2019 Week 13 Preview

working on Wow j Work, Little journal work. What's the story? I'm not what. I'm not ready to reveal what the story is about yet, but it's going to be explosive, you know what. It has been revealed. I do want to say thank you to the listeners who said they we are on episode today. It was double confirmed, and I don't know if that's enough. One more Yeah, a few more people check it out. But if that's true, that would in our thousand episode. Would be sometime in

the off season April or May. I could figure it out, but you know, we won't do that right now. And we're already in the works of maybe doing some big time plans. Even the Shadowy League figures don't know about this. We're gonna present this idea to them of what we want to do, but thank you. I'm sure it will be met with a shrug and a yeah, let's do a follow up meeting about this, and then it will be September in week one. That that's just a guess,

but maybe I'll be proven wrong. Some of the lesser enthusiastic Shadowys have been vaulted out of the company's hemisphere. Some of them vaulted themselves out of the hemisphere West. I imagine after yesterday's huge announcement that the Paramour is with Child, what a life changing experience that will be for you that you got a lot of feedback from the general general populace. I did, and I'd like to thank all of them for the messages on Twitter, the mes,

sages on Instagram, text messages. Thank you all. Keisha and I are over the moon West and I had a couple of drinks of the Cozy Classy moved by the Zeuster after the move and I played baby Boy by John Lennon on the jukebox and then uh, Lukisha came in and I said, Lukisha, this is actually kind of more like a Me and West moment. So that's the way to handle your way to have the Christmas lights

up there to celebrate what. No, but the woman behind the bar, which I'm sure you know her well, Mark the woman behind the bar, her husband puts up the lights every year for the past like twenty five years. And he's doing it tomorrow, I believe, or not tomorrow the day after thanks you. Oh so that's when they why don't pick stuff what we can get? It makes sense, makes sense. He's so that put the nails in the

coffin for where we're going out. Cos he has been eliminated because there was a big, huge controversy over UM a text chain about the NFL media gathering for tonight UH to have some drinks on the EVA Thanksgiving a Newish tradition, and I had thrown out the cozy because we hadn't been there a lot lately, and Lakisha was pushing back and I didn't know what it was all about.

There was some more misinformation because Colleen was, you know, an agent of chaos without even realizing it during the planning process, planning the event with two people and then not connecting the dots. UM but Ultimately, when I found out Lakisha is pregnant, there's you know, the cozy is that's a workingman's bar, that's a blue collar bar, that's a third shifter bar, and there a lot of guys smoking outside, and she was worried about worried about secondhand

smoke wafting in. So am I gonna pound the table about the cozy with a pregnant lady? No, we found out all the theories out there in the second guessing about whether the smoke factor was a little overplayed. It's real. Keisha even yesterday spent most of the time there with her shirt over her nose, and the late period of Jackson waft of smoke every couple of seconds. Although I do love the smell of secondhand smoke and realizab we have a younger time when your buddies would be smoking

around you. I I don't smoke. I never was a smoker, but I do like like the social aspect of people smoking and drinking. In theory, that's what I used to think. But then I also remember in college all my clothes smelled like smoke at all times. You would in every bar in New Orleans, And so that's that's an egg. It's a little nostalgic, but I don't know. Lukisha also mentioned that there was no food options at the cozy.

Not true. I do believe they have that like big jar of like eggs and framale hyde that had been there late seventies. Picks going to college in New England. You would go back to the dorms and you'd see everyone's jackets being hung out the window in the middle of the winter. Did you get aired out from all the smoke? Uh? Anyway, memories, memories, memories should be a good night Okay you coming? I am. Yeah. I was the one that suggested the place that we're actually gonna

end up going. Okay, good So you played peacemaker look at you of course? Yeah? Remember you said, I all of a sudden changed my tune and you were like, oh, Lakisha must have put a knife in your tire. And I was like, wow, something something something that. What what are the odds that in the end something else comes up? For it just doesn't happen, you don't show up. I can see that personally. No, I've I've been planning on it because especially now nothing better to do. No, I

have a lot. I have a lot to do, so it's a stop. It's it's stop. It's not the full night we can get. Yeah, thank you, But I would say, if you're just making it a stop, you get less say in the organization. I don't think she would agree with that concept, though, I like, I know what the people want and guess where we're going. Where I suggested

all right doesn't sit with me. Well, Dan, stop by, Dan, I'm going you guys are we're starting at like eight o'clock like I don't normally go out to the generation. Shut up? All right, Okay, let's get it, let's get to work. It is the show's a day earlier because of the Thanksgiving holiday. The week thirteen previews upon us. Uh tomorrow, no excuse me, Friday, you will hear the recap of the three Thanksgiving games that we previewed on yesterday's show. Mark and I will be handling those duties.

But until then, we have uh more games to get to. In fact, it's over for the buys. There's no more buys. Mixed feelings about that. Thirty two teams, three games Thursday. Thanks sorry to right to thirteen to talk about correct or incorrect that's correct, I fag I've had a pretty good math season. Yeah. I mean you've done that specific problem before, probably seventy you had to slip up in London when you couldn't divide thirty eight by two while we were playing darts. I think you made it into

like eighteen. That's actually a tough that's a tough one. Let's put you on the two. Ah, what it's kind, it's hard. Wait was something about it? I mean that is fair. You had enough time? Was well? I wasn't listening before study up or else. Your coworkers can make fun of you twenty years late. Greg, are you coming tonight? You get off the off the hook? No, I am gonna,

I'm gonna come. I'm no. I have not made any opinions made because I know my arrival time is uh in flux and my my family that's gonna come first, But then then I'll come afterwards. So I'm happy to go wherever you guys have to be be at that point on this a little late arrival. This threat has been raging for like six or seven days, and I don't think Greg and I've made a large impact on it. Um, all right, let's get into it draft style. The order

this is gonna be interesting. The order is West, Dan, Mark, Greg. We have the game of the year on the schedule. We have the biggest Browns game, and so I remember what's happening with this. We have a lot cooking. Mark, you pick third, West, Uh, you pick first, So get us going. I mean it seems to me an obvious

number one overall pick pick, but perhaps not well. I thought about skipping that game just to see if the game being the Ravens and forty Niners, because there were a lot of promises and posturing going on Sunday between you and Mark about what might happen between the Jets games. You're thinking a little chaos, see what happens between Mark and Dan. But then Greg came in with a pretty strong trade offer. What he got it would be changing slots and um, which would give me back to back picks.

I would only have to cover two games as well. And Greg also threw in if I have to write what we learned, he would write it for me. So I'm gonna have to turn him down. That's the best part for two reasons, one beyond his control both of them. One, I'm not writing what we learned, So that's attempting. Part of the offer. Would have maybe thrown in something else.

I thought you guys were But okay, no, there's nothing you could have done, Greg, because you have analyzed this draft in the same way I have, and you know that this is a three game draft. I just want that first game. I didn't analyze anything beyond it that I wanted to give you what I could. Yeah, it's like, oh, you don't get to watch forty Niners Ravens, but here can we We can put you in a nice Titans cult today. Nor well, so you are you going with

the game we all expect, all right, very good? The forty Niners at the Ravens ten and one against nine into the Ravens, the hottest team in football and west it's in the early window. A disgrace. It's all Patriots through and everything that they didn't want to move the

Pats at a prime time on Sunday night football. Uh So instead of flexing in the best game of the year, a portion of this country, we won't even get to watch this game that doesn't see doesn't pass the smell testamate and and and you want to hear something else that was Cynthia Freeland made uh this point uh this morning on our Power Ranking show. This isn't even the Joe Buck Troy Aikman game. If you believe that they are not covering this game. It is the number two team.

I don't recall who they are at the top of my head. Uh. So you have Davis Kevin Burkard. Nice team, it's a very nice team. But you have the number two team in the early time slot for the best game of the year. Maybe they don't trust it will be close. Well, this is as Greg talked about on on yesterday's podcast. This Ravens team is probably the closest thing we've seen to two thousand Patriots, two thousand seven

Patriots over the last two months. What they're doing to teams, the margin of victory, the convincing style in which they're beating good teams and great quarterbacks. And the forty Niners past defense is historically great too. It's right up there with the Patriots this year. Maybe not quite as good, but where is The Patriots secondary is awesome, The forty Niners front line is awesome. It's a good matchup and um, another Greg statement, styles make fights. This is a good

one more two different styles. It might be the most important first quarter of the year because both teams are so good playing with the lead, less because of their how good they're running the ball, you know, we know that, but more just because they played to their past defense. I think the Ravens maybe you could run on them, and I'm sure the forty Niners are gonna try. And then the forty Niners especially love to get ahead because then they can send that defensive line wild uh and

shut you down. In their secondary is very good. I mean they're deep. Sherman's playing great, their safeties are playing great, Mosley plays great. If there's ever a game where Lamar Jackson is going to struggle throwing the ball, this is the chance. Like if they if they put up forty points on the forty Niners and their passing game is as efficient and he's as accurate as it's been, It's like,

I don't know who's gonna stop him like this. This is the team that you would think could make them a little one dimensional and have a chance to slow it down. And I don't think this is gonna be a blow. I have too much respect for the forty nine. Well, I think losing Matt Scurrow your center is an issue for Baltimore, and that was sort of drowned out in the hoop. Love that evening it. There was a game when Cleveland beat Baltimore and you had Myles Garrett and

Olivier Vernon coming in off the edges. That was a game where Lamar Jackson was not very productive through the air and he was sloppy, and there were issues with their offense from wire to wire that day. But I think it's tough even if you have a great pass rush to just sort of as they say, pen your eyears back whatever that means, and fly towards Lamar Jackson because he's a magician. He's suddenly seven yards to the right, galloping up field and a dog thing pen years back. Yes,

I just figured that out. They do that, do no, no, I I dogs theirs get pinned back. Well that's that's a nice thing for dogs. I guess, I don't know, is it. I love this. I mean something else hidden in that last game for the dog and like painfall and stuff like that, But I don't like it. Yeah, exactly good things for dogs is what was on the show when Mark said, I don't like it. He winked, so he does like it. I don't. I'm largely like I'm largely don't think about dogs, but I wish them well.

