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00:00:01
Season 2, Episode 2: Chicago Bears vs Minnesota Vikings
20 Plays5 months ago
The sky is not falling! All is not lost! This week the boys talk about the disappointing season opener for the Chicago Bears, as well as Tyler Dunne's critical article about Caleb Williams. They also talk about how week 1 went for the rest of the NFC North and what week two might look like for all four teams. Give it a listen!
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Transcript
Introduction and Episode Agenda
00:00:01
Speaker
hello and welcome back to bearclaw podcast i'm your host oma delgado with me as always zachary stein also known as stein yo and our resident cheese head isaac turgeon greetings and for male I can never remember where that's supposed to go.
00:00:23
Speaker
it's It's never going to be the same spot. It doesn't matter where, as long as it's in there. Episode two of season two. This week, we will be recapping the game of Chicago bears versus the Vikings.
00:00:37
Speaker
We'll be talking about how we felt. We'll be talking about the Tyler Dunn piece that came out last week, running through the game. And then after that, we will be hitting an NFC North vibe check as always, and then finish off with a Bears line preview and anything that we might feel might need a be circled back on throughout the podcast.
00:00:58
Speaker
So let's get right into it.
Mixed Feelings on Bears vs. Vikings Game
00:01:01
Speaker
Stein, how about that game? Oh, how about that game? Man, isn't it good to watch some good old-fashioned Chicago Bears football?
00:01:12
Speaker
it's It's always good. It is. it's It's fun to be back into it. um I'm ready for hockey season to start. I can't wait for hockey to start. October baseball is around the corner. It's right here. It's coming. It's coming.
00:01:30
Speaker
No, I mean, honestly, the game was mixed. I mean, for me, you know, there were highs and lows for sure. We can get into the specifics of that. um But yeah, all in all, it was just good to see some good football.
00:01:45
Speaker
um Even if it wasn't just from the Bears game. So yeah what about you? What what were you thinking of while you were watching it? Ah, dude, I had crazy nerves, like starting off and going into it. I was just so nervous. Like, oh my gosh, what's this all going look like? How's it all going shake out? Like what's going on? You know, um but really excited.
00:02:06
Speaker
um Overall, I came away from it feeling like you're saying kind of mixed. um I think what I end up, what I always end up coming back to is that this is going to be a long, long process. Yeah.
00:02:20
Speaker
In several ways, and we'll kind of dig into that a little more. But um yeah, it was just nice to be back watching football. It felt like so being alone on a Monday made it feel like it was farther away and also made it feel like a little more special, I think, to have the Bears playing by themselves to open up this season.
00:02:36
Speaker
It was fun. It was fun to like not have it mixed in with a bunch of other games that I would be splitting my my attention
Bears' Development: Patience and Process
00:02:42
Speaker
between. um I think also to kind of add to initial reactions would be let's make sure that we're not like jumping the gun. Let's make sure that we're not just like...
00:02:57
Speaker
shutting down the season because of the game. You like that we're not you know what I mean? like We don't need to go to extremes. What do you mean? We're not going to extremes. When you read any articles that are out there and shit, like everybody wants to go like one way or the other. and I think we need a temper everything and just be like, look, we knew we said in episode one going in before this game that there were going to be some growing pains, that there's going to be an evolution.
00:03:21
Speaker
I said, I think the biggest step will take place. like during like into next season and that this season is going to be a learning process. Getting you know both the GM and and our head coach on the same wavelength and the same contract standard, I like i think that expectation is there that, hey, you got three years.
00:03:44
Speaker
Let's see what you can do. And so with that, being able to have – in strength and conditioning, we call it progressive overload, right? Like you don't just start out – with 500 pound deadlift. Like that's not how it works. You build up to it, right? and it's progressively overloading to get to that, to achieve that. So I just, i think that my initial reaction is reminding myself, like going into this a little more level-headed and cool-headed than than the last season that we did this podcast with Fields as the quarterback, where the expectations were higher, where the expectations were, we're in year two, this should be more.
00:04:25
Speaker
Yeah, I think I really agree with that. I think that's a good point. And that's kind of how that's part of what I mean, too, by like this is going to be a long process. And one of the ways that I mean is that this is I mean, seeing all the reaction online and people expecting this to have been and to have resembled any sort of like finished product.
00:04:42
Speaker
in the first year in the first game of the first year of a new system and a new head coach and everything was really like was really just funny to see. um And I think ah that's part of what I mean by it's going a process in that this is just going to take time. like It's not fun to lose a game like that in the way that we lost it, but I mean...
00:05:01
Speaker
the The immediate reactions of just like, you know, I mean, obviously got to take it with a grain of salt when you're looking at what's online because it's not how everyone feels. But I was still astonished to just see how many people are already like,
00:05:13
Speaker
giving up on caleb giving up on even on ben johnson where i'm like dude it's been one game that's just it and i think that the i think the big thing that people need to remember is ben johnson coming into detroit it didn't happen overnight either like there were growing pains with that there was development and evolution with that so it's again like yeah he had great success with that and we saw what detroit was able to do over his time there and over his tenure there but But that did not happen immediately.
Critique of Caleb Williams and Team Dynamics
00:05:43
Speaker
And so like chill the fuck out. Everybody calm. Everybody take a deep breath. Calm your tits. Calm down. Yeah. Calm your bear tits, everyone. And I'm not just talking to like women. Let's face it. Most of Chicago Bears fans have tits. That's just like that's the Midwest. Most of the NFC North fans are there. From all the fucking ranch they dip their shit in.
00:06:03
Speaker
oh yeah yeah yeah um so yeah i think as you're saying too just ah finding that middle ground i think that's a good place to uh also transition to start talking and acknowledge this tyler dunn piece that came out um because i don't know about you but i think that's kind of where i've ended up in my reaction to this piece that came out uh for those who don't know tyler dunn dropped an article this past week and In which... i mean, it's its pretty... yeah what's so What's a good word for it? um
00:06:36
Speaker
I mean, scathing? Would you say scathing? I would say that it could come across as that. um My big thing with this is the whole, like, hey, zoom out kind aspect, right?
00:06:51
Speaker
It can seem scathing, but you also have to consider the sources that he cites throughout most of it are anonymous sources of... Like people that were on staff who are no longer on staff. yeah So yeah immediately there is a different take. There's a different point of view. And so, yeah, it's – I mean he leans very heavily on those and anonymous voices.
00:07:13
Speaker
um So and with that, that can make it very easy to paint a young quarterback like – in a bad light. So, yeah, let's say critical, very critical piece.
00:07:25
Speaker
Yes. um In which you had a lot of anonymous sources and a lot of, um, there was a lot of commentary from several different anomin anonymous sources on a lot on what happened last year on what happened. And, and, uh,
00:07:39
Speaker
Things that these sources witnessed Caleb Williams do and how he interacted and and what was going on last year. um but What were your thoughts overall on on the piece and any opinions you have on it?
00:07:51
Speaker
you You're cutting up, buddy. Oh, am I cut? i mean Can you hear me? No, can't hear. All right, there we go. well Let's take that part again real quick.
00:08:02
Speaker
just We'll just say, i mean, okay, it was critical. And so, yeah, it just it came out. These anonymous sources were talking and and giving stories about what happened last year, and all the stuff that happened and things that they witnessed, Caleb Williams, um how he acted, how he interacted with different coaches and stuff like that.
00:08:17
Speaker
um Yeah, what did you think of it?
00:08:21
Speaker
um i mean I mean, overall, again, i think i'm I'm taking that with a grain of salt, right? Like you got to figure – the piece that he really talks about is by the time that Iberflus had been let go and Thomas Brown had stepped in as sort of that interim head coach, right?
00:08:35
Speaker
um They've already been through like their offensive coordinator. They've been through their development piece. They've been through a head coach. they've Like the – the constant changing of the guard ah during his first season.
