0:00

The Around the NFL podcast

0:04

Three bozos going absolutely

0:07

nowhere from the.

0:09

Chris Westling podcast studio. It's Around

0:11

the NFL that

0:13

was necessary. It was time to

0:16

take a little air out of the blue in

0:19

this room. Dan Hands is

0:21

here, Creig Rosenthal, Mark

0:23

Sessler.

0:25

That was just an op ed from Jason Sommore

0:27

right, totally off book.

0:29

It's definitely getting high off our

0:31

own supply season.

0:35

This is our twenty

0:37

twenty three season Predictions and

0:40

Awards show. How fun is that?

0:42

Where we're going to go through all our picks that you

0:45

actually you could

0:47

read about on NFL dot com.

0:49

Ali Bonpori and the

0:51

team put together a nice rundown of all

0:53

the analysts,

0:57

a list that includes Judy

0:59

Pettitt, Jeremy

1:02

Bergman, how about that,

1:04

Eric Edholme, New Power Rankings Guy,

1:07

Michael f Florio, not the

1:09

other Mike Florio, the realer Mike Florida,

1:11

the one, Leslie Frazier, mj

1:14

D, Steve Mariucci,

1:18

Nick Chuk, Brandon

1:21

Walker, Hard Knocks Guy, and

1:24

I'll last but not least, Dan

1:26

Hansis, Greg Rosenthal,

1:30

Mark.

1:31

I got this in just before deadline, So

1:33

imagine if I had not been included in this exercise.

1:36

I was hoping everyone would get it in last year.

1:38

Not everyone got it in. I

1:41

was meaning to look up who didn't get it in last year

1:43

because it read havoc with this episode

1:46

a year ago. I don't know who

1:48

was it.

1:49

It was probably you.

1:50

I did get it in personally. I know that I hadn't

1:52

to ask for an extent.

1:53

I have to look it up.

1:53

It probably was me. We don't need to look it up. Maybe

1:56

you're right, it was probably me. I

1:58

don't really remember.

1:59

It was probably me, and yet you tried

2:01

to put me.

2:03

Well, now, once I once I thought about

2:05

it, let's just let's just move on. I

2:07

mean, yes, it is cool to be making

2:09

picks alongside. Maurice

2:11

Jones drew overrating his employer

2:13

for like the seventh straight year.

2:15

But I get it.

2:15

Oh, he works for the

2:17

Rams and it

2:19

doesn't even work for the Jaguars.

2:21

He's just a fan.

2:21

He always overrates them too, But I think he nailed

2:23

them last year because they had a nice little season.

2:25

Mark you and I participated last year in the sex

2:27

or Okay, I missed it.

2:29

It's it's called being professional right at

2:31

your workplace.

2:32

Because you know, for Greg not to do this year

2:34

ago. Meant he was blowing off emails from

2:37

I don't think it was Blair, Gennaro,

2:39

Police, all those great people.

2:41

Don't have time for you, people who operate

2:43

in cubicles and desks.

2:44

And then he tried to brush this off with something we shouldn't

2:46

even talk about by saying, oh, it's probably you Dan.

2:49

I believe that in the moment, and then I

2:51

thought about it and I was like, actually, that sounds

2:53

like something I would do.

2:55

You need to get going, Mark, I know you

2:58

before the show. You're getting a little jittery. I

3:01

so you know, I'm not unlike the two

3:03

of you.

3:03

I have multiple responsibilities in

3:05

the city, on the planet and have somewhere with

3:08

a tight deadline. And you know, we've done a

3:10

lot of things today and we took a big

3:12

long lunch in the middle, and so I really enjoyed

3:14

that. But then it suddenly started a clock watch

3:16

a little bit, gotta

3:18

move, gotta.

3:18

Be I'm expecting clip

3:21

dancers from from market.

3:23

You're doing the show.

3:23

Because we we began with

3:27

it's Patrick Mahomes.

3:28

Of course it is next.

3:34

So we're going to try to get through this in a decent

3:36

amount of time. For Mark, you

3:38

to handle all the adult responsibilities

3:40

that you had.

3:41

I only care about. I only care

3:43

about. I did not say that you don't have these

3:45

responsible But if you did that, if

3:48

one of you had the responsibility, we would have crank

3:50

this thing. We would have been going thirty five minutes ago.

3:52

You do have responsibilities right

3:54

now, our responsibilities to the audience.

3:56

To just what I say, is that

3:59

care about the list and the

4:01

co hosts that I work with.

4:02

I think you care about driving fifty four miles

4:05

per hour out of this building in exactly

4:07

forty four minutes.

4:08

I care about that too, Not

4:10

as fast as he'll be out of the studio running.

4:12

He's just wow.

4:14

We gotta start getting a camera on Mark

4:16

exiting the studio or any of our Shadowy

4:18

League figure meetings. It's become my favorite.

4:20

There was a classic quad on Monday where yeah,

4:22

you were, you were through that glass door and.

4:24

It was just like chair was spinning.

4:26

Look, I spent like I had

4:28

like twenty terrible corporate jobs, and I

4:31

became involved in this industry to

4:33

not do corporate meetings. So I have

4:35

to learn on my tolerance to rise

4:37

it. Because I'm a I'm not acclimated to

4:39

that.

4:41

We do that out of respect for you.

4:43

We don't give you a hard time about it because usually

4:46

in those meetings, Greg and I then have another

4:48

ten minutes where the boss is still want to talk

4:50

post meeting, Yeah, but usually thinke that way.

4:52

It's taking that bullet for you every single time.

4:55

Well, no, I've stayed to the end of many

4:57

of them. First of all, it's a lot of it's

4:59

a lot of like the we start talking about like pickleball

5:01

and like like like you know what saw

5:04

products someone? Yeah, just like just like it's not

5:06

nothing like what what is the what are why are we

5:09

doing this?

5:09

Why are we here? Anyways?

5:11

Big question that I'm

5:13

adding multiple minutes to the show with

5:15

the complaints, So.

5:16

We are actually got to tackle that on the Metaphysical

5:19

podcast.

5:19

What are we doing here?

5:22

Right now? We're gonna pick yes,

5:24

our predictions and awards for the season. This is

5:27

once that once it's on digital

5:30

print for NFL dot Com, you can't

5:32

go back on it. And then you go

5:34

back I already did to the end of the

5:36

season.

5:38

Uh.

5:38

And you know, listen, I

5:41

remember Greg with his whole like, oh I

5:44

picked the Eagles thing. I remember, we couldn't we

5:46

couldn't stop hearing about that. And it's because

5:48

Greg in his back pocket. And that's not even a shot on you.

5:50

Greg. You knew you had this article

5:53

in the digital archive that you could point to forever.

5:58

I like that.

6:00

Right now, we have an opportunity once again

6:02

to be as annoying as Greg was a year ago.

6:05

That's all you're going for in this sort

6:07

of exercise, and opportunity to be annoying in

6:09

the future.

6:09

And it can go on and on mm hmm.

6:12

And they offer this thing mid season where you can go back

6:14

and change all your life. And I think we shouldn't exactly.

6:17

We should all just say there's none of that happened.

6:18

I always decline that one, but not out of disrespect

6:21

for my colleagues. No, like Greg last

6:23

year, because I

6:25

stand on what it uh Will

6:28

Smith saying Concussion tell

6:31

the truth. I tell the truth here.

6:33

I don't need to rewrite history in

6:35

the middle of the season. I'm either going to be right or

6:38

wrong. Probably wrong, but

6:40

that's the fun of it. Let's get to it.

6:42

We don't mention that movie.

6:43

Yeah, out of loyalty to the employer. I never went and saw

6:45

that didn't bite ticket.

6:47

Don't believe it there's that anything, and there

6:49

was like this Patriots player in the

6:51

early aughts shit off

6:54

field story we'd never mentioned.

6:55

Shoosh. All right, let's get to

6:57

it. Let's do it this way. Let's

7:00

start by talking awards,

7:02

okay, and then

7:04

we'll get to the picks

7:07

for the divisions

7:09

wild cards, and then close with our Super

7:11

Bowl picks. Which

7:14

way do we want to go? Let's go from down

7:16

to up. Let's start with Coach of the Year. All

7:19

right, all right, and this is

7:21

an interesting one. Let

7:24

me throw out first of all, the NFL dot Com

7:26

consensus was

7:29

my boy Robert Sala, and

7:32

I get it. The idea that seven

7:34

first place votes or votes on NFL

7:37

dot com Sala and who's plus sixteen

7:39

hundred according to what is the

7:42

DraftKings they're using there? Caesars? I

7:45

think it's Caesars. Anyway, Sala

7:48

got the most votes. None of us, though, voted for

7:50

Sala. Take that all people the popping,

7:55

but I get it. As a choice, I went with Mike

7:57

Tomlin and he was the second place vote.

8:00

And that might be teasing some of my my

8:03

picks later on, but I think that Tomlin,

8:07

who's plus eighteen hundred, by the way, Tomlin

8:09

has never won Coach of the Year. Would you believe that?

8:12

Wow?

8:13

And I kind of would Actually, I think this it sort

8:15

of tilts towards new face.

8:16

I like that choice by you, plus

8:20

for a guy who has been

8:22

around forever, who is on a Hall of Fame

8:24

trajectory, that is now building up another

8:26

team that could be ready to make noise

8:29

this year.

8:29

And remember when Leo finally

8:31

got the oscar for The Revenant. I

8:33

believe it was and it was by far choice

8:36

greatest performance. So it was like it was time we got

8:38

to make up for the same thing. Denzel was Marty

8:40

Marty score ses. They gave it

8:42

to him for The Departed, which is a fun movie

8:44

but not special like say Goodfellas

8:47

or Raging Bowl or extra course correction,

8:50

course correction. If even

8:52

if the Steelers win ten games in their wild

8:54

card team, I think they give it to Mike Tomlin and

8:56

say, Mike, good job, we recognize

8:59

you. Finally this revenue it.

9:00

Needs more than that, I think to

9:03

win Coach of the Year, I think you need to win the division,

9:05

or need to win twelve games and somehow

9:07

get boxed out in that division.

9:09

Because now the expectations.

9:10

Who says, I don't have Mike Tomlin winning the division right.

9:12

Sure, I'm just I think that's what he'll need because we've

9:15

had Cognizani like Mark

9:17

leading the pack here that actually have elevated

9:20

the expectations enough that I don't think

9:22

the seventh seed would be enough for Tomin to

9:25

do it. But I love that choice. They sort of wish that

9:27

was my choice. This is the award

9:29

that has the most differing opinions. Fourteen

9:32

different people got

9:34

votes here, and no more than seven

9:36

out of thirty plus voters.

9:38

I think it's gonna be a tough road for Tomalin unless

9:40

they have like a three or four game spike and win

9:42

the division.

9:42

All us I have Arthur

9:45

Smith.

9:46

I think he fits the narrative of what how this

9:48

award goes out because it's.

9:49

Like the Falcons have been competent

9:52

under him.

