Breaking Down Fringe Teams with Baldy, Cowboys-Saints preview

maybe it's a banjo podcast. I don't know. Do you know anyone that does not have? I mean, literally every human I know is is operating some sort of show with this about simone life with the Sessler's pod. I would definitely listen to that. She does not, So you've already foiled my theory. But you're right. This is the Tuesday show Around the NFL Podcas asked Greg is made it out of the BTS concert alive? You were able to navigate, Your daughter and your wife made it out

of the venue. You got out and home apparently because you're here now, unless you never got them and there's still at the stadium somewhere. I don't know, Oh, I thought you were getting it. Took a while to get out that night, but it is nice. You know, we work here. It was nice when we walked over from the Chargers game the other night, and this time I just said, yeah, meet me at the bottom of the stairs outside of NFL Network, And there they were, you know,

right after the show. Took took a long white way to get home. But what a what a tough cookie. You know that ellis is loses a tooth about an show, getting bloody, go, you know, running up to a bathroom, washed it out, get back to the seat in time for the show, standing up for three straight hours having Yeah, um, excellent. So bts is still owning the world where we live. But we have football to discuss. We gotta go one today. Uh.

Brian Baldinger, the King of tape. I call him the tape Pitbull because he's the most fearsome of all tape dogs. That's new. I don't know if that's gonna take, but I think what I'm trying to get across is that he's peerless and ferocious, and anyone that tries to step to him, that's a level above a tape dog. Sure, I mean I hear where you're going with that. Everyone else is a tape golden retriever. When you get to Baldy and his ability to study, and I think we

need his help because we need the game. And there are questions we have about what's going on in a very strange NFL season. We seek answers, so we turned to Baldi. He's coming up a little bit later. Also, Thursday Night Football, can you believe it? Week thirteen will kick off in just two short days in the Dallas Cowboys, who probably wish they had a normal schedule at some point where they play on a Sunday with all their

COVID issues and injury issues. They are on a short week, although I guess they played last Thursday, so it's not a short week. But you know what I'm saying. Uh, they play against the Saints, who are free falling out into nothing right now. Uh, they are going to try to keep their seasonal. I we'll get to that in preview, that with Connie Fox the Tiny Box. But before that, you know what we mark, you know what we do around here. We're going to another aspect of football that

occurred this week. Absolutely. We closed the door on week twelve with our Monday Night Football recap sponsored by not a goad damn thing. You hold it to no one holds mostly to nobody until they tell us. Then we are under lock and key with a zero control. Good little boys, Yeah, alright. Ricky Wilson takes the stack, looks over the middle. Then I grown into the df may teams the league. Now they just need a kick off. Ah, there it is. The Seattle Seahawks had a chance for

a miracle comeback, could not get it done. Russell Wilson line drive incomplete pass Taylor Heineke throws his arms up and rejoices on the sideline because the Washington football team is alive and well in the NFC after a seventeen fifteen win at FedEx Field. My goodness, Mark. So it's funny because and we'll get to the Seahawks, which it's a whole other thing with him, but uh, montest sweat. He goes out for the year. Then Chase Young blows

out his knee. He's out for the year. That's coming back, right, I think? So is he coming back? Oh? He had the jaw tough injury. There he'll come back at some point. He's still seat, but without these players, the defense has come alive and they're playing that Ron Rivera ball that Ron loves, running the ball forty three times for a buck fifty two and a touch in this game game.

So Washington is relying on a old school style football and against the Seattle Seahawks team that cannot get out of its own way, that was good enough on Monday night. It is Uh, Greg and I were talking, I think before last week's preview show that Ron Rivera kind of does this everywhere he goes where it's like, let's start wicket slow, then round into shape, form an identity that looks a lot like Ron River and start kicking people's butt and often, like with teams that don't even end

up that good. Remember that seven eight and one Panthers that won the division by winning force straight and then they did a similar thing last year and here they go again. They did they did. That was the game where they won three to two in the wildcard round and Cam completed like twelve centers passes and then was posing and smiling on the sideline like they just well, that's what victory that cardinal, right, who was that game anyway?

Uh Yeah, So Washington uh gets it done with their defense, with their running game, Ron Rivera is feeling it and uh more are fun with Taylor Heineke, who uh didn't really stand out on a high level, but still twenty seven thirty five. And I just again appreciate the way he runs this offense, and I thought he made a

lot of smart decisions as well. When he could have maybe forced it the way we've seen in the past, the way Russell Wilson has been known to do at times this year, he instead took the shorter option and kept them on this path, which was, Hey, Seattle stinks on offense, We're not gonna take extra chances. We're gonna count on our defense. And it paid off. Yeah. I mean it's the forty one minutes of possession had something to do with the football team and something to do

with Seattle's defense. They beat them up on both lines, Washington and Taylor Heineke twenty three twenty five on passes a fewer than ten plus air yards. I mean they were hitting intermediate little shots and getting yards after the catch, and their ground game has really come to life. I mean they you know, JD mckissic, who I don't think it's been mentioned on this podcasts like all year. Well, then I've just mentioned him for the fifth time, and it's due. He deserves a little bit of a nod.

