2021 Week 12 and Thanksgiving Games Preview

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Think is great Thanksgiving really begin key, I could be
Around the NFL podcast lost turkey. Oh yes, it's Thanksgiving,

(00:23):
one of the great times on the calendar, and we
do have so much to be thankful for here on
the Around the NFL Podcast, Dan Hansas with Heroes, Greg Rosenthal,
Mark Sessler. Um, boys, how are you? It's doing wonderful,
feeling great. Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various

(00:47):
states in the United States, Canada, Granada, Granada, St. Lucia,
and Liberia fun facts. Celebrated on the second Monday of
October in Canada. So sorry, guys, we missed that fourth
Thursday of November in the US. Now, Ricky Jump in

(01:13):
annual preview show quiz Time. What is the And I
don't want to, you know, get into any culture wars here,
but I want to hear the traditional belief what was
the beginning of Thanksgiving? The beginning of Thanksgiving that people
think is that when the Native Americans and the pilgrims

(01:35):
came together, they finally shared all their food together, and
they had a big feast together and friends and happy
and everything was good and nice. All right, that's pretty good.
That's like the you know, nineteen forties to nineteen nineties
school um version of it. But after doing some further research,

(01:57):
it's it's kind of like a East coast West coast
UH nineties hip hop feud going on here between Virginia
and Massachusetts. Were you guys, Hail, Greg and Ricky and
the Massachusetts people said, you know, it started in the
sixteen hundreds. The Pilgrims came over from England, and then
they gave their food to two Native American tribes in

(02:20):
exchange for protection from another, uh Native American tribe. The
people in Virginia say it's a religious holiday, so that
is the history of it. Well, how is that a
religion or how did a religion spring up out of that?
I mean people were undreds. I mean yeah, there's so
few Jews in Massachusetts. I remember someone once asked me

(02:40):
if we celebrated Thanksgiving and it was my favorite, I
would say the number one on my Mark's favorite for sure.
All the food, and I mean food, the last I
grew up, loving my family. My wife and kids go

(03:04):
away to her parents house during this these stints where
I covered you know, these games with you guys, so
literally sits out Thanksgiving because he hates food so much.
I mean, I will allow you to say whatever you wish. Um.
I mean, it's it's not like I'm a magnetus. What
do you eat? Where are you gonna eat tomorrow? I
don't know, like an apple? I mean, I'm not I'm
not sitting around creating like mincemeat pies in my house

(03:26):
or something. No one else is literally no one else's
and by the way, everyone else seems to be meat pies.
Well whatever, fill in the blank, whatever it is. You know,
everyone's debating over like the worst side dish. It's like
chill out. It's a nice holiday. I have nothing but
opinions on food. Because he hasn't had an opinion on

(03:48):
food since he has an opinion. It's just kind of that.
It's terrible. That's the one that covers it all. That
covers it all, and I should just say the whole
Massachusetts vir Gina debate. In sixty three, two weeks before
he was assassinated, JFK made a statement striking a compromise
between the of the Rivals Era era era over three

(04:10):
centuries ago, off of fathers in Virginia and Massachusetts. Ra
Ra Ra far from home in a lonely wilderness arra arra,
set aside up Thanksgiving Arara. They will now be celebrated
to gaba arra arra. Wait a minute, what was the
era business? What was that? What was that all about? That?
That's JFK, that's what he sounded like. Um, all right,

(04:33):
A lot to get to. We got three Thanksgiving games
to preview. We have the rest of the week, holy god,
twelve games to dig into. UM and yes, since Thanksgiving, Greg,
by the way, is the traditional UM start of the
holiday season, I do have a gift for you, Like
the first gift of the holiday season comes from me,

(04:56):
the old juser to Greggy and it's from uh was
take And from the latest edition of The Power Rankings
television show, there's a segment called Player Pushback. Originally it
was William mc ginnis and Derek Carr and they it's
like a three minute segment where they pushed back on
the rankings in one way or the other. Willie after

(05:16):
like two episodes, is like he's gotten somebody's here and
said I ain't doing this anymore, and they got They got.
Mariyuchi involves Steve Mariuchi and we love Mooch and Mooch
comes on in the segment and usually just uh talks
about one of the teams in the top three and
why they're good. Uh. But you should know, uh that
the Cardinals were his subject on the latest Power rankings,

(05:36):
and he had this to say, all right, you know
they should be on the top of the list because
your record says you know who you are, right, But
you know what. The most important position in football obviously
is the quarterback, but I think the second most important
position is your backup quarterback, and your third most important
position is your third string quarterback. He even said it

(06:01):
with the little the little Chaz cast Relee pizzazz there.
You think he was doing an impression. And the fourth
most important person in your group as your quarterback coach,
and your fifth most important player on your roster is
your first thing quarterbacks mother. I mean, he's sneaky lifting
up cult McCoy as he as he should be doing.

(06:23):
So appreciate it, Culte McCoy. So that was for you, Greg,
I hope you enjoyed. I did. I did, all right.
Let's hope our new listeners who are like, what are
they talking about? Um? Just go back listen to all
our episodes and find our Charlie Casserly references from season six.
You're now probably four through eight, episode four hundred and thirteen.

(06:46):
You dug into it, um with with a distinct, you know,
exploratory vibe. All right, let's start with the Thanksgiving games
and um, just a little program note, we will be
uh delivering a mini pod it goes. We'll go up
late Thursday, Thanksgiving night, um recapping all three of the
games are about to preview. So let's get into the

(07:07):
first one. We don't need to dwell on it because
it's almost become overdone. Now how terrible these teams are
and how bad this game is. And I've already said
my piece that the line shouldn't be on Thanksgiving, but
they are, and that's just the way it is. So
you get the three and seven Browns on a five
game losing streak, with the coach halfway out the door,
going to Ford Field to face the O nine and

(07:30):
one Lions. Uh so the Lions coming off a narrow
loss to the Browns, they should have Jared goff back.
Tim Boyle was wretched uh playing or you know, the
blowhard nation was up in arms. I know that Mark
because Boil was brutal and Jared Goff should be back
in the lineup. Unfortunately, the one thing that would have

(07:50):
maybe made this game somewhat intriguing as a neutral fan
would be Justin Fields in this spot. But he ain't playing.
He's got bad ribs. So Andy Dalton is the starter.
So digging on this on Turkey Day, I mean, the
Bears have faced uh and Matt Naggy like the darkest
of the darkest timelines he could possibly be in. There

(08:12):
was literally a headline from the Associated Press Naggy denies
report of his own firing. It's like, oh, we have that.
Let's listen to poor Matagi who had to h speak
to that because of the Chicago press, Like the rest
of the people in the Midwest right now are out
for blood. You've been performed the year last game as person.

(08:35):
That is not accurate. You know, I have not um
You know, I have great communication with ownership with George
and Ted and Ryan, but I have not had any discussions.
It makes me think, um, Greg because it usually this
happens to one coach every year, and you really and
I feel like Adam Gates was kind of the guy
last year. But the guy think of the most is
Chuck Pogano And it was one of Chris Wessling's favorite quotes.

(08:59):
When I knew he was finished in Indie and the
same situation was happening before the acts fell on him,
he had a very kind of zen way of looking
at it. He refused to get kind of caught up
in the misery of it all. And he said to
the media, they can fire you, but they can't eat you,
and they can't eat that Naggie, but they will fire him,
and the rest of the city wants about as well.

(09:20):
They're kind of eating him though, Just to put this
into context. Number One, that report was from some non
sports reporter on Patch dot com. Hey, how about like
the rest of us, don't give the Patch dot com guy. Well,
I'm a former Patch alone understand sports reporter, so it's weird.
Number Two, Matt Naggy was at a football game, his

(09:43):
son's football game this week, and some kids there started
a chance to fire Naggie. That was on money, like
fire Naggi, and the the organization or the whoever runs
the game's up, you know, sent out an apology without
mentioning Naggie his name because they were trying to make
it not into a bigger story. Then it came out

(10:05):
later Tuesday. Naggie actually did meet with ownership on Tuesday.
This was after this report, and after the meeting with ownership,
he canceled meetings for the rest of the day. So
that is just leading me to the point that this
is a mercy firing. It's time to go um. Matt.
Patricia had faced these reports last year too, before Thanksgiving,

(10:28):
and they proved to be right. I think the proper
way for him to go out um is to lose
and to give Dan Campbell and all of us a
nice moment on the on Thanksgiving. Lose this game, and
that's why I'm locking up the Windlass Lions. Oh I
like that a lot. By the way, you're not You're
not the only person or a group of people locking

(10:50):
up the early Thursday game hit it. Ricky. Oh my gosh,
hello gentlemen, Nicky here again. I was out of commission
for the last two weeks. Emboided my brothers blew it
while I was gone. The Columbus Westlings are now oh
and three on the year, which means the Cincy Westlings
are a salad six and two. Speaking of the Cincy Westlings.

