2019 Week 4 Preview

with us for all six seasons. Thank you awesome and uh, I'm still trying to tweet out the fact that this show is currently live on YouTube and I failed. I can't do it, can't get it going. That ship is sailed. The ship is sailed. Guess what. Guess guess what big announcement to make? Holding in my hand, everybody knows we're going to London and about a week and a half I have the information on the live show you all

knew was coming. Another live show, and unlike last year, we will not be putting the tickets on sale in the middle of the night like total idiots. I thought it was savvy. It really rewarded the most hardcore fans. The Underground Fan Club presents Around the NFL Live in London Friday, October eleven at the Curtain in Shortitch, London.

Same venue as last year, bigger room though, how about that Doors open at seven fifteen, show begins at eight and then afterwards because it's a bigger space and there's there's a bar to get loose, we'll stay there till midnight with everybody else and have a good time altogether. Tickets on sale Tuesday, the first of October seven pm GMT, two pm Eastern eleven am Pacific. So you have Headshire,

do you get the tickets? My notes don't tell me that outching seems curushaw crushal, just like you type in hey, it seems impart So stay plugged in on social media for the actual link where to get the tickets. They will go quickly, so make sure you're on top of this. But yes, under Underground Fan Club presents the Round of

the NFL podcast Live in London. Big announcement. I like the Curtain Club actually, you know, after last year's crammed in room, rebuilding an entirely different space for us this time renovation it's appropriate. Yeah, very good. So we're looking forward to that. Obviously. We're very excited to head back overseas. UM, so please join us, uh and we'll have a pint together or three or four? All right, this is the

week four preview show. Can you believe it? Week four already, and we are going to go through each of the week war games, with the exception of Thursday Night Football. We preview that on Tuesday's show and UM in the mini pod that will follow later tonight hopefully. You know, there's some technical concerns. Greg is very nervous. It's gonna be Wes and Greg handling. I'm not nervous to have Eagles Packers game. If it's responsibility, if it doesn't show

up in your file. Just know that West got confused and then Greg washed his hands of it. The process not in that order. Oh, Greg's already washed. The process seems to require nothing beyond common sense. You're right, You're absolutely right. I think we can handle it, Greg, Greg. I don't know West. You know like West. When I think West, I don't think technological savvy right off the top, that's fair. Go in with that chip on your shoulder. West, I don't like you being you know, a presumed to

not be technically oriented sling. I survive in the world of two thousand nineteen, so it must be okay when it comes to you. Also, gotta have wife is a very smart world. She's like borderline millennial. I'm fine. Spice Wreck might be there. He obviously could help out if needed. I was keeping the party a little slimmer this time. Um, yes, so you'll get that. We have Let's figure out who

we're talking about today. Thirty two teams, two teams on by two teams that already talked about teams divide by two fourteen games to talk got there? Got there? Everyone? Everyone thinks I don't. I'm not going to get there. I always get there. Might be a couple of wrong turns, but I always get to the destination. I'm concerning myself because I was about to tell you that it was twenty six teams and you were incorrect. That whole little

you know part of the show. That's the one part of the show I approve of people listening to at double speed. You know, otherwise listen to us normally, but if you want to speed it up for that, that's an authentic moment in the show, and authentic moments are always welcome. Um. Yeah, So we're gonna go through all the games. We'll do it draft style, uh snake style. We're gonna work out the kinks. I you know, as the host of the show, bad job by me by

messing up the draft order. But if some people picked up on last week and and put out there on Twitter, well we have the guys that built road a world brick by brick, guys have been involved with a trillion fantasy drafts. Could have could have been the whistleblower here. We all should be more aware of this. Whistle blower culture is hot right now. And all right, who has the first day? All right, west will have the first pick.

I will say, I will tell you the order. I just don't trust you at this point, Wes Mark, Greg Dan, that is the order. So with the first overall pick, the first game that we're gonna talk today about, Chris Westling selects. Sorry, Greg the this this has a lot going for it. It's the Romo game. If Romo does not qualify for the Safe Way Open this Sunday, in which case CBS has Boomer a siasin. If he doesn't make the cut, he's playing in the tournament. He's supposed

to be a long shot that he makes the cut. Tony, can we grow up a little bit here? Boomer? And this apparently I was reading in Andrew marshawn article on the New York Post, And if this goes well for Boomer, again a long shot that he gets the chance. But there's a chance that Romo could leave CBS after the year. He's going to be a free agent and ESPN or

NBC or somebody could break the bank for Romo. He wants to, you know, I don't know if he wants to be the highest paid broadcaster ever, but he's going to be. As we tape right now, he is even through twelve holes in the first round, but that that puts him seven shots back already. Let's we like talking about this, So before we get into the game, Tony Romo goes free agent. CBS offers obviously the a f C and he's got the best game every week, and

he's got the best playoff games. He's got the Patriots, the Chiefs. Where would he go? He's he's blocked at NBC. There's both Al Michael's and well, actually it's called Guy Colin's worth Monday Night Football is not the premium spot it once was. It's better games to say. On Sunday, NBC opens up the vault, they bring in Romo and they pair him with Mike Tariko for the pregame show of Sunday Night Football. That's how I would handle. There's also a stream. I mean, that's what they're doing with

just Letten. You take the pre eminent color analysts and pair him with Tariko to get those game picks out before the game. That's a lot amos an ex player. He knows he's got used, got his pick, Liam MQ. He's gotta you know, Romo has gotta play this negotiation out. If he wants to get the most money, He's gonna get the most money regardless. Just stay at CBS would

be my advice to him. You're gonna get paid a ton of money and have you know, the best game every week and being an institution forty years if you want it. I don't know if you wanted this information, but I believe John Madden's eight million dollars per year contract was the highest ever for I call he'll beat that, all right, what you guys, You guys are a little crazy with this, like Romo, game is the game I

want to do first. Most of us, when I say most of us people of fall football, have no idea what game he's assigned to. So what game are you talking about? Well, this has another thing going forward to. It's also a four o'clock game. So I get to check a couple of boxes. It's the Minnesota Vikings at the Chicago Bears grass field in the Midwest. That that's checking another box. Big piece of steak and watching football. Yeah, you know, two yard runs on second and twelve be great.

I got a text from my bartender friend Paul, who you've met Mark, and the text was basically a Mark Sessler fever dream. Okay, if Andy Dalton quarterback the Bears, they'd be the NFC favorites. So he's that down on on Mitchell Trobinsky, As are you. I am. I don't know if I'd go Andy Dalton, but yeah, I the I this. I'm kind of surprised despite Tony Romo, this is the game that you're fascinated to see based on ne offenses. To me, that feel stuck in a different

era of football. But that explained. It's outdoor football in the Midwest in the fall. It doesn't get any better than that. I'll take it in a stadium with a lot of history and two teams that are probably going to the playoffs. In my mind, it's also, you know, it's scoring will be at a premium, you would assume, but if you like watching defense, it should be fun to watch. And it's two coordinators that are probably gonna make the opposing quarterbook look quarterback look bad. I think

we know who Kirk Cousins is, though. These are two teams almost trying to hide their quarterback on some level, and Kirk Cousins is fine. Rabinsky is a tougher guy to put your finger on what he's gonna do week to week, and I see him as more likely to implode, especially because the Vikings now have that pass rush duo and Everson Griffin and Daniel Hunter again that they had

a few years ago. Everson Griffin, who was had a really down year last year, also missed some time because of off off the field issues, um with his mental illness. He's playing out standing. So now you have those two guys against the Bears line that I don't think is quite as good as maybe people people think they are, and I think that's trouble for Drabinsky. Yeah. I think Kyle Long in particular has got off to the worst

start of his career injuries. Yeah, I think that Mr Drobisky is gonna be okay in his building in a game like this on the road against the contender. I will never feel comfortable I think about Drabinsky at this stage right now, but I could see him building on Monday night a little bit. And Cousins the quarterbacks are fascinating in this game because this is another test for Cousins. The last time we had a huge division challenge for him, he could not have shrunk more against the Packers and

cost him that game. Uh, Kirk Cousins cost him that game. Um, he gets another chance here in a high profile spot in a late game in Week four. One thing I love about this game in this in this Bears team, because I would have predicted this to go totally south. Chuck Pagano taking over Vic Fonio's defense. That felt to me like the kind of job you don't want to take because someone has totally maximized and done the best thing you could have done with Chicago's defense. It's obviously

gonna be worse. So we talked all offseason all these variables, the turnovers, the pick six is the funnel. It's not gonna happen again. Well it is happening again, and it makes me also feel like Vick Fonio also has people to look at Vick fon Jo and say, you're getting Chuck Paganod here. He's coming in and doing what you couldn't do. And now you're in Denver and you have a sack. You did it, but you went to Denver and you can't even do. But I'm happy for Chuck mcgonnalugh.

