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Championship / Shame / Vols - TNF Special
198 Plays1 year ago
Lots of things to catch up on
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Transcript
Exploring All-You-Can-Eat Pizza and Dining Experiences
00:00:00
Speaker
ah curious, like all you can eat pizza in your thirties. Did you guys have like a private room? What was the, what was the setting? Can you describe the pizza setting for me? Yeah. The pizza setting. I don't know. Have you been to a Dopo before Blake? I have not. I have not. This, this place is like a band box. It reminds me of the same way that I felt playing middle school basketball for Berean when we went to play at St. Joseph's, if you remember that court. It's like that. But if you were eating dinner at the same time, noise is reverberating off the walls. We did not have a private room. 16 human beings at one table. That's the biggest dinner party I've ever been to. Can you top that?
00:00:48
Speaker
and you're no No, not just at a restaurant without without some sort of like event or or wedding or private party. 16 humans at a table is a lot. How many pizzas are we talking?
A Night of Food, Drinks, and Conversations
00:01:02
Speaker
What's the ratio of pizza to person? So two pies were coming out at a time. Mind you, there were some pre-dinner drinks that were had at Monkey Bar. Another great spot, by the way, pretty affordable cocktails.
00:01:16
Speaker
Shout out monkey bar Knoxville, Tennessee. But by the time we got there, everyone's, you know, decently lubed up and Cam and Will had been working on the menu, right? I think Will was wanting to skew more towards Mr. Gaddy style, all you can eat buffet. And Cam was trying to class it up. So we started with charcuterie boards, like more than you can eat salads, more than you can eat.
00:01:45
Speaker
great pesto and bread. it was It was probably an hour to an hour 15 into dinner when the pizza actually came. So mind you, Will this whole time is preaching discipline to the table, really wanting to see some some big numbers. We had a murderer's row on one side of the table.
00:02:07
Speaker
Jeffrey, Rhino, me, AJ. And it was like the the Bronx bombers of eaters. you know For some some fairly skinny individuals too, men that can put down a lot of food. Yeah. But Adopo played their cards right. They really delayed the pizzas. There were some that were not great.
00:02:30
Speaker
that at one point I'd had just enough wine to drink and just in a jolly Christmas spirit and Will was like, James, you know they're not gonna bring more pizzas unless we finish this one. So there was a lot of that behavior going on, several others. And then you just, we could not possibly eat all the food and it was like a three hour dinner or something. it was It was wild. Lots of good wine conversation. It was a wonderful night.
00:02:59
Speaker
That's great. That's great. Okay. Uh, who, who down the most pizza and who left with the highest BAC? Well, I, I would phrase it to you this way. Do you think if there was an over under set for the night on pieces of pizza for the highest consumption, what would you have said it at? Cause there were some lofty numbers out there. I just want to find this. I'm trying to look up this restaurant because i I don't know what kind of pizza I'm working with here.
00:03:25
Speaker
It's very thin sourdough. ah I'll send it in 12. I'll send it in over under 12. 12 was a good number and could have been achieved ah without the extracurriculars on the table. But I don't think anybody got to double digits. I want to say seven, seven or eight. Not even Rhino. Not even Rhino.
00:03:49
Speaker
ah you right hopefully Hopefully our listenership can correct me if I'm wrong. There was a lot of math being done about crust eaters versus non-crust eaters. yeah yeah So the numbers got a little fuzzy at the end of the night and highest BAC, that's a tough one. I thought AJ was very tame last night. Rhino is always a sneaky ah one for that. And honestly, it's probably between Rhino and Jake, because you never know what Jake was doing before. And Rhino. A few Bud lights. You know, we were ordering caraffes of wine, you know? So naturally you you know split it with someone and Rhino was just taking it down. I feel like if you tip a caraffe up, it kind of resembles a horn, ah yeah right like horn.
00:04:47
Speaker
If you, yeah, it's great. And you can put cheap wine in it and feel fancier, which is great. Yeah. And, uh, but I will say this about Rhino, the man can hide the level that he's at better than just about anybody, the guy's attack.
Fantasy League Recap and Playoff Insights
00:05:03
Speaker
So okay if we're talking BAC, that's the way I would lean. Yeah. That's some great Intel, big J. We appreciate how you break a nine year.
00:05:14
Speaker
Early on tonight, what is this? this is we're We're deep into the season here. I don't even know what episode number we're on. Stoned by Cornbread. We are at the end. We're at the end of the season. And we still don't have the winter meeting scheduled. What do we think about that? I think that's a problem and a narrative that could be a very hot topic this weekend.
00:05:40
Speaker
with certain individuals being involved in a big road trip. Do we got friends joining us in the basement or is it ah is a dog? but's so What's our special guest I hear her coming down the stairs? Well, the love of my life is doing her laundry right now and now Moby yes is down here. Excellent. Excellent. so we might I might even get a brief Hannah appearance maybe for the ah video portion only.
00:06:05
Speaker
Yeah. Well, we broadcast that to our listeners. We don't even broadcast the video. So I could just say, it would more just be you saying, I could say hi to Hannah and maybe Moby if we can get a mobi hey Moby say Moby. So there's Moby. Hey, good boy. Good boy. ah boy ah So, so we don't have winter meeting scheduled, which, which, uh, you know, brings up, you said a hot topic this weekend.
00:06:34
Speaker
Any talk from the league members at the pizza party, and I know it's probably only about half the league there, of the winter meetings? Is there interest in the winter meetings? I'm concerned. I'm concerned. AJ or Rob running up that hill. We need to see it.
00:06:51
Speaker
There was not a lot of fantasy talk going on last night. Andrew briefly mentioned to me, please beat Larry, to which I responded, you're probably the only person in the league rooting for me. And he said, you're probably right. And ah the nerves for AJ were very apparent. ah parent And there are a few remarks around his ah his nervous state. But what's happening across the entire league is this Vols playoff game is such a distraction.
00:07:21
Speaker
I bet you, I have been opening my fantasy app fewer times than my entire league existence over the past couple of weeks with all of this on the line. Yeah. A storyline we can get into later. Yeah. Well, a story, a storyline we can get into right now. I mean, as we're broadcasting this, it's 8 49 PM Eastern time on Thursday, December the 19th.
