Tough Cover Show: Eagles-Cowboys, NFL Week 17, Packers Scary?... NBA, Sixers, and More - 12/28/24

Mark Henry Jr. and Sean Barnard talk #NFL Week 17, #Eagles-#Cowboys, #NBA, #Sixers, and more.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you can wager on it, We're talking about it.
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Speaker 2 (00:10):
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Speaker 1 (00:29):
To get ready for the days action, from the sides
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better than the Tough Cover with Mark Henry right here
on The Gambler.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
But the Bird, I'm the cult of person Nalty a

(01:07):
Lot and Kennedy, I'm the culture personality, the culture question.
Nalgis the cultu personalities. He I'm normal bride that shut.

Speaker 4 (01:42):
To farm.

Speaker 3 (01:45):
Only.

Speaker 4 (01:46):
Hello, and welcome to the Tough Cover Radio Show.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
I am your host in studio for the first time,
and it feels like months. I don't know how long
it's been, but been way too long since I've been
in these digs in the iHeartRadio studios here in Bellakenwood,
and on the other side my coast on the ones
and twos, my guy Sean Bernard. You can follow on
Twitter at Shawn Underscore Bernard one Sean, how we doing.

Speaker 5 (02:17):
Yeah, it can't come plain Mark, We're back in the
same room here. We got plenty going on. These Sixers
are back, the Eagles, a little bit of a bump
in the row, the Jalen Hurts concussion, all this stuff.
But the sports calendar plugs on so plenty going on,
from the college football playoffs to the NBA season Hitting
it Stride, had an awesome slate of Christmas games, which
I absolutely love.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
There so plenty to talk about and excited to dive
into things. Yeah, last couple of weeks have been crazy.
I was in Florida last week, New York the week before.
We had to record some stuff, get creative. Yeah, with
how we did the show the last couple of weeks,
it feels good to just get back to these And
before that we had a lot of Villanova football. Yeah,
keeping us to an hour, making us rush everything in.
But it feels good to be back in studio, both

(02:55):
of us, two full hours to get into all things
on the sports calendar. I mean, you look around. We
have a ton of NFL games to recap that have
already happened. Two on Wednesday, one on Thursday. We've got
three NFL games today to talk about. We have a
full NFL sleep tomorrow and Monday Monday Night game. Obviously,
we have the Fenway Bowl kicking off on our TV

(03:18):
here with Yukon and the new Bill Belichick squad North Carolina.
Obviously he's not coaching, but so much going on, so
many bowl games today and obviously coming up this week,
we have the college football Playoff for big games, hopefully
better than the first four big games, and we're going
to talk a lot about that because I have a

(03:38):
lot of strong takes about the way that people have
reacted to the first round of the playoff, and I
think it's different than people might expect. So we'll talk
about that. We'll talk about maybe some Kirk curb Street.
I think he's kind of become the center of all
of this and the center of the controversy around college
football and a golden retriever guy. I'm team Kirk on

(04:02):
Team Kirk, and we'll talk about that and we'll break
all things down. It seems I know some people think
that he is Satan incarnate and he's here to ruin
college football for the big bad SEC through ESPN. But
we'll talk about why I think that that's a ridiculous,
ridiculous allegation. We'll get into my takes on all the
college football playoff games, as well as a couple other

(04:25):
college football bowl games throughout the throughout the calendar that
are not connected to the playoff. Unfortunately, today, I don't
like anything on the board in terms of the college
football slate. There's a lot of crap games. I did
just see a tweet because we're not going to talk
a lot about the games that are going on today.
On today's show. Brad Powers really really good college football

(04:45):
follow and absolute sicko. He has the He had a
stat the acc ohens six against the spread this bowl season,
failing to cover by eight and a half points per game.
Acc teams in action today UNC minus two against Yukon,
Boston College, plus three and a half against Nebraska, Miami
minus three and a half against Iowa State, NC State

(05:07):
minus seven and a half against ECU. So you believe
in that stat, go bet Yukon, Nebraska, Iowa State, and ECU.
For me, I'm laying off the college football sleep. But
we're gonna talk all things NFL, all things college football.
In the first hour, second hour, We're about a third
through the NBA season, I feel like I've kept schom
Bernard chained up, not letting them talk about the NBA.

(05:28):
Sometimes we've had so much football to chance to jam
in a lot of football. But now that we don't
have a lot of football, I could hear that in
his voice over there, especially college, I'm sure, But now
that we don't have the full college slates on Saturday,
the full NFL slates on Sunday gets a little easier.
And then obviously, I mean in a couple of weeks

(05:48):
once the NFL c I guess that's a couple of months.
But once the NFL season's over, this becomes almost like
a primarily NBA show for a while there. Obviously, college hoops,
you have March Madness in their opening day comes around,
the Phillies come around. But NBA is obviously going to
be a huge theme of the show. It's why we
have sure a big reason why we brought Chaumbernard on

(06:09):
in the first place a couple of years ago. So
we're gonna talk all things NBA in the second hour.
Kind of a third of the through the season, check
up around the association. I kind of went around collected
some topics, some takes to run by Sean and to
ask him some questions about So obviously a lot to
talk about in the Sixer world. From Christmas, big win

(06:29):
in Boston, double digit underdog, Joel Embiid, they are back.
I've always said that the NBA season should start on
December twenty fifth, and I guess the Sixers.

Speaker 5 (06:39):
Agree, So so Joel Embiid exactly.

Speaker 2 (06:41):
We're gonna get into all of that, but let's start
in the NFL. Let's start talking all things NFL. And
we had obviously the two big Wednesday games and the
Thursday night game, real quick, Thursday Night yuck. I will
say I do think we've gotten a little bit. Every

(07:03):
time we have one of these games, we go online
and we tweet about how the NFL product sucks and
it's bad. These games have existed throughout our entire lives.
Go look at the average point total in the early
two thousands. You know it was fifteen points lower, Like
you got these a lot back in the day. So
we get so upset when we have a bad game

(07:23):
or we have a bad offensive game. To me, I
kind of think a football game can't be that bad
if you're if a team has a chance to drive
to win or tie the game at the end of
the game. If you give me a little late game
chance of something. Even that game six to three, it
was terrible. Bears had a chance at the end they
crossed the fifty. I thought, as someone who needed the
Seahawks to win to finish a parlay, the Bears were

(07:44):
gonna go at least send it to overtime. And I
couldn't believe what Seattle had let happen. But I think
we go a little overboard talking about how bad the
NFL product does. I think it's still pretty great products.

Speaker 5 (07:55):
Yeah, I mean we all watched obviously, it's the first
thing there they got us hook line and sinker that
we're not going anywhere. We're always gonna have it on
the TV. But and I don't hate where you're coming
from with the take. I'll say, for me, specifically for
Thursday Night's game, I have more sympathy for the Bears
fan base than just about any fan base that I
can picture. Man, Because even me having no vested interest
in this game from a wagering standpoint, from the viewership

(08:15):
or rooting interest, I was just kind of take it
in the game there, and I was maddened by that
way that game finished, with the clock management, the lack
of timeouts, just how like hopeless the entire offense felt
from start to finish, and that being with the number
one overall pick, with Caleb Williams running for his life
around the field out there. So I still felt frustrated
from like a bear's perspective watching now without having any

(08:36):
sort of interest. I mean, it's still football. We're gonna
be itching for it when we zoom out a couple
months in the future. And these kind of games were
kill four on a Thursday night, So I hear you,
I'm not gonna be up in arms that I did
watch that game, but certainly was not my favorite viewing
experience from an NFL perspective now.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
For sure, for sure, it wasn't a good game or anything,
but at least we had a little late game drama
there at the end as Pesky Pool covers up the
fifteen yard line here at the Fenway Bowl. It's a
pretty funny view from the camera that they didn't figure
that out beforehand. But anyway, let's move on to the
Christmas games and we're gonna save I think the ratings

(09:12):
conversation for the second hour and talk about the NFL
being on Christmas and all that for the second hour
with the NBA. But just so, let's just do the
recaps kind of the game. And obviously two blowouts, and
you had the kinsas City Chiefs twenty nine to ten
over the Pittsburgh Steelers. And I told people that the

(09:33):
Pittsburgh Steelers were ten and three. Everybody's talking, oh, or
they have Super Bowl contender. They beat Baltimore. I told everybody,
go look at that Baltimore game. Baltimore missed three kicks,
they fumbled the ball three times. The Steelers only won
the game by two. They were lucky to win that game.
They have in the next ten days. They had the
Eagles in Philly, the Ravens in Baltimore, the Chiefs at home.

(09:55):
I told everybody they'd be lucky to win a game.
They're gonna go own three, gonna be sitting at ten
and six. Nobody believed me. They told me they're a
Super Bowl contender. After I was mister Steelers the last
three years, the all off season, all the first part
of the year, even after the Justin de Russell swap,
I still said they'd be a ten eleven, twelve win team.

(10:16):
And I turned right at the right time because this
Steelers team is totally out of juice. They should go
back to Justin Fields, who was four and two as
a starter, as opposed to Russell Wilson, who's now six
at four.

Speaker 5 (10:28):
I don't. I mean, I'm as much of a Justin's
Field guy as you'll find here, So you don't have
to kind of twist my arm to get me on
that take. I will say with kind of an all
honesty take here and kind of self reflection, I believe
in Justin Field's a lot for a guy that has
done pretty much zero at the NFL level. That there
are these flashes that we see it from them, but
I think when you do dive into like the passing numbers,
they're not like that different from what we see from Russ.

(10:51):
And that's more of an indictment on Russ than anything,
but I think that they're like making a quarterback change
does not fix the defensive issues that I think are
popping up with this team. There's some weird quotes going
around with the TJ. Watt conversation a couple other things.
I think there's deeper rooted issues with the Steelers team.
I think it's a massive credit to Mike Tomlin that
he continually gets teams really playing above their talent level.
I think this year is another clear example of this,

(11:12):
And I mean there's clear examples when we're talking about
Duck Hodges being his starting quarterback and Mason Rudolph and
guys like that, more egregious examples than in this specific season.
I think the reality is they're a fine football team.
They're not a contender, they're not a real deal threat,
but they are a team that's going to be in
the playoffs and be a tough battle for whoever they
match up within that first round. So I think the
Steelers are what they are. I don't think either Justin

(11:33):
Fields or Russell Wilson really changes things from that perspective.
They're going to be kind of a frisky first round team.
It's kind of how I view them, and I think
they should be that as more or less a success
from the season standpoint.

Speaker 2 (11:42):
I don't think they'll be frisky for Buffalo or Baltimore.

Speaker 5 (11:45):
Yeah, no, I agree with that.

Speaker 2 (11:46):
If it's Houston, they'll probably win. Yeah.

Speaker 5 (11:48):
I'm good with all three of those takes there.

Speaker 2 (11:51):
Yeah, that's the weird part of the whole conversation. Whoever
gets that five seed is winning. I don't care if
it's Pittsburgh. I don't care if it's the Chargers. I
don't think it can be Denver at this point, but
it's probably Pittsburgh the Chargers. I will have a big
bet on the Steelers of the Chargers in the first
round if they played the Texans, and I know Schaan
Bernard won't back it if it's the Chargers, correct, but

(12:11):
the Texans are not winning a playoff game.

Speaker 5 (12:13):
I see it.

Speaker 2 (12:14):
It's a shame if the Rave If it would have
been the Ravens as the five seed, the Ravens would
have been minus six and a half, just like they
were on Christmas.

Speaker 5 (12:22):
Be it double?

Speaker 2 (12:22):
Did you win Pittsburgh Houston? I wonder what that spread
would be in Houston. I think like Pittsburgh minus two
and a half.

Speaker 5 (12:29):
My brain went three.

Speaker 2 (12:31):
If it's Chargers Texans, I think it's probably around that
same number, probably Chargers minus two and a half. I
wonder who they think is better between probably probably Pittsburgh.
I think Vegas probably think Pittsburgh's a little bit better.
Than the Chargers. But then you had the other game,
obviously with who we're talking about, the Houston Texans, Baltimore
wins thirty one to two, and that a bad game. Culmination.

(12:52):
This is a bad game. Yeah, that's a bad game.
That's the culmination of Houston proving that they're the fraud
I've been saying they are all year long. And then
Baltimore is the culmination of Lamar Jackson being like, you guys,
really don't think I'm the MVP because it's a joke.
It is an absolute joke. He's rejected. He just broke

(13:12):
the rushing record of all time at age twenty seven.
Is Michael Vick's rushing record in forty one less games.

Speaker 5 (13:18):
Coach Mike Vick. Coach Mike Vick.

Speaker 2 (13:21):
And he's also projected to have the highest passer rating
of the last fifteen years this year. And he's not
the MVP, and he's gonna run for around nine hundred
rushing yards. Is he's passing better in every single statistic
more passing touchdowns, less interceptions, more rushing yards, more passing
yards per game. I know because he is one game

(13:41):
more at this point than Josh does. Josh will play
Sunday and that they'll each be at sixteen. My only
hope is that Buffalo has nothing to play for next
week and that Baltimore will still have to wrap up
the division. Josh will sit hopefully maybe and Lamar will play,
and maybe those numbers, maybe that game and maybe Lamar

(14:02):
getting to twelve wins will help his case in winning
the MVP. Because if the argument is Josh Allen should
win MVP because the team's fourteen and three, they're the
two seed. Lamar's twelve and five and they're the three seed,
is it really that different if we're breaking it down
just by is if we're giving it out just because
Josh Allen won two more games, then we should also
bring up how Lamar beat Josh Allen this year.

Speaker 5 (14:24):
Head to head.

Speaker 2 (14:25):
It's unbelievable.

