April 24, 2025 • 35 mins
Sports debates never fail to ignite passion, and our latest episode takes that fire to new heights. This week, we return with six scorching hot takes that challenge conventional wisdom in both the NFL and MLB.
Is the AL West the best division in the league, including over the Dodgers and their NL West? Is the Houston Astros dynasty officially over? Are the Philadelphia Eagles going to fall off the map after their Super Bowl win? Is Patrick Mahomes—widely considered one of the greatest quarterbacks currently playing—actually holding the Chiefs back?
Join us as we discuss these hot topics in this week's new mini-series presented by the 2 Dudes - 1 Debate podcast!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Gabe (00:00):
Hey guys, it's Gabriel!
Ethan (00:01):
Hey, it's Ethan.
Gabe (00:03):
This is Hot Takes presented by the Two Dudes - 1
Debate podcast, a weekly seriescoinciding with the sport of
that week, where we will rankfive of our craziest sport takes
, with the fifth being the mosttame to the first being the most
outrageous take.
Ethan (00:17):
With us covering the NFL and MLB in weeks one and two, we
will combine them to give yousix hot takes for our first
episode.
These six hot takes will havethree from the NFL and three
from the MLB.
Gabe (00:27):
Let's get into it.
Ethan (00:38):
Alrighty, and I think I'll start things off with my
first hot take, or, as we say,number five or six this week,
I'd say in the NFL, rookies aretoo overhyped.
Putting too many expectationson kids who played a different
(00:59):
set of rules in a league withplayers with years of experience
and expecting them to do greatthings off the bat is too
outrageous for just what I see.
Gabe (01:10):
Okay, yeah.
I can agree with that.
That's not crazy.
That's not a crazy take,rookies definitely are.
Well, I don't know.
Well, I can see what you'resaying.
Like, they're still kids,they're still developing their
skills and the fact that theycome into a league of the
world's best expecting todominate right away is kind of
(01:30):
crazy.
Ethan (01:31):
But to a certain extent that's the reason they're
getting drafted to the nfl,because they're some of the
greatest in their leagues, youknow well, yeah but they're
being drafted into these teamswho had horrible records, who
can't really do much in theirjust regular, uh, regular, but
they're being drafted into theseteams who had horrible records,
who can't really do much intheir regular season.
They're putting way too manyexpectations on kids to be like
(01:52):
yes, these kids will make thisteam great in a matter of a
season.
Gabe (01:58):
Yeah, that's a good point.
I mean I also think it dependson the player.
I mean if you have agenerational talent, I think
they can turn around or developvery quickly into that player.
I mean, if you look at AaronDonald, in his respect, nobody
thought he was going to doanything crazy.
Aaron Donald was veryundervalued, they overlooked him
(02:21):
a lot.
But he came into the league inthe first season Within a few
weeks he was starting and thenthen, you know, his name is
cemented in history forever now.
So it's not like it took himtwo, three years to get him
cemented into as nfl's one ofthe top players you know.
So I mean I think it depends onthe player, along with the team
, because if you have a truegenerational talent, they can go
(02:43):
to any team and they're goingto produce, they're going to um,
develop and they're gonna youknow they're gonna fill those
expectations.
But I mean not everybody,because I mean there's just some
players that are super electricin college that just can't
translate over to the nfl, likejohnny manziel, um, obviously
(03:04):
one of the best college QBs ofall time but just couldn't get
it together in the NFL.
Whether that you want to sayit's the Browns that did him
wrong, or his drinking andpartying habits, I mean whatever
.
So I mean I can see what you'resaying, but I think I just
think it.
Ethan (03:20):
That's more situational but how many generational
talents are you going to seecoming out of every single draft
?
That's a good point.
Okay that's a good point.
Gabe (03:32):
Well, my sixth one I'm going to go over, which is like
the most tame I have with agingor already old stars and harder
competition.
The Houston Astros are out oftheir juice and their dynasty,
their baseball dynasty, isofficially over.
Ethan (03:51):
I'm not even going to disagree with that.
I'll agree with that fullheartedly.
Gabe (03:55):
The only reason I have that in a hot take is because I
know that some people, whetherthey're Houston Astros fans or
just baseball fanatics, they'reso stuck in the past when they
would dominate for years and I'mnot gonna lie, they did good,
they had stars, yeah.
But I mean, if you look now,jose Altuve is 34 and he's like
(04:17):
probably their best player, andthen they lost Kyle Tucker and
Alex Bregman, so they've lostmost of their stars.
Their remaining stars are oldand I mean it's just when
they're not getting better.
If you look at the AL West, theAL West is getting better
without them.
They're leaving them in thedust.
I mean you look at the Rangersand the Mariners right now.
(04:41):
They're both not amazing, butthey're getting better.
I mean the Rangers, like wediscussed in one of our last
episodes, they're off to a hotstart.
So if you look at what thehouston astros have been doing
up to now, it's pretty obviousthat they're not the people that
they've been for the past,however long you know.
Ethan (05:00):
For whatever reason you want to say it is for whatever
reason you want to say, it isyeah, I'm actually going to get
behind that first pick.
But yeah, I could get behindwhat you're saying on that one.
Going up a little on my fifthpick I'm having the Philadelphia
Eagles will miss the playoffsJust getting rid of good players
(05:24):
over the offseason, not signingthem or trading them away.
It's going to really harm theirSuper Bowl chances and maybe
even playoff chances.
Gabe (05:34):
That is a crazy take.
There's a lot to unpack there,so do I.
I'll say what I agree with.
I agree that they're losingvaluable players.
They're definitely throughoutthe years, a lot's obviously
always changing.
Whether that was Jason Kelsey afew years ago, so now they're
(05:57):
giving up some wide receivers,some defensive key players.
I mean I've even heard rumorsthat they are willing to trade
aj brown.
So, um, I think a lot ishappening with their team and a
lot's changing which coulddefinitely affect their strength
and their, um, just who theyare, I guess, as a team.
(06:20):
But I wouldn't say that they'regoing to miss playoffs.
I think, generally speaking,they're too good to miss just
playoffs.
In general, are they going togo far?
Not necessarily.
Maybe they get swept firstround and they're out.
Ethan (06:37):
I say they're going to be in wild card.
I don't think they're going tobe first in NFC.
Gabe (06:41):
I don't think they're going to be first in the uh nfc
and get like a buy or anything.
I'm just saying I don't know ifthey're gonna miss playoffs
completely.
I don't.
I don't think they're gonnafall off that bad in one year,
to the point where they're gonnamiss the whole nfl playoffs.
You see what I'm saying.
I think, like I said, theymight not, they probably won't
win two times in a row.
That's I.
I'll get behind that.
They're not gonna win two timesin a row.
(07:02):
That's I, I will get behindthat.
They're not going to win twotimes in a row.
But do I see them just totallyfalling off the planet and then
not making it to the playoffs?
I don't see that.
I think they're too generallygood to do that.
Unless, let's say, jalen hurts,gets injured, they trade aj
brown, you know like then I cansee something crazy happening.
(07:22):
But as of right now, if they'rejust changing their roster, I
think they're going to make it.
Ethan (07:27):
Well, I was saying it could.
I didn't say it will for sure.
I'm saying they will for surewon't go to the Super Bowl, just
that the playoffs.
I might see a wild card, butjust with a lot of their key
players that pushed them andcarried them through these
playoffs and into the Super Bowl.
(07:47):
I they're they got, gave awayor didn't sign and they, those
people, were really pushing inthose playoffs and now, since
they're gone, I don't see themdoing much in regular season
yeah, I can agree with Well,going a little crazier.