00:07:47
Speaker
Uh, I know Will is heading to Columbus tomorrow. There is a band of the league heading to Columbus. I believe it's actually going to be half the league will be there, including myself, uh, for our listeners that didn't know heading up to, I believe they're calling it Nalen North. Is that what we're referring to the horseshoe as these days? Nalen North, the, uh, the Buckeye faithful are just crumbling before our, ah before our eyes. And there's going to be a lot of orange in there.
00:08:17
Speaker
And I do not know what type of fans Ohio State fans are. I just have a picture of how they are in my mind. And it's very snooty and someone that is not going to mix too well with some people that I know that will be going. Yeah. Yeah. And not only is that going on this weekend, as we're recording because it's 849 Eastern on Thursday, to December 19th. The Thursday night football game has kicked off and it is seven to seven. And this isn't your typical boring Thursday night game because the championship matchup between you and Larry, both of you are starting defenses in a Thursday night game. And Bo Nix is at the two yard line. You started the Chargers D against Bo Nix and oh, oh, is he in? No, he's down at the one. He's a little short there. A little Peyton Lee. Pretty electric start.
00:09:09
Speaker
Yeah, pretty electric start here to the to the this season, I guess, if you will, within a season, which is the playoffs. And this is our first episode we've come out with since the the first round ended. So I think we need to do a little recap on round one that was but We need to preview the championship. We need to preview the battle of shame, which I would say the current battle of shame matchup is the best we've had in the last possibly five years, some would say a decade. So ah yeah, let's let's dive into round one that was.
00:09:50
Speaker
Touchdown Broncos before we get into things. That's got to sting a little bit. Yeah, we'll get into that start-sit decision. Yeah. Yeah. Because, I mean, Bo Nix has been hot. He's been hot. Interesting selection. He has been throwing a lot of picks. Bo Nix, throwing picks, small dicks. James, you advanced to the championship round. And one thing I will say about round one is that there was no excitement. This was a round of blowouts.
00:10:24
Speaker
Top to bottom, the irrelevance was irrelevant. No one's surprised there. I will say that team Trump winning 209 against the bomb squad at 153 was the largest blowout of the of the week. But that's all we'll say about the irrelevance bowl. You blew out Will, blew him out. I mean, at the end of the day, I think it was what was a margin of victory, around 20 points probably. But this was never a doubt.
00:10:54
Speaker
Which was interesting because my team desperately tried to give Will an opportunity. I had a great week one. That's what my team's capable of. But then to go negative four on the defense and the zero from Cooper cup. That's just begging for some type of 35, 40 point performance from one of Will's guys. And he just didn't didn't really capture what was there.
00:11:19
Speaker
So my team kind of squeaked through is what it felt like. But I, I was never really that anxious about a will comeback. Yeah. Yeah. And, and, and ironically, that the two guys. Well, I was going to say to tie it in, you started the chargers D again. Right. After they got negative four. This was an interesting play that happened very last minute. Cause the Patrick Mahomes news has been developing rapidly, right?
00:11:47
Speaker
And Texans were probably still the right call. I got very enticed by the Bo Nicks pick six potential in this game, which is always on the table with him. Not a great start so far, though. And ultimately, this just comes down to me rooting for the Chargers offense. 14-7 right now, they look like they're moving the ball fine.
00:12:13
Speaker
on the Broncos. So I don't think either defense is getting a lot of points tonight. Scoring might slow down a little bit in the second half being Thursday. Yeah. Yeah. I feel like, I feel like SoFi field or SoFi stadium, whatever they call it, wins to offensive battles this time of year, especially for a team like Denver. It's been out in the cold, practicing in the snow, playing in freezing temperatures. All of a sudden they're in like 70 degrees and perfect AC.
00:12:42
Speaker
on the West Coast, it's gotta be nice. You gotta have a little extra bounce in your stuff. Bonix is feeling good, he's focused. Short flight from Denver too, that always helps. Yeah, yeah. Take off touchdown. We also had Larry advancing to the championship game, is this? This is the first time Larry's been in the championship game that I can i can remember. is this so Is this his first time in the championship?
00:13:12
Speaker
Oh, for sure. Yeah. I'm no historian, but larry's Larry's time in this league has been marked by his incredible postseason ability to escape shame, not not performing best when it can mean something, just escaping something. But he's always been a late season player. But he always has.
00:13:35
Speaker
and he's He's very clearly based off the projections and probably the way the entire league views it, the favorite, which I am relishing that opportunity. Nobody but Andrew wants me to get a title and make it my fourth to which no one would even be close to. yeah So, yeah everyone's rooting for Larry. He's got the best team. I love that opportunity for me.
00:14:05
Speaker
Yeah, it seems like you're, you're trying to take on the underdog role here. I'm not buying it. You, you're not going to, you're not going to play me on the underdog card. Uh, I, I refuse to accept you with how many titles, three titles to your name. Yeah. Four in the old, old league, which some people count those. Some don't. I count the ones in this league. Three cups. You've had three cups, four titles.
00:14:35
Speaker
Yeah, that's kind of like that's kind of like the Chiefs coming in after an OK season and their underdogs against, let's say, the Broncos. OK, maybe the Broncos are the hotter team, but I'm not buying it. ah Jimmy is.
00:14:50
Speaker
without a doubt the favorite for this this championship in my book. Let's talk about the White Rhino really briefly. I want to congratulate him on graduating from Normship, or soon to be graduating from Normship. A pretty good season for the Rhino, finishes at seven and six, gets to the playoffs and gives Larry a little bit of a scare, a little bit of a scare.
00:15:14
Speaker
This one was really never in question, but Rhino turned it on in week two of the matchup, throwing up 130 and Amand Ra finally came on. he had some He had some great output across the board. I just i was just too little too late. Lamar's Larry's MVP for sure. Just so consistent. ah Week 14 to round one, ah Larry, Larry decided to, uh, to start Brock Purdy with Lamar on by got 22 Lamar rest up comes in week 15 round two and puts up 36, uh, Jamir Gibbs adding 23. And then Larry started the Broncos D they added 19. Uh, the Broncos D has been on fire. So.
00:16:05
Speaker
Interesting, interesting matchup, interesting round one. Moving to the shame off battles, the chef took down the old men by 94 points, 264 to 170. AJ, his leading scorer was a defense, the Bengals D. Other than that, he didn't have anyone crack 12 points, including his quarterback, Sam Darnold, who got 11.2.