Hollywood Brown, Hollywood Brown has been awesome. And the le future. I want to tell you one little one, another little thing I think I love about the Ravens, so I believe it tapped into like a higher power. At this point, they now have like pat Rickard their fullback. Did you see the clip of him taking the Rams player and moving him like fifteen yards off the ball, like the whole play went somewhere else. And he is a vicious, rumbling wild man and they call it Project Pat. He

goes out there and just punishes people. I'm gonna say, for the third week in a row, everyone's like, this is the week the Ravens are gonna be They are not going to be tested. This game will not be close. I'll be wrong. At some point, I don't think they nut. You cannot convince me the Niners, who are a great team or anywhere close to the Ravens. I just don't know how you'd convinced me of that at this Here's a good stat that kind of backs your thought on

this a little bit. So I saw this on Twitter at forty Niners passer rating allowed verse eight pocket passers. It's a tick below fifty two, which is terrible. They were great for the Niners versus Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray this year. Guys that move around and make plays like Lamar Jackson. Only Lamar Jackson's better than both those guys doing that. The rating shoots up to one oh four.

So perhaps Lamar Jackson, who's a bad match up for everybody, but especially potentially against this front seven of the Niners. Yours use of the research pack that was nice was like packet I got it off Twitter, having haven't had a lot of research packet pop this year, but they've been loved that research. Jeff Reholts, the whole team, they

kill it. It's a large team now. Something that people very hard to measure in stats is tackling, and I think that was a great point that Collinsworth made on the Sunday Night game, is that this might be the best tackling team in the league. The forty Niners defense, which is very similar to the Seahawks teams over the years. Uh they teach tackling in a certain way. They don't give up a lot of yards after contact, and that's

what the Ravens do better than anyone. A lot of Ingram and Jackson in the tight ends, a lot of their yards are after contact, especially in the running game. And if they can tackle well and you have George Kittle on the field, it's a different team. And I don't think it's some crazy mis mismatch. You would never give Kittle the m v P but for non quarterbacks,

and I know he doesn't have the numbers. It just reminds me so much of Gronk that when he's on the field, they are a completely different, more dangerous team. And he is gonna be on the field. This is like the football head, this is their dream matchup. Like, I don't know enough to say if this is true, but it seems to me you have the number one scheming team run game wise versus the number one scheming team pass game wise with the forty Niners. Kyle Shanahan

is scheming receivers open all the time. Pro Football Reference had a great stat sorry and um that they the Ravens are the first team since the fifty nine Colts to have two thousand rushing and two thousand passing yards through eleven weeks. They actually have twenty three hundred of each. So that's the first team in NFL history to do that. So when people talk about balance, it's just like there's never been a team like we're seeing something very specially

with the Ravens. And that's why I have so and everybody does. But a lot of respect with the Niners been able to do this season. I just don't see how you could pick the Niners in this game. I think this the Ravens are on a special run that we're gonna remember. I think for a long time. Um, we all got the Ravens in it. I do, but I I picked the forty Niners to keep it closer than the desert. You know, the Ravens are a heavy favor in this game. I think it will be a good,

good late, you know, fourth quarter type of game. West. What Jamal Adams didn't understand during that trade deadline situation was, yeah, you have the note that you have to pick. You have this beautiful game. But if some it's calling you pick up the phone. You need to hear what people are saying to you. You're not doing your job. Otherwise, So I thought you did the right move. You didn't count. You didn't give me any other offer. Who knows that

maybe I would have raised it. There was no counter. It just got to the point where I looked at the four and five seeds on my board and didn't want anything to do with them. Greg's eleven it open that like maybe VENMO could have been. Yeah, how desperate was Greg for that game? Oh? I strategized. I waited till like about half an hour before the show. I didn't know what you guys are doing behind the scenes.

They thought i'd I'd hit him right at the last second. Well, the same guy who predicted a couple of weeks ago that you'd be watching whatever game it was anyway, tweeted again that he's doubling down that Greg says he's gonna watch this game. I'm not. You can't. It depends on how many games are in the morning, and I think I'm I'm I didn't realize you could trade into the spot of the person with two games. I would have been dropping hundred dollar bills on you all season for

that option. I didn't. I'm gonna get stuck with three one for the eighth time and around. You don't even have to run about him all used to do us talk about I don't know. All right, Mark, let's do some business because I'm picking two overall, and I know you want the biggest one, the biggest Browns game in a decade, decades, decades for me. So I think I have what a very fair trade offer that I think

you'll you'll find appetizing. We swap the two and three picks. Okay, I'll take your third, you move up to two, and in return, we flip second round picks, so I moved one spot ahead of you in the next round. Uh, and a conditional pick. And the conditional pick is if I um, if this Brown's game goes to overtime, I get your first round pick next week and you get my last round pick. So this front office operates in

its own way, and I'm not looking. I don't do this to just grab some game that I'm fetishizing over all week and must watch on television in our news room, which is impossible to con and trade anyways. So I will take it because all I really want is to watch the Cleveland versus Pittsburgh game. And if if you were going to go The other thing when we talked about this, and we'll be I'll be brief, was you were going to take the Browns game, and I was gonna take the Jets game. We're gonna sit a foot

away from each other. Total annoyance move. And I don't like that either, So I will take your trade. I don't have the chart. I don't even see what happens down the road. You have to approved by the league office. I got lost in the conditions. Yeah, I'm very confused. It doesn't unfair, and I thank you for not calling my bluff because I wouldn't have done it to you anyway. But it's been filed with a league office. So Mark, you pick second, alright, So I'm gonna pick Jets Bengals.

I am gonna obviously go Brown Steelers. And you could argue that there have been bigger games, like in two thousand seven when they had a chance to beat Cincinnati and essentially take that division or go to the playoffs with it, and they lost. Pittsburgh's a difference situation in Cincinnati, though, because the Browns Steelers rivalry essentially has not been one for a long, long long time. The Browns have not swept. Where were you in n I was in Pearl River,

in the cold Town. I was a third grader. That is the last time when you were in third grade that the Browns swept the Steelers in a season. Utterly absurd. It is ridiculous. It is ridiculous, and this is going to require the Browns. I thought against Miami, you know we all watched that by now, I would imagine played the best game they've had all year on offense, because I thought against the Ravens and Greg, you noted this first thing. You're write that it was big plays that

happen against Baltimore, It wasn't. Uh, you know, can drive after drive. The Browns went a little flat against Miami the second half, but they used all their weapons for the first time I've seen really this whole season. I think Kareem Hunt makes a big difference in that backfield, but they cannot afford to make some of the mistakes they made in that game. There was a hideous moment where a show pot guns snap flew by Baker Mayfield.

They had a trick play that even had Freddie Kitchens giggling on the sideline because it was such a bust and went so wrong, and they had they did have penalties, and they did for a quarter plus go totally silent and allow Miami to control the game. In Miami nearly came back. You can't do that in Pittsburgh. I don't care if it's Duck Hodges or Joe Beats playing quarterbacks. It is a totally tough environment, and after what happened two weeks ago, the Steelers are gonna be hyper motivated.

I truly think the key player to the game on defense is Joe Schobert, who has four picks in two weeks. He's been the He's not someone that gets talked about a lot. He was correctly named the a f C Defensive Player of the Week, and he's been the spiritual leader of that side of the ball post Myles Garrett go in, I mean, I don't want to hear anything about that. You know, Pittsburgh is a tough place to play. They got a great Devin You know that's all true.

If the Browns are anywhere near being the type of team we thought they could be, and I think they've shown progress over the asked him to be in a dangerous offense. If you can't beat Duck Hodges with Jude Juice Smith Schuster and James Conner both looking like they're gonna miss this game too. We won't know until Sunday, but it's not trending in the right direction. Give me a break. This is a very winnable game. I don't care that Myles Garrett isn't there. Good offense should beat good.

Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry. That's that's an all star team and they're playing Hodges, Jalen Samuels, Deonte Johnson, Tevin Jones. It's no competing the old Dr Jack style. Tale of the tape come on, and he had to. He did what he had to do, Mike Tomlin by keeping Mason Rudolph on the bench. Uh. It also eliminates a distraction with the um, you know,

Myles Garrett fiasco around that game coming. That would I think it just would have been a talking point around the game. Uh. Hodges made one big throw and that was one more than Mason Runoff had made in several weeks.