(11:10):
We've seen Andy Dalton on national TV enough to know
he stinks the Lions. Keep fighting, get a legendary eight
to five win on Thanksgiving over Dough Bears. Lock it up,
Good day, Happy Thanksgiving to Nick and the entire Westling family.
You guys are the best. Did this just happen? Do

(11:31):
we have to t two groups locking up the windless
Lions in late November? I unn, I mean the whole
point of locking that up is you know, that was
like a special thing to lock up a do and
nine d Even now now two of us are that's
too bad. But I believe in this DeAndre Swift led
Lions offense. Let's get it done. I mean, the Bears
have been a disaster. They've lost five straight. Um, there's

(11:54):
utter chaos unfolding. Yet it would be an even bigger
disappointment with Andy Dalton to go into the Troit and
lose this game. I know that Detroit has been frisky
in the sense of keeping it close, and you know,
four games against opponents where you can look at the
opponent and say, if you knew before the season, you
think the lines will be better than they were. But
I look at the Bears and say you still have

(12:16):
Robert Quinn, you still have Roquan Smith, who was insane
last week against Baltimore. I mean, if he had a
career high seventeen tackles all over the place, and Andy
Dalton was not a disaster in that game. I it
sounds like you're not gonna Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney is
making plays. But this is the better team. If you
can't beat if you cannot beat the Tyler Huntley, read

(12:37):
Lead Ravens, and that team is in all those players.
They stink Chicago. I mean, yeah, I'm not. I think
it's good to both sides of this. I I get you, Mark,
and there are players that have been favorite. Yeah, they're
certainly heavily the Bears in this game. They SAPs on defense.
It's a short turnaround. I kind of think Dalton gives

(12:58):
them maybe a slightly better chance. Maybe that's heretical to say, um,
but I'm in too deep now. They just wanted to
faith in Jared Goff, who they also, by the way,
had net seventy seven yards passing in that Steelers game too.
It wasn't just Tim Boyle. When's the last time a
team had seventy seven yards passing two games in a row.
I mean this, this might shock you, but I don't

(13:18):
really have that much faith in the Lions. I'm just
having some fun here. The middle game, the bank is
giving up on the locks. That's what's happened. Well. The
Las Vegas Raiders five and five, riding a three game
losing streak out of there by good job Boys travel
to Jaral World to face the Cowboys, who have lost
two of three, including that disappointing nineteen to nine loss

(13:41):
to the Chiefs at Arrow Head. Uh. This game sets
up extremely well, uh for the Cowboys, given how poorly
Vegas is playing and has played for the better part
of a month. However, Amari Cooper is not playing because
he got COVID and did not get vaccinated, and Jerry

(14:03):
Jones gave him some public grief for that UH this week,
saying it's a team sport and that was not a
team decision. Uh. And Amari Cooper as of this taping,
UH is still working his way back from a concussion
on a short week, so the Dallas offense could be shorthanded. Uh, Greg,
do you have concerns about dak post cash strain at

(14:25):
all to two of his worst three games of the season. Certainly,
I think Tyrone Smith being out was a huge part
of that, but he also just missed throws and he
he was like the opposite of poised and understanding what
the defense was sending him in two of those games,
which was surprising. Um. You know you mentioned Seedee Lamb
might not play. He's trending towards playing, and so is

(14:45):
Tyrone Smith. And that makes me think that they can
cover this seven points spread here because the Raiders just
aren't pulling off any big plays over the last three weeks. Yeah.
I mean the splits for Dak Prescott with and without
Tyrone Smith, the lineup or noticed are are notable, um,
and gets huge to have them back. Um. You know
they were eating up by the past Rush a week ago.

(15:07):
But I when I watched the Raiders, you know, I
was gonna block up the Bengals, um or the the
Steelers over the Bengals. And when I watched what Cincinnati
did to Las Vegas, I changed my mind entirely because
that game was close at the end. Um, I just
look at the Raiders team that I think beyond the
off the field, Uh, you know, tragedy of it all.
Losing Henry Ruggs in the offense has really allowed defenses

(15:31):
to basically put everything on Darren Waller. And there was
a terrible car pick against the Bengals late in the game.
I think it was twenty two to thirteen where he
floated it to Waller and it was just taken away.
And it's like they just don't have a lot of
other weapons on that team. They're depleted. Their run game
isn't very good. They've got three offensive lineman who ranked
in the bottom ten percent of performance by PFF right now.

(15:53):
I think they're missing Richie Incognito. They just, you know,
it's like it isn't the same as the other Raiders
collapses necessarily, but they're falling apart. And when you get
Derek Carr mistakes um tacked onto the depleted roster, I
don't think they can survive. And this is you know,
I don't I can't believe we're back in a Cowboys
bounce back spot. But this is a great bounce back
spot for Dallas. You know, I think this is a

(16:16):
very important final six, seven game stretch here for Derek Carr.
Also because I think we all saw how well he
played Um in the first two months of the season,
but he he's kind of gonna find himself back in
the same place if this season spirals and goes completely south. Um,
because I think you're seeing with Ryan Tannehill and Nashville

(16:39):
as well, where he's a quarterback. He was a very
good quarterback, but he's lost pieces around him. And then
you know, he threw four interceptions last week, and you wonder, oh,
is he a type of guy that gets exposed a
little bit when he doesn't have the right supporting cast
around him. Car is gonna have to answer that. I think, Um,
if this offense doesn't get going again, if he truly
is you know, a top twelve, uh, you know, back

(17:02):
into the top ten quarterback quarterback, then he will get
this offense going again. If he doesn't, I think it's
very telling at the stage of his career. I mean,
he's he's not transcendent. I don't think he's been the
biggest problem over the last few weeks. He's thrown some
bad plays once they were down a couple of scores late.
Other than that, he's kind of looked similar. I just
think it's problem. It's some regression to the mean from

(17:24):
his play. We've seen him enough that probably wasn't going
to keep it that level. And I think it's a
lot of regression from the offense just generally. I don't
think you can put it all on rugs. We've seen
other teams lose pieces, they don't collapse like this. I
guess my point would be every quarterback is a function
of the players around him. Tom Brady Um was getting
his grave was being danced on at the end of
ten because the players around him were so bad. Like

(17:45):
no one thought he was a top ten quarterback. We
were like joking on this podcast of what a joke
he was essentially Um And now he's back to being
like the number one quarterback in the league because he's
got a great surrounding situation. That's all. Oh, or is
this say Greg nothing really matters response? In general? I'm saying,
maybe there's three or four quarterbacks who could survive, you know,

(18:07):
and it's just kind of regression to the mean. I
think he's having a very good season and actually hasn't
played that bad over the last couple of weeks. His
problem is so then put it this way, because you
were leading the charge about how great Derek Carr was
earlier this season above anyone else really, uh in the
national media, I kinda can state I think that is
he just the same Derek Car Then ultimately this isn't

(18:27):
a better version of the players. He's the same guy
has always been and now that his players are gone,
he's gone. Is like a real functional, high level quarterback.
I think he can't overcome what's around him now and
that him playing at that level was was unsustainable for
just anyone but for another contract with if he like
I get that, you can say that's every quarterback, But

(18:50):
I can't equate Derek Carr with Tom Brady. I hear you.
I guess I'm just saying, like, who hasn't fallen victim
to that this year to some degree, like Josh Allen
is playing much worse, like I, I just haven't looked
He's not gonna overcome his surroundings. He did for five
or six or seven weeks, and that that probably was
not the real Derek Carr. That's a fair point. The

(19:12):
three games out of the bye for the Raiders at
Giants sixteen points, home against Kansas City fourteen points home
against Cincinnati thirteen points. So uh, you know, they gotta
show up against Alice and Michael Parsons, who's playing at
a level that's maybe even transcending defensive player there. He
could be in the defense defensive Rookie of the Year,
I should say it could be entering into defensive Player

(19:34):
of the Year territory, especially with a big performance in
an Island game on Thanksgiving, which takes us to the
final game on Thursday. After this, the Buffalo Bills panic
in the streets of Orchard Park after at fifteen thumping
at the hands of the Colts on Sunday. Now they

(19:57):
head to the Superdome UH to face a Saints team
that has not won UH since Halloween and Mark this
is This is kind of a tough one because, you know,
it makes sense that the Bills if you think the
Bills are a team that is going through things, but
ultimately it is very talented and well coached and understands
the stakes of a game like this. They should go

(20:18):
to New Orleans and take care of business. But there's
been so much evidence over the past month or so
that there's something really wrong here. Where do you come
down on this one? Well, I would say this that
the Saints have been one of the feistiest, more enjoyably watchable,
tough nosed teams around, but they are struggling right now.
I like this spot for Buffalo just based on health alone.

(20:39):
I mean, you've got it's Alvin Kamara's probably not happening,
mark Ingram's not practicing. Ryan Ramscheck is not around right now.
Toron Armstead will see on him, but even his backup
land and Young has has not missed practiced this week.
So they are the season he broke his foot. They're
about as banged up as possible. And we I think
last the last couple of weeks. What we see with

(21:00):
the Saints is they're pushing as hard as they can
to stay in these games. But two weeks ago, um
killer mistakes down the stretch. It happened this past week
the floor starts to fall out. Um. Yeah, Buffalo is
back and forth, but but I think they're clearly the
better team and it would be kind of stunning to
see them fall in this situation. To Trevor Simeon that said,

(21:20):
the only thing that I kind of feel, and this
is has nothing to do with next gen stats or
anything else. I just see visions of like a totally celebratory,
um super Dome on fire, lathered up on Thanksgiving night,
and maybe sometimes things like that can happen where the
Bills get lost to the moment a little bit. But
that's not a logic base, that's just sort of a dream, right.

(21:40):
I was ready to pick the Saints to win this
game because of that, because I think I think they've
been so mentally tough, and I think their defense has
a chance to have a great game against Buffalo, who
has been all over the place. The Bills have the
highest variants of any team in the history of football outsiders,
so just they're putting a number on it. But basically
they are literally the most inconsistent team they've ever recorded.

(22:04):
That they're good, games are insanely good, and they're bad.
Games are insanely bad, which which passes the eye tests.
And the Saints could could win a game like that
if they had their guys, But they went over the
cliff last week in terms of injuries. Like it was
cute too, like Trevor Simeon and Sean Payton's cooking up
plays and like, yeah, that all makes sense when you
have to all pro tackles and Alvin Kamara with the

(22:24):
worst collection of skill position talent on the outside of
any team in the NFL. Now you just have the
least talented offense in the NFL period. Maybe armsteads back,
but it doesn't sound like Camara's ingram might be out
that Marcus Davenport has been their best defensive line it
might be out too on. Even so, even if you
get like a great defensive effort, this is this is it,
I would I would rank them thirty two of thirty

(22:46):
two teams in terms of offensive talent, Like where that's
a lot to overcome. Yeah, without those three times, where
would you have ranked up at the start of the year,
Because I'd say start of the year they were still
in the twins. Yeah, I would say they were in
the twenties. But you when you have to all tackles
and a really good center and Alvin Kamara and a
great coach, it's like they were finding ways to get
it done. And now I just I don't think anyone

(23:07):
could get to coach up for seventeen straight games. At
some point, it's, you know, talent's got to take over.
If the Saints, um, you know, can make it happen,
because notoriously they never seemed to have a lot of
salary cap space. Maybe that's changing. I haven't checked in
on there. I haven't checked there, like sixty overgoing into
next yeah me, because I was gonna say, they make
so much sense as a team that would have a

