Speaker 1: Three out of the shotgun. Now he bobbles the snap
Speaker 1: and he's got a receiver wide open to the goal line.
Speaker 1: And there's Michael Thomas for the second time in two
Speaker 1: weeks with the touchdown. The dumps the pressure rhyme in
Speaker 1: the pocket. Man looks gross touchdown. Mohammeds Noon snap to it,
Speaker 1: Brett shoot Zo intercepting. Oh my goodness, Jo and the
Speaker 1: Atlanta Falcons are gonna get out of here with one
Speaker 1: of those rule up your sleeve. NFC South battles m
Speaker 1: oh Mike Tarko puts it all in perspective. That's what
Speaker 1: Tariko does. Dion Jones makes a jumping interception in the
Speaker 1: end zone with one play. The Atlanta Falcons a seventeen
Speaker 1: victory over the Saints on Thursday night in Atlanta. A
Speaker 1: huge win for Atlanta, the defending NFC Conference champions, uh
Speaker 1: and it gives them big hope in the NFC South
Speaker 1: to maybe even steal the division. Can you believe it?
Speaker 1: Dan Hands is here with Greg Rosenthal West and Cess
Speaker 1: coming up in a little bit. But Greg, the Atlanta
Speaker 1: Falcons found a way on a day, on a day,
Speaker 1: and who would have thought on a night where Matt Ryan. Uh,
Speaker 1: the defending m VP throws three interceptions, does not play
Speaker 1: the game you needed him to play, and they still
Speaker 1: found a way. And that's very impressive. It was they
Speaker 1: had to get it. It was one of those games
Speaker 1: that just it changes the rest of the season. That
Speaker 1: Dion Jones interception, uh, career making play for him. I mean,
Speaker 1: he's been a great player for them. It's been a
Speaker 1: young you know, just the start of his career, but
Speaker 1: that is a signature moment and in a poor past
Speaker 1: by Drew Brees and in the end that throw, that decision,
Speaker 1: and then the execution really of the throw and then
Speaker 1: Sean pay in the Saints coach running out onto the
Speaker 1: field and getting a penalty which prevented them the Saints
Speaker 1: from getting the ball back with maybe about twenty seconds
Speaker 1: left and at least having a chance to go try
Speaker 1: to kick a field goal. Like the two pillars of
Speaker 1: the organization kind of let him down at the end.
Speaker 1: And you can blame the officials for that call on
Speaker 1: Sean Payne, but man, he was running out on the
Speaker 1: field with some h some murder in his eyes. I
Speaker 1: don't know, so you know, I don't blame I don't
Speaker 1: blame the official for I don't blame the official either.
Speaker 1: Sean Payton. I know he's a Bill Parcel's disciple. Uh,
Speaker 1: but you know there's no there's no law against being
Speaker 1: a nice guy, Sean, and all game he was barking
Speaker 1: at those officials even so, I'm getting mad at him
Speaker 1: for taking too long to uh look at a touchdown score.
Speaker 1: I mean, Sean Payton, if you scream with the officials
Speaker 1: and you get on their case all game, when he
Speaker 1: comes storming at him off the sidelines with like again,
Speaker 1: like Greg said, kind of like murder in your eyes.
Speaker 1: You know sometimes you're gonna pull out the laundry and
Speaker 1: say get away from me. So I don't I don't think.
Speaker 1: I know there are gonna be Saints fans they're furious.
Speaker 1: There were some. There was some shaky calls through throughout
Speaker 1: the game, one especially a roughing the pastor on Matt Ryan,
Speaker 1: which kept a drive going that ended in a touchdown
Speaker 1: in the first half. But don't blame it on the officials, Saints.
Speaker 1: You can blame it on your injury luck if you want,
Speaker 1: or Drew Brees last throw, but don't blame it nothing.
Speaker 1: The Saint's all beat up in this game. The biggest
Speaker 1: loss early on Alvin Kamaro suffers a concussion. Hopefully it
Speaker 1: will not be something that keeps it out more than
Speaker 1: one game, but he essentially missed this entire game, which
Speaker 1: um really um killed the Saints because they've been humming
Speaker 1: this season. Greg with that two headed monster in the
Speaker 1: backfield with Mark Ingram and Camar and Ingram still made
Speaker 1: plays in this game, but they're just not the same
Speaker 1: team without Camaro has been so special now and they've
Speaker 1: been a little more erratic now over the last month. Offensively,
Speaker 1: until the last few minutes of the game against Washington,
Speaker 1: really didn't have their mojo. Certainly didn't in Los Angeles
Speaker 1: for the most part. You had it against Carolina last week,
Speaker 1: but this week only end up with seventeen points in
Speaker 1: six yards. It was a very challenging game for Sean
Speaker 1: Payton to call when Camara is suddenly out and then
Speaker 1: on the other side of the ball you lose a
Speaker 1: J Klein, Kenny Vacaro. Those are two starters. Trey Hendrickson,
Speaker 1: David own on your matta. If I'm pronouncing that right,
Speaker 1: I mean Callamette. They're starting guards. That's six six guys
Speaker 1: are playing huge snaps, so I thought they had such
Speaker 1: a great chance to make such a statement win, to
Speaker 1: bury the Falcons, to basically win the NFC South. That's
Speaker 1: how big this result was. Saints would have basically had
Speaker 1: this division on lockdown because they have a game and
Speaker 1: a half lead over the Panthers and the tiebreaker over
Speaker 1: the Panthers. The Falcons would have been totally out of it.
Speaker 1: Now the division is in all three teams his hands.
Speaker 1: I know, I know, you know, you know, control your
Speaker 1: own fate or whatever it is. All three teams win
Speaker 1: the division if they went out because they're playing each
Speaker 1: other down the stretch, and the Falcon Saints game in
Speaker 1: Week sixteen is now setting up as one of the
Speaker 1: games of the year in the NFL. I think the
Speaker 1: Falcons we talked to out this a little right before
Speaker 1: we came out. I didn't think the better team won,
Speaker 1: even despite the injuries. I'm just Matt Ryan not showing
Speaker 1: up in a big spot today. I know one of
Speaker 1: the interceptions wasn't his fault. Uh, the end zone interception
Speaker 1: was horrific, and in general, it gets back to the
Speaker 1: point he hasn't been the same guy this year, and
Speaker 1: I know I know that you you could look at
Speaker 1: the tape and say, oh, he still makes these throws.
Speaker 1: This was a huge game for this team, and he
Speaker 1: was a liability for large stretches of it, which if
Speaker 1: they have any chance, they got to win in this game.
Speaker 1: And he did throw that touchdown pass. And and Matt Bryan,
Speaker 1: let's give him credit banking a fifty two yard field
Speaker 1: goal on the seventeen all game in December Division football.
Speaker 1: That's a big kick there. But Matt Ryan's gonna need better,
Speaker 1: need to be better. Julio Jones had a nice game,
Speaker 1: but again, where where is their connection in the red zone?
Speaker 1: Where are they making big game deciding plays. They need
Speaker 1: to be better, not not not Julio as much, but
Speaker 1: Matt Ryan needs to be better than it was tonight.
Speaker 1: I was disappointed in his life. He did need to
Speaker 1: be better. And I know, are you a fantasy owner
Speaker 1: of Matt Ryan? I am a fantasy it disappointed fantasy, yeah,
Speaker 1: And I don't I don't blame you whatsoever. The defense
Speaker 1: has played better the last couple of weeks. And and
Speaker 1: I think the Saints often I don't like the insinuation,
Speaker 1: by the way, but go on, what you're a little
Speaker 1: extra salty. You're right, he's had in general. I mean,
Speaker 1: the guy's on pace for nineteen or twenty touchdowns. This
Speaker 1: is the defending and Marshaan Lattimore, who I was all
Speaker 1: fired up to get back on the field tonight to
Speaker 1: watch him against Julia Jones. Had a great battle of
Speaker 1: Jones for about a half, but the second half he
Speaker 1: was sucking wind and you know, getting silin. I don't know,
Speaker 1: maybe he's not maybe it hasn't really been able to
Speaker 1: practice or condition the last couple of weeks. He's been hurt,
Speaker 1: it's had an ankle injury, and he's just kind of
Speaker 1: been He was taking the ox engene tank when when
Speaker 1: Matt Ryan threw was only touched him right and then
Speaker 1: really for most of that drive. So that that was bad.
Speaker 1: But if if I'm a Saints fan, I look at
Speaker 1: the way the second half played out and I put
Speaker 1: it on the offense a little bit. You know, they
Speaker 1: got that seven team ten lead, which was set up
Speaker 1: by the defense, which is set up by a turnover.
Speaker 1: After that, they go four and out basically don't move
Speaker 1: the ball. They the next drive, I believe they go
Speaker 1: three and out the next drive after that is when
Speaker 1: Breeze ended up throwing the interception. It was actually four
Speaker 1: straight possessions where you don't put any or three straight
Speaker 1: puns and then the interception to end the game. So
Speaker 1: this is an offensive team, like their defense, which had
Speaker 1: most of the injuries, kept giving them a chance to
Speaker 1: kind of put the game away and they couldn't get
Speaker 1: it done. And one more note uh from late in
Speaker 1: that game. That drive, the final drive, dan Quinn got
Speaker 1: bailed out by his linebacker because terrible coaching all night
Speaker 1: by dan Quinn the end of the first half. And
Speaker 1: then what you're about third, third and one. Surprisingly it's
Speaker 1: third and half a yard. Surprisingly, the Saints called passed
Speaker 1: incomplete holding on the Saints, so they have the choice.
Speaker 1: Then Quinn had the choice of fourth and half a
Speaker 1: yard or third and eleven deeper. It would have made
Speaker 1: it something like a forty seven yard field goal, something
Speaker 1: in that range. And Quinn declined the penalty. And then
Speaker 1: Sean Payne said, okay, I have onions. Have it onions
Speaker 1: in my whole career. You should have known this. I'm
Speaker 1: gonna sneak it on fourth and half a yard and
Speaker 1: sustain in the drive, get it, get a first down.
Speaker 1: So if if if Drew Brees acts more like Drew
Speaker 1: Brees and finishes off that drive, and the Falcon season ends.
Speaker 1: Dan quinns wearing goat horns. He got very lucky. Absolutely,
Speaker 1: they led him off the hook. That was a very
Speaker 1: curious decision. They also didn't have anyone over the center
Speaker 1: on Breeze a sneak. It was. They were just giving
Speaker 1: him that yard and then they set up the next
Speaker 1: play for Ted ginn. It was all setting up. You're
Speaker 1: right for Dan to get roasted. Uh, but Dean Jones
Speaker 1: saved the day. No, he didn't get roasted. He won't
Speaker 1: get roasted. He survives. That was a good football game, Greg,
Speaker 1: that's fun. Let's have some more of those. It felt
Speaker 1: like a December game between rivals, one of the best
Speaker 1: rivalries in the NFL, Like a game that actually mattered.
Speaker 1: I think we're gonna have a few more this week.
Speaker 1: All right, So that is the Thursday night game. Now
Speaker 1: let's get into the rest of the Week four teen schedule.
Speaker 1: Here we go Around at the Old Podcast. Got a
Speaker 1: restraining order from Zack Morris. Welcome back to another edition.
Speaker 1: I'll be Around the NFL Podcast. My name is Dan
Speaker 1: Hansis and I am joined by a room feld with
Speaker 1: heroes Mark Sesler, Chris Westling and Greg Rosenthal. What's up boys?
Speaker 1: Hey Dan? First of all, I wouldn't be getting if
Speaker 1: there is any type of legal consequences for me admiring
Speaker 1: Zack Morris's bod, it would be Mark Paul Gosseler. That
Speaker 1: would be filing, not the character. So right off the bat,
Speaker 1: I think Money's lie is up in flames. I'm with
Speaker 1: you as someone who was born on the same exact
Speaker 1: day as Mario Lopez, same year goose bumps moment, sort
Speaker 1: of inside vibes to that show, and I don't think
Speaker 1: you're gonna be sued by a character that no longer exists.
Speaker 1: A C. Slater is the same age as us, yea
Speaker 1: age maybe potentially he looks a lot better than you,
Speaker 1: and I agree. He will pop up on like I'll
Speaker 1: come home for Mark and he's on one of those
Speaker 1: silly like late afternoon entertainment shows. Is it extra? And
Speaker 1: it is? And so you guys are forty two forty
Speaker 1: really look good for you? Do some guys who are
Speaker 1: forty four like look like they're sixty three? And the
Speaker 1: last just surprised, But I think it's more that I'm
Speaker 1: surprised I've known you for so long. He does feel
Speaker 1: like a long time anyway. Lopez comma a c. Slater
Speaker 1: comma is like a twenty five year old man in actuality.
Speaker 1: Right now, that's who used to be forgot all this
Speaker 1: Tom Brady stuff. Let's see what Mariol Lopez is up to.
Speaker 1: Huge Charger's fan. By the way, he seems to be
Speaker 1: the host of the channel that you turn on in
Speaker 1: the hotel to tell you what the movies that's also
Speaker 1: a show. This is the Thursday addition to the Around
Speaker 1: the NFL podcast presented by Head and Shoulders. You heard
Speaker 1: off the top of the show, Greg and I breaking
Speaker 1: down the NFC South showdown between the Saints and Falcons,
Speaker 1: but so much more to get to, uh fifteen more
Speaker 1: games in fact, as we head toward the home stretch
Speaker 1: of the regular season, four games left, uh for every team?
