June 13, 2025 • 19 mins
On this episode of the Detroit Koolaid Cast Koolaid Packet we talk all things Detroit Lions. DRINK IT INNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
They are what we thought they were, Detroit kool-aid
listeners. It's your boy at shops in the D
coming to you with another Honolulu blue flavored kool-aid
packet. Say it three times as fast.
You know what we got to do before we get started on the
show? Drink it in, man.
(00:22):
I got to serve up that cornbread.
Cornbread. Cornbread always got to make it
a double on the show. Hey, so today on this edition of
the kool-aid Packet, I want to talk about the NFC North
offseason roundup. That's right, folks.
I'm going to do a bit of a deep dive on the opponents that the
Lions are going to see twice this year.
(00:46):
See what they've done, the changes they've made,
predictions, have they gotten better, big news topics around
those teams and how it relates to our lies.
And then to wrap up the show, I'm going to give give you an
NFC North record prediction, of course, way too early record
prediction coming at you on the DKC kool-aid packet on this
(01:09):
Friday. So that being said, folks, let's
kick it off with the Minnesota Vikings.
That's right, those ridiculous Vikings up in Minnesota.
Lots to talk about with this team.
Actually, some really big offseason moves, the biggest, of
course being their quarterback move.
(01:31):
You know, of course, Sam, I'm, excuse me?
Yep, Sam Darnold left and was, you know, cast off to Seattle to
make room for my boy JJ McCarthycoming out of the University of
Michigan. Hoping.
I'm sure JJ is hoping to have a big year.
(01:51):
The Vikings are hoping to have abig year out of him.
They brought Sam Howell to back him up.
So the big storyline for the Vikings this year is going to
be, is JJ McCarthy able to develop into an NFL quarterback?
We know he's got weapons with Justin Jefferson and Jordan
Addison, but the the big story is, is JJ going to get this team
(02:13):
back to the playoffs after a ridiculous, I think 14 and 3
record last year, unprecedent unexpected shocker of the NFL
with that record they had last year.
But you know, in addition to that, on the offensive side,
some really key additions they invested in their online to try
to keep JJ upright, signing RyanKelly and Will Fries and free
(02:38):
agency, of course, drafting Donovan Jackson, another guard
there in the 2025 draft. So really like they're hoping
that that offensive line, several new faces in new places
that they can gel, that they canjive.
They're going to be able to coexist and and get cohesive
with the current Chris starters.There are Christian Darrisaw and
(03:00):
Brian O'Neill, and I'm sure they're really going to rely on
the run game quite a bit, hopingto take the ball out of J JS
hands just a little bit. And to do that, they resigned
Aaron Jones and made a trade forJordan Mason out of San
Francisco. So I think they think they've
got a strong tandem there. Of course it's no, you know,
(03:20):
Jamir gibes and D money, but nota bad little combo there on
their running backside to help with the weapons that they have,
those pass catchers that they'vegot.
Of course, they're hoping for a healthy TJ Hawkinson, the former
Lion who, you know, we shipped off.
He got paid and then he's been hurt and then he's been hurt and
(03:43):
then he's been hurt. So, you know, I'm sure they're
hoping he'll be healthy. But you know, on that offensive
side, if he can be healthy, I'm sure you know, with some of
those new weapons, returning weapons, they think this offense
should be able to click on on all four cylinders.
Switching to the other side of the ball on the defensive line,
some, some big changes there to spend a lot of money on Jonathan
(04:04):
Allen and Javon Hargrave out of Philadelphia.
So big impact players. I think they're expecting to,
you know, solidify that line. I'm also drafting Tyron Ingram
to add to add to that D line depth.
Again, they're going to hope that Brian Flores can get these
guys working together, that thatD line can gel and that they're
(04:27):
going to be able to get some pressure on the quarterbacks and
also contain the run, which is something that they really
struggled with this that last year.
Of course, you know, our Lions tore them up on both sides
running and throwing the football last year.
