QB Index with Nick Shook and Week 8 Primetime Preview

The Around the NFL Podcast. He's uh your guy.

Welcome to another edition of the Around the NFL Podcast. I'm Greg Rosenthal in the Chris Westling podcast studio.

In a room, you.

Know, moderately filled with one hero, Mark Sessler. Doing things a little differently this Wednesday.

Well, you're a hero too, according to reports.

Uh uh, I think uh, Mark and and I can handle this weird week we've got.

We got a little extra.

Dan's been teasing it and keep an eye out overnight Thursday.

We've got a special episode.

But for this Wednesday episode, we're doing it a little different. Everyone liked the QB Index episode we did a few weeks back with Nick Shook, Mark, and we thought we would get a meeting of the minds here of the QB Index writers me you Shook. It's like an old trip down to the scientist lab to play mister Shook for his rankings.

I don't know, like I'm reading his his work every week. And number one, the writing has been sensational. I have a couple of little bones to pick, so hmm. I also, uh, we want to point out Dan.

Dan is expected to join us for the previews of the primetime games that will be the back half of this episode. And uh, you know we spend a lot of time together, Mark, Yes, we do, but this week more than ever.

Yeah a lot.

Let's bring in a third it'll take it'll take away the tension.

And it's a man. It's a man.

Uh that that works out, a lot, that researches, a lot, that watches a lot of football, and uh, he shouldn't just be stuck on Sunday nights. I mean, that is the flagship show, so it gets the most listens. We put him in a good spot there, but we want Shook in the middle of the week.

What's happening, Nick Shook? I love being in the middle of the week.

I don't know if I would want to be there every day like you guys, but I'll take anything I can get.

I'm happy to be here, guys, thanks for having me. I mean, what is going on in Cleveland these days?

By the way, like the streets or the streets wild as we're you know, set the record, we find out Deshaun Watson is out another week? Where is like the Browns fan base just on that. Do they share Mark's feeling that It's like, actually, we kind of like winning games without Deshaun Watson.

This is best case scenario.

I think that they're at the point where they're just tired, Like they're just like, well, we don't even know what to expect anymore. We're tired of asking the questions and just going to ride it out and just see what happens from week to week. The good thing is that the Browns are winning games. But you know, my biggest problem, what's going on in Cleveland right now? I got a walnut tree issue. I spent like forty five minutes last

That is an incredible It's an incredible I mean, do you have up an issue with like nature in the winter to come, just taking care of the walnuts through organic processes versus you toiling away with a rake and I am assuming a garbage can to shovel it into.

I'm tired of hitting my house and making noises and potentially damaging my roof over the years to come.

That's the biggest issue. We're you know, in the trash. You're a sound homeowner.

Okay, I Rick, I mean I wish I was a homeowner. That's pretty like exciting. I mean, like you you have like real, real adult issues that we don't come up with.

I also live in an area that's a lot cheaper to live in.

Right, although they do, you know, because we're renters, you know, they do have someone that like comes in.

Yeah, if there were walnuts with Rake, I love that there's not a walnut in sight, but we'd have someone to take care of it, you know.

So you've taken over QB Index. You've done a great job with it, Nick Shook, and we're going to go through it one to thirty two to start this show before we get to the primetime preview and see where we have knits to pick and see where we just want to hear your your analysis. So I'm going to start right at the top with the top five. We're going Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Tua, Matthew Stafford, and Lamar Jackson

To it makes sense. Lamar makes sense.

And then Stafford, who we got on you a ton for having way too low last time? Were you peer pressured Nick shook into just like boosting Stafford up.

Now he's in the top five.

No, no, I mean you guys do have that effect on me. I'm not going to take that away from you. You know, I look up to all of you as I've known you about a decade and appreciate your wisdom and value it very much. But at the same time, I think I had a bit of a course correction a week ago where I realized some guys were too low.

He's number six on this list too, by the way I left him out there, but it is pretty intriguing to see Cousins sixth on the list, and I have no problem with that.

I would say last year, to your point, I got a little luckier because Mahomes looked like an MVP for large portions of the season. You had the essentially the rise of Jaalen Hurts and so they were kind of one and two frame with Josh Allen and Joe. You had the best version of Joe Burrow too, So it was like that top five had very little change. But I think for readers because these lists are all over

Yeah, it's actually remarkable to shift in his performance. But the guy I think that best exemplifies what you just described as Jalen Hurts, because he's been the talk of the league the last couple weeks for turnover issues, right, But what that tells me more often than not is that people are scanning box stores. They're not watching the game on a play by play basis, because he does a lot of special things, whether it's extending the play

Yeah, two at three is an interesting one too. You've had him at one at various points. I thought he actually played quite well against the Eagles. And I don't mind a Dolphins fan that's like all fired up about the two MVPs. Caase he's got a chance. Lamar's got a chance. Mahomes always has a chance. It's very early. Stafford doesn't have a chance. But I love that he's

You should be my defense lawyer, because you just created a perfect case for me. I mean, that's exactly what I would explain that as is. I can't figure out who he is, and I don't know if it's more a product of the Bills offensive issues, which kind of stretches back a few years. But the thing that stands out to me the most is like Sunday was a

But he doesn't look comfortable.

