September 3, 2024 • 43 mins
Get ready to untangle the chaos of the Dallas Cowboys' offseason in this packed episode of Beat the Clock Sports Talk with me, Anthony "The Ant-Man" Felli. What's the real impact of CeeDee Lamb's mega contract, and why is Dalvin Cook on the practice squad? We'll uncover the layers of Jerry Jones' management—controversial, to say the least—and break down the quarterback conundrum between Dak Prescott and Trey Lance. This episode isn't just about the Cowboys; it's about understanding the very foundation of a team in flux and what it means for their future.
Switching gears, the spotlight is on the high-stakes expectations for the Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals, and Chicago Bears. Can Joe Burrow carry the Bengals to the Super Bowl amidst a shaky offensive line? We'll dissect the urgency of bolstering O-line protection and establishing a balanced offensive strategy. Meanwhile, the Lions' strengths in pass rush and the Bears' rebuilding efforts around top pick Caleb Williams add to the season's excitement. Get ready for a deep analysis of these teams' dynamics and their quest for greatness.
Finally, join us in predicting the AFC North and NFC North standings. How will Joe Mixon's absence affect the Bengals? What does the future hold for Jamar Chase’s contract? We'll forecast divisional outcomes, spotlighting the Lions' potential to retain the NFC North title and the Packers' transition under Jordan Love. Wrapping up, we pay tribute to two young hockey stars lost too soon—a somber reminder of life's fragility. Stay connected for more engaging sports talk and don't miss this comprehensive, thought-provoking episode.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Beat the.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Clock Sports Talk and the Blue Jays have repeated as
World Series champions Joe,you'll never hit a bigger home
run in your life.
Six yards away from PontiacThird and three Montana Throwing
(00:34):
in the end zone, clark caughtit, dwight Clark.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Beat the clock, sports talk.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Martez looking, gets it to Bryant.
Bryant, dribbling, has to putit up with the buzzer, banks it
in Ha ha, he banks in the threeand the Lakers win the game.
And now your host, anthony theAnt-Man, feli.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
What is up.
I am the Ant-Man and this isBeat the Clock.
Sports Talk Wherever you areand however you are listening.
Thank you for joining me today.
Today's episode is loaded withNFL topics, like what is going
on in Big D, in spite of therecent moves signing Dalvin Cook
to the practice squad which ishuge, by the way and the
extension of CeeDee Lamb.
(01:21):
Is that enough to move theneedle and save what has
otherwise been a turbulentoffseason?
And oh yeah, there is still bigquestions at QB I will discuss
and, in light of howentertaining I find the Dallas
dysfunction to be, I'll give mythoughts on the rest of the NFC
East and my predictions on whereeach team ends up at the end of
(01:43):
the season.
And if you're like me and havebeen enjoying the bears on Max's
hard knocks, then you willenjoy the segment I would like
to call lions, bangles and bears.
Oh my.
Obviously not division specific, but all teams coming into the
season with high expectations.
We're talking first round pickand USC Trojan superstar Caleb
(02:04):
Williams, the return of JoeBurrow and the reigning NFC
North champs, the Detroit Lions,looking to keep the Bears at
bay and retain their throne andalso looking to take the next
step find their way to a SuperBowl appearance in 2025.
Now, before we get started, gosubscribe to Beat the Clock
(02:24):
Sports Talk wherever you enjoylistening to your podcast.
Hit that notification bell soyou never miss when a new
episode drops.
Check out all of the show'ssocial media and website.
All links will be listed in theshow description.
So, without further ado, herewe go.
First, I'd like to start off bysaying this USC LSU in prime
(02:52):
time at Allegiant Field in LasVegas was a I mean, it was all
of the hype that you had hopedit would be Number 13 LSU versus
number 23 USC USC's debut intothe Big Ten.
(03:13):
A lot of still very bad bloodsimmering from the 2003 sharing
of the national title.
This game is 21 years too late,but still so special.
And SC did it, my boys did it.
Fight on, baby, fight on.
(03:40):
So down in Dallas, cd Lam signsa new four-year $136 million
deal.
What does it mean and why didit take so long to get there?
Again, this seemed like ano-brainer, but Jerry Jones
cannot seem to get out of hisway.
I saw a report today.
It said in a survey of playeragents about the current state
(04:04):
of the NFL, conducted by theAthletic.
One agent, speaking about theDallas Cowboys owner, jerry
Jones, believes quote the gamehas passed him by end, quote.
The agent ranked the Cowboys asthe most unstable franchise in
the league.
As Jerry wants to turn profitsand make headlines, and that's
really what it's been all about.
Right, jerry Jones is all aboutthe bright lights.
(04:26):
You know.
He built Jerry's world AT&Tstadium at the time, one of the
largest stadiums to be built.
Constant off season turmoil,always looking for the big names
, and it almost seems as ifwe've reached a point where
(04:49):
negative attention is just asgood, if not better, than no
attention at all.
And that's that's what JerryJones has become.
That's what the Dallas Cowboyshave become.
Quite frankly, it's diminishingof a franchise that had so much
(05:12):
lure and pedigree.
When I was growing up as a kid,big D, you had the triplets on
offense, you had an outstandingdefense, you were winning Super
Bowls, you had Hall of Famecoaches, and it's been reduced
to rubble over the last.
(05:34):
What?
20 years, 22 years, and thereare signs of life.
Jerry Jones at times is justenough to keep everybody wanting
more, but at the end of the day, the rest of the league sees
(06:03):
the Cowboys as the most unstablefranchise in the league Over
the Oakland Raiders, whileformerly known as the Oakland
Raiders, the Las Vegas Raiders,who are in their own turmoil.
And Dallas takes the cake, theonce proud, prominent franchise,
(06:25):
the Cowboys.
So the news of them signingDalvin Cook, huge, but this may
be a year too late for thecourtship.
Where was this last year,knowing that they had to move on
from Zeke, which they did,handing the reins to Tony
(06:47):
Pollard and who Deuce Vaughn?
So obviously, tony Pollard, anincredible back, but not worth
the money and definitely not anumber one.
Now he's gone and now you'vemade the signing of Dalvin Cook.
I think it's too late.
(07:08):
I think it's too late.
And besides, they move him tothe practice field practice
squad, but surely he'll getcalled up to share time,
seemingly with a deteriorated,declining Zeke Elliott, who came
back after his stint away andsophomore, running back Deuce
(07:30):
Vaughn, and I like Deuce Vaughn,just severely undersized.
But let's talk about the meat ofevery team's issues.
Colin Cowherd will say over andover and over again that if you
don't have a quarterback, youdon't have a winning franchise.
The quarterback is the mostimportant position in the NFL
(07:55):
right now, on the football teamand the QB room for the Dallas
Cowboys couldn't be in more dire, and many who don't know much
about the NFL may look at thenames Dak Prescott and Trey
Lance think to themselves Idon't know why all the fuss.
Who wouldn't want a pro bowlerwith a former first-round pick
(08:16):
as a backup?
And it seems as though theCowboys wisely positioned
themselves for the future.
Well, the jury still may be outon both those thoughts, because
Dak has been good, but reallynot since his second season,
(08:37):
with a couple lower bodyinjuries to blame and you again
to blame.
Or you can point the finger atand you again to blame, or you
can point the finger at.
But he's never really developedinto the QB1 that Dallas or its
fans had hoped that he would be, let's face it, and I mean sure
he's been productive in theregular season.
(09:00):
Peyton Manning spent his wholecareer being productive in the
regular season.
That was the real differencebetween him and Tom Brady, right
?
