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Turf Talk
AFC North Showdown: Rivalries, Key Players, and Season Predictions
Ever wondered what makes the AFC North the most thrilling division in football? Join us, Scott Shouse and Dewey Vance, as we unpack the intense rivalries, standout players, and strategic masterminds that define this smash-mouth football battleground. This week on Turf Talk, we share our ups and downs in the world of sports betting—from the New York Liberty's struggles to the ever-reliable Dodgers—before dissecting why the AFC North is poised for a historic season. With three of the top five pass rushers and some of the league's best quarterbacks, this division is set to deliver nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat action.
Get ready for a deep dive into each team's prospects with a special focus on the enigmatic Deshaun Watson and the strategic genius of Bengals' head coach Zach Taylor. Picture this: every team in the division finishing with a winning record—a feat not achieved since the 1950s! We'll explore how Taylor's play-calling has kept his team competitive even in adversity and why this could be the most exciting season of AFC North football yet. Don't miss out on this action-packed episode of Turf Talk, where we reveal what truly makes the AFC North the best division in football today.
Hey, what's up everybody? We are back for another wonderful episode of Turf Talk. I'm Scott Schaus sitting here with my partner in crime, dewey Vance. Dewey, how goes it?
Speaker 2:Um, one day closer to football. You know a little better, I feel Um, gambling addiction kind of wearing off, kind of getting some withdrawals. Shout out to the WNBA specifically, you know my New York Liberty. They've been kind of struggling recently but yeah, they've been keeping my bang alive and winning me some money. A little baseball too. I know you dabbled in that a lot. Yeah, I dabbled in a little bit of baseball.
Speaker 1:Here and there it's a little bit easier. You go with the pitching matchups and the offenses. Yankees haven't done me any favors. The last few weeks. Yankees have struggled mightily with a couple of their starting pitchers.
Speaker 2:Whenever I put baseball, my brother always tells me if you see a little boost or something, you don't know what to do, just pick the Dodgers, just pick the Dodgers. I was like all right, say what Dodgers?
Speaker 1:you can't go wrong with the Dodgers. But here we are to talk about some gridiron and we decided that we were going to go with the best division in football today best division in the game the AFC North, and what I mean? We decided that. I mean I won the coin flip when I got here to record this podcast.
Speaker 2:So lucky us. Here we say the most intriguing division for last. Yeah, the Young Guns.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that is going to be a very interesting one to watch going into next year. Every team in the AFC South does have a young up-and-coming quarterback. Oh, this is Trevor. Yeah, yeah, Trevor just got his extension. Will Levis. Excited to see what Will Levis goes to do.
Speaker 2:CJ.
Speaker 1:Stroud already has franchise quarterback written all over him. Despite the Ohio State doubters, my boy is still the youngest quarterback in the NFL. Yes, he is CJ Stroud already has franchise quarterback written all over him.
Speaker 2:Despite the Ohio State doubters, my boy is still the youngest quarterback in the NFL. Yes, he is so yeah, but anyway we're talking about the North.
Speaker 1:So this is a team where it defines football. These four teams, they don't like each other. They let it be known on the field Just straight smash-mouth football. Every game is a nail-biter, every game you know. You have defensive. You have three out of your top five pass rushers that are in this division right now. You have three out of your top five quarterbacks that are in this division right now. You said three out of your top five quarterbacks that are in this division right now.
Speaker 1:You said three, you mean two, yeah Two. Deshaun Watson could be.
Speaker 2:Sorry about that. He could be top ten. Yeah, I mean yeah, but the thing is, he hasn't played like that in two years. Yeah.
Speaker 1:No, yeah, yeah, apologies on that. Top five quarterbacks are in this division. So it's going to be interesting because for the first time in modern football history it hasn't happened. Last time it happened was in the 50s, where every team in this division finished with a winning record. If the Bengals were in the NFC South, they would have won that division. Our fourth place in the AFC North was first place in another division In the West South, the NFC South. Oh yeah, nine and eight Buccaneers won the division at nine and eight.
Speaker 2:Shoot my cold soil got in there. Yeah, see, that's a whole other conference too. No, yeah, but that just shows you how tough this division is.
Speaker 1:The Bengals lost their starting quarterback and was still able. It showed to me the importance that Zach Taylor I've always questioned Zach Taylor for a little bit. His play calling has been shaky. He's definitely a player's coach. They love him in the locker room. He's very influential. You can tell where his play and actually the one play design where I really seen was actually the one big Chase Brown touchdown where he had against you guys On the screen, dude, there wasn't a blue jersey in sight. The way that play was drawn up perfectly.
Speaker 2:yeah, he really uh he really showed his uh value this year. He uh, he really uh, when Jake Browning kind of got first in several and, honestly, I watched Jake Browning a lot in college just because, uh, for those who actually watch college football, maybe, I guess Rip pac-12, but pac-12 after dark, uh, he used to watch that all the time late at night. So, uh, I watched a little bit of jake browning and, uh, I did not know, he had the arm strength that he did and, um, he really played to his strengths during during the time that he was a starter and he made jake brown look it might have seemed that there were times that we did limit him, especially when we played Pittsburgh twice, but there was a couple of games where they opened the playbook for him especially against Jacksonville.
Speaker 2:They let him go Minnesota. He played well. Yes, he did Against my coach.
Speaker 1:He played well for what he. I think he played pretty well against Kansas City. Yeah, yeah, for what it was worth, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for what it was worth it was only a one-score game.
Speaker 1:Believe me, he lost by an eight.
Speaker 2:It was an eight-point game, yeah, against two real champs, yeah, yeah. So I mean he held his own, I mean he made him.
Speaker 1:Look, I do believe there was a questionable. It might have an iffy call for me at the end of that game. I can't remember exactly what it was, but there was an iffy call for me at the end of that game. But I was surprised about how he played and I thought our season was done. When Joe went down I was thinking top seven pick. Yeah, I thought we were cooked. Thank everybody.
Speaker 2:I was even.
Speaker 1:I at one point was like we might as well go get Carson Wentz. Yeah, I wasn't a Jake Browning believer.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I'm saying yeah, he turned the guy who was undrafted, who was bouncing around the league as a third stringer practice squad quarterback and who they brought in uh, they brought in Trevor Simeon last offseason to bring him into competition with him and he beat him out Shockingly. It surprised a lot of people.
Speaker 1:Brought in AJ McCarron to play as our emergency backup.
Speaker 2:And these are all guys who've started games, who've been around the league for quite a bit of time, so it was really shocking when he brought him in.
Speaker 1:He put up double the touchdowns that first round draft pick Kenny Pickett put up. Yeah, I'd say he may be, and half the less games that Kenny, that Pickett played, yeah.
Speaker 2:Kenny had a couple more hundred passing yards than he did, but again six less games.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'd say yeah, he may look like a starting quarterback, but so why don't we dive into we're going to dive into the division champs, the Baltimore Ratbirds, so you can say they made the biggest splash in free agency this year.
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, yeah, for sure, I mean at least the most impactful player. Yes, yeah, especially for what they need at the injuries of running back. They've had the last couple of seasons and they got him at a bargain too, for what his productivity is injuries and running back.
Speaker 1:They've had the last couple of seasons and they got him at a and they got him at a bargain too, for what his productivity is two years for $16 million. This was a down year for their country. Yeah, air quote quote down here it's a pro bowl. That's a breakout season for a lot of players. This is a down year for 1100 yards.
Speaker 2:And what was it yards? And was it 13 touchdowns, 12 touchdowns, yeah, yeah, come on now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a breakout, yeah, that's yeah, killing it and everyone oh that's a career year for zach moss, yeah, and that's a down year. That's it. That's just. There's a standard that he had behind behind the worst run blocking offensive line in the league, yeah yeah, that that offense lines really suffered a lot of turnaround last two or three seasons.
Speaker 2:yeah, and now he's gonna be going to be in Baltimore with a passing oath of more consistent and everyone wants to knock Lamar how they don't throw the ball on the set, but they're a lot more efficient pass game than the Titans are. They got a lot more variety of throw the ball to God. Well, maybe not now. The Titans have all these weapons now, but they have a Mark Andrews who's proven the guys they flowers now, but they have a Mark Andrews who's proven the guys they have flowers who can get out in space. The most important thing about this this is going to make Lamar Jackson's job so much easier.
Speaker 1:We might see a career drop in rush attempts for Lamar Jackson. We might see a average go up His running might dip, but his passing I feel like he could take an uptick. The play action is going to be. Yeah, His running might dip, but his passing I feel like you could take an uptick Cause, yeah, his passing, the play action Cause the play action is going to be there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, his yards per carry, his yards per day. I think we could see we might be able to see a 4,000 yard season out of Lamar Jackson and to go with a couple you know a couple of Russian TVs and sat around 4,000 yards, run for 600 yards. Don't have too many games where you got to run all over the field.
Speaker 1:And after franchise tagging Justin Matubike, they was able to actually sign him to a four-year $98 million contract, $75.5 million in guaranteed and they gave him 57.5 of it up front due at signing and they gave him 57 and a half of it up front due at signing. So they got their guy that the not necessarily the captain their best pass rusher they have locked out.
Speaker 2:Because the captain of that defense is by far a real Quan Smith, I think he's the best linebacker in football right now, and this is a team that usually doesn't miss when it gives out money.
Speaker 1:No, they don't, at least not initially Even when they gave out Joe Flacco, that money man. They have a damn good front office man and I hate it. Yeah, they're always making moves, they're always making trades. They kill the draft every year. I remember when they drafted Tyler Linderbaum, they traded down with Hollywood Brown and got Arizona's first-round pick Traded back down again I think it was with Minnesota and still got the guy that they wanted with Tyler under bomb. So they traded down twice, got more draft at Capitol and still got the guy that they knew was going to be there. Bullshit, crazy.
Speaker 2:It's like, it's like. It's like they know the future, Someone just some time. Travelers just in that, in that draft room.
Speaker 1:However, the one downside that you've got to look at when you look at the Baltimore Ravens is that they lost four out of their five starting guys. Yeah, they lost Kevin Zeitler free agency. They lost John Simpson and then they traded Morgan Moses back to the Jets.
Speaker 2:I feel like that's just kind of them turning the chapter and kind of maybe trying to Morgan Moses pick.
