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Goal Line: NFC North
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The boys discuss the latest on Deion Sanders and preview the 2025 NFC North
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Transcript
NFC North Preview
00:00:17
Speaker
What is up, goal line listeners? We are back with our final preview of the NFC. NFC
Arlington Tigers Practice Challenges
00:00:23
Speaker
North this week. We are out officially halfway through with the goal line preseason now. Jordan, what's going on, man?
00:00:29
Speaker
Yeah, not too much. We got a preseason football in two days. It is officially here. So, yeah, I'm very excited. and Yeah, man. For Arlington Tigers update, ah the Mother Nature is our fiercest opponent so far, man. You know, we finally got in full pads last week, had some solid momentum going into the week.
00:00:47
Speaker
ah latin yeah know Just a brutal, oppressive heat wave across really most of the the middle part of the country, but it's really hitting us hard here in the southwest corner of Tennessee. Yesterday, we had the boys out there, but couldn't put on helmets or or shoulder pads. And then today, we just canceled it, man. It was going to be even hotter today.
00:01:05
Speaker
You know, it's it's seven and eight-year-olds, man. like So their attention spans are already kind of flaky to begin with. You don't end fighting against the heat and have to take water breaks every 10 minutes. It's just ah it's a little rough, man. so So, yeah, we hopefully we'll be able to get back at it tomorrow. we're go You know, it's to be a nice crisp, like 91 degrees tomorrow on instead of 98. So I think we should be able to get a good practice in.
00:01:26
Speaker
Dude, it feels like here the last couple of days has been above 110 every day. Yeah. Yeah, i get it. But it's got to cool down here. It's actually supposed to rain like four to six inches overnight tonight. So it's only supposed to be 80 here tomorrow.
00:01:39
Speaker
Can't wait.
Preseason Football Excitement
00:01:40
Speaker
Nice, dude. Yeah, we're a free game. We're 24 days away, man. Three weeks from Saturday, we have our first game, dude. So hopefully we don't have to cancel too much more because we definitely need to practice to get ready for it. But it's going to be fun.
00:01:51
Speaker
um Dude, so this is, you know we're going to be recording the SummerSlam preview tomorrow
Loss of Hogan & WGN Nostalgia
00:01:57
Speaker
on night. But this is the first time we've been on the airwaves since we lost the real American Hulk Hogan. You think we need to observe a quick little moment of silence and in respects to the the big Hulkster? We got to do two moments of silence because last night Ryan Sandberg died. It was...
00:02:10
Speaker
Probably my favorite Cub ever. i don't write out man i don't know what you're laughing about. I'm being dead serious. No, I'm dead serious, Brian. That's a nostalgia blast, man. i think he's not I don't think he's really a household name for a ton of sports fans.
00:02:23
Speaker
I remember him big time, dude, just from ah watching the Cubs games on WGN back in the Anybody that's our age, that's a household name. Every time you came home from school, the Cubs were on WGN. like Anybody that's our age knows who Ryan Sandberg is. i I can assure you of that.
00:02:38
Speaker
I don't know, dude. I think there's a lot. I think I all do respect to Ryan Sandberg, man. i think I think your Midwest bias is coming out a a little bit, man. I did not hear one person at work today and I have worked with a ton of sports fans. you Not one person mentioned Ryan Sandberg passing. Sounds like a bunch of shitty fucking coworkers to me.
00:02:57
Speaker
Either way. Yeah, dude. The for people our age, man, the Cubs on WGN and the Braves on TBS, dude, they were just automatically like the two most popular teams because they were both so accessible when we were kids.
00:03:08
Speaker
Yeah, it's pretty depressing, man. This has not been a ah great week for sports fans, we'll say that. Did the Cubs still come on WGN? WGN's not even a thing anymore, man.
00:03:20
Speaker
Really, dude? Wow, man. What what happened to WGN? Because it was it was owned by the Tribune, and the Tribune just does not make money anymore. So, yeah, it just all folded together.
00:03:32
Speaker
Yeah, WGN hasn't been a thing in a long time. The Cubs play on Marquee Sports Network now. It's their own sports network. Well, again, shows how much I've been keeping up with ah the Midwest pop culture, man.
00:03:44
Speaker
I did not know that WGN wasn't a thing anymore. Dude, I used to watch Bozo and the Mornings, man, on there, and then the Cubs games. Always had some fire-ass reruns on like the syndications and stuff, man. Hey, let me see when the last broadcast of WGN was.
00:03:58
Speaker
Yeah. Harry Carey singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game in the seventh inning stretch. WGN America ceased to exist in its previous form on March 1st of 2021. Okay. So ain that ain't that long ago, dude. Four years. Cubs haven't been playing on there in a long time. I mean, the Cubs haven't been on WGN in really long time.
00:04:17
Speaker
I suppose Braves aren't on TBS anymore either? They are not. Yeah, dude, I am. I could not be more out of touch with baseball, dude. I think is Mike Trout still a baseball player? He is. There you go. You know one.