I think they'll they'll probably dominate this game. I don't think they've been as good this year overall, certainly in the Denver game, but they their talent is just overwhelming. The difference is Cousins also has more support. I mean, Trabisky doesn't have digs and theeling on the outside. And more importantly, he doesn't have Dalvin Cook, who is making that sandwich prop I put up of him, you know, beating all the other big name running back. The yard

from scrimmage look pretty good right now. He is the NFL leader in yards from scrimmage. He is the NFL leader in yards per carry, in rushing yards, and when they bring an out Alexander Madison for seven or eight carries a game, look, he looks like a baller too. Sorry. I think cousins job is ultimately a little easier in this game. But there's pressure on the Bears because wasn't it Matt Neegy was meant to come in and take whoever is in the soup and turn that offense into

something watchable and totally fun. In the front office went crazy to take Trabinsky where they did in the draft, ahead of Deshaun Watson, ahead of Patrick Mahomes. And I see a team with a lot of pressure building if they if they get dropped in their own building. Here and Robinsky struggles on your Dalvin Cook point, this is his team now, that's his offense is even though Kirk Cousins through for yards last year and you have those stars,

Cook is the engine. And it even plays out and extends to their pregame introductions effective last week, Dalvin Cook is now the last guy introduced, not like Michael Gordon's. Wow. Well you hear the way they talk about him. Feeling says that every game we were winning because of Dalvin Cook. Well, they are they are really ruddy in nineties offense. They are under center eight percent of the time. The next closest team is something around six, and so they're they

don't they're not in shotgun. The Bears are trying to play two thousand nineteen offense. I just don't know if they have you know, the quarterbacks for it. Um, all right, let's pick this game, by the way, because this is I'm Vikings. I am too the Vikings. I think the Vikings are one of those home road teams, and I think they're gonna go undefeated at home, but I think they're totally different on the road. I'm picking the Bears. I am gonna go against what I normally feel about

the Bears. I think they're gonna win eighteen to sixteen at home. There a defense is going to score eighteen points. The second overall pick goes to Mark Sessler. Um, I'm gonna also take one of these four o'clock games because it is a large chunk of time in the afternoon, and by the time we get back to me, they'll all be gone. But it's not just simply that kind of like, well, it's little shaking the first couple of weeks.

Now you're here, you see the one thing that the one area that you're completely wrong on is there were three late game in the first week. I had no assignment. I roamed the building. I went home for forty five minutes. You're completely wrong in terms of strategy, and my drafts have been pristine. Jacksonville at Denver, I'm taking it. I had not. Well, you can you can say what you want. There are two things happening here that I like. Jacksonville

Denver number two overall pick Well. I'm not a huge fan of the Tampa Bay Blake Bords or the Bears. Took Mitchell Trobiski about that, but I'm gonna say that I'm excited about Gardner Minshew going continuing what's he what he's done with an offense that a lot has changed since compared to what we thought would happen here. A lot has changed already against the Denver defense just mentioned with Vick Fongio, no sacks, they're not doing what everyone

would have thought capably. That would have been no issue with Bradley Chubb, with your with the entire defense you have there, I thought Bradley chub was going to be off to a Miles Garrett like defensive player of the Year type thing. Nothing is happening there on that defense. In the offense, I know, Greg, you point out how many how manny, how much yardage they're piling up there to me and not an exciting offense to watch it all. But Gardner Minshew and we all, it feels like a

long time against that Titans team. This Jaguars team lost Nick Foles down on the quarterback position. Up goes Gardner Minshew. I thought that they were gonna go through a lightened up tougher Leonard four Nette. He to me is entirely down, outside of one run last week that completely changed a box score that would fool you if he went and looked at it afterwards. He was an absolute disaster against

the Titans. DDI Westbrook is hurting the team with drops, had a killer drop in the end zone and hurting Gardner Minshew, whose line every week would look a lot better if he did what he could do. But DJ Shark, I think is someone that has already shown a ton of chemistry with Minshew. I think they can go in and beat the Broncos. I think it's gonna happen. And if it does, the Jaguars sitting at two and two doing something no one would have thought once Nick Foles

went down, that would be the more interesting result. I feel like this is as tough a game I thought there was on the schedule to pick, uh when I picked the games on NFL like I took the Broncos though, because I just feel like they not that they deserve a win, but that they're a little better than the record. And here's a very lukewarm take. Joe Flacco hasn't been terrible as much as you know. He's made a couple of big mistakes, but he's not their biggest problem there.

Tackles are the right now the worst tackles situation in the league, and so you don't want Joe Flacco back there behind it. But there's a reason to me that he's ranked ninth right now in QBR and he's fourteenth or fifteen in PF. He's just fine. He's not helping them in any way. I feel like I'm an ELI defender right now. They just have other big problems the team. He's not helping them in any way. No, he's not.

He's a mid level. He's the starting quarterback between the twenties. Yeah, they are number one in the NFL and plays per drive number three, in time of possession for drive number seven, in yards per drive number thirteen, and drive success rate. They are moving the ball to the red zone and then running into a brick. That's what happens when we have no big play. They have no big plays. They should have more. Courtland Sun is kind of having that

breakout year. The running game looks awesome last week. I do think there are some underlying parts of this team that just aren't that bad, especially without Jalen Ramsey, who we haven't mentioned is expected to miss the game with for the birth of the daughter. They're the stranger. So in three team, I can remember all those offensive numbers I just said, but they're also number twenty nine and

average starting field position. Because their defense, which has stars on it, is the first defense is since the SACS statistic came official to have zero sax and zero turnovers in three straights. The defense is the bigger problem is It's kind of my point, Well, I see what you're saying, and West has the numbers to back it up. But watching them, Joe Flacco offense. It's hard work. He's not going down. He's also played the Bears and the Packers and weeks. That's a tough skin. And now he's got

the Jacks, which isn't much easier. It's hard work. I don't I don't expect them to turn turn into a totally different offense with a week or defense and the Jacks is a tough challenge even without Jalen Ramsey. I just don't. I don't think he's the answer, just like Eli mcmanning wasn't the answers not New York. But they

don't have anybody to turn to right now. They just feel more like a six and ten team than a than a three and and you're gonna get those six wins sometimes in home games against teams like the jack there's a time sometimes when you want to just like pretend it's one and look back on the Broncos, so look back on the fill in the blank team and be like, we could spend all week long, you know, spinning the numbers and telling you why they're effected between

the twenties. But it was a botched operation to think And maybe I'll be wrong, but the roncept of Joe Flacco taking on the Broncos. There, ow and three. I think they're gonna finish about five and eleven, six and ten, and they're gonna move on very quickly. Yeah, I get Flacco. To me, isn't the problem though, It's not drafting a quarterback higher, or it's Drew Lock, or it's their tackles, like they needed to have a real quarterback to build around.

By the way, Jalen Ramsey, our prayers are answered, it looks like he's looks like he's better. It looks like the illness us that had gripped him and dropped him to his knees has moved on. Now he's got the back injury comes in, and the and the hamstrings, his body shutting down. Well, all that stuff is in the background, and now he's got a baby coming with you, sister. Given credit, he covers his bases, his deniability skyrocket and

from flu to back stiffness to having a baby. It's so true because flew obvious bs and nobody took it seriously. Doug Brown literally laughed at a press conference when asked about it. Back injury overly suspicious because it's the one injury a player can say he's dealing with that. They can't diagnose. It's the diagnosing back injuries is very difficult. So but it's still it didn't pass the smell test. Now baby on the way, Who can say anything about that?

You're not allowed to What do you mean I didn't say anything. He's saying you cannot say anything. You could call obvious bs And he's a selfish player to me on back injury, um having vomit issues or whatever. He was dealing with the baby thing. Now he's he's found away. Clear Now how long does he get to stay away? There are people in this building for paternity leave that disappear for like six weeks and they use every day. The NFL will allow. Will Jalen Ramsey go this route?

I mean, the whole thing is not a good look. And I don't care what anybody says. You talk about guys you want in your locker room, guys you want as leaders. Jalen Ramsey's an amazing player. This is not This has been an ugly, ugly show. I don't that's I know, Greg, you totally disagree with me. I just don't think it's a new found and it's different. The part that I disagree with is that this is some new found phenomenon with players now Mike Dicka begged to be,

you know, traded from his team. I can name five Patriots who have forced their way out with big time fights and contracts. Half of them Santy Samuel Richard Seymour. It's like this happens, this has been happening throughout NFL history. Did they stop practicing when that happened? They quit in

the middle of the so, but that doesn't make this. No, it's like you're saying it's not I'm not history, but it's tedious if you're a fan of the team, or if you're trying to run a defense and your players not practicing, or if it's your teammate and he's the best player on your team. Well, we'll continue this in the Melvin Gordon discussion when we get to the charges. All right, let's move on with the number three overall pick.

It's the first time all year I've been nervous while other people were predicting picking game because I really wanted the Pats bills early and so I'm gonna take that. Uh, this will be the first game I got to watch the Patriots live all year and it's a really great way to test this defense. Thank you, thank you, you know too. Three and no teams that I think needs to be tested the Patriots defense. We've only given up six points this year. They've they've scored twelve. Everyone to

point out they haven't played anyone. I don't care. That's still impressive. I mean, you're you're you're playing NFL teams and looting the Steelers. It goes back to the Super Bowl, and it's just the way they're doing it. They're playing nineteen guys over fifteen twenty snaps a week. I I kind of think that's been slept on. It's almost it's unpreced I mean, Michael Bennett is making noise when he's

out there. He's playing twenty snaps a week. We got John Simon out there making noise playing twenty like their their depth is is wild. It reminds me of like a supercharged version of what the Eagles did a few years ago. I wonder if they're so rested now that it's a tougher game, maybe they start whittling that group down when they need it. But I don't know if they will need it this Sunday because they're playing a guy and Josh Allen, who I think also needs to

be tested. I think he's gotten a way too much credit um for beating three really bad defenses and in those games accounting for five total touchdowns with seven combined interceptions and fumbles, and having a lot of bad places. I mean he makes a good places too. He's kind of fun to watch, not saying that he's not entertaining that he's not a little better, but I want to

see it against a really good defense. Like I mean, he had a terrible turnover against the Bengals, but what I think he's done is he's progressed from last year and that was the first thing they wanted to see. I think he's the right quarter a little bit though. I think that that's where I want to see him. Like his his short throws, he has no touch on him.