Gabe (08:05):
Take my fifth one.
I have that.
I think the Buffalo Billsobviously peaked in 2020, and
now they're just stuck inpurgatory.
In my opinion, I think theBills' Super Bowl window is
officially closed.
I don't think they're going tobe winning anytime soon and,
sadly, probably not in JoshAllen's era.
Ethan (08:26):
With a lot of things happening to the Chiefs a lot of
players leaving, a lot ofplayers retiring or being traded
or not being signed they have achance.
I think the only team they havein competition in a playoff
that's stuck in limbo with themis the Ravens.
That's stuck in limbo with themis the Ravens.
The AFC, I'm going to be honest, is probably one of the better
(08:54):
conferences in the NFL.
Just how many championshipshave happened to me just over in
the past few decades is howmany teams have won the Super
Bowl.
It came from the AFC.
I just I see what you're saying, but the Ravens are stuck there
as well and I think the Billscan outplay them and I could see
them going to the Super Bowl.
Gabe (09:14):
Well, this is the thing.
The Chiefs, I think they'regoing to be good for a while.
I mean, this is their dynastyand I don't see them falling off
.
I mean, as it pertains toPurgatory.
I do agree that the Ravens andin my opinion I even say the
(09:36):
Bengals, those three teams,along with the Chiefs, they're
the four elite, they're the fourbest of the AFC.
In my opinion.
Elite, they're the um four bestof the afc, in my opinion.
Um, but three of those fourjust can't seem to pull it
together consistently like thechiefs have and get through to
win.
But the reason I sayspecifically the bills is
(09:57):
because after they peaked theyhaven't been able to even get
necessarily close to that,something close to the bangles.
Except the bangles have a lotyounger roster, so they have
more time to get their stufftogether.
Josh allen's 28, they lost vonmiller.
Um, they're just, they'regetting, they're not getting any
younger.
You know, and they've spentthese past few years in this
(10:22):
realm of are we going to do itthis year, are we not?
And like I said, five years agoat this point they peaked and
now it's getting too late to dothat again.
They won't have it, they won'thave time to be a dynasty.
You know what I mean.
So I just don't think they'reever going to.
I don't not that they're nevergoing to win the Superbowl, I
just don't think in the nearfuture you're going to see the
(10:45):
Bills donning that banner Withthe team they have right now.
Ethan (10:52):
Yeah, I would say that.
Gabe (10:54):
Josh Allen era.
I see, in my opinion, as of now, like I said, I just think the
Bills Super Bowl window isofficially closed.
Ethan (11:03):
Okay, you drive a pretty good point there.
Me going to number four.
Now I'm going to say the LosAngeles Angels are a good team.
It's just their front.
They have a terrible frontoffice.
Their front office needs tore-evaluate itself.
Not doing well in the offseason, don't get me wrong.
The Angels had one of the beststarts since what 2011 in their
(11:29):
franchise history.
They're starting to become morerelevant again, winning games.
They're 11-11 right now, butjust their front office needs to
rework itself to actually pushthem into a playoff contending
MLB team.
Gabe (11:48):
I see what you're saying.
Look, I would love to say thatthe Angels are a good team In my
heart.
I want to say it.
I just don't know if I can, witha straight face, say yeah, the
Angels are a contender or, like,the Angels are a good team.
When it pertains to your pointof whose fault it is, whether
(12:09):
it's the team or the frontoffice, I can see why you'd say
it's the front office.
The front office definitelyisn't helping, but I mean, the
team isn't too crazy stacked.
They lost Shohei.
Mike Trout is really old atthis point Still good, still one
of the home run leaders.
(12:30):
I'm not saying he's bad, butsame thing with Josh Allen.
He's not getting any younger,so let's say, in a few years he
retires, so they lost two oftheir biggest superstars, and
then the front office sucks.
I mean I just I don't know.
I mean, to this season, as ofthis far, are they a bad team?
No, I don't think so.
Are they a good team?
I'll say they're a good team,but like, if you mean good as in
(12:53):
, oh yeah, they're like a reallygood team, they're a contender.
Ethan (12:55):
I don't agree with that I think that yeah, not right now.
I'd say that their office isholding them back yeah, I see
what you're saying.
Gabe (13:02):
I just think I, I think just they're a good team flat.
Ethan (13:05):
You know what I mean.
I think that's Mid.
Gabe (13:07):
Yeah, I think that's probably where that will end for
me.
Ethan (13:10):
Yeah, I don't see their.
I mean, they could be giant SanFrancisco caliber.
They did beat them a few daysago, but they just need to do
more signings.
They need to get more playersthe front office could have, but
they didn't even try to fightfor him and they just let him go
down the street to the Dodgers.
(13:31):
If their front office didsomething that she wanted to
prove this team, they could havekept Shohei and pushed this
team into more relevancy insteadof just a mid-team.
Gabe (13:43):
That's good.
These dogs are going to make melose my mind, man, I'm sorry.
Anyway, to my fourth one, whatI have to say is like, look, if
the padres and the dodgersplayed tomorrow, who do you
think is going to win?
Most people would say thedodgers, because that's the name
around the league right now.
(14:04):
That's just what everybody sayswhen and when you talk to an
nfo player oh, who's the bestteam in the league?
Oh, the Chiefs, are they Not?
Maybe, maybe not.
In my opinion, I think theDodgers are just a name of the
league.
They have a bunch of bigplayers, but in my opinion, I
think my big take is I think thePadres are better than the
(14:24):
Dodgers If you look at theirstart, like I said, 2025 season,
their fit or, as of this, lasttime I updated this list, they
were 15 and 6, with a 13 and 3start.
Um, I think, along with thedodgers, they also have a lot of
superstars.
They have tatis jr, they havemuriel, they have machado.
(14:44):
Um, I think they have their ownbona fide superstars.
It's's just the Dodgers have alot bigger name than the Padres.
The Padres are very flashy,well-known as the Dodgers.
I mean, everybody knows theDodgers, even if you're not a
baseball fan, you know aboutthem, especially now that
(15:05):
they're having some dominance inthe league.
Combine dominance with a bigreputation and you're going to
be, all of a sudden, the best inthe league.
Dominance with a big reputationand you're going to be all of a
sudden, the best in the league.
But I think the padres arebetter than them.
I mean, combine that with thefact that the padres are having
some amazing pitching thisseason um michael king and dylan
sees have been god sent forthem.
You know, they've been amazing.
(15:25):
They have high eras and theystrike out on a consistent basis
.
They do their job at a highlevel.
And you combine that withFernando Muriel Machado the
hitters they're just better thanthe Dodgers.
Ethan (15:42):
So you described all this .
What's your hot take?
Gabe (15:47):
My hot take is that the Padres are better than the
Dodgers.
Ethan (15:51):
Okay, okay, I could see that.
I could see with what you'resaying.
The Dodgers are a very flashyteam, very wanting to be name
brand, so to speak.
Just, I think that hot take isgoing to come into fruition with
(16:14):
uh coming up in this these fewweeks.
I believe they're gonna have aseries with the padres and we
could see on who's gonna bebetter than as well so, but,
flash.
yeah, right now, being thisearly in the season, it'll be
hard to say just because, yes,we've played what 20-something
(16:40):
games.
Now I don't think we've seenfull potential from any team
besides the Braves.
The Braves kind of suck, butother than that, I think it'd be
a really good game.
I could see where you're going.
It's just that's hard to choosea side on.
Gabe (17:01):
Yeah, but that's the hill I'm willing to die on.
I'm not a Padres fan but, as oflately, I just in my heart, if
you ask me who's going to winthe league, I'm not a Padres fan
, but as of lately, I just in myheart.