Speaker 5 (14:27):
Yeah, no, I'm with you there. I am a Lamar guy.
I do believe he deserves to be MVP. I mean,
this dude has won it twice already and was better
than either one of those seasons. To do way better. Yeah,
to directly compare it to last year, he's got a
slightly better completion percentage, He's already thrown for more yards.
On the season, fifteen more touchdowns than he had last year,
just four interceptions compared to seven last year, so a

(14:48):
better rate there. He's basically across the board has been
better the rushing metrics as well. And then let's take
away last year as the barometer as the measuring stick.
Let's look just across the NFL. He's leading the league
in touch down passes. He's leading the league in touchdown percentage,
He's leading the league in quarterback rating in QBR, in
net yards per pass attempt, and yards per past attempt,

(15:09):
all these stats that he's just been straight up better
than any quarterback in the NFL. Really, so yeah, I
don't get it at all. And I also think that
they're coming from opposite ends of the spectrum here that
Josh Allen. I think we're seeing kind of cool off
as the season comes down that he's had and not
that he's been bad. He's still been, you know, pretty solid,
giving his team a chance, but not playing the peak
of what we saw from our earlier this year. I
think Lamar is only getting stronger as this year has

(15:29):
gone on. Let's not forget they started zero to two.
They had a little bit of struggles out of the gate,
and now that this Ravens team is really finding it stride,
I think at the right time.

Speaker 2 (15:37):
So I'm with you.

Speaker 5 (15:38):
I'm very curious how this plays itself out, but it
does feel like they're I think Lamar is a little
bit victim to the voter fatigue. I also think it
is just in general he's an underappreciated football player, and
it's kind of sad that that is the case.

Speaker 2 (15:50):
I can't quite figure out why I think people favorite
Josh Allen's Lamar and why Lamar is a loser in
the playoffs and Josh Allen doesn't get any I can't
quite figure it out, That's all I'll say. But and
everyone wants to say I do not want to drag
anybody else into my battle with that. But the other

(16:13):
thing I want to say, everybody loves to throw last
year's MVP out, and I think Josh Allen had just
as good of a case as Lamar to win last
year's MVP. If you asked me last year, I was
saying Lamar should be MVP. But if you want to
say that's hypocritical, that's fine. People are saying the only
reason Lamar beat out Josh Allen for MVP last year
was because he won more games. Well, he won four

(16:33):
more games, that's more than two more games. And also
the reason is because Josh Allen had eighteen interceptions last season, Yeah,
Lamar had seven. I understand Josh I had way better numbers,
but the difference is Lamar has way better numbers with
less interceptions than Josh Allen this year. So it's not
even like with last year you could point to the
wins and you could point to the turnovers. But this year,

(16:54):
all you can point to with Josh Allen is oh
wins and Lamar beat him. So it really really drives
me crazy. You can tell I have an eighteen to
one Lamar to an MVP ticket, and I know that
I'm biased on it, but even if I wasn't, I
think it's insane.

Speaker 5 (17:13):
And the other argument that I've seen thrown out there
is about the supporting cast, which I also think I
don't see. I get Derek Henry's Derek Henry for sure,
is James cook A slows Yeah, certainly nine thousand yards.
And it's not like the Ravens have this top tier
wide receiver corps they never had have had around Lamar there,
So I don't quite see that argument either. And the
other thing that I'll say, like, I personally prefer Lamar

(17:34):
Jackson as a quarterback just stylistically the way that they play.
The reason that I say that is you still get
several moments per game from Josh Allen that you're like,
what was that or why would you make that decision?

Speaker 1 (17:44):
Man?

Speaker 5 (17:45):
That really doesn't happen with Lamar Jackson. I think that matters.

Speaker 2 (17:47):
That's made an arm pun, right, Yeah, an arm pun.

Speaker 5 (17:50):
Is a perfect example of just to chuck it downfield
and see what happens and nobody kind of blinks at eye.
So Josh Allen gets away with quite a few of those.

Speaker 2 (17:57):
Yeah, I think that the way Lamar's talked about compared
to the other top quarterbacks, it's very similar to the
way that Jalen Hurts gets talked about to the kind
of next tier of quarterbacks where they get picked apart
for every little thing while the other quarterbacks do not.
And I'll leave it at that. But yeah, I don't
even think it should really even be up for debate. Like,

(18:18):
I think Lamar should be like minus nine hundred right now.
The MVP race should be over and I'd be lying
if I said I think that the Saquon surge in
the middle of the year hurt Lamar. Yeah, I think
it becoming like a three horse race, and then Josh
having a better week than Saquon a couple times while
Saquon beat Lamar. I think Sequon being in the race
kind of hurt Lamar for sure, and hurt kind of

(18:39):
the flow of the conversation.

Speaker 5 (18:42):
And there has been a little bit of a Lamar
surge that it did look like Josh Allen was running
away with it from the odd standpoint. At this current
point currently on DraftKings, Josh Allen minus two hundred favorite,
Lamar at plus one forty five. Saquon is dropped all
the way down to plus sixteen hundred. It's so very
clearly the two man race between Lamar and Josh Allen,
but a little bit closer than was the case this
a week ago.

Speaker 2 (19:00):
Josh is gonna win. I'm telling you everyone, I think
so too. I don't think Lamar's gonna win. I think
it's I think it's BS. But let's get to the
games today. Let's talk about the Saturday games. At one o'clock,
the LA Chargers are in New England they are minus six.
The game actually opened minus four, which I thought at
that time. I was really interested is to see why
that was so low. I might have even sprinkled on

(19:22):
the Chargers at minus four, but it is up to
minus five and a half minus six depending where you look.
I'm not touching this one. My only rooting interest. I
was explaining to cham Bernard before the show. I have
the most important fantasy matchup of my life, big money league.
But it's more about bragging rights. I've been in this
league my whole life. Every other league i'm in, I
win or at least compete for the championship on a

(19:44):
very regular basis. This league I've been in since I
was a freshman in high school. My first three years
in the league, I went to the championship, never won it.
Have not made it back to the championship since twenty twelve. Wow,
twenty twelve, Chaan Bernard, What was going on in the
world in twenty twelve we were still in Obama's first term.

Speaker 5 (20:02):
Tony Cony twenty twelve?

Speaker 2 (20:04):
What else? Well, I'm trying to think what else? Twenty twelve?
Where were we at in the NBA?

Speaker 5 (20:09):
Was Lebron. I think that was or was it? Yeah, yeah,
that would be Miami.

Speaker 2 (20:14):
Yeah, that would have been like before they won the
second title. I think I think that's even before like
the Ray Allen three. Think about how long ago that is.
It's unacceptable. And I've been in the playoffs like more
than half the year since then, haven't gotten over the hump.
This year, we made it, and it's it's a very important,
very important matchup for me. Hunter Henry is the only

(20:35):
focus for me in this matchup. Believe his kicker is
Dicker the kicker, So maybe a miskick here and there,
and a big thing in this league, fifty sixty yarders
get like juiced up for points. It's really annoying. So
if Cam Dicker makes a fifty plus yarder or worse,
a sixty plus yarder, I'm gonna be screaming, no fair
catch free kicks this week, No way. I have Brandon Aubrey, Okay,

(20:56):
so I have a little bit of a little bit
of an advantage there with the Dallas, but yeah, it's
all I can care about in this game is Hunter
Henry revenge game.

Speaker 5 (21:05):
Form true, very true, and Hunter Henry has quietly played
pretty well this year, so I like it. I do
have Hunter Henry for any time touchdown today. I'm kind
of surprised the Chargers aren't more notable favorites for this game.
I've been encouraged by what I've seen from Drake may
but I don't think he is you know, he's still
playing through the rookie growing pains, and this team's very
clearly in the rebuilding stage. Also something that I'll look
out for. Wrote a bunch about it on DraftKings Network

(21:26):
this week. I think Antonio Gibson might be the preferred
back coming out of New England this week. They've been
really and Jared Mayo has been really kind of coming
down strong on Raman Jerry Stevenson for the fumble issues.
He's really battled these all years. Got benched in for
the first time all season. Gibson out snapped him last week.
Some curious if that trend continues when kind of looking
at some of the player prop perspective here. But I
do think ultimately the Chargers do find a way to

(21:48):
win this one. I think they've likely covered the minus
six again, I would have guessed the spread is a
little bit larger there if they do that they officially
clinch their opportunity to make the playoffs and have their
opportunity in the postseason. There I think that happens, So
sign me up for the Chargers, even though it's very
rare to'll hear me say that.

Speaker 2 (22:03):
I'm not betting it, but I would lean that way
for sure. Next game up Denver and Cincinnati. I have
a take. Okay, this is the least betable game of
the twenty twenty four NFL season.

Speaker 5 (22:17):
Wow, I don't hate it. I got nothing here, so
go ahead.

Speaker 2 (22:20):
That line is so weird since he minus three and
a half, and I know Vegas has been high on
since they all year. They think they've been they think
that it's been bad luck. If you look at the
list of quarterbacks since he has beaten, it is hilarious.
They have not beaten a single quarterback who is still
starting at this point. Besides, I think DTR. I think
DTR is the and that was because it was last week.

(22:40):
But it's like Will Levis is in there, All Rush
is in there. I think Chacobe Brissett. You know they
beat that. She could beat them, but it's all all
terrible quarterbacks. I had the tweets out there. I think
it was from Ben Baby, but it's a bizarre stat.
But then Denver, I think Denver is so random week

(23:02):
to week, and they're almost like I remember earlier in
the year I was yelling about the Cardinals are so
random week to week, half to half, quarter to quarter,
possession of possession. I just feel the way with bon Nix.
I feel like Bonnicks sometimes looks like this world beater
and then other times it looks like you can't move
the ball at all. Yeah, and it's hard to know
when that's gonna happen. I read something that has a
lot to do with pass rush. He doesn't handle the

(23:23):
pass rush well. So when they're blitzing, when they are
getting after the passer, he struggles. When they're not, he's
good since he not a good pass rush, so maybe
he cooks here. I tend it if you made me
bet every game, if you were in a pool against
the spread, I would go Denver with the points. Yeah,
but I mean I'm rooting for Cincy. I think the
league is more interesting next week if you have Denver

(23:47):
losing and then you have some of Cincey, Indie and
Miami all hoping to get in The funny thing is
since he's actually last in those tie breakers, so they
would if they beat Denver, they'd vault above Denver. But
what would happen is it would be Indy wins in
there in or no, actually, I'm sorry, Denver still has
to lose next week. But if Denver loses this week

(24:07):
and next week, then it would be Indy who gets
in first if they went out, then Miami who gets
in next if they went out, and then it would
be Sincy if they win this game and then next week.
So since he still has a really small chance of
getting in, but everybody should probably root for Cincy to
win that game to make everything more interesting.

Speaker 5 (24:25):
Eight percent chance thirteen percent if they win per NFL
dot com.

Speaker 2 (24:28):
What about the Colts and Dolphins? Is that is that
out there? Yeah?

Speaker 5 (24:31):
Dolphins is eight percent twelve percent if they win. Colts
is currently fourteen percent, would go up to twenty percent
with a win this week.

Speaker 2 (24:38):
Yeah, the cos the Colts have two pretty easy games too,
so I actually slewth think the Colts might end up
as the seventh seed who are not good man, I
know they're not very good for their will coached. I
think psychonds not getting enough credit for kind of keeping
them afloat with Tim Tebow at quarterback.

Speaker 5 (24:54):
But we're gonna have to have an Anthony Richardson conversation
at some point.

Speaker 2 (24:57):
And you know what the messed up part about the
being an eight to nine potential win team is.

Speaker 5 (25:02):
Don't got another shot into the quarterback. How are you
fixing it? Yeah?

Speaker 2 (25:05):
I think he's the quarterback next year.

Speaker 5 (25:06):
Yeah, I think so too, And I think the best
case scenario for Anthony Richardson would be Jameis Winzton at
this point.

Speaker 2 (25:12):
Yeah, I agree, And I also think you probably should
bring back Minshew as the backup. He was pretty good
in that system he stepped in. He was a lot
better than Flacco in that system. So bring me the
shoe back as the backup if he's healthy. The night
game the LA Rams hosting the Arizona Cardinals. They are
minus six and a half. I would lean Rams here

(25:33):
minus six and a half, but I'm not gonna lay
the points. The Rams play a lot of close games.
I included the Rams in my teaser of the week.
How does it lose the teasers this year? I am
I want to get this six and one at plus
twelve units. In the teaser game this year, and where
I'm going this week. I'm going Rams moving that all

(25:53):
the way to plus three and a half. I'm gonna
take that's the Saturday leg. Sunday one o'clock, give me
the Colts. Bump that all the way from minus seven
and a half at the New York Giants to the
plus two and a half at the New York Giants,
and then to finish it off Monday Night bump at
the time it was bumped the Lions from minus three
to plus seven. That's not minus three and a half,

(26:15):
so you could bump it to plus six and a half.
So ten points eezer minus one twenty Rams, Colts Lions.
That's where I'm at with my teaser of the week.
It's probably going to be my biggest play of the
week at four units. Kind of hate the board, But
where are you at here on Cardinals? Rams? Yeah?

Speaker 5 (26:30):
I like it. I do feel like the six and
a half is a little bit much here. I know
the Cardinals have already been eliminated, but these are still
guys that have plenty to play for. Kyler Murray needs
to cement himself as still a guy that they can
build around. And I don't think he's done quite enough
to do that from this season long sample size from
a betting perspective, here, my two directions that I would
look towards is in the player prop department for both
Marvin Harrison Junior and Pukinakua that I think both these

(26:51):
wide receivers have a pretty impressive day. When you look
at Marvin Harrison Junior, who has had a rookie year
rookie season to be forgotten here has only caught fifty
one of his one hundred targets. That is something that
needs to get better moving forward. But his best game
of the season was in Week two against the same
Rams team. And when you look at Puka Nakua, he's
been excellent whenever he's been out there. He's played four
games in a dome this season, has gone over one

(27:12):
hundred and three of them and had ninety eight yards
in that fourth game there. They're gonna be at SO
five Stadium back home in the Dome for this matchup,
I think he has a busy day. I think both
these wide receivers make their impact fell But doo lean
towards the plus six and a half in favorite of
this Cardinals team.

