Transcript
Speaker: Hello, you beautiful listeners, and welcome back to our podcast. We are so excited to have you here. If this is your first time tuning in welcome. And if this is your second time, because this is literally just the second episode, then we're so excited that you you're sticking around and... um we can't wait to show you what we have in store.
Speaker: um we are really excited though, because we do have a very special segment coming up. Um, and we also have some new introductions.
Speaker: Long story short, we had to film the first episode about like a very long time ago, as in like months ago, um, and real life has happened since then.
Speaker: So, um, due to jobs and life and et cetera. um Some of the hosts that were in the first episode had to step away from the podcast. um We're hoping that we'll see them again in future episodes.
Speaker: But for now, this is your team, um which you may be saying, who's that new person? And we're very excited to introduce you.
Speaker: to Noah, a huge fan of Alabama football and celery. um we are so excited. Yeah. Happy to be here.
Speaker: That's all you're gonna say. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Uh, yeah. Like Leighton said, I'm Alabama. I would say is my number one team.
Speaker: um Not just football. I follow pretty much every sport that Alabama competes in. um Yeah, celery for context and our Discord.
Speaker: Y'all should join if you're not already. um One of my first days in there, somebody asked in our gym session, like what everyone's favorite vegetable was. And I said, celery.
Speaker: And I was not expecting literally everyone to hold me over the fire and be like, I can't believe you like celery. How how dare you? And I was like, well, you know what? That's okay. More for me.
Speaker: um But yeah, I'm really happy to be here and excited to dive in. You know, we've had similar conversations about bananas and no one's name true became Banana Man. That's true. I think that's because there's like more people yeah that like bananas. It's not just person. There a single person. Yeah. yeah Okay. Gotcha.
Speaker: Gotcha. Yeah. Yeah. Noah's unique in his taste.
Speaker: Very much. But as you can tell by our conversations already, Noah is a fantastic friend of ours and we're so excited that he's joining the um podcast mainly because that means that I have prime targets for roasting his choices. Hmm.
Speaker: There's going to be one talked about later. So just a little preview again. bama boys. Bama boys. Someone we both share. Might be.
Speaker: You guys actually um ah hold on a minute. I got to go get something. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You're good. Yeah.
Speaker: um Okay, what i I feel like we should clarify, but also I i don't want to clarify that one. So, but I just want to clarify there's there's no a no sharing of men happening at all anywhere in this discord. But players.
Speaker: Wait, weren't you guys gonna, didn't you need to get something too? Oh, yeah. Happy birthday! Oh, it's backwards.
Speaker: When this podcast releases on the Thursday, you are listening to it. Hopefully you're listening to it on release day. It'll be Noah's birthday. So we want to wish him a happy, happy, happy birthday.
Speaker: Thank
Speaker: I can't believe you're getting to have your inaugural episode on your birthday. Yeah, yeah that's pretty wild. totally You were birthed into the world and birthed into the podcast. Yeah.
Speaker: Fantastic. I feel like since it's also episode two, we should also probably reintroduce ourselves for the crowd. Yeah, that's a great idea. You should go ahead, Jake.
Speaker: Well, I'm Jake. I'm your stats guru. And right now I'm just listening for Whom the Bell Tolls for every single preseason injury to make sure my draft goes right.
Speaker: I'm Leighton and I'm ah habitually the last person who is checking the sleeper notifications and therefore people have to constantly remind me to draft.
Speaker: Oh, that reminds me. Is it time to draft? ah This draft has been going on forever, this dynasty draft, let's just say. um And I'm Krista, your Swifty Spirit Guide. Maybe don't have the in-depth knowledge of all the football things, but I am a stat nerd and I love playing fantasy sports.
Speaker: So that said, I may have some unusual hot takes and always a Swifty Spin. And Layton, we'll be here to roast them all. Yeah, amen. like I need a helmet, not a birthday hat.
Speaker: so hi
Speaker: Okay, so let's actually get into um the meat, let's say. um Let's talk about some boom or bust. We're going into the drafting season. We're really excited. We're watching all the training camp footage. We're definitely overreacting to every single interception or good play.
Speaker: um But let's talk about some maybe more deep cuts, more personal choices. um Let's talk about The players who have a lot of value maybe are really overlooked.
Speaker: um And, you know, maybe you just draft them for a personal reason because you're emotionally attached to them.
Speaker: um But you really think other people should draft them too. um My personal choice here, I'm going to go with Jacoby Myers.
Speaker: um i yeah In Jimmy G's year on the Raiders, I ended up watching the Raiders a lot more than I ever have before for completely football reasons.
Speaker: um But I really was surprised at, you know, watching Jacoby Myers and and really looking back at his history, you know, seeing him leave the Patriots and um He has consistently performed, but he never gets talked about as ah as a wide receiver one.
Speaker: um he's He's an afterthought. And when you look at his stats, obviously he's not Justin Jefferson. He's not Jamar Chase, but he's solid. He puts in a good performance. He's making those catches.
Speaker: I mean, last year he was one of the only people on the Raiders who was actually playing football and making an effort. um I think he's definitely worth, if he drops to a mid round, I snag him. He's a fantastic wide receiver too in your slot. Or, you know, even if you're having him on your bench for if someone gets hurt.
Speaker: um Yeah. My, my deep cut is going to be Jacoby Myers.
Speaker: I'll counteract with this. One, yes, I'm perturbed at how the Patriots let him walk away and thought Juju Smith-Schuster could replace his production.
Speaker: But two, he's an X receiver. i He's not a wide receiver one to me. He's an okay wide receiver two. And yeah, he might have popped off last year. But with what quarterback? I know Geno Smith is there this year, but there's some growing pains. And Geno Smith certainly ain't a spring chicken. know.
Speaker: you know ah but What quarterback has he had in his entire time in the Raiders? I mean, no offense to Jimmy G, but he's not Tom Brady. And then he was had what Aiden O'Connell and um Gardner Minshew and 14 string backups.
Speaker: Like, I don't think he's had a solid quarterback. Well, I think Gino, the one solid rookie year of Matt Jones is his best quarterback year in all honesty. yeah Yeah.
Speaker: So, I mean, he's putting out solid performances and being consistent when the only thing that's consistent in the organization that he's working for is bad quarterback play.
Speaker: It's mainly the organization I don't trust. Yeah. I also feel like with Pete Carroll coming in and being the head coach, they're going to focus very heavily on running the ball. And I feel like that'll take away from...
Speaker: I was about to say with what running back, but then I remembered who they drafted. Yeah, ah exactly. I was thinking of last year's running back room. Speaking of the Raiders running back, I don't know.
Speaker: Does anyone have any thoughts on him? That is my, uh, one of my boomer bust, uh, selections. Um, let's be real. He was robbed of the Heisman. Um,
Speaker: That's something we have not seen in a while. And this pains me to say, but I think he was a better running back in his collegiate years than Derek Henry. um Outside of winning a natty, he pretty much did everything else if but at a better level, I would say, which, again, that that really pains me to say. um And i think he's already RB1. I don't think there's any argument behind that. um The only concern that I have with with him realistically is the Raiders O-line.
Speaker: But also you can balance that out with the fact that he did play for Boise State and look what he was able to do. So um yeah, I already have him in our Dynasty League.