00:04:30
Speaker
I think I know Mike Trout and Otani, right? Otani is the guy for the Dolphins. That's or the Dodgers. No, he did. He leave the Dodgers go the Angels or vice versa. He let the Angels went to the Dodgers. There you go. You got it.
00:04:42
Speaker
Yeah, he was like, did you hear that Brendan Fraser movie? The Scout? Yeah, that's a great movie. Yeah, that's Shohei Otani is the real life Brendan Fraser, man. Yeah, that movie. um But yeah, so obviously, you know, salute to Hulk Hogan.
00:04:56
Speaker
we We'll do a brief retrospective tomorrow on the Chick-fil-A show. And now I think me and Jordan are going do a big deep dive into all things Hulkamania here in a couple of weeks. Once the let the dust sell a little bit, you know, the they let the emotions cool down a little bit. where We can really take an objective look at just the massive impact and just presence that this guy was for really for for wrestling fans, but really for just about anybody that's kind of our age. Yeah.
00:05:20
Speaker
Let's get back to the gridiron, though, man. You ready to hit it? Let's do it. all right, so this week we are doing the NFC North. I think this division is right there with
Deion Sanders' Health & Coaching Plans
00:05:28
Speaker
the NFC East. Hold hold on, hold on. We got to start with the other thing. It's even in the notes for you to read. and We got to start i'm talking about Deion. I'm going off the dome right now, man. got to start talking about Deion first.
00:05:38
Speaker
Oh, yeah. So first off, yeah, but we'll we'll kick it off in the college ranks. um Deion Sanders, you know... Full disclosure, dude, I was fully expecting this to be, i don't know cop-out's the right word about that. We going to kind of see Deion kind of slink off from the spotlight. We heard over the weekend he going to be doing a press conference with his medical team. We know he's had really limited involvement over the spring and summer.
00:05:59
Speaker
I think that you couldn't help it, man. I don't think it makes us bad people that we were speculating that Deion's probably announcing that he's stepping away. from Colorado. It turns out he had a cancer that, you know, he was treating bladder cancer. It's that, you know, that's one of the bad ones, man.
00:06:12
Speaker
Um, he's got treated for it and is apparently cured now and plans to coach out the 2025 season. So just, you know, I, I think there's ah a 0.001% chance this ever makes it to Dion's ear holes, but I do want to just apologize for even doubting him, man. Dion's a champ should have known better.
00:06:27
Speaker
ah And yeah, much respect to him, dude. Hopefully he's back. He's able to take Colorado to whatever the top of their potential is this season. Yeah, I fully expected we were getting an Urban Meyer situation yesterday, and he was going to be like, my heart hurts too much, man.
00:06:41
Speaker
It's just too much on me. But yeah, dude, nothing to joke about about cancer and stuff like that. And his entire bladder removed. So yeah, man. insane.
00:06:52
Speaker
But yeah, wish him nothing but luck this season. lesli put Unless they play Nebraska or Tennessee, then hope they get their asses kicked. Yeah, man. Dion, dude, you really got to go back and if you if you weren't watching back in the 90s, dude, just could look up some Dion highlight tapes, man. Like I know now for the most part, he's known as being a loud mouth on sports TV and then for the just the bombasticness of his head coaching career across Jackson State and then Colorado. But dude,
00:07:18
Speaker
This guy was absolutely electrifying, man. One of the true, like, you there was nobody else like him on the field um when he was back there returning punts and stuff. And just the ability to to straight up blank. yeah He basically erased his side of the field in coverage as a quarterback.
00:07:33
Speaker
So, yeah, look up some Deion highlights, man. Florida State, Atlanta, San Francisco, Dallas. Even had a couple highlights there in the late era there with the Redskins and the Ravens, man. Just to absolutely, just so, one of the most entertaining players I ever remember watching. Yeah, I mean, he's the reason I'm a Falcons fan. So, yeah, I agree with everything you just said.
00:07:53
Speaker
Yeah, man. He was the reason I wore number two in high school, man. I want to be like Dion FSU. He was just a man. So salute to Dion. um I don't got the notes in front me right now, man, because like I said, I'm kind of going off the dome on this one. Do we have anything else before we dive into the division preview? We do not.
00:08:09
Speaker
right, so let's kick it off. I got got my Jordan's format in front of me. Salute to Jordan too, man. I've been so slammed between work and coaching the team. Jordan's kind of taken over the production side of things, putting together some awesome formats for us on the show. So want to give some props to my main man. Starting off with Chicago, really weird season last year, man. Um,
00:08:26
Speaker
They went five and twelve I feel like they should have been better than that, man. um you know It started off the season with a little bit of promise, and it just fell apart quickly and got ugly. Some absolutely bizarre coaching slash you know clock management things at times.
00:08:42
Speaker
Caleb Williams had a weird a weird year. you know It wasn't an outright failure, but just did not he was good he got outshined so badly by Jaden Daniels there in Washington. And Bo Nicks. And Bo Nicks.
00:08:53
Speaker
but that and bowneck Yeah, and Bo Nix, too. Yeah, Bo Nix, you know, kind of quietly put together a hell of a rookie season out there in Denver. um But 3-7 in one-score games. These guys were 28th in offense, 13th on defense. So the defense was pretty solid, man. The defense was definitely competitive, but the offense was just really, really bad.