Speaker 2 (27:25):
I'm out on Kyler Murray. I'm officially, I'm kind of
blame in my hands. I'm done. I'm out. You look
at this guy. Sixteen touchdowns in sixteen games here, or
fifteen games to nine interceptions, He's not I don't feel
like the same difference maker that he used to be.
On the ground. He's obviously still a threat. Five hundred yards,
five touchdowns. That's not the eight hundred and nineteen yards

(27:47):
and eleven touchdowns that you saw in his second year,
or even in his first year, the five hundred and
fifty yards and four touchdowns in less games. So I really,
I just you see him get to the red zone,
and I think that the hype becomes an even bigger
issue in the red zone because you can't escape the
pocket as much, you can't drop back as far, or

(28:09):
if you do, you're risking a really far sack. And
he's been sacked more this time than he has the
last couple of years, especially on a per game basis.
And I just I think that there's serious problems with
Kyler moving forward. And if you're the Cardinals, I don't
know how you look in the mirror after this collapse
sitting at six and three, They're gonna finish seven to ten.
I don't think they win another game, and they're gonna

(28:30):
sit there and bring back Jonathan Gannon, bring back Kyler Murray,
bring back the offensive coordinator Drew Pettsing, who people are
trying to float as a head coach candidate, which I
don't get at all. You have Marvin Harrison junior. You
haven't figured out a way to use him at all.
And I don't know if that's on the OC. I
don't know if that's on Kyler Murray. Maybe it's on
Jonathan Gannon.

Speaker 5 (28:47):
Take a little on Marvin too.

Speaker 2 (28:49):
Maybe a little on Marvin too. I watch the games
and I still think Marvin's open a lot, and you
see him getting forgotten about, and he hasn't been good,
and some of that's on him, But I still I
don't think it disappear from Marv. I still think he's
really good and he's shown flashes of that throughout the year.
So I just I don't know how the Cardinals can
bring back Kyler the coach and the OSA. Someone's got

(29:13):
to be the scapegoat, in my opinion, and it's hard
to move on from quarterback to saw season. Tell me
what the options are, because if you're moving on from him,
you're gonna pay Sam Donald the bag. You're gonna draft
one of these bum quarterbacks from this draft. You're gonna
go after an old Kirk Cousins and old Aaron Rodgers.
I don't know what the option is. If you're moving
on from Kyler Murray, you probably don't have that option.
So in my opinion, it's probably the coaching staff, and

(29:35):
I don't think they're gonna do that. I think they're
gonna bring all of them back because they're in a
low pressure city in Phoenix where people don't actually care,
so they don't have to make those decisions. And I
think they're gonna be bad again next year. They'll probably
be the same seven to eight win team that they
are this year.

Speaker 5 (29:50):
Yeah, No, I think that's pretty spot on there. I
don't know what to make of Kyler Man. You're absolutely right,
like it's been really concerning the stuff we've seen. It
feels like the decision making has kind of slowed down
a little bit from him, and I think like part
of what has made him special is that ad libability
where he can just make something out of nothing. But
he's become so increasingly reliant on that and him not

(30:10):
being able to be elevated by having a guy like
Marvin Harrison Junior is really concerning there. Once again, out
of one hundred targets for Marvin Harrison, he's pulled in
fifty one. That's just not good enough by any definition there.
And I'm not going to sort through who the blame
I think that is, but I think the Cardinals are
in a really tough spot here, and yeah, I don't
see an outlook that it's better, but I have a
hard time believing that this is just them working through

(30:31):
some growing pains. It just feels like they're not quite
good enough. And it does start with Kyler Murty.

Speaker 2 (30:35):
His yards per game is the lowest of his career
in terms of passing yards per game. His yards per
attempt seven point two. Earlier in his career that was
at seven point nine. His area arts per attempts six
point nine earlier in the year he's had three times
that was about seven. Like, I did see a lot
of Cardinals fans kind of pointing out that he's dumping
off all the time, the running backs at McBride, and yeah,

(30:58):
that's kind of not letting outside guys even really get
a chance a lot of the weeks. So I mean, yeah,
it's really concerning. And I think they're gonna bring them
all back. And I fell for it this year. I
thought they'd have a resurgent year and make the playoffs,
and I felt pretty smart about that when they were
sitting at six and three, and they've absolutely collapsed. So
I'm glad we got in that Kyler Murray conversation. But

(31:19):
the next let's move on to Sunday and let's talk
about the Eagles game before we take a break. The
Eagles taking on the Cowboys, and let me just say,
I think this is the dumbest line of the week.
I'm not betting it because I won't bet against the Eagles.
I'm rooting for Kenny Pickett to win the game so
we don't have to see Jaalen until wild Card weekend.
But I think Dallas wentz out right. Seven and a

(31:41):
half is a lot, man a lot of points.

Speaker 5 (31:43):
I can't believe it is that if you if you
made me guess the line with knowing that it's Kenny
Pickett here, I probably would have guessed three or four
in favor of the Eagles here. I was pretty shocked
to see it at seven and a half, and it
was even higher than that early in the week when
we're there was some month, certain year hope that Jalen
Hurts could be back there. I don't think Pickett played
bad last week, but it's certainly not a guy that
I'm optimistic that he can win you a week right here.

Speaker 1 (32:03):
Now.

Speaker 5 (32:03):
Granted, the Cowboys are a brutal football team, there's no
way around that. No CD lamb this week to further
make things worse for them, but they've gotten better in
recent weeks. They've been a little competent that we've seen
some flashes of what they've looked like, so it's not
like this is going to be a walk in the
park for them. I think the seven and a half
is way too much. It's disappointing. I won't be betting
it either, as we'll be fully rooting on the Eagles here,
but it wouldn't surprise me if this is the type

(32:24):
of game that you can jump on a live money
line and that this is a game in the middle
of it. So we'll see how it shakes out, but
don't feel overly optimistic about this.

Speaker 2 (32:31):
One, and the fact that two of my anytime touchdown
weekly bets are removed from the board here is absolutely
brilliant jailing away. Obviously everyone knows how reliant that is
for me. But then AJ, I'm not going to bet AJ.

Speaker 5 (32:45):
Although there was a lot of the just thrown up
for AJ and for the best last week, so maybe
there's some value there.

Speaker 2 (32:50):
I'm not going to tell you that's a bad bet.
I'm just I'm laying off. I'm not betting this game
in any direction. I truly think Dallas wan's this game
like twenty to seventeen in twenty four to twenty one.
That's the type of game I think we haven't normally.
I'd agree with you with Dallas being a terrible football team,
and I was skeptical of kind of this run that
they've been on. That game against Tampa shocked me. Yeah,

(33:14):
I was really high on Tampa coming into that game,
and I thought that they had really impressed me that
their kind of stretched and you look at their schedule
and they've played a brutal schedule, and I thought some
of the kind of problems they've had this year were
just related to their injuries and their schedule. Dallas playing
the way that they did in that game really impressed me.
And same with Cooper Rush and same with the defense
at times. So that's what scares me about this game.

(33:35):
Maybe there's a letdown after that for Dallas, who's not
playing for anything. But I think Dallas gonna win the
game out right, I'll just be honest. I feel it
in my bones. And then I think we rush Jalen
back next week to play the Giants, and it's like
a miserable experience.

Speaker 5 (33:48):
Yeah, I don't love that the way that plays out here.
The only thing that I'll say a little bit is
I do struggle to find a way unless they're self
inflicted with mistakes from Kenny Pickett and other guys here. Like,
I think this Eagles defense has truly turned a corner
and hard time believing that the Cowboys can produce a
ton of points here. They over under for this game
sitting at thirty eight, which I think is pretty telling there.
I think I still lean towards the under in that

(34:08):
direction that I think this is gonna be a rock fight.
I think this is gonna be ugly football, and I
think it stays blowed the seven and a half. But
I don't know if this Cowboys team, even with them
showing a little bit more of a pulse in recent weeks,
has the ability to put twenty plus points on this
Eagles defense. So I think that's where probably the game
is won or loss, because I don't have a ton
of optimism for Picket, but that is why I still
have a little bit of hope.

Speaker 2 (34:28):
A game I already mentioned here the Colts at the Giants.
I'm teasing the Colts there down the plus two and
a half. If you're out there looking for bets this week,
because a lot of the games are so bad, I
would lay it with the Colts. I think the Colts
blow the Giants out. You look at the recent games
for the Giants, I mean thirty four to seven, thirty five, fourteen,
twenty seven, twenty thirty to seven. Like the Colts have

(34:49):
been able to put up points even with the Richardson struggles.
I think he went seven for eleven last week and
they put up thirty eight points. Insane, So I think
it's gonna be the same thing. I think Jonathan Taylor
runs absolutely crazy. If he got you to the Fantasyachampionship
last week, who by the way, he beat me. I
was playing in five leagues in the second round last week,
three of them against Jonathan Taylor. Brutal. I don't even

(35:10):
know how the mathematics work out there that that's even possible.
The two leagues I was not playing Jonathan Taylor, I won.
The three leagues I was playing against Jonathan Taylor I lost,
by the way. Congratulations to Jeremy, our old producer here
at the show, and also Nick Picone, who were facing
off in the championship of the Gambler Fantasy League. But

(35:31):
looks like Nick Piccone is gonna run away with that
one after some of the early results, So our early
congratulations knock on wood to Nick Picone and a congratulations
to Tim O'Keefe for finishing in last place. He'll be
doing a five minute set and an open mic. Will
We'll be sure to tweet some of that out. I'm sure, Yeah,
that's gonna be incredible. Man.

Speaker 5 (35:52):
Wait, I was very much There was a stage in
this season where I thought I was gonna have to
bust open the mic myself and start cracking a future
the playoffs. I had to turn around. I had my
ramp up period. The team got back on track here
we made it happen. So let's not getting the playoffs.
Was unable to take down Jeremy in the first round
and he obviously continued on from there. But regardless, very much, yeah,

(36:12):
very much, looking forward to the open night night, open
mic night. So shout out to O'Keefe.

Speaker 2 (36:16):
Let's take a break and on the other side, we
finish off the NFL and college talk and we'll get
to the NBA talk in the second hour. Stay Tunedgover
radio show right here.

Speaker 1 (36:26):
If you can wager on it, we're talking about it.
It's the Gambler.

Speaker 2 (36:44):
Welcome back to the Tough Cover Radio Show, and we're
gonna get to those fighting irishman going to New Orleans
to play the Georgia Bulldogs. Basically a pick them basically
up in the air fifty to fifty plus one plus
one and a half depending where you look. That's when

(37:07):
I started to have hope when I saw before the
Indiana game the DraftKings initially made Notre Dame minus two
and a half. Now that line's kind of been and
that's kind of to me. I think they I think
that would be the spread if you just asked the
books what the spread is. But I think when that
initially came out before the round one, so many people

(37:28):
hammer Georgia that I think they had to move that
line when it opened after the Notre Dame win against
Indiana to at least plus and that's why you're seeing
Notre Dame at plus one plus one and a half
more money coming in on Georgia than Notre Dame. But
they won't budge, they won't raise that number. I think
the lines telling you something. And we're gonna talk about
that in a little bit, but let's run through some

(37:49):
of these one o'clock games. We just talked about the
Colts and the Giants.

Speaker 5 (37:52):
We By the way, speaking of Georgia, Carson Beck officially
declares to the twenty twenty five NFL Draft.

Speaker 2 (37:58):
Interesting. Interesting because it sounds like he's gonna miss a
lot of the tank. Yeah, he's gonna miss a lot
of time with that injury. So he just got surgery.
So wow. Unfortunate season in general for Carson Beck. I
don't even know. If he gets drafted on the first
two days, he might be a fourth fifth round pick.
Carolina at Tampa Bay. This is a game. Wouldn't touch
it with a ten foot pole because I was believing

(38:18):
in Tampa, full full, you know, full throatedly believing in Tampa.
I thought they were a top eight team in the
NFL potentially I came, I think last week that's when
I came and went crazy. There my best bet of
the week. I love Tampa, YadA YadA, and they fall
flat on their face, But I don't think that they're
just a bad team now. They still came back and
made it a game, but I can't trust them to

(38:39):
late in a half against what's a resurgent Carolina team.
And I also can't trust Carolina to keep up what
they're doing when they got smacked by Dallas just a
couple of weeks ago and totally stopped their momentum before
they showed up again last week. So this is a
game I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. But
I do have player props. Okay, Jaylen McMillan been great lately,

(39:00):
stepped up for me in my biggest fantasy league. After
Kamara went down, we had to find the new flex.
We plugged Jalen McMillan in there fifty nine, seventy five
and fifty seven yards over the last three weeks with
either six or seven targets in each game. Give me
the over at thirty nine and a half receiving yards
too low. Thirty nine and a half's too low. Baker's
two good, too many targets. And also I'll sprinkle a

(39:21):
little bit on the touchdown plus two hundred four tds
in the last three weeks. He scored in each of
the last three weeks. I'm all in on Jalen McMillan
this week.

Speaker 1 (39:29):
I like it.

Speaker 5 (39:30):
I like the good name to bring up there. I
will say my gut wants Panthers money line here. That
number is sitting at plus three twenty.

Speaker 2 (39:36):
Not bad.

Speaker 5 (39:37):
They did scare me after getting absolutely shell ACKed by
this Cowboys team, a bad Cowboys team there, so they
I do believe in the Bryce Young resurgence that I
do see some tangible growth in the way that he
is taking on the game, making throws and just processing
making reads in a way that I don't think we
saw for him really through the whole first year and
a half of him in the NFL. So I don't know.
I'm optimistic here. I have no clue what to make

(39:58):
of this fully either. The tuba, yeah, no, tuba hurts
as well, so curious how they adjust there. I will
probably end up staying away from it, but there is
a part of me that is screaming to jump on
the money line there.