Speaker: um he wasn't exactly He didn't fall to the mid-round, but we are also in 14-person league. So I decided to snag him pretty early just to make sure I got him because...
Speaker: Yeah, I think he's going really good. And I think he'll win offensive rookie year. I think for a dynasty league, he's great, but I don't think it'll tie your roster together right now. So yeah I think it all depends on the type of league that you're drafting in.
Speaker: And in PPR league, he's probably yeah great flex play, but I wouldn't have him as an RB1, RB2 just yet. Yeah. Which, no of course, in a normal PPR league, he's probably going to fall to mid a more mid round pick.
Speaker: Yeah, I definitely think that he's the strongest rookie in the class. um Especially from what you pointed out is that a lot of people are worried about his performance, but if you're looking at the tools that he's had around him and the performance that he was able to put in, I think he's, he's going to be fine in Las Vegas.
Speaker: Yeah, I would agree. It would be right at home. Yeah.
Speaker: You know, speaking of running backs, I'm not i'm going to talk about it i'm not gonna talk about a specific player. And I'm very happily willing to mark this episode explicit so I can just very bleasonly say, fuck them kids.
Speaker: I think it's more like you're on your own kid.
Speaker: I'm a huge proponent of the zero running back strategy, especially in a PPR league. You know, if you know, if you can get, ah like a really, really elite wide out in the first round, get a great tight end. If you can get a Travis Kelsey, um, it was Pat Firemouth when he was on the Steelers a couple of years ago. ah maybe like a Brock Bowers. is Now I feel like we're really focused on the Raiders this week.
Speaker: Um, A Sam Laporta, that's a better one. If you can get it like a Sam Laporta, get another good like ah wide receiver too. And then you leave your running backs in general to the mid rounds. And you're not getting guys like Derrick Henry who are bell cows, but you're getting guys who I always make a comparison because of i'm I'm a Patriots fan to a James White type of wide receiver.
Speaker: He's not a goal line back that he's going to like overpower the O-line. But he's very versatile. he's ah He gets pass touches. And so in a PPR league, I find that's extremely valuable.
Speaker: I think you can wait till at least round four or five to start looking at wide or to start looking at running backs in a zero running back strategy and actually have it work. As long as you have like elite enough talent in your pass catching abilities and your quarterback.
Speaker: Let me give you some advice. As someone that has drafted running back way too late, you are going to be living on backup players and a hope and a prayer. Yeah. While your opponents have drafted Saquon Barkley and he's throwing up 40-point games.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah, but if you've got like a Lamar Chase, Justin Jefferson, and AJ Brown, and a Travis Kelsey, Sam Laporta, and a Josh Allen, or Lamar Jackson, like, you're going to make up that production.
Speaker: Yeah, but if you happen to get all of those, you're the luckiest fool ever, and you might as well they might as well just give you the crown right now. That's the point of a zero running back strategy. I love zero running backs when you're in the back end of the first round. If you're in a 12-team league and you have like 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, I'm a huge proponent, especially if you're on that turn.
Speaker: You get those like really, really high, solid wide receiver ones on like... round one, pick 10 and then round two, pick four or three or something like that.
Speaker: So if you're on the turn, I think you can turn around and get that talent really, really, really well. Okay. So we're going to hold you to it, Jake. And we are actually, our admin are going to do a live draft.
Speaker: Um, and so are you agreeing to not draft a running back until what round? I solemnly swear, boy Scout honor, I won't draft a running back in our admin league until at least the fourth round. Okay.
Speaker: Oh my gosh. you heard I couldn't. I am, I am, I love my running backs. Last year in the LB that I won, i had, i was able to get, cause people were like, didn't like Derek Henry at all. So I was able to get Saquon, Derek Henry, uh,
Speaker: I remember who the other one was I want to say it was Kyron Williams. Oh my God. Wow. Yeah. So I just, I always had and another elite running back in my flex the entire year and i only lost one game.
Speaker: So yeah, imagine. Running backs always will always have my heart. So. But good luck to you. When I win, I will say thank you.
Speaker: There you go. Yes, we should have a bet. Yeah, and i I will happily admit i was wrong if you wind up winning. Amen. I think we're all betting $13 that he doesn't win. True.
Speaker: Okay. So um my hot take here and Noah, this one may pain when I say DK Metcalf, former Seahawks, now a Steeler. So ah that said, I still see a lot of potential in him. I think that people are still mourning last season, ah but we are here for a new season, a new team.
Speaker: There are minimal mouths to feed in Pittsburgh. And I think DK is going to be one of them. I have been surprised at how low he's been falling. like I don't think he's i don't think he's like round one or two for me, but he's i think he fell to like what the sixth round. I think it was right fifth or sixth round for the NARUS. Yeah, which I was surprised.
Speaker: And he is durable. He's only missed three games in his entire career. Yeah, I would agree with that. kis Now playing in Seattle where they have the worst field in the entire league where you see the most ACL tears, turf toes, things like that.
Speaker: So I'm waiting for it to come like week three or week four and just the injury happens. But also my concern with him is mainly with Aaron Rodgers. Is he going to stay on the team long enough to actually do something?
Speaker: Is he just going to go on an ayahuasca trip like half a season just totally screw up the Steelers season? Okay, but even if he does, Aaron Rodgers is being backed up by a national championship winner Will Howard.
Speaker: Who just got hurt in practice today. I didn't know that. Regardless of who's throwing the ball, I think me right that calf would be a big target. yeah Oh my goodness.
Speaker: Well, those are some hot takes for this week. um I hope that you have decided to draft one of them um because they are all very near and dear to our heart, except for Jake is has nothing close to his name. He's no running backs. I love it. I love it. I'm so excited for you.
Speaker: But speaking of love, let's talk about our next segment. Our next segment is going to be a special for the next three episodes. We've got a friend on our admin team who was feeling a little lonely and had an extra ticket to see Gracie Abrams at Red Rocks.
Speaker: And he happened to post on TikTok that he was looking for a date um and got somehow got suckered into letting us put it on the podcast.
Speaker: Well, let's do two. The post went viral. That's true. That's true. there was There was like hundreds of comments. So many people were interested. um So this little segment, we're going to call it Tristan's Love Story.
Speaker: Our friend Tristan um is essentially hosting a dating show recently. to determine who he's taking to the Gracie Abrams concert.
Speaker: um So we had almost 50 women apply. And I have to say, as the person who was manning the spreadsheet, um I have no idea how Tristan is going to pick just because absolutely every single one of these women is absolutely incredible and um was definitely blown away by the caliber of women that apparently are in the Denver area.
Speaker: um So if you're single in the Denver area, keep looking because there's some good ones out there. we have a pipeline. Call us. If you're willing to go on the podcast.
Speaker: Yeah. yeah But um we somehow narrowed it down to eight finalists. um And you're going to be hearing from them over the next couple episodes. And then you'll be hearing from Tristan himself.
Speaker: Hopefully, because I haven't necessarily told him that part yet. But I feel like that's pretty fair. So... um These next couple of segments um are going to be our interviews with some of these lovely ladies. And we hope you enjoy.