9:52

We've talked about them a ton, so I don't even need to reiterate

9:55

at all, but like there's a vision and

9:57

I think he's going to fulfill it.

9:58

I think they're gonna make the playoffs.

9:59

They're going to be a fun team and a completely

10:01

different version of the Falcons than we've seen

10:03

for a long time. And it's kind of like Arthur Smith

10:06

newer face gets a lot of.

10:07

Votes, so he actually is

10:10

one of the favorites depending

10:12

on where you look on Caesars as we're

10:15

listing on the on the website,

10:17

he's plus one thousand, which is one of the favorites.

10:19

I hate it when people say.

10:21

Like, oh, Dan Campbell's the favorite to win

10:23

Coach of the Year, and then if he doesn't win it, it's like, oh, yeah,

10:25

he was the favorite. It's like, yes, but he's plus

10:27

eight fifty, which is an eight to one

10:29

odds. It's like even calling the Lions the

10:31

favorite in the NFC North, you

10:34

should understand like, actually, the odds

10:36

say it's more likely one of the other three

10:38

teams. You know, the field wins over the

10:40

Lions, but they are the most likely. So Coach

10:42

of the Year is one of those awards where there's a million people

10:44

with the chance, and I took one of the bigger long shots.

10:47

I didn't realize it plus

10:49

four thousand. I got Ron Rivera,

10:51

which yes, is obviously giving away a little

10:54

something because I actually think he fits a narrative

10:56

to with what's going on in Washington.

10:59

If he can save his job and if he can

11:01

make the playoffs. I think he

11:03

would be a very popular figure.

11:05

He's popular with the media, and that would be a great

11:07

little story.

11:08

As the backstory because everyone knows he's

11:10

hind of on thin eyes here and maybe

11:12

not even all by his own doing, just the change

11:15

and tumult around Washington. Okay,

11:17

I think they're all good picks comeback

11:19

player of the Year. This is interesting.

11:22

So twenty two votes for

11:24

an NFL media for Damar Hamlin.

11:27

It's crazy to me that

11:29

anybody else would vote for anyone other

11:31

than Tomorrow.

11:32

One really stands unless they Unless they

11:34

they forget that Deamar Hamlin nearly

11:37

died on the football field and now is he's

11:39

on the Buffalo Bills this season as a football player.

11:42

What we're you gonna say, Well, no, I think it's I think it's either

11:44

you forgot or you're really

11:46

trying to be a tad extra by picking someone else

11:48

like I now, I think this is a person that's gonna

11:51

essentially fulfill the concept of a comeback. But Calvin

11:53

Ridley wiped off

11:55

the face of the of the earth for gambling,

11:58

essentially is a weird

12:00

comeback story that I think the NFL would not got

12:02

six votes.

12:03

He got the second most out of votes, And I thought

12:05

that the little extra star at

12:07

the bottom the asterisk come back to Us, which notes

12:09

that Caesar's isn't even offering Betty Lions

12:11

at Comeback Player the Year, So I think that speaks

12:13

to this is a weird, uncomfortable

12:16

award to bet on generally, but especially

12:19

with Tamar Hamlin.

12:20

But other places are putting up odds for this.

12:22

And Adam Shine come back to us, right.

12:23

And Tamar Hamlin actually is a

12:26

huge favorite to win this award, So there's

12:28

something awkward about this.

12:31

But he got all three of our votes.

12:33

He's

12:35

gonna win. The only other.

12:36

One went Ridley. Oh, John Metchi would make

12:38

some sense.

12:39

That what you're gonna say the only other person John

12:41

Metchu obviously battled leukemia

12:44

after being a second round pick of the Texans,

12:46

and he's going to be in the mix for Houston this year. I

12:49

mean, Breeze Hall, sure Tua

12:52

got a vote here? Odell Okay,

12:54

Beckham

12:57

Lamar, come on, you don't do

13:00

not give away Comeback Player of the Year award

13:02

somebody who just was okay

13:04

as a player and missed, you know, four

13:06

or five games.

13:07

Christian Gonzales voted for Tua as

13:10

the Comeback Player of the Year. This is not and I've done some

13:12

digging, it's not the Christian Gonzales that was

13:14

taking seventeenth overall. Oh okay, he's

13:17

not working. It's a digital content producer.

13:19

And he went to a defensive Rookie

13:21

of the Year. Let's see

13:24

Hansas.

13:26

Sorry, that's

13:29

funny.

13:30

Hansas voted with the majority

13:33

here at Jalen Carter, the defensive

13:35

tackle of the Philadelphia Eagles. I just think

13:38

it's been proven that

13:40

the Eagles know how to assimilate these

13:43

talented players and get the most out

13:45

of them. And even if he doesn't play a huge amount

13:47

of snaps as a rookie, they're going

13:49

to find a way to make it count. And he's obviously

13:52

stuteley coming out of college. So he

13:54

was my pick. Who did you guys go with?

13:56

So I am one of two

13:58

people along with Nick Schuh so I feel good

14:00

about this that went with again Steelers

14:03

team Joey Porter Junior. I just feel like, uh,

14:06

well, first of all, I have I was banging the table

14:09

for the Steelers to take Joey Porter back in the draft

14:11

because it's like, don't don't bypass

14:13

the son of a Steelers legend.

14:15

Just take them. I think they're it's gonna work.

14:17

And I think cornerback is the kind of thing that you make a couple

14:19

of big splash plays, you got a chance to be to

14:22

get those votes.

14:22

History says it's usually won by a pass

14:25

rusher or a linebacker, So Dan voting

14:27

Carter makes sense. I do think he might struggle

14:29

to get a you know, more than fifty percent

14:32

of steps. He could still win Rookie of the Year with that, But there's

14:34

just so many good players. Will Anderson got eleven

14:36

votes, so almost as many as Carter. I went

14:38

with Brian Branch safety

14:41

Wow slash Nickel, and it'd

14:43

be pretty rare for a second round player

14:46

in the secondary.

14:47

But we did get three votes.

14:49

Ow uh, he's

14:51

had such a good camp and preseason that

14:53

maybe we're getting two. But he's also the kind of guy who's

14:55

got to make splash plays. I think interceptions, sack

14:58

like, kind of like a Mike Helton up playing

15:00

safety type where he's just in the

15:02

mix with big plays on a team everyone likes

15:04

the Lions. So I went Brian Branch,

15:07

but history would say Anderson and Carter

15:09

make a lot of sense.

15:10

That's a nice arthrow. The Homer and me really wanted

15:12

to go with Will McDonald who got

15:14

two votes in this exercise as well, But I've

15:16

managed to rein it in.

15:18

That was really and you rand it in on Sola to

15:20

him, this is again the integrity

15:22

is just shining.

15:23

Anderson is the favorite, by the way, the

15:25

Jalen Carter is the number two betting favorite,

15:27

and then Christian Gonzales that

15:29

the Patriot is third. Tyree Wilson

15:32

and Devin Witherspoon after that got.

15:34

It offensive rookie in

15:36

the of the Year. This is a runaway. In

15:38

terms of NFL media voting. Twenty six

15:41

of the

15:45

twenty six of the thirty four votes went

15:47

to Bjon Robinson. Can't get too cute,

15:50

however, he got clever.

15:52

Danny got a little cute.

15:53

Well, this makes sense though, I got a little cute,

15:55

because what's the one thing that could take out Bijon

15:58

Robinson quarterback? Quarterback?

16:00

And how about a quarterback that potentially throws

16:03

for three thousand runs for

16:05

ten.

16:05

Rocks ten rocks?

16:07

Is that? Is that how we're talking?

16:10

I talk over you.

16:12

I like that if you were going to pick

16:14

one of the three quarterbacks. Richardson is

16:16

actually longer odds in

16:19

Vegas than Bryce Young, and I agree with you

16:21

he would be the most likely rookie quarterback

16:23

to win Rookie of the Year because I think

16:25

he could just put up twelve hundred yards on the

16:27

ground and be highlight worthy.

16:30

J Stroud didn't even get a vote out of the thirty

16:32

four in our ballot.

16:33

Yeah, I I it's gonna be a tough team to be I felt

16:36

great about Beeson. I've been riding the Bejon

16:38

as a top three or four fantasy pick. I

16:40

think he could lead the league in rushing or close

16:42

to it. So I love Bejon.

16:44

Robbins. It happened to notice Jack and Harry Hans's

16:46

time. Yes, Robson number one overall in

16:48

our kids.

16:49

Well, yeah, you had the eleventh pick and he fell

16:51

that far. And like many

16:53

of Jack and Harry quote unquote's

16:55

pick, I was like, Wow, this team

16:58

has drafted remarkably

17:01

well, incredibly well marauders.

17:04

I would go as far to say the preseason

17:06

favorites in this league from what I

17:09

saw, when they say, you know how they do the

17:11

thing after they were they do a draft recap where they

17:13

predict your record. I mean, I bet

17:15

it was like fourteen in one or some nonsense.

17:17

I was just like every time there was great picks,

17:19

I looked up and it was old Jack Harry.

17:22

You know these two things you need to know. Hey predict

17:24

for you obviously heavily involved. I'll tell

17:26

you a couple of things. First of all, the projections,

17:29

which are pretty bad, something

17:31

we need to work on. Here have

17:33

us finishing three and eleven? Wait really

17:36

yeah, but that whatever.

17:37

I'm shocked because I really did think you'rett But I also

17:39

terrific.

17:40

I in my league of a record.

17:42

I once had a prediction of oh to thirteen and I

17:44

won the league with Okay, so yeah, they don't miss so

17:46

yeah. But if

17:48

my sons were very you know,

17:51

my youngest is six years old. If

17:53

I left it up to them, it would

17:55

have been Aaron Rodgers' first pick, yeah,

17:58

Garrett Wilson's second pick. They would

18:00

tried to pick Sauce third pick, and

18:02

then they would have walked outside and played soccer

18:05

like what So I am there to help

18:07

them and and for instance,

18:10

Aaron Rodgers coming off the board in round four is

18:12

absurd when he should be there

18:14

on round.

18:15

Not in this league, which is which are mostly

18:17

kids justin fields went third overall

18:20

or something. People are doing crazy

18:22

picks.

18:23

I have, but also you turn your child into a football

18:25

loving cyborg.

18:26

I didn't turn them here so like he has such

18:29

much more knowledge, but he still made crazy

18:31

picks. He got upset when I entered the room,

18:33

though, and tried to help him.

18:34

But I did help my daughter.

18:35

Ellis, what was the anecdote you told

18:37

about your son a couple of shows ago. You remember it

18:40

about Walker, which is beautiful and

18:42

cute, and I love it. But what does he do? Now? What's

18:44

this new thing he does?

18:45

He took what that? He took Brady and mac Jones

18:48

back to bed, no second, watching highlight,

18:51

watching games. He turns on NFL Plus and

18:53

starts scrolling through old games.

18:54

I don't know which story.

18:55

Beautiful, Yeah, company, a

18:58

company man, it's a company child.