If you ask me who's going towin the league, I'm going to say
the Padres, I'm not going tosay the Dodgers.
Ethan (17:16):
Going on to number three, I have the opposite spectrum of
my last one.
The Diamondbacks are going tobe a very sneaky good team.
Their front office is makinggreat signings.
Their training, their justproduction they had right now
will probably leave lead thearizona diamondbacks into
offseason uh, playing into theplayoffs.
(17:39):
I'm not saying they're going togo in the world series, I'm
gonna.
I'm saying they're gonna havereally great um chances to be in
the playoffs.
That is a crazy take.
Gabe (17:52):
I'm not going to comment too much on it because I don't
know too much about theDiamondbacks, so I'm not going
to make claims or statements onthings I don't know a lot about.
But from what I know, arizonais a miserable place to be a
sports fan.
So if you just take that in togeneral, I mean the diamondbacks
(18:15):
are probably really bad rightnow.
But let me see the record.
Actually I'm very curious nowthat you brought that up.
I mean, if they're off to a hotstart like the other teams, I
mean okay, they're 14-9.
They're actually not that bad.
Okay.
Well, just based off that statright there, they're 14-9.
(18:38):
Based off just that, I thinkthey can be a good team.
Maybe a few years of developingthen they can get better.
But I don't know 14-9 is good,it's just I don't know too much
about them to say like oh yeah,for sure, this for sure, that
you know.
Yeah, okay, my third take um.
(19:01):
As shown with yokich and sga,um mvp voters like fresh blood.
So my hot take is I think cjstroud is gonna make a run for
the afc south.
Obviously he's gonna own that,own that little division for a
long time and as he's owningthat, the team's gonna only get
better around him.
Ethan (19:20):
So I think he's gonna win an mvp before mahomes wins
another oh, geez, um, when wasthe last time patching like are
you talking about?
Like league MVP?
Gabe (19:31):
Yeah, like best player the whole league.
I think CJ Trout is going towin before Mahomes wins another.
Ethan (19:37):
Last season was Lamar Jackson, this last season was
Jokic or Jokic.
Gabe (19:44):
What am I talking about?
It was Josh Allen.
Sorry, I got the J, oh yeah.
Ethan (19:47):
The season before that was Lamar Jackson.
I'm getting my season.
Gabe (19:51):
So it's been like around two, three years.
Ethan (19:54):
I could definitely see that Patrick Mahomes is dropping
from a top three caliberquarterback to being top five,
maybe eight.
I could see CJ Stroud.
He is climbing the ranks veryfast.
Um, I could definitely see himbeing getting the mvp before um
(20:20):
patrick mahomes the reason Isaid that is obviously.
Gabe (20:25):
Patrick mahomes is the standard um I'm not saying he's
a bad qb.
He's obviously arguably thebest QB in the league, whether
he won MVP in the past fewseasons or not.
Ethan (20:36):
And he's going to be a.
Gabe (20:37):
Hall of Famer.
I just think, for a few reasons, cj is going to win it.
He has the narrative overPatrick.
He had a stellar rookie season4,000-plus yards, throwing 23
touchdowns, five interceptionsand a 10-7 record to the
playoffs as a rookie, so I thinkthat was a great season to
(20:57):
cement himself.
He was the number two overallpick from Ohio State, so he
already came in with a lot ofexpectations.
He had a down year this lastyear.
It wasn't bad by any means, butit wasn't as good.
So I think, just how MVP votersjust tend to like new people,
not the same consistent ones.
I think he just has the story,the skill and if he puts up the
(21:22):
stats to get one before Patrick,mahomes can get another or a
few more before he eventuallyretires.
Ethan (21:30):
Yeah, I could definitely agree with that.
Going into number two now,second hottest take out for both
of us I'm gonna say the broncos.
The denver broncos has the bestroster in the AFC West, with Bo
(21:50):
Nix having, just this lastseason, 37 yards with 29
touchdowns, cortland Suttonhaving 135 targets, 1,000 yards
and eight touchdowns within thewhole season, pat Sertan II 34
solo tackles, four interceptionsand a touchdown and Brandon
(22:12):
Jones 79 tackles and threeinterceptions.
Just naming four out of reallystar players last season and
many more.
And even seeing what they'regoing to do in this draft, they
have one of the best rosters inthe AFC West.
Gabe (22:31):
That the best rosters in the AFC West.
That is quite the take.
I don't even know.
I don't even know if I couldagree with that if I wanted to.
Ethan (22:43):
In my heart that just feels wrong to hear or say We've
been used to hearing all theBroncos yeah, they're 9-3 games.
But now that they beat theChiefs in the last game of the
season and had a positive record, I believe they're starting to
(23:03):
become more relevant now in theAFC West.
Gabe (23:06):
I'll give you this Are they getting better over the
years?
Yes, Under Sean Payton he'sbeen making great moves.
He's give you this Are theygetting better over the years?
Yes, Under Sean Payton he'sbeen making great moves.
He's trained them well.
He's obviously done some gooddraft moves.
That's just such a crazy.
That is wow.
(23:27):
That is, you know, quite thethought.
I don't know.
I don't know if I can getbehind.
I don't know if I can getbehind.
Here.
I'll just say this we'll agreeto disagree.
I I understand what you'resaying, but I don't know.
I don't know left themspeechless with how good that
take was well, these, my nexttwo takes, are going to be very
(24:00):
controversial, to say the least.
First off, my second take um,it's a mob take.
I said that the yankees havepitiful pitching um and they
have great hitting.
They need to be a little morebalanced in their roster.
How do you do that?
You sell Aaron Judge while hestill has value.
Ethan (24:13):
Oh, yeah, easy what you agree with that.
I'm not a Yankees fan, so ofcourse I'm going to agree with
that.
Gabe (24:20):
Well, I'm not saying that you have to be a Yankees fan.
I just think the reason I thinkthat's a very controversial
take is obviously he's still anMVP caliber player.
He puts up crazy stats day inand day out.
It's just my reasoning forsaying that they should sell
them is like I said they have abunch of hitters.
(24:41):
Now in the last video I saidthey do have a bunch of no names
that, due to the new bat, canbe getting their stats inflated.
A lot of people didn't agreewith that, but I mean, if you
want to go with what they'resaying, they have Jazz, chris
Holm, who isn't putting up thecrazy stats but he is getting
home runs, trent Grissom and BenRice.
(25:04):
They're all pretty good hitters.
I mean I didn't know about thembefore the whole bat, but if
they're who these people aresaying they are, then they have
three decent hitters.
I mean I didn't know about thembefore the whole bat, but if
they're who these people aresaying they are, then they have
three decent hitters already.
So they don't need aaron judgethere and um, their pitching is
horrible.
I mean they're two startingpitchers, are always injured,
(25:26):
especially this season.
They're injured, so so theyhave backup after backup trying
and the backups are pitiful.
So that's contributing to theirwhole winning one week, losing
another.
They're not very consistent,which we also spoke on in the
other episode.
Their inconsistency comes withone game they can blow them out
(25:46):
because their hitters are goingto overperform, not over.
They're going to perform well.
One game they can blow them outbecause their hitters are going
to overperform, not over.
They're going to perform well,but their pitchers are just
going to underperform andthey're going to cause the team
to lose some weeks.
So I think if they sell AaronJudge while he still has enough
value, they can get morepitchers.
Maybe to compensate for him,they can get another batter, so
(26:07):
they can have four guys you knowwhat I mean?
Four, look two guys and thenthey can get some good pitchers
and then they'll have, you know,a balanced team.
