers had a
Speaker 4: great game plan and did a great job really slowing
Speaker 4: down this Dolphins attack. So it's a revenge game really
Speaker 4: for McDaniel and Tua because that was a healthy Tua.
Speaker 4: He had been back at that point, and they did
Speaker 4: a great job. And I'm buying the Chargers not just
Speaker 4: because I believe in the offense. It's mostly by the offense.
Speaker 4: They're deep in the offensive line. Oh that's good stuff, Herbo.
Speaker 4: But I think the Chargers defense can be solid to
Speaker 4: good and they haven't been. And you got Derwin James
Speaker 4: healthy finally coming into the season.
Speaker 3: You got Bosa.
Speaker 4: Joey Bosa missed most of last season, and I was
Speaker 4: just who is like, oh, yeah, they didn't have Joey Bosa.
Speaker 4: It's like he's one of the best players in the world.
Speaker 4: I like this Chargers defense and it's just a it's
Speaker 4: a dork dream fon Gio versus Kellen Moore. Those are
Speaker 4: two of the Dorks absolute favorites and then Mike McDaniel versus.
Speaker 2: King of the Dorks in the NFL, I would say, McDaniel,
Speaker 2: So yeah, I think this is a shootout.
Speaker 1: I think it's fun. I think.
Speaker 2: I think the Chargers get back into the game after
Speaker 2: big Dolphins lead, but I think the Dolphins find a
Speaker 2: way and win this game.
Speaker 1: Thirty seven, thirty four. What do you guys think?
Speaker 3: I mean, I'm going Chargers.
Speaker 4: This is where it's like, you gotta stick with your
Speaker 4: preseason stuff before this.
Speaker 3: I got Miami thirty one, Chargers twenty eight. I'm with you.
Speaker 5: I think this is going to be one of the
Speaker 5: great games of the early part of the season.
Speaker 2: And by the way, one of my favorite parts, one
Speaker 2: of our favorite parts of the Thursday show is we
Speaker 2: do our locks, but there's someone else that offers up
Speaker 2: a lock of the week. So let's head to the
Speaker 2: Midwest where a certain Westling brother wants to share his thoughts.
Speaker 1: On this matchup.
Speaker 8: Hello heroes, I'm back baby. It's week one and then
Speaker 8: it's time for another edition of the Westling Family Zoo.
Speaker 8: No surprise here, there was some infighting amongst the Westling brothers.
Speaker 8: My brother Mike and I couldn't come to an agreement.
Speaker 8: We went back and forth. I wanted to take the
Speaker 8: Rosenthal approach, take the six point favorite with the Seattle Seahawks.
Speaker 3: He said, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 8: We're Westlings. We don't take the easy way out. We're
Speaker 8: going with the Los Angeles Chargers. I wasn't one on
Speaker 8: board at first, but he's been doing some real tape dogging.
Speaker 3: He gave.
Speaker 8: But he says the offense is going to be explosive,
Speaker 8: maybe record breaking this year. We will be locking up
Speaker 8: the Los Angeles Chargers this week. Looking forward to another
Speaker 8: great year. Rosenthal, you're going down this year.
Speaker 3: Good day, there you go.
Speaker 5: I send you right out of the gate. That isn't
Speaker 5: that is a daring lock. I will give the whole
Speaker 5: crew that.
Speaker 2: The thing I love about Nick is if if Los
Speaker 2: Angeles fails, he will be the first everybody.
Speaker 1: Under that off the bus.
Speaker 2: Zoo is one of those zoos where nobody locks up
Speaker 2: any of the any of the cages, and the gorillas
Speaker 2: and the orangutangs and the and the wolves and the tigers,
Speaker 2: they all come out.
Speaker 1: Now.
Speaker 4: I'm looking forward to, uh, you know, hearing from Nick
Speaker 4: all season and for them being non competitive, for like
Speaker 4: the Fourth Street not even the.
Speaker 1: Fact he comes back with a sling. Did take a
Speaker 1: couple of shots.
Speaker 3: One of these years be in the mix. Come on,
Speaker 3: that's where they finished last year. I don't know, but
Speaker 3: they've never been in the mix somewhere.
Speaker 1: They didn't win. Put it that way, and they have
Speaker 1: not won yet. All right, Mark, you are up.