00:09:11
Speaker
Was last year's success? I say no, man. I don't think, because I think you came away with just as many questions as we had answers about Caleb Williams, and ultimately it led to the head coach getting fired, dude. so and And I think this team definitely underperformed, man. I think there were eight or nine wins to be had last season, and they come away at five and twelve I would like to point out this team was four and two at one point and then railed off 10 straight losses. So, yeah, not good.
00:09:37
Speaker
They ended this. They were four and two and had they had the commanders on ropes there, man. Literally one play away from being five and two with a win over the commanders. Yeah. you know They lose on that incredible Hail Mary, and it seemed like it seemed like that just kicked off a tailspin, man. I think that 4-2 was a little bit of a mirage. Week one, that Titans should have beat them, man. Titans had them beat, and just Will Levis just went into full self-destruct mode that game.
00:09:59
Speaker
um Yeah, but like you said, regardless if it was a fluke or not, to start off 4-2 and then win one of your last 11 games, that's not the direction you want to be going into. Yeah, and I mean, yeah, there were 4-2 coming off a bye weekend being the Jags in London, and then went to Washington.
00:10:15
Speaker
and allowed that. I still don't understand how that guy's on the team after that play. Like I'll never understand that. Like the ball is snapped and he's still like talking to the crowd. and The fans are really telling him, dude. That's what our, the parents got to do with the kids on the the six U team last year, man. You got to get the parents involved in the coaching. That's how the fans were. You turn around, turn around.
00:10:36
Speaker
Yeah. I, and They did have a lot of bad luck, but I mean, you can't put all this on coaching. I mean, they seriously lost 10 straight games. Like some of that's on the players. ah At some point you got to look within and take some ah pride in yourself. And they had none for basically 10 straight weeks. So yeah, not a good look. And yeah,
Chicago Bears' New Coach Hopes
00:10:56
Speaker
definitely not a success for them. I mean, that's not the season that Bears fans were hoping for and Dude, after all the shit that we heard in the offseason last year, we've never had a rookie quarterback come into a better situation, all this shit.
00:11:11
Speaker
And then the season ends and all I heard was excuses of why he didn't succeed and all this stuff. And it's just like, dude, how do you guys go from preseason telling us, oh, man, this guy's going to light the world on fire. He's going the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history.
00:11:27
Speaker
and then you end the season with, oh, man, it's not his fault. It's like, dude, at some point somebody's got to take some blame for this. The numbers don't look that bad, man. You know, he ended up with 20 touchdowns, six interceptions. But if you watch the games, man, it, it just seemed uninspiring to you. Like I'm, I'm kind of looking at his stats from last season right now and I'm, I'm surprised the stats look as good as they do.
00:11:51
Speaker
ah Yeah, I don't know, man. Was we just was not it was not a very inspiring performance at all from the Bears last year. They hired Ben Johnson, probably, you know, the pick of the litter from this year's crop of coaching candidates coming over from a highly successful tenure as offense coordinator for the Lions. What do you think of that hire, man? Does this instantly give some juice to that offense?
00:12:12
Speaker
I mean, he's definitely going to be the best offensive mind they've had in a long time. So as much as I want to say yes, it absolutely will. You just never know with first time head coach, man. if You just don't know what you're going to get. I mean, sometimes you think these guys are going to be like the the best thing ever and they come out and they just fall flat on their face.
00:12:34
Speaker
I'm going to say this. I think a lot of the reason, and I'm to say this for both coordinators that left Detroit, i think a lot of the reason those guys were successful is because they had Dan Campbell over both of them.
00:12:44
Speaker
Dan Campbell is an excellent head coach. I don't think anybody would argue that point. And I really do think they set up a really good structure in Detroit. Chicago is the exact opposite of a like competent front office. So don't know, man. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt, but the Bears have given me no reason to believe that this is going to be like the turnaround and that this guy going definitely succeed. So I'm hesitant to say yes to that. And, you know, dude, I think they got a weird mix of, um,
00:13:17
Speaker
They got a weird mix of veterans and young players on this team, too, man. Like they've they've gone out and spent money in free agency the last few years, but they've also been picking high in the draft. Just kind of a weird blend. They're not a young team. I got it right here. They're the 18th. They're only the 18th youngest team in the league. So the kind of, you know, you feel like that rookie QB, you want to kind of have some young explosive guys around them. But the the roster skews a little bit older.
00:13:39
Speaker
they went They got Joe Thune from the the Chiefs and picked up Grady ah grady Jarrett from the Falcons. So some high-profile additions on both sides of the ball this offseason. But I don't know man. I'm still not seeing a lot there, dude. What's your overall outlook for these guys for next season, Jordan? They picked up Drew Dahlman, too, who was the Falcons center. And he's good, but like what he got paid, i just I knew the Falcons were not going to pay it.
00:14:04
Speaker
I mean, their offensive line cannot be worse than it was last year. I think that's pretty obvious. The one thing I will say, when the Chiefs are ready to give up on somebody and he give them to somebody else, it generally means you're probably at the end of your rope because the Chiefs know what they're doing. I mean, look, when they tried Tyreek Hill, we were like, what are these guys doing?
