Speaker 1: Play action. Mariota is going for the big balls. A minute,
Speaker 1: don't pay, and he's got the touchdown. Kendall writes, here's
Speaker 1: the first down handoff Murray Hey, big breaks free. Look
Speaker 1: at Mariota trying to lead a vi the ins on Hey,
Speaker 1: time for the pilot and he's got it. Mariota got
Speaker 1: an open man, He's got a touchdown. The second touchdown
Speaker 1: toss with the knight for Mariota. Oh what a night
Speaker 1: for Marcus Mariota. Christopher Wesseling's boy lightening it up on
Speaker 1: Thursday Night football, thirty six to twenty two win for
Speaker 1: the Titans over the Jaguars, and it wasn't nearly as
Speaker 1: close as the score indicates. I'm Greg Rosenthal again with
Speaker 1: Chris Wesseling, and we're gonna get to Dan Handis Mark
Speaker 1: Sessler in preview all the week eight games in just
Speaker 1: a minute. We hope Chris that those games are better
Speaker 1: than this thinker. This will end up being past siably
Speaker 1: the most misleading box score I have ever seen. Blake
Speaker 1: Bortles will have three thirty seven yards and three touchdowns
Speaker 1: without an interception. It's gonna look like he played well. Fantasy,
Speaker 1: if you started Blake Bortles, you're happy and yet at halftime, Uh,
Speaker 1: if you didn't watch this game, twenty seven to nothing
Speaker 1: for the Titans. The Titans had twenty two first downs
Speaker 1: in the their twenty one downs in the first half.
Speaker 1: The Jaguars had twenty two plays. So this was a
Speaker 1: good old fashioned whooping by the Titans, who have a
Speaker 1: lot of good things going for them right now. Well,
Speaker 1: they have an offensive line that doesn't can nearly the
Speaker 1: publicity of Dallas is but but has been every bit
Speaker 1: as dominant this year. To Marco Murray's on pace for
Speaker 1: almost two thousand yards from scrimmage, his numbers look a
Speaker 1: lot like his two thousand and fourteen Offensive Player of
Speaker 1: the Year numbers. Delaney Walker is still a very good
Speaker 1: tight end, and I don't think it's any coincidence that
Speaker 1: Mariota's numbers have picked up when Kendall Wright came back.
Speaker 1: Who was You know, he's not a great receiver, but
Speaker 1: he's far and away the titans best receiver. He's a
Speaker 1: good receiver. I mean, he's had points in his career
Speaker 1: where he looked like a quality, top level type of starter,
Speaker 1: and they just don't have anyone else like that. Matthews Orchard.
Speaker 1: Matthews isn't okay rotation type of guy. The defense showed something.
Speaker 1: I mean the defense. I know Blake Bordles is struggling,
Speaker 1: but the defense dominated the game when they needed to.
Speaker 1: And we've seen signs of life in their defense for
Speaker 1: the past month. Brian Rackbo has been really good, called
Speaker 1: Clue has been good. Uh. And I think that Darrell
Speaker 1: Casey's still kind of that all pro borderline all pro
Speaker 1: kind of guy. They've got some talent on the defense.
Speaker 1: You think they might be playing in January. I've been
Speaker 1: saying that I think the Titans and the Culture the
Speaker 1: two best teams. But the Titans if if Mariota has
Speaker 1: been one of their bigger problems so far, I think
Speaker 1: that's gonna change. You know that, That to me is
Speaker 1: a team with upside because he's already showing that that
Speaker 1: he's getting better. Yeah, he's progressing throughout the season, which
Speaker 1: is not to be unexpected. Marcus said this from the beginning.
Speaker 1: Give him some time with a new system and new
Speaker 1: players around him, and he's getting better by the week.
Speaker 1: That's promising. As opposed to Blake Bortles, who is regressing
Speaker 1: to a degree that we haven't seen in a long time.
Speaker 1: He set records for Jacksonville last year, franchise records second
Speaker 1: most touchdowns in the NFL, and in a franchise that
Speaker 1: had Mark Burnel. He is holding this team hostage right now.
Speaker 1: I know the offensive line isn't pushing people around, the
Speaker 1: running backs aren't breaking tackles. Alan Robinson is dropping passes,
Speaker 1: but it all starts with Blake Bortles and the delivery
Speaker 1: that gets longer every week. And he admitted to Phil Sims,
Speaker 1: I don't know where it started or how it started,
Speaker 1: but my delivery has gotten longer and it all starts there.
Speaker 1: They have I think they have to bench this guy.
Speaker 1: I did too. I think there's times when you can
Speaker 1: see a quarterback, young quarterback like Borders, where his head
Speaker 1: is swimming so much that he so out of it.
Speaker 1: Every game he starts out to for eight for eleven
Speaker 1: yards with an interception. This is four straight weeks basically
Speaker 1: where he's had three quarters of play in a game
Speaker 1: where they he was just inoperable, and it just I
Speaker 1: feel like he might do you might benefit from a
Speaker 1: couple of weeks just on the sideline. Then you bring
Speaker 1: him back in for December. This team's going nowhere. Yeah,
Speaker 1: they had to sit him down and fix that delivery.
Speaker 1: And it's it's extended to a mental thing too. You'll
Speaker 1: see a wide receiver wide open and will stare down
Speaker 1: the receiver and throw it straight into the dirt from
Speaker 1: ten yards away. And guys, guys with deliveries that are fine,
Speaker 1: don't do that. Guys who don't have it in their
Speaker 1: head don't do that. This guy is holding the team hostage. Well,
Speaker 1: the Jaguars, they're they're out of it at two and five.
Speaker 1: I know that's a bad division, but to me, they're
Speaker 1: the one team I don't think has a chance shot
Speaker 1: con Their owner after the game said actions speak louder
Speaker 1: than words. I don't have much to say. I don't
Speaker 1: know if that was a precursor to Gus Bradley possibly
Speaker 1: lose sing his job during the bye week. I tend
Speaker 1: to think Bradley will keep his job. Well, I don't
Speaker 1: think that shot. Khan's gonna like hearing things like Dion
Speaker 1: Sanders at halftime saying this team tonight has quit. The
Speaker 1: offense has been an issue all year. The defense tonight
Speaker 1: decided they didn't feel like tackling there wasn't much of
Speaker 1: an effort going into tackling de Marco Murray and Derrick
Speaker 1: Henry and uh Delaney Walker on at least one place,
Speaker 1: So I don't think they can be happy with the
Speaker 1: effort level. There were three personal fouls in the first half.
Speaker 1: Jalen Ramsey continues to look like a hothead. I think
Speaker 1: there are issues that go beyond Blake borders here. Yeah,
Speaker 1: they've been protected a little bit by a media that
Speaker 1: that they're friendly with and has been wanting this team
Speaker 1: to be good. I've wanted this team to be good.
Speaker 1: Look at obviously not working. Think of their fans who
Speaker 1: have been sold a five year rebuilding effort and they
Speaker 1: keep hearing hype all offseason and all summer, and then
Speaker 1: by October the Jaguars are out of it. Every year,
Speaker 1: Well that's that's it for the Jaguars being out of it.
Speaker 1: But you know who's in it, Dan Hansis, Mark Cessler
Speaker 1: and uh a whole lot of good games. Best slate
Speaker 1: of the year in week eight, Let's go to Dan
Speaker 1: to preview it. Around the NFL Podcast and Mark's here too.
Speaker 1: Welcome back to another edition of the Around the NFL Podcast.
Speaker 1: My name is Dan Hansas and I am joined by
Speaker 1: a room failed filled teeming with heroes, Mark Sessler, Chris
Speaker 1: Westling and Greg roseatal. What's up boys? Hey da Mark? Yeah,
Speaker 1: you're back, come back. Many people were nervous was marking
Speaker 1: to return? Uh? You were? You were essentially out a
Speaker 1: week of work. But you came back and I was
Speaker 1: happy to see. I didn't know what state you'd be in.
Speaker 1: I don't know if you'd be wheeled in on a gurney. Uh,
Speaker 1: if you would be a drooling vegetable. I had no
Speaker 1: idea what kind of Mark would show up, But you
Speaker 1: look just like Mark, and I'm happy to see it. Well,
Speaker 1: I waited until I could reappear, and you know, it's
Speaker 1: somewhat tangible state. I was a little bit of a
Speaker 1: mess for a couple of days. But thank you to
Speaker 1: the people that tweeted at me and wrote and I
Speaker 1: appreciate that. And you didn't like the people that were
Speaker 1: connecting your diet to this. You've got a lot of tweets.
Speaker 1: I got a lot of tweets. I'd respect to you.
Speaker 1: I didn't. I didn't pile on at all. I stayed
Speaker 1: out it. Now, you all three of you did an
Speaker 1: excellent job of non piling on. I I it was
Speaker 1: a weird medical thing that popped up out it. I've
Speaker 1: not been to a doctor since before last week, which
Speaker 1: might have contributed to it. But Clinton presidency, yeah, basically,
Speaker 1: you know, and uh yeah, but who weren't even born yet? Huh.
Speaker 1: We have listeners who weren't even born yet, and I know, well,
Speaker 1: I wish I were their age. But it had nothing
Speaker 1: to do with a dietary issue. Was it was a
Speaker 1: blood issue, and they said otherwise, I'm extremely healthy and
Speaker 1: should be able to U remain in the NFL media
Speaker 1: group for at least a couple more months until we're
Speaker 1: all sent out of here. At some point, I thought
Speaker 1: you meant you were going to die. We'll be fired.
Speaker 1: You heard that, right, Mark Cecil will never die. That
Speaker 1: would be boring. Uh. This is the Thursday edition of
Speaker 1: the Around the NFL podcast, sponsored by Mr Flames Economic
Speaker 1: Class in the Hague in the Netherlands. What you heard
Speaker 1: at the top of the show was the the tilt
Speaker 1: between the Jaguars and Titans. The scientists broke down that game.
Speaker 1: But there's so much more to talk about, but a
Speaker 1: little less than usual. So for the first of the
Speaker 1: next two weeks, six teams on by Uh, so you know,
Speaker 1: thirty two teams, six teams on by twenty six teams
Speaker 1: thirteen games one already played. Well have to talk about
Speaker 1: see that's pretty good. Actually, yeah, nailed they We're going
Speaker 1: back to what is essentially nineteen seventy two. I mean
Speaker 1: we're let's maybe the NFL should rip six or seven
Speaker 1: or eight teams out of the league with the quality
Speaker 1: he was talking about his math skills. Good. Frankly, Sunder rehearsed.
Speaker 1: I feel like you added you did the math before
Speaker 1: you came in here. Yes, you did. No, what do
Speaker 1: you mean? Dan is showing us he basically has crib
Speaker 1: notes he had he had too ahead of time. It's
Speaker 1: called clean broadcasting by our host. And you should try
Speaker 1: being a pro, okay, greg Um. Yes, So we have
Speaker 1: a lot of stuff to get to and we got
Speaker 1: marked back in the house, and we got Westling's new
Speaker 1: wardrobe is just popping, and everybody could check out on
Speaker 1: YouTube and all other methods of of viewing the show.
Speaker 1: The preview podcast which is chopped up uh and chopped
Speaker 1: up form. Where where can people see the preview pod?
Speaker 1: You find YouTube? I believe it's on Apple TV, you know,
Speaker 1: previews and whatnot. You can find it NFL now if
Speaker 1: that's your fancy. Really, West has a collection now of
Speaker 1: fitted Kashmir hooded sweatshirts, and everyone is really enamored by
Speaker 1: the way when he went out to that, he went
Speaker 1: out to the outlet shopping with this lady. She picked
Speaker 1: out some stuff. Can I have some equal time here?
Speaker 1: Well yeah, but I will just say last time at
Speaker 1: the bar, when you that coming off your shopping day,
Speaker 1: you had a fitted and I mean we're showing the pecks,
Speaker 1: the boys, the tries, and West has a good body, uh.
Speaker 1: And he had the tight purple Kashmir hooded and and
Speaker 1: Mark you were upsetted. I think it was more of
Speaker 1: a burgundy. This one is a sort of a dirty
Speaker 1: snow uh makeup. I love it. But the burgundy one
Speaker 1: at the cozy end that night, forget about it. West
Speaker 1: just looked like a man shot out of a man cannon.
