Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Be Around the NFL podcast has tips for Steve Bartin's
podcasts from the Chris Wesley podcast studio. It's Around the NFL.
I'm Dan Kanzas joined by heroes Greg Rosenthal, Mark Sessler.
(00:21):
What's while money tag comes along? And I don't know
what the hell is about? Zero context? Um, we look
at each other, we do a little, you know, kind
of fable giggle, and then we move on because it
does no meaning. Does Steve Martin have a podcast? Who doesn't?
I don't know. I know he's got a banjo Uh
maybe it's a banjo podcast. I don't know. Do you
(00:41):
know anyone that does not have? I mean, literally every
human I know is is operating some sort of show
with this about simone life with the Sessler's pod. I
would definitely listen to that. She does not, So you've
already foiled my theory. But you're right. This is the
Tuesday show Around the NFL Podcas asked Greg is made
(01:01):
it out of the BTS concert alive? You were able
to navigate, Your daughter and your wife made it out
of the venue. You got out and home apparently because
you're here now, unless you never got them and there's
still at the stadium somewhere. I don't know, Oh, I
thought you were getting it. Took a while to get
out that night, but it is nice. You know, we
(01:22):
work here. It was nice when we walked over from
the Chargers game the other night, and this time I
just said, yeah, meet me at the bottom of the
stairs outside of NFL Network, And there they were, you know,
right after the show. Took took a long white way
to get home. But what a what a tough cookie.
You know that ellis is loses a tooth about an show,
(01:44):
getting bloody, go, you know, running up to a bathroom,
washed it out, get back to the seat in time
for the show, standing up for three straight hours having Yeah, um, excellent.
So bts is still owning the world where we live.
But we have football to discuss. We gotta go one today. Uh.
Brian Baldinger, the King of tape. I call him the
(02:07):
tape Pitbull because he's the most fearsome of all tape dogs.
That's new. I don't know if that's gonna take, but
I think what I'm trying to get across is that
he's peerless and ferocious, and anyone that tries to step
to him, that's a level above a tape dog. Sure,
I mean I hear where you're going with that. Everyone
else is a tape golden retriever. When you get to
(02:28):
Baldy and his ability to study, and I think we
need his help because we need the game. And there
are questions we have about what's going on in a
very strange NFL season. We seek answers, so we turned
to Baldi. He's coming up a little bit later. Also,
Thursday Night Football, can you believe it? Week thirteen will
kick off in just two short days in the Dallas Cowboys,
(02:52):
who probably wish they had a normal schedule at some
point where they play on a Sunday with all their
COVID issues and injury issues. They are on a short week,
although I guess they played last Thursday, so it's not
a short week. But you know what I'm saying. Uh,
they play against the Saints, who are free falling out
into nothing right now. Uh, they are going to try
(03:12):
to keep their seasonal. I we'll get to that in preview,
that with Connie Fox the Tiny Box. But before that,
you know what we mark, you know what we do
around here. We're going to another aspect of football that
occurred this week. Absolutely. We closed the door on week
twelve with our Monday Night Football recap sponsored by not
(03:32):
a goad damn thing. You hold it to no one
holds mostly to nobody until they tell us. Then we
are under lock and key with a zero control. Good
little boys, Yeah, alright. Ricky Wilson takes the stack, looks
over the middle. Then I grown into the df may
(03:56):
teams the league. Now they just need a kick off. Ah,
there it is. The Seattle Seahawks had a chance for
a miracle comeback, could not get it done. Russell Wilson
line drive incomplete pass Taylor Heineke throws his arms up
and rejoices on the sideline because the Washington football team
(04:17):
is alive and well in the NFC after a seventeen
fifteen win at FedEx Field. My goodness, Mark. So it's
funny because and we'll get to the Seahawks, which it's
a whole other thing with him, but uh, montest sweat.
He goes out for the year. Then Chase Young blows
(04:39):
out his knee. He's out for the year. That's coming back, right,
I think? So is he coming back? Oh? He had
the jaw tough injury. There he'll come back at some point.
He's still seat, but without these players, the defense has
come alive and they're playing that Ron Rivera ball that
Ron loves, running the ball forty three times for a
buck fifty two and a touch in this game game.
(05:00):
So Washington is relying on a old school style football
and against the Seattle Seahawks team that cannot get out
of its own way, that was good enough on Monday night.
It is Uh, Greg and I were talking, I think
before last week's preview show that Ron Rivera kind of
does this everywhere he goes where it's like, let's start
wicket slow, then round into shape, form an identity that
(05:20):
looks a lot like Ron River and start kicking people's
butt and often, like with teams that don't even end
up that good. Remember that seven eight and one Panthers
that won the division by winning force straight and then
they did a similar thing last year and here they
go again. They did they did. That was the game
where they won three to two in the wildcard round
and Cam completed like twelve centers passes and then was
posing and smiling on the sideline like they just well,
(05:44):
that's what victory that cardinal, right, who was that game anyway?
Uh Yeah, So Washington uh gets it done with their defense,
with their running game, Ron Rivera is feeling it and
uh more are fun with Taylor Heineke, who uh didn't
really stand out on a high level, but still twenty
(06:06):
seven thirty five. And I just again appreciate the way
he runs this offense, and I thought he made a
lot of smart decisions as well. When he could have
maybe forced it the way we've seen in the past,
the way Russell Wilson has been known to do at
times this year, he instead took the shorter option and
kept them on this path, which was, Hey, Seattle stinks
(06:28):
on offense, We're not gonna take extra chances. We're gonna
count on our defense. And it paid off. Yeah. I
mean it's the forty one minutes of possession had something
to do with the football team and something to do
with Seattle's defense. They beat them up on both lines,
Washington and Taylor Heineke twenty three twenty five on passes
a fewer than ten plus air yards. I mean they
(06:49):
were hitting intermediate little shots and getting yards after the catch,
and their ground game has really come to life. I
mean they you know, JD mckissic, who I don't think
it's been mentioned on this podcasts like all year. Well,
then I've just mentioned him for the fifth time, and
it's due. He deserves a little bit of a nod.
