May 15, 2025 • 43 mins
NFL Network Insiders Tom Pelissero, Judy Battista and Mike Garafolo deliver the biggest football headlines of the day. To start the show, Marc Ross joins with commentary on the NFL teams with the toughest schedules in 2025. Then, the Insiders add Brian Baldinger to discuss this upcoming year's rookie class. That is followed by Jane Slater tapping in with the latest from the Dallas Cowboys and Michael F. Florio delivering a fantasy football angle on the schedule release. Finally, Jeff Chadiha adds his two cents on the new NFL schedule.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
The twenty twenty five NVIL schedule is officially out, and
not all schedules are created equal. We will break down
the best beats and the worst team by team with
our army of analysts.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Schedule release also.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
A big day for our fantasy analysts because it's never
too soon to prepare for buy Mageddon.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Michael left Florio is going.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
To be here to help you avoid a potential doomsday
scenario which rookies could help your fantasy team and your
real life team. Brian Baldinger and Mark Ross have some answers.
They'll be here to help us separate the first year
studs from the possible duds. Welcome inside with the Insiders
alongside Jenny Batista and Mike Garafalo.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
I am Tom Pelissero.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
One hundred and twelve days out from the kickoff to
the empty twenty five NFL season. Now that we've had
twenty three hours or so to really break down all
two hundred and seventy two games in our heads, we've
got some thoughts. Let's start out right there with some
of the unique portions of this twenty twenty five NFL schedule.
(01:16):
As you take a look, starting out with the Dallas
Cowboys first team in NFL history to play four Thursday
games in a single season.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
They're not all short weeks.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
That includes the kickoff game against the Eagles as well
as a game the week after Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
The Chiefs. Are you sick of them? Too bad?
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Seven primetime games for them, most in the NFL this season.
The Eagles Lions both facing eleven playoff teams.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
That is tied for the most in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Meanwhile, the Ravens this is an interesting quirk, the only
team with multiple three game home stands.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
There is so much more here, Judy, what caught your
attention as you've got a chance to break down this schedule?
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Well, the NFL also held a conference call this afternoon
with some of the executives who are charged with making
the schedule. And one thing that Mike North, who is
one of those executives, pointed out is they don't know
anything more about what Aaron Rodgers is doing. If he's
going to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or not, then the
rest of us know, and so they had to proceed
accordingly when they were making up the schedule, which is
(02:17):
why if you look at the schedule, the Steelers visit
the Jets on the first Sunday of the season. That's
a big game justin Fields, good revenge game for him. Well,
it would be even bigger if they knew for sure
that Aaron Rodgers was going to be the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback.
That game is slated for one o'clock on Sunday. Certainly
the possibility would have been for a broader time slot,
(02:41):
a later time slot for that game if they'd known
Aaron Rodgers. Still, the Steelers are a national brand. They've
got lots of primetime games. They are in the four
to twenty five window later on in the season.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
But the league admits that if they had known.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
For sure what Aaron rodgers plans were, the Pittsburgh Steelers
schedule might have looked a little bit more like the
New York Jets schedule has looked in the last few years.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
I mean, sometimes this is a better way to go
about things, I guess, because you're a victim of your
own success or anticipated success, because that's how you wind
up in primetime slots and short weeks and Thursdays. The
Washington Commanders are that team. They were the surprise team
a year ago. They are not surprising or catching anybody
off guard with the way that their schedule is laid out.
I mean, we'll see listen.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Art Rooney with.
Speaker 5 (03:24):
The schedule, said that they were unhappy with some of
the late season primetime games. They can flex out of
some of those if Rogers is not with them. But
also they're the Steelers. They're going to be successful, right,
That's what they've been over the course of the Mike
talman Ara, So they'll be thrust into the spotlight. I
just I go back to Washington being in the spotlight.
(03:45):
They're playing a maybe got a tough schedule, right, They're
going overseas in the Spain game, They've got a bunch
of short weeks, They've got a bunch of games against
teams coming off Buys actually lead the league in that department.
So I'm watching the Washington Commanders over the last day
as I've looked more at schedule. To me, that's the
team that I feel like is going to pay for
their success in twenty twenty four. Got to answer the bell,
(04:06):
Dan Quinn, and now we're gonna welcome in Mark Ross,
Judy Maatista, Tom just disappeared. He'll be back shortly though.
Don't miss him too much. Mark Ross, We've got you
guys to break down what we learned here. I just
talked about Washington. Judy, start with you. What team, in
your mind has the toughest schedule, as you've broken it
(04:28):
down over the last.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Day or so, Well, it is a team we are
all very familiar with here on this panel. The New
York Giants have an absolute beast of a schedule. They
played ten teams that were in the playoffs last year. Obviously,
they've got the Commanders and the Eagles, who were both
in the NFC Championship Game. Plus they played the AFC.
They played the NFC North and the AFC West. Both
(04:53):
of those divisions sent three teams each to the playoffs,
and the Giants have to.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
Play all of them.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
The first half of the schedule is especially difficult. They
start with two games on the road, then they come
home and have to host the Eagles on a short
week on a Thursday. It's a very tough start to
the season, and certainly, you know with a quarterback question
that's going to be hanging over this team really the
entire season. You of course look for the opening where
(05:21):
could they make a quarterback switch. Well, there's always that
mini by after you have a Thursday night game, but
the true buy doesn't happen for the Giants until week fourteen,
so a really late by in a very very tough
slate and.
Speaker 6 (05:35):
Judy up, I was trying to pick another team just
to make this interesting, but when I knew the Giants'
opponents coming into the schedule, I was like, this is daunting,
And then the schedule actually came out, this is impossible.
I really can only see one game I think they'll
possibly be favored, and.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
That's at New Orleans.
Speaker 6 (05:51):
You know, maybe at Las Vegas, but I think they'll
be a lot better, and New England's going to be
a lot better.
Speaker 7 (05:56):
But besides that, all of those.
Speaker 6 (05:58):
Teams you talked about, I mean, it's really looking bleak
for the Giants, even fine two wins, one win, two wins,
so and we talked about Jackson Dart, but it's also
the otis on head coach Brian Davile and GM Joe Shade,
and I know there's been talk of we're going a
red shirt Jackson Dart all the way the next year.
But if they're piling up at oh and six, oh
(06:18):
and seven, one and ten, whatever, that is you got
to think owner John marri is going to say, well,
what's going on here? And so there's going to be
a lot of discussion about a lot of people, key
players in the Giants organization if this schedule is playing
out like we think it will.
Speaker 5 (06:32):
Judy, just look at those first seven eight weeks there,
and it's like Eagles, Denver Eagles. I believe it's by
just like how they're gonna survive this stretch. But listen,
that's no surprise because last week Cynthia Freeland we broke
it down on the show who had the easiest and
toughest schedules based on expected wins on what Cynthia has
(06:53):
put out there, and the Giants were thirty second. They
were the toughest schedule, the easiest schedule according to that
with San Francisco. But Judy, sometimes the structure of the
schedule factored into it. So now seeing how it has
laid out, who do you think has the most I
call it easiest favorable schedule?
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Yeah, I think the schedule came out pretty favorable for
the New England Patriots. They have a pretty easy strength
of schedule anyway. They are thirtieth, so they're one of
the easiest schedules anyway, according to opponents records from last season,
but just the way it's been laid out I think
favors them too. They have a stretch in the middle
of the season where they play three straight games against
teams that maybe playing rookie quarterbacks by that time. This
(07:34):
is a team that I think the league expects to
be significantly upgraded from last season. They are certainly not
all the way back to where they were in the
Tom Brady, Bill Belichick era, where every game was in
a national slot. That's not the case yet, although they
do have more national games this season than they did
last season. So I think the hopes are high that
the Patriots are going to start rebounding, but I think
(07:57):
the schedule will give them a pretty.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Good boost too.
Speaker 6 (08:01):
Judy, one hundred percent with you on this one too.
I tried, but once again, Giants Patriots in lockstep, always
tied together. So can the Patriots go from four to
thirteen to thirteen and four?
Speaker 7 (08:14):
And when I'm looking at that schedule.
Speaker 8 (08:15):
I was like, there's a chance.
Speaker 6 (08:17):
Of course, There's two games against Buffalo home and away,
and in three away games against Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, and Baltimore.
But outside of that, I think this Patriots team is
going to be drastically proved and have a chance to
win all those other games on their schedule. Just the
Mike Brabel factor coming in there, Drake May a year better,
all the free agents that they signed, headlined by Milton
(08:39):
Williams and Carlton Davis, and then I thought they absolutely
crushed it in the draft with Will Campbell and Treveon Henderson.
So I think their talent influx is so much better
than what they had last year. The coaching is going
to be so much better, and I think this team
is going to be right there with Buffalo to say
we could take this top spot.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
A lot of new faces on both sides of the ball,
but also a familiar face on the defensive side of
the ball, Christian Barmore. They gave him a big contract
a couple of years ago. He said he's been fully
clear to have blood clots last year and expects to
be there for Week one, So even a returning face
is in addition to that Patriots lineup, Judy one more
for you. The team with the most interesting aspect to
(09:22):
the schedule that you noticed, Well.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
I'm going to mention something you mentioned. The Commanders. They
are clearly a beloved team again. The league has waited
a long time to love the Commanders and they are back.
And I think the big signal there is putting them
in one of the international games for the first time
in nine years.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Let's face it, for a long time, the.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
League did not really want to think about the Washington Commanders.
They weren't a very good team. Their actions off the
field weren't so great either, and so they just sort
of wanted to keep them to the side. Not only anymore,
they are a really good team. They have a budding
superstar in Jaden Daniels. Obviously, they went to the NFC
Championship Game last year.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
They want to show them off.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Everything is coming up good for the Washington Commanders now.
And when you look at the schedule, in addition to
the international game, they have a bunch of primetime games.
They're playing on Christmas Day. That tells you the NFL
is happy to have.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
The spotlight on the Commanders once again.
Speaker 7 (10:19):
Well mine was.
Speaker 6 (10:20):
When you know the schedule comes out, there's going to
be chalk of primetime games with the Chiefs and the
Eagles and the Ravens and the Bills and then you
look at it and you say the Falcons with five
Primetime had to look at it a couple of times
there to make sure that that was right. But I
don't know if it was just a quirk because of
the opponents that they are playing, or at the league
intentionally thinks well, maybe Michael Pennis is going to light
(10:40):
it up and be an MVP type candidate and have
a resurgence with the dirty birds down there. So that
definitely jumped out at me as saying, how in the
world do the Falcons do this? So could they take
a big step, you know with the year number two there,
but and Michael Pennicks developing. We will see, but they'll
definitely have a lot of exposure tot's see if they
(11:01):
can get it done.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
Yeah, and they played well in a national spotlight late
in the season of that game in Washington. That one
was a thriller there with Michael Pennix performing extremely well.