He he throws it a hundred miles an hour, six ft six yards away, and I don't know, I don't know if you coach that or who knows how long he'll be there, But I honestly think he's he's he's an okay fit for them right now, and they found the right people around him with Cole Beasley and John Brown. I don't like their matchup for their offense. I mean any team's offense against the Patriots defense, but they particularly don't feel like they were they're set to go off.

They they should have scored more points in all these other games. They are not an explosive attack. They they're playing the right teams while he develops until now. This is this is the litmus test. But I do think the one area where it's obvious that they're much improved is the three announced are gone. That's fair. They're a very chaotic offense because of the style of play he has, which to me is very entertaining, but the three announces

are out of their lives. I think it's a big test too for the Patriots offense, who I think also maybe gotten a little too much credit when their offensive line is clearly struggling, especially in the running game. Shack Mason, who's kind of there, you know, benchmark there, has probably had the worst three game stretch of his career. Plus they've had big time injuries there. Josh Gordon and Tom

Brady aren't really in SAT. Gordon makes highlight real plays, but that's been a little up and down in this is just a much, much tougher test against a really good beat. I never thought i'd say this in teen, but they lost their fullback James Devlin, who I r. I think that matters for that. That's one team where that matters. That wipes out one of their formations they use. Well, that just played Jacob Johnson instead of Devlin, right maybe

last year. Yeah, part of me doesn't mind it, just because you know, devil and has had a terrible start of the year and whenever they've run that package with Michelle, they're not doing very well. And now I think you put Philip door Set on the field more often, maybe put Jacobi Meyers on the field more often, and that to is the way to go. The Dorset is really playing. This could be a Dorset a breakout here for Dorset.

Tom Brady thirty and three against the Bills. Now that doesn't mean anything on Sunday, but that's pretty incredible, just that number in a vacuum. I think it's one of the It's one of those stats where I would say it always means something against the Bills because he and the same coach and a lot of the same people have gone and done this and thumped Buffalo over and over. He has more wins in Buffalo Stadium than any Bills quarterback. Mc dermott hasn't tacked him off yet, which I think

is significant. And it's another ex Patriots coach, Brian Dable calling the plays for the Bill's offense. So it's like every week it seems like they're playing. They played him tough on money and I football, lst, you're very tough. Do you know how to get in Tom Brady's head? Uh? Pass rush up the middle, up the middle, make him uncomfortable, get him moving, get him Hey, you blitz him so much,

he'll pick you apart. But if you can manufacture something in the front flour, especially right in the middle, right up in his face mask, really cracked the coat here, Dom don't like that. Yeah, for that exact reason. He's the only nephew. Who who are we doing here, Carl frances So going back to Week sixteen of last year, I can't hold all of these great Patriots teams in my memory, but they are eight and oh with an average score of thirty two to twelve and have a

plus twenty sec differential. I think this is up there with the two thousand seven Patriots is the best stretch they've ever had. As as we're talking about I didn't even consider this, but I'm gonna lock this game up in the Battle of three, and I forgot about Locks. Nice to pick the Patriots for once. I would think at a certain point, you remember Locks. It's been years. No, no, I remembered it. I was just thinking another game. But as we're talking about it, sometimes the spirit moved literally

loud to lock up the Patriots. About locking them up. I've never locked him up in my life. I can't look at me, I can't look at the mirror, and I come, well, I've been known to switch mine, but I didn't realize we're allowed locked the Patriots up. I mean all all I've heard in the last three weeks, including from me, is how competitive the Bills are. And they are and it's on the road. I mean, it doesn't matter what we say. We don't have to look. I mean, this game needs to look in the mirror.

You live with myself all weekend. We're talking up a guy. It's thirty and three. We have a little rule. It's basically, if it's predicted to be a one possession game. That's the rule I play by because I think you need to have rules in life. If it's picked to be a one possession game or not, then it's okay if I you know, if I know, they don't bother me about the lad here, do they just know you're the good thing about going by that rule less is you don't have to look in the mirror. I know. He

just hey, I got a rule. It's all right, all right, so Greg locks up the Pats. I I have a terrible suspicion this is gonna be a huge letdown game, and it's gonna be thirty six to six Patriots, but it would be a lot of fun. There hasn't been a huge home game in Western New York in a long time. This will be that's gonna be. Don't even feel that confident about it, even though, okay, well that's a nice spin, all right, uh it is. I have

the next two picks. Um, while you guys get like super excited about who's in the broadcast booth or whether the game is played on grass or under a roof. If I have a chance to take Patrick Mahomes right now, I'm taking Patrick Mahomes and I'm watching him. I'm spending part of my Sunday watching Patrick Mahomes playing quarterback. So I'm gonna take the UH. Although it's a technicality because you know, we all know who the Lions are, even

if their fans don't know it yet. This is two undefeated teams, the three in Kansas City Chiefs at the Detroit Lions, who of course are to zero and one the game at Ford Field. There's been a lot of buzz brewing um Mark the last few days of people getting really excited that Patrick Mahomes, as incredible as he is as as a the superpower of all superpowers at the quarterback position right now, has never played a game in a dome, and the idea that that will somehow

unlock even more furious terror in his game. I'm I I don't know if I buy that. In fact, I don't buy that, but I'm just it's gonna be fun I get to watch it. I guess you could well. I think you've you've picked an exciting event to UH to track. I mean, he's on pace to throw first sixty yards, so I don't know what it means when we unlock Patrick Mahomes at this point it becomes something

gay sort of human achievement. And we talk about, you know, the Bears and the Vikings are offenses from the nineties, and we're kind of like bagging on them when we say that. But when I watched the Chiefs, and I, you know, initially on Sundays, it's through highlight packages because I haven't covered them, and you're watching all they do and like in a flurry of movements in three or

four minutes. It reminds me of those eighty nine Niners team, like the team, like the ninety four Niners, that just team the growing up on the East Coast, you never would watch them. They would just be they'd be something you just get high lights up. And it was NonStop aerial assault and destroying people doing things that no other team was doing. With the coaching staff that was doing stuff that no one else was doing, and a Joe Montane Tanna figure who was doing things now other quarterback

was doing thirty something years later. Bang Patrick Mahomes doing it all over again. They're dropping a hammer. It's a traveling show. They're gonna go into Detroit and do it again. I always feel bad for like Jeff Greenholtz in our research department because Patrick Mahomes maked him. He just makes them waste more ink every week. It charges up the record books, every single keeps busy. Yeah. So my thoughts

on this game a little dig on the Lions. Lions fans have been coming after me pretty hard on the power rankings because I won't give them what they think they deserve, which is a top ten ranking. But I will give them credit. You know, they closed out these last two games. They got some help. Uh, they caught I believe the Eagles at the exact perfect time where they are injury wise. Uh. And the Chargers kind of chargers. They charged that game. Um. But the Lines deserve credit

for finding a way to win those two games. UM. So I just think this as all the recipe of the by coming up from Detroit of a come down to Earth game. And Matt Matthew Stafford is playing very well right now. And and I think, um that the idea that they're at home, maybe they keep things frisky, but I just don't think they have the firepower to keep up with the Chiefs. I don't think anybody does,

and I certainly don't think the Lions do. I think they're in the stage of their rebuilding where their starters are pretty good. They're good enough to hang in games and not be embarrassed. But if if they get injuries and a few key positions, they're done because they have no depth whatsoever. Well, they could be like they were a few years back when they made the playoffs with Caldwell. With a little breaks, I think they could be a team that wins ten games. Sure that team had in

Dominican Sue and Calvin Johnson in their primes. This this has a team that's that's fair. They're not as talented defensively, but I think the team defense and Patricia's ability to game plan shut down Zach Ertz, we could go Justin Coleman right now might be the best slot cornerback in the league. Darius Slay is playing really well. The defensive line gives them an identity. It's not superstars, but Trey Flowers is getting like a little better each week. Ashan

