Where the Buffalo Bills rank in the AFC landscape & what might hold them back | DC - Disguised Coverage

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's thirty eight.

Speaker 2 (00:00):
All bills can win.

Speaker 1 (00:01):
In here, Wake puts it down. The kick is on
the way and dock m.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
The bell good one? How the hell that one.

Speaker 3 (00:11):
Home?

Speaker 1 (00:11):
How one?

Speaker 2 (00:13):
They were a party one not party way?

Speaker 1 (00:16):
Incredible?

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Why not combat by my bell?

Speaker 4 (00:19):
Jacksonville's perfect record on the line right here.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Quick.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
Kicking, look excited.

Speaker 3 (00:31):
Touchdown Kyle Williams touchdound amazing, unbelievable. They puttied william who's

(00:54):
has to full back and he scores a touchdown. It's
wealthier to face tackle.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
What's good? Folks, family, friends, loved ones, enemies, frenemies, wizards
which is muggles, mud bloods, people of Middle Earth. To
another episode of Disguised Coverage, The only podcast. It gives
you an equal amount of blueberries in each muffin, presented
by the best Pizza in Buffalo, New York. That is
one PI Pizza. Find me online menu in the episode
show notes, Whether here on YouTube or whichever podcasting app
or platform you are listening to this show on. I'm

(01:39):
your host, Anthony Prohaska. Find me on Twitter at pro
Underscore Underscore ant that's pro two underscores a n T.
Find me on Blue Sky at pro ant, no underscores,
They're just p r oh A and T. In this
episode of disguised coverage, we are back in our regularly
scheduled nine pm Eastern Tuesday live slot shows uploaded to

(02:01):
the audio podcasting apps as soon as the live show
here on YouTube is done, and we are close to
actual real Bills football. Training camp starts next week and
then the preseasons around the corner, and the regular season
will be here before we know it. And so with
that in mind, we're starting to ramp up here on
the show, and with that future outlook and that go

(02:23):
forward in mind, I thought it would be a good
idea to have this episode focus on We've done so
much niche diving into the Bills this offseason, position grouping,
schematic things, adjustments, lack thereof archetypes, what it means, so
on and so forth, and I thought it would be
nice to kind of bring all that to ahead and
talk about with training camp on the horizon, where the

(02:44):
Bills rank in the twenty twenty five AFC landscape and
what could or will or might hold them back from
finally getting over the hump, getting out of the AFC,
getting to the Super Bowl. Maybe even win the Super Bowl,
what the expectations should be. We've talked about those things
and smatterings through out the offseason, but I thought it'd
be good to have an episode focused on that. So
here we are, and I say we because I am

(03:06):
not alone in this episode. I thought it would be
fun to have the added perspective of someone who covers
football nationally and who does a tremendous job of it,
who knows ball, who knows scheme, who knows structure, who
knows the x's and o's. With that being said, I
am joined by and I tall. I'm so mad at myself,
so I told myself to count and I did not.

(03:26):
This is just another record appearance for Jpacosta of s
B Nation. I don't know where we are at this point.
You're definitely, I think, the highest frequency guest I've ever had,
And at this point I feel like I need to
get some kind of jersey and hang it up in
an imaginary rafter behind me. But the regular viewers of
the show love you, love your work. A bunch of

(03:48):
people are tweeting at me when you're on with me
to times to see you there and how great you do.
You're awesome. Thank you for taking the time. Welcome back
for your umpteenth appearance on the show.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
Thank you for having me. It feels like we got
a one day I've I've made it it up my
head and my NFL bucket list is to get up
the Buffalo for a game and go through a table.
I pitched it as a story to my editor and
he was like, we cannot have you do that because
you might get injured. And I'm like, that's the point,
Like you don't understand. Like I trained in a pro
wrestling ring for a day, so I think I'm ready

(04:20):
to actually go through a table. I could tell you
I got to get up there one.

Speaker 1 (04:23):
Day, dude, that would be sick. Yeah, you gotta get
up here. Though the Bill's tailgate is awesome. There's no
wrong way to do it. It's a really good time
whether you go through a table, whether you don't, but
you know, whether you do it in like the early
part of the season when it's still hotter, or if
you get some of the fall elite fall weather here
in Buffalo, which is great, or if you really want

(04:45):
to go full tilt and try and get in December
or January and get the cold and the snow and
get there at nine am on a Sunday for a
one o'clock game. Man, there's no way to go wrong
for a Bill's tailgate. That would be awesome to see
you up here, And if you go through a table,
that'd be even better.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
I feel like going through a table the best time
would be in the winter into December and January, because
you might have the snow to help cushing your fall,
and you're also wearing a bunch of heavy layer clothing.
But you're also going up in the winter, and as
someone who is from Florida, that just doesn't mess well.
I end up looking like the dolphins every time they

(05:20):
go up. So it's just we're gonna we're gonna figure
it out. We're gonna see what we can do. But
I'm definitely gonna go through a table one of these days.

Speaker 1 (05:28):
You gotta do. And then like have a razor blade
in your jacket so you can blade on this way
up and just bleed and like just really sell it,
just sell the hell out of it.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
I'm going full macho man, off the top rope, elbow
drop through the table. That everything I have dreamed of,
Like both as a football writer and a professional wrestling fan.
Going through a table just as like it's like a
ride of passage. So eventually I'm gonna have to do it.

Speaker 1 (05:55):
I think we should. I think we sho had an
ideal world for you. Put it all together, and it's
like a playoff game. It's Jags at Bills. You come
up when you're going to the table.

Speaker 2 (06:04):
We need it.

Speaker 1 (06:04):
We got to have it at this point that I
was gonna say, we need to just keep speaking it
into existence, and the more that we do, it will
come through and come through fruition. Oh that's very good. JP.
You do awesome work. I mentioned in the lead in.
You cover this league on a national perspective. You know,
you you grind a ton of college tap in the
offseason two so a lot of these guys coming in

(06:24):
the league you're very familiar from, you know, covering college
football during the college football season in addition to the NFL.
So I thought you were a tremendous mind to bring
on to this show to have this discussion that I
mentioned in the lead in, and you know, I think
I might all just bring up the banner and kind of,
you know, get into the first topic a little bit here,
But I think this this season for the Bills. You know,

(06:49):
you're coming off of twenty twenty four, another disappointing loss
to the Kansas City Chiefs and the playoffs, Josh Allen
wins the MVP, and I feel like it's another spot
where they're close, but there's also some teams in the way,
and it's I think it's just from the Bills perspective,
and honestly even from the Ravens perspective, probably even more so,

(07:09):
it feels like it's another year where it's like you
could easily win the AFC, you could easily win the
Super Bowl, but it's something going to go sideways for you.
And it's just it seems like it's become this regular thing,
but putting the Bills within the AFC landscape, and we're
gonna have a large discussion on that here in the

(07:29):
episode and then talk about some Bill specific things as well.
You know, JP, if you're thinking about Bills or even
just thinking about this overall AFC landscape, if you are
power ranking the top five teams in the AFC. Also,
nobody yell at JP. Don'tbody do anything if it doesn't
put the Bills one I don't want anybody given him
the treatment that everybody's been giving me, because I say,
Christian Benford is in a top five corner, and I

(07:50):
got everybody in their mother yelling at me on Twitter
or in the comments on episodes, So be nice. Everybody's
so heated. Yeah, shame, shame, everybody's so heated. But to
each their and if also to those joining us live,
feel free to let us know your power rankings, your
responses to the questions that we'll be going over tonight,
your thoughts, questions, comments, concerns, likes, don't dislikes, everything, But JP,

(08:11):
if you're talking about, you know, the top five in
this AFC landscape, what does it look like for you?
Why what we're kind of the deciding factors? What did
you hang your hat on? You know, kind of anything
you want to speak to when it comes to power
rank in the top five.

Speaker 2 (08:24):
So when it comes to the AFC, I think the
AFC is really interesting when you compare it to the
NFC because you can make the argument that three of
the top five contenders for the Super Bowl all come
from the AFC. But then when you get into numbers six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven,
they might all come from the NFC, where I think

(08:45):
the AFC has become so top heavy with the top
three teams, and then there are a bunch of teams
that are kind of like, you know, we we could
see it if everything breaks right, We could see this
if you get one miracle run in the playoffs, but
you're not gonna bad on them. And that's where it's
kind of that's where ranking these teams in the AFC

(09:06):
kind of gets a little funky, because after the top three,
you're doing a lot of projection. Like you know, if
we're taking, for example, the Texans, you're projecting that the
offensive line kind of gels together quickly. You're also projecting
that a first year off of the coordinator and Nick
Kayley is able to or I think it is Nick Kaylee, yeah,
is able to bring what he did and what the

(09:29):
Rams did in LA to Houston. In addition to potentially
starting two rookies in your receiver corps because Tank Dell's
gonna be out for an extended period of time, Christian
Kirk is coming off a shoulder injury, and Nico Collins,
who is very good but also can't stay healthy. You know,
like there's so many questions everywhere for every team outside

(09:50):
of the top three. That it makes it so fun
but also so difficult to rank these teams. But if
we're going off of the top, we're just gonna rank
the top. I feel like I'm kind of gonna be
the say it this way, and I say and I
speak it into the into existence, I'm gonna end up

(10:11):
looking stupid. But number three is probably the Chiefs. And
okay with saying that, I feel like I've just opened up.
Like you know how in anime where you you just
say the word and all of a sudden, like boom,
everything everything goes straight down the toilet. This feels exactly

(10:31):
like what it is. It feels like with the Chiefs.
You believe in the Chiefs because they have the biggest
trump cards in football, which is Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce,
Chris Jones, Andy Reid AND's bags. And at this point
you could even say it's Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid's bags,
Chris Jones, Like they have the four biggest big time

(10:55):
players and coaches in the biggest moments. But when you
take a step back and look at this team, there
are a lot of flaws this season. The offensive line,
especially of both tackle spots, still has to gel together
after losing Joe Toney. The run game, while successful, is
also not very explosive. The passing game hasn't been able

(11:16):
to find that second year, and you're hoping that Raceie
Rice comes back healthy. On the defensive side of the ball,
you're still trying to get more consistent pass rush from
your edge rushers or anybody not named Chris Jones. And
you're already losing Turshaun Wharton, you lost Justin Reid in
free agency, and now Jayden Hicks, who I think is
going to be good in the secondary. You're still replacing

(11:40):
a lot of veterans. So this feels like the year
where all the Chiefs good drafting has to come up.
It feels like this has to be the year. This
has to be the year where Jaden Hicks, like I said,
takes a step up. This has to be the year
where you can finally find a consistent second corner next
to Trip mcduffy. This has to be the year George

(12:00):
Carloftis or Felix and Duquey Ozama steps up as a
secondary pass rusher because you don't really have that guy
next to Chris Jones. But again, it might all not
matter because at the end of the day, you still
have to go through Patrick Mahomes, and you probably have
to go through Patrick Mahomes at Arrowhead, which nobody has

(12:21):
been able to do. So I just I'm putting them
at three based on what this team looks like right now,
and I already know that this is gonna end up
just automatically, like they're gonna use this in the Chiefs
like postseason Super Bowl tape to say nobody believed in them.
Yeah at the season that, yeah, I know you're gaslighting.

(12:44):
I'm familiar with your game number two. I'm gonna go
with the Bills at too, because I think the margin
between the Bills and the Ravens is razor thin. The
reason I have the Bills it too. And what I'm
one of my biggest questions that we're going to get
into is a consistent outside receiving threat. I think a

(13:06):
lot of their offense was built between the Hashes, which
is fine with Khalil Zakir, with James Cook, and then
you have what Dalton and Kate can bring you as
a receiver. But I just don't have a lot of
faith in Josh Palmer, Key and Coleman had an up
and down rookie season that was also marred by injury,
So now you're wondering if he can stay healthy and

(13:28):
if he can be the consistent outside threat that the
Bills need in the receiving game. Defensively, you're putting a
lot of faith into Daikwon Jones and Dion Walker, who
with Deon Walker, he was he's not a he's big,
but he's not a nose tackle.

Speaker 1 (13:46):
No, he's a huge. He's a huge, like one gapping
penetrator who played like, Yeah, he played everywhere from like
a wide nine, like into like a shade on the interior,
like he's everywhere on that D line. He's just he's
just huge. But he's a pendantry.

Speaker 2 (14:00):
It's just big. So when you see him, you're like, oh,
that's your run stopping defensive tackle. No, he's not built
to control gaps. He's built to penetrate gaps. So you're
again left with this team is still built to shoot
gaps with smaller linebackers, and you just worry a little
bit about getting hammered again by a team that is

(14:22):
able to beat you up as light as they are
up front, and then in the secondary you're just kind
of hoping for health like you're hoping Terren Johnson stays healthy.
Christian Benfriger had a really scary injury to end the
season last year. That's something that has to come into account.
Maxwell Harston also didn't finish the season at Kentucky. He
was hurt. Cole Bishop, stepping in at safety, also was

(14:45):
hurt for most of the season last year. Taylor Rapp
doesn't have the biggest or the cleanest bill of health.
So it's just there's a lot of projection on defense
that I think if it all lines up, yeah, I
could see this team winning the AFC. But I I
think those questions there are less questions with the Ravens
than there are with Bills right now, because you the

(15:07):
Ravens kind of answered most of their questions of who's
gonna play safety, who's gonna work out that, uh, who's
gonna work out the Kyle Hamilton being deep, who's gonna
play nickel, who's gonna play outside? Well, they found the
answer to that, and that's Malachi Starks. Who's going to
play I'm pretty sure we're gonna have him play deep

(15:27):
safety with Kyle Hamilton, You move Marlin Humphrey to Nickel,
and then you're gonna get the most out of Jaire
Alexander because that's exactly what they do.

Speaker 1 (15:36):
If they stay healthy on the back end, and it's
Wiggins and Jay Yere on the outside, Humphrey at the nickel,
and then it's Kyle Hamilton and Malachi Starts. That secondary
is crazy.