Speaker 1: And uh oh yeah, Greg, what are you most excited
Speaker 1: about before we get into the things about the final
Speaker 1: stretch of the season, What is the one subplot that
Speaker 1: you're really juiced about. I'm just gonna stick with this week.
Speaker 1: I like the fact that the Jags, Seahawks, and uh,
Speaker 1: what's the other Eagles rams are on at the same time.
Speaker 1: I mean, that is the best little afternoon of games
Speaker 1: we've had all season. Cool, that's fun. Um, before we
Speaker 1: get to the games, by the way, to the previews,
Speaker 1: I should I should say, let's start with some news ladies,
Speaker 1: and boom o. I'm so sad to see a good
Speaker 1: drop go. But that's the way it is in the NFL.
Speaker 1: The churn of the National Football League big changes for
Speaker 1: the Cleveland Browns. NFL Network insider Ian Rappaport and NFL
Speaker 1: Networks Tom Pellicero reported Thursday that the Browns have fired
Speaker 1: executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown, according to
Speaker 1: a source that was um later confirmed uh in a
Speaker 1: statement from Jimmy Haslm, the team owner. UM has Lem
Speaker 1: decided that they were gonna get rid of Sashi and
Speaker 1: keep Hugh Jackson. Mark will start with you on this
Speaker 1: where else would we start? First of all, are you
Speaker 1: um sad to see the drop go? Because a lot
Speaker 1: of people were upset about the drops loss. Yeah, I
Speaker 1: think the drop is that was one of our more
Speaker 1: flavorful drops. And anything anytime you lose the voice of
Speaker 1: Alex Fragola off the show. Big loss for all of
Speaker 1: us and the listeners. Yeah, that's very true. And now
Speaker 1: the Browns mark your thoughts on this decision to keep
Speaker 1: keep Hugh Jackson in the building. Uh, no matter what
Speaker 1: they they've decided. Has them said they're gonna move forward
Speaker 1: in with him but not Sashi? Yeah? I mean I
Speaker 1: think that Cleveland since they've come back in and probably
Speaker 1: had roughly two hundred and forty two versions of an
Speaker 1: in house war between coaching staff X and fill in
Speaker 1: the blank front office, and this is the latest incarnation,
Speaker 1: and this round went to a coach and Hugh Jackson
Speaker 1: that I'm not sure has shown anything more than the
Speaker 1: front office has. And I don't know how either side
Speaker 1: of this can claim any sort of a victory. Hugh
Speaker 1: Jackson and his press conference, he lost some points with me.
Speaker 1: He talked about the fact that you know how much
Speaker 1: he got along with Sashi Brown, how this had nothing
Speaker 1: to do with issues between his faction in the front
Speaker 1: office faction. I don't think anyone can watch that and
Speaker 1: watch what's happened this season and believe a single word
Speaker 1: of it. He is lucky that he's been retained but
Speaker 1: he now the pressure falls on him and it sounds
Speaker 1: like John Dorsey. We don't know, but he's the name
Speaker 1: that Ian's mentioned multiple times is bubbling up out there
Speaker 1: chief former chiefs. Jail has a chance to come in
Speaker 1: and take that role. And I would imagine that someone
Speaker 1: his experiences, John Dorsey, uh would have many coaches that
Speaker 1: he'd think about wanting to pair himself with, not necessarily
Speaker 1: be paired out of the gate. We'll see what happens.
Speaker 1: I don't necessarily believe that Hugh Jackson is the coach
Speaker 1: next year, even though in a statement they put in
Speaker 1: a statement, They've said a lot of things in a statement,
Speaker 1: like they would be patient with Sashy Browns. They don't
Speaker 1: do that. The most disturbing part of this for me
Speaker 1: is when is the owner going to stop making football
Speaker 1: decisions with Johnny Manzel Kyle Shanahan want to Garoppolower, Derek Carr.
Speaker 1: They commissioned a one hundred thousand dollar study that said
Speaker 1: Teddy Bridgewater and the owner decided Johnny Manziel. The owner
Speaker 1: also messed up the A. J. Mccaren fiasco by stepping
Speaker 1: in and trying to go with what his head coach
Speaker 1: wanted to overpay for a backup quarterback. And now he's
Speaker 1: stepping in and saying I'm keeping the one and twenti
Speaker 1: seven head coach when the next GM might not want
Speaker 1: to keep that head coach. When is the owner going
Speaker 1: to stop making football market? That the part like a
Speaker 1: touchstone of this Brown's reincarnation has been warring factions between
Speaker 1: front office and coaching. Said, well, a lot of times
Speaker 1: when you put a coach and a general manager together
Speaker 1: that they didn't come in together, you're asking for trouble.
Speaker 1: So if you does stick around, that is a situation.
Speaker 1: Now will the GM be able to work with you?
Speaker 1: Because the last GM or whatever role title they gave
Speaker 1: to Sashi couldn't And think about Jimmy has them since
Speaker 1: he's been on board. You know, he pushed Home, Grin,
Speaker 1: Heckert and Shermer out the door when he got there.
Speaker 1: That that makes sense. Since then he's now hired and
Speaker 1: fired Chud, Mike Lombardi, Joe Banner, Mike Petton, Ray Farmer,
Speaker 1: and Sashy Brown. That's a long list for four years.
Speaker 1: It's only been four years. That's a long list. It's
Speaker 1: ridiculous for four years, and I don't know the word
Speaker 1: was that. You know, Mary kick Cabot said that they
Speaker 1: hadn't even spoken in a month. Hugh Jackson in and
Speaker 1: shot Sashy Brown. So you do wonder, like his d
Speaker 1: Podesta gonna go, Are they gonna flush out the entire
Speaker 1: front office because the rest of it don't. I don't
Speaker 1: under that. The first thing the new GM is gonna
Speaker 1: do is send paula testa packing Yeah, and and on
Speaker 1: the whole analytics thing. And I get today it's been
Speaker 1: a target for a lot of uh, you know, playful
Speaker 1: derision from people. I get it. The results are not there.
Speaker 1: But the thing is with they did in one one angle.
Speaker 1: What they did do is is what Sashy Brown and
Speaker 1: company and Ray and Hugh Jackson inherited was utter garbage.
Speaker 1: And I think where the issue came started was when
Speaker 1: when Sashy Brown decided to dump a bunch of veterans
Speaker 1: out of the gate, and it put Hugh Jackson some
Speaker 1: good ones too, and and some guys they were never
Speaker 1: going to resign under any situation. They were not going
Speaker 1: to stay in Cleveland. But the whole analytics thing, which
Speaker 1: would have probably taken a lot a longer time, than
Speaker 1: two seasons to really net its full result is flushed
Speaker 1: out because I think number one, this isn't like the
Speaker 1: Rand Corporation, where you have people in the shadows trying
Speaker 1: to like find experiment that the NFL you go one
Speaker 1: in twenty seven, it's gonna we're gonna flush a bunch
Speaker 1: of old boys back in and do it the other way.
Speaker 1: But they you, you said, you don't know if they
Speaker 1: you's done a better job than Sashi or not. The
Speaker 1: front office has clearly done a much better job than
Speaker 1: the coaching a. They have all those picks coming up.
Speaker 1: Yes they've missed on the quarterbacks, but they've done a
Speaker 1: pretty good job improving the talent. Overall. This is an
Speaker 1: underachieving team. So if I had to choose one, I
Speaker 1: would be more excited about the direction the front office
Speaker 1: has taken. They've given the next crew a much better
Speaker 1: team to inherit. But people cannot and nor should they necessarily.
Speaker 1: They cannot get over whoever's in fault for this, and
Speaker 1: it's the whole group. I think passing over a Carson
Speaker 1: Wentz and you can tack on Deshaun Watson for the
Speaker 1: Browns and a bunch of other teams too. It's a
Speaker 1: fireball offense. One of the tenants of football analytics is
Speaker 1: we have very little predictive ability when it comes to
Speaker 1: early round picks on quarterbacks. So let's just not pick
Speaker 1: those quarterbacks. And you know, as David Letterman said about
Speaker 1: Peyton Manning a couple of months ago, this guy changed
Speaker 1: the skyline of Indianapolis. That's what That's what generational franchise
Speaker 1: quarterbacks do. And Carson Wentz is the most valuable asset
Speaker 1: in the NFL right now. No player is more valuable
Speaker 1: than Carson went And you messed it up. He messed
Speaker 1: up to Shaun Watson because your analytics told you you
Speaker 1: couldn't predict them. It's telling that this is about the
Speaker 1: fourteenth time on this podcast that we've had to have
Speaker 1: a round table about how Cleveland screwed something up. It's
Speaker 1: every six or seven months we're having this conversation on
Speaker 1: the show. And this is now and Mark, you and
Speaker 1: I talked about this a couple of weeks ago. This
Speaker 1: is the most part of the reason why I get
Speaker 1: I'm okay with them firing Sage. If they didn't believe
Speaker 1: in them, get rid of them. Keeping you around is
Speaker 1: where I'm a little confused in the sense that he's
Speaker 1: supposed to be a QB guru, a guy that has
Speaker 1: instincts for that position. And yes, Wentz and Watson went
Speaker 1: out the door or never came in the door. I
Speaker 1: should say this now becomes the most important draft in
Speaker 1: Cleveland Brown's history. And they've had three chances to secure
Speaker 1: uh generational franchise type quarterback and they whiffed. They blew
Speaker 1: the first two chances. So this becomes most likely and
Speaker 1: what's what people believe is another good QB draft. If
Speaker 1: they don't get this right, and I know they're gonna
Speaker 1: probably pick a quarterback, but if they don't get the
Speaker 1: right quarterback, it will represent one of the most titanic
Speaker 1: swings and misses over a three year stretch that you've
Speaker 1: ever seen in professional sports. If they come out of
Speaker 1: this with no quarterback, they're over two and they get
Speaker 1: one more shot at this and we'll see what happens.
Speaker 1: The next GM is set up in a plum position
Speaker 1: to control drafts. But you know, Sam Hinky isn't the
Speaker 1: GM of the seventy sixers anymore. He's not benefiting from
Speaker 1: from the process. Right If if Sassy's picks work out.
Speaker 1: You know who benefits is is Jim has them the
Speaker 1: owner who has been a prominent part in in two
Speaker 1: of the big you know, two of the bigger football
Speaker 1: stories over the last week. I mean, he is the
Speaker 1: guy in terms of the University of Tennessee booster uh
Speaker 1: situation and their head coach over the last week. And
Speaker 1: you look at what's happened in the Browns like not
Speaker 1: not good situations and there's some commonalities. All right, So
Speaker 1: there you go. That's the latest from Brownsville. Is somebody
Speaker 1: called Brownsville. I don't know. I mean I think there
Speaker 1: are other names for it. Yeah, all right, So there
Speaker 1: you go. That's what's going on with Cleveland. Let's now
Speaker 1: move into the week fourteen matchups, and let's let us
Speaker 1: start where else would you start but Orchard Park? Mark Sessler,
Speaker 1: we go, we go left or right on the Thursday show,
Speaker 1: and the Buffalo Bills are still in the playoff mix
Speaker 1: in the a f C. Need to win though, gotta
Speaker 1: get a W six and six. Luckily they got the
Speaker 1: Cults coming to town and the Cults have lost three
Speaker 1: in a row. Um can Tyrod is Tyrod Taylor playing
Speaker 1: number one, let's start there. What is the lady practice today? Uh,
Speaker 1: the people who watched, you know, the portion of practice
Speaker 1: practice that the reporters are allowed to talked about. Uh,
Speaker 1: still noticeable evidence of a limp to some degree. And
Speaker 1: he really was in bad shape at the end of
Speaker 1: that Patriots game. So but he's he's there and if
Speaker 1: if it continues, I'm gonna go into the assumption that
Speaker 1: Tyrod Taylor plays, maybe you lose some of his mobility.
Speaker 1: But what I'd say watching that Cults Jaguars game, that
Speaker 1: the Bills right here are six and six, you're resting
Speaker 1: just outside the fringe of the playoff picture. You've got
Speaker 1: a chance right here to go in and knock out
Speaker 1: a team that looked utterly lost against the Jaguars to me,
Speaker 1: outside of a deep strike late in the game to
Speaker 1: t Y Hilton, they couldn't get anything done on offense
Speaker 1: and the Bills to counter. I know they lost to
Speaker 1: New England to three. I blame their offense quite much
Speaker 1: for that loss, because their defense controlled that game for
Speaker 1: two and a half quarters. But you have to actually
Speaker 1: produce on offense, and you can't expect to do that
Speaker 1: for four quarters against New England. You can against the Colts.
Speaker 1: They could be seven and six after this in a
Speaker 1: better position. What does Tyrod Taylor give you if he's
Speaker 1: not able to run? I mean that's a that's a
Speaker 1: I would say this more than Nathan Peterman. I disagree totally,
Speaker 1: and I thought Tony Romo did a great job of
Speaker 1: breaking this down that there's no element of anticipation when
Speaker 1: Tyrod Taylor is the quarterback. He doesn't make anticipate anticipatory throws.
Speaker 1: Peterman comes in and you see quick, decisive throws right
Speaker 1: off the bat. Now is decision making is questionable, But
Speaker 1: the upgrade from from Taylor to Peterman on anticipatory throws
Speaker 1: was I will give you this, Tyrod Taylor does not
Speaker 1: turn the ball over right. Well, decision making is a factor,
Speaker 1: but the offense doesn't run when Tyrod Taylor can't run.
Speaker 1: I think it's also fair to ask if that Nate
Speaker 1: Peterman that makes those type of throws. I'm not gonna
Speaker 1: say the word was, I don't think I can do it.