But I think Aaron Judge, he'salways injured, not always.
He's injured a lot of the time,whether it's his toes or just
something.
He always has an injury andhe's missing a lot of games and
(26:30):
they're still paying him so muchmoney.
And he's missing a lot of gamesand they're still paying him so
much money and he's taking upall that roster space.
So they need to be moreconsistent with their winning.
And how you do that, you getrid of their old injury.
Um torn, you know player, Imean, like I said, he saw some
value right now.
So mbp caliber player, but Ithink it's a sport game.
You know what I mean yeah and ateam sport.
(26:52):
I don't know why.
It's just a sport game.
Ethan (26:53):
I meant a team sport, um, so I think yeah, to add on to
what you're saying, if you canget rid of one player and fill
needs and you're having peoplethat can hit and get on base or
even get homers, that's betterthan relying on one person and
everyone else to just try tooverscore, than just actually
(27:15):
play a good defensive game.
Gabe (27:17):
Right.
So I think they just need to bea little more balanced, and
they can do that by sellingAaron Judge.
Ethan (27:24):
Going into number one, I'm scared after that Broncos
one.
It's an MLB take.
I said that the AL West is thebest division in the MLB, having
the Rangers 14-9, astros 12-11,mariners 12-11, angels 11-11,
athletics 10-13.
Probably one of the best ones,but the average of this division
(27:48):
is a .517, one of the highestrecord ratios in all the
divisions.
I don't think that's verycontroversial, I mean your last
one wasn't very controversial,for me at least.
Gabe (28:09):
I can see what you're saying, like just combination of
the record.
I think it's controversial inthe fact that, talent-wise, I
don't think they're the best.
I mean, think about it.
Aren't the Padres and theDodgers in the same division?
Ethan (28:29):
So I mean what about that ?
Gabe (28:31):
It's just things like that .
I mean, there's other divisionsthat have a lot more skill
power or a lot more, you know,just a bigger showtime.
Ethan (28:45):
I guess you could say but again, we just said that this
is a team sport, not a singularperson.
Players that you could combineto make these teams overall good
throughout the whole durationof the game and produce a team
with a plus 500 win-loss ratio.
(29:07):
Besides, the athletics theathletics always suck for time
being.
That's what will drive teams togo into playoffs and maybe even
World Series.
Is team play instead ofsingular relying on one person.
Gabe (29:23):
I can understand that.
I can understand that, but eventhen I'd say just the balance
of, for example, like I said,the Padres are the best team in
the league, so if you comparethem to somebody like the
Rangers, they're better.
So let's compare those twodivisions.
(29:46):
If you have this team, that'sbetter than this team, that's
okay.
The other next two are okay.
So they'll tie there and I justthink, like those divisions or
those tiny little groupings Idon't know if the AL West is
necessarily the best, but Iunderstand why you're saying
that they are off to a greatstart to the season.
(30:08):
So I could say my final answertowards your hot take is I'll
just say I'm torn.
Okay, now, my first hot take isextremely hot.
I said, simply put, I'm goingto say straight off the the bat
Patrick Mahomes is holding theChiefs back.
Yes, what?
(30:29):
Wow, yeah, okay, you agree withme.
Yeah, I'm just going to saythey're not winning because of
Patrick Mahomes.
They're winning in spite ofPatrick Mahomes yes.
I'm some reasons for me sayingthat is I think they're too
dependent on him.
Their offense is a Mahomes orbust offense.
So when he has mediocre or badgames, the whole team suffers,
(30:55):
not only the offense, the wholeteam suffers.
Ethan (30:57):
And a good example is the Super Bowl against the Eagles
Just being absolutely blown outand just getting overrushed and
just having not enough time.
Just Patrick Holmes doesn'tknow what to do and he just
freezes.
Gabe (31:13):
Yeah so I can.
Yeah, that's one of my examples.
Another thing is I thinkthey're so focused on Mahomes
and just making sure he's good,making sure everything in his
realm, whether he's developed orhe's happy.
I don't think they spend enoughtime developing young receivers,
except I'll say, xavier Worthy.
(31:34):
He's maybe their one exception,but besides that, they haven't
been able to get a lot ofreceivers and develop them.
And if they get any goodreceivers is because they get
old superstars like deandrehopkins or odell or they even
try the cadareous tony.
It just doesn't work.
You know, and just beyond that,they do everything by patrick
(31:54):
mahomes.
They ignore their run becausethey want patrick mahomes to do
his hero game and he can't playhis hero game all the time and
expect to win the super bowlevery year.
It works sometimes, but itdoesn hero game all the time and
expect to win the Superbowlevery year.
It works sometimes, but itdoesn't work all the time.
I mean, if you look at thechiefs red zone efficiency ever
since 2023, it's been one of theworst to the in the league.
It's been, I think, middle 21and lower when it comes to the
(32:19):
red zone efficiency.
So I don't think my homes isnecessarily carrying that team
or making them the best.
I think he started a dynastybut now, because they've become
so relying, like, like I said,relying on him, and they just
feel like they need him.
They're not reaching their maxpotential.
(32:40):
So my solution, I said, is getpatrick mahomes out of there,
because they already establisheda good team and I think they
need somebody that's a littlemore balanced of a QB, because
Patrick Mahomes likes to play alot of hero games.
So I need somebody that I think, somebody that can be a little
more balanced but that's stillgood and productive and can help
the team, because they can'tjust throw a good or a bad QB
(33:01):
and then expect to win.
So my I think a good QB for thereplacement of Patrick Holmes
could be Brock Purdy.
Ethan (33:09):
That is a hot take.
You should have just said thatinstead, instead of leading with
oh yeah, patrick Holmes isholding back.
Yes, I'll agree with that.
But Brock Purdy, get me wrong.
Mad in terms yes, I could seethat'll happen.
Get me wrong Madden terms yes,I could see that'll happen.
But real life, the Niners havegave up so many players.
(33:30):
Let so many players walk.
I don't see them ever gettingrid of Brock Purdy.
They're going to be smart.
Gabe (33:38):
Think about it.
Patrick Mahomes is good, butwherever he goes, I think I
think just for the most partbecause he's already established
himself as one of those toptier players in the NFL they're
just going to ruin their teamfor him, whether that means give
up their whole team just toacquire him, build their whole
(34:00):
team around him.
Whether it's working or not,that's what they're going to do.
So hear me when I say it againBrock Purdy needs to replace
Patrick Mahomes ASAP.
I mean, I think if they do that, they can have a more balanced
QB, that they won't have to relytheir whole offense around, so
they can develop wide receivers,they can develop their run game
(34:23):
, so they'll actually have amaybe something that isn't super
guessable, because, as of rightnow, when you go against the
chiefs, you already know they'regonna have patrick mahomes.
Try to put on a show and if youare expecting a clinic from a qb
, you're gonna run.
You're gonna run a high defense, you know.
So I think if they just replacepatrick mahomes with brock
(34:46):
purdy, I think that couldprobably be a great scenario for
them.
They can continue to winbecause brock purdy is a good qb
, but they won't be over relyingon brock.
So they'll develop as a team,they'll develop as an offense
and they'll continue theirdynasty.
And then whenever, whereverthey say or not say, wherever
they sell patrick mahomes tothat team is going to overdo for
(35:06):
him.
And then they're going to becomea travesty.
Ethan (35:13):
Okay, just that last part .
I'm a little torn on.
But, everything else you said Ican agree with.
Gabe (35:23):
Okay, well, those are our hot takes for today.
Thank you guys for joining us.
I hope you guys all had a greatEaster this past weekend.
I know I did.