Speaker 2 (15:47):
And they can wear so many hats. They wear so
many hats. In coverage, you have your man Guy and
Wiggins Jay can still give you a lot in zone coverage,
and then you have like the pterodactyl back then and
Kyle Hamilton and Malachi Starts. We just cover everything. So
it's I think with the Ravens, it's just can you

(16:08):
avoid the wacky shit? Can you just avoid the weird
loss to the Raiders? Stop it normal? Can you avoid
fumbling five times in the Voodoo land that is a
groser stadium. Can you avoid Mark Andrews dropping a pass
at the gold line? Can you avoid all those wacky

(16:29):
bullshit things that happened to the Ravens. I think adding
a better kicker will also help them out and give
them a wider margin for error. Offensively. I also I
guess if we're looking for questions offensively, yes, the passing
game still like among the receivers, you're waiting to see

(16:49):
it really like it clicked last year. Can you get
that to repeat again? Especially with Mark Andrews on the decline?
When you get can you get Rashaw Bateman with a
new extension working well? But again, these are more like
we saw what happened last year. They were the most
efficient offense in football. Like I think I looked it
up today. Lamar Jackson had a passer rating of one

(17:13):
nineteen point six. The only person above him in the
NFL last year was Marcus Mariota, and that was only
because you played three games. Like, there's nothing else that
the Ravens have to do except stop the weird shit.
And I guess like you could even say that for
the Bills. It's just stop the weird shit when you
have to play the Chiefs. But again, it's easier said

(17:36):
than done at this point. So if I'm going with
the top three, I think I go Ravens, Bills, Chiefs,
and then four and five it starts to get really murky.
Four and five you just wonder, like where you go
from here? I think my number four hesitantly, I'm going

(17:57):
to say the Chargers. I oh, I to say the
Chargers because the pros are you keep Jesse Mentor around,
That defense is gonna rock once again. You start two
two week low two full time. I think another year
of day On Henley in the middle is gonna be
really good. And I think you found your outside cornerback rotation. Offensively,

(18:17):
You're hoping for a healthy year from the offensive line,
But the biggest issue is Greg Roman and can you
find another receiving option outside of Lad McConkie. They have
Trey Harris, but Tray Harris is also dealing with a
contract holdout. So it's just like the questions there are
super big, and so I have them at four and

(18:40):
then five just because I believe. I believe in both
these teams defenses. But it's tough because in my head
I'm tuosing between the Texans and the Broncos here, and
the reason I'm leaning Texans is because they might have
the best defense out side out of Philly in football.

(19:01):
That team is going to be insane. You get another
year Kamari Lassiter, Derek Stanley is amazing, You have Daniel Hunter,
Will Anderson Junior. Who I think Will Anderson Junr. Is
gonna go off this year. I think he's phenomenal. Like
they're so fast and so physical. Demico Ryans copy and
pasted his forty nine ers defense in Houston, and this

(19:25):
time he has two legit pass rushers. So I, like
I said, I want to believe in them, but the
offense gives me so many questions.

Speaker 1 (19:32):
I love the Chauncey Gardner Johnson addition to the secondary, Like.

Speaker 2 (19:34):
He's just so evil. They're gonna be so evil. They're
just they play. They play like they want to hurt you. Yeah,
And I think I remember watching the Bills game last year.
We're told to toe ran through Duncan cad and I
was just like the bubble. Yeah, he flattened them, And

(19:57):
I'm like that's Texans football, Like that's Texans d They
want to hit you in the mouth. They're gonna stand
over you and talk about it, and they're also not
gonna let you score. The problem is every game might
end nine to six because the quarterback's gonna end up
on his back. You don't know what the run game's
gonna look like with another year. Joe Mixon it's just
so many questions. But with the Broncos, the biggest question

(20:19):
is at quarterback, can you can you get more out
of bow Knicks. I think bow Knicks played well in
the back half of last season, but he also I
think Ben Solak had this stat where like thirty five
percent of his passes in the back half of last season.
We're at behind the line of scrimmage, which look, man,
get it, how you get it? Like if you're gonna

(20:39):
throw fastest behind the line of scrimmage. I think like
they have a formula for winning football, which is they're
gonna win after the catch, which is fine, but you
need somebody who can win after the catch. I think
Marvin Mems Junior can do that, but he's more of
a gadget guy. You're relying on a rookie running back
of RJ. Harvey. The defense is once again gonna be great,

(21:01):
but you don't know who that You don't know who
that next person is gonna be. So I think, man,
there's the AMC. West is gonna be insane this year.
There's a part of me that wants to go with
the Raiders just because I love what Gina, I love
the idea of Geno. Smith brought throwing the bron Bowers,

(21:22):
asking John t and Jack Besh and Jacobi Maya they
have questions on the defensive side.

Speaker 1 (21:26):
Of the ball.

Speaker 2 (21:27):
I think I'm gonna go with the Broncos here at
five because I just have more faith in what they
have right now. I think, right now, I can see
that they have a very good defense and an offense
that they know what they're doing. Although they don't have
the they don't have the ace in the hole that

(21:48):
the Texans have on both sides of the wall when
they when it comes to Nico Collins and the pass
rush of the Texans, but when it comes to everything else,
the Broncos are the better team right now. I mean
it's tough because, like I said, after the top three,
everybody is just like I. I could see like the

(22:11):
Raiders like turning back the clock and Pete Carroll getting
his team back to the playoffs. I could see the
AFC South becoming an absolute blood bath. You know, the
Jaguars might finally might do it again. I'm not gonna
say they're gonna do it. I just think they're gonna
be competitive. I don't think anybody in the AFC East
is gonna do anything this year, but you never know.

(22:32):
The AFC North is always gonna be competitive. You have
the Bengals, and I just don't I'm not gonna say
anything about the Bengals until they figure out what they
got going on with Trey Henderson and Shamar Stewart. I
saw the report today, a Shamar Stewart was looking at, yeah,

(22:53):
y'all better pay that or else. Like if Trey Hendrickson
doesn't play and and you lose Shamar Stewart, you left
with everything that you wanted going into the season. Just
goes up and smoke defensively. So I don't know what
happens there. The Steelers, I don't have any faith. I

(23:14):
don't have any faith in the unction. It looks the
Steelers would be such a cool team if this was
like twenty twenty, if this was like nineteen to like
twenty twenty one, I'd be like, Oh, Steelers are like
one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl this year.
But everybody's old, and I think where the offense might

(23:38):
get margorally better with Aaron Rodgers, even though if you
look at success rate and EPA, Aaron Rodgers was the
worst quarterback than Justin Fields last year. You're gonna lose
a lot defensively, especially if TV Watt doesn't play like
you're losing a lot of safety with Minka, who kind
of cleaned up everybody's problems last year. So there's a

(24:00):
lot of teams where I can see like the pros
after the top three, but there's also a lot of
cons that make me question, like I don't know what
they're what they're gonna be this year. This is this
is all project projection outside of the top three.

Speaker 1 (24:15):
Yeah, very fair. I'm I'm in the same boat with
you for four and five. And also for those watching
and if you're familiar, whenever I have JP on the show,
we usually go for like two plus hours. I'm trying
to streamline that this time for the sake of JP.
So I'm gonna be piggybacking on his point instead of
also giving my answers in conjunction with his Cuz, again,

(24:37):
I don't want to keep JP here until like, well
we've been here until like eleven fifteen, eleven thirty at
night before like we've gone by I think, yeah, we
did like a two and a half hour show at
one point. Yeah, I'm right there with you with four
and five. Four and five. I think it's such a
cluster in kind of like a fun way. I'm really
and again it's on paper, but to a degree, I'm

(24:59):
really intrigued by Denver. You know, you mentioned the defense
everything from them last year, from a coverage standpoint, from
a run defense standpoint, from a pressure standpoint, from a
sax standpoint, from an EPA standpoint, like whatever metric you
like do a dart throw for, they were like at
the top or the top for defenses, like it was nuts.
Aside from that, and that was with that wild game

(25:22):
against Baltimore where they got boat raced out the door,
they got.

Speaker 2 (25:25):
Blown off the face of the planet and still finished
first in EPA per play, which I mean, they're the
only thing you really worry about with the Broncos defense
is defensive regression. You're not gonna be number one every year,
like there's gonna be some volatility. But yeah, you also
return everybody nobody like that.

Speaker 1 (25:45):
Only I didn't think. I didn't think they were going
to keep DJ Jones. I wanted the Bills to get
DJ Jones, but they bring him back, and so Allen
and Jones and Jonathan Franklin, Myers and Cooper you have
a second year for Jonah Ellis, Like they're just even
the rotational guys they have like after them are all right.
And then you add Drake Greenlaw, you add I completely

(26:07):
forgot they added Telenohufanga like him on the back end
with and Brandon Jones is a sneaky, rangy safety going
back to his Miami days. So if you can allow
Halfunga like you can play in those split high looks
with both those guys. But if you want to let
Hafonga just be that typical, like buzz down monster man
safety that he can be. And then on the outside,

(26:29):
you're playing with arguably the best corner in football, probably
the best corner in pastor jan dependent on how you
feel about Stingley. And then you've got Riley Moss, who
had a good year last year. I love that they
got John A. Barn Like one of my favorite dudes
in this draft class, Benito. Alex Singleton is alright, Like
Alex Singleton is probably the weaklink on that defense, but

(26:50):
he's insulated with all the other talent from everywhere else.
Like you've got juice, you've got physicality, you've got run defensibility,
and then offensively, I I love this come from RJ.
He said, just don't bring up aw all In from
the other night, then we'll definitely be here till eleven thirty.
I have purposefully trying to not bring it up because, yeah,
because that pay per view was amazing, but yeah, could
call her Jay.

Speaker 2 (27:09):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (27:09):
I the offense I have questions on, but I trust
Sean Payton enough to just insulate bo Nicks and do
Sean Payton stuff and yeah, like great stat pole, you
know that Solac had that you mentioned, But like you said,
it works for them. They have a good offensive line,
like everything that they did, like when they when they
paid Mike mcglinchy all that money with like Sean Payton's

(27:33):
first I was like, wow, all that money for like McGlinchey,
and like wow, all that money for Ben Powers. And
then we're sitting here a couple years later and it's like, oh,
you know, yeah, maybe they did overpay. But their offensive
line is like above average to solid. They can run
the ball a little bit, They've got some weapons. I'm
interested to see how Evan Ingram falls into that offense.
And I just trust Sean Payton, Like, you have a
tremendous defense, and then Sean Payton led offense. I think

(27:55):
that'll kind of get the job done. Bo Nicks is
athletic enough to do some things. You hit some shots
with Mims or Troy Franklin, who I don't love. I
think Court and Sutton Courtlon Sutton is still an underrated piece,
even though he's more of a wide receiver.

Speaker 2 (28:06):
Two.

Speaker 1 (28:07):
I think they're really interesting. If you told me they
were four, I wouldn't think you're crazy. The Chargers, I
think you're pretty spot on there as well. Cincinnati keeps
coming in the back of my mind, but I just
refuse to get into there because there's just still all
these horrible questions for this team. And I understand, like defensively,

(28:30):
why they made the switch, but I feel like lu
Ayna Rumo got skapegoated a little bit, Like I still
think he's a really good DC, but we're you know,
we're moving on from him. Fine, we paid Higgins and
Chase and Burrow, but there's all these questions elsewhere offensively,
on the line and defensively. But Burrow is so good.
But I refuse to like acknowledge them as a thing

(28:51):
until they stopped doing the Hey, we're gonna start out
like one in five and then try and klar our
way back. I refuse to acknowledge them as like being
a thing, but it four and five is really interesting Texans.
I want to see what their offensive line, and those
are really like kind of the teams, you know, So again,
I'm pretty much in lockstep with you. But if we
dive into you know, when you spoke about them a bit,

(29:11):
you know, we'll kind of focus on who the real
contenders are. You know that Chiefs, Bills, Ravens, you know,
going in your order. I'll start with the Chiefs here
as we just kind of discuss it. Man, I'm it's
this power ranking the teams in the AFC. I have
the same issue putting someone ahead of the Chiefs the
way that I have the same issue putting someone ahead

(29:31):
of Patrick Mahomes for quarterback rankers, which I will not
do because it's a death trap to do any quarterback rankings.
You and I were talking about this offline. Everybody just
gets angry. It's a terrible situation. I'm this is maybe no,
We'll probably end up saying something wrestling related at some point.
I think Rick Flair is a tremendously overrated wrestler. He
bores the hell out of me. He can only do
one thing every If you've seen one Ric Flair match,

(29:53):
you've seen them all. And also as a person outside
of the ring, very much less than ideal. Whole another conversation.
But I love the Rick Flair quote of to be
the man, you gotta beat the man, and until somebody
beats the Chiefs in the AFC, even if I think
they don't have the best roster, because this is it too,
Like I didn't think they had the best roster in
the past couple of years. I really thought it was Baltimore.

(30:14):
Like I remember you and I talking on Blue Sky
in like December or something, and then Mina Kimes jumped
in on it. We were talking about, like, you know,
the scariest AFC teams or offenses going into the playoffs,
and I remember saying like, if you take the Bills,
Chiefs and Ravens going into the playoffs, and if everything
for all three of their offense is click, the scariest

(30:36):
one to me is the Ravens because you cannot stop
them and then what happens They shot themselves in the foot,
in Buffalo, just like they shot themselves in the foot
the AFC Championship game the year before against Kansas City,
Like they can't seem to get out of their own way,
the Bills can't seem to get past Kansas City. Neither
team can get past Kansas City. But also like the
Justin Reid loss I think is a big one, and

(30:58):
the question that you mentioned for this team think are real.
But you've still at the end of the day, you've
got Chris Jones, Pat Mahomespags and Andy Reid, and those
four people seem to get the job done. It's it's
so hard for me ranking like the top three in
the AFC and not putting the Chiefs at one because
it just seems like time in and time out and

(31:18):
tire time again. They just like you said, like they
just they just find like they just find a way.
Like it's like not to make a wrestling like reference,
it's like they're being booked to win, Like it's just
like the way they keep doing it. It's like, oh,
of course, like you know, lol, Sina wins, Lol, Chiefs win.
It's like because they just always find a way, like

(31:40):
a blocked extra point or a block field goal, or
some fumble at the last minute, or some ridiculous throw
or some penalty that shouldn't have been called that benefits them.
There's all these moments in a variety of ways that
seem to go in their favor, that they cause or
that are given to them. But at the end of
the day, even if I don't think they're like the best,
it's so hard for me to put someone ahead of them,

(32:01):
which is also part of the reason why I didn't
want to do a power ranking because it stressed the
hell out of me and I didn't know what to do.
Like I, yeah, like the Chiefs. The Chiefs are an enigma.
I feel like every year and we'll sit here, like
you said, you have MIT three, and they'll go like
fifteen and two somehow and just and it won't be sexy.
They won't be blowing anybody out, or it will be
and they're beating everybody by thirty or forty and you're like,

(32:23):
I don't understand. They're just an enigma, which pisses me
off even more than they already piss me off.

Speaker 2 (32:28):
It's it's like being in Atachi's Genju two with the Chiefs,
because like I think you got them. You do, You're
You're up by like ten midway through the fourth. You
got them, You got them right where you want them.
And then Patrick Mahomes shows up. And that's the whole
thing last year with them winning so many close games,

(32:50):
is that's because that's how they want to win. Yes,
that's how they decided.

Speaker 1 (32:54):
That's their comfort zone, that's their wheelhouse.