I mean, I'm with you. I mean, Taylor Heinekey. I get that the debate goes on whether or not he would continue on as um a functional starter after this season, But what more do you need to do to be watchable to run this offense? And they are? They are a team to me that like I had these little pet teams to shield the dislike of my own team and what they're doing to me inside. Um, Washington has

shifted right into that. And I'm surprised because I've never really been into Washington on any Yes, well, they've got watch It's not surprising to me. Mark likes sixteen play drive absolutely often that end in field goals, Like that's what Marks into. At one point in this game, before that last Seas drive, it was seventy nine plays to

thirty five. They had a fifteen play field goal drive in the first quarter, a couple of long ones in the middle, and then the biggest reason to give this offense some credit is that sixty play nine dr drive that they couldn't quite finish out because they didn't have a kicker. They would have kicked a field goal to win the game. Essentially, they didn't have it. The an overturned call that was questionable on the goal line, you know,

ended that drive. But they held the ball for over eight minutes, and it's very similar to how they ended the game against Tampa. All that said, I don't want to give the offense like too much credit in a game where they went three and out about five times, like the defense was the star here for Ron Rivera and for Washington. Uh no, I mean Washington, I mean went three and out at least four or five times in this game. Seattle took it to the next level.

They got the drive consecutive times. And there's only two teams in the season. A lot of times you don't get the ball back that many times if you keep there's only two teams in the NFL this season that have gone three and out five consecutive drives, and somehow it's the Seahawks twice. It's not surprising when you watch them though, it's just like historically shocking. It's it's unbelievable that it's gotten to that. But the end of the game just real quick. Uh, it's kind of a cliche.

I don't even know what to catches anymore, like that, that's the thing that people say all the time. Right to night, I thought about West with that because nothing drove him crazy. That was his thing for about four years on this show, right, he said it drove him crazy to catch. At some point he thought. We kind of thought they fixed it in the last couple of weeks. I don't know that that touchdown catch at the end of the game that has to stand there and it

and it kind of gets wiped away. I think it was Logan Thomas. Uh, it's ruled to catch on the field. There's no to me clear evidence. You kid know a catch when you see one, and and yet they overturn it. And thankfully, at least that's where my perspective on it, not just because the Jets draft pick keeps getting better because Seattle keeps losing. It's like Washington deserved to win that game. They made every play they needed to make, and then you make this arbitrary ruling that opens the

door for Seattle to have this miracle come back. I didn't like that. The fact that they then recover the onside kick Seattle and go from missing the two point conversion uh to tie it at seventeen too, potentially getting the ball back near midfield to win on a field goal, only that then gets wiped away because one of the guys was lined up on the wrong side of the hash market. I mean, it's Seattle season in a nutshell. The frustration, there's just layers of it. That two point

conversion you know that we heard before. To me, said it all about Russell Wilson, like that ball has gotta come out. I'm telling you, if like that was, I'm trying to think of a mid level quarterback Mac Jones or Cousins most likely, or Tannehill. It's just like a timing throw and the guy's open right, and DK is open to his second receivers open too, and Russell Wilson just holds it. And I know they had that last minute drive where it felt like they're the Seahawks again.

But even within that drive, there was that sack that I know you tweeted about, Dan, where Wilson's just holding the ball forever, forever and never. You could almost see him thinking it never gets to the thought, I gotta throw the ball away and get sacked there. And so even even in that comeback attempt, which should have been great, like that two point conversion, left me with such a sour taste because I'm just thinking, like, what is going

on with Russell Wilson. I mean he is he is in the most non functional offense by far of his career. He leads the team last night with sixty functional earlier in the season. That's the part I don't get. I'm just saying where they are now, I mean he's not. He's It's like it's not just on Russell Wilson. He's not playing well, but I mean there's like they're out of tune. Like DK Metcalf doesn't get a caste in the game on Shane Waldron. How much have we put

on Russell Wilson? How much should be put on the fact that Russell Wilson uh came back early from the thumb the finger surgery. He says his fingers absolutely fine. So if he's telling but then that's not the team missed. He's missed a lot of throws since he's come back. In the DK Metcalf thing is, Greg you were kind of beating the drum on this, uh for a couple of weeks now it almost looked like he took himself out of that game. Uh do you know who he

was complaining to you on the sideline too. That's the Yaks Twitter love that they're like, there's something going on here. You know, it's always been a guy that keeps a locker room together. One thing that I know he d k Baca was just venting. But to get Brian Greasy criticizing Russell Wilson for not seeing the field, it's like it takes, it takes a lot. I think. I think they're just so hesitant. I'm not saying it's all in Russell Wilson. It's not like they were lighting it up

with Gino. But they weren't much. They weren't different, that's for sure. And I know his fingers hurt, but a lot of it just seems like there's open guys and he's not throwing it to him. And Pete Carroll came about as close as he could. He was very supportive Russell Wison. But to just admitting that, I think it anyone that watches his film right now can can see that that for whatever reason, he has scrambled. Yeah, and I can I just say something, we have emergency quarterbacks.

