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Goal Line: Baltimore Bullies
21 Plays2 years ago
The Pod Warriors talk about the Baltimore Ravens peaking at the absolute right time and all the rest of the action as we head into the final week of the NFL regular season.
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Transcript
Special New Year's Day Episode Announcement
00:00:16
Speaker
What is up, Goal Line listeners? We are back with a, I guess, special edition episode of the Goal Line. It is New Year's Day, and we're watching some college football as we bring it to you. We're at halftime of the Michigan-Alabama college football playoff. No Monday night football tonight, so hitting the goal line. It's going to end up being a little bit earlier than usual, but I think it's going to be a fun
Jordan's Trip to Colorado
00:00:38
Speaker
episode, man. We had a crazy week in football, but first, Jordan, how you doing, man? I'm good.
00:00:42
Speaker
um just kind of getting back from vacation just kind of getting readjusted and back to work tomorrow so nothing exciting over here it's just like you said it's new year's day some good college football going on but outside of that same old shit
00:00:58
Speaker
How was the trip to Colorado, dude? It was good. It was relaxing. If you've never been to Estes Park, it's a really nice place to go during the winter. It's a lot slower than it is in the summer. I know that sounds weird. You would assume it'd be busier in the winter, but it's basically dead during the winter. I mean, it was busier this week, but it's nice, man. You don't have to wait hours to get into every single place. We just kind of went wherever we wanted to go and just relax the majority of the time, though. So it was nice.
Regular Season Wrap-up and Playoff Predictions
00:01:27
Speaker
Cool, man. Well, this is our really last kind of regular season episode of this, man. Next week, we'll be doing it during Sunday night football for the season finale. And we'll probably start a little bit later. And I'm thinking maybe we start like halfway through the third quarter or so because we're going to want to get to the end so we can really predict all the playoff games, man. But you ready to get into some football
Debate on Bowl Games and Player Opt-outs
00:01:50
Speaker
talk? Yeah, let's do it.
00:01:59
Speaker
I figured we'd start a little different this week since we're starting with a college football game on. I want to kind of get your thoughts on bowl games and players sitting out of them. This is kind of a newer thing in the last like five years. Yeah, it was never a thing growing up, man. It's just it became a trend and now it's just yeah, dude, it's it's it's widespread. It's like almost expected now if you're an NFL prospect or are trying to, you know, be a highly touted recruit in the transfer portal.
00:02:26
Speaker
And like, to an extent, I get it. But I hate that they treat this like it's not important. Like, dude, bowl games and stuff are what pays for you to be able to go to college. Like, this is how universities get their money to
00:02:41
Speaker
to go to for you to go to college and get paid to go to college and things like that. So I don't know, man, this never used to be a thing. And I hate that it's a thing now. Like what Florida state have sitting out 35 people or something like that. It's just, it was their JV team that they sent up there to get slaughtered against Georgia. I mean, I get it to an extent. Like I understand it. If like, if you're Caleb Williams or somebody like that, there's no way you should be playing in a game that
00:03:06
Speaker
in the grand scheme of things means nothing. But in the end of it, it is your last college football game. I mean, a lot of these guys, like that's the last time they'll ever step on the field and like all their teammates sitting out is kind of does a disservice to them. So I don't know. I just, I think it's kind of
Evolution and Future of College Bowl Games
00:03:23
Speaker
shitty. And if that's what's going to continue, you might as well just widen the field to like 32 for the playoff and just completely kill bowl games. Cause if that's what we're going to get, I mean,
00:03:33
Speaker
It's not even really worth watching at that point, like Ohio State didn't even care that they were in that bowl game the other night. But yeah, it's just Yeah, I'm in favor of that, dude, that that and you know, that was always the big argument against going to a going to a playoff in college football, right? The argument you heard for years was that college football had this unique thing.
00:03:52
Speaker
with the bowl system, they generated a lot of money for everybody and for the, you know, the towns where these bowl games would be held at. And, you know, it was a way that in college football, you know, you had, you know, typically between 25 and 30 bowl games, you had 25 or, or 30 teams in the season with a happy ending, right? Like, even if you're not necessarily playing for the national championship, you still get to win that big bowl game and, and have a nice celebration. And
00:04:18
Speaker
as soon as the playoff was introduced man they got devalued and that's just continued over the past decade that we've had the college football playoff in place there's some stuff they could do to try to fix it you know maybe bowl games reach out to the teams that that they're selecting and take the temperature right like a
00:04:35
Speaker
how many players are you guys going to, you know, how many of you guys like, you know, scholarship players, can you guarantee or are going to dress out and be active for this game and go from there? I mean, it's kind of hard to argue against the players because they do, if you're, you know, a first or second round NFL draft prospect, the last thing you want to do is get hurt in what's basically an exhibition game.
Proposed Changes to College Playoff System
00:04:54
Speaker
But yeah, I mean, I wouldn't really, to be honest, dude, I'd missed some of the nostalgia of it. I wouldn't think I should need tears if they just came out and said, Hey, bowl games are, they're not going to be a thing anymore. Yeah, but they're not going to do that because a lot of the college football sponsors run bowl games and there's zero chance they're ever doing that. Like
00:05:13
Speaker
What if you did this, man? What if we just totally shifted the paradigm, dude? What if the bowl games were like the first two weeks of the season, man? How cool would that be? They could do all their selection in the off-season, and it'd be like, hey, Alabama's opener next season is going to be the Sugar Bowl against Florida State. Something like that.
00:05:34
Speaker
So that'd kind of be a unique way to kick off the season, man. Have everybody traveling to neutral sites to play some kind of fantasy match ups or like dream match ups or whatever based off the last season's results. Because you'd still have everybody all in and the games would be super meaningful. Yeah, but here's my only thing, dude. If you completely can bowl games, like you've completely
00:05:56
Speaker
I know what you're saying, like the playoff is the ultimate goal, but for some of these teams, they're never going to get in the playoff. Like a team like, I don't know, let's use Liberty. For example, I got to play today. They got absolutely crushed by Oregon, but I mean, that's a huge payday for their school. Like they would never get that opportunity if there was not bull games, like Liberty's not getting invited to sugar bowl to play against Alabama.
00:06:19
Speaker
Well, what if we did this, man? What if you do expand it to 16 teams, like you said, and let's run it like the college football or the college basketball tournament? If you win your conference championship, you get an automatic bid. I think there's 11 conferences now, so you could have your 11 conference champs and then five at-large teams would get a bid to go to the tournament, man.
00:06:43
Speaker
I don't think that's any better. Because the problem is, dude, then you do end up with a team like Liberty getting in over, I don't know, let's just say, for example, like, say Georgia lost their last game and weren't one of the top 16 teams. I don't, I just, I don't know how that would work. Like it just, I mean, most years those teams are getting slaughtered, but dude, you've seen little giants, man. All it takes is one time, dude. When you telling me they couldn't go on a Cinderella run, if they, you know, if all the stars aligned it, it's
Impact of NIL Deals in College Football
00:07:09
Speaker
still football, man. There's still a lot of randomness baked into it. I would,
00:07:12
Speaker
I don't think that system's perfect either, but I would prefer that over what we have now. Yeah, it's just, it's kind of shitty because there, there's no like real way to, to make this work because I mean, you can't just like tell teams like, Hey, all your players have to play. Like you can't do that. I mean, it's just, I don't know. There, there's just, there's no winning formula for this. I don't think, unfortunately, cause I mean, these kids are going to sit out of bowl games. It was just no avoiding it.
00:07:42
Speaker
And I don't blame him. Like I said, Kayla, William should not have been playing in that game. Like nobody blamed him for not playing in that. Then again, dude, look back five years ago, Christian McCaffrey played in his last.
00:07:53
Speaker
college football game, it was the Rose Bowl. It was not for a national title or anything like that. I mean, the Rose Bowl is different obviously, but he went out there and played and had like 250 yards. Like, so I mean, there's, there's an argument to be made for playing in it too. Cause if you play really well, that's the last image everyone has of you. Like if your last game you played in the regular season, wasn't very good. I mean, it would probably be better for you to go out there and ball out in the bowl game.
NFL Focus: Lions-Cowboys Game Controversy
00:08:20
Speaker
So everybody's watching cause you know, everyone's watching those games.
00:08:24
Speaker
Right. So they're looking at it now. There's 10 conferences right now, man. So you would have 10 automatic bids and then six at-large bids. But you got to figure the conference champs are probably going to take up three or four of the top 10 teams. So the teams getting left out in the dark are probably going to be the number 11 or number 12 team in the country, man.
00:08:44
Speaker
Yeah, I don't think there's, you know, I wouldn't mind that dude having six kind of wild cards mixed in. Cause I mean, we've seen those teams sneak up and be big teams before a year. I mean, yeah, most of the time they're probably going to be cannon fodder for round one, but same thing in the NCAA basketball tournament.
00:08:59
Speaker
So if, if I had to guess what's actually going to happen, um, cause the pack 12 is dead after this season. So you're going to have the big 12, uh, ACC, um, big 10. So that would take you down to nine, dude. Well, then I'm just, hold on. I'm just saying like, you're going to have four major conferences. If I had to guess you're going to get.
00:09:20
Speaker
If there were 16 teams, this is how I guess they would do it. The top three teams from each of those conferences and then four at large teams. That's how I would guess they would do it if they did. Yeah, I could see something like that. What it really feels like we're ultimately going to, I think there's going to be another basically separation between
00:09:44
Speaker
1A and 1AA and stuff, man. And I see the top 35 or 40 schools just basically forming their own super conference and having some divisions within that.