Speaker 1: Anticipatory nailed it? Um is that guy gonna be the
Speaker 1: guy that gets on the field after what happened in
Speaker 1: his first game? Mentally, will he still have the gumption
Speaker 1: he had in really nice drive against the Patriots. Yeah,
Speaker 1: that's fair, it's crazy. The Bills will be right in
Speaker 1: the mix, possibly especially if the Ravens lose this week.
Speaker 1: At seven and six, any any team should beat the
Speaker 1: Colts right now. And by the way, the Bills do
Speaker 1: take care of business and they better for that fan base.
Speaker 1: They would move to seven and six. And Mark said
Speaker 1: they got two games left against the Dolphins, who are
Speaker 1: one of the worst teams in the NFC. Home and home.
Speaker 1: They're sandwiched by a Patriots matchup. If you, let's say
Speaker 1: you lose against the Pats, you should win those other
Speaker 1: three games and on your nine and seven and I
Speaker 1: think you got a chance. But put Jordan Matthews on
Speaker 1: injured reserve this week, put Shack Lawson who was starting
Speaker 1: in lost year. They got problems. And uh, before we
Speaker 1: move on, since you guys missed it on Sunday, a
Speaker 1: final congratulations the old Frank Gore who passed Yes, well,
Speaker 1: Danny and Thomlinson to be in the top five all time.
Speaker 1: I was gonna say something snarky like we didn't miss
Speaker 1: and just like whatever, But no, that would have been
Speaker 1: that would be distressed. That wouldn't be true. NFL dot
Speaker 1: Com slash Frank, I don't care about that. I'm saying
Speaker 1: in the one last the one good thing about this Colt,
Speaker 1: he was the only thing that could move the ball
Speaker 1: on the Jaguars. All right, Let's move on to a
Speaker 1: really solid matchup the Minnesota Vikings. Tenant too. They have
Speaker 1: not lost gentlemen since the first day of October, so
Speaker 1: there's a nice season for the Vikings. They now traveled
Speaker 1: to Carolina to face the Panthers. This is a very
Speaker 1: tricky spot west for the Panthers, who stumbled last week
Speaker 1: against the Saints. No big sin, but if they cannot
Speaker 1: find a way to beat the Vikings at them, they
Speaker 1: put themselves in a very dangerous position to miss the
Speaker 1: playoffs entirely. Yeah. My instincts initially were Carolina on a
Speaker 1: grass field, playing at home, in a game they need.
Speaker 1: I tend to give the edge to them, And then
Speaker 1: I looked deeper into this game. Cam Newton, I believe
Speaker 1: is one and four against top fifteen defense that has
Speaker 1: not played well against good defenses. The Vikings lead the
Speaker 1: NFL in third down offense and third down defense. No
Speaker 1: team in history since that's that has been invented, has
Speaker 1: ever done that. This is a well balanced, well coached team,
Speaker 1: and to me, the Vikings are clearly the better team
Speaker 1: right now. I think you have to give the edge
Speaker 1: to them. Even even at Carolina, It's not even close.
Speaker 1: I mean, what what is the Panthers done really recently
Speaker 1: to get everyone excited? It was basically the Dolphins beat
Speaker 1: down that they had on national television. Everyone beats down
Speaker 1: the Dolphins. They did not play well against the Jets,
Speaker 1: were a little lucky to win that game, and did
Speaker 1: not play their best game in New Orleans at all.
Speaker 1: That was a one sided game. Like the Vikings are
Speaker 1: the same team week after week. At some point we
Speaker 1: just have to do we have to trust it. I
Speaker 1: feel like if I had to pick who's the paper
Speaker 1: Tiger and these NFC playoff teams, I kind of I'm
Speaker 1: with you guys. In terms of the Panthers, I don't
Speaker 1: like the way they played for large portions of the
Speaker 1: season in the last two weeks especially. They've seen flaw
Speaker 1: that and they did when they beat up on the Dolphins.
Speaker 1: It happened in prime time and that that helps the
Speaker 1: shade view sometimes. But they also kind of had that
Speaker 1: swagger going and it kind of reminded you of but
Speaker 1: that we haven't seen that since they came back from
Speaker 1: the by. I feel like I came out of that
Speaker 1: game and I was saying this, and I think that
Speaker 1: maybe I've believed this way too soon. Oh, that they
Speaker 1: found this identity. Well, they ran the ball well twice
Speaker 1: in a row, and it came after this, and it
Speaker 1: came after the Saints game the day before, where they
Speaker 1: were they were blowing people up on the ground. I
Speaker 1: thought the Saints do it every week. You just can't
Speaker 1: trust the Panthers week to week. I mean, only Flacco
Speaker 1: and Mariotta have a lower quarterback rating than Cam Newton
Speaker 1: amongst teams with a winning record, and it shows with
Speaker 1: Cam Notton too, with Kim in too often. And it's
Speaker 1: a tough matchup. I mean, Funis is not and he's
Speaker 1: gonna get Xavier Rhoades traveling around with him. You know,
Speaker 1: Greg Olsen is maybe coming back in this game, but
Speaker 1: he hasn't really been himself. They don't really have something
Speaker 1: to lean on on their offense, and so it's it's
Speaker 1: just County on their defense to win a game for them,
Speaker 1: which is possible against Minnesota, but it's gonna be tough.
Speaker 1: Here's one last stat on case Keenum, who has had
Speaker 1: such an excellent season and we've talked about him a lot,
Speaker 1: but he deserves all the pubbies getting he's ever since
Speaker 1: Teddy Bridgewater got healthy and everyone was saying, oh, should
Speaker 1: we should put Teddy Bridgewater in, he's a great story.
Speaker 1: In the last four games, Keenum has had a pass
Speaker 1: raining north of one completion percentage north of seventy UM.
Speaker 1: That's over four games. The only quarterbacks in the Super
Speaker 1: Bowl era with a longer streak than a single season
Speaker 1: Peyton Farv, Russell Wilson and Alex Smith. So talk about
Speaker 1: raising your game um when you get challenged as a competitor,
Speaker 1: and that people don't talk about their ground gaming. That
Speaker 1: the second best running back to oh in the league
Speaker 1: right now? Yeah? Everybody? Everybody? It was how can you
Speaker 1: possibly get over they? And they're not even like Latavius Murray.
Speaker 1: To me, it's not the second best duo. It's the
Speaker 1: second best running game. Like they could put anyone on
Speaker 1: in that running game and do it With'tavius Murray? Did
Speaker 1: he to me as a replace? That's what they couldn't
Speaker 1: year that that offensive line last year is the reason
Speaker 1: they went from five and oh to the Abyss. It's
Speaker 1: the opposite this year. Well, all the Mike Zimmer for
Speaker 1: Coach of the Year, that's fine. I think to meet
Speaker 1: McVeigh clearly is a choice. But Rick Spielman deserves a
Speaker 1: lot of credit for this roster and for being able
Speaker 1: to plug in a McKinnon and murray when Dalvin Cook
Speaker 1: goes down because he rebuilt the offensive line. You on
Speaker 1: GM cor I am on GM corner. Rick Spielman has
Speaker 1: done a great job with this. Talk about a guy
Speaker 1: with nine lives. He's been. There have been times when
Speaker 1: people wanted Rick Spielman out of there, and he survived
Speaker 1: a lot of coaching change. This is the game that
Speaker 1: Packers and Cowboys fans gotta be kind of circling because
Speaker 1: they gotta feel like the Panthers falling off are their
Speaker 1: chance to jump into that playoffs. Well, that's gonna be
Speaker 1: easier than the c The Packers are the pack of
Speaker 1: wolves in the Cowboys and the Panthers are that injured
Speaker 1: caribou right now. And if you guys just looking for
Speaker 1: a little mental image, West pair of blue jeans, black boots,
Speaker 1: bomber jacket, collar popped aviators like George Michael faith era
Speaker 1: aviators leaning up against the corner the street sign GM corner.
Speaker 1: And then he takes out a cigarette, which he shouldn't
Speaker 1: because you were coming. It's not a good idea, and
Speaker 1: then takes up one of those matchsticks against the scruff,
Speaker 1: lights it on his cheek, lights up the cigarette, then
Speaker 1: puts it out. This is like more like a nineteen
Speaker 1: picture of Yeah, you're you're describing a man that doesn't
Speaker 1: exist in our society right now until you go to
Speaker 1: GM Corner. That's all I'm saying. It's a very masculine place.
Speaker 1: Let's move on. The Chicago Bears three and nine. Um
Speaker 1: could not find a way to beat Jimmy Garoppolo and
Speaker 1: the Niners at home, and they can't be in anybody anymore.
Speaker 1: They haven't won in six weeks. They travel to Cincinnati.
Speaker 1: We could be quick on this one, Greg, because the Bengals,
Speaker 1: for all intents and purposes, ended their season with their
Speaker 1: failure to close out the Steelers at home on Monday night.
Speaker 1: Right most likely, this is a game that should should
Speaker 1: be a good match for them. Any Dalton can deliver
Speaker 1: when protected in the Bears have no pass rush. Geo
Speaker 1: Bernard maybe gonna win some fantasy leagues for people this
Speaker 1: weekend going to be the starter, most likely with Joe
Speaker 1: mix and looking like he's out. Other than that, I
Speaker 1: don't know what's to get excited about this. Ravisky can't
Speaker 1: shoot straight right now from the pocket, can throw on
Speaker 1: the move, he can't shoot straight from the pocket. A
Speaker 1: guy that's supposed to be very accurate kind of that's
Speaker 1: his calling guard that's a little concerned yet him a
Speaker 1: coaching staff. I think he's regressed a little bit. But
Speaker 1: this is a dead man walking game. And you guys
Speaker 1: were talking about the hot seat the other day and
Speaker 1: Marvin Lewis, I think I've always said, and Dan, I
Speaker 1: appreciate you taking on my viewpoint. I tried. Do they
Speaker 1: have it right? I've changed just in the past few weeks,
Speaker 1: And if you listen closely on Monday Night Football, Gruden
Speaker 1: and mcdonnaugh alluded to them talking to Marvin Lewis, and
Speaker 1: Marvin Lewis strong only insinuating that he will not be back,
Speaker 1: that the last few weeks are going to be his
Speaker 1: last few weeks with this organization. And yet I think
Speaker 1: they'll win this game. I mean, to your point, Greg,
Speaker 1: they had Trabisky throw the ball seven times last week.
Speaker 1: He's averaging fourteen point one passing yards per drive. I
Speaker 1: mean they got they got a punt return touchdown, and
Speaker 1: they got the ball almost in the red zone on
Speaker 1: a turnover against the forty niners. Those are the two things,
Speaker 1: and they still can't beat the forty. I mean they
Speaker 1: need to reco and to do something every week. It
Speaker 1: was it was special teams last week, or it needs
Speaker 1: to be something a big breakaway touchdown. That's the only
Speaker 1: way they win these games. Let's move on. The Green
Speaker 1: Bay Packers travel to first and Entergy Field, First Energy Field,
Speaker 1: First Energy Stadium, I believe is the name? Did you
Speaker 1: put a T and the energy? Isn't it like Entergy
Speaker 1: isn't like one of those corpo I don't believe. So
Speaker 1: Entergy is another stadium, you see. That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: There's something out there floating in the corporal. I will
Speaker 1: never forget when we were West and I were younger,
Speaker 1: when they changed randomly out of nowhere because you didn't
Speaker 1: have Twitter and all that stuff back then too. That
Speaker 1: Candlestick Park became three Com Park out of nowhere one
Speaker 1: Sunday morning, and people were like, wait, what was the
Speaker 1: first corporate naming change and people were yeah, they were
Speaker 1: stick was one of the best names. And then does
Speaker 1: anybody remember the late nineties uh incarnation when it was
Speaker 1: Munster Stadium or Monster dot Com Monster dot Com it
Speaker 1: was Monster Park for a brief time as well. Uh.
Speaker 1: Stupid corporations to love working for the NFL, though, Um,
Speaker 1: the Browns are the team that plays the first energy field.
Speaker 1: The O and twelve Browns really talked about them at
Speaker 1: the top of the show. They have four chances to
Speaker 1: get a W and avoid infamy, but the Packers really
Speaker 1: have something to play for if they can get a W.
Speaker 1: Here Mark they moved to seven and six with Aaron
Speaker 1: Rodgers warming up on the sideline. Yeah, I mean, this
Speaker 1: is all you wanted out of the Screen Bay team
Speaker 1: if you're a fan, is to see them have a
Speaker 1: chance to get Aaron Rodgers back while they were still alive.
Speaker 1: They very much have a chance that they do that.
Speaker 1: I look at the two quarterbacks in this game, as
Speaker 1: you know, they're both costing their team points yardage. So
Speaker 1: let's say they erase each other. You're the green Bay
Speaker 1: Packers job. Uh what do you? I mean? Maybe from
Speaker 1: here and there, but beyond all that, I just think
Speaker 1: that not without one holding a big advantage over the other.
Speaker 1: It is green Bay's roster against Cleveland's. If you're a
Speaker 1: playoff team, you should be able to beat Cleveland's roster,
Speaker 1: whether it's in Cleveland or green Bay. If Cleveland is
Speaker 1: this disastrous of an organization, the story green Bay Packers
Speaker 1: who want to be a playoff team some to have
Speaker 1: any value beyond Aaron Rodgers better take care of Cleveland
Speaker 1: on Sunday. But they're clearly not a playoff team without
Speaker 1: Aaron Rodgers there two and five, and even with Aaron Rodgers,
Speaker 1: they didn't top three hundred and seventy yards in a game.