Ethan (35:36):
We are this week.
We are not going to have aregular podcast.
We are going to be doing aNFLfl draft live stream, so tune
into that.
It'll be probably a lot of funfor the both of us.
Hopefully y'all can uh have thesame excitement as well yeah,
(35:56):
thank you and, as always, have agreat day adios Adios.
Hey guys, it's Gabriel!
Ethan (00:01):
Hey, it's Ethan.
Gabe (00:03):
This is Hot Takes presented by the Two Dudes - 1
Debate podcast, a weekly seriescoinciding with the sport of
that week, where we will rankfive of our craziest sport takes
, with the fifth being the mosttame to the first being the most
outrageous take.
Ethan (00:17):
With us covering the NFL and MLB in weeks one and two, we
will combine them to give yousix hot takes for our first
episode.
These six hot takes will havethree from the NFL and three
from the MLB.
Gabe (00:27):
Let's get into it.
Ethan (00:38):
Alrighty, and I think I'll start things off with my
first hot take, or, as we say,number five or six this week,
I'd say in the NFL, rookies aretoo overhyped.
Putting too many expectationson kids who played a different
(00:59):
set of rules in a league withplayers with years of experience
and expecting them to do greatthings off the bat is too
outrageous for just what I see.
Gabe (01:10):
Okay, yeah.
I can agree with that.
That's not crazy.
That's not a crazy take,rookies definitely are.
Well, I don't know.
Well, I can see what you'resaying.
Like, they're still kids,they're still developing their
skills and the fact that theycome into a league of the
world's best expecting todominate right away is kind of
(01:30):
crazy.
Ethan (01:31):
But to a certain extent that's the reason they're
getting drafted to the nfl,because they're some of the
greatest in their leagues, youknow well, yeah but they're
being drafted into these teamswho had horrible records, who
can't really do much in theirjust regular, uh, regular, but
they're being drafted into theseteams who had horrible records,
who can't really do much intheir regular season.
They're putting way too manyexpectations on kids to be like
(01:52):
yes, these kids will make thisteam great in a matter of a
season.
Gabe (01:58):
Yeah, that's a good point.
I mean I also think it dependson the player.
I mean if you have agenerational talent, I think
they can turn around or developvery quickly into that player.
I mean, if you look at AaronDonald, in his respect, nobody
thought he was going to doanything crazy.
Aaron Donald was veryundervalued, they overlooked him
(02:21):
a lot.
But he came into the league inthe first season Within a few
weeks he was starting and thenthen, you know, his name is
cemented in history forever now.
So it's not like it took himtwo, three years to get him
cemented into as nfl's one ofthe top players you know.
So I mean I think it depends onthe player, along with the team
, because if you have a truegenerational talent, they can go
(02:43):
to any team and they're goingto produce, they're going to um,
develop and they're gonna youknow they're gonna fill those
expectations.
But I mean not everybody,because I mean there's just some
players that are super electricin college that just can't
translate over to the nfl, likejohnny manziel, um, obviously
(03:04):
one of the best college QBs ofall time but just couldn't get
it together in the NFL.
Whether that you want to sayit's the Browns that did him
wrong, or his drinking andpartying habits, I mean whatever
.
So I mean I can see what you'resaying, but I think I just
think it.
Ethan (03:20):
That's more situational but how many generational
talents are you going to seecoming out of every single draft
?
That's a good point.
Okay that's a good point.
Gabe (03:32):
Well, my sixth one I'm going to go over, which is like
the most tame I have with agingor already old stars and harder
competition.
The Houston Astros are out oftheir juice and their dynasty,
their baseball dynasty, isofficially over.
Ethan (03:51):
I'm not even going to disagree with that.
I'll agree with that fullheartedly.
Gabe (03:55):
The only reason I have that in a hot take is because I
know that some people, whetherthey're Houston Astros fans or
just baseball fanatics, they'reso stuck in the past when they
would dominate for years and I'mnot gonna lie, they did good,
they had stars, yeah.
But I mean, if you look now,jose Altuve is 34 and he's like
(04:17):
probably their best player, andthen they lost Kyle Tucker and
Alex Bregman, so they've lostmost of their stars.
Their remaining stars are oldand I mean it's just when
they're not getting better.
If you look at the AL West, theAL West is getting better
without them.
They're leaving them in thedust.
I mean you look at the Rangersand the Mariners right now.
(04:41):
They're both not amazing, butthey're getting better.
I mean the Rangers, like wediscussed in one of our last
episodes, they're off to a hotstart.
So if you look at what thehouston astros have been doing
up to now, it's pretty obviousthat they're not the people that
they've been for the past,however long you know.
Ethan (05:00):
For whatever reason you want to say it is for whatever
reason you want to say, it isyeah, I'm actually going to get
behind that first pick.
But yeah, I could get behindwhat you're saying on that one.
Going up a little on my fifthpick I'm having the Philadelphia
Eagles will miss the playoffsJust getting rid of good players
(05:24):
over the offseason, not signingthem or trading them away.
It's going to really harm theirSuper Bowl chances and maybe
even playoff chances.
Gabe (05:34):
That is a crazy take.
There's a lot to unpack there,so do I.
I'll say what I agree with.
I agree that they're losingvaluable players.
They're definitely throughoutthe years, a lot's obviously
always changing.
Whether that was Jason Kelsey afew years ago, so now they're
(05:57):
giving up some wide receivers,some defensive key players.
I mean I've even heard rumorsthat they are willing to trade
aj brown.
So, um, I think a lot ishappening with their team and a
lot's changing which coulddefinitely affect their strength
and their, um, just who theyare, I guess, as a team.
(06:20):
But I wouldn't say that they'regoing to miss playoffs.
I think, generally speaking,they're too good to miss just
playoffs.
In general, are they going togo far?
Not necessarily.
Maybe they get swept firstround and they're out.
Ethan (06:37):
I say they're going to be in wild card.
I don't think they're going tobe first in NFC.
Gabe (06:41):
I don't think they're going to be first in the uh nfc
and get like a buy or anything.
I'm just saying I don't know ifthey're gonna miss playoffs
completely.
I don't.
I don't think they're gonnafall off that bad in one year,
to the point where they're gonnamiss the whole nfl playoffs.
You see what I'm saying.
I think, like I said, theymight not, they probably won't
win two times in a row.
That's I.
I'll get behind that.
They're not gonna win two timesin a row.
(07:02):
That's I, I will get behindthat.
They're not going to win twotimes in a row.
But do I see them just totallyfalling off the planet and then
not making it to the playoffs?
I don't see that.
I think they're too generallygood to do that.
Unless, let's say, jalen hurts,gets injured, they trade aj
brown, you know like then I cansee something crazy happening.
(07:22):
But as of right now, if they'rejust changing their roster, I
think they're going to make it.
Ethan (07:27):
Well, I was saying it could.
I didn't say it will for sure.
I'm saying they will for surewon't go to the Super Bowl, just
that the playoffs.
I might see a wild card, butjust with a lot of their key
players that pushed them andcarried them through these
playoffs and into the Super Bowl.
(07:47):
I they're they got, gave awayor didn't sign and they, those
people, were really pushing inthose playoffs and now, since
they're gone, I don't see themdoing much in regular season
yeah, I can agree with Well,going a little crazier.
Gabe (08:05):
Take my fifth one.
I have that.
I think the Buffalo Billsobviously peaked in 2020, and
now they're just stuck inpurgatory.
In my opinion, I think theBills' Super Bowl window is
officially closed.
I don't think they're going tobe winning anytime soon and,
sadly, probably not in JoshAllen's era.