Speaker 3: All right, I'm gonna go h Jacksonville at Indianapolis. I
Speaker 3: don't know.
Speaker 5: I kind of have surprised Greg that you didn't jump
Speaker 5: on this Jacksonville minus five. Not saying the game is
Speaker 5: going to be the competition of the season, but it's
Speaker 5: our first look at Anthony Richardson.
Speaker 1: Jaguars contracted from the league, so that's why he's there.
Speaker 1: There is that.
Speaker 5: There is that sometimes you have games. I just thought
Speaker 5: you would jump on Anthony Richardson.
Speaker 4: It's my first pick or I want it to be
Speaker 4: a game pass?
Speaker 3: Is it now? It's the end?
Speaker 4: I wanted that to be my NFL plus first thing
Speaker 4: I turn on.
Speaker 5: That works a little a rich Can the Jaguars pick
Speaker 5: up where they left off last year? On offense? Trevor Lawrence?
Speaker 5: Is there another level for him? What do we see
Speaker 5: from Anthony Richardson out of the gate. I think this
Speaker 5: is a kind of a weird Colts team, especially if
Speaker 5: you start to look at like their cornerbacks and like
Speaker 5: there's defense in general.
Speaker 3: I just I feel like the Colts a couple of years.
Speaker 5: Ago or even last season were being billed as this
Speaker 5: like playoff hopeful. They're a very strange outfit. I think
Speaker 5: you've got to give Shane Stike in time. Anthony Richardson's
Speaker 5: accuracy in general is going to take time. There's gonna
Speaker 5: be a lot of coaching up on that. But his
Speaker 5: athletics is am alone, is like one of the most
Speaker 5: exciting things that anyone in this rookie class or any
Speaker 5: past one is offered. And it's like, what do we
Speaker 5: get right out of the gate. It makes me think
Speaker 5: back when like we didn't know what you get from
Speaker 5: RG three in that first Week one opener and he
Speaker 5: was completely unleashed, like what is the answer?
Speaker 3: We'll find out.
Speaker 2: And Jaguars are minus five in this game, so and
Speaker 2: that feels right.
Speaker 1: They are. They're a favorite here, GREGI.
Speaker 2: This is if you're not totally in on the Jags
Speaker 2: and you see that division as a little more wide open,
Speaker 2: there's gonna be some red Flags here if you can't
Speaker 2: take care of the Colts, because I think the Colts
Speaker 2: are just very much You're asking Richardson, a guy with
Speaker 2: very little experience, to hit the ground running in week
Speaker 2: one and be a monster.
Speaker 1: Now, maybe he'll fill up fantasy box.
Speaker 2: Scores with his rushing game, but he's such a work
Speaker 2: in progress passing that I could see that taking some
Speaker 2: time even beyond just this year to come together. And
Speaker 2: then there's no Jonathan Taylor, so it's like, what do
Speaker 2: the Colts have really to combat the Gays.
Speaker 4: I don't know if it's like a good or a
Speaker 4: bad time to catch the Colts. Is it good because
Speaker 4: of everything you just said. It's a new coach too.
Speaker 4: You mentioned the secondary. They are starting gentlemen by the
Speaker 4: name of Dallas Flowers and Darryl Baker at cornerback. Dallas
Speaker 4: they were both and I was like, did they draft
Speaker 4: him because they took a lot of draftic But no,
Speaker 4: they were undrafted players from last year who are now
Speaker 4: starting for them. But it's kind of the element of
Speaker 4: surprise with Richardson, so maybe it's a bad to And
Speaker 4: then you said like it would be very concerning. I'm
Speaker 4: with you, but it's Week one and just it's a
Speaker 4: division game. Weird things happened. I thought, didn't the Colts
Speaker 4: play them pretty well last year? And I remember the
Speaker 4: Colts beat him last year. They beat him in one
Speaker 4: of those games in Indianapolis. They won that game thirty
Speaker 4: four to twenty seven, A nice little moment for Matt Ryan.
Speaker 4: They also got shut out in the in the other matchup.
Speaker 4: But it's like that, weird things happen in division games.
Speaker 4: And I don't know, I feel like I'm not going
Speaker 4: to take anything away from this game other than however
Speaker 4: Richardson plays.
