May 12, 2023 • 53 mins
A room filled with some heroes - Dan Hanzus, Marc Sessler, and Gregg Rosenthal are back to break down the 2023 NFL Schedule release! The heroes start with a look at the season's kickoff game between the Lions and Chiefs (06:52) and then do a mock draft of the season's opening weekend (12:30). After the break, the guys look at next season's international games (23:10) and holiday games (28:13). Dan gets some time to look at the Jets' schedule (33:10) before the heroes wrap up the show with a breakdown of next season's Thursday Night Football schedule (47:45).
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
They are around the NFL podcast. What the hell's going
on out here?
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Seriously?
Speaker 3 (00:09):
What time?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
From the Chris Westling podcast studio, It's around the NFL.
I am Dan hansis heroes here, Greg Rosenthal, Mark Sessler. Yes,
we are back kind of and we plan to do
two shows this week, but things changed. It's been a
(00:32):
tough week. Not at total liberty to get into all
the specifics, but please consult our social media profiles for
more on what has been a very tough week for
the podcast. And you know, the show is no stranger
to adversity, and we will regroup and march on. We
always have. And I would say the only request I
(00:54):
have for the listeners is just bear with us as
we figure things out. And other than that, at Mark,
how was the play? The play?
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Which play Little Lincoln ref? Come on, Little Lincoln ref?
Come on a Little Lincoln raf. Well, you're dressed for
like a Lincoln play in the eighteen.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
It is the off season, Mark, We do not need
the suit jacket at this judge.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
You know, if we want to reference on first of all,
the play was great, memorable. If we want to reference
the stylings of our friend Chris Westling, that a lot
of times when you dress up, it's because there's a
dearth of clean clothing in the dressed down scenario on
and we're not we're not.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Buying that you wear that. You always wear the jacket
even at home.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
You yeah, but because it's it's it's stationed and it
looks it's stationed in the locker downstairs. So I come
in in like a sweat or a T shirt and
then change into this, then change back up here.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Here's the difference in Chris Westling, I'm gonna hear from
Wes in a second. When Wes said it, it was
very much true because Wes would, you know, five out
of six days or like I'd say, if we did
a show three times, or in the office five days week,
four to the days, he'd be wearing like an NFL
Network polo and jeans maybe pre Lakisha, and then all
(02:10):
of a sudden he would show up in like a
button down shirt with a pullover sweater and khakis and
brown dress shoes, and it'd be just so like what
is going on? He'd be like, I literally don't have
any other clothes. They're all dirty. It was like I
buy it, Hold on, I don't know if.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
I buy your So you're saying my laundry, you're you
are estimating that my laundry situation is untrue. Come, how
come investigate my laundry firsthand, and you'll see that there
are truisms attached to what I've.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Said as a longtime critic of men's fashion. I think
you are being the change you want to see in
the world, and I respect it.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
I just that's a nice bridge building attempt, Greg, I
appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Yes, so, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. Weird week,
but the NFL schedule marches on. The NFL schedule literally
was released on Thursday, and we're gonna dig into it
in our loan show this week. Everything from primetime games
(03:10):
to holiday games to international games. Highlight, Greg, ye, some
team schedules that caught your eye, per okay, But before
we dig in, we'll start with week one. Just for fun,
I would like to hear from the great late Chris Wesling,
who always hated this time of the year. It is
(03:31):
the last league tenth pole event or the first, depending
how you look at it, and he was never really
about it. I always kind of agreed with him, But
since he's been gone. There's been something about this particular
thing that I agree with even more here is Chris
and Eric behind the scenes did a great job digging
it up, speaking on his general issues with people getting
(03:55):
overly into this time of year.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
You want to race to this schedule and find out
your road trips, plan all that, put a W and
L next to every team on your schedule. I get
all of that. Just don't ask me to analyze it
five months. There's no analysis necessary. Just enjoy the schedule
being released.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
I miss Wes, I miss West this week, and I
love hearing his voice in it. I agree.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
This was always yeah the time of year, and it
used to be before the draft actually, so it almost
was like interrupting draft season. But Wes would hate all
the secrecy that we'd have to have with the schedule.
We would black out the podcast studio so no one
in the building could hear it, and he would just
think this was the biggest, colossal waste of time. But
the NFL smartly realized, actually we could blow out that
(04:45):
classic waste of time more after the draft and kind
of extend the season a couple more weeks. And I'm
with Wes though. The first thing I did looking at
the schedule. The only thing I really cared about personally
was are the Rams playing on Thursday or Monday night?
Because it's it's very hard to take my family to
a game on a Sunday, and at this point that's
my daughter's favorite thing to do in the world is
(05:05):
to go to a Rams game. And I didn't deliver
that for last year, and we got when we got
a Thursday night or December twenty.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
First, excellent. It is your daughter equally flummixed by the
Rams general yes, game planter franchise's direction.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
She asked me, A yes, she talks about Jalen Raby often.
She doesn't understand it and it's hard to explain salary
cap considerations and that there really is no explanation that
it's not a daddy.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
What's a long range plan with Matthew Stafford given the
rest of the roster.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
I don't think it's going to be very long range.
I mean, I think like eleven now. The thing that
Wes mentioned that makes sense, it's like if you're a fan,
because I was hanging out with a Steelers fan yesterday
in the minute like this the schedule came out. It
was like Bang planning trip to Las Vegas for week three,
Like that makes sense. Wes mentioned that, But I love,
I always love just take on this because analyzing it
and we're about to go do that. So it's not
(05:56):
like turn off the show. We're going to do a
great job with it. But like, why not your if
you want, I mean, why not stare like a farmer's
almanac that tells you it's going to be a nice
season to grow corn in twenty twenty nine. Well what
if your village is bombed by invaders in twenty twenty six.
It's like that unpredictable where we're going to be in
week seventeen or eighteen, But we're about to tell you
why all that matters.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Well, it's like Kyle Shanahan says, you know, there's no
guarantee we even make it to Sunday.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
I find it us Week seventeen especially a fool's errand
to predict like the easy part of the schedule because
you never know, like what teams will rise up and
be frisky or even good. You kind of I feel
a little more comfortable looking at a schedule and saying, oh,
these this is going to be a difficult stretch based
on certain superpowers that you don't expect to fall off.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Well, this will be entertaining, especially early. It's like I'm
willing to guess, although I guess injuries happened, that that
Patrick Mahomes Chiefs will provide me entertainment and be in
some big situations this year.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Which is a nice seg Greggie to Thursday, September seventh,
twenty twenty three for Week one. Let's kind of go
through it here. We'll start with the primetime games and
shout out to the team of around the NFL of
the Detroit Lions, who who turned last season's feel good story,
(07:16):
a season that ended with a winning record correct correct,
and no playoff just missed the playoffs, but a winning
record nine to eight into a Thursday night opener showcase
on the road in Arrowhead against the defending champion Chiefs.
That's Thursday night football. Pretty saucy. I gotta say, Greg,
(07:37):
I was a little surprised, as much as we love
the Lions, that they were the team that was selected
there to be the opener, which is kind of hollowed
ground for the people that plan this stuff. At three
forty five, I was shocked.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
I mean, basically, the NFL is deciding not to burn
the Bengals or the Bills or these games that feel
or the Eagles for that matter. Uh, these games that
feel Titanic.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
In terms of AFC playoff seed and then a Super
Bowl rematch is really unique. Talk about that, you don't
you don't know get that they decide and I like that.
I like that they saved those games until the end
of the season. So Okay, everyone's gonna watch Kickoff anyways,
let's put in everyone's favorite dad, Dan Campbell and uh oh,
by the way, NBC, But I mean, maybe don't mention
all those Lions that were suspended for gambling.
Speaker 5 (08:24):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
I mean, like if you look at their home, you
can ask that well.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
I mean, I just I was a little surprised at
that because that was an embarrassing story for the NFL
to put that team.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
By September, nobody will be.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
No, it's gonna I mean like even now we're talking
about it, people have forgotten about it.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
I have no idea what Greg's talking about it.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
I mean, I think like there weren't a lot of
options other than Bills or Bengals. If you pick about
if you pick who Kansas City played at home. But
it totally threw me in a wonderful way because it's
like we were onto the Lions. I think a lot
of people think they're gonna be fun and frisky, but
it's a team that has been essentially shielded from the
public eye outside of mostly embarrassing Thanksgiving game for eons,
and it's like they're recognizing that this is a team
(09:03):
on the brink. It's a bit of a risk because
part of me thinks, well, it's the Chiefs. It could
be forty to ten. But if we get the version
of the Lions we had last year, you trust them
to keep it kind of frisky. And it's a big
spot for Jared Goff.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
It's too the top five offenses by many metrics in
the league last year. You expect points and you hope
for points. It could go sideways. Absolutely, that's like a
big assignment for Campbell and it's still a young roster.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
And defense and that in that week one game. Sometimes
the kickoff game is a total snoozer and you're just
still so happy with it. Like I'm thinking of the
last kickoff game we did with with Chris you know
that was Texans Chiefs. We were at Chris's house for
that and that could it was like Clyde Edwards Lair
had a halfway. It could not have been a bigger snoozer.
But everyone's happy because football's back.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
So that stars. And by the way, I think the
power of hard knocks, as much as people sometimes denigrated
at this stage, check it out, check it out, the
lines that put them on the national radar.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
Winning, man, there is nothing like winning. And I'm telling
you right now, it doesn't matter if it's freaking dominoes,
it's stage, it's Blu ray, it's croquet, it's chest, it's
preseason ass kicking. It does not matter.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Man.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
Winning is winning and it feels good.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Man. So when George McCaskey of the Bears is openly
shooting down the idea of being on hard knocks, look
what happened to the Lions and you. You could I'm
drawing a direct line, all.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
Right, You could suggest that your actual you're in Colleen's
coverage of that hard knocks, uh journey that potentially led
to this. So maybe the Lions, you know, should should
think of you.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
And to some degree he does not know what Boo
Ray is.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
By the way Sunday Night Football, Week one, Dallas Cowboys
at New York Giants, and I know, speaking of West again,
there might be some deep sighing there, like how many
times does America need to watch a spotlight game between
the Cowboys and Giants?
Speaker 3 (10:51):
But I'm here, I don't think he's alone in that.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Twice a year and very often in this kickoff spot.
It's got to be at least three or four times
they've had a primetime Week one game and.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Then on Monday Night football another New York team, this
the Jets. The Jets, Oh, the Jets. The Jets, who,
as expected, getting a lot of primetime love in this schedule.
And we'll get to them in a little bit, but
they got Bills at Jets opening up the season on
the shoot on the we'll just call it the anniversary
(11:24):
of nine to eleven. So there they'll have that big
game in a primetime spot, which is wild wild.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
I also like that they don't do the doubleheader week one,
but the double header is not gone. The Monday night
doubleheader for the second straight year is part of the
Week two coverage. But in Week three and Bill's Jets
Bills Jets. To my what I really want to say,
is like that deserves its own spotlight. I don't like
it when it gets a cut up for a big.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
Game week two and Week three, and then week like
way down the road they have the old weeks. I
think it's week fourteen. They have the double Monday night
football starting at the same time scenario, which to me
is unpleasant, but I understand that they just want to
simply fill our lives all the time with games NonStop.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
You got to be a modern man in a world
that's moving very quickly. You got to have two screens.
You've got to be computing everything. You have to have
your socials open and be interacting with society as well.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
I'll need that, Trank Dart, Is that like an experiment
to instead of flex teams, you just put two games
on it at the same time late in the season,
it's like one of the two.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
The schedule akers probably just messed up and they're like
just to put two of it. Let's do just for
fun the rest of week one, like we do during
the season and all our preview shows. Let's do a
mini mock draft here. I love it one, Greg, you
won the title last year, you got the strap. Why
don't you make your first pick.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
That's damn right. I'm gonna take Dolphins Chargers. I don't
know why, but I really want to see this Dolphins
team like play again. Shortly. We got the to Herbert thing,
we got the Jalen Ramsey Vic Fangio thing. That's my game.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Yes, I would go with ooh interesting.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
The top two to me were at the same time.
Speaker 5 (13:03):
It was.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
That was a tough choice.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
M mm hmmmm.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
I guess Dan your next, because you came in second in.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
The Yes, I was the silver medalist, you know it.