(23:29):
really hyper aggressive offseason beefing up that offense, but perhaps
financially that is not an option. But then they will
use the draft obviously um to add pieces because yeah,
with Kamara out there, ordinary if you take Ingram out,
who's got a bad knee and he's he didn't practice
on Tuesday after practicing Monday, which is not a great sign. Uh,

(23:52):
then you really get into a dark place. So I
think there's this situation here where I think Buffalo can
not necessarily overcome their offensive issues but still win like
a seventeen to ten type game. But I think uh
Bills fans might be sweating this one out. And if
you look at their schedule, man, you know, they had
a great win way back in Week five on October

(24:13):
t they beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead thirty and that
was the fourth straight win. They had beaten the Texans
forties before that, blown out Washington Miami before that, and
they were, you know, pretty much seen as the best
team in the a f C. Since then, they lose
the Tennessee By by a field goal thirty one, they

(24:36):
hit their by, they beat Miami, and they beat the
Jets Miami when they were at their lowest, and they've
lost to Jacksonville in Indianapolis. Uh So there's just not
been a lot of signature wins for this team in
quite a long time. So the concern, if you're his
Bills fan, is real. But I'm also I'm not ready
to jump off ship here. I think this is a
team that it's all there, they just need to put

(24:57):
it together. I think that in this game, even a
week go, you know, they're being called the best team
in the a f C. And well that's by default
though that's because the a f C is so weird,
right right, But default doesn't exist at this point in
my mind. For me, I like, I'll I'm find crowning
no one with that title this moment. But they were
like embarrassed by the Cults. They knew what the cults

(25:17):
were gonna do with the Cults just went and did
it to them. Um, yeah, we're you know. Their defense
was was a non factor it was a negative factor.
I just to me, I totally see what Greg is
saying about the variance. When they're lad, they look completely
unprepared for prime time on any level. Well, they're very
lightweight team just in general. They are light fast defense.
And you do look at the a f C and

(25:38):
you look at the other teams in it Tennessee, New England, Baltimore,
Cleveland if they got there, these are power running teams,
and I think that could be a problem for for
the Bills and some matchups Colts. All right, let's start
the draft. Let's get into it. Mark, you have the
first overall pick. Well, I'm going to go with the

(26:00):
game that just this is what I did last week
and it it delivered one of my favorite um weeks
of the season. I'm just gonna go after simply what
I enjoy the most, and it's Minnesota at San Francisco.
I think it is arguably the game of the week
to me. I mean this, by the way, this week
is special Week twelve. It is the first time in

(26:21):
NFL history were nine games feature one five plus team
versus another five hundred plus team in Week twelve or
beyond that, we've waited for a week like this, so
let's see if it delivers or if it's history in
the making. Have history in the making, yes, but I
think with the Vikings, you know at this point having
to go to San Francisco, that would scare me in

(26:42):
the past. What we are seeing right now is a
Vikings team playing at the height of their powers. Watching
that Green Bay Minnesota game was a total delight. And
justin Jefferson, I don't know what else we can say
about what he's showing on tape. Who he is. He
is one of the more fascinating athletes around today, and
that they've used the past two games to focus on

(27:04):
him to such a degree it changes who they are.
It's changed Kirk Cousins, Greg, this is notable to you
that Mike Zimmer. They asked, what is going on with
Kirk Cousins. Are you happy with him being as aggressive
as he is? And he said yes. He said, also,
our relationship has changed. Greg has been tracking the Cousins
Zimmer relationship all season. It has obviously been fraught. They

(27:25):
seem at times to be hugging slash punching each other
at the same time. But Zimmer, I think is on
board with what's happening, and they they can play this way,
they can beat anyone in the league, and I'm willing
to say they can probably lose to a lot of
teams too, if you get the old version of the vikings.
But what I also find appealing is that you are
getting the Niners right now at the height of their power,
and their season is still hanging in the balance, around

(27:47):
the fringe of the NFC playoff race, but very much
alive if they took this game or next. The way
they've been running the ball um eating up forty minutes
of time of possession a week, They've been utterly dominant.
And it wasn't just the Jaguars, it was over the ram.
And you've got Deebo Samuel, who's gonna want to go
do what Davonte Adams did to Xavier Woods a week ago.
But Deebo Samuel so versatile that he led the team

(28:07):
in rushing a week ago, he led them in receiving
two weeks ago. I think this, to me is the
greatest game out through this week. I'm all board, I'm
all about it. It makes sense to me you had
to take this now because it's the team of zeus
til versus a team of Sestio. I think, yeah, this
wasn't making it back around, kind of kind of like
your your second teams that that you both enjoyed watching

(28:31):
an impossible game to pick. I love it. I don't
necessarily think it's a I see San Francisco's favorite, which
surprised me just because I don't know. I know, but
like they haven't been good at home. I know they
were last week, and I just feel like Minnesota has
shown more this season than the Niners. But I guess

(28:52):
you just gotta put a lot into what's happened the
last couple of weeks. It's a great matchup, and I
do I do want to see quietly Jimmy g has
put together is his longest run of solid play. I
know he had a terrible miss on that twenty play
drive it should have been a touchdown, but in general,
he's been better and he's staying on the field. Um.
I love how they're using Deebo Samuel Um. That is

(29:14):
excellent usage of him. But yeah, I think the Vikings
are just a team that you know, no matter what
happens here, this isn't gonna be a blowout. They've now
shown that this is who they are. They are going
to score points. They're going to have stretches where perhaps
the offense goes cold and the defense UH struggles that
lets teams back in games. And I think that's what
makes them so fun, that they always are involved in

(29:37):
UH high scoring affairs and they always give the other
team a chance to win it. So I think this
is not a game that I would lock as much
as I like the Vikings, because they just haven't earned
the trust of the lock. But at the same time,
I do like their chances because I still think they
are as good as anybody in the NFC UM right now.
I have them number ten in the power rankings at

(29:58):
five and five, which again speaks to what's going on
in the league right now more than anything else. That
there's the parody is so strong the season, but that
is my feeling. I'm all in on the Bikes. I
like him, but I don't trust them. Well, I don't
trust them this week too, because that's you know, an
emotional division win, big game. You go on the road

(30:19):
and you're gonna be missing two starters I assume on
the defensive line, one Dalvin Tomlinson, who's probably their best
run stopper is out. And then Everson Griffin who was
involved in a incident which required police, which is still
unfolding as we're taping this, but he posted some messages
on social media that we're disturbing and he was afraid

(30:40):
that people were and shoot him. So he's had mental
health scares before and this seems very serious and you
obviously just hope he's okay. But just like in terms
of the matchup, those two guys being gone versus a
San Francisco offensive line that's just killing it. Um p
F noted, like Trent william says, the highest grade of

(31:01):
any run blocker in history of them grading right now
he is, I mean an epic season. They also are
number one in e p A expected points um you know,
per play. Since the moment that Kyle Shanahan was on
the fence about starting Jimmy Garoppolo, the moment where I
think he would have gone to Trey Lance actually was

(31:22):
after that Colts game, but Tree Lance wasn't healthy enough
to play that week. Remember, he was like they asked him,
and he was like, I would guess. So when they
when he asked if Jimmy g would start but tree
Lance wasn't ready that week, and since then their number
one in E p A with these long, slow drives
that gets Marco and and it is fun to watch.
It is funny though, to think of this matchup as like,
you know, it's Kyle versus the one that got away.

(31:43):
You know, he's watching this Kirk Cousins having his best
season ever tape and being like, man, if we had
that guy, we'd win the super Bowl. He was so
fascinated with Husins for so long and he never got
I mean, Cousins would do this in spurts, but right
now you're getting like an unbridled bad boy version of
Kirk Cousin that, uh, he's winning me over. I used
to the Packers had like held onto either of those

(32:06):
interceptions that he almost threw, and I thought he played
a really good game overall. But then just like the
story is different coming out of that. And that was
why Zimmer was asked about it, because Kirk Cousins said
after the game, maybe I shouldn't have been so aggressive,
and and Zimmer's whole thing was and now you're getting
the sense maybe it's more about Kirk than the offense.
Zimmer said, like We've been telling him to be aggressive
all season, like we want him to keep taking those

(32:27):
shots and throw it to Jefferson will be better off
that way. That sports. I know what you're saying. I
saw other people saying, Oh, it wasn't a great game
by Cousins. That was a good game. The way it works,
it's the way it works. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes
you don't. Um they're attacking downfield and that's made the
offense so much better. All right, Greg, You're up next.
I am, and I'm gonna take the the Homer pick.

(32:51):
I'm taking Titans. I'm taking Patriots. I'm taking Vrabel versus
the man who taught him how to set an edge,
Bill Belonship. H Uh. The Titans are so weird. It's
someone noted in like their last eight games, the team
that had left fewer yards you know, one six of
those eight. They just have these bizarre games like they

(33:11):
did a week ago, and a lot of times they
were coming out on top of these games where they
would look like they were outplayed and then they'd win
the game. I just think they're in a similar situation
right now. If A. J. Brown is out as we're
taping this we don't know. But not only do you
lose a j Brown, Marcus Johnson, who had stepped up
nicely in Julio jones absence, is out for the season. Um.