And a few weeks ago we were wondering if he was fully healthy because he just didn't look comfortable. He didn't look like himself. So I have a hard time kind of pinning him down on where he should be. So I do kind of value what happened most recently because it's a weekly thing as much as, if not a little bit more than the overall product. You kind of try to blend the two. And I'm just having a hard time figuring out where he is right now. Do I think that he actually deserves to be that

They've asked him to do too much, way too long.

They cannot run the ball, And you know, I don't think it's a coincidence that when they look like the best offense in the league, they also figured out how to run the ball, you know, well traditionally, not just relying on him. So I think he'll go back up if they figure things out. It's just it's tough to figure out right now.

That's the dilemma of the exercise because to the naked eye of the reader, they're just looking at where these guys fall and they're baking in everything they know about Josh Allen, for instance, because it's like, I think there has to be some dilemma as the writer when Kirk Cousins and he's playing really well and he's always stories like statistically been better than people realize, and we are getting the best version of Kirk Cousins at moments.

Is bet is he having a better season than Josh Allen? Mark?

Well, I guess like that's my thing because it's like there's part of me is like everything that I think about quarterbacks would have me select Trevor Lawrence, Josh Allen, Justin Herbert over the overall experience of Kirk Cousins.

But you can't do that.

You've got a view where Kirk Cousins sits in your world right now. But I imagine you've got some people coming at you with the back half of his top ten just because of what we know about these uber athletic quarterbacks.

Yeah.

Absolutely, whether they think that it's fancy rankings and they tell me that some guys are on buy that week when they see the game day graphic show up on Instagram on Friday, or whether it's you can't, I can't believe you have this guy rated below.

You know, Kirk Cousins.

But again, if you're watching the games, he's been playing well throughout the season. He's been one of the most consistent quarterbacks, say for the turnover issues, and then he went and had his best game in a long time on Monday Night against the forty nine ers that most expected, you know, would destroy the Vikings. So I just have to give him credit for what he's doing right now. Considering the situation around him, he is kind of elevating

I don't think that's crazy.

I would maybe have Allan ahead of him, but that's just because I'm waiting, trying to think about that average

Hurts is a little lower, but then his running bumps him up.

So I think it's an interesting year that these like

That's that's what you gotta pick up it, isn't it hold on though?

Isn't it literally a different like quarterback when you've seen that he's fine, he toiled through an injury, but you get the Burrow healthy, and it's like that's the bookay that we've expected. I almost was wondering, like, do you like have to almost throw out the injured games because he was playing with a situation that would make any quarterback look far lesser and restart the evaluation with the healthy version, Like you're almost he's almost just getting dinged for playing.

Good pain he should I guess, I don't know. I think that's the tough way to That's a tough approach. So two things are in play here.

First off, when you reorder guys, and especially guys who are on bie weeks, sometimes they just inevitably move up because of other guys moved down.

Yeah, but he's in the middle. Basically, Yeah, he's in the middle.

But there is also a little bit of projection on my part because he was so drastically different between being injured and being healthy that he's had one really good game and one game where the opportunities were there and the Bengals as a whole just didn't quite take advantage of it. That if he had played this weekend and put together another performance somewhere between those two, it would

I get it, but you.

Had already moved him up from the previous week and like he was fine against the Seahawks, but he wasn't special.

But that's why.

Look, there's a different way to do it with everyone. I remember having these conversations with our great friend Chris Westling when he did it, and I think he was closer to you Nick, where he would add a little bit of common sense, add a little bit of projection at a little bit of where he is right now, and I think that that's totally valid. I did it on like what's their average game this year? Like I'm just gonna say, what's what's the average performance of Joe

I don't be afraid. It's nothing but peace in love here. I do you think I could outrun you?

No, Like I think you're a good runner, Greg, but I don't think you could do anything physically based on what we've.

Well, I know I could beat him in tennis, you know I could compete in other sports.

I feel like nicky athletic.

Yeah, I'll give you that. You know you're a good averag hitter, like above average hitter.

And oh that's right.

Yeah, I was just as good as softball player. So no, no slight. But I'm saying we each had our strengths. We were both solid.

I wouldn't say we were like like like a backdoor brag session, yeah, Craig, like we were like the superstars.

But we were both solid contributors. It wasn't like a huge gap. We were like Gino and Stroud on the list of rankings. I'm saying right like to each other.

I feel like Glory Day should be playing in the background right now. I agonized over this ranking a little bit. I actually sent one in last night, slept on it, woke up, looked at it again, and realized, oh, I got to reshuffle.

Some of the guys were trying to get to which one is it? Purty? Uh, No party can stay there.