This is going to sound like a bit because I talked about the kicker club. But doesn't this happen enough now we see this enough during a season. We're losing your kicker and he popped the hamstring. The Washington kicker, um Joey Slid popped the hamstring on that extra man. That was kind of a crazy game. The p a T block that turned it to two points for the Seahawks to make it nine nine before the half, Like that really changed so much in that game, right down

to what we're talking about. They couldn't just kicked the field go to ice the game and it almost cost them the game. Why isn't there some type an emergency kicker situation. I know you say, oh, roster space, this and that, all right, then making a fifty four van roster. It's strange to me that it that it's that you have no security blanket. It's happened with multiple teams this

season too, in a weird in a weird campaign. But you can't hit an extra point or you can't have some wide receiver he used to be a soccer player, practice guest, these are like premier athletes. You think that almost. I mean I was on, like, up, I've told you this, you might play Pop Warner. We had a kid that could kick extra points? Oh yeah, everyone. I mean it's like, how do you not have at least five people that

have kicked extra points in their life? Maybe there just wasn't confidence in them, but that that was another by the way, um struggle with the situational football from this Monday Night football crew. They just they didn't mention that that whole drive and that was this it was this anvil hanging over that whole drive. He kept hitting the third in the fourth downs and it was like, that's so huge because they don't have a kick. Didn't mention it one time until the like about ten seconds left

on the planet. You're out for blood. I do every time the Man cast isn't on now, it really does my Monday viewing experience. Like there, I tweeted about. I said, like I feel like these guys are my friends now. It was actually a really heartwarming little social media moment for the old Zuser tug Boats mentions. We're all like that's how we feel listening to your show that there you go, Mark, I mean, alright, that's Monday night football, weird, funky little game. It's fun. Let's take a break and

then all right, now it's time for a guest. Listen. We don't have a ton of guests on the podcast, and when we do have one, it's because you know, they're the goods and it's one of our favorites. He is the great Baldi of NFL Network, Brian Baldinger, one of the great tate men in the league, one of the great adventurers of the universe, and and Baldi before we get into what's some questions we have about things we can't figure out in the NFL and you're you're

hopefully gonna help us, and I'm sure you will. Greg took his or Greg's wife took their daughter to the BTS show at Sofie Sofi Stadium this past weekend and it did get me thinking, what's the last concert that Baldy went getting loose? Well, well, you have to fill me in. What is BTS like a k pop Korean pop band, but they're like they're like in sync um but like worldwide and don't act like you don't know.

It's zeitgeist education in this Well they've played four well, I mean that's a big stadium, so they must be pretty popular. But you have to understand, I live in a bubble, like a very small, little narrow bubble, and if BTS isn't being played on one of my screens, then I have no idea who they are right now. It's good, it's good. Well, what about you your last concert? My last My last concert was Billy Joel Billy Joel at the Garden Madison Square Garden, New York City, probably

just before the pandemic. So it's been a it's been a low stretch now. Even though I'm a native New Yorker, I've never been a Billy Joel guy. It was always more of a Springsteen guy. But I have to say this about Joel. Joel figured it out. He got out of the game as a recording artist in like ninety three. He did the River of Dreams album. He said, I'm out. But you know what I'm gonna do. I'm not hitting the road and touring in my sixties. I'm setting up

a residency. Oh you're gonna go to some dump in Vegas or go down to Atlantic City. No, Bro, I'm playing MSG. I'm playing the Garden once a month forever, how long I want. That's actually one of the great baller moves in rock touring history. Well, I've been good friends with it, with the guys in the band for a long time. He's a Long Island guy. His drummers original drummer Liberty de Vitos from my town, Massipiqua. So in all the roadies are like some of my best friends.

So Larry Dobe Senior's son, Larrydobe Jr. You know, does all the lightning form. So like I get, I get treated like a rock strong when I go I get to go back there and tinker around with somebody guitars and pianos and stuff. So you know, it's it's been fun. It's been a fun. It's yet more evidence that there is the lives that we live, and then there is Baldi's existence, which is on about a level thirty levels above my level. Alright, let's turn to football, Baldi. Now,

this is what we want to talk about out here. Um, we're trying to figure out this NFL season. It's a tough one. This is a toughie even beyond other seasons. There are mysteries that we have and we need help. We need a real tape dog, a premier tape dog like Baldy sees the game in a different way. So Mark, why don't you get us going something that you need assistance with that? Bald he can help you. Well, look at um, I this is on brand. Uh, Bald do you know that I'm a Browns fan and I just

have to ask you. Let's let's just microcositive down to what happened in the Baltimore game. Uh, and feel free to go beyond. But they were as healthy as they had been in eons in months. Everyone's there, everyone's there's no excuses. They flatline, they fall apart um. They look nothing like the team from last year or even at high points earlier this year. When you're watching, I know you love the row line and stuff, but when you're watching this offense, help me, help me not just simply

fall off a cliff psychologically? What is going on here? Well, you know the Ravens, they you know wink Mark and now he I mean understands what the Browns are trying to do. Uh. They give him a lot of different looks. They're not easy to prepare for. Uh. You know, when you look at a guy like Tie his Bowser in that game, he lined up everywhere, he was manned man on the tight ends, he was rushing the quarterback. They really went after the right tackle in Cleveland, you know,