00:08:50
Speaker
Like I understand what the frustration there can be, right? I understand um maybe like you get into a position of, so the the whole piece kind of talks about how, well, part of the piece talks about how Thomas Brown had tried talking to Caleb Williams, trying to coach him on something during a commercial break.
00:09:10
Speaker
And I guess that he like Caleb Williams just, sort of turned around and started walking back towards the huddle and Brown got upset and found found that disrespect was like, I'm trying to talk to you, get your ass back here.
00:09:22
Speaker
um Which I get as a, from a coaching perspective, I totally understand, but you know, These are professional athletes who live their life in fifth gear. They live their life in overdrive. like There is no middle ground with them.
00:09:38
Speaker
It is all or nothing. And so in that position, this late in the season, he's been shit on left and right. He's going out and trying to do things with zero development, barely any coaching.
00:09:49
Speaker
I'm like, I get why at a certain point, maybe the adult voices in the room don't carry as much weight to in his mind as much as like we just need to get out there and fucking do something you know uh and so now was it right from a leadership perspective no no he shouldn't have turned his back on his coach like there is a certain you know way to go about that um but i think that this whole thing was sort of being blown out of proportion and again just like hardly i was not a caleb williams fan
00:10:24
Speaker
I did not agree with like going with him.
Analysis of Bears' Game Performance
00:10:27
Speaker
I thought he had a lot of maturing to do. This article sort of highlights some of the maturing that needs to take place.
00:10:35
Speaker
um But that doesn't mean that he's a bad football player. it doesn't mean that he can't evolve and develop into that. It means that you need to have the right coach and staff and organization to facilitate that kind of growth in a safe environment.
00:10:49
Speaker
environment in a way that allows him to do that. I'm sorry. The Chicago bears organization has never been that. Like if anything, the, like the only time in, in, in my recent history in like modern hit would be like during the lovey era that like, there was actually some, some real respect between coach and player.
00:11:10
Speaker
and And just the way that this has happened is I'm sorry, that's not a thing right now. um I think, The real question here is is, can Ben Johnson come in and right the ship? Can he come in and sort of help bridge that gap? And I do believe he can.
00:11:24
Speaker
I do believe he can. Again, one fucking game. Calm your tits. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I agree with a lot of that. I think i think he, yeah yeah, to me it was, it seemed like he was intentionally trying to, I mean, it's like we were talking about earlier, you know, we're trying to get clicks, trying to get views and stuff. I think he intentionally editorialized some things.
00:11:44
Speaker
um and i think it's something that's been a larger frustration of mine especially this whole off season and leading up to this coming upcoming season where it's like even talking specifically about caleb but also just talking about different members of the bears and like just the bears organization as a whole i find that a lot of the context gets left out of how bad last year was and how like i mean that's not normal in any sort of like and in any way was last year normal or anything that that is conducive to success.
00:12:13
Speaker
And I just feel like a lot of like the criticisms, a lot of the like, you know, and analytics and stuff of of Caleb Williams and different members of the Bears teams leave out that context. um And I felt like this did that too, where it was kind of look at look at Caleb, look at how he's acting, look how he's being such a diva, look how he's doing all this stuff. And it's just like, dude, would I have liked it if he had not done those things in those situations and maybe found a way to kind of rise above, you know, and be, you know,
00:12:37
Speaker
rise above all that and find a way to lead the team and you know maybe find a way to outshine all that stuff of course i would love that what i have loved i mean i would that was part of that was one of the other things that was frustrating about last year too was watching dj more just kind of not i would have loved if he had also maybe found a way to rise above and be a leader and stuff too but they didn't and it's also and it's also like with dj more we were blessed at the fact that he shut his fucking mouth because yeah 100% was locked and loaded and ready to go. yeah You could read it in his face after every postgame interview, especially after it was like comments or questions about Iberflus and the coaching staff. You could absolutely see like he wanted to say something.
00:13:15
Speaker
So the fact that he kept his mouth shut, I think, is us getting that leadership from him. ah Sure. That's fair. like um But yeah, I agree. I don't blame them. Yeah. I don't blame them for acting for any of those guys acting the way that they did um in that situation. I can only imagine working your whole life to get to a place where, and you want to have success, you know, in the NFL and having to be surrounded by these, I mean, just incompetent and, you know, directionless people running the organization that has to be incredibly frustrating.
00:13:45
Speaker
For sure. Yeah. um any Any final thoughts on any of that? Anything you want to? No, i think I think that's solid. and i think I think we've given it as much time as it truly deserves.
00:13:57
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, I just wanted to acknowledge that piece. And then obviously, I mean, we're we're talking about Bears football, so we have to talk about the first game. ah So let's dig a little more into some of the specifics of the game.
00:14:09
Speaker
du do Second quarter. Here we go. I want to start with talking about the offense because that's the sexiest place to start. Usually. um and Then let's start with the truly the sexiest place to start the offensive line.
00:14:23
Speaker
That's the line.
00:14:27
Speaker
That's all in all. I will say the past blocking was so much better. It was great. Yeah. um Compared to last year, there are still definitely some, some areas that need to tighten up a little bit.
00:14:42
Speaker
um ah The run blocking was okay. I don't think it was the blocking. That was the issue on the runs. think that I think they could have done a little bit better in creating and more space for the type of runner that they have. They don't have a true power back.
00:15:01
Speaker
That's an issue. um And so, like yeah ah so as far as like the actual execution mechanics of providing blocks and protection are concerned not bad um they seemed more cohesive as a unit, again, there's plenty of areas to get better.
00:15:21
Speaker
Obviously, we have to talk about the insane, what was it, 12 penalties that the Bears ended up with, like including four false starts and a handful of holding calls. Now, ah you know we know that there are a couple of holding calls in there that were questionable, but they are ticky to regardless, they still are part of, right, but you still had 12.
00:15:41
Speaker
You still had 12. The only... ah the only ah let's see who was it the only people who had more penalties than them i had this up were the saints and the titans at 13 so not the company you want to be keeping not exactly the company especially with the changes that we made and the additions that we had you guys attest some of those false start penalties to caleb's trouble with receiving the Ben Johnson calls and like with the cadence and stuff like that? Cause he was like sitting on his ass a little bit. I came to, well, I will say I felt like McCarthy also had issues with that and in that first half where like that was, I, and I felt like he was pushing it even further than Caleb was.
00:16:27
Speaker
I think a piece for me had to do more with the cadence call itself. I don't think that I, it seemed as though his cadence, like his signaling was not exactly how it has been in practice i feel like something like was throwing the line off because most of that line are highly experienced and like veterans in the game they know what they're doing they're good at what they do there are there's one maybe two in there who will eventually end up in the hall of fame like that's just going to happen just from sheer number of titles and times that they've like experienced right
00:17:03
Speaker
so i And that was a note that I had made. I was like, what happened here? Because it wasn't the crowd noise. That wasn't it. it It 100% had to do with – you could tell like something was off with the way Caleb was calling the cadence.
00:17:16
Speaker
So no, I'm glad that you brought that up because I do – I don't know if it was so much him getting the calls in from Ben Johnson as much as like – yeah, I think his rhythm was just a little bit off from ah right at, right after that first series, basically.
00:17:36
Speaker
Yeah. um Yeah. I think that's, you want to dig in. i a hundred percent. We have to give the offensive line their flowers, especially the way it's looked in the years past. I think they, they looked really great.
00:17:47
Speaker
Definitely did a good job at forming that pocket and giving Caleb the time and the protection that he needed. And, I agree. I think that there can be more time. I think that there can be, again, they can tighten things up. This is week one in a new system yeah in actual gameplay.
00:18:00
Speaker
Preseason is bullshit. Everybody knows it. um um But yeah, and and I do not attribute the lack of ground success with ground. with the ground attack to the off offensive line though.