Speaker: um And I hope you stick around to see this through. And I personally can't wait to see who Tristan picks. um And I know you guys are going to feel the same after you're seeing these interviews.
Speaker: So exciting. Darling, hold on.
Speaker: Welcome back to Tristan's Love Story. Here we are with our first guest. and I would just love if you would give us a little intro. Tell us about yourself um and i mean what you're doing here. I guess we all know that.
Speaker: Yeah, absolutely. um My name is Kirstie. I live in Denver. I grew up in Northern California. Originally I have two dogs and two ferrets. um I'm a postpartum doula professionally and I spend a lot of my free time at a horse rescue, reading books, all the, all the Colorado things, hiking, camping, et cetera.
Speaker: Okay. We should have led with ferrets. yeah Right? I love ferrets. They're so cool. Oh my gosh. That is so cool. um Okay, man, I'm just gonna be stuck on the ferrets the whole time. So many questions.
Speaker: I know. Now I wanna talk about ferrets the whole time. Okay, anyway, um welcome. it's We're so glad to have you here, obviously. um Noah, we'll go ahead and kick off the questions.
Speaker: All right. We'll start with, ah yeah, question one. So recently the world has found out that most men think they could land a plane with no training. um So based on that, what's something you are unreasonably confident about despite having zero expertise in?
Speaker: I think most things, definitely like DIY projects around the house. Like if something needs to be fixed, I'm on it. Maybe not very well, but like, were there. yeah Also, i think that I could go on Naked and Afraid with like zero training and win. That's amazing. like that Yeah. No, i'm i'm I'm the afraid part of Naked and Afraid, so I would not be brave enough to do that.
Speaker: i love I love the um DIY part, though. I feel like, you know, you can just read the first three sentences of Google, and then you've got everything you need. And I'm good. Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah, exactly. like half a YouTube video, and I'm like, okay, I can build this. This is fine. Yeah.
Speaker: No need to finish it. No, no. Yeah, exactly. Watch the intro. All right, we're good. I at the Hammer the other day. I was like trying to put a picture up. I mean, it worked, right? It did. It did work.
Speaker: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. I see no problem. This could go on for an hour. and you're just You're creating even more questions for I know. This is amazing. Okay, but to get back to it, we are big fans of the Indiana Fever and, big you know, women's sports in general.
Speaker: So recently, we found out that some of them actually like some really weird combinations like ranch on spaghetti and A1 on cheese.
Speaker: So tell us if you have any unusual food combinations that we should be aware of. I don't think I really do like weird food combos. I think, I think most people are just like most surprised at like the quantity of food i can put down my size.
Speaker: Yeah. I don't know. yeah I probably or like close to it That's what I appreciate. that's amazing I put hot sauce and everything, but like that doesn't feel like doesn's't feel like that weird to me,
Speaker: you know are like That's a valid choice. like peanut butter and Oreos. like Most of my like combinations are pretty. That's unusual. Is it? I've never heard of that. I've never heard of it either. It's from the parent trap.
Speaker: It's from the parent trap. Yeah, me and my sisters always did that. But I didn't, I mean, but that like makes sense. It's not like, it's not like pickles and peanut butter or something.
Speaker: Right. You know, we're all going to try it now. It's good. You should. Exactly. that's absolutely true yeah but and All right. ah Well, let's get back to this here. What do you think is the most romantic sport and why? And we'll give you bonus points if you can defend a completely ridiculous choice. Yeah.
Speaker: Okay. I'm going to go with rugby because it's like a contact sport, but without any like ah protection. like Like football, you know, they have like the shoulder pads and and the leg pad pads and stuff.
Speaker: ah Rugby, you're just like dogging it. No, no production. love that. Also, never in my wildest dreams did I think someone would say rugby. yeah yeah So is it more that you're worried about like hurting the baby maker or what is it exactly?
Speaker: yeah I think it's just good to like fight once in a while, probably. So like we could also do a little boxing. Yeah. Like some combat. Yeah. Yeah. Healthy competition. Some like combat. I think it could be good in like a productive way though, because you're like playing a game.
Speaker: Yeah. So, no you know, big fan of rugby. Yeah. Yeah. Same. All right. Completely changing gears from that question. What's something that most people would think romantic, but you actually think would be a red flag?
Speaker: Um, I don't like when guys try to walk my dog or like do like any of my like dog training with my puppy. He's like 100 pounds and like ginormous.
Speaker: And I find that a lot of guys are like, Oh, yeah, like, let's take him on a walk. Like, Oh, he's so big. Like, I'll walk him for you. And I'm like, No.
Speaker: Like, you're not following our, like, training protocol. Like, we actually do things in, like, a very specific way. So I would... Yeah. I, like, appreciate the sentiment, but also, like, please don't touch it. will. Hands off the leash. Like, where go we got it.
Speaker: I'm perfectly capable of um' doing this myself. But, like... Thanks for the offer, I guess. and Okay. Or like also, or like cleaning around my house.
Speaker: Like don't, don't touch things. they still no you So you're not an act of service lady. yeah I can be, but like in like specific things, if it's like not something that's going to like annoy me later, you know, like if you know where everything goes and you can like put things away.
Speaker: Right. Accordingly, like if you're going to unload the dishwasher, i don't I don't want things to go over there where they don't belong, so I would rather you just not do it. It's counterproductive, right? Exactly. If you think you're helping, but like you're actually giving me like another project to do. Right, right, right. Gotcha.
Speaker: Right. you're You're unwilling to actually ask where the things go. And you're just making more work for me. And then I have to thank you. Yes. Because it was a nice sentiment. Yes.
Speaker: Yeah. yeah Yeah. Exactly. exactly Spot on. I'm on board with this one. Yeah. Yeah. Well, um I mean, i think those are fantastic answers. So let's see if you can go five for five. Okay.
Speaker: um The last question, what is something that you've done or accomplished in life that you're really proud of, but you never get to brag about? Okay. I think I'm just on like a basic level. So like I work nights.
Speaker: ah So I am functioning during the day on like very minimal sleep most of the time. and I get a lot done. I mean, I'm i'm walking the dog. i'm I'm at the ranch.
Speaker: doing manual labor. I'm at the gym, all the things, right? On like, yeah zero sleep. And I find it very impressive. yes sure ask but where Wildly impressive.
Speaker: Thank you. thank you I never get to tell anyone. I'm like, by the way, I'm i'm on night three of like 12 hour shifts and I haven't slept at all today, but I've been to gym every day this week.
Speaker: So we're killing it. That is impressive. um Yeah, of. That's crazy discipline. I respect that so much. Thank you. That's one of the most impressive things I've ever heard. I get like one less hour of sleep and I'm in a mood for a week. Same. I don't give my eight hours. I'm a monster.
Speaker: I used to be the same way, but it's not an option anymore. That is crazy impressive. um Wow. Okay. I don't know how anything is going to top that, but Jake, could you please put 60 seconds on the clock and we will go. We have 60 seconds ready when you're gone.
Speaker: Okay. um So these are just first thing comes to head, If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can just say pass. Okay.
Speaker: But all right. um And go. First Taylor Swift that pops into your head. Song? Song. i ah Oh, gosh. I want to say folklore, but that's an album. um August.
