2021 Week 9 Preview

he's in first grade. He's at the age now where he's starting to I think like my first crush was on my first grade teacher. He we get a call from uh the to unpack already. I don't know why marketized first reaction to look at Erica for her reaction. Why are you guys so weird? You know you don't know the boys get crushes on their teachers. Yeah, I'm not. Everything needs to have like look share between each other. Can we just can I tell the story? Well, Dan,

you yeah, that's fine? What nothing? No, I think it's very I think it's very cute. Yea like keep going with the with the tail. No, Well, now that the story has been delayed, so now the story might get over long. Yeah, careful, you don't want to you know, upset Greg with a long story that was before the show. The story you should have heard the tension between Ricky and Greg before the show started to it's uncomfortable. Let's see her. Anyway, Jack has a after school teacher, and Um,

she called my wife and said, hey, heads up. Jack kind of pulled me aside and took out a twenty dollar bill from his backpack and said here, I wanted to give this to you because you do such a great job. Um, that was my bill. That's so cute. She she didn't take the money, which you know, good test of her morals, her moral judgment, reported it back to the wife. Um, and then I mentioned it to the text thread that my family's on and Keith, my dad, who was you know, you know he's the old man.

He had this to say. Bottom line is the wallet was your possession, not his to take and give away. He also secretly took the money. It was nice that he was giving it away with appreciation. How are you going to handle this? So he took he took the twenty out of your wallet. Uh, my son denied that he took it out of the wall. He took it out of my wall. He said he found it on the kitchen table. That's not what happened. That sounds like a real romantic he'll steal from his own father to

press the lady. And so is that really what happened or did he take the twenty dollar bill out and say you want this twenty you gotta dance for it, teach. I don't know that. I think there was an innocence to it. But also my son has I think, Um, there's something special in him, But I have to he's either going to be a great leader of people or a leader of a an army force against like cyborgs like T two. So it's like a John Connor situation or evil. So I need to I need to make

sure he's on the right path. How do we handle this without him off the hook? I think you explain that you don't take other people's possessions, that that's important, but that if you are, you know, having feelings for someone, you're you know, you have a crush on someone giving them money, that's a good move, and just give them money. It's I'm kind of really impressed. I'm impressed with his

actions on some level. Um, to mind his way into your wallet and steal a twenty and and understand that that's would be a lot of money, not a one, not even a ten. And when you mentioned that, you know, one of his paths could be like the leader of some sort of um like apocalyptic thug gang. I mean, this would be a formative moment. I don't do you want to suppress that if that's maybe what he's supposed

to be for his kids. I'm just saying, maybe you know he's telling you who you know, here's my skills and my gifts. All right, Well, thank you for the input, and I will address us and give you guys an update at a later date, week nine. Later tonight, you're gonna hear um for me and maybe some guests on the Jets and cults. How that went. I already told already everybody listening that's already gonna know the outcome. Just know that I knew what was coming and they couldn't

hurt me. Just remember that, Um, the Jets cannot hurt me anymore in the football Gods, I'm not doing that. I am not doing that. This is Week nine, here we are. This is the midpoint of the NFL season this week once we're through the games and we have a nice slate game some another week with some big favorites. I think that might be there's something cooking here that there's a lot of. Is there more bad teams? It seems like bigger spreads than in a long time. Is

this how it always is? Or does this just feel like there's a few more bad teams this year? Truly bad teams don't seem like they can compete. I think there is something to interesting anyway. We have big news obviously that came down on Wednesday with Aaron Rodgers, and that is something we'll pack a little bit later. But

let us start with the prime time games. Let's get into the preview and uh, yes, Grave Diggers back by the way behind the glass and he didn't I I think maybe he didn't appreciate the assumption that he didn't come to work so he was so upset about the Derrick Henry uh injury. Because he is a professional who does his job well. So an apology to the grave Digger. Yeah, he's such a professional. He'll be at the Titans game. Will we're all taping our Sunday podcast about that Titans.

We're still learning about Grave Digger. Titans six and two, it Rams seven and one, Sunday Night football at Sophi Stadium, and um, we all know what's going on here the Titans. This is a team that's been surging, that has been on a real streak that puts them at the top of the a f C as we speak right now, and yet they lost Derrick Henry. And it's gonna be mark a test, isn't it? Like the old How important

is a running back really in the NFL? Well, the guy that everyone knows is more important to his team than any other running back exits does to the Titans exit from the conversation as a contender. I don't think so, because as much as they have been reliant on him over the years, it's not all they are. I thought it was interesting that Todd Downing, their play caller, basically said he would be doing a disservice to the entire

offense to get away from their run oriented approach. But you're gonna have to be You're gonna have to be different, and you're gonna have to rely more on on Tannehill and A J. Brown. A J. Brown is coming off two big weeks but this week specifically, suddenly you're dealing with a defense that was already a big headache. And I know it was the Texans, but there are clips out there in tape of like them wrecking Houston's front

and making life hell for Davis Mills. And now you've got ten see having to deal with not only Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey will be on a J. Brown, but also you throw Von Miller into the mix. I think they're gonna do something spicy with him, and it just seems like for the Titans offensive line and who they want to be, you're gonna find out right away.

This is an acid test, I think right having two pass rushers and Donald and Floyd is that's great, especially when one of them is the greatest of all time. You had a third and suddenly it's just like impossible to to avoid one on one matchups where either Floyd or Miller are gonna be in good situations. And the

Titans haven't really pass protected well this year. There's six and two despite something's going against them, the injuries in the secondary, the offensive line, and yet they're about to finish the toughest four games stretch they could possibly have, and I feel like every week we're like, well, this will really tell us something about the Titans. They beat the Bills, this will tell us something about the Titans. They beat the Chiefs, Like this should be the letdown

game against the Colts team that knows them. They get that win. So when I saw the line in this game, seven and a half feels a little disrespectful. I don't know if Adrian Peterson is ready in his first game to be the full Adrian Peterson that maybe he could be in three or four weeks, where at least he's like deep, you know, at least he saw it. Can we be honest about what Adrian Peterson is in the first place? What we saw last year was the very

middle of the road guy up there in years. At this point, he's he's not special, but I think just as a pure runner, like a pure power runner, he was average too, better than average of nfls. And I think, but even understanding that, it's kind of a lot to ask to just like come off wherever whatever he was doing and just play a lot this game, you'll probably see a lot of Jeremy McNichols. So maybe maybe Vegas is asking you to to have the Titans keep it close.

But I believe in Tannel. I think they will make it a fun game. You know. That's why I didn't ding the Titans and the power rankings after Henry's injury, because I think they've earned at this point the respect um with their play in recent weeks to say, Okay, let's see you are a well coach team. You still have your quarterback. We all know as long as you have your starting quarterback, you usually can keep your head

above water. So I'm not ready to say the Titans are cooked, and I'm interested to see how this plays out. It's a great experiment. It does put a lot more pressure on Julio Jones to have a real role on this team and if he could stay healthy, make this a better passing team, because I think they'll have to be too. He's gonna play after missing a couple of games. Can we talk about Cooper cup And I know maybe we are talking a lot about Cooper Cupper, maybe we're

not talking about it enough. I just want to go his game log, because doesn't it seem like he's always having a big game that year? It's because he is here. We go seven for one, oh eight and one. That was Week one nine for one sixty three and two nine six and two five or sixty four seven for ninety two nine for one thirty and two ten for one fifty six and two seven for one fifteen and one.

And this is from NFL media research. Matthew Stafford and Cooper Cup have connected on ten uh touchdown passes this season, most of the duo in the NFL, second most by QB pass catcher in the first eight games since nineteen seventy and this that Cup is the only player in the Super Bowl era since the nineteen sixty six yards and ten receiving touchdowns in his team's first eight games of a season. I'm not looking I'm not just trying to regurgitate stats at you, but I think we need

to start looking at what's happening. Here is a historic season and this is just like something. I don't think anybody predicted this, and yet here we are. He's the back to back player of the month on offense. I don't I'm not surprised that some of these, like records in general, will be broken by some quarterback and wide receiver out there. In one stuff from you know, the

mid two thousand's and before. But this is truly special because you know, anyone, anyone preparing for the Rams knows every game that this is what Cooper Cup is, how he's gonna be used, what's he's gonna do when he's still doing it. I think he has a chance for two thousand yards, which would be wild from a receiver. You get the seventeen game, that helps, but he's almost on pace for two thousand right now, so you have to pick it up a lot a little. That's asking.