Speaker 1: All right, West, you get your chance. Now. None of
Speaker 1: these hoodies is Kashmir. First. Second of all, they're not fitted.
Speaker 1: They're just large hoodies. And that's the way my body
Speaker 1: is medium. They're not medium. There their size down a
Speaker 1: little bit. You're you're That's what happens when you get
Speaker 1: a girl friend or a wife, you start wearing appropriate sizes.
Speaker 1: That's a that's the thing that well, then you then
Speaker 1: you can stop exercising once you get a wife. Entirely
Speaker 1: in the clothing doesn't matter at all. The plaids out
Speaker 1: for West basically, and I mean highly expect How much
Speaker 1: did you spend in that shopping trip? Be honest, well,
Speaker 1: you just spend over three They were of lesser quality
Speaker 1: than on normal. This really makes West. I'm comfortable. By way,
Speaker 1: here's where you can watch his hoodie on the old
Speaker 1: NFL Network because he was in this hoodie for our
Speaker 1: NFL Network podcast Pick Them Show. They might send the name,
Speaker 1: she might take the name by Saturday, but either way,
Speaker 1: check it out DVR. It is on three three times
Speaker 1: on Saturday. A show that is that we should have
Speaker 1: talked about this last week. But it is around the
Speaker 1: NFL podcast Move the Sticks and the Dave Damn Check
Speaker 1: Football program altogether breaking down every game. Uh so, yes,
Speaker 1: make sure you check it out, check your DVR or
Speaker 1: the listing. I don't know exactly twelve thirty pm, right
Speaker 1: afternoon Eastern time one thirty a m. Eastern time, and
Speaker 1: there's also there's also in Saturday morning. But you can
Speaker 1: just season pass it. You don't even have to watch it.
Speaker 1: You get credit if you season pass it. That's how
Speaker 1: you do it, all right. I like the way you look. West.
Speaker 1: I don't want you to be uncomfortable. I'm not the
Speaker 1: paramore does want me to get rid of the plant.
Speaker 1: But uh, you cannot kill my plant. Yeah, the plan
Speaker 1: is gonna come back. It's always coming back. It's a staple.
Speaker 1: All right. Let's get to the rest of the week
Speaker 1: eight games and let us start, gentlemen, uh with the
Speaker 1: latest trip to London. One more game in London this season,
Speaker 1: this one between the Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals. Uh.
Speaker 1: And this is a good matchup. London doesn't always get
Speaker 1: the greatest matchups. Let's score some points in this game.
Speaker 1: How about this? How about this a nice taught thirty
Speaker 1: seven game, mark, I would be nice. This could be
Speaker 1: the game that could give you that. I think that
Speaker 1: these are two intriguing offenses that are not fully formed
Speaker 1: necessarily at this point in the season. And my question
Speaker 1: with Cincinnati is I look at what they did last
Speaker 1: week against Cleveland, you ran for two hundred and seventy
Speaker 1: one yards against the worst defense in the league. And
Speaker 1: I don't think anyone in this room is overrating that
Speaker 1: against the opponent. But you did find your ground game,
Speaker 1: and it is not an offense for the first week
Speaker 1: in a while that is essentially centered around a J
Speaker 1: green and nothing alone, which looked more like two thousand
Speaker 1: and fourteen and two thousand and thirteen this offense for
Speaker 1: parts of this season, and with the Redskins they have
Speaker 1: an ability to score points as well. Their offense to me,
Speaker 1: really centers around if you want to go back two
Speaker 1: weeks ago the way they played the Eagles. If you
Speaker 1: can punish with your ground game the way they did
Speaker 1: against Philadelphia, everything else starts to look better. Kirk Cousins
Speaker 1: does not make the mistakes, it opens up your passing game. Now,
Speaker 1: last week they could not run that way and they
Speaker 1: turned the ball over on the ground, and then you
Speaker 1: get into trouble. And so which Redskins team are we
Speaker 1: going to see? That's a big question for me. I
Speaker 1: think the Bengals would invite the Redskins to run the ball,
Speaker 1: and Matt Jones fumbled twice last week and was involved
Speaker 1: in another and botched exchange. Kirk Cousin, you might not
Speaker 1: playing and he's banged up there, he's banged up. And
Speaker 1: Rob Kelly, I know he's your two lane boy, Greg,
Speaker 1: but not the strongest runner in the world. I think
Speaker 1: the Bengals would definitely invite them. I like Kelly though,
Speaker 1: this is a big guy, not gonna make you miss
Speaker 1: or anything. But but I agree with you and and
Speaker 1: Matt Jones being hurt. If he's out that that's gonna
Speaker 1: hurt them significantly. This is how bad the Matt Jones
Speaker 1: issue is with the ball security, which was an issue
Speaker 1: last year as well. But he's fumbling once every thirty
Speaker 1: three carries in steen the league average is once per
Speaker 1: one hundred. Uh So you get the feeling he's fumbled
Speaker 1: three times this year that he doesn't have too many
Speaker 1: left before he loses his role in the song. And
Speaker 1: it tells you what they think about the rest of
Speaker 1: their backfield when they keep putting him back in games.
Speaker 1: He'll he'll sit for a couple of series and then
Speaker 1: Matt Jones back. He's played well when he's not fumbling
Speaker 1: the ball, he's playing well, and that makes it even
Speaker 1: tougher to take him out of the lineup. These two
Speaker 1: quarterbacks are similar in some ways. I think when Kirk
Speaker 1: Cousins was playing well last year, a lot of people thought, Okay,
Speaker 1: maybe he's going to be the next Andy Dalton that
Speaker 1: you know, not the most talented guy in the world.
Speaker 1: But J Gruden up. Andy Dalton is a far superior
Speaker 1: player to Kirk Cousins. Cousins playing a little better the
Speaker 1: last few weeks, but Dalton has really impressed me. He
Speaker 1: played fantastic against the Patriots. I think his season has
Speaker 1: been underrated. He's playing just as well as he did
Speaker 1: a year ago. He is doing everything possible and now
Speaker 1: you're seeing the rest of the team kind of come
Speaker 1: together and catch up to him. He's a lot better
Speaker 1: player than Kirk Cousins, and A. J. Green is playing better.
Speaker 1: He'll he'll have one of the spots on our around
Speaker 1: the NFL Mid season All Pro Team, along with Julio
Speaker 1: Jones at wide receiver. Tyler Eifford's back and they got
Speaker 1: the running game back last week. I know it was
Speaker 1: the Browns. I know the Browns run defense isn't very good,
Speaker 1: but they broke out some new formations and blew the
Speaker 1: Browns off the ball. They put a lot of guys
Speaker 1: on one side of the line and the Browns weren't
Speaker 1: expecting it. I'd like to see if they can keep
Speaker 1: that going because Jeremy Hill looked as good as he
Speaker 1: has since two thousand fourteen. Is rookie season. What are
Speaker 1: we saying about the Redskins? Though? If Matt Stafford had
Speaker 1: not directed an amazing one minute drill to close that game,
Speaker 1: we'd be talking. I'm not seeing that. Kirk Cousins is,
Speaker 1: you know, the pie in the sky type quarterback whatever.
Speaker 1: That either fine, but their offense, their offense in some
Speaker 1: games has imposed their will on defenses. I mean it's like,
Speaker 1: it's just to me, they're a team that you don't
Speaker 1: know what you're gonna get week. To me, they're they're
Speaker 1: one of those teams every single game comes down to
Speaker 1: the last possession, so they are. To me, that means
Speaker 1: you're an eight and eight type of team, and they're
Speaker 1: gonna win some of these at the end, they're gonna
Speaker 1: lose some overall. That's who they are. And you think
Speaker 1: Cincinnati has the edge and the quarterback battle, but are
Speaker 1: you aware and Connor Or wrote about this only around
Speaker 1: the NFL page that Kirk Cousins is ahead in the
Speaker 1: preparation game. He's been wearing sunglasses at night to prep
Speaker 1: for his London trip as he tries to, I don't know,
Speaker 1: get ready for daylight. I don't I don't know. I
Speaker 1: don't get that. What would be the trying to adjust
Speaker 1: his body clock somehow and sunglasses help. I'm so I'm
Speaker 1: gonna call people what he's doing that to solve jet lag? Yes,
Speaker 1: that's insane. I start getting I'm getting to bed earlier
Speaker 1: each night, getting up earlier, wearing sunglasses a night, little
Speaker 1: things just to try to make that adjustment as quickly
Speaker 1: as possible so I don't feel like it is this weekend.
Speaker 1: When we get there, you know, his wife's like walking
Speaker 1: around like like what is and he's walking around at
Speaker 1: the sunglasses them around the house. Guys more square than
Speaker 1: Barry Goldwater. One last thing about this game, we don't
Speaker 1: Josh Norman is flying to line. I didn't get the
Speaker 1: ref I gotta be honest, I didn't get the refs out.
Speaker 1: Okay's good. It's an old it's an old reff it's old.
Speaker 1: We're talking early seventies, late sixties political reference. All right,
Speaker 1: that was for you. I loved it, Thank you. I
Speaker 1: didn't get it, but I like when you do your
Speaker 1: old old reference. Dan pretending he's not a big Barry
Speaker 1: Goldwater file, I mean, Kark. If you like wearing sunglasses
Speaker 1: at night you think you look cool, just do it.
Speaker 1: You know you don't have to hide behind these things.
Speaker 1: Let's move on and talk about a big a f
Speaker 1: C matchup, a one pm game between the Kansas City
Speaker 1: Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts. UH and Greg Uh. This is
Speaker 1: a Andrew Luck special. He needs to play at a
Speaker 1: top level to beat a good Chiefs team. UH in
Speaker 1: his building, and we've seen he's been up to the task.
Speaker 1: He's playing very well again this year. He's playing fantastic.
Speaker 1: But when your number two receivers Jack Doyle and your
Speaker 1: number three is Eric Swope. You guys did a good
Speaker 1: job West, especially pointing it out on the podcast. That's
Speaker 1: an Andrew Luck game. You can do that against the Titans.
Speaker 1: I don't think you can do that against the Chiefs.
Speaker 1: The Chiefs to me, are a complete team. They're coming
Speaker 1: together on both sides of the ball, and they're gonna
Speaker 1: If the Colts win this game, it'll they'll have to
Speaker 1: play their best game of the season. I have really
Speaker 1: not seen one particularly good game out of the Colts.
Speaker 1: If you can tell me what that game is, let
Speaker 1: me know. Well, he doesn't have to do it by
Speaker 1: himself anymore. I know that's the narrative. But Philip dor
Speaker 1: said is practicing fully on Thursday. Dante Moncrief is tentatively
Speaker 1: expected to come back this week. Those two are huge.
Speaker 1: Jack Doyle is playing well. He's more than just some
Speaker 1: you know role player that Jack Doyle is lane well.
Speaker 1: And their defense, their secondary finally has healthy bodies and
Speaker 1: played a good game against the Titans last week. What
Speaker 1: about if you're the Chiefs, before the trade deadline comes
Speaker 1: and goes, you leave Jamal Charles with the Cults before
Speaker 1: this game ends. You don't need Jamal Charles right now.
Speaker 1: He came in last week, and I think you talked
Speaker 1: about it on Sunday night. Why did he come in?
Speaker 1: He played a couple of snaps. Spencer ware is you
Speaker 1: know he's got thirty five percent of your ground yard
Speaker 1: is you're a total offense in Kansas City. He's been
Speaker 1: a total workhorse for him. Why are you trying to
Speaker 1: shove Jamal Charles back into the picture. At this point,
Speaker 1: I don't know if he's going to have a real
Speaker 1: role in this offense. But one thing I think I
Speaker 1: do know is that Ryan Grigson's probably out of the
Speaker 1: business of surrendering high draft picks for somebody else's number one.
