For The Fan EP 157: 2025 AFC North Preview

Season 5!!! The gang returns to go through their divisional previews! AFC North:
Browns: Are there any expectations?
Bengals: Money tied up, can they return to playoffs?
Steelers: Will Steelers win with Aaron Rodgers; other pieces?
Ravens: Can they get over the hump?

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And here we go. We're back, We're live. This is
for the Fan episode number one fifty seven. As always,
I am Will and we got Dom and we got Jake.
Here gentlemen, Hello, how are you so? Yeah, good summer
to y'all, Good summer to all of us. Oh I
made a blue I messed up the brain color. Uh oh,

(00:20):
this isn't good. I was trying to get our names
back on there. There they are, okay, but yes, you
can follow us on all the social media platforms down below.
YouTube for the fan network, TikTok for the Fan Network,
X for the Fan Underscore on Instagram for the fan
football gentlemen, the next seven weeks technically, because the eighth
week we're gonna be away, so there's no eighth week.
So for the next seven weeks, we're gonna be pounding

(00:41):
down these divisions. All thirty two teams are gonna be
talked about right here on the show. Uh yeah, any expectations,
any excitement, any any anything, any anything.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
Sorry, Donald's two distracting right now.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
Tom's having too much fun right now.

Speaker 3 (01:00):
A good color for us, guys.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
I mean I like redskin red. I mean, that's that's
pretty good. I'm sorry, Super Bowl era jersey or whatever
it's called.

Speaker 3 (01:12):
Is it is it legal to say that name?

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Now I'm saying, who cares?

Speaker 2 (01:16):
Josh?

Speaker 1 (01:17):
It's funny, all right, But gentlemen, we're gonna get right
into this right now. AFC North is on tap here
and you are listening to for the fan. You are
listening to for the fan? And might I add season

(01:52):
number five? So this is the first time you ever
had Bapple on a show. There's been beach Okay, we've
had beaches here before, but never a Bapple. Always the
Spray Cranberry that sits behind there with the Kermit Doll,
with the Ulafalla with the championship belts and twenty four

(02:12):
jerseys behind me. But if you're new here, we always
start out with the worst team and we make our
way towards the best team aka the division winner for
that division. So Dom, if you want to slide them
up here, we're gonna start out with the dog Pound.
We're gonna be going to Cleveland, Ohio, where in twenty
twenty three they made the playoffs. Joe Flacker gets off

(02:32):
the couch after having probably two Thanksgiving dinners. Who knows
what he was doing there, and they're trying to have consistency.
Maybe get back to the playoffs. The team would looking
really good, especially on the defensive side. Maybe they could
build something. Maybe the Sean Watson who showed flashes in
twenty twenty three can be the guy. And well, yeah
he blows his achilles out in November on a quarterback

(02:55):
designed run. And yeah they went through Jamis Winston. Uh,
Bailey's appy. I believe another guy as well. And yeah,
it just looked from bad to worse for Cleveland. But
now the four pictured here are your four potential started
quarterbacks for a week one and maybe might be seeing
head start throughout the rest of the season. So Dom

(03:17):
pull us back out. We're gonna look at this roster here,
and I need to start out by saying end of
an era. End of an era in Cleveland. Let's look
at the offense. There we go. The offense here, Uh yeah,
Nick Chubb not there anymore. Nick Chubb is gone, Amari
Cooper's gone, Elijah Moore is gone, a very big just

(03:41):
I don't know departure there for the Cleveland Browns. But yes,
the four quarterbacks listed Joe Flacco, who was with the
Colts last year, Kenny Pickett, who actually snapped the football
in the Super Bowl, might I add, And then they
took two quarterbacks, Dylan Gabriel in round three, Shador Sanders
in round number five, and then Watson, which who knows

(04:01):
what's gonna be happening there with him. Maybe this is
the last year in Cleveland. They did a justice contract
to where they could potentially cut him and save a
little bit of cash. But when I say a little
bit of cash, I mean very very little cash. The
receiving corp here, Jerry Judy, you're a central wide receiver.
One Cedric Tillman who had flashes of really good play

(04:22):
last year, concussion held him out the rest of the year.
Deontay Johnson, it gets pretty cold there in Cleveland besides Baltimore,
so it's gonna be a little interesting there for Deontay.
But yeah, Jedrick Wells, he's not there with the Browns.
He's taken a year off to recover from these injuries.
But let's pull us out of here. Let's do this

(04:43):
all right, gentlemen, what are we thinking of this Browns offense? Obviously,
Jerome Ford's gonna be your starter, Judkins, that might be
one of your sneaky picks in fantasy this year. I
would beware, I would be aware.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
I mean, there's a good chance he is the starter,
not Jerome Ford.

Speaker 1 (05:05):
What do you Jerome Ford?

Speaker 3 (05:06):
What do you have to lose at that point? Why not? Well?

Speaker 1 (05:09):
I mean, hey, coaching staff, they did take two quarterbacks.
There has to be an odd man out here. And
I don't want to say. I don't want to say
it's a rookie, but I do want to say Kenny
Pickett could be the odd guy out of this group.
You're not gonna draft a guy, sign him to a
full extension, well fully guaranteed rookie contract, and you're just
gonna cut him right then like after, I think, so, let's.

Speaker 2 (05:33):
Do something dumb and carry four quarterbacks and then I
R Watson.

Speaker 4 (05:40):
It's I think there is a dumb chance where we
see all of these quarterbacks play. I think this is
just no one knows how this is going to go.
I doubt even they know how this is going to go. Uh,
this is not a team that's built for success, certainly,

(06:06):
I don't know. Man kind of very much feels like
this is the Browns that we used to know before
the Browns.

Speaker 3 (06:18):
Became relevant. I guess this is the.

Speaker 4 (06:25):
Waiting for the chained up vending machines or whatever a
beer to be released.

Speaker 3 (06:29):
You know, like this is just.

Speaker 2 (06:31):
Are you trying to say the Browns is the Browns?

Speaker 4 (06:33):
Yeah, the brown The Browns are very much brownsing And
I don't know, this is one of the biggest step
backs I think we've kind of seen, at least in football,
at least just how considerably.

Speaker 3 (06:51):
I don't know this team is towards playoffs now.

Speaker 1 (06:55):
I mean, if Jerry Judy plays to any of the
ability that I played the close out the season last year,
they'll be in good hands at least at receiver for
a one guy. I think Tomy can make that next step.
I mean, he did play really well last year before
that could cushion on Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But then you also have Deantey Johnson, who bitched his
way out of Carolina. He bitched his way off the

(07:17):
sidelines in Baltimore, so now he's here. I don't think
he's actually the slot receiver one. I think DeAndre Carter
could slide in, or even Jamari Thrash for that matter,
But I I mean, here the only thing that's good
on this team is the offensive line, and that is
a really good group of guys up there with Conklin
and Wyatt Antonio, Dwan Jones. It's it's still a really

(07:41):
good group and I want to see where they can
bring this team moving forward, especially with Okay, which of
the tweedled dumb idiot quarterback that you want to start
under center? I don't want to call Joe Flacco a
tweedledd I mean, that's probably your best chance to win,
but who knows if you're trying to win, especially with
the twin quarterback draft class.

Speaker 2 (08:02):
I really think Anny Pickets the day one starter.

Speaker 1 (08:07):
I I think I I really have to think it's Flaco.

Speaker 4 (08:12):
I think your only your only path for success for
this team in any kind of fashion is on pure
raw talent physicality, like just you know, like what I'm
what's the word I'm looking at, like natural ability, natural talent.
I don't think this team is just gonna put it
together like it's gonna be so methodical with this quarterback

(08:36):
being the answer. I think it's just like game to game,
it's going to be like where is natural talent going
to bring you? There's talented people on the roster. There's
dudes that are athletic like.

Speaker 3 (08:50):
Cool. I think that's just the only thing that's really
gonna win you games. I don't think there's.

Speaker 4 (08:57):
A formula for success here, you know, And it's really unfortunate,
and Okay, this is a little bit of a throwaway season.

Speaker 3 (09:05):
But I guess maybe we determine some things for the future.
But you know, I don't know.

Speaker 4 (09:11):
We're talking about this team this year, not this team
for next year, So I'm not hopeful.

Speaker 3 (09:19):
I don't know. I just don't think you could.

Speaker 4 (09:21):
Say any four of these quarterbacks and their names could
start at any given week and no one's going to
have a solid argument against it.

Speaker 3 (09:31):
So it's kind of just where we're at. You know.
The best the best advice here is if you play.

Speaker 1 (09:41):
Fantasy fun, you one participation, or.

Speaker 4 (09:43):
If you play fantasy football, I don't recommend anyone on
these on this team being on your team. That's what
I'm saying. Otherwise, I mean, I don't know. Maybe if
they commit hard to judge Judkins.

Speaker 2 (09:57):
Team, they're going to want to run the ball and
run the ball and run.

