Saints-Dolphins Recap and NFL Unsolved Mysteries

taping the power rankings right YEP. I was there the NFL network headquarters and there's more maintenance people there right now than UM employees, it seems. So there's kind of like an eerie It's like those zombie movies when they're in a mall and you hear some top forty radio hit playing. It's just early silent otherwise. That's what it's like at the office right now. UM. Hopefully this is a temporary set up where we're doing these shows remotely UM from the podcast, but that kind of came down

from Mount Olympus, so that's where we are right now. Uh. We're just happy to be healthy because it seems like half the NFL right now has COVID. I have thought about UM airlifting into the office briefly, just to walk in and get those free slices of pizza. I mean I thought about that probably twelve or twelve to thirteen times a day. No one you no either, It's either Friday, Greg, You're at Your enthusiasm is contagious. We we we we get it. I I am. I think you probably think

that I like being home. I don't like this at all. UM. This wave of it is um ponderous at best. It's yeah, speaking of contagious. UH, the um O macron variant of the COVID nineteen virus. I don't even know what is what anymore, but anyway, it's it's highly contagious. It's rippen through the league and UM. Just on Tuesday, we learned that Carson Wentz, who is unvaccinated, was moved to the reserve COVID list. Now there are a couple of wrinkles to this one. As of taping, we don't know if

Wentz has COVID nineteen or is a close contact. That's very important because the nfl UH and the nfl p A are in the process as we speak, of reducing the quarantine time from ten to five days, which means and covering all players, not just vaccinated or vaccinated players. So even an unvaccinated player like Wentz could play Sunday

if he's deemed close contact and not actually having the disease. However, it's just the latest for the NFL in an unending strength trend here where I believe nineties players tested positive on Monday alone, which was a record. Uh. It has turned the league upside down. And the Colts as an example, a team that was surging to me, seemed like a Super Bowl contender and still are whether once misses a game or not. But it just shows you how fragile

everything has become and how fluid. Like I get people are like upset that the rules keep changing. It's like what did you expect? Like like it's kind of like the teams that are that are saying after the facts, like, yeah, I know we were down eighteen players, but that's no excuse you gotta well, yeah, you've gotta go win a ball. Well, it's it is an excuse. There there's an unprecedented global

pandemic and you're missing the third of your roster. All of this is unprecedented and I give some of that excuse latitude to how things have changed, because it's not like I expect the NFL to have some greater beat on this than the larger world. This goes back to the conversation we had like March and April in some ways, in terms of the testing and the way that the NFL has had um handled this, it has sort of been um uh an example of how busines this is

can operate. But it's not like they're gonna solve or figure out any of these rules or change it any better than the c d C, who is changing rules on the fly. So they're just it's like they're trying to get everything done possible. But I also don't know, Like I don't I'm not like that angry at everything,

you know what I mean. I know there's a lot of like there's reasons to be upset about that this is all happening, obviously, but I'm not really sure like who that needs to be angered towards towards other than just life. I tend to be with you, Greg, because it's like I would rather they remain you know, flexible, slash, you know, nimble to use like a corpor term um

and address it is the best they can. I mean, I think the cynical side is sort of like, well, the NFL is going to do whatever it takes to play the games, and you're gonna get games like we saw on Monday night, um and in previous weeks, and something about that is not I don't feel angry. I feel sort of like a dull ominous um almost growing apathy if this is what it's gonna look like the rest of the season. But it is what it is,

I think for me though it's in Again. I think inside the locker rooms, a lot of these players seem to have respect for each other, whether they were vaccinated or not. That our take I think on this is very clear and has been all along. Go do it for the people around you. But the unvaccinated players are

tangibly costing their teams immense opportunities and huge moments. I mean, for Carson Wentz to make the decision he made to not get vaccinated and to have this happen right now, and he's not the you know, the lynch pin to the entire team. But what if this happens to another unvaccinated quarterback out there that that would be the case, I mean, Darius Leonard is unvaccinated, losing him cost them.

I mean, I just, I just I think that the decision inside an NFL team is a little different than for some of us floating around town making that decision on our own. I mean, it's it's it's huge because it can connects to everyone. The Chargers are another example, Mike Williams unvaccinated, Joey Bosa unvaccinated, aided. That creates a bigger issue. Now. Of course, people that are vaccinated and boosted are also getting sick right now, that's taking them

out of the mix. But when you're unvaccinated, at least the rules currently in place, it really puts addage stress on a team. And I think, whether we want it this way or not, we we obviously don't, but we just need to as football fans, as people covering the sport. The teams themselves just have to adapt. And it's like I think with the NFL right now, and you're seeing with the shifting protocols and right now it's like the

old March madness adage, survive in advance. They're now just trying to get through the season without it becoming farce. And uh, it's just I think the frustration, uh comes out of the fact that, man, this started in March two thousand twenty. We went underground, we had bunker casts, we saw the NBA season shut down, MLB, the NFL went full speed ahead, and somehow survived it. We got through it. And then this year twoe we had full

houses and stadiums across the country. People are going on vacations again, and it felt like you were getting through it, and now things are shutting down again and the leagues are being impacted, and I think there's just this general human situation. It's just like, oh my god, we're going through this again. So I think the NFL is just kind of like it's a microcosm of the greater world right now where we're just like exhausted but have no choice but to continue to try to make this work well.

And it's this is such a different time now than last spring, because like everyone, you know, the league is vaccinated and boosted. You know, we're we're required to, you know, to work at the league. So everyone is protected in a way that's so much stronger than than they were before. And I think what you're seeing now is okay. Organizations like the CDC in the NFL are like having to adapt to like, how are we just gonna live with this?