Robinson's good gas is there. It's they have players, and I could just see them being a little better than the some of their parts. And and if they can win the a lot of times, that sixth way wild card spot comes down to who wins close games, you know, who goes five and two and one score game, mean Slade, I hope he's available. He's he's been limited and he's been hamstring entry would be Mike Daniels may not be

in there. But then I flip over to the Chiefs and they don't have Tyreek Hill and we talked about it. You know, since he's been gone, they don't really miss him. They keep filling in the blank with new playmakers. And it's not just stopping Travis Kelsey and the Chiefs. It's now Nicole Hardman, It's it's it's multiple Mason. Andy Reid told the Beard and the Birds in the Making Andy Reid in September is a phenomenon. It's like you could have you bought a down payment on a house in

l A betting on Andy Read in September. The last four with Alex Smith, this is totally different. They come out and they just they just they just have an advantage where the league hasn't caught up to whatever they're doing yet. A lot of intensity in the studio right now, Hey, this is what we need if you're a Lions fan. In the next three weeks, Chiefs at Green Bay Vikings win one of those games. It's not gonna be easy,

but find a way to those they will. They're not they're not They're not the old Lions in the sense that they're going to totally collapse. All right, Well that's that's three quarters of the least. Well, I'm just saying they have no depth. Five picks up. Can we get riggy next week? Effective next week? And nice like a snake sound effect when we snake? Yeah, that sounds kind of gross. You really want that little like something first four a in two grotesque sounds clips. You can just

do it for today down that'll be great. Alright, So, yes, I took an early game. Now, strategy wise, I feel somewhat confident, Um that you guys both having we have two people that have picked late games. I don't want to get left out in the cold here, so I'm gonna stick Greg with the all early slate and grab Tampa Bay at l a rams a late game. And I, um, I'm really into this game actually, so it kind of

works out. Um. One takeaway I had from watching The Bucks Giants and you know, Danny Dines stole that show with good reason. Um, but jamis Winston was really fun in that game. And you know, you know, I don't think it's an even a discussion anymore. Jameis Winston against Marcus Mariota. I think James playing the worst dens in the NFL. And you're, hey, you have some grand takeaway from it. My grand takeaway is that he pushes the

ball down field. He's he's not boring his l and uh and he is a much more dynamic downfield thrower than your boy Mariota. Everybody's a more welcome welcome to Davis Winston Island at this point. Now I've got some stuff for him later. Now, Winston, yes, he's very much still a question mark in the in the organization. I'm just saying yes. And you made the good points that generics Jenkins got absolutely torched by Mike Evans in this game last week. But this is that was a good

game for Winston to to build on. And if Matt Gay doesn't blow that game, that forty four yard reception at the end of regulation would have been a massive building block for the Bucks. So I kind of I'm interested to see how they follow that game. Now they got to travel and play the Rams, who are the Rams, and they're a good defensive. If Winston reverts back to a turnover machine and a guy that doesn't move the ball consistently, Um, you'll look good, West, I'll look bad.

But I'm gonna say that maybe for a few years. Maybe we we talked about on this show last week, Um, you know what's going on. Bruce Arians came out of came out of retirement to watch Todd Bowles get all the shine on the sideline. Well, nice little building block last week. Let's see what they do against the Rams. I'm more I'm also worried. Not worried, but how good

is this Bucks defense gonna be? Week after week? We've kind of seen teams use, uh, the Bears model from a year ago to help slow down that Rams offense. The Patriots used it where you have kind of six guys on the line of scrimmage, you have a safety you know on these crossers trying to shut those down. You're trying to shut down the outside zone. And it's been pretty effective. You know. Sean mcveigh's tried to adjust

and they've had incremental improvement. But all the talk of how the Rams don't look the same in the Rams and look at well, that's true about the offense and the special teams. Their defense is two better their fourth right now in defensive efficiency. Wade Phillips adds, you know Eric Weddle and Clay Matthews, and this defense is is pretty wild. It was a lot of out there all in rams last year, which I thought was phony. They are kind of all in on their defense right now.

Here are the free agents on their team next year, Michael Brocker's keep to leave, Marcus Peters, Dante Fowler, and then you know, Weddll and Matthews are on these deals where they may be here or not. I mean that that this is a veteran, grown man team. I think they're ready to just win some games for the some of those guys I wouldn't I don't mind moving on from and finding younger pieces to fit in. But looking what Aaron Donald did last week to Cleveland, and he's

and and and Winston is not the same guy. And we've seen then this throughout when you're suddenly putting heavy pressure on him and he's forced to make Jamis Winston type decisions, and I would love to see how he survives this matchup with with with Aaron Donald coming at him, and I guess from Dan the litmus test when it comes to Jamis Winston. It's fine to say and I you know, he's having a game here there on someone

else's team. If I were a fan of a team and he were my quarterback, I would not be signing up for that at all. Based on the body of work, I'd want him out. The Rams defense, I think is right there behind the forty Niners and Packards for most improved in the entire league. And their offense. We spent Tuesday asking when case Keenan was gonna be replaced. We spent the early portion of this show wondering when Joe Flacco is gonna be replaced. Both of those quarterbacks have

a higher drive success rate this year than the Rams offense. Well, well, you're gonna take it the step further. When are we gonna see Blake Bortles replaced? But I guess not. What is this is a big game for well, two more players I'm looking to see in this game. Shaq Barrett. He's got eight sacks going at how many sacks had less two weeks? Seven seven sacks. Well, let's see what he does against the Rams O line. That's been a

little up and down. And uh, the other thing Todd Gurley, you know again Sean McVeigh this week is addressing his workload, whether he's on a on a pitch count or whatever. He denies it all. Gurley has not been had a big Todd Gurley week yet this season. And this comes on the heels of an off season or we wondered

if Todd a he was gone forever. If he doesn't do anything against his Bucks defense at home and what seems like a good spot, I'm gonna start wondering if if this is just what it is now he he doesn't seem that he's special enough at this moment to overcome the situation around him, which isn't good. Their offensive line has been pretty bad. I think Andrew Whitworth starts of the year might be the number one concerned deep in the hearts of Ram's headquarters, because this is one

of the best left tackles in the league. Who's what thirty nine or forty and he's getting beaten week after week. Now. He's played some good opponents, but that it's just surprising to see. I'd be stunned at the Rams fall in this game. They've been on the road twice and been really resilient in tough games, and they've got Wade Phillips and I when when it comes to Shack Barrett, I love these early season explosions from players because I would almost put a sandwich on it that he ends up

with nine sacks. He has eight right now and he finishes the year with nine because that I'm not it's not an anti Shack, but it's not an anti Shack Barrett take. It's just that that stuff happens in the NFL all the time, where there was these little explosions, and it's a little anti Shack Barrett. He's the he's he's the person in the slot. I'm talking about it.

Just this stuff happens. And you know, I always check Barrett, by the way, in the Super Bowl that we went to, had a great game as the third guy behind the Marcus ware and on Miller, and here he is now five years later being a star. Mark. I'm conceding our gardner minshow Josh Debs, Josh Dobbs sandwich, I need to

make up some ground. Let's make it ten sacks. What was the context of gardeners Josh Dobbs would start at least more fools comes back, not because of an injury, and I'm waving the white flag on that, okay, but I went in on Shack Barrett and I'll give you ten, not nine like legitimately not Shaq Barrett related. It's just that early season stat explosions that everyone clean. No, you're not going to get in on it at all. I'll try that. One last thing. Hated the play calling by

the Bucks at the end of that game. They should have that game should have been sealed up. They got very conservative. Maybe that again goes back to they don't trust Jamis Win. You mean giving the field goal kicker a longer kick or just everything the leading up to that. And by the way, I hit a fifty two yard or in that game, it's worth stop letting McKay off the hook. He also missed an extra point another one, but he not only did he did uh did arians take the delay of game when they did the move

to to line it up. That was another negative two yards. They backed up seven. Yeah, I don't know why that anything, but missed. But they their last two possessions they went um three runs and out punt back to the Giants. Giants did nothing and then went uh eight yard run on first down, one yard run on third down, and then a really crappy tight end swing pass that went for nothing. You have Mike Evans who cannot be covered. Go win the ball game anyway. Let's move on, Greg,

You're up. I'm just gonna take Greg's up. I am, and I'm gonna take the last four o'clock gamer man, And even though no one else would, would probably take it just because I'm interested to watch this matchup of Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson. Kyler Murray has been up and down. You know their twenty nine right now in yards per play. It would look better last week if they had caught a couple of his nice deep throws. But this Cardinals team is still searching. They cut Michael

Crabtree this week. I'm really watching this game because Russell Wilson is balling out and he's fun to watch right now. He's kind of having that season reminds me a little bit of Ben Roethlisberger in the middle of his career, where his mental experience and command of the game now matches his athleticism, where his his physical prowess is at his peak. His mental side of it is at his peak. And if he was working for a different organization or a different coordinator, I mean he'd be an m v

P candidate. I mean, maybe he will be in the long run anyways, if he keeps up this space. But he he is playing lights out. I don't know how much that you're basing on the scene scheme, but I thought he did some amazing things in a game where they were down twenty seven to seven at one point. All three weeks, he's really looked great. Yeah, he's and you you described it really well where he's at in

his career. And I'm interested to see what happens with Chris Carson because he's I imagine Chris Carson on another team, imagine him on Bill Belichick's Patriots, where you've lost three fumbles, you've hurt the team every week. But he is a good player who Pete Carroll has shown faith in again this week. But it wasn't just the fumbles. Last week. He was terrible all around and looks slow and lead footed, And maybe it was the shoes in the rain because

he had no footing. He switched his cleats in the middle of that, he looked awful and the Saints. I thought the Saints beat him up. But this but Seattle to me, uh, they're They're so fun to watch no matter what's going on. I mean they to me. The one killer mistake they would have been in that game last week had they taken a time out before the past to dk metcalf right before the half where he catches like a fifty four yard or sets them up to take a shot at the end zone or kick

a field goal, and they don't. That was a weird Pete Carroll move that hurt them in the second half. And there's there. How many Seahawks games are there where you're having to score twenty one points in the fourth quarter to climb back in out of a slow start. They continue to start really slow. Russell Wilson is a bit of a feaster famine quarterback the way his style is, and the Seahawks are one of only four teams that have at least thirteen drives where they punted or turned

the ball over without picking up a first down. They have a lot of negative drives. The Cardinals are one of the other. A lot of it though, is because he's always in third and long because you know they're running on first and second down and they're running and they're run blocking his thirty. According to football outsiders, they've they've taken a big step back. You would think this

would be a get right game for their offense. But I thought Murray last was last week was the one game where he threw a couple terrible picks where he hurt them with with weird wayward passes. Not just the offense, not you know, living up to its height. It was a weird game because about three three and a half quarters in, I was thinking myself, they're making some progress here a little bit this, they're moving the ball, David

Johnson looks really good. And then the wheels came off hideously in the fourth quarter for the Cardinals and it was like, oh, they're kind of and they're using Kyler Murray to run a little bit last week, which was fun to see. And Russell Wilson's running a lot this year. I little matchup of under six foot quarterbacks. You know, I'm taking it short, guys, what up? I mean? I feel like every time I see him, he's not the same size as Greg and I at least not body

mass index. He's gonna be like three ft and there there are some like a helmet like running around tiny feet underneath. Like I I go to, you know, my daughter's elementary school, and there are some girls in that school that are like the Frosty san alright. Next up is Mark Seler. I mean, I'm gonna go Cleveland at Baltimore, which I you know, another year I would have just taken with my first pick, and I'm getting what would have been my first pick with the eighth pick here.