I mean, I'm with you. I mean, Taylor Heinekey. I
(07:11):
get that the debate goes on whether or not he
would continue on as um a functional starter after this season,
But what more do you need to do to be
watchable to run this offense? And they are? They are
a team to me that like I had these little
pet teams to shield the dislike of my own team
and what they're doing to me inside. Um, Washington has
shifted right into that. And I'm surprised because I've never
(07:33):
really been into Washington on any Yes, well, they've got
watch It's not surprising to me. Mark likes sixteen play
drive absolutely often that end in field goals, Like that's
what Marks into. At one point in this game, before
that last Seas drive, it was seventy nine plays to
thirty five. They had a fifteen play field goal drive
in the first quarter, a couple of long ones in
(07:53):
the middle, and then the biggest reason to give this
offense some credit is that sixty play nine dr drive
that they couldn't quite finish out because they didn't have
a kicker. They would have kicked a field goal to
win the game. Essentially, they didn't have it. The an
overturned call that was questionable on the goal line, you know,
ended that drive. But they held the ball for over
(08:14):
eight minutes, and it's very similar to how they ended
the game against Tampa. All that said, I don't want
to give the offense like too much credit in a
game where they went three and out about five times,
like the defense was the star here for Ron Rivera
and for Washington. Uh no, I mean Washington, I mean
went three and out at least four or five times
(08:35):
in this game. Seattle took it to the next level.
They got the drive consecutive times. And there's only two
teams in the season. A lot of times you don't
get the ball back that many times if you keep
there's only two teams in the NFL this season that
have gone three and out five consecutive drives, and somehow
it's the Seahawks twice. It's not surprising when you watch
them though, it's just like historically shocking. It's it's unbelievable
(08:56):
that it's gotten to that. But the end of the
game just real quick. Uh, it's kind of a cliche.
I don't even know what to catches anymore, like that,
that's the thing that people say all the time. Right
to night, I thought about West with that because nothing
drove him crazy. That was his thing for about four
years on this show, right, he said it drove him
crazy to catch. At some point he thought. We kind
(09:18):
of thought they fixed it in the last couple of weeks.
I don't know that that touchdown catch at the end
of the game that has to stand there and it
and it kind of gets wiped away. I think it
was Logan Thomas. Uh, it's ruled to catch on the field.
There's no to me clear evidence. You kid know a
catch when you see one, and and yet they overturn it.
(09:39):
And thankfully, at least that's where my perspective on it,
not just because the Jets draft pick keeps getting better
because Seattle keeps losing. It's like Washington deserved to win
that game. They made every play they needed to make,
and then you make this arbitrary ruling that opens the
door for Seattle to have this miracle come back. I
didn't like that. The fact that they then recover the
onside kick Seattle and go from missing the two point
(10:01):
conversion uh to tie it at seventeen too, potentially getting
the ball back near midfield to win on a field goal,
only that then gets wiped away because one of the
guys was lined up on the wrong side of the
hash market. I mean, it's Seattle season in a nutshell.
The frustration, there's just layers of it. That two point
conversion you know that we heard before. To me, said
(10:24):
it all about Russell Wilson, like that ball has gotta
come out. I'm telling you, if like that was, I'm
trying to think of a mid level quarterback Mac Jones
or Cousins most likely, or Tannehill. It's just like a
timing throw and the guy's open right, and DK is
open to his second receivers open too, and Russell Wilson
(10:47):
just holds it. And I know they had that last
minute drive where it felt like they're the Seahawks again.
But even within that drive, there was that sack that
I know you tweeted about, Dan, where Wilson's just holding
the ball forever, forever and never. You could almost see
him thinking it never gets to the thought, I gotta
throw the ball away and get sacked there. And so
even even in that comeback attempt, which should have been great,
(11:07):
like that two point conversion, left me with such a
sour taste because I'm just thinking, like, what is going
on with Russell Wilson. I mean he is he is
in the most non functional offense by far of his career.
He leads the team last night with sixty functional earlier
in the season. That's the part I don't get. I'm
just saying where they are now, I mean he's not.
He's It's like it's not just on Russell Wilson. He's
(11:30):
not playing well, but I mean there's like they're out
of tune. Like DK Metcalf doesn't get a caste in
the game on Shane Waldron. How much have we put
on Russell Wilson? How much should be put on the
fact that Russell Wilson uh came back early from the
thumb the finger surgery. He says his fingers absolutely fine.
So if he's telling but then that's not the team missed.
(11:51):
He's missed a lot of throws since he's come back.
In the DK Metcalf thing is, Greg you were kind
of beating the drum on this, uh for a couple
of weeks now it almost looked like he took himself
out of that game. Uh do you know who he
was complaining to you on the sideline too. That's the
Yaks Twitter love that they're like, there's something going on here.
You know, it's always been a guy that keeps a
(12:12):
locker room together. One thing that I know he d
k Baca was just venting. But to get Brian Greasy
criticizing Russell Wilson for not seeing the field, it's like
it takes, it takes a lot. I think. I think
they're just so hesitant. I'm not saying it's all in
Russell Wilson. It's not like they were lighting it up
with Gino. But they weren't much. They weren't different, that's
(12:35):
for sure. And I know his fingers hurt, but a
lot of it just seems like there's open guys and
he's not throwing it to him. And Pete Carroll came
about as close as he could. He was very supportive
Russell Wison. But to just admitting that, I think it
anyone that watches his film right now can can see
that that for whatever reason, he has scrambled. Yeah, and
(12:55):
I can I just say something, we have emergency quarterbacks.