Speaker 1: So Aaron Rodgers was holding them up. And to me,
Speaker 1: this is a toss up, like we an NFL pick them.
Speaker 1: Here's a spoiler. I took the Old Browns to win
Speaker 1: this game. Why not? And what do we think of
Speaker 1: Green Bay? I understand, I think they're I think they're
Speaker 1: one of the worst teams in the league. With Brett
Speaker 1: Hunley as the there two and five and they were
Speaker 1: extremely lucky to win one of those those with the
Speaker 1: second game. I mean, the logic is there, like, yeah,
Speaker 1: I'm with you. I think the Packers are like a
Speaker 1: rank three to seven and the power rankings team with
Speaker 1: Brett Huntley. I think they're that limited with him, and
Speaker 1: and so if you put him on the road, even
Speaker 1: if it's against the Browns, you can't assume the road
Speaker 1: doesn't mean anything in Cleveland outside the fact you have
Speaker 1: to get on an area is a road. Yeah, they
Speaker 1: are on their schedules a little different. So you put
Speaker 1: him on the road against the team it's one like
Speaker 1: what four percent of its games in the last two years.
Speaker 1: I mean, the Packers should be the clear favorite here
Speaker 1: and not get it so that the best team in
Speaker 1: the league, which is a lot better than being the
Speaker 1: thirty second best team in the league. And they found
Speaker 1: some interesting running backs in Green Bay. They will not
Speaker 1: have to address that position in too. That's funny. We
Speaker 1: went into the season. That was the big conversation, like
Speaker 1: what are they gonna do with running back? Now here
Speaker 1: we are in Week fourteen, Like Williams, that's the only
Speaker 1: thing they have, Like that was the last that was
Speaker 1: the reason they won. Well, Williams was the off season darling,
Speaker 1: and then he wasn't in the picture, and now he's
Speaker 1: back in what was he Well, he's had He's looked great.
Speaker 1: The past two weeks is of power back and he's
Speaker 1: throwing Aaron Jones he looked great before he got injured.
Speaker 1: Time Montgomery's out for the year. I wonder what his
Speaker 1: rule is going to be next year. But I think
Speaker 1: Williams and Jones make for a great tandem. Alright, So
Speaker 1: the Packers, if they can get to seven and six,
Speaker 1: the NFC playoff picture gets that much more juicy. Let's
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Speaker 1: Up next the San Francisco forty Niners. They just picked
Speaker 1: up their second win of the season with Jim mg
Speaker 1: behind center, and now a tougher assignment, but not that
Speaker 1: much tougher, and I set up for Jimmy G to
Speaker 1: start his career. They go to Houston to face the Texans, UH,
Speaker 1: two teams that are out of the mix. Your thoughts
Speaker 1: on this game was, I'm really looking forward to seeing
Speaker 1: Jimmy Garoppolo play again. And I never really understood the
Speaker 1: skepticism of Jimmy Garoppolo, especially the people who say, look
Speaker 1: what Matt Castle did outside of that system. First of all,
Speaker 1: I don't even know what the Patriots system is. If
Speaker 1: somebody can explain to me what they're quote unquote system is,
Speaker 1: I'd like to hear it. But Jimmy Garopplo is not
Speaker 1: the same quarterback as Matt Castle. And what Castle then
Speaker 1: has nothing to do with Jimmy G. You're talking about
Speaker 1: a guy who has, whenever he's played, shown great pocket mobility,
Speaker 1: a lightning quick release, good decision making, good comeback capability.
Speaker 1: He's everything you want to see in a young quarterback.
Speaker 1: And I don't get any kind of the skepticism around him.
Speaker 1: If you want to say small sample size, fine, but
Speaker 1: not the Matt Castle stuff that stuffs garbage. It's funny
Speaker 1: because two games ago when he came in late and
Speaker 1: he generated a touchdown drive, I thought to myself, you know,
Speaker 1: going into last week, well, I can't hang my hat
Speaker 1: on that. Even though there was energy around that, the
Speaker 1: offense took on a different form. But then against the Bears,
Speaker 1: I think it was the first game all year. They're
Speaker 1: dialing up thirteen plus players a ten plus yards, most
Speaker 1: all of them through the air. It's all because of him.
Speaker 1: They are a completely different type of team. To watch
Speaker 1: everything that we heard about him and what we thought,
Speaker 1: we said, oh, Bill Belichick thinks X Y and Z,
Speaker 1: well we had to see it. It came to fruition
Speaker 1: last week and it is such a different team. And
Speaker 1: I don't care at home are on the road. I
Speaker 1: didn't have a problem locking that one team up last week,
Speaker 1: so I have no problem locking up a two team
Speaker 1: this week. Lock it up. I love it. I love
Speaker 1: it and into the sunset that Ian Rappaport, this is
Speaker 1: one of the new team. Ian Rapports said. People in
Speaker 1: the building kind of compared Garoppolo to Jimmy Tony Romo,
Speaker 1: which I could see a little bit. Bruce Arians made
Speaker 1: that comparison a year ago, and I and I know
Speaker 1: they played at the same school, so maybe that's just
Speaker 1: what you're thinking, but I can I can see that
Speaker 1: it's the first names. Some of the things I liked
Speaker 1: about him were just just like the head nous. Like
Speaker 1: the second that he got hit late on a play,
Speaker 1: he's immediately like he knows he was out of bounds
Speaker 1: and he's calling for the flag. They had a questionable
Speaker 1: catch at one point, and he quickly brings up everyone
Speaker 1: to get the next playoff. Like that to me shows
Speaker 1: almost like a Colm and what you're doing, like he's
Speaker 1: very much in control of what's going on around him,
Speaker 1: which is really impressive for a guy who's barely played
Speaker 1: at the NFL level. They were five of ten in
Speaker 1: third and eight or longer last week. Yeah, those are
Speaker 1: all like tight window throws. I think it's about as
Speaker 1: exciting as he could have been. Yeah, if you if
Speaker 1: you're just looking at the box score, like, oh, he
Speaker 1: had an interception that was not his fault at all,
Speaker 1: and he had this incredible touchdown passed to George Kettle
Speaker 1: at the end of the game that got pulled away
Speaker 1: by flag. It would have been one of the highlights
Speaker 1: of the week. The throw was beautiful the catch was great.
Speaker 1: I think there's like the skepticism on him also extended to, okay,
Speaker 1: that's great he learned at the knee of Tom Brady.
Speaker 1: He was there with Belichick and McDaniels. But does that
Speaker 1: really translate? And tangibly it translated to the game winning
Speaker 1: drive and he credited what he learned from Brady Brady
Speaker 1: is the greatest one minute real quarterback in NFL hit.
Speaker 1: Even just the fact they started the game in no huddle.
Speaker 1: I mean to me, that just says he's got some
Speaker 1: of the parts of the quarterback position which are are
Speaker 1: the toughest right off the gate. Moving on a big
Speaker 1: matchup in the a f C West, the six and
Speaker 1: six Oakland Raiders, who have won two straight UH to
Speaker 1: get themselves back in the mix. How why are they
Speaker 1: back in the mix? Because the Chiefs can't stop losing.
Speaker 1: Riding now a four game losing streaks, UH six of
Speaker 1: seven overall after that bitter loss at the meadow Lands
Speaker 1: to the Jets. They won't have Marcus Peters in this game,
Speaker 1: by the way, the cornerback who fired the penalty flag
Speaker 1: into the crowd and then went in the locker room,
Speaker 1: even though he wasn't ejected and then ran back on
Speaker 1: the field and he wasn't wearing socks anymore, which I
Speaker 1: still think is my one of my favorite moments of
Speaker 1: the season. The Chiefs suspended him, not the league. The
Speaker 1: Chiefs did, so he won't be in this game. Feels
Speaker 1: like it all sets up for a nice game for
Speaker 1: Derek car Greg, especially if Marie Cooper's in the mix.
Speaker 1: It should Amari Cooper did not practice on Thursday. He
Speaker 1: will get Michael Crabtree back back. But Cooper, who passed
Speaker 1: the concussion protocol, still dealing with an ankle injury, so
Speaker 1: that's a problem. But everyone throws on the Chiefs, and
Speaker 1: everyone throws on the Chiefs with Marcus Peters in in
Speaker 1: the lineup, so you better be able to throw on
Speaker 1: the Chiefs, uh this week. And I think you're starting
Speaker 1: to see a little bit of an offensive identity with
Speaker 1: Marshaw Lynch, who's run better for sure, ever since he
Speaker 1: had that suspension. I think he's run really well. This
Speaker 1: is the game. I'm gonna be curious to see how
Speaker 1: the Raiders defense looks since they made the change to
Speaker 1: John Pagano, They've had their best two defensive performances probably
Speaker 1: of the year against two really terrible offenses, so it
Speaker 1: hasn't been a great test. But John Pagano is a
Speaker 1: guy who's very experience, has had some good runs as
Speaker 1: a defensive coordinator in San Diego, and maybe his upgrade
Speaker 1: from Ken Norton is enough to at least make this
Speaker 1: team respectable. Maybe they have one of the worst past
Speaker 1: defenses in NFL history, right and then then, but they've
Speaker 1: played fine the last two weeks against terrible teams, and
Speaker 1: so it's stuff to tell. But they were a team
Speaker 1: that was making everyone look good. I thought I was
Speaker 1: going to be more impressed with the Chiefs offense after
Speaker 1: watching the Jets game, but it was really just five
Speaker 1: or six big plays and no sustaining element whatsoever in
Speaker 1: that offense. If they don't hit those big plays and
Speaker 1: you can't rely on hitting them, what what do they
Speaker 1: hang their don't on off That's what they were early
Speaker 1: in the season. The Andy Reid firing himself kind of worked,
Speaker 1: though the second he fired himself they went nuts. It's
Speaker 1: the most depressing division in football, and I the fun
Speaker 1: team is the Chargers. I I don't there's nothing fun
Speaker 1: in in my book about the idea that this Raiders
Speaker 1: team is going to be in the playoffs, and and frankly,
Speaker 1: there's something even worse about the fact that the Chiefs
Speaker 1: who who mystified us for five weeks with this reborn
Speaker 1: attack and this newfound confidence, are back where they are
Speaker 1: at six and six. You're probably gonna sneak into this
Speaker 1: a f C West Division title. If you don't get
Speaker 1: nit by someone else, you're gonna bumped in the playoffs.
Speaker 1: Is one of the most tedious repeating storylines, and they
Speaker 1: have the past five or six years, and I'm tired
Speaker 1: to do it though. Yeah, is gonna win the division,
Speaker 1: all right? So what are you worrying about the fact
Speaker 1: that we're excited about this game? Rappy teams, This is
Speaker 1: maybe the game I would say the game of the
Speaker 1: year when these two teams played, I wasn't the most important,
Speaker 1: you know, impact on the season, but the game of
Speaker 1: the year. We have the welve games of the year
Speaker 1: by now, that was not the game. That's number one
Speaker 1: to me, and it stayed there and then and last
Speaker 1: year they played great games. These are not too great teams,
Speaker 1: but there are two desperate teams, two teams fighting for
Speaker 1: a playoff spot the two old rivals. Give me the game.
Speaker 1: I want the game. Mark you hate the game. It's happening.
Speaker 1: You can expert experience. It happened to their defensive line
Speaker 1: like it used to be a good group. It's mostly
Speaker 1: the same players and they're just kind of get pushed around.
Speaker 1: What happened to Kareem Hunt by the way, I had
Speaker 1: actually watching the game last week against the Jets. He
Speaker 1: had a big reception to keep it drive going late
Speaker 1: in the game. Uh, And I had forgotten that he
Speaker 1: was even involved with the game or it was a
Speaker 1: member of the Chiefs. This is a guy that was
Speaker 1: still one of the NFL starts from scrimmage. He's third.
Speaker 1: If you looked at his numbers, you would say that's
Speaker 1: your rookie of the year because his his per carry,
Speaker 1: per catch, total numbers. I don't think he is the
Speaker 1: rookie of the year. I think it's Alvin Kamara, but
Speaker 1: I think it's the offensive. It's all before the leaves
Speaker 1: came off the trees. Though, well, if if you like
Speaker 1: it struck me the difference between the Jets run blocking
Speaker 1: in the Chiefs run blocking last week, Blow Pal and
Speaker 1: Matt Porte we're running through bigger holes. Let's move on
Speaker 1: to the NFC East, where the Cowboys are six and six,
Speaker 1: a huge win last Thursday against the Redskins to kind
Speaker 1: of get their feet under them after a three game
Speaker 1: losing streak. Now they travel to the meadow Lands to
Speaker 1: face the Giants. Gino Smith, of course, as we know,
Speaker 1: is back in the lineup and Mark, let's start with
Speaker 1: this one person that what did I say? You know,
Speaker 1: I mean, it's tough. You're hoping it's tough to get
Speaker 1: a legend like Gino out of your mind, because when
Speaker 1: you think New York Giants football, you think Genus. By
Speaker 1: the way that Geno has made headlines twice since Sunday,
Speaker 1: shocking once for calling Rex Ryan a coward like right
Speaker 1: after the game, after his performance on Sunday, and then
Speaker 1: yesterday that he was miffed and upset that he had
Speaker 1: been removed from his starting role. Sit down, be humble
Speaker 1: for one lucky you're getting a paycheck. Example of why
Speaker 1: he gets picked on, because if you heard what he said,
Speaker 1: he says, of course, as a competitor, I was upset,
Speaker 1: but I totally support the decision and like I respect
Speaker 1: What about what about the Rex Ryan poward thing that
Speaker 1: was unnecessary. I'm just saying this is true. If it
Speaker 1: was anyone else, we wouldn't care. You are a pr
Speaker 1: mouthpiece for the biggest incomp in football. Rex Ryan is
Speaker 1: a coward alright conduct you know, just because we went
Speaker 1: into the Foxborough in January two thou eleven and shock
Speaker 1: the world, everybody's gonna be still hanging that on Rex.
