North Florida Sports Network Podcast
North Florida Sports Network Podcast
FSU's Coaching Shake-Up, NIL Impact, and NFL Playoff Drama
Explore the intricacies of college and professional football with us as we tackle some of the most exciting developments at Florida State University (FSU) and beyond. Can a strategic shift in coaching and player dynamics transform a team's fortune? Find out as we discuss the impact of new hires like Tony White and Terrence Knighton at FSU, alongside the shift to a 3-3-5 defensive scheme. We also dive into the ripple effects of the transfer portal, celebrating key player arrivals and retentions that spark fresh optimism for FSU's future.
Venture with us into the financial battleground shaping college football's competitive landscape. With contrasting examples like Oregon's financial prowess versus schools with limited resources, we highlight the transformative power of NIL deals and the "Moneyball" approach in strategic talent scouting. The football world is buzzing with speculation as Bill Belichick's move to UNC raises eyebrows and invites discussions on its potential impact on NFL coaching vacancies. We unravel how financial clout and strategic planning are changing the rules of the game for both college and professional football.
As the NFL season progresses, player health and strategic matchups take center stage in the playoff race. Discover how injuries to key players like Aiden Hutchinson could tip the scales for teams like the Lions and Rams, and why Philly and the Rams are emerging as formidable contenders in the NFC. Over in the AFC, Patrick Mahomes' ankle injury looms large as the Chiefs brace for a potential showdown with Buffalo. With an eye on thrilling playoff scenarios, we consider how Mahomes' health and Carson Wentz's role might shape the Chiefs' path toward a championship. Join us for a captivating conversation on the pulse-pounding world of football.
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Speaker 1:The North Florida Sports Network. Hey, welcome back. It's the North Florida Sports Network. Got a lot to get to. It's just another football after Sunday, that's right, and Monday and Monday it's a Tuesday, second Monday yeah, lots to react to Got a portal combat. I think I hear Gotta get to that. It's brutal, it's crazy out there Coaching hires all over the place. Yeah, we haven't even talked to that. It's brutal, it's crazy out there Coaching hires all over the place.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we haven't even talked about that. Yeah, we got to get to that.
Speaker 1:We're going to get to all that FSU-centric show Wee. So buckle up. It can't get any worse. It's on the way up. It can't well, I hope not. Geez two and ten. Oh, but we got to get to all the coaching hires, transfer portal, players leaving incoming prospects, incoming commitments, a lots to get to NFL playoff picture. We'll touch on that too, as that's heating up. But if you haven't done so already, please download, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts Podcasts available everywhere. So it's official they have Hired. First, gus Malzahn was the first coordinator yeah, we already discussed that. Yeah, but then Tony White. Tony White, from Nebraska, is the defense coordinator. Your Nebraska as the defense coordinator, your thoughts on the defense?
Speaker 2:Like the Tony White hire. I think that you know you can close your eyes and convince yourself that it's an upgrade pretty easily. I mean, it's a different style of defense, different scheme, stuff like that. But he's had success at multiple places, so that's encouraging.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:He brought a couple of his guys with him. That's also encouraging. I really like the defensive line hire that we'll get to Yep. But you know I mean all things considered I think it's a really good job.
Speaker 1:He's bringing a different philosophy with him, 3-3-5.
Speaker 2:Right, it's different, yeah, different scheme. You've seen other schools run it. Nc State is a team that we play. You know that people may notice that's the defense that they've run for a while now. You really you've got to have linebackers that are beasts. Was he bringing any with him? Well, we got Stephon Thompson a transfer. He was at Nebraska and Syracuse with Tony White. So you know he was at Syracuse with him and then followed him to Nebraska and now he's coming here. That's a stability of somewhat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you saw that Omar Graham put his name in and out yeah, he was.
Speaker 2:He withdrew um. Crier is coming back. You'll get him back. I think those are three guys that physically you just need bodies right, but they got to be big bodies, tough bodies, um, not guys that are going to get run over. So I don't know that. You've seen some linebackers already transfer from Florida State Some of the depth, but there may be some guys still on the roster that don't exactly fit that bill at that position.
