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Since where I am am moving day is moving day, A lot of things come along with that damn six am moving trunk. Excuse to me every time, thoughts and prayers. I've been through enough moves. If anyone followed my NFL career, they would have seen that. I actually at one point thought I shouldn't like create a moving company because I feel like I've got this kind of figured out at this point.
So it's a pain of yass. It is a miserable experience. It is done it a couple of times, and.
I hate it. I think the hardest thing about it, too, is you gotta get rid of stuff. And for some of us out there who are sentimental, especially on the holidays, it can be tough. Like there's there's that stuff that you want to keep that you're like, oh I remember when, or this brings babe back to a good time, or even like clothes sometimes you're like, oh no, I'm gonna wear that. I'm gonna wear that in a couple months when the weather changes a little bit. Just just get it.
You haven't wonn it, and probably I don't know, six months a year you don't word enough, just just get rid of it. Well, what's donating to someone who does? So, what's the trick? They say, you're closing the closet, you turn them, you turn the hangar around the other way. And if at the end of the year you didn't turn it back, it means you never used it. It means you probably don't need it, so you just toss it. But some people struggle with that, you know.
I mean, I'll say this though, who says the NFL doesn't deliver some great games?
Huh? Yeah? Football? You know how much? Says that.
The NFL is slowly wrapping up what has felt like the longest week of NFL football that I can recall that in a long ass time.
But before you dive in on that, Yes, back during COVID, you and I used to talk about this and this past week was essentially a sample of what it would be like if we had NFL games throughout the course of the week, including on Sunday. And I gotta be honest with you, I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, But at the same time, I liked having the opportunity to watch more teams and standalone
windows throughout the course of the week. I don't know how you felt, but for me, for a lot of my buddies too, especially those guys who like to gamble a little bit, it became more attractive and more fun from that standpoint. But that being said, what became very apparent was the lack of parody in the league as we had what eight games I think, you know, we were decided by more than one score two score games. I mean it's old more than that, Like this is how bad it is.
It's easier to count the number of good games, Like what were the real good games that we got over the past several days. Cincinnati and the only reason Cincinnati and Denver was good is because the Bengals clock management was so atrocious at the end of that game that they thought it was a good idea to score with a minute and change left to go and Denver having time out.
Apparently that was I mean last night Washington and Atlanta was good. Yeah, that was good. And then I mean, here's the thing is like Seattle Chicago was close. I don't know, any game. Yeah, that's just awful football. Like I'm I'm.
Watching going look this is what we've as you mentioned, we've talked about to where hey, you get games all the time. Also to your point on the standalone stuff, totally agree because one of the things that I feel like the NFL could do a better job of, and they do a lot of things great and you know, we get you know called out.
Oh you guys are just all you guys do is a fanboy for the league, dude.
One of the things the NFL could do a better job of is spacing out some of the games. Like there are times to where you have so many early window games on a Sunday and then just a few of the later games. And I've always felt like to actually get to take in and watch all these teams and see these storylines and whatnot.
You do need to space it out a little bit. So that was nice. But I mean as far as the quality of games go, good, Christ, there was some terrible football games, like terrible, terrible. Look, there is a reason why the lighting is a certain way in clubs and in bars, right when people go out of the point. Yeah, they're trying to hide some of those some of those things they don't want other people to see it. It's
kind of like the NFL scheduling. You know, they're like, let's let's talk about one o'clock with five of their games to make sure no one checks out how how Cleveland's doing. Yeah, you know what that is. That is a good point.
If you are a three, blame the electrician, Okay, And that's that's your that's the problem, and that's the bone you want to pick with somebody, Go ahead and do that. But I listen, man, that was a fun one last night. I mean still, you know Raheem Morris, you know, the timeout and not calling the timeout on that final driver regulation not ideal.
But Jaden Daniels the stud he is, He's the offensive rookie of the year. He's provided. I mean, if you look at Washington, I mean three years ago, the change in ownership, the change in head coach, the changing quarterback, and here we are a team that is now clinched a playoff birth and I mean, hell, the players are proposing to their girlfriends after the game. I mean it's like a story book. You can't make this stuff up. And which surprises me the most is everyone wants to
point to like one or two things. It's the combination of all of it, I mean, and that's what Washington needed an unfortunately to move past Dan Snyder little Danny as LeVar calls them, and get to a point where you had it a different culture, a different environment, and a head coach who saw that too, and a quarterback who's able to bring that to life. And that's where
we're at. So it's fun to watch the Washington Commandos the way they're playing, what it looks like too, because I think they're one of those teams they think in the playoffs play with house money. Man Like, now that they're in, they're playing with house money, and you are kind of a scary team when you think about some of the weapons they have, Jade Daniel's ability to run, the defense can step up, you know from time to time.