This is going to sound like a bit because I
talked about the kicker club. But doesn't this happen enough
now we see this enough during a season. We're losing
your kicker and he popped the hamstring. The Washington kicker,
um Joey Slid popped the hamstring on that extra man.
(13:16):
That was kind of a crazy game. The p a
T block that turned it to two points for the
Seahawks to make it nine nine before the half, Like
that really changed so much in that game, right down
to what we're talking about. They couldn't just kicked the
field go to ice the game and it almost cost
them the game. Why isn't there some type an emergency
kicker situation. I know you say, oh, roster space, this
(13:37):
and that, all right, then making a fifty four van roster.
It's strange to me that it that it's that you
have no security blanket. It's happened with multiple teams this
season too, in a weird in a weird campaign. But
you can't hit an extra point or you can't have
some wide receiver he used to be a soccer player,
practice guest, these are like premier athletes. You think that almost.
I mean I was on, like, up, I've told you this,
you might play Pop Warner. We had a kid that
(13:58):
could kick extra points? Oh yeah, everyone. I mean it's like,
how do you not have at least five people that
have kicked extra points in their life? Maybe there just
wasn't confidence in them, but that that was another by
the way, um struggle with the situational football from this
Monday Night football crew. They just they didn't mention that
that whole drive and that was this it was this
anvil hanging over that whole drive. He kept hitting the
(14:20):
third in the fourth downs and it was like, that's
so huge because they don't have a kick. Didn't mention
it one time until the like about ten seconds left
on the planet. You're out for blood. I do every
time the Man cast isn't on now, it really does
my Monday viewing experience. Like there, I tweeted about. I said,
like I feel like these guys are my friends now.
(14:41):
It was actually a really heartwarming little social media moment
for the old Zuser tug Boats mentions. We're all like
that's how we feel listening to your show that there
you go, Mark, I mean, alright, that's Monday night football, weird,
funky little game. It's fun. Let's take a break and
(15:02):
then all right, now it's time for a guest. Listen.
We don't have a ton of guests on the podcast,
and when we do have one, it's because you know,
they're the goods and it's one of our favorites. He
is the great Baldi of NFL Network, Brian Baldinger, one
of the great tate men in the league, one of
the great adventurers of the universe, and and Baldi before
we get into what's some questions we have about things
(15:25):
we can't figure out in the NFL and you're you're
hopefully gonna help us, and I'm sure you will. Greg
took his or Greg's wife took their daughter to the
BTS show at Sofie Sofi Stadium this past weekend and
it did get me thinking, what's the last concert that
Baldy went getting loose? Well, well, you have to fill
me in. What is BTS like a k pop Korean
(15:48):
pop band, but they're like they're like in sync um
but like worldwide and don't act like you don't know.
It's zeitgeist education in this Well they've played four well,
I mean that's a big stadium, so they must be
pretty popular. But you have to understand, I live in
(16:09):
a bubble, like a very small, little narrow bubble, and
if BTS isn't being played on one of my screens,
then I have no idea who they are right now.
It's good, it's good. Well, what about you your last concert?
My last My last concert was Billy Joel Billy Joel
(16:30):
at the Garden Madison Square Garden, New York City, probably
just before the pandemic. So it's been a it's been
a low stretch now. Even though I'm a native New Yorker,
I've never been a Billy Joel guy. It was always
more of a Springsteen guy. But I have to say
this about Joel. Joel figured it out. He got out
of the game as a recording artist in like ninety three.
He did the River of Dreams album. He said, I'm out.
(16:52):
But you know what I'm gonna do. I'm not hitting
the road and touring in my sixties. I'm setting up
a residency. Oh you're gonna go to some dump in
Vegas or go down to Atlantic City. No, Bro, I'm
playing MSG. I'm playing the Garden once a month forever,
how long I want. That's actually one of the great
baller moves in rock touring history. Well, I've been good
(17:13):
friends with it, with the guys in the band for
a long time. He's a Long Island guy. His drummers
original drummer Liberty de Vitos from my town, Massipiqua. So
in all the roadies are like some of my best friends.
So Larry Dobe Senior's son, Larrydobe Jr. You know, does
all the lightning form. So like I get, I get
(17:35):
treated like a rock strong when I go I get
to go back there and tinker around with somebody guitars
and pianos and stuff. So you know, it's it's been fun.
It's been a fun. It's yet more evidence that there
is the lives that we live, and then there is
Baldi's existence, which is on about a level thirty levels
above my level. Alright, let's turn to football, Baldi. Now,
(17:58):
this is what we want to talk about out here. Um,
we're trying to figure out this NFL season. It's a
tough one. This is a toughie even beyond other seasons.
There are mysteries that we have and we need help.
We need a real tape dog, a premier tape dog
like Baldy sees the game in a different way. So Mark,
why don't you get us going something that you need
assistance with that? Bald he can help you. Well, look
(18:19):
at um, I this is on brand. Uh, Bald do
you know that I'm a Browns fan and I just
have to ask you. Let's let's just microcositive down to
what happened in the Baltimore game. Uh, and feel free
to go beyond. But they were as healthy as they
had been in eons in months. Everyone's there, everyone's there's
no excuses. They flatline, they fall apart um. They look
(18:42):
nothing like the team from last year or even at
high points earlier this year. When you're watching, I know
you love the row line and stuff, but when you're
watching this offense, help me, help me not just simply
fall off a cliff psychologically? What is going on here? Well,
you know the Ravens, they you know wink Mark and
now he I mean understands what the Browns are trying
to do. Uh. They give him a lot of different looks.