But the thing that I think people miss on Cup is how often just it's just every play that he makes the first guy miss. And I and I think it's not just about that. They scheme him open and he's a good route runner and he gets deep, he almost always makes the first guy miss. It reminds me a little bit of Lamar or Herbert in the pocket, where it's like they almost don't even worry about the first guy, like the first guy they've got, and then they got to figure out what to do after that.

And and Cups at that level, Deepo Samuels at that level two of the better Yak receivers that we've seen in along. They're kind of both not getting discussed enough. But maybe I think we're getting a tipping point with cup where you just getting mentioned every show. Believe, so I think it's a field goal game. What do you guys think That's what I had three or four? Yeah, I think it's gonna be close. So I would definitely

go Rams. I definitely. I wonder if like there's any bit with the Rams after playing these three Cupcakes in a row, Is there like and will there be any shock of like, oh, this is what playing a real teams like? They literally just played the you know, the Giants at their worst in terms of injuries, and then the lines and the Texans. Maybe it's like a shock fuel. They don't strike me under to be like suddenly stunned

by you know, an actual contender coming in. Let's get I want to get a heat check on Grave Digger. I want to see if he's just chucking up threes from thirty five ft and if he thinks his team is gonna win this weekend on an honest assessment prediction of the game. Justin as someone who knows the team better than any of us, I think that there could be some element of surprise where if you are playing

against the Derrick Henry Titans. You know exactly what your defensive game plan is, and this one week could provide I mean that's probably only last a half, but it couldn't give the Titans a spark early on. I think this could be a week the Titans fall short. For sure. It's an NFC game. It doesn't really matter that much for their playoff standings, but it would be nice to keep that a f C one seed. I will go Rams thirty eight, Titans thirty. They didn't even cover, so

the defense won't show up in this spot. It's tough. I mean, it's the Rams, all right. They'll be okay. As he's saying, though, I mean it will matter if the Colts somehow get hot in the standings, but at six and three and NFC lost, you'll be okay heading into Week ten. Let's move to the Monday night football game between the Chicago Bears, who always seemed to get on the prime time schedule regardless of what they put out on the field, um against the Pittsburgh Steelers four

and three. We know what happened uh in Cleveland last Sunday, Pittsburgh outlasting the Browns and the kind of a classic, a f C North uh slugfest, a slobber knocker. Uh. So they are now above five hundred at four and three after that one and three start, and looking very much like kind of the type of Steelers team that you know, could find its way to the playoffs potentially

the Chicago Bears. On the mean. Meanwhile, Greg three and five. Uh, they lost last week, but at the same time, there were some reasons to be excited watching them for the first time in a while, and it starts behind center justin fields is a roller coaster like a lot of rookie qb especially ones that struggle, and he struggled on balance where the good games like last week, we're really good. I thought that was his best game of the season.

I don't know if it's you know, I don't think it's Naggy not being there, But I do like the idea that Bill Laser is figuring out ways to get the best out of fields and if nothing else, they're telling him run the ball more because he is an incredible runner. There's only two design runs on those ten runs, so it was a lot of just scrambling. But when he had the first read open, he hit it, and I think this is a winnable game for them if they had Khalil mack and Eddie Jackson. We don't really know.

Eddie Jackson, their former all Pro safeties, struggled a little bit this year, got hurt early in last week's game, and Khalil mac didn't play for the first time as a Bear, and their defense, which had been competitive, was terrible a week ago. And if you're competitive, I think you stay in the game against the Steelers. I mean, the Steelers are about two plays away from scoring, you know,

six points. Against the Browns, you got a fourth a couple of fourth downs, and it's like they're working hard for their points. So if Khalil MC and Eddie Jackson's out there, I think we could have like a fun game close. I think it could be close. I I don't really trust the Bears on any level compared to the Steelers. And I think you saw Pittsburgh's offensive line start to dominate Cleveland down the stretch in that game,

and like it's been a long journey for that. They're very young and they're still learning how to kind of mesh. But that right it was very helpful I thought for them in that situation, and you know, Tomlin is twenty two and four against rookie starters. But I'm with you on fields. I I you know, there have been moments obviously before the Niners game where you saw it and you can and and you just want him to get

more comfortable. But I thought that he just his athleticism took over last week and on the ground he was a total factor. And I thought he saw the ball better and he was throwing the ball beyond the sticks and using you know, there was a tight one of his tight ends, cold Commet dropped the ball in the end zone. I mean, he could have they could have had that game could have been even closer. Seven times

in nine drives. He had a great game. I think Khalil Herbert also has been one of there's been a number of good rookie running back, but he has been awesome for them. It kind of got wiped away because San Francisco's offense got hot um. But the touchdown run, the twenty two yard touchdown run, well, let's listen to us here, Jeff Johnny iu with the call, because I thought that was the moment where Bears fans were like, okay, all right, I know this has been a tough season,

but there's something special here potentially. Let's listening football at the twenty one yard line. It's fourth down. Here we go, Sun comes out, Bears down seven two clock running. You're on the port fields with eight on the play clock, trying to get everybody set, money in motion to the right fields. Now brings him back the other way. I'm gonna take fields. Was gonna do something with it, but

it was not piss. He's trying to get out of trouble, breaks out of a tackle, lift ten five Bengo touchdown, touchdown, Bears twenty two yards and lit play. How broken play turns into six for justin fields. It was a electrifying moment in that game, and the first electrifying moment around the Bears that I can remember a long time, to be quite honest with you. So um, let's see more

of that. Matt Naggie, do not put this guy in shackles, Let him be loose, let him make mistakes, but also make sure you don't overload him and let him be what he is, which is a young quarterback, a young athletic quarterback. We'll see if that happens. What is more. I Mean, the one thing that's happened with Corona is that it seems like almost every time a head coach

is out, uh, the team thrives. And it's like if you're naggy on top of everything else that you're dealing with, critique wise, like that's this thing out there, Like maybe they're just better without their head coach. The game they flipped to laser as the play caller was his first was his best game, first good game, and then the game he missed they had laser leap. I don't know, though, I I just I'm just not buying. Um the Steelers pass and uh any teams that that who's passing game

is that bad? Like is going to keep the other team in the game. Do we think that maybe by the way um Alan Robinson can get involved in the Bears offensive season, he has crossed fifty yards like once all year twin and so she's got to be frustrated. All right, let's get to the draft now. So primetime games out of the way. The Bucks, line, Seahawks, and Washington all on a buy and this week Mark Sessler

has the first overall pick. Well, this may be the last time that I did I do this depending on how this um shakes out, but I am going to pick the Browns one more time at Cincinnati because I think, first of all, it's not some you know, zero stakes game that it has been a dramatic week we can get any the way. It's maybe the best one PM games an AM game ever ever. Ever, according to this week, I'm saying it's probably the best one. That that's Romo

is there your boy? Yeah, I've made it clear how I feel about that dynamic, but it would be the perfect week for Romo to be there um and not commentating what's gone down all week longed in with the Odell Beckham scenario. So someone explained this one to me

because now the Backham doesn't get traded. We talked about it on Tuesday, the the Lebron tweet O'Dell Senior, the Instagram message, and then he doesn't practice and he's not practicing again on Thursday and they're excused absences, and the reporting out there is that he's not gonna play for the Browns again. What this feels like a unique situation because it's not a contract squabble, right, It's not a situation where he's unhappy with his playing time. He's the

starting outside wide receiver for the Browns. He just doesn't like the quarterback and he's he's essentially to me, a rat jumping off a ship that's sinking, only the ship is not really sinking. So there's Odell has always been to me kind of a me first dude. He was that guy with the Giants, and that was part of the risk when you brought him to Cleveland. So Cleveland, I guess put left itself open for something like this to happen. But at the end of the day, I

don't think this is some Brown's catastrophe. Rather O'Dell being Odell and not really being a team guy, and I think it's just like such a bad look for him. I think also we live in a like in America where people forget anything that happened like a week ago for the most part. So this is a drama they have to deal with and move on. But for me, what it what it vibed as for me a little bit boils down to future money because I kind of think that Odell Beckham was a very clear cut candidate