Peyton Manning broke all therecords, seemingly, in the
regular season, but Tom Bradywon the rings.
Tom Brady won the rings, peyton2.
(09:23):
Tom 12.
So what was it all for?
And Dak can give you as much asyou could ask in the regular
season with what he has to workwith especially, but can't seem
to find it in the games thatmatter.
(09:45):
Now.
Dak has thrown for 202touchdowns versus 74
interceptions in his career and,yes, he will likely reach
30,000-yard career mark thisyear.
But the quality in hisproduction and postseason pales
(10:07):
in comparison to those of theregular season.
Get this the Cowboys' currentplayoff record with Dak is an
abysmal 2-5.
And in that span Dak has thrownfor 1,962 yards, 14 touchdowns
and seven interceptions.
(10:27):
The Cowboys have only made itout of the first round twice in
the last seven years and, basedon the now ongoing situation
with Dak's contract, the DallasCowboys most importantly the
owner GM himself, jerry Jonesdoesn't seem to believe that Dak
is their guy past this year.
To say that that message seemsto be hey, this is a prove-it
(10:52):
year for Dak.
That would likely be mostaccurate.
To make matters worse, jerryJones went out and got Trey
Lance last year from the 49ers.
Matters worse Jerry Jones wentout and got Trey Lance last year
from the 49ers.
Get this 49ers couldn't, justcouldn't get rid of him fast
enough once Brock Purdy emergedas QB one.
(11:14):
So, um, what does that tell me?
Well, jerry brings him in andhopes that he would compete with
Dak for QB one spot.
So far, in my opinion, that hopehas quickly been sapped by Trey
(11:34):
Lance's poor preseason showing,and that preseason showing
included a five-interceptionpreseason finale.
So when you think about that,the appearance that the Dallas
Cowboys America's team, jerryJones's team, is willing to go
into this season with a lameduck quarterback, dak Prescott,
(11:56):
and no real plan for thepossibility of a no Dak future
makes Dalvin Cook and CeeDeeLamb.
This lost my train of thoughtthere.
It makes Dalvin Cook and CeeDeeLamb's news seem so much
smaller than what it should be.
The season starts in one week.
(12:18):
Dak has weapons in his arsenalBrandon Cook, ceedee Lamb,
dalvin Cook.
And so can he turn thenarrative around?
Can he overcome the weight ofthe expectations that come with
wearing Star on the side of hishelmet?
Can he get over the chatter ofhow he constantly underperforms
(12:38):
when it matters most?
As usual, the one thing we haveall come to count on is that
there will be big stories towatch in Big D, and the saga
continues, starting this week inCleveland.
So that leads us into the racefor the NFC East.
(13:03):
My thoughts on the DallasCowboys are so well known and
for anybody who listens to theshow.
You would recall all the timesthat I've talked poorly but
truly about the Dallas Cowboys,and I have to be honest.
When I sat down to plan thisepisode, I was prepared to come
on here and tell everyone thatthe Dallas Cowboys, with Dak
(13:25):
Zeke and no CD lamb, wouldfinish at the bottom of the NFC
East.
This obviously was beforeCeeDee Lamb gets re-signed and
Dalvin Cook gets put on thepractice squad.
It was before I remembered thatthey share the Eastern
(13:46):
conference with the New Yorkfootball giants who, by the way
and to get it out of the wayvery early we'll finish the year
at the bottom of the NFC East.
Daniel Jones cannot remain QBone.
The front office has to rebuildthat O-line completely For
(14:09):
whoever, whoever takes the reinsnext, and then someone in the
front office should be fired ordemoted for allowing Saquon
Barkley to not only leave infree agency, to not only leave
in free agency, but to have theopportunity to join the NFC and
division rival and favoredPhiladelphia Eagles.
(14:32):
What a major fluff up that was.
So, with that out of the way,here's the rest of my forecast
for the NFC East.
Dallas avoids the bottom, butonly by one spot and in the
close race they end up third.
(14:53):
Here's where it getsinteresting and my friend Ray
Hume will enjoy this one.
The NFC division one throughthree will be very close, I'm
certain of that.
I'm feeling like one to threegame separation.
A few episodes ago I predictedthat the Eagles would win this
(15:16):
division.
I still believe that.
But where it gets interesting,and what I didn't see at the
time was just how much potentialand how well-rounded the
Washington commanders seem to be.
I like this kid, jaden Daniels.
He has a certain flair andmoxie about him that Washington
hasn't had in the locker room ina long time.
(15:37):
And while his preseason statsdon't include passing touchdowns
, he didn't throw any to theother defenses either.
He had a solid 12 for 15passing and threw 423 yards.
For good reason, jaden didn'tsee much playing time in the
preseason because his status asQB1 was quickly sealed up.
(16:01):
I mean, you didn't draft him tosit him right, but he made a
real impression with his arm andhis legs.
He is the reigning HeismanTrophy winner.
Let's not forget and watchingLSU yesterday without him,
listen, the kid they have now isa solid quarterback.
(16:21):
Now is a solid quarterback.
But if it's Jaden Danielsagainst my USC Trojan team last
night.
Lsu finds a way to win thatballgame.
He is just too dynamic.
He showed it all year.
Last year.
You add Zach Ertz and hisveteran leadership to the mix,
(16:45):
with Olamide Zacchaeus and LukeMcCaffrey, and a defense a
defense consisting of BobbyWagner, dante Fowler Jr and
commanders could and should be aforce to reckon with in the NFC
East.
So to recap, from last to thetop, I got the lowly train wreck
(17:16):
of a franchise, new York Giantsat the bottom of the pack.
I have the Cowboys finishing aspot above at third as the
dysfunctioning Big D plays outthrough the season.
I have the WashingtonCommanders making a statement by
finishing at number two andthey make the playoffs as a wild
card.
And I have the Eagles fly,philly fly winning the NFC East
(17:37):
by only a game or two over theCommanders and Cowboys.
I would also bet that MikeMcCarthy gets shown the door at
the end of this season.
There's no way.
He, there's no way.
So in a way he is a lame duckcoach as well, but he would just
(17:58):
become another cowboy coach totake the fall for Jerry's
delusional role as owner GM.
Let's just face it and then beon the watch for day ball to
lose his job in New York as well.
It's not all his fault, buthe'll be on the hook and take
the blame for the losingdecisions of GM Joe Schoen.
(18:19):
Let's face it he put all hischips into Daniel Jones by
letting Saquon walk.
He said as much in hard knocksfor all the world to see, and I
just don't think it's going towork out very well.
Now let's shift gears to threeteams that are, and should be,
(18:47):
under an enormous amount ofexpectations coming into the
season the lions, the banglesand the bears oh my two in the
same conference, in division, indivision division, and one of
many that are looking up at theChiefs and the AFC.
(19:12):
Two of these teams will haveplenty of attention on the QB
position and one will have toanswer to the question that
comes with navigating a muchimproved division and how to
build off the surprise successof last season.
So let's start in the AFC withthe Bengals and what the path to
(19:32):
the Super Bowl return may looklike.
The first key and the mostimportant for this team is the
return of Joe Burrow.
In four years Joe has battledseason-ending ACL tear, ending
his rookie campaign, a calfstrain and a wrist injury ending
(19:53):
his season last year.
A Super Bowl appearance and onecomplete season in between.
And as much as I enjoy watchingBurrow play football, if the
Bengals cannot establish a solidrushing attack and improve
their major problems in theO-line, then Joe Burrow will
probably have a very, very shortcareer.