No problems for my boy. Hashtag JG 16 and the Lions
against the Vikings last year. But you know, other news and
(04:51):
notes there, you know, their secondary, I think they signed
Isaiah Rogers and Jeff Okuda. They were able to re sign their
big free agent, Byron Murphy junior, which a lot of folks
thought he would hit the free agent market and get his aid out
there. But they were able to lock him
in. So I think they're really hoping
that that secondary will be ableto lock it down a bit too.
(05:11):
A bit of an anomaly year. They did well.
They did lose, you know, CameronBynum to the Colts.
And then also there's some speculation that Harris and
Smith may be about to retire or potentially be released this
year. So, you know, lots of key
additions, some some big subtractions on both sides of
the ball there. Again, it's all, to me, this is
(05:33):
all going to come down to can JJMcCarthy be an NFL quarterback?
They're hoping they can. Of course, our Lions are hoping
that they can't. And we'll go from there.
All right, folks, moving on to the Bears, the hated, the
dreaded. Of course, we know the big news
of the year for the Bears is Benedict Johnson leaving the
(05:57):
Lions and heading over at a pooptown over in Chicago, You know,
where he's expected to, you know, be this like head coach
guru, like going to develop the quarterback and make Caleb
Williams somebody that he isn't.That's, of course, the big
storyline. What is Ben Genius going to be
able to do Benedict Johnson? Is he going to be able to make
(06:20):
Caleb Williams a better quarterback?
Is he going to be able to improve his play, make better
decisions? You know, and then the other
thing is, is, is Ben Johnson going to be able to change the
culture there? Of course, we know they have a
loser's mentality in Chicago. They win every offseason and
they never win any actual games when it comes to playing
football. So the question mark there is,
(06:42):
is Ben Johnson going to be able to change the culture?
Are they going to be able to turn things around, make this a
winning program again? You know, again, you know, he's
going to have some tricks up hissleeve.
You know, another big thing thatthey did is they they overhauled
the offensive line, substantial investments in Joe Thooney and
Jonah Jackson, of course, in a trade with the LA Rams.
(07:07):
Of course that they you know, the trade for Thooney was with
Kansas City Chiefs and then theywere able to pick up Drew
Dahlman in free agency again. So some big addition names
there. Is that line going to be able to
protect protect Caleb Williams? Is he going to be able to make
decisions when to run, when to throw?
He'll probably be too busy worrying about when to paint his
nails and when to, you know, take selfies with people.
(07:29):
But you know, he's definitely going to have some weapons.
He the bears took the time to draft some weapons there in
Coles Loveland. Nice tight end addition there
out of Michigan. And then, of course, Luther
Burden, the third, a very explosive playmaker that they're
hoping can, you know, be a greataddition to that offensive core.
(07:51):
Of course, with DJ Moore coming back.
So Caleb Williams is going to have no excuses.
He's going to have the he's going to have the offensive
weapons. He's going to have, you know,
the O line to keep him upright. You know, their running backs
with D Swizzle and a few others should be able to run the ball.
So the big question is, is CalebWilliams going to be able to
(08:12):
actually do what Ben Johnson draws up?
I mean, we know that the hashtaggolf train was able to actually
draw some things up for BenedictJohnson as well and then
actually executed out on the field.
So the big question is, are the Bears going to actually be able
to do that on the offensive side?
On the defensive side, a couple of reinforcements on the D line
(08:33):
there with Grady Jarrett coming in as well as Dao Adiangbo
coming in to help along with that pass rush on the on that D
line. And then of course, you know
that they drafted Shamar Turner again, another nice performer
there that they're expecting to really help generate some more
pressure and really help lock upthat run defense.
(08:55):
Again, we know their defense last year was kind of like Swiss
cheese. The Lions were able to do
anything and everything they wanted against them.
I think they're probably hoping for some bounce back years from
Dexter Senior and and Montez Sweat as well after having some
down down year last year. Couple of folks that they lost.
(09:15):
Of course Keenan Allen was out, Colin Johnson was out.
Gerald Everett also was releasedwith a with a signing of Colston
Loveland. They still have Cole Commett
there as well on that tight end spot.