Speaker 2 (32:57):
Yeah, it's I hate to bring it, but it feels
like playing Brady, they all knew exactly what you needed
to do because you had Brady on offense and Bill
Belichick calling the defense. This time it's just Mahomes on
offense and Spags calling the defense. And as long as
you have those two on each side of the ball,

(33:18):
it doesn't matter what you do. Like you, you have
to put them in the ground for you to actually
beat them. So yeah, I have them at three right
now because their questions just feel so insurmountable. But the
last time I said that, they won the Super Bowl.
So look, man, I again it feels like I'm like

(33:40):
Tens saying the Chiefs are are number three in the
power ranking, because I just know this is going to backfire.
They're gonna go like again, you're gonna, like say, they're
gonna go fifteen to two, They're gonna get home field advantage,
and then somebody doesn't have to go play them in Arrowhead.
And I just don't think you're gonna beat them an
Arrowhead in the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (34:02):
Yeah, and they're just for as many questions as they have,
Like their their defense is still so built again, you
know you mentioned him already. I think the Justin Reid
departure I think is a bigger loss than is necessarily
being talked about. I feel like he did so much

(34:26):
on the back end in a multitude of alignments, responsibilities,
roles for them. I wanted someone else to get him
when he left Houston several years ago. But their defense
is so well positioned and built to deal even if
they're not the best defense or the sexiest between spags

(34:47):
and then their roster construction, they're so well built to
deal with like modern offenses like oh, condensed formations and
everything you do cool. The Chiefs have like all these
combinations of body types and skill sets in their front
that they can mix and match with. Similarly on the
back end with what they can do with McDuffie and
even with Connor two a degree. We'll see what happens
with Hicks all the all the corner blitz stuff they

(35:09):
love bringing from the boundary. You can disrupt a condensed
formation by bringing a cap blitz real quick. Their their
coverage diverse in terms of you know, you can play
too high, you can play single, you can play cloud,
they can mix and match and play split field.

Speaker 2 (35:22):
Like.

Speaker 1 (35:22):
Their defense is built so well schematically and structurally to
deal with how offenses have shifted into the world now
with you know, condensed formations and bigger body types and
dictating to the defense and creating mismatches, and that makes
it even more frustrating. But yeah, they're they're such a
wild endinga the Bills. I'm gonna skip over the Bills

(35:45):
because we're gonna focus on the Bills in a large
chunk the Ravens, And like I alluded to, I'm in
a similar spot that I've been for like the last
couple of years, probably even more so. Like I really
do think the Ravens are the best team in the AFC,
Like I think they're arguably the best team in football.
And I felt similarly last year. And I know I've
started a bunch of times on the show, because you know,

(36:06):
anytime I post anything positive about the Ravens or say
anything positive, you know, again understandable Bills beat the Ravens,
and Bills fans and Ravens fans hate each other now
because of what last year or the year before brought.
But man like, I don't want to say the Bills
beat the Ravens by the skin of their teeth in
the divisional round, but it was so much closer than
it necessarily kind of felt like like you're a Mark

(36:27):
Andrews drop and a Mark Andrews fumble and a couple
of Lamar horrible decisions and you're still arguably should have
won that game. Lamar drives them down to essentially tie
it in the end. But again that's symptomatic of what
happens with the Ravens every year. They shoot themselves in
the foot. Sometimes it's Lamar, sometimes it's someone else. It's
a Flowers, you know, getting or was it agl or whoever?

(36:48):
Who gets like stopped at the two yard line and
then fumbles, like all these moments that seem to not
align for them, usually against like the Chiefs, but in
big moments, especially in the it feels like they should
be the best and schematically they've gotten so good or
writes the ship in the back half of the year
for the defense and moving Kyle Hamilton to more of

(37:10):
a traditional safety role. You know, Monken is a really
good offensive coordinator, coordinator and getting all these pieces of
the funnel together. Their offense has been a unicorn for years,
and you just know, no defense is really a good
match for their offense because you have to deal with
Lamar as a passer and a runner. Derrick Henry Justice Hill,
I think is a fun running back that doesn't get
talked about enough. All the weapons, the gap scheme stuff,

(37:32):
the read elements, the pistol like they can do so
much and you can die so many ways. And then
similarly with the defense, now we talked about it like
the addition of Starks, the addition of JayR Alexander, but
I could easily see a world where it's like JayR
got hurt and Humphrey got hurt, and Wiggins got hurt,
and you know their front got banged up a little bit,

(37:54):
and say Flowers went down again, and you know Bateman
got hurt again, Like is it injuries that are going
to do them in or is it a big mistake
or do they do something foolish like they did in
the AFC Championship two years ago where Lamar was a
little banged up and everybody's like, well, it's fine, They're
just gonna run the ball anyway, and the Ravens are like, Nope,
we're gonna pass it fifty times to try and be
Kansas City at home. Everybody's like, what are you doing?

Speaker 2 (38:14):
Why are you not?

Speaker 1 (38:15):
The Chiefs can't stop the run and you're the Ravens
just run the ball. No, We're just gonna chuck it
fifty times and go there. Like it just seems like
they always get in their own way, And I hate
I hate talking about things that aren't like schematic or structural,
but it's I feel like with the Ravens and Chiefs,
it's their polar opposites on one another, where the Ravens

(38:36):
feel like it should be them and they find a
way to not do it, and the Chiefs it feels
like it shouldn't be them, but they consistently find a
way too. And then the Bills are in the middle
where they have the advantage over the Ravens but can't
get past the Chiefs, Like it's just it's so frustrating,
Like as a Baltimore fan, I cannot imagine how frustrated
you've been over the last couple of years if you're
a Ravens fan, and even just as a football fan. Yeah,

(38:57):
Like it's just like when for as much as this
year feel like, okay, is this the year for the Bills,
you're making that exact same argument if you're the Ravens,
but probably even more so because you've had the best
roster on paper for the past couple of years and
probably do again this year.

Speaker 2 (39:11):
And I think that point that you made about the
Divisional round game against Buffalo is huge because the Ravens
had a fifty two success rate in that game. They
had a sixty percent success rate on the ground, Like
we're talking about like again, it's we can do what
IF's up and down till we're blue in the face.

(39:31):
But Mark Andrews probably should have caught that pass. Like
we're making a completely different statement if they beat if
they if Mark Andrews catches that pass. But again, that's
the thing with the Ravens, it is it's always something.
It's always like they're always stepping on the Rake. It's

(39:51):
again to make wrestling reference, it's always kerd Angle going
for the tear shot, bouncing off the ropes and hitting
himself in the head. It's all. It's always something with
this team.

Speaker 1 (40:01):
And okay, just to just to further your stats, because
the Ravens really turned it on in the second half there.
They came out. I remember coming out of the second
half and whoever was the sideline announcer, like asked John Harbaugh,
like what to do or what was gonna go on?
He gave a real simple, like confident answer. I don't
remember exactly what he said, but I remember sitting there
going like uh oh. And they came out like a

(40:22):
buzz saw that whole second half of the third quarter,
especially the Ravens. EPA per rush in the third quarter
against the Bills in the Division Round was point six'
four and THEIR epa per pass was point oh. Eight
OVERALL epa per play at point four, two but they

(40:42):
just ran it down The bill's throw and that so
again that ePaper rush point six to. Four The texans
were second in The division round at point four to,
one so just an astronomical, Difference like The ravens just
came out like a buzz saw in that third. QUARTER
i just wanted to add that because that's that always
sticks in my.

Speaker 2 (40:57):
Brain the epa per care is so funny because the
best team in THE nfl by ePaper carry this last
season was The. Commanders they were at point one.

Speaker 4 (41:08):
Two so so crazy difference between, Said, Oh, okay we're
gonna just forget everything that we did in the first.

Speaker 2 (41:18):
Half we're gonna turn into like a buzzsaw in the second.
Half so, again AND i think somebody brought it up
in the comments home field. MATTERS i think home field
matters so, much especially with these three, teams because the
margins FOR era are so. Small they're so small when
you get to these games like last season when The

(41:38):
bills went into in The baltimore everybody was. Hurt Derrick
henry takes off for eighty seven yards and it was, Like,
oh it's gonna be that type of. Game but then
they go To buffalo in the. Playoffs it's, cold it's everything,
hurts and The bills came out and stacked the box
and we're, like, okay we're at home, now we got.
It and then we like we said with The, chiefs

(42:00):
you gotta go in and beat them In. Arrowhead, AGAIN
i make the anime. Comparison it is a domain expansion over.
THERE i don't know what they got going. ON i
don't know what they've done over. There you can't beat them.
There you just. Can't it doesn't matter what you. Do
you just get you get there and forget how to
play football or like. Somehow like again last, season THE

(42:23):
Nfc championship, game it was right. There it was always right,
there and The chiefs are just, LIKE, na that's not.
Happening we're just gonna play our best football of the
year in this one. Game so with The, ravens if
you want to get into schematics and what they can improve,
ON i Think zach or getting another year as a

(42:44):
defensive coordinator is gonna really help the defense. OUT i
think early in the season he was kind of going
through the ups and downs of being a first year
coordinator who was promoted Under mike. McDonald but now he's
got another. Year now you have a consistent defensive bat,
group you have ever everybody, back and then you Kept
todd munking, around which is the biggest shock of kind

(43:06):
of the off. Seasons that keeps Me todd mounking. Around
so now you have everybody. Back like you, said there's
there's not a lot of excuses this time for why
The bills can't win The Super bowl or not the
why The ravens can't win The Super, bowl because you have.
Everything everything has. Returned you Kept lamar, Healthy you Got
Derrick henry, back all the receivers are, Healthy Mark andrews coming.

(43:27):
Back you have quite possibly the most dangerous twelve personnel
unit in the ENTIRE. Nfl you had the most dangerous
heavy personnel in the. League if you play twenty one
and you go, recard you Go Derrick, henry and then
you Have andrews are likely on the.

Speaker 1 (43:45):
Feet, yeah why would?

Speaker 2 (43:46):
Say what even?

Speaker 1 (43:46):
Too what if you go twenty two and It's Recarded
henry and likely And.

Speaker 2 (43:49):
Andrews you go twenty two and just absolutely crater, teams
which is what they did last. SEASON i have to
look it up what their numbers were out of twenty,
two but it was some odd lead. Number but because.

Speaker 1 (44:02):
How do you deal with? That, like and you can
get to so many formations, offensively you can get to
so many run concepts you could even if you really
like you could still go in that like spread, spread
but you could put likely in the slot and whatever
wide receiver. Outside you go a little, twins you can
go ace formation like you can do so. Much and
then on top of all of, that say you pass

(44:25):
it and it doesn't work, out you'd still Lamar jackson.
Back there will be, Like, OKAY i run around and
make something, happen even if it's a gain of four or. Five,
like even if it doesn't, work it can still.

Speaker 2 (44:32):
Work so last, season according To Sumer, sports in twenty two,
personnel The ravens led the, league And snaps at twenty
two personnel had one point one NINE epa out of
twenty two. Personnel to compare, that last, season The bills
finished second in THE nfl overall ON epa per play

(44:52):
at point one.

Speaker 1 (44:52):
Eight According, Crazy so you don't just live into a
just live in twenty two and never get out of.

Speaker 2 (44:58):
It, well the crazy thing is it's the number one
team IN epa per playoverall last season was The. Ravens,
yeah that point two, One so their twenty two personnel
was better than any team in. Football there's there's nothing
else you can say except stop doing weird shit if
you want to like if you want to host a
game In, december In january against The bills and against The,

(45:22):
chiefs don't lose to The raiders at, home don't lose
the weird games to The. Steelers like it's, time like
to stop the weird. Shit just cut the weird shit.

Speaker 1 (45:31):
Out, yeah, MAN i don't know which one would. Be
That raiders game has to be, frustrating you're, up you're
choking away to The. Raiders That steelers. ONE i remember
watching it live ON tv and, like, yeah there's all
these stupid, fumbles like everybody's getting hit and the balls
coming out like every two. Seconds like it was just
such a stupid. Loss and they feel like they do
that every year In. Pittsburgh they Just, yeah there's these

(45:51):
like these weird trends or like you, said like the
voodoo or like the bad juju that's attached to them
in certain are like a certain stadiums or certain moments
or certain. Games AND i think at some point that's,
Real like it's not like a, curse but LIKE i
feel like the players feel. That and then it gets
to the point right where say you're in AN afc

(46:12):
championship game or divisional, game, whatever the playoff game or
a big game and something goes wrong, early it's so
easy to be, like, dude like here we go, Again
like this crap is happening again to, Us and it's
so easy to get into that mindset and not be
able to get out of. It and then if you're
not in that right state of, mind that can overcome
all the talent you have on, paper your schematic, advantage your,

(46:33):
uses all of. That like if the players are feeling
that does a creep into the coaches psyche and it's
it's just so weird for this like team and franchise,
again even though previous years don't have anything to do with,
here especially previous like, iterations but for this franchise that's
known for being so, savvy they draft, well they sign,
well they they're tough, like they travel. Well, no for

(46:56):
for as long as The ravens have been, around nobody
every year it's always like nobody wants to play The
ravens in the, playoffs and because they're usually this tough
physical team and tough mental. Team but now it's almost
kind of, like, yeah they're getting into like yips type of.
Territory where are they mentally, tough like are they? Choke
are they?

Speaker 2 (47:14):
Chokers?

Speaker 1 (47:14):
Like are they scared of the? Moment? Like AND i
don't necessarily think it is all. THAT i think some
of the stuff is more circumstantial or even. Coincidental but
there's only so many coincidences that can keep happening before
like you, know once is an, accident two is a.
Trend three whatever that's saying is like we're at that
point with them where it's not just, circumstantial like it's

(47:35):
getting to another. Spot and if and if it happens
again this, year if they get a game where they
have stupid turnovers in the playoffs in some way or
drops or, Anything i'm REALLY I i my brain will
explode BECAUSE i yet but.

Speaker 2 (47:49):
Last a couple of years, ago in The Nancy championship
game against The, chiefs you have The Za flowers. Fumble.
Uh in the divisional game against The, bills you have
The Mark andrews, drop you have The lamar. Turnovers at,
first it's.

Speaker 1 (48:01):
All, well then The Mark andrews fumble that big. Catch
bernard is out of position and just flails At andrews
gets his fist right on the, ball ball comes. Out
The bills get it and you're just, like oh my.

Speaker 2 (48:10):
GOD i don't know what else to, Do like they're
JUST i hate they keep doing weird. Shit they stop doing.
Weird that's the best SOLUTION i have for The. Ravens
it just stopped being. Weird it's not being.

Speaker 1 (48:25):
Weird just play just, yeah you don't even have to
kill teams by Forty just stop doing all the weird.
Stuff just just just balance it a little bit and
just be a good football. Team, weekend we got just
PLAY b.

Speaker 2 (48:36):
Plus you don't got to play as every. Game you
you just gotta be A b. Plus you don't have
to be like because what The ravens end up doing
is they PLAY a plus for like two and a
half quarters or like three, quarters and then like for
one random quarter you don't know which one it, is
but for one quarter they play the worst football known.

Speaker 1 (48:55):
The man they just. Played and you're like up, there even,
though what is it like three years ago the game
where they're piss Pounding miami and then all of a
sudden in the fourth quarter they don't know how to
play coverage, anymore And miami scores like thirty something points
in the fourth quarter and beats something and everybody's, like,
ah like you know the the you know The dolphins
are here this Offense yeah. Yeah my bigger takeaway was,

(49:17):
like what the hell have The ravens choke this away
on offense and? Defense like they're throwing the ball and not.
Running it was like THE i feel LIKE i was
watching The Falcons Patriots Super bowl, again where it was, Like,
nope we're snapping the ball at twenty five, Seconds we're
gonna throw a bunch of. Incompletions we're not gonna play.
Cover it's just, yeah they just find a. Way MAYBE
i just stop doing. That you don't got, it don't
be a plus and then d mind's just be just

(49:38):
be A b plus all the time and you're your
bat plus game probably beats most teams week in and week.

