MNF Recap , How 'Bout NOW & TNF Preview with Colleen Wolfe

the fans in Oakland who lost their team. But if you're Mark Davis in your beautiful white and white Miami Vice suit, chilling next to Charles Woodson, you're looking around and you're like, oh, I kind of Elvis. I hope my I hope my dad is watching down and seeing this because I just set this organization up um from a value standpoint and a just a general vibe like the Raiders are a vibe now And that was a

fun game Um to enjoy. Uh. You know, the monoculture is dead, Mark, But the communal experience of watching a great prime time game like last night, that's just fun and everybody gets to share it together in the moment. Yeah, I'll just say what I tweeted out, because it was the it was the true feeling I felt about the game that um. I thought that the game was essentially

like the Symbionese Liberation Army of the nineteen seventies. And I was the game's Patty Hurst Um, the kidnapped victim who started off a little bit suspicious about being kidnapped by the experience, but then became more wedded to it and then a supporter of it eventually. I mean, things changed a little later on, but it won me over. I mean, it was a bit of a sloppy, messy affair out of the gate, but it turned into sort

of a classic. And it had a lot to do with the television experience, um, which was not the normal ESPN one for me. And we can get into that later. So you liken it too, well, let's not save that. I mean, I've never heard you so excited about broadcast as the Manning Brothers. Let's hear it well, I will. Well, you know, Danny, well, you knew it was gonna go

either one of two ways with Sessler. He was either going to be as angry as anyone's ever been about anything about Peyton and Eli or he was gonna love it more than anyone else, and quite frankly, I'm a little surprised where it went. Mark was all in on the whole thing. And I do like Mark that you did equate the beginning of the game and which is kind of an assignment for us to being the victim of a felony crime, like you had to watch this football game. But apparently by the end of it it

was a treat for you. It was. And I mean, just to hit on the Manning Brothers thing. I I've in trying in more things in life to not um, you know, hold up all my past pretenses and and I guess, you know, ideas about the Mannings or something like this. I just wanted to see what they had to say, and I didn't click into about twenty minutes in, and that's where everyone said that the first any minutes

where clunky. From there, I have to tell you something that I think that the typical um play by play man and like a tight uh necktie around his white shirt and his little sports coat and like throwing it left and right to one athlete in the booth is over. I know it won't be because networks will run about thirty years after everyone else realizes things are over. So

it's gonna go on and on. But I'm telling you right now, what I saw last night made me simply enjoy the game more and I learned five times more than I haven't watching any football being game because just the manning sitting there talking shop with First it was Charles Barkley. He's not bringing the football knowledge, but he was hilarious. But you've got Travis Kelsey, all right, you've got Ray Rice, who I've always found hyper annoying. They actually in a more relaxed setting, got a lot out

of him. And then it was Russell Wilson, who was meant to be studying film, but he said, I'm gonna stick with you guys all the way through this overtime because I'm learning by listening to you, and you're learning from me. And like their opping mad bombs, they're making fun of Eli. There was a lot of humor, and it just to me feel felt like a television experience made for one where half the time people are watching you know, a girl in a swimming pool on Twitch.

I don't know, there's all sorts of things that people are doing instead of watching normal broadcast television right now,

and this was right up that alley. So for me, like you know what, I thought of Wes a little bit because Wes was someone who was quite annoyed with the Monday night football announcing teams of the past couple of years, and I think he would have enjoyed this experience in a very different way, although he was famously annoyed with Peyton Manning, you know in his produced commercial like ads where he's holding like a sandwich, not in

that trying to be funny and right and stuff. No, I'm I'm totally intrigued by marx in you know, fascination with this and I love it. It's a great subplot. Mark, are you one of those people that watch women in swimsuits in a pool? Oh yeah, well that was not the current name. But I I have Twitch on my iPad and rarely check it out. But they're you know, little girls will do in guys, all sorts of people that will take you out to dinner in like Korea for two hours and just show you what it's like.

So I learned from it. There are human experiences there. That's a great call. By the way, Dan on Mark Davis, we really, who would have thought, what an upset like? It all worked out perfect, partly because the NFL rejected his and the Chargers plan to build a stadium in l A that they were like, there was three different plans that were proposed, and the Raiders plans were always number three and they were left out in the cold, and and it worked out much and you know beautifully.

I don't take that away from Mark Davis either, because all you know, my life, your lives filled with near mistakes that the fate stepped in and said, no, you're not gonna do this. This is how it's actually gonna work out. But as long as you have some type of vision, which Davis did, and if you follow the league, and we've gotta be a little bit careful here because the owners, including Mark Davis own own us essentially um.

But if you really do some research on where Mark Davis was as a person in the spotlight within the organization about ten twelve years ago, maybe check out old Mike Silver Yahoo column if you want uh and to where he is now. The Raiders are on the rise in that cowboys kind of way where they are a they're kind of a brand, a global brand and now the business side of things is catching up to the branding and it's a good thing. Now. They just got to build a good team right now. It might be

a fun team, don't know about a good team. We're gonna get to that game in a second. We're also going to preview Thursday Night Football with the tiny box Who's gonna join us at the end of the show, And then we're going to have our kind of post mortem of week one with a segment, uh loosely titled you know this, this is a working title how do you feel now? Or how do you like them? Apples? Now? How do you feel now? How about now? Where we just kind of cycle through some teams after week one

and and have we have our arts change? Do we have a different position based on just four quarters of play? But yes, before that, and we'll have a special guest connected to that conversation. But before that, Monday Night Football recap. Now Car is running back on the field and the field goal unit is coming off. What in the world is going on? They want to get closer at second down in fourteen? What else can happen? Kevin? I don't know. Let's see, Car is gonna get the shotgun snap, they

pluck from the side, it's picked up. He throws an arching passed on the side. It's called at the five touchdown St John's the winners have one on a touchdown pass thirty one yards this game, what's that done? But we'll have fun. Sparts is the last conno experience Kevin Harlan with Kurt wahn Er Westwood one great call. I wouldn't expect anything less. Derek Carr after a Benny Hill style mangling of the sport by John Gruden, strategically sending the kicker on, kicker gets on late, get a penalty.

Why is the kicker even there? Why are you setting up for like a forty five yard field goal and there's four minutes playing overtime? Car runs back on the field and throws a touchdown, the decisive touchdown for Narrators who defeat the Ravens thirty seven and overtime at the new facility in Las Vegas Allegiance Stadium. Greg uh, wild back and forth game. He just it was a weird feeling in the air and uh certainly a weird game uh played out. Yeah, Derek Carr put it well in

his postgame. You know, interview with the ESPN with a little bit of like wrestling flare to do it. I like that this Derek Car and also with a intelligent step back in terms of the look at his own career, that the game was like his career. It's these huge switch Like the first quarter, he couldn't you know, hit the side of a barn. He was playing terrible. Even in the overtime that throw to Willie Sneep, you know, Steve, Steve probably should make that play, but it's it's coming

out too hot. You throw an interception on the goal line, and if the Ravens go down and score, you're the goat. But in the end, like Car was on fire basically from about five minutes left in the fourth quarter through the end of overtime, starting with that long Henry Ruggs throw, you know, to the game winner, and especially the thirty seven second field goal drive with two nails throws to Brian Edwards. To me, those were the plays of the game to set up that game tying field goal to

go to overtime. It's hard to do get a field goal, you know, without time outs or with you know, with with thirty seven seconds or left, doesn't happen very often. The last three times it's happened the Raiders have been involved. There was that win over the Jets last year. It was the lost to the Dolphins that basically ended the you know, the Raiders season a year ago with fitz Magic,

and then it was this one. So I give I give him a ton of credit for playing his best when it really mattered and getting a win that you feel like they almost needed with the Ravens coming in a little banged up and the rest of the a f C West. You know, winning that game, I think it was a big win to start off the Raiders season. Well.

