Speaker 1: The Around the NFL podcast, a room full of top
Speaker 1: ten football insiders. I mean, if the voice of God
Speaker 1: says it, then it must be true. From the Chris
Speaker 1: Westling podcast studio, It's Around the NFL. I'm Dan hands this.
Speaker 1: I got heroes, Greg Rosenthal, Mark Sessler. But that's not all.
Speaker 1: Let's take down this music and let's bring up this
Speaker 1: man's theme. Whoa, it's got its own theme about that?
Speaker 1: Who made this is my name? He is a former
Speaker 1: NFL player. He is the co founder and president of
Speaker 1: Status Pro. He has a Columbia alum. Are you kidding me?
Speaker 1: He is Andrew Hawkins. Welcome back to Around the NFL.
Speaker 1: I'm happy to be here. What do you think of
Speaker 1: your theme? I don't like it. I'll be honest with you.
Speaker 1: Out the gate, why not? It's dry? It gave me
Speaker 1: like Phil Collins vibes. There you go. That's that's the
Speaker 1: song is called Sausage Fingers, and I like to use
Speaker 1: it as a test. Every guest that gets it has
Speaker 1: a different, usually visceral reaction to it. So like it,
Speaker 1: some hate it, You dislike it. I didn't dislike it.
Speaker 1: Listen that whaling though they're going, that's emotion. I can't.
Speaker 1: I can't argue that that's a They're going to town.
Speaker 1: It's just not what I would have chosen to be
Speaker 1: my theme. But um well, something to work on for
Speaker 1: the next show. Constructive criticism, good man? What is going on?
Speaker 1: You know? Life football? Um, my company Status Pro that
Speaker 1: you mentioned, Yeah, let's talk about that, by the way,
Speaker 1: because I was like, oh, you're doing like a virtual
Speaker 1: reality thing. There's a commercial out there where a guy's
Speaker 1: the Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks. I like, yeah, that's my company,
Speaker 1: that's my produ Like deal with how I'm nippotent? I am?
Speaker 1: But the NFL Pro Era product? What is what's the
Speaker 1: background on that? Yeah? So it's it's the first ever
Speaker 1: NFL virtual reality football game. Um, and you get to
Speaker 1: play as the quarterback of an NFL team, right like
Speaker 1: you get to play games play a full season favorite team.
Speaker 1: You're the quarterback, you have to make the throws, make
Speaker 1: the decisions, and it feels like you're on the field
Speaker 1: as an NFL player, right that Wilson Zach Wilson could play.
Speaker 1: He could he I don't know how good he would be,
Speaker 1: but he wouldn't play as that is there like a
Speaker 1: Zach Willson Zach Wilson mode, or you're saying like, is
Speaker 1: therea where everybody blooes Youland doesn't like you? No, anybody
Speaker 1: could play, Uh, that is the point. But also, so
Speaker 1: you could be the quarterback of the Jets, You're You're
Speaker 1: not technically Zach Wilson, you are Greg Rosenthal as the
Speaker 1: quarterback of the New York Jets. So hopefully i'd have
Speaker 1: more accuracy and yeah, the fans, well that would like
Speaker 1: I could think of other traits you might need more
Speaker 1: of the Jets. I worked with Hawk for years on
Speaker 1: Game Debut. Was really fun doing that show for years.
Speaker 1: But all along, like three or four years ago, he
Speaker 1: would remind me like, well, I have this like my
Speaker 1: real job as this company I'm building. I was like, oh, yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: that's cool. He's like, I'm doing all this other stuff. Cute,
Speaker 1: but just I didn't understand that I'm building this other
Speaker 1: company and it's kind of like make a game, and
Speaker 1: like you've been doing that for how long? You started
Speaker 1: ten years ago or something, and this commercial coming out
Speaker 1: and I'm seeing it. Lamar Jackson is one of the
Speaker 1: indorsers too. I'm like, damn, he really did it. He
Speaker 1: wasn't joking about that. That really was his real job
Speaker 1: all this time. He wasn't being asking you the whole time,
Speaker 1: but not full of it. No, it was it's been
Speaker 1: a long time coming. Me and my co founder Troy
Speaker 1: Jones shout out the status pro t J. We've been
Speaker 1: together doing this version of the company. We started uh
Speaker 1: connected um to kind of do this iteration originally connected
Speaker 1: way back when in the whole idea it was our
Speaker 1: experiences as football players. He also played Division one quarterback,
Speaker 1: and We're like, well, how do you give that to
Speaker 1: someone else? Everyone always asked like, what is it like
Speaker 1: to play in the NFL? And I'm like, it's as
Speaker 1: cool as it looks. I was a fan first. I
Speaker 1: was a walk on college football player. You know, my
Speaker 1: brother played in the NFL. But my whole life has
Speaker 1: been revolved around wanting to be on that side of it.
Speaker 1: And you know, for me, it was like, well, how
Speaker 1: do I create something where the value is my own experience.
Speaker 1: I can tell you what it feels like to play
Speaker 1: in Cleveland and you know Miami. I can tell you,
Speaker 1: for example, when you play in the Steelers in our
Speaker 1: game in the third or fourth corner Retigade plays right,
Speaker 1: like late in the game when it's a closed game,
Speaker 1: they play Renegade and then the Steelers fans go nuts
Speaker 1: because that was like the coolest thing that someone from
Speaker 1: western Pennsylvania. When I played there, I would get chills
Speaker 1: when that would happen. So I put that in the game, right,
Speaker 1: and so that's how we thought about it. It's just
Speaker 1: the first iteration of it. It's been successful so far,
Speaker 1: but there's so many things were playing to add and
Speaker 1: that's what's exciting. I'm like wicked old, and so like
Speaker 1: the first football game that I played on like Atari
Speaker 1: a million years ago, Like I here's the thing that's
Speaker 1: like you would dream about this kind of thing as
Speaker 1: a kid, and like, yeah, tech Mobile kind of got
Speaker 1: you there a little bit more from an arcade game experience,
Speaker 1: but like this kind of stuff because way back when,
Speaker 1: like the first iteration, like Mike Tyson's punch out in
Speaker 1: Arcade Houses was like a much bigger deal than like
Speaker 1: the Nintendo version. You kind of felt like we were
Speaker 1: in the ring. And so when I watched this, it's
Speaker 1: like it's the twelve year old me would have fainted
Speaker 1: and melted and thought he was incredible and like I
Speaker 1: sent it to my kids, I felt the same way.
Speaker 1: But I would ask you this because, like I think
Speaker 1: one thing about being a quarterback, like maybe this is
Speaker 1: for a late later version, like you join a new
Speaker 1: team and if you don't have the thing on the wristband,
Speaker 1: or even if you do, it's like you're in a
Speaker 1: huddle and you have to call a play with like
Speaker 1: seventies seven words, like is that like baked into it?
Speaker 1: Where like that part of it is maybe part of
Speaker 1: the challenge, like learning the verbie the verbiage. So it's
Speaker 1: a weird question, but it's just the question I thought
Speaker 1: about because it's like, honestly, Accord knew he's got two
Speaker 1: more long question. But that's a good woman. That is
Speaker 1: like the level that you want to take the game too. Right,
Speaker 1: so as it stands, right now, you're in the huddle,
Speaker 1: the coach gives you the play, and now we had
Speaker 1: to make a decision in this first version of it,
Speaker 1: do you pick your own play or does a coach
Speaker 1: give you and then you audible if you want to
Speaker 1: change it. And that's what it is because that's a
Speaker 1: true experience of what it's like until you earn that
Speaker 1: trust and so in our game, eventually you'll get to
Speaker 1: the point where you earn that as well as you
Speaker 1: have to get that play out in the huddle. Now
Speaker 1: technology prevents it to be completely voice activated where I
Speaker 1: have to literally read it. But that is coming, like,
Speaker 1: that is what the headsets are developing for and there's
Speaker 1: other ways to do that where we were prototyping now
Speaker 1: of you have to get to play out in the huddle,
Speaker 1: you have to communicate this to your team, and it's
Speaker 1: trying to find all those different ways of all the
Speaker 1: things that quarterbacks have to consider in the game. Eventually
Speaker 1: will add other positions, right and it's like you'll get
Speaker 1: a really clear sense, like right now when you go
Speaker 1: in there, you'll see how intense it is with the noise,
Speaker 1: with the having to okay with the receivers on this side.