I like that you kept him at fifteen, you moved you moved him down three spots. Fair his worst game of the season, two worst back to back, but ultimately like he played. He made a lot of good throws in that Monday night game and he fell apart late and I think you look at the body work and he's been better. Okay, the next group, Baker pick it at seventeen. Whoa up eight spots? Mac Jones up fourteen spot. Now this is just like wow, that's just OUTRAGEOUSPTS.

Is Mac the one that you debated a lot?

Because fourteen spots in one week if you're going by my method, where It's like it's the average game. He would have to be, you know, peak Patrick Mahomes to move up fourteen spots in one week, and he was just peak mac Jones, you know what I mean.

He wasn't He didn't turn into another person shook.

But the difference between peak mac Jones and where he was before is so drastic.

Right, But it was one game. But it was one game. Yeah, he was also the people around him.

You said he was the worst quarterback in the league the week before. If you're at here, I'm pushing back on you on this one.

That's fair, and I probably will get a little pushback, but I'm sticking by it because what I saw was a transformation, like he went from trying to be a hero and do too much to just accepting, like I'm going to get sacked here. I got to get the ball out here. I'm going to find this guy open. Like I was so impressed by his performance against the Bills that I had to validate moving him up. Him

Oh. I love that you brought him up because I think, you know, here's another quarterback that has played through pain that will learn later was worse than it was for part of this season.

But he's sitting there at nineteen.

And I did have a question sort of attached to Derek car because this was the answer to me last year was like, you get you do this exercise and you're writing a big, chunky paragraph about every quarterback and it's almost great when like not great that someone gets hurt, but you got a new face in there to kind of evaluate because you're doing You've done this for nine or ten weeks to start in the preseason, Derek Carr was the quarterback that every week it was like, it's

He's like the same person to me every time.

It's my own personal bias I realize packed into it, but it's if it's not him.

Is there a quarterback that when you get to that blurb every week, you're.

Just thinking, I need to stand up and walk around or take a walk or pick up some walnuts.

Absolutely, some wall nuts. Yeah, it's him. It's Ritterer.

There's a few guys where I'm just like, God, I just wish you would put it together over four quarters. Just don't make the same mistakes that you're making on a week by week basis. With Rider, it's turnovers, it's just like weird mistakes because the flashes are really good. And then with Carr it's I'm gonna check down the entire first half because Alvin Kamara's return actually made me worse I think as a quarterback because now I just

It's frustrating to watch. I mean, they were booing.

Them in the Superdome last Thursday night, and I totally understood why, because it's terrible football on an offense. And then they all of a sudden move the ball right down the field. And put two touchdowns on the board like it's nothing, and he puts a pass on Foster Morow that should have been caught for a touchdown that Foster Morou dropped.

So I'm like, what are you, Derek Carr?

I'm so frustrated with you because I cannot pin you down, and I don't have any reason to believe that he's ever gonna become a fully formed Derek Carr in this offense.

He's been that guy forever. To me, this is this is mo moly who he is.

And there are some seasons I think Gruden was a good coach for him, specifically that you can limit his weaknesses. But I got in more arguments over Derek Carr during his quote unquote MVP candidate season than almost any quarterback I ever did this exercise with, because until the very end, I was like, you got to watch him on a week to week basis, likes he's solid, but he is not, Like the stats are telling one story and the play to play like decision making and what he does, even

You're half sort of have to be who they are.

I'd have a hard time having anyone argued like Baker is sixteenth, like he is the Dalphins, he is the Dalton line this year. But that to me speaks of a season where offenses are struggling. Points are down, red zone production is down, average yards per attempt are way down. And you go back to the back half of this list, and I think it's a little crazy to move back up that high this week because he's been bad this year.

I'll stop it there.

Rus Wilson is a guy you had way too high in my opinion going into the season.

You just still had some belief in him.

I think shook and now you're burying him, and now I almost think you're over correcting. I would have him closer to the Dalton line because I just think other than the Chiefs game, he's kind of just been an okay quarterback like he's been to me, he's been a little bit better version of what Derek Carr is what we just talked about.

So the list that you're reading off is the one that I submitted last night before I agonized and change made some changes. Oh will he ends up being slightly above Zach Wilson. Okay, that's not that drastic of a change, but I think it makes a little bit. And that's the one where I sat back.

And I was like, he definitely played better than Zach Wilson this year. Come on, Yeah, Yeah, it's just that I think it's Mark. Mark has issues with me coming to Russell Wilson's defense.

I know, I like, I have no problem with Russell Wilson just being somewhere in the bottom ten. I think the thing I laugh about most is after an offseason of like one until like wish cast Ryan Tannehill to the Falcons that here we are in late note October and you've got Desmond Ridder of a spot higher than Ryan Tandel like globally, like career wise. I kind of always think I overvalued Tannehill last year like he.