Speaker 1: Are we saying that needs a GM that doesn't continue
Speaker 1: to make the same mistakes over again, because I think
Speaker 1: he is. And one issue with this team is they're
Speaker 1: just not We say this every week. It is not
Speaker 1: justin Andrew Luck based team. And they can win the
Speaker 1: South because they have probably the best player in the
Speaker 1: ANFC South, and Andrew Luck. But come on, where does
Speaker 1: this team own? Right? The Chiefs are a tough team
Speaker 1: to defend. This is Andy Reid's dream right now that
Speaker 1: they have so many options on offense. They've only thrown
Speaker 1: twenty two and twenty four passes the last two weeks,
Speaker 1: yet ten different players have been targeted in each one
Speaker 1: of those games. No one is getting more than five
Speaker 1: targets a week. It hasn't happened in weeks for that team,
Speaker 1: so that that's terrible. If you own Travis Kelsey or
Speaker 1: Jeremy Macklin, but they're spreading it around. It's tough, too
Speaker 1: tough to guard these guys. Tyreek Hill now as a receiver,
Speaker 1: he's is one of the most exciting young players. What
Speaker 1: you keep you keep trying to sell us Tyreek Hill,
Speaker 1: You ever just like two offensive touches per we He's
Speaker 1: not an offensive guy, but he he is so good
Speaker 1: as a returner. The Saints absolutely changed their entire strategy
Speaker 1: to avoid him as a returner. Helped out the Chiefs
Speaker 1: field position so that so that they're kicking it short
Speaker 1: all the time. Like he he's a difference maker. I
Speaker 1: think the Chiefs, like last year, are starting to become
Speaker 1: who they are and they're generating turnovers as well, and
Speaker 1: they're a team that needs to win the turnover battle
Speaker 1: to get you know, winning record basically at all. One
Speaker 1: last note, this is the according to the NFL Media
Speaker 1: Research notes are like this first meeting between these game
Speaker 1: teams since one of the great playoff games in the
Speaker 1: last ten years or so. Win for the Colts or
Speaker 1: Andrew Luck. I mean, he was a star before that,
Speaker 1: but he became a superstar that day that great comeback.
Speaker 1: Let's move on talk about one of the top games
Speaker 1: in the NFC, uh, at least record wise. You can't
Speaker 1: say that though, But it is the Fox game. I
Speaker 1: don't know if we're gonna have Joe Buck Joe MPI
Speaker 1: calling a World Series game. Uh. So you know, I
Speaker 1: don't want to go out and just tell everybody Joe
Speaker 1: Bucks out there, it's only the game because it got
Speaker 1: moved out of it, got flexed, got flexed, got a
Speaker 1: bang flex. So what we have here is the Arizona Cardinals.
Speaker 1: It's actually a ten am, one am game. We've got
Speaker 1: it all mixed up. I don't want a research am
Speaker 1: research guide coming up short. Anyway. The Cardinals three three
Speaker 1: and one, coming off one of the strangest games in
Speaker 1: recent NFL history, that's six six tie with the Seahawks
Speaker 1: absolute they should have won and then also should have
Speaker 1: absolutely lost. They now travel to Charlotte to face the Panthers,
Speaker 1: and I don't know, guys, I mean, this game is
Speaker 1: one of the hardest ones for me to figure out
Speaker 1: because west on one hand, how long do you stick
Speaker 1: with a team that was good last year and say, oh,
Speaker 1: they're still gonna be good this year. But the other hand,
Speaker 1: I think this is a big time wounded dog game.
Speaker 1: Big time. How's that? Why don't we ditch that drop
Speaker 1: and go with the loser goes home game? What drop
Speaker 1: is that? Well, let's just get one. Oh, it's a
Speaker 1: loser going home? Did you did you like that dog? No?
Speaker 1: I don't like any dog? Bean? How about this one?
Speaker 1: How about this one? Why are down this road again?
Speaker 1: It's funny that you wouldn't put this sound drop on
Speaker 1: the network show when we when we previewed this game,
Speaker 1: because I think you know the kind of backlast thing
Speaker 1: I like about it is when it just the show
Speaker 1: ground still halt because of it. That's that's the effect.
Speaker 1: And you can't do that on network. Well, that's because
Speaker 1: three or four people in the room, see me, we
Speaker 1: care about animals, Sidney. Who what was that last drop?
Speaker 1: By the way, that was goofy, goofy, Bro, Peter Pan,
Speaker 1: I mean it's it's a cartoon. You made your point.
Speaker 1: I can see here we go, all right, here we
Speaker 1: go Wounded Dog game in the sense west that the
Speaker 1: Panthers they're gonna be dangerous in their building at home, right,
Speaker 1: you got right, crazy right, But they're facing another wounded dog.
Speaker 1: The Cardinals are in a must win situation. They're gonna
Speaker 1: have to go. You would think ten five and one
Speaker 1: now that they have a tie, so they can only
Speaker 1: afford two more losses the rest of the way. Maybe
Speaker 1: the Panthers can only afford one more loss Either way,
Speaker 1: I think this is two desperate, desperate teams. I agree.
Speaker 1: I feel like you're saying, when should we jump ship
Speaker 1: on the Panthers? How about two weeks ago? It's like,
Speaker 1: you don't win in the Superdome. That's a that was
Speaker 1: a tough loss loss. Yeah, I mean I get that.
Speaker 1: We respect the fact that the Panthers over the last
Speaker 1: couple of seasons have been one of the streakier teams.
Speaker 1: Last year in a good way previous years. They get
Speaker 1: off to a terrible start and rebound. But I don't
Speaker 1: see the rebound. Yes, they bounced back. I don't see.
Speaker 1: Don't see the DNA. British. I remember one thing I
Speaker 1: like about this show. I've been gone for a week,
Speaker 1: and the constant, the constant pattern of anything I say
Speaker 1: is mowed over, Bye West by Dan and bye little
Speaker 1: old Greg over there. Every single time. It's absolutely fantastic.
Speaker 1: Somebody does an aside, You don't you're kind of mowing
Speaker 1: over the aside. So you're not letting map breathe it
Speaker 1: all either. Nonsense. I remember when Charles Barkley lead the
Speaker 1: league in rebounds. All right, So okay, well, all right,
Speaker 1: let's get back on track here. So the Cardinals. Let's
Speaker 1: talk about the Cardinals, greg because the Cardinals are a
Speaker 1: team that they are not scoring any points. They scored
Speaker 1: six points and five quarters essentially on Sunday Night. They're weird.
Speaker 1: I guess the great team, but still they're they're weird.
Speaker 1: It's the total opposite of when you think back to
Speaker 1: the NFC Championship game that the key match up here
Speaker 1: is the great Cardinals offense versus the great Panthers defense. Now,
Speaker 1: those two in units are mediocre. The only group in
Speaker 1: this game that is playing well this year is the
Speaker 1: Cardinals defense. I mean, Football Outsiders has the Cardinals offense
Speaker 1: and their defense fourth so far this year. And if
Speaker 1: you're just looking at who's played well in this game
Speaker 1: this season, the Cardinals defense gives them the edge. Tony
Speaker 1: Jefferson and Kevin Minter. It's not just the big superstars
Speaker 1: that are playing well for Arizona. They're good everywhere. Marcus
Speaker 1: Golden Class Campbell and and they're the group that could
Speaker 1: win this game alone for them, and people want to
Speaker 1: talk about the missfield goals in the Sunday night Seahawks
Speaker 1: Cardinals game, that was one of the more fascinating defensive
Speaker 1: battles we've seen since we've all worked here together. It
Speaker 1: was an unbelievably fun game to watch, and it is
Speaker 1: completely legitimate what Arizona did on defense. They've given up
Speaker 1: nine points in eight quarters and your Carolina, you're the
Speaker 1: second most turnovers in the league right now. You gotta
Speaker 1: correct that Carolina is making mistakes and not generating points
Speaker 1: in their defense, which was their lynchpin, is giving up
Speaker 1: massive yardage. It's worth noting that these two teams when
Speaker 1: they were playing there at a high level, you know
Speaker 1: of him wont to seven. I mean, I don't know
Speaker 1: if it's a matchup thing or not, but it's kind
Speaker 1: of overlooked that not only did they beat him, they
Speaker 1: absolutely these are totally different. I mean that feels like
Speaker 1: a thousand years. They're totally different teams now. And I
Speaker 1: think if you're a Cardinals fan, if you strain hard enough,
Speaker 1: you can see some signs of progress on all offense.
Speaker 1: John Brown is supposed to come back this week. Michael
Speaker 1: Floyd played well at the end of last game, but
Speaker 1: then you look at Michael Floyd's got a hamstring injury.
Speaker 1: He's not practicing. The right side of the offensive line
Speaker 1: is a major problem. Bruce Arian just doesn't trust that
Speaker 1: right side of Corson Palmer doesn't trust that right side.
Speaker 1: They don't even barely run off that right side. Hammer
Speaker 1: is not I mean, he's gonna play, but he's not
Speaker 1: a fully not moving well in the pocket either. Why
Speaker 1: does the NFC West does a division say we don't
Speaker 1: care about the offensive line. We're just gonna ride with
Speaker 1: what we have and just get our quarterbacks get whacked
Speaker 1: week after week. It's a good question. All right, I am,
Speaker 1: I'm going down on the ship with the Panthers here.
Speaker 1: If I have to see you later, you know what
Speaker 1: I'm in the fact, You know what I'm gonna do
Speaker 1: right here? Are you gonna lock it up? I'm gonna
Speaker 1: lock this one up. Lock it up? Come on, baby,
Speaker 1: there it comes, spin it, make sure it's secure. Locked
Speaker 1: this one up. I'm on a one game winning streak
Speaker 1: with the lock of the week. Well, I think if
Speaker 1: the lock of the week segment has taught us anything
Speaker 1: this year. It's that is entirely meaningless. No, it is turned.
Speaker 1: It has turned now. Oh now it's actually in the vault.
Speaker 1: Not only I lock it up, Connie Fox locked up
Speaker 1: the Chargers in Atlanta. She locked up the lock of
Speaker 1: the week. We're flying it. I was watching I was
Speaker 1: watching coverage in the UK, and uh their show also
Speaker 1: had a lock of the week. Let's uh yeah, England
Speaker 1: locks it up as well. That's interested I was saying. News.
Speaker 1: England's locking it up as well. Let's move on. Let's
Speaker 1: talk about a intern Conference matchup. I don't Knowpe. The
Speaker 1: Oakland Raiders are five and two, and now they travel
Speaker 1: to Tampa to face the three and three Bucks, and uh, West,
Speaker 1: here's a matchup where again the Raiders are in great
Speaker 1: position right now to get to the halfway point on
Speaker 1: pace for a twelve and fourth season, and all they
Speaker 1: do is beat the Bucks, who you hate West, right,
Speaker 1: So you think the Raiders are cruising right, Well, I
Speaker 1: gave the Bucks a little bit of credit. They they
Speaker 1: played better than I expected. You forgot to mention. This
Speaker 1: is what the two thousand two Super Bowl rematch. Is
Speaker 1: it a revenge game for the Raiders. Do you have
Speaker 1: the team was like twelve years old? What iss on
Speaker 1: revenge games? I don't one of the worst Super Bowls
Speaker 1: of all time? It was shept Ford Dexter Dexter Jackson's
Speaker 1: pocket anyway, all right, wait, what does that mean? Wasn't
Speaker 1: he the m v P of the Super Bowl? And
Speaker 1: Safer one of the more forgettable names of a head
Speaker 1: coach in a Super Bowl in a long time? Can
Speaker 1: you guys name the Raiders head coach in that game?
Speaker 1: I'm just saying no, I haven't heard a lot about
Speaker 1: Billy Callahan in a while. Raiders have the second best
Speaker 1: record in the NFC, right little Callahana side there? I
Speaker 1: like it there, just have the second best record in
Speaker 1: the NFC. Does anyone actually believe that the second best
Speaker 1: team in the ANFC this year? No? I think they're
Speaker 1: similar to the Redskins, that they're just a team. Every
Speaker 1: game is gonna come down to the end just about
Speaker 1: the The game against Jaguars was actually the most perhaps
Speaker 1: impressive game of the season, and Jaguars don't count. At
Speaker 1: least they can beat bad teams. They showed that well.