00:16:34
Speaker
AJ's team is really bad. They're really bad, James. You said at the pizza party, he yeah he seemed fearful. can Can you dive deeper into AJ's emotional state?
Emotions and Strategy in Fantasy Football
00:16:50
Speaker
I really can't because AJ can compartmentalize with the best of them and just lock back into Coug mode.
00:16:59
Speaker
And he he he kept it kept it clean last night. Of course, he does have a DD. That's always great to know. But again, the way the table got set up fragmented some of the league talk. And there was a lot of a lot of moving parts. Very similar, if you've watched the curb, your your enthusiasm, ah playing middle at the dinner table. ah Yes.
00:17:23
Speaker
Yeah. There's some interesting dynamics going on with that and seating arrangements. It was it was really a great night though. Just the fantasy talk kind of got squashed in all of that. And then we didn't do after dinner drinks, which can always provide more of that and because we left at 10 30. So three hour dinner.
00:17:46
Speaker
So AJ to the shame offs, I take down Rob 248 to 209. Rob put up some pretty good performances but didn't get anywhere close the entire time. I got 52 points from Josh Allen in round one and I got 41 from him in round two. Absolutely hung dong on Rob's face. And I do just want to recap Rob, i'm I am sorry about this year.
00:18:12
Speaker
i i I don't know how else I could have humiliated you as my rival. And i I'm not saying that in a way with pride or coming from an egotistical perspective. You were very upset that I fakely declared will my new rival because you were no longer worthy of being my rival.
00:18:35
Speaker
because you dropped off so far in the league. You got so upset, although you were always still my rival, that you you made a side bet with me worth the entire payment of league dues, which had just been upped to 200. So now you you owe me $200, and you gave me team naming rights. So I get to name your team next year. And you were in a walking boot for most of the season, so you were questionable or on IR, personally.
00:19:05
Speaker
and You got a glimmer of hope by sending me to the shame offs the last week, just so I could demolish you for two straight weeks and send you to the battle of shame where you might not even be able to run the hill, but that is no excuse. You will run the hill and I don't care if it's in a wheelchair. I will push you up the hill. You are going up the hill, Rob. you got You're going to, you're going to go up the hill. And although AJ's team is terrible,
00:19:36
Speaker
Let's talk battle of shame here, James. i think I think AJ is still the favorite to survive and it's just been a terrible year for Rob and this would be icing on the cake to walk away with the blue ball sack after limping up that hill.
00:19:54
Speaker
Yeah, this is a a perfect battle of shame matchup. Anytime you see two teams projected in the low 90s, it's not a not a good thing. And there's just there's a lot of name value on these teams, a lot of like never getting it all to come together at once. But quarterback is a problem for both teams, and that's going to lower your ceiling.
00:20:23
Speaker
Running back is becoming a big problem for Rob. There's guys that just look like they should be on waivers that are in his starting lineup. And Tyreek Hill, I don't think can save AJ at this point. I don't know the remaining schedule for the Dolphins if it's outside or not, but I don't trust the Dolphins this time of year. Probably not good for AJ neither of my running back.
00:20:49
Speaker
And I just, yeah AJ's team, where, where is he going to get that receiver help if it's not from Tyreke? And so AJ is like high scoring potential is not there. And you could make an argument that Rob's ceiling is a little bit higher for scoring, but I also think Rob's going to haunt himself with every flex start, sit decision, and he's going to choose bad ones because that's what happens in the battle of shame. You, you overthink more than you've ever overthought in your life.
00:21:20
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. He's starting Kendra Miller and Caleb Williams at, uh, two crucial positions running back in quarterback who most of the league probably don't even know who Kendra Miller is. Uh, at least I didn't, I guess he's taken over for Kamara, but, uh, you're leaving Pacheco on the bench for Kendra Miller. Rob, i I don't really know what to say. You held Pacheco all year just to bench him in your moment of need.
00:21:50
Speaker
Interesting. I will say this, I will say this about Rob and something that I have done in the past and probably other league members have. If your gut start stops working in this league and you are unable to make those decisions, you dive more into the research and podcasts and articles. And then you like almost don't have an opinion anymore.
00:22:18
Speaker
And that's what can ease up. I've done it before. Oh yeah. You're ranking aggregates and in your, your, you know who to start, but all the, all the fantasy gurus, the fantasy pros rankings put the guy that you don't want to start ahead of the guy that you know, you should start. And then you start the guy, the fantasy pros guys tell you to start. And then the guy sucks ass. Yeah. I can't relate to that at all.
00:22:43
Speaker
I, I have, yeah, everyone in this league can relate to that. But I think there is a correlation to losing your gut instinct in this league and doing really, really poorly very quickly. I agree. I agree. Third and 11 for the Broncos here. This is a big play. Second quarter, seven minutes ah to go left in the half. Bonix is looking good tonight, James. And dare I say, Bonix looked better in orange and blue than he did in Oregon colors.
00:23:17
Speaker
Totally agree with that. The, the Oregon jerseys stopped being cool to me a long time ago. Some of their very like base stuff is good. And I know it works for recruiting, but o my dumbmp brown is he going to get there? Oh, so oh next he looks so, so decisive and he hasn't even started running yet, which is what's really scaring me.
00:23:41
Speaker
Yeah, he had one or two plays. He had one or two broken plays. He scrambled on. The thing about Bo is people don't realize how fast and athletic he is. i mean I mean, I know people do, but Bo can fly white, white guy syndrome. You know, it's true. He's a, he's a heady player. Well, they don't think that about Josh Allen. I think the league knows about Josh Allen at this point and Josh Allen.
00:24:09
Speaker
does not have does not have any one doubting him. Oh, wow. Big play. Big play. Is he going to go the whole? is he yeah Oh, wow. they They look disinterested in tackling. This is very concerning. Has Harbaugh lost the locker room? I mean, that's the the charges aren't quite the slide here. I feel like Herbert's all the line trip away from getting hurt. What's the ah the playoff race looking like for them?
00:24:38
Speaker
this is oh this is a way behind This is a huge playoff battle. Once you yeah get knocked out of fantasy, you start tracking this stuff. so When you look at the playoff standings right now, the the Chargers and the Broncos both are in wild card spots. If one of them slips here, and and the teams below them that are hoping for a slip are the Colts, the Dolphins, and the Bengals.