Speaker 1:And Zyler, because they're line coaching the schemes and all that's still there, I think, their line. I wouldn't be shocked If I see them take a dip in production, because sometimes when you shuffle in a lot of guys.
Speaker 2:That's why you got a back that can run Behind the bad offensive line.
Speaker 1:They did go get a guy from Houston, josh Jones, who has Experience playing At Josh Jones, who has experience playing at everybody on the line.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he also approached in the draft a little bit. We'll get back on that later.
Speaker 1:Besides that, besides the Derrick Henry signing, there wasn't really a whole lot to talk about in terms of free agency. They was able to bring back Kyle Van Noy on a two-year $9 million deal, and they also brought back Josh Johnson for his 76th stint with the.
Speaker 2:Baltimore Ravens that should be a little. Yeah, he's their lone backup quarterback now.
Speaker 1:Huntley went to Browns.
Speaker 2:That's a loaded quarterback and we'll touch on A little bit later. Yeah, but yeah, I think I mean again, baltimore usually Does Baltimore. They had Pretty dang good draft First round pick. A guy who slid, who slid in the draft, and if you told me Back in January or February I would Thought he would have been 15 to the Indianapolis Colts, probably, and Nate Wiggins.
Speaker 1:A guy, I think he pulled his groin.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he got hurt.
Speaker 1:So it was a stock dip and I knew. I had a feeling that that's where he was going to go. So when he was hurt, he's going to be right around where Baltimore is going to pick.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and he still ran the second-fastest 40 of any DB or of anybody this year's combine actually, and he's going to need that going against the wide receivers. He's going to be going against George Pickens, he's going to be going against Jamar Chase, he's going to be going against Samari Coopers, and I guess the only concern about him really was his weight, because he weighed in, I think, at like 176 or 180, around that range at the combine. A lot of people had concerns about that, but I watched a lot of Clemson this year and they play a lot of primetime football this year. He didn't look small. He's a big hitter For his size. He brings the wood, no ditty. So, yeah, I mean he's going to be a plug-and-play guy. Their DBs are getting old. Everywhere they need the. That's kind of where their weak point is. On defense, it has been maybe the last two or three years, honestly, or maybe, yeah, probably, since they got Roquan added onto the team and then we touched on a little bit earlier.
Speaker 1:I would argue Kyle Hamilton, because the fact that they was able to get him in the second round is also was also blasphemous. That was a first round safety and they got him in the second round. That was Kyle.
Speaker 2:Kyle Hamilton's a beast, I love him. I never on safety and they got him in the second round. Kyle Hamilton's a beast, I love him, I love him. I usually don't watch a lot of DBs or anything like that, but like when I seen he was drafted I was like that's such a Raven pick man.
Speaker 1:He's a Voltaire.
Speaker 2:I'm all pro now. So we talked about a little bit about the loss of Morgan Moses, and so they drafted a guy named Roger Rosengarten. That just sounds like someone who's going to protect somebody like a bodyguard. It sounds like Mr Rosengarten.
Speaker 1:Officer Rosengarten.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well yeah that's a bailiff right there. Well, if you look at the credentials, he's a bailiff right there. If you look at the credentials, he's a protector. Honestly, I have a solicitor. He could be one of the steals of the draft. Honestly, he started the last two years at Washington and did not allow a single sack the last two years. You know Washington.
Speaker 2:They had the best offensive line in college football last year First round quarterback, three wide receivers who were pushing in the league, so they threw it all over the yard last year or last two years, and that's in 1,158 pass blocking plays. He's never allowed a sack, and not to mention he's a pretty good athlete Ran the fastest 40 out of any offensive lineman. And not to mention he's a pretty good athlete Ran the fastest 40 out of any offensive lineman and the fastest out of any 300-pounder at this year's combine.
Speaker 1:And especially when it comes to big guys like that we've talked about this before you take the combine most of the time with a grain of salt, because you got guys that can like. Look at John Ross, you got guys that can run. I mean he can run a route, yeah, but but being able to run, um, what was his 40 again?
Speaker 2:Uh, it was like. Uh it was, it was sub five. It was like a little under five, see, but still still but sub five.
Speaker 1:come on now. Yeah, that's four, four, nine.
Speaker 2:You know, that was Patrick.
Speaker 1:Mahomes. You know, Patrick Mahomes had a 5-ish 40, dude yeah yeah, if you're on a jet sweep and you've got an offensive lineman that can run for that. Yeah, like Stretch out there. Yeah, that's a train with a hemi.
Speaker 2:Yeah exactly yeah like. So that's a very Especially with a quarterback like Lamar dude.
Speaker 1:And he gets out on a sweep on the sweep.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that that could be. That could be a problem, for, yeah, I'm, and I'm just kind of looking at stuff so I'm like I don't understand why. I mean, maybe it's just a surge of quarterbacks and wide receivers. I'm like how this guy not get drafted in the first? There was only two tackles drafted in the first round, so I'm kind of like how this guy not get drafted in the first round? Like that's a and most. I mean this, this, this draft was kind of really top heavy, so maybe, maybe a normal draft. He might be a first round pick but, um, yeah, that's. I think he could be a steal a draft and immediately start starting protect Lamar on the right side and then, uh, we're gonna go.
Speaker 2:Adisa Isaac from Penn State, pass rusher, another Baltimore Raven pick, played opposite of Chop Robinson but was the most productive linebacker pass rusher on that team. Shockingly enough, the reason he fell kind of low in the draft was a third-round pick, was because it was 40-time, I guess. I mean I can't exactly remember exactly what you ran, but it was mid-fours. It wasn't very good, but a guy who has a high motive, very productive and will at least see the field because Baltimore as a Baltimore shuffles.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they shuffle a lot of guys.
Speaker 2:They don't have a premier pass rusher. They haven't had a premier pass rusher since Judon. They don't have a premier pass rusher.
Speaker 1:They haven't had a premier pass rusher since Judon. Yeah, they could potentially have some guys that are rotational, that are probably starters Actually, not probably, that could be that are starters on a lot of other defensive lines. Oh yeah, kind of like how Buffalo was a few years ago before they had to release all of their guys and injuries. Yeah, exactly, buffalo didn't have a guy that they just shuffled through a bunch of people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, and then they drafted a guy who was one of my favorite wide receivers and I was really excited. I mean, two years ago he was one of my favorite wide receivers. He blew up at Kent State and I was really excited to see him because he transferred to North Carolina, was going to link up with Drake May and they were going to have a breakout year, but I don't know what the thing. I'm not the NCAA so I don't really know what the issue was with him but he didn't get to see the field a lot until, like a couple games into it. Devontae Walker you know who that is. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Super deep drive, blazing speed 4-4-40.
Speaker 1:Oh, he has a bone to pick with Cincinnati. I've seen them words. Yeah, he was on. I believe it was a podcast recently and he was projected to be drafted by the Bengals. Yeah, he has a bone to pick with Cincinnati, but I think the thing is I don't think Cincinnati was expecting Jermaine Burton to be there. Maybe they would have taken him, and that's a guy that had first-round talent. But off the field issues and again once we get to Bengals and we talk more about him, so far what I've heard, he's had an outstanding training camp. Yeah, so go on.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, I think that's a guy in like you watch a preseason and the rookie, kind of. I think he's a guy that could force his way into that rotation, cause they don't have a lot of depth? No, they really don't Um size a flowers, I never really um, they didn't.
Speaker 1:they said uh, they still have Aguilar, right? Uh, I won't say so. Yeah, I think they had him one more year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean they have Andrews and they have likely they run a lot of tight end sets.
Speaker 1:And then they also lost Odell last year, so that's going to be so they have opportunity.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they have lots, so he's a guy I could see blowing up in camp To me.
Speaker 1:I mean to me, for Baltimore, for the wide receiver room. There's always opportunity there. They've never had a pro-world wide receiver in the history of their friend, which is crazy to me. But they've had a lot of great guys that were past their prime, like when they had they got Anquan Boldin. I think he had one last, I think it was like one last push to help him win that Super Bowl. Then you had Steve Smith past there. They just had a lot of guys past their prime.
Speaker 2:They haven't really had that dude. Wow left. Yeah, I'm trying to think of a guy who really blew up as a Baltimore Raven.
Speaker 1:Hollywood never made a Pro Bowl win. No.
Speaker 2:But again, the Pro Bowls are popular. He's 1,000.
Speaker 1:Torrey Smith he's like, yeah, torrey Smith was supposed to, he was good, but not what.
Speaker 2:That was a different time in the NFL too, though. Teams weren't throwing yard, especially the Baltimore Ravens. They weren't throwing yard like that with Flacco. They were running the ball at Ray Rice all the time.
Speaker 1:He was a deep threat and a lot of their guys. Pramja Flacco was a problem.
Speaker 2:Yeah, prime Joe Flacco.
Speaker 1:A lot of people don't remember that. They think of Joe Flacco and a lot of his the back end of his career with Baltimore, where he wasn't as productive. Yeah, and then you think of Denver and the Jets.
Speaker 2:Joe Flacco, joe Flacco, yeah, first three years, joe Flacco.
Speaker 1:in his first three years of his career I thought he was going to be the best quarterback for Raven that ever put on a Ravens jersey.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I mean his rookie year he went to the.
Speaker 1:AFC championship game against Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, he was the best Baltimore Ravens quarterback for a minute, until the guy who took his brother Until his predecessor yeah, ultimately took over.
Speaker 1:I guess his successor got there.
Speaker 2:Then they drafted TJ Tampa out of a corner, out of Iowa State In 400 pass coverage. Snaps didn't allow, only allowed one touchdown. Last year In an interview they asked him to describe his game. He said confident, confident, physical and persistent. So, uh, that sounds like a that's not like a physical, nice physical corner that could uh possibly make some of the team. And then, uh, one of my favorite backs out of a small school, al marshall rashaan ali, kind of a big play guy, had a lot of 50-yard carries in college. I could see this guy especially with Keaton Mitchell being out, I could see him definitely just going in there, at least for the time being kind of taking that role. That's kind of it. Maybe they're receiving back Because outside.
Speaker 1:I mean, they still have Justice Hill right there, but he's also. They've had a, like you mentioned before when they signed Henry. They've had a, like you mentioned before when they signed Henry. They've had a lot of injuries in the running back room, exactly, yeah, so they're only a sprained ankle away from you know, from another guy that could be able to emerge as a strong lightning to Derrick Henry's thunder.