(20:15):
I almost put a note in hereDavid Carr, but I couldn't do it
because David Carr I don'tthink ever made the playoffs and
certainly never won a SuperBowl.
But the parallel is this DavidCarr was drafted to a very new
(20:39):
Houston Texans team and he gotthe ever living s beat out of
him every single day.
David Carr.
For those of you who don't know, look him up.
Anybody who does know will alsoknow that Derek Carr is his
(21:01):
little brother, who's having amuch more successful in a lot of
ways and definitely betterlongevity in his career than his
brother, david.
But David was so talented andthe Texans just couldn't protect
him.
They couldn't keep him off hisback, and I see a lot of that
(21:21):
happening with Joe Burrow inCincinnati.
As much as I enjoy watching,though, if the Bengals cannot
establish a solid rushing attackand improve the major problems
on their whole line, then JoeBurrow's career will mirror that
part of David Carr's career,and it'll be very, very short.
(21:45):
That's horrible for football asa whole and it's horrible for
football fans who love the flairand pizzazz that Joe Burrow
brings.
So here's an interesting fact Icame across Joe Burrow was on
(22:11):
pace to drop back and throw thefootball 721 times last year.
Pace to drop back and throw thefootball 721 times last year.
In four years, burrow hasdropped back to throw 404 times
in 10 games, 520 times, theSuper Bowl year 606 times in 16
games and in a shortened seasonlast year, 365 times, but
(22:34):
remember he was on pace to throwthe ball 721 times had his
season not been cut short.
That would have been 109 morethan the eventual leader in
attempt, sam Howell, with 612passing attempts with the
Washington Commanders.
Furthermore, is 116 times morethan NFC North winning Lions
(22:57):
quarterback Jared Goff.
So let's take a look at what theBengals have done and keep in
mind owner Mike Brown isnotorious for not wanting to
spend money and it showed in howmuch they did not want to
improve their O-line.
And it showed in how much theydid not want to improve their
(23:19):
O-line or how they did not domuch, because I'm sure the want
was there how they didn't domuch to improve their O-line and
, from what I see, only one movemade this offseason get guard
Cody Ford.
And I will admit I'm not aBengals beat writer.
I'm not in the locker room, Idon't have insider information.
All I can go off of is surfaceinformation that I can pick up
(23:48):
of you know, depth charts andtransaction history and things
like that, and all I see is theone signing.
So if I'm missing something,hey, my bad, I'll own it.
It just doesn't look like muchwhen you know that you have this
(24:14):
problem.
It's been this way for fouryears and maybe hopefully they
see something in the talent thatthey had from last year
returning starters that will bemore healthy coming into the
season.
But the bottom line is this thisO-line must improve and do
their job keeping Burrow upright, because in four years Joe
Burrow has been sacked 148 times.
(24:35):
He's averaging 37 sacks aseason.
So the OC has got a job to do.
The O-line has got a job to doat protecting the face of their
franchise.
It's just ridiculous how oftenthis guy gets hit.
He is the face of yourfranchise and I don't think
(25:06):
we've seen full Joe Burrowpotential.
So hopefully this year and I'dlike to say I'm a closet Bengals
fan, I've been, I'll ride withthe Bengals man, with the Chad
Johnson, chad Ochocinco days andCorey Dillon days and Carson
Palmer, marvin Lewis, the headcoach I will ride with the
(25:34):
Bengals in the AFC.
I'm fascinated by them.
So I hope for their success andI hope that they catch on
pretty quickly because I do notthink we've seen Joe Burrow's
potential and hopefully thisyear is the year, hopefully they
prove me wrong.
(25:54):
But we've covered the OC job,which you know again.
How does the OC help Well,scheming game planning,
establish the running game,scheme your protections, all
those things right.
And Joe's got to do a littlebetter job himself and, just so
that it's not all on everybodyelse, he hasn't had quite the
(26:17):
time, because of injury, toreally develop in this way, but
I think it'll come.
But he's got to get better atreading blitzes, making reads
earlier, getting rid of thefootball.
I think that'll serve forhimself to keep himself healthy.
But the OC needs to schemebetter, needs to game plan
better, needs to call playsbetter, structure plays better,
(26:38):
script plays better, however youwant to say it.
And the O-line has got to bebetter keeping people away from
their quarterback.
But another area that needs tobe better is the rushing attack.
Again, rushing attack O-line gohand in hand.
The O-line has got to get somepush this year.
They have to open holes.
(27:00):
It's the one surefire way tohelp Joe stay on his feet and
keep defenses honest so theycan't pin their ears back and
just fly at him.
Without Joe Mixon, though, Ithink it'll be something to
(27:22):
watch for.
Incoming back Zach Moss, comingoff a 724, 25-yard
five-touchdown season with theColts, will run alongside Chase
Brown and Kendall Milton.
You know, can they be countedon to ensure that the Bengals
can possess the ball and shortengames?
This will surely be an elementthat should be watched
(27:48):
throughout the season.
And lastly, I won't forget theincredibly talented Jamar Chase.
Remember when I said owner MikeBrown was notoriously cheap?
Well, with the CD, lam andBrandon Ayuk deals now done,
(28:14):
jamar Chase could make a play toget a deal that equals or
trumps them both.
That's how the game works.
They've done set the market andhe is certainly more talented
and more valuable than both CDand Brandon.
The issue is the history of theBengals as an organization.
Is that a huge payday for Chaseis not an absolute?
(28:36):
Is that a huge payday for Chaseis not an absolute?
So I plead Let me put my sportsfan hat back on.
I plead with Mike Brown for thesake of your franchise.
If you are listening out thereby chance, you just come across
this message Pay this man, Getthis Chase deal done.
(29:01):
Already he has the biggestweapon you could put in Joe's
offense.
Couple him up with T Higginsand Trenton Irwin.
It'd be hard-pressed for anydefense to stay in doubles or
over-the-top coverage on him.
Mike, do the deal.
Come on, man.
This is a no-brainer.
Why is it taking this long?
(29:23):
So we're in awill-here-or-won't-he situation.
Will Jamar Chase start nextweek in their opener?
I don't know, I don't know, Idon't know.
But all we could do is sit back, grab some popcorn and watch
(29:45):
what happens.
But I suspect that Chase isabout to get paid big and if the
Bengals are smart, if MikeBrown is paying attention, he's
going to be the one to do thisdeal.
I got the Bengals winning theirdivision.
That's my pick.
Baltimore finishes second, getsa wildcard bid to the playoffs.
(30:07):
That bonus track, listenersbonus track an inadvertent NFC
North or AFC North forecast forall of you.
You're welcome.
And now On to the NFC North.
(30:31):
The Lions shocked everyone lastyear, coming out on top of the
division.
It was the perfect storm forthem and they had been building
a team and a culture equipped toseize that opportunity.
Bears in complete rebuild mode,seemingly spiraling out of
(30:54):
control, and with Caleb Williamscoming out seems a bit
intentional.
And Aaron Rodgers leaving thePackers for the Jets made the
environment right for the Lionsto have their moment.
What but Ant-Man?
He didn't mention the Vikings,but were they ever really a
(31:18):
factor?
I mean even before Cousins'injury, but certainly after.
Not a factor.
So let's start with the culture.
With the culture comes thecoaching staff.
Dan Campbell, the head coach, ano-nonsense, tough football guy
(31:49):
and, aside from hisoverconfidence and somewhat dumb
gambles and high-stakessituations, he is such a good
football coach and theorganization and the players are
all the way in for this guy andhe certainly is all the way in
for them.
Next, jared Goff.
