Week 3 Preview

enjoyed it. That's a working classman's way to fly. She knows my name. Her name's Nancy and my name is Dan. It's a nice relationship. Very nice. Hey, um, Ricky Hollywood. It is on fire in the studio right now. Yeah, you guys are looking great. Are you looking to smoke us out? Do you do you want to see what it looks like? My uncle used to call me the human sweat gland. Do you want to see it? Really? Do you want the public to know that I'm just being open about it. I mean, the public is about

to find out. They're learning. It's the one day that I've wore a second layer in like nine months. It happens to be. As soon as soon as I fixed the refrigerator, I'll get in there engineering and listen check check off your list as slowly as you desire. Yeah. Wait, you didn't fix the refrigerator yet. No, I'm not a mechanic. We've understood that. I think we covered this ground. You were supposed to reach out to someone that could fix it. Yeah, I did. What do you want? I followed? I even said,

following up on this last email. Yeah, sorry, you look good though. There's the camera and and you can watch this on every again every Thursday. Our preview show is live. How fun is that on NFL dot com dot com eventually be up on YouTube. I think it's streaming on YouTube as well. Live on YouTube. A shadowy league figure just put it thumbs up. I've actually I'm checking on the YouTube length and it currently currently four point two million viewers. So the show is taking off very good.

I feel like that will be good for the dual contract negotiations. You'd think write that number down, all right? Hey, so this is the week three preview episode. As we hinted, um, we will be instead of putting the Thursday night recap the game between the Titans and Jacksonville at the top of the show and putting the show out later mini pod coming up later tonight. Uh and the and this episode will come up earlier than it and it ever has,

which is a great thing. I mean, finally giving one of the NFL's great rivalries, it's due its own podcast, Titan. It is a perfect way to kick it off. I think it's like of the Thursday night games in history. And can we do a little house keeping that you know, we had rich eyes and on the other day, um he we couldn't record until about you know, four pm Pacific, which is seven pm Eastern. I got a lot of tweets saying that I'm a bad producer because I don't

get the show up in time. And you know, every can we all stand together and and sometimes our schedules come up into things you know that we all agree on together. Right, But you know today the Thursday show is going to go right up after it's live, so you can count on that Tuesday, you know something's come up.

First of all, you're a wonderful producer of all. Ignore the idiots, right, you don't want you're kind of sending a loud message to them that that they're going to get a response if they keep bugging you, so quit it and just block them. Another thing to know, we're about five minutes into the show. Three plus have been focused on the Erica cam with just Erica, you know, announcing her announcements. As I said, Erica, you know, when it comes to fans that get on you, don't let

the bastards grind you down. That's important. We support you all right before we get into the first game. Uh and the draft um. Two bits of housekeeping. First of all, total disgrace. Last week we went oh and four locking our games. We're supposed to be professionals and this isn't good enough. And I speak for myself as much as I speak for the whole team. We will be better and week three guaranteed at least one in three. I mean, I'm okay with how I how I fared. I don't

you picked the Giants. You need to be better to Mark, we all need to. I think it would be just as special and just as much of an accomplishment after winning two times in a row to go oh in sixteen or in seventeen. That would be why you picked the Giants last week all right, now we're starting to figure it out here we go. All right, now that's the first bit of housekeeping. Second bit, West, you and me first pick. As a gentleman, I'll defer to my elder.

Do you want to have the first overall pick? No, you can take it, all right? So the old juice will pick first, then West, then Mark, then Greg. Right, makes sense? All right, So let's get into it, and I will make the first selection. It is an easy one for me. Okay, yeah, this is live, very pregnant. Maybe it's not so easy. Um, I will with the

first pick. Oh yeah. Ravens at chiefs Lamar against Mahomes. WHOA, that's a layup, and it's an exciting matchup for the obvious reason that Lamar Jackson Well, maybe nobody's gonna break through the way Patrick Mahomes last year did and winning the MVP in his first season as starter, Lamar is off to like the type of start that, besides carrying fantasy teams to championships, um really makes the Ravens a totally different team and reframes the way we looked at them.

We look at them now compared to even three weeks ago. So after a couple of layups and we'll say it's laps at Miami. Uh. In week one, Week two they had the home game. Who they have in week two is Cardinals took care of business there. He flashed again, especially with his legs. Now he goes on the road to Arrowhead and I cannot wait to see how Lamar Jackson looks in this setting. This is a beautiful game,

and I'm pumped with the number one overall pick. I mean, this game is so good I'm just gonna watch it anyways. I don't care that I'm not assigned to it. Ultimately, there's some you know, Bills Bengals, you're getting short shrift. I mean, this game should be put on that it's it's a crime. This game's at ten am out here in one pm across the country. It should be on national TV everywhere because we haven't seen there literally has never been a matchup like this in Week three in

NFL history. Just there passing stats, for what it's worth, are the greatest ever in terms of you know, seven touchdowns, no interceptions, and the completion percentage, the amount of yards that they have. But it's just the entertainment value that I watched this sport to be dazzled and Lamar Jackson

right now. We knew the eight yard out where he you know, fakes the handoff is the easiest play in football in terms of him running to the sideline, But we did not expect him to be dropping dimes into

tight coverage on some sideline routes. That is surprising. We didn't expect them to be dropping you know, beautiful touch passes over the top of zone defenses where it gets it over the linebacker in front of the defensive act I don't know if he can do it every week, but it shouldn't be that shocking that a guy who was twenty one years old as a starter is improving dramatically in his second season. And it's a joy to watch.

I get a kick out of John Harbaugh after a few years of not having a dominant team, really feeling himself this year. Yeah. Shregs at halftime asked him, you know, are you concerned about the Cardinals They came back, you know, they had that big comeback last week, and he said, that is not on anybody's mind over here. We're only concerned about our own domination. And they didn't really dominate in the second half. But the in the fans are

kind of like John Harward. They seem so crazy excited and so like overwhelmed it because they've never seen an exciting offense in Baltimore. It's a totally new phenomenon. I think that's it. The competent shift is from late period

health adult Joe Flacco to Lamar Jackson. And it's to me, this is the what If Bowl for a huge chunk of teams around the league, because last year was here's all the teams that are struggling on offense that could have drafted Patrick Mahomes seasons ago, instead of the Chiefs trading up with John Dorsey to get him and making the move and trusting him and everyone that questioned Patrick Mahomes heading into year two when a few people thought

this guy is gonna blow up and most didn't. And the what if both for everyone that waited on Lamar Jackson thinking he wasn't worth the first round pick. What if I mean, what if the Jets or Brown's had even taken Lamar Jackson. He has transformed Baltimore's offense to such a degree and they have the perfect parts around him right now. And I love that the anyone that thought he's going to break down if he's not using

his legs, if he's forced to throw. They last week's showed they can use his legs when they need to, but they didn't in Week one, and I know it was the Dolphins, but in general, he's grown as a passer in ways that I think was unpredictable to most. And the team is as dangerous as any team in the a f C. Well, we want to see him against better competition in terms of the defense, and I

think that the Chiefs will be better competition. They're not a great defense, but I think Spagnolo will throw a little more at there, and I don't think they're at the low level right now. As Dan fixes my collar digital you don't see that on most shows, where someone will reach over and just another man. There's no commercial breaks here. We need to on the fly. I like it.

It's it's ad lib at its finest um. The throw that really got me was that third and long, and we did touch on it on the Sunday Show, I believe, but it's worth bringing up again. Lamar Jackson the guy again. The storyline, Greg you were You did a good job with this over the summer. You were pounding the table that Jackson was a guy that could be a pastor, that could thrive, uh and in fact go supernova in

year two if things went the right way. The throw he makes to Hollywood Brown on third down to ice that game against the Cardinals is the type of throw I just did not think would be in his arsenal this soon or ever. Uh, And it just takes the there's no there's what what Mike old Michael Jordan's line that the roof has no ceiling? That's where I am right something like that. This is an exciting game because if the Ravens go to Arrowhead and beat the Chiefs, a f C is just like, Wow, we have another

powerhouse on our hands. And as good as the Patriots look, it would feel very wide open to me who could come out of this conference. I don't think the Ravens defense is as good this year. We'll see Matthew Judean kind of looks like that guy that dude that steps up every year for the Baltimore Ravens and then gets paid elsewhere. But overall they're a little thinner in the secondary than we expect. I don't think they're gonna be

as I mean, Mahomes is the ceiling though. He's the greatest quarterback I've seen since we've been covering the league to come into it and he's playing as well or better than he did a year ago. That's the ceiling. And this was the game of the year to me. In the regular season maybe except for Chiefs Rams last year, it was empty. It was the m v P moment for Mahomes where he hit the fourth and nine across his body was two great styles. They went to overtime.