Speaker 2: And you know we talked about Trevor Lawrence is really
Speaker 2: a long shot from MVP, despite really substantial growth as
Speaker 2: a franchise quarterback. They're saying, like Desert people like, if
Speaker 2: he throws four touchdowns in this game and for three
Speaker 2: hundred eighty yards, you might.
Speaker 1: Be kicking yourself.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and you've asked the season could really get off
Speaker 2: to a flying So there's a nice setup.
Speaker 3: Again, I really think this year they could have.
Speaker 5: Also, we haven't seen Calvin Ridley in this offense yet,
Speaker 5: and I think that is one of the the Jaguars
Speaker 5: sort of mysteriously did nothing this offseason to patch up
Speaker 5: a defense that was a problem all last year and
Speaker 5: maybe just as.
Speaker 1: Bad as so much money the year before it did,
Speaker 1: but that it.
Speaker 5: Didn't translate to defense, but their offense they've added more weapons,
Speaker 5: and I just I don't know. I think Trevor Lawrence
Speaker 5: is like I don't get the whole MVP being overlooked
Speaker 5: for MVP, Like he's got a good chance, all right,
Speaker 5: Cincinnati minus two and a half at Cleveland. I think
Speaker 5: Cleveland is another one of these, like they're the opposite
Speaker 5: of the Jaguars on defense.
Speaker 3: They did so much to shore up their defense.
Speaker 5: I think it starts with the fact that Jim Schwartz
Speaker 5: runs a new it's a whole new thing where it's
Speaker 5: like last year there was too much thought and the
Speaker 5: defensive guys were just not able to unleash the way
Speaker 5: they wanted. Now you've got Shelby Harris to Zaria Smith.
Speaker 5: I am because I don't I know this.
Speaker 3: Is a bit like I don't know what the bit is.
Speaker 5: I think the bit is is Mark and to slide
Speaker 5: back into being a Browns fan.
Speaker 3: I don't I don't feel it. I hear, okay, I
Speaker 3: don't feel it.
Speaker 2: Come home mark, I don't feel it and.
Speaker 3: Barrow through it.
Speaker 5: The offense, though, I think, is one of the biggest
Speaker 5: question marks around, and it's like, we don't know what
Speaker 5: you're gonna get from the quarterback position. Are they going
Speaker 5: to be as run heavy as they were in the past.
Speaker 5: You still have a great offensive line. Joe Burrow has
Speaker 5: really struggled against the Browns. It's one of these weird
Speaker 5: outliers where he's like excellent against the Chiefs, but his
Speaker 5: performances against Cleveland have been a mess. That Monday Night
Speaker 5: game a year ago was like what happened to the
Speaker 5: what happened to the Bengals in that game? And it
Speaker 5: happened the year before, and so it's like does that continue?
Speaker 5: And we haven't seen Burrow obvious, it's like he's healthy,
Speaker 5: he's practicing, but it's like there are some X factors wrong.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, one the Burrough health question I think is
Speaker 2: very real entering this game. And I'm on record, I
Speaker 2: think Cleveland's gonna be a good team this year. I
Speaker 2: think they're gonna win ten games and I think they're
Speaker 2: gonna be in the playoffs. So like again as a
Speaker 2: catapult for a season, you know, the Dog Pound's gonna
Speaker 2: be going off and the team is obviously just complicated
Speaker 2: in terms of the Deshaun Watson side of things. But
Speaker 2: they are one of the great mysteries of Week one
Speaker 2: for me because it would not surprise me if they
Speaker 2: look very good.
Speaker 1: Now, great, I'll.
Speaker 2: Point it out they didn't have rave reviews throughout the
Speaker 2: summer and how the offen look, so that might come
Speaker 2: to fruition and be like, well, yes, they stuck out
Speaker 2: the joint and the Bengles lit him up and what
Speaker 2: is up with his offense? But it's one of those
Speaker 2: things that I kind of enjoy about Week one. It's
Speaker 2: a litmus test now for what did all that mean
Speaker 2: versus now the lights are on and you have a
Speaker 2: very good play caller.
Speaker 1: With the opportunity who kind of looks like George Looney.
Speaker 1: We forget about that I.
Speaker 2: Had the opportunity, well now to get into his bag
Speaker 2: in a game that counts.
Speaker 5: Like this was an awkward moment, but like when he
Speaker 5: was introduced as the Browns coach and spoke with Andrews Siciliano,
Speaker 5: I tweeted out that the fact that Stefanski looks like
Speaker 5: Clooney and they asked Stefanski that I think he was
Speaker 5: just like, why on Earth am I being asked this
Speaker 5: on NFL networks?