Speaker 2 (49:43):
Out and then, like if you want to compare to The,
chiefs The chiefs play LIKE c plus for three. Quarters,
yeah it's the oppia go super nova for the fourth.
Quarter it, ever and they don't get the variants like
maybe they'll play THEIR a plus in the first, quarter
maybe they'll play it in the. Third, no they're gonna
like they're just gonna sleep walk for the first three

(50:03):
quarters and then, like, oh, okay it's time to win
the football. Game and then they're in The Super bowl.

Speaker 1 (50:08):
Game oh, Yeah oh that's a, big big moment in the. Game,
Cool spags is gonna throw his best play out there
on a fourth and short and win. It oh it's you,
know fourth down in THE Afc championship against The. Bills,
cool we're gonna bring this blitz that completely Confuses alan
and the protection and we're gonna get a free. Runner
but then again the mystique Like allen still makes a crazy,
play but the ball flutters k k drops Its.

Speaker 2 (50:29):
God and it's Then Andy reid is going to drop
a play that hasn't been seen since like nineteen Twenties
yale and samaj P ryan is catching the ball out
the backfield on an important third down And i'm just,
like this is what they. DO i have no other
words to say than.

Speaker 1 (50:46):
Just and then you're sitting there after that, game like
in years, later it's, like, oh, yeah that was the
Samajip ryan, game and it's just like, that, shit he
shouldn't have a game.

Speaker 2 (50:54):
Thing, yeah that's not what we should remember in this For, yeah,
man that's just not How god in on ball to
be this ising's supposed to be a sama jp. Ryme remember, game.

Speaker 1 (51:03):
We used to be a, proper proper. Nation where's my
where's my football? Gone? Where hell? Man? Yeah but the
it's gonna be a FUN afc this year BECAUSE i
really do think like four through the rest of the top,
ten you can make a bunch of combinations like we,
highlight and then that top three it's gonna be a.
Dogfight ravens And, BILLS i think set the temple right
out of the. Gate week, One Sunday night. Football they

(51:24):
play each. Other how much does that game come back
to mattering for home? Field like we talked, about each
of these teams will play each, other you know in
the top Three, Ravens chiefs And. Bills, yeah a lot
of moving and shaking there and a lot of fun
narratives with the rivalry is that is to develop within
each team versus one another and then the larger. Landscape All,
Right so that's THE afc as a. Whole let's focus

(51:46):
on The, bills your second ranked team in THE afc
in terms of the power. Rankings let's talk about some
of the things that could potentially hold The bills back this.
Year so for those playing at. HOME jp is going
to give his top three things that can or will
hold The bills back from getting over THE afc hump

(52:08):
this year or hump in. General could be very large
scale and broad. Brush it could be very niche in.
DETAIL i have no idea what they're gonna. Be, again
in the nature of, STREAMLINING i am not giving my top.
Three i'm just gonna comment On JP's and we'll have
an organic conversation around. That feel free to start in
whatever or you, want like your third you, know most important,
thing or the top thing that you think can or

(52:28):
will hold them. Back whatever you, want just say. It
the floor is yours and we'll talk about.

Speaker 2 (52:32):
It so my top, thing Or i'm gonna start with.
Third my third thing is. Health AND i think this really.
Showed it shows up a lot for The. Bills every,
year everybody falls, apart and especially, defensively where again it's
the symptom of the defense that you play because you're
always going, Forward you're always a penetrating. Defense you're gonna

(52:56):
get you're gonna get. Hit you're gonna hit a, lot
especially with two hundred three pound linebackers in the middle
and the one hundred and ninety pound nickel cosplaying As,
Actually i'm not gonna say, that one hundred and ninety
pound linebacker cosplaying as a.

Speaker 1 (53:08):
Nickel, yes that's the better way to say. It well.

Speaker 2 (53:10):
Done you're gonna you're gonna get, hurt you're gonna get
hit a, lot and you're gonna keep the you're gonna
keep getting dinged. Up so you just you gotta stay,
healthy especially for This bills, defense where Again benford's injury
last season was really scary because it happened two weeks
in a, row it happened multiple, times where you're, like oh,
no this is a serious head. Injury this isn't something

(53:33):
that you know we talked about like pre uh pre,
show where like people forgot how Good Denzel ward. Is
Denzel ward has missed a lot of games due to
concussions and head injuries that are really. Scary so you
just worry about your best corner being out in critical.
Moments Maxwell, harston first round draft, pick also missed a
lot of time with the injury this past season In.

(53:53):
Kentucky you're worried about a Gatting milano getting up there
to Rel bernard hasn't been able to stay Healthy Taylor
raff hasn't been able to stay. Healthy, health, truly especially
on the defensive side of the, ball is really important
for this team because they cannot AFFORD i don't think
The bills can afford any injuries to the second level

(54:13):
of the defense because of how critical those guys are
to the makings and runnings of that. Defense it's not
to say that their depth is, bad BECAUSE i don't
think the depth is, bad but because of how Important
Taron johnson is in his specific, role because of how
Important Matt Malono Terrell bernard are in keeping the spine
of that defense, intact you have to keep those guys,

(54:36):
Healthy which goes into my second reason why that might
hold The bills, back which is the run defense just
doesn't iron itself out that and we've seen it. Work
we've seen it work in big games where you know
they're gonna come in and the bigger teams are gonna
try it out. Physical then we saw against The, lions
we saw it against you saw it against The ravens

(54:58):
in the divisional. Round but then you also have games
like The rams where The rams decided there's gonna run
duo the whole game and just obliterated the. Defense so
it's just LIKE i want them to invest in a
true nose, tackle a true nose tackle that can stop the.
RUN i Think Daikwon jones is, fine but he's right.

(55:21):
Now he is better as a second as a. Rotation,
yes he's getting a lot of snaps because he has
to be the one to stop the. Run we talked
about it, earlier But Deon walker is not a Nose
he is not a one. Tech he's more like a
jumbo size three. Tech so you're relying a lot On
Ed oliver who is two hundred and ninety pounds to

(55:42):
be your best interior run defender and hold up gaps
for your two hundred and twenty pounds. Linebackers and we
talk about it a. Lot in the cyclical nature of,
football that might have been really cool back in like twenty,
nineteen twenty. Eighteen now you're getting three hundred and thirty
pound guards hitting you in the face every, play and
that shit hurts like That it's gonna wear on. YOU

(56:05):
i think everybody plays college footbatwey five college with bultwey.
Six that wear and tear.

Speaker 1 (56:09):
Is Gonna it killed me so much last year WHEN
i first started playing, IT i wasn't ready.

Speaker 2 (56:13):
To kisses you off so, much but it's a real.
Thing you're gonna keep getting. Hit SO i think the
run defense because of how light they play by, choice
they choose to play this way if you're not gonna
have a consistent run stopping nose tackle or bigger bodies
that you are willing to, PLAY i don't know about
the run defense, again and can you afford having an

(56:37):
okay run? Defense if you? Know are you okay having
an okay run defense? AGAIN i think it's. Fine it
was fine like a couple of years, ago but can
you afford not having? That when The chiefs are more
built to win on the, ground you have to play The.
Ravens you have to play a team like The, texans,
who despite having a weird offensive line With nick k

(57:00):
coming from The, rams they're gonna get big and they're
gonna try and run duo and counter and gap schemes at.
You are you built to beat The broncos, again who
are going to try and run the ball down your?
Throat are you built to beat The chargers who are
built to and want to run the ball out of big?
Personnel SO i worry a little bit about their run,
defense and then the number one thing is just finding

(57:24):
a consistent outside threat at receiver or, specifically like the
biggest question Is Keyon, coleman AND i Love. COLEMAN i
love what Ke On coleman brought to THE, nfl but
he has TO i think the biggest thing THAT. Matc
collins brought to The bills last year was contested catchability

(57:44):
on the outside as well as his. Blocking Keon coleman
doesn't have to be an elite, separator but he has
to win at the point of, attack and he has
to win to catch. Point he has to win in
those areas when you need a third that you need
a first down on the outside and you're running a
stop route or you're running, comeback you gotta go win those.
Passes if you can just BE i don't, know if

(58:07):
you can just be Like Alan robinson or. Something you
can just be Like Mike williams or something on the,
outside that would help them be so much more efficient
and so Much there's so much more pressure taking off
Of Khalis, Shakir there's so much more pressure taking off
Of Josh allen because it feels like in every big

(58:27):
play and every big moment they had to go To Khalil,
shakir and you, know teams start the key on. THAT
i do really have a question about What Dalton kinkaid's
role is on this, team especially going into this, season
because if they're gonna keep doing this monster ball, Thing
Dalton kinkaid doesn't really fit into. That like where do

(58:50):
you play him if you're getting into big. Personnel he's
not a great. Blocker if he's on the fields or eleven,
personnel you're basically giving up that you're gonna throw the
ball because he's not a blocker in. Line SO i
want what do you do With Dunkin kate because he's
also he's a reliable. Receiver so you wonder who steps
up outside Of Kaliosha kiir in this passing. Game that's

(59:11):
the biggest question for. Them that's who they need To
that's the biggest thing that will hold The bills back
is finding a consistent second option in the receiving.

Speaker 1 (59:20):
GAME i don't know which of your THREE i want
to start, with BECAUSE i agree with all of. Them
i'm gonna start with point two because IF i were
doing this, exercise that would be my point. One so
you mentioned and you mentioned two great. GAMES i consider
doing an episode on solely juxtaposing The bills because it

(59:44):
was back to back. Weeks they played The rams and,
lost and then they played The lions in. ONE i
was going to do an episode just purely film breakdown
of the run defense against The, rams the run defense
against The, Lions what, worked what, didn't what happened back
to back. WEEKS i just couldn't get the time to
cut up all the film put the episode, together SO
i didn't end up doing. It but what you essentially had.
HAPPENED i think those two games are such a good

(01:00:06):
microcosm of The bills run defense because that first game
against The, rams and you talked about, it it was
duo and a bunch of split, zone and The bills
are just getting blown off the, ball especially on the.
Interior they're getting driven, back they're getting displaced, horizontally, vertically double,
teams one on one base, blocks like there's just. Gaps
Kyron williams isn't even like shaking and. Moving it's, just,

(01:00:27):
oh let me just put one foot in the ground
and get vertical, cool and it's like five five. Yards
but they're also getting some, Stops like the first run
play of that, Game Daikwon jones gets. Penetration you're, like,
okay and then they stop winning one on. One then
the next week you're playing against The lions and you're, thinking,
man it's gonna be even worse because the lines are
gonna go. Heavy The lions have a better offensive, line

(01:00:49):
probably have a better run. Game they've got the you
Know gibbs back. There, oh, like what's gonna happen? Here
and The bills come out shut down the runner a.
Lead The lions only have fifteen rushing attempts in that,
game and it's, like, wow, okay but what The bills
did two different things against The rams to their regular
kind of, defense, right we're just playing, defense playing defense
against The. Lions they made a concerted effort to stack

(01:01:12):
and load the box with, bodies gap out and win with.
Numbers the very first play of that game against The, Lions,
yes and there's basically nine dudes in the box And
Cole bishop makes the stop because he's they're essentially playing
in like five down and four behind, it like they
are just loading up the box ready to stop the.
Run and they did. That they stopped the run with,

(01:01:34):
numbers The bills score on, offense it forces The lions
to abandon the. Run they passed the ball and, comeback
but The bills win that. Game BUT i say all
that to, say the way The bills stopped the run
last year was with. Numbers from time to time they'd
win one on, one but it was gapping out and
it was winning with. NUMBERS i just don't think that's

(01:01:56):
sustainable in TODAY'S, nfl but especially given the type offenses
you're gonna face in the playoffs and at the top
tier in THE afc or if you get to the Super.
Bowl and you, mentioned you, know kind of the way
they went this, OFFSEASON i, thought not. THOUGHT i wanted
them to get more of a you, know it's a space,

(01:02:17):
eater people, leader whatever you want to call. IT i
wanted them to get a defensive tackle that would limit.
DISPLACEMENT i wanted somebody that could handle double teams and
drop the knee or anchor and lock out and not get.
Moved and it's part of, why you, Know Tyleek williams
was the guy THAT i wanted for The bills In round.
One AND i don't know if you heard, this But
Tyleek williams the day after he got, drafted said The

(01:02:39):
bills told him that if he was there at, thirty
they were taking, him which made me want to throw.
Up and then and then he's also got like these
two adorable, cats and he's showing his cats on Like
Good Morning, football AND i was, like this guy would
have fit, schematically and he's got these awesome, cats like
MY i hate my life right. Now and that made me, Think,
okay maybe they're gonna to opt for that bigger body

(01:03:01):
type of. Guy so then in the second, round even
though he doesn't have a lot of pass rush, Upside i'm,
thinking you know, What Alfred collins From texas run. Defense,
nope they go WITH. Tj, Sanders AND i LIKED. Tj,
sanders you, know pass, rush, juice. Penetration but they very
much between Adding sanders and Adding Larry ogunjobi in free,
agency they just leaned more into what they already, do

(01:03:25):
which is one gaping penetration and getting.

Speaker 2 (01:03:28):
Up.

Speaker 1 (01:03:28):
Feel it reminds me of The thatsode of The office
When pam doesn't Want michael to date his mom or her,
mom and he's, like you, Know i'm just gonna date her,
harder like that's what The bills. Did, Like, oh you
want us to limit displace. It, no we're just, gonna you,
know get displaced, harder and we're gonna lean more into
one gapping and. Rush and now when you pair that
with New bill senior defensive Assistant Ryan, nielsen who you
are familiar, with you, Know jags defensive coordinator fame last.

