A GM’s Perspective with Michael Lombardi

some betting. Were you overwhelmed? I was overwhelmed, but I couldn't help but think of you because you also were working this weekend, so you throw that into a full NFL and college slate. I was perusing Instagram. I saw you doing that. We call that like the home a loan. You're home alone in it through the airport. Yeah, so you must have been. Oh god, I was home alone in it. I worked the SEC Championship game, which I do every year for like five or six years. I

love working that game. My alma Maters Georgia, so it's really fun. They're usually in the game. Five of the last six years they've been in the game, but they'd only one once leading up to this weekend, So it's so exciting. It been since since Georgia had won, despite winning a national championship since then, so they had lost in this game. It had just evaded them. So it's really fun and like really sweet to get over that

hump um and just the game was really exciting. Uh. One of my favorite moments if I can for a minute, just because this was a fun weekend for me. Uh, there's this really good defensive player for Georgia named Christopher Smith, and he blocked a field goal and l s U started getting off the field. They thought, you know, it's going to be a turnover, and he just stands there for a minute. He pauses. I don't know if he saw it on social media, and then he starts running.

He takes it all the way into the house. And during the game, I'm on my phone and I see this clip is going viral. Of the Georgia coaches in the press box and they're going no, no, no, no yea. And so in my postgame interview as the first person to talk with Christopher after the game, and I said, when you get back to the locker room and you get on your phone, you're going to see that there's this clip going viral, and I told him about it. He was shocked, and so it's just a really fun moment.

But then I had some key shift moves to do. I leave Mercedes Benz Stadium, which is in downtown Atlanta, and I'm going to Hartsfield Jackson, and you know, I want to get home to see my baby. I want to wake up at home tomorrow. It's just different when you got a kid. It really is. I used to be able to stay on the road forever. Now I'm dying to get home, and I look at my phone. It says we'll get there in like thirty minutes. My flight boards in fifteen. I made my I made my flight.

I made my flight. I still don't know how that was physically possible, because my flight was boarding as I was in traffic, and anyone who knows that airport, it's a mess. It's huge. You had to get some lucky breaks along the way. I'm guessing you didn't check a bag right, carry on nor carry on. Your gate couldn't have been too far from security, right. Sometimes you get like a twenty minute walk. It was at b gates, And again, we're really in the weeds. Here Cardsfield Jackson.

When you going through South Security, I mean it goes all the way to f so B. I got a little lucky. I only had two of those like train stops. But then I was at the end of the concourse. That's when I had a home alone it and I was in heels, Jerry, I was in heels and my roller bag. I was in like a blazer, like I

was in like a full work woman outfit. And I'm just Lookingna And you can tell my voice is still a little bit gone because working that game, you're just so excited and you're extending your voice over the crowd. But it was a really, really great weekend. I can't believe I made my flight. And that was the most well deserved can of wine I've ever had in a pasta cup on that flight. That that one tasted really good. Yeah, I I enjoyed this weekend a lot. Obviously, the Giants

Commander's game was interesting. With the time we'll get into all that. We have an awesome show. If Mike Lombardi joining us, who I mean, I he has one of those podcasts that you just learned stuff from, Like that's where you go if you really want to learn. I'm not saying we don't teach anything, but if you truly want to learn about the NFL, so we'll talk to Mike Lombardi about everything that happened this weekend. But I talk a lot of trash about Sunday don't have no

kids birthday parties, stuff like that. I did attend one because I have all this guilt because I'm working like a day job these days with this writer's room that I'm in. I Sunday one o'clock Giants Commanders. I was at Playhouse Square in Cleveland watching Rudolph the Musical with my three year old son, which was incredible. I'm not gonna fly. I was a hundred percent watching Red Zone on my phone and I don't care. I was not.

I was not the whole time, but a lot. And I think that's why they have WiFi in that building. For Dad's mom whoever, I just like was bre hitting you like a little bit. Jacob was on her lap, but like I just kept passive aggressively saying, yeah, you know, it's only the biggest game of the year. That's all the biggest game for the Giants in five years. But no, cool, let's go the route off. All good, all good? And

how do you justify it? Because then after you're walking out a picture, she says, so you know, did the Giants win? Tie? Yeah? But because like was it worth it? You had to watch a tie? So what are your takeaways from that game? I don't know if either of those two teams are really good or really bad. I can't figure it out. I think they're both decent. The glaring thing to me is I think that was actually a really positive game for Daniel Jones and the Giants.

He made the play to win the game. He hit Slayton on a pass that would the game would have been pretty much over from that point, and Slayton dropped its second most drops maybe ever. So I do think the tie will help make the playoffs. It's better than the loss, but it just puts that much more pressure on two weeks from now when they play the Commanders again in d C, and that's going to be a tough game. I am definitely one of those people who cheers on Taylor Heineke, I gotta admit, and he had

to seventy five yards completions forty two touchdowns. I'm not sharing against your Giants I'm just saying that Taylor Heineke is a great story to get behind. But yes, his work cut out for him because now all of a sudden, there's a bigger underdog quarterback in the NFL. Can you even believe what's going on in San Francisco, Mr Purty, Yes, I mean it's hard to say you feel bad for Jimmy g but you do feel bad with every injury.

You don't ever want to see players get injured. I think that was one of the most interesting questions of the year going into the playoffs. If the Niners reached the Super Bowl and or win the Super Bowl, you gotta run it back, right. We talked about it last week, and that's something I want to ask Lombardi. Is it automatic that you run that team back or as much as possible? Now? I just think that that obviously doesn't happen.

But Pretty looked good. I'm sorry that. I mean, the defense looked phenomenal, and he didn't need to do a whole lot, but Pretty did look very, very competent. Yeah, he looks great four to ten, two touchdowns, but I don't think they're going to need him to do that much. I gotta say That's why I'm not that worried. I'm

not sounding the alarms for San Francisco right now. They have one of the best defenses in the league, one of the best coaches in the league on the offensive side of the ball, best left tackle, some of the best playmakers. They're undefeated since Christian McCaffrey came. I think that Kyle Shanahan's system has him playing point guard in a basketball sense, like he doesn't need to take his own shots, he needs to set everyone else up. I really think it's it's interesting. But like you said, with

Jimmy G, this guy's snake bite. I feel really bad for Jimmy G. I was just thinking about his career as a hole leading up to this. Drafted by the Patriots to be Brady's back up, I thought, maybe the last couple of years, Okay, Brady's going nowhere, So he goes to San Francisco, comes within a play or two of winning the Super Bowl. They draft a young guy third overall, so now he has a second season ending injury in the last couple of years. I mean, it's

this guy. He can't catch a break. Thank God, he's so pretty, but he that's kind of it his football career. He's always just right there and he gets he gets screwed. Yeah, and we're coming off that Instagram clip of him at the Warriors game where every single Warriors cheerleader walked by and was like Hi, Jerry. I just kept going. Do

you know much about brock Purty? Obviously? I think everyone's done a lot of research since he's been playing, and now seems like the guy who's going to be there because I don't think they really I know they signed Johnson off the Broncos practice team, but right for a backup. Yeah, what do you know if anything about brock Purty, Well, you know, if it's a guy who's like a rookie, first second, third year, like I probably covered them in college,

and I did. I covered Brock pretty a lot in college. Actually he has. At Iowa State, he was really relevant, big name in college football for a handful of years because he played super exciting. He had a big arm, he was confident, he was swaggy. He beat out the guy in front of him, like mid season. I remember one game I think he actually was inserted midway through a game I had at Oklahoma State and he was electric. So but that's a college you know, completely different game. Honestly,

it is a different game in the NFL. But what's kind of cool about him He got most of his college offers really late his senior year because he had mono his junior year, so he didn't play much football. He didn't get many offers. And then he has this amazing senior year, but Iowa State had offered him so early that he wanted to stick with them, so he even turned down a scholarship to play at Alabama and others, but Alabama like so, this guy is talented so much

so that Nick Saban wanted them. And then he goes to kind of a school no one thinks about Iowa State and does well in the Big Twelve. And I don't think they're done with Brock Purty. No, And the defense showed you. I mean, it was a great example of defense versus offense. The defense was flat out just good enough to beat. They didn't even need him to

do anything. So but let's just say, my Seahawks ticket to win a division, which would dropped last week and I was thinking about getting off it back in play. There's still only one game back from the Niners and they will meet again, so that Seahawks to win the NFC West. I know they're the underdog and the Niners of the favorite, but that is still very much in place. Seahawks looked good. Yeah, I was looking at opening nods for that division, so forty Niners opening nods was plus

two thirty and now it's minus four hundred. That's with the Brock pretty news. So there's still the favor in the NFC West. Seattle's next up at plus three hundred if someone's still trying to buy that ticket. But look, if the playoffs started today, San Francisco would play the Giants, and I think they'd win. I think they'd win to just I don't know how with everything that Giants have going on at receiver and lack thereof, I just don't know how they would move the ball against the Niners.