(33:32):
This team is so injured that they're doing walkthroughs on Wednesdays,
which is you know, some teams do that, but it's unconventional.
But in Brabel doesn't want to do that. He just
is saying, we're so injured right now, we really can't
hold like a full practice. And I think what is
helping to um come out now that Henry is not
there is that their past protection stinks. It's one thing

(33:54):
for Tannehill to try to carry this team without the players,
but this is one of the worst offensive lines in
the entire league in terms of protection, and that's like
a big change from previous years. And I think this
is a Patriots team on defense with actual pass rushers
that can take advantage of bad offensive lines more more
than any Patriots team I've seen a while. This is
a terrible spot for the Titans. I mean, it is

(34:16):
really bad. They you know, they're still in good shape
and that division to keep an eye on the cults
here surging Um. The fact that they are missing these players,
the fact that they have a bit of an identity
crisis post Derrick Henry, the fact that the Patriots get
after you as a quarterback in Tannehill just came off
that game where he's throwing the ball to the other
team repeatedly when they had chances to get back in

(34:38):
that game. I just think this is a bad, bad
timing for the Titans. I'm locking up the Patriots here.
I think this is uh, this is a game that
they are going to continue to roll. They will roll
into Orchard Park at eight and four and in first place,
because I think they're catching the Titans at the exact
right time. And the Titans, if they are fortunate enough

(34:58):
to make the playoffs, which they taught probably will if
they're healthy and they see New England again, maybe even
up in Foxboro, I might feel differently about the game,
but right now I think this is a really well
set up situation for Belichick and friends. Yeah. I mean
one of the biggest non stories of the season was
Adrian Peterson, who was let go by the team. And
I hear you that the Saints on paper right now

(35:21):
look like the worst offense, But the Titans are getting
close with the bodies they're putting out there, and I like,
who do you trust the most in this contest? I'm
looking at the Patriots defense that week to week is
throttling people left and right, and on offense, just keep
running the ball and get you know, lower mistakes from
Matt from Matt Jones than what the Titans offer. And
we're good here. I mean this this really there's no

(35:43):
excuse for New England not to win this thing. Great.
I don't totally dismiss the Titans in this game because
their defense and Rabel's coaching has earned such a great
benefit of the doubt. I'm surprised the Patriots are almost
a touchdown favored in this game. It's keeps going up.
It's up to six and a half, which I you know,
I I think I think it would be, but now
it wasn't earlier. And it's just people. People see these

(36:06):
injuries and they're and they're worried about. And yet I
don't feel entirely comfortable because I do think the Titans
have something you can't measure. They're also the team I
think that helped rebuild this entire Patriots organization when they
beat up on the Patriots in that game, not that
Tom Brady was necessarily coming back, but in that playoff
game a year and a half ago, I think Bill
Belichick left and hated the fact that the Titans were

(36:28):
like the bigger, stronger, more physical team, better looking team
coming off a bus. Not that Tom Brady would be
there now. But you look at the way the Patriots
are built now, big dudes. I think they're so different
with Trent Brown in the lineup to they're just a
mawelling group upfront, but on both sides, it's like they're
they're trying to be like the Titans, and I think
right now they're a little better version of what One

(36:48):
little thing on Trent Brown and is it just me? Um,
he looks like an adult baby to me, Like he
looks like he has a baby's head on an adult body.
I'll leave the comment right there, but I whenever he
is unhelmeted, is my takeaway on his appearance. I see
where you're going quote. Can we get that quote to
Trent Brown? Well, it's, by the way, that's not to
suggest that he's not a good looking man. It's just

(37:10):
that he he has sort of a baby is face.
That's not I mean, there's a difference between saying somebody
has a baby face, like a Zach Wilson type and
saying he actually looks like he has a baby's head. Well,
i can't win on this show today, but I'm not
trying to kill the guy just said. It is an
observation that I've made, and you know, it is not
an attack on anyone. I wouldn't argue. And yet I

(37:31):
also would never say that if I knew Trent Brown
could possibly hear it. He is six eight, he is
three hundred and seventy five pounds, and yet he is
faster than all of us. That that is quite a combination.
It's stunning to me, though, that I see a baby's
head on top of a six ft eight body. So,
you know, every day, just that the streets are rumbling

(37:53):
with my you know, insanely, which powers about whichever team
I lock, other one wins. And I feel like I should,
you know, use this time to lock the Titans. But
I am actually so afraid of this game that I'm
I'm actually afraid, okay, but it's working every week when

(38:16):
you lock against True and but I just feel so
bad for Justin and you know, but Dan, I love you.
You you picked the Patriots, So I just feel like
it's fair if I locked the Titans. You know that
that always that leads to good things for the person

(38:37):
on the other side of the ledger. Another lockoff between
Ricky and I. All right, let's hit pause here, we'll
be right back. All right, let's move on. I will
grab a eight game the Rams at the Packers. Yeah,
I want to see this all, you know, after the
Rams hit the bye week, and the whole thing about
the Rams is they can't even tackle anybody. They're so soft.

(38:57):
There's a week and I wonder if Sean McVeigh is
a great head coach. Uh didn't clip off a few
of those conversations that have been had in the mainstream
media about how the Rams aren't a real rugged team,
They're not a real football team. They're not gonna be
able to handle it uh in the crucible of the
playoffs and all that stuff. I mean, I feel like
that's pretty good motivation. UH. And now you get a
test right off the bat. You go to lambeau Field

(39:20):
to face the Packers. UM, and I just think, this is,
this is a great game, and this is and I know,
right now, uh, you look at the NFC and the
Cardinals are deservedly so seen as the best team in
that conference. But I wonder if at top gear, if
the two best teams still ultimately are the Rams and Packers,

(39:41):
and whether it will play out that way in January.
And I'm just throwing it out there as a possibility
that that these teams have that ceiling to be playing
in the NFC title game. So I kind of see
that as potential preview of that. I think this is
another coin flip game. It's gonna be a lot of
fun to see it. And if you're a Rams fan,
you want to see Matthew Stafford rise to the challenge

(40:02):
here after a couple of down weeks and go toe
to toe with Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Rodgers with a bad toe,
by the way, so you got two healthy toes against
one healthy toe advantage Los Angeles. I just I'd also
think toe or not. Aaron Rodgers last week looked insane.
I thought one of the best games I've seen him
playing a long time. I mean some of the throws

(40:22):
he was making, the one across his body to Josiah
Degra for his first touchdown ever was wild. I mean
just that he was all over the place. But if
you're Matthew Stafford, if you're Cooper Cup, if you're Sean McVeigh,
you have to also like what the Vikings did to
that defense, You've got to think there's opportunities there. I thought,
Sean McVeigh, who is you know? I thought after that
Super Bowl loss, we were at the combine, Sean McVeigh

(40:45):
was up on the Good Morning Football Risers doing an
interview with Peter Schraeger and friends, and like, to me,
it just seemed like it's still haunted him. There was
something gone in his swagger, and you know he's gotten
it back here and there. But after that loss to
the Niners and going to to the bye week, his comments,
where I thought, is telling and desperate and humbled as
i've heard a coach at least from him at all.

(41:07):
And I mean, I think that they probably are coming out,
to your point, Dan, hyper determined to reverse the narrative
that they are that they're a soft team inside this
NFC playoff race. I don't buy that. I don't think
any of us truly do. We're talking about guys like
Aaron Donald, but they were pushed around. Legitimately, this is
not this kind of The Packers aren't going to do
it to you the same way as those teams might have.

(41:29):
But this is a dangerous scenario because if they suddenly
dropped this game the Rams, a lot of questions are raised.
I think the Packers like have something about them that
you can't quite measure this season, you know, whether you
wanta called mojo or camaraderie, I don't know what it is.
Like They've won in such tough situations, and I think
that does build up over the course of the season.

(41:49):
I don't know if the Rams have had that. Like
the Rams seem worse than their numbers, the Packers seemed
better than their numbers. And yet this week, even if
I like the Packers better long term, is a nice
week to catch Green Bay, who's kind of limping to
their bye week. They have one of these late buys, Jenkins.
Elton Jenkins is out for the season. We know Bactr
had a setback in his knee recovery and he had

(42:10):
another surgery, and they still hope he's going to come
back this season, but it's not for this game. So
the offensive line is very thin, and yet I'm with you, Mark,
like that that Rogers performance was at like a warning
to the rest of the NFC, because I thought that
was the best game he had all the season. It's
been like Aaron Rodgers game manager all year, and that
was just like Aaron Rodgers v I don't give an

(42:30):
the last the last four possessions, he threw four touchdowns
and like it was one of those things where the
Vikings only chance was that the clock played out the
way it did and they had the ball last and
they kept Rogers off the field. So yeah, I think
that's that's gonna be a fun to watch. I mean
he did. He did pump it up um the serious
nature of the toe issue um after the game, so

(42:52):
I guess it is worth watching. But it certainly didn't
seem to bother him in that game. It seems like
Mason Crosby has ten injured toes to me, But no,
that's a whole different conversation. Know, he's only on that team.
Let's face it, he's been so bad. He's only on
a team because of the relationships he's established there with
Aaron Rodgers and the trust he's earned over being as
good as he's been overall in his career, but he's

(43:13):
become a major liability for them. You wonder if it's
at this point the auditioning for kickers has to be
one bad game away at this point. Um, all right,
this draft really set up well here, UM, I will
grab and I will run to Tampa Bay at Indianapolis.

(43:34):
Um in the early window. Great, great game the Bucks
on Monday night. Uh, really it was clinical. It was
exactly the type of win that you want. They started
six and one, they hit that bump in the road
with back to back losses. They hit the by and
then come back and just take care of a Giant's

(43:54):
team that was totally lost. And we'll get to the
Giants and the Jason Garrett news when we get to
their game. But Tampa was just more of the same.
I thought that they're just taking care of business, biding
their time. They're gonna get there, you know, eleven, twelve,
thirteen wins, and then we'll be see you in January
and they're gonna they'll be ready to roll barring any
serious injury. I feel so good about them on a

(44:16):
week to week basis, even with the somewhat recent struggles. However,
they go to Indianapolis and face a Cults team that
fears nothing, fears no God right now because they have
the most unstoppable player in the league at this time
unless you, you know, want to go on Justin Jefferson
corner um. Jonathan Taylor is such a beast and it

(44:37):
will be a great challenge. I don't know where Vidavea is.
It sounds like he he sounds like he's gonna play.
He's such an important part of their run defense and
really everything that Tampa does. But Taylor has I believe,
eight straight games now with over one yards from scrimmage.
He was completely unstoppable in Buffalo. So you have a
great Bucks team, a champion on the road against the

(44:59):
Colts team that's feeling itself pumping in my veins with
the fourth over. Yeah, that's a great one. It's it's
too really good run defenses. The Colts are top two
I think right now in the in the Bucks are
always great, but doesn't feel like one matters more than
the other. It's like, yeah, if if you stop the
Bucks riding so hot, you know, if if if the
Bucks doesn't matter, if you can slow down Jonathan Taylor running,

(45:22):
then then they're in big trouble, even a guy as
good as Jonathan Taylor. To me, it's football. It's like
he's partly a function of his surroundings. Early in the season,
the offensive lines totally banged up. He's pretty much held
in check the first month of the year. Now that
like the numbers show that he's not getting touched before
contact sometimes until four yards per carry per play, which

