Pats- Jets Recap; TNF Preview, Eagles Talk with Bo Wulf

stop eating them? I don't remember that narrative. Usually when you reference food, it will be something about meat, like you're eating pig liver or something. You don't usually move into the baking realm when you're making your food takes. And I don't remember making any comments myself, So yeah, that was a mystery to me too. I don't either, But I do wonder as a food to arryan Mark famously just you know, don't like food? How has how has it been you know and locked down? You know,

coronavirus time? As a foodittarian, well, I think we all had our period where you were just eating way too much take out um and and and as parents, you I fall victim of eating what the kids eat too often, which is unpleasant. But I have developed a love for ramen noodle UM, which I don't think I had, you know, in my system um previous. But I take out or like the thirty cent things from the groceries, well, a little bit of both. Take out for has I've had

some delicious take out ramen um. But since we moved to Hawthorne, California, home of the Beach Boys, UM, I've been using more the cook at yourself versions, which are just delightful and they're easy to make. I you know, I can make those without directions. No, I would love I would love Mark for you. You know Mike Low from the Beach Boys, the one that's no one likes. Sure for you to just start wearing the Beach Boys based all cap that Mike Low wears an all time

to cover up his bald spot. You mean Mike Love because his nephew was on the Cavaliers or is on the Cavaliers for for a while there. Yeah, he loves his nephew. His nephew. Yeah, Mike Love, though is notoriously um. He had some reasons to be annoyed with uh, one of the Beach Boys. He passed away. I don't think we need to get to it on this show, but there were some stuff that I would see as a it would it would it would end some friendships if if someone did the same. Let's put it that way. Okay,

See that's good. You have both sides now covered of the Beach Boys controversy here on the Around the NFL podcast Very Busy show, you mentioned your children. My family left for Texas this morning. So the house is silent and weird. I don't like it two weeks and you like it a little bit. Well, I like it probably for two days, but I don't. I don't know. I'm it's just not my thing. Uh So it's very quiet

and weird here. So it's good to have company with you, gentlemen and all of our listeners across the world as we dig into the final game of week nine, the first game of week ten, and we have a guest this week. Uh you know, you might have remembered our Wheel of Team series that was very divisive amongst the fan base. People upset that they thought the Wheel of

Teams was rigged. That wasn't we're not bringing back the wheel, but we're we wanted to focus in on one team now once we're in the season, it will be the Philadelphia Eagles. And to do that, we are going to speak with Bo Wolf of the Athletics. So we're excited, uh to do that. So let us get this show rolling, and yes, start with what went down Monday night at

the Meadow Ends. Jets have a time out left that they wanted Folk all the way and it is good with the seals of the clock, Nick Folk the field goal from fifty one yards away, and that's how the Jets fall to Oh and fine, I'm a Patriots fight on for another day. That's Steve Levy, who, by the way, was just on the Rich Sumini of ESPN dot com Flight Jacks podcast. He's a Jets fan, so that might have been a tough call for him. Yes, Nick Folk, the Extjet hits the fifty one yard or lifting the

Patriots to win over Gang Green. The Pats wiped out at ten point fourth quarter deficit in this game too. Clearly, let's be honest, save their season potentially here, they lose to the Jets on Monday Night. With the Ravens coming up in a week, they're they're done, potentially two and six with two and seven on the way, but they saved their own bacon Greg Rosenthal, and they did it because they dominated the fourth quarter in a way you

don't typically see in our league. Yeah, you got a take what you can get, you know, as a fan or just as a person in the year. I think I think this is gonna go down as the high point of the Patriots season, which which sounds funny, Like there's a way you could look at this is like it's it's sad how how far they've fallen that they gotta come back from ten um or you could just like enjoy enjoy the moment that they gotta come back. It was fun at the offense and Cam Newton made

plays and that's it. You know. It's sometimes NFL seasons like if you're a fan, you're you're hoping for a destination, right, the Patriots have no destination. You know, there, this is there. I think in the best case scenario, they're winning six or seven games. I think they're one of the worst teams in the NFL. They're definitely one of the worst defenses in the NFL, and I don't think that changes. Um, So you got you gotta like take take what you

can get and have some fun along the way. They might have a couple of fun wins like like this. You you do not want to lose to the Jets. That would have been uh embarrassing, I think for Bill Belichick and and everyone else considering where the Jets were at it. But there it's not like something you come out of and you think, Okay, let's let's uh you know, get it going, let's save our season. Like they're cook there.

There's no coming back from the lack of talent that they have, uh in the front seven of their defense. I think if you're a Jets fan, this was and and this is my takedown, you may have a different one on the Jets, but the best possible outcome because they were competitive and this was their first real look to have Jamison Crowder, Brashad Perriman and Denzel Mims who who we are starting to see moments from Denzel Mims to give you hope they were They hadn't been on

the field together all season. And I know it's Joe Flacco, but Flac Flacco played uh like the Flacco of old. I mean, I you know, he can't move and stuff, but he he he found big plays against the secondary of the Patriots have no pass rush. I mean, but but you cannot come out of this thing with a win. And I know that it's different for the players and the coaches, but the Jets right now have the Chargers, the Dolphins, the Raiders, the Seahawks, the Rams, the Browns

and the Patriots. Again, if you get through that with the number one pick, you're you're looking at a front office with a bevy of other selections. Um, you will go get the best quarterback available. With a new coaching staff, the era of you know, laughing stock scenarios for the Jets would end quickly. And so had they won last night, And you know, I thought when they drafted Sam Donald too well, but he's been put in a terrible situation.

