Hello, and welcome to Waken Jake. Super Bowl Week. We cover that in the back half of the show with Justin Pennock, who's heading down to New Orleans with me leading up to the Super Bowl. So that's going to be fun. Baseball kicked in the gear a little bit. How about the righties? Sureser to Toronto, Jack Flaherty yesterday back to Detroit. That's exciting. There was also a couple other small, small ish one medium ish ones. I'll say Hassan Kim signed. That was one of the wild cards
of this free agency to the Tampa Bay Rays. Carlos Estevez to your Royals. I know that gets everyone jazzed up. Or hey Polanco back to Seattle. Sad he had his worst year. What were those contracts talks like, hey you, I know it is your worst year. You want to come back? Okay, I know an article just came out that said people can't hit at our stadium, but you in to run it back. I hate that anyways. And
the NBA trade that took over the sports world. We'll cover that for a little bit because it was the topic walking into the office this morning. It was if you're a sports person, it's where it's where the NBA still wins. They have stars. It's international, Like I think people were waking up all over the world, and we're like, Luca got traded where I don't think people were waking up, and we're like, wait, Flarity's back with Detroit. I don't
think that hit Europe. Let's do the baseball first, because that's why a lot of us are here. We'll go recent Jack Flarity back to the Detroit Tigers. Two years thirty five million, one year twenty five mil. He has a player opt out and then if he makes fifteen plus starts the next year for Detroit. If he stays in that contract, it goes back up to twenty million. Man Jack Flare, do he our guy? First ever talking baseball guest in person guest one of Trev's like actual friends,
which that's cool. Wedding buddy the Hudgens Tucker affair. Jack has had an interesting He came up with the Cardinals. He was one of the best young pitchers in baseball. Some injuries, some performance caught up with them. But the good news is last year he was awesome, especially with the Detroit Tigers. So he goes back there, which that was somewhat rumored through the offseason. I think when things are a good fit, you don't have to apologize for that.
There's injury concerns, which I think, if everyone's being honest, we don't actually know anything about. There were some trades at the deadline that I think got turned down Before that, he's had some backs. He's still when we're talking back stuff, and we'll get to Max Scherzer in a second. Jack Flerty's twenty nine, so like he's a name that's been around for a little bit, going back to twenty seventeen. Jack Flerty got hurt by that and the fact that
he just doesn't have the most electric fastball. And I know, even bumping around with JOm a little bit today, some of the numbers on the fastball of like Jack doesn't put it where it's got to be, it might be going somewhere bad the fastball. Vilos declined, he's sitting at like ninety three, and we saw some weird stuff in the postseason last year. If he didn't have full rest, his fastball was around ninety which is just a dangerous
place for any major league fastball. But we also saw in his good starts, he was sitting ninety three, ninety four, ninety five, and I think if you're going to follow up that those breaking balls or that fastball sentiment, his breaking ball right out is one of the best in baseball. I think it was ninety eighth percentile and he was
throwing it a lot. So with the Detroit Tigers last year, eighteen starts, one hundred and six innings, pitched, one hundred and thirty three strikeouts, eleven point two k per nine two nine, two and a half. War that he goes to the Dodgers, the numbers aren't as great, but he was also oh BBD.
The Yankees have signed Carlos Carrasco Cookies minor league deal.
Breaking news. Carlos Carrasco Yankee stud they'll be fun in training camp. Jack Flerdy goes to the Dodgers LA, where he's from. Then they win the World Series and he pitched a couple of big games for them. He got hit a couple times too. It was often the second start, and there's some interesting stats there. I think he was the h He was the best pitcher the first time through the lineup of allowing hitters get on base. I think it was like a two seventy on base percentage,
So there's stuff in there. Jack's banging breaking balls. He's had a very productive year. Detroit is one of the better pitcher ballparks to pitch out, and for them it just makes their pitching feel so much. I want say, breatheable Derek Scooble, who has an argument for best pitcher in the game. That'll start you off. Jack Flaherty is back his whole season last year, twenty eight starts in the regular season, one hundred and sixty two innings pitch
and one hundred and ninety four strikeouts. Like the Strikeout company that he was with in baseball are some of the best pitchers. So it's a little in old free agency. If this was two thousand and five, I think Jack Flaherty gets the five to six year deal. People are scared a little bit from the velo. They're scared a little bit from the injury spot. The option contracts have had some success. Matt Chapman Uh he signed the the
opt in opt out contract. He got the full pay day he was looking for from the San Francisco Giants. Blake Snell came back, did the opt out opt in, He got the contract he was looking for. It's gonna be a big year for Cody Bellinger as we talk if we're talking Cookie carrasco signings. If Belly puts together an OPS that starts within a his opt in opt out contract will kind of have worked out for him. So in Hassan Kim, actually his is an opt in opt out. So I think it's a little disappointing if
you're jack to put up that. If you told him going into last year, hey dude, you're gonna have twenty eight starts, a three to one seven ERA and eleven point two k per nine. You know that's a at his age, that performance that should get him one hundred mil over five years or whatever it is. I think if he does it again, which again, is that fair to him, I don't know, he'll land closer in that ballpark,
but it's got to be. It's one of the weirder things in baseball, in any sports, you get paid not for necessarily what you've done, but for what teams think you're gonna do, and they're worried about injury, and they're worried if anything else comes off that fastball. So it's a little tough because we're kind of close to the situation. This is a man I've broken bread with. This is a guy Trev knows personally that, Yeah, I think if you're Detroit, I think this is a snag. Worst case
for them, it's two years. The salary number next year doesn't hurt you, and you can keep it moving. If you're Jack Flaherty, you need to pitch well in the next two years, whether it's this year or next year, so you have a little bit of wiggle room. And the other funny comparison that will know more about in a year. Lucas Cialito signed a very similar contract to Jack Flaherty, and he'll be coming back for the Socks at some point this year. The former high school teammates
so like it. For Detroit, it gives their young guys between miz and Montero and were they are Jackson, Joe Matt Manning like for those young guys, it gives them more ability for hey, someone's gonna click this year. Someone's probably not gonna click this year or get hurt. So Detroit has more depth there. They can throw the baseball. They had a nasty bullpen last year. They also added
Tommy Kinley. They've had a sneaky little offseason. Alex Cobb is another one of those fifteen mil veterans starting pitchers that will get to in a second that they sneakily. I think everyone thought the Tigers were gonna do the big splash the Bregman. They've added two guys to their rotation. They've added a high leverage bullpen guy, and they've added Glabor, who's going to be a top two hitter in their lineup, probably as.