In three years with the Lionsafter being traded by the Rams
for Matthew Stafford, a swaphonestly rejuvenated both men's
(32:12):
careers.
A swap Honestly rejuvenatedboth men's careers.
Jared Goff has thrown foraround 13,000 yards, 78
touchdowns, 27 interceptions andan average QBR of 96.
That is pretty solid for a QB,especially a QB who has been at
(32:32):
the forefront of this Lionsrebuild.
If you throw a 1,000-yardrusher David Montgomery and
1,500-yard receiver AmonRossi-Brown, tight end Sam
Laporta and a solid defenseranked fifth in the league last
year, you have all theingredients to not only follow
up what was done in 2023, butalso build on it.
(32:59):
The biggest weakness for theLions was the pass rush and pass
coverage.
It's hard to really pinpointwhich is the culprit to the
other.
At times, both facets causeproblems for the Lions,
particularly the playoff loss tothe 49ers in the NFC divisional
round.
If the Lions can tweak thosetwo areas coming into this
(33:24):
season just a little, I thinkthe odds are in their favor to
continue this rise in the NFC.
They'll need to, if not for tworeasons the Packersers, jordan
Love and the former USCsuperstar, heisman Trophy winner
, caleb Williams, just south ofthe lake in Chicago.
(33:52):
I mentioned at the top of theshow that I've been a huge fan
of the Bears Hot Doc series.
For no other reason than beingable to see how the franchise
has completely wrapped theirarms around Caleb Williams.
They've given him everyopportunity to develop on an NFL
level Resigning DJ Moore, goingout to get Keenan Allen,
drafting Rome Odunze I think Isaid that right, rome Odunze,
(34:20):
say that three times fastSigning DeAndre Swift.
They've all been huge for themomentum of granting early
success to a team with its newyoung star, early success to a
team with its new young star.
(34:41):
I should also mention the Bearshad the top rated defense in
2023.
There was no drop off in thattalent coming into this year's
preseason.
In fact, the defense got alittle boost Jonathan Owens and
Austin Booker.
The 144th pick out of Kansas.
It only serves to make theexpectation for this defense
(35:04):
shoot through the roof.
The hype for the Bears thisseason, somewhat due to the
stint on hard knocks, isastronomical.
I'm buying into it.
So the NFC North bears take thedivision line, squeak in with
(35:24):
the wild card Packers, since Igave them a shout out, or Jordan
love a shout out or earlier,we'll finish.
Third Jordan, jordan love.
Jordan Love looks every bit thepart of a franchise looking to
get back to glory, but surelythere's huge holes on both sides
(35:47):
of the ball that the Packerswill spend the next couple years
addressing?
Almost certainly.
So now those two things are outof the way.
I just want to give you a coupleother things I'll be looking
for this year Watching theRavens offense and the
(36:11):
possibility of it being sodynamic and explosive with the
addition of Derrick Henry.
He's going to open up so muchfor them.
Can you imagine the one-twopunch anyway just in the running
game between Lamar Jackson andDerrick Henry?
Plus Derrick can get out in theflats and catch the football.
It's going to be wild.
Excuse me, I'm trying to findthat 49ers news from earlier.
(36:48):
Anywho, cj Stroud sophomoreyear.
The addition of Joe Mixon andStefan Diggs is going to make
Houston just a crazy dangerousteam.
(37:11):
I loved watching CJ last year.
Now he's got weapons, he's gotpossibly a dynamic rusher.
It's going to be crazy.
Mike McDaniels, I'll crazy MikeMcDaniels.
I'll be watching Mike McDanielsof the Dolphins.
Well, because who doesn't?
This dude is an absolute gem.
(37:32):
Heck of a ball coach, and Miamishould be able to make some
noise in the AFC East hands down.
So I'll be watching MikeMcDaniel.
I'll be looking to see if AaronRodgers makes it past four
plays this year with the Jets.
I threw that in there for alittle bit of humor.
Hold on my computer is doingsome crazy things right now.
(37:55):
But yeah, I kind of threw thatin for humor.
But I mean, in all reality, howdoes he come back?
How does he look?
How does he get back intogroove and rhythm after such a
severe injury?
Achilles injuries are nothingto play around with.
Obviously, we know the medicine, the technology, the rehab is
so much better for athletesthese days with this type of
(38:16):
injury, but still it is aserious, career-changing or
ending type of injury.
So I'm glad he's back.
I think it's good for theleague.
Whether he owns the villainrole or you are a fan of Aaron
Rodgers, it's just so good tohave him in the league.
(38:38):
The league needs him to generatethe views and the spin and all
of the things in the cycle ofthe league.
The league needs him togenerate the views and the spin
and all of the things in thecycle of the year.
So yeah, even though I put thatin there to be humorous, in all
reality I will be watching,because who doesn't want to
watch Aaron Rodgers and see whathe can do coming off of this
injury?
Another thing I'll be watchingis when will Drake May get a
(39:00):
start in New England?
I mean, I like Jacoby Brissett,but the Patriots didn't draft
this kid to sit him.
So I'll be watching to see whenDrake May gets a start.
Another thing I want to seeGeno Cook in a new wide open
offense in Seattle.
(39:20):
So let Geno Cook, because hestill ain't wrote back.
I checked, I checked, I lookedat all the news sources out
there and I happened to noticethat all the critics were
writing and Gino still has notwrote back.
I'll be taking wagers on howlong the Steelers ride with
(39:42):
Russell Wilson, and then I wantto see how often Russ and Justin
Fields rotate as QB one.
So if you're interested, hoponline, get on the website and
send in all of your predictionsas well, and we'll we'll have a
little friendly competitionabout it.
You know the the old adage goesif you have a little, uh,
friendly competition about it,um, you know the the old adage
(40:04):
goes if you have two QBs, youhave none, and I think that's
where the Steelers are fixing tofind themselves.
And, lastly, I cannot wait forsome Buccaneers football.
I'm looking for Baker to have ahuge year this year.
There is no more TB12 shadowlingering in Tampa.
(40:24):
The show is all of his and Ilook forward to him stepping up
and shutting up all the noise hehas gotten his whole career.
This year, 2024, is Baker'syear.
Let's go, bucs, fire themcannons.
So whether you're lookingforward to cooler weather that
(40:46):
comes with fall, or looking toachieve greatness or regain your
fantasy football glory,football season is right around
the corner.
Folks, I hope everyone isexcited for this regular season
as I am.
I hope everyone is excited forthis regular season as I am.
(41:08):
So, with that out of the way,just wanted to make mention I'm
sure everybody's heard the news49ers draft pick wide receiver
man.
I'm just trying to find hisname.
I'm not too familiar with him,but I don't want to be
disrespectful in doing this.
I want to do this the right way.
Um, ricky Parasol I hope I'msaying that right Ricky Parasol,
(41:46):
shot during a robbery, was instable condition, now out of the
hospital.
So I want to wish him a speedyrecovery.
And we don't do a lot of hockeyhere.
I am an avid hockey fan.
I love watching hockey whenit's on, but I'm not familiar
(42:06):
with the players.
But the tragedy of the two youngplayers that were killed while
riding their bikes, supposedlyhit by a drunk driver and, to
make matters worse, it was justhours before their sister's
wedding.
Condolences to everybodyinvolved and feeling that loss.
Um, people, stay safe, bevigilant when you're on the road
(42:31):
, whether you're driving, hiking, walking, riding a bike on a
motorcycle, keep your head on aswivel, pay attention to those
around you.
And, uh, and, and, please,please, please.
