4th & 32
'Slick Willy' Will Einfalt and 'The Lock Smith' Cole Smithson and their friends break down everything NFL gambling on your favorite money making podcast. Come for the bets and stay for the mirth.
4th & 32
NFC Over/Unders 2026
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We have Eagles correspondent Brett Leichtman back on the podcast to give our takes on the over/unders for the entire NFC. Plus a full break down of his Eagles and everyone's off-season darling Rams.
Your go-to place for classics.
SPEAKER_01Come in poor, walk out rich. Let's make some fucking money.
SPEAKER_02We're to start in Detroit with the Lions, a team that absolutely fell apart because of a bad offensive line last year. A lot of people are really, really high on them entering the season. I have some question marks. Uh, they're overunderstone at 10 and a half, which I think is steep, especially with this division the way it is. Uh, I do have the strength of schedule pulled up, though, and they have the easiest strength of schedule in the NFL. So I think that's a big reason why the Lions uh have this schedule because they play the AFC East. So Bills Patriots are tougher games, but that means you get Jets Dolphins. Uh they play Arizona in there. Uh oh, I guess they got the NFC South as well, which is one of the worst divisions. So uh they also play Tennessee because they were ended up being fourth in their division uh last year.
SPEAKER_00I think the NFC South is just gonna be like a bunch of okay teams. I don't think we have like doormats. I don't think there's a good contender in there. But I mean, I don't know. I think I'm going with the under on the Lions. Really? Easiest schedule in the NFL. I just the O-line was Swish cheese last year. Bad. Um, I love Dan Campbell's fucking energy, and it absolutely can work, but like it's the same, I don't know. I just I think he's Nick Seriani and he's just more likable. I like 100% agree. But he's yeah, he's very coordinator dependent, obviously, and we're in a luckier situation. We got Fangio that doesn't want to go anywhere, but like he lost two really, really talented coordinators and shit kind of fell apart.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, uh, what's his face? The Jets head's co head coach is gonna be back about mid-season when he gets fired. So uh as a consultant. Uh but it's uh no, he's coordinator dependent. He is Nick Siriani. Will did a top 10 coaches list, not to shit on you, Will, and he had Dan Campbell as 10th. I thought it was ridiculous because it's there's a reason you don't have Sirianni on here, uh, too coordinator-dependent. Their team just also is so snake bit. And I honestly, I think the league figured out Jared Goff. If he doesn't have the best offensive line in the NFL, like he he just gets he just falls down. He lets you sack him. If you can get interior pressure on Jared Goff, everything breaks up, everybody's gonna be uh tuned in on Jameer Gibbs this season. I think they put they have some games where they put up insane offensive numbers and they have an easy schedule. And I'm gonna go uh slightly over, but I still don't think they're a contender. That easy schedule is just gonna get them the amount of wins they need.
SPEAKER_00Fair enough. What so it sounds like you're going with 11 wins as your guess?
SPEAKER_02I think 11, maybe 12, but like I I don't think they're we're gonna be sitting here in week 18, wild card weekend, and being like the Lions are are gonna contend with the Rams or the Seahawks or Eagles or whoever's good. What do you got, Will?
SPEAKER_03I'm using my first lock. I'm gonna take the over on this team. Yeah. I uh I went through every single game, had them at 12-5 for the season. Um John Morton was their OC last year. He had to, I mean, he eventually it got so bad that Dan Campbell took over to play calling duties, um, and the team did improve after that point. I mean, if you if you guys do think Dan Campbell is is very uh coordinator dependent, they bring in Drew Petsing, um, who's been the OC with the Cardinals for the previous three seasons. He's a Kevin Stefansky coaching tree guy. Um he's already getting a lot of raving reviews from football heads out there. Um I I think this really does depend in on on this offensive line, uh at least on the offensive side of the ball, because they have weapons everywhere and they can run scores up on teams very quickly with their guys. Um defensively, you gotta get Brian Branch and um the other safety, Kirby Joseph. Um you gotta get those guys back. They're gonna be starting the season a little hurt. Once they come back, that defense should look a lot better. And um, yeah, I I I had this team going at to 12-5. So I really like the over and I'm I'm locking it in.
SPEAKER_02Cardinals were the 23rd highest points per game in the NFL last season. Um and they they averaged 19.4 in his first year. I'm just saying. I'm just I'm not trying to be a dick, but uh 27th total yards.
SPEAKER_03Did you see the things he did with Jacoby Brissett?
SPEAKER_00Hey man. I will say fair enough. I know you guys like to stake your claims on this, and we make fun of the Jets because it's my dad's team, but like the Arizona Cardinals have every right to claim that they're the worst North American sports franchise, period.
SPEAKER_01They're up there. They're 100% up there.
SPEAKER_00So, like, in that coach's defense, I already forgot his name, I'm sorry, but like in his defense, that is what that's what he's working with.
SPEAKER_02Sorry, Drew. Brett Brett found you forgettable immediately after hearing your name. Uh, my big concern with the Lions is they just keep getting injured year after year. They're the 49ers Midwest. Super talented.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_00But that's kind of a fair comparison. That is like no one doesn't respect the 49ers. It's just like no one expects them to be healthy come January. That's their problem.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. No, 100%. They're not as aged as the 49ers are, but I I their schedule is so easy. I mean, they start with Saints, Bills, that's gonna be a tough game. Thursday nighter, uh, week two. Jets, Panthers, Cardinals, like they should be four and one to start the year. They really should. Um they just have some easy stretches in here. It really depends on where you see the Bears, though. I think it's interesting you locked the ogre because I know you're super high in the Bears, but uh Bears sitting at nine and a half. That's kind of crazy. It was so it's juiced to the under minus 145 for under nine and a half, over nine and a half, plus one twenty-five. Uh, the Bears have the 26th hard hardest schedule in the NFL. Kind of crazy that they're in the same division as the Lions. Uh, if you wanted to go like over 10 and a half, it's plus 180. If you wanted to go under eight and a half, it's plus one thirty-five. So Vegas or Bovado, whatever you want to say, the Lions makers are saying that the Bears are more likely to win less than eight games than win more than 10 will.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02This is your NFC team, so I want your thoughts first.
SPEAKER_03I I'm also gonna go over with the Bears too. Um, really like this team. They're kind of catching a little bit of the injury bug in the early preseason. Um, Kyle Manungai might not start the season with them, so we might be seeing some Roshan Johnson and and some other guys mixed in. Um, but I really, really like Ben Johnson. And I I think this this offensive line is one of the better units in the league. And I I think the defenses can play nasty when they want to.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I I really like their tight end grouping and the receivers. If Luther Burden's healthy, like they, I mean, they should have one of the best skill position groups in the NFL. Caleb Williams still developing into the guy that he potentially can be. Um, and the defense, I mean, should be improved. So I I love their head coach. It's really hard for me to pick under nine and a half, but this is one of those I would kind of look at it like if it were a game line. Like, what is what does Vegas know that we don't know? And it's that strength of schedule, it's the uh regression, like there's always teams that regress. And I guess they just think the Bears are going to. But let me let me go through the schedule real quick. I mean, I guess they got, I mean, they end the season on a really tough uh stretch. Buffalo, Green Bay, Detroit, Minnesota. You know, Minnesota might not be great, but it's still a divisional game. They got Detroit, Jacksonville back to back. They have uh New England, Seattle, Tampa back to back to back before their bye week. They got Philly on there, obviously Green Bay twice. Like it's just gonna be a tough schedule, but it's really hard for me to pick not pick the over. I was in on the Bears last year. I'm gonna be in on the Bears with you as well. Will give me the over.
SPEAKER_03They were in a ton of one-score games last year that they ended up squeaking out. So, like a lot of people say that that's a regression indicator, but I don't think they'll be in one-score games anymore. I think they're gonna actually start to to get leads on on some of these teams. And I think the Packers are are going to vic struggle heavily this year, and I think they can easily win both games against Green Bay.
SPEAKER_02Fair enough.
SPEAKER_00All right, Brett. What you got? I think I might take my first luck. I loved what I saw out of the Bears running game last year, and I I do expect like I don't think Caleb Williams is gonna have as many magical movements. That's impossible. Yeah, that's like impossible to expect that Caleb. Well, no, no, no, but like that's my point. Like Jalen Carter obviously has his days where he's questionable on effort and he wasn't having a good effort day that day. But outside of that, like the Eagles still defended the run pretty alright last year. Like they made the Eagles look bad. Like bad. I you can lean on that in the NFL and just win a couple games that you're not supposed to. Even if Caleb doesn't improve like the consistency in quarters one to three, he's proven that he's not shook by a moment in the fourth. Like he's not he's not gonna have five sports center number one moments, like but he he can lead a fourth quarter drive. Like he's already proven that. Uh I don't know. Nine and a half's not a lot with a strength of schedule ranked where they have theirs ranked. I don't I like it.
SPEAKER_02I loved Caleb Williams obviously going to USC and winning the Heisman before, but if he ever had to like show me anything, that play against the Rams, I know they ended up losing the game, but that that pass to Cole Komet. Yeah. No, the pass to Cole Komet, the the fourth down uh to force overtime, like is just one of my favorite plays I've ever seen from a player. Uh he is Houdini in the pocket, everybody knows it. And this team can grind the ball out on the ground. I don't think Roshan Johnson's like a bad player if he has to play.
SPEAKER_03The only thing we really haven't mentioned that we have mentioned a lot in uh previous off seasons is the Madden curse. Um I don't think it I don't really think it applies. No. Obviously, we'll see.
SPEAKER_02The Madden curse is a year-in, year-out thing, too. Like it's not every single season. Um who's been who's been the Madden cover athletes recently? Saquon. Oh, yeah. But but it might be an off-year, because sometimes that doesn't apply. Trying to figure out who is the is Brady and Mahomes the one year. I think Mahomes won the Super Bowl. No, that was the year he didn't make it. It was the Bengals-Rams game. Lamar Jackson. I believe Lamar Jackson won the MVP after that. Mahomes got bludgeoned in the Super Bowl. Antonio Brown's career went down the toilet.
SPEAKER_01Maybe there's some to it.
SPEAKER_02Maybe.
SPEAKER_03We mentioned it a lot last year because we were down on Saquon.
SPEAKER_02No, I mean Saquon, that was just the touches. But yeah, no, you're you're kind of right on that. I I'm worried about the Bears just because they're uh there are a lot of indicators that they aren't going to be nearly as good. But if they are uh not cursed by Madden or, you know, I mean Josh Allen never got Madden cursed, maybe just never winning the Super Bowl.
SPEAKER_00Give me a I honestly say, give me a lock. Like I I'm standing sticking with it. I'm not scared of the Madden curse. Even if Caleb gets hurt four, five, six, it's the running game. It's it's not the best defense in the league, but it's an opportunistic defense. They're gonna get you some short fields, they're gonna force turnovers. I just I think that they have too many winning factors unless guys just start lock dropping like fucking flies. Like I said earlier, like we don't have crystal ball, we can't see the future. We don't know who's gonna get hurt, but like I don't know, the defense is gonna make plays, the O-line's gonna keep them in games. I think they have a lot of receiving talent to at least get third downs converted if a backup has to come in. I I like the team. I really, really do.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Now you I don't think you said it, but I assumed over with how you're talking about them.
SPEAKER_00Oh, 100% over. Yeah, that's my lock me in my first over. I think they're a guaranteed playoff team. I don't think they're getting a bye or anything, but I think they're definitely making the playoffs.
SPEAKER_02No, it makes a lot of sense. Also, uh, you don't have to do anything totally different, Brett. Just however, it's just a lot louder now. So just maybe move it a little bit further away from you, but it it should be fine by then. All right, let's move on to the Vikings sitting at eight and a half. Uh a lot of question marks about the Vikings entering this year. They do have a lot of talent. They have Brian Flores as their defensive coordinator, but this one's juiced to the over. Minus 150 on the over. So to me, like this reads like the bookmakers are thinking that the Vikings and the Bears are kind of on the same caliber of team. And I think that's pretty interesting. Uh, under is plus 130. Kyler Murray, is he gonna work out? It kind of has to, because you have JJ McCarthy sitting behind him. I I don't think he's the guy. I don't think anyone thinks he's the guy.
SPEAKER_03Um what are your thoughts, Will? I think this line is honestly perfect. Um, I had them right in around that 8-9 win mark. Um I'm probably leaning under just how I feel about the Lions and the and the Bears. But this is a really good defense. Um, pushed by Brian Flores, and and Kyler is an automatic upgrade, no matter how we feel about him over JJ McCarthy. And he's going to try he's gonna get JJ the ball, he's gonna he's gonna get um Jordan Addison the ball, he's gonna get um the rest of the guys involved.
SPEAKER_02Juwan Jennings. This this team, I love the addition of Juwan Jennings, but I think their depth beyond that is non-existent. So kind of guys that get hurt too, and all three of them. So you lose one of them, you're back down to just having two guys. Uh, you you're gonna miss a guy like Jalen Naylor that can come in and at least play like some decent quality football. Also, Kyler played 17 games in 2024, but only played eight in 2023, played five last year. There's gotta be some injury concerns with him. And I think depth on offense is really the biggest question mark for this team. So if they stay healthy with Brian Flores as their DC and the pieces they have on that defense, uh they're right smack dab in the middle of strength of schedule at 15. So I think they should be right around here. This line's one of the toughest to pick in the NFC, I think. I I'm right there with you, Will. Uh Brett, your thoughts on the Vikings. Are we high on Kyler Murray? I think he's gonna be better in O'Connell's system.
SPEAKER_00My initial reaction to the over-under is that I want to lean under. I don't think I'm gonna lock it or anything like that. Um, and I agree with you. I think Kevin O'Connell can make any quarterback look better, and that should be indicting on how bad JJ McCarthy is. But in the same breath, like, I don't know if Kyler Murray just gives a shit. Like to be completely there's I agree, Brian Flores making any defense at least serviceable um is gonna win them a handful of games. Uh Justin Jefferson can win you a game. I don't hate their O-line. I don't think it's very good, but I don't hate it either. I don't think it's it's really just falls on Kyler. Like he really can swing that win total from five to ten or eleven, and it's just what version of Kyler are you getting?