Speaker 2 (40:08):
And then let's move on down the list here of
the one o'clock games, because that's why only Jalen McMillan
my only bet of the one o'clock slay and I
have the Cults part of my teaser if it makes
it through tonight. But the other one o'clock, and we
talked about Eagles, Cowboys, the other one o'clock games. On Sunday,
you have Jets, Bills, Bills, nothing to play for. They're

(40:28):
the two seed. They're gonna play this game. It's minus ten.
I actually think there might be value on Jets plus ten.
We're still playing hard, they are still trying. I'm not
gonna bet that game. I'm sorry, I'm just not gonna
do it. But there might be value on the Jets
and the Josh Allen said openly in a press conference
last week that they're not trying to show too much
on tape. I'm so sick of the Bills. I'm so

(40:51):
sick of hearing about how this is the Bills here
when they're not even the one seed and they're gonna
have to go to Kansas City when they're never have
been able to do that.

Speaker 5 (40:58):
Whatever.

Speaker 2 (40:59):
I we'll talk about that when the Rubber meets the road.
I can't wait to bet against them in Round two
against Baltimore. The Las Vegas Raiders at the New Orleans Saints.
That's enough set about that game. The Tennessee Titans at
the Jacksonville Jaguars. That's enough set about that game. So
you no bets on either of those? No, okay, that's
if not one eight hundred, you know. But I will

(41:20):
say the two conversations I'll have when bringing up teams
like that. We were talking about it a little bit
off air. Travis Hunter, in my opinion, is going to
be the most interesting draft conversation of our lifetimes out
Maybe you could say overall, but I'll say outside of
the quarterback position.

Speaker 5 (41:38):
Yeah, I think that's completely fair. And I know the
positional versatility and what more specifically he decides is really
the direction you're going with this here. I don't know
where do you see him going in this draft? Do
you think he is top three? Regardless top one? Where
do you see him falling currently.

Speaker 2 (41:53):
Sounds like I think we'll end up at a spot
where the quarterbacks probably both go top two if I'm guessing,
and cam Ward you think, I think so, wow, and
I don't think it should Yeah, cam Ward will not
be a first round prospect for me.

Speaker 5 (42:07):
Yeah, I like cam Ward, I see, I'd feel more
optimistic about him than the Carson Becks, the quin Us
of the world. All these for sure, But I definitely
don't look at him as like a surefire top five
pick by any means.

Speaker 2 (42:19):
He's not a guy that I would say there's no
way he's going to be good. But he's a guy
that I would say I wouldn't want to take the
chance in the first round. Yeah, he's not a guy
I'll have in my top thirty two prospects. Where Shaudour
I think I went through it a little bit obviously,
really preliminary in terms of stacking guys up. We don't
have any of the athletic numbers and stuff like that
that I like, but which I don't expect to be
particularly good for Shadar. By the way, I think they'll
be better than you think they are, Okay, but I

(42:41):
don't think they'll be great or anything. I think they'll
kind of just be normal. But Shadour, I will probably
have him like fringe, top fifteen like, not like a
top five prospect, not a top ten prospect. He would
have been comfortably behind the top three quarterbacks this year
for me by a good march if he was in
last year's Like Jayden Daniels is my number three quarterback,

(43:03):
I had him number six overall. I liked Jayden Daniels
way more as a prospect. Obviously it's easier to say
that now, but retrospectively, I had him number six overall.
I'll have should or nothing close to that in what
I think is a much worse draft than last year.
So Travis Hunter seems like he's going top one to
top three, top to top five, and I don't think
it'll be top two. I think he'll probably go in

(43:24):
that three to five range, and I don't think he
should because if it depends what he is, that's my
whole thing. Is he a corner who's gonna play some
situational receiver snaps on third downs and things. Is he
a receiver who's gonna fill in when there's injuries at
corner and fill in on certain packages and I think

(43:44):
that's a little harder. You could probably sell me on
being a full time corner who pops in for some
snaps on receiver more.

Speaker 5 (43:50):
That's how I think you have to do it. I
think that has to be the pathway for him because
I think like there's an argument in either direction here,
but I feel that he's better as a prospect as
a corner.

Speaker 2 (44:00):
Absolutely, Yeah, there's no debate in my opinion. Ok, yeah,
even stronger from Mark there. So if that's like the direction,
and I still think he's like, he's a good wide receiver. Man,
He's not the best wide receiver in the class, but
he is an NFL talent wide receiver.

Speaker 5 (44:12):
So I think there's a world where you can make
it happen. But then again, there's still the questions of
like the longevity of that and can you make that happen.
I'm kind of surprised we've lasted as long as we
have this season where there has been a notable injury
for him, it looked like he was pretty banged up
early on in the year. He basically got past that
and has kept up this work rate. But is that
sustainable for an entire career. It's tough for me to
completely say yes. I think it's hard for me to

(44:34):
say yes too.

Speaker 2 (44:35):
And the big thing for me is I think the
two best prospects in this class are a receiver in
a corner tech. McMillan from Arizona's a wide receiver six
' five, looks like he was built to play the position.
He's my number one prospect in this class. My number
two prospect is cornerback Will Johnson from Michigan, who I
think is like a prototypical corner and everything you'd want

(44:55):
in a cornerback. I think he's a better corner prospect
than Travis Hunter. I think McMillan's a way better wide
receiver prospect than Travis Hunter. I think if Travis Hunter
was a wide receiver prospect, I think he'd be a
first round pick, but it'd be fringe, like he'd be
a twenties pick. In the twenties, if I had to guess,
if here's a corner prospect, just a corner prospect, I
think he'd probably be a fringe top ten pick, probably

(45:18):
where Benjamin Morrison Notre Dame corner who missed a couple
of games. Now he's probably gonna go between eight and fifteen.
If I had to guess, I think that's where Travis
Hunter would be. And I think Morrison's a better corner
if I'm just being honest than Travis Hunter. So that's
where I struggle with it. If you're how much usage
am I getting out of him at receiver while he's
also a top corner And then his answer, it's also

(45:40):
the twenty fifth paid receiver makes more than the sixth
paid cornerback. So that's an interesting dynamic. And it's really
gonna be really interesting in terms of what he wants,
what certain teams wanted to do. If it's his decision,
if it's the team's decision, Dion probably gonna get involved.
You'd just think it's really really going to be interesting.

(46:00):
And then something else that I think is interesting when
talking about these teams and his counterpart in the Heisman
debate that we've had all year long, Ashton Genty, who
I think that this can parlay pretty nicely into talking
about the first college football playoff game in a little bit,
which we will do. But Ashton Genty, everybody's saying top five,
top ten, top fifteen pick, generational running back prospect, and

(46:21):
by the way, I push back a lot of the
time against generational prospect, even though I think I'm guilty
of throwing it out sometimes when maybe it hasn't panned out,
like Trevor Lawrence, like Caleb Williams. Uh and we'll see
Caleb a long time ago. But Kyle Pitts would be
one for sure. I was right about rock Powers back
off top brock Powers, Sure, sure, sure, sure, we're good

(46:45):
Powers best in football right now?

Speaker 5 (46:47):
Probably I think he is. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (46:48):
Uh, But where was I lost?

Speaker 5 (46:52):
Being generational gentving a generational running back?

Speaker 2 (46:56):
Genty people said it about Bjon Robinson that us generation.
I never saw it. I saw really good. It's very good,
saw really good. I never saw generational like I saw
potentially with the Saquon Barkley. And maybe you could argue
with a Zeke. I think he's probably a shade below
Saquon as a prospect. Saquon a better receiver than Jens was.

(47:17):
I think he's exactly where Zeke was as a prospect.
Zeke went top four. I think Dana Fel was a
little different. I don't think I'll go top four. But
we did see Bijean go eight. We did see Jamiir
Gibbs go twelve, obviously so crazy. By the Wayquon wasn't
that long ago. I mean, both of them, I guess
have been good, so it's hard for me to crap
too much on And then Saquon went three, which obviously

(47:37):
that didn't work out in terms of the team being
able to build around that. But everybody says that. You
look at the tankathon spots for Ashton Genty and it
starts to become a little difficult to know where he's
gonna end up and who is gonna be willing to
be the team that takes the running back. I know
Shane Half, big Genty guy, he'd tell he thinks nobody

(48:00):
should take him in the top fifteen to twenty because
none of the teams are good enough to support taking
a running back that high. They have too many other
important needs. I get that argument. Yeah, but you go
through the list the Giants, they're going to be looking
at a quarterback. They also have a young guy in
Tracy new England. They just paid Formandre Stevenson. Maybe they're
not committed to that, but also they have a number
two pick. They have bigger needs a tackle and receiver,

(48:20):
and on the defensive side of the ball Jacksonville, they're
sitting at three. They just paid Travis Etn. You have
so many needs other than running back there. If you're
Jacksonville on the O line and the defensive side of
the ball end at receiver, Tennessee, you're sitting there at
the fourth pick. That's where I think the first team
that could take him is they have Tony Pollard. But

(48:41):
if you're Tennessee, you're taking a running back in Ashton Gentz,
and then what else do you even have on the roster.
That's the worst.

Speaker 5 (48:48):
Yeah, I think you.

Speaker 2 (48:49):
Could argue that that's the darkest situation in football right now.

Speaker 5 (48:52):
Yeah, I think there's a case for that as far
as like the overall conversation for gent is, like, I'm
curious where the running back back you swings into this
because we kind of saw we're kind of seeing this
renaissance this year where there is importance in the Saquon Barkleys,
the Derrick Henry's, the guys who truly can change an offense.
And I think the gent does fit that category as
far as that caliber of talent there. But there's also,

(49:13):
like you said, it is the prior prioritizing assets and
making sure you're setting your overall team up for success.
So I'm curious where he kind of slots into it.
I think Gibbs an interesting point. The way that Detroit
brought him in obviously Bejon the same draft there. I
don't know, man, I have a kind of a feeling
that gent falls way further than we expect him to
do on draft night, and that he probably ends up
closer one of his late first round picks, far more

(49:34):
due to the situational stuff than anything with his talent
in particular.

Speaker 2 (49:38):
So my take on it. And yet you hit on
the renaissance thing well, and it'll be interesting because I
do think the money will start to swing a little bit.
It's a running back. You'll start to see guys like
Saquan and Henry and if they hit free agency, get
a little bit more than they did this year. And
if you already have seen kind of that mid tier
get pushed up, like I think that's the problem. When

(49:59):
you guys like dere Swift and Miles Sanders and middling
running backs or Mandre Stevenson guys like that, that's where
the running back replaceability really becomes a conversation. You could
argue though, if you think Genty is this elite game changing,
you know, guy who's gonna completely transform your offense, the
running back deal that you get on a first round
pick is actually probably going to be a pretty good contract.

(50:22):
So you could make that argument, and you could use
him up in those five years as much as you
want and give him as many carries as you want,
even if you don't want to pay him after that.
The argument is do I do that or do I
draft a left tackle? It can kind of be a
staple for the next fifteen years and is also a
great deal for the next five years if he turns
out pretty pretty what we think he's going to be.

(50:44):
Here's my take. If Genty goes high, it's the Cleveland
Brown sitting at number five. If he does go high,
he will be a Cleveland Brown. I tweeted out my
prediction that he was going to be a Cleveland Brown.
That's how I'm landing right now. Then you have the Raiders.
The Raiders could take them. They don't have a running
back situation at all, but they also don't have a
quarterback situation at all.

Speaker 5 (51:03):
And they see very struck.

Speaker 2 (51:05):
Yeah, well, I think should there's a giant so that's
gonna be an interesting It's gonna they're gonna have to
trade up for Shador or word or that. That'll be
an interesting kind of topic as well. The Bears, that
O line's terrible. You want to draft a running back
to put behind Caleb instead of doing an alignement. I
don't know. Carolina, they have Cuba, they just paid Tuba.

(51:26):
The Cincinnati Bengals I've seen mocked. And then after Carolina
Jets they have Greece. New Orleans they have Kamara san Franz.
I know he's hurt. They have McCaffrey. I don't think
they're drafting a running back. Miami they have a chain.
Indy they have Taylor. Some people have said Cincinnati, that
would be insane draft a defensive player because it's terrible. Yeah,
and you have Chase Brown. He's been awesome. And here's

(51:48):
my other take. So it's Cleveland. If he goes Hi,
if he goes low, he's a Dallas cowboy.

Speaker 5 (51:53):
And we know that for sure. Could definitely see that.

Speaker 2 (51:56):
Yeah, But then if I'm saying, who should maybe take
a take a shot and trade up to get him.
The Chargers in the Broncos are two teams that I
think would really really benefit from Gent, especially the Broncos,
who low key has the best offensive line graded out
by PFF this year, and they've had a terrible running
game even despite that. If you put Genty back there,

(52:16):
I think it makes Bonick's job even easier. So that's
I think if you're looking at a team that can
maybe jump up and trade up, I love that Denver
spot for Ashton Gent, but obviously keep him on the
West Coast. Let's take a break and on the other side,
we're gonna come back and finish up our NFL talk
with the four o'clock and set in night games and
talk a little college football before we get over to

(52:37):
the NBA.

Speaker 1 (52:38):
Spreads, totals and all the prop bets in between. It's
The Gambler.

Speaker 2 (52:47):
Welcome back to the Tough cover radio show right here
on Fox Sports The Gambler. We are kicking it to
the second hour, finishing off the NFL before we get
to the college football in the NBA. So let's let's
rapid fire a little bit here my at four oh five.