this offseason. This coaching staff wanted to use them. They wanted like you know, Stefanski has been adamant about wanting to get him involved. You know, Andrew Berry's played ball, but that it was John Dorsey who went and pulled the trade for Rodell Beckham, and they try to make

it work. You know, we've spent a year plus asking why it's just not working on the field between Baker and Odell, and I think both of them, you know, if you look at just the raw tape, it's like both of them have been culpable for some of the stuff that's happened there. But I mean he was gonna get cut. I think his value is diminishing. There's been a narrative about the offense being better without Odell Beckham,

which is an ugly narrative for Odell. And I think frustration boiled over and he probably you know, was pushing to some degree to be traded before the trade deadline. I would imagine there had been some conversation of some level, and Andrew Berry is like, I'm not just gonna move

you because you want to be moved. We're not gonna get There's not enough value coming back in the offers that I would imagine were floated out there, and Odell Beckham is thinking if I continue with this season and totally flatline, what's my next contract with a new team, because there's no dead money to cut him in this offseason, right, but you're trying to win this year, Like that all makes sense for Okay, he's gonna get cut, but what about this year? But that, like, it doesn't sound like

it was Odell Beckham's choice. It sounds like because of what happened on Tuesday. So you have the father. I can't believe after all they gave up for the Rodell Beckham back in the day and him being like on the walls of our building, this building and our last building that like the art department went all in the I don't know why they created Odell Beckham in the

Browns jersey in this building. But that's But also like, so he's that big of a star and yet his career in Cleveland is ending with the final straw being his dad posting a video of low lights. That's what we know though, but that's what we That was the end point. So that was that was part of it, and the fact Baker's talking about that was part of it. And Lebron sending the tweet was part of it, and

you're right. I suspect there is more going on behind the scenes that we don't know, but based on the reporting, it sounds like Kevin Stefanski told him to stay home. So I don't know what the last straw was in terms. Maybe they had a conversation after the trade deadline. Who knows, that didn't go well and he said stay home. But he informed the team that Odell Beckham's essentially not part of the team. Mike Silver was the first person to report this. It's funny that they keep adding like he's

been excused from practice again. Yeah, he's he's never coming back, that this is over. They apparently rejected some lame trade proposals from the Saints. Maybe it was a third day pick, like a fourth round pick I've heard in I guess you would rather have a fourth round pick than nothing, um, because right now you have nothing. But like did something? They did something seems I think something changed. I don't

think it's him sitting now. I have a feeling they didn't want to deal with him anymore and they thought they were better off without. I think that's exactly what they think. And I think on top of it, you know, after what happened, How do you bring him back? He's he's essentially publicly through you know, right, he's never helped. You cut bait with this. Now. I can think of two games where he truly helped the team. There's a Monday night game against the Jets and he had a

big touchdown. And he had that one big game last year before the a c L where he made big time plays. Otherwise, this has been a I was I was doing a thing on Cleveland radio. It was like, quick name the top five Odell Beckham moments in Cleveland, and you cannot outside of what you just mentioned, Dan, So I think, if anything, if there's a positive, you know, the teammate. A lot of the players love Odell in

this locker room. That's been made clear by comments. But if you can get to a point where this is something that you make a statement about who the Browns are under Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry, maybe you can rally around it too. I get I think they're also just trying to get out of the money. They owe him nine million dollars for the rest of the year. They probably don't want to cut him and have like the Patriots who they play in a couple of weeks

or some team claim him. But if they could negotiate a settlement with him where he agrees to pass up some of that money because he wants to play football this year, I think we could see him on anar or he's not told him to stay home. I mean he is and he is. Let's not be naive here, Greg.

It's not that the Browns of after deciding they weren't going to trade him or like, don't come here anymore he doesn't want to play for it, I right, And I think they decided, Okay, then we don't want you here if you're gonna be putting, but they're not to stay home if he's not saying I don't want to be absolutely correct, and it's like, what is up with that? Why is how is that at all acceptable? I don't know.

I don't know. I think they they thought they could get away with like this weird last minute like trade me push and that was like too much for Cleveland because by most reports, he hasn't acted, you know, in any particular unprofessional way in the in the building that he's gone showed up to work, he's worked and he and he's just kept it quiet, and Baker Mayfield sort of alluded to it, which is you know they He basically said, yeah, like a conversation would be great because

we haven't talked about it at all, about any it was never gonna end well and it's not anywhere. Let's um, let's move to the Bengals here before we move on, because they're a big story here too. I mean, you entered last week they were five and two, flying high on top of the a f C North, and then they just collapse late in the fourth quarter against the Jets.

If they would have, you know, hung on for that game, you you would write it off as all right, they got in a tough spot on the road and an unknown quarterback got hot, but they found a way to win. But when you don't find a way to pull that game out and you the defense implodes the way it did, Greg, did that change how you felt about Cincinnati at all? Are you willing to give him a bit of a pass and see what happens this week. I don't think

there's some unbeatable team. They weren't, you know, they were the number one seed in the a f C. They're one of the teams in the a f C that's frisky and competitive and it's going to be in the playoff mix. They don't put them above like this whole big group. They didn't blitz uh Mike White at all, and they're not a blitz team. They're just a like a lay back rally to the ball, a lot of energy and teams like that that aren't that talented and I don't have that good of a pass rush. It's

like a smaller margin for error. I don't think they match up that well with the Browns, because that's what Baker Mayfield wants to do, you know. I think they want to run the ball, they want to throw it short, and I don't I think the Browns matchup pretty well against Cleveland. This weekend, I was good. I almost thought about locking up Cincinnati, Mark. I gotta be honest, because I don't really like the general tenor of this Cleveland season anymore. But and then the Romo Nance thing, the

ghosts of Romo and dance like circling the Browns. But now I'm thinking, like in the locker room around this, So I'm gonna stay away from this game and hope your team wins. And I also would look at what happened against the Jets. Is Zach Taylor as a head coach. You know it's not all on him, but they you don't good coaches that are super experienced their teams don't

fall flat in in those offensive is fine. This is a situation, I think for they were fine except Burrow through another fourth killer fourth quarter that that was an incredibly flukey tipped past that the defensive lineman made an incredible play on It. Wasn't like flukey like he made a great play, but I'm not killing like a three pound guy like lifting his arm up and catching it. That was That was crazy. Thing is I didn't see Cincinnati's flat in that game offense like their ye game.

The defense was bad, but I didn't see it like they were sleepwalking. They had control of that game midway through the fourth quarter and then they just smelted down. I'm just saying it's a Jets team that had fifty plus put on him the week before. That's what I mean. That's kind of my point that it was kind of like a weird, funky Halloween Day situation. It's Halloween. I think the Browns have the better roster and the better coach.

But the Bengals have the better quarterback. So it's like, which if every game is this long as the preview? That was Beckham's. That was right, that was good combo, good sportstock guys. Let's take a break in to keep moving, all right, Greg, you are up with the next pig. Maybe I'll jump you, or maybe I won't. Maybe we'll jump you. You have two more left. Once I make the pick, you can't jump. I'm taking the Packers in the Chiefs. I'm excited you didn't jump me because I

really wanted to watch this one. There's only three late games, and I'm all in on the Jordan's Love experience. I don't know what's gonna happen. I feel like they're either gonna get blown out or they're gonna win this game. I picked him to win on game picks on the website because I just have seen enough with the Chiefs where I starting to think we kind of know who they are roughly, and I've seen enough with Matt Lafleur that I want to give him some credit. Jordan's Love.

He's gonna get a full week as the starter. He's gonna get Davante Adams back. Alan Lazard back and possibly David Bactieri back, which is that last one is huge and it sounds like he's back. When I watched Jordan's love in the Priests reason and for those you know, ten dropbacks in week one, I'm surprised people aren't more excited about him. I mean, he has he does it all. He's he's a lot like he's Josh Allen maybe as a rookie, which is not great, like you're gonna have

some good and some bad. He he made two or three terrible red zone plays where he showed very little awareness, and that's a problem. But his arm strength and his movement ability and some of the throws he made were like box office and I'm kind of excited what he's gonna do to see what he's gonna do with a full week of prep with a good coaching staff against the bad defense. To me, this is a close game.