Speaker 1 (10:00):
I mean, they did lose dtr they traded him to
the Eagles in exchange for Kenny Pickt. Jamis Winston is
the backup right now for the Giants. Then obviously Nick
Chubb's gone, Danta Foreman's gone, Naheim Hines who was there,
but he also had that knee injury, so he's healthy,
but he's gone. Elijah Moore he went to Buffalo. But
then you also lose Atkins and Geoff Schwam at tight end,

(10:23):
and then you lose a lot of offensive linemen. But
you know, James Hudson, he went to the Giants, ta
Keem Medenji went to the Cowboys, Jermaina Fetti, and then
you know Jedrick Wells, as I mentioned, he's he's sitting
out this year, so that's what he's doing. I mean,
want to go you guys want to go to defense
at least David and Hey, if there's someone that a

(10:46):
rookie quarterback loves, it's his tight end.

Speaker 2 (10:48):
And Harold Fanning, who is a stud as well.

Speaker 4 (10:52):
I would say Joke is probably the most established player
on this roster at this given moment.

Speaker 3 (10:58):
I don't know it's fun, but yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 (11:02):
Head over to the defensive side of the ball. Here
where drum roll, please do do do do Do Do
Do Do do? Miles Garrett, he had a contract dispute,
and all money makes everything feel so much better. He
signs a monumental I don't even know how much money
he signed. It was just disgusting money. But hey, money
heals everything. But they do go out. They trade back

(11:24):
in the draft. Well they yeah, they trade back from
number two to number five. They acquire our first round
pick for twenty twenty six. They get Mason graym out
of Michigan, and then they get Carson Swestinger out of UCLA.
Am I correct there, Jake, I don't know. Okay, Well,
if we don't know, okay, that's good. But then, you know,
looking at the secondary, Greg Newsom' still there, Denzel Ward
is still there, Delpit who's been you know, emerging, Emerson's

(11:48):
also there. They got a really good defensive group. J Okay,
he's out for the year. He had some I think
a hard issue and he had to just like they
had it to shelve him. It was something that was
like pretty significant that they had to, you know, get
him the appropriate medical attention that he needed. But then
they bring in Jordan Hicks from Minnesota. Devin Bush comes

(12:11):
in from Seattle, Jerome Baker from Tennessee. So you do
have guys that can do that. They can fill in,
you know. And also Choyanka from the Buccaneers twenty twenty
one first round pick from the year they won the
Super Bowl. Uh. But yeah, this is the defense is

(12:32):
gonna help you stay in games. That's what this defense
is going to do. But can the offense help provide
that your team is not going to be sitting on
the field. Their defense is not gonna be on the
field for forty minutes a game.

Speaker 4 (12:45):
This is a competent defense. It's actually a decent line.
You're gonna get past rush because like you said, you know,
money buys you sacks on this team by one.

Speaker 2 (13:00):
Guy seck one guy.

Speaker 3 (13:01):
Yeah, it's true.

Speaker 1 (13:03):
And also and also Beers. Let's not forget the Beers.

Speaker 4 (13:08):
I whatever. Like this is a very competent defense. I
could see this defense being the tenth best defense in
the league kind of thing, you know. I mean, what
the last over the last two seasons, this was this
was a top defense.

Speaker 3 (13:22):
No.

Speaker 1 (13:24):
Last year I think it fell off a lot, but
the year before it was like one of the top
defenses in the league. I think it was like number
I want to say it was number one and twenty
twenty three, yeah, quote me, but it was it was
up there.

Speaker 4 (13:36):
So, like, I don't think you're losing too much as
far as being a pretty solid defense. Now in this division,
the standard is like great defense, So.

Speaker 1 (13:49):
Great defense are the Bengals essentially?

Speaker 3 (13:52):
Yeah, that's also true.

Speaker 4 (13:54):
So I don't know, it's you're still not competing very
you know, hard in this division unfortunately. But this is
a competent defense. This is a defense that you know,
may continue like we've seen in the past for the
last couple of years, keep opposing teams to lower scores.
All right, maybe give you a chance.

Speaker 2 (14:15):
So I see this is the upset team. Like, are
they going to compete for playoffs? Probably not, but they're
gonna want to run the ball. I don't see a
reason with that line the running backs, why they can't
they have a defense that will keep them in games.
It's usually to steal at least two or three games
from guys you shouldn't.

Speaker 1 (14:34):
And you're gonna probably knock a guy out of the
playoffs that probably could have been in there if they
beat the Browns.

Speaker 2 (14:39):
You know, Yeah, it's the buyer beware if you're a bubble.

Speaker 1 (14:42):
Team, the trap game, that's true, a snowy game, the
dog pound. How can you not?

Speaker 4 (14:51):
I do like the Hicks addition with Garrett there, I mean,
that's that's nice. But you know, we've also seen them
add name on the defensive line after name on the
defensive line or pass rusher every season.

Speaker 3 (15:08):
That's their thing. They always go out and get a
guy that's pretty recognizable. But you know, I don't really
know if they ever do anything on this team.

Speaker 2 (15:16):
No, it's because the whole defensive scheme to get Garrett's sacks.

Speaker 3 (15:20):
Yep, they're good.

Speaker 1 (15:22):
Dequis so uh oh yeah, they also added, Ah, how
can we forget de monte Casi? How can we forget
name Minielle? I should I should have mentioned that, but
you know missed that one.

Speaker 2 (15:37):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (15:37):
Should we go to the schedule.

Speaker 3 (15:39):
Here, yes, sir, let's see it all.

Speaker 1 (15:42):
Right, dom Uh what was the total that you saw?

Speaker 3 (15:49):
Okay?

Speaker 4 (15:49):
So I saw based on the betting markets or whatever
their lines were whatever, that the upside for this team
is five and a half wins and like a nine
point one percentage chance.

Speaker 3 (16:05):
At playoffs, I believe. So that's that's given you double
digit losses. That's where we're at.

Speaker 2 (16:11):
I literally just counted five or six.

Speaker 1 (16:13):
Yeah, so okay, yeah, I'm at five and look at that.
Just that back in weeks fourteen to eighteen, you're playing
the Titan two. Yeah, they're probably not competing for the playoffs.
The Bears, who knows what the Bears are gonna do.
The Bills, Yeah, the Bills should be in the playoffs.
The Steelers Aaron Rodgers left Hurrah, they're gonna be, you know,
going around trying to rally him. And then the Bengals.
Who knows what the Bengals are going to be doing

(16:34):
come week eighteen and their money situation. I think they can.
I think they can win at least a game or
two in the division. I think they can also pull
off a win against the Patriots and the Jets, both
on the road. Uh, London, I don't even know what's
gonna go on there in London. Good luck. Ultimately, I

(16:56):
think this is five or six.

Speaker 4 (16:58):
Personally, Yeah, I can see them getting a few wins
in October and November.

Speaker 1 (17:05):
They could honestly pull off Week one too, because the
Bengals in Week one are like the worst team to
ever exist in the NFL. They it literally looks like
they're trying to reinvent the forward pass. Uh, it's both hands.

Speaker 4 (17:18):
Just you're right, that is very accurate. So okay, So
you know, I think we're all kind of sticking in
the same bracket of five ish wins.

Speaker 3 (17:31):
I mean just the ceiling of seven, like, is like
your potential great season you could have. I feel like, yeah, man,
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (17:42):
It's always fun though, because we say this about a
team and then we completely eat our words by.

Speaker 1 (17:49):
The end of We're not eating our words here. I
promise you that we're not eating We're not eating any
dog shit from the dog pain. We're not doing anything
like that.

Speaker 3 (17:56):
I can cite the Broncos last year.

Speaker 1 (17:58):
We were like this is that was everyone from the Broncos. Okay,
that was everyone talking about the Broncos.

Speaker 3 (18:04):
You're not wrong, But yeah, I don't know. So what
did they do last season?

Speaker 1 (18:10):
Three and four, three and fourteen?

Speaker 3 (18:12):
So cool? You improve?

Speaker 1 (18:16):
I mean, hey, any improvement from the win total year
prior is a good thing.

Speaker 3 (18:21):
Yeah, I guess.