Speaker 1:Well, one of the biggest upsides of getting Tonyony white was his defensive line coach, knighton terrence knighton uh, former nfl star player yeah, I mean, he was big, maybe pork chop yeah and uh, he was hot, but probably some. You know if you go look on their boards people thought he was the best recruiter on staff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, he was. He's definitely one of their recruiters.
Speaker 1:If you need to bring you know with Odell who's retiring now. Right, well-deserved. Well, he's moving to the front office job so to speak. But you're coming in with a fresh voice in that position, but still, you know, you still got Odell in the building.
Speaker 2:Right and in terms of playing experience at the next level, Terrence Knighton has, and had like much more of that experience than Odell Right, so he'll bring a little bit different perspective to the position.
Speaker 1:Well, he's brought a lineman with him, and that's Jason Williams, James Williams right, just announced that he was going to transfer here.
Speaker 2:He's an edge guy, defensive end, 6'6", 250. Yeah, I think he's played in like maybe 14, 15 games in two years, but he's been pretty. Maybe 14, 15 games in two years but he's been pretty productive. He's still one of those guys that they're just scratching the surface, but he gets after the quarterback. He's got a really high pass rush grade and that's something that Florida State needs a lot of is pass rushers. This is big man, they, you know. Early on it was like there was some speculation that a lot of the defensive linemen would follow Terrence Knighton. You know, you've seen them go to other schools LSU, you know Texas. All I'm saying is, even if we would have went 10-2, gone 10-2 last year, getting three or four defensive linemen from one school is still pretty crazy to think.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So this is really the kid. You had to get the one with the connection, the one that you know was attainable so to speak even after the season you had and they got him. So that's big. So a little positive news there for the, the defensive front jackson might be coming back yeah, he's coming back. He went through his name from the nfl draft process I mean, that's a good thing.
Speaker 2:That's after the coaches were announced too, so they're you know yeah, yeah, and that would be, that would be a big, big, he wouldn't be coming back for another year if he didn't approve of what was going on at his position.
Speaker 1:Right and want to learn and work hard, maybe.
Speaker 2:I mean, you know it'd be a big boost. All I'm going to say about that is I'll you know. Once he's finally in uniform and the season has begun, then I'll kind of celebrate it. But until then, you know, you got to keep in mind there's also another transfer portal window coming up.
Speaker 1:I think well, regardless of I mean in terms of going pro unless you're a surefire top round pick first day or second day, yeah, I mean you might as well try to get better at college and get some NIL If you have plans of going to the next level.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:If you believe in yourself, you can make more money in the long run by improving your draft stock. Just that much in one year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and that's you know. Again, there are going to be some guys, though that will just be you know what Luke, crum and Hawk this is all.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, he's going to the SEC.
Speaker 2:Well, he's going to start. I think that was a big part of his choosing a school is he was only looking at places that had a starting job pretty much open for him, and they lost their freshman quarterback to LSU.
Speaker 1:That's crazy. That's just the market man. Lsu's buying up everybody right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're spinning. Big Ole Miss LSU, texas Tech. There's Texas Tech, it man lsu's buying up everybody right now.
Speaker 1:yeah, they're spinning big old miss lsu. Texas tech. There's texas tech. Yeah, they got a lineman. I thought florida state might be in the mix for, but uh, top mix now top dollar man they outbid top dollar. Uh, your coach is throwing in his own money, which some people might say is well he should after what he just did last season. But still, I think it really is a sign of yeah, and that's towards all NIL that his money's going.
Speaker 1:So that's, you know Well, all that money goes to student athletes, You're not going to be able to compete. No, I would. Is what you're seeing? What you just have teams going out and just pecking rosters and then like what the kid from georgia tech is now like taking offers now from going to rival georgia or old miss.
Speaker 2:Yeah, rivalries don't apply. Stuff like that doesn't really apply. This may or may not even apply in Daryl Jackson's situation, but there are going to be kids that are going to look at it in the long run and be like what are the likelihood of me going to the NFL and actually having that long-term contract, getting that extensive tenure and career?