It was a great first Lamar Jackson showing. So I think it could be a rivalry we see throughout the

next day. But my last point, and about the Chiefs, because the Chiefs deserved talk as well, is that Derek Carr after last week's game where they essentially got shut out the last three quarters, he made a point to say, like the Chiefs, this is a really good defense and and we'll see And maybe you don't trust what Derek Carr has to say, but Derek Carr had no problems carving up Vick Fongio's team the week before and then ran into a wall against the Chiefs. We've talked about

this before. All they need to be is okay on defense and Mahomes will handle the rest. Chris Jones also had one of the best games you'll see by any defensive lineman not named Aaron Donald or J. J. Watt. It was incredible, all right, way, Lamar Jackson runs, I don't care what defense you are man. The defenders look completely confused when he takes off. Anyone think the Ravens go there? And when I know we don't pick each game but games, I'm picking the Chiefs, but I think

it'll be a fun game. I'll take the Ravens by one point. I just have too much faith in Patrick Mahomes right now. I'm taking the Chiefs, all right, West. The number two overall pick is Denver Broncos at Green Bay Packers. All right, tell us? Why, well, it's in Green Bay. For me what I watch on Sundays, I just don't want to be offended by your field or your team, and I love watching games in Lambeau. I feel like, uh, Aaron Rodgers just misconnecting on a few

throws last week that would have been fantastic. I think that offense is close to a breakthrough right now, and this might be the game, especially against the Broncos pass rush, which we expected to be the best in the league in right now is dead lasting combined sacks and quarterback hits. While the Packers have za Darius Smith who is number one, tied for number one and quarterback pressures this year, and they have Darnell Savage, who to me is one of

the most exciting rookies in the business. He's got I'm not saying here's Earl Thomas, but his closing speed and range is fantastic. Was it the Packers offense? West though, super annoying to after those three possessions, that they could look that good, get the twenty one points and then just not be able to do anything. And essentially, if you take up step back over the two games about the possessions that have been garbage. Was not annoying to me.

I love the way Aaron Jones ran over a hundred yards, got more than twenty carries, and like I said, Rodgers just missed on a couple of throws. I think there were a couple of penalties in there. There's a brought some big plays back, moved the ball a little better than I would have expected considering it was eleven possessions without a point. I also thought, like I was impressed by the way Rogers played, but then looking at my

homes and just the distance between them. Now, I would not expect that that my homes is so much better than Rogers right now. I I watched the Packers from end end. In the note I took was I have hope in the offense because of what happened early. I'm not so worried about it breaking down later in the game because it is a totally new world for Rogers. Aaron Jones, You're right, I thought he ran. He should be their lead back in Matt Lafloors talking about splitting

carries with him and Williamson. For me, I just think they need to They've missed two things. In my book for a long time, it was a featured running back that could bolster Rogers and you could count on from wire to wire. I think you have that in Jones if he stays healthy and unsuspended. And their defense. I love teams that completely changed the way you feel about them early on in the year. And Mike Petton's defense.

They've given up about the second fewest amount of points in the league right and it is not a fluke. It is real. And I realized you play the Bears a rather broken down offense in Week one. But this to me, the way that Mike Patton his defense requires certain play at the cornerback position. They're getting that from their defense and pass rush they are. They have the right parts in place right now. They have elite players

at every level, so they have a great coach. But the more important thing is the talents that Arius Smith and Kenny Clark are both ranked in the top five in PFF at their positions. Uh you go, you know to the back end, Adrian Amos is ranked that high. At safety, you have Blake Martinez. We've talked about on this show for a long time. You have playmakers at every level. I mean making the leaps, making a comeback because we had Lamar Jackson and the Packers defense. We mean,

that's right, We're going royal. We The only problem with West's pick here is he's he talked about how excited he is to watch the Packers. Another team is playing this game, and it's a team that has his heart that he's going to be rooting for. And this is he's locked into the tough spot for the Broncos, well this is this is our first cornered animal game of

the week and two teams. You know your season's over at own three, and do not discount that when you're looking to pick teams that, oh they're owing two, they stink. If they're not really a bad team. I feel like you're gonna get a really good effort for a lot of these own two teams. The Broncos, I think you're gonna put up a fight here, But like you said, West, I don't know how well this team is gonna travel

all season. I'm much closer to shutting the Broncos down mentally in my mind before I am thinking they're gonna dance with with Mars. You know what. By the way, I'm typically right on those like It's it's not great for business to talk about a team being done in week three or week four, but you get a feeling, and if you're right, eight percent of the time, I ride with it. A Denver is not a playoff team to make Steve and Billy Mackison crossing and then putting

on the lips. They still gonna have intriguing, uh you know, parts of their team even if they don't go to the playoffs. But I'm not I'm not that excited about the style of this game. These two teams have both played at a very slow pace. Two of the teams that are gonna wait till the end of the play clock and then they're gonna call a second and ten run. Matt Lafleur likes to play that way. Obviously they're entertaining, but it's I could imagine it being very close down

to the wire. Uh like the last Broncos game, closer than the people in the desert think. This took me about one second to pick my game, and I am to me from August would have been stunned that this would be my pick because one of the two teams I sort of virtually reject from around age ten on. But the other one has won me over. And you want to talk about the Royal We we wrote an article about the Bills this week because we are fired up about Buffalo's chances in the a f C. I

love the way this team is made. They are hosting in their home opener after going on the road and knocking out to pretenders from New York. They are hosting Cincinnati and the Bengals got absolutely worked over as bad as any team I saw in the league last week against the Niners. Just watch that game this morning, around to it and I cannot believe how hard the Niners

thumped them in Cincinnati. The Bengals went from being a one, A O and one team that was very intriguing, I thought, for what they did against Seattle in Week one to losing all appeal. And I'm not just piling on them. There's just not a lot to cling onto the way that they were run on last week. And my word, it's one game and it's a small sample size. So I would say this the Bengals ever pulled this out, they're back on board for me as a team that

can be frisky. I'm not putting them in no man's land, but the Bills have everything in place, and I think you have Josh Allen playing in a way you talk about Lamar Jackson. We thought that Lamar Jackson was a run not throw a quarterback at the very worst, and there was much more hope with him than there was I thought with Josh Allen in terms of being a complete player. And Josh Allen has answered a lot of questions early He's had a great running game around him

with Frank Gore and Devin Singletary. Is my one concern. It sounds like he may not play this week and he has only had ten carries, but Lee is the league and rushes over ten yards and it's not a to me. That's he made their offense go when they

finally put him in the game. This defense should have no problem against Andy Dalt and the Bengals, who to me, are one of these teams that can put two drives a week against you with big plays that make you think, but then they they killed themselves, but with penalties and turnovers. Their offensive line. The Bengals offensive line is a major issue right Andre Smith at left tackle. John Jerry comes

into replace him when he has to sit out. This offensive line is as bad as we thought, and they lost They've lost i think starters at almost every position now, So it's to be fair to Zach Taylor and what's going on there. If they had a bad offensive line to begin with and they're down four starters right now, they might be down four or five. Like they even their backups with like Andre Smith and and one of the guards who's now out for the season that Yeah,

that's not Zach Taylor's fault. I mean, they had guys retiring in what's making you chuckle over there? I well, I enjoy your passion for the Bills. Um. I want to say that another cornered animal game. And the one thing you have to keep in mind here, I think is that this the Bills as an organization are dealing

with something. It's a good thing to deal with, but they haven't had in a long time, which is some expectation and some people assuming they're gonna win and everyone's gonna go in there and everybody's gonna pile into that stadium and assume and it's gonna be loud, and it's gonna be a lot of fun. The pregame is gonna be out of control, uh in the parking lot. Uh. But I would say there's a chance they could get

surprised by not walking over a team. Because if we want to take certain teams in the league and say, oh they're too and oh but they beat teams that sink, well, look at the Jets, uh, and the and the Giants. So I think what we saw from Week one, UM from Cincinnati was really good. What we saw in Week

two was absolutely wretched. My feeling is they're probably somewhere in between there, and I just don't know if I'm ready to say Buffalo is good enough where they're just gonna destroy um Well, I think I think the Bills are built to win games like five to fourteen. I don't think they're built necessarily to beat teams forty seven. That's that's not I don't think it's gonna be a

blowout necessarily. But I can't point to anything that the Bengals are doing right now that should particularly scare the Bills, and so the Bill. But the Bills have done a better job of playing up to expectations than the Browns, for instance, who came in with and some others like they're beating him. They look like one of the best defensive league. They have guys like Harrison Phillips who are

suddenly stepping up and making big plays. And then Josh Allen. Look, a lot of people have already started walking away from their Daniel Jones. Uh, you know, hatred and laughter. No two players in the last two drafts have unified Draft Twitter anymore than mocking h Josh Allen and Daniel Jones.