00:18:13
Speaker
I just, I don't, that that's not at all what the issue was. It's purely that we don't have a real, like DeAndre Swift is good. Don't get me wrong. He's good, but you cannot rely on DeAndre Swift and DJ more like bringing in de DJ, DJ more is taking. that half back with that That's okay. I guess, which is cool to see. It's fun. It's fun, but it's not what you want to have to rely on. No, not at all.
00:18:35
Speaker
Yeah.
Caleb Williams: Performance and Expectations
00:18:36
Speaker
Watching DeAndre Swift try and hit the hole and get past was like watching the fucking four-wheeler get stuck in the mud. Just hit it and just immediately he's slowing down and just getting stopped.
00:18:47
Speaker
um But yeah, I think that's a good... ah let's Let's dig into a little bit of Caleb Williams' performance. Hey, Caleb, bud. um At one point in the game, i mean, obviously, obviously it goes without saying, Troy Aikman knows more about football than I could ever dream and hope about knowing about football.
00:19:05
Speaker
But he was talking about how, like, he said it stuck out to me because he was like, oh, yeah, Caleb Williams looks settled, looks like he's, you know, really in the rhythm, blah, blah, blah. And i was like, I was not seeing that because I felt like pretty much throughout the whole game, he just was, he looked like jumpy. He looked like he was, you know, really like, Oh, I got to go. wasn't, he wasn't exposed to it. He just did not look like he ever truly settled in.
00:19:31
Speaker
Even when he was, I think that's the issue as well. And that Ben Johnson offense is it's, He, like you said, he looked jumpy, but in the led offense, it's a point and shoot.
00:19:44
Speaker
And if he's sitting there with his eyes and his feet at a different, you know, area, he's going to be off target every fucking time. And I think that's where you saw those missed open opportunities. That's what it was to me. I, it didn't, he did to me. I felt like when you watch, but like after he gets the ball and gets the drop, the step back, like I feel like he felt more comfortable and safe in the pocket.
00:20:07
Speaker
Um, But I also felt like he was wildly conservative, right? With his decision-making. Like he was not, he was passing up on big plays and hitting that Chuck down lot of check downs. Yeah. it But here's the thing is you have to make it through your progressions to get to the check down.
00:20:23
Speaker
Like that, that doesn't just, you don't immediately go to check down. And so with that, I think that might be kind of what Aikman was getting at was like, Oh, he's actually making it through his progressions.
00:20:34
Speaker
Like now, Are these the right decisions? No, but he was playing it safe. he's i think he's trying to get the rhythm. I think he's trying to get that Ben Johnson style offense, right? That quick like plant and shoot kind of thing.
00:20:48
Speaker
um But unfortunately, because of that, when he did, once you go into the second half and you see Brian Flores starting to like mask his cover too, and like forcing, basically he was like shutting off the check downs so that Caleb was forced to hit those mid midfield and and beyond throws. Right. Like,
00:21:13
Speaker
The problem comes down to the speed, like just like Isaac was saying there, where it's like his feet are planting here, but his eyes are over here. So when he goes to rotate, he's just off.
00:21:23
Speaker
And it's it's going to take time to, I think, get that in a live game scenario. um ah ah But I do think he did look a little more comfortable.
00:21:34
Speaker
playing in the pocket, especially, again, behind that line. The line gave him a snag more time. He's not making a bunch of throws on the run, on the fly, out of a scramble, which was most of what he did last year.
00:21:47
Speaker
It was literally like he was extending... he was running like an extra 15 yards every play to try to get the ball out of the sand. You know what I mean? like So i I think if you compare it to truly how he had to perform last year versus like, okay, try to become a little more of that pocket presence, I do think he looked a little more comfortable in that piece of it.
00:22:09
Speaker
What he was failing to do was executing – once that pressure was there, once Flores was starting to hide his schemes a little bit better in that second half. um Yeah, that's so I don't fully disagree with you.
00:22:25
Speaker
i also don't fully. but but I also can see what Aikman means. Sure. Yeah. Yeah. I just think the vibe was very much like. just very jittery especially when you see some of those i mean downfield passes that he just i mean just absolutely sailed like over you know like not even close in the accuracy um i mean that's what i brought up to you guys too was like i saw everyone like praising the the opening drive like wow this is what real football looks like but i was like it looks kind of like taped together like it looks like
00:22:58
Speaker
It's Williams running around more than he has to and just like getting the easy check downs, you know? Yeah. When there was a lot of like moving on the feet too. And I think but something that stuck out to me was that, that I noticed that he did, um On that first touchdown that he ran in, it was noticeable to me that they – I mean, maybe he just never looks happy, but they panned over to to Ben Johnson, he and he didn't look happy. And it wouldn't be surprising to me if he was like, that's not how it was supposed to go. that's not Yeah, Ben Johnson isn't calling scrambles, you know what mean? Yeah, you know, so I wouldn't be surprised if like – and it's it was fun to see. It got me hyped, but I couldn't help but feel like – I'm sure that's not how that was supposed to look.
00:23:36
Speaker
And this drive, he was able to get it going and stuff, but I don't think this is is kind of what we want to be living off of and eating off of. No, not ah we can't. you You can't survive off this. Right. I mean, this would be like.
00:23:47
Speaker
Well, you saw it there. I mean, it got stopped pretty quickly. Yeah. I mean, especially when you're going up against again, Brian Flores is a very well proven defensive coordinator. Like your master class of coaching. That was the second a half by the Vikings, by O'Connell and Flores. That was. Yeah.
00:24:02
Speaker
They just hit all the notes. And that, you know, but so, yeah, i I mean, is there anything else? I mean, Caleb started out hot and then he only completed one other pass the rest of the game.
00:24:14
Speaker
That's 11. Oh, he completed. it Total, right? You went total was. Yeah. Started 10 of 10 and then went 11 of 12 afterwards. So actually at the end of the game was 21 of 35, which was fine. But after 10 and 10, he was under 50%, you know?
00:24:31
Speaker
Yeah. And that's just. Wild. That's wild, especially in the in a league where we're like, the bottom portion is around 65% completion.
00:24:43
Speaker
Like, that's, yeah you know, like, you kind of have to be just about that in order to like, be competitive in anything. So like, that obviously can't happen. It cannot happen. um I think getting used to planning his feet better getting used to like the timing of everything. Again,
00:25:00
Speaker
Preseason is fucking bullshit. And he did not get enough reps and you're not going full. You're not going like some guys are because they're trying to earn a spot on the roster. I get that. But at the end of the day, the preseason fucking sucks. It's not going to give you a whole lot. Yeah. Nothing replicates actual live game reps.
00:25:17
Speaker
Nothing replicates live game reps against a division rival. that's Yeah. This is what this is the heat. Right. And we have two back to back. We got Detroit next. Like that's. Yeah. Yeah.
00:25:30
Speaker
So, you know, all in all, I did seem some improvement. I think he felt a little bit more comfortable there. It'll be nice to see him like take a fucking breath. and try again.
00:25:43
Speaker
So, yeah, I overall, um, yeah, i'm with you. I saw good things, things that obviously still need improving, but I mean, I'm nowhere near the sky is falling here. I mean, this is a Ben Johnson offense. It's going to take some time to learn it and I'm sure get rid of some habits, you know, that were formed last year that he shouldn't have.
00:26:01
Speaker
So, yeah, I think with that, we can move on to the, uh, the defense here and talk about the defense.
Bears' Defense and Leadership Acknowledgment
00:26:08
Speaker
Cause I think there was some fun stuff to talk about here. um they were missing a few guys this game on defense. missing Jalen Johnson, Kyler Gordon, and TJ Edwards, which are pretty significant pieces.
00:26:21
Speaker
ah For sure. Overall, how'd you feel about the defense? Up until the fourth, great. Yeah. he did yeah they I mean, truly, they did really well. um You know, they had a lot of really good stops. They had a lot of, I mean, they helped provide a lead for an offense that wasn't truly producing as much as they should have been.
