2020 Around the NFC with Matt Money Smith

which means my voice is fine and dandy. Did they know that it was around the a f C and NFC week and they were just like, the people need it, We're just gonna have We're just gonna have a chemo. Take one, take one for the team. Yeah, streets are talking in the medical industry and the word got out, so they realized how important this was. Alright, So West

so awesome to have you here. The show is never the same without you, especially when it's around the a of an NFC week and we have even more reinforcements. This is gonna be a good one. When you hear he is the voice of God for the Around the NFL Podcast. Uh, he is our own Bob Shepherd and he's gonna join us today. He is the man the myth the Legend. He calls play by to play for

the charters. He works for NFL Network. He is appear on the Throwback podcast and Yes, don't forget about Petros and Money Mark Sessler's favorite drive time radio show in Southern California that I mentioned. He was on the Throwback Podcast. It's Matt money Smith. Nah, what an intro in the music? That's sweet lick. Trying to figure out what I'm doing right now? Is it a is it a dark and

dusty night? And I uh kind of like cruising in the back alley with a cigarette, staring at the gun in my left hand that I just used to dust somebody, you know. Or I'm just a loan at a bar because my wife I just bought my wife if in an affair, and like I'm now just drawing my song that checks up sundown at the beach volleyball pit. Okay, there you go. I'm in board shorts and uh, we just won. We just won, like the and I'm just looking at him like, yeah, man, we did it. You

and me, John just did it. Johnny Lawrence, age forty three at the bar and Recita just thinking about where it all right wrong there's a dead body somewhere. There's a dead body somewhere. But I felt that way too. Yeah, I felt like, you know, it's a cigarette and I'm just kind of looking at my left hand, at the machine. I just used to take a human life in disbelief, like what what's going on here? I mean, what happened

in my life? The problem that we faced a little bit is for the listener, I don't know why you'd want to hear what Mark and Greg have to say after like the unannounced son of Tom Brokaw offers a point with total authorities, So I you know, it's it's a bit concerning for us. But I will tell you real quick, I'm not only a fan of Petros and Money. I I drive my son home during the afternoons. And you've got a second generation Sessler who um he as

I mentioned, he doesn't he he was beguiled. Why you know, he said, mommy and daddy, why would or why would there his mommy and daddy name him money? Um? That really concerned him as a child. But we got through that, and he's a fan. I think he doesn't quite get the Petro's angle of it. But we're working on that we'll be back at it today. So oh yeah, don't don't worry. I know how this race goes. It's Petro starts trailing, but by the end he has crossed the

finish line well ahead of me. With most most bands of the show, It's funny, of all the names to choose, says that you chose Tom Brokaw because back in my wacky morning show Zoo days, Brokaw was one of the few impressions that I did when he was still an anchor. They would check in with Tom Brokaw to get an

update on the news of the day. And I'll give you my trick, you know, when you do impressions, Not that I'm good at it, but there is a certain uh couple words or something to put you into character and this will probably set the tone for how long ago I was doing this. But for Tom Brokaw, the two words were editor, Harry is the editor Harry today? He? Oh? He got it? Heitor back hey? And who are goy back at Worth Ohio? I would probably democratic are they

tom broke heady? He highly who? Interesting little factoid about Tom Broke all I've read multiple old magazine articles where he is big in the mountain climbing community. I tell you Tory about the Harra meter. If you do not Terra meter of the way the rope Italy slip and you will plum it your daddy light. We really have to talk today, Uh, un follow your request. I'm a monkey and I dance, So just go ahead all amount whatever it takes. Yeah, Unfortunately, we do have to talk

about football. Were fortunately because I just I feel so excited that it looks like this is gonna happen. It looks like we I mean, we are coming up on a week away from football and on Monday's edition of the podcast with the Great Chris Westling until we hit the around the a f C and forty eight minutes with money, We're gonna hit around the NFC and forty eight minutes. But before we do that, a couple of things Money, I would love to touch with you on because um, you are like we said in the in

show the play by play Guy and the Chargers. And let's start with the Derwin James injury. Uh, he is done for the year touring meniscus and it turned out to be the worst case scenario for the Chargers where it wasn't like one of those. It's a clean up

and he'll be back in a month and a half. No, it's a long recovery that he just got put on injured reserve back in How big a setback is that for this Chargers defense because everyone that watches him and everyone that was hyping him up this year talks about him as a true game changer. Yeah, I think it's, you know, the equivalent of of Joey Bosa, of Aaron Donald, of Khalil Mack. Just pick your you know, one of the ten best Nick Bosa, ten best defenders in the league.

And that's what Derwin is. I mean, he's completely changes the defense. No one can do what that. It takes probably three players to do what Derwin is capable of doing, from rushing the passer covering. I mean, I know a lot of people. I'm sure obviously you guys saw it, but I'm guessing some of the listeners saw it as well. The video of him in training camp covering Keenan one on one, arguably the best route runner in the league,

and it was just ridiculous. At that size, with the power he has to be able to go step for step with Keenan and not get dusted and his ankles broken in those brakes. Was just awesome and so much fun. Um. And on top of that, just the leadership, the energy. He He and Melvin Ingram are are just special individuals in that department where they it's just when they step onto a field, when they speak, you just see kind

of heads pick up, chest puff out a little bit. Uh. And from this time he was a rookie, they had that, you know, and I think you saw it, especially in that playoff, that wild card game against the Ravens. I think so much of that was driven by Derwin and that defense. So they lose a ton as far as um, what is the defense lose? Overall, It's still a really good defense. It's an awesome front seven. I know, kind of just talking to some folks that have been a

practice every day. Kenneth Murray ever, looks every bit the part. Just a super freak of an athlete at linebacker. To go with Drew Trank will who is way underrated last year, and I think it's gonna do big, big things this year. So um, you know you still have Casey Hayward and Chris Harris. I don't mean to do the word soup thing, but just to kind of put a button on it.

That what I guess they're gonna do is they're gonna push ray Sean up to strong from free rays Sean Jenkins and they'll probably put Anas atterly at at free. And and he looked really darn good man last year in that fourth preseason game before he heard his hammy. I think he had two picks against the forty niners and damn near had a third. So that's probably how they'll id have covered up. Is that the same defense?

Hell no, but um hopefully he gets better man, because because no matter what you're a if you're a fan of the Chargers, if you hate the Chargers, that that's just not possible to to to not love watching Derwin James play. Put some more on Gus Bradley. I know you you're not gonna kill him. Nice guy, Everyone likes him. I think this defense is underachieved under Gus Bradley. I think a lot of Gus Bradley defenses. If you look at the talent going back to Jacksonville, uh and this defense,

you'd think they do better. And uh so that means the scheme isn't winning for them. And so that that worries me. I think this was even without there when teams a little disappointing considering how many good players are on this defense a year ago. Well, I mean, I guess, I guess it's all relative. I look at Gus in that defense and I just think of all the pressure that has been on it the last couple of years, and the the offensive line for the Charger has just

been atrocious. And I think about what Philip Rivers covered. Their Uh, turnovers have been a problem for that offense year and in year out, and yet when you look at the defense statistically, you'll see they're giving up yards, but consistently they're one of the best red zone defenses in the league. And that's what it's about when you

have an offense that's not putting up points. Uh. That team that that side of the ball kept the Chargers in every single game, and Philip Rivers, unfortunately it just got sideways on him possession after possession. But they had an opportunity to win. I'd say, of of their you know, eleven losses, legitimately had an opportunity to win probably eight of those games. And I think so much of that was predicated on how that defense played in the red zone.