Speaker 1: So the Jaguars cannot figure themselves out on offense, and
Speaker 1: it helped the NFL's worst defense in Oakland, look a
Speaker 1: little better. Well. I mean, the problem is Oakland continues
Speaker 1: to give up huge plays on defense, and I think
Speaker 1: the record is nice at this point. Nice for them
Speaker 1: to get out to this start, but it's gonna catch
Speaker 1: up to you at some point. I think when you
Speaker 1: watch the Raiders defense, though they're not one of the
Speaker 1: worst defenses in the league, they had two really bad
Speaker 1: games to start the season and they've They've had some
Speaker 1: games where they haven't been great, but for the most part,
Speaker 1: they they have talent on defense, and since those first
Speaker 1: two weeks, they've been okay. I would say that rather underachieving. Though, yeah,
Speaker 1: that's fair. They can do better. They've got the talent
Speaker 1: to turn it around. But I don't give them any
Speaker 1: credit for beating the Jags. Wouldn't surprise me if the
Speaker 1: Bucks win this game, though, But they cannot get healthy.
Speaker 1: I mean, they keep waiting. Doug Martin had a setback
Speaker 1: from his injury. There. That hasn't been a problem. Quiz
Speaker 1: has been more than anyone could have expected. That's fine,
Speaker 1: but it hasn't been a problem. It has been in
Speaker 1: that one game against the Panthers, he averaged three yards
Speaker 1: per carry. Wasn't the craziest performance. He had a great
Speaker 1: game against San Francisco. When you play good teams, it
Speaker 1: would be nice to have Doug Martin. That's all I get.
Speaker 1: I get that. Let's move on and talk about a
Speaker 1: match up between the Seattle Seahawks and the new Olden Saints,
Speaker 1: and uh, you know, Greg, I think here's the thing.
Speaker 1: Arizona Carl's have very nice defense, but there were times
Speaker 1: in that Sunday night game where the Seahawks just looked lost.
Speaker 1: I mean, punt after punt after punt after punt, and
Speaker 1: it really gets you wondering how much is Russell Wilson's
Speaker 1: leg issues really holding this offense hostage at this point?
Speaker 1: Do you think they'll be able to score points against
Speaker 1: the Saints like everyone else's They gonna continue to have issues.
Speaker 1: Everyone can score against the Saints, but can you can
Speaker 1: you outscore the Saints in the Superdome? Can you outscore
Speaker 1: this Saints offense, which I think is easily the best
Speaker 1: Saints offense in two thousand and eleven, maybe the best
Speaker 1: one since two thousand nine. Past protection getting better every week,
Speaker 1: the best three wide receiver combination that Drew Brees has
Speaker 1: ever had. That's not including when he had Jimmy Graham.
Speaker 1: He's not a wide out, but Cooks, Thomas and Steed
Speaker 1: they're lightening up. This is a great matchup when the
Speaker 1: Saints are on the field. This is one of the
Speaker 1: best defenses and one of the top three or four offenses.
Speaker 1: It wouldn't surprise me if the Saints win this game
Speaker 1: for the same reason that the Seahawks are coming off
Speaker 1: a hundred snaps a week ago. It would surprise me.
Speaker 1: Do the Saints have an edge rusher. No. I mean
Speaker 1: they have Cameron Jordan's a good player, but he's not
Speaker 1: really a nice rusher. Three games the Seahawks have played
Speaker 1: against teams with good edge rushers, their offense has been
Speaker 1: shut down. And when they because Russell Wilson can't move
Speaker 1: in the Seahawks tackles are garbage. But when they play
Speaker 1: against the team that doesn't have an edge rusher, they
Speaker 1: do fine. I think this pectorial injury which they're talking
Speaker 1: about with Wilson, is a concern, but Wilson played great
Speaker 1: against Atlanta. Wilson played great against the Jets, so I
Speaker 1: don't know about this Russell Wilson mobility is that big
Speaker 1: of a problem it was, It wasn't a big problem
Speaker 1: the two weeks before that. I think it's funny that
Speaker 1: I've been real hard on Sean Payton in the Saints
Speaker 1: for their defense, But if you do watching what they
Speaker 1: did on offense last week when Sneid got back involved
Speaker 1: in this passing game, it's funny that a year ago
Speaker 1: we were talking about a Saints offense that wanted to
Speaker 1: become the two thousand and fourteen Cowboys. They wanted to
Speaker 1: use mark Ingram and chew up the clock and finally
Speaker 1: give Sean Payton some credit at least for saying, forget
Speaker 1: that we know who we are, We're gonna pass the
Speaker 1: hell out of the ball NonStop. And honestly, they give
Speaker 1: them credit because shouldn't You've got a couple more years
Speaker 1: with Drew Brees and it listens. They got the guys
Speaker 1: in house to do it. Their passing game is unbelievable.
Speaker 1: I agree, but shouldn't mark Ingram have a hundred yards
Speaker 1: every once a while he help out at defense. He
Speaker 1: does not look like the same guy to me is
Speaker 1: last year. There was a period late in the last
Speaker 1: week's game with the Saints where they got a little
Speaker 1: more balanced, and I thought it looked that's the kind
Speaker 1: of offense you'd want, but they've not been able to
Speaker 1: keep their defense on the field. They might get Delvin
Speaker 1: Brow back, which would be if he doesn't come back
Speaker 1: this week. Whenever he comes back, that's a huge addition
Speaker 1: for that team. Russell Wilson told reporters on Thursday that
Speaker 1: he was told his knee injury was supposed to sideline
Speaker 1: him four weeks. He didn't miss a game. That's a
Speaker 1: little bit of a big Ben Humble Bragg situation, but
Speaker 1: also it again tells you the severity of the issue
Speaker 1: that he's dealing with and why he might not be
Speaker 1: right until after the season ends. We'll see how this
Speaker 1: all plays out moving I'm taking the Saints, by the
Speaker 1: way in this let's pick that game. Anybody else got
Speaker 1: the Saints? See Chickens, I'm going Seahawks on the Superdome playground.
Speaker 1: I'm with you. That's roll. Let's roll. Let's take a
Speaker 1: shot on that one. All right. Let's move on. Talk
Speaker 1: a little Lions at Texans guys, and uh, the talk
Speaker 1: of the league and well there's two This is really
Speaker 1: the hell two quarterbacks right here. I mean you have
Speaker 1: on one side Mark brock Oswiler is coming off maybe
Speaker 1: his his lowest moment on Monday Night against his old team,
Speaker 1: and then on the other side you have the reborn
Speaker 1: by cooner Matthew Stafford, who is getting legit m v
Speaker 1: P buzz. Do you think he deserves to be in
Speaker 1: that conversation right now? Absolutely? Watching Matthew Stafford over the
Speaker 1: last couple of weeks to a month, this is completely
Speaker 1: different than the way I used to feel watching Matthew Stafford,
Speaker 1: where I found him so frustrating he drove me nuts.
Speaker 1: He would do things physically, mechanically and decision making wise
Speaker 1: that would just make Lions fans insane. Instead, this year
Speaker 1: it's completely the opposite. And I don't want to say
Speaker 1: that it's because Calvin Johnson isn't there. That doesn't make
Speaker 1: a lot of sense to me. But he's doing it
Speaker 1: last week without any semblance of a ground game. It's
Speaker 1: on his shoulders and the way he beat the Redskins
Speaker 1: in the final minute was one of the better, you know,
Speaker 1: closing moments for a quarterback all season, and I think
Speaker 1: he'll be able to continue that against the Texans. The
Speaker 1: bigger question for me is you look at Ostwiler. We
Speaker 1: all saw that game in prime time. What a disaster.
Speaker 1: The aura around this Texans team is one of great
Speaker 1: disappointment because you poured a ton of money into what
Speaker 1: is essentially a backup quarterback that might even be third
Speaker 1: string in the way he's played on some teams rosters
Speaker 1: right now, can you get healthy against the Lions defense
Speaker 1: and allowing seventy quarterback it's in the mix. They're allowing
Speaker 1: quarterbacks to get healthy. But I just think with this,
Speaker 1: with with the way this Texans offense is centered right now,
Speaker 1: brock Ostwilder is hurting them week to week. Guys like
Speaker 1: Harry Hyder on the Lions are getting two quarterbacks. He's
Speaker 1: gonna get pressured. We'll see what happens. The way you
Speaker 1: just bury your hand in your face when you hear
Speaker 1: that drop, can we hear one more time? Can't believe it?
Speaker 1: That is Greg's impression of of rock Oswiler. Just so
Speaker 1: everyone knows, speaking of brock Oswalder by the way Texans
Speaker 1: fan and when these stories pop up, you know you're
Speaker 1: you're in a funk. Whenever this happens. A Texans fan
Speaker 1: is started to go fund me to raise seventy two
Speaker 1: million to buy out brock Oswilders. You blame him, I
Speaker 1: totally don't blame it. I mean, it's it's a bad situation.
Speaker 1: We talked about this uh in depth on Tuesday's show.
Speaker 1: But they are They're in a tough situation. They're locked
Speaker 1: in with him and they need him to show something
Speaker 1: against Detroit. Was I can't believe I'm picking the Lions
Speaker 1: to win this game, but I think other than Blake Bordles,
Speaker 1: I have less confidence in brock oswar than any quarterback
Speaker 1: in the league, and I have a lot of confidence
Speaker 1: in Matthew Stafford. I'm not in the Pro Football Writers
Speaker 1: of America. Why not, But if I was, I'd be
Speaker 1: kicked out because I haven't written a Matthew Stafford think
Speaker 1: piece this week and every other writer. I hope you're
Speaker 1: reading the QB indext we had ours a month ago.
Speaker 1: Matthew Stafford. We're ahead of the curve. That's what we do.
Speaker 1: We are ahead of the curve. They get a theoretic
Speaker 1: back this week, they get Eric Ebron back this week.
Speaker 1: That's part of what they've got. Golden Tate, a rejuvenated
Speaker 1: golden Tate as the centerpiece of their passing game right now,
Speaker 1: that's also sort of their ground game too. Yes, that's
Speaker 1: what's so impressive to me about what Stafford and Cootter
Speaker 1: have done. Couter is an incredible play call. They put
Speaker 1: up thirty one points on the Rams in eight drives
Speaker 1: without Ebron and Riddick, who are two of their four
Speaker 1: or five most valuable offensive players. It's incredible, and listening today,
Speaker 1: there was a good hit by on up to the
Speaker 1: minute from our reporter James Palmer, Justin Forsett, who has
Speaker 1: been there. He compared Stafford's mastery of the offense and
Speaker 1: the responsibility he has with directing where everyone's gonna be
Speaker 1: to Peyton Manning. He said He's played with a lot
Speaker 1: of veteran quarterbacks, including Joe Flacco for instance, none of
Speaker 1: them had that sort of mastery and control and an
Speaker 1: ability to orchestrate the whole team like staff It's I mean,
Speaker 1: you who would have ever thought you'd hear that about Matthews.
Speaker 1: It's not just the play calling, because finally someone has
Speaker 1: developed and worked with Matthew Stafford to correct a lot
Speaker 1: of the stuff that multiple coaches and position coaches could not.
Speaker 1: And I'll tell you something, Dan, That's why I'm making
Speaker 1: the Lions my lock of the wheel, locking it up.
Speaker 1: There are a fun team. I have. All I have
Speaker 1: did like spin it and secure that it's in the vault.
Speaker 1: I have disliked the Lions and watching the Lions since
Speaker 1: childhood because of the stadium they play in, their boring
Speaker 1: little dome and just their whole boring, you know, feeling
Speaker 1: to the whole team. They've been terrible most and they've
Speaker 1: been terrible, completely different this year. They're fun to watch
Speaker 1: and you know what They're gonna take this team town.
Speaker 1: The Texans have a lot of questions to answer. You
Speaker 1: had an issue with the Pontiac Silverdome matic gold build.