I thought it was very disrespectful to Matt Lafleur to make the Chiefs a seven and a half point favorite. If I could lock up the packerscovery and I would lock that up that allowed. I mean, I know the desert has its reasons, so it's not like that can I lock that up. That should be because we get to pick favor that's supposed to be fifty fifty. We pick real winners that our favorite, so it's a less

of a chance than pick I know. This is first of all, this is a contest that you wanted to remove from the podcast now and in week nine you suddenly want to completely change the complex My my feeling on I think that picking the spreads in the future is something we should discuss. It wasn't really allowed until it's harder. It's my point that's harder, but it discussion, and we all discussed we should just you know. So the Aaron Rodgers story is is kind of a head scratcher.

I mean, we have we on this show and a lot of other people have gotten a hard on. We've gotten upset about Aaron Rodder or Kirk Cousins and his decision not to be vaccinated, and Aaron Rodgers. It's worse because it's like, well, it all depends where you come down on this, but I think it's worse because not only you're not vaccinated, which causes a lot of issues

um on a number of levels. He kind of hit it from people and you hit behind some different type of wording to try to skirt around it with the media. You weren't following the protocols that you're supposed to be following UM on some level, and uh now you're missing a big game. So Packers fans who were annoyed by this,

I get it, maybe more than one game. I mean, it's it was like a total nuclear bomb landing news wise, But I am totally you know, flummixed on how you tell everyone that you're immunized and that doesn't mean what everyone would assume it means. And I guess we just

let it. He thought it was he thought he was protected by his homeopathic UM solution, which he apparently reportedly you know our Cordney, our guys and wrap were uh applied to the NFL p A in NFL and said, what does this homeopathic method I did to immunize myself? It was and it was rejected UM because because all basically all homeopathic UM, you know, solutions to disease have

been proven medically to be a d percent false. Wait a minute, like if you go side on that road, but that greg, that's a massive generalization about it's just the truth though, Like if you if you go like signed today, you can't. You can't, you really can't. Can't is reading like that just doesn't even apply to what we're talking about here on some level. But honestly, like you next to Mr Homeopath, no, I think that in this case, to a scientists, the doctor in this case,

in this case, it certainly does not apply. And like it was rejected by the league, and it is very I mean, it is one of the weirder it's the weirdest Corona Tin story that we've had all season. I mean, people got a little crazy, getting so upset. To me, it was more like jokes. You know, it's like good for jokes here that Rogers thinks he's smart enough that in that moment he thinks he's getting one over on everyone.

That's the part where it's like you're showing who you are a little bit like in that moment he is sitting there thinking I'm getting one over on anyone because I said immunized, which first of all, immunized is a synonym for vaccinated. It doesn't. He still got that part wrong, and then he says immediately I don't think we um He also said, like I don't think that we should judge the people who aren't vaccinated, which you know as misleading as what will he beach is the in the

fall out. He's a bit of a strange guy. We all get that, but like, I could think of ten other players that would pull the same stunt and the reactions would be different based on who they are as people. Kind Of I'm curious what kind of fallout there is because I think about I think about Carson Wentz as an example, another guy that is not vaccinated. UM that game ends last week and they show him walking off the sideline to meet all the players at midfield and

the coaches. He puts his mask on immediately Aaron Rodgers, he doesn't have to. I mean they've kind of, yeah, they've kind of pointed out that, at least on camera, Rodgers hasn't done anything that is violating rules. The fact that he wasn't wearing it in the media room is the confusing part, because like, but Kirk Cousins hasn't been doing that either. They just told everyone and they're like, hey,

we want to be like a team by team. But one thing that has been proven that where he was breaking a lot of the rules is he's been going to these team parties and stuff like that, like the Halloween parties and that all of that actually is against the COVID rules that if you're unvaccinated you can't go to the indoor team functions and all that stuff, and so they do have proof of that if they want to get carried away. But I'm not carried away. No, no, no,

I mean they're gonna find him. No, no, they should find I'm just saying like they're not going to suspend them. It was absolutely like I just, I'm not just. I don't want to spend four years on it. It is what it is. But it's like, we're not just. It's not just a mulligan. It was a completely confusing comment by Aaron Rodgers. And now he's missing a key game for them. Well, but he would have missed it most likely. Anyways,

everyone got worked about the five day returning thing. Show me the person who's return in five days, and I think that is worth noting because he might not be back for the next team. Davante Adams, for instance, is vaccinated, did not make it back to practice and Thursday after testing positive the previous Monday. That was ten days and he is vaccinated because you know what's like, this disease is unpredictable and you might not test negative two days in a row for us solid like ten days. Even

if you are vaccinated, you might have symptoms. All right, it's like where he's an intelligent dude, but there's some arrogance. I think that that got into the mix here about how he's handling this and puts the team in a bad spot. All right, let's move on um with the game talk. Is there anything else we think about the same, because you know, the Chiefs catch a huge break here, Mark, because now you have no Aaron Rodgers, and we're excited to see Jordan loves Sure, but it's a totally different

ball game. The Packers are on a seven game winning streak and we're playing their best ball the year, coming off a great primetime win over Arizona. So the Chiefs, who didn't look close to having things right on Monday night and they're narrow win over the Giants. Uh, this is a real gift. Uh do they even know what to make of it? It is except I kind of, you know, with Jordan's love, and I like what Greg

said about Jordan's love. It's just like there is the element of surprise, and you know, you'd like to think that a first round pick would be prepared for this moment. Yes, it's a huge Obviously, not having Aaron Rodgers is a massive advantage for a Chiefs team that is simply average. They're just an average team at this point with a lot of issues. But you don't have Jared's Alexander in

there for the Packers. You know, maybe there's a chance for a bit of a bounce back here, But outside of Jordan's love, the Packers are way healthier than they have been of late. And I don't think that this is a big, huge blowout spot for Kansas City at all. Mahome's had nineteen in complation completions last week. I mean, they're not They're not fixed on offense. They're a mess. All right, let us move on. I will take the

other big primetime game, Cardinals at Niners. I thought it was interesting, um how San Francisco's offense, uh showed some signs of life. I thought that Jimmy Garoppolo wasn't you know, great, but he looked healthy, he was moving well and just seemed to be a lot more r bowl. Then when We saw him in the monsoon against Pittsburgh the previous week, and I think that's the type of game to win over the Bears where they scored I believe on their

final seven possessions. Um, that can really jump start your confidence. Like the Chiefs are an offense that desperately needs a jump started their confidence and make them believe that they're special again. I think the forty Niners got that last week. And they have a quarterback who now probably is breathing a little easier. He's saying, I know for this week at least, I'm not thinking about how am I gonna make it through this game without getting benched. He he

knows he has the coach's faith. Um. So I believe that the Niners are in a good spot at home. They don't play very well at home, but they're a good spot at home against the Cardinals team coming off ten day break, uh first loss of the season. I'm interested to see what we see with the Cardinals here, Greg, because I don't know they to me like that was like a great game first of all, but a game that a lot of things went against them in the end, if not for the A. J. Green not knowing the

play called. The offense at least stepped up and would have had touchdowns in their last three drives when they absolutely needed him. I do worry about them without J. J. Watt because you think back to the first forty Niners Cardinals game and J. J. Watt dominated in that game and he's been a great run stopper. It sounds like they'll get David Collins back, uh, But it's all about

Kyler Murray just playing or not. If Kyler Murray plays, unlocking this game up and like if the if the injuries sound good, if he doesn't play, out a revisit, because right now it sounds like there's a legitimate chance he he might not play, which does get you a little worried. Like Kyler at less than a percent, is he still Kyler? But he has been winning a lot. We saw what happened last year when a different injury, obviously, but you know he's a guy that when everything is

working together, he is almost impossible to stop. And the fact that it's something that it's affecting his mobility is something, UH to keep an eye on here. Yet it's like a legit game time decision. And DeAndre Hopkins has a hamstring injury. A J Green's on the COVID list right now. I mean this is a These two met not long ago and the score was seventeen to ten, and they were one of the few teams that were able to put the clamps on Arizona's offense when they were healthy,

And I think that's notable. They know the Cardinals really well, and you know, I think with Jimmy g like the design runs they used with him inside the ten yard lines show that they are going to stick with him. I think at this point, why are we put why would they be pushing to put trade Lands into the lineup?