Speaker 1: Every everybody's gonna be shocked nextic and nobody signs Gino
Speaker 1: And it's because of this stuff. Yeah, let's get back
Speaker 1: on track here. Eli Manning's the quarterback. What I was
Speaker 1: gonna say Mark was um Alviren Morris has been pretty
Speaker 1: damn good as the running back of the Cowboys. He's
Speaker 1: got a couple more games in that role. Uh are
Speaker 1: You're feeling much better about them though? They are the
Speaker 1: best game on the ground last week, and they, I
Speaker 1: mean the Redskins to me feel like a completely different
Speaker 1: operation from week to weeks. So I don't know always
Speaker 1: what to make of the results against that team, but
Speaker 1: Dallas seemingly figured out their issues in that game. At
Speaker 1: least it's a team that knows the well. The Giants
Speaker 1: too too. Let me ask you a question. I know
Speaker 1: this is absurd. The Giants are allowing four hundred yards
Speaker 1: per game on defense, the defense of last year. But
Speaker 1: they're down some guys, I get it. You've made the
Speaker 1: coaching switch, you're at home. You've got Eli Manning for
Speaker 1: all his flaws and virtues back on the field. This
Speaker 1: Giants fan has something, This Giants fan group has something
Speaker 1: to believe in, reason to believe that this is a
Speaker 1: little bit of a trap game for the Cowboys. Cowboys
Speaker 1: to me, that was they can win games if their
Speaker 1: offensive line just wins games for them. But I don't
Speaker 1: think they're that much better than the Giants. I mean
Speaker 1: as a as an overall team right now, without dec
Speaker 1: I mean, they're they're middle of the road team. The
Speaker 1: Giants are a little unlucky to be two and time.
Speaker 1: They're bad. They're a bad team. But I don't think
Speaker 1: the Giants should be heavy underdogs in this game, and
Speaker 1: I don't think they are. Greg that said, yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1: The Cowboys should win the game, though, your seasons on
Speaker 1: the line. What is New York playing for other than
Speaker 1: all this sort of you know, ephemeral nonsense in the
Speaker 1: air about trying to have some sort of nice end
Speaker 1: of your season. I'm wondering if the you know, they
Speaker 1: felt like they found something in the secondary the Cowboys.
Speaker 1: So if that's a trend that a wooz A and Frasier,
Speaker 1: these two rookies who played really well on Thursday night,
Speaker 1: if that becomes like a weekly occurrence, that that could
Speaker 1: be something, especially going up against the Evan Ingram. I mean,
Speaker 1: that's the thing. The next look. I love Evan Ingram,
Speaker 1: and I love Sterling Shepard, and of course I love
Speaker 1: Odell Beckham. Was like, whoever it's going to be quarterback
Speaker 1: and coaching this team next year, You've got some you
Speaker 1: got some great weapons to play with, Mark, I don't
Speaker 1: think it's gonna be like man, I think this is
Speaker 1: the last couple of games of Eli. Marcus Lawrence could
Speaker 1: blow this game up by the way um as he's
Speaker 1: been doing all season. Moving on, excuse me. The Detroit
Speaker 1: Lions six and six? Oh no again the lines you get,
Speaker 1: Oh you start to believe in the Lions and then
Speaker 1: they lose two games. They're back to six and six.
Speaker 1: They got Matt Stafford practice today. He's got the bad hand.
Speaker 1: You could expect him to be on the field, be
Speaker 1: surprised if he isn't. And they go to Tampa and
Speaker 1: this seems was like a great matchup. If Stafford can
Speaker 1: throw the ball, if you grip the ball and do
Speaker 1: math Stafford throwing things, He's probably gonna have a nice
Speaker 1: day against this Tampa Bay defense. Oh you meant great
Speaker 1: matchup as in as in for him to succeed, for
Speaker 1: to keep their playoff recipe for success facing the Tampa
Speaker 1: Bay Buccaneers. Certainly like this is an exciting matchup. I
Speaker 1: like that a f C West of crap fest. This
Speaker 1: one cannot get the glorious sunlight at that hideous stadium
Speaker 1: down in Tampa Bay. Sit back and enjoy this well
Speaker 1: oiled matchup. How many games in the last two years
Speaker 1: well oiled match up? Does the Lions offense moved the
Speaker 1: ball before garbage time or before the fourth quarters when
Speaker 1: they go no huddle and Stafford goes hurry up. I
Speaker 1: just don't trust this offense in the first three quarters
Speaker 1: of any game, and I don't trust this defense in
Speaker 1: all four quarters. I mean, they have made Joe Flacco,
Speaker 1: they have, really Joe Flacco was reborn when he played
Speaker 1: the Lions. Although a lot of them were great throws
Speaker 1: to his credit. Mitchell Trabsky had his best game against
Speaker 1: the Lions. Deshan Kaiser had basically his best game against
Speaker 1: the Lions. It's one of the worst defense in the league.
Speaker 1: All they really have is Stafford in the passing game,
Speaker 1: because we know they can't run the ball. There four
Speaker 1: of twelve on third and one this year, which is
Speaker 1: an insane stat. It's just that that to me tells
Speaker 1: you so much about their team. It's all Stafford carrying them,
Speaker 1: and I kind of feel like their season is gonna
Speaker 1: end here in Tampa just for the just for like
Speaker 1: the law of averages that, why don't you lock it
Speaker 1: up through it? I'm not gonna lock it up. Why
Speaker 1: don't you do like a soft lock where you just
Speaker 1: pick a chair behind the door. My locks are the
Speaker 1: door opens from the other way to have I I
Speaker 1: kind of don't see that happening pre Detroit. I think
Speaker 1: they're gonna take care of business here. They still have
Speaker 1: the Bears and Bengals after this. In theory, they could
Speaker 1: go on a little bit of a run. And if
Speaker 1: we don't like Detroit's defense, I don't know what to
Speaker 1: like about Tampa Bays They're an absolute sieve through the air.
Speaker 1: They can't rush the past. After losing Noah Spense, there's
Speaker 1: zero pass rush there, and you're you're basically going to
Speaker 1: get two or three plays a game from Jamis Winston
Speaker 1: that are going to undermine the offense as well at
Speaker 1: this point. So I don't know, I mean the buck
Speaker 1: at least the Lions. You get Marvin Jones going. Maybe
Speaker 1: it's late in the game, like you're saying, West, I
Speaker 1: just see them taking is an idiot. Well, I don't know.
Speaker 1: If he bucks the talk of another sound drop, we're
Speaker 1: gonna lose in a couple of weeks. One of the
Speaker 1: more surprisingly poor players this year has been Doug Martin.
Speaker 1: I've been really surprised to how he has not kind
Speaker 1: of come through for them. They were a lot better
Speaker 1: off last week without him with with Peyton Barbara and
Speaker 1: Martin will be back this week. I wonder if they'll
Speaker 1: even get to start for the team anymore. It's a
Speaker 1: good question what's his future there. And Glover quin because
Speaker 1: he's one of the higher paid running backs in the league.
Speaker 1: I don't think well Over Quinn, you can be smirched
Speaker 1: the lines, that's all you want but he's having an
Speaker 1: all pro year. Yet moving on the Tennessee Tight Tunes, Uh,
Speaker 1: how about this? How about this? They've won six of seven,
Speaker 1: they're eight and four. I'm not blown anybody away, but
Speaker 1: eight and four is eight and four is eight and four,
Speaker 1: and that's tied for first in the a f C South.
Speaker 1: And now they travel to Arizona to face the five
Speaker 1: and seven Cardinals, who, um, you know, kind of ran
Speaker 1: out of juice it seemed, uh in a thirty sixteen
Speaker 1: loss to the Rams last week. Your thoughts on this matchup,
Speaker 1: Greg Rosenthal. I just want to see the Titans passing
Speaker 1: game not be so limited. But it is like that
Speaker 1: we're into week fourteen and they really haven't integrated Corey Davis,
Speaker 1: their rookie. They really haven't consistently had Taywan Taylor Eric Decker, right,
Speaker 1: I think it's safe to say either they're not using
Speaker 1: him well or he's kind of been a disappointment for them.
Speaker 1: John who Smith, their rookie. Titans kind of come and go.
Speaker 1: Like when they lost for Shard Matthews last week, it
Speaker 1: was like they didn't know what to do, and they're
Speaker 1: probably without Delaney Walker this week. It sounds like Matthews
Speaker 1: will be back Walkers out and it's just I don't know.
Speaker 1: It's like the league kind of figured out what they
Speaker 1: were doing last year and Malarkey doesn't have a move
Speaker 1: to pivot to. I'm gonna dann I'm gonna throw the
Speaker 1: Titans a bone, Okay, do it? I feel like we
Speaker 1: picked on them quite a bit. Three things, DeMarco Murray
Speaker 1: looked much better. Uh. Delaney Walker one of the best
Speaker 1: free agent signings of the past decade in an absolute
Speaker 1: pro bowler. He was complaining this week that he doesn't
Speaker 1: give enough credit. He absolutely should get credit. And the
Speaker 1: third thing, Marcus Mariota has made strides in some specific areas.
Speaker 1: He has been a really good two minute drill quarterback
Speaker 1: this year, which is a very important part of the
Speaker 1: quarterback joy. They have I think four or five fourth
Speaker 1: quarter comebacks. He leads the NFL in it. And he
Speaker 1: played one of his best games of the season last week.
Speaker 1: It was totally clean, ran very well. He did his
Speaker 1: job totally a week ago. So hopefully he can keep
Speaker 1: that going. You know, if we're throwing the tytoons, some owns,
Speaker 1: you know, they want six out of seven every time.
Speaker 1: Delaney Walker makes a play. My son, also named Walker,
Speaker 1: just hears it and goes Walker. You know, he's all
Speaker 1: very excited. So that you're playing Titans film on a
Speaker 1: loop in your house, I think that that's reason for concern.
Speaker 1: The one thing about the Cardinals, they couldn't do much
Speaker 1: against the Rams. I'm not in love with playing Gabber,
Speaker 1: but Kerwin Williams and the way they ran that was
Speaker 1: quite a show. I mean it is running through gaping hole. Absolutely,
Speaker 1: they shut it down in the second half to some degree.
Speaker 1: But I just don't with blame Gabbert. I don't get
Speaker 1: it with this idea that he's going to be signed
Speaker 1: as a starter somewhere unless he's got a lot around
Speaker 1: him and like essentially that ground game, what is he
Speaker 1: going to do besides give you athletic mobile quarterback play himself.
Speaker 1: I don't he's good enough to get you fired or justice. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I just I don't know what the It's not a
Speaker 1: long term planed guy. Titans run defense has been stonewalling
Speaker 1: teams too, so that that has been an improved run defense.
Speaker 1: And one last note, Laray Fitzgerald uh with twenty six
Speaker 1: receiving yards will passed Randy Moss for third all time
Speaker 1: in most receiving yards, and he's ten catches away from
Speaker 1: becoming the third player in NFL history catches. He's again
Speaker 1: on pace for about a hundred catches this year and
Speaker 1: what's been a limited offense with quarterback issues, He's pretty amazing.
Speaker 1: John Brown and J. J. Nelson don't combine for the
Speaker 1: production that Larry Fitzgerald has had this year. He's on
Speaker 1: my mont Mount rushmore of players I've enjoyed watching in
Speaker 1: my life. Um moving on the five and seven New
Speaker 1: York Jets. They took out the Kansas City Chiefs at home.
Speaker 1: Now they hit the road. Oh my goodness, here it
Speaker 1: comes a Rocky Mountain avalanche. But guess what the avalanche
Speaker 1: has been coming down on the Broncos, who are in
Speaker 1: an absolute tailspin. Dude, three, four, five, six, seven, eight
Speaker 1: losses nine out of ten. So the Jets at five
Speaker 1: and seven have a chance to get to six and
Speaker 1: seven with a win. Uh mark uh? Denver are they
Speaker 1: gonna end their streak and end the Jets hopes of
Speaker 1: a mo oraculous playoff run? This game shows me how
Speaker 1: much things can change if teams like the Chiefs. To
Speaker 1: me feel like the same thing over and over. This
Speaker 1: game is between a team that, to me and the
Speaker 1: Broncos in September, I thought, after they beat the Cowboys
Speaker 1: looked like one of the more complete teams in the
Speaker 1: a f C. And everyone had the Jets back then
Speaker 1: ticketed for one in fifteen, and here we are, We're
Speaker 1: c J. Anderson is saying, at this point, this is
Speaker 1: their super Bowl, this is their playoff game. They want
Speaker 1: to win this to feel what it feels like to
Speaker 1: win again in Denver. And we talked about talking about
Speaker 1: That's what he said, And it tells me like this
Speaker 1: is about talking about I just think it's expectations can
Speaker 1: so quickly change. And a guy like John Elway, who
Speaker 1: I think we were comparing to adequately to Ozzie Newsome
Speaker 1: as the best former player to turn GM in the NFL,
Speaker 1: and now he's under fire. I think the coach we
Speaker 1: brought up as a potential hot button if they lose
Speaker 1: this game, I think they're gonna get whacked by the
Speaker 1: Jets in this game. I think maybe you have to
Speaker 1: wonder about bands Joseph, because things have fallen apart so
Speaker 1: steeply that Elwe now is saying he's embarrassed by the season.
