NFL Network Insiders Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapaport, and Judy Battista question whether the Eagles offense can maintain the good form it showed against the Raiders, before discussing the race to the bottom for the league’s worst teams.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to the Insiders, Tom Pelisaro along with Juda
Batista and Ian Rapaport. If you are listening on the podcast,
this is part two. Doesn't matter. You can listen to
this part first, then go back to Part one, different
subject matter in each one. Over there, we talked about
the AFC playoff picture. We ran through some of the
key injuries out of Sunday's games, including Patrick Mahomes out
(00:22):
for the season and for the entire twenty twenty six
off season essentially because of a torn ACL. Michael Parsons
also suffering now confirmed a torn ACL. Two massive massive injuries.
Also DeVante Adams banged up. Sounds like they're optimistic, not
a long term absence for him with a hamstring injury,
but for the one team that has clinched a playoff
(00:43):
Berth in the NFC, that is goin to bear mentioning
as we move forward, take a look care at the
NFC playoff picture. It's not quite as chaotic, I feel
like as the AFC, but we are still in a
situation where we're going to go into Week six team
with no team having clinched a playoff Berth with exactly excuse,
(01:05):
no team having clinched a Division one team in each conference,
having clinched a playoff berth The Rams won yesterday, They've
got the Seahawks on Thursday night in a huge, huge game.
The Bears won, the Eagles finally got a blowout win.
The Panthers lost, and so the Bucks three days Judy
after hembrhaging the top spot and control their destiny, now
(01:29):
have it back as we move on into the final
part of the season. Here the NFC West, it's obvious
by looking at the standings that is probably I would
say the best division in football right now. And there's
a lot of unknowns here in terms of even the
Rams sitting there's the first team in. They could potentially
be as low as the seven seed by the time
this thing gets wrong.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Let me just start by saying, watching the Rams game
when Davante pulled up and then remember Pooka had the
cramps at one point, and so he was I was like,
stop the games, just stop playing the games, because everybody's
getting hurt.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
I hate those sequences.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
It looks serious for people like he stands up very
bad and then it's like his leg gives out with
classic cramps.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
But it looked worse than that.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah, that was when I was like, just maybe we
take a pause on the games today anyway. Well, I
mean the Seattle game now on Thursday night, I think
is probably Yes, I agree, it's probably the biggest Thursday
night game we've ever seen. The implications are enormous. I
am most crazy. I am fascinated to see if the Eagles,
who had the get right game we anticipated they would
(02:35):
have against the Raiders, right, they seem to have figured
out their offense. It looked much better. They were running
the ball, Jalen looked more comfortable running, they were doing
all the things you'd hope they would do all season.
Does that really carry over to a team that is
not the Raiders, who are just a dreadful football team
right now? I'm really interested to see if, like, did
that really flip the switch or was that just a
(02:56):
product of the team they were playing. And I'm also
I mean, I am like sort of fascinated in that
like watching a car wreck kind of way. The Bucks
and Panthers situation, I mean, the NFC stuff, like is
somebody going to win this division?
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Like?
Speaker 2 (03:09):
What's I mean? You know the Bucks have it in
front of them. I think but can they can they
close it out there? Getting healthier, all the things we've
been waiting for. The offense is finally intact. I mean
can they Can they do it? Though? You know?
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
This NFC playoff picture is kind of fun because it's
not like wild and crazy like and there's really not
a It's like Kyle Brand always talks about the come
running team like there doesn't seem to be one. It's
just like, you know, it feels like we know where
you know, we probably know five of the teams right now.
The Lions to me are like the most interesting because
(03:46):
if they get in and right now they're not in,
I mean nobody's in. But that's not true. The Rams
are in, but.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
Right now they're not in.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
But if they do get in, I think they would
immediately be viewed a welcome back to these studies. I'm
Ian Rappaport, like explosive, scary, nobody if you want to
face them and Mike Garrett literally not in right now,
and so like, do they fight their way in? I mean,
do they somehow get them?
Speaker 4 (04:10):
That's going to be interesting.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
The Packers again after losing Micah, do the Packers make
a big state the Bears, and everyone goes, Okay, they're
actually going to be fine.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
And then well if they if they beat the Bears,
not only are they up a half game, but they
would have swept them. So now they've got Yeah, they
have the tie breakers come in, but it's a lot harder.
The path of the Bears becomes significantly harder if you
get swept by Green Bay. The Bears also take on
the San Francisco correct they go to San Francisco the
(04:39):
week after and then they finish it home against the Lions.