(45:46):
is insane. It's like two yards more than any other team.
It's because that offensive line is playing so well, and
and he's the most talented, i think, best pure runner
that there is in terms of making people missbreaking tackles,
going long, so that combination is unstoppable. I don't think
the Cults will be one of those teams like the
Patriots are and other teams that that look at the
Bucks and they're like, oh, we're not gonna run. They're

(46:06):
still going to try to run. It's just like, who's
going to be better. Well, it was a week ago
we were talking about Buffalo's defense and how you know
the railroad probably stopped at that point for Indy. Andy
went and said, we're just gonna continue to do it
more and more, and they blew the doors off of Buffalo.
You know, on the blocking front, Nate Tice had to
I thought he was pointed out very in good fashion.
How Jack Doyle has been a huge part of that

(46:28):
as well for Jonathan Taylor. They they are suddenly this
team that I think could beat anyone in the A
f C. I mean, they look phenomenal. I don't know
if it's a Hard Knox HBO type of spiritual metaphysical
bump they're receiving, but it's real, and it's the rare
game where I feel like Tom Brady, this doesn't happen.
It's not really the A storyline. It is Jonathan Taylor

(46:49):
and the one thing I knowed about the Bucks, and
when they get hot, they get hot, so who cares.
But they have been huge variance wise in home and
away splits. They're scoring fifteen fewer points per game on
the road and allowing eleven more points per game away
from Raymond James Stadium. It's been happening all year long.
So from that angle, I kind of like the idea

(47:09):
that the Colts just can keep doing what they're doing
and say, come bring it, Tom Brady, but we're gonna
bring something back your way too. You got a disguise
stuff though defensively, and they can do it more than
the Giants did Monday night. I know we didn't get
a chance to recap that game, but it's crazy just
how well Brady is moving right now. And I swear,
and maybe it's just like memory, I'm maybe I'm wrong.

(47:31):
I swear I've watched every Brady started his career right
and like he moves better now than he did in
two thousand one. There's just no question. People joke about
that twelve yard game head which was all fired up
about like he is faster now I think than he
was in O one oh three oh four, and he's
absolutely as good in terms of moving around in the pocket.
It's it's insane. He's the m D p F. Jonathan

(47:53):
Taylor him. Wow, that's strong. Um, I guess I would.
I'm dubious. I would like this take the stop Watch
out one or twenty four verse forty four. But at
the same time, like man who knows he's he's obviously
put in a lot of work. Um, I think maybe
what makes him seem more nimble is just how much

(48:14):
he uh you know, dominates in terms of the mental
side of things and his ability to quickly react more
quickly than most quarterbacks, knowing when to now flee the
pocket or when to step up. He just everything is
in slow motion for Brady obviously, um and he just
seems more nimble as a result. I don't know, it's
it's it's obviously one of the great uh medical marvels

(48:35):
in the history of professional sports in our country. About
that taking it up a notch? All right, great game,
we love it. Let's pick that game. What the hell
I took the bucks on? No old the NFL dot
com slash game picks do it? By the way? In
that in general, are you're having as it has to
be a very difficult season to pick games obviously, I
mean it's hard to not great against the spread? Is

(48:58):
like six or seven over, which is which is not
great but not terrible either. What's like industry average? Are
you in that in the I have no idea. I'm
sure my my straight up picks are probably badly against
the spread. I would think average would be close to five.
I'm slightly above that. Nothing. Who's killing you? Who's killing
you week after week? The team that every time you
pick them to cover, they don't? I think that I

(49:22):
like gave up on the Eagles right when they became good,
after having way too much faith in them for a while.
I mean, if you finished without a troubling record at
the end of the season, what happens in house? Does
you know? Ali bun Pori? Yeah, you're taking you on
the hand or something. You're taking over. You've got it
next time? Why you get two columns instead of on? Um?
All right, let's move on, Gregg. It has worked its

(49:45):
way back to you after the snake slithers away. All right,
I'll take the remaining late game on the docket. That's
Chargers Broncos and what are you gonna do? You know?
Two teams I don't have any feel for whatsoever, like
to total old disappointments, Um. Two defenses that are very
similar in their strengths in which they don't really have

(50:07):
right now, in their weaknesses which are built in Brandon's
Daley got to where he is because of Vick Fongio.
Came from a small college school to work for him
in Chicago, uh, and then in Denver too, So he's
been on this Bronco staff. Brandon's Dalely, it's amazing how
quickly like his career rose he was like a linebackers

(50:27):
coach a couple of years ago, and their defenses are
both terrible. And I trust Justin Herbert more in this
game than I do Uh Teddy, of course, but I
kind of just expect both offenses to win. I expect
it to be a high scoring game. You can't fall
here if you're if you're l A, you can't. You can't.
This is your six and four. You'd be seven and

(50:50):
forward put you in a great spot. You've got the
Bengals and Giants after that, and then you're often running.
And like Justin Herbert, which we we we watched with
our eyes live on Sunday night. I mean, I think
it's not just his arm, it's what he did with
his legs in that game. He he is someone that's
going to challenge Denver in every possible way. And I
kind of love these coaches when they know each other
this well, and it is mentor verse, you know, pupil

(51:11):
versus teacher. Um. You know that these things don't always
amount to much, but it's kind of spicy going in.
I think it's you might be trying to project that
into the world. The Broncos can engage in a shootout, Greg,
I don't know. I know l A wasn't overly impressive
on defense. I mean, the Steelers just engaged in a shootout. Yeah,
but Broncos are an above average offense or an average

(51:33):
offense just by the numbers they put thirty on the
Cowboys a few weeks ago. I just mean, like anyone
can get in a shoot out with this Chargers defense
right now. I know that. But if you look at
even the game last week against Pittsburgh, Um, some of
those drives weren't exactly marathon marches down the field for Pittsburgh.
I know they were able to tally up points. Um.
I understand that you may not trust l A, but

(51:55):
I don't think Teddy and the Broncos really have shown
that they can go toe to toe. If it's one
of those good days for the Chargers offense, I guess
I want to see consistency from the Los Angeles attack.
We saw it obviously against a deeply underman Pittsburgh defense.
That's a totally different game of t J. Watts playing.
It's a totally different game of of making Fitzpatrick's playing

(52:18):
and Joe Hayden's on the field. So show it to me,
show me that you can do it back to back
weeks and and really start gaining some momentum in the season.
I think it's a really important game for the Chargers
if they want us to kind of take them seriously
as a credible a f C contender. I think it's
fair because, like they rolled against Pittsburgh five and thirty
three yards, but that came a week after they put

(52:38):
up to fifty against the Vikings. They had two hundred
against the Ravens, and this was what we thought. I mean, defense,
we'll see, but we thought this offense had a chance
with Herbert to to shine and it's been somewhat disappointing.
But if they look like they did last week, that
Steelers defense was seen a lot of guys too, so
I don't put everything on that game, but they're starting
to warm up. We should point out since we last

(53:00):
talked Broncos, they've signed Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick, both
two big long term deals. Love Tim Patrick. What a
story to bounced around the league. Undrafted guy gets a
nice contract. I think a nice deal for Denver. Frankly
was almost underpaid, but I get taken the guarantee and
Sutton stay in long term too. And you got Jerry
Judy obviously under that rookie contract for another uh three

(53:22):
years after this season if you picked up his option.
It's almost like really well set up for them to go,
whether you know it's a draft or free agency or
trade to say, hey, we have pieces here, come here
and be our Matt stafford um that they're kind of
setting things up that way, it seems. Unless Teddy can
go on a heater or here and keep himself in
the mix, we shall see. Still a lot of football

(53:45):
to play in the season. By the way, I asked
Ricky to look it up for me, and she, uh,
she did it. She did a nice job with it.
We talked about it last week, get length about how
home teams were actually under five hundred through ten weeks
of the season. Things did not get better in week
or leve. Then the home teams won six games uh
and lost nine. So six and nine they went last week.

(54:06):
So they're now four games under five hundred as we
hit Thanksgiving. So keep an eye on that. Doesn't matter
if the Broncos are home, doesn't matter that anybody's home
in this strange What about what about the air? People
like to talk a lot about they get tired. That's
the advantage, all right, Mark, that's have you ever gone
skiing or something like that in Denver as a kid

(54:27):
like I didn't like you are hideously sick for about
twenty four hours. I'm just telling you it's real, the
real phenomenon. I know. I just feel like, um, you
don't hear as much about it when like the Broncos
are getting drilled by the Eagles left, No, it seems
to not play as much then, Um, all right, you
want me to pick a game, I'll do it. I
would like to. I'm going Pittsburgh at Cincinnati in the
early time slot. There good old a f C North

(54:52):
between two teams, and I think it's at a major
turning point for both. I mean, the loser of this
is in a little bit of trouble. I they thought
Cincinnati like they you know, that game was close against
the Raiders last week at the end. But Joe Mixon
is not getting talked about enough. I don't know if
just because there's so many other running backs that are
having good seasons, but he's quietly you know, fourth in
the league and rushing you had a monster has had

(55:14):
a couple of my Monster game last week, and I
thought they just ran really hard and that you know,
they didn't have him for ten games last year and
they didn't have Burrows, So that this all leads to
why the transformations happened a little bit on offense and Chase,
you know, Jamar Chase. I want to see what happens
against Pittsburgh because he's had three games in a row
where he's been under fifty yards and you know, Mike

(55:34):
Tomlin basically said yeah, because it's the product of a
rookie showing that he's earned the respect of game planners
and like they are. There was there was a play
last week where they threw him like a slant and
like he had three guys on him. So it's gonna
be a different journey for him. But Pittsburgh, you know,
we just talked about that Chargers game and how they
rolled over this defense. T J. Watt coming back, make

(55:54):
it Fitzpatrick sounds like he's coming back. Joe Hayden. That
helps a lot. I thought last week what they were
able to do was basically put a ton of attention
on Cam Hayward, and it mostly worked when he wasn't
batting a past that was intercepted, or punching Justin Herbert
in the chest while he was on the ground. Obscene.
I don't know what even know why he's eligible this week?
How are we getting away with that? But anyways, this