Speaker 1 (18:24):
Uh. Shall we move on to the other team in Ohio.
We're gonna go down whatever road it is. We're gonna
you know we're gonna take the airport from Cleveland to Cincinnati,
and we're gonna go down to Cincinnati where twenty twenty
three Borough gets hurt. Uh, they were just derailed with
injuries and they missed out in the playoffs. Twenty twenty four,
they got off to an extremely slow start zero to three,

(18:45):
losing to the Commanders on Monday Night Football. They fight back.
They were four and eight at one point, they win
the last five. Joe Burrow puts up a career year,
Jamar Chase is a triple Crown receiving champion, and they
miss out in the playoffs. The Broncos playing a resting
Chiefs team, and they're trying to figure out what's gonna

(19:07):
go on here And look at these two right here,
and probably somewhere in this pecture you'll find T Higgins,
who we're gonna probably be mentioning in the next thirty
three seconds. So if you want to pull us back
out here, Tom, we're gonna go right into this offense
where the money is tied. The bank has been called
the bank's open. T Higgins he staying, he gets a
four year extension. Jamar gets a big major extension, beats

(19:30):
justin Jefferson by like I think like three dollars or something. Wow,
Joe Burrow he's still he's there making this big money contracts.
They bring in, uh Lucas Patrick from the Saints. They
draft Dylan Fairchild in the third round this past draft,
Uh samaj p Ryan comes in. There's not a lot
of ads because of where all the money's being thrown to,

(19:51):
which is essentially wide receiver one to two and quarterback.
So just like the Miami Dolphins. But Mike Azicky he
gets an extension, he stays there after his best career
year by far. But yeah, Zach Moss he's still there.
Chase Brown the presumable number one RB. But yeah, what
are we looking at here? As I'm trying to I

(20:13):
closed out that tab so I can't even open it
back up. We're gonna figure it out, but can.

Speaker 2 (20:19):
We like get over the hole. We look terrible in
the first three four weeks of the year.

Speaker 3 (20:26):
But they still have the same coaching staff, right.

Speaker 1 (20:29):
I think, Well, they got rid of lou Ana Rumo,
he was fired, So the new defensive coordinator, I think
it's the guy from Notre Dame that came in. So
then rejuvenating on the defensive side of the football. Offensive
you know, they they have really been the same since
Callahan left by they kind of look better without him.

Speaker 2 (20:51):
I mean, Zach Taylor's a joke. We can all say it, right, Yeah.

Speaker 1 (20:56):
I've been there since what twenty nineteen, Andy Dalton's last year,
AJ Green Andy Dalton the red rifle and a good
Georgia product wide receiver.

Speaker 2 (21:06):
It's bordering on like Marvin Lewis territory already where it's like,
how are you?

Speaker 1 (21:10):
I mean, but Marvin Lewis never won a playoff game
though in this ten year at least, like we saw
the Bengals at least make it.

Speaker 2 (21:16):
At the end of the day, Like what are we
doing here? Like this guy, this guy is a joke.

Speaker 3 (21:23):
You have the tools, for sure.

Speaker 1 (21:26):
But this isn't the team where it's like this is
like the Browns, Like, Okay, Brown's defense is really good,
but they're not gonna be good if they're on the
field for forty minutes. And it's like the Bengals offense here,
the Bengals offense is gonna be good if you're on
the field for forty minutes a game.

Speaker 2 (21:40):
Besides that, like they play holes and the penalties and
it's just nothing seems to flow or ever makes sense. Besides, oh,
here comes Burrow and the top two receivers just making plays.

Speaker 4 (21:54):
And decent run, always decent run. It's never like spectacular.
It can be supporting, So like, I don't even think
that's the end issue. You give them enough of a
chance to let Burrow and the receivers do their thing,
like that's always the case.

Speaker 3 (22:10):
It's you're good there.

Speaker 4 (22:14):
The one thing, though, that we constantly talk about is
the offensive line for the Bengals and Joe.

Speaker 1 (22:19):
Burrow and really not bad like Mims. He kind of
has grown into that role at right tackle, especially at
the end of the year. Orlando Brown. I mean, hey,
he's it's Orlando Brown. Hopefully he could block. I think
he said Joe Burrow's his favorite quarterback to block FORBA.
I think he meant to say Patrick Mahomes. But that's
another topic for another day.

Speaker 4 (22:40):
So I did a little Google search on Lucas Patrick
and I can tell you I did not see a
It is overwhelmingly negative feedback about Lucas Patrick.

Speaker 2 (22:54):
Well, the guy he's replacing could is quite possibly the
worst offensive lineman i've ever seen Kapa.

Speaker 3 (23:01):
I don't know too much about Lucas Patrick.

Speaker 1 (23:03):
But well, if it can't be worse than Alex Kappa,
then at least there's something. There's something going for you.
There has to be something going worse. You've you actually
have achieved something, because.

Speaker 4 (23:16):
I mean I'm seeing like below average at sea is
what he's been described. He's not good is a headline? Uh,
I mean like it's just kind of.

Speaker 3 (23:27):
Rough game.

Speaker 2 (23:29):
We have. We have a number of right guards that
are going to be at a camp battle. You can
have one of them for you know, one disgruntled defensive end.
We may or may not talk about.

Speaker 3 (23:40):
We'll see.

Speaker 4 (23:41):
I'm curious because I feel like this was not maybe
the answer. So I am curious to see what if
they're constant year to your issue gets solved or not
so otherwise personal personnel in this theme, nothing's changed really
and we know.

Speaker 3 (24:00):
What we expect on this offense. Ultimately, just need more
consistency of.

Speaker 2 (24:07):
The little blocks you can actually run the ball.

Speaker 1 (24:09):
Yeah, let's go to the defensive side of the football
where let's talk about some defensive ends. Here, Trey Hendrickson,
he wants to get paid. Yeah, he's holding out He's
pretty much dug into the trenches here. He's not moving.
Chamar Stewart has a weird clause in his contract to
where if he gets hurt, essentially the Bengals convoid all

(24:32):
guaranteed money. So he's pretty much dug into where he is.
He doesn't want that on there because, you know, being
the eighteenth overall pick, making a you know what, eleven
million dollars, twelve million dollars, you make it good money.
It's life changing money, especially at the rookies age. He's
dug in there. They bring in TJ. Slayton Junior from
Green Bay, but essentially it's really all the same here.

(24:54):
There's not a whole lot of difference. The only difference
is they did bring in the defensive coordinator from Notre Dame,
so maybe they can rejuvenate the the defense a little
bit more. They did release Jermaine Pratt, and then I
forgot Logan Wilson. Now he's still there, is he? Yeah?
He is? Who's the guy that retired? Johnal Blank Pratt retired? Yep,

(25:16):
Jermaine Pratt retired after seven seasons, only twenty nine years old.

Speaker 2 (25:22):
I was confused those too, Sam Hubbard.

Speaker 1 (25:24):
Sam Hubbard who was gonna get cut and he said
I'm gonna retire, and he dug in and retired. There's
really nothing a lot of here. It's really just okay,
is are they going to Patree Hendrickson after already shelling
out two hundred and I don't know sixty million dollars
between t Higgins and Jamar Chase.

Speaker 3 (25:44):
Yeah, and I'm not gonna lie.

Speaker 4 (25:46):
The news doesn't look all too promising on Hendrickson.

Speaker 3 (25:50):
It's a lot of trade talk.

Speaker 2 (25:52):
Oh, I don't think he's gonna I don't think he's
going back. He's gonna get trade somewhere.

Speaker 3 (25:55):
A lot of headlines of like, oh, Dallas should replace
Micah with Trey Hendrickson, or like, you know, saying I
mean that.

Speaker 1 (26:03):
I think that's the worst thing, because like, Okay, you're
gonna trade Micah. Micah wants even more money than Trey Hendrickson.
So it's like you're pretty much you're you're screwing yourselves
there if you're if you try to trade him, but
you can't get a lot of value for Trey Hendrickson.

Speaker 2 (26:17):
I know there's some guy you normally poaches around this
time of the year, you know, sniffs around the bush.
You know him in the binoculars.

Speaker 1 (26:25):
Does he like Skyline Chili? Do we know? Do we
know if he likes Skyline Chili? Yes, Cincinnati, the Cincinnati.

Speaker 3 (26:33):
Special, Yeah, I don't know.

Speaker 1 (26:36):
Again, there's nothing impressing to me on this. On this defense,
it's okay, can the new guy, can what's his name
from Notre Dame scheme up something that's actually good and
you're not gonna get torch to where Joe Burrow is
the one that has to throw forty five touchdowns again
next year and have to dig you guys out of
deficits and you're in year out. That's that's kind of

(26:59):
like my question.

Speaker 2 (27:01):
I just think the goold better better coaching because so
the dun Cam Taylor Britt things also don't happen.

Speaker 1 (27:07):
But I don't think that, you know, the weir the
weird pass interference calls down the field coincidentally a narrowhead.

Speaker 2 (27:14):
Yeah, those are unavoidable. You have to actually blow them
out to win those games. I don't know, assuming Trey
Henderson's there and they stop screwing around with a weird
clause that's never existed before. For Shamar Stewart, like it's
not a terrible defense.

Speaker 3 (27:28):
My issue is this is just like the offensive line.

Speaker 4 (27:32):
It's the same conversation we're going I'm going to have
where it's they were a bottom ten defense last year.
Not really anything changed potentially, especially if you don't have
Trey Hendrickson, and it really could get worse.

Speaker 1 (27:45):
So, like.

