Team of ATN Decision and Midseason Awards check-in

The Around the NFL podcast is wicked to be done.

Done only.

One of the Chris Wesling podcast studio. It's Around the NFL.

I'm Dan Ansis and yes I am joined by some wikily delented people, Mark Sessler, Greg Rosenthal and yes, Colleen will back in the building.

Yo, Well what's up?

And that's if you don't know what the reference that's a tell on you not listening to every single episode that we.

Produce exactly exactly.

You don't get the explanation because you were not loyal to the brand.

It's on you.

I always a good different vibe here when Colleen's here, just worse right, lighter?

No, oh here, darker, yes, more mathematical. Turn this up in my headphones. Oh yeah. It reminds me of driving.

In high school and my buddy Jim Dreavis is big white think it was like a Ford Explorer and he had the giant sub offers and the bass was kicking so hard on those subs subs thank you. It was kicking so hard that you just couldn't even hear the song. And like I was, you know, I was young at the time, so it wasn't like these kids are out of touch. It was like, how come I kim here?

All here is?

But that was like the whole goal of the SUBS world, which Colleen, I know you've you know very well.

Subs in am was the goal not to hear the song but only the bass exploding. The goal was for everyone else to hear you before you got there.

I think you need to roll into NFL Networks, you know, immense parking garage which doubles a sofa a sofi. If you're rich, you can go park and go to Sofi too, But like just rolling with that song blasting or maybe blasted in and then.

It was like smash cut to me driving my ninety six Ford Escort and I'm like turning down the base on the County Crows.

I'm like a little too heavy.

For met office spaced rip.

Everyone that worked in the car stereo industry like it was the nineties, it's just.

Not so you take the front off of the oh yeah whatever, the.

Whole that's a whole issue with that.

I didn't want to pay my brother club stereo system that he had installed in my grandfather's car that he was giving to me.

I was like, I'm not paying for that.

I would say, the only thing I was like Greg's tough Tough luck story for Heart Scrabble. For me, the big expense was the CD player with anti skip technology, with the jack that had the tape cassette wire connected to it and you'd slide it in then you could play your CDs.

That was the height of my tech in my car. Wow, you had that right.

Well.

I had a car that was a I think it was a Volvo and it was like battleship gray. It was really old. It was a hand me down, and the windshield wipers stopped working. So my dad installed a light switch like that you would get that you would see on a wall. He installed one on the dashboard so whenever I had to use my windshield wipers, I would have to turn the switch on, and sometimes the horn would honk, just unexplicably.

Why cross wiring.

Yeah, it's all worked.

The worst thing. Yeah, but the worst thing that ever happened to me. I had a like a used Honda Prelude as my first car, and at one point, you know, it's like just a felt fabric type seat. The seat, which you could adjust obviously like any car seat, just lost its maneuvering and just fell flat back. So I'm driving around town with no seat and you think that's fine except about four minutes and that you're like, I

It's a good core workout.

Yeah, all right, Today's show.

Good stuff.

Dan's like, why did you tell that story?

No?

I enjoyed it, okay, good And I also enjoyed this new hair cut.

You give me a certain looks I thought, maybe looks good.

Raise it from the edit.

I like the story and the haircut.

Let's talk today's show. We are going to previewoo. We got some interesting Island games. We're going to hit him on the back end of the show. We're also going to check in with our early season predictions preseason predictions, and then decide what we choose to stand on and what we are going to change. And that could be a difficult and humbling exercise. I'm looking forward to seeing that original NFL document in NFL dot com document from

But first I want to ask you guys.

We are entering week ten, this is the halfway point of the season, Greg, what is the biggest single surprise to you of the season so far.

This was hard to think about and I realized after going through it, and this is not a cop out, the biggest surprise is how chalk everything is. There's no there's no surprises like the NFL. I always say before the season, no matter like what scenario you could come up with, it will be more unpredictable than the most like surprising predictions. So you might as well go wild with your predictions before the season if you want. It

To us, which is either either means the best is yet to come and it's gonna be a wild second half or we're experiencing the most mundane season in the history of this.

Well, I would it's just like parodies.

There is a lot of parody because everyone's got two losses back except for Philadelphia. It's just like the good teams have stayed good.

It's been a little I don't know, like back in the this is a this doesn't even resonate when you I will. I have another story about my car when I was driving that car actually around town in the you know, eighties nineties, Like the NFL had the same you're driving in the eighties. Uh no, I was like, I was in a car. I was in that car in the eighties.

I was there.

That's great, thank you. It was the same eight or nine teams that were good year after year.

So it's kind of like a throwback situation a little bit where it's like every But I think it just suggests that, you know, we made these predictions ourselves before the season. We kind of nailed them all in terms of standings, and it.

Looks good for us.

I mean, you have a biggest surprise I do.

I think it's going to be a right turn from all right, well, then sit on that one, how about you.

I am really surprised by all the defenses in the league and how they're kind of like showing up the offenses, and especially to Chanter City. The fact that the Chiefs are a defense first team right now is not really something that I thought would happen, especially last year, because the offense sort of made up for the loss of Tyreek Hill. So I didn't think that that was going to be a story really again, but it sort of

That's like their identity. And i'd say, like a team like a year ago that Detroit was a disaster on defense for large parts of the season, are the fifth ranked defense right now.

That's that's a league wide trend that you're right that is the biggest price that like defenses have fired back to the point where no one knows what to do with Like we'll get to that because it's like no one has good numbers. The offensive numbers we're just not used to it are as bad as they've been in fifteen years, and that at some point halfway through the season, you're like, I guess this might stick.

And there's so many quarterbacks that are hurt right now too, so that factors.

They're like propping up offenses off Yeah, but like the quarterbacks that have been putting up huge numbers like that are still playing like their numbers are all down to Patrick Mahomes.

With that said, biggest surprise for me, I have struggles of the Chiefs offense with Mahomes being mortal at times this year.

C J. Stroud Superstar Club Potential got that there.

That would have been my number one pick if I was forced to pick something. Stroud and the Texans.

I know the Giants were not expected to win the Super Bowl, but this season turning into a nightmare. The Cowboys are favored by sixteen points this week. They are a nightmare. So that's a surprise. And then I guess The other big surprise for me is a Mark's black jacket is on a cal Ripken like streak of games played.

Like that's been a big surprise to me this season.

It's more Grayish, more battleship.

Gray, Battleship, Gray Levi is really he's the star of the show.

I think it's an apathy towards you know, dressing and new things.

I think you should call your jacket Helga because that was the name of my battleship, Gray car So Helga Helga looks good.

Consider that. What is your big Actually, I think it is c J.

Stroud adjacent in the sense that I've always found like the draft community to be. It's it's no I know they do a lot of work, but it's a lot of guessing, and it's a lot of nonsense, and there's a lot of like factors that we mull over and have to like judge a human being that a lot of us, like if you just watch you know, the pro Game, we didn't know a lot.

About c J. Stroud until like a month before that.