I mean, you know, I remember when I was at their last game in Oakland and they tripped up in a game they should have won against the Jaguars and collapsed down the stretch and left that Oakland fan base so beside itself. Um, you know, a quiet riot began and then it was quelled. But you had to win this game. If you're the Raiders, you're opening the stadium for your fans. Forget last season. You mentioned Mark Davis who never even went there last year because out of

respect for the fans. So it really concerned me when they did. They're very Raiders esque thing and look like they kept wanting to give the game away. I mean, the tipped interception by Car in the end zone, which should never have happened, was outrageous. But when you get Lamar Jackson to fumble twice the way he did, the first one led to a Raiders touchdown, the second one,

we know what happened there. I mean these were key mistakes by a Ravens quarterback who in the past has been tracked by ugly fumbles that have been costly in playoff games. So I think that's a lasting issue for the Ravens. I don't come out of the game thinking that differently about the Raiders, though I think a lot of people do. I still see them as a sort of a circus ride that's gonna have high highs and disappointing lows. Um sort of a mirror image of their quarterback.

I think, you know, I we don't like to I don't like when you guys point out necessarily things that I text you during the game, um without checking with me first, which you never knew. But um, Dan and I were having a bit of a back and forth about Car, where I basically said look at if if Baker Mayfield had had Derek you. I did later because I did later because I thought, I know what's gonna happen.

I'm gonna tweet this, and then he's gonna win the game Car and I'm gonna have to deal with a bunch of gabronies and I deserve it, but I took it. It's well, it's unrewarding to tweet that kind of thing if it goes south. But his first half was a mess and it left you thinking this is just the same Raiders team from a year ago. But Dan kept saying, I think Derek Carr is a bit of a quasi badass, and then a huge mistake would happen, he'd be like, not a quasi badass, but then two minutes later a

quasi badass. And in the end that's what he was. And I gave it totally to Car last night. I thought his postgame interview UM showed a lot about why is a wonderful teammate too, and it was a huge night for the Raiders. I don't know if it means there's still anything but an eight or nine or nine or eight team. UM, there are signs that maybe they are, But I came out of it thinking that was one of the better Monday night football experiences I had had

um as an adult. It was a great fan experience and if you're in that building that I mean, that will go down as one of the great kind of Raiders nights in a long time. Yeah, I think I think car is like a quasi stud like he's not really but in those money moments, And yes, he threw the pick there, but I don't listen, I don't know if that was even his fault. Put a little tip, put a little mustard on it. But uh, I mean,

he does step up. You could tell he's a quarterback, that his skills aren't at the level of a Mahomes or maybe even not even at the level of Mayfield. But I just think he's got a lot of moxie and I think he's a good fit for that organization, even if it seems Jon Gruden's never quite satisfied. And I'm also with you, mark On. You know, I didn't come out of this game. We're gonna talk about what what changed our feelings in Week one. I feel the

same about the Raiders. I think they're gonna they're kind of like a they're like a big dumb They're like a big Golden Retriever of football teams. They're they're sweet and dumb, and they run around a lot and run into walls and like they're just fun to play with. Um. But they're also like the city that they play and they're kind of a beautiful mess. And so I think there's a ceiling to a Raiders team. The Ravens. It's just a it's a it's a tough beat there. We

talked about it going into that game. That just seemed like a tough spot for them, UH in primetime, first game in Vegas, that stadium going bonkers, with the injuries that they dealt with going into Week one, I still think they're gonna be Okay. We did. I did the Power rankings UH on Tuesday, and I have them still in the top ten. But they do have to clean

up two things. The offensive line's got to be a lot better because the Raiders front that isn't known for terrorizing quarterbacks have no problem getting to Lamar and Greg Jackson's got to take care of the football better. He said after the game, Hey, that's football bumbles happened. It's like yeah, it does. But if you want to take the next step, if you want the Ravens to take the next step, you have to eliminate mistakes like that,

because that last fumble essentially sealed their fate. I came out of this game feeling a little different about both teams, just that they look different. What the first fumble is totally on Lamar. The second one I don't think is on Lamar. I mean, Karl Nasson doesn't get blocked by you know, your new running back. First of all, the offensive line makes the wrong you know, set up for the protection, just let some run in a defensive end and then you're running back who you know just got

elevated to the starting lineup, Tyson Williams. That makes no effort and he gets hit in the blindside and under two and a half seconds. You know, you would love him to hold onto the ball there, but being aware that quickly that that's on the offensive line ups of protection. But that kind of gets to what I'm talking about.

They couldn't pick up short yardage. You know, the two sequences in the game that mattered the most to me were the end of the first half where they have a short yardage situation and they can't pick it up just running straight like Ravens power or read action type action, and they give time uh to the Raiders to go down the field and put some points. Then at the end of the game, same situation, you're going in for the game winning field goal. All you gotta do is

pick up a short yardage situation. It's second and eight, third and four. I mean, it's not like it's too short, but they couldn't just run the ball. And that's where I think the Rayvens teams of old might be a little different, and they'll get better as the season gets on. But he doesn't have the same chemistry in terms of doing some of those readactions. They didn't run a lot of pistol. I think that was by design. It was a lot more spread offense, four or five wide receivers.

And then, more than anything, Ronnie Stanley was terrible. He's an All Pro left tackle coming off in excruciatingly huge injury. So of all the things that you talked about with the Ravens coming into the season, Ronnie Stanley was probably last on your list. He got destroyed all night, I mean, and he's an All Pro and maybe it's just coming off of you know, the a c L and he'll be fine week five, six or seven. But if Ronnie Stanley and Villain waver are both getting smoked all game,

then what do we have here? We have a lot of we have a lot of deficiencies that maybe the organization can't and Lamar can't totally make up for. To your two points, Greig, they were three for twelve on third down. Um, that's in. That's a typical for the Ravens. And Stanley, who has allowed sixteen pressures over the last two seasons, last night allowed nine according to PSF. What I'm talking about, that to me was the last night. Oh no, Um, and the Raiders look pretty good. Defensively,

they look better, at least they look like that. That is a change you could point to because that was obviously their chaotic I'm doing a year ago. And it should be pointed out the Ravens had a fourteen nothing lead in this game. They lost the game. It was the first time John Harbaugh Ravens team has ever blown a fourteen point lead. They were about the running game and m last I feel like the Jets blew three fourteen point leads last season. UM final point for me

on the Raiders side of the ball. Alex Leatherwood, their first round pick, did not look good. He struggled with penalties and UM did not play well. I didn't think Darren Waller after the game, after a game in which he was targeted nineteen times, which is a little bit excessive, but still you get it when Jon Gruden steps up at the lecter and after the game and calls him the best or I've ever coached. And go check out John Gruden's Football reference page. He's coached a lot of

Hall of Fame players. And last thing, Cleveland Farrell. We talk about first round picks like Alex Weather Leatherwood, Cleland Farrell a healthy scratch in week one. Max Crosby is kind of saving that draft class by being a stud. Uh he was picked in the fourth round. I believe in that same draft. But Cleveland Farrell a healthy scratch in year three. I believe the number four overall pick

a few years back may feeling the heat. He sort of put it out there that I know, I know how this is and if we don't win games, I'm gonna be back with with rich eyes and it's it's more like a little presumptuous you know, maybe you know, pushing DJ to the side a little bit sounds more like Cleland Farewell if he doesn't start told it, I do, because Mike, you know DJ, you know, move the sticks.