Speaker 3 (27:48):
Personnel wise, just looking at the depth.

Speaker 4 (27:50):
Chart here we are, do we expect anything to get
better or not? I personally think we do because is
it just I feel like you don't see a defense
just be that bad twice in a row like that
on a team that's a playoff team.

Speaker 3 (28:07):
But I could be wrong. I don't know.

Speaker 2 (28:08):
I really think the biggest improvement for the defense is
the O line block so they can run the ball.

Speaker 1 (28:12):
Mm hmm.

Speaker 2 (28:13):
Yeah, so they're not all in the field every play
of the game.

Speaker 3 (28:16):
That's valid.

Speaker 2 (28:18):
Hopefully, like a defense that plays as much as there,
that has to play as much as theirs, it will
never be good period.

Speaker 3 (28:25):
Yeah, I mean that's valid.

Speaker 1 (28:29):
Shall we move over to schedule?

Speaker 3 (28:31):
Yeah, that's all right.

Speaker 1 (28:33):
Schedule here nine and eight was the tempo last year
and last week of the last two weeks of the
season could either be played on a Saturday or a
Sunday with a flex scheduling, especially Week seventeen. But yeah,
I think your hardest competition is going to be Week one.
You have to shake off that rust early and quick

(28:54):
if you want to you know, compete. Say listen, last year,
let's let's pull out for a real quick second.

Speaker 2 (29:01):
Here.

Speaker 1 (29:01):
Okay, your probat game's not that good? All right, there
we go the Patriots. Okay, And that was the tale
of two different teams last year, where the Patriots, if
they lost Week one, could have been the number one
overall pick team and the Bengals could have been the playoffs.
But that those roles reversed to where now the Bengals
were out in the Patriots only fell a few spots,

(29:22):
but they still ended up getting the guy that they wanted.
But then, you know, Week two, they played the Chiefs.
They played the Chiefs really tough, but you know, penalties
cost them and they lost the game. And then the
Commanders showed up on their first primetime game and god
knows how long and thumped them in Cincinnati of all places.
So they had to start from zero to three and

(29:43):
work their way back. But looking at it, okay, Monday
night football at Denver. That's gonna be a very tough battle.
I mean, Week seventeen was great last year. You do
have a lot of primetime games Thursday night football against
the Steelers, at least you're not in Pittsburgh. You're home
for that, and then Miami which probably will get flexed. Ow.

(30:05):
Let's be honest here.

Speaker 4 (30:09):
You know what the issue is is I really have
a hard time seeing any improvement from last year. My
issue is the string of teams they face in that
in that in like October, starting in October or September
really where you face the Broncos, then the Lions, then

(30:31):
coming off of that, the Packers, then then the Steelers,
which is tough in Pittsburgh.

Speaker 3 (30:39):
So that's that's not a fun matchup for this team.
They then they get a nice no offense will but
they do get a nice you know, Jets game, and
then Steelers again. So that's that's eleven wins on stretch,
you have eleven wins.

Speaker 1 (30:56):
I got eleven wins.

Speaker 3 (30:58):
I don't have that much.

Speaker 2 (30:58):
I like seven.

Speaker 1 (31:00):
I think I think they could get I mean last year,
I think they're gonna continue hot like they did last
year where they finished you know five wins. I think
they can win at least the first three games. I
think they could. They'll drop against Denver, drop against the
Detroit They'll win against green Bay. Short weekend Steelers. They're
gonna lose there. They're gonna thump the Jets. They're gonna
thump the Lions.

Speaker 2 (31:21):
Wins through through the end of October.

Speaker 3 (31:23):
That's how I feel. I'm having a hard time justifying.

Speaker 1 (31:27):
I even say they split. They split against the Ravens obviously,
but then you know they'll play Oh they're at Miami.
Oh okay, I was I thought that was at home.
So I was like, okay, cold, Yeah, Bengals.

Speaker 2 (31:39):
Win September through October, like travel sucks. Yeah, at Minnesota,
at Denver, back to Detroit, back to green Bay, then
your home for three weeks. That's what I finally got
a rhythm going from there.

Speaker 4 (31:52):
But that's what I'm saying is that that stretch right
there is not an easy stretch.

Speaker 3 (31:57):
And then going straight into playing Pittsburgh.

Speaker 2 (32:00):
On top of they always start slow.

Speaker 3 (32:02):
Yeah, it's.

Speaker 4 (32:05):
I'm really having a hard time justifying more than nine wins.
Like nine wins is kind of as much as I
can muster out for this team.

Speaker 3 (32:12):
Right now.

Speaker 2 (32:12):
Honestly, again, I figure if the O line looks much better,
then it's gonna go. It's gonna be more than seven
It's gonna clearly be more than seven seven eight games.
But it's true as we saw them and as we
know them to kind of be right now like that
doesn't it's not pretty. Yes, for all the talent in
the world they have, it's just that they don't have
the details and they don't have the the trenches.

Speaker 4 (32:36):
We went through their roster, their coachings. The head coach
is the same.

Speaker 1 (32:42):
I forgot to ask the question. I forgot to ask
the question. With the Browns. You got to ask the question,
what's gonna make the season successful? I mean we've been
missing the question this entire time for the Browns. Brother, Well, no,
we're talking about the Bengals. The Browns are done. Okay,
we're not talking about them. It's all about the Bengals now.

Speaker 4 (33:00):
No, a team, A team with Joe Burrow, these two receivers,
this same you know, same head coach.

Speaker 3 (33:07):
Stuff like that.

Speaker 4 (33:08):
Your successful season is at least making the super Bowl.
I would say winning the super Bowl. There's not really
a cool We made conference championship, like, that's not even
a exciting thing for this team.

Speaker 3 (33:21):
I think they know they should be competing.

Speaker 4 (33:25):
Joe Burrow has gotten there, so getting there again is
not like the biggest accomplishment. It's not like, hey, we
got past that step. No, you winning the Super Bowl
is what I call success for this team.

Speaker 3 (33:37):
At this moment. I don't really think you're not setting
up for next season.

Speaker 4 (33:43):
There's what do you have to accomplish that Joe Burrow
hasn't accomplished yet.

Speaker 3 (33:48):
That is not winning the Super Bowl, you know, I
don't know.

Speaker 2 (33:52):
I think that's a far reach.

Speaker 3 (33:54):
It is a far reach, I know, But what else?
What do you call success for this team on this season?

Speaker 1 (33:59):
You got to get back to the playoffs at least,
I think Zach Taylor, you know, that's three years in
a row.

Speaker 3 (34:04):
That shouldn't be baseline. I think you shouldn't be.

Speaker 2 (34:06):
Accomplice should be baseline because they wuldn't from Basically, Joe.

Speaker 1 (34:09):
Burrow is a top five quarterback, you have a top
five receiving duo, like, you have a top three young
receiver in Jamar Chase, Like.

Speaker 3 (34:17):
Then you need to be accomplishing.

Speaker 1 (34:18):
Yeah, you got to be in the playoffs. At least
if not Zach Taylor, you're out. You gotta gotta get
rid of him.

Speaker 3 (34:24):
It's I don't know, I have a hard time.

Speaker 1 (34:26):
I say, there'll be a lot of buyers for this team, like,
trust me, Like a lot of people are gonna be like, oh,
I want to coach Joe Burrow. Oh hey look at
this receiving duo. Like you'll you'll you'll find people out
of the woodwork. They're going to be like, I want
to coach this team. If you know, if it was
to become available, that.

Speaker 4 (34:43):
Means you probably don't have the best season or you
kind of just get eliminated right away in the playoffs.

Speaker 2 (34:47):
I don't know a good chance they don't. There's a
very good chance they have a their bad.

Speaker 3 (34:51):
Year, yeah, which is just not okay, not okay.

Speaker 2 (34:56):
There super low with all the bullshit off the field
at the moment, and.

Speaker 4 (35:00):
You just can't have just another season go by. These
dudes get older, like you just can't We're not what
are we doing? You know, it's been when did Joe
Burrow make Super Bowl?

Speaker 3 (35:09):
What year was that?

Speaker 1 (35:11):
Twenty one?

Speaker 2 (35:12):
Twenty one?

Speaker 3 (35:13):
It's been four years since then. Man, you just can't but.

Speaker 2 (35:17):
See Here's the thing though, here's the thing of the
day to the hope is whenever Joe Burrow actually like
makes it in because it wasn't even high seeds the
last two other times. Yeah, like, he is one of
the best playoff performers, and the sample that he has
in the whole league, he went Super Bowl and lost
a close game, and then conference championship the next year

(35:38):
and lost the Chiefs.

Speaker 4 (35:40):
But this is why I'm saying I have a hard
time saying that success for this team is.

Speaker 2 (35:45):
But they weren't anything stud teams that made it those
years either. They were just snuck in And yeah, I
don't went on runs because they're that talented and that's
what they do.