Just for fun, I do want to see the opening
of the Jordan Love era against Justin Fields and the
improving Chicago Bear. It's a bit of a reach, but
I gotta be honest with you, like, I didn't see
anything that is a home run. Picked two for me,
and I I am legitimately kind of fascinated by both
(13:31):
of those teams.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
They take it back.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
I love this. How about this the defending NFC champion
Eagles going into New England where they're going to have
like celebrate Tom Brady Day, which you know brings a
lot of thorny potential. You know, he left in a
strange way but that stadium is going to be bonkers,
absolutely lathered up, especially.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
If Tom Brady buys the Raiders or something whatever.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
The latest a little bit of a sideways approach to it,
but kind of a weird place for the Eagles to
start their season. And you know, I think New England's
sort of a middle of the pack team obviously, but
I don't love that for Philly, and their schedule in
general is a little thorny. So it gets off the
rough start.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
Check out how Bill O'Brien reinvents the Patriots offense.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
I pitch me, so I think it. It just it
seems like an obvious point to make, but it's probably
a bad sign that the number one thing about like
schedule releases is Robert Craft being so excited that Tom
would come visit the stadium, and then they released their
schedule release video and it's all a bunch of retired
(14:34):
Patriots players in a retirement home, including Devin mccordy, and
it's like, don't think about the actual team that's playing
football anymore. Let's just think about like past glory. That's
pretty much our main.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
All right, So let's move on. That's good.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
That's it. That's the top.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
I mean you want to keep going No, I guess
that's fine. Is there another throw out? One more game
that really interests you? Greg Well.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
I want to see the start of the Anthony Richardson era,
and I think he's going to be starting Week one
against the Jags. I know that's it. That might be
drafted a little later. Week one is my favorite week
of this season. This is the best week of the seasons.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Fun.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
I like this Niner Steelers. I want to see who's
playing quarterback for San Francisco. I kind of think the
whole year or two of Kenny Pickett. It's in Pittsburgh.
Weird start for the Niners. Trey Lance could be brock
perty Is.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
It weird, Mark that you're the coach that you love
more than any coach? Kyle Shanahan is gassing up the
Donald hive now calling him a franchise.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
I saw you tweeting about that, and I think it
for you, it's a nice fever dream. It's a failed
experiment that I like. If Sam Donald starts more than
three games for that, they are in big trouble.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Fully let it.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
It's May is the best time of year for Sam Donald.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Primetime games four teams have six primetime games Kansas City, Buffalo,
Dallas Chargers. That's that's a little rich for me. I
would agree the Chargers getting that many private games. But whatever.
The Packers, Raiders, Giants, Jets, Eagles, Vikings, and Niners all
(16:10):
have five primetime games. The Bill. This is, by the way,
good info from the NFL Research Department, who do killer
thing right.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
But that doesn't even count like that Black Friday game
for instance, for the Jets, or the Thanksgiving Spotlight. You
have some spotlight games.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
That the Bills and Patriots will play each play. This
is with all due respect Greg the Pats continue to
get so much primetime love. The Bills and Patriots will
each play three straight primetime games, which is interesting.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
In it's weeks fourteen through sixteen, and you can flex
some of that out of time only the Monday night
game because the other ones are NFL Network and Thursday Night.
I did notice though they only had one Sunday night
game Dan and that's the difference. And that's week two,
and that's to me very much a sign of like
Robert Kraft has sway with the broadcasters, but they're like,
(17:00):
we got to get the Patriots their one Sunday night
game to keep them happy. But we're going to get
it out of the way early before they potend.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
You know what is offensive about this, like the primetime alone.
I get to these other Island games. You're giving the
Raiders five primetime games. They could be they could be
an ugly operation to begin with. You're giving the Vikings five.
I'm not sold on the Vikings in general. And the
Bengals aren't even on this list. Hm, that's a good
Bengals aren't even on this list. They have four. That's
(17:27):
not the worst. But it's like, how on earth are
the The Bengals have been recognized more than an any
other season in a long long time as a team
that's getting a lot of these games. They have four
primetime and a couple other things happening here and there.
But how are they not? How do the Chargers have six?
The Raiders have five, the Vikings have five, and we
don't know who the Packers are and you're giving the
Bengals four.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
I have a theory, because the league is always trying
to push the product that they are very much in
conjunction with the Chargers themselves trying to get the Chargers
to really get a foothold right here, and they see
a Justin Herbert as a superstar quarterback. They want the
Chargers to be a thing. And sometimes when like someone's
(18:08):
really trying hard to make something a thing, there will
be football fans or anamals are like whoa like it
makes you actually be like repel the thing even more like,
don't make them a thing. The Raiders getting a lot
of primetime love. That makes sense to me because they're
a great vibe. To me, they're a great home stadium
experience in primetime. I like the Raiders, even though I'm
(18:29):
not a Raiders fan, just watching them, they're to me
they're pretty good theater, so I'm not.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
But I would also argue that that's, hey, we've just
put out this massive effort to create this incredible new
stadium in a new venue, and.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
That's part of it.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
So they're not using out how good your team is.
They're not using it for the Rams much in primetime.
So you got to use the Chargers. The Rams, who
you know, did win a Super Bowl only a year ago,
and they're in primetime twice. Neither one of them is
on NBC, which to me is like the number one
spot where they they put the team's part of it
and we'll get to it later. Is just though the Chargers' schedule,
the West play the Easts, and the Easts are where
(19:03):
all the juices going into this season. They're the two
best divisions. They play each other, but they also play
the two West teams, So there's just like a lot
of spicy Chargers, you know, out of division masters. I
think that's part bye weeks.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
See, this is some of the stuff that's more interesting
to me in terms of trying to figure out trajectory things.
There's always teams that get banged with the bye week
that's too early. This year, the first bye week is
week five. The Browns, Bucks, Charger, Seahawks have the early
by the last bys week fourteen, which is a little
too late. Cardinals and Commanders.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
The Cardinals are the one on a team out of
thirty two that I'm not looking for to in week one.
Other than that, I'm like, I'm intrigued enough, like at
some point they have teams fall off. They have the Commanders,
who I still that's you know, not that's not going
to be drafted high, but I am curious to watch
that little no, I'm curious the Commanders. I think could
be kind of interesting.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
That's got nick Shook written all over.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
They've got a lot of offensive firepower. And I'm curious
about Howell. But that's not a great.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
I hate these these teams getting stuck with it. It's
the Browns, Chargers, Seahawks, and Bucks. Week five bye. I
think it's good for a team if you had like
a rookie quarterback and it's like, let's reorganize, let's see
what we've done over the first month or so and
get that extra time to come back out firing. But
I mean the Chargers, like this is a team that's
dealt with injuries year after year. They're getting a Week
(20:24):
five by.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
That stinks. All Right, let's take a quick break and
we will continue to dig in upon our return. All Right,
we're back, mark. Uh. Something that jumps out to you
upon the release of the twenty twenty three NFLS well.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Greg mentioned it that the AFC East has the NFC East,
and it's just like, you know, we're a year removed,
and I mean I think months removed. If you haven't
really been following, paying attention to what's happening to the Jets,
the Dolphins, and even to some degree the Patriots, Like
it's easy just to look at the Buffalo Bills, is, well,
they're gonna win thirteen games, and we're gonna see them
fourteen times. They have. We have ten games this year
(21:01):
against last year's playoff teams, including both Super Bowl teams.
One of their home games is a Jaguars game in London.
They play four of their final six on the road
to end the season, and three of the road games
are against the Jets. That's gonna be thorny. Obviously, they
play one game against the Jets on the road, but
they get the Bengals on the road and the Chiefs
(21:21):
on the road. And if I just look at last
year's Bills team, I mean, they went through so much
adversity and you found out that Josh Allen was this
absolutely wonderful leader, and the whole team to me is
really they're a true team. But I mean, they're gonna
be put right through the crucible all over again. And
I think their schedule speaks to me as a team
that's gonna fall off a little bit in terms of
where they'll be in the seeding in the end. In
(21:42):
the AFC, it's about as tough as a slate as
Sean McDermot could have dreamt up.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Wait, so that Tottenham game is a Bills home game. Yeah,
that's interesting.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
Because they're not making the Jaguars take two home games for.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
That right, and we haven't taped since they announced the
international You want to go through those game?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Sure, all right, let's go through the international slate. By
the way, shout out. I was actually did a little
FaceTime because phone calls with Henry Hotchin on nough to
see that beautiful the folks broad man. Yeah, and HD
is what it's all about. We're catching up and he
is now the general Maan and longtime listeners know Henry Hodgson,
(22:21):
that's hands of Hank from the Check days, many many
appearances on our show. Now is the general manager of
the uk NFL experience and he was all over television
radio in England for the schedule release, which is nice.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
I mean, they don't mess around. I saw the clip
on Sky Sports where they got the whole Tottenham you know,
Hotspur stadiums empty and they put it up on the
big screen. They got Henry there and then they do
a roulette wheel to reveal the Tames though, like if.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
You're like men would enjoy watching Henry or eight like
women would enjoy watching Henry speak about anything. He's a
full audience, full crowd, adult pleaser, broad broad appeal, no
physically broad, A lot on his shoulders. He fills out
the telephon physically and professionally.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Anyway. International games, the NFL will host five regular season
games outside the US, three in London, two in Germany.
I guess the Stadio Azteca and Mexico is still undergoing construction.
I would guess because that's a great scene and ready
for the year. That won't be involved, but I'm sure
it will be down the line. So Week four and
(23:34):
a big headline coming out of this. The Jags, who
have forever been connected to London. Ownership is very They
have a very vision that has been unshakable to make
the Jaguars. I think the dream, I don't even think think.
Uh Shad Khan wants the Jaguars to be the home
team of England.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
Well that's his goal.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
There is this little side thing. I don't think it's
gonna morph into more, but they may not be able
to play in their actual stadium down the road. A
bit because of repairs for a stretch almost two seasons.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
So he owns Wembley right at this well, they're.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Jacksonville Stadium, so right is there issues with the chlorine
tank there the I will report back are So the
Jags this year have taken it to the next level.
Are now playing two games in England. Won a home game,
one designated a road game Falcons versus Jaguars kicks off
the International Games in week four from Wembley and then
(24:28):
in week five, so the Jags just stick around. Atlanta
gets on the plane. We saw Atlanta play the Jets
a couple of years ago, so the Falcons obviously like this
scene as well. The Falcons go home, the Jags stick
around in London and then play the Bills at Tottenham
Hotspur Stadium, the big Top, Big Totti.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Okay, so Wembley one week, Toddy the next.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
So you got Jags back to back and you get
Josh Allen in England, which is very nice. Shout out
by the way to our overseas listeners in the UK
and Ireland. In Scotland, Scotland is part of the UK. Correct.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
He's looking at Greg for that answer. I think it's
it is it is. I don't I'm not answering.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Yeah, and only part Many, only pirate part of Ireland.
But you know it's more than you know. We we
love all of our listeners overseas Australia. How about you
shout out.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
To Australia icelmony Scotland. By the way, the firm that
Scotland is part of the Kingdom.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
And Ireland very much not part, but northern Ireland is anyway,
we know sort of except for Scotland. We didn't we
were to learn about that anyway.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Let's see Ravens versus Titans week six from the Hot
Toddy uh and then week nine we head to Germany
Dolphins versus Chiefs, Ham and Ham and Ham and a
week nine from Frankfurt Stadium, and then Colts versus Pats
week ten, also from the big.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Frank Deutsche Bank Park. So it'll be a different stadium
than a year ago, but it'll be I suspect an
amazing atmosphere that used to be one of the best
rivalries in league. Colt Pat's not as much juice. But
to get Dolphins Chiefs in Kansas City, I mean, I
mean in Frankfurt. To me, that's one of the games
(26:19):
I'm most looking forward to this season, just because you
can't imagine a scenario with Tyreek Hill going against his
former team. And it's almost a shame that it's not
happening in Kansas City, but you can't imagine a scenario
where that thing is not in the thirties or the
forties and not like a really important entertaining game so
that they're not messing around. Those are NFL Network games.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Yeah, I think the in general, if you look back
to half a decade ago and Frankly, like you know,
Handsome Hank has something to do with this. The games,
the teams have gotten better, Like you've got star quarterbacks,
You've got Patrick Mahomes, you've got Josh Allen, the Ravens
with Lamar Jackson, and Frankly, it really just helps at
the Jacksonville are intriguing and I I you know, this
(27:02):
is the first time in history where a team stayed
there two weeks in a row. I want I just
want to hear I want to see a think piece
about what's it like for I think coaches in general
don't love the concept of having to pick up camp
and go somewhere else and do everything somewhere else. And
I mean the Jaguars are more practiced at that than others.