Speaker 4: So yeah, I mean when Burrow came back last year
Speaker 4: after missing so much time with the appendectomy, Yeah, the
Speaker 4: worst game of his career. Basically week went made a
Speaker 4: lot of throws, but also through those interceptions. Bengals fans
Speaker 4: will point out like he had lost a lot of weight.
Speaker 4: It was a whole thing last year post that surgery
Speaker 4: that he didn't have to go through this time. It
Speaker 4: sounds like he's healthy. I'm not too worried about that.
Speaker 4: I am a little more worried from a Bengals side,
Speaker 4: and I am rooting for the Bengals, not just because
Speaker 4: of the Cincinnati zoo. I don't even know how they
Speaker 4: feel about the Bengals right now.
Speaker 1: Lights you up every chance they get, right.
Speaker 3: That's a good point.
Speaker 4: This This Bengals defense and in division matchups are are
Speaker 4: about like who the defensive line, offensive lines, how they
Speaker 4: match up against each other. Gave up four hundred and
Speaker 4: forty yards in that first game against the Browns, and
Speaker 4: that's the offensive line. As much as I like Jacoby Brissett,
Speaker 4: it really wasn't because of Jacoby Brissett that they put
Speaker 4: up what was it a thirty ber you know, it
Speaker 4: was like thirty two to thirteen in that game, and
Speaker 4: they ran all over him. And that's the cornerstone of
Speaker 4: these Browns. If these Browns are gonna make Dan look
Speaker 4: smart and make the playoffs, it's because that O line
Speaker 4: is gonna mash and it's the same guys. It's the
Speaker 4: same offensive line, it's the same Bengals defensive line and linebackers.
Speaker 4: For the most part. We got a couple of new safeties.
Speaker 4: You want to test those guys, Nick Scott in the
Speaker 4: first round pick from a year ago, But for the
Speaker 4: most part, it's the same guys matching up and if
Speaker 4: they can run on them, they gotta to.
Speaker 1: The quarterback. Can't be a bottom ten guy like he
Speaker 1: was down the stretch.
Speaker 3: No, sure, it's got to be a top ten guy.
Speaker 3: That's what they paid for, and you can't.
Speaker 1: And they're not gonna hide Watson in this offense. I
Speaker 1: don't think if they do.
Speaker 2: If you're seeing very heavy Nick Chubb offenses end of October,
Speaker 2: it's a really bad sign. I think they're gonna want
Speaker 2: to pass the ball a lot and use they're gonna
Speaker 2: try to make Watson the guy and and will it work?
Speaker 4: And he played in this matchup a year ago two
Speaker 4: they had ten points in the in the rematch where
Speaker 4: the Bengals did a much better job on both sides
Speaker 4: of the ball.
Speaker 1: All right, I am up again.
Speaker 2: It's funny you just keep coming up in these drafts,
Speaker 2: just kind of oh, here I am again.
Speaker 1: It's time to make another pair.
Speaker 3: There's essentially three teams, right, three of us. You are
Speaker 3: the middle pick, so you have less time in Yeah.
Speaker 2: Let's let's grab one. Just the little backgrounds. I always
Speaker 2: I just like watching them. I think I like their uniforms.
Speaker 2: I love the building they play, and I love the
Speaker 2: fan base, and I feel kinship with them as a
Speaker 2: fellow tortured fan base. The Minnesota Vikings will welcome in
Speaker 2: Baker and the Bucks Minnesota lay and six points here
Speaker 2: of Wood minus six. There's not much that I need
Speaker 2: about on the buccaneer side of things. Now, if you're
Speaker 2: a Bucks fan, you're excited. We're all excited.
Speaker 1: It's Week one.
Speaker 4: R Books fans excited after what they've had the last
Speaker 4: few years, for this year.
Speaker 1: It's different.
Speaker 2: You're right, there is a hangover here because yeah, whenever
Speaker 2: Tom Brady exits the picture, it's different. But on the
Speaker 2: Minnesota side of things, I think one of the reasons
Speaker 2: why I think they could surprise people. It's weird to
Speaker 2: say because they went thirteen and four, but their expectations.