Speaker 4 (35:54):
I mean, winning this division would be decent for them
winning this division over the Ravens.

Speaker 1 (36:00):
I don't think they wouldn't. I don't think they win
the division, man, I don't.

Speaker 4 (36:03):
I'm just trying to say what I'm considering success for
this team.

Speaker 3 (36:06):
I mean, that's it.

Speaker 4 (36:08):
You need to be dominant in some sort of fashion
to the point where it's showing on this in the standing.

Speaker 2 (36:13):
Honestly, a successful year for them is getting out to
a hot like four and oh start fixing some of
the issues. Yeah, just showing showing signs of improvement at all.

Speaker 3 (36:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (36:23):
Yeah, if you you know, don't go, if you don't
go oh and two or oh and three they start
the season, that's improvement. How could you close that the season?

Speaker 3 (36:31):
Yeah, improvement is different than successful season. To me, though,
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (36:35):
What's say success because that's all it's held them back
the last two seasons.

Speaker 3 (36:38):
It's true.

Speaker 2 (36:39):
Yeah, we'll say, with all the issues and all the nonsense,
if they just don't start slow the last two years,
two or three years, they're right in the mix for
what you're saying.

Speaker 4 (36:51):
Yeah, I mean this is a tough division. If you
win this division, that's huge. That's an accomplishment. I consider
that up there. Now you're talking about Joe Burrow, who
we consider a top quarterback in the league, top three.
In that position of accomplishment, at least for a quarterback
up there, that's what I'd like to see.

Speaker 3 (37:10):
That would be success.

Speaker 4 (37:12):
Now, you're performing as kind of what we consider you
to be performing as, but can't be can't be last
year again, I like Will's eleven wins over our sub
five hundred seventeen ties.

Speaker 1 (37:27):
How do you get that.

Speaker 3 (37:30):
Would that does that make you playoffs? I don't know
how that.

Speaker 1 (37:32):
I don't even know how that math works. The math
I don't think would be math incorrectly.

Speaker 4 (37:37):
So, yeah, this is a tough season. Yeah, yeah, that's
what I was thinking. Is that the only way I
will say to the odds and what they have them at.
They have them at nine point six wins.

Speaker 1 (37:56):
I'm only used to hearing about nine and a half, Like,
where the fuck is six park coming?

Speaker 3 (38:01):
I don't know? Uh, and a fifty eight percent chance
at playoffs, so which is kind of like, yeah, I
mean that's can.

Speaker 2 (38:10):
You sort that percentages? Yeah, of which the playoff percentages.

Speaker 1 (38:15):
Don Before we move on, I have to ask you.
You gotta make the wheel. You gotta make the wheel.

Speaker 3 (38:21):
Okay, I could do that.

Speaker 1 (38:22):
I know it's going to take you, like for fifteen seconds.

Speaker 2 (38:26):
Listen. That wheel might get you know, the beef.

Speaker 1 (38:29):
Listen, listen. As long as the wheel doesn't pick the
Jets really early on, I don't care, doesn't matter to me,
but we are going to continue here. Let's see, we're
going to do this and there we go. So twenty
twenty three, saw can you Pikett did not want to play.
You didn't want to risk injury. Makes the Rudolph start

(38:51):
a playoff game for them, and yeah, it kind of
imploding from the get go there. Then they bring in
Russell Wilson in a better minimum contract. They trade for
just the fields from Chicago. They looked really good early
on with fields, and they go over the Russ. Russ
looked like the Russ of old, which was really cool
to see. But then obviously his danger witch and high

(39:11):
knees started kicking in and the team just started falling
apart from there, the team was not really showing up.
They weren't playing up the par they weren't playing up
the standards here, and well, yeah, I got nothing else
to say here. But this man here, at forty two
years old, gonna be forty three in early December, is

(39:31):
trying to hoist a Lombardi one final time after the
Jets kind of told him to kick rocks. He is there,
and we're gonna look at the offense here. The Steelers
did something that the Steelers don't do. They acquired a receiver.
They trade a second round pick here for DK Metcalf.
They bring in Aaron Rodgers to be the guy a
whole new quarterback room that wasn't even there a year

(39:54):
ago with Mason Rudolph will Howard, Skyler Thompson. They trade
for John new Smith pat Rye muth is so there.
The offensive line is still really good. They bring in
Caleb Johnson via the draft. Jalen Warrens the blown veteran
that's there in that backfield. Uh, the Naja Harris leaves,
he goes down to the Chargers with a hardball. But yes,

(40:15):
Kenneth Gainwell is there, Trey Sermon, who's trying to still
find his footing in the league. He's been in for
like four years. But this is what we're looking at
here as Aaron Rodgers' final stop before maybe a yeah
he signed a one year unless you know, but hey,

(40:35):
he's married to who No one's seen the girl, but
he's married to the game. Yeah. I appreciate the dedication there.

Speaker 2 (40:42):
I goes say, this is the most Arthur Smith looking
ass team I've ever seen. Like offense, you have one receiver,
you got a bunch of tight ends.

Speaker 1 (40:52):
Listen, he has John Nois Smith like here. If there's
anyone to take a fantasy number one overall, I think
it's John new Smith, he made him a superstar, and
Kyle Pitts at a suffered there in his last year
in Atlanta.

Speaker 2 (41:03):
Like, what how did they get better? Please tell me?

Speaker 1 (41:07):
Well, I mean between Mason Rudolph will Howard and Skyler Thompson.
I think they got a bit better at quarterback, just
a bit, not not a whole lot. I think DK
metcalf going there. It's a bit of surprise five years,
one hundred and thirty five million dollars if they paid him.
They don't pay receivers. They always trade him away. George
Pickens got shipped out because apparently Rogers didn't want him around.

(41:30):
Uh but yeah, Robert Woods, I mean, hey, Woods is
a reliable receiver. I mean, I think they should have
brought in Amari Cooper personally, I really think they should have.
You got a DK who couldn't, you know, go over
the top, and Amari Hoo's your prosession possession guy. I
have Roman Wilson, who hasn't really proven himself last year,
and then Scotty Miller. I forgot he was in the league.

(41:50):
To be honest, he was somewhere. I forgot he was there.
But if there's gonna be anything, I think the offensive
line can honestly help them a lot. But I mean
it goes down to Aaron Rodgers. And what will Aaron
Rodgers do. They already brought the hey. Last two years,
they brought in all his players with the Jets. This year,

(42:12):
the Steelers are bringing in guys that he might be
in someone's ear telling them to bring in.

Speaker 2 (42:18):
Like you need like twenty eleven Aaron Rodgers for this
team to win the Bowl.

Speaker 1 (42:22):
I think you need any of the Aaron Rodgers like
you could have had twenty one. I mean he played
balled out. I mean that's the old that's the older
Rodgers though, so no one's seen him.

Speaker 3 (42:35):
He died. He that that dude.

Speaker 2 (42:39):
Put that man on a milk cart and he's gone
like he hasn't no missing that last year in Green Bay,
like that guy's gone.

Speaker 3 (42:52):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (42:52):
Good when he got his buddy DeVante back in New
York and that was just you know, the only thing.

Speaker 3 (42:58):
He did the most for himself.

Speaker 1 (43:03):
He still could have passed four thousand yards with the
Jets and he had Devanta Adams for half the season exactly.
So I don't know, I really I think he might
be out there because you know, hey, that apparent meeting
with Aaron Glenn and Rodgers where he says you don't
know who I am and Aaron Glenn says, you don't
know who I am.

Speaker 3 (43:23):
I really would love to know what Colton would say
about this team, and we might have to get a
take a.

Speaker 4 (43:29):
Yeah, I really want to know his opinion for this team,
because I'm thinking his opinion might just be, Hey, we
probably go nine and eight and that's the opinion, because
that's just every year.

Speaker 1 (43:42):
Now, Oh my god, they got Cordeille Patterson.

Speaker 3 (43:45):
Yes, they had him last year, didn't they.

Speaker 1 (43:47):
Yeah, they did well. I mean it's the entire Atlanta
Falcons that you need. Cordella Patterson con run the ball,
Jonah Smith blocks and catches the football. Jonah Smith breaks
the receiving record of receptions in a year. I mean,
I think it's perfect.

Speaker 3 (44:00):
Yeah, I don't know. This is just the.

Speaker 1 (44:02):
Script writers couldn't script us any better. I mean, come on,
score Daryl john Neu, Like, come on, Devonte Adams gets
traded from LA who knows?

Speaker 3 (44:14):
I yeah, I got nothing really, honestly, I.

Speaker 1 (44:18):
Got nothing else. If we want to go over to
the defense here where listen, there is a lot of
big moves here, but I think we got to talk
about the bigger one here who's been there since twenty seventeen.
TJ Watt. He wants a new extension. He wants to
be the highest paid defensive player in football. The Steelers
are basically just trying to let his contract play out.
So that's a situation to watch. They bring in Darius Slay,

(44:41):
they trade for Jalen Ramsey, and they exchange it with
Minka Fitzpatrick returning to Miami who hasn't been there since
twenty eighteen and a little bit of the twenty nineteen season,
so it's been a really long time. But Jalen Ramsey
another big, puzzling, shocking piece of this defense now. And
also Juan Thornhill from the Browns of really reliable safety.