But Doug Peterson's you know, I've done it five times
(27:22):
in a row. So how do you prepare for the
bills in London in a completely different environment than your
home base. I just that intrigues me for some reason.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
You would think it'd be an advantage, but we were,
We've been We go there for a week and you know,
obviously we work at a at a level that NFL
players can't comprehend.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
But I would say, I mean, like we spend half
the time at like the hotel bar there.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
I mean it's like, well, yeah, it's sarcasm. Yeah. They
at the end of that week, I feel like we're
ready to go home. Our great friend Rachel Bennetta, I
felt like she was there for two weeks. By the
end of that second week, you know, you might be
running out of gas. Maybe maybe it's a disadvantage for
the Jaguars.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
Else see good way to look at it, A good
opposing view.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Does not care.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
It's time to pivot.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Yeah, this is the part that Wes was talking about.
What are we talking about?
Speaker 2 (28:11):
I don't care. Let's move back to the Homeland Thanksgiving games.
All right, here's the slate Packers at Lions, the customary
slot for those teams. Well, it's not always the Packers
right against the Lions, but thank god, the Lions are
now a highly compelling team and hopefully will remain that way,
so you get the Jordan Love experience. The Packers are
(28:33):
total unknown, so we won't know what's going on, but
we have a much better idea where they're at by Thanksgiving.
And remember decision doesn't start till after Thanksgiving. The Commanders
at Cowboys in the middle game, that's a big old
meh for me, But that well.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
We'll see where the where the Commanders are.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
I'm with you, yeah, I mean, who could be If
Sam Howell doesn't work, we're getting Jake brisket On.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
You could have done a lot there with the Cowboy.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
That's that's very often the two matchups Packers Lions and
Commanders Cowboys. I'll always remember RG three's rookie season sort of.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Plighting up Dallas. And then the game that is always
a different teams is forty nine Er. There's the late game,
the NBC game forty nine Ers at Seahawks and NFC
West tilt and a damn good one.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
And they've done that before. That's been a matchup before.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
I mean, I love that excellent And that is just
for a little background. That's the eleventh time Washington and
Dallas play Cowboys of one, eight of two, and the
Seahawks and Niners are playing on Thanksgiving for the first
time since they played each other on Thanksgiving pill in
the year. It was a nineteen to three Seahawks win.
(29:39):
Sounds boring, twenty fourteen got it? Wait?
Speaker 1 (29:43):
Really he got it?
Speaker 2 (29:45):
I bang, good job, Gregy.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
That was totally random.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
I went to your home, I believe during that game.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
I believe probably the Teeto's was probably flown at that point.
So that's it's a hazy memory.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
That's the only time I ever ate macaroni and cheese
because your wife at a moment.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
Deffinitely a grown man who's only eating macaroni and cheese
once in his life.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
That was the the There are three big U my
three favorite Mark Sessler food moments. One, I know what
number one's number one, Number ones most recently the cheeseburger incident,
which is still incredible and shocking. Two is the mac
and cheese Thanksgiving incident, and three is after you and
(30:29):
I had a rollicking night out about ten years ago.
We were on the streets of Culver City and there
was a food truck outside and we got some street
meat burritos. I got the regular like meat brito. You
got the veggie but they were cooking the veggie burrito
like with the meat, and you got some meat. And
(30:50):
all of a sudden I couldn't find you, and you
were in the bushes and you had to let go
some of that.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
I was wondering, we're gonna go with number three, But
I do remember that, and it was like seven or
eight dollars that went totally to the wrong place because
there's a big piece of steak in the middle of
it or something.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
It banged you on a big spot. Good memories, Good memories.
Let's see what else. There's a Black Friday Game. A
Black Friday Game, so Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
It's a shopping thing. Amazon not anymore. It is as
a massive investment at the NFL to air Thursday night football.
(31:23):
But they also get the Black Friday Game, which is
available to everybody, and it will be the Miami Dolphins
and New York Jets from the Meadowlands and Mark, I
think you have some no opinions to share on that.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
I I want to take the attitude of I get
what's happening here, likes sometimes your company, this is our company.
They're just gonna do what they do and you got.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
To roll up. Oh sometimes that's what happens.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
That is what happens sometimes, and they I get it.
We want a game on every day of the week,
and if there is an American holiday being celebrated, it
will be celebrated with, if not a trio of games,
at least one and on you know, in what if
I wanted to go downtown and stare at cakes and
a window on Black Friday, which is like you can
go out and be a consumer, Well, I will be
chained to a chair. And I'm hoping at that point
(32:08):
that the Jets, who are on about twenty seven Island games,
are actually a viable team at that point because if
things my one feeling about this thing in general is
a little jetsy and we can get into it later
if one but like if the the Browns had this
happened number times where it's like you have a positive season,
they give you six Island games and then a nuclear
bomb drops on the reality of your team.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
And the Jets.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
Schedule is a load. It is a rough situation, and so.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
You want to so you don't really have any more
Black Friday thoughts. You want to pivot that you can
do that.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
I decided to go down Company Man Avenue here because it's.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
Like, oh, that's why you're wearing the jackets.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
What have you been doing on this Black Friday? Anyways?
I don't remember you cake shopping.
Speaker 2 (32:47):
We were so excited you told us on text yesterday
you were going to share. I was all the things
that you wouldn't be able to do on Black Friday.
Because now you have to watch a football game.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
I will.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
I'll send it out on and now you're going.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
To get a what if the Jets sucks, We're gonna get.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
In check my it's not too light, we want it.
The game will be over by three pm.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
That gives you a check Twitter by eight pm tonight,
and I've anything that includes our actual real thoughts about life.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
Check our social media right now, Zach. Yeah, let's let's
check out the Jets schedule. If that's a natural transition, Uh, listen.
The Jets are a major storyline around the league this year.
Jets fans are like soaking that in. It's it's a
great feeling. However, we're gonna learn a lot about this
team quickly, and to Mark's point, they could be in
(33:32):
a lot of trouble if they don't come out of
the gates with the offense humming and the defense playing
at a high level, because I think they have as
tough a schedule as any team in the league. Out
of the gate. You got open up in primetime against
the Bills. So that's a team that they've played well
against overall. But that is the Bills. That's Josh Allen,
that Sean McDermott, that is a superpower. Week two, they
(33:53):
get on a plane and they go to Dallas to
face the Cowboys, which the NFC is weaker than the AFC,
no doubt, but that is enough. They're very difficult matchup
for the Jets. They come home and I think this
is like the breather game early on for them. It's
the Patriots, and you say, Okay, that's doable. Greg, you
knows as much as any of the Jet's never beat
the Patriots. On fourteen years they need to. That's just
(34:14):
something a beast. They're still trying to slay. Even last
year they got swept and then they welcome in the
Chiefs in Week four. So as a Jets fan, the
schedule does appear, and again we never know to soften
up in the back nine. But you can't sleep on
a potential car crash early on get out of it.
For me, and I have high hopes about this team,
(34:34):
as I've said, if I can get out of there
Greg two and two, I'm feeling really good about the season.
But it's tough. There's no gimmes there.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
I think that's the way to look at it. You
got the Broncos two Week five, and then you got
the Eagles again, so you got six. That's I know,
you have one game. You know the Broncos and the
Patriots in there look easier, but they're not total patsies
and before you by get to three and three there.
But that's sort of the case with the entire division.
I really think the AFC East Division schedule is the toughest.
(35:05):
The NFCS isn't far behind, but the fact that out
of division you have to play, uh the AFC West,
which I think you're guaranteed that the Chiefs are gonna
be legit. I think the Chargers will be in the mix,
and the other two games are competitive. Then you have
to play each other, and you have to play the
NFC East. It's just tough. So you're gonna you're gonna
get buried somewhere. The Patriots are the other team I
(35:26):
think that have the toughest schedule in that division because
they don't get to play the Patriots, right they're the
only and in their start is Eagles Dolphins, both at home,
so you get the two home games to start, and
the way.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
They do play the Patriots because the robber craft against
Bill Belichick, Yeah, Bill bellug within that building at this
point every week is Patriots against Patriots.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
That's that's very well said. Eagles, Dolphins, Jets, Cowboys is
a pretty tough first four opponents, uh, the second two
of those on the road. All four of those teams
seem seem like teams that want to win double digit games.
But that's the thing in the A even saying that
the Patriots they're over under it'll be what seven and
a half or something like that, I don't know what
(36:06):
it is. One of the Bills, Jets, and Dolphins, who
are all over the primetime schedules because to me they're
all fascinating. One of those three teams is more than
likely going to have quite a disappointing season, and I
don't have a feel. I think they're all really good.
I think the Jets deserve to be in the top
eight or nine of the powering and I think the
Dolphins do two. And just like something has to give
(36:28):
though there that Austins.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
Too, because we are wanting to watch them, and I mean,
I just that that could get rough by December. But
it was a year ago everyone was saying like, oh,
the AFC West probably, if not four playoff teams, at
least three. Two of those teams didn't win more than
six games. So it's like someone in this division is
going to take an excitingly dangerous dark lotle dirt nap.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
You look at the AFC West with the benefit of hindsight,
of course, some of that felt a little artificially inflated.
We didn't know what was gonna happen. With Russell Wilson
that made sense on paper, and the thing with the Raiders,
we saw DeVante Adams, we said, oh, now they're gonna
be good and that didn't work out with the East
AFC East. Which is so interesting is we know the
Jets have a top defense and now Aaron Rodgers is there,
(37:10):
so I feel really good about them being a competitive team.
The Dolphins, who everyone's kind of sleeping on in this division,
they as long as they the quarterback stays on the field,
and now they even have a more confident backup quarterback
and Mike White, the Dolphins I think absolutely have a
chance to win ten or eleven games.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
I mean, their schedule is ugly, like just like these other.
Speaker 2 (37:30):
Sures they all it's a very as correctly saying like
you're playing a lot of top teams. But the Patriots
are not going to roll over and go four and thirteen.
They're gonna I think the Patriots are gonna do what
they do and they're gonna hang around and be an
eight to ten win team. And then I trust the
Bills unless they take a step back, which they could
because the division has caught up to them a little
bit here. So this could be a division where there
(37:51):
if it plays out, where no team bombs out, where
the win total could be a little deflated because of
the war that's going on in this division, and maybe
eleven and six wins it.
Speaker 3 (38:01):
Or ten and seven, but you'd be you'd be a
more dangerous complete playoff team record record side.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
And on the flip side, I think the North Division
in the AFC especially benefits because they get to play
the AFC South. It's not easy. You know, in NFC
they played the NFC West and like that. That's a
media an average division, I would say, because you got
the Cardinals, but you also the forty nine ers. But
you look at like the teams like the Ravens or
the Browns or the Steelers, like there is opportunity I
(38:29):
think for the AFC North teams to end up racking
up surprising records. One of the reasons why we think
the Easts are so good is because they had easy
schedules last year. Like to me, the Patriots were not
an eight win team last year. Did they even win
eight or did they only get the seven? Either way,
their schedule helped. And the Jets, especially you know against
all those back and of course their schedule helped artificially
(38:51):
inflate that division just a bit. But I'm not worried
about the Jets being stinkers.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
But there probably will between especially.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
Stinkers would be like they're eight and seven going into
week seventeen for the I could.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
Be in Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night football. Wouldn't that
be juicy? The Jets and Dolphins. Jets fans don't want
to say Dolphins fans don't want to say it. One
of them will probably flop, probably the Dolphins.
Speaker 1 (39:13):
And it's all like, like we said, it's really hard
to know, but early in the season that Dolphins having
at Chargers at Patriots, I hate starting on the road
for two games. First of all, you have at Bill's
week fours, at Eagles week seven, So that's four very
difficult road games, and the Chiefs and Frankfurt all before
you're by, Like, I'm looking at that, and there's a
couple easier games home home games to the Jet you know,
(39:36):
the Broncos, Giants, Panthers. It's like, if you're five and
four looking at that schedule, I'd feel fine, Like, and
that's the thing, there's such high expectations, but five and
four might not feel that great.
Speaker 2 (39:45):
Let's take a break and then wrap up our schedule preview.
All right, welcome back. There's a portion of again, the
NFL media research team. You know, bring it on, Bristol.
Whatever your research group is, right, what was the one
that always used to get brought up for for decades?
(40:07):
Elias whatever? Elias Sports Bureau. I'm trias Elias because we've
got NFL media.
Speaker 3 (40:13):
Are we still operating as a bureau at this point?
Speaker 2 (40:15):
I know, I don't know. We probably swallowed them up
in some corporate supermerger. There you go, a lot of
blood spilled schedule inequities.
Speaker 1 (40:23):
It's still a leader in historical research, and yeah, it's
his service right in the world of professional sports.
Speaker 2 (40:30):
Love Elias. That's been a huge part of mine.