00:26:43
Speaker
ah The pick six was beautiful. um You know, and I think that that is something that ah I'm going to, I'm just going to say this right up at the top. You just listed the, the missing members. And these are key members of the defense, Jalen Johnson, Kyler Gordon, and TJ Edwards. Those are primary key pieces of this defense and how it's built and structured.
00:27:07
Speaker
So with that, I refuse to pass judgment on the defense as a whole, including like as far as like the fourth quarter meltdown that happened. Now I will also go out on top of that and say, there were some questionable calls that took place that did like end up giving, ah you know, setting up the scoring, that scoring play after the pass interference call on what's his nuts, you know, it it with Justin Jefferson and it like,
00:27:38
Speaker
But we shouldn't be a one call but away. That's always been my my big philosophy is like one call should not sink you, period. right if if it If it's that close, there are other mistakes that have built up to that. Look at the other 10 penalties that happened just before that one.
00:27:52
Speaker
myself like it's there's There's a lot of issues. um So just keep that in mind. We're missing three key pieces and in that in that defense. that Would that have completely changed the game?
00:28:05
Speaker
Maybe not. But ah I think so, based on what we're paying these people. Yeah, I probably would have made a difference in the game. Yeah. Yeah, I think those guys are definitely difference makers.
00:28:18
Speaker
um Yeah, I felt pretty good about it. mean, they kept the lid on the run game. And, I mean, dude, they J.J. McCarthy looking like he was lost for three quarters. Like, he genuinely looked, like, rattled.
00:28:28
Speaker
It was... It was really crazy to see. um i almost lost a bunch of money if Justin Jefferson wasn't going to make some of them catches. I i was thinking about it too. How many, ah how many carrots do you think Justin Jefferson has lost on the field? Like over his career? Like, like I was crazy jewelry every game. It just blows my mind. Just like the audacity and the like, I mean, the insurance made a bunch of money so i guess the insurance is there to worry about it. Yeah. Fuck oh I think it's worth noting J.J. McCarthy hasn't played a snap of football in 609 days since before that game, since the national championship. So I think it was think it was good for him to get hit a little bit and kind of settle down a little bit.
00:29:15
Speaker
For sure. Again, like you said, master class of coaching, right? Like Kevin O'Connell, like the way that he was able to like get him where he needed to be it heatless what was it somebody said his confidence up to some yeah well and and like you could that's the one thing that i really like about watching mccarthy on the sideline watch him throughout the whole game even when they're like down and he's getting pummeled like he's still cheering the kicker when he makes a kick he's still like he's still like like going out like boys like rally the boys and that's something that i
00:29:46
Speaker
We just don't have – that's not Caleb Williams. That's just not who he is, and it's not his style. And it's – I never will expect to see that from that side.
00:29:57
Speaker
um But so watching McCarthy out there, I'm like, this kid's out there having fun and doing what he loves. you know And you can see that. um And to lead a fourth quarter comeback victory against a division rival like – is on the road on the road in your first game one of your iconic stadiums in the sport that you love. Like, you know, that's just, yeah that's that's like, that's what everything dreams of in their backyard when they're playing with their friends, you know, like, like it's,
00:30:28
Speaker
uh, yeah, you know, and but someone said, I think my favorite comment that I saw was like JJ McCarthy out here playing Josh Allen Jr. or something. I saw someone say that this was like the JV version of, uh, of Bill's Ravens.
00:30:44
Speaker
That was pretty, thought that was pretty clever. That's that one really got me. That's so funny.
00:30:55
Speaker
Yeah. that's not a lie that's a couple of tip of the caps too i think uh daio dangbo and nashon right they had really good games uh daio dangbo was doing really good and good job of getting uh pressure on jj mccarthy nashon right had that awesome pick six that shit was crazy the way he just stepped up into that and he was gone daio dangbo was causing havoc that first quarter or two he was oh yeah that whole thing oh yeah he uh i think and and i think that comes down to like again you look at master classic coaching the adjustments that the vikings made in halftime helped a lot you know on both sides of the ball um yeah um yeah that's
00:31:44
Speaker
oh yeah any uh any final thoughts on this game
00:31:53
Speaker
I will say, I got one thing. i did have one thing I wanted to throw out here real quick. And this was a fun, we we always talk about fun stats, right? So fun stats, first 18 NFL starts, Mitch Trubisky versus Caleb Williams.
00:32:07
Speaker
This is Caleb Williams, 18th start. So first, no first 18 starts, you ready? Trubisky. Versus Williams on pass yards per game. Trubisky at 210.4.
00:32:18
Speaker
Caleb Williams at 208.4. Two-yard difference. Going to Mitch. Total touchdowns. Trubisky 24. Williams 22. Off by two.
00:32:29
Speaker
Rating. Trubisky was 85.2. Williams 87.7. So he's got him there. Completion percentage. Trubisky 61.9. Caleb 62.3. Record up to that point. caleb sixty two point three record up to that point Trubisky was 7-11.
00:32:45
Speaker
Caleb was five and thirteen Now, what did Trubisky do his second season following his 18th game? 12-4 season. He led the Bears to the playoffs.
00:32:58
Speaker
popped out like for the first time in a while so like it's it does come to that like this is a long fucking season is kind of my point right this is game one this is game one against a division rival with a new scheme with a new head coach not just a new head coach with a new coaching staff carte blanche like just across the board everybody okay so with that like i just want to like keep that in mind and be realistic with the expectations here
00:33:29
Speaker
I'm not saying that Trubisky by enemies is like yeah But just like for comparison, like and and and that's the idea is that Caleb is supposed to be a generational arm. He's supposed to be this that guy, right? Trubisky was not.
00:33:44
Speaker
So imagine what we can do with that true, if he truly is the talent that everyone says that he is with the right coaching behind him. So i' that's what I'm um kind of getting at with those numbers there. Yeah. Well, and the coaching difference too. I don't think anyone ever felt as good about Nagy as everyone feels about Ben Johnson. I think that's a big difference.
00:34:04
Speaker
Didn't Nagy even coach that year that year though? He did. That year he did. i get Rightfully so. I just mean i as a coaching prospect, I don't think anyone i don't think anyone was calling Nagy an offensive genius. you know I think they were calling him like a quarterback whisperer. No, though, because he was... quarterback whisperer, yes, but not...
00:34:20
Speaker
but not not by any means like and and let's just say that that also proved to not be fully true so yeah and so that's what i think that's the thing with caleb is i think he has the generational arm but i think that's kind of all he's at right now i think he needs everything else to line up for him and it's just a matter of if he's going to be able to digest that ben johnson system i think if he's able to digest if he's wants to is the big thing yeah because if you want to you'll create the space to do that and so
00:34:52
Speaker
I understand that a lot of people out there are already on his dick about everything just nonstop to quote like Amon Ra, right? Like I loved the the little snippet that he gave over the weekend about like, I don't get everybody's truly on his dick. Like he can't do anything right or wrong. Like it is in either direction, ah like leave the boy alone.
00:35:11
Speaker
And I agree that there is a lot of just nonstop bullshit when it comes to Caleb Williams.
00:35:20
Speaker
He is supposed to be the future of a franchise in a major market, a historic franchise for the entire sport. Like you want to be a generational piece.
00:35:33
Speaker
You have to also sort of like take that next step then. Like that's some of that onus needs to go to you. You have to learn how to block that out. You have to learn how to. God damn it, dude. Will you fucking smile just once?
00:35:45
Speaker
Like make it look like you're having fun playing the game that you're playing. Please. it it it it is it is all the difference in the world of getting a fan base on your side when you have a rough game versus getting booed at home in the first fucking game. like Just throwing that out there.
00:36:00
Speaker
You don't want to get booed? Give the crowd a little bit of something.
00:36:07
Speaker
Anyways, I'm done. That's all I got for that game. first I yield my time. yield my time.