SPEAKER_02I think he's got something to prove though, because everyone is saying that now. Like the guy doesn't care, he sucks, he was a bust of the first uh overall draft pick, which I don't even think because he's started for so long uh that he is. He's had some moments, he definitely hasn't been what they wanted him to be in Carolina or Carolina with the Cardinals. Um, but I just I have a tough time. I've I'll I'll let y'all go first because I just this is a really tough one to pick. Because there's a chance their defense is like the best unit in the NFL.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's why I was like initial reaction I want to go under, but I I am not locking shit in on this just because of how much Kyler's level of play can swing that win total. I'm I'm gonna lean under. I mean, I know I need to give you an answer, so I'll say under, but yeah. It's I like Brian Flores a lot as a coach, especially when he's not being a head coach in good DC.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I I'm gonna go under with you. Um I hate then maybe that yeah, I know, because we're all gonna probably float that way. But I've I completely spaced on the on the Kyler injury concerned stuff too. So yeah, if you have to start games with Max Brosmer, JJ McCarthy again, I just count those as as losses no matter who you play.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they're their second stretch of the season. This is post their uh week six by week. It's Colts, whatever, Lions, Bills, Packers, 49ers. That's a tough stretch of games. Then they get Atlanta and Carolina. Not super winnable if Kyler sucks or Jay-Z McCarthy's in there. Uh Patriots, Lions, Commanders, Jets, teams I'm not super high on, and then they end with the Bears. But there's some really tough stretches in there. I think they're gonna win a lot of dumb games. What'd they end up winning last year? Did they win eight games or did they I think they got the ninth, right? So do you think they beat the they finished third in the division? So they they went uh what the fuck? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. They won their last five games to get to nine and eight. Blew out the commanders. They opened in season three and eight. I think it might like be a little flipped this year. They open stronger. And struggle down the stretch. I completely agree with that. Gun to my head, I think I'm gonna go over. No, I'm gonna ride with y'all. I hate when we all go the same way. We did it with the Bears and the Vikings. Everybody go out there and fade the Bears and and uh bet on the Vikings. Fuck it, go over nine and a half. They're making the playoffs. All right. Uh last up in the division, we got the Packers. We're talking about them a little bit. Uh they're sitting in nine and a half. It's right about around where they've been uh the last couple seasons with Jordan Love and uh Matt LaFleur as the head coach. Uh it's juice to the over, minus 145 and 9.5, plus 125 under 9.5. A lot of stuff swirling around with the Josh Jacobs news. I think Marshawn Lloyd's gonna be good. Is he lead back good where he can just carry the team? I'm not quite sure about that. Uh is what's what's going on with the receiver room, because it feels like they lost one of their number twos, but they're still sitting there with uh three number twos. Jordan Love have teams figured him out. He's really relied on the play action, and then Micah Parsons is gonna miss at least the first four games. He's on the pup list. So that that is a big injury for them. And I I think they've bled a little bit of talent. Like, I don't think this team's gonna be as good as they have been in years past, but they have a really good head coach. Uh thoughts on that, Will.
SPEAKER_03I do think they're gonna have a few guys step up um to help them out. But um where how are where are they sitting strength of schedule wise?
SPEAKER_02They are I can't see the Packers logo. Um the only ones not on here. No, I don't know. Give me a second. Oh, 24th. So they're they're pretty firmly in the in the hard strength of schedule uh side of things.
SPEAKER_03I didn't really want to do this, but I think I'm going to take my second lock and lock up the under.
SPEAKER_02Wow.
SPEAKER_03Had so many guys that they needed last year, um, leave like Romeo Dobbs and um and uh um doesn't matter. They are gonna have like Matthew Golden, I think, is gonna step up. Tucker Kraft is coming into this season, still recovering from that injury last year. They're gonna need every ounce of every single one of their guys, and they have a tougher schedule. I'm I'm gonna lock up the under as my second lock. I'm not very high on the Packers. I I don't like what I just saw with the Josh Jacobs stuff. I I their defense is not good outside of Parsons. I watched that cornerback room and I'm very unf unimpressed, and they lost their their linebacker to you guys, Clay Walker, and they don't have a pass rush outside of Parsons. Give me the under.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Relying on Lucas Van Ness for a lot of stuff. Brad, are we all going under on this too? This really worries me.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I mean, I feel I mean it's simple logic, right? I feel like you gotta have two unders and two overs in the division. I know it's not that simple. Maybe you have a strong opinion on a division and disagree with Vegas, but this is your I already have this is your third under.
SPEAKER_02Technically, you got the Lions under, remember?
SPEAKER_00Oh, I did pick the Lions under. I guess I'm just kind of down on this division. And shout out to the Bears. Congrats on your NFC North Division title.
SPEAKER_02Oh man. Congrats on the Bears now making the playoffs and none of this working. I want to fade y'all on one of these. I really don't want to go Lockstep. I'm gonna go Vikings over and I will go under and the Packers. The Vikings are gonna win nine games. They are they're right in that eight and nine range, like you said, Will. But we just can't, we just can't go entirely the same. Now we only have two where we're all picking uh the same. But uh yeah, I mean just too much stuff going wrong, too many guys coming back from injury or out uh because they allegedly punched a woman in the face while she was on the ground. Uh no, head.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Oh, then no, that makes it better. My fault. No, he punched her in the base of the spine. Yeah, great. Yeah. Um but yeah, no, this this team's just unimpressive on paper. And they have a good head coach, but this might be uh uh rebuilding type season.
SPEAKER_03Not a good offensive line either. I feel like I'm I'm very offensive line heavy uh this year. As you should be. Yeah, no, I I don't like their offensive line. But Matt LaFour makes up for it with great schemes.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So Brett is three unders. I have three overs in this division, and Will has two and two with two of his locks in the NFC. Two of my locks. One of the toughest uh divisions to predict. So uh Brett still got two locks left. I have all three of mine in the bag, and we're going down to the NFC South, where the Saints are sitting at seven and a half wins. It is slightly juiced to the under, but it's pretty close. It's even for over, uh, minus 120 for the under. I'm gonna start here. This will be my first lock. I'm going Saints over. I think they win the division. I don't even really think it's particularly close. I thought they were the best team in that division at the end of last season when Shuck came in. I think Shuck's a real guy. I think they have a good head coach. Chris Olave, I think it's stay healthy. He's shown that he's he could be a really good player. If Jordan Tyson ever comes back, I know he's on IR to return in four weeks. Uh, they got a top 10 wide receiver to add into the mix, but I think they showed they could get stuff done uh without him there last year. They bring in Etienne, still have Kamara kind of on his last legs. Kendra Miller, Devin Neal like had to play at times last year. And I think they improved on defense. I don't I don't see how any team wins this division but the Saints. And I know it's the NFC South. I might be eating my words at the end of the season, but I just I think Shuck's a real guy. And if he's not, this this pick is really dumb. And we'll be looking at this like, haha, you're stupid. You believed in an eight-game sample, but he was awesome at the end of last year. Like truly awesome. Uh Brett, what are your thoughts on this?
SPEAKER_00You cucked me to my second lock. So I guess I'll just have to find I'll pivot to something in the NFC West. No, you can lock. I don't want to touch this division otherwise, but no, I I really like them. I really do like them. I agree with basically you said everything that would have came out of my mouth. So I don't want to just reiterate and keep this dragon on for no reason. But like exactly what you said. Best team in the division last season. We're adding Jordan Tyson. We're getting more experience for Shuck, we're getting more experience for Kellen Moore as a head coach. And who else in the division really stepped up? I mean, you could say the experience thing is a benefit to Carolina too, but the Bucs aren't getting any better. The Falcons are the Falcons. Like, what the fuck are they doing?
SPEAKER_02The Falcons are gonna stink.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so it's yeah, I mean, it's the Saints or the Panthers, honestly, in my opinion. I like the Saints a lot more. Yeah, lock it up with me, Brett. Yeah, fine. Fuck it. All right, we're locking in the Saints over. That's a disrespectful ass over.
SPEAKER_02It is it's super low. I think I honestly think I don't think they they win a lot of games, but over eight and a half is plus 155. I love that. That's amazing. I think they win, I don't think they might not win 10 games, but I think they win this division, and so they should probably get to nine. Also, this is a big reason why. Third easiest strength of schedule. It's like kind of, you know, the teams at the very, very top, like the top three and the bottom two are way outside on the graph. Excuse me. The Saints are way up there with the Bengals and Lions, and no other team in this division is in the green. Like if you're looking like the top half's green, bottom half's red, the Falcons are 19th, the Panthers are 30th, and the Bucks are 25th. They are gonna get just way more easy wins than everybody else in this division. And it this all falls apart if Shuck isn't good. Yeah. But I think he's uh Will, you obviously you're going over. I'm going over too.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, this one's as we talked about in the in the divisionals or when we were talking about conference winners. I'm all over the Saints with you. And I had this as my other lock, but I flipped it for the Packers because of just all the bad vibes and all that. So yeah, we're in lockstep with the Saints, but I I really like it. I I I I like the over eight and a half too. I had them right at nine and eight to get into that over. So yeah. I think the plus one fifty-five is really good value over eight and a half.
SPEAKER_02I think only the Bucks are even competing with uh the Saints in this division. Like the Panthers, like it was a nice story. Does anyone think the Panthers are really building to something? I think the roster has more talent, but I don't I still think Bryce Young's pretty bad.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. I I do like the Panthers. Um I think they could they could lock up that second spot in the division, um, second place spot. Um, not making the playoffs, obviously, but I think they really stepped up on defense and their offensive line is getting a little better.
SPEAKER_00Brett. You heard me say I think they're the second best team in the division. And I really like Baker. I just think Tampa Bay has awful, awful vibe like something just stinks coming out of Tampa Bay right now.
SPEAKER_02Well, they should have fired their coach two seasons ago and hired Liam Cohen.
SPEAKER_00I mean, yeah, you're not wrong there.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00You're not wrong. So um, yeah, exactly. I just I think the Panthers are the second best team in the division, kind of by default. Um, really? Like Will said, like Will said, they're stepping up on defense. I like their receiver room. I really like Tet. Um, I thought Jalen Coker made some plays at the end of last season. It's really just Bryce Young holding them back, in my opinion. Yeah, like Canalist.
SPEAKER_02Let's dive into that. Yeah, it's six and a half. Uh, they're the next team up here anyway. Over, it's juice to the over, minus 140, plus 120 on the under. I'm shocked. Like, maybe I'm just the biggest Bryce Young hater out there. I didn't like him like in the draft. I I thought I thought CJ Stroud was going to be better. And I kind of uh did uh did a little touchdown dance when Bryce Young started off his career so bad. Everything broke right for them last year. Like even just backing their way into winning the division. And I just I don't I just don't think they're a good team. And I don't, I'm not sold on Bryce Young, and their backups Kenny Pickett.
SPEAKER_00I mean, I agree with you. I don't think they're really good. I think I'm gonna take the over because I think seven and ten is like right about where I have them. I think Bryce Young's gonna lose them some games they probably should have won, but I don't know, man. The team's got the the 21 outside of Young, they have grit, man. They really deserve to beat the Eagles last year, and Bryce Young just fucked that game up on multiple occasions. Like they're and I know that's a very biased one-game sample size, but to like, yeah, it was more to counteract your point of like everything broke their way last year. And it's like it really didn't in that game, at least. Like Bryce Young overthrew two wide open touchdowns. They could have boat raced us, to be honest.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they could have beat the Rams. Uh they did beat the Rams once, they could have beaten them twice. Their secondary should be pretty good. Like they bring in Mo Rig, uh former Raider. They have like Mike Jackson, JC Horns, obviously awesome. Their defensive line should be pretty decent. They bring in Devin Lloyd. So I get it. I don't really see a true top-tier pass rusher. Like they have Jalen Phillips, but he hasn't really been that in a couple seasons. Um, and then yeah, they're like they have some skill positions, but like it's it's the two backs. I think I think Jonathan Brooks is gonna be really good. We haven't seen him in the NFL, but he was awesome in college, hasn't played his first two seasons because of injuries. And then they have Tet and Jalen Coker, but outside of that, I'm not like totally sold on anything else. And if the offensive line uh and also right now, ESPN has uh Monroe Freeling starting at left tackle and right tackle. So I mean, if that's a sign of things to come, you know. He can he can play both sides at the same time. Exactly. If that's the plan, I think I'm out. Um but uh yeah.
SPEAKER_03Uh you're going over too, Will? You said six and a half, because I have them right at seven and ten.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I'll go over. I'll fade y'all on that. I'm not I'm not riding with the Panthers. They have the 30th hardest schedule in the NFL. That is that's pretty fucking brutal. Yeah. And the to be fair, the difference between like 20 and 30 is not that bad. Like the difference between 30 and 31 and 32 is like crazy. But let's just let's just go through it. And you tell me what teams the Panthers should absolutely beat. Bears, Falcons, Browns, Lions, bye week, Eagles, Bucks, Packers, Broncos, Saints, Ravens, Bucks, Vikings, Saints, Bengals, Steelers, Seahawks, Falcons.
SPEAKER_00So, like, right off dome, because I was counting them on my I'd say there were three or four, like, yeah, I think they win that game, and then like there's just winnable games in there. I'm not gonna stand on the table like defending a team I think is gonna go seven and ten. It's just like, I don't know. I just I'm not super passionate about it. I'm not locking it in or anything. I just I have a gut feeling they go like seven and ten.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_00There's any NFC South game can go any type of way. What do I always say?
SPEAKER_02We don't bet on the NFC South in this podcast. Definitely not game to game. Gar. Sorry, Brett. I forgot you have to mute yourself when I talk.
SPEAKER_00You're okay. I like um I like the Broncos a lot. I'm still not a Bo Knicks guy. Like, I think Bo Nicks can lose you a football game or two, so maybe they eke out that. I just I think there's grabbable games on the schedule, but games they absolutely should win, probably only their two matchups against the Falcons. Browns and the Browns.
