December 11, 2025 • 69 mins
We ask a simple question and chase it across the NFL, MLB, and college football: who actually has a plan and who is running on vibes. From Jets quarterback chaos and Giants’ post-bye stakes to Mets departures and Notre Dame’s bowl exit, we follow decisions, not slogans.
• Jets effort test in Jacksonville and the cost of QB roulette
• Giants defense as tone-setter off the bye against a backup
• Week 14 as a sort for real contenders and fragile pretenders
• Texans rise, Bears wobble, Hurts panic, clinching scenarios
• Fantasy playoff pivots with matchup-driven starts and sits
• Betting card logic: trenches, weather, and motivation edges
• Mets lose Díaz and Alonso, Orioles swing big, Yankees juggle payroll
• What a real front-office pivot should look like right now
• Notre Dame’s bowl withdrawal and why it hurts players
If you're new here, hit follow, drop a rating, share the show with a friend who screams at their Kiwi the same way that you do. Make sure you tap in on Instagram too. Hop in on the polls, send a mailbag question, all the stuff that genuinely helps this thing grow.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
I guess it's the only one way to find out let's
(00:01):
do it too.
You ever notice how every teamswears they have a plan right up
until reality grabs the micright out of their hands?
(00:24):
On one side, you got teamsactually changing the story,
adapting, adjusting, takingthose big swings.
On the other, you got frontoffices and programs just hoping
vibes and brand power carry themthrough while everything burns
behind them.
That's the kind of lane thatwe're in this week.
(00:44):
We got Jets fans staring down 15years of no playoffs,
quarterback roulette again, andsomehow they're still trying to
talk themselves into well, ifthis breaks our way, maybe.
I got Giants coming off a bye,Commanders limping into MetLife
without Jaden Daniels.
And it's a moment where bothlocals have to decide what they
(01:07):
want to be the rest of theseason.
Are you guys playing spoilers?
Are you building something?
Or are we just logging gamestill the season's over?
Around the league, week 14 gaveus Rogers walking into Baltimore
and snatching the division back.
The Colts literally draggingPhillip Rivers off of a high
school sideline because they rantheir starter into the ground.
(01:28):
And the Chiefs getting pushedaround in their own building by
Houston.
Then week 15 shows up like cool,here's Bills, Pats, Raiders,
Eagles, Packers, Broncos.
Figure out who's for real.
On the college side, Notre Dame,yeah, we we gotta talk about
that.
You didn't get into the playoff,you lost to Miami head-to-head,
and your response is to throw apublic tantrum and yank a bowl
(01:51):
game away from your seniors.
For a program that loves to talkabout tradition and brotherhood,
sure says a lot about what thereal priorities are.
Later, we got Rollin' the Dicewith Rice and your fantasy
playoff survival week, who youcan actually trust in these
matchups and who's about to giveyou an early exit.
And then then the big one.
(02:21):
The Yankees watching thedivision get stronger while they
worry about the payroll line.
Who's actually buildingsomething and who's just hoping
that the name on the front ofthe jersey still scares people?
That's the heartbeat.
Changing the story, and whoreally has a plan?
Lots to cover, so let's just getright into it.
(02:47):
So let's start where we alwaysstart.
The locals.
The Jets are the perfect exampleof this week's theme.
Changing the story or pretendingyou have a plan while you just
spin the wheel at quarterback.
That Dolphins game was flat outgross.
(03:08):
Drops everywhere, timing off,and you could kind of feel it
was coming with Tyrod.
The way he plays, the way thisoffensive line holds up.
You just knew at some point hewas going to take a shot and not
pop up right away.
So he goes down, the wholebuilding deflates, and suddenly
you're sending in Brady Cook andasking, Could this fourth round
(03:32):
pick be our savior that we'vebeen looking for?
No, is the answer.
All while that's happening onthe field, the bigger story is
what I told you guys in the miccheck this week.
I threw up a poll, the Jetsquarterback room graphic.
If everybody's healthy, who doyou actually want starting right
now?
Almost half of you still rodewith Tyrod.
About 30% said gimme JustinFields, and the rest of you said
(03:55):
you're ready to find out whatBrady Cook is about.
And that's a very Jets fan piechart.
Forty-seven percent just said,gimme the competent adult who
won't light himself on fire.
29% said you say I still believein the lottery ticket, and 24%
said, screw it, gimme themystery box.
And then I followed that up withthe evil question.
(04:19):
Who makes the playoffs first?
Jets or Giants?
Sixty-three percent of that pollsaid Giants.
That's not a poll, that's anindictment.
Because after last week, it'sofficially fifteen straight
seasons without a playoffappearance for the Jets.
(04:39):
Fifteen.
That's not growing up.
That's literally you're hittingpuberty since the last time the
Jets went to the playoffs.
It's the longest active droughtin all of American professional
sports.
The Kings got in, the Marinersgot in, the Browns got in, and
the Jets are still in the sameseat, staring at the same door.
(05:01):
So now you go down toJacksonville this week, a Jags
team that just took control ofthe division and knows that
Houston is breathing down theirneck.
This isn't about the spreadsyet, this isn't about fantasy,
we'll do that later.
This is simply can you keep thisfrom turning into another HN
runs all over the place game?
(05:21):
You've got a beat-up quarterbackroom, a workhorse back in Brees
Hall that's about to run intoone of the toughest run defenses
in football, and a defense thatjust got bullied.
Look, if you want to change thestory at all, even a little bit,
this has to be one of thoseeffort games.
This has to be one of thosegames that convinces people that
(05:44):
they're playing for AaronGlanstale.
You gotta limit the explosiveplays, make them kick field
goals, don't hand them shortfields with turnovers.
And for the love of God, can wecatch the ball when you're open?
When it hits you in handsinstead of in the chest.
Look, nobody's asking you tokick the door down to the
(06:04):
playoffs at this point.
That door has been welded shutanyway.
But don't roll over and become aget-right spot for everybody
else's playoff push.
Play some spoiler.
Be mean.
Be gangrene.
On the blue side of town, it's adifferent vibe.
(06:25):
But the same question.
What kind of team are you comingoff of the bye this week?
I put up the poll off the bye.
What has to show up first?
Hot start on offense or thedefense plays tough.
61% of you said defense.
Which is very on brand forGiants fans.
(06:47):
You want that unit to come offthe bus, set the tone, thump
people, show they have somelife, maybe even drag the
offense along with them if theyhave to.
And you're getting a little bitof a gift this week with that,
too.
Washington sitting Jaden Danielsafter he retweaked that elbow.
And honestly, as a football fan,that's the right call.
(07:07):
The kid is uber talented, buthas already missed a bunch of
time.
They're eliminated anyway.
You don't need him out there inweek 15 trying to play superhero
down, three scores, becausewhat?
It's important for him to getthe reps, then suddenly it's an
RG3 situation all over again.
So it's probably going to beMarcus Mariota.
(07:30):
And it's it's a commander's teamthat's been frisky but
inconsistent.
And it's your defense staring ata very simple test this week.
Can you stop Chris Rodriguez anda pretty basic run game from
turning into a you've beengashed all year up the middle
game again?
Because the numbers on thisGiants run defense have been
(07:51):
ugly.
Teams are ripping off chunkplays, and that's why every
fantasy article on earth iscircling this matchup saying,
hey, if you're desperate atrunning back, start literally
anyone against the Giants.
That's not the list that youwant to be on.
And offensively, this is wherethe buy has to pay off.
Your last game was December 1st.
(08:13):
You've been in New York for twoweeks.
Fresh legs on the line, someself-scouting and
self-assessment, and you know,maybe a couple scripted drives
that don't look like they weredrawn in the dirt.
And remember, remember thatplayoff poll.
63% of you think that this isthe New York team that gets back
to January 1st.
(08:34):
So if that's true, you can'tstumble out of the bye and lay
an egg at home against a backupquarterback.
It doesn't matter who's coachingthe team.
Now, zooming out, week 14 feltlike a sorting hat for teams
that have a plan versus we'rejust doing our best.
(08:58):
First game, Pittsburgh walksinto Baltimore and Aaron Rodgers
does what he does, basicallyplants a flag on the division.
That's what you pay for with agrown-up quarterback like that.
Look, you might not loveeverything about the roster or
how it's looked all year, butwhen the lights are bright,
that's the guy.
He can walk into a hostelbuilding, not be rattled by it,
(09:21):
and say, Yep, that run of yoursis cute, but this is still our
division.
In Jacksonville, Indy gave us amaster class in what not having
a plan looks like.
You run Daniel Jones out therebehind that line with literally
a broken leg.
I said this last week and Icouldn't believe I was saying
it.
And of course, what happens?
(09:42):
What happens because of thatbroken leg?
He overcompensates and he tearshis Achilles.
Then the backup backup got hurt,and now you're on the phone with
a 44-year-old Phillip Rivers whowas literally coaching high
school last week.
That's franchise malpractice.
You can't talk about buildingsomething and then end up
(10:03):
emergency signing Uncle Rico offthe sideline in Alabama.
You can't let Daniel Jones playthere.
I know the record is what it is,and it's a big game, but you got
to take your lumps and try andlet the guy heal a little bit.
And yet, on top of it, theRivers thing is fascinating.
This man is a semifinalist to gointo the Pro Football Hall of
(10:26):
Fame this year and now justthrew it away at 44 years old
and reset his eligibility towhat?
Get that last little bit ofjuice that he has left in his
body out?
The Rocky kind of syndrome of,you know, make sure the
monster's gone when you leavethe ring.
And that his teammates are outhere saying that he can still
(10:46):
sling it.
I mean, he knows ShaneSteichen's offense front to
back.
He was literally teaching it tohis high school team that he got
called away from.
And the poll that I put out wassplit right down the middle,
too.
It was between Uncle Rico canstill sling it or that man's a
grandfather, stop it.
And that's kind of exactly how Ifeel about this.
(11:08):
Half of me is like, this isinsane.
This man needs to protect hiships.
He's gonna have 22-year-oldstrying to rip his head off.
And then the other half of me isso ready for Rivers to throw for
300 yards on three-step dropsand hit Tyler Warren like he's
having flashbacks throwing toAntonio Gates all over again.
(11:28):
If nothing else, he instantlyraises the IQ in the room and he
can put guys in the rightposition to succeed.
So I guess that's good, right?
Cincinnati Buffalo was theopposite.
Josh Allen finally slays theBorough Dragon.
Since he jumps out early, andthe old Bills teams usually fold
(11:51):
there.
Shit, the Bills teams as of lateprobably fold there.
But instead, Allen settles in,he makes the right throws, and
for once the defense actuallycloses a game against a legit
quarterback.
That's a little rewrite thescript moment for a team that's
been struggling as of late.
Good on them.
Then you got Houston walkinginto Arrowhead, into Kansas
(12:13):
City, and making the Chiefs looksmall.
The score says it was a closegame, but I watched it.
The eye test says Houston'sfront bullied them.
Will Anderson and that Texansdefense are playing with bad
intentions.
That's a bad man.
And D'Mico Ryans has him fullybought in.
(12:34):
His whole eyes in front, nexttarget thing is a perfect
example of an organization thatactually does have a plan and is
executing on it.
They started 0-3 and now they're8-5.
And I'll tell you one thingright now, not one person, not
one team wants to see them comewild card time.
The flip side of that coin,Chicago.
(12:55):
The Bears literally go fromfirst in the NFC to seventh with
one loss.
And then suddenly you're lookingahead at the schedule.
Packers again, Niners, Lions.
And yeah, they could absolutelyfind a way out of the playoffs.
Caleb Williams is the fullexperience right now in the
worst way.
(13:16):
He's got the lowest completionpercentage among volume passers.
He's missing layups, and thenhe'll literally uncork something
that makes you clutch yourpearls.
The coach literally said, quote,we're trying to merge.
That's one of the mostincredible plays I've ever seen,
with can you just hit the openguy on time?
End quote.
That's his literal quote at thepodium.
Look, until they figure out howto marry those two, that
(13:40):
feel-good bears are back storyis very fragile.
And I can't leave, we can'tleave Philly out on this either.
Jalen Hurts throws four picks,five total turnovers, literally
threw a pick, got the ball back,and then fumbled it.
And they lose in overtime to theChargers on Monday night.
And now the whole town of Phillyis calling radio stations asking
(14:01):
if he should be benched.
Benched.
Jalen Hurts, benched.
Nick Siriani had to go on airand basically say, guys, relax.
This is still my dude.
It's wild.
I mean, this man is a Super BowlMVP.
He's 54 and 25 in the regularseason, six and three in the
playoffs.
Two bad weeks and a rough seasonfrom a couple Divo receivers,
(14:24):
and everybody's literally readyto drive him to the airport.
Well, do me a favor, drive himto the JFK, drive him to New
airport.
I'll take him on the Jets rightnow.
They play the 2-11 Raiders thisweek in Philly.
This has to be a get right game.
If that thing is 17-13 in thefourth quarter and ugly, the
(14:45):
city might actually riot.
Which leads us to the point ofthe season of hat and t-shirt
time.
First tickets for the divisioncan get punched this weekend.
Denver can lock up a spot withbasically any positive result,
win and they're in, or you know,a whole flow chart of ties and
(15:06):
other teams losing.
But if they win, they're in.
Rams are simple too, beat theLions and they're in.
Patriots can literally clinch adivision, a playoff spot, and
maybe even a home fieldadvantage throughout with a win
over Buffalo.
After everything, the post-Bradywandering, the rebuild, the Mac
Jones trauma.
Here they are, sitting at 11-2with a chance to slam the door
(15:29):
on the AFC East at home, and theentire NFL fandom finds
themselves right back into LOLPat's win again era.
And as for week 15, that BillsPatz game is just such a perfect
microcosm.
The Buffalo, Buffalo's trying tohang on.