Speaker 2:Exactly, yeah. So now we're going to move on to a different team in the NFC North, another team that Scott hates.
Speaker 1:Mutt. Yeah, the other team in Ohio, the other football team in Ohio, as we like to call them down here. Yeah, amongst other things, but teenagers and children listen to this podcast, so we're not going to talk about that.
Speaker 2:They have a coach, who's probably in my opinion, but teenagers and children listen to this podcast so we're not going to talk about that.
Speaker 1:They have a coach who's probably in my opinion— the best defensive-minded coach in the league.
Speaker 2:I would go as far as to say that Stefanski's offense coach. I would say the way he— the way he took shorts.
Speaker 1:The way—yeah, the way—yeah, defensive court? Yeah, he's— the way they. They made the playoffs off that defense. Yeah, dude, is what I'm trying to get at man. They made the playoffs off that defense.
Speaker 2:They shuffled through. Jeff Larkin played pretty well last year though.
Speaker 1:They shuffled through.
Speaker 2:Five quarterbacks, five quarterbacks last year. I mean yeah, because, jeff, you could technically say six, but or maybe right around.
Speaker 1:You could technically say four but because the one against us was meaningless. Yeah, nonetheless.
Speaker 2:I didn't realize he was even on the roster when he went out there. I was like, oh, they got Jeff Driscoll. I was like sweet.
Speaker 1:He might have been on the practice squad, for all I know, like. I said I didn't know either, or he might have been the third stream emergency guy and they was like you know what, We'll just let Jeff. They probably could have put Dewey out there at starting quarterback in week 18 against us.
Speaker 2:For all they cared that game was meaningless to them, yeah, but a guy who I think probably showed one coach of the year last year, in my opinion, If you ask me, but one of the prominent defenses in the year, one of the biggest question marks probably in the NFL at quarterback and Deshaun Watson, will he finally bounce back? It's been about two years since he's played to Pro Bowl caliber football that we all saw and we all saw at one point we were he was top. He was the top five quarterback. When we saw full season Deshaun Watson last time, he's the top five quarterback and ever since then he's been bottom 20.
Speaker 1:He's had a few games and you can't say he wasn't productive even before the injuries.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he had a couple big plays here and there, but nothing even before the injuries. Yeah he had a couple big plays here and there, but nothing.
Speaker 1:Nothing worth a $230 million fully guaranteed contract which is going to go down as the worst contract in NFL history.
Speaker 2:Between that and the Russell. Let's see, I'm going to give him some time. He's still under contract. I'm going to give him some time. Time's a ticking dude how much time you get. He's had some injuries. He's had some injuries. He's had some injuries, but if you keep getting hurt, and even when you're on the field, if you're not productive, you're only going to get another season before, maybe before what?
Speaker 1:especially if it's if he's not showing any any signs of stepping forward, at what point do does Haslam take in pulling the plug on this Deshaun Watson thing?
Speaker 2:How do you pull the plug on that, bro? You can't take that dead money.
Speaker 1:It's either that or go back to being the bottom of the trash bag of the NFL.
Speaker 2:I don't think he's playing bottom trash bag of the NFL, but I think he needs to play a lot better.
Speaker 1:The only reason why they're not as a team is because of the defense. Yeah, yeah, I mean. Joe Flacco, if they still had a horrible defense, like they did they would be outside the running game and not putting up points. Yeah, they don't put up points.
Speaker 2:I mean Joe Flacco, kevin Stefanski is the run game. They're not putting up points. Yeah, they don't put up. I mean Joe Flacco, you know.
Speaker 1:Kevin Stefanski is the run game master. You know he's helped turn that entire offense around.
Speaker 2:And then where they messed up in my opinion is they never should have.
Speaker 1:The issue was is, like you talked about before, that Sam Donald should have been the number one overall pick because, from a character issue, talent-wise Baker was, you know, on paper the best quarterback in the draft if you look at it. But it was the character issues. He was a college kid and for you to be three or four years in but we don't like him as a person. You knew what you was getting when you drafted him. Look at the Kansas game dude the crotch grab at the end of the game.
Speaker 1:after blowing the mountain, you knew what you was getting when you drafted him.
Speaker 2:The guy who stormed Ohio State and I love Baker Mayfield. With all this being said, the guy who stormed Ohio State and stabbed a flag into the middle of OSU Stadium with the Oklahoma flag.
Speaker 1:I mean, you kind of saw it, he's a man of the people and the players but from a professional and a business standpoint, that's not necessarily a guy you would. You've got to see maturity first before you give him the keys to your franchise. But as a player on paper, no, he was the best quarterback Heisman Trophy winner that year, I believe.
Speaker 2:Yeah, even him.
Speaker 1:I really like Josh Allen and you know if they would have given him the keys his first two games because Tyrod Taylor got hurt. I think it was week two or week three, I think it was week two.
Speaker 2:I think they might have been 0-2, 1-1.
Speaker 1:They were one game out of the playoffs. His rookie year. Baker Mayfield set records his rookie year. You give him that extra game Because they tied week one with Pittsburgh that year, I think, or was that the year before, I think, because they had to tie one of the opening games.
Speaker 2:Maybe I think, I'm not sure.
Speaker 1:Well, they lost that game to Pittsburgh in overtime. I can't remember how it went. I can't remember how it went either.
Speaker 2:I saw Baker playing against the went either, but you know Baker playing against the Jets on Thursday night football.
Speaker 1:Because he came in that game and he won that game after having oh, he played great and he caught that two-point conversion for it.
Speaker 2:He didn't score a touchdown, I don't think, but I think he caught a two-point conversion.
Speaker 1:He put them in the position and made the plays and put them down the field.
Speaker 2:But yeah, they've had their quarterback woes. But I'm going to give Deshaun one more year. That's probably about all he's going to get. That's all he's going to get. Probably that's all he's going to get especially after two and a half seasons.
Speaker 1:Not a lot of teams unless they don't want to eat that dead hit not a lot of teams are going to give you a third year. How about teams are going to give you a third year? Because I mean regardless. If you, if you, if you let him play, if you let him play in, you give him this money and you're losing games, yeah. Or if you cut him and you're still regardless, you're still losing games, yeah, absolutely. So at what point? Again, if he, if he goes through another bad season next year, do they look at, do they look at another quarterback in the draft?
Speaker 2:They look at another quarterback in the draft.
Speaker 1:I mean you kind of have. I mean kind of like a situation I'm going to get on. Are you bringing another guy?
Speaker 2:Yeah, kind of like another team I'm going to talk about here in a little bit too, you're kind of going to get in a position where they're kind of twisting your arm, where you're going to kind of have to, especially if you keep bringing and, like you said, he's not playing great. I mean I will say the production dropped off from him and Phillip Walker and and and the younger guys, but between him and Joe Flacco I mean it was about the same. I mean Joe Flacco had a couple more big plays, more turnovers, but I mean you kind of live with it when it comes to big plays. They woke Pat.
Speaker 1:Paul's agent called him while he was taking a nap and he came in and put 300 yards and three touchdowns on your favorite team. When he came in and won Comeback Player of the Year that's fair A lot of people thought he was done and he came in good enough to get at least a backup job and help mentor the youngest quarterback in the league. So he's to get at least a backup job and help mentor the youngest quarterback in the league. Yeah, so you know he's still somewhere, you know and he knows. I mean with his injury history.
Speaker 1:he knows there's a chance he might still play If he comes in, you know he could come in and light it up again and go somewhere else next year or at worst, Anthony has a guy that's willing to mentor him and teach him the ways and at least show him some things about slinging the rock.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, Both big arm quarterbacks. Yeah, For sure he'll benefit from that. But let's get to the enough Sean Watson talk. I mean, that's kind of something. We'll have to just wait and see how they'll play. They added Jerry Judy to the mix.
Speaker 1:And they also added. An interesting signing for me is the James Winston signing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's your boy. Yeah, it's Dewey's boy. Yeah, they brought in a guy who is a really good locker room guy but and like everyone loves him, he seems to be really supportive about the quarterback. He's in front of him, but if you're, I feel like in any room. I mean Derek Carr. You probably saw this guy breathing down your neck.
Speaker 1:Oh no, he's definitely like he puts on this. You know, he's one of those guys he's definitely for his team.
Speaker 2:He puts the team ahead of him, but at the end of the day he's like you know, yeah, you know he's goofy, but behind that goofy he's like you know.
Speaker 1:Go ahead, I'm the best quarterback on the team. Go ahead, Mess up. I dare you. It's your job to lose, Because I'm here.
Speaker 2:I'm here, boy, boy, and I think I'm the best quarterback on this damn team. Yeah, exactly, yeah, exactly, behind that goofy face.
Speaker 1:Is a man that's driving, that wants to play, is a man that once led the league in passing yards. And had it not been for him throwing 30 interceptions that Tampa Bay team might have. You know, I'm going to go ahead and say best case scenario, because the way he was slinging he was second in the league in touchdowns. First you cut the interceptions in half. Buffalo, okay, can't be for one. They're making the playoffs, yeah, Possibly winning that division, and Jameis Winston is now an MVP candidate.
Speaker 2:I was going to say we might look at Jameis Winston a lot different if you cut the interceptions in half.
Speaker 1:You might.
Speaker 2:Cut those in half.
Speaker 1:If he would want MVP. Does Brady go?
Speaker 2:there, oh God, no, no, because you can't bench him.
Speaker 1:No, Not after winning an MVP and then doing you know that would be unheard of.
Speaker 2:I ain't never heard of MVP not being on the team the next year. In any sport that don't happen.
Speaker 1:If you win MVP, boy, you bring your behind back Go ahead and bench me and watch how many teams call the front office hey, what's up? Second round pick. First round pick. Exactly, is it for a franchise guy?
Speaker 2:Because he can throw it.
Speaker 1:You know, the issues is the turnovers yeah, remember at one point I was like I would have taken him over, andy Dal throwing interceptions, but at least he's throwing three touchdowns to go with it.
Speaker 2:Absolutely so. It should be high tech, and then they also have that. Quarterback room is pretty deep though, isn't it?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so they still have DTR.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they still have DTR, my boy.