00:25:04
Speaker
so The Colts, Dolphins, and Bengals are all at six and eight. The Chargers are at eight and six. If the Chargers fall to eight and seven, if any of those teams win, that puts a just puts them pretty much a game behind. A lot of people are saying the Bengals are dark horse to get into the playoffs after this year and and record setting offense. That would be really cool to see. James, I'm curious, have you been watching the AFC North hard knocks on HBO.
NFL Coaching and Team Dynamics
00:25:32
Speaker
It's like the in season hard knocks falling for AFC North teams No, but I need to watch that I have watched some of those in the past
00:25:42
Speaker
I even watched the off season hard knocks with the Giants, which was hilarious because the owner, the clip went viral, of course, on Twitter, Instagram, whatever he walks. He's like, I'm not going to be able to to sleep at night if this guy yeah goes to the Eagles and dominates us. And he has had the best season ah running back said in a long time, like actually being in the MVP conversation. Yeah, ah it's wild.
00:26:11
Speaker
Yeah, but I love that stuff is great. It's an awesome show. First off, I want to say this about the AFC North. I love all four coaches. i I really do. I already liked Mike Tomlin, but getting to see Mike Tomlin behind the scenes, how he coaches his team, how he motivates his team, how he watches film, just like eating like Doritos.
00:26:36
Speaker
He is so intense and he's like such, such one of the guys. He's just such a bro, but he has this aura of authority that's that's truly unique. Harbaugh at the Ravens is just like a clear, constant, unflappable leader. I really, really, really do like, I do like both the Harbos.
00:27:05
Speaker
I bounced between and I think I'd probably still take gym if I was a NFL GM to coach my team. But they're both such solid dudes and the Ravens have a really cool practice facility. ah Baltimore, Baltimore is pretty cool. It does a lot of like cool shots. Obviously the Bengals is really, really fun. You get to see a lot of Jamar Chase and Joe Burrow behind the scenes.
00:27:32
Speaker
which is pretty cool. I like Zach Taylor, too. Down year, by but with the defense, I mean, they're putting record numbers up on offense. And he's already gotten the Super Bowl. I don't really think he's on the hot seat. I think they just have faith a really, really shitty defense this year. Yeah, so that guy's getting fired. Stefansi's a great guy, too. I think he could get canned. You know, you live and die by the quarterback, and and he put all his eggs in the,
00:28:01
Speaker
James Winston basket after Deshaun tore his Achilles and tore a bunch of massage parlors up. So. Dude, if I'm Stefanski, I'm begging to get fired and taken a year off and getting a great gig. Cause he's a good coach. Yeah. I mean, he's 42. That situation is miserable. Yeah. He's 42. He, he won. He won coach of the year. That's, I think that's what everyone forgets is it in 2020, Kevin Stefanski won.
00:28:31
Speaker
the NFL coach of the year. But that can be a death sentence because Mike Frable won it in 2021 out of a job. Guess who won it in 22? Brian Dabble of the aforementioned Giants, who are now laughing stock, paid their quarterback all that money. Who would do that? Not the Falcons. Paid their quarterback all that money.
00:28:58
Speaker
just to cut him. Shout out Kurt Cousins getting benched and the penis junior ah starting this weekend. And then, and then not once, but, but guess who wins it again in 23? Stefanski. He's won two AP NFL coach of the year awards in the past four years and he could get fired. He could get fired three and 11 Browns.
00:29:24
Speaker
it's It's a tough scene, but the anyways, hard k knocks goes behind the scenes and all this. How are you feeling about this latest Broncos touchdown, James? had I thought, well, I'm kind of hurt. not Not great. It's looking like a second straight negative defense performances incoming. Yeah. It's it's not good. Yeah.
00:29:45
Speaker
what what You were talking about your gut earlier. Was your gut to stick with the Chargers after they gave you a negative four performance? Because I feel like that that warrants a benching normally. I think this was a judgment that was clouded by my view of Bo Nicks more than how he's actually playing. But at the end of the day, with Patrick Mahomes back in, Hollywood Brown back in,
00:30:14
Speaker
I think the Chiefs are going to start turning it on. And I was trying to look at the the big picture. The Chargers are still a good defense. Good defenses are prone to give up some of these every once in a while. They could be crumbling altogether, though. We'll see how this game ends. Yeah, yeah, it could be. They're going to need some help from their offense to to get some momentum back here
Defensive Challenges and Quarterback Showdowns
00:30:37
Speaker
before halftime. It's 21-10 Broncos as we watch this live.
00:30:42
Speaker
The last thing I'll add to that. Oh, yeah. the The state of the Chiefs offense. It does break your brain to realize maybe starting a defense against Mahomes is a good idea. That is not something that you've been able to say in a long time, right? No. The Texans are good. The Chargers are good. But is he going to how hobbled is he going to be? He's going to play, right? That's the latest stuff I'm seeing.
00:31:10
Speaker
Yeah, but I mean, the the the Chiefs have been horrible this year. I mean, i mean they've been they've been they've been truly horrible. And I'm not just saying this from a fantasy perspective. If you look at total QBR across all the quarterbacks this year, where do you think Patrick Mahomes falls? Probably around 15. OK, so you've accurately assessed him.
00:31:32
Speaker
Sorry about some quarterbacks that have a better QBR than Patrick Mahomes. I'll start with one, Brock Purdy. Brock Purdy has a higher QBR than than Patrick Mahomes this year. And having a down year. Kyler Murray, Jalen Hurts, Jared Goff, Jordan Love, Matthew Stafford, Jane Daniels, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, all above Patrick Mahomes. ah he's in He's in like two a range right now. He and two a both have a 64 point something QBRs. Patrick Mahomes.
00:32:03
Speaker
has not played well this year. He just straight up has it. He's gotten sacked a lot. He's gotten sacked a lot. I think he's taken 15 sacks this year. Obviously banged up his ankle. I'm gonna go on a limb. It's not really a limb. I think he might've made the wrong call here. Texans D is the number four ranked fantasy D in the league this year.
00:32:25
Speaker
So you know time will tell. you mix You make some very logical points. And this is probably just a symptom of my lack of being on the app and being like, oh, let me see what happened with my homes. Yeah, yeah. I think it's a lack of time that I've dedicated this week. And it is very easy to say with the hot start from the Broncos as the wrong decision. But Texans do have a ah very good pass defense. it does does make sense, they could get to Mahomes. And he could have, I mean, maybe the Texans plus three and a half is the play this week. Let's focus on your matchup. Yeah, let's i mean let's focus on let's focus on your matchup. We've got a few more things, and and then we'll we'll do a real deep dive of the battle of shame. And not really the the matchup per se, but but let's we need to talk some some winter meetings, some hill run predictions.