Speaker 1:Everyone should know how much the roster is worth.
Speaker 2:Yeah, From a fan perspective that should be, instead of having to be one of the rankings? Yeah, were they going to somewhat open with it?
Speaker 1:If you're maybe trying to legislate it or have some sort of cap on it. You have to look to the nfl and try to, I mean, have salary cap in terms of overall.
Speaker 2:So yeah, you can still pay whatever well, before they can do that, they got to bring it in-house. They have to bring it into the university to be the one doing that, and even then, then you know, if they try to say that you're just going to end up back in court and then athletes will still be able to get outside.
Speaker 1:NIL. They want the advantage where they can set up the matchups Right. We're essentially back to where we were in the 80s the content that they're paying for it's funny.
Speaker 2:There's nothing different.
Speaker 1:It's right in front of your face, though, and you have networks now that are going to be and we told you this from the start, it's going to eventually be the biggest source of income is the TV deals, and then you're going to have TV deals that have signed with conferences now, because the conferences control all the rights. There's no governing body over the sport. It's just now each network using it as paid promotions for whoever they can sell the most ad dollars to. They're going to promote and show highlights based on what they have. I mean, people don't go there anymore for their highlights anyway.
Speaker 1:you can get all that on demand when you want so yeah, it's just money play there's.
Speaker 2:You know it's a pro sport with no salary cap all right.
Speaker 1:Well, uh, as far as um leaving, you had luke crhawk. He's out of here. Destin Hills Got it Going to the SEC, going to LSU.
Speaker 2:Right Cromanhawk's out, because Thomas Castellanos is in Thomas.
Speaker 1:Castellanos is in and this is a big get. A kid Could be, I mean, I think that's what they're banking on. I think it's the right kind of type of quarterback you're going to need with the development stage in this offensive line.
Speaker 2:It's going to at best be not good. Yeah, At least it's something that fits schematically, like his skill set to Gus's offense, and that's something we didn't have at all last season, not one week.
Speaker 1:There's a dangerous aspect to his running ability that this offense has not seen, and really he has an upgrade on that, probably more than Jordan Travis ever had but he just hasn't. He can't throw it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean yes and no. He did better throwing this year. When he played, his turnovers were down. He cut them in half.
Speaker 1:But Bill O'Brien was the coach's a yeah, it's a different offense. This is a good setup and familiarity. You have the coach that you're that was you originally went committed to, now at a place you've always wanted to be. So, as you're as a player, you feel like you're going to get, hopefully, his best effort, a commitment.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't think there's any question there. I don't think he's going to be the guy. I know that people are. You know the whole thing. He quit on BC. Yeah, DJ to the draft.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, whatever he got benched, if he's told he's not playing anymore.
Speaker 2:It's there's. No, your future's not here. I'm gonna go ahead and just start looking getting.
Speaker 1:You have to get players that can make plays. Yeah, that change the record. You can't. You have to get that first. You can't start looking at oh, is he gonna have the right fit if he might quit? We'll shoot, not if he's playing and where he's gonna be playing right, that's your quarterback right, he's gonna be running for his life listen.
Speaker 2:If that kid quits during the season, we got a bunch more problems going on, right?
Speaker 1:so so there's a quarterback, the old offensive line.
Speaker 2:Uh, that's still a development, herb hand, the new, the new coach. Uh, we've had transfers on campus the last few days. The old gang getting back together.
Speaker 1:as you know, as this was mike norvell's first job was pretty much right with these guys at tulsa, where they had a dominant offense leading the nation in offense for two years, so hopefully you know, get some magic back together In terms of knowing what each other wants and familiarity. That's what we talked about. He's going to get somebody that he knows.
Speaker 2:Somebody he trusts and he knows what's right.
Speaker 1:And I think that's a good thing.
Speaker 2:Six win dream here, man. You know that's triple the win total. That would be amazing.
Speaker 1:Well, the expectations fell off a cliff, so that's the only bright side.
Speaker 2:That's what happens when you go 2-10,. You can't all of a sudden have 11-1 expectations.