Speaker 1: That's where slammed Andre the Giant. That's the most fun
Speaker 1: thing that happened in the Pontiac Silverdome in my childhood,
Speaker 1: unless you're actually went and watched that event live close
Speaker 1: circuit cable in the Hartford Felt Forum. I believe it
Speaker 1: was called dragged my dad to it. He was questioning
Speaker 1: everything about my brother and I at that point. Why
Speaker 1: was he dragged to a WWF wrestlemany event. It was
Speaker 1: a great event. Sorry, especially just you're just watching it
Speaker 1: on TV, right, you couldn't order to convey how big
Speaker 1: wrestling was for any child. From ninth to eighty seven,
Speaker 1: replaced Saturday Night Live every fourth week. Yeah, that was
Speaker 1: a huge event in our household when Saturday Night's main
Speaker 1: event replaced Saturday Night Live. I think although that is
Speaker 1: very true that it did. I think it is very
Speaker 1: true SNL does go dark like once a month. Also,
Speaker 1: it just happened. I like to frame it. I like
Speaker 1: to frame it differently. It actually it completely dominated. It
Speaker 1: was a big deal, and that I'm just for the
Speaker 1: sake of accuracy, just just to recap Dan Piste all
Speaker 1: over your points. You cut that from the broadcast. That
Speaker 1: did nothing to help with what West and I were
Speaker 1: trying to get to. The man picked up the phone
Speaker 1: and Lauren Michaels and then well it also it also
Speaker 1: it got massive ratings though too very well, so your
Speaker 1: point is shredded and means nothing. I mean, we finally
Speaker 1: got Dan's Lauren Michael's impression. Long time coming. It was
Speaker 1: the only night of the year or a month that
Speaker 1: the Wesleyan boys were allowed to have snacks. Oh that's
Speaker 1: a sweet I like that. I like picturing that threw
Speaker 1: them down the stairs. It's snacks for like eight kids.
Speaker 1: Keep the change. It filled the animals. The latch opens,
Speaker 1: you hear the doors swing over light throwing like raw
Speaker 1: meat down the stairs. Raccoons and badgers fighting for the
Speaker 1: same snacks, seven of us fighting over one rollo. There's
Speaker 1: like a dead Westling roy skeleton in the corner, like
Speaker 1: you just can make it old Hank Old Hank Westling.
Speaker 1: All right, let's move on and talk about Oh, let's
Speaker 1: take a trip to the throne of ease, and my goodness,
Speaker 1: I mean it's starting to get on. What's comical Now
Speaker 1: they get gift wrapped to victory last week because Ben
Speaker 1: Roethlisberger's knees hurt. Now they're gonna get gift racked another
Speaker 1: wind because Lashawn McCoy was stupidly played in week seven
Speaker 1: by Rex and company. We'll see and then we got
Speaker 1: the news also we'll get to a little later. But
Speaker 1: I was upset with this with Greg too, that Denver
Speaker 1: lost their starting running back to Denver the only will
Speaker 1: threaten the a f C. I'm furious right now. Oh yeah,
Speaker 1: the Patriots and they've never had any injuries in their history.
Speaker 1: I mean, that's just enjoy the throne of these That's
Speaker 1: all I'm saying. They've had some breaks this year. Al Right,
Speaker 1: here we go. The except for you know, the whole
Speaker 1: suspending the best player in the league for four games
Speaker 1: for a ridiculous offense. Other than that, the breaks, when
Speaker 1: you cheat, you gotta be you gotta be punished, you
Speaker 1: gotta face up to it. Except the other thirty one teams,
Speaker 1: the Bill always comes due. That's the lesson. They're un Yeah,
Speaker 1: that's good. Uh, it must have been a deflating situation.
Speaker 1: Has anyone done that? The first was a professional? All Right,
Speaker 1: here we go. The Bills four and three lost in Miami,
Speaker 1: had a great opportunity to come flying into this Patriots matchup. Um,
Speaker 1: but instead they're coming off a tough loss to the Dolphins. Uh,
Speaker 1: they are the home team. But we should know that
Speaker 1: Tom Brady always has fun against Rex Ryan. But things
Speaker 1: were different. This is the second matchup between these two teams, correct,
Speaker 1: And the the first one was Yeah, they there won't
Speaker 1: be any Jacoby Brissett for them to pick on this time.
Speaker 1: And you do have to give credit Risky. Just what
Speaker 1: I thought we'd never hear that again. The eighteen tackle
Speaker 1: game that Zach Brown had against the Patriots might be
Speaker 1: the best defensive performance I've seen a whole year. And
Speaker 1: he'll be he He wasn't practicing because of an illness,
Speaker 1: but he should be fine. The Patriots should be hoping
Speaker 1: that Lashawn McCoy plays because he was terrible last week.
Speaker 1: He was dragging his leg around. He was not nearly
Speaker 1: as explosive as Mike gillies Lei and Robert or Lashaw
Speaker 1: McCoy playing was bad, not only for what it does
Speaker 1: this week and the week after that when he won't
Speaker 1: be It was bad because he didn't give them a
Speaker 1: good chance to win at at a at a a
Speaker 1: stage in that game where he couldn't make anyone miss,
Speaker 1: he couldn't do anything. The Bill's defense should be good
Speaker 1: enough to keep them in most games. Now they're going
Speaker 1: up against you know what might be the best offense
Speaker 1: in the league. They do get Marcel Darius back, it's
Speaker 1: gonna be tough for the Bills to score a lot
Speaker 1: of points. They're not build up built to score a
Speaker 1: lot of points. They might be without Corty glenn Uh,
Speaker 1: they might be without Aaron Williams, who has been a
Speaker 1: key part of that secondary and it sounds like he's
Speaker 1: going to be out for for a long time. It
Speaker 1: doesn't set up well for them. But this is a
Speaker 1: team that really won on both sides of the ball
Speaker 1: last time they played their offense, having a lot of
Speaker 1: long drives early against the Patriots was a key to
Speaker 1: that game. I I there was a point in the
Speaker 1: Steelers Patriots game where the Steelers scored to go to
Speaker 1: go up. They were down twenty to sixteen. It's the
Speaker 1: fourth quarter, and it's almost you found out right then
Speaker 1: that New England is just toying with teams at this point.
Speaker 1: At that point, they stopped spreading the ball around. They
Speaker 1: just gave it to Legarrett Blunt and fired it down
Speaker 1: the field to Rob Gronkowski. Scored instantly and absolutely powerfully
Speaker 1: imposed their will on the opponent. And at that point
Speaker 1: I watched, I said, they are going to win the
Speaker 1: Super Bowl. And we're going to spend the next ten
Speaker 1: or twelve weeks talking around flittering around other teams. Oh,
Speaker 1: the Houston Texans, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It does not
Speaker 1: matter at all. This team is, by far, heads and tails,
Speaker 1: the best team in the a f C, in the NFL.
Speaker 1: They are going to destroy Buffalo Pashtegs, save football, Cancel
Speaker 1: the Patriots of you. I feel like this was your rant,
Speaker 1: like right before you left for a week and well
Speaker 1: come back and well nothing changed. Honestly watching that Steelers game,
Speaker 1: and I understand Landry Jones is in there, and if
Speaker 1: you put big Bang in there, that's a different matchup.
Speaker 1: But I'm not sure it matters. New England is not
Speaker 1: going to be stopped by anyone. Barring a rash of injuries,
Speaker 1: They're not going to be stopped. They are They're like
Speaker 1: in Swingers where he's using those bear claws and they
Speaker 1: just kind of they bat around the pretty little team
Speaker 1: and whatever they feel like if they dig those claus
Speaker 1: in and they do it, here's two West Like, by
Speaker 1: the way, thank god for that, because without the Patriots,
Speaker 1: there'll be no good teams in football that's exactly right
Speaker 1: competitive save the Patriots. Um I West, I know you
Speaker 1: like trivial stats. I like two of these now, all
Speaker 1: eight of Tom Brady's TV passes the season. I've gone
Speaker 1: to rbs and tight ends. Which can I spin off
Speaker 1: that point? Julian Edelman not very good this year. He
Speaker 1: hit the foot, He's not as quick as he was,
Speaker 1: he's not making big plays, He's not the player he
Speaker 1: was last year or the year before there, and this
Speaker 1: is kind of a meeting of step. But Brady is
Speaker 1: just become such a statistical monster in the last ten
Speaker 1: years that all these stats are always crazy, but they're
Speaker 1: just fun to read. Brady is eleven and oh in
Speaker 1: October starts since two thousand fourteen, with thirty three touchdowns
Speaker 1: and one interception. I think there's one reason there. There's
Speaker 1: something this is to be said for that that New England,
Speaker 1: and we've talked about this before, they don't have a
Speaker 1: problem spending the month of September figuring out who they
Speaker 1: are and what they do best. And by the time
Speaker 1: you get to October and you still have a lot
Speaker 1: of healthy players and Brady is not in any level
Speaker 1: worn down. They just ripped through people out that though.
Speaker 1: I think all teams trying to are trying to figure
Speaker 1: out the way they do it member and then but
Speaker 1: the Pats figured out there, you go, don't the Pats
Speaker 1: do things well that other teams professional teams should be
Speaker 1: able to do and do not do. I don't I
Speaker 1: am uncomfortable with all this. They're they're in the super Bowl.
Speaker 1: That's not how it works. You don't like it, you
Speaker 1: do it, It's not how it works. But it's everyone's
Speaker 1: going to be maybe, I hope so. But they're gonna
Speaker 1: have to keep getting better they have. It's not like
Speaker 1: they're a perfect team. Are they a good pass blocking team?
Speaker 1: Not particularly? Are they good pass rushing team? Not particularly.
Speaker 1: Are they a particularly good running team. Not really like
Speaker 1: they they're they're good. They have Tom Brady and they
Speaker 1: have a lot of great I'm just saying that, you
Speaker 1: know what, they're not the most dominant team we've ever seen.
Speaker 1: Here's one example. Everyone's you know, la Garrett Blunt is
Speaker 1: just a guy. He's everybody you know what he is.
Speaker 1: He's dominating teams weeks two weeks and the guy does
Speaker 1: not getting I'm not saying that he's the most versatile
Speaker 1: running back. He's he's a one dimensional type guy. But
Speaker 1: they say, go in there and batter through teams. There
Speaker 1: are a couple of runs against the Steelers last week
Speaker 1: where he's like he just swaying back and forth and
Speaker 1: just for ten or eleven yards right through Pittsburgh's deare
Speaker 1: why don't you a shameful performance by me. But that's
Speaker 1: it's not a great pass rush past. But then here's
Speaker 1: the thing, the rest of the NFL. What is the
Speaker 1: team there the NFL right now that the talent level
Speaker 1: of the other team seems to be lower, There isn't
Speaker 1: two or three other teams sitting out there. It just
Speaker 1: seems absolutely low. The Seahawks, Steelers when they get Ben back,
Speaker 1: which they will, uh, well, one of them when you
Speaker 1: meet in the Super Bowl. Two of them you meet
Speaker 1: in the Super Bowl. Yards and seventeen touchdowns. I think
Speaker 1: the Patriots are running well and Dion Lewis is supposed
Speaker 1: to return to practice. They could have a very versatile
Speaker 1: back field that allows them to play in any situation
Speaker 1: they want. They do have a good running back in Blood,
Speaker 1: but not a great running game like they don't. He's
Speaker 1: the only guy They get what they need. Other teams
Speaker 1: would love. When you know what, it's third and eight
Speaker 1: you need, they hand the ball off. Other teams get
Speaker 1: two yards and it's a nice punt. Somehow Blunt runs
Speaker 1: for a first down. It's almost like watching someone play
Speaker 1: a video game while the rest of the teams are
Speaker 1: in slow motion. I mean, there's no way to mask it. Greg. Verbally, Greg,
Speaker 1: I want you to put your high octane sandwich where
Speaker 1: your hot take is. Oh and uh two sandwiches. Uh.
Speaker 1: I don't miss make the Super Bowl? No do you
Speaker 1: say that. I say there's no way they missed the
Speaker 1: Super Bowl. I'm not picking against the No, I'm not.
Speaker 1: That's a rule. I never would pick against them. So
Speaker 1: you agree that they will be in the Super Bowl.