(15:50):
They're trying to recalibrateexpectations from what they
thought they were going to bethis year.
They're probably chasing a wildcard at this point and jockeying
for position.
While New England is trying tojust slam the window shut and
remind everybody who built thisneighborhood in the first place.
Snowy, cold, rainy game up inFoxboro.
(16:12):
Total rock fight potential.
Eagles Raiders, I touched on itbefore.
That's the true get right vibesgame.
Either Philly comes out angryand wins by three scores, or it
turns into another fourthquarter slog, and everyone in
that stadium sees their lifeflash before their eyes and has
the local radio station on speeddial.
(16:33):
And as for the Packers Broncos,it's sneaky fun.
Both teams are legit, but bothhave a bunch of people still
doubting them.
Two conference powerhouses, twofan bases who have heard all
year, yeah, but this, yeah, butthat.
It's a measuring stick game onboth sides.
Do you actually belong in thattop tier or have you just been
beating up on the middle class?
(16:56):
And it all kicks off Thursdaynight, Falcons at Bucks.
I put the poll up with thespread, Bucks minus four and a
half, and you guys were heavy onTampa, about 70% rolling with
the Bucks.
It makes sense.
Look, they're getting Mike Evansback, they're getting Jalen
McMillan back.
Triffson Wirfs is back on theline, and it's literally the
(17:16):
first time all year Baker getshis full compliment of wide
receivers.
Meanwhile, Atlanta missing DrakeLondon again.
Kyle Pitts is banged up, andhonestly, let's he's Kyle Pitts,
so you know who cares.
And they're coming off gettingsmoked by Seattle.
So I'm sure morale is real highin the locker room.
This one's not even really aplan game.
(17:39):
This is just two teams trying tosurvive.
Tampa and Carolina are tied atopthe division at 7-6, and the
Falcons are hanging on at 4-9.
Somebody's got to win the NFCSouth.
And it feels like the Bucs areat least trying to push their
chips in and do what they can.
They're getting healthy at theright time.
And lastly, a quick little notethat got buried in the fine
(18:02):
print of all this.
The refs collective bargainagreement expires after this
season.
You remember years ago with theuh Fail Mary in Seattle versus
Green Bay, another Aaron Rodgersmoment.
The league is already sendingout memos talking about more
accountability, longerprobation, practice squads for
(18:22):
officials, all the buzzwords,all the BS.
Like we've seen this moviebefore.
Just file it away, and whenwe're all screaming about
replacement refs in week onebecause billionaires and a union
couldn't agree on bonuses, youknow, that's the usual.
But that's the landscape.
(18:42):
That's where we are.
Week 15 in the NFL.
Jets and Giants are trying tofigure out who they are still.
Rivers is dusting off the oldbolo tie.
Hertz is fighting the entirecity of Philadelphia.
The Bears are wobbling.
The Texans are surging.
And division hats and t-shirtsare on the line.
(19:04):
So from here, we are going toroll right into the roll in the
dice segment and the fantasyside because some of these
plans, quote unquote, look a lotdifferent when there's money and
playoff matchups on the line.
Stay tuned for some advice tohopefully help you win your
league and fatten your wallet abit.
(19:35):
Okay, folks, helmets on, walletsout.
It is that time.
We've officially hit fantasyplayoff season.
Some of you are sipping a byeweek, like a nice glass of wine.
Some of you drew the juggernautone seed and asking, how did we
let this dude draft this team?
(19:56):
And some of you are alreadyeliminated.
Staring at your roster,wondering.
Where it all went wrong andswearing you're never playing
again until that group chatlights up in August.
So let's do both things at once.
We'll set your lineups forsurvival and we'll set your
slips for the weekend.
We'll start it off with fantasy,and these are the matchups to
attack and the matchups to avoidat each position.
(20:19):
Quarterbacks.
If you're desperate at QB, likeyour starter got hurt and your
backup, it's Jacoby Pursetdesperate.
I don't hate rolling the dice onJJ McCarthy in Dallas.
I know, I know it sounds gross.
He's been bad.
EPA hates him.
(20:40):
The film isn't much kinder, buthe just threw for three
touchdowns and 20 plus fantasypoints on Washington.
And the Cowboys have quietlybecome a quarterback cheat code.
They're giving up 24.5 fantasypoints per game to the position.
Three more than anybody else inthe league.
Twelve quarterbacks have playedat least 75% of their snaps
(21:03):
against them.
And only three of those guyshave finished under 23 fantasy
points.
So the bar you're asking JJ toclear here is basically can you
please be better than 2025 GenoSmith on a bad day?
With O'Connell dialing it up andthe weapons he has, there's at
least a path.
That's a deep league.
(21:24):
I hate myself, but I see thelogic kind of start stream.
But it is what it is.
Flip side, Jacobi Purset atHouston, fantasy darling since
he took the job, QB2 in totalpoints, top 12 every start, has
basically lived in garbage timeand made it work.
And I'm telling you right now,if you have any other decent
(21:45):
option, this is the week youpark him.
Houston has given up 12.2 pointsper game to quarterbacks.
Nobody has cracked 20 on them.
That front is real, the coverageis real, and this game script
might not even give him cheapyards that he's been living on.
I love the story.
(22:06):
I love what he's done forfantasy this year as a late
night, late push.
But this is the thanks for thememories, see you week 16 if we
survive spot.
And then you got the commandersituation.
James Daniels bang bangs thatelbow again.
They're officially out of theplayoff race, and Dan Quinn has
(22:29):
ruled him out for the Giantsgame.
So if Marcus Mariota starts,which it looks like he's going
to, quietly, a very viablestreamer is him.
I mean, he has some finishes QBsix, QB9, QB ten, QB three.
(22:50):
The Giants have given up fifthmost fantasy points to QB since
week ten.
They're getting gashed up themiddle and they're getting
gashed on the sides.
If you're in that same JJMcCarthy tier of panic, Mariota
versus the Giants is not theworst play you can think of.
Running back time.
A couple of very matchup drivenbacks for this week.
(23:13):
Same thing.
First one, Giants game, ChrisRodriguez.
Washington has basically madehim their lead down early guy
last few weeks.
Uh Bill Krosky Merritt is out ofthe picture.
And it hasn't really turned intobig fantasy production just yet,
but if there was ever a spot,it's this one.
The Giants are allowing sixpoint one yards per carry to
(23:36):
running backs.
That's mad in numbers.
Six point one yards per carry.
Two runs, and they have a firstdown.
He's got that leading backfieldand carries.
He's got legit 15 for 80 and ashot at a score upside.
Deeper leagues or injury hell ordouble flex formats.
(23:58):
Play him.
Now on the opposite of that,stay with the locals, Brees Hall
and Jacksonville.
The usage is beautiful.
He catches nice screens.
On most teams, 80 plus percentof the running back rush air and
50% route run would make him alocked in top five.
I have to start him every weekrunning back.
(24:21):
But Jacksonville has been a realproblem for running backs as of
late.
They give up the fifth fewestfantasy points, the lowest
rushing yards per game, and thefourth lowest rushing yards per
carry.
I'm not saying you auto-benchBrees.
I mean, volume is still king.
Get the ball in his hands.
He's still good for an explosiveplay here and there.
(24:43):
But this is one of those weekswhere you're gonna have to at
least have the conversation orat least temper your
expectations a little bit.
If you have another solid optionin a plus matchup, do not be
afraid to break the never sityour studs religion for one
week.
And I know it's a big week, butthis could be the week for Brees
Hall.
(25:04):
And also don't forget Chicago'sbackfield against Cleveland.
The Browns just got absolutelycooked by Tony Pollard and Tajay
Spears.
And over their last five games,they're giving up 120 plus
scrimmage yards per game torunning backs.
The Bears, the one thing theywant to do more than anything is
run.
They're bottom 10 in pass rate,and DeAndre Swift is a legit top
(25:25):
20 play in that spot.
Kyle Manunga, local Rutgers boy,is more of a touchdown or bus
start, but he can still do whathe has to do.
So if you're praying for 15carries and a plunge from the
two, you you could do worse.
As for receivers, well, I gottwo notes here.
One, if you made the playoffswith Justin Jefferson on your
(25:49):
roster, God bless you.
And yes, you're starting him.
It has been ugly without CarsonWentz.
In non-Wentz games, he's been alow-end wide receiver three at
best.
But again, if you're willing toconsider JJ McCarthy against
Dallas being a plus matchup,we're not benching his number
(26:10):
one wide receiver target.
The usage is still elite.
His hands are elite.
He knows how to target the ball.
This is the kind of spot wherehe might finally pop for you
when it matters the most.
On the downside, Michael Pittmanand Alec Pierce at Seattle, the
the Seahawks are just Seahawksdefense is just unreal.
(26:31):
They're the fifth tough toughestmatchup for wideouts.
They allow the fewest receivingyards per game to the position.
And now you take Daniel Jonesout of the picture, and you're
talking about throwing44-year-old Phillip Rivers off
the couch and into death almost.
Vegas usually knows what's up,and they have the Colts team
(26:54):
total sitting in the low teens.
That screams volume with nopayoff.
At best, both of those receiversare a wide receiver three or a
flex play.
And also, quick commanders add.
If Mariota does go, TerryMcLaurin is a rock solid wide
receiver two.
(27:14):
In three games, he and Mariotareally played together.
Terry was getting almost 40% ofthe air yards and over 20% of
the targets thrown.
In PPR volume, that's a goodplay.
Giants have been leaking pointsto receivers.
If you survive this long withoutTerry, you're rolling with them
now.
(27:34):
As for tight ends, uh tight endis simple.
Start every Ravens tight end youcan against Cincinnati.
The Bengals are not evenhistorically bad.
They are insanely bad versus therun versus the tight end versus
the receivers versus everything.
(27:55):
About 20 half-point PPR games totight end, seven plus catches,
almost 100 yards and a touchdownon average.
Mark Andrews just hit a new highin route participation last
week.
Isaiah Likely is still gettingheavily involved.
Lamar is not running around.
He's looking to throw the ball.
Honestly, both guys are playablein the same lineup, maybe even
(28:15):
in deeper leagues.
It's that soft of a matchup.
And as far as a guy thatprobably carried you here, you
might have to sit Hunter Henrythis week.
The Buffalo game, it's going tobe cold.
It's going to be rainy, snowy,it's going to be a mess.
And Buffalo is the worst matchupin the league for tight ends.
(28:37):
They're averaging under threecatches and under six fantasy
points per game allowed.
Only two tight ends have hitdouble digits on them all year.
Henry got 46 yards on him backin week five, and that was one
of the better tight end linesthat they've given up all year.
With every team playing, youshould be able to find a higher
upside stick of dynamite thisweek.
(28:59):
And if you're hunting for someupside at the position, keep an
eye on Mike Geseckki.
If T.
Higgins sits again, when Higginshas been out, Gisecki has
quietly turned into a boomerbust tight end one.
That's six for 86 in a scoregame is exactly the kind of
thing that swings a playoffmatchup completely.
Very low floor, but if you're abig underdog and you need a
(29:20):
20-point miracle, that's theprofile you want to chase.
I would also maybe look atDarren Waller.
Alright, lineups are set.
Anxiety level is appropriatelyraised.
Let's talk about the other sideof the coin.
Try and make some coin.
Rolling the dice with Rice, week15.
Quickly, we'll go over lastweek's card.
We went 2-2.
(29:41):
Titans plus the points inCleveland was a loss.
They kept it close.
It is what it is.
Rams, Cardinals over 48.5.
That was an easy W.
Rams scored 42 by themselves.
Texans plus three and a half inKansas City.
They won it outright.
That's a big W.
And for the locals, Jets plusthe points in Miami.
Well, you know how that went.
(30:02):
That was a disaster.
So we're sitting at 32 and 29 onthe season.
Not printing money, but we're inthe green, which is all you can
ask for this late in the year.
So with all that being said,this week's card is set.
Let's run through the plays.
Game one, Cardinals at Texans.
(30:22):
Texans minus nine and a half.
Look, Arizona's cooked.
They're counting weeks untilthey can book vacations.
Again, Jacoby Brissett's been afun fantasy story, but we just
talked about it.
This matchup is a brick wall.
Houston's front is for real.
Will Anderson, that whole group,they live in the quarterback's
left.
They live in the backfield.
(30:43):
And the secondary has beenlocking dudes up all year.
I can absolutely see this gamegoing.
How a lot of the Texan gameshave gone as of late.
They get up two scores early,and then that defense just
starts hunting.
Nine and a half is a big number,but it's that classic we're a
grown-up playoff team.
(31:03):
You are not sit down spot.
I'll lay it with Houston.
Give me Texans minus nine and ahalf.
Game two, Bills at Patriots, andwe're going under 49.5.
You guys know, you know how Ifeel about unders.
Life's too short to bet theunder.
I hate rooting against points.
But this one screams snow game,drowned out, heavy hitting, rock
(31:27):
fight.
Vrabel has the Patriots playingdiscipline, physical football
every week.
They're buttoned up, they'reprepared.
They're not giving you cheapstuff.
And on the other sideline,Buffalo knows a division is
basically gone, and that they'rejockeying for wild card position
at this point.
Cold, snow, two defenses thatcan hit and two offenses that
(31:49):
can turtle up once things get alittle bit tight.
I think the Pats D shows up athome, and the Bills offense
maybe starts a little slow inthe slop.
This feels like 23-17.
Either way, that keeps us under50.
You might have to sweat it, butI'll plug my nose and take the
under.
Game three, Panthers at Saints,and we're going over 40 and a
(32:13):
half.
This is the exact opposite.
Quietly, both of these offenseshave found something in the past
couple weeks.
New Orleans might actually liketheir quarterback right now.
And Bryce Young has beenslinging it as of late.