00:33:23
Speaker
Talk some league dynamics, because I think that's that's something that we need to dive deep into. Before we wrap into into that section, though James, outside of this defensive matchup, I'm curious, how are you feeling about your head-to-head battles this week? we got We got some great ones. We got some great ones. And Jaden Daniels has been your starter.
00:33:53
Speaker
Tyler Murray stays on the bench. This has been a 50-50 coin toss most of the year. Jaden against Lamar. We got to give the edge to Lamar here. I think even even with your smooth moves, colored glasses, you probably give the edge to Larry's quarterback. Oh, no doubt, especially with the defensive matchup this week.
00:34:14
Speaker
You're pretty wrong in saying that it's been a 50-50 call at quarterback all year. Kyler has had a couple pop weeks. Jaden is that dude. And that's what makes this week interesting against a good Philadelphia defense. But yeah, the the tear that Lamar is on, i've I've had him a few seasons ago. He's the most fun guy to watch quarterback. Him and Josh Allen, most fun to watch on Red Zone.
00:34:42
Speaker
i mean It's going to be hard to dethrone Josh Allen right now. But the season he's having is incredible. So the fact that the MVP conversation is even a thing with the way Josh Allen is playing is is wild. Oh, yeah. I mean, that a team that had Josh Allen didn't make the playoffs in our league. Oh, yeah. OK. That definitely stings. ah you know I definitely clearly had a team built for the playoffs. I would have.
00:35:12
Speaker
advanced against, uh, pretty much anyone this past week. My team was built for the postseason. They, they, they fell short. It was a tough year. It was a tough year, but it had a pretty poetic ending for me in the last, you know, the last 24 months of fantasy football. I can't, I can't really complain about had a really fun live draft in Chattanooga back when we used to do that. That was cool.
00:35:43
Speaker
I drafted Bijon first and I ended up winning a championship. Had a, another fun draft this year. And, uh, I fell short, but I felt so great to knock Rob into, into where he's at now that I don't think I'd change a thing. Except to, you know, I would definitely swap out a title spot, but there's not another league position I would have rather finished in.
00:36:11
Speaker
then sending Rob to the battle of shame. oh yeah you You had a storybook year that was full of excitement from beginning to end. That's all that you can really ask for in this league. Yeah. It's just, just a shame. I mean, the same would go for Jamar chase and some of these other guys, not even in making the playoffs. It's just kind of a wild stat. Yeah. Well, it's not even that much of a dig. It's just kind of a wild stat when you have somebody going off like that.
00:36:40
Speaker
And then we get a matchup in the relevance bowl, which I swore we weren't going to talk about of two guys that absolutely hate each other. Like absolutely hate each other. And perfect we don't even get a side bet. Disappointing times. All right. Breaking down running backs. A-chain mix in versus Barkley and Gibbs. I hate to do this. I got to give edge Larry, especially with the news of David Montgomery getting knocked out. Uh, Jameer Gibbs taking over the Detroit backfield has to scare you.
00:37:10
Speaker
ah Yeah, well, I mean, that's that's why the mountain I have to climb is so high. I can't disagree with you there. They are at Chicago, but I don't think it'll matter. I'd say if if they were at home, I'd be even more afraid of Gibbs. And Washington's defense has not been great against the run. Barkley feels due for a big one. It really comes down to I think my guys can stay close to his, but I don't think they have the 30-point potential that say Quan and Jameer have. And so that's what makes the receivers so interesting is that's my one chance to gain an edge, really. at least I agree. At least with Quan, I would say.
00:37:54
Speaker
I agree. I would take, I would take Jefferson and cup over flowers and Addison any day. Addison's ability to not be double teamed. He's been lethal this year. So that is like the most exciting thing to watch probably for both rounds that could change the outcome really. Oh yeah. Every time, every time a Minnesota pass goes into the air, it could go one of two ways. And I think that I'll dictate this matchup.
00:38:22
Speaker
Yeah, they're both 30-point potential guys. and And I think at Flex, you have a huge advantage. I mean, he's got he's got Bowers, who's been solid, and and Marvin Harrison, Jr., who's fallen off a cliff. And and you got Neighbors and Chase Brown. um ah like your I like your edge in the Flex positions. And Kicker, it's a crapshoot. But it's funny that McManus has actually predicted to score more than Boswell this week. so That's wild. That is wild. Yeah, people really dogged the Neighbors pick. but It actually is like the antithesis of everything I've ever been about in this league, which is going after guys that just are for sure gonna get targets and not necessarily touchdowns, but he's been he's been solid. And he came up huge for me last week, same with Chase Brown, arguably a better draft pick than Jayden Daniels so was for me. So so must some some big time performances
00:39:19
Speaker
to overcome the billies for sure from for those guys.
00:39:25
Speaker
All right. let's talk about Let's talk about the battle of shame. Well, let's not really talk about the matchup. We already talked about the players. Let's talk about the ah the men involved and the spectacle that is the winner meetings that really you built as commissioner. I'll never take credit for that. It just happened. You don't need to take credit. but It happened.
00:39:47
Speaker
it was It did come together through some of my work, but it was not my idea. But that's just the role of the commissioner to perform base functions, not necessarily do anything grand, ah more keeping the drama to a minimum, which there's not been a lot of this year and performing base functions on the home office for the league and texting a group. That's really all it is. It's very easy.
League Engagement and Personal Commitments
00:40:19
Speaker
Yeah. Some leagues, or some seasons not in this league, but I don't think Bobby's done, bon he's done a very good job planning so far. Sorry. I'm very distracted rooting for the Chargers. This is a cool, cool way to do a pod. We should do this more often. Yeah. I do enjoy watching Thursday night football while we, while we record.
00:40:43
Speaker
Looks like 2110 Broncos right now. Your D is down to what, only two points in fantasy points now? Yeah, you could be. got be Yeah, sacks and picks to try to get me to to zero is what it's looking like. Yeah. So we'll see. Yeah, we'll see. You never know. Bo can always throw picks. Bo Nix throwing picks. James,
00:41:05
Speaker
Let's talk about winter meetings. I mean, is this going to be a situation where other members of the league just have to take charge and get something, get something scheduled? Are we going to sit on our hands and, you know, wait for bombing to take action? what's What's the, what's the approach here? I think we're going to walk away from this weekend, Sunday night, knowing when the winter meeting, winning, uh, winter meetings are, that's what I think is going to happen.