That would be a team that I would be shocked if they didn't find a way of winning the wildcard round.
So Dan Quinn, the head coach of the Commanders, spoke about his rookie quarterback afterwards.
What I told Rahiem after the game, I said, man, there's some things that five does and you can't put on a card. That's the competitor is And I thought he was fully able to demonstrate that and express himself tonight.
With his legs, with his arm. Yeah, he is a dangerous player.
And it's not by design that you know some of these runs that took place, But when the time comes to go, I thought there was some smart out of bounds runs, But there are some times when he's gonna go and it's not always. I cringe sometimes, but I also know that I know what the competitor is to.
It did feel like going into this season that it was about for Washington. It was like, hey, you know, we're like, our goal here is to find out whether or not we got a guy at quarterback, Like that's the goal and then everything else, you know, you build upon. And yet here they are in the postseason, and I just I don't know how many people actually thought that could have been a possibility before the year.
I definitely did not was not on that list. I think it. I mean, you look at it, you say it could be a possibility. I think what stands out to me too is not to compare Kitler Williams the Jade Daniels, but if we're looking at the track record now of guys who have won a Heisman, guys who if you're purely going off of the tape and that's all we're doing. When we're trying to figure out who's going to be the best quarterback of that draft class, you would have just said Jade Daniels and being done
with it. Like you, it didn't really need any further evaluation based on his last season at LSU. And you can go back to Joe Burrow back when he was at OSU. You can go back through kind of the years and look at some of the different draft classes and go, yeah, let's not ever think this. This guy was the best player in college football on a team that you know struggled out around him, but yet he lifted everyone up. And that's exactly what he's gonna be asked to do once he gets to the NFL level.
And that's what he's done. So as we like spin that forward and we've got teams who are trying to evaluate different players in this draft, they're gonna be looking at their size, their measurables, the interview, all the other stuff outside of the actual playing the game itself. And it's why and we'll get into the topic, but like Shador Sanders for me is number one based on how
he played this past season. I know the Bowl game wasn't great and that was probably tough to watch for a lot of CU fans, But you look at his entire body of work the past couple of seasons, look at the success of Colorado from where they were a few years ago to where they are now. He fits that bill. Another guy fits that bill, and I think he more is gonna be talked about in regards to the size, the measurables, some of the concerns and all
that is. Cam Warden didn't matter fields at Washington State, didn't matter of fields at Miami. Go look at the way he improved those teams with his level of play. And that's one of those things like it seems like sometimes teams franchise overthinking. They kind of overthink that process of like what are we trying to invite about what really matters. It's the tape. That's all that really matters
at the end of the day, It's playing football. All the other stuff you can continue to keep building on and working on. But it just it always surprises me when people are surprised, when they they're like, oh, yeah, the guy who uh yeah, the guy who won the Heisman Trophy his final year, he's coming, He's led his team to the playoffs. Now in his rookie year, It's like, well, why is that overly surprising? Like is that? I mean, it just it comes off as shocking to me that people are surprised by it.
Bucky Brooks always told me that in scouting it was pretty simple that, yeah, you go by the tape first and then you start to work in some of those other things. But if the tape stands out and you see him in actual game situations and scenarios, then that that makes your decision a lot easier. Yet for some reason,
teams don't do that. They and look, Caleb Williams was identified is going to be the guy for months and months and months and was going to be the player there, And it just goes to show you the stability that they have in Washington and everything surrounding him. Like if he has a bad game, it doesn't feel like it's the end of the word. And there's been times Jade and Daniels hasn't played all that great and certain situations in certain games, but if Caleb Williams has a bad game,
it is bust Sky is falling. It's terrible. They made a mistake.
Dude.
There's a lot going on around him that just feels like chaos, like absolute chaos. Coordinators fired, coaches fired, like everything that's happened this year is the wrong way to try and develop a quarterback, it feels like, and Jade Daniels hasn't had to deal with any of that, Like.
Well, I'll have the Bears ever developed a quarterback?
Well, no, I mean they listen, they trade it for Cutler. You know there was that, and you know Mitch Trubisky got him to the postseason twice, so you know there is some optimism there. And there was that one time in nineteen eighty five that they want a Super Bowl they're still hanging on to So there there was that as well.
Okay, Well, and I guess it goes back to the original point the Bears, I guess more recent runner lack of success is one in which I don't know that anyone's gonna call for Well, I guess fans have called Frank mccaskey's to sell the team, but that's not realistic. The problem is is how do you go about, you know, trying to build and create the culture that they need in order to be ultimately successful and replicate what we're
saying from Washington. And if ownership's not changing, then you're looking at Okay, who are you bringing in that's going to be able to overcome or or book the trend of ownership's decisions and their impact. It's a tough call because depending on who's involved in that decision in the first place, they're going to have power over that person, whether it's Kevin Warren, Ryan Poles, a combination of the two,
the mccaskey's. I mean, no matter how you cut it, that decision is going to be a tough one for any potential candidate who's looking at as a head potential head coach, because he's got to answer to someone who doesn't have a great track record and and you know, a year or two from now, he could, once a big game, be on the hot seat. I mean, that's essentially what you're looking at. Even as good as KaiB
Williams is, he can't overcome the disfunction. We've talked about that on our show We Can week out with some of the various organizations that seem to struggle time and time again.