So a couple of losses there, butsome big additions for the
Bears. Of course, we as Lions fans will
not be rooting for anything. Benedict Johnson will be hoping
(09:36):
that they win 0 games. Even though some people have
predicted them to win the offseason.
We all know what that translatesto when it comes to playing
football. All right, moving on to our
third divisional opponent, the cheddar heads the mozzarella
sticks from Green Bay, the Packers.
(09:59):
So not a not a ton of things been going on with the Packers
actually. I mean, they they had a pretty
nice draft, but a little bit of a ho hum off season for them.
And you know, some key additionsthere, Aaron Banks at guards,
they were able to add Mikel Hardman over on the offensive
(10:20):
side at the at the wide receiverposition as well.
Of course, they were able to bring in some reinforcements
there, but they had some key losses too, mostly on the
defensive side. We'll dive into those there in a
little bit. But you know, are they going to
be able to, you know, Jordan Love is another thing, like is
Jordan Love going to be able to win big games?
(10:42):
You know, again, they made the playoffs last year.
I think they surprised some people there.
But you know, is the draft classgoing to be able to have an
impact and is Jordan Love going to be able to take the next
step? You know, of course, you know,
as a Lions fan, I think we're all going to say Nope, Nope,
Nope. But, you know, adding a weapon
there with Matthew Golden, again, another tackle and
(11:04):
Anthony Belton on the offensive line and then doubling down and
get adding Savion Williams. So they're investing their top
three picks this year on that offensive side of the ball.
So, you know, if it cracks me upor I can't figure out what the
Packers is, how many wide receivers do they have?
It's like they have 9 #3 wide receivers, which is, you know,
(11:25):
just an absolute hilarity to me.When you when you go down the
line, you're like, OK, you know,Matthew Golden, Romeo Dobbs,
Jalen Reed or Jaden Reed, Christian Watson, Devon Wicks,
Savion Williams, Beau Melton, Macar Hardman, Malik Keith, like
all these dudes, Cornelius Johnson.
How many guys do, I mean, they have all these like
(11:47):
complimentary wide receivers, but do they actually have a stud
game breaker who's actually going to be able to make
something, you know, making a big impact stat wise on the
offense? And I think, you know, my answer
there is Nope, Nope, Nope. And then, of course, you've got
Tucker Kraft, who they're expecting to continue after a
nice little breakout last year. So, you know, got some decent
(12:09):
pieces there on the offensive side of the ball.
But again, it's just going to come down to Jordan.
You know, Jordan Love he, he seems to put up the numbers, but
I just don't know if he's a guy that wins you a Super Bowl.
You know, I know chatter heads will come at me with that take,
but I just don't know if he's the guy that's going to take
them to the promised land. And you know, with that head
(12:29):
coach Matt, you know, Matt Lafleur, you know, we know he
ran smug out of town. He got his guy in Jordan love.
But I think that, you know, fansare maybe getting a little
impatient for them to actually get to the promised land now
with with this offensive category that they have going
on. Of course, you know, we they
lost or I'm sorry. Let's talk about the defensive
(12:50):
side of the ball now. Some some nice additions there
with Nate Hobbs also able to pick up Isaiah Simmons and
Christian Welch. So some nice signings there on
the defensive side of the ball. They did lose quite a few, of
course, just recently cutting Alexander.
And let's see, they lost Slaytonin free agency, they lost Stokes
(13:12):
in free agency, they lost Ballantyne in free agency, Eric
Wilson in free, in free agency, and then Robert Rochelle as
well, leaving. So some big, big losses there in
the secondary in the linebacker position.
So, you know, they must feel pretty comfortable about the
secondary after, you know, cutting Alexander to save some
cap space. But you know, right now I'm
(13:34):
looking at their their secondarybeing Nixon, Hobbs and
Valentine. And apparently they're going to
be happy with that. So.