(19:04):
They're not easy to prepare for. Uh. You know, when
you look at a guy like Tie his Bowser in
that game, he lined up everywhere, he was manned man
on the tight ends, he was rushing the quarterback. They
really went after the right tackle in Cleveland, you know,
the backup to Jack Conklin. So, Uh, they found some
weaknesses and they exploited it, and they just couldn't take
advantage of the field position or the extra at bats
(19:26):
that they had in that game. And they looked like
a ten point offense. You know, coming out of that game.
Defense couldn't play a whole lot better than what they played.
So let me ask this bother because Stefanski dismissed it
out of hand after the game. When you watch Baker
in the state, do you think there's a case or
case Keenum taking over and trying to juice this offense
(19:46):
if they're at ten point offense. That kind of tells
me the answer. But I'm curious what you think. Well,
I know, you know, look, I I feel like i'd
know Baker, like I've watched him since he was at
Texas Tech, Uh, just doing Big twelve games, and so
when I watch him right now, he doesn't look like
the same guy, Like, I don't know what it's like
to throw a football with your other shoulders strapped to
(20:07):
your chest, you know, and what that feels like Baltimore
planted him into the turf a number of different times
in that game, and so you know, when I watch him,
I don't know just the mechanics of what you gotta
do to compensate for that. And I said weeks ago
that this is a ticking time bomb. I don't know
if he can survive the season or not. He bristled
(20:28):
a week ago when people said he wasn't playing well.
He wasn't playing well. I mean, like I know that
that offense is not that difficult to figure out. There's there,
there's openings to throw the football and where it's got
to be. And he he has not gotten the ball
too his receivers consistently where he's got to get it
to him. And so some of it is on Baker,
uh and some of it is everything else around him
(20:50):
right now. Takes a lot of hits to Baker that
that he could avoid. I mean that that's part of
the reason he keeps getting hurt in that game, Like
I expected the Browns offensive line to do better in general,
that they're one of the best groups in the league.
And you know, we're coming off talking about this Washington
football team on Monday night, and I look at what
the Patriots have done, and I look at the forty
(21:10):
Niners right now and the Eagles, and it feels like
it's one and all these defenses that are are so
light are now getting counteracted by guys like Bill Belichick
who want to play with these heavy fronts and they
want to play pounded out football. They want to bring
it back to the eighties and nineties. Do you think
that there's a little bit of a seat change in
(21:31):
the way the offenses are trying to win a lot
of running heavy teams getting it done in this season. Well,
if you want to get if you want to get
fixed right now, Like for example, I was just watching
the Rams. The Rams don't move the line of scrimmage
at all. All they do is position block. And that's
why the forty is handed it to him, and that's
(21:51):
why the Packers just handed it to him. And you
know this, the quarterback isn't great right now, but they
can't move the line of scrimmage. But when you do,
when you watch the Eagles. I mean, it's a shame.
They should never even they should just play academy football
the Eagles. They should never throw the football, just run it,
like they would have scored if they just did that
against the Giants. Um. But yes, the forty niners right now.
(22:14):
The Washington football team looked really good last night. The
teams that are the Patriots have been. When you commit
to it, it does make life easier for your quarterback.
He does take less hits, You generally do turn the
ball over less when you commit to the run. And
so you look at these teams that are kind of
surging right now. You can look to the offensive line
(22:36):
and how they're playing the game and how often and
frequently they're turning around and handing the ball off. And
I don't want to leave Cincinnati, which which like line
really get well. I mean, well you gotta watch Landon
Dickerson and Jorge my Lotta right now. I mean, you know,
(22:57):
that's that's like um that, I mean that that's like
a feature on HBO right there, Like that's that's the
main event, you know. But like you know, but even
though I'm going back to I was like out there
on the field Sunday at MetLife Stadium, and there's Jeff
Stoutland the offensive line coach and the Eagles, and there's
Landon Dickerson and there's you know, Jordan my Lotta, and
(23:17):
they're just working on fundamentals for an hour straight before
the game. Now I'm saying this, and they lost the game,
so I look like an idiot. But I don't see
anybody from the Giants working on it. I don't see
anybody doing extra work before the game just to sort
of tighten things up on looks we're gonna get. And
sometimes it's just that simple, like you gotta work on
the things that you need to get work on. And
the Eagles they'll get back to what they gotta do
(23:39):
here pretty soon, probably this week. But yeah, I mean,
but we're watching that group right now is as good
as there is. The Giants don't look like a team
that needs to be doing extra works, so that checks out.
Get on that front, all right. I'm looking at the
playoffs right now, the way it's set up if you today,
(24:01):
uh and I see Washington moved into the seventh spot
with the Monday night win. You got the Chargers who
fell into that seventh spot. In the a f C.
I'm gonna throw out I'm gonna throw out six teams, dud.
And you could tell me which one of these fringe
teams right now, not only you think have it in
them to make a run and get a playoff spot,
but win a game, win a game in January in
(24:24):
the playoffs, a team you think could really cause some havoc. Chargers, Raiders, Broncos,
Washington Vikings, Falcons. I would I would still say I
think the I just cut myself. I don't know what
I did. Um anyways, Uh, the Vikings will take it
out and post. I just I just I got to
(24:46):
talk about the offense line. I just scratched myself. It's
just beautiful. Yeah. I still think like the Vikings. I mean,
obviously they were disappointing against San Francisco this week, but
that offense is a good offense. And I don't know
what Dalvin Cook's situation is right now that can make
a difference. He's a game changing type player, So I
(25:06):
don't know what a situation is. Uh. I feel like
if Washington got to the postseason, they would be tough
because of the way that they play like they play
keep away because that's how the quarterback and I mean
they just they I think uh forty eight of their
seventy something touches last night went to mckiszick or went
(25:28):
to Antonio Gibson. Like they play a very different style
of football than just about anybody else. Now McLaren can
still get deep on you. Logan Thomas will help him
now that he's back. But I think the way that
they play right now, defensively, they're doing a lot and
they're playing hard for a change. They didn't play hard
the first half of the season, and they were hard
to watch because they didn't play hard. Now they're playing hard.