00:36:13
Speaker
Well, all right. I think, ah yeah, I think just all the stuff you're saying. It's going be long, it's a long season. It's
NFC North Vibe Check: Divisional Matchups
00:36:20
Speaker
the first game. Everybody relax. And with that, I think we can move on to the next phase of this podcast that I think one of our one of our hosts here very excited to be moving on to.
00:36:36
Speaker
Very proud to talk been about this. Been about to explode this whole this whole time. He's been edging nonstop. Shaking his ass this whole podcast. Just waiting for this. It's time for the Vibe Check. Vibe Check. Vibe Check.
00:36:53
Speaker
a condensed vibe check because all four teams were in the division matchup, but we're going to start with the Packers and who better to lead us off on this than Isaac Turgeon.
00:37:06
Speaker
Uh, safe to say Packers team to beat in NFC North. Uh, I think I love it. I love it. i love the hubris, the weak one, baby.
00:37:17
Speaker
I think the Packers, this was about as good of a game as you could ask for, um, really dog walked the lions in every facet and then just didn't let them get any momentum.
00:37:30
Speaker
Uh, the ah offense was really like humming in like 2023 playoff run kind of way. Like, Jordan, I think, completed his first six or seven passes to all different receivers, which is was kind of the staple of that offense, was you don't know where it's going to come from.
00:37:50
Speaker
And regardless of Josh Jacobs not even really getting going in that first half, we just were killing them ah with the pass game. And Jordan Love had some hiccups, but just kind of he had all day in that pocket. I think that was some of the best, like, all-line protection I've seen.
00:38:08
Speaker
But I think that's also ah a little bit on the Lions having not good of a pass rush currently. um But we'll get to them in a little bit. I just i think their team is going to take a little bit of a step back.
00:38:20
Speaker
And I think the Packers were just able to kind of do it due to the Lions what the Lions did to them the past few years. They just kind of took control and didn't ever give it back. They just were able to do what they wanted all game.
00:38:34
Speaker
Yeah, they really smothered the Lions. Receivers were actually making catches and stuff too. I think that was definitely helped. and The lack of yeah drop balls, the ability. i mean I think also Love not... When Love was dealing with all those injuries last year, like his mobility was so bad. Yeah, you saw it. He could not...
00:38:53
Speaker
He could not beat man coverage. Like it was be because they didn't like def defenses. Didn't they scheme that heavily for the back half of the season when he was out there, like fighting through injuries and stuff.
00:39:05
Speaker
And so when his mobility went away, it was like, and then his fucking receivers couldn't catch a damn ball. like It's not that his throws were necessarily off as much as like a lot of his receivers were just dropping catchable passes. um you You could definitely see a step in the right direction from the team in this game against the Lions um and against a defense that like, let's let's face it, yeah, the Lions.
00:39:26
Speaker
are are definitely in a piece of like ah trying to figure out what this identity is without the offensive yeah brain that they've had in the past. But they're still the fucking lines and they still have the talent. They still have the heart. They still have the drive. Like that's still a decent defense to be going out against. So I felt like you definitely saw a nice, nice growth from love, especially.
00:39:51
Speaker
um, and ah Now, I will say, you know you mentioned that within those those seven pass, eight passes that he made, that he had already hit like six six different receivers, whatever. and and i When we had talked about Caleb's first piece, in those first 10 passes that he had completed, he had also hit eight receivers, seven receivers, like between running backs and tight ends and receivers.
00:40:14
Speaker
He had also hit seven. I was like, I like this. I like spreading the ball more. so Seeing that... like the this is an offense that did it successfully and continuously throughout the game that's kind of something that i hope to see for the bears in the future
00:40:32
Speaker
yeah i think this this is the offense that matt lafleur wants to run and you can see that a healthy jordan love is able to run it and i think i he gets in this rhythm where he just he went They end up throwing like 20 to 25 passes and it's enough to like choke the team out. And especially with the defense, the defense was, i think this defense.
00:40:58
Speaker
You see what a difference maker Michael Parsons is. It's just how often he was on the field again. Not even that often, I think. 29 snaps, so 45%. And he had three pressures. All three pressures were sack,
00:41:11
Speaker
a loss of two yards on a play and then a pressure that got picked off. So he was, he was on Penesul a few times and just kicked his ass, like fucking like an all pro tackle. He was just bullying him. You could see he wanted to be out there so bad and just having him out there just fueled the entire defense. I mean, they were just fucking flying across everywhere. It was, they tried so many times to get like Jameer Gibbs into open space on the outside and our linebackers were just,
00:41:41
Speaker
fucking like clearing the space, just not be let them letting them get anywhere. The containment from from the Packers was fantastic. like Yeah, we were rallying and tackling at yeah an elite, right? it was It was fun to watch. And that's where the Lions make their money is there's getting their playmakers the ball and letting them create.
00:42:02
Speaker
And if you're wrapping them up that quick, that's they're not going to able to do much. um But yeah, we blitzed at the lowest percentage of the entire league, and we still pressured Goff on 37% of his dropbacks. So we're this Jeff Halfley defense being able to get home with four is going to look extremely exciting, I think. No, I will also throw out there the fact that the the Lions offensive line is trying to figure shit out right now, too. Yeah. not having the center anymore that they like you know mean like so there's a lot of like I think evolution you're going to see from that offensive line throughout this season so like yeah this isn't a testament to I think the lines long-term uh things but there's definitely some issues with the lines right now for sure for sure um
00:42:47
Speaker
But yeah, i think the I think it's safe to say the Packers have an elite pass rush now, and it's really fucking fun to see. like it's it's It's very fun to watch right now.
00:42:59
Speaker
um Yeah, that's about it. I mean, they have a game tomorrow against the Commanders. How do you feel about it? I feel fine, to be honest. I watched Commanders Giants and Commanders, they have so much potential.
00:43:12
Speaker
um I just think they're still trying to connect the dots a little bit right now. um I know they have a rookie left guard that I think is going to be a point of emphasis in this game.
00:43:24
Speaker
um But yeah, I think a lot of it, I think you might see less pressure ah because Goff and Jane Daniels are very different. Jane Daniels will kill you if you don't have lane integrity. That's two opposite ends of the spectrum. That's what saying.
00:43:37
Speaker
If you have to pick who you most want to be and who you least want to be when Michael Parsons is chasing you down, it's like, is Jared Goff you least want to be? And Jane Daniels is who you definitely want to be to just fucking get out of there. And that's the that's why I think we're going to be I'm hoping on good lane integrity when rushing the quarterback. um But I think we also have the personnel in the second level to keep up with the athleticism of him because we have Edron Cooper and Quay Walker, and they were able to contain Jameer Gibbs and all the the slot receivers of the Lions. And I think...
00:44:15
Speaker
being Since we can get home with four, we don't have to send extra bodies. And I think being able to have one spy and stay with Jaden Daniels on like third downs and critical downs, not letting him consistently move the sticks, I think i think we'll be okay. um I watched their game against the Giants and the Commanders just...
00:44:35
Speaker
they the giants were within a score with seven minutes left like the giants weren't really ever put away until the very end and i would like to say the packers are a little better on offense than the giants it felt like the uh it felt like the commanders because i i i really like the commanders and i like that's that year i took away from just like only bears football and i was like i'm gonna spread this out i followed the commanders a lot with that and I will say i it felt like – you ever like on a mountain bike, you switch the big gear and the small gear and like it's it almost seemed like the gears just weren't clicking. They weren't lining up just yet.
00:45:15
Speaker
Like they have – like you said, they have the pieces. They're trying to connect the dots still. That's kind of what it felt like throughout the game. It was like, oh, it's just this. If this had only gone just there, if this guy had just cut at this point, if this you know if this block had just lasted half a second long, like just these little little things that just weren't really clicking yet that – I think the commanders can be very dangerous if those do start to click.