I think you'd start to see the team hopefully take a bit of a turn with a better general manager, more selections. And you know, Trevor Lawrence grades higher than any of these quarterbacks that have come through the system in the last five or six years. So bigger picture, I mean, it would be nice to not, you know, go oh in sixteen, but you don't want to fall out of that number one position. I mean yes, I was told that repeatedly on Twitter by people that are

texting me. Don't let your team win keep losing. All right, fine, I guess good job for by the Jets last night. You know, I thought the Jets were stepping on the rake from either direction last night. And Mark, you you'll get fired up about Twitter middle middle school as you call it um quite often and usually I don't, but you know, when you're a little closer to the situation, it, Uh, it's annoying because last night, basically it was coming from

all directions. You had the bottomless Belichick conspiracies, which were really cute all week. Mark, I'm not coming after you, but about them. In thousand people, Uh cooked up that same exact theory that Belichick was gonna ruin the Jets season. So you had that going on. And um, so if the Jets win, Belichick gets the best of you and you laugh at them for ruining the tank for Trevor Sweepstakes. If the Jets lose, everyone gets to laugh at them

for their incompetence. Uh. And that's just where things are right now, and it makes football less fun for me. But I did enjoy that they actually were competitive in this game and that I take a positive out of that, just because I don't like watching the team get absolutely killed week after week. And with the Patriots, it's like

that wasn't the Patriots having a bad night? That was like, can you believe that the Patriots, you know, overlook the Jets that that they had a trap game with the Ravens and they almost like, no, the Patriots aren't good, they are not a good team. And the fact that, uh, if the Jets were just competent in the fourth quarter with their with some decision making and play calling and maybe get one stop on defense, that Jets should have won that game going away. So yeah, the Patriots I

think are are still in deep trouble. Uh. But for the to your point, Mark like, I get it, I get it. And Jets fans are so starved and neglected after years of abuse that there's a vocal portion of the fan pace van fanity. So that will just get after you and deride you as a fool for even entertaining the notion that you shouldn't root for your team to go oh and sixteen. But I think life is too short for owen sixth. Just because you win, you win one game in Week nine doesn't mean they just

don't get Trevor Lawrence. And even if they get Trevor Lawrence, it doesn't mean that Jets are gonna all of a sudden be a functional franchise. I just wanted to live in the moment, beat Belichick and have a nice we don't get that exactly. It's against your rival team. And that's why, like, I that was a good night to stay off Twitter. I was on it early on and I was just like, I don't need this. I'll send a few out if it was really good, feel it

it's fired. But everyone was very clever. But then Joe Bob, Yeah, it does seem funny that. And I read this weekly column by Mike Sando on the Athletic and there's always all these like theories of like why Belichick's doing this from like and this isn't fans, so I put it in a different category. It's from other coaches and GM's wise Belichicks saying this are they are they taking? Are they? Why is he making these He's so in everyone's head

that they can't just accept that the team's terrible. And and and you said, like they saved their season and I saw some stuff early on Twitter, like like, you know, this could really put the nail on the was Like people have not watched the Patriots since the Chiefs and Seahawks scheme because it's not the offense. There's so much focused on Cam Newton in the running game and the

in the offense. Look, they've they've don the best they can, and I think they've done that for the most part the last couple of weeks and more or less a lot of the season. They're doing the best they can. I think they could be functional. But it's the thirty first strength defense in the league according to d v o A. And there without guilt, you know, there without stuff on Gilmour. And maybe they're a little better when they get him back. He's a defensive Player of the Year.

Of course he'll help, but that that's it. Lauren skuy like, Okay, maybe you get him back here a little better. They're terrible. I mean there there's no way they're gonna be able to survive. And and it's a different sort of terrible if you're if you're the Jets, if you want to look at like the flip side and be positive. Um, they have a left tackle it's frustrating McKay beck and keeps losing these games, and there's some taka. It was about him struggling breathing that that's a concern. Um, But

you found him, You found Denzel Mims. Like you have a couple of young players on the team, show show me the young players on the Patriots front seven that they're finding. They played twenty two guys last night, most of them like ten to fifteen staffs. They're just cycling through undrafted free agents looking for anyone uh to step up. And so even that part of the season has been been a struggle for the bag. I don't think belitics playing head games. The most honest statement he made is

we sold out all these years. We spent our money. We we went and got Super Bowl trophies, which is a perfectly acceptable like, but doesn't explain why they've drafted poor. Well they drafted but but but you don't come out of that twenty year journey saying pointing at all the issues the Patriots have. They they bottomed out right now to some degree. They have the fourth most cap space entering one. I think you know they're they're they're going to have a chance to rebuild. But Dan, I mean,

don't forget. As a Browns fan, I've been through what you're going through. They were one in thirty one over two years, and you want to talk about shots and jabs and humor and whitcrack directed the Browns. It's been going on for twenty years. I want a playoff games since I was in since So I'm with you, I hear you, but you have to. You cannot come out of this without the number one prize. And so I think of Monday Night win would have been nice and

one in fifteen. I'll get you there, but it's just not worth. It's just not worth. Daggers have a very tough schedule with you, Mark, and I'm not looking to do like a measuring stick of who has more pain or anything. But what I'm saying is, I mean, you literally write that column. And I say that humorously. But let's say and I had the Browns out of the gems um. But let's say the Browns are oh and eight and it's week nine and you're playing the Steelers.