Speaker 1: What was that play again where the guys are coming
Speaker 1: to hit you and it feels like they're really closing
Speaker 1: in on you. Like as much as we can convey that,
Speaker 1: we think that makes for a better experience, which is
Speaker 1: why our game is just different than probably anything you've
Speaker 1: ever played. There, you go, Mark, it's come a long
Speaker 1: way from playing pong ye wrong with the with the
Speaker 1: reference there alright, So check that out. UM, check out
Speaker 1: the NFL Pro arrow Hawks, UM product. I assume we're
Speaker 1: all going to get one on the next coming. Yeah, whatever,
Speaker 1: that's great to UM. If you missed the Monday Night
Speaker 1: football repap recap with Greg Rosenthal and the great Jordan Rodrigue, Um,
Speaker 1: the game maybe not so hot, but I'm sure the
Speaker 1: analysis was. Did you touch on Joe Buck's singing? By
Speaker 1: the way, No, we didn't get that. That was a
Speaker 1: fun first quarter. Five first und full or punts, three
Speaker 1: interceptions to successful challenges, melt third down conversions, and a
Speaker 1: part through general. Yeah. Has anyone else noticed the primetime
Speaker 1: guys that I think maybe it goes along with they're
Speaker 1: becoming bigger stars, they're getting paid more now that they're
Speaker 1: a little bit more open about, like, you know, crapping
Speaker 1: on bad games, and you know, like they it's almost
Speaker 1: like they can do that because they're coming from a
Speaker 1: position where they're making millions of dollars and they're not
Speaker 1: afraid of getting a slap on the raid. Because I
Speaker 1: think there's been a heavy dose of bad games in
Speaker 1: prime time with bad teams that are stuck in prime time,
Speaker 1: like the Cults fourteen times in a row. It feels
Speaker 1: like and I think that it's a mixture of frustration,
Speaker 1: but like you can't pull on over on football fans
Speaker 1: anymore about it. You have to be real, like you
Speaker 1: have to say what everybody's thinking, because not only is
Speaker 1: it endearing to the people that are announcing it, but
Speaker 1: also the game and sself, like we know what we're watching, right,
Speaker 1: we all you feel this right? But finished the bit
Speaker 1: like I like the bit and he lost confidence with
Speaker 1: it at the end. That was the bit, Like losing
Speaker 1: the confidence is like the Showman topic with again, I
Speaker 1: mean something I would do. I'm just saying though, that
Speaker 1: was a strategic move. The no, no, you act like
Speaker 1: you're right. Anybody with me? They really here's the thing
Speaker 1: that al Michael's and Joe Buck, they really are annoyed.
Speaker 1: They really have been on worst games because the Thursday
Speaker 1: night and the Monday night schedule just hasn't worked out
Speaker 1: the way that they wanted it. Like they left that
Speaker 1: spot in Fox and you got money and the schedules better.
Speaker 1: He's not doing baseball. I'm sure that's all great, but
Speaker 1: they're not like the Sunday afternoon games. That's a better job,
Speaker 1: Like and I do. It crosses my mind when he's
Speaker 1: doing this in Troy and him are kind of complaining.
Speaker 1: I'm like, I wonder if they wish they were doing
Speaker 1: those Sunday games because Greg Olson and Kevin Burgard have
Speaker 1: much better games. And it's even more so the case
Speaker 1: for Al who was doing Sunday Night now he's doing Thursday.
Speaker 1: Perfect example, this upcoming Thursday on paper Dallas at Tennessee great,
Speaker 1: but meanwhile Tennessee does not matter what happens in that game.
Speaker 1: The Titans will either go to the playoffs as the
Speaker 1: a f C Sell champion or they won't based on
Speaker 1: the Week eighteen game. It's w U tnf off off
Speaker 1: Week seventeen. There's too many, there's too many examples of
Speaker 1: it not having meanings. I know you disagree, ring, but
Speaker 1: like that this is exactly what money. Well, but the Titans,
Speaker 1: the titles roster is not essentially not going to play,
Speaker 1: so why do we need that? What do you think?
Speaker 1: Then it's all for money? Then they're like, you know,
Speaker 1: well that is a part of that. I'm not like
Speaker 1: some child, but I'm just saying, like for the product
Speaker 1: is wanting and I don't desire to watch. Maybe you
Speaker 1: know what I can't flexle. I think we've got a
Speaker 1: good Sessler episode coming. I could tell you what I
Speaker 1: like it, you like you guys, sit on your couch
Speaker 1: and watch from start to finish every second of Titans
Speaker 1: Cowboys and tell me how it goes, and I'll I'll
Speaker 1: check in with you. So we will pre roll out
Speaker 1: of bit. We will predie you that game. We will
Speaker 1: also take kind of look at the playoff bracket kind
Speaker 1: of where things stand. Maybe we figure out what would
Speaker 1: be our ideal set up for the playoffs starting in
Speaker 1: a few weeks. But before that, Hawk again, great to
Speaker 1: have you, glad to be here. You're ready to sit in,
Speaker 1: sit in on some news. Let's do it. Let's spin
Speaker 1: through the league. It's about the relationships. It's about watching
Speaker 1: those guys out there and showing something special and making
Speaker 1: Broncos Country proud. And that's what we want to do,
Speaker 1: and that's what I'm gonna bring to the table. I
Speaker 1: want to create this environment where people want to come
Speaker 1: into this building and work and have fun doing it.
Speaker 1: But let's let's make no mistake, it's only fun when
Speaker 1: you win football games. So we gotta win and that's
Speaker 1: what we want to do now. That is Greg Roseenthal
Speaker 1: not a dunk on Nathaniel Hackett, but it is more
Speaker 1: a showing of how things changed so quickly in the NFL.
Speaker 1: That was January's introductory press conference of Nathaniel Hackett, who
Speaker 1: came to the Broncos with much fun. Uh. Fun fair
Speaker 1: fair fun, fan fair, fanfair nailed it. Um, Russell Wilson
Speaker 1: gets here. Remember the famous Hacket quote, Oh my god,
Speaker 1: Russell Wilson with everything felt so very exciting. Uh. And
Speaker 1: now he is, I believe, just the fifth coach to
Speaker 1: not last a year uh and get fired in his
Speaker 1: first year. Uh. Just a tough way uh for the
Speaker 1: Broncos to start with new ownership. But that's where it
Speaker 1: is right now. Let's get into what's going on with
Speaker 1: the Broncos, because yes, Hackett is out and you guys
Speaker 1: talked about a little bit on Monday, and they move
Speaker 1: forward now with Jerry Rossberg as the interim head coach. Uh.
Speaker 1: That feels like a tough gig. Andrew. I know you
Speaker 1: you played in the league and you've been through some
Speaker 1: tough situations with teams near the end of the season.
Speaker 1: What is Rossberg entering right now with two weeks to play.
Speaker 1: It's not that's not a situation I would I would
Speaker 1: wish on anybody to be honest. It's tough because there's
Speaker 1: so much turmoil, but it's like at every layer, which
Speaker 1: you'll find is and I don't know what the situation
Speaker 1: is in in the locker room. I know there's been
Speaker 1: like conversations, was it the coach, is it the front office?
Speaker 1: Was it Russ? Right? Everyone kind of feels like it
Speaker 1: was rust But how the players respond this week will
Speaker 1: tell you if it was Nathaniel Hackett's problem. And Greg
Speaker 1: knows this take whenever players don't like a head coach
Speaker 1: after they get fired, and then when whenever the players
Speaker 1: feel like he was the problem, they play well the
Speaker 1: next game post firebump, post fire bumps. So that'll tell
Speaker 1: us if it was truly Nathaniel Hackett in the first place.
Speaker 1: But if suddenly Russell Wilson throws for you know, fo
Speaker 1: twelve yards and four touchdowns, then that, honestly, it will
Speaker 1: tell you because that's what the Broncos had to make
Speaker 1: the decision on. Right, It's like they bought a used
Speaker 1: car and they got the used car and they were
Speaker 1: excited about it, and it's starting to look like a
Speaker 1: limon for some reason, and they hired they spent money
Speaker 1: on a driver. Nathaniel Hackett was the driver. The car
Speaker 1: is Russell Wilson, and they're like, okay, we're gonna keep
Speaker 1: the car. That means we gotta go find a mechanic
Speaker 1: and probably tell this driver we're not gonna pay him.
Speaker 1: We're gonna pay that money to somebody who can fix
Speaker 1: Russell Wilson. So if he does bounce back, it probably
Speaker 1: does tell you that that's how he felt about Nathaniel
Speaker 1: Hackett in his offense. I don't know. I mean, I
Speaker 1: don't think it's gonna go well. They're in kid the
Speaker 1: City this week, so he's bouncing back. Very clear this
Speaker 1: game he will not like they offered the job to
Speaker 1: a Gero ever O, who's the defensive coordinator who's done
Speaker 1: a nice job on balance until that Christmas game, and
Speaker 1: they said they're gonna interview ever over the head coaching
Speaker 1: job too, and that he'll be a quality candidate. I
Speaker 1: watched the press conference with ownership today, though it doesn't
Speaker 1: fill me with confidence because they're keeping the GM, but
Speaker 1: the new coach is no longer going to report to
Speaker 1: the GM, and the GM is kind of gonna help
Speaker 1: hire the coach. But when they talked about who the
Speaker 1: important people who were hiring it, they weren't really including
Speaker 1: the GM. But he's up on the dais and that
Speaker 1: just it all seems like a mess because there's you've
Speaker 1: seen it with the Jets. This happens all the time
Speaker 1: where the coach and the GM aren't aligned and the
Speaker 1: owner and like the owner the first thing the owner
Speaker 1: did and the GM was higher Hackett. Uh. The owner
Speaker 1: wasn't there when hack was hired, but the owner was
Speaker 1: there was They gave Russell Wilson all that money, and
Speaker 1: people kind of forget they didn't need to give Russell
Speaker 1: Wilson all that money. He had two years left on
Speaker 1: his contract. They could have easily just sent like said
Speaker 1: like let's uh, let's look at see what he looks like.