(25:50):
They understand how hard you gotta play. And then offensively,
the quarterback doesn't make a lot of mistakes. I feel
like that is a team if they get there. I
think that's a team that can with a playoff game. Baldi,
this blood on your on your face is now going
down the whole side of the face. Not I don't
know if you're bothered by it because it's an audio show.
To me, it's perfect that you are the first guest
(26:13):
to literally have bloody down your face like this is
a remember one before J J Walk got the surgery
to the plastic surgery, and he would just open up
that gash in his forehead and it was kind of
like the most badass thing possible for you to do
it in front of a team cam at NFL Films headquarters.
You are the ultimate grind. You gotta be careful. You're
(26:33):
wearing a nice suit right now. But like, if you
had asked me, who's the perfect guest to have a
bloody face while he's talking a lot, it's Baldi. Well,
you know you asked me about concerts. I was thinking,
like I've been to a kiss concert when Gene Simmons
is like spowing blood right, you know, from the ceiling,
so that that kind of ties together, And like, it's
not really a good day unless I'm drawing blood somehow,
(26:55):
like something, you know, like I'm walking to a rose
bush and I'm scratched or I scratched myself talking about
offensive line play, Like it's not really a good day
unless I'm drawing some blood. That's good. Well, there is
only one Baldy. We've figured that out. I will attempt
to bring us back into the world of the grid iron. Here.
I I the bills. I think that they drive me
a little bit nuts. Um the Jacksonville Jaguars game. What
(27:18):
happened there? The way they were stamped by the cults.
They've got an acid test showdown with the Patriots, and
I would when you watch them, do they just simply
not match up well with rugged offenses like Indie and
New England that want to come in and run on you.
I mean, they've been a statistically devo a wise, a
very good defense. What do you think about this team?
(27:39):
Why are they so up and down compared to a
year ago? Well, I mean, Tremaine Edmonds didn't play against Indianapolis.
I'm not saying that he would have shut down Jonathan Taylor,
but they were they would have been better inside with
his presence there against Taylor. Uh. You know they're a
passing team, and so uh, last year everything went well,
Like when the play isn't there, Josh Allen could create
(28:01):
a play and he'd find Stefon Diggs or you know,
he'd find Gabriel Davis, who whoever. They don't seem quite
as creative when things don't go right right away right
now the way they once did last year. And so
I think that's part of it. And they kind of
you know, the running game is just it's it's really
(28:22):
just a chance for Josh Allen to rest his arm.
That's what it looks like to me. Like it's it's
it's not really any kind of a commitment to it.
So when those kind of teams start blitzing you and
chasing your quarterback, like what how do you slow that down?
Most teams, if you had a balanced offense, you could
run it and you could take the blitz out of it.
They don't really, you know, have that luxury because they
(28:43):
don't really commit. Like maybe Matt Breed is gonna be
their running back right now. They look it's like they're
looking for it. And Zach Boss wasn't even active last week. Um,
they can't get pushed around up front like the Colts
did push them around pretty good. They're vulnerable to that.
You know, the Patriots play them on Monday night. I'm
sure you'll see I information Jacob Johnson at fullback, and
(29:04):
I'm sure you know they'll get tested by a pretty
good run blocking offensive line of the Patriots. Yeah, I
was thinking like them just running Josh Allen Moore, that
could solve it. Like you might not want to make
your living doing that all regular season, but as you
get closer to the playoffs, like, let's make it a
little more like Cam Newton for Josh Allen, Like go
go chase that championship. I thought when we saw the
(29:26):
Chargers life to Justin Herbert running, you know, really help
that Chargers team out. They are a team I can't
figure out at all offensively, Like I don't want to
put much of it on Herbert because it feels to
me like he's playing well and making a lot of
big plays, and yet the offense seems to just get confused.
They're stuck in my like, what what do you see
there with that team? That's maybe the number one team,
(29:48):
especially on offense, and I just can't get a handle
on m Yeah, well then they're a little past happy
and how they want to do it. A lot of
these teams are listening to these analytics experts and they're
just going, Okay, you know, if we flipped this coin
a thousand times, just what you gotta do in order
to win? And I, you know, sometimes I just think
if they just ran behind Matt Feather and Rashawn Slater,
(30:10):
like you couldn't go wrong. Um, you know, Austin Ekeler
behind those guys and sometimes they get away from that.
So I think they could run it a little bit more.
Um you know, when you know, when Justin Herbert does
take off with it like he did against Pittsburgh, they
look a lot more dynamic. But when you gotta just
drop back and throw it right now, Uh, too many
bad things are happening to him. He's throwing these interceptions,
(30:33):
the balls glancing off Austin Ekeler, you know, into the
opponent's arms like it did on Sunday. Uh, you know
there's Patrick Surtan taking it to the end zone. Um.
You know, I think when you look at if you
play the Denver Broncos, I mean, make them stop the run.
That seems like that's been an issue for them, and
don't play to their strengths, which is their secondary. And
(30:54):
so I thought their secondary outplayed their receivers throughout that
game last Sunday. And know Justin Herbert the end of
the day look pretty pedestrian. All right, there is a
final Billy Joel concert and uh here comes the encore
and you got what's your drinking choice, Baldi? Well, whatever's cold?