Speaking of the NFC North, it's all going down to the final game that'll be the Sunday Night football feature between the Vikings and the Packers next week, and man Minnesota, like I don't know or excuse me, the Lions and the why I want to say the Packers, My apologies definitely not the Packers. They're not involved in that conversation. They struggle against the NFC North apparently minus the Bears,
but the Lions and the Vikings. It all comes down to next week for the division, for the number one seed. Speaking of things that we didn't think were possible before the year, the over underwent total from Minnesota.
Was what six six and a half.
It has been an incredible run and they feel like they're getting better as well too, like they feel like they are striding down the stretch. And I don't think it's a crazy thought to think that Minnesota beats Detroit next week and all of a sudden, the Vikings and Sam darn are a host in a playoff game. It's wild to think about that. That's where we're at when it comes to the Vikings and the conversation around him.
And you probably can't understate the job that Kevin O'Connell's done as far as coach of the Year, I mean, it should probably come down to that game. I'm not sure who you want to throw into that conversation. Maybe you want to Sandy Reid. I don't know that he ever gets enough credit because I think we look at him with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelcey and Chris John's, all these pieces they have, and we just say, oh, well, they should win a bunch of games. First off, that's
not an easy division. And second, it's hard to continually have and maintain that success that they've had. So maybe Andy reach should be more talked about for But it feels like between Dan Campbell Kevin O'Connell that should be on the line at least for this one. Yeah, granted I still game to go for the Detroit Lions, but you know, before you get there. But am am I wrong in that assessment?
No, it's over, Like I think it's Kevin O'Connell's, like I think he's already I mean, he's a you know, ten to one on DraftKings right now, you know, So it feels like that's a wrap. Dan Campbell is next up, and then you get Andy Reid and Dan Quinn. But Yeah, Kevin O'Connell feels like like that's all. That's all she wrote on that. So and then the discussion will get louder after the season about what Minnesota should do with Sam Donald, how they play their cards when it comes
to that. I know. Diana Rassini over the weekend reported that there's the potential that they could do a short term deal but still keep JJ McCarthy in the fold. Pete Prisco and I kind of threw out some scenarios, you know, Pete's up for throwing out some wild stuff that you know, maybe they maybe they call Las Vegas and be like, hey, I know there's a Michigan thing going on there. JJ McCarthy interested, you know, signed Sam Donald, do a longer term deal and then the Raiders get
their quarterback, the future decision solved for him. So I don't know, there's some some stuff out there for Minnesota to think about, but awesome job for Kevin O'Connell on them, and then Brian Flores is probably gonna get some head coach and consideration as well too with that defense.
So as you should be sure to catch the live edition of The Dan Patrick Show weekdays at nine am Eastern six am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
So it is bowl season in college football, and when you talk about great discussions, it all centers around the pop Tarts Bowl.
That's right, you know, frosted the way it delivered. Say what you want, man, just like those brown sugar cinnamon, like those those ones. Those always hit. That was my favorite I was little.
Yeah, frosted, unfrosted, doesn't matter. It's pop tart unfrosted. Well, some people are into the unfrosted stuff. That's like a toaster shrudle. That's not a pop start. Look the frosting on a pop tart. I'm not sure when that was made and how it was made. No offense to pop tart, buddy.
If you eat a pop tart, you're not overly concerned with the health or nutrition facts. You're eating a pop tart.
By the way, toaster or microwave for a pop tart toaster it it's not even close.
Yeah, I don't know.
I feel like it's a better I feel like it's a better cook in a microwave, to be honest.
With every time I want to, I want to like you, you say something like that, and it's just I can't. I can't do it.
Lee, what's your problem? I don't even know where to start. When did you ever put one in a microwave? I mean, it's a kid, You just throw it in the microwave. It's a better cook. Oh my god, Mark? Why are you shaking your head? Toaster? Toaster? Still toast it?
All right? What are you putting? Say it again? I say it once a week. You deserve all the backlash you get on Twitter, you really do. It's fartakes like this that you deserve the backlash that that you received. There are different options out there. It's almost changed everything for me.
I'll screw you, Mark, And I'm just saying there's the options out there, a right.
If the toaster you up, good for you. Mark. By the way, I do like mad for the toasted What do you do?