18:59

But he's just like that. But it

19:01

did make me proud from year one to year two.

19:04

He didn't want my help this year, and he did a much

19:06

better job. I wouldn't say it was an adult job, but

19:08

much my boys didn't. There yet, no support Alis

19:10

isn't either. I give her like an option of a handful

19:13

of people and she picks it.

19:14

All right, where were we there? Oh yeah, show

19:16

idea?

19:17

Sorry dad corner there Zay

19:19

Flowers got to vote. I think that was a nice let's

19:21

Jerry, that's Jeremy Bergman. That's what he's going

19:24

out, Liar.

19:24

That's a fun little plus sixteen vote.

19:26

That's good, Jerry Bergman. Jerry going

19:29

by that. No, no, but you might want

19:31

to think about it.

19:31

Jon is plus two seventy five to

19:34

get it. I like that one.

19:36

So what does that mean? If you put down one hundred bucks

19:38

on beijon, what do you make.

19:39

You got two seventy five?

19:41

Oh that makes sense. That's

19:44

a bad bet though.

19:46

Well also, you're not allowed to you you particularly

19:48

would not.

19:48

That's how I don't know. Yes, I don't do those things.

19:51

But Greg seems plugged in.

19:52

But we're just listing what we're listing on

19:54

the website. That's gotta be allowed.

19:56

Defensive Player of the Year.

19:59

Let's see. Let's see. Let's see. The

20:01

number one vote getter is Micah

20:03

Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys. You got nineteen

20:06

of the votes in Caorrain from Greg

20:09

Rosenthal.

20:10

Love this.

20:11

Mark Sessler went with I

20:13

was.

20:14

The lone individual in the entire

20:16

organization that voted for Sauce Gardner,

20:19

and I love it.

20:21

God bless you, Chill. That has an absolute chance of

20:23

happening.

20:23

If the Jets are on television four thousand

20:25

times and he has like three pick sixes

20:27

and wins a game with a pick six and he's

20:29

sort of just Drell Reeves two

20:31

point zero.

20:32

He has been positioned as that type of star,

20:35

and they never mentioned everything.

20:36

They never gave Darrell Defensive Player of the Year,

20:38

which was an absolute travesty. But

20:41

if he wins Defensive Rookie of the Year and then Defensive

20:43

Player of the Year year one two, we're talking about a potential.

20:47

It is a stretch that I think it's a little

20:49

bit tough. It's gonna be tougher versus some of these

20:51

TJ. Watts and Parsons and Miles Garretts

20:53

of the world.

20:54

I am buying and I think this is my favorite

20:57

pick of all my picks in terms of like, look,

20:59

even though he's the most likely guy Parsons,

21:02

he's still plus four fifty and to

21:04

me, I think he's got room to

21:07

grow. We heard about it all offseason. I just think there's

21:09

another gear for him to go and he's already

21:11

one of the best defensive players I've ever seen.

21:13

So I love me some Micah Parsons this year.

21:15

And I've always been a fan of Miles

21:17

Garrett and his upside, and

21:20

he does deliver every season when he's healthy.

21:23

But is this the year

21:25

where he doesn't get slowed

21:27

down by anything? And if that doesn't happen,

21:29

and Mark, you've been watching him since day one, Yeah,

21:31

closely. If he gets through a season where he doesn't

21:34

get dinged up and slowed down, I

21:36

think he's a guy could break the sack record bye

21:39

week seven.

21:40

I think it also like, so you did have

21:42

Clowney there for a couple of years, but Zadarius

21:44

Smith alongside him.

21:46

That helps.

21:46

I think it's like you can't ignore the other side of the ball. And

21:48

there's been a couple of seasons where he was sort of

21:51

an island, the lone guy and getting triple

21:53

teamed and still getting numbers. I

21:55

do feel like there's a little bit of bias against the

21:57

Browns in general, just through this

21:59

whole extra that we go into.

22:01

I get to that I disagree.

22:03

I disagree, maybe not Miles Garrett,

22:05

but that team.

22:06

We'll get to it. Let's get to it. Offensive

22:08

Player of the Year, Greg, did you sit out

22:10

this year? I know you.

22:11

I actually did it for the first time

22:13

ever, and I even got a response

22:15

from our editors saying,

22:18

wow, you did it this year.

22:19

I did it, So I actually

22:21

really a difficult employees.

22:24

Well, I mean, I have principles

22:26

and I stand by them until the one year I randomly

22:28

don't.

22:29

For the new listeners, why don't you like Offensive

22:31

Player of the.

22:31

Year because it's just like as a

22:33

concept.

22:34

Because it used to It's just like it should

22:36

be the best quarter It's just the same as MVP

22:38

because MVP is always offensive.

22:40

It should be the same thing.

22:41

It's like best picture.

22:42

I guess I've been convinced that it's just a nice way

22:44

to honor someone else that's not a qu minor tweak.

22:47

Would be make Offensive Player of the Year

22:49

non quarterback award? Yes? Absolutely.

22:51

There were a number of years.

22:52

Manning was one year there was a

22:55

Rogers year where the quarterback swept

22:57

the same guy, and that was when I would really

23:00

was against it.

23:00

But that hasn't been happening lately.

23:02

That should not be allowed. I was a little surprised

23:04

to see this and the vote was split heavily

23:06

on this one, so the leading vote had only got

23:08

seven votes, and none of us

23:10

here did it, but Kevin Patrick

23:12

did. Christian McCaffrey, I

23:14

just you know, he's just so there's so many

23:16

touches to go around there, and I know he's gonna get plenty in

23:18

San Francisco. But is he gonna be able to stay

23:20

healthy? You never know. Okay, so let's

23:23

see where did I go. I went with Garrett

23:26

Wilson. So there was my Jet

23:28

fandom coming through maybe, but not really

23:30

because Garrett Wilson to me, and

23:33

I don't need to get into this because I've said it before, but when

23:35

you watch him, he's one of those guys he

23:38

just jumps off the screen and when the ball's

23:40

in his hands, he's

23:42

both smooth and violent in the way

23:44

he runs, cuts, jukes. And

23:47

now you pair with Aaron Rodgers and the chemistry is

23:49

absolutely there. I thought it was a nice little moment

23:52

and hard knocks when their last play

23:54

together on the field touchdown

23:56

on a perfectly thrown Rogers ball, and Rogers

23:59

went up to Garret well said, first of many bro, Aaron

24:02

Rodgers knows he's special that's good enough for me. If

24:04

he says healthy, I might have an onion

24:06

hanger coming up when we do our sandwich props around Garrett

24:08

Wilson, I'll hold it there. That was my pick.

24:12

I uh, let's see. I went Jalen

24:14

Hurts. Now I'm with

24:16

you. I kind of think if I could organize the awards a

24:18

certain way, it wouldn't be it would be quarterbacks.

24:20

And he went it last? Did he or Justin Jefferson

24:22

win it last year? I think Justin Jeffers's interesting.

24:24

They're both twenty five hundred in Vegas. It's

24:27

just weird because like, then, why was he Why wouldn't

24:29

he be the MVP.

24:30

Well, because there's someone else that very clearly could be the m

24:33

v P.

24:33

But you shouldn't be two quarterbacks, but it is

24:35

so I look, there's on this list. There is

24:38

Justin Fields, Jalen Hurts, Aaron Rodgers,

24:40

Joe Burrow, Labar Jackson, Tua

24:42

Chase.

24:43

Chase got the second most amount of votes

24:45

in Vegas. Chase, In, Jefferson

24:47

and McCaffrey are the top three most likely.

24:50

I went totally wild. I went Chris

24:52

o'lave saw that. I mean, I

24:55

do I think this is gonna happen. I

24:57

mean, probably not, but I just thought he

24:59

would be nice to throw him in the mix

25:01

as someone to keep an eye on, and that

25:04

he would have a chance. I think he has a chance at like

25:06

a fifteen sixteen hundred yard season. It's

25:09

a bit of the long shot.

25:11

I like it. Finally,

25:15

Yeah, that's a good pick. I think a LaVey was

25:17

basically Garrett Wilson South last year guy

25:20

that was just different, special right away.

25:24

Most Valuable Player? All right,

25:26

so in this category, Mark,

25:30

you and I both went with the great

25:32

Mahomes. Yeah. I went with Mahomes

25:35

because you know these MVP

25:37

awards, you see it, they are

25:39

not afraid to go on runs

25:41

with guys the voters. They are okay with that.

25:44

Brett Farva, I believe one three in a row. We've

25:47

seen other players. Manning

25:50

won multiples, players

25:52

go on streaks. Brady, I believe did it back

25:55

to back right? At some point? Did

25:57

he never do back?

25:57

He was he was quite Yeah, his three were pretty far.

26:00

Let me look the state up. But I thought he

26:02

if there's anybody and got a couple in a row, If

26:05

there's anybody who the academy

26:08

as it were would be willing to

26:10

continue to reward excellence. It's

26:12

this guy who's the face of the NFL. So

26:14

I feel good knowing that Mahomes once again

26:16

is gonna put up monster numbers for

26:19

the best team in football, the Super Bowl

26:21

champs. That's my vote, easy. But I think

26:23

he is he just in the flesh he is.

26:25

And you're right, it is the one category where it's

26:27

like, we don't have to come up with a different name every

26:29

year, like Coach of the Year and all these other

26:31

ones, Like it's just Mahomes

26:33

and it would be an upset to me if any

26:35

of these other names won.

26:37

But Greg, you went.

26:38

Well last year.

26:38

I nailed that MVP by choosing Mahomes

26:41

and I'm honking about it right now. And not that many

26:43

people. We're picking Mahomes last year, so

26:45

you got it. You don't want to be a year late. So

26:47

I moved to my guy

26:50

in the division, Justin Herbert. So this

26:52

is the year and he's unleashed,

26:54

Kellen Moore going down the field,

26:56

great offensive line, great weapons. I really

26:58

do think he's got a chance for a five

27:00

thousand yard insane statistical

27:03

season and he's not one of the bigger

27:05

long. You know, he's like the fourth or fifth favorite in Vegas.

27:07

So I'm not totally coming out

27:09

of left field, but I went justin Herbert

27:11

Okay.

27:12

And my long shot. We talked about it earlier

27:14

or last week. Trevor Lawrence is a long

27:17

shot. I kind of like, I don't know if did he get any votes?

27:19

No, not one little surprise in

27:21

Vegas.

27:22

He's only the sixth, six

27:24

or seventh most likely, which is not too low on

27:26

the list.

27:27

Here is just for you

27:29

history buffs out there. Joe

27:31

Montana went back to back eighty nine to ninety.