Speaker 1 (40:33):
I mean they are literally the official statisticians for the
National Football League. Showed up the NBA and uh oh,
Major League Baseball never heard of it winning Olias. So
they're still doing well. Shout out to Elias.
Speaker 2 (40:48):
Love you man. What they did. They had cornered the market. Now,
I don't know, Elias cornered the market for about twenty
years or anytime any historical thing was sighted they said, oh,
according to the Elias Sports Bureau I think it was called.
And since then a lot of leagues have built out
their own research groups. But as Greg is represented for
(41:09):
the company, points out, we still hear dog, We still.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
Hear hey, Elias, love you brother.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
You try to get a job. Schedule inequities is within
our research packet here, which I like. So five teams
will have three game road trips during the twenty twenty
three season. That's rough. Back to back to back road
games is rough. The Ravens four through six get Cleveland,
Pitt Tennessee. That's in Tottenham in England. The Giants weeks
(41:38):
nine through eleven get Vegas, Dallas Washington. The Titans nine
through eleven get Pitt, Tampa Bay Jacksonville. The Panthers twelve
through fourteen get Tennessee, Tampa Bay, New Orleans. And the
Broncos thirteen through fifteen get Houston, Chargers Detroit. I want
to point out also when those teams I just read,
you'll notice how much work goes into the schedules that
(42:01):
these the schedule akers will say, Okay, if we're gonna
bang these teams they get three road games, we're gonna
make sure we don't give them three monster contenders in
a row. But there's gonna be some breathing ruin there.
Like not everything is thought through, but sometimes teams still
get banged a little bit of the way it works out,
and four teams start with back to back home games,
which is very nice. Broncos Falcon. Broncos have Raiders Commanders
(42:26):
Falcons who I think should be in the running for
team of Falcons.
Speaker 3 (42:32):
In general, their schedule is favorable.
Speaker 2 (42:34):
How about the Falcons getting out out of the gates
against the Panthers and the Packers without Aaron Rodgers interesting?
The Patriots greggy opened back to back home games, but
they ain't easy. Eagles, Dolphins, and Steelers get Niners versus Cleveland.
Back to back road games for Packers, Raiders, Dolphins, and Niners.
Speaker 1 (42:54):
I think. And you mentioned the Falcons having the you
know that nice start that division to me, and I
mentioned the AFC North, but even more than the AFC North,
there will be opportunity for those NFC South teams for
one of them to win ten or eleven games even
when they're not very good. I think they have the
easy like all of them combined have the easiest schedules
(43:15):
in the league because a they get to play each other.
That's nice. Be you get to play the AFC South,
I'll take it and then you play the NFC North,
so there are no world beaters in all that. I
feel like that entire team, I'm doing projected starters now,
that entire division. I know the Bucks are quite a
bit behind in terms of Vegas in terms of the odds,
(43:36):
but the other three teams are close. Like all those
teams are good enough and probably should win six to
seven games, and they're just hoping they get a few
breaks to win nine or ten. And I feel like
that describes the entire division. Someone's gonna end up like
being one of the stories of the season winning eleven
just because the schedule's too easy.
Speaker 3 (43:52):
Yeah, just to drill down, like a little bit, like
the Saints, so they have seven other first eleven games
on the road, yet those games are like Carolina, Green Bay,
New England, Houston, Indianapolis, Minnesota, Atlanta. That's serviceable. And the
Panthers don't cross more than a single time zone after
Week three. So some of it is like they are
clumped together regionally in a way where like you're not.
(44:12):
Some of these teams are traveling insane amounts. Others barely
seem to leave home.
Speaker 1 (44:16):
Though, Yeah, I always see the teams make a big
deal about the time zones and the traveling, and I
get it, but it's.
Speaker 3 (44:22):
Like out of the numbers, your numbers show you're.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
In a private jet. It's once a week. I guess
I'm partly thinking as a tennis fan. It's like, uh
oh Anna Callan Sky has got to play in India
on Sunday and then she's on the West coast of
America on Tuesday. No one's crying for her. She's not
in any private jet. And if these tennis players could
handle it, I'm just saying, yes, they're like going like
eleven time zones week to week and they're I'm sure
(44:46):
it's help.
Speaker 3 (44:46):
You Look like the look at the numbers on a
West Coast team starting at once all Eastern, like it's
they're horrible.
Speaker 2 (44:54):
I was going to get to the Thursday night schedule,
which is always compelling because it's a source of great
intrigue and consternation. Or did you guys have any other
teams you wanted to highlight before.
Speaker 1 (45:03):
We Well, just two little things on the Super Bowl
teams from a year ago, because I think they're both
well positioned to be favorites again. I noticed how the
NFL ended the chief season with Bengals on New Year's Eve.
To me, that's like the number one rivalry and the
number one most important game if I had to pick
(45:23):
one in the entire schedule, just because look, they've been
the last two AFC Championship games. We know the quarterbacks,
they've played these great games. That's Week seventeen. And then
the Chiefs go from Bengals Week seven team to at
Chargers Week eighteen. That's just like a spicy finish. I
feel like it's the Chargers number one goal here to
make that game matter and still be in it. And
(45:45):
then I noticed with the Eagles, who on paper in
terms of strength to schedule just opponents winning percentage, have
the toughest schedule and it's brutal after theirby It starts
pretty cake for them to start out with a nice
schedule at New England, then Minnesota at Tea, but Washington
at Rams, so I feel like like a soft start
for them, and then maybe the toughest stretch of anyone's
(46:06):
season on paper in the middle of the season Cowboys
Chiefs Bills forty nine, Ers at Cowboys at Seahawks. If
you want to throw that into that, that is crazy.
So the Eagles got to eat early to set up
for that.
Speaker 3 (46:19):
I got one for you because I think we think
the Falcons can make a leap based on their schedule.
The Bears, it's hard not to make a leap. They
had the fewest amount of wins in the league last year,
but they play only four playoff teams, and for all
these how many playoff teams, one of them is the Bucks.
With that minus Tom Brady, different situation. They get Jordan
Love in his second career start. They get either Baker
(46:40):
Mayfield Kyle Trask in week two, week five, it's gonna
be Sam Howell or Jacoby Brissett. So I think it's
a nice It's a good situation for Chicago their schedule.
I think the North is manageable. You could look at
the Lions or the Bears as teams that could compete.
I think the Packers have a chance. Anyone could win
that division. I mean it's sort of a wide open deal.
And the Bears with you know, if you get it
from Justin Fields, who has a if you went and
(47:02):
had one of those big leaps, which I think is
very possible, They're a team that could like go from
worse to first.
Speaker 2 (47:08):
Are the Jaguars of this year. If their young quarterback
can take that step up and everything's lined up for them,
whe were they three and fourteen last year? They could
be a team that all of a sudden they're in
playoff contention in the middle of December. And it helps
at the conference, is what it is. It helps.
Speaker 1 (47:26):
They're actually favored right now to compared to the Packers.
They're the third favorites in the division. It's the division
that's closely most closely bunched. Lions are favorites, Vikings next, Bears,
next in Packers not too far behind. But they're all
pretty Bikings fans. I'm a little surprised that the Packers are.
I would not put them forth and put them second.
Speaker 2 (47:44):
I mean the Lions fans. It must be a little
bit uncomfortable for people just bustling them in to be like, oh,
this feels like the favorite that feels ominous for whatever reason,
And it might feel especially ominous after you have to
go to Arrowhead In week one, Friday Morning hot Takes
could be spewing a bit of a wake up call
Thursday night football and Al Michael's legend that he is
(48:06):
is back for another season. He said in an interview
last year, and I talked about it when he when
he did it, that the Thursday night football schedule was
quote a little leaky. And this is a major partnership
between the NFL and Amazon and UH for instance. Uh, Mark,
and we're still excited to hear about your Black Friday plans.
Speaker 3 (48:27):
By the way, I don't have any now.
Speaker 2 (48:30):
I think a big part of that game showing up
even first of all, it makes sense logically as a
football fan, not even factoring the Jets a noon start
on the West Coast on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Nice
division battle penciled me in. It also gave Amazon another
bite at the Apple.
Speaker 1 (48:46):
That's also maybe their best, one of the best games
on their schedule.
Speaker 2 (48:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (48:50):
And and it wouldn't surprise me if that's the most
you know, streamed game of all time, just because that's
essentially gonna be a holiday right in the middle.
Speaker 3 (48:57):
Let's see where we are with those teams there were Well,
I love saying it now.
Speaker 2 (49:01):
I think you do love saying it, Mark, But I'm.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
Saying, like the Lions playing the worst team in the
league is.
Speaker 2 (49:08):
The watch saying it. I know the Jets could be
bad Mark. It's certainly I am, I am. You have
stayed repeated that's to be successful. I know you are,
I know you are. I love it clearly. Thursday Night
Football Week two, the Vikings Eagles start things off. Uh.
Week three, Giants, Niners. I'm just gonna go for it,
(49:29):
go through it, Lions, Packers, Week four, Bears, Commanders five, Broncos,
Chief six, Jags, Saints seven, Bucks, Bills, Titans, Steelers, Panthers, Bears, Bengals, Ravens, Dolphins, Jets,
Black Friday, Seahawks, Cowboys, Patriots, Steelers, Chargers, Raiders, Saints, Rams, Jets, Browns.
Speaker 1 (49:51):
It's good, it's it's still though, including teams that aren't
getting much primetime elsewhere. Just put it down still serving
as that, Yes, Saints are there twice. Do they have
any other primetime games? You know, the Broncos have been
down shifted quite a bit in terms of their primetime appearances.
I'm pretty sure that's got to be the Bucks's only spot.
(50:13):
But the good thing about this schedule is they didn't
have to force primetime games this year as much. The Cardinals,
for instance, are not in primetime at all. I would
be curious to see the Colts and Texans in primetime
because of their rookie quarterbacks. Because I'm a dork, but
those teams aren't really getting primetime love. The Colts get
(50:34):
it zero for Anthony Richardson. Same thing with the Texans,
and so normally that might have been put into this
TNF schedule and they're not there, And so overall it's better.
I think.
Speaker 3 (50:42):
The thing that worries me about it a little bit
because there are some good matchups in here.
Speaker 1 (50:46):
I Seahawks Cowboys is really good. Jets Dolphins.
Speaker 3 (50:50):
Obviously you got the Rams in week sixteen. Why, like,
from what we know, get ready to a game. What
did we talk about.
Speaker 1 (50:57):
Beyond your there If you're listening to me and you
work for the Rams.
Speaker 2 (51:02):
You say self interest or selfish interests.
Speaker 3 (51:05):
It has nothing to do with the larger population. Just simply, Greg, you.
Speaker 1 (51:08):
Gotta give it twenty twenty one champions one primetime game, Come.
Speaker 3 (51:12):
On Tennessee Titans Week nine. I mean, we'll see. It's
just that some many are fine now, but like they
could be a odorous problem.
Speaker 1 (51:19):
But you know what they could wait, they can't. They
can't flex the TNF. They wanted to flex late season
TNF but that's not happening, at least not at this point.
Speaker 2 (51:29):
Yeah, I get that's it. That's okay. I can't anymore.
Speaker 1 (51:33):
Yeah, it's enough, schedule talk anything left.
Speaker 2 (51:36):
We took it to we took it to the max.
Speaker 1 (51:38):
We did it. We did it for the listeners. I
did miss this week, and as you mentioned at the top,
yeah you can. You can check our socials. You do
miss connecting with the listeners about football. We just love
we love our connection with it, and it doesn't feel
right when that's ruptured. But that's that's why we do it.
We do it for each other, we do it for
(51:58):
the listeners. So it's good to be back, even if
it's one of the sillier shows of the season.
Speaker 3 (52:05):
I thought it was very serious and taken very seriously.
Speaker 2 (52:07):
Greg.
Speaker 1 (52:08):
I mean, it's just it's all football, so I guess
it's never too serious.
Speaker 2 (52:13):
Yes, a very tough week. We are not strangers to adversity,
not of our own invention, and we always carry on
this podcast. There are no reverse gears in this tank.
You guys know that. I'll just add again and give
(52:33):
us time to get things wrong.
Speaker 1 (52:35):
Now, we just got to come up with what we're
talking ouver the next two or three months.
Speaker 3 (52:38):
Oh that, I'm sure we will.
Speaker 2 (52:40):
All right, body, have a nice weekend with back next week.
He the call
They are around the NFL podcast. What the hell's going
on out here?
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Seriously?
Speaker 3 (00:09):
What time?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
From the Chris Westling podcast studio, It's around the NFL.