SPEAKER_02The Browns are in there, they should win that. Um, it is in Cleveland, though, and those games are always just devastating. You can go to the games $44. I might go to Browns road trip. Browns Panthers. Burke will be. Yeah, Burke will fly here in a second. Yeah. Um they get the the tough thing is they get the AFC North and the Broncos by being the division winner. So that's just that's super tough. But let's remind ourselves they were eight and nine and barely squeaked to the playoffs last year, even though they had some impressive performances. That's just a tough schedule. That is a really tough schedule. All right. Uh next up, we have the Atlanta Falcons. See, they get seven and a half. See, I I think the Panthers go under. I think it's crazy the Falcons lines above the Panthers. They did finish eight, nine last year, like them, but juiced to the under at minus 135, overs plus one and a half, uh 105. I I just think the Falcons quarterback situation is such a disaster. It's just hard for the rest of the team to lock in. Honestly, like the whole story about Tua like barely made the roster. And they were gonna start him because Penix probably isn't ready, but now they have to play Penix because Tua's been so bad. And if they start Tua week one because Penix just isn't ready yet, like everything's gonna snowball downhill from that. Like that's when a locker room starts to just get pissed at each other. There's a new coach in there, it's hard to rally the guys just because everybody's so mad. And I this is a team that has a lot of talent on it, unfortunately. But they need to be bad and then go get a quarterback. That is that is what this team desperately needs. And I I think if uh the front office and Stefanski had a nice dark room meeting where they're like, hey, this is the plan, play two of seven 17 games, and let's see what happens. We'll try to recover everybody uh with a better quarterback. But yeah, thoughts on that, uh, Will?
SPEAKER_03Sellers would look great in a Falcons jersey.
SPEAKER_02Oh, I just got a little too messant, if you will.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, Falcons uh they're they're joining the four quarterback club. I think there's like three or four other teams that are keeping four quarterbacks on the roster, and uh they might need all of it. I really like the Jack Strand kid. Uh I think he was an undrafted guy. I did see he's a division two guy, right?
SPEAKER_01Like he's he might be the best quarterback on this team. He really might be.
SPEAKER_03He's kind of nice. And then Cooper Rush could be the backup if Penix is just not healthy, which I don't think he is. I think that's all the whole reason why they were trying to make this Tua thing happen, and obviously it's not going to happen. Tua's not gonna be on the uh Tua's not gonna be on the roster for fair. As soon as they need a guy somewhere else, he's the first guy out of there because he played himself out of the spot. I think he had the quarterback one spot, and with how terrible he played, um, they're not even gonna consider him to start the season.
SPEAKER_02No, it's hilarious. He's the old he's the first quarterback ever to lose a uh starting job to a guy who's hurt. I saw a bunch of podcasts climbing about it after we talked about it. Yeah. Like our phones listening to us. But uh yeah, no, it's it I think uh I think this team could go above seven and a half with Jack Strand. I don't know if they can with uh with Tua or Penix. I think Penix is I'm pretty out on him. I want your thoughts on this, Brett. Like he he can't, he just misses all the easy throws. He he really has hasn't been accurate or clutch, and I'm just I'm not a fan of him either.
SPEAKER_00I just when I heard you say wasn't ready, like I knew he was kind of in a battle with Tua, and that's just because he's not good, but like not right. He's like as old as us. When are you gonna be ready? No, I'm saying he's hurt, he's hurt, yeah. He's banged up. But like even that I just I'm not a huge I loved Pennyx in college, and this hurts me to say, but like he has shown me nothing on the Falcons. He's got a nice little he'll throw a ball into a tight window maybe once every other week, and I'm like, oh shit. But like outside of that, he just he is not even close to consistent enough. I don't think he has a shot to be a guy, honestly.
SPEAKER_03Very London involved, which is huge. And uh he'd had that one commander's game a couple years ago.
SPEAKER_01Oh my god, that was two years ago as a rookie, bro.
SPEAKER_02It was so good. I you bring that up every time we talk about Penix, and it's like he's done, dude. Also, Tua, Brett, I want your thoughts on this as a guy who, you know, rivals in the SEC. We've been talking about Tua for a long time. Like, have we seen, I mean, we've seen some pretty far falls from grace, but what Tua was supposed to be, the whole tank for Tua thing, to like, he's gonna be out of the league by 30, and I don't think he sticks around with anybody. Like, this is this is bad.
SPEAKER_00I mean, it's just sad, honestly. Like, I'll always be one of Tua's biggest defenders. He was fucking different in college. Like, there's you know how insane it is that like with that LSU team I was a fan of in 2019, that I was still afraid of Alabama, and I wasn't afraid of their defense. I knew we were hanging 40 on their defense. I was scared of Tua. Like, that's the ultimate compliment I can give the dude. Like, the hip injury he got literally the next week is so sad. Like, we know he was dealing with the ankle injuries and he got rushed back. And Alabama fans like the blame getting rushed back against LSU. It's a weird excuse. Like, maybe they would have won that game if he was healthy, sure. But the hip injury he got the next week is the same one that took out Bo Jackson. So, like, he he never got to use his legs in the NFL the way I expected to get to see. I thought he was just gonna be lefty young Russell Wilson.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00But like, but coming into the league even more ready. But so his legs were taken from him before he even got to the league, and we have never seen a quarterback's brain just get turned into applesauce like this. Like we've seen it. That's so mean. We've seen it to Austin Collie, right? We've seen it to certain positions, but we've never seen it to a quarterback. And like the processing speed just isn't there, and it's just like almost pathetic to watch, like honestly. Yeah, like he I wouldn't want to walk away from the kind of money he's earning either. I get it right out that contract, but like he needs to be done after. Like he needs to be.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, he's he's gonna have a sad like nursing home story to him. I I completely agree with that. And uh yeah, the hip injury that Bo Jackson had. I remember you telling me that, and I'd I just think about that all the time with Tua. Like, he was supposed to be quick and fast and and pick up first downs. And like when he tried to pick up first downs in the NFL, he also didn't protect himself at all. Like, nobody's ever fallen harder than him. Some of them weren't his fault, but like his body just wasn't made for the NFL, and that's just kind of how it turned out to be. Like, he doesn't have a very strong arm, he can't really move well, and now he can't process. And he's scared, and that's the that's the biggest problem, right? He checked he just checked down Charlie in the worst kind of way. Uh Devon HN PPR fantasy haters, like they loved it last year, last couple years, but it's it's not a good way to win football games. And uh, yeah, I think he's probably done. They'll pay him out of his contract, and and it'll be it'll be like that.
SPEAKER_00All I wanted to say was um to add on to that, because you're right, um, was it sucks because he had all the talent in the world, but the body just not made for it. Yeah. The craziest that one of the craziest sports stats I ever have read, ever will read. That he got hit a total of 84 times in college. Do you know how crazy that is when he came in day one and was starting? He got hit a total of 84 times and he had three season ending injuries.
SPEAKER_02Like, that is a crazy stat. That that is insane. Uh yeah.
SPEAKER_00Like people people poke fun at the Michael Penix, like constantly getting injured, but Michael Penix was getting hit well over 84 times every season. Like Tua was like generationally fragile, unfortunately.
SPEAKER_02Sometimes God takes uh an angel's legs so he can give them uh their wings and fly away to uh we'll miss you. I thought that when Brett said his legs got taken away, and I just wanted to end with that. Yeah, so uh here's a question, I guess. Will with with Michael Penix fully healthy, uh plays all 17 games. Do they get to eight wins? I have a hard time seeing it. It's gonna be right around there, though, just because of this dumb division. But they also 19th hardest strength to schedule, right smack dab in the middle. Like Raiders have the 13th. It's not that big of a difference between 13 and 19. Um should be some winnable games, but I'm sure they'll win some dumb dumb ones and lose us some money. But Penix isn't gonna be healthy the whole year. He's probably the best quarterback on the on this roster, and we're probably gonna see three, if not four quarterbacks. And so that's kind of where I'm riding the under. I think we're across the board unders, right? Yeah.
SPEAKER_00What was the win total? Seven and a half. I'm so far under. I want to lock it, but I just like you'll see why I'm saving my last lock. But yeah, no, I I'm so far under on that one.
SPEAKER_02I totally get it. Uh also someone brought up Bo Nicks, and I was talking to a Broncos fan yesterday for like an hour about Bo Nicks while his girlfriend just sat there patiently and like listened to us. Like, because he was like, Oh, who's your team? I was like, the Raiders, and they were both like, no, like obviously Raiders, Broncos, whatever. And this guy bet on Bo Nicks to win the MVP and the Broncos to win the Super Bowl at like plus 20,000. And he was like dead set on that, it's gonna happen. And he said, Bonex is a fine quarterback, you can probably win the Super Bowl with him. Probably.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Like, but I he's not gonna win you the Super Bowl, and he totally disagrees and he thinks Bonex is like the truth. And Brett's just shaking his head. I want your thoughts real quick. I know it's not the AMC. We'll we'll dive into the rest of these.
SPEAKER_00I need to not be a hater because people, it's a funny joke, and I see the similarities, and like people call him white Jalen Hurts. I get it. But like he just like I don't know. I just I feel like he is. I watch Bo Nick's play in college in the pros, the play all I'm like, he can't keep getting away with it. How lucky the man gets over and over and over again is insane. And it just feels like it has to come to an end eventually, and maybe it never will. And that's just gonna kind of be the story of his whole career. And yeah, people like that exist, are fair enough. But yeah, I just I'm was the bet for Super Bowl MVP and Super Bowl or MVP and Super Bowl? MVP. He thinks Bonex's gonna be the MVP. He's not spent on the MVP. I hope he put a fiver on it.
SPEAKER_02He'd probably put way too much money on it. Dude loves his Broncos. I get it. They're going to be good. But yeah, no, it was it was ridiculous how like he was like, no, he is the best quarterback in the NFL. I was like, all right, man.
SPEAKER_00Uh he doesn't fold under pressure. I gotta give it to him. That was a uh a big criticism I had of him when he was at Auburn, but like he's he's kind of shaking that a little bit.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, the uh it was the Auburn LSU Bo Nick's game, right? Where y'all were up 19 dead nothing or something, and I bet on LSU and Auburn K back won 24-19. Do you remember this?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that was that that was kind of the beginning of him shaking his demons. That was like an admittedly very bad LSU team that like took its foot off the neck for no reason. And the defense wasn't anything crazy, but I do kind of think like maybe that was the game that kind of got him over his demons.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_00Uh, because he hasn't, but he had some embarrassing clutch moments leading up to that. But he was a baby and he was starting right away, and that's not normal at Auburn. Like he was the youngest starting quarterback literally ever at Auburn, which is pretty crazy. So I mean, there's gonna be growing pains with that. So I might have just been too harsh on him, but you don't miss he's felt like he's had a very lucky career.
SPEAKER_02No, he's incredibly lucky. I got that. He you don't miss uh Max Johnson, Corey Kiner, Tyrion Davis Price, LSU team, right?
SPEAKER_00I'm afraid if I go on Google, I'm gonna fuck up um like recording. Can someone I'm pretty sure Max Johnson is still in college football?
SPEAKER_02I will look him up right now. Yeah. He is a senior with uh the Georgia Southern Eagles. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Looks like that's embarrassing. Yeah, he was a senior so long ago. He started in 2020, dude. Is that true? Yeah I would have guessed 2019, but still, like, so he started in 2020, he's going into year seven. We're gonna act like that's crazy.
SPEAKER_02He might have started in 2019. Apparently he played for uh Bill Belichick's UNC team last year. He did.
SPEAKER_00He was awful.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, he made them look so much worse than they were. Dude, uh, it's so funny because like he started for LSU and then it's like played for Texan M, didn't start, can't make the field for UNC. It's like now he's on Georgia Southern. Man just loves ball. He's gonna be a coach. Like, we're gonna be talking about Max Johnson being the OC of like the the uh Bengals in like six seasons.
SPEAKER_00I deserved Joe Burrow and Jaden Daniels because you two can attest to it. I sat through the Brandon Harris's. Yeah. I sat through the Zach Menger. Zach Mettenberger wasn't bad. I don't want to throw a shade, but you get the point on me.
SPEAKER_02Dude, I'm a I'm a Raiders fan, bro. I'm still sitting through it. I'm still I'm sat through the Brad Gra Bruce Gradkowski's and the Jamarcus Russell's and the and the Derek Carr's, even though, you know, he's the best we've ever had. All right. Let's move on. We're gonna do this all night. This is what we're doing. We did an hour before the podcast, too. Also, this is when this group gets together, we could just chat the night away. All right. Bucks, eight and a half. I think this the Buc Saints thing is kind of really like who who you think is gonna win this division. All these teams could go over technically. And this division could still sink. Could you envision like an eight-win Falcons of uh seven win Panthers, eight win Saints, nine win Bucks season? Like that sounds like the NFC South to me. Uh, but the Bucs do have the 25th hardest schedule in the NFL. This one is juiced to the under. So minus 125 on the under, plus 105 on the over. There's something stinks. That's someone brought it up earlier, but this Bucks team.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So I'll let you start Will. It's stinky. They fucked up keeping Todd Bowles around, and that guy's towards the end. Baker's pissed. Vita Veya, they had to pay a bunch of money to come back. Like, what's your thoughts?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I don't think Baker's gonna be on this team come next season. Um I do think he's gonna light it up with this team, uh, stat-wise, but I don't think it's gonna get them to the win total that they need. I'm leaning under eight and a half. And I'm I'm higher on Panthers and and Saints, so they they're just gonna they're gonna pick up some wins against this Bucks team.
SPEAKER_02Hiring the Panthers and the Bucs is crazy to me, but I get it. We all have our we all have our things, I guess.
SPEAKER_00Me and Will have been way too unlocked step, but I'm right there with you. But it's not anything I can speak about objectively, so I wouldn't blame anybody for just fading the fuck out of me like you sound like you're doing, but it's just a vibes thing. I I really like canalis. I think what happened last year in Carolina you can build off of and not necessarily get better. And I know the schedule's brutal. I just I think they're going into the year with some confidence that the Panthers haven't had since Cam. And I'm not saying that level of confidence, but like they have had zero swag to them ever since Cam left. And yeah, I think they're walking, I think they're walking in with their chefs, their chests puffed out, and I just I just the vibes could not be worse in Tampa Bay.