Speaker: There you go. Perfect. Childhood sports hero. Sports hero, Jeter. Ooh, go-to snack during a game or a concert? um During a game, a hot dog for sure.
Speaker: Love that. Most overrated player in the NFL? um That's a tough one because Travis Kelsey is the person that comes to mind, but also I like don't think that he's like that overrated. like i also I also love him.
Speaker: Love that answer though. Yeah. um One Taylor Swift lyric that you would put on your tombstone. Oh,
Speaker: ah that's tough. There's so many. There's so many. There's so many.
Speaker: We're blending Rowan for that one. He's very distracting right now. I want to ask the next question, so I'm going to sneak it in there. Would you rather meet Gracie Abrams or Sabrina Carpenter?
Speaker: Gracie Abrams, for sure. Love it. ah Love it. Well, it has been an absolute joy to meet you and your puffy. Yes, he's here.
Speaker: yeah I'm so excited that he made it. Darling, hold my hand.
Speaker: Colorado girly. i was raised in the mountains just outside of Aspen, came down to see you Boulder for undergrad, and then went to CU Denver for my grad degree.
Speaker: i have two little kitty cats, Loki and Oslo. They're like the love of life. I know. They're so... Loki? Oh my god. I know that name. I know. they started They are literally the love of my life. Loki is like my soul cat.
Speaker: So... um Yeah, they're zooming around right now, actually. So yeah, I work in healthcare care during the day and then obviously, Loki and Oslo are basically my life.
Speaker: um But yeah, thank you for having me. I'm really excited. i can't believe I'm doing this. This is definitely out of my comfort zone. You're doing great. But yeah, so here I am.
Speaker: Let's do this. We're so happy to have you here. Yeah, we're so excited. To start off, we'll go with question number one. ah So recently, ah the world has found out that most men think they could ah land a plane with zero training.
Speaker: um So ah based off that, what's something you're unreasonably confident about despite having like no expertise in it? Okay, this might sound crazy, but I think ill give it to Olympic ice skating. o Really? I know. So I grew up in the mountains in a ski town, whatnot.
Speaker: So my parents put me into like soccer, skiing growing up. I'm five three Like I am just like built for ice skating. Like I could kill ah triple axel. Like I just know I could.
Speaker: Yes! I love that. Glittery outfits, like all at my alley. Like, I mean, ah can't really, i just know, like, even now, if I started training, like I would become a pro.
Speaker: like Oh, that's amazing. Damn. I love that. Yeah. So, you know, I know. And it's honestly my parents, like greatest missed opportunity. Like, they can have it on Olympian for a child.
Speaker: Shame on them for not getting you in. It a critical error on their part. Like it was shame. I feel like you have the Olympic hair too. yeah i don't know why, but it just like is screaming like Olympian to me. It's perfect. Oh my gosh. Thank you.
Speaker: please Or even gymnasts. I love it. Okay. The balance beam terrified me when I was little, so I didn't really get long. Oh my. Okay, let's get to ice skating. Ice skating is good. That's how got my first concussion. I mean, I feel like if got thrown up in the air, like it's fine.
Speaker: Fine. But like, get on like a narrow stick, no. ah um Okay.
Speaker: Okay. or hockey ah what Are are ice skates not narrow sticks? Sticks, no blades. Yes. They're not.
Speaker: I love that. That's the dangerous element to it. So I love that. Yeah, that's amazing. Okay. So we're big fans of the Indiana fever and women's sports in general. Recently, we found out that some of them.
Speaker: like ranch on their spaghetti and a one with cheddar cheese. So what food do you weigh eat in a way that would probably horrify other people?
Speaker: I'm going to say, I mean, I feel like I have a pretty normal palate. Let's just go from there. um In high school, we, I went over to our friend's house and we started dipping our goldfish and cream cheese.
Speaker: So that started out fine, like cheese on cheese, great. Then it escalated to hot Cheetos and cream cheese. and then Okay, that sounds so good. green to you That actually sounds good. It's surprisingly good. Like I could not eat barbecue chips without cream cheese anymore. Barbecue chips and cream cheese, that's an interesting one Yeah, so good.
Speaker: And then I'm also going through a phase of just straight watermelon juice right now. I don't know why. That sounds very summery. I'm here for that. refreshing. you know. You know what? I'll tap onto that. I literally have Trader Joe's watermelon juice soda in my fridge. It's just like water watermelon juice and carbonated water. It's really good.
Speaker: That sounds really good. Soda. I've never heard of watermelon juice soda. It's like my favorite thing. If I want like a healthy soda, just take some fruit juice and put some like Pellegrino or sparkling water in it.
Speaker: Golden. Okay. Wow. I'm to try that next time. For sure. Yes.
Speaker: In any case, to get back on track, what do you think is the most romantic sport and why? And we'll give you bonus points if you can defend something that's completely ridiculous.
Speaker: Okay. I mean, honestly, like, I'm just going to have to say football is the go-to choice. Obviously, it's like during spooky season, cozy season, sweater weather, also Taylor and Travis, their love story unfolded.
Speaker: Preach. Football season. Like, you can't really talk that. You really can't. But if I were to say another answer, it definitely has to be ice dancing. in You see a theme here?
Speaker: So... Yes, yes! With the partners, like there is no way. You can't tell me that they're not having an affair. Come on. I know. Like they're so close with each other.
Speaker: That goes through my head all of the time when I'm watching that. Yes, yes. Who were the Canadian ones that like if they weren't having an affair, i was like, okay, I'm never condoning cheating.
Speaker: Like, they belong together, guys. like And then some of them, like, have their own spouses. I'm not strong enough to be a spouse. If they look at each other on the rink, like, come on. They're in love.
Speaker: Yeah, that'd be a no for me, dog. yeah So if you and Tristan leasing them up on the rink, then we'll know. Yeah.
Speaker: All right, on to our, I think, question four. um What's something that most people would think romantic, but you actually consider a red flag?
Speaker: um I think just always being available. You know, like when you're first... wo yeah like I like that one. First start dating and the guy is just like,
Speaker: always around. What else are you doing, sir? Yes. Do you have any hobbies? Yes. Right? Do you have friends? Yes. Do you have family? Why do you just want to hang out with me? I understand I'm great and fabulous. Right. Exactly. Exactly. honestly, if you're obsessed with me later on, I love that for me. But in the beginning, you got back off a little bit.
Speaker: So... Yeah, no, I'm 100% with you there. i Oh, yeah. if If they're just always available, I'm like, so you're just sitting around waiting for you me to text you and you have nothing else going on in your life. Okay, maybe grow some ambition.
Speaker: Such a red agree with you. I'm just a quick texter. I'm one of those people who can't have badges on their phone. So if I see a notification pop up, I am just clearing it no matter what. So that's fine. I don't like actually texting back right away is fine with me, but like, if you're just always there to hang out, like, okay. Why aren't making dinner right now? Why aren't you at work?
Speaker: What's going on? Yes. Yes. Why aren't you at a Grace Abrams concert? Right. Very questionable, but yeah. Yeah. No, I'm 100% with you on that. I like that answer.
Speaker: So to wrap up the main questions, um what is something you've done or accomplished in life that you're really proud of, but you never get to brag about?