So certainly that's part of the equation there. Judy Mark
great thoughts on the schedule. To check out the full
what we learned analysis, goo to NFL dot com. Not
now after the show, we want you to keep watching Tom.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
So potentially big news incoming.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
NFL owner is going to discuss a resolution at next
week's league meeting in Minneapolis that would allow NFL players
to participate in the twenty twenty eight Summer Olympics. Resolution
would permit no more than one player from each NFL
team per country to participate, plus each teams that has
been an international player.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
There's also injury protection for clubs.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Built in requires minimum field standards answering some of those
questions that have existed.
Speaker 7 (11:53):
It would be a.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Huge disruption of twenty twenty eight because the Summer Games
in LA run from July fourteenth to thirtieth. So now
judy these stages potentially sat at a time that we
know the NFL is trying to increasingly take the game international. Here,
this could be the NFL's answer to the nineteen ninety
two Dream Team, assuming that the resolution passes next week.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Yes, look when they announced that flag football was going
to be part of the LA Olympics, immediately you heard
current football players saying they wanted in. Well, this is
now going to be the opportunity to open the door.
You're right, it has overtures of the Dream Team that
we remember NBA players crushing the rest of the world
in basketball. Obviously, the concerns here are injury protections for
(12:44):
the teams. You're going to want to protect teams if
Patrick Mahomes is going to be on the field participating
in the Olympics.
Speaker 4 (12:52):
But this is a huge initiative for the NFL.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
They have been trying to grow the game internationally, and
they've been trying to grow flag football in this country
and elsewhere. So this is an enormous opportunity to get
millions of eyeballs onto flag football, onto the biggest stars
in the NFL today. I am going to be so
interested to see which one player is allowed to play
(13:16):
for the United States team off any team in the NFL.
I feel like there's going to be a whole lot
of meetings and arm twisting going on to allow that.
But also I'm very curious to see what kind of
protections they.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
Have to come up with.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
Yeah, it's going to be and the notion that the
US is going to run away with this too. We've
got a lot of NFL players with heritage that takes
them back to other countries that could potentially make them
eligible that if the field could be more balanced, and
this could be more of an intriguing I know it's
our game, I know it's an American game, but this
could be more of an intriguing competition as we get
closer to these twenty twenty eight games, I know some
(13:52):
coaches are going to be nervous. I know some teams
are going to be nervous about this. There's going to
be a risk reward here because if a player gets
hurt before the start of training camp, it's going to
be devastating to that team potentially, because these are all
going to be some of the best players in the
league obviously that are going to be playing in this one.
But the reward is what flag football really has been
(14:13):
and why it's been a part of what the NFL
has done. You're seeing at the Pro Bowl and elsewhere
with the youth football players of America as well of
the world as well, I should say, because it helps
put the sport on a global stage. They've been doing
that with the NFL games over there. So the balancing
act here is basically cross your fingers. Hopefully no one
gets hurt, and if that's the case, then it's a
(14:35):
great way to put a spotlight on the game.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
I'm just here for whatever the NFL equivalent to Charles
Barkley versus Angola is going to end.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Up being the dream team.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Ran roughshot over just about everybody back in nineteen ninety two.
But that's also the reason it inspired so many kids
in different countries to get good at basketball, and now
it's a competitive sport, certainly something to keep an eye on.
There was a time Williams would have rather played for
Angola or any other country, any team that was not
the Chicago Bears. This according to a new book by
(15:08):
ESPN Seth Wickersham, which includes quotes from Caleb's father Carl,
talking about the various things that they consider doing to
try to avoid going to a place that, in Carl Williams' words,
is a place that quarterbacks go to die.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Obviously, none of those things ended up happening.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Caleb Williams is a Chicago Bear, and now he has
a new head coach and Ben Johnson who probably is
going to make him feel a little bit better about
being in Chicago.
Speaker 7 (15:34):
I don't see it quite the same way.
Speaker 9 (15:36):
I see this is what a great opportunity we have
to do something that really has never been done there
hasn't been a four thousand yard passer here in this franchise.
Speaker 7 (15:45):
And I think Caleb is going to be the.
Speaker 9 (15:47):
First one, and one of many years, many seasons to
come where he's able to accomplish that feat. So I
see a chance for greatness here for him. He's been
communicated that way, and he feels the same way. I
don't know what's going on prior to him joining the organization,
but he is very proud to be a Chicago Bear.
(16:09):
That's what our conversations have included, and he's really excited
to get to work right now and be the best
version of himself for twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
The story also said that after meeting with the Vikings
at the scouting combine and specifically coach Kevin O'Connell, Caleb
Williams wanted to be a Viking. Instead, Caleb goes to Chicago,
the Vikings draft JJ McCarthy, and what do you know,
Week one, Monday Night Football, they are going to meet
up Mike.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
There were rumblings.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
About this throughout the pre draft process a year ago,
that Caleb Williams might try to do what eland Anon
did once upon a time and dictate exactly where he went.
I think the key thing for people to understand is
they researched all this. They looked into these different legal
theories and things. They didn't actually push any of those buttons,
in part because Caleb got comfortable with the Bears to
(16:57):
the process the Bears were colely comfortable with, and after
a bumpy first season which we saw flashes of Caleb Williams,
they now feel like they've got the right coach in
supporting Cash to really let Caleb flourish.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
Well. The question and in Caleb's going to be asked
about this is how much of this was coming from
him and how much was coming from his father, Because
you talk about whispers during the draft process for Caleb Williams,
there was talk that his father could disrupt the draft
process in one or a number of ways, and this
potentially was one of the things that the teams were
talking about. I would just say at this point things
(17:31):
have changed. Ben Johnson is there. That is a good
thing for a quarterback if you buy in and if
you're able to execute what he wants and if Caleb
Williams is not in Chicago. I saw a reference to
this when his contract is up at that point, he
could get when his contract's up, there's franchise tag, there's
all kinds of mechanisms to keep him there, and at
that point, if they want to keep him around, they're
(17:52):
going to keep him around. And if he's that successful,
he'll probably want to stay around. So all this is
just going to be stuff that we're talking about in
the past if we get there.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Yeah, I'm not quite concerned about what happened pre draft
because they never pulled any.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
Of those levers.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
I am interested more interested in another excerpt that came
out where Taylor Williams said he got no guidance about
how to watch film. He was watching film by himself
last year. That's certainly not great, especially not great for
a rookie quarterback. Definitely does not reflect well on the
former staff. Again, things are different now. The Bears basically
(18:27):
blew everything out and rebuilt the team to try to
get the best out of Caleb Williams, and of course
that starts with Ben Johnson. Certainly, I think these excerpts
are interesting, but I do think all of that is
in the past. About what kind of fretting they might
have done pre draft.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Well, that also speaks to the challenge that Thomas Brown
had on his plate when he was one week it
was all right, you're into the new OC, and then
like three weeks later, okay, you're also now the head
coach and the OC. Yeah, there was a lot going
on in Chicago last year. Still beat the Packers, as
many Bears fans reminded me when the draft was in
Green Bay.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
A couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
I want to come on this episode of the Insiders,
including a deeper look at the Cowboys rather unique schedule.
Our Jane Slander will be here to help us break
down that as well as look further into one of
the teams that are gonna be facing a couple of
times next season with Washington. We will also get back
to some of those rookies going through their first off
(19:20):
seasons now with new teams. That includes Travis Hunter. Is
he set up for success in Jacksonville. We'll discuss it
a lot more. Come here on the Insiders.
Speaker 5 (19:38):
Hey, look at the Denver broncos a schedule. They had
a creative rodeo type thing to release the schedule with
kids falling off a sheep.
Speaker 10 (19:46):
It was.
Speaker 5 (19:47):
It is interesting, But here's the full schedule. Just in
grid format for you if you're just about the nuts
and the bolts, and we got a couple of nuts
and bolts here with us, no chargers. I don't know
why I said bolts, just a couple of nuts. Mark
Ross and Brian Baldinger love you guys. You can smile.
That's okay. Maybe I just picked you both off. Who knows, Mark,
(20:09):
we're going to talk about rookies in the best place
to succeed. How am I getting there from the Broncos
because you have a Bronco on that list.
Speaker 6 (20:17):
I got a Bronco on the list who I think
has a chance to be a defensive Rookie of the Year,
and that's Today Baron, the ultra talented, versatile defensive back
from Texas who played all over the place. There most
times when you scout a player and say, well he
plays a lot of places, he's average, but this guy
was outstanding at.
Speaker 8 (20:34):
Everywhere he lined up.
Speaker 6 (20:35):
You put him at that Broncos defense, with that secondary,
with Defensive Player of the Year Pat Curtained and your
vance Joseph is going to have a lot of flexibility
with Baron of where to play him and where to
maximize game in and game out because you got certained
shutting down the field, barn, you just go reap the
benefits of that, and that fears pass Rush Baldy.
Speaker 8 (20:53):
So he's my guy.
Speaker 6 (20:55):
I love watching him in college. I know you got
a similar guy if you like.
Speaker 11 (20:59):
Yeah, I do like Jenay Bart, I think we all do.
But mine is James Pierce in Atlanta. You know, the
Falcons obviously traded back into the first round, gave up
a first round pick next year to the Rams.
Speaker 7 (21:11):
I'm sure the Rams thought that this is just.
Speaker 11 (21:13):
A bounty that you know, it's it's just a luxury
to be able to do this. But if James Pierce
turns out to be somebody that they've been looking for
for a long long time to go, you know, with
Jalen Walker and they improved their sacked totals from thirty
one a year ago where they were at the bottom
of the league. And James Pierce comes in and he
(21:33):
brings some heat off the edge and really starts getting
after the Baker mayfields at Bryce Youngs in their division
to make them more competitive. I think that this trade
might still have a chance of working out in favor
of the Falcons. It was a lot but if Pierce delivers,
it isn't.
Speaker 5 (21:49):
You gave me a couple of defensive players. Let's go
to the offensive side of the ball. That's tuck specifically
wide receivers.
Speaker 6 (21:54):
Mark, we got to go with a Mecca Buka from
you going to Tampa Bay there coming out of Ohio State,
very similar to Jackson Smith and Jigba when he came
out and he went to Seattle with DK Metcalf and
Tyler Lockett. Well, now he's going to Tampa with with
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin coming back healthy hopefully if
(22:15):
Baker Mayfield with the resurgent, it's throwing for four thousand
yards over the past two seasons. You know they're going
to run the ball. With Bucky Irvin and Rashad White.
There so a lot of options in that Tampa offense
where he can just plug in there.
Speaker 8 (22:29):
He may not get a.
Speaker 6 (22:30):
Ton of volume, but I'm sure he'll make a lot
of huge plays in the slot, much like he did
at Ohio State. Baldy, and you got to watch this
guy because he really knows how to play football.
Speaker 11 (22:41):
Now he's very polished, Mark, You're right, but I really
want to take a look at Travis Hunt. Mike and
myself interview Tony Basselli right here in his program yesterday,
and he couldn't stop raving about Travis Hunt. Now they're
in shorts, they're in helmets. It's not real football. But
they love the kid, the person, the competitor. They love
the fact that he just is indefatigable. It's interesting Mark
(23:03):
just watching him like we did at the Pro Day.