00:41:35
Speaker
That's a hot take. That's a hot take, but do you think it can happen? I mean, we are, we are at an ever increasing, this is one thing as we age, it's always going to be harder to get something on the calendar, always going to be harder. I have a baby due very, very soon. I am willing to abandon that baby temporarily. And we appreciate that. For a good cause.
00:42:06
Speaker
But I need to know when it's going to be to plan accordingly, because in order to abandon my newborn and postpartum wife, I will need something on the calendar. So I'm just throwing that out there. Yeah. You're in the toughest spot in the entire league. Uh, AJ and Andrew drew close behind you. Yeah. So there's some men that need to know, and I would include myself. I mean,
00:42:35
Speaker
We just need to know, need to know, need to know. And I'm cool. I'm cool with whatever the league decides. I'm ah also a patient guy. If we decided, Hey, the league's going to get together and watch the first round of March madness and do the winter meetings, would I be upset? No, I wouldn't be upset. If we said, Hey, the league's going to do Superbowl, would I be upset? No, I wouldn't be upset, but I do like the idea of a Saturday over a Sunday.
00:43:01
Speaker
And I like the idea of some sort of a sporting event that we could collaborate on it and view, be fun or play golf or just do something as a league. That'd be great. That is a great place to start with those things.
00:43:18
Speaker
I agree with you on a Saturday the kid shuffle Monday morning post league gathering is never pleasant. It's a very hard sell to the league and I'm sure we can find something to watch playing golf. I'll i'll play in 40 degrees if I have to. If I can get people in the league to play with me which I can never. Yeah. There's plenty of time to talk about this and it will be talked about this weekend.
00:43:48
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I could see a little bit of a delay here. Now, do I want to delay the hill or run? No, but the fact that we're in late December and don't have anything on the calendar for January means we're probably not going to get something on the calendar for January. So then we have to look at February. It's a weird month. It's a short month besides Super Bowl weekend stuff. So yeah, I just, I'm going to say this. I just, I'm not saying that Bami has done a bad job. I just think that Bami has.
00:44:17
Speaker
been in charge of a league that is fading in engagement. And it concerns me. And you gotta point, you gotta point fingers to the leader. Oh, deep pass. The Chargers are moving it. I am very distracted. It's an interesting storyline, Larry benching McConkie too. So I would love to see him go off. Yeah, I just got a long catch for McConkie and then I remember that Larry has him on the pine.
00:44:47
Speaker
Yeah, there's some there's some stuff happening tonight. um Oh, boy. All right. Maybe it's going to just be a shootout. I just have to root for Larry's defense to do bad at this point. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. But we were talking about the commissioner, and you were deep in thought on your last remark. Heavy words. It's just I just i feel the league engagement slipping. I feel that,
00:45:15
Speaker
When the commissioner doesn't lead by example and trying to build excitement around the league and organize events for the league to gather, then, then naturally engagement falls off. It's like how if you've been working for a long time and you don't have a trip on the calendar or any sort of vacation in front of you, all of a sudden you just get in this mundane rut where things just aren't as fun. Things just aren't, they just, like you said, food just doesn't taste quite as good.
00:45:45
Speaker
because you don't have anything that you're you got circled on the calendar that you're like, wow, well, if I can just get through this shitty week of work, I get to see the boys next weekend. I get to see the boys in a month. That's what I need. And that's what I think our league needs is that is that anticipation. That's really what it's all about. Don't get me wrong, the day of is always incredibly fun. But the buildup,
00:46:11
Speaker
That to me is where the commissioner has to thrive. The buildup to the draft, the buildup to the winter meetings. Two out of 365 days we spend together. Yeah, a lot of it's hype. But so is every other major event or holiday or anything. It's all about the buildup. And that's where I gotta come down and just criticize Bommie in public. I don't care. I know he doesn't even listen to this, but you're providing zero excitement to the league.
00:46:40
Speaker
In fact, you're borderline ghosting the league. You are happy to make the irrelevance bowl, like thrilled to make the irrelevance bowl. And I honestly, I was not lying when I said the shame offs have a lot more spice. At least I get a couple more weeks of excitement. Bommie was just happy to roll over, not make a side bet and get bulldozed by team Trump. Uh, that's gotta, that's gotta change. We need more from our commissioner.
00:47:09
Speaker
We need excitement again. Make the league of hard knocks great again. Yeah, a lot of good points there. And there's another side of it too. Guess what? It is a pain in the ass to plan it.
00:47:23
Speaker
because it's hard and but once you overcome realizing like I'm putting this league in front of a lot of other things the way that I'm planning for it there's something very gratifying about when everyone achieves that at the same time just like the military or fraternities you know we we still need that like male camaraderie more than ever like that's a whole another side rant that I have but That's what the league can provide. And you're right, the hy hype guy can really get it going, even if it makes everybody be like, why the hell do I have 100 messages today? That's how a lot of my commissionership ran. But hey, it was um it wasn't great, but it worked and it was fun. i would love a hunt the size yeah oh People criticized me.
00:48:14
Speaker
I had more criticism from you and Will, which was warranted because you were actually commissioners before. That's fine. Like, but it was all fun. I did it for five years and it was just time to give it to somebody else. Broncos. Yeah. I don't want to do it anytime soon, but eventually like some people are going to have to be commissioner again. You and Will are very obvious can't candidates and I wish more people would step up, but we've had that conversation too many times now. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean, even Will, I feel like is a little disconnected from the league.
00:48:48
Speaker
He talked a big game, called a lot of ball game, got knocked down the playoffs and went silent. Not even a steep. Will thrives in planning to where like organizing the league is easy to him. It's not easy to me, but that's like what Will does. yeah He told us the other night, he's like, I think I'm planning like two or three Christmas parties. I'm like, that sounds miserable to me, but some people are just wired like that.
00:49:17
Speaker
It's great. Oh, yeah. I'm landing in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, and I guarantee Will already has my entire day planned out for me. Yeah, that's what he is. And it's great. umm just I'm going to grab my wallet and backpack and change clothes and fly to Columbus. And as soon as I land, I'll call Will, and he'll tell me where to eat, where to go, who to hang out with. I don't it's i mean, it is honestly wonderful. i I'm going to this trip.