I am Dan hansis heroes here, Greg Rosenthal, Mark Sessler. Yes,
we are back kind of and we plan to do
two shows this week, but things changed. It's been a
(00:32):
tough week. Not at total liberty to get into all
the specifics, but please consult our social media profiles for
more on what has been a very tough week for
the podcast. And you know, the show is no stranger
to adversity, and we will regroup and march on. We
always have. And I would say the only request I
(00:54):
have for the listeners is just bear with us as
we figure things out. And other than that, at Mark,
how was the play? The play?
Speaker 1 (01:04):
Which play Little Lincoln ref? Come on, Little Lincoln ref?
Come on a Little Lincoln raf. Well, you're dressed for
like a Lincoln play in the eighteen.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
It is the off season, Mark, We do not need
the suit jacket at this judge.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
You know, if we want to reference on first of all,
the play was great, memorable. If we want to reference
the stylings of our friend Chris Westling, that a lot
of times when you dress up, it's because there's a
dearth of clean clothing in the dressed down scenario on
and we're not we're not.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Buying that you wear that. You always wear the jacket
even at home.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
You yeah, but because it's it's it's stationed and it
looks it's stationed in the locker downstairs. So I come
in in like a sweat or a T shirt and
then change into this, then change back up here.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Here's the difference in Chris Westling, I'm gonna hear from
Wes in a second. When Wes said it, it was
very much true because Wes would, you know, five out
of six days or like I'd say, if we did
a show three times, or in the office five days week,
four to the days, he'd be wearing like an NFL
Network polo and jeans maybe pre Lakisha, and then all
(02:10):
of a sudden he would show up in like a
button down shirt with a pullover sweater and khakis and
brown dress shoes, and it'd be just so like what
is going on? He'd be like, I literally don't have
any other clothes. They're all dirty. It was like I
buy it, Hold on, I don't know if.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
I buy your So you're saying my laundry, you're you
are estimating that my laundry situation is untrue. Come, how
come investigate my laundry firsthand, and you'll see that there
are truisms attached to what I've.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Said as a longtime critic of men's fashion. I think
you are being the change you want to see in
the world, and I respect it.
Speaker 3 (02:42):
I just that's a nice bridge building attempt, Greg, I
appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Yes, so, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. Weird week,
but the NFL schedule marches on. The NFL schedule literally
was released on Thursday, and we're gonna dig into it
in our loan show this week. Everything from primetime games
(03:10):
to holiday games to international games. Highlight, Greg, ye, some
team schedules that caught your eye, per okay, But before
we dig in, we'll start with week one. Just for fun,
I would like to hear from the great late Chris Wesling,
who always hated this time of the year. It is
(03:31):
the last league tenth pole event or the first, depending
how you look at it, and he was never really
about it. I always kind of agreed with him, But
since he's been gone. There's been something about this particular
thing that I agree with even more here is Chris
and Eric behind the scenes did a great job digging
it up, speaking on his general issues with people getting
(03:55):
overly into this time of year.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
You want to race to this schedule and find out
your road trips, plan all that, put a W and
L next to every team on your schedule. I get
all of that. Just don't ask me to analyze it
five months. There's no analysis necessary. Just enjoy the schedule
being released.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
I miss Wes, I miss West this week, and I
love hearing his voice in it. I agree.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
This was always yeah the time of year, and it
used to be before the draft actually, so it almost
was like interrupting draft season. But Wes would hate all
the secrecy that we'd have to have with the schedule.
We would black out the podcast studio so no one
in the building could hear it, and he would just
think this was the biggest, colossal waste of time. But
the NFL smartly realized, actually we could blow out that
(04:45):
classic waste of time more after the draft and kind
of extend the season a couple more weeks. And I'm
with Wes though. The first thing I did looking at
the schedule. The only thing I really cared about personally
was are the Rams playing on Thursday or Monday night?
Because it's it's very hard to take my family to
a game on a Sunday, and at this point that's
my daughter's favorite thing to do in the world is
(05:05):
to go to a Rams game. And I didn't deliver
that for last year, and we got when we got
a Thursday night or December twenty.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
First, excellent. It is your daughter equally flummixed by the
Rams general yes, game planter franchise's direction.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
She asked me, A yes, she talks about Jalen Raby often.
She doesn't understand it and it's hard to explain salary
cap considerations and that there really is no explanation that
it's not a daddy.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
What's a long range plan with Matthew Stafford given the
rest of the roster.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
I don't think it's going to be very long range.
I mean, I think like eleven now. The thing that
Wes mentioned that makes sense, it's like if you're a fan,
because I was hanging out with a Steelers fan yesterday
in the minute like this the schedule came out. It
was like Bang planning trip to Las Vegas for week three,
Like that makes sense. Wes mentioned that, But I love,
I always love just take on this because analyzing it
and we're about to go do that. So it's not
(05:56):
like turn off the show. We're going to do a
great job with it. But like, why not your if
you want, I mean, why not stare like a farmer's
almanac that tells you it's going to be a nice
season to grow corn in twenty twenty nine. Well what
if your village is bombed by invaders in twenty twenty six.
It's like that unpredictable where we're going to be in
week seventeen or eighteen, But we're about to tell you
why all that matters.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Well, it's like Kyle Shanahan says, you know, there's no
guarantee we even make it to Sunday.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
I find it us Week seventeen especially a fool's errand
to predict like the easy part of the schedule because
you never know, like what teams will rise up and
be frisky or even good. You kind of I feel
a little more comfortable looking at a schedule and saying, oh,
these this is going to be a difficult stretch based
on certain superpowers that you don't expect to fall off.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
Well, this will be entertaining, especially early. It's like I'm
willing to guess, although I guess injuries happened, that that
Patrick Mahomes Chiefs will provide me entertainment and be in
some big situations this year.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Which is a nice seg Greggie to Thursday, September seventh,
twenty twenty three for Week one. Let's kind of go
through it here. We'll start with the primetime games and
shout out to the team of around the NFL of
the Detroit Lions, who who turned last season's feel good story,
(07:16):
a season that ended with a winning record correct correct,
and no playoff just missed the playoffs, but a winning
record nine to eight into a Thursday night opener showcase
on the road in Arrowhead against the defending champion Chiefs.
That's Thursday night football. Pretty saucy. I gotta say, Greg,
(07:37):
I was a little surprised, as much as we love
the Lions, that they were the team that was selected
there to be the opener, which is kind of hollowed
ground for the people that plan this stuff. At three
forty five, I was shocked.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
I mean, basically, the NFL is deciding not to burn
the Bengals or the Bills or these games that feel
or the Eagles for that matter. Uh, these games that
feel Titanic.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
In terms of AFC playoff seed and then a Super
Bowl rematch is really unique. Talk about that, you don't
you don't know get that they decide and I like that.
I like that they saved those games until the end
of the season. So Okay, everyone's gonna watch Kickoff anyways,
let's put in everyone's favorite dad, Dan Campbell and uh oh,
by the way, NBC, But I mean, maybe don't mention
all those Lions that were suspended for gambling.
Speaker 5 (08:24):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
I mean, like if you look at their home, you
can ask that well.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
I mean, I just I was a little surprised at
that because that was an embarrassing story for the NFL
to put that team.
Speaker 2 (08:33):
By September, nobody will be.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
No, it's gonna I mean like even now we're talking
about it, people have forgotten about it.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
I have no idea what Greg's talking about it.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
I mean, I think like there weren't a lot of
options other than Bills or Bengals. If you pick about
if you pick who Kansas City played at home. But
it totally threw me in a wonderful way because it's
like we were onto the Lions. I think a lot
of people think they're gonna be fun and frisky, but
it's a team that has been essentially shielded from the
public eye outside of mostly embarrassing Thanksgiving game for eons,
and it's like they're recognizing that this is a team
(09:03):
on the brink. It's a bit of a risk because
part of me thinks, well, it's the Chiefs. It could
be forty to ten. But if we get the version
of the Lions we had last year, you trust them
to keep it kind of frisky. And it's a big
spot for Jared Goff.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
It's too the top five offenses by many metrics in
the league last year. You expect points and you hope
for points. It could go sideways. Absolutely, that's like a
big assignment for Campbell and it's still a young roster.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
And defense and that in that week one game. Sometimes
the kickoff game is a total snoozer and you're just
still so happy with it. Like I'm thinking of the
last kickoff game we did with with Chris you know
that was Texans Chiefs. We were at Chris's house for
that and that could it was like Clyde Edwards Lair
had a halfway. It could not have been a bigger snoozer.
But everyone's happy because football's back.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
So that stars. And by the way, I think the
power of hard knocks, as much as people sometimes denigrated
at this stage, check it out, check it out, the
lines that put them on the national radar.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
Winning, man, there is nothing like winning. And I'm telling
you right now, it doesn't matter if it's freaking dominoes,
it's stage, it's Blu ray, it's croquet, it's chest, it's
preseason ass kicking. It does not matter.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Man.
Speaker 5 (10:12):
Winning is winning and it feels good.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
Man. So when George McCaskey of the Bears is openly
shooting down the idea of being on hard knocks, look
what happened to the Lions and you. You could I'm
drawing a direct line, all.
Speaker 3 (10:23):
Right, You could suggest that your actual you're in Colleen's
coverage of that hard knocks, uh journey that potentially led
to this. So maybe the Lions, you know, should should
think of you.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
And to some degree he does not know what Boo
Ray is.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
By the way Sunday Night Football, Week one, Dallas Cowboys
at New York Giants, and I know, speaking of West again,
there might be some deep sighing there, like how many
times does America need to watch a spotlight game between
the Cowboys and Giants?
Speaker 3 (10:51):
But I'm here, I don't think he's alone in that.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Twice a year and very often in this kickoff spot.
It's got to be at least three or four times
they've had a primetime Week one game and.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Then on Monday Night football another New York team, this
the Jets. The Jets, Oh, the Jets. The Jets, who,
as expected, getting a lot of primetime love in this schedule.
And we'll get to them in a little bit, but
they got Bills at Jets opening up the season on
the shoot on the we'll just call it the anniversary
(11:24):
of nine to eleven. So there they'll have that big
game in a primetime spot, which is wild wild.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
I also like that they don't do the doubleheader week one,
but the double header is not gone. The Monday night
doubleheader for the second straight year is part of the
Week two coverage. But in Week three and Bill's Jets
Bills Jets. To my what I really want to say,
is like that deserves its own spotlight. I don't like
it when it gets a cut up for a big.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
Game week two and Week three, and then week like
way down the road they have the old weeks. I
think it's week fourteen. They have the double Monday night
football starting at the same time scenario, which to me
is unpleasant, but I understand that they just want to
simply fill our lives all the time with games NonStop.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
You got to be a modern man in a world
that's moving very quickly. You got to have two screens.
You've got to be computing everything. You have to have
your socials open and be interacting with society as well.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
I'll need that, Trank Dart, Is that like an experiment
to instead of flex teams, you just put two games
on it at the same time late in the season,
it's like one of the two.
Speaker 2 (12:24):
The schedule akers probably just messed up and they're like
just to put two of it. Let's do just for
fun the rest of week one, like we do during
the season and all our preview shows. Let's do a
mini mock draft here. I love it one, Greg, you
won the title last year, you got the strap. Why
don't you make your first pick.
Speaker 1 (12:43):
That's damn right. I'm gonna take Dolphins Chargers. I don't
know why, but I really want to see this Dolphins
team like play again. Shortly. We got the to Herbert thing,
we got the Jalen Ramsey Vic Fangio thing. That's my game.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Yes, I would go with ooh interesting.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
The top two to me were at the same time.
Speaker 5 (13:03):
It was.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
That was a tough choice.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
M mm hmmmm.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
I guess Dan your next, because you came in second in.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
The Yes, I was the silver medalist, you know it.
Just for fun, I do want to see the opening
of the Jordan Love era against Justin Fields and the
improving Chicago Bear. It's a bit of a reach, but
I gotta be honest with you, like, I didn't see
anything that is a home run. Picked two for me,
and I I am legitimately kind of fascinated by both
(13:31):
of those teams.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
They take it back.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
I love this. How about this the defending NFC champion
Eagles going into New England where they're going to have
like celebrate Tom Brady Day, which you know brings a
lot of thorny potential. You know, he left in a
strange way but that stadium is going to be bonkers,
absolutely lathered up, especially.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
If Tom Brady buys the Raiders or something whatever.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
The latest a little bit of a sideways approach to it,
but kind of a weird place for the Eagles to
start their season. And you know, I think New England's
sort of a middle of the pack team obviously, but
I don't love that for Philly, and their schedule in
general is a little thorny. So it gets off the
rough start.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
Check out how Bill O'Brien reinvents the Patriots offense.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
I pitch me, so I think it. It just it
seems like an obvious point to make, but it's probably
a bad sign that the number one thing about like
schedule releases is Robert Craft being so excited that Tom
would come visit the stadium, and then they released their
schedule release video and it's all a bunch of retired
(14:34):
Patriots players in a retirement home, including Devin mccordy, and
it's like, don't think about the actual team that's playing
football anymore. Let's just think about like past glory. That's
pretty much our main.