So that division potentially could come all the way down
to week eighteen and maybe a game two seventy two
or whatever we call it now.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Yeah, and then you know the last is like you know, Judy,
you said, Cark I, we're talking about the Raiders, which
is another interesting thing. But the Bucks Panthers is like
in a weird way, like you sort of feel like
both should probably get in, Like I don't think that
they will. It seems like it should be won, but
like the Panthers have had the best season they've had
(05:11):
in quite a while, and it's been really impressive in
so many ways, and there's still seven and seven and
like may not get in. I don't know. Either way,
it would sort of be you know, you'd sort of
like them to earn some fruits of their labor. But
either way, things you're looking.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Up for Carolina.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
The Panthers are still a confounding team. I mean, you
want to talk about the best wins and the worst losses.
They beat the Packers in Green Bay, they beat the
Rams who are eleven and three and in the playoffs
at home, and then you get swept by the Saints.
I mean, there's a fair case, all right, set the
records aside. If this were if we were the college
(05:49):
football playoff Committee, and it didn't matter how many games
you win, it's all about like.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
Who do we like? Like that, that'd be great.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
I kind of be scared of the Saints right now
if we're talking any team in that division. They just
beat the Bucks in the pay Anthers in consecutive weeks.
They swept the Panthers as much as you know, we
you know, I know post its on on social media
and you did too last night. It's like, yeah, it's
great to get a draft pick. We all want our
we want the number one pick and all that, but
like you want to have some momentum when it's been
(06:16):
a hard season, judy for any of these teams. I mean,
you know, Okay, the Raiders might end up with the
number one pick. The Raiders are historically bad. They had
seventy five yards of offense yesterday against the Eagles. That
is virtually impossible in the modern NFL. Great, you might
get the number one pick. You might go get from
Nando Mendoza or whoever it is, like, what what are
(06:36):
you working with? Whereas the Saints they may well play
their way out of even a top ten pick at
this point, But at least you can see the building
blocks of the direction that the Saints are going. I
don't know what the Raiders are in twenty twenty six.
I've got a pretty good idea what the Saints are.
And as much as maybe they're not winning the Super
Bowl next season, you at least understand where the vision
is headed for Kellimore.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
In that group, well, there's no question you feel much
better about the Saints. They may have the quarterback like
he's he's done. Okay, the last few weeks Kellen Moore
has has been fine as a head coach. You feel
a lot better about the same The Raiders are like his.
Remember I mean the Browns team that went winless, Like
you watch the Raiders and you're like, is this one
(07:17):
of the worst teams ever? Like coach house right, And
that's exactly what I thought.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
That one still the weirdest game of the season. And
then they beat the Titans, who also are in contention
for the worst team in the NFL. They've lost every
other game. There's no way you expected that.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
And they're losing by big margins, like you're right there.
It's like they are really bad. And we talk about
blowing up teams, but I mean, I feel like this,
the entire thing needs to be blown up, like the building,
like everything you almost have to you feel like you
have to tear it down to the studs. And who's
making the decisions. I saw somebody I can't remember who suggested,
(07:55):
like tom Brady needs to take over, you know, football operations.
I'm like, all of respect to Tom Brady, loves Tom Brady,
but do we have any idea of Tom Brady would
be good at it? I mean no, he.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Did it last year. He presided over the coaching search
and the GM search and the quarterback situation, and he
was not a fan of Sam Donald.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Was not a big fan of Sam Donald made this,
I mean, the idea of putting it all in Tom.
First of all, it couldn't happen because of his broadcasting
duties unless he gave that up. But I mean it's
just like.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
Huh, that's nothing Tom's defense. It's hard to do this
as part part times. It's very not in the building.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
It's really hard. But I mean the first big decision
obviously has to be like, is Pete Carroll staying? I mean,
it's been a disaster with Pete Carroll as the head coach.
It's yeah, I don't really know where they go, and
I feel bad for Ridder's fence.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
One other team that's at the bottomy end of the
of those playoff standings right now is still technically alive,
but it's a really, really uphill battle.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
We're in like that one percent range.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
The Cowboys take a loss last night, and I know
that there have been various points, right I've seen it.
Talk about a good morning football. Obviously, you talked about
our networks where it's like, oh man, the Cowboys the
team you don't want to see. This has kind of
been the definition of the Cowboys season. Which is every
time you kind of get your hopes up that they're
going to take that step forward, they deliver a performance
(09:19):
like last night. You know, the Vikings played well offensively,
but the Cowboys defense that's had all this investment and
all this positivity, they give um some big plays to
a quarterback in offense that had that big plays the
entire season.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
It's just kind of Dallas's season in a nutshell right now. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
And I sort of personally like I thought they'd be better.
I had sort of higher hopes. The offense is really good.