Speaker 1: There's a lot going on here. This is a good
Speaker 1: spot for the Jets. I mean, going on the road
Speaker 1: in Denver, I don't care as a Jets fan, I'm like,
Speaker 1: not overly confident in the game. But at the same time,
Speaker 1: they're playing really well on offense right now, and knowing
Speaker 1: that Denver struggled so much, um moving the ball as
Speaker 1: bad as the Jets secondary looked against the Chiefs, I
Speaker 1: do think at this point and great. We talked about
Speaker 1: a little bit on our slack client yesterday how Josh
Speaker 1: McCown is is playing so well. He's just he's just
Speaker 1: like feeling himself right now and making good decisions. And
Speaker 1: every week he's putting the Jets in position to win
Speaker 1: games because they're scoring twenty to thirty points typically. Uh,
Speaker 1: and that's more than you could have expected in August.
Speaker 1: It's amazing. This is gonna be his best complete season
Speaker 1: as an NFL quarterback, assuming he gets through it all
Speaker 1: at thirty years old. You know he's feeling it because
Speaker 1: my favorite play every week is the play where he's
Speaker 1: pointing at his receivers to go. I mean, that's the
Speaker 1: Dash McCown move. I love that move. He's been doing
Speaker 1: it for fourteen years, kind of just run around pointing
Speaker 1: for them where to go, and it's all working this
Speaker 1: week this year. It's a shame Robby Anderson tweaked his
Speaker 1: hamstring in practice this week because the game that he
Speaker 1: and Jermaine Curse played last week I thought was one
Speaker 1: of the best games by a wide receiver duo all year,
Speaker 1: by any wide receiver duel and maccown played well too,
Speaker 1: But the Jets are one of the most fun versions
Speaker 1: of the Jets that I've seen in many years. Um yeah,
Speaker 1: Jermaine Curs, who, by the way, as a reminder, was
Speaker 1: a throw in than the Sheldon Richardson deal. So they
Speaker 1: also have the second round pick, and Anderson has emerged
Speaker 1: as kind of a real playmaker. He has seven touchdowns
Speaker 1: this year now, that's six in the league and over
Speaker 1: the past um since Week twelve, UH, Curse and Anderson
Speaker 1: are in the top five and receiving UH. Anderson on
Speaker 1: pace for eleven hundred yards this season, Curse on page
Speaker 1: pace for nine hund yards. They've had a really nice
Speaker 1: season as a pair. They've had back to back one
Speaker 1: yard yard games both of them. It's the first time
Speaker 1: that's happened for the Jets. This is a statement how
Speaker 1: tough it's been for Jets fans in fifty years since
Speaker 1: Don Maynard and George Sour did it in nine seven.
Speaker 1: I brought up that factoid on Tuesday, but you brought
Speaker 1: the Maynard well Maynard uh Sour angle to it, so
Speaker 1: you didn't completely waste our time read up. You know,
Speaker 1: you try to say something nice about the Jets, and
Speaker 1: this is what happens. Read up on George Sour listeners
Speaker 1: out there, one of the most fascinating football players ever.
Speaker 1: Oh and by the way, I had all this season,
Speaker 1: mark to your to your credit, no, don't you be
Speaker 1: smirched a Jets legend just because we don't have any.
Speaker 1: I was saying, good Sour, Poppet. You know, it's just
Speaker 1: it's just not probably ever gonna happen again. They probably
Speaker 1: seconds sour um Mark. All season, you have been saying
Speaker 1: how you've enjoyed the Jets, and I've been trying to
Speaker 1: distance myself. And you know, I'm still trying to keep
Speaker 1: my head uh from getting too in the clouds on
Speaker 1: them making a playoff him. But at the same time,
Speaker 1: I haven't really gone it all in on him at
Speaker 1: all at all this season, at any point in terms,
Speaker 1: at least in this podcast studio. Screw that. You know what.
Speaker 1: The New York Jets, they need to win a bunch
Speaker 1: of games, to win every game they get to January.
Speaker 1: And I don't know if that's gonna happen. Probably not,
Speaker 1: but I'll tell you what they are gonna win. They're
Speaker 1: gonna win on Sunday, the Rocky Mountain Avalanche. Here comes
Speaker 1: global Warming. Because I'm locking it up E T s
Speaker 1: Let's go, baby, can't wait? That spells certain doom for that.
Speaker 1: I like it. I like it. It's the right time
Speaker 1: for it. Let's do it. Come on, let's make this fun.
Speaker 1: They're playing the literal last ranked team in football outsiders
Speaker 1: in the league. They can do it. That's something fun.
Speaker 1: The worst day has last thirty five to nine to
Speaker 1: the Dolphins. Let's get red Cess a little playoff push
Speaker 1: before he leaves the building at the f A N
Speaker 1: Let's go tell it from Mike Francisa, who says that, uh, finally,
Speaker 1: not finally, let's move on. The Washington Redskins five and
Speaker 1: seven season over um, most likely after that loss to
Speaker 1: the Cowboys last Thursday, they travel to Los Angeles to
Speaker 1: play at the Soccer Stadium the Chargers six and six West. Uh,
Speaker 1: the Chargers. Everybody pumped up? Is there any reason to
Speaker 1: have concerns about the Charger team this week? No, They're
Speaker 1: playing a team that is in absolute tatters because they
Speaker 1: lose important starters every week. The Redskins roster right now
Speaker 1: is not close to what it was in September and October.
Speaker 1: Their offensive line got pushed around and just thoroughly eviscerated
Speaker 1: by the Dallas Cowboys defensive line last week. And the
Speaker 1: ingram boasts of Chargers are are gonna toy with them
Speaker 1: this week, and I'm gonna have to lock this up.
Speaker 1: I'm not gonna be too dramatic about it, but I
Speaker 1: allowed myself to imagine the Chargers with Justin Tucker and
Speaker 1: a semblance of a home field advantage, and the Patriots
Speaker 1: and Steelers would be afraid of this team. How many
Speaker 1: teams have a franchise quarterback, a well rounded running back,
Speaker 1: a Danny Woodhead like scat back, a legitimate number one
Speaker 1: receiver playmate, big play guys at wide receiver two and three,
Speaker 1: a top five tight ends five, the best pass rushing
Speaker 1: duo in the NFL and a top five secondary. This
Speaker 1: team is loaded and if it wasn't for bad luck
Speaker 1: and bad kicking earlier in the year, they'd be they'd
Speaker 1: be the talk of the a f C. Right now,
Speaker 1: I'm I'm a little worried. The one thing as a
Speaker 1: Chargers kind of back is that Anthony Lynn in a
Speaker 1: tight game, in a big spot. I feel like there's
Speaker 1: been a couple of moments here where I've were. You know,
Speaker 1: most of their wins have been comfortable for the most parts.
Speaker 1: I'd be a little worried about that in a playoff
Speaker 1: situation or maybe going down the stretch. But to give
Speaker 1: him credit, I think he had an epiphany, not maybe
Speaker 1: that different from Ron Rivera having that epiphany way back
Speaker 1: in the day. And his epiphany was this should be
Speaker 1: a passing team. This should be Philip Rivers team. I
Speaker 1: need to get out of my whole ground and pound.
Speaker 1: That's what I'm all about mindset. And the second he
Speaker 1: did that about four weeks ago. They have thrown the
Speaker 1: ball really well, and you saw late last week in
Speaker 1: the first half, Philip Rivers fumbles the ball with about
Speaker 1: a minute forty left. Could have totally turned the game
Speaker 1: in the first half. It's second and nineteen and I
Speaker 1: feel like at the beginning of the season, Lynn would
Speaker 1: have just run the ball there and gone into halftime.
Speaker 1: But you know what he let Rivers do is just
Speaker 1: go bomb it away because he's playing the Browns. They
Speaker 1: got points before halftime, and they've been really aggressive throwing
Speaker 1: the ball. I don't think the score of that Browns
Speaker 1: game could any in any way reveal how much they
Speaker 1: dominated for moments at a time. They just you saw
Speaker 1: a team with star players operating at star level against
Speaker 1: the team hoping they had that kind of a roster.
Speaker 1: You are gonna win this game because lest West just
Speaker 1: locked it up for you. If you're the Chargers, we'll
Speaker 1: see You have the Chiefs next week West of the
Speaker 1: four of US under five hundred this year, that could
Speaker 1: take care of the a f C. West. Then you
Speaker 1: have the Jets in the Raiders to close out the year.
Speaker 1: This team is going to get into the playoffs and
Speaker 1: they're gonna win a playoff game, and either the Patriots
Speaker 1: or the Steelers are gonna have to deal with this.
Speaker 1: No one's gonna want to. And if you go back,
Speaker 1: can watch that Chargers Patriots game score aside, that was
Speaker 1: one of the better performances by the Los Angeles defense
Speaker 1: this year. They got They put it to Brady for
Speaker 1: a long stretch of that game. I think this is
Speaker 1: a very interesting team. This win this game, take care
Speaker 1: of business. They will, because my my fears is just
Speaker 1: knowing Chargers history, is that they're gonna blow one of
Speaker 1: these games. I feel like this game could be one
Speaker 1: of those games because Kirk Cousins. I know he's playing
Speaker 1: behind an offensive line that's messed up, but I just
Speaker 1: I like him as a player West. You know, we've
Speaker 1: talked about how he's He's a guy that's making things happen.
Speaker 1: And they're a weird team. They're a weird team. You
Speaker 1: never know what you're gonna I think this is gonna
Speaker 1: be a game. I think this is and I think
Speaker 1: that if the Chargers can find a way in this game,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna feel a lot better about them because I do.
Speaker 1: I agree with you guys. I think they are the
Speaker 1: best team in the NFC West. But Charger is gonna
Speaker 1: charge her. That's all. That's my only concern right now.
Speaker 1: That's all. That's not the Bengals, but their records, their
Speaker 1: record in point games to side about eight points or
Speaker 1: less backs you up entirely. There's no team anywhere close
Speaker 1: to the to the heartache they felt. Never if you
Speaker 1: could find a Charger's fan Slater, I mean it's tough
Speaker 1: because they're up there at number one of the pain rankings.
Speaker 1: They got that number one pain ranking spots, and tell
Speaker 1: me if they've had a nice history faulton. We gotta
Speaker 1: get a C. Slater on the podcast to talk the
Speaker 1: charges that they make the playoffs. Let's get on the horn.
Speaker 1: I'm on top of it. I saw him the other
Speaker 1: day at raw. So what if we get what if
Speaker 1: we get Matt money Smith instead? You you would take
Speaker 1: money over Slater in any walk of life. All right,
Speaker 1: Moving on, Big game, big big, big, big game. Inter
Speaker 1: conference in inter non conference, non conference, non intro would
Speaker 1: be inside the conference in turn would be I think
Speaker 1: inter would be inside, the con intro is outside in
Speaker 1: We've got to get the inter intro. Well, if you
Speaker 1: don't know that which is which, then I think that's well,
Speaker 1: that's why I'm asking you that. Some people are like, oh,
Speaker 1: I'm too smart to ask, But if I know, I'll
Speaker 1: just guess or not saying intra means inside with intra
Speaker 1: conference within the clearly even we don't. Okay, so I
Speaker 1: was wrong, No enter because it's like when you take
Speaker 1: the interstate that will go through different states. Anything that, yes,
Speaker 1: I would say interconference, interconference matchup, non conferences, feels safe,
Speaker 1: overly safe. That's all I'm saying about that. A f
Speaker 1: C NFC matchup, an interconference matchup between the eight and
Speaker 1: four Seattle Seahawks, who are have one two straight uh,
Speaker 1: including that huge one on Sunday night Sunday Night against
Speaker 1: the Eagles against the eight, and for Jacksonville Jaguars, who
Speaker 1: beat up on a bad Cults team last week. Oh
Speaker 1: my goodness, what a game. Greg. Do you think the
Speaker 1: Seattle defense, By the way, where are you at on
Speaker 1: the Seattle defense missing most of the legion of boom?
Speaker 1: Do do we still believe they can get big stops
Speaker 1: in a big spot? I do. We saw it last week.