Speaker 1: I've got to pick them every week for the rest
Speaker 1: of the time. All right, let's move on and talk
Speaker 1: about Oh, here's two teams going nowhere, the New York
Speaker 1: Jets and Cleveland Browns, who are the bottom two teams
Speaker 1: in the a f C standings right now. Uh two
Speaker 1: and five Jets coming off a win over the Ravens.
Speaker 1: The Browns at home, still looking for that first win.
Speaker 1: And it looks like all indications point to Josh McCown
Speaker 1: returning to the lineup. And Mark, I know you've been
Speaker 1: picking the Browns a lot this year, and I got
Speaker 1: a feeling you're gonna pick him again. And I just
Speaker 1: want you to remember a nice little helicopter spin that
Speaker 1: we gave Josh McCown last season when he came into
Speaker 1: the metal ends. You come come near that goal line again,
Speaker 1: the helicopter spinning once more, I think, well you can,
Speaker 1: you can go on with your chanting. Um. You know
Speaker 1: they we just did a network piece where we had
Speaker 1: to put this under the category of teams pushing for
Speaker 1: the playoffs. I would suggest a different title for this game.
Speaker 1: I mean, please, but that helicopter spin might have been
Speaker 1: the best thing that happened to Cleveland because it is
Speaker 1: the first thing that sunk that team got Hugh Jackson
Speaker 1: to be their coach, and it's the first coach they
Speaker 1: were gonna get sunk either way, Like maybe maybe not.
Speaker 1: McCown actually played very well last year, and he's the
Speaker 1: X factor in this game because if you had Kevin
Speaker 1: Hogan here, who can he can run for you? As
Speaker 1: a wild card wildcat quarterback couple plays a game. He
Speaker 1: cannot throw the ball at an NFL level. McCown ken,
Speaker 1: Kevin Hogan has the most hideous quarterback delivery I've ever
Speaker 1: seen in my life. Blake Bards like, what about me? No, no, no,
Speaker 1: I mean Kevin Hogan throws like a cricket bowler. He
Speaker 1: brings it over the top like this, and then Kenan
Speaker 1: deserves deserves like not a thirty for thirty, but maybe
Speaker 1: one of those shorts like the Kevin Hogan game last
Speaker 1: week was an amazing thing to behold. Yeah, and it's
Speaker 1: I I don't know what we're asking of the six
Speaker 1: quarterback to play for a team in seven weeks. I
Speaker 1: don't think we should ask Kevin Hogan to be some
Speaker 1: sort of like hidden gem. You know, he is what
Speaker 1: he is. Mccow noo is a very good quarterback and
Speaker 1: he's got the ability said he's throwing the ball very
Speaker 1: well in Wednesday's practice, also on Thursday, and that opens
Speaker 1: up a whole new element in Cleveland's offense that was
Speaker 1: not present the last couple of weeks. And I would
Speaker 1: say this is a dangerous matchup for the Jets because
Speaker 1: of how victimized they've been downfield. You remember Correy Coleman.
Speaker 1: But they'll listen, there's a chance here this game evens
Speaker 1: out with a you don't listen. If Geno Smith was
Speaker 1: starting this game, this would be Cleveland's hands down in
Speaker 1: my book of Cleveland as anything, hands down. And I
Speaker 1: think every game is dangerous for the Jets because the
Speaker 1: Jets aren't very good either. But I also I know
Speaker 1: there seems to be a groundswell all of a sudden
Speaker 1: that Josh McCown is like a really good quarterback, and
Speaker 1: I and I don't. I don't agree. I think he's
Speaker 1: gonna struggle against even though the Jets are a flawed team.
Speaker 1: Let the record show struggle against the pastor there's nothing
Speaker 1: all of a sudden about my support for Josh mll
Speaker 1: You've you've been pretty much on the Josh McCown vandwagon,
Speaker 1: But I'm it's not like they they're getting at all
Speaker 1: pro backers. It's not an all pro but you're talking
Speaker 1: about going from Kevin Hogan, Well, that's Josh mccount. That
Speaker 1: is what would have been a thirty to seven Jets
Speaker 1: win to the get the game is suddenly it's a
Speaker 1: pick them. It's what it is. Because this game is
Speaker 1: in Cleveland. Not that that's a huge home field advantage,
Speaker 1: but the Jets are vulnerable in many ways, and you've
Speaker 1: got a quarterback in account that nearly beat the Ravens,
Speaker 1: that through for four hundred and something yards against the
Speaker 1: Broncos last year, that's done this that that that that
Speaker 1: you know week after week is showing you can throw
Speaker 1: the ball and get it to his receivers. He is
Speaker 1: a dangerous quarterback in this matchup, and either the tourst
Speaker 1: teams in football according to Football Outside, well that that's
Speaker 1: not a surprise, and but that that shows you why
Speaker 1: not the brownsh I don't think the Jets are the
Speaker 1: second worst team in football. They've they've had some games
Speaker 1: that were so bad that they've skewed some of those
Speaker 1: these metrics. In my opinion, I think the Jets are bad,
Speaker 1: but not like the bottom of the world bad. They've
Speaker 1: had bottom of the world moments. But yeah, we'll see.
Speaker 1: I agree. I think this game is kind of a
Speaker 1: part of me, the like, in a dark part of
Speaker 1: my mind, I would have no problem. I don't want
Speaker 1: the Browns to go winless. I think they deserve a
Speaker 1: win at some point. And if they beat the Jets
Speaker 1: and they take me off life support in my hope situation,
Speaker 1: because I'm looking at that schedule and I'm getting now
Speaker 1: now you're thinking they could get to five and five,
Speaker 1: and they could potentially, But if you just get beat
Speaker 1: by the Browns, then I'm completely, uh not emotionally invested
Speaker 1: at all major. You guys gonna be cool this Sunday
Speaker 1: like market, I think it's every year. Well, it's also
Speaker 1: fair to say that at this point, I mean, how
Speaker 1: how upset would you like me to get about the
Speaker 1: Browns winning or losing this game. I'm not in that
Speaker 1: place anymore, and I think that Dan's pretty close to
Speaker 1: not being in that place either. Ryan Fitzpatrick will have
Speaker 1: a passer rating over one in this game. I think
Speaker 1: it will very well. Did the the offense totally came
Speaker 1: to life when he came in the game last week,
Speaker 1: at least for one series. Major running back advantage for
Speaker 1: the Browns in this game. Isaiah Crowell was cutting fantastically
Speaker 1: against the Bengals. Matt Forte needs thirty carries to reach
Speaker 1: a hundred yards this year, He's averaging three point five
Speaker 1: yards per carry and looks slower than that. Jets have
Speaker 1: the number two rush defense held the Ravens to nine
Speaker 1: yards on the ground. Well, that's because the Ravens don't
Speaker 1: believe in running the ball. Uh, let's move on talking
Speaker 1: a f C West matchup. Oh, this is a good one, Greg,
Speaker 1: and I know you're excited about it. The San Diego
Speaker 1: super Chargers fresh off an incredible comeback win in Atlanta,
Speaker 1: now travel to Denver to face the first place Broncos,
Speaker 1: and the Broncos look very much like the Broncos UH
Speaker 1: that made the Super Bowl run last year against the Texans,
Speaker 1: a dominant defensive effort and the quarterback did enough to
Speaker 1: UH to create a convincing win. But now CJ. And
Speaker 1: Sin looks like he's out for the year. How big
Speaker 1: a loss is that for the Broncos. It's big because
Speaker 1: their offense is not a explosive offense, and I think
Speaker 1: they were building something with Anderson and Booker as a
Speaker 1: one to combination. Now you're really cooking with gas there
Speaker 1: with Gary Kubiak's zone running scheme. Now it's down to Booker.
Speaker 1: I think you've got a guy who is as talented,
Speaker 1: talented enough to be a starter with Booker. It's not
Speaker 1: a huge, huge downgrade Anderson to Booker. But the problem
Speaker 1: is he only got one guy now, and if Booker
Speaker 1: gets hurt, that's really going to hurt them. Late October
Speaker 1: of two thousand sixteen. Who's the better team in this match?
Speaker 1: I think the Chargers. I'm picking the Chargers. I mean,
Speaker 1: I really believe the Chargers might be better than the
Speaker 1: Denver Broncos. I think as of this week, I thought
Speaker 1: the Chargers have been a top ten team this whole season,
Speaker 1: and that that remains true. I think they've got the
Speaker 1: talent of a top ten team, and they played that way.
Speaker 1: But so did the Broncos. Like I can't say I'd
Speaker 1: be surprised if the Broncos at home with that defense
Speaker 1: manages to to hurt Philip Rivers, who has the number
Speaker 1: two scoring. You know, there's no reason to take any
Speaker 1: away from Denver's defense, but I'll say something. It's funny
Speaker 1: what happens with these teams in pr wise and how
Speaker 1: they're perceived that a month ago everyone was all over
Speaker 1: San Diego for Joey Bosa and everything else. Now it
Speaker 1: looks like with Hunter Henry and Joey Bosa, the Chargers
Speaker 1: have come out of this with one of the best drafts. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I mean they've found players, and they are frisky, and
Speaker 1: they're they The Chargers feel like that team that is
Speaker 1: a coming up on your schedule home or away. I
Speaker 1: don't want to deal with them at all. They should
Speaker 1: be five and two, just like the Broncos are five
Speaker 1: and two. They blew two games that were kind of flukey.
Speaker 1: It happened once every ten years. They just happened to
Speaker 1: do them over three weeks. But yeah, I mean that
Speaker 1: it makes sense why you would view them as close.
Speaker 1: I mean, but they're in Denver. This is a tough
Speaker 1: matchup against the ragning Super Bowl champion that's playing at
Speaker 1: a very high level. This is such a staying with Denver.
Speaker 1: I'm picking the Charges, and it's such a big game
Speaker 1: for them so early in the season. Because if you
Speaker 1: can pull off sweeping the Uncos, who hadn't lost a
Speaker 1: road a f C West game, had barely lost any
Speaker 1: division games in years, if you can pull off sweeping
Speaker 1: them and and in between you come back from seventeen
Speaker 1: in Atlanta, I mean, they are gonna feel like they
Speaker 1: beat everyone. I am excited. Why don't you just I
Speaker 1: am this year over across the Charge. What is up
Speaker 1: with the schedule makers playing this doing this game twice
Speaker 1: in three weeks? I don't know. I don't know. Mark,
Speaker 1: You'll enjoy Dan had an inspired comparison for Joey Bosa.
Speaker 1: Please oh yeah, yeah, yeah, you'll remember this guy because
Speaker 1: he shipwrecked Jets playoff game against your Browns, but a
Speaker 1: young Mark Gastineau watching those highlights, the way he combines
Speaker 1: the speed uh and the power and just his build
Speaker 1: and even number, it's it's like watching that's a good comparison,
Speaker 1: and just the fact that you know you didn't have
Speaker 1: the offseason the same way other players did. You miss
Speaker 1: live action for so long. And it doesn't matter who
Speaker 1: he's paired up against. He seems to just bowl right
Speaker 1: through people. He's one of the more fun players to
Speaker 1: watch on defence. And I heard us you say it
Speaker 1: Defensive player of the year, rookie, defensive Rookie of the year.
Speaker 1: Absolutely if he continues on this course, fun team to
Speaker 1: watch and Rivers right now taking away three of his
Speaker 1: favorite targets playing this well, it's it's another one. He's
Speaker 1: had these great first half the last few years. He
Speaker 1: needs to keep it going this year. But he's playing
Speaker 1: as well as any quarterback. Where do the kissing cousins
Speaker 1: fall on this game? It's a it's a coin flip game.
Speaker 1: I I don't want to disrespect the Broncos, so I'll
Speaker 1: pick him in a home game. If this were insanity,
Speaker 1: I just going home team Denver's defense because they've got
Speaker 1: not gotten worse. I'll I think that they're going to
Speaker 1: do the job. It can be a close game, though.