He doesn't wear gloves. Now he might wearhim for a game,
but he doesn't wearing the practice. He wants to hear
the sound of the ball hitting his hands. He wants
to work on his hands. And so there he is
talking to Liam Cohen right here. But I'm really excited
to see what he does, not just offensively, offensively, but
you know defensively, how they line up when they line
(23:24):
him up.
Speaker 7 (23:24):
How many plays the game did he played?
Speaker 11 (23:26):
But playing an opposite Brian Thomas Junior, a real breakout
start immediately a year ago for Jacksonville. They need some
pop in his offense. Uh, and I think Travis Hunter
has a chance to provide that.
Speaker 5 (23:37):
What is the sound of the football hitting the hands?
Is it that John Madden thwap or it's not.
Speaker 7 (23:43):
It's not this. You want to you want to hear it.
Speaker 11 (23:46):
Like very little sound here, Mike, Like like you really
want it to be like.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Like like a baby this sound, Mike.
Speaker 8 (23:54):
You want to be nice and soft.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
You really don't want to hear the sound.
Speaker 8 (23:56):
That's when you're great hands, it's nice and soft.
Speaker 5 (23:59):
Yeah, you see, scouting is not just in the eyes,
that's in the ears. Speaking of scouting, give us more
insight on some offensive rookies in a position to succeed Mark.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
We'll go running back here.
Speaker 6 (24:10):
And that's so Marion Hampton, who has my number two
on my list of rookies in the best situations who
And I thought he was going to go to Denver. Yeah,
I thought Mark drafts. I thought he's going to go
to Denvers because the dire need. Well, if it's not
that you want to go to a Harball offense that
knows that he wants to pound the rock, and there's
no doubt about that. Of course, they got the sensational
justin Herbert there, but Harball said let's run it.
Speaker 8 (24:32):
Naja Harris is there.
Speaker 6 (24:34):
But this guy is just so much more explosive and
versatile out of the backfield running it, but also as
a receiver, so I think he'll get plenty of touches.
One of the best offensive lines in the NFL with
Alt and Slater there. So I think he is the
perfect match for an offensive system and a lot of talent.
Speaker 5 (24:53):
Mark.
Speaker 11 (24:54):
If we just go back a month ago, two months ago,
nobody went under more consternation than Will Campbell come out
of LSU.
Speaker 7 (25:00):
The armlank was just incessant. And you know, is he
a guard? Is he a tackle? Well?
Speaker 11 (25:06):
New England made him the first offensive lineman drafted. They
want him to protect the blind side of Drake May.
His first week now first week, Max Ross, He's coming
to town and so he's going to get tested.
Speaker 7 (25:16):
Right off the bat. Max plays both sides.
Speaker 11 (25:19):
But I'm sure Max wants to test a rookie, let
him feel his punch, welcome him to the to the
NFL the way veterans love to do.
Speaker 7 (25:26):
Offensive lineman. But I think he's going to stand the
test eight.
Speaker 11 (25:29):
You know, last year Drake May was sacked once every
eight and a half dropbacks. They've got to improve that.
I think it starts with the play of left tackle.
I'm anxious to watch Will Campbell and the fact that
this arm link is just a big deal about nothing.
Speaker 7 (25:42):
I think he's going to play real well at that spot.
Speaker 5 (25:46):
Mark Ross, thank you very much for your insight, Baldy
hanging there. You're back later in the show because you,
like Travis Hunter, are indefatigable. I heard that earlier. It
was a great, great word.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Take a look at the Cowboys twenty twenty five schedule,
which includes a record four Thursday games all kicks off one.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
Under twelve days from right now.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Against the Eagles in the NFL Kickoff Game, one matchup
in which a couple of the Cowboys.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Stars certainly seem intrigued in competence.
Speaker 7 (26:21):
Score pre Dition's Week one.
Speaker 12 (26:23):
That's gonna be like twenty four to twenty one Dallas,
twenty four to twenty one Dallas.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Because Eagles five.
Speaker 8 (26:34):
I ain't gonna lie Eagles just five.
Speaker 12 (26:36):
They gonna get days like they they talented as hell.
They're gonna get days like. I'm not saying that we're
gonna shut them up. They're gonna get Theays, but we're
gonna limit that.
Speaker 7 (26:44):
We're coming. We gotta gag. They gonna get days.
Speaker 12 (26:47):
But guess what our offense five to now, we're gonna
get ours we're gonna get off, believe. And I'm sorry
that Quinn thomin o'bay don't last over here?
Speaker 13 (26:58):
Man?
Speaker 7 (27:00):
What is that?
Speaker 12 (27:01):
That's what they call whenntioned?
Speaker 8 (27:03):
I think he bos fans in here. I don't care
who's they're talking about.
Speaker 12 (27:06):
You going to Quintanio Bay, Quintanamo Bay.
Speaker 8 (27:10):
I say I never been locked on on any other.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
All right, Micah Parsons sat in the stage, which certainly
should be an interesting Cowboys season. Welcome back to the Insiders,
Tom Pilacero, Judy Batista, and our friend down in Dallas,
Jane Slater.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
Jane, I guess, I mean this is.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Standard stuff for mic up, but the gauntlet's been thrown
down a little bit here. How confident are the Cowboys
that they eventually taking steps to compete with the defending champs?
Speaker 14 (27:37):
That was awesome, Tom, And if you listen to that
whole stream that was for their schedule release, really good stuff.
Having the guys miked up. And I gotta be honest,
I don't about y'all. I have not heard of Quinnyanimo
Bay essentially saying that they put CD on an island
and locked him up. Uh yeah, Like, let's look at
these two teams. The Cowboys are opening up their season
(27:59):
against a team that went seventy five and thirteen against
them in terms of outscoring them in their two matchups
last year.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
Now, look, Dak.
Speaker 14 (28:07):
Prescott is nined four all time against the Eagles.
Speaker 4 (28:10):
You've got to love that. This is the.
Speaker 14 (28:12):
Game that sets the tone for this season. This is
on the road for the Cowboys. And so when you
look at what the Cowboys have done in the off season,
you have to ask.
Speaker 4 (28:20):
Yourself have they done enough to compete with them?
Speaker 14 (28:23):
Because the thing that I'm keeping an eye on, really
when you look at the Eagles is this young defensive
unit under Vic Fangio. They had their growing pains last year,
but they were a big reason why this team ended
up going all the way to the Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (28:37):
And winning it all. You've got quinnyon.
Speaker 14 (28:38):
Mitchell, You've got Cooper dejen and you're going to be
matching those two up against not only Ceedee Lamb, but
now George Pickens. I think the bigger question for me
is going to be how do they line up against
some of that pass rush from the Eagles. You know,
they went out and got Javonte Williams, They went out
and got Miles Sanders. Then they went and got the
(28:59):
rookie Shadeen Blue. But you you really don't know what
to expect from Jadeen Blue just yet. The big problem
I think for the Cowboys at least was the lack
of pass pro up front, their ability to really get
things going to protect the quarterback. You've got Dak coming
back from an injury. They hope that they addressed that
with Tyler book Booker rather in the draft, taking him
(29:22):
in the first round. And so I think that on paper,
it looks like the Cowboys have done what they need
to do to match up.
Speaker 4 (29:28):
With them offensively.
Speaker 14 (29:29):
From a defensive standpoint, but that is certainly going to
be a game that's going to get a lot of
people excited about the football season.
Speaker 4 (29:36):
All right.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
That game is one of six games in prime time
for the Dallas Cowboys. But the real blockbuster of the
schedule is actually the Thursday afternoon game against the Kansas
City Chiefs. It's been an awfulay long time since they
have played the Chiefs.
Speaker 4 (29:50):
Going to be a lot of eyeballs on this game.
Are they ready for it?
Speaker 14 (29:55):
You know, the last time they played the Chiefs on Thanksgiving,
Judy it was all the way back thirty years ago,
nineteen ninety five, a year that means a lot to
the Cowboys because that's the last time they won a
Super Bowl. Here's another fun fact. In that year, they
started on the road against a divisional opponent. That's happening
with the Cowboys. Of course, they play the Philadelphia Eagles
on the road, and they're home opener in week two.
Speaker 4 (30:18):
That is also happening.
Speaker 14 (30:19):
So all three of these things are happening for the
first time for them, and thirty years is this their year?
Speaker 5 (30:25):
What we call it hopium around here.
Speaker 14 (30:27):
Jesse Holly, former Cowboys player, came up with that term.
So the Cowboys are trying to hold on to a
little hopium that there is something in their cards. But yeah,
that gauntlet week twelve through seventeen, though, Eagles, Chiefs, Lions, Vikings, Chargers, Commanders,
that is going to be a tough one. Let's hope
the Cowboys stay healthy.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
We've got Hopiam, We've got Queen Yanimo Bay. Hopefully for
the Cowboys, it won't be a bay of digs, you know,
because that one badly anyway. I'll get back to that later, Jane,
Thank you very much. That was awesome, Tom for you
to come here, right, Yeah, exactly, Just we'll cancel it
all up.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
I shout on that one for a while.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
Okay, Michael left Florio is going to be here after
this talking about how the schedule could impact your fantasy
team and what you absolutely don't want to do in
your draft.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Don't miss it. That's next on the Insects.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
I hope you don't have bad blood with the Chiefs
because guess what you're gonna be seeing a lot of
Travis Taylor and probably Triumphs this season.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
The Chiefs with a league.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
High seven primetime games on the full NFL schedule that
was announced on Wednesday, Cowboys, Eagles, and Commanders heavy NFC
East representation with six primetime games each. Welcome back to
the Insiders Town Pillar Sera, Mike Herefolo, join now by
our fantasy expert.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Michael f. Florio.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
I find ways, Michael love every year to mess up something.
A lot of this schedule related when it comes to
my fantasy team. When you look at this from your
perspective last night, what's the first thing that you're looking
for for fantasy impact from a.
Speaker 13 (32:05):
Real life standpoint, it's the social teams kudos to them,
they all crush it with the schedule release, But for
fantasy it's the bye weeks. The bye weeks are the
final piece of the puzzle to getting ready for the
upcoming season, because we now know where players got signed,
we know where they have been drafted, we know what
rosters are going to look like for the most part,
(32:26):
outside of where Aaron Rodgers is going to be playing
this year. Now we know when the games are going
to be played, and more importantly, when teams are not
going to be playing. People nowadays like to start drafting
in January and February, and you're kind of doing it
blindly if you don't have the schedule, because you could
draft a great team. If all of your guys are
on buy on the same week, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
You're going to.
Speaker 8 (32:47):
Lose that week and it's going to hurt you.
Speaker 13 (32:48):
But now that we have it out there, you could
start planning for when your buys are going to be
and stuff like that, you can start drafting. It is
to me, schedule release is always the unofficial start best
ball season, you draft season, So me, I'm very excited.