Now I'm watch all this tape and look at me, but it's like, you're done tracking this guy's entire career, okay, and that's like, you this S two cognition test that dropped this information that he got an eighteen on it, where guys like Bryce Young got a ninety eight. So it's like, oh, obviously Bryce Young brings this other element. I want to read you something. I went to their site because who do these guys think they are? He got buried in the predraft process. They say at S

No, it won't.

Bryce Young scoring a ninety eight and Stroud earning in eighteen. I'll show you number eighteen. Seacrest out baby, like I take this test. I'm never listening to anything about this test ever. Again, a lot of the stuff we just got to throw it out. I want to see him play on the field.

CJ.

Stroud, I think, bucked the entire concept of like pre judging some of these players. And he said I'm not a good test taker, which is like not an unfair thing to say, like sign.

Just or not.

Now in fairness, he went number two overall, and many I would say, I wouldn't say the majority, but it was closer to fifty to fifty than most pre draft process. Many people who covered the draft thought Stroud was the better prospect.

So it's not like everyone is shocked. CJ.

Stroud is better sure than Bryce Young, But as two go, take a dirt nap. They're just a business trying to sell their business, and a lot of people got sold tough tough spot.

Sessler does bury this aig. I'd probably feel at that too.

What was the surprise The.

Surprise, well, okay, the surprise to me.

Is C J.

Stroud in general is a surprise. And I would say of all the rookies, he came in with this like he.

Came asked a key question.

Nobody came in like with this soiled reputation. That's like, well, he's probably a good athlete, but he's not mentally capable like the rest of these guys.

Nonsense.

The surprise is take your test and throw it in the ocean with an anchor attached to it.

I think it should also be said that I don't think anybody.

I mean, there's pick number two.

Overall as a person, Why have this draped over you publicly?

It's like, oh, it's meant to be secret information.

Accord, it was like whatever the last thing was, the wonder Lick, it's all gazi for gays in the wind.

We're done with tests.

I'm done test. It's like a surprise check you later.

Actually, the wonder Lick was good. I thought, here's a hot take, because they still take it. The story around Wonderlick always used to be like, oh, his store, his score was so bad, he got as he got a seven hundred and you get six hundred points for writing your name at the top. And it's like, oh, the guy that didn't write the name at the top off my team. I'd take him right off the board. So there was something to the wonder like that.

Okay, wonder lick this? How about that?

Whoa it is?

Still? Why is it that relevant of a test? I don't know.

I don't know who you're really fighting again.

I like, I like this got me, This got me hyped up because it's like you're trying to tell us who this person is before we see them do what their actual job is.

Spicy, well done, Mark, I don't know.

You gave this assignment about an hour before the show, and I thought I'd dug deep into something that I feel.

I wouldn't call it an assignment.

But okay, well it did get you fired up, and anything that does that, I'm all for.

All Right, well, let's get into our predictions that we made in uh back in August again. This was an assignment. Oh on an assignment. Incredible assignment.

This was an assignment.

This was, yes, an assignment. On August thirtieth, twenty twenty three, we're asked to pick MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookies of the Year, blah blah blah blah blah. And earlier this week there was another assignment email that went I was like, hey, this is your chance for your mid season predictions. Always stand I stand on my initial predictions. But on this show, why don't why don't we kind of revisit where we were Connie. You could just pop

Was very busy documentary that was still ending the summer of Connie and we weren't ready.

Yeah, you were. You had been asked to take part.

Well, I think they send the email out and I view it sometimes as optional.

It was an opt out. It's okay, this could be your chance to pipe in. Okay, So MVP.

Let's see.

Me and Cess Dog both had Patrick Mahomes, Greggy, you had Justin and Herbert, and it's funny that's not happening. None of us are necessarily feeling great right now. But there really isn't a runway leader either, as you were saying earlier, Greg, So would anybody want to change their pick right now?

I mean, I like fully those like seven or eight quarterbacks. You could make an argument for if it must be quarterback, Like it's I'm more like predict this off of what I think the voters will do, and it's like, could it be someone like Tyreek Hill?

I think if maybe, if the season ended today, I think A. J. Brown and Tyreek Hill would be my top two picks. I don't necessarily think they would win the award, but that's like right now. But people are like, wow, there's no like great quarterbacks, there's no clear MVP. It's week nine, You've got like the MVPs almost never decided on the first half of the season anyways. It's basically like who has good numbers and who played well the last six weeks of the season.

Aremy comfortable with Mahomes and we'll get there.

But I would say, right now, AJ Brown and Tyreek on pace for two thousand yards, I would put them a little ahead of the top quarterbacks, which I did decide to make a list because now you can you vote top three for MVP. I believe the top five, and I was thinking who would be on my list, and I gave Lamar the slight edge over the rest of the QBS, which would be Hurts playing better. Mahomes is still there for me, and then Lower it's like Josh Allen, I actually think is playing well to a stroud.

Like those guys.

If they have a huge stretch run, any one of those guys, then they're probably the MVP.

Right now.

I guess they'd give it to Lamar out of this quarterback. I like the receivers better. It feels like they're more defining receives, not gonna win MVP. So I don't think that's true now. I don't think that's true. Last time it's been well, I think once only ever, right, Jerry Rice is the only I mean, but things things could change. You could have a season like if you forwarded and just doubled everyone's stats and we doubled it up and

I have a weird one, like like, so we know, Joe.

Are we really by the way, are gonna give the way that we just came out as the Shaan Watson mess the league's gonna bo bestow the NFL MVP honors the Tyreek Hill Like we're gonna, We're gonna, yeah.

Come sound to voters.

I mean at this point, when was the last time you heard anyone brought up Tyreek Hill's off field child. He literally is featured on Nickelodeon's promotion for their kids show, Tyreek Hill pops up and he's like, come, I'll slim you or whatever. It's like, that's not on anyone who decides this.

By the way, who gets completely absolved and who remains tracked well.

In this case, it would just be the voters technical right for m VP.

I think he's getting all pro votes every year, right, I mean to me, it's the same, it's the same voters.

It's it's the same people. But it's all TB.

But I would get rid of my Herbert pick because I think this Chargers Off is a sinking ship. I don't think he's gonna suddenly like rebound.

Is it the kind of thing where you need to be pristine from wire to wire or like I would say, a special case to be like a Joe Burrow, Right, we get it, Like the first part of the season was a disaster health related. But if you get the last two weeks of Joe Burrow and it continues on, like he starts to stand out from other quarterbacks.

To me, I think it's like the last six weeks of the season, who is the hottest and that's usually a quarterback. Whoever is the hottest there. And I mean, Lamar has a great case because he's made such a jump as a passer right now, but also he's getting a lot of assistance from his defense too.

Right Burrow is actually I can pull it up Burrows like the second or third most likely odds right now and to your point, Dan, even right now. And because these are people predicting what's going to happen at the end of the season, that's what you're betting on. Essentially, Tyreek and aj Brown are buried. They're still like sixth and seventh on.

Yeah, that's just that's how they do it.

I guess I be the change, though that hurts Lamar.