00:09:55
Speaker
I mean, I think eventually it ends up, there's only the big 10 and the SEC, to be completely honest with you. I think those two conferences are just head and shoulders better than the rest. I mean, two of the teams that are playing in the playoff today are going to those two conferences. So what does that tell you? Like, everybody already knows it's happening. It's just a matter of a win.
00:10:17
Speaker
The most compelling thing they could do would be to have the have it. I think 40 would be the proper number to have a 40 team, like whatever you want to call it. Right. This is the you know, the college football league or whatever and do it European soccer style with relegation. Right. Like imagine if like the bottom four teams get dropped down and four of the
00:10:38
Speaker
you know, under leans, you know, the mid majors or whatever, get caught up every single year. Like that would be super exciting because you'd have to battle for the top and then you'd have the teams fighting to not get kicked out of the league for the next season.
00:10:49
Speaker
Yeah, it would definitely be interesting, but college football is definitely headed towards some weird days. I just, I feel like, like I said, the way the big 10 and sec are going, it's just going to be like a two conference race here pretty soon. So I don't know, man, it's weird for college football because it's, this is like an unprecedented time. I mean, kids are getting paid now to go to college, like the NIL thing. I mean, some of these kids are making millions
Coaching Decisions: Campbell and Tomlin
00:11:15
Speaker
of dollars to play in college. So.
00:11:18
Speaker
It's just a weird time. I don't know. I don't know what the solution is, but it's going to be crazy. I mean, are some of these guys even going to class anymore, dude? Like is that still a thing? Are they seeing still student athletes? Well, the way I understood it is a lot of these NIL deals are based on you being in school. Like you have to go to school and you have to be getting an education. Like you can't just drop out and still be getting paid $10 million.
00:11:44
Speaker
Yeah, it's definitely like, it just seems very tumultuous, man, the whole college football landscape right now. I feel like there's more interest in it than it's ever been, at least since maybe the early 90s, right? The playoff has been a smash success, but it also feels like the whole system is on the brink of collapse in some ways. Yeah, I mean, you're not wrong. Like I said, these are wild times for college football.
00:12:08
Speaker
All right. We went enough on college football. This is an NFL podcast. So let's talk some NFL. Let's do it. Let's start with, I mean, this is the topic of the week. Like did the lions get hosed in that game? Yeah, they, I mean, obviously without being right there and hearing word for what was said,
00:12:29
Speaker
Can't say it 100%, but I'm like 98% sure that that ref just had a brain fart. I forget the names, but number 70 had been reporting in multiple times. And I think when he saw 70, kind of like in his field of vision while 68 was talking to him, I think he just, he assumed like, okay, that was 70, they reported again, because that's what they announced. I will say like the one little slice of the blame pie that the Lions have, because the ref did announce number 70 is eligible. Somebody should have corrected him like, no, 68 is eligible, but
00:12:58
Speaker
Either they just weren't even like either they weren't locked in enough to even really like realize like, you know that it happened and they needed to correct him or they didn't they felt like maybe it was gonna give the play away if they corrected the ref and they thought they could just You know roll with it despite what the ref called out But bad look for the NFL either way, you know, regardless it was extremely extremely sloppy and and with the Eagles losing that ended up being that changed the whole landscape of the NFC playoffs now and
00:13:25
Speaker
Yeah. So me
Eagles' Performance Analysis
00:13:27
Speaker
and you kind of talked about this over the weekend, but the thing that keeps coming up is Dan Campbell, the coaches always talk to the rest before the game. They let them know like, Hey, if we're doing like this play, is it legal? Things like that. And then they journal it. The refs journal it.
00:13:42
Speaker
Well, apparently Dan Campbell met with the rest before the game and told them if there was a two point conversion scenario, this is the play they were running. And this is who was eligible. And this is what they were going to do. They were going to do like an Okeydoke and basically like try to fool the defense on who's actually the eligible player. And that's exactly what they did. And I don't know, man, if you're if you're journaling that down before the game,
00:14:07
Speaker
Like I don't know how you would screw that up. Like if you had this exact conversation on this exact same play, like you would know, okay, they're going for two. They talked to us about this before the game, like all the benefit of the doubt in the moment, even if you did get it mixed up on who reported when you called it out, don't double down on it. Just when you huddle up with the refs be like, Hey, you know what? I remember he talked to me about this. That's what they did. I messed up with
NFL Contenders: Chiefs, Ravens, and Draft Implications
00:14:32
Speaker
when I, you know, in the, the pre snap stuff I said and give them the points.
00:14:35
Speaker
And dude, the craziest part about it is, so usually when this happens, the NFL just is like, Oh, nothing happened. Look away, give you the mint and black treatment. They literally the next morning said these refs are out for the playoffs. Like they are not reffing a playoff game. Like that is admitting that they fucked up, that they, they did it. It was done exactly right. And the refs fucked it up. Like that is the NFL admitting that they'd made the wrong call. I just,
00:15:01
Speaker
I don't know, man. Because they made a huge call on the drive before that, dude. They called one of the Cowboys offensive linemen for tripping when it was actually Aiden Hudson from the Lions that had tripped. And these guys, you remember that Monday night game between the Chiefs and Packers that we were watching a few weeks back when Montez Valdez Scanlon got absolutely mugged on that deep ball that would have won them the game and they didn't throw the flag. That was the same staff, man. I think these guys got some parlays going on these games.
00:15:29
Speaker
It was Travis Kelsey that got mugged in the end zone, not MVS. But either way, you're still right. I just I don't. I don't know, man. When shit like that happens, it's like really hard to ignore like the NFL is rigged talk, you know, like
00:15:44
Speaker
when something that blatant happens and the fact that they threw the flag way after the play was over, like they didn't even throw it because I had already shut it off. I texted Seth and I was like, man, Dan Campbell's got some balls and I shut the game off. And until Seth texted me and said, dude, they threw a flag on that play. And then I went back and watched it and it was like literally 10 seconds after the plays over. I just, I don't get it, man. I just, I don't know how you can do that. And
00:16:12
Speaker
It's just not a good look for the NFL at all. Like, I mean, they literally admitted the next day, they didn't say it, but by suspending them, they admitted it was the wrong call. So feel bad for the lions, man. I mean, the lions literally just got screwed out of possibly getting the two seed in the NFC.
00:16:30
Speaker
what what do you think about dan campbell just continuing to say screw it and going forward not once but two more times man okay that is the undefendable thing about this okay so whatever it gets called back at that point you just kick the extra point like dude you're at the seven yard line that's way too far out to be attempting well then they got bailed out because
00:16:52
Speaker
Parsons jumped off sides because got through a pic Dude, how many times does the universe have to tell you? Hey, just kick the extra point before you just realize hey, maybe I should kick the extra point It's just I don't know man Like I get it Dan Campbell Campbell is a gambler and in the end all he wants to do is win I get it But dude at some point you have to realize like this is not gonna work We just need to settle for the the tie and go into overtime
Chicago Bears' Draft Strategies
00:17:18
Speaker
like
00:17:19
Speaker
I don't know, man. I just, he's a weirdo. I like him as a coach. Like he's, he's, uh, he's good for the game, but dude, I just don't, I don't understand how you keep going back to it again. That guy's definitely hit some Vegas ATMs at like four 30 5AM for sure. Oh, absolutely. He's probably maxed out his car numerous times.
00:17:46
Speaker
Okay, let's move on from that because everybody's heard that topic a thousand times. Let's go into the Steelers. Why does Mike Tomah not get more credit? That was his 17th consecutive clinched winning season. He has never had a losing season as a head coach.
00:18:04
Speaker
Why does this dude not get talked about? I mean, me and you obviously talk about it, but when you listen to like the talking heads, this dude has never talked about like he's one of the top coaches in the NFL. And dude, it's hard to argue that he might not be the top coach in the NFL at this point with Belichick probably retiring.
00:18:22
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, dude, he gets his team ready to play week in and week out. I mean, the Seahawks, they're fighting for their playoff life. You get the Steelers coming to town with a third string quarterback. You know they're about to be pounding the rock nonstop. And they still couldn't start it, man. I was just kind of chilling out. I was able to watch a big chunk of all three of the late games yesterday. And dude, the Steelers just straight up out hustled them, man. They were just playing harder than the Seahawks from snap, from bell to bell.
00:18:52
Speaker
You had freaking pickings, you know, one of the number one malcontents in the league. He was out there freaking hustling. So yeah, very impressive performance for them yesterday. And I agree, man. Tomlin is wildly underrated. What about Najee Harris yesterday, dude? That's probably the best game he's ever had in the NFL. Like that was Derek Henry with those stiff arms, man.
00:19:10
Speaker
Yeah, that's how you know the Steelers were taking that game serious Like it was some yeah, cuz it wouldn't it seemed like the Seahawks for the most part They were getting to the ball carrier They were kind of in in position to to make stops and just at the point of attack man They were not making the play over and over again D Like I know there's some Seahawks DBs and linebackers with some sore chests this morning because they were hitting some wicked stiff arms man between Najee Harris and Lauren Yeah
00:19:38
Speaker
I just, it's so weird that, that like I was saying, Tom one does not get the credit because to 17 consecutive winning seasons, start your head coach and career. And nobody even talks about it really like
00:19:50
Speaker
It's insane to me. Like imagine a team like, I don't know, just, we'll just use the Panthers. For example, imagine them having Mike Tomlin and winning 17 straight years. Like I'm pretty sure it'd be talked about every fucking day, but since it's the Steelers, nobody talks about it. Cause like they don't care about that. Like they only want to win. So I think the, I think the Steelers, I think the,
00:20:11
Speaker
Excuse me. I think a lot of credit just goes to the infrastructure there, right? I mean, going back to the 70s, dude, from Chuck Knoll to Bill Cowher now to Tomlin, they've never really been a shitty team, man. They've never totally bottomed out. Even like there were a few lean years with Cowher there where they were still a scrappy team. They've never been like the basement dweller of the NFL. And I think people are just kind of complacent with them a little bit. Yeah, that's probably true.