00:45:39
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I think that reek of potential, I think it's just a matter of putting the dots together. And I just think, I don't think they're there yet. I think there's still a young team trying to figure it out and figure out their identity a little more. Hey, but I'm going to flip this on you right now.
00:45:50
Speaker
What more raises that potential and raises people to meet that challenge than facing ah better team? So In Lambeau too. It's going to be a fucking fun game. I think that's one of my games to watch this week because I think that it will be a good game.
00:46:06
Speaker
I'm definitely going to be clenching my cheeks on those like third and longs where James Daniels is like... Fuck! Fuck! It's third and 14. He's just walked around in the pocket and then scrambles for 15, 20 yards. It's going to be... easy i know that's going to happen eventually, but ah as a whole, I feel decent about the game. I i like the Packers in this one. I think...
00:46:28
Speaker
I think they're just on a different tier than the commanders currently. And I guess we'll see, we'll be able to see if they're able to kind of like build the gap right now, you know? Yeah.
00:46:39
Speaker
oh But yeah, I think that's about it on that one.
00:46:44
Speaker
The Vikings. You guys pretty much already talked about the Vikings. Yeah. really know. want to add or detract from that. Just don't really know what to think of them right now. Yeah, that's the main thing I want to hit with them. It's just like how, you know, how good are they really?
00:46:58
Speaker
Especially... defense I will also say they weren't even on, they weren't, they're not even a hundred percent right now. Right. They have injuries too, that they're dealing with. They have guys that are, that are running, you know, fewer routes than they will become mid season. They've got, you know, like their, their personnel, I think is, is Addison's gone too.
00:47:16
Speaker
Yeah. For until what week four yeah and he gets in. So, and even then, you know, that's week one for him. Like he's not going to be in week four, like show out so um yeah no i i how good are they really i think they're good yeah i think they have the talent i think with those coaches it's hard to not be good in certain situations the coaches are so good like imagine them with like elite level players and they've been together you know that's a thing they've been together for a long time yeah they play the falcons falcons coming to town in minneapolis sunday night yeah i think it'll be a fun game i watched the falcons game a little bit and michael pennix left they put a lot on his shoulders and he was able to deliver for most of the most part um
00:48:04
Speaker
another team that has a lot of young potential, but was probably one of the best sets of playmakers that you could ask for that you could ask for. The question is like, yeah, it'll be interesting to see what they can turn into.
00:48:19
Speaker
Right. It'll be interesting to see like, can they actually do anything though? it yeah It is kind of crazy when you name off the pieces that they have. And then you kind of think about how you, at least how I see them as a whole. And it's like, it's a, there's definitely like a,
00:48:32
Speaker
A mismatch there how I perceive them. They're not reaching their potential. Yeah, like how I perceive them and who is on their team, there's a big gap there. But maybe they can stick it all together. I think the Vikings, I'll give it to the Vikings at home. That's kind of my thing. yeah yeah Assuming...
00:48:49
Speaker
assuming that McCarthy can continue ah the trend and not drop back into the first three quarters again. You know what mean? still So if if he's able to sort of get the reads out faster, being able to make decisions a little more quicker and and um that O-line providing enough you know protection for him, I think it'll be a decent game for both of them. And I think the Vikings will pull it out at home.
00:49:15
Speaker
Yeah, I think it'll be a ah fun quarterback duel to watch. I think it'll be kind of an underrated quarterback duel to watch with Michael Penix. young up-and-coming potential quarterbacks. like Yeah, and um yeah he was slinging it last week. like he was He was doing good last week, so I think it'll be fun. um I think, yeah, I'll probably go with the Vikings too, um just because they're at home. So I gave them that edge, and I think J.J. McCarthy...
00:49:38
Speaker
After that comeback, I think that crowd is going to be pretty electric to just have him starting his first game in Minneapolis. But I ah truly see this game going either way. and And it'll be interesting to see if the Vikings are like actually who they are that fourth quarter or if they're going to resort back to... Revert to what they were in? Yeah. Confusion.
00:49:58
Speaker
Yeah. um And just some quick Lions pieces. I think they... i think they have some glaring issues that... can't be ignored but i also don't think should get blown out proportion yet um yeah their pass rush i think is a problem i think aiden hutchinson is the only piece on that defensive line right now that is doing anything and if you are able to get rid of him or scheme him out they weren't able to do anything um granted the packers have a good pass o-line
00:50:34
Speaker
But they just don't have the names or the bodies to keep up at a consistent rate. And I think it's going to resort back to that where when they had Aaron Glenn and they had to keep bringing extra bodies and then that kind leaves the back end a little open. um And then, yeah, just the consistency of the interior line.
00:50:52
Speaker
They were able to get like no push against the Packers. So I think they'll start gluing a little bit, but. I don't know. it's i don't know if it's going to be the same with like without Frank Ragnow. and i just I don't think the retooled offensive line is going to be able to be get the same push that they did before. It'll take a bit, for sure.
00:51:11
Speaker
yeah and Just the offense, to see how the offense does, if they adopt any of the old identity where it's get the ball to your playmakers in rhythm and then let them create um they didn't do a lot of that it was a lot of quick short throws he was not a lot of field at all yeah and he just wasn't that's why jameson williams was not a factor because he didn't have time to do shit back there so i think some of them are bumps that they'll iron out eventually but i think there are some issues to keep an eye on with them
00:51:46
Speaker
They're one of those that i think is going to be interesting to watch them fold out. Watch how everything ends up throughout the season. um Yeah, I don't know. I think one of those holes is just the glaring difference between Jared Goff when he's being pressured and Jared Goff when he's not being pressured.
00:52:01
Speaker
That's always been the thing, yeah. if it's like if you can If you can speed the game up for him, he's not going to do much for you. yeah Like, if you're going to sit there and – like I told you guys before the show, when Micah Parsons was on the field, he was – throwing a half second quicker and when you're when you're speeding him up like that he's not going to be on target he's not going to be in rhythm and he's just going to get
00:52:25
Speaker
rattled he's going to get rattled he's confused and it's just not going to go his way
00:52:32
Speaker
For sure, for sure. In case you haven't figured it out yet, and the Bears and the Lions are playing each other this week. um So that's the start of a little bit of the preview of our Lions side. And then, yes, this the little Ben Johnson revenge game.
00:52:45
Speaker
As of right now. Is it a revenge game? I mean. Did he leave on bad terms? No, but you but they always say it you know and when you go back against your former team. No, no, Revenge games are when you go back against a team that didn't sign the contract, didn't extend your... like give you the extension looking forward, ended up going a different direction. Monroe St. Brown did come out and say that they'll all be booing him. So, I mean, if that if that's the kind of fucking... I mean, it's Detroit. Detroit is a hard city. I'm just going to throw that out there. I'm not saying that it's not going to be like a...
00:53:20
Speaker
ah But the fact that Ben Johnson is still able to reach out to Dan Campbell, the fact that Ben Johnson is still able to like have that relationship. like i don't This is not a revenge game. the sir i but We've seen true revenge games in this league. This is not a revenge game.
00:53:37
Speaker
It's a return game. It's a coming home game, if you would. But no, it's this is I think this is more like, hey, the baby bird has left the nest and trying to make it on his own. Let's teach him who where he comes from, right? Like, let's let's remind him who daddy really is kind of thing. Like, I think that's the mindset, not so much like, so, but yeah, don't know.
00:53:58
Speaker
ah I don't know. That's just me. I wouldn't call it it for a revenge game. I didn't think that there was any animosity when he left as far as like, the team is concerned. Sure. Maybe, maybe some of the fan base, yeah could fans like i'm saying most of the fans leaving base but at least and and the one thing I do hear most, a lot of Detroit people saying is at least he didn't go to the Packers, right? Like that's sort of like the one that they're like very much like, no. Yeah.
00:54:27
Speaker
So yeah, as of right now, kyler Gordon and Grady Jarrett. Oh, my expectations.