Speaker 2: Everyone has recalibrated them as a also ran team and
Speaker 2: I don't think they're a Super Bowl contender, but I
Speaker 2: think their offense, even with Davin cook on, is going
Speaker 2: to be a top ten offense, maybe even top five.
Speaker 2: And I think Kirk Cousins had a down year in
Speaker 2: some ways by his standards, I could see him being
Speaker 2: better this year. I think Madison is going to fill
Speaker 2: in that role at running back in it and it's
Speaker 2: justin Jefferson, and I think those guys are going to
Speaker 2: take care of business. Here is another game. It's a
Speaker 2: little bit of a mirror one six points. I think
Speaker 2: Minnesota easily take care of business here and they get
Speaker 2: off to a nice start here.
Speaker 5: I mean, I kind of want to see what the
Speaker 5: Brian Flores effect is on this defense too, because it's
Speaker 5: another for like some of these teams with some negative
Speaker 5: buzz happening, it has just been all positive in terms
Speaker 5: of like players just loving Brian Flores and there was
Speaker 5: a lot of that in Miami too, and he made
Speaker 5: a big difference in Miami. They are missing pieces on
Speaker 5: that defense, no doubt about it, but they can't be
Speaker 5: any worse than last year. And I'm with you to
Speaker 5: anything on offense. It's like, why would they take a
Speaker 5: step back on offense? I think that that can continue?
Speaker 5: Are these close games? Thing is like it's natural that
Speaker 5: they're not winning thirteen games where they could be a
Speaker 5: better team than they were last year.
Speaker 2: You know what Kirk Cousins is great at, by the way,
Speaker 2: beyond throwing spirals and having good accuracy and being a
Speaker 2: good father, it seems appears to a nice guy, he's
Speaker 2: great at getting paid. Yes, and Kirk Cousins is in
Speaker 2: like a contract year's.
Speaker 3: Like him and Sam Bradford are in that world.
Speaker 1: Like and you don't see him that way.
Speaker 3: But Kirk, I don't think he's gonna like try hard.
Speaker 3: I know he's trying his hardest.
Speaker 2: But Kirk, the way his career has played out, the
Speaker 2: payday's always line up very nicely for him. If he
Speaker 2: hit throws forty touchdowns this year and then gets another
Speaker 2: monster contract, like he's closing in on Sneaky one of
Speaker 2: the highest paid quarterbacks ever.
Speaker 3: Yep.
Speaker 4: Good for him, And it might be from the Vikings,
Speaker 4: the fourth round pick yep, in the same draft as
Speaker 4: three RG three. I want to see that defense that
Speaker 4: you mentioned hold up like because to me, Flores is
Speaker 4: such a risk taker and you got to figure out
Speaker 4: what your players can do and what they can't do.
Speaker 4: And they have a pretty good veteran group at safety
Speaker 4: who I think are going to do a lot of
Speaker 4: the heavy lifting for them. They just gave a contract
Speaker 4: to Josh Mattellus, a late round pick not a lot
Speaker 4: of people know about, but just one of those solid
Speaker 4: guys who can do a little bit everything. Harrison Smith
Speaker 4: is still there and Vikings fans are excited about how
Speaker 4: they're using him all over the field, kind of like
Speaker 4: they were before Donna tell arrived. Cam Binam's been there
Speaker 4: for a while. So that's where I think a lot
Speaker 4: of the chicanery, a lot of the blitzes are gonna
Speaker 4: come from. And how is Baker Mayfield gonna respond there?
Speaker 4: Because Flores is a boomer bust defensive coach, He's gonna
Speaker 4: give you a chance to make big plays you gotta
Speaker 4: be ready to take them. Baker Mayfield is not a
Speaker 4: quarterback who's necessarily handled pressure or different looks.
Speaker 3: Well.
Speaker 4: I don't think of him as a winning from the
Speaker 4: neck up. He's just not that quarterback. He hasn't been,
Speaker 4: and so this is gonna be a big first test
Speaker 4: for both of these sides. There's gonna be a chance
Speaker 4: here for Baker to just throw it up to Godwin
Speaker 4: and Evans and like it could go wrong and we
Speaker 4: could have a lot of points.
Speaker 3: I actually think this could be a sneaky, fun little game. Man.
Speaker 3: It is tough to get jazzed up about the Bucks though, right.
Speaker 2: I mean, this is this was the year that was coming.