So he's the right guy to go to. I just wonder if this is going to be It's amazing and we talked about earlier in the season, Greg with this defense, what a shame it is if you're a Steelers fan that if you still had Big Ben uh And and maybe you have a little better injury luck, you you're an a f C powerhouse. But we've gotten to the point where the Pittsburgh Steelers are just living and dying on a guy that was undrafted and didn't even get an invite to the Combine. And that's what has come

to for Pittsburgh. He represents a Hail Mary and all they need him to be and pray for him to be is not embarrassing, But you can't rule that out is something that could happen. It's there in his toughest spot as you can imagine, and he's playing without potentially his best wide receiver and his best running back the Brown. I mean, this should be an easy win for the Brown, but we said that about Cleveland. I could still I could see this game should be. It doesn't mean it will.

I don't think it will be. I think it's I could see this being seventeen to sixteen the Steelers is not easy, So I respect that they're gonna keep it or try to keep it close. Keep the score down. But Baker Mayfield too, Like, how are you feeling about Baker right now? I mean, this is a game, you know, in his maturation process, he's had some ups and downs. It's trendy in the right direction, where a really good quarterback goes and make sure they win. I feel better.

I just wonder if what the coaching is behind the scenes there. It's been a really up and down season for someone who I thought would be an NFL's clear cut star at that position. Right now, all right, let us move on now now this is all strategy. I would not have taken that Browns game anyway, because I know I need to be watching Niners Ravens hopefully will be also watching Jets Raiders, so I gotta keep my TVs open there. Uh So I will go to the Lake games and we got a nice late game staring

at me at Arrowhead, Raiders at Chiefs. I will select a three overall, and I think this is a game. Let me talk about what the desert saying what people expect. After the Raiders lay an absolute stink bomb at the meadow Lands against the Jets, loose third for three, the quarterback gets benched in the third quarter, just an embarrassing loss that really completely recalibrates um uh, the ceiling for the Raiders in the eyes of many. But I I hold onto the idea that every team has bad weeks,

and some weeks are worse than others. And and that was the Raiders bomb of the year. And I think they are going to put up a really good fight in this game, because, first of all, the Chiefs have not shown shown me this season that they can go out and just kill somebody. Um. They've played a lot of close games this season, and the Raiders know full

well the stakes here. If the if the Chiefs uh win this game, they're eight and four, the Raiders dropped to five hundred and six and six in the division is essentially gone. So this is a huge game. I expected to be an extremely close game. Uh. And I'm wondering if you guys are in the same camp or do you think that this is the pumpkin The Raiders have turned back into a pumpkin and the Chiefs are going to blow them out, because I understand that's side

of it as well. Well. You say the Chiefs aren't really playing dominant games, but these two teams have played before and it was a dominant game by the Chiefs in which the Raiders secondary was just blitzed by the Chief's offense a long time ago. That was the point second quarter that they had big play after big play after big play, and the Raiders secondary is still not good. They're very susceptible to the big play. This is a

big play passing offense. Tyreek Hill uh appears that he's gonna play in this game, and he's so key to them that are healthier coming off the by Damian Williams might not play, but I do think it's just a match of problem for them that the Raiders have survived against okay offenses that just don't have enough to blitz. They're really talent poor defense overall, and I think Paul Gunther and Mike Mayock, uh, you know, added some talent.

Gunther's coached up what's not a super talented defense, and so they survive against the teams that aren't explosive. But then you play the Chiefs on the road and uh yeah, I I don't know. I could look in the mirror and because to me, this is like a big game. But my Vegas test says it says that I couldn't. I just think the Chiefs start their steam roll of the December and they this is not close, and the Raiders, you know, their their hopes go up and smoke. Yeah.

My concern for the Raiders is watching that Jets game. And we can get to the Jets later that there were a lot of bad drops, obviously, but I thought that Oakland was just pushed around by the Jets on both sides of the ball. And you mentioned Greg that they're all The Raiders offensive line hasn't been itself the past couple of weeks, and that's a huge concern. And there's too many weapons and they would to me, it

would be a devastating loss. If I'm a Chiefs fan, if they if they fall at home in this thing, I just you they lost this game, they then go to Foxboro the next week and all of a sudden, it's all hanging in the balance and they would be in a lot of trouble. I I don't see that happening, but I do. I think the Raiders have surprised this all season. I know they are much better, much better home team, win or lose, They're a great story. I think they'll be able to move the ball and score

some points in this game. They take those long drives though, and those long drives better. I think that's just tough to do against Kansas. That also keeps sating money. They have to end in touchdowns though, or else you're just

taking these long drives and falling further and further behind. Uh. I don't know if the Bengals had some you know, I'm not smart enough to understand if they did something schematically their defense really molly whipping the Raiders molly wop molly whopping was one of the most surprising things I saw in terms of he went for it. He said, I'm gonna, by the way, molly whipping when you hit

someone this side of the hand bang molly. It feels like I'm phrase that probably shouldn't it's probably should be retired. I don't know the background history of it. All that up to see. If it is on my work computer, you think that's okay. I think it was retired until Greg brought it back into the lexicon. You try to give it a more modern tweak. The origin of molly whop if you if you could, Ricky or just give it to the listeners to do and they'll handle it

by to night. What was your point. I don't even think it matters anywhere. I don't know what the Bengals did. They took this Raiders team soul for some reason. It was one of the most surprising things I saw season. Was their defense really dominating in that game and then the and then the Raiders come out with the stink bomb again. I don't know if they showed something, but they're not keeping up. According to Urban Dictionary, molly whop verb when a grown man beats another grown man as

if he were a girl under the age of ten. Yeah, that's not an appropriate girl under the age. All right, glad that we should move on to my picks for one. Al Right, Greg, go ahead, I'm just going let's retire molly whop society. It's gone. Sorry, guys, Sorry Molly. I'm gonna take Rams Cardinals. Yeah, I'm taking Rams Cardinals at four oh five. I like this game. I like I want to like game that that I'm gonna be interested in.

And uh, there's only three there and this is kind of I know the Rams look like their season is done. It probably is, but this is the true last Dan and if they lose here. It's totally over. And one of the more surprising things I think in the NFL this year is that the Cardinals offense is right now

better than the Rams offense. Who would have thought that going into the year that not only the Cardinal's offense is better, but the Cardinals offense, led by Kenyan Drake with David Johnson flat out benched, is better and that Chase Edmonds is coming back this week. I don't know if you know David Johnson, who was a top five fantasy pick, is gonna get on the field too much.

This is the number two rushing offense, largely because of Kyler Murray, and they can throw a lot of creative runs at you, just like the Ravens did on Monday Night. I think it's a toss up. I I don't totally poured dirt on this Rams team. They should be able

to score some points against Arizona. I don't have a strong, you know, feel of who's gonna win this game, but Arizona has been close in so many games that it really does feel like they're due to have a good win and this would be uh a humbling moment I think for the Rams. If they end up losing this game. There was a Todd Gurley run which got lost in the blowout loss. It's like a fifteen yard run early second quarter that I thought was the most explosive he's

looked all year. And I went back and watched a few times because I was like, that doesn't look like Todd Gurley. The last two weeks he's looked pretty good. Yeah, I think I think he's starting to finally play like we would say earlier in the year. He's not any better than the Malcolm Brown or Darrell Henderson, and I think now you I saw a difference between Gurley and

Malcolm Brown in that game. There was also a long third down run where long third and long, where they gave the ball to Gurley when it looked to me like a clear passing situation, and they they raised the point on the broadcast that does Sean McVeigh really trust? Yes, it was on Erica's probably as they dug in on this game. That's surprising, did a very nice job with that. You and m on the wrap up, But dude, that

does Sean McVeigh trust Jared Goff at this point? That's kind of Sean mcveigh's move even last year when things are going well, he calls conservative plates. But I don't outside of that, you shouldn't trust him because I think there was some plays in that game, like there was a third and long near the goal line where the Ravens blitz and everyone's been killing the Rams o line all year. They picked the blitz up perfectly. Goff had

all the time in the world. He had Cooper Cup one on one, and his timing on the throw the cup was just totally off. And I'm just thinking, like, that's a play they hit eight out of eight times last year, seven out of eight times, and Golf like rushed the throw even though there's no pressure there. I know that's just all on God. Yeah, I think to your question, like I am, I shocked at the Cardinals

offenses productive and exciting. That was one of the two things that was going to be that or a big flop. I felt like it what we just didn't know, and that was one of the off season questions. It's one of the shocks of the league that the Rams are

as un ooyable to watch as they are. And next offseason what I'm gonna try to spend more time on is looking at teams where the offensive line has been shattered, because that seems to be the earmark of you're going to get a lot more disappointment than you thought, because I don't know, uh, you know, where we were with Shaan McVeigh year ago is that he's a genius, and I don't think that suddenly changes because the Rams aren't good, or that he's not skilled or he's been unmasked nonsense.