I mean it would have to be a flukey fluky type that which Giant. Historically Giants and the Niners that

hit fluky stuff has happened. You know, Joe Montana got knocked out of a game and Colin Kaepernick had an awful game like this only bad game of the year versus the Giants in the playoffs, so there is a history there, but no, I don't know how the Giants had moved the ball against that Niners defense since they Now this weekend we have a much anticipated, a just classic on the Gridiron meeting Rock Purty and Tom Brady.

Listen to very late draft. I mean, brock Purty potentially could be like, you can't say he's gonna beat Tom Brady, but he has the origin story at least so far. You know he was Mr. Irrelevant. But let's just be clear. If San Francisco makes a deep playoff run here with Rock Party at quarterback, we need have Jeff Perlman write his book now just started now because this would be the most unheard of thing. It's never happened in the NFL before. And you look at Tom Brady, what he

was a sixth round pick six or seven? Yeah, I always confused if he was six or I think six, and brock Purty was literally the last pick in the draft. Mr Irrelevant. That's kind of a different story. I mean, that's that is falling so far, and he's a rookie. He's a rookie. It's not like he's been like an eternal backup that you know is competent whatever, he's a rookie and he was Mr. Irrelevant, so this story would

be incredible if if they can play with him. Yeah, and Brady, if you remember, people forget because he's been around for a hundred thousand years that first Patriots Super Bowl up. All you gotta do is just manage the game. Because the Pats had a good defense, I had a good run game. They had a great coach. So there are eerie things. But look, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Because although Tom Brady for every moment that you're like, oh he's done, the Bucks are done, and he does some crazy stuff with three minutes to go, it is awful watching the Bucks. I I hate I'm like hate watching the Bucks all the time. I mean that Monday night game was unprecedented. I would love to know the viewership from like at the final five minutes when they were down there team Tampa Bay and then they come back obviously to win. I would love to know how

many TV sets were turned off. I sound like I'm in the nineteen sixties right now. How many people have turned off the game and then quickly turned it back on at the end when you know, someone texts them. Are you watching this? So you just reminded me of my when Entourage first started. My mom would put like all the TV's on in the house when Entourage on, thinking that each TV like a viewer. So yeah, okay, that's adorable. By the way, later in the show, we're

going to get back to our entraged segment. We missed last week because I was traveling and I didn't have time to watch. But now I am caught up and I have so many questions to ask you later in the show. I'm excited, can't wait. Yeah. I think you're entering season five, which is my second favorite season, so

I'm excited to have a little chat about that. Okay, I wanted to ask you two on the heels of the forty Niners conversation, and we do record this on Tuesday, so this might be settled by the time this air is on Thursday. But Baker Mayfield was cut from Carolina this week, and a lot of people thought, oh, perfect timing. San Francisco needs a quarterback. Baker is a former number one pick, He's a former Heisman winner. There's still something to like with Baker Mayfield. I know he's got a

lot of haters, but he can play. It's sad that he failed a third string in Carolina. I don't really know how or why. But do you feel like San Francisco is a good spot for him? In last Michael Lombardi, But do you feel like there's any team that could use his services with the way quarterback was this year? I definitely don't think that Baker necessarily needs to worry like will he get another shot or not? I think

he will. I don't think it's gonna be with the Niners unless it's it's going to be an insurance package almost for them, because I think they're going to roll the dice with pretty I think they probably liked what they saw. And he's been with the team. He's been the backup while he was third string, but then Trey Lance went down so early he's been getting reps as the backup quarterback for a minute. So I don't see it happening unless truly they want to just bolster up

the quarterback spot. I don't. I don't think it happens with the Niners. I don't think they need. And the Josh Johnson part of it all, who he knows, you know, the la Florsa. He knows the system, so I just don't. I just don't see it, and I don't know what team really does that. Why not why not just wait and then bring him in for workouts and talks and sign him in the off season, because you don't even if they signed him, and Lombardi could speak to this

better than I can. You know, you don't have his rights for next year or so why not just wait? I don't see I don't think there's any other team that's just close enough where Baker would put them over the edge. The Niners will be the only team. I don't think it happens. Do you know. I don't because they asked Kyle Shanahan about it on Sunday or Monday, and he was like, I'm a fan of Bakers, which is not true. I'm a fan of Bakers, but I think we're okay, which I think says it all. But hey,

it's not his decision, so we'll see. Okay, there's one more quarterback qualm. I wanted to pick your brain on. So we haven't talked about this before. I want to air this out and see what you think, Okay, and we'll ask Michael Lombardi too. But just as I'm kind of looking at where the Packers stand with Aaron Rodgers, and everyone's like, oh, the Packers are stuck with them. They're stuck, And recently both sides came out saying they

want to him to return next year. I feel like, again, I'm not a GM obviously, and I don't know if this really is the best solution, but it is a solution, and I just wanna I want to hear what you think about this. So Tennessee, they are right there, they are ready to win. They have a great defense, good coaching. I think could use a better quarterback. Aaron Rodgers is building a house in Nashville. Now, a lot of people

do end up moving to Nashville. We were just talking before the show, like a lot of Californians moved to Austin.

This is a similar thing. But as the Packers and Aaron just signed a three year, hundred fifty million dollar extension and the only way out of it is really retirement, I wonder if he would try to get traded or retire and then unretire and try to go to Nashville where he could probably win more games sooner, and then I don't know if it necessarily is horrible for the Packers because they'd get a bunch of draft picks, they would hit dead cap space, but it would be like

sixteen million the first year, million the next year. But if Jordan's Love can play, which again we don't really know, I think it's a wash because you're not paying Jordan's Love, You're not paying all the young guys like Christian Watson, Romeo Dabbs. The only like big money guy on that

team is David Bactieri, your left tackle. So if you get all these draft picks from Tennessee, you get a receiver that hits, then you can kind of even get rid of the next level of money guys like Randall Cobs, Sammy Watkins, Alan Lazard and again this may be complete vs I'm spitting out here. I just feel like it kind of fits for both sides, and it gives green

Bay a fresh start. I think that is a really, really good case that you just laid out because when you think of Aaron Rodgers, look with green Bay, they're going to get a good draft pick this year, but that's only one pick, and they'll have a better second round pick, so they will have assets to make the team better going into next year. I get and Watson obviously has shown remarkable bounce back factor since his start

of the year, so he's a piece too. It's a really interesting scenario because I do think I haven't thought of the Titans till you mentioned it. But and I clocked the building a house, I don't really ever. I think the only time that ever truly factored in was when Lebron was building like his mega giant mansion in l A. It's like, because he's going to the Lakers, like what not a surprise. But I think for a lot of these guys, just because they're building a house

somewhere does not automatically plant No. But I think you it brought you to a good, good point because it is a good fit and the Titans are really close. I liked Tannehill, I don't. I kind of would say, see how it goes with Titans this year if they make a run with Tannehill and who knows, but if they get bounced out early, fou was him, I'd much rather play in that division than have to deal with the Vikings and the Lions, who look like they're actually

a juggernaut coming in. I mean, it's insane to see what the Lions have put together. I can't believe that the Lions are favored at home against the Vikings. Someone tell me why I think the Lions are making the playoffs? What? Well, Okay, I would love to hear your case, because I sniffed around at that too. They're basically two games out and their schedule, they are obviously home for the Vikings this week, so if they win this week, then I do think

you are in business. Then they go at the Jets, which is no longer a walk game, a walkover game, because Mike White has something to say about that. At the Panthers. The Panthers are so confusing. They're one of these teams I can't figure out, Like they flirt with you, like we might be good, and then they just saw like they just ghost you because then they suck. So

I don't know what happens in that game. But then home against the Bears, final game of the season in Green Bay against your potentially Jordan's love Packers and potentially just dead in the water Packers. I they're already dead in the war on Every game they win only hurts them at this point, it's just the truth. It's just I know, I know, but we had to beat Chicago, like, yeah, someone had happened. But I think the Lions beat Chicago and Green Bay. I think they certainly can beat the Panthers.