00:20:40
Speaker
Um, we'll go to the other side of Pennsylvania to Philadelphia, dude. What leave in the Midwest? What is? Yeah. What is wrong with the Eagles? Like this is the vibes, man. I think it's the vibes, dude. I think the vibe is off, man. Jalen hurts is like regressed big time, dude. Like.
00:21:00
Speaker
You know, he's, if you look at the numbers, man, they don't look so awful, but you can't look behind him. He, his numbers are really inflated, right? Like he's got the 15 rushing touchdowns, dude, Cam Newton. So, you know, he broke Cam Newton's record. One of Cam Newton's touchdown runs from his season where he had 14 rushing touchdowns was longer than all 15 of Jalen hurts combined this year.
00:21:24
Speaker
It's not looking good man like we've still been saying on here last couple weeks we've, we've been a little bit of Eagles defenders right like you know the sky is not falling they're going to be able to get it together for the playoffs but they got one week to kind of generate a little bit of momentum. They're gonna have to go on the road, Saints are playing a lot better last last couple weeks man.
00:21:44
Speaker
or you got a scrappy Bucks team, dude, if the Bucks end up one of that NFC South, you know, I know the Falcons got a chance, Jordan, but I don't think I'm ready to go there
NFL Playoff Scenarios: Bills, Ravens, Dolphins
00:21:51
Speaker
just yet. Uh, the Eagles could very well go one and done this, this playoffs. Dude, you know what the craziest part is? You said like his stats are like overinflated. He has more touchdowns between passing and rushing this year than he had all of last year already. Like with one last year scene, he seems so much more effective last year, right?
00:22:10
Speaker
I mean, he's still throwing the ball. He's completing the ball at 66%, which is the same percentage he completed out last year. He's played one more game this year, because remember, he missed those two games last year. Dude, they've thrown the ball 522 times through 16 games. Last year, they threw it 460 through 15. Yeah, I mean, he felt like he was going to be the MVP last year before he got hurt. And this year, he's nowhere near that conversation.
00:22:37
Speaker
Dude, but I don't know if it's him though. Like the, the offense they're calling, that's what I'm trying to get at. Their offense, their calling is miserable. They're not even using AJ Brown at all at this point. Like through 11 weeks, AJ Brown was in the MVP conversation as well as he was playing. And it's like ever since they started losing games, they just stopped using him. I,
00:22:58
Speaker
And he's getting pissed after every game. And now you did bring this up last week. Now the question begins to beg, is this the reason he got shipped out of Tennessee? Because he's a terrible locker room guy. Yeah, that was always the rumblings, man, that he's got a little bit of a front runner to him, right? If things are going good, he's awesome, man. But he's not the greatest guy to have around when things are going south. Yeah, so I don't know.
00:23:22
Speaker
I don't think this, dude, I was convinced that the Eagles could correct this. Their defensive line for as great as it is, it's not helping the back end enough. They got gashed yesterday running the ball. Like, dude, they made James Connor look like, I don't
00:23:37
Speaker
I don't really know who to say he looked like, but he looked unreal yesterday and that's not. I mean, some of it, I wonder if it's just like scheme and coaching. Cause you know, Hassan Reddick's a great player, dude, but he's just a straight up purebred edge rusher, dude. I saw him on one of those Connor touchdowns. They had Hassan Reddick in the interior of the D line. And I mean, he tried as hard as he could, but he just got straight up blown up. You know, sometimes those situations, short yardage, it's just straight up physics, man. And he could not
Casual Podcast Setup and Hosts' Drinks
00:24:02
Speaker
hold up at the line of scrimmage and just got blown wide open to allow Connor an easy touchdown.
00:24:07
Speaker
Let's point something out too. They replaced the two awesome coordinators they had, Steichen and Gannon. One of their coordinators now is Matt Patricia, who absolutely sucked. What are the worst all-purpose coaches in NFL history?
00:24:22
Speaker
Dude, you have to be bad. I'm lugging this up right now. This is how bad he is. So he got fired from the lions. The Patriots brought him back as a senior football advisor in 2021. Last year, he was still the senior football advisor and the O-line coach, and they canned him and let him go. And then the Eagles picked him up this year.
00:24:43
Speaker
That is not good, man. At this point, you're exactly right. It's a scheme thing at this point, and there's no correcting it. I don't think it's the players necessarily. I just think they're putting them in horrible positions to win the game. I think teams caught up to a lot of the stuff that they've been successful with the last season and a half, two seasons, and we haven't seen the shift or the counter punch from the Eagles yet.
00:25:11
Speaker
dude, it's really frustrating watching them because you can, I mean, they have the players to be one of the best teams, the NFL. I mean, they, if you were starting a franchise on Madden, dude, you're, you're going with the Eagles. If you're trying to learn a Superbowl year one, like they have definitely the most talented, you know, it's probably them in the Niners, dude. I think overall talent, I'd put the Ravens, you know, a step below them, but I think it's them in the Niners for the best 53 man roster in the NFL.
00:25:35
Speaker
It's just wild. Like they have that great offensive line, which has started to show some weakness this year. I will admit that Hertz has gotten hit a lot more this year. I think that's a big part of it. Um, they did let a couple guys walk last year. So I don't know. Maybe that's part of it. It's just, this is not the same team that was playing in week 11 at this point. They're just, they look completely
00:25:59
Speaker
I don't know. Jalen hurts even last week. Let one slip when he said, I don't think everybody's giving max effort basically. And then tried to back it down and saying that includes me or something. It's like, dude, it's too late to back it down. Call your fucking teammates out and be a leader and make somebody do something because this team is not playing well enough. I don't know. I personally think the Taylor Swift hit curse hit both Kelsey brothers. I think that's what it is. There's, there's no way this is just coincidence that both those teams just stuck now.
00:26:32
Speaker
I Thought the cheese showed a little bit of life man the second half dude It still didn't look like the high flying cheese We've known dude, but they were kind of rocking man. You know it looked very iffy, dude You know I texted you I think it was midway through the second quarter It looked like the cheese for shit in the bed again, dude But I don't know if you know the freakin the big mustache gave him a
00:26:50
Speaker
a rousing speech at halftime or if Terry Swift came down there and did an impromptu acoustic set. But they were definitely alive, man. His arrowhead was rocking, dude, and the Bengals just had no answer down the stretch for what the Chiefs defense was doing. And my home's had a deep touchdown pass.
00:27:08
Speaker
He did. I still think their offense is just going to end up killing them in the end, though. Like, dude, their offense is still not good enough. I mean, me and you were texting back and forth. Pacheco was having the game of his life. And for some reason, they kept going away from him. I just don't. He ended up having 25 touches, but I feel like a lot of those were in the fourth quarter when they were trying to salt it away. At one point, he had 125 yards on nine touches, and he didn't touch the ball for, like, 15 straight plays. I counted it. I don't know.
00:27:38
Speaker
I mean, we're talking about Mahomes right now. Like, dude, he had 245 yards in a touchdown yesterday. That was his good game. And Kelsey had three catches for 16 yards. Like, there's clearly something wrong with his team still. Yeah, it's going to take a Herculean effort from Mahomes, I think, for them to make it past their first playoff game. Yeah.
00:28:01
Speaker
All right. Well, we got to talk about the cover art team this week, which is the Ravens. Probably one of the best weeks you could possibly ever have as a franchise. I mean,
00:28:11
Speaker
They just throttled the Niners on Monday night and then absolutely destroyed the Dolphins yesterday. Like, dude, they took the Dolphins, Will. That team, by the end of the game, was quitting. I don't know what McDaniel was doing. They were hurting them, man. They knocked out Tua. They knocked out freaking Bradley Chubb, Xavier Howard. That was an absolute disaster.
00:28:31
Speaker
for the dolphins yesterday. You're right, man. In one week they beat the number one team in the NFC and arguably their biggest threat in the AFC. And not only did they beat the dolphins, like they significantly weakened the dolphins for the playoffs. What the hell was Bradley Chubb even doing in the game at that point? They were down 30 points. Like that was some horrible coaching. You already know two is fragile. Take two out too. I just, I don't get it, dude. We already kind of had fraud alert on the dolphins, but
00:28:59
Speaker
yesterday gave me no hope for that team at all. And the game against the Cowboys is the only time they've really stepped up and gone toe to toe with a truly good team. Yeah, but the problem is, is are the Cowboys even that good? Yeah, exactly. I mean, that was a road game for the Cowboys, which is basically you might as well just count that as a loss for them at this point.