SPEAKER_02This schedule's tough too.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I I think they win seven, eight games. I don't think they're a doorman. I don't think they suck, but give me the under.
SPEAKER_03This is the best part about this team is is a Buka, and he's coming in at a season hurt, too.
SPEAKER_02And he fell off a cliff the second half of his rookie season. They end the season after their bye week. It's not exactly I'm just gonna read the whole thing. This is a tough schedule. Bengals, Browns, Vikings, Packers, Cowboys, Steelers, Panthers, Falcons, Bears, bye week. And then they end with Lions, Panthers, Chargers, Ravens, Saints, Falcons, Rams, Saints. That is a fucking tough stretch of games. The easy ones are their division games, and this division is a fucking crapshoot every single season. I don't want to ride with y'all on every single pick. If we all went on, I'm trying to see if there's anything else I can find. I faded you on the Panthers. I might fade you on the Bucks. I think they can get to nine wins. I've let me look at this roster one more time. This ro when you look at the roster, it really doesn't give you like a lot of hope.
SPEAKER_03Bucky's seems to be banged up quite a bit. They did bring in Kenneth Gainwell who I did like with the Steelers last year, but yeah, there's just not a lot that they have going for them.
SPEAKER_00This isn't even an Eagles bias. Kenny Gainwell's got juice. Like he showed it on the Eagles, he's shown it on the Steelers. Kenny Gainwell's got juice.
SPEAKER_02Also, underrated, amazing running back name. Yeah. Yeah. Gainwell. Um, anyway, yeah, I'll go under two. Uh, I got three unders in the division. It just kind of tells you what I think about the NFC South. Plus all their schedules being hard outside the Saints. All right, let's go into your division, Brett. At the uh NFC East, we're gonna start with the commies, the commanders, sit at seven and a half. Everybody's darling team two years ago, fell off an absolute cliff last year, have the 29th ranked schedule in the NFL. Just a little bit above the Panthers, and they're right down there with them. Uh juice to the over at minus 125, under minus 105. I think that's because people are betting on it. People think Jaden Daniels is gonna return to his glory. I think they have to build a better team around him first. I know they got digs, but I don't I don't really believe in this defense. I'm gonna be honest. And offensive line uh without Laramie Tunsil is gonna miss the entire season. That's a giant question, Mark. Are they gonna keep Jaden Daniels healthy? Is he a body that's not gonna work in the NFL? I know there's some concerns about that with him entering the the league. I think people are gonna have a lot of what what's going wrong with this team uh as far as team building uh after this season. But is anyone sold on the commanders and Jaden Daniels? I let I'll let Brett start with all the teams in this division just because it's his guys.
SPEAKER_00I use too many locks early because you'll see why I'm saving my last lock. It's it's non-negotiable, my last lock, but I kind of wish I could use one here. Every report I'm reading is that this has the potential to be one of the worst O-lines we have ever watched with our eyes. Yeah, like without Laramie Tungzel. You mix that with Jaden Daniels' body, just them not really like you said, like what are they doing with this roster construction? Laramie Tungzel's a good get. That's just really unlucky. But like generally, like most moves they make, I'm just like, what is this?
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_00It's I I don't I don't think they're building for the future. I don't think they're winning now. I think they're just plugging holes. It's like they're playing Madden. It's like, oh, they're this was rated as a B minus, and my last guy was a C plus sure. Like it's they're making like the most minor incremental improvements, spending a lot of money to do so. There, there's no direction. It's I don't understand.
SPEAKER_02Their secondary is one of the bet worst units in the league.
SPEAKER_00If if they're gonna hit the over on their win total, Jaden Daniels has to play 17 games. And like, do does anybody see that happening?
SPEAKER_02Dude, they have the point guard at left guard. I made this joke already. I just wanted to have Brett laugh about it. Chris Paul! He's 40. He couldn't stick it with the Clippers last year. Brett's just shaking his head. Uh yeah. Um, thoughts on Chris Paul?
SPEAKER_00But like I'm I'm tapped into this fucking division, bro. I'm struggling to think of their O-line. Like, legit, it makes sense why the reports are coming out that this is going to be like historically bad.
SPEAKER_03Sam Cosme is the only one I can think of. And we yeah, I I thought this was gonna be a better unit, but everything I'm hearing is is terrible.
SPEAKER_02We also saw what happened to the Raiders last year. Like, if you have the worst O-line in the league, like you're gonna be one of the worst teams.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02You're playing against NFL D-lines every single week. I don't care what the D-line, if the D-line's good, bad, people are gonna have career games against you. And you have like the the uh uh the Cowboys improve their pass rush. The Eagles, oh my god, that defensive line is gonna fucking eat. The Giants have a good defensive line. That's six of your games, and you have the 29th hardest schedule in the NFL, so you're gonna be playing some tough D-lines. Like this is uh Brett, I'm glad I did save my lock because I'm going under on the commanders, and I'm locking it up for for you and me both.
SPEAKER_03They have Seahawks, Rams, Texans, Vikings. Yeah, I know. Those guys are gonna feast.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, this is gonna be so bad. And I'm honestly like, just start Mariota, just fucking punt on the season, man. Like, this is you don't know, you don't want him to get like permanently hurt. But yeah, you look at this schedule and you're like, Jesus Christ. Even my Jaguars Eagles, Rams, back-to-back weeks after the bye. Oh. And Giants, Eagles, Rams, Giants, back-to-back to back weeks. That's gonna be brutal. Start the season with Eagles, Cowboys, Seahawks.
SPEAKER_03Oh. Ultimate bad vibes too. Rashad White getting hurt during the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Do you guys see this? Yeah, I mean, I remember hearing about it, but that's fucking stupid. He jumped up, slipped, and then they didn't say it was because of that, but yeah, no, he took a weird step and he was freshable.
SPEAKER_02Uh bringing in Stefan Diggs, like the worst guy to have around as your season implodes. Yeah. Are we all going under again? God damn it. I need somebody to go over on the commanders.
SPEAKER_00If you could guarantee me Jaden Daniels would start all 17 games, I'd fall on that sword. He could drag him to eight, but he's not starting all 17.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_03I don't know if he can even make it to where they play Cardinals Titans back to back in the end of November.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but what if he was hurt before that and then he comes back for that? And he's the best he's felt all season.
SPEAKER_03Then he plays those two teams, wins, and then has to play the Texans.
SPEAKER_00And this isn't Yeah, he's he's getting hurt against the Texans.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_02This this isn't an indictment on Jaden Daniels either. I think we all love him. We all love the Brett is LG fan. So, like, even though he's in the division, he loves the guy, like that run to the NFC Championship game was magical. And like build an offensive line around him. Yeah. Like, just do it. So under's all all board. Oh god.
SPEAKER_00All we talk about is how bad Joe some of Joe Burrow's offensive lines have been. He's never played with one as bad as what Jaden Daniels is gonna get this year. Like, it's that bad.
SPEAKER_02I'd like to reiterate it's the point god at left guard. No, it's a stupid bit of thing. The guy's gotta go by something else. Like, change your name. There's one Chris Paul. Sorry. All right. Underscrossing. Christopher Paul. Yeah, be Christopher Paul, yeah. Or or Topher. Be Topher Paul. That sounds good. Yeah, then he's gonna really suck. No, that sounds like a great offensive line. Dude. Um, all right. Uh Brett, it's your boys. It's the Eagles 10 and a half, so I'm not even gonna intro here. I mean, we all know about the Eagles won the Super Bowl two years ago. Uh, it is juice to the under, though. Minus 135 plus 115 for the over. You have the eighth easiest schedule in the NFL. Take it away. Uh, my last lock. Go out.
SPEAKER_00I didn't give a shit if you said 16 and a half. I didn't care if he said 16 and a half. I live here now. I gotta ramp up the douchebaggery. And I was I didn't care what number came out of his mouth. I was locking it up for the over. But I mean, I can answer any questions you have about like, because object, I think that's actually a pretty good line for them. Um, I think the schedule is gonna be very helpful. Um, I think the defense is gonna fucking feast. I think they're gonna be awesome. Um, I think the offense is gonna have some serious growing pains um getting used to life without AJ Brown. I do believe in Devontae Smith to be that number one wide receiver. Um, but there were some games, and I don't blame them. You game plan for having AJ and whatnot, but there are games where maybe he'd hurt his handy in the first quarter and he's basically sitting the rest of the game, and that offense it could get ugly sometimes. Um and Smitty would make a splash play, um, but he's got to be more consistent just getting those like eight to ten yard catches that are getting you first downs. Um, Makai, I'm not loving what I'm hearing coming out that Makai Lemon might not quite be ready. Um, it's understandable for an Eli Stowers. Tight end's really, really hard to play. It's one of the tougher transitions in the NFL. Um, that doesn't concern me in the slightest, but I'm not loving that Lemon doesn't seem ready. But we had a good insurance policy. Um, these aren't studs, but I mean we brought in Dontavian Wicks, we brought in Hollywood Brown. Like we have backup plans in case Lemon doesn't work out. Goddard had the best year of his career last year, even though he's starting to miss more games. Not loving that. Goddard was really, really good last year. Um, I think the offense will be able to put up enough points with the schedule that we have not being tough. The commander should be two free wins. Um it's just, I don't know. I I think we probably get to 11. I do like that line. I think I'll stick it at 11 and 6. And I'm only being a douchebag with the lock because they're my boys. But even if I wasn't locking them, I think I'd probably say 11 and 6.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think you go 12-5 uh two. Like, I think you'll be pretty good. I think Lemon will take a little bit just because he is undersized and and not super fast. Like he he wins uh in different ways, and that just takes some time to learn in the NFL. But like I think Dontavian Wicks has been criminally underplayed and underrated with the Packers. Honestly, I've always thought Wicks had had something in him. He's a guy I should have brought up on our guys we have too much stock in uh draft. But this defense is gonna be ridiculous. Yeah, Fangio, and you bring in Jonathan Gernard, who is like not a household name, but amazing. You bring in Rek Wool into a secondary that's already pretty good. Uh your offensive line should be awesome. Lane Johnson, you know, he's getting up there, he gets hurt. But I mean, if you change your offense to be what it should be with Jalen Hurts, and you throw a lot more short stuff, and you uh don't just rely on either we run the ball three times and it doesn't work, or we make a downfield pass and it works and we touch-push our way to the end zone. Like if you actually like build on offensive uh like schemes and and short plays like Brett was talking about, get eight, ten yards a time in the past game. And these guys are perfect for that. Hollywood Brown and Octavian Wicks and Mikhail Lemon and Devontae Smith. Like, I think if you kind of change it up and and you play more to Jalen Hurts' strengths, use the tight ends, I think I think this is gonna be awesome. And that defense with Fangio is gonna be ridiculous.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, yeah, no, I honest I'm pretty high on the team, honestly. I just got a lot of respect for the boys out in the NFC West. I don't view us as like a true contender. And it's crazy because I place next to no value on the safety spot, but I think we're that bad at safety that it's it's just gonna cost us when we actually come playoff time. Um, like yeah, 12 and 5 is not crazy to predict. Um, I think the offense is gonna cost us a game or two early in the year while we're kind of figuring a couple things out. But be prepared to see Q and Coop and uh Reek Woolen give up some long bombs, honestly, and they're gonna get clowned on a little bit. But I'm gonna be okay with it. Like, you gotta trust your safety help, and the safety don't get over. That's on the safety. Like, I don't want them playing further off and being self-conscious about it and giving up all the underneath stuff. We've been such a smothering defense because we don't let you just get that little six-yard pass on second and ten. Like, no, well, welcome to third and ten. Like, we are right up on everybody all the time. And if your safety suck and you're gonna get burnt deep every once in a while, so be it. I can live with that. But I really don't want to see them start playing with a big cushion. That would fucking suck.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. You have the old Oregon State quarterback as your OC. Uh, what's Sean Manion, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, Sean Manion. He's really well respected around the league. Um, Jalen Hurts seems to be like, I mean, you he's pretty stoic at all times, right? Like, and where there's smoke, there's fire, and Philly media is toxic and they're always trying to drum some shit up, but like there hasn't been a fucking peep drummed up about him and Manion not getting along. You know what I'm saying? Like, so I guess the relationship's going smoothly. Like, he's throwing a lot of picks in practice, and honestly, I fucking love it. Like, it's I I don't want him to come out and throw 16 to 20 picks in the season, but like it means that our secondary's kind of humming. I hope that they're playing up on these guys. I hope that Jalen Hurts is trying to get out of his comfort zone. Like last year, there was some stat that he didn't throw a pick until like the last fucking day of the offseason. I'm like, ew.
SPEAKER_02He's not trying.
SPEAKER_00Like, what thank you, thank you. Like, why are you not pushing the envelope in this setting? Who gives a fuck? And then he comes out and he only throws if you exclude that Chargers game, isn't it? He only had like two picks the entire year. Yeah, yeah, but he was he was being too fucking conservative. And I actually was like kind of loving what I was seeing in that Chargers game. He was being sloppy, but like that he got unlucky on a throw here or there, but like he was trying to throw on the run 25 yards and hit a guy toe tapping on the edge of the sideline. Like it's what our offense fucking needed, and like obviously I don't love five turnovers, but like he was trying shit.
SPEAKER_02I think he was thinking threw a pick and then he got the ball back because the guy fumbled and then he fumbled well. Yeah, it was two turnovers, but but he was my fantasy quarterback last year, so I remember that very well. Are so down on Jalen Hurts, Brett. It is insane to watch. I remember after the Super Bowl, you came on this podcast with us to celebrate and and you called Jalen Hurts a top five quarterback. I thought it was strong at the time. We were kind of living in the moment. I don't think he's a top five guy, but to say he's a bottom 10 guy, that's where people have to do it.
SPEAKER_00Insanity. Insanity. He's top 10, he's top 10. He's not top five. I never truly thought that. Um, I thought that he had the fifth best resume, and you had to respect him as such. No, you and I thought that was a to and that was a totally valid statement at the time. You made a great point.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, yeah. You made a great point. So I it wasn't like me shitting on you. I was just saying, like, the way people have swung the other direction is absolutely ridiculous. Sorry.