00:14:24
Speaker
I don't know if anyone's checked. Tyreek Hill hasn't won a thing since he left Kansas City. Kansas City's won two Super Bowls, so... I don't know, man. If the Chiefs were willing to just give up on him, i don't know what he's got left in the tank. We'll see.
00:14:39
Speaker
i think they're better than last year, and I do think Ben Johnson is a little bit of a successful coach, but... I think people talking about them winning 11 and 12 games are sadly mistaken. I don't think they're going that good. and Dude, it's just they got such a tough road ahead of them, man. The other three, any all three of the other teams in this division could, you know, to varying degrees could could represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, man. Like they're all three, at least on the list. um Obviously, some a little bit higher up than others, man. But it's just an absolutely they they got six brutal games off the jump just to get out of their division. Yeah, they could easily get swept in those six games and nobody would be surprised.
00:15:18
Speaker
I don't think I'm – you know, obviously we got to see what they look like these first couple weeks. Right now, I wouldn't put money on the Bears to win any of these division games. Obviously, they can. They're going to be in the mix. I think this team going to be competitive this season. But I don't think I would straight up put money on them to win any of their six division games. Dude, their first two games are Minnesota at home and then at Detroit. That's what they start with this season. So, we're going find out right away if they're serious or not.
00:15:40
Speaker
And then also within the first eight weeks, they got to go to Baltimore and Cincinnati and Washington. So – We're going to find out really fast if this team's actually going to be good or not. and Overall, I'm saying these guys do show some improvement, but I still don't think they sniff the playoffs. so Yeah, I think they win eight games is what i'm what I'm going to say. I think I might even be a little high there. i just I think they are going to be better, and I think Ben Johnson's going to help them a lot, but That division is really, really tough. And the NFC, for as much as everybody talks shit on the NFC, the NFC's got some really good teams in it. Yeah.
00:16:18
Speaker
Yeah, I think they're a little top heavy. i don't think there's I don't think there's a solid middle class in the NFC, but the the top teams can can go, man. like they There's some real powerhouses there in the NFC. yeah ah Let's move on up north
Packers' Analysis and Expectations
00:16:30
Speaker
just a little bit. We'll go up to Green Bay, man. So the Packers went 11-6 last year.
00:16:34
Speaker
um That's coming off a 9-8 season the year before where they finished really strong. These guys were 5-5 in one score game, so about a coin flip. I did. Looking at their individual rankings, they almost seems like they underperformed a little bit. These guys were eighth in offense, sixth on defense was last year's success. i don't know. It's hard to say that, you know, the year before they won a playoff game on the road, they went and kicked the shit out of Dallas. And then they gave San Francisco ah team that almost won the Superbowl. They gave them everything they could handle in the divisional round.
00:17:02
Speaker
um Last year, they go one and done. They go into Philly. um You know, I i still will stand by dude. They got absolutely robbed on that. can't remember. Was it an onside kick? or No, it was just a fumbled kickoff. They got absolutely robbed on that fumbled kickoff on the the opening play of the game.
00:17:19
Speaker
but But regardless, you know, kind of kind of got beat up a little bit against Philly. I think the big story last year Jordan Love was never really healthy, man. He got hurt the first game of the season, and I'm not sure if he was 100% the rest the way. He definitely was not. And I mean, their entire team rests on whether or not he's good and obviously healthy. So, yeah, last season for them, I mean, looking at their offensive categories, mean, they're eighth in offense and sixth in defense. Like 11 and six does not seem like a great season when you're that high up on both offense defense. And yeah, it's just it's not good.
00:17:54
Speaker
Yeah, they, you know, the year before, so numbers wise, he went from 2023, he throws for 4,100 yards, 32 touchdowns, 11 picks. Last year was down to 3,300 yards, 25 TDs, 11 picks.
00:18:07
Speaker
That first year though, really, you know, it's kind of skewed, man. Like he, he, he was kind of up and down the first half of the season. The second half of 2023, he was a straight out MVP candidate, man. Dude was balling out of his mind. That's how he secured the bag, got that huge contract from the Packers.
00:18:21
Speaker
Um, But yeah, so and they lost some key players, man. They definitely they lost some talent this offseason with Jair Alexander, you know, their star cornerback. I think he had some attitude issues in the locker room. They finally got rid of him and Baltimore immediately signed him up, man. And, you know, it used to be like this with the Patriots. Now I think Baltimore and like Casey or those teams like you mentioned earlier, if if you see your team ah release somebody and then all of a sudden, you know, Baltimore or the Casey's of the world are snapping them up.
00:18:48
Speaker
It's like that's when you you're like, oh, shit, we probably let guy let go of this guy too soon. You remember the the funniest thing, too, is me, you and your brother were playing Fortnite that night, and that was the day they released him. And I was like, dude's got Raven written all over him. And your brother's like, ah, he can't stay healthy anyway. I bet that dude plays 16 games this year.