Because it's not necessarily going away. It's certainly not going away this season, and the NFL has actually been helpful I think of just like showing what the public, what's happening at the public at large in general. If a quarter of the NFL has tested positive over the last three weeks, which is the number, which is crazy, if you can a quarter, uh, that's probably about what it is in the public at least in the public that is like going to work and interacting with other people.

Obviously there's a different segment that are that are staying home and being very safe, not working at office and stuff. For for people that are out in in the mix and working like okay, it's probably like a quarter of of that population has been infected at some point in the last three or four weeks, whether whether you know it or not, And uh, yeah, I hope like it already hasn't impacted the playoff races and stuff like that. To me, it's it's just unfortunate, but it's just kind

of like what are you gonna do about it? Greg? There is one thing, one positive for you that came out of this. Okay, our friend, our good buddy, Zach Kiefer who wrote that beautiful piece on Chris Westling for The Athletic and uh, I do urge you guys to check it out. They removed it from the paywall for a period last week. I don't know if it's still that case, but worth checking in. I'll link it on

Twitter if you're interested. But anyway, the athlete exact key for reports the Colts have discussed contacting free agent Philip Rivers after Carson Wentz was placed on the reserve COVID nineteen list Tuesday. I don't know. That doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to me, just because even if it Wentz MS is a game, wouldn't Sam Ellinger the backup be a better option than Rivers off the street on like three days notice. I don't know. It just seems kind of silly, but also a fun little story,

especially for the people who love Rivers. It would be fun. No, I would think, depending I don't know how good Sam Ellinger is, but we've seen some of these backups come in. I would kind of think Rivers on three days rest, I mean, would have done a lot better than he

and book on on Monday night. I um, I don't know that because these rules like okay, so there's a chance that Carson WENTZ even if he did test positive, which we don't know, we're taping at a tough time, could play on Sunday even though he's unvaccinated if he doesn't have symptoms. But it's also it comes down to the symptoms. I think one thing you know that we've seen with players coming back or not even when they

are vaccinated, like everyone's on a different timeline. A lot of them, including like Baker for instance, are needing to take that ten days because they're not testing out of it. And so we don't know all the details of how they'll change these rules, but I think, you know, it makes sense that they're trying to get the asymptomatic players, especially whether you're you know, either way back on the

field sooner than later. And it's you know, it's thanks for the teams that that lost these guys a couple of weeks ago when the rules were different. I mean, think about Allen Robinson, who's who came back saying that he lost ten pounds, so you know, it's there are hot, heavy cases of asymptomatic scenarios, but it's not the case all around. I mean said he couldn't walk up and down, you know, to do his laundry and stuff. There is

a difference of like of these cases. You're right, like some some players Dion Dawkins thought it was life threatening, you know, not too long ago. It is great for HBO is. Suddenly you've got Philip Rivers riding in on horseback to save the cults in weeks sixteen or seventeen or eighteen. I mean, that's kind of somehow doubt that's gonna happen. I don't know. I'm not as fascinated with Philip Rivers as I see a subset of individuals. Um

there seems to be a Philip Rivers collective. I understand if you haven't, if you haven't raised to your premium cable outlet to watch Hard Knocks at this point, you're probably I don't know if Rivers is the one that puts you over the top, but maybe people into that show. I'm not suggesting it was gonna yank you back in, you know, I might check it out sometime in the offseason.

Although I doubt it. Uh, it's just tough. It's tough in season because I've heard from people that have watched it that this Tom Brady man in the arena thing is great, like especially if you're a Patriots fan, but even even from non Patriots fans, it's really well done. It's really interesting. It's like that. That's why they did the last dance, you know, the last dance came out during COVID. That's why I was a big hit, Like

everyone wanted some football content. Throw that thing out in May or June, and I would eat up some Tom Brady. I don't need. I don't need Tom very straight with you on that, like and harden Box and I love Hard Knocks. Nobody loves Hard Knocks more than me. But I think maybe there was a um. There was a sense that they didn't realize how much timing plays into the appeal of the show. That it lands at the time where people are star for football. It's a perfect

time for a show like that to show up. Then again, I haven't checked the ratings. Maybe they're doing better numbers than they did. Co workers at NFL films, a lot of people are getting paid and working working on a new production. So that's good and being checked by Greg nice nicely done, Greg, And uh, I'm all set with like seventeen part Tom Brady retrospectives personally. But I'm sure there is a large audience for that now. It's being

in large audiences. You know, back back in the eighties and early nineties, there was a very large audience on Friday nights, I believe it was. But it started to move around, but you always knew you would have Robert Stack there. It was Unsolved Mysteries on NBC, the Peacock Network. And it is time now, with just two weeks remaining in the regular season, to offer up some of our own unsolved mysteries in the NFL. Get ready for that spooky as hell. But before we get to that, yes,

let's wrap up. Let's put a bow. Let's put a Christmas bow. On Week sixteen, Monday Night football, third quarter, crips to the left, how they put Lindsay back in the backfield? Were open on the inside of the waa waa Clichs down confused everybody, what a great call, A great call. Indeed, Dolphins Radio Network, Charles Gatzi, you know we've had our fun on this show and other shows

have as well. With all the different offensive coordinators in place for the Dolphins, but they seem to be a team that had a game plan on Monday Night against the Saints, and a lot of that revolved around young Jalen Wattle, who's really developing into a star in year one. The Dolphins got enough offense and the defense did the rest with eight sacks of poor Ian Book in a

twenty three win over the Saints. The Dolphins now become the first team in NFL history to have a seven game losing streak and a seven game winning streak in the same year. And that could only happen. I am there's absolutely something in the in the water this season.