Shout out, thank you, Paul Redd and you're you're playing the Steelers and you have a chance to beat the Steelers. Are you one of the people one of the Browns dans saying I want to lose this game and then lose seven more and go oh and sixteen when they when they so they went to the one in fifteen years? Do you remember that they were in a race with the Niners for the number one pick And I was openly rooting for Cleveland to lose because there was no value or joy in those But you're doing it in

early November and December is different. But my thing is, look at I am a little different than you, and I think this sort of I see your dad and you when you you want the Jets to prevail and beat the that is not how I always said that that that to to beat the Patriots. I get it. But I think if you're if you're Cleveland, you went so many years where you just had the third or fourth pick. You didn't get there with the number one pick,

and they kept missing on quarterbacks. And if they're done with Sam Donald, you cannot fall for anything other than getting Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields looks interesting too. They're gonna get one of those two guys. But this is a dance. This is a dance. They're gonna have to do real nimbly with the Donald thing too. I mean, it's a bit of a drama. But if I'm Donald, I want out of there. And Jets fans are in a tough place because it's not easy. It's not easy

or organic to root for football. The life force goes out when you're when you're having the route for your team to lose life Greg Greg like, life is too short, but you have you, but you have no idea why when I was going through sure as an adult, but during the most emotional time I ever was as a fan, Like my favorite season was Dick McPherson going six and ten because that was like the most fun they were for about a seven year period, And that's what I

was like, more more like living and dying and disappointed that the next day. All I mean is like the the the result of last night doesn't guarantee the pick. It's like it's like Dan said, you just want to have it. It's kind of like how I viewed that game as a Paths fan, Like on one sense, it's it's disarming to have such low stakes, like to be a Patriots fan, like there felt like there was no steaks to that game. Really, I even started thinking, you know,

you start rationalizing. It was like, well, if you ever got to lose the Jets, like this is the season to do it. But it's still fun to just watch your team win. Like that's really all I'm looking for. I have to just like you, Mark, I have two young boys at home. It's it's Monday night game, and it would have been nice to have them sitting on

the couch and enjoy Jets win like that. That's part from me, part of the fan experience, even if like the smarter fans out there telling me, and again not a shot at you, but this is more what was out there telling me, You're an idiot for wanting your team to win because you're gonna get Trevor Lawrence and win the Super Bowl once you have that set. None of that's guaranteed. I've been following this team in the spot long enough that like nothing's promised, So I just

wanted that win. But maybe it does. Maybe it is. Maybe this is the biggest moment Jets history. It could be. Who knows. The one last thing. I mean, there's another you know narrative here, and there's there's a lot of season left. Donald comes back. These wide receivers are healthy, Donald could play four or five really good games, they fall out of the mix. And that's not the worst

situation either, if you believe in Sam Donald. I mean, I feel like the weird thing is you're pushing what was and could still be a franchise quarterback alf the door, and it's like, that's you don't have nobody. You have Sam Donald, who four months ago everyone was super excited about. And I was watching that game and thinking, you know, they they made the game plan for Donald on some level.

They did a good head fake, making the Patriots think all these zero blitz is and Joe Flacco spinning it, and I'm thinking they would be better off with Darnald out there. I wouldn't have much faith in Donald having a night that. Like, I mean, they we knew Donald was We knew Donald wasn't playing on Friday, so Saturday

weird if they were game planning for him. Still, But all good points, and I think you're right, Mark, With Perriman, Mims and Crowder there, that's actually pretty solid wide receiver group. And now that we've seen Flacco be able to move the ball, now Donald assuming comes back after the bye healthy. Now you get here, kids, seven weeks shows that you can deliver those type of games, and if you can't, we're moving on. So anyway, there you go. Good job, Greg,

Congratulations on another Patriots win over the Jets. All right, before we get to bow Wolf to talk the Eagles and Carson Wentz, let's look ahead to Week ten and a big matchup in the a f C South. Thursday Night football opens with a really really solid game here, Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans, first place in the a f C South at Steak in this one. The Colts coming off, um, you know, a loss to the Ravens where the offense did not look very good at all.

The Titans defense got back on track against the Bears. But can you trust any judgment day on a defense when they're playing the Bears. I don't know. Uh, this is gonna be a good game on a short week, tough challenge for both teams in the middle of November. Mark,

what are you thinking here? Well? I think it's you know, we we always get into these strength on strength type scenarios, but I like the idea of the Cults defense versus a really tough Titans offense that's not quite been itself of late, and and I kind of was trying to wonder why what might have happened there a little bit. I do think that there's a little bit of a drop off since they lost Taylor Luan, And I know that like ty Simburlow's come in there and done, um

a pretty good job. They're they're their line is fine, but you're playing a Cults defense that absolutely nullified the Ravens in the first half of that game and really almost you know, throughout until the Ravens came to life and in the in the midway through this third quarter, but fifty five yards at the half. I think with Darius Leonard in there, it's such a difference maker. They

they erase run games. So I want to see Titans, you know, Derrick Henry on the ground versus Cults defense that basically says, we're going to you know what we're gonna do. We're gonna take you away on the ground and then you have to survive through the air. And I mean they to me that's and that this is one of the better Thursday Night games in a while, because these two teams know each other so well too. In the end, it it's so important for this division.

You know, neither of these teams I would expect to get a one seed, but it's still is a big advantage to win your division, get a home game in the first round of the playoffs. Uh Ravels struggled, you know what, the Colts and one in three against them lost the Jacobi Brissett at point. I do remember there was like a Thursday night whitewash where Mariota got hurt in the and Andrew Luck just like creamed him. That

feels like five years ago. That was like, not that lie, it was about it was less than two years ago. So I think the Colts match up really well, not just like because it's a coaching matchup, because it just feels like this is a team Rivers can get do his thing against a team that's not gonna rush the pastor that well that he can move the ball uh

slowly down the field. And you mentioned the Colts, you know defense, their defensive line so deep, So if you haven't watched them a ton, they just have like six or seven guys that can make plays. Mohammed Dniko, Autrey Buckner, Houston. They kind of come in waves. And this Titans offensive line. You said it, Mark, that's what struck me the last few weeks. They're not playing that well. It's they're really required Tannahill to play at a really high level. He is.