00:19:05
Speaker
Yeah, dude. Yeah. And I'm sure going to ball out, dude. Honestly, I would not be surprised if he has a straight up all pro season for Baltimore. It would not surprise me at all if he was a first team all pro this season on that defense.
00:19:18
Speaker
Yeah, so last year, I think a little bit of a wash. Obviously, they didn't improve on 2023, but I think they definitely built on it. think they got something solid going, but du this year, like you nailed it, bro. I think it's all on Jordan Love. I think this you know it's his third year as a starter.
00:19:33
Speaker
Training wheels are off. you know any Any limitations on the expectations, those are gone. i think they're expecting this guy to put together an MVP caliber season and and take him as far as his right arm will take him.
00:19:44
Speaker
I mean, clearly, they drafted a wide receiver in the first round for the first time in, what, 20 years when they picked Matthew Golden? like Clearly, they have all the faith in the world in Jordan Love. and i mean, dude... I'll never understand how this franchise is as successful as they are, the way they've drafted receivers and put skill position guys on the field. like It's just absolutely wild to me that they did never drafted one for Rodgers, and now we're in the third year of love, and they finally drafted a receiver in the first round.
00:20:14
Speaker
And I get it. Dude, you could find value in the second, third round. I'm not saying that, but at some point, you need a top-of-the-line guy. Yeah, they got Devontae Adams in the second or third round, whatever it was, but...
00:20:25
Speaker
Like, dude, at some point you've got to take a swing at a top-of-the-line guy. I'll tell you what, dude. Matt LaFleur going into his seventh year as their head coach, he's had a hell of a run, man. It has been nothing but freaking success. That 2022 season, Aaron Rodgers last year, you know, they went 8-9, lost in the season finale when they could have made the playoffs and probably made a little bit of a run.
00:20:44
Speaker
Dude, he's he's a hell of a head coach, man. He is. He's a really good head coach. I think he gets overshadowed a little bit just because as much success as they've had, they haven't had a whole lot in the playoffs since he got there. So I think that overshadows it, especially for Green Bay fans. But yeah, a fantastic coach.
00:21:02
Speaker
He's in the same division with Dan Campbell, who's just he's made for TV. You know what mean? All the raw emotion and the sound bites he gives. Like, dude, you're always to be overshadowed by Dan Campbell as if he's coaching in your division. Dude, look at their division now with head coaches. You got Kevin O'Connell, who seems like a pretty likable guy. Great offensive mind.
00:21:19
Speaker
Dan Campbell, as you just mentioned. Now they've got Ben Johnson and Matt LaFleur. Like, that's a really good stable of head coaches. Yeah, dude. To me, the the big limit on the Packers this year is but kind of like i mentioned with the Bears, just the division, man. i I don't see them winning this division. I i i just don't. Yeah, don't either. Because I think they're going to be a little bit up and down with some of the losses on defense. Yeah.
00:21:43
Speaker
I think they're going to be in the playoffs, man. i think they're going to kind of like, you know, I do think they're on the list, man. I could see a world. They're probably close to the bottom of the list, but I do think they're a true blue contender to to win the NFC this year.
00:21:56
Speaker
But obviously they're going need some breaks. They're going need to be they're going get hot and catch a couple of breaks. Cause I don't see them. I don't think there's running through Lambeau. I'll put it that way. But I do think this team, if everything breaks, right, they could potentially go on, on a really deep playoff run this year. Yeah, I agree with you. i just, I think their defense is going to be, have a lot of struggles and i think that's, what's going to hold them back eventually. Um, dude. And I mean, you you line them up against the Eagles. i just, I don't see it, man. I just don't, like you said, everything would have to break their way for them to win that game. And I It needs to be like that game against Dallas two years ago, man. Game plan's got to be on point, and you go out and just execute the hell out of it Because, yeah, i think there're I don't think they quite got the dogs to hang with some of the best in the NFC.
00:22:39
Speaker
um But, you know, quarterback like Jordan Love, dude, he if he gets hot, he's as good as anybody in the league. Yeah, I agree. But, yeah, I kind of see them. I think they're in the playoffs as a wild card, and we'll see how it goes. i definitely If my team is hosting, I'm not excited to see the Packers come to town. That's for sure. Yeah, I agree.
00:22:56
Speaker
All right, so let's go the two big dogs, man. Arguably the two best regular season teams in the NFC last year. We got, we'll start with the
Vikings' Season & McCarthy's Potential
00:23:04
Speaker
Vikings. So we had the big game. They made it all the way to the season finale going against the Lions. Now the crazy thing is, man, both these teams dominated in the NFC last year just to go one and done.
00:23:13
Speaker
The Vikings had a crazy, crazy 14 and three season. That's after losing Kirk Cousins to free agency. Then the the starter in waiting, J.J. McCarthy, top draft pick.
00:23:24
Speaker
He goes down in the preseason. Castaway, Sam Darnold comes in and just balls out for most of the season, leading them 14-3. They did go in one-score games. That can't be overlooked, man. 9-1 in one-score games. and You know, the year before with Kirk Cousins, they were crazy in one-score games as well.