And then of course, they've got Javon Bullard, who's been a
pretty good, good player for himthere on the on the secondary
side. So lot of lots of, you know,
losses there on the defensive depth, but I think their hope is
(13:54):
that their draft picks are goingto be able to step right in and
actually, you know, fill those holes and get this this group to
the next level. All right, folks, enough about
all the other opponents for our lines.
Let's talk a little bit about early predictions, how I see
(14:16):
this division playing out and what's going to happen with this
group. As it is well documented, the
NFC North probably has the hardest schedule of all the
divisions in football. Ridiculous amounts of playoff
teams that they're playing from 2024.
Of course, you know, there they are, in my opinion, the toughest
(14:39):
division in football where you know every team is going to be
competitive. I feel like every team you know,
is going to be at least roster wise better than they were last
year, maybe not record wise, butbetter roster wise, you know,
changes with coaching Staffs, you know, changes, you know, a
decent drafts, some weapons drafted by all three teams
(15:00):
there. So, you know, I, I want to start
here by saying, you know, let's let's actually start at the
bottom. Let's start at the bottom, all
right, at the bottom of the NFC North.
I've got the Chicago Bears because once again, they win the
offseason and they lose the regular season when it actually
matters. And in my opinion, even with
(15:21):
Benedict Johnson coming into thefold, and maybe he'll have some
trickery, maybe he'll have some gimmickry, but he's not going to
be able to do much. And to me, this team is going to
be forever seller dwellers at the bottom of the NFC North.
Next up, this one was a tough one.
(15:42):
Who's going to finish second to last?
I have the Vikings coming in at 8:00 and 9:00.
I think a lot of experts are expecting, expecting the Vikings
to actually be worse than the Bears because of JJI.
Think JJ is going to surprise some people.
I think he's going to have, he'sgoing to be able to win some
games, not a lot of games. They're going to drop from
fourteen wins down to eight wins, going to be 8 and 9 and
(16:05):
take that third spot in the NFC North.
Well, folks, you know who that leaves second place in the NFC
North is going to be the chatterheads for Mozzarella Ville.
The Packers, they're going to be9 and seven, and I'm predicting
that they are just going to missout on that last wild card spot.
(16:26):
Their Jordan Love is not going to be able to get it done.
He's not going to be able to, you know, take this team to the
next level. They're going to take a step
back. And there it is folks.
That leaves you with this the the King in the North.
Your Detroit Lions will once again be the the King in the
(16:50):
North. That's right folks.
The Lions are going to be 13 and4 as my early prediction, my way
too early season schedule prediction came out.
They are going to be the Kings in the North again in 2025.
They're going to lock in that division.
They're going to win another fewplayoff games.
(17:10):
And I'm fully expecting this team after the gauntlet of a
schedule that they have to play leading up into the playoffs.
It's going to it's going to weather them, it's going to get
them ready. It's going to be they're going
to be clicking on on cylinders and everybody be ready to do
this. Y'all better be on board the
(17:33):
Super Bowl train. OK, It's you know what?
I think I'm the conductor of thehashtag golf train.
But Jared Goff is going to be the conductor of the Super Bowl
train for our Lions this year. Just give me that Kool-aid.
All right, folks, I hope you enjoyed the kool-aid packet
coming to you again. You know how we do.
(17:53):
We're giving you a delicious Honolulu blue flavored kool-aid
three times a week. And again, it's just we, we
really appreciate all that you all the listens, all the shares,
all the likes. So like the host likes to say
thanks for sharing the show. Like in the show, sending it to
a friend, listening to it on Spotify.
(18:14):
That's our new flagship. Yes, we're still available on
all the other platforms, but Spotify is our is our main, is
our main spot this year. So please switch over to Spotify
if you haven't yet. Shout out.
I want to give another quick shout out here.
The sleeper DKC sleeper kool-aidleague draft is wrapping up
(18:35):
tonight. Thank you for the for the
millions and millions who wantedin, but there was only able to
have 20 of you in, but we know you were interested.
I think my team's going to be pretty darn good as as opposed
to what the host of the show will tell you.
You know, his, his takes on thatare Boo la Boo la, if you ask
me. But I'm ready to win some
(18:55):
fantasy football. I'm ready for the Lions to win
the Super bowl #choppy, likey.