We'll see about Jones, and we'll see about Alan. To me, he's like a relief pitcher that he's gonna be wild some weeks, but it's hard to ignore the types of plays he's making on the run now and if he can you know, if you can just do that, if they could do what they did the first two weeks offensively, for the rest of the season, they're about eleventh and points, you know, thirte yards per play. Their their middle of

the packer a little better. I forget it. They're team ye, They're well coached, they're great at fundamentals, they have good leadership, they play well as a team. This is a good all around team and they're fun to watch and they have Frank are they got? This is the first incarnation Bills in a long long time. And we've seen so many with all these teams that are struggling to break through where the coach the front office are all married in unison. That has been they have been especially volatile

in that situation previous to this. All right, now, Greg, so you pick the next two. You're up. Well, the only snake in this room is you for taking the Chiefs and you're gonna watch it anyway, You're not You're not even the number one overall. Of course, that was the obvious pick. I'm taking Romo again. It wasn't necessarily have been my strategy, but Tony Rolmos covering the Saints and the Seahawks, and I'm gonna after First of all,

it's four. You like those games where you can finish with the early smart bro you know, keep that in mind, everybody, and then you can sit back and you can let a master do his best work in an interesting game. Two NFC teams which they don't normally have some interested you know, it's a little different, and it's Teddy Bridgewater. We've come a long way um with the whole Teddy Bridgewater story. We've tracked his entire career on this show.

I've always enjoyed watching him. I thought he was better than people thought in Minnesota, that he had a pretty nice upside as, like a better version of Alex Smith. He hasn't looked like that in the brief chances he's gotten over the last few years, and who knows how many chances he's gonna get with Taysom Hill behind him. This is it. This is a big moment in his career. And I think it's a big moment for Sean Payton too, because I think he wants to go put out that

Coach of the Year reel. He wants to be have Taysom Hill and Teddy Bridgewater go to Seattle, pull off that road upset, have some crazy plays and everyone just be honking about how Sean Payton's the man, that's what he's looking for Sunday. But he's one of the guys

I could trust to the I don't doubt it. NFL Research put out a study that showed the splatterings during the season or various games where coaches maybe trying to outsmart everyone else used two or three quarterbacks in one game in specific situations, and the results are pretty awful. They don't It just doesn't really work. And it's and that goes back twenty thirty years where it just doesn't sustain itself. I just think we're gonna get a lot more Tastom Hill, and if we don't, I'd be stunned.

I think that Saints d also hasn't been impressive. I think that's under the radar. The defensive line is playing great in terms of getting pressure, but as a team defense, the linebackers and the secondary and the run defense. It's pretty bad. I mean they they did not play well against Los Angeles. I am switching up my lock here. I was gonna take another team, but I can't listen to Greg talk up Teddy Bridgewater that much like he's any threat to I mean, I'm not, come on, I'm

locking up the Seahawks in this game. I can't wait to lock up against Teddy Bridgewater and Sean Payton in this game. Graphic ready of that? But and that are you? Are you viewing this anti breeze or non breeze territory as a sinkhole for the Saints then I think since about Thanksgiving, the Saints offense has been subpar, and that includes this year. I just I don't like anything I've

seen unless Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas catch fire. This team doesn't move the ball well in the running game fell apart the minute Bridgewater hit the scene last week, and Russell Wilson played one of the best games of his career list week that that's the I mean, there's a team to the Seattle that looked very different from Week one to two. Russell Wilson getting the ball out of his hands quicker than he ever has in his entire career. You have a great backfield, you're you're at home,

but their offensive line hasn't protected him at all. I think that's that's the chance. Is Cameron Jordan's playing great, Marcus Davenport and Trey Hendrickson are coming off big games, and you're just hoping that they can wreak havoc and cause some turnovers against Russell Wilson in that offensive line. Can Jordan's stole Han's done? Soul list? I love the one thing about DK metcalf and I think he I was I thought he might not work out. It just

something about him did. I wasn't sure He's made some good place. What I love watching him do is when they show on the coaches film of him going down field and blocking like a little tiny cornerback. He just takes these guys and throws him like eight yards in the wrong direction. Not sure that's why you draft wide receiver primarily, but he makes And what they're doing with him is is just having him run the same route over and over. They're not trying to confuse him. He's

just on one side of the ball. Going down the field. He's got two routes, so much of t o even his posture, the way he stands, the way he runs. Alright, Greg, you're picking again, baby. Look at this. Greg's building his team. I'm going Colts Falcons early. That's the game. I'm gonna focus on. Interesting pick. Maybe a bit of a reach

this earlier. I mean, look where I'm sitting in the same room as a guy who took that Joe Flacco snooze and Broncos second overall, So I haven't that's that's Greg had that prepared the minute the minute West went after Dome game with the sun blinding, ultra vindictiveness. I'm representing, and I'm representing what I believe to be the majority of football fans who just like watching it and they don't mind it. It's if it's in a dome, it's fine.

Cares about the majority of football fans. I get out of here. Greg, you are the last person, not only on this show, but on any show ever that I would link to the majority of football fans on any level. You have never been for their cause, and you are not for it. Now. Well you know what, you know what they like that they like the running game, and that the Indianapolists are a team with the starting running back who has a calf injury and isn't practicing. That's

a problem, ladies. But Jordan's get into the game. Sorry, we're talking the game. It's in there. He just had a nice little injury. Yeah what are you talking about? Uh, nice little injury update. It doesn't matter who's back there because it's all about Quentin Nelson. It's all about that offensive line their second in the league and rushing yards right now forth in efficiency. They are the team that Dirk Cotter says the Falcons want to be, which is which is a run first team that's gonna make a

drive when you need to. And when Jacoby Prisette needed to make two touchdown drives in a row in the fourth quarter against the Chargers, that's exactly what he did. When the Colts needed to make a touchdown drive against the Titans in the fourth quarter, that's exactly what they did. Usually that's the type of kind of late excitement that we can get rallied behind. And I'm in on Jacoby Brissette and this team just being a little funky, and I think it would be a fun game. It's a

sneaky good game of the week. That's what I say. They're gonna fight every week. I think. I don't think that's gonna end up with him playing football in January the Colts. But just like you know, we know that Frank Reich is a great coach. Brissette is not a dynamic player, but he's fine. He's like Ken Stabler back there getting you know, making making herkey jerky weird moves in the pocket and throwing it deep there like a

nineteen seventies. It's just a it's a shame because this really was a team that had a chance, um with with Andrew Luck and without him, I think they're eight to ten win team. UM, so maybe not a super Bowl team, but a team that will play a lot of close games, fund games. So from that standpoint, with the fifth overall pick, you're probably gonna get an entertaining game. And the Falcons Falcons always play. You know, I'm down. I don't know what to think of the Falcons right now.

The Falcons feel a tad faceless to me, although they certainly took advantage of a banged up Eagles defense last week, and the Colts are down Pierre to Sira appears that he's got a knee injury. J Ball Sheared could be out Darius Leonard as a concussion. So you're losing at every level a key contributor there that that's It's not the Colts defense at their most powerful. To me, though, I feel like you're getting the Falcons at the right time because I just I am not sure who this

team is. That's my issue them. They may feel differently about themselves. Well, we asked them to show some backbone on defense and they did. Their Their defensive line is much improved, and they worked over and Eagles offensive line that everybody assumes is one of the best in the NFL. So I wouldn't just assume that the Cults are gonna

run down their throats in this game, all right? Moving on, I wanted to pick one of these cornered animal games, and I'm gonna pick the one that I'm most fascinated by because it's against an undefeated team that's coming off a great effort on offense. We we touched on it earlier the Pittsburgh Steelers with Mason Rudoff. It's took your pick. Took. It wasn't getting to you, Mark, Yeah, does it make it? It's always better when the other guys only says he

would have been gone. Not only is it the game I wanted, it is in that precious yeah, Greg strategy, which is a wise one. So I'm taking the Steelers at Niners. Uh cornered animal. Oh and two Steelers no Big Ben out for the season with that elbow injury. In steps Mason Rudolph. Mark, You and I saw the same thing when we watched that game that we thought, um, Rudolf had a chance here and could be a guy could step in and keep the Steelers interesting and relevant.