I was like, well, the defense can kind of just
hang on, and they have not been able to hang on.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
I thought Matt.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Eberfush was going to be a really good hire, and
we'll see, but nothing has been really good there except
for a small stretch when they got some infusion of
talent and they looked a little better. You know, we'll
see what his future obviously isn't in Dallas, I'm sure
will be a huge question going forward. Trading Micah Parsons,
(10:06):
not that everything goes back to that, but everything goes
back to that. Trading Micah Parsons means it is a
transitioneer and this felt like a transition year, except that
the quarterback is like thirty three and they have weapons
in their prime. But it felt like a transitioner, and
they're watching them on Sunday night at least confirm that
(10:27):
a little bit. They're okay, but they need to be
better in a lot of areas.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Speaking of transition years, the Vikings also with an older
compete now roster, coming off a fourteen win season. I
know what the perception has been about the team. I
know what the perception has been about JJ McCarthy. Let
the record show JJ McCarthy, now four and four as
the starter coming off back to back strong performances last
(10:50):
night set career highs. Looked like an NFL starting quarterback.
Sometimes maybe a little bit of patients would benefit us all.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
We'll be right back with more on the Insiders.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
We talked about some of the bad teams in the NFL,
including the Raiders, who again approaching historic levels, especially offensively.
You've seen the likes of Max Crosby showing some frustration
on the field yesterday.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
The direction, what is the vision all in.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Question, But when it comes to the number one pick.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
Very much in the mix. As we come down the stretch.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
The Giants, not for a lack of trying to compete,
not for a lack of having some pieces to build
for in the future. They cannot win a game right now.
And then you got the Titans at the number one
pick last year they drafted cam Ward. I think we
have seen cam Ward, certainly, they've been flashes, especially over
the last several weeks, of what he can be. But
(11:50):
they're sitting there with two wins. Meanwhile, the Jets, Brown's,
Cardinals all with three. That is six teams at least
ian This.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
Is why the teams have great records.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
By the way, like this that's extremely true, but it
also throws into question in a year where and again
it's very early in the process. I'm reading emails from
Alan Flowers about our Senior Bowl coverage.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
Right now.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
We had a long way to go in this process.
But this is not a year where it's viewed as
there's a whole bunch of quarterbacks. The number one of
the number two pick. Either you stand there and take
a quarterback, or potentially there's value for someone to go
up and get one of the very few.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
Hearing in as.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Much as nobody's trying to lose these games. There's no
true tanking. There's the fate of a bunch of organizations
that is going to be really important over what happens
in these next twenty days here.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
You know, you could sort of argue it two ways, right,
So we talked about the Saints earlier in the show.
What the Saints have done is play themselves out of
number one, but also give the organization hope that like,
all right, like we might have something, so okay, that's
pretty good. But what you don't want is to be
the number one pick, win a game by accident without
(13:04):
really showing anything. Get like the three pick and get
like a good edge rusher or something, but like not
get the big prize of number one. So you either
want to be truly terrible or good enough to where
you have the momentum to so could show everyone you're
not terrible. Right, Like, if you're the Giants and you
have an interim coach and it doesn't really matter, you're
(13:24):
not going to try to lose. But as the Texans
have shown us and as several other teams have shown us,
you can reshape your franchise.
Speaker 4 (13:32):
By having that pick.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
And if you want to trade out, you can trade
out or whatever you want to do. Like if you're
the Giants and you and Jackson Dart is your guy
for the future, and you get the number one pick,
that's how you rebuild. You get someone is going to
trade up for Mendoza. I don't know about anyone else.
I don't know enough right now to know whether somebody
else is trade up worthy.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Simpson'll be in the conversation through the process, the Oregon Kid,
assuming that everybody comes out. Lenora's Sellers, who was talked
about as a potential first round pick, just announced he's
going back to school in the nil world, where you
can make more money playing a year of college than
you can if you don't go in the first round.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
I get it, a lot of guys are going to
go back.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
But that's also part of the reason we've got the
quarterback shortage right now, Judy, is there's just not enough
of those top tier guys in any unders.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
People need Fernando Mendoza. So it's going to be right.
I mean, the Jets could sure use for Nando Mendoza,
the Raiders could sure use for Nando Mendoza, and who
knows who else could use him. So yes that whoever
gets that number one pick. If you are not one
of those teams that need a quarterback, let's say the Giants,
that would mean that, first of all, that the Giants
would have to lose to the Raiders, which.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Game is Lumen large. It is a game you should tank,
but not actually tank. But god, how can you tank
that bad?
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Right?
Speaker 4 (14:52):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Like?
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Can you bad enough to lose to the Raiders? Well,
you can do chain your players down. Well.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
The other piece of it, though, too, is there have
been you sid an example of Ian with Houston where
they ended up with the two pick because they won
a game in the final week of the season and
Lovey Smith basically got fired on the tarmac.