Speaker 1:So they wasn't able to do a whole lot pre-agency because of the cap issues. They throw their whole cap room at two guys Denzel Ward, who's at least panning out, who's at least at extension's panning out Top five corner. Easily, easily, you're already top three. They brought back Z'Darrius Smith on a two-year deal. They also brought in a couple of running backs to help fill the void, because Nick Chubb is not going to be ready for week one. They brought in Deontay Foreman, a guy I really like. I've been a big fan of Deontay Foreman.
Speaker 2:They're productive as a backup. The last couple of seasons I thought they were going to ride that Khalil Herbert Deontay Foreman when he was signed in last year, but then they drafted Roshon Johnson. Then they drafted Roshon Johnson, yeah. Then they drafted Roshon.
Speaker 1:Johnson. And Deontay Foreman was kind of left on the, but when he was called upon he was productive. Yeah, Deontay. So they brought in Foreman. They brought in your boy, Naheem Hines. Yeah, Devin Bush and Shelby Harris. So again, that kind of highlights their free agency.
Speaker 2:I mean it's brought in little spot players. I mean they kind of have.
Speaker 1:They got the defense.
Speaker 2:That's there, yeah. And you got the receivers, you got a tight end, you got some offensive linemen. I mean could use a little work, but you got the main piece, although they lost their offensive line coach.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah. Which is the best he's deemed the best offensive line coach in the league right now.
Speaker 2:He didn't go to Tennessee right, he went with his son. Yeah, I'm going to go with my boy. Sorry y'all, but yeah. So they do have. I mean the question remains Is quarterback going to produce? I mean they could have ran away with the division last year, Maybe in any year, if they had decent quarterback play, but especially last year with all the injuries and stuff Only Tom Couch had a so far, I feel like there was one game that they, the refs, gave them, that game when Cleveland, where they shouldn't have won that game and you know what game I'm talking about.
Speaker 2:You know what game I'm talking about?
Speaker 1:They never should have beat you guys. I almost broke my TV. Yeah, I almost broke my TV.
Speaker 2:I think I would have broke my TV and then drove to your house and I was going to help you break your TV.
Speaker 1:That's how playoff yeah. That's the division. That's a. That's a. That's a difference between, like, cincinnati and Indianapolis Playing in the playoffs and what not. Yeah, I don't think you know, cause they Well, no, no, nevermind, I lied, that wouldn't have made a difference Cause they were a couple games ahead of us. We would have made it division over Houston. Yeah, Wah, wah wah, but on another draft, because they didn't have a first-round pick.
Speaker 2:No, they didn't. After giving it to Houston no. And then most of this draft they didn't really go. I mean the guys who I'm really going to talk about, they didn't really go, necessarily the sexy positions they drafted. Michael Hall, local guy out of OSU, ohio State, doesn't have to go too far. A standout at the Senior Bowl was voted the best defensive lineman at the Senior Bowl this past season. Hall had six sacks coming from a defensive tackle spot, which is really impressive, especially from you know you're going against double teams, usually on the regular basis.
Speaker 2:He probably won't initially start, but Jim Schwartz likes to rotate a whole slew of guys around. Miles Garrett and Z'Darrius Smith are really on the interior side and just let them kind of go out on the outside. So hopefully I mean he turns out worth a second-round pick and his production translates a little bit and he stuffs up the middle and helps out Myles Garrett a little bit. It makes a reigning defense player a year's job a little easier. Yeah, that would do a lot for him. And then they drafted a guy who you really liked, a guard out of Michigan, zach Zenter. He was first-team All-American, a three-time All-Big Ten, a solid left guard who's not going to play. He's come off injury in college but apparently he's going to be ready to go. But he's going to back up Joe Petonio but he's going to back up Joe Batonio.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and see, the thing about Zenter is he could have a chance to start, because Joe Batonio, he battles injuries a lot. He gets hurt a lot and that's going to be an opportunity for him to come in and be productive 42 starts in college, so he's got a lot of experience. And again we talked about how Kevin Stefanski is like the run game master. He helped change that from because the difference that he made from Hugh Jackson to or no, it was who they signed Freddie Kitchens.
Speaker 1:The difference from Freddie Kitchens to I forgot about him From. Freddie Kitchens, which they never. He never should have got it. Greg Williams should have got it. But here's the thing, but here's the thing, Because his name is attached to Bounty Gate, he'll never be a head coach.
Speaker 2:I mean it's kind of, apparently, it's kind of ahead of it. But yeah, he'll never be a head coach. No, he was.
Speaker 1:No, I thought he's because he was the interim head coach when they fired Hugh Jackson.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no I'm talking about. I'm saying like he'll never be a head coach again, though. No, he'll coach. He coached for Jets too before.
Speaker 1:No, I'm talking about he'll never be a head ball coach. I'm not saying defensive coordinator. I don't think they'll ever give him the reins because of the bounty gate because his name was attached to it. Yeah, Okay, yeah, okay, yeah, okay. But the difference between from Freddie Kitchens to Kevin Stefanski with the same group was like astounding. Like you couldn't.
Speaker 1:I hated it, Especially after blowing up the previous year and then and then so, and then, as a Bengals fan, our Superbowl for the longest was watching Pittsburgh choke. Yeah For the, for the for the longest, and I was very I was bittersweet watching watching them knock out Pittsburgh with Baker Mayfield. Because and which is why I'm not no longer in any Bengals fan groups anymore, because I can't, I just can't do it anymore. Right, they hate it.
Speaker 1:Yeah and I'm like you guys realize they won a playoff game before us, right? How many times have we seen these guys as a top three draft pick, literally? When you think of the worst team in the NFL especially when I was in high school dude, it was Cleveland. Oh yeah, the first 0-16 or the second 0-16 team ever to grace football.
Speaker 2:No, it was the. Detroit Lions 0-8, detroit Lions 0-16. No, they were the second who? No, the Lions were the first.
Speaker 1:right, yeah, the Lions were first, no, I said the Cleveland was the second. Oh, okay, no, no, cleveland was the second. No, because you remember there was that big debate who would win in a football game? And I was like the Lions Would Stafford, I think, megan with Stafford, no, no, no, that's where they ended that next year, I think that was the pick they took, stafford, wasn't it?
Speaker 2:Yeah, john Kitten, like Darren Latt, calvin Johnson, calvin.
Speaker 1:Johnson was on that team still, yeah, but Calvin Johnson alone would be the reason why.
Speaker 2:I mean, I didn't watch football a lot during the LA, so that Detroit team probably came close to winning a couple games. But that Browns team was close to winning a couple games and some games they just got whooped. I remember the last game of the year a dude dropped a touchdown pass. I'm pretty sure they'll win a game, Like, yeah, they couldn't have gone any worse. But we're going to go to one of their last picks, nathaniel Watson out of Mississippi State. I don't know how dude ended up being a six-round pick, but he's one of the most productive players in all of college football the only player in the country, or at least since 2021, with 300 tackles and 20 sacks. Third team all-american. He led the s. I don't know how he got this. This is mind-blowing. How did he get third team? He led the SEC with 134 tackles and was tied with first with 10 sacks In the SEC In NFL Junior, yeah, in the NFL Junior, in NFL Junior and he was 13?.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly Dude, 6'2", 245. He looks the part. I mean, I'm not sure if he'll maybe not make the rotation initially as a linebacker, but he'll definitely play special teams or some sort, because there's no way he can't. He's going to hit the football field this year. He's got to play. His production is just too crazy. He's got too high of a motor not to play.
Speaker 1:He'll fit in somewhere. Well, on to um, onto the uh, the big dogs of the uh, of of of Ohio, unless, unless we had, unless we had a you had anybody else that we was going to unless you had anybody else that you wanted to touch bases on no, we don't.
Speaker 1:Um, well, one thing that you wanted to touch bases on no, no, we didn't. Well, one thing I did want to touch, so a guy like that, that falls. So in this draft, a lot of defensive players fell, yeah, you know. In any other, you know, say, in next year's draft, he might be a fourth-round pick in next year's draft. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah absolutely so. In this draft class there was a lot of defensive players that fell Shoot.
Speaker 2:Nate Wiggins probably goes 10 spots ahead at least.
Speaker 1:Yeah, at least Despite the groin injury, because that's not a long-term injury. Chopp.
Speaker 2:Robinson goes 15 picks ahead, maybe even Eh, maybe not that.
Speaker 1:So, anyways, now we're going to so we're hopefully barring any injuries the future kings of the North, we're going to be sitting back on top where we belong the Cincinnati Bengals. I like our free agency to an extent. I don't like how. I don't like that we haven't given T Higgins a contract. I don't like that we traded Joe Mixon away and we haven't taken some of that cap money that we've saved to give T Higgins a contract.
Speaker 2:I'd be able to at least trade T Higgins. Go ahead and trade, trade him while the iron was hot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you know what I'm saying. So you could have traded him after he went off last year. If this was your game plan, the whole get-go, you could have traded him last year, say, to a New England Now every team's. You could have traded, say, to a New England for a first-round pick at that time and you possibly could have had the third overall pick. There would have been options there. Yeah, especially after coming off, not last year but the year before that would have been the time to want to trade him if that was in the talks, because the way Duke Tobin played it after that was that he wasn't going anywhere.
Speaker 1:Go find your own wide receiver this past year. I don't like, I didn't like that interview. Yeah, you know to me you could have. You could have traded him, like you said, where he was a hot commodity and such a rich, wide receiver class this year.
Speaker 2:It's kind of, especially after a draft. Now it's kind of like yeah you could have traded him.
Speaker 1:You could have traded him at the time because they didn't have to pay him at the time. He only had a $3 million cap hit at the time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so a teamer, give him two.
Speaker 1:at least I'll give you a first-round pick, but I don't have to pay him this year. I've got to pay him next year, so you could have traded him to somebody like New England, you could have gotten the third overall pick. You could have traded back and gotten more picks, because the quarterbacks this year was a hot commodity.
Speaker 2:I thought Joe got a first-round pick for T Higgins.
Speaker 1:Maybe not. The one team that I feel like we would have gotten a first-round pick for had they not already given their draft capital away, was Carolina, Maybe. Yeah, At the time I do think T Higgins would have been worth a first-round pick, but then, going into this year's class, I mean how rich it was and how depth it was that was dead.