Speaker 1: Let's hear from George Payton, the GM who apparently will
Speaker 1: be back, and what he said about Russell Wilson, who
Speaker 1: they still feel they could salvage it. I mean they
Speaker 1: have to feel that way. You can go through the
Speaker 1: season that you do see flashes and he'll be the
Speaker 1: first one to tell you he didn't play up to
Speaker 1: his standard, didn't play up to our standard. He needs
Speaker 1: to be better. I don't think we made a coaching
Speaker 1: move based on Russ. You know. That wasn't what it's
Speaker 1: all about. That's why, that's not why we're getting a
Speaker 1: new coach to turn around Russ. It's about the entire
Speaker 1: um organization. It's about the entire football team. It's just
Speaker 1: not one player. It's not whether Russ is fixable or not.
Speaker 1: We do believe he is. We do these press conferences.
Speaker 1: I mean, you've been through it as a player, Um
Speaker 1: listening to this nonsense. Uh, We've covered these and partake
Speaker 1: the seven Takeaways from these press conferences in written form
Speaker 1: and NFL dot Com for over a decade um. There's
Speaker 1: a level of phoniness to some of them. Others come
Speaker 1: across and change your mind. This one, to me is
Speaker 1: one of the bottom five I've ever heard because you're
Speaker 1: trying to sell the I The worst thing you could
Speaker 1: have done with here is to have the starting point
Speaker 1: and say we believe Russ is fixable. Is already the
Speaker 1: most tired offseason storyline out there. There's nothing about it.
Speaker 1: If you're watching him play. That's believable. It can't be
Speaker 1: the anchor that you used to get to try to
Speaker 1: convince the next Why what are you going to sell
Speaker 1: the next coach on in this organization? And all I
Speaker 1: heard were just platitudes and utter nonsense. And you've got
Speaker 1: a major issue at quarterback, and I think the only
Speaker 1: way out of it is to find a way to
Speaker 1: go forward on the Denver Broncos without Russell Wilson's your quarterback.
Speaker 1: I know it's a financial disaster, but the idea that
Speaker 1: you're going to tell someone else they're gonna have to
Speaker 1: go sold down the river. If Russell Wilson plays this
Speaker 1: way for even three games to start next season, that's
Speaker 1: a disaster. We're going to get a good mark in
Speaker 1: this show. I mean, does anyone disagree with that? Like I,
Speaker 1: I think what you and I saw your tweet yesterday
Speaker 1: and I liked it more that that. Yes, there is
Speaker 1: this reality that probably is not realistic in how football
Speaker 1: is run, where they just say we're just gonna take
Speaker 1: a bad beat on this one. We're gonna find a
Speaker 1: way to offload Wilson, whatever it takes, will live in
Speaker 1: the darkness, and then organically start over, but I just
Speaker 1: don't know if it's if it's feasible A. But also
Speaker 1: they don't want to admit defeat at that grand level,
Speaker 1: So it makes sense to me that they will bring
Speaker 1: in a head coach that that they believe will work
Speaker 1: well with them. Maybe they'll bring back Brian Schottenheimer and
Speaker 1: try to get the band back together a little bit.
Speaker 1: But I do think for a contract that's a long
Speaker 1: term deal. It does feel like next year could be
Speaker 1: make or break for Wilson, because there's no way you'd
Speaker 1: be able to look any other way after two years
Speaker 1: of this, let alone, one has been difficult enough make
Speaker 1: or break in a sense of like where does he
Speaker 1: go from here? I think they could cut him now,
Speaker 1: I mean they could. I think that would hurt um.
Speaker 1: And there's also for Russell Wilson. If he comes again
Speaker 1: next year and he plays that same way, then I
Speaker 1: think people are already there. But you can truly stamp
Speaker 1: it being okay, this is the end of a career
Speaker 1: that was obviously as high as people talking about first
Speaker 1: ballot Hall of Famer at one point this year really
Speaker 1: heard him and next year, if that happens again, it's
Speaker 1: like okay, then now it's solidified. But from rest of
Speaker 1: the standpoint, isn't that a win? Like if he is
Speaker 1: not the same player and he was able to get
Speaker 1: this contract on the two years where he's not the
Speaker 1: version for him, Like, I don't think he would view
Speaker 1: it that way. And it's also very hard for ownership,
Speaker 1: especially new ownership, to come in and understand all these things,
Speaker 1: because you guys are exactly right when you talk about
Speaker 1: the GM head coach relationship. You let go of the
Speaker 1: head coach. Now the GM is not a part of
Speaker 1: the higher Does he feels secure if it doesn't happen again,
Speaker 1: what happens to the head coaches? We gotta get rid
Speaker 1: the GM. My players aren't there, and it's just a cycle.
Speaker 1: And for new owners this is gonna be a lot
Speaker 1: for the Broncos to navigate. So whether they cut Russ
Speaker 1: now and they live in the dark, or they do
Speaker 1: it later, that's just gonna be a part of the process.
Speaker 1: And they gotta buckle up because this is the ride
Speaker 1: that ask you this because like one of the reasons
Speaker 1: that I think hack it was dismissed before the end
Speaker 1: of the season was that even in that Rams game,
Speaker 1: But we've seen iterations of week after week where the
Speaker 1: sideline antics the in fighting. You've got defensive players jawing
Speaker 1: at offensive players and sometimes with hacking in the background,
Speaker 1: just standing there kind of like deer in headlights, not
Speaker 1: taking control like Bill Parcels would. What how are players
Speaker 1: going to view the idea of Russell Wilson reclamation project.
Speaker 1: You gotta be on tex streads going crazy with each
Speaker 1: other if you think that's the only thing you're hoisting
Speaker 1: the ship on. Do with this. Typically, when you see
Speaker 1: stuff like that is it's it's symptoms of a deeper
Speaker 1: rooted problem, right, And and some of that can stem from, hey,
Speaker 1: we don't believe in our quarterback. He's not playing well.
Speaker 1: We don't think he give us the best chance to win.
Speaker 1: But also their old line is not very good, right,
Speaker 1: and there's other things at this team that you have
Speaker 1: to fix and understand that to your point behind the curtain,
Speaker 1: you do realize that, Okay, this head coach doesn't have control,
Speaker 1: and you could have control a bunch of ways. It
Speaker 1: doesn't have to be the Parcels Belichick angle. You can
Speaker 1: get that through respect. You can get that because you
Speaker 1: have such a deep knowledge of the game and understanding
Speaker 1: of people and players and what everybody's goals and once are.
Speaker 1: But I do think that for what we're seeing, it
Speaker 1: is probably a lot deeper than what you just see
Speaker 1: in the locker room. I do think it's like a
Speaker 1: whole organizational thing at this moment that they gotta they
Speaker 1: gotta figure out, because this isn't This is quite a
Speaker 1: few quarterbacks, quite a few head coaches you've gone through,
Speaker 1: and I haven't heard people talk about even John Elway
Speaker 1: of it all. Like I'm kind of curious of like
Speaker 1: how does he escape free and and and and blame
Speaker 1: in these situations. I understand they say, oh, these are
Speaker 1: GM decisions, some like ceremonial job, and they're just kind
Speaker 1: of like letting him. He's hanging out of this, John,
Speaker 1: But yes, you were. You were on a team with
Speaker 1: Johnny Manzel, So yes, you know what it's like to
Speaker 1: have a quarterback that maybe not everyone fully believes in. Yeah,
Speaker 1: And it's it's it's how the decisions are made, right,
Speaker 1: Like I remember the year I got a call from
Speaker 1: the head coach, Hey, we're thinking about bench and Hoyer
Speaker 1: starting Johnny. We were like seven and four or seven
Speaker 1: and five or something, heading the division. I started laughing.
Speaker 1: I thought it was a joke. I thought he was
Speaker 1: calling to be funny. This is a report builder with
Speaker 1: my receiver. Let's have a good laugh and go into
Speaker 1: the week's draw. Weird bit coach, But okay, Yeah, it
Speaker 1: was like, okay, not diego I would have taken. Uh.
Speaker 1: So I laughed and it wasn't a joke. And I'm like,
Speaker 1: I think that would be a bad idea. Not because
Speaker 1: I don't like Johnny. I dont think Johnny was talented.
Speaker 1: He wasn't there yet as a player. I'm with him
Speaker 1: in the meetings. He understood what was going on in
Speaker 1: his life, and for a whole locker room, that is
Speaker 1: pushing towards the goal where we are, uh overachieving for
Speaker 1: what anybody believed. These kind of decisions will take it all.
Speaker 1: And that's essentially what happened, right. They moved on with
Speaker 1: Johnny and we didn't win a single game. And I
Speaker 1: think that might have been even Rember Brown's painful fade. Um,
Speaker 1: all right, let's let's move out of talk and other
Speaker 1: QB news. Unfortunate QB news. The Dolphins head coach Mike
Speaker 1: McDaniel announced that to a tongue of Baloa is in
Speaker 1: concussion protocol connected to Saturday's loss to the Packers to
Speaker 1: of course, through three interceptions in the last three possessions
Speaker 1: from Miami, and now he's back concussion protocol. We understood
Speaker 1: what happened earlier in this season, uh with the Cincinnati game,
Speaker 1: and he missed several weeks after that and the game
Speaker 1: before that when it appeared that he had suffered a
Speaker 1: head injury, but he played on anyway. So obviously this
Speaker 1: is an ongoing situation for to uh here Mark, and
Speaker 1: now with the Patriots up next and the Jets after
Speaker 1: that in Miami in a four game losing streak, it's
Speaker 1: all kind of oh, it's a nasty stew for Miami.