I call him the you know, smiling assassin because he's this you know, good natured preachers on and then he'll just cut you to ribbons. He'll he'll just rip you up. He'll rip your heart out, um via social media and whatever else. So what I'm telling you is he's got a little black mamba in him, even if he's got this smiling preacher's son surface, and Mayok should be aware of that. He's not going to just walk in because DJ will fight back. Just something, the track ahead of

the story is ahead. If you're not ahead at all, you're right, you can win nine more games than Mayok. Won't be won't have to worry about these things. I cut that for social I honestly would like to and just to see what the fallout is on multiple fronts. I know it is. We really have gotten used to saying whatever whatever it is we want. Like imagine if this got back to Mike Mayock, he'd be like those guys. Are you kidding me? Well, he probably knows one of us,

and that's you, Greg. I don't think he has any concept to Dan and I are I. I sleep well at night, uh and feel good that this podcast is a safe space for us to share unvarnished views on our league. All right, let's move on. How do you feel now? How do you feel now? When we to how about now? The second time? You know when you said that, when you go, how do you feel about now? That's what makes it. I think that's what makes the typle. Not we don't really like how you like them? Apples? No,

that's tired and done. That's done. It's over. Great line, but right right, you know that's a damon special. Um. All right, let's get to it. I'm going to throw out some teams um good and bad in terms of results in week one, and I'll just see where you guys stand on them. Do you feel better or worse the same? Did a change fundamentally what you thought about this team leading up to the season? And uh, let's start.

Let's start with the team that's number five five in the power rankings, up five spots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, who of course went to Buffalo and um delivered a classic Pittsburgh Steelers type performance. Uh, Mark, I'll start with you on this one. Because you are very heavily embedded in the A f C. North, I think I kind of know your answer. But do you are you completely sold now on all that high floor, low ceiling, low basement type thing, high ceiling, low floor situation with the Steelers?

Is this just another Steelers team that's gonna win ten or twelve games? Do you now? Well? I'd say this if the if we find out that over the next couple of weeks that the Bill's offense um is what they were last year, then it only raises what I think about Pittsburgh, and especially as a defensive team that can hang around all year long. I think that like the concerns were never the front of the defense. I mean T J. Watt, cam Heyward unleashed total chaos against Buffalo.

Buffalo was you know, they didn't use play action as much as they did it in years past, especially last year. They were a little bit out of sorts. But I think Pittsburgh put them in a very uncomfortable place, and I could see them doing that to the Ravens to the Browns, to the Bengals in their own division and beyond the division. So I feel strongly about Pittsburgh on that front. I haven't changed my mind the offense, though,

I also didn't entirely change my mind. Big Ben warmed up as the game went along, but if you go look at their ground attack, it was still stuck in the mud. Nagi Harris played every single snap and came out with numbers that looked nothing like he did. I mean, we just didn't see that version of it. I know they have weapons, and they made a couple of big plays down the stretch, but I still need to see more from the offense because you can't just do it

with defense. So I don't feel that differently about the Steelers because I think going into the year, I said, this is probably a wild card team inside a really tough division that will win ten games and then we'll see what happens from there. In April and May I did it, but I was riding on like a psilocybin high from a first playoff game in my team and

have been insid I us in middle school. So yeah, I remember one of the early UM podcasts or mid mid off season podcast was like the early over under ones, and I thought, I thought the Steelers over eight and a half was my number one uh pick overall just because Mike Tomlins never had a losing record, And I just don't see any big reason. I don't feel any different about this team. All the questions you had going

into Week one kind of came true. Not sure about the offensive line, not sure about the running game, not sure about the offense. They had two d and fifty yards. Uh. We like the I like the defense. But you know, they had a punt return touchdown right in this game, and Alan missed two wide open deep touchdowns that would have made it look different. It was a good competitive game by like a complete team that's gonna be competitive. But that that's sort of what I expected from the Steelers.

They gotta show me more to think they could be more than that. I'm looking at our prediction page and I don't see them in the playoffs for you, Mark and I and I see also the Steelers getting just one vote from Avid car Derek's brother uh to win the a f C North. So like that's kind of where things were. Hold on, Wait a minute, Wait a minute, wait a minute, can say, I still think. I still think they're a wild card type team, that's all. I think they could win nine ten games and be left

out of the mix too. I I that doesn't mean because I didn't put them on NFL dot COM's precious little page that I quietly a week ago thought they were five and twelve. Please, car was the only one team that you said wild card team. All right, but I mean I don't. I didn't Sunday didn't body rock my My feelings about the Steelers just pent pecking, notwithstanding

when you're when you're telling the audience. I saw them as a playoff team metro in the season, and then I go to this website and it says you don't see them as a playoff team. You understand the disassociation there. I just that's all. Well. I mean I also I put predictions out on multiple formats and multiple you know. So it's you've got to check the other three or four places I predicted their faces. You're the joker in the dark knight, You're just an agent of chaos. That's equivalent.

All right, let's move up. So did you share your thoughts? I think you did. Greg. Yeah, it was good and they were. They were good. They I'm going to actually listen, they were trench. How about the Bills. Well, while we're here, I mean, Josh Allen and that offense could not get anything going on, Greg, do you think that is a sign that maybe the NFL caught up to Josh Dave to Brian Dable's offense, or let it breathe a little bit.

They'll be fun. Let it breathe. The week one teams that have great continuity, but maybe he didn't perform how they wanted are the ones I'm not worried about, and yet where I don't want to overreact. They Josh Allen struggled against the Steelers more than once, not just this game, not just last year before that, They've they've had a good beat on this Bill's offense. They still out gained them by one twenty. Like, I still go back to

that Allen missed a couple of deep throws. You know, if that starts piling up week after week, I'd be concerned, but not not concerned whatsoever. And I thought their defense played pretty well for the most part. Yeah, I'm not concerned about the defense. I'd say on offense, I'll point again that like last year they were the fifth. They used play action at the fifth as the fifth most team in the NFL um to hide you know, the fact that they're a little run averse. They're not a

run heavy team obviously. Um Zack Moss strangely like deactivated before the game. Um they were the fourth least um play action heavy team in Week one. I think they got a little out of script. You miss you mentioned the misplays by Josh Allen like they ply me at Miami. I'm not sure that's going to be an easy test either, but like Brian Dable, still there it is. But I just trust all this all the still the same, you know,

parts in place. Yeah, And I think sometimes, and this goes across all sports, sometimes there's just a team that you struggle with that they for whatever reason, they're a bad matchup for you, and and they kind of have you figured out a little bit. And it doesn't mean everyone else then figures you out. But it seems like the Steelers would be a bad draw for the Bills come January, for instance. Uh just they just play them

very well. How about the Arizona Cardinals. Okay, so we have the NFC West where they were just completely overlooked all summer. And then they dropped to quote a paraphrase of Sesslers m in a bomb in the desert. But it wasn't the desert. It was in the middle of Nashville on the Titans. Should we now view the Cardinals differently or is this one of those Week one games where we'll look back in a month and be like, well,

that was kind of stupid. I view him different, like I didn't know what I was getting out of Chandler Jones, didn't have a great month before he was gone all last season. Now he looks like the best player that's ever been created. Bad job, Bill, Bill Belichick. You know he's he really could be a Hall of Famer if he likes stacks. Another twenty sacks season. Um, it's not a crazy No one more game to one more, I mean.