Could they still get in the playoffs if they lose to the Vikings and Jets, But when I don't know that will put them at Let's see their five and seven. If they go three and the two, then because they go three and two eight nine, Yeah, I don't think that gets in because right now you got the Giants seven four and one, Commanders seven five and one, Seahawks seven and five. It's a it's a two game chase, so it would be tough thing. There's a few winnable

games Allions had earlier in the year. But I am just blown away. And fans listening to this show, if you are willing to lay, everyone's gonna take the Vikings. This is gonna be insane. The Vikings are plus two and a half. The Vikings are what eleven and one? I don't even know the Tenant too, whatever their record is. This is crazy. This is absolutely crazy. Suspect line, do you think Peter Andrew is gonna hit on that one

in their final segment. I don't know what we could leave it to Peter Andrew because I think he had the giant. He so lucky. He I think he had the over. You know, we had the under forty and a half and the game ended in the tie. Soe but a half point. It's like he was rooting for the time over time. Oh my god. Certainly he was not the only one. So what do you mean these teams that are flirting with you? What do you mean

by that? I mean from a betting perspective, the teams that just look when you look at the lines from the beginning of the year till now, it's like, this

is my team, Like if it's like relationships. I ran this whole bit out in my mind of just the teams that I've had relationships with this year flirty we're dating, we're not relationships, and where they end, Like for instance, Jacksonville Jacksonville Jaguar are that exact team that you actually think you're dating them and they just ghost you completely. You never hear from them again, Like they win two weeks ago and then they get absolutely crushed by the lines.

The Raiders are the team you want nothing to do with. But now you moved on, they're like, hey, wait, we we want to actually date you because you're looking at other teams now. The Vikings are always screwing up and apologizing, and you always forgive them. The Vikings, they're always again, they're just that team. They're like, so sorry, I know I was supposed to meet you. I'm sorry. Won't happen again?

You forgive them. Of course it happens again. And then I think there's a t like the Steelers earlier in the year. Yeah, I think the Steelers of that team, they got like a makeover, They got in shape, they bought some clothes, they got their hair done, Like the Steelers. All of some walked in the room one day and you're like, oh damn, look at the Steelers because they're they're they're kind of hot right now. Yeah, Steelers are

kind of hot right now. Yeah. I think Steelers just got a nose job or something and they've had some working there had Okay, that was really good. Do you have a team like that? Do you have is there one team for you on the betting perspective that you've been in a relationship with that it's been rocky. Well, now that you've thrown out this whole narrative and I'm liking it, and I'm following you here. What about the Titans.

They've won five straight and their streak was stopped by a strong chiefstand team could just beat them by three at home, but then they won two again since that they're looking strong leading their division. And then a home lost by four to since and then what they did in Philadelphia is unacceptable, thirty five to ten loss, a J. Brown's revenge game. All of that, so I don't know what's thet there? You ready? Okay? The Titans were at the bar, and wow did they look hot. They were

the hot guy the hot girl at the bar. Everyone's eyes are on them. And then it hits two am, cancer out lights come on and oh god, whoa, you were away hotter when the bar had the lights off. That's what happened because everyone bet the Titans this week. Everyone bet the Titans this week. Everyone took the points with the Titan. Then they turned the lights on it like that game should have been much more competitive than

it was. No, you were so right. That is the equivalent. Also, anyone who's been in that position, whether it's someone you're talking to, or you're all of a sudden self conscious about you. That's a horrible moment when the lights turned on in a bar. Listen like, oh my god, and the girl. Yeah, these are just I makeup everywhere? Do I need? Yeah? Oh it's horrible. Okay, okay. Big story this week in college football was coach Prime Dion Sanders.

He was named the new head coach at University of Colorado. So he turned Jackson State into a winner. Now, he said to dot the Pac twelve, try to replicate that in Boulder. I was really surprised by this, just because I thought his coaching career was going to be to really help HBCU. Like I thought that was the point of bringing his celebrity, all of that to HBCU turn

a program around shape young men. I didn't think he was trying to climb the coaching ranks, to be honest, I didn't think that's what he was getting into it. For clearly that is what he's doing, and I think it's incredible. I think it's anyone who's a hater of this move, it's really hypocritical because all we do is say that blackhead coaches need more opportunities and then he here, he is climbing the ranks, taking this power five job, and I just saw a lot of people being like,

you know, how dare he leave? Jackson stayed after after recruiting all those guys and getting them there. But I'm a fan of this move. Go coach Prime. I'm so excited to watch Colorado next year. And I actually I have a speaking gig coming up in January with Dean Sanders that was booked like a month ago before this happened, So I really hope he still makes it. Yeah, I think you will, because he's coming. He's he told me

he's coming. We loved his meeting with his new players so much that we thought of a new segment for the show, and it's called Audible of the Week. So go ahead and listen to yourself. Know, okay, not to compete, but to win, not to show up, but to show up. Not to be amongst the rest, but to be the best. Oh come, I'm flat up coming. This is real. We got a few positions already taken care of because I'm

bringing my luggage with you, and it's Louis. But I told him I wanted these kids focus on in FA or nothing in high are but guess what they told they come. I love the line when he says be focused on the NFL, not n I L And that's so refreshing. Everything about him so refreshing. Like I think people in this day and age, regardless of industry or whatever, people just tiptoe around feelings and everyone has to be like so woke and blah blah. I feel like he's

like old school. I love in an era to where we've seen every version of a coach is like Rara speech or introduct We've seen every version of it, have not seen this version of it. It was awesome. And look, I'm just I think he's gonna do great over there. I just think I'm a big believer. And I think some people, athletes, actors, reporters, whatever your job is, just

need to feel believed in. And I feel like if you get coach prime to believe in you, I feel I feel like the confidence level you'll probably get to do extraordinary things you didn't think you can do. Oh yeah, that's a guy you want behind you. Yeah, so I'm really excited. So that'll be fun. End of January will come back to this topic. And I'll ask you what I should ask him, because I'm like, I'm seeing an interview with him on stage or a National Auto Dealers conference.

I'm really I'm really exciting. He'll be fascinating. Let's bring in our guest. He's a former NFL general manager or who won three Super Bowl rings during his time in the NFL, and when he's not breaking down film of NFL games, he's breaking down actual whole film from the Godfather and a good fellas host of the GM Shuffle podcast, which is amazing. By the way, if you haven't listened, Michael Lombardi is here again a second appearance. Thank you

so much for joining, Michael. I appreciate it. Good to be here, Jerry, nice to meet you. I'm a big fan. I enjoy it. It was always a good time to watch that show and kind of live a life we all wish we lived. I mean, you know, you're a dream come true right there. That show. Well, I appreciate that. I've been a fan of yours for a while, and also you are someone who's on my list, like I want to have dinner with you because I want to like less, I want to talk football, but I'm more

interested to talk. I'm a big Sopranos guy. I I've watched that show ninety seven times through and all the movie. I just would love to do movie and show deep dives with you because I love when you do love that. I think what makes that show so from from a writing standpoint for me, and I'm not a writer, and I have an idea for a show, but I haven't been able to sell it. But I think what makes that show so unique and so continuous that in our minds is every time he goes to see Dr Melfi,

the show can take on a different life. So the Therapist Sessions, although somewhat annoying and tedious, they really directed the show and she wrote the show. And that's what makes it so much fun to watch because she controlled the narrative of the entire six seasons by her being in that office. And yet yet we don't realize that. You know, it's kind of fun, and that's what I loved about it before we get into some fun football stuff.