He's definitely the better quarterback in this game. But I kind of think it sets up on both sides fairly well for the Colts. There. It's not a defense I think that's gonna trouble Rivers nearly as much as as most. Yeah, I see the Colts is ultimately Lee and the big picture pretenders when you're looking at who are the true

um A f C Super Bowl contenders. But at the same time, they're good enough and their defense is strong enough, and when Rivers gets time, he can still do things that they could beat teams like the Titans and lesser than type team. So I think this is a a good matchup for Indianapolis, and it's a lot of it goes back to the pass rush, because I think the teams with the good pass rushes are gonna give the

Cults hell. They don't run the ball too well and the quarterback can't move and that's just asking a lot for this version of the Colts. So Vic Beasley out the door. Obviously, they still get out of here, take our money and leave. Jenevan Clowney missed Week nine. I think he's questionable for this game. They need him to get back and and make an impact as a pass rusher. UM. I like the Titans in this Gangs. I think they're a better a better team ultimately and their home UM.

So that's where I'm going with this game. I think this is a Titans win. I think they take control and I think they all really can win the division going away. But I'm given the Cults more than a fighting chance here. I would take the Titans too. I think that they you know, they were a pr disaster with the Corona business, but they were pretty resilient with how they handled that. The one thing you mentioned that with Vic Beasley, I think it's they would have been

better served by a more successful offseason. The Vic Beasley thing happened. Clowney signing is not completely worked out for them, and I was looking at what's been going on with their first round pick, Isaiah Wilson, who they wanted to come in and be a part of that line that he would have stepped in and helped with Taylor the one out and I was reading an athletic article where a source said he has he is a disaster someone.

They called him lazy and useless. He's been he said Isaiah Wilson the last week they started him last week. I don't think he made it through the whole game though. He's had two exposures to Corona had y in September, and he he left a couple of weeks ago, just missed practice two days in a row with a headache, and basically Rabel was like, I can't work with these guys who practice on Fridays. So, I mean, that's been a hid and missed so far. Right, if he that's

one of those things. If he was on like a major team in a major market like that would be a huge story. But if you Tennessee is like the place where he can be a first round pick and have like a nightmare and no one pays attention. I want to see the Colts getting on him, hims the ball a little bit more. I've seen enough of Jonathan Taylor.

I mean, hind says juice if you need to run it up the middle post Jordan Wilkins, and they're just a better offense when when they have a little more and am hindes t Y Hilton looks like he will return for this game, which that does help them out. And we do want before we bring on one of Philadelphia's shining suns, bo Wolf. Actually don't know if post from Philadelphia. Colleen is and uh, I would like to see her. You know what might be the last time

we get it. Let's get Philip Rivers with the Bolo tie uh for the postgame show. I think the Times a win, but I'd be very cool with seeing Rivers mixing and up with the t NF crew and Connie and yes, now without for there Ado. First, they're gonna figure out where the hell bo bows from. I don't know. I took a guess there. It's not. I mean, I live in Los Angeles and I've worked for the NFL. I'm not from here. What an assumption. Let's welcome bow Wolf to the show from the athletic who covers. He

covers the Eagles and the NFL. There he is. Bow Let's first of all, let's you know what, I can almost tell by your background that you are from Philadelphia? Yes or no? Uh no? Actually and and Uh, you know, I would like to tell you that, uh, this background is the result of me not having a chance to scramble after you know, cleaning up spit up from my nine day old before the show started. This is just

our Birds with Friends background. Thank you. The truth is Dan, I'm from I'm from Westchester and once upon a time we shared pages in the Journal News. WHOA how about that? So there you go. I think, well, I think I sent this to uh, you know, Greg. A couple of years ago. I was researching a story on an old high school nemesis and there it was Dan hansis painting the picture of some picture on it and on the other side of the county, uh you know, his his

actions during the game or something like that. It was very it was very heated. I covered more on the Rockland County side, which was on the other side of the tapan Zee Bridge. Rest in Peace. I covered the Rockland County baseball beat. Ian Rappaport uh covered the west Chester County beat, and we would meet up at the sectionals up north and and get into some good times. But Bo is a Westchester dude. All right, that's been learned.

But what we really want to talk about bow here is the Eagles and more specifically, and I brought this up with the guys last week. I'm a Carson Wentz fan. I've always liked this game, and obviously in two thousand seventeen he damn near won the m v P before he blew out his knee. Uh. And now we're here at a crossroads in his career. So I want to talk about that. And I know your colleague sheel capaddada capatia, damn.