Starting at that game against the Cardinals too, was an interesting game where they failed on four different times on fourth and short and they kind of looked like maybe the better team the forty nine is that day with trade Land. So you do wonder if maybe they'll use them at least a little bit more. They didn't use them last Yeah, maybe there's a way because there seems to be, you know, behind the scenes, Shanahan maybe not totally ready for the tray Lands experience. He is not

ready to hand the team over. But at the same time, Garoppolo can't stay healthy, so you you might see lands, even though it might up be Shanahan's decision. I kind of like the Niners here. I just got a bit of a not a not a lock. But I think this is a close game. I think this is a field goal game, and I could see San Francisco getting a little, a little bit high. I think the forty Niners are favored. Vegas is so spooked about the smurry

or it's a pick him right now? Um, all right, I have the next selection as well, and I will go with let's check in. I gotta I got a message for you. We got a message, hopefully not from his son stealing more money from the wallet. There. Hey, guys, Larry Wesley. As the NFL heads into Week nine, the real question on everyone's mind is what's up with Tim Wesley? I mean, he made the pick last week? But is he too good to get on the podcast and say

it himself. I know you guys have been clamoring for him, and the listeners have been screaming out, Timber, why have you forsaken us? Is he somehow locked in his one bedroom Ivory tower and the sky with no cell phone reception? Is he drowned in a bottle of something about football, his tears after the Bengals off the Dan's loudy jet.

I guess it'll remain a mystery anyway. We're taking the Cardinals deep into the interpersonal spider web that is the Westling fit and Greg deeper and deeper well, and Greg greg like has been complaining for weeks and weeks that whoever he locks someone else like pulls him down. If I'm gonna know, and not pulling me down, I'm pulling everyone else down at this point. But it's just nice going in if you have your own game. I like that. All Right, there you go. So the Westlings are in

on the Cardinals. The better hope Colin Murray starts as well. I don't know if they considered that part, but in the place, sometimes I feel like the actual picking of the games a secondary at this point for the Westling brothers. It's a settling of scores on a weekly basis. My second pick I have the Snakes will be Vikings at

Ravens in the early games. Um Vikings bitterly disappointing Halloween Night game against the Cowboys and the offense could not get it go and the clamps were put on Kirk Cousins, who was all sorts of fired up. You could you could argue with perhaps Kirk Cousins a little on tilt on Sunday night, Justin Jefferson was negated. Davin Cook didn't have the huge game that I thought was in play

potentially coming off the bye. So they're three and four and in desperate need of a W. And now they go to Baltimore team coming off there by, a team that is obviously been banged up and ripped up by injuries. You talked about it, Greg that you thought Baltimore needed to make some reinforcements at the deadline. That didn't really happen, didn't. I don't know if did they do anything. I don't think they made a move anything. It was a little bit of a quiet deadline. So the Ravens say, this

is who we are. We're gonna coach these guys up. We're gonna lean on our depth and uh, coming off of by I kind of like the Ravens at home here, um not breaking news there, no, and there they do have some good injury used Nick Boyle, who smarter people than I always, Hey, that's the best block tight end in the league that that guy makes their running game go. But even even like the Belichicks of the world love shouty out how this guy might be the best blocking

tight end. It might be back. Sammy Watkins might be back. Defensive line is still injured, and I thought it was notable when they lost their right tackle McCary last week because the line really fell apart against the Bengals, And that might still be a situation. But when these two teams play, there's such opposites in terms of how they try to throw the ball. As much as I like Kirk Cousins, you gotta look at the how he's done

this year. You gotta look at the stats of I know you like a dot dan so I love average depth of target. No one throws deeper in the NFL by far than Lamar Jackson. I think two yards on average per throw more than anyone else, which is outrageous. I mean, they are a bombs away offense. He was evolved. Cousins is the total opposite. He is throwing the ball um as short as he ever has in his career, and I think the shortest of any starter right now in the NFL, which when you got Justin Jefferson and

Osborne who can run a little. You'd like to see them stretch it out. I don't know if that's going to be enough for them. I I hate this for the Vikings to lose to Neil Hunter because they were they led the league in sacks or they were second in the league. And you know Jackson has been susceptible to that. The Bengals punished him last time we we watched them play. And the Vikings have scored under twenty points in three of their last four games. Seven against

the Browns, nineteen against the Lions. That's ridiculous, and sixteen against the Cowboys. Like do they they've We've talked about it. When they've been good, they've been watchable, they've been in a flow, and they've been dangerous. And there are other numbers to look at with Kirk Cousins where he's got like a at this point a fourteen a two touchdown interception ratio and leads the league with the sixty nine

completion percent. I mean, it's like there are things that Kirk Cousins is doing that are that check out, But then they go to sleep for long drives at a time identity is shifting, and I don't know if it's necessarily a good idea. I mean they since Cook really took hold as a star, they were a run first team and then you know Cousins would uh do his thing when necessary and he would have good numbers and Cook would have great numbers in the offense would be good.

But look at last week for example, for example, cook Um had eighteen carries for seventy eight yards against Dallas. I don't know he's got They gotta run the ball more with Dalvin Cook and that's in that game. He is the best player on your team. And eight weeks into the season this per ESPN, the Vikings ranked nineteenth and the number of runs called per game down there. They're terrible at it there twenty nine in in e p A and running like they haven't been effective well.

But do you think that's that's something that is going to go through the whole season. I mean, you have a special talent, great games at it too. It's weird, but they've been bad at it for whatever reason. I just don't think that's the reason to go away from it and become a past first offense because I don't think that's the best version of who they are. Can I can I read you a quote that I saw about Cousins from Zimmer this week. The quote actually wasn't

from this week, but it is the first time. I says from a couple of weeks ago. Because they asked Mike Zimmer the Athletic, if he if they thought that Kirk Cousins wanted more say in the offense, you know, anything you say right now, I'll believe um, he said. I think he does. I think he's got opinions on a lot of things these two talk about. Like that's a real Ricky Greg dynamic. He's got opinions about a

lot of things. Imagine being Kirk Cousins. To hear you that that's maybe equal to what Odell Beckham's senior did to Baker Mayfield. Could be you know a little more subtle. That's like very close. It's a it's a kissing cousin if you will to opinions are like asked, everyone has one, Like that's basically what he's saying, Like your opinion doesn't his opinion. Yes, he's gonna talk, but I don't listen because I don't like the guy and he's behind a

PLEXI class. You know, Wall, one of these guys got to write a book, I would read it. All right, let's move on. I am a and I'm taking an early game, and I am excited to take the Falcons in the Saints first game without Jamis Winston. I'm just curious what this team is gonna be. Like I always think this rivalry, Uh, it is fantastic, long said, the best rivalry I thought in the NFL. The teams aren't quite where they should be. But you guys used to

give me grief. West would give you grief. I remember, like the fan in terms of the fan base, is truly hating each other, and they actually play memorable games almost every year. Uh, it's a fun rivalry. And you know, Saints fans are gonna be juice s up. They don't seem like they're that worried about Jamis Winston being gone, but I am. I think it's I think it's a pretty big downgrade. And I think the news that Michael Thomas is not returning this year is a huge letdown.

It started with some sort of mismanagement and lack of trust between the Saints and Michael Thomas. Uh. During last year when he played through this injury and it continued into this offseason, and you've basically now wasted a couple of years of Michael Thomas's prime. Whoever's fault that is, I don't know, I don't care, but it puts a ceiling on this offense. I'm really surprised that there's whispers this could be Trevor Simeon's job, which it's like you're

paying taste something all this money. He was the one with the competition. Something has changed in that building. We'll see, though it could just be a head fake. Sean Payton has been pretty good at those over the years, So I'm waiting until Sunday to find out. I've said how I kind of enjoy this this Falcon's experience somewhat. So I'm just curious what this game is gonna be like.