They of course make that trade to get make Fitzpatrick, which the more I thought about it, the more I love that trade. I know that they they gave. Yeah, it's an onion hanging, sure if I love it, but it's onions and he Because it's so unheard of that the Dolphins whatever happened to Gary Cooper, that Micke Fitzpatrick at twenty two or twenty three years old, whatever he is, would say, get me out of here immediately after he's drafted. Essentially, well,

we gotta look at him over a year. As what I'm being told on that an expert in the ways of mackef Fitzpatrick, but that he is a highly versatile guy, a real chess piece in your defensive backfield. And basically, the Steelers drafted a twenty three year old cornerback slash safety who they really believe in and have tape in the NFL that says this guy can play at this level. It makes sense to me from that stand does he's

already announced that he wants to be cemented into one position? Okay, well, and they need him at free safety because they put shann Um Sean Davis on I R I. I have a conspiracy theory on this, and I haven't heard out there. Kevin Colvert refused to sign a contract extension this year. He's been on one year deals. Some rumors that either he's gonna move on to another team or just move on period. I think Mike Comlin if things went super south,

who knows if the Rooneys would blow it up. Maybe it's Kevin Colbert and Tomlin thinking a little bit like we gotta make this year work. Not think I try to save your collar once, because there's like a Saturday night Fever Travolta thing going on out it's good to know that it's a multimillion dollar corporation. I should work well. UM anyway, So I really think the Steelers have a good chance in this game. And Niners, uh fans that feel really good after back to back road wins by

their team. I get that. And they almost put up six hundred total yards on the Cincinnati team. That seemed like you know what that game was like? That was that was like, um, every year Labor Day weekend, I'm in Texas and it's the only time I ever see college football, and uh in this at this family reunion. UM, my wife's family all Baylor fans. UM. Some other in laws are ut Texas people. There's some Oklahoma fans. So

there's just football playing all the time. And typically not always, but usually they basically have a slaughter game week one to get to get these big time programs, Uh, they essentially schedule against some team that can't even be on the team. That's what this game looks like. State is coming into Austin exactly. That's what Cincinnati looked like. They

looked like housing State UM against the Niners. So it got to the point that it was farce and it was like what can I take out of this Niners performance. It did open my eyes. Curtis Samuel Uh, their backfield has even even with the injuries they had, there are guys that can make things happen. Matt Brita, who I know West, We've talked about him being a big guy.

And Jimmy Garoppolo. It seems so far away those concerns now back during the preseason about whether he would be able to be a It was like a week ago. This show a week ago was how far away? He didn't play grade a week one, but he definitely was. He looked like the guy that they need him to be in this game. Um So, as much as I like the offense, I'd like to see it at against the tougher matchup, and this is a tough matchup against the Steelers. Think it is this. I thought Kyle Shanahan.

This put a real stamp on this pass game with number one. It's the Shanahan thing where multiple running backs are going to kill you. So if you play fantasy uh, and most of us don't, but if you do, like you don't know who to pick each week because they've got multiple guys that can hurt you even without Tevin Coleman. You made the point. I don't think they really need ted and Tevin looked fantastic. Jef is now their goal lineback. Like they're like, would Jerick McKinnon and and Tevin Coleman

be better? How can to be better than? And they had multi they had touchdowns called back by penalty. Uh. Shanahan got Marky's goodwin free on a leak route where he crossed the line and broke up field. It was totally open, like that was something that you don't see very often and that he's just wide open. There are and this is a compliment I I was looking at Jimmy G and I was like, who is he reminding me of? When he's not throwing the ball perfectly, but

he's just operating well in the offense. It's kind of like what Shanahan did with Brian Hoyer during that one part of the season in Cleveland. The kind of like looked like each other a little bit, and then Jimmy G can do so much more than that player who broke down. Ultimately, I am not worried about Jimmy G right now. I think that when you they finally have a defense too, if they played the way they have been Steelers, Well, I think I don't think we're going

to take your lockquest. No, it wasn't. You're picking this reason. This can be a great game. They really need to handle George Kittle and so far this year, Devin Bush has gotten lost in coverage too many times. He's experiencing growing pains and he's been bad and downright bad in the red zone. But they're slow at linebacker. They drafted Bush to be faster, but because he's reacting slow, he's slow. And Mark Baron there's a reason why the Rams want

to know more part of him. He's he cannot cover and that's part of the reason why Russell Wilson had such a great Daylight. Well, I would say you've lost Joe Staley and the way the Niners are, the way the Steelers passed us played early against the Seahawks. I mean they dismantled Seattle early, then they came back into the game. That's your chance if you can get to San Francisco in hassle Jimmy g from the start. Forty Niners fans are getting after me because I picked. I

picked the Steelers to win this. It is partly because of what Dan said, I kind of can't imagine the Steelers at oh and three, and part of me has a has a hard time imagining the forty nine at three and oh. These feel like two teams. I'm not putting that much stock into what's happened so far. The story is, you know, yet to be written. But man if Mason Rudolph could go in there and like this is where Mike Tomlin's done some of his best work,

maybe I'm basing on totally intangible nonsense. Whenever you're cornered, whenever you count them out there in I'm with you. I'm confident, and now I'm blocking it up and it's very strange to lock up. But guess who else on the road. This is also a corner sounds like a machine gun. Um. It also is a cornered animal game from the old Zeuser at oh and two. I need this game and I'm gonna bring that energy to the

Pittsburgh locker room. We win in we flying back home on a dub animal employees wounded animal to get out of a cage. It's an onions It's an Onions lock and I think it's a good all right, Who is up. It is now Chris Westling's second pick. This is the road team. I was going to take the New York Giants at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I want to see how transformed the offense is with Danny Dimes. It sounds like Sterling Shepherd is going to play. He was coming

off the concussion. And if you have Evan Evan Ingram, Sterling Shepherd, Sae Kwon Barkley, and an offensive line that has been frankly one of the top ten lines in the league so far this year, I think that gives Danny Dimes a good chance to succeed against a Buccaneers defense that has caught Greg's eye. I love me some todd Balls. I mean, we were watching the game. Who gets Mark? Who's more exciting than Todd Bowls? Seeing a happy todd Balls on the sideline, everyone start, literally, everyone

is more exciting. But that's let's make him a head coach. That's part of the reason. You know, it's just fun to lean into this stupid bit. But uh, they really have been better. They are, let's seeing more than fifty of the time, like no other team in the league is remotely close. They don't even really have a pass rush. They they're trusting that Vida Vella and gold William Golston and and Dominicance Wu and Lavante David can just stop the run while they're almost selling out to just blitz

and and they can. It's kind of a way to work around the one strength they have, which is they have a good run defense, and they're blitzing like crazy, and at least in September and maybe against a rookie quarterback that can stick you out some good performances, I mean, to your point, Jack Barrett basically said that he had played in a three or four defense his whole life, but that the Todd Bowls three four was something completely different. We saw him blow up the Panthers last week, and

so something's working. I flipped to the other side of the ball, though, and I look at Bruce Arians, who I love Bruce Arians. But I can't quite figure out if he knew this was where he'd be coming into week three, that this is why he pulled out of retirement to take over this office. Was convinced that Jamis Went is a legitimate franchise quarterback, Well, then I would I would that he should have at least gone in

suspicious of that, hoping that would be the case. Not convinced because when there one and one campus is so out of their minds right now. I saw an article this week and the Tampa Bay Times that said, are the with Drew Brees is injury, are the Bucks the new favorites in the NFL? I was like, Yeah, if the offense does not totally maximize against a Giant's defense that could not have been more lost at Sea last week at home, then I don't know when it happens.

You're playing a rookie quarterback I like, I like him better than Eli Manning, but it's still his first start in the NFL against a good defense. We've just talked about them. If you cannot make this the game where we figure out, oh this is what arians and this Bucks offense are going to be against one of the lamest defenses in the league, that I'm not holding my breath for it to happen. There there by that they have to do something this week. They are not doing

what last year's Bucks offense did. O. J. Howard is v niched, not even close. Just throw it DeAndre Baker every time. Yeah, that's that's part of the Gettleman story that's not being told right now. He took a few people in the first round. Daniel Jones wasn't the only one. DeAndre Baker, his first round cornerback, is right now the worst cornerback in the entire NFL and would be benched

if he was on it. You have every right to bail and the Bruce Arians experience with Jamis Winston if they cannot move the ball up and down the field against the Giants, Yes, Giants stink their defense, Genar Jenkins. You know their secondary stinks and the secondary is complaining

about the defensive line. It's good in mid September. The whole roster stinks on defense, so especially at home, and maybe Danny does bring some juice to the offensive side of they might get fairly shepherd back, you know, Golden Tate returns in a few weeks. Then they were smart how they did this, because I think Danny Diame is

gonna look like a hero all right now. Picking Mark Cecil, well, you know in a draft there's always the fly by night, less prepared team that watches the picks they were going to pick picked over and over just before their their times. The last game the last two games picked where my next two picks lined up. Now I'm scrambling and I'm gonna wind up the guy. Yeah, We're gonna listen. We we This is someone we believed in for a long time.