Speaker 2: By the way, this is surprising because we talked about
Speaker 2: it earlier Greg. With Mayfield, when things break down a
Speaker 2: little bit, little chaos enters the fray, things tend to
Speaker 2: get really bad. Per Next Gen Stats, Mayfield has the
Speaker 2: worst completion percentage and passer rating when not under pressure
Speaker 2: twenty twenty.
Speaker 1: Is one of the worst.
Speaker 2: Quarterbacks in the league. And it's just like he has
Speaker 2: this Q rating and he has these performances every once
Speaker 2: in a while that makes people believe in him and
Speaker 2: T shirts gets made and everything, but I'm setting his
Speaker 2: over under it starts four and a half.
Speaker 4: It doesn't have anyone else though. I mean, I know
Speaker 4: Kyle Trask is there, but that's a worse option. John
Speaker 4: Wilford hun taking me over at four and a half there, Yes.
Speaker 3: I would take.
Speaker 4: I think if anything can lose its job, then it's
Speaker 4: it's only because there's no no one else there.
Speaker 2: It's only all right that takes us to greg two
Speaker 2: picks to finish things out here.
Speaker 4: Okay, well, I don't really have any choices, and yet
Speaker 4: I know which game deserves to be last, So I'm
Speaker 4: going ram Seahawks next.
Speaker 3: Fun little game.
Speaker 1: This works out well for you, too, little pet teams.
Speaker 3: Fun game.
Speaker 4: I thought hard as Nick mentioned about locking up the
Speaker 4: Seahawks in this spot. They are five and a half
Speaker 4: point favorites in this game and they should win. There's
Speaker 4: no Cooper Cup. He's officially out. They're considering injured reserved
Speaker 4: for him. We'll know about that for the weekend, so
Speaker 4: that would knock him out for four weeks.
Speaker 1: That stinks.
Speaker 4: I think Van Jefferson is a great fantasy pick up
Speaker 4: if he didn't get drafted in your league. And I
Speaker 4: noticed that he didn't in some like someone's got to
Speaker 4: catch passes on this team. I actually think the Rams
Speaker 4: have a lot of potential fantasy wise, because I think
Speaker 4: the defense is gonna be so bad. They have a
Speaker 4: really good quarterback if he's healthy, and he's healthy right now,
Speaker 4: and they're just gonna throw the ball a ton. Someone
Speaker 4: has to catch those passes. It's gonna be Higbee, it's
Speaker 4: gonna be Jefferson, it's gonna be the running backs, it's
Speaker 4: gonna be Nikua. But I would put Higbe and Jefferson
Speaker 4: at the top of this list. And I think this
Speaker 4: forty the Seahawks defense is vulnerable until Reven Otherwise, Uh,
Speaker 4: they don't have Devin Witherspoon. I don't think he's gonna
Speaker 4: play in this game. Their rookie top five pick Adams
Speaker 4: isn't back, and they just haven't been consistent. And then
Speaker 4: you think about when they played last year. Maybe you
Speaker 4: don't think about it at all. I think about it.
Speaker 4: We're a Rams household because of my daughter. She lives
Speaker 4: and dies by Ram Seahawks. And you know what those
Speaker 4: two Rams Seahawks games were. They were barn burners with
Speaker 4: Baker Mayfield that quarterback that went down to the very
Speaker 4: last second one of them in overtime. The Seahawks did
Speaker 4: manage to get through each of them, but it's a
Speaker 4: reminder this is a matchup that has traditionally really favored
Speaker 4: McVeigh and so that was the reason I didn't lock
Speaker 4: it up. Actually, I just like something about the division
Speaker 4: matchup and the fact that the Rams had owned the
Speaker 4: Seahawks previously. It's just like, let's I just want to
Speaker 4: watch it. I'll enjoy it. I think the Seaws will
Speaker 4: be fine, but they could they could lose.
Speaker 5: I am not overly concerned about those two games from
Speaker 5: a year ago. Baker Mayfield and John Wolford nearly slaid
Speaker 5: the Seahawks twice, so that there there's that it's out there.
Speaker 5: But uh, Jackson Smith and Jigba practicing again. I think
Speaker 5: the Seahawks offense, uh that we know the wide receiver
Speaker 5: group is, has a chance to be just phenomenal.
Speaker 3: Two of them already are.