27:34

Farv went back to back to back ninety

27:36

five ninety six. There you go. Seven, that's

27:38

insane, Hello, Larry, let's

27:42

see Kurt Waterer one two out of three

27:45

doesn't count. Peyton Manning went back to back

27:47

O three. He shared it with McNair and then

27:49

one on his own in four,

27:51

and then Manning waned again back to back

27:53

wow eight and nine

27:56

h and then it kind of bounced around a little bit

27:58

until Rogers went back

28:01

to back in twenty and twenty one. So there

28:03

is history, and Mahomes has never gone

28:05

back to back even though he's won it twice. So

28:07

if anybody if you were to set odds on like,

28:10

who's a guy that's gonna have at least one stretches

28:12

his career where he wins back to back. Come on,

28:14

absolutely, it's Pat. Bad

28:17

sketch had become a movie.

28:19

We'll never know. We'll never

28:22

know. I like Julia Sweeney,

28:24

fine good communicating actors,

28:26

a funny woman. They'd say that was

28:28

a big misstep by old Lauren Michaels.

28:32

Beurable SNL say the least

28:35

four kids out there.

28:36

It's Pat was a popular

28:38

sketch on the show Saturday

28:40

Night Live in the late nineties, early

28:43

night, early day.

28:45

Maybe even mid Okay, So there you go.

28:47

That is all the award predictions.

28:51

When we get back season

28:55

predictions, including our super Bowl picks.

28:57

Tease, we'll be right back.

28:59

Oh but before we do. Reminder

29:04

atn plus NFL plus

29:07

New shows every Monday and Thursday,

29:11

the Monday Show, it's our

29:13

game of the week where we dive in watch

29:16

it again together, share thoughts,

29:18

insights, all sorts of good stuff.

29:21

It's like what you're watching game Pass. You're

29:23

going through the games because you enjoy

29:25

watching the games again, and then you're like, oh,

29:27

I'm not going to rewatch that game on game

29:29

Pass, which is also on NFL Plus because

29:32

I'm gonna watch the heroes talk about it,

29:34

yell plus.

29:35

A lot of rules, a lot of guidelines,

29:37

but I think you want to follow these ones if

29:40

you're a fanatic of the game. Yes, you

29:42

do what Greg just said that seven or eight things he told you

29:44

to do.

29:44

You go do that, well, said Mark. And on

29:47

Thursday it's going to be our

29:50

Dreamatorium show lots of classic

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war horses of our show, favorite

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it to us. We'll be right

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back. All

30:26

right, we're back. Welcome, Welcome,

30:28

Welcome. Now it gets real because

30:30

you know winning awards,

30:33

Mark, that's an

30:35

individual triumph. Yeah, that

30:37

would be focused on self. But

30:40

the idea in the end is for

30:42

the team collectively to be hoisting that Lombardi

30:44

Trophy. So let's talk about

30:46

what really matters success of

30:48

the teams. We're going to go through the

30:51

divisions, pick

30:54

the division winners also share

30:56

our wild card picks, and

30:59

then we'll get to the postseason. But let's

31:01

start in the AFC, and let's

31:03

do it. Let's start in the AFC East Mark.

31:08

Who do you got coming out of this

31:10

division as the champ?

31:11

This was the toughest division

31:14

for me to sort through. I spent probably

31:16

eighteen to twenty seconds on this one.

31:19

I went Bills, Good.

31:20

Well, No, when you're filling this thing, are you kind of just you have been

31:22

thinking about this for months?

31:23

Yes? Bang through these There's two ways to look at

31:26

it. You could labor over it, right or

31:28

you're right? After all. The kind of conversations

31:30

gout instant.

31:31

I feel like I've been thinking about it. You think about it all

31:33

off season. But I also had to

31:35

contact the editors to change my answers multiple

31:38

times.

31:38

You weren't Greg, I don't know what? Like what you

31:40

know? What did you go with? Greg?

31:43

I went with the Bills. This one I didn't from what What did

31:45

you change it from?

31:46

No?

31:47

This division? I didn't.

31:48

I mean there were a couple other choices. It was the NFC wildcard

31:50

situation. I kept going back and forth. We'll get to that.

31:53

I felt good.

31:54

I mean I led my over unders with the

31:56

Bills, or I didn't lead it, but they were one of my picks of

31:58

the over I just feel like

32:00

they are one of the three or four best teams in the

32:02

NFL still until I am shown

32:05

otherwise taking them

32:07

over your Jets.

32:08

A lot of people took the Jets, though. That worry you Dan.

32:12

More than ever in this exercise took the Jets.

32:15

I would, I would gamble, So I think it

32:17

was well if you go all the way back to peak

32:19

Rex, I don't think they've had many people doing

32:21

this back then.

32:22

Yeah, they have them going over

32:24

the Patriots. Maybe that one year there was a lot of maybe

32:26

one twenty twelve votes for the Jets

32:28

and twenty for the Bills. That sounds about right

32:30

in terms of I'm surprised the Dolphins only got two.

32:33

Yeah, I uh yeah, stunner,

32:35

I went with the Jets. Patra In shook win

32:37

Dolphins. Yeah, And that's that's okay

32:40

too, because I see the Jets, who

32:42

are at plus two to fifty by the way, Dolphins plus three

32:45

hundred. You could

32:47

make a case for either of those

32:49

teams if things break the right

32:51

way, and then the Bills come down just

32:53

a little bit. It's very interesting and by

32:55

the way, no votes for your darling Patriots,

32:58

Greggy. But here's

33:00

the good news. Someone that we respect very

33:03

much, a former colleague,

33:06

did pick the Patriots to win the division, Connor

33:08

Orr, and he was met with furious

33:11

blowback in the industry. Let's listen in

33:13

Welcome back to a very recognizable show.

33:15

Check In on Sports illustrates Connor Orr,

33:18

who predicted every game on the schedule and

33:20

has what do you know, the

33:22

Patriots winning the af E East.

33:25

What I do wonder

33:27

whether, upon the return to Bill O'Brien,

33:30

this is Connor's writing.

33:31

Will assume that same kind of

33:33

automatic competency.

33:36

I like that.

33:37

I like that a lot that defined

33:39

the majority. I would add large

33:41

majority.

33:42

Really, I would add almost

33:44

all, vast majority.

33:46

Vast majority is even better of

33:48

the Bill Belichick eras Brew.

33:51

I didn't even write a question here, I was just going to pontificate.

33:54

But do you have any issues with this?

33:57

Yeah? This

33:59

is ridiculous.

34:04

First things first, fs one, that's

34:07

gonna be a drop who's the gentleman?

34:09

By the way, that was Christopher

34:11

Sarrd.

34:12

I do love how he prefaced

34:14

it with Connor or usually does good work.

34:17

I don't know that's a good way to like when you absolutely

34:19

hate the take but don't want to come off as a jerk.

34:21

I was kind of a pro move.

34:22

I love you, Connor. You did it, and

34:25

I think it could be a fun, spicy

34:27

one. They're plus eight hundred to win the division, so

34:30

it's a little crazy, but the craziest

34:32

thing and we might have. I'm just gonna mention it now

34:34

while we're talking pages, because we're not going to revisit it.

34:37

They're not in any of our wild card picks. They

34:39

were in any of the thirty six respondents

34:41

wild card picks. Oh for

34:43

for these Patriots, And I can't hate

34:46

on it because I didn't pick them either. I don't think it's that, but

34:48

I do like a little Patriots

34:50

lying in the weed season.

34:51

Well all right, that's fine, But like this

34:54

is why I was surprised that I'm the

34:56

only one that feels that fell

34:58

Chick's safer than

35:00

perhaps you guys do, just because the

35:03

team's not that great and the division

35:06

seems to be very good.

35:07

The team, if they're not great, he is the

35:09

most respons.

35:11

He could coach this team up and they could go

35:13

seven to ten. And it's not because he's

35:15

bad at what he does. It's because think

35:18

about it that.

35:18

Wait, hold on, he's as a general manager.

35:21

You'd have to say this overall roster is

35:24

lacking.

35:25

I think it's average,

35:28

but that's it's a very average team.

35:30

I think it's average. I don't think it's just not great. No,

35:32

But I think it's.

35:35

Reason we're talking about Belichick this

35:38

year particularly, it's relative to all

35:40

the other seasons where he was as safe as

35:42

any coach in any sport. It's

35:44

now Kraft has talked about this

35:46

team this season, the Bill Belichick

35:49

experience, the Matt Patricia experience,

35:51

in a bit of a different way than we've ever heard him talk about

35:53

Belichick. And I think, you know, these marriages

35:55

come to a conclusion at times. This is

35:58

a different feel. You have to say that, Dan, right in

36:00

past years with Belichick.

36:01

I like that. It's a different era. No, So

36:03

that's why we're not special anymore.

36:05

They're not.

36:06

And yet I should have you

36:08

know, I'm not showing

36:10

my belief because I didn't put them as

36:12

a wildcard or anything. There's just so many good teams in the

36:14

AFC. But I am

36:17

honestly optimistic that they

36:19

can surprise teams winning with the

36:21

defense of personnel that

36:23

they have in a much more efficient

36:25

offense. It just would not surprise

36:28

me at all if they beat

36:30

one of the end up ahead of one of these AFC

36:32

East teams. The Jets are the Dolphins specifically

36:34

that end up being a disciplined well.

36:36

One of these teams will probably lose their quarterback for the year.

36:38

It's like, I think, I see the Patriots like winning

36:40

eight games. They're not a disaster.

36:42

I say that, I think they have a chance

36:45

to win ten games this year, but

36:47

I did not saying it with my chest because they were als.

36:49

Said, I am with you. I thought that

36:51

last year, but I underestimated

36:54

the Patricia disaster of it all. I

36:57

think they're always lying in the weeds in that sense. And guess

36:59

what, Bill Belichiche was gonna win Coach of the Year if they

37:01

win ten games. I was nobody.

37:03

He's never won.

37:04

I was very down on them last year. This year, I feel I

37:06

feel all better. I feel better, all right, Saucy

37:11

more on some of these teams.

37:12

In a bit AFC North,

37:15

I.

37:17

Greg Marcus checked his clock.

37:20

I mean there's also I had a thing to show my

37:22

function in the little a little,

37:25

just like series started talking to you, A little thing showed

37:27

up on my on my watch, so I looked at

37:29

it.

37:29

Greg and I both went with the defending

37:32

champs, the Cincinnati Bengals.

37:35

As I said last week, no team

37:37

has ever won this division three years

37:39

in a row. The Bengals are looking to do it. I think

37:41

they will, but that's not that

37:44

doesn't mean. Oh look, old Zeuster

37:46

got the blurbed in this one. They came

37:48

to me for the blurb. I love that. Don't remember

37:50

writing it. Why Dan

37:52

Hanris chose the Bengals. The clock is ticking

37:54

for the offensive core that surrounds Joe Burrow. After

37:56

back to back seasons of great success that fell just

37:59

short with their seeing an all time high. Cincinnati,

38:01

balanced, battle tested, and

38:03

led by a true difference maker quarterback, will defend

38:06

its division crown in a rugged AFC.

38:08

Rugged nice

38:10

graft. Where did you You don't recall writing that

38:12

I knocked it out yesterday?

38:13

I do remember, all.