I believe in this game from the start, even though on my actual list number one, it's lodged number thirteen or fourteen out of fourteen UH Carolina at Arizona. It is one of the last remaining UH late games. And I am a little I'm a little chargered out, so I'm bypassing Chargers. And here's my one thing. Watching Arizona play the Ravens and losing and driving deep and moving the ball well for big chunks of the field but

falling apart into field goals in the red zone. I'm not sure what to make it, make of this offense entirely. I like, I really like Kyler Murray's for a guy who's played in two NFL games, his restive mindset. He is whipping the ball downfield. He is reviving Larry Fitzgerald. They've got some weapons in the passing game. I'm not sure this is gonna work or not, but I think they're gonna have a couple of games where they simply explode. I think it's gonna happen, and I like this game.

I'm picking this for that reason that I want to be there when they suddenly dropped forty something points on a team that has issues all over the place. And the team with issues all over the place right now is the Carolina Panthers. A. You've got Kyle at quarterback. I understand he played we well in weeks seventeen. I don't really care about weeks seventeen. At this point, Ron

Rivera is clearly agitated. He walked away from his press conference two minutes in today because he was getting too many Cam Newton questions, Well, that's not stopping, and what is happening to this team in general? They feel like melt territory to me and nothing. It is a huge week, talk about a wounded animal for Riverboats, job security, it's a huge for everything. I think the future of where

the team is going. You have an owner that has been patient, because owners like to come in and do their things and put their stamp, and he's putting no real stamp on the team. And I think this could be the offseason where a lot of changes happen if this team continues to trajectory into deep Earth, you got

a big week coming up in Arizona. I love Kyler Murray's intermediate deep ball accuracy and touch, and his willingness, like you said, to be aggressive if his wide receivers, even even he's leaving, every time he sees his receiver get a step, he's throwing deep to that guy. I love it. I thought it's interesting that Chris Carter said, after talking to people in Arizona, defenses are going to find out quickly that Kyler Murray does not want to run.

He doesn't want to get hit. He feels the same way about getting hit as Tom Brady and Drew Brees do, and he doesn't want to run. Imagine if you're him and you just stepped into the NFL these first couple of games. Like he's he's the smallest guy on the field by far. He he's the one quarterback that looks small, like he looks noticeably different than definite helmet. It's it's tricky.

They're gonna have to figure out a balance because when I think it was Pronell McPhee guy in free on a busted play, it's just you know, a two hundred and seventy five pound great athlete coming at you with no past protection. Kyler Murray put a spin move that dropped him on the ground. It broke his ankles. It made Pernell McPhee look like an old man. And that's the type of runner Kyler for three years, right, But that's the type of player he can be if he

wants to escape. And then he took an easy seven yards to the sideline. That's one of only four runs he's at all year one. Quick correction, Um, we referenced thousands State. It's actually tousand University. They changed it because they changed it. So there's even a reason I Buzzom Buddy Bob cas Stron throwback pod partner attended that school and I've been there. It was not state at some point, though I believe it was at one point and then no longer the case. We're talking over twenty years of

what state are they in? Maryland? So Maryland was like, stop referencing us. It's a state university, so they are connected directly the state. Okay, but Maryland said, we're done with you. Stop you're not connecting. I mean, we don't need I'm not familiar with the politics of that area. I don't know. I feel like whenever a school needs to change their name from the ground up, there's something that we're going on that we should floor. So they

just dropped the state. They didn't. It wasn't a ground up change. Okay, Bob was gonna come at me if I did not bring this up, So go ahead. I was just asking, does Mark get another? Is it snaking again? Doesn't? Well, but I guess really I thought it was again snakes every time? To you? Whoever picks doesn't make sense, does it? Yeah? It does. It should snake back to me though. Yes, that's what happened is we did snake and then we went around this way again. It's meant to snake back

my I was actually heavily robbed. This has been an absolute disaster because I should have gotten after Greg picked fourth and fifth is I should have had the six pick. You've buried me down at nine or ten. That explains the horrific drafts. Let's just kill the snake for right now. You'll know it should to lead of the listeners who have allowed how did the last minute and a half on thousands State and imaginary snake time out? Time out? Um,

I'm absolutely right you had. It was one to Dan West. Yes, I had again, Greg again, and then Dan again. Yeah, it goes this way. It's a snake, Dan, because the snake is curling back and forth, not getting cut off at mid section after Greg takes two picks and starting again with I just look back to our control room. They've all left playing them just swiveling. But at least this time it should snake back. This way we possibly pig.

Let's make a choice. I'm gonna take another for another four o'clock game because this all plays into my I'm gonna watch Lamar anyways early, so I'll take the second game that's Texans Chargers, and I am interested in this game because this early in the season, I have no idea what these teams are. I have no idea what they're gonna be. I mean, when you think about last September, can you really remember what teams were like? Can you

remember Blake Bordles dropping four touchdowns on the Patriots? Uh for that Jaguars team that was clearly headed to the Super Bowl while the Patriots were doing nothing like? Can you remember the Bengals looking awesome and being super clutch? I I don't know. You don't know what they're gonna be in September. And these two teams especially, I don't have any feel about. They've got great quarterbacks, they've got terrible offensive lines, their defenses have been up and down.

I want to see a little more out of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram and them making an impact every week. And this is a great week to do it, and if it feels like a big game, because I think these two teams are very much in the a f C playoff picture and so it could wind up mattering at the end of the year. Who's got the better backfield in this game. I've been really impressed with what

the Texans have done in their backfield. I know they paid a premium to do it, but Carlos Hide is running as well as he ever has and Duke Johnson playing pretty well. Austin Ekeler, what's he got four touchdowns an averaging a hundred yards of game. Wherever you took him in fantasy it wasn't high enough. I mean that that was your pick right there. Chargers have the better backfield,

I think because you've also got Jackson. I think they they also were the team that proactively built a super deep stable to the point where you even forget that Melvin Gordon is a human being who exists. At this point, his leverage is so far in the distance that whatever he whatever his argument was, he's become he's become completely unnecessary. Came out this week and he said something about, you know, I'm gonna be playing somewhere, and at this point him

talking isn't even making a ripple, not Los Angeles. And also, they took away they took away his blue checkmark on Twitter. He's ret he's he's doing the Benjamin button in all the wrong ways. If you if you took away a few flags last week's buttons, yes, he's like setting backsward blue checkmark on You're not even in college anymore, You're

a hopeful high school sophomore. I they if you took a few flags away from the Chargers game against Detroit, their backfield has another couple touchdowns in like sixty or seventy yards. I mean that that game was closer than it should have been because of Chargers flags, right, and they lost. I think the Texans have more to feel good about actually, so far. Marcella Whitney Merciless is reborn the defensive player of the week DJ Reader on their

front line looks good. Their front seven is really good. They have some major weaknesses, which we've talked about offense flying a second, but I think their strengths are coming forward in the in the running game has Merciless is such a huge for him to step up with Clowney gone, That's exactly what they needed. Now, now, what was a little a little better? By the way, it's some maybe unfair digs on what a week Earl. You do a gholst in in week one, you're gonna catch some heat

when you're a player at that level. But he went in the right direction. Maybe we're due for one of those Monster Watch games this week. All right, Mark, you are up and my apologies. Well, no, I don't blame you, because it's like a hundred and six degrees in here, and I think it starts starts to affect the mind before anything else. I think Mark, uh did this on purpose as some type of psychological test. Well it's not working. We're still on the air as far as we know.

And Uh, I'm going to pick I like this game. I don't know why it interests me, but there's not a lot left to pick from. I'm going Dolphins at Dallas Day. Sorry, Wes, how do I pick second? But then everybody picks three teams before me. I don't understand this. Well, maybe I should be apologizing to us, all right, go ahead. I wonder the Dolphins have faced the Ravens, the Ravens and the Patriots. I'm not sure that they aren't playing

the very best team they played yet right now. The way that the Cowboys are operating, this is another terrible situation for the Dolphins, and we've spent a lot of time on them this week. I just want to see how Dallas handles this because I wonder if the Dolphins become a team that if you get up twenty four nothing, thirty nothing, that you find a way to use it as a bye week or do you keep attacking all week long? Do you give Ezekiel Elliott a full quarter off?