00:29:21
Speaker
I do not. That's a team I don't understand either. Like how are they so much worse on the road than they are at home? Like usually like, yeah, you, you're a little bit worse on the road, but like they're like miles worse on the road. Yeah, it's very weird. Um, yeah. Ravens dude, like hard. They're going to be favored every game, rest of the way, including the super bowl, I believe. Yeah. I mean, Lamar has MVP locked up, which is hilarious considering the way we started last week with talking about rock pretty or
00:29:51
Speaker
McCaffrey is probably going to win. Dude, that game that he just had yesterday, I looked it up. There's only five people in the history of the NFL that have had three or more, four touchdown games and a perfect passer rating. I'm pretty sure it was like, it might've been Dan Marino, Peyton Manning,
00:30:12
Speaker
who the other ones were. But I mean, it was like one of the most impressive list. He's happy. Yeah, definitely not. It was like one of the most impressive list you can be on. And yeah, I mean, dude, three weeks ago, me and you were talking like Lamar doesn't have that good in numbers this year. Like, yeah, he's doing a lot of good things. But dude, three weeks later, his numbers all of a sudden are completely elevated because that team just turned it on three weeks ago, man, like three weeks. Ravens and Lamar are both peaking at the exact right time. You got to think Lamar probably totally sets out this week, right? We just see Tyler Huntley.
00:30:42
Speaker
Yeah, they're not risking anything. I think them and the Niners are both sitting all their starters this week. Well, they already announced like there's, there's, there's no point in playing anybody this week. Now, maybe Brock plays one or two series, man, but yeah, I don't see heavy playing time for any of the, the main guys, not either team. Now granted, dude, it is Jim Harbaugh and he does, he is a, uh,
00:31:06
Speaker
He's all about the rivalries and they're playing the Steelers this week and the Steelers have to win that game to make the playoffs. So I'm just saying, I wouldn't put it past him to try to win that game. Um, okay. We'll do a, we'll do tankathon real quick. Um, the bears locked up the number one pick this week. Um, the other, the three teams are following right now are Washington, New England and Arizona all with four wins.
00:31:32
Speaker
Yeah, really not much to talk about here. We'll have plenty to talk about here in the next couple of months about that. Number one pick and what the bears do with it. Um, not for nothing. Justin Fields played a good game yesterday in the snow. The fans were chanting his name. I would hate to be the one that has to make that decision though, man.
00:31:48
Speaker
It's tough, man. Like I said, I go back to what I said a couple of weeks ago when we really went deep on it. I just think you just got to put it in the hands of your decision makers. Break down the tape. If I'm the owner, I'm saying watch all the tape you can on Drake May, Caleb Williams, and then come back and let me know what you think, man. I've been thinking about it a lot last couple of weeks, man. I was on the camp saying,
00:32:14
Speaker
build around Justin Fields. I do think he's a really good quarterback, but he's only got one more year on that rookie deal, right? That'll be his fourth year coming up? Yep. Or will next year be his third year? That's it. Next year is his fourth year.
00:32:26
Speaker
Yeah, so that rookie QB contract, if you got a really good young quarterback, that's like a cheat code, right, for teams building their rosters and having success. So you could kind of reset that, man. So I would think, and I think you could get something good. I think Justin Fields will fetch a second rounder right now. So if you could get a second rounder for him and you're really confident in one of those young QBs being come in and immediately play and play well, I think you pull the trigger on Draftenwood. So here's my number one thing about this.
00:32:56
Speaker
You cannot, granted, whatever happened last year, happened last year in the draft, you cannot have the number one pick two years in a row and not come away in either one of those drafts with the best player. You have to, no matter what, end up with the best player on the board in one of those two drafts. Whether that to you is Marvin Harrison Jr., whether that's a quarterback, whether that's a pass rusher, whatever it is, you have to pick one of the top three or four players this year.
00:33:25
Speaker
You can't trade down again far enough where you're missing out on those top three or four players. Or else I think this is a fail for them, dude. You can backload picks all you want. There's been millions of teams that have done it over the history of time that doesn't work like
00:33:39
Speaker
Dude, you have a good enough roster now to build around. So you have to, like you said, you have to decide on the quarterback. And if Justin Fields is your guy, then don't trade back, dude. Pick Marvin Harrison, get your guy to go with Justin Fields. Cause I think you're doing yourself a disservice. If you just keep trading back, like at some point you got to get the best player, right? Yeah. Who, who's number two right now, Washington. Yeah. And they're not going to trade up like,
00:34:05
Speaker
New England is probably the biggest trade up candidate, I would think. And they're throwing it right now. Washington's probably definitely drafting one of the quarterbacks, man. But I don't think they're going to trade up for one of them.
00:34:16
Speaker
I mean, right, but maybe if somebody's got their heart set on one of them and maybe you could trade down to the three spot with New England. I don't know. Yeah, you're probably right, dude. I think you never know how the drafts always kind of crazy and teams get the itchy trigger finger, you know, that last couple of days before the draft, but I'm with you, man. I think if you're going to keep Justin Fields, I think go and take Harrison because he looks as can't miss as any wide receiver coming out in New Year's.
00:34:39
Speaker
Yeah, because I saw something yesterday. Well, I've seen two things in the last two days about the Falcons. Um, whether or not they would be willing to trade up to the number one spot to take one of the quarterbacks or whether or not they'd be willing to trade with the bears for fields. Get on again. If the bears are trading with Atlanta, that means they're moving all the way down to nine, eight, nine, 10 area.
00:35:02
Speaker
you're gonna have to ask for their whole draft, dude. And even then, I don't know if it's worth it, man. I feel like you do that. That's what they did last year. That's what they did last year. I feel like you get into five quarters in exchange for a dollar. You know what I mean? Yeah. That's what I mean, dude. I don't think it's worth it for them to trade down again. Everybody keeps talking about stock loading picks. What happens if you miss on all those fucking picks? Dude, at some point, you just gotta take the best player and live with it.
00:35:26
Speaker
Everybody has literally it has very little carryover to NFL, but I know in fantasy when I'm training I'm always on the side of trading three players to get one I I've never done the trade one of my good players to get like, you know, three three solid spare parts, right? Like I always want to make sure I'm getting the best player in any trade
00:35:44
Speaker
that's the thing is like no matter what you have to come out of this draft with the best player in any trade like last year they got DJ more which has proved really helpful for them this year but they still didn't end up with the best player out of last year's draft like I
00:35:58
Speaker
I don't know, man. It's just, it's so weird to me that we're talking about this for the second year in a row about the bears possibly trading out of the one pick. Like dude, in your franchise history, you get a finite amount of chances to pick. Number one, the bears just got it two years in a row and they're literally about to pass on it two years in a row. Like I just,
00:36:18
Speaker
I mean, they fleece the Panthers like, dude, you're not going to do it again. Just fucking pick the number one pick no matter what. Like it's going to probably piss me off if they trade out of it unless they get like, dude, you would have to get.
00:36:31
Speaker
We'll see how he ends up grading out but like the way they're talking about Caleb Williams He's probably gonna grade out higher than anybody since Andrew Luck very very smooth man. He's very I don't I My questions with him is where's the ceiling at but I don't see any negatives with him whatsoever the way he plays You know like he's he seems like he's like drag-and-drop ready to go into an NFL offense right now like dude
00:36:55
Speaker
I'm not lying to you. If the Falcons decided to make that move and trade up for Caleb Williams, I would be ecstatic. Like drop him into that Falcons offense with what they have now. That team's winning the games that they should be winning at this point. Like if they, so would you, let me ask you this as a Falcons fan, man, would you rather see them give that Kings ransom and go get Caleb Williams or would you rather see them give that
00:37:18
Speaker
We'll see how this week goes, but for argument's sake, would you rather see them give that high second round draft pick and get Justin Fields?
00:37:30
Speaker
The only thing that scares me about Justin Fields, and this is the only issue I would have with trading him, and we just talked about it, he's got one year left on his rookie deal, and then they'll obviously pick up the option. So you'll have two years, but then you're gonna have to pay him right out of the gate. And what happens if he's not good enough the next two years, and then they just end up getting rid of him? Like, I mean, I know it's only a second round. But what if you mortgage your whole, you know, a couple years of your future, and Kayla Williams hasn't panned out, dude.
00:37:58
Speaker
I mean, there's been great first round quarterbacks before, you know, highly touted first round picks before that. What if he's Trevor Lawrence here? What if he's Andrew Luck and he plays for four or five years and then retires, you know.
00:38:10
Speaker
Yeah, dude, I just, I cannot imagine the Falcons being right back in this position again in two years. Like if Justin Fields doesn't pan out, like what are you doing? For me as a fringe, as a fringe Falcons fan, I'd rather have Justin Fields, dude. You know me, I think I'm definitely higher on Justin Fields than you are. I think, I think the dude can play. And if I could, if I can risk a little and possibly bring this guy into my already really talented roster, I think I'd rather do that than
00:38:37
Speaker
You know, go off all in on on Caleb Williams or Drake May.
00:38:42
Speaker
I mean, don't get me wrong, dude, I am not ecstatic about either one of those two things. Like trading the King's Ransom, the Bears are going to want for the first pick to get Kayla Williams because they got a King's Ransom for Bryce Young and Kayla Williams is like 10 times the player Bryce Young is. So I don't know, man, this is going to be a, this is going to be a weird off season. Like obviously we're all excited about the playoffs, but I'm pretty excited for the off season too. Cause there is a lot of moving parts in the NFL that's going to happen this year.
00:39:11
Speaker
It's always, yeah, it's always very exciting. We're not going to talk a ton about the playoff picture just because, I mean, everybody's kind of aware. It's a mix between shit that's totally locked in and stuff totally up in the air.