SPEAKER_00He's fucking top 10. People are smoking crap. People don't people don't watch Eagles games. No, like, but like legitimately, he had some like very good 200 and 210 yard games last year. People just were giving the O-line so much credit that it didn't deserve because it's the O-line. Um, Jeff Stoutlin, I mean, Jeff Stoutlin threw in the towel and retired after last year. Just I think he can smell it coming. We got retirements coming with Jurgens and Dickerson. Um, the right guard spot was obviously a problem. Lane Johnson is an impending retirement. Jordan Mylotta was not bad, but he wasn't the Jordan Mylotta we've come to get used to. He was the only above-average O-lineman we had last year. Lane Johnson didn't play enough games to qualify. When he played, he was the Lane Johnson of old. That dude's a fucking anomaly. The middle of the O-line was complete swish cheese. It fucked with the running game. You've got AJ Brown being AJ Brown. Like, if you really like, I don't expect anyone that's not an Eagles fan to do it, but if you go back and you watch the all 22, every snap, every Jalen Hurts was pretty good last year. Like, he he got a lot of undeserved shade. Like, I have complete faith in the man to lead my franchise. I understand he's never gonna be a Lamar dropping 45 to 55. Total touchdowns, and that's fine. And he's probably never actually gonna win an MVP award, but the dude's a guy, and I'm totally comfortable with him leading my franchise. But the Eagles got issues in other spots, like it's not the Eagles O-line of old. We've got a safety spot that's a not even a question mark, it's just an exclamation point. They suck. Like that's a great line. I love that so much. Oh my god, dude. Uh like like we're not true contenders for those reasons, but we're we're pretty good. We're probably gonna hit our over. Like, I'm not super concerned about the future of the team, but nah, the true contenders are out in the NFC West. I I think the NFC East is being rightfully ignored this year.
SPEAKER_02No, that's that's totally fair. And I think all those points are great. I'm gonna go over with you. I don't think I said it, but uh yeah, uh this team also, this is the Siriana year where you go to the Super Bowl. Now, here's another question. If it doesn't go well, and then I want to hear your thoughts, Will. Actually, let's get Will's thoughts and then I'll ask a question.
SPEAKER_03I'm I'm riding over with y'all. I think that offensive line um needs to stay healthy, obviously. Um, but you get back under center, you let Saquon do his work, and uh it's just gonna free everybody else up. And and yeah, that that defense is is still gonna be making plays. And I think Bigsby like the over 11 and a half at plus 200, too.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I think Bigsby is an alright player, too. Yeah, he's he's good. He's very good blocker, but yeah, as a backup, get him the ball a little bit. I just think if they make that offense like really center out Jalen Hurts, something Brett didn't bring up. Their offensive coordinator was so bad last year, the fans found his house and egged it. And that's Philly sports fans being toxic. I get it. And that's eagle. Yeah, exactly. That was classic uh Eagles fan stuff. But I had people actually shitting on Eagles fans yesterday talking about how shitty they were, because I said I was from the Philly area, and those are my people. I always defend them, they're passionate.
SPEAKER_00I I could have yapped on and on forever, but like, no, that is a really fair point. Like, Manion can't be that. We clowned on Brian Johnson years ago. We made it to a Super Bowl with the Brian Johnson offense. Like it was what was holding us back, but like you could win games with it. Like it really was like football terrorism last year. And it was it was the same, it was the same six routes being ran over and over again. But even worse than that, it was only three routes over and over again, depending on what formation you were in. Like it was so elementary, and like not to blow Jalen Hurts or whatnot, but like when I said about those really, really good 200, 210-yard games, every single fucking throw was a tight window. Every throw, there's pressure in his face because the middle of the O-line's either banged up or they're on a backup. Like it was the dude showed a lot anyway. But like with any, yeah, with guys getting healthy this year, with Manion just probably not being the literal worst OC in the league. Brown leaving is gonna hurt a little bit. I think the offense should look better. I don't even think that's wishful thinking. Like it was football terrorism last year.
SPEAKER_02It really was. No, you're you're 100% right on that. And uh the did you guys see the video of Jalen Hurts throwing the ball in practice where it was like from his eyes? I think sometimes like people are uh all of us armchair quarterbacks are like so tough on quarterback. It's like any regular person could go out there with all the training in the world and they wouldn't be able to complete a single pass. I think that's what I learned from that video. It's like, oh my god, I see why Tua just checks it down to the running back. At least you can see him, you know what I mean? But yeah, if you bring some complexity to this offense, you have enough talent to put it together. And it was just, I think there was the story where opposing defenses were laughing at your team, right? And they're like, we know what play's coming. Like, we know exactly what plays coming every single play.
SPEAKER_00No, and like I always used, I actually used to have a problem with Jalen Hurts going rogue, like not to just jump through hoops to defend the man, but when there's years like you're vibing with Kellen Moore, why the fuck are you going rogue? Just trust the man. It looks beautiful. But like, um, like those are times where I was legitimately I didn't give a shit when he went rogue last year. The fuck is ROC calling? I don't care. If you want to have a silent cue with Devontae and AJ and we're actually running this and like this butt slap means this, and you're completely ignoring your joke of a coach, I get it.
SPEAKER_02I get it. Well, it's like we're gonna run the ball into the line twice and then we're gonna throw a deep pass. It was every it was every single possession. Didn't you have the most three and outs too?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, the fact that we were like actually a middle of the pack scoring offense when we were historic. It wasn't even like I don't want to say we were bottom five, but I think we were bottom 10 in terms of like three and out percentage since the decade started. Yeah, I still remember the we made the playoffs like that. Like the team is good, it's just a a horrific, horrific coaching job.
SPEAKER_03Like I still remember that graphic from the the Bucks game where they had like 300 total yards and it looked it flashed over to the Eagles, and you guys had zero, like middle of the third quarter.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's how every game started. That's how every game started. And like what it would be to be fair, that was more often a second half thing than a first half thing. It was like he was capable of coming up with an okay scripted game plan, and maybe we jump out to like a 10 to 3 lead. But like once the halftime adjustments came in, I mean Jalen Hurts had multiple zero passing yard halves. Yeah, and like sure those happened in a stormy game and whatnot, but like why are you scheming up like 18 yard bootlegs in a stormy game?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Like just get your like his, I don't know, his adjustments were laughable. He couldn't pull off of his game plan at all. Whatever his script was, that was the entire game.
SPEAKER_02Fourth down season on the line for verts. No creativity, no nothing. Yeah, all right. Here's my big question because we gotta move on from the Eagles, but it this is good to have uh our Eagles uh correspondent on the podcast for this, living in Philly. Yeah, I forgot you moved there, but uh is if the season goes really bad, like if this falls apart, you do have a lot of retirements, team's getting slightly older. I believe in Howie Roseman's ability to retool. I think Howie Roseman's gonna be the biggest loss you have whenever that happens in like 20 years. It's been there forever. But is Nick Siriani in the hot seat? Like, could he get fired this season?
SPEAKER_00I think it would have to go really catastrophic. Um, I think last season, I wouldn't even have classified it as catastrophic. It was just it was just bad. You know, like I mean, I don't know. I guess that's me being like even more wishful thinking, but like even so, like you can't call if Jalen Hurts, he admittedly he didn't have a great game. AJ Brown had a lot of drops and whatnot, but like even with the awful coaching and whatnot and everything, like the team should have been in the divisional round. Like AJ Brown's just got to catch a couple balls, you know what I mean? And like, and then you probably lose in the divisional round in an embarrassing manner, and then you cut your losses with the OC, you know, sucked and whatnot. But like you can't call a season like that catastrophic, and then you won the Super Bowl the year before. Like, I I think it would have to be like an apocalyptic, like five or six wins season for him to like even be on the hot seat, honestly.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Okay, then next question is how many straight seasons of it looking bad and then first round playoff exit before he gets fired?
SPEAKER_00I think it would be to so say, like, okay, we lost in the wild card last year, say we lose in the wild card next year. Um, it's reasonable for the following season for him to expect to step it up, you know what I mean? Yeah. I'm just talking like purely 2026, 2027 season. It would have to be like laughably bad for him to get hot seat. But next season's not out of the question.
SPEAKER_02I I see. I see what you're saying there. Will what are your thoughts on that? You think he's he's right on the market?
SPEAKER_03I think it's still gonna take a while. Yeah, the the Super Bowl bumps give coaches three, four, five extra seats.
SPEAKER_02It gives some coaches ten, but guess what? Doug Peterson was out of there in two years.
SPEAKER_00That was press tailor reasons, though. We really didn't want to fire him. We just wanted like we were floored. We were just like, fire, okay, so we're getting rid of press. Who's the new OC? And he goes, Getting rid of press. And we were like, Well, well, yeah, did you watch last year? And then he was just like, We're not getting rid of press. And then we're like, Are you for real? And they were like, Well, if you don't want to get rid of press, you can find a new job. And like, I just I can't believe he actually got fired over press tailor. But like, that's what did it. He we didn't want to get rid of him.
SPEAKER_02He checked out after the Super Bowl, though. He went down to Jacksonville at the one good season where they had the comeback win. And then uh Bill Simmons, one of my favorite bits he had was middle seat Doug, talking about uh firing Doug Peterson on the way back from London, making him get his own flight. He's just in the middle seat in his Hawaiian shirt, you know what I mean? Dude was ready to retire.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he was. And you can like you can say I told you so in a professional corporate manner, but like he also kind of strained the relationship with Howie by like rubbing in his face that Jalen Hurts was the right choice over Carson Wentz.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. All right. Let's move on. We got six more teams. Good, good Eagles stuff there. I'm I'm really curious to see how how y'all look this season. I wouldn't be shocked if you're one of the best teams in the league. It's gonna be tough to get to the Seahawks-Rams category, but I wouldn't be shocked if you're number three with a bullet there. All right, Giants sitting at seven and a half over plus 120, juice to the under, minus 140. Uh, Giants have the 21st hardest schedule in the league. Uh, so not exactly easy. Here's my thing with the Giants. I don't know why everybody's just assuming Jackson Dart is gonna be like a plug and play. All right, he's our starter for 10 seasons. I don't think Jackson Dart really showed anything last year. Will, quick thoughts on Dart and then we'll we'll throw to Brett for NFC.
SPEAKER_03He's in the he's in the blue medical tent every other game. Yeah. He takes hits that he that no quarterback should take because he's dumb. And uh not very high on him.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, not really a thinker, you could tell when he introed the president and like didn't think about how that would affect the locker room. But um he's he's a guy who's like more fit for the his post-career TikTok fame than than he is to actually be like a good quarterback. I I'm just not I'm not very big fan of uh Jackson Dart. Uh Brett, your thoughts on the Giants as a whole and also Jackson Dart.
SPEAKER_00I I think I'm the highest on him, I guess. Um, do I think that he's gonna have a Hall of Fame career or even like make an all-pro team? At one, probably not. But um I I said it when he was coming out. I was like, he's gonna have like eight games a year where he's looking like an MVP candidate, and he's gonna just gonna have eight games a year where you're like, what the fuck are you doing? Like, please just make a good decision. Um, and I disagree with what you said. I think he had a couple games where he really showed some shit. Um, Cam Scatterbo got all the headlines against the birds because he had three touchdowns and that one, like, I think it was a catch. Very, very impressive, and he broke a couple tackles. But like Jackson Dart to me was who balled in that game. Um, I call it back to an LSU game where I went and I was in person, and he was making a actually good LSU team just look very average. They were up 17 to 3. He had to come out for a separated shoulder, and then the game just completely flipped on its head, and they couldn't do anything on offense without him. Um Wow. I'm shy. I just honestly he can't he can't stay out of the blue tent. Credit to Will. Introing the president. This all speaks to it. The dude's a dumbass. I think he's gonna wear out, I think he's I think he's gonna wear out his welcome team to team. I think he's gonna bounce around. Um, I think he's gonna be a a ticket seller and a floor raiser to like bad franchises to be like, see, we're trying. Um and like I don't think he's but like I think the dude's got some shit to him. Um I don't know if he's ever gonna be able to I don't think he's ever gonna be able to stay out of the blue tent. I mean, he was made out of glass in college. The dude's getting bigger and faster is not gonna help that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Um he was because he started his career with USC, and I was kind of excited about him because Jackson Dart's a cool quarterback name. Obviously, he found a home with Ole Miss, but um This has him listed at 6'2, 223. He doesn't look that big at all.
SPEAKER_03That's he plays like he's Cam Newton size, too.
SPEAKER_02That's like a big guy. I don't know.
SPEAKER_00He is a pretty big dude. I don't think he's that big. He doesn't look like he might be 6'1, not 6'2, but like he's pretty solidly built, like muscle-wise, is what I'm saying. Like, he he doesn't like look fragile, but like he it doesn't matter what he looks like. He is fragile. Like he was getting hurt all the time in college. He got hurt last year. Like, he is fragile.
SPEAKER_02He has didn't they didn't John Harbaugh like clap when he slid at practice? Like that this is the bit Jaden Daniels point of everything. Like, this guy should try to take no hits. That's what the best quarterbacks do. Lamar Jackson for he has gotten hurt and stuff, but it's usually not because he gets a big hit. Lamar Jackson has found a way to just duck and dive and barely take contact, even when he is hit in the open field. And if you want to be a running quarterback like Jackson Dart was, and like pretty efficient runner, 86 carries, 487 yards, nine touchdowns, had some games. Yeah, he took over with his legs, but he also took 35 sacks. So if you're gonna be hit that much, like you have to find a way to get hit in a way that's not gonna affect your team. That's what good quarterbacks do, and that's what being a quarterback is. You know, he's not Cam Newton, he's not Josh Allen.
SPEAKER_00Uh uh. I'm not trying to suck my own guy off, and I'm not telling him to watch Jalen Hurts for pocket tape. Like, there are a lot of guys with better pocket presence than Hurts, but he should watch some Hurts tape on out-of-the-pocket scrambling. Like, it can be frustrating here and there, but like he does a really good job of only actually lowering his shoulder and going for that extra yard or two when it really matters. Like he's he's very conscious of how important he is to the team and like how these hits add up and accumulate over a season. And like he's not, he's not pulling that shit out the first two months of the season. No, he's just not.