Ethan (08:26):
With a lot of things happening to the Chiefs a lot of
players leaving, a lot ofplayers retiring or being traded
or not being signed they have achance.
I think the only team they havein competition in a playoff
that's stuck in limbo with themis the Ravens.
That's stuck in limbo with themis the Ravens.
The AFC, I'm going to be honest, is probably one of the better
(08:54):
conferences in the NFL.
Just how many championshipshave happened to me just over in
the past few decades is howmany teams have won the Super
Bowl.
It came from the AFC.
I just I see what you're saying, but the Ravens are stuck there
as well and I think the Billscan outplay them and I could see
them going to the Super Bowl.
Gabe (09:14):
Well, this is the thing.
The Chiefs, I think they'regoing to be good for a while.
I mean, this is their dynastyand I don't see them falling off
.
I mean, as it pertains toPurgatory.
I do agree that the Ravens andin my opinion I even say the
(09:36):
Bengals, those three teams,along with the Chiefs, they're
the four elite, they're the fourbest of the AFC.
In my opinion.
Elite, they're the um four bestof the afc, in my opinion.
Um, but three of those fourjust can't seem to pull it
together consistently like thechiefs have and get through to
win.
But the reason I sayspecifically the bills is
(09:57):
because after they peaked theyhaven't been able to even get
necessarily close to that,something close to the bangles.
Except the bangles have a lotyounger roster, so they have
more time to get their stufftogether.
Josh allen's 28, they lost vonmiller.
Um, they're just, they'regetting, they're not getting any
younger.
You know, and they've spentthese past few years in this
(10:22):
realm of are we going to do itthis year, are we not?
And like I said, five years agoat this point they peaked and
now it's getting too late to dothat again.
They won't have it, they won'thave time to be a dynasty.
You know what I mean.
So I just don't think they'reever going to.
I don't not that they're nevergoing to win the Superbowl, I
just don't think in the nearfuture you're going to see the
(10:45):
Bills donning that banner Withthe team they have right now.
Ethan (10:52):
Yeah, I would say that.
Gabe (10:54):
Josh Allen era.
I see, in my opinion, as of now, like I said, I just think the
Bills Super Bowl window isofficially closed.
Ethan (11:03):
Okay, you drive a pretty good point there.
Me going to number four.
Now I'm going to say the LosAngeles Angels are a good team.
It's just their front.
They have a terrible frontoffice.
Their front office needs tore-evaluate itself.
Not doing well in the offseason, don't get me wrong.
The Angels had one of the beststarts since what 2011 in their
(11:29):
franchise history.
They're starting to become morerelevant again, winning games.
They're 11-11 right now, butjust their front office needs to
rework itself to actually pushthem into a playoff contending
MLB team.
Gabe (11:48):
I see what you're saying.
Look, I would love to say thatthe Angels are a good team In my
heart.
I want to say it.
I just don't know if I can, witha straight face, say yeah, the
Angels are a contender or, like,the Angels are a good team.
When it pertains to your pointof whose fault it is, whether
(12:09):
it's the team or the frontoffice, I can see why you'd say
it's the front office.
The front office definitelyisn't helping, but I mean, the
team isn't too crazy stacked.
They lost Shohei.
Mike Trout is really old atthis point Still good, still one
of the home run leaders.
(12:30):
I'm not saying he's bad, butsame thing with Josh Allen.
He's not getting any younger,so let's say, in a few years he
retires, so they lost two oftheir biggest superstars, and
then the front office sucks.
I mean I just I don't know.
I mean, to this season, as ofthis far, are they a bad team?
No, I don't think so.
Are they a good team?
I'll say they're a good team,but like, if you mean good as in
(12:53):
, oh yeah, they're like a reallygood team, they're a contender.
Ethan (12:55):
I don't agree with that I think that yeah, not right now.
I'd say that their office isholding them back yeah, I see
what you're saying.
Gabe (13:02):
I just think I, I think just they're a good team flat.
Ethan (13:05):
You know what I mean.
I think that's Mid.
Gabe (13:07):
Yeah, I think that's probably where that will end for
me.
Ethan (13:10):
Yeah, I don't see their.
I mean, they could be giant SanFrancisco caliber.
They did beat them a few daysago, but they just need to do
more signings.
They need to get more playersthe front office could have, but
they didn't even try to fightfor him and they just let him go
down the street to the Dodgers.
(13:31):
If their front office didsomething that she wanted to
prove this team, they could havekept Shohei and pushed this
team into more relevancy insteadof just a mid-team.
Gabe (13:43):
That's good.
These dogs are going to make melose my mind, man, I'm sorry.
Anyway, to my fourth one, whatI have to say is like, look, if
the padres and the dodgersplayed tomorrow, who do you
think is going to win?
Most people would say thedodgers, because that's the name
around the league right now.
(14:04):
That's just what everybody sayswhen and when you talk to an
nfo player oh, who's the bestteam in the league?
Oh, the Chiefs, are they Not?
Maybe, maybe not.
In my opinion, I think theDodgers are just a name of the
league.
They have a bunch of bigplayers, but in my opinion, I
think my big take is I think thePadres are better than the
(14:24):
Dodgers If you look at theirstart, like I said, 2025 season,
their fit or, as of this, lasttime I updated this list, they
were 15 and 6, with a 13 and 3start.
Um, I think, along with thedodgers, they also have a lot of
superstars.
They have tatis jr, they havemuriel, they have machado.
(14:44):
Um, I think they have their ownbona fide superstars.
It's's just the Dodgers have alot bigger name than the Padres.
The Padres are very flashy,well-known as the Dodgers.
I mean, everybody knows theDodgers, even if you're not a
baseball fan, you know aboutthem, especially now that
(15:05):
they're having some dominance inthe league.
Combine dominance with a bigreputation and you're going to
be, all of a sudden, the best inthe league.
Dominance with a big reputationand you're going to be all of a
sudden, the best in the league.
But I think the padres arebetter than them.
I mean, combine that with thefact that the padres are having
some amazing pitching thisseason um michael king and dylan
sees have been god sent forthem.
You know, they've been amazing.
(15:25):
They have high eras and theystrike out on a consistent basis
.
They do their job at a highlevel.
And you combine that withFernando Muriel Machado the
hitters they're just better thanthe Dodgers.
Ethan (15:42):
So you described all this .
What's your hot take?
Gabe (15:47):
My hot take is that the Padres are better than the
Dodgers.
Ethan (15:51):
Okay, okay, I could see that.
I could see with what you'resaying.
The Dodgers are a very flashyteam, very wanting to be name
brand, so to speak.
Just, I think that hot take isgoing to come into fruition with
(16:14):
uh coming up in this these fewweeks.
I believe they're gonna have aseries with the padres and we
could see on who's gonna bebetter than as well so, but,
flash.
yeah, right now, being thisearly in the season, it'll be
hard to say just because, yes,we've played what 20-something
(16:40):
games.
Now I don't think we've seenfull potential from any team
besides the Braves.
The Braves kind of suck, butother than that, I think it'd be
a really good game.
I could see where you're going.
It's just that's hard to choosea side on.
Gabe (17:01):
Yeah, but that's the hill I'm willing to die on.
I'm not a Padres fan but, as oflately, I just in my heart, if
you ask me who's going to winthe league, I'm not a Padres fan
, but as of lately, I just in myheart.
If you ask me who's going towin the league, I'm going to say
the Padres, I'm not going tosay the Dodgers.
Ethan (17:16):
Going on to number three, I have the opposite spectrum of
my last one.
The Diamondbacks are going tobe a very sneaky good team.