The Panthers run game has bailedhim out in tough spots, and you
(32:34):
can see him just starting tolook more comfortable behind
there.
In the dome, fast track, twodefenses that are meh at best.
This has a sneaky shootoutpotential.
I don't think we need to trackme, but we just need competent
football.
24-20, that clears it.
I like over 40 and a half here.
(32:55):
Game four, we're on to thelocals.
We got the Jets and the Giants.
First one, Jets at Jaguars, andI hate to say it, Jags minus
13.5.
I've picked the Jets pretty muchall year and I've done well with
them, but not looking great.
We talked about the Jetsalready.
The QB situation is in flux.
(33:15):
The run defense just gotabsolutely bullied by HN.
The offense rhythm is a rumor atbest.
Jacksonville, meanwhile, justgrabbed the division lead and
they know that Houston is righton their heels.
This is a handle your businessterritory game.
You cannot drop a home game to ateam that's packing up golf
(33:36):
bags, that's looking at a top 10pick in the draft.
13.5 is massive in the NFL.
If you're squeamish, I totallyget buying it down to 9.5, 10.5
in a teaser or something.
But on the card, I'm going totrust the motivation gap and the
matchup.
Jags have been nasty against therun, and that's kind of all the
(33:56):
Jets have.
If the Jets fall behind earlyand they don't have special
teams to bail them out, thiscould get ugly quick.
This could snowball.
Give me Jacksonville minus 13.5.
Lastly, game five, sticking withthe locals, commanders at
Giants.
And we're rolling Giants minustwo and a half.
This is my close your eyes andtrust the spot game.
(34:20):
Giants coming off a bye at homeagainst a division rival that
they always seem to play toughagainst.
You guys told me in the pollthat I put out, what you want to
see first is that the defenseshows up and punches someone in
the mouth.
And on the other side,Washington is without their
commander in chief, no punintended.
Jamie Daniels is out, and aftertweaking that elbow again,
(34:40):
Mariota is capable, but that'sstill a backup on the road
behind a line that's been shaky.
The Giants, the Giants have beenin pretty much every game this
year, and I have been wrong onthem all year because of it.
So I'm going to lean into thepain and ride with them off the
bye.
Fresh legs, home crowd, backupQB across the field.
(35:03):
Give me Giants minus two and ahalf.
Alright, that's the card.
Texans, minus nine and a half.
Bills Pats under 49.
Panthers Saints over 40.
Jags minus 13.5 and Giants minus2.5.
Fantasy lineups are set.
Slips are filled out.
Stress level is now at ahealthy.
(35:24):
I might pace my living room forthree straight hours level.
But from here, we now shiftgears into baseball.
Because while we were all tryingto change the story in fantasy
and at the window putting ourtickets in, the Mets and the
Yankees are out here writingentire new chapters.
And not all of them are funreads.
(35:46):
Baseball rants coming up next.
Keep it right here.
Let's talk some baseball becausethis is where it's been personal
(36:11):
this week.
If you're a Mets fan, the wintermeetings have basically been a
live action therapy session.
First Edwin Diaz, now PeteAlonzo, and the Orioles and the
Dodgers are out here shoppinglike it's Black Friday, while
the Yankees are standing in thecorner arguing about whether the
Amex bill can go over$300million.
(36:34):
We're going to start in Queensbecause that's where the most
dominoes have fallen.
Back to back days, man.
Day one, Edwin Diaz to theDodgers of all teams.
Day two, Pete Alonso to theOrioles.
Two of the three guys you'd puton a kid's first Metch jersey in
(36:55):
the last decade, gone in 24hours.
And it's not just they left,it's it's it's how they left.
Diaz opts out, which we knew wascoming.
Fine.
You already gave him thatmonster deal, but he had these
opt-outs for this exact reason.
He comes off a 16-3 ERA, 98strikeouts in 66 innings, third
(37:19):
all-star nod, and all of asudden you blink, and he's
taking three years, 69 millionjust to go be the hammer on a
team that just won back-to-backWorld Series.
Meanwhile, you're sitting therehaving already given Devin
Williams three for 51, and DavidStearns steps to the mic and
basically says, Yeah, well, youknow, once we added that part to
(37:42):
the team, it changed thecalculus and how things are, and
da-da-da-da-da.
Yeah.
No kidding, it changed thecalculus.
You nerd.
You signed the other closerfirst.
You can't then act shocked whenEdwin Diaz looks around and
goes, Oh, so I'm the luxury andI'm replaceable.
(38:05):
I'm not the priority.
Okay, cool.
Bet.
I mean, you literally watchedhim walk out the door to a team
that, let's be honest, probablyhad their GM in his ear the
whole time, like, hey, go seewhat you can get from the Mets.
Go see what they're reallywilling to do.
Then come back to us and we'llbeat it by a couple million and
(38:25):
we'll throw in a ring.
Any bit.
And I don't even blame him.
I I mean, I get it.
You don't have to run thingspast the guy who opts out, he's
a free agent, but you at leasthave to, you know, make it
known, make it aware that, hey,listen, if you get another
offer, we're willing to match itor go higher.
I mean, they the report thatcame out was that there was
(38:47):
wiggle room for him, and he justtook that deal.
So I don't know.
I uh he just didn't want to behere.
Okay, fine.
The craziest part of all thisis, and that David Cern needs to
get through his head is thatlike Steve Cohen just sold a
gold-plated toilet for uh what,I think 18 million dollars.
(39:11):
So David Stearns needs torealize that like money's not an
object.
Like Steve Cohen is never goingto run to you in five years,
four years, whatever from nowand be like, sorry, we can't
sign this starter, or we can'tsign this player because
remember that closer contractyou gave in 2025, or remember
(39:35):
that extra year you had to pay?
Like, I just don't have themoney for it.
That's not the case, not even alittle bit.
Stearns is still wearing thebrewer's colored glasses.
He's acting like there's thishard line where if we spend
here, we can't spend there.
Sir, you are not in Milwaukeeanymore.
(39:57):
Your owner's net worth startswith a Capital B.
And he shrugs at a luxury taxthat they literally made for
him.
He's worth$200 billion.
That's a hundred piles of ahundred million dollars twice.
(40:17):
The job in this chair is knowingwhen to overpay and saying,
yeah, look, it's a little crazythe money that we're giving out,
but that's the cost of doingbusiness.
That's the cost of free agency.
And then Pete, oh God, don't getme started.
Pete Alonso, he gives you therebound season.
(40:38):
You sign him on a two-year,one-year opt-out, basically,
everybody in the world knowinghe's going to opt out, and
hitting behind Soto does exactlywhat it was supposed to do.
I mean, he he gives you 272,347, 524, 38 homers, 126
Ribbies, shortens the swing, thestrikeouts were down, he passes
(41:02):
Daryl Strawberry, becomes yourall-time home run leader at 264.
He plays 162 games again, andthe reward for him is no offer.
Not we tried and came up short,not he took somebody else's more
money.
Literally, they did not make anoffer to him.
(41:24):
And the writing was on the wallas soon as they signed Devin
Williams.
You're going to tell me DevinWilliams as your closer and Pete
Alonzo, who he hit the monsterhome runoff of in the playoffs
two years ago, were going to getalong for 162 games in the in
the in the clubhouse.
(41:45):
Honestly, I don't even thinkStearns wanted him last year.
I think that was a full-on Cohenmove.
Stearns was fully ready to moveon from him and rip the band-aid
off early last year, but Cohengot yelled at at the uh Mets uh
fan appreciation day for PeteAlonso after they just signed
(42:06):
Juodo to 15 years.
And he said, Hey man, listen, wegot to bring him back.
So now they brought him back,one year deal, he opts out, and
Stearns says, Okay, we're notsigning him again.
Like, I need to build this teamand how I want to build it.
And Cohen gave him the leeway.
He lengthened the leash to letStearns be.
So he hits the market, right?
(42:28):
And watches Schwarber get fiveyears,$150 million from Philly.
And the Orioles, the Orioles,go, cool, five for$155.
We'll top that by a hair.
Come be the grown-up bat in ourmiddle of our lineup.
And he takes it.
Orioles get a true middle of theorder monster, and you add
(42:49):
another name to the Mets Hall ofguys who should have retired
here, but didn't.
Doc, Darrell, Seaver, Kuzman,DeGrom, shit, Nimmo.
I mean, the list goes on and onand on.
And that's the part that stings.
(43:09):
Pete chose not to come back.
Diaz chose not to come back.
Nimmo literally waived a notrade clause to not come back.
I mean, at some point you yougotta look around and ask, are
we sure that this clubhouse isas healthy as everybody keeps
(43:31):
telling us is?
I mean, you can only talk aboutculture so much before guys
start answering with their feetand walking out the door.
I've always been a hugeproponent of where there's
smoke, there's fire.
And there has been so much smokecoming out of the clubhouse for
the past three years with thisteam.
And I threw the poll up on thestory.
(43:52):
Where are you at with this frontoffice right now?
Does Stearns have a plan or arewe about to crash out?
25% of you are still on goodfaith with Stearns.
75% basically said this man isflying the plane with no
instruments.
And honestly, I hate to say it.
(44:14):
I I get both sides.
Because here's the truth underthe emotion.
Take the emotion out of it, takethe fandom out of it, take the
laundry out of it.
Here's the truth.
Roster-wise, unfortunately,Alonzo was a weird fit for where
(44:36):
they clearly want to go movingforward.
Is he a massive producer?
Yes, of course.
Is he durable?
A hundred percent.
Is he homegrown, lovable,goofball, LFGM, R guy that we
rally behind?
Absolutely.
But when you look at whatthey've been building, they got
(44:59):
like six guys who need DH batsover the next like five years.
You got young bats coming up, acouple guys who could play
first.
So, and for at least three ofthe five years in Baltimore,
Pete is probably gonna be afull-time DH.
So this wasn't a we don't thinkhe's good, we don't think we
(45:21):
don't want him in our lineup.
This was more of a we want amore flexible roster.
And we're not gonna build arounda bat-only first baseman into
his mid-30s for the next fiveyears.
And I can I can understand thelogic.
(45:43):
That's how you talk yourselfinto it if you're CERNs, right?
You say this core didn't get itdone, and we had to rattle the
cage, we got to shake the snowglobe, we got to change things
up.
You can't keep doing the samething over and over and
expecting different results.
And sometimes leadership meansmaking the move that everybody
(46:04):
hates.
But if you're gonna rip theband-aid off like that, letting
an icon walk, swapping Nim overSimeon, punting on Diaz, then
you better have a violent pivotready.
And it has to be more than, hey,we signed another useful
reliever and we grabbed an agingveteran at first, or we're gonna
(46:30):
put some guys at a position thatcan kind of play the position
stuff.
That's not that's not gonna fly.
So right now, the board isstaring you in the face if
you're David Stearns.
Arms wise, you're looking atFran Burvaldez, you're looking
at Ranger Suarez, the Asianplayer, Tatsuyama Imai, and
you're looking at Michael King.
(46:51):
Bats wise, you're looking atKyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Bo
Bachet, Cody Bellinger, MonitakaMurakami, the power third
baseman first baseman, andAuenio Suarez.
And those aren't like rumor millnames.
Those are names that wereliterally spelled out in the
what's next for the Mets piecesthat got written all day today.
(47:16):
The entire league knows that youneed a frontline starter and you
need serious pop in your lineup.
And all of that is still withoutthe potential for trade, trade
guys.
I mean, the Mets have beenlinked to trading their young
farm system or having the ammoto at least go acquire somebody.
(47:36):
I mean, Mackenzie Gore out ofWashington, that's a great
frontline young starter.
I mean, you're gonna have to paythe in division tax, but it's
worth it.
CJ Abrams, Kaitel Marte, SandyAlcantaro, Edward Cabrera, and
you know, of course, the big oneout there floating around, Tariq
Scuble.
And look, there's been amountain of reports.
(48:00):
Well, maybe not a mountain, butthere's been some steady, steady
reports out there that theDodgers are really trying to put
together a package for Scoobyl.
And if they're even halfwayreal, those rumors, I'm gonna
need I'm gonna need Rob Manfordto channel his inner David Stern
(48:20):
and veto it like the basketballreasons, Chris Paul to the
Lakers trade.
You can't let the team that juststole your closer already has
Roki Sasaki and just won twostraight titles, go and add the
Cy Young lefty in his prime.
There has to be a uh competitivebalance button that you can hit
(48:41):
for that.
If that happens, just start thelabor lockout now.
I I I'm not dealing with that.
I'm not dealing with the Dodgersgetting Tariq Scoobyl.
But if we are talking about uhbest case absolute fantasy land
(49:03):
outcome trades, I think I mighthave one for the Mets that'll
perk Met fans right up.
I think what you do is you callSan Diego, because there's been
rumors about them wanting tomove Tatis.
You call San Diego and you askabout Tatis and you ask about
(49:24):
Mason Miller in some you knowmega three team monstrosity
deal.
You pull that off, you walk outwith a bullpen of Devin Williams
and Mason Miller and a lineupthat runs out Lindor, Tatis, and
Soto at you right up the middle.
That's that's the Cohen justsold the gold toilet move.
(49:47):
That's the I'm here and I wantto win a championship in the
next five years move.
That's the I decided to blow thesport up move.
Look, is it realistic?
No, probably not.
But this is the tier of splashthat you're gonna have to be at
least aiming for to get Met fansback on board with you, David
(50:08):
Stearns.
That's the I let all thesefranchise guys walk off in one
season, but I made it up to you.
Move.
You can't spend October tellingme, oh, we're gonna make big
swings, we're gonna, we're gonnago after it, we're gonna rebuild
this team, we're gonna becompetitive.
And then come December, you'reyou're clipping coupons.
(50:31):
You're not making offers, you'renot throwing your hat in the
ring.