Speaker 4 (15:09):
They end up with CJ.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Stroud And time will tell Bryce versus CJ what direction
he goes. Certainly CJ started faster. Bryce is also played
competitive football. Think about the Patriots right now, Judy. They've
got Drake May playing at a MVP type level. He's
among the MVP furs. He was the third quarterback off
the board. But you don't have three quarterbacks right now,
(15:31):
just in my initial conversation people, you don't have three
quarterbacks that people are talking about. Oh, those guys could
go one, two, three, much less six of them. They
could go in the top twelve picks like we had
in the draft two years ago. Bo Nicks has the
Broncos as the one seed in the AFC right now.
Drake May is playing at a phenomenal level. Kayleb Williams
has the Bears in the two seed. Jane Daniels had
the Commanders in the NCA Championship game a year ago.
(15:54):
Michael Pendicks JJ McCarthy incomplete will give them those grades.
But you don't have this breadth of options, at least
at the start of the process, which as much as yes,
everybody's competing Judy every week, in the back of some
people's minds, namely the ones who are upstairs wearing suits,
not down on the sideline wearing team gear, you have
to be thinking this stuff is impacting us.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
There's no question. We go through this all the time.
Don't right. Teams don't tank, players don't tank, Coaches don't tank. Organizations.
People in the offices certainly at least think about like, ooh,
it would be better if we don't win these games.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
They don't tank, but might they play their young guys
to further develop the practice squad players of the future.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Maybe let me ask you this hypothetical question, Judy. This
is again a lot of things have to happen. Let's
say the Giants end up with the number one pick.
They don't, as they did last year, pull off an
upset in week eighteen, beat the Colts, and then get
dropped down. They end up with Jackson Dart, who, certainly
we've seen positive things from. He's no longer jumping directly
(17:02):
to people with his head still getting prochecked for concussions,
but clearly you've got something to build on the juice.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
And everything he brings. Let's see you end up at
the number one pick.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Do you put that up forbid, get a windfall potentially,
or do you consider and we're using fennrandom Mendos as
an example, it's not like it's sentenced to. But do
you potentially consider we take that guy and we trade
Jackson Dart, we go a different direction.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
I have seen that suggested already, like could people could
they take for Nando Mendoz? Do they like him? Would
they like him even better? Man? Well, first of all,
I think the first question is are we you know?
Are we very sure it's going to be Joe Shane
making that decision come April, right, that's the first question.
(17:48):
We've got to get all the way through this cycle. Look,
I don't know what they will do that would that
will certainly be an interesting thing. For first of all,
I just first we have to take the first step,
and they would have to lose to the Raiders, and
that would be such a test here in New York.
I can't even like, I can't fathom.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
I hate to say it, but the odds of the
Raiders winning a game seem pretty long at this point.
I know that they had the backup quarterback Ean yesterday,
but the odds of the Raiders finding a way to
beat anyone they've got. They're at Houston this week, and
you never say never, but never. Then you got the Giants,
and then you finish against the Chiefs. You granted have
(18:30):
nothing to play for and they don't have their quarterback,
but it's in Kansas City, Andy, you'll have them ready
to go. I find it really hard to find a
win unless you beat the Giants, and all things equal,
it would be the Raiders sitting there with the number
one pick. And then the question becomes, what does it
look like around that pick, and based on where they
(18:51):
are this year, do they feel like they even have
the infrastructure where you can go draft the quarterback number
one and not get them killed.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
Well, I mean I think probably yes, just you have to.
But I mean if you just say to me, like,
what saves the Raiders, I think only.
Speaker 4 (19:07):
This, that's it. I think only this. You got to
do it?
Speaker 3 (19:12):
And you know, again, nobody thanks, But if there's ever
a reason, you know.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
I Meanwhile, though, that is not Giants fans honking their horns.
I don't think behind the shitty. However, just the mere
suggestion of the Giants losing to the Raiders end up
with the number one pick, you would think would gain
quite a reaction out there in New York, East Rutherford
and beyond. Thank it everybody for watching and listening today again,
this is the Monday podcast edition of the show. You
(19:41):
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(20:05):
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(20:25):
news too soon. But guess what I can fill a
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Speaker 4 (20:35):
Senior Bowl.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
We're gonna be live and mobile Alabama practice leading directly
into the Insiders, which is gonna be a lot of fun.
We'll have some cool guests I think down there as well.
And then Super Bowl all of us will be in
San Francisco, in San Jose, live Insiders shows the entire week.
All right, a lot of fun to come here, including
the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
For Ian Judy, I'm tom see you next time.
Welcome back to the Insiders, Tom Pelisaro along with Juda
Batista and Ian Rapaport. If you are listening on the podcast,
this is part two. Doesn't matter. You can listen to
this part first, then go back to Part one, different
subject matter in each one. Over there, we talked about
the AFC playoff picture. We ran through some of the
key injuries out of Sunday's games, including Patrick Mahomes out
(00:22):
for the season and for the entire twenty twenty six
off season essentially because of a torn ACL. Michael Parsons
also suffering now confirmed a torn ACL. Two massive massive injuries.