Do you play Dak Prescott? You know it's a good week for them not to have Michael Gallup, he's out for a while. But you don't need all your guns necessarily if you hold turnovers down and find a way to take care of the Dolphins, which shouldn't be hard. I mean, I also think we're watching history. This Dolphins team could be How many teams do the league have

gone undefeated in their history and winless? This is a little bit of history and I'm hanging on for a little Week three slice of piet underrated though, how they have opened against the three best offenses in the league or three of the top four or five offense because playing against the Dolphins. But no, the Patriots are gonna be good. The Ravens are dynamic. The Cowboys are good,

you know the Cowboys. Dak Prescott, if if his agent could have scheduled September himself, he couldn't have picked three better Tomato can than knocked down than than these three teams. And with that, I also think that it's not it's it's the fact that, like, what can the Dolphins do? Who can they impose the will on right now? The answers house. That's how some Tigers coming from Towson their college university at this point. I the one reason I will also keep an eye on Miami is someone's gonna

lose to this team. And that's the team that's gonna get ugly. They're doing, You're the team that loses to Miami. Let's say it's in week eight that coaches on the hot seat. I don't care if you're even Bill Belichick. I mean I believe if they were like playing Gardner Minshew, it would be a close game, or if they were playing other team. I really do think they're not gonna get blown up their doors off every single week, but this week probably West since you don't get to well,

you'll watch this game at some point. But do you have any thoughts in your Cowboys AF they're watching them during the week, Well, a lot of thoughts, but they don't really matter against the Dolphins, right? Do they matter? Long term? Dophins resistant to analysis. It doesn't matter who you who you're playing on your facing the Dolphins. They're an embarrassment, their disgrace, and that's you know, what can you do? All Right, you're up. I will take Raiders

at Vikings. That's a nice pick, though, BRO think at this stage in the draft it's kind of a stinky, big game. Yes, I think the Raiders, like Greg has been saying, are way more talented than they were last years. Good pick, Thank you everyone. I just want to tell you the nice job there keeping on with Josh Jacobs, who has looked really good at the first two games. Lost ten pounds this week. He's been sick, but yes, he's lost ten pounds, ten pounds in a week. It's

a how's a hip injury? They were just reported to he's got like multiple physical injuries and he's sick and lost ten pounds and the other team motto going on there. The other team, the Vikings, might have the running back who's played better than any running back in the first two weeks in Dalvin Cook, despite playing against behind an offensive line that has not played well, especially rookie center

Garrett Bradberry. That that's an interesting part of Cook's emergence is He's made most of these yards on his own. He leads the league in yards after contact. But you know who's I think even better than him per carry is Josh Jacobs. These are two of the three backs who have aided the most yards, and I love the way both of them finished their runs, especially Jacob. He refuses to go out of bounds. He's kind of it's kind of an old school style, but with a little

more wiggle uh than you'd expect. Like he's a lot of fun to watch the Raiders. I think losing Jonathan Abram, he slightly annoyed me during hard knocks, you know, early on. Then I think they kind of pulled him out of the narrative a bit to prevent that from continuing to happen. He though, has a little bit of Eric Turner in him in terms of his physical presence, and he just didn't care if he was in the league for a

game or two. He gave them an identity, and I think he strips a lot away with him not being in the lineup. And they have been absolutely torched by a wide receiver in two games straight. It was Courtland Sutton did it to him. It was DeMarcus Robinson, and it's like, who's it going to be this week? Because the Vikings have the weapons, it might be a get well week from Minnesota through the air if they were

to get clipped by Oakland here. They quickly become a team that I don't have a lot of faith in because the Vikings to me, I too, I I don't know who this was. Who they were at the end of last season. You could not handle yourself in primetime against big opponents, and they just don't feel all there to me, while they're passing games were they're running games better, but the passing games worse. And and Cousins is pick in the end zone last week, to me wasn't the

most concerning part. It was that he came out the next drive still had five minutes left, almost through another pick and then air mails Adam Fieland on third down by ten yards. And you don't like seeing your veteran quarterback on tilt, and he was. He was just on tilt, like where he was his mind was somewhere else he was supposed to. Yeah, that's and he can regroup. But that was a bad moment to not for that not to happen. He's supposed to be that studying presence. That

was such a disappointed Cousins performance. And I think, yeah, I think there's pressure on him now. That's that's building and we'll see how he reacts to that. I mean, if you look at his career, he has not farewell under pressure. I think these are the types of games that he does farewell though. A quiet afternoon game against the Raiders that not much of America will see. And and I'm still with you, Dan that they're a good

team against lesser teams. He does. I mean I will say they were one team along with the Saints that if you go watch what the Zebras did to Minnesota in the last game, they they were zebra reth you gotta go. I mean, they just they were absolutely victimized. It's happening to two or three teams a week now, and they were I locked this game up if if I could look in the mirror. But I just think Oakland on the road, no one's gonna feel good about me. I think it's a little the little nu miracle zone

that we had talked about last year. And the Vikings defense got off to a slow start last week but played well in the second half. And I think they're safety. Combo of Harrison Smith and Curse has been lights out this year. Um, okay, I'll take it. I mean I'll fall on the sword. I'll take the Jets at the at the New England Patriots. You know what, Let's go, Let's go to something else, something a little more appropriate.

Okay City, New York City, that's more like it. That's where we are with the Jets, who are O and two and facing the desert and last it everybody Erica Sydney. She really killed it there. Yeah, she has a beautiful voice. Our former producer, it was a very antagonistic Dan. But what it's part of the show in terms of building Erica up as the show is actually unfurling on live air.

Um okay, but the Jets, according to the Desert people, building Erica up as the show is unfurling on live air versus having a previous producer coming and take a star turn with some sort of Broadway hit. I mean, we all love Laid, but that was like, that was beautiful. It was like the zombies had invaded New York and only Sydney was left. By the way, if you're a jet span, there's a lot of other things to do in New York City. You don't live in Central Iowa.

There are other things to occupy your time, and I would start doing that right about now. Makes sense? What was that, Ricky? Forget it? Happy birthday to Sitty by the way, you just oh, happy birthday, Candles. Um, all right, the Jets are the Desert people have the Jets installed as a heavy, heavy, heavy, almost unprecedented level underdog, and I imagine New England will be just fine. Um taking care of business there as well, and for all the

reasons everyone knows. We don't have to dwell on the Jets because we talked about them a lot on Monday. On Tuesday, but um, is there anything, Greg? This is the only thing I really need to touch on this game before we move on, because this game is this is as bad as Dolphins Cowboys in the sense that what do you even take out of this game? On either side? The Jets, there's nothing to learn because you have your third string quarterback in and is actually the

third starting Jet quarterback in three weeks. It's only happened six other times in the Super Bowl era. And the Patriots, of course, they're gonna take care of business here. What have you seen from the Patriots that's been interesting to you that maybe people aren't talking about, if there's anything, well, just how incredible their secondary is. I think people are

talking about it. But the numbers that they're giving up in terms of their starters under completion, I mean, they have almost as many passes defense as as passes that they've given up right now, and they're they have six seven guys Jonathan Jones, you know, j C. Jackson, Guys who aren't big names are playing really well. The competition hasn't been great, but I think there is something for The Patriots want to get their offense in sync. And I know it sounds crazy, but they really haven't been

uh this year. They they're missing both of their starting tackles, They're missing their starting center for the season, so that's three of your starting offensive lineman. I think there is a way for a better defense to get after them.

And the running game hasn't been very good, so they want to kind of like the Browns, and I know it hasn't been as dramatic, but I think they want their offense to look a little more in sync, and like the Patriots offense, it certainly expect it's certainly easier because I mean, we all we sort of always talk about New England figuring themselves out in September, which, unlike other teams, means you either go four o or three and one or two and two once in a while.

But I mean they were one and two last year, they were one and two a few years ago. It gets lost in the mix because like, that's not really that tragic of a story when we look at where the team winds up. And secondly, the difference this time around is their defense is historically awesome over two games and I get back to the Super Bowl. They have

a lot of touchdown since the AFC Championship Game. They're remarkable, and I think that maybe it's the kind of team Bill Belichick quietly loves coaching more than a lot of these other ones. The one thing I'd say for the Jets, because yes, if they didn't cover the spread here or whatever we're supposed to be calling it on the show, like Adam Gaze clearly was a fetish of ownership when he was hired because he went he left pretty disastrously

in Miami. But they went after him hard. And yeah, no one's expecting them to win, But how they lose this game and how they lose some of these games coming up matters a lot. I think one thing that concerned me at the end of that Brown's game was the look on Levy on Bell's face after he had been thrown into the fire like thirty one times, and it's like, is that he That's not what anyone's looking to do for the next two months of an NFL season. It's just get beaten up. Is the team's only option.

The good news is that sant Donald's back with a team and they are he's confident that he'll be playing in Week five, and they have the bye. It was perfect. They're gonna get Chris Herndon back from suspension. Whatever they had at C. J. Mosley back probably after the bye. They had set up on offense. They can still accomplish those goals on offense. They just they're not They're not gonna be in the playoff race, and that it's just

an expectations change. I think as far as this game goes, I don't think there's anything that Adam Gates will get judged on in Week three with Luke Fox at at quarterback, it's just a throw. I'm with you what it's worth.