Right now, from the outside, thestory looks like this the Mets
talk and act like the Dodgers,but they operate like the
Brewers.
And with Steve Cohen in yourcorner, that should literally
never be true.
Now, on the flip side of allthis chaos, how about those
(50:54):
Orioles, man?
They win the ALEs in 23, andthen they backslide to last
place in 25.
And instead of saying, oh,whoops, that was cute.
It was an anomaly, they dosomething they never do and they
pull out the checkbook.
They trade for Tyler Ward,giving up uh Grayson Rodriguez,
which, you know, one for one.
That's a pretty big deal on bothsides.
(51:14):
They sign Ryan Halesley from theMets to slam the door in the
ninth, and now they drop fiveyears 155 on Pete Alonzo.
It's the richest AAV ever for afirst free agent first baseman.
It's more than Freddie Freeman,more than Kyle Schwarber.
It's I congratulate Pete on thecontract.
I get it.
But who if you put Pete next toGunnar Henderson, Adley Rushman,
(51:40):
Jackson Holiday, Westburg,Basalow, that's not the fun,
scrappy little rebuild.
We got some kids lineup anymore.
That's a legit problem.
They were 19th in slugging and21st in OPS last year, and
Alonzo walks in with an 871 OPS.
StatCast said that if he playedall of his games last year in
(52:02):
Camden Yards, he would hit 45bombs instead of 38.
This is a team that looked inthe mirror after a 75-87 season
last year and said, Yeah, youknow what?
The kids are good, but we're notwaiting for them to save us.
We're gonna add some grown mento this.
And that's what changing thestory looks like.
(52:23):
While they're doing that, by theway, they're also blocking the
Red Sox from landing the firstbaseman that they wanted.
That's division warfare.
That's a plan.
And they're not done either.
Everyone around them is sayingthat they still need a big
frontline starter to pair withTrevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish.
So I'm sure they're still goingto be active.
If they've gone this far, theymight as well go all the way in,
(52:44):
in for a penny, in for a pound,right?
Someone like, oh, I don't know,one of those arms that the Mets
are also supposed to be callingabout.
Look, the the AL East isbasically turning into a
Thunderdome where everybody hasa nuke except the team in the
most expensive building in thedivision, which brings us right
(53:06):
across town.
I also ran a Yankees poll foryou guys.
If you could fix one thing,what's the most important thing,
the lineup or the bullpen?
60% of you said the lineup, 40%of you said the bullpen, and
Brian Cashman, while he's sortof trying to do both while also
playing accountant.
(53:27):
He's out here saying, yeah, theroster's actually in pretty good
shape.
We we don't have that much todo.
You know, we'd like to get CodyBellinger back, fix the two
left-handed thing while we're atit.
But it'd be nice if we couldalso get that payroll under$300
million from the$319 million wespent last year.
Meanwhile, your lineup isalready left heavy with Jazz,
(53:51):
Grisham, Austin Wells, Ben Rice,Ryan McMahon.
You still desperately needbullpen help after last year's
collapse, and you lost DevinWilliams, who lost the closing
spot but turned it up later inthe season.
And the rest of your division isadding impact bats and high,
high leverage arms while you'recounting pennies on the border
(54:15):
between 299 and 301.
And the the Bellinger thing ishilarious, too, because on
paper, he he's exactly what youshould want.
Lefty bat who crushes lefties.
He had a 909 OPS and 18 homers aYankee Stadium.
He plays center, he plays first,but the problem is you're
(54:36):
already too left-handed.
And the bullpen is barren, andto get him, you've probably got
to go in another 150 millionplus to the conversation.
This is my point with the theme.
Who actually has a plan?
Well, the Orioles clearly do,the Blue Jays clearly do.
(54:57):
The Yankees, the Yankees feellike they're trying to coupon
clip their way into contentionwhile the rest of the division
is in an arms race.
And the Mets, the Mets are at afork in the road where either
they look back and say, Man,Stearns, Stearns really did see
the long view.
He was playing chess, notcheckers.
(55:18):
Or, or we add his name to thevery long list of guys who
thought they were the smartestin the room and left a smoking
crater behind.
And here's the twist to rememberwith all this.
The Mets, again, can actuallymess with the Yankees' plan now.
You know, they stole Soto lastyear.
(55:39):
There's a very real world wherethey pivot from losing Alonzo
and say, okay, fine, we'll goget Cody Bellinger and we'll
have him play first and someleft field for us.
Take the bat from the Yankees,stick them next to Soto and
Lindor, and suddenly you're theone changing the story while
(55:59):
they explain to the beat writerswhy the budget came up short yet
again.
So yeah, on the surface, thisweek feels like pure pain for
Mets fans.
Diaz gone.
Alonzo gone.
Nemo already out the door.
Not much faith in Stearns.
Another winter where theheadlines are Mets lose Star X
(56:21):
instead of Mets gain star Y.
But it it doesn't have to endthis way.
This can either be the chapterwhere the story turns and they
start acting like the team theirowner's bank account says they
are, or it's the chapter wherewe lock in that narrative that
homegrown Mets stars don'tfinish their career here ever.
(56:45):
Changing the story is aboutdecisions.
The Oriol decided to swing big.
The Yankees are still decidingwhat they care more about,
trophies or thresholds, and theMets the Mets are on the clock.
You've cleared the deck, you'vegot the money, and now you got
(57:06):
holes the size of flushing bayto fill.
Go show everybody that youactually do have a plan.
So that's that's that's whereI'm at with the Mets and this
whole winter meeting circus.
The Dodgers and the Orioles areout here writing bold new
chapters.
The Yankees are stillstoryboarding, and the Mets are
(57:27):
standing in front of a blankpage pretending it's a
masterpiece, trying to sell methat you're Bob Ross.
Speaking of people trying tocontrol their narrative, on the
other side of the break, I wantto talk about Notre Dame
throwing a full-on tantrumbecause the store didn't go the
way they wanted.
You duck a conference for adecade, you lose to Miami, and
(57:49):
then you're shocked when the ACCpromotes Miami.
Cool.
We usually don't do a lot ofcollege football on this
program, but this is a storyworth talking about.
Keep it right here.
(58:19):
But before we land this thing, Igotta get into this Notre Dame
debacle.
I gotta get this thing off mychest because sticking with the
theme, this is exactly what Imean when I talk about changing
the story versus actually havinga plan.
Notre Dame didn't just getsnubbed and move on.
(58:41):
They turned it into thisfull-blown PR tour meltdown.
And honestly, they look awful.
So quick reset in case youmissed everything.
Notre Dame and Miami both finish10-2.
The committee sits down, looksat the resumes, looks at the
metrics, and then crazy concepthere, looks at the fact that
(59:04):
Miami beat Notre Dame head tohead to open the season.
The committee chair flat outsaid it.
When those two got close on theboard, they went back, they
re-watched the game, and head tohead was the tiebreaker.
Miami gets the 10 seed, NotreDame drops to 11, and that's the
(59:25):
ball game.
That's not a conspiracy.
That's literally how they tellyou the system is supposed to
work.
Who beats who?
But instead, Pete Bavakwa,that's a tough name to say,
comes out like someone stole hisparking spot.
He's been saving for his wifeall day.
Press conferences, TV hits, dida forty minute QA on campus
(59:50):
saying this felt like musicalchairs at a fifth grade birthday
party, talking about permanentdamage to the relationship with
the ACC, saying the league.
Ran a targeted social mediacampaign against Notre Dame
because the ACC account postedMiami vs.
Notre Dame graphics and the ACCnetwork replayed the game a
bunch of times.
(01:00:12):
My brother in Christ, theyreplayed the game because it
mattered.
And you lost it.
And then you got ACCcommissioner Jim Phillips coming
out like, oh, we're just doingour job.
We're advocating for all 17football members, which is
exactly what he's supposed tosay, by the way.
(01:00:33):
But Brett Yormack from the Big12 doesn't even wait to get home
before he starts cooking NotreDame.
He's on stage at the forumcalling Bavakwa egregious,
reminding everybody that the ACCliterally saved Notre Dame
during COVID by bringing them inas a full football member so
that they could play a realschedule, and they still made
(01:00:54):
the playoffs in 2020.
So on one side, you've got youchoose to be independent, you
choose to not play for aconference title, you lost
head-to-head to Miami, and onthe other side, you've got the
ACC posted too much about thehurricanes, and now my feelings
are hurt.
(01:01:14):
And then the part that reallybothers me with this whole
story, which is the reason thatI really wanted to get into it
on the podcast, they pull out ofthe bowl game entirely.
That's where it goes from likesalty to selfish.
Because this isn't just about, Idon't know, an AD and a head
(01:01:34):
coach being mad about a rankingand thinking they got snubbed.
This is about seniors whothought they had one more game
with their brothers.
This is about those fifth-yearguys in the walk-ons who were
dreaming of 15 snaps on nationalTV as the one real piece of tape
(01:01:55):
that they'll ever have.
This is about freshmen who grewup watching Notre Dame in
January and wanted to be a partof that.
Even if it is just the fuckingPop Tart Bowl.
Instead of giving the kids thelast week together, instead of
giving those walk-ons and thoseseniors and all those brothers
(01:02:19):
that sacrificed and put theirbody on the line that one more
chance to put the helmet on andgo to war.
No, the grown-ups decided, nah,no playoff season's over.
Pack it up.
We don't care.
We're doing this out of protest.
I mean, imagine being in thatlocker room.
You gave everything.
You finished 10 and 2.
You did what you were asked todo.
(01:02:40):
And what?
Because the adults at the topare throwing a tantrum about
Miami getting in over them.
You don't get the goodbye thatyou earned that you spent your
college career doing, wanting.
I mean, that's brutal.
And it's not on the ACC or thecommittee or social media.
(01:03:03):
This is 100% an in-house choice.
And here's the irony.
Bavak was not wrong abouteverything.
The one thing he said thatactually makes sense is the idea
of going to a 16-team playoff.
You get five auto bids, you get11 at large, more access, you
get more storylines, you keepthe regular season important.
(01:03:24):
I'm in on that.
I think a lot of us are.
You want to push for more.
You don't want it to turn into aNCAA March Madness 64-person
tournament, but I think 16 is agood number.
You want to push for moretransparency from the community,
from the committee, clearercriteria on what to get in.
I'm in on all that.
(01:03:46):
But it's so hard to take youseriously as a reform guy when
at the same time you're lightingup the ACC for promoting a team
that won the head-to-headmatchup.
And you're refusing to play inthe bowl game that you opted
into through your agreement withthat conference.
(01:04:10):
This is the cost of the NotreDame brand they never want to
talk about.
You want to be Alabama withoutthe conference.
Cool.
You want the NBC deal.
You get the cool factor.
You get the independence.
You get to dip into ACCscheduling when it's convenient
for you.
But you don't get the safety netof a league title game.
(01:04:32):
You don't get to lose to Miamiin August and then cry foul in
December when the resultsactually mattered.
You chose the tightrope.
The whole sport knows the rulesof the tightrope.
Sometimes you land on the rightside, like 2020, when the ACC
bent over backwards for you andyou made the playoff.
(01:04:52):
Sometimes you land on the wrongside, like this year.
When the team that beat you getsin and you're the first one out.
And that's the bigger theme fortoday.
That's the theme.
Are you owning your reality orare you trying to rewrite
rewrite it after the fact?
The Jets, who knows?
(01:05:13):
Maybe no plan.
Who cares?
The Mets, we hope there's aplan.
Notre Dame, they don't want aplan.
They want veto power over theending.
You can't talk about changingthe story and then duck the last
chapter because it doesn't fitthe version in your head.
Sometimes the story is what itis.
(01:05:36):
You lost the game in August, andit came back to bite you in the
ass in December.
You eat it, you show up, youplay the Pop Tarts bowl, you
send your guys out the rightway, and then in the offseason,
you go scream your head offabout playoff expansion to the
mountaintops.
But no.
Instead, they slam the door, andthe players are the ones
(01:05:59):
standing in the hallway.
Alright, I had to get that offmy chest.
Deep breaths.
We'll take a quick pause, we'llreset the blood pressure, and
then we'll start landing thisplane.
We'll land this episode.
We'll get you out of here.
(01:06:23):
And that's gonna do it for thisweek's run, man.
We hit on a lot of differentversions of the same question
today.
Who actually has a plan?
And who's just hoping the storymagically fixes itself?
The Jets.
Jets are still looking for aquarterback and a playoff birth
certificate.
The Giants are trying to talkthemselves into that we're gonna
(01:06:45):
be a problem after the bye.
And the Texans are bullyingpeople like it's a team that
actually knows what it is.
Checked in on the fantasysiccos, the playoff stress, some
ridiculous one-seed matchups,and we talked ourselves into a
JJ McCarthy and Chris Rodriguezstart.
Like that's not gonna ageterribly by Sunday night.
(01:07:05):
Also rolled the dice with Rice.
We put a little faith inHouston, the under in a snowy
AFC rock fight, points in thedome, and the locals card.
We're all Jags and Giants.
If you ride with me, betresponsibly, maybe even sneak in
a little emotional hedge there.
Then on to the big one.
(01:07:30):
Another homegrown Matt leavestown, and we're all just staring
there at Davis Cerns like,please tell me you brought a
blueprint for this and not justlike a vibes board.
The Orioles pushing all theirchips in, the AL East is getting
meaner, and the Yankees arepretending that the luxury tax
is a horror movie monster.
Lastly, we close it up withNotre Dame, throwing a tantrum
(01:07:52):
instead of lining up and playingone more game for the kids in
that locker room.
A perfect example of trying torewrite the story instead of
owning the one that you lived.
If you listened all the waythrough, I appreciate you more
than you know.
If you're new here, hit follow,drop a rating, share the show
with a friend who screams attheir Kiwi the same way that you
(01:08:14):
do.