Far as what you can guarantee you like for sure.
So I don't know. I think if you go if you went around and you did teams off seasons, which we probably will do at some point, to add a top of the lineup guy, the top of the rotation guy, a back end of the rotation guy, and then a late inning bullpen guy. Not a bad offseason for a
team that has a lot of young talent. They won eighty six games last year, and they are going to be an interesting case study because they obviously had that crazy hot stretch last year where they were doing pitching chaos, so they didn't have the starters. They're gonna be a fun watch this year. And if they have a couple young guys click, the Tigers can be for real. So like the Jack Flaherty signing for them, I think a
little unfortunate timing for Jack Flaherty. But if he pitches well in the next two years, he'll get He'll land around probably what he was expecting to get. So and hey, he's going to somewhere he's had success. Like it's he's
not going to a crazy hitters ballpark. He's not gonna be working with like new coaches or a new organization he doesn't know, Like sometimes that's how free agency goes, Like who knows some of the offers Pete a Lonzo's gotten, Like I think Pete wants to be a met Maybe Pete has a couple other places he's okay landing, but he's probably getting offers from some teams he's not that into. I don't know if Pete wants to be a blue Jay.
Maybe he does so to go to a familiar place, get a decent bag, Like I think the twenty five MILLI year makes Jack a top ten paid starting pitcher for next year. Technically, Like sometimes we get so lost in the funny money that it's like.
Hey man for this.
This is not that I know that's not the seven year deal you wanted, but that's pretty damn good. But maybe that's not the fair scale to look at it. On the other one, that dropped Max Schurzer to the Toronto Blue Jays fifteen and a half mil. The chase of him and Verlander for career strikeouts is a fun old man game. This year and Surezer gets just a little bit more money. Might have cared about that might not have for Toronto. I have this as a massive win.
It's one year Max schers are sure you're talking father time and some injuries. His stats the past two years have looked pretty consistent. You get to add ma Max Schurzer to your team for a year for low risk. He slots in as their four or five starter. Gossman, Burrio's Bassett, Sureser Browden Francis, who really broke out at the end of last year. Thirteen starts to the tune of a three to three era very righty. I always find that weird, but you have a rotation. It's in
their final year of trying to keep flatty. They signed Santander. I would love if they get in the p Alonzo business with one of those opt out contracts. That might be a win win for both sides, because if Toronto wants to be involved, they have to do more. The Al East is stacked, The Yankees are still really good. Boston is going to be a step better. The Rays are going to raise in a big way. This year. They got some pitching back. They had no McClanahan last year.
They had some guys come back during the year. Last year, a lot of them is going to be around Junior Common Arrow and how much other hitting and help can they get throughout and the Orioles are supposed to be in there, like Golden era of baseball that right now Toronto has an Ale East problem. That a funny game, and we played it briefly on Talking Baseball is like Toronto and Detroit's roster side by side if you had to pick one in a vacuum, like not have not
knowing the divisions. It's interesting. It's interesting, Like I don't think the pitching is that far off. I mean, you have scoobl who's the bad man for Detroit, and they've got options to click For Toronto, it almost feels like it should be a safer rotation, but last year it kind of wasn't It landed middle of the pack, and then you have one of the worst bullpens in Toronto last year versus one of the best, UH with Detroit.
So I don't know. It's kind of an interesting exercise, like if you start writing down the best players, like, okay, so Vladdie Baschett, Santander for Toronto, that's pretty good for Detroit? Is that Riley Green, Kerry Carpenter, Labor, Matt Veerling. I don't know. It's interesting exercise to run at home that if if the Toronto Blue Jays roster was the Detroit Tigers roster, would you like them more less the exact same?
I don't really have my answer. Part of me slightly leans Toronto, but I think that might just be East coast elitist, which brings up where's Toronto and Detroit on a map? Because they're both I think a lot of the world considers them kind of East coast. But I also don't anyways old geography there. I need Toronto to do more. And it's kind of unfair because they're offseason all in, we're starting to get all in off season time, like Andre Semenez. If he hits, if he has a
seven hundred ops, he's like a six war player. So they added him like they added Santander, who's kind of the opposite. You're gonna get the offensive production, but you might not get anything else, along with adding Max Scherzer and Jeff Hoffman the back end of their bullpen, hopefully to stabilize things back there. So Toronto in away has
had a bit of an off season. It's just Detroit signed Jack Flaherty and the conversation with them is can Detroit win the central Toronto signs Max Scherzer and the conversation with them is are they last place in the A LE East? So again there's some division. How would this actually line up if Toronto? If Toronto and Detroit played one hundred times, I don't think it'd be far off from fifty to fifty. I think those teams are
on pretty similar planes. And I don't know which fan base gets more mad about saying that I just got a text from one of my buddies. I don't text a lot. Who is a Yankee fan who just said Carlos Carrasco loll yeah, big time. M again, that'll be fun for spring training. How he Sung Kim signed with Tampa shoulder injury. Let's see how long he's out for. Is it May first? Is it June first? Is it July first? A very razy type player can pick it
with anyone in the world. He can hit enough that he had one massive year in San Diego and a couple solid years in San Diego. So interested? Will he become trade bait for them? Where the Rays gonna be when Hassong Kim comes back? Will they be a couple games above five hundred? Will they be a couple games under five hundred? The Ray's got a lot of pitching, a lot of pitching. Watch the Rays are starting to make me a little nervous for this season. Has Soong Kim?
He's a fit on any team. That's the beauty of it. And I think that contract without a shoulder injury, which again he has the opt out that he's probably hoping to comeback for half a season and ball out and chuck up the deuces. He could have gotten a sneaky amount of money that he may get next agency if he comes back and he's healthy. But he also has that insurance here that I don't know, I know those contracts. You'd rather have the guaranteed money and the guaranteed years.