the backup to Jack Conklin. So, Uh, they found some weaknesses and they exploited it, and they just couldn't take advantage of the field position or the extra at bats that they had in that game. And they looked like a ten point offense. You know, coming out of that game. Defense couldn't play a whole lot better than what they played. So let me ask this bother because Stefanski dismissed it

out of hand after the game. When you watch Baker in the state, do you think there's a case or case Keenum taking over and trying to juice this offense if they're at ten point offense. That kind of tells

me the answer. But I'm curious what you think. Well, I know, you know, look, I I feel like i'd know Baker, like I've watched him since he was at Texas Tech, Uh, just doing Big twelve games, and so when I watch him right now, he doesn't look like the same guy, Like, I don't know what it's like to throw a football with your other shoulders strapped to your chest, you know, and what that feels like Baltimore planted him into the turf a number of different times

in that game, and so you know, when I watch him, I don't know just the mechanics of what you gotta do to compensate for that. And I said weeks ago that this is a ticking time bomb. I don't know if he can survive the season or not. He bristled a week ago when people said he wasn't playing well. He wasn't playing well. I mean, like I know that that offense is not that difficult to figure out. There's there, there's openings to throw the football and where it's got

to be. And he he has not gotten the ball too his receivers consistently where he's got to get it to him. And so some of it is on Baker, uh and some of it is everything else around him right now. Takes a lot of hits to Baker that that he could avoid. I mean that that's part of the reason he keeps getting hurt in that game, Like I expected the Browns offensive line to do better in general, that they're one of the best groups in the league.

And you know, we're coming off talking about this Washington football team on Monday night, and I look at what the Patriots have done, and I look at the forty Niners right now and the Eagles, and it feels like it's one and all these defenses that are are so light are now getting counteracted by guys like Bill Belichick who want to play with these heavy fronts and they want to play pounded out football. They want to bring

it back to the eighties and nineties. Do you think that there's a little bit of a seat change in the way the offenses are trying to win a lot of running heavy teams getting it done in this season. Well, if you want to get if you want to get fixed right now, Like for example, I was just watching the Rams. The Rams don't move the line of scrimmage at all. All they do is position block. And that's why the forty is handed it to him, and that's

why the Packers just handed it to him. And you know this, the quarterback isn't great right now, but they can't move the line of scrimmage. But when you do, when you watch the Eagles. I mean, it's a shame. They should never even they should just play academy football the Eagles. They should never throw the football, just run it, like they would have scored if they just did that against the Giants. Um. But yes, the forty niners right now.

The Washington football team looked really good last night. The teams that are the Patriots have been. When you commit to it, it does make life easier for your quarterback. He does take less hits, You generally do turn the ball over less when you commit to the run. And so you look at these teams that are kind of surging right now. You can look to the offensive line and how they're playing the game and how often and

frequently they're turning around and handing the ball off. And I don't want to leave Cincinnati, which which like line really get well. I mean, well you gotta watch Landon Dickerson and Jorge my Lotta right now. I mean, you know, that's that's like um that, I mean that that's like a feature on HBO right there, Like that's that's the

main event, you know. But like you know, but even though I'm going back to I was like out there on the field Sunday at MetLife Stadium, and there's Jeff Stoutland the offensive line coach and the Eagles, and there's Landon Dickerson and there's you know, Jordan my Lotta, and they're just working on fundamentals for an hour straight before the game. Now I'm saying this, and they lost the game, so I look like an idiot. But I don't see

anybody from the Giants working on it. I don't see anybody doing extra work before the game just to sort of tighten things up on looks we're gonna get. And sometimes it's just that simple, like you gotta work on the things that you need to get work on. And the Eagles they'll get back to what they gotta do here pretty soon, probably this week. But yeah, I mean, but we're watching that group right now is as good

as there is. The Giants don't look like a team that needs to be doing extra works, so that checks out. Get on that front, all right. I'm looking at the playoffs right now, the way it's set up if you today, uh and I see Washington moved into the seventh spot with the Monday night win. You got the Chargers who fell into that seventh spot. In the a f C. I'm gonna throw out I'm gonna throw out six teams, dud.

And you could tell me which one of these fringe teams right now, not only you think have it in them to make a run and get a playoff spot, but win a game, win a game in January in the playoffs, a team you think could really cause some havoc. Chargers, Raiders, Broncos, Washington Vikings, Falcons. I would I would still say I think the I just cut myself. I don't know what I did. Um anyways, Uh, the Vikings will take it out and post. I just I just I got to

talk about the offense line. I just scratched myself. It's just beautiful. Yeah. I still think like the Vikings. I mean, obviously they were disappointing against San Francisco this week, but that offense is a good offense. And I don't know what Dalvin Cook's situation is right now that can make a difference. He's a game changing type player, So I

don't know what a situation is. Uh. I feel like if Washington got to the postseason, they would be tough because of the way that they play like they play keep away because that's how the quarterback and I mean they just they I think uh forty eight of their seventy something touches last night went to mckiszick or went to Antonio Gibson. Like they play a very different style of football than just about anybody else. Now McLaren can still get deep on you. Logan Thomas will help him

now that he's back. But I think the way that they play right now, defensively, they're doing a lot and they're playing hard for a change. They didn't play hard the first half of the season, and they were hard to watch because they didn't play hard. Now they're playing hard. They understand how hard you gotta play. And then offensively, the quarterback doesn't make a lot of mistakes. I feel like that is a team if they get there. I

think that's a team that can with a playoff game. Baldi, this blood on your on your face is now going down the whole side of the face. Not I don't know if you're bothered by it because it's an audio show.