Make sure you tap in onInstagram too.
Hop in on the polls, send amailbag question, all the stuff
that genuinely helps this thinggrow.
It's gonna be at Rice on theRadio, just how it's spelled.
More importantly, and always toclose the show, make sure you
spread some good energy thisweek.
Be kind to the people workingholiday hours, tip where you
(01:08:37):
can, and as always, tell someonethat you love them.
I am Ian Rice.
This has been episode 43 of Riceon the Mics, and I'll catch you
next time.
Same time, same place.
I guess it's the only one way to find out let's
(00:01):
do it too.
You ever notice how every teamswears they have a plan right up
until reality grabs the micright out of their hands?
(00:24):
On one side, you got teamsactually changing the story,
adapting, adjusting, takingthose big swings.
On the other, you got frontoffices and programs just hoping
vibes and brand power carry themthrough while everything burns
behind them.
That's the kind of lane thatwe're in this week.
(00:44):
We got Jets fans staring down 15years of no playoffs,
quarterback roulette again, andsomehow they're still trying to
talk themselves into well, ifthis breaks our way, maybe.
I got Giants coming off a bye,Commanders limping into MetLife
without Jaden Daniels.
And it's a moment where bothlocals have to decide what they
(01:07):
want to be the rest of theseason.
Are you guys playing spoilers?
Are you building something?
Or are we just logging gamestill the season's over?
Around the league, week 14 gaveus Rogers walking into Baltimore
and snatching the division back.
The Colts literally draggingPhillip Rivers off of a high
school sideline because they rantheir starter into the ground.
(01:28):
And the Chiefs getting pushedaround in their own building by
Houston.
Then week 15 shows up like cool,here's Bills, Pats, Raiders,
Eagles, Packers, Broncos.
Figure out who's for real.
On the college side, Notre Dame,yeah, we we gotta talk about
that.
You didn't get into the playoff,you lost to Miami head-to-head,
and your response is to throw apublic tantrum and yank a bowl
(01:51):
game away from your seniors.
For a program that loves to talkabout tradition and brotherhood,
sure says a lot about what thereal priorities are.
Later, we got Rollin' the Dicewith Rice and your fantasy
playoff survival week, who youcan actually trust in these
matchups and who's about to giveyou an early exit.
And then then the big one.
(02:21):
The Yankees watching thedivision get stronger while they
worry about the payroll line.
Who's actually buildingsomething and who's just hoping
that the name on the front ofthe jersey still scares people?
That's the heartbeat.
Changing the story, and whoreally has a plan?
Lots to cover, so let's just getright into it.
(02:47):
So let's start where we alwaysstart.
The locals.
The Jets are the perfect exampleof this week's theme.
Changing the story or pretendingyou have a plan while you just
spin the wheel at quarterback.
That Dolphins game was flat outgross.
(03:08):
Drops everywhere, timing off,and you could kind of feel it
was coming with Tyrod.
The way he plays, the way thisoffensive line holds up.
You just knew at some point hewas going to take a shot and not
pop up right away.
So he goes down, the wholebuilding deflates, and suddenly
you're sending in Brady Cook andasking, Could this fourth round
(03:32):
pick be our savior that we'vebeen looking for?
No, is the answer.
All while that's happening onthe field, the bigger story is
what I told you guys in the miccheck this week.
I threw up a poll, the Jetsquarterback room graphic.
If everybody's healthy, who doyou actually want starting right
now?
Almost half of you still rodewith Tyrod.
About 30% said gimme JustinFields, and the rest of you said
(03:55):
you're ready to find out whatBrady Cook is about.
And that's a very Jets fan piechart.
Forty-seven percent just said,gimme the competent adult who
won't light himself on fire.
29% said you say I still believein the lottery ticket, and 24%
said, screw it, gimme themystery box.
And then I followed that up withthe evil question.
(04:19):
Who makes the playoffs first?
Jets or Giants?
Sixty-three percent of that pollsaid Giants.
That's not a poll, that's anindictment.
Because after last week, it'sofficially fifteen straight
seasons without a playoffappearance for the Jets.
(04:39):
Fifteen.
That's not growing up.
That's literally you're hittingpuberty since the last time the
Jets went to the playoffs.
It's the longest active droughtin all of American professional
sports.
The Kings got in, the Marinersgot in, the Browns got in, and
the Jets are still in the sameseat, staring at the same door.
(05:01):
So now you go down toJacksonville this week, a Jags
team that just took control ofthe division and knows that
Houston is breathing down theirneck.
This isn't about the spreadsyet, this isn't about fantasy,
we'll do that later.
This is simply can you keep thisfrom turning into another HN
runs all over the place game?
(05:21):
You've got a beat-up quarterbackroom, a workhorse back in Brees
Hall that's about to run intoone of the toughest run defenses
in football, and a defense thatjust got bullied.
Look, if you want to change thestory at all, even a little bit,
this has to be one of thoseeffort games.
This has to be one of thosegames that convinces people that
(05:44):
they're playing for AaronGlanstale.
You gotta limit the explosiveplays, make them kick field
goals, don't hand them shortfields with turnovers.
And for the love of God, can wecatch the ball when you're open?
When it hits you in handsinstead of in the chest.
Look, nobody's asking you tokick the door down to the
(06:04):
playoffs at this point.
That door has been welded shutanyway.
But don't roll over and become aget-right spot for everybody
else's playoff push.
Play some spoiler.
Be mean.
Be gangrene.
On the blue side of town, it's adifferent vibe.
(06:25):
But the same question.
What kind of team are you comingoff of the bye this week?
I put up the poll off the bye.
What has to show up first?
Hot start on offense or thedefense plays tough.
61% of you said defense.
Which is very on brand forGiants fans.
(06:47):
You want that unit to come offthe bus, set the tone, thump
people, show they have somelife, maybe even drag the
offense along with them if theyhave to.
And you're getting a little bitof a gift this week with that,
too.
Washington sitting Jaden Danielsafter he retweaked that elbow.
And honestly, as a football fan,that's the right call.
(07:07):
The kid is uber talented, buthas already missed a bunch of
time.
They're eliminated anyway.
You don't need him out there inweek 15 trying to play superhero
down, three scores, becausewhat?
It's important for him to getthe reps, then suddenly it's an
RG3 situation all over again.
So it's probably going to beMarcus Mariota.
(07:30):
And it's it's a commander's teamthat's been frisky but
inconsistent.
And it's your defense staring ata very simple test this week.
Can you stop Chris Rodriguez anda pretty basic run game from
turning into a you've beengashed all year up the middle
game again?
Because the numbers on thisGiants run defense have been
(07:51):
ugly.
Teams are ripping off chunkplays, and that's why every
fantasy article on earth iscircling this matchup saying,
hey, if you're desperate atrunning back, start literally
anyone against the Giants.
That's not the list that youwant to be on.
And offensively, this is wherethe buy has to pay off.
Your last game was December 1st.
(08:13):
You've been in New York for twoweeks.
Fresh legs on the line, someself-scouting and
self-assessment, and you know,maybe a couple scripted drives
that don't look like they weredrawn in the dirt.
And remember, remember thatplayoff poll.
63% of you think that this isthe New York team that gets back
to January 1st.
(08:34):
So if that's true, you can'tstumble out of the bye and lay
an egg at home against a backupquarterback.
It doesn't matter who's coachingthe team.
Now, zooming out, week 14 feltlike a sorting hat for teams
that have a plan versus we'rejust doing our best.
(08:58):
First game, Pittsburgh walksinto Baltimore and Aaron Rodgers
does what he does, basicallyplants a flag on the division.
That's what you pay for with agrown-up quarterback like that.
Look, you might not loveeverything about the roster or
how it's looked all year, butwhen the lights are bright,
that's the guy.
He can walk into a hostelbuilding, not be rattled by it,
(09:21):
and say, Yep, that run of yoursis cute, but this is still our
division.
In Jacksonville, Indy gave us amaster class in what not having
a plan looks like.
You run Daniel Jones out therebehind that line with literally
a broken leg.
I said this last week and Icouldn't believe I was saying
it.
And of course, what happens?
(09:42):
What happens because of thatbroken leg?
He overcompensates and he tearshis Achilles.
Then the backup backup got hurt,and now you're on the phone with
a 44-year-old Phillip Rivers whowas literally coaching high
school last week.
That's franchise malpractice.
You can't talk about buildingsomething and then end up
(10:03):
emergency signing Uncle Rico offthe sideline in Alabama.
You can't let Daniel Jones playthere.
I know the record is what it is,and it's a big game, but you got
to take your lumps and try andlet the guy heal a little bit.
And yet, on top of it, theRivers thing is fascinating.
This man is a semifinalist to gointo the Pro Football Hall of
(10:26):
Fame this year and now justthrew it away at 44 years old
and reset his eligibility towhat?
Get that last little bit ofjuice that he has left in his
body out?
The Rocky kind of syndrome of,you know, make sure the
monster's gone when you leavethe ring.
And that his teammates are outhere saying that he can still
(10:46):
sling it.
I mean, he knows ShaneSteichen's offense front to
back.
He was literally teaching it tohis high school team that he got
called away from.
And the poll that I put out wassplit right down the middle,
too.
It was between Uncle Rico canstill sling it or that man's a
grandfather, stop it.
And that's kind of exactly how Ifeel about this.
(11:08):
Half of me is like, this isinsane.
This man needs to protect hiships.
He's gonna have 22-year-oldstrying to rip his head off.
And then the other half of me isso ready for Rivers to throw for
300 yards on three-step dropsand hit Tyler Warren like he's
having flashbacks throwing toAntonio Gates all over again.
(11:28):
If nothing else, he instantlyraises the IQ in the room and he
can put guys in the rightposition to succeed.
So I guess that's good, right?
Cincinnati Buffalo was theopposite.
Josh Allen finally slays theBorough Dragon.
Since he jumps out early, andthe old Bills teams usually fold
(11:51):
there.
Shit, the Bills teams as of lateprobably fold there.
But instead, Allen settles in,he makes the right throws, and
for once the defense actuallycloses a game against a legit
quarterback.
That's a little rewrite thescript moment for a team that's
been struggling as of late.
Good on them.
Then you got Houston walkinginto Arrowhead, into Kansas
(12:13):
City, and making the Chiefs looksmall.
The score says it was a closegame, but I watched it.
The eye test says Houston'sfront bullied them.
Will Anderson and that Texansdefense are playing with bad
intentions.
That's a bad man.
And D'Mico Ryans has him fullybought in.
(12:34):
His whole eyes in front, nexttarget thing is a perfect
example of an organization thatactually does have a plan and is
executing on it.
They started 0-3 and now they're8-5.
And I'll tell you one thingright now, not one person, not
one team wants to see them comewild card time.
The flip side of that coin,Chicago.
(12:55):
The Bears literally go fromfirst in the NFC to seventh with
one loss.
And then suddenly you're lookingahead at the schedule.
Packers again, Niners, Lions.
And yeah, they could absolutelyfind a way out of the playoffs.
Caleb Williams is the fullexperience right now in the
worst way.
(13:16):
He's got the lowest completionpercentage among volume passers.
He's missing layups, and thenhe'll literally uncork something
that makes you clutch yourpearls.
The coach literally said, quote,we're trying to merge.
That's one of the mostincredible plays I've ever seen,
with can you just hit the openguy on time?
End quote.
That's his literal quote at thepodium.
Look, until they figure out howto marry those two, that
(13:40):
feel-good bears are back storyis very fragile.
And I can't leave, we can'tleave Philly out on this either.
Jalen Hurts throws four picks,five total turnovers, literally
threw a pick, got the ball back,and then fumbled it.
And they lose in overtime to theChargers on Monday night.
And now the whole town of Phillyis calling radio stations asking
(14:01):
if he should be benched.
Benched.
Jalen Hurts, benched.
Nick Siriani had to go on airand basically say, guys, relax.
This is still my dude.
It's wild.
I mean, this man is a Super BowlMVP.
He's 54 and 25 in the regularseason, six and three in the
playoffs.
Two bad weeks and a rough seasonfrom a couple Divo receivers,
(14:24):
and everybody's literally readyto drive him to the airport.
Well, do me a favor, drive himto the JFK, drive him to New
airport.
I'll take him on the Jets rightnow.
They play the 2-11 Raiders thisweek in Philly.
This has to be a get right game.
If that thing is 17-13 in thefourth quarter and ugly, the
(14:45):
city might actually riot.
Which leads us to the point ofthe season of hat and t-shirt
time.
First tickets for the divisioncan get punched this weekend.
Denver can lock up a spot withbasically any positive result,
win and they're in, or you know,a whole flow chart of ties and
(15:06):
other teams losing.
But if they win, they're in.
Rams are simple too, beat theLions and they're in.
Patriots can literally clinch adivision, a playoff spot, and
maybe even a home fieldadvantage throughout with a win
over Buffalo.
After everything, the post-Bradywandering, the rebuild, the Mac
Jones trauma.
Here they are, sitting at 11-2with a chance to slam the door
(15:29):
on the AFC East at home, and theentire NFL fandom finds
themselves right back into LOLPat's win again era.
And as for week 15, that BillsPatz game is just such a perfect
microcosm.
The Buffalo, Buffalo's trying tohang on.
(15:50):
They're trying to recalibrateexpectations from what they
thought they were going to bethis year.
They're probably chasing a wildcard at this point and jockeying
for position.
While New England is trying tojust slam the window shut and
remind everybody who built thisneighborhood in the first place.
Snowy, cold, rainy game up inFoxboro.
(16:12):
Total rock fight potential.
Eagles Raiders, I touched on itbefore.
That's the true get right vibesgame.
Either Philly comes out angryand wins by three scores, or it
turns into another fourthquarter slog, and everyone in
that stadium sees their lifeflash before their eyes and has
the local radio station on speeddial.