Speaker 1: We'll see where this situation goes. I mean we found
Speaker 1: this out after we reviewed the Dolphins game on our
Speaker 1: show yesterday, and I mean, for me a little bit, um.
Speaker 1: You know, there were the video evidence out there looks
Speaker 1: like it possibly or probably came on that for late
Speaker 1: first half hit that he took where his head bounced
Speaker 1: off the ground, and then he's in the second half
Speaker 1: after you know, I think what his first five passes
Speaker 1: account for like a hundred and ninety yards, and they
Speaker 1: looked like the Dolphins were used to. He was like
Speaker 1: seven for thirteen for eighty one yards with three rather
Speaker 1: miss defying interceptions. And he went through verbally case by
Speaker 1: case and explained while they happened. One thing that stuck
Speaker 1: outuously said that he thought that he maybe even just
Speaker 1: got the play wrong on the second interception, but in regardless,
Speaker 1: it's just like maybe that, certainly to me could explain
Speaker 1: while while his performance fell off a cliff, But I
Speaker 1: don't know. I guess, like you know, people can't. So
Speaker 1: there's no reason he should play again all year. I
Speaker 1: mean each individual cases. I could see that as being
Speaker 1: a strong argument that we're not going to see two
Speaker 1: again this year. And you've got Teddy Bridgewater and the
Speaker 1: Dolphins season in the course of a Fortnite went from
Speaker 1: um problematic too highly problematic. Yeah, it's sad they haven't
Speaker 1: confirmed that he had a concussion, so we'll find out
Speaker 1: that Simpton put him in he had symptoms and news
Speaker 1: in the protocol. I think it was underplayed back when
Speaker 1: he had that injury. When he had the concussion earlier
Speaker 1: in the season, that got so much attention that he
Speaker 1: he spoke publicly that like people and his family were
Speaker 1: talking about, like should you continue playing football? That's sort
Speaker 1: of like just went through and he was back on
Speaker 1: the field and playing great again, and that wasn't like
Speaker 1: a big story. But at the time I was thinking like,
Speaker 1: oh wow, that's that's interesting that he was open about
Speaker 1: that publicly, that he was already thinking about should you
Speaker 1: continue playing football? And then now this comes it's worrisome. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I mean anytime obviously I've gone through concussions. And the
Speaker 1: thing about football players that you know, to in the
Speaker 1: context of the story you just told, the family watches
Speaker 1: and they're they're more like worried than the actual player, right,
Speaker 1: because you are taught to be a warrior. That is
Speaker 1: what football is. It's it's it's a you know, hard
Speaker 1: hitting game. And we all understand how this works. And
Speaker 1: to your point about multiple concussions in a season, I
Speaker 1: had a season where I had multiple concussions and I
Speaker 1: would end up going on the I r UM and
Speaker 1: that time allowed me to to to really heal. But
Speaker 1: as a player with like for two of his mindset
Speaker 1: of how he's looking at this, this is probably two
Speaker 1: was best year, right, Like overall from a lot of
Speaker 1: everyone talks about him differently, even in the context of
Speaker 1: who would want to come in the Broncos and coach
Speaker 1: Russell Wilson. That was the same conversation we were having
Speaker 1: last year about the Dolphins and so wanting to come back,
Speaker 1: wanting to play, wanting to compete, wanting to continue to
Speaker 1: show people that I am the quarterback that I thought
Speaker 1: early on um and not wanting to lose that momentum.
Speaker 1: I understand because players you know their warriors in that way,
Speaker 1: and they do want to come back and they do
Speaker 1: want to achieve. So it's crazy this team like they
Speaker 1: could I feel like anything is possible with this team now.
Speaker 1: I could see Teddy Bridge Rider playing great and then
Speaker 1: cooking the Patriots and then making the playoffs. Anyways, he
Speaker 1: had some moments when they played the Vikings earlier this season,
Speaker 1: but then but you could also see like a worst
Speaker 1: case scenario where they lose. Here. This is the same
Speaker 1: owner that tried to get Sean Payton and Tom Brady
Speaker 1: on a boat like a year ago. We sure nothing
Speaker 1: crazy is gonna happen. I could say your boys coaching
Speaker 1: and Mike McDaniel, who you always you always talked him
Speaker 1: up um when he was kind of an unknown NFL
Speaker 1: figure as the smartest coach you've ever known, and now
Speaker 1: he's in the spotlight. I can't imagine they would ever
Speaker 1: do anything there. But I'm talking about sort of to
Speaker 1: us future, in this team's future, I don't know. If
Speaker 1: you lose six straight at the end of the season,
Speaker 1: I'd include the Jets in this too. I'd include the Patriots.
Speaker 1: Anything's on the table, things, things tend to blow up
Speaker 1: that you didn't see coming five or so. I don't
Speaker 1: this as I get to get the Sean Payton thing,
Speaker 1: just like Wandering nine and go get Sean Payton no
Speaker 1: matter what happens here. But Mike McDaniel would get a
Speaker 1: head coaching job in four seconds if he if he
Speaker 1: ever left Miami was absolutely I think Mike came in
Speaker 1: with such a you know, unassuming expectations, like I don't
Speaker 1: think people expected much out of him. He went into
Speaker 1: a very tough situation right like of what the offseason
Speaker 1: UH conversation wasn't around the Dolphins, and he's able to
Speaker 1: turn it around. He doesn't look like your prototypical head coach.
Speaker 1: He doesn't talk like he doesn't act like it but
Speaker 1: players respond, and I think they played above what people
Speaker 1: expected them to. Now, quarterback being hurt, quarterback having those issues,
Speaker 1: that's that's tough for any coach who was going through that.
Speaker 1: So I can't imagine, like, I don't think it would
Speaker 1: make sense for the Dolphins to say, okay, well let
Speaker 1: me let me go try to go get this shiny object.
Speaker 1: And to your point, Mark, if so, I think Mike
Speaker 1: McDaniel will walk right into He's know it would work
Speaker 1: so well with him, because you have to be good
Speaker 1: at something right, Like we talked about Parcels, Belichick, all
Speaker 1: these people like it all looks different than what Mike
Speaker 1: McDaniel looks like. But being around him, I'm not kidding.
Speaker 1: He is an X and O savant and I've been
Speaker 1: around I think I did the math. Maybe ten or
Speaker 1: eleven head coaches like that in my career that ended
Speaker 1: up being head coaches or word head coaches at one
Speaker 1: point and by far coordinators between Shanahan and McDaniel. McDaniel
Speaker 1: was one of those guys. Again, it was quirky. The
Speaker 1: way he thought about it was completely different than anything
Speaker 1: I'd heard, but it all made sense and it always worked,
Speaker 1: and so I'm like, yeah, maybe he's not the raw
Speaker 1: right guy, maybe he doesn't speak a certain way, maybe
Speaker 1: it's not what we're used to seeing. But ultimately, players
Speaker 1: want to win, and players want to do well and
Speaker 1: maximize their opportunity and make the most money they can.
Speaker 1: And he was always great at putting them in that position.
Speaker 1: So guys will respond if I know, no matter what,
Speaker 1: you have the answer to the test. And he he
Speaker 1: does that in a really big way. Big test now
Speaker 1: in the next two weeks or the offense four straight losses.
Speaker 1: Let's take a break and then we'll finish the rest
Speaker 1: of the news. All Right, we're back J J. Watt.
Speaker 1: It's over. Pull up the pull it up, pull the
Speaker 1: tweet up. There Drew behind the glass, eight ft seven,
Speaker 1: doesn't say a word. No, he carries a big stick.
Speaker 1: Co is first ever NFL game. It's a photo of J. J.
Speaker 1: Watt with his wife and his beautiful child, my last
Speaker 1: ever NFL home game. My heart is filled with nothing
Speaker 1: but loving gratitude. It's been an absolute honor and a pleasure.
Speaker 1: Sounds like looks like a retirement tweet. And then the
Speaker 1: people followed up and yes, indeed, J. J. Watt will
Speaker 1: walk away from the game after this season. He is
Speaker 1: obviously a Hall of Fame player, three time Defensive Player
Speaker 1: of the Year, Um, one of the great players in
Speaker 1: the A T N Era. I'm gonna say one of
Speaker 1: the best, uh most dominant players. He's going with Canton
Speaker 1: Greg g Um. People won't really remember the end of
Speaker 1: the run in Arizona, but those Houston years were some
Speaker 1: of the most dominating years you've ever seen from any
Speaker 1: defensive player or what was the big big through En
Speaker 1: was the year he got m VP votes even though
Speaker 1: he was on like a mediocre Texans team and he
Speaker 1: was a defensive player. Was maybe the greatest season I've
Speaker 1: ever seen out of a defensive player. He had more
Speaker 1: pressures in that season than any players ever had pressures.
Speaker 1: And I do think about our podcast because that is
Speaker 1: when we started, and I think he's he was at
Speaker 1: that peak, the best defensive player I've ever seen, like
Speaker 1: we've like we've only I've only covered it game like
Speaker 1: this is twenty years. But in that twenty years, to me,
Speaker 1: for those three years, he was better than anyone else
Speaker 1: because he was two pounds in six six, but he
Speaker 1: won with speed like in moves. It really wasn't just like, oh,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna play inside in power like he was beating
Speaker 1: tackles on the edges in those years and it just
Speaker 1: didn't make any sense of the three hundred pound guy
Speaker 1: there's he was kind of one of one that way.