00:54:38
Speaker
um for the bears i just i would like to see a continuation not continuation i just want to see more progress i just want to see more of that trying to get him into a rhythm getting that good pass protection and seeing how we match up against this uh lines defense that is you know was having trouble against uh the packers hopefully we can give them that same kind of trouble want to see a little more meshing too like with the offensive line and maybe getting uh and that cadence better get fixed before they go into detroit that's the issue like because it's gonna be fucking loud once you're there yeah
00:55:14
Speaker
But yeah, i'm i'm expect I'm hoping for a good game. hopefully we can get some more ah offensive scoring going. Hey, if we can get two consecutive series that don't suck, I'll be happy. Back to back?
00:55:26
Speaker
Some progress. What do you expect? him You know what? Hang on. I should i should edit that. let Let me go back. If we get two series that don't suck, just remove consecutive. I don't give a shit when they are. Just give two series that don't suck at some point. Yeah.
00:55:40
Speaker
For sure.
00:55:44
Speaker
Do we have word on Edwards? He was upgraded to limited. Okay. So they'll make that call Wednesday. Yeah. Yeah.
00:55:55
Speaker
How, what do you expect in this game?
00:55:59
Speaker
I think this will be a slightly more evenly matched right now. um Again, because the lines are figuring shit out. and I think they're going to take their time figuring shit out. I don't, i I do not anticipate winning this game.
00:56:11
Speaker
I'm just going to throw that out there. I think the defense can put on the pressure appropriately, but I i do believe that the Lions will make better corrections than we do going into week two. Especially a Dan Campbell team coming off like an embarrassing week one.
00:56:26
Speaker
Yeah. I don't think Dan Campbell wants his team to start He won't start oing two and I don't think he'll start 0-2 against two division rivals. That's just not going to happen. Yeah, that's a big piece.
00:56:36
Speaker
um And because I think there's no NFC North games until like November. So, I mean, if you're in an 0-2 hole for like... half the season that's not going to be that's not going to feel good i also don't think that you're going to see jared goff have another rough game like that i think we can apply the pressure i I think the scheme's going to change. I think Dan Campbell's going to get more involved with stuff if he needs to, and I think that it's going to... I think it'll be enough to get them by, again, and at home. That's the issue. That's the big... That's the hard piece. is' It's really hard to go against at-home team, um especially one with the potential of what they have.
00:57:15
Speaker
I think they're going to run the fuck out of the football. Dan Campbell was putting a lot of the offensive issues on not being able to get plus yardage in the run game, and so I think they're going to try their hardest to establish... a consistent run game this this game.
00:57:28
Speaker
It'd be great if we could. and I going to say, it sounds like it's going coming from both ends because I know Ben Johnson was already talking about how he was looking to get the run game more involved this week. And that was one of the mistakes he made. Detroit the personnel to do that, though. That's the issue, right? That's that's the issue there.
00:57:42
Speaker
And my big piece is that we need another true back to superset with Swift so that Swift can do what he does best. ah um And this is not a slam on Swift.
00:57:52
Speaker
He is not a power back. we are making We're calling on him to do something that is not in his wheelhouse, and he's trying to step up into that, but we are not setting him up for success. like That's just not what he does.
00:58:04
Speaker
He needs to get out. he needs to wheel and deal. like He needs to be like making moves. He is not just a run-through-the-hole kind of guy. He shouldn't be getting the bulk of the carries. That's not who he is. No.
00:58:15
Speaker
No, he's not. And so, yeah, that's now obviously that's an injury issue, right? That, that comes down to just pure personnel and what we've got available to us right now. i get that. So this is going to come down to is who else do we have available? Is Rush on Johnson going to get a little more involved this week? Do we know that?
00:58:32
Speaker
Like I know that he's limited right now, right? He's unlimited. Yeah. But was he, was he hurt or was he just involved? Yeah, it was out that game. Okay. No, he was out. It was just, I think it was just, I think the only two running backs that got snaps were... Him and Mononga. Yeah, which is... Well, and Mononga was never given the ball. abs No, he didn't.
00:58:49
Speaker
He was out there, but he was never given the ball. I think he got like eight snaps or something like that. He was on the field for a small number of snaps, and he was never handed the ball. So, like, yeah that's the wild part.
00:59:00
Speaker
Yeah. Maybe he may have, I thought he would, I wasn't expecting him to like, uh, be a huge part right off the bat, but I, I was expecting to get some usage. There was a lot of, I remember right. DJ more had more carries than he did.
00:59:14
Speaker
Yeah. So like, yeah, that like, and and, and that's where I'm like, Now I understand wanting to be careful with a young running back, you know, like I'm trying to like build him up into this and all, but also at a certain point, bro, you got to make a fucking call.
00:59:27
Speaker
Like just give him the ball and let's see what the kid can do. Like when he was getting, was getting praise out of training camp and stuff too, which is what surprises me is I thought he would, I mean, again, I don't think he was going to have a majority the carries, but I thought it'd be a little more use, especially with Roshan Johnson out.
00:59:40
Speaker
But yeah, we'll see, I guess how that changes this week. Um, And that's where I think the change, why I would go with the Lions is because the changes they're going to make, they have the they have truly the personnel to do it. They have real running backs. right like Yeah, yeah. No, think that's a fair point. I think as much as you want to if you don't have the personnel, how are you going to do it? um Yeah. was your favorite game last week?
01:00:07
Speaker
I mean, that Bill's Ravens game was crazy, bro. Yo, that Bill's Ravens game i was so
Game Reviews and Previews
01:00:11
Speaker
fucking good. That shit was crazy, dude. We were talking just before we started recording and like ah think we all agreed it it it did not look like week one football at all. They look both looked like mid-season form. like They both looked very good.
01:00:26
Speaker
Very good. yeah i Someone... ah There's an analyst that I follow that they like go down and break out like each team for the week.
01:00:40
Speaker
And that game, they specifically said, like I stand by... The fact that, or I stand by my statement that Baltimore has the better roster of the two.
01:00:55
Speaker
Unfortunately for them, the bills have a quarterback good enough to make up for it. yeah um Like, and i was like, I, I, they're not wrong.
01:01:07
Speaker
Um, that was, but God, that was a hell of a game. was choking too though was And it's like, they all take turns. and they um that's what i would say And like, everyone takes a turn too. There's no like one guy that's like constantly letting them down. It's like, they all take turns. Like,
01:01:23
Speaker
how is derrick henry fumbling the football like that's not as a slight but it's just like it's just like it seems like a freak thing it's just like one of them is gonna shit the bed when they when it matters most so it's like who do you give the ball if like it seems like whoever you know um my biggest takeaway from this game from that game was both those defenses are not very good like both those defense kind of suck Now, also, both those defenses are facing elite quarterbacks. So, like, yeah that that is the other piece to look at is, like, and and the schemes that both those teams run are very advanced. They are schemes in schemes. They are not just a single type. Like, so everything is covered and masked, everything. So when you look at it's like, goddamn, I'm – that is wild. That is wild. But then you'll see these defenses go up against, like, just average teams, and they will look like really good defenses. Mm-hmm.
01:02:16
Speaker
But once they get into that elite level quarterback yeah and like offices coordinator and like, ah yeah, this is, it's very, it was, it was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun to watch.
01:02:27
Speaker
Quick shout out to Justin Fields too. He looked, ah he looked really good against the Steelers. He really did.
01:02:34
Speaker
What are we looking at this week, boys? Game of the week. Isaac, what do you got I'm going with a little bit of a left field one, but I think it'll be a very exciting game. I'm going Jaguars at Bengals.
01:02:46
Speaker
That was my number two. That was my number two. Two, I think Trevor Lawrence is going to be able to kind of... Last game was an outlier just because the weather delay. It was fucking just a weird game.
01:02:57
Speaker
Oh, yeah. But I think going against the Cincinnati defense and then Cincinnati going against the Jaguars defense, I think it could be upwards of like 25-20 area.