(53:07):
Crappy game, Dolphins Browns. Obviously Dolphins still have a little life.
You still you read it earlier. I think it's eight
percent right now, twelve percent if they win. But I'm
gonna go with Jerome Ford over eighteen and a half
receiving yards. Jerome Ford another guy I'm relying on for fantasy,
So I'm kind of betting some of my fantasy guy props.
When I looked through it, oh wait, I get all
of them. I wanted to bet Henry and I didn't
love any of the stuff today, so I didn't jump
at it. But Jerome Ford over eighteen and a half

(53:30):
receiving yards. Nineteen plus yards each of the last four
weeks in terms of receiving, and in five of the
last six he's had twenty five. He had twenty five
plus in three of the first four games this year
when he was the feature back before Chubb came back
and Dorian Thompson Robinson DTR is also a checkdown merchant. Yeah,
loves dumping off the running backs. So give me Jerome
Ford over eighteen and a half receiving yards.

Speaker 5 (53:50):
Yeah, I like. I like Miami to roll a little
bit this week. I like the minus four and a half.
I think these are teams whose goals are aligned. Miami
still wants to stay in the hunt. A little bit,
really can't afford to lose, and Cleveland had has pulled
the plug on this season. They've dropped to three and twelve.
They obviously bench Jamis. They did the restructuring with Deshaun
Watson for next year, so that's going to continue to
be the situation there. But the bottom line is I

(54:11):
think they're fully invested in the draft pick game at
this point in Miami still, once given themselves a chance,
they got results in a pretty significant blowout Big three here. Yeah,
I would.

Speaker 2 (54:19):
I would definitely lean that way for sure, which would
only help. That's your own food prop so to be honest,
at four to twenty five, big, huge, massive game, the
Packers at the Green Bay or the Packers at the
Minnesota Vikings basically almost to pick them one one and
a half point spread depending where you're looking. For Minnesota
Eagles fans don't realize how important this week is for

(54:42):
the Eagles. The Packers are currently a win ahead of Washington.
If they are tied, Washington will have the higher seed.
That would mean Washington would be the sixth seed. Well,
Green Bay would be the seventh seed and probably coming
to Philadelphia, who would probably be the two seed at
that point. So the Packers and Commanders games are absolute

(55:05):
must root for us. If you're an Eagles fan, maybe
you're out there and you don't think the Packers are good.
My dad is one of those people. He thinks the
Packers are fake and phony. They've only they've lost all
the good teams they've played. Whatever. I think the Packers
are the scariest team in the NFCO to the Eagles,
outside of the Lions. With all the injuries on defense.
Green Bay coming to Philly scares me more than Philly

(55:28):
going to Detroit. How about that. That's how scared I
am of Green Bay. I would absolutely hate to play
them in Round one. I would not bet a single
dollar on that game, so I assume we'd probably be
a three to four point spread. I wouldn't touch it
with a ten foot pole. I think we'd have a
really good chance of losing that game. Fifty five sixty
percent chance of winning the game i'd probably give us,
So I really don't want to see that. Where as

(55:50):
opposed to Washington one hundred percent chances. Oh yeah, they
are not losing to Washington in Philadalthia unless Jalen Hurts
is hurt again. That's the only way Washington can beat
the and they have. You know, the gentle reminder that
the Washington football franchise has one win in the playoffs

(56:11):
since nine to eleven. Just want to throw that out
there and remind people of that. So Packers plenty more
than one win in that time span, even just in
the Jordan Love era from last season. But give me
the Packers money line outside of my rooting interests. Obviously
rooting hard for the Packers, but even if the even
if I wasn't rooting for the Packers, I would be

(56:32):
on the Packers. Here, Packers are on a heck of
a streak covered spread in five straight games while scoring
thirty plus points in all five games and not throwing
an interception in any of them. They're the first team
in the history of the Super Bowl era to accomplish
that feat. The Vikings have now won eight games in
a row. They haven't won nine straight in a single
season since nineteen ninety eight, and overall, teams that are

(56:54):
on an eight plus game winning streak are thirty eight
sixty and two since since twenty ten against the spread.
And then we get to, in my opinion, a top
three coach in football, and that's Matt Lafleur. These these
are two great coaches in this game, and I'd still
give the edge to Matt Lafleur. Mattlaflor's a twenty seven
and eleven straight up, twenty five and thirteen against the
spread when facing an opponent after losing to them in

(57:16):
the previous matchup. Obviously there's some multi year gaps in there,
but most of that's going to be in the division.
When he loses it to a team in the division,
he doesn't generally lose again. In December. Matt Lafleur coach
teams have dominated twenty and three straight up n thirteen,
nine to one against the spread, and in this season,
the Packers' losses have all come by one possession to

(57:39):
the Eagles, the Vikings and the Lions twice, who have
a combined record of thirty eight and seven. Wow One
score games have been a positive for the Vikings under
Kevin O'Connell in the regular season, Minnesota twenty five and
nine under O'Connell in his tenure there, but in twenty
twenty four the Vikings are eight and one in those
close games. I think that's due for some regression back

(58:02):
and something I learned a long time ago. You see
those one score game records, and that's obviously something point
people point to as rut. There's regression coming and it's
a little fraudulent. I look at it as a coaching
stat and I think it proves how great of a
job Kevin O'Connell's done.

Speaker 5 (58:17):
Hell, I think he should be the coach of the year.

Speaker 2 (58:19):
But I also think that matters a little less when
you're going against the Matt Lafleur, who's also an elite coach,
and you get to the playoffs, and you're going against
Sean McVay and maybe even Nick Sirianni if you want
to throw him in that conversation, and Dan Campbell and
whoever you want to throw in that has been there
and done that before in the playoffs. I think that
that one score record starts to you start to see

(58:40):
why that's a little bit fraudulent when you're doing that
against some bad teams as opposed to the best teams
in football.

Speaker 5 (58:47):
Yeah, I don't have a strong feel for the side
for this one. I think this is gonna be an
awesome game of football. The only thing that I think
we should add or that I'd like to add here.
This is a really important game for the Vikings side
of things too, that they're currently tied for the NFC
North lead with the Detroit Lions, both them with thirteen
and two records, So there is a world where the
Vikings can climb to that top seed to overtake that.
For Detroit, they certainly have their eyes on that as well.

(59:07):
That further would complicate the playoff picture. These are all
good teams. I think the Eagles can absolutely beat this
Packers team, but that is far from my desired path
through the playoffs there, so I certainly would prefer that
they do avoid that. If that is all possible, sign
me up for Washington one hundred times out of one
hundred if those are the options. There so a lot
on the table this week, but I think the Vikings
are going to bring a hunger. I think this game
comes right down to the wire. Don't have a strong

(59:28):
feel for the side, but we'll be very intrigued by
this matchup all.

Speaker 2 (59:31):
In on Green Bay. It'll be one of my biggest
players of the week. And then I've got three plays
on a Sunday night, or three plays I've got the
Atlanta Falcons plus four and a half at the Washington
Commanders And just like I said, just like we should
be rooting for green Bay to win. Let's say they lose,
then we need Washington to lose badly on Sunday night
to avoid green Bay as the seventh seed. Give me

(59:51):
Falcons plus four and a half. It's been just one week,
but last week Pennix was ninth in EPF to play
an eighth and success rate eighteen for twenty seven over
two hundred yards. Fake pick that Kyle Pitts grew to
the other team. Him having a thousand yards as a
rookie feels as like fake news at this point. But
he is just a disaster. And also I just think

(01:00:11):
that Washington that win was so fake. I think people
are overreacting greatly to it. I think this spread is
an overreaction. So I love the Falcons plus four and
a half. I actually think they win the game outright,
and give me the over. Give me the over at
forty six and a half, Washington four and one in
the last five to the over ten and five. On
the season, Falcons scored thirty four with Penix last week.

(01:00:32):
I don't think their defense is just fixed. They played
the Giants, not a great pass rush for wash or
for Atlanta. So I like Jayden to run like crazy.
So also another fantasy interest here, But give me Jaye
Daniels over forty seven and a half rushing yards. Wow,
sixty six plus yards and three of the last four
forty seven plus yards and seven of the last twelve

(01:00:52):
eight times total on the year. If you look at
the games he didn't he was dealing with the rib
issue right in that middle stretch of the season, and
outside of that stretch, which it's been overwhelming that he
passes this number, and especially here we are now you
can kind of change your playoff destiny and get to
that six seed. Maybe even if you want to say
the Eagles collapse, lose the next two weeks, try to
sneak in and win the division. I think now more

(01:01:14):
than ever, Washington's probably going to be running him and
being a little bit more aggressive with Daniels as a runner.
So Falcons plus four and a half over and Jayden
and Daniels over rushing yard's anything for you on this one?

Speaker 5 (01:01:24):
Yeah. I like that angle with Jayden Daniels there, and
I do think that was important to notice that the
only time he took his foot off the gas is
from a rushing perspective was mid season when that ributary
was bugging him. I think it's very cool we're gonna
get to see Michael Pennock's first Jayden Daniels obviously, two
guys who had pretty accomplished college careers that were around
for quite some time now facing off at the NFL level,
and just the second career start for Penix. Thought he

(01:01:45):
looked pretty impressive last week. Nothing overly special or stuff
that we're going to be riting home about. I thought
he did his job at a fairly high level and
has plenty to build off from there. I like the
Falcons to get the victory in this plus one fifty
on the money line, I'm in on. I do think
Penix raises the ceiling of the offense in a way
that simply needs to happen for Atlanta. They would not
have made this quarterback swap if they did not believe
that he can improve what they were seeing. There are

(01:02:06):
plays to be made within this Atlanta Falcons offense that
Krek Cousins simply was incapable of making happen. So I
think pen expills that role. I think the offense looks
a whole lot improved and even better than what we
saw last week. I do think they take down the
Commanders in this one.

Speaker 2 (01:02:20):
I like it. I like it a lot. Let's shift over.
I was gonna go to college, but let's shift over
to the Association. Well, let I gotta I gotta let
Sean cook a little bit here and talk about NBA.
There's way more time until college. Obviously, the games are
in New Year's Eves Tuesday, I believe, Yeah, I think
Wednesday would be New Year's Day, so still a couple
more times. I'm sure the big brains Tanzy and Beef

(01:02:41):
for gonna get together with me and we'll figure out
a time to record so that we'll get that out.
And I'm gonna talk a little bit at the end
of the show about college football. But let's cook on
the NBA a little bit here and talk because I
got a lot of topics here that I want to
run by our NBA insideer, Sean Bernard. And we gotta
start on Christmas, obviously with the with the Philadelphia seventy
six ers, and it is so funny only the Sixers

(01:03:05):
could win a game in Boston on Christmas on National
TV as a double digit underdog, and you could be
walking away from the game like, oh my god, that
was so annoying.

Speaker 5 (01:03:18):
I hear you, I hear it.

Speaker 2 (01:03:19):
I don't want to I don't want to harp on that, because,
like I said, Celtics are a special team. You go
in there and you win in Boston, you do what
you did? You do what Joel did you do? What?
MAXI did you do it? Kilen Martin did you do it?
Yabu did all those guys? You stepped up. I don't
want to poo poo that, but man, that end of
the game was so reminiscent of so many games over
the years.

Speaker 5 (01:03:39):
Yeah, no, I hear you on that for sure. But Mark,
I'm not lended.

Speaker 1 (01:03:46):
Play it.

Speaker 5 (01:03:47):
Gotta let him play out there. So shout out to
the Sixers for it. If they needed that one. That
was a big win on the season. H felt like
that was the start of something that I do believe
this is like a legitimate turnaround and they needed a
little bit of that signature win right there. Yes, we
can get caught up in the eye obviously not as
clean of a close out to that game. As you
would hope. Some of the decision making giving it to
Joelle to bring up the court just should never happen
in that type of situation for sure. But a win

(01:04:09):
is still a win, and that is a huge win
for that six Ers team. So I was impressed what
we saw from him. We're finally seeing a little bit
of momentum. They're now a half game out of the
play in tournament for that ten seed already. I think
they finished the season a top six seed, just as
was written all along. There's still areas of growth. And
the biggest thing, the biggest storyline that I'll shout out,
Tyrese Maxy is straight up becoming that dude.

Speaker 2 (01:04:30):
Man.

Speaker 5 (01:04:31):
He's becoming one of the most confident closers that I've
been in the six Ers era, the different ways that
he can get to his spots, the confidence we're seeing
these shooting splits begin to return to his normalcy here.
So I'm very excited about the version of the Sixers
team that we're seeing, and I do believe this is real.

Speaker 2 (01:04:48):
Yeah, it's hard, it's hard not to be excited. I
will say, I think I'm taking a little bit more
of a pessimistic Paul George look than you probably are.

Speaker 5 (01:04:56):
I hear you.

Speaker 2 (01:04:57):
I think the last thing you'd want to see in
the first year of like a five year deal. It's scary,
scary to say.

Speaker 5 (01:05:03):
I mean, he's been awesome. Defensively, I agree. The first
place I'll start, I get you're not paying him fifty
two million dollars to be you know, Alex Caruso here.
But I do think that, like the shots haven't fallen.
I think I guess my where my sympathy comes from
from here is that this was built around Joel. If
we get a longer sample size in him playing alongside
Joel Embiid, that's when I'm fully gonna judge it off.

(01:05:25):
I don't think it's fair to fully assess it just yet.
It's been underwhelming, there's no doubt about it, but I'm
not ready to chalk it off.

Speaker 2 (01:05:30):
I just would have thought that'd be more of like
a Kelly u Bray killed of Mark take it on
kind of conversation in terms of like how they look
without Joel. I thought Paul George would have not been
so dependent on Joel. And the one thing I'll say otherwise,
Clippers didn't really take a step back.

Speaker 1 (01:05:46):
No.

Speaker 2 (01:05:46):
Yeah, no, it's kind of the scary thing for me
a little bit. I'd be lying if I said that
that's not creeping in the back of my head every
time I watch the Sixers.