Speaker 2:It just depends where you're picking. He's not worth a top-ten pick. There's not many players in the league that are potentially worth top-ten, especially wide receivers.
Speaker 1:Depends on how thirsty that team is.
Speaker 2:I don't think I don't see a team being that top 10 is crazy, because top 10 you might as well just go get your own, unless it's just like, not a guy you like at all. But I mean, at that point, yeah, I don't know, not worth the top 10.
Speaker 1:I think, I think, I think it's worth a, I think it's worth it going into the year before, before you realize what you're going to get, before you look at the prospects. I mean, that's what you got guys that look into you for a couple of years ahead, a couple of years, yeah.
Speaker 2:But it's still a no from the top because, especially a year ago, he wasn't a top, not even a top 10 wide receiver. Debatably a top 10 wide receiver, not a top 10 pick, then I need I need a guaranteed top dog. If I'm, that's what Tyreek. Tyreek didn't even go for anything in the top 10s, but he did go for multiple first rounds.
Speaker 1:I was just getting ready to say but the Dolphins, but the Dolphins weren't picking in the yeah, but also it's Tyreek Hill too, though.
Speaker 2:Good Uber production, Historic production yeah.
Speaker 1:But the Dolphins weren't a bad enough team.
Speaker 2:I don't think it was a bad enough team to trade for Tee Higgins. A top 10 pick for Tee Higgins? That sounds crazy to me. Shit, I would hang up the phone immediately. I'm not going to lie, I like Tiggins a lot. If you ask me to see your guy, I would hang up the phone. I'm trying to even think of Nah, hell, nah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, nah, nah See, but you're saying top 10 pick. You're saying top 10 pick as if you know where you're going to pick the year before.
Speaker 2:If I was that bad of a team pick the year before If I was that bad of a team. If I'm that bad of a team, then I'm not worried about a wide receiver. I probably got some other shit I need to worry about.
Speaker 1:That's competing your receiver away If you're in the middle of the season? You're not thinking about a top 10 pick. You're not looking at the draft ahead of time.
Speaker 2:I don't think middle of the season, if I'm already that bad in the middle of the year, I'm not going to. I don't know, I wouldn't do it, but teacher I would say, because I don't think it's top 10.
Speaker 1:When you're in the hunt for playoff contention, you're not looking at drafts. I mean, if they're in the hunt for playoff contention, you're on, you're not looking at.
Speaker 2:you're not looking at drafts and uh, I mean very hot for playoff contention. I don't think they would do it though. Uh, yeah, I don't think. I mean I don't think they're a top 10 pick, but we're we're talking to hypothetical now. We're I I don't know, we'll see if he gets traded. I don't think in any. No, he's not going to get traded now.
Speaker 1:I mean, all right, we'll see what happens. He's not going to get traded for a first-round pick now. That's completely out of the question. But if you're asking me a year ago, and he's coming off a 1,000-yard season, five-some-odd touchdowns as a number two, you get an easy top you can. It depends on who's calling you.
Speaker 2:I don't think so, but I don't think so. 1,000 yards, five touchdowns no, it's not worth a first-round pick. As a number two, I don't think it's a first-round pick.
Speaker 1:As a number two, and then in five career games that he's had without Jamar Chase as his number one, he's had 511 yards, three touchdowns. And the games where he has stepped up, who were those against? One of them was against he had a big game against Pittsburgh, I know. One of them was against Tennessee.
Speaker 2:Are those all teams that have had really majorly bad DB issues the last couple years?
Speaker 1:He filled in for Atlanta. I don't know what he knows. Jamar finished that game against Atlanta. Cleveland was one of them Cleveland. He had the Halloween game against Cleveland when he caught. He did end up with a garbage. It was a garbage touchdown, yeah it was a touchdown where you I beat you in fantasy. Yeah, you beat me in fantasy that week. Yeah, it was like touchdown where you, I beat you in fantasy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you beat me in fantasy that week. Yeah, that's it. That was like 30-7 or something like that, final score being something like that. Yeah, it was scary hours for you all, for sure. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean, yeah, if they had. Yeah, those are teams that have that might have had DB issues, but when you're the sole number one.
Speaker 2:You know those are guys that you're going to look at?
Speaker 1:Oh, they're no Jamar Chase. I can take my chances with Tyler Boyd and Slott we can put. We ain't got to play too high safeties without no Jamar Chase. We can put two guys on T Higgins.
Speaker 2:I'll argue Jalen Waddles better.
Speaker 1:I would too.
Speaker 2:I don't think Jalen Wall is worth the first round, or at least not mid-first. No, no, actually, jalen Wall is younger. I'm about to say stop, jalen Wall is younger. Okay, I'm about to say stop, dude.
Speaker 1:Jalen Wall just got every bit of his contract besides eight or nine million guaranteed. Stop dude, Jalen Wall is worth a first round pick. Yeah, that's a first round pick.
Speaker 2:Yes, I'm about to say stop right there. I don't think, I still don't think T is so.
Speaker 1:I think T's worth every bit of the same money that these guys are getting?
Speaker 2:I don't think so you think it's worth Michael Pittman money? Yeah, nah, stop it.
Speaker 1:Stop it, stop it, stop it, bro, he's not a number one consistently all year. If you put him as a sole X and there's nobody, yes, look who's been playing quarterback for Michael Pittman?
Speaker 2:You tell me T Higgins is doing that. Nah, nah, I'm not going, I'm not going.
Speaker 1:T Higgins with a. Joe Flacco and Michael Pittman had a down year the year before Michael Pittman never played a single snap with Joe Flacco.
Speaker 2:Michael Pittman had a down year the year before. Michael Pittman never played a single snap with Joe Flacco. Michael.
Speaker 1:Pittman was out there playing with Moe Flacco, or not Joe Flacco. He was out there with Sam Ellinger, though Phillip Rivers yeah.
Speaker 2:Sam Ellinger, matt Ryan no consistency at quarterback. No, those guys aren't. Sam Ellinger, I love him. I love him in Texas, but he might not make the team this year. These are guys who aren't even on the. Matt Ryan played his way out the NFL after signing a three-year deal with us. I don't know, I don't think Teagan's doing that, not what Michael Pittman's doing With old Phillip Rivers.
Speaker 1:I think he would have ended with about the same. He would have ended with well 1100, 1200 yards had Joe not got hurt.
Speaker 2:He cycled through his rookie year.
Speaker 1:He cycled through Ryan Finley as his quarterback Wait, philip Rivers.
Speaker 2:that was Michael Pittman's rookie season.
Speaker 1:Yeah, old man, philip Rivers, I just said that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he was a year ahead of him. Isn't Teagan a year ahead of him? Oh no, they're the same draft class. Same draft class. Nope, same draft class. Nah, I'm going. Michael Pittman, I don't think he's worth that money. I'm not giving him that money either. Shit, I'm not giving him that, nah. Michael Pittman might have been worth more than what he's got. That's what I'm saying. But Michael Pittman is a sole number one.
Speaker 1:He doesn't have Jamar Chase that he's contending with and he's putting up the same numbers that Michael Pittman's putting up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but don't you think having someone else opposite of you opens up coverage for you too, bro? Come on now you get all these soft looks.
Speaker 1:Michael Pittman's and Joshua Downs was hurt this year, and Jamar Chase and Burrow, and I've said it once and I'll say it again a lot of the productivity that the numbers that they put up is that LSU connection. They don't have that same chemistry.
Speaker 2:I ain't got nothing to do. Michael Pittman's out there playing dudes he met last week.
Speaker 1:He's out there playing dudes. He met I'm talking about the Jamar Chase on as the one, because a lot of people think there's this big-ass talent gap between T Higgins and Jamar Chase and there's not. The talent gap between the two is not that ginormous, it's not that big.
Speaker 2:I'm starting to see it more.
Speaker 1:Well, because a lot of people. That's why a lot of people going into that draft would have been okay with us taking Panay Su and rolling with T Higgins as our number one. Yeah, I mean yeah Again. The only reason why Jamar Chase was a banger was because Joe Burrow said I want my guy, yeah, a logical front office, going into that draft. And this is again. Guys this is coming from a Bengals fan my guy that I just took round one pick, one just toward his ACL, I'm gonna draft a wide receiver. Come on now. Everybody and their mom was like that was a dumb pick. You should have we. The pick, from a logical football standpoint, should have been Panay Sewell. Would I change my what? Knowing what I know now, would I change that pick to hell? No, I love the, you, the. You know, we got that, we got God, that's a top five receiver. I wouldn't change that for anything. And Panay Sewell is an all-pro left tackle. T Higgins would have been our number one receiver had we taken, you know, and we didn't.
Speaker 1:T Higgins shone when he his rookie year. Even when, even when Joe tore his ACL, t Higgins shone his rookie year. Even when Joe tore his ACL, he was on his way for 1,000 yards. But he had a hammy in the last game of the season and the coach said Tyler Boyd said sit down, bro, it's not worth it. Hamstring injuries can and will linger into the next season. Hamstring, you take it. I mean look at Darren.
Speaker 2:Waller, he's had his last three years with hamstring injury.
Speaker 1:So to my point is the Bengals had two number ones and we're going to go ahead and switch off topic because, to each their own, we're getting too much into this T Higgins thing. Oh, I want to say something, though. All right, go ahead, go ahead and get your piece out.
Speaker 2:The best ability is availability. T Higgins has not been available consistently the last two years.
Speaker 1:He's missed a game.
Speaker 2:He's been knocked out of a. He's been knocked out quite. It's not about missing games. He's been knocked out quite a few games and he battled drops last year. Yeah, he had some tough drops last year. I don't recall Michael Pittman having any tough drops last year. Yeah, he had some tough drops last year. I don't recall Michael Pittman having any tough drops last year.
Speaker 1:I'm just saying If we're going based off of just one year, we could take their whole career. We could take their numbers and set them up side by side.
Speaker 2:Yeah, side by side. Who plays with a better quarterback? Who plays in a more pass-heavy offense?
Speaker 1:The last couple years the Bengals have had a more pass-heavy offense, but that year we went to the Super Bowl. We were a run-first team. Y'all still threw the ball more than us.
Speaker 2:Y'all still threw the ball more than us. We ain't had no quarterback. He's doing us a valid point.