I knew I was gonna fail that wrong when he wrote a piece that went up today about whence his decline with a whole bunch of metrics, digging into the whole thing. Where where do you come down on this? What has happened to wins? And can he be fixed before the season is through? Well? I think that's the question, you know, the Eagles have to answer, and there's no

doubt about it. You know, if you read that that story by Shila, which everybody who's interested should um, the decline has been very real and precipitous since two thousand seventeen. You know, this year he is arguably the worst full time starting quarterback in the NFL. UM he has been I mean, that's it's hard to say that, but it's true. I mean, you watch that game. He was barely out playing Bend Nucci a couple of weeks ago. So, um, Benny Denuche as we call him um, So, I mean, listen,

he is he has been. Uh. He has had fumbling issues since the beginning of his career and that is the thing that he has been asked to work on and asked to work on and really has never fixed it and that has continued to rear its ugly head. But the interceptions, um, is a thing that he has been pretty low and interception rate in the past, but there was reason to believe coming into this season that that was going to regress, and it has regressed in a big way. Uh. He has given away the ball

more than any other quarterback. But he's also not really you know, creating the big plays. When he's not turning the ball over, he's taking sacks. He's been inaccurate, and you know, it's one of those things where you have to try to find out how much is Wentz, how much is the supporting cast, how much is the team they've put around him. Everybody certainly shares a part of it. But you know when you draft a quarterback in the

second round and you're starting quarterback is playing this badly? Uh, it's the recipe for you know, a lot of discussion. Yeah, I I was taken in that article. You know how a little excuse making Shield made because the injuries have been there. But you know, the performance has come down, but the injuries have been kind of a constant. So the part that uh that gets me as is he

less athletic than he used to be. And uh, because that's important, Like and I think watching them you sort of forget what he looked like in how he would have made the rush. He's still athletic, um, but maybe not like the sudden sort of pocket movements and everything. Uh, not as accurate. I've always thought he wasn't that accurate, But just like the numbers say, he's not as accurate. Now now I'm thinking, though I didn't know you only had a kid nine days ago. Both congrats, Thank you

the way. So did we make you know? You do Birds with Friends, a podcast about the Eagles with Shield and Zephyr. He drops a big hammer, you know, a lead story on the athletic today. You just had a kid, did we make a mistake having you on the show. Well, no, but I'm sure that we're going to talk about this on Birds of Friends and and he's gonna have a lot to say. So yeah, he's he's been itching to come on. I'm sure. I I asked you, Uh, you're responsibly when I asked you on the show. Was really

funny to me. You just thought you were surprised that we didn't have better things to talk about. Well, I said this on our on our last episode. You know, it's it's date two with the newborn. Were in the hospital and they're and they're telling us, you know, this is gonna be a tough night. The baby is still thinking it's in the womb and now it's just figuring out it's not. So it's gonna be up all night. She's gonna be all all night. And it's Sunday night

football the Cowboys. And by the time the Eagles have their second ridiculous turnover, she's fast asleep. They put her to sleep. So that's how boring the singles team has been. Um. But my response was, well, I always overrate the Eagles that I always have high hopes for them. Um. And

you said they well they've overrated them too. I want I kind of want you to unpack that because I think there is something too that that the Eagles always think and I think and some some of the people covering the team, I always think they're like this jugger not roster waiting to come. And the reality is their

five with with Wentz since the Super Bowl. Yeah, and I think it's sort of endemic of you know what got them to the super Bowl, and that was pushing Chips in and that is how he Roseman's m O. He does it, you know, every year, he does it at the trade deadline, he does it in the off season. But uh, this time has sort of always been coming. With the way this roster has been built. They keep extending the older players. You know, you look at the

offensive line. They've got these four offensive linemen locked up over the edge of thirty. You know, it's you can't really say it's bad luck that so they've they've suffered so many injuries there and they entered this offseason, um coming off two straight years of having a pretty mediocre offense and a defense that was injured a lot. But Jim Schwartz was able to sort of you know, make

them mediocre middle of the road. And what they did this offseason was they decided, we're gonna leave the offense as is. We're gonna, you know, use our big resources to sign Javon Hargrave to you know, fourteen million dollar deal and trade and signed Darius Slay and they did nothing veteran wise on the offensive side of the ball. All they did was draft Jalen Reagor in the first round, draft a backup quarterback in the second, and a linebacker in the third who hasn't even been been able to

get on the field. And guess what, Like, the offense has not been much better, it's obviously been much worse. They they sort of had found gold in Travis Fulgum, who has been you know, the one or two bright spots of the season. And the defense they're not getting what they paid for. I mean, Javon Hargrave has been bad and Darius Slay has been great. And guess what. The defense has gone from twelfth and d v O A to fourteenth in d v L A. So has

not made a big difference. Um. And you know they have they have this core that they have tried to keep together and it was always going to come to a point where those guys were gonna start declining. And right now, you know they've got an old, mediocre, expensive roster and next year that you do not have a lot of flexibility. So you know, thank god for the NFC East, but you know, big picture, league wide, it's it's not they're not in good ship, um, And I'm

left with questions. And there's been changes with the coaching staff. And it was chic to label the departure of Frank Reich as a huge loss for Wentz. But I see a player that you know, we we see him declining under pressure. The floor for Carson Wentz seems to be changing. And I don't see a quarterback and a head coach or a quarterback in a scheme that trust each other

right now. And it just seems to me that two thousand seventeen almost appears as a mirrage to some degree, and that the real Carson Wentz, you know, every quarterbacks dealing with injuries to some degree. And I saw that the Eagles lying in that article goal is still essentially eighth top ten and in past protection win rate, and so it's not just you know, the broken pieces around him.