SPEAKER_02Week seven against the commanders, probably not the time to helicopter on the sideline. Like, right? Like that's just that's where my mind goes. But uh yeah, he was good, he was really good. Eh, he was statistically not great, but he ran the ball well against the Chargers. That game that kind of surprised everybody won. Good against the Eagles, and they won that game. Crushed the Raiders when the Raiders were trying to get the number one pick.
SPEAKER_00And then But what he's what's he working with without um, sorry to cut you off, but without uh Malik there. Like you got to account for Malik coming back, too.
SPEAKER_02But our another guy, are we confident that Malik Neighbors is going to play 17 games at any point in his career?
SPEAKER_00I mean, that's unfair to ask of anybody that has to play nine games a year on MetLife's turf. But that is true. But they should he didn't he didn't have he didn't have injury issues at LSU. He really didn't.
SPEAKER_02They brought in the grass for FIFA for the World Cup. I do not understand why they can't just bring in grass everywhere.
SPEAKER_00You're preaching like the NFL PA. Like they're bitching about it too. They find it disrespectful.
SPEAKER_02Because if neighbors goes down, like Odell made the team, but who who is Darius Slayton is somehow a stalwart there. They have Darnell Mooney, who hasn't been good in a couple years. Malachi Fields the rookie, Odell, like then you're back in the same situation. They did bring in Najee Harris. So they have they might have the best running back room in the NFL, honestly. Najee Harris, Cam Scadaboo uh Devin Singletary, Tyrone Tracy. Like, all those guys play on a bad team with no running back.
SPEAKER_00That's an I mean, yeah, you're not lying. Like, literally, you all of those guys you could start in a fantasy week and be like, yeah, fuck it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. But like it's gonna so fantasy is gonna be weird for them. We'll see how they use them. Uh, because I think Tracy's gonna get pushed to the back, but I'm not saying that's necessarily right or wrong, but yeah, I don't know. Are they getting to seven and a half wins? I think that's a big question.
SPEAKER_03No, no, I think they stay under that.
SPEAKER_00What's the cowboys over under? Just because I'm trying to stick with two left. Nine and a half. I'll I'll go under on the Giants because I'm probably going over on the Cowboys. Okay. But like the Giants, that's a really good line for the Giants. I think seven-eight is I I like the defense a lot. Um, you gotta account for dart missing games. I don't think he's magically just gonna change his play style. Um I I don't know though. Like, I I think Harbaugh was a great hire, and I don't like complimenting teams in division. Like, they need a fucking adult in that room. There you go some people are out on it. I mean, is he gonna be the guy to lead them to a Super Bowl? Maybe not. But like, remember how I was like, it really wasn't mental gymnastics with the Brian Kelly shit. And like, I really think Brian Kelly was a necessary should be have given him a hundred million dollars. Fuck no. But like it was a necessary step to be able to hire a hot hire like Elaine Kiffin. Ed Orgeron left us in shambles when he started drinking again and not giving a fuck. And like, we needed an adult in the room that was gonna hold people accountable. We had arrests popping up all over the place. Like, it was Lord of the Flies at LSU. And I'm not saying it's that bad in New York, but like they need like a real man leading them, honestly. And like I think Harbaugh can provide that and be like that stepping stone to the guy that might actually lead them to a Super Bowl. But like, no, I don't think Harbaugh's if he couldn't do it with fucking Lamar, I think he's doing it with Jackson Dart, no. But yeah.
SPEAKER_02Who's their backup, Jameis? I think could this team be like a team that just annoys everybody and just grinds the rock, runs it like 80 times a game. That's too many, but you know what I mean. Plays great defense. Like, I'm trying to see where their offensive lines ranks, like right in the middle of the NFL.
SPEAKER_00Um that's exactly what I think they are. Like, I'm trying not to be too high on a franchise that doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt. But like I if you're just looking at them purely from a roster standpoint, bringing in John Harbaugh. Or I I always fucking get them brothers. No, it is James. It's Johnson. It's John. Yeah, James in San Diego. Um, you bring in Harbaugh. San Diego. I don't I don't hate them. I refuse to acknowledge that they're not in San Diego. They're San Diego. Fair enough. But uh, you know what I'm saying. But no, I I don't hate them. I I think that's a really good line, regardless of whether I pick them to go over or under. I think I'm leaning under. They're not a doormat.
SPEAKER_02Uh I want to go over, and so I had to take a peek at the schedule. Their easiest stretch is weeks three to six. So they might trick a lot of teams because they start off Cowboys, Rams, and they go Titans, Cardinals, Commanders, Saints. Very winnable games.
SPEAKER_00They can go on a three-game winning streak.
SPEAKER_02So that's four, even. I mean, I think the Saints would be I don't think they can beat the Saints. Yeah, but then they go Texans, Eagles, Commanders, whatever, Jacksonville. So that's three out of four that are tough. Uh, Colts, 49ers, Seahawks, Browns, Lions, Cowboys, Eagles. God, that schedule's fucking hard, dude.
SPEAKER_00Book it, book it right now. Burke is going to want to kill himself when they lose by 35 plus to the Giants.
unknownAll right.
SPEAKER_02Uh, I'm gonna go under, but I don't feel good that we have gone the exact same way five times in a row. Maybe I'll just uh positive vibes. We're all we're all gonna go 32-0 this season. All right. Next up, we have uh the local team for where I live, the Dallas Cowboys. Honestly, being here for four years, I think coming up on my fourth football season here, can't stand Texas Longhorn Dallas Cowboys fans. I'm just gonna say it. Um generally not my favorite people in the world as far as talking football with. Uh, but the Cowboys are the 28th artist schedule in the NFL. And are they that much better than they were last year?
SPEAKER_00I'll let you uh take it away, Brett. Again, I'm not trying to compliment the I'm not trying to be super high on my division. Um, I think the commanders are gonna fucking suck. I don't think there's a true contender in the division, but I think we send two teams to the playoffs in Dallas and Philly. Um, I think the Giants aren't a doormat. Um I I begrudgingly kind of like the moves that they're making on defense. I I think they've gone from having a bottom five defense to a passable one, and that's obviously not like a strength or anything you can hang your hat on. It could but like it's not like it's not like they're just gonna have to put up 35 to win a game. It could be close to that, though.
SPEAKER_01I'm gonna be honest. Like Rashawn Gary, uh Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, uh Overshown, like uh the guy I like that's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_00I don't like what they have behind their D-line, but a good D-line makes everybody look better. No, a hundred makes everyone look better.
SPEAKER_02100%. Like the D-line should be pretty strong. The guy they brought in in the draft, Malachi Lawrence, they bring Kobe Durant in, one of the bet uh our favorite names in the podcast, then at cornerback. I think Caleb Downs is gonna be like a real thing there. So it's not gonna be the wor the unit that it's been, but it's that schedule that's just gonna be really, really tough. Because y'all have the uh the NFC West, I believe. Yeah, you have the NFC West, and then you have the uh, I guess you have the South. The AFC South. Um, and but their extra game is the Ravens this year. So that just adds a little bit of toughness to it. They back to back, they go Philly, Seattle, Rams, Jacksonville late in the season. Like that's gonna be a really tough stretch of games.
SPEAKER_00He he balls against Philly though. Like I stand on everything I say about Dak kind of being like an end-of-game stat sheet stuffer and like he does have a little bit of empty stats and fuck it. It doesn't matter for fantasy, and I value him highly in fantasy. I'll never talk bad about how he performs against the Eagles, though, honestly. Like he he brings his A game against us every time. You kind of just gotta figure you're gonna split the game against him. I mean, it just maybe if you're counting that as two losses for the Cowboys, I really fucking wouldn't. I would pencil that in his one-on-one. Um there he and even if he is a little bit of a stats sheet stuffer, and I don't believe in him when it's truly crunch time, he's not like he is talented. The Cowboys can jump out to 17-0 leads where he's never actually truly playing under pressure. You know what I mean? And like he'll have games like that. I I begrudgingly think they're a playoff team. Give me the over.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no running backs behind Javante Williams at all. Rhett's got the over. Will, what are your thoughts on the Cowboys? I'm I'm split on this team.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I think they um, I was looking at the final 53. It looks like they cut uh Jaden Blue. Yeah. Which is a surprising wave. Um I love what they've done um on in the trenches on both sides of the ball. I think their defensive line is is uh is really stepped up from what we saw last year. I love the Caleb Downs addition. I think he's gonna come in and be really, really good in that secondary. And I also think this can be a playoff team. They're gonna probably slide in that seventh spot with with 10. Maybe they get to 11, but but probably 10 and 7 uh slide into the playoffs. And uh yeah, I I do like the over here as well. I think you guys have said pretty much everything, but offensive line is gonna take a big step. It it's kind of weird, but it looks like they might have won the um uh the trade to the Packers. Um Jesus Christ, Micah Parsons trade. Um but yeah. Well you guys this is gonna be an improved team, and even if they're middle of the pack on defense, that offense is gonna get them through this season.
SPEAKER_02You guys are missing the biggest thing here. Dak Prescott has a very solid theme here where he misses games every other season. Uh 2020 missed games, 21, all of them, 22 missed, 23, all of them, 24 missed, 25, all of them. Give me Dak Prescott, misses games. They're stuck with Joe Milton and driving uh the Ferrari and uh Joe Milton's gonna crash. So I mean this offense.
SPEAKER_03I like Joe Milton. He needs to take a little speed off of the ball. Joe Milton is not a good player.
SPEAKER_00Joe Joe, I actually I'm not gonna say Joe Milton can't become a good player because there's just an absurd amount of fucking talent, and we're starting to see like these late blossoming quarterbacks pop up here and there. But this year, no. No, that'd be bad.
SPEAKER_02That'd be bad. I think that'd be really bad. I think just uh I don't wanna go with y'all every single game or every single team. I thought about going over on the Giants, couldn't do it. I'm gonna go under on the Cowboys. Okay, honestly, I'm gonna go under on the Cowboys and I'm gonna switch to over on the Giants. They're gonna win eight games. Just by the skin of their teeth, because the Cowboys uh are gonna be bad with Dak out. I'm just sticking to the thing. It's been six straight years of this, so I I I don't know. It's uh it's juiced to the over minus 120. Under nine and a half is even. Um under eight and a half plus one sixty five. I kind of like that. All right, let's get to uh the best two teams in football. Maybe the best division, if you don't include the Cardinals. Uh, we all have one lock left as we go into the NFC West. We're gonna start with the Seahawks, reigning Super Bowl champions, only sitting at 10 and a half. It's used to the over minus 130. Under 10 and a half is plus 110. They have uh the 23rd hardest schedule in the league, but like I said, like a lot of those teams kind of mushed in the middle there. Some of that is playing their own division. Um, I really don't see where they got weaker outside of running back, and I think they will be able to figure that out if it's not a disaster without Kubiak there, uh, who obviously really performed well as the offensive coordinator. But like this should, this should still be one of the best defenses in football. I love Mike McDonald. I think he is one of the great young minds in the sport. And uh yeah, I don't think the loss of Rek Woolen on the defense is gonna make them that much worse unless Sam Darnold turns into a pumpkin. Like the the JSN Shahid Cooper Cup combo really worked. Tori Horton showed a lot um a couple years ago. So if they can make the running back room work and they bring in Emmanuel Wilson, George Helani will be receiving back, Jadarian Price. They picked in the first round, they obviously like him. Um, if they can make that work, I I don't see why this team can't be exactly where they were uh last year. Anybody out on the Seahawks?
SPEAKER_00I just wanted to make sure you got your notes right. You said we all had a lock left. Uh you're missing one of my locks.
SPEAKER_02Oh, you're right. You're right. Me and Will have a lock left. Apologies.
SPEAKER_00Oh no, I haven't just wanna make sure you had your notes right. That's all. Yep, I do. Will, Seahawks.
SPEAKER_03I can play devil's advocate, but I like the Seahawks. I of course you do. I uh yeah. Um but watching the hard knocks, I think Mike McDonald is a is a great coach. Um I like that they just keep adding pieces, even if some of these guys um are may not even play for them, uh Terry and Arnold. Uh but yeah. Um yeah, I think 10 and a half is a little too low. If they let Terry and Arnold get to 11 play this season, yeah. No, it's gonna be phenomenal.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. They let Akee Taleb play back in the day, they're gonna let him play.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I think he is a better case than Josh Jacobs, honestly. I think it's slightly less bad to kidnap a guy because you thought he robbed you and pistol whip him than beat your girlfriend.
SPEAKER_00Most people don't even know Rick Ross has kidnapping charges. America has proven they're willing to forgive and forget kidnapping. Terrian Arnold's gonna play this year.
SPEAKER_02Ah, you brought somebody somewhere they weren't supposed to be.
SPEAKER_00You know?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um against their will. Against their will. Yeah. I mean, uh, you know, Sam Darnold, if you look at his stats, like he's he's one of those, like, um, he's a top 15 quarterback guy who you can start and win a Super Bowl with. Kind of like what I was saying about Bo Knicks earlier. And I think that's where Sam Darnold is. Unless, unless he completely falls apart, I think that's where he'll be the rest of his career. He's still only 29 in his prime. Now he has the Super Bowl confidence under him. Like, there's there's no reason to me that this team shouldn't be super competitive. Uh, I don't think they'll have quite the season like JSN did last year. Um, and they're probably gonna be, you know, battling for a wild card spot, even if they're firmly locked in it, you know, week 14-15 around there. But I just think their defense is gonna win a lot of games. Okay. Are we all going over?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Can I just throw in a side note? Like, as much as I love Tom Brady and appreciate greatness and just seven Super Bowls, and we're not gonna Isn't it so sick that we can talk about guys like Sam Darnold and Bonex and be like, yeah, well, I see a path where they win a Super Bowl. Like it's kind of nice that like just the big, bad, scary monsters gone.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And even Mahomes, like, it feels like uh people thought he was gonna beat Brady in that way, and he's not falling off a cliff, but like the teams got worse around him. Andy Reid's gonna retire soon. Like, that's he might win another one or even two, but it's not gonna, I don't think he's gonna be in like eight straight or whatever Tom Brady was in. He wasn't in eight straight, but you guys know what I'm saying. Hey, Nick Foles beat Tom Brady in a Super Bowl. Never forget.