I thought about taking it. You don't think I would like why in that game, but I don't want to get this thing. That's the thing, that's that's the mind game. I played the alets that I thought no one would take the Browns game from me, and I was going to take Bills. New England didn't take you for you.

So we're operating in unison. I am going to drop Cleveland at some point here if they continue along the current trajectory, drop picking them like my Sunday watch and use you know, watch them in the middle of the nothing like a team that you support. I mean, there

have been arguments for that along the way. Weird, I guess it would I'm not about to do that as a fan, but I you know, and I would say, and I feel like I was suspicious dating through the entire summer, and I never bought into this media creation that they're going to soar into the super Bowl with a coach that's never coached the Super Bowl. I did that as a as a total. That's all I have.

I have said over and over that there were concerns, and it's played out entirely, and it's it's at this point when you say, what is it that's wrong with them? You could point to so many different things. It could be the experience of Freddie Kitchens. It could be an offense that I look at. I went back and watched two games from last year, one where they absolutely thumped the Falcons, and I don't see the same offense. They're not running the same place. They're not using their wide

receivers the same way. The wide receivers based on whether it's third and four or second and eight or third and eighteen or not running routes that make a lot of sense. Nick Chubb has I love this offense when it went through and funneled through Nick Chubb, and they they've gone. Although he played a ton of snaps against the Rams, that wasn't what was happening there. Baker Mayfield obviously is getting absolutely destroyed in the press for what

he's saying in press conferences and his field play. On the field, Yes, he looks very confused. I still believe him as a quarterback, but he is having a really rough start, and I think it's the offense around him. Steve Wilkes is doing a great job with the defense. That's gonna been completely lost in. What everyone talks about is a team that needs their defense to hold someone

else to twelve points to win a game. I I've watched Bad Brown's offenses before where you feel like they're stuck and they cannot get out of their own way. This feels that as much as any other that I can remember. Because of who's on the field. It's really depressing to watch. I can't believe I'm saying that compared to what we thought in the summer in the off season. But they're playing the right defense to get well. The

Ravens secondary. They gave up three fifty yards the Kyler Murray, who hasn't done anything versus any other defense, and they looked bad last week against Mahomes. Everybody looks bad against Mahomes. But they're injured a little bit in the secondary, They're not getting much pass rush and people are passing all over this defense. Yeah, I think they miss c J. Mosley and Tavon Young, who is their slot cornerback, both a lot because Jimmy Smith's been out. Teams are killing

them in the slot. I think it's what Anthony Everett, and then they they miss Moseley a lot that the middle linebacker. Teams are throwing all over them. And and I kind of want to see Earl Thomas get a little more comfortable here. He hasn't really made a difference. That was my big question that I wrote down for this game, just how much has the Ravens defense decline, Because I think it's it's fair to say it's declined.

They've lost some talent, but they've played teams at such opposite extremes with the Dolphins and the Cardinals and the Chiefs that I actually think this is a good test because I think if you are a pretty good defense, this Brown's offense is very stoppable. But I think it's a test on both sides that that actually it's not a bad matchup. On the subject of solidarity, it did cross my mind to lock up the Ravens in this game, but I don't want to go that route because we

sit next to each other market downstairs on Sundays. I mean, I locked up against the Browns last year. I know where you're coming from. Yeah, but it did cross my mind that it would make sense because I do. I love the Ravens at home in this game, and I think the Browns they could certainly I put them same level favorites as Patriots Bills. By the way, I well, I just brown looked at some stats a few minutes ago, and they it would not have been a lockable game

from what I saw. The Browns are a team that I absolutely can see getting it together at some point. Let's hope they do. Otherwise it's gonna be one of the bigger bus seasons of the decade. Um. I think they will put it together. I just don't think it's gonna be this week. I think it's a bad matchup and bad timing for them, and I I like the Ravens a lot in this game. Sometimes it's it's about who you play early in the season. And what they

show on film. And I think the coordinators, and this has been written about Steve and Ruiz did a good piece on for the win, have shown Babe. You've been disguising coverages for Baker Mayfield, showing them a lot of different looks than changing after a snap, and that's just worked. So all three teams have just kind of done that and he doesn't know what he's seeing. He's just not confident. I mean, he played his old d C. He played

Wade Phillips. Now I've got the Ravens coming in and I it's not been a good draw for the team you're playing this week for the Browns either. But Mayfield is another example that these quarterbacks are not going to be made in seven or eight games. There's Patrick Mahomes, but then there's like nine percent of the population. Cleveland's got two cornerbacks that they might not play again. In Denzil a Ward and reading it's like, I just I

it's not a good set of breaking news. The NFL just dropped a tweet announcing the Super Bowl forty four. What are wet CLXI four halftime show? It is j Lo and Shakira and a co headline I like that. Tread carefully boys your thoughts. I think you were right when you save forty four. No, I mean Shakira ish of the now. Hey, we're in Miami, it makes sense, Jlo.

Is she an owner? I don't think she's. I don't think, but I think you know, with the musical roots in that city, Jlo, Shakira, there's been worse ones that we've covered. It is a very same You're gonna, you know, go go trot out the Who with their walkers again. It's a very safe pick. And I'll tell you why. First of all, this is the first rock nation they're involved

with this. Now, Um, you got killed. You were in one of the all time American cities for hip hop last year and you booked Maroon five and that was that was out to move. They work, You got you. You you shipped in a big boy to get a verse in, but otherwise it was just not the right field. So now we're in Miami, which has of course a strong Latino vibe to it. So you get uh, j Low, you get to get Shakira with the Colombian mix. Where I get where they're going with this. You're killing perfect.

It's a perfect I mean, there's nothing to argue about. Hips don't like come on, I mean you you tell me. Mark Sessler is not going to be damn. I think it's very good for you know, going and seeing hustlers. J Low's right now, you're ahead of the saw on Friday to Mark. Don't worry. They combined them. They have multiple bangers. And I think I remember, this is a halftime show for a football game. Let's not overthink it. People are going to kill the half top show no

matter what. Now you're gonna have two beautiful women doing their already. Of people that don't watch football, they watch the Super Bowl for the halftime show. And I think that this is a widely strong This is a good pick. Good pick. And made peace with the fact never going to be the Super four million dollars worth of fireworks in like eight seconds of eight minutes of music. You're not gonna beat justin Timberlake. But this is this is

good for Miami. I like it all right, West, you're up well there, this is a steel It is late in the draft, but Carolina Panthers at Houston Texans. Nice pick, thank you, and you're coming around of the Texans, so nice job and Deshaun Watson so fun to watch, And wouldn't it be funny if Bill O'Brien and his pastor friends started getting some pop for Executive of the Year Stop easter be Look, he's got Carlos hidingeld got Kenny Stills, who was you know, the afterthought and the Larry Larry

Tunsil trade making big plays every week. There's only a handful of players in the NFL with more big plays than Kenny Stills this year. At wide receiver, you got the rookies on the old line, both of them start did last week. Both of the guys they drafted started last week, tight As Howard and Max Sharping, and they had the best pass pass protection to Shaun Watson's had this year. To me that the Texans look like the class of the a f C sat They completely on

the fly after Lamar Miller blew out his knee. Not terrible for him, but maybe the best thing that happened to their backfield because they had to, basically on the fly, come up with a new uh set up and you get Duke Johnson and Carlos Hide over the course of what like ten days or whatever it was, and they're nice pairing and uh, yeah, I'm I'm totally with you West that I think that. Yeah, everything, everything's working with

them right now. And I could see them getting hot and let me just say something West, And I don't want to steal your thunder here, but I'm off to an oh and three starting the locks, and I I have to remember where I came from. What saved me last year, what kept me in the running was getting behind my Texans and going for a ride with them during their winning streak. So I'm gonna do it right now. I'm gonna lock up the Texans. We are too intent as a group so far. I'm gonna lock up the Texans.