If the shoes on the other footand you're out having a good
time and you're having somedrinks, use Uber.
There's plenty of ride share.
(42:51):
Uh, companies out right now.
Find a different way to get towhere you want to go without
getting behind the wheel of avehicle, because this is a
tragedy that happens so much, ithappens so often and it's so
needless.
So please, please, everybody,be safe out there.
(43:11):
Again, condolences to thefamilies and everybody who's
feeling that tragedy of thosetwo young emerging hockey stars,
of those two young, uh,emerging hockey stars.
With all that said, remember,hit the subscribe button, hit
the notifications, go check outthe show's social media and
website.
All the links are in the show'sdescription.
(43:33):
Thank you again for sharingthis time with me.
That is all for this episode.
I am the Ant-Man and this isBeat the Clock so long.
Welcome to Beat the.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
Clock Sports Talk and the Blue Jays have repeated as
World Series champions Joe,you'll never hit a bigger home
run in your life.
Six yards away from PontiacThird and three Montana Throwing
(00:34):
in the end zone, clark caughtit, dwight Clark.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Beat the clock, sports talk.
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Martez looking, gets it to Bryant.
Bryant, dribbling, has to putit up with the buzzer, banks it
in Ha ha, he banks in the threeand the Lakers win the game.
And now your host, anthony theAnt-Man, feli.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
What is up.
I am the Ant-Man and this isBeat the Clock.
Sports Talk Wherever you areand however you are listening.
Thank you for joining me today.
Today's episode is loaded withNFL topics, like what is going
on in Big D, in spite of therecent moves signing Dalvin Cook
to the practice squad which ishuge, by the way and the
extension of CeeDee Lamb.
(01:21):
Is that enough to move theneedle and save what has
otherwise been a turbulentoffseason?
And oh yeah, there is still bigquestions at QB I will discuss
and, in light of howentertaining I find the Dallas
dysfunction to be, I'll give mythoughts on the rest of the NFC
East and my predictions on whereeach team ends up at the end of
(01:43):
the season.
And if you're like me and havebeen enjoying the bears on Max's
hard knocks, then you willenjoy the segment I would like
to call lions, bangles and bears.
Oh my.
Obviously not division specific, but all teams coming into the
season with high expectations.
We're talking first round pickand USC Trojan superstar Caleb
(02:04):
Williams, the return of JoeBurrow and the reigning NFC
North champs, the Detroit Lions,looking to keep the Bears at
bay and retain their throne andalso looking to take the next
step find their way to a SuperBowl appearance in 2025.
Now, before we get started, gosubscribe to Beat the Clock
(02:24):
Sports Talk wherever you enjoylistening to your podcast.
Hit that notification bell soyou never miss when a new
episode drops.
Check out all of the show'ssocial media and website.
All links will be listed in theshow description.
So, without further ado, herewe go.
First, I'd like to start off bysaying this USC LSU in prime
(02:52):
time at Allegiant Field in LasVegas was a I mean, it was all
of the hype that you had hopedit would be Number 13 LSU versus
number 23 USC USC's debut intothe Big Ten.
(03:13):
A lot of still very bad bloodsimmering from the 2003 sharing
of the national title.
This game is 21 years too late,but still so special.
And SC did it, my boys did it.
Fight on, baby, fight on.
(03:40):
So down in Dallas, cd Lam signsa new four-year $136 million
deal.
What does it mean and why didit take so long to get there?
Again, this seemed like ano-brainer, but Jerry Jones
cannot seem to get out of hisway.
I saw a report today.
It said in a survey of playeragents about the current state
(04:04):
of the NFL, conducted by theAthletic.
One agent, speaking about theDallas Cowboys owner, jerry
Jones, believes quote the gamehas passed him by end, quote.
The agent ranked the Cowboys asthe most unstable franchise in
the league.
As Jerry wants to turn profitsand make headlines, and that's
really what it's been all about.
Right, jerry Jones is all aboutthe bright lights.
(04:26):
You know.
He built Jerry's world AT&Tstadium at the time, one of the
largest stadiums to be built.
Constant off season turmoil,always looking for the big names
, and it almost seems as ifwe've reached a point where
(04:49):
negative attention is just asgood, if not better, than no
attention at all.
And that's that's what JerryJones has become.
That's what the Dallas Cowboyshave become.
Quite frankly, it's diminishingof a franchise that had so much
(05:12):
lure and pedigree.
When I was growing up as a kid,big D, you had the triplets on
offense, you had an outstandingdefense, you were winning Super
Bowls, you had Hall of Famecoaches, and it's been reduced
to rubble over the last.
(05:34):
What?
20 years, 22 years, and thereare signs of life.
Jerry Jones at times is justenough to keep everybody wanting
more, but at the end of the day, the rest of the league sees
(06:03):
the Cowboys as the most unstablefranchise in the league Over
the Oakland Raiders, whileformerly known as the Oakland
Raiders, the Las Vegas Raiders,who are in their own turmoil.
And Dallas takes the cake, theonce proud, prominent franchise,
(06:25):
the Cowboys.
So the news of them signingDalvin Cook, huge, but this may
be a year too late for thecourtship.
Where was this last year,knowing that they had to move on
from Zeke, which they did,handing the reins to Tony
(06:47):
Pollard and who Deuce Vaughn?
So obviously, tony Pollard, anincredible back, but not worth
the money and definitely not anumber one.
Now he's gone and now you'vemade the signing of Dalvin Cook.
I think it's too late.
(07:08):
I think it's too late.
And besides, they move him tothe practice field practice
squad, but surely he'll getcalled up to share time,
seemingly with a deteriorated,declining Zeke Elliott, who came
back after his stint away andsophomore, running back Deuce
(07:30):
Vaughn, and I like Deuce Vaughn,just severely undersized.
But let's talk about the meat ofevery team's issues.
Colin Cowherd will say over andover and over again that if you
don't have a quarterback, youdon't have a winning franchise.
The quarterback is the mostimportant position in the NFL
(07:55):
right now, on the football teamand the QB room for the Dallas
Cowboys couldn't be in more dire, and many who don't know much
about the NFL may look at thenames Dak Prescott and Trey
Lance think to themselves Idon't know why all the fuss.
Who wouldn't want a pro bowlerwith a former first-round pick
(08:16):
as a backup?
And it seems as though theCowboys wisely positioned
themselves for the future.
Well, the jury still may be outon both those thoughts, because
Dak has been good, but reallynot since his second season,
(08:37):
with a couple lower bodyinjuries to blame and you again
to blame.
Or you can point the finger atand you again to blame, or you
can point the finger at.
But he's never really developedinto the QB1 that Dallas or its
fans had hoped that he would be, let's face it, and I mean sure
he's been productive in theregular season.
(09:00):
Peyton Manning spent his wholecareer being productive in the
regular season.
That was the real differencebetween him and Tom Brady, right
?
Peyton Manning broke all therecords, seemingly, in the
regular season, but Tom Bradywon the rings.
Tom Brady won the rings, peyton2.
(09:23):
Tom 12.
So what was it all for?
And Dak can give you as much asyou could ask in the regular
season with what he has to workwith especially, but can't seem
to find it in the games thatmatter.
(09:45):
Now.
Dak has thrown for 202touchdowns versus 74
interceptions in his career and,yes, he will likely reach
30,000-yard career mark thisyear.
But the quality in hisproduction and postseason pales
(10:07):
in comparison to those of theregular season.
Get this the Cowboys' currentplayoff record with Dak is an
abysmal 2-5.
And in that span Dak has thrownfor 1,962 yards, 14 touchdowns
and seven interceptions.