To me, it's perfect that you are the first guest to literally have bloody down your face like this is a remember one before J J Walk got the surgery to the plastic surgery, and he would just open up that gash in his forehead and it was kind of like the most badass thing possible for you to do it in front of a team cam at NFL Films headquarters. You are the ultimate grind. You gotta be careful. You're wearing a nice suit right now. But like, if you had asked me, who's the perfect guest to have a

bloody face while he's talking a lot, it's Baldi. Well, you know you asked me about concerts. I was thinking, like I've been to a kiss concert when Gene Simmons is like spowing blood right, you know, from the ceiling, so that that kind of ties together, And like, it's not really a good day unless I'm drawing blood somehow, like something, you know, like I'm walking to a rose bush and I'm scratched or I scratched myself talking about offensive line play, Like it's not really a good day

unless I'm drawing some blood. That's good. Well, there is only one Baldy. We've figured that out. I will attempt to bring us back into the world of the grid iron. Here. I I the bills. I think that they drive me a little bit nuts. Um the Jacksonville Jaguars game. What happened there? The way they were stamped by the cults.

They've got an acid test showdown with the Patriots, and I would when you watch them, do they just simply not match up well with rugged offenses like Indie and New England that want to come in and run on you. I mean, they've been a statistically devo a wise, a very good defense. What do you think about this team? Why are they so up and down compared to a year ago? Well, I mean, Tremaine Edmonds didn't play against Indianapolis.

I'm not saying that he would have shut down Jonathan Taylor, but they were they would have been better inside with his presence there against Taylor. Uh. You know they're a passing team, and so uh, last year everything went well, Like when the play isn't there, Josh Allen could create a play and he'd find Stefon Diggs or you know, he'd find Gabriel Davis, who whoever. They don't seem quite as creative when things don't go right right away right now the way they once did last year. And so

I think that's part of it. And they kind of you know, the running game is just it's it's really just a chance for Josh Allen to rest his arm. That's what it looks like to me. Like it's it's it's not really any kind of a commitment to it. So when those kind of teams start blitzing you and chasing your quarterback, like what how do you slow that down? Most teams, if you had a balanced offense, you could run it and you could take the blitz out of it.

They don't really, you know, have that luxury because they don't really commit. Like maybe Matt Breed is gonna be their running back right now. They look it's like they're looking for it. And Zach Boss wasn't even active last week. Um, they can't get pushed around up front like the Colts did push them around pretty good. They're vulnerable to that.

You know, the Patriots play them on Monday night. I'm sure you'll see I information Jacob Johnson at fullback, and I'm sure you know they'll get tested by a pretty good run blocking offensive line of the Patriots. Yeah, I was thinking like them just running Josh Allen Moore, that could solve it. Like you might not want to make your living doing that all regular season, but as you get closer to the playoffs, like, let's make it a little more like Cam Newton for Josh Allen, Like go

go chase that championship. I thought when we saw the Chargers life to Justin Herbert running, you know, really help that Chargers team out. They are a team I can't figure out at all offensively, Like I don't want to put much of it on Herbert because it feels to me like he's playing well and making a lot of big plays, and yet the offense seems to just get confused. They're stuck in my like, what what do you see

there with that team? That's maybe the number one team, especially on offense, and I just can't get a handle on m Yeah, well then they're a little past happy and how they want to do it. A lot of these teams are listening to these analytics experts and they're just going, Okay, you know, if we flipped this coin a thousand times, just what you gotta do in order to win? And I, you know, sometimes I just think if they just ran behind Matt Feather and Rashawn Slater,

like you couldn't go wrong. Um, you know, Austin Ekeler behind those guys and sometimes they get away from that. So I think they could run it a little bit more. Um you know, when you know, when Justin Herbert does take off with it like he did against Pittsburgh, they look a lot more dynamic. But when you gotta just drop back and throw it right now, Uh, too many bad things are happening to him. He's throwing these interceptions, the balls glancing off Austin Ekeler, you know, into the

opponent's arms like it did on Sunday. Uh, you know there's Patrick Surtan taking it to the end zone. Um. You know, I think when you look at if you play the Denver Broncos, I mean, make them stop the run. That seems like that's been an issue for them, and don't play to their strengths, which is their secondary. And so I thought their secondary outplayed their receivers throughout that game last Sunday. And know Justin Herbert the end of

the day look pretty pedestrian. All right, there is a final Billy Joel concert and uh here comes the encore and you got what's your drinking choice, Baldi? Well, whatever's cold? You know you got because of your buddy the drummer and all the ROADI guys, you're actually side of the stage, so you're there for the last ever Billy Joel concert. At the encore, three songs pick them baby m hmmm, uh well bottle red Bottle, right, I mean when we