(16:33):
And as for the Packers Broncos,it's sneaky fun.
Both teams are legit, but bothhave a bunch of people still
doubting them.
Two conference powerhouses, twofan bases who have heard all
year, yeah, but this, yeah, butthat.
It's a measuring stick game onboth sides.
Do you actually belong in thattop tier or have you just been
beating up on the middle class?
(16:56):
And it all kicks off Thursdaynight, Falcons at Bucks.
I put the poll up with thespread, Bucks minus four and a
half, and you guys were heavy onTampa, about 70% rolling with
the Bucks.
It makes sense.
Look, they're getting Mike Evansback, they're getting Jalen
McMillan back.
Triffson Wirfs is back on theline, and it's literally the
(17:16):
first time all year Baker getshis full compliment of wide
receivers.
Meanwhile, Atlanta missing DrakeLondon again.
Kyle Pitts is banged up, andhonestly, let's he's Kyle Pitts,
so you know who cares.
And they're coming off gettingsmoked by Seattle.
So I'm sure morale is real highin the locker room.
This one's not even really aplan game.
(17:39):
This is just two teams trying tosurvive.
Tampa and Carolina are tied atopthe division at 7-6, and the
Falcons are hanging on at 4-9.
Somebody's got to win the NFCSouth.
And it feels like the Bucs areat least trying to push their
chips in and do what they can.
They're getting healthy at theright time.
And lastly, a quick little notethat got buried in the fine
(18:02):
print of all this.
The refs collective bargainagreement expires after this
season.
You remember years ago with theuh Fail Mary in Seattle versus
Green Bay, another Aaron Rodgersmoment.
The league is already sendingout memos talking about more
accountability, longerprobation, practice squads for
(18:22):
officials, all the buzzwords,all the BS.
Like we've seen this moviebefore.
Just file it away, and whenwe're all screaming about
replacement refs in week onebecause billionaires and a union
couldn't agree on bonuses, youknow, that's the usual.
But that's the landscape.
(18:42):
That's where we are.
Week 15 in the NFL.
Jets and Giants are trying tofigure out who they are still.
Rivers is dusting off the oldbolo tie.
Hertz is fighting the entirecity of Philadelphia.
The Bears are wobbling.
The Texans are surging.
And division hats and t-shirtsare on the line.
(19:04):
So from here, we are going toroll right into the roll in the
dice segment and the fantasyside because some of these
plans, quote unquote, look a lotdifferent when there's money and
playoff matchups on the line.
Stay tuned for some advice tohopefully help you win your
league and fatten your wallet abit.
(19:35):
Okay, folks, helmets on, walletsout.
It is that time.
We've officially hit fantasyplayoff season.
Some of you are sipping a byeweek, like a nice glass of wine.
Some of you drew the juggernautone seed and asking, how did we
let this dude draft this team?
(19:56):
And some of you are alreadyeliminated.
Staring at your roster,wondering.
Where it all went wrong andswearing you're never playing
again until that group chatlights up in August.
So let's do both things at once.
We'll set your lineups forsurvival and we'll set your
slips for the weekend.
We'll start it off with fantasy,and these are the matchups to
attack and the matchups to avoidat each position.
(20:19):
Quarterbacks.
If you're desperate at QB, likeyour starter got hurt and your
backup, it's Jacoby Pursetdesperate.
I don't hate rolling the dice onJJ McCarthy in Dallas.
I know, I know it sounds gross.
He's been bad.
EPA hates him.
(20:40):
The film isn't much kinder, buthe just threw for three
touchdowns and 20 plus fantasypoints on Washington.
And the Cowboys have quietlybecome a quarterback cheat code.
They're giving up 24.5 fantasypoints per game to the position.
Three more than anybody else inthe league.
Twelve quarterbacks have playedat least 75% of their snaps
(21:03):
against them.
And only three of those guyshave finished under 23 fantasy
points.
So the bar you're asking JJ toclear here is basically can you
please be better than 2025 GenoSmith on a bad day?
With O'Connell dialing it up andthe weapons he has, there's at
least a path.
That's a deep league.
(21:24):
I hate myself, but I see thelogic kind of start stream.
But it is what it is.
Flip side, Jacobi Purset atHouston, fantasy darling since
he took the job, QB2 in totalpoints, top 12 every start, has
basically lived in garbage timeand made it work.
And I'm telling you right now,if you have any other decent
(21:45):
option, this is the week youpark him.
Houston has given up 12.2 pointsper game to quarterbacks.
Nobody has cracked 20 on them.
That front is real, the coverageis real, and this game script
might not even give him cheapyards that he's been living on.
I love the story.
(22:06):
I love what he's done forfantasy this year as a late
night, late push.
But this is the thanks for thememories, see you week 16 if we
survive spot.
And then you got the commandersituation.
James Daniels bang bangs thatelbow again.
They're officially out of theplayoff race, and Dan Quinn has
(22:29):
ruled him out for the Giantsgame.
So if Marcus Mariota starts,which it looks like he's going
to, quietly, a very viablestreamer is him.
I mean, he has some finishes QBsix, QB9, QB ten, QB three.
(22:50):
The Giants have given up fifthmost fantasy points to QB since
week ten.
They're getting gashed up themiddle and they're getting
gashed on the sides.
If you're in that same JJMcCarthy tier of panic, Mariota
versus the Giants is not theworst play you can think of.
Running back time.
A couple of very matchup drivenbacks for this week.
(23:13):
Same thing.
First one, Giants game, ChrisRodriguez.
Washington has basically madehim their lead down early guy
last few weeks.
Uh Bill Krosky Merritt is out ofthe picture.
And it hasn't really turned intobig fantasy production just yet,
but if there was ever a spot,it's this one.
The Giants are allowing sixpoint one yards per carry to
(23:36):
running backs.
That's mad in numbers.
Six point one yards per carry.
Two runs, and they have a firstdown.
He's got that leading backfieldand carries.
He's got legit 15 for 80 and ashot at a score upside.
Deeper leagues or injury hell ordouble flex formats.
(23:58):
Play him.
Now on the opposite of that,stay with the locals, Brees Hall
and Jacksonville.
The usage is beautiful.
He catches nice screens.
On most teams, 80 plus percentof the running back rush air and
50% route run would make him alocked in top five.
I have to start him every weekrunning back.
(24:21):
But Jacksonville has been a realproblem for running backs as of
late.
They give up the fifth fewestfantasy points, the lowest
rushing yards per game, and thefourth lowest rushing yards per
carry.
I'm not saying you auto-benchBrees.
I mean, volume is still king.
Get the ball in his hands.
He's still good for an explosiveplay here and there.
(24:43):
But this is one of those weekswhere you're gonna have to at
least have the conversation orat least temper your
expectations a little bit.
If you have another solid optionin a plus matchup, do not be
afraid to break the never sityour studs religion for one
week.
And I know it's a big week, butthis could be the week for Brees
Hall.
(25:04):
And also don't forget Chicago'sbackfield against Cleveland.
The Browns just got absolutelycooked by Tony Pollard and Tajay
Spears.
And over their last five games,they're giving up 120 plus
scrimmage yards per game torunning backs.
The Bears, the one thing theywant to do more than anything is
run.
They're bottom 10 in pass rate,and DeAndre Swift is a legit top
(25:25):
20 play in that spot.
Kyle Manunga, local Rutgers boy,is more of a touchdown or bus
start, but he can still do whathe has to do.
So if you're praying for 15carries and a plunge from the
two, you you could do worse.
As for receivers, well, I gottwo notes here.
One, if you made the playoffswith Justin Jefferson on your
(25:49):
roster, God bless you.
And yes, you're starting him.
It has been ugly without CarsonWentz.
In non-Wentz games, he's been alow-end wide receiver three at
best.
But again, if you're willing toconsider JJ McCarthy against
Dallas being a plus matchup,we're not benching his number
(26:10):
one wide receiver target.
The usage is still elite.
His hands are elite.
He knows how to target the ball.
This is the kind of spot wherehe might finally pop for you
when it matters the most.
On the downside, Michael Pittmanand Alec Pierce at Seattle, the
the Seahawks are just Seahawksdefense is just unreal.
(26:31):
They're the fifth tough toughestmatchup for wideouts.
They allow the fewest receivingyards per game to the position.
And now you take Daniel Jonesout of the picture, and you're
talking about throwing44-year-old Phillip Rivers off
the couch and into death almost.
Vegas usually knows what's up,and they have the Colts team
(26:54):
total sitting in the low teens.
That screams volume with nopayoff.
At best, both of those receiversare a wide receiver three or a
flex play.
And also, quick commanders add.
If Mariota does go, TerryMcLaurin is a rock solid wide
receiver two.
(27:14):
In three games, he and Mariotareally played together.
Terry was getting almost 40% ofthe air yards and over 20% of
the targets thrown.
In PPR volume, that's a goodplay.
Giants have been leaking pointsto receivers.
If you survive this long withoutTerry, you're rolling with them
now.
(27:34):
As for tight ends, uh tight endis simple.
Start every Ravens tight end youcan against Cincinnati.
The Bengals are not evenhistorically bad.
They are insanely bad versus therun versus the tight end versus
the receivers versus everything.
(27:55):
About 20 half-point PPR games totight end, seven plus catches,
almost 100 yards and a touchdownon average.
Mark Andrews just hit a new highin route participation last
week.
Isaiah Likely is still gettingheavily involved.
Lamar is not running around.
He's looking to throw the ball.
Honestly, both guys are playablein the same lineup, maybe even
(28:15):
in deeper leagues.
It's that soft of a matchup.
And as far as a guy thatprobably carried you here, you
might have to sit Hunter Henrythis week.
The Buffalo game, it's going tobe cold.
It's going to be rainy, snowy,it's going to be a mess.
And Buffalo is the worst matchupin the league for tight ends.
(28:37):
They're averaging under threecatches and under six fantasy
points per game allowed.
Only two tight ends have hitdouble digits on them all year.
Henry got 46 yards on him backin week five, and that was one
of the better tight end linesthat they've given up all year.
With every team playing, youshould be able to find a higher
upside stick of dynamite thisweek.
(28:59):
And if you're hunting for someupside at the position, keep an
eye on Mike Geseckki.
If T.
Higgins sits again, when Higginshas been out, Gisecki has
quietly turned into a boomerbust tight end one.
That's six for 86 in a scoregame is exactly the kind of
thing that swings a playoffmatchup completely.
Very low floor, but if you're abig underdog and you need a
(29:20):
20-point miracle, that's theprofile you want to chase.
I would also maybe look atDarren Waller.
Alright, lineups are set.
Anxiety level is appropriatelyraised.
Let's talk about the other sideof the coin.
Try and make some coin.
Rolling the dice with Rice, week15.
Quickly, we'll go over lastweek's card.
We went 2-2.
(29:41):
Titans plus the points inCleveland was a loss.
They kept it close.
It is what it is.
Rams, Cardinals over 48.5.
That was an easy W.
Rams scored 42 by themselves.
Texans plus three and a half inKansas City.
They won it outright.
That's a big W.
And for the locals, Jets plusthe points in Miami.
Well, you know how that went.
(30:02):
That was a disaster.
So we're sitting at 32 and 29 onthe season.
Not printing money, but we're inthe green, which is all you can
ask for this late in the year.
So with all that being said,this week's card is set.
Let's run through the plays.
Game one, Cardinals at Texans.
(30:22):
Texans minus nine and a half.
Look, Arizona's cooked.
They're counting weeks untilthey can book vacations.
Again, Jacoby Brissett's been afun fantasy story, but we just
talked about it.
This matchup is a brick wall.
Houston's front is for real.
Will Anderson, that whole group,they live in the quarterback's
left.
They live in the backfield.
(30:43):
And the secondary has beenlocking dudes up all year.
I can absolutely see this gamegoing.
How a lot of the Texan gameshave gone as of late.
They get up two scores early,and then that defense just
starts hunting.
Nine and a half is a big number,but it's that classic we're a
grown-up playoff team.
(31:03):
You are not sit down spot.
I'll lay it with Houston.
Give me Texans minus nine and ahalf.
Game two, Bills at Patriots, andwe're going under 49.5.
You guys know, you know how Ifeel about unders.
Life's too short to bet theunder.
I hate rooting against points.
But this one screams snow game,drowned out, heavy hitting, rock
(31:27):
fight.
Vrabel has the Patriots playingdiscipline, physical football
every week.
They're buttoned up, they'reprepared.
They're not giving you cheapstuff.
And on the other sideline,Buffalo knows a division is
basically gone, and that they'rejockeying for wild card position
at this point.
Cold, snow, two defenses thatcan hit and two offenses that
(31:49):
can turtle up once things get alittle bit tight.
I think the Pats D shows up athome, and the Bills offense
maybe starts a little slow inthe slop.
This feels like 23-17.
Either way, that keeps us under50.
You might have to sweat it, butI'll plug my nose and take the
under.
Game three, Panthers at Saints,and we're going over 40 and a
(32:13):
half.
This is the exact opposite.
Quietly, both of these offenseshave found something in the past
couple weeks.
New Orleans might actually liketheir quarterback right now.
And Bryce Young has beenslinging it as of late.
The Panthers run game has bailedhim out in tough spots, and you
(32:34):
can see him just starting tolook more comfortable behind
there.
In the dome, fast track, twodefenses that are meh at best.
This has a sneaky shootoutpotential.
I don't think we need to trackme, but we just need competent
football.
24-20, that clears it.
I like over 40 and a half here.
(32:55):
Game four, we're on to thelocals.
We got the Jets and the Giants.
First one, Jets at Jaguars, andI hate to say it, Jags minus
13.5.
I've picked the Jets pretty muchall year and I've done well with
them, but not looking great.