(10:27):
The Cowboys have only made itout of the first round twice in
the last seven years and, basedon the now ongoing situation
with Dak's contract, the DallasCowboys most importantly the
owner GM himself, jerry Jonesdoesn't seem to believe that Dak
is their guy past this year.
To say that that message seemsto be hey, this is a prove-it
(10:52):
year for Dak.
That would likely be mostaccurate.
To make matters worse, jerryJones went out and got Trey
Lance last year from the 49ers.
Matters worse Jerry Jones wentout and got Trey Lance last year
from the 49ers.
Get this 49ers couldn't, justcouldn't get rid of him fast
enough once Brock Purdy emergedas QB one.
(11:14):
So, um, what does that tell me?
Well, jerry brings him in andhopes that he would compete with
Dak for QB one spot.
So far, in my opinion, that hopehas quickly been sapped by Trey
(11:34):
Lance's poor preseason showing,and that preseason showing
included a five-interceptionpreseason finale.
So when you think about that,the appearance that the Dallas
Cowboys America's team, jerryJones's team, is willing to go
into this season with a lameduck quarterback, dak Prescott,
(11:56):
and no real plan for thepossibility of a no Dak future
makes Dalvin Cook and CeeDeeLamb.
This lost my train of thoughtthere.
It makes Dalvin Cook and CeeDeeLamb's news seem so much
smaller than what it should be.
The season starts in one week.
(12:18):
Dak has weapons in his arsenalBrandon Cook, ceedee Lamb,
dalvin Cook.
And so can he turn thenarrative around?
Can he overcome the weight ofthe expectations that come with
wearing Star on the side of hishelmet?
Can he get over the chatter ofhow he constantly underperforms
(12:38):
when it matters most?
As usual, the one thing we haveall come to count on is that
there will be big stories towatch in Big D, and the saga
continues, starting this week inCleveland.
So that leads us into the racefor the NFC East.
(13:03):
My thoughts on the DallasCowboys are so well known and
for anybody who listens to theshow.
You would recall all the timesthat I've talked poorly but
truly about the Dallas Cowboys,and I have to be honest.
When I sat down to plan thisepisode, I was prepared to come
on here and tell everyone thatthe Dallas Cowboys, with Dak
(13:25):
Zeke and no CD lamb, wouldfinish at the bottom of the NFC
East.
This obviously was beforeCeeDee Lamb gets re-signed and
Dalvin Cook gets put on thepractice squad.
It was before I remembered thatthey share the Eastern
(13:46):
conference with the New Yorkfootball giants who, by the way
and to get it out of the wayvery early we'll finish the year
at the bottom of the NFC East.
Daniel Jones cannot remain QBone.
The front office has to rebuildthat O-line completely For
(14:09):
whoever, whoever takes the reinsnext, and then someone in the
front office should be fired ordemoted for allowing Saquon
Barkley to not only leave infree agency, to not only leave
in free agency, but to have theopportunity to join the NFC and
division rival and favoredPhiladelphia Eagles.
(14:32):
What a major fluff up that was.
So, with that out of the way,here's the rest of my forecast
for the NFC East.
Dallas avoids the bottom, butonly by one spot and in the
close race they end up third.
(14:53):
Here's where it getsinteresting and my friend Ray
Hume will enjoy this one.
The NFC division one throughthree will be very close, I'm
certain of that.
I'm feeling like one to threegame separation.
A few episodes ago I predictedthat the Eagles would win this
(15:16):
division.
I still believe that.
But where it gets interesting,and what I didn't see at the
time was just how much potentialand how well-rounded the
Washington commanders seem to be.
I like this kid, jaden Daniels.
He has a certain flair andmoxie about him that Washington
hasn't had in the locker room ina long time.
(15:37):
And while his preseason statsdon't include passing touchdowns
, he didn't throw any to theother defenses either.
He had a solid 12 for 15passing and threw 423 yards.
For good reason, jaden didn'tsee much playing time in the
preseason because his status asQB1 was quickly sealed up.
(16:01):
I mean, you didn't draft him tosit him right, but he made a
real impression with his arm andhis legs.
He is the reigning HeismanTrophy winner.
Let's not forget and watchingLSU yesterday without him,
listen, the kid they have now isa solid quarterback.
(16:21):
Now is a solid quarterback.
But if it's Jaden Danielsagainst my USC Trojan team last
night.
Lsu finds a way to win thatballgame.
He is just too dynamic.
He showed it all year.
Last year.
You add Zach Ertz and hisveteran leadership to the mix,
(16:45):
with Olamide Zacchaeus and LukeMcCaffrey, and a defense a
defense consisting of BobbyWagner, dante Fowler Jr and
commanders could and should be aforce to reckon with in the NFC
East.
So to recap, from last to thetop, I got the lowly train wreck
(17:16):
of a franchise, new York Giantsat the bottom of the pack.
I have the Cowboys finishing aspot above at third as the
dysfunctioning Big D plays outthrough the season.
I have the WashingtonCommanders making a statement by
finishing at number two andthey make the playoffs as a wild
card.
And I have the Eagles fly,philly fly winning the NFC East
(17:37):
by only a game or two over theCommanders and Cowboys.
I would also bet that MikeMcCarthy gets shown the door at
the end of this season.
There's no way.
He, there's no way.
So in a way he is a lame duckcoach as well, but he would just
(17:58):
become another cowboy coach totake the fall for Jerry's
delusional role as owner GM.
Let's just face it and then beon the watch for day ball to
lose his job in New York as well.
It's not all his fault, buthe'll be on the hook and take
the blame for the losingdecisions of GM Joe Schoen.
(18:19):
Let's face it he put all hischips into Daniel Jones by
letting Saquon walk.
He said as much in hard knocksfor all the world to see, and I
just don't think it's going towork out very well.
Now let's shift gears to threeteams that are, and should be,
(18:47):
under an enormous amount ofexpectations coming into the
season the lions, the banglesand the bears oh my two in the
same conference, in division, indivision division, and one of
many that are looking up at theChiefs and the AFC.
(19:12):
Two of these teams will haveplenty of attention on the QB
position and one will have toanswer to the question that
comes with navigating a muchimproved division and how to
build off the surprise successof last season.
So let's start in the AFC withthe Bengals and what the path to
(19:32):
the Super Bowl return may looklike.
The first key and the mostimportant for this team is the
return of Joe Burrow.
In four years Joe has battledseason-ending ACL tear, ending
his rookie campaign, a calfstrain and a wrist injury ending
(19:53):
his season last year.
A Super Bowl appearance and onecomplete season in between.
And as much as I enjoy watchingBurrow play football, if the
Bengals cannot establish a solidrushing attack and improve
their major problems in theO-line, then Joe Burrow will
probably have a very, very shortcareer.
(20:15):
I almost put a note in hereDavid Carr, but I couldn't do it
because David Carr I don'tthink ever made the playoffs and
certainly never won a SuperBowl.
But the parallel is this DavidCarr was drafted to a very new
(20:39):
Houston Texans team and he gotthe ever living s beat out of
him every single day.
David Carr.
For those of you who don't know, look him up.
Anybody who does know will alsoknow that Derek Carr is his
(21:01):
little brother, who's having amuch more successful in a lot of
ways and definitely betterlongevity in his career than his
brother, david.
But David was so talented andthe Texans just couldn't protect
him.
They couldn't keep him off hisback, and I see a lot of that
(21:21):
happening with Joe Burrow inCincinnati.