Speaker 1: Frank Frank Clark dominated that game and has played great
Speaker 1: over the last month. Michael Bennett is still there. Bobby
Speaker 1: Wagner is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Earl
Speaker 1: Thomas is one of the best safeties in football. kJ
Speaker 1: writes very good. So, okay, you're missing some guys. How
Speaker 1: many teams have a top six players that good? I
Speaker 1: mean it's still a very good defense. I like the
Speaker 1: matchup better, and I like that their offensive line quietly
Speaker 1: has played fairly well. I would say over the last
Speaker 1: three or four weeks. I was talking in this in
Speaker 1: this studio. No, I'm not like I'm talking to this
Speaker 1: studio that the their offensive line versus the Eagle's biggest
Speaker 1: mass mismatch possible in football, and they played pretty well
Speaker 1: against Philly. I thought you were heading there because the
Speaker 1: tony of your voice. I was just getting excited question
Speaker 1: for me. I mean, you have to do, if you're Jacksonville,
Speaker 1: what no one's been able to do. And you got
Speaker 1: to remove Russell Wilson, a guy that leads the league
Speaker 1: with eighty two point two percentage of your team's yardage,
Speaker 1: and you keep waiting for it to happen. And I
Speaker 1: thought would happen against the Eagles to some extent, and
Speaker 1: it does not. Jacksonville has been fascinating to watch week
Speaker 1: to week. They are a racing quarterbacks entirely in terms
Speaker 1: of big plays downfield. What will happen against Seattle's offense,
Speaker 1: will they be able to pull it off? Is Mike
Speaker 1: Davis legit? Because that was the best look, that was
Speaker 1: the best running back performing. It's kind of like, is
Speaker 1: Mike Davis legit? Is the Seahawks team legit? Because that
Speaker 1: game last week to me was about as meaningful result
Speaker 1: that we've seen all season. But it maybe doesn't. It
Speaker 1: doesn't mean that much if they don't win this game,
Speaker 1: Like if they go into Jacksonville, it's like I'm in
Speaker 1: on them as as one of the real contenders. Well, yeah,
Speaker 1: I think this game is big for for taking a
Speaker 1: lot of things seriously. Russell Wilson's offense is fifteenth and
Speaker 1: drive success rate. If I'm gonna take him seriously as
Speaker 1: an MVP candidate, He's gonna go into Jacksonville and put
Speaker 1: it on a historically great past defense. I want to
Speaker 1: see the Seahawks be more consistent on offense if I'm
Speaker 1: gonna if I'm gonna believe that Russell Wilson is in
Speaker 1: Tom Brady's category. One thing I thought watching the Jaguars
Speaker 1: that again they're going to find a quarterback in this offseason,
Speaker 1: someone that they can trust more than Blake Portals. And
Speaker 1: Marquis Lee had a really good game last week. Deeed
Speaker 1: Westbrook looks good. You've got weapons here, and they're not
Speaker 1: far away from having an offense that can do just
Speaker 1: what the defense can do. And then they're an issue
Speaker 1: in the NFC for ten years to come. It's probably
Speaker 1: the coaching, but it is worth noting Bortles has been
Speaker 1: significantly better than last year ago. And that's mechanics. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and and and I think he's probably been better over
Speaker 1: the last month than he has in the first two months.
Speaker 1: I mean, he had that melted, he had that meltdown.
Speaker 1: But right, but even that game, that's a good example.
Speaker 1: Like even that game he played such a great first
Speaker 1: fifty fifty two minutes or something. To the Arizona game, No,
Speaker 1: I think you're talking about the Jacksonville. There's the Chargers game.
Speaker 1: You're right, there's a lot of different meltown. If you
Speaker 1: get what he did age in Indianapolis, you can beat teams.
Speaker 1: I'm just saying they're not going to play the Cults.
Speaker 1: I'm saying he's like the twenty three best quarterback in
Speaker 1: the league, which is seven spot, you know, seven or
Speaker 1: eight jobs also a lot easier than some of those
Speaker 1: quarterbacks you would rank behind him. Doesn't it feel like, though,
Speaker 1: if he's the best quarterback, that maybe he's like hitting
Speaker 1: a ceiling there, that there is a floor where he's
Speaker 1: gonna have to play like the worst quarterback in the
Speaker 1: league for the rest of the yeas they have to replace.
Speaker 1: He's not even Rex Grossman, who was hitting big plays
Speaker 1: down the field that year that the Bears defense and
Speaker 1: special teams were so good. Bortles doesn't hit big plays
Speaker 1: down the field with any kind of I love this game.
Speaker 1: If your quarterbacks ceiling is top twenty five, don't find
Speaker 1: another quarterback. Yeah, no, you're right there. There's no arguing
Speaker 1: that my quarterbacks easily top thirty guys. Alright, moving on,
Speaker 1: it is feeling that Josh McCown love Josh McCown is, like,
Speaker 1: what is he the eleventh best quarterback this year in
Speaker 1: the league. I thought he was the one guy on
Speaker 1: Greg's list I would have considerably hot think I had
Speaker 1: him seventeen. He's had a better year than Derek Carr
Speaker 1: there close, Damn brol Let's go put it, man, he's
Speaker 1: having a really nice season. You gotta re sign him, right, Uh,
Speaker 1: as long as it doesn't turn into a fits negotiation.
Speaker 1: Hopefully they learned from that Mistake's got to be mccount
Speaker 1: in a rookie, I think you would think makes sense. Yeah, wait,
Speaker 1: you're not giving Kristin Hackenburger chains, you know. I think
Speaker 1: I think they're you saying, Kristin Hackenburgh, whatever his name is,
Speaker 1: You're gonna be on Chris Law's list. I want to
Speaker 1: be there. Yeah, Chris Laws bit has kind of faded
Speaker 1: off the earth a little. You don't see it too
Speaker 1: much anymore. No, not really too much moving on. Here
Speaker 1: we go. It is the fox Um Game of the week,
Speaker 1: probably just a guess guessing. It is the Philadelphia Eagles,
Speaker 1: ten and two leaders in the NFC East. They got
Speaker 1: humbled a little bit by the Seahawks last Sunday, but
Speaker 1: still in very good position for the number one seed
Speaker 1: if they take care of business. But now here come
Speaker 1: the Los Angeles Rams. Oh what a game. You got
Speaker 1: all of it? Mark Carson Wentz first, Jared Goff And
Speaker 1: if the Rams don't win this, they are out of
Speaker 1: the conversation for getting a bye most likely. And all
Speaker 1: of a sudden things get a little tricky for them
Speaker 1: because there's so much heat Man. Last week against the
Speaker 1: Cardinals was another example. They suddenly were up sixteen to nothing,
Speaker 1: and you don't even know how it happened. It just
Speaker 1: happened so quickly. Is their defense, their offense special teams
Speaker 1: played a big role in that game down the stretch.
Speaker 1: I love these two teams, and I love this NFC.
Speaker 1: And everyone always kills on the schedulemakers early and they
Speaker 1: deserve it early with some weird stuff. But this great
Speaker 1: loaded NDFCY is giving us one or two of these
Speaker 1: matchups every week now. And these are two teams that
Speaker 1: we dumped on for a long time for a variety
Speaker 1: of reasons. They are the two teams in the league
Speaker 1: that aggressively traded up to get their quarterbacks. It's worked out.
Speaker 1: They both hired offensive minded coaches and paired them with
Speaker 1: very experienced defensive coaches. They've got stars on both sides
Speaker 1: of the ball. And it made me think watching Sean
Speaker 1: McVeigh and what he's done with the Rams, how many
Speaker 1: careers are altered and saved and revived by what's happened
Speaker 1: that a guy like Jared Goff, who we couldn't we
Speaker 1: had no continent. We could not have been more concerned
Speaker 1: about a year ago has completely rounded into shape as
Speaker 1: a franchise quarterback. Todd Gurley, a guy that a year
Speaker 1: ago was franchise poison and someone that couldn't get anything going.
Speaker 1: He is unbelievable. I love the way he runs, but
Speaker 1: you throw well he was last year. Throw the ball
Speaker 1: to him and his screen game and what he's doing
Speaker 1: in the passing game. It is tough to imagine how
Speaker 1: the Rams get stopped unless they run into some sort
Speaker 1: of defensive game plan that finds a way to shut
Speaker 1: everyone down. There's too many weapons here. That was one
Speaker 1: of the best lead ins we've had all year to
Speaker 1: I matchup. Well done, Mark, thank you, thank you, Dan,
Speaker 1: you're Gurley. You mentioned in the in the passing game
Speaker 1: I forgot about. Those are the lesser sides where he
Speaker 1: compliments Mark, I really have really missed those. Alright, go ahead,
Speaker 1: I I agree it was in passion and it was it.
Speaker 1: We also alright, we have We have seen them go
Speaker 1: against a really good defense a few times this year
Speaker 1: and they haven't shown up. They scored ten points against
Speaker 1: the Seahawks, they scored seven points against the Vikings. This
Speaker 1: is a really good defense they're playing on Sunday against Philadelphia.
Speaker 1: So I think you are going to have to show
Speaker 1: that that it's not just mcveigh's great coaching that the
Speaker 1: players have to win their one on one battles. Like
Speaker 1: Todd Gurley, I think it's been doing, especially to me.
Speaker 1: He's not an m VP candidate, but I did a
Speaker 1: top five this week and he was the best guy
Speaker 1: I could come up with for number five. He is
Speaker 1: averaging more yards per reception than Dez Bryant, than Damarrius Thomas,
Speaker 1: then Michael Thomas. That a lot of great wide like that,
Speaker 1: a lot of good wide receivers in the league. And
Speaker 1: he's a very steady, very good running breaking tackles. Yeah,
Speaker 1: you're talking about one on one matchups, and we complained
Speaker 1: last year that he doesn't make anyone miss. He's been
Speaker 1: the exact opposite yes year, and then he should be
Speaker 1: right now. To me, he is a clear lead as
Speaker 1: the first team All Pro running back. I agree. I
Speaker 1: mean Bell, Bell has played, we'll get to him tomorrow,
Speaker 1: would be in the mix. Yeah, but but I agree,
Speaker 1: I would go with him. And but this is a
Speaker 1: tough matchup and you kind of expect Philadelphia to be
Speaker 1: able to run the ball better than you do. The
Speaker 1: Rams le Garrett Blunt and Clement and that team who
Speaker 1: really didn't get the running game going last week. You
Speaker 1: kind of look at, for instance, Kurwin Williams running all
Speaker 1: over the Rams and you think, okay, what what is
Speaker 1: what is blunt in this Eagles team because it's ultimately
Speaker 1: kind of a run first team despite Carson Wentz, I
Speaker 1: think they kind of go off the running. I kind
Speaker 1: of love the Eagles in this game. I know they're
Speaker 1: on the road, and I respect the Rams, but I
Speaker 1: thought that that was you know they you heard that
Speaker 1: floating around like the very half hearted how damn yeah,
Speaker 1: because the big I'm a little annoying people float things
Speaker 1: like hey, this is kind of a good loss for
Speaker 1: the Eagles because you know, humblesome a little bit like,
Speaker 1: I don't never like some sort of some sort of man,
Speaker 1: some surfer character just rolled off the Pacific Ocean to
Speaker 1: take a shot at the Eagles. But really good teams,
Speaker 1: really good teams, and almost every team loses every once
Speaker 1: in a while unless you're the Patriots now, but like
Speaker 1: you bounce back and you deliver a performance in Carson Wentz,
Speaker 1: who wasn't horrible against the Seahawks, But wasn't Carson Wentz
Speaker 1: that we've seen. I expect him to have a big game.
Speaker 1: I think the Eagle are a better team than the Rams,
Speaker 1: and I think they're gonna show it in this game.
Speaker 1: I really did consider locking it up, but I had
Speaker 1: to give I had to show my boys Gang Green
Speaker 1: some love, the only Gang Green in town. Uh So,
Speaker 1: But I feel very strongly about the Eagles. What do
Speaker 1: you guys think, Let's pick this game. Well, I I
Speaker 1: agree with you that it's a good it's a good pick.
Speaker 1: I think Sean McVeigh is the wild card. I just
Speaker 1: think the world of him as a coach. But I
Speaker 1: agree that Eagles are the better team and I think
Speaker 1: it's a good spot for them coming back from last week.
Speaker 1: So I'm on Dan's side here. I'm gonna take the
Speaker 1: Rams because that's what I want to see happen. And
Speaker 1: I have no clue what is going to happen in
Speaker 1: Sammy Watkins. It's been great to see him playing better
Speaker 1: the last few weeks. Robert Quinn has been playing better.
Speaker 1: So some of their stars are playing better. Maybe they
Speaker 1: come through. I would I'm gonna go Eagles, even in
Speaker 1: that game that we're Winston. You know that was not
Speaker 1: a Carson wins Tipple game. Take me two of the
Speaker 1: greatest players we've seen all year, and I think they're
Speaker 1: gonna win in a close one that you know, the
Speaker 1: Rams will get a lot of respect even in this
Speaker 1: room football outsiders, for instance, number one team in the NFL,
Speaker 1: Eagles are number two. This is like the best matchup
Speaker 1: you can possible. I would rather deal with football insiders.
Speaker 1: Thank you. That's by the way, you admitted that you
Speaker 1: have no idea what's gonna happen. Of course, George, here,
Speaker 1: we all know what's gonna happen at all times. I
Speaker 1: don't understand. All right, boys, Let's move to Sunday night football.
Speaker 1: The Baltimore Ravens seven and five, writing a three game
Speaker 1: winning streak, now travel to Pittsburgh Hindesfield to face the Steelers,
Speaker 1: who have that humongous matchup looming against the Patriots. But
Speaker 1: first they got to deal with another rival in the Ravens.
Speaker 1: Last Monday night, that incredibly violent and physical affair with
Speaker 1: the Cincinnati Bengals at the Steelers one in the final seconds.
Speaker 1: The big story out of that game, of course, was
Speaker 1: the injury suffered by linebacker Ryan Shazier, who suffered a
Speaker 1: spinal injury. We hadn't been getting a lot of information
Speaker 1: in the last few days, and we did get an
Speaker 1: update before we came upstairs today that Chaser underwent spinal
Speaker 1: stabilization surgery Wednesday night to address the spinal injury suffered
Speaker 1: on Monday a um The surgery took place um at
Speaker 1: the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and um Ian rappaport
Speaker 1: Are NFL Network Insider reported Thursday that the surgery will
Speaker 1: necessitate months of recovery, according to sources, before he even
Speaker 1: considers a return to football. His season is over and
Speaker 1: in terms of a long term uh look for shas here,
Speaker 1: it's still unclear. Yeah. I think his defensive coordinator put
Speaker 1: it well Thursday that he's just worried about Ryan as
Speaker 1: a person and his future and the quality of life.