Right when I moved to l A, I had an audition for one line on The Sopranos, which was for the Jackie Junior part. No one knowing how much of a big character will become. I had my tickets booked. I'm like, do I stay in New York for this one one line thing that's going to be nothing? Or moved to l A. And I just went to l A and go on the audition and that part did become the thing, as you remember. So, oh no, sure you could have almost drowned three inches ago, like Jackie. Yeah,

I mean seriously, he could. I mean that's why the jumble Jor's greatest lines. He's got the napkin on his thing. He said, the kids wig and he said the dumbch fuck almost driving the three inches of water. You know, every time I see Jackie Jr. That's all I could think about. Yes, agreed, Oh god, you got me. That's an interesting decision there, Jerry. But a good, good backstory.

And I want to know the backstory too, because we're just talking off air about the Seahawks tweet with Pete Carroll and the entourage and everything, and Jerry, you were saying that there's something more there, and then Michael, I think you have a take as well. Yeah. I mean, look, I think Seattle, I said on my podcast all summer, and I apologize to Pete Carroll into John Schneiger. I said, I don't know how they could go on vacation though, And Gino Smith was the quarterback, and you know has

proved me we're out wrong. I mean, like Gino has played really well. I think they actually thought Drew Lock would win the job. I mean Gino was accurate, I mean his pocket presence. Yet last weekend was tremendous. He stepped up, he made great brows. They turn the ball over, else the game would have been as close. They turned it over twice in the Ram territory. But I think there was this perception that Russell needed to cook. It's always with somebody else's fault in Seattle. You know, it

was Daryl Bevil's fault. They fired him. It was Brian Schottenheimer's fault. They fire him. They bring Shane Waldron and oh no, he's no good. You know, you gotta let Russ cook, you know. And there was a time Russ was cooking at the French laundreef. But slowly Russell became the chef of the Hackensack Diner. And now I'm not sure, I'm not I'm not even sure he's cooking in cafeterias in high school, Like it's just not the same guy. And I think that that relief for Seattle is almost

like this giant cloud got lifted off their shoulders. All I'll say is Russell Wilson was in the Entourage movie. At one point he was very close with our show creator Doug Allen, who has since been iced out from Russell Wilson's life, Like they were really close and one day I think Russell just they actually talked about on their podcast victory of the Podcast, So I definitely think that, yeah, they had a lot of Russell Wilson connotation to it. And of course I was on the Ravens a little bit.

In that game he finally scrambled, which I thought was crazy. When the game was on the line, he had a nice run which I don't think we saw all year. We've seen all year long. You know, one thing that happens in sports is a player, but he's a really good player, and then people just think he stays great forever.

Like everybody just assumes Odell Beckham is gonna come back and be O'Dell with the one hand to catch in New York, Like, who does coming off a second a c L. He's gonna have a hard time getting up to the level that O'Dell wants played it. Let's just be fair, like he's not gonna play at the highest. I mean, Chris Godwin. Just last night they were saying Brady was saying to the announcers that Godwin is just finally back from his a c L. Right, and he's

been practicing football for six months. So like, we just assume a player's great and he's gonna stay great forever. And I think when you watched Russell last year, the lowest run at rushing totally had his group was a hunt at eight three yards. That was last year. He didn't run last year. There's a reason they don't run

quarterback sneak. He doesn't want to run. And when Russell can't make those plays, And Olivia like, I think, you know, being married to a basketball player, you can appreciate this. To me, when I watched Russell, I'm reminded of Allen Iverson. Iverson was a little guy who was great. He had an incredible burst to the basket. Nobody could handle his quickness. But when he lost that little bit of quickness and lost that burst, he became a little player. I think

that's what's happened to Russell. He doesn't have the juice in his lower body, and now all of a sudden, he's you can catch him, he can't escape, and he looks like a little player playing quarterback. Okay, that's interesting. I want to stick with Obi j for a second because rumors are as we record this Tuesday, he just wrapped up meetings in Dallas with Jerry Jones, with the leadership group that includes Dak Prescott, went to a Mavericks game with some of the guys. He sounded like it's

all but done. Jerry Jones sounded a little bit more trepidacious. What are you hearing? You know? I think to me, nobody's gonna know what the reality of the situation is until they examined the meat. Where is he in his rehab? What does he look like in a workout? You know last night they were talking on the Television's gonna be really expensive to sign Odell? Yeah, it might be, but if he's only if he can pass the physical. One

thing I learned in my career in the NFL. The doctors will say he's past the physical, but that doesn't mean he's ready to play at the NFL's highest level. That just means he can start rehabing. That just means he can start preparing. We only got five weeks left now. If you're signing him and you think it's gonna help you in the playoff run, okay, but you're not gonna get as much out of him as you think. It's

gonna take time. Look how rusty DeShawn Watson was. It's gonna take time to get back into the flow of the game, the physicality of the game, and you're coming off a knee injury, a major significant a c L, which is the second one you suffered. I know he's superhuman. I know he's a talented player, but I think it's hard.

You mentioned Godwin and I want to stick with the Bucks because we were joking earlier abol we wonder what the ratings of that game were for three and a half quarters versus the final five minutes of that game when it just turned into like, oh, Tom Brady is doing his thing. I don't know if that's what Tom Brady envisioned. We came back, but it's ugly win after

ugly win, and uglier loss after uglier loss. I had what do you think the Bucks offense like, why have they struggled so much as it was was grunk that much of a factor? Is that health of Godwin or all the above. I think if you understand quarterbacks, the quarterbacks are like basketball players. There's certain spots on the field that they shoot the ball well from, just like certain spots on the court. Right and Brady wants to throw the ball in the middle of the field. He

saw it last night. Every time he threw a nine rounde. It really wasn't what he wants to do. He wasn't accurate with and he missed it. It's just not his strength. His strength is the between the numbers. And when you look at his career over his extended time in New England, he always had a nickel running back, start with Kevin Fall, Shane Vereen, James White. He always had tight ends Ben Watson Brown, Aaron Hernandez, and he always had a slot

receiver Wes Welker, Danny Amidola, Julian Edelman. He's always had three players who could control the middle of the field. He's in Tampa, he doesn't have that. He's got Godwin. Everybody keeps wanting to get the ball to Mike Evans, but Mike Evans doesn't run routes that are really complimentary to Brady's game, and so to me, it's a design problem with their personnel, like they don't have the ability to have the guys inside that can win one on

one routes. And last night they got the biggest break of all. I mean, if mark Ingram gets the first down, if anybody was a wake for it, if he just gets the first down, They're gonna run two more minutes off the clock, and I don't think Brady's gonna have time to come back down the field to score two touchdowns. Okay, so we now know that Lamar Jackson sprained his PCL. He's definitely out this weekend against the Steelers, and it

maybe up to three weeks. Look, a lot of people are saying he should hold out and wait for some guaranteed money, wait for the Ravens to make a move. Why do you think the Ravens are dragging their feet and what do you think is the best course of action for Lamar? I think that the Shawn Watson contract really through a loop into it, with the Shawn getting two hundred fifty million dollars guaranteed. Buttoned up the first NFL player in the history of the sport to ever

do that. When I was in the league, nobody was getting any buttoned up contracts. It's still until the Sean. When I say buttoned up, that means skill and injury. A lot of players get skill guarantees. They get injury guarantees when you get both the owners that have to fund them money to the league office in an escrow account, which is really hurts their cash blow no matter how

wealthy anyone is. So they've always been able to use this nineteen sixty rule, which was essentially put into place because they want the owners to cheat the players and go bankrupt and say, oh, I know we owed you money, but now we're bankrupt. I mean, the NFL was never this incredible machine that it is today. So that rule was put into basically to help the players not get ripped off. That's the rule that stayed intact, and then

the Browns violated it. They went above and beyond for a player that had a lot of off the field issues that was suspended. Of all the players to get that type of deal, Watson should have been the last one, and he did, and the Lamar wants that deal, and Steve Bashotti came right out after the deal happened and said, that's really bad for our game. And I think there's the conflict. I think Lamar is they're gonna have to pay Lamar. To me, I don't like Baltimore's passing game.