Their front office is makinggreat signings.
Their training, their justproduction they had right now
will probably leave lead thearizona diamondbacks into
offseason uh, playing into theplayoffs.
(17:39):
I'm not saying they're going togo in the world series, I'm
gonna.
I'm saying they're gonna havereally great um chances to be in
the playoffs.
That is a crazy take.
Gabe (17:52):
I'm not going to comment too much on it because I don't
know too much about theDiamondbacks, so I'm not going
to make claims or statements onthings I don't know a lot about.
But from what I know, arizonais a miserable place to be a
sports fan.
So if you just take that in togeneral, I mean the diamondbacks
(18:15):
are probably really bad rightnow.
But let me see the record.
Actually I'm very curious nowthat you brought that up.
I mean, if they're off to a hotstart like the other teams, I
mean okay, they're 14-9.
They're actually not that bad.
Okay.
Well, just based off that statright there, they're 14-9.
(18:38):
Based off just that, I thinkthey can be a good team.
Maybe a few years of developingthen they can get better.
But I don't know 14-9 is good,it's just I don't know too much
about them to say like oh yeah,for sure, this for sure, that
you know.
Yeah, okay, my third take um.
(19:01):
As shown with yokich and sga,um mvp voters like fresh blood.
So my hot take is I think cjstroud is gonna make a run for
the afc south.
Obviously he's gonna own that,own that little division for a
long time and as he's owningthat, the team's gonna only get
better around him.
Ethan (19:20):
So I think he's gonna win an mvp before mahomes wins
another oh, geez, um, when wasthe last time patching like are
you talking about?
Like league MVP?
Gabe (19:31):
Yeah, like best player the whole league.
I think CJ Trout is going towin before Mahomes wins another.
Ethan (19:37):
Last season was Lamar Jackson, this last season was
Jokic or Jokic.
Gabe (19:44):
What am I talking about?
It was Josh Allen.
Sorry, I got the J, oh yeah.
Ethan (19:47):
The season before that was Lamar Jackson.
I'm getting my season.
Gabe (19:51):
So it's been like around two, three years.
Ethan (19:54):
I could definitely see that Patrick Mahomes is dropping
from a top three caliberquarterback to being top five,
maybe eight.
I could see CJ Stroud.
He is climbing the ranks veryfast.
Um, I could definitely see himbeing getting the mvp before um
(20:20):
patrick mahomes the reason Isaid that is obviously.
Gabe (20:25):
Patrick mahomes is the standard um I'm not saying he's
a bad qb.
He's obviously arguably thebest QB in the league, whether
he won MVP in the past fewseasons or not.
Ethan (20:36):
And he's going to be a.
Gabe (20:37):
Hall of Famer.
I just think, for a few reasons, cj is going to win it.
He has the narrative overPatrick.
He had a stellar rookie season4,000-plus yards, throwing 23
touchdowns, five interceptionsand a 10-7 record to the
playoffs as a rookie, so I thinkthat was a great season to
(20:57):
cement himself.
He was the number two overallpick from Ohio State, so he
already came in with a lot ofexpectations.
He had a down year this lastyear.
It wasn't bad by any means, butit wasn't as good.
So I think, just how MVP votersjust tend to like new people,
not the same consistent ones.
I think he just has the story,the skill and if he puts up the
(21:22):
stats to get one before Patrick,mahomes can get another or a
few more before he eventuallyretires.
Ethan (21:30):
Yeah, I could definitely agree with that.
Going into number two now,second hottest take out for both
of us I'm gonna say the broncos.
The denver broncos has the bestroster in the AFC West, with Bo
(21:50):
Nix having, just this lastseason, 37 yards with 29
touchdowns, cortland Suttonhaving 135 targets, 1,000 yards
and eight touchdowns within thewhole season, pat Sertan II 34
solo tackles, four interceptionsand a touchdown and Brandon
(22:12):
Jones 79 tackles and threeinterceptions.
Just naming four out of reallystar players last season and
many more.
And even seeing what they'regoing to do in this draft, they
have one of the best rosters inthe AFC West.
Gabe (22:31):
That the best rosters in the AFC West.
That is quite the take.
I don't even know.
I don't even know if I couldagree with that if I wanted to.
Ethan (22:43):
In my heart that just feels wrong to hear or say We've
been used to hearing all theBroncos yeah, they're 9-3 games.
But now that they beat theChiefs in the last game of the
season and had a positive record, I believe they're starting to
(23:03):
become more relevant now in theAFC West.
Gabe (23:06):
I'll give you this Are they getting better over the
years?
Yes, Under Sean Payton he'sbeen making great moves.
He's give you this Are theygetting better over the years?
Yes, Under Sean Payton he'sbeen making great moves.
He's trained them well.
He's obviously done some gooddraft moves.
That's just such a crazy.
That is wow.
(23:27):
That is, you know, quite thethought.
I don't know.
I don't know if I can getbehind.
I don't know if I can getbehind.
Here.
I'll just say this we'll agreeto disagree.
I I understand what you'resaying, but I don't know.
I don't know left themspeechless with how good that
take was well, these, my nexttwo takes, are going to be very
(24:00):
controversial, to say the least.
First off, my second take um,it's a mob take.
I said that the yankees havepitiful pitching um and they
have great hitting.
They need to be a little morebalanced in their roster.
How do you do that?
You sell Aaron Judge while hestill has value.
Ethan (24:13):
Oh, yeah, easy what you agree with that.
I'm not a Yankees fan, so ofcourse I'm going to agree with
that.
Gabe (24:20):
Well, I'm not saying that you have to be a Yankees fan.
I just think the reason I thinkthat's a very controversial
take is obviously he's still anMVP caliber player.
He puts up crazy stats day inand day out.
It's just my reasoning forsaying that they should sell
them is like I said they have abunch of hitters.
(24:41):
Now in the last video I saidthey do have a bunch of no names
that, due to the new bat, canbe getting their stats inflated.
A lot of people didn't agreewith that, but I mean, if you
want to go with what they'resaying, they have Jazz, chris
Holm, who isn't putting up thecrazy stats but he is getting
home runs, trent Grissom and BenRice.
(25:04):
They're all pretty good hitters.
I mean I didn't know about thembefore the whole bat, but if
they're who these people aresaying they are, then they have
three decent hitters.
I mean I didn't know about thembefore the whole bat, but if
they're who these people aresaying they are, then they have
three decent hitters already.
So they don't need aaron judgethere and um, their pitching is
horrible.
I mean they're two startingpitchers, are always injured,
(25:26):
especially this season.
They're injured, so so theyhave backup after backup trying
and the backups are pitiful.
So that's contributing to theirwhole winning one week, losing
another.
They're not very consistent,which we also spoke on in the
other episode.
Their inconsistency comes withone game they can blow them out
(25:46):
because their hitters are goingto overperform, not over.
They're going to perform well.
One game they can blow them outbecause their hitters are going
to overperform, not over.
They're going to perform well,but their pitchers are just
going to underperform andthey're going to cause the team
to lose some weeks.
So I think if they sell AaronJudge while he still has enough
value, they can get morepitchers.
Maybe to compensate for him,they can get another batter, so
(26:07):
they can have four guys you knowwhat I mean?
Four, look two guys and thenthey can get some good pitchers
and then they'll have, you know,a balanced team.
But I think Aaron Judge, he'salways injured, not always.
He's injured a lot of the time,whether it's his toes or just
something.
He always has an injury andhe's missing a lot of games and
(26:30):
they're still paying him so muchmoney.
And he's missing a lot of gamesand they're still paying him so
much money and he's taking upall that roster space.