So there you go. The Dolphins eight and seven, currently in possession of that second playoff spot, and if they win their last two games, Greg, they are going to the dance and we would become one of the most unlikely playoff teams really ever, And I think they could do it. They would have to beat the Titans, you know, this week the pass rush against that Titans offensive line. Will talk about that later in the week, but this game was just like one to get out of the

way they could have played at ten times. I don't think in book and the Saints are gonna score more than ten points in any of them. This Dolphins pass rush, uh is awesome, but it's exactly what you would expect from a fourth string quarterback who was a third day draft pick rookie playing behind at the beginning of the game the sixth and seventh string tackles of the Saints, and then during the game there was an injury, so it became the seventh and eighth string tackles of the Saints.

They were also missing a ton of defensive players. Of course, a lot of these are injuries, not just COVID, but

they were they were hammered by COVID. And this Dolphins um good luck that they've had in terms of their opponents definitely carried over into Monday night because I think you looked at what the Dolphins offense did, putting up only thirteen points in that game, and and you think, well, if they if they had tassom Uh, they would have had a chance, or Trevor in me and maybe they would have had a chance, and some of their other players.

But the balls bouncing the Dolphins way this year, Yeah, I mean it's I I really felt for the Saints because they had you know, more than of their active roster were called up. Sean Payton talked about the fact that they were um fitting players for equipment. Um, you know the day of the game. They had never been in Saints uniform before on any level. And you know, I mean I still that defense I had in four years, right,

I mean, it's just it's we're in. We're in, like, um, you know, for those of a certain age, you look remember back to the seven like strike where they had the six the so called scabs come in for three weeks and it was guys that a week earlier where um, you know working in like absolutely it was as quarterback. Yeah. But I just I look at you know, like last night, Marcus Davenporne, for instance, Cam Jordan's like Marshawn Lattimore gave

him a chance with that interception in the offense. Just could you know, two weeks in a row with Taysom against the Bucks, this offense just cannot delive. And last night you knew that you knew they wouldn't deliver it, but they were doomed in Ian book, like I walk away with like, yeah, I didn't look good, but I I'll wait another day to discern what sort of player he is. He was in a terrible situation, honestly, like if anyone deserves a make good from the football gods

down the line, it's Ian Book. I hope he gets a better opportunity. And this isn't like how we remember him, because frankly, this is another example of how unfair um and how difficult it is to be trying to play this season during a pandemic that's exploding. There's no reason that kids should have been on the field. It was the detriment to him personally and the team, and they had no other choice. You Philip rivers, You could have called the Philip Rivers. But Jameis Winson and I are

Taysom Hill Covid Trevor Simeon Covid. So you run out this poor kid who gets obliterated by this hard charging Dolphins defense that smelled blood in the water, and with the with the Saints. To me, they're the Ravens of the a f C, a once promising team that simply is endured too much that the walls have eventually caved in. Here because nobody I don't care who your coach is. Uh, there's no way you could sustain this. So that that's just a tough break. And I know their playoff hopes

are still somewhat intact, although it's becoming more. They got Panthers Falcons, so those are two winnable games if they get a lot of these players back, which they probably should, including their quarterback. It's the tackles that has hurt them. But they set an NFL record last night for the most starters used in a season, and that extra week that is crazy. That's and it's like, yeah, maybe you

could you could look ahead and say they'll get healthy. Well, the way things have gone, it could get worse from here, you know, And I would say it's more likely that's where it goes, because it's just one of those star cross seasons. And and back to the Dolphins, all right, let's see it. Let's see it now. Because I'm not alone on this. I still I'm not buying in. I haven't like twelve on the power ranking, just because when you win seven in a row, you gotta keep moving

up as the weeks go along. But this has been an absurdly easy schedule. It's been a historically easy schedule. Uh, the ian Book thing was crazy that that fell into their lap and what should have been a must win game for the Saints at home in primetime and it all kind of got washed away. So the Dolphins take care of business again. But now Titans, now Patriots, and if you really are a team that I should be

taking seriously when both these games complete this unlikely journey. Otherwise, thanks for the memories and we move on with the real relevant teams. And they if they beat the Titans with a j Brown back and they and they show you know that they can answer on offense to some degree, that would help me a lot. I'm with you to some degree, dan on in terms of like what I think about Miami, but I mean, to go do what they've done on defense. They are a legitimate team you

do not want to deal with. I just I think they have This is what they did a year ago. They diagnosed quarterbacks and make life hell. And I'm not just talking about ian Book. And it has been a soft schedule, but I mean, there's a reason we've never seen a team do this to this to this extent that a lot of it is scheduled, but the Titans offensive line is not much is not much better. I mean they can go win this game. That The problem, and I think it showed up last night is the

Dolphins offensive lines even worse. They are dead last in pass blocking grades according a PFF. They are dead last in pass block win rate according ESPN. When you get all the analytics sides who are kind of clashing to agree on something, that means you're the worst. And to uh has actually helped out this offensive line. This this sometimes unwatchable offense where he has to get rid of the ball in two point two seconds because that's what he does well. It's like that's the only thing that

would work with this offensive line. He has to play that way. But the last two weeks in Dolphins fans, I know you agree. Even though he made a couple of nice throws last night, he's played two of his worst games of the season in a row, back to back. Coming off to buy, he has made about three or four turnover worth he plays in each of these games. And the style of offense they play, you gotta thread that needle. It's like a small margin for error. He

needs to be a caretaker. He needs to be like the Alex Smith on the Chiefs type of guy if he's given chances to the other teams like he did three or four times last night, like they're gonna lose that game in Tennessee or they're gonna lose in New England, and unfortunately they probably gotta win them both to get into the playoffs. Hey, listen, locked up the Dolphins, big win. I got a two game lead or two. That's why Mark was like, you know, sending us like vicious tweets

text left. I'm much happier now. I never had any issue with you locking them up necessarily. I'm I'm post giving an f about any of that at this at this stake, and I just give me a break when when Vegas. I think the thing with the lock competition is is like, check out the spreads, look for some things that stand out as inconsistencies. And I thought that the Saint's Only Gotten three was bizarre with that defense and ian books level of inexperience, and it played out

exactly like that. So a lot of people probably made a lot of money on because I think I think they agreed with you. It was like the you're right, It's like I don't think Vegas knows what's to do with this COVID stuff, because it's like, yeah, in theory, I get it, like these the underlying numbers of the Saints are pretty great. But it's like that that wasn't the Saints. You gotta just gotta just suggest that people coming after me on Twitter like, look at the mirror.