Uh And I know, um, there will be some people that are gonna say Kyle, Kyle Murray and Kyle Allen, Yes, yes, Kyle all is named by Sunday Night, that he'll come in and he'll throw four more touchdowns and all that. Well, let's let's see you do it against J. J. Watt

and Whitney Merciless. That's fine. I would I would say one thing though, Kyle Allen's some of these like burst out of the gate starts feel a little flukey and it would even have been fair to You want to see three or four weeks of Gardner Minsho or three or four years, that's fine with Kyle Allen. And I never put anything into the week seventeen start from last year. But if you combine what he's done over to operations

to two full starts, he's been great. And the way through the ball and the way the offense came to life. I thought the passing game with him last week it's I get that the whole Cam Newton discussion is for another time, but he was doing stuff that Cam Newton was not doing previously. And I think they're they're more dangerous with him in there if he doesn't flip the

switch and turn into something letely different. If he plays like that unlike min Minshew, I want to see more of Kyle Allen kind of looks like a guy who was a five star recruit and was ranked as the number one high school recruit in the country, beat out Kyler Murray once for a starting quarterback job. I mean, what a crazy route that he's had that he's ultimately playing better now than he did at Houston, which was

the final place he went to college. He came out early, even though he only played four games there before he was benched. It's it's just crazy, it's just wild. But he doesn't look like a guy who's like overachieving. He looks like a guy that belongs. He has great touch,

great rhythm. Um. I've been impressed with that. To me, the key matchup is that defensive line for the Texans, and there's a guy, a fifth round rookie they drafted named Charles and Mena Hugh who's on that defensive line and has really played well early in a rotational rule. In addition to DJ reader J J. Watt, Whitney merciless against the Panthers offensive line that really has struggled sometimes

to pass protection. I think Alan and the Texans O line were maybe the two most surprising evelatory moments of last week, and now they're kind of going against each other back. I like this lock for you, Dan I, and I'm with you that the Texans are certainly the most talented team in the a f C South, and I think they certainly should be the favorite. As much as I like the Colts, the Texans, if they're firing

on all cylinders, they're better. We talked about the quarterbacks that are have replaced their starters On Tuesday's show, who is the most likely to hold on to the job if they got got hot, like legit hot over a course of a month, would it be Alan? There's no way that that Minshew would take nick foles job, right. I don't know why. I don't know why we'd say no way with anyone, but the money. The money with Nick Foles problematic, but I wouldn't say no way with anyone.

I think I'm Newton presents some issues. I think Minshew would have a better chance than Kyle Allen in less Allen's having like an m v P type of season where he's clearly a top five NFL quarterback. I think Newton just gets his job back. Whereas if Minshew's keeping the train rolling and they're winning and he's good, they might they might ride. Then you're selling tickets right now. They Nick Foles has like what ten snaps in his Jaguar's career, and Cam Newton has an m v P

and his Panther's career. Mark makes a good point, though there's no absolutes. I mean, if Kyle Allen goes seven and one and has twenty four touchdowns in one pick. It's like, I don't know, you're not gonna take them out. It's just wild. Can I ask a snake related question? How is this going this way? Are we out of order again? I was? I don't think so. I think it's under control. So I go again here, Yes, it's Snake's West. Okay, keep up everybody. Oh okay, I thought

that you picked. You just locked again. It's not. I didn't say, I don't. I also don't claim to know how the way that I know that I'm right has actually wrote it out now, so I track it picked by pick. Then no more questions. West, You're up again. So I'm not gonna be able to pay much attention to this game. Ye see what happens? Oh, somebody blew it? See what happens? No, I mean that's all of us. We are second game for for a certain time slot. You can't I can do to keep an eye on two.

Dan has better powers of concentration and just football tape watching the year. My TV game is always going to be number one, and then I have my casting on my laptop game, which is not going to get the same amount of But by the end of the game. I could tell you what happened, but the key is that you turn the volume up to levels on both TVs that drowns out everyone else's. So that's that's one way to that works. That works. Well, what you are my TV is too loud. I don't know what's going

but I'm not going to change my ways. We know that. Actually it is you bring it up anytime. Let's say I change the channel and it's the volume spikes and it has not. It's not my fault that just challenge changes.

Marcos like this well, because so just if people now that we're visual, the cubicle wall between you and me is right here, and Dan has literally two interests from my ear and he plays the TV at volume like and it's and I'm not the only one that's I never even said, don you thingcause I knew it would get so critiqued. It's like volume eight next like an inchrom my ear. Part of me doesn't hate it actually because I kind of hear, um, what's not what I

want to do? Okay, everyone, you know, if you listen to the podcast, this is the part of the show. To just fast forward to video section the previous minute. Listen to you know me, I got a journalism, grew up in a newsroom. Okay, newsroom is not a quiet place. It's not a library. It's always gonna be a little bit amplified. I make no apologies. We we we fully understand that you embrace that self concept. Pick West, I'm going back and forth here. I'm gonna settle on the

Titans versus the Falcons. Done me a favor. I know I did everyone a favor there because I wanted. It's not it's terrible game with two teams that are hard to watch. I know that was the point. I see your strategy. Yeah, I want to see if this is the last death throws of Marcus Mariota's career. May get a little QB switch. It's a big challenge room here. They are dead last in past protection according to Football Outsiders.

They've they lost both of their starting guards in the off season, and they only signed one guy, Roger Staffold, to replace those two guards. They've been missing Taylor Lawan. Now that's one thing we know. The past protection is terrible, But Marcus Mariotta turns pressure into sacks at the highest rate of any quarterback in the NFL. It's a bad

combination with enough blame to go around. Where a guy like Corey Davis, who was drafted in the top five picks of the draft, has four touchdowns in like thirtysomething career games. Their receivers are not very good, their offensive line is not very good, the running game isn't on track, their play caller isn't very good. UM and Marcus Mariota, this stat, I think really defines who he is. In twenty two of his fifty eight career starts, he has

zero touchdowns, zero passing touchdowns. That is the highest rate of anybody since he's been in the league. Eli Manning his second and he just got benched. Um And it's the highest rate for any quarterback in his first fifty eight starts over the past twenty years. He just doesn't throw enough touchdowns. And that's the job. They've thrown a lot of coordinators at him too. I mean, maybe none of them are Sean McVeigh, but after four coordinators or

whatever it's been, I mean, what that comment. That's a great way to break it down with. But you could also, just as you try to build a case for Marks Marioti, you look at his numbers career wise, every year it's like thirteen touchdowns, fourteen touches. I mean, this is two thousand nineteen. This is not anymore. Mike Sando from The Athletic had a quote from an NFL executive who says, you look at some of his numbers and they're okay, and then you look again and they're just not okay.

Doesn't enough, he doesn't pass the eye test. And in a game where the Falcons defensive line I think is deeper this year and plays better at home, at least the one time they've been at home, they played with their hair on fire. And you you're going up against a real professional offense. I'm not really that worried about the Alkins. I think they're gonna be in the mix as even though they're a little boring. I think they're I think they're gonna be very much in the mix

this year. Mason Rudolph had his many possessions by the middle of the second quarter, as Matt Ryan had in the entire game. List right six possessions out tied for the fewest. I made research look this up because I'm into possessions. It's only about Mendoza. He was happy to do it. He said, well, three teams. I heard what he said in the cubicle when I walked by, and the way to the only three other teams is in the last twenty years had had that few amount of possessions.

Technically it was seven. Technically, yeah, they exclude Neil downs. The Officially, I wouldn't put the Falcons in the same category of unwatchable, uh problematics. As as the Titans feel like an I got you gotta win this game. I thought the big game for these two teams. They came into the season rather faceless and it takes a little bit of work to get for me to get out of that zone with me. There's like five or six

teams like that. But watching them against the Colts like not Ryan, He's gonna throw a killer interception in the game, and then he's going to do five or six things involving Julio Jones that phenomenal he got super right, was thinking was nine for nine or ten for ten at one point as they climb back into that he's a good quarterback. I don't know why people always picking at him. Well, I think it's because in the last couple of years, I think the coordinator switches have hurt Matt Ryan more

than Marcus Mariota because I don't know. He's going to Theay Matt Ryan, He's going to the Hall of Fame. He's got a shot, he's got an m v P, and he years a little I don't know, are going to be out of this world. By the time he's retires, He's gonna be one of the most. He might break all of Brady and breezes past. He could really use

another January moment. Yeah, no, I agree with that, but he's got an m v P. He's been a top five quarterback heck of a lot more times than than Eli or some other It is similar though when his number, Yes, absolutely, but its second baseball. When you look at steroid rain now with the ball juice, home run guys aren't what they used to be. Is Matt Ryan going to be um? It will be held against them that he put up great numbers, but in an era where a lot of

guys had great numbers. And then he's like, all right, what else did he do this area? He might have six good years left all pros, So he's got a wild They got that they don't get hit as much anymore. All right, Uh, that was the Snake pick with Chris Westling mark your final pick of the draft, and thank you, and I apologize for not necessary for two items, questioning that anyone knew how the Snake Draft worked, and secondly, you can watch your games anyway you please on Sunday.

We've been doing you guys. So funny that that we've been doing this for like seven or eight years downstairs and it comes up for the first time because I would say, I would say it was something that was not It was very a low level issue because we've laughed about once or twice because we're friends and it's just a funny little thing. I don't know that we not have no one really uh can't. It's not some

burning issue. We don't know. You know, when you're when your friends, you know, you drive each other a little bit, a little around. You're missing the point that it didn't come up for eight years because it was I wouldn't say it was even an issue until a year ago or two years ago. My hearing is going, I don't know all I'm taking and I don't need to see one of these teams ever again. But I like who

they're playing. I'm taking the Redskins at the Giants. I I actually watched the Redskins game in real time on Monday night. Maybe you all did too. I questioned that decision after uh, they are They're tough on the eyes in my opinion, and they are heading in the wrong direction, and I don't like the organization. I think it's hopeful that Colt McCoy was a full participant participant practice this week. Case Keenum is practicing too, but he's in a walking move.

