2023 Week 2 Preview

They around the NFL podcast. Dan hens this and the Falcons cass up.

Proud from the Chris Wesley podcast studio. It's around the NFL. I am Dan Hansson. Here are the members of the Falcons gas up. I like that Greg Rosethal and Mark Sessa.

I mean, maybe it's time to start thinking about putting a ring on this team. They get a little more official.

Well the Falcons and rings, that's probably never gonna happen.

So the thing that I enjoy about this scenario and what Zumwalt just announced there is that before the show with you know, a lot of time to chat lot time, you are genuinely, like, genuinely slightly annoyed at Greg and I for this whole Falcons thing. I'm You've you' it's not a bit, it's a real thing. You see him a little. You seem a little agitated with the fact that we're unified on this front.

In general, you guys, being unified is always a little off putting to me, just because it doesn't feel authentic to real life.

But I think, what is that even us mean, we just both happen don't like the Falcons? How is that not authentic?

I'm totally fine with you guys liking the Falcons. I just don't want you guys to like in October, if your precious little quarterback is still thrown for one hundred and fourteen yards a game, don't tell me how fun they are. Okay, Like, can we at least have an honest dialogue about whether the Falcons are fun? And I'll promise that to you.

Right, we're grounded in reality, though I don't think it's not as if we were. We've gone on some lsd E mission into the night, like we we were watching the games and assessing them.

And I just also to make this clear, I'm not against the Falcons, like I'm okay, if they're successfully, you're against.

Just if they're fun, let's do it. Let's make it a round about.

I'm open to it.

You got to earn those stripes, Okay.

It's not about based on a summer of promise and and what daddy gave to his son.

You know, all right, we'll see that part of it.

I don't think that Arthur Smith is some NEPO baby walking around.

I didn't say it. You connected those dots. I didn't even bring up the man.

You brought up you brought up the the FedEx thing multiple times on the show.

And I do want to point out because we've got a lot of new listeners we've heard from him. We love you. Great, great start to the season, team of ATLU. Just I'm going to read the disclaimer that we have to read every year. The Around the NFL podcast was once called the Around the League Podcast until one day the shadowy league executives asked us to call it Around the NFL Podcast because there was another news program called Around the NFL and they wanted that to be synced up.

Yeah, Yes, that's the great Dick Banks, the one man house band from Dave Danisheck, actually, I'm sure I get hit up Dick and be like, hey, you want to update.

It's like, no, I don't want to. We don't need to, we don't need to. Bus ATL sounds better. It never really they have gotten around at and AT that's bad. At NFL, that's not good that.

Matching news show. By the way, we were never invited to participate on air in any fashion.

I think we were Actually I think we had a regular spot on it.

No, no, no, like the old old version before they Yeah, I.

Think we had like where they made an NFL and was involved.

Yes, I do.

All right, we're already off track here. It's a beefy show. It's a Thursday show. It's week two in the NFL. If you if you caught the Wednesday show. Did you catch the Wednesday show? I know you're under the weather mark. Did you catch the show?

It's what I the minute I exit the studio, I'll be listening to that. No, I was like three sheets to the wind in terms of health, just lost.

You were drunk?

Yeah, No, that's not the term.

I mean.

I was literally was like.

Confirming our suspicions.

I don't want to give Colleen, Greg and Dan much less everyone behind the glass what I thought I had yesterday and I much better now.

Thank you.

But no, I did not listen to a second of it.

Give him a round of applause, keeping us healthy long season. Thank you.

But you should know that Thursday we preview the Thursday night game, which, by the way, we will be covering the recap of Vikings Eagles tonight.

You get more programming from us.

And we also previewed Sunday night football Dolphins Pats and then two Monday night games Saints Panthers, Brown Steeler. So check out Wednesday show with Colleen Wolf for those previews. Now we're gonna hit all the other games, all the non primetime games, and we do it draft style, and we have our locks of the week. Greg, congratulations, You've always been very high in your own supply in this in this particular department. What do you mean you can

All right, what was the Vegas scenario there? That seems like it.

Was according to Draft Kings, they were six point favorites. Courageous the mirror.

I wasn't gonna do it. I had a different one, and then Dan did it.

Just like the mirror was foggy.

Yeah, I'd say it a little fun.

But I've had a bad week and I felt like I deserved maybe a walk in the park lock.

But I thought that lasted good. The Chiefs too, so we'll see.

I don't but I don't know. I don't come at you guys about the it's under actually seven.

We I have some some lock stuff. We'll get to it later. I feel like we've gotten we've gotten too slow.

Yeah, let's get let's go. Let's get to it.

Let's start with the first overall pick. Look at this at MS number one pick up the week, presented by the aformentioned Draft Kings, and it is the Kansas City Chiefs at the Jacksonville jack Uars. The spread here is Chiefs laying three and a half over under fifty one, a showdown of two teams they met in the playoffs a year ago. And Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are coming off a very deeply frustrating Week one loss one point loss to the Lions in which they hadn't listened.

They had no business losing that game.

They couldn't catch the football and it was a grotesque showing by their receivers, particularly Kadarius Tony, who has a lot to make up for starting this Sunday at one pm on CBS.

Who's got the Call?

By the way, Iron Eagle, Charles Davis and Evan Washburn. The Chiefs are laying three and a half points, and I feel very good about it. Travis Kelsey returned to practice in a limited capacity on Wednesday, so he's trending upward. And if you get Kelsey back in the lineup, Greg and you get a mad Chiefs team about how they executed on a lot. I think they're gonna be okay here, but I'm not sleeping on the jack.

I think they'll be okay. But this is I'm fascinated by this game. I'm curious. You know your quick opinions on the Kelsey Taylor Swift rumors here?

Yes, both born in nineteen eighty nine. Kelsey apparently tried to get his number to Swift, initially rebuff but now.

Potentially potentially hanging out. I think it's not good that could be.

I don't think that could.

Be a factor. I think look, he's grown a lot since catching Kelsey. The the reality show that Lakeisha and Chris Westling both enjoyed, What.

If You Want to Talk, Yo? Talkyo?

But I think you were reminded, like what an incredibly valuable part of the Chiefs offense. Like that's obvious. He's a Hall of Famer, But I think what gets lost a little is as good as Andy Reid is, as good as Patrick Mahomes is. Travis Kelce's presence opens things up for the rest of the receivers in a way that they struggled to get. And I'm not sure what this Jaguars defense is going to be this year. I

No one could stop Calvin Ridley and it's it's amazing to me. I think that had to be like, quietly the trade of the year A season ago when it was it's under the radar because Calvin Ridley was not going to play. But they gave up very little to what is a bona fide star wide out and it

Kadarius Tony is very happy that Chase Claypool's in the league because otherwise he would have been the worst player in football in Week one.

He's not the worst player in football.

In fact, I would not be surprised if Kadarius Tony has a really big bounce back game.

I think he has a lot of talent.

We were hyping him up, a lot of people hyping him up in the offseason for a reason.

I agree.

I talked about this four of the season started, that people are sleeping on Trevor Lawrence, a guy could be an MVP candidate. That throw that he made to Zay Jones against the Colts, that's everything, and Jay Jones did a great job there too. But you get Ridley Jones, Ingram and Travis a TN. I thought look had a lot of bursts look good in that game.

He's underrated.

I think the Chiefs are gonna take care of business here because I just can't imagine them falling to own two and losing the way they did in Week one and not coming out mad as hell and ready to kick some ass. But would it surprise me this is a tight game in Jacksonville. It wouldn't. I think the Chiefs take this, but I think it's gonna be, you know, twenty eight to twenty four or something like that.