Look listen, dude, I'm not looking to win Medal of the Valor's here. I'm just I'm looking to win games. And let let me ask you a question. Let's say I locked them up and you on an island game in this situation, would you be as charitable towards me? I would have been like, I'm joining you on that because this is easy money. Well, let's say you say, let's say that you went down a different avenue and

then I like won this lock. Would would there be any would there not be a word or two of like, well, Mark, that was very questionable. But if that's what you needed to make a little joke, my my official comment is that's neither here nor there. Mark, Well that is that is, of course that's what you're gonna say. But I mean, I think everyone listening understands how that would have been handled. Mark of my one of my joys. Things that I

like about this podcast, and there's so many things. That's been one of the great things that I've ever had in my life is riling up the quiet storm. It's sometimes it gives me a little, you know, little juice. Well, I'm too down now because of a disastrous two weeks where I went against the cults. Um, I have learned major lessons. I'm not touching that team again. Oh yeah, the team that's one nine of ten did not did

not pay off. What about Sam Elinger though maybe you want to lock up against him again, but the Raiders they kind of stand at it. We'll get to all that on Thursday. Let's take a break, and then we're gonna try to solve some mysteries. This program is about unsolved mysteries. Whenever possible, the actual family members and police officials have participated in recreating the What you were about to see is not a news broadcast. Yes, welcome back to the broadcast and or the podcast, I should say,

And it is time. The NFL regular season, a strange a season as you can never recall, has two weeks remaining in the regular season. In mark the biggest season. Football is family. Football is now your family. They can they can throw any slogan they want at what we're witnessing off though, five and five days and no football after eight primetime games and ten days we have five days of no football. Mark, well eight out of ten days was a bit heavy. I mean it was a

little bit. It's like I would like to eat those pizza slices I mentioned. I wouldn't want it to be the only thing I eat NonStop, every meal, all day long. I totally get it. I get it. The commissary, it's all on the arm. As Keith Anders would say, we're not paying for it. You know, it's the only thing

better than pizza, free pizza. Yeah, oh yeah. Anyway, it's been a mysterious, spooky NFL season, and now we're gonna try to well, what we're gonna do here is kind of, uh open up, open the kimono of mystery here and lay out some things that are completely impossible to decipher to the average person, um perhaps to us, and then we'll try to use logic to to crack the mystery. Now,

as you know, Mark is a child of the eighties. Um, sometimes you get that update and when you get the update, and then something update, and then they tell you this man did see an alien. Actually turns out he was clinically insane and they put him in an asylum. Like it's good to get the update. We can't hit you with an update right now. But here's the good thing about football. All these unsolved mysteries will get the update by February that we could promise you, or a little after.

Let's get into it. Mark, you are a conspiracy theorist. This program is right up your alley, the segments up your alley. So get us going with the first unsob mystery. All right, I will title this project poison Beak. And here's what I'm unfurling to you. Have the Cardinals been subject to a hush hush government op aimed at gathering data on what happens when an entire football team and its coaching staff, unbeknownst to them, ingest pure strained psilocybin

via the team cafeteria soft serve ice cream machine. One big issue is that Kyler Murray is obsessed with that vanilla chocolate strawberry neo politan swirl option and has spent the past twenty one days in a trenchant haze. This is another way of asking, are these birds cooked? Have they migrated into another world? Can Kyler win big games under the lights? Is Cliff Gangsberry built for the long haul?

Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. You know everybody dre by the way, psilocybin reference by Mark Sel Government did LSD experiments for years and years. Looking right, I'd like to drink some psilocybin, you know, a little New Year's Eve or something New Orleans. So the unsolved mystery is are the Cardinals cooked? Have they peaked? It's a It's a great one because either way I look at the Cardinals right now is yes, they fit every profile as one of those teams they started seven and oh their

five and eight. Since they've lost their best playmaker on the outside, they seem to have lost that confidence and that mojo that made them so special to start the year. Uh, they could be kind of heading towards that ten and seven finish and then a wipe out in the first round and then a ton of questions. However, Kyler Murray is special. So that's to me like boring down a little more. The unsaved mystery is how special is Kyler Murray.

I the next few weeks are critical test because the true franchise star can put a team on its back and take them out of a valley and get him back to the peak. If he doesn't a year after they faded uh In and I understand who was injured that year, I think questions will start to build, not just around Cliff Kingsbury, but Kyler Murray as well. I'm not worried about Kyler, you know, I am a little

worried about this coaching staff and Cliff Kingsbury. Certainly they'll look better when they get ron Dale Moore James Conner back. Maybe they will for for this Dallas game this week. But the tweet going around on Tuesday that really caught my eye about Cliff Kingsbury's record in the first seven games of his season compared to after that is remarkable. This this goes back to Texas Tech. He's forty two and twenty in the first seven games in sixteen and

forty three after that. If you just want to do the Cardinals, they're fifteen five and one in the first seven games in eight and eight, eight and eighteen after that. So maybe maybe it's just weird numbers sticking against the wall. But whatever the idea that um is around that the first couple of months of the season are one thing, and then teams start adjusting to what you've done and it's on you to adjust to that. It's like they're not doing any adjusting. They're playing their worst when it