Speaker 5: And Ginoe he did fall off a cliff a little
Speaker 5: bit in certain respects down the stretch last year, but
Speaker 5: I think you're gonna get the Gino Smith that you
Speaker 5: got for the vast majority of the season and you
Speaker 5: have no Cooper Cup. This Rams team on defense is
Speaker 5: a high school team half the time. Oh they are.
Speaker 5: There's like all these guys talk about like the most
Speaker 5: anonymous defense we've seen.
Speaker 1: In the here. Oh these are pros, bros.
Speaker 5: I'm locking up Seattle. I don't care what anyone says.
Speaker 5: This is my lock I feel confident. I got to
Speaker 5: come out of the gate and go like seven or
Speaker 5: zero or eight and zero to start this season, and
Speaker 5: it starts right here.
Speaker 1: I respect it as the line moved since the Cooper No.
Speaker 4: It's yes, two five and a half. I think it
Speaker 4: was four and a half.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's similar, and that is we're not I would
Speaker 2: think with Cooper Cup out of the game, that should
Speaker 2: be out of the lock zone.
Speaker 1: Now you're safe as long as it's not moved before
Speaker 1: the show.
Speaker 4: It's not even close though. It's five and it's still
Speaker 4: a point in a half away.
Speaker 2: The Rams win this game on the road without Cooper
Speaker 2: Cup coaching.
Speaker 3: And it's football.
Speaker 4: We talk about all this football, yes, but that it's
Speaker 4: a good explanation why there's literally only one spread that
Speaker 4: is over seven points this week, because it's football and
Speaker 4: these teams are not as we convince ourselves that they're
Speaker 4: so different like the Seahawks last year. In the Rams
Speaker 4: you think of them is so different, right, But the
Speaker 4: two times they played, it came down to one play.
Speaker 4: It came down and needing to play at the end
Speaker 4: of the game from Gino And because he's Gino Smith
Speaker 4: and frankly he's been underrepresented on this podcast this offseason,
Speaker 4: he came through in a big spot and so that's
Speaker 4: why you're gonna lock it up.
Speaker 2: What I just think there's a talent disparity and a
Speaker 2: road element to this, and.
Speaker 4: I just think we overrate the differences between these teams
Speaker 4: on a week to week basis.
Speaker 3: Vegas knows better than us in this week. That's fine.
Speaker 5: But I think the Rams defense, it's not just Gino Smith.
Speaker 5: I think they can run all over on this defense, yea,
Speaker 5: and I can take some things away from the preseason
Speaker 5: and it's like they were manhandled on the ground. There
Speaker 5: is just not a lot of evidence that they can
Speaker 5: stop anyone.
Speaker 4: I love, I love me a little ramharb Zach Sharbony
Speaker 4: in this game, but also keep an eye on the
Speaker 4: Rams running game. I trust our friend George Rodrieg and
Speaker 4: I think That's how Sean McVay sees this season being different.
Speaker 4: They're gonna unveil a lot of new fun stuff in
Speaker 4: terms of the running game with Akers and Kyrien Williams,
Speaker 4: and they might be pretty effective running too.
Speaker 2: As Bob Slas said on Hard Knocks, the season is
Speaker 2: a climb. It's Mount Everest. Just getting to this point
Speaker 2: is base camp and there's a long way to go.
Speaker 2: And I refer to Fox's Adam I mean Mark Schlereth
Speaker 2: and Christina Pink were tasked with traveling to Landover for Cardinals.
Speaker 2: I thought we were commanders the final game. I'm sorry
Speaker 2: for Adam, Mark and Christina. Move up that pyramid at
Speaker 2: Fox and you won't be assigned to this game in
Speaker 2: the ature right now, that's where you're at, and that's
Speaker 2: where we're at.
Speaker 1: Last game.
Speaker 4: Well, you know what this is not. They actually do
Speaker 4: rank the teams. They are not the bottom team. They
Speaker 4: were like actually in the middle.
Speaker 1: Guess what.
Speaker 2: There's a tech thread with Adam, Mark and Christina on it, like, wtf,
Speaker 2: we're not at the bottom.
Speaker 3: I get. I guess it's that the Commanders have a
Speaker 3: nice audience.
Speaker 1: I don't know they renamed the thread WTF.
Speaker 7: I like.