00:39:24
Speaker
I think the one thing we have to mention, though, is the fact that the Bills could possibly not even make the playoffs or end up with a few seed this weekend. That is absolutely insane. That's wild. Yeah. I do think that they're going to go down and take care of business in Miami and get the win, regardless if two is playing or not. I do as well. The Bills are playing really well right now. And how crazy is this, dude? A month ago, we were talking about
00:39:47
Speaker
man, the bills are on the ropes. Like hopefully they can rebound. Cause I mean, me and you both did pick them to win the Superbowl before the season. You stuck with it. I faded away from it. It's just, I, it's crazy that a month later they're in a position to possibly be the two seat. If they win the game, I mean, they are, I think the mental toughness is there, dude. They're so there. I mean, they're battle tested, dude. They got the scars from heartbreaking playoff defeats the last couple of years, man. And I just,
00:40:15
Speaker
I, Baltimore is definitely the better team, right? There's no doubt about that. But I just have, I have full confidence that they are not going to fucking flinch if they do go into Baltimore and they get down 10 nothing at the end of the first quarter. You know what I mean? I think they're, they're going to keep fighting and shake it off and keep playing and see how it shakes out. So yeah, it's going to be an awesome playoffs dude. I mean, I'm excited for our final week, man. It's going to be fun, but I really cannot wait for the playoffs to start. Yeah, it's going to be good. All right. That's it.
00:40:45
Speaker
All right, let's get into picks.
00:41:03
Speaker
So one quick show note, man, before we get into it. As we mentioned at the intro, it is an earlier start time, which means my kids, the six-year-old and the four-year-old, have not gone to bed yet. So you may have heard a little savages causing a ruckus in the background, man. Have you picked them up on the mic any, Jordan? Yeah, quite a bit. But it's fine. Dude, we have families. We're not sitting in a professional podcasting studio. If people want to start paying us to buy one of those and get me a private jet so me and Seth can meet up every week,
00:41:31
Speaker
We'll take it. That's what you guys want us to do. I mean, we'll do it. Yeah, definitely. But we got to make do with what we can. And at the end of the day, that's character, man. Yeah. What are you drinking tonight, man, as we record? I am just drinking a Busch Light, man. I had to, like, I think my Czech liver light has been on for about a week now. I had to take a hard right turn and slow it down a little bit the last two days.
00:41:57
Speaker
Drying out a little bit. I mean, I'm not going on a dry January anything like I'll be drinking this whole week, but it's just Yeah, I had to like maybe not drink hard alcohol for a couple days and maybe not get high every night like I've been chilling me and Brett. We're hanging out just playing video games all day I was drinking some seven up and Captain Morgan really really nice cocktail to really nice easy cocktail man But I'm easing off of it now man sipping a good old classic Corona and lime
00:42:27
Speaker
Nice. How'd we do last week? All right. Well, I mean, it was already over, but I went 11 and five and you went 12 and four. We only had one different game. It was the Raiders and Colts. I was the only different game we had. I didn't realize we both picked the same game, same teams for the rest of the games.
00:42:44
Speaker
I didn't either. We were, that was Christmas night when we were doing it though. They already been a long day. So I don't think we were maybe not as a hundred percent engaged as we typically are going back and forth on the picks, but there were, it wasn't a super compelling schedule of games either. No, it wasn't. This week's going to be good though.
00:43:00
Speaker
Yeah, this week is going to be good. All right, let me get it pulled up. All right. So for week 18, last one, opening up the Steelers and the Ravens, man, this is going to be a Saturday afternoon game. It's in Baltimore. Baltimore has zero to play with Pittsburgh fighting for their playoff life.
00:43:17
Speaker
I think Pittsburgh gets it done. Like you said, though, I would not shock me if, you know, Baltimore's backups, Baltimore's B team somehow gets the win. It seems like this happens every single year. One of these teams that has nothing to play for, uh, rises up and just snips one of the, uh, the playoff contenders in the butt. Yeah, I'm going Steelers as well. I just, I don't think that they could pop. I mean,
00:43:42
Speaker
Did if you lose to the Ravens backups and that's the reason you don't make the playoffs, that's going to be a really bad look for your franchise. Like I just, I don't see, I mean, there's a way they could lose. It is still Mason Rudolph in the end. So there's definitely a way they can lose, but yeah, I just, I don't see it happening.
00:44:02
Speaker
Big game Saturday night. Texans playing for the division championship. Colts playing for possibly a division championship. Definitely a wild card. Texans and Colts in Indianapolis. This is a huge game. You know what, man? We made this prediction after week three and everybody kind of laughed at us about it. I'm sticking with it, man. I think the Texans win it and they're going to have a shot at the division championship on Sunday.
00:44:31
Speaker
Yeah, I agree, man. Gardner Minshew has stepping in for Anthony Richardson has played good enough. But I feel like this is one of those weeks where that that stagecoach turns back into a pumpkin at midnight, dude. I think we see all of his flaws come out, man. D'Amico Ryan's defense is going to get it cranked up, generate some turnovers. I think we see Texans get the win.
00:44:53
Speaker
Agreed. Moving to Sunday, Bucks play all they have to do to win the NFC South is defeat the two and 14 Panthers. Is there any way that they blow this one? They looked absolutely horrid against the Saints yesterday. I mean, yeah, there's definitely a chance they could blow it. Like, dude, it's still Baker Mayfield. Super Bowl for the Panthers, man. And it's still Baker Mayfield at the end of the day. Like, dude,
00:45:15
Speaker
Baker Mayfield has been known to make fucking horrible games when they need him most. So I don't know the way the bucks looked yesterday was absolutely dreadful. Like I said, I would laugh so hard if the Panthers beat them. And if I could wish for one result, I'd want to see the Panthers beat the bucks on a Sunday. I'm going bucks just because I just, I don't think it happens, but I could see it honestly.
00:45:40
Speaker
Yeah, same. I'll go books on the record. Ugly scene in Carolina, man. Did you see their owner through a beer or some sort of cocktail on the fan? As if this dude couldn't get any dumber. Like, everybody already talks about how stupid he is, and then that happens. Like, what a moron.
00:45:56
Speaker
Yeah, if you've seen any of his public appearances, you know, we talked earlier this year after Frank Wright got fired, which was, I think, a horrible move, man. This dude seems very kind of just unstable. I think of the worst boss you've ever had at your job. That's what this guy seems like 100%, man.
00:46:14
Speaker
Um, there was a clip going around before the game where he went up and talked to a fan who said, you know, we're two and 13 i've been here every game that was the sign that he had up And he wouldn't talk to him and people like oh, you know, that's nice He went up and talked to this fan that fan got on twitter Afterwards and said no, he didn't say like thank you or anything nice to me He just said make sure you're here when we're 13 and two also like okay
00:46:37
Speaker
I know. This is like one of your most loyal fans, dude, instead of just going up and giving them a handshake, dude. I mean, dude, the thing is, dude's a billionaire, right? He's a hedge fund manager, billionaire, has never going to have to stress about anything the rest of his life. It takes zero effort to just be kind, dude.
00:46:54
Speaker
I mean, dude, look at us as Falcons fans, man. We never held it against Arthur Blank the years the Falcons sucked here because he was always very, very gracious with the fans. And the only thing he would ever really just say is, you know, we're committed to, you know, winning a Super Bowl for you guys, dude. Like it's, I feel like it'd be so easy to be an NFL owner and be liked by your fan base, but this guy's chosen to just go the full heel route.
00:47:16
Speaker
Dude, I'm telling you right now that if a billionaire threw anything at me, I would have been on the ground, writhing in neck pain. It's in my eyes, bro. I have an alcohol allergy and it's in my fucking eyeballs. Dude, I can't see. I'm blind. How many fingers am I holding up? You're holding up fingers?
00:47:32
Speaker
I'm fucking I'm Steve Austin in the neck brace on ESPN fucking up first the next morning Yeah, you got it you got in my eyes I had this allergy I jerk back so hard that I you know crank two muscles in my neck like I'm not gonna be able to work for six months like yeah, dude I'm Did you cannot I got freaking that my lawyer on speed dial after that?
00:47:53
Speaker
Yeah, dude, I literally would have been on the ground. Yeah, it would. I don't I don't know what happened, but whatever that fan did was not enough because I would have made sure his ass was in trouble. Yeah, man, just such a clown movement. Yeah.
00:48:12
Speaker
All right. Next game. Next game after that. So real quick, though, Panthers, where do they do this offseason, man? Are they just running it back? Do you see like what's your prognosis? What's your prognosis for them in 2024? I mean, because I think they're going to be right back in the mix for worst team in the league. Who wants to coach that team first of all?
00:48:31
Speaker
Yeah. Who are you getting? They're a fucking terrible owner, dude. The dude is not going to stick with anybody. Like I said at the end of last year when we were doing long balls that Steve Wilkes should have got a shot for that job. Like they played well enough down the stretch for him to get that job and they didn't give it to him. I just, I don't know how any like sane person could want to coach that team. I just, I don't know, man. It's not a good look and that owner sucks. So I'm not real sure where they're going to go from here.
00:49:02
Speaker
All right, Battle of Ohio. Neither one of these teams really got anything to play for, man. The Browns, you know, may have a little bit of wiggle room on their playoff seating, but their teams typically haven't. Nope, they're already locked into the five-seed.