Speaker 1:You know you couldn't have such a high expectation after having such a good year, knowing that that wasn't. That's the thing you can't sustain.
Speaker 2:I don't think Florida State can be that anymore in the way that college football is. There's no Phil Knight for Florida State. That's going to just you know. You know what $10 billion. I'm just going to put it towards athletes because I'm pushing death's door and I want to see a title.
Speaker 1:Like that. Well, you better get it right, you better have the guys you want. Well, that's a big part of it you know and he's, he's.
Speaker 2:You know, a school like oregon has nailed it on guys running it and they got a good coach going in, they got good coordinators, they got a good dude at the gm, oh yeah I mean they, not to say they haven't had that before, but the fact that it's nil now is right, it's money driven.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you have have a guy who's wanting it more, probably more than any of the big.
Speaker 2:Any collective, any anybody like he's. To me he's the Jerry Jones type, without that title.
Speaker 1:If there was no salary cap, what would you know Cowboys be?
Speaker 2:Exactly, dude. He'd spend until he got another. And that's how Phil Knight is approaching this and how Oregon is doing it, and they're doing a really good job. Their GM is doing a really good job of getting the right people the amount of money they need to go there. We'll see if it pays off for them. People talk about the sustainability of the transfer portal. It's sustainable as long as you've got billions of dollars Right. But very few schools have that Right and, honestly, the NIL isn't. It's not the problem the way the transfer portal is.
Speaker 2:With no, you know, kids. It's open free agency every year. So until they fix that, it's going to be the schools that can offer the most to any athlete Right, and that's not a lot of them, man.
Speaker 1:Which was. There's a team that spent what? $3 million this year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the athletic article about the. You know, one team spent $12 million and went 2-10. Hey, who do you think that was?
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, we know that.
Speaker 2:And then another team spent $3 million and had the best season in the history of the program. But now. It probably takes around five times that to keep the roster.
Speaker 1:Which is what you got to go for. Now You're going for magic in a bag every year.
Speaker 2:What you need is guys that can you know scouts, guys that can find talent that's not sought after or people don't know about yet.
Speaker 1:You want to find that $3 million.
Speaker 2:payroll Billy Bean that shit.
Speaker 1:Billy Belichick is now at UNC because the NFL didn't have any offers and he put in his contract the buyout. I mean it's obvious.
Speaker 2:He's essentially told North Carolina if I have a chance to go beat Don Chula's record, I'm out.
Speaker 1:North Carolina's like yeah, we don't think that's going to happen. We don't think anybody's going to do it, but sure man, but if I do, then you're going to have to hire my son because you're not going to, you're just going to. That's what I wouldn't be surprised if Well, you just had his guy get hired.
Speaker 2:Look how he did the Jets man Right?
Speaker 1:I mean like Well, I mean, if you're North Carolina, you're getting the publicity, no matter what I mean.
Speaker 2:And they're getting what they want Somebody that's going to handle football and not bring it to the AD.
Speaker 1:So, either way, you're going to. Even if he leaves, you're going to get Stephen Belichick.
Speaker 2:Is that him?
Speaker 1:I just call him bud nick because he looks like a dude from salucha shorts gonna bring donkey lips as his offensive line coach. Now, scago's not available. Uh, jacksonville comes available though. I think he's out, jacks, yeah, yeah, of course I mean they're gonna be. I mean, look at who there's gonna be a, the guy from detroit, he's gonna. You know, johnson, the offense coordinator, yeah, he'll be first up.
Speaker 2:So he'll be going to.
Speaker 1:you know Johnson, the offense coordinator, yeah, he'll be first up, so he'll be going to whoever you know has whatever best situation he thinks.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:If he has multiple offers.
Speaker 2:Man. I was just going to assume Chicago would throw the bank at him, but the stuff about Vrabel being at the top of their list is two bears. That's probably what's going to happen. So yeah, ben Johnson will be out there.
Speaker 1:So you'll see, I just don't see a team coming to Bill Belichick and being like, hey, you want to take the reins, and being like, no, I'm going to stay here in Chapel Hill.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and leave that career that last, like that last.