He did two pretty good stuff as the coach of the Dolphins offensively pretty consistently against these I'm with you, Dan, I just I would say perception Adam Gaze is already being judged as sort of the chef of a disaster, even though it's not entirely his fault or mostly his fault. It's got to keep control of the locker room. This this season could go sideways for the Jets. To keep

all these emotions. You can just see it where and especially when you have an emotional head coach, an emotional defensive coordinator, and an emotional team leader like Jamal Adams. All right, let's move up. Who is up? Well, I've lost you know right, it's all very confusing. Now am I stuck? Now with the fourth game? You could throw one my way if you wanted to. I don't know where we want to go with it. I believe it is Greg's pick. Well, there's only one left here, so

go ahead. So I get stuck. So I had the last Again, I get stuck. We all have three, so everybody gets stuck with us. You're watching one of Dan's so that's your all right, you're watching This game is clearly not going to be watched. It's it's Eagles Lions. This uh lying, this Eagles team. We almost overlooked how ridiculously terrible it was on Sunday night, how quickly their entire team change, potentially their season. Hopefully you know, they

keep things afloat. To lose Dallas Godder, Alston, Jeffrey Sean Jackson, Tim Joern again in the matter of minutes is pretty wild. And they've already lost Malik Jackson up front, they're already down, you know, a line back. It's just a lot and it's really gonna test you know, Doug Peterson this week. We were thinking in the offseason, Oh, who's Carson Wins.

How's he gonna keep all these guys happy? Now he's throw into mac Hollands and ar Sega Whiteside, who played almost every snap of that game and had one catch and did nothing, And so their running game looks terrible. Everyone loved Miles Sanders coming into the year. He was he's been very hesitant. They didn't have a run over hive yards last year. I don't think Miles Sanders is the problem. I think it's the offensive line that's the problem.

And Isaac Siamalo, especially at guard, he struggled that there. I think there was a couple there were probably two runs where I think Sanders even talked about it last week where he was way too hesitant in trying to break into the outside and that was on him. But yeah, they're they're not in sync. They struggled for a little while, you know, for half the game against the Resikins too, they did. I mean, that's that feels like a long time ago. At this point, I watched in Detroit Carrie

on Johnson. I just love watching and run man that guy, and it's like they cut C. J. Anderson and I I'm not sure those are directly related, but they should be because you just don't need extra running backs. And the Lions spent all off seasons saying we want to be a running back by committee. We refused to anoint carry On Johnson as our workhorse, but they just preferred Paul Perkins, the guy they claimed off waivers waivers from the Giants. They just chose him over C. J. Anderson.

But I think I really choosing Ty Johnson, their rookie running back, who I think is going to be a factor for this team, a clear backup and change of pace, but kind of an interesting guy that they can use as a receiver. The Lions were not boring against the Chargers, and to me, that's, you know, personally, that's a big step.

I kind of find them to kind of like that, uh, like that nerdy, like a nerdy girl in a science class, like sits in the back, like the goth girl that doesn't talk, or you know, there's something going on with that person. You can't quite figure out what's what it is? Straight like rom Com, is that what this is? They don't feel like a leading character, but they're just sort of in the midst her hair, her hair is up, she's wearing overalls, she's wearing glasses. Stafford is not not

aging the way that some are either. He can throw the ball as hard as anyone in the league. Still so, by the way, the number one pick also snakes. So this is my game. So I'll take it off your heads. Okay, I'll let you thank you. Dan's gonna be toiling Sunday over there. That was impressive. It's tricky because we're not sitting in the order of the snake. So this is something. Well, it's continue to make the tweaks as necessary as the weeks go along. Old Zoser will have it under control.

Don't worry. Don't worry, guys, what did to spend every show talking about this? Um? All right, let's get to Sunday night football and it's a big one. Mark Sessler, the Los Angeles Rams too, and oh travel to the Dog Pound to face the one and one Cleveland Browns and um, you know, Rich Eyes and came into the show on Tuesday and he said it, and we all agree, well that the Browns are out of that purgatory. But now comes the business of actually being a real team

and being a competitive team. You're no longer in sad hell. Now you need to be a team that wins games. And they have some type of stretch. I believe the next four or five teams are all two and o right now, and um, there will be no violins being played because the Browns are supposed to hang in these games and win some of these games, including a home game in your building, right Mark, Come on, let's go Cleveland Browns, get going now. One. What's that's just? That's

just people talking. I mean, I think if you watch what Cleveland's put on tape over eight quarters, you have to love the pass rush, especially when you played a broken down UH Jets offensive line. Uh they didn't do a whole lot of that in the first game. I

see an offense completely out of sync. And if you take away a wide open Odell Beckham on the clip people are watching going for eighty nine yards in that game, you'd come out of that saying the Brown's offense has as much as many issues as any high expectation team. In the league, and they've got offensive line issues. David the Joku is out. Richard Higgins being out last week

hurt them a lot. They have their right tackle in a walking boot, and the guy who's gonna come in absolutely caused may Ham in the reverse way for Baker Mayfield in the first week. They are a banged up team on both sides of the ball. I don't like the way that they're pulling Nick Chubb off the field on third downs telecasting Adrian Peter and Peterson like that they're going to be throwing every single time. To me,

they've got a lot to figure out. This is not the right time to deal with Aaron Donald in the Rams, and I hate to do this. I have to do it out of cold logic. I am locking up the Rams. This is Cleveland, Cleveland is you look at their schedule, Cleveland up. What they're gonna have to do in this season is open about two and four. They have the Seahawks. They have a forty niners team. That's where I pegged their second win, not today, I don't And they have the MS line has been as bad as the Brown

Zo line. I would say, word, oh, I don't think it's gonna be I think it's gonna be a close game. I just think the Rams are gonna take care of business. Here is some psychological thing that concerns me a lot. I grew up loving Clay Matthews, the father of the Clay Matthews. Anyone today would know historic Browns linebacker who should be in the Hall of Fame. They are inducting him into the Ring of Honor. That is a beautiful

thing to do. What concerns me is that it is total Monday Night type scenario where Clay Matthews, the son with the father watching, takes down Baker Mayfield as a Rams pass rusher in a key scenario right off right tackle where Chris Hubbard from a walking boot is reading a poetry book on the sideline while the Brown's offense is going down like a boat in the seats into poetry. Let me see if I got this right, Mark Well, I knew this. I knew you would have a response

to this. I don't You can say whatever you want to say. I'm just asking you've waited twenty years, first of all, to watch during the show with you guys.

That's as you've waited twenty years since this Brown's reboot to have a team that's worth a damn a team to get excited about, and you're locking up against them in week three in their first Sunday Night game, and like, just don't have to pick it against first of all, if the Browns lose, which is going to be a mess because I have to watch it in here, it's can be those comes like oh, I wonder what's going on with Baker Mayfield? Hey Mark, what do you think

is going on with Baker Mayfield? As we're all sitting here in like stale Chinese food before we do our Sunday Night recap total disaster. Would rather be literally anywhere than here during there are more up and miserable now then when they suck it, because because I'm hearing things like you're out of purgatory. Everything's perfect now, Why won't they just go six and o or five and one?

They have major issues. They have a quarterback. I wish your issues you have a quarterback to your quarterback is out for three weeks. I feel bad. I feel bad. I mean, like, alight, let me have nothing. You think the Browns are this five and one team that's just gonna roll to this record. No, I don't think I'm wrong, but I think they could easily beat the Rams. I picked the Rams at home. I picked the Rams in what I think is close to a coin flip game.

Uh the Browns are slight underdogs. That feels about right. The Rams have major issues. As West mentioned on the offensive, Brazilian is any team in the second half, so they've they've found a way to win when they're not playing their best offense will be. The defense definitely looks good.

But if there's a defensive line out there ready to victimize what's been a struggling Rams o line, including Andrew Witworth who's coming off one of his worst getting of his career, I mean, it's Miles Garrett, and it's it's Olivier Vernon and and it's Sheldon Richardson getting after it. I mean, you talk about Baker Mayfield being out of sinc. I haven't seen Jared goffin sync yet. I haven't seen. Just because Cooper Cup ran over half of the uh