Kept Now I think I think he's been better this year than Chick's given him credit for. What if he'd play, I'd have him about seventeen right around, Yeah.

Tweet, did that come into your like middle of the night consternation or are you comfortable with that now?

That was when I actually felt like Ridder's better than him, because like he's good, has been better than Tannehill.

Say, okay, you were saying that Ridder is good, has been good. That is an opinion that hasn't been shared much on this podcast. Tell us why you think Ridder's good has been good.

It was a couple of weeks ago where I watched him come off of one of his worst performances in London, and then he comes in and he's just like holding safeties with his eyes and he's firing pinpoint passes all over the field in this offense is moving, He's hooking up with Kyle Pitts and Drake London, and I'm like, Wow, this is what he could be. It's just that what when he makes the mistakes, they're so crushing that it keeps his value down because the complete picture has just

I would have made a play for a quarterback in the offseason.

But I'm starting to see why he's sticking with him, and I also understand why he gets frustrated when people ask about him in the quarterback situation, because if you do watch it on a per play basis, you're like, oh, I see the potential.

I see it. It's not consisting, Okay.

And yeah, they I think teams are daring them to throw and they've been doing it. But to me, you need to have some special traits if you're going to make that many big, big mistakes, you know what I mean. And he's making too many mistakes for a guy like turnover worthy plays for a guy that doesn't add enough on his own. Tyrod is someone where my method of doing it, the average game, I would have him higher.

Am I crazy? I think he's played pretty well. You could well.

Yeah, concerning Tyrod, I have him as the best backup because like it's I like what he's done. I think that the offense actually works better with him than Daniel Jones because he's safe and he's a veteran. He does what you expect a veteran to do complete open passes. Underneath, he makes a little bit of plays with his legs. He keeps the offense going and avoids catastrophe, which is.

Most important me.

But it's funny because the list we have on the screen now, I talked about the one that I was agonizing over. As you could see, this is why you killed me for barring Russell Wilson down here is way below Zach Wilson before I made some much needed changes. So you're kind of seeing some shifts here in how I'm struggling with figuring out this bottom third of the league. But Tyrod, I think, to his credit, has done everything you expect of a veteran. That's why you go sign

Well, we talked a little bit before the show about what you did with your back five. Here you've got Tyson page in at twenty eight twenty nine is Brian Hoyer than Jordan Love. That's Packers fans Toyer, not thirty one or thirty Well, that was I.

Was going to ask.

It's like you got PJ. Walker, it goes Bryce Young. I think that's fair. He's been he's been a problem.

PJ. Walker down to thirty two.

I guess I have a different question about that because I would have him higher than Hoyer, and I think.

That Hoyer are giving some veteran cred to.

But like if Deshaun Watson were playing, I just have a question, where would he be with what you've seen? Where would he be in this list? I'm not so concerned about the PJ. Walker thing.

Somewhere between Minshew and Paget probably it's it's.

Watson hasn't been good.

He's had one good game, one pointless game, one bad game, one good game, injured, injured, injured, terrible first quarter. Should have had two picks right through one the other one was overturned. I don't like anything I'm seeing from him

Oh yeah, okay you avoided in an interception.

He's just it's just a little a little wacky with him.

This is one of those moments where I think, like, what would we have said if we saw this going into the season. It's it's week one asn't started, and you're a Packers fan or a Panthers fan.

I saw Zach Wilson's name there first, right, But there's a lot of those.

That's true, h And you would you'd be fast forward. You're listening to the Shook QB Index Week eight pod with with me and Mark Dan coming on to preview the primetime games shortly, and you would see Jordan Love and Bryce Young at at thirty and thirty one, And I, you know, I don't have a huge problem with you putting them there. Maybe I'd put them ahead a couple of the backups that barely played, but it's picking knits that that's roughly the area. It's I want to believe

Yeah, I think what you're describing.

There is a lot of quarterbacks who know how to take what the defense gives them and keep themselves above water.

And they're limitations too, right, and knows how to just read things out for the most part.

You know, Yeah, that's not Jordan Love. Jordan Love tries to play hero ball way too much. And the thing is you can see matt lefluor adjust in game where he gives him a shot early, Love screws it up and then he's like, all right, we're just gonna take everything underneath. And then the offense starts to move and they put a couple of touchdowns on the board and you think they might do it, and then Love comes in and delivers a crushing turnover at the end of

Look at the natural ability. It's it's just not there consistently.

Do you engage with the people that will come at you at probably Twitter, at the found what happened on Instagram and weird places, you know, be knocking on your front door, like, uh, do you or do you just say you know what?

I'm Nick Schuck. I don't need to even respond to these clowns. I think for my mental health, I ignore most of it.

Twitter getting rid of my blue check mark a few months ago kind of hurt that because it filtered. It allowed some of the clowns back in the mentions where I could actually see them.

It was filtering it out black and that's what I do.