And look, gust will be the first one to admit it that you know the the lack of turnovers is completely unacceptable. Um, but I don't. And that's I think where the Derwin injury really comes in is, you know their corners and their safety. You know, in the outside of Derwin, they're just not really interception stuff. You know that that's not the style that Casey plays. He's more of a cover corner. You're not throwing it in my direction and my called Davis on the other side, I

don't know what you're gonna get out of that. Plus you just a lack of athleticism at linebacker with Denzel Perriman, who's just kind of more that squatter run stopper. So

I think a lot of it. You know, maybe it sounds like I'm making excuses for Gus, but I just thought the defense overachieved to be honest, considering what they were dealt with on the offensive side of the ball, game in and game out, and quickly because we should get into around the NFC, but I definitely wanted to touch on one of the more powerful episodes of Hard

Knocks ever last night on HBO. Of course it's Hard Knocks Los Angeles covering the Chargers and the Rams, and there's money all over the episode, making I believe your

Hard Knocks debut money. But it was in a very different stage where the Chargers arrived at their new stadium for the first time, so FI Stadium, this beautiful place, and then after a very passionate UH team meeting, decided they don't want to practice UH following everything that had happened with Jacob Blake, the shooting in Wisconsin, and you were there for Do you want to take us a little bit behind the scenes what the vibe was like

that day. So we were supposed to d J and I were supposed to um call the scrimmage for NFL Network. It was gonna be a whole hour covering practice, the scrimmage, interviews. Guys were gonna kind of pop on the headset set um throughout the hour broadcast on NFL Now. And next thing you know, um, you know, everything changed, and and

it changed right before we went on the air. Um before Steve Whites threw it to us, we got um Bimer got in our head and said, hey, man, they're they're still in the locker room and an age rest, so I don't know what's going on. So immediately we I don't want to say we have to van. We just have to fill and we don't know what to fill with because I don't want to be saying, well, scrimmage coming up, and we're talking football, and all of a sudden, you know, the tone changes dramatically and um,

wacky play by play guy. You know, spinning football is m is getting ready for a practice. So that was in the back of my mind. Don't say anything stupids in the back of your mind and try to read the not the room, but read the stadium. Um. So that's probably why I think when you listen back or when you watch the episode, there's a lot I'm very

slow and deliberate in my speech. There's a couple of ums in there because there's people in my ears saying I think coaches coming out, don't go to break yet. I hear coach wants to talk to you. So we were dealing with all of that just to quickly kind of wrap the hard knocks. I'll say this, George Stewart

is one of my favorite people in football. I've had the great pleasure of being with these Chargers for three years and and being around coach stud for three years, he is as high quality and individual, as um impressive as a human being as you'll ever be around. And the one thing I'll say about him is he is just the light he is. He is a um, a walking smile, happiness. If you're down you see him and just that big booming voice in his giant hands when he puts them on you, it makes you feel good.

So to see him in in that disposition, to see him in that manner, I've never heard him curse before. That's the first time I've ever heard him curse. And to just kind of hear the pain in his voices. He was going through his past of sixties two years and it started when he was six and oppression in the South. I think it was very real and even a little painful for me to hear because he is just such a wonderful human being. Yeah, it's charge of Special Teams coach George Stewart and I wrote about it

in the Hard Knox recap on NFL dot com. Yeah. His his speech to the players, like money sayings, was so passionate and came from a real place of you know, pain and frustration, but also hopefulness that something could be done as we move forward. Uh so, all right, money, yes, let's get starting. This is all right. I'm this is the format you're not starting. Here's the format three format. Actually me, I'm not dumb. I know how this works. Hands here, So let's go. Let's get after its money.

You're they're the broadcast podcasters. Who knows this could be somebody's first around the NFL podcast. Let's go like I have a drivetime show starting. I'm supposed to be out of here in forty minutes. Let's go. Let's here. Huh ricky, Ricky, you there, let's do it. Let's start it out. I'm here with the NFC East Greg Roosevelt. Three minutes, let's go. What is it? What do I I'm might start talking. I'm sick of talking about out. I wasn't the one

that needed the instruction. It was freaking Rosie. He usually tells us the thing we got. I'm sick of talking about this Eagle team. All I do is talk. I talk about the same teams every time, this Eagles team. There's so much focus on what's not there. Okay, the two offensive Lineman, uh you know Brooks, and and then they lose Jalen Reagor, who we haven't talked about, their

first round receiver. I think you do lose focus on what is there, and that's Carson and Wentz and I and I do want to just throw it out to everyone. With the Sean Jackson, they're assuming Miles Sanders is back. I think the offensive line is still better than average despite losing uh two players. I think you look at the best tight end group in the league and you think if Carson Wentz ever elevates to Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson, tear of player. To me, if you look around him,

he's got enough. And I don't know if we've just sort of given up that Wentz can elevate to that level that he's settled in a little behind that I haven't given that up. Where do you guys think Carson Wentz his upside is here? Because to me, I look at this team and I still see enough talent despite the injuries to compete with anyone in the NFC. We've already seen his upside and it's m v P favorite before he tore his a c O. I don't see

why he can't get back to that. UM. I love watching Carson Wentz play, and to me, with the improved talent around him. You know you mentioned Jalen Reagor's injury, but John Hyde Tower, one beat writer had him, is the m m v P of Camp. Six of his fifteen catches went for touchdowns, So that to me shows what depth they have now compared to what they had

last year. They love this guy Quiz Watkins too. I mean, they've got a lot of young, speedy, new receivers, which they completely lacked to a dangerous degree a year ago. I don't I don't know who's that down on Wentz though, to be honest, I mean I think it's not down,

But you don't. You don't hear a lot of talk I guess about him in that group of sort of players, and I guess I guess I'm trying to push past the woe is me part of this Eagles theme and look at like this guy's They've got Carson Wentz and they've got a lot more. I feel like he already answered that question last year, Rosie. I mean, when you

look at the wide receivers he had to deal with. UM, not that he was putting up prolific numbers, but the offense was working, and it was working because he's that good um. And I think one of the things to me, you know that the reason why Wentz I think you continue to have these conversations is because, for whatever reason, and maybe it's fair, he gets it against Dac. You know, it's so Wentz versus Dad, Cowboys Eagles, which one would you rather have? Well, I think you'd rather have either

of them. You'd be happy to have run in your offense. But for whatever reason, they have to be pitted against one another. And for that you have people talking about the intangibles and the upside that Wentz brings compared to these statistics and the consistency of availability that Dak brings. So to me, that's where that all come from. Wentzness

is a lot of throws. I mean he does. It's all like, of course you'd love to have Wentz um, but I guess I haven't seen him develop as fast as you know, it's hard to compare him to the Mahomes and Watson, but he's no Mahomes and Watson. But the fates have not smiled on wins. And you know, p obvious reasons. Yea, Mark Sessler, the Dallas Cowboys. All right, the wind chimes weren't doing it from it, I'll do it to this song. Uh, you know I'm gonna keep

this shift. I like to do these long, windy openings, not this time. Here's why I like Dallas. Number one. You get Layton vander esh healthy and back, and remember how they were with him two years ago. You get Kellen Moore back, Mike McCarthy to come in and said, I'm gonna run this show. I love that he kept the continuity of Kellen Moore. You they found a way to keep a Mari Cooper. Now you have the best wide receiver duo in the NFL if they all pan out.

Thirty one other teams passed on Everson Griffin. The Cowboys added him along with DeMarcus Lawrence to shore up the one thing that we were nit picking on all offseason about Dallas. Are they perfect? No? But this is my super Bowl team. This is the team I picked on NFL dot Com. Am I crazy? Come out you with your takes. I don't think you're crazy. That is certainly one of those at me with your takes, like you can't go and come at me with your takes. I'm crazy.