can sing along with that one, that would be good. Yeah, I would say, uh, Lenning Grad is a good one. I like that. Um little Uh well, I haven't and that's a little too pop for me. Um, you know, I guess you know. Well, the encore will just go straight piano. Man, we'll just have like nineteen thousand people's guards. The lights come on. You've nailed it. You did nail it. You even nailed your own face opening up a woman that will heal in time. But we'll always have this

to remember. Baldi from NFL headquarters there in Jersey Mount Laurel, where he is grinding out the tape. And if you want to come into that room, as he said to us before, you could come in, but you better come into play because I don't want you sleeping on the couch behind him when he's in the twelfth hour of tape grinding. You come into dog, you'd be a dog. Yeah, yeah, get your get your red bull in your early or

no nose or whatever your choices. You know, you get get your your extra vente or whatever it is like, you get it, get it if you have to find it wherever you need it to stay up all night with Baldi. Ideally no civilians would be bothering you, but in this plan, they're coming off the street to bug you. I don't like that. All right, thank you, you got guys good? There he goes the great Ryan Baldinger. It's a contact sporting on our show, you know. I mean

we're known as the most physical podcasters around. I mean that's just facts. You know, that's big facts. As they say right now, we out physical the other pods, uh that we compete. I would say we can hold our own in the against the other football podcasts. I mean, Greg, you know, it's also the first time anyone's ever been slashed on our show. So there's there the statistics. The analytics suggests that we're not as physical of it as

we think. Greg would be the shift, the sprowls, like guy, he could dart around, maybe get behind a guy, and then I'll use my half to like push a guy over and then Mark you just need to, like remember the old Nintendo hockey game, middle guy. Yeah, you're middle guy, fat guy, middle middle guy. Your job is just to fill in all the gaps, right, Uh, I use middle You could pick your line up on that Nintendo hockey

game and you have to. It's a blend. You have to learn over the course of many defeats the blend and middle guy is core. Do it. But you can't just have middle guy. You need bigger guy, smaller guy. The problem is that other football podcast. I feel like if Mark was on those, he'd be the small guy. That might be more his role. And now I'm pushing him into middle guy. And we're a lightweight grow Yeah, well, I got bills to pay. We're like the bills. We're

a finesse team. Right, You're like you It's like you don't have a number one receiver. Somehow I am the middle sized person, which is a problem. Why are we still maybe, yeah, yeah, why are we still talking about it? Let's take a break, all right, we're back up next. Well, we're doing Thursday night football, so let's start with the Queen. Queen Jonas. But I know you've gotta and I don't want to spoil it, but I'm working on stuff behind

the scenes. You know my feelings about Will I Am and how he slathered really bad about the leaving production all over this otherwise a perfect song. Okay, come oh, I'm working on a anti will I Am mix, so stay tuned everybody, and now lightly vindictive, but I route you on in that project and now joining us. Yes, she's the queen of Thursday Night Football. You know who I'm talking about. It's the Tiny Box. It's Connie Fox, Colleen Wolf. Colleen, you should know this. How are you

by the way, I'm great. I know the answer to that. You shouldn't. You should know this? That um Greg's daughter lad for for the Korean pop group Like, yes, she lost the tooth. She wasn't headbutted by a football helmet or anything. She didn't, although that would have been an amazing story if one of the members of BTS gave her the broken tooth, that probably would have made the news. But anyway, so blood there. We just had baldy on

bleeding during our interview with him. I just opened up a gash on his head like j J Watt, I don't doing this getting excited and he scratched himself, like I didn't you know he's got It wasn't the one finger that's just joined, did it. It was the other hand. But it scratched the cheek and suddenly the lighting didn't make it totally evident. But he turned to one point and just saw a little river of red coming down

the cheek. Battle scars. I love it. So the question is, well, Colleen will bleed for the Around the NFL podcast, Well, I did just put a band aid on so when it's a mini mouse spin, but it's covering up a burn. So alright, Connie, so great to have you, and you burned yourself cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I did I let my finger on fire by accident? You broke your finger catching all from Kurt Warner. I mean, you're a bit of a disaster. But that's part of the reason we love

you exactly. I'm not perfect. I I know it's hard to believe, but I too have flaws. Alright, Cowboys Saints, You're going down to New not Miami family for this Cowboys Saints game. And it's a story, Connie, of two teams that are searching right now that Cowboys searching to get healthy searching to get guys back on the field, searching for a way to avoid the COVID nine team

bug uh. And then a Saints team that has not been able to get out of its own way during a losing streak that has really kind of sent their season into a dark place. Somebody's gonna be feeling a lot better at the end of Thursday night. Somebody is going to feel like the walls are falling in. Yeah, And this really is the story of these two teams just not having guys available, whether it's because of injuries,

whether it's because of COVID. I was texting with Jane Slater, who's going to be the reporter at the game on Thursday before this pod, and she was saying that right now the Cowboys are up to thirteen players or coaches that will be sidelined because of COVID. Now that actually does include Amari Cooper, so it could be fewer, but we know that his symptoms are ongoing, so his status

is still up in the air for this game. Right Tackle Terrence Steele, he's out, And then you have a slew of coaches, multiple coaches on the offensive line or out as well. Strengthen conditioning. So the big one is obviously a Marii Cooper following his status to see if he's going to be available Ceedee Lamb. He did practice in full um so they will at least have him.