And I also like how pop tarts don't even give you the option of having one. You open a bag, you're getting two and if you don't eat the other one, it's going stale.
So like, no, not only you're eating bad, you're eating bad twice. I just can't believe you said unfrosted, Like that's who are in the right mind would get a pop start unfrosted.
I don't know, man, some people are into it, you know, some people. Listen, some people are into weird stuff.
I don't have to tell. Okay, it's it's like getting a giant sized Snickers barnollying half of it. You're like, oh, I'm worried about the sugar and the calories in it. Yeah.
Well it's the the old Rob Parker trick. You you eat healthy but still get dessert. It's like he's like, oh, I got a I got a burger with no bun, but I ordered a chocolate Sunday afterwards. Dude, just get the bun. What's the point, Like, you just did more damage to yourself.
So aren't you making our argument right now? Well?
No, I'm just telling you that there's an option out there for people if they don't like the frosting. The frost is not that great.
I have not seen an unfrosted pop tart in forever, mostly because anyone who eats an unfrosted pop tart probably got shoved at a locker. We've never seen them. Sense. I'm just saying, what's with the violence.
It's just it's a it's a strudle, Like, what's the violence here over a breakfast snack that's not good for you?
And pop tarts are way better than toaster strudle. I mean, there's a reason why toaster struddle hasn't sponsored a bowl game? All right, yeah, I would agree. Yeah, were they even in the in the contention for the bowl game? But apparently you know, if they do partake in sponsoring a bowl game, they'll be there for the entire game. Not like that.
Damn cam Ward? How dare he not return for the second half? He had to be ashamed of himself. All right, do it for your team?
Are we believing in the fake outrage that there was around cam Ward? Who? And this is the explanation that I guess was given because Mario Cristobal, the head coach at the University of Miami, didn't really elaborate on what that conversation was with cam Woard behind the scene simply said that we had an individual conversation with a lot of players who were deciding whether they wanted to play or sit out the game. And he's gonna leave it at that, which was which is a smart way of
handling it, because every player situation, circumstance is different. Could cam Ward have set out of that game altogether? Of course, in all seriousness, three weeks ago, the Miami Hurricanes were potentially playing for an ACC championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff and then come to find out a few weeks later, now they're losing in the Pop Tarts Bowl. Like that is a dramatic fall from grace from where Miami fans thought their team was three four
weeks ago. So here we are. You've got a player who's choosing to at least participate in a portion of the game now, even if it's about his own selfish reasons, which cam Ward was able to break the NCAA career record for touchdown passes, beating out Case Keenum during his time there at Houston. So he did in the first half through three touchdown passes, got the record, and then sat out the second half obviously watched his team lose
in the final minutes. Now that being said, I don't really understand the outrage from this standpoint, Like do people really think NFL teams are gonna care He actually put himself out there to play in an era where a lot of players have not only opted out of games, Jamal Chase opted out of an entire season. Do we tend to forget that back when he was at LSU? And I'm not saying that Jeremiah Smith would ever do this at Ohio State, but based on his freshman season,
they're obviously still playing for national championship. Based on what I think he'll do next year as a sophomore, he would probably have every right to do so if he wanted to. I mean, that young man is NFL ready now, and so to have to put himself out there and harms a way for another year. Yeah, he'll get an insurance policy, he'll get paid a lot of nil, but it won't be anywhere close to what he's going to receive when he's taken somewhere, probably in the top three
picks once he's draft eligible. What in twenty twenty is that it twenty twenty seven If my math is off, but I think you're getting My point is like we're gonna all of a sudden question the motivation for a young man who's trying to protect his ability to move on to the next level make money, which at that level, there's a lot of players right now who are playing not to go to the playoffs, but for incentives for themselves for their contract, to make sure they prolong their
career in the NFL, because they can't necessarily opt out at least now without making it look kind of shady. I just I don't get the outrage with any of this.
I think there's do you have a place that you go to eat with the family where it's like, if you go to that place, you have to eat that one specific item because they just like that's what you're used to whenever you go there. It's like, Hey, I'm going here, I gotta get this, you know, I gotta get a like like whatever it is with college football. I think people are just so accustomed to bitching that
they can't help themselves. It's a Pop Tarts bowl, like you've got to You've got a weirdo dressed to as a breakfast strudle jumping out of a fake toaster. At the end of the game, cam Ward goes out there. He plays the first half, he breaks a record. That's it. It's overdone. There doesn't need to be a conversation afterwards. He did what he did. Good for him. He assumed the risk. He went out there. He put it on the line for the first half. You could get hurt
it in any half of a game. Like you remember Jalen Smith who got hurt playing like people criticized him afterwards, saying, yeah, it's nice that he went out and played, but you got to think about your draft stock. That guy was a top five pick, but in the bag top five pickback and I think.