I'm not giving Tyreek kill my vote for MVPY, so I will not be that change for that guy.

You're asking the Pro Football writer now America, Greg to beat the change.

Also, no receiver has won v okay, I should have.

Oh right, I thought Rice wanted like eighty eight.

I'm doing a quick glance. Eighty eight a defensive player who won it year Boom, Yeah, I'm wrong, Oh Wrongles team.

Yeah, there was a year when Jerry Rice had like twenty some twenty touchdowns and was out of this world if he didn't win it that year.

It's it's a it's a stupid conversation.

But there used to be two MVP awards where it was like the AP was not the officially recognized one, and then there was writers.

And I think Rice was.

Even a typical frohim to win Super Bowl MVP, like just always quarterback quarterbacks.

Where the NFL hasn't like taken that award as their own. That feels like something that's going to happen. Yes, in nineteen eighty seven, Jerry Rice had sixty five catches. Oh there was the strike year, Holy god, in twelve games because the first four weeks were gabs playing in twelve games.

He had twenty two touchdowns that year, Oh my god. And then Moss broke his record in sixteenth. That's crazy her.

Yeah, he won the Pro Football Writers in nineteen eighty seven, which back then actually like was as prestigious and was sort of they were like competing awards.

My take with this particular exercise we're doing is I'm not moving.

Off unless I really have to, Like it's a lost cause.

So I'll stick with Mahomes and I would go to I would pivot to Burrow unless I if I felt really strongly, I.

Don't, ok.

I think I think Lamar if they can get a one seed here and he continues to play while he was gonna maybe be the yeah guy, all.

Right, offensive Player of the Year before the season, Mark you took Jalen Hurts, Greg you it Tooks.

I liked that though.

That's creative, Well that was that was just what I knew, know how these things work.

It was just like to put another name.

I took Garrett Wilson.

And the favorite in the field in August was Christian McCaffrey. I should say Mahomes was the favorite amongst NFL dot com writers in the field in August. This one, Uh yeah, this one looks like right now AJ Brown or Tyreek, but Christian McCaffrey has a as a real case as well to win it.

So those seem like the Big three for me.

So that's the I still think what happens so often is they still pick another quarterback.

I think this is the year that would change.

But jeff last year, right right, they'll do that be best receiver this year because we've seen a c change too, like receivers are getting quarterback money. I think people are starting to understand that a receiver as good as Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson and A J. Brown can make like they're elevating as good as Jalen Hurts is in Tua, like they are elevating them in a way that you just couldn't without a receiver.

Like not a single NFL dot Com expert picked AJ Brown.

No way. See if I did the exercise, you know that was your opportunity.

I did kick A J.

Brown in his Fantasy League twelfth overall.

That was me. Yeah, I believed in you. AJ.

We're so happy for it.

Very nice massive bona fide Street credit.

Right Defensive Player of the Year Sestog took Sauce Gardner. A good job by you, buddy. Not gonna happen. But let's see, Greg, you took MICHAEH. Parsons Micah Parsons, who is the favorite on our page. I took Miles Garrett.

I think Dan is gonna win this.

Feeling good about that. I stand with Miles Garrett.

I would switch it if I could.

I mean, obviously it's not Sauce Gardner, but it's like, I think this is the It seems like it's been elusive for Garrett, who's like always on the fringe of it. This may be he's made difference making plays week after week.

We should say it.

I mean, Sauce probably is not gonna win it, but it's not like he's injured anything. He's playing on a very good defense. But he hasn't had a year as as equal to year one so far.

Right, the problem for Gary and I've seen this like oh, on Sunday he won the Defensive Player the Year. Where the problem is, unlike MVP, there's incredible candidates. And again, it probably doesn't matter what you've done to this point because Parsons is close enough, you know, and and Max Crosby is close enough, and TJ. Watt close enough. They're all having monster seasons that whoever has the best second

In TJ Wat's not far behind.

Which Miles Garrett is like the bridesmaid for this award.

I think so too. I think it hel he feels different this year though doesn't Yeah.

He does for sure, But I want Max Crosby to get it because he is like the main guy on that defense and Miles Garrett has some good playmakers around him in Cleveland, but I feel like Max is a little bit more on an island with the Raiders.

Roquan Smith, I think would get some votes because you can vote for three guys, uh, best linebacker in the league and part of the best offense, and then Josh Allen's this his numbers in Jacksonville have to be looked at, Dexter Lawrence, Aaron Donald. Those guys wouldn't get it this year, but in a normal year, I feel like they'd be on some lists.

All right, this one's crazy offensive Rookie of the Year.

So you everyone remembers the incredible amount of hype around Bejhon Robinson. He got twenty six of the let's say through like twenty six of the thirty three votes, including cestog including Rosenthal, I picked Anthony Richardson. He had the second most votes, but only three votes. Bryce Young had three votes. Zay Flowers got a vote from Burgo get well soon, Burgo and Jami or Gibbs got one vote. Nobody, nobody gave a single vote to c J. Stroud, who at this point I'm not uncomfortable.

That goes back to my argument, let's be real, it's the test.

There was some sort of like perception that he might struggle in a way that we didn't expect, yea.

Because no one thought the Texans offense was going to be good, Like I'm just or the Texans would be You're right, though, you're right?

Yeah everyone she doing Steve mariochim yeah, so you had uh yeah.

C J. Stroud does not show up here.

I think he did, barring some type of injury, clinch Offensive Player of the Year on Sunday with what.

He did while losing your guy, Anthony Richardson like cleared that field out quite a bit and Bryce Young not looking ready for primetime at this point, I.

Think you're right.

He's he's a heavy, heavy favorite, which is too bad for pukakul. You put Pooka in last year's class. He's got a great chance, I think to win it over Garrett Wilson or Chris o'lavey. Like he has a very reasonable chance if Matthew Stafford is healthy, to have the greatest or one of the greatest rookie season statistically that any wide receivers ever had.

The only thing is he doesn't have the touchdowns like he has the yards and the catches.

That's true.

By the way, John Robinson, whatever are the Smith's doing over there? I think he's average. He's leveraging two point nine yards per carrying over the last month or so. Yikes, they've turned him into a sub three yards of carry runner.

They're not helping.

Really, Yeah, is that five for the season?

That is?

That is sad?

All right?

Uh, let's see bay bay blah bah bah flah fla.

Fla fla flah.

Moving on the defensive Rookie of the Year. Uh, Jalen Carter was the favorite. I picked Jalen Carter.

Uh.

Sorry, Rosenthal picked Brian Branch.

He's got a chance. I think he's got a decent Mark.

Picked Joey Porter Jr. Because his dad played for the Steelers.

Well, you're not wrong.

I feel good about Jalen Carter. I'm gonna stand on that one.

He is the favorite right now. He would be my choice as well. I think until the last week or two he would have a pretty decent All Pro case, as like a you know, first team All Pro defensive tackle. But Witherspoon's having a good year. Branch is still third or fourth in the odds right now because he's had a nice season. Will Anderson's having a solid rookie season where if he picked it up, I think Carter.