Also DeVante Adams banged up. Sounds like they're optimistic, not
a long term absence for him with a hamstring injury,
but for the one team that has clinched a playoff
(00:43):
Berth in the NFC, that is goin to bear mentioning
as we move forward, take a look care at the
NFC playoff picture. It's not quite as chaotic, I feel
like as the AFC, but we are still in a
situation where we're going to go into Week six team
with no team having clinched a playoff Berth with exactly excuse,
(01:05):
no team having clinched a Division one team in each conference,
having clinched a playoff berth The Rams won yesterday, They've
got the Seahawks on Thursday night in a huge, huge game.
The Bears won, the Eagles finally got a blowout win.
The Panthers lost, and so the Bucks three days Judy
after hembrhaging the top spot and control their destiny, now
(01:29):
have it back as we move on into the final
part of the season. Here the NFC West, it's obvious
by looking at the standings that is probably I would
say the best division in football right now. And there's
a lot of unknowns here in terms of even the
Rams sitting there's the first team in. They could potentially
be as low as the seven seed by the time
this thing gets wrong.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Let me just start by saying, watching the Rams game
when Davante pulled up and then remember Pooka had the
cramps at one point, and so he was I was like,
stop the games, just stop playing the games, because everybody's
getting hurt.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
I hate those sequences.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
It looks serious for people like he stands up very
bad and then it's like his leg gives out with
classic cramps.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
But it looked worse than that.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yeah, that was when I was like, just maybe we
take a pause on the games today anyway. Well, I
mean the Seattle game now on Thursday night, I think
is probably Yes, I agree, it's probably the biggest Thursday
night game we've ever seen. The implications are enormous. I
am most crazy. I am fascinated to see if the Eagles,
who had the get right game we anticipated they would
(02:35):
have against the Raiders, right, they seem to have figured
out their offense. It looked much better. They were running
the ball, Jalen looked more comfortable running, they were doing
all the things you'd hope they would do all season.
Does that really carry over to a team that is
not the Raiders, who are just a dreadful football team
right now? I'm really interested to see if, like, did
that really flip the switch or was that just a
(02:56):
product of the team they were playing. And I'm also
I mean, I am like sort of fascinated in that
like watching a car wreck kind of way. The Bucks
and Panthers situation, I mean, the NFC stuff, like is
somebody going to win this division?
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Like?
Speaker 2 (03:09):
What's I mean? You know the Bucks have it in
front of them. I think but can they can they
close it out there? Getting healthier, all the things we've
been waiting for. The offense is finally intact. I mean
can they Can they do it? Though? You know?
Speaker 4 (03:25):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
This NFC playoff picture is kind of fun because it's
not like wild and crazy like and there's really not
a It's like Kyle Brand always talks about the come
running team like there doesn't seem to be one. It's
just like, you know, it feels like we know where
you know, we probably know five of the teams right now.
The Lions to me are like the most interesting because
(03:46):
if they get in and right now they're not in,
I mean nobody's in. But that's not true. The Rams
are in, but.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
Right now they're not in.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
But if they do get in, I think they would
immediately be viewed a welcome back to these studies. I'm
Ian Rappaport, like explosive, scary, nobody if you want to
face them and Mike Garrett literally not in right now,
and so like, do they fight their way in? I mean,
do they somehow get them?
Speaker 4 (04:10):
That's going to be interesting.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
The Packers again after losing Micah, do the Packers make
a big state the Bears, and everyone goes, Okay, they're
actually going to be fine.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
And then well if they if they beat the Bears,
not only are they up a half game, but they
would have swept them. So now they've got Yeah, they
have the tie breakers come in, but it's a lot harder.
The path of the Bears becomes significantly harder if you
get swept by Green Bay. The Bears also take on
the San Francisco correct they go to San Francisco the
(04:39):
week after and then they finish it home against the Lions.
So that division potentially could come all the way down
to week eighteen and maybe a game two seventy two
or whatever we call it now.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Yeah, and then you know the last is like you know, Judy,
you said, Cark I, we're talking about the Raiders, which
is another interesting thing. But the Bucks Panthers is like
in a weird way, like you sort of feel like
both should probably get in, Like I don't think that
they will. It seems like it should be won, but
like the Panthers have had the best season they've had
(05:11):
in quite a while, and it's been really impressive in
so many ways, and there's still seven and seven and
like may not get in. I don't know. Either way,
it would sort of be you know, you'd sort of
like them to earn some fruits of their labor. But
either way, things you're looking.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Up for Carolina.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
The Panthers are still a confounding team. I mean, you
want to talk about the best wins and the worst losses.