(01:03:50):
YEAR a lot more games up, front a lot more
five man, pressures different, Things so you, KNOW i think
they'll work in more run stunts and games. Upfront but
at the end of the, day it's still very risk
reward because you're still opting for. Penetration you're still gonna
get caught out by trap and wham and crunch like
you're still gonna if teams just want to run duo

(01:04:11):
down your. Throat IS. Tj sanders gonna be able to
hold up against a double? Team Is Ed oliver is
Uh Larry ogunjobi Because Larry ogunjobi struggles with double teams
on tape like in THE. NFL. Tj, sanders we don't.
Know because he's a. Rookie Ed oliver does actually do
well against double. Teams but if you're asking your two
hundred and eighty seven pound defensive. Tackle the battle against double,
Teams he's gonna wear down real. Fast Daikwon jones is

(01:04:34):
their best guy for, That but like you, said he's
a little long in the. Tooth with miles on the,
tires he's much better suited for a defensive tackle three rotation.
Role that's WHAT i was also thinking. Too give Me
Ed Oliver Tyleek, Williams Larry ogunjobi is the backup three.
Tech Daikwon jones is the backup. One you've got this
nice rotation on the interior and so you've just leaned

(01:04:57):
more into the penetration, piece which, again if it works
on third downs you get more. Pressures, cool but you
got to survive first and second down, first and the
way they did that last year was loading the. Box
so again that means how many two high coverages are you?
Playing are you playing more single? High who's your post?
Safety Because Taylor rapp doesn't have the range as a post.
Safety Cole bishop, does but his processing isn't that great

(01:05:19):
in that type of, role and he gets worse the
further he gets away from the line of. Scrimmage or
Is Derek forrest starting for you Or Deamar. HAMLIN i
Think forrest is the best combination of athleticism and, processing
but he hasn't been a full time. Starter DeMar doesn't
have the processing or the ballhalking. Skills are you relying
more on your corners one on? ONE i say all
this to say it creates this negative domino effect of

(01:05:41):
if you can't stop the run and not get, displaced
it starts to create negative opportunities for you. Defensively AND
i think IT'S i have some metrics here that really
put like The bills defense and the type of defense
that they played last, year especially against the, run kind
of into person because a lot of people always like
say The bills are like a bend but don't break

(01:06:03):
kind of. Defense AND i put this tweet out a
couple of weeks ago or no last, week BECAUSE i
don't think they. WERE i didn't call it Like ben
but don't. BREAK i said they were more Like, ben
but try to create a takeaway or a negative play
for the. Offense that's what it. Was it was either
we get you or you get. Us either we get
you or we get Got that was. It and so
here's some numbers for This bill's defense because they finished

(01:06:24):
overall in the, year they finished fourth IN epa per
rush at negative zero point one. Fourths you're, like, oh, okay
they played the run. Well go. Further they were twenty
fourth in a bad way in terms of runs of
ten or more yards, Allowed so they gave up if
you're working, backwards they gave up like the eighth most
runs of ten or more yards at sixty. Two but

(01:06:45):
they were first in stuff, rate which is the amount
of stops for zero or less. Yards they were second
in total. Stuffs they're, like oh, Okay but then eighteenth
and average depth of tackle, eighteenth in yards before contact,
perttempt eighteenth in yards after contact per, attempt twenty, second
in mistackles, seventh and success rate eighth in RUSHING. Dvowa,

(01:07:09):
again all the everything kind of balanced out because they
played this risk reward style where they're slashing in and
they're making a stop and now it's second and twelve
or second and, thirteen or they're getting gotten it's a
run for fourteen, yards and that also tied into their
overall defensive. Metrics these are kind of enough to think, about,
Right so these next ones thirty first in punts per,

(01:07:35):
drive first in takeaways per. Drive right, There just that
juxtaposition tells the whole. Story but we go further fifteenth
in points per, drive twenty, second in touchdowns per drive twenty,
six twenty six in three and outs per, drive twenty,
third in plays per, drive twenty, sixth in drive success,

(01:07:55):
rate twenty fifth in time of possession per. Drive all
of these put into perspective the risk reward get you
or get us type of nature of their, defense but
also showing that you could grind out runs against this,
team and teams that didn't have the game script pushed
them away from the run had success against The. Bills
the opening game against The, cardinals you AND i previewed

(01:08:18):
it and we talked about it That cardinals run, game
that gap, scheme physical type of, run could give The bills,
problems and it did until the second half when they
decided to commit, bodies they were able to make a.
COMEBACK i think that is the biggest concern for, me
because they are still light on the. Interior their ideology
and philosophy is not. Shifted and then at the second,

(01:08:39):
level you've got smaller linebackers In milana And bernard And
Tarren johnson who plays essentially linebacker for you at times
because of the type of nickel that he. Is it's
just the biggest issue for me in terms of them
not getting displaced and consistently trying to win with. Penetration
and you, know we we talked With Greg russeau And

(01:09:02):
Terrell bernard this offseason and broke down film with, them
and both those guys, said without being, prompted a big
thing for us this year is winning on early downs
and getting to more, third, medium and third and. Long
in order to do, that they're gonna have to gap
out on first and second, down which opens you up
to play, action which opens you up to, explosives which
limit your coverage structures on the back. End it's such

(01:09:23):
a loaded thing for, me AND i love that it
was one of your top. Three it's probably number one for.
Me it's something that and then, again if you want
to put into the, offense cool if teams are running
the ball down your throat for seven plays on seven
seven out of the ten plays on a seventy seven
yard touchdown drive that took eight, minutes that's less opportunities
For Josh allen and your. Offense and then that changes

(01:09:45):
the script for The bills, offense who also wants to play,
ball control and run the. Ball it just it comes
up everything for, me which again what they're leaning into
it could. Work it's just that risk award. Nature it's very.
WORRISOME i don't think they have an, Answer like, you
have to win with penetration and rush and gapping out
because you don't have another.

Speaker 2 (01:10:05):
Option AND i think you brought up The rams game
is a really good inflection point because WHAT i was
gonna say about That rams game is the reason they
couldn't outgap The rams because The rams were an eleven
personnel for a large majority of their.

Speaker 1 (01:10:18):
Run and they also used a bunch of. Motions so
they're pulling guys, out they're, shifting and they're taking.

Speaker 2 (01:10:22):
Adventage it's always been the thing with The bills. Defense
you Moved Taron johnson out of the, box you moved
their third linebacker out of the, box and now you
have six on six and a two hundred and eighty,
pound two hundred nine pounds defensive tackle to two hundred
and twenty pounds. Linebackers you can run on. That so
for just stat, purposes The rams In week fourteen against
The bills had thirty four carries for one hundred and

(01:10:45):
six yards and three touchdowns against The bills running the
ball out of eleven. Personnel it's not like they were
spectacular in terms of just like success rate OR. Epa
it wasn't the, explosives but it was the constant boom boom.
Boom we're just gonna keep hitting, you like we're just
gonna keep hitting you with the. Jab we're gonna keep
hitting you at eleven.

Speaker 1 (01:11:06):
And then and then and then The. Bills those overall
numbers balance out because in the second, half especially starting
in the third, quarter The bills all, right, cool we're
bringing a safety, Down we're gapping out where using, Numbers
and then The rams are, like, okay, Cool now we're
just gonna hit you with pookin a cool on the
outside in one on ones and chunk you to death
in the pass game and like. That that's what it. Creates,

(01:11:26):
Yes and it's such a vulnerability THAT i feel like
offenses can push them in that direction and set themselves
up in THAT rams game is such a good micro.
Cosme you look at the total numbers and be, like,
okay it's not, crazy but with what it's set up
and what it led to The. Bills The bills essentially
on the back foot that entire game all because they
kept getting displaced against the.

Speaker 2 (01:11:46):
Run AND i hate saying like they used the run
to set out the pass because that kind of gets
as like, skewed as like run the, ball never throw.
It but The rams intentionally came in wanting to run
the ball out of eleven to force that safety, down
and then we're, Like, okay we got them now because
they're so worried about getting hit in the run, GAME
i think the biggest.

Speaker 1 (01:12:06):
Lesson then they're also giving the ball To pooka to
cool on like jet sweeps for touchdowns and, stuff because
The bills are, like, oh we got to get inside
and stop, duo and they were, like, psych this is
an eye. Candy we're giving the ball To pooka and
it's wide open around the.

Speaker 2 (01:12:16):
Corner the, THREE i think it was three consecutive plays
where it was A puka motion where it was like
a duo and split zone or like it was a
split zone a screen to pooka jet, sweep And i'm just, like,
Oh don McVay is like trying to torture this entire.

Speaker 1 (01:12:31):
LIKE Pov you're a defense in hell like.

Speaker 2 (01:12:34):
That oh, yeah this is this is the. Sniperscope he
has Got Terrell bernard And Matt malano in the sniper.
Scope BUT i think the biggest thing that you need
to learn that teams need to learn from The eagles
winning The Super bowl is that if you can you
can stop the run using light, boxes you just need
big dudes up front.

Speaker 1 (01:12:55):
Or your SuDS up. Front you Need Jalen carter And
Jordan davis in sweat And Brandon graham Then Milton williams
like but.

Speaker 2 (01:13:02):
Even still, like it doesn't have to be like you're
spending all these first round picks on defensive linemen because
not every team has that. Luxury you go get A Dj,
reader you can Go, sig you can go get a
guy Like oh my, GOSH i think Like. Jones, yes
D J, Jones, UH i think The BILLS i Signed Roy.
LOPEZ i, know.

Speaker 1 (01:13:26):
One of my top free agent.

Speaker 2 (01:13:27):
Editions, again you need those. Guys every team needs a
guy that's just there to claw, gaps to just hold
space because especially with the way The bills want to play,
football want to win, defensively you gotta keep bodies off
Of Matt malono And Terrell, bernard not only because they're
able to process and they're able to think quicker when

(01:13:49):
they're not being hit all the. Time but, again you're
keeping a lot of nut hits off them so they
don't get. Injured SO i, JUST i just really want
The bills to embrace the fact that they're not gonna
be able to live in nickel forever while only playing like,

(01:14:10):
well not having a real nose tackle or a real one.
Deck it's what happened to The niners last. Season they
figured out on the wrong, side you can't win in
football having a fake want nose. Tackle what then do
in the?

Speaker 1 (01:14:24):
Draft who did they get there? From Michael? Williams and
then they get alf for Coins.

Speaker 2 (01:14:28):
Williams Alpha, Collins they DRAFTED. Cj west On day. Three
they were, Like, okay you know, What we're. Done we're
done being told we can't stop the. Run we're gonna
go all out on. It it's, uh it's That Ronnie.
Coleman but everybody wants to play the run in light
boxes till somebody got to hit a heavy ass. Guard.
Everybody everybody want to be a. Bodybuilder nobody wants to
go lift heavy ass. Weights everybody want to play the

(01:14:50):
run in light, boxes do all this cool drawn up.
Ship you gotta hit somebody in the. Face you gotta
be you gotta be able to hold up in the
run in the run. Game So i'm really really worried
about that when it comes to The, bills because like you,
said it feels like they just kind, Of, oh we're
just gonna keep doing our thing. Harder we're gonna keep
we're gonna keep trying to create negatives but also give up.

(01:15:13):
Explosives And i'm just, LIKE i don't know if that.

Speaker 1 (01:15:16):
Works that's exactly. It and you, know out of light
boxes last, year The bills were higher is. Better, uh
they were fourteenth IN epa per. Rush they also gave
up the fourth most runs of ten or more yards
with forty, three and then they were also eighth in
stuff rate at fourteen point. Nine and again that's just

(01:15:38):
that's kind of just. It AND I i think, they you,
know with the addition Of Ryan nielsen and some of
the players they, ADDED i do, think you, know like
like you, said and LIKE i, mentioned they're just gonna
lean more into the penetration and the upfield, piece and
it's like and That havoc. Generation they are playing for
takeaways and for negative. Plays they want tackles for, loss

(01:15:59):
they want, stuffs they want to create. Habit they're trying
to force that literally and. Figuratively and they made it
clear that they're okay if that means they get pushed
around a little, bit if they have to gap, out
if they get, gouged, like they're okay living in that.
Way AND i guess it's somewhat sustainable when you look
at the overall, numbers but it's really a lot of

(01:16:21):
highs and a lot of. Lows and, again if you
CAN'T i kept making game script jokes all last year
BECAUSE i kept, saying if, teams if The bills offense
doesn't force the opponent's offense to abandon the run and
the game stays, close teams will be able to run
on The, bills and The bills only way to stop
it is to gap. Out and then if they have

(01:16:43):
to gap, out you get what The rams had. Now
stafford is, Amazing cup is, Sweet niku is. Sweet they've
got some pieces on the. Line sean McVay is arguably
the greatest offensive mine in. Football and one of the
legitimately one of the best all. Times SO i know
they're dialed up to one hundred and the sliders are
pushed up in a lot of ways for them, Them
but that game is a good, Example like you get

(01:17:04):
put on the back you can get put on your
back foot relatively, easily and then you're chasing your tail
and you, know it's. Nuts The bills have consistently over
the last like five, years been really good at creating
turnovers in a thing that should regress and shouldn't be.
Sustainable they find a way to continuously force. Turnovers but
that's a dangerous way to live being thirty first in

(01:17:25):
punts per drive but first in takeaways per drive and
you're really relying on the. Takeaways The ravens game is
a good. Example they win that. Game they don't force
any punts at. All the stops came from, takeaways and it's, like,
okay well you can't rely on, that but they do
rely on. That but it's hard to rely on, that
but they find a way to do. It it's this.
WEIRD i would just like it's similar to The, Ravens,

(01:17:48):
like you, know don't be a plus and b MINUS
i would like JUST i WOULD i would sacrifice some
of the havoc plays or just more, sustainability like, me
some more, punts like don't force to be some three and,
outs don't allow teams to eat up five to six
minutes even if they don't, score because they're able to
run the ball down your throat and push you.

Speaker 2 (01:18:07):
Around it feels, like in a, way the way that
we talk About Josh allen and the way that we
talk about The bills defense has flipped to a point
where before it was The bills are just gonna be super.
Efficient they're gonna they're gonna not gonna allow a lot
of yards, Early they're not gonna allow a lot of,
points And Josh allen's gonna do some crazy, shit but

(01:18:28):
also it might work and there's a fifty yard touchdown in.
There now The bills offense has become this uber efficient,
machine and the defense is now LIKE i will probably
give up a fifty yard, touchdown will probably get an.
Interception it's, like, uh they're playing the chaos. Game they
are Summoning, maharaga which is just like turnover or negative,

(01:18:51):
play that is that is their entire game. Plan SO
i JUST i wish they would be a little bit
more serious about defending the because that would unlock so
much more possibilities for them defensively to make sure that
they're not always reliant on those. Takeaways, yeah it's and.

Speaker 1 (01:19:11):
Then again talking about, structurally like we, said you know
the second, level the size of those. Guys it's just
you Want bernard to play free and shoot. Gaps the
same thing For milano and same thing For terran and
not having that body even in some rotational aspect and
really just leaning into that inside. RUSH i also think
it goes a little hand in hand with the pass

(01:19:32):
rush concerns THAT i have off the, edge BECAUSE i
Think bosa is their best chance to have a true.
Edge one is a pass rusher and he's a question.
Mark and Then Greg russon needs to take a. JUMP
i think he's more of A robin or maybe even
a Night wing than he is a batman and needs
someone to be that batman for, him though he's still
on an upper trajectory and could be that. Guy IT'S
i just have questions on the defensive, line but especially that,

(01:19:53):
spine the run defense. Piece and then even, okay so
then he had Injuries i'm talking about the outside wide
receiver piece and even tying into Your kincade, point WHICH
i thought was really. Good i'll start with kink, point
kind of work my way. BACKWARDS i think you hit,
it you, know spot. On when they Drafted, kinkaid the
big THING i said, was and this isn't me just

(01:20:14):
kind of put myself on the. Back like the idea, was, like,
man they're going to go twelve personnel and dictate matchups
to the. Defense it's, like, okay, Cool but in order
to do, that you need two tight ends that are
both capable as pass catchers and as run. Blockers and
they don't have to be. Amazing they both don't have
to Be George, kittle who's like amazing as a pass
catcher and amazing as a run. Blocker but you at

(01:20:35):
least got to be Like Sam laporta level as a,
blocker Or trey McBride like you are even Rock. Bouers
And kinkaid is not like fair like who's also better
than Like Kincaid and It's kinkaid is a willing, blocker
but he's a fluid. Athlete he's, wiry but his frame
and his build doesn't lend itself for him to kind

(01:20:58):
of people move and then and his technique isn't always on,
point and so he can block nickels and he can block,
corners but you'll see him struggle against you, know bigger body,
dbs whether it's a big nickel or a, safety and then.
Linebackers that's not. Happening he's not washing down an edge
like he'll bang a little, bit and he will, try
but you're just not seeing. That and, so like you,
said you've got this piece who should be a matchup

(01:21:22):
nightmare for defenses and should be a dictation piece for
an offense against the. Defense but he's essentially just a
big body wide receiver at this point and you can't
line him up in. Line so at best he's gonna
be that guy who's hipped off the tight end more
of the move or more of the f type of
guy or the adjuster that changes how you can use

(01:21:44):
him where you can use. Him it like my hope
for him this, year and this is LIKE i feel
like it's such an unfair, Thing LIKE i want them
to go get me two tight ends with not knocks and.
HAWES i also Want jumbo at the same time With
Alec anderson on the. Field so it give me be
six offensive linemen and then give me three tight ends

(01:22:04):
on the, field but it's knocks and hawes that are
attached her around the formation or line of. Scrimmage and
then It's Dalton kincaid split out wide as a, Quasix,
like give me more quasi X Dalton kinkaid BECAUSE i
don't think corners have the size even though they have
the athleticism to bang with. Him and if you pick
someone with the, size they're probably not gonna have the.
Athleticism but that's where he needs to live like more.