They are what we thought they were, Detroit kool-aid
listeners. It's your boy at shops in the D
coming to you with another Honolulu blue flavored kool-aid
packet. Say it three times as fast.
You know what we got to do before we get started on the
show? Drink it in, man.
(00:22):
I got to serve up that cornbread.
Cornbread. Cornbread always got to make it
a double on the show. Hey, so today on this edition of
the kool-aid Packet, I want to talk about the NFC North
offseason roundup. That's right, folks.
I'm going to do a bit of a deep dive on the opponents that the
Lions are going to see twice this year.
(00:46):
See what they've done, the changes they've made,
predictions, have they gotten better, big news topics around
those teams and how it relates to our lies.
And then to wrap up the show, I'm going to give give you an
NFC North record prediction, of course, way too early record
prediction coming at you on the DKC kool-aid packet on this
(01:09):
Friday. So that being said, folks, let's
kick it off with the Minnesota Vikings.
That's right, those ridiculous Vikings up in Minnesota.
Lots to talk about with this team.
Actually, some really big offseason moves, the biggest, of
course being their quarterback move.
(01:31):
You know, of course, Sam, I'm, excuse me?
Yep, Sam Darnold left and was, you know, cast off to Seattle to
make room for my boy JJ McCarthycoming out of the University of
Michigan. Hoping.
I'm sure JJ is hoping to have a big year.
(01:51):
The Vikings are hoping to have abig year out of him.
They brought Sam Howell to back him up.
So the big storyline for the Vikings this year is going to
be, is JJ McCarthy able to develop into an NFL quarterback?
We know he's got weapons with Justin Jefferson and Jordan
Addison, but the the big story is, is JJ going to get this team
(02:13):
back to the playoffs after a ridiculous, I think 14 and 3
record last year, unprecedent unexpected shocker of the NFL
with that record they had last year.
But you know, in addition to that, on the offensive side,
some really key additions they invested in their online to try
to keep JJ upright, signing RyanKelly and Will Fries and free
(02:38):
agency, of course, drafting Donovan Jackson, another guard
there in the 2025 draft. So really like they're hoping
that that offensive line, several new faces in new places
that they can gel, that they canjive.
They're going to be able to coexist and and get cohesive
with the current Chris starters.There are Christian Darrisaw and
(03:00):
Brian O'Neill, and I'm sure they're really going to rely on
the run game quite a bit, hopingto take the ball out of J JS
hands just a little bit. And to do that, they resigned
Aaron Jones and made a trade forJordan Mason out of San
Francisco. So I think they think they've
got a strong tandem there. Of course it's no, you know,
(03:20):
Jamir gibes and D money, but nota bad little combo there on
their running backside to help with the weapons that they have,
those pass catchers that they'vegot.
Of course, they're hoping for a healthy TJ Hawkinson, the former
Lion who, you know, we shipped off.
He got paid and then he's been hurt and then he's been hurt and
(03:43):
then he's been hurt. So, you know, I'm sure they're
hoping he'll be healthy. But you know, on that offensive
side, if he can be healthy, I'm sure you know, with some of
those new weapons, returning weapons, they think this offense
should be able to click on on all four cylinders.
Switching to the other side of the ball on the defensive line,
some, some big changes there to spend a lot of money on Jonathan
(04:04):
Allen and Javon Hargrave out of Philadelphia.
So big impact players. I think they're expecting to,
you know, solidify that line. I'm also drafting Tyron Ingram
to add to add to that D line depth.
Again, they're going to hope that Brian Flores can get these
guys working together, that thatD line can gel and that they're
(04:27):
going to be able to get some pressure on the quarterbacks and
also contain the run, which is something that they really
struggled with this that last year.
Of course, you know, our Lions tore them up on both sides
running and throwing the football last year.