matters the most. There are There are a lot of examples of teams, including the Super Bowl Cardinals, including Patriots, including the Ravens when they won the Super Bowl. Who's stunk in December and turned it back on. This team has the juice and the players to be that sort of team. I don't know if they have the coaching staff though. Most most of those numbers that you mentioned for Arizona's fast start, I mean obviously come this year because they were five and ten and one under his

first season. Now last year, I would attribute that to the to the to the Kyler Murray injury. I didn't all seven. They were worse in their last after the first seven. Like that's been consistent every single season. There is something crazy about that. It's I mean, I think part of it is his system, like people were still learning to some degree, but they were fast starters. They I think I'm with Dan. I just feel like a classic team that peaked. I mean, they looked unstoppable a

month ago. If they were to get wiped out by Dallas, I mean, the end of this season is about as ugly as one could author. All right, let us move on up next the question that I know you've thought about, Mark Ceciler Baker Mayfield playing his final games for the Cleveland Browns. Is he playing for his future with back to back games against the Pittsburgh Steelers Cincinnati Bengals? And how crazy is it that we're even having this conversation

considering where things were in September. I will cite a report from the Acron Beacon Journal Marla ridden Or, who said the Browns are likely to bring in competition for Baker Mayfield in two She also wrote in the article that the four interception performance against the Packers on Christmas provided Brown's bass brass with quote even more minuses on their ledgers when deciding whether to offer Mayfield an extension with his contract expiring after Mark, do you believe that

these next two weeks mean everything for your quarterback? I don't know if he can really dig himself out of the hole, unless he were to have two spectacular showings. They made the playoffs and they got back to where they were a year ago, and maybe one a playoff game, and then you can look back at all this and say, you know, the shoulder um Covid, other things around him, you know, fell apart um. I think more likely the last game is tough because you don't have to extend him.

I think he's here next year, and I do think that Stefanski has a lot of faith in him. I mean, if he melts totally over the next two weeks, I think they are a candidate because you already heard them linked to like the Deshaun Watson situation, they're a candidate to explore. I don't think competition for Baker Mayfield, but

a big name replacement. I don't know what competition means, because if you have the number one draft pick and like you're bringing in case Keenum is competition around what you could get, and so it's like, what does that mean. I think you would go get the Russell Wilson, you go after someone like Deshaun Watson, or you stuck, you stick with him for one more year and have a

real look at who he is now. I think the problem is I think they and we kind of know what he is right now, and it's that's the depressing part. I don't think this is what I thought of him at all. Even six seven weeks ago, they are already showing with reports like that that this could be coming. I'm glad you you threw this mystery at It is fascinating because it reminds me something that happened a couple

of weeks ago that really caught my eye. And it was a couple of reports in the Cleveland Papers questioning Kevin Stefanski's play calling and whether Baker Mayfield was put in the best position, uh in terms of what Stefanski was calling late game situations. Very very pro Baker piece with some sources that Stefanski is putting him in a bad position, intention that that he's doing a bad basically

that they're they've done a bad job play calling. I forget which local paper, I forget which paper it was. Didn't get a lot of buzz, but it got me thinking, like, well, the Browns read that piece and they might have their guesses of where that's coming from. Someone trying to protect Baker after one of his worst games of the year, and I started to think, like, oh, this is ugly, Like this is there, we're already getting into like that he said. She said stuff of like who's that fault there?

And I don't think Baker would survive that because Baker has a little has trade value. That's a thing like in these in these deals where Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson or something, it's like Baker is a nice piece to have. Doesn't mean he's going to change your franchise, but he has trade value. That That was the point I was about to make, which is they picked up the final year of his rookie deal. The extension is probably not happening at this point, so he becomes a

tradeable asset. It was very similar to the Sam Donald situation where the and the Panthers made the decision then to pick up his option, but uh, the same draft class. My point being that he doesn't have a big financial commitment. Maybe you take him on and he upgrades your quarterback position. You get a look at him at a not a very high cost case. Keenum is under contract for one more year. He knows who he is, He's a backup.

Baker Mayfield is not the type of guy. I don't think that would be cool with Steak sticking around in Cleveland if they went and brought in someone that became the logical starter. So maybe a fresh break for both sides would be in order. But I think again, to me, I think the story has yet to be written. Even if it seems like the writings on the wall. I think if he balls out here and they end up stealing the A f C. North, I think he could

change everything. And then all that stuff that you were saying Mark about how beat up he's been, uh, and he has been at the idea of Okay, look at how he finished this year, look at his his body of work last year, and he's had moments throughout his career. And maybe they talk themselves into it, but I think if he continues to play at a substandard level, I think they're gonna act. But here's here's one thing I

see on the horizon. Though. Let's say they beat Pittsburgh and he plays fine, Okay, it's gonna be ugly when he is massively outdueled by Joe Burrow and the in state Cincinnati Bengals in the final game of the season. That's how this thing ends. So do you know it doesn't It sounds like your confidence really has been shaken quite entirely. I have no confidence in this team, and I think it's I think that's the team I'm talking

about Baker him in the whole thing. I think that to Greg's point, where these reports it's so it's so countered or a year ago, there's something very dark about these reports. And uh, you know we I think Brown's fans thought you would escape this and you have not. I think the Brown's front office, though, was like a decisive group, and because of that, I think they would get rid of I do want to clarify just what

the report was. It was when Baker talked to Kurt Warner and he mentioned having to overcome a lot of internal things. Uh. And then there was a Mary Kay Cabot report of a growing disconnect between Stefanski and Mayfield about play calling and whether they've talked about it or not. Mary Kay said that there's been a disconnect about the style of play golf. Interesting. Okay, Greg, you're up next and unsolved mystery. And by the way, Greg, I'm just curious.