He's a great coach. But like I don't see the adjustments from Super Bowl on. There's just doesn't seem to be the situational adjustments where the Rams come out in the second half and fix what we're seeing in the first half. And their off season issues with their draft picks and the fact that you traded for a quarterback who has made about a billion less plays in the quarterback you shipped at, cornerback you shipped out of the

house is concerning. They have a lot of issues to deal with beyond whether or not they make this playoff party and get wiped out in the first round. We already do that with offensive lines in the off season. It's just it's really hard to predict right well, and you may do it a little more than now I want. I'm looking forward to the Sessler decides. Could I could not imagine. I could not imagine a task that I'm

less I'm more ill fitted for. It's just that it's going to be something I monitor to the best of my abilities. The other team in this matchup is the Cardinals, who we said off season has one of the worst offensive lines. We can't trust it. Well, I think their quarter of their quarterback who's not you know, Jerk Goff's not gonna scamper around the field the same way Kyler

Murray is a little bit to do that. You have to deal with Kyler mary what he might do on every play scheme can make the old line look a lot better. I think quarterback. I think McVeigh has helped along that line at least in previous years, and I think Kingsbury the Rams were hyper aggressive for multiple years.

Once McVeigh took over in and the sun started shining and less need especially going into last season with the Sioux signing and moves they would continue to make even this year, going to get Jalen Ramsey, all these moves that, um, we're real lee in service of getting over the hump. I wonder what happens down the back end. And I know that the salary cap keeps going up and that that aids in terms of the margin for error for a GM. But if Jared Goff is not the guy,

they just signed him to a huge contract. I just looked it up on spot rack Todd Gurley. They can't even get out of that contract. Uh, they don't have a potential out until two. That doesn't mean they'll find a way or just take the pill and move on at some point, but they invested a lot of stuff. Jalen Ramsey, they give him a contract, Yeah, he controls the promised they wouldn't hold out. Oh yeah, we could trust him on his word. But it's just like, what

what is this team going forward? I think it's one of the more interesting offseason storylines. I do too, But I also think the enjoyment a lot of people have had this week saying that no team is in a worse position long term and that they have so many problems because of the Golf Gurly contract and no flexibility

and no picks, I think it's overstated. I think teams have a lot more flexibility than you realize, and teams do change from year to year, you know, good and bad that we've seen, and that they that they can fix something like it's it's like, let's throw up their hands. They're done for four not no team. How about among the teams that you'd say have a lot of promise

and a lot of time. I would give them some benefit of the doubt because they took over a Jeff Fisher team and turned into the most consistent winner in the NFC for two years. So yeah, I think they could They could change in the positive ways though, A snakes to you, Well, I'm gonna take the Buccaneers Jaguars and h No one expected that. And you know why. It's because this this bozo on the internet is saying, Oh, I bet Greg's just gonna take something. Watch watch the

old Ravens forty niners. That's a good idea. I should just take another game like Bucks Jaguars early and watch a little Ravens. You're doing what I like to do, yea. Yeah, look, watch a little Ravens forty niners on the side too. Sorry, That's what I'm saying. But I didn't really have that idea until he gave it to me. And as Lucas as bad teams go, Bucks Jaguars is absolutely my kind of game because, uh, I do enjoy watching the stylings of Jamis Winston. I want to see, uh whether win

or lose. That kind of curious of what's happening with this Jaguars team, whether they just totally get flushed down the toilet or falls has some moments as a as a match before and seven teams Go, I'm in. One of my favorite sound bites of Week twelve was after the win over the Falcons and which Winston played well. Bruce arians was asked about his optimism level around Jamis Winston, whether he was a half cup, half glass full guy,

half glass empty. Here's what he had to say, glass is full as hell and it's gonna get real full in a minute. What does that mean? I think that means he's about to have a nice, big celebration drink. He's gonna drink. He's optimistic and he's gonna drink, which, you know what, That's definitely what it is. And Bruce likes to have a good time. Why did I My

mind went to he was making a p joke. That's weird, I don't know, but he that's the first, That's what I thought he was the first, like he was like, I'm about to fill to the brim, Like what at in that moment? How else would you feel a cup? He famously tailgates in the parking lot with friends and you know, uh family after after wins. Not I got I got something such a good guy on this podcast he would be great. I got some bad news for Bucks fans. Jamis always plays his best in December when

they're out of the playoffs. Every year. Every year he starts playing great, I think. And then number two if you listen to Arians and Jason Light and then also some report in Tampa, I think there's a greater chance than people realize that Jamis will be back because Brucie just says they can talk to themselves into anything filled to the brim with optimism, which is crazy to me because Arians has a finite amount of time here. He's

I think sixty seven years old. He's gonna need results in year two and you're really going to die on that hill? Is that where he's gonna go when the games left? Unfortunately, I think those five games will make a big determined you know. I by the way, I don't think he will. I think he'll go with somebody else. But there are there are options on the market in this officer I talked about that. Is he really gonna tie?

I don't think so. Perhaps his final NFL head coach, his final coaching job, potentially to Jamis Winston, is he's seen enough positives that weigh the negative. It's all. It all depends. I think Bruce arians is a veteran quarterback kind of dude. He's good. If anything, he's gonna want. He'd flipped out Jamis Winston for someone you can trust. So we need to see you because the other side

of this with Nick Foles. And I know it gets too boring to keep talking about Nick Foles over and over, but I thought the thing it could come in and do was help Jacksonville's red zone offense. And his touchdown percentage is two point nine, which is drastically lower than

Minsho's four point two. Right now, and speaking of keeping quarterbacks or thinking about the quarterback position, are we just stuck with Nick Foles for the rest of the year no matter what, just because I edit he's a great guy. He's a great locker room glue guy, and he's very good at giving postgame speeches that we all love. And he did great in the Eagles. He want a super Bowl. But this is not working to me right now, and and so what do you just you just stick it out?

This offense with him under center. It's not just him, but this offense is a cure for insomnia. They are they are so boring. Leonard Fournette is two thirty pounds and he dances too much. Uh, Chris Conley, maybe he'd make plays if he had DJ Shark's hands, but he doesn't. Right Like, Foals puts up a nice pass early in the game and it goes off of conley shoulder. And I watched that game, and I'm granted, I'm biased. I'm

thinking Folds is gonna do well. I said that I I like watching him play, but I really tried to watch him throw to throw and thought like, is he playing poorly or not? And I didn't think so. I thought he played a pretty solid game. I go check PF. He has a plus one on the day because he

was in third and eight. Every they're down three and they're going run, run, screen, pass, punt, They're they're they're down you know, at one point four teen three and they go run run, like, uh, you know, not not a screen pass, but another thing where it's like a short pass and you're trying to set up the blocking and he has a couple of throats and it's just like a terrible offense and it's the worst rush defense in the league. And it just feels like, yes, falls

is not helped them. I get it. They also didn't score a touchdown and three of eight Gardner Minshew starts, it just feels like the quarterback thing is a distraction from what is a territist team. I have to just disagree. I that's fine, that's just saying here's here, there's energy, here's here. You've been rolling like, yeah, I love here's the thing, here's the here's the stat that he started. He started a game, he played, he played, he played well,

but I agree that he played really well. But he started eight games and three of them they didn't score a touchdown. In two more of them they scored one touchdown. So that's a lot of his starts that their offense as a whole was terrible. And and the same as continuing with Nicks, his great starts were great. I think

the Minshew maniacs. I get it, but there's so much wrong with the Jaguars right now to point to the quarterback position and say that's what Because we spent twenty minutes on their run defense on Sunday, I just want to bring up the same exact topics their defense. Absolutely, or maybe they're not worth any time at all. We maybe we've given them more than enough time on the show. My thing is more, are my thing is more between

now and the rest of the year. Are we just gonna sit here and say Nick Foles is the answer because we paid them all this money. I mean, you might have to, but I just don't trust Nick Foles a long terms. Minshew could be a range linebacker. Also, this team is gonna be But you put Dan you have to admit that you have been looking for Minshew negatives to you. You didn't come in with a totally. I have a little annoyed by Minshew. I never bought

into him as a savior of the franchise. That but that doesn't because you guys disagree doesn't make me wrong. I think it's not. Doesn't make you wrong. But as a low as a low round rookie, I think he had one of the more exciting seasons. I am here. See that's where the disc I see that, and I

respect that for sure. Is any rookie he played, he played better than most rookies you'll see in a giving year, I agree, but better than Baker Mayfield for half the like Falls has looked rusty, especially in his first there. I really think if you watch last week's game, it just wasn't about the quarterback last week. That's all all right,

So let's move on now. As part of our trademark, I will move ahead of you, and let me just make a clear The conditional pick we talked about Steelers Browns has to go to overtime on Sunday, and if it does, next week your number two pick. You're picking two overall. We swap with my final round pick, number nine, so you would get the ninth pick and I would get your second pick. I don't understand the motivation, but in this condition, it just seems like random. It's like

throwing a condition in a trade. It's like if Matt Castle, you know, throws two touchdowns in week seven, then we get a fourth round pick. It this doesn't really like I got brown Steelers. I'm willing to be totally controlled. You can drag me around and do what you want with me. For the rest of it, I'm not tracking anything. Hopefully it's an overtime win, That's what I Overtime win for the Browns is what we all want on Sunday. We'll see how it goes. Um All, Right now, the

pick is the Jets at Bengals. Okay, so um, here's the thing. I'm trying not to get too caught up in the Jets right now. But I I struggle with this because I think, by my nature, I'm an optimistic person and that carries over to my fandom, and I tend to see the good with my team more than I can see the bad sometimes. Uh, and the Jets are so there was so much bad I couldn't miss it earlier in the year. And I killed them earlier

in their season, just like everyone else. But when you watch them, um over the past three weeks and especially less two weeks and especially less week against the Raiders, it's fairly remarkable to me how they've cleaned up their deficiencies um so well. And the deficiencies were in three major areas. Quarterback where Sam Donald had been a mess for most of you know. Obviously he was dealing with Mono.