Speaker: That's such a hard one, because I mean, I feel like the accomplishments, like you just want to brag about them, but um i don't know if this is like a good or right answer for it i would just say like honestly just setting boundaries with friends i think yeah yes i've been in like some friend groups where it's just they're just little toxic but i feel like i finally have gotten to the point in my life where i'm like i need peace over friends like i would rather have just like a close
Speaker: close, yeah like a few close friends than like- yeah Good for you. I love that. Yeah. And I feel like no one really acknowledges how like painful it is to like really cut yourself off in that.
Speaker: It's just like such a silent, quiet journey. And no one really understands it. so Yeah, I feel like even, i feel like especially when you have to like set boundaries, but you're not 100% cutting someone off.
Speaker: I feel like that's even worse because it's just like, you know, halfway there, like you should definitely be proud of that and brag about that because. Yeah. i i I struggle with that and that's it's so difficult. So yeah more power. yeah This is so bad and I mean this in a good way.
Speaker: The first thing that comes into my head when I think of that is the meme, I don't need friends, they disappoint me.
Speaker: I think of the whole pathological people pleaser. like that she's setting her boundaries. yeah yeah i would agree. yeah yeah i love that answer. Man, that that was an amazing answer. I'm going to be thinking about that and like trying to be more like that.
Speaker: We're going to make you a bracelet. Be more like Adrian. Yeah. my but Oh, yeah. Oh, my gosh. Well, wow. Those were some solid answers. I'm not going to lie. You're kind of killing it. So um Jake, if you wouldn't mind, could you put 60 seconds on the clock?
Speaker: and The shot clock is ready for you. amazing. So um if you completely draw a blank or you can't think of anything or you have no idea what I'm talking about, you're welcome to say pass.
Speaker: um But we just go through as many questions as we can. okay so All right. And go. ah The first Taylor Swift song that pops into your head. August.
Speaker: Your childhood sports hero. John Elway. Ooh, go-to snack during a game or concert? Concert. And most overrated player in the NFL right now?
Speaker: Mahomes. Oh, I love you. Oh my God. Would you rather meet Gracie Abrams or Sabrina Carpenter? I'm a Sabrina Carpenter girly. I love that.
Speaker: Team you irrationally despise? my gosh. um Lakers.
Speaker: Nice. What sport do you think Taylor would secretly dominate at? Probably ice skating.
Speaker: What's your weirdest sports superstition? You can still answer it. Your weirdest sports superstition. I always have to bet $5 on the Chiefs for some reason. That's psycho behavior.
Speaker: but I love it. I love it. Okay. looks like I'm always going to get $3 back. Right. Yeah. name i I might have to add that to my list. um that's a That's a good moneymaker. Okay.
Speaker: um Man, okay. Those were amazing answers. We're so happy that you agreed to come on here. um You know, we're we're super excited. Obviously, we don't get to pick, but you're an absolute winner in our eyes.
Speaker: um And ah we can't wait to see um who Tristan picks. And we're really, really thankful that you came. And we loved getting to know you.
Speaker: um And we really appreciate it. yeah Thank you guys so much. This is so fun. create I love this. Darling, hold my hand.
Speaker: So, wow, those were absolutely incredible. i cannot believe that Tristan is going to have to pick one and then there's even more options coming. So, um, I'm very glad that I get to experience this and not have to choose.
Speaker: Um, but Now that you've said that, he's going to delegate it to you to pick. No pressure, Tristan. I will not. I will not. I refuse to pick. It's Tristan's story, but Layton's the one that says yes.
Speaker: Right? Has anyone slipped you any 20s? No, but they should try. oh Ladies, yeah you're listening, hit up Leighton Zenmo. Highest winner wins. Yeah. At the bottom of the screen.
Speaker: Some of them did play it the right way and compliment me in the comments. So there were there's some real high IQ ladies in here who saw what was happening and was like, I see who is the keeper of the spreadsheet.
Speaker: Are you admitting you have favorites? No. Yeah, I have favorites. Of course I do.
Speaker: But I'm not admitting who is my favorite. Tristan knows who my favorites are.
Speaker: It's completely unrelated to them at all. Yeah, so if you're if you're watching this back and you're like, how did how did I lose? Know that it was nothing about you.
Speaker: I'm just kidding. I have no say in it. Tristan is the one who's picking it. Don't blame me. Love made me crazy. All right. and Anyway. um You know what? Speaking of going crazy, that's actually a great segue into our next segment here.
Speaker: but what i am superstitious as all hell. In general. I'm a Boston sports fan, born and raised. It's in my DNA. Genuinely, you will hear stories from my parents about if watching a Bruins game, the other team scores, I would move into another room and turn on a different TV to keep watching the game. I am that neurotic.
Speaker: Um, with that superstitions have absolutely carried over into my fantasy football life between who I pick, when I pick, how I draft, what I do when I draft. And so I wanted to open up the panel to everybody.
Speaker: Do you all have any superstitions when you draft or any little quirks, things you want to do, things you have lined up before the season begins or as you're going through the year?
Speaker: I do. um First off, I have to have at least three screens ready for my draft. um I have very specific notes that I take for the draft.
Speaker: And then randomly enough, I have to be drinking an Oktoberfest. Hook me up, Sam Adams. ah But it has to be an Oktoberfest while I'm drafting every single year for every single draft that I do.
Speaker: Hmm. But I will say my husband always says something ah again, another New England sports fan, right? Is that he has to repeat itself over and over and over. Nothing that I do can control the outcome of this game.
Speaker: so it's a saying that we have in our house and we have to remind each other of that because superstitions run wild in our house. Now, as another hockey fan, I can confirm superstitions.
Speaker: run wild in my blood. ah Oddly enough, though, my draft superstition is that I can't do things the same. um So each draft looks different.
Speaker: And usually if I wind up make it like falling in the same spot in a draft, I will trade the player that I drafted if it winds up being the same. Really? Yeah, so that's, yeah.
Speaker: Wow. Yeah. Wow. Yeah, I'm the type of person that, like, I give myself a certain number of jersey swaps for a game. And I'm not saying they work. I'm not saying they don't.
Speaker: They work. But I think when I make a Jersey swap, my teams are like 50 and two or something like that. Not that I'm keeping track. I'm not. Have all of us done that? The Jersey swaps?
Speaker: Yeah, absolutely. A hundred percent. I usually, so I usually watch games at my parents. Um, cause my dad refuses to come to my house to watch the games. But, um, I usually bring like three outfits cause you know, I've got my favorite Josh Allen Jersey and then the backup Josh Allen Jersey and then I also have, you know, the Bill's outfit that's not a jersey, you know, just in case we need to pull out the big guns.
Speaker: So, no, I respect it.
Speaker: You know, for me, i would say draft wise, I actually draft on my phone. The physical draft is on my phone. Really? Yeah, I've got an ultra wide monitor. So i have to sit with my computer in front of me and I'll do the research on my computer.
Speaker: But I have to physically draft on my phone. I don't know why. That is fascinating. The thinking of tapping on the phone versus clicking on the computer makes a humongous difference to me. Interesting. And are you an iPhone user or an Android Holistically, forever and ever and ever an iPhone user. Okay. Okay.