38:14

Right, tough schedule, but uh,

38:16

I think if I had to just choose

38:18

one team, you

38:20

know, just the Bengals to me feel

38:22

like the safest, even more than the Cheese.

38:25

I really feel good about the Bengals coming into this year.

38:27

What's not to like?

38:28

Yeah, the division in the schedule,

38:30

I guess.

38:31

Yeah, or just something you know, so specifically, what's

38:33

not to like about this team?

38:35

Like, remember they went they were steaming,

38:37

they won ten in a row last

38:40

year. Once they figured

38:42

things out and Burrow got healthy, I think it's

38:44

gonna be a very similar vibe. I think they're gonna roll

38:46

Burrow has you know, MVP vibes.

38:49

I think they just got to protect against like

38:51

another slow start. I mean the Burrough

38:53

Calf thing. Eh, it

38:55

kind of like freaks me a little bit, But he's practicing.

38:58

Maybe he's fine as long as they manage that crew.

39:00

And you the Steelers.

39:01

You're in so deep with the Steelers now that you almost

39:03

have no other choice.

39:04

I didn't, I wasn't. I didn't do this as

39:06

a trick or a folly. Like I think they're going

39:08

to win the division.

39:09

Well, you're run of four people, thirty four

39:11

voters. I think I've seen the last couple of weeks.

39:13

In the last couple of weeks, I'm starting

39:16

to hear so much. I think the Steelers thing

39:18

is becoming the vast opposite of original

39:20

because it's everyone's starting to pile on and feel

39:22

the Steelers.

39:23

People put too much into the preseason.

39:25

It's true, well were so fired.

39:28

I also put this Mike Tomlin

39:30

with bad Steelers teams or down Steelers

39:32

teams, still pulls off nine wins.

39:34

This is a better version of the Steelers than we've seen

39:36

in a long time.

39:37

Totally.

39:37

They didn't have t J. Watt for most of last season.

39:40

I think their quarterback, like I do, put into

39:42

the preseason the way that Kenny pick it through

39:44

the ball and looked.

39:45

Okay, well that's a great point.

39:47

Mark. It's just it's I feel like it's a runaway

39:49

train now that because they are fish in on some

39:52

preseason drives against

39:53

it. That's

39:55

what I wouldn't called a runaway.

39:57

Runaway toy got

39:59

half the votes the Ravens got.

40:01

Maybe I'm talking about much just

40:04

absurd. What about the the Sessler curse though

40:06

that that was very real last year you

40:08

took down multiple teams.

40:10

Well that's ruesome, that's absolute,

40:12

like you know, that's psychological warfare.

40:14

Like if I'm a Steelers fan, I am furious

40:17

by how excited you are about this.

40:19

So little uncanny And how about this about

40:21

this, how I'd leave the league and start build

40:24

a house in the desk.

40:25

About this, Greg the or Mark the X Browns

40:27

fan gassing up the Steelers

40:30

gas lighting in a reverse jinks

40:32

for the Ages.

40:33

And not gas lighting gas lighting And those

40:35

are hard air quotes for the listeners. For Mark

40:37

the X Browns fan, Well.

40:39

What what if I had to pick some team?

40:43

Yeah, well, hold on, whatever team I pick

40:45

in this division is a former hated foe.

40:47

So you've been down on the Ravens and he didn't.

40:49

Pick the Browns, and nobody picked the

40:51

Browns. So that's not a single voter. It

40:53

thinks the Browns with the Shawn Watson could win this

40:56

division.

40:56

Okay, so divisions fine, but even we'll dig in later.

40:58

It's like they just were largely ignored.

41:00

I find that.

41:00

I think there's Scottis yeah, but I don't

41:02

think they're making the playoffs, So okay, no problem.

41:05

Amision's a pretty AFC is

41:07

deep deep deep deep AFC South

41:10

not so deep now paratively, but

41:13

thirty one votes for

41:16

the Jaguars. Greg

41:19

is a special little boy, so he said the Titans.

41:22

I mean, why aren't you a special little boy when you've

41:24

been making some of your.

41:25

Out of left because, as I've said

41:27

that you do not like the jack.

41:29

Well, I do think there's someone. I do

41:31

think there's opportunity here. The Jaguars are a

41:33

heavier favorite to win their division

41:36

than I believe any team

41:38

is in the entire NFL. I

41:40

guess they're the same as the Chiefs to

41:42

win to win their division.

41:44

That's too much to me.

41:45

And why is that, though, Because because

41:47

the view of the Titans is so low,

41:49

and then rightfully it's low of the Colts and Textans,

41:52

so it's about the rest of the division. But to me, the gap

41:54

between the Titans and the Jaguars in all

41:56

respects is not that big. I don't

41:58

think it's big coaching take the Titans.

42:01

I think the defense is really loaded,

42:03

and I think Tannahill and Hopkins we'll

42:05

see. But I think the Titans are kind of

42:07

the poor Man's Steelers, whereas like even

42:10

in their worst season like last year, they still find

42:12

no way to get seven. I think they get to nine

42:14

or ten, and I think that might be I think.

42:15

What we're seeing here with it with just three votes, including

42:18

yours, is that the Titans have been

42:20

probably prematurely totally

42:22

written off there's a couple of reasons

42:25

for it. I mean, they didn't fix some of their own problems.

42:27

We talked about the line. Their wide receiver situation

42:30

is really variable. We don't know what we're gonna

42:32

get with Ryan Tannehill or any quarterback behind

42:34

them. But the things you mentioned are consistent

42:36

and real.

42:37

I am a special little boy, My mama.

42:40

You are a special little boy. She's still

42:41

ann and tell you that. I mean, she

42:44

listens to the show, so maybe she'll give you a call and.

42:45

Say she has been lately.

42:46

I don't know if she actually used those words, but that's

42:49

the feeling she left me with.

42:50

Yes, I think good

42:52

feeling. I think the window closed great mount

42:54

on this Titans team and now they're in transition.

42:56

And because the

42:58

reason, the reason why I'm not feel good about banging

43:01

the under on six and a half or whatever seven and a half

43:03

is because of the reasons why what

43:05

you're saying, Greg, I actually I

43:07

think your take is fair that there might

43:10

not be as big a gap between

43:12

the Jags and Titans for this to vote,

43:14

for instance, to be that crazy thirty one to

43:16

three on NFL media. I

43:19

hear you on that, but one

43:21

team does have a potential generational

43:23

quarterback entering year three really year

43:25

two in Trevor Lawrence, and one has

43:29

a thirty year old running back who's going to the Hall of Fame,

43:31

Ryan Tanneh, who's aging

43:34

and brittle at the stage, playing behind a bad

43:36

offensive line.

43:37

All fair, they.

43:37

Got the tickle monsters on the defensive line.

43:40

I'll get me wrong, and I'm usually an offense

43:42

is what I pick, and they are.

43:44

The offense is the Jaguars. They are a

43:46

great looking offense. I

43:49

hear you, all right.

43:50

AFC West thirty

43:52

two votes. You

43:54

are a special little boy thirty

43:57

two votes, including Hansas

43:59

and hands this and Sssler go

44:02

with the defending champion Chiefs and

44:04

it is the Bolts according to Greg

44:07

Now, you know you obviously don't actually believe

44:09

this. This is the dude getting a little shine

44:11

on the Chargers. Maybe you'll get some tickets

44:13

down the line. Maybe, well that would be Daniel Jeremiah

44:16

and Matt Muddy Smith reach out to you and say, hey man,

44:18

good job on that pick. Here,

44:20

come by me on the sea side of state, hang

44:22

out for the weekend in the offseason. There's definitely

44:24

some you motivating factors behind the scenes.

44:27

You have because you have flipped off your

44:29

internal pr campaign with the Rams

44:31

and you've picked up the Chargers. Greg this is extremely

44:33

Mackie Velli.

44:34

This is none of that is true, but it

44:36

is. You know, you don't believe. As a veteran, I

44:38

do believe it.

44:39

Tell me why the Chiefs are the best team of this.

44:40

As a veteran takesman, though, I think you are

44:43

hitting on something. Last

44:45

year, you pick, you pick one special

44:47

team that you really believe has a chance to do

44:49

something special. For me, that was the Eagles,

44:51

and you ride that right. Who's that special

44:53

team this year? I mean, we'll get to the Super Bowl

44:55

predictions and whatnot. But for me, it's the

44:57

Chargers, and I'd pink.

44:59

The seventh time in the last lst nine years it's the Charge.

45:01

Sure, but it wasn't last year. I think

45:03

this is going to be their year. I think their offense is

45:05

going to be unlocked. I think year three of Staley

45:07

gets better. I think the Chiefs and the

45:09

Chargers in this division, you

45:12

know, I think this division is easier than

45:14

the North and the East. I think they both have a chance

45:16

to rack up twelve thirteen wins. Maybe

45:19

there's a little hangover effect from the Chiefs.

45:21

I don't know. They've been so good for so long it's hard to discount

45:23

them. But I think the Chargers have

45:26

a better chance to be like a top

45:28

five team in the NFL than anyone's

45:30

given them credit for. I love

45:33

what I see. I know it's on paper. I know it's

45:35

the offensive line, but I think they got the quarterback,

45:38

they got the line. I'm rolling Chargers

45:40

this year.

45:41

One thing that you see

45:43

one of the keys with FRANCESSA you have to have

45:45

a bunch of pregnant pauses.

45:47

Yea, now I talked too fast.

45:49

One thing that you'll miss

45:51

in here. Okay,

45:58

you're missing the fact

46:00

that the Charges always

46:03

find a way, and

46:07

so does Patrick mahomes

46:10

back after this.

46:12

That's pretty good. It's got to end

46:14

at some point, you know.

46:16

So you got the blue per even even

46:18

even even Belichick and Brady

46:20

would actually keep rolling through

46:23

verbally.

46:24

The blurb selected.

46:28

The man selected to write the blurb the

46:30

AFC west uh

46:33

Skill, Mark Sessler.

46:36

I think that you're right checking to see if I was still awake.

46:38

I wrote what fact whisper or

46:41

Idoda of Gossip suggests the Chiefs

46:43

are about to be stopped. Andy Reid

46:45

and Patrick Mahomes will chop through

46:47

a top heavy AFC and route to another

46:49

conference title game, and they won't stop there.

46:52

He went even further, he went, he went too far?

46:54

Actually, actually, yeah, they once again spoiling.

46:56

That are what are we spoiling?

46:58

That's more the that's more the explanation

47:00

for when you pick your Super Bowl teams.

47:03

This was just the AFC West.

47:04

But yes, guess who will do what they want? All

47:07

right? So let's now

47:09

go to our wild card picks. Okay, that's

47:12

fun, all right. So I'm trying to think

47:14

what's the best way to do this because this is a little hard.

47:16

Don't we just each our three teams?

47:18

Go ahead?