Speaker 5 (01:05:54):
Yeah, I mean there's if you want to feel that
way or be concerned about it, you certainly can find
evidence of it. I'm still kind of the and by
the way, he's dealt with two real intrigues as far
as therese knee bone bruises, and it hasn't been an
ideal start by just about any definition for Paul George
or the six Years team. I'm just gonna let the
sample size play out a little bit longer before I'm
gonna be rushing to a panic.

Speaker 2 (01:06:15):
That's definitely fair. Let's talk a little bit about something
I know we disagree about, the Christmas Day NFL takeover,
which I the NBA. I actually think the NBA ratings
are way less of an issue than I think the
general public and people like my dad sending me stats

(01:06:36):
about how no one cares about the NBA. I think
it is and I'll get to why in a second.
But I everybody bemoaned the NFL, and you know, the
big evil corporate NFL about trying to take over Christmas
from the NBA. Ten years ago, Mark Cuban was going

(01:06:56):
on radio shows and going on TV saying the NBA
was gonna be bigger than the NFL. We're gonna be
We're gonna be you know, We're so much bigger overseas
that it's not even gonna matter what it is, uh,
you know here and our franchises are gonna be valued
more pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered, all those comments
about the NFL. The NFL does not owe the NBA

(01:07:21):
a single thing. And they if Netflix is gonna come
to them and say, here's a bag of cash, we
want to put Christmas Day games on. They can't think,
oh what about the poor NBA. Oh the NBA, the
little small business NBA. They can't think about it like that.

Speaker 5 (01:07:39):
I get it, like I get so. The only thing
that I would directly push back on here, that wasn't
Adam Silver saying that. That wasn't David Stern saying that
about the NFL. That was Mark Euban, who was an
owner of the team at this point.

Speaker 2 (01:07:51):
Now, that was that was like a thing they were
pushing though the NBA owners in general and the NBA
cogniz if you want to say we're pushing that narrative.

Speaker 5 (01:08:02):
For sure.

Speaker 2 (01:08:03):
It wasn't just Cuban. Yeah, he's the loudest guy, but yeah,
and there's a reason he's not an owner anymore, Chuck,
he was wrong. I think a little bit on the
trajectory of the league. And that's not to say that
the league's in a bad place. Leagu's in a great place.
And the reason that the NBA and I want to
circle back and kind of not dump on the NBA.
I do think that there are legitimate conversations to be

(01:08:24):
had about why that there does seem to be less
interest in the regular season in the NBA, and everybody
throws out there one reason, like it's the reason, and
I think that there's ten to fifteen reasons that all
play a small part. Yeah, and there's a lot of
reasons for it. But I'm kind of not that interested
in kind of whining and crying for the NBA when

(01:08:46):
they just got a seventy six billion dollar contract for
eleven years. Let me put that in reference. Let me
put that put that in perspective for people out there
the WWE and I know people don't want to hear
about it in this way. Is incredibly successful, incredibly successful
day every single week they have bare minimum two million

(01:09:09):
people watching usually about three million people watching Monday night
Raw smack Down a little bit less, probably about one
and a half million to two and a half million.
They went to Netflix and they got bought for the
next ten years for six billion dollars. And when that happened,
that was a big deal that they got six billion

(01:09:29):
dollars for ten years from Netflix. Think about and the
NBA is obviously giving you more than one thing a week,
and it's different, it's a different package. But think about
the difference between the ww one of the more successful
live entertainment whatever you want to say, live rights live
television that there is outside of the sports. It is
the most live successful live television brand that has been

(01:09:53):
lasting for forty years now. And they got six billion
dollars for ten years from the Netflix. The NBA, from
three or three or four different networks all together got
seventy six billion dollars for one more year than that,
seventy billion more dollars.

Speaker 5 (01:10:11):
Wow.

Speaker 2 (01:10:12):
To put that in perspective, and that's not to dump
on the WWA, No no one thinks I'm here to
dump on the WWA aw for the next five years.
Got bought for one hundred and eighty five billion dollars
a year from a from TBS, so that I think
it comes close to about a billion dollars over that
five year stretch. That was a big deal. That was like, wooh,

(01:10:33):
we made it success. We don't have to care about
the ratings anymore because of this. And that's kind of
the same thing in WWB. It's like, we don't have
to care more about the ratings anymore because we just
got that from Netflix. But now no one's talking about
how the NBA got a seventy six billion dollar deal
in July. It wasn't like this was years ago and
oh my god, they have all this regret. It happened
five months ago that they got this seventy six I

(01:10:54):
keep emphasizing seventy six billion dollars to broadcast their gamest
for eleven years. So everybody wants to talk about the
TV ratings. Compare it, like I always say with Jalen
Hurts and this different conversation, but compare it to the contemporaries.
If you're comparing the NBA to the NFL, it loses. Yeah,
if you're comparing the NBA to college football, it competes,

(01:11:15):
but it loses. If you're comparing it to anything else
on the planet, it's more successful and more well watched,
more well liked. People want to point to the MLB
competing with it. They have the Dodgers and the Yankees
of the World Series. It's a little bit of a
rigs a rig kind of year if you want to
look at just the World Series compared to the NBA Finals.

(01:11:37):
Because if you look at the average TNT game that
people are crying and complaining about what the low ratings
are in terms of two to three million, what I
am actually not familiar with, like how low it's getting.
The MLB would kill for those numbers. Yeah, nobody's crying
for the MLB.

Speaker 5 (01:11:54):
Yeah, No, I mean first starters, the NFL's king.

Speaker 2 (01:11:57):
We know that.

Speaker 5 (01:11:57):
Unfortunately that I am a believer not on fortunately. Yeah,
so I am a believer that Christmas is an NBA holiday.
I think if it falls on a Sunday, it's still
an NBA holiday. Is how I view it there and
how I guess I'll take it completely away from the
ratings conversation. Frankly, I don't care that much to dive
into it. I think these are lumps of sums of
money that we can't even wrap our brain about, and

(01:12:19):
is why all these ridiculous contracts are even possible in
a major way here in addition to ticket sales, jersey sales,
all that side of things. What I will acknowledge here
the product on Christmas was straight up awesome. That every
one of those games was better than what we saw
of the NFL.

Speaker 2 (01:12:33):
Yes, Matt, I wasn't locked in on Dallas Minnesota. Was
that a good game?

Speaker 5 (01:12:37):
Still solid? That was probably the worst of the bunch.
Maybe the late game the Sun's Nuggets wasn't awesome either.
I mean, the Knicks and Spurs was terrific, the Sixers
and Celtics was terrific. The Steph and Lebron going at it,
still incredible stuff. That's what I care about. That's what
I'll get fired up about. Every single one of those
games was exciting, was worth watching, and that is what
the NBA should be hanging on their hat. And now,

(01:12:58):
granted there's been the downfall where we haven't got these
stretches and games have been underwhelming and stars haven't played
and all those types of conversations, But I'm just going
to celebrate that for a moment, that that was their day.
I thought they maximized it, and I do think that
there will be positive effects moving forward as a result
of that.

Speaker 2 (01:13:13):
So I guess my question just to wrap this up
a little bit. And by the way, I think the
ratings were fantastic on Christmas. It looks like they were up.
I think it was fifty something percent from last year.
And I do actually think the conversation about so much
of NFL versus ABA it helped and put peoples in
their head like don't forget about the NBA or well
when there was good games, So that helped and all that.

(01:13:34):
So anything outside of that, are you of the opinion
that the NBA should make changes or adjustments to combat
this low, this kind of declining viewership, because obviously they're
asking Kevin Durant and Lebron and they're kind of seeming
like they're almost interested in making changes and figuring out
I know KD was like, I'm in, I'm open to

(01:13:55):
all options to grow the game. That that's kind of
my goal and all that. It's it's all great Hey,
do you move the three point line back? Do you move?
You know? Do you get rid of the corner three?
Do you I don't know what the answer is.

Speaker 5 (01:14:15):
Yeah, I'm not interested in any of those conversations. To
be honest, I hear the case for I thought.

Speaker 2 (01:14:20):
When the paint maybe there, like there is those things
you hear.

Speaker 5 (01:14:24):
I think, if anything, the storyline to me here is
that there should be changes in the way the NBA
is presented and covered and what the storylines are like.
There's been more buzz. To just use this week as
an example, there's been far more buzz about the Jimmy
Butler trade conversations than there have been about some of
these storylines with these actual teams. And that was one
of the things that I thought Kevin Durant really hit
the nail on. First off, I give a ton of

(01:14:44):
respect that dude just loves hoop, wants it to connute
growing and say whatever you want about Kevin Durant. I
have a lot of respect for a guy who that's
how he feels at his core. There. One of the
things that I thought he was really true is he's
like people care way more about the free agency side
of things. The drama behind the scenes than the actual
basketball and why is at the case? I would say
that's the case because that's what we talk about more
what is brought up now. Don't get me wrong. Yeah,

(01:15:07):
everyone's a part of it. And frankly, like Jimmy Butler
is a guy leading the charge in this situation making
the things happen from behind the scenes. It's not like
these aren't self created. But I think, like when addressing
what is the issue, make the story be about the basketball,
and I think that slips through the cracks all too
often from kind of a media perspective, and that is
the NBA's fault.

Speaker 2 (01:15:24):
Another take about why there's low interest right now, it
feels like there hasn't really been a superstar demanding out
and that whole saga playing out and then getting the
trade and then getting to watch a new guy and
a big you know, a new face in a new place.
People all point to, Like, I actually think the one
thing I'm not willing to hear as a problem for
what is wrong with the NBA is the player movement.

(01:15:46):
People saying oh so much player movement. Look at over
the last couple of years, I think there's been less
player movement. Yeah, in the last two especially with CBA.

Speaker 5 (01:15:54):
Yes, yeah, I.

Speaker 2 (01:15:55):
Think there's been less player movement than there's ever been
at any point of my life. I think about go
look like the Tracy mcgrady's and that era of guys,
and everybody thinks about Kobe, everybody thinks about the guys
who stayed one spot forever. Guys like Shack played on
ten teams. McGrady played on a ton of teams, Like
Steve Francis was a star. He played on a bunch
of teams, Like Marbury switched to a bunch of teams

(01:16:17):
he was a star. Allen Iverson ended up playing on
a bunch of teams at the end of his career.
Like I actually think like the player movement is the
one conversation I'm not even like willing to entertain as
part of the problem.

Speaker 5 (01:16:28):
So I do. I do think there's some legitimacy to
this next generation of stars not carrying the baton, Like
Ben Simmon should be at the forefront. Zion Williamson, Zion's
the big one. Yeah, Zion's a huge one.

Speaker 1 (01:16:39):
With that.

Speaker 5 (01:16:39):
John Morant has barely been on the floor like these
guys who should be looked at as who Steph Curry
and Lebron James are passing the torch to really have
not been capable of carrying it. And yes we see flashes.
I think the wen Minyama moment on Christmas was awesome,
but it doesn't feel like there's been this era of
guys stepping up ready to take that now. Granted, like
there's still the Anthony Edwards, there's still there's very good

(01:17:00):
basketball players, but there isn't that like the guy the
way that there has been for so long. So I
think that is a huge part of it as well.

Speaker 2 (01:17:06):
And I do think Stephan Lebron showing the signs of
decline that they have this year has hurt and people
are talking about more with Lebron. The Steph decline has
actually been more look at the stats, more way, more
stark than then Lebron decline. Even but uh, let's let's
you mentioned Jimmy Butler and we you know, we've bemoaned
how the league's covered, but let's do it ourselves. Jimmy

(01:17:26):
Butler looks like he's trying to demand out Bernie Lee
is denying it. Him and Sean's are in a feud.
I think he's got to hold the l on this one,
and then pat Riley is saying that they will not
try Jimmy Butler. How do you think this plays out?
How should it play out?

Speaker 5 (01:17:42):
Like?

Speaker 2 (01:17:42):
I don't know.

Speaker 5 (01:17:43):
I don't think it ends great looking at the track record.
I mean, this is the cost of business of doing
work with Jimmy Butler. This is how it ends. When
it ends, this is how it always goes. I think
pat Riley is more equipped and more willing to call
his bluff more than ever before. And I, to be honest,
think there is a chance this this one plays out
a little differently from the stance of like, if he
calls his bluff he says, truly, we're not trading Jimmy,

(01:18:04):
which is very quite literally what the message said from
batt Riley here. I do think that he puts this
off until the offseason. Jimmy gets put in this predicament
of I mean, everyone knows who Jimmy Butler is at
this point. It's not like if he's on his best
behavior the rest of the season, you're not still gonna
remember what he's capable of doing. Next year he does,
and I think he probably takes that. I think we
probably see a James Harden situation where you know, Harden

(01:18:26):
opted in and still forced the trade. I can't see
another team. The Brooklyn Nets are really the only example
that has the cap space to outright sign him, give
him the contract he desires. And I don't know if
I see Brooklyn taking that kind of leap. I don't
think it makes a lot of sense for them right now.
There's so many steps away, So I think this probably
gets extended to the offseason and they're doing this dance
where he's opting in to get the money and still
trying to force the trade. But I think it's gonna

(01:18:47):
get worse before it gets better.

Speaker 2 (01:18:48):
So who are the teams that he was allegedly willing
to go to.

Speaker 5 (01:18:51):
It was Brooklyn, Houston, Dallas, Brooklyn and Golden State.

Speaker 2 (01:18:55):
I believe in Phoenix and Phoenix. Yes, Phoenix. Who are
they trading? Doesn't mean it have to be who has
a trade He's not doing.

Speaker 5 (01:19:02):
That, and yeah, and Beale has no trade claws as well.