I like this one.

Jacks fans who want to see this team as one of the AFC rising powers, like this is a great early season statement because I still don't think the Chiefs will have beyond their p's and q's totally. And Trevon Walker had a sack last week, a little bit better of a game from him. Josh Allen played great, and it wasn't just the Josh Allen of the Jaguars, that is, with three secs in.

Josh Allen, look at you with all your disclaims.

It wasn't just the wide receiver that struggled. It was the tackles. And I'm more worried actually about the tackles. Long term. Donovan Smith, kind of the longtime veteran with the Bucks. If if Trayvon Walker and Josh Allen can win those matchups up front against the tackles, you could have you could have trouble. But I really love what I saw with t Law getting to his third reads and just so quickly he's starting to look like.

He's a great player and he's just starting to scratch a surface. Look out what one week one takeaway? Maybe this conference is a little more wide open than we thought. And AFC yeah, well yeah, fortunately, you know the Aaron Rodgers situation that made the AFC East a little bit different. Uh, the Jaguars, it's there for them to take the next step of the quarterback enters the Superstar club.

That was the game of the Week presented by Draft King sports Book. New customers can bet us five dollars and get two hundred in bonus bets. Instantly download the Draft Kings sports app and use code ATN that's code ATN only at Draft King Sports Book.

Draft Kings sports.

Book, an official sports betting partner of the NFL.

Mark the second overall pick in the ATM draft.

All right, I'm not doing this to annoy you particularly, but I I love this matchup. I'm going green Bay at Atlanta. You know, I think I come out of last week sort of just wondering.

I had a feeling I was circling this one.

I already had you already had Mark's name next to him. I know, well, but that's fine. But I'm not annoyed by.

I think that's a reach too, because no it's not. It's good fun teams, two teams I would have one fun I would have avoided entirely a year ago. They're about fun. What are you talking about? I do think though, to your point, Dan, you're a suspicion about Desmond Ritter. He went fifteen for eighteen a week ago, and if you

It's seven points where I don't know if anyone in the league would have created the seven points.

I totally agree, and like this would make one request, Yeah, can we get twenty touches for beje on this show?

I think I think we're gonna see more of that. But but that's all the thing is, Like I guess people would say, like take Tyler Algier out of the lineup. No, I love saying these guys. I'd run the ball thirty

Yeah, I'm curious to see that too, though. I think it's a nice setup. I mean, he had he faced no pass rush last week. Literally, the Bears had two pressures in the entire game that that were driven by their show. But I don't think that the Falcons is some great pass rushing team either.

They had a nice they were better.

They had a nice week last week. On your model looks like a nice s I mean, but I do want to have another point of order. I keep doing this. Okay, So Cynthia Freelan heard I hope him not speaking out of school here too late. Now it's Bjeon Robinson. No one is on this because I've heard it on ESPN, NFL network no one. No one is saying this yet, but it's been quietly putting out there from the Falcons uh PR staff. I think that it's bon.

And he did.

No one saying that it's It's been Bejon everywhere in the country. I haven't heard anyone say it quote unquote right, But we could change.

The player himself did the thing where he maybe it's kind of gracefully didn't correct anyone, just well.

Maybe if the pr staff is reaching out, then maybe maybe Tojon, you're just just throwing that out there. I'm with you.

Uh, I'm not ready yet. Yeah, but good to know and I'm open to change, just not there yet.

I'm curious. Is this Packers even actually gonna be different this year? The number one thing that they've struggled with the last few years is stopping the run. So what a great test because they have a lot of talent on their defense and they looked pretty good last week, but it was against Chicago. Have they actually fixed anything? Because this is gonna be a great test. We know that the Falcons aren't going to throw the ball that much, but can they stop this running?

Here's the quote, by the way from Falcons RB Robinson and that's why nobody's wrong and you're not offending anyone or being disrespectful. Here's his quote. How you pronounced this the SI? How you pronounce my name is bijan, Like, that's how you say my name? He said, I actually told Fox five in Atlanta, but I say bijeon m.

So we're not wrong then it's almost a little snooty and like, look how smart. Well, I didn't even know until I am to call him, by the way his mother says it, when Bijeon himself is calling him self beije On, that's good enough for me.

Yeah, I'm with you.

I didn't I didn't know about this.

Yeah, this is this is some hard hitting googling from the old user and a big spot.

Falcon's getting a point by the way in.

This that's it, Huh. I like the tight I like the Falcons here to win this game. I do why are you laughing?

Knows what I did there?

I know what Oh, I do know what you did.

That was being a good little boy.

It was well timed. It wasn't awkward aough. Uh batt Lafleur had like an incredible game last week. We should point it like, I don't think he's gonna have receivers this wide open. I'm really fascinated by him because he played much safer, I think than he did the first time we saw. And he does some really wild stuff, some fun stuff. We might have a little fun stuff on uh the NFL plus a little later. And he makes good decisions. But like every fourth pass kind of

The Packers are banged up too, because we've got Christian Watson still not practicing on on Wednesday, Leavest with a hamstrng Aaron Jones, who was dominant against the Bears. Really, I mean changed that game. Hamstring situation, kway Walker awesome last week.

Concussion situation, so a little bit banged up. Good setup the weather there, yeah, good setup. You could really get out of the gates. How is a pistol here with it?

That Falcons crowd unblirable?

What a great football, great football team? What we were laughing about earlier. I'm not We're not going to tell the audience. Yeah, so funny, but let's see if they figured out this.

Yeah, well we didn't do such a good job in the first matchup.

So all right, here we go. I said it.

Then we did do such a good job.

Yeah, okay, okay, here we go.

So much inside baseball.

Pick three goes to Greg Rosehal okay, I guess uh, you know, I had a pretty clear top three. The first two are gone. Let's go Seahawks at Lions. Geno versus the defending team of atl The Lions are a five and a half point favorite in nuts game.

They were the twenty twenty two.

I mean, I guess that's how it works. I am surprised. Like if you had told me before Week one they would be five and a half point favorites, that would have that would have surprised me. You thought this team, these two teams would have been closer, but one had a great Week one one at one of the worst week ones in the league, and it's not getting any better. A bluecasts starting right tackle for the Seahawks. Injured reserve Charles Cross starting left tackle for the Seahawks not practicing.

Way, Jason Peters, don't.

Don't start that five year clock to start talking about the Hall of Fame because he will have a Hall of Fame discussion for sure. Uh, he's back in the league and he might just be a joke playing left tackle once again for Gino. And so that's that's a little bit worry simmy.

They had good health on that line last year, correct.

Yeah, but better than this.

Finds a disastrous those two guys played the whole time until the till the very end. And the funny thing is, I actually think of their interior as a big time struggle fest, and they were a week ago. So suddenly you compare these two offensive lines and you have one. I think these two quarterbacks both need to be protected like most, but they're not like elite that and you have one guy who's got maybe the best line in the league, and it makes a big difference that that

I love the way the Lions are built because, like their offensive line won that game for them down the stretch against the Chiefs, like they are dominant, they tire teams out. You're gonna see more of Jamiir Gibbs. I think they they're just kind of built to do this. Their defensive line, their pass rush is so much better

I like this matchup because this is these are two teams that are near the top of the list, or I just kind of want to learn a little bit more about Sure, because the Lions. And this is no disrespect to Lions fans out there, I know that the narrative around that game was look at the big Lions.

They have arrived, They've now.