Speaker 1:Well, again it's because you guys gave up a second round pick to go get an old man, Matt Ryan, and he didn't pan out. But again that's.
Speaker 2:That's not the point, though he's putting up numbers with a Matt Ryan who played for the Colts for about six months and then also was in a CBS booth before a season was even over.
Speaker 1:I mean, I don't know, maybe I'm biased, but Obviously there's a little bit of bias on both of these. On whose guy I'm taking? You're number one or I'm?
Speaker 2:number two. If you say Jamar, I'm going to take Jamar over Michael, but I think Michael is better than Jamar.
Speaker 1:I mean, I already said right here, I've already said it. If I'm looking at them two right now, I would say I would take Michael Pittman over Tee Higgins. But I think Tee Higgins has more upside if you give him the same volume that Michael Pittman's getting as a number one. I don't think the volume's at all.
Speaker 2:That's the thing. That's what I think you're like. They have such different styles of offense. I think you're getting the misconception where the volume isn't the volume's damn near the same. Michael is just more. I think it's pretty close. But that will be a whole debate for something else.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we'll look at that, because I don't know necessarily now. I want to see the target share that Michael Clinton has compared to T Higgins as a number one.
Speaker 2:I mean maybe percentage-wise towards. But like y'all throw the ball a lot more than we do, I mean we run the ball. Like y'all throw the ball a lot more than we do, I mean we run the ball. So I mean it's just two different styles.
Speaker 1:But yeah, back to what the Bengals have done this year Got another year, one guy for tight end and hopefully, if he produces, maybe we can keep him for an extra year.
Speaker 2:I was really excited about this guy, Mike Gusecki.
Speaker 1:He's going to help stretch the field for these guys like T Higgins for Jamar Chase. Trent Brown it's looking like he might be at first going into camp saying he could be the starter. But, marius Mims, has been a lot of reports on him too and they say Trent Brown could potentially be a cap casual. I don't think he will. Yeah.
Speaker 2:So, speaking of Mims, you want to get into him a little bit or you got any more phrases?
Speaker 1:The Sheldon rankings I did. Like the Sheldon rankings. Signing I did like the. Tanner Hudson. I didn't realize he was. I didn't realize he was the same age as me before I seen it. I didn't even know who he was before his season, before his season last year, I would have been OK with the with him as a long term. But then you go and I look at him. He's the same age as me.
Speaker 1:And he's now having his and he's got a breakout season. His, you know, breakout year last year was 350 yards and a touchdown and he's been in the league four years. Yeah, that's crazy. Yeah, I didn't like I wasn't. I didn't like the Zach Moss signing, so you didn't like it. It's not that I didn't like it, I don't like him as a replacement for Joe Mixon. That's fair, that's valid. I would have preferred Mixon and Chase Brown and Zach Moss and Chase Brown. Zach Moss isn't in the same talent bracket as Joe Mixon. A lot of people look at his numbers and go, oh, he averaged more yards per carry. The Colts offensive line, like you just said, you guys run the ball a lot more and there's a reason for that?
Speaker 1:because they got one of the best running backs in the league and they got one of the best offensive lines in the league there's a reason they run the ball more.
Speaker 2:Three really solid guys and, I think, a couple guys I'm going to touch on next week who are going to be up and coming too. I thought that was an interesting move too, especially because I kept telling I mean I kept telling Ben's fans all for years like or at least the last two years they bashed on Joe Mixon so much. But he does a lot Makes me mad. He does a lot Makes me mad. He does a lot for that team. He's done a lot and he continues to do a lot.
Speaker 1:I think it's going to make a big difference. I think it's going to make a big difference.
Speaker 2:I think those because especially the O-line continues to struggle a little bit. Those interior runs are going to kind of there's not going to be the oh, I'm going to plow through a linebacker and gain a couple more yards. It might be a, I don't know. We're going to start gaining two yards on this and you know people want to bash Joe for not hitting the holes hard or whatever. But he creates a lot of those plays where they shouldn't, y'all shouldn't get anything, and he makes it into a game. So we'll see how that bounces, see how that changes with a two.
Speaker 2:I think Zach Moss might be a little bit kind of like a Joe Mixon Not really, I mean, he's a physical runner, but he's not. Joe can kind of do it all. So they're going to mix both those backs in and we're going to see if they can kind of look up some Joe Mixon numbers together, maybe kind of look up some Joe mixing numbers together, maybe it's going to be a while before I get over that, yeah, before I get over this trade, unless Zach Moss comes out and he shows me something that that I don't think, that I don't foresee.
Speaker 1:I don't think he's going to be terrible. I don't think he's going to get the same production. He gave up. He gave you guys what he was when he gave. He gave you guys when he gave the reins to the backfield. Yeah, yeah, it's just not going to happen.
Speaker 2:That's fair, and also the first cold game, so you did get the benefit of Anthony's running ability too.
Speaker 1:He was able to bring back a lot of our quarter. We brought back Davis Gaither for another year, Drew Sample for three years $10.5 million. Trent Irwin, who I thought I would have been okay with as a number three, as the guy to fill in for, because he makes plays when he's called upon. Yeah, I really like Trent Irwin. I don't know if it's a number three.
Speaker 1:Number four yeah, I could see that you just have a lot of wide receivers, which kind of leads me into the draft, which is why we drafted such wide receiver heavy, because it's going to be hard to be able to replace that production that T Higgins is going to leave.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So, speaking of draft, your guys' first-round pick kind of controversial. You guys have had kind of a rotating door at right tackle the last three seasons two, at least two seasons obviously you guys got.
Speaker 2:No, there hasn't been a back-to-back starter in your guys offense line from week one to week one in quite some time. So, um, you guys won't the unproven a two-time national champ? Uh, he doesn't. He doesn't even have a full season as a starter under his belt. Uh, this year he finally became a starter and ended up missing some time with some injuries. Kind of an NBA pick sort of kind of. He's 6'7", 340 pounds, 86.7-inch wingspan, which is the 10thth largest of any tackle since 2003 when they started measuring it at the combine. So this guy, I mean, he's a, he's a big dude, uh, and if he's going to have some time to develop, you add that you guys add brought in a Trent Brown who's battled injuries to the last couple of years, but he's going to have some time away from there was word to on the block where I might, where I heard that a lot of that was because just New England was just so bad.
Speaker 1:He might have been like oh well, I don't know if I can, I don't know if I can, I don't know if I can this week, you know they won what four games.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly yeah. So you should have some time to kind of sit back and learn and get down technique. But if he hits, you guys might finally have an answer to protect Joe Burrow, at least on one side of the ball, because y'all need to find something to answer those pass rushers, see.
Speaker 1:I think if we hit on one side of the ball, I think the whole line is going to follow through and the dominoes are going to click. Go fall suit. Yeah, Because going into last season, the Bengals were the most bet on team to win the Super Bowl. Yeah, and it was because of that. Orlando Brown signing yeah, A lot of people you know seen when we brought in which, going into last year, that was the biggest free agent signing. I didn't even think that was an option. Yeah, I thought he was going to go. Jackson Carman, you know, let him go in his college position. See if that works out. Because he didn't play terrible when he was asked to play. Yeah, he didn't play terrible when he was asked to play.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so yeah, I didn't even know that was an option. Yeah, because of and the Orlando Brown contract is a lot in partake why we can't pay T right now. Yeah, kind of, we gave you know Orlando Brown's getting paid. We got him on a bargain compared to what everybody else did. Oh, yeah, we got him on a bargain compared to what everybody else did. Oh, yeah, compared to when Denver signed Mike McGlinchey.
Speaker 2:Yeah, mike McGlinchey, yeah, yeah, they threw him in the bag and your second round pick you guys drafted a national champion, chris Jenkins, at the defense tackle spot. Had 4.5 sacks last year, which again could have been a first-round pick in a lot of any other drafts Exactly a lot of drafts. Especially, like you mentioned earlier, you guys added Sheldon Rankins, but you guys lost DJ Reeder and that's going to be a big shoes to fill, and Sheldon Rankins has played pretty well.
Speaker 1:I think it'll be all right because DJ Reader was getting up there in age. Dj Reader had battled some enders. I think he's going to be great for Detroit and what Dan Campbell brings to the table.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, yeah, you guys add him to the mix, so he should. I'm not sure, but he probably won't start, but he might work his way into starting live, depending on Sheldon Rankin's place.
Speaker 1:Well, Sheldon Rankin's only on a two-year contract, so maybe going into next year he could, Because Amarumo's a genius and I remember the first few years I was calling for his job. Yeah, but once the whole team, once everybody was able to at least shuffle the last bit of Marvin's players out and they was able to get the guys that they wanted to set up for the schemes that they want to run, they built a championship caliber roster. I used to dream about this stuff when we went to the Super Bowls. I can't tell you how many times I pinched myself just to watch. I didn't even think I'd ever have a chance to watch us lose in a Super Bowl. I always thought that was a dream I once had.
Speaker 2:That's funny. And then you guys drafted Jermaine Burton of Alabama. A lot of people like this pick. I kind of had mixed feelings about it, because now you guys have a bunch of wide receivers on your team and you guys have drafted like four wide receivers in the past two drafts, or three wide receivers past two drafts. You drafted two last year, right.
Speaker 1:Charlie Jones and Yoshi Vosh, because they're trying to replace because again they're trying to replace a guy that they know that's going to go, that's going to. That's one last thing to T guy that they know that's going to go, that's going to. That's one last thing to Higgins that's going to eventually probably that's more than likely going to go to another team and he's going to get Michael Pittman money. It's just not going to be from us. I will throw that out there and that's the last thing I'll say on that. Another team is going to give him.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Some to give him that $22, $23 million contract. It's just not going to be easy, but go on.
Speaker 2:So which I mean, he's a big play. He's a big play wire receiver who really didn't, who kind of struggled to find the field at Georgia, different kind of offense than Alabama. Went to Alabama, was immediately one of the star wire receivers on the team who last year kind of had a rotating door at quarterback but he still put up almost 900 yards, almost a leading receiver of that team. He's a straight burner honestly. Really big deep threat. I guess replace T, but he brings a different game than T.