Come at me with your takes. Well, listen, you're the radio man. I'm just hanging on here until higher management realized that I'm doing this. There's a lot that can There's a lot that can go wrong with the Cowboys, and it usually does because, like we said recently, it's been a quarter century since they've been to the Super Bowl. There must be something organizationally uh to go wrong, but they haven't even been back to the NFC title game

since then. However, on offense, this feels like a team that that could score thirty points a game, and then you get in that position West. So we've talked about this in the most spot a lot. When they have an offense that's that good, your defense only has to be okay. Can the Dallas defense be okay? I think it can and they change your scheme this year. I think they're gonna take more chances on defense and then

offense you're talking about. They were ranked number one in d v o A for most of the year, I mean, ahead of the Chiefs, ahead of the Ravens for most of the year, and some of that hides the issues they had with timing that their yards and points and always come when they needed it. But now you add Ceedee Lamb and one Beat writer said his camps on par with what they saw from Dez Bryant in the prime of Dez Bryant's career. I mean that's as much of a difference maker as you can get. So the

difference is they're deep. I mean you can talk about all the stars, but how about Alden Smith everyone said had an amazing camp, which to me is as a big X factor for this team. Blake Jarwin has had a big time camp everyone wants to talk about. Like they have de Trevon Diggs, their rookie cornerback. They like a lot. It's not the old Cowboys team where it was just stars and scrubs. Like they're well built, better and they get to play a bunch of scrubs in

Washington and East Rutherford. I really think that's a huge edge for the Eagles and the Cowboys. Four games against two of the worst teams in the NFL. They also the a f C North with will I don't love that for any of these NFC East teams. The one thing I think it comes, you know, kind of going back to your point on the Eagles, Rosie, and that's lines. You know, the the Eagles have the most impressive interior

defensive line. They have a solid I'm with you. I don't think they lose a whole lot on the offensive line, so they have an above average offensive line. You mentioned with the addition of Griffin Uh to go and not to mention, you know, supposedly an unbelievable camp is Alden Smith perhaps can shake his demon a return to form. And I think that's what the division comes down to.

You know, which of those two units stays the most intact and can have the greatest impact outside the division, because, as you said, they're gonna whip up on you know, Washington and New York and we'll see if they can maybe split with one another. Uh. I don't know if they're just it's hard to I don't know. It's hard for me to say the Cowboys are super Bowl team. I'm sorry, says I can't do that. I just I can't. I gotta see it. He challenged challenge Eagles a year ago,

so that didn't go too well. Wes Lugi, the g Man, this offense is a little intriguing, and I saw one of their coaches predicted a thousand yards season for Evan Ingram at tight end. They're talking about a more explosive and involved role for se Kwon Barkley in the passing game. So this question is for Greg would you desert friends? How would they feel about a proposition in which se Kwon Barkley and Evan Ingram each lead their position group in the NFL in scrimmage yards this year? Well, I

don't know. I would like to see the odds on that. That's a pretty tall order. That would be a fun thing to throw out for our Sandwich props, show a little plug. They're coming up next week. Evan Ingram is the one that look I get excited about him every year. I love watching him play and it just never happened. So he's always great in August. It's like staying staying through sixteen games and staying on the field is his big challenge. It's hard. Is he the Cowboys of fantasy

tight ends? A little bit he got is Jason Garrett the guy to bring out huge yardage from an offense that was throwing the ball forty times a game last year and racking up yards. I don't know, like this offense could be more efficient, but like I I'd be a little worried about, Like Danny Dimes is a fantasy guy. When he's coming off a season where we threw at forty two times a game, it's just not gonna happen again. I really liked Neil Jones. Um I think this. I

think he's gonna be an asset for New York. I I'm not sure though that going from Pat Shermer to Jason Garrett was the most inspired. Like when you go from like one relationship to the next, you kind of like change it up a little bit and you know a little spice in there. And I don't know if that's what's occurred here. I look at it from you know, what, what did he want to do in Dallas? And and is the talent of Barkley on par with Zeke Elliott?

Obviously the offensive line is, and but I'd probably feel a lot better about a Giant's team that's not throwing at forty two times and given the ball to Barkley a whole lot more. Um you know there there's again the offensive line, especially with the the opt out is is a big question mark. But um, I just I don't know, maybe I'm not as into Danny Dimes as you are, says, I know there was some some good there,

but there was also some bad. I mean that you have got to be able to take care of the football, and we have seen that be an issue for quarterbacks, and it's hard for them to shake because when a play breaks down, that's when muscle memory and and those bad habits start to emerge again. And I think that's you know, just watching a dude getting all Lucy goose with the football is he's running around is very hard

to shakes. Like the hope that he improves, like the fumbles and stuff that that's the kind of thing that you'd see a quarterback, you know, improve over a year two they say. They say that quarterback fumbling is one of the quote unquote easier things to fix if you have the right coaching and you got to just hope that's that's done. But you know what Domes showed something

Barkley Ingram, Slayton, Sterling Shepherd, there's some pieces here. It looks like a team that's already been ravaged by injuries before any injuries hit. That's what their defensive You're not allowed to do that. I thought the thing went off. Rosie. Yeah, dark gun, shoot me with a dark gun, and that's the punishment, all right, Washington Football team, Matt money Smith, Okay, here we go. I have written a prepared statement, uh

for you to digest. This could be the team with the greatest gap between how good they are on one side of the ball and how bad they are on

the other. If healthy, the defensive line nasty and with offensive line question marks we just mentioned the Giants and perhaps in Philly with injuries, those two divisional opponents could have serious issues dealing with the front that was already a force before the addition of Chase Young, who, as we know from our colleagues Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks, was celebrated as a one of one, a true difference

maker and the best player in the draft. Um. Now, on the other side, it's one of the worst offensive lines in the league. A total of one pass catcher that you have any faith and not receiver pass catcher, and we don't necessarily I think feel good about a quarterback that that has a lot of questions surrounded him as well. No quarterback has been put in the worst position you know it. We you mentioned it on our

show the other day. Donald Like, who's been in the worst position, Dwayne Haskins now not like he helped himself with his early play last year. His number three receiver is a guy who dontrelle Inman, who has been caught by about seven teams. His left tackle is probably the guy they just traded for from the Raiders who couldn't make the Raiders. He could not make the Raiders, and he's gonna be the left tackle. His running back is you know whoever it's gonna be back there. It's just

like it's tight end is Logan Thomas. It's just a rough It's just a rough group around Dayne Haskins. It might be a good year for them not to have fans in the stadium because they were struggling with that to begin with. But I mean, Ron Rivera feels like the cut coach would like to win games like twelve to nine. Uh, but that's not how the NFL works right now, I agree with you. The defense, the names are starting to stack up. Um, it's juicy, but I mean it's a it's a desert on the other side

of the ball. And then what happens if they go to and fourteen and you've got to figure out you draft one of these other quarterbacks next May. One of the easiest tells in the league if you're looking for the most destitute impoverished skill position group, just figure out which team dontrell him and lands on and the immediately becomes the starter as soon as he's get picked up off the waiver wire or signed off the couch. No

offense to don troll, but you know, no none. It speaks to him that he's allowed to just slip right in as a starter. I don't think there's maybe, well Josh Rosen would be the most recent example, but there aren't many where a guy enters year two and he's already it seems like done. He's in trouble because unless he has a big season where he shows off ability

and he has not in a great spot rosterwise. On the offense, it just feels like this is an organization ready to hit a reboot at quarterback because they're rebooting everything else, and he feels like the last of a prior regime that they're trying to wash away. It just I agree with you, Greg, as bad as Darnald the situation he's been in, Haskins is just it's set up for him to fail, not to mention the the organization around him. There's that too. How do I do it?