Speaker: I will, during the season as well. um this is but This is a cute one, actually. I've been doing this for a very long time. I've had to modify it within the last year. last The last year it had to change. um But for the past, I want to say 10 to 15 years,
Speaker: I call my grandparents on my mom's side before the game at halftime and after the game. That is so sweet. My step-grandmother was a humongous Patriots fan and got my papa into watching football.
Speaker: And she unfortunately passed away July of last year. And so this was his first football season without her. And he still watched football. We still called every halftime. Or if the game was too late, if it was an 8-20 game, it was like, all right, talk to you later. Bye-bye. Have a good night. Talk to you later. tomorrow so um i still call him every weekend we know it's fun sometimes it can be a five minute chat about life and what's going on sometimes he's just 30 seconds this game sucks we better do better after halftime i'll talk to you later bye-bye and hang up so hello that's been my superstition of my tradition for the last at least 10 to 15 years man well that's a pretty good one to start green flag yeah yeah honestly though that's i love that maybe we have a contestant for our next dating show maybe
Speaker: I am single and ready to mingle. Woohoo! Love it. Wow. Well, those are some pretty great superstitions. Some of them not so great, but um i I definitely um think that you guys should all tell us your superstitions. So comment down below or dm us on any social media.
Speaker: And join our Discord and put it in the football chat, please. Oh yeah, absolutely. Yes. because Or hockey. We love all sports. Yeah, that's true. Hockey, basketball, baseball, anything.
Speaker: Anything you want to talk about, we've got a channel for it. um But we can't wait to hear all of your superstitions and traditions um because you never know what we might find is a winning strategy for our team and ah adopt it and never look back.
Speaker: um But talking about starting football,
Speaker: traditions. um Krista, what do you think about starting things? All right. So we're going to do the same segment that we did last week, and we're going to continue to do this week over week. It is start bench and break up with Jake had some really great insight last time. And this time we're all going to have some hot takes.
Speaker: ah So I can go ahead and get started. And I think we're each picking a different position. So I selected quarterback and I know this is a very hot take. I know it got people a little heated in our drive around to this so I'm really excited. ah This is where I should trade this out for the helmet.
Speaker: um But I am going to go with starting Caleb Williams and hear me out. I understand that he had misfortunate Rookie year.
Speaker: Okay. But this year he is expected to exceed 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns under his new coach. ah He has flashed top six in fantasy weeks prior in 2024.
Speaker: And I am fully on board with seeing him flourish in this new season.
Speaker: All right now. Well, that's certainly a hot take. it is a hot take. I will say, I will say, I don't think that. You know, Caleb had as bad of a season as like the memes yeah suggest. Listen, I'm the first person who's going to share those memes. But um i I do think that he had a solid season. My concern is that he's still really young.
Speaker: The Bears organization is, well, they're the Bears. And, you know, he has a new coach. Now, listen, Ben Johnson is, he's shown his genius, but he's still a rookie head coach.
Speaker: There's still going to be some... some you know, are, what are those called? What is it? What's the phrase? it's It could be a little bit.
Speaker: Growing pains. That's exactly what I was looking for. um There could be some growing pains. I mean, I i wouldn't – if someone else is available, I would probably pick well almost any other starter.
Speaker: But you could pick Caleb Williams. i I will say that in our draft dynasty, our dynasty draft, he was the eighth quarterback chosen.
Speaker: So putting him in the top ten – and I was not the one that chose him. All right, so let's continue. Possible bench for me is Jordan Love with the Packers. um He is recovery-oriented this season, and I generally believe that he has a good floor but a moderate ceiling.
Speaker: And then my breakup is with Kyler Murray, and I'm sorry to my cousin Tracy, the Cardinals fan, because ah he is just inconsistent. um He's ranked as a sleeper in some models, but I feel like his downgrade risk is high.
Speaker: No, I agree. i don't think he... i think ever since he tore his ACL, he's just not at the level that he was in college. I was watching... think it was the Cotton Bowl between Alabama and Oklahoma.
Speaker: i was watching the highlights from that yesterday, and I could not believe how much he was running around and just the ease that he did. And you just don't see that from him anymore since yeah he went down. and I think that... because stand up short kings. I love you short kings. I'm a short king myself, but you have you have to bring something to the table to survive in the league if you're on the smaller side.
Speaker: And unfortunately, that losing that can impact your fantasy value. Agreed. So who you got, Noah? ah So I have wide receivers um that are arguably probably the easiest ah bracket other than maybe running backs. Running backs is also pretty easy. I feel like there's only really two that you could say.
Speaker: um I'm playing it smart. Jamar Chase is who you should start. um Don't overthink it. He's arguably a tier above most other receivers.
Speaker: um And I think he'll go ah back to back as the number one fantasy receiver. um I just, I don't see him slowing down. um He's still young.
Speaker: Um, yeah, I don't overthink it. Be smart. Start him. And then I'm kind of regretting this one as I'm watching as a Seahawks fan and watching ah training camp. But i have Jason as my ah bench. um He had obviously DK and Tyler Lockett above him the past and i've actually since his rookie year. um Obviously, they are both gone.
Speaker: So now he is very much so in wide receiver one position. However, he had a pretty sizable downgrade at quarterback with ah Sam Darnold. And we haven't seen Sam Darnold play outside of having Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison on his team.
Speaker: um So I'm curious to see how he fits in Seattle schematic. um But I feel like benching JSN is a safe option. um And if he booms, then yeah. And then this is this is where things get spicy. And I know Detroit fans are this gets real spicy. Yeah, Detroit fans are gonna have my head.
Speaker: um Going back to our last segment, or not our last segment, but our opening segment, um we were talking about the running backs that I had. The receiver that I picked first before any of them was Amon Ross St. Brown.
Speaker: And he just did not... utilize the way I was hoping he was going to. um So for those reasons, I'm breaking up with Amon Ross St. Brown. And for those that can't see us, Jake is covering his eyes and shaking his head. Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah, I... Buddy, this may be your last episode on the podcast. I mean, to be fair, Amon Ross did go undergo a microscopic knee procedure over the offseason.
Speaker: um which those can be very finicky and have lasting impacts. And these are so finicky. um But also the Lions new offensive coordinator was the offensive coordinator for the Broncos. I'm forgetting his name, so forgive me.
Speaker: um But his m MO is Pounding the Rock, and the Lions have... John Warren. John Warren, thank you. was the passing coordinator, though. oh yeah, you're right, you're right. He was the passing coordinator, so he... be Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker: But still... ah I don't see as a coordinator, I don't see him.
Speaker: Like just straying away from Sonic and Knuckles, which are the affectionate nicknames of the Lions running backs. I just I don't see it. um And now with Jameson William finally being like fully healthy. And I think this is truly Jameson Williams breakout year.
Speaker: And I think he'll finish as wide receiver one over Amin Ra because just because of speed. I still think that Amon Ra gives me like, he gives me DK Metcalf vibes. He's a big guy who's got such explosiveness.
Speaker: I agree. It's hard not to love him. So I don't, I don't know why anyone who would ever pick against Amon Ra. the ah But I, you know, I want to come back to um Jackson Smith and Jigba though, because yeah here's my deal.