Beaten the Chiefs on the road, and I watched the game and then I rewatched it uncondensed, and I'm saying they did play a really gutty and they got the win. I thought they were very fortunate in many ways to get that victory, which is not taking away, but it's also I'm not ready to say that.

You're mad about the lock. Just admit it. No locked up against team of acl in your minds are saying if you.

Take away Kansas City that, yeah, change is changed.

Ye, I like.

Sneaky don't care that much about locks. I think I think you care a lot about them. It's like it's over. I really think that the Lions are a very compelling, interesting team. But it's not like beating the Chiefs and Arrowhead in Week one made me think, Okay, now this is a superpower. Now it's time to look at the Lions differently. I'm not there yet.

Now.

Spank Seattle, coming off a really ugly Week one loss.

Would would tell me two things.

One, Okay, it's time to give the Lions a little more flowers because they're two and zero. And now, going back to last year, I think ten of twelve if they went and Seattle. You start to really start to ask questions Greg about Seattle and whether they're even any good after this offseason of hyping them up. Week four, twenty twenty two, A little change of subject here.

Forty eight forty five.

Yeah, that was really gu Gino's greatest.

Game of his life. He completed seventy seven percent of his passes, He threw for three hundred and seventy yards, three touchdowns. Passer rating won thirty two point six. Beautiful. Do we get another shootout? I don't know about that. I don't think forty eight forty five.

The Lion's defense is transformed from that, Yes, that situation. Their secondary I thought right away looked so much better. Brian Branch, I mean, I think Jack Hampbell made some plays last week. They've added pad deuce. He just shows up and makes plays wherever he goes. I actually am a little more concerned about the Lions offense this year. They only scored fourteen points in that game. Then the

Second year player Charles Harris got the big holding call in the last rain. They're just deep everywhere and I think they can win multiple kinds of ways. The Seahawks. When was the last defense Pete Carroll had? And he skated a little bit on this last year, but when was the last defense that was above average in Seattle? I'll give you the answer. It was twenty seventeen. It was a while ago for a defensive coach.

That the earl Thomas middle Finger year.

I don't even know, but I just searched for like dv Away whatever or even above average. It's been like six years.

They've drafted well though. I think there's there's a lot of you like youth on this defense. They just were totally out coached a week ago.

I think we'll see more Gibbs. As you mentioned, six missed tackles forced in seven attempts.

This is outrage. Yeah, give him the rock.

I want to see Gibbs and Bijon Bajan touch this ball twenty times in week two. Take off the training wheels, let them leave fair request. I know this has come up around the Lions, but my last point amount them Jared Goff. I know he's not gonna win MVP or anything like that or go to the Hall of Fame, but very quietly since Week nine last year, hasn't since Week ten last year, eight and two the Lions, he hasn't even thrown an interception. Sixteen touchdowns, zero picks. If

He's in that world where he could break the NFL record.

For especially this week. The Stamps had no pass rush against the Rams, and that's something they're concerned about. All Right, I got the fourth overall pick, and I don't like these late games, so I'm just gonna take the one that I want the most because there's four of us shook. He's going to be helping out here, and I'm gonna lock up my late game. And it's gonna be forty nine Ers Rams, And yeah, this is a big spread. It's seven and a half for the forty nine Ers.

Let's go checking a lot of boxes.

It's just saying it makes me happy.

Honestly, this has and that's good, that's important. But this does have all the makings of them come back to Earth game for the Rams. To me, it does like we have go six under.

Yeah, we've talked about Los Angeles and they're kind of rebuilding their defense on a fly, and obviously a great start against the Seahawks. But it's hard to tell Week ones, A liar, this is a whole other type of test.

Now.

I know you're in your backyard here across the sidewalk, but the forty nine ers are going to be coming at this young team in waves, and they're gonna be schemed up in an elite way by Kyle Shanahan. And it would not surprise me if shannan has this young defense's head spinning by the second quarter. I kind of see it that way. Stafford obviously played brilliantly there. You can make an argument that he was the best quarterback in the league in Week one. Could he do that again?

Maybe?

What about the fact that it's Coogler and Sanchez? I just love that. Maybe this is mister NFC West. Now, it's like a kind of a frisky NFC West game.

It's sick California. Guy doesn't have to go far it he doesn't want to leave. Yeah, it's no Sea kid.

I think I'm I'm with you, Dan, Like Sean McVay showed how much of a difference he can make a week ago and uh, the Seattle is a good team. I still think we're gonna find out they are. So that was a legitimate victory. But the Niners, I mean talk about hitting the ground running and it's like.

Oh, you look good.

If you're no, I'm Joe Burrow. It's like, obviously he's rusty because he didn't do X Y and Z in the preseason. It's like, what did rock Perdy do? Rock Perty shows up in Week one and he's like lights out and exactly the guy he was a year ago, totally efficient. I don't like that to me, Like, that's gonna come with the territory a little bit. Brock Perty as as like in terms of like where's the fall off? It just wasn't there. And like Brandon Ayuk, you suddenly

What do you mean we'll see I've seen he looks. He looks. It's been a year and a half of this. He outgained Deebo Samuel for the second half of twenty tell me of last year.

We're getting excited about it. Ayuk is not a superstar.

Lang Okay, Well, he is knocking on that door. But now it being the way.

He was in Week one, he's so physical and he can be do the subtle stuff. He's a little more complete than Deebo. I think they're one in one A.

I love Auk, but we did the Superstar Club in July and nobody said anything when I didn't have that's but he needs I guess what I'm saying is he needs to put it together for a long stretch and remove that inconsistency from his game. And when I said after watching the game last Sunday, is if he does that, this becomes unfair because Deebo is gonna get his and McCaffrey stays healthy, he's gonna eat you got George Kittle. It's an embarrassment of riches for this young quarterback.

And I think it's like then that you get to overlook their defense, which Steve Wilkes came in right away and like there's no there's no problem there at all. He's he's already a great coordinator. The Rams last week, I know they I like that they refuse to stop running the ball, but they ran for two point three

Shout out to Kyraen Williams. He's like stealing cam Akers sunshine and his draft picks and his snaps. He played quite quite a bit more.

Uh.

Yeah, the one superstar like we haven't brought up for the Fortnite I guess a couple is Bosa, but also Fred Warner. And that's where Stafford won last week, deepen over the middle, beating the Seahawks linebackers. You're not going to be able to do that to Pookin Akua and to well nearly as well against Fred Warner.

Yeah, what were your vibes because obviously one of the most talked about names in the league and a lot of ties into the immense popularity of fantasy football. But Pooka and Akua, is that is that a type of performance that's signifying that they have a real player there?

I think so? Yeah, I think so. I Mean he might not be Cooper Cup, but he could be like a really solid number two that.

Changes a lot. It does Cup can come back healthy. If Cup. I'm worried about Cup in general. When when you hear things like flying to Minnesota to see a specialist about the hamstring and you've already aggravated it once, I'm you start getting nervous about what's going to happen with that. But if he can come back healthy and they can establish for a poor here with Nikua, Okay.

They trust they're cooking. He's smart, tough, physical.

All right, let's take a break. Let's take a break, and when we get back we continue with the draft. All right, we are back. The draft rolls on, Mark Cecil, your second pick, all.

Right, I'm gonna take the Chargers visiting Tennessee. Tennessee gets three points, uh that, which kind of surprises me. I I don't see these as equal teams, although I think the Titans and Greg you Bert, you've been talking about.

This, they're home there. That's I'm going off of.

I'm going off of what I saw from Ryan Tannehill a week ago. And now the Chargers, by the way, like Brandon Staley at some point, he's not he's here.