And then Kyler Murray And this is where I'm probably overreacting, But my god, the the big place he made in that game, you know, pff checks, the big time throws he led the league in in Week one, The accuracy that types of plays and no one else could make other than maybe Mahomes. It just got me feeling like, Okay, here comes. Here comes that leap Dan's been talking about, and I think it was a little more gradual than some people thought last year, but it was still good.

It was good from year one a year two. But if he's taken another leap, then all bets are off and this division and this team is nasty because their top end town is just so good. They look so balanced. I mean, I thought that there were gonna be issues on defense in the secondary, especially the total reverse was true. I mean they held a j. Brown and Julia Julio Jones to like nine combined yards. I mean they were non factors. Uh, you know, Derrick Henry was shut down,

which is the way to unplug the Titans. And I look at Murray and it's like the whole thing I think, you know, I thought the type. I thought this was the team the Cardinals in that division that was going to be just by force of nature they were dealing with with the other three teams, um suppressed, held back,

and maybe the coach goes after this season. I think they basically it was sort of an exclamation point to people like me that says we are not milk toast, We are exciting in our quarterback it begins right there. Kyler Murray's ceiling is completely unknown. We're only with like three fours up the wall, and I'm very excited about

his play. I thought the Titans watching that game yesterday, they looked even worse then the final score in the highlights indicated Derrick Henry, who we said nine yards on ten carries and you had a offense that didn't even have a first down until like well into the second quarter. Is that a team that we have any concerns about. It was such a bad matchup that I actually am going to give it a Chandler Jones won that game as quick as quickly as or as aggressively as like

any one defensive player can just win a game. He destroyed them. And then Kyle, like Murray's plays, felt a little less about Tennessee's defense and more just like there's no defense for some of the players that he made some of the biggest plays in the game. We're just incredible throws after incredible scramble. So I'm going to give them a little bit of a pass and wait and see,

here's my concern. Like I had point to when Kyle Shanahan left the Falcons um and you leave an m v P passer and Matt Ryan behind and they never reached those heights ever. Again, not the same way that you know Arthur Smith's gonna struggle conversely in Atlanta now potentially for a while. But Todd Downing was not a thriller um when he was on the Raiders, um calling plays and working with their offense to some degree, it's

just an unknown what that offense will be. And I think we're in a time period now where if you have one of those play callers that's sort of a next level guy. I mean, he completely revived Ryan Tannehill's career and he knew how to use all those parts. So I want to see more because I think they, if anything, the Cardinals sort of put a roadmap out

there on how to stop Tennessee. Right, have Taylor Jones, Well, it's not just that, I mean, anyone that stopped Derrick Henry in any game, it's been a very successful way to do it. But yeah, having having a guy have five sacks is also other way to do it. Greg that's a really smart I think that's a savvy way to Luan. If Luan is bad now and he's coming off an injury too. It's like, you know, these guys coming off injuries, sometimes they don't come all the way

back then that that's a concern. Julio is the guy I want to see, you know, warm up a little. Didn't come practice much practice, right, I'm not But because you need to keep the faith, buddy, because you were the one when they acquired him in the trade saying everybody is saying that he's not that great anymore. Chill out, go watch the game tape. But I did you know he didn't have an impact at all. I'm giving them a little bit of a I'll give him a Mullian.

I think it's like it's for Greg. It's a chill ax moment, total chill ax moment for Greg. Classic. Hey, how about the entirety of the NFC East accepting the New York Giants. I think we all feel pretty good about where the Giants are right now, even with the Giants, shouldn't feel prettyo about where the Giants are. But start with you mark any of the teams, and then it's the East change how you felt about him? Not a ton?

Not a ton? I mean, I think if anything arrow up a little bit on Dallas for me because I think on offense, um, if they can produce that passing game each week the way they did, uh, and you've got a potential m v P at quarterback in the best wide receivering group in the NFC. I mean, I think they should win that division. Washington looked similar to me, but the rest of them will see. I mean, I feel a little better about the Eagles. I kind of like, you know what I forgot. I I totally forgot about

the Eagles. It we'll see. I mean, I think they are a team that's gonna be feisty if you have an offensive line that good, a defensive line that good. Jalen Hurts I want to see against the non Falcons defense before I started going too crazy, but if he just limits mistakes, like he'll be solid enough, like he doesn't need to be a top twenty quarterback for them to be a little nasty with the lines that they have. I would say one thing though, Sirianni also, I would

completely forgot the Eagle. Sirianni showed total aggressiveness in that game. I think that's a change for that coaching staff. I kind of like that. I know they used analytics left and right, but last year none of the was present, and I think they really fit. You found an offense that really fits hurts very very well. So far, so

good with the Eagles. Yeah, I think Greg your lock of the week, notwithstanding you had a couple pre Week one takes that checked out the Eagles actually being more talented, especially on each side of the ball and the trenches. I think that was you might have been money, might have been marked, but that's but that's okay. Filter that Eagles drawing. I'm always banging that Eagle. Checked the tape. You can check it NFL dot com Game picks. I

don't agree. I actually, I honestly don't agree with the assessment. And I'm not saying Greg didn't say that, but I'm telling you I did. So we'll have to take you at your word. But you wouldn't lie. I would com I wouldn't. I would not at work lie about anything. Mostly you are an honest man. All right. How about the Saints, I mean, weird game. I mean you cannot take it away from him, thirty five three against of

the NFC North champion Packers. But I don't know, Greg, A little bit of a snowball type game where everything went right for one side and everything went wrong for the other, and we shouldn't take too much out of it. That was kind of like where I came down a little bit, because, yeah, when you re watched the game, some of those plays were just crazy. And they've had a rough post Week one. So they've got six coaches in the COVID protocol. That's a lot nutritionist and a player.

Hopefully it doesn't spread for them, but maybe even more importantly just for their wins and losses here Marshall on Latimer, it's gonna be out for a little bit with the surgery. Marcus Davenport there, maybe their best pass rusher now is gonna be out um with an injury, and I'm I'm forgetting another injury off the top man. Oh yeah, Eric McCoy, they're starting center, maybe like a Pro Bowl caliber type

center is gonna be out for half the season. So they quietly had the worst week of anyone for injuries. I have them as a wild card team, so I'm pleasantly surprised to see them blow the doors off the Packer. But I do think they do have the bones to be competitive all year. Maybe make the Bucks work a little bit. Those injuries concerned me. I think for me, um, let's just look at the game itself. Absolutely, I think