They beat the Packers in Green Bay, they beat the
Rams who are eleven and three and in the playoffs
at home, and then you get swept by the Saints.
I mean, there's a fair case, all right, set the
records aside. If this were if we were the college
(05:49):
football playoff Committee, and it didn't matter how many games
you win, it's all about like.
Speaker 4 (05:52):
Who do we like? Like that, that'd be great.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
I kind of be scared of the Saints right now
if we're talking any team in that division. They just
beat the Bucks in the pay Anthers in consecutive weeks.
They swept the Panthers as much as you know, we
you know, I know post its on on social media
and you did too last night. It's like, yeah, it's
great to get a draft pick. We all want our
we want the number one pick and all that, but
like you want to have some momentum when it's been
(06:16):
a hard season, judy for any of these teams. I mean,
you know, Okay, the Raiders might end up with the
number one pick. The Raiders are historically bad. They had
seventy five yards of offense yesterday against the Eagles. That
is virtually impossible in the modern NFL. Great, you might
get the number one pick. You might go get from
Nando Mendoza or whoever it is, like, what what are
(06:36):
you working with? Whereas the Saints they may well play
their way out of even a top ten pick at
this point, But at least you can see the building
blocks of the direction that the Saints are going. I
don't know what the Raiders are in twenty twenty six.
I've got a pretty good idea what the Saints are.
And as much as maybe they're not winning the Super
Bowl next season, you at least understand where the vision
is headed for Kellimore.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
In that group, well, there's no question you feel much
better about the Saints. They may have the quarterback like
he's he's done. Okay, the last few weeks Kellen Moore
has has been fine as a head coach. You feel
a lot better about the same The Raiders are like his.
Remember I mean the Browns team that went winless, Like
you watch the Raiders and you're like, is this one
(07:17):
of the worst teams ever? Like coach house right, And
that's exactly what I thought.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
That one still the weirdest game of the season. And
then they beat the Titans, who also are in contention
for the worst team in the NFL. They've lost every
other game. There's no way you expected that.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
And they're losing by big margins, like you're right there.
It's like they are really bad. And we talk about
blowing up teams, but I mean, I feel like this,
the entire thing needs to be blown up, like the building,
like everything you almost have to you feel like you
have to tear it down to the studs. And who's
making the decisions. I saw somebody I can't remember who suggested,
(07:55):
like tom Brady needs to take over, you know, football operations.
I'm like, all of respect to Tom Brady, loves Tom Brady,
but do we have any idea of Tom Brady would
be good at it? I mean no, he.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Did it last year. He presided over the coaching search
and the GM search and the quarterback situation, and he
was not a fan of Sam Donald.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Was not a big fan of Sam Donald made this,
I mean, the idea of putting it all in Tom.
First of all, it couldn't happen because of his broadcasting
duties unless he gave that up. But I mean it's
just like.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
Huh, that's nothing Tom's defense. It's hard to do this
as part part times. It's very not in the building.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
It's really hard. But I mean the first big decision
obviously has to be like, is Pete Carroll staying? I mean,
it's been a disaster with Pete Carroll as the head coach.
It's yeah, I don't really know where they go, and
I feel bad for Ridder's fence.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
One other team that's at the bottomy end of the
of those playoff standings right now is still technically alive,
but it's a really, really uphill battle.
Speaker 4 (08:56):
We're in like that one percent range.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
The Cowboys take a loss last night, and I know
that there have been various points, right I've seen it.
Talk about a good morning football. Obviously, you talked about
our networks where it's like, oh man, the Cowboys the
team you don't want to see. This has kind of
been the definition of the Cowboys season. Which is every
time you kind of get your hopes up that they're
going to take that step forward, they deliver a performance
(09:19):
like last night. You know, the Vikings played well offensively,
but the Cowboys defense that's had all this investment and
all this positivity, they give um some big plays to
a quarterback in offense that had that big plays the
entire season.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
It's just kind of Dallas's season in a nutshell right now. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
And I sort of personally like I thought they'd be better.
I had sort of higher hopes. The offense is really good.
I was like, well, the defense can kind of just
hang on, and they have not been able to hang on.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
I thought Matt.
Speaker 3 (09:46):
Eberfush was going to be a really good hire, and
we'll see, but nothing has been really good there except
for a small stretch when they got some infusion of
talent and they looked a little better. You know, we'll
see what his future obviously isn't in Dallas, I'm sure
will be a huge question going forward. Trading Micah Parsons,
(10:06):
not that everything goes back to that, but everything goes
back to that. Trading Micah Parsons means it is a
transitioneer and this felt like a transition year, except that
the quarterback is like thirty three and they have weapons
in their prime. But it felt like a transitioner, and
they're watching them on Sunday night at least confirm that
(10:27):
a little bit. They're okay, but they need to be
better in a lot of areas.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Speaking of transition years, the Vikings also with an older
compete now roster, coming off a fourteen win season. I
know what the perception has been about the team. I
know what the perception has been about JJ McCarthy. Let
the record show JJ McCarthy, now four and four as
the starter coming off back to back strong performances last
(10:50):
night set career highs. Looked like an NFL starting quarterback.