(45:06):
And also Derek Harmon, my bad defensive tackle out of Oregon,
drafted in the first round this year, and also is
this last year. Cam Hayward been there since twenty eleven,
year fifteen, he's been there for a while. I think
him and Cam Jordan are gonna like hold hands across
the finish line together. They're gonna just say, you know what,
let's retire at the same time, the battle's over.

Speaker 3 (45:30):
And that other dude in the division was man long
time with Jaguar. No, never mind, I don't remember.

Speaker 1 (45:40):
If you're thinking about Brandon Graham, he already retired.

Speaker 3 (45:42):
No no, no, no, no, damn. I forget what his name was.
But first time he might still be on the Ravens.
I don't know. We'll see.

Speaker 1 (45:53):
But we have Patrick Queen, who really I mean, hey,
Ravens kind of kicked him out. He showed up. He
was playing really well. And Whilston if he steps up
a little bit more, he could be a really reliable
piece too. Alex high Smith he got his extension, so
eighty four million dollars for him. I think he got
it like mid season last year. So this season, this
is a Pittsburgh Steelers team that's going to play rough

(46:14):
against you, and they're gonna do everything in their power
to make sure you're not gonna be able to run
the ball, pass the ball. They're gonna make sure you know,
this is everything that we saw from the seventies and eighties, nineties,
two thousands, like this looks like the.

Speaker 2 (46:26):
Same team that they do us every year. They make additions,
but they also make subtractions, so at the end of
the day, it's it's net zero.

Speaker 3 (46:34):
Yeah, which he's still very competitive.

Speaker 2 (46:36):
But it's just enough to once again be the same
mediocre mid team that wins games and then loses games
they shouldn't and everyone gets excited because they've made a
bunch of moves. And then the Steelers but like, is
Jalen Ramsey better the same or worse than make of
his that's Pitpatrick, Well, Jalen Rams's only.

Speaker 1 (46:58):
Played in warm weather. I mean he played Inville, which
you know, it gets down to like fifty probably when
they're playing there. Then it was in La which La
you know, is always seventy and sunny. Then he was
in Miami, which is hot a shit.

Speaker 2 (47:09):
Like Oguin Jogi's gone. So they have now that it's harmon,
Like every time they make a move, it's just a
lateral move. Every time they just shuffle the deck chairs
around the Titanic and pretend that they're still like.

Speaker 1 (47:23):
Oh, yeah, that was That's how I described the trade.
It was just, oh, the shuffling of the Titanic.

Speaker 2 (47:27):
Chairs, Like that's the facade of the Steelers. Is they
still think it's Terry Bradshaw? And then you know, iron Curtain.
They're winning super Bowls and they're just mediocre. Can barely
make a playoff game, let alone win one.

Speaker 4 (47:44):
I don't like the over the hill dude like Darius Lay.
I think we all know is not what Darius Lay
used to be.

Speaker 1 (47:50):
I don't know Darius Slay would definitely be moving to
safety because like being a bishop, Bi Busha played really
good last year.

Speaker 3 (47:58):
Jalen Ramsey I don't think is quite the I think.

Speaker 1 (48:01):
I think he got like a year left of like
the Jalen Ramsey before it starts to you know, tires
are falling off.

Speaker 2 (48:07):
Happy year of the Darius like because for the last
couple of years he has been no place, like until
second half of last season when he became his old
self again.

Speaker 3 (48:20):
You're gonna have pass rush, cool, it's gonna be great. Cool.

Speaker 4 (48:23):
You're gonna have a competent back end. That's nice. They'll
keep you in games. You still need the offense to perform.

Speaker 3 (48:34):
You go nine and eight. I don't this is like
they can't.

Speaker 2 (48:37):
Possibly pull off a trip over nine and eight once again?
Can they?

Speaker 1 (48:43):
Yes, it's tom one unless Rogers just says that bone
and his you know thigh, that he's just like, you
know what, let's go under five hundred. I'm tired of this.

Speaker 3 (48:53):
Tell you what, that'd be a heck of a heck
of a season for this team.

Speaker 1 (48:58):
All right, let's go to the schedule here where we
got h Yeah, it's the one schedule I couldn't find.

Speaker 4 (49:05):
Uh See, I told you there's always, man, there's always
I can pulled this off.

Speaker 1 (49:09):
For the Steelers website because I would have thought, maybe,
you know, someone will want to make it like a
phone back, like a I don't know, a computer background
or something. Yeah, let's take this down so we can
see the bottom ones. So I mean big revenge game
Week one Aaron Rodgers and the Jets, justin Field and
the Steelers. So that's a big one. I'm going to
already call it twelve to four final. So yeah, just

(49:31):
get two safeties and that's that. But yeah, your home
first Seattle and DK Metcalf's game, and then you're in
New England and then uh in Ireland for the very
first Island game or IRL in real life whatever you
want to call it. There really early by though, early October,
super early by. But then you know you're playing Cleveland.

(49:52):
You're at Cincinnati, and then it's Green Bay, which is
Rogers maybe potential thirty second win against the franchise in
NFL history, being up there with Peyton Manning and Tom
Brady brat Fare. Yeah, I'm having a I don't know,
I gotta like, I gotta crunch the.

Speaker 2 (50:14):
Numbers here bothering, you know that, right, I'm just gonna
say nine and call it a day.

Speaker 1 (50:20):
I'm gonna say ten and seven. I'll say, okay, let's
go one over the projected nine and eight total.

Speaker 2 (50:26):
Honestly, I see them doing the same as last year.
Start hot in fall apart the way your schedule set up.

Speaker 3 (50:31):
I'm not gonna lie.

Speaker 4 (50:33):
I did the numbers, counted the wins as I went
down that schedule, and I got.

Speaker 1 (50:38):
What did the calculations say, dumb please say nine? What
did the what did the mouse Trap game say?

Speaker 3 (50:44):
Eight point one wins? And uh, yeah, it's where where's
the eight point one wins? Thirty six percent chance at playoffs?
Which I'm kind of surprised about, I guess, but whatever.

Speaker 1 (50:56):
I don't know that early By is gonna bite him
in the ass. That's really gonna.

Speaker 2 (51:00):
Really that I said that about the Eagles last year.
And it was the best thing was possible.

Speaker 3 (51:07):
It seems that betting data sports books have them at
eight and nine.

Speaker 1 (51:11):
So uh oh Toalm's gonna take that the heart. Yeah,
we'll see that when they get the camp later this
month and.

Speaker 3 (51:20):
Take this month and win that extra game.

Speaker 1 (51:26):
Shall we move on? Shall we go to Baltimore here
where a year ago Lamar Well twenty twenty three Lamar
Jackson won MVP and twenty twenty four they're trying to
capitalize on it, falling short in the AFC Championship game. Uh,
they acquired Derrick Henry and it makes one of the
best backfields you ever saw with Lamar Jackson Derek Henry
only stuff that you could see in Madden Say flowers

(51:49):
as was still there trying to elevate his game. Yeah,
Isaiah likely emerged, which was pretty cool. They make it
the playoffs, they win the division, they win I forgot
who they played the wildcard round drawn up gigantic blank
of who it was, but then obviously they won their
wildcard game. They go into Buffalo where Mark Andrews makes

(52:11):
the unfortunate too drops and cost them the game.

Speaker 4 (52:16):
And Well seems to be that Mark Andrews Mark Andrew
because I guess that's a thing.

Speaker 2 (52:21):
Is definitely not a thing.

Speaker 3 (52:23):
Yeah, it definitely is a thing. There's too much the
same play too, same play, yeah.

Speaker 1 (52:27):
Same play, same everything. But Lamar Jackson forty one passing
touchdowns a year ago. I think he was robbed of MVP.
He really was. Well, yeah, Josh Allen, I mean he
threw twenty eight touchdown passes. I mean that means Aaron
Rodgers should have been because Aaron Rodgers through twenty eight
touchdown passes. If you're going by that logic.

Speaker 4 (52:47):
That that's crazy. But I mean here's the thing. Whatever,
you just flip flop Lamar's MVP years and it makes sense.

Speaker 3 (52:56):
So I mean, like whatever, whatever, he has the same
amount of MVP as he should have, I guess. And
that's where I'm at with it done.

Speaker 2 (53:03):
Neither of the quarterback should have won the MVP last year, but.

Speaker 3 (53:06):
That's just me also true.