Well that he was saying the way Mark's saying that, it's like he gone.

I have been a Tannehill like fan for a long time, and like Tanna Shill, sure she'll no, Tanna Stan Maybe Tanner girl, Tanna girl. I like that that fits what a disaster last week? Like, if that's what you're gonna get, why are you how are they favored at all? How they getting like like anything more than three points?

It's like, Okay, you wanted the Charges to be even bigger, absolut Chargers.

No, but it's like there their offense. To me, I this is an interesting matchup because I still think the Titans are one of the best runs stopping teams in the league, and this is a completely different Chargers offense than what we've seen in the past. And they want to they want to run the ball all day long. And like Austin Ekeler did not practice Wednesdays.

No, he had was agent died, so but he's going to be back with the team Thursday, but it was unclear as we're taping whether he'll be able to practice, so he is. He is dealing with an injury as well.

Yeah, I tend to think he'd play, but Josh Kelly looked like great too, and so I just think that this this ground game gives me a lot of hope for the fact that not everything has to fall on the shoulders of Justin Herbert. I think that's healthy. I just think this like a year ago, him having to play hurt the whole time he did, he still made some just absolutely like Herbert ish incredible throws last week.

I got too much respect for the Titans to call them a get right game against anyone. I mean, if if Ryan Tanneil could hit the broad side of a barn and they would be coming off a pretty weak one. When to me, it's a great test. And one of my preseason takes is gonna be looking bad because I was high on both these teams. One of them is gonna be going to It's a great test though for Staley. It's like to me, it's like soft versus Like the Chargers are kind of a soft team. You think about

Lot to me, Like I know you and and other people on Twitter pumping up the Chargers again this summer.

But I think they're in a bad spot.

I think they I think this game is I think I'm worried.

They got their ass beat in Week one.

It was a two point game that they came up, but they got beat.

And I know Herbert didn't play poorly, in fact, he played well, but the best quarterback in that game was Tua.

And I don't know what makes Herbert's heart beat. I don't know what pumps him up.

I don't know if he's one of those guys that rises to the challenge and gets pissed off.

I kind of want him to be that guy. I think that's sometimes the missing piece with Herbert.

Is he like a monster? Is he a monster inside? Is he a competitor that says, you know what? Tua just upstays me in my house in week one and now I'm.

Gonna have it?

Five times he responded, yes.

Not anything in his career yet bag hold does not act like he's done anything in his career yet, well hold on.

I think like it's easy to forget that he didn't say a single word.

I'm so sick of everybody putting justin Herbert in the Hall of Fame.

I'm just gonna say, putting him in the hall like he's above reproach to even challenge him, like he's never won a playoff game.

Everybody plays hurt.

If winning playoffs.

Some of the genuflecting at Herbert is on my radar.

And and now I want him to this is what I want from him, go kick the hell out of the Titans because you're mad about what happened last week.

It's not gonna be easy.

And the reason I think this is a tough spot is because I think Vrabel and the Titans, and I don't think Tannehill is a bad player at this stage. I think he's gonna be mad as well, and I know he's a competitor and he's gonna be looking to play better. This is gonna show me something if Herbert and the Charges going there and take care of.

I hear they're supposed to think that's ridiculous about Herbert when.

I know it is because you're not allowed to say that about it.

When he's playing through that injury that he did a year ago and making the comeback place respect that that Week eighteen game against the Raiders where he played as well as humanly possible, and like multiple things can be true. You can lose games where you play absolutely outstanding and play your hearts out and play with the most guts possible.

Everything you said is right, and Manning did nothing as a in terms of playoff success until almost the second decade in the league. But I'm just saying, sometimes it feels like we're not allowed to say bad things about all right, And I.

Know you feel that way about Lamar Jackson and a couple other guys too, And I get there's maybe some exhaustion on your part, but nothing that Justin Herbert has done on the field.

Like so I'm saying I'm spinning forward here. I'm saying, but.

Who's let's plain I think they will. First of all, what's the strength I think outside of Justin Herbert, And it's their offensive line. I know they fell apart and against the pass rush like at the end of that Dolphins game, but they can they this is an offensive line that can neutralize the Titans. And I think in general, like the Titans are not gonna be able to get not gonna be able to get to Justin Herbert the

I just had practice though, but once again, Joey Bo's out of practice.

I am kind of a little annoyed with the lack of faith in the Chargers off again, Joe, I am absolutely locking up the Chargers and they're gonna They're gonna do what you want. They're gonna do what you want to do.

Yeah, because I really enjoy Herbert as an immensely physically gifted quarterback.

Do I do have some questions, just as someone who's watched sports for a long.

Time, like the fire burn within, Like I guess you'd say, like what he's done, and I I know stats are in everything, but I do think like almost fifteen thousand yards and ninety touchdowns in the first three seasons of your NFL career is something like that's a big time.

I'm not saying it's not I don't see like a hushed personality where he maybe doesn't care about football. I kind of say it didn't care, I know, but I sort of see. I do see a fire, and I really think that last year, like what he went through, and he just kind of refusing to give in or give up or leave the game. It's like there that tells me something. Though, there are a lot of players not like that.

Five fourth quarter comebacks twenty twenty one, four fourth quarter comebacks twenty twenty two. He's He's been putting some tough spots. I'm frustrated though. Certainly, if Brandon Staley's defense is as bad as it looked, then it's just gonna be more charges drama and Brandon Staley won't be back like no matter what Herbert does, they got to have a much better defense.

I put him in that most heated category of coaches before the season, and I think they could play out good.

You know what, I want it?

I want it, you want I want you to get your lock, okay, and.

I want Herbert to just ball out against and just make Vabel like grovel in that postgame presser. I think we're gonna just got beat by a great quarterback who who was upset that the that Tua upstaged him in his building and made the throws that I I didn't down the stretch, And you know it's it was time for me to drop a bomb on whoever I was playing next, And that's what I did. That's what I want Herbert to say.

That would be a typical of his personality.

I don't you know that that's asking too much? See, but this isn't the game more fun to think about?

Now?

Sure?

Even if you totally disagree with everything I just said.

Well, no, I watched like another like tension point between like and I don't think he's going to try harder this week because Tua played well. I think he's trying his hardest.

See. That's the type of cold bloodless analysis that I'm not.

I'm not saying, uh, you know, let's diffuse someone having any passion in their takes by saying, oh, I guess he's gonna try hard.

I just disagreeing I think he is. Like, that's not what I'm saying. I'm putting every I think he's putting everything into his.

Perform says he will try just as hard.

I know you want to see some heats, so I like it.

That was a fiery lock. Thank you Mark, Thank you Mark. After our well, you're welcome somewhat cheepish locks.

All right, let's uh, let's move to Oh it's back to me.

All right, let's head to jeral World and uh, I know I kind of Here is where I'm at Jets with Zach Wilson as the quarterback, going to Dallas to face the Great Parsons, and it is.

The biggest spread of the week.

The Cowboys are laying nine and a half points here, and it's it's just a reminder of what a bummer of it. It is not just for sad sack Jets fans like myself, but for everybody, cause this was gonna be a fun Rogers and the Jets going to Dallas.

It's a bummer for Danson Romo. It's a bummer for a killer.

It's a killer.

They actually made it so that this was the only good afternoon game so that everyone would watch it.

We all get killed by it, and it's you know, more personal to others. But yeah, it's a bummer. And here here's here's the thing, because there is a there's a sense here among the more optimistic of Jets fans that there's still something here, there's still something to play for, that the defense could be special in the running game, what we saw from Breese Hall, they can move the

But also I think Wilson was getting killed in that game.