Is a great start. You can't leave now? Three more not I just wanted to see, like, was that okay? You know, Lucy Goosey just kind of like sitting back in the chair style. Sessler is right on top of the mic and like really intense. So I was just trying to figure out you could read the ingredients of like a vegetable soup can and I would give you a high grade. So I, okay, all right, let's head to the NFC North money. Keep us rolling with the packers. Okay,

here's my packers paragraph if you please. You don't need that, By the way, we could exercise that set up. You know, I just kind of like doing it. It's like when Mark starts starts this thing by saying, Okay, I'm gonna go really fast now. Well, on the way to do it would be to just get right to remember for you know, we started the show about three minutes and I had already written a lot of long stuff, so it started winning a panic mode. You know, we started

making money. We remember they were thirteen and three last year. Right, We remember they beat the Seahawks in the playoffs before getting destroyed by the forty niners. Right, they swept the division last year? So what has changed? Why is everyone down on the Packers. They have one of the best nose tackles in the league, surrounded by a vicious pass rush in the Smiths. Their secondary got better, four fifths

of their offensive line is back. Last time I checked, Davante Adams is one of the five best wide receivers in the league, and freaking Aaron Rodgers is their quarterback. So why do we keep having a debate over who's going to win the NFC North. I just don't get it. I'll have that money because it does feel personal, doesn't it. It feels like people are are annoyed that the Packers weren't a true thirteen and three. Everyone says that was

a soft thirteen in three. People didn't like the way Aaron Rodgers played, and now they didn't like the way the path they took in the draft not bringing in more receiver help. So now the thought is, screw screw the Packers. They're really an eight and eight team. Which but there's no real evidence back of why that should have. But I think the heart of it is that, like you said, it's not a true thirteen and three, that they were lucky to get that record. That's the heart

of it. And then secondly, I don't know if you can look around in the NFL and find another team that should expect less out of its first and second round draft picks as rookies, like like my thing is West, do they need those first and second round rookies. I mean, I look at this because look at look at what

we've dealt with for the past few year. But every year we keep acting like this Packers offense is going to heal itself and become what it was and who steps up ever outside of Davante Adam here here's why. Because Rogers hasn't been great for a few years. He's been great in spots um you know, the the analytics, the complete sin percentage over expected and QBR and all that stuff, hasn't very average or below average for years.

I think the answer money is that because their offense isn't that consistently good and their defense isn't that consistently good, so it's hard to hold onto, where's the top ten group out of those two units? They really weren't there last year. They want a lot of games, and there is a lot of there's enough talent. But I look at the Vikings. I think the Vikings are more balanced.

I like them to win it. I mean Soft thirteen and three means I think they were probably a ten and six team in disguise, which is not a bad team at all, and they're a playoff contender again. I mean, the Athletic pointed out that Rogers has had an absolutely great camp pinpoint accuracy. I mean, maybe not as good as this boiled fellow that Greg is obsessing over. But I mean, you know, now we're getting into the real stuff.

I just don't if there are any injuries in any of their skill position groups, they're in serious hot water. I mean, you could have done more with a late period Aaron Rodgers, you know, to help manager. So far, I've heard lucky thirteen and three from West Soft thirteen and three from your sessler. I was setting up what other people are saying. I would love like tell Bill Parcels or Bill Belichick, like thirteen and three is thirteen and three. This is it's fine, you do not agree.

That reminds you of other teen in three teams that you've seen over the years, not me. I mean, they won a playoff game. You win third, you go thirteen and three and you get and you get smoked in the divisional round, and okay, I'll buy into that, But they won a playoff game. Like to me, that's that's what separates thirteen and three from Oh it was a mirage. Oh I got darted, Yeah, right in the karated artery. Great, jot, Ricky,

you didn't need to practice, all right, the Minnesota Vikings. Alright, So the acquisition of Yannick and go Way, it was a beauty. I mean it was a beauty by Rick Spieldman. It plugged a legit area of need in the front seven and they take a step back and you look at this team it profiles is the most complete group

to me in the NFC North. I don't know if the Vikings finally get to the super Bowl, but I don't know if there's another team in the conference uh that I'm more confident is going to be in the playoffs. I just think this bike team has a very high floor the way it's set up and I don't know if it's high enough to get them where they need to be, uh and back to the super Bowl. But this feels like a locked and loaded ten win and plus ten win enough team. Your thoughts mhm, high flower,

low ceiling. That's Kirk Cousins in a nutshell that I agree. I think they're one of the more interesting teams that's been ignored, and they're interesting to me because they threaded the needle between rebuilding and reloading, and I think they reloaded.

I think the young guys they brought in, and then you mentioned in gok way they're gonna be just fine, and the same questions the last couple of years are gonna be the primary questions again, the offensive line and can the quarterback make plays off a schedule when he's forced to improvise. I like the fact that you know you're not Yeah, you lost Kevin Stefanski, but it's basically just Gary Kubiak, who I think was pulling the strings there a year ago anyway, So there's consistency. UM, very

strong tight end group. I liked situation there with Irv Smith growing. I don't I mean, if Adam theland goes down, you're hoping that a rookie Justin Jefferson and B. C. Johnson um can suddenly morph into what they had a year ago. That would concern me. But this, to me is a typical good but not great team playoff team. Yes, great, that would be the big the big question mark. I'll I'll curious what you think money Stefan Diggs. How big

a loss is that for him? Do you think they're gonna be chugging along and find or we're gonna be talking in October that he has really missed on that offense. I mean, it's I love college football, and I loved to watch an L s U last year and there was so much talent. It's really hard to figure out how it's, you know, going to translate to the next level.

But man, Justin Jefferson is a hell of a receiver and and based on what Adam feeling is, I'm almost tempted to make a case that he might be better for Kirk Cousins than Stefon Diggs. As crazy as that sounds, he is, he is so freaking reportedly kind of had a bad camp relatively, that's okay, getting into the mix Justin Jefferson for what It's my issue is what we

started with, and that's Kirk Cousins. You know what I mean when you talk about you know, any time that like Kurt gets into a big game, you know he's he's still looking to get that win when it counts most. You know he's still and it's just I just can't get behind it. I'm say, when the playoffs in the Superdome doesn't County got it? No, it doesn't, it doesn't

to me. That does not count to me. To me, that was more of the Saints just completely screwing themselves than Kirk Cousins put together the best team in the league. I want to see what Zimmer does with the young cornerback. That's how he made his name. They have the best safety combination league. That defense could actually be better this year. Sessler, the Chicago Bear, this team, I think we know. This

team annoys me a little bit. I think the twelve and fourth season two years ago hurt them because you lost the best best coach in your staff of Vic Fangio. Okay, created a false evaluation of the inside the building. It turned Matt Nigy from a hot you know, a high rise like young offensive mind into a guy who was treating like the search to the ticket, like looking for the ark of the Covenant, and they've just given Jimmy Graham's sixteen million over two years. They don't pick up

Trabisky's option. They make him a lame duck. You bringing Nick Foles who has never started more than eleven games in the season. I really just see this as a snooze fest with a lot of changes coming down the road potentially. Am I being too harsh on the Chicago Bears? No, I like when you challenged us last time, you almost bullied us going into the conversation last that it was the same delivery. Just just kind of get a little up, up and up. Note at the end, Am I being

too hard Bears? Well, I really only care about my opinions, so you know, I throw a question out at the end,