He wasn't right Week one, he missed three weeks, he had the good Cowboys game, and then went into a bad place for three weeks stretch. There he is now. Um, not only is he playing largely mistake free football, Uh, he is doing the things that kind of made you excited about him last December. Uh, just being a smart quarterback, be able to throw from different arm arm angles, be

able to evade the rush, make plays on the move. Uh. Basically just look like the guy that Jets fans uh fell in love with at the end of the last season. The next up is the offensive line. Matt Khalil, who I mentioned this was a guy that um that Joe Douglas brought in late. Not only was he a guy that didn't work out, apparently his style of play was

leading to even more confusion. They now have an offensive line that is not star studded, but they are playing really well and they were giving them time to do things like for instance, if you watched the Raiders game, Levy on Bell using him, splitting him out and getting to do different things. What was happening was the offensive one was such a wreck. They were doing this Max Protects set up, which led to Bell being inside blocking often. And what we saw last week was Levy on Bell.

Not Pittsburgh Steelers Levy on Bell, but a guy that was making plays again, so you're seeing it there. And then in the in the back end of the secondary, you have two guys and and bless him, Austin Austin and Arthur Milette who have all of a sudden turned into real players over the past three weeks. Maybe it's just a small sample sized thing, but they have been guys that you would think we would be picked on, but instead they have held down the secondary. And then

Jamal Adams, the quote unquote cliche movable chess piece. Uh. Greg Williams has done a good job maximizing his incredible ability. So it's turned the Jets into I think a good bad team. I think they're better than all the bad teams in the league. And uh, I'm excited about them. I couldn't agree more with what you said, because I feel like that Oakland game was the most confident I've

ever seen Sam Donald play. And when he is, uh, you know, when he does have someone in his face, his quick release is a difference maker, and like he his downfield accuracy in that game was uh tangible, and there's no reason they shouldn't sweep up uh the Bengals, who have played better the last couple of weeks. I mean, I guess, like they say, if you what is that saying, if you hang around the barbershop long enough, you're gonna get a haircut at some point. So maybe the Bengals

get a win at some point. They're running into the Jets the wrong time. Had they run in the Jets in week five, maybe difference everything I've just said, And Greg, you could talk about your point in a second, because I like the one you made downstairs. Everything I just said holds true that I'm confident going to Sunday. But this is a historically a typical game where the Jets flop and everything gets wiped Away's like you've lost the

two winless teams this month and all that stuff. And too, I hate that Andy Dalton is now back in the lineup because he gives the bank was a better chance to win organizationally. By the way, it's terrible look for Cincinnati. I thought just that they couldn't even do this right and give the kid a longer look he's a rookie. They move them out and they go back to Dalton and Dalton is just being jerked around at this point. But your point about Dalton, I thought it was a

good one. Yeah, I I put some stock into a point. I don't know if it was Phil Sims or Dan Fouts. Was one of these, you know, color guys to do the games. Who who says when you're a starting quarterback after they've been benched and they come back into the lineup at some point, it's like a huge weight has been lifted off your should. You've been a starting quarterback

your whole life. Your biggest fear in all of football is that you're gonna get benched from high school to college into the pros and you're a franchise quarterback and then it finally happens, like the axe swings on you, and it happens, and then you end up starting a few weeks later, and it's like, oh, the world didn't end. I got nothing to lose right now, and you you start playing a little freer, a little better, and Andy Dalton's a lot better than Ryan Finley, and I don't

kill the Bengals actually for what they did. It just because they wanted to take a look at Finley and maybe they were more optimistic than they should have been, and he was clearly not ready. And you still got five games left and oh and sixteen is forever. Go try to win some games. My problem is you they started listening to the fans. It might be ownership. That's the move they made. Is a move from mid December, not in October. Totally. Yeah, it's like the Bengals, though

I could see them. They play the Jets, and let's say if anything ever happened there that Dan would not like. They played the Dolphins and I could see them splitting with Cleveland. Suddenly they go three and thirteen, don't get the first overall pick, and you're back, potentially with Andy Daltons are quarterback next year. It's kind of the most Bengal thing ever. But it's that could be Adulton's legacy. I don't think he's gonna be back almost no matter what,

although I guess you never know, you're right. I wouldn't say that with them, but they had I think there's a dangerous game for the Jets because as much as I totally agree with all the good things that Jets have done. They've played four of the worst five or sixty defense in the league. Uh, And so if they I think they're kryptonite is facing a real pass rush.

I'm not sure the Bengals actually have one, either, but I think if, if, when they play a team with a real pass rush, then we'll see with the progress. I think, Darnald, Darnald, that's for real. The defense is absolutely overachieving. I think if the Bengals, you know, guys upfront, Hubbard, dun Lap, and Atkins have played pretty well the last couple of weeks. All right, let us move on now to Chris Westling with his second pick. Right, isn't this Mark?

Excuse me, Mark Sessler, I'm sorry in my original slot, Mark, you're up? All right? Well, I'm taking that four pm East Coast PM West Coast Chargers Broncos. It's a smart, uh, a schematic approach. I never thought it would be available to me, So I'm pleasantly surprised. The draft is going very well. Uh, except the game itself, like a guy Drew Lock maybe, well, the game itself is is about as depressing as a Charger's Broncos game could be in

early December. The charges have killed themselves and I I don't know. I mean, it's to me looking at Philip Rivers, I guess the thing. He's seven interceptions over the last two games, and a lot of them have been, you know, not just tips where it's not they've had to do with his his lack of ability to peg targets. And it's not the same Philip Rivers. And I don't like watching quarterbacks that have been in our life for fifteen years playing at the highest level. He's never missed a

game starting to show elements of decline. I don't know if he's hurt or there's something else going on. This has happened to Philip Rivers before. He had that one season where everyone thought he's done, and then he was comeback Player of the Year the next year. So I don't know what the future is. But the most ridiculous the words ever given, well that was, but but the point is he did he did play us so much better the next year, Like he came back from the

year that he just threw like seven more interceptions. Some guy came back from the quadruple a C L M C LPC L there and he's like, what that was the year? There was like really legitimately no competition for that award, so don't give it out. How about Drown James coming back in this game? There there's something that's they can watch for. Darrown James is playing football for Truelock if it's terrible timing for true luck if he

does start for dinner. As we're taping there, the Broncos are not announcing their starter, but they're saying that they're the reps will be split between Drew Lock and Brandon Out, which is a strange one, but usually the idea is if you haven't announced your starter, that means you're making a change, like you never don't announce it when you do. But if you're, if you're deciding to go with Drew Lock, you would give him all the reps, wouldn't you, right?

I think what I think, my guess is that he is going to get most of these reps that you know, the media doesn't get to see it anyways, and that barring him like just you know, being terrible and practiced for some reason, then that he's a starter. You guys want to hear something uncomfortable always. I love ringeworthy radio interviews that go wrong, and uh, this does not involve a game or previewing, So I'm just gonna stick it in here and bears defensive lineman Achem Hicks on the

wattle and still show this week. Let's play that clip and it's gonna be the office level awkward. Here we go off the band wagon. Ride with us. We're down right now, we know that, and we're fighting to get back up, So roll with us. We didn't do this on purpose. We didn't try to get ourselves in the situation, but we're doing everything that we can to climb out of this whole, So be supportive. You mean you didn't put your arm in between those two raiders and it

popped out a joint on purpose? I can't find No, I'm joking, Hey, who, that's a joke. No, that's why I said. I'm not that's about somebody's injury. No, no, no, no, I'm perfectly respectful. I'm perfectly respectful. But I'll tell you what you will not joke. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't you have a blessed day. This is the last time I'm on this radio station. Are you. Yes, it was the Michael Scott School of cringe comedy right there. Then he has like another two and a half hours

of radio to do. You know what, I would love to hear that the next minute after that, I want to see how I'm just like so coming up in the next hour we talk about the weird thing is and Erica, you brought it up before we started, like it might not have been like a good bit, but

it was. He didn't mean anything, right, it was like, hey, you mean to tell me you purposely didn't pop out your arm, Like of course people need to support He was trying to support his point with something lighthearted, and I guess to to Hicks's point, when you suffer a painful injury on the football field, that's never laughing matter. But also it's like, dude, he didn't mean anything by it, but it was so funny. He could have gone club

direction a million different ways. Not the moment of the season that devastated this man, you know what I mean, and like ruined. He's miserable for months on end because of this moment. At the end, he's like, oh key, yeah, I don't feel good after that. I feel bad that I want to watch like, uh, like I would start documentary about that. Oh, I would never listen to that again. I I love that so much and I want I

can't wait. It's gonna happen eventually. We don't have a ton of guests on the show, but it came somewhat close. Mark back on the A T L Debate Club days when I called Richard Sherman stinky Davis like, he kind of paused for a moment and then he's like, I'm gonna let this nobody. He had also come in and read and that was back when a lot of the bulk of our work was writing. Richard Sherman ask you know, controversies with other players. So he's like, oh, I've read

all your articles. So he he clearly had a handler that had given him four or five stories each. Here's the two clowns. You're about bozos. You're about to sit down and chat with and but but he didn't. He didn't come after, he didn't walk away. Was gonna happen one day with the closest and it wasn't really it

was just awkward because he wasn't interested in it. Wasn't that Sean Jeffreys, the outside Jeffrey where he was on the phone, and uh, he seemed to be barely paying attention to what we were doing, and we were just like I had to repeat questions. What was that? Sorry? Man, I was trying my shoes. He was like, what it was? Five minutes out show? Do you think he was running late? Actually I know what it was, and now I think