Speaker 2 (14:49):
All right, So let's move on. That's good.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
That's it. That's the top.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
I mean you want to keep going No, I guess
that's fine. Is there another throw out? One more game
that really interests you? Greg Well.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
I want to see the start of the Anthony Richardson era,
and I think he's going to be starting Week one
against the Jags. I know that's it. That might be
drafted a little later. Week one is my favorite week
of this season. This is the best week of the seasons.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Fun.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
I like this Niner Steelers. I want to see who's
playing quarterback for San Francisco. I kind of think the
whole year or two of Kenny Pickett. It's in Pittsburgh.
Weird start for the Niners. Trey Lance could be brock
perty Is.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
It weird, Mark that you're the coach that you love
more than any coach? Kyle Shanahan is gassing up the
Donald hive now calling him a franchise.
Speaker 3 (15:31):
I saw you tweeting about that, and I think it
for you, it's a nice fever dream. It's a failed
experiment that I like. If Sam Donald starts more than
three games for that, they are in big trouble.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
Fully let it.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
It's May is the best time of year for Sam Donald.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Primetime games four teams have six primetime games Kansas City, Buffalo,
Dallas Chargers. That's that's a little rich for me. I
would agree the Chargers getting that many private games. But whatever.
The Packers, Raiders, Giants, Jets, Eagles, Vikings, and Niners all
(16:10):
have five primetime games. The Bill. This is, by the way,
good info from the NFL Research Department, who do killer
thing right.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
But that doesn't even count like that Black Friday game
for instance, for the Jets, or the Thanksgiving Spotlight. You
have some spotlight games.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
That the Bills and Patriots will play each play. This
is with all due respect Greg the Pats continue to
get so much primetime love. The Bills and Patriots will
each play three straight primetime games, which is interesting.
Speaker 1 (16:38):
In it's weeks fourteen through sixteen, and you can flex
some of that out of time only the Monday night
game because the other ones are NFL Network and Thursday Night.
I did notice though they only had one Sunday night
game Dan and that's the difference. And that's week two,
and that's to me very much a sign of like
Robert Kraft has sway with the broadcasters, but they're like,
(17:00):
we got to get the Patriots their one Sunday night
game to keep them happy. But we're going to get
it out of the way early before they potend.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
You know what is offensive about this, like the primetime alone.
I get to these other Island games. You're giving the
Raiders five primetime games. They could be they could be
an ugly operation to begin with. You're giving the Vikings five.
I'm not sold on the Vikings in general. And the
Bengals aren't even on this list. Hm, that's a good
Bengals aren't even on this list. They have four. That's
(17:27):
not the worst. But it's like, how on earth are
the The Bengals have been recognized more than an any
other season in a long long time as a team
that's getting a lot of these games. They have four
primetime and a couple other things happening here and there.
But how are they not? How do the Chargers have six?
The Raiders have five, the Vikings have five, and we
don't know who the Packers are and you're giving the
Bengals four.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
I have a theory, because the league is always trying
to push the product that they are very much in
conjunction with the Chargers themselves trying to get the Chargers
to really get a foothold right here, and they see
a Justin Herbert as a superstar quarterback. They want the
Chargers to be a thing. And sometimes when like someone's
(18:08):
really trying hard to make something a thing, there will
be football fans or anamals are like whoa like it
makes you actually be like repel the thing even more like,
don't make them a thing. The Raiders getting a lot
of primetime love. That makes sense to me because they're
a great vibe. To me, they're a great home stadium
experience in primetime. I like the Raiders, even though I'm
(18:29):
not a Raiders fan, just watching them, they're to me
they're pretty good theater, so I'm not.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
But I would also argue that that's, hey, we've just
put out this massive effort to create this incredible new
stadium in a new venue, and.
Speaker 2 (18:39):
That's part of it.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
So they're not using out how good your team is.
They're not using it for the Rams much in primetime.
So you got to use the Chargers. The Rams, who
you know, did win a Super Bowl only a year ago,
and they're in primetime twice. Neither one of them is
on NBC, which to me is like the number one
spot where they they put the team's part of it
and we'll get to it later. Is just though the Chargers' schedule,
the West play the Easts, and the Easts are where
(19:03):
all the juices going into this season. They're the two
best divisions. They play each other, but they also play
the two West teams, So there's just like a lot
of spicy Chargers, you know, out of division masters. I
think that's part bye weeks.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
See, this is some of the stuff that's more interesting
to me in terms of trying to figure out trajectory things.
There's always teams that get banged with the bye week
that's too early. This year, the first bye week is
week five. The Browns, Bucks, Charger, Seahawks have the early
by the last bys week fourteen, which is a little
too late. Cardinals and Commanders.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
The Cardinals are the one on a team out of
thirty two that I'm not looking for to in week one.
Other than that, I'm like, I'm intrigued enough, like at
some point they have teams fall off. They have the Commanders,
who I still that's you know, not that's not going
to be drafted high, but I am curious to watch
that little no, I'm curious the Commanders. I think could
be kind of interesting.
Speaker 2 (19:57):
That's got nick Shook written all over.
Speaker 1 (19:59):
They've got a lot of offensive firepower. And I'm curious
about Howell. But that's not a great.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
I hate these these teams getting stuck with it. It's
the Browns, Chargers, Seahawks, and Bucks. Week five bye. I
think it's good for a team if you had like
a rookie quarterback and it's like, let's reorganize, let's see
what we've done over the first month or so and
get that extra time to come back out firing. But
I mean the Chargers, like this is a team that's
dealt with injuries year after year. They're getting a Week
(20:24):
five by.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
That stinks. All Right, let's take a quick break and
we will continue to dig in upon our return. All Right,
we're back, mark. Uh. Something that jumps out to you
upon the release of the twenty twenty three NFLS well.
Speaker 3 (20:39):
Greg mentioned it that the AFC East has the NFC East,
and it's just like, you know, we're a year removed,
and I mean I think months removed. If you haven't
really been following, paying attention to what's happening to the Jets,
the Dolphins, and even to some degree the Patriots, Like
it's easy just to look at the Buffalo Bills, is, well,
they're gonna win thirteen games, and we're gonna see them
fourteen times. They have. We have ten games this year
(21:01):
against last year's playoff teams, including both Super Bowl teams.
One of their home games is a Jaguars game in London.
They play four of their final six on the road
to end the season, and three of the road games
are against the Jets. That's gonna be thorny. Obviously, they
play one game against the Jets on the road, but
they get the Bengals on the road and the Chiefs
(21:21):
on the road. And if I just look at last
year's Bills team, I mean, they went through so much
adversity and you found out that Josh Allen was this
absolutely wonderful leader, and the whole team to me is
really they're a true team. But I mean, they're gonna
be put right through the crucible all over again. And
I think their schedule speaks to me as a team
that's gonna fall off a little bit in terms of
where they'll be in the seeding in the end. In
(21:42):
the AFC, it's about as tough as a slate as
Sean McDermot could have dreamt up.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Wait, so that Tottenham game is a Bills home game. Yeah,
that's interesting.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
Because they're not making the Jaguars take two home games for.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
That right, and we haven't taped since they announced the
international You want to go through those game?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
Sure, all right, let's go through the international slate. By
the way, shout out. I was actually did a little
FaceTime because phone calls with Henry Hotchin on nough to
see that beautiful the folks broad man. Yeah, and HD
is what it's all about. We're catching up and he
is now the general Maan and longtime listeners know Henry Hodgson,
(22:21):
that's hands of Hank from the Check days, many many
appearances on our show. Now is the general manager of
the uk NFL experience and he was all over television
radio in England for the schedule release, which is nice.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
I mean, they don't mess around. I saw the clip
on Sky Sports where they got the whole Tottenham you know,
Hotspur stadiums empty and they put it up on the
big screen. They got Henry there and then they do
a roulette wheel to reveal the Tames though, like if.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
You're like men would enjoy watching Henry or eight like
women would enjoy watching Henry speak about anything. He's a
full audience, full crowd, adult pleaser, broad broad appeal, no
physically broad, A lot on his shoulders. He fills out
the telephon physically and professionally.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Anyway. International games, the NFL will host five regular season
games outside the US, three in London, two in Germany.
I guess the Stadio Azteca and Mexico is still undergoing construction.
I would guess because that's a great scene and ready
for the year. That won't be involved, but I'm sure
it will be down the line. So Week four and
(23:34):
a big headline coming out of this. The Jags, who
have forever been connected to London. Ownership is very They
have a very vision that has been unshakable to make
the Jaguars. I think the dream, I don't even think think.
Uh Shad Khan wants the Jaguars to be the home
team of England.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
Well that's his goal.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
There is this little side thing. I don't think it's
gonna morph into more, but they may not be able
to play in their actual stadium down the road. A
bit because of repairs for a stretch almost two seasons.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
So he owns Wembley right at this well, they're.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Jacksonville Stadium, so right is there issues with the chlorine
tank there the I will report back are So the
Jags this year have taken it to the next level.
Are now playing two games in England. Won a home game,
one designated a road game Falcons versus Jaguars kicks off
the International Games in week four from Wembley and then
(24:28):
in week five, so the Jags just stick around. Atlanta
gets on the plane. We saw Atlanta play the Jets
a couple of years ago, so the Falcons obviously like this
scene as well. The Falcons go home, the Jags stick
around in London and then play the Bills at Tottenham
Hotspur Stadium, the big Top, Big Totti.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Okay, so Wembley one week, Toddy the next.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
So you got Jags back to back and you get
Josh Allen in England, which is very nice. Shout out
by the way to our overseas listeners in the UK
and Ireland. In Scotland, Scotland is part of the UK. Correct.
Speaker 3 (25:05):
He's looking at Greg for that answer. I think it's
it is it is. I don't I'm not answering.
Speaker 2 (25:10):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (25:11):
Yeah, and only part Many, only pirate part of Ireland.
But you know it's more than you know. We we
love all of our listeners overseas Australia. How about you
shout out.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
To Australia icelmony Scotland. By the way, the firm that
Scotland is part of the Kingdom.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
And Ireland very much not part, but northern Ireland is anyway,
we know sort of except for Scotland. We didn't we
were to learn about that anyway.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
Let's see Ravens versus Titans week six from the Hot
Toddy uh and then week nine we head to Germany
Dolphins versus Chiefs, Ham and Ham and Ham and a
week nine from Frankfurt Stadium, and then Colts versus Pats
week ten, also from the big.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Frank Deutsche Bank Park. So it'll be a different stadium
than a year ago, but it'll be I suspect an
amazing atmosphere that used to be one of the best
rivalries in league. Colt Pat's not as much juice. But
to get Dolphins Chiefs in Kansas City, I mean, I
mean in Frankfurt. To me, that's one of the games
(26:19):
I'm most looking forward to this season, just because you
can't imagine a scenario with Tyreek Hill going against his
former team. And it's almost a shame that it's not
happening in Kansas City, but you can't imagine a scenario
where that thing is not in the thirties or the
forties and not like a really important entertaining game so
that they're not messing around. Those are NFL Network games.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Yeah, I think the in general, if you look back
to half a decade ago and Frankly, like you know,
Handsome Hank has something to do with this. The games,
the teams have gotten better, Like you've got star quarterbacks,
You've got Patrick Mahomes, you've got Josh Allen, the Ravens
with Lamar Jackson, and Frankly, it really just helps at
the Jacksonville are intriguing and I I you know, this
(27:02):
is the first time in history where a team stayed
there two weeks in a row. I want I just
want to hear I want to see a think piece
about what's it like for I think coaches in general
don't love the concept of having to pick up camp
and go somewhere else and do everything somewhere else. And
I mean the Jaguars are more practiced at that than others.
But Doug Peterson's you know, I've done it five times
(27:22):
in a row. So how do you prepare for the
bills in London in a completely different environment than your
home base. I just that intrigues me for some reason.
Speaker 1 (27:29):
You would think it'd be an advantage, but we were,
We've been We go there for a week and you know,
obviously we work at a at a level that NFL
players can't comprehend.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
But I would say, I mean, like we spend half
the time at like the hotel bar there.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
I mean it's like, well, yeah, it's sarcasm. Yeah. They
at the end of that week, I feel like we're
ready to go home. Our great friend Rachel Bennetta, I
felt like she was there for two weeks. By the
end of that second week, you know, you might be
running out of gas. Maybe maybe it's a disadvantage for
the Jaguars.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
Else see good way to look at it, A good
opposing view.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
Does not care.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
It's time to pivot.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Yeah, this is the part that Wes was talking about.