But I did get a bald joke last week, which I thought, hey, hey, your original, and I had to clap back on that one. So it's look, every list is gonna come with criticism, and I understand. And usually what happens is it's that person's favorite team, the quarterback is not as high as they want, so you just kind of is it worth the fight most of the time? Now? No?

And also you're like cool bald? I mean, and anyone who's bald as cool. I'm not saying they aren't. But like you've got like anyone came up and saw you in the grocery store, They're not gonna be talking about your bald head.

You just knock well, now, every every bald guy out there is like, am I cool bald?

So you put you put that.

Saying you are, like there could be some people where it's you know you, You've kind of you have got a nice stylistic choice going on.

There, so I'm leaning into it.

I decided when my hair line betrayed me when I was twenty three years old, that I was going to lean fully into being bald so much that a little bit of work on the side that I do. We have bald in the title, like I am embracing I'll be a leader of the bald gang.

I'm fine with that.

You're you're a leader in the in the quarterback Evaluation Game. Your leader on this podcast shook. And you don't know this, but it's part of writing QB Index that the previous writers of QB Indeck have a meeting halfway through the season to decide if you should continue on. It's almost like you've it's like an initiation and Mark and I had that meeting today and Mark will tell you the results.

The results are positive, more positive than the mid season meeting that obviously went on about me because it was a one year run and then moved on.

But like Shook, I think you could do this for as long as you wish.

Yes, we did a mid I remember back when we would get you know, when we were full time employees and you would have like mid term evaluations. It almost be like you get a eight of how you're doing this season. That was always nervous times. You're getting in a your ranked number one on the QB Index. Chuck, Thanks, Hello, Hello, who's there?

I feel who's there? I feel so honored. Oh, we've got Dan Hansis in the building.

Uh. I don't know what it is, but too much bloviation. So we got to wrap this up.

Guys, come on, we are going to take a quick break.

And then we got Dan Hanss previewing the primetime games right after that.

Thank you, SHOOKI, Thanks guys. All right, welcome back, Welcome me, I'm Dan Hanss. You just heard me.

Welcome as I am very confident on how the first half of the show turned out.

Yeah to you from a distance, do you approve of our work?

Yes, highly, I mean, I trust you guys. I think it was a spicy There will be a study, there will be a close study posts show. Okay, but I have no doubts. I thought it was a noble of you. You said.

Look, I've never written QB index and my quality to even be on this podcast.

Not at all. I don't.

I couldn't even talk about quarterbacks. I've never written the article. Just one of those selfless moves that you know sometimes doesn't show up in the box score.

But no, but it. Oh that guy gets it.

I think when there's a massive retrospective on your entire career, it's going to be dotted with moments such as this.

All right, so there we go, fun talk with Nick Shook there, and now let's pivot to week eight. Week eight, how about that and the Island games? And oh my goodness, this gives you an idea of what we're up against as a football republic Island game wise, we couldn't lock any of the favorites in these three games about to talk about because there all the dogs are eight points at least in terms of in the hole from the desert standpoint.

All it does ever happened weird weird week for this.

Gotta be very rare that that's ever happened all three of the Island games.

I know. Let's get to it. The Bucks.

Of Tampa Bay at three and three, coming off a very disappointing performance I thought against the Falcons at home, and they really had a chance, I thought to strangleholds very strong for any team in this division, but really kind of announce themselves as a favorite in that division. Instead, you let the Falcons get away with a win there, and now you've dropped into the middle of the pack and now here is an angry Buffalo team.

Mark I say that on Thursday night.

That then oh yeah, So obviously what's gonna happen here is the Bills are going to destroy the Buccaneers here in prime time, and they probably will, and that's why the spread is so high. But we have reached a point with the Bills where it's hard to trust what version you get week to week, which is a very tricky situation for a team that fashions itself a Super Bowl favorite.

Yes, and they've been getting in their own way, and the Josh Allen experience has been a frustration.

The entire offense has been a frustration.

I think we sort of hit it on the head a couple times where it's like they feel like they're missing an element.

Could it be a big game for someone like Dalton Kincaid.

I think if you're Buffalo, though, here's where I could paint where the victory comes from. For me, the Bucks have been revealed to me as a one dimensional attack, like when you got this better version of Baker Mayfield. All right, because Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, they can still do it. But if you found a way to get one of those guys out of the picture, you're your collection of running backs are the worst in the league.

Yeah, the Bills confused me because they started this season believing, Wow, they finally got a running game.

They finally got it going.

And I think James Cook, who went over one hundred yards from scrimmage again last week, is really a good player. But they're not a consistent running team. They're not a consistent like we need three yards on third and three, we can go get it. They're inconsistent offensively, I think in large part because Josh Allen isn't running the whole offseason story of like, well, Josh Allen's got to be more careful, Josh Allen's got to do this, totally get it.

You had fifty five first downs on the ground last year.