No problems for my boy. Hashtag JG 16 and the Lions
against the Vikings last year. But you know, other news and
(04:51):
notes there, you know, their secondary, I think they signed
Isaiah Rogers and Jeff Okuda. They were able to re sign their
big free agent, Byron Murphy junior, which a lot of folks
thought he would hit the free agent market and get his aid out
there. But they were able to lock him
in. So I think they're really hoping
that that secondary will be ableto lock it down a bit too.
(05:11):
A bit of an anomaly year. They did well.
They did lose, you know, CameronBynum to the Colts.
And then also there's some speculation that Harris and
Smith may be about to retire or potentially be released this
year. So, you know, lots of key
additions, some some big subtractions on both sides of
the ball there. Again, it's all, to me, this is
(05:33):
all going to come down to can JJMcCarthy be an NFL quarterback?
They're hoping they can. Of course, our Lions are hoping
that they can't. And we'll go from there.
All right, folks, moving on to the Bears, the hated, the
dreaded. Of course, we know the big news
of the year for the Bears is Benedict Johnson leaving the
(05:57):
Lions and heading over at a pooptown over in Chicago, You know,
where he's expected to, you know, be this like head coach
guru, like going to develop the quarterback and make Caleb
Williams somebody that he isn't.That's, of course, the big
storyline. What is Ben Genius going to be
able to do Benedict Johnson? Is he going to be able to make
(06:20):
Caleb Williams a better quarterback?
Is he going to be able to improve his play, make better
decisions? You know, and then the other
thing is, is, is Ben Johnson going to be able to change the
culture there? Of course, we know they have a
loser's mentality in Chicago. They win every offseason and
they never win any actual games when it comes to playing
football. So the question mark there is,
(06:42):
is Ben Johnson going to be able to change the culture?
Are they going to be able to turn things around, make this a
winning program again? You know, again, you know, he's
going to have some tricks up hissleeve.
You know, another big thing thatthey did is they they overhauled
the offensive line, substantial investments in Joe Thooney and
Jonah Jackson, of course, in a trade with the LA Rams.
(07:07):
Of course that they you know, the trade for Thooney was with
Kansas City Chiefs and then theywere able to pick up Drew
Dahlman in free agency again. So some big addition names
there. Is that line going to be able to
protect protect Caleb Williams? Is he going to be able to make
decisions when to run, when to throw?
He'll probably be too busy worrying about when to paint his
nails and when to, you know, take selfies with people.
(07:29):
But you know, he's definitely going to have some weapons.
He the bears took the time to draft some weapons there in
Coles Loveland. Nice tight end addition there
out of Michigan. And then, of course, Luther
Burden, the third, a very explosive playmaker that they're
hoping can, you know, be a greataddition to that offensive core.
(07:51):
Of course, with DJ Moore coming back.
So Caleb Williams is going to have no excuses.
He's going to have the he's going to have the offensive
weapons. He's going to have, you know,
the O line to keep him upright. You know, their running backs
with D Swizzle and a few others should be able to run the ball.
So the big question is, is CalebWilliams going to be able to
(08:12):
actually do what Ben Johnson draws up?
I mean, we know that the hashtaggolf train was able to actually
draw some things up for BenedictJohnson as well and then
actually executed out on the field.
So the big question is, are the Bears going to actually be able
to do that on the offensive side?
On the defensive side, a couple of reinforcements on the D line
(08:33):
there with Grady Jarrett coming in as well as Dao Adiangbo
coming in to help along with that pass rush on the on that D
line. And then of course, you know
that they drafted Shamar Turner again, another nice performer
there that they're expecting to really help generate some more
pressure and really help lock upthat run defense.
(08:55):
Again, we know their defense last year was kind of like Swiss
cheese. The Lions were able to do
anything and everything they wanted against them.
I think they're probably hoping for some bounce back years from
Dexter Senior and and Montez Sweat as well after having some
down down year last year. Couple of folks that they lost.
(09:15):
Of course Keenan Allen was out, Colin Johnson was out.
Gerald Everett also was releasedwith a with a signing of Colston
Loveland. They still have Cole Commett
there as well on that tight end spot.