What are we talking about?
Speaker 2 (28:11):
I don't care. Let's move back to the Homeland Thanksgiving games.
All right, here's the slate Packers at Lions, the customary
slot for those teams. Well, it's not always the Packers
right against the Lions, but thank god, the Lions are
now a highly compelling team and hopefully will remain that way,
so you get the Jordan Love experience. The Packers are
(28:33):
total unknown, so we won't know what's going on, but
we have a much better idea where they're at by Thanksgiving.
And remember decision doesn't start till after Thanksgiving. The Commanders
at Cowboys in the middle game, that's a big old
meh for me, But that well.
Speaker 3 (28:46):
We'll see where the where the Commanders are.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
I'm with you, yeah, I mean, who could be If
Sam Howell doesn't work, we're getting Jake brisket On.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
You could have done a lot there with the Cowboy.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
That's that's very often the two matchups Packers Lions and
Commanders Cowboys. I'll always remember RG three's rookie season sort of.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Plighting up Dallas. And then the game that is always
a different teams is forty nine Er. There's the late game,
the NBC game forty nine Ers at Seahawks and NFC
West tilt and a damn good one.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
And they've done that before. That's been a matchup before.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
I mean, I love that excellent And that is just
for a little background. That's the eleventh time Washington and
Dallas play Cowboys of one, eight of two, and the
Seahawks and Niners are playing on Thanksgiving for the first
time since they played each other on Thanksgiving pill in
the year. It was a nineteen to three Seahawks win.
(29:39):
Sounds boring, twenty fourteen got it? Wait?
Speaker 1 (29:43):
Really he got it?
Speaker 2 (29:45):
I bang, good job, Gregy.
Speaker 1 (29:47):
That was totally random.
Speaker 3 (29:48):
I went to your home, I believe during that game.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
I believe probably the Teeto's was probably flown at that point.
So that's it's a hazy memory.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
That's the only time I ever ate macaroni and cheese
because your wife at a moment.
Speaker 1 (30:01):
Deffinitely a grown man who's only eating macaroni and cheese
once in his life.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
That was the the There are three big U my
three favorite Mark Sessler food moments. One, I know what
number one's number one, Number ones most recently the cheeseburger incident,
which is still incredible and shocking. Two is the mac
and cheese Thanksgiving incident, and three is after you and
(30:29):
I had a rollicking night out about ten years ago.
We were on the streets of Culver City and there
was a food truck outside and we got some street
meat burritos. I got the regular like meat brito. You
got the veggie but they were cooking the veggie burrito
like with the meat, and you got some meat. And
(30:50):
all of a sudden I couldn't find you, and you
were in the bushes and you had to let go
some of that.
Speaker 3 (30:53):
I was wondering, we're gonna go with number three, But
I do remember that, and it was like seven or
eight dollars that went totally to the wrong place because
there's a big piece of steak in the middle of
it or something.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
It banged you on a big spot. Good memories, Good memories.
Let's see what else. There's a Black Friday Game. A
Black Friday Game, so Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
It's a shopping thing. Amazon not anymore. It is as
a massive investment at the NFL to air Thursday night football.
(31:23):
But they also get the Black Friday Game, which is
available to everybody, and it will be the Miami Dolphins
and New York Jets from the Meadowlands and Mark, I
think you have some no opinions to share on that.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
I I want to take the attitude of I get
what's happening here, likes sometimes your company, this is our company.
They're just gonna do what they do and you got.
Speaker 2 (31:45):
To roll up. Oh sometimes that's what happens.
Speaker 3 (31:47):
That is what happens sometimes, and they I get it.
We want a game on every day of the week,
and if there is an American holiday being celebrated, it
will be celebrated with, if not a trio of games,
at least one and on you know, in what if
I wanted to go downtown and stare at cakes and
a window on Black Friday, which is like you can
go out and be a consumer, Well, I will be
chained to a chair. And I'm hoping at that point
(32:08):
that the Jets, who are on about twenty seven Island games,
are actually a viable team at that point because if
things my one feeling about this thing in general is
a little jetsy and we can get into it later
if one but like if the the Browns had this
happened number times where it's like you have a positive season,
they give you six Island games and then a nuclear
bomb drops on the reality of your team.
Speaker 1 (32:27):
And the Jets.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
Schedule is a load. It is a rough situation, and so.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
You want to so you don't really have any more
Black Friday thoughts. You want to pivot that you can
do that.
Speaker 3 (32:36):
I decided to go down Company Man Avenue here because it's.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
Like, oh, that's why you're wearing the jackets.
Speaker 1 (32:43):
What have you been doing on this Black Friday? Anyways?
I don't remember you cake shopping.
Speaker 2 (32:47):
We were so excited you told us on text yesterday
you were going to share. I was all the things
that you wouldn't be able to do on Black Friday.
Because now you have to watch a football game.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
I will.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
I'll send it out on and now you're going.
Speaker 2 (32:57):
To get a what if the Jets sucks, We're gonna get.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
In check my it's not too light, we want it.
The game will be over by three pm.
Speaker 3 (33:04):
That gives you a check Twitter by eight pm tonight,
and I've anything that includes our actual real thoughts about life.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
Check our social media right now, Zach. Yeah, let's let's
check out the Jets schedule. If that's a natural transition, Uh, listen.
The Jets are a major storyline around the league this year.
Jets fans are like soaking that in. It's it's a
great feeling. However, we're gonna learn a lot about this
team quickly, and to Mark's point, they could be in
(33:32):
a lot of trouble if they don't come out of
the gates with the offense humming and the defense playing
at a high level, because I think they have as
tough a schedule as any team in the league. Out
of the gate. You got open up in primetime against
the Bills. So that's a team that they've played well
against overall. But that is the Bills. That's Josh Allen,
that Sean McDermott, that is a superpower. Week two, they
(33:53):
get on a plane and they go to Dallas to
face the Cowboys, which the NFC is weaker than the AFC,
no doubt, but that is enough. They're very difficult matchup
for the Jets. They come home and I think this
is like the breather game early on for them. It's
the Patriots, and you say, Okay, that's doable. Greg, you
knows as much as any of the Jet's never beat
the Patriots. On fourteen years they need to. That's just
(34:14):
something a beast. They're still trying to slay. Even last
year they got swept and then they welcome in the
Chiefs in Week four. So as a Jets fan, the
schedule does appear, and again we never know to soften
up in the back nine. But you can't sleep on
a potential car crash early on get out of it.
For me, and I have high hopes about this team,
(34:34):
as I've said, if I can get out of there
Greg two and two, I'm feeling really good about the season.
But it's tough. There's no gimmes there.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
I think that's the way to look at it. You
got the Broncos two Week five, and then you got
the Eagles again, so you got six. That's I know,
you have one game. You know the Broncos and the
Patriots in there look easier, but they're not total patsies
and before you by get to three and three there.
But that's sort of the case with the entire division.
I really think the AFC East Division schedule is the toughest.
(35:05):
The NFCS isn't far behind, but the fact that out
of division you have to play, uh the AFC West,
which I think you're guaranteed that the Chiefs are gonna
be legit. I think the Chargers will be in the mix,
and the other two games are competitive. Then you have
to play each other, and you have to play the
NFC East. It's just tough. So you're gonna you're gonna
get buried somewhere. The Patriots are the other team I
(35:26):
think that have the toughest schedule in that division because
they don't get to play the Patriots, right they're the
only and in their start is Eagles Dolphins, both at home,
so you get the two home games to start, and
the way.
Speaker 2 (35:36):
They do play the Patriots because the robber craft against
Bill Belichick, Yeah, Bill bellug within that building at this
point every week is Patriots against Patriots.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
That's that's very well said. Eagles, Dolphins, Jets, Cowboys is
a pretty tough first four opponents, uh, the second two
of those on the road. All four of those teams
seem seem like teams that want to win double digit games.
But that's the thing in the A even saying that
the Patriots they're over under it'll be what seven and
a half or something like that, I don't know what
(36:06):
it is. One of the Bills, Jets, and Dolphins, who
are all over the primetime schedules because to me they're
all fascinating. One of those three teams is more than
likely going to have quite a disappointing season, and I
don't have a feel. I think they're all really good.
I think the Jets deserve to be in the top
eight or nine of the powering and I think the
Dolphins do two. And just like something has to give
(36:28):
though there that Austins.
Speaker 3 (36:29):
Too, because we are wanting to watch them, and I mean,
I just that that could get rough by December. But
it was a year ago everyone was saying like, oh,
the AFC West probably, if not four playoff teams, at
least three. Two of those teams didn't win more than
six games. So it's like someone in this division is
going to take an excitingly dangerous dark lotle dirt nap.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
You look at the AFC West with the benefit of hindsight,
of course, some of that felt a little artificially inflated.
We didn't know what was gonna happen. With Russell Wilson
that made sense on paper, and the thing with the Raiders,
we saw DeVante Adams, we said, oh, now they're gonna
be good and that didn't work out with the East
AFC East. Which is so interesting is we know the
Jets have a top defense and now Aaron Rodgers is there,
(37:10):
so I feel really good about them being a competitive team.
The Dolphins, who everyone's kind of sleeping on in this division,
they as long as they the quarterback stays on the field,
and now they even have a more confident backup quarterback
and Mike White, the Dolphins I think absolutely have a
chance to win ten or eleven games.
Speaker 3 (37:27):
I mean, their schedule is ugly, like just like these other.
Speaker 2 (37:30):
Sures they all it's a very as correctly saying like
you're playing a lot of top teams. But the Patriots
are not going to roll over and go four and thirteen.
They're gonna I think the Patriots are gonna do what
they do and they're gonna hang around and be an
eight to ten win team. And then I trust the
Bills unless they take a step back, which they could
because the division has caught up to them a little
bit here. So this could be a division where there
(37:51):
if it plays out, where no team bombs out, where
the win total could be a little deflated because of
the war that's going on in this division, and maybe
eleven and six wins it.
Speaker 3 (38:01):
Or ten and seven, but you'd be you'd be a
more dangerous complete playoff team record record side.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
And on the flip side, I think the North Division
in the AFC especially benefits because they get to play
the AFC South. It's not easy. You know, in NFC
they played the NFC West and like that. That's a
media an average division, I would say, because you got
the Cardinals, but you also the forty nine ers. But
you look at like the teams like the Ravens or
the Browns or the Steelers, like there is opportunity I
(38:29):
think for the AFC North teams to end up racking
up surprising records. One of the reasons why we think
the Easts are so good is because they had easy
schedules last year. Like to me, the Patriots were not
an eight win team last year. Did they even win
eight or did they only get the seven? Either way,
their schedule helped. And the Jets, especially you know against
all those back and of course their schedule helped artificially
(38:51):
inflate that division just a bit. But I'm not worried
about the Jets being stinkers.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
But there probably will between especially.
Speaker 1 (38:57):
Stinkers would be like they're eight and seven going into
week seventeen for the I could.
Speaker 3 (39:01):
Be in Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night football. Wouldn't that
be juicy? The Jets and Dolphins. Jets fans don't want
to say Dolphins fans don't want to say it. One
of them will probably flop, probably the Dolphins.
Speaker 1 (39:13):
And it's all like, like we said, it's really hard
to know, but early in the season that Dolphins having
at Chargers at Patriots, I hate starting on the road
for two games. First of all, you have at Bill's
week fours, at Eagles week seven, So that's four very
difficult road games, and the Chiefs and Frankfurt all before
you're by, Like, I'm looking at that, and there's a
couple easier games home home games to the Jet you know,
(39:36):
the Broncos, Giants, Panthers. It's like, if you're five and
four looking at that schedule, I'd feel fine, Like, and
that's the thing, there's such high expectations, but five and
four might not feel that great.
Speaker 2 (39:45):
Let's take a break and then wrap up our schedule preview.
All right, welcome back. There's a portion of again, the
NFL media research team. You know, bring it on, Bristol.
Whatever your research group is, right, what was the one
that always used to get brought up for for decades?
(40:07):
Elias whatever? Elias Sports Bureau. I'm trias Elias because we've
got NFL media.
Speaker 3 (40:13):
Are we still operating as a bureau at this point?
Speaker 2 (40:15):
I know, I don't know. We probably swallowed them up
in some corporate supermerger. There you go, a lot of
blood spilled schedule inequities.