I remember he was gonna be on Total Access. You're supposed to be in studious in the studio, but he was running late. He missed the car, so instead of coming into the studio to do five minutes with us. They're like, we could do on the phone. You could do them on the phone, run the way to the NFL network. And that didn't work out either, because he was obviously anyway, one day we'll get our team Hicks moment, Uh, and West might die. That's what I've played today, all right,

who's up West? I thought this game would go earlier, but I realized I'm the only Titans fan in the room, So yeah, Titans. That cool. That's a good game. Though. It's a good pick in this uh, at this juncture. Yeah, I'm gonna be stuck with the three early games in New Lakey. I don't know, that's gonna be tough. With the game of the year. I know, I see what you guys are doing. I don't blame you could have made that trade, I know. But you know we will

get through this. It'll be all right. Did you know the last sixteen game sixteen games going back to last year, Derrick Henry has over sixteen hundred yards and eighteen touchdowns, which is two hundred yards more than Zeke Elliott. I shared a similar stat last week, and then he had another monster week. He's been a stud ten more touchdowns than Zeke Elliott on the ground in that span. Derrick Henry is playing awesome and you can see his explosiveness as he runs through the hole and gets to the

second level. These big plays aren't just miss tackles. They are him exploding through holes and out running Pete. There are got the best of farm in the game. There are guys that it's proven over the years that they have better numbers and they play better late in the season. Derrick Henry is one of those guys, and now he's on a team. And I don't know if it's Tannehill that unlocked it or it's just a little bit of luck for Tannehill and Arthur Smith the coordinator, but they

have a bunch of guys who can go to the distance. A. J. Brown is an explosive player, Henry is an elusive player. Um Corey Davis occasionally can be an explosive player. Johnny Smith made some big plays. You know, it's it's just like one thirty yard play per week, but even that, you know that's big and and it's all happened with Tannehill that they're kind of a big play type of team, which you don't think of when you think of the Titans.

I mean, maybe we're part of where my Nick Foles uh Anti nick Foles takes coming out of the game was well, no, it was because of the way Tannehill played in that game and the way he's played producing big plays in an offense where that all time do too much. I mean, to his credit, but I will give him this, like when he ran for that touchdown and just kind of way he throws his body around, and the color guy in that game was like, that's how you win over your entire locker room with that

kind of stuff. And I do think that that the Titans have been galvanized by him. It's funny to me that these two teams at six and five. If this were the Cowboys Eagles, it would be treated like the sequel to Titanic, and it's like one of four games we have left because I guess there's just not a lot of juice around a FC South rivalries in general. But this is one of the better games of the week.

Titanic to Leo, Leo's back from from the water cure from the Black Lagoon type figure, like his body was frozen and the cryogenical I got it. And then they bring him back. He comes back from the dead and he wants revenge on Kate Winslet's character for not Yeah, because she wouldn't let him on that piece of wood and there was plenty of room for him on the piece of wood floating in the icy Atlantic, and he just floated off. She took the whole piece of wood.

So he's going to come back for her. Zane. You bring Billy Zane back, you haven't seen him in a while, get some revenge on him. That's a very different him to that movie Zombie went down. He went he went down with as well. Yeah, I mean they were in love as he as they were partying way until she broke his heart. We're old enough Erica that I don't know if other people here have these memories, but I do. I remember going to another movie the week that or

the week after Titanic came out. Eventually did see in the theater too, and they were just like lines of people. Yeah, the movie had been out for a week or two, lines of people in West Springfield, Massachusetts, you know, waiting to get into the tight into Titanic for like an hour.

But whatever happened, Yeah, younger like Erica, people your age and I don't mean to be the people your age guy, but like a true monoculture um phenomenon can't I don't think it can happen the way it happened with Titanic, where it actually just completely took over society as this all incumpassing, encompassing, uh phenomenon that everyone had an opinion on, people saw multiple times. Nine. I had just a little

like to put you in the moment. That was a senior of high school and my second semester elective course was film study, and it was, you know whatever, it was just gonna go watch. I'm sure like a couple of Hitchcock movies and maybe watch you know, Spielberg movie whatever it would have the course, they swapped it out and then just made the whole class about Titanic. And it was a class trip to see Titanic. It was making a video documentary about Titanic, and we all played

different characters. That's you feel like the original version. I feel like you had to learn more from the original version of the class. I would have preferred that, um, but that's how big Titanic was. And now the way you know, things have splintered with the media the way it is now, I just don't think that ever happens again. Are you kidding me? I waited at midnight to see Twilight. Twilight Twile is huge, but it doesn't hold a camp to my point, has been completely sideswiped by a South.

Things have happened to it. Sorry. Leading the league in yards per tempt the I got no time for that film, and I believe I saw a stat that in four of US five starts, the Titans are top five yards per play in the entire league. I want to know what uh t Y Hilton shows up, because when he was active for that game, against the Texans. I thought maybe that swings that game, but he ended up not being the real t Y. Hilton a couple of drops and not nearly as explosive, couldn't win one on one

and they didn't even send him on. Will Fuller was was the key to that game. And I just if you don't have the real t Y, especially a Dorri Jackson who's playing pretty well lately and matches up with him usually, you know, this just isn't the same Colts team. I know. We got Jonathan Williams who spice racks guy in the backfield on time. Listeners will remember our friend Brad Spicer the spice rack. He called Jonathan Williams is

emergence four years ago. It took a little while, but now he otherwise that appearance was a real iceberg in the way of the ship performance by Spicy, but he nailed the Jonathan Williams take years ago. Come back to l a spice rack. Apparently he's been in like Cincinnati for two months and no one knew. I invited him for Thanksgiving and he said chance will be in l A and then to me a few days later and said, I think I'll stick it around with my family in Cincinnati. Well,

thanksgivings for family. Yeah, I was surprised that he was thinking about leaving his family just to come to l A. For takes. Happy holidays to spice wreck wherever he is. Yes, and how about put a little spice on your turkey? You're you know, the bland bird. That's what we get. We get a little uh, we get a spicy turkey. And I think that's the way to go. A little smoked spice in there. I have no time for the cliche this time of year. Turkey, it's terrible. I don't

need any on my plate. Get out of here. Agree that it's like anything. That's how you prepare it. If you don't prepare it, well you're it's on you. About West preparing to turkey, I know he can be great. Oh I'm I've got the brine going right now. We're smoking it tomorrow, we get it all. We're gonna have it ready. Damn, that's gonna be good. I'm frying my first turkey. Me and Bob in the garage where I

do the throwback podcast. We talked about it on the pot a lot that I was eventually gonna burn down that garage in the rage. This might act really happened tomorrow the garage gets burned down in a fried turkey accident. Yeah, don't put it in frozen. It's gonna be raining, so yeah, but like the garage is gonna smell like grease for like months and months at good point. Can maybe this is where we're doing our follow up pod the day after.

I don't know why this seems still workplace. It's pretty much marks nightmare, like a lingering smell of meat twenty five minutes of like fried turkey smell. Okay, I like to do it, lady, all right, West, it snakes to you. West has like nine games, I know, And I thought, I'll save the Eagles Dolphins for someone else, because someone's gonna have to pay close attention to Carson Wentz and that Eagles offense to break it down. So I'll save that for you guys. I'll take Packers Giants. Wow. Okay,

a little bit of an upset there. The way you set it up, it was like only one man can watch the tape and really know what's going on, and that man is Chris. I would feel irresponsible if my third game was watching Carson Wesson trying to figure out what was wrong with him, so it's better off if

someone else does. And the Giants, I I think I said last week that Daniel Jones doesn't really qualify as exciting for me, and that's true, but maybe I'm being a little hard on him considering what's going on with that offense. Evan Ingram's not playing. It seems like every other week they have a concust wide receiver. Se Kwon

Barkley is nowhere close to what he normally is. He's running as if he still has that same explosive jump cuts and springy legs, and it's leading to a lot of negative plays because he just can't get out of those situations he used to get out of. Although I find the sae Quon Barkley conversation strange, like all the Giants fans, he's like, well, he he must be hurt.