But that's just money at this point. Yeah. The argument for them is that last year was the floor and they're kind of like the Rams that no one remembers that that they won a bunch of games, like this was still a five team that could have been a little better at in the stretch that they want a couple of close games like I was surprised they were able to win eight games that the defense was still that good. That said, I think it can get worse, Like there's no rule that um that defense. Yes, you

get a Keen Hicks back, but you lose Goldman. The cornerbacks especially looked very vulnerable. I don't think they're the same defense by any means that they were a couple of years ago. Yeah, I had some issues with their offseason. I think the two moves that maybe miffed me the most were signing Jimmy Graham to big money after he failed to make a play for two straight years. Um, and then just decide and the Fools was good enough at quarterback. Cam Newton sat out there all offseason and

and Fools was the guy you wanted. I just thought you could have aimed higher, you know. I I'll say, they see you know they they signed Ted Gain Um when when the Chargers played them last year and I was looking out on that field and I don't know if Allen Robinson was dinged up or what it was, but there's a bunch of guys that were like five

ft five that your biscuity had to throw too. And I'm like, what what is Ryan pace built here and I don't know if he's trying to compensate for that lack of size by signing nine hundred and drafting tight ends. But it's just an odd mix. You look at the running back depth chart. Everyone got excited about Montgomery and you know, Tarik Cohn is a nice piece, but he's kind of be complimented. I don't know if that's there. It's kind of like you you like, but you don't

love anything on this team. It's like, yeah, I like the offensive line. It's pretty good offensive. I like that, you know, as you said, defensive line. But and obviously you know you get Hicks back you mentioned. I'm looking at their secondary. I've never been a big Kyle Fuller guy. Um, they lose their best player to Green Bay in the in the off season, so yeah, I'm with you, Rosie. I think they can't get worse. Clill macass have a big year, better than last year. Hits will help alleviate

some of those double and triple teams. MC needs to be special, wasn't last year. I don't the host get Losy here Man close it out. NFC north West, the Detroit Lions, who I need to check myself here, Um, I've been doing the lines wrong. They closed out the last couple of months last year with a quarterback who didn't have an NFL arm, with a running back who didn't have the NFL ability to make anyone miss, with wide receivers who don't belong on NFL rosters getting important

snaps for them. Injuries hit them hard. But if you look at where they were at mid season three four and one, with Matthew Stafford playing the best ball of his career. UM, I was high on them at that time, and I remember thinking, this is not a team that you want to play, This is not a team you want to run into in an important game. And then injuries hit them hard to me, I guess my question is, when I look at this offense, I see one that can sneak up on a lot of people and be

a top ten offense in the NFL. Do you guys see the same thing? I truly like, I am believing in this Lions thing just because you want to believe in a little bit of magic once in a while, and things looking a little different than they have in Detroit for a million years. If DeAndre Swift gets healthy and you've got him and carry on Johnson. I think though this old school team that's gonna run the ball a billion times, even though you've got Stafford, They've got

a good offensive line, they're good against the run. I just liked the set up in a weird year for them to be a little bit better than people expect. And my big question would be, you know, there's a lot of talk. I've had people text me when I've tout of the line saying you don't get it. Matt Patricia has no no stock in this locker room. I think that might have changed a little bit in the last couple of months with what's going on in our country and how he's responded to that. But that's a

little bit of an X factor. You know what I think changed everything when Patra on our podcast called you out Mark for regularly denigrating his favorite team, and then really from that moment you became a line supporter. I think it shows that you're a good guy and a friend to Patra. But there is connective issue. There's no doubt. I think that shows that you think I just sway in the wind at depending on what any one says,

and that's just not the case. West. I'm gonna go back to what you said about that record, and I was in the middle of that because the Chargers lost a game to the Lions they had no business losing. Uh. They had three just absolutely brutal plays that that would have put them up two plus scores. Uh, a fumble by Austin Ekeler at the goal line when it was

first in goal. And they had two touchdowns taken off the board, one for offensive past interference which was just insane, and another for an illegal block UM that would have again put them up two scores. They weren't really able to move the ball against the Chargers at all. That there was a thirteen to ten game. Uh. There one score game off of a turnover, remember the game before that, and I just remember watching it that their defense just allowed Kyler Murray to light them up in the in

the fourth quarter. UM. And and I think there are other wins were were against pretty unimpressed Ave tennic. One of their wins came against the Giants, so it's not like, yeah, they were three four and one, but it wasn't really that impressive. They almost beat the Chiefs. Their offense was the top five in d v O a while Stafford was healthy. They were going deep, they were making plays. They'll be fun. The question to me is can Patricia

coach defense? We know he can't fit his scheme around other players because they've been absolutely terrible with other players. Now he's got all of the guys he wants. Can he be average? Well? Doing is like he comes at me with the d v O A thing and I can't do anything about it because the so I just gotta move, I just gotta were analysis. I mean, they put up thirty four on the Chiefs that they put on the chart one game, Ricky put down the gun

for Christ's sake. Alright, let's pause here briefly. Two things, two notes. One on the Lions that they signed their left tackle, Taylor Decker was six or eighty five million dollar extension through six that's um, that's some of the biggest money in the league for a left tackle. So they do big business. And in the other realm of big business. But before we get into the NFC South and start with the defending champion, well, actually they didn't

win the division, but the Saints. Uh let the Saints, No, they did win their division. It's an idiot. They were the three seed though. Anyway, moving forward, got this under control. Shoot me with the dart. I'll wake up tomorrow. It will be better. Alvin Kamara Um and the Saints popped up yesterday. ESPN reported that the Saints are open to trading Alvin Kamara, their superstar running back, if they couldn't work out an extension. Things seemed to calm down a

little bit today. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that they are quote not far apart in contract negotiations. Greg is just gonna be one of those much ado about nothing stories Camars going nowhere, and before you know it, he's gonna get like Joe Mixon or better money. I think. So the big that you know do here might be a rap sheet coming after you beginning, like I reported that same thing fell dude, look through you know, twelve hours

before this was like a source war here. You could see Camera's agent talking to five different reporters saying, hey, we've got it all settled down, and you can tell it with Sean Payton throwing out a little public uh fire that hey, like we're willing to trade. You don't get too cocky, Kimera, and no one's gonna take this trade.

They were like demanding the first round pick. It was all just public negotiations and it sounded like they're gonna be somewhere between Joe Mixon and Christian McCaffrey and everyone gets happy. And I have no idea how the Saints are gonna exist in They're like eighty million dollars over the salary cap. That's not an exaggeration. That's literally how far they are over the salary cap before you've been putting this. But it's really good. It's really getting aggressive.

Doesn't not just like put a microscope or I guess magnify the fact that this is really just a last shot for the Saints. We can get into it in our and it's said. But and speaking at Joe Mixon, since I brought up his name, the Bengals signed, they're running back to a four year, forty eight million dollar extension through and then his migraines disappeared and he was back on the practice field. So look at west ended up big contracts to running backs. Things are changing in Cincinnati.

Come back to the west Side, buddy, they're waiting for you. He's the running back on the oblivion all pros nobody watches at Bengals. They don't realize how good he is. But he's one of the best players in the league at his position. Bang. All right, let's get into the NFC South, starting with the Nolan Saints. Greg, you went to two lanes, so why don't you take this? I will I will try. I think the Saints secondary, I'm

gonna start with. Their defense is one of the most talented groups in the league and you just think of, like, what a change that is. This used to be such a joke. Their defense in general, especially their secondary. G Norris Jenkins to me as a guy, you know how he's gonna play once you read the camp report, tither he's checked out on the season and a problem or he plays like at an all pro level. Him being the number two cornerback behind Lattimore just makes them so deep.