(31:16):
You know you got because of your buddy the drummer
and all the ROADI guys, you're actually side of the stage,
so you're there for the last ever Billy Joel concert.
At the encore, three songs pick them baby m hmmm,
uh well bottle red Bottle, right, I mean when we
can sing along with that one, that would be good. Yeah,
(31:38):
I would say, uh, Lenning Grad is a good one.
I like that. Um little Uh well, I haven't and
that's a little too pop for me. Um, you know,
I guess you know. Well, the encore will just go
straight piano. Man, we'll just have like nineteen thousand people's guards.
(31:58):
The lights come on. You've nailed it. You did nail it.
You even nailed your own face opening up a woman
that will heal in time. But we'll always have this
to remember. Baldi from NFL headquarters there in Jersey Mount Laurel,
where he is grinding out the tape. And if you
want to come into that room, as he said to
us before, you could come in, but you better come
(32:20):
into play because I don't want you sleeping on the
couch behind him when he's in the twelfth hour of
tape grinding. You come into dog, you'd be a dog. Yeah, yeah,
get your get your red bull in your early or
no nose or whatever your choices. You know, you get
get your your extra vente or whatever it is like,
you get it, get it if you have to find
(32:40):
it wherever you need it to stay up all night
with Baldi. Ideally no civilians would be bothering you, but
in this plan, they're coming off the street to bug you.
I don't like that. All right, thank you, you got
guys good? There he goes the great Ryan Baldinger. It's
a contact sporting on our show, you know. I mean
(33:00):
we're known as the most physical podcasters around. I mean
that's just facts. You know, that's big facts. As they
say right now, we out physical the other pods, uh
that we compete. I would say we can hold our
own in the against the other football podcasts. I mean, Greg,
you know, it's also the first time anyone's ever been
slashed on our show. So there's there the statistics. The
(33:22):
analytics suggests that we're not as physical of it as
we think. Greg would be the shift, the sprowls, like guy,
he could dart around, maybe get behind a guy, and
then I'll use my half to like push a guy
over and then Mark you just need to, like remember
the old Nintendo hockey game, middle guy. Yeah, you're middle guy,
fat guy, middle middle guy. Your job is just to
(33:44):
fill in all the gaps, right, Uh, I use middle
You could pick your line up on that Nintendo hockey
game and you have to. It's a blend. You have
to learn over the course of many defeats the blend
and middle guy is core. Do it. But you can't
just have middle guy. You need bigger guy, smaller guy.
The problem is that other football podcast. I feel like
if Mark was on those, he'd be the small guy.
That might be more his role. And now I'm pushing
(34:05):
him into middle guy. And we're a lightweight grow Yeah, well,
I got bills to pay. We're like the bills. We're
a finesse team. Right, You're like you It's like you
don't have a number one receiver. Somehow I am the
middle sized person, which is a problem. Why are we
still maybe, yeah, yeah, why are we still talking about it?
Let's take a break, all right, we're back up next. Well,
(34:29):
we're doing Thursday night football, so let's start with the Queen.
Queen Jonas. But I know you've gotta and I don't
want to spoil it, but I'm working on stuff behind
the scenes. You know my feelings about Will I Am
and how he slathered really bad about the leaving production
all over this otherwise a perfect song. Okay, come oh,
(34:53):
I'm working on a anti will I Am mix, so
stay tuned everybody, and now lightly vindictive, but I route
you on in that project and now joining us. Yes,
she's the queen of Thursday Night Football. You know who
I'm talking about. It's the Tiny Box. It's Connie Fox,
Colleen Wolf. Colleen, you should know this. How are you
(35:15):
by the way, I'm great. I know the answer to that.
You shouldn't. You should know this? That um Greg's daughter
lad for for the Korean pop group Like, yes, she
lost the tooth. She wasn't headbutted by a football helmet
or anything. She didn't, although that would have been an
(35:38):
amazing story if one of the members of BTS gave
her the broken tooth, that probably would have made the news.
But anyway, so blood there. We just had baldy on
bleeding during our interview with him. I just opened up
a gash on his head like j J Watt, I
don't doing this getting excited and he scratched himself, like
I didn't you know he's got It wasn't the one
(35:58):
finger that's just joined, did it. It was the other hand.
But it scratched the cheek and suddenly the lighting didn't
make it totally evident. But he turned to one point
and just saw a little river of red coming down
the cheek. Battle scars. I love it. So the question is, well,
Colleen will bleed for the Around the NFL podcast, Well,
I did just put a band aid on so when
it's a mini mouse spin, but it's covering up a burn.
(36:23):
So alright, Connie, so great to have you, and you
burned yourself cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I did I let my
finger on fire by accident? You broke your finger catching
all from Kurt Warner. I mean, you're a bit of
a disaster. But that's part of the reason we love
you exactly. I'm not perfect. I I know it's hard
to believe, but I too have flaws. Alright, Cowboys Saints,
(36:45):
You're going down to New not Miami family for this
Cowboys Saints game. And it's a story, Connie, of two
teams that are searching right now that Cowboys searching to
get healthy searching to get guys back on the field,
searching for a way to avoid the COVID nine team
(37:07):
bug uh. And then a Saints team that has not
been able to get out of its own way during
a losing streak that has really kind of sent their
season into a dark place. Somebody's gonna be feeling a
lot better at the end of Thursday night. Somebody is
going to feel like the walls are falling in. Yeah,
And this really is the story of these two teams
just not having guys available, whether it's because of injuries,
(37:28):
whether it's because of COVID. I was texting with Jane Slater,
who's going to be the reporter at the game on
Thursday before this pod, and she was saying that right
now the Cowboys are up to thirteen players or coaches
that will be sidelined because of COVID. Now that actually
does include Amari Cooper, so it could be fewer, but
we know that his symptoms are ongoing, so his status
(37:50):
is still up in the air for this game. Right
Tackle Terrence Steele, he's out, And then you have a
slew of coaches, multiple coaches on the offensive line or
out as well. Strengthen conditioning. So the big one is
obviously a Marii Cooper following his status to see if
he's going to be available Ceedee Lamb. He did practice
in full um so they will at least have him.