SPEAKER_00It's honestly insane, like, how lucky we are as sports fans that that man was not 10 0 in Super Bowls. Really could have been. Bro, it was Eli Manning. It was the worst Manning brother twice in Nick Foles. Like, it's kind of obviously Brady got his lucky bounces, and you can consider those his unlucky bounces, but he really could have been 10 0.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And it's funny because the Eli Manning, it was the defense really did him in, and Eli Manning went on two amazing streaks. I'm not gonna take that away from him.
SPEAKER_00Like he was great in both those playoffs, the Mario Manningham throw and and the, you know, the Yeah, you can count the David's as much if you want to say the Julian Edelman catch is lucky, you can just turn it right around and be like David Tyree was unlucky.
SPEAKER_02Like Yeah, exactly. But yeah, the Eagles had a bad defense that Tom Brady torched in that game, and uh they beat him with 500 yards. Yeah, the most yards ever in a Super Bowl. They beat him with offense with Nick Fulse. It's it's crazy. It's goes under the radar. All right, we're all over on the Seahawks, we all like the Seahawks. They are a little thin in some areas that concern me. But you can say that about a lot of teams, right? Like a quarterback goes down, uh, they're not gonna be very good. Because that's what's gonna fuck us on a lot of these that we're all riding together, honestly. We all know that.
SPEAKER_00Um you want me to make it really easy on you if you want to try to not be on lockstep in the end? Like I'm going, it's boring and basic, but like I'm going under under on the two team, like on Cardinals and Niners, and we're going over over on the two teams that we like.
SPEAKER_02Like, okay. Okay. I'll I'll take that into consideration. I'm doing that too. Okay, good, actually. Good. That that really helps me out. All right. Next up is the 49ers. You're both saying you're going under, so I'll let you all take it away. It is bad vibes. I'll such bad vibes. I'll give you that. Go on.
SPEAKER_03I was just saying, and they and they bring in some some injury-prone guys in Debo and Mike Evans. The substation's continuing to grow each and every day. And uh and yeah, now Kyle Shanahan's hurt. Uh and uh Yeah, no, I'm I'm out on the Niners. I've already I've already given my uh them to miss the playoffs. Kyle Shanahan could have died. He almost did, yeah.
SPEAKER_02No, almost lost his eye too. Did you guys see the uh the Matt Miller, the ESPN fantasy guy, tried to kill himself that way by driving in front of a car because he owed a bunch of people a lot of money? Like he took their money and like never gave the winnings to whoever was in the fantasy leagues or whatever, and then he lost his leg or arm or something like that. Fuck. No, I don't remember that. And then all the stories came out, like he tried to kill himself, and then all the stories came out that he's like a piece of shit or whatever. Kind of an awful day, all things considered. But anyway, well, Brett, you you seem like you want to say something.
SPEAKER_00I just that was what I was gonna kind of say. It's uh it's a vibes thing. It's and I didn't mean to poke fun at it, and I'm glad Kyle Shanahan is like relatively okay and he's gonna be fine, but like that's the we'll hit the nail on the head. Like, your your problem every year is injuries. What do you do? Let's go get two dinosaurs at wide receiver. Let's go like that.
SPEAKER_02Debo Samuel's not even 30, he's a dinosaur.
SPEAKER_00It makes but physically I love Debo.
SPEAKER_02We're sorry.
SPEAKER_00I I'll stand on the table screaming that Debo would have been invited to New York for that Heisman ceremony if he had stayed healthy. That like Debo is so talented, but physically the man is a dinosaur. Like Mike Evans is 32, 33. It's your issue every year, and it's just like I don't see it stopping. Uh, I really felt like there was an insane amount of pressure on it. It felt like them beating the Eagles saves some jobs that didn't really deserve saving, and then they play the Seahawks the next week. They got a very stark reminder of where they were at as a team, and just like nothing is really changing. It's I think John Lynch is a good GM. I it's not as common as you say change of scenery for general managers, but I think it's just time. I I think he's just stuck in fucking win now mode. The 49ers fans don't want to hear it, and they're kind of making these like we got to win this year moves when like you really kind of could have been building something around Purdy the last couple of years, especially because you have Purdy for the long haul.
SPEAKER_02He's only 26. The worst thing to do is be all in in a division you're the third best team. Yeah, and that seems like what they're doing. They do have an easy schedule, seventh uh hardest in the NFL or seventh easiest in the NFL, I should say. And if everyone stays healthy, it's great. But go on ESPN right now. I encourage anybody and look at their depth chart. It is just cues all across the board. Every player is questionable. That substation needs to be removed, or they need to move. I don't know why they won't move.
SPEAKER_00Like, I I guess you gotta build something, but like it's make jokes about it, and I don't like rooting for injuries. I'm not rooting for injuries, that's not the thing, but like you almost just expect it and it's comical. The season hasn't started. Yeah. How are there so many cues?
SPEAKER_01It's all cues, everyone's hurt, and they're all like injury prone. Nick Bose is injury prone, and it sucks.
SPEAKER_02I'm gonna fade y'all and go over just because they have an easy schedule and they have Kyle Shanahan. Um, but and I think they could win 10 games in this NFC and make the playoffs because I think that's kind of perfect for the 49ers, is win 10 games, make the playoffs, get beat by a better team in the wild card or divisional, and just kind of show that's where you are. Like that's where you topped out at in win now mode. So go blow it up. Go trade a lot of these older guys. Trent Williams, how much longer has he got? Right? Kittle. Kittle might be done.
SPEAKER_00He believes the command you're on spot on. Take the commanders to the cleaners on Trent Williams right now. He'll never go back. They're desperate as fuck. I what what who'd he burned the bridge with? Wasn't it Dan Quinn? No, but wasn't it Dan Quinn in like that entire last video? Dan Quinn missed Dan Snyder. No, but like, isn't everybody brand new? I don't blame him. I would be pissed as fuck too. But like, didn't they completely clean house? It ain't the same people. I think they misdiagnosed his cancer, though, right? I mean, I hear you, and like I get not wanting to go back there, but like my I just I can speak from a weird family experience. Like when the Flyers like kind of cleaned house and like completely redid the front office. My cousin's father-in-law was out of a job. He was the Flyers team doctor. He wasn't like out of a job, like he's clearly doing very fucking well. If the Flyers were like, hey, want to come be our team doctor? But like, no, he wasn't the Flyers team doctor anymore. Like, you can get like a complete fucking overhaul.
SPEAKER_02Fair enough. Uh well, yeah, I don't know. We'll see. I have some purdy questions. Came onto the scene, gangbusters, last two years. 20 touchdowns, 12 picks in one, 10 picks in the other. I know he got hurt, so he didn't play all of last year, so I guess he had a better statistical season last year, but still throws a decent amount of picks. I don't really know if he's the guy everybody wanted him to be when he came into the league. Like that first year he had, he started fully. He was one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL. Maybe the team is falling apart around him. He's a system guy. But I'm curious what you guys think. Is Purdy in that top 15? Like you can win a Super Bowl with him? He got nuts.
SPEAKER_00I like him. I think he is. I just think there's questions. I mean, I don't think I'd I'm trying not to be like by I think 10 to 15 is perfect for him. Like, I think you can win with him. Um, I think he's got nuts, and I hang my hat on it a little bit too much because of my quarterback. But it's it's like a I've had more talented quarterbacks than Jalen Hurts, but it's like a literal warm, comforting blanket, knowing that your quarterback isn't gonna fold when the brights are lights are brightest. And I get that feeling from Brock Purdy. I just think the 49ers would be making a really big mistake. Try to coach the mistakes out of him, try to whittle down the interceptions a little bit. He's 26, but the kid's not scared. I love that.
SPEAKER_03I like that a lot. Yeah, I think he's a lot closer to the 15th mark. Um this list has him at 16th.
SPEAKER_02I think that makes a lot of fun.
SPEAKER_03He can scoop. He's a good runner, too.
SPEAKER_02He's very mobile.
SPEAKER_03Um they need him to be a lot, and he's gonna have to do a lot with how I think this season's gonna go.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's fair. All right. You guys went under, I think the easy schedule, uh, they'll be able to get to 10 wins. All right. Everybody's darling team this season, the Rams. Uh the only team maybe the Bills were. Can't remember, but a uh 11 and a half here for the Rams. I feel like y'all are banging the over, so I'll let y'all uh give your takes. Will you start? Uh it's juice to the over, minus 150, so you're not even getting great value there. Plus 130 on the under. I think everybody thinks they're winning like 13, 14 games, probably with how much talent they have. 27th hardest schedule in the league, though.
SPEAKER_03I had them get into 13 before the Donald sign in. So uh bringing in Aaron Donald, uh obviously, like uh we've said a whole lot about this Rams team, but it really hinges on availability. Um, if their guys can stay healthy, but yeah, the offensive line should be improved. That defense, they took so many major steps after after some slips in the playoffs last last season. The uh I think the dri addition of Trent McDuffie is huge um because they got toasted in the quarterback room by the Panthers and uh and by the Seahawks. And yeah, they're they're ready to get off the field on defense and and that's exactly what they did this offseason to show that. And this team is really, really fucking good. And I just love what I'm hearing about stuff that they're doing for the uh for the 49ers game in Australia. They're planning on just not spending a week over there. They're gonna they're gonna really scientifically plan this so the guys aren't uh coming off a layover and dealing with weird time changes and and jet lag and and I I think this team is ready to go.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah, this threw me off. So it was it's this Thursday, September 10th, and I was like, no, September 9th is uh uh Thursday, but it's because they're in Australia and it's like a day ahead. But uh yeah, so it's Friday, I think.
SPEAKER_03Even if they come out and lose this this season opener, um the this team can get to 13 wins.
SPEAKER_02I'd be shocked. They're gonna have to prove it each and every week, though. They have weeks three through five. It's Denver, Philly, Buffalo. That's a tough stretch at Denver at Philly. Not too easy, incredibly easy games. Philly has kind of uh had their number. And then they end the season after the bye week with Packers, Chiefs, 49ers, Cowboys, Seahawks, Bucks, Seahawks. Ending the season with Seahawks, Bucks, Seahawks, like Bucks might be done by then, but the the NFL knows what it's doing, uh, putting those Seahawks, uh, Rams games late.
SPEAKER_03And then they're gonna split.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Brad, what you got? Yeah, I mean, I think they win 13, 14 games. It does seem like they have a weird mental hurdle they can't get over with with the Eagles, but our grip on them is slipping game by game. It gets closer and closer every time. I think they probably get over the hump with us. I mean, drop one of the Seahawks, drop one of the Niners, drop one random one you're not really supposed to, but like I think they go like 14 and 3. Um, I think they beat us, honestly. I don't know what the fuck our game plan would be to stop them on off. I don't know. I just they they don't really utilize the tight end. That's not McVeigh's style. Um, and why would you with all the receiver receiving talent they have that's right? They love to go to three tight ends. Or no, but like statistic I actually want to correct myself big time on that. You're very, very correct. I'm more meant from like a fantasy perspective.
SPEAKER_05Sure, sure, sure.
SPEAKER_00And like, and you're going like tight end rankings at the end of the year, like none of their guys are jumping off the page at you stat-wise. But that was what I was gonna follow up with. I love all their tight ends. I have one backup tight end stashed on one dynasty team. I have another one. Like they draft the guys that I like coming out of the draft. They have talent at that position, they're loaded everywhere. Like, health is what's gonna keep this team from a Super Bowl, if anything.
SPEAKER_02They're so good. Impossible fantasy starts because you don't know who's scoring the touchdowns, but like they have they're gonna have three in the field a lot, and they have four guys that can play, and they and it's that's just gonna be tough because you don't know what they're gonna do because they will have them go out in in routes, and then they'll they'll have eight blockers in there for for run plays, and that's why Kyron and Blake Koram get going. We talked about earlier, Quorum's gonna maybe get more involved this season. Um bringing back 2-2 at well because they kind of just need some speed, speedy guys to do uh uh some of the plays McFay wants because they have Mumfield and uh obviously they want Nakua and Adams to stay healthy the whole time. Uh their offense's gonna kind of rely on that. But I think even if one did get hurt, they could just go three three tight ends and and one wide receiver if they had to, just because McFay is such a good coach and that secondary is amazing, pass rush is great. Aaron Donald, if he if he still is 80% Aaron Donald, he's gonna be one of the better defensive tackles in the NFL.
SPEAKER_00My contrarian take sim on the Rams is simply that I I think that they lose before they even get to the Super Bowl, only because Sean McVeigh can't stop seem to I can't talk right now. But he can't seem to be able to stop overthinking in those very pivotal games. I mean, not even just pivot playoff games. Once it's actually do or die, he just tinkers too much. But I mean, they should be the Super Bowl favorites. They are the Super Bowl favorites for a rightful reason. And he's an amazing coach that any team should be jealous that he isn't their coach. It's just kind of like a mental yip slash hiccup. I feel like he's got to get over.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. All right. Defensively, they just had to get off the field against the Seahawks and they would have been in the Super Bowl.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. To be fair though, like you can say the same. I for which corner was it? Was it my new signing? If he just kept his fucking mouth shut, the fucking Rams wouldn't have had a chance anyway. But it was pretty cool.
SPEAKER_02He was yelling at the sideline after the PBI, and then he got beat for a touchdown in the play after. Yeah. Um, but also that game that decided the division, the Thursday night one, where the Seahawks had the weird two-point conversion um that they got, and they came back. And the Rams were up big, and then they just couldn't get off the field, kind of more to your point, Will.