Speaker 1:I just don't think he has any where he could really be that the greatest of all time right in terms of coaching yeah, I mean you get, you've already got all the rings and stuff.
Speaker 2:But you just want that record.
Speaker 1:You have the record now, all time.
Speaker 2:I mean that it's and don't forget, man like brady did it without you.
Speaker 1:Right, and I think there's still some to prove there. I don't know, I don't know, I don't know when that's happening. Sorry about that. Oh man. Studio interruption. Oh wait, there we go, I'm back back, all right.
Speaker 2:Um, I don't see him sticking around man. No, I don't think he had like once he discovers that, oh wait, everybody knows about what my, my secret recipe for success is right well, he's in the acc um yeah, that's true, he's in the acc. Man, it's not a good kid I mean, I think you win it's players. If he has, if he can get the players, he's gonna get somebody else to do all that.
Speaker 1:And he has, it's the nfl. Now he can just come in there and run it like that yeah as long as they pay.
Speaker 2:They pay but they're not going to. You know they don't have the most money.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll see.
Speaker 2:So We'll see, we'll see.
Speaker 1:That's what everybody I love it. You know, it's like I think that's already going on what he's doing, what he's saying that whatever's going on in that forward they're not trying to do that everywhere else.
Speaker 2:Yeah, his organizational Bible, his big plan that he talked about on the Pat whatever-his-face-is show. Like everybody does that already.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, I mean, they don't have the rings.
Speaker 2:They don't have the rings. They don't have nine Super Bowl, what are they? Eight Super Bowl rings, nine, twelve, who cares? But at the same time, these kids are 17 years old. When's the last time he was relevant?
Speaker 1:In terms of transfers, who's still out there that you were looking at for Florida State that you want them to get.
Speaker 2:In terms of, like, the biggest name and big star, big impact, deuce Robinson, dominic's kid, old D-Rob, fourth and 14. So you're looking at a receiver there. Yeah, the transfer from USC. I guess he's really interested in FSU. I'm kind of surprised that he wouldn't be going to a more high-powered productive offense, You've got to look at it as bad as it was.
Speaker 1:It's not going to be like that. You can't assume it's going to be that bad.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:And so you're looking at opportunity.
Speaker 2:Yeah, if you can get get play and exposure I think he has some familiarity with with castellanos as well, and just you know, see, he's still. He saw what norvell, what florida state did with johnny wilson, with keon coleman, bigger wide receivers and deuce robinson's six, six, uh, he was like like 230. He's a bigger kid, that's got to be appealing to him, yeah, and that goes in line with what they brought in in the last recruiting cycle. Yeah, they're definitely going for big, wide receivers.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I like the additions already, so I like the quarterback interest in terms of you don't have the line, so you need to have a running scheme and a guy that can run away from defenders.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and in terms like what you said right there.
Speaker 1:You don't have the line Like that's to have a pro style quarterback, to have a guy that Florida State has had when they won national championships and Heisman trophies. We don't have the offensive line, so we need a guy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I that often. I mean, you don't have to have that offense to win the title, you don't?
Speaker 1:I mean this is another offense that you played in the national championship, so you saw that kind of guy.
Speaker 2:Well, you look at Oregon's office.
Speaker 1:Guys that Castellano wants to be like. Yeah, Castellano wants to be like.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly A guy like Nick Marshall, a guy there's a lot of similarity there. The benefit you know Nick Marshall was a defensive back when Gus got a hold of him out of junior college.
Speaker 1:So this guy's already been a quarterback. Florida State wanted him at running back. He wanted to play.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he wanted to QB, he wanted to go.
Speaker 1:He went to Boston College to play immediately. He did the last two years. Their coach was tired of this whole fiasco system, went to coach the coordinator of the Green Bay Packers. They bring in Bill O'Brien, who's more of a traditional pro-style quarterback. So now then he gets benched and he's like I'm not spending my time here. Florida State 2-10. They don't have a quarterback and with that benching Us coming in, it was almost like if you're in his situation.
Speaker 2:Right it, just it was too much of a fit.