Speaker: Yes. New head coach. Yes. Sam Donald is his quarterback. But Tyler Lockett's gone. he you know yeah he yeah ah He's basically wide receiver two behind Cooper Cup.
Speaker: He's going to get way more opportunities than he would last year. i think he's a good boomer bust candidate. I wouldn't necessarily bench him. I think he could be very interesting, though. you Yeah, I do agree. And he's still young. So for the dynasty people out there, that's a good ah good pick as well, I feel.
Speaker: Absolutely.
Speaker: With that, I kind of handled the whole line. You talked about running backs. um I got running backs and tight ends, so you get the double dip with me here. um With running backs, I'm starting with one of those Sonic and Knuckles guys. Jameer Gibbs is an obvious start. you know yeah He was RB4 last year.
Speaker: He's one of the most explosive backs in the league. He scored 20 touchdowns last year. Seriously, that's not a joke. He scored 20 touchdowns last year. Wow. um He's at least a top three running back this year.
Speaker: So, you know, if you get him, good. and i would You'd be stupid not to start him. um My breakup is Christian McCaffrey, which you're going, what? What?
Speaker: He's injured all the time. How many times have people been snake bitten by drafting him? And then week three tears his Achilles, something with his hamstring. You know, he's always out for minimum eight weeks during the season. And that is a killer. And I don't have the faith in him anymore to stay healthy. So when he's healthy, yes, he's a great running back.
Speaker: He cannot stay healthy. So he is my breakup. And he's my bench. So if you get him, just pray that he's healthy. My breakup. And this is really funny because of the news that actually came out today as we we're recording is Travis ETN that they're going with a running back by situation committee with four different running backs.
Speaker: ah What on earth is going on in the House of Commons of Jacksonville? Like. hate you. I guess they were like, we don't have anyone top talented enough to be a running back one. So we're just going to throw it up and hope one of them sticks.
Speaker: Which by the way, how does that happen? Hunter and company. Travis Hunter is going to be their RB one, their wide receiver one, their cornerback one. He's just going to be everything. And so with that, ETN's value just absolutely tanked far beyond even what I had thought before we started recording this.
Speaker: So I'm very much breaking up with him. Yeah. I am not down bad for him as I was probably five years ago.
Speaker: Mad respect on the CMC. Let me tell you, he has done me dirty two seasons. First time, you know, shame on him. Second time, shame on me for choosing him again. We are officially broken up.
Speaker: You are never, ever, ever getting back together with him. Never, ever, ever. Jenks. Like, ever. i like I feel like CMC even went too high in our... Dynasty week. He did. I was surprised. agreed Yeah, he went. I think he went like second to last pick in the first round or ah second second round.
Speaker: And like right after him when Josh Jacobs, Bucky Irving, Jonathan Taylor. And I'm like, I would much rather have all three of those over CMC. Like no, no disrespect to CMC. I love CMC. Yeah.
Speaker: yeah And like the one year he was healthy in Carolina was the one year that I actually had him. So. I love him. However, i would not be picking him again.
Speaker: yeah I think especially a dynasty consideration is he's older too. I mean, it's crazy calling someone multiple years younger than me old. But, um you know, it's just he he doesn't have much longer in the league and definitely not at a high performance.
Speaker: No. And, like, I feel like CMC this year in dynasty could be a safe pick. like seeing how he turns out more closer to the trade deadline, like if you're in a win now mode and you need like that consistent flex player.
Speaker: i feel like trading, like using your draft capital wisely after seeing how he produces and trading to get him if you're in a win now situation is of Just be sure to have a spot on IR. True. is Knock on wood if you're listening.
Speaker: Yeah. yeah Yeah, Christian McCaffrey, if you're listening to this, please knock on wood. yeah Also. Please share us on your social media. All right.
Speaker: Well, jump back to me and we'll go through my tight ends here. I'm a big Lions proponent. So my start here is Sam Laporta. You know, nothing against the Travis Kelsey's of the world. I think Laporta proved himself to be a really consistent wideout last year.
Speaker: I think the Lions and tight ends are just generally a match made in heaven. You know, with TJ Hawkinson before then, um Laporta really took over. I think he's fantastic. And he's such a good safety blanket.
Speaker: is Even when Amun-Ra, maybe he goes down with injury like Noah thinks he might or not produce as well. If Jameson decides to get himself suspended ah again, Laporta is a safety blanket.
Speaker: So um ah he's my start. um As much as that, that's another superstition of mine. I don't love to draft more than one person from the same team. I don't like stacking a unless it's a really good handcuff.
Speaker: So um my bench is David Njoku, which I know he's a great, very talented tight end. I don't trust Deshaun Watson.
Speaker: I don't trust the Browns generally. You know, he might have been their one bright spot. He was also hurt for a couple of games last year, which hurt my fantasy. So I'm just not very forthcoming in saying I want Njoku on my team right now. You know, if you know if push comes to shove and like, oh, like I really get to the back end of the...
Speaker: fourth or fifth round, sixth round, and I have to pick him? Sure. But he's definitely not my tight end one to pick this year. And my breakup is Johnny Smith. For the same reasons we were talking about with DK Metcalf, I just straight up don't trust the Steelers.
Speaker: I don't get the move. I don't get why the Steelers said it. That was great. It would have been my breakup regardless if he were still on the Dolphins. I think the Dolphins are going have a crappy year this year my delight. But I think the Steelers are in a very, very, very weird year.
Speaker: And so I don't know what Johnny Smith feels like he's going up doing. I don't think he's been good for four years. he He hasn't even a good since before he was on the Patriots. Hunter Henry took over that role when he was on the Patriots, forced him out, went to the Falcons, didn't do anything, was a Dolphin for a weird amount of time, and now is a Steeler for some reason. So Johnny Smith, good luck to you, man.
Speaker: They didn't cut Pat for our move, did they? no i don't know but does friar mooth want i thought friar mooth wanted out i didn't think so i hadn't heard that he was he was the one who took over for um pickens when pickens bailed on like that camp that he had promised and friar mooth stepped up and showed up for the kids that was really sweet he he's gonna have like a He's going to be near and dear to my heart for that for a long time. But yeah, it was kind of wild that the Steelers just instantly listed John above Pat.
Speaker: Yeah, I thought it was very interesting. I had him last year in a league and i he was really consistent and performed a lot better than a lot of the tight ends.
Speaker: um I definitely would at highest put John as a as a bench because there's there's a lot of things that I'm not trusting. I still think that he is coming off of a really good year and, you know, maybe that's a waiver wire pickup or, you know, if he falls to a later round, maybe, maybe keep an eye on, but definitely I'm not going with any of my top picks for him.
Speaker: I, I'm, I'm in agreement there. Um, but now it's time for my hot takes and hey I get special teams in defense.
Speaker: um Which I just want to take a moment here. First of all, um my hot take is going to be you should draft a kicker higher than you think.
Speaker: um As long as as long as you know, the top options are still available. You know, if ah if everyone good is taken, yeah, you can wait until the 18th round or whatever. But if Brandon Aubrey is available, take him, take him like I cannot express how many games He bumped me over, you know, he was consistently putting up almost double figures in, in points and, um, people like I get the strategy of wanting to, you know, save kickers till the end, but kickers, kickers are contributing a lot, especially if you have like three points, if you're doing like, nit you know standard scoring that, that that's going to be what gives you the wind.