Speaker 5 (33:04):
How do you navigate those bye weeks? Then? I mean,
do you like last night, say oh boy, there's a
cluster of running backs in week seven or Week eight
or other positions. I mean, how do you navigate it?
As an owner?
Speaker 13 (33:18):
I think people make too big of a deal sometimes
at looking at the buys, Like there's certain things you
don't want to do right, Like you don't want to
draft multiple quarterbacks or tight ends with the same buy.
But when it comes to running backs and wide receivers,
I pay a little less attention to that. And there's
a number of different ways you could handle it. The
most common approach is to try to space out your buys,
(33:40):
or you could do the exact opposite, like Week eight,
for example, has six teams on by, and shout out
to the schedule makers for only giving us one week
with six teams on by this year they were thinking
about us fantasy players. You could look up on players
in Week eight with a Week eight by, you'll pretty
much have a buy in fantasy. You'll take the l
but besides that, every you will have pretty much your
(34:01):
full roster. Another sneaky way I think is there's a
lot of weeks this year where only two teams are
on by, so you could grab like Week six is
the Vikings and Texans. Week seven is the Ravens and Bills.
Good offenses. You could target players on those offenses, one
because there are already guys you want in fantasy, but
two it's much easier to replace someone in your lineup
(34:23):
when there's only two teams on by So that to
me was the biggest thing that jumped out to me.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
So fantasy playoffs fall week fifteen, sixteen seventeen. Unless you're
one of those weirdos who plays in week eighteen, we're
not even gonna worry about them. How much, if at all,
michae lef should I be looking at drafting or not
drafting players based upon potential matchups when we get to
the end of the season.
Speaker 13 (34:47):
To quote the infamous Johnny Manziel zero, that's my approach,
at least, like I think a lot of people.
Speaker 8 (34:53):
It is a popular.
Speaker 13 (34:54):
Line of thinking to look ahead to the fantasy playoffs
and see when there are advantageous matchups stuff like that.
But I don't need to tell you guys, everything changes
week to week in the NFL.
Speaker 8 (35:05):
We are it is a week to week game for
a reason.
Speaker 13 (35:08):
So if you think you could plan successfully four months
down the road, it's to me it is a big
trap because let's look at last year for an example,
the Cowboys had a fantastic end of season schedule if
you drafted Dak for that reason, he was not out there.
And then on the defensive side of things, the Cowboys
and forty nine ers were defenses that we thought for
(35:29):
sure fantasy managers would be avoiding. Turned out they were
really good matchups down the stretch after injuries and stuff
like that occurred. So with coaching changes and player movements,
we don't know as much about defenses as we think
we do. And then you add in the big variable
that is injuries, teams are going to look very different
come Week fifteen than they do today and on Week one.
Speaker 5 (35:49):
So I think it is.
Speaker 8 (35:50):
A big trap. Use it as a tiebreaker maybe.
Speaker 5 (35:52):
But nothing more. Any key fantasy matchups that you have
already identified based on the schedule we saw last.
Speaker 13 (35:59):
Night, Yeah, the first one that caught my eye is
a Bills fantas Week one is Ravens Bills. Those are
two huge fantasy teams with a lot of key fantasy players.
Those fan bases also despise each other. Lines Ravens Week three.
Then you get Lines Bengals week for any Bengals game,
because they're gonna put up plenty of points, their defense
is gonna give up plenty of points. And then Commander's
Bears is also one that I personally am very excited for.
(36:22):
So those are ones that caught my eye from a
fantasy standpoint.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
Michael, you are the best. Thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
So much more from you in these coming months as
we get ready for our draft.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
Yeah, I mean, what's up? A little busy here?
Speaker 7 (36:36):
What's up, dude? Real quick?
Speaker 5 (36:37):
Schedule, release video?
Speaker 8 (36:39):
You got anything for me?
Speaker 2 (36:40):
I mean, justcuse I.
Speaker 8 (36:42):
Hey, I that's what everybody's doing.
Speaker 7 (36:44):
I'll see what I can do.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
Yeah, it'll be easy.
Speaker 9 (36:47):
I mean, excuse.
Speaker 5 (36:51):
Yeah, thanks for doing this today.
Speaker 7 (36:54):
Yeah, I don't know what I'm doing.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
Why am I here?
Speaker 7 (36:59):
We do?
Speaker 12 (37:00):
I want you to reveal the Buffalo Bills twenty twenty
five schedule.
Speaker 7 (37:03):
Buffalo Bill's johns Allen Buffalo Bill.
Speaker 5 (37:06):
Yeah, Josh actually send us to shoot with you.
Speaker 7 (37:09):
Wow, MVP Josh Allen. That's sound for me to brag about.
Here's the schedule.
Speaker 4 (37:23):
That was my favorite schedule for the old video.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
Allan Iverson, Jeffrey Chidia, Brian Baldinger joining the show. Baldy,
I know what I look at as a reporter when
the schedule comes out.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
I look at what the travel schedule is probably going
to look like.
Speaker 3 (37:38):
But as a former player, I want to hear from you,
what do players look at when they look at the schedule.
Speaker 7 (37:43):
Well, I come from a different era, Judy.
Speaker 11 (37:44):
In fact, I was in an era before Alan Iverson
all right, So back then we played on Sundays and Mondays,
so the schedule would come out. I mean you looked
at the Monday night football games back in the eighties
and early nineties, and so I mean my first game
as a Cowboy was against the Steelers at Texas Stadium
on Monday Night. Dandy Don Terry Bradshaw, Franco, Harris, Lynn Swan,
(38:06):
I mean that was my first game.
Speaker 7 (38:08):
I remember playing in Indianapolis.
Speaker 11 (38:10):
On a Monday night against Cleveland and I'm in the
dog Pound at Cliffbey Municipal Stadium and dog bones are
hit me during the TV timeous And then I remember
being in Philadelphia as an Eagle playing the Cowboys on
a Monday night and there's Jimmy Johnson pacing the field
before the game and we'd whipped them good that day,
lost to them in the playoffs. But Monday Night is
(38:30):
where you know, we really concentrated and we loved playing.
Speaker 7 (38:34):
That was an honor to play a Monday Night.
Speaker 11 (38:37):
It was a chance for all of our friends and
family to see us as opposed to now where you know,
almost all these games are being televised. And then I thought,
this year, the fact that the Chiefs lead all teams,
it's not surprising. In national games was seven and you know,
they played in every game of the week last year
(38:58):
except for Tuesday Night, but it didn't seem to bother
them at all.
Speaker 7 (39:02):
They won fifteen games, they went all the way to.
Speaker 11 (39:04):
The super Bowl, they didn't finish it, and so they're
going to be rewarded for being really good, being a
fun team to watch, having the celebrity that kind of
goes with being a Chief these days, starting with Mahomes,
Travis Kelcey and some of the players. And so I
just think, Jeff, you know, when you look at the
Chiefs right now with seven primetime game, your comas can't
(39:25):
not put them on because they've just got much of
an attractive draw out right now.
Speaker 10 (39:30):
Yeah, Baldy, and they don't run away from those opportunities.
In fact, they cover those. If you talk to people
within the Chiefs, they love the possibilities of being on
primetime games, of being an international game because they want
to build that brand. They recognize they've got one of
the biggest superstars in all the sports and Patrick Mahomes,
they've got Travis Kelcey Date and one of the biggest superstars,
if not the biggest superstar in music in Taylor Swift,
(39:53):
and they want to capitalize on that. So they love
this these platforms and you see how they play on them.
They rarely lose because they of that stage. And what's
crazy about this year though, is they're getting the Ravens
and the Bills, but no Bangles on the.
Speaker 7 (40:06):
Schedule for the first time.
Speaker 10 (40:07):
That's twenty twenty, and for my money, that's been one
of the hottest rivalries in the NFL over the last
four or five years. Six games decided by one point
one score or less and five decided by three points
are less. So it's I'll miss those games, but I
understand they're going to play some big games anyway.
Speaker 3 (40:25):
All right, Bald that you talked about how unusual the
schedule of the Chiefs played last year. Was there were
some quirky schedules in this go around too. What stood
out to you.
Speaker 11 (40:35):
Well, I mean the Cowboys are playing four Thursday night games, Judy.
I mean, when this Thursday night schedule came out, they said, okay,
everybody gets a day, everybody gets thanks you know, one
Thursday night game, and the Cowboys always have the Thanksgiving
Day game.
Speaker 7 (40:49):
So you maybe you might get two.
Speaker 11 (40:51):
But now you open up the season in Philly on
Thursday night, September fourth, Then you play your national game
like you do every Thanksgiving, you know, going up against
Kansas City and a big matchup in Dallas, and then
a week later to give them the seven days rest,
you get the Lions, and then on Christmas Day you
play on Thanksgiving again because everybody wants to see the
(41:13):
Cowboys evidently, you know, I mean obviously they're a huge straw,
always have been. And so they get, you know, a
fourth game against the division rival, the Washington Commanders. So
four Thursday night games to me was a pretty good
court When I looked at the schedule.
Speaker 10 (41:29):
Well, Baldly, I look at that schedule too, and you
talk about the course of it, just how do they
survive that stretch there right before Thanksgiving going into December,
where you're going to see six playoff teams and really
good teams in the Lions, the Cowboys, the Chiefs.
Speaker 7 (41:46):
I don't know how that team.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
The Cowboys.
Speaker 10 (41:48):
Yeah, it's great to have George Pickens there and all
the hype around that, but it's going to be a
rough stretch for them, and they're going to be a
player in the NFC. We'll find out real fast in
that time of.
Speaker 5 (41:57):
The year for them.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Wednesday was the NFL schedule release and the super Bowl
for team social media units, the Vikings having fans get
tattoos of their opponents.
Speaker 2 (42:10):
I'm not sure I would have signed up for that one.
Speaker 1 (42:12):
The Seahawks busted out some old school action figures.
Speaker 2 (42:17):
Is it stop motion?
Speaker 1 (42:18):
Yeah, we'll call that stop motion right there, Judy, did
you have a favorite.
Speaker 3 (42:24):
The one we just showed the Buffalo Bills. You used
Alan Iverson When allan Iverson first showed up on the screen,
I screamed, I couldn't believe it.
Speaker 4 (42:32):
I thought that was great.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
Love that one, Mike.
Speaker 5 (42:35):
I mean, I gotta go Chargers. Did you see wrap
a Portyes? Like, come on, come on, large coffee poom,
right in your face.
Speaker 8 (42:43):
Pow.
Speaker 2 (42:45):
Good job chargers.
Speaker 1 (42:46):
That would have been more entertaining if that would be
the incident rather than the actual story.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
But the chargers as.