Speaker 2:Too much of an opportunity to not take advantage of it. And you know, getting benched at BC, I think a lot of it could have been about the fact that you know his last game was a game he came out because of injury and then so he kind of caught the Wally Pip up there with Bill O'Brien, and Bill O'Brien's not the guy that's going to sugarcoat it to you. He's going to tell you straight up, like you're not playing again. Yeah, you know, I don't think he's. I don't know. I think a lot's being made online about the fact that he, that he left before the season was over.
Speaker 2:Um, this kid at quarterback provides you with a plus in an area and that's with his legs and what he can do and hurt you and how he can keep plays alive. That's something that florida state really didn't have all season last year. On offense. It was a QB that could really hurt you in game with skill set. He thought it was going to be DJ and the ability to have an NFL arm back there, but that didn't happen. And the freshman Brock and Luke they just weren't ready and still aren't ready. Good luck to Luke. Up in Starkville. That's going. Luke. Up in Starkville, that's going to be tough man. Yeah, you're going into the worst team in the SEC with big offensive line problems.
Speaker 1:He's going to get to play so he wasn't at a better situation.
Speaker 2:No, well, it's not at a better situation. You're going from one 2-10 team to the other.
Speaker 1:I don't think you're in any sort of we're trying to make. You need a guy that's looking for a fit with scheme and production on what he can do, rather than someone in his career who's just getting started looking for that kind of Guy wants to play. Castellanos has already been to two schools. He's like all right, it's time to ball.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm going on offense. I'm comfortable with this, is it?
Speaker 1:And that's where I mean, if you're a coach. You just went 2-10, signed a big deal. You just fired your offense coordinator defense coordinator. This is it, so it matches that Right.
Speaker 2:I like that. It fits together there with the offense. Like I said, there was nothing about the offense last year. That worked, that fit, that looked like it was in sync that had anybody on the same page.
Speaker 1:Now you at least have that the days of getting a quarterback and developing them are kind of over. I mean, I guess Georgia has a guy in Stockton that they held on to. I mean, if you pay a guy enough to hold, if he's at one of these bigger programs, they can probably hold on to him longer than other schools.
Speaker 2:But if you don't, get to play right away. They're not going to hang around. There's also the winning factor, man. You look who Georgia's been the last two or three years and it's who wouldn't want to be a football player at Georgia, right. So as that, maybe it fades a little bit for them and they see guys start. I mean you look across the country, alabama has one year with three losses and they're losing guys left and right. I mean I don't know, man, I don't think you're going to see it anywhere going forward. Anybody. You're going to have to look for QBs that you feel can learn your system and fit your system.
Speaker 2:It's going to be hard to find, just like it's hard to find in the NFL, yeah, and it's going to be costly, just like it's costly in the NFL, yeah.
Speaker 1:But then the agents come in and once you give that guaranteed money you come across. You need to make sure you're giving it to the right guy or you're in a situation like Cleveland where they're paying Deshaun Watson, now they're benching Jameis Winston.
Speaker 2:Well, in college you got the benefit of kids run out of eligibility. So if you invest in a kid, that's a dipshit. Eventually he's going to have to leave on his own accord.
Speaker 1:I think cementing Jameis is a backup, but I think he'll still have a roster spot.
Speaker 2:I mean you're Bring him out to the Bay Area, yeah exactly.
Speaker 1:I think it would be, even if you were offered a starting job. If you want him to succeed, don't get out of Cleveland, man. I mean. Look at Baker. I mean, you still got time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Cleveland is a graveyard for quarterbacks Mm-hmm. Yeah, thank Bill Belichick for that.
Speaker 1:He's going to be a locker room guy. Someone will pick him up as a backup. Just too many turnovers. Yeah, I mean, that's just people are so afraid of that.
Speaker 2:Well, put him in an offense where it's like dude, you're not going to throw more than 20 times a game.