(56:15):
this is gonna be a blood bath right down to
the end. I almost locked up the Steelers, but I'm
a little too freaked out by they're like five point
underdogs to know that. I think this is how I
see the a f C North right now. Um So
in the power rings, I have Ravens at thirteen, Browns
of fourteen Angles of fifteen, Steelers at nineteen. I think

(56:38):
there is a difference. I think that the Steelers are
just a tick below these teams, certainly when they're compromised
as they were on Sunday. Um now, we'll see where
are we at physically on their defense, or we can
have these guys back in the field, because that makes
obviously a big difference. But I just I don't like
their chances. Uh. If Cincinnati's moving the ball well and

(57:02):
they need big Ben in this offense to score points,
I just don't see it on a week to week basis. Uh,
it just seems like an old team and It really
stood out to me. And this is you know, we're
just talking about Tom Brady at age forty four appearing
to be, by some eyes to be faster than he
was when he was twenty four. Uh, Big Ben. That
is nobody saying that about him. And I think it
really stood out to me in that game against the

(57:24):
Chargers that when a play broke down for l A,
they had a young quarterback who was able to escape
the pocket. He ran for ninety yards. That was the
most yard ast you've ever seen in from a Charger's quarterback. Actually,
And when a play breaks down for the Steelers, when
things aren't set up perfectly right and the protection isn't there,
it's over. It's a rap. Because Ben is maybe the

(57:44):
greatest and the most obvious stone age pony marks since
late period Dan Dan Marino at the stage. So I
think that's a problem for Pittsburgh's offense that the quarterback
is so immobile that it takes away just any element
of surprise and getting plus plays out of negative situations. Well,
and he doesn't have the big arm to make up

(58:05):
for it. Now to you mentioned that play to Claypool
last week, Greet kind of under threw him deep. That's
that said, right, that said, I think their best to
bend games of the year are the last two, and
I think the offense is at least trending up. You know,
you said like they didn't exactly light it up. Every
drive they had was successful until the last two. I
mean they got they got stuck at the two yard line,

(58:27):
but there's only three drives they had in the first half.
They marched right down the field against the Chargers. Then
they put up a lot of points in short fields,
which is lucky, and they couldn't come through in the end,
but they did move the ball pretty well. And I
think they there's just something beyond like who's playing who's
not that when I see Mike Tomlins speaking on Tuesday
and I think about like the fact he's never had

(58:47):
a losing record, and I I disagree with you in
terms of your power agains. Where I put this division.
I put the Ravens ahead of the pack and probably
have them as about a top ten type of team eight,
eight or nine, and put the other three in a jumble,
all very equal. And there's something about this Steelers organization
that there it's not about like XS and knows that. Like,

(59:09):
I just look at this and I just feel like
there's something with this Steelers team and Tomlin that I
just I think they're gonna overachieve in the end. I
just in and overachieving is ten and seven and probably
losing in the wild card round. But that that's the
type of team I see with this, with this group,
you know what, you convinced me. I'm gonna go stick
with my initial instinct. I'm locking up Pittsburgh is the

(59:33):
kind of game they win. It's just the kind of
game they win. That's a good one. That's That's an
onion hanger right there, Mary, that is I like it.
We were going out underdogs across the board here on
on lock so far with Dan to go, West took
on the Westley, I got, I got a favorite, a
heavy favorite. As it turns out, I have Erica. Oh

(59:53):
that's right. Dan took the Patriots, Erica took one. I
got the Lions. What a week and watch I'll be
the only one who loses, especially favorites, not only our
home teams losing favorites. I think have a losing record
over the last three weeks to combine. So that's pretty crazy. Alright, Mark,
you have the snake here. After this, I do have

(01:00:14):
the snake. I'm gonna go Carolina at Miami. Um. You know,
I I typically try to take a game that is
like an ultra trash bag is my second early game.
But I'm intrigued by the Panthers as much as any
team around right now. And I don't think it's just
Cam Newton's um arrival. I get that. So it's like
an ultra trash bag? Is that like the quality? Is

(01:00:35):
it like a trash bag that it's on the top
shelf in the trash bag aisle of the grocery store
and it's really made of the type of materials that
it will not break, will never rip, will never let
you down. Or is an ultra trash bag at the
bottom shelf and it's the one that's sold by the company.
It's like the supermarket version of it, and you put
more than a certain amount of weight in it, it

(01:00:56):
will just come crashing through the body. Because the top
of the shelf scenario sounds like a compliment. Um, I'm
thinking more like, you know, if you get your trash
picked up and it's the first like smelly bag of
trash you put in the trash can and it's still
there at the bottom. Um a week later when the
trash trucks come back again and it's probably worse than ever.
That's well, that's it. And you know what, that's a

(01:01:17):
different take on it. I didn't even consider looking it
from that. So you're saying, like the physical placement of
the trash within the bin, Okay, yeah, the stench, I
mean the stench coming off a bad team. The first
of all, it wouldn't be you know, rolled up in
a nice little box. It would be it would it
would be hideous to the nose. Um. So I almost
you know, but then I almost went jets Houston. But

(01:01:38):
that's just too bad. I can't deal with that. But
I want to. I want to be interested in these teams.
It is Carolina to me. It's like I get that
it's Cam Newton is back, but it's Christian McCaffrey is
the real transformation on this offense. Like the idea that like,
you know, Donald went for weeks and weeks without him.
He's got his own issues, but it's the perfect timing
to have him and Cam together them exactly. Um, they

(01:02:03):
ran a couple of trick plays last week. I think
they're feeling themselves. But Matt Rule came out of that
game pretty furious actually, with the fact they give a
hundred and ninety yards rushing, saying that if you're in
the race, good teams don't do that. They lead the
league in penalties as well, So they're not a perfect
team on any spy any stretch. But I think that
they the Panthers at this point are warming up a
little bit um, as has the Dolphins defense to some degree.

(01:02:26):
So I'm kind of intrigued by that matchup. Um I'm
on the fringe of not buying into the Dolphins at all,
but these were two teams I picked for the playoffs,
So it's my which one will I'd be more right
on by Sunday night. The Dolphins, You're not going to
be right on either way, because I know that we
keep making this case. They're like playing all these bad teams.
There's still three games back right now in the lost
column with well, you never know you're going against type

(01:02:48):
there by counting them out. At this point, they're still
you know, seven six seven games together. You're right, they
they gotta win this one. In theory, they might have
an offense that could do okay against Carolina because I
think to beat them in their pastors, either got to
run the ball, and teams have done that pretty well
a handful of times. Or you gotta just have that
quick passing game, which is what the Patriots were so
afraid of, this pass rush that they everything was like

(01:03:11):
a three step drop, and no one loves a three
step drop more than two h two is very predictable
at this point. He is a He's really good at
the quick game. He makes the worst offensive line in
the league look better, which is not nothing. That's something. Uh.
And he can't do much down the field. It's just
like not gonna happen. But I think you could probably
beat the Panthers that way. Thinking I would say now
that we're starting to get a better look at to

(01:03:33):
uh and you know, I'm keeping the door open that
he could really play well over the last month and
a half and and change some minds maybe in that building.
But he doesn't necessarily strike you as a special player.
I mean, is it too soon to make a comment
like that. He doesn't have in the best case scenario,
He's like a poor man's Drew Brees, which never struck

(01:03:54):
you with physical to us, that was always his path.
I don't know if you can get there, but that's
his path, all right. Market was that your second? That
was my second? That was a snake. Okay, Gregg, it
comes back to you. I'm trying to leave a game
open for Shook, you know, just to make it all work.
So I'm taking Falcons Jaguars as my second game. I
said it, Uh not because I want to. It's sad

(01:04:20):
that when Jamal Agnew got hurt last week, he's out
for the season for the Jaguars, it was like, Oh,
their offense is really in trouble now. It's like this
guy was getting cut and was a sixth receiver on
other teams, and he's a special teamer and he was
a really key part of their passing attack. It's been
it's been tough to watch them. And they look at
the Falcons this week and I'm sure they think, well,

(01:04:41):
this is a team we can at least move the
ball against. We should be able to protect Trevor Lawrence,
we should have a game. We have not seen much
progress out of this Jaguars offense, but this Falcons team,
if they win this game, which they obviously can they
got to be one of the worst five and six
teams we've had in a while. They are thirty second
in d v O A, by the way, right now

(01:05:02):
they are They're the worst team in the NFL according
to d v A, and yet they could be five
and six very realistically after that. I'd ask you this
because I've been up and down on the Falcons and
I was proven decisively well, but my battle is over
on the ups for the Pros to this point. Let's
put that way, But which program under first year head
coaches do you have more faith in going forward? The

(01:05:25):
Falcons just because they're not the Jaguars. I mean, if
if Ridley Hurst and Patterson were out there, I think
you had and then you you pick some holes on
the offensive line, you've got an offense at least you
can cook with a little bit. But they're not out there.
They're not Trevor Lawrence versus probably having to replaced Matt
Ryan down right with program, And to me, I'm already

(01:05:50):
looking forward to the next Trevor Lawrence program. This is
it's a tough year for him. This has not been
what he expected his rookie seat him to look like.
I think he has eight touchdowns and three attempts uh
this season, but he needs help and he needs things
to get calmed down there. And there was too much
of a circus this season as a rookie. Um. And

(01:06:11):
we're not even to Thanksgiving yet. But he was for
three for thirteen yards last week and the score was
seventeen nothing. He had literally done nothing wrong. It's like
it's it's tough to watch him because you know there's
really promising, potential superstar there and he's just trapped in
a bad situation. I think the Falcons and Arthur Smith
are in a very tough spot here because Matt Ryan

(01:06:32):
looks shot to me. I know he can do it
when you protect him, but he is right, he's in
that big Ben mold now as well. He's just too
old and he's aging like the quarterbacks used to age,
where he's in his mid thirties now, and he's just
if you get to him with a pass rush, he
will just get absolutely she lacked and the team will
get blown out of the building. Um. I know he

(01:06:53):
can put together stretches and he still has the accuracy
and enough arm, but they own so much money still,
but they also need to move on and get younger
and more dynamic and get with the times that I
think being the head coach of the Falcons at the
end of Matt Ryan's career is not a great safe
place to be because it's if he's the quarterback next year. Um,