Has to be Jill and Carter, Jalen Carter this point.

At this point, you guys, at right now now, I'm sticking with Branch because that's looking like a fun little friend.

I feel that we're.

Safe moving off.

Joey Porter a good player, but like you know that he would need to do something insane down the stretch.

That can happen.

It's he's now like starting he didn't start the first five weeks or that didn't help come back play.

I don't want to do that. One's just strange.

Coach of the Year, let's see, the favorite was Robert Salad.

How things have changed? Uh, the I voted.

By that much at you'd be surprised he's one of the favorites.

Still interesting, it's because he's very good with the media. He's photogenic.

I have so doubt on he definitely does look the part.

Uh No, it's not one line I said, been talking about him for a few weeks. I had Mike Tomlin with my pick. Look at that, and that's looking pretty decent right now. Uh, sess dog.

This is why I was figgling before. I mean, you know what, it was all set up.

It was set up to be he was a kind of a candidate that fits that whole thing, and then he suddenly.

Well he's currently plus sixty six hundred to win it, which is a lot better chance than Brian Daviles and Belichick's plus twenty five thousand.

Greg, you had Ron Rivera that nailed it.

That's not looking good. You know who is the favorite?

Now? Was it? Who you let me get?

Christ's my favorite?

Toko would be my pick, and I think I was thinking Koc's maybe got a chance to sneak up. But no, the favorite, a decent sized favorite, is Dan Campbell.

Yeah. I was gonna say, you.

Know what's going to help Mike McDaniel. Maybe is the in season hard knocks.

He's a human beings honing like there's amen. The Dolphins win the division.

He has John Harbaugh ever won Coach of the Year, because I feel like if they're the number one seed, that feels that feels.

Like a year. I remember when we talked about in.

August that Mike Tomlin has never won Coach of the Year. So it's the that's what we're talking about. The Scorsese getting the finally getting statue for the departed.

Yeah, this awards like absurd.

All right, let's take a break and then we will have a conversation.

Okay, team.

The team.

Fit only one seed.

Thousand times the team team.

This is important.

This is a special in Dick Banks, the one man house band with the iconic team of atl slash at and theme song.

Just reminded me, by the way, real quick, when we used to do or Are you kidding Me? Live in studio with someone that we brought up from the newsroom, I believe with the guitar.

He wasn't from the newsroom.

His name was Patrick Kangajew and he was a I put out on the company wide messaging client, Hey, does anybody know how to play guitar? And this guy Patrick, who worked on the second floor and maybe marketing or social media somewhere, he replies, I play guitar. It's like, can you bring your guitar in an amp to the studio to play?

Just lay down some.

Tasty licks electric guitar?

Yeah, electric guitar.

And he brought a strap bro and he just find that if people people that like the archives of the show when Kangajeu was in studio and I don't know where he is these days, it was Michael Kangadju. Actually I don't know where he is now, but thank you buddy.

That was one of the most memorable shows for some reason. It still stands out in my head.

It's got three or four of those appearances. Yeah, I think he's live at Red Rocks on Thursday night.

All right, so where are we? Okay?

Last year team of around the NFL Detroit Lions, and it was a perfect pick, perfect synergy.

It started Connie with you and I.

And Hard Knocks, and then that's a season that started slow but gain momentum and we kind of all fell for that Lions team.

And now it's like sending off.

A beautiful like your child went away to college and you're just setting them free, and it's just like, go go win a trophy. Lions, we love you. It's a new year. We need a new team. We don't need a new team. We'd like a new team, but you can't force the team around the NFL. And a week ago, at this time, it felt like the market felt like there was no chance. A week ago, there's just nobody that had truly captured our imagination.

Nothing stood out like it typically does, like you kind of all get the similar feeling, or most of us do.

And like a week ago that was true.

We often did do it early in the season, but the original team of ATO, which was the Carolina Panthers, was actually.

Probably around this time old. It was a slow build.

Yes.

So with that said, Colleen, yes, and we because we view you as a member of the team, thank you. We We need a unanimous vote, okay, and that's going to be four like the old days with Chris Westling.

So the only way a team of atn can exist.

And if we want to push back the vote to Sunday and see how the games play out, I'm not against that, but let's talk about it first, and with that said, I'll let's begin the nomination process.

Eric. Like a phoenix rising.

From the ashes, the Houston Texans are a franchise reborn. The vision of new head coach Tomiko, Ryans and Wonderkins.

Signal caller C. J.

Stroud has changed the landscape of the AFC South Division and created questions that seemed unthinkable before the season. Are the Texans playoff bound? Will Stroud finish with the greatest statistical rookie season by a quarterback ever?

Out of the darkness, light has broken through. The Texans have arrived.

In the words of every nine year old boy on playgrounds across America, let's.

Go beautifully sad the Texans.

To me, it's the only candidate that really fits for me. Ellswith, It's this great story of a team that we came into the year saying like, well, they're the opposite of weapons Rich. Like I mentioned, we're wondering what the quarterback journey will be. It's a new coach, the general manager has been attached to a lot of nonsense. Suddenly no

They're imperfect in certain ways.

There's a lot of young talent, but they're four and four, so we're not picking like an overt front runner.

I kind of like that the most I want them to be.

Maybe they make the playoffs, maybe they don't, but they're gonna be fun and there's a lot of future focus to them. So that's that I would they would get my vote.

Well, what you're talking about gets to what are we looking for in the team of ATL and maybe we're all looking for different things. Are we looking for a team that's going to win because and we'll get to the next nominee? Like, I think that's not that important to me. I actually would be fine with a team

You know, they didn't make the playoffs. The Texans are a fun watch.

I don't know if I feel like a crazy emotional attachment to them, but I do like the idea of a team of atl versus not because why not. I like hearing that song and I do find them very early on my game pass rankings of like I like watching dink Del, I like watching Nico Collins, I like watching CJ.

Stroud.

It's a passing league like that. That's what I like turning on. So I'm all for them and.

A lot of ways, the Detroit Lions last year were the platonic ideal of the team of ATM for me because of that, Like there were peaks and valleys and they weren't they weren't bullies, but they always put up a fight and they kind of peeked down the stretch and even though they didn't make it, Yeah, there was just like a lot of hope around the franchise, like it was really exciting, and I think you could definitely

And that's what caj Stroud.

Nobody's talking about the bad around the Texans anymore because he's been so good. And then the other thing is, yeah, we spent a lot of time this summer talking about, yeah, well who's this guy thrown to? Well, you don't know how good he's gonna be, and then you don't know how what he could bring out of these receivers like Collins and Tank Dell.

So it's a and Dalton Schultz.

Like you you see what he's been able to do even without a running game. So the idea of getting on board with a young quarterback now being a number two overall pick Connie and I like kind of sometimes the underdog slantip team of Aten.

Does that bother you at all?

No?