I get that as a consolation these opt out contracts. I really don't think if you're a quality enough player to get fifteen MILI a year, the odds of you having a good season in two or three seasons feels high to me. But I understand the obviously risk that comes with that. I remember a young me and John Boy had a terrible fake argument over getting the buy in Fantasy Baseball, and Jimmy was like, I don't care, Like why would you care about that? And I was like, well,
it's the risk of losing. If you have a buye, there's zero risk of losing. It's literally a pass to stround where if something freaky happens, you could lose. Dick Love Lady Toronto the other one. Estevez sure one of the best relievers on the market. Kansas City with a sneaky Estevez and Erseg on the back end, the killer ease who you can take that that's stolen. They've got a ton of different lefties that like one or two of their lefties is gonna figure it out in the bullpen.
And they got a couple other options down there. Hunter Harvey just burped a little bit forgetting who else John Shreiber they traded for before the season last year. That uh, I think the Royals can really pitch, and I the Al Central has some weird blinders on because it's like, well, can every team pitch or can nobody hit? How does that work? I don't know. I I think I'm buying royal stock. I think I'm buying more Royal stock than Tiger stock. I don't know if that's right currently. I'd
have to think about it more. But I really like Kansas City's rotation options. I really like the back end of their bullpen. And maybe this is really dumb. Hopefully this is how sports still works. Bobby Witt feels like a difference maker coming off a ten war season. Jonathan India on the Royals one of the first transactions of this offseason. So yeah, hey, Royals trying to make a former weakness of strength in the back end of their bullpen.
Lucas Ersag one of the breakout players of the past year. Two in the bullpen. Carlos Estevez just a moose of a man two four five ERA last year, fifty five innings, twenty six saves, so like that for them. There's a lot more. You heard the sadness in me about Jorge Polanco because if he had signed with the Reds or the Yankees, I think I'd be buying Jorge planco stock. But he signed with the place that had an article come out that said maybe hitters can't here. Don't love that.
There were some other ones, you know, Adam Kennedy, We're gonna get to. I mentioned Tommy, Yeah, Adam Frazier. I keep calling him Adam Kennedy.
Right, no offense.
Although Adam Kennedy had some big boy years, I hated his batting stance whenever, whenever, the whenever they were playing the Halos, I was just like, I don't like this.
I just don't like looking at that.
Just don't like this. Honestly, the big news news from the sports world, which I know that's not why a lot of y'all y'all run here to talk about it, but it was like news news because it's a historic NBA trade. Luka Doncic in the middle of the night shipped out to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie in a first round pick. Maxi Kleeb of going back that Utah got him involved. Some some funny tweets about that. I like the Danny h just getting involved in every
trade like a crack addict. Man, this was historic. I want to say it was pretty cool. Well A, it was cool seeing like Twitter still works like that. Sometimes Twitter needed a night like that. The Internet twenty four hours like that. Yes, the the internet just ran so hot to trot and uh, it's one of the biggest NBA players to be traded ever. It's one of the NBA players traded in their prime ever. And I think the thing that got everyone it just it was a
pure surprise. There was no speculation. There's normally that's what the NBA is good at. It's like the drama and the build up, like Jimmy Butler was trying to do it. There were some funny tweets about that. I think I think it was worldwide. Wob that post is like Jimmy Butler's gonna have to crash a cruise ship to get this kind of attention. That, yeah, it was.
It was for an NBA trade of a superstar to superstars really with no request like like what like sometimes we've gotten like a oh yeah, he asked a few weeks ago, said like, I won't resign whatever, Like nothing like for the star to get surprised by this on both ends.
There hasn't happened in a very long time.
There was no drama. That almost led to more drama in the fact that there was no build up for it. The internet is now cranking. There's so many theories because on surface level, it just doesn't make sense for a player like Luca to be traded. I know Cale Bridges has been getting brought up because I think there was five first round picks in that trade. What's the other one? Everyone keeps referencing there.
Was Rudy Gobert was five.
Go bear. It is ignoring Anthony Davis, which has been over ignored to a degree. Like I was laughing. I shout out to Russillo and Simmons, like they they went live when it happens. It's kind of cool we do that for baseball. They got basketball, and the fact that those guys who you know legends, they still get that juice of going live. That was pretty cool. Like Bill Simmons was like, you know, I had Luca's number four on my NBA trade list, that just came out and
Anthony Davis was number eleven. I think so Again, I know NBA works differently, like the top six in the NBA kind of really normally control the league, and that's that next six also still really good. But it's just there's levels to this, I would say. But yeah, I it's what don't we know? And there's every theory in every direction is going Did do they actually really hate Luca and think he's gonna be a fatty? That's kind
of insane to me. Do they just dislike Luca and they don't think it's gonna work and they see a Joel Embiid turn coming or something that's crazy? He's twenty five and there hasn't really been signs of that. Are the new owners scared to actually pay anyone money? That would be the craziest for me. In a league that has like essentially a floor and a ceiling, you're gonna pay someone, why not? Why not pay the twenty five year old superstar? Are they trying to move the team
like that? Rumor's coming out now that we don't know what we don't know? The only original theory I came up with is that, like Luca really wants to be in Miami or New York, or he wants to be like Jordan number two and go to Chicago or something that they would trade him knowing he's gonna leave in free agency in a year and a half, which then it would be on the Lakers due diligence side to be like, how did this happen? They didn't shop them, They didn't shop them.
Like even if it came down to like.
The Mavericks are dying for ad and it seems like they genuinely like targeted him. They think his value not far off from Lucas and Simmons list would say he isn't for that far off. But even if that's what you want, Like the Lakers had two tradeable unprotected picks
and they didn't get both of those. They didn't get like the young you can play them right now, guys, really all due respect Max Christie, but the Lakers have a couple interesting, movable young pieces that like, it doesn't make sense to not shop it around, say it to many other teams and get the very most you can, even if you know in your heart like we're doing this Lakers trade for reasons X y Z.
It's crazy.
The non shopping thing is bizarre to me. It's just tough to fathom what that would be out about in any under any circumstances. Again, it feels like the true story is untold here. And maybe the Dallas gm who people had liked his moves up until this point, maybe he just really thinks he knows ball and that they think they're gonna have the best defense with Anthony Davis, and that's the solution either way. Value wise, it doesn't make sense why you wouldn't get more picks. I don't know.