As much as I enjoy watching,though, if the Bengals cannot
establish a solid rushing attackand improve the major problems
on their whole line, then JoeBurrow's career will mirror that
part of David Carr's career,and it'll be very, very short.
(21:45):
That's horrible for football asa whole and it's horrible for
football fans who love the flairand pizzazz that Joe Burrow
brings.
So here's an interesting fact Icame across Joe Burrow was on
(22:11):
pace to drop back and throw thefootball 721 times last year.
Pace to drop back and throw thefootball 721 times last year.
In four years, burrow hasdropped back to throw 404 times
in 10 games, 520 times, theSuper Bowl year 606 times in 16
games and in a shortened seasonlast year, 365 times, but
(22:34):
remember he was on pace to throwthe ball 721 times had his
season not been cut short.
That would have been 109 morethan the eventual leader in
attempt, sam Howell, with 612passing attempts with the
Washington Commanders.
Furthermore, is 116 times morethan NFC North winning Lions
(22:57):
quarterback Jared Goff.
So let's take a look at what theBengals have done and keep in
mind owner Mike Brown isnotorious for not wanting to
spend money and it showed in howmuch they did not want to
improve their O-line.
And it showed in how much theydid not want to improve their
(23:19):
O-line or how they did not domuch, because I'm sure the want
was there how they didn't domuch to improve their O-line and
, from what I see, only one movemade this offseason get guard
Cody Ford.
And I will admit I'm not aBengals beat writer.
I'm not in the locker room, Idon't have insider information.
All I can go off of is surfaceinformation that I can pick up
(23:48):
of you know, depth charts andtransaction history and things
like that, and all I see is theone signing.
So if I'm missing something,hey, my bad, I'll own it.
It just doesn't look like muchwhen you know that you have this
(24:14):
problem.
It's been this way for fouryears and maybe hopefully they
see something in the talent thatthey had from last year
returning starters that will bemore healthy coming into the
season.
But the bottom line is this thisO-line must improve and do
their job keeping Burrow upright, because in four years Joe
Burrow has been sacked 148 times.
(24:35):
He's averaging 37 sacks aseason.
So the OC has got a job to do.
The O-line has got a job to doat protecting the face of their
franchise.
It's just ridiculous how oftenthis guy gets hit.
He is the face of yourfranchise and I don't think
(25:06):
we've seen full Joe Burrowpotential.
So hopefully this year and I'dlike to say I'm a closet Bengals
fan, I've been, I'll ride withthe Bengals man, with the Chad
Johnson, chad Ochocinco days andCorey Dillon days and Carson
Palmer, marvin Lewis, the headcoach I will ride with the
(25:34):
Bengals in the AFC.
I'm fascinated by them.
So I hope for their success andI hope that they catch on
pretty quickly because I do notthink we've seen Joe Burrow's
potential and hopefully thisyear is the year, hopefully they
prove me wrong.
(25:54):
But we've covered the OC job,which you know again.
How does the OC help Well,scheming game planning,
establish the running game,scheme your protections, all
those things right.
And Joe's got to do a littlebetter job himself and, just so
that it's not all on everybodyelse, he hasn't had quite the
(26:17):
time, because of injury, toreally develop in this way, but
I think it'll come.
But he's got to get better atreading blitzes, making reads
earlier, getting rid of thefootball.
I think that'll serve forhimself to keep himself healthy.
But the OC needs to schemebetter, needs to game plan
better, needs to call playsbetter, structure plays better,
(26:38):
script plays better, however youwant to say it.
And the O-line has got to bebetter keeping people away from
their quarterback.
But another area that needs tobe better is the rushing attack.
Again, rushing attack O-line gohand in hand.
The O-line has got to get somepush this year.
They have to open holes.
(27:00):
It's the one surefire way tohelp Joe stay on his feet and
keep defenses honest so theycan't pin their ears back and
just fly at him.
Without Joe Mixon, though, Ithink it'll be something to
(27:22):
watch for.
Incoming back Zach Moss, comingoff a 724, 25-yard
five-touchdown season with theColts, will run alongside Chase
Brown and Kendall Milton.
You know, can they be countedon to ensure that the Bengals
can possess the ball and shortengames?
This will surely be an elementthat should be watched
(27:48):
throughout the season.
And lastly, I won't forget theincredibly talented Jamar Chase.
Remember when I said owner MikeBrown was notoriously cheap?
Well, with the CD, lam andBrandon Ayuk deals now done,
(28:14):
jamar Chase could make a play toget a deal that equals or
trumps them both.
That's how the game works.
They've done set the market andhe is certainly more talented
and more valuable than both CDand Brandon.
The issue is the history of theBengals as an organization.
Is that a huge payday for Chaseis not an absolute?
(28:36):
Is that a huge payday for Chaseis not an absolute?
So I plead Let me put my sportsfan hat back on.
I plead with Mike Brown for thesake of your franchise.
If you are listening out thereby chance, you just come across
this message Pay this man, Getthis Chase deal done.
(29:01):
Already he has the biggestweapon you could put in Joe's
offense.
Couple him up with T Higginsand Trenton Irwin.
It'd be hard-pressed for anydefense to stay in doubles or
over-the-top coverage on him.
Mike, do the deal.
Come on, man.
This is a no-brainer.
Why is it taking this long?
(29:23):
So we're in awill-here-or-won't-he situation.
Will Jamar Chase start nextweek in their opener?
I don't know, I don't know, Idon't know.
But all we could do is sit back, grab some popcorn and watch
(29:45):
what happens.
But I suspect that Chase isabout to get paid big and if the
Bengals are smart, if MikeBrown is paying attention, he's
going to be the one to do thisdeal.
I got the Bengals winning theirdivision.
That's my pick.
Baltimore finishes second, getsa wildcard bid to the playoffs.
(30:07):
That bonus track, listenersbonus track an inadvertent NFC
North or AFC North forecast forall of you.
You're welcome.
And now On to the NFC North.
(30:31):
The Lions shocked everyone lastyear, coming out on top of the
division.
It was the perfect storm forthem and they had been building
a team and a culture equipped toseize that opportunity.
Bears in complete rebuild mode,seemingly spiraling out of
(30:54):
control, and with Caleb Williamscoming out seems a bit
intentional.
And Aaron Rodgers leaving thePackers for the Jets made the
environment right for the Lionsto have their moment.
What but Ant-Man?
He didn't mention the Vikings,but were they ever really a
(31:18):
factor?
I mean even before Cousins'injury, but certainly after.
Not a factor.
So let's start with the culture.
With the culture comes thecoaching staff.
Dan Campbell, the head coach, ano-nonsense, tough football guy
(31:49):
and, aside from hisoverconfidence and somewhat dumb
gambles and high-stakessituations, he is such a good
football coach and theorganization and the players are
all the way in for this guy andhe certainly is all the way in
for them.
Next, jared Goff.
In three years with the Lionsafter being traded by the Rams
for Matthew Stafford, a swaphonestly rejuvenated both men's
(32:12):
careers.
A swap Honestly rejuvenatedboth men's careers.
Jared Goff has thrown foraround 13,000 yards, 78
touchdowns, 27 interceptions andan average QBR of 96.
That is pretty solid for a QB,especially a QB who has been at
(32:32):
the forefront of this Lionsrebuild.
If you throw a 1,000-yardrusher David Montgomery and
1,500-yard receiver AmonRossi-Brown, tight end Sam
Laporta and a solid defenseranked fifth in the league last
year, you have all theingredients to not only follow
up what was done in 2023, butalso build on it.
(32:59):
The biggest weakness for theLions was the pass rush and pass
coverage.