I think it's if anything, I mean, we're gonna see the way it Tastom Hill has been used before to be used again, which is a big dose of him along with Trevor Simeon, like a platoon of both of them. I'm with Dan, I think that they've probably come to the conclusion, like do you hand the offensive over to

Taystom Hill alone for the rest of the season. The weird thing is I think at this point because I mean, Trevor Simeon is not some er options, I like SIMI human in Denver, but it's been a while and he didn't look great. I didn't. I know. They won that game, but it was a tough situation. And like this matchup, for instance, great offensive line for the Saints, great defensive line. You should just be able to destroy the Falcons upfront, kind of like Carolina did a week ago. Like play

to your strength. Yeah, like our excitement, and I think Greg we shared that to some degree that with what we had seen three weeks prior with Atlanta fizzled up entirely against Carolina, who had come completely outmuscled him and ran the ball NonStop. And you could see the Saints

almost saying, we'll do the same thing. And you know, just to put a little timeline on the Michael Thomas thing, because it's easy to forget now that in two thousand nineteen, uh, you know, pre COVID, so everything feels like it's really long ago, but it wasn't long ago. He set the NFL record with a hundred forty nine catches and then I remember the week one podcast of the season. I remember talking about it, uh not here in the old studio or actually was in our homes um and saying

that Michael Thomas heard his ankle in Week one. We don't know the severity. He was being chased around the locker room by the athletic trainer who wanted to look at his ankle, but he wasn't uh you know, he didn't want to get it looked at yet, and that was the injury that bothered him for the rest of that year. That led to the late surgery in June that now has completely wiped out his one So it's essentially, as Greg said, wiped out two years of his prime.

He's gonna be twenty nine next year with a potentially chronic ankle issue. So this might be kind of the end of Michael Thomas as a star player. And that's pretty crazy him in New Orleans. But they have like so if you go look at his contract, I mean, there's legit dead money attached to him for like the next three years. So it's it's it's a sticky situation and the relationship between the player and team that I mean even even though they said it was smoothed over.

Has always been a little bit dicey there too. No, he was sending out tweets like calling people snakes, and it sounds like he played through the injury for the right reasons. He wanted to try to help Drew Brees his final year. And then it got real sideways once we got to this offseason. He was not taking phone calls. It's a lot, all right, Mark, you are up. Well, I'm doing this strategically because I've got a game I'm gonna be hyper focused on. I will be hyper focused

on this because I'm professional as well. But it's gonna be Buffalo at Jacksonville then of that, No, I mean't think it's just like we've all said that. Greg talks about like this, you gotta knock it out. If you gotta knock out every game, then make your secondary game. You know, this is a little spicy to me because I find the Jaguars just to hold Jaguars experience. Um. Every week there's some new, some new explosion that happens

to some team. It feels like it could always be Jacksonville, and I kind of enjoy watching the visage of Urban Meyer on. No matter what's happening in any game. At this point this season, there is no reason for Buffalo not to go in and completely control this game, take it out on Jacksonville, and run away with it. Their defense is that, you know, there's nothing that Jacksonville is doing on offense that suggests they can give the Buffalo

any sort of a problem here. I think Trevor Lawrence is stuck in a tough situation, uh, in an offense that to me feels to be lacking an identity like Laviska Chenault, like a great receiver. Where is this guy? Like? I like to use them more and I'm losing James Robinson last week killed them. This is a Buffalo game top to bottom. But there's one reason that I really really like this. I am not locking I don't think

I'm permitted to lock it. And you were. You were killing me for this coming out of the Cooper and Cooper scenario in Dallas in Minnesota. But this is the first time. Well, let's put it this way. Josh Allen versus Josh Allen. Okay, if Josh Allen the Jaguars defender sacks Josh Allen, the Buffalo Bills quarterback. Since since Sachs were even recorded back, there has never been an NFL player to sack a quarterback with the same exact name. So monitor this heavily, I will be Why is that

not intriguing to you? On any Allen are involved in a big play in this game and it's a score a gummy Well, I will, I'll give you your problems has to be both that the probability of that does not exist. Um, I don't know. And by the way, you see that, you guys on Sundays, you guys try to watch too many games. That's where you gets I don't. I only watched too have too many screens. I don't. So you're the mind is unable to process that much.

You have one game that's your main game. You have a second game that you could clock in on and change the volumes and commercial breaks. And that's how you wait, wait, wait a minute, hold hold on. Mark has like the Minority reports set up with Tom Cruise. I'm not able to I'm not tracking every one of them. And you're an intelligent man, but there's only a certain point you won't be able to track anything. If you're trying to track too much. My body my rights. I'll do what

I want to do. How about that? It works from it method. Don't get me started. On Sundays you mentioned that it all is h a lot of it, yes, scific, I was. I was that was there was there was this tweet going around yesterday. It was from wikiped or whatever, and it was just it was like scientifically discrediting any homeopathic or alternative medicines or else they just would be

called medicines. You know, you even it's like but it's like everything everything you say, Greg is like, this is the best team in the NFL, or this is the best get like you're so you know, with conviction, that's a hundred percent. I was, I was thinking it from from a funny tweet, I say, yes, I can't. I can't find it. You mentioned the big point spreads earlier teams with double digit point spreads. The favorites are nine

and five this year. So for the most part, when you get these two touchdown, Pa, it's they're covering and this one seems too low to me. I mean, to me, the Bills are maybe the best team in the NFL and the Jaguars might be the worst team in the NFL. I think they're right there with Houston because the defense is so bad. As much as I love Gino, I mean they made Gino look like you know, Joe Montana out there last week. Tyrod let him up in week one. You know, Teddy lit like a lot of lower level

quarterbacks have lit this Jaguars team up. So Josh Allen comes in and forget it and listen. Nobody cares about your fantasy team. But you know a lot of people have Stefon Diggs. So I'm just gonna say to Stefan Diggs, Hey, Steph, how about a ten for one, forty and two. How about you throw one of those to us? Well, you got it from Cole Beasley a week ago, so it's you know, I don't get I could get something from cold Beasley. Yes you could if I get too close,

Yes you could. But he's not on my fantasy team. Is let us move on? Mark Snakes? Well, you know I'm I have to take the late game, uh, the last one remaining here, the Chargers at the Eagles. No, I like it. It's good. I want to see how the Chargers respond to what they've been through of late. I thought that they were out coached by Bill Belichick's defense last week. You know, two years in a row has made life tough on Justin Herbert um the Eagles.

It's interesting because with all the uh, what did you what was that, Herbie? It feels like a slightly disrespectful Okay, Jonathan Gannon, the Eagles defensive coordinator, this may be kind of like where this defense in theory would work, because it's what we saw before where Justin Herbert has struggled in the last couple of games facing you know, seven plus defenders and coverage. That's what they've been doing to him. And you know his his interceptions almost five of his

of his six have come against non blitz Is. It's it's just that they're putting people way out there in the secondary and and taking away options. And I I if this Eagles defense is going to work at all in theory that this strategy would work for them on that front, I don't trust that to occur. I think this is where the Chargers need to have their comeback game because I still see this as a playoff team

that is working through some kinks. Yeah, the Eagles keep getting this opportunity to get back to somewhat some relevance, and then they've usually fallen on their faces. You know, the Raiders game a couple of weeks ago, a couple times where they've had a chance that at least get back to within one game of five hundred. I don't, I don't trust them. I don't. You know, when you have that big of an edge at quarterback, I start having to look for other reasons why the Chargers can't lose. Now.

Their offensive line has struggled with things. Uh the last couple of weeks. Really the right side collapsed pretty repeatedly against New England. And you know, Philly's got the front to make some things happen. Dallas Goddard's certainly playing well. Last week. It was like a sports radio dream. Everything Eagles fans have been asking for us more creativity from their defense, the run game. Jalen Hurts running work man.

He he's like Fields, He's not as good a runner as Fields, But man, when Hurts is in the open field, like you just want him to do that more because he's so good at it. So I'm with I. I leaned Chargers in this game. That game for Philly was like a narrative killer because you're right, it was like two thirty six yards rushing and all everything else that people were had their hair on fire. The antidote came,

but that I think that was fool's gold. Yeah, I'd like, you know, you want to see Justin Herbert shake out of this little mini slide and just show us that it's a slump and have a big game here. They just did nothing on offense against Patriots. And I know, you know, when when Belichick cooks up a good game plan, he could shut down any anyone. But you know, he had a hundred and forty three yards passing before that

garbage time drive. And if you look at their week to week scoring on offense, they've been very hit or miss, which I don't think anybody was expecting. But I think they're okay. I think they'll take business here. And Greggy, you were up next after this break. All right, welcome back. I'm jumping your baby. Oh, I'm jumping your baby. It's a jump baby. We're grabbing pats panthers y, so we're grabbing them. I jumped jump baby. That's too all right.