00:49:17
Speaker
They're locked in on five no matter what winner lose. Yeah. So this is kind of a nothing burger of a game. You got to figure the Browns are going to rest most there guys. I say bangles get the win, man. Bangles still, I think this obviously it's not where they want to be from the start of the year. I still think this season is kind of a up check, man. They performed about as well as you could expect them to do losing Joe burrow and some of the other key players they've had due to injuries. But I think bangles get the win and finish up with a winning season. Something to feel good about heading into 2024. Dude, if the bangles lose this game,
00:49:45
Speaker
Do they go 0 for, oh no, they have one win. Oh no, they would go 0 for in the division. They would be 0 for 6 against the division if they lose this game. Yeah, they were loaded up on the AFC North games back in that opening month, which now we know is just the kryptonite for the Bengals. That's the one thing that if I'm the owner, I'm telling the head coach, man, is that on our exit interview for the season, figure out what the fuck is going on with these opening months and get it fixed for next season.
00:50:12
Speaker
You know, the other, okay. So I'm going bangles as well, but like that team is going to start having some issues because the other three teams in that division, aren't getting any worse. Like both of those are all three of those teams are getting better. The Ravens aren't going to somehow get worse this off season. Like they're only going to get better.
00:50:29
Speaker
The Browns are clearly way better than any of us thought. And that's with Joe Flacco. Like say what you want about Joe Flacco and the way he's played these last four weeks. Like he's played excellent football. I'm not saying he hasn't, but in the end, it's still Joe Flacco. And that's not who they're starting next year. They're going to bring back Watson, obviously. And then you got the Steelers, dude. They're a quarterback away from being an 11 win team.
00:50:53
Speaker
Dude, the other big thing is they got to figure out what's going on with T Higgins, man. He's either going to be a holdout or may need to be traded this offseason. They're going to have to get creative to figure out how to give him a big deal also. There is no. He's awesome, man. His contract is up. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. The only option they have is franchise tagging him, dude. He's awesome, man. Obviously, Jamar Chase is the man, and he gets the majority of the attention there, dude. But T Higgins is not that far below Jamar Chase. It's a wide receiver.
00:51:22
Speaker
T Higgins is good. I just don't know. Do you think they could replace him easily enough? I mean, they got Boyd there. Boyd's pretty good too. He's on a free agency too. But dude, I just don't think they can give T Higgins $20 million because they got to pay Jamar Chase still too. Jamar Chase's payday is next year. Are you really giving two receivers each $20 million a year? Because I'm pretty sure that's what T Higgins price tag is going to be is $20 million plus.
00:51:50
Speaker
But if you're building your franchise around this quarterback, man, like where else are you going to spend the money at, dude? So I don't know, man. I mean, I agree with you. There's probably no way they can do it. I'm just kind of lending credence to your point that, dude, they're not necessarily going to be a leg up on the rest of that division like they have been the last two years. One of their biggest problems, too, is
00:52:13
Speaker
They got beat over the top a lot this year. I mean, they lost Jesse Bates to the Falcons and look what that did to the Falcons defense. Like the Bengals back standing, the Bengals backhand has not been good this year. So I don't think you can give T Higgins $20 million, man. I just, they need to spread it around. Like, I know it sucks, but I mean, you could draft another receiver. Like he might not be as good as T Higgins, but I just don't think you can pay T Higgins. Number one receiver money. When you've also got you more chase sitting there.
00:52:43
Speaker
Yeah, it's not a good either way. It's gonna be a tough decision for them and they're not gonna tag him dude. There's no way they're tagging him for I think they said the tag for wide receivers is like 27 million or something. Yeah, I just I think it's like 25 mil. So probably not in the cards. You pick bangles up. Yeah, bangles.
00:53:03
Speaker
All right, let's go to NFC North to get the Vikings who are eliminated going or no, the Vikings aren't eliminated, right? I think there's still a chance eight and nine could get the last NFC wildcard. Let me pull up the picture real quick. But the Vikings and the Lions with the lines still fighting for the two seed. I think the Lions got more to play for. And I think the Lions get it done.
00:53:23
Speaker
Dude the Vikings are so bad That's not a good team and it's just not like that game last night was absolutely pathetic They didn't even look like they wanted to be there Yeah, I'm gonna go lions as well just cuz the Lions have to play this out at this point Yeah Vikings are still alive give me one sec I'll pull up the What would have to happen for the Vikings to actually make it into New Orleans Seattle and Green Bay all have to lose
00:53:52
Speaker
Yeah, so they need a ton of help, but you know, they've been living on a wing or no prayer in the last couple of years. So it's not totally out of question. Let's go to our next game, the Jets and the Patriots. This is a nothing bowl pot. It could be historically significant. This is possibly Bill Belichick's last game coaching the Patriots.
00:54:10
Speaker
I think that's enough to get the, uh, you know, to, to, to wake up the ghost there in Foxborough. This is going to be in Boston. I think they give him a big send off and I think Bailey zappy and the Patriots get the win for new England. And again, possibly below checks the last game. Yeah. The jets are another team, man. What, what a disappointing season for them. Like happened a minute into the season, Rogers goes down and then
00:54:37
Speaker
How do you play four quarterbacks this year and none of them are good like not one of them There was a minute it felt like they were still gonna because I think they were like three and three after the first six games it felt like they Like they might be able to rally, you know, they were rumblings that a rod might come back But yeah, dude, it got it got pretty damn ugly there, man I think the most interesting thing with the Jets this offseason is what you know, where's that Wilson ends up getting traded to you? Yeah Yeah, I'm going pets as well
00:55:06
Speaker
That's crazy, man. We might actually see the end of the era with Belichick there. All right Falcons and Saints in New Orleans, dude. I'll let you go first, man. Do you have any hope as a Falcons fan that they get this done? Nope, but there's no goddamn way I'm picking the Saints. Dude, I've already lost Pix League this year. I'm not putting a Saints win over the Falcons on my record, so I'm going Falcons.
00:55:29
Speaker
I already got it, one man. I'm gonna hold out hope, dude, that the Falcons will get it done. So if the Falcons win and the Bucks lose, the Falcons will make the playoffs. Yep, they would win the division.
00:55:38
Speaker
Okay, let's go, man. Let's go, dude. I'm doing the dirty bird right here in my chair as I make this pick, dude. Let's go. Let's shut down the Superdome, the dumbass Saints fans, and let's have Bryce Young rise up and beat the Bucks, man. Falcons go to playoffs and then bounce the freaking Eagles, man. Eagles have tormented us so many times over the years in the playoffs, dude. Let's get some revenge on Philly.
00:56:07
Speaker
I don't have a lot of faith that that actually happens, but dude, I can't even imagine in my head that happening, honestly. It's too much mental gymnastics for me to imagine. Arthur Smith actually comes up with a good game plan. I don't know, dude. It's not like, well, the Panthers have to win first of all, which unless they're playing us, they're not winning.
00:56:31
Speaker
If there was a home playoff game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, would you be tempted to go to it? No. Until Arthur Smith is fired, I'm not going to a game, dude. I refuse to spend money on that team. I went to Cincinnati last year and watched him play and watched him just completely get out coached from minute one. The dude is clueless. It'd be the first home playoff game in the new stadium, dude. If you buy tickets to the game and can get to Memphis, I'll drive and pay for food, gas, and hotel to the game, dude. I'd be willing to go to that, man.
00:56:59
Speaker
And they got the Eagles cause I fucking hate the Eagles, dude. All right. Well, I don't think it'd be that expensive. I don't think it'd be that expensive of a ticket either, dude. Maybe the Eagles fans might be driving the price up, dude. I feel like the Falcons fan base is really, really kind of let the, I don't know. The teams probably let the fan base down, but I feel like the fans have not really been there for the Falcons in the last.
00:57:18
Speaker
three or four years. It sounded like there was a lot of people in Chicago yesterday for the Falcons and we went to that Bengals game last year. Dude, there was a shitload of Falcons fans at that game. I was shocked. Yeah. Interesting, man. I just know when I see the home games on TV, dude, there's just, there's none of the fire that I feel like used to be in the Georgia Dome. Yeah, that is an issue. You're not wrong there.
00:57:39
Speaker
Alright NFC South matchup Jaguars playing for the division championship they would need the Texans to lose and then they win there's still in line for a wildcard though regardless. Up against the Titans did. I think the Jaguars get this win Titans have really kind of crapped out since that huge Monday night victory against the
00:58:00
Speaker
dolphins My hope for this is just dude will levis if he does end up playing he got knocked out of the game again last time Just don't let this dude get like ACL tear something like that. That's going to go to linger into next season Their O-line's been so horrible man. So I think Jags when and I just hope the Titans make this out unscathed
00:58:18
Speaker
This could be a pretty emotional game for Titans fans. There's a very realistic chance that this is Derek Henry's last game in Nashville. And if it is, what a freaking tour of service for him, dude. He's been just a straight up warrior for that team for the last, uh, you know, the last eight years. Um, and hopefully they could find a way to give him a good send off. Dude, future Raven, Derek Henry is what you meant to say, but, uh, either way,
00:58:44
Speaker
Um, I'm going to go Titans dude. I think Vray will cook something up this weekend. I think it's more just me hoping that the Titans win. Cause I really do want the Texans to win the division just so me and you could tell people to shove it after it was like, Oh, there's no way they're winning the division. You guys are idiots. Like, dude, they're tied for the division lead going into week 18. So you guys can all suck it. Me and Seth knew what we were talking about.