Speaker 1: Let's move on, gentlemen. Here's another matchup between two NFC teams,
Speaker 1: the Green Bay Packers for and to travel to Atlanta
Speaker 1: to face the Falcons. Games. Yeah, this is a very
Speaker 1: good listen by far the best week of games NFL
Speaker 1: rightly got slaughtered. Maybe the Sunday night game got more
Speaker 1: heat than it deserved, but in general, was not a
Speaker 1: good week of games. In week seven, if we got
Speaker 1: another bed week of games with some good matchups, uh,
Speaker 1: then I'm a little nervous. Then I started asking, and
Speaker 1: this is a this is an annoying argument, Philipip. Are
Speaker 1: there too many teams in the NFL. Maybe we need
Speaker 1: to have go back to twenty six teams like this
Speaker 1: committed some of this junk. Get the talent level up
Speaker 1: on every team, and have more matchups, more weeks full
Speaker 1: of competitive showdowns, not a bunch of games where you
Speaker 1: know that one of the teams will not compete the
Speaker 1: Cleveland Browns again. Maybe if you never happened, maybe it
Speaker 1: will never happen. Maybe if you stop suspending some of
Speaker 1: the best players in the league camp better football. All right,
Speaker 1: let's talk about this game. The Falcons are four and
Speaker 1: three now and on a two game losing shriek, and
Speaker 1: you know what, uh you wonder and we all agree
Speaker 1: this team is not a flute team, at least on offense.
Speaker 1: They can score against anybody just about, but you wonder
Speaker 1: if they're their confidence here Chris Westling is shaken a
Speaker 1: little bit after blowing that game at home to the Chargers.
Speaker 1: Now you got Green Bay with she is a flawed team,
Speaker 1: but still a team that could go into a building
Speaker 1: and beat a team like the Falcons. How do you
Speaker 1: see this game? Looking the Falcons don't strike me as
Speaker 1: a team that's gonna have their confidence shaking after going
Speaker 1: into Denver, going into Seattle and pounding the Panthers. I
Speaker 1: don't think that's in their DNA this year. I do
Speaker 1: think that the loss of Tevin Coleman cannot be overstated.
Speaker 1: He reminds me of the Saints era Darren Sprouls, where
Speaker 1: they're just using him as a mismatch against linebackers. And
Speaker 1: if you take that element away, I mean it's a
Speaker 1: game of mismatches anyway, but that's one element I wonder
Speaker 1: even without Tevin Coleman to the Packers have the firepower
Speaker 1: to keep up with the Falcon right, I don't think
Speaker 1: so at all. I think the Falcons it's weird. The
Speaker 1: last two weeks have almost convinced me more that they're
Speaker 1: gonna be around. I think Ryan is just making terrific throws.
Speaker 1: His performance in Seattle was about as good as any
Speaker 1: quarterbacks played out here. And the pass rush is coming around.
Speaker 1: You mentioned it, I remember on Sunday night, So Beasley
Speaker 1: Keian O'Neil is starting to give like the Dion Jones
Speaker 1: is playing better. I don't feel any worse about this
Speaker 1: team at four and three. I don't feel good about
Speaker 1: the Packers. And that's why, guys, I lock it up.
Speaker 1: He's locking it up. Come on, lock it, it's locked.
Speaker 1: It's in the vault. They get home, mighty ice, smart luck.
Speaker 1: I like that you're locking up the Falcons and that
Speaker 1: makes sense. I think I'm with you on that. I
Speaker 1: think that's a uh. Their their defense, by the way, now,
Speaker 1: after getting shredded by Phil Rivers, past defense ranked thirty
Speaker 1: one in the league. But we you know, not a here.
Speaker 1: That's that And then you say, oh, here comes Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 1: But as we've talked about, and a lot of people
Speaker 1: have talked about, we don't know what to expect from
Speaker 1: the Packers, even though they had some nice moments in
Speaker 1: the second half. The last time we saw next Gen
Speaker 1: Stats points out to that the what the Chargers did
Speaker 1: against Atlanta's defense is they were they were very productive
Speaker 1: targeting them over the middle of the field over and over.
Speaker 1: And if you're Green Bay, the only player that's been
Speaker 1: productive over the middle of the field is Randall cop
Speaker 1: You've got a wide receiver lane running back right now
Speaker 1: for you half the time. I just don't think Green
Speaker 1: Bay's offense can keep up with As West said, the
Speaker 1: Falcons team looks completely confident in what they are doing.
Speaker 1: This is the polar opposite of the team that went
Speaker 1: six and oh last year was smoking mirrors. Totally different
Speaker 1: deal this situation. The Packers also are getting crushed by
Speaker 1: number one ride receivers this year and Julio Jones, he's
Speaker 1: gonna cook up a big game. How about this for
Speaker 1: Julio Jones, the pack was According to our research guide,
Speaker 1: Packers have allowed a hundred and one receiving yards per game.
Speaker 1: Two opponent's number one wide receivers this season. That's the
Speaker 1: thirty one in the league. Julio comes in leading the
Speaker 1: league with eight hundred and thirty yards of receiving. So
Speaker 1: I would take Julio Jones off your bench this week
Speaker 1: and start him in fantasy. That would be that's my fantasy.
Speaker 1: It's smart that he was on your bench though, very's
Speaker 1: very smart that he's been on riding. You keep him healthy,
Speaker 1: get him in now. I would say, I'll be interested
Speaker 1: to see if healthy. To be just disgusted by that. No,
Speaker 1: I'm with you. I'm I'm holding my tongue about saying anything. Why,
Speaker 1: what's why? What's it? Well? No, No, I was the
Speaker 1: time to speak. You were hitting on what was one
Speaker 1: of my pet peeves back when I was in the
Speaker 1: in the fantasy. That's what I'm saying. Whenever people like, well,
Speaker 1: I gotta I gotta tell you this week, no matter
Speaker 1: what you're thinking, you gotta play Matthew Stafford. It's like, thanks, thanks, buddy,
Speaker 1: he's scoring thirty points. You should you should have piggyback that,
Speaker 1: because that's kind of what I was reference I was
Speaker 1: with you. I was just you hung me out to dry,
Speaker 1: and just I think he eventually piggybacked sour. Look, if
Speaker 1: you're playing in an eight or ten team league, I
Speaker 1: mean grow up, So I would say, like, don't play
Speaker 1: a game at all. That's a better Yeah, that's awesome
Speaker 1: if you're co managing the fantasy team, grow up? How
Speaker 1: about how about this being adults, it's like, oh, I
Speaker 1: have to decide who to start this week, DeMarco Murray
Speaker 1: or Zekiel Elliott. All right, that's fun. Grow up less
Speaker 1: thoughts about this game, guys? Yeah, I think that. I
Speaker 1: think I want to be interested to see is Davante
Speaker 1: Adams gonna displace Jordy Nelson Because Davante Adams is out lane.
Speaker 1: He does seem like a different and better player this year.
Speaker 1: Well it's you know, I'm a low bar but much better. Well,
Speaker 1: he doesn't have a high ankle spring creak. People not
Speaker 1: the fantasy community loved the bash Davante Adams all last
Speaker 1: year while he was playing through a high ankle sprain,
Speaker 1: which is impossible. Season. That's ligament damage. That's what a
Speaker 1: high ankle sprain does. It lingers for months. Did you
Speaker 1: like that? I love this? Here we go if we
Speaker 1: don't get a good Sunday night matchup. Uh, this week,
Speaker 1: We'll never get it because Al, Chris and Michelle will
Speaker 1: call a matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles four and two,
Speaker 1: coming off a win where they all, right, they didn't
Speaker 1: play great on both sides of the ball necessarily, but
Speaker 1: they did knock off the undefeated Minnesota Vikings and now
Speaker 1: they travel too big d to face the five and
Speaker 1: one Cowboys. Everybody's pumped up about the Cowboys right now
Speaker 1: and rightfully, so, so here we go. Accessor Carson Wentz first,
Speaker 1: Dak Prescott, I'm gonna give you. I'm gonna hit I'm
Speaker 1: gonna hit him with a hind right right now. Mark,
Speaker 1: what is the quarterback you would choose if you were
Speaker 1: starting a franchise tomorrow? Which one? Carson Wentz? But I'll
Speaker 1: tell you what this Cowboys team I was wrong about something.
Speaker 1: There is one team that can challenge New England if
Speaker 1: things stay on this course. It is the Dallas Cowboys.
Speaker 1: Dallas Cowboys are going to teach the Philadelphia Eagles a lesson.
Speaker 1: They're going to take the Eagles down this week. You're
Speaker 1: not what football ability football just the sport, the sport
Speaker 1: in general, ground and pound football. Yeah, I think this
Speaker 1: this Cowboys team is a nightmare matchup for most teams
Speaker 1: around the league, and we saw the Eagles. They did
Speaker 1: what they did against the Vikings, and it came for
Speaker 1: one reason because the Vikings. One problem with the Vikings,
Speaker 1: which is very evident along with their line issues, is
Speaker 1: they are a one dimential team on offense. They've got
Speaker 1: no run game. The cowboy Is are the direct opposite.
Speaker 1: They are going to week after week beat people up.
Speaker 1: Ezekiel Eli has become one of the best running backs
Speaker 1: in the league. And you've got two quarterbacks now, once
Speaker 1: Tony Romo gets healthy, that can guide you. This is
Speaker 1: a team that is built to last this entire season,
Speaker 1: and the Eagles are not their equivalent. Eagles have a
Speaker 1: good defense, but they're not going to be able to
Speaker 1: take down this Dallas offensive. Who's back for the Cowboys
Speaker 1: this week. Des Briant only one of the best wide
Speaker 1: receivers in the league. I'm not sure they even need
Speaker 1: him the way that they would have in past seasons.
Speaker 1: You know what, though, Jim Schwartz wants to come in
Speaker 1: there and shut down his equ Elliott. That's fine. We've
Speaker 1: got Dez, We've got Beasley, and they play Jason Witten.
Speaker 1: You know Rex and company. I think you know they
Speaker 1: blew the little Shaw McCoy situation and blew his MVP
Speaker 1: candidacy potentially as well. The Cowboys played it right with this.
Speaker 1: They didn't rush him back. I think you know, we'll
Speaker 1: see how he comes back healthy. But they gave him
Speaker 1: four weeks to get right and hopefully it works this time.
Speaker 1: I love Marx read on this game. I love it
Speaker 1: so much. But oh, is he gonna lock it up up?
Speaker 1: And lock it up? Hit up a lock it up?
Speaker 1: Been the wheels, the wheel. I'm all sealed. Lock it up?
Speaker 1: Cowboys win. They're the better team and marks right. I
Speaker 1: agree with you. Out of all the NFC contenders, the
Speaker 1: Seahawks and Cowboys strike me as the ones built to
Speaker 1: last this year. I can't disagree. I can't disagree either,
Speaker 1: as much as I would love to as a lifelong contrarian.
Speaker 1: As it said in my set in my little board
Speaker 1: last week. But the the Eagles, how many passing yards
Speaker 1: do they have the last two weeks? I think they've
Speaker 1: combined for fewer than three hundred passing yards in their
Speaker 1: last two games? Could that be correct? It's something like
Speaker 1: that it's insane. You can't keep winning that way. The offense,
Speaker 1: I think they're doing a really good job not exposing
Speaker 1: Carson Wentz two major problems, and they're doing a good
Speaker 1: job ultimately with a a talent not talent list but
Speaker 1: below average talent for an offense with a rookie quarterback.
Speaker 1: But it's tough to do that week after week, especially
Speaker 1: against a team like Dallas, who I think has has
Speaker 1: its stuffed together, at least on one side of the ball.
Speaker 1: They're dominant. Who are you going to, Greg? We get?
Speaker 1: You know, two tickets to the Super Bowl? Cowboys Pats
Speaker 1: are you taking? Well, they're up for grabs this year.
Speaker 1: Usually I've got it all mapped out. You know, I've
Speaker 1: had different friends, parents, You just acknowledge. Shall I provide
Speaker 1: our listenership? It's up for grabs right now. Haven't made
Speaker 1: a decision. Well, you gotta. Here's the tricky thing is,
Speaker 1: you can't wait. And I actually think this time I
Speaker 1: was thinking I am going to wait to find out
Speaker 1: who's in the game. Usually, though people want to make plans,
Speaker 1: you gotta get a flight. Well that means that they
Speaker 1: will stay with you in your hotel room. It's fine.
Speaker 1: With me, Well, wife's not coming this year, comes stave.