The last time a trade happened like this was kind of Rudy Gobert and the Timberwolves got killed.
Like like when you say like this, I mean like with one team just getting killed.
Like the reaction was so negative, Like the fact that they got Rudy Gobert wasn't the story. It was the fact they got fleeced, like to give up that many picks, Like people Walker Kessler was in that trade that they were like, I don't know, Walker Kessler gets you eighty percent of Go Bear and now you've got five first round picks. Like everyone was like, what is this deal?
What is happening here? And then the Timberwolves had their best time playing basketball that the Minnesota Timberwolves have ever had. I know it ended up falling short, but I don't know. I'm interested to see the next steps with Dallas and all this because the Lakers step is the Lakers step, Like I know it drives the Boston guys nuts, but the Laker's gone. Lakers stars are gonna end up there. Their team is at LA, They're like the most famous NBA franchise in the world. Things are going to work
out for them. It was funny listen to Simmons roll through it and he started in the sixties with Wilt. He's like, okay, man, love it, but I don't have that in my bag. Let's see. Maybe Dallas has a master plan, maybe they don't. Maybe there's funny business involved. I have no idea. I'm excited for the rest of the story to come out. But it was a fun day to be a sportsperson and just like, yeah, I'm
I'm unfortunately the king of group chats. No shout out to no shout out to Jess's mom who just starts random ones weekly. Hey, we just upgraded our fireplace. Do not put me in that chat.
Certainly don't start a new one.
I don't know, eight out of ten numbers in here and they're just your friends.
But no, I mean she think they're sending individually.
No, No, she's starting to party every time. But yeah, I mean there was four or five group chats cranking on this trade. And yeah, I still feel like there's just a don't know factor that it's hard for me to believe that. Okay, I guess it's not hard for me to think MAVs just like hate Luca that relationship broke up, But no, it still doesn't make sense. Why would if they hated Luca, why would they not shop around for the best package.
You still get the best package you?
Why would they trade him to the Lakers? Like, unless they're all bought in on Ad being a full blown the star that people used to kind of talk about Ad being, which he has these moments. But I saw, like I was reading an article and they called them Anthony Street closed Davis, which I was like, WHOA should I be reading this articles? Feels mean, so I stopped reading that article. I don't know, it's it's where the NBA still wins. They have true stars. Luka Doncic is
like an international star. Anthony Davis has a TV show coming out HM that Yeah, I know for the NBA that's been struggling with their day and day out, watch this game. Who's playing? Does it MA playing? Adam Silver's talking about shortening the games. The NBA has this in their back, like the NFL doesn't have this. The NFL doesn't have this. This is drama, this is gossip, this is ooh, spill the tea, Like, what is the story?
Is Luca fat? Like that's That's one of the rumors with this, that the NBA has stars and international power that it's tough to match. Baseball has the regional thing going on, and we'll see if we can make stars and maybe they don't need to make stars and then NFL is just king of the world. And I don't know, watch spike Ball or blitz Ball or something like that. So that was fun. That was just as a as
a sports fan. Hard to not enjoy that one. Speaking of enjoy football, let's talk some Super Bowl with Justin and with Draftking. Super Bowl fifty nine. It's this weekend, it's happening. We'll be down there and we're doing some stuff with DraftKings, and it's the perfect time to get in on the action with the DraftKings Sports Book because right now, all new customers will get two hundred dollars in bonus bets after just betting five dollars. When use
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cash prizes. So download the DraftKings sports We got now use code Bakers. That's right, Bet just five dollars on any wager and get two hundred dollars in bonus bets instantly. That's Baker's only the DraftKings Sports Book. The crown is yours, ladies and gentlemen. Justin Pennock, who will be joining me in New Orleans the Friday through Sunday leading up to the super Bowl, so we'll be able to feel the energy in the streets.
Have you ever been to the Big Easy?
I've been to New Orleans. Yeah, yeah, so.
You know where to go? No?
Never, So I we'll peel back the curtain a little bit. It's it's you, me and I guy Kyle from Socials. I guess Kyle's evolved a little bit as a human. I think his his wife is making him eat like normal food. But you two, I don't want to say you have no regards for human life. I'm I'm so worried about what we're gonna eat. Oh, I'll just put it out on the table. I'm so. It's a city, New Orleans. Strength is like food like it's jazz music and food like we have like morble day there. Do
you want to eat real food? Because I've assumed no, what do you mean real food? Like there's like nice restaurants.
I want to go. I want to go where we're supposed to go.
That's he really wants you to tell him you're looking for gumbo. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I guess your definition of real food in my definition of real food probably two very different.
That's the problem.
I think this is the problem.
But you're thinking like human food, right, I'm thinking like I want to stuff my face while it's here.
It's also like we're traveling, we're doing work stuff, we're going to be on the move that I'm I think it's gonna be a bad die weekend for.
Us, but it will be.
That's for a lot of people with the super Bowl, the big Game? What where does it start? Panick, you were gonna quiz me on a to start what the line of the game was, So start there. The Chiefs are favored by a point and a half, and you that doesn't pass the panic test.
I was shocked to see that this was the initial line number one. And it hasn't moved, It hasn't swayed anywhere, and hey, it's still still a long week. Both of these teams are relatively healthy, which is very good for them. One of the reasons why both of these teams are here is because they are relatively healthy. Allah Detroit Lions
going down. But I want to get your thoughts and reactions because I would think that this would be at least Chiefs minus three and a half neutral field, and I think that kind of matters.
You're going the other way.
I'm going the other way.
I think the Chiefs would be favored by I mean, this is basically a pick them. Point and a half is a freckham. So I think that's Vegas has a lot of respect for the Eagles here. Really, if the Chiefs win by one, that's field goal, yeah, and the Eagles cover the point. Can you imagine that? But I mean this is a you know, two teams where they've played a lot of close games. I mean, the Eagles are eight and two in record and close games, and
it's it's like, that's like the Chiefs thing. They're eleven to zero record in close games this year and they're like under feet in the their last X amount of games over the last how many years of their records in close games. That's kind of what they do. So what did you have a reaction like I did when you first saw this line, being like this is close?