Speaker 1: One of the earliest j J. Watt moments where I
Speaker 1: think he became a household name obviously, was against the
Speaker 1: Bengals in that wild card game that they put it
Speaker 1: like six in the mornings. It was like low ratings,
Speaker 1: just get this thing over with on a Saturday. But
Speaker 1: he picks six Andy Dalton, and I'll never forget because
Speaker 1: we had Chris Wesley, the Bengals fan who, like you know,
Speaker 1: was zoned in on the Bengals. Not a Bengals fan,
Speaker 1: he was he had reasons to dislike them, And that
Speaker 1: really was the opening moment that I think made Andy
Speaker 1: Dalton the Dalton scale obvious like character because it was
Speaker 1: like get to the playoffs, do it just enough, and
Speaker 1: then have a moment where someone else becomes a star
Speaker 1: because of one of your errors. And you were in
Speaker 1: that game that I've seen a lot of Big J.
Speaker 1: You can like feed away from him and he's pellings.
Speaker 1: He was good. He was huge too. That was always
Speaker 1: the biggest takeaway, slamming you when you're just like, yeah, absolutely,
Speaker 1: He's like one of those dudes you bump into, he
Speaker 1: doesn't notice, and you're like god, and he just keeps
Speaker 1: doing what he does. I remember that pick six that
Speaker 1: sucked um and then also Tea we played him at
Speaker 1: the Browns. It was just crazy to watch him. You know, again,
Speaker 1: nobody could block the dude. He was too fast, he
Speaker 1: was too big, he was too quick, he was too
Speaker 1: everything adown and he goes to play offense and had
Speaker 1: to touchdown catch and it's like, okay, what are we
Speaker 1: doing here? And he was very amped up against the
Speaker 1: Cleveland crowd that day. I thought he just was sort
Speaker 1: of shoving it in people's face like that. We're just
Speaker 1: traveling down and it's great. I mean, he's an interesting figure.
Speaker 1: I mean, he's God. We had some fun with him
Speaker 1: on the show, just because sometimes he felt a little
Speaker 1: disingenuous about the way he went about things. I always
Speaker 1: remember covering the Hard Knocks season where he you know,
Speaker 1: there was a whole montage of him after practice sun
Speaker 1: went down and all of a sudden, the lights were
Speaker 1: up and he was practicing alone on the field, like
Speaker 1: throwing a tire um, you know, a hundred yards. It
Speaker 1: was just like is this real or is this like
Speaker 1: J J. Watt image paper? Uh? To his credit sometimes yeah,
Speaker 1: you you didn't know what to make of him from
Speaker 1: a personality standpoint, But like the Hurricane Harvey stuff where
Speaker 1: he was one of the largest UM crowdsource fundraisers ever
Speaker 1: that he spearheaded personally was like a big you know,
Speaker 1: showing of like what he's really about. And he's always
Speaker 1: been very good with the fans. So sometimes he felt
Speaker 1: a little corny, but you can't deny how great he was,
Speaker 1: and he's one of the more memorable guys, certainly of
Speaker 1: his generation. Well, we also got a wrist slap once
Speaker 1: for talking about his UH clothing line he had years ago. Really,
Speaker 1: what is that about? We got in trouble with some
Speaker 1: people that are no longer at the company UM, but
Speaker 1: it will always be part of our lower anything to
Speaker 1: do a little slap, And there was maybe it might
Speaker 1: have been a meeting where the transcriptions of a certain
Speaker 1: podcast segment were printed out and read aloud to us
Speaker 1: UH and then like like waved in our face like
Speaker 1: a puppy that had just h I have a note
Speaker 1: in my personnel file based on that incident. In the
Speaker 1: transcription has me basically quiet for most of it. Other
Speaker 1: than basically saying that men's fashion is needs rescuing, I
Speaker 1: didn't say a single thing about I just figured the
Speaker 1: statute of limitations are up. Now we can we can
Speaker 1: discuss this publicly. Had nothing to do. Why nothing to
Speaker 1: do a day day personally? Um. He Also, by the
Speaker 1: way it was played, well, I did the top free
Speaker 1: agents lists coming out next. He was gonna be in
Speaker 1: the top twenty five. He was balling out right. Now
Speaker 1: He's got nine and a half sacks here. He's still
Speaker 1: disrupt or not at that same level. Injuries took antroll,
Speaker 1: but he will be going to the Hall of Fame
Speaker 1: in five years, no doubt. Uh. And other news, Mike
Speaker 1: White is back in for the Jets. He was cleared
Speaker 1: by doctors. He has those multiple broken ribs that is believed, um.
Speaker 1: But after missing two weeks he'll return. And just to
Speaker 1: give you an idea of how um far Zack Wilson
Speaker 1: has fallen out of favor, um, not just with the
Speaker 1: fans but also the organization. He'll be once again made inactive,
Speaker 1: so he's completely out of the mix. I talked about
Speaker 1: it with my dad Keith on the podcast on Thursday
Speaker 1: that I think that was the end of the Zach
Speaker 1: Wilson era in New York. I think they will um
Speaker 1: probably aggressively attempt to move him in the off season
Speaker 1: and just start over at the position. But you also
Speaker 1: have to keep in the mind the possibility that Mike
Speaker 1: White has an opportunity here. Uh, the way things broke
Speaker 1: for the Jets after Thursday, now they just gotta win
Speaker 1: to one Patriots loss and they're in the playoffs. That's
Speaker 1: all feasible starting with game against Seattle and White makes
Speaker 1: I think the thing mark about White and Zack Wilson,
Speaker 1: especially his Wilson's struggles were so vast that I really
Speaker 1: did think it was affecting both sides of the ball
Speaker 1: and pulling down the team's confidence and taking him out
Speaker 1: of the mix really fills me with some confidence ahead
Speaker 1: of this year, we talked about these teams were like,
Speaker 1: the defensive side is like, can you just do like
Speaker 1: the base the bare minimum and we'll handle the rest.
Speaker 1: That's been the Jets and like, you know, the Zach
Speaker 1: Wilson experience, and you've been around a lot of you know,
Speaker 1: up and down quarterbacks, but like you've got to be
Speaker 1: that guy behind the scenes, and we don't have that
Speaker 1: experience with Zach Wilson. Accept it led through to us.
Speaker 1: You could see that he wasn't and I think the
Speaker 1: Mike White playing through getting brutalized a couple of weeks ago,
Speaker 1: um he wanted to get back into no matter what,
Speaker 1: he's playing through obvious pain, Like that's how you win
Speaker 1: everyone over. I mean t is sort of a old
Speaker 1: school quarterback to me, and I think he's on a
Speaker 1: true audition for a legit shot to be the starter
Speaker 1: next year, depending on what else they go do. You
Speaker 1: gotta get paid too, He's a free agent. If he
Speaker 1: plays well, I'm just happy he's back because to me,
Speaker 1: them ending the season out with Flacco or Wilson, you've
Speaker 1: been one of that stories of the season, and now
Speaker 1: they get a proper ending. I don't know if they'll
Speaker 1: make the playoffs or not. I kind of have a
Speaker 1: sneaky feeling they are going to be the team that
Speaker 1: gets in I hope. So I feel good. I feel
Speaker 1: like it's a really good matchup for him against Seattle.
Speaker 1: I think Seattle right now is like a bottom five
Speaker 1: team unfortunately, or bottom eight teams in a month. I'm
Speaker 1: I'm not totally out of that. That I would love
Speaker 1: if Tyler Lockett comes back, knows still the best part
Speaker 1: of their team that is the passing game, but even
Speaker 1: that's kind of come underwater, stick a pin and that.
Speaker 1: We'll get to that on the Thursday preview. Uh, real quick.
Speaker 1: Josh Norman joins the Panthers. J C. Horne. What is
Speaker 1: going on with Horn right now? Risk surgery today? Maybe
Speaker 1: maybe as we do this show right now, the incision
Speaker 1: can be being made. Three. It's a little late, almost
Speaker 1: four reminds me of when the Seahawks signed Marshawn Lynch
Speaker 1: late in the season, Like I think sixt like the
Speaker 1: last time that Marshawn Lynch. Everybody, this is what it's like.
Speaker 1: But it's kind of cool. I like Josh Norman's back.
Speaker 1: We were just doing a Super Bowl broadcast on Sky
Speaker 1: Sports with Josh a couple of years. Yeah, he's a
Speaker 1: little loof Ravens Bengals Flex the Sunday Night Football and uh,
Speaker 1: finally the NFL may find Mac Jones for a block
Speaker 1: a low hit on Eli Apple during a return by
Speaker 1: Cincinnati defense that was turned out that it was not
Speaker 1: a play because it was ruled. I believe in incomplete pass,
Speaker 1: but do we have a you can take a look
Speaker 1: at this like the uh the play by Mac where
Speaker 1: he's running in the sprint, he just kind of cuts
Speaker 1: out Apple from below. And it's not the first time
Speaker 1: that Mac Jones has been accused of doing some things
Speaker 1: that weren't um, you know, above board. Put it that way.