Because for me, it's like the Texans essentially had to settle quote unquote for c. J. Stroud because of what happened at the end of the season with them and not getting that number one overall pick. So it was like, Okay, they're gonna get like essentially the sloppy second who looks really really good right now. So for me, the team should be easy to root for. It should have a this like sort of a dusting of hope around them and a team that is typically downtrodden, Like I like

He changes everything, he changes the front office because it's his organization totally.

And they're look good too. They're just kind of this fun team and I wonder if they're in line to be the Lions slash Jags team that has this renaissance that has staying power.

He's their fifth coach, Tamiko Ryans in the last four years, because you remember in twenty twenty they fired Bill O'Brien after only four games, and then it was Romeo crnell for twelve games. They were eleven and thirty eight in those three seasons. They did not win more than four games in any of those seasons. They're at four and four now, so they have they are an underdog story even with with number two pick.

Yeah, the last I think Watson's last full year there, if you look at his numbers, they were outstanding and they went four and twelve. I believe it was like there was just so many things wrong with that team and they were like the exception to the rule where it was like, oh, yeah, you could have a studley quarterback and still be terrible. But now things seem different. They have some balance and yeah, coaching matters obviously interesting.

Okay, like that one.

So let's head to the next.

Left to perish after an zero to three start, the Minnesota Vikings have proven it's never wise to write off a proper Norseman. Winners of five of their last six contests, Kevin O'Connell's resilient Gridiron Warriors refused to be put out to sea, despite the absence of the great Justin Jefferson and a season ending injury suffered by their leader, Kirk

That's what she said, Okay, trying a place where that where that accent is coming from. It's just like a taste of irish in And now.

I think the other one was kind of going in and out of several different.

Characters to that purposeful. Maybe it's like it's it doesn't want to be pinned down to one die.

It's like an eminem song with like a beat is about to drop.

And yes, just never drops. You're just like, why won't you drop me? I like, I like this one. And when it first popped in at least I thought about it for the first time.

I don't know if you guys had before.

It was last week, and it was partly like josh Dobbs just feels like the player of atl So it's almost like it's just following the Josh Dopps story, which has been you know, strangely centered on this podcast all season and now he's in Minnesota, so that he's like the person of atl and he's just on the Vikings.

Yeah, I think like if you took Josh Dobbs in the whole bizarre NFL journey really a typical out of it, they wouldn't be on my radar on any level. So it's really in this case, I know that's kind of true with c J. Stratt a little bit, but there's a lot more I like about the Texans. Like my one thing with the Vikings is like if if Dobbs were to go down or get like a five week hamstring injury, like I have no reason for this to be my team personally, I don't.

Feel I say the same thing about CJ. Stratt.

Yes, I mean it's yes, but it's to a different The two ecosystems are different to me, and like I like I feel for Vikings fans, they've been through hell. And I also like, like, got the Vikings nominated a number of years ago and it went totally south, And so I think that I'm like my thinking, my thinking is a little soiled on like this, this is this is a team where I'm like, no matter what's happening, I could go totally south and we're gonna have to just deal with the deal with.

When we think about like all the good old days with around the NFL. No, there was like entire seasons where our entire podcast mental state was rising and falling.

With Mark going insane about this. Well, no, I never we can't even talked about everyone crazy. Everyone was like voted on eggshells, voted as we voted as a group.

But then it was like Mark made a bad choices, Like we all voted, so it's like we all we're all going to be compelled to vote.

It's amazing that this is part of the process that you're having right now.

Please cut clip of that.

Season, and I kind of remember you vote for in life, it's going to impact.

They were your nominee and I think you pushed it through legislation.

And then they lost five games in a row, like five.

Or six in a rowers one of those seasons, and they went off a clip.

So here's what's different about this team, Mark, Like, please try to flush that.

I love John's been on Josh Dobbs all season as Hays Greg.

So it's like you don't just sell me on that part.

I mean, I felt I was being sold on the Arizona Cardinals earlier this season, which I have no time for the Cardinals.

That whole organization is floating in the desert.

My issue was after the Kirk Cousins injury, I was like, oh God, that this felt like a team that was putting it together and and a conference that's why open, you know, justin Jefferson coming back.

What a shame.

So when they make the move to get Dobbs and then what he did, the storyline of what happened on Sunday, it's it gets you kind of excited about is there

Like so like just to be real, like, I mean, I everything you just said I agree with and I'm more of a swing voter in this. I think back in the days of when team of west Dale, it's like he would never allow anything he didn't fully one percent by anyone. Like I think even with the Lion Slasher was like all right, guys, if you're so into it, like a parent wanting their children to have like not that I'm your parent, but like but their way, like have.

A nice time.

If this is what we want to do, I do it. But it's not the lead like horse in the race.

For me, what we don't want is a bunch of hanging chads.

We don't want that. We don't we never want that the last time.

But this the Vikings, We're gonna rewire the trauma that you experienced with the Vikings. We're gonna make it into a positive experience if we do end up going with this team, because for me, they've kind of gone from just a team that's there, like a team that's kind

I know what I liked about this team. When Kirk Cousins gets hurt.

This is a locker room that's tight that before the game on Sunday, like many I don't want to say everybody, but it could have been. We're wearing Kirk Cousins T shirts and it was just like, there's like definitely a vibe on this team that I like as well, good energy.

I am with you on that, and I was starting to like it even before Cousins got hurt. I really love Jordan Addison. I love how crazy Flores is. There was something from Ben Solac on Twitter yesterday where it showed like the amount of six man pressure, so it's like an all out blitz essentially around the league, and the Vikings do it on literally thirty percent of their snaps. No one else in the NFL is even over ten.

Like, aren't we We're kind of you're weighing against a number two pick a quarterback.

That's the reason we're picking the Texans.

That is fulfilling, like the potential, the prophecy and the promise versus one of the more unlikely quarterbacks Storre that you're kind of and I love it like I love them. I love that about the NFL. It's just a game changing sport because of that. But like you're hoping, you're more hoping that that story doesn't turn dark and probably more likely how it would be from a football angle, which is like he wins some games, but he's still joshed ups.

They've got something going though. I definitely think that the roster and general, You're right, it's too bad, Kirk, we're going to keep there because they would have a high ceiling. I do like the it was like Sam Bradford team, by the way. They started out like live and oh with Sam Bradford, and I think we jumped on at like five and oh. It's good to know that because they didn't make the playoffs. It was twenty twenty fifteen.

I can imagine Chris pushing back against the Sam Bradford team.

I think that was all part of it.

I think when voted, I was doing some research trying to figure out what we've done.

I think we did the Panthers twice.

We did the twenty fifteen Cardinals who made the conference championship. No, well but yeah, yeah, that was the Bruce Arians. We did the Chargers one years. We actually circled back to the Panthers, and then we skipped it a few years. We had them Naggy Bears that were actually good. That year we did.

Whatever you get got on board of Matt Nague.

But no one cared that year. I remember, like, no one actually cared. Let's see, yes, the he did the mcveigh's first year with the Rams.