Do you see Carson Wentz um with a lack of trust in the environments and maybe the coaching staff, because when you ask Doug Peterson about Carson wentz a couple of weeks ago, he seemed also baffled. So I it feels very murky. I think there is definitely something to that um and you talk about you know, first of all, the offensive line. This is gonna be this game. Probably their eight different starting offensive line in nine games, which

is insane. But Jeff Stiland has has held them up to be sort of a top ten offensive line performance wise. And I think too, to Gregg's point before, it's not just the athleticism, it's it's the pocket awareness and you know, the pocket comfortability that has really seemed to dissipate. Even as a rookie, he seemed comfortable in the pocket to to maneuver away from things, and now you know he's sort of fleeing at the first sign of trouble um when there is when there are opportunities for him to

step up in the pocket. Um. And you know, to the point of of all these voices in his head, this offense, you know, they didn't add people to the roster on offense this offseason, but they added a lot of coaches. They added rich S Gangarrello, who had worked with Kyle Shanahan, and brought back Marty morning Wag. And you know, it's it's sort of a question, you know, who is the person in Carson Wentz his ear? Is it Doug Peterson? Is it Morning Wig? Is it's Gangarrello?

Is it Press Taylor? Who's you know, the the passing game coordinator and also the quarterbacks coach. He's getting all these different pieces of advice, and it does not seem that that he is getting better in any appreciable way. He's you know, he is declining. All right, before we let you go bout two quick questions. Number one, what is the Eagles final record by New Year's Day? I'm gonna say they. I'm gonna say they win the division

at six nine and one. So you've got, you know, a city that has celebrated a championship a couple of years ago and was celebrating, you know, saving democracy this weekend is not going to be greasing down the polls for six nine and one. And okay, there you go. So that's history, and speaking of history and democrats, the I saw on Twitter that you did visit. You made the pilgrimage to four seasons total landscaping, and I believe

the North end of Philadelphia your takeaways. I gotta tell you this was This was Sunday and my other son, or my only son, my older child. You know, he's he's only napping in the car right now. So I decided him and I would take a little drive up to northeast Philly. And it's it's the pictures don't even do it justice. I mean, it is just a barren waste land of an area right next to the sex

shop and across the street from the crematorium. And they were now and then a couple of people, uh you know, pulling out front to take their self eas in front. So did you visit either of the Phildelphia lamar? Did you visit either of those two auxiliary places in business while you were you were there? I did not, because Casey had just fallen asleep in the cart. Yeah. Yeah, And I think that's illegal at least for one of them. All right, bow Wolf follow him on Twitter. Bow underscore Wolf,

and congratulations on the addition to the family. We all know the feeling and there's not a better one in the world. Thank you guys very much the first time, long time, so so happy to be here. Beautiful both, thank you for joining us. There, he goes from Westchester County, New York. Wow, it's good when the Lower Hudson Valley represents in a national sense. Were you there at the same time. I'm gonna I didn't want to fall too

far far down the Lower Hudson Valley wormhole. I'm going to connect with bo off Air to find out if we were together. Like it's like a would think it was Bernstein's crossing in the night. I mean, you could have who knows what you could have accomplished together as

a Duo's what's up breaking you said? You said, um one of us the legal Are you saying a sex shop is illegal or going to a creama bringing a child into I don't think you could take a child inside a sex shop, But if they're nine days old, no, no, that would do that. But either way, I don't know. I feel like they do curbside because like, if the child is younger than two weeks old, you could take them anywhere in the world than it works. I take my kids to the crematorium all the time. It's just

kind of gives you an appreciation of life. It's not gonna last forever. Enjoy it right now, bro, All right, before we go, I put out a call on Twitter for the mailbag, like to check in with all those listeners that we love. We just had as we talked about at the top of the Sunday show, mark what a reminder of how lucky we are with the hostag hashtag Godzilla phenomenon, where we asked the listeners deep into our Thursday recap podcast of Packers Niners to send us a nod if you made it to the end of

the fifteen minutes. Tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of replies getting them millions. Even so, what better way to thank the fans than involving them and including them in today's show. So I'm gonna go through a couple of a few questions before we take about here we go. Starting right here are from three naive algorithms in a trench coat, Kitty at Underscore Tripod, optimistic Miami

fan here looking at the last few games. For the first time in eons, it feels like we don't have any substantial holes in the team outside of running back. I actually think we might be able to draft the strongest player available with every pick in Do you guys agree? Remember that, in addition to all the sunny optimism around the Dolphins right now, they also have the first and second round picks of the Texans, who are one of

the worst teams in the league this season. What do you think right um the framing of the question, I have a problem with that they have no major holes, so they can draft where wherever they want. I mean, I love the way the Dolphins are coached and and so far in a tiny sample side, they love their quarterback. That's like the most two important things you can have. I would not put them in the top twenty most talented teams in the NFL. I think they could use

help almost everywhere up for maybe the secondary. Um so, so, yeah, they they still need to be adding more like blue chip players. I think Floris is shown though, like if you get some good players will know what to do with them and have them cohesive. I'll give you a little bit of optimism. We were just asked to make our mid season picks for NFL dot Com. The huge event in our lives and the lives of readers. Um, but I picked you Miami to go to the super

Bowl in a rematch with Arizona Chaos. And I'm telling you something. This Miami team reminds me of the two thousand and one Patriots will formed for after eight games. They're coached in a similar way. You've got a lot of guys that were no namers six months ago contributing. So listen, super Bowl is rich. But I really like the way the team uh is composed. I think that their future is so bright out there. I didn't think

that that this would even happen this year. Chris Greer clearly planned for what's gonna happen next year with all the picks. So there is we know, you know, Handsome Hankers a Dolphins fan. My brother is a Dolphins fan. They've had nothing to cheer for for so long. This is legit home being planted right now. It is a different type of situation. It's a problem for the Patriots that Florist is in this division. I really do think so.

I think the point um one of the analysts made last night that like Flacco was ready because you know, the Dolphins basically wanted to do the same thing that the Patriots want to do like two weeks before, but they're better at it. Like that's a problem for the Patriots, that they are the most patriots looking team of any of the Patriots acolytes that I've seen, good and bad and uh and Mark, We've been working for this company for ten or eleven years now, and you get it.