I'm not watching Texans at Dolphins. I would I don't wanna disappoint you. Because you won't believe me. But I was not drafting the Patriots because I don't want I don't want their press. I don't want to distress. That's why I would have taken them from There's one fun game left. I personally, as a Patriots fan, kind of go every other week. I like to watch him on

game pass. It's not a new and there's one very good game left though, you know, Greg, I don't know if you've noticed this season, I've been on the I've been on the Patriots. I like the Patriots. I know it's like, although you did lock against them, locked against them, But you know what, I learned a lesson there um against them. I was like, I thought they were a team.

I think I thought they were frisky entering last week, but I thought I guess I learned that maybe I shouldn't be so high on the Chargers because I kind of got behind this idea that l A was going to shake off a bad game and kick a mass at home. But the Chargers let down there. So I'm moving off the Chargers and I'll tell you what, how about this for a make good I gotta lock up the Pats on the road in Carolina because I think

and I don't know. I don't know if Sam Donald's starting, I don't know if it's he's got the shoulder injury, he's got a concussion, he's coming off. He J Walker was J Walker. And I can tell you this. I'll tell you some advanced scouting the old Zeusler did over the past thirty years. Bill Belichick knows how to UH coach against Sam Donald. So Sam Donald's a quarterback. I'm feeling real good about Belichick going down there and scheming

up something to confuse a slumping Sam Donald. And if the if the kid from Temple's playing, oh my goodness, it's gonna be a blood bath. So I am feeling good about the paths I think. I thought it was interesting that mac Jones struggled as much as he did last week and they still found a way to beat a quality opponent on the road. That shows you that

the Patriots are kind of putting something together here. And when you look at a muddled a f C wild card picture, I think the Patriots are gonna end up in one of those spots. Gregg, and you're gonna get to watch a January playoff game. Um, get ahead of myself obviously, But I think the reason I think they will do that is these are the type of games they will take advantage of and take care of. A win in Carolina, well, they're certainly improving on offense and

possibly on defense. That was one of their best defensive performances a year ago. I think Matt Rule has watched so much Bill Belichick over the years. He's such a fan boy. It's it's it's not weird, it makes total sense. He grew up as a Giants fan. He grew up

as a kid. He's forty six years old now, so that puts him at the age that he was watching the height of Bill Belichick as a defensive coordinator and when he's talking about like I just want to run the ball and play defense, like I believe him that with the team that he has now, he thinks that's

the best way to win. I'm sure Belichick enjoyed that tape last week, like watching the Panthers run forty seven times and just impose their will on Atlanta, you know, up until the moment that that Stephon Gilmore made that interception, and then he's like, oh, yeah, that would be good, Like I, um, that was a final note. Yeah, it'd be like, oh yeah, wait oh the guy that said let me take on Kyle Pitts and then shuts Kyle Pitts down. I went, I'm you know, I missed Stephon

Gilmore enough. I went back and watched those snaps from Gilmore. We got this nice little feature I gotta show you guys, And he's physical. He did a good job. He's only playing like twenty snaps and they said that might be the case again this week, which is a little weird. So he'll be like a tight end, third down type of stopper. But the way you beat Carolina in this

pass rushes to run the ball at them. So I could just see a lot of running from both teams, and that tends to lead to like close games, long drives. I'm with you. I think the Patriots will win, but I could see you sweating out in a defensive type of game in the fourth quarter. Yeah, I mean, I think it's like I put a note like overrun are rushing attempts in this game? Nine D. I mean they both kind of want to do the same thing. Christian McCaffrey could be he will wait and see, but play Thursday,

And uh, I just the thing with McCaffrey. If he plays this week, I would be stunned if he has like a big workload. But again, they've botched Christian caffrey for two years in terms of how to handle his health. Um so who knows how they're gonna play this. It would it would have totally surprised me if they gave him the ball thirty times. Also, that one's stunned me either. Although it's pretty apparent that Chuba Hubbard's a pretty good backup that you should have some type of a b

attack if he returns. But we're not even sure he's returned. I think he's not going to because Matt Rule said at the beginning of this week he was very open ended with it. He says, yeah, probably practice this week. He could return week nine or week ten, So it's very open ended at this time whether he's even I mean with or without him. Like this is a team going through a complete metamorphosis on offense, Carolina, are you guys hearing that sorry to cut you off? Are you

hearing the lock off we're about to have? Oh, I'm putting the tampose curse on the Panthers, which means the Pats will win. Wait no, yes, yes, baby, that's not a lock a lock off. Why I'm locking the Panthers taking Carolina because real life, in real life, the Patriots. Right, Oh, you dastardly woman. Yes, Jack, bring me a twenty dollar bill. Let's go. Let's go according to your like every team, every team I pick. Yeah, I can't. I'm so far back,

there's no chance. I don't love that mentality for America, but it makes some sense. Interesting, Is this put me in a good spot or a bad spot? Because only against Erica? But I'm not really going against her because she's actually locking the Patriots. No, no, no, no no. Everything every team I lock loses, so I lose. So I'm locking the Panthers. So the Panthers will see what you're saying. You'll wait your lock, you'll win your lock. We're up at the door number three. Be totally unconcerned

with the entire thing and just do your business. Okay, Greg, there you go, Mark, What what are you saying? All? I have no idea? Forget about it? All right, Greg, you have the final pick of the draft. You could choose between the Texans and Dolphins. Battle, uh wanted sevens or the Broncos Cowboys. I think I know where you're going. Wait, did I miss the Raiders Giants being picked? That was like your Raiders were available. That's a good backup game.

That was my plan all along. That was my weird times were watching the Raiders I don't know, and the Giants. I just watched them in prime time. I could use a little bit of a break for an extra day. I mean, Henry Rugs has since been released by the team since we last recorded. You know, it's it's a brutal story. I thought Rich Bisacchi and Derek Carr talking about everything, as you know, they were about as well spoken as you could be on it. I mean, it's

bigger than football. He's not on the team. I don't know, there's not much more like to talk about with that. It's not like I mean, the guy like he was going to hundred fifty six miles an hour. That happens, Like there's nothing more you can say saying like that's horrible. Of course, it's horrible, Like we it's just traged believable when you kind of just factor everything the sadness of it,

I mean, the fact that this woman. This woman dies just driving home to her parents house, Um, just minding her own business. It's just a terrible thing. And then for this guy to have so much potential in his life and and be so set up, um both from a professional standpoint and being able to help his family with the money he was going to make, and and he ruins his life. He takes a life, and it's all just I mean, it's one of the saddest stories

in a long time. Yeah, it's like I think we're all completely on the same page and unlocked stuff that it's it is an immense the immense tragedy. He was the first wide receiver picked in last year's drill. And also you look at that, you know from a football angle that their draft is an absolute mess at this point. But that has nothing to do with with with what happened with Henry Ruggs. It's a total tragedy in the in the Raiders have been through so much this season,

so much tumult. They do seem like a team that sticks together no matter what. I am locking up the Raiders in this game, Um, I'm not sure how I feel about that. That could change at this point between now and Sunday. But I something about the Giants. It's like there's always gonna be four or five people not in the lineup. They're getting a little bit healthier, they're they're they're a little spicy and dangerous too, and they're showing you things. And Daniel Jones feels like the real Doo.

I think Patrick ram has did some nice stuff against the Chiefs as its defensive coordinator as well. But I'm gonna go Raiders here. I mean that is it's a

safe lock. But at the same time, there's so much going on with the Raiders right now before you factor in is it safe before you well, just on a five and two going against the two and six, but then the fact that they're traveling across country the Raiders typically aren't very good at that, and all the things going on behind the scenes has has has to have

been a really difficult week in that building. Uh, the way things have unfolded, it's it's really uh man, It's right, there's nothing You can just look at what Henry Ruggs if if you want too, meant to the offense, which I think is is worth mentioning how well he was playing. He he was easily their most you know, dynamic outside receiver.