That's as much as some or more top shelf running backs. And they're always in key spots like when you need it like a third and four and he goes and gets it. And so I think that's part of it, finding that balance. And it's a tough defense to run against Tampa. They're still pretty solid defensively, They're not special, But this Bill's the offense, the way it's playing, you would think that they keep them under twenty three, and they keep it a close game.

Yeah, Like you don't have to squint too hard to see this as turning into a close game where the Bucks even having a chance, which again is an indictment of where the Bills are at at this point of the season. And you look at the Bucks, what are they done well this season? They've protected the quarterback, Baker has not been sacked a whole lot, the Bill's pass rush. You know, Von Miller played six naps against the Patriot Yanks, and he's coming off that right knee injury, and he

Our friends at Next Gen SAT's had some good stats right on that point that since Milana went out, their success rate allowed on throws over the middle has gone from fifty percent, which is quite good, to seventy two zero point five percent. And the time to throw for opposing quarterbacks is also way up, so quarterbacks have more time.

They're not getting the pass rush.

Ed Oliver got hurt in that Patriots game two, he's questionable, so that's another pass rusher and Milano being gone, Like you can hold the ball and you can find guys open.

Yeah, I mean you could.

In the Patriots, who were just a disaster on the ground, We're gashing the Bills up the middle, and it's like Matt Milano it's like his absence looms absolutely large on this and I thought that, you know, Sean McDermott has done up until these injuries, had did a real nice job calling this defense, you know, with no Leslie Frazier

They make a trade, they really strike me as a team if you want to put Jerry Judy on a team, or hop Neander Hopkins or someone like that, man the Bills would be a good spot for one of those guys.

You know what, if I'm the Bills, we are battling down the hatchets. I'm if I am Sean McDermott, I am emptying out the chamber in terms of my pregame speech. If I'm the operators in that stadium, I'm turning off the stupid heat lamp heat heat lamps in the mezzanine and loge of the Bill's home stadium.

What's it called these days? What do you doing? You know those?

Isn't it a little bit you Roberts? You gotta say, like, well, first of all, it's high Mark Stadium. Now, high Mark's day was New Airfield. I call it the ralph Still listen. I am a native New Yorker. Further south is where I grew up.

But Western New York these are these are they are firm humans, they are they.

Are salt of the earth in most cases.

And then they're tough people, and they're hard working people and decent people. And then you see this heat lamp across the loge and it's like, where is like that old Western New York mentality that you need when when the chips are down in a game like this.

Well, I've born and raised in California, so I can't speak on it. I get quite like city, but I do get what you. I didn't know what it was at first. When I first started seeing I was like, well, those are cool lighting and I'm in a bunch of Bills fan facebooks and.

That's for the Buffalo elie.

Yeah, so there was questions about when those heat lamps get turned on off. And let's know what one fly in the ointment here, it's expected to be in the sixties fahrenheit here.

Then guess what Buffalo. I bet they'll have those lamps on the Buffalo elite. Yeah, the elite can't do six.

Again, their champagne, champagne and eating the brie. They shouldn't be in that power.

Get them out. It's in a place for elites.

We're breaking seventy here in Buffalo late October.

Hey, all right, save for the Global Warming podcast anyway. But in all seriousness, I think this is a such an important game for the Bills.

Obviously, he's set up well for them to kick.

Ass, but if they don't, like you could, it's going to be more than just the Low's red because You're gonna flick the red panic switch, and the red light's gonna go on all around.

This organization and throughout Western New York. They got to go to Cincinnati next week, the best primetime game of the week.

Actually, well, the eight points is too much. I'll be listening to you guys on that recap.

Enjoy. Okay, I can't wait.

The Chicago Bears are back in prime time and Tyson Agent is in primetime because Justin Fields with that hand injury will not be making the start. So Beigent who I think I heard during the telecast. It was something crazy like hundreds of tickets that he purchased for friends and family for his first start. And he played well and the Bears won convincingly. So that was a perfect day. Now Beagent's in primetime against the Chargers, and again the

Is this what we're going to get?

Yes, that's why eight and a half points is like, I mean, I understand the opponent, but that's a lot of trust in the team that I have no trust in. That's a team that has two wins that have come against the Raiders, which is self explanatory.

Mac gave us cloth right and a vikings and then the Vikings.

So it's like this team has gone up and been walloped and been shown to be fraudulent. To me on a lot of levels, I don't like what's happening in general with the offense outside of Justin Herbert doing Justin Herbert things. They in that opener, I had incredible hope with what was happening on the ground without Ecklert. In a number of these weeks they weren't the same. I get the injury there, but they've been held under sixty one yards rushing in three of five games, putting a

No, they're star players, aren't now the players they've invested on Quintin Johnson great example, because look, Darius Davis, the return guy, is getting more work than Quinton Johnson as a rookie in that offense. I mean, they don't trust their running game. They're handing the ball off to Darius Davis in big spots. They can't get three yards on their ground. They're very frustrating, and I don't think this is the same Bear scene. I think it's a terrible line.