And that was a very difficult spot with everything that happened in that game, with Aaron Rodgers coming on the field the way he did, and everyone thinking, all right, this is Rogers' team, and all of.

A sudden, you're in the game.

Here's the playbook, here's the biggest audience in the history of Metlie said him in the biggest Monday night football audience ever, saved the day and overall he didn't lose the game. Okay, So will they open up the playbook just a little bit, maybe, But here's the problem.

I think the Cowboys are going to eat him alive in this game. Yeah.

And I just my feeling here is that as a Jet fan, there's gonna be a lot of Jet fans that have pumped themselves up thinking we're gonna get right here and we're gonna stabilize things and be optimistic. But I think this is a game we're gonna come out of and feel like reality is set in and the limits at quarterback are really going to be shown in this game.

Why are we in this situation? I mean, the first couple of plays right out of the game where Aaron Rodgers injured because the offensive line looked totally incompetent, and now you're going against a Cowboys team that absolutely dismantled the Giants five force fumbles, two picks, seven sacks. Well, quarterback, but even if you cut all those numbers in half, you've still done a lot of work against the Giants

Yeah, the game was too fast for him and it was a really tough spot, but we've seen players come in off the bench and perform well a Brock Purty type or whatever. Look things happen. I mean, Aaron Rodgers's two snaps were disastrous. The game kind of came fast at him and those plays just didn't work out. I'm not really thinking the offense has much to do with the Jets at this point. Like Brice Hall is a special player, the fact that he can make cuts while

Yeah, Josh Allen and Dak Prescott are and a similar QB tier for me. Maybe Alan's a little bit ahead, but they're also what are the defects in their games? They will turn the ball over the Jets to hang in this game. What's what's the path to success? You turn Prescott over a couple of times, maybe you have another special teams play and you keep this a low scoring game, and maybe Breese Haall breaks one. You need this to be a low scoring affair, where again defense

The opposite of Jordan Love having these two like non pass rushing teams to have to play the Cowboys right off the bat, and then Belichick next week is just.

Well, and he's and and you know, there's a realistic reality here that he is not a good player on any level. It's like, I think it's important he got that Garrett Wilson touchdown a week GOP because Garrett Wilson like is the guy that kind of embodies the fact that when Aaron Rodgers came, Garrett Wilson's like, my career is back on track. It's like Zach Wilson could lose the locker room quickly if everyone starts to become a non factor in the passing game like it happened a

I know?

But it's like I think it's like, if you're the Jets, the coddling of Zach Wilson is over. It's like it's saying it's his team and all this stuff?

Is it not?

If they get destroyed in.

As It's tough because he might be the very two best defense in the league. If I mean, I throw the forty nine.

But we have a larger sample size on Zach Wilson than this last week.

In this don't do the thing that I saw for most of the Bills game where you won't even throw the ball three yards past Lina scratch.

What do you have to lose?

Yeah, just air it out, force the ball into Garret Willson. Let's just see maybe something crazy happens. How about check in from Eric Roberts, our producer in the Bills cap.

Hey, guys, we have somebody else who wants to weigh in on this.

Jets Cowboys?

Yere yes?

What could that be?

Hello, gentlemen? Oh, tough loss after week one? I don't know what I was thinking the picking the Chargers. Of course they're gonna go Charger in. That's okay. Right now, Greg's thinking, man, Nick, you can't lock this game up. It's it's Cowboys are nine point favorites. Well, I don't look at the Desert Test. I look at the mer test. I'm fine looking into the mirror. Right now, everybody's thinking, Daniel Jones got beat down by the Cowboys. The Cowboys

It's gonna be the Jets.

They started out too and zero. Lock that up.

Total. I'm a Cozi mission.

There are boys in this world, and there are men.

And there are psychotic men, or there are little bit like lost the first week and he's like, okay, now I'm just gonna like not even seem like I'm trying. Come on, hey, if he gets this right, like, no one will ever forget it.

That was great.

Everyone check out the YouTube because Nick is looking good looking like a businessman.

He is part you trust your business to someone who just locked the jets. I don't know about that.

It shows a man that has a bold take on business affairs.

To me, uh, it's gonna be remembered as maybe the best lock of all time.

If that's so, that's you know what that is. That's called hanging onions. You could say it's crazy, Maybe it is.

Did he confer with the rest of the.

So I can let me just a little. I'll take him behind the curtain a little bit. The Westling brothers have mostly opted out out of the X, but sometimes I guess they have conversations. But it's really Nick's ship now sure, And I would imagine there's no way in hell he would have had someone to back him on that at the Zoo. So this is this feels like pure because Nick did check in with me one of the many people that did, and said that he really does like these jets.

So it's coming from an authentic place. Okay, all right, up next is me and I will take I like this game.

Speaking of Eric Roberts, jump back on a second, the Las Vegas Raiders traveling to Orchard Park to face the Buffalo Bills eight and a half points.

The Bills are given in this one, Eric everything.

Obviously, the story coming out of Monday Night was the Rogers injury, but a very very big overall league storyline was this terrible performance by Josh Allen, who gave that game way as a Bills fan, one to ten peace scale one underpants to totally dry and no problem at all. You can go anyway you want ten soaked to the bone, gotta get home, gotta change the underpants. And it's not even like you don't throw them in the hamper. It's

I'm not like a five a little damn little little damp if you have, like probably pushing eight.

A little bit of an odor from not right next to you, like not from five feet away, but you get close.

Comfortable sitting next to Christy right now, if you know it'd be like.

At a five like that. Don't drag me into your urine stories.

There's a musk to that.

Urine underpants.

But if they lose to the Raiders and Josh Allen kind of has another another another whoopsie game, they'll be pushing an eight.

Now, what do you think is going on? Here's the question, and I'll open up to everybody.

What are the conversations that Sean McDermott has with Josh Allen this week? Now, Allen, to his credit, put the whole thing on his shoulders, as he should have.

He blew that game.

There's no reason the Jet should have been able to come back unless the quarterback the other team gets as reckless as Alan did. Is there a conversation that leads to and this? This would make me feel a little bit. I would be torn as a Bills fan. We need you to rein it in and not be Josh Allen because this is becoming to be an issue. Are we going to see a more conservative version of him this week?

I don't think so, because it's like there's too much evidence that if you take away what's special about Josh Allen, that you're missing a major element of your offense. This felt like a ghost ridden bike to me, this entire attack, and we could go and I think the thing is though I would parcel in the Josh Allen like Joe Burrow against the Browns. It's like if that were all, if that were his career, like week after week, we would not be even talking about Joe Burrow.

Its disaster to make the decisions or you know, and he had to play in the weather. It was the mental side of it that was so.

I'm with you there, But I think the Jets of awareness of the type of game he was playing, right.

The Jets have had Josh Allen's number the last couple of seasons, though, and I think some quarterbacks just don't match up well. But I feel like even I know I mentioned this game too many times, but even when he went out there for a long period of time against the Steelers in the preseason, something just didn't seem right with Josh Allen a little bit. And I think like the last the way that last season ended, I mean, these two games were moved from throwing three hundred and

I mean, I think those conversations happen, of course, but he's smart enough to say it first, and I think the conversations have been happening his whole career. But when he gets on the field, he blacks out. And he basically rained that in from the first two seasons where he was totally chaotic and would black out, And in this case, it was just forcing passes that just weren't even there. It just wasn't even passes that were worth taking.

Other of them were close to being completed by no No.