So a couple of losses there, butsome big additions for the
Bears. Of course, we as Lions fans will
not be rooting for anything. Benedict Johnson will be hoping
(09:36):
that they win 0 games. Even though some people have
predicted them to win the offseason.
We all know what that translatesto when it comes to playing
football. All right, moving on to our
third divisional opponent, the cheddar heads the mozzarella
sticks from Green Bay, the Packers.
(09:59):
So not a not a ton of things been going on with the Packers
actually. I mean, they they had a pretty
nice draft, but a little bit of a ho hum off season for them.
And you know, some key additionsthere, Aaron Banks at guards,
they were able to add Mikel Hardman over on the offensive
(10:20):
side at the at the wide receiverposition as well.
Of course, they were able to bring in some reinforcements
there, but they had some key losses too, mostly on the
defensive side. We'll dive into those there in a
little bit. But you know, are they going to
be able to, you know, Jordan Love is another thing, like is
Jordan Love going to be able to win big games?
(10:42):
You know, again, they made the playoffs last year.
I think they surprised some people there.
But you know, is the draft classgoing to be able to have an
impact and is Jordan Love going to be able to take the next
step? You know, of course, you know,
as a Lions fan, I think we're all going to say Nope, Nope,
Nope. But, you know, adding a weapon
there with Matthew Golden, again, another tackle and
(11:04):
Anthony Belton on the offensive line and then doubling down and
get adding Savion Williams. So they're investing their top
three picks this year on that offensive side of the ball.
So, you know, if it cracks me upor I can't figure out what the
Packers is, how many wide receivers do they have?
It's like they have 9 #3 wide receivers, which is, you know,
(11:25):
just an absolute hilarity to me.When you when you go down the
line, you're like, OK, you know,Matthew Golden, Romeo Dobbs,
Jalen Reed or Jaden Reed, Christian Watson, Devon Wicks,
Savion Williams, Beau Melton, Macar Hardman, Malik Keith, like
all these dudes, Cornelius Johnson.
How many guys do, I mean, they have all these like
(11:47):
complimentary wide receivers, but do they actually have a stud
game breaker who's actually going to be able to make
something, you know, making a big impact stat wise on the
offense? And I think, you know, my answer
there is Nope, Nope, Nope. And then, of course, you've got
Tucker Kraft, who they're expecting to continue after a
nice little breakout last year. So, you know, got some decent
(12:09):
pieces there on the offensive side of the ball.
But again, it's just going to come down to Jordan.
You know, Jordan Love he, he seems to put up the numbers, but
I just don't know if he's a guy that wins you a Super Bowl.
You know, I know chatter heads will come at me with that take,
but I just don't know if he's the guy that's going to take
them to the promised land. And you know, with that head
(12:29):
coach Matt, you know, Matt Lafleur, you know, we know he
ran smug out of town. He got his guy in Jordan love.
But I think that, you know, fansare maybe getting a little
impatient for them to actually get to the promised land now
with with this offensive category that they have going
on. Of course, you know, we they
lost or I'm sorry. Let's talk about the defensive
(12:50):
side of the ball now. Some some nice additions there
with Nate Hobbs also able to pick up Isaiah Simmons and
Christian Welch. So some nice signings there on
the defensive side of the ball. They did lose quite a few, of
course, just recently cutting Alexander.
And let's see, they lost Slaytonin free agency, they lost Stokes
(13:12):
in free agency, they lost Ballantyne in free agency, Eric
Wilson in free, in free agency, and then Robert Rochelle as
well, leaving. So some big, big losses there in
the secondary in the linebacker position.
So, you know, they must feel pretty comfortable about the
secondary after, you know, cutting Alexander to save some
cap space. But you know, right now I'm
(13:34):
looking at their their secondarybeing Nixon, Hobbs and
Valentine. And apparently they're going to
be happy with that. So.
And then of course, they've got Javon Bullard, who's been a
pretty good, good player for himthere on the on the secondary
side. So lot of lots of, you know,
losses there on the defensive depth, but I think their hope is
(13:54):
that their draft picks are goingto be able to step right in and
actually, you know, fill those holes and get this this group to
the next level. All right, folks, enough about
all the other opponents for our lines.