We talked about the Jetsalready.
The QB situation is in flux.
(33:15):
The run defense just gotabsolutely bullied by HN.
The offense rhythm is a rumor atbest.
Jacksonville, meanwhile, justgrabbed the division lead and
they know that Houston is righton their heels.
This is a handle your businessterritory game.
You cannot drop a home game to ateam that's packing up golf
(33:36):
bags, that's looking at a top 10pick in the draft.
13.5 is massive in the NFL.
If you're squeamish, I totallyget buying it down to 9.5, 10.5
in a teaser or something.
But on the card, I'm going totrust the motivation gap and the
matchup.
Jags have been nasty against therun, and that's kind of all the
(33:56):
Jets have.
If the Jets fall behind earlyand they don't have special
teams to bail them out, thiscould get ugly quick.
This could snowball.
Give me Jacksonville minus 13.5.
Lastly, game five, sticking withthe locals, commanders at
Giants.
And we're rolling Giants minustwo and a half.
This is my close your eyes andtrust the spot game.
(34:20):
Giants coming off a bye at homeagainst a division rival that
they always seem to play toughagainst.
You guys told me in the pollthat I put out, what you want to
see first is that the defenseshows up and punches someone in
the mouth.
And on the other side,Washington is without their
commander in chief, no punintended.
Jamie Daniels is out, and aftertweaking that elbow again,
(34:40):
Mariota is capable, but that'sstill a backup on the road
behind a line that's been shaky.
The Giants, the Giants have beenin pretty much every game this
year, and I have been wrong onthem all year because of it.
So I'm going to lean into thepain and ride with them off the
bye.
Fresh legs, home crowd, backupQB across the field.
(35:03):
Give me Giants minus two and ahalf.
Alright, that's the card.
Texans, minus nine and a half.
Bills Pats under 49.
Panthers Saints over 40.
Jags minus 13.5 and Giants minus2.5.
Fantasy lineups are set.
Slips are filled out.
Stress level is now at ahealthy.
(35:24):
I might pace my living room forthree straight hours level.
But from here, we now shiftgears into baseball.
Because while we were all tryingto change the story in fantasy
and at the window putting ourtickets in, the Mets and the
Yankees are out here writingentire new chapters.
And not all of them are funreads.
(35:46):
Baseball rants coming up next.
Keep it right here.
Let's talk some baseball becausethis is where it's been personal
(36:11):
this week.
If you're a Mets fan, the wintermeetings have basically been a
live action therapy session.
First Edwin Diaz, now PeteAlonzo, and the Orioles and the
Dodgers are out here shoppinglike it's Black Friday, while
the Yankees are standing in thecorner arguing about whether the
Amex bill can go over$300million.
(36:34):
We're going to start in Queensbecause that's where the most
dominoes have fallen.
Back to back days, man.
Day one, Edwin Diaz to theDodgers of all teams.
Day two, Pete Alonso to theOrioles.
Two of the three guys you'd puton a kid's first Metch jersey in
(36:55):
the last decade, gone in 24hours.
And it's not just they left,it's it's it's how they left.
Diaz opts out, which we knew wascoming.
Fine.
You already gave him thatmonster deal, but he had these
opt-outs for this exact reason.
He comes off a 16-3 ERA, 98strikeouts in 66 innings, third
(37:19):
all-star nod, and all of asudden you blink, and he's
taking three years, 69 millionjust to go be the hammer on a
team that just won back-to-backWorld Series.
Meanwhile, you're sitting therehaving already given Devin
Williams three for 51, and DavidStearns steps to the mic and
basically says, Yeah, well, youknow, once we added that part to
(37:42):
the team, it changed thecalculus and how things are, and
da-da-da-da-da.
Yeah.
No kidding, it changed thecalculus.
You nerd.
You signed the other closerfirst.
You can't then act shocked whenEdwin Diaz looks around and
goes, Oh, so I'm the luxury andI'm replaceable.
(38:05):
I'm not the priority.
Okay, cool.
Bet.
I mean, you literally watchedhim walk out the door to a team
that, let's be honest, probablyhad their GM in his ear the
whole time, like, hey, go seewhat you can get from the Mets.
Go see what they're reallywilling to do.
Then come back to us and we'llbeat it by a couple million and
(38:25):
we'll throw in a ring.
Any bit.
And I don't even blame him.
I I mean, I get it.
You don't have to run thingspast the guy who opts out, he's
a free agent, but you at leasthave to, you know, make it
known, make it aware that, hey,listen, if you get another
offer, we're willing to match itor go higher.
I mean, they the report thatcame out was that there was
(38:47):
wiggle room for him, and he justtook that deal.
So I don't know.
I uh he just didn't want to behere.
Okay, fine.
The craziest part of all thisis, and that David Cern needs to
get through his head is thatlike Steve Cohen just sold a
gold-plated toilet for uh what,I think 18 million dollars.
(39:11):
So David Stearns needs torealize that like money's not an
object.
Like Steve Cohen is never goingto run to you in five years,
four years, whatever from nowand be like, sorry, we can't
sign this starter, or we can'tsign this player because
remember that closer contractyou gave in 2025, or remember
(39:35):
that extra year you had to pay?
Like, I just don't have themoney for it.
That's not the case, not even alittle bit.
Stearns is still wearing thebrewer's colored glasses.
He's acting like there's thishard line where if we spend
here, we can't spend there.
Sir, you are not in Milwaukeeanymore.
(39:57):
Your owner's net worth startswith a Capital B.
And he shrugs at a luxury taxthat they literally made for
him.
He's worth$200 billion.
That's a hundred piles of ahundred million dollars twice.
(40:17):
The job in this chair is knowingwhen to overpay and saying,
yeah, look, it's a little crazythe money that we're giving out,
but that's the cost of doingbusiness.
That's the cost of free agency.
And then Pete, oh God, don't getme started.
Pete Alonso, he gives you therebound season.
(40:38):
You sign him on a two-year,one-year opt-out, basically,
everybody in the world knowinghe's going to opt out, and
hitting behind Soto does exactlywhat it was supposed to do.
I mean, he he gives you 272,347, 524, 38 homers, 126
Ribbies, shortens the swing, thestrikeouts were down, he passes
(41:02):
Daryl Strawberry, becomes yourall-time home run leader at 264.
He plays 162 games again, andthe reward for him is no offer.
Not we tried and came up short,not he took somebody else's more
money.
Literally, they did not make anoffer to him.
(41:24):
And the writing was on the wallas soon as they signed Devin
Williams.
You're going to tell me DevinWilliams as your closer and Pete
Alonzo, who he hit the monsterhome runoff of in the playoffs
two years ago, were going to getalong for 162 games in the in
the in the clubhouse.
(41:45):
Honestly, I don't even thinkStearns wanted him last year.
I think that was a full-on Cohenmove.
Stearns was fully ready to moveon from him and rip the band-aid
off early last year, but Cohengot yelled at at the uh Mets uh
fan appreciation day for PeteAlonso after they just signed
(42:06):
Juodo to 15 years.
And he said, Hey man, listen, wegot to bring him back.
So now they brought him back,one year deal, he opts out, and
Stearns says, Okay, we're notsigning him again.
Like, I need to build this teamand how I want to build it.
And Cohen gave him the leeway.
He lengthened the leash to letStearns be.
So he hits the market, right?
(42:28):
And watches Schwarber get fiveyears,$150 million from Philly.
And the Orioles, the Orioles,go, cool, five for$155.
We'll top that by a hair.
Come be the grown-up bat in ourmiddle of our lineup.
And he takes it.
Orioles get a true middle of theorder monster, and you add
(42:49):
another name to the Mets Hall ofguys who should have retired
here, but didn't.
Doc, Darrell, Seaver, Kuzman,DeGrom, shit, Nimmo.
I mean, the list goes on and onand on.
And that's the part that stings.
(43:09):
Pete chose not to come back.
Diaz chose not to come back.
Nimmo literally waived a notrade clause to not come back.
I mean, at some point you yougotta look around and ask, are
we sure that this clubhouse isas healthy as everybody keeps
(43:31):
telling us is?
I mean, you can only talk aboutculture so much before guys
start answering with their feetand walking out the door.
I've always been a hugeproponent of where there's
smoke, there's fire.
And there has been so much smokecoming out of the clubhouse for
the past three years with thisteam.
And I threw the poll up on thestory.
(43:52):
Where are you at with this frontoffice right now?
Does Stearns have a plan or arewe about to crash out?
25% of you are still on goodfaith with Stearns.
75% basically said this man isflying the plane with no
instruments.
And honestly, I hate to say it.
(44:14):
I I get both sides.
Because here's the truth underthe emotion.
Take the emotion out of it, takethe fandom out of it, take the
laundry out of it.
Here's the truth.
Roster-wise, unfortunately,Alonzo was a weird fit for where
(44:36):
they clearly want to go movingforward.
Is he a massive producer?
Yes, of course.
Is he durable?
A hundred percent.
Is he homegrown, lovable,goofball, LFGM, R guy that we
rally behind?
Absolutely.
But when you look at whatthey've been building, they got
(44:59):
like six guys who need DH batsover the next like five years.
You got young bats coming up, acouple guys who could play
first.
So, and for at least three ofthe five years in Baltimore,
Pete is probably gonna be afull-time DH.
So this wasn't a we don't thinkhe's good, we don't think we
(45:21):
don't want him in our lineup.
This was more of a we want amore flexible roster.
And we're not gonna build arounda bat-only first baseman into
his mid-30s for the next fiveyears.
And I can I can understand thelogic.
(45:43):
That's how you talk yourselfinto it if you're CERNs, right?
You say this core didn't get itdone, and we had to rattle the
cage, we got to shake the snowglobe, we got to change things
up.
You can't keep doing the samething over and over and
expecting different results.
And sometimes leadership meansmaking the move that everybody
(46:04):
hates.
But if you're gonna rip theband-aid off like that, letting
an icon walk, swapping Nim overSimeon, punting on Diaz, then
you better have a violent pivotready.
And it has to be more than, hey,we signed another useful
reliever and we grabbed an agingveteran at first, or we're gonna
(46:30):
put some guys at a position thatcan kind of play the position
stuff.
That's not that's not gonna fly.
So right now, the board isstaring you in the face if
you're David Stearns.
Arms wise, you're looking atFran Burvaldez, you're looking
at Ranger Suarez, the Asianplayer, Tatsuyama Imai, and
you're looking at Michael King.
(46:51):
Bats wise, you're looking atKyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Bo
Bachet, Cody Bellinger, MonitakaMurakami, the power third
baseman first baseman, andAuenio Suarez.
And those aren't like rumor millnames.
Those are names that wereliterally spelled out in the
what's next for the Mets piecesthat got written all day today.
(47:16):
The entire league knows that youneed a frontline starter and you
need serious pop in your lineup.
And all of that is still withoutthe potential for trade, trade
guys.
I mean, the Mets have beenlinked to trading their young
farm system or having the ammoto at least go acquire somebody.
(47:36):
I mean, Mackenzie Gore out ofWashington, that's a great
frontline young starter.
I mean, you're gonna have to paythe in division tax, but it's
worth it.
CJ Abrams, Kaitel Marte, SandyAlcantaro, Edward Cabrera, and
you know, of course, the big oneout there floating around, Tariq
Scuble.
And look, there's been amountain of reports.
(48:00):
Well, maybe not a mountain, butthere's been some steady, steady
reports out there that theDodgers are really trying to put
together a package for Scoobyl.
And if they're even halfwayreal, those rumors, I'm gonna
need I'm gonna need Rob Manfordto channel his inner David Stern
(48:20):
and veto it like the basketballreasons, Chris Paul to the
Lakers trade.
You can't let the team that juststole your closer already has
Roki Sasaki and just won twostraight titles, go and add the
Cy Young lefty in his prime.
There has to be a uh competitivebalance button that you can hit
(48:41):
for that.
If that happens, just start thelabor lockout now.
I I I'm not dealing with that.
I'm not dealing with the Dodgersgetting Tariq Scoobyl.
But if we are talking about uhbest case absolute fantasy land
(49:03):
outcome trades, I think I mighthave one for the Mets that'll
perk Met fans right up.
I think what you do is you callSan Diego, because there's been
rumors about them wanting tomove Tatis.
You call San Diego and you askabout Tatis and you ask about
(49:24):
Mason Miller in some you knowmega three team monstrosity
deal.
You pull that off, you walk outwith a bullpen of Devin Williams
and Mason Miller and a lineupthat runs out Lindor, Tatis, and
Soto at you right up the middle.
That's that's the Cohen justsold the gold toilet move.
(49:47):
That's the I'm here and I wantto win a championship in the
next five years move.
That's the I decided to blow thesport up move.
Look, is it realistic?
No, probably not.
But this is the tier of splashthat you're gonna have to be at
least aiming for to get Met fansback on board with you, David
(50:08):
Stearns.
That's the I let all thesefranchise guys walk off in one
season, but I made it up to you.
Move.
You can't spend October tellingme, oh, we're gonna make big
swings, we're gonna, we're gonnago after it, we're gonna rebuild
this team, we're gonna becompetitive.
And then come December, you'reyou're clipping coupons.
(50:31):
You're not making offers, you'renot throwing your hat in the
ring.
Right now, from the outside, thestory looks like this the Mets
talk and act like the Dodgers,but they operate like the
Brewers.
And with Steve Cohen in yourcorner, that should literally
never be true.
Now, on the flip side of allthis chaos, how about those
(50:54):
Orioles, man?
They win the ALEs in 23, andthen they backslide to last
place in 25.
And instead of saying, oh,whoops, that was cute.
It was an anomaly, they dosomething they never do and they
pull out the checkbook.
They trade for Tyler Ward,giving up uh Grayson Rodriguez,
which, you know, one for one.