47:19

Okay, So my wildcard teams

47:21

in the AFC in

47:24

order now, since I put the Chiefs not

47:26

winning the division and in my vision, Chiefs

47:28

and Chargers both win twelve or thirteen games something

47:31

like that, so the Chiefs are my number one

47:33

wildcard team. I included

47:36

the Ravens as my second wildcard

47:39

team. I do think their ceiling is extra high

47:41

and I think the offense is going to be special, and

47:44

I as my third wildcard team.

47:47

Why am I forgetting right now? I

47:50

put the Jets, I do. I wanted

47:52

to. I kind of wanted to hate on the

47:54

Jets, but I just don't believe it. I believe

47:56

that they're going to be good enough on both.

47:58

Sides of the ball, so they got in.

48:00

All right.

48:00

I've got the Bengals as the

48:02

first wild card team.

48:05

There's no like disdain for the Bengals

48:07

on any level. I think they're just gonna get nicked by the Steelers.

48:10

Chargers second, believe

48:12

a lot of what you said, Greg, and Jets

48:14

third.

48:15

So we're pretty chalky here. Even though I

48:17

switched my teams around, they weren't crazy teams.

48:20

All right. What about I have

48:22

because I picked the Jets still in the East. But I still

48:25

like the Bills a lot. Okay, so I have

48:27

them as my first wild card. I

48:29

have the Browns as

48:31

my second wild card. I and I'm

48:34

one of the only people the entire media group to even

48:36

think they have a chance to even play January

48:39

football.

48:40

Four people put them into the playoffs

48:42

out of thirty.

48:43

And I do have three

48:46

teams coming out of the AFC North. I

48:48

have the Pittsburgh Steelers as the third

48:50

wild card team, So that

48:52

means that I don't see the Dolphins or

48:55

the Chargers getting

48:57

that spot and feel pretty good about

48:59

it.

49:00

I think we were all sensible. I like the

49:03

Browns got some representation. I'm

49:05

not in on it, but it seems to me they should be represented.

49:07

It's interesting none of us put the Dolphins

49:09

in the playoffs. And it's funny because if

49:12

we had taped this podcast in May,

49:14

the Dolphins very well might have been my Chargers

49:17

that I just would.

49:17

Have put it all.

49:18

I was all into the Dolphins back then,

49:21

and for some reason, by the time we got to

49:23

the season, it just feels like there's nine or

49:25

ten really good AFC teams and the Dolphins,

49:27

after a bad August, got left out.

49:29

Maybe I'm overrating August.

49:30

I think I think they're getting dinged because of this of

49:32

the injuries in the past couple weeks.

49:34

In general, Who do I trust more?

49:35

Though?

49:36

The Bills, the Jets are the Dolphins. I trust the

49:38

Jets more than the Dolphins.

49:40

I just feel like they're on a little more stable

49:43

ground. Who do I trust more? I trust Harbaugh

49:45

and Lamar, you know, and I and

49:47

maybe I'm crazy, but I trust the Chargers too.

49:50

All right, NFC,

49:52

let's move over there now. The NFC

49:55

East.

49:56

Nobody put the Patriots in.

49:58

How dare they? Nobody? Clearly

50:00

interesting? Let's see, Mark Sessler,

50:02

you have the Eagles defending

50:05

their division, so do you? Greg Rosehal I

50:07

was among ten voters out

50:09

of thirty four to pick the Dallas

50:12

Cowboys. And I think it's not crazy

50:16

to think that the Cowboys can come

50:18

up just a little bit and the Eagles come down

50:20

a little bit. I think this is going to be a great

50:22

division race. I think this is one of those who's

50:25

who they are they playing each other Week eighteen?

50:27

I hope they are. You always play your

50:29

own take a look division, mate, because

50:31

that would be incredible theater if that's

50:34

the case.

50:34

And they're not heavy heavy favorites

50:37

the Eagles. They're minus one twenty five and

50:39

the Cowboys are plus one sixty

50:41

five, so not like a crazy gap, kind of similar

50:44

to the twenty four to ten votes gap. But yeah, I'm

50:46

I stuck with the Eagles.

50:48

What do we got, Roberts? What's

50:50

the Week eighteen Cowboys schedule?

50:54

Eagles have the Giants Bummer eighteen?

50:56

What are they doing?

50:56

They've got They've got the Cowboys

50:58

on Sunday Night Week fourteen

51:02

and.

51:02

Wee Cowboys have Commanders Week eighteen.

51:04

Nice timers, sweet perfect?

51:06

Okay, Greg, you did you picked back

51:09

there and you got the blurb on

51:11

NFL dot com.

51:12

I mean they know we're uh, we're

51:16

top shelf writers here, and they go to us in big

51:18

spots.

51:18

Why Greg Roosevelt chose the Eagles, Colon

51:21

go.

51:21

The Eagles have the best combination of

51:24

offensive and defensive lines in

51:26

football. Jalen Hurts is

51:28

their quarterback. Let's not over

51:30

complicate things here.

51:32

Greg's like, I'm getting out of this signment about four

51:34

and a half minutes tops.

51:35

I mean less than that, that's for sure, and

51:37

half forty seconds all

51:40

right, like.

51:40

Texting while driving sending that in.

51:42

Like, I'm just like, why why do we gotta even explain

51:44

it? Look at this team?

51:45

Not a single vote for the Giants or the Commanders.

51:48

Let's move to the NFC North.

51:50

Twenty votes for the Detroit Lions.

51:53

So we are gassing up

51:55

those lines, not all of

51:57

us, though. Rosenthal's gassing them.

52:00

Sesse is gassing them. I

52:04

am a special little boy because

52:06

I am among the

52:08

group of people. I thought I picked the Vikings,

52:10

but I didn't. I picked the Packers. Apparently,

52:13

how about that that surprises me.

52:16

But yeah, I said it on our last

52:18

show that I know everything kind of

52:20

checks out for the Lions here. Certainly

52:22

it feels like it's there quote unquote time. But

52:25

why do I think the Vikings and

52:27

or the Packers. Not so much the Bears,

52:29

not yet anyway, but certainly

52:31

even possible for the Bears if everything broke the right

52:33

way, come out of this as the division

52:36

camp. I just don't like all the expectations on a

52:38

Lions team that still has I

52:40

know it's Jared Goffic quarterback.

52:43

The offense played over its head a little bit

52:45

potentially last year. I'm happy Ben Johnson's

52:47

back there, but perhaps just perhaps

52:50

the Lions aren't as good as we want

52:52

them to be.

52:53

I think it's, you know exactly,

52:56

we haven't seen it. And the Lions

52:58

are certainly the kind of team where historically,

53:00

like I've attached myself to their

53:03

caravan before and it's gone right off the side of a

53:05

mountain.

53:06

But you stuck with them, and you know, I've given you some grief

53:08

and you stuck with him.

53:09

You topped them. So I appreciate that.

53:11

I think they have the potential

53:14

to be the best team in a very confusing

53:16

division.

53:16

I think this is this is some point.

53:18

It's not a good sign for the Bears that their only

53:20

two votes were from Bears

53:23

fans Alivon Pori and Adam Rank.

53:25

You know, you know when they only get

53:27

it from the fans. And I have noticed

53:30

the odds have changed. Four months

53:32

ago, the Packers were behind

53:34

the Bears in terms of odds, and people

53:36

have been kind of appreciating

53:39

the Packers's chances more and more. Although the Vikings,

53:41

despite not getting many votes and not

53:43

getting much love from us, they're actually the second

53:45

favorite in this division over in

53:47

Vegas.

53:49

Interesting. That means a lot of people

53:51

in Chicago are guessing them up.

53:52

No, the Vikings, the Vike favorite.

53:55

None of us gave them love, but the Vikings

53:57

are still a second favorite packersmmunicators

54:00

producer.

54:01

Yeah, yeah, I regret the air.

54:03

You're multitasking, and I think everyone would forgive

54:05

you if they understood the weight of your task.

54:06

I'm sure there's a lot of Chicago fans that are also

54:09

quote unquote yeah, the Bears.

54:11

Mark and I are on the same page with a lot of these teams.

54:13

I like that you guys are on the same page with a lot of things

54:15

in life. I finally all right, NFC South,

54:18

Now let's get into it. Let's

54:20

get hot, let's get really. Let's

54:23

let's zero in on a team that we could all finally

54:25

agree on. Have we had one division winner where

54:27

we're all on the same side.

54:29

Does it happen yet?

54:31

I don't think it now because of Greg? Essentially, how

54:33

about the Saints. I mean, of course we're gonna

54:35

get it with the Saints. Here we go. Hanss

54:37

has them winning the division. That's it

54:40

because you got oh god, the

54:42

Falcons gas up crew here.

54:44

No, you.

54:46

Did the wrong because I am guessing up the Desmond

54:49

Renner team.

54:49

So the Saints are the favorite. They're plus one

54:52

oh five. They got twenty votes. Falcons

54:54

plus one ninety, a little longer

54:56

than I would expect, twelve votes including

54:59

Rosenthals Tesler.

55:01

Uh. Maybe maybe that gives you a little insight

55:03

why I feel like I'm taking crazy pills in the studio

55:06

every single week. It's not because you guys

55:08

speak about them like they could.

55:09

Go twenty and oh now, I

55:11

mean the second favorite in the division and

55:13

they have a great it's somehow

55:16

bigger than just like looking at the depth chart.

55:18

For me, for them.

55:19

It's just a feeling of their organization that they're on the

55:21

right path.

55:21

Yeah, I think this is this is a low

55:23

octane division. If someone stays

55:26

healthy and has just a desire to

55:28

absolutely take the top off of every other three

55:30

houses in the division, that's what the Falcons.

55:32

Are going to do. They're gonna beat you up, Dan and I.

55:34

I get your exhaustion, but

55:36

I think once you start to see them in the flesh,

55:38

you're gonna understand where we're.

55:39

Here's the thing that's annoying to me the most

55:42

that I actually like what they're doing as well.

55:45

And I was on that early in the

55:47

spring. I was sharing that sentiment with you, like

55:49

I that there are things here. You

55:51

guys were You guys were premature

55:54

in the first two years.

55:55

You were wrong, and I'm right on

55:57

that's incorrect. No, you guys are gassing them up

55:59

for this series. Yeah, wait

56:01

a minute, we were saying that they were. They were overachieving

56:04

to some degree, like they.

56:05

Won more games. That's writing history.

56:07

Absolutely not go listen to any of those episodes.

56:09

And now in year three of the program,

56:11

I actually think they can matter instead of this

56:13

cute little game you guys have been playing with the Falcons

56:15

for years. I can't do it anymore

56:18

because you guys are guessing them up so much that

56:20

I have to pull back.

56:21

Okay, bring some sanity to the great

56:24

you know, congratulations. The Saints

56:26

are the favorites. They're actually a pretty big gap

56:28

between them and the Falcons, and then a

56:30

huge gap to the Panthers and then the Bucks or even

56:32

for the break.

56:33

I figured it so hard to bed no.

56:34

No, I figured out why Dan has

56:37

always let's handed the Falcon.

56:39

Yeah, I'd love to hear this. It's going to be brilliant.