00:23:39
Speaker
Bro, I think that's just – Excuse me, it was two years I think that's just Kevin O'Connell's coaching style. dude They just yeah play close games, man. It's just what they're going always do. Again, to illustrate just how dominant and how just top-heavy the NFC North was last year, these guys were ninth in offense, fifth in defense. So you remember the Packers, they were top ten in both categories also. So just an absolutely tremendous concentration of power there in the NFC North.
00:24:03
Speaker
Was last year success? Obviously, it it was a ah major bummer going out one and done in the playoffs. But I still think – I don't think you can call this one anything but a ah huge success for the Vikings last year. Absolutely smashed all expectations.
00:24:16
Speaker
And I think that, you know, the future is looking very bright in Minnesota. Bro, they went 14-3 and Sam Darnold was an MVP frontrunner through like 13 weeks. Like, yeah if you if you're telling me the Vikings had higher expectations than this last season, agreed, it was a bummer that they went one and done in the playoffs. But, dude, if you if you would have told somebody before the season the Vikings are going 14-3 and a Vikings fan would have been like, oh, that's disappointing. Like, no, of course they're going to take this. Like, it was a great season for them last year.
00:24:47
Speaker
Yeah, and you know they got knocked out in the Rams when they had done the playoffs, but the Rams were a damn tough team, dude. The Rams were much tougher than their record would have showed you coming to the playoffs. So I don't think it's a lot of shame and that you know they just kind of ran into a buzzsaw there in that one. The Sam Darnold magic really ran out by the time January rolled around.
00:25:05
Speaker
But dude, have you been have you been clocking any of these like the reports and the highlights and stuff with J.J. McCarthy at a training camp? bro i try not to I'm expecting big things. Everybody knows i'm ah I'm a sucker for a good quarterback dude or some good quarterback you know some good quarterback clips.
00:25:20
Speaker
He looks like the real deal though, man. The only thing is though, I do this every single year without with at least one team. I watch all these training camp highlights and stuff and I'm like, oh yeah, this dude's going the real deal.
00:25:32
Speaker
end up picking him high in fantasy and then he absolutely just shits the bed. Yeah. When the real bullets start flying. And we said it at the top, they were nine and one on one score games. I think they were about the same the year before that. Like, dude, those are coin flip games. And if they go the wrong way and you're going to rookie quarterback out there and he's going to make some mistakes, even if he's good. yeah.
00:25:53
Speaker
I don't know, man. I don't know how to – I don't see how they improve on Yeah, I agree, man. I don't think they're going 14-3 again. I see these guys probably – we'll go and start doing the outlook. I see them dropping down to probably right around 11 wins, maybe 12 if they keep the luck going in the one-score games. I wouldn't be surprised they go I do think these guys are in the playoffs again, man. This is tremendously talented team. I'm with you. I think Kevin O'Connell – ah ah you know He doesn't get all the pub either because he's a pretty quiet guy, dude, but I think this guy is a badass coach, man. I think he's a really, really good football coach.
00:26:27
Speaker
um Gets the most out of his guys. The guys seem to really like playing in Minnesota. And I'm a believer in what I've seen at JJ McCarthy. Again, we got to see what it looks like when the real bullets start flying. But last time we saw this guy kind of football field, all he was doing was going out and winning a national championship. He's from the school of Harbaugh, right? So, you know, he he knows to protect the ball, avoid mistakes.
00:26:47
Speaker
He's got all the talent a guy could want to have at his disposal, especially for, you know, like yeah let's call it what it is. This is really his rookie season. He's going into. ah Yeah, I'm sky high on this.
00:27:00
Speaker
on the Vikings, man. And I, I think that they definitely got a chance. If, if the, if the commanders or the Eagles, um you know, come limping out of the regular season, I would not be shocked at all to see the Vikings go all the way to the Superbowl out the NFC. Dude. And the crazy thing is they really shored up their offensive line, which was a problem at the end of last year. I know they picked up a couple of guys in free agency and they drafted the alignment out of Ohio state.
00:27:25
Speaker
I, Yeah, man, i I'm with you. Like, dude, their offense is absolutely loaded. I mean, they got Aaron Jones. They traded for Jordan Mason. They got Hawkinson still. They got Jordan Addison. They got Jay Jettas. I mean, like, yeah, think about that. remember You mean you listen off six guys.
00:27:42
Speaker
They were all killers before you hit the best wide receiver in football. I said JJ. They're freaking loaded, man. Yeah. I mean, that's my point is like last season when, when the bears were coming into the season, they were like, Oh, there's never been a quarterback or a rookie quarterback in a better situation.
00:28:00
Speaker
I think this is already one like, cause yeah he's a rookie this year, no matter what anything says, like he's a rookie going into this year. And this is by far a better situation. Like he has the best wide receiver in football or arguably the best wide receiver in football. I mean Yeah, and he's got a defense to go along with it. So I don't think he's going to have a ton of pressure on him, man.