Speaker 1 (53:08):
Well, looking at the offense here, they acquire Cooper Rush
to be the backup. DeAndre Hopkins comes in from Kansas City.
Rachrob Bateman. I believe he got his extension this year.
Is a Flowers entering year three. The offensive line is
still there and it's still really good. They acquire some
other pieces there. Derek Henry gets a two year extension,
just as Hill Keaton Mitchell. Can he kept back to

(53:31):
what we saw in twenty twenty three prior to the
ACL tear. Maybe, I mean a good speed guy, but
I think Mark Andrews gonna be working his way down
this stepth chart at tight end, and Isaiah likely is
gonna be working his way up. I mean, I saw
Charlie Kohler get more passes early on, then Mark Andrews.
Than Andrews eventually turned it up by the end of

(53:52):
the year. But yes, what are your guys' thoughts on here?

Speaker 3 (53:56):
Oh?

Speaker 1 (53:56):
Yeah, Joseph Noeboom from the Rams they brought into the
the backup Ronnie Stanley.

Speaker 2 (54:01):
My first thought is I will always support a team
that supports fullbacks.

Speaker 4 (54:05):
Yeah, I was gonna say, is that no? No, is
that really also a second fullback that they have?

Speaker 1 (54:12):
Or is that yeah, that's an undrafted free agent?

Speaker 2 (54:14):
So okay, probably won't make it.

Speaker 1 (54:17):
Ay, Hey, camp competition, that's what you do. You gotta
get your full backs of competition. Will they make the team?
Who knows? But hey, maybe if they're good enough, they'll
make the practice squad. They don't make fullbacks of the
used to they don't.

Speaker 2 (54:31):
But Patrick cards a full time fullbacks.

Speaker 3 (54:33):
Yeah, so that's.

Speaker 1 (54:37):
I thought it was a defensive tackle slash fullback.

Speaker 3 (54:41):
I mean, listen, this is this offense is the same offense?

Speaker 2 (54:45):
Is that not the same thing?

Speaker 4 (54:47):
Michael Stod Yeah, yeah, so whatever, I think we can
move past this offense.

Speaker 3 (54:53):
We all know what we're looking at. We're on.

Speaker 1 (54:55):
I mean, it's only DeAndre Hopkins. Can he rejuvenate his career?
I mean, but the Chiefs those Yeah, it wasn't really
anything exciting. But also the Ravens are another team where like,
you know, you were a receiver and you go there
and it's kind of like the end of your career essentially.

Speaker 4 (55:09):
Also, don't think him and Lamar have this phenomenal connection
that like he's had with I mean, I don't know, whatever, dude, Like,
it doesn't matter here we are.

Speaker 3 (55:20):
I don't think too much changes with the hop or
not defense.

Speaker 1 (55:28):
Let's go to the defense here. We had a comment
here in the chat here and I forgot it was
about the Steelers. It was a UK Steelers fan. So
we're being seen across the pond, which is pretty exciting.
There we go, Paul Barrett first Steelers game, looking forward
to it.

Speaker 3 (55:47):
Nice.

Speaker 1 (55:48):
I hope Paul has a great time there. But yes,
let's look at the defense here. They acquired you here, Alexander.
They draft Malachaire Starks out of South Carolina. They really
there's not really a lot of newer pieces like talk
about yes, you brought a Mikereen in the second round,
but this defense is kind of here and oh, man,
I forgot who it was who the defense? No defensive

(56:11):
coordinator is it was a former linebacker for the Ravens.

Speaker 2 (56:16):
I don't know, but I'm not seeing JayR Alexander on here.

Speaker 1 (56:20):
Uh he is on the right cornerback on the bottom there.
He's right about Marlon Humphreys. So it's Nate Wiggins, Jahila Alexander,
Marlon Humphreys. H But yes, let's kind of zoom out
here for a second. Uh if Jahi Alexander plays anywhere
like he did with the Packers went healthy. I mean,
this is a steal of a signing for the Ravens

(56:43):
and now they just add another corner for this cornerback
room and a defense that's nuts.

Speaker 3 (56:50):
Yeah, this is kind of crazy, kind.

Speaker 2 (56:53):
Of that's like an unfair sect.

Speaker 1 (56:57):
If they're all healthy, forget about it, and oh yeah
they don't have Yeah it was only Kyle Hamilton and
Malachi Starks. They had two other safeties, but I think
they let him go.

Speaker 2 (57:06):
They're all like they're all first round picks.

Speaker 3 (57:09):
Yeah, they kind of. It's kind of nuts.

Speaker 2 (57:12):
I think Jyrrie Alexander was like about twentieth overall too,
so well, it was like fifteen to twenty somewhere in there.
I think. So they're all the same draft value too.

Speaker 3 (57:23):
Wasn't Chadobe too?

Speaker 1 (57:25):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (57:26):
Uh no, Chadobi was like a second.

Speaker 1 (57:27):
I think he was a third. Yeah with Dallas.

Speaker 4 (57:30):
Okay, Well, he's certainly has not been bad in his
career at least.

Speaker 1 (57:35):
Well I mean the last couple of years. Yeah, coming
off the ACL, he's not been that good.

Speaker 4 (57:40):
Still, I mean like whatever, that's this is why they've
remained where they've remained.

Speaker 1 (57:46):
And great defense, right, Can I talk about their defense
and how the Ravens defense is good? Or am I
gonna get slack about that? Like a couple of years.

Speaker 2 (57:53):
Ago, I just said it was a great defense while
I sit silent that whole time while you guys were
going off a couple of years ago, and I'm just like,
this looks pretty good me.

Speaker 3 (58:00):
But yeah, I got nothing bad to say about this.

Speaker 1 (58:03):
To be honest with you, Listen, this team, Like I
think this team is built to make a deep playoff run,
and that's exactly what they should do. They should obviously
win the AFC North for the third executive year.

Speaker 2 (58:14):
Well I can already tell you what makes a successful
year for them.

Speaker 1 (58:17):
So what makes this? What will make twenty twenty five
successful for the Baltimore ravens.

Speaker 2 (58:22):
Lamar not choking the playoffs?

Speaker 3 (58:25):
Yep, you need to do this. The thing.

Speaker 2 (58:28):
He's awful in the playoffs. Nobody wants to talk about it,
but he's been awful.

Speaker 1 (58:35):
I agree.

Speaker 3 (58:36):
I think it's real.

Speaker 1 (58:38):
It is real.

Speaker 3 (58:38):
I mean that's it.

Speaker 4 (58:39):
You just need, like you said, built for a deep
playoff run. Like they've been built for a deep playoff
run and they kind of have to be.

Speaker 3 (58:48):
And they haven't made the deep playoff run. So let's
see the deep playoff run. That's what makes this a
successful thing.

Speaker 2 (58:55):
The only thing holding them back right now is Lamar
in the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (58:59):
Great regular season, guy, playoffs, We're gonna have to We're
gonna have to figure it out in the playoffs.

Speaker 3 (59:05):
Yeah, he's gonna have to figure it out. They're gonna
have to figure it out.

Speaker 1 (59:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (59:09):
I mean the team's gotten better, which is like the
most insane thing to say ever.

Speaker 3 (59:15):
So let's do it. I mean, that's that's it.

Speaker 1 (59:19):
Thank you, Thank you. Zachary or former linebacker he played
there for three years. Found out he had like a
neck injury. If he was to take a hit, he
would have just been paralyzed from the neck down. Players
finding life after football is always great to see, always
seeing them, you know, Flourish and Zachary or yes he
it took a little bit, but he's there, and I

(59:41):
think he's gonna become He could become a head coach,
you know, eventually down the line, a couple of years
from now, or it could be sooner than we think.
I don't know. Well, let's look at the schedule. Here
where the first one up here? Big rematch Week one
against the Bills, Sunday night foot at Buffalo, the scene

(01:00:02):
of the crime of Mark Andrews. Will he see the field?
We don't know, but hey, that's a big one. The
rave the Lions, the big one on Monday night football
but then you have the Chiefs early on. You're not
playing in a cold arrowhead, then you have I thought
that was four consecutive home games for a second, three

(01:00:23):
technically consecutive home games, followed by three consecutive away games,
and then followed by three consecutive home games. Who made
this schedule? Oh my god? Three three three? What is this?
The Wendy's the meal that they can't do anymore because
they're gonna lose money. Wendy's four for four? Oh man, Yeah, listen, hey,

(01:00:43):
Thanksgiving night, Ravens and Bengals. That's eating up good. You're
gonna be eating up good. Maybe we'll be awake for
that game. Who knows. He's gotta laugh the turkey early on,
and maybe the mashed potatoes and maybe the stuffing zero shot, Nope, Nope,
can't do that. Gotta eat it. If it's a front
of me, I have to eat it. I think this

(01:01:06):
team honestly matches twelve wins again, maybe thirteen.

Speaker 3 (01:01:11):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:01:12):
I think their revenge factor for a couple of steel
like gets them an extra couple extra wins.