Speaker 1: Jones answered to questions on w e I about his
Speaker 1: quote unquote dirty play. Yeah, I think, Um, obviously, you know,
Speaker 1: I went down in front of him to kind of
Speaker 1: get in the way to stop him from slowing down
Speaker 1: Tae Kwon, who obviously couldn't make the tackle there, so
Speaker 1: just kind of went down in front of him, and UM,
Speaker 1: trying to stop the fast guy from getting into another
Speaker 1: fast guy. So just split second decision. And there's a
Speaker 1: lot that goes into it. Um, you're out there trying
Speaker 1: to compete in the physical games, so just trying to
Speaker 1: help the team win. And UM, I have all the
Speaker 1: respect for Eli and the Bengals. They played a great game,
Speaker 1: So UM, there's no hard feelings and definitely no intention
Speaker 1: to hurt anybody on that play. Um, nor do I
Speaker 1: believe that. When I'm playing quarterback, that's what I get
Speaker 1: hit a lot too. So we're all out there playing
Speaker 1: playing hard and it's just part of the game. Hawk
Speaker 1: you buy is a man who played the game? Is
Speaker 1: that was? That? Was that dirty? Is Mac Jones dirty? Well?
Speaker 1: What's your take on that? That was absolutely a dirty play?
Speaker 1: Which you know, maybe I'm about the guy to ask
Speaker 1: because I don't want to hate it. It was dirty.
Speaker 1: He's gotta and maybe in his mind he really does
Speaker 1: think he's doing the right thing, like, Oh, this is
Speaker 1: me being a competitor, this is me showing that I'll
Speaker 1: do anything to win, and some people think that that's
Speaker 1: a good thing. I've played with players like that. We'll
Speaker 1: try hard guy. Yeah, but it's absolutely dirty. He couldn't
Speaker 1: have been more polite to Chandler Jones and people weren't
Speaker 1: thrilled with that either. So here's the thing, He's had
Speaker 1: a lot of these types of moments. To me, it's
Speaker 1: all of a piece. It's not all just like diving
Speaker 1: that guy's knees, although there's been a few of those.
Speaker 1: Two it's just like you can almost tell he's that
Speaker 1: guy that like, I think it's so in a froth.
Speaker 1: And I know, look, that's a lot of NFL players
Speaker 1: in different ways, but I think he just sort of
Speaker 1: loses himself elf when he's on the field, and he's
Speaker 1: very competitive and that's probably helped him get to where
Speaker 1: he is on some level. But he makes it hard
Speaker 1: to root for him sometimes because this is not watching
Speaker 1: every one of his games. It's not the first time
Speaker 1: something like this, like this idea of Mac Jones being
Speaker 1: the Ty Cobb of his generation and the NFL just
Speaker 1: like fleets up, like just like looking to hurt people
Speaker 1: I did was exactly. It was a little bit of
Speaker 1: telling on yourself. I thought at the end though, and
Speaker 1: he's like, listen, people hurt me. That's my job, some
Speaker 1: punishment whatever. I don't know. It's been a it's been
Speaker 1: a tough year for that man. All right, let's uh,
Speaker 1: that's what's happening in the news. All right, let's before
Speaker 1: we get to the TNF preview. You gotta want to
Speaker 1: figure out, like what's the best playoff bracket, Like what
Speaker 1: what would be a perfect setup going into January. Mark,
Speaker 1: I know you've been well, Greg, I know you your
Speaker 1: your data, your algorithms. Um, I don't know if you
Speaker 1: know this talking. You know worked with Greg previously, we
Speaker 1: didn't get data analytic Greg. It's unbelievable his ability to
Speaker 1: crunch numbers in real time and spit out uh data points. Um.
Speaker 1: What is it Greg to you that when you when
Speaker 1: the data is inserted into your hard drive, that you're
Speaker 1: spinning out is the best possible playoffs? Yes, in terms
Speaker 1: of my happiness, but we're not interested in that. What
Speaker 1: you're are you talking? Most likely? Are you talking what
Speaker 1: I want? What I want? I mean, I do want
Speaker 1: Gina Smith to make it happen, but I don't believe
Speaker 1: it will happen. And so then you look at the
Speaker 1: the NFC playoff picture, and I will start with the NFC. Okay,
Speaker 1: I think getting those Eastern teams, the Giants in Washington
Speaker 1: out would be beautiful. And then you get two of
Speaker 1: the following three in Seattle, Detroit or Green Bay. Now,
Speaker 1: I personally like Seattle in Detroit. The problem is the
Speaker 1: Giants their magic numbers essentially one. At this point, they're
Speaker 1: at a point because everyone lost last week, that they're
Speaker 1: almost certainly gonna get in even if they don't win
Speaker 1: a game and their favorite this week uh to win
Speaker 1: they have they who do they play this week? The Giants? Uh,
Speaker 1: they have a easy home game this week the Colts
Speaker 1: where they're pretty big favorites. But I could see the
Speaker 1: Giants blowing that. So they're probably in any of those
Speaker 1: final three. But I want the Week eight team Detroit
Speaker 1: Green baking Detroit Green Bay winning in scenario Week eighteen,
Speaker 1: that being the Sunday night football game. All that needs
Speaker 1: to happen is Detroit needs to win this week, Green
Speaker 1: Bay needs to win, which is tough against Minnesota, and
Speaker 1: then Seattle and Washington both lose this week. Then it's
Speaker 1: essentially it's an early playoff game Detroit Green Bay Lambeau
Speaker 1: as your season finale. That's a perfect Sunday night is
Speaker 1: very nice. I like that matchup. Yeah, what about you
Speaker 1: and Mark? Because I agree like I want the team
Speaker 1: of a t N the Detroit Lions to make this.
Speaker 1: I'm a little I am shaken. I didn't get a
Speaker 1: chance to watch the game till yesterday. My god, what
Speaker 1: the hell happened to Aaron Glenn's defense in Charlotte? What
Speaker 1: was that? It happens that actually pivots into what I want.
Speaker 1: This is what I want. Um, I want the Carolina
Speaker 1: Panthers to um usurp the hideously boring to watch bucks.
Speaker 1: I don't care about that situation. When you get the
Speaker 1: Panthers have no showed in a couple of these games,
Speaker 1: Like you go to that Bengals game and gets the
Speaker 1: get it was the Bengals, but like they ran for
Speaker 1: like thirty four yards. But then there's been these flip
Speaker 1: flop weeks where they did they did last week where
Speaker 1: they were on pace for even more than three yards
Speaker 1: in that game. And when you get that version of Carolina,
Speaker 1: I think you could cause absolute and total chaos early
Speaker 1: on in the playoffs if you get a defense that
Speaker 1: can handle the run. And I just want to see
Speaker 1: it maybe happen. And then you like, you know, you
Speaker 1: get Sam Donald winning up winning the playoff game where
Speaker 1: he throws for sixty four yards, that would be chaotic
Speaker 1: and Steve Wilkes would get a head coaching job out
Speaker 1: of it. How much confidence Sam was playing with this
Speaker 1: we well, it helps if you're gonna run for three
Speaker 1: and he was, I mean he I mean, I'm feeling
Speaker 1: Sam right now. Um, how about this hawk. Is there
Speaker 1: a reality in the NFC And it seems like this
Speaker 1: side of the table feels this way where the playoffs
Speaker 1: would better without Tom Brady involved? Are we there yet?
Speaker 1: Oh man? This year? Yeah? Probably? I felt that way
Speaker 1: for a long time. I'm in a big Tom fan.
Speaker 1: But you know, the season to get old, it's like
Speaker 1: watching a TV show, like it's at some point we
Speaker 1: gotta we need new villains, we need new heroes. So
Speaker 1: I think it would make sense. I I dark horse
Speaker 1: Saints and playoff in and him with the Saints his playoff.
Speaker 1: He would like that for chaos, because Saints fans would it.
Speaker 1: There's actually an article that just came out minutes ago
Speaker 1: from Mike Florio speculating that Sean Payton and Tom Brady
Speaker 1: could maybe get together in New Orleans. And I want
Speaker 1: that to be as uncomfortable as possible. I want them
Speaker 1: to to have to get rid of Dennis Allen, Sean
Speaker 1: Payton's old assistant, even after he makes the playoffs. And
Speaker 1: poor Andy Dalton, your guy who you always said was
Speaker 1: beloved by his teammates, and you paid a lot of
Speaker 1: people paid, and so you are a big Dalton. I
Speaker 1: changed my name to Andy. My my original name was Marcus.
Speaker 1: Because of him, I legally started going by Andrew. That
Speaker 1: is a factoid. That's interesting. Uh yeah, I'm trying to
Speaker 1: think what and if the Vikings because we know the
Speaker 1: Vikings source by the way, it just just the fact that,
Speaker 1: let's be real, these sources are close to Sean Payton.
Speaker 1: They're they're putting out there strong that he might be
Speaker 1: going back to New Orleans. Maybe he sees what's going
Speaker 1: on in l A. He was trying to take Brandon
Speaker 1: Staley's job. It's not gonna work. Now there's a mess.
Speaker 1: Sean go back to New Orleans where they'll pay you
Speaker 1: a lot of money and you know everyone it's not
Speaker 1: a bad that has Jimmy Johnson Dan Marino vibes written
Speaker 1: all over. To me, I don't like the idea of
Speaker 1: watching onto Tom Brady, that's the Saints coach right now.