Even when Lamar was the m v P in the league, their passing game wasn't good enough, and it showed up when they played Tennessee in a playoff game. Lamar is a lot like Tom Brady. He wants to throw the ball in the middle of field. That's why Mark Andrews was so good. When he had Hayden Hurst and Mark

Andrews inside, they were more dynamic. They keep signing little receivers on the outside, when when you watch Lamar play at Louisville and you watch him play in any game, he's a better inside the number thrower, and so to me, I don't know what his mindset will be do I come back. I know he's a competitor, but to me, I think their offense has been broken. Everybody wants Lamar to play out of shotgun. I want Lamar to be under center. I wanted to take a handoff. I wanted

to roll out. I want them to play bootlegs. I want them to be more of a traditional quarterback then this this RPO guy and their offense. Frankly, if they don't run the ball, they can't move the ball. I say on this pot all the time, we know m VP is basically a quarterback award, which bothers me. And I've listened to you many times on your pod talk about like how Tyreek kill even it's just the m v P at the very least of the Dolphins, right, I've heard you say that. I can't agree more. I'm

finally at the point I'm ready to see it. I'm ready to see a non quarterback m v P. I don't think it will ever happen. But in your opinion, who do you think if you could take quarterbacks out of the equation, who is Michael Lombardi's m v P if it is a non quarterback award. Let's just take the first play in the San Francisco game. If you want to understand how great Tyreek kills and how he tilts the field. He motions across the formation. Sheffield's standing

on the line, he motions across the formation. Two guys run with him. He starts to run down the scene. San Francisco is so worried about him going down the scene they forget the cover. Sheeft field. He catches an eight yard past for seventy five year a touchdown. The guy tilts the field. I mean he tilts the field. He's hard to defend. Coverages have to go to him, and even when he's covered, he still makes a play.

And he's got insane quickness. I mean, for a guy who's as fast as he is, he's got really incredible quickness. I mean, you could have this conversation about Justin Jefferson. I mean, where would Minnesota be without Justin Jefferson. I don't know. These guys are tilting the field in their favor and they're really helping him. I mean, obviously, Jalen Hurts has done a remarkable job and last week proved it against Tennessee that he can throw the foot all.

But I'm with you. I think if there's one player outside of the quarterback position, I think it's Jefferson and Tyree Hill. I like that Jefferson, especially as you look at what the Vikings are doing. They're nine and oh in one score games. They're a scary team to bet, as we are a betting show. When you actually look at what they're going to do in the postseason. What sticks out to you that's going to make this team, you know, make or break up? You know, they're like

the TCU of pro football. Nobody does going to Detroit. They're a dog this week against Detroit. They're all I do is so I do a power ranking every week on my show on Visa, and I do nineteen categories of what I think determines the outcome of winning. And when you bake down the Vikings and just take the Jet game last week, I mean, they do the things you have to do to win. They played great in

the red zone, right, they controlled the middle eight. I mean, when Sally goes for it on fourth down in his own territory, they get three points out of the deal. Now, the Jets came back and scored, but those three points that that that Sally ended up giving them end up being the difference in the game because the the Jets didn't manage the middle eight correctly when they had the football. So to me, the Vikings played really good at red zone.

They're really good on third down. Their situational aware. When the Jets came back to making a fifteen game and they said that momentum seven play drives seventy five yards touchdown. They're timely. Their offense is timely. I just think to me, the more you win games in the NFL, the more resilient you become. Now, could they lose against Detroit. Absolutely. Their defense gives up a ton of yards, but they're hard to score on, and they're hard to convert third

downs on at times during the game. In their offense is very talent. I mean the Miami game to me was unbelievable, even though Miami was playing a backup quarterback. I mean, they had fifteen drives in the game. They punted thirteen times. Minnesota. I wanted to ask you about this too. We do record this Tuesday, so by the time this air is Thursday, we may have our answer.

But as Baker Mayfield is going through the process today Tuesday of clearing waivers, is there a situation that you think fits both him and a team and is at So he's got a million three of salary coming to him, right, So if you take him on, you take on that salary. So for the for the forty Niners to take him on, they're saying he's an insurance policy. Would they do that? I don't think so. I mean, if you watch Baker play this year, he did not pay, has not played well.

He did not play like the first pick overall in the draft. He missed open receivers. He didn't really have a great sense of timing. Whether it's Carolina's offense or him. I'm not sure you know the Texans if they claimed them, they could sign him. He won't know their offense. It may take a week or two to get him up to speed, and then he's a free agent at the end of the year, so he automatically you don't have

him for next year. Would the Rams sign him? Considering Matthew Stafford's back problems and I think Matthew Stafford considering retirement again, the Rams would give up a million three of cap room something they don't have to sign a quarterback that probably isn't going to play right away for them, and then they lose cap room for next season, so and then not have him under contract. I think he clears the waiver wire. I would be surprised unless Houston

claimed him. I mean, look, Houston's a disaster there. I mean, they're not very good. They've gotten worse this year than they were last year. You know, and I know that, you know it's another first year head coach. But I mean in eight years that Love Smith has been a head coach too in Tampa, five in Illinois, and then this year at seventy three and one, I mean, he hasn't been able to fix it as a head coach.

And you have to imagine Houston is gonna be going quarterback and they're gonna be having Baker's old old team's pick, so they're gonna have a lot of options at the QB spot in the draft. So I want to go to New York for a second. I didn't want to do this to you, but I gotta get some giant stuff in there. I'm struggling with the Giants in the sense of I'm obviously thrilled with the way the season

is going. I'm thrilled with coach Stable and say Kwan and all that, but basically the long term plans and the contracts going forward, Daniel Jones is mr Like, we need to see you need to prove it. But how could you judge him when your number one receivers Darius Layton, who dropped the biggest play of the game that would have iced the game versus the Commanders. I'm basically asking you about Daniel Jones and Sa Kwan going forward, Well,

how do you handle that giant situation? Well, I mean, I think they've done a great job of managing Daniel Jones, right, So they basically said, look, we're gonna run a six back offense. We're gonna use Daniel Jones in the in the running game a little bit offset that, we're gonna try to throw a lot of short passes so we get a lot of completions, and we're gonna try to convert as many third downs as we can and slow the game down. We're not very talented, and I think

they've Daniel Jones in this system has played well. The problem is how much do you pay him in this system? Do you pay him thirty five over two? Do you pay him forty over two? That gets the sixty over two? Is he's worth that? He's not winning any games, So that's a hard decision. S Quan is not as hard. The question is how much do you want to pay a running back. I think that's really the issue, and they've got so many needs. I think what Brian has done for the Giants, he's come up with a formula

for them to win. They're well coached offensively, they're well coached defensively. They typically play well in the red zone against you know, like Houston. They had a chance to lose against Houston, but they played so well in the red zone. They didn't Detroit, they didn't play well in the red zone. So their formula is really why they're winning. And if they break that formula, you're not gonna win.

And so to me, that tells you there's a value for Daniel Jones, but it isn't at a normal quarterback rate. I think it's gonna come down to that. I think they've got to improve at the quarterback position to get somebody who they feel like they can put more of the game on him. Whereas right now they're managing Daniel Jones real quick, because we'll sticking New York for one more second. Because I love hating on my Jet fan friends. But uh, that's yes, Like you know, I'm looking at

I call him a kid because I'm forty three. He's not a kid, he's a he's a young man. Zach Wilson, I get it. He has not and he's out of a job, out of a job, like is he out of a job for the Jets in general or you know, like I don't know what his future is And can it be just that press conference that did him in and the team's wearing Mike f and White T shirts getting on the plane. That's as bad as I've seen it in a while. I don't think it was the

press conference. I think his interaction with the team. If you watch the games, you could tell it's Kyler Murray's interaction with his teammates. I mean, they can all talk that. You know they love him as a teammate. Watch the interactions, you know, you know you can feel it, you can see it. It's just like Tyler Herneke. You know he's not the best player for watching him, but the players gravitate to him. They like him, you know, they really believe in him. And I think it's the same thing

with Mike White. They believe in him. He's not the best player. If you watched Mike White workout and Zach workout, you would say Zack's the better player. But Zack doesn't really build any confidence with his teammates. He's a little aloof He's not very mature. His mind seems to be other places, and he's not taking the game as serious as he needs to take it. He hasn't grown up. It happens to a lot of guys that are second pick in the draft, third pick in the draft. You know,

Smith was this way when he came out. He wasn't really mature enough to handle the situation. And over time he's now become a talented player and more mature. I think that's the problem. I mean, Zack's got two more years of highly guaranteed money. They got to try to rehabilitate him. I don't know if they can, because his personality isn't endearing to his teammates. When you used to go into the Patriots Kich cafeteria, Brady would be sitting

there with the offensive lineman. Garoppolo would be sitting there with the There was a bot you could tell the players like the quarterback. And then when Brady got got suspended, everybody wanted to lift up Garoppolo and move forward. There's a bond that has to be creative with the quarterback, and it doesn't have to be necessarily the best player on the team. He's gonna be able to players gotta believe them, and I think Heineke leads them. I think