(01:07:13):
I'm sorry, Like, I don't care what you build up
around him. I think the season is gonna have a
similar look because he's just the player and decline. It
reminds me a little bit. The situations are not exact,
but the tough nature of it. When Jimmy Johnson took
over the Dolphins, like Jimmy Johnson and Dan Marino are
gonna take over the NFC, and like Dan Marino, you know,
like two years later lost his final game, like but

(01:07:35):
here's the difference. This is why this is a different situation.
Jimmy Johnson was one of the most heralded gets for
any owner as a head coach in the last thirty
years when he left the Cowboys and then ended up
with the Dolphins. So he had that that that job
security to be able to withstand the end of that
era and then try to start a new one. It
didn't work out, obviously, Jimmy Johnson in Miami, but Arthur

(01:07:57):
Smith does not have the pelts on the wall. So
I just wonder if if this season goes the way
it's going and then he has another season where it
doesn't go well because you have an old quarterback you
can't move. Now, he's gonna be two years in. That's
what I mean by I think Arthur Smith's in a
little bit of danger based on the timing of Ryan's career.
They have a big They're gonna have a big offseason.
They're they're one team we could fork, even though I

(01:08:18):
know they're right in this all that said about Matt Ryan,
and I don't totally just I don't disagree with what
you said, Dan, Like you put him on the Saints
and they actually have their tackles in and stuff. It's
like that team might go to the super Bowl. So
it's like, I think Matt Ryan still something to give.
I really do. Now. I think he's better now than
Big Bend, for instance, So he's not at that level,

(01:08:40):
but he's also it's a problem and you saw it
against against New England for sure. All right, let's take
a time bomb sitting on deep deep down the train
tracks and the trains not they can't go left to right.
It just has to go over the bomb and he s, yeah, exactly.
He just stresses me out when he's rips off that
helmet and he's got that red face made. It's just like, God,

(01:09:01):
this is not gonna get better. Um, let's close it out.
You guys left me with the two New York teams.
Who are they post fifteen straight prime time games? Uh?
New York Sports is in a really bad place, big
picture wise, but specifically in the NFL. Of course, I'll
grab the Jets at Houston. I'll be quick on this
because we don't need to dwell on the game because

(01:09:22):
who cares about the Texans. Good job getting that win
last week, but you also potentially cost yourself the number
one overall pick. So bad job the Jets. It only
the only thing that matters is Zach Wilson's playing again.
And it is notable that since Michael Lefloor the Brother
the Bearded Boy um had other quarterbacks with more experience

(01:09:44):
and had their heads on their shoulders more. Uh. Excluding
the Buffalo game when Mike White completely bombed out, the
offense has been better since Zack Wilson left and There
are a lot of different factors in there that led
to it, but the play of Zack Wilson, obviously and
how poor it was was at the top of the list.
Does he come back, is he a better quarterback upon

(01:10:06):
his return? Does he grow and build uh down the
stretch here, or does he have a really bad season
all the way through? And then if you're a Jets fan,
you're asking questions about, oh God, is it happening again
at quarterback? It's too early to make any decisions, But
I will throw one thing out there, hypothetical. Me and
Claybourne were talking in the news room yesterday. Would you

(01:10:29):
we see what's happening in Seattle this day? You know
this is all nonsense, but fun Russell Wilson to the
Jets for Zack Wilson, and they also send back that
Seattle number one pick that they lost to Jamal Adams.
So Zach Wilson in a one to Seattle for Russell Wilson,
Who says yes? Who says no? I'm saying yes if

(01:10:53):
if I'm the Jets, say no. If I was Seattle,
I think but um, because we have to see what
happens there. If I was the Jets I would say
yes to the second because I think there's no more
precious commodity in the league than a functional franchise also
all pro type quarterback that you can build around immediately.
I mean, Zack Wilson remains an unknown project at this point,

(01:11:14):
like the idea of them. But but that's that's that
gets people fired if it goes south, a little bit,
a little bit of feisty that trade, right, I like
it also like a lot of how what he has
seven starts to go, so that's just as many as
we've seen. There's a lot of runway to evaluate him.
They were dead last in e p A when he
was the starter. They were ninth in offensive e p

(01:11:35):
A in the starts that he missed missed overall. So
but there was a lot of other factors. I don't
think that's all on him, but you you do want
to see him keep keep it rolling that they're at
least competent, and it's good, good start for him to
start off with Houston. YEP. I agree, all right, we
have to u let's we got one more game and

(01:11:55):
then the primetime games. All right, the other Giants, the
other New York team, the Eagles at the meadow ends
against the Giants. Uh quick post mortem for the Giants
after Monday night. The offense a total mess against the Bucks.
They have multiple opportunities to make that a game, to
maybe even steal that game, and they kept on getting

(01:12:17):
bogged down. And people like Brian Baldinger. Baldy called out
a specific play And I'm not saying this is what
got Jason Garrett fired, but I thought it was interesting
that the internet seized on that one particular play when
the Giants against a three man rush um had three
players all converging in the same spot eight yards down field.

(01:12:41):
Uh and they're basically ping ponging off each other and
Daniel Jones has nowhere to go with the ball. And
Jason Garrett gets fired twenty four hours later. Uh so
the Giants they're starting over on offense. And I wonder, Mark,
if do you think that is gonna help Joe Judge
now that Jason Garrett has been sacrificed to the fans.

(01:13:04):
I mean, it's a terrible spot for a coach when
you're in no, it's November and you have to start
producing scapegoats. Not that Jason Garrett, uh, you know, didn't
deserve to be demoted slash let go. I think that's
been you know, in the in the soup for a
long time. They've been talking about that happening. But I
don't think it saves Joe Judge or is a good
thing for Joe Judge, because the overall makeup of this offense,

(01:13:28):
looking at who they have personnel wise, it's inexcusable what
they produced. Um A lot of them have been injured
though too. I think a week ago we're saying we
can't judge Jason Garrett, we can't judge Joe Judge, we
can't judge Daniel Jones because who's not on the field.
And it's just like, look at at this point, like
Joe Judge is saving his own job by getting rid
of other people that usually now maybe not in the
Giants organization, that usually is a stepping stone. Did weaving

(01:13:51):
goodbye to him come January? Right? I think you know
it only helps him if the offense improves under Freddie Kitchens.
I mean, is that's the real big story here. It's
the return of Freddie Kitchens to our life. Um. I
I think you could look at Calarious Tony's usage alone
and be like that's a fire able offense just because
you see him and I just see a super duperstar.

(01:14:13):
It was just his movement is exactly what every team
in this sort of open nfls and they just haven't
figured out how to use it. There was another play
fourth and one where Tony Slayton and Gola Day weren't
even on the field and they just throw the most
predictable like passed to their backup tight end and everyone

(01:14:33):
was covered and Jones had no chance at that place.
So I think it made sense absolutely to change offenses
because it wasn't working and just try something different, because
I think everyone's getting swept out, including Judge if this continues.
They are eighteen and forty under Gettleman and Ali talked
about which made everyone mad, was we want to run
the ball and we want to stop the run. They

(01:14:54):
are thirtieth in stopping the run this year. They're terrible
at running the ball. So even that idea, which didn't
seem like a great idea, has not played out at all,
and I think they're all gone if if they don't
turn it around in some fashion. I think you're right,
and I think they've made se Kwan Barkley boring, and
you know he's struggled to stay on the field, but
even when he plays, he just he doesn't pop anymore

(01:15:15):
like he did initially. And Candarius Tony, we all see
the same thing. When the balls in his hands, he's
so much fun. And Kenny Golladay has been, uh previously
in recent seasons one of the best downfield playmakers in
the NFL when healthy, and neither of those guys have
a single touchdown this year. So the Giants obviously, uh,
this was in a lot of ways overdue, even though

(01:15:35):
it happened in the middle of November. Right compared the
development of Candarius Tony to to Vonta Smith and Philly
who who they will see this week. I mean, it's
just like you've got a general manager in New York
who feels full of old ideas. They had a no
ce who was full of old ideas, and we're not
sure what Joe Judges ideas are. That's not a good mix.
On the Philadelphia I don't trust any defense stopping this

(01:15:57):
Eagles rushing attack right now unless they got something specially
going on, and the Giants do not. It does feel
like the Eagles, who are playing with a lot of
confidence right now, and they have they have a personality,
they have a mindset that they're gonna run run you over.
I like their chances here. All right, let's say pause here,
we'll be right back prime Time. Start with Sunday Night football.

(01:16:19):
The Cleveland Browns head to Baltimore against the Ravens. All right, Mark,
Well just tee it up for you, buddy. How you
feeling on this one. I like the idea that they
will have Kareem Hunt back, likely Jack Conklin back. I mean,
you get back to being who they were. Maybe that
can help Baker Mayfield coming off the worst game of
his career. But I put a lot of what's happened

(01:16:40):
on Baker Mayfield on Baker Mayfield, and this team is
in chaos. To me, I don't trust them right now. Um,
you asked who they were on our network show with
the real Cleveland Browns. Please stand up. Uh. I think
they are who they are. They're just a middling team
right now that feels compared to a year ago. UM, discombobulated, disorganized.
I don't like watching them. They make me nervous, they

(01:17:02):
make me agitated. UM, I don't like the idea of
them going up against the Ravens team that you know,
when put with their backs up against the wall, losing
the game, Tyler Huntley leads them to victory. That's who
the Ravens are and the Browns right now. I mean that, Yes,
they've been extremely banged up. They produced six pressures last

(01:17:22):
week against the Detroit Lions. On defense, you just even
even the defense it feels like is so hot and cold.
There were a couple of weeks We're thinking this could
be one of the best defenses in the league. Then
they get utterly torched the next week. So I don't
see anything consistent from week to week. Their unpredictable. I
don't like them in this game. I don't like that
they have this that a bye week than another Ravens game.