I guess zooming out and zooming back in. I've liked the Eagles for a little while. I went so this over the course of this football season kind of leaving the Chiefs is a blank space Taylor Swizt. I liked the Ravens early on this year when they were running the ball and just dominating. I was like, this is unstoppable. I forget which game it was, but they lost me. They they I came off the hook. I forget. It's like their third loss or their fourth thoughts. I was
just like, something's it's not fully there. I think maybe Kyle Hamilton got hurt that game, and I was like, wait, how much of this defense depends on Kyle Hamilton. They ended up moving him to safety and that was for better for worser, but also the AFC was stacked the thing. So then I audibled to the Chiefs because sure Derrick Henry can put up that two bills on you very easily. I genuinely think, I genuinely think this, in my heart of hearts. If the Eagles ran the ball every time,
they'd be fine. I genuinely think that that they ended up landing back in their sweet spot. When the Eagles were two and two, they became like a Hurts passing team for a little bit, and that was so bizarre to me. Like hurts his We've talked about this a little bit, Hurts his accuracy impressed me the year he broke out. I was like, wow, he can drop it every bucket. Everything worked, and that's the whole secret. They run the ball. They're unstoppable on third and short and fourth and short.
Push just can't be.
They've got the best offensive line. They now have the best running back with Hurts. That okay, if you do everything to stop that, all right, good luck going man to man on DeVante and aj Brown, your guy Goddard. That whole story. But yeah, that is the Eagles formula that they whatever happened, they reminded themselves of that and they are back that I guess with all of that being said, the fact that the Chiefs are back, yeah,
they've won two super Bowls. They have the bad man at quarterback, they got the bad man at head coach. Those are the two differences. Like Andy Reid and Sirianni. I know Sirianni's regular season stats are incredible. Andy Reid, I hold in a much higher class Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes. This isn't also necessarily shots fire because we're talking about Mahomes and Reed are two guys that are going to be top three at their position.
Yeah.
I mean they're on the brink of doing something that's never been done in football before with the three pizza.
Like Andy's like Andy's kind of chasing down Belichick. Probably not overall super bowls, but let's see what happens.
Just run.
Yeah, and then Mahomes is Mahomes and he's had an argument for the thrown from the start that I think Sirianni is good for the Eagles. They play with this weird angry we all hate each other. Let's use it on the field or usually three of the quarters and then one quarter You're looking at them and like, is this a good team? That yes, the chief should be favored. I guess I was surprised. I thought you were gonna go the other way, like the Eagles are a better
football team. Vegas is just doing this off Mahomes.
Or who is a you can who is a better football team, because maybe you can argue the Eagles are more talented. They have the edge running back, they have the edgeit receiver. They do not have the edge of quarterback. The Chiefs have the edge there offensive line. You definitely give that to the Eagles. The Chiefs have a guard playing tackle right now, tight end close, tight end close.
I would give it.
I would give you because postseason Travis Kilts they were keeping him and he's had two weeks off. Now we're going to see him look like Jason Witten be so slow that he's fast. We're definitely going to see one of those plays. That's that's where Kelsey's at in his career.
D line.
I think I would.
Still take into I want to stop I want to stop you after that offensive analysis. Oh yeah, that's because it is. It was funny, I forget. I think it was Aikman on one of the Eagles games was like, man, you know how many quarterbacks would like this Eagles opportunity? M hmm, you got everybody else, which becomes a whole Hurts conversation, and maybe we'll do that later.
I guess how about this which defense is better? Everybody does talk about Saquon being added to the Eagles. I was like, Oh, that's the big X factor. The big X factor for the Philadelphia Eagles is that they went from having the last defense in the league last year being the worst defense.
Is that now that they're I.
Think they've they've had they have a top three defense in the National Football League. That's why they're in the Super Bowl. Saquon Barkley is a great you know, you put the cherry on top. They've always been able to run the ball well, and Saquon Barkley is a whole other weapon that we could talk about. But really it's which defense is better regular season wise? It's the Philadelphia Eagles. But who do I want being the coordinator for my defense and.
The Super Bowl? Steve Ball?
Oh, here we go. That's why this.
Game is so fascinating. Okay, here we go.
That's why this game is so fascinating because these are two boring teams, Jake in a way.
In a way, they're boring.
Yes, I think this is going to be I'm hoping it's going to be a good football game. And I'm hoping it's not just ah, this team is going to make too many mistakes. I'm hoping both of these teams basically virtually play almost mistake free football, and then it comes down to the end of who's going to have the ball last? And can you get a stop, can you get a strip sack? Can somebody make a play in a moment. That's what I'm hoping the game kind of comes down to. But these two teams, Jake.
They're boring.
They kind of methodically go after you, go after you, go after you. The differences. Saquon Barkley can take the top off at any time when typically that's what we talk about with quarterbacks. Typically we talk about the quarterback can throw the ball forty fifty yards down the field. Now it's Saquon Barkley running the ball. So your original question was defense.
I don't know, man. I love Vic Vangil.
Sure, he was one of the Pagnolo And yes, Vangil we talked, we would talk about on a football today about how like that would be. Like he's like the Eagles X factor heading into this year, probably the most important addition that they made to their offseason, which was an incredible offseason.
But isn't the stat out there Mahomes is eight and zero against Vick Vangio teams. Do you care about that? How much I do? How much of that is bad Broncos team?
He was, He was even an advisor for that for like two weeks, right, they hired him as an advisor before that. Twenty twenty two.
My favorite parts of the NFL season when guys get acts and then they're just like he's on the team.
Yeah, I get the Eric Weddle effect, Right, We're just gonna air Eric Weddle and he's going to be around for a hot second team.
See.
I feel like McDaniels did that once when he got fired that it was like, all right, he's basically offensive coordinator, but not he is there.
Yeah, so I'm going I can't even answer the questions I didn't. I can't because you're talking Spags who's the man and brings pressure and does any key situations and he throws curveballs and knows exactly what you're trying to do. But then he got Vic Vangiel, who's been the man this year, right, and he's not going to bring that pressure.
So we don't have a best defense because they're both really good, Jake, Are these the two best defenses? When you said top three whom I who am I missing?