Sean Payton's basically been amped up to do this. I thought that they were going to be proven to be a team mired in too much transition that had kind of like a Patriots season from a year ago to some degree due to depth in various places. But you know what, they kind of just went out there with a DJF attitude and dropped a huge, um, a huge like a giant box of knives from the sky on Green Bay. And I mean, I've never seen anything like that in Week one and Aaron Rodgers's career obviously from

that angle was marvelous. And I dig the Saints for what they did after the week they went through all the nonsense like they came out as the team that wanted it so much more. That's the thing. You could just visibly see that they were, like, we want this game more than you do. Knives everywhere, stuck into the turf, into shoulder blades like a giant did they take did they take them out of the box before dropping them

from the sky or is it just the box. No, it's like imagine like like out of one of those gigantic secret like aircraft carriers that are like half invisible. It's like eight the size of eight refrigerator boxes filled with um knives just gets dropped in the middle of like the Saints huddle. Is it like up there? He's like, I know, he claims space drop. Wouldn't it be smart for him to have an alibi? He's in the stadiums. I had nothing to do with it. It was a

military mistake. So it's like a Mickey Mouse type thing. Yeah, it's like a drone attack where like you know, it's like, oh good, we're just sending a drone. Everything to be fine, but the accuracy isn't always the way you needed to be. Just knives raining down and we spent three weeks talking about in the wake of Sunday's drone attack, Like, I mean,

if they have depth ishes, they will be tested. But they're some of their some of their skill players, Deonte Harris and Juwan Johnson making the places like they gotta do it, they gotta stack weeks. But those guys look like real guys right now. If I had to and we didn't know that if I had to make a prediction on Fool's gold in week when I'm not on the Jamis Winston train. Yet it was a fourteen completions, a forty eight yards, five touchdowns against the Green Bay

defense that was just couldn't get out of its own way. Um, you give credit to Winston, But the whole thing with Winston especially is like when things are going well, he can roll. But when they're when his team's trailing, if he makes a mistake and he starts pressing, that's when things snowball in his own way. And and when he gets tested historically in his career, Um, that's when the turnovers start piling up. So I need to see more

from Winston before saying that. I think their quarterback situation is settled, But they everything else about the organization and the team and the coaching was so spot on that you just you have to give him a ton of respect. So maybe I don't trust them, but I do enjoy the Jamis Winston experience on balance. Here's my favorite postgame interview bite from week one. You know one thing, my trainer he told me, He said, what did you say?

He just told us to be prepared. You kind of need the video the video visual as well, which is he looks to the sky trying to think what that trainer said to him. That's stuck with him so much, and it just didn't come. He covered it up. That was something like on there, you know, skills being shown by Jamie. He clearly didn't think of it. He was like, oh, he told us be prepared. That's let's keep moving and

he's got vision. But not everything is fully loaded at this right, forget the lace Like first of all, the laser guy whoever gave Jamis Winston is laceing should be advertising that heavily. You know, I'm absolutely I'm the one who did it. But he may be waiting like Dan

to see where this goes. I mean, you know, he rolls out the campaign hardcore this week, and then he pulls it on Sunday and waits things out, and then based on the results, he could roll it back out again and even invest more and billboards and all that other stuff. But the trainer should even and go harder, I mean, maybe come up with a better slogan than

be prepared. But Jamis Winston's body looks totally different, and his running ability in that game was as good as I've ever seen him, and was was a pretty key factor in that game. If if you've got a jamis who can scoot a little bit, that is that is something different that we did not see early on when he was, you know, pounding those crabs. I mean, he wasn't exactly fat Albert before he was he was able,

he wasn't. He couldn't if you look at his rushing yards, especially his first three years three, he couldn't do it. His legs picked him up some pretty good first down. What percentage of listeners have never encountered any fat Albert content? Kind of a like a sneaky, underrated eighties cartoon Fat Albert? All right? Now, finally, what's the name is? Say again? About now? Green Bay Packers? How about now? And how

about to talk about the Packers? We welcome on the beat Reporter, the beat man for the Athletic Match, Nineman, Welcome to the Around the NFL Podcast. Matt, how are you guys doing? Really appreciate you having me, Thanks for coming on. It's nice to meet you. It's pretty rare that, like, I've never even seen your face. Any sort of man could have come on to our screen and here he is. We have no we have actually no way to know

whether this is the real match nine. You don't know, but that would be weird if there was a fake match, Nineman that came on the show today. Um, what we're talking about here, Matt, welcome to the show. It's dumb. Um. What we're talking about here is teams after week one?

Does it change how we feel about them? And I feel like a guy like you who was boots on the ground, was there all through the spring and summer of Aaron Rodgers nonsense and then a training camp or things seemed to be back under control and then what we saw Sunday, which was just a catastrophe organizational? Did it change how you feel about the team? Not drastically. I mean all preseason I heard them talk about their

laser focus, their understanding of the magnitude of this season. Um, given everything that went on with Rogers this summer and everything that is likely to happen after this season, they know this could be his last season. And they all spoke about their potential and their expectations after two straight NFC Championship Game losses, and Aaron Rodgers said it himself at that first introductory not introductory, but his first press

conference of training camp. One of the main reasons he came back is because he knows they have a super Bowl caliber roster. That team that I watched in Jacksonville on Sunday looks like it does not belong in this league. Now. In nineteen, they had a similar performance against the Chargers in l A, a losing Chargers team and they lost to eleven. They got blown out in Tampa last regular season,

so you have these kind of flute games. I'll be more concerned if I'm the Packers if it happens on Monday night against Detroit, then they have a trip to the forty Niners and then the Steelers at home after that. So anomaly for now if it happens again, a concern. If it happens a third time, a trend doesn't really change the way I view them as a whole. Maybe just gives me a couple more reservations about what they're

really made of this year. You know, one one question I have for you though, because um, I saw this from you on Twitter and you noted this quote from Aaron Rodgers after the game that we he said we probably felt like we were gonna go up and down the field on whoever they had out there, So there was a sense of overconfidence. And your your line above that um pitching your article was on Sunday, they the Packers seem full full of themselves, in fact, according to

the QB. And you also mentioned on your pod No, it was that that caught my eye because I thought that that was a deserving um slight to a Packers team that came out a little bit too um excited about themselves. You also mentioned on your pod that they had twenty seven guys according to Matt Lafleur, who were potential team leader type you know, elements in the locker room. So that tells you it is a veteran heavy leadership

heavy room. When I look at what happened on Sunday, how does that happen to a Packers team with a Aaron Rodgers with consistency at the head coach level, and that meant that much leadership on the roster. That's a fantastic question, and it's something I've been trying to figure out. You know, the reason I wrote that is because just last week Davante Adams was out of podium inside lambeau Field and said, this is one of the not one of He said, this is the hungriest team I've been

around in my eight years with the Packers. So I kind of played I thought it might have been a little too corny, but I kind of played off it because Aaron Rodgers was straight up asked, were you guys too fully yourselves? And he said, yeah, I think that's definitely a possibility. Now, what I don't get is how is that possible? Aaron Rodgers, you have you know, Aaron Jones, Robert Tonyan, Davante Adams, all eleven starters on defense. We're

here last year. The only new starters on the team per se are rookie center Josh Myers and rookie right guard Royce Newman. Like the guys you have know that a game like that is possible at any minute. How do you let everyone on the team, including yourselves, let your guard down? And as you mentioned, Matt la Floor essentially boasted to us last week when we were talking about captains that he had twenty seven players received the captain's vote, and ten of those guys received double digit votes.

In his two years here, he's only named one captain for each unit. So it's been Aaron Rodgers, Zadarius Smith, who was not named to captain this year, and Mason Crosby for special teams. This year, they had so many guys get captains votes that they named three for offense, uh Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, Mercedes Lewis, three for defense, Adrian Amos Jr. Alexander Kenny arc and then Crosby for

special teams. Aside from Elton Jenkins, their twenty five year old left tackle who had two tackles on Sunday because he uh tackled the guy who intercepted Aaron Rodgers both times. There was nobody's example worth following. There was nobody who looked like a leader out there, and football wise, there was a lot that went wrong, but the intangibles of that energy, that leadership, Matt Lafloor said, the Saints wanted it more. How does that happen to the Green Bay Packers.