Speaker 1:I would love to see him out in San Francisco.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like we're going to run the ball and you're going to just do little bootleg play actions and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:But there's one or two reads and then that's it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, letting him throw it 50 times a game and expecting him not to throw three interceptions is what's insane. Yeah, interceptions is what's insane.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, the standings as going into as after we finished the last week, you have the NFC. The Eagles look like the best team in the NFC now over the lions, with all the injuries the lions have. Yeah, I mean, they're just. I mean you, you saw now golf, they want a game in which he threw five picks and zero touchdowns. They won and now they've lost a game where he threw five touchdowns, zero picks. Yeah, I mean it's, that's insane, yeah, but it's also the sign of their injuries that they've obtained.
Speaker 2:Right, well, I mean, dude, matt, you've got to have a guy like Aiden Hutchinson if you're playing Josh Allen.
Speaker 1:Now you have nobody to. You're losing guys in the secondary linebacker.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Everybody. They've lost seven starters.
Speaker 2:So I just don't. You've got to get healthy for the playoffs, man.
Speaker 1:I don't see them and you needed, they're going to. If anybody needed that bye, it would be them. Philly's now tied with them. I think Philly's going to get the buy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean they look like they've righted the unit a little bit. I mean it's just they make it so boring though.
Speaker 1:I mean they run the clock out like nobody else. I mean the Steelers. They had the ball on like the four or five yard line or something, yeah, and with 10 minutes left they just iced it. Yeah, so they're going to shorten the game, and they do that better than anybody. So if Hurts is on just a little bit, they're impossible to beat.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's why you got to have the Rams Pass rush. Well, yeah, the rush.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, the Rams are alive and leading the NFC West, yeah.
Speaker 2:They're another team that took a lot of injuries early in the season.
Speaker 1:Geno Hayes went out. The Cardinals don't look good. Niners are toast. Niners are toast. The Rams look like the only team that is going to scare you in the playoffs. Now I don't know how it's going to play out. I think the Seahawks will have a say in that in terms of record-wise yeah. I see the Rams closing that division out barring injury.
Speaker 2:I'm not going to sleep on the Packers just yet, or really even the Vikings, oh yeah, packers are going to sleep on the Packers just yet, or really even the Vikings.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, packers are going to be a that division right there. You're going to have two teams that are going to have, you're going to have, the Vikings. Watch out that the Vikings can sneak up and catch the Lions. They're both 12-2. That's true. So I know that the Lions won the first matchup. Have they already played both games?
Speaker 2:That's a good question, no, they finished.
Speaker 1:The last game is in Detroit. So Minnesota, that's going to be for the division, that's going to be for division game, that's going to be for who hosts the game. Who knows, that might even be for who gets a bye. You only get one bye In the AFC. The Chiefs are in control.
Speaker 2:Patrick Mahomes twists a little, he hurt his ankle a little bit. That high ankle sprain man.
Speaker 1:Those stars that I mean that the defense is insanely good and they, they get, they have, they have the ability on offense like they don't need to do it and they will when it happens, because they've done it so many times. They if anything, it's more encouraging that they've, in those many close games usually see all right, they might lose a few, but no, they win it every time. Every time it's close, every time they win you know what it?
Speaker 2:Mahomes rightfully gets a lot of praise for that, but that's that's that's Andy Reed.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, coaches yeah, like they. They know what they're doing, and that's why I don't play him if I'm the Chiefs. With that lead that you have now. I think you have a more than capable backup in Carson Wentz, who has this is the perfect spot for a guy like him. You have him come in With that defense. You can manufacture a win, maybe two, because they have. You've been winning ugly all season. And then they have to play Christmas against the Steelers.
Speaker 2:Oh, After they play this week. Yeah, that thing is.
Speaker 1:that's going to be just an absolute Right, so you might have two games where he might sit. You don't want to have the tiebreaker with the Bills, so you technically have like a one-game lead, assuming the Bills win out.
Speaker 2:I'm going to assume that they look locked in man Go. In Detroit, Josh Allen looks locked in After he got engaged to.
Speaker 1:Haley Steinfeld. He hasn't thrown a pick. He's living on top of the world right now.
Speaker 2:He hasn't thrown a pick. I wouldn't throw a pick. He's living on top of the world right now. He hasn't thrown a pick. I wouldn't throw a pick either. Man Pressure's on now, joshua Well he's in his zone.