But I would much rather like to see a little bit of cult McCoy on Sunday. If Case mckenham gets battered and destroyed the way he was on Monday night against the Bears. It feels like every time you hit case Keenum hard, he's gonna lose the ball. He fumbles the ball, it gets knocked out of his hands. But if you don't hit him to get like the Dante Moncrief of quarterbacks, it's too much. It's too much. You're

not going anywhere. The Cults to me are sorry. The Giants to me, we've already discussed this on the Tuesday Show. They this is the game I think would have been the dead easy last pick in this draft when they had Eli Manning there obviously intriguing still out there, I already know that's my game. Well, there's some stinkers, but this is you know, I think people felt safe to

wait on this one. The Giants without Sequon Barkley. I I don't know, like they are Giants fans able to watch this team now and say I don't really care about Odell Beckham not being on this team either. Maybe with this quarterback and the way that certain quarterbacks come in and just make the parts that are there in place work kind of reminds me of like Jacoby percent with the Cults, where you lose a bunch of people, but you just make it worth work with what's around you.

That that's the Giants. Last week I talk about Kyle Allen. I want to see game two. I want to see game two of this It's exciting. But if I'm a Giants fan, I want to see Daniel Jones with Odell Beckham, Evan Ingram and Sterling Chef. I. I that seems like a better idea. I do too, But I'm just saying, you don't mean you're a fan of the team. You're not stuck in those decisions anymore. If this quarterback works out, it's a better way to put it in. And um,

two things that I noticed. I watched it this morning, so I love all the all the lab work you're doing this year. Evan Evan ingram Uh is going to be the next giant superstar attention that touchdown, the catch, and then the run. He also had a one handed catch in this game. But that catching run, my goodness, my own that is that is superstar stuff. He like jumps off the screen, so he could be the guy essentially replaces Beckham because he is kind of like a

wide receiver. He's going to be the next thousand yard tight end and there aren't that many of those in history. And then my other thought was Danny Dimes. It wasn't a perfect game by the way. He bubbled the ball twice and he should have thrown an interception that was dropped. So it was in a lot of other ways. It was an incredible game, but it was not a perfect piece of artwork. Kyle Allen had probably a better game, and I think he Kyle Allen definitely had a better

game and clean, cleaner. The team, super exciting, but there is there is room for growth. It wasn't like he delivered an absolute masterpiece. It was just more like a rollicking good time, more just allowing giants fans to you know, bathe in it because of what they've been through. Well, he also had a ton of pressure on him, you know. Next Gen stat said he he had more yards under pressure than any quarterback in a game since Tom Brady of Week three of two thousand seventeen. So a lot

of those throws were on the move. I really love you know, a right handed guy who can throw on the move to his left with ease multiple times in that game is pretty rare. It was that it was the splash plays that got you so excited like that, the low percentage for most quarterbacks types of throws that he put out. I wonder if he's going to have a ton of fun plays this year, but a ton of turnovers too. I could see Shepherd back helped a lot in in defensive eland. Shepherd is a big time layer.

And so when you have him and you know, what do they say in fantasy A league winner, Evan Ingram's a league winner. If you drafted Evan Ingram, He's the type of guy that wins you a fantasy league. Um, all right, up next, Greg, Oh yeah, let's let's go with the Dolphins in the Charger. I am surprised you are. I'm with West when it's the backup. Turn it down that volume for you on Sunday. I'll tell you what.

When it's the backup game, you know, I would never take the Dolphins, Greg, I don't care if it's the backup. I just wanna who knows if they stay, if they stay competitive, somehow it becomes it becomes more interesting. And they're playing a team in the Chargers that I don't mind watching. Keenan Allen right now is maybe the best

receiver in the league. He's certainly right up there. When you have an office that's just Philip Rivers trying to find Keenan Allen while he's being pressured, and it still moves the ball fairly well. It's that you can't really build an offense around that, and yet they still put up like three of the yards. I mean, their offense is still better than what the Packers roll out every week. And it's basically those two guys playing pitch and catch. I feel like a guy on death row that just

got pardoned by the governor while I'm strapped into the chair. Well, here's the thing. I've also watched. The cults are out there and I've watched them every single week, and so you want to you want to mix him up. I do love the cults, but I'll save him. This feels like the Joey Bosa Melvin Ingram start your season. Have the big, big, big performance. Should you would you would hope.

So they've been pretty quiet. You're underselling Austin Ekeler, who in the last week's game against the Texans just showed that he's leaps and bounds a better player at what he does than Duke Johnson. My bad. It's really a three man offense and he's Duke Johnson is known as a passing down back, and in Austin Ekeler is so much better than him. I think Ekeler is a He's

just a running back. Like I guess, he's smaller, and so maybe we want to give him three fifty carries, but he absolutely deserves to have the ball two seven five times this year. And I think even with Melvin Gordon coming back, which we haven't mentioned, he is, you know, returning to the team. You have to keep giving the ball a lot every every good offense. And this this jumped out to me in the season opener Patriots Steelers game.

You gotta have a linebacker beater coming out of your backfield, and the Patriots have two of them in Birkhead and James White, where the Steelers had none. The Chargers have a linebacker beater and Ekeler you go, you go to him when you need a big play, and he does it because he can beat them off the line with his route running and then if you get him the ball into space. What separates all these running backs immediately the agility to make the first guy miss. And he

does it almost every time. All right, our final non prime time game, we forgot to mention Melvin Gordon and in his holdout, we're in there. He wants play this week. Um, poor Dolphins, you know, poor holdout. They don't even get mentioned. I actually, now that we have a circle back here, Henry Hotson did show me this link from Gridiron Magazine, UK only product who had an exclusive with UH to a from Alabama who said he's not worrying about the whole You know, he hears about it a lot. He's

not worried. He thinks it's fine. You know, he doesn't. He doesn't seem like he's gonna, you know, try to pull an Eli Manning, you know, and get his way out of there. That's the Alabama he's But what's the connection. The Alabama is basically been tanking this. I mean, Miami's tanking to draft him. I don't think he's gonna win out like a flock of agents and representation. I'm saying, like Eli Manning, you know, you get on people out. It sounds like he was just like, I know about it.

It's cool, it's fine. Found another way to come after Eli. That was a good one. I mean you said that that wasn't really a show of leadership there. Charges weren't even a bad organization. They had one down year and Eli said I'm not going there. Um, all right, let's say that for We'll have that conversation at that point. All right. The final pick then is the Raiders at

the Cults. Uh do you know this? I know what I'm getting, Just like you said saying, Greg, the Cults are going to deliver a solid, workman like performance at home against the Raiders team that's not gonna win many games on the road. I see this as a to a two score game in favor of the Colts, and um from the Raiders side of things, I guess I'm something had been tracking since Hard Knocks was what's going on in the future with Derek Carr. Um. You know

that Jon Gruen is not going anywhere. He's in the second year of a ten year deal. Um. But for Derek carr, I think this is game four of an audition that will decide whether he stays there. And I think at this point I would be very surprising if he's there at quarterback next year. I mean I asked the same question. I think it was. I I thought, on this three game sample, that's overreacting that he's exactly what they would have expected. I think he's played fine.

Is that what John Griden wants? Maybe not, but I guess I don't it to begin with, I don't feel any differently after these three games than I did before.

But then here's Dan. I'm totally with you because I just think the experience of Derek carr you know, okay, like you're gonna get a couple of the things you got last week against the Vikings, which was one of the worst interceptions I saw all week on a terrible overthrow and you know there he's asking receivers to leap their full extent in the year to grab balls that are high he's is it going to improve? I just

don't know. Like I'm with Danna, I'm a little worried as a as a Cults backer, I don't think they're a team you can trust to beat anyone easily. Just talent wise. They could be without t Y Hilton, they could be without Darius Leonard. They are going to be without Malik Hooker. They are going to be It is just man for a team. It wasn't, you know, the most talent in the entire league. They've had taken a

lot of hits. Hilton, especially if he's out, is kind of I would think, um with the Chiefs coming up next week and Hilton having a pull himself out of that game reaggravating the quad, that they would probably be very careful about playing him in this game. But you're right, take him out of the equation. He's been their number one receiver and perhaps the Colts have a major firepower issue.