SPEAKER_00It's very it's a it's a foot on the neck issue, though. That's why I'm fair enough. You want to criticize the defense that we've been lauditing a lot. They do deserve criticism in those moments. But he does, it's weird. Like the Rams are up 17 a lot. Are the Rams really up 27 a lot? Like they need to like stop taking the pressure off of teams when they are kicking the dog shit out. It's the only reason they lost that Eagles game last year. They have no fucking business losing it. And same with the Seahawks game with the wacky two-point. They have no fucking business losing it. It's the McVay thing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Oh, 100%. Um Will, what was your Super Bowl? It's Bill's Rams.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Uh, I still am struggling to pick mine. Well, we'll do the Cardinals and we'll give Brett's. All right. Last team. Will we have You'll love my pick, Cole.
SPEAKER_00You're gonna fucking love my pick, I promise.
SPEAKER_02That's gonna be the Raiders. Uh no. But Will, we both have our locks heading into the last team here. We both go in the same way, too. Oh no, yeah, well, of course we are. It's the Cardinals at three and a half. This one was tough because it's kind of between three and a half and four and a half. Uh three and a half is minus one sixty to the over, plus one thirty-five to the under, and then four and a half is plus one thirty to the over, minus one seventy to the under. So basically they think they're gonna win four games. They have the hardest schedule in the league by far. Like it's not even close to the rest of the NFL. They have to play their own division, that's a big reason. Uh, and they don't get to play themselves, which really helps out the other teams in their division. But this schedule, I don't see a lot of wins on it. I'm just gonna I'm just gonna go through it. Fuck it. Chargers, Seahawks, 49ers, Giants, Lions, Rams, Broncos, Cowboys, Seahawks, Rams, Chiefs, Commanders, Eagles, Jets, Saints, Raiders, 49ers. That start to the season is something that can get the locker room just completely beside itself. They hired their last choice coach.
SPEAKER_01Nobody has a harder stretch.
SPEAKER_03Nobody's last choice coach.
SPEAKER_02No, exactly. Nobody has a a harder stretch in their in their season than Chargers, Seahawks, 49ers, Giants, Lions, Rams, Broncos, Cowboys, Seahawks, Rams, Chiefs. That's impossible. And that's how they open the first 11 games. I'm locking up the under, and I know three and a half's really low. I wish it was four and a half.
SPEAKER_03Um I thought it was four and a half. Well, do you wanna well I'll lock it up? It's pretty good. They're pretty much 170. So they're under four and a half, and I think that is a mortal lock.
SPEAKER_02Actually, it is four and a half because that has the lowest one. Because over is plus one thirty. I was going by the lowest one, it might have moved, honestly. Because under is minus 170. Over three and a half is minus 160, but under is plus 135. So the lowest of any of the odds is the over four and a half. So never mind. It's four and a half, and it's a it's a lock, it's uh the under, it's easy.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_02I would have locked three and a half.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, they commies, jets, raiders, or maybe like you beat those three teams.
SPEAKER_01No, but you have to win them all.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And they might they might open 0-11.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And then you gotta win.
SPEAKER_03This team is not very good. Then you gotta win five games. They're paying Jacoby Brissett for some dumb reason because I think they're trying to tank. I I mean I've already said it. I uh in the Crystal Ball episode, I think the Cardinals get the number one pick in the draft next year, and this is why. They need to pick games they can win.
SPEAKER_02They need to pick Jeremia Smith to get over that Marvin Harrison Jr. bust.
SPEAKER_03He's gonna be he's gonna be dead by week. Shit, two. He got banged up against in that preseason game that you should have never run him out in. Yeah. It's bad coaching. I don't like the talent. I don't know what they're doing.
SPEAKER_02Offensive line. Yeah. This is just this is the worst team in the NFL outside of the Dolphins. Yeah. I think it's Dolphins Cardinals. Cardinals. Like uh obviously there's gonna be some injury that's gonna shake that up a little bit, but I the Cardinals schedule is so hard, I just don't see how they make it through that with five wins. Brad, we assume you're going under in the Cardinals.
SPEAKER_00That over-under is insanity. I'm you might have had me debating the over-under if it was set at two and a half. It's it's it's the under. They're awful. Like if I was the front office being like legitimately, I would be like, look, give Trey McBride enough targets to keep him happy. Get Love about 10 to 12 touches a game. So maybe at the end of the season, he's got like 200 NFL, like 200 NFL touches, get him some pass block and reps. That's about it. Like your mission this year as a literally, if you want to save your fucking job, figure out how to make Marvin Harrison a con. I can't talk right now. Make Marvin Harrison a contributor. Yeah. Um He might be the one and done guy. That guy didn't even make it as the Jets OC. I know, but like that it's gotta be his literal only mission is you find a fucking way to turn Marvin Harrison into like a net positive for this offense, and we regroup going into next season because this roster is just fucking bleak. And just try to keep love and McBride healthy. Best you can. But I mean, obviously it's football, but yeah. I would definitely be if the game is lost, you know what I mean? Like, and we're just kind of running clock trying to get to next week, maybe don't have Trey McBride in on those blocking plays. Just throw whoever in. You know, like it literally is just keep love healthy, keep McBride healthy, try to turn Harrison into something, and we'll hit the nail on the head. I mean, I think they're a lock for the number one overall pick next year.
SPEAKER_02Their defense is gonna be so bad. Like they have some receivers, so they're they're gonna sling the ball uh around the field, but yeah, this is this is funny. This these rankings. I just want to see where Arizona's at on defense. 26th uh best safeties, uh 31st overall uh for every unit, but 26 best uh safeties, 31st best cornerbacks, um best cornerbacks, 30th best offball linebackers, uh, 27th best edge rushers, and they should just hope host they should just host open tryouts at this point. 22nd best interior defensive line. And it's like Jesus, that's just so bad at every fucking group on defense. 16th best offensive line. Okay, you're right in the middle of the pack. Tight end. We know you have the second best. All right, cool. They have Raiders at first. I think it's just because we have guys uh beyond Bowers like Meyer can play. Um wide receiver, they have Arizona at 20th. I don't know if I totally agree. I'd have to go through every wide receiver group, but Michael Wilson and Kendrick Bourne's not a bad one-two punch. Marvin Harrison Jr. is kind of a sieve at this point, but yeah, 20th, okay.
SPEAKER_00I'm not trying to be like pedantic, but like I I agree, Kendrick Bourne, not bad at all. And like Michael Wilson is still somehow underrated by people, but like 20th is a little generous, if anything.
SPEAKER_02Like no, I think Michael Wilson might be a superstar, honestly. Uh, they have them sixth best running back room. Because uh Jeremiah Love and Tyler Algier. I mean, that's Tyler Algier's a good player. Jeremia Love should be. That's good. It's kind of high for one guide never playing, and then 32nd best quarterback room behind Cleveland. That's ridiculous, but okay.
SPEAKER_00That's disrespectful. Like, I don't want to clown on them too, but like he's like 30th or 31st. He's not 32nd. Dude, uh, Brissett would win like seven games with Cleveland.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I agree. I agree. That's how fucking bad Deshaun is. It's mind blowing.
SPEAKER_02Didn't Brissett play on Cleveland? But yeah, no, the the Cardinals and the the Dolphins are gonna be the laughing stocks of the NFL.
SPEAKER_03What did you say for the safety room? 30th. We got Buda Baker, and I like Andrew Wingert. Is that a white safety?
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_04Isn't Winger?
SPEAKER_02I know we dock white safeties down. Uh no, safeties were 26. 26. Eagles 31st. Right. I told you it's not a question mark. It's an extraordinary. That was so funny. Yeah, that was especially that was one of your best lines ever. I appreciated that. Um yeah, percent did pop.
SPEAKER_00I feel vindicated by that. I'm glad we didn't get some bullshit 21st ranking just because it's the Eagles and they're young and they have talent. No, they fucking suck. Watch them play.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, Dolphins have the worst. Yeah, Dolphins, so Cardinals have the 31st uh rated roster. This is the ESPN's thing. And then Dolphins are the 32nd. Uh, this is the overall. Philly's got third. Makes a lot of sense. Baltimore at number two after the Rams. I mean, they have a good, they have a good squad. Makes sense.
SPEAKER_00Again, I feel vindicated. Do you want to get to the Super Bowl picks real quick?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. One sec, one sec. I want to see where the Raiders are at. Ah, 28th, yeah. That's mean. That's mean. Jacksonville, 19th. Not looking great. Well, all right.
SPEAKER_00What's your uh what's your conference championship games? What's your Super Bowl, Brett? Um, give me a second to think of the conference, the AFC chip game. I just wasn't prepared with that one. Oh no, you're good. Um, okay. I think Seahawks and Rams play each other in a 1-5 matchup in the division. Yeah, yeah, exactly. I say they I don't know if the Rams are gonna be the one or the five, but the Rams are gonna win. I think the Rams lose to the Chicago Bears in the NFC championship game, and we're gonna see I think the Chicago Bears run game is going to be dominant all year. I really do. Wow. I think the defense is gonna be opportunistic. I think they're gonna be massive underdogs against the Rams, deservedly so, based on what we see all year, and like everyone's gonna have the Rams the favorite, but I think they're gonna pull something out their fucking ass, and they're gonna go to the Super Bowl. Um, I just when we were talking all day, I was like, I don't believe in any of the NFC East teams to that degree. I don't believe in any of the NFC South teams to that degree. Um, I don't believe in the Niners. I don't believe in the Cardinals, obviously. I was like, we're really and I was too damning on all of the other NFC North teams. I was like, fuck, who do I believe in? I was like, it's Seahawks, Rams, Bears. That's it. Like they're really the only three I believe in. So give me the Bears. And I think the the Harbaugh of scenery is gonna be good for everybody involved. I think he's gonna build up his reputation a little bit in New York. And I think whether or not they hired Munkin to be their full-time head coach, right? Am I blinking on that? Oh no, Munkin went to the Browns. Who is the head coach of the Ravens?
SPEAKER_02The Chargers DC um from last year. Staley? No. No, he was OC. No, no, he wasn't the defensive coach. Why why is he why am I blanking on his name? Google it well, yeah. But like, regardless, my point being is like I'm not trying to call it.
SPEAKER_03Jesse Minter. Jesse Minter, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yes, I have heard that name. Regardless, like Jesse Minter's unproven, even and you have to expect that a rookie head coach probably will be a little step down from a dude as seasoned as Harbaugh. But I just think the change in scenery is going to be good for everybody. I think the Ravens finally get over their playoff woes and make the play the Super Bowl. Who they give me the rave, the Ravens over the Bears, and Lamar Jackson gets all the racist, the racists off his back. Uh just all the stupid claims. I think Lamar finally proves that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. No, okay. The midterms go the way they should be. They're not stolen. Uh the uh the best black quarterback of all time wins the Super Bowl. The racists are fuming come February.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Uh, who do they play? If I had to if I had to pick the other AFC team that the Ravens beat to get there, I'm probably going like Bills or Broncos, but I don't really think it matters. I think the Ravens are gonna take the AFC. I like them the most by the by a lot.
SPEAKER_02Gun to your head, Bills or Broncos.
SPEAKER_00Gun to my head, Broncos. Fuck am I doing picking Bonex over Josh Allen, gun to my head.
SPEAKER_02I mean, they beat him in the playoff game last year. It was five turnovers, but all right. I mean, this is a long ass podcast. I might split it up into two parts. We'll see how long it ends up being. Uh, but let me go through these locks one more time. It was great having you on, as always, Brett. I mean, we just talked for fucking three and a half hours, including pre-show. Um, but Brett, you got your locks as Bears over nine and a half. Makes sense. You gotta go to the Super Bowl. Uh Saints over seven and a half, and Eagles over ten and a half because uh uh Go Birds, dickhead, um, and then Will. You got over ten and a half with the Lions. Interesting. Uh Packers under nine and a half, and cards under nine and a half. Uh I have Cards under four and a half. Four and a half, that's what I meant to say. And then I have Saints over seven and a half, uh Commys under seven and a half, and also the Cards under four and a half. Uh, worst team in the league meets the hardest schedule in the league. So that's tough beat.
SPEAKER_00Um no one's wishing this. Dark horse for number one overall pick. I'm not wishing this on the kid. I love him. If Jaden Daniels gets a season ender very early, like we're talking week one or week two, they might be worse than the Cardinals.
SPEAKER_02Hmm. Yeah. It's fair. I mean, one of the hardest schedules in the league. It would make sense if they have to play Mariota the whole time. Uh, I like that. What dark horse for number one pick will. I'm gonna go Colts.
SPEAKER_03I like the Colts. That's the one. Um Falcons?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I was literally thinking Colts or Falcons. That's great.
SPEAKER_00I love I love both those picks. I don't like Colts as much just because respect for coaching staff and Jonathan Taylor, but that's a low-key ass roster.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. They get so much love for no reason, dude. That was one of my favorite like locks. If I could have triple locked it, I would have. Um yeah, that's a podcast. Uh Brett, we we'll try to have you on as much as possible with your schedule uh for the gambling shows, uh, for everything. Uh Mike wants to come on one soon to do like our playoff pick, uh playoff picks and Super Bowl teams and whatever. Maybe we can have both y'all on. Do like a mega last second preview. Uh I'll I would love to. Yeah, I'll see. When do you go back to work? Oh, you said you have a week off.
SPEAKER_01We can probably do it then, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I I'm off every day until next Tuesday. The only thing is, so like just to not bore you to death, GM quit, service manager quit, right? So the service manager that is there has been in his position for a week as I am going on vacation, and he's all by himself all week. Long-winded way of saying I was a nice dude. I told him I'm coming and work a Saturday shift. So I'm unavailable on Saturday.
SPEAKER_04I work all day on Saturday anyway.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, yeah, yeah. So yeah, I told him I'd come in and help him out Saturday. But other than that, I'm off every single day.
SPEAKER_02Sounds good to me. Well, we'll be back. Uh, we got a couple more pods before the season starts. In about nine days uh from today, now that it is uh August 31st, uh, we love y'all out there. Thanks for coming on, Brett. From me, Cole Smithson, the locksmith, from Slick Willy Will Einfall, the What It's Made in Podcasting. Uh, from Brett to Blow Your Money at Leichmann, and from all of you out there to make the podcast uh so special. We thank you. Peace. Peace. We gotta get you a new nickname. Yeah, we gotta get a better nickname.