The Broncos had a really good defense this year, but the talent wise, they're not competing for the league.
They're not competing.
Yeah, I would The Vikings defense was legit, legit this year.
Brian Flores.
But I would put you know, number numbers wise this year, like if you want to look at the numbers, it's the Chiefs didn't have like that top.
Were they even top ten?
So how about this?
But they are? They just are really good.
Let's say it's the top two defense, one A, one B. Yes. So then it goes back to the offensive side of the ball, where you essentially listed everything tilts the Eagles way except the quarterback. Its huge, just the big one. And I mean, if we're getting into play calling Sirianni versus Reid again, if you're a Sirianni hater or not, it's Andy Reid on the other sideline that you know.
I think it's it's funny when you start winning, some of your previous losses look better, Like Andy Reid's Philadelphia days look a lot better now that I think. It's like, wait, was he how much? How much was Andy doing for Donovan and Deuce some of the best teams ever?
Not true?
But so okay, you are Vegas. You said three, and so you think the defense are so equal you can you can barely pick them.
Mm hm.
The Eagles have a better offense everywhere except quarterback by a chunk, tight end by a little. And you're saying the chief should be bigger favorites in this Super Bowl.
It's because of Patrick Mahomes.
Okay, over over Jalen Hurts for me, makes sense. It's it's because of Patrick Mahomes. I trust, I trust Patrick Mahomes to be efficient. It's gonna be dnk and dunk. It's not gonna be well. Mahomes is gonna hold onto the ball for five, six, seven seconds and maybe he finds Justin Watson down there for forty five yards Like that's what I'm thinking, can maybe come. But I'm not predicting Mahomes to sling it around the yard. I'm gonna predict dink and dunk. The average aft of target's gonna
be low. That's what Mahomes is. Last two Super Bowls basically have been because Mahomes has had to evolve as a quarterback. Because the godfather of the too high safety Vic Fangio defense is Vicvangil. He's the godfather of all he He's not going to allow Mahomes to do that. So you're gonna have to be perfect, and Mahomes has evolved to be so good at it. Where he was so good at the explosive stuff, where now he's so
good at being efficient drinking and dunking. Even though we're gonna run twelve thirteen, fourteen plays in a drive, we're still gonna find a way to put seven points on the board. And I just trust that that's more sustainable for the Chiefs because everybody's waited for you know, their luck's gonna run out and they're not gonna be able to keep this up. I trust that they're gonna be able to keep that up since they've done that for basically the last two years. Then we're gonna be waiting
for a sake. One Barkley forty fifty yard run in the second half. It's what they've kind of banked on, even though it is dangerous pushback. No, because Hurts did play very well in the championship game, and that's the one like you can throw shit in my face because Hurts did look legit during that championship game.
I don't think I'm gonna do that about Jalen Hurts making losing the Super Bowl the lox ring on his phone? How important is that?
It's the stuff on Diggs effects.
Just watching the confetti that has landed in such a crazy places. I know the internet's done well with those jokes. But there's there's a guy that lost like the Cheese Its Bowl and was standing on the nail and all right, I can't do that.
Kevin and I one of our softball team loss.
He said, you'll get a picture of me watching them celebrating.
So, okay, that's landed in a good spot. Coaches goes to Kansas City. Yes, yes, yes, Coaches goes to Kansas City. I guess besides the obvious stuff that dictates a football game, turnovers, the one or two big plays, the Chiefs so line being able to survive, is it I mean, is it also just games gripped? Like in my head, if if the Eagles go up fourteen to three, look out, that
should be the end of the game. I think any twelve year old that plays enough Madden would be able to take that Eagles team to win the rest of the game.
You gotta be salivating if you're two six salivating. Do you know what his first half second half splits.
Look like, Saquon Yeah, not off the top of my head.
No yards per attempt in the first half is four point eight. It's good that explodes to six point seven in the second half. It's great, I Matt, imagine touching the football right and for half of the game. In all of the games that you play this year, you're almost getting seven yards per carry. Seven that's insane. He has over a thousand, one, two hundred and forty five rushing yards in the second half alone this year. Didn't
even get to eight hundred in the first half. So, I mean, it's just crazy what he's been able to do. And I think that's been it's been blown up more in the postseason because how often did you see in that Rams game it was the second half, big run, So Philly g it's gone. The splits may even be more in the postseason. So but yeah, if if you're the Kansas City Chiefs and you're down fourteen to three and it's like, oh man, well that that bad man two six is only is only getting heaten up, that's
a that's a bad sign. And if you have to have Patrick Mahomes like thirty five thirty three forty attempts, that's not really the area that you want to be in.
Did you hang out with Saquon wasn't there a thing you guys were gonna meet at a camp?
Or yeah, well there be dmmed because I recreated his h his his workout picture when he was kind of holding out for the Giants. So then I, you know, he had a panther tattoo. That was a new addition that nobody saw. So I printed out a picture of a panther and I put it on my chest and then I put my giant's helmet on and I just recreated the picture and then I kind of he like
retweeted it. So I was like, all right, so let's so let's meet up somewhere and let's let's make some continent and he and then DMed me it's like when and where?
Never happened. Yeah, he reached out to me. It's nice to send that when and where? But the follow up, yeah, that's the tricky part.
That's when you know, it's like, oh, this is sick one Barkley that just reached out to me. Hands start to shake a little bit.
Never happened.
So I saw him at the Lions training camp later that year. This was his last year on the Giants. So I'm at the Lions camp later that year. You know, he knows he I.
Don't know him, but he knows me. I know him. Blah, blah blah.
I'm like when we when we were gonna do it caven Point, Jersey City because that's where he had the football camp. And he's like, huh, there are some people that are so famous that they don't know where they're going, Like where where do I have to go?
Where do I have to be? I don't know where I am right now?
Show up and be s Yeah, I like I could be in Massachusetts right now. He probably had no idea where he was.
It's worked for Philly. Hey, I've got the list. I made a joke to you before we started recording of do you like George carloftis one hundred and one twin Super Bowl MVP? I'm not going to play Do you like this odds for Super Bowl MVP? I guess I want to make up our own game. Let's do a scale of one to ten, One being nightmare lose the game. Who's the guy the onside kick that he botched it?