(01:22:24):
Outside if you bring him close to the, formation you
can run the. Ball, still he's not necessarily a deficiency
or a, vulnerability but he's not adequate yet as a.
Blocker that limits his. Usage and then you tie that
in with Losing Matt, collins who is such an important
piece of their run game last, year especially when they
would go out of eleven or anything with wide, receivers

(01:22:46):
because he was almost like a tight end wide receiver
hybrid and could block a variety of, guys an insert
against a variety of, guys was great on, duo could
function a variety of. Ways my first question is who
fills that role from a receiver, Standpoint is It Keon
coleman you're probably hoping it, Is is It? KINKAID i
would probably Lean coleman Than kincaid as a, blocker which

(01:23:08):
is crazy to. Say what Does palmer function like as a?
Blocker shakir showed pluses as a blocker last, year but
you don't want him living in that type Of Matt collins,
role even if it means you keephim on the. Field
so who fills? That and then to your other point
like who consistently wins on the, Outside LIKE i think
their best hope for it Is, palmer WHICH i don't
know if that's good or, Bad like he hit between

(01:23:30):
the release, package his stem deception and his ability to
win underneath it in the, INTERMEDIATE i think he's their
best chance of being a consistent one on one winner
on the. Outside he's not a, burner he doesn't stretch the.
Field he can get vertical because of his stem deception
in his, Work but it's hard for me to See
Keon coleman making that jump in year two where he's

(01:23:51):
all of a sudden got clean, feet better stem, work
mastered some of the Route tree and his understanding pacing
and gear changes and body. Movement but that's a question
because if they don't have somebody that can win on
the outside and or, vertical teams are gonna do what
The ravens And texans did to them and their back
to back losses earlier in the, year which is, say
you know, what we don't think you have somebody on

(01:24:14):
the outside that could beat, Us so we're just gonna
load the, box play a bunch of single, high and
play a bunch of man because if the balls in
the middle of the, field we don't think you can
beat us outside and, vertical and we know your capped,
itself so we're just gonna load everything in here and
try and stym me the run because we don't think
you have somebody to win on the. Outside and then
that's even worse if a team has good corners or athletic,

(01:24:35):
corners because then it makes it even. HARDER i think
that's a very fair. Question the only thing that makes
me feel better is their offensive line is, good their
run game is, good their formational usage is, good all of.
It between the Players Joe brady and offensive line Coach Aaron,
kromer they work very well. Together SO i think it'll
take a lot to stop the run, game which makes

(01:24:56):
me less concerned about the. Receivers like if this was
twenty twenty one and The bills are gonna come out
and throw it forty times a, game we got a
problem because they're not built for. That BUT i think
the run game helps mitigate. It BUT i do think
it's a, Concern like Because, shakir we know where he,
operates and it's not that true ex it's not, outside
it's not those one on, ones and his role is

(01:25:17):
awesome and it's, valuable and he's awesome and he's. Valuable
but who presents you that one on one, capability that outside,
capability that mismatch creator there or that guy that can't
get you a bucket if teams decided to go single
high to stop the, run who's that guy who can be,
like you know, What i'm one on, one, yo give
me the. BALL i got this. Guy i'm gonna sell

(01:25:38):
up field and put my foot in the ground And
i'm gonna be open on a six yard. Hitch give
me the. Ball or you know, what this guy can't
stay with, Me i'm gonna beat. Him VERTICAL i think
the best HOPE i think Is palmer is It Elijah moore?
Like and the fact that we're asking that is fun
but also.

Speaker 2 (01:25:50):
Scary. Yeah AND i think WHEN i brought up the
do you meet do you have someone on the? Outside
another question THAT i have was that outside is so
important because everybody on the roster right, now outside Of Keon,
coleman is you kind of operate in all the same.
Areas Khalils shakir was thirteenth in routes run over the

(01:26:11):
middle of the. Field that is where he that is
where he. Lives he lives in the screen game yards
after the catch and in the middle of the, field and.

Speaker 1 (01:26:18):
His average up the target was like an inch past
the line of.

Speaker 2 (01:26:21):
Scrimmage, yeah he's Not he's not doing like downfield. Stuff
Curtis samuel is not a downfield. Receiver daltonkinkaid his entire
the entire reason for Having Dalton kinkaid is so you
can isolate matchups in the middle of the field and
then you just like we talked about, earlier you're creating

(01:26:41):
an offense full Of Damar DeRozan's where everybody in the
middle of the field and you just you're making The
you're making the game easier for the. Defense, oh they
don't have any money, outside or it's gonna play single
high flood everybody flood the middle of the field with
defenders forced them to thro with. Outside the reason you
weren't able to force them to throw it outside last

(01:27:03):
year was Because Mac collins was really good in contested catch,
situations because you didn't want to leave corners one on
one with A Mauri. Cooper can Key On coleman do?
That Can Josh palmer become that outside? GUY i think
just having that. Threat it doesn't have to Be Keon
coleman doesn't have to turn Into Julio jones this, Season

(01:27:24):
but if you can just be better in the contested, situations.

Speaker 1 (01:27:29):
Like you, said the defense has to be, like can
we play one on one with that? Guy you just
need them to think, That like that's all you.

Speaker 2 (01:27:37):
Need that's that's the entire reason behind that chess. Match you,
know you want them to. THINK i don't know if
we can leave our corners one on one With Keon
coleman because he's gonna win in that contested catch. SITUATION
i don't know if we can leave our corners one
on one With Josh palmer because he will win in
those contested. Situations you just need somebody on the outside

(01:27:59):
who can just you have a threat on the outside
that'll open up a lot of things for The. Bills
AND i think that's what they were trying to do
with A Marii, cooper But Amari cooper just didn't have
it at that. AGE i don't know If Elizah moore
is gonna do, that Because Elijah moore is like five.
TEN i don't know If Eliza moore is going.

Speaker 1 (01:28:20):
To be, yeah he's more like he's more, like, hey
let's put him in a trip's bunch and put him
in motion and.

Speaker 2 (01:28:25):
Use we have to get him a free. Release we
gotta design that For but the issue there is you
gotta do that For. Khalilski you gotta do that For Curtis,
samuel you gotta do that For Donkey. Kate you see
how you have all these players you have to design
routes for and design free releases for in the middle
of the, field and nobody who is on the outside

(01:28:49):
who can be a reliable. Threat it's really hard to
win that. Way AND i think a team Team Kansas
city had to learn that the hard. Way when you
don't have a reliable threat on the, outside it's tough
to win. Games SO i think they have they have
enough to overcome, it especially With Josh allen Being Josh

(01:29:10):
allen and the run game being uber. Successful BUT i
just wonder when we get down into when we're talking
about we're not just for The. Bills we're not just
talking about like winning The vision at This we're talking
about we like winning The Super. Bowl do they have
a guy when you're playing teams like The, ravens you're
playing teams like The, chiefs you're playing teams like The,
eagles do you have a guy on the outside who

(01:29:32):
you trust in those contested situations against those? Guys do
you have a guy that you think can win against
The ravens. Corners do you have a guy that you
think can win Against philadelphia's? Corners because if, not The
eagles are just gonna do what they did to The,
chiefs just like cover one the entire game and force
and force you to throw it, outside.

Speaker 1 (01:29:52):
Put you in. Help and then you couple that with
a minor thing For Josh allen THAT i think he
needs improvement on his deep ball has suffered the past
couple of, years and some of that is the, receivers
some of that is. Him but if you focus just
on twenty twenty, four So Josh allen on deep throws
of twenty or more air yards out of thirty five

(01:30:13):
QUALIFYING qbs regular season only. Six he was second in
attempts with sixty. Six he was twenty first IN epa per,
dropback sixteenth in TOTAL, epa twenty third in completion rate
over expected at negative one point four, percent and he
was twenty ninth IN qb rating at sixty nine point.

(01:30:34):
Six If i'm an opposing, defense and, again the run
game is still, good they could suck teams in with play.
Action they need to use more play. Action last, YEAR
i know we're talking about an offense with THE mvpqb
that was tremendous AND epa per play and success rate
and all these, things But i'm still maintaining that the
bill is being twenty seventh in play action rate last

(01:30:54):
year at eighteen. Percent with how good their run game,
is that's criminal and, inexcusable and especially with some of
the struggles of the passing. Game you can alleviate so
much of that do's just go a little more play
action and hit some stuff in the. Intermediate we don't
have to push it too. Deep hitter it in the.
Intermediate let's create some easy buttons with play. Action BUT
i Think alan struggles deep the lack of or some

(01:31:15):
questions at the outside receiver. Spot you, KNOW i think
it could potentially get. SCARED i think the receiving room
is good enough to get it. DONE i Think palmer for,
me It's palmer Over coleman to be that. GUY i
really Want coleman to make the. Jump But i'm very
much a known quantity type of. Guy give me the
highest floor, possible and That's palmer Over coleman for me right.

(01:31:36):
Now but, yeah it can get a little scary with
if teams, decide you know, what we got two good
corners on the, outside we're just gonna play cover, one
or we're gonna play single. High we're gonna load the.
Box even if we play cover, three you're still essentially
kind of on the island out. There we can. Trust
we can trust where The. Texans we can Trust stingley
And lassiter to play one on. One, oh what are The.
Ravens we can Trust wiggins And, jy you're on the.

(01:31:57):
Outside or you know, what maybe we play bigger this.
Game we Put Morelin humphrey on the outside and It's
humphrey And Jai year Or humphrey And wiggans and we
can kind of go toda toil that. Way same thing
with The. Chiefs we'll play McDuffie in a variety of, ways, like,
yeah it can get a little, scary.

Speaker 2 (01:32:12):
But brought real. Quick you brought the point With Josh
allen's deep all, accuracy and, AGAIN i just think about
the story that wrote last year with The. Bills chief
suffocation of this is it's ALL i.

Speaker 1 (01:32:27):
KNOW i, know. Dude it's it's following like. Lockstep the
only thing they're not doing is going to the Super
bowl every. Year it's like the, Same they're just following
in their footsteps but not doing the biggest thing of Getting.

Speaker 2 (01:32:39):
We're getting there With, borte we're getting, there but it's
we're still trying. That we're still, trying, Dude.

Speaker 1 (01:32:45):
Dad yet that was Really, yeah that's such a good
way to put. It, yeah well. Done, yeah it's it's
another frustrating aspect for this. Offense and then the injuries,
piece like you mentioned. Too, yeah this hold on the
past couple of. Years, man come play off. Time it's
not just like injuries popping. Up it's like the biggest
guys getting. Injured two years, ago they lose The chiefs at,

(01:33:06):
home but they put up an admiral performance, defensively considering
they had Aj klein starting at, linebacker who was about
to go on a cruise with his family like two
or three weeks, before like literally is packing for a
vacation And sean mcdermal's, like, yoh we need you to
come and play and, start and he. Does No benford
in that, Game no Tell bernard in that, Game Rasseull

(01:33:27):
douglas is playing banged up in that. Game everybody and
their mother was like hurting that game against The chiefs
two years. Ago and then this, Year, Yeah benford gets
knocked out on the first series or the second. Series
milanald's working his way back from. Injury like it just
seems like they pick up these knocks at the worst.
Time and you know, what their defense has performed adverbly

(01:33:48):
in the regular season and in the. PLAYOFFS i think
The bills do a good job of kind of getting
those depth guys up the. Snuff but for a defense
that you, KNOW i did. IT i did an episode
last week on the defensive pillars for The bills defense
going into the, year and who like kind of the
pillars were for this. Defense but you can make the
case that like a lot of the pillars of the
defense aren't necessarily like great players at those positions or at,

(01:34:11):
best they do have question marks around them in terms
of their consistency or their effectiveness or where they rank
amongst their. Peers and SO i do think there's something
to be said to your point of you, know they
don't really have a lot of margin for air with the.
Injuries they've gotten their backups to play at a high floor,
level but the starters matter a lot for the, ceiling

(01:34:31):
especially at the second. Level like you, mentioned Like Dorian
williams played admirably last. Year there's a big difference between
like What Terrell bernard brings and What Matt mlonald brings
versus What Dorian williams. Brings, again If mlana is, healthy
like but he showed flashes last, year and that's also
an interesting piece, Too, right if Like mlonal's healthy And
bernard is, healthy there's a chance you could have one

(01:34:52):
of the better linebacker duos in, Football and If Taron
johnson stays, healthy you have one of the better second
levels in all of. Football but if you got climbing
guards getting to them every other play and punching them
in the face on duo because you can't stop anything up,
front that can be a bit of an. Issue and
then you get If Max harrison goes, down are you
Starting Trey white at? Corner are you Starting Dan? Jackson

(01:35:15):
If taylor Rapper Cole bishop goes, down assuming they win the,
job are you starting De Mar? Hamlin are you Starting Derek?
FORREST i already have, questions questions at the top of
the safety, group let alone start to bring it in
the rotating. Guys or even, Worse benford is so good
in coverage and as a run player in terms of
fit and tackling and. Support what happens If benford goes

(01:35:35):
down again Like benford matters a lot and then or
you know What god forbid, too what happens If Greg
russou gets Hurt like you're one anchor at edge and
one of the better run. Defenders for as much as
they have struggles stopping the run out of light. Boxes
if they didn't Have greg, russo oh my, god like
they would, be it would be so much. Worse he's

(01:35:56):
such a force multiplier against the run and is still
good enough as an edge two is a pass. Rusher
yet it can. Be and, again you can say this
for a lot of, teams BUT i, think especially on
that defensive side of the, ball they are several injuries
from being, like oh uh, oh and then now all
of a, sudden all of your issues are amplified. Further
AND i think it's a good point because we've seen

(01:36:17):
the past couple of years for a team that's largely,
healthy they get hurt going into the playoff, run and
all of those issues in a matchup driven, league in
matchup games in the playoffs get amplified because your top
dudes and your pillars and your most important guys who
aren't replaceable have to be.