Speaker: Um, or the win, you know, like you said, I've seen them win. I've seen them win games. Yeah. Yeah. And also I know a lot of people will change the rules for kickers and add a lot of bonuses for like the farther away the kick is.
Speaker: That's true. I do that in my family league. Yeah. It's fun. yeah um But yeah, no, my star is going to be Brandon Aubrey. I know he got hurt at the end. Like that is worrying me too.
Speaker: um But if you look at the performance that he's put in, like you have no idea how much it pains me to talk highly of a Dallas Cowboy. um That should just tell you how good he is.
Speaker: i I cannot tell you how it just goes against everything in my DNA, but I'm drafting him. every single time he's available and I'm willing to, I'm willing to do it in the fifth round.
Speaker: You know, sometimes that might be crazy. I stand by it because he's won me so many weeks. Um, however, my bench is a little controversial.
Speaker: um I think you should bench Jake Elliott. I know that he had a solid performance in the Super Bowl, and I think that that kind of erased a little bit of people's memory of how the season went.
Speaker: But he wasn't solid. um When they needed him, he didn't show up. like it was There wasn't the consistency that we've seen in previous years in Jake Elliott. So i'm not I'm not drafting him high.
Speaker: You know, sure, he might be someone that with that offense, there's going to be a decent amount of opportunities to kick a field goal or something. So sure, if it it's if Brandon Aubrey is gone, maybe think about it. But I'm not I'm not taking him as a first kicker anymore. He used to have, you know, really consistent performance and it's gone now.
Speaker: And he's been hurt a lot. um But one thing I will say. is speaking of consistent performances, the one thing that the Bills are consistently terrible at, again, to say Ooh, and we're recording this. This is amazing. Okay, yes. Oh, God.
Speaker: Is, come on stop. Stop with Tyler Bass. Like, i the Bills Mafia is such a good group of people and how they rally behind him every single time he loses a game for us.
Speaker: But this is a business, please, for the love of God. Mm-hmm. Cut Tyler Bass, get us a better kicker. um i i i cannot tell you how much anxiety and heartburn that man has caused me.
Speaker: um You would think he had a J name with ah how he acted. Hey. He's catching strays. But that was for the discord.
Speaker: Yeah. i i can I can't defend his performance anymore. And that's just- I'm interested to see if he's like highlighted and if he has any time on hard knocks.
Speaker: So that'll be really interesting to see. That's a good point. Yeah. I've got an interesting question for everyone too. And maybe this kind of belonged further up in our hot take section because we've been taught. You just talked about cutting kickers.
Speaker: I'm in at least one league where we have just cut the kicker position outright and added a second flex. What do we think of that? I hate that. I love my kickers. Yeah. me and no yeah I would want to keep that.
Speaker: Honestly, my kickers scored more than my tight end did. all of last year in a singular game. Mark Andrews. My thought on that is if you're going to cut kicker, you need to make your flex a super flex. You have to be able to let your, you if you can have a quarterback in that flex, totally fine. Yeah.
Speaker: So I had be a special teams. I have a defense. I think you should start the Houston Texans. Listen, listen, I know, i know they, they have been a little shaky, but the shakiness is mainly on the offense.
Speaker: And I will say they've put up really solid performances the past couple of years under D'Amico Ryans, who I adore. I think he's a fantastic coach.
Speaker: Um, Under D'Amico Ryans, they have just been really solid. And that's what we saw in San Francisco. It was just consistency. But what really is making me put them as the start is that D'Amico has spoken lot this offseason about how their previous performances were not good enough.
Speaker: And you're looking at them and you're like, well, those were some pretty good performances if that's not good enough. But he's talked about how they're redoing the entire defense and they're trying to really rethink it.
Speaker: um i think I think they're going to be really solid this year. I'm i'm still not sure about Houston's offense this year, but i'm I'm willing to start their defense.
Speaker: um The bench, and you could even argue for a breakup here, My bench is the Jets. Listen, I know that Aaron Glenn did in um Detroit.
Speaker: i I know he was really talented. I don't think he's going to be the savior of the Jets. I really don't know if a head coach position is for him. um And I also am really worried that the Jets are just going to set him up to fail.
Speaker: um So I'm not taking any risk on the Jets. any part of them. Um, and man, this is, this has been a really painful episode for me.
Speaker: I'm going to break up with Washington's defense, um, which is just crazy because for once they actually had a semi decent year. Um, you have no idea how much as a Washington fan last year was just crazy.
Speaker: um But I don't think that they've made good moves this offseason. i mean, Von Miller is should have retired. Yeah, I mean, I thanks i don't I don't think Von Miller was the right signing there. i mean, they're they're the good parts of their defense are old and I don't think they have enough young talent.
Speaker: I think. um
Speaker: Oh, my God. My brain is combining Dan Snyder and Dan Campbell. And that's the name I'm trying to put with the head coach. And that is so wrong. i am so sorry.
Speaker: Wait, you just muted. I can't hear you.
Speaker: How did I do that? I didn't even want to hear the take you were giving right now. Yeah. I just, i don't think they made good moves this off season and I don't think that they've got enough talent and I don't think there there's, I, I think regardless of how good your coaching is, I don't think there's enough talent there to coach. So yeah,
Speaker: so that's it's very painful for me, but I think you should break up with Washington's defense. So that's quite a method in a bottle to send down the Potomac, but i don't know.
Speaker: I I'm I'd still flip Washington and the jets because the jets are always an open air circus playing in MetLife. Like i agree with you going to go they're the Murphy law of the NFL. What can go wrong will go wrong.
Speaker: I would also say i would add in, i would say that the Broncos and ah Texans are interchangeable for starting. agree.
Speaker: i ah Yeah, I think the Broncos are going to be really good vi again this year. I think they were the number one fantasy d this past year, and I think they'll do it again this year. I don't see, especially having a gadget like Patrick Sertan as your defensive player of the year, that who can just go anywhere on the field, guard anyone.
Speaker: yeah You can't go wrong. yeah Yeah, I originally had Denver and then swapped it out for Houston because I thought there was a little bit more analysis there so that I could talk for a little bit more. completely agree. i think Denver is going to be a solid start. And I mean, there's, they're like the chiefs the past couple years or the Patriots during the dynasty. Like there's, you just can't beat them. There's nothing to say. It's just, yeah, we have a lot of Patriots fans here.
Speaker: You know, it's it's just solid and there's nothing to say about that. But yeah, but
Speaker: I hope you enjoyed those hot takes. I hope you um learned something for your draft and your team. um I'm really excited with what we've done here and I hope you've enjoyed this episode.
Speaker: um I'm really excited because we have some really great segments coming up in the future. We're going to be talking about NFL rivalries. We're going to be talking about Taylor Swift and what she's doing. And please, Taylor, can you please tell us what these countdowns are about and when we're getting PS12? Taylor, hear our prayers. mer drop I just don't know how I'm going to handle myself.
Speaker: I will empty my bank account. So,
Speaker: um But anyway, please let us know your thoughts. um Listen, subscribe, follow, tag your chaotic teammates, and just stick around. we are really excited and we can't wait to see you next week on The Playbook.