You get how the metrics works. You get how headline writing writing works. If you go out on a limb and one of those prediction articles and say, Dolphins to the Super Bowl. Mark Sessler is getting the pop on the social media handles. You might even get the headline is no bigger pop than you know, putting something on NFL dot com. In this industry right now, I mean, it's just it's it's gonna seal the future. Listen, I picked Dallas in August. That looks like a trash bag pick.

So it's like, why little wrong? You can't always go chalk with this hate the two more easan ones. It feels, Yeah, I tried to. I tried to keep everything the same unless it's totally impossible, because it just feels like it's it's like what happened. Am I right still with my original pick if it you know, if I change it now? I got the Stealers Super Bowl over the Saints, so I'm right good? What Adam rank and I responded to

this and no one else I did? I did it Derek Carr, Um, David Carr rather did respond, and I did want to point out with twenty eight people voted who's gonna win the m v P. Fourteen predicted Russell Wilson, thirteen predicted Patrick Mahomes, including me. No one I predicted Aaron Rodgers, which you know it's crazy because I think he might be my pick right now. Um. One person picked um Derek Carr as the m v P. That was David Carr, his brother. There you go, yeah, Van Hansas,

My brother was in the NFL. I do the same thing, all right, Josh Alstrom, Right, steer Dan. If the Broncos traded for Sam Donald as a backup, he says, and he became a stud stud how would that make you feel? I know you're a notorious Broncos hater. I am not a Broncos hater. I like to give it to John Elway a little bit, because that guy has been on top of the world, this whole life, and somebody's got

to take him down a peg. But yes, it would be very wise for a team to invest in Sam Donald to give him a shot, including the Broncos, who, like we said, entering this year, need more options than Drew Luck Drew Lock. Robert rich writes. Mark mentioned that the first football card he ever owned was a Richard Todd that's another former Jet as a football card junkie. I'm intrigued what years slash brands of football cards did Slash does he collect? Did he experience the joys of

Process three? I was in on Process Process I. I literally, um, I made a huge mistake in my twenties because I had collected the entire first year of Process. Now Proceeds got really hot and like it was the kind of brought football cards back into the zeitgeist a bit. And because here's what they do. They had announcer cards. I'd I would well, I had a Bob Costas Proceeded card in my wallet for like all four years of high school. They kept re they kept reissuing like new segments of

the of the collection. It was like suddenly, it's like eighteen stadium cards, and so like I kept, I had a thick binder. I finally got the entire first year, not the second, but the first year. And then, for some reason, UM met these two kids at a wedding in my twenties, these young boys, and they love football, and I decided to give them the entire binder. I

drove to the house. They gave a wet well, I know, I am saying it was hideously John moved because I didn't the fact that I could have given them to my own children, like down the road, so very dumb moved. I. Um, what the card I would really love is the two thousand twelve Tops edition of Bob this from the Olympics when he had pink eye. That's the card that I've always wanted and coveted. Did you ever break did you ever break out that your card? Like during a date

in high school? Just like show show the girl, Hey, I want to show you my beating up Bob cost this trading card. And if I were going on a lot of dates in high school, I probably wouldn't have been worried about that to begin with. I mean, it's you know, no, you know this isn't gonna happen for another ten years or so. But one day this guy is gonna soapbox about gun control during halftime of a football game. You know what, the two of you that

you lack the key ingredient of soul within you. If you feel this way about a broadcaster who you're, you're it's your gut. You guys are gonna get old too, And there there's gonna be viewers that the fifty eight or sixty year old version of you guys, they won't remember the youthful zeal uh packed you know, joy, humorous

young versions. But when when we get that age, just podcast is gonna be terrible moving on right, uh And if you're an older listener, that doesn't mean everyone is bad when they get late in their fifties and sixties. There's just uh taking the qbs out of the conversation. Who has been your favorite rookie to watch this season? Greg? I hate these open ended questions are tough. Off the top of my head, just justin Jefferson is the one

that comes to mind quickly. I really think if he was on another team that was winning games, people, Yeah, statistically, he's having one of the best seasons of rookie's ever had, and he just looks like he's the He is a number one receiver as a rookie. Do not see that too often? And I think it's a weird year because I like he comes to mind, but very few others do. I do. I do like the fact that, um, I ticketed Patrick Queen for Rookie of Defensive Rookie of the

Year and he's he's in the race. Um, there's no good there's no dominant defensive a lot of offensive play. There's a ton of receivers are doing well, but we're but we're getting one of the great rookie quarterback classes of all time, So I don't really care. Um McKay Beckton's my pick for obvious reasons. It's just fun hitting on the left tackle and then seeing him bully star players. Hopefully he can stay healthy next massive. You know, my hea, you could fit all three of us inside of him.

Andrew Lewis asks have any of the heroes picked up any new hobbies during COVID times? Smart No, they've been reduced. Um I don't. I mean, I probably am reading more, but that's not a new hobby. It's just something I

stopped doing. But like, no, I haven't like picked up like salsa dancing or like, hey, let's have a let's you know, have a really cool like husband and wife hobby to do together while the kids are you know, awake fourteen fifteen hours a day screaming no our weekly I do like a weekly sort of beach you know date with you know, my kids, and sometimes we meet

up with a friend. That's about it. I don't know if I've added a hobby, but that includes Walker, my son's obsession, which is we like role play football games where I'm he wants to be all time cornerback and just break up passes and tackle, which I appreciate. I'm good and uh he you know, he like he can cancox various scenarios. Is first down, third down, you know, keeps the score. He always has to win. But that that's my hobby. Do that an hour or two week.