Sometimes maybe a little bit of patients would benefit us all.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
We'll be right back with more on the Insiders.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
We talked about some of the bad teams in the NFL,
including the Raiders, who again approaching historic levels, especially offensively.
You've seen the likes of Max Crosby showing some frustration
on the field yesterday.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
The direction, what is the vision all in.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Question, But when it comes to the number one pick.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
Very much in the mix. As we come down the stretch.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
The Giants, not for a lack of trying to compete,
not for a lack of having some pieces to build
for in the future. They cannot win a game right now.
And then you got the Titans at the number one
pick last year they drafted cam Ward. I think we
have seen cam Ward, certainly, they've been flashes, especially over
the last several weeks, of what he can be. But
(11:50):
they're sitting there with two wins. Meanwhile, the Jets, Brown's,
Cardinals all with three. That is six teams at least
ian This.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
Is why the teams have great records.
Speaker 1 (12:01):
By the way, like this that's extremely true, but it
also throws into question in a year where and again
it's very early in the process. I'm reading emails from
Alan Flowers about our Senior Bowl coverage.
Speaker 4 (12:14):
Right now.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
We had a long way to go in this process.
But this is not a year where it's viewed as
there's a whole bunch of quarterbacks. The number one of
the number two pick. Either you stand there and take
a quarterback, or potentially there's value for someone to go
up and get one of the very few.
Speaker 4 (12:28):
Hearing in as.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Much as nobody's trying to lose these games. There's no
true tanking. There's the fate of a bunch of organizations
that is going to be really important over what happens
in these next twenty days here.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
You know, you could sort of argue it two ways, right,
So we talked about the Saints earlier in the show.
What the Saints have done is play themselves out of
number one, but also give the organization hope that like,
all right, like we might have something, so okay, that's
pretty good. But what you don't want is to be
the number one pick, win a game by accident without
(13:04):
really showing anything. Get like the three pick and get
like a good edge rusher or something, but like not
get the big prize of number one. So you either
want to be truly terrible or good enough to where
you have the momentum to so could show everyone you're
not terrible. Right, Like, if you're the Giants and you
have an interim coach and it doesn't really matter, you're
(13:24):
not going to try to lose. But as the Texans
have shown us and as several other teams have shown us,
you can reshape your franchise.
Speaker 4 (13:32):
By having that pick.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
And if you want to trade out, you can trade
out or whatever you want to do. Like if you're
the Giants and you and Jackson Dart is your guy
for the future, and you get the number one pick,
that's how you rebuild. You get someone is going to
trade up for Mendoza. I don't know about anyone else.
I don't know enough right now to know whether somebody
else is trade up worthy.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Simpson'll be in the conversation through the process, the Oregon Kid,
assuming that everybody comes out. Lenora's Sellers, who was talked
about as a potential first round pick, just announced he's
going back to school in the nil world, where you
can make more money playing a year of college than
you can if you don't go in the first round.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
I get it, a lot of guys are going to
go back.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
But that's also part of the reason we've got the
quarterback shortage right now, Judy, is there's just not enough
of those top tier guys in any unders.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
People need Fernando Mendoza. So it's going to be right.
I mean, the Jets could sure use for Nando Mendoza,
the Raiders could sure use for Nando Mendoza, and who
knows who else could use him. So yes that whoever
gets that number one pick. If you are not one
of those teams that need a quarterback, let's say the Giants,
that would mean that, first of all, that the Giants
would have to lose to the Raiders, which.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
Game is Lumen large. It is a game you should tank,
but not actually tank. But god, how can you tank
that bad?
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Right?
Speaker 4 (14:52):
You know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Like?
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Can you bad enough to lose to the Raiders? Well,
you can do chain your players down. Well.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
The other piece of it, though, too, is there have
been you sid an example of Ian with Houston where
they ended up with the two pick because they won
a game in the final week of the season and
Lovey Smith basically got fired on the tarmac.
Speaker 4 (15:09):
They end up with CJ.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Stroud And time will tell Bryce versus CJ what direction
he goes. Certainly CJ started faster. Bryce is also played
competitive football. Think about the Patriots right now, Judy. They've
got Drake May playing at a MVP type level. He's
among the MVP furs. He was the third quarterback off
the board. But you don't have three quarterbacks right now,
(15:31):
just in my initial conversation people, you don't have three
quarterbacks that people are talking about. Oh, those guys could
go one, two, three, much less six of them. They
could go in the top twelve picks like we had
in the draft two years ago. Bo Nicks has the
Broncos as the one seed in the AFC right now.