Speaker 1 (01:01:17):
Yeah. Week one I think is gonna be really good.
I think they can honestly just stomp all over the
Browns Week two, Week three. I think that's where it's
gonna get tricky here in the next at least the
next two weeks there, lines is gonna be tricky depending
on how they fare with their defensive and offensive coordinators
leaving and then Arrowhead at Arrowhead nonetheless two for twenty

(01:01:41):
five well three to twenty five Central. But yeah, I'm
not really scared of the Texans the Rams. They're like
that one West Coast team that could go show up
on the East Coast and play really well, especially for
a one o'clock start. Yeah, they're gonna put up like
sixty points against the Bears. Let's be honest here. Who
knows the Dolphins will be come Week nine, Week ten,

(01:02:05):
I don't know. I think that's their trap game of
the year. Their trap game, I think is definitely Week
ten in Minnesota.

Speaker 2 (01:02:11):
JJ McCarthy, Okay, Well, historically, if you play three straight
road games, you win, you lose that third one almost
every time.

Speaker 3 (01:02:20):
That's fair. I have them at eleven wins.

Speaker 4 (01:02:25):
I have them at twelve wins if they need or
do compete in Week eighteen against the Steelers there, if
they feel zero need to compete and rest everyone whatever.
Then I could easily see them losing that whatever, not
big deal and it being eleven wins. So I have
eleven twelve based on that last week pretty much.

Speaker 3 (01:02:48):
That's it.

Speaker 2 (01:02:48):
I think good plan. They might be able to sleep
walk their way to the division.

Speaker 4 (01:02:52):
Kind of yeah, honestly, especially after we just went through
all the The Bengals I think are their only competitor
in the division because.

Speaker 2 (01:02:59):
That's always the Bengals the wildcard of the division period.
It's true, Well, then the wildcard of the conference. If
the Bengals are the Bengals, Yeah, like who we think
they always can be, Like, they'll compete for like first
overall in the conference. If not, they'll be scrapping for
a wildcard.

Speaker 3 (01:03:15):
I think that Thursday. I think the Thanksgiving game is huge.

Speaker 1 (01:03:19):
Because fireworks.

Speaker 4 (01:03:22):
I think the Ravens almost I mean, they perform in
a night game pretty much every time, So I have
them winning that game. If they were to lose that
game against the Bengals, then okay, the Bengals may have
a chance at division.

Speaker 2 (01:03:35):
The one like it's the when the Bengals play the Ravens,
it's like Joe Burrow has put up three historic performances
and lost all three. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:03:45):
No, he put up what like the first one in
like his twenty twenty one year he put up and
they like trounced them. But then the last, like last year,
where they he put up what eight hundred yards and
like nine touchdowns, they lost.

Speaker 2 (01:03:57):
Yeah, they lost both of them. That's what I'm saying.
Like they hundred and both games and like three or
four touchdowns in both games and lost both.

Speaker 3 (01:04:05):
I'm sure one of them was the night game.

Speaker 1 (01:04:07):
Yeah, Thursday night in Baltimore. There you go, I would
return to the scene of the crime.

Speaker 3 (01:04:13):
Yeah, I think I don't.

Speaker 1 (01:04:15):
I don't like these Thursday night games of Baltimore for
Joe Burrow because the first time he played in Baltimore,
he I don't know that risk injury happened. Then he
just like crumbled to the ground. Last year it was
historic outing. Jamar Chase put up his record numbers and
then we got things given this year so.

Speaker 4 (01:04:33):
Well, the odds for them, according to the sports books,
are gigantic.

Speaker 3 (01:04:40):
They have.

Speaker 4 (01:04:43):
The second highest playoff percentage at eighty point six percent.
They have the highest Super Bowl percentage on here, the
highest the highest super Bowl percentage they have projected eleven
point two wins. Yes, and and the only the only

(01:05:03):
teams they are behind in playoff percentage and wins is
the Bills. And the Bills always get that like, oh,
let's rate them really high thing. And they've taken a
step back. We know they've taken a step back. They're
not the same Bills. But uh so, you know, I
don't I kind of consider the Ravens maybe number one.

Speaker 3 (01:05:25):
I did not listen to the Bills propaganda, never will
for the sports book, the Bill's proper ganda. So yeah,
I mean.

Speaker 4 (01:05:34):
This is a this is top three team in the league,
potentially top team in the league, yes, but easy to
call this the top three team in the league. And
they've proven themselves, they've proven themselves regular season wise to
be that. There's not really an argument against it unless
Lamar gets hurt, which hasn't been.

Speaker 3 (01:05:55):
An argument in the past.

Speaker 2 (01:05:57):
Is a game away, Uh well that's playoffs. Yeah, yeah,
that's what all the matters here.

Speaker 3 (01:06:03):
Yeah, it is all that matters.

Speaker 4 (01:06:04):
But I'm saying now for regular season, for what's on
this on this screen right here. You know, I I
think they've proven themselves for that, and you will see
a top team.

Speaker 1 (01:06:16):
So I got nothing.

Speaker 3 (01:06:20):
Yeah, I think we've answered all this questions.

Speaker 1 (01:06:22):
We've answered everything. But before we go, we have to
bring back the most important fifth chair in all of sports.

Speaker 2 (01:06:28):
Is it time for me to see if I'm if
I'm punching Don's monitor?

Speaker 1 (01:06:32):
Yes? Yes, the wheel of misfortune? Which division are we
gonna go to next week?

Speaker 3 (01:06:40):
All right?

Speaker 4 (01:06:41):
So I did it a little bit differently, and it
might be more fun this way.

Speaker 3 (01:06:45):
It's gonna be like bang, So we're gonna go a
f C. NFC sucks. We're gonna go AFC.

Speaker 1 (01:06:53):
That's not enough slices. And then I'll do nor slices.

Speaker 2 (01:06:56):
Didn't we always uh switch NFC a f C each week?

Speaker 1 (01:07:00):
Yeah, but then we saw the wheel was had a
lot more uh enjoyment.

Speaker 3 (01:07:04):
Well, too bad. We're doing it this way. This is
how I look at That's so valid. All right, and
that's been all right?

Speaker 1 (01:07:12):
Where are we going? Here we go and it uh
no way boom.

Speaker 3 (01:07:22):
So we're going to the AFC.

Speaker 1 (01:07:24):
We're staying in the AFC.

Speaker 3 (01:07:26):
Yeah, that's what we're doing. Which will which will man,
this will boom.

Speaker 1 (01:07:31):
I gotta gotta remove North bang all right, Here we
go here we go. Where are we gonna go this
time around?

Speaker 2 (01:07:38):
We're going to the boring ass South?

Speaker 1 (01:07:40):
You know what, you know, that's what's happening, right, Get
them the fuck done early, That's all I have to say.
You need to get them out of the way. Please.
These are three We're giving the South ten minutes each
team this year. I am not going anywhere over. I
am not going anything under under would be good over. No,
I'm not doing that. So it's been wheel dumb. Which

(01:08:01):
division are we talking about next week here in the
a f C.

Speaker 3 (01:08:05):
Yeah, these are incredibly different, very different.

Speaker 1 (01:08:10):
We go here we go? No way, Oh god, I
gotta talk to that.

Speaker 4 (01:08:17):
Well, I will say, trend to put your team the
week after because we might.

Speaker 3 (01:08:23):
Doesn't it seems it.

Speaker 2 (01:08:25):
Seems honestly, with the day that we get in the South,
we should just do the both the South the same
day as our double record.

Speaker 1 (01:08:35):
So we're gonna I can't conclude. I can't conclude the
preseason tour with that. That's just illegal. We gotta start.
We have to end on a bang somehow.

Speaker 3 (01:08:43):
I ain't gonna be that.

Speaker 1 (01:08:45):
Ladies and gentlemen, that rounds out a show. You can
follow us on all the social media platforms down below,
YouTube for the fan network, TikTok for the fan network,
X for the fan underscore, and Instagram for the fan football.
We have Bapple, we have Kermit the Frog back there.
We got a bunch of jerseys above me, and yeah,
that's it. Next week, AFC East, the Bills, the Patriots,

(01:09:06):
the Jets, and the Dolphins are gonna be talked about
on this show. So yes, gentlemen, any final thoughts, anything
exciting before I turn off the thing, so Jay can
punch a monitor.

Speaker 2 (01:09:18):
Not only if I have to wait until September again
for your team, well good.

Speaker 1 (01:09:23):
Good thing, it'll be like what August eighteenth, that would
be the double recording day. But if the if they're
not picked, though, then you have to wait for the
next episode after, which would be like ten minutes after.

Speaker 3 (01:09:38):
Next week we get to talk about Cardi b.

Speaker 1 (01:09:42):
Yeah, have been a mysterious pink substance in a bag
on a boat in Miami. There we go. We get
to talk about all that stuff. But ladies and gentlemen,
thank you all for tuning in tune in next week.
Thank you all so much.