Speaker 4: I like this game enough because it involves the Commando's,
Speaker 4: my sneaky playoff team. They're seven point favorites even in
Speaker 4: this game. This is one of the Craig there I
Speaker 4: do because Week one I do, I do Week one
Speaker 4: I do. They're all special teams that we don't know about.
Speaker 3: Cardinals.
Speaker 4: I'm less interested in Sam Howell. I'm very interested in
Speaker 4: Terry McLaurin back at practice. Sounds like he might play.
Speaker 4: We'll see just a little word of advice, like a pain.
Speaker 4: Let's just look at the Cardinals as maybe a week
Speaker 4: we can handle things with Johan Dotson, with Logan Thomas
Speaker 4: is back in the mix, with our running game and
Speaker 4: with our defense. And that's where I really worry about
Speaker 4: the Cardinals. I think Josh Dobbs is going to start
Speaker 4: this game, according to Rapshi, even though the coach for
Speaker 4: Arizona will not disclose who is starting. Mark is that
Speaker 4: kept you up at nights?
Speaker 3: It has kept me.
Speaker 1: Up competition decision.
Speaker 4: He says it could be Clayton Tune, it could be
Speaker 4: Josh Stabbs, but being rap part says it's going.
Speaker 5: To be I think, first of all, Dobbs was brought
Speaker 5: in by, you know, the O C who was his
Speaker 5: There's got to be some connective tissue there. I think
Speaker 5: Sam Howell makes this spicy. I really do, because it's
Speaker 5: like we we saw, we saw a lot in the preseason,
Speaker 5: we saw at the end of last year, and like
Speaker 5: they're an intriguing team.
Speaker 3: To me because of this.
Speaker 5: I think that Greg, I think you have them as
Speaker 5: a playoff team, right, your final card team.
Speaker 3: They do go in and handle business. But Sam Howell
Speaker 3: like makes them.
Speaker 5: They have been a tough watch for years on end,
Speaker 5: and I feel differently about him right now.
Speaker 4: If you can play, go be special. Commanders D line.
Speaker 4: I have been talking you up. This is not necessary
Speaker 4: a great car, those offensive line otho. It's probably one
Speaker 4: of the parts of the teams they feel best about.
Speaker 4: But they could make Josh Dobbs' life trouble.
Speaker 1: This is it late in the afternoon game, pass knockout.
Speaker 1: This is.
Speaker 3: The NFL plus.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's that old one where yeah, he's starting O
Speaker 2: and off and you got to keep on rewinding back
Speaker 2: around and realize that you knotted off again, and all
Speaker 2: of a sudden you're an hour deep into this project of.
Speaker 1: Watching the game.
Speaker 2: Unless Sam Howe lights up the world and then again,
Speaker 2: and that's why week one is beautiful, perfect landing spot
Speaker 2: for week one for the Commandos and how they light
Speaker 2: up the Cards all.
Speaker 1: Of a sudden, like, oh, maybe Washington.
Speaker 2: Is a player here and how is the guy that
Speaker 2: they're talking about he is now keep in mind the opponent.
Speaker 1: But nice start for them.
Speaker 4: It's gotta be tough to take Cardinals without though their
Speaker 4: team captain, Kyler Murray. I thought that was very interesting.
Speaker 4: They named Kyler Murray the team captain, one of the
Speaker 4: few despite I think it makes sense.
Speaker 2: We were just talking about how the potential that he's
Speaker 2: an afterthought and could be moved. Why would you do
Speaker 2: that unless you kind of maybe thought in your heart
Speaker 2: that not only do you see him as a part
Speaker 2: of the team now but in the future and a
Speaker 2: guy that you want to play this year because he's
Speaker 2: a captain.
Speaker 5: It also would have been a little weird if you
Speaker 5: weren't named captain. Yeah, I know he's hurt, but he
Speaker 5: is your quarterback.
Speaker 2: You could but you're right, there's that side of it
Speaker 2: as well. Good stuff anything else that's Week one. The preview,
Speaker 2: Like I said, we will have the Thursday night recap
Speaker 2: for you to enjoy. You will have an NFL Plus premiere.
Speaker 2: The Dreamatorium comes alive for around the NFL, So if
Speaker 2: you have an NFL Plus subscription or on dot om
Speaker 2: in international territories, that's where you can find that program.
Speaker 1: Football's back, Greg Football, keep a call.