Now, let's go Joey Bosa.

Even Derwin James has this been like a great Derwin James season. It's unfair to like point at the best players sometimes, but you're making all that money. He's not making like a massive impact. And Bosa has been quite quiet. They say he's playing through an injury, but it's fine, that's what he's always doing.

Irwin's PFF score this year has fallen off a clip really compared to other years.

And also playing through an injury is justin Herbert And you know, I was dubious of this initially because sometimes it's on my radar about excuses being made for Justin Herbert. And then it was like, well, this injury is affecting him as a passner. He's like, well, it's a broken finger on his non throwing hand. But you look at the stats. He's had one of the worst three game stretches of his career in terms of production since he hurt that finger. He's missing throws he had against the Raiders,

But still it's not his throwing hand.

And he got a huge contract in the summer, which he deserved, and he has the upside again. Greg, I know this draws criticism from certain corners of the football cogna zend, but come on, Justin, like you're on pacer about twenty three touchdown pases this season. Start lighting up some teams and start in primetime against a bad Chicago outfit.

Yeah, I think you've got enough.

Light him up, Greg receiver with Josh Palmer's playing pretty well. Keenan Allen's more of it too. It's not an exciting group, but that the offense overall is disappointing. I just don't expect him to light it up. They just haven't put up big, big point totles. I think the Bears are playing better. This is a huge moment in Brandon Staley's career. This is their Sunday night game. They chose not to

The Chicago market.

I get it and LA and sofi, but I just mean, if you're Brian and Staley and you lose your defense loses to Tyson Bagent on Sunday night football, are you I don't I don't know. I don't think so, but it starts the march to he gone. I mean, it's not hard to envision.

Like interim head coach Kellen Moore a couple of weeks from now, if that occurs on Sunday night, bench me. Well, I'm not suggesting that it's you know, erotic or anything or attractive.

It's just it is what it is.

Why did oh you literally pinched me that I will be marching up the HR immediately after this.

Although I did touch monkspodocks on.

My way in the studio, right, So if I say that, you know, I say that, what but he consents?

I want I didn't. It doesn't matter. I want everyone to stay here.

They just to start.

Well, you just started by physically touching, following your command, I know. But you also came in very slowly. It was hot, predatory, it was hard, hard to reach.

Okay, let's get back on track.

So yes, big game for the Chargers, and it'll be fun to root for Tyson Bage at the very least.

It is. He's like, I'm with.

You, considering the records of these two teams, I'm into watching it.

I mean, if you're a Bears fan, you much rather have seen Justin Fields starting to build up that other prime time in a couple weeks ago.

But that's not the way this season seems to be going. For a lot of teams.

Every time you want to get excited, somebody gets hurt. All right, let's go to Monday night football. It's close that out.

Gate Night. What's Gate Night to you, guys? No clue?

Gate Night, I mean typically associated with some sort of controversy. But is it like you're trying to real people into a stadium, like get a lot of gate a lot of tickets.

Incorrect?

Gate Night where I grew up in the suburbs outside of New York, where that is the name for the night before Halloween where there is some mischief in the air and the bad kids the dirt bags.

Yeah, the skids will.

Go out with eggs and toilet paper and create havoc. Now, this is also known in other areas of this country as I think Devil's Night.

Or mischief Night. I knew it was mischief Night, so I always thought that was interesting.

October thirtieth Monday night football Gate Night, at least in Pearl River.

I don't get the gate part of it, but it's who knows. Let's call it like Hooligan's Paradise, you know, it sounds like in your.

Two Gate Night. I'm just gonna do it a quick. Oh, okay, there you go. Gate night has a Wikipedia page. Is it g a t E or g ai at e?

Around New York City, Connecticut, Winnipeg, Weird and Rhode Island a particular night commonly the night of the thirtieth to the thirty first of the October, during which young people play pranks and do mischief. It's got to be a better way to say that in their neighborhoods.

All right, I'll keep an eye out.

You didn't have anything like that in Western mass There was no Devil's Night or anything very.

Well behaved U there? What about in the wed the Tony Streets of Connecticut?

Mischief Knight? But I mean there were skating, there was plenty. There was a lot of t peen and eggs and whatnot. But I feel like that was just on Halloween.

I think I would agree more that it just occurred that on that all right, actual holiday, if that's what we call calling Halloween.

Monday Night football.

The Las Vegas Raiders back in prime time, last time.

I believe it's their last time in prime They.

Kind of front loaded these teams as they typically do to get the markets covered and to our displeasure, fan bases. The Raiders three and four, coming off an ugly, ugly loss against the Bears.

We got a TNF versus the Argers in week fifteen.

A man, well, they play the Jets on Sunday night and also play Chargers.

That's got to be moved.

Maybe flex the Jets the Raiders at the Detroit Lions. Now here is a blowout. I can get behind confidently and I understand, like, geez, like, what the hell happened?