(38:13):
But this is a bad stretch for them. They've lost
three of their last four after starting six and one,
and they haven't been able to run the ball well.
Zeke he's banged up his knee. This is the worst
four game stretch of his career. Pollard he has the explosion,
We've all seen that from Tony Pollard, but he doesn't
have that same power as Zeke when he's healthy. So
(38:33):
they're just not running the ball effectively. And that's also
hurting Dac and the passing game too. And the thing is, though,
in this game, I wonder if things will switch if
Dac is feeling better or if zeke knee is feeling better.
Because the Saints run defense that has typically been really
good to start the season, that's actually been a pain
(38:53):
point for them. So they were fabulous. They held eight
of nine teams to fewer than one hundred rushing yards
to begin the year, and now back to back weeks
it's been a problem. The Eagles around two forty two
rushing yards on them. Part of that is due to
injuries on the Saints defensive front. Marcus Davenport, Tanno Passengo,
they've been hurt. Neither practiced on Monday, so it's gonna
(39:15):
come down Dan to who controls the line of script.
I don't even know what to catch anymore. They're they're
the Saints sera mess. I mean the Cowboys are catching
them at the right time. You can flip it and
say it's true the other way. But Tyrone Smith's at
least back. He looked good on Thanksgiving. Ceedee Lamb being
back is massive. It's like, oh, it turns out, actually yeah,
Amari Cooper and Ceedee Lamb matter. It'd be nice to
(39:37):
have like the best, you know, wide receiver combo in
the league if you have one of them. It sounds
to me like Cooper's trending to not playing. That makes
a big difference because the Saints are probably getting Camara back.
He was limited in practice and Ingram said he's fully back.
He's back, but they didn't have either of their tackles
to ourn Armstead are Ram checked back, It's like you've
just taken too many pieces away, but at least you're
(40:00):
adding one to make this a little more watchable. And
that's Taysom Hill. I mean, assuming our guy rap sheet
is right that Trevor Simeon bus went off right now,
I don't want to see Trevor Simeon behind fourth and
fifth string tackles anymore. I want to see what happens
with Taysom Hill at least add a little of craziness
(40:22):
and yeah, a little juice to the Saints who are
dealing with so much. At least Hill gives you some
element of excitement because that's been lacking under Simeon. Yet.
I feel like I was the one banging the drum
for Taysom Hill for a couple of seasons there, and
I don't feel the excitement around Taysom Hill more so
than Trevor Simeon. I mean, that's a you know, stale
milk at this point. But uh, the Saints, I mean,
(40:44):
what's it doesn't solve what's around Taysom Hill. If you
get Kamara back, that's a big thing, because they haven't
been able to they've been able to run the ball either.
And then if the whole idea was get Ingram and
Kamara back together, and you've got a functional backfield because
they are an empty cupboard at wide receiver. I it's
just a mess. And DeMarcus Lawrence is going to be
back for the Cowboys too, So you got Michael Parsons,
you got, you got Lawrence. I mean, I just don't
(41:06):
like the matchup for New Orleans at all. They've been
really watchable. They've been a really tough minded team coached well.
But it's just like you're Thanksgiving night. They weren't watchable
against the Eagles. That the floor kind of fell out
of this team. Now Camar and Ingram Retorney and maybe
maybe they get at least one of the tackles back.
(41:27):
Armstead did finish that game. So that's confusing to me.
Like if you all right, then then they've been this
like feisty defense that right now, Like the Cowboys keep
being favored in these games, like they were heavy favorites
against the Raiders, couldn't get it done. They're pretty heavy
favorites in New Orleans, Like they gotta prove it too.
Last time I checked, I think the Cowboys are laying
four and a half in this game. Um, I thought
(41:48):
about locking it up, but there's just too much indecision
around Dallas right now. There's too many question marks. Dan
Quinn is uh in from Mike McCarthy as head coach,
and we just don't know what's gonna happen. Who knows it.
More positive test pop up between now and Thursday, so
it's just kind of like a stay away and see
how it all plays out. It should be noted that
there was some reports out there early in the week
(42:08):
that Zeke Elliott has this knee injury that is could
use a break, like put him on the bench or
really lessen his role and have Tony Pollard take on more.
Jered Jones came on the radio on Thursday morning or
Tuesday morning said Zeke will have a quote serious load
on Thursday. Well, yeah, I heard that. He also said
he fully expected a Mari Cooper to play. So it's like,
(42:31):
you know, the Jerry Jones radio segment weekly, it's a
little bit of science fiction mixed mixed with potential fact.
That's how I take Joe. It's like him saying the
most optimistic things possible, and then the coach is always correct.