Speaker 1:I don't think he's necessarily going to replace T. I think he's going to replace Boyd. You know because I read, I had an interview, I had a read an interview where they talk about Yoshi Vosh, he wants to, he wants T gone. Well, he didn't say that he. It just went along the lines of, yeah, it'd be detrimental, but I think. But he did finish somewhere like I think that's a role that I could fill in.
Speaker 2:So I mean, yeah, don't get me wrong, it's a business you know.
Speaker 1:Obviously, if I was a guy where it's like I know I can put up the same numbers. I just need this mother f***er out of my way.
Speaker 2:I mean you expect that any NFL player to say 100%, yeah, exactly yeah. But um, you guys won. You guys went and got a Jackson McKinley from Texas A&M. The defensive lineman, the run stopper.
Speaker 1:Because of the run we gave up the most yards in the league last year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'd say yours were bad against the run last year. And then you guys drafted two tight ends too. To go along with the signings of tight ends, you guys drafted Eric Aul from Iowa, who now brings in the long line of Iowa Titans to the NFL. He tore his ACL middle, I think November of last year. I'm not sure how he will be coming back, but you guys have a group of guys to where he won't have to probably see the field much in any way. And then you guys got Tanner McLaughlin out of Arizona, a pass-catching tight end. He had about 528 yards last year receiving four touchdowns. Project guy, yeah, project guy. Maybe he can catch a win, maybe as a receiver, Maybe as a security blanket. I want to see him as a blocker a little more. Maybe it's the security blanket. I want to see him as a blocker a little more.
Speaker 1:Now we're on to the playoffs last year the Pittsburgh Steelers again to where now? This is where I could probably confidently say probably the last of the defensive-minded ball coaches in the league Of what makes them great because it's offensive-ran league. But this is a guy where a lot of Steelers fans have called for his job because he can't make it past the hump. Their last playoff win came in like 14 or something like that. That was before that because they beat us in 15. It was probably 16 or so you know, but it's been a while yeah.
Speaker 2:I think they made some key additions.
Speaker 1:They did. They did make some key additions. A lot of Steelers fans. Your guys' worst games is like worst seasons, like I wish, literally. They've had three head coaches in the last. Like what? Is it 50 years, yeah, 40-something years, yeah, three head coaches. The Carolina Panthers have cycled through three coaches in the last two seasons. Yeah, you know, be grateful for what you got, but be greedy. They brought in Russell Wilson, which was crucial with the contract he took was the vet minimum, because he's technically getting paid by Denver this year, yeah and say what you want about Russell Wilson.
Speaker 1:But if I just had this conversation with my father-in-law before I walked out the door. If Russell Wilson was on this team last year, at worst. They're competing for the division. They're competing for the number one seed in the AFC. They won 10 games with mediocre quarterback play.
Speaker 2:We might be talking about them wearing one of these, because all they needed was someone decent. Yeah, all they needed was a dude to go up there, bro, every blue moon put up 250.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they didn't even need a big man, they needed a game manager. That's what Russell Wilson did, mm-hmm. And like 26 touchdowns, what Like seven interceptions? Eight interceptions when he got benched, exactly, exceptions when he got benched. Exactly yeah, and it wasn't even a numbers ride because that didn't sit well with the Denver locker room at all. It pissed a lot of people off. It was just a relationship, it was a financial thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, financial thing, it was a him and Sean Payton thing it was just. Even though people say what they want about Russell Wilson, the guys in the locker room were still upset that he got benched Because the bro was putting up numbers.
Speaker 1:And then we talk about the Kenny Pickett thing who was being a sourpuss about the signing anyway. But here's the thing, what did we just say? They won 10 games. It wasn't because of quarterback play, that's what we just said. He wasn't even putting up 250. The undrafted quarterback that we just talked about for Cincinnati put up. You had, it was 150, 200 yards more than he did. But he had double the touchdowns that you played in and six less games and half the games.
Speaker 2:There's a reason they let Mason Rudolph continue to be the starter.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you didn't start in that playoff. Mason Rudolph did.
Speaker 2:Mason Rudolph did. Mason Rudolph ignited that team. Honestly, he was the best quarterback On their roster this year. Yeah, imagine if, like I said, like I keep saying, if we were throwing Russell Wilson on a team, shit, maybe even, maybe even Justin Fields At this point, maybe even Fields Just somebody that's decent Cause yeah, maybe Fields might have Some structure With Tom, maybe a little more Structure with Tomlin, maybe a little more structural with Tomlin, 100%, and maybe they win a game. Maybe he propels Pittsburgh to another one or two with his dynamicness.
Speaker 1:So, speaking, of Justin Fields. They traded for Fields for a fourth-round pick and it's word that he's already said that you're going to learn behind Russell Wilson. I think it's going to be a really good opportunity to learn behind him, because Russell Wilson was a mobile quarterback. He's got the cannon For years. He had the best.
Speaker 2:Even still too. He's got beautiful deep balls.
Speaker 1:They're both deep ball throwers. They're both mobile quarterbacks. There's a lot that Justin Fields can learn from Russell Wilson.
Speaker 2:And then you can still throw Russell out there, not Russell, you can still throw Justin out there on some gadget plays, throw him in some wrinkles. You know you ain't got to. He doesn't necessarily have to play quarterback, but goal line short yardage. You came around plays where it's two quarterbacks and I've seen rumors where I mean, I'm not sure You're not much of a video game player like I am, so like the whole Madden preview where he's returning the kick and I don't know if you've seen that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they said he shut that down immediately.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but like maybe you might want him for the time being, especially with the new kickoff format.
Speaker 1:And speaking of the new kickoff format, they went and signed the second best kickoff return to probably grace the football through with Cordell Patterson. Statistically, yeah. Statistically, yeah. Physically, yeah. The biggest thing for me was they signed Patrick Queen to a three-year $41 million kind. That was big to take from a division rival.
Speaker 2:Yes or clean to a three-year $41 million kind. That was big to take there from a division rival. Yes, yeah, they're definitely missing him now. Yeah.
Speaker 1:And again they acquired Dante Jackson in the Deontay Johnson trade, a guy who you really like coming out of college. Yeah, he just hasn't been able to stay healthy, but when he is, but when he's out there, he's locked down.
Speaker 2:And you could argue You're on an island out there You're on, dante. You're in Dante land, yeah, when he's out there you can argue he's a top 10, top 15 kind of corner, and that's hard to come by, especially with consistency.
Speaker 1:They was able to re-sign their safety Myles Killebrew to a two-year $6.5 million deal. They brought in Van Jefferson for a one-year deal. That pretty much about sums up their free agency. So they didn't really have a whole lot of cap to work with because of the TJ Watt contract, yeah, I think, and also the Minka Fitzpatrick contract. So they didn't really have a whole lot to work with. But the Russell Wilson vet minimum that was huge.
Speaker 2:I think that's what was able to help them reel in Patrick Queen and I think the Van Jefferson signing might be a little more. I think he might be into a breakout year because he's finally getting that. He's kind of been behind a lot of wide receiver rooms everywhere. He's kind of went in the league.
Speaker 1:And he could kind of be the number two here behind Pickens. Exactly, yeah, and he could kind of be the number two here behind.
Speaker 2:Pickens Exactly, yeah, yeah, exactly. So I think we could see a breakout year for Varian Jefferson. I'm really happy he's getting this opportunity.
Speaker 1:I know the draft is really your thing, but I'll go ahead and I'll start off with that first-round pick that they got. Oh yeah, go ahead With Troy Fotton, who I think he could be. I think he's going to help the offensive line. I hate to say it, but I think he's going to help out.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I mean he's going to be the immediate starter. Yeah, immediate left. Tackle the offensive line.
Speaker 1:they just had a bunch of guys that have just gotten old.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just gotten old, yeah, yeah because Ever since Pouncey left, yeah, because seven years ago, their offensive line was the Pro Bowl. Yeah, exactly, I mean they just kind of fallen off a little bit. They really addressed this draft. I mean they got immediate starters, like you said. They got Troy Fotton.
Speaker 1:And there was a couple of guys that I would look. I was that Washington offensive line. Now there was worse picks that I was worried about. I'm not going to lie, I was concerned with I think Dallas Turner might have been still on the board. Yeah, the one I was really concerned with was a Brian Thomas pick.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but this is the best pick for them. Yeah, this is one of the best picks for them, especially if you're going to be starting Russell Wilson, who likes to move around a little bit, make plays, it's going to help Najee out, it's going to help Warren out, it's going to maybe I mean, if he can't even be a solid starter and upgrade if they can upgrade the offense line quarterback position, I think this team might actually be, because Najee Harris is one of the consistent, one of the more consistent backs in the league.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah. People, I'm tired of the memes about him not being all he's slow this and that I almost drafted him. He wasn't on my fantasy radar last year but I think again, something just telling me he was just a one-year off in the emergence of Jay McWarren. I don't think that's going to help From a fantasy. Nah, yeah, which we'll get into fantasy football here soon.
Speaker 2:But from a real football perspective, yeah, he's a solid back. Yeah, and I know the whole all-Ace.
Speaker 1:I would put him right outside the top 10. Yeah, like 11, maybe around 12.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then they went and drafted Zach Frazier, Another offensive lineman at center from West Virginia. Two-time All-American Should be another immediate starter. I mean they're making over this whole offense, really outside of Pickens and the backs and outside of skill positions. They're redoing quarterback and offensive line. I like it. I like what they're trying to do, Speaking of Pickens, and I guess what our CJ Kent skill guys I guess they are trying to do, Speaking of pickings and I guess wide receivers. They're trying to make some changes. They drafted a guy who, like a lot of guys in this draft, probably would have went higher. They drafted Roman Wilson out of a Michigan wide receiver, the speedy burner.
Speaker 1:the deep threat here's the thing about Pittsburgh is that they can draft receivers. They've got an eye for talent. Antonio Brown was a sixth-round pick.
Speaker 2:This gives me Tyler Lockett vibes. Yeah, this gives me major Tyler Lockett vibes. Doug Baldwin like deep ball, like Russell Wilson, like this is they might have drafted this guy just perfect for Russell Wilson and like he's. Like you said, it's Van Jefferson and Pickens and it's I mean losing Deontay Johnson. I mean those were having Deontay Johnson and George Pickens. Unfortunately the quarterback kind of hindered it, but that was a really good duo that we just never got to see what could have been for the Steelers, what could have been.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's a really what could have been situation, unfortunately. But I mean, you got Roman Wilson, you got Van Jefferson, pat Friar and you just really kind of became a consistent tight end recently last year and then. So I think the offense is going to take a big leap. Yeah, I think it is too, unfortunately for you, but yeah.