56:41

Let me take you backical psychologist,

56:45

you do, let me take you back to London.

56:47

October twenty

56:51

twenty one. A young Dan

56:53

Hansis is on the sidelines watching

56:56

this.

56:57

Little boy, his little boy that will

56:59

lead him, I hope, Zach Wilson.

57:01

Oh yeah, we finally found their quarterback, Zach

57:03

Wilson. And he's going up against a moreribun

57:06

Falcons team who came into that game not look

57:09

and he's on the side and there's these big, hulking

57:11

men in this handsome young quarterback. Oh, this

57:13

is the guy that's gonna finally lead us into the future.

57:15

And you know, who comes out of that game with

57:18

a big win, pretty convincing the Atlanta

57:21

Falcons, and ever since then he's held it against

57:23

them.

57:23

How about you go find the tape of me being sold

57:25

on Zach Wilson on this podcast.

57:28

Well you had a t shirt about him,

57:30

didn't you.

57:31

Yeah, Zach is good or something.

57:33

If you guys understand that

57:35

I have a sense of humor, yes I did have that.

57:38

Shit.

57:39

We've really gotten under your skin in the last

57:41

ten to twelve.

57:41

You have you.

57:42

I've been exceedingly patient.

57:45

What if you bozos about the Falcons for years

57:48

and I just can't do it anymore.

57:50

Start the games.

57:52

I love it. Start the games. Let's

57:55

get to the NFC West.

57:56

Wait.

57:56

I think we all agree. I think we got one.

57:58

Finally, the San Francisco forty

58:00

nine ers. We're all

58:02

in lockstewn.

58:03

Man, Gregor, I thought you were gonna go Seattle.

58:05

No, I already I don't know in my heart.

58:07

Thirty votes NFL Media for

58:09

the Niners, just two four

58:12

votes. Excuse me for the Seattle Seahawks.

58:16

I mean, yeah, you know, talk about

58:19

trying too hard. The Niners just seem I

58:21

want to I want Nick Bosa on the field. But even

58:24

even with that up in the air, I feel confident about this one.

58:26

Well, just the way that, like last year, these two teams

58:28

mostly intact and similar to today, San

58:31

Francisco just seemed to completely

58:33

solve Seattle one.

58:34

In the fact that the Rams are a totally unknown

58:37

situation the Cardinals aren't even trying.

58:40

It makes it then a Seahawks versus Niners,

58:42

And who's gonna unless you're a Seahawks

58:45

fan really feel like they're the better team right now?

58:47

Right I think the Seahawks could

58:49

be significantly more

58:51

complete as a team, and

58:54

they could even win more games.

58:55

They won nine last year. I think they could win ten.

58:57

Or eleven, and I still think that's not

58:59

gonna be enough in this division.

59:00

It's just a belief in the forty nine Ers. Is not

59:03

a discounting of the Seahawks for me.

59:04

All right, Let's look at our wild card picks,

59:07

and yes I have the Cowboys winning the NFC

59:09

East. But it doesn't mean the Eagles are a flop this

59:11

season. In fact, they think they're gonna be very good again,

59:14

which means they're gonna get the first wild card.

59:16

See, I didn't go there.

59:17

I like to have my cake and I eat it too,

59:20

Dan, So I'm still high on those

59:22

Seahawks. I make them my number one NFC

59:24

wild card team. And I see a nice little name

59:26

next to me. Well, I'm used to it. I picked

59:28

the Seahawks too, and I filed this before, Greg, so

59:31

kissing corner. Well, I wouldn't know what you filed

59:34

kissing corner, kissing cousins.

59:36

What is it? The cousin kissing cousin?

59:39

And West West and I both were pro Kirk

59:42

cousins for a bit.

59:42

Wild card too. I have the Seahawks,

59:45

so I feel good about the Seahawks as well. Not

59:47

in the class of the San Francisco forty

59:49

nine ers, but you know, ten wins. What do

59:51

you got, Greg?

59:52

I mean, this is almost getting scary. I

59:55

mentioned on our last show. Actually they were in the NFC at

59:57

first. I left the Cowboys in the out of the playoffs.

1:00:00

This is where the emails started coming back for I had

1:00:02

him in.

1:00:02

I had him in. I was just so stupid.

1:00:04

I was trying to be too taky, like there's no reason not

1:00:06

to believe that.

1:00:07

The Cowboys are going to Winboy games. Yeah, I got the Cowboys

1:00:09

too.

1:00:09

We have the exact same again, guys are basic.

1:00:12

What do you mean? I mean, you're lockstep on

1:00:14

everything.

1:00:15

I mean.

1:00:15

But yeah, just as a weird I think we've figured

1:00:17

out how sell you what

1:00:19

like?

1:00:20

So I should pick the Cowboys not in the playoffs.

1:00:21

Give me here, we're going to disagree on this.

1:00:23

Yeah, I need you guys to disagree

1:00:26

on something.

1:00:26

I have the Falcons in the playoffs twice. Now, I picked

1:00:28

the Falcons as a wild card, and.

1:00:30

That's true wild card three.

1:00:33

I Uh, I surprised

1:00:35

myself here. I did put the lines of the

1:00:37

playoffs. I haven't a wild card.

1:00:39

Okay, so there's a lot of agreement. They're not too

1:00:41

many crazy teams here. But I'm putting the old

1:00:44

Commandos. I kind of them

1:00:46

mentioned it earlier.

1:00:48

Rivera.

1:00:49

I think that line, that defensive line. I

1:00:51

think Howell's gonna be fun. I just think they're gonna

1:00:53

have a great spirit about them and find

1:00:55

their way to ten wins. They managed to win seven or

1:00:57

eight games with Rivera these last three years despite

1:00:59

a lot of so I think they get that third wildcard

1:01:02

spot.

1:01:02

Keep his job.

1:01:03

I don't think that's crazy. I went giants.

1:01:04

I guess one thing that this isn't

1:01:07

the same level of annoyance as you

1:01:09

feel about the Falcons, but this everyone just

1:01:11

looking at last year's Giants season, and

1:01:13

I get it, maybe inflated win

1:01:15

total, they're no problem, but like, are they

1:01:17

really well coached? They have some pieces? Have

1:01:20

they added some pieces? Do they have a really defensive

1:01:23

coordinator?

1:01:23

I love?

1:01:23

Do? I love Brian Dable? Like Giants?

1:01:25

On my third te I'm glad you represented the German.

1:01:30

Yeah, who's to say they can't be building

1:01:33

off last year? Why does it have to be? You know,

1:01:35

they they are cooked in. Daniel Jones stinks

1:01:37

that that's just negative talk.

1:01:39

So there's there's so many teams that got

1:01:41

multiple except

1:01:48

so many teams including the g Man that got multiple

1:01:51

votes for that last wildcard spart it was really split.

1:01:53

But actually the team that got the most that would

1:01:55

get the in theory consensus seventh

1:01:57

spot was the Vikings among the voters.

1:02:00

That's actually I thought what I had I had emailed

1:02:02

in because I do have this weird feeling

1:02:04

about the Vikings being better than people think,

1:02:07

because everyone kind of like the Giants, and they were

1:02:09

similar in that they were both kind of very

1:02:12

fortunate in one score games in a way

1:02:14

you don't usually see. But

1:02:17

yeah, I think the Lions are better team, but probably

1:02:19

this point.

1:02:20

Saints got seven total points, Packers

1:02:22

six Bears got

1:02:25

four people voting for them

1:02:27

for the last spot. And and yes, that RAMS

1:02:29

employee mj D is one of two people to put.

1:02:32

The Rams in.

1:02:32

The Saints are the team that I had in multiple

1:02:35

different versions of this and kept taking

1:02:37

in and out, in and out, in and out.

1:02:39

So do you have the Cowboys?

1:02:40

I have the Saints out? None of us have the Saints in,

1:02:42

and Saints Twitter is going to come.

1:02:44

After us because there's.

1:02:47

Check Twitter, So mind me in a different mailbox.

1:02:49

So you have do you have the Cowboys in third place or

1:02:51

last place?

1:02:52

Second? Second?

1:02:53

No, I had him at second my second wild Cars, they

1:02:55

are the second one Commanders.

1:02:57

Commanders are in the playoffs is third place?

1:02:59

I mean I'm JD's vision here.

1:03:01

Maybe some sort of mushroom vision

1:03:04

comes to in the Rams or in the playoffs like that would

1:03:06

be one of the weirder stories after this offset.

1:03:08

Well it is.

1:03:09

It reminds me of the year coming off

1:03:11

Baker's good year in Cleveland

1:03:13

that there was like four Browns fans

1:03:15

who all picked them to make the Super Bowl or AFI

1:03:17

Championship and you were one of them Joe's kitchens.

1:03:20

Of them as well.

1:03:21

Yes, I won't make fun

1:03:23

of that because we're not done with this episode yet.

1:03:26

If you have the Cowboys, we gotta go

1:03:28

the Eagles and

1:03:30

the Commanders on the playoffs? What do you have

1:03:32

the Giants at one? In sixteen two and fifteen

1:03:34

Greg this year and it's almost like in a little bit

1:03:37

of an agenda there a little.

1:03:38

Bit I don't feel good about

1:03:41

my Giants over under

1:03:44

under that I put out there.

1:03:46

I really don't.

1:03:47

I regret it, and because I got

1:03:49

bleeped out with my one of my other

1:03:51

over unders.

1:03:53

But guess what, Oh

1:03:59

that's Greg Inner love.

1:04:03

For go ahead?

1:04:04

What is that the two of the best years

1:04:07

of my life? Forty two is already happened, forty

1:04:09

six is coming.

1:04:10

I don't know what it is.

1:04:12

Go ahead?

1:04:13

Are we doing Super Bowl picks? Can I go to him?

1:04:15

Because I know you have to bleep

1:04:17

me out here with the Chargers over

1:04:20

Under, but now we know we're going over because

1:04:22

we're putting them in the Super Bowl.

1:04:24

Let's go Bolts.

1:04:26

I'm gonna have them lose though to the I'm

1:04:28

sticking with the Eagles, so the Eagles.

1:04:30

I'm sticking with them, but they got

1:04:32

they win over the Chargers and

1:04:35

finally in the end, someone takes

1:04:37

down Justin Herbert. But Eagles,

1:04:39

Chargers two next gen quarterbacks

1:04:42

on the biggest of stages in Vegas.

1:04:44

Walker Rosenthal will be watching.

1:04:46

Wow.

1:04:47

Hopefully the Los

1:04:49

Angeles Chargers in the Super Bowl.

1:04:51

I think they're that talented. I think they are

1:04:53

a top six story.

1:04:55

That would be going from blowing a twenty seven

1:04:57

to nothing wild card playoff lead,

1:04:59

let's go and losing, Yes,

1:05:02

having what many people believe to be a coach

1:05:04

that's in and over his head, Yes, and

1:05:06

then to turn it all around, let's go

1:05:09

and.