But this is a bad stretch for them. They've lost three of their last four after starting six and one, and they haven't been able to run the ball well. Zeke he's banged up his knee. This is the worst four game stretch of his career. Pollard he has the explosion, We've all seen that from Tony Pollard, but he doesn't have that same power as Zeke when he's healthy. So they're just not running the ball effectively. And that's also

hurting Dac and the passing game too. And the thing is, though, in this game, I wonder if things will switch if Dac is feeling better or if zeke knee is feeling better. Because the Saints run defense that has typically been really good to start the season, that's actually been a pain point for them. So they were fabulous. They held eight of nine teams to fewer than one hundred rushing yards to begin the year, and now back to back weeks it's been a problem. The Eagles around two forty two

rushing yards on them. Part of that is due to injuries on the Saints defensive front. Marcus Davenport, Tanno Passengo, they've been hurt. Neither practiced on Monday, so it's gonna come down Dan to who controls the line of script. I don't even know what to catch anymore. They're they're the Saints sera mess. I mean the Cowboys are catching them at the right time. You can flip it and say it's true the other way. But Tyrone Smith's at least back. He looked good on Thanksgiving. Ceedee Lamb being

back is massive. It's like, oh, it turns out, actually yeah, Amari Cooper and Ceedee Lamb matter. It'd be nice to have like the best, you know, wide receiver combo in the league if you have one of them. It sounds to me like Cooper's trending to not playing. That makes a big difference because the Saints are probably getting Camara back. He was limited in practice and Ingram said he's fully back.

He's back, but they didn't have either of their tackles to ourn Armstead are Ram checked back, It's like you've just taken too many pieces away, but at least you're adding one to make this a little more watchable. And that's Taysom Hill. I mean, assuming our guy rap sheet is right that Trevor Simeon bus went off right now, I don't want to see Trevor Simeon behind fourth and

fifth string tackles anymore. I want to see what happens with Taysom Hill at least add a little of craziness and yeah, a little juice to the Saints who are dealing with so much. At least Hill gives you some element of excitement because that's been lacking under Simeon. Yet. I feel like I was the one banging the drum for Taysom Hill for a couple of seasons there, and I don't feel the excitement around Taysom Hill more so than Trevor Simeon. I mean, that's a you know, stale

milk at this point. But uh, the Saints, I mean, what's it doesn't solve what's around Taysom Hill. If you get Kamara back, that's a big thing, because they haven't been able to they've been able to run the ball either. And then if the whole idea was get Ingram and Kamara back together, and you've got a functional backfield because they are an empty cupboard at wide receiver. I it's just a mess. And DeMarcus Lawrence is going to be back for the Cowboys too, So you got Michael Parsons,

you got, you got Lawrence. I mean, I just don't like the matchup for New Orleans at all. They've been really watchable. They've been a really tough minded team coached well. But it's just like you're Thanksgiving night. They weren't watchable against the Eagles. That the floor kind of fell out of this team. Now Camar and Ingram Retorney and maybe maybe they get at least one of the tackles back. Armstead did finish that game. So that's confusing to me.

Like if you all right, then then they've been this like feisty defense that right now, Like the Cowboys keep being favored in these games, like they were heavy favorites against the Raiders, couldn't get it done. They're pretty heavy favorites in New Orleans, Like they gotta prove it too. Last time I checked, I think the Cowboys are laying four and a half in this game. Um, I thought about locking it up, but there's just too much indecision

around Dallas right now. There's too many question marks. Dan Quinn is uh in from Mike McCarthy as head coach, and we just don't know what's gonna happen. Who knows it. More positive test pop up between now and Thursday, so it's just kind of like a stay away and see

how it all plays out. It should be noted that there was some reports out there early in the week that Zeke Elliott has this knee injury that is could use a break, like put him on the bench or really lessen his role and have Tony Pollard take on more. Jered Jones came on the radio on Thursday morning or Tuesday morning said Zeke will have a quote serious load on Thursday. Well, yeah, I heard that. He also said

he fully expected a Mari Cooper to play. So it's like, you know, the Jerry Jones radio segment weekly, it's a little bit of science fiction mixed mixed with potential fact. That's how I take Joe. It's like him saying the most optimistic things possible, and then the coach is always correct. They're just thinking like, now, that's that's not true. Jerry's a part of the job. Need Dak to play a little better. He finished out that game well, but he

has been out of sorts a little bit. You know, you know that thing that well maybe some of us, the your aunt would have hanging in the hallway, and it's the the footsteps on the beach and the man asked, Jesus, why you know, why aren't you there for me? I heard you out. Let's finish out and it's like, why did you betraying or leaving? It's not a tray scenario correcting myself. Why did you leave me in my time

of need? He's like, no, No, those footsteps I was carrying and you know I brought it home Mark, And that's what the Cowboys kind of need from Dak. He's got to be their personal Jesus, like get us through these hard times. Because since he's come back from the calf two out of three games, he's been part of the issue as well. So Dak has to show that, like, listen, get on my back. I am one of the best quarterbacks in the league. I'm gonna kick some mass on