White will lead them. I think that's the key, and I think that's the bigger issue. Speaking of Garoppolo, that is something you always here with him, that he's a well liked guy. He's the type of guy you want to go grab a beer with like that has gone a long way in this league. It's amazing that the

layman would believe that. But looking at what San Francisco has to deal with now, do you think and to bring up the Baker Mayfield part of it again, by skipping any affiliation with Baker, does that say more about their trust in brock Purty or more of their disinterest in bringing in another quarterback besides who they just got as a veteran backup. Well, I think they've watched Baker and he wasn't very good. I mean, brock Purty played better in that game on Sunday Baker for the six

games in Carolina. That's just a fact. And I think this, I think you gotta go with what you have. When Tom Brady got hurt in New England. Belichick had two quarterbacks coming in that day for a workout on Monday, just for his emergency list, and they sent him home. They sent him home. They work either quarterback out because they wanted to show mac Castle they had confidence in him. And I think that that's what they want to do

with Party or Josh Downson. This has happened before in the national football and we just have short memories and we get caught up in Oh, we gotta score, we gotta have offense. Right. The seventy two Miami dolphense Bob Greasy gets tackled by Deacon Jones in Game five, breaks his ankle, and he's out for a while. Earl Morrow comes off the bench and leads them to the playoffs in an undefeated season. I mean in Hosteddler takes over for Bill Sims and leads them. I mean, go back

to Trent Dilford. I mean there were three games at the Baltomore Ravens played in two thousand. They scored fifteen points total, right, and yet they were able to figure it out and Dilford was able to make enough plays and their defense was great. The forty Niners defense can be great. There's teams can be really good. They can still win games. Now he can't come in there and make mistakes. Go back to the playoffs when they went

to the Super Bowl. I think he threw it seventeen eighteen times against Minnesota and then eleven times against Green Bay. I mean they won those two playoff games before they played the Chiefs with their defense, their kicking game, and their ability to run it. I think there's something interesting happening in the NFL that I'm a big NBA guy. I know you. I've heard you talk some hoops to

always comment on like who would you rather be? The lakers of the Pelicans meeting, Like you got your bubble championship, but now you have no picks and the Pelicans look like they have a great future to have all your picks. That's starting to happen where teams have gotten off their quarterbacks who are vets who can maybe still win. They give up a ton of first round picks. So if you look at the Broncos and the Rams, who both give up their first round picks, they're gonna be pretty high.

Which team out of the Broncos are Rams? Do you think sort of in the worst shape for the future because things don't look bright without that first round pick. Off of the way they played this year, well, the Broncos said the better team. They just haven't gotten a good quarterback. They've always been a good team without a quarterback. The Rams have always been a very talented team with five or six talented players, and when once they got hurt, they are not a very good team. That kind of

fell apart. I don't know where Sean McVeigh is gonna be. Does he want to come back and coach her and really take part in a reconstruction project which is gonna take some time. If Matthew Stafford decides to walk away from the game, I think that's a hard one. Look, they went all in. They deserve it, they got it. They were fortunate. You know, there was a couple of things that went really well for them. I mean, think

about the Tampa game down there and Tampa. You know, Tampa ties the game up and then they convert that third down, they kicked the field goal to win the game. And then you know, they play San Francisco the next week. San Francisco drops it interception, they win that game. They play the Super Bowl third and ten from their own

fourteen yard line. The false start, nobody calls it, Cooper Cup gets called for, they called for legal and next thing, you know, and then they don't get it into I mean they a lot went right, they deserve to win it great, but it's gonna be a long haul. Denver to me is the problem is when gonna do a Russell like. Somebody's gonna have to have a man and man conversation with Russell and say, hey, Russell, you know you're not the guy. And they had this with Iverson

and iver said what did he say? Said, Look, when's the last time an m d P comes off the bench? Well, Alan, you're not an m VP anymore, Russell, You're not the same guy you were anymore. So that's gonna be a hard conversation to have. You know, this whole notion that you know you can win in that you can rebuild your team quicker in the NFL than you can in the NBA because it's more of a team, it's more than just one player. But someone is getting fired in Denver,

so it's not a very desirable head coaching job. I don't think a guy like Sean Payton would want to comment and take that job. What does Denver do there? Well, I mean that's a hard one because George Peyton, the guy picked the coach, and he picked the quarterback. And not only did he pick the quarterback, he game two or fifty million, and those are that's three stops and you know you're stuck. None of this the owner approved

any of it. The new owner just walks in and said, wait a minute, these are your three decisions, and I'm judge. I gotta judge you on that. That's a hard thing to do because if when you have that much authority, and a lot of guys, including me, we've never had that much authority in the league. You know, you can have the title GM, but you don't have the authority to do what George had the authority to do in those situations. And you're gonna have to pay the price

for it if eventually that's a hard job. I think Denver is gonna have to really sit down and figure out what they're doing with Russell before they can start talking to anything else about their organization and Los Angeles. To me, it really comes down to the Sean want to take part in this rebuilding process or is he going to go to Amazon? Where is he going to

go to some other TV platform? I know he redid his contract, but when you don't have a quarterback in the NFL and you don't have any assets to get a quarterback, trust me, that's a hard drive to the stadium Sunday morning. Look, I've realized to also having that coach in place, finally having one, I think with coach table with the Giants. But do you think we see Peyton returned to the sidelines somewhere? Was it not? The job is not quite there yet for him. I get

that Amazon money. I think that if Sean had a chance to get through a great quarterback, like if say something happened with the Charge. You know, the Chargers just are not very good defense. They have been. I mean Brennan Staley is a defense coordinator and their defense has really not been very good in two years that he's been there. So that's a concern. I mean, they're wasting Herbert's great season's here now. I know him, like Williams

is hurt and Keenan Allen is not the same. But you know, this is really a talented player and they should be better than six and six, which is what they are. I think a lot of that. Anytime a guy wants to come back in the league, he wants to go somewhere where he has a chance to get a quarterback. Right. You know, Peterson comes back, He's got Trevor Lawrence justin Herbert's sitting there waiting for you if that job opens up. But if you go to Carolina,

who's our quarterback? I mean, Matt rules at the breast because he couldn't fix the quarterback problem. I got a good one for you, and this is the last one for me. Do you think there's any credibility in the rumors that Tom Brady might go back to New England. I don't know. I would never put anything past that. I mean, look Tom, when you watch Tom throw and you watch him play, he doesn't look forty five, and he still seems to have the same competitive nature. I mean, look,

he's addicted to the process. He's addicted to winning. See all of us that have been under that program when I was in Cleveland with Bill and then New England, we are products of that system, and it's hard for us to look outside of other systems and feel comfortable. And I know how Brady feels. I mean, he's in a different system. That's not something he's comfortable with in terms of adjustments, how we practice, how we play, all

those things. You become institutionalized when you're around that program, and it's how you see the game. It's how I see the game. And so I would never put anything pass him. I think he wants that. I think that's something he wants and needs. Were you in Cleveland when Nick Saban was defensive coordinator? You know what sure was? Yeah? Absolutely? Yeah? How how was he there the first day? You can tell he was gonna be a head coach. Now he just came from Toledo where he was the head coach

of Toledo. Nick had such a commanding presence and a knowledge and the ability to focus and have strategy. You know a lot of people think yelling is you know, is something coaches do. Nick can be demanding, but he also is really smart and he could adjust the game and he understood how to play the game different based on the opponent. You knew it instantly. That's why he's

at Alabama. Ozzy Knwson was with us there too, as he saw it, and so when he had a chance to get him to go to Alabama, as he wasn't gonna waste that time. He's scary as hell to interview. I'll tell you that my least favorite coach interview. You got to ask the right It's like Belichick. If you ask the good questions, you're gonna get good answers. If you throw used to say at the scouts all the time of the draft room. If you start dangling stuff out there to him, he's gonna just smack it out.