00:28:19
Speaker
um Yeah, to me, sky's the limit, man. i think these i think these guys, to me, I have them number three in the NFC behind the commanders and the Eagles for my most likely teams to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
00:28:31
Speaker
Yeah, I could see it. I mean, yeah, 11-12 wins is completely possible with this team. right, and let's go last, man. Heartbreak City from last year, man. I think that though these guys and the the Bills, that their fan bases are leading way for the most heartbreak last couple of years.
Lions' Challenges After Strong Season
00:28:48
Speaker
You know, the Lions, year before, they have the NFC Championship in the bag, and Dan Campbell just basically gambles away a trip to the Super Bowl when they were playing really good ball. Last year, they really dominated, man. These guys were the number one ah offense in the league.
00:29:02
Speaker
Number seven defense, seven and two and one score games, just absolute chainsaw of a team, man. Like these guys really just kick some serious ass in the regular season. I think they lost Vikings and the bills, right? That's the two games that the two teams they lost to in the regular season. The game was unreal.
00:29:21
Speaker
Yeah. All time of a game. Uh, But then, dude, they just, it was a bad matchup. It was a bad matchup coming into it, and they just had a really bad night, man. I think you play that game against the Commanders 10 times, I think the Lions probably win seven or eight of them, dude. But they just had a really, really bad night on a Saturday night in primetime.
00:29:42
Speaker
And the commanders took advantage, man. The commanders came out ready to play. You could you could you could almost feel like that burden of expectations on the Lions after the letdown in the NFC Championship the year before and just how great the season had been. It it was really Super Bowl or bust.
00:29:57
Speaker
And you had a team coming in that have had absolutely nothing to lose. They played like it. They played light. And it wasn't that close, man. I think the final score was something like 42 to 30, something like that. But it did not seem that close. The commanders were in complete control of the entire game.
00:30:09
Speaker
Yeah. I think there's going to be some hangover from that, man. i don't know, you know, because you started all the way back at over at 0-0 after that. Yeah. I don't know, man. it I think at best, I think this offseason was kind of a wash. I don't think they took any giant steps forward in this offseason.
00:30:26
Speaker
If anything, they kind of stayed stagnant. They lost both coordinators. So I don't know, man. The the Lions are still definitely going to be in the mix. Still going to be a damn good team. But I'm not sure exactly what the the ceiling is for them in 2025.
00:30:39
Speaker
Two notes. We said they lost to Minnesota and Buffalo. They lost to Tampa in week two and Buffalo in week 15. Got it. Okay. Also, You are quickly forgetting the Lions jumped out 7-0 in that game, and it looked like they were going to be in complete control of that game because it was seven three Lions going into the second quarter.
00:31:00
Speaker
And then I don't remember exactly everything that happened in this little stretch from like seven minutes to 525. five twenty five Well, obviously, I know what happened. I'm reading it right here.
00:31:11
Speaker
ah Terry McLaurin caught a 58-yard touchdown pass from Jaden to make it 17-14. And then that's when Goff threw that pick six was right after that to make it twenty four four And remember, he got hit on that pick six, and it looked like he have got dinged up, dude. I'm, you know...
00:31:28
Speaker
you know yeah Obviously, you don't want to speculate too much about concussions, but I'm not sure if he was right the rest of the game after that pick six. The craziest thing, and I'm with you, I thought that the Commanders dominated this whole game. It was 31-28 going into the fourth quarter was the was the lead for Washington.
00:31:44
Speaker
How the hell am I misremembering that? i remember that I remember Washington kind of running a two-score lead most of that game. There was there was not a two-score lead. There was a two-score lead when they threw that pick six, and then they got it.
00:31:57
Speaker
There was a two-score lead at halftime. It was 31-21, and then it was thirty one twenty eight going into the fourth quarter. Then Washington scored two touchdowns in the first eight minutes of the quarter, and the game was over at that point.
00:32:10
Speaker
But, yeah, I mean, dude, it was ah seriously a three-point game going into the fourth quarter, and for some reason I thought they were up like 17 going into the fourth quarter. That's wild. That's not how I remember that game at all.
00:32:22
Speaker
it The vibes, i didn yeah I remember watching that game. yeah I feel like the Lions were in total control the whole time. Yeah, the Commanders. But either way, what what do you what do you see for the Lions in 2025? What does that look like for you, man? I don't know how you come off two heartbreaking seasons in a row, honestly. It's just losing Ben Johnson is going to hurt.
00:32:46
Speaker
Aaron Glenn... He's the one I do not think is going to be a successful head coach. like i I think that guy was perfect to run Dan Campbell's defense, and I think that's the the highest upside for him. But we'll see. I mean, he went to the Jets, who are a complete disaster.
00:33:04
Speaker
That is not a job I'd want to take right now. I mean, dude, 15-2. Like, i I do not see them matching what they did last year. i think they, I could easily see them winning 12, 13 games. Still. I could easily see, I mean, their offensive is still going to be really good and their defense should still be good. So I could still see them winning 12, 13 games and still winning the the North, but Dude, i last year was it for me. I thought they were going to get to the Super Bowl last year. I thought they were the best team going into the playoffs. They beat they've beat Minnesota on that Sunday night game to win the North to get the number one seed.