But the third one it was a great play by Whitehead where I don't think he expected him to make that play that The others were just insane. The Buffalo Bills are also transitioning. I mean, they were literally the least tight end heavy league in the team in the league last year, and in Week one they were by far the most. They had knocks and kincaid out their

You know Dables last year and you know interceptions can be misleading, but he threw a career high fifteen picks that year. He has the most interceptions in the league of any quarterback in the last three years. So he's always gonna be that gun sling elma to his game. And that's okay, Like going back to Joe Namath and Brett Farv like far as interception numbers were in.

SAT's okay, as long as it's being balanced out with like I will give him credit on the touchdown pass he had to digs on Monday Night.

That's just classic Allen, Like that's his that's his move, Like it's his finishing move, that ability.

To scramble and then at the last second pull the trigger and drop it in there. I don't want.

I think the Bills will be worse off if he's raining in his game to try to limit his turnovers. I think he's got to be himself, but there's got to be if he really is a mad man and he just can't process it, the Bills are never gonna get over the hump.

But I've seen enough good film of Josh Allen. Yeah that I'm not.

I'm not in the camp of I think the Bills are in trouble. Now you're starting to hear that creeping in like, oh, Josh Allen, is he part of the problem. No, In fact, this might be a game where he kicks a mass here and kind of shuts some people up, like the Raiders seem like at home in Buffalo. A great matchup for Josh Allen to play some big time football.

Well, And I think though from a flip side, because I've been relentlessly destroying the Raiders for six plus months, if not sixteen to eighteen months. This is a huge chance. And I thought the Jimmy g played really well, and like, you know, you are catching a Bills team that I think it's just it's not that I think the whole thing doesn't work. They're under a lot of pressure though. They just feel tight, and I think what happened, what manifested on Monday night is so much a part of

Well in the in the crowd will be tight. Will remind me of those old like Fenway Park Red Sox crowds are so loud at the beginnings of the games and then wanted to get towards the end. You get, you get a little tight, it'll be tough. I do think that the Raiders defensive progress we heard about in camp played out pretty well in week one. They have to be happy they're not gonna have Chandler Jones back. It doesn't seem but I thought the Bills defense has

He didn't.

He's had a very up and down career and he came into camp late, but he just didn't quite have that pop last week. So just keep an eye on him because he one year he's great, one year, the next he's not. Like I don't know, hope he's going through his training camp in real exactly so, because that's how you beat the Rams, I mean the Bills. If you're gonna beat the Bills, they're gonna have to run on it.

I would like Jacobe Myers to be in this game.

He really flashedes a receiver next to DeVonta Adams, but he was in concussion protogol in the middle of the week, and so it's not looking good for Myers to be on the field against the Bills. I think the Bills win this one comfortably and if they don't, look out big problems.

Although remember the Bengals row in two a year ago.

Yeah, but there's a you can point to reach.

I think, why if I'm with you, win with you? Like I think that Jets loss was a disaster for Buffalo.

All right, pause right there. We got to finish out this draft, but not before a quick break. All right, we're back Mark, You're up, all right.

So, like I'm not saying this is the best game left, but I have to pick a late game, and I'm gonna go. I kind of am interested to see what happens here. Giants Cardinals, I mean talk about a New York Which New York disaster was bigger obviously the Jets for the future. But like the Giants laid about as large as an egg as one could imagine being produced

That the Gmas more then giggling. It's it's owling laughter for an organization to be run as poor.

Yeah, and less for a Cardinals fan then it's very little laughter. But like I if, I mean, talked with Zumbold a little bit by text and he just flat out doesn't agree that the team is, you know, tanking, because I don't think you can tank number one if you're can't tell the.

Course they're trying their hardest. I think it's a different.

It's like you put the wrong trying if you put the wrong players out on the field.

That's sometimes people.

Don't get, not that you obviously mark or even somewhat they don't understand what tanking means. Tanking isn't the players. The players are playing for a paycheck in their careers. The coaches are playing coaching for their jobs. They're coaching and playing their ass off. It's the organization putting that teams putting that tank is upstairs.

It's being in a situation where Josh Dobbs is their best option, right, that's.

The what you got to that place?

Uh, I don't know.

I say there's a couple of little ways into this game for Arizona to keep it tight. Now about thout Jonathan Gannon, Like that defense had three turnovers a week ago, they had a fumble return for a touchdown. Like they kind of put the Commanders into a tough spot, and so maybe Jonathan Gannon's defense has some life. Darren Waller has a hamstring injury right now that is being labeled as a lingering issue. That's sort of like the worst case scenario for Darren Waller, who obviously didn't show up

In a fluky element. But Andrew Thomas be now that's a huge problem. It sounds like he's gonna miss this game, maybe multiple games. He's their best player. I would say on Cardinals had six sex they're right tackle Evan Neil, who they've been kind of hoping would pop up, did not have a good Week one at all, and yeah, maybe they can make this game an ugly game, especially if Waller's not there. You would think that the Giants have enough talent. But but it wasn't a good week

Though you know, would be really ugly. And I believe in this thing.

With the way the NFL schedule plays out, when you have a bad Week one loss and then you get what should be a layup in Week two, usually you take advantage of that. If you have a Week three death March going to San Francisco next week, Giants. They're

If we don't take care of business here, it's over. The season's over before it ever began.

Five and a half point favor, Well.

Go check rag. We'll own three teams, how many make the playoffs.

I know it's seventeen games now, but still I think the Giants will show up. I think that they were humbled, they're still well coached. Everyone had a bad day. Yeah, I think he's gonna have them in a good place and they're gonna play well. Sekuon is a big day and I think they win by ten.

I think I would take the Cardinals to cover that five and a half.

Point really well, then you have to believe that they've got just one.

Of my general thoughts. Back in the day, and we do talk like what we think the score will be in on game debut. We do that too, but back in the day, one of the truisms and this would have been picking the Cardinals last week is like, never take bad to mediocre teams as heavy favorites like Washington should not be favored by seven in any scenario. Just too much can happen in the NFL. Should the Giants be favored by five and a half in any scenario.

On the road. I don't think the Giants are a bad team. I would say now a mediocre Okay, maybe I'll give you that. It was week one. It was no good week.

Let's see, you know what, that was a special night in London last year. We're gonna put that on ice until.

They win a game, and hopefully for Giants fans listen Sunday nights.

As a New York sports fan, we had a tough go of it Sunday Monday. I mean, people don't even know a lot of people if you don't fallow baseball. The Yankees have this once in a generation prospect, the marsh and Jason Domingez has an incredible first week, and then they learned that he tore his ucl and his elbow and he's out until next year. That happens Sunday. Then the Giant game happens Sunday night, and then Aaron Rodgers Monday enough a waterfall.

Of like just poop for New York sports. Yeah too long? Maybe this is those on fire right now. It's good, it's good for It's very good for New York.

Yeah, only Jalen Brunson can save you.

Now, it's great for the post until the Jets are like one in five and Zach Wilson still playing quarterback. Then it's your readership starts to fall off a little bit. Not necessary, Mark, I am not suggesting that's what I want at all, I know, but.

Just that's an obvious thing that I'm processing, is a reality that I'm dealing with.

Well, I apologize.

I truly still love you. Let's move on, Greg, all right, I'm taking a good game that's still available this late. Bengals three and a half point favorites over the Ravens. Ravens offensive line no Linderbaum. We mentioned out of practice their center, second year player Ronnie Stanley, the barometer of if the offense is going to be good or not. Out of practice, we know Marcus Williams isn't coming back for potentially a long time. Marlon Humphrey remember him, their

Spell at mark breadth b R E A D T HI A D.