What twenty sixteen.
Yeah, And so when Christian McCaffrey sat out a bowl game, he got criticized for it. When Leonard Fournett sat out of a bowl game, he got criticized for it.
All they're being selfish, And so.
Here cam Ward actually plays the first half, goes out, breaks a record, and then sits out the second half. No, no, no, no, You've got to commit to the entire game. What God does his work like you can't help it, bitch. People just want to complain, And when they talk about college football, it doesn't matter what the discussion is. We've got other conversations coming up. People just want to complain about college football because they're just so accustomed to doing it.
I'm convinced, Yeah, I don't know. Maybe they just wanted to see cam Woard. Get a piece of that gigantic pop tart there at the end, Yeah, Matt Campbell and rock O Beck, or dive it into all that icy you hate so much. I mean, if you really want to be upset about something, we should be upset about the fact that the NCAA is allowing a career record for touchdown passes to count for cam Ward. Like if you really want me to get on my soapbox and take like one of those hot takes. Okay, here it
is all right. Cam Woard played five years. Okay he did so, two of which where some of these stats were amounted and Incarnate Word, which is an FCS school. So is it really comparable to compare case Keenum, who at least played at the FBS level for four years and in three games in a year he got a medical red shirt when he tore his ACL to accumulate those career stats or five years of playing because that first year at in Carnal Word was a COVID year,
they get the additional year of eligibility. So all those stats count, all those touchdown passes count towards this record, and so not only should there be I don't know, I want want to say an asterisk, but we're counting a five year career versus a four and three games for a medical red shirt, and we're counting it two of those years at a lower level where he absolutely dominated, then went to Washington State, then went to Miami. So kudos to cam Ward for the success that he's had.
But I would go a step further and say this, like, what's starting to bother me a lot about everything that's happening in the college football space is we talk about
the history, we talk about the tradition. You know what, we do an awful job of protecting that history and that tradition, the legacy of guys like Barry Sanders, for example, who rushed for over two thousand yards what was the You could look up the exact number during his time at Oklahoma State, but he didn't been like eleven and Ashton genty look great player at Boise State, obviously a
Heisman finalist, Doak Walker winner, he's incredible. Let's not compare him though, to Barry Sanders, Like as much as we want to talk about how well this is a part of Ashton Gent's legacy, or this is a part of Camboard's legacy, that's true, But what are we doing to protect the legacy of the guys who came before them? Like, it's just it's not even comparable what Barry Sanders did in a eleven games rushing versus what Ashton Genty has done.
At this point, where are still you know, still counting the stats isn't fair. It's not fair to the past players who only had four years of eligibility to do it, and you now have guys who have stats that are counting for five years, six years because of COVID, because of red shirt years, medical red shirts that they're counting. Like, if you really want to dig into, like what the issue should be with this conversation is the fact that he was playing in the first half at all to
go try to break this career touchdown record. Is part of the issue at the enda is we like try to make up ways that guys can break records when they're eligibility. Now that we've got Diego Pava who's eligible again next year, the quarterback at Vanderbilt because his JUCO years didn't count, So we keep changing and moving the goalposts with what these records are. That's the most ridiculous part of all of this that no one's talking about.
And so yeah, it's awesome that Cam Woard is able to throw for that many touchdown passes, but in reality, like he didn't do it on a per game base the way Case Keenum did. He didn't do it consistently at that high level or at a higher level like Houston during the time case Keenum did. So you can give cam Ward the record. I think there'd be an asterisk next.
Next to it two six and twenty eight yards for Barry Sanders in nineteen eighty eight, which is in eleven games, right, mind yes, mind boggling.
And yet we're still like comparing players now who are playing into you know, Bowl games and conference championships and into the playoff now, which has been extended, and yet we're counting all of that. It's like, oh, he broke the record. It's like, imagine if Barry played fourteen games, do the math on that, he would have won over three thousand yards.
I mean, at this point, isn't Cam McCormick like on the verge of breaking the all time receiving record.
I mean he should be. He's been there thirty seven years. Maybe not not that record. I don't know what he's got calling in Miami, but there's some other.
Records, you know, if you're gonna if yourena stick around, like how many Cam McCormick just turned fifty three, by the way, so he's he's still like they got another year of eligibility. Cam Rising might come back for another year. There's all that you're seven year eight something discount at
this point. And here's I'm not going to bash the young men for coming back and taking their opportunity to play, but I think again we're moving the goalpost in regards to how we want to talk about what our career records and all these stats and all these ways that were acknowledging accomplishments for players. It was like, well, yeah, of course we'd throw for that many yards if you could play five six years and all as years counted.