Speaker 1:But I will say I'd rather it be like this. It makes more for fun to watch. Yeah, I like watching competitive football. I like beating teams at their best, because I don't like especially when I'm arguing with other fans or when I'm arguing, just talking, debating with people. I don't like having given anybody a crutch Right, exactly, I don't like giving anybody an excuse when, oh, we beat them at their best, absolutely. I used to shout out to you Chiefs fans I know you guys are happy that we sucked last year because we're the only ones in the AFC right now, at least for the time being, that hold a candle to your guys that threaten your dynasty and you know it, but go on.
Speaker 2:Anyway they drafted, this guy might as well have Pittsburgh right across his forehead. A lot of people consider him the best linebacker in the draft, an absolute tackling machine. Peyton Wilson I mean, if this was 2007 or 2010, this guy might have probably been a second-round pick, at least most likely. But the reason—I mean he might have been a second-round pick if he had those injuries early in his career he has two ACLs, I want to say, and I want to say a wrist injury or something. I know he had two ACLs but the last two years has been an absolute tackling machine in college football. Should probably play really early, really, really early.
Speaker 2:I'm really excited for this. Should be paired right next to Patrick Queen. They might be the next dealer linebacker duo that we see, to go along with TJ Watt. They've kind of been missing that in the middle for a long time, since James Harrison and all those guys were back there in the 2010s. So, yeah, I like, I like that pick. Peyton Wilson, maybe, maybe, even, maybe, even a dark horse for a defense player year or maybe a you know all rookie defensive team kind of caliber guy he's. I think he's going to really show out this year early for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That's the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker.
Speaker 1:Always had some good linebackers yeah exactly.
Speaker 2:This is just a defensive team period yeah. This is a defensive division yeah, they're gone. It should be pretty interesting to see the Pittsburgh Steelers this year. So let's go ahead and rank. Rank them up, baby.
Speaker 1:Excuse me Rank them up. So at the bottom of the division I've got the other football team, the other Ohio football team. At number four the Cleveland Browns are going to finish fourth this year.
Speaker 2:Um yeah, give me the, give me the Browns.
Speaker 1:I think it's going to be the quarterback play that that that puts the brakes on it.
Speaker 2:I think the Browns just don't have a lot of necessarily playmakers. They have Denzel Ward, they have Miles Garrett, they have Murray Cooper, they have a couple pieces. But I'm really interested. Defense is only going to get you so far. Exactly, defense is only going to get you so far.
Speaker 1:You know it would get you past the divisional round.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I don't know. And then, with all the injuries, with the run game or with the offensive line, I'm not sure if the run game is going to be next year.
Speaker 1:Never mind, they lost that game. It can get you to the playoffs, especially in some cases, because especially last year the AFC North last year had an easy schedule. Yeah, we played the NFC South. We played I think it was the AFC East. I think we played Dallas last year.
Speaker 2:We played you guys, we played the AFC, y'all played us too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the AFC South, and that produced a couple of bad teams. The Titans was there. I mean we lost to the Titans, but the. Cardinals. On paper we had a relatively easy schedule, not easier than what it is this year, but Alright.
Speaker 2:Fourth I'm still on the fence. Um Gun in the fence, yes, gun in the head. I guess I'll probably say the Browns, yeah, browns, yeah, I'm going to say the Browns. Third it's tough yeah it's tough, give me the Steelers.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm about there with you. Number three Give me the Steelers and then two.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna go. I'm gonna go to the Bengals. Honestly, I really need to see what your offense line Does this year, because we don't Turn around this year.
Speaker 1:I mean, that's about, I figured, that's about. I figured, that's about where you were going to put us. Obviously, our one and two is going to be different.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't know your guys' defense. I don't know your guys' Well, and I'm curious about your defensive line.
Speaker 1:No, the offensive line. I think the defense is going to be fine. We was able to bring back Von Bell. I think that's going to be crucial. We brought in Geno Stone. That's going to help our secondary and, I think, the draft. You know we talked about the Chris Jenkins Sheldon Rankings. I think that's going to help with the defensive line. Yeah, and I'm excited to see what year two Myles Murphy does to see if last year's first round pick pans out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's fair. That's absolutely fair to see if last year's first round pick pans out. Yeah, that's fair. No, that's absolutely fair.
Speaker 1:He kind of got lost in the fold last year. I think our defense won't be the problem. I think, like you, hit the nail on the head. I think it's going to be our offensive line and I don't think it's a personnel issue. If you want to ask me, I think it's a schematic issue, because I don't think, because you can't tell me, we're getting these guys that have track records of knowing how to block and knowing what the hell they're doing, and they come here and they forget how to block.
Speaker 2:Y'all got a kind of like. I feel like and this is where Joe Mixon might Hurt I think y'all are going to have to learn how to get physical A little more, especially if, like, let's say, it does happen and a team who is pushing playoffs does need a T against them. It's like, hey, we'll give y'all a two and a five for T, like or I don't know, like something that appealing to the band was eating you off and you had to take it. Then someone's going to have to step. Y'all are going to have to start running the ball a little more, I think this year, and I think it's going to test the offensive line a lot this year. I think they're going to get real put to the test this year and we're going to see if that's like you said. You don't think that Zach Moss signing was. You think it's going to be a big, maybe not a big draw in production, but I'm more excited about Chase Brown than I am Zach Moss. That's fair. That's fair. I would too. I like Chase.
Speaker 1:Brown. I liked what Chase Brown did, especially towards the end of the season and when we drafted him. The thing was there was never a question of his ability to run the ball, it was his ability to hold on to the damn thing. Yeah, he had I don't know the number off the top of my head, I know coming into it. That's why he slipped.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:He's one of the best pure runners in the draft, but he slipped because of his fumbling issues.
Speaker 2:Fumbling issues. Yeah, absolutely yeah. So yeah, I mean I thought you guys were going to approach, I thought you guys were just going to run Chase Brown and then maybe draft a running back or maybe just maybe go a cheaper route, which, Zach Moss, wasn't too expensive.
Speaker 1:No, he was half of what Joe makes in his contract. His contract in two years is what we would have paid Joe this year. I don't think.
Speaker 2:I'd get half the production. I think I'd get more than half the production. So that's good, at least Like statistically yeah.
Speaker 1:He's going to ignite that Houston offense. We're going to talk about that on next week's episode.
Speaker 2:So you have number two.
Speaker 1:I have the Ravens finishing number two and I've got the Bengals bouncing back because, barring any injuries, joe Burrow is going to come back because, as he has stated in a lot of his, the goal isn't to be ready by July, the goal is to be ready by September and I think we're going to come out hot next year because I think that's a narrative that we need to, that he wants that we, that we as a team want to put to bed, that we struggled at the beginning of the season and we're going to be put to the test because four out of our top five, or four out of our first five games come within bottom five teams of last year's, of last, of last season, but that one team is a week to dance with Patrick Mahomes at Arrowhead. So it's going to be tested early whether or not, if we can, if we can put that narrative to bed or not. It's going to be tested out the gate.
Speaker 2:Has he won a week one start His first one, though he tied. No, we lost against the Chargers it should have went into overtime but Fatboy cramped up and grabbed the wrong leg.
Speaker 1:My apologies.
Speaker 2:That's where I got wrong.
Speaker 1:Has he won? Yeah, we beat Minnesota Jamar's rookie year. Okay, yeah, we beat Minnesota Jamar's rookie year. Okay, yeah, we beat Minnesota Jamar's rookie year. Okay, that's fair.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And then first I have Baltimore Ravens, and it's fair, I'm not mad. Yeah, I think they have.
Speaker 1:I would have been mad if you had said Pittsburgh or Cleveland, then I would have been mad.
Speaker 2:I mean Because the two teams Y'all and Pittsburgh are on the same kind of fence with me. I want to see what the fuck y'all, I want to see what your offensive line does. That's going to dictate a lot with you guys both of you guys Because Pittsburgh is heavy on the defense. They have a defense that can win a Super Bowl. Y'all have a pretty good defense. Y'all have good offensive weapons. In the Super Bowl, you all have a pretty good defense. You all have good offensive weapons, but the offensive line and quarterback for the Steelers too, and I will see if Joe can hold up, if Joe can hold up, but yeah, yeah, because the injuries at this point is an issue.
Speaker 1:The offensive line it's starting to show and you knew it was going to. Eventually You're not going to. There's a reason he's the only quarterback in NFL history to go to a Super Bowl after leading the league in sacks. Yeah, the odds of that happening again are? You know I got better odds of hitting this 14-league baseball parlay today.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying Exactly yeah, Without falling apart physically.
Speaker 1:You know, it just doesn't happen and we all know what can happen if this offensive line stands up. We're talking MVP numbers, we're talking number one seed in the AFC. That's the ceiling that we have here and I love it.
Speaker 2:I love it. Yeah, the Lamar signing or the Derek Harry signing, that's going to be. That's just carries so much weight.
Speaker 1:I knew it was going to, because I thought they were going to trade for it.
Speaker 2:And in that era where everyone's talking about the running back dying, that running back shifts a lot because, although let's hope the offensive play call gets a little different, they don't run the ball only seven times.
Speaker 1:If you got Derrick Henry back there, you better, at least If you have Derrick Henry in a playoff game and you run the ball seven times, I, as a Ravens fan, would call for Harbaugh's job. Yeah, I swear on everything If we had somebody like that and we only ran the ball seven times.
Speaker 2:I'd want Zach Taylor gone If I'm going to be quite frank, I don't care who it is. I don't care what the score is.
Speaker 1:I don't care what the score is. Yeah, if we don't win, you know, lamar, better have 450 yards. You know what I'm saying but that's not his forte. Exactly no, but that's going to wrap up this edition of Turf Talk, sir. Afc North edition.
Speaker 2:Let us know what you guys think, yes, sir, and next week we'll be getting down dirty with the South Down, dirty with the South Down, dirty with the South. How we're going to take a big swing at things this year. It's going to be exciting.
Speaker 1:Will Anthony Richardson take that next step up? Yeah, to be continued. Young guns, yep.