Oh sugar.
Jimmy, isn't he married to someone famous? Ten being best Super Bowl Game ever? Unmatched performance? Patrick Mahomes.
Patrick Mahomes like, what kind of game do you do?
What do you? What do you? Or no? What do you expect like with it's the Super Bowl with the Eagles defense, like are they going to be able to run the ball at all? Like with all the factors in, I guess, what what game are you expecting from Mahomes? Are you expecting at ten? Are you expecting like a seven and that's going to be enough to get it done.
I'm predicting like I would go like six and a half seven Where that first up bolt that they had in twenty twenty two, I think he had like one hundred and eighty two passing yards. Now he had three passing touchdowns, so that's like, Okay, your box scorer, your QB rating, it's all gonna be elevated with that. But he was efficient with less than two hundred passing yards. And I can see a similar ish performance from Patrick Mahomes because I think that's just who the Chiefs are
right now. Last year he did throw the ball thirty three times and he had I think maybe over three hundred passing yards. So it's like you had the box score sets, there was just more volume from Mahomes. But I just don't think against the Eagles and how they're gonna play you defensively, I just don't think it's gonna be that. So we're not gonna see like a ten
out of ten game box score wise for Mahomes. It may be really efficient, but I think overall people would land it's like, yeah, that was a seven performance, like you said.
Yeah, And I think again, with how good this Eagles defense is, there's some plays that are gonna be losses. Yeah, and throw it away or scramble for one yard or whatever. Sekwon Barkley on his birthday, Barkley.
I think Chris Rose told me, uh, players that are playing on their birthday in the super Bowl or ten and four all time, that's exist but don't matter. Yeah, it might matter, Yeah twenty nine. Do you think big game?
Yeah?
Yeah, I think I think he could have. I think he he's gonna if the Eagles win, he's winning Super Bowl MVP. It's not gonna be hurts. It's it's gonna be saque like he's gonna he's gonna break one forty fifty yards in the second hand. There's going to be a big Saquon Barkley play probably will come in the second half, and that's what we'll put them over the top because there there is no like there is no other threat for explosive plays. Hey Jay could, yeah could,
but that hasn't been consistent, right. Sekwon Barkley has been the on both of these teams, which is a crazy thing to say when you have Jay Hurts, AJ Brown, Devonte Smith, Xavier Worthy, DeAndre Hopkins, Travis Kelcey like all these names. Saquon Barkley has been the only consistent play presence, the only consistent big play presence that's happened this year, which is a crazy thing to say when you're in the Super Bowl with the two best teams that the running back is providing them.
Jalen Hurts, h, he's kind of the whole deal. Huh m hmm. Like it in hindsight, it sounds a little dumb, like, Okay, yeah, Saquon, I expect him to be pretty damn good. Like Saquon's not gonna throw up a thirteen for twenty five yards, like he literally can't. Mahomes. You know, he's gonna even if they it turns out they're slightly outmatched on offensive line or whatever. This is, Like, you know, Mahomes is
gonna give you something. Jalen Hurts, Yeah, Jalen Hurts man, if he's taking how you remove Saqwon Barkley the from the situation. If you have Jalen Hurts, that's taking sacks. If you have Jalen Hurts, that's making bend mistakes, getting you kind of behind the sticks. That's gonna be the X factor here. Because I always view saque I always view Saquon Barkley and the Eagles running game. It's almost like the cherry on top. Like I said, the second half,
where the formula is there. You mentioned the game script, it's already kind of there for you. So Saquon Barkley putting that forty to fifty yard touchdown run on the board, it's like, that's how the Eagles win the game. But Jalen Hurts has got to be the bus that kind of gets you there. I'm a little the thing that I'm worried about. It's not necessarily even Jalen Hurts. It is Kellen Moore, future Saints head coach.
That's what they're waiting on.
Kellen Moore is a little predictable, and Steve Spagnolo is not predictable. Right now, you're gonna have Manoemno with obviously the Eagles offensive line and you know the rushing game, which hey, you know, give the ball to Saquon Barkley every time and see what happens. Give the ball to even Kenny gainwell, when Saquon Barkley needs to come out of the game and just see what happens.
Throw some screens here and there.
But if you're gonna get too Jalen Hurts dependent Steve Spagnola was gonna make you make some mistakes. He's gonna put the quarterback on the ground, and then you're gonna play a game that you don't want to be playing.
The Eagles. Hurts in Sirianni may have rope adoped us and we may have seen that last week against the Washington football team. Because everything we're saying about Jalen Hurts is, you know how good the Eagles are? Is he the weak laying blah blah blah. Jalen Hurts hasn't thrown an interception since November tenth, It's pretty damn good. Before that, he hadn't thrown an interception since September twenty ninth.
It's pretty good.
So over one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen games, he has one interception.
The only thing that I get worried about is the sacks. It's the only thing I get worried about. That's fair Washington against the Ram. Yeah, that's that's the thing where I think the Rams did a very very good job of like you're you're even they're even bringing corners, they're bringing pressure. They're not necessarily bringing like five, six, seven guys constantly, but they're rushing four, but they have two guys dropping back, and you're bringing corners and safeties and
just we don't know where we're looking. And that has been If there's one bugaboo with the Eagles offensive line, it's not their talent. It's the where we you know, this is Jason Kelcey leaving too. Where are we going to pick up our ship? You know, who's going to be able to call the Jalen Hurts has not a much better job of calling that out compared to last year. But I look at that seven sack game against the Rams being like, I think that is something the Chiefs can replicate.
Are you taking the Chiefs?
I have to for my own mental health, Yeah, I can't. I can't have number number one. I went to that Eagles Chiefs game. Joe's McFly and I we went to that Eagles, the Eagles Chiefstings, DraftKings so drifcakes. Why Why because because you allowed me to? Why because you were get it, you were preparing.
Against the spread league. I couldn't go because it was a week before my wedding. Yeah, yeah, which I was Joe's one.
Yeah, Joe's goes.
You want to tell the people about that trip at all.
Joe's had a biblical sleep. That was the biggest thing that stuck out. He had like a fourteen hour.
Feet update I got from potentially my first Super Bowl trip, maybe the only opportunity I'll have to go to the game because I'm not going to the game this year. The update I got was Joe slept for like twenty hours straight. It was biblical and justin what did you do?