Speaker 1 (42:53):
Much are the best, even if you're like me and
you have no idea what Minecraft is, you've never played it,
you've never even seen it. We're back at seven pm
Eastern time tomorrow. Thanks everybody. See
The twenty twenty five NVIL schedule is officially out, and
not all schedules are created equal. We will break down
the best beats and the worst team by team with
our army of analysts.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Schedule release also.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
A big day for our fantasy analysts because it's never
too soon to prepare for buy Mageddon.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Michael left Florio is going.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
To be here to help you avoid a potential doomsday
scenario which rookies could help your fantasy team and your
real life team. Brian Baldinger and Mark Ross have some answers.
They'll be here to help us separate the first year
studs from the possible duds. Welcome inside with the Insiders
alongside Jenny Batista and Mike Garafalo.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
I am Tom Pelissero.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
One hundred and twelve days out from the kickoff to
the empty twenty five NFL season. Now that we've had
twenty three hours or so to really break down all
two hundred and seventy two games in our heads, we've
got some thoughts. Let's start out right there with some
of the unique portions of this twenty twenty five NFL schedule.
(01:16):
As you take a look, starting out with the Dallas
Cowboys first team in NFL history to play four Thursday
games in a single season.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
They're not all short weeks.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
That includes the kickoff game against the Eagles as well
as a game the week after Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
The Chiefs. Are you sick of them? Too bad?
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Seven primetime games for them, most in the NFL this season.
The Eagles Lions both facing eleven playoff teams.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
That is tied for the most in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Meanwhile, the Ravens this is an interesting quirk, the only
team with multiple three game home stands.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
There is so much more here, Judy, what caught your
attention as you've got a chance to break down this schedule?
Speaker 3 (01:56):
Well, the NFL also held a conference call this afternoon
with some of the executives who are charged with making
the schedule. And one thing that Mike North, who is
one of those executives, pointed out is they don't know
anything more about what Aaron Rodgers is doing. If he's
going to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or not, then the
rest of us know, and so they had to proceed
accordingly when they were making up the schedule, which is
(02:17):
why if you look at the schedule, the Steelers visit
the Jets on the first Sunday of the season. That's
a big game justin Fields, good revenge game for him. Well,
it would be even bigger if they knew for sure
that Aaron Rodgers was going to be the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback.
That game is slated for one o'clock on Sunday. Certainly
the possibility would have been for a broader time slot,
(02:41):
a later time slot for that game if they'd known
Aaron Rodgers. Still, the Steelers are a national brand. They've
got lots of primetime games. They are in the four
to twenty five window later on in the season.
Speaker 4 (02:51):
But the league admits that if they had known.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
For sure what Aaron rodgers plans were, the Pittsburgh Steelers
schedule might have looked a little bit more like the
New York Jets schedule has looked in the last few years.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
I mean, sometimes this is a better way to go
about things, I guess, because you're a victim of your
own success or anticipated success, because that's how you wind
up in primetime slots and short weeks and Thursdays. The
Washington Commanders are that team. They were the surprise team
a year ago. They are not surprising or catching anybody
off guard with the way that their schedule is laid out.
I mean, we'll see listen.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
Art Rooney with.
Speaker 5 (03:24):
The schedule, said that they were unhappy with some of
the late season primetime games. They can flex out of
some of those if Rogers is not with them. But
also they're the Steelers. They're going to be successful, right,
That's what they've been over the course of the Mike
talman Ara, So they'll be thrust into the spotlight. I
just I go back to Washington being in the spotlight.
(03:45):
They're playing a maybe got a tough schedule, right, They're
going overseas in the Spain game, They've got a bunch
of short weeks, They've got a bunch of games against
teams coming off Buys actually lead the league in that department.
So I'm watching the Washington Commanders over the last day
as I've looked more at schedule. To me, that's the
team that I feel like is going to pay for
their success in twenty twenty four. Got to answer the bell,
(04:06):
Dan Quinn, and now we're gonna welcome in Mark Ross,
Judy Maatista, Tom just disappeared. He'll be back shortly though.
Don't miss him too much. Mark Ross, We've got you
guys to break down what we learned here. I just
talked about Washington. Judy, start with you. What team, in
your mind has the toughest schedule, as you've broken it
(04:28):
down over the last.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Day or so, Well, it is a team we are
all very familiar with here on this panel. The New
York Giants have an absolute beast of a schedule. They
played ten teams that were in the playoffs last year. Obviously,
they've got the Commanders and the Eagles, who were both
in the NFC Championship Game. Plus they played the AFC.
They played the NFC North and the AFC West. Both
(04:53):
of those divisions sent three teams each to the playoffs,
and the Giants have to.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
Play all of them.
Speaker 3 (04:58):
The first half of the schedule is especially difficult. They
start with two games on the road, then they come
home and have to host the Eagles on a short
week on a Thursday. It's a very tough start to
the season, and certainly, you know with a quarterback question
that's going to be hanging over this team really the
entire season. You of course look for the opening where
(05:21):
could they make a quarterback switch. Well, there's always that
mini by after you have a Thursday night game, but
the true buy doesn't happen for the Giants until week fourteen,
so a really late by in a very very tough
slate and.
Speaker 6 (05:35):
Judy up, I was trying to pick another team just
to make this interesting, but when I knew the Giants'
opponents coming into the schedule, I was like, this is daunting,
And then the schedule actually came out, this is impossible.
I really can only see one game I think they'll
possibly be favored, and.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
That's at New Orleans.
Speaker 6 (05:51):
You know, maybe at Las Vegas, but I think they'll
be a lot better, and New England's going to be
a lot better.
Speaker 7 (05:56):
But besides that, all of those.
Speaker 6 (05:58):
Teams you talked about, I mean, it's really looking bleak
for the Giants, even fine two wins, one win, two wins,
so and we talked about Jackson Dart, but it's also
the otis on head coach Brian Davile and GM Joe Shade,
and I know there's been talk of we're going a
red shirt Jackson Dart all the way the next year.
But if they're piling up at oh and six, oh
(06:18):
and seven, one and ten, whatever, that is you got
to think owner John marri is going to say, well,
what's going on here? And so there's going to be
a lot of discussion about a lot of people, key
players in the Giants organization if this schedule is playing
out like we think it will.
Speaker 5 (06:32):
Judy, just look at those first seven eight weeks there,
and it's like Eagles, Denver Eagles. I believe it's by
just like how they're gonna survive this stretch. But listen,
that's no surprise because last week Cynthia Freeland we broke
it down on the show who had the easiest and
toughest schedules based on expected wins on what Cynthia has
(06:53):
put out there, and the Giants were thirty second. They
were the toughest schedule, the easiest schedule according to that
with San Francisco. But Judy, sometimes the structure of the
schedule factored into it. So now seeing how it has
laid out, who do you think has the most I
call it easiest favorable schedule?
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Yeah, I think the schedule came out pretty favorable for
the New England Patriots. They have a pretty easy strength
of schedule anyway. They are thirtieth, so they're one of
the easiest schedules anyway, according to opponents records from last season,
but just the way it's been laid out I think
favors them too. They have a stretch in the middle
of the season where they play three straight games against
teams that maybe playing rookie quarterbacks by that time. This
(07:34):
is a team that I think the league expects to
be significantly upgraded from last season. They are certainly not
all the way back to where they were in the
Tom Brady, Bill Belichick era, where every game was in
a national slot. That's not the case yet, although they
do have more national games this season than they did
last season. So I think the hopes are high that
the Patriots are going to start rebounding, but I think
(07:57):
the schedule will give them a pretty.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Good boost too.
Speaker 6 (08:01):
Judy, one hundred percent with you on this one too.
I tried, but once again, Giants Patriots in lockstep, always
tied together. So can the Patriots go from four to
thirteen to thirteen and four?
Speaker 7 (08:14):
And when I'm looking at that schedule.
Speaker 8 (08:15):
I was like, there's a chance.
Speaker 6 (08:17):
Of course, There's two games against Buffalo home and away,
and in three away games against Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, and Baltimore.
But outside of that, I think this Patriots team is
going to be drastically proved and have a chance to
win all those other games on their schedule. Just the
Mike Brabel factor coming in there, Drake May a year better,
all the free agents that they signed, headlined by Milton
(08:39):
Williams and Carlton Davis, and then I thought they absolutely
crushed it in the draft with Will Campbell and Treveon Henderson.
So I think their talent influx is so much better
than what they had last year. The coaching is going
to be so much better, and I think this team
is going to be right there with Buffalo to say
we could take this top spot.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
A lot of new faces on both sides of the ball,
but also a familiar face on the defensive side of
the ball, Christian Barmore. They gave him a big contract
a couple of years ago. He said he's been fully
clear to have blood clots last year and expects to
be there for Week one, So even a returning face
is in addition to that Patriots lineup, Judy one more
for you. The team with the most interesting aspect to
(09:22):
the schedule that you noticed, Well.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
I'm going to mention something you mentioned. The Commanders. They
are clearly a beloved team again. The league has waited
a long time to love the Commanders and they are back.
And I think the big signal there is putting them
in one of the international games for the first time
in nine years.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Let's face it, for a long time, the.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
League did not really want to think about the Washington Commanders.
They weren't a very good team. Their actions off the
field weren't so great either, and so they just sort
of wanted to keep them to the side. Not only anymore,
they are a really good team. They have a budding
superstar in Jaden Daniels. Obviously, they went to the NFC
Championship Game last year.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
They want to show them off.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Everything is coming up good for the Washington Commanders now.
And when you look at the schedule, in addition to
the international game, they have a bunch of primetime games.
They're playing on Christmas Day. That tells you the NFL
is happy to have.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
The spotlight on the Commanders once again.
Speaker 7 (10:19):
Well mine was.
Speaker 6 (10:20):
When you know the schedule comes out, there's going to
be chalk of primetime games with the Chiefs and the
Eagles and the Ravens and the Bills and then you
look at it and you say the Falcons with five
Primetime had to look at it a couple of times
there to make sure that that was right. But I
don't know if it was just a quirk because of
the opponents that they are playing, or at the league
intentionally thinks well, maybe Michael Pennis is going to light
(10:40):
it up and be an MVP type candidate and have
a resurgence with the dirty birds down there. So that
definitely jumped out at me as saying, how in the
world do the Falcons do this? So could they take
a big step, you know with the year number two there,
but and Michael Pennicks developing. We will see, but they'll
definitely have a lot of exposure tot's see if they
(11:01):
can get it done.
Speaker 5 (11:03):
Yeah, and they played well in a national spotlight late
in the season of that game in Washington. That one
was a thriller there with Michael Pennix performing extremely well.
So certainly that's part of the equation there. Judy Mark
great thoughts on the schedule. To check out the full
what we learned analysis, goo to NFL dot com. Not
now after the show, we want you to keep watching Tom.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
So potentially big news incoming.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
NFL owner is going to discuss a resolution at next
week's league meeting in Minneapolis that would allow NFL players
to participate in the twenty twenty eight Summer Olympics. Resolution
would permit no more than one player from each NFL
team per country to participate, plus each teams that has
been an international player.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
There's also injury protection for clubs.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Built in requires minimum field standards answering some of those
questions that have existed.