Greg? What happened?

Because we had a conversation a week ago where I said, you know, I think that Detroit is the third team in the NFC, and then you kind of built off that with some more hyperbole, and we're all in the same like bed here with that. We're all celebrating that. Oh why, they're beyond even questioning at this point. But then they get absolutely pantsed by the Ravens, and truly great teams don't get pants to that level very often.

They have talked about that they got a little high on their own supply.

They got I don't know something I eat that sometimes.

I just think that's something you say afterwards, because going into that game, they certainly wouldn't have thought that they were the.

Same thing with teams that are high on their own supply, that's when they start really rolling and just rolling through portions of schedule.

So I don't don't.

I think they want to be bullies, and I think they found a team that was more physical than them on both lines, and that was a little stunning. It's like if you're if It's like if you're the Eagles and you play a team that can beat you up front, and you're like, oh, what are we doing? And the right The Lions defensive line especially, I think is vulnerable to having off weeks against truly elite UH offenses. But that's not going to be the case here. I think

I like, I don't like forgive or excuse what happened to the Lions at all.

I think it's like they are a young, new good team. You know.

It's like them been through like a seven year experience under the same coach doing this, and so like their two losses have been like terrible losses, and like they've taken care of business pretty consistently every other week. I mean to the point that that was they had a fifteen game streak broken of scoring twenty plus points, and.

I think if you the Raiders, by the way, haven't scored twenty points this season.

They're the reverse in consistency and the wrong way, and they're the I think they're the first team.

I forget for how long it is, but that is extremely rare for a team to not score twenty points for some well, especially in.

Twenty twenty three, when you so called brought in an offensive minded, creative coach that was going to jazz up this offense. Instead you got a bunch of players that they didn't do anything to fix the line. I think that's a big problem. You got a hurt quarterback. It's not helpful at all. They can't I think the ground game has been totally shaken up by the fact that they can't run, block very well.

I think the one little thing that stands.

Out here, and these stats typically would never even look at, but like Goff's home in a way splits are insane, Like he has thirty touchdowns and five interceptions since last season at home. He doesn't make mistakes at home. And I think if you get some of these guys who've

I'm trying to find because it's becoming a wild thing, a wild situation with Josh Jacobs.

And yeah, they're running.

The offensive line plays the part always in the run game, and the passing game affects the running game. But he's averaging less than three yards to carry. This is the rushing champ last year and a guy that was at least or should have been in the consideration for Offensive Player of the Year for what he did for the Raiders last year. What's the best advanced metric on this yards above expected?

I mean that, like, I'm.

Curious if, like if that type of data helps his cause or makes him look even worse. I haven't seen when I've watched this team. I think for a lot of big holes for Josh Jacobs. But right maybe it's a combination of two things. A guy that took the summer off and a running game in general that took a step back, or an offense that took a step back.

I think he's can we find that that's had some plays where he looks like Josh Jacobs and then I'm not that worried, but I think to be as unproductive as they have been, it's a combination. They're twenty fourth in run block win rate, so they're not a good running they're not opening holes. But he's clearly not making enough people miss. That's always been his move is to make people miss. He's not a big play maker, but he makes the first guy miss. He picks up like

Maybe? All right, anything else in this game?

No, let's show up Raiders because you know, I'm I'm invested in these Monday night games. I'm doing that work for Channel five. It's like it's three whole hours, like ending night. It was only it was only three hours. It was only three weeks ago that we had Raiders Packers on Monday and night, and now we got another one. Like, give me something, give me.

Some schedule makers on a half of LSD when they were putting these night games together. This is an unfriendly sight. But I'm I'm gonna tell you they're gonna I will watch them.

That's what I'll do. Oh good trying.

I'm also glad by the way, Uh, David Montgomery probably not gonna play.

They have a bye week next next Uh, he've been the same without him.

When this When this game though, When this game and you get to six and two and you're at your by and it's a very successful first half of the season.

I'm furiously googling Josh Jacobs rushing yards over expected, and I am not successful at this time.

I feel like that's a good sign of it, that being a problem.

Yeah, all right, that's it. You'll you'll just have the living mystery listeners, what a mystery is?

All right?

He is ranked third to last in the league in rushing yards over expected, So he's seventy six yards under expected. Can you guess who number one on that list is? You mentioned him earlier. Dalvin Cook has a big time issue and that his team needs to upgrade. In this very preview section.

Was it a Tampa Bay buccaneer, I mean, just say the name God Waite, there you go. I mean, you could pick from a coming.

I literally could not believe my eyes watching that game against the Falcons, how bad the running game was? All right, let's uh, let's go. We got a lot more good stuff coming up this week. Uh, Connie Fox in the Foxhole with Connie our next step.

Do not miss it until then. That's an important metric, Marcus.

Is It's just it's there's the data, yeah, and then the underlying data. No, I'm not disagreeing that it's it's important to pop the hood Sessy be the call.