01:03:08
Speaker
and' be i think it'll just be a fun I think it'll be the first time we see Travis Hunter get like a good game going. And, you know, Brian bri Thomas didn't really do much last game, but, you know, he's a weapon. And I think it'll just be fun to watch these playmakers go at it for a little bit and it's over over under is 48 and a half that's pretty good think that's the highest in the week to be honest yeah hopefully the bangles can get their offense rolling that's always fun to watch once they get their getting their rhythm and once joe burrell's wheeling and dealing that's some of my favorite shit to watch and not just because i have them fantasy just because of that i just that's when their issue early season early season woes right right
01:03:50
Speaker
But I mean, hey, they're able to get a dub despite almost not getting a Despite doing everything they can to lose. Yeah. Right. But yeah, I got Jaguar Spangles. I think it'll be a fun game. Stein, what do you got?
01:04:01
Speaker
I got Colts Broncos. I think that would be a fun game. was looking at that. was looking at that, yeah. I bounced around a lot on some stuff. I will say the one that I will absolutely be watching is the Green Bay Commanders game.
01:04:14
Speaker
But that comes from a fandom more than anything. um I do think the talent is there that it's going to be a very good game. It should be a fight. um But the one that I'm very interested in, because i I try to look outside of our market, like we don't get a lot around here.
01:04:28
Speaker
And even the culture in Indy and we're like, I'm in Illinois. um but They don't we don't get a lot of culture games broadcast here. yeah And so like we definitely don't get a lot of Broncos games broadcast here. So being able to like Colts looked fucking good. Yeah, randomly. They look very good.
01:04:46
Speaker
Daniel Jones MVP season, bro. What What the hell? I'm going to say this right now. I sincerely hope he can maintain this for a little bit. I really do.
01:04:57
Speaker
I feel bad for any fucking quarterback that has to go through New York. Like any fucking quarterback that has to go through New York. That's crazy. the giants specifically yeah so like yeah i think he done got did dirty i think he came into an organization that also was like had no business trying to develop functional talent that he is do i think he's a generational talent vanilla but no i i but i do think he is an above average talent who belongs he he should be a starter in the nfl he should be uh with the and i think he's in the red environment finally so i'm
01:05:35
Speaker
I'm very excited to see like what they can do, but I also love me some bone X. So I am looking forward to bone look like hot ass. who like Yeah, I know. And that's where I'm like, this should be a corrective week for them, but against a good team who should give them a challenge.
01:05:54
Speaker
And again, corrective week should take place against a challenging team. It should not take place against a bullshit team. Cause that's not a true measure of if the correction, not a real bounce back. Yeah. No. like So I think that this should be a good game.
01:06:08
Speaker
I expect Denver – I mean, and that de that Denver defense is still very good. So they're going you're going to see you're going to see the Colts going up against a next-tier defense compared to what they saw with the Dolphins. so I'm excited.
01:06:24
Speaker
I don't even think we can label that as a Dolphins defense. I think that was just some guys hanging out. um that was That was, it it felt dude the vibes have gone like it. Mike McDaniel's not going to survive this season. The vibes are so shot in Miami, bro.
01:06:39
Speaker
No. So that's the one I got, though. For sure, for sure. What about you?
01:06:47
Speaker
I was looking at that Broncos-Colts one for sure. i think the Commanders-Packers one, just because that's going to answer so many questions of those two going up against each other. The one I hope turns into something that is good that would be a good watch. I hope the Bills-Jets.
01:07:01
Speaker
I would love to see Justin Fields just keep balling out and maybe give the Bills a little bit of scare. I was leaning towards that one. I think that one could cool. It'll show...
01:07:13
Speaker
if the Bills defense can bounce back and if the Jets ah offense is legit. Cause I like the Jets this year. I think Aaron Glenn's got them playing with their hair on fire. And I think that's their identity. And you saw that. And I think, I think it'll be fun to, I think it'll be like a close game.
01:07:28
Speaker
i think it could i think it'll be a little bit of surprise. Yeah. And I'm hoping it'll be fun. and sort of If anything, because you know the styles, obviously, of fields is very similar right with with just being able to so elongate a play and spread the field. and like You have to respect the legs again. That's something that the Bills defense is going to have to keep in in mind.
01:07:47
Speaker
um yeah mean His accuracy obviously isn't quite what Lamar's is. yeah he's got hey He can make throws. He has halfway decent passes out there. You can do it. I will say the other one that I was almost leaning towards was the Rams Titans.
01:08:00
Speaker
ah Only because, goddammit, someone helped Cam Ward for the love of God. He was hooping. yo sling in a He it. i I didn't know a whole lot about Cam Ward coming out. and like Well, yeah, because no one fucking talked about him. No one cared. it was my emotion like Also, what kind of like disrespect is that? Holy shit. It is. It's a lot of disrespect. Yeah, it's nuts.
01:08:23
Speaker
But if if they could fucking take care of him, God, please, for the love of God, protect him. Like, because I think he could be a very good talent for the NFL. like Dear God, please cover Cam Ward with your presence and your strength.
01:08:40
Speaker
he looked he looked He looked as like almost as poised
Rookie Spotlight: Cam Ward and Sign-Off
01:08:45
Speaker
as a rookie can. like he didn't He didn't look rattled going against that Broncos defense. really If I was watching that, I would have guessed that he was not in his first year first first game, first year. I would never would have guessed that. like Yeah, it was very – the way that he stood in that pocket, sometimes like every now and then ah he reminded me of like a Warren Moon.
01:09:04
Speaker
Like just like watching him there, i was like – I got like a flashback as a kid like watching a Warren Moon just stand in that pocket and sling it and just like his his looming presence and just – I was like – there was something very – It was almost like when I saw Brandon Routh as Superman for the first time, kind of like looking very similar to like Chris Reeve, like just in facial structure, body structure, everything. It almost is like haunting for a second.
01:09:33
Speaker
And I'm like, i I really hope that Cam Ward can pull this off. And it's so funny that none of us looked at the Eagles Chiefs game. I'm like, I give zero shits about that game. Yeah, who gives a fuck about that shit? Yeah, I think it might shit the bed. I think it might be an ugly run fest.
01:09:48
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. i think I think it'll be a run fest on once. i think the Chiefs are going to end up, you're going to see a lot of scrambles and shit. Like, think. Yeah, I think it's going as good it is. It seems like they're pretty continuously trying to pull a rabbit their They sure out be.
01:10:03
Speaker
Yeah. All right, boys. Get your internet fixed, bro. out I can't do anything about it Yeah. This is what we got to live with. You fucking robot on us.
01:10:15
Speaker
you Oh, damn. Am I good now?
01:10:20
Speaker
Am I still robot or am I good? All right, cool. All right, boys. i think with that, we can hit the ah the old callbacks and cleanups here. Anything you want to circle back on real quick? Any final thoughts on anything?
01:10:35
Speaker
All right. Very cool. Very cool. Isaac, anything you want to plug? I think the Bears are going 0-2. Tough. I think that's going to happen. That's about It's going to be a long process. Do I want to plug anything?
01:10:47
Speaker
Yes, sir. Is that what you said? Okay. That is what I said. Yeah, just my Instagram, E-Y-E-Z-E-C-K. I keep it updated with current music endeavors. and And sneak peek, I might be cooking up a little sub stack. So we'll keep that.
01:11:05
Speaker
We'll keep that ah in the distance for now. the backburn but i'm cooking um' I'm cooking. Let the boy cook.
01:11:17
Speaker
Stein, you got anything? I got nothing, bro. Nothing from Stein. All right. And if you want to follow my Instagram, it's at O-H-M-A-R-D-A-N-I-E-L.
01:11:29
Speaker
And with that, I think we will bid you a good evening, a good morning, a good whenever you're listening to this. And we will see you next week. Bear down. Deuces.