So again that's more of my biggest gripe with all this, like it's really surprising that as many people, especially in this day and age, and again, as I've said before, where players have opted out of an entire season, that we see players off out of bowl games all the time, especially ones that are insignificant, and yet yeah, that's where the outrage is because he only played half the game. I mean he did spot his team three points at half. I mean they were up three points in Iowa State.
So it was better than if he didn't play at all and they started zero zero. He did his job. Blame the bullpen, you know, it's not his fault. They blew the game for him. By the way, would you have done anything different in the new landscape on your decision to come out because you had another year of eligibility?
Correct? No, I came back. So again, back during those years you have you know, once that clock starts, unless I would have had a medical retro, I guess I could have sat out a year in between or something. But you know, once it starts, you're playing. And the decision would have been to come out after my junior year. And for me personally, it just it felt like between the class of guys that I was with wanting to graduate.
Then I talked to some older guys who had given me the advice that's just said it's really really hard to come back and finish your degree. They're like life just kind of hits you at a time where you know, Drove bettis I think in a couple of years ago. Yeah, finally came back and got his degree, which is awesome and it was incredible. It's fun to watch. He's one of the most charismatic people you ever meet. But imagine that like having kids and his son's now committed to
come to Notre Dame soon. I mean, imagine sitting in class with your son. You know, you're trying to finish up years your underground and he's starting right. Like granted, eve being different classes, different levels, but it would be to an degree. But then you're like, all, who's doing the homework? Dad, so doing the homework. But the general point is I wanted to come back. I wanted to get my degree. I wanted another shot at trying to win a national championship. I wanted to be there with
the guys I came in with. We had a really close class of guys. I wanted to be there for another year with them and try to obtain all those things. So it ended up not working out, but I wouldn't change, you know, that final year for anything, Like it was
a great ride. I love Notre Dame. I love my alma mater, and like I said, I just I wish if anything there's times where I wonder, back if I could have expressed more of an interest of wanting to red shirt and that way my true freshman year, I would have maybe gone through a lot of the lumps that I went through and trying to learn and trying to improve as a player, and it would have been more mature, more prepared, especially within that offense, because it's
not like we could enroll early like back then. I came up early in the summer for workouts and things, but that was the extent, you know, they we weren't allowed to enroll like and genuinely like to do now and then and practice through spring practice. Hell, some of these guys are actually practicing to prepare for the bowl games. You know Juju Lewis I believe is his last name, the quarterback who's committed to Colorado to come in behind
Shad Or Sanders as their starter. He's been practicing throughout you know, the bull practice before the alimible. So that experience would be incredible.
I think LeVar said, man Man, his son is already in state college and if they were to win a national title that he would he would be eligible for a ring.
Right, which is crazy. I mean again, different strokes for different folks. I'm not sure I would accept something if it wasn't there the entire year, But the general point is it's very different now, and it wasn't that way Notre Dame back then. It is now you have the capability of doing that. So that's one of the things that I wish I could have done, either enrolled earlier at the halfway point of my senior in high school and got up to school earlier to then prepare more
for that spring, or if Red shirted. I mean, those are the things I more think about.
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What's interesting is that the Monday night game later on tonight, the Lions and the forty nine Ers, it doesn't really mean anything to Detroit because next week's game against Minnesota is going to determine the one seed and the division. So if the Lions wanted to, I don't know if this is in their DNA, they could just sort of be like, eh, whatever, well, we'll play it safe here tonight, and then you just focus on next week?
Is that accurate though? Yeah? I was so sure too. Yeah. Well, because the only reason I ask is, and again I'm just double checking this, the Lions are what thirteen and two right now? Yes? I mean so could they afford to lose this weekend? Next No, they can't lose next week. Next week's so must win regardless. But whatever they do to the tiebreaker over the Vikings if they had the same record, right, so whatever they do tonight doesn't matter. Yeah, gotcha?
Which would be like if you think about the Lions, what a great story all year, Like they could end up being a wild card team going on the road the tech after they ran rough shot over the NFC all.
The bigger question is, if you're Dan Campbell, do you sit anyone? If this is a meaningless game, why play anyone? Yeah? Why not? Why not use this because you're because you're again you're putting it all on the line to try to get a bye then that first that wildcard round. Yeah, so why would you play in this case? Jared Goff? While you risk that, I wouldn't.