It's a great question. Did did you point out that Mark's question was fantastic and great? You know you did it twice because he said he listened to your podcast. That might that might have been a little bit of it. He went, he went were allies were now allies. I mean, that's how this business works. You mentioned Zaius Smith that that was my take, like Rogers timing seemed off. You know, I don't think that's gonna be a long term problem. I think they were playing a team that it was

like a playoff game to them. They knew what that game was gonna mean, not just in week one um to the city in New Orleans, but forever, like fans fans of New Orleans will remember that game forever. And I think that they were playing for a higher purpose, and so that helps explain it. I'm more curious because you've been there and we haven't had a lot of Joe Barry talk this offseason. And Zadarius Smith, you know,

isn't a pent and it's probably the key player. And you mentioned he's not a captain right now, there's been some behind the scenes stuff with him. Give me a little feel of like stuff we don't know about their defense, because the defense to me was a bigger concern, you know, just watching that game, because I just assumed my Aaron

Rodgers in the offense will get it together eventually. Yeah, I'll mention one thing about Zadarius Smith first, he only practiced I believe it was four times all preseason because he had a back injury that landed him on the n f I list when camp started. So we still don't know how it happened. Um before he came to camp, and then he practiced the week they had the jets here for joint practices. Uh, practice very limited, and then

it flared back up again. And I don't know how much that had to do with him not being named a captain. But immediately after the team tweeted out the captains, Zadarius Smith tweeted wow with the emoji of him the thinking there was like some contracts stuff too. So that's interesting because he is their best you know him and Alex Writer absolutely yeah, Zadarius Smith was a second team All Pro last year and he has told me that he wants to be a packer for the rest of

his career. Um. There, it's no secret he wants an extension. And I want to show you this. I'm grabbing my phone because he deleted this off his Instagram story, but this was tweeted. This was tweeted out. I don't know if you can see this. This is real beat reporter stuff, right, here. He tweeted that he's getting a tattoo. That's his Instagram story that has since been deleted. So new piece on the way. He's getting a tattoo of a captain's chain. Oh,

he's annoyed. So it's not happy about that. You know, it's since the leader. I have no reason to believe that that's fake, but it would go along with his frustration. That would seem to be what that tweet was about. The defense as a whole. It's tricky because I watched the game back and there were so many communication issues.

Twice I saw Channon Sullivan nickel corner when they were in zone point and I'm pointing to my left um for someone else to take a guy that was cutting across the field Marquez Callaway on the second play from scrimmage of the game. Nobody took him, resulted in a fourteen yard game. And then Chris Hogan on a touchdown

that I believe made it thirty one to three. Darniell Savage Jr. And Devandre Campbell, their new veteran inside linebacker, kind of just caught no man's land, and Sullivan is left chasing after a guy who played in a Premier Lacrosse League game three months ago. Now, I know he's he's a proven NFL wide receiver. But as I said, all these guys were the exception of Campbell since he's new,

but he's been in this league. Those communication issues should not be happening against guys that have been on this defense together for the last three years. I don't care who the coordinator is. You know, it's tough to really tell how much of Joe Berry's influence is uh part of that thirty eight three defeat, But all we hear from players every single time they talked about Joe Berry is, oh, he has energy. He's a great guy. I don't care

how much energy he has. If you're given up thirty eight points forty nine minutes into your debut as defensive coordinator, that's not good. And his defenses in Detroit and Washington, he was defensive coordinator in Detroit oh seven O eight in Washington in fifteen sixteen, with the exception of Washington's fifteen defense, they were, you know, the middle of the pack. His other three defenses were the worst or second worst in the league. This is the guy who was the

d C when the lines went oh, in sixteen. But but Matt Lafleur just loves Sneidman takes down Barry in a big spot. Berry hope he hope he doesn't listen to this podcast. Well, I apologize for rambling, but you know, Matt Lafleur was in love with the fact that Joe Barry has been on Sean mcveigh's staff the past couple of years and was under Brandon Staley on that defensive staff last year in l A when Barry was the

linebackers coach. He wants to bring that, you know, to shell, keep everything in front of you, don't allow the explosive play style that frustrated Lafleur so much when they were preparing for the Rams in the playoffs last year that he said, you know what, I want some of that on my team. You know they should do. By the way, Matt, if they really want to um get back at overreactionary Packers fans, just bring back down Capers. Don Keaper's defense.

Don Caper's defense didn't give up thirty eight points to his seventh game as defensive court. Look at that, Paul. He did win a Super Bowl. You know we remember that. I remember McCarthy. You know, Matt before we let you go. And I know there's a national fascination with Aaron Rodgers, you know, pop psychology, and it's probably super annoying, but

you know, he's an interesting guy. And I'm just curious somebody that's there, um, because I'm watching this guy ever since he's emerged from Hawaii or wherever he was I think it was Hawaii, um. And he's got the weird hair, and he's dressing different, he's playing a guitar, like is he an entering like the eccentric, intellectual millionaire portion of his life? And if that's so, can you also marry that with being a professional quarterback of great skill? I

certainly think so. Now this is only my third year covering him, but in the past couple of years he's seemed to take more of an outside football approach, and whether it's with us or when he goes on Pat McAfee's show every Tuesday talking about things that he's doing to better himself outside football. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. His mental health, all that stuff, UM, totally for that. I don't think that has anything to do

with football. If anything, it is better because he talks so much about headspace and being in a good headspace after everything that's gone on in the past couple of years, drafting Jordan's love this offseason, it's important to have good mental health and being a good headspace. A normal person like myself would probably get my underwear and a bunch about all that stuff. But while he has certainly at times, I don't think it's affected his play on the field.

Now I see these wild conspiracy theorists out there saying he only came back because he wants to sabotage the team from the inside. I would love that because that would be fantastic theater to cover as a reporter. But that was Greg's theory, by the way. But I don't think there's really any correlation. He certainly does seem to be entering that phase of his life. Maybe it's because uh, he's engaged now and and shleeen Woodley is having an

effect on him. Again, I'm not saying that's bad, but maybe this is a little bit of a different Aaron Rodgers and people are loosing are used to um that may not sit well with them, But whatever floats his boat, and as long as he keeps playing not like he did on Sunday. I think all will be well in Green Bay and that starts with Detroit on Monday night. And you're a Syracuse man, so you know journalism. You were trained in the best place to get that education.