I know West loves Chauncey Gardner Johnson, who is just like an unbelievable young player. They have Malcolm Jenkins now at safety, I like Marcus Williams. Like they're deep at all their positions in the secondary, and they have got a great defensive line to like to me, the defense is going to keep this team from even a ten and six type floor. We know the offense is gonna be fine, but I think they have a chance to win thirteen fourteen games and hold off whatever challenge they

get from the Bucks. Yeah. To me, the question is the same one it's been the last year to what what can the quarterback do in the playoffs? What kind of quarterback too against good defenses when he's got a thirty yard arm. To me, that remains the number one question. Well, you're just bringing Jamis Winston, you know, and then he gives the game away more little guy named Hill? Please? What about what about Evan Silva calling Taysom Hill a

gadget troll? Un established the run this week? Anybody have thoughts that it was a red zone troll as and he's gonna steal Tell that that's actually a compliment, that's not really the tractor. He's saying. You're kind of banged if you maybe have Alvin Kamar or someone else in fantasy, because Taysom Hill is gonna constinue, He's gonna spin spells

and you know, devastate the enemy week after week. Tillifying that grol To talk about Breeze's arm and you're right, West, It's like their offense was awesome when Breeze was in there last year until about the game that how about the game that decided whether they kept the season going

or not. What happened to his arm in that game? Like, I get it, and he played poorly and the play I guess it's just hard for me to be as worried when they're putting up so many points, when they're so efficient, when they were like an unbelievable offense and he was, you know, one of the top tacks in

the league. We just talked about Alvin Kamara. He told the media a couple of weeks ago that he had a torn knee, and West, you were talking about it all last season going into January that he couldn't make people miss If Albu Kamara is Alvin Kamara again, that's a super duper star that you slot into an offense that was already very good with a compromised version of him last year. I'm not really worried about the Saints on offense, even with Breeze advance. Oh, I'm not worried

about Camara at Oh. I'm worried about the quarterback with a thirty yard arm we can disagree on that. That's fine. That's fine. That's part of this podcast. Money. I'm not weighing in because whatever I say, freaking Rosie's gonna get the last ten seconds. And I learned from my estate you can take your d b O and you can shove it up your tail. All right, See what I mean? There's the good the show. See now it needs a

comment down. See now everything's calmed down. You know, fool me once, shame on you, fool me, full me twice. You won't get fooled again. What's going on here? Somebody famous said? Then West the Atlantic alf cut down. Out of all the little training camp nuggets that we see on Twitter, I think the most important one that I've seen is from William McFadden of The Falcon's website, who said the clear takeaway from their Friday night scrimmage was how good Todd Gurley looked, how fast and agile the

acceleration on outside runs and cutting up field. And then Dan Quinn, the head coach, saying, you saw speed out of Todd Gurley, that he he beat the leverage to the corner. To me, this is exactly what you want

to hear. If you're a Falcons fan that a guy who's still only twenty six years old, and he's now almost two calendar years removed from the knee injury that put a hiatus on his career, UM, that there is a chance that he gets back to being some semblance of what he was UM when he was Offensive Player of the Year. UM. So I guess my question you guys is what kind of chance are you giving Todd Gurley to be a comeback Player of the Year type of guy? Zero M hmmm. You know I love that that.

You know that I love I look. I hope he looks like he did. He was one of the most fun players to watch. UM. But when you hear about an arthritic condition and a knee for a guy who's twenty six years old and his knee is more you know,

resembles my knees, and you know what that's like. If you've been beating on him for a while, it's fine, you know, in August, but when it's the middle of October and it ain't the same, that's you know, Unfortunately, I think what we're probably looking at it's I'm not concerned about how fast he looks. The leverage that he's getting the cuts that he's making. Uh, going into week one, I'm more concerned about what it's gonna look like coming

out of week six. Yeah, I guess that's what it is, right. It's whys you you put it as these two years removed from the injury. Is he ever going to actually be really kind of removed from it or is this just who he is now? I I I'm with you, though. It's like a guy to get behind as offensive player of the year, Well, that's those days are gone. He did that once, could be a comeback player of the year because he was such a fun and exciting athlete in the city. If his career was done by twenty eight,

it would be just a total shame. They just feel a little fragile to me in the sense that if the girly thing doesn't work out, and you know, Brian Hill has got a lot of buzz from dan Quinn to in camp, but still is that someone you want, you know as your as your situation at running back? If if a wide receiver goes down, someone like Russell Gage gets moved up. I mean, Hayden Hurst, Matt Ryan gushed over him all offseason, but we haven't really seen Hayden Hurst do it um entirely on his own as

a as a tight end one. It kind of reminds me, you know, in the Matt money Smith Realm, the who are you? The who? Song? Like what is this team? They go oh in seven or oh in six? Then they win seven in a row. Like they're just sort of a wacky, inconsistent team, which is not what I expected from Dan Quinn. I don't feel like they've ever really found their footing post hideous super Bowl loss. Watch out now Calvin Ridley. There's there's a guy to get behind.

Fantasy heads. Yeah, they're a pass first team. I mean to me, the running game that's never good under Quinn, and it's gonna be fine if Girly is not. I'm seeing another one backfield in the NFL when they went to the super Bowl. I guess I'm thinking post Super Bowl that that that's fair. They have the same story every year. They stink to start the year, they closed strong on defense, and everyone thinks that the defense of improvement will carry over, and for whatever reason, it never does.

They need their draft picks to show up. Kayleb McGarry their right tackle first round pick last year was terrible. At the end of the year, they got healthy and it's like a run fair old line. They need Tack McKinley to show up. They need a J. Torrell to show up who they drafted over Steedee Lamb. A lot of their draft picks haven't play the last four games. Greg Seconds, I don't know. I got out before the

beef pays the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucks instantly became the most interesting stories in the NFL when they swapped out Jamis for Tom Brady than they brought his buddy Gronk out of retirement for good measure. Smart people, smart people like a Chris Westling, like a Brian Baldinger are very high on this defense. The offense will almost certainly be better or at the very least more responsible with TV twelve after controls. But what's the true ceiling here?

That's what I really want to know about this team. Are they are Bucks like this frisky, fun off season story that will give some good teams scare or are they a bona fide super Bowl contender with this makeup ceiling. I think they're a super Bowl team. I think you could put ten twelve teams in that mix, and I

would say they're one of them there absolutely. I mean, with the talent on both sides, My concern would be they had a historic run defense, one of the best of all time, and the defensive improvement was really impressive, and I love the personnel. Usually when you improve that much from one year to the next, you're just trying to hold on. So I think a lot of people are kind of thinking are they going to take the next step on defense? History would say they'd actually be

more likely to take a step back. For as much as they went from basically thirty one in the league two to a very good defense by the end of last year. Players are there, though, like the personnel is as good as almost any team in terms of starters. Biden, I think you have to put their ceiling at the Super Bowl, UM, because I think the question is Tom Brady, and I think that he's he's lost quite a bit in the last two years. UM. Other people think he has it and we'll find out the answer to that.

But it's within the realm of possibility that he's still a guy. If you get to the playoffs, he can guide you to three or four wins and get that Super Bowl. I like hearing things like O. J. Howard has had Tom Brady all over the practice in a good way, like you know that his game's changed because Brady is so meticulous that he's addressing everyone on the

offense around him. It's a little It's a team with what five four or five I like post prime time games if they ever started like one in three, and I understand that Tom Brady is probably, like you know, at this point of clone, mentally imperfect and can't be shaken. But this is a team with no playoff experience around them, Like if they really got off to a rough start, is this locker room able to overcome something like that? You know, I think the one thing you you mentioned

here too is the coaching. You know. I think we know you love top Bowls and Bruce Arians together. I love the no nonsense throughout training camp, the fact that you know, we went after Brady in the offense after their off day what was it last week, at the beginning of last week. But but to me, it's it's already been said. I mean Greg said it. There's a ton of talent on this team, and they're Super Bowl caliber. Talent on this team. And you look at you mentioned

their schedule. I just pulled it up. Yeah, you start with the Saints, but after that Panthers, Broncos, Chargers, Bears. So I'm guessing they'll probably have an opportunity to get some momentum at the start of the season. Greg ten and a half wins over under three. I'm going under Ken zero. I mean division Money's mad alright, closed after love that, he sets it up with, I think they can win the Super Bowl over under ten and f wins under man. I'm a business and on the fence.

On the fence, alright, Money closed out this division. All right, here we go. This can't be overstated again, going back to my college football appreciation slash passion. In Matt Rule's previous two stops, he accomplished the impossible. The Temple Owls found themselves in the ap Top twice after having never appeared there since nineteen seventy nine. That's what he did at Temple. After that, he goes to a Baylor program that was a disgrace, a scourge on their entire university campus.