Speaker 1: I don't know what that means. What is it? What
Speaker 1: are you getting out there? I'm saying I got an
Speaker 1: extra room for somebody's if you want to come, if
Speaker 1: my dad, if my dad feels like crashing in the room,
Speaker 1: I don't think he's gonna want to. Why not? Why
Speaker 1: would a guy want to go to the super Bowl?
Speaker 1: Totally get you. Um, I also believe Dallas. Who am
Speaker 1: I gonna bring? I are? I always haven't locked up.
Speaker 1: I figured out, Uh this year Keith Keith goes every
Speaker 1: other year, my old man, uh, and then my brother
Speaker 1: in law Keith double Keith action. I did feel bad
Speaker 1: when my father in law was at the Patriots, you know,
Speaker 1: winning that fourth super Bowl and you know, yeah, but
Speaker 1: you Tommy Rosenthal's at home wondering, called me, told me
Speaker 1: you go to the super Bowl, right? Your boy works
Speaker 1: for the NFL. Uh No, no, Sully, he's actually thinking
Speaker 1: his father in law crushing terrible narrative. I don't know
Speaker 1: who to take this year. I got quite the conundrum
Speaker 1: going on. Greg. I'm sorry that that happened to you.
Speaker 1: I'd like that my dad's such a local tough. All right,
Speaker 1: let's let's move on to Monday Night football. Yeah, we're
Speaker 1: all picking the Cowboys Sunday night, but hopefully we'll get
Speaker 1: a good game out of it. But he could get
Speaker 1: away from Philly. I think we're all in agreement there. Uh,
Speaker 1: finally Monday Night football. And who knows, guys, if it
Speaker 1: was a case a little bit of the yips. We
Speaker 1: name the Vikings the team of around the NFL, and
Speaker 1: they lay an egg in Philly for the first loss
Speaker 1: of the season. And here's another thing I was a
Speaker 1: little uncomfortable about with the Vikings. Uh. They Uh Mike
Speaker 1: Zimmer who and I linked out here marked your excellent
Speaker 1: piece you wrote on Mike Zimmer. Uh. He has, under
Speaker 1: the wording, has pushed a lot of the right buttons
Speaker 1: links out right to a Sessler banger. I did that
Speaker 1: you were ill? I said, this will lift Mark spirits
Speaker 1: because I know you felt around everything. Uh. He's pushed
Speaker 1: a lot of right buttons. But going into the bye week,
Speaker 1: he left stuffed animal cats all over the uh winter
Speaker 1: Park complex of the Vikings uh as a reminder of
Speaker 1: the players as they hit their bye week not to
Speaker 1: become wait for it, fat cats. And then uh, some
Speaker 1: of the cats had their throats slit, their cotton innards
Speaker 1: pulled out, dipped in red. Ain't because fat cats get
Speaker 1: slaughtered and then they go and they lay their biggest
Speaker 1: egg of the season. I'm just some of the juju
Speaker 1: now around the bike's a little nervous. That is a
Speaker 1: That is an odd move. I don't have I can't
Speaker 1: really talk around that in any other way. That's a
Speaker 1: strange one. Not I'm not sure that he got that
Speaker 1: from calling up Bill Parcels. I don't know. Bill Parcels
Speaker 1: loves these cheesy little things. He used to hang items
Speaker 1: of cheese from the ceiling. It sounds exactly from don't
Speaker 1: take the cheese, and either grown men that don't think
Speaker 1: is kind of cool. Though I like that. I like
Speaker 1: don't take the cheese. I'm just not gonna tag Bill
Speaker 1: Parcels with it. When he put an airplane ticket for
Speaker 1: pet swilling on Lawrence Taylor's chair, told him he can
Speaker 1: get a better pass rusher. Uh. Vikings five and one.
Speaker 1: They travel again with the Chicago Bears in prime time.
Speaker 1: This feels like we're being trolled the one in six Bears,
Speaker 1: and we're gonna see j Cutler here, it looks like
Speaker 1: who missed five weeks with a sprained thumb? Uh And
Speaker 1: I love That's what it was. I was asking. We
Speaker 1: were trying to figure out what we wanted to talk
Speaker 1: about Thursday's show, Greg. What did Jay Cutler say when
Speaker 1: the press asked him if he believed that the coach
Speaker 1: John Fox had faith in him and or believed in
Speaker 1: him going into this game? Turning back to m m QB, Well,
Speaker 1: he said, Uh, he doesn't have a choice. I'm gonna answer,
Speaker 1: he just says he doesn't have a choice at this point,
Speaker 1: the most nonchalant signal caller in our lifetime. Again, we
Speaker 1: kill guys, but the answers and there's the honest answer.
Speaker 1: I know John Fox isn't believing me. He was totally
Speaker 1: prepared just to stick with the the ultimate C plus
Speaker 1: quarterback Brian Hoyer, and now he has to go back
Speaker 1: to me, and he doesn't have a choice. Such a
Speaker 1: report from the Chicago Tribune on Thursday that John Fox
Speaker 1: had told his friends he was quote done with Jay
Speaker 1: Cutler and now he's got to go back to him.
Speaker 1: It's their parallels in New York with the Jets and
Speaker 1: Ryan Fitzpatrick it just creates an awkward situation. So the Vikings,
Speaker 1: this seems they're on the road, but no one gets
Speaker 1: scared plane the soldier field. Uh. It seems like a
Speaker 1: perfect situation mark for the Vikings to get healthy, get
Speaker 1: back in the wind, calm and continue cruising. It does
Speaker 1: I mean, I I gonna be honest, I was concerned
Speaker 1: watching that Eagles game. You know, I just talked about
Speaker 1: the Eagle side of it before. But the Vikings have
Speaker 1: legitimate issues on their offensive line, as you guys mentioned
Speaker 1: on Sunday night, and so that exposes them to any
Speaker 1: active pass rush and the and the Bears don't have
Speaker 1: the worst defense in the league. They are able to
Speaker 1: get to the quarterback. Parnell McFee came back last week too.
Speaker 1: There you go. So that's trouble and I think that
Speaker 1: so you know, listen, it is a one dimensional offense
Speaker 1: where you cannot can count on the ground game to
Speaker 1: get you out of a jam. And up through their
Speaker 1: early wind streak, it was Sam Bradford connecting with filling
Speaker 1: the blank down field and doing it beautifully that crumbled
Speaker 1: against the Eagles, and so I don't see that duplicating
Speaker 1: itself against the Bears. But we talked about the team
Speaker 1: of at L. They go five and oh, they weren't
Speaker 1: gonna go seven and oh after that, they were gonna
Speaker 1: have their struggles. And they are not the best team
Speaker 1: in the NFC. I don't think that they are. I
Speaker 1: don't think that's the claim. But they're gonna have some
Speaker 1: ups and downs based on some very evident weaknesses. I
Speaker 1: don't think that they I think they'll get healthy against Chicago.
Speaker 1: Here's one right here, because West you pointed it out
Speaker 1: with the Texans and we right rightfully chuckled at the thought.
Speaker 1: But the Texans have less touchdowns this year, uh than
Speaker 1: Melvin Gordon. Well, guess who has the same amount of
Speaker 1: offensive touchdowns as Melvin Gord to the Vikings, they only
Speaker 1: have ten all seasons. So this offense is a very
Speaker 1: real concern. Are they going to be able to score
Speaker 1: enough points to win enough games? That is a concern,
Speaker 1: and you would think Mark mentioned they can't count on
Speaker 1: the running game. They've been using court Darrel Patterson has
Speaker 1: a wild card around the line of scrimmage. He's in
Speaker 1: concussion protocol. I don't think it shouldn't be a big
Speaker 1: deal against the Bears, but this This tackle situation is
Speaker 1: not going away. It's been there the whole season. I mean,
Speaker 1: they their defense played fine against Philadelphia, defense gave play
Speaker 1: forced three turn They're gonna be fine. The defense is
Speaker 1: gonna win them games enough that this week each week,
Speaker 1: But Schwartz really blitz them like crazy, and they had
Speaker 1: no answers for that, and you would expect the Bears
Speaker 1: and just about every team to do that. It wasn't.
Speaker 1: It was insane how much Bradford was under pressure. And
Speaker 1: it bothers me when, as you read last week quest
Speaker 1: that the general manager says, I'm not trading anymore draft picks.
Speaker 1: I'm not going to trade for Joe Thomas. Which, by
Speaker 1: the way, if you've got Joe Thomas into this situation,
Speaker 1: and let's say you give up a second round pick,
Speaker 1: will you ever use Will a second round pick for
Speaker 1: this Vikings team ever be Joe Thomas? No, it will not.
Speaker 1: I would gamble to say you're never gonna find Joe
Speaker 1: Thomas in the second round. This is a team with
Speaker 1: its window open right now. Why now, if you stopped
Speaker 1: being aggressive and going after the players to get you
Speaker 1: out of this, a second round pick two years from
Speaker 1: now is what you could give up. There's a very
Speaker 1: good reason, and it's a boring reason, but they don't
Speaker 1: have salary cup space. Well that's that's a bigger issue,
Speaker 1: and I that part stops them from doing it. But
Speaker 1: then don't sell it as I'm not trading draft picks
Speaker 1: because this is a team that's saved its season by
Speaker 1: not just going with Shawn Hill out of the gate,
Speaker 1: and so you can't go halfway. You have an obvious
Speaker 1: week there. I think the Vikings will be okay. I
Speaker 1: think their schedule is pretty favorable when you look at it,
Speaker 1: but there's some things trending against them. There is the
Speaker 1: issue with the past uh of protecting the quarterback. They're
Speaker 1: averaging two point six yards per carry right now, which
Speaker 1: is outrageous. Yeah, last in the league, and average yards
Speaker 1: after contact less than one yard this season. And when
Speaker 1: you know running game and the defense is gonna start
Speaker 1: getting after Sam Bradford and there's gonna be some offensive
Speaker 1: line issues, you're putting too much on Sam Bradford's play
Speaker 1: and you're gonna get in trouble, yeah, because you're what's
Speaker 1: happening watching them is they are running in very obvious
Speaker 1: run situations and they are forced to pass in very
Speaker 1: obvious passing situations because there's no diversity. You can't sneak
Speaker 1: up on that on any team with your run game.
Speaker 1: And so maybe you know they're easier to plan against
Speaker 1: than we would like at this point. Well, they're they're
Speaker 1: down twenty one to three against the Eagles and they
Speaker 1: can't even try to throw the ball down the field
Speaker 1: because you can't protect them. They're just dinking and dunking
Speaker 1: when they're when they're way behind. They're not an offensive team.
Speaker 1: We know that they're gonna win games defense, and specially
Speaker 1: they do have a good coaching staff. Though maybe they
Speaker 1: can cox something for this game. This is a good,
Speaker 1: good matchup for them to get healthy. We'll see if
Speaker 1: they can figure out the rest of their problems. All right,
Speaker 1: that's it. That is the preview of week eight. The
Speaker 1: next time you hear from us, we will be recapping
Speaker 1: all the games that we just preview. That's how this works.
Speaker 1: Uh So thank you to everyone for listening. Uh we
Speaker 1: appreciate you both sides of the Atlantic. That's how this works.
Speaker 1: For another twelve thirteen weeks into New England wins the
Speaker 1: super Bowl. That's where we are just pretend that's not
Speaker 1: gonna happen. And of the Pacific, right, both sides of
Speaker 1: the Pacific as well. Uh, just just shout out to
Speaker 1: all the Asian listeners, the Asians, we don't what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: Everyone in the world. And if we had the rights,
Speaker 1: we would play in Michael Jackson World Healing late period
Speaker 1: song right now, heal the world maybe uh umps to
Speaker 1: mind immediately, uh you know. And the three Intergalactic listeners,
Speaker 1: those people in space, Eurasia, Oceania, all these regions, so
Speaker 1: many places. Okay, well, we gotta get out of here.
Speaker 1: And Dan Danzas signing off for the Quiet Storm. Welcome back,
Speaker 1: Buddy the Mailman, the Boss, and I Seed behind the
Speaker 1: Glass until Sunday on NFL Network. How