And you know you do not root for teams. You don't for players. You root for stories. And what would be a better story than Aaron Rodgers trying to implode the Packers from the inside. I don't know that would that would get pretty dark. Yeah, we we won't cut that little portion um and send it out to all the Packers. Listen you saying that's like I love for this team too, I said, I said on Sunday. The way Sunday happened, it was better for my job than if had one. I mean people, I know people hate

hearing that and say, how can you listen? A team that wins a lot and goes to the NFC Championship Game is great. You always want your team to be relevant. I covered the Raiders for two years before this, and that was relevant for all the wrong reasons. Sunday was relevant for the wrong reason, and the story to cover I mean, you were here because they took a dirt nap so that Yeah, you're blowing up then, and he's our Tuesday guests. We don't want Rogers McAfee, the punter

could have that guy. We watched Sneidman, so follow him on the Athletic check out his podcast Head of the Pack and um yes, follow him on Twitter at match Sneidman. Thank you buddy, Thanks guys, really appreciate it. There he goes good guests. Put him in the dossier. Ricky Absolutely, if anyone comes on and says literally anything nice about anything that I say at all, they will be an eternal guest to the show. Because I knew as soon as you said that was a brilliant question. I said

something like that, very complimentary. I said, all right, two things, Um, we set up our guest well here and to Mark's going to have a good day like that. That's gonna stick with Mark for the rest of the day as he goes on post podcast and well, my job here is done. I mean I I I'll stay on screen and you know, do all that stuff. But I don't need to say anything else. All right, you don't you know why because we're gonna do a Thursday night football

preview and We're gonna start a new tradition here. Whoa beauty? What's love? Everybody? I don't Connie, this is uh. You were a little too done up for our taste. You know, we get the dressed down. Connie, this is the bombshell. What's going on right now? Let me explain, because this all happens when I have to do it. Um, but I had to do like I basically lined up my day for all of my interviews, and anything I had to do on camera is today, so then that all the other days I can just be lazy and not

do it. So, hey, did my hair, put on? Makeup? Was up? This is the right medium for it, right, Colleen? Are you prepared to offer the analysis at least the match of the analysis that you offered to last week's Thursday Night game, which I found, um, you know, startling. I don't know if I can live up to all of the greatness from last week, but I'm gonna really try. I'm gonna really try. Okay, the recap. You don't have the look of terror in your eyes that we might

call on you. Please no, don't go to the I wasn't gonna go to you. Please, please no, don't. Don't. Yeah, sometimes that happens. But the anxiety was well because I wasn't like totally locked into the game listen. But the least I think it's it was clear for for for all of us. You weren't you, weren't me. I'm ready to go. I was like really milking my off season every second that I could. Um. But now the summer of Connie is officially closed. So yeah, you must be

getting on a plane. Yeah, you're getting a plane, right, You're going to this game. Connie Fox gets on a plane. She heads to d C, where the Washington football team will welcome the New York Giants. Both teams coming off losses in Week one, and Washington lost more than the game. They lost their quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, which, let's face it,

we just had Matt Schneidermann on. And if you're a broadcaster or a journal you're rooting for the story, and Connie obviously rooting for fitz Magic to be up on the dais at the end of the game because he's always so much fun. You won't have Ryan Fitzpatrick. And I'll tell you what, Connie. We'll start here as the Tyler Heineke era begins, we might not see Ryan fitz Fitzpatrick at all. I watched uh NFL Network yesterday and Ian Rapports said, it's on the table. It's not off

the table. He said that Fitzpatrick has done for the season. So this is Heinekes show for now against a Giants team that desperately needs a w here coming off a very sappointing Week one performance themselves. I really hate this for Ryan Fitzpatrick, but I hate it even more for me because I really love doing Thursday night football when Ryan quarterback. It truly is and that is something that I was really looking forward to. It's obviously not going

to happen. But Taylor Heineke actually was not bad in relief of Fitzy. He came in, he only missed on four passes, and when you think back to last year when the Washington team played the Bucks in the wild card game, Heineke was pretty good in that game against the box. So he definitely can make plays. He's athletic, he has some mobility too, so there's there's some similarities with Fitzy because he did scramble on a couple of plays as well. Um and I think it's kind of Uh.

I think it's kind of remarkable that he's a former undrafted free agent and this is his fifth team and now based on what you just said and what Ian Rappaport had said, like he might be starting the whole season if that is the case, if Ryan Fitzpatrick isn't coming back. But I think that this team has some good chances. With Logan Thomas at tight end, you should get some more opportunities because you saw what Broncos were able to do against this Giant's defense. Noah Fan albert Oh.

They both put up some nice numbers, had some nice plays. But if Antonio Gibson didn't fumble the ball last week, I think Washington had a really good chance of winning. So I like this team a lot. The Giants they have a lot more issues. Yeah. By the way, I heard the heard the name, I was scene if Mark wanted to jump in. Uh. I heard all last week during that game, the announcer saying albert O's last name in a certain sort of way, which is the opposite

of what you know, which is totally different. On the Broncos website, it says, oh cooey boon him. So that's what I've been going with it that crazy to say, oh cooey Bonham, but they went with a totally different way to say it. And now I don't know what they said, like okay Bowie nom or something like that, and I think I think he mangled it. But um they that is part of the Giants defense. I mean, rather the uh yeah, the Giants defense that I'm concerned with,

Like almost everything from that Giants game concerned me. I thought they had one of the worst week ones of of any team and they they gotta win it. I mean this, these two teams both came out a Week one I feel like looking a little worse than their ceiling we're hoping for going into the season, because I thought this was gonna be one of the more fun Washington teams to watch in a while. But now we

don't have Fits. I know, Heinik is kind of like Junior Fits, you know, with that you know track record, being undrafted. Fits was the seventh round pick, you know, bouncing around a bunch of teams, kind of being a freewheeling guy. Like that's great, but you don't have him. You still don't have Curtis Samuel Adam Humphries wasn't exactly an exciting pickup, but you thought like the connection with Fits was gonna be something. So maybe you don't get

the total Humphries experience. And their tackles were horrible last week. The Chargers were eating all game. They're starting a rookie at right tackle, Sam Cosmi, who is just who is a little lost, and then a veteran Charles Leno. And so you think of the Giants as the team with a bad offensive line, and they probably are, but the Washington football team could be too, and we could be

looking at a whole lot of defense. Here's the spin, Connie for you lose Ryan Fitzpatrick, but se Kwon Barkley now a week removed um from the idea that he's gonna see limited snaps now short week doesn't help things. I don't think Kuan is gonna be the bell cow either. But the Giants are in an interesting, interesting position here is because you want to bring back your best offensive player in a safe, smart way, but you also gotta

win some ball games here. And you know Daniel Jones, the more you put in his hands, the greater the chance that he lets it get away. So you need Sa Kwan to have a role and make a difference. And you need that defense, which is the reason they stayed in the division race last year to make the type of impact plays that they made last year because they weren't happening against Denver. Well, this is like not

exactly a gauntlet of a division either. So at this point, it's not you know, you wouldn't be panicking to start, oh and two, it's not great. Nobody wants to do it. It It seems like the Giants do it every single year. But this is the problem. Isn't that kind of crazy? But I also think too for Daniel Jones, like he's in a tough position because most of their top like what three of their top skill position players are not really one like us yet and they're trying to ease

him back. But he only rushed for twenty six yards in that game. Kenny Golladay, he's coming off the hamstring injury. He doesn't look either. And then Evan Ingram he was out for the opener and they're hoping that they can get him in for this. But Joe Judge said today that he's been doing more work. He's making a lot of jumps. They're hoping that he can start on Thursday, but otherwise you have Kyle Rudolph getting most of the work out there. So really it's just Sterling Shepherd who

stood out in that game. And then Daniel Jones. He has the fumble that doesn't help anything. It's his thirtieth career fumble. It's forty career turnover. The only thing I will say that I liked about the Giants is the fact that their offensive line played a little bit better than I thought they would. I feel like that was a major sticking point for them last year. They didn't really address it in the offseason or in the draft,

but they looked okay. And their left tackle Andrew Thomas is one player that really gets a lot of heat. He did not look good his rookie season, he did not look good in the preseason, and he actually played okay last week. Yeah, he actually got his highest pass blocking grade of his career, which I you know, I'm not saying that's a feat beyond feats, because there weren't