Thursday night. Football'm gonna be on the Dais with Connie Fox and the Gang, like let's make that happen. That's good, that's ratings dynamite. I would love that because you know, Irv would be out of his mind. If the Cowboys won, it would be be bring balanced, very balanced during this This won't be tilted in any way. My favorite thing about Michael Irvin is that he takes self He has to take a selfie with the star of the game on his phone after every interview, and we all make

fun of him for it. Now, so I'm sure he's going to be all over whoever it is. But if it's a Cowboy, it'll be there. And be honest, no one, no one's listening. Where's the relationship between Irvin and Steve Smith right now? Because there's been you know, heat in the past. I think Steve Smith promised to kick Urban's ass once and it was not joking about it. Have there been any run ins or any heat, any drama

in the air between these two wide receiver grades? Can I just tell you these two I have watched their relationship completely turned and blossom into something beautiful and real and genuine, and it has been the strangest journey I've ever been on. But they legitimately will talk and help each other and show each other notes, and it's kind of a door or anybody a little disappointed. They were strange journeys to just like lit up he has for this journey that they've been on. It it makes sense

because it's like when you're too similar to me. They seem like they have a lot of similar DNA here, So at first you know that you find that person annoying at first, but then once you got a little time together there there it's seeing the it's Will Ferrell's character and John c Riley's character and stepbrothers like they want to destroy each other. In the beginning, it's like, are we best friends? Now? That's I think we're It sounds like that's what's happening. Does Joe Thomas sort of

the odd man out here? It feels like we all like they're all just like bros. Now, it's Joe Thomas's birthday on Thursday as well. It's I think it's actual birthday is on Saturday, but he's going to celebrate Saturday. We got the birthday to Joe Thomas and then I never remember like my best friend's birthdays, and Mark knows Joe Thomas. Well, I was informed. I didn't. I didn't know that out of hand. All right, let's pick the game.

Why not? What the hell? I got Cowboys thirty one twenty Cowboys fifty eight Saints twelve because I wanted to happen. If the Saints can get chimera and at least one of the tackles back, I think they can cover this game at least and make it like a field goal game at the end. If if they're missing the tackles, forget to score, kill them low scoring. I hate You're not allowed to. I always bet they do on the game. I'm not allowed to, but I do anyway. I'm a rebel.

Someone's not watching t NF preview, gangerous female TNF preview Cowboys twenty seven to something weird is going to happen. Everyone in the control room. She can't do that. She can't give she she she she's the host, apoplectic producer person. That is my favorite like stupid TV thing in sports television. Hey, listen, can't do it, James Brown, can't give you a right, God forbid Moses leading us through the haze with your score,

James Brown. The dumbest thing, though, actually is when they pan to like the back room on Christmas and like everyone's sitting there like waving, like they're in a hostage scenario, like wait, you finally get your moment in the sun please. Well, that actually is kind of a warm thing. I like those people. I'm saying, it's it's a minor. They should receive more attention they get. They get no attention. It feels very back then it was. You know, they're wearing

Christmas threes around their change. You like, you like the people, but you despise all their kids and wives and families, no wanting to see daddy. That's a nice narrative by Greg. I am saying that essentially they deserve more of a nod. Maybe give them their own show behind the scenes. But it's like an hour and a half of that ninety minutes show is always the better show. I'm not gonna lie. It's so much CBD. I feel like that's what the

kids called gaslighting, what Mark was doing. Now you know, I'm annoyed with Greg wanted because this is just every time Mark speaks, Greg concoct some lie, a total lie about Mark not facolating anyone. I have to say if you do, miss because I do miss Steve Smith wanting to kill Michael Irvan. You can tune into this podcast

when Mark wants to kill Gregg Last. To be fair, yes we all get it every once in a while, but I mean if you're looking for a real like replacement heart, All right, Connie, you've said it all, you've done it all, You've lived a life in the industry, and you're just getting started back with my family, my family in Miami, Yes Angeles, all right, there she goes the Queen Thursday, and there we go. We will be back on Thursday, of course with the week thirteen preview,

also the recap of the game you just previewed. You can catch that Thursday as well. It's gonna be Greg Rosenthal, one of our favorite overseas exports imports. We imported him. We didn't they exported him. We imported him. That's how trades were, trade deals. My favorite things as a teenager was at the height of my fandom for the UK band Oasis, go into that, traveling to Times Square, going to the Virgin Mega Store and finding those imports singles that had all these great b sides on it. That

was living. That was like you know, like when you used to watch the control room when you said this, that's what I think about nineties six, taking the bus to Times Square to get those in the same thing. Dad. You know how you always tell me that I'm going to be a great old lady. I can now I see that within you, You're gonna be a great old lady. I'm already there. That is the nicest compliment anyone's ever given me. Thank you. All Right, here we go. That's enough.

H What do you take Caaracas? Thinking like the show's fifteen minutes too long? Why she's not in a car driving and it's not over? Quiet storm, Candie Bog the old box, Tricky Hollywood. He's a call