(01:17:43):
I see. It's very possible they lose both and their
season I don't care about mathematically, their seasons spiritually and
emotionally would be over at that point. Can they surprise us?
Can they pull it out? I'm very close to switching
my lock to the Ravens because I'm very annoyed with
what's happen. Really, because I was gonna locked the Ravens
the only reason I didn't was just out of like,
that's mean to Mark. I am locking him up forget

(01:18:05):
to steal, un locking up the Ravens because you know
what they put They have put me in the They've
put me in this position at this point. Are you
punishing the Browns right now? Well, remember what I said
to them on our show, obey me, do not get
whacked a couple of weeks ago against that opponent. They
got destroyed. And it's like they don't answer the call
of the fans. Um. I look at I love Kevin Stefancy,

(01:18:28):
and I like the I don't answer the call of
the fans. I mean, what do you want him to do?
And I were just an interviewer. He said, I don't
care about what the fans say. So I guess that checks. Well,
that's the other thing I hear. Now, it's where at
the point where everyone is suggesting, and I'm not saying
it's a looney suggestion that you ride case Keenum. Now,
the question I'd have is that is because you want
to get Baker Mayfield healthy. If you want to try

(01:18:48):
to get him healthy, he's got one injury that's not
going away the season no matter what I think the
case Keenum fetish would would quell once you get a
couple of games of case Keenum. That I have a
not an especially healthy comp here um in terms of
mental health. But when I was watching Baker play this
past Sunday, he reminded me of like Mark Sanchez when

(01:19:11):
things really turned sour for the Jets. I mean, missing throws,
just the offense being stuck in mud, no energy to
the drives, no rhythm. I don't think it's crazy. I
don't know what do we really think that Baker if
he really is as bad as he's been. Uh, and
a lot of it comes back to injuries. Case Keendom
is one of the highest paid backups in the league.

(01:19:32):
We we really don't think case Keendom can run this
offense better than Baker in this current state. I mean,
it's it's crazy to bench Baker because I know he's hurt.
He moved pretty well last week at points. He had
some dimes in that game. And so that's where I
have at struggle with, like, well, he's hurt, so he's

(01:19:55):
missing throws, or like the that's not why he's necessarily
making bad decisions. Maybe it is. I don't know. Maybe
he is to her and that's the reason to bench,
but that that would be it. Like he had a
couple of throws in that game that were awesome, he
just had about fifteen more that were head scratchers. Like
he's leaving the pocket at the first sign of trouble.
That goes back to his his rookie year. That's not

(01:20:15):
an injury thing. I I do think that the Patriots
game might have exposed a couple of things too, and
how to attack this defense up the middle. In terms
of the running game that the Lions had some success,
They're they're letting clown like um Garrett fly by. Clowney's
turned totally silent. He had six games in a row
with at least four pressures. He has three total in

(01:20:37):
the last four, so that's been a big decline. The
Malik's up front, Mcdoalen Jackson are kind of getting pushed around.
I I hate this game for the Browns. I was like,
I said, I was gonna lock it up Mark, but
I just thought that'd be mean spirited. But now you
just locked it upside. I was just like, well, I'm
not like I'm not at the point where if you
go anti Browns with a take or something else that
I can't have disorbit, I get it, but I see

(01:20:59):
I'm done this, you know, I'm I'm I'm so buried
in last place that at this point I just wanted
to like keep you, you know, stay on your good
side seems more important Lions express if you'd like him
right well, plus me locking is putting the stink on them,
so maybe that's good. I don't even know the final
games Monday Night football the Seattle Seahawks at Washington Football Team.

(01:21:25):
All right, I mean the Seahawks basically need to We're
getting into win out territory if they flex this. They
did flex the Seahawks out of next week next Sunday
Nights game. First flex of the year. But yes, that's good.
What what got flex then? Not even a particularly great game,
just not the Seahawks Chiefs. Not a great game, but
it involves the Chiefs that the Seattle Seahawks travel to

(01:21:49):
FedEx Field. Taylor Heineke coming off a excellent performance in
that win over the Panthers, and uh, he's fun to watch.
I that might take away watching that game was Heineke
is just like you know, he knows his whole career
he's been you know, look down upon and seeing as

(01:22:10):
somebody that is not to be taken seriously, and you
see it, and just the way he carries himself, the
way he bounces up when he gets hit, the way
he celebrates a big play. The guy plays as cliche
as it sounds, with a chip on his shoulder, and uh,
I think the team thrives off that. I think he's
a really passionate player. I like those type of guys.
Uh so Team Heinek, even if he is ultimately limited

(01:22:32):
in that Ryan Fitzpatrick mold it's not all there physically,
but I think he makes up with it, makes for
up with it, up for it with the way he
carries himself. But that's what I'll be watching the game
because there's no passion coming out of the Seahawks operation. No,
they're they're incredibly tough on the eyes. Um they're an eyebleader.
But I could not side and agree with you more

(01:22:52):
on Taylor Heineke. You know, we want like we watched
these games during the week and a lot of times
just like sitting on a couch, you know, watching in
silence taking No, it's Taylor Heineke is like the one
guy that got me kind of I needed to take
a break after the game and get up and walk around. Um,
he fired me up. I love his demeanor. I think
that he's also fearless. He made a couple of throws.
There was one through dense traffic to Cam Sims, uh

(01:23:16):
touchdown pass that just showed his arm strength. Um, he
saw the field really well on a throw to John
Bates where he looked like he was gonna get knocked around.
He's scrambling, he's running as he's gonna take off, and
he saw the second third option and it's just like
he's doing things that show growth and progression. And I
think it's you know, they're in a place to where
And I don't mean to always bring up Scott Turner,
It's not a joke. I think that they found a

(01:23:38):
way to answer drives over and over. They got more
from the ground game. Uh, Antonio Gibson outside of the fumble,
looked good to me. They at this point sounds like
Curtis Samuel might finally play this week part exactly like
he he is. He has done a nice job of
getting paid a lot of money and not doing a
lot for it. But getting him back would be great.
This team is on the rise. I understand like that.

(01:23:59):
You know they think they can start every season two
and six. Well, it's working, and I want DeAndre Carter.
One last guy I wanted to mention. I looked up
because he looks so small to me. He is my height.
He has five eight and weighs forty five more pounds
in me, and that is not fatty tissue. So I
that tells you how these football players are built breaking.

(01:24:20):
I'm just saying, such a little jitterbug. And I was like,
how tall is that guy? And it was like super
excited that he was my height? But did he have
a baby head? No, he did not know. It is crazy.
I mean I remember interviewing m J D when he
was like a Pro Bowl running back and he's he's
five six or seven and he's like two fifteen and
and that that was like his legs were bigger than

(01:24:43):
in my entire body. It's wild. This is this is
the low moment of the Pete Carroll era by far
that almost goes without saying their their defense, Uh, just
has so many guys you can pick on in coverage.
Wagner is getting picked on sometimes two even Brooks certainly
at your boy Adams with a huge penalty last week, Dan,

(01:25:05):
like he you know, they have they play this old
school defense where they keep the linebackers on the field
and they kind of have a strong safety that you know,
it's not great in coverage and it's like you can
find mismatches and yet I don't know, there's something about
I can't imagine them going three and eight and I
don't know. I was not in on them last week
bouncing back, but this, like losing this game with everyone

(01:25:27):
watching and Russell Wilson going to three and a it's
like a bridge too far for me. Yeah, you know,
this is not dancing on the Jamal adams grave situation,
but it is. It is a bit of a cautionary
tale that because Seattle is in such a tough spot
and obviously the Jets have only gotten worse since he left.
But you know when you kind of say, I can't

(01:25:48):
take the losing. I gotta get out of here. I
don't want to be part of this operation. I want
to go play for a winner. Well that doesn't always
work out. I mean, we'll see if Jamal Adams is
playing for a winner now. He just signed a huge contract.
I think ultimately that's what it was all about. He
wanted to get he wanted to maximize his potential as
earning potential, and you can't sagren him for that. But
the other part of it was I'm sick of losing.
Get me out of here. I want to go to

(01:26:09):
a proven winner. I don't know what Seattle looks like
over the next five years, especially given the quarterback situation.
But that was also a we're one player away self
evaluation of the roster um, a very expensive move, and
they are about twelve players fifteen players away, because that
was the whole the whole hook of that trade was
exactly that that we are a very good team. We

(01:26:32):
are a playoff team, but we are one big time
defender away from being a super Bowl team. And they
have just went down since then. It's not adams fault,
per se, but it is notable that they kind of
misread the whole situation and put themselves put themselves in
a very difficult situation. Going symbolizes it. It's after all

(01:26:52):
that happen. I did think Russ looked better in that game.
They put him in such tough spots. I just it's
still funny to me in year thirteen or what. Every
reason that like they refused to throw it when it's
third and twenty or third and fifteen. It's just like,
let him let him throw. So boring, they're so boring.
DK Metcalf did not come down with a couple contested
catches that were pretty well placed that could have helped

(01:27:14):
out of us. I think I think he'll come around,
is what I'm saying with Russell Wilson. I don't think
he's gonna be suddenly terrible. If I had to pick
one wide receiver on the field in this game to
start a team with, it would be your boy, Terry
McLarin It, no doubt not Metcalf. He is excellent. All Right,
there you go, Week twelve. That's the preview show. We

(01:27:38):
hope everybody has a great Thanksgiving if you celebrate it. Uh,
and we'll be back on Sunday night when we recap
all these games. Well that's actually not true. Thursday night,
we will have our recap of the three Thanksgiving games,
so make sure you check that out, and then Sunday
we will complete the recaps with our flagship show. Alright, boys,

(01:28:04):
thankful for you. You know, we got our TV show
too on on Saturday on NFL. We're not going to
do that that week right weekend? Tune in you DVR it. Um.
It's on early in the morning on the East Coast
late night. I know, I know some people that watch
it on the Saturday night. I don't think I'm gonna go. Okay, okay,

(01:28:28):
so are you okay, You're just not gonna show up
at all? But that just be Greg and I have
to do a lot more though. Yeah. I think I'm
just gonna enjoy the holiday weekend like everybody else, like
you know, so good luck, guys. And I'm totally bailing
if you're not, Like, there's no way I'm going. If
you're not going, Greg, it is your show. It's got me.

(01:28:48):
Ricky and the Grave Digger. Actually, Ricky are you yeah?
You available you around Friday Friday? Yeah, I'm here, Yeah, okay,
all right. I would never miss something in football seats
and have heard all right? Good again, Happy Thanksgiving everybody.
Uh Dan had to starting off a quiet storm the

(01:29:08):
old Boss Ronicky Hollywood behind the Virtual Glass sun Still
Thursday night, He's the call eight

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