Speaker 2 (01:36:36):
Replaced, yeah and it sucks so much for The bills
because unlike baseball and my, basketball this isn't a seven game.
Series this isn't you can't you can't go back out
there and play. Again and with hopes That Matt mulano
is gonna be healthy For game two in the, playoffs
the one game sample, size AND i, think especially for
The bill's, defense that is WHERE i really have most

(01:36:58):
of the questions about their health because if this was
just a one if it was just a one time,
INJURY i wouldn't bring it. Up it would be like
EVERYONE i gets injured in THE. Nfl but because this
happens to The bills every, Year Arren johnson's always missing,
Time Matt milano always missing, Times Rel bernard missing time a.

(01:37:19):
Lot and, then like you said in the safety, room
WHILE i Think Cole bishop can be very good in this,
defense he's coming off an injury and was not very
good last, season.

Speaker 1 (01:37:30):
And he needs a lot of time on. Task like
even if it's even for, him it's not even like
an injury sucks for twenty twenty five because you know
who's the, backup and that also significantly stunts what he
could be in year, Three like he missed a lot
of time last year and he needed that time to
be good for this.

Speaker 2 (01:37:45):
Year so then you're relying On Damar hamlin again and
you find yourself back in the same position as you
were last year with just the team speed at the
safety spot not being up to. Snuff SO i just
from This bill's team specifically that relies so much on
their second level and their safety is being absolutely insane

(01:38:08):
against the, run sacrificing their. Bodies how sustainable is that
when you get to playoff? Time AND i think it
goes back to how you play your. Defense if you
had a bigger run stopping nose that was able to
take a few hits off of that second, level maybe
we won't be having this. Question but you. Don't And

(01:38:29):
Matt mlano always is, out always is missing. Time Can't
you can't have that at this point when you're trying
to win A Super. Bowl Like Matt mlano is, Fantastic,
hi he brings the highest ceiling outside Of, bernardo of any.
Player he's got it to stay healthy and that's the
biggest question for The bill's defense outside of stopping the.

Speaker 1 (01:38:50):
Run, YEAH i think it's very Fair and it's so
funny how even in the injury conversation like they were,
having it comes back to like stopping the run and
like having to fit by asking your safeties to fit
the run from these two high coverage structures that they
want to, do and the pre to post that picture
and just this domino effect It it also excites me because,
like we're back to the meta of football THAT i,

(01:39:13):
like which is, like what what was the joke that
you said at one, Time like, oh like my pronouns
are gaping or our power, Encounter LIKE i just love
that we're getting back to like the run game matters,
again and pushing people around, matters and we're adding gaps
and removing, gaps and the run game is very much
back in. Vogue and it's just interesting, that especially too

(01:39:34):
when you juxtapose it with what The bills offense. Is
right several years, ago The bills were spread them, out
chuck it forty times a, Game Josh allen's gonna pass
for five thousand, yards that's what we're. Doing and then
they move to you know, what the, Chiefsification we're gonna
go with heavier, personnel we're gonna go, condensed and we're
gonna run the. Football it's so funny seeing the offense

(01:39:58):
move with the evolution and the time is a flat
circle piece of, football but the defense. Isn't it's so
interesting especially when the defense was ahead, initially, right like
they Had Tarren johnson and they Had Micah hyde And Jordan,
poyer so they could play all these coverages defend the
pass and the run because they had a nickel who

(01:40:19):
could match against receivers as blockers but also. Cover and
then they had safeties that kind of you, know blurred
the lines between free and strong. Safety and now they're
in a spot where like the safeties are questionable and
it's questionable if they can stop the. Run like they're
not in it feels like they're not in the forefront
of this. Movement they're on the back foot and on

(01:40:39):
the and chasing their tail a little, bit which is
annoying in and of, itself but even more so considering
on the other side of the ball they're falling in
line and again at the forefront of like what better
offense are, Doing like The lions and The rams and
The ravens and The chiefs when they're going go condensed heavier,
personnel use formation and alignment and personnel, groupings dictate matchups

(01:41:01):
and take, advantage bring back the run game move. People
and then on, defense it's, like, no we don't have
to worry about. That it's a just you, do like
you need to be able to defend your own offense
because your offense is where the game is, going but
you haven't built. That BUT i understand it because it
kind of balances out and kind of, works but it
also kind of, doesn't and that pisces me off a.

Speaker 2 (01:41:22):
Lot like job, man it's it's, tough especially when you
put it the way you did with The bills offense
willingly changing the way they play and undergoing a facelift
and what felt like two two and a half years,
maybe but the defense is still, like we're gonna, Try

(01:41:43):
we're gonna keep doing, This we're gonna keep banging our
head against this. Wall personnel, WISE i think schematically they
would be they're fine, schematically it's just they don't have
the bodies to do what they want to do up,
Front like it's tough to stop the run when you're
asking two hundred and ninety pounds At oliver to hold a.

(01:42:03):
Gap that's not what he's support that's not what he's
built to. Do and so you're asking Daikuon jones to do.
That you're Asking Dion walker to do. THAT. Tj sanders
isn't gonna do. That you hope What Dwayne carter does.
That Even Dwayne carter coming out Of duke was more
of a gap. Shooter they we.

Speaker 1 (01:42:18):
Talked we talked To Dwayne carter, too and he they
had him playing at like three hundred and ten plus,
pounds which he didn't really play at a, lot and
you saw him he looked out of place because he's
not a one tech and they had him a this
weight to be able to play one in three and
instead you just got him caught in the, middle not
really being an effective three and not being an effective.
One and then similarly With, sanders reports are like he

(01:42:41):
wants to play or they want him to play around
three to. Ten how much does That his whole game
is penetration and, Juice so how much does that matter
versus when he's playing at two ninety or two ninety
five or three, hundred like ten pounds is a big.
Difference and even, that, like, okay his whole their game
is based on penetration and, shooting then why are you
having them like. Ads it just feels weird the archetypes

(01:43:03):
they go for the changes they're trying to get them to,
make not, deviating but also trying to. Deviate it's like
it's like they're caught in the middle in no man's,
land but they're also doing it to themselves and also
at opposite ends of the, spectrum it's. Weird and then
on top of it, all they continue to find a
way to force fumbles and get interceptions and bail themselves

(01:43:24):
out or create tackles for loss and. STUFFS, i, oh,
yeah it's it's so. Weird and, uh let's you know
WHAT i, said and we streamlined. It we're still at
an hour and forty. TWO i should have, known. BET
i don't even know WHY i, tried because, MAN i
can't imagine IF i actually went with a full list,
myself we'd been here for three, hours we wouldn't be
off the first. Segment we'll break it up in the.

Speaker 2 (01:43:43):
Parts that's.

Speaker 1 (01:43:44):
Fair that's. Fair we'll pivot. Here unless you have anything
else on things that can hold The bills, back anything
else you want to get on the.

Speaker 2 (01:43:50):
HOLSTER i think you hit it on.

Speaker 1 (01:43:51):
That, Okay so now we bring this to the third,
segment the one they got to take that step. Back
the question can be so it could be a simple
yes or. No it could be as brief or as
detailed of an answer as you want it to. Be
do The Buffalo bills finally get over the? Hump in

(01:44:12):
THE afc in twenty twenty, FIVE, jp the floor is?
Yours what do you?

Speaker 2 (01:44:17):
Got oh man UH i. Knows as much AS i
want to, say, Yes i'm still terrified of picking, anybody
but The chiefs like it's there with.

Speaker 1 (01:44:31):
You, MAN i get it.

Speaker 2 (01:44:32):
Again like we talked about earlier in the, show it's
just like every time you feel like you want to
pick Against Kansas, city they completely morphed the way they.
Play they have the highest scoring offense in THE, nfl
the defense, resurges and their back winning A Super bowl.
Again it's just it's tough to beat, them especially if

(01:44:54):
they're going to keep getting home field, advantage and they've
even proven that they don't need homefield to go win
A Super. Bowl they can go To baltimore and win In.
Baltimore they can go Into buffalo and Beat. Buffalo it's
just it's really hard to pick against The, chiefs even
THOUGH i had them third in the power right, now

(01:45:16):
we see because you have again you have the four
greatest trump cards in the. Sport you Have mahomes And,
Reed Chris jones And spags and until somebody in THE
afc goes and beats them in the. Playoffs it's just
tough to choose against anybody.

Speaker 1 (01:45:37):
Else, Yeah i'm unfortunately in a similar. Boat I'M i
feel like The. Bills we've talked about. This my Favorite
Dragon ball character Is, vegeta and UNTIL i See vegeta
be the guy to be like the winner of any,
Saga i'm just not committing to. It The chiefs Are,

(01:45:58):
goku and it's feel at the end of the day
like there was that you, know slight glimmer where you,
Know gohan Beats, south but He's goku's, son so it
still kind of counts LIKE i UNTIL i see a
main saga where it's Not, Goku i'm just always going
to assume, No goku will find a way like it's GONNA.
Nfp even in the cell, Saga goku's, dead but he's

(01:46:22):
finding a way to still Help. Gohan like it's just
until until they show me that it's Not, goku until
The chiefs are dethroned, officially it's so hard for me
and you don't Even, richie thank you very much for
your second super. CHAT i really appreciate. It that's, awesome
and thank you for being here in general. Too richie,
says The chiefs got embarrassed in all caps in The Super.

(01:46:43):
Bowl he, Says i'm not worried this. Year AND i
get that. NOTION i, understand Like man. Did did The
eagles provide a, blueprint WHICH i think a lot of
their blueprint is just having a ton of horses up,
front which is hard to, replicate and some horses on
the back. End but that's a conversation another. Time but
you see The chiefs get, worked and you see That
Joe toney is, gone And Justin reid is, gone And

(01:47:03):
Travis kelce looks slow And mahomes is maybe showing some
cracks in the armor a little, bit and they have
questions at the tackle spot on. Offense AND i understand
this notion completely, that you know, what they're more vulnerable than.
Ever this is the. YEAR i could even See bills
fans being, Like i'm not worried about The, Chiefs i'm
worried About, baltimore you, know or something like. That BUT

(01:47:25):
i JUST i CANNOT i can't get. PAST i think
The ravens are the best team in THE afc and
arguably the best team in. FOOTBALL i think The bills
can beat anybody in THE nfl on any Given sunday
Or monday Or saturday Or, thursday just throwing that out
there to cover all. Bases BUT i just. CAN'T i
can't get past the notion that though The chiefs are

(01:47:45):
gonna come out of THE, afc because they do it
like every frigging year and it's been that way for
like seven years or roughly whatever it's, been until somebody does,
it and it'll be somebody fluky this, year like like you,
said it'll be, like, yeah like The raiders knock them
out in the Wild. Card, somebody like some stupid team
will be the one to dethrone The chiefs and it'll be,
like oh, really after all this, Time but, yeah until

(01:48:07):
until somebody does, It, MAN I i. CAN'T i. CAN'T
i can't get past like thinking that it's going to
Be Kansas city at the end of the day coming
out of THE. AFC i don't want it to. Be
BUT i just to be the. Man you gotta beat the,
man and nobody's beating, him like nobody's taking the neth,
ground nobody's kicked him off the. Throne even when they
look their most, vulnerable like you, said they just put
together some kind of masterclass or just enough to get it.

(01:48:29):
Done and that's so.

Speaker 2 (01:48:31):
Hard and The Dragon BALL z comparison is perfect because
even when even When vegeta gets a new form ulter
ego in the, manga oh, yeah that's. Me it's, amazing,
incredible super. Powerful oh go To goku went beyond ultra.

Speaker 1 (01:48:48):
Instinct oh, yeah But gina did this new. Thing oh
and Then goku practices for two, minutes and, yeah he
went way beyond anyone's ever seen. IT i Hate goku so.

Speaker 2 (01:48:57):
Much you're so, Close you're right, there and it's just
it's just tough to pick anybody. Else and this isn't
saying like anybody else outside The chiefs are not going
to make A Super. Bowl, ever it won't surprise me
if The bill's A ravens man A Super bowl just right,
now you still have to go and beat them In Kansas.

(01:49:22):
CITY i don't know The bills can win The Super
bowl this. Year you just gotta go do. IT i
think that's the biggest thing for The bills right. Now
it is we can see that on, paper they're probably
a better team than The. Chiefs we can see that
in the regular season they have beaten The chiefs multiple.
Times you just gotta go do.

Speaker 1 (01:49:43):
It and even when they lose to them in the,
playoffs it's. Small it's these small margins for error that
do them. In like you're lose by three, points you
lose on the last, possession whether you have the ball
or they have the, ball you're right. There you're not The.
Bills the same thing for The ravens. Too you're not
outclass By Kansas city first graded spags has been and,

(01:50:03):
is and same thing For Andy reid And Chris jones And.
Mahomes you're right, there like you have more than a
puncher's chance to beat. Them they just nobody. Has and
it's like that's just what makes it all the. More
it's not, like, oh, well they're a complete tier. Above
you got no, hope you never had no like you're

(01:50:25):
you're right. There i'm a man all over again thinking of. It's,
yeah IT'S i can't answer this question Because i'm far too.
SUPERSTITIOUS i don't make game, PREDICTIONS i don't make season.
PREDICTIONS i am beyond. Superstitious i'm super. Superstitious but, man
oh we gotta Stop richie. Again thank you so much
for being here for the super. Chat this is. Awesome,

(01:50:46):
richie And richie, SAYS i haven't read this commy yet
Until i'm reading it. Now richie, says do we forget
that their fifteen and two record was? Fraudulent their defense
got them that. Far let's be. Honest the new narrative
will Be buffalo Versus. Baltimore you heard it here. First
The broncos are winning that. Division stay. Tuned but so
here's the, thing right with The Chiefs and they're like
record being. FRAUDULENT i understand, that but also like they

(01:51:08):
put themselves in the for as much as they have
like flukey wins or it's, fraudulent they still put themselves
in the position to win those kind of. Games And
jpu said it, earlier like that's how they. Win they're
comfortable being like we're up by three with two minutes
to go and the other team has the. Ball we'll
figure something. Out, uh we're down by six and we
have the, Ball, okay, Cool we'll go downscore a, touchdown

(01:51:29):
and we'll win by. One the cards just fall in their. Favor,
now do the ref's help out sometimes like they did
against The bengals last?

Speaker 2 (01:51:36):
Year?

Speaker 1 (01:51:37):
Sure, Absolutely but they put themselves in position to win
more often than. Not AND i feel like we've been
making this fraudulent comment about The, chiefs AND i do
think there's some merit to, it BUT i feel like
it's been made for the past like three four, years
and if you continue to make that like it's at
some point it's not, fraudulent like that's just how they,
win and they keep winning that, way like it's just

(01:52:01):
it's just, tough don't and.

Speaker 2 (01:52:03):
Can we can say it's? Fraudulent and then they get
to the playoffs and post like three of their four
highest success RATE epa games of the year in the,
playoffs like we can say that their record in fifteen
and two was. Fraudulent that doesn't matter with The. Chiefs
they could be ten and seven and get to the

(01:52:24):
playoffs is a wild. Card you still have to go beat, Them,
yes you still have to go and do. It and
the problem is the like, again the defense getting them far.
Good that's what a good that's what a good team.
Does great teams find ways to, win and The chiefs
are a great team because they can win in those.