00:59:09
Speaker
I mean, I'd love to see it dude. It'd be great. And if Tannehill plays, man, he's motivated. He's trying to get, you know, another one year contract somewhere next season. So it's not like he's going to be mailing it in if he goes out there. Yeah. Let's just wish for an interesting game, if nothing else. Yeah.
00:59:25
Speaker
Head not to the NFC West Seahawks at Cardinals Seahawks need a little bit of help to make it in playing the four and twelve Cardinals coming off that huge Victory against the Eagles I think Gino and the Seahawks bounce back and get the win on Sunday the Seahawks don't need any help the Seahawks get in if they win They're they're the seven seed right now winning in yeah, they're winning Yeah, they're gonna get it done
00:59:50
Speaker
Oh, no, they're not, dude. They're behind Green Bay. I think Green Bay beat them. Yeah, that's what I was thinking, dude. I thought I saw the Seahawks need a little bit of help. Oh, God, dude. So Green Bay has to lose. Green Bay is winning in. Fuck. It's very convoluted, man. This is one of the... That's the one downside to having the...
01:00:09
Speaker
The extra wildcard team, dude, you get some really screwy scenarios, man, with it. And it goes really deep into some of those teams that are, you know, sitting there at eight and eight, seven and nine, going into the last week, man. So, yeah, Seahawks need a little bit of help. I think they get the win, though. Yeah, I'm going Seahawks as well. They're playing same time as Bears and Packers, dude. You know, the Bears would love nothing more than to ruin the Packers season, man. One of the oldest rivalries in the NFL.
01:00:36
Speaker
I think the Bears get it done, man. I think the Bears find a way to freakin' get this thing done and beat the Packers and ruin their season on Sunday. Remember the Packers had it last year, dude. They had to win and get in and lost to the Lions in the last game of the season. Dude, are you watching the college football game right now? Yes, dude. Just fumble that midfield. Michigan's got it back. Chance to go in and take the lead on Alabama now. Insane. Yeah, but again, yeah, I think the Seahawks win, so.
01:01:04
Speaker
Dude, so I was looking at the stats last night, man. It has not looked pretty at all, dude. I feel like it's a situation where maybe a handful of really good games have kind of carried him to this. But dude, just looking at the numbers, Jordan Love's had a hell of a season, dude. He's at 30 touchdowns, 11 interceptions right now. I think he's number three for touchdown passes in the NFL on the season.
01:01:23
Speaker
Yeah, he's been pretty good this season. Who'd you pick in this game? Sorry, I forgot we moved on to the next one. I pick bears. I'm a little bears. I just think the bears are playing at a higher level right now, dude. I just... I do not. And this is their Super Bowl, dude, right? Like, Everflu's still playing for his job. His job's still up in the air. Justin Fields is playing to try to solidify himself as, you know, the QB there for the long term. I think they got a lot to play for, man. I think they sneak up in Lambeau and get the win.
01:01:52
Speaker
Yeah, I'm going bears as well. This is a tough one to call, dude. I just about flip a coin toss, man, chiefs and chargers in LA. I say chiefs win just because they are the better team, but who knows what Casey's going to even roll out there, you know? Yeah. I mean, they can't get the two seed no matter what. So I think they're going to be going on the road. They're already locked into the three seed at this point. I think, I don't even think,
01:02:20
Speaker
Anybody can pass them. Yeah, they don't have a ton to play for, man. They have nothing to play for, because the Jags can't pass them. Could either the Colts or Texans pass them? I don't really know how that would get sorted out. It would probably be common teams, because they beat Jags and they'll... I'm still picking the Chiefs. I do think the Chiefs get it done, just because the Chargers have been such a mess. But yeah, this is one. Who knows what this game's even going to be? Yeah, I'm going Chiefs as well.
01:02:50
Speaker
Broncos and Raiders in Vegas. I think the Raiders get the win Broncos are a mess right now with this whole Russell Wilson drama and Antonio Pierce is playing for his Playing for his job really or coaching for his job They the Raiders played a good game against the Colts yesterday. They just didn't have enough in the end I'll tell you what though dude The Chargers have to be the most underwhelming team
01:03:20
Speaker
Maybe not of all time, but definitely of this season like dude they had so much hope going into this season and to go out there and lose to a Jarrett Stidham led team like Dude
01:03:34
Speaker
I just don't, I don't know what the fuck charges are going to do, man. They're in like salary cap hell too, I think so. Yeah, they got some older guys. They've really kind of gone all in these last two years. Yeah, I don't really know what they're going to do. But yeah, either way, I'm going Raiders because I think Pierce is a good, that would be a stupid decision if they don't hire him.
01:03:57
Speaker
Yeah, it seems like the players are behind him. Dude, you're already paying two coaches at this point, man. I'm sure Pierce is going to be on the lower end of salaries as far as NFL head coaches go. Just, dude, give them a three-year contract and let's see what it turns into, man. Yeah, dude, I could have stuck the ball in my butt and farted out a better field goal attempt than that kick right there. That was horrible.
01:04:22
Speaker
We've got 10 minutes to go. Alabama getting the ball back up for what you read, man. I know you're a big 10 loyalist, dude. Like, are they going to... I am not a big 10 loyalist. Relax on that. I almost root for all of them to lose. Like, don't ever get it twisted, dude. I thought you were just blindly loyal to the Midwest, dude, regardless.
01:04:40
Speaker
Today I was rooting very heavily against Wisconsin and Iowa. So don't get it twisted. I am not a big 10 loyalist. Fuck all those teams. Like I hate Michigan. I just think I hate Bama a little bit more, but I,
01:04:53
Speaker
I thought the way the first half went, Michigan was just gonna end up winning this game pretty easily, but I don't know what the hell happened in the third quarter. They just stopped playing. Nick Saban, bro, put the claps on. I still think Michigan has a better team, so I'm so hopeful they win just because I would like to see someone different too in the finals. I think Michigan and Washington would be awesome to see, but it's Alabama, dude. Nick Saban's almost unbeatable in these situations.
01:05:21
Speaker
Yeah, we got spoiled by the two of years in Alabama when they were actually like entertaining to watch. This is back to like Alabama football, dude. They're like the, they're like the early Belichick Brady era Patriots man, just grinding it out. The most boring style of football imaginable, but they fucking win, dude. Yep. All right, Eagles and Giants in New York. I think Philly rolls in this one, man. Philly still holding out hope for a possible NFC East title at the Cowboys stumble. I think the Eagles win.
01:05:50
Speaker
Yeah, I'm going to use as well. Rams and Niners in San Francisco really needed Rams could improve their playoff seeding a little bit, but they absolutely cannot. The highest thing it is a six seed dude. Eagles are the five seed.
01:06:09
Speaker
But if they lose, they could drop down to the seven seed, right? Yeah, but they can't improve. You just said they could improve their playoffs. Well, they need to, they could impact, I guess is what I should have said. They could impact their seed. I think the Rams get the win just because I think the Niners are going to be rolling out the JV team or maybe even the freshmen team for this game. Yeah. The Niners are playing nobody in this game. I'm going Rams as well.
01:06:33
Speaker
Cowboys and commanders in D.C. You mentioned earlier how bad they have freaking stumbled on the road. This is a classic rivalry, man, one of the most heated rivalries in the NFL.
Final NFL Season Games and Playoff Impact
01:06:47
Speaker
Nothing would make Washington season, would at least put a little cherry on top of the shit salad that they've had this season than to fuck up the Cowboys playoffs by sending them on the road for the wild card round if they got the win.
01:07:01
Speaker
All that said, I still think Dallas wins. Washington's just been a train wreck for the last two months. Yeah. As bad as the Cowboys are on the road, I still think the, the commanders are worse everywhere. So yeah, not going to happen. Unfortunately, I think it would be funny if it happened. I also think it'd be funny if the Eagles lost you though. Like imagine the, the Cowboys end up losing and the Eagles still lose and it still ends up the exact same.
01:07:26
Speaker
I'm rooting against them, dude. I want to see the Lions get that two seed and, you know, right. The wrongs of the NFL officiating. So yeah, I'm rooting for, I'm rooting against the Eagles and Cowboys this week. Yeah, I get it. Um, season, season finale for the NFL, bills and dolphins down in Miami bills. Like there's, if the bills don't win this game, McDermott has to be fired. Like there, there's no question he's getting fired. If they don't win this game.
01:07:52
Speaker
Yeah, agreed, man. What if they fired him and brought him Belichick? I think if the Bills fire him, I think they're bringing in Dan Quinn.
01:08:02
Speaker
Yeah, I can see that too. But yeah, I think the Bills get the win, man. Who knows if two is going to be playing or if you get V as you got to imagine, he's less than 100 percent. I heard a really good description for the Dolphins on the Ringer NFL show I was listening to right before we went live on here. They said that the Dolphins offense, it's like the most impressive machine in the NFL, but it's one of those like finely tuned Swiss engineered things that like if you drop the tiniest grain of sand into the machine, the whole thing just falls apart, man. And I was like, yeah, that's
01:08:32
Speaker
kind of pretty much how the season's been for them. They look absolutely unstoppable at times, but it seems like if you can get them off their game, they don't got a ton of resiliency and balance back and it all falls apart, typically in pretty ugly ways. Yeah, they, they definitely have some issues. So
01:08:51
Speaker
They're in the playoffs no matter what luckily for them like They're playing for the division obviously still but no matter what the Dolphins are in the playoffs So it won't be a complete collapse if they don't end up winning the AFC East like I felt like the Bills were the best team that division starting the season we both did so I mean it's not gonna be a complete collapse, but it's still not gonna be a good look if they end up playing in a wild card as a wild card, so
01:09:14
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, the big thing for them is the injuries, dude. The injuries are just piling up right now. It sucks because it was the same thing last season, man. They limped into the playoffs last year after having a pretty good regular season. And I think they're just kind of, like I said, I think they're really running out of steam. Four or five weeks ago, dude, they were looking like, you know, you can make the argument they were the favorite to come out of AFC. But at this point, I'm not sure how much confidence I have of them making pass the first round.