00:49:45
Speaker
with so much excitement because I have to do zero mental gymnastics andt like at all. i just i yeah As soon as I'm in Ohio, I know that Will has already planned it out. I think he's even sent out a text that he's got a perfect plan. That's like, that's great. He's got the lunch spot, everything. That's great. It reminds me of when you'd send out an itinerary for the day of the winter meetings. I would get so excited. I would be driving up And on my three and a half hour drive and I do some hype music and you, you announced in the morning, like the the full schedule of the day, like and that does that's the peak. That's when the euphoria starts to build in and, and that's what it's about. And we're lacking that right now. So, Oh, Oh balls on the ground. I think they got away with it.
00:50:40
Speaker
They ended the half any anyways. Did he get blocked into him? I didn't see all I saw was the ball in the ground. So it's still be a turnover. ah What are they going to rule here? But no time left. Got a muffed point. Sean Payton's telling his boys to stay on the field. Harbaugh looks like he's panicking. He doesn't look confident, no.
00:51:07
Speaker
He does not look confident. Oh, man. We got a referee huddle. Is there anything better than a ref huddle? Like, talk about anticipation. Like, that's on the field. Oh, man. I want that mic'd up so bad. He wasn't touched, dude. I don't think he was touched. I think he just tried to act like he got ran into, but I don't think anyone bumped him. Was there a need? Maybe a good acting job. Oh, man. Oh, they they called the penalty. one Uh, let's see if they're going to give him a first trying to lip read right now. It might be a no. and yeah an on time play Yeah. Yeah. So the Broncos might take a shot here. Why not? I mean, that's a flick of the wrist for Herbert. Ooh. Okay.
00:51:58
Speaker
Here he comes, big herb. Sorry, the Chargers might take a shot here. James, this has been fun. I'm really excited about this weekend. Let's talk a little bit about this weekend. We've already talked about it. I know the league doesn't care that much. We're gonna have five league members there, correct? Myself, you, that's two. Bami is coming, the commissioner coming up with a shame participant, the Cougar, and then of course the aforementioned planning party of Will.
00:52:25
Speaker
I think he's bringing his better half and has some, he has some Ohio friends up there as well. Surprised that more league members aren't, aren't making the, the voyage to Nalen North. Uh, I kind of am. It was like a no brainer once I realized I could get in for less than $500. And yes, we did probably miss the market, but, uh, we bought at the top. It's like starting the.
00:52:54
Speaker
Chargers defense, except they got negative four last week. so way it is Sometimes that's just what happens in hindsight can make you feel stupid, but it is going to be a great weekend. Uh, seeing two former members of this league, Sean and Stuckey, I think they'll both be there. Are they both of eyes? Sure. Stuckey. It's going to be just an interesting atmosphere.
00:53:24
Speaker
Yeah. Lunch. And then we got eight hours till the game. And we have eight hours of play off football. We have eight hours of playoff football. You got to realize there's two other playoff games on Saturday. And the NFL. And the NFL. And that's why I'm saying it's pandemonium on Saturday. It's going to be electric.
Excitement for Sports Lineups and Predictions
00:53:46
Speaker
It's going to be electric. It's going to be great. Maybe one of the best sporting days I've had in a long time.
00:53:53
Speaker
Hopefully, if you're not coming on the trip, find somewhere, maybe the Morton Sportsbook, you're gonna want multiple screens on Saturday. Yes. And I appreciate the Vols playing late, so it does not take up the whole day, because we're gonna be able to watch so many good games. Yeah. I mean, we got SMU Penn State, which I think is actually gonna be a great game at noon. Clemson, Texas at four. It's gonna be electric.
00:54:24
Speaker
Dabo in Austin. You see Dave interview Dabo. He's like, yeah, I'm pretty excited. I get to meet Matthew McConaughey. Classic Dabo answer.
00:54:35
Speaker
And then Tennessee, Ohio State. I can't tell you how excited I am to go to this game. Current kickoff forecast, 27 degrees. below freezing game in Ohio in December. This is essentially my Datchler party because Kellen was hesitant. She's like, the baby could come out Saturday, theoretically. I'm like, the baby could always come out. Baby's not gonna come out on Saturday. I'll be back Sunday. So I'm still like kind of on standby. I think for that I'm not driving. So like, you know, Kellen goes into labor. I have to waddle back to the airport. That's worst case scenario. Best case scenario, the Vols roll,
00:55:15
Speaker
We, uh, we burned down Columbus, throw the goalposts into the river and, and just have an epic, epic hard knocks weekend. Wow. Long field goal by the chargers didn't you have. Dicker what was a bomb that like 66. Wow. Dicker the kicker. Wow. Wow. Kickers are the theme of the year.
00:55:41
Speaker
Incredible. like we This weekend's going to be perfect and I will save my my take for the game until I hear yours because I know the difference between my vol goggles and not and I'm curious if you can see the game the same way I'm seeing it because it's very clear it's going to be a little bit low scoring in my opinion and I want to, I just want your take. So I watched, I've watched a lot of football neutrally of these two teams because they play a lot on TV. Uh, I think the spread is very interesting. They're giving a lot of points to Ohio State for playing at home, which we've already talked about. It's not going to be that much of an advantage based on how many Tennessee fans are traveling up.
00:56:36
Speaker
The vols at plus 230 Moneyline I think is is not as much value as the vols plus seven and a half. I would take the over and I would take the vols spread and it is what I've already taken. I've also sprinkled some of the vols Moneyline because ride or die, I'm gonna be an SEC supporter this weekend. And that's that's who I'm gonna cheer for. I'm gonna cheer for Texas, I'm gonna cheer for Tennessee, I'm gonna cheer for the SEC.
00:57:06
Speaker
And i want to see I want to see Ryan Day get fired. i think I think Ohio State has so much negative energy coming off that Michigan loss. I think the Vols should win this game. I really, really do. Only reason they'd lose is just getting rattled, just the stage. Even if it is a lot of Vols fans, I watched part of the Vanderbilt game.
00:57:31
Speaker
And I don't know if Nico is playing his best football right now. He's still playing well. I just don't know if he's playing his best football of the season. California kid, freshman, coming into 22 degrees and in the and a tough, tough matchup. He's going to have to be ready to play because the Buckeyes do have a a great defense. But I think the Vols take it here. I really do. That's, that's non-Vol wins. There's a neutral betting on it. I i take the big orange.