(01:52:46):
Margins they have maximized where everybody else hasn't gone, yet
which is it doesn't matter what's gonna happen between the
first and third. Quarter we have the four biggest big
game trump cards in the. Sport SO i just again
with The. Bills we can say all these nice glowing

(01:53:07):
things About, buffalo we say the nice glowing things about The.
Ravens you have to go do. It you have to
go do it this. Year this is not a, like,
oh we'll get them next. YEAR i mean you still,
can but, like this is. It this is the. Year
if you're gonna try and get, them you gotta go
get them this. Year.

Speaker 1 (01:53:25):
Yeah fair common here in the comments From Saturday cupcakes
saying why do you keep saying nobody has when The
bengals have done? So, yes technically you're, right but also,
yes the one, time that one time out of all
these years that somebody beat The chiefs in the. Playoffs,
yes The bengals did do. That you can't take that
away from. Them but that's one time out of how many. Years, like,

(01:53:45):
SO i get that nobody isn't factually, accurate but on the,
whole The chiefs have been the final boss of THE afc,
unfortunately and.

Speaker 2 (01:53:55):
Even The bengals haven't gotten back because they lost to
The chiefs a year after. That like even when you
get them, once you never you gotta keep you gotta
keep doing. It and until somebody consistently does it in the,
PLAYOFFS i don't, Know Like i'm Still i'm still gonna
Choose Kansas city and even That bengals team that beat,

(01:54:17):
them The chiefs. Team This chiefs team is a completely different.
Team it's completely.

Speaker 1 (01:54:22):
Different so is That bengals team, now like have to completely.

Speaker 2 (01:54:26):
Different so just have to. Click it's just you gotta
go do it. Now this is we can say the nice.
Stuff it's eventually the luck's gonna run, out BUT.

Speaker 1 (01:54:40):
I know it's time like it just. Doesn't And richie,
again thank you so much for the super. CHATS i
really appreciate the how out of year and Be richie,
says you said it. Perfectly and and then this, comment
this is what gets. Me rici, says it's a law
of average slash luck and that stuff will run out
at some. Point, yes calls by the, refs uh maybe,
even but pay attention to The, chiefs uh get them

(01:55:00):
always at critical. TIMES i do you, know think there's
some merit to. That and that's, Fair. Mike i'm a
big believer in like the law of averages regression to the,
mean both positively and. Negatively i've been. Waiting i've been
saying this the last like seven, years and it and
so that's What i'm, Saying Like andrew, says, like how
can you continue to call it luck when it happens every?
Time that's the kind of point That i'm, that, LIKE
i feel like the law of averages don't apply here.

(01:55:22):
Anymore AND i keep waiting similarly on the other side
of it in a positive. WAY i mentioned for The bills,
earlier the law of averages their turnover ability on defense
should stop at some point every YEAR i keep waiting
FOR i keep, saying, like, well the turnovers aren't gonna
be able to be sustained this, year so what are
they going to do? Defensively and it's, like, no there's
still gonna be like top three or top five and

(01:55:42):
takeaways that shouldn't be, sustainable that should be subject to
the law of, averages but it hasn't. Been and it
just that just applies to The chiefs on a grander
scale with their offense and their. Defense and that's WHY i,
think Like i'm always a big believer of. That you,
know the proverbial better lucky than. Good and, yeah it's
like a baseball team that just keeps hitting, bloopers and it's, like,

(01:56:04):
well they're not gonna keep hitting, bloopers but they just
keep hitting. Bloopers they keep not making solid contact and
the ball keeps falling where none of the infielders or
outfielders Are and that's what The chiefs have been doing
for the free, years to the point now where it
makes me think it's not, luck it is it's who they,
are LIKE, jp like you, said it's, there and they
put themselves in those. Positions it's somewhat by. Design, yes

(01:56:27):
they have benefited significantly from several calls throughout the, years
especially in big, moments BUT i think there's something to
be said for The chiefs creating those scenarios and being
able to win out of, them and that is by.
Design AND i think it comes back to that coaching
staff and they're big, players The big.

Speaker 2 (01:56:46):
Four.

Speaker 1 (01:56:46):
MAN i hate The.

Speaker 2 (01:56:48):
CHIEFS i, mean if we just want to take The
Ancy championship game last, year for, example like there were
questionable calls in.

Speaker 1 (01:56:57):
There, Yes Josh allas got the first down on that
snak LIKE i know, you but also you couldn't you
couldn't see the, Ball SO i understand the ref saying,
it but also look where his body is and where
the ball like we think the ball. Was but also but.

Speaker 2 (01:57:09):
Also Patrick mahomes had a point five to TWO epa per.
Play that is. Insane The chiefs had a sixty eight
percent success rate as a passing team in that. Game
like we can, say, like, yeah there was some, luck
there was Some, Yeah Josh allen got that first down

(01:57:31):
at the end of the, Day like that's, Tough like,
yeah you do. It like you can keep saying, like,
oh you're gonna get lucky, Calls you're gonna get, this
that and the. Other at some, point it's just gotta.
Happen if it happens this, YEAR i wouldn't be. Surprised
but again with THE, Afc i'm not picking anybody outside

(01:57:54):
The chiefs until like somebody does it to them.

Speaker 1 (01:57:57):
Again, YEAH i need to see it happen with. Regularity
that's a bit of a load of, question BUT i
think we answered it. Well shout out To richie for
all the super chats and kind of massaging us into this. DIRECTION.
JP i said it to you in THE dm and
WHEN i probably probably drinks it, then and THEN i
probably dnked it earlier in the setup and telling people
how this is going to. Go we ended up essentially

(01:58:18):
going two, hours and then we were chatting offline too,
much and we started about ten minutes. Light so not
only were we passed eleven, o'clock we're running up on two.
Hours so, ONE i apologize for not being a man
of my, word AND i apologize for lying and keeping
you longer THAN i initially. Thought but ALSO i think
you also kind of expected it to some, degree AND
i appreciate you for. That this was. Awesome appreciate the
hell out of. You i'm sure everybody and their mother

(01:58:39):
knows who you are at this, point but in case they,
don't the floor is. Yours tell everybody who you, are
what you, do where they can find your, work, socials,
articles anything and. Everything you're awesome and you do great.
Work the floor is. Yours plug.

Speaker 2 (01:58:53):
Away, well first of, all thank you for the, platform
the opportunity to. TALK i, MEAN i love going two
hours talking ball like that's, Truly LIKE i told you
off the, Stream IF i love talking about, football writing is.
Cool this is WHAT i love to. Do this is
the type of stuff THAT i want to, do and
you are one of the, best most gracious Hosts i've

(01:59:15):
been on with and also extremely knowledgeable about the. Game
so it's always cool just talking with. You but in
terms of where people can find, me you can find
me an. ESPANATION i am a football, writer which means
wherever it's football being, Played i'm probably gonna be there
talking about. It you can follow me On twitter At
acosta thirty two UNDERSCORE jp On Blue, sky you can find.

(01:59:37):
ME i think it's A costa thirty TWO jp No,
underscore and LIKE i, SAID i write an. Espanation we're
ramping up SOME nfl preview. STUFF i have one breakout
player for every. TEAM i will give you a hit
for The bills one it's on defense AND i think
it's on. Defense and Then i'm doing a lot more

(01:59:58):
work on the twenty twenty SIX Nfl, draft ramping up
some more prospects there before the season, starts to get
a good knowledge. Base so just follow me see What
i'm doing to see Where i'm.

Speaker 1 (02:00:07):
GOING i said it in the, INTRO i say throughout the,
episode and, again you folks know Because i've HAD jp
on so much at this, Point, uh just a tremendous
football mind understands is THE xces understands is that's not
proper grammar at, all understands the x's AND os scheme,
structure individual player, evaluation player, responsibilities what good looks like on,

(02:00:28):
assignments and just somebody who you know also has a
GOOD i think heading and shoulders when it comes to you,
know social media presence and how he engages. Like he's
just a tremendous follow on social a great read when
it comes to a lot of football, stuff like just
things you're seeing high high, level but also things that
are going under the, radar scheme, structure putting stuff. Together you,

(02:00:51):
KNOW i MENTIONED i referenced Your. UH i did a
you know to kind of put this all in. Perspective
who as. WELL i did a full episode on what
in after the regular season and ended going into the
playoffs on why the bill should use more, pistol AND
i was doing different stuff on pistol and lo and.
Behold early in the twenty twenty four, season you did
a phenomenal article on you, know the pistol and in

(02:01:12):
being in vogue and why teams should go to. It
so just again and give folks an example of you
know Where JP's mind is that he's a tremendous, read
a tremendous Follow give me your, attention give him some
love and all that. Stuff enjoy what's left of Your tuesday.
NIGHT i appreciate the hell out of. YOU i WILL
dm you after this to sing your praises some more
and thank you even further THAN i already. Have but as,

(02:01:33):
ALWAYS i appreciate The, holidayea this was. Awesome thank you so,
much And i'll see. You want to see you, both
see you. Later tremendous, guest mister. J P, acosta WHO
i kept much longer THAN i should, have but you,
know kind of part of the course. This BUT i
want to grab this other super, Chat. RICHIE i appreciate
the holldi you. Man you're dropping tons of super, chats

(02:01:53):
AND i thank you so. Much richie Says Bill's eagles
Or Bill's rams For Super bowl. Sixty i'm. Too i'm
far too superstitious to comment on. That but you, Know
i'm not even to say. Anything i'm not even gonna
make a facial. THING i like. That but ah my,
GOD i shouldn't have said. Anything i'm so. Stupid Kay,
morrey you thank you very much for saying quality two.

(02:02:13):
HOURS i appreciate. IT i really didn't plan to go this.
LONG i thought it would be more, streamlined BUT i
knew when he jumped in offline at like five or
six minutes before and we started talking about football and
a bunch of different, stuff and then that caused the
stream to start. Late and once that, HAPPENED i was,
like once we actually get talking about, ball it's gonna go.
Longer SO i appreciate you saying. That Kate, Morriy i'm
glad you enjoyed the quality two hours of those of

(02:02:35):
you who. Stayed. OH i like this From connor Saying Bill's.
BUCCANEERS i really like The. BUCCANEERS i watched so Much bucks,
tape AND i Know Liam. Cohen they're, offensive cordated from
last years now In. Jacksonville but, man even With warp's being,
injured THEIR o, Line Bucky, Irring Rashad, White Baker, man
they They Mike, Evans we'll see how Healthy godwin.

Speaker 2 (02:02:53):
Is BUT i like.

Speaker 1 (02:02:54):
McMillan katee otten some fun pieces on. Defense they got
one of my favorite dude des in the draft this past.
Year so There's LaMonte david still kicking around and wrecking.
Shop Antoine winfield is. Sweet. Yeah, OH i appreciate the
kind words from everybody in the. Chat. YEAH i really
didn't plan for this episode to go, long BUT i

(02:03:15):
guess we're starting to ramp up for training camp in
the regular, season SO i guess it makes sense that
we're starting to get in some regular season form in
with this. STUFF i appreciate you, folks everybody who Joined
live who stayed throughout the entirety episode of this. Episode
thank you so. Much also want to give a major
thank you to the sponsor of the, show WHO i
brought up in the beginning of this. Episode One Pie
pizza the best pizza In, Buffalo New. York sweet, sauce

(02:03:39):
pie cup and sharp. Pepperoni if you get different, toppings
they'll chop it up and sprinkle it evenly across the.
Pie they have a pizza that is named after the.
Brand it is called The cover One Alan Goat goat
in reference To Josh, allen but also it's got goat
cheese on it and. DIFFERENT i don't even want to
spoil the. Ingredients it's. Phenomenal the online menu can be
found in the episode show, notes whether you're On YouTube

(02:04:00):
or whichever Podcasting apple platform you're listening to this show. On,
yeah that pizza is the cover One alan, Go but
regardless of whatever pizza or pie you, get they're. Phenomenal
they also do a breakfast. Pie they also have a
catering division Called Elevated catering A. Buffalo their food is.
Phenomenal i've had them cater multiple events throughout the past
couple of years since they brought it. Out just really great.
Food they're really good people making really good. Food they

(02:04:23):
do a lot for the, community different initiatives and drives
With Roswell toys For, tots The Alzheimer's, foundation THE. Spca
they do a lot of good for the city and
the community at, large and also provide tremendous food which
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large in the city Of buffalo as. Well so get
yourself ONE pi. PIZZA i love their. Partnership they're awesome
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(02:04:44):
Again online menu can be found in the episode show,
notes whether here On YouTube or whichever podcasting appra platform
you're listening to this show. On same for the Catering
Division Elevated catering Of. Buffalo i'm going to throw up
the banner that says, toodles, folks because we're going to
start to wind. DOWN i see that comment from, You,
claude AND I i appreciate. IT i LIKE i always,
SAY i feel weird pulling up positive things about, myself
especially Once i'm by myself on the, show because it

(02:05:06):
just feels weird to be, like, oh let me pull
up this comment impact myself on the. Back BUT i
see all the kind words from everybody as rewinding out,
here and as, always they mean a, lot AND i
significantly appreciate them more than you. Know so thank you for, That,
claude and everybody in the chat saying kind. Words major
thank you To richie for your, one, two, three four
five super chats in this. EPISODE i appreciate the hell

(02:05:27):
out of you for. That thank you so, Much, Richie and,
again thank you everybody who rode with me AND jp
live in this episode over two hours on a Random
July tuesday night leading into training. CAMP i appreciate you
folks for tuning in and staying with us for the
majority of this episode or the whole. Episode if you're
not watching live and you're watching later listening, later that's cool.
Too thank you very much for your post live, view, listen,

(02:05:49):
download whatever have. YOU i greatly appreciate. It if you're
here on, YouTube please drop a like on YouTube on this.
Stream likes are the lifeblood of these, videos whether you're
watching live now or watching posts live. Later turn on
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(02:06:09):
listening on one of the Podcasting apster, platforms please rate
and review and subscribe To Disguised. Coverage if you enjoyed the,
show or, me or this channel or this, brand tell your,
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me or hate this, show tell your enemies and try
and make them watch it and ruin their day by
watching something that you think is. Terrible next, Week, tuesday

(02:06:31):
nine Pm eastern will be the next episode Of Disguised.
COVERAGE i will be joined By Joe marino for a
special training camp detailed preview edition of who And what
to watch for And. Why very excited to Have joe
back on the show and being able to speak to
him again AFTER i was On Lockdown bills with him
about a couple weeks. Ago so that's what's coming down

(02:06:52):
the pike for next week's. Episode, also have a very
awesome and big time Guest No, jinks coming out to
the show week before the regular, season so that'll be super.
Fun and, YEAH i hope you and your family and
friends and loved ones are all doing well and staying.
Safe be kind of one, another take care of one.
Another eric AND i will be dropping a Film room episode,

(02:07:15):
tomorrow so keep an eye out for. THAT i will
see you WHEN i see.

Speaker 2 (02:07:19):
You.

Speaker 1 (02:07:19):
GODSPEED i THINK i said On miami, event DIDN'T i
just Say i'm bugging? Out, yeah, Godspeed i'll see WHEN
i see, You and as, always Go bills

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Where the Buffalo Bills rank in the AFC landscape & what might hold them back | DC