He's on pace for a thousand yards. He had been living up to kind of the promise that they expected in him, and so I don't he's not going to be an easy person to replace on the field either. Is worth mentioning? That said, when when the Raiders play against the team, I kind of look at the oppositions line play, like can they get after Derek Carr because that's kind of their weakness and then the Giants can't really and can they hold up against this really good

Raiders pass rush. I don't know if the Giants can do that. I think the Raiders are are a much better team, and I'm kind of with you. He might be returning this week. It sounds like Tony is probably a go. We don't, We're not. Goladay sounds less likely. Shepherds, Shepherds, They've got all this like that. It sounds like se Kwan could have been a false positive along with some other Giants players to their doctor Sills actually waiting on that. So there's a TVD right, There's a lot going on

with them. But it's funny because we go through this every Thursday. It was like, which giants are playing, but you can't account for the giants who are all going to get hurt in the fourth in the first quarter, Like you can't. You can't like put that on the on the list, and that happens every week. It's really crazy. Uh let's see, yeah soon tested negative for COVID on Wednesday. Um, and then let's see, well they kind of they closed down the whole complex, can't practice. I don't know, Joe

Judge doing press conferences in the parking lot. A lot of mess that year has been for them. Um, all right, let's go through the rest of the games. Yes, we'll start with the Broncos at the Cowboy is Broncos just straight away the face of the franchise, Von Miller. Now they go to Dallas to face a cowboy team that should have Dak Prescott back on the field. I don't like how this is gonna go for the Broncos. No,

it should it should be terrible. And you know they got this one week break against Washington defensively, Um, the Broncos defense that is uh. And then you gotta go to Dallas. Now they're gonna be without Tyrone Smith. It sounds like, but Dak Prescott is gonna play and you just think that any team with a good running game

can run through this Broncos squad. They just they're so soft upfront that you just figured Dallas is gonna be able to run for about And just when you think the offense for Denver maybe at least was getting healthier, you know, they got Judy back, they got Oakway, but I'm back. Uh, their left tackle Garrett Bowls is on I R now and no offense they're tight end got COVID, so even they're good kind of injury news on offense has been taken away. I don't I don't look up.

The win over Washington is you know, just an invisible feather that no one needs to care about. I mean it was I think it was what the Broncos under Fongio kind of wanted to be, you know, smothering defense and just enough from Teddy Bridgewater. But it almost wasn't enough. There was enough hijinks at the end of that game where it was nearly just a loss. So it's like, I don't really trust Denver to do much of anything in Dallas is simply too overpowering. One last thing about

Dallas just before we move on. Last week's game really showed me you want to you always. They're looking to give Mike McCarthy credit, and I think we should. Here's where the credit is. I love the philosophy in that game that they threw more than double the amount of twenty yard throws of Minnesota. They had more than double the amount of passing first downs, They had more of the double of explosive blazes with Cooper Rush. They were down in that game and they were letting Cooper Rush

throw on traditional running downs like aggressive. Place that that's aggressive. That's like, hey, we believe in our backup and we know where our talent is. It's on it. I think that's also Kellen Moore. Sure, but you gotta give McCarthy. McCarthy has coordinator's cord, right. I'm saying he's he wants to be aggressive, I think offensively, or else they wouldn't be. It annoys everybody that hates Mike McCarthy, which is two guys in this room. But like, he's a great job.

He's put together a good coaching staff. He's great, he knows how to do this, he knows how to be a head coach at this level. And they're thriving as a group. A collective group questions him, you thought he was hot from a certain anger for some reason. Questioning the Mike McCarthy experience coming into this season was not not just it's just a thing. It's a thing in

the in football culture. It's like certain guys stink and are bad, and then when they have really good seasons, it's never them, it's the guys that are underneath the him and it's like, you know what it is, It's because he's because his biggest weakness is game management, and that's definitely like the easiest thing to pick on. He flamed out hard in Green Bay and then had this

so called you know awakening during his year away. Uh, and he's coaching arguably the best team in football with I think two with with two coordinators who could win cost Coach of the Year. I mean, dan quinn has been a big difference. He did where they handed him.

He is doing what you should do. He allocating well and do you think he ever has conversations with either of his cordination tower from where every tower and um, you could at least make the argument though that like go ahead, did he hire them because Jerry Jones kind of makes all the he hired Kellen Moore, it's not like McCarthy did. And then you know Jerry Jones, I would say, and he is giving Kellen Moore a ton

of autonomy. We don't think sign of good. I would say this because we know exactly what's going on in the in the building. Obviously you guys do at least um. I will say this, maybe when we have our hot hot butt conversation next week's show for the coaches, we should have a conversation McCarthy because obviously he's not someone that's worthy of EVA being a head coach potentially right now. I mean, I think he has more This is a

stroll man. I know it's not because I think he has more of a chance of losing his job after this year than um than you do. I think there is a chance. How many sandwiches I would be surprised at this point they've I mean, my, my. The only way that scenario works is if Kelln Moore is getting offers and Jerry just decides to make a change. It's like they lose in the divisional round and Kellen Moore gets offers and Jerry's like sorry, Mike. All right, let's

take a break and then finish out. All right, here we go, Texans at Dolphins to one and seven's going we should put a clock on this. Let's do let's do one minute on this game? You start mark what game is it? I was texting Tyrod's back. That makes a difference, It really does. I was a little surprised that only made like a couple of point or two difference in the point spread. I was like, Tyrod's gotta be worth at least three or four over Davis Mills.

He gives him a chance. Two most depressing teams in the NFC potentially, Yeah, the Dolphins are. I agree, the Dolphins have been hit by third down. I think if you're into analytic no, that like third down performance is not predictive year to year. The Dolphins are are a great example. They were first or second two straight years under floors and now they're twenty nine thirty on defense, but their stuff has not worked on third downs to You've had a rough ride this year, You've been dealt

a bad home with all the Deshaun Watson stuff. The good news is he is not going to be in your building at least not for the next six months or so. So now is your opportunity to give yourself a shot to make a statement. And you don't get a better stage than home against the Texans, the worst team in football, kick some as they just they were not the worst team in football when Tyrod was on the field, when he was hurt against Cleveland in the

early season work they were completely six great quarters. Whether that translates not, this team somehow seems worse, but we'll see. I just wonder if the Dolphins are also maybe like the perfect person to go deal with on that front too, if you're Houston, like Tonto is not their Ingram's not that you know they've lost some people too, all right, I think we got everybody. We got all the games,

good stuff. Can check out the TNF recap uh that will be in your podcast service of note, we will recap all the games that we just previewed on Sunday night. The Flagship podcast and the Around the NFL broadcast on NFL Network, a two hour program in which we go around the NFL, hitting all thirty two teams two minutes per team. We have fun. You should check that show out in air Saturday mornings with a re air, I believe.

So find it, watch it, consume it, and call your local cable operator to let them know how much you enjoy it. You don't. Usually they're like operator and say, yeah, like get me NFL network. It would be funny if we just a lot of people are just like, hey, I really like that around the NFL. I don't know what that would do. Everyone call your local cable operator and demand NFL network, like I want NFL network. You have it. It's in your package. It's under the sports tier.

It's channel one. Oh okay, you're nice conversation, all right, good good stuff, Ricky. I didn't get your inside. I know you're not a parent, but you are. You're a smart person. What how do you How do I handle Jack? I really think the sentiments really nice. But you gotta you gotta nip that in the body. Can't be going in your wallet. You gotta really you gotta what I mean? What are you saying? I do take the belt off and and teach them teaching Adrian Peterson run out of

the league. Yeah that's true, but he's back Erica, ready to be ready, ready to do some hardcore. No, no no, no, but I think I mean you can be scary. I like Erica as like a Catholic school nun in her former life, just wailing away on kids. You gotta just like going off. Is that was that your past? No? No,

I was never hit. I did get hot pepper in my mouth if I war, though, well really versus soap, which I don't remember actually, but hot pepper was brutal that that, Like my mom would chase us around and then she'd grabbed her cheeks and she push him together and she'd literally dump hot pepper flakes in your mouth and it burned like hell. They did that stuff in like medieval times to like punish people who stole fruit. Yeah.

Now I'm not gonna be able to get my mom on the phone because like child Services is gonna be coming after her after this. Clearly her methods worked with you, America. All right, hey, all right, here we go. That's it. Dan Hands is signing off for Quiet Storm, the old Boss, Ricky,

Sister Mary, Catherine, Dan Posey, everybody behind the glass. The grave Digger feeling confident, but thinks his team is gonna get a forty burger put on it nearly, So how confident can he really be I don't know, I'll sick, not at all, but it really disappoints greg Is that you don't have the Titans covering. Yeah, all right, still Sunday. He that call,