The twenty sixteen Vikings did start out five and oh. Then they went into their by which is when I assumed they were picked as the team of around the NFL. Then lost loss loss loss win lost loss win lost, loss, win.

Eight and eighth.

If I'm not mistaken, because I remember when I got really hot, was it was like Halloween night and I think they were on like Monday Night football on Halloween Night.

If I'm not mistaken and lost, yeah, I'm not sure. I'd have to go check.

It was something something happened to the Vikings on Halloween Night that year where everyone's just like terrible choice, Like I didn't.

Want anything to do with it, Like it wasn't my vote.

It's like I'm walking around like trick or treating with my kids and like getting destroyed on text over like something that we unanimously voted for.

So it is Monday, October thirty.

Yeah, I'll never forget that memories like the worst halloweenire life.

I pulled that.

Show Every Funny, a twenty to ten loss to the Bears.

Yes, that's what it was. It wasn't really the shows. It was the tech that was the worst. It wasn't the show life, it was the words. It was the endless text that we were getting and making us worried for all of our safety and for market.

Well, they were coming in both directions. It wasn't me and it was like being you know, well, it's a good thing. I wasn't behind this. It's like, what are we doing here? We all voted for this team. So it's like I'm saying, like we're back in that same world.

Let's know, no one's going to do that. No one's taking it. I'm trying anymore.

I like, I don't remember anything about the twenty sixteen season.

Oh I for some reason, twenty sixteen is like very clear for me, twenty sixteen to twenty eighteen. I mean, I don't do odd years.

I remember that.

Twenty eight to three comeback Danny ooh ouch, hold on to the memories.

Greg, that's all like, yeah, yeah, they were great, it was fun, enjoyed it.

I hope you have the time of your life. All right, So do we want to vote now or what do we do?

We want to I think both teams we're gonna lose this week, unfortunately, because the Texans are playing the Bengals, So I don't.

Know if.

That's not what it's about.

The Vikings are in a coin for I thought they would win last week against the Falcons because of what we were talking about, and I thought, and I think they would have won with Jaron Hall.

That's the thing.

Jared Hall look pretty good in that that drive. I was like, I think there's something going on with them that they're actually a good organization, a good team right now.

So okay, I mean, I'm ready to vote if you want to vote.

Yeah, I don't know what we're waiting.

For, all in favor of one the Minnesota Vikings team of around the NFL say.

I I I I oh wait, so hold on kind of the question.

So we're just like that maybe the Texans could get four eyes, but we're just like we.

Could do text do come to vote?

I know if they if we if we can see it that way, yeah, I would say I to the Vikings in terms of.

Do you want to do shouldn't you want to do a silent ballot? Is that what you want?

Well, we just gave it away.

I don't know.

I'm already with the Vikings. I'm not against it.

I just have some you know, past issues with the concept this is more likable.

That's part of the hero's journey though, of the Vikings in mind, and.

That horrific Halloweens.

Yeah, it's tough too, because when they play the Lions, I still I still have been rooting for the Lions and enjoying the Lions.

I wanted to just run it back at the beginning.

Okay, okay, to root for the line. They're kind of our babies.

I'm just saying, well, they're gonna have two big games against the Vikings.

I believe that.

That's that's all I'm saying.

Well, you can, you can go in and out. Great, I would say, I'm not. I'm not going to block the Vikings. There's no reason I would like. I just they're not my They may not be my first choice.

Well, I think it should be your first choice, right, like, don't know, tell us.

Your first choice. I think I would go Texans first, all.

Right, all in favor of the Houston Texans is team of around the NFL.

Say I I'll say, I as well, can we vote twice?

Yeah?

Are we allowing to vote twice?

Sure?

I'm dead I would vote twice, but if I was ranking it, I would say yes to both, just because it's fun. I like them, but I would vote Vikings first.

All right?

Well, then, so Texans is not a great move here, like for the group, so like there's too I get I think that like we picked them both because we see reasons for both there, like if they're if we're we nominated both, I can go Sering Minnesota, like I can get on board.

We are on air right now. I'd say yes to the Vikings. That's your swee.

What was your thing again? You could vote twice, I say you could. I would support both candidacies.

I would. Why is that crazy?

We have two teams?

No, No, you can't have two teams. Well, we have a two separate votes. We have the winner. Anyways, two people didn't.

If everyone had been on board with the Texans, I would have been like, great, I only had.

One vote because that's the only thing that makes remotely and.

Then the result is clear.

The result is clear, the roade for one or the other.

And I think it'll be good for you, Sessa, Like let's go on this bikes journey.

I like this.

I'm getting tugged on this. It's not going to be I'm not on the crosshairs of whatever it was.

Also, I know that there's some tugging with the Lions last year. We don't want you told that that's happening.

This is different than that, like again the Josh Stopps thing, like it was.

A different time.

I think there was maybe a factor in that hole. You're not just we have different stresses coming from above.

I'm like, I got a bunch of Vikings sex. It's like we'll talk tomorrow, like.

We're you know, Lion's fans won't be happy. I know, Packers fans we got. We got some tweets saying it would hurt, you know, going Lions Vikings back to back while they were just I still.

Love the Lions though. This is nothing nothing to do with the Lions.

You know, the bread farm to Aaron Rodgers, team, take a seat, do something, all right, all right, let's get to good, good job.

So we got a team around.

The music's no, you know we need we need the Vikings horn thing, the yaller horn.

Yeah, give me hit a hit a yawler.

What is it called yaller horn?

Yaller horn hit it?

Wait, does this mean we have to do like the skull thing out of Is that something I should know I have?

Yeah? Yowl horn, y'awl aer horn.

I know you mean I only know that because I've had to say it multiple times on the air and it's spelled.

Yeah.

All right, So Viking, if you get hit us up with a Yaller horn, that would be excellent. Eric on uh right, Like put him on the nose here, put him on the spot, just have it sitting there. You never know when someone might have a yaller horn. We're skullheads. I like this.

I still say Folds Marcus.

Special, best stadium, Yeah, best in game presentation, and we're.

Putting all those demons to bad Halloween sixteen goodbye.

I like Viking culture, the concept.

Of it, the pillaging and the other stuff.

No, just like the you know, we know who we are.

We're not having around the resourceful.

Yeah maybe they were in America?

Not sure?

Is that the holler? Hell yeah?

Oh shoot, we got Randy behind the best big funk is the Packers fans.

Dude, it ain't personal.

I'm sorry.

So we're getting double thumbs down.

All right, this is exciting. Let's move. Let's hit the previous before we say goodbye.

Wow.

All right, So the Vikings did it? What a wild season can't predict the NFL. See, there is the biggest surprise Vikings nowhere around the NFL question. Josh Dobbs, all right, let's uh, the primetime games this week are pretty rough. Let's start with the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night traveling to Chicago to face the Bears. So I don't know

You are the.

Anchor of NFL Networks Thursday night football coverage.

Your thoughts on this one?

Well, I'm just like, so, sell a baby. I feel so honored that I am doing our Thursday night coverage this week with Panthers Bears. I'm doing the Germany game with Colts Pats, and the Monday night game with Mooch, which is Bronco's Bills. So it's really those are my three shows this week, and I could not be happier.