ST secondary doesn't mean that Jared Goffton sinc. I don't think that Baker Mayfield the player is like a lesser player than last year. I think the offense in general has lost some of its sort of daring do and they justin swaggering completely control down the stretch last year and they they look completely different. And I would like to see Nick Chubb be like thirty more the engine

to this offense anyway over the first two weeks. And if Mayfield is getting a little scrambled against Greg Williams, I think Wade Phillips is gonna cook up a lot. I mean, you've seen you've seen some good Wade Phillips sacks where guys are just getting in free. That's mostly what Clay Matthews and Fowler have gotten this year is

just kind of free looks at a quarter. If I'm a you have a safety trio which might be the best in the entire NFL in terms of their smarts and playmaking, and John Johnson, h Eric Weddle and their rookie Taylor Rap who's basically playing as a starter, and those guys have been hovering back there and it's been tough to make big place find out Sunday night. If I'm a such a fool about this, I said that

about the Jets game too. Though it's like a team, a team that's rising the way that we want to put I think part of it is like, let's put them there so that when they don't get there, we have someone to like shoot arrows at. They're not there yet. They should have been a team that's there would have beaten the Jets. It's more of that they would not have done what they did. They could not finish drives that you tell me they were not extremely frustrating from

an offensive standpoint, it's more than if they do. When you know, it's just sort of annoying you locked against them, like I remember once picked against you know, the Patriots Jets. They won. It's just like, why pick against your favorite team? Breg You know what's annoying locking the Browns up and having them give up forty three points at home after an offseason and everyone putting bells and whistles on them before they pick out the annoying games because I did

pick I did that last tell what's gonna be? Okay? I think it is going to be. I just I find to annoying that it's like you're a Browns fan, everything is perfect for you now, only in this nonsense. Literally we're saying that on the last show, and in the show why I feel like this is a creation of false dichotomy that they either have to be world beaters who live up to the hype, or they have there have to be doormats who don't. They're just a team right now about They're just Let's move on. That's

that was interesting. That was wild. That was Monday Night football. The Chicago Bears travel to It's great, uh, to Washington to face the Redskins. Uh. Your final wounded animal game, your cornered Animal game, uh West. This is a big

game in a primetime spot for Mitch Robinski. I think this that's what I'll be watching the most here because for number one, you have a Redskins defense that going into the season people said, oh, this is the unit everyone's sleeping on the Redskins day that can carry this team and make them frisky and they could hang around in the NFC East and in the playoff picture. Well that has been You cannot get further from the case from the case. So far, they've given up plus thirty

in both games. They're getting beat up. People are talking about Greg Manuski, maybe his jobs in trouble. Well, if Mr Robinsky goes in there after that miracle win to get to one and one and lays another egg, or looks stiff or lacks confidence and they somehow lose this game. It's the pressure is gonna be outrageous Entrabisky, and I don't know if he'll be able to handle a big game. Well.

The Redskins defense, it's sort of hit or miss. They've been stingy at times this year, the first half of the opener against the Eagles, the first half against the Cowboys. Last year. They are extremely banged up in their secondary, to the point where they were playing safeties at cornerback against the Cowboys. So I think that's part of the disappointment with their defense. But you're right that with Trabinsky, you would have reason to believe that he'd improve in

his second year. With Matt Naggy, that they get David Montgomery, they get cor Darrel Patterson, the offensive line returns intact, they still have trek Co and there's no reason to believe he shouldn't be better. And he has been a sort of Jacklin high quarterback. He has had some of the worst games imaginable, and then he's had games where the Bears offense looks dynamic that was last year. This year we've yet to see that. So I think the onus is on him now to kind of prove all

the doubters wrong. If he's going to be the answer for the Bears, it should be a nice spot for him, though, I mean, it's it is, And yet I don't feel that comfortable that the Bears are gonna win this game. This could have been a double wounded animal game if not for a shaky call and a great kid. We have any of those, I don't think. And the Bears, especially even at one and one, don't feel like they're

out of that you know, wounding stage. I don't think they feel very comfortable right now with where they're at in general. Uh this, I mean, this is it is a great matchup, and yet, you know, I always kind of feel like Colt McCoy j like they they're a little better than you think, you know what I mean, They're gonna case Keenum, They're gonna fine, sorry not Cole mcquite that They're they're gonna find a way to just win five games this year. That's like, oh how did

the Redskins? And I feel like this could very easily be one and let's give case Keendom some love. It's been swallowed up by the fact that they've gotten beaten twice. He's been fine, but he's been fine. You could say he's been better than fine. He's been a lot more of when we expect because he did not look good at all, uh leading up to Week one, and he

has been far from the problem. Yeah, I think he's sort of what you expect with Case Keenom, that he's gonna do a few things well and he's gonna, like you said, win a couple of games for a team that largely doesn't matter this season. They might get Jonathan Allen and Jordan read Back, but the secondary, as West mentioned,

seems like it's gonna stay banged that. I'd say, if you're the if you are the if you're tied into the Bears experience, they remind me of another team that they have after the last year, a lot of expectations. If you dropped this game against a very mediocre Redskins team in a in a lackluster stadium on Monday night, you have you are in a world of hurt and you are out. You're not coming back from one and two.

I know that's sounds crazy, but this team tell you're broadcasting that you cannot handle joy, you cannot handle this journey. If you go one and two, they need to come in and drop a bomb on the Redskins. You come out, you come home and play the Vikings at home, and then you go to Oakland and into your by. So I mean, I don't think it would end their season,

but it would really ramp up the pressure. And again, this is a team that it You know, when you look back at the summer, the writing was right there on the wall is like all they the only narrative coming out of that camp was the Kicker thing. And it's almost too obvious now that they're going to have struggles from all other directions and make it rendering all that summer talk silly. It seems to happen sometimes with teams,

and this feels like one of those circumstances. Couldn't It could also render a week three talk silly if they take off. We're talking about a team I think in the Maggie era they've never lost by more than one score. Wow, they have a recipe to be to be a lot better. I think they're gonna win. I could see Khalil mac you know, with a pick six and someone else with

a they're gonna score like twelve points. On defense, Trabisky is gonna put up three field goals and make one throw that everyone's freaking out about, despite fifteen in completions where the balls sailing yards after someone's head. I mean, you're gonna get it's the full experience. They're gonna they should win this game, though. You cannot lose this and come up with excuses. So that he's you know, under fire. Dolphins quarterback also under five. We've got some breaking news.

They still count enough that Josh Rosen experiences on in Miami. He's gonna start this week against the Cowboys. They count enough to announce who they're starting quarterbacks. Makes well, my pick is starting to look very frisky. He's getting a lot that my pick is getting a lot of sort of rookie minicamp. This guy is impressing coaches. You know, he he has been under pressed. I mean they're offensive line, as Daniel Jeremia said, it might be the worst in

NFL history. I don't know about the team that the old line is there. So he went from one of the worst offenses of the decade, last year in Arizona, which he contributed to to be fair rookie, and now he goes to maybe the new worst offense of the decade, where he could his health is in peril playing behind

that OH line. I just don't know. I don't expect any advancements in his career this year, and I just worry about whether he'll ever recover from these first two years or this is the narrative and his career is ruined by just fate. This is when I go on Craigslist and find I hire people to kidnap me and build a story of huge sympathy. Josh Rosen has been kidnapped by someone. We don't know who it is, but we you know, behind the scenes exactly, and he's with

Tom House and pick your guy. So the entire time during the abduction, he's working on his game. When he re emerges from the bunker, oh I survived this. They never showed their faces. I'll never be able to say who it is, and I'll always live with that fear. But I have to be brave and move on. And I still want to play football because people doubted me my love of the game. But I've come out of this realizing the football is more important than almost anything

besides God and family, and I'll going anywhere. Meanwhile, he's built up his entire body, his arms. Great Tom House will keep that secret. Taken to the great, and away we go. Like he spent three months on the Commissioner's non injury has he already has like a behind the scenes reality show produced by t D Uninterrupted. It's all it's all happening. Wait, we got to breaking news though. The more I forgot to make by a lock. So

I'm gonna make an unprecedented lock. It's on Thursday night football. It's a Tennessee Titans. Now we're separating out. That's the team I do believe in the most. So even though we can do that now, even though you know this might already be wrong to some of the listeners, tune in on Friday or Saturday. I like the Titans. D like that move to swarm Gardner minshew good, they're more athletic. All right, that's it. Yes, as Greg just alluded to, for the first time, we'll have a mini pod that

will drop Thursday night. I believe Mark, you and I will be handling coverage of UH the a f C South Stress so today and uh so check that out. Uh it we'll be like, you know, seven to ten minutes or something like that, and uh it will supplement this show. And then the next time you get a full episode, of course, is Sunday Night. And just like this show, the Sunday Night Show, uh is live and in your ears and in your eyes, in your eyes

that sounds almost painful. Sunday Night Flagship show. Right after um, this Sunday night football game wraps up, it goes up, uh NFL dot com YouTube. Awesome all the places. The heat is that right? Mark here? Dan with the heat you know stuff. We just had to uh meanwhile, but in the control room, everybody doing an amazing job, but it's like sixty eight degrees in there. Look I put

on jackets. But thank you to everyone behind the glass because this is uh it's been a very smooth ship early on, which isn't always the case with these type of programs, but you guys are nailing it, So thank you and that act there blowing it and you Ricky, Ricky, you know faces you did a great job telling us about the breaking news and a great a producer. You're a great producer and we love you. Thanks, love you guys too. You are loved. Don't ever forget that. Thank you.

All right, let's go HR since Dan handsOn signing off for The Quiet Storm, The Mailman, the Old Boss, and Ricky Hollywood behind the Glass and Lass take it away, New York, the City