I think it's gonna be a a disjointed offensive game.

Don't do that to me again.

The weather was a problem for the Bengals last week, only problem.

Can we calm down with weather by the way for week two? Yeah, bad job by these codes. You don't need we clean it up. It was messy, yeah, and he does have the smaller hands. And the ball was slipping out nine inches. That's an old uh old nine inches, not fig Lamar coming off a bad game. Sometimes you saw their offense wasn't exactly sure what was going on either,

Defenses are a head of offenses right now. There aren't many deep passes going on. And then we got a theory from Nick Westley. Now that's hard on him, but I like to give him credit. He is an excellent football in sports mind, and oh yeah, his eye spotted, maybe just like a little less explosiveness. He thought out of Lamar as a runner as a playmaker then maybe in the past, which wouldn't be crazy in the league at while. So that's just something I'm just going to

I have a Lamar take.

I don't think there are too many quarterback top weapon targets that make as much a big deal than when Lamar doesn't have Mark Andrews.

Like, well, that's true, and it sounds like guy, that's his dog.

That's his guy. He loves him in the intermediate passing game, he loves him in the red zone. You take him out of there. And I know Odell made you know, one really nice over the shoulder catch and we saw I agree with you, Greg Flowers really jumped out at you and you get the idea that he could be a big time player.

So there are things they get excited about. But you need On Andrews on the field. I think he's the stabilizing Djenga piece for them.

Yeah, so Zay Flowers. I think what we saw that's like a week two week thing, like they finally drafted a wide receiver from you know, they've had trouble with that for twenty years, and like he looks like the real deal. I really would be concerned about Cincinnati's offensive line, like the release Lyle Collins. You've got Jonah Williams moving to right tackle pretty late in his career, and that's

Wasn't really on t Higgins.

It was just I think Burrow he was fourteen for thirty one.

Well that's what I thought was in our previews on Wednesday, Mark I pointed out not only was Cincinnati stuck in mud, there was very few passes where you could really point to him be like, oh there was an opportunity there. They just completely got shut down on offense, and all that was like gum flapping that I had getting fired up about Herbert. It's what I love about Burrow is he's like, I have no questions about Joe Burrow and the ferocious competitor that he is, and I just feel

I I I wouldn't be surprised if he struggles, because the last time we saw him in this game, he struggled. They were lucky to beat the Ravens with Tyler Huntley in the playoffs, you know, they they needed a couple crazy defensive plays, like they've struggled in general against the Ravens. This is kind of a nice spot for the Ravens because, yes, they have their own issues, but no one's expecting them to win this game. They're already have a chance here to go to and Er and win on the road

Rights why he got traded ceiling he like for very reasons past.

Game run game like, he was insane last week, and I think this is it's just a division matchup. I'm not saying you could throw the records out, but I'd be surprised if this doesn't come down to the last possession. It'd be had a big win for the raod game.

Is it a a Zach Taylor issue on some level that, like, you know, year after year they seem to come out of the gate kind of slow.

That was my dumb question. We did dumb questions yesterday and I had a should.

Check out yesterday's podcast.

I was big What was he What was the answer, because it's like mine was like, is this is Zach Taylor the man to fix some problems in some letters?

See like the reverse Andy Reid.

Though, my answer was like, yeah, that was a tough start last year, and then they won ten games in a row, kicked everybody's ass in.

Yeah, here's a little fan.

He just had no creativity last week. I don't know. You spent months preparing for that game.

So I thought Joe Mixon looked much better last week? Did he did a year ago?

And Uh?

With someone to target FA, they're gonna be okay.

Yeah, they were okay last year, they'll be okay this year. All right?

Oh my gosh.

Oh he didn't see it coming.

I knew it was coming, but I didn't love it. I actually hadn't decided which game I want to watch. Let's go Bears, Buck.

Madison behind the glass, head spinning. What's the graphic? Oh, she has a rite off? Right up, she has it. That's a crack team behind the glass.

Oh I'm sorry, I have not Oh no, I've not been checking that slack Bucks Bears. The Bucks are two and a half point favorite.

What's your talk like that for the rest of this year.

What's going on.

That's like my invitation of Colleen, like Baker Mayfield's back, everybody.

Sounds different when you do it.

Yeah, Colleen sounds to most.

Uh, that's kind of disrespectful to the Bucks. I mean, the Bears could not have looked worse a week ago. And if you're only a two and a half point favorite at home, it's basically saying they think the Bears are a better team. This is a tempting lock here because.

I like that You're tempted because I agree with you.

I don't think the Bucks are any good, but like they showed a little something in Week one and the Bears.

This was my whole double. This was my whole thing about the Bucks and the Bears in the preseason, Like, don't the Bucks have a lot of players who would be the best player on the Bears? Yes, Devin White looked great last week, Levante David still great, Mike Evans, you got christ Like everyone's so excited about DJ Moore? Is DJ Moore better than Mike Evans or Chris Godwin? I mean, maybe it's an conversation. They're in the same ballpark.

Yeah, he's certainly, like I think he's gonna be great for them down the street.

I'm just saying he's not. Like, he's not a top five or ten receiver in the league. And Godwin and Evans have shown their level. They have a lot of good players, is my point. Vidave is another and they and they those players won and I just smelled a little bit of bolls of Sons too coming. It's then to google Loo Let's go. When he went for the fourth and one in his own end, I thought, oh, is this like when Ron Rivera found fourth down religion?

They also settled for a fifty seven yard field goal to get those winning points.

He's just doing what Well, that's because their offense isn't that good. I'm not saying they're a great team, but that decision.

He's just doing what most of the league is doing at this point.

I don't think most of the league would have gone for it there, and he wasn't doing that a year ago, is what I'm saying. Todd Bowles knows that this might be his last chance here and he's flying.

Can I just for the listeners that aren't aware, because you're conflating it a little bit and maybe you're changing your I'd said the Bulls of Sans was always kind of the DC side of Todd Bowles, right.

I was back when he was the DCQ.

We've yet to see Todd really shine head.

He's a super Bowl champion.

Because let me look at it, because I have something now that I've moved away from Power rankings, and check out Eric ed Holme, who handles them now, and he does a podcast. He took over the feed that Colleen and I were on last year, and it's ed Holme

No, there is.

If I'm Adam Rank and Bears fans, I'm extremely, extremely and I've lived through these type of scenes, toxic scenes, and you watch your team go down the tubes early. I'm very worried about what version of the Bear shows up in this game.

Yeah.

Dan Wider of the Chicago Tribune, how interesting tweet.

Got it yesterday? You talked about it yesterday.

I got it. Not maybe missing these Wednesday shows, but do you. I found that to be pretty concerned.

Good to repeat it because many listeners may be miss.

Short it said they were to have shaken by the week one performance, and that in my time covering the NFL, I can't really remember a time. We're on Wednesday, a week two, a building seems so apparently shaken by and or short.

They were talking a big game this offseason, so is their media.

They were, But if you so, I'm sure this wasn't so much on the condensed version of last week's Bears game. But in the second half, when it was clear the Green Bay was dropping a bomb on them, the bench, the players, they just looked totally broken, like they thought they were a completely different team than they were. And

Of it too.

Hey, he was not good. He's so slow and people and it was kind of like pick on Justin Fields on film Twitter week and it was week one, but people smarter than me. Alignement two. Just notice that everything's slow, like his drops are slow, kind of mechanical where he's thinking one, two, three, four, five, and it's just getting back very slowly. And that certainly going through progressions. Sometimes he holds the ball. That's what he did at Ohio State,

You know what, I'm rooting hard for the Bears in this game.