Speaker 7 (11:53):
It would be a.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Huge disruption of twenty twenty eight because the Summer Games
in LA run from July fourteenth to thirtieth. So now
judy these stages potentially sat at a time that we
know the NFL is trying to increasingly take the game international. Here,
this could be the NFL's answer to the nineteen ninety
two Dream Team, assuming that the resolution passes next week.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Yes, look when they announced that flag football was going
to be part of the LA Olympics, immediately you heard
current football players saying they wanted in. Well, this is
now going to be the opportunity to open the door.
You're right, it has overtures of the Dream Team that
we remember NBA players crushing the rest of the world
in basketball. Obviously, the concerns here are injury protections for
(12:44):
the teams. You're going to want to protect teams if
Patrick Mahomes is going to be on the field participating
in the Olympics.
Speaker 4 (12:52):
But this is a huge initiative for the NFL.
Speaker 3 (12:54):
They have been trying to grow the game internationally, and
they've been trying to grow flag football in this country
and elsewhere. So this is an enormous opportunity to get
millions of eyeballs onto flag football, onto the biggest stars
in the NFL today. I am going to be so
interested to see which one player is allowed to play
(13:16):
for the United States team off any team in the NFL.
I feel like there's going to be a whole lot
of meetings and arm twisting going on to allow that.
But also I'm very curious to see what kind of
protections they.
Speaker 4 (13:27):
Have to come up with.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
Yeah, it's going to be and the notion that the
US is going to run away with this too. We've
got a lot of NFL players with heritage that takes
them back to other countries that could potentially make them
eligible that if the field could be more balanced, and
this could be more of an intriguing I know it's
our game, I know it's an American game, but this
could be more of an intriguing competition as we get
closer to these twenty twenty eight games, I know some
(13:52):
coaches are going to be nervous. I know some teams
are going to be nervous about this. There's going to
be a risk reward here because if a player gets
hurt before the start of training camp, it's going to
be devastating to that team potentially, because these are all
going to be some of the best players in the
league obviously that are going to be playing in this one.
But the reward is what flag football really has been
(14:13):
and why it's been a part of what the NFL
has done. You're seeing at the Pro Bowl and elsewhere
with the youth football players of America as well of
the world as well, I should say, because it helps
put the sport on a global stage. They've been doing
that with the NFL games over there. So the balancing
act here is basically cross your fingers. Hopefully no one
gets hurt, and if that's the case, then it's a
(14:35):
great way to put a spotlight on the game.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
I'm just here for whatever the NFL equivalent to Charles
Barkley versus Angola is going to end.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Up being the dream team.
Speaker 1 (14:46):
Ran roughshot over just about everybody back in nineteen ninety two.
But that's also the reason it inspired so many kids
in different countries to get good at basketball, and now
it's a competitive sport, certainly something to keep an eye on.
There was a time Williams would have rather played for
Angola or any other country, any team that was not
the Chicago Bears. This according to a new book by
(15:08):
ESPN Seth Wickersham, which includes quotes from Caleb's father Carl,
talking about the various things that they consider doing to
try to avoid going to a place that, in Carl Williams' words,
is a place that quarterbacks go to die.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Obviously, none of those things ended up happening.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Caleb Williams is a Chicago Bear, and now he has
a new head coach and Ben Johnson who probably is
going to make him feel a little bit better about
being in Chicago.
Speaker 7 (15:34):
I don't see it quite the same way.
Speaker 9 (15:36):
I see this is what a great opportunity we have
to do something that really has never been done there
hasn't been a four thousand yard passer here in this franchise.
Speaker 7 (15:45):
And I think Caleb is going to be the.
Speaker 9 (15:47):
First one, and one of many years, many seasons to
come where he's able to accomplish that feat. So I
see a chance for greatness here for him. He's been
communicated that way, and he feels the same way. I
don't know what's going on prior to him joining the organization,
but he is very proud to be a Chicago Bear.
(16:09):
That's what our conversations have included, and he's really excited
to get to work right now and be the best
version of himself for twenty twenty five.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
The story also said that after meeting with the Vikings
at the scouting combine and specifically coach Kevin O'Connell, Caleb
Williams wanted to be a Viking. Instead, Caleb goes to Chicago,
the Vikings draft JJ McCarthy, and what do you know,
Week one, Monday Night Football, they are going to meet
up Mike.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
There were rumblings.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
About this throughout the pre draft process a year ago,
that Caleb Williams might try to do what eland Anon
did once upon a time and dictate exactly where he went.
I think the key thing for people to understand is
they researched all this. They looked into these different legal
theories and things. They didn't actually push any of those buttons,
in part because Caleb got comfortable with the Bears to
(16:57):
the process the Bears were colely comfortable with, and after
a bumpy first season which we saw flashes of Caleb Williams,
they now feel like they've got the right coach in
supporting Cash to really let Caleb flourish.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
Well. The question and in Caleb's going to be asked
about this is how much of this was coming from
him and how much was coming from his father, Because
you talk about whispers during the draft process for Caleb Williams,
there was talk that his father could disrupt the draft
process in one or a number of ways, and this
potentially was one of the things that the teams were
talking about. I would just say at this point things
(17:31):
have changed. Ben Johnson is there. That is a good
thing for a quarterback if you buy in and if
you're able to execute what he wants and if Caleb
Williams is not in Chicago. I saw a reference to
this when his contract is up at that point, he
could get when his contract's up, there's franchise tag, there's
all kinds of mechanisms to keep him there, and at
that point, if they want to keep him around, they're
(17:52):
going to keep him around. And if he's that successful,
he'll probably want to stay around. So all this is
just going to be stuff that we're talking about in
the past if we get there.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Yeah, I'm not quite concerned about what happened pre draft
because they never pulled any.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
Of those levers.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
I am interested more interested in another excerpt that came
out where Taylor Williams said he got no guidance about
how to watch film. He was watching film by himself
last year. That's certainly not great, especially not great for
a rookie quarterback. Definitely does not reflect well on the
former staff. Again, things are different now. The Bears basically
(18:27):
blew everything out and rebuilt the team to try to
get the best out of Caleb Williams, and of course
that starts with Ben Johnson. Certainly, I think these excerpts
are interesting, but I do think all of that is
in the past. About what kind of fretting they might
have done pre draft.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Well, that also speaks to the challenge that Thomas Brown
had on his plate when he was one week it
was all right, you're into the new OC, and then
like three weeks later, okay, you're also now the head
coach and the OC. Yeah, there was a lot going
on in Chicago last year. Still beat the Packers, as
many Bears fans reminded me when the draft was in
Green Bay.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
A couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
I want to come on this episode of the Insiders,
including a deeper look at the Cowboys rather unique schedule.
Our Jane Slander will be here to help us break
down that as well as look further into one of
the teams that are gonna be facing a couple of
times next season with Washington. We will also get back
to some of those rookies going through their first off
(19:20):
seasons now with new teams. That includes Travis Hunter. Is
he set up for success in Jacksonville. We'll discuss it
a lot more. Come here on the Insiders.
Speaker 5 (19:38):
Hey, look at the Denver broncos a schedule. They had
a creative rodeo type thing to release the schedule with
kids falling off a sheep.
Speaker 10 (19:46):
It was.
Speaker 5 (19:47):
It is interesting, But here's the full schedule. Just in
grid format for you if you're just about the nuts
and the bolts, and we got a couple of nuts
and bolts here with us, no chargers. I don't know
why I said bolts, just a couple of nuts. Mark
Ross and Brian Baldinger love you guys. You can smile.
That's okay. Maybe I just picked you both off. Who knows, Mark,
(20:09):
we're going to talk about rookies in the best place
to succeed. How am I getting there from the Broncos
because you have a Bronco on that list.
Speaker 6 (20:17):
I got a Bronco on the list who I think
has a chance to be a defensive Rookie of the Year,
and that's Today Baron, the ultra talented, versatile defensive back
from Texas who played all over the place. There most
times when you scout a player and say, well he
plays a lot of places, he's average, but this guy
was outstanding at.
Speaker 8 (20:34):
Everywhere he lined up.
Speaker 6 (20:35):
You put him at that Broncos defense, with that secondary,
with Defensive Player of the Year Pat Curtained and your
vance Joseph is going to have a lot of flexibility
with Baron of where to play him and where to
maximize game in and game out because you got certained
shutting down the field, barn, you just go reap the
benefits of that, and that fears pass Rush Baldy.
Speaker 8 (20:53):
So he's my guy.
Speaker 6 (20:55):
I love watching him in college. I know you got
a similar guy if you like.
Speaker 11 (20:59):
Yeah, I do like Jenay Bart, I think we all do.
But mine is James Pierce in Atlanta. You know, the
Falcons obviously traded back into the first round, gave up
a first round pick next year to the Rams.
Speaker 7 (21:11):
I'm sure the Rams thought that this is just.
Speaker 11 (21:13):
A bounty that you know, it's it's just a luxury
to be able to do this. But if James Pierce
turns out to be somebody that they've been looking for
for a long long time to go, you know, with
Jalen Walker and they improved their sacked totals from thirty
one a year ago where they were at the bottom
of the league. And James Pierce comes in and he
(21:33):
brings some heat off the edge and really starts getting
after the Baker mayfields at Bryce Youngs in their division
to make them more competitive. I think that this trade
might still have a chance of working out in favor
of the Falcons. It was a lot but if Pierce delivers,
it isn't.
Speaker 5 (21:49):
You gave me a couple of defensive players. Let's go
to the offensive side of the ball. That's tuck specifically
wide receivers.
Speaker 6 (21:54):
Mark, we got to go with a Mecca Buka from
you going to Tampa Bay there coming out of Ohio State,
very similar to Jackson Smith and Jigba when he came
out and he went to Seattle with DK Metcalf and
Tyler Lockett. Well, now he's going to Tampa with with
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin coming back healthy hopefully if
(22:15):
Baker Mayfield with the resurgent, it's throwing for four thousand
yards over the past two seasons. You know they're going
to run the ball. With Bucky Irvin and Rashad White.
There so a lot of options in that Tampa offense
where he can just plug in there.
Speaker 8 (22:29):
He may not get a.
Speaker 6 (22:30):
Ton of volume, but I'm sure he'll make a lot
of huge plays in the slot, much like he did
at Ohio State. Baldy, and you got to watch this
guy because he really knows how to play football.
Speaker 11 (22:41):
Now he's very polished, Mark, You're right, but I really
want to take a look at Travis Hunt. Mike and
myself interview Tony Basselli right here in his program yesterday,
and he couldn't stop raving about Travis Hunt. Now they're
in shorts, they're in helmets. It's not real football. But
they love the kid, the person, the competitor. They love
the fact that he just is indefatigable. It's interesting Mark
(23:03):
just watching him like we did at the Pro Day.
He doesn't wear gloves. Now he might wearhim for a game,
but he doesn't wearing the practice. He wants to hear
the sound of the ball hitting his hands. He wants
to work on his hands. And so there he is
talking to Liam Cohen right here. But I'm really excited
to see what he does, not just offensively, offensively, but
you know defensively, how they line up when they line
(23:24):
him up.