Nice matchup here for the running back connoisseurs. Marlon Mack who's running, I mean, looked head and shoulders better than DeVante Freeman. And last week's game, I thought they didn't even look like they were playing the same position. Marlon much better. Freeman isn't making anyone missing space that that would bother me if I'm a Falcon fan. No, the

Chuck Pagano. No, it was Chuck Pagano who glowed over Marlon Mack a couple off season ago, said this guy is going to be an absolute star, and he's maybe not there yet, but he is the engine to that offense. Post Andrew Pallard. Ballard kind of said when they didn't take anyone, it's because they believe in Mac. We should have we should have listened. Chuck Strong, I'm just saying,

I'm just backing up at previous point. Looked really good, and I know his stats didn't look good, but he's looked phenomenal all years SOFFO, and he was playing through what a calf injury or something last week perfectly healthy to me. Uh. Sunday Night Football, the Dallas Cowboys three and OH travel to the Superdome to face the New Orleans Saints. Oh. This is a good matchup. The Saints two and one have that great complete victory against the

Seahawks in Seattle, so they they have confidence. Uh Teddy Bridgewater um showed came along a little bit in that game, but still has work to do. The Cowboys, meanwhile, West are clicking on all cylinders with those triplets uh Dak Coope, Zeke and the defense. Some of this has to do with opponent, but that Cowboys are on pace for a hundred and seven passes a fifteen or more yards this year compared to sixty eight last year and fifty three

and two thousand and seventeen. This is a totally different offense that the Cowboys are putting out there, and I think it's outplayed their defense, which one which is in

one of the best in the league. Yeah, it nice to see them play a real team though you know, I know they don't have Teddy Drew Brees the Saints, but the Cowboys have maybe played the three worst teams in the league in succession, Redskins, Giants, and Dolphins, specially Giants with with the Eli Man and so I think on both sides they had to be really happy with what they got out of Robert Quinn. I think DeMarcus Lawrence has looked more like himself each week. Uh, and

they're just they're more talented. I mean, this is kind of a sneaky rivalry because of Sean Payton's friendship with the Jones, is because of all those rumors over the years, because Sean Payton really is the number one coaching mentor to Jason Garrett. Uh, you know, they were very close from their time together with the Giants, and and Payton's

kind of put it on him. But last year, I remember I was in your house, West when the Cowboys shut the Saints down, and that kind of started the Saints downfall, and it really started this love affair between West and and the Cowboys and West and one of their linebackers, oh Layton Vanderesh. I think both their lines Well, I like them so much that I'm locking up the Cowboys a good one until I'm gonna keep locking them up until until Dan puts them ahead of the Rams

and his power ranking. All right, all right, you know what if they go to New Orleans and kick some ass? What is it about these Rams that has you think? And they're the third best team in the NFL, Like they're pretty damn good. The Rams. I like the Rams, but it's close. I think they're very close. Good though. I don't have the mirror on that one, and the reflections coming right back at you. I Greg looks at

the mirror, there's nothing. I am fine to be the one that comes out of this with a wind, though, and we won't be discussed. He'll have w at what costs though. I think Saints fans are rightfully a little worried about they're playing. They're playing an undefeated team you don't believe in. I don't. That's why I'm blocking against so But I'm saying, like, you don't even think it's gonna be close. I think it's weird. I think the Bills are a playoff team, I really do. I think

they're gonna win ten or eleven games. And this is a road game. Why are we looking at this? Who cared? This is why this game is stupid. Have if you're gonna play a game, to play a game, but does matter? There are rules you just you're playing by your own rules. My rules are if it's a touchdown spread or less, then why are you so uncomfortable looking in the mirror? I mean because it alter his decision. No matter how much pressure you put on him or lights, it's not

going to change. I mean I was think getting either that or the Chiefs. So either way, well that's uh. Finally, Monday Night Football, the Cincinnati ben Gulls travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers. Even when they made the schedule, this one was always gonna be iffy, and now it's turned into a worst case scenario. Two oh and three teams, one of them, uh the Steelers without their franchise quarterback

Big Ben out for the year with elbow surgery. Um. I mean we talked about last year last week mark a cornered animal game for the Steelers. Well now they're just they're kind of laying on the floor, they're twitching, They're they're probably dead. Uh. If not, they will soon expire. Uh So the Bengals are gonna go up to to the rotting corpse and sniff it and we'll see what happens. Not a good place to be if you're an animal, that is what you described there. Not a good place.

I am locking up the Steelers, let's start right there. Good. I don't particularly believe in the Steelers, but it's what what what I think is it's one of these classic Uh, it just feels like what's going to happen on Monday Night. I've already in my mind I see a Minka Fitzpatrick pick six where they can spend fifteen minutes telling you how great it was that they made the trade for. It's just all these little Monday night things are gonna happen. The game is begging for me to watch it on

condensed mode much later in the week. But we will see about that. My problem with the Bengals is that week after week they've found a a to kill themselves with killer turnovers. And be honest, you have a lot more problems with than that with the Bengals. But the Bengal this is they this is their shot to go steal a win two from the Steelers. But be guess you're about to say something critical of Andy Dalton. No, I think Andy Dalton is not the only problem. They're

just they are the worst run blocks. You should be thrilled when you thought the Brown schedule was going to be so tough, and it has been part of it is that we thought the division was gonna be good. This is a stinker and these teams It's not like they've lucked into you know, they've had bad luck to

get to go on three. These are the two worst teams in the entire NFL if you don't count uh, the team that's tanking according to Football Outsiders, you know, efficiency these are thirty and thirty one, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

I just I don't, to be honest, I don't know if I care about that stuff three weeks into the seasons because what I what I have seen is Pittsburgh's when they feel like if their pass rush destroy people and the Bengals oh line has looked really bad, and they to me, that's the week's where Pittsburgh is gonna have like one of these four or five takedowns of Dalton and it will that a fault. No, but that's

the that's the self destruct button for Cincinnati. I think you hit on the key to this matchup that the Bengals can't block the Steelers and the Steelers have to take the training wheels off of Mason Rudolph. The only quarterback in the league throwing shorter passes than Mason Rudolph is Teddy Bridgewater. I've got a theory though, for this game it's a little bit of like the the Fenway Park vibe when it's a bad uh Patriots, a Red Sox team, or there's a lot of like proud franchises.

There's a point where you've had such a proud franchise that a home game, if they're down seven three at the middle of the second quarter, just the vibes are gonna be terrible. I don't think it's much of a home field advantage because the Steelers fans are not used to their team being one of the worst teams in

the league. Yeah, but that could go the exact opposite way, where they throttle Andy Dalton and you're they're playing renegade at full volume in that stadium and the whole place is rock and the terrible towels are at and then they go thirteen and three. Yeah, this was since he's tonight before like they don't The Bengals have never fared well against the Steelers, and not in Pittsburgh. Dan and I stuck our nuck out and picked up Steelers last week and they wronged us. So now I've turned up.

This is a terrible effort by them last week. Before we go Ryan Barlett, where are we at with Tony Romo, who's playing a some amateur golf tournament, decide whether he works or not this weekend. I mean it's a it's a PGA event. I have a update for you if you want. Unless you got it one under par through seventeen. He's got to make the cut. Yeah, I mean that now that happened. Now you don't know. Here's Mark Brady, he's the golfer. Oh yeah, Mark Brady, a Shadowy League figure.

Tony Romo is one under voice. So he's playing in a PGA Tour event. I mean, that's exactly what Ryan said. An interesting note here. He is currently ahead of Phil Mickelson, has only played two holes thought field and announced the game on Sunday. I mean he's a big charges fan actually, so he want to do that. He's one if he's got one hole to go here at this space, he's making the cut. It's it's early. He has the whole

second round to go. It's top ties there. Just keep talking that any of us doing this is the Shadowy League figure, or at least one of the shadows over the years. The only reason why I'm here is the track Tony Romo's progress for the show. Otherwise I'm useless. Well, so is he going to make the cut? Yes or no? Answer A smart please. I do not believe he will make the cup. But he is a superior golfer, and it's pretty amazing that he can actually compete with these

guys in the PGA. Not if he keeps up this work. If held up his space, he's got a shot. You know. It's like if if Wes and I were playing in our softball on the softball team the Shield, and there was some type of like tournament, and we decided, hey, if we advance in this round, we're not coming to work on Sunday because we want to, you know, go play this next round of the softball tournament. No, be a professional, the stakes are equal, they kind of are.

What's what need to do with professional golf? He's he's a former football player. Ask him that question. I think he would probably say it gives him, you know, more fulfillment than probably anything else he could possibly do in his life. That maybe his kids. But do that, say CBS. I've loved the opportunity, I've really enjoyed it. But you know what my real passion post NFL is golf. So I'm gonna put all my attention and that will be my full time job. You really want to lose him

like that? I don't, But I'm saying maybe at some point you just have to make a decision. Maybe he's good enough. Maybe this brings Boomers Sison back into your life on a primetime level. Din. There's different rules for different levels of talent, Like, hey, Lawrence Taylor, you know you want to have some booger sugar before the game. Sure, you're a Hall of Famer. You let Tony Romo play at the golf golf event. All right, that's it, we'll be back tonight. Well again, Greg has already washed his

hands of this. He's washing He's in the bad through washing his hands in the mirror the recording process of the game. Here's the thing. I'm I'm crazy enough. I said, I'm happy. If we want, I'll work, I'll stay here

and we'll just do it in the professional studio. That's that's even doubling down on washing your hands up because you're presenting a scenario in audio recording formats saying that you already came up with a plan to not do this if it doesn't work At West you're working against West and away here now it's all on West to nail this. Well, I'm coming over. I know he prefers that. I just don't want to have any responsibility, uh, because

I'll I'm operating about six steps ahead of Greg. I know that that recording equipment represents our freedom, and if we learn how to use it correctly, it means so many more things in the future. It gives us so much leeway. It gives us options, and I want that teach a child to fish, thank you. I want the options. Well, Greg, get on board. Greg examulating, I'm comment that's going to destroy one of us. So I'm I love it, and I just want to make it clear. I'm riding your

guys coattails on this, particularly Will. Yeah, I'll be back in hands's manner. So this is this is you guys working together for the greater good. Yeah, I'm washing my hands up it. That is for certain, all right. So yes, tonight, maybe you'll get a recap of a tremendous Thursday night football game. So guys, come on, get it together, and then you'll hear from the four of us Sunday night where we'll recap every game we just previewed that will

be played on Sunday. Good stuff. Thanks everybody behind the glass. The video show very smooth operation. Right Varlett looks great. Keep an eye on our social for more Curtain Club ticket announcement. Yes, make sure we're coming to London, baby Till Sunday. S