They kind of need it.

It's really because the Chicago fans have been through a lot of dysfunction and they don't have a lot of success.

Really.

People that are my age, for instance, don't have anything really.

But you know who's going to speed you up a little bit. Bulls will be setting those double a gap blitzes like he was twenty years ago.

I can't do this.

It's the same stuff.

What the Bulls business. We're back here. We're just back with these hype jobs.

It's just like, okay, it's just kind of a fun little story and they had like a fun nine week that's excited sometimes.

One he had one daring maneuver as a head coach, and we're we're putting their defense.

Their defense had a nice performance. Baker. By the way, you know our Gregy Lowest time to throw his his game last week. Time to throw and avoiding sacks was better than it's been his whole career. Like if you repeated that week week after week. He got rid of the ball quickly and he avoided the sects slow start. But I mean, yeah, if he's not going to make mistakes like they got.

A chance, we know what Baker is.

I get excited, uited, want and then when it doesn't happen, it's no, you don't.

But that's not it's the same people that we hear are over inflated mentions. You know, I could lame those five people.

All right, and that will say that for the Wednesday Show. Next week, I'll see he'll be down there, Mark, you are up your last pick of the draft.

All right, I'll go. I want to take a look at Russell Wilson here.

We talked about him on the Wednesday Show. So much to say here, just kidding, Go ahead, now, I know to see he never even came up. You're all good, Sam Howell, Russell Wilson, who doesn't like that?

I don't love it, Washington, but Washington getting three and a half points, No, I don't love It's why the second to last pick here. But I don't know. I think I think more evidence and just more, more, more quarters from Russell Wilson to see what he really is. I thought he'd well, if you got what he was last week, all of last season, he wouldn't have been a conversation piece. He wasn't special or anything, but far

How about you, Greg, because you're pretty high on the Commanders entering the season.

Faith they're not gonna be pretty. I'm a little worried. How up and down it was Howell speaking of holding the ball, held the ball forever in that game, and some of those sacks were on him, but he's playing a team of the Broncos who had the lowest pressure rate in the league last week. Now, that part of that's just Jimmy g getting rid of the ball quickly,

Because everybody look at me, I'm Sean Payton.

The whole crack. And then when they took the flag out and they announced the penalty, Yeah, that felt like the end of the Sean Payton era to me.

Just now that's a take.

It just felt like that was such a bad open. I don't mean it's all gonna get out the bunch of burners. It was just like a wo wow. I'm not saying they're not gonna win games. There won't be moments, but it just was like, Oh, we're gonna try to recreate something, but it just won't wit.

It was a massive wet fart.

I love it, and it was so close to working that's what That's what I.

Mean, that's what convinced me that it's just not gonna happen, because it's just the way they just pulled.

The rug out from under you at the end of the era already that is this could be a.

There's no way this this is gonna come down to the last possession. Right, There's these two teams just seem destined.

I believe this has got seventeen sixteen written all over. What do you think?

Javonte Williams, he got a lot, He got a little more run than I was expecting for good, devastating me.

Peyton said like last week before the game that he was ready to use him a.

Lot better than I thought season. I thought he looked fine. Yeah, I thought he looked pretty good. If it was p Ryan who drove me a little crazy. He had that one third and one where he had all sorts of space and he bounces outside and doesn't pick it up. Ended up being a big moment in that game.

Greg Dulsich their tight end. He I think he's up in the air. He got banged up last week, and uh yeah, sounds like Jerry Judy could play. That would be very helpful. And let's see if Russell Wilson could string together some improved games. I thought it was a little bit of a step up last week, but nothing that was like a little rise to the level of his page.

And I get it.

They only had three possessions in the second half and they tried to kick a field go on two of them. So it wasn't like a nothing was disastrous, but there wasn't much that you were like, okay, great. It was a very condensed offense. And I think this Commander's d line that was why I was high on him. I thought they'll be talented enough on offense and really good in terms of their defensive line that they can ugly into about nine or ten wins.

So I could still see the Jared Stidham era beginning at some point, even though apparently the Sean Payton aerra has already ended.

So that would be let's ride three and a half points, the Broncos laying the wood in that one.

All right, we got one last game.

I like the Commanders there, I come straight up, there's.

One more game in the board. Oof.

Oh well this is not this is kind of a nice You know what.

If I had to choose between the one we just did in this, I would choose this because I was I was legitimately like, okay, Colts, we're on offense.

I was like, what about on defense? Okay, yeah, they had Buckner and friends.

They had they had I thought for.

A team, I think they lost by ten points at home, but like you know, for week one, for a team with no expectations after a hideous summer with the Jonathan Taylor stuff, I thought Anthony Richardson played better than I was expecting.

As a passer.

I saw what Trevor Lawrence was talking about when I watched the game, that there were some unnecessary hits that he took that he's gonna have to be careful with because that's gonna end him real quick as a rookie this year, he was banged up, but he's gonna be playing in this game. But in general, I thought he was kind of a fun guy to watch and you saw you saw it like you could see where as he gets more and more comfortable in this offense, he is going to he's gonna make big plays for them,

Him, I'm be a little concerned about c J. Stroud in this game. With Laramie Tunsel dealing with a knee issue. He may play, but he's not like that line like a couple months ago, looked like it could be a strength, and they're banked up all over the place. I don't love that for them, But I thought, you know, he looked pretty good. I thought, for he's just gonna take time. But I think that CJ. Stroud does some things really well.

They've had a lot of injuries and the Texans are just one of those teams that can't afford a lot of injuries. Jalen Peatree, they're a defensive captain, their second year player, they just love had that bruised lung. He's out of practice. Jimmy Ward, the safety has a hip injury. He's out of practice. And that safety tandem, to me, had a chance. And Texans fans were talking about this offse to be one of, if not the best safety tandems in the entire league. So that was gonna be

I was gonna say that That's one thing that jumped out to me about the Texans that Will Anderson looks like a can't miss dude who he had a sack, two QB hits, six pressures, that's fourth.

In the league. And I know Jalen Carter had a big week one as well.

So you look at like some of the young defensive players and that came into the league this year, Anderson looks like a hit for them. And then on the Colt side, one other point, Michael Pittman's an important guy for them, and you want to see that chemistry between Pittman and Richardson, and he saw it. Eleven targets, eight

They need to like the one thing they struggled with a week ago. I think they were one for five on fourth downs. They struggled in short yardage in general.

They tried to do this did the Jaguars.

That was a little bunky that everyone thinks it was like Oh, we got to make a rule against the.

The you gotta be otherwise we don't need any If.

Everyone could do it, everyone would be doing it. Last week I saw it fail a couple of times. Richardson's such a strange player though. I mean, he's so electric and so exciting, and he may he's really good at like some of the harder decision I think he makes good decisions and he like he goes through his progressions, but like you just don't know where the ball is

Watch this one closer. Yeah, I thought I thought his accuracy was pretty good in this game or raw, but they must have missed it more throus.

They were three for seventeen on third and fourth downs last week.

You have got to get it out of their Stroud was pressured eighteen times on forty six dropbacks. So yeah, that is an opportunity for the cults that they can go to some business in their pass rush. All right, that's it. Let's Week two again.

Thursday Night football, Greg and I both locking up the Eagles bravely to take care of business. While we look good, we look bad. Well, we'll find out a little bit later and Sunday we'll be back. Flagship program NFL Plus. New episode coming up later today in your feeds. Till then he the call.