So they need to be moreconsistent with their winning.
And how you do that, you getrid of their old injury.
Um torn, you know player, Imean, like I said, he saw some
value right now.
So mbp caliber player, but Ithink it's a sport game.
You know what I mean yeah and ateam sport.
(26:52):
I don't know why.
It's just a sport game.
Ethan (26:53):
I meant a team sport, um, so I think yeah, to add on to
what you're saying, if you canget rid of one player and fill
needs and you're having peoplethat can hit and get on base or
even get homers, that's betterthan relying on one person and
everyone else to just try tooverscore, than just actually
(27:15):
play a good defensive game.
Gabe (27:17):
Right.
So I think they just need to bea little more balanced, and
they can do that by sellingAaron Judge.
Ethan (27:24):
Going into number one, I'm scared after that Broncos
one.
It's an MLB take.
I said that the AL West is thebest division in the MLB, having
the Rangers 14-9, astros 12-11,mariners 12-11, angels 11-11,
athletics 10-13.
Probably one of the best ones,but the average of this division
(27:48):
is a .517, one of the highestrecord ratios in all the
divisions.
I don't think that's verycontroversial, I mean your last
one wasn't very controversial,for me at least.
Gabe (28:09):
I can see what you're saying, like just combination of
the record.
I think it's controversial inthe fact that, talent-wise, I
don't think they're the best.
I mean, think about it.
Aren't the Padres and theDodgers in the same division?
Ethan (28:29):
So I mean what about that ?
Gabe (28:31):
It's just things like that .
I mean, there's other divisionsthat have a lot more skill
power or a lot more, you know,just a bigger showtime.
Ethan (28:45):
I guess you could say but again, we just said that this
is a team sport, not a singularperson.
Players that you could combineto make these teams overall good
throughout the whole durationof the game and produce a team
with a plus 500 win-loss ratio.
(29:07):
Besides, the athletics theathletics always suck for time
being.
That's what will drive teams togo into playoffs and maybe even
World Series.
Is team play instead ofsingular relying on one person.
Gabe (29:23):
I can understand that.
I can understand that, but eventhen I'd say just the balance
of, for example, like I said,the Padres are the best team in
the league, so if you comparethem to somebody like the
Rangers, they're better.
So let's compare those twodivisions.
(29:46):
If you have this team, that'sbetter than this team, that's
okay.
The other next two are okay.
So they'll tie there and I justthink, like those divisions or
those tiny little groupings Idon't know if the AL West is
necessarily the best, but Iunderstand why you're saying
that they are off to a greatstart to the season.
(30:08):
So I could say my final answertowards your hot take is I'll
just say I'm torn.
Okay, now, my first hot take isextremely hot.
I said, simply put, I'm goingto say straight off the the bat
Patrick Mahomes is holding theChiefs back.
Yes, what?
(30:29):
Wow, yeah, okay, you agree withme.
Yeah, I'm just going to saythey're not winning because of
Patrick Mahomes.
They're winning in spite ofPatrick Mahomes yes.
I'm some reasons for me sayingthat is I think they're too
dependent on him.
Their offense is a Mahomes orbust offense.
So when he has mediocre or badgames, the whole team suffers,
(30:55):
not only the offense, the wholeteam suffers.
Ethan (30:57):
And a good example is the Super Bowl against the Eagles
Just being absolutely blown outand just getting overrushed and
just having not enough time.
Just Patrick Holmes doesn'tknow what to do and he just
freezes.
Gabe (31:13):
Yeah so I can.
Yeah, that's one of my examples.
Another thing is I thinkthey're so focused on Mahomes
and just making sure he's good,making sure everything in his
realm, whether he's developed orhe's happy.
I don't think they spend enoughtime developing young receivers,
except I'll say, xavier Worthy.
(31:34):
He's maybe their one exception,but besides that, they haven't
been able to get a lot ofreceivers and develop them.
And if they get any goodreceivers is because they get
old superstars like deandrehopkins or odell or they even
try the cadareous tony.
It just doesn't work.
You know, and just beyond that,they do everything by patrick
(31:54):
mahomes.
They ignore their run becausethey want patrick mahomes to do
his hero game and he can't playhis hero game all the time and
expect to win the super bowlevery year.
It works sometimes, but itdoesn hero game all the time and
expect to win the Superbowlevery year.
It works sometimes, but itdoesn't work all the time.
I mean, if you look at thechiefs red zone efficiency ever
since 2023, it's been one of theworst to the in the league.
It's been, I think, middle 21and lower when it comes to the
(32:19):
red zone efficiency.
So I don't think my homes isnecessarily carrying that team
or making them the best.
I think he started a dynastybut now, because they've become
so relying, like, like I said,relying on him, and they just
feel like they need him.
They're not reaching their maxpotential.
(32:40):
So my solution, I said, is getpatrick mahomes out of there,
because they already establisheda good team and I think they
need somebody that's a littlemore balanced of a QB, because
Patrick Mahomes likes to play alot of hero games.
So I need somebody that I think, somebody that can be a little
more balanced but that's stillgood and productive and can help
the team, because they can'tjust throw a good or a bad QB
(33:01):
and then expect to win.
So my I think a good QB for thereplacement of Patrick Holmes
could be Brock Purdy.
Ethan (33:09):
That is a hot take.
You should have just said thatinstead, instead of leading with
oh yeah, patrick Holmes isholding back.
Yes, I'll agree with that.
But Brock Purdy, get me wrong.
Mad in terms yes, I could seethat'll happen.
Get me wrong Madden terms yes,I could see that'll happen.
But real life, the Niners havegave up so many players.
(33:30):
Let so many players walk.
I don't see them ever gettingrid of Brock Purdy.
They're going to be smart.
Gabe (33:38):
Think about it.
Patrick Mahomes is good, butwherever he goes, I think I
think just for the most partbecause he's already established
himself as one of those toptier players in the NFL they're
just going to ruin their teamfor him, whether that means give
up their whole team just toacquire him, build their whole
(34:00):
team around him.
Whether it's working or not,that's what they're going to do.
So hear me when I say it againBrock Purdy needs to replace
Patrick Mahomes ASAP.
I mean, I think if they do that, they can have a more balanced
QB, that they won't have to relytheir whole offense around, so
they can develop wide receivers,they can develop their run game
(34:23):
, so they'll actually have amaybe something that isn't super
guessable, because, as of rightnow, when you go against the
chiefs, you already know they'regonna have patrick mahomes.
Try to put on a show and if youare expecting a clinic from a qb
, you're gonna run.
You're gonna run a high defense, you know.
So I think if they just replacepatrick mahomes with brock
(34:46):
purdy, I think that couldprobably be a great scenario for
them.
They can continue to winbecause brock purdy is a good qb
, but they won't be over relyingon brock.
So they'll develop as a team,they'll develop as an offense
and they'll continue theirdynasty.
And then whenever, whereverthey say or not say, wherever
they sell patrick mahomes tothat team is going to overdo for
(35:06):
him.
And then they're going to becomea travesty.
Ethan (35:13):
Okay, just that last part .
I'm a little torn on.
But, everything else you said Ican agree with.
Gabe (35:23):
Okay, well, those are our hot takes for today.
Thank you guys for joining us.
I hope you guys all had a greatEaster this past weekend.
I know I did.
Ethan (35:36):
We are this week.
We are not going to have aregular podcast.
We are going to be doing aNFLfl draft live stream, so tune
into that.
It'll be probably a lot of funfor the both of us.
Hopefully y'all can uh have thesame excitement as well yeah,
(35:56):
thank you and, as always, have agreat day adios Adios.
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