You know you gotta throw fastballs against him. You gotta throw good heat. Guys got stressed thinking about asking a question to any of them? We'll let you go. But I know you've got a new book coming out next year, which I am excited for. Can you tell our listeners just anything about it? Because I know what it's about. I've heard you talk about it before, but something for our listeners, Well, thank you, I appreciate it. It's called

football done right. So what I've tried to do is basically go over the coaching trees in the NFL, grade the coaches in the NFL, the seventeen men that have been coaches, and try to put some understanding around, maybe some injustice. Marty Schottenheimer is one of nine coaches in the NFL with one two hundred games. He can't even get up for a Hall of Fame vote because well, he didn't win a big game. He's won two hundred games. Only nine men out of seventeen one two hundred games.

The guy deserves to get in the Hall of Fame. So we talked about that. We talked about the impact of the draft, television, and trades. Talk a lot about the trades and how trades come down. And then I grade the top one hundred players. According to me, over all, the eras from one to a hundred, So it's kind of a comprehensive book. It was really a pleasure to

write because I studied a lot about the game. I got to watch a lot of the great players and see the players Like when I watched GAYL Sayers, I thought, Jesus looks like Tony Pollard to me. You know, there's so many similarities. And now when I watched the game, you know, when I watched pro football with this six pack attack, I think I'm watching some of the single wing stuff that was going on before we started to throw the ball by the by when Clark Shaughnessy decided

to put the forward pass into pro football. Well, it's always a pleasure having you on. Do you remember who you nicknamed the mayor of munchkin Land on our podcast last time? Well, I know it's it's my man. I mean, look one thing, Buddy Ryan had this great line, He's buddy Ryan said, there's a place in football for the little man. It's just not in front of the big man. And I still, oh man, I had to remind you that.

Thanks so much for being on. You can follow Michael on Twitter at m Lombardi NFL, and of course listen to him every week on the GM Shuffle Pod. Michael Lombardi, thank you for being here. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Appreciate ye, Darry, There's nothing like hearing that opening track. I've am when I'm up with my baby and we binge a bunch of entourage before the sun comes up. And that's exactly what we did this morning. So I'm about four episodes into season five. I am loving it

and you, I know, really enjoyed making this season. Why you know what, I've given too much away because I sometimes send the spoil things for you. Yes you do, Yes you do, I will say with season five, and I love so much. It really shows you the path for an actor of maintenance that it takes to keep a career going. All I'll say is like the Vince character does get tested in season five, and you really just see what it takes to keep a career going because he's at such a high and then you meet him.

He's at such a low in the season five, So can we build him back up? You have a lot of fun. This is my second favorite season. Season two is number one because we started really figuring it out, and then this season is my second favorite. I'm loving it so far too. I cannot believe how far Vince has fallen. He's bankrupt, where I'm in, Where I'm the show he does the Sweet sixteen. The first episode of season five is Fantasy Island. Where did you guys actually

go to shoot that? They say vaguely it's in Mexico. Yeah, it was not in Mexico. It was actually in Hawaii sou which yeah, and looked at It's amazing trip to go out there. As you saw in the episode, the Turtle character and the Vince character are hiding out there, and then Ari and E and drama take a little sea playing in to come get him because he has like a job offer. So what was cool about that? We saw the whole jet ski thing that we did, and there was even a moment where you saw it

like these whales that was all real. We were shooting. And then you know, we had walkie talkies on the jet skis, so the guys in the boat were like, cut off your engine, cut off your engine. So we stop. Our engine almost flipped us over the jet skis and these whales just started coming out from the water and they were like swimming alongside us. You have to legally, I think, shut your engines off when they're there. But we went right from that scene on the jet skis.

I think I showered in like a porter potty in the trailer. We went right to the flight back down. We're shooting in l A like the next day, but a long flight too from l A. But that was that was a lot of fun to shoot. Now. I know you always do these trips like in forty eight hours or whatever, like especially the can trip. I cannot believe how quickly you guys were there, But how long were you in Hawaii? I think Hawaii was all in all, I think it was like four days, but it was

only two days. For I mentioned like ri e E and Drama flying, they're only in like a bit of that stuff. And then Adrian and I were left there for the extra two days, which was kind of nice because we'd work a little bit. I got to play some golf. I was like, I think that was my first time in Hawaii too, So yeah, I got to grow a beard because we're supposed to. That's where I really started getting a beard growing out and the hair because uh, we were supposed to be on the run. Okay.

I haven't gotten a chance to ask you about all of your co stars very much, but since this episode is you and Vince a lot, tell me about what it's like working with Adrian, and especially as you've got a couple of days, Like really, just you guys to hang out in Hawaii. Adrian's the best I I He's family. All those guys are family. Adrian was always interesting because he would always tell us, you know, I was an

only child. I didn't have brothers or sisters, so you guys are the closest thing to brothers I have, and all the rest of us all have siblings, so and Adrian was raised by amazing single mother. Stuff like that. The joke with Adrian, I think the first or second year of the show, we gave out an award at the Space. Adrian at the time, maybe he's watched sports a little more now knew nothing. Nothing. I say nothing about sports, nothing zero. We're on the red carpet at

the ASPS. We're doing some interviews and someone asks Adrian about like the Yankees and who his favorite Yankee is, and he's like, oh, he didn't even know Jeter. He didn't even think to say Jeter at the time. It's fifteen years ago. I just walked by and you could see it in the clip. I go Matsum. He's like, I love you know, Deckie Matsumi. So I claim Adrian's favorite baseball player of all time that I fed him on the red carpet at the SPS. Okay, that is

a good story. I was saying you off air, and I want people to tweet at us if they'd be interested in this. But I think we should do one whole Entourage episode and have on as many of your peeps one episode and asked them about their favorite sports stories. Sports fandom everything. So if you like that idea, tweet at us. We'll run it by our producer and our bosses, absolutely,

and then yes, we'll have them on. And then you for sure have to go on the Victory podcast with Dylan Connelly and Doug Allen because they're recapping them in detail. So you'd be a great guest because you're watching in the moment, right, very fresh, very fresh. One more question. Tony Bennetts in an episode, and I mean, what a legend and what was it like shooting with him? Do you have any funny off off camera story with him?

It was amazing. I'm a Tony benefit and my mom's the biggest Tony benefit and ever the only story I really remember. I don't think he was too great with some of the language, Like you know, he'd shoot his scene and then he's in the background of ours and then my characters like the fun girls here drama. You know, you can always feel him be like, ah, these kids in the cursing, why they got a curse. But that he even says that on the show, right, I think

that's where that came up from. I think, yeah, I think that right. I think he even said like, yeah, like off camera. I've enjoyed the show You guys curse a lot, though, so I think that's where that came from. He just was a class act the whole way around him and Layton Meester got to do some cool scenes on that stage where they're singing together. And then also Layton Mester, was this like peak gossip girl fame as well? Like she was a big deal in the middle of Yes, absolutely,

so yeah, Layton did. She was in like episode two I think of Entourage, and then a few episodes here are there, And yeah, this was all time, I think I remember because it was we had to work around scheduling and stuff like that with her. She was always cool. Every time we called and asked her to come back, very very busy woman at the time, she always came back and and hung with us. So, yeah, she's filly.

Uh got his Entourage? O G. Did you have Tony Bennett signed anything for your mom or call her or do anything? You know? I didn't, and I should have because my mom's maybe the last person on earth who loves and autographs still who asks for autographs anymore. Now it's all about the selfie and the picture my mom. If you asked her, would you rather like a selfie with Tony Bennett or his signature? She would pick signature for sure. She still values the autograph as a thing

of memorabilia. So no, I I didn't and I should have. But I've I've always had a philosophy with the cameos and stuff we've had. I I'm obviously cool and talk to them and but I try to give them their space and not nerd out. But Tony Bennett was a tough one. Not to nerd out with Tom Brady. You said he's coming up. You didn't ask for anything with him? No, no, but I do think our crew asked for had conveniently

had some footballs and stuff. And to to Tom Brady's credit, and we'll get to that episode, he was so patient and signed everything and he was I swear that he doesn't need any more love of that I'm about to give it. He was so cool the one day he worked. He was unbelievable with us and the crew and everyone. Okay, good, Well, I have plenty of early mornings ahead of me that I will continue to watch and get to that episode. I'm excited. I'll end with back in the day when

it was airing. Most college kids were coming home at five am watching Entourage. You are waking up at five am with your baby watching Entourage. My how times have changed? Oh yes they have, but I'm loving It's good. All right, it's time for one of my favorite parts of the show. He's back. He might be in the green. I don't know. We got total some things up bet MGMs betting analyst Peter Andrew, Welcome back, Peter. See now this crazy awful parlay I did two weeks ago starting to make more

sense because now we're in the green. We we're trending in the right direction. Here, we're power rankings. I went from ten to like probably teetering in the top five. There's how many there's only ten teams, right, yeah, yeah, we didn't talk about how many teams there were. But let me get a little bit of energy and excitement here. Well, yeah, you did that that every favorite parlay that got you going.