Speaker 7 (23:24):
How many plays the game did he played?
Speaker 11 (23:26):
But playing an opposite Brian Thomas Junior, a real breakout
start immediately a year ago for Jacksonville. They need some
pop in his offense. Uh, and I think Travis Hunter
has a chance to provide that.
Speaker 5 (23:37):
What is the sound of the football hitting the hands?
Is it that John Madden thwap or it's not.
Speaker 7 (23:43):
It's not this. You want to you want to hear it.
Speaker 11 (23:46):
Like very little sound here, Mike, Like like you really
want it to be like.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Like like a baby this sound, Mike.
Speaker 8 (23:54):
You want to be nice and soft.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
You really don't want to hear the sound.
Speaker 8 (23:56):
That's when you're great hands, it's nice and soft.
Speaker 5 (23:59):
Yeah, you see, scouting is not just in the eyes,
that's in the ears. Speaking of scouting, give us more
insight on some offensive rookies in a position to succeed Mark.
Speaker 2 (24:09):
We'll go running back here.
Speaker 6 (24:10):
And that's so Marion Hampton, who has my number two
on my list of rookies in the best situations who
And I thought he was going to go to Denver. Yeah,
I thought Mark drafts. I thought he's going to go
to Denvers because the dire need. Well, if it's not
that you want to go to a Harball offense that
knows that he wants to pound the rock, and there's
no doubt about that. Of course, they got the sensational
justin Herbert there, but Harball said let's run it.
Speaker 8 (24:32):
Naja Harris is there.
Speaker 6 (24:34):
But this guy is just so much more explosive and
versatile out of the backfield running it, but also as
a receiver, so I think he'll get plenty of touches.
One of the best offensive lines in the NFL with
Alt and Slater there. So I think he is the
perfect match for an offensive system and a lot of talent.
Speaker 5 (24:53):
Mark.
Speaker 11 (24:54):
If we just go back a month ago, two months ago,
nobody went under more consternation than Will Campbell come out
of LSU.
Speaker 7 (25:00):
The armlank was just incessant. And you know, is he
a guard? Is he a tackle? Well?
Speaker 11 (25:06):
New England made him the first offensive lineman drafted. They
want him to protect the blind side of Drake May.
His first week now first week, Max Ross, He's coming
to town and so he's going to get tested.
Speaker 7 (25:16):
Right off the bat. Max plays both sides.
Speaker 11 (25:19):
But I'm sure Max wants to test a rookie, let
him feel his punch, welcome him to the to the
NFL the way veterans love to do.
Speaker 7 (25:26):
Offensive lineman. But I think he's going to stand the
test eight.
Speaker 11 (25:29):
You know, last year Drake May was sacked once every
eight and a half dropbacks. They've got to improve that.
I think it starts with the play of left tackle.
I'm anxious to watch Will Campbell and the fact that
this arm link is just a big deal about nothing.
Speaker 7 (25:42):
I think he's going to play real well at that spot.
Speaker 5 (25:46):
Mark Ross, thank you very much for your insight, Baldy
hanging there. You're back later in the show because you,
like Travis Hunter, are indefatigable. I heard that earlier. It
was a great, great word.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Take a look at the Cowboys twenty twenty five schedule,
which includes a record four Thursday games all kicks off one.
Speaker 2 (26:05):
Under twelve days from right now.
Speaker 1 (26:08):
Against the Eagles in the NFL Kickoff Game, one matchup
in which a couple of the Cowboys.
Speaker 2 (26:15):
Stars certainly seem intrigued in competence.
Speaker 7 (26:21):
Score pre Dition's Week one.
Speaker 12 (26:23):
That's gonna be like twenty four to twenty one Dallas,
twenty four to twenty one Dallas.
Speaker 2 (26:33):
Because Eagles five.
Speaker 8 (26:34):
I ain't gonna lie Eagles just five.
Speaker 12 (26:36):
They gonna get days like they they talented as hell.
They're gonna get days like. I'm not saying that we're
gonna shut them up. They're gonna get Theays, but we're
gonna limit that.
Speaker 7 (26:44):
We're coming. We gotta gag. They gonna get days.
Speaker 12 (26:47):
But guess what our offense five to now, we're gonna
get ours we're gonna get off, believe. And I'm sorry
that Quinn thomin o'bay don't last over here?
Speaker 13 (26:58):
Man?
Speaker 7 (27:00):
What is that?
Speaker 12 (27:01):
That's what they call whenntioned?
Speaker 8 (27:03):
I think he bos fans in here. I don't care
who's they're talking about.
Speaker 12 (27:06):
You going to Quintanio Bay, Quintanamo Bay.
Speaker 8 (27:10):
I say I never been locked on on any other.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
All right, Micah Parsons sat in the stage, which certainly
should be an interesting Cowboys season. Welcome back to the Insiders,
Tom Pilacero, Judy Batista, and our friend down in Dallas,
Jane Slater.
Speaker 2 (27:25):
Jane, I guess, I mean this is.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Standard stuff for mic up, but the gauntlet's been thrown
down a little bit here. How confident are the Cowboys
that they eventually taking steps to compete with the defending champs?
Speaker 14 (27:37):
That was awesome, Tom, And if you listen to that
whole stream that was for their schedule release, really good stuff.
Having the guys miked up. And I gotta be honest,
I don't about y'all. I have not heard of Quinnyanimo
Bay essentially saying that they put CD on an island
and locked him up. Uh yeah, Like, let's look at
these two teams. The Cowboys are opening up their season
(27:59):
against a team that went seventy five and thirteen against
them in terms of outscoring them in their two matchups
last year.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
Now, look, Dak.
Speaker 14 (28:07):
Prescott is nined four all time against the Eagles.
Speaker 4 (28:10):
You've got to love that. This is the.
Speaker 14 (28:12):
Game that sets the tone for this season. This is
on the road for the Cowboys. And so when you
look at what the Cowboys have done in the off season,
you have to ask.
Speaker 4 (28:20):
Yourself have they done enough to compete with them?
Speaker 14 (28:23):
Because the thing that I'm keeping an eye on, really
when you look at the Eagles is this young defensive
unit under Vic Fangio. They had their growing pains last year,
but they were a big reason why this team ended
up going all the way to the Super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (28:37):
And winning it all. You've got quinnyon.
Speaker 14 (28:38):
Mitchell, You've got Cooper dejen and you're going to be
matching those two up against not only Ceedee Lamb, but
now George Pickens. I think the bigger question for me
is going to be how do they line up against
some of that pass rush from the Eagles. You know,
they went out and got Javonte Williams, They went out
and got Miles Sanders. Then they went and got the
(28:59):
rookie Shadeen Blue. But you you really don't know what
to expect from Jadeen Blue just yet. The big problem
I think for the Cowboys at least was the lack
of pass pro up front, their ability to really get
things going to protect the quarterback. You've got Dak coming
back from an injury. They hope that they addressed that
with Tyler book Booker rather in the draft, taking him
(29:22):
in the first round. And so I think that on paper,
it looks like the Cowboys have done what they need
to do to match up.
Speaker 4 (29:28):
With them offensively.
Speaker 14 (29:29):
From a defensive standpoint, but that is certainly going to
be a game that's going to get a lot of
people excited about the football season.
Speaker 4 (29:36):
All right.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
That game is one of six games in prime time
for the Dallas Cowboys. But the real blockbuster of the
schedule is actually the Thursday afternoon game against the Kansas
City Chiefs. It's been an awfulay long time since they
have played the Chiefs.
Speaker 4 (29:50):
Going to be a lot of eyeballs on this game.
Are they ready for it?
Speaker 14 (29:55):
You know, the last time they played the Chiefs on Thanksgiving,
Judy it was all the way back thirty years ago,
nineteen ninety five, a year that means a lot to
the Cowboys because that's the last time they won a
Super Bowl. Here's another fun fact. In that year, they
started on the road against a divisional opponent. That's happening
with the Cowboys. Of course, they play the Philadelphia Eagles
on the road, and they're home opener in week two.
Speaker 4 (30:18):
That is also happening.
Speaker 14 (30:19):
So all three of these things are happening for the
first time for them, and thirty years is this their year?
Speaker 5 (30:25):
What we call it hopium around here.
Speaker 14 (30:27):
Jesse Holly, former Cowboys player, came up with that term.
So the Cowboys are trying to hold on to a
little hopium that there is something in their cards. But yeah,
that gauntlet week twelve through seventeen, though, Eagles, Chiefs, Lions, Vikings, Chargers, Commanders,
that is going to be a tough one. Let's hope
the Cowboys stay healthy.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
We've got Hopiam, We've got Queen Yanimo Bay. Hopefully for
the Cowboys, it won't be a bay of digs, you know,
because that one badly anyway. I'll get back to that later, Jane,
Thank you very much. That was awesome, Tom for you
to come here, right, Yeah, exactly, Just we'll cancel it
all up.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
I shout on that one for a while.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
Okay, Michael left Florio is going to be here after
this talking about how the schedule could impact your fantasy
team and what you absolutely don't want to do in
your draft.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Don't miss it. That's next on the Insects.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
I hope you don't have bad blood with the Chiefs
because guess what you're gonna be seeing a lot of
Travis Taylor and probably Triumphs this season.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
The Chiefs with a league.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
High seven primetime games on the full NFL schedule that
was announced on Wednesday, Cowboys, Eagles, and Commanders heavy NFC
East representation with six primetime games each. Welcome back to
the Insiders Town Pillar Sera, Mike Herefolo, join now by
our fantasy expert.
Speaker 2 (31:49):
Michael f. Florio.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
I find ways, Michael love every year to mess up something.
A lot of this schedule related when it comes to
my fantasy team. When you look at this from your
perspective last night, what's the first thing that you're looking
for for fantasy impact from a.
Speaker 13 (32:05):
Real life standpoint, it's the social teams kudos to them,
they all crush it with the schedule release, But for
fantasy it's the bye weeks. The bye weeks are the
final piece of the puzzle to getting ready for the
upcoming season, because we now know where players got signed,
we know where they have been drafted, we know what
rosters are going to look like for the most part,
(32:26):
outside of where Aaron Rodgers is going to be playing
this year. Now we know when the games are going
to be played, and more importantly, when teams are not
going to be playing. People nowadays like to start drafting
in January and February, and you're kind of doing it
blindly if you don't have the schedule, because you could
draft a great team. If all of your guys are
on buy on the same week, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
You're going to.
Speaker 8 (32:47):
Lose that week and it's going to hurt you.
Speaker 13 (32:48):
But now that we have it out there, you could
start planning for when your buys are going to be
and stuff like that, you can start drafting. It is
to me, schedule release is always the unofficial start best
ball season, you draft season, So me, I'm very excited.