He's not the same guy. But then there's you know, seventy yard runs that he makes, and then there's plays where he ult I get it, but there's some place where he looks pretty great to me, and and he is, you know, not making yards after contact. I don't know, It's just like running backs play hurt first of all, so that's how you get and the ankle sprint can ruin a whole season, and maybe that is it. I guess. I just I see some really good plays from him,

So that's where I get confused. It's like, Okay, on that play where he looked amazing, is he that's the play? He's not injured. It's just that part of it's a little. I mean, his yards per attempt last four games three point three seven, dip down to two. He had that game where he had thirteen rushes for one yard, which gave him a zero point eight yards per attempt, and then three point four seven. If that were someone not named Sequon Barkley, we would I'm not saying what he's

jump cuts from even last year. He's just not production though he was a boomer bus guy that had a ton of negative plays and a ton of one yard games, and and that guy overlooked. It's like a quarterback with a strong arm, like you're a boomer bust quarterback because you play that style, you have the ability to do it. But he doesn't have the ability right now to get out of the trull well that he used to put

himself into for risking the big play. It's a great uh get right matchup for the Packers often too, I'm a little getting a little worried about, but not when they're playing the Giants. Yeah, it's not a it's a there's get right games. It feels like get right festival and you hope it. But but the Packers also feel to me like fair for getting right. Yeah. Glocklin headlining, that's exactly about late period Lilith, I'm talking it kind of lost it a little bit. I went either the

first or the second Lilith Cowboys McLaughlin head line. Liz Fair was there. That's that was really my Tory Amos was there Bridge Tori Amos back in the day it was that it was hawkinses Beach, you know, a regular Hawkins, Sophie B. Hawkins. That almost made um our version of the throwback pipe really dating or something? Damn I wish I was you know the no what's the different one? As? Okay, four non blonds was there? Yes? What happened to that girlfriend? Greg?

Can you isolate West as? Oh? Yes? For future games? Concrete blonde? Alright, let's move on West. You really made a great point about we're gonna be tied up with Niners. Ravens Zeusser's whole life is on the line with the Jets. Do I really want to take that responsibility of letting the people know whether Carson Wentz is broken or fixed? People are gonna want to know answers, and I won't

be able to give it to him. So I'm gonna go ahead and take the Redskins at Panthers and and and you know, be professional about it and keep my eye on the game and read up on it afterwards and then report to give a dispatch come Sunday night. Um, but I just you know, the Eagles and Carson Wentz, that's too big a story in the NFL right now, A lot of responsibility. So I'm gonna pass that responsibility off to someone I trust, which is Mark Sessler. Well, I know we'll be able to focus on that game

extremely well. I mean, here's the way this works. Number one. Let's are you talking about both these games right now? Why not? Let's do it. Obviously get to these good prime time we can mismatch through them. I mean, I I would have imagine I'm the last person the listener would pick to diagnose quarterback issues among the show or somewhere somewhere close to the bottom. But I'm going to do my best and I'm gonna give it my certain energy and joy for the sport will decide by the

way who comes in last. There we'll find out the health of the Eagles, though should take anywhere watchable. Now we're doing a new thing. We're talking both of these games at once in short order and get into the nice prime time Well you can bring it back to el Sean Jeffrey a little right there there. The Eagles are getting healthier. It looks like they're gonna have Alshan Nelson, agil Are, Lane Johnson and Brandon Books back Jordan Matthews,

which that's pretty significant. And their defense right now, to me, is playing playoff level defense where they should both lines. They should be able to win a game on their own in in Miami, even if it's not fun. If this game is thirty five nothing Eagles, I'm just gonna

tell you, Carson Wentz looks good. I think my take on this is that everybody overreacted to Carson Wentz playing in the win two weeks in a row with bad wide receivers, no running game, even with the jadeveon Clowney out, Seattle's defensive line dominating up front against the Eagles offensive line, and what's going on with that offense is the opposite of symbiotic. It's like each bad group is making the other group's job way harder because they're all underperforming. And

Carson Wentz is now living under a black cloud. Well if the Eagles, and I'm super down on them, but West, you might be right. Maybe it's just a two week sample size that we need to issues just like but I mean the Eagles general, are they in the league or something? Right? Are the Eagles done well? They get like we're saying at Miami, Miami's had two really bad losses back to back, and their two and nine, then they get the Giants at home, the Redskins on the road,

Cowboys at home, and then at Giants. This season is not broken beyond repair in terms of a chance to make the playoffs because the Cowboys have been so unpredictable and that's why Jerry Jones should be mad. This division race should be over and they've right, so the Eagles have a chance to hang around and maybe even steal the NFC East If they can just take care of their business. But the question becomes, is Philadelphia, specifically on

offense broken beyond repair itself, so we'll see. I just feel like they're being removed from the story in terms of teams we can trust as being there in late January. You want to sneak into the playoffs based on this schedule, have a nice time with Right now is just get to Week sixteen and have that Cowboys game be the game that the sides of the division. I think I think they got a chance Tantic to say something about the Panthers. Kyle Allen isn't as bad as everyone thinks

he is either, I don't. I don't understand that one. He gets talked about like he's one of the worst quarterbacks in the league. Their deeps just an average quarterair defense is quite possibly worse than their offense. I mean, that's largely because of Christian McCaffrey. But to me, that's why the Panthers are a disappointment. They got Vernon Butler and Bruce Irvan coming off the edge. This used to be a group that, you know, people were excited about.

There also was a news item that dropped just about now on the Redskins that Josh Norman will be playing in this game, but he will not be starting, So Bill Callahan announced basically they have benched old Josh nor. One of the moves Christian McCaffrey put on a linebacker last week, it was like a stutter step in an explosion into the end zone. It was like, that's the one I called Eric metcaffean on Sunday because it was unbelievable.

Their schedule gets a little easier here. He could he could really go make a run at the yards from scrimmage record. All I'd say is there like a Joey Sly personal meltdown and a Drew Brees one minute drill from having beaten the Saints and us thinking about them a little different by slide guy. Slide Guy still has a job too, doesn't he. He was like before that game, he was number one in PFF's kicker ranks. I think, well, they brought in another. They brought in some competition to

test out all right to the primetime games. Um, yes, no Niners, Ravens. We get Patriots Texans, which is a battle to first place teams. So it's not like we're outing the cold on this should be a very good game. And uh again, and I do like what the schedule makers are doing this year. Instead of just handing the Patriots these teams on a platter for a blood bath up in New England, they're putting the Pats on the road and saying, Hey, you want to go win in primetime,

you're gonna have to earn it. And that's what we're gonna get here because the Texans, Uh, they're a team that listen. Historically, the passive owned the Texans, right, all the five and O against Bill all the way. Yeah, five and oh and the Letterman jacket is the low moment of this franchise back in the playoffs about five years ago. So there's a lot of history there. But you still have the Shawn Watson who could be a

difference maker greg at any against any team. But can he do it against the defense as good as the New England Patriots. Yes, the skill set to do it, because I when I look at the Patriots defense, I think the things that can hurt them is an athletic team, a fast team, an athletic quarterback, a fast quarterback that's Deshaun Watson, and then a team that can go deep

because no one tries. You know, the Patriots kind of set up their defense to prevent teams from even trying to go deep, and they're so great at preventing big plays, but it's like no one even gives it a shot. That's what I'm afraid of as a Patriots fan. And the Texans, who have not been good throwing the ball deep all year, despite Watson having one of the best, you know, deep balls in the league were awesome with will Fuller back in the lineup, and now that he's healthy,

they're a different group. You have Kenny Stills, you have Hopkins, and if I'm I'm the Texans, I'm just going bombs away and seeing what happens. Will Fuller after that, he had to essentially fifty yard touched a fifth yard receptions last Thursday against the Colts, and he does completely change what that offense is able to do and opens it up. He did grab at that hamstring after the second one. He did then have also the game ice and catch on their final possession, so he stayed on the field.

You just hope he's able to stay healthy because that's been the whole will Fuller thing. He has been as good as advertised out of the draft when he's on the field, but can he stay on the field, because when he comes off the field, they become much more predictable on offense. He's kind of like the secret key of their offense. Greg has often talked about the people who have the best success against the Patriots are former

Belichick defensive coordinators like Matt Patricia. Romeo Cornell was the defensive coordinator for the Texans, and even though they've been owing five under Bill O'Brien, I remember a shootout with the Shawn Watson in Foxborough that was in the thirties both teams, and I also remember some playoff games, or at least one where Da Devian Clowney was wrecking Tom Brady's life and making the game a lot closer than it should have been. And I'm gonna lock up the

Texans in this game with all due respecs. You're a man of your word, was and I respect that well, it's I mean, what am I gonna do? Faul even further into last place? This is bold. This is the stuff that a team in the locker room rallies around. With all due respect to the Patriots defense and coaching which is number one and number one. I don't trust their offense at all right now, and I do trust the Texans offense a little bit. I don't trust their

offense either. But if we're gonna look at the Eagles and say they played two games in windy, bad conditions, so did the Patriots. Way, it's you know, and as someone who played, I don't know if you remember that I had a pretty productive popcorner career. I played a game or two in that way, you should maybe like setting out a picture of like that's gonna say, did you see that picture? I get that actual team I

did not play. I just simply was put into uniform and they listed my height and weight is much bigger than actual reality. But I mean, it helps to get out of those elements. No more fogged cameras watching Tom Brady, you know, throw for what fifteen yards and the midway through the second quarter fast start would be helpful. That is a very fair point about the weather. But this offense was struggling mightily even before they started getting weather games.