It's hard to really pinpointwhich is the culprit to the
other.
At times, both facets causeproblems for the Lions,
particularly the playoff loss tothe 49ers in the NFC divisional
round.
If the Lions can tweak thosetwo areas coming into this
(33:24):
season just a little, I thinkthe odds are in their favor to
continue this rise in the NFC.
They'll need to, if not for tworeasons the Packersers, jordan
Love and the former USCsuperstar, heisman Trophy winner
, caleb Williams, just south ofthe lake in Chicago.
(33:52):
I mentioned at the top of theshow that I've been a huge fan
of the Bears Hot Doc series.
For no other reason than beingable to see how the franchise
has completely wrapped theirarms around Caleb Williams.
They've given him everyopportunity to develop on an NFL
level Resigning DJ Moore, goingout to get Keenan Allen,
drafting Rome Odunze I think Isaid that right, rome Odunze,
(34:20):
say that three times fastSigning DeAndre Swift.
They've all been huge for themomentum of granting early
success to a team with its newyoung star, early success to a
team with its new young star.
(34:41):
I should also mention the Bearshad the top rated defense in
2023.
There was no drop off in thattalent coming into this year's
preseason.
In fact, the defense got alittle boost Jonathan Owens and
Austin Booker.
The 144th pick out of Kansas.
It only serves to make theexpectation for this defense
(35:04):
shoot through the roof.
The hype for the Bears thisseason, somewhat due to the
stint on hard knocks, isastronomical.
I'm buying into it.
So the NFC North bears take thedivision line, squeak in with
(35:24):
the wild card Packers, since Igave them a shout out, or Jordan
love a shout out or earlier,we'll finish.
Third Jordan, jordan love.
Jordan Love looks every bit thepart of a franchise looking to
get back to glory, but surelythere's huge holes on both sides
(35:47):
of the ball that the Packerswill spend the next couple years
addressing?
Almost certainly.
So now those two things are outof the way.
I just want to give you a coupleother things I'll be looking
for this year Watching theRavens offense and the
(36:11):
possibility of it being sodynamic and explosive with the
addition of Derrick Henry.
He's going to open up so muchfor them.
Can you imagine the one-twopunch anyway just in the running
game between Lamar Jackson andDerrick Henry?
Plus Derrick can get out in theflats and catch the football.
It's going to be wild.
Excuse me, I'm trying to findthat 49ers news from earlier.
(36:48):
Anywho, cj Stroud sophomoreyear.
The addition of Joe Mixon andStefan Diggs is going to make
Houston just a crazy dangerousteam.
(37:11):
I loved watching CJ last year.
Now he's got weapons, he's gotpossibly a dynamic rusher.
It's going to be crazy.
Mike McDaniels, I'll crazy MikeMcDaniels.
I'll be watching Mike McDanielsof the Dolphins.
Well, because who doesn't?
This dude is an absolute gem.
(37:32):
Heck of a ball coach, and Miamishould be able to make some
noise in the AFC East hands down.
So I'll be watching MikeMcDaniel.
I'll be looking to see if AaronRodgers makes it past four
plays this year with the Jets.
I threw that in there for alittle bit of humor.
Hold on my computer is doingsome crazy things right now.
(37:55):
But yeah, I kind of threw thatin for humor.
But I mean, in all reality, howdoes he come back?
How does he look?
How does he get back intogroove and rhythm after such a
severe injury?
Achilles injuries are nothingto play around with.
Obviously, we know the medicine, the technology, the rehab is
so much better for athletesthese days with this type of
(38:16):
injury, but still it is aserious, career-changing or
ending type of injury.
So I'm glad he's back.
I think it's good for theleague.
Whether he owns the villainrole or you are a fan of Aaron
Rodgers, it's just so good tohave him in the league.
(38:38):
The league needs him to generatethe views and the spin and all
of the things in the cycle ofthe league.
The league needs him togenerate the views and the spin
and all of the things in thecycle of the year.
So yeah, even though I put thatin there to be humorous, in all
reality I will be watching,because who doesn't want to
watch Aaron Rodgers and see whathe can do coming off of this
injury?
Another thing I'll be watchingis when will Drake May get a
(39:00):
start in New England?
I mean, I like Jacoby Brissett,but the Patriots didn't draft
this kid to sit him.
So I'll be watching to see whenDrake May gets a start.
Another thing I want to seeGeno Cook in a new wide open
offense in Seattle.
(39:20):
So let Geno Cook, because hestill ain't wrote back.
I checked, I checked, I lookedat all the news sources out
there and I happened to noticethat all the critics were
writing and Gino still has notwrote back.
I'll be taking wagers on howlong the Steelers ride with
(39:42):
Russell Wilson, and then I wantto see how often Russ and Justin
Fields rotate as QB one.
So if you're interested, hoponline, get on the website and
send in all of your predictionsas well, and we'll we'll have a
little friendly competitionabout it.
You know the the old adage goesif you have a little, uh,
friendly competition about it,um, you know the the old adage
(40:04):
goes if you have two QBs, youhave none, and I think that's
where the Steelers are fixing tofind themselves.
And, lastly, I cannot wait forsome Buccaneers football.
I'm looking for Baker to have ahuge year this year.
There is no more TB12 shadowlingering in Tampa.
(40:24):
The show is all of his and Ilook forward to him stepping up
and shutting up all the noise hehas gotten his whole career.
This year, 2024, is Baker'syear.
Let's go, bucs, fire themcannons.
So whether you're lookingforward to cooler weather that
(40:46):
comes with fall, or looking toachieve greatness or regain your
fantasy football glory,football season is right around
the corner.
Folks, I hope everyone isexcited for this regular season
as I am.
I hope everyone is excited forthis regular season as I am.
(41:08):
So, with that out of the way,just wanted to make mention I'm
sure everybody's heard the news49ers draft pick wide receiver
man.
I'm just trying to find hisname.
I'm not too familiar with him,but I don't want to be
disrespectful in doing this.
I want to do this the right way.
Um, ricky Parasol I hope I'msaying that right Ricky Parasol,
(41:46):
shot during a robbery, was instable condition, now out of the
hospital.
So I want to wish him a speedyrecovery.
And we don't do a lot of hockeyhere.
I am an avid hockey fan.
I love watching hockey whenit's on, but I'm not familiar
(42:06):
with the players.
But the tragedy of the two youngplayers that were killed while
riding their bikes, supposedlyhit by a drunk driver and, to
make matters worse, it was justhours before their sister's
wedding.
Condolences to everybodyinvolved and feeling that loss.
Um, people, stay safe, bevigilant when you're on the road
(42:31):
, whether you're driving, hiking, walking, riding a bike on a
motorcycle, keep your head on aswivel, pay attention to those
around you.
And, uh, and, and, please,please, please.
If the shoes on the other footand you're out having a good
time and you're having somedrinks, use Uber.
There's plenty of ride share.
(42:51):
Uh, companies out right now.
Find a different way to get towhere you want to go without
getting behind the wheel of avehicle, because this is a
tragedy that happens so much, ithappens so often and it's so
needless.
So please, please, everybody,be safe out there.
(43:11):
Again, condolences to thefamilies and everybody who's
feeling that tragedy of thosetwo young emerging hockey stars,
of those two young, uh,emerging hockey stars.
With all that said, remember,hit the subscribe button, hit
the notifications, go check outthe show's social media and
website.
All the links are in the show'sdescription.
(43:33):
Thank you again for sharingthis time with me.
That is all for this episode.
I am the Ant-Man and this isBeat the Clock so long.
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