He basically dismissed the entire team and just wore a one in eleven season, only two years later to be an overtime overtime against Oklahoma away from making the College Football Playoff. He is an awesome, freaking coach and a great leader of men. Anyone that's ever been around him, we'll tell you that. How much talent does he have on that team, that's the question, um. But I think there's some there. I absolutely love Derek Brown, the rookie,

and if Kawan Shorts healthy, that's gonna be formidable. And you know the offense has obviously Christian McCaffrey and and d J. Moore that I think you can be excited about. So I'm I'm actually looking forward to seeing that the Panthers are gonna knock somebody off. They're gonna knock one or two teams off late in the season. I just believe that much in Matt Rule. I really do. I am.

I am with you. I am. It is not cool aid that I'm drinking It's truth, sireum, because what you said is real And I think he's that kind of guy. And you know what, there's David Tepper probably knows it's gonna be a rough season out of the gate. I think the Panthers are the kind of team. They're saying that probably will be twenty five different players from last year's roster to start the year. They're tearing it down

to the studs. There's patients, but there are pieces, and I think this is the kind of team that you're gonna see Matt Rule develop and grow them week after week. And I'm Monty. I hear they're gonna drop a bomb on someone in late December and total chaos is temper and honest? Is excuse me? Is that he's very honest? Is temper? A patient man? We look at the contract, I mean the contracts Brewdin esque in terms of we understand what has to happen here. I'm not really plugged

into the zeitgeist um on this Panthers team. Are they expected to be like a three win team? I see them more as like a six or seven team. I think six or seven. I think going back to what Greg said the division, I mean, you know, you gotta you gotta go up against the Saints, Bucks and Falcons twice. So I think they're probably teams. Don't think of them as the worst roster in the league, you know, but I think they're an injury or two away from it.

I I yeah, they could be frisky, and I'm I'm excited to watch them, But man, they're like a Shack Thompson injury away from who I mean, they have no on that line after they have no one in the secondary. Uh, you're counting on Matt Rules coaching to to do it. But it's the offensive line. To me, there are a couple of key injuries away from one in fifteen. It's just no matter how good your coaches. I think they

have one of the thinnest rosters in the NFL. Rule turn temple around right in bail around, But what do you do the first year? He kind of set the groundwork right. He went the foundations fair and I'll take the dart here. I don't care. Teddy Bridgewater average six point two air yards for attempt. I don't eighteen per attempt. Jimmy Garoppolo given Jimmy Garoppolo got seven minutes away from the Super Bowl with the exact same stet. All right, let's let's close it out of the NFC with Jimmy

Garoppolo money and Jimmy Garoppolo and those Niners. Uh. Some say it's the best lines in football, not line lines. After they traded for Trent Williams offensive line, I don't have a question about it. With mclen she and Trent Williams book end and you know, whatever people want to call. Is it outside zone, is it stretched zone, is it wide zone? Who knows whichever guy is carrying the ball. It's freaking awesome, So that I think will be the same.

I feel like the DeForest Buckner trade is being overlooked and just kind of accepted more than it should be. Nick Bose is amazing, but freaking Buckner was a nightmare, and the two of them together were what led to that defense being that special because I look at the secondary and I go, it's it's okay. I mean, I watched to give up a ten point lead in the Super Bowl and get dusted down the field, So I

have a concern there. Armstead was thought to be a guy that was on his way out before he accepted a discount deal. Um And and obviously kin Law is supposed to be always just like DeForest Buckner. Okay, great, a rookie is just like one of the best defensive tackles in the league. Um So, to me, it comes down to what Greg alluded to a moment ago is is Jimmy Garoppolo who helped guide a team to a Super Bowl and perhaps part of the reason why they lost the Super Bowl the right guy? And and will

we see a fall off by this defense? I wonder too, like about d Ford being like such a key factor. He's missed a lot of time in training camp, and you look at this team. I think there's so much to like in terms of the coaching staff and in terms of like the depth of personnel. They can survive

uh an injury. But I do wonder when you're counting on like, let's say Jordan read like Jordan reads a guy I'm intrigued, And it just feels like there's a lot of Jordan reads on this roster of like guys that like if everything goes right with him or d Ford or Debot coming back or your first round pick, I you coming back from an injury, Like this thing could be electric. But it does feel like they have a little more. You could either get a lot or

you could get nothing. Guys that then you would want as like the NFC favorite. I think it's the Shanahan thinks that demo Samuel might even be back for Week one. That's that's good, But you go back a couple outside of last year, people were talking about Shanahan and Lynch kind of on the hot seat, and it was all because those previous teams were shattered by injuries. So I if they're not healthy in this division, any unhealthy team is going to get into a whole lot of trouble.

It's like two thousand and sixteen in that training camp with Jordan Reed and then Jared McKinnon is another guy where you're reading that none of the linebackers and they've got some good coverage linebackers like Fred Warner, Um and Kwan Alexander, they can't cover this guy on the backfield. So so McKinnon in the passing game could be a nice acts factor. Keep an eye on Warner. You got put on the COVID nineteen list. Uh just last weekend.

Was kind of the first big name in a long time to get put on that, and uh, you just don't know when he's going to be back. Otherwise, him in Green Law might be the best linebacker duo around, certainly one of them that could be weeks ten and a half wins over under Niners Greg way way over over, way over. Wow. Alright, Matt money Smith, I know that you have hugely popular UH sports radio program called Petros and Money that you need to prepare for us. So

we're gonna gotta with Mark Cessler and his family. I'll bet. Thank you so much, Thank you so much for joining us and you money on next week when we pick up the Power Ranking Show and his Power rank who delivers his power rankings out? You can you can get me with the dart here, okay everything. It's so easy to get him to move off of his point and just with one bold statement, I got the Cowboys number one.

Well that's stupid. Well you know I wasn't gonna put him at number one, but you know it's It's all comes with a lot of nuance. I'm always on the fence on with the rankings, and Money has a way of moving me off it. You learn out all week, you've learned for the best. Damnit checkond always canvassing the entire office for opinions before he produces the result. You know there's nothing wrong with you. Thank you, Thank you, Matt. Later, alright, let's close out the rest of the NFC West and

the NFC in total, starting with the Seahawks. Alright, so that trade for Jamal Adams positioned in many places as a quote unquote final piece type move by the Seahawks, the team that was willing to mortgage their future for the here and now, and on one level, that makes sense. Ten win team last year won a playoff game, UH, and adding a player of Adam's ability can only help get him over the hump. But is this is is

this reality? Is this team a Super Bowl contender? Or is it still a pretty lopsided uh team with a lot of question marks on defense that probably will end up going about the same place about ten wins, nine to ten or eleven wins, maybe a playoff win, maybe one and done. Are they actually closer to the Super Bowl? Mm hmm, I think a little bit, not not much, because the past, the lack of a pass rush kind of mitigates the excitement that you have in the secondary.

Secondary could be among the best in the league with Adams. There can um in the trade pick up from the Redskins that they got to dunbar. But it's I I think they're Super Bowl contender as long as Russell Wilson is there, like, it's amazing how they keep getting to the final eight with with all the problems that they have. They only need to have a few other things. Kind of lock in their offensive line is like a massive

question mark. But when you have Russell Wilson, you have such a high floor, and you've got some other pretty premier talent on the team, and you have a good coach that I yeah, I think they can have a couple of things go right for them and they're back in the super Bowl. It's kind of like it's easy to forget because they were eleven and five and the Niners were thirteen and three. That they lost in Week

seventeen to the Niners to twenty one. But had they won that, they would have wanted to half a yard short from And we've been pinpointing I'm not talking about legion of Boom at its peak era, but in the last you know, three or four or five years, three or four years, it's like there's one aspect about the Seahawks that we just can't get over, and that's why they're gonna finally tumble off the scene. But they've made the playoffs every year since we've worked at NFL Dot

com Dan two thousand eleven. So it's like, you know, I mean, I completely trust in a weird year Russell Wilson and Peake Caroll just to get it done. They just do. And like, are they get what done? You're gonna get into the playoffs games? What I do? And I yes, and I trust them to win a playoff game. And frankly, and this is I'm not putting this on you because I know that. I think that, like, you know, the Jamal Adams sing a little bit is a lot of hot takes. The Joal Jamal Adams now is just

not that important of a player. I completely disagree with that. And I think he don't think anybody saying that, well there is the safeties don't matter. I mean, he's you know, he's not Derwin James. It's like, Jamal Adams is an impact player who is going to make a big, big, positive change for the Seahawks. I would I'd bank on that.