Speaker 1: He also sees the Cowboys on pace or twelve or
Speaker 1: thirteen wins and he's like, I don't know if I'm
Speaker 1: gonna be able to get that job. Uh, Vikings have
Speaker 1: the two seed right now. Um, I'm trying to think
Speaker 1: who the Vikings are gonna play A barn burn or
Speaker 1: whoever they play against. So a Vikings Lions matchup would
Speaker 1: be or Vikings where they suddenly plugged in Aaron Rodgers like,
Speaker 1: I know I'm pretty anti Packers, but something about what's
Speaker 1: going on with that team right now? If they snuck
Speaker 1: into a seventh seed and they have to deal with
Speaker 1: the Vikings who they know very well or or whoever like,
Speaker 1: but they have to beat the Vikings probably to get there.
Speaker 1: And now we'll have seen that matchup. So I like that.
Speaker 1: I like where you're going. That would be Packers, maybe
Speaker 1: forty Niners. Then you hit Minnesota down to the three.
Speaker 1: The problem is whoever is playing the Giants. That's a
Speaker 1: bad game. Minnesota Giants is a very underwhelming Well it
Speaker 1: was a good game this past week and now, but
Speaker 1: do we need that twice as like a playoff? I
Speaker 1: want to talk Greg born and raised Patriot fan. He thinks,
Speaker 1: at I just want to see the most entertaining teams
Speaker 1: that are gonna be left Giants. Um, let's see on
Speaker 1: the A f C side, it's pretty I mean, right
Speaker 1: now we have uh Bill's Chiefs Bengals one to three.
Speaker 1: It's very unclear who's gonna take that by but there's
Speaker 1: a Bill's Bengals game coming up, which is spicy. Um.
Speaker 1: What do you like for the What are the teams
Speaker 1: that are kind of on the fringe here and hawk
Speaker 1: that you like? Um, I will this is gonna sound
Speaker 1: like sacrilegious. As a Bengals and Browns fan, I am
Speaker 1: both one of the very few in the country. Um.
Speaker 1: But I like the idea of Tomlin being able to
Speaker 1: take this team and get him in because I just
Speaker 1: think I think he's a very underrated coach and I
Speaker 1: think I mean, he's never had a losing season and
Speaker 1: this year was like, oh, it's this is There's no
Speaker 1: way you'll get in the playoffs this year because your
Speaker 1: team is not good, you don't have a quarterback, you
Speaker 1: don't have this. So there's something from just a football
Speaker 1: perspective that excites me about there. What's the path for
Speaker 1: the Steelers to the postseason. It's very It's crazy because
Speaker 1: you think of like the Jets and Steelers have had
Speaker 1: such different seasons, but now they just have the same records.
Speaker 1: You know, there they are, they are equal, and yet
Speaker 1: they're not equal because Steelers lose every time break possible.
Speaker 1: They're eleventh, so they need the to finish basically with
Speaker 1: a better record than everyone, So they need to win
Speaker 1: their two games. They need the Patriots and the Jets
Speaker 1: and possibly the Titans to the Titans actually could get
Speaker 1: a wild card in a weird scenario, it's not gonna happen.
Speaker 1: Really need them all to lose. How is that possible
Speaker 1: because we figured out before the show that that wasn't
Speaker 1: I thought the Tennessee can get a wild card. I
Speaker 1: feel like it's really essentially win the division or check
Speaker 1: you later. I think, Um, they they would basically need
Speaker 1: everyone to lose and finish with an eight and nine record.
Speaker 1: It depends who they would be tied with. Yes, but
Speaker 1: that'll all be gone this weekend anyways. Uh. They also
Speaker 1: need Miami to lose two straight. It's it's kind of simple.
Speaker 1: They just need to have a better record than everyone,
Speaker 1: which isn't that crazy. They're just one behind Miami and
Speaker 1: tied with everyone else. But they need a lot of help.
Speaker 1: They have a three percent chance according to five thirty
Speaker 1: eight because of all the help that they need. Yeah,
Speaker 1: they're they're basically done because they need all this stuff
Speaker 1: to happen. Miami and New England are playing each other.
Speaker 1: So one of those teams is gonna win this week,
Speaker 1: then they need the Jets in Miami, like they need
Speaker 1: the Jets to lose this week and then the Jets
Speaker 1: to beat Miami next week. It's a lot. What about
Speaker 1: you and Mark when you're looking up. So I went
Speaker 1: through all this and like, here's here's what I like
Speaker 1: to see the Jets sneak in. Is the seven all right,
Speaker 1: and they probably wind up playing And in this world,
Speaker 1: I have them playing like I have the Bills as
Speaker 1: the second seed, so you get a Bills Jets. They
Speaker 1: said it solid, said it's gonna happen, so just give
Speaker 1: it to them and let's see what happens there with
Speaker 1: Mike white Plane. But then I want this other matchup
Speaker 1: to happen. I'm not into the Ravens right now, um,
Speaker 1: but I think they're gonna get in. But Jaguar's charted, well,
Speaker 1: I'm just saying like that. Then, like I don't want
Speaker 1: them the playoffs, but I can't win that battle. So
Speaker 1: there I have them playing the Chiefs and go go
Speaker 1: do something if you want to my belief back. But
Speaker 1: then I have Jaguars Chargers. I like the idea of
Speaker 1: the verse Lawrence. That is a spicy matchup. That to
Speaker 1: me would be you want new faces, you want Brady
Speaker 1: out of here. That's new faces. I was. I said this,
Speaker 1: uh with Andrew Ciciliano in NFL. Now I think there's
Speaker 1: a a berserker here in the a f C playoff picture.
Speaker 1: This thing's not gonna go chalk. This year has been
Speaker 1: too weird. The Chargers or the jack Strike, either of
Speaker 1: those teams. I can see them getting hot and also
Speaker 1: be playing an AFC title game because Deserver can't be
Speaker 1: a team that we've seen like the Ravens in the playoffs,
Speaker 1: you know, twenty seven years in a row. It's gotta
Speaker 1: be gotta fresh face, an element of surprise. Herbert being
Speaker 1: in the playoffs makes the playoffs much spicier. We need
Speaker 1: Jacksonville to beat Tennessee. I was wrong. I don't know
Speaker 1: if we got to take it out of the show.
Speaker 1: You're right, Tennessee cannot be the wild card. I was
Speaker 1: to keep that in the show, keeping it. I was
Speaker 1: thinking Jacksonville could be the wild card still Jack vil
Speaker 1: Ken if everyone else uh. And then they lost to
Speaker 1: the Titans, but they would need Miami to lose out.
Speaker 1: Everyone needs Miami to lose that I kind of want
Speaker 1: Teddy Bridgewater if he's going to be playing. You're here's
Speaker 1: the thing, why is this back in our life that
Speaker 1: Patriots in the in the Bucks two teams in theory?
Speaker 1: I would like and I have like they need to
Speaker 1: be put out. Their teams that need to be put
Speaker 1: out of their misery. They're miserable, They're like begging to
Speaker 1: be put out of their misery, and and then it
Speaker 1: needs to happen. And so I think this Miami team
Speaker 1: has been a huge part of this season. I'd like
Speaker 1: to at least have it be Miami Jets decides that
Speaker 1: last spot and then I'm like, oh yeah, flex it
Speaker 1: into primetime. I was like, no, do not put the
Speaker 1: Jets in primetime on a circumstances that it's possible if
Speaker 1: they were winning in that could be, that could be
Speaker 1: the primetime game. This is going to be exciting in
Speaker 1: the a f C just from the quarterbacks alone. Like
Speaker 1: that's why I this is very you know, blue sky,
Speaker 1: but I would love for Miami to get in into
Speaker 1: way to play because you look at to Lamar Herbert
Speaker 1: my home burrows. Now that's possible if you're too if
Speaker 1: he's healthy. It needs to be. But let's do it.
Speaker 1: Let's let's let's have some fun. I'm sure Buffalo needs
Speaker 1: to beat this. Uh when this Bengals game to keep
Speaker 1: that one seater. Euse Kansas City, who has two pretty
Speaker 1: easy games, probably gets into it. Hey, Grave Digger, I
Speaker 1: hate to put you on the spot here, but um,
Speaker 1: are forked teams? Do you have them on hand? By
Speaker 1: any chance? Give me like thirty just like I'll take
Speaker 1: Let's take a break, and when we come back from break,
Speaker 1: you'll give us the teams that we forked, which Hawk
Speaker 1: means a few weeks back, we deemed certain teams had
Speaker 1: no chance of making the playoffs and if we get
Speaker 1: them wrong, Greg gives to a charity. Um, I got
Speaker 1: a feeling we're in danger with multiple team Yeah, alright,
Speaker 1: we know who they are. Let's take a break. Let's
Speaker 1: take a break back. Oh well, we're still taking a break.
Speaker 1: We'll be back. All right, We're back as as promised.
Speaker 1: If you're just joining us, Hawk is here, everybody, Um,
Speaker 1: would you be weird because this is a podcast? Uh?