That's a pretty big deal on bothsides.
(51:14):
They sign Ryan Halesley from theMets to slam the door in the
ninth, and now they drop fiveyears 155 on Pete Alonzo.
It's the richest AAV ever for afirst free agent first baseman.
It's more than Freddie Freeman,more than Kyle Schwarber.
It's I congratulate Pete on thecontract.
I get it.
But who if you put Pete next toGunnar Henderson, Adley Rushman,
(51:40):
Jackson Holiday, Westburg,Basalow, that's not the fun,
scrappy little rebuild.
We got some kids lineup anymore.
That's a legit problem.
They were 19th in slugging and21st in OPS last year, and
Alonzo walks in with an 871 OPS.
StatCast said that if he playedall of his games last year in
(52:02):
Camden Yards, he would hit 45bombs instead of 38.
This is a team that looked inthe mirror after a 75-87 season
last year and said, Yeah, youknow what?
The kids are good, but we're notwaiting for them to save us.
We're gonna add some grown mento this.
And that's what changing thestory looks like.
(52:23):
While they're doing that, by theway, they're also blocking the
Red Sox from landing the firstbaseman that they wanted.
That's division warfare.
That's a plan.
And they're not done either.
Everyone around them is sayingthat they still need a big
frontline starter to pair withTrevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish.
So I'm sure they're still goingto be active.
If they've gone this far, theymight as well go all the way in,
(52:44):
in for a penny, in for a pound,right?
Someone like, oh, I don't know,one of those arms that the Mets
are also supposed to be callingabout.
Look, the the AL East isbasically turning into a
Thunderdome where everybody hasa nuke except the team in the
most expensive building in thedivision, which brings us right
(53:06):
across town.
I also ran a Yankees poll foryou guys.
If you could fix one thing,what's the most important thing,
the lineup or the bullpen?
60% of you said the lineup, 40%of you said the bullpen, and
Brian Cashman, while he's sortof trying to do both while also
playing accountant.
(53:27):
He's out here saying, yeah, theroster's actually in pretty good
shape.
We we don't have that much todo.
You know, we'd like to get CodyBellinger back, fix the two
left-handed thing while we're atit.
But it'd be nice if we couldalso get that payroll under$300
million from the$319 million wespent last year.
Meanwhile, your lineup isalready left heavy with Jazz,
(53:51):
Grisham, Austin Wells, Ben Rice,Ryan McMahon.
You still desperately needbullpen help after last year's
collapse, and you lost DevinWilliams, who lost the closing
spot but turned it up later inthe season.
And the rest of your division isadding impact bats and high,
high leverage arms while you'recounting pennies on the border
(54:15):
between 299 and 301.
And the the Bellinger thing ishilarious, too, because on
paper, he he's exactly what youshould want.
Lefty bat who crushes lefties.
He had a 909 OPS and 18 homers aYankee Stadium.
He plays center, he plays first,but the problem is you're
(54:36):
already too left-handed.
And the bullpen is barren, andto get him, you've probably got
to go in another 150 millionplus to the conversation.
This is my point with the theme.
Who actually has a plan?
Well, the Orioles clearly do,the Blue Jays clearly do.
(54:57):
The Yankees, the Yankees feellike they're trying to coupon
clip their way into contentionwhile the rest of the division
is in an arms race.
And the Mets, the Mets are at afork in the road where either
they look back and say, Man,Stearns, Stearns really did see
the long view.
He was playing chess, notcheckers.
(55:18):
Or, or we add his name to thevery long list of guys who
thought they were the smartestin the room and left a smoking
crater behind.
And here's the twist to rememberwith all this.
The Mets, again, can actuallymess with the Yankees' plan now.
You know, they stole Soto lastyear.
(55:39):
There's a very real world wherethey pivot from losing Alonzo
and say, okay, fine, we'll goget Cody Bellinger and we'll
have him play first and someleft field for us.
Take the bat from the Yankees,stick them next to Soto and
Lindor, and suddenly you're theone changing the story while
(55:59):
they explain to the beat writerswhy the budget came up short yet
again.
So yeah, on the surface, thisweek feels like pure pain for
Mets fans.
Diaz gone.
Alonzo gone.
Nemo already out the door.
Not much faith in Stearns.
Another winter where theheadlines are Mets lose Star X
(56:21):
instead of Mets gain star Y.
But it it doesn't have to endthis way.
This can either be the chapterwhere the story turns and they
start acting like the team theirowner's bank account says they
are, or it's the chapter wherewe lock in that narrative that
homegrown Mets stars don'tfinish their career here ever.
(56:45):
Changing the story is aboutdecisions.
The Oriol decided to swing big.
The Yankees are still decidingwhat they care more about,
trophies or thresholds, and theMets the Mets are on the clock.
You've cleared the deck, you'vegot the money, and now you got
(57:06):
holes the size of flushing bayto fill.
Go show everybody that youactually do have a plan.
So that's that's that's whereI'm at with the Mets and this
whole winter meeting circus.
The Dodgers and the Orioles areout here writing bold new
chapters.
The Yankees are stillstoryboarding, and the Mets are
(57:27):
standing in front of a blankpage pretending it's a
masterpiece, trying to sell methat you're Bob Ross.
Speaking of people trying tocontrol their narrative, on the
other side of the break, I wantto talk about Notre Dame
throwing a full-on tantrumbecause the store didn't go the
way they wanted.
You duck a conference for adecade, you lose to Miami, and
(57:49):
then you're shocked when the ACCpromotes Miami.
Cool.
We usually don't do a lot ofcollege football on this
program, but this is a storyworth talking about.
Keep it right here.
(58:19):
But before we land this thing, Igotta get into this Notre Dame
debacle.
I gotta get this thing off mychest because sticking with the
theme, this is exactly what Imean when I talk about changing
the story versus actually havinga plan.
Notre Dame didn't just getsnubbed and move on.
(58:41):
They turned it into thisfull-blown PR tour meltdown.
And honestly, they look awful.
So quick reset in case youmissed everything.
Notre Dame and Miami both finish10-2.
The committee sits down, looksat the resumes, looks at the
metrics, and then crazy concepthere, looks at the fact that
(59:04):
Miami beat Notre Dame head tohead to open the season.
The committee chair flat outsaid it.
When those two got close on theboard, they went back, they
re-watched the game, and head tohead was the tiebreaker.
Miami gets the 10 seed, NotreDame drops to 11, and that's the
(59:25):
ball game.
That's not a conspiracy.
That's literally how they tellyou the system is supposed to
work.
Who beats who?
But instead, Pete Bavakwa,that's a tough name to say,
comes out like someone stole hisparking spot.
He's been saving for his wifeall day.
Press conferences, TV hits, dida forty minute QA on campus
(59:50):
saying this felt like musicalchairs at a fifth grade birthday
party, talking about permanentdamage to the relationship with
the ACC, saying the league.
Ran a targeted social mediacampaign against Notre Dame
because the ACC account postedMiami vs.
Notre Dame graphics and the ACCnetwork replayed the game a
bunch of times.
(01:00:12):
My brother in Christ, theyreplayed the game because it
mattered.
And you lost it.
And then you got ACCcommissioner Jim Phillips coming
out like, oh, we're just doingour job.
We're advocating for all 17football members, which is
exactly what he's supposed tosay, by the way.
(01:00:33):
But Brett Yormack from the Big12 doesn't even wait to get home
before he starts cooking NotreDame.
He's on stage at the forumcalling Bavakwa egregious,
reminding everybody that the ACCliterally saved Notre Dame
during COVID by bringing them inas a full football member so
that they could play a realschedule, and they still made
(01:00:54):
the playoffs in 2020.
So on one side, you've got youchoose to be independent, you
choose to not play for aconference title, you lost
head-to-head to Miami, and onthe other side, you've got the
ACC posted too much about thehurricanes, and now my feelings
are hurt.
(01:01:14):
And then the part that reallybothers me with this whole
story, which is the reason thatI really wanted to get into it
on the podcast, they pull out ofthe bowl game entirely.
That's where it goes from likesalty to selfish.
Because this isn't just about, Idon't know, an AD and a head
(01:01:34):
coach being mad about a rankingand thinking they got snubbed.
This is about seniors whothought they had one more game
with their brothers.
This is about those fifth-yearguys in the walk-ons who were
dreaming of 15 snaps on nationalTV as the one real piece of tape
(01:01:55):
that they'll ever have.
This is about freshmen who grewup watching Notre Dame in
January and wanted to be a partof that.
Even if it is just the fuckingPop Tart Bowl.
Instead of giving the kids thelast week together, instead of
giving those walk-ons and thoseseniors and all those brothers
(01:02:19):
that sacrificed and put theirbody on the line that one more
chance to put the helmet on andgo to war.
No, the grown-ups decided, nah,no playoff season's over.
Pack it up.
We don't care.
We're doing this out of protest.
I mean, imagine being in thatlocker room.
You gave everything.
You finished 10 and 2.
You did what you were asked todo.
(01:02:40):
And what?
Because the adults at the topare throwing a tantrum about
Miami getting in over them.
You don't get the goodbye thatyou earned that you spent your
college career doing, wanting.
I mean, that's brutal.
And it's not on the ACC or thecommittee or social media.
(01:03:03):
This is 100% an in-house choice.
And here's the irony.
Bavak was not wrong abouteverything.
The one thing he said thatactually makes sense is the idea
of going to a 16-team playoff.
You get five auto bids, you get11 at large, more access, you
get more storylines, you keepthe regular season important.
(01:03:24):
I'm in on that.
I think a lot of us are.
You want to push for more.
You don't want it to turn into aNCAA March Madness 64-person
tournament, but I think 16 is agood number.
You want to push for moretransparency from the community,
from the committee, clearercriteria on what to get in.
I'm in on all that.
(01:03:46):
But it's so hard to take youseriously as a reform guy when
at the same time you're lightingup the ACC for promoting a team
that won the head-to-headmatchup.
And you're refusing to play inthe bowl game that you opted
into through your agreement withthat conference.
(01:04:10):
This is the cost of the NotreDame brand they never want to
talk about.
You want to be Alabama withoutthe conference.
Cool.
You want the NBC deal.
You get the cool factor.
You get the independence.
You get to dip into ACCscheduling when it's convenient
for you.
But you don't get the safety netof a league title game.
(01:04:32):
You don't get to lose to Miamiin August and then cry foul in
December when the resultsactually mattered.
You chose the tightrope.
The whole sport knows the rulesof the tightrope.
Sometimes you land on the rightside, like 2020, when the ACC
bent over backwards for you andyou made the playoff.
(01:04:52):
Sometimes you land on the wrongside, like this year.
When the team that beat you getsin and you're the first one out.
And that's the bigger theme fortoday.
That's the theme.
Are you owning your reality orare you trying to rewrite
rewrite it after the fact?
The Jets, who knows?
(01:05:13):
Maybe no plan.
Who cares?
The Mets, we hope there's aplan.
Notre Dame, they don't want aplan.
They want veto power over theending.
You can't talk about changingthe story and then duck the last
chapter because it doesn't fitthe version in your head.
Sometimes the story is what itis.
(01:05:36):
You lost the game in August, andit came back to bite you in the
ass in December.
You eat it, you show up, youplay the Pop Tarts bowl, you
send your guys out the rightway, and then in the offseason,
you go scream your head offabout playoff expansion to the
mountaintops.
But no.
Instead, they slam the door, andthe players are the ones
(01:05:59):
standing in the hallway.
Alright, I had to get that offmy chest.
Deep breaths.
We'll take a quick pause, we'llreset the blood pressure, and
then we'll start landing thisplane.
We'll land this episode.
We'll get you out of here.
(01:06:23):
And that's gonna do it for thisweek's run, man.
We hit on a lot of differentversions of the same question
today.
Who actually has a plan?
And who's just hoping the storymagically fixes itself?
The Jets.
Jets are still looking for aquarterback and a playoff birth
certificate.
The Giants are trying to talkthemselves into that we're gonna
(01:06:45):
be a problem after the bye.
And the Texans are bullyingpeople like it's a team that
actually knows what it is.
Checked in on the fantasysiccos, the playoff stress, some
ridiculous one-seed matchups,and we talked ourselves into a
JJ McCarthy and Chris Rodriguezstart.
Like that's not gonna ageterribly by Sunday night.
(01:07:05):
Also rolled the dice with Rice.
We put a little faith inHouston, the under in a snowy
AFC rock fight, points in thedome, and the locals card.
We're all Jags and Giants.
If you ride with me, betresponsibly, maybe even sneak in
a little emotional hedge there.
Then on to the big one.
(01:07:30):
Another homegrown Matt leavestown, and we're all just staring
there at Davis Cerns like,please tell me you brought a
blueprint for this and not justlike a vibes board.
The Orioles pushing all theirchips in, the AL East is getting
meaner, and the Yankees arepretending that the luxury tax
is a horror movie monster.
Lastly, we close it up withNotre Dame, throwing a tantrum
(01:07:52):
instead of lining up and playingone more game for the kids in
that locker room.
A perfect example of trying torewrite the story instead of
owning the one that you lived.
If you listened all the waythrough, I appreciate you more
than you know.
If you're new here, hit follow,drop a rating, share the show
with a friend who screams attheir Kiwi the same way that you
(01:08:14):
do.
Make sure you tap in onInstagram too.
Hop in on the polls, send amailbag question, all the stuff
that genuinely helps this thinggrow.
It's gonna be at Rice on theRadio, just how it's spelled.
More importantly, and always toclose the show, make sure you
spread some good energy thisweek.
Be kind to the people workingholiday hours, tip where you
(01:08:37):
can, and as always, tell someonethat you love them.
I am Ian Rice.
This has been episode 43 of Riceon the Mics, and I'll catch you
next time.
Same time, same place.
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