Speaker 1: And I think it's that sort of stage that we're
Speaker 1: in now. We really don't know what it's going to
Speaker 1: mean football wise, but it's kind of hanging It's one
Speaker 1: of the bigger stories of this season. It's kind of
Speaker 1: hanging over the Steelers organization. You know, in particular, I
Speaker 1: would imagine going into this game. Yeah, there hasn't been
Speaker 1: a game all year that I can look back on
Speaker 1: outside of that Bengals Steelers game that left more of
Speaker 1: a shadow where there's so much that came out of that.
Speaker 1: You've got the Juju Smith Schuster suspension for this Ravens game,
Speaker 1: and you've lost Jazer, who that Pittsburgh defense has been
Speaker 1: for me. That's as much as the offense gives you
Speaker 1: a lot of hope, the defense is the reason I
Speaker 1: think they can potentially knock out the Patriots if they
Speaker 1: get there in the playoffs. And and credit. That's different
Speaker 1: than you say on text, by the way, that's a
Speaker 1: different message that you send to us every game. Every
Speaker 1: time we watch a steel I think is over. I
Speaker 1: think this, I think though, but I've rethought the Steelers
Speaker 1: a little bit. I really think that this this whole
Speaker 1: thing that's happened to them. Sometimes something happens to a
Speaker 1: team and it really it kind of regalvanizes you and
Speaker 1: changes you. I think the Steelers are different. That's interesting
Speaker 1: because she is so important west to that Steelers defense
Speaker 1: and to their credit. After the shock of that situation,
Speaker 1: they shut down Cincinnati without Jazer in the second half,
Speaker 1: and they're gonna have another opportunity to to shut down
Speaker 1: an offense because Baltimore struggles. Uh, typically, but they came
Speaker 1: to life last week. Uh do you do you like
Speaker 1: the Ravens to score some more points this week? Every year,
Speaker 1: it seems like there's a team that we judge the
Speaker 1: first three months of the season who they are, and
Speaker 1: we expected to stay static, but then they take it
Speaker 1: up a notch on one side of the ball or
Speaker 1: the other, and what who they are in December and
Speaker 1: January is totally different. And maybe the Ravens are they
Speaker 1: have some materials to work with on offense. Would you
Speaker 1: guys believe that these two teams average the same number
Speaker 1: of points per game? Yeah, Baltimore's had thirty points plus
Speaker 1: a game for the last five weeks. The Ravens score
Speaker 1: more points per game than the Falcons and Chargers. That's
Speaker 1: largely because of their defense and because of their special
Speaker 1: teams setting them up. But that doesn't it doesn't matter
Speaker 1: on the scoreboard. It's all that matters much games and
Speaker 1: two low twenty point games, so a little bit misleading,
Speaker 1: but still it is misleading. And they when you watch
Speaker 1: the film, they are not an impressive offense, but I
Speaker 1: think they do have the materials to be one if
Speaker 1: Flacco ups his game, and last week was his best
Speaker 1: game of the year. Receiver has even dropped three or
Speaker 1: four passes when he was on the money. That's an
Speaker 1: encouraging on Now can they do it multiple weeks in
Speaker 1: a row, now that they're getting really healthy on offense,
Speaker 1: that's the question. I'll go a step further. That was
Speaker 1: one of the best games any quarterbacks played all season.
Speaker 1: I was kind of stunned when I went back and
Speaker 1: watched that he more or less pitched the perfect game.
Speaker 1: There are almost no throws that you would take back
Speaker 1: from him, and he had about twelve thirteen really difficult
Speaker 1: wins into tight windows or down the field. And I
Speaker 1: was thinking, like, is this vietnamal? Like does this make
Speaker 1: do I just not trust this after what I saw
Speaker 1: for eleven weeks? Or does it just make them embarrassed
Speaker 1: about what happened for eleven weeks? Because actually that Joe
Speaker 1: Flacco can be pretty good. I don't know it's a
Speaker 1: good idea, because are you saying again that you don't
Speaker 1: know something? I'm saying, like, how does the he had
Speaker 1: the worst numbers in the entire league, and he played awesome.
Speaker 1: He looked if you put that game in the middle
Speaker 1: of the two thousand twelve playoffs, it would have fit right. Well,
Speaker 1: what if you flipped it. Let's say a quarterback played
Speaker 1: twelve pristine games then had an absolute nightmare? Would you what?
Speaker 1: What would you tend to believe? I wouldn't trust it,
Speaker 1: And uh, that's why I am but a lot. Can
Speaker 1: this one up for the old Steelers that was underwelling.
Speaker 1: You're confident shot confidence seems to be shaken at the
Speaker 1: at the least. Oh, of course we're sick. I am
Speaker 1: six and seven. Literally it is. You would have locked.
Speaker 1: You would have had more locks. If you went the
Speaker 1: exact opposite it exactly what I did. Could not be worse.
Speaker 1: I don't think this Steeler Steelers defense is what it
Speaker 1: was a month ago. And it's not just easier. Their
Speaker 1: edge rushers are a lot more inconsistent. T J. Watton,
Speaker 1: Bud dupri and their cornerbacks have been problems since Joe
Speaker 1: Haydn's injury. I don't think that they're a shutdown unit.
Speaker 1: And how how important has SHASR Beer been in terms
Speaker 1: of being the center of that defense. According to our
Speaker 1: Next Gens stats entering week thirteen, Shasier was on the
Speaker 1: field for six D forty six forty seven total snaps.
Speaker 1: That's nine point nine percent of playing time. He is
Speaker 1: the heartbeat of that defense. So they need some of
Speaker 1: these guys that have went quiet to step up to
Speaker 1: fill the void. They did a really nice job against Cincinnati,
Speaker 1: but the Bagals have their demons, so you don't know
Speaker 1: how much was the Steelers and how it was Cincinnati gagging.
Speaker 1: They're gonna be tested again down the stretch. The more
Speaker 1: fascinating matchup for me is when the Steelers are on
Speaker 1: the field. Uh. That offense has been getting better rhythm lately.
Speaker 1: The Ravens are without Jimmy Smith, Marlon Humphrey, their rookie
Speaker 1: got picked on a week ago, and Ben's had his
Speaker 1: timing with Martavis Bryant. I know you don't have Juju
Speaker 1: Smith Schuster this week, but you still have to deal
Speaker 1: with those two receivers on the outside. And I'm not
Speaker 1: sure this Ravens defense is as historical and great. I'm
Speaker 1: not sure they're gonna be able to shut down Pitt.
Speaker 1: You know Brian's back. We talked had several plays, including
Speaker 1: the kickoff return where he looks absolutely explosive. He's getting
Speaker 1: to the edge and running by people. And I think
Speaker 1: the Steeler's offense can make up for what they're missing
Speaker 1: on defense. And finally, Monday Night Football, the New England
Speaker 1: Patriots uh tennant to writing a nine game winning Street,
Speaker 1: eight game winning Streek. Good job, guys, traveled now to
Speaker 1: Miami to face the Dolphins. Dolphins whipped up on the
Speaker 1: Broncos last week, but everybody does that now. Before that,
Speaker 1: they had lost five in a row, and Greg, before
Speaker 1: we completely checked this one in the box for the
Speaker 1: Throne of ease, it should be noted that Tom Brady
Speaker 1: has lost eight games in Miami in his career, seven
Speaker 1: and eight. That's the only place other than Denver where
Speaker 1: he is a losing record. Um I wrote about that
Speaker 1: a little bit yesterday and some Patriots guy came at
Speaker 1: me and said, it happen all happens in the early season.
Speaker 1: I don't know if that's true or right, and you
Speaker 1: can throw the humidity angle at it, but it's worth
Speaker 1: noting that Brady and the Pets have not thrived in Miami.
Speaker 1: That's also this guy on Twitter is wrong a lot
Speaker 1: of them, but they lost in December, I believe on
Speaker 1: the way to winning a Super Bowl a few years back,
Speaker 1: so it happens. I think this is a different uh
Speaker 1: Dolphins team though, I mean I don't think this is.
Speaker 1: There's no Ronnie Brown Wildchac. It's not a competitive Dolphins team.
Speaker 1: You know. The one thing I think you can I'm
Speaker 1: concerned about as a Patriots fans, Brady has taken a
Speaker 1: lot of hits the last month, so he did like
Speaker 1: the first month of the season kind went away and
Speaker 1: he has really taken a beating week after week the
Speaker 1: last month, playing great through it. But when they talk
Speaker 1: about him dealing with an achilles injury, which does not
Speaker 1: appear on the field from what I can see, but
Speaker 1: they don't have Rob Gronkowski. I think in another if
Speaker 1: that happened a week later against Pittsburgh, that would be
Speaker 1: a massive loss. They will get Chris Hogan back, which
Speaker 1: that helps hit their twelve and oh without Gronk. And
Speaker 1: by the way, if you look at their points per
Speaker 1: game and their yardage in the twelve games since sixteens,
Speaker 1: with that they did not have Gronk, they would lead
Speaker 1: the NFL in both categories so I do think it's Brady's.
Speaker 1: Brady's production is so different without Gronk, his his his
Speaker 1: numbers go down, but it doesn't seem to sink the team.
Speaker 1: Is that the way it did in years previous when
Speaker 1: he got hurt? Great stats, Mark, I have one that's
Speaker 1: even more disgusting, The filthiest stat of Week fourteen. You
Speaker 1: ready for it? From this comes from Rich free Bar
Speaker 1: of Rhoda World. I hope I got his last. Does
Speaker 1: a good job on he does a weekly uh cheat sheet.
Speaker 1: I think he does the worksheet it's called and he
Speaker 1: doesn great job at Lord reeves on Twitter and nice
Speaker 1: little pop there for a friend, Rich. Anyway, here comes
Speaker 1: The last time the Patriots ran a play while trailing
Speaker 1: in a game was the first quarter of Week eight.
Speaker 1: Hashtag say football, hashtag canceled the Patriots A probably canceled
Speaker 1: all the rotten teams like the Dolphins, and you want
Speaker 1: some throne of these you know commentary here. I kind
Speaker 1: of feel the Patriots need some more tests in their
Speaker 1: schedule right now. They've come after the by and it's
Speaker 1: been cupcake city even before the bye. The Broncos and
Speaker 1: the you know, the Raiders are weren't the teams that
Speaker 1: they expected. Yes, they get the Steelers next week, and
Speaker 1: that's good, but I don't like that they've played basically
Speaker 1: the dregs of the league. The Jets are gonna be
Speaker 1: the second toughest game they have in the second half
Speaker 1: of the schedule. Week seventeen. We've we've heard all about
Speaker 1: the defensive turnaround, but when you look at this team
Speaker 1: who they faced, all the good offenses that they've beaten,
Speaker 1: The Saints, the Falcons, the Chargers, they played those teams
Speaker 1: before the offenses started humming. They've time, they've timed the sketch.
Speaker 1: Sometimes it's when you play a team. And I think
Speaker 1: the Patriots have been fortunate. The football gods have. And
Speaker 1: the football gods hate the fan bases of many other teams,
Speaker 1: many many other but not yours, Greg, definitely yours. They
Speaker 1: smile down upon week after week, you know, and you
Speaker 1: sit in your little comfortable chair and angels feed you
Speaker 1: grapes and half clothed humans poor sort of, you know,
Speaker 1: liquid and drinks have wine down your throat, as they
Speaker 1: call it. I mean the football gods wearing a headset
Speaker 1: on the sidelines and taking snaps behind center. Those are
Speaker 1: your football gods right? Save it for the religion podcast,
Speaker 1: the theology podcast, guys. Um, that is it for the
Speaker 1: week fourteen preview. Um. The next time you hear from us,
Speaker 1: it will be Sunday night when we recap all the games.
Speaker 1: NFL Pick Them, by the way, is the television show
Speaker 1: on NFL network that they put us on for a
Speaker 1: few It's every week and you could check that out
Speaker 1: a little different schedule this week, guys, Saturday at eight
Speaker 1: am Eastern and then Sunday at six am Eastern. Does
Speaker 1: that mean we lost? We've lost two, alright, so we're
Speaker 1: being phased out of the NFL network. We were good
Speaker 1: to know. That's fine. We were on up to the minute.
Speaker 1: Thursday will be too late for people that listen to us.
Speaker 1: But you know, well, yeah, we're scheduled on up to
Speaker 1: the minute on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We get bumped there
Speaker 1: once or twice a week two, so you try to
Speaker 1: catch it. Don't go out of your way though, Don't
Speaker 1: get me. Don't feel like you have to go out
Speaker 1: here where I want to call shooting stars on the
Speaker 1: network side, I would call us, you know, meek constellations.
Speaker 1: We're utility players. As you know, your third baseman gets
Speaker 1: a spring and ankle. You need someone to fill in
Speaker 1: for a couple of games. We're there. No, you need
Speaker 1: like an Andy Stankowitz type. You need a game kapler
Speaker 1: and give me a red utility guy. Chico real Easy
Speaker 1: is the greatest quote in baseball history. He was a
Speaker 1: utility guy and he had to play every day for
Speaker 1: a couple of months, and he said, bench me or
Speaker 1: trade me. All right, there you go, let's get out
Speaker 1: of here. It's Dan Hanson signing off for Quiet Storm.
Speaker 1: The Mailman, the old Boss, Lindsay Fulton behind the glass
Speaker 1: until Sunday,