You know, you also were the I don't know how many people were rooting for the tie in the Giants Commander's Game. You were one of them because you had what under forty and a half? Right, So yeah, that's crazy. Sweat out that one is right, and I think it was twenty third team with like six minutes left in the fourth quarter. I was like, there's no shot this hits.

Sure enough, it hits, So yeah, I was rooting for the under miss field goal at the end by the Giants, so we hit on that for a couple of units. I think that was a three unit player right there, Dolphins Niners. That was the one I was really confident about hitting over. So the over forty six and a half, I think that kind of showed me what I expected somewhat of a high scoring game there. Um and then the teaser which almost hit. So the teaser we had

ounce minus one. I think we collectively we're talking about feel good. They're Chiefs over forty six and a half, so even though they lost the game. And then Dolphins plus ten. So that late touchdown that fumbled by to uh Dre Greenlaw put it in the end zone that actually killed it. So that would have been an extra seven units there, but we stayed above. We're about two three units up last week, so so we're going to

continue to trend in the right direction here. Peter, I gotta ask you if you ordered your brock pretty jersey yet funny that you say that is because I was just at my desk and I was about to pull the trigger in order to do it. Why not? Yeah, you're Mr Irrelevant. I love it. Are you worried about your team? Yeah? I think this week is gonna show a lot. I think he played really well, but I'm also not sold on the Dolphins defense. You saw it.

They were sending seven eight people at once to try to contain him, which is never a good sign for a guy who's probably never to start a game, especially this year. But probably looking at a Bucks team, if Lavonte David's healthy, I know he got shaken up on Monday Night, a more worthy defense here. But again, looking at it the other way, they're gonna be able to build a litle bit of schematic offense around what he

can and can't do. So it's it's gonna be a really telling week on on Sunday, the Bucks can't score. So that gets right into my first pick. Okay, let's go. That's a transition is what we call in the business. That's the transition that is that is like you read about it, so Brock Purty, Jimmy g Trey Lance kind of didn't matter for me. Niners defenses playing unbelievable seven points in the second half in the last five games.

That is a number one ranked defense. Nick Boss somehow slotted himself back in the conversation for DPOY with Parsons just thirteen and a a half sacks now, so he's he's playing real role all pro season. He's incredible, amazing. So their defense versus a Bucks offense that just frankly can't do anything, Niners are minus four. So I have four units on that one. We've taken that one unit we normally put on an O G P and taking that out this week Thursday came is awful and I just

don't know which way to go on that. So we're gonna go four units. So that's forty dollars to win seventy six Niners minus four. Third straight game for the Niners at home, and I think they're starting to get more healthy. Defense is fully back. I think they are probably the team to be maybe outside the Eagles in the NFC. So Pee, I'm gonna actually, and I'm looking at bead MGM right now, it's actually minus three and

a half, so I'm getting used that number. We're gonna give you, I say three and a half because you would know you would have waited until right now. So it's getting even better Niner fans. Yeah, so it looks like there's a potentially a little bit of sharp money. You go in the opposite way, but that's what I

want to see. Yes, I think that's a Niners team that can disrupt them to a way different degree than the Saints did yesterday and frankly lucky that they pulled out that win in the last minute and a half. So you've got four units there, fort to win seventy six are you? Are you teasing? Are you par laying the rest of the way. Yeah, So we're going to different teasers here. So we had some success last week on the totals, so I want to start with that.

So we're doing all three overs here. So we've teased them down six points, so it's finns argers. We've teased that down to forty six and a half. I think that's again another high scoring game. You have pretty potent offenses.

Herbert had a tough week last week versus the Raiders, but I think that is a probably a high scoring matchup, two teams really really fighting for that potential last couple of playoff spots because the Chargers are right there, Dolphins start a little bit as kid, they can put themselves in a bad spot. So I see that as a high scoring one out in l a second one over forty one and a half. So this is a really

appetizing number to me. Going down that six points for Brown's Bengals, I think you saw Watson start to get a bit more familiar with plan. That's been two years. They looked fairly well against the Texans, which is not saying much, but I think there'll be some points there, and obviously playing the Bengals, who are just absolutely rolling right now, again, see that being a probably a forty

five to fifty point game collectively. And then the last one, this is the one that I think is a little bit tricky, but it's over forty seven and a half in the Vikings Lions games game, that's two teams that can put up points, and as we've seen in the season and then again more recently, the Lions give up a lot of points. So I can see this again being a an absolute shootout. This could be a forty to thirty five ish score kind of kind of game.

So three units thirty two win seventy two. So as always, that's that plus one forty mark right there for three teams. What do you guys think about that one? So I'm going all over here, which is always risky. But it's risky, but you're the fun guy at the bar who's rooting for the over always fun dick who's rooting under. I have to balance it after last week rooting for the tie.

So yeah, I like it, and I agree. I'm still trying to wrap my head on the Olivia and I were talking that the Lions are minus two and a half in that game, so I wouldn't even want to touch a side in that game. But I do like points. I'm actually gonna mirror that teaser on my own. I think I love that one. But if Vegas is predicting a close game two and a half points, then you gotta like the vikings there, you know, if they're nine and oh and one score games. So if you're that's

why I like the overpee. I like your play. Yeah, there's some really really questionable lines this week that that's one of them, and we'll get into some that I've teased either down or up. It seems like a really, really weird week in the NFL, So staying away from those to your guys point there for the second teaser. So this is all spreads. So we're going kind of a back and forth approach here. First one, Texans are

last time I checked, plus seventeen. That is a big number, especially where I'm going to tease it up to twenty three. I mean, there's still an NFL team at the end of the day. That's way too many points for me to pass up. I was considering taking the the Cowboys down, but I think playing with three scores plus, I think is a pretty safe bet. Although they are pretty poor team, I think they still have a lot to play for. I think Jamie and Pierce still can be a premier

running back in the league. I think they have lots to prove to themselves. So don't see them winning that game. I think that's pretty clear, but I see it being somewhere around a ten to four teen point game. So plus twenty three there, Chief's going to Denver. That was a minus nine. I've teased that down to minus three. Chiefs coming off tough law us Denver got absolutely killed by Carolina. I think three points there is pretty pretty

favorable all things considered. So Chiefs bounced back week, probably the best team in the NFC. I think they look they'll be just fine. And then last one Brown's I've teased it up from plus six to plus twelve versus the Bengals again, same game we touched in the in the totals, I think they'll look a bit better with Deshaun Watson. He looked pretty shaky kind of first couple of drives on one o'clock on Sunday, but I think

he got back into his own rhythm as needed. So I think that's generally a closer game than two scores. Still think Bengals win at home, but again a seven point game and still gives us some points to work with there, So I think pretty good all things considered. And then again thirty dollars to win seventy two, so the same plus one forty and can put ourselves in a good position here, and we're playing with I think a couple of different totals and a couple of different

spreads that are pretty appealing with those six points. Pete, you know, I'm sorry I questioned your strategy of getting on base a few weeks ago because it's working. Good stuff. Pete, Hey, why we have of all of our mics open and hot. I want to wish a congratulations to one of our friends and fellow employees, Zach Gayner, who welcomed a baby girl this week very anxiety. Yes you won't be for I'm seven months out and I'm not sleeping well. Pete,

thanks so much a lot of fun. If you see Zach before we do, tell him congratulations from all of us at Unleashed. Make sure you subscribe to the Unleashed podcast presented by bed MGM YouTube channel. That's right, you can watch us and not just listen to my horse voice after an exciting football weekend, and we hope to see you guys every week after they subscribe anywhere you find your podcast. Thanks for listening to and the d