I went into a hot tub, had a mountain dew, smoked a scar.
That's what I did, either my dream trip or my night in my trip. I guess I'll find out more soon.
Who you go with? I have to go with the Chiefs. I just have to.
Yeah, I mean me and BBD have a little bit of a rule that it's like when when there's dudes like this that are dude in, it's almost why why go against it?
Do you root for like dynasties and like or you like nah, I want to see different winners.
I'm surprisingly indifferent against it. I still where I'm I've found out I'm in. I don't know if it's the minority. I still enjoy reading Mahomes like the world has turned oh yeah on Pat in a big way. And the foul baiting. I've said it before. That's unreal and that
can't happen and that's insane and that stinks. I still like Mahomes has lost a little bit of his shine because they don't have like Prime Kelsey, they don't have Tyreek Hill like, they don't do the big crazy plays that that was kind of what Mahomes was built on. So I think losing that shine people hating successful people has ended up being a crazy formula that I think we're gonna look back in a couple of years and say it's gonna be one of those dumb sports arguments
that are the best. Like, I think these past couple of years are gonna be Mahomes like Chef's kiss of work. Of like wait, old DeAndre Hopkins was running around back there, Kareem hunt.
Because they're still gonna get better, and I still think they're going to upgrade the offensive line, and you're still looking at that receiver room being like they need work, and.
So I don't know. At the same time, I've I've had the Eagles as my Super Bowl champs. All they've done is win outside of the last game of the season, though they didn't need They.
Didn't even play their starters. They set no they won the list.
Excuse me.
I was there.
I was there for the Washington game that they got their redemption on. You know, oh, I think it's one of those funny moments when it's like, all right, you gotta do it and put Noodle's life on the line or whatever it is. Don't do that, I'd go cheese, like I if I go down. And the Eagles are one of the most like dominant nasty teams in NFL, Like we can get any third and short, any fourth and short, we can, we could run it every play and win. I believe that.
The Chiefs are also kind of like that too, except they don't have a sick one bar say run, but they did. I'm pretty sure at one point in the and what point in the year, they led the league in the most boring staff possible. They led the league in plays between four and nine yards total plays a four and nine yard four times three is twelve okay, first down, first down, first down, first and.
Because it's what they do too.
If I'm going down, I'm going down with Reid and Mahomes and not hurt. Sinciriani.
That's like one and a half is crazy to me.
I don't think it is because I think I think if this wasn't the Super Bowl, I think give me the Eagles. Like if this is just a normal football game, I think the Eagles are the better football team.
But like.
Andy's gonna have some plays up his sleeves hatas Pat's gonna pull some stuff out. Spagnolo is gonna have some stuff out. I don't know. I don't know what Sirianni's gonna have. Every time it seems like he has something, it's something I don't like, know what I like? Handoff Saquon go go hey, it's third and two. They should get every third and two they've ever come across, and they should get every third and three they've ever come across. Do you know how insane that is for an NFL team?
Just no thought, that's nuts.
Yeah.
I would sometimes rather like a third and six because at least it's all right, well we have to throw the ball here, But like a third and three for a normal NFL it's like, oh do we run throw down? It's like they don't have to think about it, no thought. If you don't get it on third ball, we'll get it on fourth because we'll probably cut it in half anyway.
I don't know. I yeah, for some reason, I do have a little Sirianni like dislike in me. I think Philadelphia also has sian like everyone thing, but he kind of like works for the team.
Do you have a coach that you're what a good spider?
I don't know. I still I still enjoy reading Mahomes and when the Super Bowl starts, I will be rooting for that. Are like, dude, can you if in that fourth quarter with a minute forty five on the clock, the Eagles punt it and Mahomes and them need a touchdown, you.
Still believe oh yeah, down by four? Yeah, all right, they're gonna They're gonna do it.
Old older Kelsey, excuse me, Xavier Worthy, DeAndre Hopkins.
Red zone.
They all kind of do what they need to do. DeAndre Hopkins is still a dude. He's not that. He may not be that dude, he's still I think he's a threat in the red zone. I think that's where you know, hey, you the crafty, crafty veteran can win and get open, get separation.
Is the ever Worthy.
You're gonna put him in motion before the snap and give him a running head start because nobody's gonna catch him. If you look at his uh his spray chart of how he kind of catches, you know, the next gen stuff, it's just lines that are going across the field and it's very and it's very fun.
He's fast. He's gonna do that.
Here's here's my wish for them.
Okay, Pa Checko, unless we get hot, Kareem Hunt should be going has not been saying, has not been same since post injury. So but Kareem hunts like feeling it. Yeah, I mean you've had two weeks, so we'll see. But that that's a little bit of a worry. It's like, oh, Pa check O, this is our guy, this is our every one he's he's done it in the Super Bowls before. If we're relying on him a little too much, give the ball cream on.
Yeah, I guess those early Pacheco carries will be interesting. If he comes out and he has two of those, like mad Man carries, It's like, Okay, that changes the equation just a little bit. Just still running, tackled and still running.
You know, I compare it. Do you remember when I ran with my neck of the combine? That's how Pacheco runs, Right, I've tried to forget that, but I do so I try and compare my running style to him and a mob Breschwa.
Well you got coming up this week before we head to New Orleans on Friday?
Boy, Yeah, we have a Football Today episode that's out on Monday, February third, probably have another one on Friday preview in the game Trivion Jam Football. I'm working on a tier on a tier list and a tear maker right now of MVP Super Bowl MVPs. Since the year two thousand, Jolly I'll have did something similar on his channel, So I'm trying to work on that too, and uh whatever, social stuff we got going on on jam football, socials.
That's what I that's what we got a lot of a lot of stuff happening this week.
I will see you the rest of this week, and then I will see you at the New Orleans.
Airporleans, New Orleans.
Because you're a Jersey man and I'm a city boy. It's just different flights. I'm excited to be down there. I'm excited to feel the super Bowl, especially like super Bowl New Orleans. Like that's that's a thing, that's a feeling. So I'm excited to get down there. Thank you, JP. I might even have BBD tell him about your uncle Dan real quick.
We can.
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