I think I've asked you this question before, but you were born age thirty two? Standing up? Have you ever seen Unsolved Mysteries? No? I never watched. Okay, I'm not a judgment. I mean I've seen it many times because I was, you know, flipping through the channels, or even I was young enough to be like turning the dial. I believe, but I don't. I never stuck on it. Alright, cool,

all right, what's your own solved mystery? Greg rosenvo Well, let's stay in the quarterback realm since these are connected. My unsolved mysteries is what's Russell Wilson's trade value when he gets put on the market, Because I think he's getting put on the market by his own people, whether the Seahawks want to trade him or not. I think the Russell Wilson camp is going to be running this show.

Pete Carroll says he's been having great conversations with Jody Allen, their owner, that he doesn't want to change philosophies at all, that he has a very tight relationship and and I just am curious if the last twenty games of Russell Wilson's play impacts what his trade value is whatsoever? Because

he hasn't played that well. Fair question. I think my feeling is that a team would be willing to gamble the house on the idea that he's still just thirty three and maybe things just got a little stale in Seattle, and if you give him the rights, supporting cast and fresh coaching, he becomes that superstar guy for another five

to eight years. I think there's a team out there, and probably multiple teams that will give up everything to get him, and I and I mean give up everything like what we're hearing for the Shaun Watson, like three first round picks or two, you know, two first round picks in a second something like that. I think he still has that value. But I think it's a fair point because his body of work is underwhelming. Quite frankly,

over the past two seasons. I don't think, Um, I see where you're coming from, because it's not been the same Russell Wilson and this season especially, um, we've become used to seeing subpart play from him, which is, you know,

quizzical compared to everything else. But I mean, I think of the last twenty games of Matthew Stafford before he came to Los Angeles, where it's like, you're gonna have teams and coaches that just look at Russell Wilson and say clean slate, don't care what happened with Seattle as the organization was slightly crumbling around him and him him

as well, I think his value will be supreme. Um, Russell Wilson, you your entire team, an organization changes spiritually, physically for the next five, six, seven years, and you sell tickets, You've got you've got an immediate identity. I think it's just too attractive, from ownership to coaches who

think they can fix everything, to the locker room. I mean, it would absolutely alter the way that we view whatever team went here, because it's it's right there for us uh Baker and two number ones in a three for Russell Wilson, You're you're Andrew Berry Mark Sesler. Well, I I think number one you you. The Browns are going to be very bold if they want to make this decision the same way that we saw with the Rams.

I would make that move. But here's the thing. I don't think Russell Wilson would ever go to Cleveland because of who he's married to, because of a wide variety of things. I just think that's a long shot. I think that if the Jets wanted to turn that into some sort of scenario, I think they'd have a better chance.

Um the Giants, especially the Giants have already been named as as an obvious candidate, right and think about all the other I agree with you guys that ultimately he'll go for a ton I to me, I feel a little buy or beware because it was the second half of last season was ugly. That's a pretty long stretch here where you wonder if he's going to age as gracefully as some of these other quarterbacks. You know, it

reminds me a little bit bit of bent. I mean, you still would buy in, but I'd be buy or vieware. But it's ultimately a seller's market. Think of the teams that are going to be desperate for a Russell Wilson type player, Broncos, Saints, Texans, Brown's w FT, Carolina Jets. It only takes one or two to make like that

market incredibly high. And someone to conduct Greg Greg Let's say you were a general manager and a report came out that Greg rosen to all the general manager decided not to pull you know, not to pull the switch on a Russell Wilson trade because he was concerned about Russell Wilson's last twenty games. You would be fried on that city's sports radio to no end. I hear what you're saying, but I don't think that's how anyone else is going to think about. I just don't like I

think some teams well but not not all right. I think it's a it's a concern. Greg, you still kind of like the Patriots. Uh, how about Mac Jones a first and a first Jones than Russell Wilson for sure, period. I'm not I'm not too high on Mac. I mean Russell Wilson right now. To me, I don't want to be given up first round, a ton of first round picks for Russell Wilson right now. I already have a first round pick. You know in that scenario it's Mac Jones. Wait?

Did I hear that right? Did you just say, wait, why did the I just saw the Vikings signed a quarterback Kirk is not vaccinated? Interesting, I'll be tracking that. Um. Did you just say you would have trade Mac Jones for Russell Wilson from Mac Jones? Yeah, I mean I would say that about about fifteen guys in the league right now, especially guys that tracks what about justin fields

where Chicago was a target. Wait a second, I don't understand how Mac Jones I mean, Matt Jones to me would would be moved in a second for Russell Wilson. But you're very low on him. I am. I don't know, Like Russell Wilson's good, Like he's definitely a mid level starting quarterback at this point, but that's all he's been for for a year and a half now, And uh, I'd rather have like a rookie with a little higher ceiling. That's that that young Hey hey, Ricky, where do you you?

I mean? And I'm not that high on Mac Jones. I think mac Jones is going to be, like, you know, the tenth best quarterback in the league. But I kind of rather that rookie contract than giving giving like like who has had a better year this year? Mac Jones and Russell Wilson. It's it is environment, Like there is an environment to Russell. I just so Wilson has like Tyler Locket, He's got DK Metcalf and like they's solid. I'm not I'm not saying he couldn't have like a

great second, you know, career elsewhere. It definitely could happen, but it also might not, Like he might just be fine somewhere. I have a sneaking suspicion this take is going to age very poorly, Greg, But hey, you might be right. No, he's gonna be dancing on TikTok with Sierra in the next couple of years. First for an income. Oh, he is such a future dancing with the Stars guy. Maybe he's already done it. I don't know. All right, let's take a break and we'll go one more time

around with someones mysteries. Welcome back, Mark one more. Alright, I'm looking at my list here. Will men's fashion ever improved? Not that one? Let's go here mystery? Oh, I think it's Absurdain, go ahead, We've got some work to do on that front. Um. Does Lamar Jackson have a great game left in him in this season? And does it even matter? Mm hmm. I'm trying to remember the great game he's had this year. First of all, I mean