What is the.

Alarm clock set to be the Germany For the Germany.

Game, my call time is two am and wake up or show. I'm in this building at two am and it's like a forty five minute drive and I do my hair and makeup before I come in.

But you around seven then.

I think last week I went to sleep around seven, but I wanted to be asleep at five, And then last week I had some work to do on the show to finish up, so I woke up at eleven.

Thirty at nightly.

God.

Yeah, and John was still up like from that day, so that was mere. But yeah, the TNF game, let's start there. Bryce Young and Tyson Bagent combined for seven turnovers. Last week, we were having some issues trying to figure out just graphically in the studio who the third star of the game was going to be on our mural studio, so we went with a head coaching situation. But you know, little more, DJ Moore is already on there and Brian Burns is not playing. Uh it's just it's not great.

I mean, I'd like to see a bounce back game from Bryce Young. He is the biggest story in this game because he is the number one overall pick and the Bears have been playing in theory better on defense, but then it sort of fell apart.

You know.

Their offense actually has been sneaky combatant this entire season without people noticing except for the turnovers they just and that's beigent Like Beijing is okay. I think Beijen's gonna be a backup in the league for a while. They're thirteenth in the NFL and so these are a lot of field starts too. In points and yards per drive thirteenth, that actually that's like literally better than average, which is kind of shocking. They they moved the ball, but then

Which looks good, that they won't be patient.

I mean, it is a chance to literally take away a win from the team that chooses the destiny of that number one pick for Chicago next offseason.

That matters, it does.

I don't like it for Carolina, to be honest, any any road team on Thursday night. I think I'm just gonna lean on like two even teams to some degree. With the home situation, Brian Burns you mentioned is out.

CJ.

Henderson not been having a great year, but that you're losing him to DJ Shark is doubtful. Leviscus Channault is unlikely. It's like you don't have much on that offense beyond Adam Dealing to begin with. So and they are the number four run defense and they have not allowed one hundred yard rusher of the Bears going back to Week three, and I think they've been up and down on defense,

It's like, this guy can move the offense.

There's something about him that's like projects out as like he's gonna be around for a while. And it's like, I don't know, I guess you put Justin Fields back in there when he's healthy. Why not you want to, like maybe promote him as a potential trade candidate.

But Justin Fields is not their future. I don't think.

I think it's interest.

I'm not saying that Beagen is either, but I'd say like Beagent could stick around as a backup longer than Fields as a starter potentially.

Yeah, and Luke Getzi, their offensive coordinator, I think did a nice job putting him in okay situations because he turned the ball over four times and they only lost by one score, like it should have been a blowout.

Yeah, Justin Fields has to get back on the field and show something here obviously in the last few weeks. And yeah, the uncertainty around the organization that's gonna play a part in this. And yeah, it's kind of cool that, Yeah, the Bears can win this game and also improve their draft standing because they own the Panthers' pick. That's a cool thing. And I also think about Yeah, the Panthers are thinking about you know, shoot, should we have taken Stroud?

Seat, same team who chose Mitchell Kubisky over Patrick Mahomes, different regime, but absolutely, you know that's just happens to the Bears fans.

It's all one continuum.

All right.

Let's move next to Sunday Night football.

And the Sunday night football matchup.

Come on, bro, your team, I know, the New York Jets traveling to Vegas to face the Raiders.

The Raiders coming off.

Obviously a blowout of the Giants with Antonio Pierce as the head coach. So you know, we're not gonna mistake the Raiders now some type of fierce unit. But we'll see if they could continue the Basacia bump here another week. And the Jets are coming off obviously hideous Sunday or Monday night performance in which Zach Wilson and the offense completely floundered. This was let me throw it to some sound that happened So Robert Sala was on the Michael k Show on ESPN Radio yesterday Tuesday.

But things have.

Changed over three years, Robert. You've had different offensive coordinators before the change to hack it this year, and you've had different weapons around him. And the one constant is Zach and the one constant is last year he couldn't start over over Mike White. So first of all, this this shouldn't be litigated.

Now.

I never understood with a thirty nine year old quarterback, why a guy who couldn't start last year was the first line of defense if he went down. You've got Trevor simeon Uh in your building, Why why not give him a try?

No, I gotsh not again the fair question. And you know it's like I.

Said, he.

I don't know, I'm gonna on all this one.

I mean, that's a that's a tough, tough, tough, tough look for Salad, and it makes you wonder if he has any decision making when it comes to his own quarterback, which is a very bad look.

And the one thing I'll say, Greg I listened.

To that whole thing though, And that was the second time he asked the question, and the first time he answered the question, and then the second time he was like, what more am I going to say? So I just think that what he just said it was not just all the same stuff. It's it's it's not all Zach, you know, it's it's offensive line. We're looking at things. It's coaching, like we need to do a better job.

I played the fit. That's fair. I think any interview deserves that. Listen.

I like that, But does he strike you as kind of like empowered or a little bit flummings and stuck in a corner.

I think his hands are tied, and I think that he can't move away from Zach Wilson. And I think that either Joe Douglass or Woody Johnson is forcing him to play Zack Wilson.

Well, I think there's I don't necessarily think that's the case, only because they did bench Wilson last year. I wonder if he's saying that and he feels boxed in because they did such a bad job with the setup and that Trevor Simeon is the backup, and it's like, Trevor Simeon, it's the last time that guy did anything in the league, and they're seeing him every day in practice, and he might think, man, everybody's telling me to put in Trevor Simeon.

That guy's worse than the starter.

And that goes back to the team's failure to bring in a true competent backup behind Rogers and then once again behind Wilson. So I I feel badly for Sala when I listen to that, because I understand that it's a very stressful gig and he's definitely in a very tough spot. At the same time, I just I can't believe this is where the season is.

Now We'll see. I have a very bad feeling about this game, Colleen.

I think if as a Jets fan, I think the Raiders with their pass rush with Max Crosby playing at home still, you know, feeling a lot better with McDaniels out the door, I would not be surprised if they get after Wilson and cause a lot of trouble and turnovers and the Raiders keep rolling.

Yeah, that's that kind of feels like the vibe going into the game, especially with Antonio Pierce, who the Raiders if they if they can continue winning this way, like they could have been a candidate for a team of at like that. So agree with you because they have that same type of vibe and Antonio five.

And five if they win by the way, which is crazy exactly.

So I don't know. I think the thing that I worry about what the game is the Jets front four. I think have a nice opportunity going up against Aidan O'Connell like they were in justin Herbert's face non stop in that game. They sacked him five times. Bryce Huff was awesome, but like O'Connell has been pretty good at decision making and not making mistakes. So I wonder if that changes with the Jets in his face all night.

I think that the Raiders are this like interesting study in like the human aspect of all this that we can't measure. There's no way to measure this, uh and like in the course of a week, and I think, you know, I was down on the Josh McDaniels experiment going back a year ago. We all were that it was overt It was a visually a negative feast, but in the course of a week, like I think this matters. I think it matters because Antonio Pierce comes in and it's like, I know it was the Giants, but the

Better Josh Jacobs looked like the old Josh Jacobs.