00:33:42
Speaker
It just all seemed like it was lining up for them. And yeah, they they just played the absolute wrong team at the wrong time for them, unfortunately. But Yeah, I'll say they win 12-13 games, but I just don't see them having the same team and the same possibility at a run that they had last year.
00:34:01
Speaker
I feel like they're kind of in the same mode as like the Bills are in the ASC, where like, You're kind of like pegged out on your talent and and like the roster and stuff. And it's just a matter of... You're going to be in the mix for the next couple years because you've put together such a good squad.
00:34:16
Speaker
um Yeah, they're loaded. Are you ever actually going to get... Is everything ever going to bounce your way and you end up you know putting it all together to get to the big game? Yeah, the team is absolutely loaded, dude. Like, it's...
00:34:28
Speaker
I mean, you you cannot argue with the talent they have. Like, they they arguably have a top three offense. i mean, they're the number one offense last season, and they lost nobody. Ragnow retiring is not good for the offensive line. But, I mean, as far as skill position players go, they lost nobody. Like, I just – I don't know, man. I think that was the high point for the Lions last year. I hope I'm wrong because I do want to see them do something. But I just – I don't don't know how they're going to get back to 15-2 number one seed record.
00:34:59
Speaker
Jared Goff last year threw for 4,600 yards with a 72% completion rating, 37 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, turns around in the playoffs, and there was one touchdown, three picks, man.
00:35:16
Speaker
He also had that game against the Texans that they somehow won towards the end of the season where he threw like four or five picks, I remember. i don't know what happened to him like the last month of the season. He just did not seem like himself the last month.
00:35:31
Speaker
Yeah, I... I don't know, man. but what if If it goes south again this year, man, what is Jared Goff back? Or do you think he is he does he the long-term QB for the Lions at this point? Has he done enough? I just don't know where else he would go at that point. if yeah I feel like he's kind of like in that like Alex Smith territory, man, that like he's too good to get rid of. But I feel like until you actually see it happen, you're always to have questions like, is this a guy we can win a Super Bowl with? Yeah.
00:35:58
Speaker
i But i mean I know, but like, where else do you go? Like, you don't get rid of a guy like that unless you have someone that you think is going to be better than him. I agree. I think he's probably like a top eight QB. You know what I If I had to, you know, I'd have sketch it out to see where he's at, but I feel like he's probably like number eight, number nine, best QB in the league.
00:36:17
Speaker
And yeah, i you know, a top seven quarterback in the NFL and exactly, you know, falling out of the trees or anything, man. Yeah, you're in I don't know if anyone's noticed, but like look at all the teams that would kill to have Jared Goff right now as their quarterback.
00:36:29
Speaker
Just to have a steady hand that you know what you're getting. I don't know, man, dude. I think Campbell and Goff are safe for at least two years to me. Yeah, yeah. I think Dan Campbell will survive.
00:36:40
Speaker
i think Dan Campbell is going to be around for a full regime change. You know, I think he could survive getting a brand new QB and a rebuild. He's I mean, he's by far the best coach Detroit's had since like the 50s, man. Like as long as we've been alive, he's the best coach that Detroit has had.
00:36:54
Speaker
um But yeah, let's let's line out the NFC North, man. What's your overall prediction for how the the standings end up?
NFC North Standings Predictions
00:37:01
Speaker
I think it's going to be the exact same way that it was last year. I think bears are on the bottom. I think the Packers come in third.
00:37:09
Speaker
I think the Vikings come in second. I think Detroit wins the division. I'm flip-flopping your top two, man. I think the Vikings win, dude. I'm expecting big things from the Vikings. I think the Lions got just a little bit of hangover. And, dude, it's just 15-2 is a hell of a season, man. You can have a damn good season and still lose, you know, three more games than did the year before, dude. So I think the Vikings barely edging out. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Lions win.
00:37:31
Speaker
If you hadn't made me call it, I think Vikings win this one. um That's a wrap for the
Upcoming Football Seasons Excitement
00:37:35
Speaker
NFC. We're going to hold off on making our final predictions for, you know, NFC championship until we get to ah this, the you know, the last week of our our preseason picks, man.
00:37:45
Speaker
We're halfway through, man. Jordan, we have exactly four more episodes before we're picking week one NFL games, dude. I know. I'm excited. Next week, we'll actually – mean, we're not going to go deep dive on a preseason game, but, i mean, we'll at least see a couple of plays in the preseason game. We'll something about, we'll talk about it a little bit next week. So, I'm excited for that, if nothing else. And, dude, we've only got – after this weekend, we only got three weeks until there's a college football game. So, it's time, man. We're there.
00:38:11
Speaker
Yeah, man. All right. So that's going to be a wrap for this episode of Gold Line. Thank you guys for listening. and We'll get back with ah the listener mail and stuff next week. Until then, Jordan hits with some closing thoughts and we'll get out of here. Like I said, thanks for listening. We appreciate the support. And yeah, we'll talk to you guys next week.
00:38:33
Speaker
When it comes crashing down and it hurts inside
00:38:53
Speaker
I am a real American. Fight for the rights of every man. I am a real American. Fight for what's right.
00:39:04
Speaker
Fight for your rights.