it's it happened a long time ago. It's like week five or so, week seven, the Minnesota second half that was probably Week seven. I mean, that's it's a long time ago. I'm gonna say it matters for sure, um, because I think they'd be dangerous if they could somehow win these games. And they are playing the rams of matters for them too. I want to believe it, So I'm gonna say say yes there. Their offense hasn't been the problem since Lamar left, Like their offense was fine

against Cincinnati. If he can get back in there, good weapons, I'm not ready to totally give up on them yet because of that one week. This is a big This is a big couple of weeks here for the Lamar heads out there. The Lamar Army is strong. Uh. There has always been a fierce level of defense for Jackson whenever the team struggles. Uh, it's it's very rarely put

on his shoulders. And yet I think we've reached the stage now where even the Lamar Army needs to hang some of the ravens downfall on the quarterback if they if they continue this path. And I understand again this is a strange season, uh, and they've been absolutely gutted

by injuries. But wouldn't you doesn't it is it asking too much for Lamar if he gets back from this ankle injury to put together two great games to close the season and be the superstar that they need him to be and perhaps carry them to the a f C North title. Um, I don't think so. If he's as good as everyone says and he's got an m v P Trophy, he's like Kyler Murray, like Mike Baker Mayfield, like these guys, but Baker's obviously in a different category.

What I mean is these guys that are the lynch pins of the franchise. You need them to do what Josh Allen did on on Sunday in Foxborough and put a team on your back. Can he do it? It's a big test. I see why a lot of stuff slips off Jackson's back in terms of critique because he'll make the same mistakes that a that a Baker someone else will make. But Baker doesn't have that special component to his game that even if we haven't seen a lot of that from Lamar Jackson, with the way they've

been defended, you know it's there. You know he can do it, and so I think Greg's optimism. You're kind of just rooting for it to happen. That's where I think Jackson supporters and loyalists are kind of stuck right now because it's not inevitable where it felt inevitable with him a year ago or two. Well, I thought inevitable eight weeks ago. He was on a lot of mid

season m v P rankings as maybe the favorite. So he's had a bizarre season where he played as well or better than he's ever played, uh in a different style, and then it was a disaster. He played so poorly after that and then got hurt. So it's been a very like a very strange season. The thing is he could play really well, and their defense is twenty nine in the you away, so he's gonna need he's gonna need them to play better. Like Josh Johnson played great

last week. Josh Johnson has not only been better than all these emergency quarterbacks that have been called upon, but better than most backup quarterbacks. Like you scored touchdowns in three of his seven drives before it was like garbage time and like, and that defense has totally fallen apart. They didn't get some COVID guys, But you know you're gonna win a shootout with the Rams, that's what's gonna have to have. Well, Yeah, it's I'm not saying I'm

not saying it's impossible. It just doesn't I think he was gonna miss a week and he's missed three. They clearly us here. But I think that it's unfair to say that it's on Lamar to get the Ravens to the super Bowl. I think too much has happened to Baltimore to see them as a credible super Bowl contender. I guess all I'm really saying is from an individual standpoint, UH, do something special these last two weeks. I don't know.

The ankle things a real thing, So it might be like what we're seeing with Kyla not Kyler Murray, with Jalen Hurts. The last couple weeks. He came back from an ankle injury and hasn't run the football like does Lamar lose that element of his game even when he returns. This might just be a broken Baltimore season. But I would like to see Lamar finish on a high note, because, yeah, he even this year he was playing at that elite level and that all just kind of slipped away in

the second half. Alright, I'm gonna move away from quarterback talk. I did have another I had a couple of quarterback ones, but we've done a lot of quarterback ones. So let me just let's head to the broadcast booth. M I think even the greatest, the biggest of the Romo heads out there, and I think Greg you are you were right up the top of that list. We'll say that Tony's maybe taking a step back since he signed a big contract, maybe not as invested, maybe not doing the

work at the same level. Still a nice, a really good presence. You feel like you're watching a big game when Tony's there with nance, but maybe he's not that he's not like hitting home runs every Sunday like he used to. Is this the Is this the playoffs where Romo going through the motions gets surpassed, but in the by the people that track these things? By Greg Ols, with Kevin Burkhart, the new darling of social media every Sunday, the football Gagnane, it's all fired up about Greg Olson.

Is that going to be a story that Andrew Marshant to The New York Post will be writing about come late January? Don't we think that it's It's happened a little bit to some degree, I mean, not officially but the Olsen love is um, the outpouring is uh. Well, he's the new cover of Team Beat, like uh for football,

the Twitter verse like everybody loves all. He's got these two Island Saturday primetime games, which I on, you know, instructive, not only because everyone realized how great Grey Olson is, but I believe Troy Aikman's in a contract situation right now. You think they put that little Olson on the Saturday nights big audiences, you better come to the bargaining table, Troy, or else we'll see at Amazon. I have no idea

what's happening. I think with Romo one thing, you're you're another year removed from having been inside team walls, inside a team, and you have to start to attack a little bit differently. Um, maybe it's just uh. I thought that the game he was on, the Chief Steelers game was a tough drawl because it was over within like twelve minutes, and you're going to like be and c material.

But that was by far I thought his least impressive well because I don't think he has a lot of least impressive ones, but I mean, if you go listen to that, he just seemed a little detached to me and out of it. I'm not trying to critique Hi because I think he's awesome. He's clearly really really good. Like that was a game pass game for me, so

I didn't I didn't get the Romo experience. But I am with you, Mark, I've seen games this year that weren't They've had some dogs in general, and more than any announcer, he seems to totally lose lose investment if the game is not close, like he was like a child. He has like a child, where like he's so into it if it's closed, but what it's not. It's like

he seems to lose. Can't you can't you imagine Jim Nance during a commercial break when Romo's interest in the game is waning, just pulling the stern Dad routine and he's like, Okay, Tony, let's go, Tony, let's go. I feel like that feed where you can watch talking to each other and they seem to jenuine we like, like jenuinely love each other. Man, they really love each other, I think. But I think I feel like Nance is still trying to impress Romo and be like the cool kid.