00:58:01
Speaker
See, it's a great take. I agree with so much of it. Taking my bias out of it, that's how I view it. Tennessee is a team that plays great defense, runs the ball incredibly well, has a great corner. I don't know when he'll get drafted when he goes, but he's great, like rare, great. Ohio State wants to play tough, but they're not.
00:58:32
Speaker
falling apart internally, potentially going to Ryan Day's funeral. A lot of orange in the stadium. I think that matters for a team like Tennessee. They feed off of this fan base like few teams can in college football. It's really incredible. But Ohio State is really good on paper. They do have a great defense. I think it's going to be low scoring. I think they're going to sell out on the run make Nico try to beat him. And i I think that he can, and I'm confident in Nico, but that's the game. And that's why seven and a half is great value in what I see a low scoring game, cold weather, California kid. It's going to be a tight game. It is going to be tight. Yeah. And this will be the coldest game he's played in. And not just that though, I do think
00:59:31
Speaker
I do think like the key is to protect him because when he's gotten sacked a lot, he, it impacts everything. Like his QBR, his worst QBR of the season was actually the Florida game. And I've gotten really into QBR recently. I know I'm kind of hammering it, but although the Vols won in OT 2317, Nico got sacked three times, QBR of 23.3. Really, really struggled that game.
00:59:58
Speaker
Tim at Tim at that game. Yeah. I am low. If yards low through a pick, same thing with same thing, honestly, with Georgia and Utah, he got sacked eight times in those two games. And I know you guys beat you to 56 to nothing, but he didn't actually look that good that game.
01:00:20
Speaker
Georgia got to him five times. And I just think if you protect Nico and there's like only one or two Ohio state sacks, I think the ball is fine. I think that's a big, that's a big thing to watch because he can, he can easily get rattled. If he starts, he starts taking blindside hits. Yeah. Well, there's a version of this game, which might, uh, dark ball brain goes to where.
01:00:42
Speaker
Hypel comes out with a timid game plan. Ohio State starts out quick on like one crazy play. And we're down like 10-0 at the end of the first quarter. And you're just like, I don't trust this team. And we lose, I don't know, a tight one like 2014 or 2017. I think 24 points wins this game, period, is kind of how I see it playing out. I don't think Ohio State is a team. I think they're just like a collection of talent and they don't trust Ryan Day. Chip is an interesting person in this game, Chip Kelly. What is interesting about him, he actually runs one of the best run games in football period from a lot of the podcasts, people that I've listened to like X coaches and everybody. And
01:01:38
Speaker
What has worked for Ohio State in the past is flashy passing and being wide receiver you. And it's like a culture clash that's going on at Ohio State. And it's the spot for the Vols. Like if you take your bias aside, if you're a Vol fan, it is the spot. This is an upset potential. Lots of experts are picking it. It almost makes me nervous because it's too sexy of a pick, you know? Yeah, no, I agree. I agree. I mean, Ohio State's faced three top five teams this year. They played Oregon at Oregon, number one seed in the playoffs. They lost by one point and they played Penn State who's also in the playoff. Penn State was number three at the time. They beat Penn State at Penn State. So they're they're pretty battle tested. And then Indiana came in with a ton of hype. I ranked number five in undefeated and they beat them down 38 to 15.
01:02:37
Speaker
Michigan, yeah, that was a tough L. But if they had steamrolled Michigan, they would be maybe a two touchdown favorite here. So ah it's a tough one to call. I am so excited to be there in person at one of the first college football playoff games ever. ah This is like a bucket list item for me that I didn't know existed. Like the idea of a home or a way. College football playoff game is not something I could have imagined in my youth.
01:03:07
Speaker
So I'm stoked. I can't wait. It's going to be perfect. If you are just a football fan in general, you love this game. Yeah, it's a beautiful game. It's a beautiful game. I know we also got some NFL on Saturday. I probably won't be watching that much of it. Texans Chiefs is good. 1 PM kick. Steelers Ravens also really, really good. 4.30 kick. I love both those games. That's four playoff teams.
01:03:37
Speaker
And Texas in Arrowhead, freezing temps, Steelers at the Ravens. Oh, that's classic. Anyways. It's going to be interesting to see how the, the bar scene plays out if we can establish dominance over an area early, because it's going to be so cold that day. It's going to be important to conserve energy at the bar, not peak too early for an 8PM game. A lot of factors in play with the group, uh, that's going. So.
01:04:07
Speaker
Yeah, I can see Will's got a tailgate. Whatever pod we do after this game is going to be hilarious to break down. But does Will have a heater? Does Will have enough TVs to get all these games on? These are things that an established bar has. Is there port-a-potties nearby? Bars normally have bathrooms and food. They might have kitchens. There's a lot of advantages to climate-controlled building with tons of TVs and an open bar.
01:04:35
Speaker
ah Well, we'll see. We'll see. i'm sure I'm sure Will's got a plan. Man with the plan. James, it's been an honor. It's been a pleasure. It's halftime and Thursday night game. I hope that, I guess, Bonyx throws some picks for you. Not really, because I'm cheering for Larry. Definitely cheering for Larry. Oh, yeah. that's That's why I'm the underdog, because of the public c sentiment. not I clearly have the pedigree, but it's also Larry who owns me in the postseason in general, another narrative for me. So regardless of my titles that I do have, Larry is someone just like AJ. If you look at your records and league history, AJ owns me in this league just in general over a long time. but For me, I own Rhino. I own Andrew in big spots. Larry owns me in big spots.
01:05:30
Speaker
Right now, you're kind of owning your rival in a big spot. Yeah. That's what makes rivalries great. And really, it's it's a man that I respect. But I've got a lot of history with Larry. He's produced years of shame for me. Can't wait to see how it plays out, James. This has been a fun episode. We should do another watch party sometime.
01:05:51
Speaker
Maybe we'll have a special guest on after after the championship round wraps up. Or maybe we maybe we need to drop an episode midweek. Maybe we need to drop one midweek after the the Tennessee playoff game in round one of the League of Hard Knocks playoffs finale here. So thank you all for tuning in. Thank you, Big J, for joining us. This is Dylan by Corin Brad. And we ah we will see you in Columbus. Peace. Go Vols.