1:05:09

Go all the way to the team, like a way

1:05:11

back when there was a team that had

1:05:14

a magnificent regular season

1:05:16

and we're completely upset

1:05:19

and stunned by the Jaguars in the playoffs.

1:05:22

The late nineties, Broncos, they came back around

1:05:24

like Shanahan the next year, devastated Gunn and

1:05:26

won the Super Bowl.

1:05:27

Is he gonna do it? I've got

1:05:29

a lock.

1:05:30

Wait, I'm not picking the Chargers to do anything

1:05:32

close with those I'm just saying that would be no, that would

1:05:34

no.

1:05:34

The Broncos not going to this.

1:05:35

Yeah, the Broncos didn't get anywhere you want mine?

1:05:37

I got the forty nine Ers.

1:05:39

Okay, taking out the Chiefs. Mmmm,

1:05:42

revenge. Finally Kyle Shanahan gets

1:05:44

it. It's gonna be brock Purty. He's

1:05:46

gonna go wire to wire. They're

1:05:49

gonna have a seventy seven yard pick six of Mahomes

1:05:51

with seconds to go the fourth quarter and win the

1:05:53

game of it.

1:05:54

Wow, you got when you get that specific

1:05:57

it is, it is sort of lost to history. I

1:05:59

feel like somewhat the Chiefs were down ten points

1:06:01

in the fourth quarter, not just.

1:06:02

Down ten points, there were down ten points

1:06:04

to the Eagles too.

1:06:05

At halftime. They have Jimmy

1:06:07

g has an open man downfield,

1:06:10

Emmanuel Sanders fourth

1:06:12

quarter. If he hits the pass,

1:06:15

it's ova Johnny. I mean it

1:06:17

is over twenty

1:06:20

four to twenty and he misses

1:06:22

him and leaves the door open for the

1:06:24

great Mahomes, who wasn't even

1:06:26

having that great game at that point.

1:06:28

All right, forty nine Ers finally get it done. That would be

1:06:30

really well in my fantasy world. Impressive

1:06:33

after being to the NFC

1:06:35

Championship Game what three out

1:06:37

of the last four years, and to keep coming

1:06:39

back.

1:06:40

That is an incredible organization. When you

1:06:42

keep getting back, you.

1:06:43

Know someone's voice I haven't heard in a while,

1:06:46

and I miss him, and I hope everything

1:06:48

was cool, because I thought

1:06:50

he would be at the Hall of Fame where

1:06:53

two Jet greats we went

1:06:55

in were inducted, and then they played the Hall of Fame

1:06:57

game against the Browns, and then I thought we'd see

1:06:59

him on heart knocks. But we did not see him on

1:07:02

hard knocks. Let's let's hear from Joe

1:07:04

Namath.

1:07:04

I think we got to ankle a shot of winning and meet

1:07:06

anybody in the world, and I think we're gonna win next Sunday.

1:07:10

Yes, name of it is on the hot seat. Most

1:07:12

of the pressure is on him.

1:07:14

He has said that the Jets are going to win. He

1:07:17

doesn't even predict him. He said, I guarantee

1:07:19

a Jet victory. Attitude

1:07:22

is a whole lot in life, and I had

1:07:24

a terrific attitude about that game.

1:07:26

I know we're gonna win. I have that attitude. I

1:07:28

feel that way, and it's not over confidence.

1:07:30

They has football sense talking

1:07:33

about guaranteeing we're gonna win.

1:07:35

Yeah, that's right. That's the way we felt.

1:07:38

That's the way we

1:07:40

felt fifty

1:07:44

five years this

1:07:47

January, Joe Name,

1:07:49

it is guaranteed Super Bowl three over

1:07:51

the heavily favored Baltimore

1:07:53

Colts, sixteen to seven win altered

1:07:56

Pro football forever. I've

1:08:01

got news for you. We're gonna win the game. I guarantee.

1:08:03

It was his quote by the pool.

1:08:06

A young Brent Musburger was there sure, amongst

1:08:10

other reporters, Aaron

1:08:13

Rodgers in twenty twenty four. Same

1:08:16

these now

1:08:19

that wouldn't be as impactful.

1:08:21

Samezas.

1:08:22

Yeah, let's see, it's the quote Aaron. Let's actually

1:08:24

we'll get an edit on that. He's

1:08:26

too well spoken for that. It's I

1:08:29

said on the Hard Knocks podcast, it's time.

1:08:32

It's been time, and

1:08:35

so many things have to happen

1:08:37

to fall into place, but it does

1:08:39

for so many other teams. The

1:08:42

Chiefs waited forever, the Eagles

1:08:44

waited forever, and it happened

1:08:47

for them. Now

1:08:49

it's time for the Jets to end. They're

1:08:52

tortured half century

1:08:54

drought. Get back to the super Bowl.

1:08:56

And if you're gonna go to the Super Bowl, winn

1:09:00

thing. You can't get to the super Bowl and not

1:09:02

win, and I think they will. The

1:09:05

guy who is the guy the on

1:09:08

Hard Knocks. He was like the guy that looked into the future

1:09:11

and he predicted the mentalists

1:09:14

predicted Jets thirty one, forty

1:09:18

nine, Ers twenty one. That

1:09:20

works for me. We

1:09:23

back baby, Jets finally

1:09:26

win the Super Bowl and Aaron

1:09:28

Rodgers was a legend to rival

1:09:30

any New York hero that's ever lived. Why

1:09:35

not us? And

1:09:37

he's out dan setting himself up. Oh

1:09:40

damn blah blah blah.

1:09:43

Often I always thought if I ever got to the Super Bowl

1:09:45

as a fan, not

1:09:47

just winning the game, I've always and

1:09:49

we've been up close for years, that fun that

1:09:51

two week break between the games and all

1:09:53

the fans have flood into the city. That's

1:09:56

part of the glory as well, Like that

1:09:58

build up to that game. I just want to experience

1:10:00

that once. Even this offseason

1:10:02

when Rogers got there at the end of April,

1:10:05

like people are saying, like Jets

1:10:07

fans are getting in over their skis and getting so excited.

1:10:10

That's okay, Like we've been able to enjoy this

1:10:12

summer and express hope and optimism.

1:10:15

But that's all in the past now now we need to see results,

1:10:18

and man, the logic

1:10:20

checks out. Now, we just need it to happen.

1:10:22

I mean, why do you do

1:10:24

all this if you don't have those two weeks,

1:10:26

If you don't have that moment. Patriots

1:10:29

fans have had it multiple times to the point where

1:10:31

it's like it all becomes almost

1:10:33

normalized on some level. I'm not speaking for

1:10:35

you, Greg, but like for a Jets fan, it

1:10:38

isn't even just you haven't been there. You've

1:10:40

been a laughing stock. You know, you have

1:10:42

to defend your team in our newsroom

1:10:44

all the time. Out at taverns and

1:10:46

bars, when people find out you're a Jets fan, they giggle

1:10:49

at you behind your back, like this would happen all

1:10:51

behind my back, right in front of your face. But

1:10:53

I actually think, after all

1:10:55

we've been throwing the show too. You've

1:10:59

done it could have been hyper annoying about

1:11:01

the Jets draining all this.

1:11:01

I don't think you have been.

1:11:02

I think you've have been kind of stoic about it. It's like that

1:11:04

would be a pretty incredible sports

1:11:07

journey, and I think the most winding, bizarre,

1:11:10

unbelievable NFL taiale that

1:11:12

I could have, I could imagine. So I would love to

1:11:14

see it your your dad, I

1:11:16

mean, give me a break. Think about not

1:11:18

just your sons, because they have a long, long time to

1:11:21

see what happens with the Jets. Like your dad has been

1:11:23

waiting and waiting. I

1:11:25

hope he'd be your guest at that game. I'm pretty sure he would.

1:11:27

Oh you know, he would be. Yes.

1:11:28

Stoic would not be the word I would use to

1:11:31

describe Dan's fandom of the Jets.

1:11:32

And I love him.

1:11:33

I mean, these couple

1:11:36

months, you haven't been, you know, going nuts and.

1:11:39

Defensive sure, yeah, I don't know

1:11:41

that. It's there's so many outcomes

1:11:43

that work against this happening that makes sense as

1:11:45

well.

1:11:45

It's one little fun subplot of this season because

1:11:47

I'm looking back there at our producer Eric

1:11:50

Roberts with his Bill's head on. Is that a Bill's

1:11:52

head yep? Old school Bills hat? And I'm thinking

1:11:54

how many of these teams in the

1:11:56

AFC feel just like

1:11:58

those Jets fans. If you look at

1:12:00

who have the best quarterbacks, long tortured

1:12:03

fan base waiting for their title. The Buffalo

1:12:05

Bills, a long tortured fan base

1:12:08

with a great quarterback. The Cincinnati

1:12:10

Bengals, who are just there, uh,

1:12:12

not a great franchise,

1:12:14

but a tortured fan base with great quarterbacks

1:12:17

the Los Angeles Chargers, who I have in

1:12:19

the Super Bowl, Like, there are a lot.

1:12:20

Of waiting

1:12:24

a long time.

1:12:24

They have had a rough road.

1:12:26

A lot of great possible stories with great,

1:12:28

great players leading them in the AFC, there's

1:12:30

got to be a lot of disappointment. But that's why

1:12:32

we're bored of the Chiefs. We got to get someone else.

1:12:34

And what's what's a little bit annoying

1:12:36

is Browns fans like and that's

1:12:39

what complicates their situation. Yeah,

1:12:41

is that that's the one fan base that feels like it.

1:12:44

You can't really feel the same way for But they made

1:12:46

their bed and they picked their quarterback

1:12:48

to try to get over the hump, but complicated

1:12:50

their situation. That

1:12:52

would be a very different two weeks. I

1:12:55

think you're right, all right, we

1:12:57

got everything.

1:12:58

I mean, yes, we famously think we're read show.

1:13:00

It's going to be about twenty minutes

1:13:02

shorter. So Mark apologized.

1:13:05

Children who are waiting note on the street

1:13:07

corners right now, I play.

1:13:09

Them this episode in full.

1:13:10

I'm an absolute professional and re

1:13:13

arrange some plans while okay, while

1:13:15

we were doing the show, I haven't had absolute.

1:13:17

Blas Really, Yes, he's like

1:13:19

Colton.

1:13:20

Remember that day I told you I taught

1:13:22

you how to drive in case of emergency,

1:13:24

Just use that legacy.

1:13:28

I don't know how exactly was.

1:13:31

Leg extenders. All right, we

1:13:34

are done for

1:13:37

today, but just starting off

1:13:39

a huge week. As we steam

1:13:42

towards the Thursday night opener between

1:13:45

the Chiefs and the Lines, we could finally stop

1:13:47

talking about what's to come and experience

1:13:50

it all

1:13:52

until.

1:13:55

I got the Hard Knocks recap finale

1:13:58

tomorrow.

1:14:00

Think Wednesday's show after that, then the

1:14:02

preview. That's all happening. Heed

1:14:04

the call.