Like he makes a little sarcastic jokes that Romo makes, so I don't know if he's he's coming too tough on last time we had a Marshaw on the show, he had like a dicey internet connection, which was disappointing. But now he's got his own podcast. He does a media podcast, so you know he's got the dye and you know he's got the rock solid, plugged in internet

set up. So Ricky, we want to put that put a pin in this uh, and we're gonna want to have some good old fashioned NFL media play by play booth talk when things quiet down in the NFL season, Little Little they should get a wild card game and a divisional round. I don't know if they get a division but they should at least get a wild card game. The shout out to Andrew mars Shawn's brother, regular listener to the show, Marshawn Family Affair. All Right, I'm I'm

rambling now, I'm Tony. I'm Tony Romo in the second quarter of a Steelers game in December, um one more. He was so disappointed my final unsolved mystery the show. He's never seen. This is what's going on in Jacksonville, Oh authorities have reported that despite being a big part of an organization that has won three games combined over the last two years, that's one less than Joe Judge one. This year, ouch, Trent Balky was given the Keith to the Kingdom. Trent Balky, who seems to be great at

one thing, managing up people, surviving changes. Why is Trent Balky running a coaching search in the year that is my unself mystery that that's a great one. And and tying together the theme of the show and another prime

time program from the late eighties early nineties. Um, I'd rather have Balky Bartakamus from Perfect Strangers running my team than Trent Balky, because yeah, I'm with you, but I don't know if the Russian post super plugged into the task, right, I don't know, you know, Like, just for some background, Trent Backy was a forty Niners guy back in the day, kind of pushed out a few forty Niners coaches too, and always managed to survive. That wasn't you know? Him

and Jim Harbaugh eventually we're at odds. Uh survived that. Uh. And here in Jacksonville, where he was a key figure in convincing urban Meyer to promote him and supposedly was integral in the hiring of this offensive line coach. By the way that urban Meyer. Uh, eventually you know, took all the flak four has convinced owner shot Con that he is the man to run this team and he

has more power than ever. And the more we learned about urban Meyer, it almost feels like urban Meyer was so out to lunch that much of this team was run by Trent Balki the whole time. And Uh, I hate the setup where coaches are inheriting the GM or the GM is inheriting the coach. It's a big pet peeve of mine. I feel like that's the number one ownership test. If you fail that test, yeah you're bad. I know there's exceptions. Siciliano brought it up the less

need Sean mcbaywan. I don't need to hear the exceptions. There's a million other times they need to be a line. You need to hire them together. I don't. I don't like this set up, and I don't like it when everyone around that team doesn't like it either. So you're looking at you're looking at two people that have followed teams that have done that that for a thousand years.

I also think that you know, if you're Trent BALKI, are there certain candidates out there who feel a certain way about him saying I don't want that job because I want this other job. If you're up for a couple, for instance, like the Jacksonville has attractive Trevor Lawrence makes it attractive in theory, but you don't like the GM, you don't go there. It's should and the ownership situation.

I think Sean kan has been a really good owner in terms of being a consistent, good businessman, but he's at the point now where he shouldn't be falling for this dog and pony show. See if you had Balky Bartkamas making the decision, you say, oh, should you mismatch coach and GM, he'd go, well, of course not Larry get out of the city. He not to have like a nice laugh track attached to like whenever he does a press comment. I watched I watched some Perfect Strangers

back in the day. I even can remember that guy's name, Bronson Pinchote very good like that quickly What was the fictional country of fictional area that he was from? Mark Sessler, uh Rosa Slavia Posh the Jaguars. By the way, I've asked permission to interview Byron Leftwich, Todd Bowles, Dan Quinn, Doug Peterson, Kellen Moore, and Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. Just a little bit of new Did they hired Doug Peterson? Did they get Frank right? Also they get that statue

of it's such an important hire. They have this generational quarterback who has been put through hell. You can't mess it up? And God do you trust them? I mean,

I like, you know what I think they're going. I think that they're heading towards like a Gym Caldwell Higher because it's like, you know, you had a super chaotic significant other, girlfriend, boyfriend, and your next person is someone that is different, and like they're gonna go super boring because they had a high drama, high problematic coach that

nearly drugged the organization into the sea right. One of the reasons I hate the setup and I know will end it tune is gms like Balky to me are gonna one of their primary concerns is hiring a coach that he's going to have power over and control over, and that's like not what you want to be the priority and hiring your coach. That's true, that's fair. Alright. That ends another episode of Unsolved Mysteries on the Around the NFL podcast. You will hear from us next on Thursday.

We have no Thursday night football, so we have a full slated games. We have Saturday games this week, as I understand, or at least one game. No, no, it's also so I think it was because of the bowls. Is in the college football playoffs, they took this Saturday off. We are running free waun till Sunday. Baby. Is there a Monday night game? There is a Monday night Cleveland Pittsburgh. All right, that's the last Monday night game. Okay, so

Arrow in the head, please a full Sunday slate. We're gonna really need our buddy Nick Shook for the flagship show and he will be there for us. UM. All right, thank you everybody for listening. What will we hear when's New Year's Eve? That's Friday, okay, so it won't be um by the time you hear from us next, So forget that. I was gonna say Happy New Year, but it's not time, so you don't get it yet. Yeah, all right, that's it. Dan has a signing off for

Quiet Storm. Uh the old boss Ricky Hollywood until Thursday. Heed the call se