Let's talk a little bit about early predictions, how I see
(14:16):
this division playing out and what's going to happen with this
group. As it is well documented, the
NFC North probably has the hardest schedule of all the
divisions in football. Ridiculous amounts of playoff
teams that they're playing from 2024.
Of course, you know, there they are, in my opinion, the toughest
(14:39):
division in football where you know every team is going to be
competitive. I feel like every team you know,
is going to be at least roster wise better than they were last
year, maybe not record wise, butbetter roster wise, you know,
changes with coaching Staffs, you know, changes, you know, a
decent drafts, some weapons drafted by all three teams
(15:00):
there. So, you know, I, I want to start
here by saying, you know, let's let's actually start at the
bottom. Let's start at the bottom, all
right, at the bottom of the NFC North.
I've got the Chicago Bears because once again, they win the
offseason and they lose the regular season when it actually
matters. And in my opinion, even with
(15:21):
Benedict Johnson coming into thefold, and maybe he'll have some
trickery, maybe he'll have some gimmickry, but he's not going to
be able to do much. And to me, this team is going to
be forever seller dwellers at the bottom of the NFC North.
Next up, this one was a tough one.
(15:42):
Who's going to finish second to last?
I have the Vikings coming in at 8:00 and 9:00.
I think a lot of experts are expecting, expecting the Vikings
to actually be worse than the Bears because of JJI.
Think JJ is going to surprise some people.
I think he's going to have, he'sgoing to be able to win some
games, not a lot of games. They're going to drop from
fourteen wins down to eight wins, going to be 8 and 9 and
(16:05):
take that third spot in the NFC North.
Well, folks, you know who that leaves second place in the NFC
North is going to be the chatterheads for Mozzarella Ville.
The Packers, they're going to be9 and seven, and I'm predicting
that they are just going to missout on that last wild card spot.
(16:26):
Their Jordan Love is not going to be able to get it done.
He's not going to be able to, you know, take this team to the
next level. They're going to take a step
back. And there it is folks.
That leaves you with this the the King in the North.
Your Detroit Lions will once again be the the King in the
(16:50):
North. That's right folks.
The Lions are going to be 13 and4 as my early prediction, my way
too early season schedule prediction came out.
They are going to be the Kings in the North again in 2025.
They're going to lock in that division.
They're going to win another fewplayoff games.
(17:10):
And I'm fully expecting this team after the gauntlet of a
schedule that they have to play leading up into the playoffs.
It's going to it's going to weather them, it's going to get
them ready. It's going to be they're going
to be clicking on on cylinders and everybody be ready to do
this. Y'all better be on board the
(17:33):
Super Bowl train. OK, It's you know what?
I think I'm the conductor of thehashtag golf train.
But Jared Goff is going to be the conductor of the Super Bowl
train for our Lions this year. Just give me that Kool-aid.
All right, folks, I hope you enjoyed the kool-aid packet
coming to you again. You know how we do.
(17:53):
We're giving you a delicious Honolulu blue flavored kool-aid
three times a week. And again, it's just we, we
really appreciate all that you all the listens, all the shares,
all the likes. So like the host likes to say
thanks for sharing the show. Like in the show, sending it to
a friend, listening to it on Spotify.
(18:14):
That's our new flagship. Yes, we're still available on
all the other platforms, but Spotify is our is our main, is
our main spot this year. So please switch over to Spotify
if you haven't yet. Shout out.
I want to give another quick shout out here.
The sleeper DKC sleeper kool-aidleague draft is wrapping up
(18:35):
tonight. Thank you for the for the
millions and millions who wantedin, but there was only able to
have 20 of you in, but we know you were interested.
I think my team's going to be pretty darn good as as opposed
to what the host of the show will tell you.
You know, his, his takes on thatare Boo la Boo la, if you ask
me. But I'm ready to win some
(18:55):
fantasy football. I'm ready for the Lions to win
the Super bowl #choppy, likey.
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