Drake May is playing at a phenomenal level. Kayleb Williams
has the Bears in the two seed. Jane Daniels had
the Commanders in the NCA Championship game a year ago.
(15:54):
Michael Pendicks JJ McCarthy incomplete will give them those grades.
But you don't have this breadth of options, at least
at the start of the process, which as much as yes,
everybody's competing Judy every week, in the back of some
people's minds, namely the ones who are upstairs wearing suits,
not down on the sideline wearing team gear, you have
to be thinking this stuff is impacting us.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
There's no question. We go through this all the time.
Don't right. Teams don't tank, players don't tank, Coaches don't tank. Organizations.
People in the offices certainly at least think about like, ooh,
it would be better if we don't win these games.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
They don't tank, but might they play their young guys
to further develop the practice squad players of the future.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
Maybe let me ask you this hypothetical question, Judy. This
is again a lot of things have to happen. Let's
say the Giants end up with the number one pick.
They don't, as they did last year, pull off an
upset in week eighteen, beat the Colts, and then get
dropped down. They end up with Jackson Dart, who, certainly
we've seen positive things from. He's no longer jumping directly
(17:02):
to people with his head still getting prochecked for concussions,
but clearly you've got something to build on the juice.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
And everything he brings. Let's see you end up at
the number one pick.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Do you put that up forbid, get a windfall potentially,
or do you consider and we're using fennrandom Mendos as
an example, it's not like it's sentenced to. But do
you potentially consider we take that guy and we trade
Jackson Dart, we go a different direction.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
I have seen that suggested already, like could people could
they take for Nando Mendoz? Do they like him? Would
they like him even better? Man? Well, first of all,
I think the first question is are we you know?
Are we very sure it's going to be Joe Shane
making that decision come April, right, that's the first question.
(17:48):
We've got to get all the way through this cycle. Look,
I don't know what they will do that would that
will certainly be an interesting thing. For first of all,
I just first we have to take the first step,
and they would have to lose to the Raiders, and
that would be such a test here in New York.
I can't even like, I can't fathom.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
I hate to say it, but the odds of the
Raiders winning a game seem pretty long at this point.
I know that they had the backup quarterback Ean yesterday,
but the odds of the Raiders finding a way to
beat anyone they've got. They're at Houston this week, and
you never say never, but never. Then you got the Giants,
and then you finish against the Chiefs. You granted have
(18:30):
nothing to play for and they don't have their quarterback,
but it's in Kansas City, Andy, you'll have them ready
to go. I find it really hard to find a
win unless you beat the Giants, and all things equal,
it would be the Raiders sitting there with the number
one pick. And then the question becomes, what does it
look like around that pick, and based on where they
(18:51):
are this year, do they feel like they even have
the infrastructure where you can go draft the quarterback number
one and not get them killed.
Speaker 3 (18:56):
Well, I mean I think probably yes, just you have to.
But I mean if you just say to me, like,
what saves the Raiders, I think only.
Speaker 4 (19:07):
This, that's it. I think only this. You got to
do it?
Speaker 3 (19:12):
And you know, again, nobody thanks, But if there's ever
a reason, you know.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
I Meanwhile, though, that is not Giants fans honking their horns.
I don't think behind the shitty. However, just the mere
suggestion of the Giants losing to the Raiders end up
with the number one pick, you would think would gain
quite a reaction out there in New York, East Rutherford
and beyond. Thank it everybody for watching and listening today again,
this is the Monday podcast edition of the show. You
(19:41):
can see it on the NFL Channel on fast streaming
platforms that's free advertisers supported TV after NFL Game Center
Live and Monday Night Football. Can also catch it on
YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. We're back on
NFL Network Live at seven bm Eastern time, Tuesday days
Wednesdays and Fridays come the playoff. Sources say we'll be
(20:05):
back on five days a week because there is no
longer Monday and Thursday night football once we get past
that Monday night playoff game in the wild card round.
So appreciate everybody for watching and listening. If you're on YouTube,
click and subscribe. Apparently we still got thirty seconds left.
I began the promo and the bump. Just a little
(20:25):
news too soon. But guess what I can fill a
buster with the best of them here, I would say. Also,
we look forward to all those shows.
Speaker 4 (20:35):
Senior Bowl.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
We're gonna be live and mobile Alabama practice leading directly
into the Insiders, which is gonna be a lot of fun.
We'll have some cool guests I think down there as well.
And then Super Bowl all of us will be in
San Francisco, in San Jose, live Insiders shows the entire week.
All right, a lot of fun to come here, including
the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
For Ian Judy, I'm tom see you next time.
Hosts And Creators
Judy Battista
Tom Pelissero
Ian Rapaport
Mike Garafolo
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