I wouldn't do it personally, and based on the luck they've had an injury this year, like I wouldn't, like I would just assume the worst. But it's Dan Campbell, I mean, like he's a wild man, like he'll he does weird stuff, like he'll he'll go for it when he maybe shouldn't go for it, you know, like he did in the NFC title game at San Francisco last year. So I don't I mean that that would be my guess, like why even take the chance? But who knows, Maybe he looks at it and says, no, We're going to
play how we play regardless of the situation. I don't know, but I'm not taking that chance. I would gear up for next week against Minnesota and uh and try and
get it done there. Which is what's kind of crazy about it is that it was just a couple of years ago that the Lions were featured in the final regular season game of the year, and it was against Green Bay and what turned out to be Rogers' last game at lambeau Field as a Packer, and that wasn't the Lions weren't getting into the playoffs like Seattle had already clinched earlier, but they wanted to go out there
and play hard in that game. And then two years later, they're playing final regular season game on Sunday night, and they're doing it for a shot to be the one seed in the NFC with home field. Like kind of a crazy turnaround for that organization and just the matter of a couple of years. So we'll see what Dan Campbell decides to do. Now, there's a lot of people out there that want to swim in the negative side
of the pool, not us. All Right, We're not going to sit here and just pile on and be like, oh, you know, these teams are bad. So we decided, why don't we at least give an award out? Why don't we at least attach an award to this so at least people can feel good about things. And this is like the Antonio Brown Awards that went on this weekend where he was handing out you know, Cracker the Year awards to various Did you watch that I did. I watched to win one so bad.
I wanted to win so bad that you would be on his radar for being the Cracker of the Year.
I don't know, I felt like it fit the description, to be honest with you, at least one portion of it. Now, you got to actually do something important to get that award. Apparently I did not, but congratulations to everybody who did that did win that award over the Over the Weekend by Antonio Brown. Uh, just the wild man X is a wild place to be man, A lot going on there. That said, we decided, you know what, enough with this. It's a lot of bad teams in the NFL, but
there are interesting at least. Well, who's the least least interesting of them all? Like, if you've got to be bad, how bad are you gonna be? Because we want you to also be uninteresting? So, Brady Quinn, do you want to go first? Because I have my least interesting team in the NFL Award already to go.
Yeah, I've got mine ready to go too. But I want to throw out a question to you. If I asked you, all right, you have to pick one division in each conference? Okay, which is the least entertaining or the one that you would like to watch the least which both sides?
Oh yeaheah, yeah, listen, this is no longer just a well it's just the AFC.
No, no, no, no no.
The NFC South has done their part like they have done their part to provide mediocre football and a team that's most likely a one and done in the playoffs. Although I you know, I do like Baker Mayfield in the Bucks.
You know, that's a fun team to watch, but yeah, fun to watch, but everything out around them is very lax entertainment, not great, not great at all. So who's your least interesting team in the NFL? My least interesting team in the NFL. And maybe this is in part due to recent history. And I'm sure this fan base, which is one of the best fan bases I'm giving you a compliment, will definitely take issue with this. But
it's the New Orleans Saints. And look, historically, if you look at this franchise outside of the really Sean Payton Drew Brees era and really even that was kind of hit and miss, like they'd go on their runs of successful season playoff seasons. Obviously, we're all going to go back and remember the loss and the conference championship, and I'm right there with you. It got stolen from you.
The Rams had no business winning that game. That was one of the worst calls in the history, maybe the worst, maybe the worst outside of the tuck rule play, which has changed since then. And I think a lot of Raiders fans would agree, but even a lot of the haters of the Patriots would agree like that changed a
lot of history. Still, that play in New Orleans, for Drew Brees's legacy, for Sean Payton, that was one of the worst no calls in the history of the NFL, so much so they even created past interference as a challengeable play the following year. But it would be the Saints for me. Coming into the season, there was zero buzz, zero hype about this team and what this team could be.
I've actually looked at this roster and always felt like it's been a ross that could should probably achieve at a higher rate than it has, at least in recent years, And this is a year where it's just kind of like, look, I know Derek Carr has been out and rather has been in, but I just I look at the team and it's they're probably one of the least interesting teams to watch. And it's not even because they're so bad.
It's almost like they live in this purgatory of like, yeah, they'll be competitive, but then they've kind of gone on a streak of losing in the end, and it's just kind of is what it is, and it's just it's just not good. I mean, they've lost what four of the last five since the buy and they're probably gonna lose next week to Tampa, who's got to win in order to win the end. So it would be the Saints for me, A dog would be the sense. They
were two and zero at one point. You know, I don't know if anybody here, Yeah, and then they dropped what is it, seventh straight? Yeah?
Then was it uh Derek Carr that did the Michael Jackson after they scored against Dallas and everyone's like, oh man, this you know, the Saints, that's the team to watch. They're playing like the team from last year.
And then and by the way, drumming opponents. I mean, one, we didn't know how bad Carolina was going to be this year. Now we're looking back on the most going, yeah that was. I mean, if you compared Carolina and the Saints now and granted, look, I mean the Panthers beat him, but if you compared the two right now, you'd say Carolina is playing probably better football. Oh yeah, I would say.