I tape the Power Ranking Show with Money on Tuesday mornings, and Matt Money Smith, who's a renaissance man and really seems to be successful on anything he sets his mind to. Recently, and I guess the last few years, picked up surfing and he's out there every morning and he's got the wet suit and it doesn't matter. I was forty five

degrees today this morning. He's out there in the water and he's telling me how it's the only place you know, you know the way surfers are, it's the only place where the world really makes sense and all that stuff. And he's saying he takes his kids out there and they have amazing bonding moments. And I was really jealous because I don't think that's ever gonna be my thing.

But I also was thinking, like, I'm forty and um, I don't think I should be playing like Madden and m VP Baseball on the PS four for the rest of my life. I probably have hit the moment in my life where it's time to pick up something new, and I'm just I think I'm going to make that a New Year's resolution to figure out a hobby that will take me into suggestions from the listeners what should be Dan's hobby solid I will stay real quick that

I should have I forgot about this. Matt money Smith actually does figure into a hobby for me, and I mentioned it to him once before. But I drive Luke to a little friends where he does remote schooling with every day. It's just like a thirty minute drive. We listened to Matt Money, Money and Petros every single day. Um, coming back and we listened to Talk Sports Radio on the way up, and he has lots of questions. So I stopped listening to Talk Sports radio because I was

never driving. Um, it's been a delight driving. You're not in night driving. There you go driving listening to Petris and Money. Please. Rackesh Prodden asks what brand new rules should be added to the game and be retained forever. I chose this one from racksh because I feel very strongly about this. It happened again on Monday night on a hit from Ashton Davis on Cam Newton that resulted in a personal foul. I am all for as much player protection as you could build into the rule book

without really destroying the game. But if you're gonna do that, and you're gonna have these guys on the field, the officials tracked the game at the speed it's being played, and you're gonna be throwing flags for fifteen yards that can completely reset a drive or even a game. Why don't we add an eye in the sky element and

allow the opposing coaches to challenge. Uh, these late hits, whether it's shot down the middle on a wide receiver being popped by a safety or even a safety or a pass rusher coming off the edge and hitting a quarterback, I'm fine with that. I also think why isn't delay a game challenge? Wible? The Texans got a seventy yard touchdown. They snapped it three seconds after the clock. That should

be to be able to review that too. We've got some breaking news that Dan it's atitimate bit at breaking news. The NFL has unanimously improved playoff expansion sixteen teams if the nineteen eliminates meaningful games. This has been reported pretty widely for a week now that this might be coming, but now the NFL is officially doing it, which means we can officially talk about it. I don't love it, just because I'm worried about whether it could be something

that happens in the future. It's six it would be sixteen teams, um, but this is a crazy year and this is just a way to I suppose make back some money. Frankly, if if COVID nineteen knocks out some regular season games for some teams, which feels increasingly possible. Fifty six players or personnel tested positive for COVID last week in the NFL, the previous high for a week was so that the high doubled UM and so you know they're coming up with some plans. It would be

a sixteen team tournament. It would really bang the one seeds well. And speaking of speaking of talk radio, I heard Dan Patricks say that an NFL source told him that if UM that this is what they want to do for good, division would be be sixteen teams, not just this year, but if they if this goes well, and this would be kind of a test case with with how it's perceived UM. But it also I believe

includes not just division winners one through four. If I I want to go read this again, but I think there was talk of it being seeded by winning percentage, which means the Eagles would not host a playoff game. If that's if that's the way this rule would be enacted this time around. I'm looking at it right now. The conference standings, if if we did go one versus eight, it would be Steelers against the Browns in the opening round.

In the NFC would be Saints versus on two three Saints versus Niners would be the one eight matchup there. You know what, the NFL needs to build in these protections. Speaking of protections, uh, and then I think they should take it a step further and put everybody in a bubble as soon as this regular season ends. I don't know if that's gonna happen. It doesn't sound like it is, but they need to cover their asses here. I hate I hate the sixteen teams. We don't need to see

the we don't. We don't. I didn't like the the I don't need to see the thirteenth and fourteen team either that that that ship has sailed. Those teams are never teams. I'm like, need to see them for another week. Twelve was perfect sixteen to me. I hate it. Well, it's teams that have done with it this year, but I hate it after this year to make the playoffs, you need, you want to you want people to see you as a playoff team, and you're gonna be inviting in teams that did not get the job done. And

I think it. I think it's a problem. If it's one year thing, that's cool, but like, uh, expanding playoffs in the NFL is is a terrible idea in my opinion, because you're gonna already get one or two teams in there that we all laugh at. That's not a good product. All right, there you go, there's some good breaking news. Greg. Sometimes you've been a little hot and cold over the years with your breaking news. But it looks like you might be turning in the corner. Yeah. That affirmation is

like better than any Patriots when you know. It's great. Alright, good stuff, good show. Thank you everybody that's sent in mail, bad questions. Uh, next time you hear from us, it will be I believe a Sessler Rosenthal joint right Thursday Night football this week? Who's on the Thursday night game? This? I mean, I know, I am. Um, Well, we'll talk after the show. Then there you Go'll be Greg, most likely in a mystery guest recapping the Titans Cults pre game.

We just previewed. And then yes, we have our NFL Network show that airs on Saturday morning with additional re air and then yes, Sunday night, the flagship program returns, hopefully with Chris Weston. All Right, this is Dan Hanson signing off for White Storm, the Old Boss Rack Hollywood behind the Virtual glass Well until Thursday m