01:09:43
Speaker
whether it's as a, uh, you know, as the division champ hosting in Miami or going on the road. All right. So let's just say things play out and the dolphins end up losing and they get the six seed and have to go to Kansas city week one. I still think they can win that game just because of how dysfunctional the chiefs are right now, but I wouldn't have a whole lot of confidence in it with the injuries that they have.
01:10:09
Speaker
I wouldn't pick them. I'd pick the Chiefs, man. It wouldn't be a sure thing. Wouldn't be a sure thing, but I would pick the Chiefs. That would be like the most Tyreke revenge game of all time though. Like dude, I feel like that dude would just tell him just to chuck the ball in the air every play and let him just run under it. Dude's probably going to try to go for like to take better yards. Tyreke, yeah, two is hurt. Tyreke be taking the snaps at quarterback, dude. Man, could you even imagine him just running like an option?
01:10:37
Speaker
Yeah. But yeah, that's a wrap for our regular season picks, man. We will reset. We're just going to go straight up game by game for the playoffs, man, and see who can win the championship for the playoffs. So Jordan, you are a worthy competitor, man, for the picks championship this season. I tip my cap to you. It was fun. It was a good first season of goal line for picks, but we ain't stopping here. All right.
Betting Outcomes and AFC South Predictions
01:11:05
Speaker
Let's get $2 million bet.
01:11:22
Speaker
Alright big dog, tell us how we did last week. Alright, I had Browns minus 7.5 for 100k and I had Eagles Cardinals over 47.5 for 100k. Got both of them. So on the season I am 19 and 15 plus 400k.
01:11:40
Speaker
Seth, you had Seahawks minus three and a half for 25K. And then you had Texans minus three and a half for 50K. So on the season that puts you at 20 and 14 plus 325K. So I pulled ahead with that week, man. That was a 200K week was a big week for me.
01:12:01
Speaker
All right. So unlike pigs, the, the main dollar bets is going to continue through the playoffs. So we'll see who's ultimately holding the crown at the end. We're still neck and neck. I'll go first, man. I'm going to put a hundred K on the Raiders minus two and a half against the Broncos. I think, uh, I think, uh, coach Pierce solidifies his spot and, uh, locks down that job for 2024 with an impressive final game this season. Okay.
01:12:25
Speaker
All right. I am going to go Seahawks minus three for a hundred K. I just do. They have to win this game. So I just, I feel like they're going to win back against his wall. Pete Carroll back against the wall. Pete Carroll typically gets it done. Yep. All right. And
01:12:46
Speaker
This is just a funsy, man. I'm gonna throw 25k. I think the Panthers cover plus five and a half against the Bucks. I don't know if they win. I think they cover though, man. I think this game ends up being a freaking nail biter. For 25k, you say? Yeah, I'm throwing 25k on the Panthers plus five and a half. All right, man. I'm rolling another 100k bet. I am going Eagles Giants over 41 and a half for 100k.
01:13:10
Speaker
I said, I never liked the over unders, man. That's, these, these always seem way too iffy to me, dude. Well, I've hit the Eagles one now two weeks in a row. So might as well just write it out and see if it can keep it going. They can't play defense and they score. So true. All right. We do got a couple of mailbag questions. We will, uh, we will answer and then we'll be out of here, man, for the, uh, the regular season, dude. All right.
01:13:36
Speaker
Sam Rosenthal says, who wins the AFC South this weekend? I think the Texans, man. I think we're both kind of on board with that, right? No, you picked the Jags to beat the Titans. So the Jags are going to win the AFC South according to you. Oh, no, I thought if the Texans win, the Texans got it, dude. No, the Jags have to lose. Hold on. Yeah, the Jags have to lose.
01:13:59
Speaker
What's the Jaguars record right now? Their conference records four and one dude. And the Texans and Colter bull three and two in conference. The Jags would win if they won the, won the game this weekend. Did the, the division, division, right. Texans didn't sweep the Jaguars when they play. I thought the Texans beat the Jaguars, both games. They did not, buddy. They lost him the third week of the season by 20 or no, the Jags lost the third week of the season. The Jags won at Houston on November 26th, 24 21.
01:14:30
Speaker
Got it. Okay. In my mind, I thought the Jags swept you. The Jags have to lose for the Texans to win. That's why I picked the Titans to win.
01:14:38
Speaker
Unfortunately, yeah, I'll go Jaguars then. All right. And then he says, what would you prefer your team making the playoffs, but you know, you'll lose in the first round or better draft pick. I'm always going to take the playoffs, man. Now I would take a high draft pick over like being a fringe playoff team, like barely missing the playoffs. I think that's the worst thing that can happen, but I'll always take making the playoffs just because you never know what could happen once you get in there.
01:15:01
Speaker
Yeah. I'm never going to root for my team, not to make the playoffs. The only way I root against my team to win is if like you're in like top five draft pick status, like that's the only reason I would ever do that. But yeah, I'm rooting for the Falcons to win this weekend, just so everyone's clear. Like I will never root against them, especially against the saints. So yeah, dude.
01:15:21
Speaker
I don't know if it's just because it's one game a week or what, dude. I just feel like tanking does not work in football the same way it does in basketball and baseball, man. The losing in football, it can really take over the culture of your organization much quicker than it can in baseball and basketball. I feel like it's easy to shake off a horrible season with a bunch of losses and those sports, man. But sometimes just bottoming it out in football, dude, it can really freaking stick with you. Yeah, I agree.
Emotional Sports Moments and Podcast Reflections
01:15:51
Speaker
And then the fig wife, the lovely Ari says, has a sports moment ever made either one of you cry? And I had to reply to her question and just say, yeah, you were there.
01:16:01
Speaker
dude, I had a lot of sports moments that year that made me cry. The Cubs coming back from three, one down in the world series to win. Definitely cried on that. The calves coming back against the super warriors definitely cried that night. And then yeah, dude, the Falcons won. I still have never seen that over time. Like Seth will tell you, I walked out of their house the minute that game went into overtime. I've never seen the overtime. Like I, I caught to play jumping in the ocean, so it wasn't good.
01:16:28
Speaker
Do you got a couple of ones last second? Zach Hertzler, a good buddy said, biggest upset of the weekend. I think it was definitely, you know, Eagles and Cardinals, right? Maybe he's talking about this upcoming weekend. Like who do we think is going to get upset? Yeah, you're probably right. On Jags. Jags are losing.
01:16:48
Speaker
I know I picked against it. I say Ravens beat the Steelers, dude. I think the Ravens just get it done. If you make me pick an upset, man. And then Chad Smith, one of the two bad Chats from Turnbull Tavern, he had asked what happened to the Eagles. We kind of already dove into that. The vibes are off big time. They're in Philly, man. So that's it, dude. We finished our first regular season as full-time NFL podcasters, man. This was pretty damn fun, dude.
01:17:14
Speaker
It was man. This was a good time. Uh, it went way too fast though, dude. It seems like we just started last week. I know. I feel like we were iron out, ironing out our format freaking two weeks ago, dude. And here we are hitting the playoffs. Yeah. We're going to keep it rolling. I know we mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, but we're going to keep this rolling. We're not going to stop. We'll probably do bi-monthly once a Superbowl ends. We're going to talk some every day. Yeah.
Future Podcast Plans: NBA and Team Recaps
01:17:39
Speaker
Oh no. Bi-monthly, not bi-weekly. Bi-weekly would be we're doing two a week.
01:17:44
Speaker
I thought bi-weekly meant every other week. Yeah, maybe it does. Whatever, dude. Let's just... Hey, we're doing an episode every two weeks. There you go, dude. Whatever it is, we're doing an episode every two weeks. But we'll talk some NBA, and then we're going to do a season recap for every team. We'll obviously end it with the two Super Bowl teams. But yeah, we're looking forward to it. We're going to lean on you guys a little bit more for a listener mail as we get going.
01:18:12
Speaker
So yeah, start thinking of some stuff for us. Talk about in the off season, because it's going to be a rough pumpkins. We'll be doing 40 minute episodes every two weeks. Yeah. All right, man. Hey, next week's going to be a special one. We'll be dropping. We'll be recording Sunday night. And yeah, we'll be dropping later on that evening for it to wrap up the NFL season with that Dolphins Bills game. And yeah, can't wait to bring you guys to playoffs. It is going to be a wild ride. We will talk to you guys next week.
01:18:55
Speaker
I don't wanna go to work, I don't wanna see my ex-girl I don't wanna worry about finding me My next girlfriend at the bar Where they charge you right on for a Coke and a PBR Yeah, I don't wanna watch the news I don't wanna pick the phone up Don't wanna sit in traffic with an epic handle on Could I have been doing what I should be?
01:19:22
Speaker
I just wanna do country-ass shit with my country-ass friend But my country-ass man, having a making dollar bills, y'all Ask me how my country-ass feels, y'all Before I ain't working it off, and getting it to damn much country-ass Spare to these old blue jeans But wait a minute, the whole world can kiss it Cause me and my country-ass don't fish it