a lot of high grades to begin with. But the other thing the positive I would point out for the Giants too is I think, um, they're a team built to stop the run. That's a very Dave Gettlman esque UM scenario, but dexter Lawrence Leonard William Austin Jackson. I mean these guys, you know, they're like dudes that are eating like giant plates of like fish and ox meat every day. They're beefy. It's a big line. And like maybe if you're Antonio, I think Antenna Atenio Gibson looked

great to me last week. Like if you can shut him down, um, if you can cause a turnover in the run game, I think this game will be close. Um. As for Heinik, I I kind of super enjoy watching him so I I hear you on fit seat and especially from having him come sit up with you and then he just comes to the game. Now that's like I think it's podcast over and over and I don't know if I've heard that. I call him, I have

to call him Fitzpatrick. I have to say the wholes magic, Ryan, Well, the magic is not happening when you're on you know, and you're undergoing the knife. So yeah, he's got a lot of fat. Then I know you're excited about that. The Fangs are coming out in New York. For Jason Garrett, I think it's like everyone the media like held off one game and now now them and the fans are kind of like, who, Like, this is not what we need, Jason. You know the Garrett haters, they're strong. I've never been

as anti Garrett as you are and others. But listen from Daniel Jones is your quarterback and see Juan blows out his knee like three weeks into your first year on the job. I don't know who's gonna fix that offense, but yeah, they probably could go with more fresh thinking. If this doesn't work out, let's pick the game and then we have a big announcement to make who. Okay, I think Washington is the better team. They're at home, it's on a short week, so are we doing scores too?

Sure Washington? Oh wow, Washington's favored by three and a half in this game, So I'm gonna try to thread the needle here. Washington gets to win. But it's just like a one point seventeen sixteen events of slug Fest. And I'm also going to predict Chase Young is the man on the podium after the game with Conny on the sati A set. Rather as you promise you one

thing honey. Yes, if the Reds, the Washington football team rolls and mantes sweat and Chase Young and you get him up on the dais, will you introduce them as young and sweaty? Promise me that because that's what we need, or introduce it as a through and if they're if they're on the show post game, I will get in a young and sweaty reference. What if I just hold

on of them? Do you get out of it? Or can you introduce the Yeah, if it's only half of them, if it's young Because Colin today, I actually mentioned young and sweaty, but right after it said that it was a catchphrase. Um that is in process cooked up by Dan hansis are you going to drop young and sweaty Colleen? But not also mentioned it? Creator? That would be blasphemous. Don't need it, That's okay, No, don't worry. Dan will be mentioned. If I'm mentioning young and sweaty, I'm not

not mentioning Dan Hansen. Well twist my arm. Good idea, Mark you're picking. I picked it for the site and I don't remember what I picked, but I'm gonna go with um. Well, I picked Washington. I went with the score to seventeen, and I think Chase Young has three

and a half sacks in this game. All right, And I'll pick the Giants here just because the NFC East is weird and I just kind of have a feeling that Giants defense that we were just talking about didn't really show up last week, shows up and confuses the young heine key, let's call it to ten. Ju wept them last year. The Giants won both those games last year. Judge has dan number. All right, Connie, stick around here.

Big announcement um. The Around the NFL podcast is proud to announced that for the third time we will We're going to London. How about that the podcast is off to London next month, less than a month from now. And just a little cherry on top for the old user it will be for the Week five matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the New York Jets. The boy who will leave them in the Land of the Queen. I'm so jealous. I know, I didn't know if Connie was hoping to hear like a second part and it's

like second part where it's like and you're coming with us. Wait, Connie, you do have like eight trillion frequent flyer miles because of your job, right, can you join us because we does have a job though, Yeah, I know, but come on, the fans out there who have always been so incredibly kind to us in the UK. It's it's been a lifeblood of this podcast, and we love you and we can't wait to be out there with you. We're gonna try to cook up some stuff to interface with the

fan base. But if but if we went like get with other humanoids, what are we doing? Like I Reddit ask me anything, But I'm at the tiny boxes with us. I mean, I would love, love, love, love love to go. London is one of my favorite places. I did an a t N meet up there one time without you guys. It was so much fun. But I have to do the pregame show that day for that game, so also a great place to do it at the game, I know,

first of all. But like you, um, you like you know that we cook you into about fourteen hours of extra work and planning that you weren't preparing for. I will know one thing, um, for the second time in a row. It will and this doesn't matter to anyone, but like it will actually be my birthday while there, so I continue to build on life experiences that are not shared with my actual nuclear family. Um, but yet with you guys. Hey, football is family Mark. That's what

they're telling me. It's not always um. I mean, I like that you're positioning this as if it's something you're you're so you know, strongly upset about. I'm not upset. I'm it's just it's a fat Well no, I'm shifting into the mode where like a single woman in her late thirties, you celebrate your birthday for like a full month with like eighteen and nineteen events. So, well you

heard that England. If we if you guys have the time, it's only less than four weeks, but start those celebration plans for Mark Sessler because he is coming to town. All right, that's great. How fun is that? Well? How well, yeah, and all this stuff. Hopefully we'll have a nice show. Well, we'll do lots of things and special preemptive thank you to Henry Hodson, the vice president of International, all the people over at the NFL UK office, Nick Pike in

the whole gang and also Sky Sports. So we've had a great relationship with for years. We are not going back over there. Um if not for all of those people, uh and those um departments, So thank you to everybody. Uh. We will interface with you as well when the time comes and we and we didn't say it, but we're we're back on sky Sports. You can watch that in the UK, but you can watch that all over the world if you get your sky Sports NFL package. We'll

be doing hits throughout every Sunday. Little you know, it's just endless self promotion, endless. It's endless. Look at me content. They just made it to our fifteen, you know, one fifteen of this show. They might want, they might be curious, they might uh, they might or they might have had more than enough. I mean, I'm just saying that there are different types of people out there, so well we do that often. Yeah, maybe as you get Bob out

there in England will do a remote throwback podcast. I thought Bob was anti a t N podcast at the moment. Is he shifted off that? I don't know. It's he's a little salty about my promotion promotional efforts. I'm not like Greg who's like jr VP every Yeah, that's right, eating up, eating up precious into the show, talking about his other show. I like it, Greg, I'm glad you did.

How precious is how precious? I don't know really as Yeah, all right, and Ricky, you're excited for London too, I imagine. I'm so excited. We've been going back and forth with the UK Office and there's a lot of planning to do, which I'm so excited about. But I can't believe we're getting back over. It's just gonna be there. Yes, Ricky, we can hang out when I when I'm there, I'm sure, sure, absolutely. How's your podcast going? Is that off the ground yet?

The old split Ends pod with Split Ends Split Ends, that's coming out in a couple of weeks. I think our launching is October four? Is it October? Fat? I get? I bet our podcast gets the China before that podcast begins. Well, we've got I Heart Radio behind it, so we'll see what happens. But what could go wrong? Good stuff, good stuff,

Thank you, Annie. Check out Thursday Night Football of course NFL Network and Connie's anchoring that coverage, UM pre halftime post Jesus stud Alright, we'll be back on Thursday with our week to preview podcasts, and of course Friday NFL Network, The True Around the NFL Show where we dig in on all thirty two teams and yes, we're on to London in less than four weeks to watch the Jets life. Life is filled with ups and downs. I'm balanced. It's good. Look,

that's a winnable game, Danny, that's a winnable game. I'm making the Jets the favorite right now here. A good call.