Speaker 2 (01:19:05):
Miami's not doing that, like Bal's a negative asset with
his contract. And then you have Golden State. I guess
you could conjure up like a kuminga man. I know,
but you have a bunch of those guys to throw together.
I get it, at least, like I get what the
package looks like. You throw them all the picks you
can Brooklyn, I don't think that makes any sense. No,

(01:19:28):
Houston's GM came out and said they're not making a
big move like that, which I kind of think that's
the one that I could see it with.

Speaker 5 (01:19:34):
To be honest, I.

Speaker 2 (01:19:35):
Kind of don't really. I feel like they eat shooting
if anything.

Speaker 5 (01:19:40):
I think to me, they very clearly need to make
a consolation trade where you're trading three for one, two
for one something like that to get better. And you know,
like they have some talented players that aren't playing enough,
and I think that's kind of an issue here. So
I don't know, I could see the framework of it
from Houston, but I understand them being hesitant as well.
And then Dallas, what's the move for to get him

(01:20:00):
like Clay? I don't even know that.

Speaker 2 (01:20:03):
Yeah, And I also saw like the the one lineup
that they're running the I think it's Luca, Kyrie, Clay,
PJ and Lively is like the second best lineup in
the NBA, behind like Russ and Jokic. And Braun and Strawther.
It is like a weird Denver lineup that's like by
far the best. But let's talk a little bit. Let's

(01:20:24):
just go through the East a little bit. The Calves
twenty seven and four. Are they a legitimate contender to
beat Boston and to win the NBA Finals.

Speaker 5 (01:20:34):
I'm taking them far more serious than I was at
any other point this year. I've been an Evan Mobley skeptic.
I see him putting the pieces together a little bit.
Donovan Mitchell is better than he sometimes gets credit for
on kind of the overall national perspective there. Garland, nice
to see him have a bounce back. Jared Allen still
very good there. They're a good team. They play hard.
I give Kenny Atkinson a ton of credit for the
way this team is cooking right now. I believe in them.

(01:20:56):
I don't think they can really take down the Celtics,
but I think any other team in that with the
there in play for so I would throw them in
that contending category to win the East.

Speaker 2 (01:21:03):
So you have the Celtics at plus two forty to
win the title, which is insane. You have the Calves
at plus seventeen hundred to win the title, and then
with the Conference you have the Celtics at plus one
ten I actually think is not a terrible bet. Yeah,
getting any sort of plus money is not bad. And
then you have the Caves at plus six hundred. But

(01:21:24):
a team in the East that has better odds than
the Cleveland Cavaliers is the New York Knicks, who have
the third best odds to win the title at plus
nine hundred. They have the second best odds to win
the East at plus four hundred. I don't really think
the Knicks can beat the Celtics, to be honest, but
the Knicks are sixteen and four after starting five and six.
Do you take them more or less seriously than Cleveland

(01:21:47):
in a series against Boston?

Speaker 5 (01:21:49):
I would take Cleveland more seriously there.

Speaker 2 (01:21:51):
I think I would take New York more seriously. But
I take neither of them seriously. As I thought.

Speaker 5 (01:21:55):
I agree on kind of your overall premise there. It's
nice to see Michael Brady just playing like the version
of him that they hope they traded for.

Speaker 2 (01:22:02):
That was.

Speaker 5 (01:22:03):
You know, you can talk yourself into swallowing six first
round picks for a guy that's a little bit more
than a three and d player. It's fair. I think
Cleveland like, if there's a way that you're going to
do it, I do think there's a whirl where it
is Van Mobley and Jared Allen being paint protectors and
then you just throw a bunch of bodies to run
out on the perimeter chase guys off three point line.

(01:22:23):
I think stylistically there's a well where the Calves can
call some I guess havoc that way. In reality, it's
the Celtics story here that I don't think either one
of them can take down this team. I will say
Boston looking a little more vulnerable than I expected them
to that they do have some issues there right Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:22:39):
KP looks like he got banged up potentially, so I.

Speaker 5 (01:22:41):
Think that's kind of an ongoing thing. I saw, Yeah,
that's gonna be the Portzingis experience, and he's excellent when
he's in there, so, like I I've always thought he's awesome. Yeah,
So I don't know, it's the Celtics league right now,
they run it. Certainly the Celtics Eastern Eastern Conference. I
have a hard time talking into either as legitimate threat,
but do lean the Calves being the answer.

Speaker 2 (01:23:00):
And then a team who's right there in odds with
the Calves after winning the NBA Cup. Respect the cup
hang a banner? Bucks plus eighteen hunt Did they hang
a banner?

Speaker 5 (01:23:08):
I'm not sure if they did or not. I know
the Lakers did last year. I would assume Wwalkee does.

Speaker 2 (01:23:12):
The Bucks are plus eighteen hundred to win the title,
right there with the Cavs at seventeen to one. The
Bucks are to win the East plus eight hundred, right
behind the Calves at plus six hundred. Bucks kind of
similar to the Knicks, but a worse start fifteen and
five after starting one in eight. Are they more or
less serious than New York? More or less serious than Cleveland?

Speaker 5 (01:23:31):
I would say less than both. But there I do
put a little asterisk next to the Jannest stuff. He's
been unbelievable man, and there is like a look that
he gets in his eye. As far as I refuse
to lose that I can't help but super respect there.
I would argue this is the best basketball of his career.
I think that. As much as we want to throw
this next generation of the shake gots Alexander's Luka Doncic
in this MVP race, here it's still Jokic Jannis in

(01:23:53):
my eyes for this season, and to my I believe
pretty comfortably should be the top two favorites there. I'm
still not fully buying what Milwaukee's selling just from the
stance of Brook Lopez has looked old. Chris Middleton not
reliable at this point in his career, but Giannis is incredible,
So I'm not fully count them out.

Speaker 2 (01:24:07):
Their fans want Bobby Porta is dead on Twitter. Yeah
that's wild, saying how much their fan base hates Bobby
ports I like Bobby Portas.

Speaker 5 (01:24:14):
I would take him in Philly me too, I would.

Speaker 2 (01:24:16):
They're saying he's horrible on defense, Like, yeah, so he
used to be fine at least. But a team that
I thought was going to take maybe potentially a step
this year in the regular season at least, and it
has not happened at all. It's been the exact opposite.
The Indiana Pacers looking exactly like the twenty twenty one
Hawks into that twenty twenty two year that it was
maybe a one year blip. Pacer sitting at fifteen and seventeen,

(01:24:39):
I thought they would just be way too deep for this.
But you look at Tyrese haliburt and shooting, you know,
forty three percent from the field, and he's seventeen nine
and four instead of being like.

Speaker 5 (01:24:52):
Twenty eleven nine, yeah, and three point nine.

Speaker 2 (01:24:55):
Last has really fallen off as soon as the NBA
and before I feel like the first half of the
year he was like twenty three to twelve for a while.
Like he has really really fallen off. I don't know
if that's injury related or I don't know what it is,
but it's isn't just as simple as Haliburton's not the
guy we thought.

Speaker 5 (01:25:12):
I kind of think so, to be honest, And when
me and sam Ostre did the Second Hour here last week,
we did one of these like questions we have for
NBA teams, and my question for the Pacers was truth Saramon,
who exactly is Tyrese Halibert. And I think my unfortunate
realization is he's probably not a guy capable of really
leading a franchise. And that's a tough pill to swallow

(01:25:32):
when they're set up for that to be the case here.
But like it's night to night, like we're seeing zero
point performances that it's happened multiple times this year. We're
seeing like zero for eight, three point shooting stuff. It's
just tough to win when that's your star. And I
don't know what they do from here. They're gonna have
to really address things and kind of have a hard
time having that conversation. But that is where things starting
end for me is I don't think there's quite enough elsewhere.

(01:25:53):
I was thinking. Pascal Siakam has not elevated them the
way that I was sort of hopeful for. So yeah,
the Pacers I'm pretty out on for this season, and
do you think they have some questions to address?

Speaker 2 (01:26:02):
A team that's currently sitting in the play in which
I did not think would be the case is the
Detroit Pistons at fourteen and seventeen. I don't think it's
been talked about at all, but two guys I've always
loved in Kate Cunningham and Jade and Ivy.

Speaker 5 (01:26:15):
Tobias Harris too.

Speaker 2 (01:26:16):
Tobias for sure, but Ivy really putting it together. And
then kid Kate is averaging twenty four and ten with
seven rebounds a game. It's pretty incredible to see Kate
kind of finally be what exactly what we thought. And
I know you never sold your kid stock You're always
You've always been a caid guy, Ivy. I've never sold

(01:26:37):
my IVY stock. I've always been an Ivy guy. I
think this is exactly who I expected him to be
and kind of why I was in on him over
Keegan Murray and I thought that was a crazy, crazy
draftick by Sacramento. Keegan's been better than I thought, but
I'd still take Ivy. Where are you at with Kate
And is this kind of what we can expect going forward?

Speaker 5 (01:26:57):
Yeah? I think it is that. It like I've been
a cad believer. I've liked him since college, and even
like in the real lows of this Detroit Pistons team,
like they were when they were going to the historic
losing streaks losing seventeen in a row. I still remember
watching it just being like that, dude is still the
best player on the floor I don't understand and it
is finally all clicking his way that correlates to team's success.
I think Malik Beasley has been an incredible addition for them.

(01:27:18):
Shot the absolute lights out last night, was flying around
screens looking as confident as ever. Think I like what
they have in the front court as far as Jalen Duran,
Isaiah Stewart, all the options that they do rotate, our
guy b bal Paul still coming in and making an
impact there. So yeah, I believe in this Piston's team.
I'm not saying they're ready to be contenders or anything
like that, but they're gonna be a fun, spunky, young
team that I do think ends up in the mix
this year, and I do think we'll stay in that

(01:27:40):
play and range.

Speaker 2 (01:27:41):
And then one last team in the East. Did I
want to touch on his Orlando who's sitting there at
the four seed nineteen and fourteen. Palo hasn't played since
October front.

Speaker 5 (01:27:49):
Great before he got hurt.

Speaker 2 (01:27:50):
Was amazing. It looked like he really took a step.
Franz Wagner hasn't hasn't played in three weeks now. It
looks like he's probably gonna get reevaluated in a week,
so maybe we can expect him back in the next
couple of weeks. Here they he seems to have taken
an insane step as well. Looked like he was showing
for most improved player, which maybe he still will be

(01:28:11):
if he can play enough games for that. But is
there a chance that with if they get Franz back,
they get Palo back, and they kind of figure out
how to work those guys to be this the leaps
that they've taken together, which they I think they were
showing while Polo was there for the first five games
at least. And you see the leap that Jalen Suggs
has taken, especially as a scorer, evering seventeen a game.

(01:28:34):
This is kind of more of what we thought he
was going to be in college, not just the defensive guy.
I made fun of the contract in the offseason. Looks
like a great contract now I look dumb. KCP is
filling in roles there. Tristan da Silva really kind of
filling role now now that Pallo and Franz are out.
He's playing a lot of minutes there. You have Goga Batazzi,

(01:28:56):
who people aren't talking enough about. Goga Batadzi. You look
at his per third twenty six is I just sent
them to you the other day, fourteen twelve and three
with two and a half blocks and one point two steals.
Really efficient, shooting well from the free throw line too.
I love Goga Batazzi. I think he's better than Wendell Carter.

Speaker 5 (01:29:13):
Yes, so does the Magic repularly from what we're seeing,
and a guy like Jonathan Isaac who've really seen very
limited opportunity. There's a lot of bodies there, and the
Carter thing's been surprising to me that I didn't think
he would kind of have the fall from graces that
we're seeing. I don't know. They've got a lot of
talent down there. I think there's kind of a world
where the Magic are a little bit the Houston Rockets
of the East, where they got a lot of young

(01:29:34):
talent that I'm not one hundred percent sure all fits
together just yet. But I am a believer in Palo,
I am a believer in Franz. I am a believer
in Jalen sug So each of these guys individually, I
do see it there. I think they're probably a year
away from being real deal contenders, and this is going
to be sort of the figure it out, go through
your lomps and make some decisions in the offseason. But
they're not a team that I would like to play
in the first round. I'll say that. And I do
think if you catch them on the right day, you're

(01:29:55):
gonna have a tough time beating them. Every single night.
So I do think they're legitimate. I do think they're talent,
but I don't think they're quite in that contending category yet.

Speaker 2 (01:30:02):
Give I think there's a chance that they're the team
that can give bust In the most trouble in.

Speaker 5 (01:30:07):
The long Runner this year.

Speaker 2 (01:30:08):
This year. Wow, Okay, if everything works out, maybe Franz
can't be what he was for a little bit without Palo,
But if they get Fronz and Pallo back, I think
that they have just as much talent and they're deeper
than any of these other teams. I would take them
over Milwaukee. I don't buy Cleveland. The one you could
argue is New York. Maybe New York's better than than Orlando.
But I'm kind of the fact that they're nineteen and fourteen.

(01:30:32):
Palo hasn't played since October. It's impressive, it's really really impressive,
and I just think these guys, multiple guys on that bench,
really stepping up, subs, really stepping up. I think that
that gives them just as good as a roster as
any of these other teams, if it's healthy and if
they're all there. So I'm buying a little Orlando suck.
I don't think they'd win. They're gonna win, and I
don't think they're gonna win the East or anything, but

(01:30:54):
I do think they could go on kind of a
Pacers run from last year.

Speaker 5 (01:30:57):
Yeah, I think that's certainly possible. I'm curious how this all.
I would like to see them get a consistent stretch
because one of the things that interesting to me is, like,
we saw Polo be unbelievable, then once he dropped off,
that's when we saw Franz be unbelievable. And I had
read some of the frustrations from Magic fans of like
that's sort of what happens is Franz steps up when
Polo's not there. But they haven't really been overly complimentary

(01:31:17):
of each other. Now, granted we've had these exact same
complaints about the Boston Celtics with Jalen Brown and Jason
Tatum there. I'm curious if that's the dynamic that they
start to build on, But I would like to see
them do it together if they can be that true
one two punch. I think this season is going to
be figuring all those kind of things out and next
year is the real leap into contention. But I could
be wrong. Maybe they are well ahead of the curve.