Speaker 1: Justin what are the teams that we forked? About a
Speaker 1: month plus one? All right, we are looking at the Packers,
Speaker 1: Cardinals probably trouble cards were safe. Everyone's kind of saying like, Okay,
Speaker 1: the Packers are back this and that they still have
Speaker 1: a game against the Vikings. Were in every game at
Speaker 1: the very least in a game against the Lions, the
Speaker 1: team of a t L that we believe in. So
Speaker 1: I think that's still a very tough road to get road.
Speaker 1: But also not like deadly lies are the official team
Speaker 1: of the factors have also spoiled a lock for me
Speaker 1: like three or four times this year, So zero factor.
Speaker 1: They're gonna keep spoiling stuff for people. At my pointy, Cardinals,
Speaker 1: they're probably done. Jaguar there they are, the jack Wires.
Speaker 1: We're in a lot of trouble with the Jags, Greg.
Speaker 1: I'd start looking into some duval Um food banks right
Speaker 1: now they're in at this point, I mean, the Titans
Speaker 1: have just gagged this away losing five stream Mark joined
Speaker 1: the bandwag help that woman with the lake or the
Speaker 1: seaside house, that our friend from the Jacksonville fan community.
Speaker 1: What else? Um Steelers? Why the forks for like four
Speaker 1: years to that if if if? Then it become just me,
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, you guys are cheap. What else? Cults Safe,
Speaker 1: super safe, Safe, feel good about that one, Browns with
Speaker 1: Nick Shook on that Sunday night pretty Safe. And finally
Speaker 1: the Panthers. Oh my god, this is officially the worst
Speaker 1: year we've ever each to one of these charities, with
Speaker 1: all three of these, the best part is like how
Speaker 1: confident you were in the moment for many of these
Speaker 1: two packers. In fairness to you, you were not confident
Speaker 1: And I know I tried to take it back, but
Speaker 1: it was too late. We'll see, all right. Before we
Speaker 1: say goodbye, let's hit the TNF preview. And this TNF
Speaker 1: preview is presented by Prime Video, the new exclusive home
Speaker 1: for Thursday Night Football. Grave Diggers stay with us here because,
Speaker 1: as we established earlier, this game means nothing for the
Speaker 1: Titans in the standings. They can't be the wild card.
Speaker 1: They can win the division, but they can't win the
Speaker 1: division unless they beat the Jaguars next week. Um do you?
Speaker 1: But they've also lost five in a row, so that's
Speaker 1: when it becomes the discussion. Do you try to start
Speaker 1: your guys and and try to get off the schneide
Speaker 1: ahead of that huge game, or do you rest guys?
Speaker 1: It's kind of a weird somewhat depressing subplot to track
Speaker 1: ohead of this game. Yeah, we saw something slightly similar
Speaker 1: in the twenty nineteen season. The Titans had a Week
Speaker 1: sixteen back when they're only seventeen weeks. Week sixteen game
Speaker 1: against the Saints, and Derrick Henry was kind of questionable
Speaker 1: to play and they sat him for that game. Titans
Speaker 1: barely lost, but it didn't matter for the standings. He
Speaker 1: was back for the season finale and then he had
Speaker 1: that huge playoff run where he ran all over the
Speaker 1: Patriots and the Ravens. This year, I kind of expect
Speaker 1: something similar. Denico Autry, Zach Cunningham, Bud Dupree, Christian Fulton,
Speaker 1: Derrick Henry, a Mony Hooker, Nicholas Petit Frere, Ryan Tannehill,
Speaker 1: Jeffrey Simmons. These are all starters who are not practicing
Speaker 1: this week. I'd be pretty surprised if they played. This
Speaker 1: is basically a preseason game for the Titans. In terms
Speaker 1: of how much it matters, we should not have al
Speaker 1: Michael's doing this game. I couldn't agree to keep Alan Malibu.
Speaker 1: Send him to Moonshadows get a cocktail. I mean, even
Speaker 1: if they look they were trying their best to beat
Speaker 1: the one win Texans, and they didn't, you know, managed
Speaker 1: to do that. So playing their best players is no
Speaker 1: guarantee that they would be competitive against the good God
Speaker 1: ask you a question, because like there's this lingering potential
Speaker 1: hope that Tannehill maybe would suit up in week eight
Speaker 1: team depending on the surgery. It sounds like a distance hope.
Speaker 1: But do you put Malik Willis out there? I know
Speaker 1: he needs as many snaps as possible, but if you ever,
Speaker 1: but if you lost him, what are you doing in
Speaker 1: week eighteen? Like you literally why not protect like your start?
Speaker 1: You're potentially only healthy starting already. Yeah, it's just likely,
Speaker 1: like they have to get him those rights. When Frabel said,
Speaker 1: like his answer about Malik Willis was, I think he's
Speaker 1: getting better, Like Rebels just sitting here being like, I
Speaker 1: don't know what's going on at this point. I think
Speaker 1: he's emotionally probably pretty beat up. They need to come
Speaker 1: up with a game plan for week eighteen or centered
Speaker 1: around willis Is strength, his running. I thought you were
Speaker 1: a little hard on him, Grave Digger saying he hasn't
Speaker 1: shown as much running and he had a couple of
Speaker 1: great runs. He had two really good runs, but he
Speaker 1: also doesn't show like the feel for when to take
Speaker 1: off and when he can beat a guy out there
Speaker 1: telling him to stay to throw the ball. I did
Speaker 1: not be scrambling, and that's part of it. And just
Speaker 1: in case you're curious right now, and this could move
Speaker 1: considerably considering we don't know the sat of several of
Speaker 1: these Tennessee regulars. Dallas is already a double digit favorite
Speaker 1: here so this game and you think about their situation
Speaker 1: where they still have an outside shot of takeing NFC East,
Speaker 1: they put a little pressure on the Eagles. If they
Speaker 1: spank the Titans already put that twelve win in their bag,
Speaker 1: then all of a sudden, Eagles might not have Jalen
Speaker 1: Hurts on the field against the Saints. And it gets
Speaker 1: a little bit interesting with Gardner Minshew on the field.
Speaker 1: I'm finally in my fantasy league championship and Derrick Henry
Speaker 1: is my star player, so not exciting. I beat my
Speaker 1: son Greg. I know typically you know that he always
Speaker 1: whips me. Does it feel better to beat him or
Speaker 1: is it a better sweet to defeat him? I feel great,
Speaker 1: um and I love the kid, but he talks a
Speaker 1: lot of smacks, so it felt it felt good to
Speaker 1: get over get over the hump. Yeah, how about the
Speaker 1: Henry Um fumbles too, that's hurting your fantasy team. I
Speaker 1: mean that turned that game around. It is like a
Speaker 1: Murphy's Law situation for the Titans right now. They they
Speaker 1: needed him to be like at his very best and
Speaker 1: h Henry has not either. So the Cowboys it's one
Speaker 1: of those a little bit of a gift from the
Speaker 1: football gods, but they still got to go take care
Speaker 1: of this kind of a gift to get for either
Speaker 1: team a longer break before Week eight to they need.
Speaker 1: They need to work on some of their defensive pieces.
Speaker 1: They haven't been the same lately. I think they'll be
Speaker 1: excited to play this Titans offensive line parts and can
Speaker 1: rack up some sacks for like defensive player of the
Speaker 1: year like the second They need to feel good game
Speaker 1: on defense. Yeah, they have one sack in the last
Speaker 1: three weeks. The Cowboys doing They were shut out by
Speaker 1: Philadelphia last week. This this does profile with Tennessee's offensive
Speaker 1: line as a get healthy game where you can maybe
Speaker 1: get six or seven sacks and and everybody's flying high,
Speaker 1: get a huge lead and you can actually insert the
Speaker 1: guy who pretends he's Dak Prescott in the NFL Pro Era,
Speaker 1: ad like into this game. That's how the quarterback game. Alright,
Speaker 1: good stuff. That was the t NF preview presented by
Speaker 1: Prime Video. The new era of Thursday n Football is
Speaker 1: officially here, and it's only on Prime Video. Um, Hawk,
Speaker 1: you've said it all. You've you've come here, You've launched
Speaker 1: a company day that is uh provides the first fully
Speaker 1: licensed NFL virtual reality simulation game. I mean that no
Speaker 1: one else on earth could ever duplicate that. You've just
Speaker 1: thought it was lip service debut. Nobody leaves no debut
Speaker 1: and gets out alive. Um, and yet you've done it.
Speaker 1: So check out NFL Pro Era. Um. What else you
Speaker 1: got going on? You're gonna be this weekend? I feel
Speaker 1: like you're very active, man. Maybe there's a stand up
Speaker 1: special coming out telling no no stand up. I got
Speaker 1: some things coming in twenty three. I'll come back on
Speaker 1: in promo those cool? Alright, very good? Alright, So Hawk,
Speaker 1: thank you, great digging everybody behind the glass, thank you.
Speaker 1: What do we gotta come up this week? Got Thursday
Speaker 1: preview show? What do you got going on? I'm doing
Speaker 1: all the things you're doing this essentially, you know, my
Speaker 1: activity person the life of what's going on. We're not
Speaker 1: gonna take into that right now. It's getting a lot
Speaker 1: of buzz on YouTube. I got the Power Rankings of
Speaker 1: Powers podcast with Connie Fox and myself. Whicheck got the
Speaker 1: QB Index. Uh. Greggy's game picks Hawks game. Oh man,
Speaker 1: there's a lot of cooking. He's a call