And also like the reason because there may be some people that go, well, how are the Panthers, not your least interesting team. Man, Bryce Shung's playing so much better, like he's improved so much, And it does feel like there's at least some optimism there, which is surprising because I don't know that anybody thought that was possible with David Tepper as the owner.
Like, so yeah, I could.
I could definitely see New Orleans being your pick, my pick for least interesting team in the NFL. And obviously we're gonna stick with the South. It's the Tennessee Titans. Okay, I don't get it. I just I don't get any of it at all. I don't I don't Not only do I not get the team. I don't get the uniforms. I don't get the color scheme. I don't get I swear to christ, I don't get any of it at all,
and I never have. Like you've got to just just take the oilers, jerseys, I do whatever, like go back to the like whatever you want to do.
Just like that.
That was gold and man up and vanish like a fart in the wind for all of whatever you're rolling out nowadays. On top of that, the face of the franchise is Derrick Henry. You let him walk, and all he's done is solidify his Hall of Fame career in Baltimore. The other face of the franchise is Mike Rabel. You let him walk and moved on from him, and now he's the hottest coaching candidate there is. Quarterback feels like a mess. Will Levis doesn't seem like he's the answer.
They've got an opportunity to have the number one pick, and so at least there's some hope there. But as it stands right now, I don't get it, Like I don't understand how if you're a Titans fan, you're watching that team going, oh, this is this is a feel good moment for us, Like, yeah, we feel great about this franchise, this organization. It just feels like they are in to your word in purgatory and looking around for answers.
And on top of that, when you think about where they were and the decision to move on from Vrabel, this report comes out from Tom Pelasero this weekend that says the Titans are expected to retain Brian Callahan.
Well they should.
He gave him the highlight of the year, which was that speech when he told everybody to stick it when they talk about his team not playing hard a couple of weeks ago. Other than that, what do they got, like, seriously, what do they have?
And I think they stuck him with a quarterback that wasn't his draft pick. He knew taking the job that he would go through this year and evaluating him. And now they put themselves in a position where if they want to go with a quarterback, they can go do that. But at least they have a better idea of what Will Levis is what he isn't despite whatever Pete Prisco thinks. That's part of it. I think the other thing when you look at their record so far this year, what's
interesting is that they're three wins. Two of those wins could have come against playoff teams. I mean, the Dolphins still have a shot of making in the playoffs, which they were able to beat them in what Week four? I believe that was the game Will loves Scott Hurt, Mason Ruoff came in, yeah, maybe bench at that point I can't quite recalling, and then Tua was out at that point, so full disclosure, it wasn't like the best version of Miami, but still they got to win. And
then the Texans, they'd be we twelve. So it's it's kind of hard when you look at this team too, because there's times when you look and say, okay, they can be competitive and you see the foundation they're trying to build in Tennessee, but they're just not there yet and that seems rather obvious. But I'm with you, like I'm not sure about the uniforms shot that you took at them. I mean, what we want to go back to the oilers? Yes, okay, yeah, I mean those were pretty dope uniforms back in the day.
Yeah, that's it. I mean, it's not too much to ask. It's not like we're asking to reinvent everything. We're just telling you, like, hey, you did it better before, like just go back to that. It's like these places that change their recipes for no reason, like why'd you do it?
Like like stick with the goods. They very well could get their fourth winn of the season because Houston is already locked into a playoff spot and winning the division. That's who they're going to play in Week eighteen. So there's a good chance that I would imagine they're sitting out their players waiting to in resting and trying to get them healthy for the wild card game. That would be my.
Assumption if you could let me ask you this, would you if you could swap out the Houston Texans for the Cincinnati Bengals as a playoffs one percent would too, Yes.
Which again we're not there yet in the season. But if we really want to be honest with ourselves, and this is more of a conversation that's kind of born out of the issues with the college football playoff, is you would look at reseting once you get in the playoffs, like that's only fair when you look at a team that's kind of dragging along, and I think we look at both NFCAFC South winners it's kind of dragging along.
We've seen teams in the past have a losing record, will win their division so they get the host a home playoff game. Like there's elements of that that you're saying, like, I get it. Obviously, you've got to figure this out in some way, and that's how the NFL is chosen to do it, and they put a priority in winning your division, But it doesn't really make a ton of sense then for the games outside of that, if they don't matter quite as much in the grand scheme of things. God,
I'd love to see Cincinnati in the playoffs. I mean they put themselves in position, man, I mean the Colts knock themselves out with their loss to the Giants, and what it's between Miami and Cincinnati at this point, and Denver and Denver, Denver's gotta win.
Yeah, Denver and Kansas City's already gonna arrest their starters, so Denver's gonna have an advantage there. So yeah, most likely. And bro again, which that that's still a good story and.
It's a great story.
Bonix has been fun to watch. And that defense, you know, it's an interesting one again, not one like we just talked about.
Yeah, not at all.