Speaker 5 (33:04):
How do you navigate those bye weeks? Then? I mean,
do you like last night, say oh boy, there's a
cluster of running backs in week seven or Week eight
or other positions. I mean, how do you navigate it?
As an owner?
Speaker 13 (33:18):
I think people make too big of a deal sometimes
at looking at the buys, Like there's certain things you
don't want to do right, Like you don't want to
draft multiple quarterbacks or tight ends with the same buy.
But when it comes to running backs and wide receivers,
I pay a little less attention to that. And there's
a number of different ways you could handle it. The
most common approach is to try to space out your buys,
(33:40):
or you could do the exact opposite, like Week eight,
for example, has six teams on by, and shout out
to the schedule makers for only giving us one week
with six teams on by this year they were thinking
about us fantasy players. You could look up on players
in Week eight with a Week eight by, you'll pretty
much have a buy in fantasy. You'll take the l
but besides that, every you will have pretty much your
(34:01):
full roster. Another sneaky way I think is there's a
lot of weeks this year where only two teams are
on by, so you could grab like Week six is
the Vikings and Texans. Week seven is the Ravens and Bills.
Good offenses. You could target players on those offenses, one
because there are already guys you want in fantasy, but
two it's much easier to replace someone in your lineup
(34:23):
when there's only two teams on by So that to
me was the biggest thing that jumped out to me.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
So fantasy playoffs fall week fifteen, sixteen seventeen. Unless you're
one of those weirdos who plays in week eighteen, we're
not even gonna worry about them. How much, if at all,
michae lef should I be looking at drafting or not
drafting players based upon potential matchups when we get to
the end of the season.
Speaker 13 (34:47):
To quote the infamous Johnny Manziel zero, that's my approach,
at least, like I think a lot of people.
Speaker 8 (34:53):
It is a popular.
Speaker 13 (34:54):
Line of thinking to look ahead to the fantasy playoffs
and see when there are advantageous matchups stuff like that.
But I don't need to tell you guys, everything changes
week to week in the NFL.
Speaker 8 (35:05):
We are it is a week to week game for
a reason.
Speaker 13 (35:08):
So if you think you could plan successfully four months
down the road, it's to me it is a big
trap because let's look at last year for an example,
the Cowboys had a fantastic end of season schedule if
you drafted Dak for that reason, he was not out there.
And then on the defensive side of things, the Cowboys
and forty nine ers were defenses that we thought for
(35:29):
sure fantasy managers would be avoiding. Turned out they were
really good matchups down the stretch after injuries and stuff
like that occurred. So with coaching changes and player movements,
we don't know as much about defenses as we think
we do. And then you add in the big variable
that is injuries, teams are going to look very different
come Week fifteen than they do today and on Week one.
Speaker 5 (35:49):
So I think it is.
Speaker 8 (35:50):
A big trap. Use it as a tiebreaker maybe.
Speaker 5 (35:52):
But nothing more. Any key fantasy matchups that you have
already identified based on the schedule we saw last.
Speaker 13 (35:59):
Night, Yeah, the first one that caught my eye is
a Bills fantas Week one is Ravens Bills. Those are
two huge fantasy teams with a lot of key fantasy players.
Those fan bases also despise each other. Lines Ravens Week three.
Then you get Lines Bengals week for any Bengals game,
because they're gonna put up plenty of points, their defense
is gonna give up plenty of points. And then Commander's
Bears is also one that I personally am very excited for.
(36:22):
So those are ones that caught my eye from a
fantasy standpoint.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
Michael, you are the best. Thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
So much more from you in these coming months as
we get ready for our draft.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
Yeah, I mean, what's up? A little busy here?
Speaker 7 (36:36):
What's up, dude? Real quick?
Speaker 5 (36:37):
Schedule, release video?
Speaker 8 (36:39):
You got anything for me?
Speaker 2 (36:40):
I mean, justcuse I.
Speaker 8 (36:42):
Hey, I that's what everybody's doing.
Speaker 7 (36:44):
I'll see what I can do.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
Yeah, it'll be easy.
Speaker 9 (36:47):
I mean, excuse.
Speaker 5 (36:51):
Yeah, thanks for doing this today.
Speaker 7 (36:54):
Yeah, I don't know what I'm doing.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
Why am I here?
Speaker 7 (36:59):
We do?
Speaker 12 (37:00):
I want you to reveal the Buffalo Bills twenty twenty
five schedule.
Speaker 7 (37:03):
Buffalo Bill's johns Allen Buffalo Bill.
Speaker 5 (37:06):
Yeah, Josh actually send us to shoot with you.
Speaker 7 (37:09):
Wow, MVP Josh Allen. That's sound for me to brag about.
Here's the schedule.
Speaker 4 (37:23):
That was my favorite schedule for the old video.
Speaker 3 (37:25):
Allan Iverson, Jeffrey Chidia, Brian Baldinger joining the show. Baldy,
I know what I look at as a reporter when
the schedule comes out.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
I look at what the travel schedule is probably going
to look like.
Speaker 3 (37:38):
But as a former player, I want to hear from you,
what do players look at when they look at the schedule.
Speaker 7 (37:43):
Well, I come from a different era, Judy.
Speaker 11 (37:44):
In fact, I was in an era before Alan Iverson
all right, So back then we played on Sundays and Mondays,
so the schedule would come out. I mean you looked
at the Monday night football games back in the eighties
and early nineties, and so I mean my first game
as a Cowboy was against the Steelers at Texas Stadium
on Monday Night. Dandy Don Terry Bradshaw, Franco, Harris, Lynn Swan,
(38:06):
I mean that was my first game.
Speaker 7 (38:08):
I remember playing in Indianapolis.
Speaker 11 (38:10):
On a Monday night against Cleveland and I'm in the
dog Pound at Cliffbey Municipal Stadium and dog bones are
hit me during the TV timeous And then I remember
being in Philadelphia as an Eagle playing the Cowboys on
a Monday night and there's Jimmy Johnson pacing the field
before the game and we'd whipped them good that day,
lost to them in the playoffs. But Monday Night is
(38:30):
where you know, we really concentrated and we loved playing.
Speaker 7 (38:34):
That was an honor to play a Monday Night.
Speaker 11 (38:37):
It was a chance for all of our friends and
family to see us as opposed to now where you know,
almost all these games are being televised. And then I thought,
this year, the fact that the Chiefs lead all teams,
it's not surprising. In national games was seven and you know,
they played in every game of the week last year
(38:58):
except for Tuesday Night, but it didn't seem to bother
them at all.
Speaker 7 (39:02):
They won fifteen games, they went all the way to.
Speaker 11 (39:04):
The super Bowl, they didn't finish it, and so they're
going to be rewarded for being really good, being a
fun team to watch, having the celebrity that kind of
goes with being a Chief these days, starting with Mahomes,
Travis Kelcey and some of the players. And so I
just think, Jeff, you know, when you look at the
Chiefs right now with seven primetime game, your comas can't
(39:25):
not put them on because they've just got much of
an attractive draw out right now.
Speaker 10 (39:30):
Yeah, Baldy, and they don't run away from those opportunities.
In fact, they cover those. If you talk to people
within the Chiefs, they love the possibilities of being on
primetime games, of being an international game because they want
to build that brand. They recognize they've got one of
the biggest superstars in all the sports and Patrick Mahomes,
they've got Travis Kelcey Date and one of the biggest superstars,
if not the biggest superstar in music in Taylor Swift,
(39:53):
and they want to capitalize on that. So they love
this these platforms and you see how they play on them.
They rarely lose because they of that stage. And what's
crazy about this year though, is they're getting the Ravens
and the Bills, but no Bangles on the.
Speaker 7 (40:06):
Schedule for the first time.
Speaker 10 (40:07):
That's twenty twenty, and for my money, that's been one
of the hottest rivalries in the NFL over the last
four or five years. Six games decided by one point
one score or less and five decided by three points
are less. So it's I'll miss those games, but I
understand they're going to play some big games anyway.
Speaker 3 (40:25):
All right, Bald that you talked about how unusual the
schedule of the Chiefs played last year. Was there were
some quirky schedules in this go around too. What stood
out to you.
Speaker 11 (40:35):
Well, I mean the Cowboys are playing four Thursday night games, Judy.
I mean, when this Thursday night schedule came out, they said, okay,
everybody gets a day, everybody gets thanks you know, one
Thursday night game, and the Cowboys always have the Thanksgiving
Day game.
Speaker 7 (40:49):
So you maybe you might get two.
Speaker 11 (40:51):
But now you open up the season in Philly on
Thursday night, September fourth, Then you play your national game
like you do every Thanksgiving, you know, going up against
Kansas City and a big matchup in Dallas, and then
a week later to give them the seven days rest,
you get the Lions, and then on Christmas Day you
play on Thanksgiving again because everybody wants to see the
(41:13):
Cowboys evidently, you know, I mean obviously they're a huge straw,
always have been. And so they get, you know, a
fourth game against the division rival, the Washington Commanders. So
four Thursday night games to me was a pretty good
court When I looked at the schedule.
Speaker 10 (41:29):
Well, Baldly, I look at that schedule too, and you
talk about the course of it, just how do they
survive that stretch there right before Thanksgiving going into December,
where you're going to see six playoff teams and really
good teams in the Lions, the Cowboys, the Chiefs.
Speaker 7 (41:46):
I don't know how that team.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
The Cowboys.
Speaker 10 (41:48):
Yeah, it's great to have George Pickens there and all
the hype around that, but it's going to be a
rough stretch for them, and they're going to be a
player in the NFC. We'll find out real fast in
that time of.
Speaker 5 (41:57):
The year for them.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
Wednesday was the NFL schedule release and the super Bowl
for team social media units, the Vikings having fans get
tattoos of their opponents.
Speaker 2 (42:10):
I'm not sure I would have signed up for that one.
Speaker 1 (42:12):
The Seahawks busted out some old school action figures.
Speaker 2 (42:17):
Is it stop motion?
Speaker 1 (42:18):
Yeah, we'll call that stop motion right there, Judy, did
you have a favorite.
Speaker 3 (42:24):
The one we just showed the Buffalo Bills. You used
Alan Iverson When allan Iverson first showed up on the screen,
I screamed, I couldn't believe it.
Speaker 4 (42:32):
I thought that was great.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
Love that one, Mike.
Speaker 5 (42:35):
I mean, I gotta go Chargers. Did you see wrap
a Portyes? Like, come on, come on, large coffee poom,
right in your face.
Speaker 8 (42:43):
Pow.
Speaker 2 (42:45):
Good job chargers.
Speaker 1 (42:46):
That would have been more entertaining if that would be
the incident rather than the actual story.
Speaker 2 (42:51):
But the chargers as.
Speaker 1 (42:53):
Much are the best, even if you're like me and
you have no idea what Minecraft is, you've never played it,
you've never even seen it. We're back at seven pm
Eastern time tomorrow. Thanks everybody. See
Hosts And Creators
Judy Battista
Tom Pelissero
Ian Rapaport
Mike Garafolo
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