They they're like, we've said, there are a different team, and I think it's kind of amazing how they're winning games. I mean, it has a lot it's other teams would have a totally different record if they were hamstrung by their offense to this one has. I do think, first of all, Doorset and Um the news availability is a huge factor, and I kind of doubt some who's gonna play in this game, but you know they would give a big boost. I do think that the concern about

the Patriots offense is just a tad overstated. Wait, they're the worst. They're the worst Patriots offense in a long time, and they are having to be resourceful. But I don't think they're bad offense. I think they're an average too

slightly better than average offense. Their their tenth or twelfth in the year in d v o A. They've they've managed to be efficient, they don't make penalties, they don't turn the ball over, and they've they haven't been great, but they've also like made a lot of big plays in key spot. It's not a good offense, but I think in in better conditions against some bad opponents like the Texans defense, I don't think this is a good

Technans defense. So I do think we're gonna get a nice, fun Sunday Night classic that al can enjoy which with a lot with some points where where people come out of this, whether the Patriots win or losing, saying, okay, Patriots offense turned around, I actually has a Patriots fan feel pretty good about this one. Maybe a little too good. We could use a Sunday and Monday could have been to the best games of the year, and we're both total splatterfests, so it'd be nice to get like a

SNF banger in a big spot. They were enjoyable in a different way, but it feels like we haven't had a lot of classics that go down to the last minute on these primetime Deshoun Watson coming off, you know, one of one of his worst games as a pro in Baltimore, and then you know, an up and down game I would say against Indianapolis where he could have been picked off three times. Go go after these cornerbacks.

I mean, the Patriots rush five every down. You're gonna have one on one matchups, and I love Jonathan Jones and Jason mccordy and these guys, but man, one they're they're playing one on one so many times. It's like, let's let's see some talented receivers try to make plays against him. By the way, I mentioned Belichick talking about the Keys to Football on the NFL Picks the One

Greatest Players program that's ongoing here. Um, I just want to play because it's fun to listen to Bill Belichick talk. Just kind of funny and interesting. You can go all the way back to a few hundred years bc um san Zoo. The Art of War, attack weaknesses, Utilize strengths and figure out what the strengths are in your team or some things you have to protect, find the weaknesses of your opponent an attack. You can't win a war

by digging a hole. You gotta attack. So you have to figure out where you want to attack, how you want to attack, and that changes week a week. It bad news. Greg bell O'Brien just transcribed that word for work that I need to get her recording for that. I mean that talk about something that's going to get you in the mood, you know. Well, I want to know a little tidbit from the past. Remember that Belichick

letters thing I did. Yeah, I sent Belichick because I knew he loved that book, like a super expensive version of the Art of War for Christmas in nineteen three. I believe it was who's money with with mine? I mean super expensive book. So it was like years old. How did you have money? I mean, I don't know how how I came across the mo whatever, the money, the Christmas president, whatever it was. It was a strange use of your limited finance. I don't know what did

you get for your brother that year? Right? I have to think that saying, I know I got him a gift to any here's a youth spin doctor c D. No, No, I'm sure I put some thoughts. So what what happened? Did you hear back? Well, you'd go, you know, they were a little back and fourth things. I think that I was again, I was concerned that it was just that, you know, probably the you know, I thought his administrative assistant probably has the book on her bookshelf. But it

did get to him. That was Actually they had been having a nice exchange, but that was the one that ended it. It was that might have added this guy after that, like like, okay, this is a little like this college freshman at Mimmy, Ohio. Is uh a little bit like the Sessler kid? How old is you know? Nineteen? So all right, let's cut this off. I feel like that whole clipp we just heard was the result of Mark sending him that book. Well, I I believe I

knew they didn't have any rings before them. He already had like that book, I believe, Thank you, Mark, you are well. I hope I didn't create all that that alright. Last game Vikings at Seahawks. Uh, this is a good one, although I worry now we can't talk. We gotta stop talking about it after every time now West, but Kirk Cousins is a prime time on the road against a

good team. Now I will say this, I will talk about it as a thing still though, because but he did he though, because the Cowboys are kind of you know, yeah, we know though the Seahawks moving the goal post is pretty much the number one thing we do with Kirk. Absolutely, how about now nine in two Seattle, very the loudest building in the in the game. People of Kansas City might disagree. Uh, this is a This is a very

tough spot for any quarterback. And the Vikings, who we know, kick ass at home where they are I believe five and oh, but they've been the middle of the road team away from their building. This is a tough assignment. Whereas last week's Monday night matchup was clear to me going in. It was one dominant team against one very disappointed overmatch team in the Rams. This is two very good, legitimate playoff teams getting healthy. Adam feeling is supposed to

be back. According to rap Sheet, there is one issue there reading right now actually that he was sideline Wednesday with a in quotes slight scare incident attached to his hamstring problem. So if you do it again, if he hurts it again, he could be done for the season. That is a tough situation. Rap Sheet is not responsible for set packs that happened during practice or ask uh. And then the Seahawks, this team we said for the first ten or eleven weeks no pass rush. They have

nobody over five sacks, they can't get anything going. And then Clowney have one of the best performance of the season against the forty niners. And last week, even without Clowney, they had a really good pass rush against the Eagles. So maybe they have fixed that and they are no longer a bottom third defense like they were earlier in the year. I I think adding quandary digs and in

their safe group and now their linebackers are. It is interesting that the Seahawks the last two weeks, the defense, I think has played their best two games of the year in a row, and the offense maybe has played their worst two games of the year in a row. Now, one of them was against the forty niners, and so you you give them a pass, but they were They were pretty dominated against the Eagles as well. It took a trick play to get the early touchdown. They had

eight first downs in their first eight drives. I think their offensive line has been a problem all year. So it's just a team that's changing. But I've I've learned, you know, I'm not on Seahawks corner, and I've learned, you know, stop stop looking for logic. I feel like Russ, Russ and petn't about that logic. You just have faith in what they do. And if you if you have faith in belief, d v O A d g A.

F uh. Yeah. I thought, for the first time maybe in his career, I thought Rashad Penny showed that he deserved more carries. He had legitimate juice in the in last week's game, and Carson had more fumbling problems. They have sixteen takeaways in the last six games to the Seahawks defense. And we saw that against the Niners. We've seen you know, they they made it real rough on the Eagles last week in bad weather again, but they're to have the defense start to you know, climb up

this way is a game changer. I I still think they can win this division, and I said yesterday I do think they will win it. Well, they could be in first place. There have a chance to get in first place going into it. Well know, the Vikings are a weird team to me because they're kind of like Kirk Cousins as a team. They're really good in every area, but nothing about them is great. Like they're they're a pretty good run defense, pretty good past defense, pretty he is,

but they're running game overall is it's it's up. It's a little up and down. They've been. They've been shut down. I guess that's fair. But they're they're very balanced, but not not like since stational on anything that I picked against the Seahawks originally on my picks, and then I realized, like why do I keep doing this? I'm going I'm fighting and get it right. At some point, I fighting against the gods and and then I flipped it at the last second. Now here at the Seahawks corner. We

we appreciate that. Wait, you're on it too. What I thought? Dan invited me in to take the spot and jumped and he quit Seahawks corner right. I knew that, Yeah, I didn't know that you were like the one standing on the corner waving people in for the bit saky is he doesn't actually care. I've been there before. Jadeveon Clowney came to town. I said, Greg, I know you're looking at this in August and you're seeing a team that's not that good. They always figure it out, and

I will take your spot. You're right, And then I gave Gregg the opportunity to come join me. But Greg's like, no, I I like what I like? So I said, do you want Mark to take Greg's room and board and then mark him I stay corrected, apology, I made my You know, I decided forty Niners rams you know it's not it's not looking good. I reversed the order there, Greg, I just meant that I was thinking more of the

Monday night game. The forty Niners team was the kind of the one that I'm I'm believing in long term. But although I'm still trying to make sense of that Russell Wilson miss of Jacob Hollister. That was like in Pleasantville when Paul Walker gets told that she won't go out with him, and then nobody can make a shot in the gym anymore. Like it was baffling. I've never seen Russell Wilson, well, who knows what happened, so robotically

beautiful with everything he does on the football. I think it was because he rare motally planning to run that touchdown in and he could have, and then he saw how open Hollister was, and then in that moment he just it was like too easy. It was too easy to throw and he just like it made me seems like the last second decision that went wrong kind of thing. Yet that was also a wind tunnel. It was a terrible throw. I mean, he made a lot of great throws in that game that made me question the world.

I was like, wait, WHOA, what's going I mean, I've seen quarterbacks on on Cleveland that that's there were sort of there line that's how they throw most throws. So you had Russell Wilson, then guy Josh Shaw started a game or something. Now for the probably I don't remember him, a cornerback safety. All right, that's it. We'll be back tomorrow. No,

tomorrow's Thanksgiving. That's nice. Celebrate it with your family. Listen to the podcast first, or if you have a family dynamic that's unhealthy, are toxic in some way, get your earbuds, your headphones and put them in your ears when you're sitting at the table, and just eat the food, which will probably be what you came for anyway, along to my story where I'll be putting on stories about my

smoked turkey. Look at that. There you go. We've got your whole day planned out, and then Friday come back for. Then we'll get that up pretty early in the morning on Friday. So come back for the Friday recap of the Thursday games. All right, that's it. Stand hands and signing off for a quiet during the mail man the old Boss Rick Hollywood behind the glass. Happy Thanksgiving everybody still Friday m