Speaker 1:I think he's in his zone off the field. I think he's in his zone on the field. I think it's slowed down for him.
Speaker 1:All that physical ability, he's using it to his yeah, I mean dude, dude, he keeps it in his back pocket, right needs it and he can do the when he runs it. I mean, geez, it's like a, it's like jared allen the d lineman. Yeah, shit, ain't fair man. I know, it's really like. It's like one of those big d linemen coming down like running at you. So, like you, the best you can do is just hopefully take him down, and he's gonna.
Speaker 2:I'll the brunt of it. I'll barrel roll in front of him. Hope he trips over me something like that.
Speaker 1:Impressive. Yeah, I mean he's going to win the MVP, but I'm taking Kansas City if that matchup happens Now we'll see what happens with Mahomes and the injury, and that's going to be big. It's also going to depend on where it Mahomes and the injury, and that's going to be big.
Speaker 2:It's also going to depend on where it's going to be in Kansas City.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we already know that. I mean it's hard to pick against them at home, unless the Chiefs go on a losing streak here, and I don't think that's going to happen With that defense and, like you said, those Losing streak.
Speaker 2:No, I think Mahomes they might drop Holmes is going to be a Hall of Famer.
Speaker 1:He's probably the best of our generation after Brady, after James. I think it's more of the coaching you can see what he's done as opposed to as it looks like now. Brady was like the coach.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Kind of on the field like the guy that demanded it. I think Pat is in a system more where he can flourish.
Speaker 2:I personally give Brady all the credit for every single Patriots Super Bowl win.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's there you go, as we go back to what we were talking about earlier with Belichick. I think that's his desire to go back to the NFL, to the NFL.
Speaker 2:You know he eats at them Because you know that they probably think that it's all because of Tom.
Speaker 1:Portal Conference. That's what it is. That's where it is. That's where Florida State needs to be.
Speaker 2:We had to go. We're trying to get some O-line in here, man, we'll hope to get some more updates, but a lot's happened.
Speaker 1:I mean took the run of, you know. I would say that Just the combination of Losing a lot of really good players and getting absolutely just hosed like no other school has ever been hosed in the history of the sport.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that played a part, Take a mental hit on you and cause you to make some desperate situations. With the players. Yeah, yeah and just kind of outlook on your program, I think the biggest Of what you need to do instead of the biggest shocker and this is me not just talking out of my ass, obviously, but I think the thing that probably shocked Norville the most was how poor a job the development had been along some certain spots, because All-line wide receiver.
Speaker 1:That season was more the result of hitting the jackpot in terms of the transfer pool that he went out and did and he's more like well, what the hell else has been going on? Yeah, because other than one spisk, and first and this running back, you know that we got from Oregon once they left Right Quarterback, that we got Once in a generation quarterback. These guys that I picked up late. There's nobody else, there's no foundation anywhere.
Speaker 2:I think back to the beginning of the season when he said the fastest, strongest quote.
Speaker 1:So that was just kind of. Obviously that was motivational and intended.
Speaker 2:Well, I mean, you know, I think he really bought what was being told to him about his offensive line, which is that we're going 11 deep.
Speaker 1:Well, he was lied to and he made the changes. Now his ass is on the line, but he's throwing his money into it. Florida State basketball on the hardwood Last non- conference Team looks better. They haven't won. They've had a few chances at some quad one wins came up short, but I still like this team NIT.
Speaker 2:Yeah, man, you can make the NIT without quad one.
Speaker 1:I still think that this team's going to end with a winning record and hopefully above .500 in the ACC.
Speaker 2:That would be sick.
Speaker 1:You know that's where you've got to go for that conference.
Speaker 2:They missed a chance to go to NC State. Yeah, the middle of the conference kind of seems like it's up for grabs.
Speaker 1:Ewing's a good player. Watkins, as you know, is still there. We'll watch it the basketball and as well the football and we'll talk to you next time right here on the North Florida Sports Network. I'm goddamn mad at her and shit.