And then I'm sorry, this matters to me that after the game and we all saw the visuals You've got Raider like the old school Raiders vibe of them smoking cigars, celebrating with each other, that he brought the practice squad to the game, It's like, somehow this feels like a team again, and they escaped a disaster situation with the record they have, and I kind of think, like, you know, a couple of weeks I said the Jets of this

You have good players on this team.

I just I wonder what the results that if that carries over beyond one week, we'll see.

That's the study.

I mean, these two teams are very much in the soft middle of the NFL. They're both a little lucky to have the records that they have. I think the Jets are, I think the Raiders are, but I'm probably gonna pick the Jets in this game. The fired coach principal, maybe that lasts more than one week.

Maybe it doesn't.

I like the Raiders last week and getting that bump, but the Jets defense is still by far the best thing in this game, Like by far, if they had applied that pressure to most any other quarterback other than Justin Herbert the other night, like they might have won that game, like Haff Franklin, Myers, Jermaine. Like they're getting everything that they want. Even O'Connell's time to throw last week was crazy. It was two point one three was

Post like Jackson or bow like Bridges Jackson.

I believe that's good.

And the Jets can't run the ball like the Raiders defense. They're playing hard. The Jets can't run the ball like like. They're among the worst teams in the NFL in terms of success rate running, so like that's not helping Zach Wilson either. But their defense is better than anything that the Raiders got going. And I'm hoping they win, not only because I'm going to pick them up, because it's a Sunday night game. So it's like, I want to

Yeah, you mentioned the defense.

The only way the Jets can win right now is if the defense creates turnovers that set up short fields. They have something like five touchdowns in the last six weeks, and three of them were one yard or one play drives, oh off turnovers and that nature, so it's authetic.

What's happened with the offense is as bad as it's ever been.

All Right, Monday Night Football, Denver Broncos traveling to Orchard Park to face the Bills. Bills lay in seven and a half points of wood. I want to say Mark that the Bills are set up well here to get a W and get back on track again. But I've reached the point where with Buffalo where I just don't know what to expect week to week. And Denver has certainly been better since their very ugly start and when

I'm with you.

I think the Broncos have transformed a little bit. I need to see more to be super convinced of that, but losing uh knocks at tight end I think has changed this offense a little bit, where yes, we're seeing an uptick in like Dalton Kincaid's production, but like, if you look at what they're doing, they're kind of running like a ton of like two wide receiver two wide

They've been pulled back a little bit.

I think with what they're doing schematically, I think they've they're a little safer. That's maybe trying to make Josh Allen a little bit of a safer player, which is like exactly what I I'm just saying. I see that. That's my feeling around them. I wouldn't do that with Josh Allen, and like the running game is not helping them out. I don't know, Like to me, I'm with you, Dan like they're a mystery team to me, and like

They don't look like.

They I know, like you can go look at their EPA and their metrics and they're still sitting at like one and two and everything. It's like that's someone my eyes are telling me right now. I know they had that month of dominance, but it's like I see a team that is like an if he bet right now, a total if you bet.

I hate that.

The head coach, John mcdermot's just been it. He does these little passive aggressive grumblings about the offense, and he did it back in the past. It's just it's just little things like we got to look into that, like we gotta And for the first time, maybe The Athletic wrote about this. Josh Allen was asked about like why wasn't Gabe Davis involved And they had done such a nice job playing fast with a hurry up against Tampa.

He's got the injuries too, like that, sure, but they had no depth.

They had this whole thing like von Miller's gonna come back and that's gonna juice our pass rush. Von Miller right now is one hundred and twelve out of one hundred and twenty three PFF qualifiers. He has one QB hit and one hundred and three snaps since he's returned in four pressure. So you're getting not just like not von Miller, but you're getting hugely negative play by von Miller and the defense is just kind of there. I think this is a dangerous game. The Broncos have been

Time, and they're coming off of bye too, two weeks to prepare for this game. Yet two straight wins the Packers and then the huge game for them against the Chiefs. But the Bills offense is the thing that I just can't I can't figure out. They have no rhythm. And they finally started fast because it was the slow starts that were really getting to them. They weren't scoring in the first quarter, especially not on the first drive. They did that and then it was like then they then

Yeah, we're living in prime time right now.

Moments exactly. There were moments in that game where Josh Allen looked like the old vintage Josh Allen that Cessler was talking about, where he was kind of just like freelancing and run around and do making these plays that we were used to seeing before. But we just haven't seen that because of whatever constraints they're under. There's just no rhythm. And the only thing that I really like about this game is that it's a Shawn showcase.

Which we get a lot of a lot of Sewan head coaches. Yeah, McVeigh it is.

You know, it's a big spot for Peyton two weeks to go beat McDermott, show us something Sean's.

There's a lot of bad blood because there could only be one.

It's a name that's largely vanished from the like the landscape, you know, among younger people, there're a lot of Shawn's out there.

So like two old dinosaurs, these old t rex is just fighting it out on the great planes, only one could remain.

Just like that. I mean, we've got Sean Kelly behind you know the glass. That is true. The young man youngish, but he's the.

Last of them, and he knows that he's got How old is Big Sean.

Big Shawn.

He's probably in his late thirties at this point. You had a former w WF champion, Shawn Michaels.

But how old is he?

He was a Shawn so oh, whole different breed.

Yikes, different breed. All right, there you go, Primetime football and Colleen, you've said it all.

I have. I have no more words to give anyone.

Does anyone else have more words? To give.

Oh you know what, I do want to say shout out to the listener, the ATN listener who sent me a message on It was either Twitter or Instagram, and it was during the our show that started last week at four am West Coast time, and they just said, hey, loosen up. We like the Connie on ATN. And I was like, that's that's great, that's good. But it was a good reminder, different show, different assignments. Difficult to be this loose on that show. But you know what, I'm gonna try listen to compliment.

And I like the Colleen on ATN too. I like the Colleen on NVIL Network.

I don't.

I don't like that Colleen. I like Connie better. I like to live in a Connie Land.

So yeah, well, it's it's a tell on the you know, the the product, the channel that you're operating.

Keep Connie in the tiny box. That's that's the push that we go for. And congratulations to the Minnesota Vikings, the team of around the NFL go wrong, Mary, how you feel?

I feel great because I didn't tug everyone into this one. It's not you know, it's like I came. I was in the back seat on the right side, looking out the window and the highway going by.

Well, but on some level, if it did go wrong your original choice of the vikings, I feel like set a bad juju.

On the whole enterprise.

I think that's been unsaid, and that's absolutely true.

You'll find a way to spin it. But this time my apathy is towering. So fine.

So all right, that's it till Thursday, where we have our full preview of week ten and also our latest NFL Plus Trip to the Dreamatorium pre preview.

This week, what are you waiting for? Heed?

The call?

H