Speaker 1 (40:23):
It's still a leader in historical research, and yeah, it's
his service right in the world of professional sports.
Speaker 2 (40:30):
Love Elias. That's been a huge part of mine.
Speaker 1 (40:33):
I mean they are literally the official statisticians for the
National Football League. Showed up the NBA and uh oh,
Major League Baseball never heard of it winning Olias. So
they're still doing well. Shout out to Elias.
Speaker 2 (40:48):
Love you man. What they did. They had cornered the market. Now,
I don't know, Elias cornered the market for about twenty
years or anytime any historical thing was sighted they said, oh,
according to the Elias Sports Bureau I think it was called.
And since then a lot of leagues have built out
their own research groups. But as Greg is represented for
(41:09):
the company, points out, we still hear dog, We still.
Speaker 1 (41:13):
Hear hey, Elias, love you brother.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
You try to get a job. Schedule inequities is within
our research packet here, which I like. So five teams
will have three game road trips during the twenty twenty
three season. That's rough. Back to back to back road
games is rough. The Ravens four through six get Cleveland,
Pitt Tennessee. That's in Tottenham in England. The Giants weeks
(41:38):
nine through eleven get Vegas, Dallas Washington. The Titans nine
through eleven get Pitt, Tampa Bay Jacksonville. The Panthers twelve
through fourteen get Tennessee, Tampa Bay, New Orleans. And the
Broncos thirteen through fifteen get Houston, Chargers Detroit. I want
to point out also when those teams I just read,
you'll notice how much work goes into the schedules that
(42:01):
these the schedule akers will say, Okay, if we're gonna
bang these teams they get three road games, we're gonna
make sure we don't give them three monster contenders in
a row. But there's gonna be some breathing ruin there.
Like not everything is thought through, but sometimes teams still
get banged a little bit of the way it works out,
and four teams start with back to back home games,
which is very nice. Broncos Falcon. Broncos have Raiders Commanders
(42:26):
Falcons who I think should be in the running for
team of Falcons.
Speaker 3 (42:32):
In general, their schedule is favorable.
Speaker 2 (42:34):
How about the Falcons getting out out of the gates
against the Panthers and the Packers without Aaron Rodgers interesting?
The Patriots greggy opened back to back home games, but
they ain't easy. Eagles, Dolphins, and Steelers get Niners versus Cleveland.
Back to back road games for Packers, Raiders, Dolphins, and Niners.
Speaker 1 (42:54):
I think. And you mentioned the Falcons having the you
know that nice start that division to me, and I
mentioned the AFC North, but even more than the AFC North,
there will be opportunity for those NFC South teams for
one of them to win ten or eleven games even
when they're not very good. I think they have the
easy like all of them combined have the easiest schedules
(43:15):
in the league because a they get to play each other.
That's nice. Be you get to play the AFC South,
I'll take it and then you play the NFC North,
so there are no world beaters in all that. I
feel like that entire team, I'm doing projected starters now,
that entire division. I know the Bucks are quite a
bit behind in terms of Vegas in terms of the odds,
(43:36):
but the other three teams are close. Like all those
teams are good enough and probably should win six to
seven games, and they're just hoping they get a few
breaks to win nine or ten. And I feel like
that describes the entire division. Someone's gonna end up like
being one of the stories of the season winning eleven
just because the schedule's too easy.
Speaker 3 (43:52):
Yeah, just to drill down, like a little bit, like
the Saints, so they have seven other first eleven games
on the road, yet those games are like Carolina, Green Bay,
New England, Houston, Indianapolis, Minnesota, Atlanta. That's serviceable. And the
Panthers don't cross more than a single time zone after
Week three. So some of it is like they are
clumped together regionally in a way where like you're not.
(44:12):
Some of these teams are traveling insane amounts. Others barely
seem to leave home.
Speaker 1 (44:16):
Though, Yeah, I always see the teams make a big
deal about the time zones and the traveling, and I
get it, but it's.
Speaker 3 (44:22):
Like out of the numbers, your numbers show you're.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
In a private jet. It's once a week. I guess
I'm partly thinking as a tennis fan. It's like, uh
oh Anna Callan Sky has got to play in India
on Sunday and then she's on the West coast of
America on Tuesday. No one's crying for her. She's not
in any private jet. And if these tennis players could
handle it, I'm just saying, yes, they're like going like
eleven time zones week to week and they're I'm sure
(44:46):
it's help.
Speaker 3 (44:46):
You Look like the look at the numbers on a
West Coast team starting at once all Eastern, like it's
they're horrible.
Speaker 2 (44:54):
I was going to get to the Thursday night schedule,
which is always compelling because it's a source of great
intrigue and consternation. Or did you guys have any other
teams you wanted to highlight before.
Speaker 1 (45:03):
We Well, just two little things on the Super Bowl
teams from a year ago, because I think they're both
well positioned to be favorites again. I noticed how the
NFL ended the chief season with Bengals on New Year's Eve.
To me, that's like the number one rivalry and the
number one most important game if I had to pick
(45:23):
one in the entire schedule, just because look, they've been
the last two AFC Championship games. We know the quarterbacks,
they've played these great games. That's Week seventeen. And then
the Chiefs go from Bengals Week seven team to at
Chargers Week eighteen. That's just like a spicy finish. I
feel like it's the Chargers number one goal here to
make that game matter and still be in it. And
(45:45):
then I noticed with the Eagles, who on paper in
terms of strength to schedule just opponents winning percentage, have
the toughest schedule and it's brutal after theirby It starts
pretty cake for them to start out with a nice
schedule at New England, then Minnesota at Tea, but Washington
at Rams, so I feel like like a soft start
for them, and then maybe the toughest stretch of anyone's
(46:06):
season on paper in the middle of the season Cowboys
Chiefs Bills forty nine, Ers at Cowboys at Seahawks. If
you want to throw that into that, that is crazy.
So the Eagles got to eat early to set up
for that.
Speaker 3 (46:19):
I got one for you because I think we think
the Falcons can make a leap based on their schedule.
The Bears, it's hard not to make a leap. They
had the fewest amount of wins in the league last year,
but they play only four playoff teams, and for all
these how many playoff teams, one of them is the Bucks.
With that minus Tom Brady, different situation. They get Jordan
Love in his second career start. They get either Baker
(46:40):
Mayfield Kyle Trask in week two, week five, it's gonna
be Sam Howell or Jacoby Brissett. So I think it's
a nice It's a good situation for Chicago their schedule.
I think the North is manageable. You could look at
the Lions or the Bears as teams that could compete.
I think the Packers have a chance. Anyone could win
that division. I mean it's sort of a wide open deal.
And the Bears with you know, if you get it
from Justin Fields, who has a if you went and
(47:02):
had one of those big leaps, which I think is
very possible, They're a team that could like go from
worse to first.
Speaker 2 (47:08):
Are the Jaguars of this year. If their young quarterback
can take that step up and everything's lined up for them,
whe were they three and fourteen last year? They could
be a team that all of a sudden they're in
playoff contention in the middle of December. And it helps
at the conference, is what it is. It helps.
Speaker 1 (47:26):
They're actually favored right now to compared to the Packers.
They're the third favorites in the division. It's the division
that's closely most closely bunched. Lions are favorites, Vikings next, Bears,
next in Packers not too far behind. But they're all
pretty Bikings fans. I'm a little surprised that the Packers are.
I would not put them forth and put them second.
Speaker 2 (47:44):
I mean the Lions fans. It must be a little
bit uncomfortable for people just bustling them in to be like, oh,
this feels like the favorite that feels ominous for whatever reason,
And it might feel especially ominous after you have to
go to Arrowhead In week one, Friday Morning hot Takes
could be spewing a bit of a wake up call
Thursday night football and Al Michael's legend that he is
(48:06):
is back for another season. He said in an interview
last year, and I talked about it when he when
he did it, that the Thursday night football schedule was
quote a little leaky. And this is a major partnership
between the NFL and Amazon and UH for instance. Uh, Mark,
and we're still excited to hear about your Black Friday plans.
Speaker 3 (48:27):
By the way, I don't have any now.
Speaker 2 (48:30):
I think a big part of that game showing up
even first of all, it makes sense logically as a
football fan, not even factoring the Jets a noon start
on the West Coast on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Nice
division battle penciled me in. It also gave Amazon another
bite at the Apple.
Speaker 1 (48:46):
That's also maybe their best, one of the best games
on their schedule.
Speaker 2 (48:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (48:50):
And and it wouldn't surprise me if that's the most
you know, streamed game of all time, just because that's
essentially gonna be a holiday right in the middle.
Speaker 3 (48:57):
Let's see where we are with those teams there were Well,
I love saying it now.
Speaker 2 (49:01):
I think you do love saying it, Mark, But I'm.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
Saying, like the Lions playing the worst team in the
league is.
Speaker 2 (49:08):
The watch saying it. I know the Jets could be
bad Mark. It's certainly I am, I am. You have
stayed repeated that's to be successful. I know you are,
I know you are. I love it clearly. Thursday Night
Football Week two, the Vikings Eagles start things off. Uh.
Week three, Giants, Niners. I'm just gonna go for it,
(49:29):
go through it, Lions, Packers, Week four, Bears, Commanders five, Broncos,
Chief six, Jags, Saints seven, Bucks, Bills, Titans, Steelers, Panthers, Bears, Bengals, Ravens, Dolphins, Jets,
Black Friday, Seahawks, Cowboys, Patriots, Steelers, Chargers, Raiders, Saints, Rams, Jets, Browns.
Speaker 1 (49:51):
It's good, it's it's still though, including teams that aren't
getting much primetime elsewhere. Just put it down still serving
as that, Yes, Saints are there twice. Do they have
any other primetime games? You know, the Broncos have been
down shifted quite a bit in terms of their primetime appearances.
I'm pretty sure that's got to be the Bucks's only spot.
(50:13):
But the good thing about this schedule is they didn't
have to force primetime games this year as much. The Cardinals,
for instance, are not in primetime at all. I would
be curious to see the Colts and Texans in primetime
because of their rookie quarterbacks. Because I'm a dork, but
those teams aren't really getting primetime love. The Colts get
(50:34):
it zero for Anthony Richardson. Same thing with the Texans,
and so normally that might have been put into this
TNF schedule and they're not there, And so overall it's better.
I think.
Speaker 3 (50:42):
The thing that worries me about it a little bit
because there are some good matchups in here.
Speaker 1 (50:46):
I Seahawks Cowboys is really good. Jets Dolphins.
Speaker 3 (50:50):
Obviously you got the Rams in week sixteen. Why, like,
from what we know, get ready to a game. What
did we talk about.
Speaker 1 (50:57):
Beyond your there If you're listening to me and you
work for the Rams.
Speaker 2 (51:02):
You say self interest or selfish interests.
Speaker 3 (51:05):
It has nothing to do with the larger population. Just simply, Greg, you.
Speaker 1 (51:08):
Gotta give it twenty twenty one champions one primetime game, Come.
Speaker 3 (51:12):
On Tennessee Titans Week nine. I mean, we'll see. It's
just that some many are fine now, but like they
could be a odorous problem.
Speaker 1 (51:19):
But you know what they could wait, they can't. They
can't flex the TNF. They wanted to flex late season
TNF but that's not happening, at least not at this point.
Speaker 2 (51:29):
Yeah, I get that's it. That's okay. I can't anymore.
Speaker 1 (51:33):
Yeah, it's enough, schedule talk anything left.
Speaker 2 (51:36):
We took it to we took it to the max.
Speaker 1 (51:38):
We did it. We did it for the listeners. I
did miss this week, and as you mentioned at the top,
yeah you can. You can check our socials. You do
miss connecting with the listeners about football. We just love
we love our connection with it, and it doesn't feel
right when that's ruptured. But that's that's why we do it.
We do it for each other, we do it for
(51:58):
the listeners. So it's good to be back, even if
it's one of the sillier shows of the season.
Speaker 3 (52:05):
I thought it was very serious and taken very seriously.
Speaker 2 (52:07):
Greg.
Speaker 1 (52:08):
I mean, it's just it's all football, so I guess
it's never too serious.
Speaker 2 (52:13):
Yes, a very tough week. We are not strangers to adversity,
not of our own invention, and we always carry on
this podcast. There are no reverse gears in this tank.
You guys know that. I'll just add again and give
(52:33):
us time to get things wrong.
Speaker 1 (52:35):
Now, we just got to come up with what we're
talking ouver the next two or three months.
Speaker 3 (52:38):
Oh that, I'm sure we will.
Speaker 2 (52:40):
All right, body, have a nice weekend with back next week.
He the call
Host
Gregg Rosenthal
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