Speaker 2 (01:31:37):
Kings fire Mike Brown yesterday after starting thirteen and seventeen.
I think Mike Brown's like a top ten coach in basketball.
I think what he did with Fox to turn his
career around a little bit and make can not turn
a career. I mean, he was really good, but he
made him like a legit All Star and all NBA
way up this point total and probably helped him financially there. Yeah,
I can't believe they fired him. I don't really get it.

(01:32:00):
There's a lot of teams that should hire them.

Speaker 5 (01:32:02):
Yeah, I'm a Mike Brown guy as well. I do
think it was a desperate move by the Sacramento Kings.
I guess they felt like they had to do something.
But frankly, when you look at the issues on this team,
this is pretty much entirely a roster thing that you know,
Firing Mike Brown doesn't add a rim protector. Firing Mike
Brown doesn't improve your perimeter defense. Nobody thought that the
Marduro's and signing made sense this summer. Nobody thought that
would address the needs of this team. There are some

(01:32:24):
weird stuff that you can nitpick with Mike Brown I
don't understand why Kean Ellis has been out of the
rotation really these past couple months. And that's a guy
that speaking from a Sixers perspective, I certainly have my
eyes on that I would love to steal from Sacramento there.
But I do think this was kind of just a
scapegoat firing for Mike Brown. I do think he deserves
another opportunity, will be very good, and another opportunity when
he does get that, So feel bad for the guy.
I don't think they handled things with the appropriate amount

(01:32:46):
of class either, as he ran a full practice, addressed
the media, and then we'll found out that he was
fired after the fact there, So don't love how that
all went down. I think Sacramento has got some bigger
issues than they like to address, and it's gonna take
a pretty notable blow up. I mean, we're starting to
see Darn Fox is going to be that next star.
I think that is after Jimmy Butler, that is forcing
his way out somewhere, so so well be a storyline

(01:33:07):
to watch and then a team.

Speaker 2 (01:33:09):
We obviously talked about it from Christmas and they lost
the game. But I think the story coming out of
the game was when Benyama. Yeah, and I know you
said he was going to be the best player in
the league within the next two years, was it? But
he's sitting here averaging twenty five ten and four, and
that's not even bringing up what he's doing on defense, averaging.

Speaker 5 (01:33:28):
Four blocks a game four I think three point nine
was the last I looked.

Speaker 2 (01:33:31):
Four point oh yeah, four point h and a steal
a game. I mean, the guy is unbelievable. He's All
NBA this year. Yeah, he's going to be All NBA
and he deserves it. I don't think he's going to
be Defensive Player of the Year, and he deserves it.
He is unlike anything I've ever seen.

Speaker 5 (01:33:47):
Yeah, some of these like just box score outputs like
eight blocks, ten blocks that we're seeing. It's incredible stuff.
And you feel his presence. This isn't like a fake
shot blocker. You see guys attack the paint and then
see when Benyama and say no way back out. That
does not happen very often for MBA athletes. I mean,
the bar of expectation was sky high for this dude.
We were talked all about what a all hailed mighty

(01:34:09):
prospect he is and he's just living up to every
bit of that, and more so, I think he's handled
himself like the consummate professional. Shout out to him playing
chess out there in Central Park or somewhere up in
New York right now, which is just pretty cool of
him to be able to do stuff like that. I
think he's a more down to earth guy, one of these,
as we have these kind of face of the league conversations,
guy that does seem to get it, and then I'm
really encouraged, could be pushed as this marketing tactic and

(01:34:32):
a guy that I think people are going to really
buy into and believe in both on court and his personality.
So shout out to Wemby. The future is bright and
your Christmases are now booked for the next decade.

Speaker 2 (01:34:40):
My friend. Oh, that's absolutely true. And the fifth best
lineup in basketball this year is Chris Paul Stefan, Castle, Champagnee, Harrison, Barnes,
and Victor Remigiama.

Speaker 5 (01:34:51):
Wow.

Speaker 2 (01:34:52):
Fun fact, that's right up there. The best lineup just
because he's a fun I think Russell Westbrook, Christian Braun,
Michael Port Junior, Aaron Gordon, and Jokic. I mentioned the
Dallas one earlier. That second third is actually the Bucks
with Lillard, aj Green, Gary Trent, Bobby Portis, and Brook

(01:35:12):
Lopez no Joannis in that lineup. The Celtics is Drew Jalen, Tatum,
White Horford. I mentioned the Spurs, and then you have
the Timberwolves with Aunt Nikhil, Alexander Walker, Dante DiVincenzo, Julius
Randall and nas Reed. Just I always like looking at those.
The Sixers are the kid. Daryl Moray has banners hung

(01:35:33):
in his office for NET rating leaders with five man lineups,
So I feel like it's important to bring up when
as Sixers fans, so uh, move real quick because we
don't have much time left. MAVs quietly twenty and eleven,
but now Lukes out, are they going to kind of
be able to keep it afloat without Luca or are
they kind of now going to drift almost into that

(01:35:53):
play in conversation.

Speaker 5 (01:35:54):
Yeah, I think they'll still be a dangerous team from
a postseason perspective, but I do think they slide down
the standings here. The West is just so good man,
and I think anytime that your foot slips off the gas,
which is sort of destined to happen without Luca, now
gonna they put up a fight. They're still competitive team.
I mean watching them. They beat the Suns yesterday without Luca,
which is a pretty notable win there. They're still gonna
be competitive on a night to night basis. But I

(01:36:15):
think they're probably closer to a five hundred team, And
when looking at teams behind them, like the Clippers, Lakers, Nuggets, Timberwolves,
sun Spurs, these are all teams that are capable of
ripping off wins. So I do think they slide a
little bit in the standings. But I think when we're
talking about the playoff perspective, once Luke is back and healthy,
there's still gonna be dangerous.

Speaker 2 (01:36:32):
I still think they win the West no matter where
they're at. I think they're that dangerous once it gets
the playoff time, and I think Clay only helps that.
And then one more kind of topic. You mentioned the Lakers.
So much hate towards the Lakers on Twitter and online,
and you should expect that obviously Lakers, it's the Lakers,
but people are acting like JJ Reddick is a failure.

(01:36:52):
People are acting like Lebron's totally washed. And I was
worried about that at early parts of the year, Lebron
has really looked or sir, and I don't know if
he went to Germany and got his knee spun when
he had those personal issues. I think that's probably what happened. Which,
by the way, do it as many times as you
need to keep my childhood alive, Lebron. And then, but

(01:37:14):
they're seventeen thirteen sitting here at the five seed. Think
anyone if you told the late if they said the
Lakers be the five seed after not doing anything in
the off season besides hiring a new coach, I think
they'd take that as a win. I think you feel
pretty good if you're the Lakers as the five seed
in the playoff series. I don't care if you're playing
Houston or Memphis or the Clippers or Minnesota. You probably
don't feel good. If it's Denver, you probably don't feel good.

(01:37:35):
If it's Dallas, you definitely don't feel good. If it's Okay, See,
it won't be okay see as the four, but there's
a pretty good chance you have a good chance to
win a playoff series if you're sitting there as the
five seed. And I think if they win a playoff series.
I get that Lebron makes the goals feel weird, but
I think winning a playoff series would probably be a
good year for this Lakers roster. That's a whole other thing.
But they're like three games out or four games out

(01:37:56):
of the two seed. Yeah, it's not that crazy. Like,
I don't get why everybody's so negative on what they've
done so far this year. When Lebron's missed some time,
AD's missed some time, and I know that that's natural,
But I think JJ's done a pretty good job.

Speaker 5 (01:38:10):
Yeah, I mean, I think they're gonna be in the
mixed team that I don't think they're gonna suck. From
the standpoint of looking at it. I just like Anthony
Davis is played phenomenal this year. Lebron James, we still
see the flashes, but beyond that, Like, I don't know
if I can legitimacy, legitimately talk myself in D'Angelo Russell
or Austin Reeves being a third option and there's been injuries,
you think you can there.

Speaker 2 (01:38:31):
As Reeves in the seventeen game. No, I like Reeves.
He's probably not like a legit third guy, but it's
always the top two has to be so good that
he becomes an acceptable third guy, even though he should
be like a fourth guy. But that's picking Harrish.

Speaker 5 (01:38:44):
Yeah yeah, I mean, who knows. I'm not gonna fully
count out Lebron, James and Anthony Davis at this point,
on any point really, But I just think that my
my complain about the JJ Reddick hiring is I felt
like this was scapecope as just a coaching issue. Went
to me that the roster issues more significant. We'll see
how things play out from here, but I think.

Speaker 2 (01:39:02):
JJ has done a good job seventeen and thirteen thus far,
with Lebron having that week off and you know, AD
went out on Christmas and they were able to win
the game, and I think it's I think it's impressive,
just like I think the Clippers what they've done is
incredibly impressive with ty Lu keeping the ship afloat there.
But that wraps up kind of our trip around the Association.
Let's real quick, real quick, just run on run down

(01:39:23):
my college football playoff picks and my Donkey Brains of
the week. But college ball playoff New Year's Eve, seven thirty,
the Fiesta Bowl. I'm picking Boise State plus eleven against
Penn State. It's hopeful, it's wishful thinking. I'll be honest,
I don't feel convicted about the game either way. I
still feel like Penn State's I still think they're vulnerable.

(01:39:44):
But that SMU game made me feel really dumb for
betting SMU. So this will be a one unit bet,
not a large unit bet at all. We'll be rooting
for Boise As Notre Dame. If they win, plays the
winner of that. So if it's Boise obviously a easier
path than Penn State, So rooting hard for Boise. In
a year's day, at one o'clock in the Peach Bowl
at Georgia, give me Texas minus thirteen ainst Arizona State.

(01:40:05):
I think they win by four plus touchdowns. I think
this is forty five to ten. I think this is
a blowout, and I might altline minus twenty and a
half or something like that. I think Texas blows Arizona
State out and we immediately start talking about how Texas
playing the winner of the game. After which, at five
o'clock the Rose Bowl, Higo State Oregon Texas versus the

(01:40:26):
winner of Ohio State. Oregon is the de facto national champion.
I don't think Notre Dame, Georgia or Penn State will
beat any of Texas, Oregon, or Ohio State, depending on
who comes out of that little quadrant there. So that's
my take as a Notre Dame fan. I'd be happy
just to get to the Natty. Just to be quite
honest with you, at five o'clock, give me Oregon plus
two and a half. It might be dumb. I know

(01:40:46):
I bet against Ohio State last week. I had a
terrible first week in the playoff. Besides Notre Dame and Oregon,
I think it's funny that they're the underdog. I know
that they won the game by one point in Eugene.
They're sitting here on the feat. I think there's a
chance we've overlooked Oregon as a potential all time team
if they're able to run the table here and go
sixteen to zero and finish it off after winning the

(01:41:08):
Big ten at thirteen and oh so, I thought they
were really impressive in that Penn State game. Or Penn
State had everything to play for and Oregon didn't have
that much to play for. Oregon could have dropped back
to be the five seed, which would have been an
easy path. So give me Oregon plus two and a
half for two units.

Speaker 5 (01:41:24):
There.

Speaker 2 (01:41:24):
Texas was a four unit play. My three unit play
eight forty five Notre Dame money line against Georgia in
the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. Give me the Irish
I've talked myself in and if Notre Dame wins this game,
they will go to the national Championship. They will beat
Penn State or Boise State. This is the game. If

(01:41:47):
you win this game, the narrative changes forever about Notre
Dame football. If you go and beat Georgia, they can't
say nothing. They can't talk about the backup quarterback. I
don't care if you go and beat Georgia in a
playoff game and then you you're gonna go and beat
Penn State because they're frauds in a playoff game, the
narrative changes if you get to the national Championship. And

(01:42:09):
that's exactly what's gonna happen, Irish to the Natty. Let's go,
but my non college football playoff bets of the that
I just want to run down before we get out
of here. At two thirty on the thirtieth on Monday,
Iowa plus two and a half against Missouri. Missouri is
a ton of opt outs, Iowa not really that many.
And then on New Year's Eve at three thirty, give

(01:42:30):
me Baylor minus three and a half against LSU and
the Texas Bowl. Any playoff thoughts for you, Sean.

Speaker 5 (01:42:35):
Bernard, Nothing from me. I'll let you wrap up from here.

Speaker 2 (01:42:38):
Yes, we gotta wrap it up. What I will say
all the people coming at kirk Curb Street have donkey brains.
Everybody's saying, oh, he's a SEC bias, ESPN's rigging the sport.
Oh they only care about the SEC. Yes, he only
got three. Teams in the Big Ten got four, the
a SEC got two. Notre Dame got into the playoff,
the Boise State in Arizona State got buys at three

(01:42:58):
and four over a big conference team. I don't want
to hear the complaints. What are the Indiana fans, the
SMU fans that are whining and complaining? Do you want
us to pat you on our on your head and
thank you for getting blown out and giving us unwatchable football.
None of the games at any point at any chance
of being close. And it was a horrible watch. It
was a horrible weekend for college football, and you have

(01:43:20):
donkey brains if you're coming at kirk Curve Street. Because
he was upset and talking about how the games he
had to call stunk. How do we know you're not
a donkey brain man? Forgot about the drop? Just to
be honest, I haven't been in too long. And that's
gonna do it. How do we know you're not a
docy brain man? You have donkey brains if you're coming
at kirk Curve Street, that's gonna do it here thanks
to Sean Bronard behind the ones and twos, and we're

(01:43:42):
gonna be back next week talking all things football, heading
into the last week of the NFL season and heading
into the final four of college football. So we'll be
back to cover country.

Speaker 1 (01:43:51):
Let's roll up spreads total and all the prop that's
in between. It's the Gambler.