They're just thinking like, now, that's that's not true. Jerry's
a part of the job. Need Dak to play a
(42:51):
little better. He finished out that game well, but he
has been out of sorts a little bit. You know,
you know that thing that well maybe some of us,
the your aunt would have hanging in the hallway, and
it's the the footsteps on the beach and the man asked, Jesus,
why you know, why aren't you there for me? I
heard you out. Let's finish out and it's like, why
(43:16):
did you betraying or leaving? It's not a tray scenario
correcting myself. Why did you leave me in my time
of need? He's like, no, No, those footsteps I was
carrying and you know I brought it home Mark, And
that's what the Cowboys kind of need from Dak. He's
got to be their personal Jesus, like get us through
these hard times. Because since he's come back from the
(43:36):
calf two out of three games, he's been part of
the issue as well. So Dak has to show that, like, listen,
get on my back. I am one of the best
quarterbacks in the league. I'm gonna kick some mass on
Thursday night. Football'm gonna be on the Dais with Connie
Fox and the Gang, like let's make that happen. That's good,
that's ratings dynamite. I would love that because you know,
Irv would be out of his mind. If the Cowboys won,
it would be be bring balanced, very balanced during this
(44:02):
This won't be tilted in any way. My favorite thing
about Michael Irvin is that he takes self He has
to take a selfie with the star of the game
on his phone after every interview, and we all make
fun of him for it. Now, so I'm sure he's
going to be all over whoever it is. But if
it's a Cowboy, it'll be there. And be honest, no one,
no one's listening. Where's the relationship between Irvin and Steve
(44:23):
Smith right now? Because there's been you know, heat in
the past. I think Steve Smith promised to kick Urban's
ass once and it was not joking about it. Have
there been any run ins or any heat, any drama
in the air between these two wide receiver grades? Can
I just tell you these two I have watched their
relationship completely turned and blossom into something beautiful and real
(44:46):
and genuine, and it has been the strangest journey I've
ever been on. But they legitimately will talk and help
each other and show each other notes, and it's kind
of a door or anybody a little disappointed. They were
strange journeys to just like lit up he has for
this journey that they've been on. It it makes sense
(45:07):
because it's like when you're too similar to me. They
seem like they have a lot of similar DNA here,
So at first you know that you find that person
annoying at first, but then once you got a little
time together there there it's seeing the it's Will Ferrell's
character and John c Riley's character and stepbrothers like they
want to destroy each other. In the beginning, it's like,
are we best friends? Now? That's I think we're It
(45:30):
sounds like that's what's happening. Does Joe Thomas sort of
the odd man out here? It feels like we all
like they're all just like bros. Now, it's Joe Thomas's
birthday on Thursday as well. It's I think it's actual
birthday is on Saturday, but he's going to celebrate Saturday.
We got the birthday to Joe Thomas and then I
never remember like my best friend's birthdays, and Mark knows
Joe Thomas. Well, I was informed. I didn't. I didn't
(45:52):
know that out of hand. All right, let's pick the game.
Why not? What the hell? I got Cowboys thirty one
twenty Cowboys fifty eight Saints twelve because I wanted to happen.
If the Saints can get chimera and at least one
of the tackles back, I think they can cover this
game at least and make it like a field goal
(46:13):
game at the end. If if they're missing the tackles,
forget to score, kill them low scoring. I hate You're
not allowed to. I always bet they do on the game.
I'm not allowed to, but I do anyway. I'm a rebel.
Someone's not watching t NF preview, gangerous female TNF preview
(46:34):
Cowboys twenty seven to something weird is going to happen.
Everyone in the control room. She can't do that. She
can't give she she she she's the host, apoplectic producer person.
(46:54):
That is my favorite like stupid TV thing in sports television. Hey, listen,
can't do it, James Brown, can't give you a right,
God forbid Moses leading us through the haze with your score,
James Brown. The dumbest thing, though, actually is when they
pan to like the back room on Christmas and like
everyone's sitting there like waving, like they're in a hostage scenario,
(47:15):
like wait, you finally get your moment in the sun please. Well,
that actually is kind of a warm thing. I like
those people. I'm saying, it's it's a minor. They should
receive more attention they get. They get no attention. It
feels very back then it was. You know, they're wearing
Christmas threes around their change. You like, you like the people,
(47:36):
but you despise all their kids and wives and families,
no wanting to see daddy. That's a nice narrative by Greg.
I am saying that essentially they deserve more of a nod.
Maybe give them their own show behind the scenes. But
it's like an hour and a half of that ninety
minutes show is always the better show. I'm not gonna lie.
It's so much CBD. I feel like that's what the
(47:58):
kids called gaslighting, what Mark was doing. Now you know,
I'm annoyed with Greg wanted because this is just every
time Mark speaks, Greg concoct some lie, a total lie
about Mark not facolating anyone. I have to say if
you do, miss because I do miss Steve Smith wanting
to kill Michael Irvan. You can tune into this podcast
(48:18):
when Mark wants to kill Gregg Last. To be fair,
yes we all get it every once in a while,
but I mean if you're looking for a real like
replacement heart, All right, Connie, you've said it all, you've
done it all, You've lived a life in the industry,
and you're just getting started back with my family, my
(48:41):
family in Miami, Yes Angeles, all right, there she goes
the Queen Thursday, and there we go. We will be
back on Thursday, of course with the week thirteen preview,
also the recap of the game you just previewed. You
can catch that Thursday as well. It's gonna be Greg Rosenthal,
(49:02):
one of our favorite overseas exports imports. We imported him.
We didn't they exported him. We imported him. That's how
trades were, trade deals. My favorite things as a teenager
was at the height of my fandom for the UK
band Oasis, go into that, traveling to Times Square, going
(49:26):
to the Virgin Mega Store and finding those imports singles
that had all these great b sides on it. That
was living. That was like you know, like when you
used to watch the control room when you said this,
that's what I think about nineties six, taking the bus
to Times Square to get those in the same thing. Dad.
You know how you always tell me that I'm going
to be a great old lady. I can now I
(49:47):
see that within you, You're gonna be a great old lady.
I'm already there. That is the nicest compliment anyone's ever
given me. Thank you. All Right, here we go. That's enough.
H What do you take Caaracas? Thinking like the show's
fifteen minutes too long? Why she's not in a car
(50:08):
driving and it's not over? Quiet storm, Candie Bog the
old box, Tricky Hollywood. He's a call