I wouldn't that right to me? Like they've been at their best at times when they've been had the best ground game in the league, and then they've been at their best at times when they left Russell Wilson take over the offense, So which one are they and who's getting after the quarterback? Clouds and the guys that LJ. Collier like, I see the guy all right, shut up, ye Rams out alright. You know, by the way, you knew Ricky would be reckless with a gun our Juna.

He used it when it needed to be used. Ricky is problematic. Ricky is like eight hundred more reasons to be annoyed with us than our Jina. I mean, you know, alright, well there we go. Uh look the Rams, I'm kind of I've been a little you know, I've been annoyed with the Rams in the past. I don't feel that way. I really think this is Rams two point oh experience and the Sean McVeigh has I think reimagined what this team can be on offense, and I think he's probably

taken a hard look at reimagining himself as well. I mean, this is gonna be an you know, continuation of last year, a tight end, heavy attack. I mean, using them much more than they did early on with Higbie and Everett. Uh, the whole girly thing melted down. But I really like this stable of runners, cam Akers, Darryl Henderson, Malcolm Brown, we had less steed on it. He was like unwilling to say which one of them was going to kind of be the lead guy. That can be a bad thing,

but in this case, I don't buy that. Van Jefferson has been one of the few kind of football nuggets you can really pull off of hard knocks, the son of an NFL wide receiver. I like that to me. This team, outside of the offensive line and the fact that you could spend ten thousand generations looking for a personality or a fire inside of Jared Goff, feels like a playoff entry and I what do you? Where are you with Thattion? So that's thirty thousand years? Like ten

thousand years wasn't enough. You needed twenty thousand more years to find that personality. Yeah, he should put out one of those tapes where it like puts you to sleep. He just reads from a book or something. I would be asleep and probably about twenty seconds. They've made all

these rockbuster trades to deplete their draft picks. So at the after all that happened, everybody was saying, you know, the draft is gonna be really important for the Rams having those mid round picks instead of early round picks, and then I look up and I see my neighbor j B. Long played by play voice of the Ramsweet cam Akers Van Jefferson, outside linebacker Tarrell Lewis, and then two of the safeties they drafted, I think Tarrell Burgess and um, who's the other guy? Um? I think Fooller.

All five of those guys look like future starters and should be rookie contributors. I think that's exactly what they needed. This team looks refreshed to me, and they do feel like a playoff team, and they can be so much diverse on offense. So you mentioned Mark how they can use the tight ends, and I think that was important. Late late this year, I think McVeigh maybe got a little predictable. You know, they use eleven personnel with the three receivers more than any team, and suddenly they used

the two tight ends. They were scoring thirty points a game last five weeks of the year. Golf played pretty well down the stretch. And now you've got the two tight ends, but you've also got the three receivers because you have been Jefferson's probably taken over for Reynolds, and I wanted to put money on this too. But man, I think the district not disrespect, but I think people don't appreciate how good Cup is Cooper Cup because they think he's still the guy who was as a rookie.

And to me, he's closer to Keenan Allen and Feeling and Godwin as one of the best slot guys in the league in a top ten or eleven receiver period. He's gotten better every year, so I think he can keep getting better. You have one of the best number twos in woods. There's a lot to like, a lot a lot at the top level of like, especially on office post post type sleeper candidate here. Everyone, Yeah, we're digging out, We're digging the rims. I'm gonna talk about it.

I'm gonna finish off with the Cardinals, um who who've got their problems. Um. But what I'm looking for is whether they're gonna be revolutionaries, you know, whether they're gonna be as fast as we heard in camp, whether they're gonna be the fastest team in the league. They were the fourth fastest team we talked a little bit about on our broadcast with a rookie quarterback. Now, what are they gonna do that they can actually have four wide receivers that you can believe in because they ran four

wide a third of the time. That's, you know, quadruple the amount that any team in the NFL did, So they really are running things differently than any team in the league. And now you've got four, You've got Kirk, I think Isabella probably the fourth. If not, it's Keyshawn Johnson, Um, you have Fitzgerald of course, and Hopkins. It's a fun group and I think they're not gonna win that many games.

I don't. I think they could be fun and not win any more than they did a year ago because the defense and the offensive line, in the secondary, there's a lot of issues. But I want to see Kingsbury just go for it and be be a different flavor that the NFL could use. You know, the Ravens are a different flavor, and the Cardinals to me, should be on the total opposite side of things and at least

be fun to watch. With this group, I think they can win more games because they start with the Niners, and you know it's gonna be teams figuring themselves out. But then they have Washington, the Lions, the Panthers, and the Jets, so that's a chance for a fast s and they You're right, they were the fourth fastest team. The difference between like the fourth and the third is like point eight seconds or something. It's like, we're not you know, it's not like they were seventeen minutes faster

than the next team. It's it's me or seconds there. That's who they are and then and that's who Kingsbury has always been. So I trust it. Yeah, I'll be interested to see if if this spreads around the league, like if Greg saying if it's revolutionary next year, there should be two or three teams or more doing what they're doing. And I think at some level they are um but it's just not as dramatic like when Drew Lock came in. You know, you saw them going four

wide all the time. You see a lot of empty

you see a lot of four wide. The difference is like teams are thrown in there as flavors and for the Cardinals is kind of their base offense, or I think Kingsbury wants it to be because partly because they want to run the ball, and by spreading out so much, you're going up against six man boxes and you're gonna have a lot of success in the ground game doesn't mean Kenyan Drake is not gonna get a lot of run, right, And Kenyan Drake and Chase Edmonds are used in the

passing game. And I'll never forget when we were in London and the Cardinals were just starting to like find their way, and we were watching at that time David Johnson and you know, Edmunds just tearing people up catching the ball and yards after the catch. So I just kind of liked the whole deal. I mean, be fun to watch in or what are you doing? I agree

with that. You know, one thing that jumped out to me when I was reading the Great Evan Silva his Shy Away thirty he has Joan dre Hopkins way up on his list of people to avoid in fantasy obviously very different than real football, but he pointed out the two thousand nineteen Cardinals ranked eighteenth, and past attempts twenty second, and offensive plays young Lary Fitzgeld, Christian Kirk, Kenyan Drake all in the house target competition, and it's just gonna

be different than in Houston where he was just getting fed the ball over and over again. Will he be as big a difference maker as maybe we all presumed him to be. Watch him get that money in the next few days. That contracts coming, you got, You got that on good authority. I just think you want to keep DeAndre happy. They've been doing some financial moves to like free up money, and so that now is the time of year you sign your veterans good stuff. All right,

there you go. We just went around the NFC in forty eight minutes. Thank you to Matt money Smith for joining us for most of that exercise and giving us some great on the boots inside on the Los Angeles Chargers and um boys. We're getting there now, eight days away from football as we record this West. Now that your doctor sent you home for the week, do we get you on Friday? Also, like, where are we at Youah, barring the unforeseen, I'll be here. Excellent, a whole week

of West. What a blessing for the podcast and the audience. All right, so we'll be back Friday with our rundown show. Of course, we'll also be doing our network taping, so make sure you set your DVRs or watch it on Friday afternoon when it goes live on the web. They still say the web no, you do. Web's out. Please check out my new web page world wide. What about Information super Highway that's still that's been out for quite a while. Now you know it will never be out.

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